REVIEW: The Hollow Men - Food Chain

Heavy Rock from The Netherlands
The Hollow Men - Throne


Something so similar surrounds this opening bass & drum beat, as the guitar floats in and the words are released it brings me back to the early days in the '90's.  One of my favorite times in music. Euphoria starts the release off, and you would be hard pressed not to think it could be a long lost recording from the "grunge" days, like I've heard them before beside an Alice In Chains or a Helmet.  Is this a good thing, you bet, two of the better bands from that period.

They pick it up more with Top of the Food Chain, with its smooth guitar-bass mixture, the vocalist pipes, on this song is great, a perfect match for the grind that the song builds through its, almost 6 mins.  It's always nice to hear a heavy band with good clean vocals, with solid melodies.  It just keeps getting better  with Out in the Cold, another heavy grungy song,  crunchy catchy cosmic bliss, this baby is one meant for the good old days when people would watch videos on TV to catch the next great up and coming band (no not the Justin Beiber kind either..).  I'm not sure if this is The Hollow Men's goal, but I could certainly picture this song getting radio play.

Although Throne may be their "popiest" number, it's certainly not a pop song. With a touch of Screaming Trees (another top band I like), this song just rolls along at a certain slick pace, a groove that doesn't stop.  It majestically had me hooked in, head bobbing, and knee bouncing. Another beauty by them.  Soldier has a killer riff, it drags you in, and does not let go, and you can't help but feel like you want this song to go on & on.  The drums compliment this song so well, allowing the bass & guitar to rip it up, yet keep it structured perfectly.  I hear abit of Eddie Vedder in the singing, which compliments this song even more.

This Is Not A Love Song is a straight up balls to the wall rocker. Straight to your heart, it's 2 mins of pure punk power.  We end it off with Bleed. Another poppier number, although it's far from being a pop song.  I'm almost at a loss to describe it; it's got such a nice roll to it, rocking, yet mellow in its delivery.  The singing once again is exceptional, although I'm not sure who is singing here (as both the guitarist & drummer are listed as vocalists).

All in all this is a great release. I was very much surprised how the production, the songs, the lyrics were all well thought out.  I'm not sure how well they go over in the Netherlands, but these guys have a great future ahead of them.  Although I know it's not every bands dream to get "huge" these guys certainly have the potential.  They show no weakness in anything they do on this record.  If you're a fan of Alice In Chains, Helmet, Screaming Trees etc... you would do no wrong getting this, and make no mistake, they certainly are not ripping these bands off; they are just building on what these bands left behind.
by William Bissonette


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Track List

01 Euphoria

02 Top Of The Food Chain

03 Out In The Cold

04 Throne

05 Soldier

06 This Is Not A Love Song

07 Bleeding

REVIEW: Hooded Priest - Devil Worship Reckoning

Doom from the Netherlands
Hooded Priest - Alibi


The BOOM of DOOM continues.
The birth rate of new disciples has rarely been so high, but where most bands try to sound exactly like Sabbath or St. Vitus, Netherlands Hooded Priest have combined a number of styles and influences into their own take on the doom genre.
You will of course still be able to hear some Iommi worship here and there, but that's kind of impossible to avoid, agreed? So instead of just copying the masters of old, this five-piece keep your attention alive with mixing traditional and epic doom with the harder aspects of the truly best NWOBHM.

Sounding like early era Candlemass in one moment, in the next they (sometimes rather unexpectedly) shift into a Diamond Head-ish full out gallop and back to occult doom. It's tight (what a rhythm section!!), it's mean and the variation on this album is fucking great. Especially the guitar work stands out and is high above average. The vocal work is excellent and just like the music itself varies a lot.

Singer Finlay sometimes sounds possessed and travels through desperation...anger...madness.  I wish the producer would've lifted the vocals to be in front. In all, I think this band have a good chance of becoming synonymous with the expression ''True Metal''

by Joe Kolinsky

Emanes Metal Records

Myspace

Hooded Priest Mechandise

Track List

01 Mrs. Satan

02 8 o'Clock Witch

03 Devil Worship Reckoning

04 Well Worth The Dig

05 Alibi

06 Bleak Ol 'Tyrant

07 Hooded Priest Pt. I & Pt. II

Emanes Metal Records

HOT RELEASES: SolarCruiser EP

StonerRock from the Netherlands

SolarCruiser - Major

StonerRock is back in Town and the Netherlands’ just keep smashing out the finest in Stonerrock and these guys from Amsterdam will not disappoint the purists’ of the genre with their low tuned guitars,catchy bass riffs, groovin' drums and vocals with a psychedelic edge of which they like to call it ‘freestyle desert rock’. Sounds interesting well you can stream their whole 4 Track ep on their Facebook page or Buy the Goods from Bandcamp.

