Dear old Jimbo Morrison, he was a clueless fool indeed. Many times, I used to drive Jim out to the desert so he could commune with shamanistic spirits in the sun-baked wilderness. Jimbo would spend hours out of his gourd, murmuring into the ether. Of course, what I used to do, was stop at a truck stop and load up on whiskey and other supplies on the way. Then when we got into the desert, ply Jimbo with the booze and feed him leaves of spinach out of a tin, telling him it was “good gear”. I’d wear a kid’s Native American fancy dress costume and mumble nonsense. Morrison never did wise up to it.
If you’re planning on a mind-expanding trip into the remote wastelands, you’d be much better off with this new album from Yawning Balch for company. The band is comprised of Fu Manchu’s Bob Balch on guitar, together with stoner rock legends Yawning Man, here consisting of Gary Arce (guitar), Mario Lalli (bass) and Bill Stinson (drums). This is volume three of a series of experiments that these gentlemen have produced, released by Heavy Psych Sounds.
Truth be told, this is a tough review to write. This is an instrumental album, consisting of just two songs. Both tracks are formed from experimental jam sessions, expansive psychedelic explorations that meander along like the Silver Surfer exploring a vast, distant galaxy. This is not an album of incendiary riffs and barking vocals.
First track ‘The Taos Hum’ is just over twenty minutes long. It will take you on an interstellar journey of shimmering guitars and rumbling percussion, resulting in a mesmerising encounter. The lack of vocals, or even a standard verse-chorus structure, doesn’t matter at all. Same story with ‘Winter Widow’, the second track: slightly shorter at 14 minutes, this is all about the journey and getting lost along the way.
“Volume Three” is a cinematic soundtrack for any road you’re on. Mellow and cerebral, this album by Yawning Balch grabbed me from the start, this is the first recording of 2025 that has captivated my senses and will be a Top Ten of the year contender. Magical and highly recommended.
Following a blinder of an evening’s entertainment for Day the First of North West Doom Fest, I was rested and ready to go for Saturday. Beginning at an earlier time in the afternoon, I unfortunately missed the first band of the bill, Hand of Omega, who played while I was still travelling into town. Sincere apolgies for this to all, I must catch them again sometime.
Arriving at the Saddle, the festivities were well and truly underway already. A decent sized crowd were in attendance in the rear courtyard, cradling beers and nursing themselves back to full health. There was no downer atmos that I could discern at all however, everyone seemed amped for the music ahead.
Moss Valley were the first band of the day that I actually got to see, and they were pretty damn good. This three piece straddled a retro seventies vibe with added desert rock Kyuss stylings. Great riffs and warm female vocals adding to the melodies, Moss Valley really made a huge impression. It’s tough to pick favourites at an event like this, but MV were definitely contenders.
Up next we had a visit from the Pagan lords of the north, Sabbat Wolf. This Leeds based band featured exemplary musicianship, again with a commanding female vocalist. What I enjoyed here were the Sabbath worshipping riffs augmented by beautifully tuneful, mellow passages that reminded me of Pink Floyd. Sabbat Wolf really stood out with these psychedelic flourishes and their unashamed occult theme – their song ‘Pagan Bloody Pagan’ tells you all you need to know!
Warpstormer had travelled up from Londonium to the ancient, walled city of Chester. These guys mix full throttle Metal with their Doom, think Orange Goblin rocking out at their trippiest. It’s a Stoner Metal attack that could have been related somewhere to Entombed or Motorhead, but had enough power and groove to fit in perfectly at this gig. Warpstomer were real crowd pleasers and also really nice guys.
Get your flat caps on and forget your fear of heights, it’s time for Shred Dibnah! The world’s premier Steeple Jack Rock band graced the stage of NW Doom Fest, amid clouds of smoke and a pummelling performance. With a portable chimney on stage belching out clouds, Shred Dibnah demolished the audience with roaming riffs and contrasting mellow sections that added to the hypnotic drill.
