Ep Review - Mu Cephei- 'Demo'

Location:Kildare, Ireland

Label:Unsigned

Release Date:August 2013


Lurching forth from a practice space in deepest Kildare(a county known for it's high level of gloom), doom/sludge trio Mu Cephei are intent on raping your ears and poisoning your mind with their own brand of noxious psychedelic doom.Sans a bassist, they  nevertheless manage to conjure up a cacophony of primal low end noise, imbued with a touch of deft melody, that should have fans of slo-mo, hypnotic violence foaming at the mouth(dirty bastards that they are.)

Owing more than a small debt to the horrific mantras of bands like Electric Wizard, Mu Cephei deal in the kind of oppressive, funereal dirges that put one in mind of every kind of drug sickness you can imagine.From the first monolithic rumblings of opener 'ilyushin' , to the closing feedback and phaser  drenched moments of  'Vacuum Phase Transition', the atmosphere created is reminiscent of a particularly bad come down, the kind that invades your every sense of being and stays with you for months afterwards.Front man Rob's vocals, drenched as they are in reverb and buried way down in the mix, are perfectly judged, all clean singing, albeit hidden under as many effects as humanly possible.It's a sound closer to prime Church Of Misery or Icelandic loons Volva than say, Eyehategod, swathes of psyche-tinged misery filtered through a production that is as warm and stripped down as they come, allowing the band's murky sound room to breath.

Even though this is essentially a glorified demo, the quality of what's on offer here pisses all over most 'proper' full length doom releases this year.Give it a few months, ,and maybe a full length ,  and Mu Cephei will no doubt join the likes of Weed Priest and Slomatics in flying the flag for Irish sludge/drone/doom bands.Essential, addictive, evil stuff.

Rating: 8.5/10

For fans of :Electric Wizard, Slomatics, Ufomammut, Weed Priest

Buyit here(name your price download) here:http://mu-cepheidoom.bandcamp.com/album/demo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuCephei

Album Review- Zippo 'Maktub'

Not a country known for it's unbelievable rock output in the past, it seems there is a small , but well formed scene of interesting hard rock and psyche bands coming from Italy, with bands like The Whirlings, Ephel Duath and now Pescara based progsters Zippo leading the charge for a wave of Mediterranean flavoured  monolithic riffs and balls to the wall guitar wizardry.

And we'll be damned if it's not one of the freshest , most vital records to be released this year.The third album from Zippo, 'Maktub' is produced by Victor Love , with mastering duties handled by one James Plotkin, who has worked with such underground legends as Sunno ))) and Isis, and shows the band weaving a tantalising web of intricate songwriting ,deft and clever riffing and sonic experimentation, as well as moments of  pure rock fury a la Mastodon and Baroness.Opener ' The Personal Legend' is a rousing blend of drop tuned , sledgehammer sludge riffing and spacey, glacial melodies, it's bizarre time changes and skittering , funk tinged riffing recalling a more sludgy Rush.' The Omens' is an epic blend of Tool style soaring melodies, and riffing battery, while 'Caravan To Your Destiny' impresses just as much with it's minimal stark guitar work and epic , eastern influenced melodies.

The band's talent lies in taking the traditional forms of grunge , sludge and hard rock, and twisting them into unrecognisable shapes, with tempos constantly changing, bizarre guitar effects , and cleverly sung vocal passages from singer David that recall Maynard James Keenan at his most exploratory.Album highlight 'Simum' meanwhile showcases the band's knack of creating a sense of spacey menace, that evokes long gone and much missed Louisiana psychos Acid Bath. But comparisons are mostly futile, as Zippo with 'Maktub' are very much forging their own path ,and it has to be said that this is perhaps one of the most confident and energetic albums to emerge from the heavy rock underground this year.Passionate and raw but yet technically fascinating and always with a feverish invention at play, expect these guys to make waves in the rock underground in 2012.

Rating:9/10
For fans of: Tool ,Baroness, Totimoshi, Acid Bath, Kylesa
Listen here: http://www.zippomusic.it/
Stephen O ' Connor
bornagainnihilist@gmail.com

EP Review, Eastern Crank - "Songs From The Suburban Archives"

“I say...alcohol must GO!”

The final words of the prohibitionist sound byte that is heard on the video for the first track on this new EP from Eastern Crank. Eastern Crank are an instrumental stoner and hard-psych outfit starring Brian Elmer, Johnny Moon, Scotty Lamere and operating out of Mud Flats New Jersey. Their new EP, entitled "Songs From The Suburban Archives", is out now and the following is what Born Again Nihilist wants you to know about it!

