LP Review: Relic by Forming the Void

The artwork to Forming the Void's second release depicts a cloaked figure carrying a trident, riding a harnessed piece of earth with a chain of other rocks through the cosmos with a hawk by it's side; it's dark, psychedelic, and perfectly encaptures the slow driving riffs that this Louisiana band deliver with a blunt knife to the temple.

Opening track 'After Earth' slowly picks you up on a dust cloud, sailing through the atmosphere of hazy drones and soothing guitar picks before delivering it's crushing blow of stoner/doom riffs like a creeping tsunami. The vocals of James Marshall are really refreshing to listen to as they avoid the typical stoneresqe gruff shouting vocals, but instead have a more 90's grunge tone to them as the guitars chug away in the background to a pulsating beat. The band lay the doom ethic on as thick as they do the crushing stoner,and it's a combination which is all encompassing, at times soaring with touches of psychedelia, and others the slowest of doom.

'The Endless Road' has similarities with bands like Sergeant Thunderhoof, with thick layers of crushing riffs building upon progressive musicianship with becomes quite captivating to listen to. 'Bialozar' is straight up powering stoner metal with attitude and we just cannot stop throwing fists at the fuzzy guitar riffs with smiles on our stupid faces. Forming the Void aren't necessarily breaking boundaries with their music, but they are doing the best possible versions of their genre that they could hope for.

The rest of the record simple continues to just fucking destroy you, with each pulverising guitar riff of 'Relic', the psychedelic hammering of 'The Witch', and the menacing doom of 'Unto the Smoke', all beating you black and blue, just so they can soothe you with an absolutely killer version of Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir' to close the record, seriously, you've got to hear this track! Relic is a superb stoner/metal/doom record which will be getting many many many a repeated listen at Heavy Planet HQ. Go and listen and tell us how right we are.

Bandcamp|Facebook

LP Review: Way of the Hoof by Boudain

Three years on from the release of their debut EP (read our review here), the Louisiana grooving stoner four-piece Boudain have finally released their debut full-length (they formed 10 years ago after all). Has Way of the Hoof been worth the decade long wait? You bet your damn ass it has!

The record opens with swathes of thick, gravy-like riffs, treading a line of what Fu Manchu would sound like if they listened to a bit more metal. ‘Sleazy Feats’ is bursting with riffs that the band can barely contain in its four minutes of stoner grooves that begs you to get down and dirty amongst it all, as in the soil and fumes dirt! Flicking between stoner groove, to metal groove, to a bluesy groove, with added doom groove, you can guess how funky this record will make you. The riffs of ‘Neptune’ is a glorious homage to every stoner band that has ever ripped you a new one since you’ve gotten this cool, the vocals are scorched and impassioned that leave no room for fucking about with. The heavy Southern influence kicks in on 'CODA' (Fu Manchu meets Down?) as the riffage becomes a glorious claustrophobic mallet to the face. Boudain wear their influences proudly on their sleeves with every pluck, hit, head-bang and droplet of sweat in everything they do, and it’s a pleasure to get involved amongst it all.

Way of the Hoof is just full of fun and full-throttle riffs, in particular on ‘First Class’ where they never let up for a moment, pure adrenaline guitar work. ‘The Mighty Turn Around’ has doom riffs that threaten to topple over and crush you, before the excellent ‘Disco Jimmy’ and ‘Godzilla’ close the record with thunderous god like riffing that clench the fist and shout “HELL YEAH”!!

Way of the Hoof is such a fun, pummelling record that it becomes an escape to listen to. These types of records are few and far between. Grab a hold, now!

