The year is
already halfway over and the rate at which we discover new albums sometimes
leaves the ones we loved just weeks ago buried in the stack of albums that
really do deserve more listens. I’m going back to the beginning of the year
hear to recapture a string of albums that were good enough then and should be
good enough now. I need about twice the time I have to just solely dedicate to
music listening.
The first thing that’s been the best of bandcamp is the Ripple Music Subscription. $5 a month gets you everything in the catalog as it’s released. So far there has been 13 or more releases in 6 months, so you don’t have to worry about paying for a dry month. It comes out to a couple bucks per album, which are all rippers.
Orango – The Mules of Nana Thanks to Michæl here on bandcamp for introducing me to this lovely band. Take note, this may be a contender for album of the year. Haven't heard the heavy blues rock n roll styling done so well perhaps ever in my entire life. This is a masterpiece, as is every other one of their albums.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/2017/02/mandatory-vinyl-orango-mules-of-nana.html
DSW – Tales From the Cosmonaut Heavy ass bluesy affair of riffs dusted with gargantuan vocals veering between Graveyard at their meanest, Brain Police at their stoniest and Truckfighters at their fuzziest!
Val Cale – Black Stuff The ringing psychedelics permeate with progressive blues, balanced by heavy grooving riffs and cool, crisp vocals piercing like a primitive spear through a savage summer hide. Black Stuff Matters!
Scuzzy Yeti – Scuzzy Yeti They sound like their name suggests. This is steeped in Proto-blues and basted with bong water low and slow in a gristled serving of hard and heavy vintage rock and roll.
Dryland – Dryland The massive riffs chop by way of blunt force crushing in all directions with progressive tendencies and hardcore roots. The vocals scream with infectious vigor and the bass cleans up the remains with a sweeping groove. Album of the week 1-6-17.Favorite track: Mirrormaker.
Stone Cream – Slaves of Doom After blowing everyone's mind in early December 2016, Stone Cream are back with another full length album. This is smoking hot. The riffs remain slathered in vicious blues and the vocals stench of whiskey and bacon. More stone than cream, but an invigorating listen either way. Perfect rock and roll album length with high volume, foot stomping groove, and bar room stoner blues.
Book of Wyrms – Sci-Fi Fantasy Moments of skull crushing riffs hammer with rhythmic bliss matched by angelic vocal tones. The psychedelic meanderings peak with doom laden bass lines, serrated guitar chords, and ravishing vocal hymns. However just as impressive as the vocals are the instruments. The guitar riffs are righteous!
Highlights Rock – Shine On
Black Prism – Black Prism With the relentless rise of Sabbath Worship in today's heavy underground scene the jadedness has already set its hook. Black Prism swap Sabbath with Prism utilizing an Ozzy-esque tone to annihilate the stage riffing with a bit more a hard-edged stoner swagger as compared to the classic Sabbath fuzz. Sabbath influence is a given here, but Black Prism are an easy pick out of a modern Sabbath Worship lineup and guilty on all counts of rocking the fuck out.
Red Bowling Ball – Alongside the Traveller Red Bowling Ball deliver all strikes with a damn near perfect game of heavy ass blues. Alongside the Traveller is both an invigorating listen as it is an example of artistic grit and pummeling rock and roll ecstasy.
Sons of Morpheus – Nemesis Nemesis is fully loaded with a high caliber raucous blues rock heavy as it is catchy. Equal parts poppy blues meets shit kickin', space trippin' grungy groove .
Favorite track: All of the Above
Operators – Revelors The Operators operate the airwaves with retro driven intent showcasing a gravel packed vocal wail skirting the divide between NWOBHM and melodic stoner rawk. The riffs revel with intensity and the groove tangles the listener between bluesy solos and punk rock energy staking claim as a modern day version of Deep Purple.Favorite track: Rolling Hitch.
Humanoid – The Mists of Pluto Humanoid take the heavy spaced out blues to the next level. Dreamlike guitar strums meander over super fuzzy bass lines with enchanting vocals sounding like 'All Them Witches' jamming on their way to planet Pluto. It's what that bearded dude on the cover has playing over in his head.
