Earthtone9 are the best band in the world. FACT!! And to my unbelievable delight after their recent reunion and then EP release they have now decided to do a BRAND NEW album.. and rumour has it its going to sound somewhere between ‘Arc Tangent’ and ‘Omega’ which for me sounds like an absolute dream.

This amazing shirt design is from the new Album ‘IV’ Which can ONLY be bought from their Pledgemusic site here!

In the meantime, enjoy their excellent video from the recent ‘Cause and consequence’ EP which can also be bought directly from the band here.

So, i was sent this CD from the band Heavy on the Ride with a relatively standard bit of artwork and was very quickly encouraged not to do my normal pre judging of peoples work and actually give the thing a listen and to be brutally honest was not grabbed immediately by the first track ‘On Course’ its slow staggering riff starts and builds and builds and builds and builds and builds for 4:33 then thats that and onto the second track. This is by far better and finally i think we are treated to some fairly decent sounding vocals, these guys are sounding close to something like Unida which is obviously a good thing but its not enough to grab my attention. Track 3 of the CD almost has a more Indie rock feel and for that reason i do not last the full 9 minutes of the song, but i am happy to say that the final tune ‘First in First Out’ does leave the EP on a high note as it is by far the best on this release.

This is stuff for die hard QOTSA stoner rock fans who like it as safe as it gets, its good but nothing hugely different!

Have a listen to them here.

Thats right people…. yet another evil design from our favorite Down Tuned Sludgers from Liverpool the mighty Iron Witch. And this one is not on a Black T shirt, in my opinion their best design yet BUT this is on pre-order and shall be with us on July 29th so get your orders in quick!

Buy this awesome Military green shirt with black print here.

and check out mental live footage from their recent WPC show below:

… why yes there is it seems! We are now going to have a very special guest opening the days fun at The Better Late Than Never Split release / Gareth’s 30th Birthday Show in the form of a rare appearance from the awesome Crumbling Ghost who have to be seen to be beleived with an eclectic mix of traditional folk, prog-rock space jams and monstrous Melvins-esque riffs (their words, not mine)

I was lucky enough to catch them on the release show for STUBB and i suggest you stock up on Acid and general hallucinogenics for this one, although they may not go too well with the BBQ and filth coming later on in the day!

That brings the band total to an incredible 9! and for the super low cost of only £6! and with a BBQ to boot!!!

JUST OVER A MONTH TO GO, WITH BAND STAGE TIMES AND ADVANCE TICKETS COMING SOON!

I bet people are fucking shitting a brick and fuming beyond comprehension at the thought of two tone Ska legends The Specials being covered by Birmingham’s miserable apocolypse bearers Anaal Nathrakh, BUT WHAT A COVER! It sounds so little like the original (but you know its the song somewhere in there) and is bleak, un-nerving and brutal just like a Nathrakh song should be… CLASSIC!

I have had so much to do in recent weeks i have not had chance until today to even listen to this album and now I hate myself for putting it off for so long! IT IS KILLER…. With Mother Corona I looked at the artwork, name and just my general (mis)conception of the band made me think that this was going to be just another one of those bland stoner outfits that are 2 a penny but right from the start this is a balls out piece of stompy Alice in Chain inspired rawk!!

These lot are a grand mix of the Grunge and Stoner rock of old but with a nice modern feel, the songs being long but without dragging, the production is grand for a band this early on its career and all the guys playing are a damn talented bunch (and you even get a Sabbath cover hidden at the end when you think its all over!) . I truly am surprised by this one and slightly suspicious as i once again just hope they can pull it off live.

Just make sure you don’t make the same mistake i did and get listening to this now, right here!

In another new feature i have decided to include, we look at the potentially argument starting world of the cover song. I myself love nothing more than a band deconstructing someone elses song and reassembling it with their own spin on thus creating a completely new and original piece of work that in some (rare) cases are better than the original! It is a touchy subject and alot of attempts do fall flat on their faces in the eyes of the many BUT some bands have a real knack for it and it was after a conversation this very week with the boys from Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight that i decided that they should be the first to be shown off in this feature as they are (arguably) the undisbuted champions of the cover song….

As there are way too many good covers done by these guys i have picked my fave 3 for your viewing (and hopeful approval) below:

Witchsorrow have been around for quite some time now and i remember doing everything in my power to make sure that i did not miss them at Bloodstock 2010 as i needed a dose of much needed Doom in my life in what was a very Thrash filled festival. Sadly when i watched them there was something not quite right and despite getting on well with their first album it was lacking something. The husband and wife team of Necroskull and Emily Witch up front are damn good song writers and follow their Sabbath inspired roots to the letter but i have since come to realise that it is the Addition of new drummer David Wilbrahammer that really nails it for me. This was proven on the second time i saw them at Sonisphere last year where the stage and lighting were perfectly set up and the sticksman really made the band gel together perfectly.

And this has all been proved on this second album, the songwriting is even greater, the mood is fucking evil and as dark as a dark thing and the production is all the more incredible compared to the first offering. And whats better is the pace is not just stuck in first gear on every song. there are several wonderful upbeat moments that make it a real joy to listen to over and over, particularly on the track ‘Breaking the Lore’ which i have listened to so much i have nearly completely worn down my beautiful heavy weight vinyl!

And really suggest giving this album a go and if you missed them headline the recent Summer Sizzler in Brixton, make sure you get your asses to Bloodstock where once again they shall be playing the Sophie Lancaster stage on the Saturday night!

To celebrate the most exciting of milestones for Heavy bands and reaching 666 thumbs up on the Facebook page, the band started a short sale in the GURT camp.

It is a remarkable 25% off sale in the store…. just enter 666PACK when ordering to save!!

It was promised to last for a handful of days and the final hurdle is being reached so get involved whilst you can as we have just 8 HOURS left until it expires!!

I LOVE Baroness and I LOVE Ducks….. enough said!!

Here the new Baroness album Yellow and Green here.