Split LP Review: Fuzzonaut by Vinnum Sabbathi & Bar de Monjas

Two fuzz heavy bands have just released a split LP that will soundtrack your summer! Mexican bands Vinnum Sabbathi and Bar de Monjas have created the perfect type of split record, with two very different styles, influences, and musicianship, and merged them together in perfect harmony.

Vinnum Sabbathi take their turn first with three songs of doom heavy droning fuzz, shattering the speakers, with spoken NASA samples scattered over the top in place of singing, and it works to a devastating effect, creating an apocalyptic fuzz that at times can be bleak, but ultimately powers through with messages of strength and anger. The bass fuzz pedals are firmly to the floor throughout ‘Hex I: The Mastery’ and ‘Hex II: Foundation’ as the elongated heavy riffs pound away one brutal hit at a time.

Last years In Fuzz We Trust was a personal highlight of mine, so a little expectation accompanied the listening of Bar de Monjas’ side of the Fuzzonaut split, and there’s not an ounce of disappointment to be found as the Mexican duo set their fuzz game off with aplomb as ‘Hot Rail’ stands as a statement of intent as the instrumental track changes pace from pounding stoner to break neck heavy rock, all the while bathed in the band’s love of the fuzz pedal. Whereas Vinnum Sabbathi draw out their songs to become fuzz droning epics, Bar de Monjas are straight to the point; they’ve come to party. ‘The Ripper’ is a balls to the wall assault of fuzzy garage riffs that works as well in a mosh pit as it does with the casual foot tap, while 'Fuzzonaut' shows the layers of the band, slowing down the energetic pace to concentrating on droning heavy licks that show a band playing with their audience.

Fuzzonaut shows the best of both bands, both of whom are ready to explode out of the South American scene and onto a much bigger stage. The world deserves Vinnum Sabbathi and Bar de Monjas, and you deserve Fuzzonaut!

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Sunday Split: Lé Betre / King Buffalo

The devil's in the details, they say. I'd argue the devil IS the details. What else could explain how Goddamn delicious things can turn out when mass production is given the middle finger and boutique labels craft a product this enticing? I don't know who sold their soul, but the attention STB records devotes to its DIY ethos is incredible. The label has already proven they're no underdog, taking mere minutes to sell out of nearly every album they've released. But how has it remained sustainable? Especially considering the dearth of vinyl pressing plants paired with increased demand (not to mention all that Record Store Day bullshit).

Last month, STB delivered a 12" tandem from Goya and Wounded Giant, executing telegraphed stoner/sludge/doom and flattening our senses. The gorgeous slab o' wax brought with it an announcement of what fans could expect next: A heavy blues split showcase between Sweden's Lé Betre and Rochester's King Buffalo. Any way you dissect it, this beast covers every hunky corner and finds two perfect marriages. First, the bands fit side-by-side like round pegs, demonstrating echoes bounced off one another while suffering no busted continuity from Side A to Side B. Second is the marvel of bracketed senses, locking the visual with the aural and sending listeners skyshot into another time and place.

Lé Betre's plucky, psych-y fuzz-fest is auspiciously introduced on the quick cruise of Gowns & Crowns. Spooky elements keep us grounded only so long before we're brought up from the thicket and flung to another continent in another era. Snake Eyes smacks us upright under massive riffs, lifting like smoke and plunging like slow-motion boulders razing the hillside. Marcus Jonsson's vocal goes classic without being derivative as a riff-resin accumulates, ultimately sending us toward a fuzz-bath closer.

By The Great White Lights slows with a somber strum before rupturing into a punchy, mossy exposal. Basslines motor this stoner-blues cruise before breaking under the simplicity of fireside lament. Jesper Eriksson sifts ash in search of bony answers, shifting moods and tempos. Stomps become shuffles, shuffles become focused trots. And the coiled, revved heaviness of Mother crushes under the weight of all of Side A. Riffs weave, cymbals emit dust, and the trodden whole is fucking brilliant. As the thickness parts, take a breath. Lé Betre end on one final, gravel-drenched promise.

Vinyl's warmth augments King Buffalo's brand of spray-painted fur, blasting a blues crunch on New Time. A distant vocal float chases the steady stoner bass-roll, while guitars flaunt a late, fixated solo. Whew, thickness abounds! Alternatively, Like A Cadillac maintains the riff-'n-roll atop a more upbeat, beer-spilt bar jam. Guitars rolls downhill and storm back, breaking strummy passages with dust storm spirals, shimmying with furry comfort and smiling at every oncoming bump in the road. This is just too fun.

