Snowburner - Future Primitive [12", LP]

SNOWBURNER is one of Holland's best kept secrets. A band that plays midpaced, sludgy, heavy, dirty stoner blues with killer riffs. Their shows are energetic and groovy, always guaranteed for a good night out. And i can tell, because i've seen quite a few since they're one of the local bands around here. Until now their only recorded release was a 7" single back in 2012, but now there's finally their long awaited debut album FUTURE PRIMITIVE. It captures their live sound perfectly, but at the same time it's well-produced. Live favourites like Reelin' In The Wasted Years, Ride The Tide, Vultures At Bay are all present. If you're into bands like Fu Manchu, Hermano or Eagles Of Death Metal you'll definitely dig this. Also, Haunt Me No Longer reminds me a bit of Motörhead, and Ashes In The West comes closer to Black Sabbath.

Recorded by Menno Bakker who did a lot of great stuff in the Dutch heavier underground scene, and mastered by James Plotkin (member of OLD and Khanate, and remixing for Earth. ISIS, Pelican, Nadja, Sunn O))), this debut album is a quality release. It should open doors for the band that definitely deserve to be opened. Also the artwork by Cristiano Suarez looks great. The limited orange vinyl version that i have fits really well with the artwork. The album is also available on limited purple and on black.

Last but not least... something that you don't wanna miss is the release party - it will be at Gebr. De Nobel in Leiden on March 5th.  #supportyourlocalscene!

Label: Freebird Records

Cat.nr.: FRV 029

Year of release: 2016

SIDE A:

01. Blizzards Of Gain

02. Ride The Tide

03. You Blues, You Lose

04. Reelin' In The Wasted Years

05. Stabbed On The Throne

SIDE B:

01. Haunt Me No Longer

02. Reap The Sown

03. Ashes In The West

04. Vultures At Bay

05. Bailiff's Blues

Brave Black Sea - Fragments [12", LP]

BRAVE BLACK SEA is a new band formed by drummer Alfredo Hernandez (ex-Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age and Slo Burn), singer/guitar player Damon Garrison and lead guitar player Chris Hale (both ex-Slo Burn) and bassist Clint Cunningham. Or actually it's more like old friends, coming back together to finish something they started in the nineties. FRAGMENTS is the debut album by these sons of the desert, and pictured here is the limited edition first pressing on greenish blue (turquoise) coloured vinyl. Comes with a CD as well, which i always like better than a download coupon. It would definitely not do them justice to be labeled as a stoner band, just because of their musical background. Other than you'd expect perhaps, there are more elements of punk rock and grunge (Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots are often just around the corner), than sludge or stoner. Ah heck, let's just call it in-your-face rock music, with a capital R. Very promising debut album! There are some European tour dates confirmed now for June and I'd love to see them live, so hopefully they'll plan a gig in Holland as well.

Label: V2
Cat.nr.: VVL24921
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Running Away
02. Abandon Ship
03. The Five Visitors
04. Bandana Republic
05. Silence Is Golden

SIDE B:
01. This Is This
02. Beginners Luck
03. Ghosts
04. The Road
05. Fragments

Bossk - .1 & .2 [12", 2LP]

This release on Garden Of Exile is actually a reissue, in that it combines two EP's (.1 and .2) that had previously been released on CD only. I've seen BOSSK live once (supporting Textures) and was pretty impressed at the time, so that's why i decided to buy this album when it came out. It's pretty good stuff. While .1 is more strictly post-metal throughout, .2 has some sludge/stoner elements. Especially the song Define has some riffs that you don't hear very often from post-metal bands. The artwork for this "compilation" album was done by Seldon Hunt, as you already might have guessed if you're only somewhat familiar with his work. Amazing how he always manages to deliver such signature photographs. They pressed 600 copies of this album: 100 on yellow/black, 200 on yellow and 300 on black. As you can see i have a yellow edition.
I thought that Bossk had split up for good some years ago, but apparently they have reformed earlier this year and are recording and playing shows again. Good news of course!

Label: Garden Of Exile Records
Cat.nr.: GOE16
Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:
01. I

SIDE B:
01. II

SIDE C:
01. Define

SIDE D:
01. Truth

Snowburner - Snowburner EP [7"]

SNOWBURNER is a new groovy and bluesy stoner band from Holland, consisting of guys who used to play in punk and hardcore bands such as Daily Fire, Omission, Point Of Few and All For Nothing. This EP is their first release and it's a damn good one as well. Two very catchy songs on it, and another two come on the free download that you get with this release. Very well-produced and great artwork (by Mehdi "Godspill" Rouchiche) to top it all off, so definitely a very promising result for a debut release. Numbered copies on red vinyl, limited to 300 pcs.


Label: Black Death
Cat.nr.: BLCKDTH027
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. The Greenhouse Effect

SIDE B:
01. The Jester

Sleep - Dopesmoker [12", 2LP]

This recent reissue of SLEEP's DOPESMOKER is the ultimate version of this stoner classic, they say. It sounds cleaner and heavier than previous versions. My copy is one of the clear pressing (2000 made) that was distributed in Europe.

Label: Southern Lord
Cat.nr.: LORD158
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Dopesmoker

SIDE B:
01. Dopesmoker

SIDE C:
01.Dopesmoker

SIDE D:
01. Holy Mountain (May 1994 I-Beam, San Francisco, CA)
02. Sonic Titan (April 1992 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA)