Iron Monkey were one of the OGs from the UK underground Sludge Metal scene back in the mid-late nineties and had a run that included the reissue of their self-titled debut album (1997), and their follow-up Our Problem (1998) – on the mighty Earache Records. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu Share a New Single New Single and Video “Hands of the Zodiac” – New Double Album “The Return of Tomorrow” Coming Soon
Groundbreaking pioneers of SoCal desert rock Fu Manchu, have announced details of their forthcoming, 14th album, The Return of Tomorrow, which will be released on June 14th via the band’s label At The Dojo Records. Fu Manchu’s follow-up to the critically lauded ‘Clone of the Universe’ (2018) and their first ever double album is a sonic journey through massively heavy riffage, otherworldly space jams and mellow rock anthems divided into two records. Pre-orders are live now, and you can stream the single and watch the video here.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Big Scenic Nowhere – The Waydown
Ranging from members of Fu Manchu to Mos Generator to Yawning Man in their lineup, prolific Stoner Rock overlords Big Scenic Nowhere have left an everlasting legacy through their works for the past years. Now they are back with their third studio release, namely The Waydown– released via Heavy Psych Sounds. Consisting of seven tracks, the album presents the purest form of desert-styled riffs while also fusing them with jazz fusion-inspired elements. It’s fairly off-kilter to combine Desert/Stoner Rock with Jazz Fusion elements, so this has been a unique, newfound take, but of course in the finest way possible.Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Slower – Slower
Covering Slayer is a tricky business. Many bands have tried and failed, and despite displaying obvious reverence to the Californian Thrash legends, only a handful have ever really been able to do real justice to the source material. And of those, it’s the ones who arrive from left field that remain in the memory the most.
From Finnish cellists Apocalyptica to LA rap-metallers Body Count, it’s US singer/pianist Tori Amos who produced arguably the most innovative cross-genre take back in 2001 when she gave the world a very different version of “Raining Blood”. And now it’s the turn of Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch, the stoner metal legend getting the idea after teaching a student how to play “South of Heaven” in a different tuning and, well… Slower.Continue reading
Hellfest 2024 Books Metallica, Foo Fighters, Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head, Body Count, Biohazard, Mr. Bungle and More
Hellfest, held every year just outside of Paris, in Clisson, France, continues to up the ante every year with forever growing and impressive lineups! Taking place from June 27 to June 30, 2024, Hellfest will once again be four days long and over 200 bands appearing on six stages. For 2024, the headliners for each night will be Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head, Metallica, and Foo Fighters. The full daily lineups, including one more major band tba, and the ticket link are coming soon!
Graspop Metal Meeting 2024 Books Tool, Machine Head, Alice Cooper, Bruce Dickinson, Corey Taylor, Deep Purple, Electric Callboy, Megadeth and More
Graspop Metal Meeting, one of the most acclaimed metal festivals in the world has finalized more names for their 2024 new lineup. Final headliner Alice Cooper has joined the bill with 83 other bands for year 27! Bruce Dickinson, Corey Taylor, Deep Purple, Electric Callboy and Megadeth as part of 130+ other bands. The fest takes place from Thursday 20 June through Sunday 23 June 2024 at Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, November 25th at the link below.
ALBUM REVIEW: Yawning Balch – Volume One
Consisting of desert rock pioneers from the legendary acts Yawning Man and Fu Manchu, supergroup Yawning Balch releases an ever-prolific debut entitled Volume One via Heavy Psych Sounds. Just like the album title, Yawning Balch embarks the first volume of their musical career’s trajectory through this debut.
ALBUM REVIEW: Wizard Tattoo – Fables of the Damned
Wizard Tattoo are ostensibly a solo outfit from Indianapolis led by multi-instrumentalist Bram the Bard who released a four-track self-titled EP last year which has now been followed up with the Fables of the Damned (Self-Released) full-length debut which I currently have in my possession and am about to review.
ALBUM REVIEW: Big Scenic Nowhere – The Long Morrow
Culled from the same sessions that birthed the Lavender Blues EP in 2020, Big Scenic Nowhere’s second full-length expands the supergroup’s jammed out take on Desert Rock. However, The Long Morrow (Heavy Psych Sounds) sets itself apart from Vision Beyond Horizon by means of a more grounded approach. There aren’t as many songs as before and the album is about ten minutes shorter than its predecessor overall. The guest list also isn’t as loaded this time around, only featuring keyboardist Per Wilberg and The Cure/David Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels on the colossal title track.
Fu Manchu Covers Rush’s “Working Man” As a Tribute to Neil Peart
Stoner Rock legends Fu Manchu have shared their cover of Rush’s early classic “Working Man”, as a tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart, who died in January 2020, after a long battle with brain cancer. All sales proceeds from the track, which was recorded in January, will be donated to brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Peart’s memory.