EP: Earthride - "Earthride"

Here's the first, oddly obscure self titled EP by Earthride. This is definitely a more traditional take on the heavy, southern sludge drenched Earthride sound we know and love (aka. more Motorhead, less Crowbar) and this EP is probably the most satisfying listen i've heard from anything in this vein in quite sometime. Not many bands can achieve this level of grit and misery in a release while still having it resemble something fun. Whiskey soaked biker-doom. Get into it.

1. Earthride

2. Black

3. Enter Zacfreyalz

4. Weak End

DL: "Earthride EP"

(Note: link borrowed from DoomGrinder, thanks! I'm a terrible person.)

EP: Corrupted - Vasana + An Island Insane

This pair of EP's was released in 2007 in limited quantities, so here they both are in one conveniant place. These mark Corrupted's newest output to date, and I'm excited to see what eventually happens next. Anyways, if you're familiar with the band, you know what to expect: powerful, dark sludge metal, at times meditative ambience, coming together in a glorious celebration of sound that will leave you devastated by the end. Vasana is definitely the uglier of the bunch, with An Island Insane finishing with a nice droney(ugh) piece. These both prove that Corrupted are just as effective these days on the 7" format as they are with a monumental-sized full-length. With the cold weather setting in, now is the time to miserably curl up inside, and listen to these... Enjoy.

DL: "Vasana + An Island Insane"

EP: Dark Castle - Flight Of Pegasus

one man
one woman

sludgy
doomy
deathy

and a led zeppelin cover

ya dig?

DL: flight of pegasus

EP: Alice in Chains - "Sap"

Hey, remember how cool this EP is? This is the "Sap" EP by (that's right) Alice in Chains, which famously contains a guest appearance by Ann Wilson of Heart and that ridiculous yet somehow awesome "Alice Mudgarden" mashup on the track "Right Turn". I mean, if you're going to do Alice in Chains you may as well do it right. (And while you're reminiscing you also might as well remember this clip from Headbanger's Ball where the band has a day at the waterpark here.)

1. Brother

2. Got Me Wrong

3. Right Turn

4. Am I Inside

5. Love Song

DL: "Sap EP"

EP: Earth - Extra-Capsular Extraction

it's the album that made people go "oh man...it'll be so kick ass if we can play as slow as possible...and only use chord changes every 10 minutes...this is gonna be a great idea!"

i remember finding my very first earth album in a bin of cassettes years ago at a disc jockey...it was the PHASE 3: THRONES AND DOMINIONS album...it was only $1.00...i'd never heard of the band before then...and really...i don't even remember why i bought it...maybe it was because of the album cover

so i took it home...popped it into the stereo....and BAM!....my windows rattled

and then i was sold

actually...i wasn't completely sold until i was laying on my couch with some headphones on and under the influence of some...well...

let's just say i went for a little ride...on my couch

so enough of the words

you know who earth are

you know what you need to do

DL: extra-capsular extraction

EP: Queen Elephantine - "Yatra"

Hopefully you've heard the mindbending Queen Elephantine release "Kailash" by now, but reguardless if you have or if you haven't here is an EP that was released a free e-release while "Kailash" was being worked on called "Yatra". The first track on this release, "Droning Earth", previously appeared on the Droning Earth Vol. 7 compilation and is a 20 minute epic of droning psychedelia, fuzzed out guitars and trance enducing riffs. And as if all that wasn't enough, then the second, previously unreleased track called "Chariot of Solemn Procession" really gets down to business with absolutely mindblowing, dark, tribal, Ufomammut-esque vibes combined with meditative chants and a mammoth backbone. Brilliant band.

1. Droning Earth

2. Chariot of Solemn Procession

DL: "Yatra"

EP: The Austerity Program - "Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn"

Here's an EP by noise/metal masterminds The Austerity Program. This EP is called "Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn" and is a mind blowing and thought provoking work which achieves a sound that is calculatingly metallic, industrial tinged and aggressive yet minimalist when it needs to be. There is a pretty obvious Big Black influence here (the Albini-esque vocals!) and you'll also hear some hints of the Jesus Lizard as well as a heaviness that's all their own. What else can I say other than that it's really refreshing to see that quality stuff in this field is still being released.

1. Song 25

2. Song 26

3. Song 27

4. Song 29

DL: "Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn"

EP: Tad - "Jack Pepsi"

I think I've posted enough Tad material by now that I shouldn't have to explain the primal, heavy assault you're in for with this stuff. Here's the long out of print "Jack Pepsi" EP which features a couple of songs you may not have heard before if this one's gone under your radar (like it did mine for years). And yes... this is the EP that got Tad a lawsuit from Pepsi becuase of the inital cover art they used. Enjoy!

1. Jack Pepsi
2. Stumblin' Man
3. Pig Iron
4. Eddie Hook

DL: "Jack Pepsi EP"

EP: Cat Butt - "Journey To The Center Of..."