Bandcamp|Facebook

Band Submission: Forming the Void-Stoner Rock From Lafayette, Louisiana

Band Name: Forming the Void
Genre: Stoner Rock
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
Brief Bio/Description: FORMING THE VOID is a stoner rock band based out of Lafayette, Louisiana. The band has been performing regularly since October of 2013 and released their second album, "SKYWARD" in August 2015. Their unique blend of atmospheric stoner and progressive rock with a doom metal influence places a heavy emphasis on textures and layers.
Band Members:
James Marshall - Guitar/Vocals
Shadi Omar Al-Khansa- Guitar
Luke Baker - Bass
Jelly Boyd - Drums
Links: YouTube | Bandcamp | Facebook | Website | Twitter | Soundcloud

Song of the Day-Raedon Kong-"Invasion of Minds"

"Invasion of Minds" is taken off of the latest full-length release "Critical Paths" out now on Hell Comes Home Records. On this song, the two-piece from Louisiana shred with sludgy post-metal layering, proggy experimentation, heavy amounts of fuzz and a raging battle cry.  For more information, please check out the following links: Facebook | Bandcamp

EP Review - Boudain

Boudain is a four piece out of Monroe, Louisiana that originally formed in 2006 and this debut EP, some 5-6 years later, consists of 6 tracks of solid stoner/doom metal. I will qoute the drummer here when he told me, "Some would say it's procrastination but the truth is, this stuff just gets better with age."
I wholeheartedly agree.

From the opening tasty riffs of "Slaveman" we are treated to a massive slice of stoner rock pie with grooves baked to perfection and the down-tuned heaviness does not let up thoughout this track, or indeed the whole EP.

"Moonshinin" follows with some slow down, low down doom metal. The vocalist growls gruffly with a venom that compliments the surging crushing riffs perfectly. Boudain show here that they can do the doom thing as brilliantly as they do Stoner.

"King of Cosmos" picks up the pace with riffs reminiscent of Kyuss' Welcome to Sky Valley. That's always a winner in my book with that particular album by the mighty Kyuss being my favorite. There are some big sounds in this track that come thick and heavy with changes in pace keeping the track varied with an ending that sends us on a cosmic trip to the far reaches of the Universe.

Boudain take us into doom metal territory again with "Trailerpark". The track stomps along like a huge obese monster that trashes everything in its path with wanton destruction. The track picks up in sections that unleash catchy grooves and licks that break up the doom with heavy rock-outs. This obese monster is happy in his destructive impulse but ultimately everything is crushed to bits.

"Kalifornia" gives us some sumptuous and catchy stoner rock grooves that bring on the feel goods. It's a sexy track that had me longing for summer days and outdoor parties under cloudless skies. They can't come soon enough.

Last up is "Just Got Paid" that continues the feel good vibes laying on chunky stoner riffs and grooves and some epic guitar licks. Horn raising, head nodding stuff this is. There are party vibes aplenty with this one and it left me with a goofy stoned smile on my face.

This is a brilliant first offering from Boudain and their 6 years together without a release shows that in that time they have really got their shit together before releasing a high quality EP filled with expertly crafted doom and most excellent stoner rock in the vein of Kyuss. My bong is a prophet and it predicts many more equally high quality releases from Boudain in the future. I for one cannot wait.

The EP is due for release 20th April 2013 but until then a couple of tracks can be sampled at their bandcamp. Go listen!

BANDCAMP / FACEBOOK

 

New Band To Burn One To: BLACK AWAKENING

BAND BIO:

Black Awakening is a cult doom duo from Louisiana featuring former members of Goatwhore / Suffer. We are currently in the studio recording our debut release entitled 'Cult of the Dying God' slated for a winter release.

THOUGHTS: "I must start off by saying that this could very well be one of the most evil bands I have ever heard. Enormous amounts of distortion loom through a fog of smoke as the blackened doom riffs throw your eyeballs to the back of your skull. Terrifying vocals sear through the thick, crusty and snail-paced rhythms of this mighty duo of doom as you are guided into the depths of hell. Being that they are from the state of Louisiana, you cannot forget that foreboding layer of Sludge. As the band states, "Our fire burns bright as we dance around the black flames singing the hymns of Lucifer. Our cult shall rise! The Black Awakening has begun!"
((facebook))

Sunday Sludge: haarp - "Husks"

Sludge is inherently messy. Relentless and unapologetic, sludge-o-philes want our sounds low, loose, thick, and absolutely fucking filthy. What we don't always get, however, is a release that's focused, well-realized, brilliantly-produced, and free of the metallic aftertaste that results from the absence of proper channels. It makes sense, I suppose. Fanning out to a broader base can get tricky when the music itself is as characteristically abrasive as some of metal's sub-genres are.