On the eleven-minute Providence Eye, KB build repetitive blues progressions toward a spacey dust-roll, an extended jam of deliberate assertions. Structuring steadily, one brick after another, this closer escalates heavenward on the gradual foundations formed. Thunderous roll-outs swell and contract to craft a sound that's immersive and captivating. Guitars flex for their marquee just before pacing gives a second wind. These cats know what they're doing, hitting the brakes and plugging holes with chugging riffs. Lacing their trademarks through a steady dousing of sandy, spicy deliciousness, this trio's punching their ticket.

Experiencing these sounds on any format other than vinyl is certainly better than a kick in the neck with a golf shoe, but why reach for ground beef with prime rib on the grill? The precision and care put into the craft reach their pinnacle on this split, offering the warmest and truest delivery of an already incredible sound. Whatever's coursing through the veins of STB Records is adept at sniffing out chops, and everyone involved with this split gets today's nod.

Check out the links below at 12:00 Noon EST on February 21st. Trust us, they'll go fast.

STB Records | STB Bandcamp | STB Facebook | Lé Betre Bandcamp | Lé Betre Facebook | King Buffalo Bandcamp | King Buffalo Site | King Buffalo Facebook

Sunday Sludge: StoneBirds / Stangala - "Kreiz-Breizh Sessions"

I couldn't be this alliterative if I tried. Seth's Sunday Sludge featuring a StoneBirds / Stangala split? Cosmic elements are aligning and perhaps this is the universe slapping me with the most insanely unique and enjoyable split presentation I'll ever hear. There's nothing standard or pedestrian about what we're showcasing today. One act a choppy, churning stoner-sludge trio from Lorient, the other an eerie haunt of bagpiped doom by way of Quimper, this formidable French tandem leaves nothing to be desired on The Infamous Kreiz-Breizh Sessions, Vol. 1. Take it all in.

StoneBirds swing first, knocking crunch-groove tastiness square into your chest with Red Is The Sky. A bluesy southern roll, hazy stoner-fuzz passages, gravelly vocals... Are we traipsing through Western France or scorching our skin on Oklahoma's dusty panhandle roads? No matter. Thick in tone with battered, battling dual vocals, this opening track is punchy and promising. StoneBirds strip off their moss-coated skin and earn their moment in the mist. As we lead into Game Over, we drift toward our teenage basement nods. Dense and dank, this supremely sticky, smoky sludge (and its tinny tinsel mood) pulls more than a few surprises from its beard. Gargle mud, cough, and slap on a heady half-smile... coming your way is a heavy hand of warbled licks and tense bong rips.

But if StoneBirds set the standard, Stangala do a bang-up job of following suit. Earlier this year, Reg warned you'll need to "hear for yourself to discover all of the nuances." No shit! On Kemper, groove-molded celtic-stoner-doom (what?) steamrolls your expectations. Chanted vocals and an elemental tapestry of fuzz is somehow enhanced with window-shopping keys and pipes. I found myself lifted to a rainy cobblestone tip-toe through Scottish highlands rather than lacing my coffee with bourbon in my dusty den. Conversely, the uptempo stoner-thrash havoc that is Konk Kerne recoils on sweet piss-puddle drums and Byzantine howls. They quickly melt into a returning grindcore violence, bizarre and cool all at once. Its unsettling, sure. But the sneering stoner guitar is again clouded by pipes, a long breakdown that'll linger in your ears and your mind.

Not that StoneBirds can't do some haunting. A cavernous wail drapes the murky Outro Drama spookfest. The vocal is chained and well-past offended. Swirling and growling at primitive pacing, this is an absolute lumber of slow-motion psychedelia that'll plow through mountains. The tense, paranoid Red Lights can't help but be stuffed into the stagnant-stoner-swamp-sludge category. Echoed and epic, pensive and cautionary... this tale cools with buzz and clouded warnings, perhaps against the loose bass and powered reverb of Dark Passenger. Moving from semi-thick to über-viscous in the span of seconds, this bouncing sludge is contemplative and high-strung. Bury yourself with the burn, even the chippy relent is wholly staggering.