Here's the incredible "Journey To The Center Of..." EP by Seattle band Cat Butt. This is actually the only thing they ever released besides a single and some appearances on compilations which is a shame considering what an important band they turned out to be and how perfectly this EP embodies the grimey Seattle sound. Messy, rocking, and frantic as hell - this EP will not only bury you in filth and piss, it'll kick you a few times while you're down there and you'll still want to rock out. This was released in 1989 on (of course) Sub Pop, and if you like bands like Mudhoney, Blood Circus or Girl Trouble you will definitely dig the hell out of this.

1. Maximo

2. Freebase

3. 3 Eyes

4. Born Loser

5. Sedgwick

6. Zombie

DL: "Journey To The Center Of EP"

EP: Screaming Trees - "Change Has Come"

Here's really important (and hard to come by) Screaming Trees EP that was released on Sub Pop before they became a major label band. This EP is titled "Change Has Come" and embodies everything there is to love about the Screaming Trees. I mean, is there anything I can say about this band that I haven't said before? And are my huge amounts of Screaming Trees related posts getting old? ...Will I ever be able to stop?

1. Change Has Come

2. Days

3. Flashes

4. Time Speaks Her Golden Tongue

5. I've Seen You Before

DL: "Change Has Come EP"

EP: Icky Joey - "Marron, Marron"

Well, I might as well post this one too since Icky Joey is probably my favorite thing to listen to at the moment. See my rambling post below to learn more about this band. Here is their EP called "Marron, Marron" which includes a few tracks from their full length as well as a track called "Marron, Marron". (Obviously you can just grab most of these tracks from their full length if you so choose but, you know, I'm a completest and figure that other people out there will be as well.)

1. Marron, Marron

2. Liberace

3. Zara

4. I'll Love You There

DL: "Marron, Marron"

EP: Lubricated Goat - "Schadenfreude"

Here's more noise rock madness from the twisted and evil Aussie band Lubricated Goat. This is their follow up to "Paddock of Love", an EP titled "Schadenfreude". This EP is fully incredible and oozes with sinister groove, twisted sarcasm and probably the most "metal" instrumental style I've ever heard from the Goat. Actually, some of the riffing here recalls the Melvins (Stag era... maybe it's just that "The Bit"-esque riff at the beginning of "Melting."), although Lubricated Goat is a beast of it's own breed. So build a barricade, lock it all out, spit it out... SHUT YOUR MIND. (And listen to this EP. ...I'm so sorry for that.)

1. Shut Your Mind
2. Prayer For Blood
3. Magumbo Head
4. The Hunt Is Better Than The Kill
5. Toys
6. Melting

DL: "Schadenfreude"

EP: Thou - "We Pass Like Night, From Land To Land"

Thou is starting to make some pretty big waves now, and with good reason. Their brand of dark and soulful NOLA inspired doom coupled with well-written, thoughtful lyrics definitely got me on the bandwagon pretty quickly. And while I've really enjoyed both of their LP's so far, this little EP (split with Leech) is probably the best material I've heard from them. It might just be due to the production though. I felt like the production on the albums was just a little bit restrained, like there was all this huge distortion just wanting to be unleashed, but here everything is as dirty and massive sounding as you could hope for. It seems like their newer recordings are heading that direction too, so keep an eye out. This is definitely a band to be stoked on. Here you get two pummeling, devastatingly heavy doom tracks surrounded by an acoustic intro and a pretty cool outro piece. And if this catches your interest, everything they've done is available for free on their website, so check it out, and give them support.

"We are not safe."
1. Unmasked
2. Here I Stand, Head In Hand
3. Rats and Mice and Swarms of Lice
4. The Defeatist's Lament
DL: "We Pass Like Night, From Land To Land"

EP: Black Mountain - "Druganaut"

What's that? A Canadian psychedelic rock band that's actually good? That's right! I really can't resist posting Black Mountain's "Druganaut" EP from 2005 here since, first of all, their new album is due out in a couple of months and, second of all, I'm going to see them play tonight. (And thirdly, of course, becuase it's really good.) This EP basically contains an extended remix of the catchy track "Druganaut" from their self titled release as well as 3 other tracks including a "campfire version" of the track "No Satisfaction".

All in all these are a bunch of dreamy, psychedelic, catchy and innovative tracks and I urge you to check out this band if you haven't already. (And if you like what you hear, search Black Mountain on this blog and watch a couple other things come up.)

1. Druganaut (extended remix)

2. Buffalo Swan

3. Bicycle Man

4. No Satisfaction (campfire version)

DL: "Druganaut EP"

EP: Night Horse - "Sympathy Ain't Free"

I have been waiting for this Night Horse EP for what seems like forever and so I'm really stoked that it's finally here. This was actually released for free today (as a promo) on the band's website, but since not everyone may be aware of it I'm uploading it here as well (or you can go to http://www.nighthorsemusic.com/ and sign up with your e-mail for a download link).