New Orleans-based haarp are spitting a nasty claim to the petulant throne with their first release since 2010's The Filth.  The three-track Husks (Housecore), due September 18th, is a thematic stagger through death-rattled woods, loaded with shifts and transitions that go down easier than barrel-aged bourbon. Heavy with gravity and shit-caked boot heels, the Phil Anselmo-produced Husks is never over-saturated and never grows dull. Nearly thirty-nine ticks from onset to close, each moment on the album is one you'll surely revisit.

Immediately captivating is the track list; titles of deadman/rabbit, bear, and fox summon images of dense forest and placid wind-whispered timber. These images are shredded at the onset of deadman, however, with a violent stutter of riffs atop a bevy of thunderous drums. Vocalist Shaun Emmons barks with confident disdain, a bellow so seasoned and gut-wrenched that you can't imagine how he must sound off-record. The rhythm relaxes and sinks under wispy licks, plodding through echoes of Rwake. Patient, brutal, versatile... the mood is thoroughly troubling. Churn and grind are never out of reach, though, as we complete the life cycle and crawl home to die. Sure, metal can breed a catharsis. But listeners are scrubbed raw on this 18-minute opus.

An immediate onslaught of sludge introduces bear, the album's lumbering, bipolar thorax. Grant Tom's clash of riffs and licks is eye-opening, hinting at melody but ultimately fraught with melancholic realism. At times, bear is driven more by brute strength than speed or cunning, and being stunned with haarp's stiff cudgel is a strangely welcome nightmare of thick disorientation. Twisting and churning, bear furls home on a true sludge trample, more soiled with each labored stroke. I'm often leery of pointing out any absence of faults, but haarp display NONE.

fox's doomy mist is pensive, patient, and quixotic. Husk's slowest, most plodding moments occur here in a fog of questioned existence. You knew this would break, but you didn't anticipate how seamlessly haarp would transition to an agonizingly awesome stomp. Emmons has incredible vocal range, symptomatic of what his eyes have seen. "Weeping women gather under shadows to eek out a false fate," he barks. Seeking answers, only more ("Hollow explanations") questions arise. A hell-bent bounce emerges, strung through Bret Davis' bass plugs. Tempos hold steady, kissed with blistered groove and growing disenchantment. "Save your two-bit dreams," Emmons warns. Sludge barges back, peppered with fading machine-gun drums; Keith Sierra is given marquee-billing as the album enters its unsettling flat-line. Hollow, simple, and emphatic, fox's coup de grâce is Husks' brilliant, prolonged exit.

Planting their feet as sludge metal gods, haarp take their time trimming the fat and let the truth simmer. Between the sludge barrages and atmospheric back roads is tempered, expertly-timed black gold. The band's proficient but patient approach is lined with beautifully rich and vile vision. Husks isn't merely another NOLA sludge-metal record; it's a sonic catapult for a band wholly deserving of every accolade they accrue. Take a walk through these rotting woods and sink with your sorrow. When the animals finally smell your stink, haarp will be waiting.

Lineup:

Grant Tom - Guitars

Keith Sierra - Drums

Bret Davis - Bass

Shaun Emmons - Vocals

Housecore Records | Facebook | Myspace | Buy it!

EYEHATEGOD: The Heavy Planet Interview

If you've paid attention to what comes up in your Google searches, then you're completely misinformed. EYEHATEGOD have spent nearly a quarter-century defying categorization, spreading their misanthropy, and doing whatever the fuck they felt like doing. Yet despite their catalog, their accolades, and their ever-growing and evolving fan-base, they still need to clarify a few things.

The band's European tour kicks off July 23rd in Germany. Heavy Planet caught up with EYEHATEGOD frontman Mike IX Williams to discuss the tour, new material, the state of New Orleans, and some asshole sitting at home who's got nothin' better to do than start rumors.