Regulus – Quadralith Fuzzy layers of heavy blues build within strapping vocal chops and stoner-fueled groove. Regulus have arrived by way of Quadralith with a 10-song set of powerhouse, riff-driven heavy rock n roll.
Earth Witch – Out of the Shallow The massive doom throbs like Sabbath at a blues fest summoning a tone reminiscent of the first The Sword album. The vocals are burly yet intoxicating without being overbearing, and the riffs are meaty with a bluesy swagger. For fans of uber doom and hard rock n' roll with a knack for heavy psychedelics.
Topplock – Overlord Ruler of the new wave of retro heavy blues. Topplock have crushed the competition with a signature Swedish heavy rock and roll album on Overlord. Nevermind the comparisons mentioned below, while they are apt, Topplock has them beat with this one. Stunning.
Buttered Bacon Biscuits – From the Solitary Woods What a well executed and masterfully written album. If you're here you probably have the Witchwood stuff already and this is the prelude to that. If you're new, sit back, relax and let the melodies drift you away to a time when the sun baked oranger and the smoke rung heavier. BBB bring classic rock full circle including haunting keys, arena filling rhythm, mind-melting psych, and deep brooding blues with a vocal package soaring at the crossroads of Dickie Betts meets Use Your Illusion era Axl Rose.
Surfing in Hell – Catch a Wave Infectiously catchy hard rock gleaming the cube of torrential riffs. Surfing in Hell hangs their blazing stoner metal hooks ten toes deep beneath a fiery tube of fuzz. For fans of that Fu Manchu / Truckfighters groove accented by proto-metallic vocal tones. Favorite track: Surfers-up.
Humulus – Reverently Heading into Nowhere Reverently Heading Into Nowhere, graciously warps us into a parallel dimension radiating with heavy psychedelic fuzz, stampeding riffs and staggering groove. Vocals hit the auditory G-spot stimulating an ongoing eargasmic sensation sure to keep you glued to your headphones.
The Acid Guide Service – Vol. 11 If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? The Acid Guide Service. If there's something weird and it don't look good, who you gonna call? The Acid Guide Service. Yep. They ain't afraid of no riffs!
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers – Sidelong
Meteor Chasma – A Monkey Into Space Meteor Chasma have stolen the spotlight in heavy, hard-edged rifftown taking their music beyond the limits of atmospheric psych. The burly vocals strike cold and calculated with elements of Floydian Heavy Psych calming the distorted fuzz to the point of no return. The intergalactic groove will induce a ten ton head bob causing the tide to turn on Jupiter. Absolutely righteous!
Drude – Drude Yep, totally blown away too. This thing is so god damn heavy, yet so intriguingly groovy. Its got that spacey atmosphere lurking and colliding with a post-metal type vocal which I've always adored. Reminds my of the band VYGR kind of, but even better.
The Ossuary – Post Mortem Blues This album is immense in every sense of the word. From the guitar tone, metallic soloing and gruelingly refined vocals, The Ossuary straddle a fine line between Ozzy and Dio era Sabbath combined with the riffs and tones of modern bands such as Dawnbringer.
Scott H. Biram – The Bad Testament A little bit of outlaw, little bit of heartache, whole lot of honky tonk, a touch of hard rockabilly blues and a big ass-whooping slab of heavy acoustic bliss. The Bad Testament carries on the trail forged by Nothin' But Blood with an all-out assault on the hard and heavy Americana meets deep throbbing desperado blues. This may be Biram's magnum opus record. Game over!
The Teskey Brothers – Half Mile Harvest
The Soul Jacket – (Untitled/Volume III)
The Familiars – This Water That is Warm For those unfamiliar with The Familiars, I'll tell you this much; this single is one of the gnarliest 2 song sequences I've heard all year. By gnarly I mean thick burly riffs, hazy psychedelic vocals and mind altering rhythm that demands repeat attention. Blown away.
So I don’t even know how many albums I just listed. Its not nearly enough and I kind of tried to limit it to albums that may not have got the attention they deserve. I can certainly say I loved many more albums than this but it’s an idea of the first half the year recap giving a cross section of what kind of music you could expect to be recommended from me. You can always go visit my full collection and follow here:
-The Huntsman
