Tag Archives: Sleep

TOP FIVE BAY AREA SLUDGE BANDS: 1. Sleep

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When metalheads think of the Bay Area, thrash is the first thing that comes to mind.  San Fran and Oakland have certainly produced their share of bands who play fast–but there’s also been at least a decent handful of heavy bands who play slow and call NorCal home.  If there’s one act who bridges that gap, it’s High on Fire; Matt Pike and company blending speeds and tempos into a metallic package that most can appreciate.  Of course, he got his start in one of the bands on this list…

5. Bottom

4. Orchid

3. Noothgrush

2. Neurosis

1. Sleep

Not only are they the subject of the bitchingest band photo ever, these guys also made some pretty rad music, too.  Sleep started jamming as a buncha high-school kids in the late 80′s, and when they sent their demo-tape to Earache in ’92, it was released pretty much untouched a few months later–as the mighty Holy Mountain.  But of course, these weedians’ crowing achievement was Dopesmoker, a one-song, 63-minute anthem that would lead to them being dropped from a major label–and basically forced to call it a day.  But the legend lived on and grew over the years, prompting a recent Southern Lord reissue as well as a string of reunion gigs over the past few summers, with Jason Roeder of Neurosis taking the drum spot of the departed Chris Hakius.  Considering that Sleep also spawned a pair of spinoff bands–High on Fire and OM–who’d otherwise be worthy of inclusion on this list as separate entities, there’s no doubt as to who the Bay Area’s biggest proponents of the slow shit would be.  Here they are playing (part of) the legendary “Dopesmoker” at Holland’s Roadburn festival…

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TOP 10 DOOM DUOS: 2. OM

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The two-piece band is has become more of a popular formation recently; not just in lamestream garage rock, but when it comes to the slow ‘n heavy shit as well.  Certainly, one of the frontrunners of this formation is OM, who, upon the realizati0n that they weren’t getting Matt Pike back into the fold, decided to continue the legacy of Sleep as a duo shortly after the turn of the century.  What with them coming to town next Sunday, I figured it was time to take a look at some of the other artists who’ve taken their torch and meandered along slowly with it.  Thus, I’ll be counting down the top doom duos over the next 10 days…

10. Taurus

 9. Sardonis

8. Dark Castle

7. The Body

6. Black Cobra

5. Pentagram

4. Mares of Thrace

3. Nadja

2. OM

You may notice that the above photo is of Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius.  The band has gradually moved away from doom after the latter was replaced by Emil Amos, but for the five years they were together as a duo, their music was essentially a continuation of Sleep’s sound–minus the guitar stylings of Matt Pike, of course.  Here’s a pretty solid example of said lineup in action:

Southern Lord to complete the Jerusalem/Dopesmoker trilogy…

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As metal PR company Earsplit announced last nite, Southern Lord will be remastering and reissuing Sleep’s Dopesmoker, the seminal single-song, hour-long doom record that stands as an impressive aural achievement to this very day.  Mind you, Dopesmoker itself was a reissue of sorts, a “new-and-improved” edition of Jerusalem, which came out on The Music Cartel in ’99–a couple years after the band had broken up.

Jerusalem itself was considered an “official bootleg” when it was first released, the master tapes taken from a recording that had been scrapped by major label London Records in 1995, who considered it unmarketable.  Okay, so nobody had released an album that consisted of one 50-minute song and gone on to sell anything since Tubular Bells back in ’73, but you had to wonder what they thought they were getting into when they signed a young band of stoners in the first place.

Sleep’s Holy Mountain, released in 1992, is to me the quintessential stoner doom album.  This material was so strong that Earache didn’t even touch the demo tape the band sent them, and released it as-is.  Though it didn’t light up the sales charts, the band was getting a lotta underground buzz, which somehow convinced London, a label best known for its work with the Rolling Stones in the 60′s, to outbid Elektra for their services.