Bandcamp
Myspace
Facebook

 

Track List

01 Major

02 Friends & Lovers

03 The Clowns

04 Roll the Dice

REVIEW: Sungrazer - Sungrazer Ep

StonerRocK from the Netherlands
Sungrazer - Common Believer


After Copious amount of listening to this EP at home and in car, and apologies to Sungrazer for not reviewing this EP earlier but it was hard not to be selfish and succumb to what Sungrazer offers here. This Dutch 3 piece delivers what can only be described as mammoth walls of mountainous fuzz. Picture the mighty Kyuss rejoined after a 15 year hiatus! Somehow Sungrazer have been moulded to the very roots of stoner/desert rock a venture that has so often been tried and time and time again never succeeded. Sungrazer are perfect example of how good music can sound when 3 musicians work in unison and collaborate as a whole.

This EP is a harrowing cosmic trip through and through bound together with gigantic and jammed out musical prowess! Ok sure hear Kyuss and think hmmm, it's been done but I assure you this time it's a big NO! Sungrazer have put together 5 songs of well crafted gems carefully picked and somehow conceived in the form of a story book or concept album! Tracks like" Zero Zero" and "IF " will make you weak at the knees, like a first love or an addiction, these tracks consume you and take you right into your subconscious, Just like Spaceship Landing and White Water did back in the early to mid 90's.

Rest assured Sungrazer don't just pump out mammoth tunes the equally luminous track titled "Somo" is epic! A true illustration of just how good this band works as a unit. Laced with acoustics, eerie sound effects, various alter instrumental experiments and eventually more Fuzz! Somo, really reminds me of an early" Earthlings?" mantra, but tends to deliver more pounds per square second, both guitar driven and vocally!

Sungrazer as far as I know met via a theatrical position, playing music scores for a local theatre company in Holland. It's no surprise that these guys are accomplished musicians, in all forms of the word. This EP is produced and sounds like it cost an absolute fortune and undeniably ready for a label release. Holland is definitely in the forefront of producing some of the best acts to date. Sungrazer will Impress the new listener and give hope to the geriatrics that is in search of that classic sounding desert rock.

Sungrazer will be a band who will emerge at the top of the food chain within the stoner rock community although only 5 songs under their belt you might say a "big call"! But get your hands on this EP and judge for yourselves! I look forward with optimism that Sungrazer find a home soon and get a deal that will bring a full length. This band is a must have and as they mature through Touring and more extended recording sessions will be hard to top! Highly Recommended...

Reviewed by Matt Frighetto

Website
Myspace
Elektrohasch Records

 

Track List

01 Zero Zero

02 Common Believer

03 If

04 Somo

05 Mountain Dusk

Zero Zero

Common Believer

REVIEW: Stone Oak Cosmonaut - Into The Multiverse

StonerRocK from the Netherlands
Stone Oak Cosmonaut - She Is My Interstellar Cow


Attention all earthlings!...Captain Edam, the ruler of planet cheese, and his army of cheese doodles are moving rapidly towards the planet earth ready to "encheese" yet another civilization...

The Dutch cosmic doom rockers Stone Oak Cosmonauts have once again landed on our planet with the intention to learn how to fly without wings! The second album 'Into the Multiverse' invites you to an cosmic inferno of both stoner metal, cosmic doom and space rock divided into five acts in 57 brilliant minutes. S.O.C. is NOT a clone of any kind, but more like an intersection between Luke Skywalker's balls and the dried remains of Lemmy's warts!

The swaggering 'She is my interstellar cow' initiates this space odyssey and boots you down like an army of Jedi knights with big fuzzy swords and dribble past both Dart Vader and Jabba The Hutt in just one dodge! Powerful and with loads of atmospheric and fuzzadelic deep dives lined by fat pulverizing riffs á la fuzz de luxe. The second act 'Cosmonaut No.6' is more doom laden and makes me think of bands like Insider, Mountain Of Judgement, Suma, Mangoo and Litmus. My ears shrivel in delight and nothing can stop 'Into the Multiverse' from being one of my favourites this year.

The similarities to Motorhead is shown on the third nugget 'Fly into the light'.
This is 1:58 minutes of true wart(s) power without any speed limits, this light will lead you in the right direction, and you may even start to fly! Sometimes the singer sounds like he is trapped in a time capsule with a bottle of whiskey. The title track is a grandeur monstrosity in 38 minutes (chopped up in 7 parts)! Here you get almost everything and S.O.C. are certainly not parochial, but alternates between the different styles that makes every minute of it into a mammoth trip between worlds. 'Into the Multiverse' is a raging bull who eats fuzz pedals for breakfast, every single track on it is worth the attention.

If you're into fuzz rock, doom metal and psyche, and love straight forward ass kicking mixed with relaxing and dissolute parts you better hurry and load your bong because this is one hell of a trip!

Reviewed by Tobias Beament

Myspace
All Thats Heavy

 

Track List 

01 She is My Interstellar Cow

02 Cosmonaut No. 6 (Valentina Tereshkova)

03 Fly Into the Light

04 Into the Multiverse

a) Starman

b)Under a Dead Moon

c) The White Sun of the Desert

d) The Vessel

e) Captain's Seat

f) No One Here Will Die

g) The Multiverse

05 Telescope

REVIEW: The Machine - Solar Corona

StonerRocK from the Netherlands

The Machine - Solar Corona

If The Machine were a woman I would do anything for her! I've been waiting for this one, and finally it arrives...The Machine are back!!!

