In what circumstances does a new band’s direct unabashed influence from a well known active band make those newcomers derivative, redundant, and irrelevant? International prog supergroup Soen, for instance, gets a pass at their obvious take on Tool because of Tool’s inactivity over the last decade; at this point, it’s…
Surely by now you’ve all heard some of the buzz surrounding the up-and-coming hard rock / post-hardcore group Vexes. Featuring former members of A Life Once Lost, Vessl, Fury of Five, and Downstage, the act are gearing up to release their debut album Ancient Geometry this week, and if you’re a fan…
Easily the most unsuspecting release from Relapse this year, the debut album from Ecstatic Vision does not sit well alongside releases from Gruesome or Maruta. It sits somewhere above them, not quite on top of them, more somewhere in the planes between metal and psychedelic euphoria. Sonic Praise is definitely one…
While A Life Once Lost may no longer be a thing (I’m nearly over their breakup, nearly), guitarist Doug Sabolick is keeping the jams flowing with his new musical endeavor Ecstatic Vision. The thick, belching riffs and sandpaper rough vocals are no longer his forté however, as evidenced on “Astral…
Most of my favorite albums of the year thus far all role squarely within the stoner/doom/psychedelic genre, and once Ecstatic Vision release their debut album Sonic Praise, it seems I’ll have yet another to add to my list. Ecstatic Vision is the band that former A Life Once Lost guitarist Doug Sabolick started after ALOL…
I often have the unfortunate luck when it comes to discovering already established bands. I think at this point, if I’ve avoided listening to a band that’s been around for over a decade, I’d best not even bother, because as soon as I do, something catastrophic will happen, like a…
Half of this year’s Scion Rock Fest has been announced, including Melvins, Municipal Waste, and more!
Loma Prieta are hitting a bunch of cities in the next two months, and it may be near you!
Groove, doom, and sludge all in once place. Go smash things.
If you weren’t particular about A Life Once Lost’s latest album (which we reviewed here) because the riffs we’re too sterile, then Magoa might be the perfect alternative. Their approach is a little more raw, but the production is huge and their new song, ‘A Thousand Lives’ (featured above) fares…