Heavy Planet: Pretty soon you guys have the Europe Is The New Vietnam tour starting. Who's going along with you on that?

Mike IX Williams: "So far we're headlinin' and it's gonna be just local acts, I'm pretty sure. In the UK there'll probably be a certain band that plays a couple shows with us and then... on and on, through Germany and all that, y'know. We're not goin' over there specifically... like, last time we went over with Church of Misery, we hooked up with them... guys from Japan, y'know. This time there's been no talk of us meetin' anybody or followin' another band or anything. We're headlining... I mean, we headline that tour anyway, but we'll see what happens. Mostly local support, I'm sure."

HP: Where'd you get the name for the tour? I know you guys have a new song called New Orleans is the new Vietnam, is that right?

Williams: "Yeah, that's where we got it from."

HP: How bad are things in New Orleans? That makes it sound...

Williams: "Well, of course it's an exaggeration. It's just trying to concoct an image, y'know. I mean, we are a band. But since Katrina happened there's just a lot of abandoned properties, y'know, a lot of places that have still not built up and things are still kind of in ruins in a lot of places. It seems like the cops and the local government don't really care too much about it. A lot of these abandoned buildings are just havens for drug dealers and drug dens and stuff... more crime, y'know. So that's one thing; the crime rate kinda went up after Katrina. It was always pretty bad, but..."

HP: What's your relationship with New Orleans right now? That seems like the place where so much started. What's that music community like with bands like you guys, Crowbar, Soilent Green, all that stuff?

Williams: "Oh, it's amazing! It's awesome, y'know. We play like twice a year locally. Crowbar plays every now and then. Soilent Green hasn't played live in a while, not down here. But there's a ton o' new bands, man. Like, after Katrina the scene kind of exploded 'cause I think people wanted to prove to the world... I mean, in every type of music, too. Like Jazz, Blues, and all that stuff. Everything just got bigger and better. There's more clubs to play now, there's more bands. It seems like everything blew up after that 'cause we weren't gonna be kicked down. I mean, you read an article and it's like "New Orleans is destroyed. There's nothin' there." But that's bullshit! You can't kill the culture here, y'know. So that's better than ever. There's more bands, more places to play. It's just a good all-around place. It's still ghetto as fuck, but it's always been like that and it's probably gonna be like that. The cops are corrupt as hell. It's typical, it's like a lot of cities. It's a big city, one of the bigger ones in the South, on the Gulf Coast..."

HP: I caught a live take of Medicine Noose online. What's some of the other stuff you guys are gonna road-test in Europe this summer?

Williams: "I don't know, we haven't really thought of a set-list or anything yet. And we usually don't use a set-list. We pretty much wing it, y'know? Even playing Hellfest or Roskilde or some big festival, we'll look at each other and go 'What do you wanna play?' We still just have that down-to-earth kind o' way about bein' on stage. I talked to Jimmy (Bower) about doin' more of the newer songs. We have like 12 new songs, y'know? A lot of 'em aren't broken-in yet, a lot of 'em don't have the lyrics yet. But I was tryin' to say maybe we could do some of the ones that we have more structured and more together. 'Cause I would like to come home from that tour and go straight into the studio, hopefully. That's the plan, if we can get out shit together with this record-label thing, y'know?"

HP: You guys don't have a label now, right?

Williams: "No, we're not on a label at all. We're trying to decide... we've narrowed it down to a couple different ones. I know there are always rumors online that say 'We've signed to this person, we've signed to that person.' But that's the internet, y'know? They make up so many rumors. Like this one rumor I've gotta dispel quickly: I don't know what asshole is goin' around sayin' that our new album is called 'Whiskey Drink'!"

HP: Y'know what, I saw that and I wasn't even gonna mention it! It was on Wikipedia.

Williams: "I can't believe it's on Wikipedia! I mean, who took the time... It's not true! That's what blows my mind about the internet. Someone just made that up, sittin' at their house. They've never heard any of us say that, at all! If they did hear us say that, we were joking. Y'know, it was probably some stupid joke, but I don't even think THAT happened. Some idiot was sittin' home and decided just to go put that on the internet, it's pretty weird, man. Like, why would they do that? It's no big deal, it'll go away when the album's out. But I just wanted to dispel that rumor. You're the first interview I've done in the past couple days that didn't ask me 'So your album's called Whiskey Drink, right?' and I'm like 'FUCK NO!' That's cool that you kinda figured it was bullshit."

