Californian Stoner Rock Legends Sasquatch will make their way back over to Australia and will finally make their debut in New Zealand with support from Pieces Of Molly this September to celebrate the release of their latest album “Fever Fantasy”.
🤘 Californian Death Metal Aggressors Skeletal Remains are set to tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time ever this November 2022! 👹 The Gore Obsessed nod to the “Old School” Death Metallers will take their chainsaws on the road and hit the following cities; Bunbury, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Katoomba, Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.
🪓 Witness the Violence: ⚡ 10/11 Thursday – Woolly Mammoth Mane Stage Brisbane ⚡ 11/11 Friday – Baroque Room Katoomba ⚡ 12/11 Saturday – BRUTEFEST at Crowbar, Sydney ⚡ 13/11 Sunday – The Basement, Canberra ⚡ 17/11 Thursday – The Prince Of Wales Hotel Bunbury ⚡ 18/11 Friday – Badlands Bar Perth ⚡ 19/11 Saturday – TBA, Adelaide ⚡ 21/11 Monday – Whammy Bar Auckland ⚡ 22/11 Tuesday – Valhalla Wellington ⚡ 23/11 Wednesday –12 Bar Christchurch ⚡ 25/11 Friday – Bendigo Hotel Melbourne (18+) ⚡ 26/11 Saturday – KILLFEST, Kilmore ⚡ 27/11 Sunday – Bendigo Hotel Melbourne (All Ages)
👉 Early Bird Tickets available now until the end of May from https://www.yourmatebookings.com/upcoming-events/
US Hardcore Titans Xibalba return this August 2022 for a stretch of terrifying shows along the east coast of Australia.
Joined by Honest Crooks (AUS) and Saving Grace (NZ); the heavy weights of hardcore tinged death metal will bring their reign of terror to the following cities on the dates below:
Yes, we are back! WO FEST 2022 is going ahead and we cannot be happier to present you with some the best underground acts Australia has to offer.
On Saturday June 11th Bendigo Hotel and Your Mate Bookings will showcase some of Australias finest musical talent in the sub genres of Rock and Metal.
After a two-year hiatus due to the obvious impact of “you know what/who”, we are back and ready to bring you the day you deserve with Live Music, Booze, Food, DJs and Debauchery at our home for all that’s heavy “Bendigo Hotel Collingwood, VICTORIA”.
Bear witness to the following acts on this momentus occasion; Jack Harlon and The Dead Crows, Mammons Throne, Droid, Sons of Zoku (SA), Planet of the 8s, Sons of the Ionian Sea, A Gazillion Angry Mexicans and Oceanlord.
Food will be provided by the new Bendi Kitchen. Tattoos will be happening – More Details Soon! DJs will be spinning – Vinyl ofcourse So please come and join us as we travel through the realms of Stoner, Doom, Psychedelic and Blues Rock for the relaunch of WO FEST!
Band: Bleed This Earth Album: The Slow Decline Year: 2022
Its’ not every day you hear of a Funeral Doom Metal band from Aotearoa (New Zealand) however the trio of Megalithic proportions “Bleed This Earth” have truly captured the true essence of the genre.
Four Tracks weighing in at 42 minutes long tumbles and buries any life left in this dark expression of loneliness.
The title track “The Slow Decline” ticks the boxes of a scene that is set in barren, stripped back Post-Apocalyptic battle, where man struggles for life on a plain of decomposed land.
Burnt trees and Black mud fills the ears of the listener on the eleven-minute epic “When” un-strangely reminiscent of early ‘My Dying Bride’, as the vultures trot slowly through the field of dead, looking for the last piece of flesh left on the recently risen worms from the depths.
The slowly paced double kick drum moments, complimented by drum rolls and long drawn power chords from the guitars, keeps the ears alert whilst the vocals narrate a blunt command without exhaustion.
Probably one of the best extreme releases come out of NZ for quite a while.
For fans of Samothrace, Pallbearer & My Dying Bride
Beyond the pale grimness of Melbourne, Victoria lies the new album by the crushing Blackened Doom Metal group ‘THRALL’.
The album displays a whirlpool of filth, destruction, decomposition and chaos under the guise of Black, Doom and Post Metal.
Toms commanding and raspy choking vocals were highly impressive to me and above all that I could hear on this dissonant soundtrack to the apocalypse, I felt his vocals stood out as the guiding force on this stellar album!
Every track was absolutely punishing brilliant however I felt the tracks explained below highlighted the genius work THRALL have been able to put together on this fourth display of black metal vehemence and blasphemy.
“Hollow” was a straight up blast fest and although you can hear some huge ‘Mayhem’ influence; the calm sections of Bass, Drums and Guitars find their way in to create a creepy realm on the side of the madness that THRALL pulls, throughout the rest of this brutal spewfest Tom chants above and over.