The record opens with 'Voodoo Flapper Queen', a fascinating name I must say. Some groovy trad-stoner riffing, peppered with subtle percussion ideas is our initial taste. Things quickly take a more upbeat turn but the oddly eastern sounding percussion ideas are maintained and developed. Finally, the three minutes or so come to an end with a sample of some scratchy, anonymous vaudeville music.

A more sinister 'Sonic Dream Lord' is next up. Delicate modulated synths sit under the thick guitars and the drums stay nicely off-kilter, meanwhile the bass sounds as if it too is bathed in fx. Just about halfway through, the drums take a turn for the technical with some double bass work, until it all breaks down into Oceansize style piano and electronic noise to lead us out and into 'Skyburn', which for me is the highlight on the record. The weird effected guitar tones, synth creations and trippy unpredictable drum patterns all collide for a sonic meal that sets you up for a day better than Weetabix sprinkled with cocaine (ask Zakk Wylde for the recipe!).

The drums are kept nice and high in the mix which was an excellent decision because they carry a tremendous energy, very apparent on 'Skeleton Wheel', where they guide the vibe of the track perfectly. And last we have 'Cosmic Pyro'. This one opens with minimal guitars on the edge of overdrive, flavoured with a touch of reverb, not unlike the old Isis sound. What we enjoy as the track opens up, however, is little like Isis. Some solid rock riffing in the Dutch Stoner vein which only continues for what feels like a short three minutes.

This, I have to say, is pretty solid stuff from Eastern Crank, of whom I was previously unaware so cheers for getting in contact lads! When a band makes the decision to go for the instrumental stoner route they had better be prepared to have an abundance of ideas to explore and Crank have that. They are also careful not to make the mistake of dragging out tracks far too long which is a constant danger in this genre. Although, having said that, there are one or two tracks I would have liked to have been longer. The fuzzed out and oh-so-thick guitars, complimented by the growling and rolling fx coloured bass, underpinned and driven by the endlessly inventive drums make for a heady brew of rock goodness! (I'm using a lot of food analogies, I must be hungry.) All made the more interesting by the subtle and calming synth sounds, which add a slight trip-hop dimension to the final product.

Keep in touch guys, if more appears we wanna hear it!

Eastern Crank - 'Songs From The Suburban Archives' EP

Rating – 8/10

For Fans of – Karma To Burn, Oceansize, The Obsessed.

Listen in here: http://www.reverbnation.com/easterncrank

By Edward Gerard Brophy for Born Again Nihilist 2011.

Album Review - Queen Elephantine 'Garland Of Skulls'

For those who like their music fast paced, upbeat, , laden with hooks and messages of positivity(and if you do great, but eh, wrong blog) then you maybe best avoid 'Garland Of Skulls', the new full length effort from New York based , Hong Kong formed minimalist doom crew Queen Elephantine.Essentially one long song split into three separate tracks, it's a stark, downbeat and reflective mood that pervades, but nevertheless a record that rewards the patient listener.

The band's sound is an interesting blend of styles, hypnotic, swaying rhythms , lithe and complex drumming, and eerie chanted vocals, all awash with droney , cold guitars , with a guitar tone that recalls latter day Neurosis in parts.In fact, the influence of the Oakland legends can be heard throughout, and one can easily imagine QE sitting quite comfortably on the Neurot roster, given the contemplative, almost tribal atmosphere generated in the band's predominantly instrumental  rumblings.Some marvellous Eastern instrumentation on album mid section/second song 'Libation', complimented by some haunting chants and sparse, piercing guitar lines elevates the album out of the doom metal ghetto , and proves to be the best thing on here , while elsewhere the title track grooves and writhes in  pleasingly monged out fashion,fuzzed out bass blending seamlessly with a menacing , prowling riff that eventually collapses in on itself  like some sort of wounded , dying animal.

Much like recent albums by Sleestak and Red Sun, this isn't a record that can be described as easy listening .It's spare , down and subtle stuff.But much like the aforementioned bands, it's a rewarding listen to those who are willing to take the plunge.One for those late winter nights perhaps.

Rating :8/10
For fans of :Neurosis,Oxbow, Sleestak
Listen/Stream/Buy the album here : http://queenelephantine.bandcamp.com/album/garland-of-skulls

Stephen O ' Connor, Born Again Nihilist
bornagainnihilist@gmail(dot)com