Yep, I am 35 years young today. Still blogging about The Scene… In the words of The Necrosexual, “It’s not a phase, Dad!”
First up this fine morning is Fumarole, hailing from Brisbane, Australia. This hard-hitting stoner rock trio put out a single in April called “Ghost Smoke,” and it cooks! The mid-tempo track follows the journey of escaped slaves on a distant mining planet — I don’t think the slaves make it out of wherever they’re escaping from, because the chorus is “Just leave me be / down by the tree.” My favorite aspects of this song are the gritty vocals and driving guitar riffs. Things really kick up in the outro, so maybe the guy gets up from the tree and makes a break for it?? We can only hope.
Fumarole also has a 2018 EP called Mountain — if you like catchy, bluesy rock n roll a la Clutch and Orange Goblin, be sure to give these guys a listen!
Another group that’s come across my path this week isGhost:Hello, out of Ohio. I usually discount any band with punctuation in its name right away — but this one had a chick in it, which leveled things out. Hey, it’s my birthday and I’ll take hot takes if I want to… To quote one of their songs, “I’m perfect in all ways” — at least for one day a year. Anyhow, I’m glad I listened to them because they have a standout spin on fuzz rock. Comprised of drums/percussion, bass, and a soundscape of Theremin, samples, and synth, Ghost:Hello incorporates the attitude of 90s grunge with the driving blues of, uh, Fumarole, then throws some weird noises in there for good measure. Cacophonous one moment and quiet the next, their upcoming album Sound of Color and Space is a wild ride. It will be released on September 20th, so keep an ear out.
PS: Ghost:Hello are really cool people and you should follow them on all the things!
Finally, Krzysztof Drabikowski, the guy formerly known as being in Batushka, put out Batushka’s new album this week — much to the chagrin of “Bart-ushka” and Metal Blade Records. It’s called Панихида, which I think means “dire Eastern European church riffage” or possibly “clench your fist and raise it in the air to these mighty black metal hymns.” I’m giving it a first listen as I type this, and it’s REALLY good. So thanks, Polish dude, for some awesome birthday music! (And read Rodey’s take on the Batushka debate here.)
Speaking of bands that are putting out music for my birthday, Dust Prophet’s single “Shadow Army” was released today! Read AltCtrl’s thoughts on it here and listen below:
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