“Nihil” brings us a classic guitar solo outta left-field that I didn’t expect and damn its hot – definitely reminiscent of some ‘shining’ (From Sweden)!
“Abyss” begins with a dissonant melodic grimness similar to something you’d hear from ‘Naglfar’ before Toms vomits forth his emotions and then the real chaos begins with all instruments of death, each time returning to the intro riff and finally the bass twang making its way to the forefront.
The blast beats met with the drum rolls on “Epoch” were outstanding and the groove of the guitar riff definitely spun me out as this album drove itself in another direction I didn’t expect and assisted in paying homage to the folk elements that Black Metal sometimes loses – Considering the Norwegians started this ravishing genre that stood against the grain of mainstream politics and agendas.
“Dust” closes out the album with a gradual build of tremolo picking, until a seismic onslaught of riffs pound you in the face before hitting a soft calm section of lead melodies and then again slicing you apart with Toms Cut-throat vocals over Satyricon-esque riffs. “Dust” a perfect seven-minute storm to complete the album!
For Fans of Mayhem, Chapel of Disease and Satyricon.
Mixed by Richard McMaster (Impure Sounds)
Mastered by Jack Control (Enormous Door)
Released soon via IMPURE SOUNDS (AUS) / BRILLIANT EMPEROR RECORDS (AUS)
In Late 2012, the trio got together for a jam in Sydney not knowing an unstoppable force of Psychedelic worship would amount to 10 albums worth of tripped-out, spaced-life and meta-physical journeys under the guise of Frozen Planet 1969.
In 2022, Frank, Paul and Lachlan bring you “Not from 1969”, just to make it clear to the listener that Psych Rock in this day and age is thriving – better than it ever has in the last fifty years!
With three songs coming in at 45 minutes long, FP1969 venture into unknown passage ways of music and global cultural influences on this monolithic masterpiece, jammed and recorded in the blistering hot studio based in far Western Sydney, Frank Street Studio (AKA Pepper Shaker Records Headquarters’).
Diamond Dust begins with a cross-over of Spanish Flamenco and Eastern European guitar wizardry before the rhythm section takes grounding to the wild space journey that Paul does not give up on, as he rides the wave of stars in the sky whilst stomping on the pedal board to send the guitar into unearthly directions
Strangelands is a fuzzy jam of jovial proportions and experimental value.
This track particularly shines bright on the technical side of Franks progressive percussive nature and his work with Lachlan on this seven stretch, is completed by a funky riff that an oldie would call “A pretty cool Bass Noodle” yet its as if Lachlan makes his four string finger puppet talk (In what language, I don’t know).
Dissolver is twenty-seven minutes long, so roll one, light it up and get the munchies ready.
I gotta say this track had some beautiful organic production.
The way all instruments are exposed so tastefully with clarity and rawness is something a lot of local rockers in general could use some help with.
That element of live sound and capturing that raw essence of Rock n Roll is seriously such an important thing that can make or break a band (In my Opinion).
Lachlans psychotic noodling at the sixteen minute mark is fierce as is Franks thumping tantrum on his kit; and as they keep up this chaos like ants bursting out of their nests, there is a calm order that arrives at the end as Lachlan bends his notes and the delays of Pauls Guitar give in to the closure of an insane bloody album!
For Fans of Comacozer, Electric Octopus & Electric Moon
New Zealand’s speed metal overlords STÄLKER are returning to Australia for a two week east coast tour to give you another lesson in raw and in-your-face heavy metal, breathing the spirit and danger or the glorious 80s.
The NZ heavy metal heroes will be hitting Australian soil for the third time, destroying Newcastle, Katoomba, Sydney, Frankston, Ballarat, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Following 2019’s globally critically acclaimed Powermad EP, the band’s impatiently awaited second full-length album, Black Majik Terror, was released on October 30, 2020 via Napalm Records.
Coinciding with the announcement and the pre-order of the album, STÄLKER also released the first single off Black Majik Terror, “Of Steel And Fire”. A track that immediately calls to mind epic anthems of tried and true heavy metal like Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” but swiftly forges on its own path of blistering speed and precision that serves as an indicator of what is to come on Black Majik Terror. It becomes readily apparent that STÄLKER have not lost any of their magic and quickly discard the chains of the dreaded sophomore slump.
Commented the band: “Time to unshackle the first cut “Of Steel And Fire” from our new album, Black Majik Terror….
The album takes you through a near future hellscape where unseen evil entities have invaded this reality through human folly… prepare to die… tonight!!!”