As Matt Pike told Decibel magazine in a “Making of Jerusalem” interview in ’06 (republished without permission here), “Both London and Elektra were biting at us, and we went with London because they offered us more money for the recording. Plus they didn’t have as many metal bands, so we thought they’d give us special attention.”  If by special attention, he meant having the album remixed and hacked up for radio by a guy who’d go on to work with Oasis, Marilyn Manson and Wolfmother, then Pike was correct in his assumption.  The original Jerusalem was broken up into six tracks–though all but one of them were still over eight minutes long–and a good 15-20 minutes of the original recording had been lopped off.

Mind you, shortly before Jerusalem came out on The Music Cartel, there was an uber-rare bootleg released by Tee Pee, who later issued Dopesmoker in ’03, adding 10+ minutes to the run-time and tacking on a live, previously unreleased tune called “Sonic Titan.”  Al Cisneros has said that Dopesmoker was the closest to the original recording submitted to London Records, and was his favourite of the versions that have thus far been released.  Which is where this 2012 reissue comes in.  According to Earsplit, it’s a remaster of the original studio tapes.  “The audio is clearer, louder, and at last brings a true representation of SLEEP’s hour-plus Weedian chronicle.”  It also is to feature new artwork from Arik Roper, who didn’t come close to capturing the band’s vision the first time around (as per the Decibel interview).

Dopesmoker 2012 will also include a lone bonus track, a live recording of “Holy Mountain” from a ’94 gig in San Fran that’s supposedly one of the band’s “best all-time performances.”  Hmm, how about releasing the full gig as a bonus disc?  I know I’d pay extra for that…

As it stands, I will hafta put a few dollars aside for this new version when it comes out (the press release did not provide a release date).  It just feels that the trilogy would be incomplete without it.  Although the band hasn’t set foot in the recording studios since that fateful session, Sleep has has a bit of a live revival of late, reuniting (minus drummer Chris Hakius) for the ATP fest in ’09, a US tour in 2010, a mere trio of live dates last year (I caught ‘em in Calgary, of all places!) and a European tour, which includes Roadburn, in the coming weeks.  That said, I’m pretty sure this has to be the last Jerusalem/Dopesmoker reissue.  They can’t possibly put out another one after this, can they!? (Dopesmoker Live?)

GRUESOME GREG’S TOP 10 CONCERTS OF 2011

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New Year’s Eve, it’s that time of year again where I bust out my old ticket stubs and figure out what the best shows I saw over the last 12 months were.  This year’s list includes entries from four cities spanning two states and two Canadian provinces–with the bulk of the gigs being in Toronto, of course.  If anything, it seems that I did less traveling to outta-town concerts this year, but the ones I did take off to go see were all quite memorable.

So, with no further ado, let’s get the ball rolling, eh?

10. Blizaro/Blood Ceremony/Castle @ Smiling Buddha, Toronto, August 7th

The best local underground gig I caught this year is worthy of a spot on this list, as it paired two stellar doom bands from the States with our local flute-doom legends.  Not too shabby for a Sunday night…

CHOICE WORDS: “John Gallo and co. mesmerized with their haunting horror doom, as The Professor channeled the voice of Bobby Liebling and the vocals/guitars/keys of Paul Chain for an eerie, epic set of crushing riffs and blistering changes.  If anything, the keys were a little underutilized in the main set, but John made up for it with a 20-minute Moog solo of a second encore.  An awesome way to end the evening!” (THTGIR (RIP) review.)

9. Weedeater/Saviours/Bison B.C./Fight Amp @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto, September 13th

This was the second time Weedeater came through my neck of the woods in 2011 (Lee’s is within walking distance for me, as is the Wreckroom), and while they didn’t bring anybody across the border with ‘em the first time around, they came back in September with arguably the best multi-band touring package to hit Toronto this year.