Borehead were the next band of the day, and again a different take on the Doom template. In contrast to other bands, these Londoners were largely instrumental – except for some weird and wonderful samples – with slow, fuzzy riffs more spaced out than Buck Rogers on a Venusian hookah pipe. Cerebral stuff that you’d assume would be better appreciated on headphones with some refreshment, but it went over very well.
I was already familiar with the mighty Deathfiend – I caught them live a while back, and was happily smashed to pieces with their ferocious onslaught. With elements of Death Metal and even Hardcore Punk in the Deathfiend sound, I wasn’t sure if they’d be too damn nasty for this festival, but they slotted right in neatly. Outrageously heavy Doom riffs delivered with a fiery intensity, this band are a force to be reckoned with.
You know how sometimes you see a band that looks so cool, you want to join up? Kill The Witch were that band at NW Doom Fest. These guys meld together the Sludgiest of Stoner and Doom Metal, traversing varying tempos and styles but always remaining true to The Riff. Roaring vocals top off a faster, more furious Sabbath sound that’s not without its clever invention and serpent-like surprises, throwing in some brutal hardcore along the way.
Finishing off NW Doom Fest 2025 were the mighty Amon Acid. Another Yorkshire based band, their distorted Doom Metal was part Electric Wizard style occult Metal, with hypnotic, psychedelic passages added for kicks. Yet again a different take on Doom with Hawkwind Space Rock and amazing Middle Eastern sounding passages seeping through the acid drenched fuzzy guitar, Amon Acid were a thoroughly entertaining musical experience, finishing the event in style.
And that, kids, was your lot. Everything was wrapped up in a timely fashion so that the punters could make buses and trains home, all of us with beaming, happy faces – gorged on the joy of The Riff. North West Doom Fest was a resounding success and I have to say I enjoyed every band I saw. All of them had their own unique identities, whichever winding track they took from the original concept of Doom. Cool venue, too. Now I feel really stupid for not going last year.
The Saddle is the number one – and surely only – Rock based pub in the City of Chester. A town more famed for drunken shenanigans and expensive outfits for the Races, this is the playground of the Cheshire Set and the wannabes. A home of Metal it is not. Not usually, anyway – except for the welcoming haven of The Saddle.
And for one weekend in April, the tiny G21 venue at the back of the pub hosted the second North West Doom Fest: two days of the heaviest, doomiest metal in the land. Absolutely fan-fucking-tabulous!
The evening began with Druid’s Cross, from not far away at all Liverpool. I’ve seen this band before, and knew they would be ideal to commence the festivities. Harsh vocals lead relentless, dynamic riffs with a traditional metal feel as well as a slow, doomy pace. There’s a dark, gothic edge to the music as well, resulting in a compelling sound that grabbed everyone’s attention from the start..
Festival organisers Lorraine and Mark were up next, with their amazing three-piece band, Warlockhunt. I’d also seen this band before, and I’m always amazed by the complexity of their dual bass and tribal drums sound. The other worldly female vocals have led to this band being described as Doom Pop (I coined that phrase, actually, thank you very much) and it’s easy to see why. Always different and always captivating.
Grim skeletal figures flanking the stage, inverted crosses and a duo wearing dark cloaks: Tumanduumband aren’t exactly shy of revelling in their ominous personas. What they are, is a West Midlands based Satanic Doom band, and their music is both atmospheric and heavy as hell itself. Fuzzed out, crushing riffs mean that the visuals aren’t inappropriate – this band is growing a cult based on their own dark riff-tuals.
Headlining tonight, and admittedly one of my favourite bands out there these days, the mighty Son of Boar rightfully took their place at the top of the bill. I became a big fan after seeing them play Pentre Fest some years ago. Bass wrangler Gaz is also an Ever Metal scribe, not that I’m biased at all, honest! Son of Boar played a set that was tight and forceful, with ear-worm riffs and thundering rhythms. Tusks up! The boys brought the HEH-VEEE, then slept the night on the floor of the venue, ‘cos they rock that hard.
