Castrovalva

It's nearly 5 o'clock, I've got another page to add to this fucking Shakespeare paper due in class later today at 2pm and I'm sitting here about to spend 30 minutes on a post why?

Castrovalva (UK) is a band I've been putting off for a good long while for no good reason besides from me being a lazy inactive asshole piece of shit. Point is, I finally sat down and listened all the way through their s/t mini album and am sitting here kind of dumbfounded that I, like a jackass, let this band slip by and sit on my hard drive without notice for like 3 fucking months. This band hemorrhages pure energy with the kind of determination only matched by bands like Lightning Bolt and Godstomper. Of course, I make these comparisons because they're fast as fuck and primarily a drums-n-bass kinda band.

...Alright, I'm going to use this really trite formula to describe this band: cram Sabot, GODSTOMPER, Lightning Bolt, and a tiny of MiTB into a blender, crank it up to bludgeon and you've got Castrovalva.

Castrovalva - S/T Mini Album

They're putting out a single with their new line-up titled "Thug Life"...preorder that here.

...and now it IS 5am. Fuuuuuuuck.

--fred

Subrig Destroyer - Rode Asunder EP

Subrig is a drum-and-bass power-duo hailing from the great Athens, GA (home of a few other notable sludge bands). Included here is their only release thus far--their 5-track, 40 minute opus 'Rode Asunder'. This is some really minimalist low-frequency stuff, similar to that of 'Om', but more aggressive. I look forward to seeing what these two pump out in the future:

Subrig Destroyer - Rode Asunder
shitspace

--fred

Beehoover - The Sun Behind the Dustbin (2007)

You can find the excellent Heavy Zooo all over the internets, so I thought I'd share Beehoover's first (see: under appreciated) LP. In my opinion, Heavy Zooo panders a bit to the Stoners and sacrifices some of the poignant melancholy of this first record.

So I don't know too much about Beehoover to pass on to you. I know they're the rhythm section of mediocre doom band Voodooshock. I also know that they rule, and that's about it.

So yeah yeah stoner rock whatever. Or is it? You might be surprised if you listen long enough. For instance, "Yellow Mile" is serviceable first track, but it pales in comparison to the brooding (yet catchy!) "A Foul Smelling Wheel Called Downhill." "Paraffin Oiler" is a sad and powerful extended jam that really stuck with me after listening to the album the first time. "Nice Romantic Evening" is a creepy little acoustic piece with dash of slap guitar about fucking your mom (I don't know man, they're German it's whatever). "Damn You, Charlie Brown," other than having an absurd name, is epic.

Actually, since we're on the topic of absurd song titles, it's safe to say that quite a bit gets lost in translation for these guys. The lyrics rarely make sense and they don't really connect with each other in a meaningful way. That's not to say the lyrics are ill-composed, because that would be far from the truth. The flow is unbelievably flawless and these guys really have a great synthesis between the bass, drums, and vocals. Ingmar really captures the emotion of each song even if he doesn't make any goddamned sense.

OK, so you're not in to that "faggot" emotional song-writing. That's fine, there's plenty else to enjoy about this band. If there's one thing Beehoover does exceptionally well it's write some catchy-ass-riffs. More often than not, you will have these bass lines stuck in your head for days. I found myself *dying* to get back to my house to tickle my itch for certain songs (I'm looking at you Charlie Brown).

These guys really know how to play, and the interplay between guitar and drums is powerful to say the least. It's obvious these two have played together for awhile, and they have such a unique and solidified sound. One of the best bands to ever grace the so-called "Stoner Rock" scene is at your fingertips gents, I suggest you get to it.

Beehoover - The Sun Behind the Dustbin

OM Discography

Trey's in pretty bad shape--so I'm hijacking his post. Here's a fap-tastic wiki bio of the band:

Om is a duo formed in 2003 by the rhythm section of the disbanded stoner doom metal band Sleep. The band's first three albums feature Al Cisneros on vocals and bass and Chris Hakius on drums. Their music is similar in structure to Tibetan chanting and is rich in rhythm and melody. Their music and lyrics lift off at the beginning and slowly mutate giving a feeling of evolution inside each song.

In December of 2007 the band performed in Jerusalem, their performance lasting over 5 and a half hours in duration. A portion of that show was released on 12" vinyl by Southern Lord "OM - Live at Jerusalem".

On January 31, 2008 Hakius left the band and was replaced by drummer Emil Amos. OM has since recorded a single featuring the song Gebel Barkal accompanied by the band's b-side dub mix, "Version". This is the first OM release to feature Amos. The 7" 45 was released August 15, 2008 on Sub Pop.

Variations on a Theme

Conference of the Birds

Pilgrimage (coming soon)

Update 10/15/08: Sadly, GBTIM's now defunct and you can't go there for awesome shit anymore. We'll put up the last OM record as soon as we can. Thanks for the patience.
--trey/fred/tread