In 2007 The Machine made their awesome first album "Shadow of the Machine" and I almost immediately fell in love with the band and it was like injecting fuel right into your veins, rigorous and almost godlike. There were lots of great Dutch bands back in the days, once again The machine shows the masses that the Netherlands still going strong.

I bow and respectfully welcome "Solar Corona", album no.2 by The Machine. The unstoppable psychedelic fuzz machine have returned and just like a magician swinging his magic stick these dutch rulers creates magic for the second time. It's hard to pick a specific track as the best song on this seven track masterpiece because the whole album is a magnificent journey into time and space. Along with the guitars, bass and drums there are also djembehs and gong included in the arsenal. "Solar Corona" is more multiple than the previous album with less vocals and more jams, experimental deep dives and hypnotizing bluesy riffings. Mix the best from the late 60's with early 70's stuff, add some desert rock and you get the exakt formula.
This concept is timeless and lasts forever!

The first one out is the title track Solar Corona, it starts off with a typical Kyuss riff quickly explodes like a gigantic acid bomb with furious guitar solos, heavy bass lines and great drummings. Caterpillar's mushroom, the forth song on this piece of plastic is based on Djembehs backed by a relaxed soundscapes and reminds me of Lamp of the universe.
"Solar Corona" is mainly instrumental but not all of it. Davy, Hans and David has done a great job on the album and i just love the sound of the warm and dusty guitars it, gives me a hard on, shit embrace! ...this is art made by true artists. If you digg Electric magma, Colour haze, Datura and Gomer Pyle you will love the remarkable work of The Machine.

This is a good year for the stoner rock scene. Many new good bands pops up like mushrooms and i am curious about what will happen the rest of the year and with gold nuggets like Solar Corona makes my life a pleasant feeling.

Feel free and unleash the herbs!

Reviewed by Tobias Beament

Elektrohasch Records

Website

Myspace

Track List

01 Solar Corona

02 X

03 Caterpillar's Mushroom

04 Interstellar Medium

05 Jam No. Pi

06 Infinite

07 Moons Of Neptune

REVIEW: Stone Oak Cosmonaut - Out Of Orbit

PsychedelicRock from the Netherlands

Stone Oak Cosmonaut - A Light In The Dark

Stone Oak Cosmonaut is a relatively new and impressive Dutch band and with endless Dutch bands producing quality rock sounds these cats are no exception! Think Space Rock like Hawkwind's moods swirls and grooves, throw in some classic stoner riffage with a hint of the good ol' days metal and you have a pretty good idea what you're going to get yourself into here.

Out Of Orbit is a solid slab of old school meets new terrain, "Keph- Tun" is the opening track a beautiful blend of swirling effects mixed with big dirty metallic over driven guitars. Von Trippenhof's Vocals come across kind of rough and behind in the mix, you could almost think you were hearing Wino sing at times.

"Away In The Laikia" is one of my favourite tracks on Out Of Orbit. Again Bubbly Cosmic Electronic tripscapes leading into a classic chugging riff that holds all the classic Dutch tone we have all come to love in this scene. Think Spirit Caravan meets Candy Bar Planet with LSD planted firmly under two eyelids and your set for the perfect voyage.
"A Light In The Dark" Can only be described as EPIC a Space rock master piece! Magical chilled out electronic interludes blanket your ears complimented with eerie floating chilled chords. The percussion carries you through a wall of uncertainty as if you are about to enter another world! Von Trippenhof's Lyrics echo through your head "Together we will make foot prints on the moon"

Then just when you are comfortably numb HEAVINESS erupts 35007 styled, power driven balls to the wall fuzz with Dual leads, and massive percussion !A back breaking Bass driven power stomper that leaves you in a crazed euphoric state!
The Equally Amazing two part Out of Orbit "Part 1 Earthless" and "part 2 Star Voyage" follows, this is truly a listening experience pretty much flowing back and forth into the same kind of elements as described in the earlier songs but a lot more jammed out and in a sense I guess what space rock is known for! Loads of space overdubs and enough riffs, jams and twists to keep you in constant awe!

Stone Oak Cosmonaut has really produced a master piece here a mind blowing and body levitating experience that will definitely appeal to a broad range of listeners. It's hard to believe this is Stone Oak Cosmonaut's debut release; they come across as seasoned veterans to the space/fuzz world. Fans of First Band From Outer Space, Earthless and Spirit Caravan will surely lap this record up. There's only one more thing to say" Pack your moon boots, grab your space cakes and say good bye to loved ones and jump on the epic Stone Oak star voyage ASAP! "

Reviewed by Matt Frighetto

Myspace

 

Track List

01 Keph-Tun

02 A Circle Run

03 Away In Laika

04 A Light In The Dark

05 The Gift Of The Eyeless Merchant

06 Earthless

07 Star Voyage

08 Reborn Again

09 Oh Yeah