Back in the very early 70’s, I accidentally missed getting on the bus with Black Sabbath (or was deliberately left behind, you choose), and found myself stranded in Sweden. Luckily, I had a few contacts and was able to get by, eventually meeting up with a couple of young Swedish lads in Stockholm. They were into folk music, but I could tell they were great musicians with an ear for a melody. After some persuasion, they agreed to try something new and join me in a new band, part heavy metal, part rock’n’roll, with a bit of folk thrown in to keep them happy.
Our jam sessions were going really well, with me handling the vocals and devil worshipping lyrics, and the lads on guitar and piano. We had numerous tracks rehearsed, with some killer riffs inspired by my old mentor, Tony Iommi.
Then one day, it was all over. The two lads decided metal wasn’t for them, and they hooked up with two Swedish girls in an attempt to make something more commercial. A great shame, I thought, as we had potential. Never mind, I’d saved up some cash to get back home and off I went. No idea what happened to those Swedes though. I think they could’ve gone far.
All this reminiscing brings me round to discussing the latest Brown Acid compilation from RidingEasy records – the nineteenth, if you can believe it. It’s been a while since I last reviewed one of these releases, so to summarise briefly for any late comers, Brown Acid compiles long lost gems from the late 60s through the early 70s as a document of the early days of hard rock and proto-metal from the time. Most of these tracks – and the groups who performed them – have been lost to mists of time, but it’s always a joy to rediscover them in the 21st century.
Our first song on this volume is “You Come on Like a Train” by the brilliantly named Dick Rabbit. Just under three minutes of Hendrix infused fuzz rock with clattering drums, it’s a high energy opener to get us moving. Next up is Blizzard with “Be Myself”, which has a killer intro riff that then dominates the song. Think Cream or Mountain and you’ll be on the right avenue.
“Sun City – Part II” is a gritty, raw rocker from the less imaginatively named Fox – the catchy riff is a beauty. Next up, Sweet Wine give us “Bringing Me Back Home”, a boogie, rock’n’roll bar-room brawl number that injects some Southern Rock into proceedings. It’s an unusual move for a Brown Acid comp, but it works well. Finishing off Side One is Enoch Smokey and their cover of the Chuck Berry classic, “Roll Over Beethoven”. A cover is also an atypical move for Brown Acid, but this rendition has enough apocalyptic hard rock mayhem to warrant its inclusion.
Side Two commences with “Get You” by Flight, a Grand Funk style rocker that’ll get your head noddin’. “Indian” from Quick Fox offers a more cerebral lyrical approach, lamenting the fate of Native Americans (no surprise there). It does have a late 60s psychedelic shine that gives the song a different feel and identity. Then it’s back to some full-on hard rock with “The Fury in Your Eyes” by Bonjour Aviators – a spectacular band name, great riff and almost punk vocals.
Cedric delivers “I’m Leaving” next, which is lo-fi garage rock that’s simple but damn effective – like The Kinks covering The White Stripes in a Detroit dive bar. Finally, we have the brain destroying proto–Space Rock of Zane with “Step Aside”, which sounds like Hawkwind sound tracking classic 70s dystopian sci-fi movie, Logan’s Run. If you don’t think that sounds cool, your life clock must’ve already died.
And that’s that: another ten songs saved from the wilderness and given a new lease of life, a second chance of glory thanks to the caring curatorship of RidingEasy records. And all the bands get paid, which is super cool. Brown Acid: the Nineteenth Trip is very much recommended for anyone who worships at the altar of early 70s rock – and also a great soundtrack to any party. Get it on!
Yawning Man are one of, if not THE, originators of Desert Rock. Born from jam-style generator parties way out in the desert, this band pioneered the sound that would later be adopted by Kyuss, Fu Manchu and many others. Ripple Music are reissuing the “Pot Head” EP, on vinyl and CD, for the first time in like, eons, man. And it’s a great listen.
“Pot Head” consists of four instrumental tracks, illuminating the template that others would follow. Free form, jammed compositions that stretch out into the vast, starry night. Awash with psychedelic flourishes, there’s a cinematic feel to songs like ‘Manolete’ and ‘Digital Smoke Signal’. The listener can grasp the improvisational vibe, close your eyes and you’re a world away from anywhere as the music spirals endlessly into the universe.
