Cannabis Corpse / Ghoul - Splatterhash

Written by Andy Osborn.

Artwork by Andrei Bouzikov

Stoners worldwide have been rejoicing at the recent legalization efforts taking place, and what better way to kick off the celebration -- and the new, smoke-filled year -- than with a blazing split from Tankcrimes. The two finest acts on the small label’s roster are also some of the most 420-friendly around, but don’t get them confused for the mellow, relaxed types. Sometimes a high calls for a faster pace and a bit more humor than provided by your typical trudging bong rippers, and that’s exactly what these maniacs deliver with this four track offering. 

Continuing with their potent strain of punk-infused death metal, Cannabis Corpse lay weed-worshipping, comical lyrics over a deadly serious sheen of tight musicianship and surprising technicality. As they’ve always done, the Virginians both parody and pay homage to the best aspects of the genre while still being able claim a sound as wholly their own. Ghoul’s death-thrash keeps the buzz going with 80s Bay Area riffs and intelligent phrasing not normally dished out by their regional brethren. “Inner Sanctum” is the highlight of the split that plays with blistering leads and ever-changing vocal deliveries that keep you guessing what these hooded menaces are going to pull out next. The session ends with a crossover anthem that’ll force you to scrape the bowl and fire it all up over again and again.

As is common with splits, Splatterhash will you wanting more from both bands. But everything about this release -- its concept, cover art, title and production -- is damn-near perfect so it’s difficult to be upset at such a supreme high, short-lived as it is. Light it up, take a deep breath, and don’t forget to pass it around.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Man's Gin - Rebellion Hymns

Written by Aaron Sullivan.


Man’s Gin return with their second album, Rebellion Hymns. This is the side project of Eric Wunder. One half of the amazing Black Metal band Cobalt. But those looking for Black Metal look else where. This is band exploring the genres of Rock, Country, Americana, Blues, and Folk all mixed up into what becomes Man’s Gin’s sound.

As I expressed in my year end list that this album made. Man’s Gin’s first album Smiling Dogs is among my all time favorites. It hit me like a ton of bricks musically but more importantly lyrically. The album got me through some rough times in my personal life. The lyrics spoke to me as if they were written for that exact moment in time with what I was going through. The lyrics from Nuclear Ambition 1&2 especially. The line "So sinners unite, the sloven and weakened. If you’re beaten or broken press on frustrated." was inspiration and still brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. So when hearing there was to be a new album, I was excited to say the least.

Immediately with the opening of Inspiration you know it’s Man’s Gin. What is also known very early on is that unlike the raw, almost live feel of Smiling Dogs, Rebellion Hymns finds the band spreading their musical wings. The piano, upright bass, and acoustic guitars are all there, but how they exist in the songs is much fuller and not as straight forward. The addition of instruments like accordion, harmonica, melodica, and sax (provided by the great Bruce Lamont) all point to the eclectic nature of this album. The other difference is how each song stands on it’s own. No two sound alike, but still have that Man’s Gin feel. Whether the Tom Wait-ish Off The Coast of Sicily, the almost metallic Old House (Bark at the Moonwalk), or the ambient interludes, they do their best to never repeat themselves. The album also features vocal appearance from Jarboe and the other half of Cobalt, Phil McSorley.

The word that comes to mind when hearing this album is expansive. While the first album sounded as though you were in the rehearsal room as the band played, this one feels like a band that knows what it is capable of and wants the world to hear it. All while never losing it’s raw personal feel. Not a an easy task to accomplish. But then Man’s Gin is not an ordinary band.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Sunn O))) Monoliths and Opinions: Part XIV - Sunn O))) & Ulver - Terrestrials

Written by Craig Hayes.

A portrait of our sun, captured in the wavelength of hydrogen alpha light © Alan Friedman

I’m going against my own better judgment here. One thing I’d never normally attempt is to review prominent sonic adventurers like Sunn O))) or Ulver after only a few scant days of ingesting their separate wares, let alone tackle a collaborative release from both. Independently, Sunn O))) and Ulver are experts at crafting albums that reveal layers of nuance via weeks of listening. Like all great works of art--whatever their medium--both bands’ expressions require patience, so your appreciation of the often subliminal discoveries therein can settle. 

Yet, here I am. Writing about Sunn O))) and Ulver’s new joint release, Terrestrials, after having the highly anticipated album for less than a week. Still, while I’d generally wait until my impressions have untangled before writing about an album of such magnitude, as Terrestrials surely is, I felt in this case that immediacy and spontaneity were called for. Because Terrestrials’ own foundations are built on impulse too.

Norway-based Ulver are rightly renowned as genre-defying luminaries, with acclaimed black metal, neo-classical, conceptual, electronic, and soundtrack works under their belt. Sunn O))), as we all know, are wielders of the stretched-to-infinity riff, and their variegated pressure-wave exploits are similarly revered. Both are master-craftsmen of the bohemian and unorthodox, and both have worked jointly with many metal and experimental artists of note in the past. However, the prospect of Sunn O))) and Ulver reconnoitring new points of interest together--after successfully merging on the track “CUTWOOeD”, from Sunn O)))’s 2003’s album White1--is a dream collaboration for fans of intrepid sonic mapping.

That dream was kick-started back in August 2008, with Sunn O))) joining Ulver at their Crystal Canyon studios in Oslo, to record three live improvised pieces--working from evening till dawn. With Ulver adding their radiance to Sunn O)))’s dark and mangling brew of guitar and bass drones, over the next four years Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley and Ulver’s Kristoffer Rygg would periodically revisit the recordings to add further ingredients--such as orchestrations from guests, including Ole-Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv (viola and violin) and Stig Espen Hundsnes (trumpet).  

And finally, with Sunn O))) and Ulver being ever mindful of retaining the original album session’s sense of spontaneity, Terrestrials is here. In keeping with its intended spirit, roiling energy rolls through unscripted drone on aptly titled opener "Let There Be Light”; the track’s 11 minutes of fathomless guitar and bass rumbles building to a (dawn-breaking-over-the-fjords) crescendo, where effects, brass, and percussion break through, bringing the hope of morning, and rays of light. “Western Horn” sees eerie violins run over bass-heavy tides, perfectly channeling the anticipated sculpting of deep, detailed, and formidable sound. However, best of all is “Eternal Return”. This final track sees baritone intonations from Rygg set in a classically moulded midsection, while weeping, dust-bowl violins weave tendrils throughout the rest of the 15 haunting and minimalist minutes--until the track is sucked into a black hole for a stark finish. 

There’s no doubt that Terrestrials exceeds the sky-high expectations surrounding its release. Played loudly, it’s the addition of volume + volume that’ll lead you to best appreciate Terrestrials’ truly impressive heights, depths, and girth--as well as recognising just how many shades and tones of noise both beautiful and grim are to be found. Sunn O)))’s continued explorations of the dimensions of drone and properties of sound bring their expected psychological and physiological weight. Yet, Ulver are here to layer on their distinctive sense of dramatic unease, which brings essential elements of pathos, and those first glimmers of sunrise, to an album that (for all its sonic minimalism) leaves a maximal emotional imprint. 

Lord knows what I’ll think of Terrestrials in a month--when I’ve had even more time to sink into its fathoms. However, after a week’s listening, it’s abundantly clear that Terrestrials is everything I/you/we could have hoped for from a collaboration between two titans of richly rewarding avant-garde artistry. The long wait is over, and the result is, unquestionably, breathtaking. Terrestrials is pure bliss. 

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

The Sunn O))) Monoliths and Opinions series.