Tag: Black Sabbath Planet Caravan

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Adeline’s Elegant and Sensual Visual for “Twilight”

Over the course of this site’s nearly ten year history, I’ve spilled quite a bit of virtual ink covering the critically applauded, New York-based singer/songwriter, bassist, producer  Adeline. Since leaving her post as frontwoman of the equally acclaimed electronic dance music/neo-disco JOVM mainstay outfit Escort, the New York-based singer/songwriter, bassist and producer released her self-titled, full-length debut to critical praise from the likes of Vogue, NPR, Refinery 29, Rolling Stone, The Fader and many others.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile as a solo artist, Adeline has opened for the likes of Anderson .Paak, Lee Fields, Chromeo, Big Freedia and Natalie Prass among others, further cementing her long-held reputation for dazzling audiences with her captivating live show and energetic presence. She’s also made appearances at a number of stops across the national festival circuit, including Afropunk, Funk on the Rocks and Winter Jazz Fest. Further proving to the world in general that she may arguably be one of the hardest working women in contemporary music, Adeline is also a member of CeeLo Green’s touring band. 

Now, it’s been a while since I’ve personally written about the JOVM mainstay — but interestingly, she’ll be releasing the highly-anticipated follow up to her critically applauded debut, Intérimes EP. Slated for a June 12 release, the EP will feature the EP’s first single ‘Middle,” which she performed on CBS This Morning earlier this month, a funky psych soul cover of Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan” and the EP’s latest single, the sultry, “Twilight.” Centered around shimmering synths, twinkling keys, a sinuous bass line and Adeline’s gorgeous pop superstar-like vocals, stuttering beats “Twilight” the track is indebted to Erykah Badu neo-soul and Quiet Storm soul. “Twilight is about a relationship that’s ending,” says Adeline. “It’s that particularly painful moment when you realize that it’s over. You have nothing left to give and there’s nothing left to say. The twilight is the period from dawn to sunrise or sunset to dusk. It’s the moment of realization that there is a transition coming. It’s saying goodbye to something while saying hello to the next.”

Directed by Adeline herself, and shot in a hazy, Super 8mm-like graininess, during the golden hour of twilight, the video features the JOVM in a number of different locations in New York, while capturing her with a brooding and seductive, movie star-like elegance. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Post Animal Releases a Shimmering Prog Rock-like Single

With the release of 2018’s self-produced, critically applauded full-length debut, When I Think of You In  A Castle, the Chicago-based prog pop act Post Animal— Dalton Allison (bass, vocals), Jake Hirshland (guitar, keys, vocals), Javi Reyes (guitar, vocals), Wesley Toledo (drums, vocals), and Matt Williams (guitar) — received attention nationally for a kaleidoscopic, guitar-heavy sound. 

Released late last year, “Safe or Not” was part of the first batch of new material from the Chicago-based act since the release of When I Think of You In A Castle, and the single was a decided chance in sonic direction for the band. Arguably, the most dance floor friendly track the band has released to date, the track was centered around shimmering guitars, four-on-the-floor drumming, glistening synths, a sinuous bass line and a motorik-like groove. 

“We wanted to leave the content more open ended for the listener to navigate, but it’s about self reflection,” the members of Post Animal explain in press notes. “We played around with more somber, serious lyrical content over a particularly dance-oriented song to juxtapose how one may feel internally versus how they’re outwardly portraying themselves in the moment.”

Interestingly, the first batch of new material the Chicago-based band released late last year serves as the first taste of the band’s forthcoming sophomore album Forward Motion Godsyssey next month through Polyvinyl Records. “Fitness,” the album’s third and latest single is a slow-burning track centered around atmospheric synths, rolling congo-led percussion, shimmering guitars, a brief yet gorgeous string arrangement for most of the song’s length, a blazing power chord-driven bridge before ending in a shimmering and moody coda. Sonically, the track bears an uncanny resemblance to Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan” but with a prog rock bent. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Acclaimed Instrumental Canadian Act Shooting Guns Release Gorgeous Visuals for Atmospheric Album Single “Vampires of Industry”

With the release of their six full-length albums, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada-based instrumental psych rock/heavy psych/heavy metal act Shooting Guns have developed a reputation as a critically applauded, multi-award nominated act, known for work that’s largely inspired by Black Sabbath, Spacemen 3, Pink Floyd and others — and for touring over 60,000 miles across their native Canada without international touring.

While their previously released material was the sort of heavy and saturated sounds that was well-suited for horror-comedy files, Flavour Country, the Saskatoon-based instrumental act’s sixth and latest album  which was produced and recorded but the members of the band at their own Pre-Rock Studios features arguably some of the band’s fastest, heaviest and most visceral material they’ve written, recorded and released, as well as some of their most atmospheric; in fact, the album’s latest single “Vampires of Industry” consists of a slow-burning and moody drone paired with twangy and shimmering guitar chords that immediately bring to mind Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan,” Directions to See a Ghost-era The Black Angels, and the Silber Records catalog — but with a cinematic, sweep.

Directed by Parker Thiessen, the recently released video for “Vampires of Industry” features a flowing and shimmering, metallic piece of cloth, overtaking  the surrounding forest in a way that evokes the creeping of industrialization over nature in a way that’s gorgeous, surreal and unsettling.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Monolord Returns with a Sludgy Yet Subtle Expansion of Their Sound

The Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord has become a JOVM mainstay over the past 15-16 months, and as you’d likely recall the trio, comprised of Thomas Jäger, Esben Willems, and Mika Häkki can trace their origins back to 2013, when its founding members Jäger and Willems, started the band as a side project that gave them the opportunity to play much heavier and darker material away from their primary gig as members of boogie rock outfit Marulk. Jäger and Willems then recruited Häkki, best known for stints in The Don Darlings and Rotten Sound to complete the band’s lineup and to flesh out their sound. And while the trio was writing and recording their critically applauded debut Empress Riding, they discovered they had a special creative chemistry that necessitated making the project a full-time gig; but interestingly enough, the project also marks the first time that Jäger has taken vocal duties.