STÄLKER is: Daif: Vocals + Bass Chris: Guitars Nick: Drums
Proudly presented by YOUR MATE BOOKINGS & GET ON THE STAGE
The Vanguard and YOUR MATE Bookings Presents FEAST OF ROCK
The venues are open, the food is cooking, the beers are flowing and the amps are warm – ready to kick you in to gear for a “FEAST OF ROCK”.
On Sat March 26th we have a line up of Rock from all edges including Stoner, Grunge, Post Punk, Industrial and Progressive. Joining us at The Vanguard in Newtown is a line up of local rockers including Robot God, Maple Moths, Kontrasto, Wicked Sisters and Celestial Oath (From Katoomba).
Its been a while since I saw the very comical mind bending “Shut Up and Drive” clip (You know the one where they have Wilfred the Dog in the bus and they get evicted) from their previous release “For the Masses”; well their new ‘Elusive Mojo’ album is a banger from start to finish. With so much appreciation for the craft of the Philidelphian four, in the realm of Psych, they’ve definitely captured an array of other genres whilst keeping it filthy and original.
“Times Up” sounds like a fuzzed and sped up ‘Kinks’ track on whatever banned substance the crew could get their hands on to deliver you a supersonic dart of LSD to the brain to take you through the void of this sterile and authoritarian reality into a meta-physical realm of infinite visions and theories from the individuals influence of the collective dimensions.
“The Kenzo Shake” guitar riffs and solos reminds me a filthy rock disco, and the rumbling bass gives way to the soothing vocal of Doug while he commands the punters to live free and think outside the box of a scared “Safe” reality they have been made to live as consumers of this pathetic beast we call capitalism (But really It’s beyond the freedom of capitalism – It’s actually Cartelism). The sneaky keys at the end of the track made a sleazy appearance, reminiscent of ‘The Doors’ – well why not, really.
“Venom” commences with a calm moment before Dougs occultic impression is matched with phased electronics before the organic tribal drums come in and the cry baby is pulled out to enhance the senses of what our mind can comprehend in the current dimension of a forced pattern of twenty hours and seven days a week – Life cannot possibly be this cruel, right?
The Psychedelic Maniacs complete their album with the “Deathwish 1970” which is a deep bow to the ultimate Space Rockers “Hawkwind. With the Saxophone blaring, Doug Screaming “I’ve got a Deathwish”, the guitar swirling, the drums thumping and the bass bouncing; you’re in for one hell of a ride after taking a few gram and chucking this bombastic album on – for the first of the last time (What is Reality?)
Jack Harlon are once again “Outta The Bedroom” to remind the world that Heavy Psychedelic Blues is still very much alive and kicking.
After releasing their second album “The Magnetic Ridge” via Tasmanian based label Psychedelic Salad to critical acclaim, The album came in at number 11 of Doom Charts top 100 albums of 2021. Reviews of the “The Ridge” can be found below by a few prominent figures in the world-wide music industry.
The group will be performing their stories of dystopian vengeance in the following cities (some for the first time ever) this coming Autumn before headlining the annual WO FEST in Melbourne: Richmond, Ripponlea, Sunbury, Thornbury, Collingwood, Wollongong & Sydney. You may even hear some unreleased tracks from their upcoming album to be released in 2022.
Catch the bedroom outlaws on one of the following dates: 26/3/2022 – The Leadbeater, Richmond VIC 10/4/2022 – Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea VIC 23/4/2022 – Shotkickers, Thornbury VIC 30/4/2022 – Sound System Studios, Sunbury VIC 8/5/2022 – The Duke, Enmore NSW 11/6/2022 – WO FEST at Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood VIC
“The bass is gritty and bottom heavy, filling out the lower frequencies like a boss but cutting through as well to let you hear every note. The layers of guitar provide a ton of texture, from fuzzy chords to more saturated leads, plus weird effects and even some atmospheric wash. The vocals are solid and sit at a perfect spot in the mix, being neither too prominent or lost in the soup.” – Super Corrupter https://supercorrupter.wordpress.com/2021/07/15/album-review-jack-harlon-the-dead-crows-the-magnetic-ridge/
“Amid all these haunting ghosts and howling winds of guitars, such poise and clarity of vision isn’t to be ignored, but there’s more to The Magnetic Ridge than cinematography. Each song offers its own plot of the wider sphere, from the scene-setting in “The Tale Of” through the “Absolved” duo pushing to where the limits go.” – The Obelisk https://theobelisk.net/obelisk/tag/jack-harlon-and-the-dead-crows-the-magnetic-ridge/
Californian Stoner Rock Legends Sasquatch will make their way back over to Australia and will finally make their debut in New Zealand
1/9 Thursday – Vinnies Dive Southport
Tickets Available here:
US Hardcore Titans 
