You Should Be Listening To . .. Druganaut!

Read that band name back.Go on.Just say it to yourself aloud even, and tell me that is not one of the best names for a stoner band ever conceived.Indeed, it seems that Druganaut's entire modus operandi revolves around certain substances that they shouldn't be even thinking of using, the little rascals.If you don't believe me, check out the band's bio on their Facebook page:

"Some bastards out there are on the march to ruin by experimenting with every cheap drug a cheap and nasty city like Newcastle upon Tyne has to offer. Other fools try and dampen the tedium of living in this fucking ugly city by playing in a loud and nasty metal band. The bastards in Druganaut are doing both. Formed at the bottom of a little and empty plastic bag out of the ashes of an over flowing ashtray. Druganaut have scraped their dirty knees on new lows looking for new distractions from the increasingly idiotic imbeceles that dwell in the city that surrounds. These guys play the blues for anyone who likes their blues to be brown and burning in a tea spoon. Metal for folk who want their metal to crumble from the heat of a lighter into a joint. Djent for people who want their djent to fuck right the fuck off and never return the fuck back. The best stoner rock that Newcastle has to offer is here my friends. Come catch it before they all od and die" . . .


Can't argue with that we reckon, especially not when the resulting din sounds as joyfully pissed off and concrete fuckin' heavy as these boyos.Imagine Crowbar , COC, Grand Magus  and Iron Monkey meeting after a night or three on a serious Buckfast and soapbar binge and knocking ten shades of shite out of each other and you'll start to get the gist of Druganaut's down tempo , bluesy racket.This is ugly music for ugly times, and you should be getting your hit as quick as you can before it's too late . . .

For fans of :Crowbar, Orange Goblin, COC,good BLS ,Two Tales Of Woe
Listen to the EP 'Shake Your Bones' @ http://soundcloud.com/druganaut-band/sets/shake-your-bones-1/

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

You Should Be Listening to... Kylesa!

Nihilist loves nothing more than that special time when you listen to an album, knowing little about it and it turns out to be simply whopper! All 2 of us here at Nihilist enjoyed that abstract pleasure in 2009 with the release of Kylesa's 'Static Tensions'. This post-sludge piece of wonderfulness features twin drummers, twin guitars and a production to die for (excuse the drama, I just sat through an entire Sex in the City). I'll avoid saying much about the fact that there's a girl in the band, admittedly a rarity in the sludge world, anyway, Steve can tell you all about guitarist and singer Laura Pleasants. Ask him about when we were at Kyuss Lives and he missed Laura dancing in the wings with Electric Wizard's Liz Buckingham!

You Should Be Listening To... Kylesa!

Edward Gerard Brophy,
bornagainnihilist@gmail(dot)com

Underground Classic - Iron Monkey 'Our Problem' -Earache 1997

Formed in Nottingham in 1994 , and named after a seminal Kung Fu flick, Iron Monkey  , although only having a short , and somewhat troubled five year run as a band proper, are a band nevertheless deserving of their place in sludge/doom history.Apart from the member's pedigree and accomplishments since the split ,with various members of the band going on to play in bands such as Electric Wizard and Capricorns, during their short existence the band managed to make a couple of cracking albums, and it's their 1997 Earache release, 'Our Problem', that gets the Underground Classic treatment today.

The band's key sound mainly lay in the sludge rock  that bands such as Electric Wizard and Eyehategod did and do continute to propagate, with a notable Sabbath influence, evidenced particularly  by the band's homage to 'Hole In The Sky' 's muffled yell on album opener 'Bad Year'.However, Iron Monkey were as much about rocking out  as they were doomy drones, and in tracks like 'Boss Keloid' and 'House Anxiety', the band's love of old school english hardcore bands such as Discharge and Crass shines through , along with a sense of groove that recalls some of Motorhead's more fired up early  moments.'I .R.M.S' meanwhile  is an exploration of pure molten evil , the band locked into a killer swampy death groove that nags at the cerebellum long after you've hit stop.'Golden Rules' is  all Cathedral esque guitar pomp, while closer 'Joint Spiritual Whip' rivals anything off Electric Wizard's seminal 'Dopethrone' record for sheer , monged out nod along stoner metal riffing.All the while, late, great singer Johnny Morrow grunts and howls like a man going to hell in a handbasket, as the band create an irrestible wall of noise around him.

What perhaps sets 'Our Problem ' apart from other albums in a similar vein however is the production.Put simply, it's excellent, the guitars clear and rich, with a tone that Iommi himself would be proud of, ,not   to mention an excellent drum sound,  and  I would dare say it's a joy to listen to even if it's not your taste in music, just to hear how a doom record SHOULD sound.Add to this the band's clear talent as songwriters, and the fact that not one moment , even during the epic 20 minute blast of 'Joint Spiritual Whip',  feels wasted or thrown in, and you have a true sludge classic, no bullshit, just dope jams to soundtrack a few cans of cheap cider and a sneaky soapbar spliff.

Morrow's passing in 2002 after suffering a heart attack sadly spelled the end to any hope of a proper reunion, so unfortunately it's all about the band's recorded output these days.So out of respect for the man , light up a three skin, crank the fucking bass, and be blown away by the sound of Iron Monkey.

Album Review, Red Sun/Mockingbird Split 7", Innervenus Records, 2011.

“...And Be Afraid!”

Red Sun – Ragnarok

Red Sun came to the attention of Nihilist a few short weeks ago when guitarist, Zach Germaniuk, gave us an “Album That Changed My Life” submission, writing lovingly about Baroness' 'Red Album'. Since then I have been keeping an envious eye on the Ohio heavy scene. This new track displays Zach's capacity for an array of interesting ideas, be they melodic or clever use of fx, and on this track, the latter is also evident in bassist, Roger Vincent's playing. They have upped the gear on the aggression compared to what I have heard before, keeping the bass high in the mix and gritty sounding to boot. Drummer, Joe Rosenblum, maintains a shifty, disjointed feel all the way through, lending a fitting uneasy atmosphere to the track. My only qualm is that I don't think the production is all it could be, but then perhaps that is what the self-imposed 'dumpster-rock' label is all about.

Mockingbird – Hard Tellin'/Not Knowin'

I can't help but think when I listen to Mockingbird, that they are somehow Mastodon's 'road not taken'. The influence is certainly there to be heard in the unforgiving post-sludgery: I picture a Mastodon that didn't go the proggy route they have and stuck to their guns, except it's Mockingbird that fill this picture. This new track tells us that the band are taking things in an even heavier direction than that which we have enjoyed so far with their previous Innervenus Records release. This new one is every bit as tight and intelligently crafted, with an excellent memorable simplicity about it, making it a good choice for a single track to represent you on a record. It's difficult to imagine a heavier sound than the pairing of Andy Strickland's guitar with Mike Gilpatrick's bass, it really is something to behold! Get out your most expensive headphones for this one!

If there's one bad thing about this release, it's that there isn't more of it! Solid work from both bands right here and I'm glad I became aware of them in time to see the release.

Red Sun/Mockingbird Split 7”, Innervenus Records, 2011.

Rating: 8/10

For fans of: Early Mastodon, Neurosis, Baroness.

Listen here: http://redsunbeast.bandcamp.com/album/red-sun-mockingbird-split-7

By Edward Gerard Brophy

For Born Again Nihilist and Grip of Delusion, 2011.

bornagainnihilist@gmail(dot)com