Wow, I was off in the moment there for a moment reader. How unprofessional – I do apologise. I love the fact that all four songs are instrumental, ‘cos as we all know that the singer is the least important member of any band. No vocals equals a psyche freak out that incorporates samba rhythms, wailing reverb drenched guitar and no distractions from the dusty, spaced out shenanigans.
As I write this, we’re sweltering in a record-breaking heatwave. North Wales, which is where I’m based – and also where the nerve centre of Ever Metal can be found – has had some of the highest temperatures in the whole of the UK. It’s crazy. And so, a new album from desert rock titans Nebula seems extremely apt right now. “Transmissions from Mother Ship Earth” has arrived at exactly the right time.
And it arrives with a welcome burst of fuzz drenched psych rock, exactly as expected, in first track, ‘Highwired’. Big fat riff, dashes of space rock and a whiff of herbal cigarettes: classic Nebula, really. Up next is the title track, which adds some nice, sixties secret agent vibes to the melting pot, together with a punishingly heavy section.
‘Wilted Flowers’ begins with a mellow guitar section before exploding into a thunderous head tripper. There’s a feel of Mudhoney and the Stooges with Nebula’s best work, as evidenced here and with ‘Melt Your Head’. Other tracks like ‘Warzone Speedwulf’ and “The Four Horseman’ sound like early Monster Magnet dripped in acid fried Steppenwolf and left to dry in a Tarantino desert landscape.
No surprises then with this latest Nebula release, and with titles like ‘I Got So High’ you can guess exactly what to expect. But who cares? “Transmissions from Mothership Earth” is a solid album of pounding rhythms and spaced-out fuzz rock. It’s bound to make my end of year best of list, and right now it’s the perfect soundtrack for summer. Enjoy, fellow explorers – it’s gonna piss it down with rain tomorrow.
Talking about nebula and space and galaxies and all that, did I tell you about the great telescope trick we played on Bill Ward once? It was at Brian May’s house, and he’s well into all that astrology business. Bri’s got this huge telescope for star gazing. So Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and me persuaded Bill to take a look. What he didn’t know was that Brian had put black paint inside the lens, so Bill ended up with a great big, black monocle on his face. Bill didn’t realise, and walked round like that all night – extremely paranoid as to why all the guests were laughing at him. Great fun!
OK: we have something very interesting here. Something quite special. Apparently, this is the fourth album from Here Lies Man, so I’ve got some catching up to do. The bands unique selling point is their amalgamation of Black Sabbath with Afrobeat, and it’s a refreshing interpretation of a genre that continues to morph and bewitch the listener.
On this release, founding members Marcos Garcia (vocals/guitar) and Geoff Mann (drums) are joined by Doug Organ on keyboards and JP Maramba on bass. Here Lies Man devoutly worship the riff in full-on Iommi style, but they’re piloting their space vessel on an exploratory course into previously uncharted galaxies.
Yes, there are chunky, heavy guitar riffs galore – but with a stroke of mad scientist genius the rhythms power the engine with a new force. Tracks like “I Wander”, “Night Comes” and album highlight “Can’t Kill It” don’t just rock, they don’t just groove: there’s something – dare I say it – danceable in the songs on Ritual Divination. So much so, that I might just have to go and shake my not inconsiderable booty right now.
There. That’s better. Just had to groove on out there, people – but I’m back now. Here Lies Man have crafted something very infectious. Snippets of 70s style heavy rock (“Collector of Vanities”), dizzy space rock (“In These Dreams”) and incessant beats (everywhere) create something that’s heavy AND fun.
If I have one criticism, it’s that the album feels slightly too long. All this inventiveness is sometimes hard to keep up with, despite its addictive nature. Over time, however, I’m guessing the additional length of the recording will probably deliver greater rewards.
Ritual Divination by Here Lies Man: boldly rocking where no one has rocked before.