HP: I thought it sounded like a dumb title, anyway.

Williams: "It's stupid! We have a song called Dixie Whiskey we've been doin' for twenty-somethin' years live from Dopesick, but it's ridiculous."

HP: You mentioned some of the festivals you guys have played... Hellfest, Roskilde. How was Maryland Death Fest this year?

Williams: "Oh, it was great! It was really good, it's always a lot of fun. The first year we played we were outdoors in the afternoon and it was kinda hot outside, but it was still a great show. There were tons of people watchin' us, probably a couple thousand people, like as far as you could see. But this time we played indoors on the inside stage and it was incredible, man. A lot o' people said that's the best show they've ever seen us do, and I was like 'Wow, really?' We were just puttin' on our normal gig, y'know? But a lot o' people said it was really good. I don't know, we're gettin' the new songs tighter and stuff, so hopefully we're blowin' people away. It was great, though!"

HP: How did they respond to some of the new stuff?

Williams: "People love it! People were already yellin' out the titles and stuff. A lot o' people wanna hear the new stuff. I mean, we've been gettin' by, somehow. Bein' a cult-band is why, that's the answer. We're a cult-band, y'know? Not OCCULT, but A CULT, y'know? We haven't had an album out in years, but we're still tourin' and sometimes we do the same songs in a set, but it's always gonna be a fun show. We're always gonna put 1000% energy into it. So I think they respond greatly to it."

HP: You guys have been doin' this for 25 years or so...

Williams: "Yeah, it's almost 25 years. 1988 is when the band started."

HP: You guys have your fans, you always have. But what's it like to see a new fan respond to stuff written before he was even born?

Williams: "I love it, man! It's cool to see somebody come out, like an old fan of ours that we see every time we come to that city. Like some dude we know, or some girl... the next thing you know, they're bringin' their kids out and their kid is this huge EYEHATEGOD fan. It's just really cool. And a lot of these kids are starting bands, I think that's just what it's all about. That's how it was for me, I started out this little punk-rock kid just bein' a fan of music and still am. So I love to see the kids get into it just like I did when I was a kid. So I hope it just continues on, I guess until we're old, OLDER."

HP: You guys have obviously inspired so many young bands, so many musicians. Some of them talented, some of them just totally unlistenable. But how do you respond to being considered, like or not, a pioneer of heavy music, of metal, of anything like that?

Williams: "We don't really like to label it metal or punk. We especially hate the 'sludge' label, just because... I mean, it's not a bad word. I use the same thing when I say 'punk-rock,' that's a label, too. Or 'thrash-metal.' It's the same thing. It's just somethin' that we don't wanna... We're not sludge, how could we be? 'Cause when we started that term didn't even exist. It got made up later on to call bands like us a certain thing like 'grunge' or whatever. But yeah, it's a good title now that kinda encompasses a whole little umbrella group that has that sound. And I've written before, doin' journalism for websites and magazines so I know sometimes you have to use a label like that. But as far as the pioneer thing, I think that's awesome! It makes me really proud that we could... when I was a kid, goin' back to that, I always thought it'd be great if we did somethin' that people really recognized and really respected us for and it kinda happened, y'know? So we're all happy about that."

HP: I know you're pretty prolific as a writer, whether it's music or journalism or...poetry. I saw something about an EYEHATEGOD biography. Is that gonna happen?

