High Tone Son of a Bitch

'High Tone Son of a Bitch' is a stoner rock band from Oakland, California featuring past members from Cruevo, Noothgrush, Porn (The Men of), and Totimoshi. They stuck around long enough to release one 4-track single produced by Alex Newport (of Fudge Tunnel and Max Cavalera-project Nailbomb, as well as producer of a fuck-ton of other bands like Sepultura, the Melvins, SOAD, Mars Volta, Taint, and others).

High Tone Son of a Bitch - Better You Than Me

Snailface

You guys remember Kowloon Walled City? Well, they're back (sort of), with their side project entitled 'Snailface'. This record's a complete offshoot from Kowloon's previous work (and it should be noted that this IS NOT a Kowloon Walled City release), and is being offered on their site for free download, but I figured I might upp it here as well.

'Snailface' is the Rock-LP the Melvins always wanted to record. A liberal-cramming of Cock-Rock (Transvaginal Organ Harvest), Alternative (Botanomancer) and shameless 70s nostalgia (Drug School), into a Stoner tromp worthy of Orange Goblin and the like results in a record that rings echoes of the Zebraman. I say it's a shame this isn't a legit band:

Snailface - Self Titled

--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

Sleep - Jerusalem

This record was originally intended to be one giant track...but their label was unhappy with it and made them split it into "parts". Check it out:
Jerusalem
Part 1
Part 2

Acid Bath Disco!

Alright ladies, this time you get a Twofer. Well, they only had two albums anyway. Acid Bath is, as of right now, one of my favorite bands to listen to. We're talking good ol' Louisiana Sludgecore. You want to know about the NOLA metal scene, look no further. Fuck that Phil Anselmo shit, that guy's a poser compared to these guys (just kidding Phil, I loved Pantera!)

Acid Bath is good to listen to because they jump styles practically between songs, going from swampy rock riffs to highly melodic (but still kick-ass) ballads. Surreal lyrics and the great vocals of Dax Riggs top it all off. I swear, just try to listen to Scream of the Butterfly without getting chills. If you want more, you should definitely check out Deadboy and the Elephantmen which is fronted by Dax, or check out Dax Riggs' solo stuff. It's a shame, their bassist was killed by a drunk driver, otherwise we might have gotten a few more genius albums by this great band.

Acid Bath - When the Kite String Pops
Acid Bath - Paegan Terrorism Tactics

Goblin Cock.

Great straight up stoner rock with a little teeny bit of doom mixed in--very laid back and well paced. Ran into this album when I worked for Record and Tape Traders a couple years back. I remember they kept sending us reminder postcards weeks before this album came out that said things like "3 WEEKS TILL GOBLIN COCK!!" written in red chicken scratch writing. As soon as the album came out, I picked up my promo copy and listened to it excessively while I was at work. I eventually burned out on the album, but Trey has encouraged me to upload it so others may experience the joys of Goblin Cock.

Goblin Cock - Bagged and Boarded