My old mates in Black Sabbath used to enjoy going off in random directions, too (usually because of the, er… substances). One time, Bill Ward decided to play yet another prank on diminutive vocal god Ronnie James Dio by taking an axe to all the furniture in Ron’s hotel room and hacking off eight inches from the bottom of everything, to make it all smaller. Chair legs, table legs, bed – the lot. Moved the pictures – and the mirror on the wall – lower down by a foot, etc etc.
When Ronnie arrived, not only did he not get the joke, he really didn’t get the joke at all. He thought it was a special room for the vertically challenged, congratulated the Hotel Manager and gave me a big cash bonus for booking him such a fabulous room. Cheers, Bill!
Join me once again, relaxing in the waters of the Virtual Hot Tub, for Singles Night. No, this is not a dating event: rather, it’s just me, spinning a stack of – as yet – unplayed 7 inch vinyl. Combined with reasonably heavy drinking.
You see, there’s a load of 45 rpm records that I own and need to play. So I play ’em, one after the other, side a then B. No skipping discs allowed.
Here’s the playlist from the latest evening of tunes:
Hawkwind – “Silver Machine” / “Seven By Seven”
Diana Ross – “My Old Piano” / “Where Did We Go Wrong”
Slade – “My Friend Stan” / “My Town”
Paul Paray & Detroit Symphony Orchestra – ” The Ride of the Valkyries” / “Lohengrin (Prelude to Act I)”
Barry White – “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” / “Standing in the Shadows of Love”
Tracey Ullman – “Breakaway” / “Dancing in the Dark”
Toto Coelo – “I Eat Cannibals Part 1” / “I Eat Cannibals Part 2”
Carly Simon – “You’re So Vain” / “Anticipation”
The Beach Boys – “Lady Lynda” / “Full Sail”
The Cars – “Drive” / “Stranger Eyes”
Duran Duran – “My Own Way” / “Like an Angel”
Sinitta – “So Macho!” / “Cruising”
Daryl Hall & John Oates – “Private Eyes” / “Tell Me What You Want”
Cockney Rebel – “Mr Soft” / “Such a Dream”
Paul Hardcastle – “The Wizard (Part 1)” / “The Wizard (Part 2)”
Roxy Music – “Dance Away” / “Cry Cry Cry”
Robert Palmer – “Some Guys Have All the Luck” / “Too Good to be True”
Emerson Lake & Palmer – “Fanfare for the Common Man” / “Brain Salad Surgery”
Bangles – “Eternal Flame” / “What I Meant to Say”
Kim Wilde & Junior – “Another Step (Closer to You)” / “Hold Back”
Mud – “Tiger Feet” / “Mr Bagatelle”
Status Quo – “Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like” / “Enough is Enough”
Sister Sledge – “Lost in Music” / “Thinking of You”
Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip – “I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper” / “Do, Do, Do”
BOOM! There you go – a right random collection of singles, varying from the classic to the down right cheesy. Kicking off with the amazing Hawkwind track “Silver Machine”, as sung by my old mate Lemmy – I picked that up at a record fair ‘cos I had to have it in my collection.
I loved The Cars and Roxy songs, sheer class. Plus you’ve got a harem of some of my favourite pop ladies with Kim Wilde, Susanna Hoffs and Sinitta all present and correct. By the way, the Sarah Brightman song was a favourite of mine when I was 5 years old, thanks to the rip-off Star Wars noises etc!
And what can I say about “Ride of the Valkyries” on 7 inch vinyl? Only “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
See you soon for another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub!
Between me and you, I’ve been wondering when this series of proto metal/heavy psyche long-lost artifacts would start to go off the boil. This is the tenth instalment now, and any listener could be forgiven for thinking that maybe, the well might run dry. That the party is over, the acid has worn off, and the hippies have traded in their kaftans for the last time. I mean, how much of these rare, forgotten nuggets can there be left, for the rock’n’roll gravediggers at Riding Easy Records to exhume?
Well pardon me for being a fanboy, but the Brown Acid trip is far from over. In fact, this could be my favourite volume so far.