Williams: "We can't do it by ourselves, we need somebody to help us do the interviews, somebody's gonna have to interview us, y'know? 'Cause we've got TONS of stories, 25 years worth of crazy tour stories and everything crazy that's happened to us. And then we wanna interview the guys who drove our vans and the roadies and people like that. Friends, all the other bands we've toured with, stuff like that. It's a lot of work. I'm the only one in the band that lost everything in Katrina, but Jimmy and those guys, Gary and Joey still have a lot of photos and fliers and things like that. We just wanna do like a coffee-table, bio type o' thing, y'know? I think it'd be fun, mostly pictures and stuff. It's just hard gettin' somebody to stay on board. We've had a few people that were like 'yeah, yeah I'll do it' and then they see how much work it is and they drop out. It's just a lot o' work and we need somebody to stick with it and help us. Maybe they'll read it here and contact us about doin' it, y'know?"

HP: You guys all have your hands in other stuff, other bands and stuff. You've got Arson Anthem, Jimmy's in Down... How difficult is it for the five of you guys to even be in the same place, let alone find time to record or tour or stuff like that?

Williams: "It's hard sometimes, y'know? Sometimes it gets really hard. We just make it work, that's all you can really do, is just make it work. There's been times we were pissed-off at Jimmy because he had to go tour... I mean, that's how Outlaw Order started. We had a tour or somethin' and he had to go so we're like 'Well, fuck it. Let's go play.' It came out how it did, but that's just the type of things that happen. We usually work it out. Everybody tries to stay busy and respect the other bands everybody's in or whatever."

HP: With Outlaw Order, you guys were all on probation at one point. Where are you at now with the legal shit?

Williams: "I'm finished with everything, man. I'm done! I mean, I can't own a firearm and stuff like that. I'm not on probation anymore, but I just gotta stay outta trouble forever. Which I do plan to do. I'm older now, shit happens when you're younger. It's just a fact o' life, y'know? You're stupider when you're younger. People do stupid things, you get caught up in things you don't wanna get caught up in. You don't mean to, y'know? You just figure you're indestructible sometimes when you're younger. As you get older you get a little wiser and realize like 'Damn, why did I do that?' But I still drink a little, stuff like that. Nothin' crazy, y'know?

HP: You're clean now, right?

Williams: "Yeah, like I said I just drink a little bit. That's pretty much it. I'm not ashamed of anything. Some people are afraid to ask that stuff and I'm just like 'I don't care, man.' That's my life. People wanna know about my life so I'm not gonna lie or make somethin' up."

HP: From the name to the music and everything about you guys, everything about EYEHATEGOD has been never conforming, never givin' a shit what other people say...

Williams: "Right!"

HP: How crucial has that been to your success, your longevity? You guys have always stuck to your guns when a lot of other bands follow trends...

Williams: "But that's also hurt us, too. A lot o' bands break down and they just conform to what the label's tellin' them. Y'know, the record label's like 'Well, you can't do that' and we've always been like 'Fuck you, we're gonna do it anyway.' So it's hurt us before, too. But at the same time I think we've earned people's respect. It's just one of those things... people really respect the band that does that. Nothin's fake about this band, it's all true and everything's reality. So I think we've just earned people's respect that way. That's kept us goin, y'know?"

HP: You guys got a few US dates set up when you return from Europe, right?

Williams: "Yeah, we're goin' out to the West Coast. San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, I think Colorado, I'm not sure where else. Yeah, doin' some stuff like that as soon as we get home. And then hopin' to get in the studio immediately. We wanna get the record out, y'know? This European tour was just somethin'... We thought we'd already have the album out by now but it's takin' a long time decidin'... y'know, this record label stuff sucks, to be honest with you. It's all business and crap. I just hate all that. I just wanna play music and go in the studio. Workin' out all the details sucks."

HP: Who handles all that stuff for you guys?

Williams: "We all do our share. We also have people that help us out, too. We have a lawyer and stuff. Just because we hate it... We have to do it. We don't have a manager, though. We kinda manage ourselves. We do have a TOUR manager when we go on the road, we have a lawyer and people like that who can help us."

HP: There's a distinct sound you guys have. We recognize it, we know it's you guys. We know you guys aren't gonna change. So what can fans really expect from the new material you guys are gonna lay down?

Williams: "EYEHATEGOD! I mean, we just do what we know how to do. There might be somethin' different... maybe some blues-ier parts to the songs. There may be some faster parts, maybe more Black Flag kind o' stuff. But for the most part, it's EYEHATEGOD. It's like AC/DC or Motorhead. We don't really go far from the formula. There's no reason to, y'know?"