This EP is titled "Sympathy Ain't Free" and includes a ripping track called "Rollin' On" from their upcoming album as well as a couple of b-sides. In true Night Horse style, this vibes out a bit of Thin Lizzy, a bit of Led Zeppelin, and a lot of 70's rock n roll spirit. The first two tracks rage on with a steady rolling groove and finishes with an ethereal acoustic track called "Black Clouds". Night Horse's new album is called "Perdition Hymns" and will be released August 3rd on Tee Pee Records.

1. Rollin' On

2. Sympathy Ain't Free

3. Black Clounds (acoustic)

DL: "Sympathy Ain't Free EP"

Split EP: Electric Wizard / Reverend Bizarre

Here is a crushingly evil split done by Electric Wizard and fellow heavy music masters Reverend Bizarre. The Electric Wizard track, in true form, is fuzzed out, riff heavy trip and the Reverend Bizarre track is an incredible interpretation of the Beherit track "The Gate of Nanna". I have read a few reviews of this split where the praise is focused on the Electric Wizard track but I would just like to point out how great and the Reverend Bizarre one is. I'm obsessed with this cover and spun it on repeat for hours when I first recieved this EP.

1. The House on the Borderland (Electric Wizard)

2. The Gate of Nanna (Reverend Bizarre)

DL: "EWiz/Reverend Bizarre Split

EP: Mark Lanegan Band - "Here Comes That Weird Chill"

That's right, I'm posting more Mark Lanegan material.

The "Here Comes That Weird Chill" EP is a release containing all the extras and oddities from the Mark Lanegan Band album "Bubblegum", and yet I almost enjoy this EP more than "Bubblegum" itself since it contains so many brilliantly haunting, forlorn, gospel laced tracks. Actually, this has everything from steady rolling, catchy songs to slow, painful ones that will tug at your heartstrings. The standout track on this EP for me is "Lexington Slow Down", which is heartbreaking, dark and one of my all time favorite Lanegan tracks. This also contains two versions of the track "Sleep With Me" and the famous "Methamphetamine Blues"...and if all that wasn't enough for you, this EP also features guest spots from the likes of Josh Homme, Chris Goss, Greg Dulli and Nick Oliveri. This is truly some dead slow rock and roll with that signature, deep Lanegan swing that we all love.

1. Methamphetamine Blues
2. On the Steps of the Cathedral
3. Clear Spot
4. Message to Mine
5. Lexington Slow Down
6. Skeletal History
7. Wish You Well
8. Sleep With Me
9. Sleep With Me/Version

DL: "Here Comes That Weird Chill EP"

Split EP: Electric Horsemen / Count Von Count

A little while ago I posted the monstrous self titled Electric Horsemen EP and I really can't say why I haven't posted this one until now. This is a split between Electric Horsemen and fellow sludge giants Count Von Count - this EP plows through 4 rippingly painful tracks and matter what you fancy when it comes to sludge this EP is sure to satisfy, with Count Von Count serving up a painstaking, noisy, psychedelic take on the genre and Electric Horsemen tackling some really low-end, rippingly miserable, Crowbar-esque tracks. I honestly don't understand why this hasn't recieved more credit from the heavy music community becuase it's an amazing split that will bury you alive in sludge and leave you gasping for air. (Clearly I mean this as a good thing.)

1. Pharmboss (Count Von Count)

2. Prairie Witch (Electric Horsemen)

3. David Lynch Vs. M Night Shaymalan (Count Von Count)

4. End of Age (Electric Horsemen

DL: "Electric Horsemen/Count Von Count Split"

EP: Cardinale - 31:13

well...seeing as how i brought this up (down there...no no...not that...perv)...i figured that i might as well post it

one song

31 minutes and 13 seconds long

the band shares members with the other austin,tx band sea of thousand...and are just as crushing

really...if you need a reason to snag this up...take a look at the review just under this one...but add the bands pelican/neurosis/isis to the mix

that's all you need

DL: 31:13
LINK FIXED

EP: Cephalic Carnage - Halls Of Amenti

the band is usually known for playing like a blender set on puree

but on this album...they slow waaaay down and slab on the doom

this is one song

19 minutes long

from the opening riff (which sounds exactly like the one that opens the jucifer song "she tides the deep")...you can tell you're about to enter into something epic (and i don't even like using that term...but it's fitting)

so if you're a fan of the above mentioned jucifer song/album (IF THINE ENEMY HUNGER)...the melvins jam "boris" (or any early melvins for that matter)...the cardinale album 31:13...sleep (duh)...and you didn't think "in-a-gadda-da-vida" was heavy enough...

this be for you

DL: halls of amenti