Yes, it’s more of the same: fuzzy, psychedelic late 60s/early 70s heavy rock; somehow cast aside for around fifty years, waiting to be rediscovered. Gems that pre-date and redefine the genealogical development of metal and hard rock; throwing the long-standing theories of origin into dispute like some musical Antikythera mechanism. But this time, if anything, the tunes are better than ever.
Here we have Sounds Synonymous with “Tensions”, a fuzz-rock monster with a “Wild Thing” feel and washes of freaky organ not a million miles removed from Steppenwolf. Witness also the wonder of “Never Again” from Ralph Williams and the Wright Brothers, melding melodic vocals with an “American Woman” style desert rock vibe. “Babylon” by Conception rolls with some funky, Hendrix-like riffs and a great pop sensibility, not to mention a fabulous bluesy instrumental section.
Bitter Creek deliver “Plastic Thunder”, which has a Who meets Stooges aggressive sound. On “Mr. Sun”, First State Bank (rad name!) provide a Mountain-covering-the-Kinks lesson in far-out groovery. Then there’s Brothers and One with the saucily titled “Hard On Me”, which has a little Hawkwind on a road to Maiden’s “Running Free”.
Probably the best track is “The Roach”, by The Brood (another quality name). It’s a MC5/Sabbath garage rocker with apocalyptic horns and keys, heralding the end of peace and love and the arrival of the age of doom.
Freaky, fuzzy and far-out: that’s the latest edition of Brown Acid. If you’re late to the party, jump on the magic bus right now and let your hair down. Signs are this festival is gonna run and run.
Here’s a link to the Riding Easy Recordswebsite and their Bandcamp.
“Crater Maker”, by Columbus Ohio rascals Weed Demon, begins with the warm and welcoming hiss and crackle of vinyl. Then we’re into the first track “Atmospheric Drag”, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re in the wrong section of the record shop. It’s a dark, folky country number that sounds like you’ve just stumbled into a saloon in a God forsaken Western town. I was taken by surprise, but this song is both awesome and a fitting introduction to an album that isn’t afraid to wander off the obvious path.
When track two, “Birthquake” lumbers in, we’re in familiar doomy Sabbath territory. It’s a stark contrast to the opening song, but brilliant as that was, this is what we came for. Big, dirty riffage that’s slow yet powerful, the result is an instrumental song that relies purely on dynamics to excite and uplift. This is bloody great stuff.
The next track, “Serpent Merchant”, is even heavier and more relentless – with growling vocals making a demonic appearance. It all descends into a masterful, psychedelic break before the pummelling returns. The album’s title track delivers a groove laden sludge, which again dissolves into a mellow passage at pretty much exactly the halfway mark. Gradually becoming fuzzier, this soon explodes into a frenzied, aggressive section.
The remaining tracks offer more crunching guitars, thudding bass, booming vocals and pounding rhythms, always concentrating on the all-important doom riff. Final track “Sporelord” wanders through several segments, before briefly fading away and returning with a quirky reggae style outro.
With four of the six songs here over the 8 minute mark, there’s a lot to explore and digest with “Crater Maker”. Weed Demon have created a dense album that I enjoyed from the first listen and I’m still returning to weeks later. Meandering into psychedelic space rock, groovy doom, country and ear-splitting sludge ensures “Crater Maker” is a complex release that’s worth hearing.
All this talk of weeds reminds me of a funny little escapade with my old mate Keith Moon. Moony lived next door to his big pal Ollie Reed, who asked the loony drummer to keep an eye on his mansion while he was in Europe, filming some naff horror/arthouse nonsense. Moon had a party, got totally blitzed and remembered at about 4am that he hadn’t mowed Ollie’s lawn for him. Well, you can imagine the laughs we had, as Keith tried to start the ride-on petrol mower in the dark. Without going into too much detail, a split fuel pipe and a discarded cigarette resulted in most of Reed’s garden looking like it had been napalmed.
Ollie wasn’t best pleased when he returned to see the unholy mess Keith had left him with. But Moon just blamed Ringo Starr, who made a quick exit when drunken Ollie brought out his shotgun. Ringo had the last laugh though, by marrying the most beautiful woman in the world. Jammy git.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 