New Band To Burn One To: Magpie Toes - "Magpie Toes"

Retro Kick-Ass is the theme today with Hyvinkää, Finland's Magpie Toes who have released their initial foray into blues-rock fuzzery with their eponymous EP of  4 Hi-Fi tracks that beg to be played at ear-shattering decibels and enjoyed in joyous celebration. Their music evokes a time of bell bottom jeans and big hair, of tripping strangely and dancing freely, of love, laughter, and good times. The blues-rock influence of a bygone era of Rock N' Roll, and the bands that forged it, is obvious and heavy, expressed through massive guitar riffs, cool drum solos, and vocals of power and clarity, driven by clever melody and soul-stirring hooks. Emerging out from under all that homage, though, is a freshness, a newness, that can only come from keen imagination, musical dexterity, and a love for what remains possible and potent from the influences of past giants.

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Band Submission: I, Captain Psychedelic Stoner Rock From Finland

Band Name: I, Captain
Genre: Psychedelic Stoner Rock
Location: Finland
Brief Bio/Description: Psychedelic Stoner Rock band from Turku, Finland. Recently released our second EP called "Mantras for Mindlessness" containing 3 demo-tracks.
Band Members:
Axel Vienonen - Bass & Vocals
Lukas Åström - Guitar & Backup Vocals
Andreas Österlund - Guitar
Viktor Österholm - Drums
Links: Bandcamp | Facebook

Band Submission: Polanski-Grunge/Stoner Rock/Punk From Helsinki, Finland

Band Name: Polanski
Genre: Grunge stoner rock punk
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Brief Bio/Description: Polanski is a 4-piece rockstonergrunge -band from the drunken neighbourhoods of Helsinki. Founded in 2011, slowly but unreliably expanding the exposure to fellow citizens of earth. Newest release Medicine EP (2016) available now. Usually muddled up but always sincere.
Band Members: 
Anttoni Pikkarainen - Vocals & Guitar
Kalle Loimula - Guitar
Miika Kyyrö - Bass
Tyko Haapala - Drums
Links: Medicine EP/Bandcamp/Soundcloud/Facebook

Song of the Day-Laserdrift-"Cosmic Getaway"

"Cosmic Getaway" is taken off of the band's recently released self-titled debut album. This tune is a super mellow, groovy, and hypnotic fuzz-filled journey that transcends the outer limits and beyond while leaving a trail of cosmic dust in it's wake. For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Triple Thursday: Rosy Finch, Pohjoinen, Warchief

Rosy Finch - Witchboro

Let’s get this straight off the bat: Spanish trio Rosy Finch have created a simply stunning record with their debut Witchboro. Blending equal parts stoner, noise, and grunge, it’s a record channelling influences from Melvins to Screaming Females crossing over punk and doom influences along the way...tasty right?

     

Formed in 2013, featuring members of Pyramidal and Hela, the Alicante girl/boy/girl group’s debut record packs a hell of a punch from the off with ‘Ursula’ leading the band down a doom trodden path as the vocals of Mirela Porto and Elena Garcia enrapture as much as they guide you down a dark and scary path of layered riffs and pounding drums that is an enthralling listen. All of the band’s influences come raging out throughout the record with the punk screaming, psychedelic drifting of vocals and guitar picking, frenetic noise assaults, and no nonsense stoner songs that make you ache for the desert sun.

    

The band describe the record as ‘a journey through the soundscape of "Witchboro", a dark and soulless village where the occult and magic meet’ and is split into two parts; Black Hills and Sea Of Trees. The first half of the record is the heavy swathes of stoner that they excel at, while the second half is more of experimental meanderings into psychedelic waters, focusing on hazy vocals and doom-esque instrumentation that captures you in many moments of contemplative hypnosis.

    

Witchboro is an outstanding record, one that will be challenging the top of many a end of year list by the time 2015 is done with us.

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 Pohjoinen - Pohjoinen

The gut-busting sludge/stoner sounds coming from Scandinavia in todays' scene is an impressive feat, making it one of the hottet places for new talent in the market we love, and added to the ever expanding list is Pohjoinen with their self-titled debut, with enough menacing threat to make you run for the North European hills.

   
Three years on from their demo, the Finnish trio have mixed together elements of stoner, sludge, metal, prog, and a bit of doomy death for good measure, and the results are brutal at times. Take a track such as ‘Kuolema’ which takes you on a complete journey covering every venomous grunt or rage filled riff and despairing vocal the band have to offer, and drive you through every emotion with them, whether they bury you in doom or throw you head first into the razor sharp metal riffs and guttural screams; they’re not a band to do things half-heartedly.

    
The native tongue certainly gives the band a sense of an alienating other worldly beast, but the riffs and songwriting allow everyone to cling on for dear life to this assault that Pohjoinen are taking us on, whether it’s a floating doom of ‘Joki’, the gritty stoner riffs of ‘Luovuttaja’ or the death prog of ‘Helvetin Aurinko’. Pohjoinen is not a record for the faint hearted, but if that’s not you, allow yourself to be subjected to their relentless time and style changes and impressive musicianship, it’ll be worth your pulse rating for a good hour or so.

