Witches Of God - "The Blood Of Others" CD

This Los Angeles band's debut smokes in a big post-Black Sabbath way. 

All the genre's staples are here, from the gargantuan, way-out stoner-psyche riffs of "Devils III" to the massive space-metal beast that is the title track. "Higher Than The Heavens" is most certainly the acid-dropping offspring of Ozzy, Geezer, Tony, and Bill. "The Horror" features guest vocals from Scott "Wino" Weinrich of St. Vitus, The Obsessed, and Shrinebuilder), and moves from heavy rock to weird, evil tribal sounds. Absolutely great stuff here. I consider this the album's high point, but give it all a listen and see for yourself.

All said, "The Blood Of Others" is an excellent stoner metal album that brings the bongs and blown speakers. Amen, brothers. And I love the cover art.  

Witches Of God self-release

Witchbook

Honky - "421" CD

Featuring longtime Butthole Surfers bassist Jeff Pinkus and mixed by that same band's Paul Leary, one would assume this shares something with Texas' legendary psychedelic-drug-punk act. But Honky (this is their 5th album) brings the heavy, dirty, sludgy, stoner rock & roll, more in line with their brethren/forefathers in ZZ Top or Kyuss.

"Just A Man" should be a rock radio staple, with deep-fried, down-tuned guitar riffs and a catchy melody. It's all balls-out from there, as these guys attach thick guitars, lava lamp proto-metal grooves, and bluesy rock (as in the Southern boogie of "Handful of Nails"). Well-done sludgy, bluesy rock for the bad boys (and girls). (MVD Audio)

Honky net

Honkybook

Kyng - "Trampled Sun" CD

Here's some well-baked heavy California rock that reminds me of Black Sabbath, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Soundgarden. There are some radio-friendly tracks here, but overall it's a riff-tastic classic rock experience, full of big thump, pummel and wail. I liked this one. (RealiD Records)

Kyng official website

Queens Of The Stone Age - "Queens Of The Stone Age" album

With his impressive resume as guitarist/vocalist for stoner-metal legends Kyuss, Josh Homme debuted his Queens Of The Stone Age project in 1998 with this long out-of-print gem. Now on deluxe double-LP with bonus tracks, this self-titled album (on Hommes' own Rekords imprint) exhibits the diverse sonic palette that Homme and company have since synthesized and perfected in recent years.
"You Would Know" is a weird pop song that's catchy in a Gary Numan-meets-Ween fashion, whereas "How To Handle A White Rope" is a heavy, sludgy rock song with a melodic pop slant. "Mexicola" is a potent stab of thick & meaty post-Hawkwind riffage, and "Hispanic Impressions" is a silly but heavy 3-minute track with no discernible relation to its namesake. Some of the previously-unheard bonus tracks are as interesting as the original LP, with "Spiders And Vinegaroons" being a top-shelf space-out jam with exotic overtones. QOTSA have found the unlikely path between indie rock and stoner metal, and they've followed that vague formula to major commercial success. This debut remains a strong document of the band's formative years, and it's a superbly catchy, creative, and fun album of out-there grooves from the fringes. (Rekords Rekords)

Queens Of The Stone Age site

Hytest - "Dishing Out The Good Times" CD

Aussie stoner/punk wiseguys Hytest have been active for 6 years, and this debut full-lengther shows them firing on all cylinders. Opening with the raucous "9 Volt", Hytest's speedy, take-no-prisoners approach borrows the raw, loose-nut qualities from punk (think Black Flag), and a dirty, downtuned sludge-rock vibe from precursors like Kyuss. In fact, it seems Hytest have impressed Nick Oliveri (Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age/Mondo Generator) well enough to get themselves invited to tour with him, both as opening act and backing band. So that should seal the deal for fans of the aforementioned. The rest of you?

It's like this. "Girl In Black" is a under 2-minutes of blisteringly fierce heaviness with a melody that gets under the skin. "Goodbye" begins with a rockabilly-style riff before launching into another blistering speed attack. Yet the melody underneath the thick-as-molasses guitars is undeniably pop-oriented, and in a good way. "Abolisher" begins as a ramshackle spitball of immense riffage and high-octane speed riot vocal throttling, and doesn't let go at all. It's just massive. "Dishing Out The Good Times" is jammed with smoking heavy rock sounds with plenty of good times indeed. My only complaint is that these 11 songs are over within 28 minutes. Kick-ass heavy rock for speed freaks, this! I like. (Impedance Records)

Hy-Testspace

Ichabod - "2012" CD

The 4th release from these Boston stoner/metal-heads is a solid, sludgy, and fairly melodic concept album heralding the impending Mayan prophesy. "2012" (the album) is a dense, aggressive, and groovy set of out-there space metal gems/jams that manage to maintain their aggression while leaving their improvisational spirit intact. "Giving Up The Ghost" is thick and psychedelic, layering a mountain of guitar effects on top of the heavy mix. "Gentlemen Of The Choir" begins as a languid, Hawkwind-inspired space trip, before erupting into a post-Sabbath slo-mo thud and riff extravaganza. The 10-minute epic "Nile Song" is a Pink Floyd cover, but it's rendered almost unrecognizable, with vocalist Ken McKay's seething vox giving way to an amazing extended space-metal/drone freakout that could be considered the album's high point (pun intended, hah). "2012 Outro" is a collection of samples and spoken bits, illustrating the schizophrenic nature of our world at large, apocalyptic visions, madness, and paranoia taking over. A superb album, perhaps a bit disjointed, but with some really potent and heavy rock that deserves your attention. (Rootsucker Records)

Ichabodspace

Howlin Rain - "Magnificent Fiend" CD

Ethan Miller's other band, Comets On Fire, is pretty well-known in freaky folksy psychedelic circles for their overdriven lysergic space rock. But rather than mine one classic rock avenue, Miller chooses to branch out a bit with his other group, Howlin Rain. Here, he gets to tighten up and write straightforward organic (some would say hydroponic, even) rock hits, inspired more by late-60's/early 70's-style stoner rock. You know, the kind they used to make before everything went 'metal' or 'punk'. Tight and bluesy, 'Magnificent Fiend' brings to mind a bright Summer day, with the top down, rollin' (pun intended) around town with nothin' better to do. 'Lord Have Mercy' is so groovy it would make the Black Crowes jealous. Yes, this is the real thing. Longhair rock isn't dead, it just went back underground. Howlin Rain are bringing it back up! (Birdman/American)