In case you’ve been living under a very large and heavy rock, Mastodon are back with their fifth full-length, The Hunter, a non-concept, non-epic album that’s as straightforward and concise as anything they’ve ever done. Of course, this is Mastodon we’re talking about, so as straightforward and concise as The Hunter might be, it’s still a strong arm of flailing beats, mind-bending time signatures, schizophrenic riffing, and eerie vocal harmonies, all delivered in either a full-on mortal crush or an unwavering cosmic vapor lock. However, under the fur-lined cloak of freedom afforded a band of their stature, Mastodon appear to have made the conscious decision to forgo the brainy, extreme aspects of their abilities for a puffed chest, ‘rock-the-fuck-out’ approach. Songs like “Black Tongue,” “Curl of the Burl,” “All the Heavy Lifting,” and “Dry Bone Valley” find the Atlanta quartet choosing brute force over precision, trading in their clockmaker’s hands for those of a caveman, while songs like “Blasteroid,” “Stargasm,” and “Spectrelight” (featuring Scott Kelly of Neurosis) are the most vintage Mastodon songs of the bunch, an abundance of devastating wonder tailor-made to amaze. The album’s not without its departures, however, including mellower, dramatic cuts “The Hunter” and “The Sparrow,” as well as the weird, anthemic “Creature Lives,” which features drummer Brann Dailor’s vocal prowess. It would be hard to argue that Mastodon hasn’t been one of the most influential bands on heavy music the last 10 years or so, and if The Hunter demonstrates anything at all, it’s that in a sea swelling with admirable contemporaries, they can do something like buckle down and play laymen without giving up the charge.
Check out the video for “Curl of the Burl” from The Hunter!
And here we are with Scott “Wino” Weinrich’s latest band, Premonition 13. The last couple of years saw the DOOM LEGEND without a band as he collaborated with friends (and legends in their own right) Al Cisneros, Scott Kelly, and Dale Crover in Shrinebuilder and released a couple of solo albums, including the acoustic effort Adrift. But now the man who’s left a trail of awesome bands behind him like no other is back in front of a stack once again with long-time friend Jim “Sparky” Karow, with whom he’s been jamming in the California desert since his days in The Obsessed. Well, the two have taken the fruits of those labors, and a mutual interest in magnetism, Mesoamerican history, and ancient cultures, and poured it into 13, a psych-doom tapestry of simple, heavy riffs and acid-fried grooves. It is, obviously, distinctly Wino, meaning songs like “Hard to Say,” “Clay Pigeons,” and “La Hechicera de la Jeringa” contain the captivating menace of fireside stories told by the most respected, feared, and battle-scarred elder/warrior of the tribe, but there are times when Wino finds himself treading some weird n’ wild territory, like on the nine minute opener “B.E.A.U.T.Y.,” “Senses,” and “Peyote Road,” each of ‘em altered states of a proud, monolithic craft. Also of note is the way Premonition 13 dips their long grey hair into Motörhead’s dirty pool on the bloozy, tongue-in-cheek tune “Deranged Rock N’ Roller,” the daringly melodic “Modern Man,” in which Wino’s vocal prowess shimmers with the slightest pop sensibilities, and the fact that, with the exception of Shrinebuilder, this is the first time Wino hasn’t completely owned guitar duties in a band, and the consequence of freedom is evident. For some, Premonition 13 might be just another Wino band, but it sounds to me like the cult hero who left blood-drawn paintings on cavern walls all those years ago has returned to reveal their true meanings.
Whispering Wild Stories is the third album from French noisemakers Denizen, who thrive on a rare mix of cowboy freedom and back alley boorishness, meaning they roll out endless amounts of dusty and rowdy stoner riffs but shove ‘em in your face with some hardcore attitude instead of letting you bake in ‘em. While Whispering Wild Stories doesn’t quite contain the brilliant animosity of Cursed, the toothless tomfoolery of Maylene, or the Norwegian death roll of Kvelertak, Denizen are able to harnesses the same kind of bloody-lipped urgency of each of ‘em in some way and throw their own wine-drunk, hot rod funk into it as well. Despite the fact this album is self-released, they still managed to snag Nick Zampiello again to master it at New Alliance East in the good ol’ U.S. of A., which no doubt helped shape its eight-song landscape into the motor-driven sewer-fucker it is. Add some sweet cover art by J. Issac and a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and you’ve got an album that’s truly très bien!
Listen to “Casino Royale” from Whispering Wild Stories!
Mastodon
Premonition 13
Denizen