HP: You guys have a fan-base with a certain expectation and they just expect you to sound like yourselves and you guys have always fuckin' hit the nail on the head.

Williams: "Yeah, but we do it for ourselves anyway. Even if we wanted to go completely experimental or somethin' we would, but we don't want to. We're all just down-to-earth rock and roll fans, y'know? We all like weird music and different kinds o' strange stuff. That's why we have other bands. We do different types of stuff with our different bands, y'know? I have an experimental, industrial-type thing I do. Like a noise-type o' band that helps me get that outta my system, y'know? Stuff that I enjoy."

HP: Anything else you wanna share with our readers?

Williams: "Just that I hope people come out to the shows, y'know? I hope we can get this record out because I know people have been askin' forever about a new EYEHATEGOD record. I hope people love it. We're playin' some o' the songs live. And I wanted to mention my book, it's called Cancer As A Social Activity."

HP: That's your poetry book, right?"

Williams: "Yeah. And that's like dark, negative poetry. And on the EYEHATEGOD page there's a scroll at the bottom, it just shows all the shows... I'll look at it sometimes and be like 'I can't believe we've played that many shows.'

HP: All the posters, all the gig posters, right?

Williams: "Yeah, it's like thousands of flyers! Posters, flyers just through the years. There are a ton of 'em that are missing, too. We just can't find 'em. That just shows how long... 25 years is a long time. And it's basically the same lineup except for bass players. We've only switched bass players maybe three times. But everyone else, we're the same people."

HP: Thanks for takin' the time to talk with us. Good luck in Europe!

Williams: "Thanks, man! I appreciate the interview!"

HP: We're lookin' forward to that record, too!

Williams: "Sure, man! We're gettin' to it! (laughs)."

Until then...

+ EYEHATEGOD Site + EHG Facebook + EHG Twitter + EHG iTunes +
 + Mike IX Williams Site + Mike IX Twitter + Mike IX Youtube +

Sunday Sludge-Dugdemona

If you haven't detected a pattern yet, I am going to try and alternate influential and unsigned sludge bands. One week will be an influential band to the genre and the next week will be an unsigned/indie label artist. This week I have chosen Louisiana band Dugdemona as this week's featured artist for "Sunday Sludge"

Dugdemona has been pummeling fans since 1996 when two high school friends decided to start a band and call that band Sledge. The band eventually decided to change their name and the rest is history. The band takes their name from the Dugdemona River that runs through their home town of Simsboro, LA. The band has has been bruising local audiences for years with their crushing blend of Sludge, Doom, and Hardcore while throwing in the typical Southern Metal flare so prevalent to that area of the country. The band did take a brief hiatus but eventually reformed in 2008 bigger and better wearing their influences such as Crowbar, Acid Bath, and Pantera  proudly on their sleeve. They are currently working on some new material which should be out some time soon. Check them out now and give the band your support.

Current Lineup:

Tommy McDaniel - Vocals
Jason Ferguson - Guitar
Stevie Embrey - Bass
Jeff Liner - Drums








MySpace|Facebook|Reverb Nation

New Band To Burn One To-Omean

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is Omean.

Omean are a band from New Orleans that recently formed in October. Members include Ryan (former vocalist of Zync and In Every Nightmare), Greg (former guitarist of Organized Hostility and Drone), Steve (former guitarist of The Oggin), Eric (former member of the Robert Fortune Band), and Brandon on drums. The band has some tunes up on their MySpace page to check out and are currently in the studio working on their first full-length.

My 2 Cents:

Imagine yourself stuck in the bowels of a Louisiana swamp with Satan grabbing at your ankles trying to pull you down to hell. That is the feeling you get when listening to Omean. The band provides some pretty chilling down-tempo grooves along with bellowing throaty vocals for a compelling listen.

Recommended if you like these bands: Eyehategod, Crowbar, Acid Bath, Grief



http://www.myspace.com/omean
www.omean.net