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 Warchief - Warchief

Another band from Finland in our Triple Thursday review, but a slightly different beast this time round as the Jyväskylä band Warchief have crafted a record full of rock and roll stoner songs with experimental wanderings into fields of sludge and grunge thrown in for good measure, and it creates an enthralling listen.

Opening track ‘Give’ fluctuates between gentle soft rock bases before launching into screaming stoner deluges of sheer glory as the seven-minute track closes into a gargantuan wall of riffing noise. The vocals are in English and clean cut, and they work perfectly with the edgy vibes of the music and the youthful spirit evident in a track like ‘Hounds of the Dune’ which is as groove-laden as it is brutal.

    

The closing of the record is split into two 10 minute parts with ‘For Heavy Damage I’ and II, showcasing all of this exciting band’s talents, trawling the listener through every avenue of stoner glory, experimenting with modern day rock jagged edge playing, and doing what they set out to do in “exploring the many dimensions of the rock and roll universe”. Warchief is one of those records where once it’s finished, you take a moment to gather your thoughts, and hit that replay button straight away.

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LP Review: Overstaying My Welcome by Void Cruiser

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!...oh sorry, getting a bit carried away with ourselves there. Let’s start from the beginning; Overstaying My Welcome is outstanding! Hold on, we’ll go a little further back than that still...

Void Cruiser come from Helsinki, Finland, they formed in 2011, released an EP, Motherload, in 2013, and now have released their debut full length,, Overstaying My Welcome: eight tracks of heavy riffs, fuzzy, loud walls of guitars, stoner guttural vocals, all combined to make a glorious noise that we at Heavy Planet just purr over.

So many superlatives can be thrown at this band that it would become a ridiculous review , not really making any sense. Take the title track, five-and-a-half minutes of swift kicks to the face of fuzzy stoner guitar licks, stadium igniting solos, as well as the gentlest weeping of the same six stringer. The vocals of Santeri Salo chanting “I’m not supposed to be around” are the perfect accompanying tone to intertwine the heavy instrumentation (Vili Salo – guitar, backing vocals, Lassi Tähtinen – bass, backing vocals, Teemu Rantanen – Drums) together, as the song builds and builds to its aggressive crescendo; and so every other track pretty much follows in epic proportions.

‘Heist’ is every part heavy stoner, groovy blues, balls-to-the-wall metal you could possibly want in a song,  ‘Splinters’ is an energetic youth spirited pure rock episode of attitude and gnarly riffs, while both ‘Borrow From Tomorrow’ and ‘Golden Teeth Smile’ initially offer glimpses into a softer side to the band, they just serve to lull you into a false sense of security before continuing their plan of ripping you a new one.

Void Cruiser have similarities to Generous Maria, or at least the band that they should have become. This band are planting the flag high for all of Scandinavian stoner rock for all the world to take note and up their game and reach their level. Like we said at the start, Overstaying My Welcome just makes you yell out “YES! YES! YES!” forevermore!

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LP Review: Veneficae by Boar

Hailing from Oulu, Finland, the four beasts that make up the almighty noise/sludge/stoner behemoth that is Boar have finally released their debut full-length record after six years as a band, and it is a record which will floor you! Combining all of the best elements of haunting doom, aggressive dirty sludge, hazy psychedelic meanderings, and stomping stoner riffs, Veneficae is a record of near perfection.

Opening the record in blistering style with the face ripping ‘Old Grey’ sets the marker for these Finnish guy’s intentions; heavy doom riffs combined with a technical sludge that is breathtaking at worst, and a set of vocals spat from the darkest corners of the sludge genre. It would make for a great record if the band were to simply continue at this pace throughout the album, but their masterclass in musicianship is shown by their change in styles from track to track as the psychedelic opening of ‘Witch Woman’ shift the aim of the band, as gentler dreamy vocals are sang over the top of stoner riffs. They are different musical styles that sit perfectly alongside each other as each song intertwines elements of the other, either with the odd venemous sludgy vocal or demonic doom riff, creating an underlining sound which is essential to behold.

With their free-playing use of these genres, it’s not right to really put the band into any categories, basically pick your favourite genre and they’ll excel at it. Standout track ‘Sand’ is basically a lesson to all bands in how to create pure, blissful, unadulterated noise, bended around a mainframe of riffs and solid song-writing that keeps you addicted from start to the all-too-soon end. 

Whether your thing is doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, classic rock, noise, (everything Heavy Planet loves) Boar have mastered it, and crafted a record which is almost perfect for your desires and needs. It’s not often we say this, but Veneficae is essential stuff!

Veneficae is available to pre order at Lost Pilgrims Records.

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