Kvelertak Live In London: Owl Party

This man has an owl on his head. It’s clearly time to party.

Whores’ drawers, I fucking LOVE Kvelertak.

A little green of gill and somewhat gig-jaded, there was notable anti-anticipation around these parts as the clock ticked down towards time-to-get-off-my-arse o’clock.

You see the sour taste of The Sword remained and while High on Fire wobbled my jowls pleasingly with their vibrating air, the crowd carried the faintest whiff of dickhead.

Combine that with my suspicions around the unfamiliar venue – everything in Camden inherently veers towards shithole-status – and the stoke levels were minimal.

Baroness Live in London 2012: Heavy Ecstasy

Now it’s time for medication, stallions on the eiderdown

Some of us love metal for the darkness and mystery: cloaks, pseudonyms, smoke and ritualistic paraphernalia.

Baroness offered none of that. Just four guys and their instruments squeezed together on a low stage in a tiny upstairs room at a London bar that was packed out with adoring fans.

This was no-frills rock and roll. Band and audience giving it their all.

New Baroness Album Stream

Naked ladies, swans about to get it, death and decay. Nothing to see here, move along now.

Fucking hell. The hairs on my neck are standing on end. I am listening to the opening bars of Baroness Yellow & Green on NPR. I can’t believe it, Christmas has come early!

Check out the full album stream here or better yet here.

Right can’t stop, have a double-album of pure awesome to listen to for the first time!

Update: I love Baroness but two thirds through the Yellow side I am not being immediately blown away. I liked the advance singles but I’m a bit dubious. Will persevere.

Update #2: Green seems the stronger of the two sides (I’m a third in) but I’m still on the fence about whether I like this. I hope we get plenty of old stuff at Thursday’s gig!

Update #3: I really miss the roar and riff. Stop singing man and bellow! After a full (single) listen, I have very mixed feelings. Let’s hope it’s a grower.

On My Turntable: Witch Mountain, The Smashing Pumpkins, El-P and Decoder Ring…

Spot the hilarious joke….

Don’t be fooled, while there’s not much metal on this list, I’m not going soft. I’ve been hammering MDG favourites Book of Black Earth and Balaclava this past week.

*Masculinity assured, he stops swinging it around and slips back where it belongs*

Yet there’s been plenty of time for non d-beat at MDG Towers. I know. Shit’s craycray, huh?

I have also created a Spotify playlist so you bastards can have a listen. Not that you’ll bother, you James Blunts (that’s cockney rhyming slang my beloved American readers… you work it out).

The Melvins vs Mudhoney

Would you like to buy a goat?

Maybe the idea of The Melvins appeals to me more than their actual music.

I love the influence they have had on heavy music as the godfathers of sludge, their longevity and unselfconscious freakiness.

Yet while their albums underwhelm me, The Melvins have a knack for the killer twelve.

One of my most treasured records of my early teens was King Buzzo from their series of EPs in tribute to Kiss.