StoneBirds' 2011 full-length Slow Fly

Perhaps there was no fistfight over top-billing, simply because Stangala know how to close out an album. Christ, the triptych of Ar Stang / Evel ar re yen / St Alar el les algues hallucinogènes is an impressively diverse yet cohesive exercise in balancing departures with throwbacks. The fuzz metal absorbing directly into your skull on Ar Stang is more uptempo than you'd expect from French doom. Dense, tight, and loaded with plucks and plods, this cruiser is true to roots. The desert-rolled Kyuss influence is maximized by the massive drums on Evel, cloaked to counter the sandy slaps. As riffage buzzes and burns, screams command your ear. Laser keys, bulging rhythms, samples, sagging-tit pipes... All the elements seemingly pit this track at war with itself as it deconstructs into a spiral of spook. And finally, ominous at its closing and ear-rung at its heart is the flattening St Alar. The rumble of stoner-doom cadence and distant pinches of solid, steady bass thumbs keep this fuzz-pipe blast smoothly executed and softer than your grandma's panties. But more than the subtle sniffs, you'll love the long, heady passages punctuated by spurts of psychedelic doom.

Stangala's 2011 release Boued Tousek Hag Traou Mat All

Sludge led us here. These Sunday morning jaunts casually open with murk and mire, but rarely are they led toward such an eclectic meld of... Uh, I don't even know what to call this split. These Kreiz-Breizh sessions must've been fun to record; shit, they were fun to hear. You came for the boggy thickness. You stuck around for the stoner sensibilities. Perhaps you dipped your wick in embalming fluid before sparking up some doobage. Either way, you've been led down one trippy hill only to climb right up another. Whether these bands splinter their subsequent releases or return for Vol. 2, we'll be waiting.

Split Bandcamp | StoneBirds Facebook | Stangala Facebook | StoneBirds Bandcamp | Stangala Bandcamp | Asso-No| Stangala Soundcloud

In Case You Missed It: Across Tundras/Lark's Tongue - Split LP

A couple of weeks ago in his Double Dose, Zac reviewed Electric Relics, the latest slab of Americana inspired doom from Nashville's Across Tundras.  And given that I was a huge fan of the band's 2011 effort Sage, I jumped at the opportunity to hear what he so eloquently described as "the soundtrack for the traveling lonely en route to desolation."  So you can imagine my surprise when I opened the band's website in search of said album and discovered yet another new record, itself barely three months old.  Turns out…back in March, Across Tundras teamed up with a heavy psyche band out of Peoria, Illinois called Lark's Tongue and released one hell of a split LP.  Of course, as the theme of this feature suggests…we quite obviously missed it, and now I'm here to remedy that unfortunate oversight.

Featuring two tracks from each band and a run time of over half an hour, this is more than your typical split 7 inch.  Beginning with the Across Tundras contributions, the album opens with a lush expanse of droning guitar that eventually gives way to a twangy lumber and Tanner Olson's whisky soaked warble…"in the ruins of the house of the rising sun."  This is the epic "Low Haunts," which by itself, easily makes up a third of the LP as it rumbles in and out of gorgeous guitar flourishes and never once forsakes the ponderous plod of its rhythm or the resonance of its honky tonk textures.  This you gotta hear.  "Crux to Bear" is the second offering from Across Tundras and it provides a glimpse into the band's heavier side.  While still managing multiple shifts in tempo, the track is a much more straight forward affair that even sneaks a catchy hook into the mix as Olson sings…"if the stars ever align, I'm as good as gone."  

As I mentioned, side two of this split LP is dedicated to Lark's Tongue, with whom I was not familiar prior to hearing these songs.  On "Follow Your Nightmares," the band introduces themselves with jangly guitars that merge with ethereal effects and a resounding rhythm section, creating a depth of sound that continues to expand as far as your mind will allow.  The atmospheric stamp of post-metal is evident, so it should come as no surprise that Lark's Tongue features a couple of the guys from avant-doomsters Minsk.  And if the dichotomy between the beautifully harmonized vocals and the demented doom found on "Aluminum" is any indication, then this is most certainly a band that Heavy Planet will be keeping a very close eye on in the future. 

So how about that?  Zac writes about one killer album…I go in search of it and discover not only another killer album, but a new killer band to boot?  Now that's what I call a double fucking dose.  So on behalf of my colleague, I'd like to say to heavy music fans everywhere…you're welcome.  Enjoy.
  

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