2015’s sophomore effort Vænir resulted in the band receiving a growing national and international project, and they built upon that buzz with the “Lord of Suffering”/”Die in a Haze” 10 inch single, which they released last year and as you may recall, “Die in a Haze,” featured sludgy, dirge-like power chords paired with thunderous drumming within an enveloping mix, while Lord of Suffering” managed to nod at space rock and psych rock — in fashion that reminded me of  Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan.”
The “Nirvana of doom” as their fans have referred to them will be releasing their third full-length album Rust through RidingEasy Records on September 29, 2017 and as the band’s Esben Willems says in press notes, “A heavy groove that contains both bombastic overkill and a lot of dynamics is what we always aim for in Monolord; in playing, in song writing and arranging, in recording.” The album’s first single and title track “Rust,” which featured guest spots from Mondo Drag‘s John Gamino on keys and Beastmaker’s Trevor Church, who contributes an incredible guitar solo towards the end of the song further cemented the Swedish’s trio reputation for crafting slow-burning, sludgy and forceful metal but upon repeated listens, the song reveals that the band has been subtly expanding upon their overall sound and songwriting as it possesses an expansive vibe with an oceanic heft. “Where Death Meets the Sea,” Rust’s second and latest single continues in a similar vein as its predecessor as its possesses an oceanic heft, which is unsurprising considering the song’s title, complete with sludgy power chords and thundering drumming but it reveals impressive guitar work within an slow-burning yet expansive song structure. And at the end of the day, Rust’s first two singles will remind listeners that the band is one of the world’s best doom metal bands. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Monolord Returns with a Doom-Laden New Track that Reveals a Subtle Expansion of Their Sound

If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past 12-15 months or so, you may have come across a couple of posts featuring the Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord. Comprised of Thomas Jäger, Esben Willems, and Mika Häkki, the band can trace their origins back to 2013 when its founding members, Jäger and Willems, started the band as a side project that gave them the opportunity to play much heavier and darker material away from their primary gig as members of boogie rock outfit Marulk. Häkki, who may be best known for stints in  The Don Darlings and Rotten Sound was recruited to flesh out the band’s sound and complete their lineup — and as the story goes, while the tiro was writing and recording their critically applauded debut Empress Riding, they discovered that they had a special creative chemistry that necessitated making the project more of a full-time gig. But along with that, the project also marks the first time that  Jäger has taken vocal duties. 

Building upon the buzz of their debut, the Swedish doom metal trio released 2015’s critically applauded sophomore effort, Vænir, which resulted in the band seeing a growing national and international profile. Now you may recall that last year Monolord released the “Lord of Suffering”/”Die in a Haze” 10 inch single — and “Die in a Haze,” was a sludgy and murky song in which sludgy, dirge-like power chords were paired with thunderous drumming, which created a rather enveloping mix. Jäger’s vocals floated over the mix with an ethereal quality, and as a result the song struck me as nodding a bit at shoegazer rock. The 10 inch single’s A side, “Lord of Suffering” managed to nod at space rock and psych rock — in fashion that reminded me of  Black Sabbath‘s “Planet Caravan,” as Jäger’s voice is fed through a bit of vocoder and distortion, while the arrangement possessed a subtle cosmic glow.
The “Nirvana of doom” as their fans have referred to them will be releasing their third full-length album Rust through RidingEasy Records on September 29, 2017 and as the band’s Esben Willems explains in press notes, “A heavy groove that contains both bombastic overkill and a lot of dynamics is what we always aim for in Monolord; in playing, in song writing and arranging, in recording.” Naturally, album title track and first single “Rust,” which features guest spots from Mondo Drag’s John Gamino on keys and Beastmaker’s Trevor Church, who contributes a guitar solo towards the end, will further cement the Swedish trio’s growing reputation for crafting slow-burning, sludgy and forceful metal that manages to atmospheric, while possessing a tight, almost motorik-like groove and some incredible guitar pyrotechnics; but pay close attention, as the song reveals a band subtly expanding upon their songwriting and sound, as the song has an expansive, yet oceanic heft to it. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath on KEXP

Brownout, a relentlessly touring, Latin funk and rock act side project of Grupo Fantasma has become something of an independent act of its own since the 2014 release of Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath, which featured Latin funk interpretations of beloved Black Sabbath songs such as “Iron Man,” “Planet Caravan,” “N.I.B” and others.

October 28, 2016 will mark the release of Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath’s highly-anticipated follow up, Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath, Vol II through Ubiquity Records. And the second collection will feature the band putting their unique spin on deeper Sabbath catalog cuts including “Fairies Wear Boots,” “Snowblind,” “Supernaught,” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” featuring Ghostland Observatory’s Aaron Behrens. Just in time for the announcement of their forthcoming sophomore effort, the band (through their publicist) put folks on to this 2014 live segment they did for KEXP, which features the band’s impressive and funky takes on “Iron Man,” “Planet Caravan,” “The Wizard,” and “N.I.B” and members of the band talking about touring life, the response they’ve received from Latin funk fans and Sabbath fans alike and more.