CHOICE WORDS: “Since I was so close to the stage, I couldn’t squeeze Keko and Dixie into one shot without zooming out quite a bit, thus there are a couple pictures where the latter’s face is obscured by a cymbal.  Man, I must say, though, if there’s anybody who can make red eye look good, it’s Dixie!  (Reason Number 12, if you’re keeping track at home…)” – Amateur Concert Photgraphy Hour: WEEDEATER, Saviours, Bison B.C.

8. Fu Manchu/Honky/The Shrine @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, November 11th

Man, it was pretty cool to see the Kings of the Road back in town again, playing In Search Of… in its entirety.  While there’s a lotta mileage on ‘er, the Fu’s still a well-oiled machine.  And hats off to Honky for being one of the most amusingly entertaining bands I’ve seen in a while.  I was definitely laughing with them, not at them, that evening.

CHOICE WORDS: “I gotta say, it was pretty cool to hear tunes like “Regal Beagle,” “Solid Hex” and “The Falcon Has Landed,” which they probably haven’t done live in a little while.  I mean, this record’s so old that it had Ruben Romano and Eddie Glass on it, and a kid born the day it came out would be taking their driver’s license test in a coupla months.  But still, some tunes are timeless, y’know?” – Fu Manchu – Still Kings of the Road! (Hellbound.ca)

Psst…  More pics here!

7. Judas Priest/Black Label Society/Thin Lizzy @ ACC, Toronto, November 22nd

This was supposed to be Priest’s farewell tour, though I think they’ve since softened their stance.  In any case, we were treated to at least one song from every Halford-era album, along with a solid stage show, complete with lasers!  The supporting acts were nothing to sneeze at, either, although the putative Thin Liz took the stage bright and early at 6 pm, meaning most people missed ‘em.

CHOICE WORDS: “The stage setup was equally immaculate, a chain-adorned platform with props like tridents and disco balls, and a video screen showing past album covers as well as some specific animated backdrops for certain tunes, such as an evil eyeball on “Electric Eye”.  Most impressive was the laser show, seemingly on loan from The Pink Floyd Experience.  Not many bands use lasers anymore–but they should, cuz laser beams are freakin’ sweet!” – Farewell to Judas Priest! – Epitaph tour @ the ACC

6. YOB/Dark Castle/Sons of OTIS @ The Courthouse, Toronto, July 15th

Oddly enough, the best local doom gig of 2011 was held at an upscale downtown dance club, though The Courthouse, with its high ceilings and medieval motif, only added to the ambiance of the evening.  YOB were pretty rad when I saw ‘em open for Sleep in Portland last September, but they excelled in a more intimate setting–and OTIS opening was the sticky-sweet cherry on top!

CHOICE WORDS: “YOB was simply crushing.  I’m almost at a loss for words.  Yes, this isn’t the YOB of old, Mike Scheidt was obviously stoned on something–and the dude’s a dead ringer for Jim Gustafson of 70′s rockers Poobah nowadays–but so what?” – YOB, Dark Castle and OTIS–Oh my! (Hellbound.ca)

5. Pentagram @ Montage Music Hall, Rochester, NY, August 20th

I’d seen Bobby and the Pentagrams about a year and a half beforehand, but having Victor Griffin back in the band gave this gig an added air of authenticity that their prior performance had lacked.  However, I do hafta give their Cleveland 2010 concert the edge when it comes to opening acts: Argus, Keelhaul, Midnight and The Gates of Slumber, to be precise.  Local doom titans Orodruin opened the Rochester show, but it was all downhill from there–until the screams came, that is. ;)

CHOICE WORDS: “From where I stood, Turley’s double Laney attack made my knees shake, whereas Griffin, on the other stage of the stage, was a little low in the mix.  I also got up close and personal with Bobby Liebling, whose wild-man antics are the stuff of legend.  The man is truly a unique talent!” – Amateur Concert Photograpy Hour: PENTAGRAM, Valiant Thorr, Orodruin

4. Accept @ Mod Club, Toronto, 4/20!

Coincidentally, I also caught Accept for the first time in Cleveland, on the first leg of their North American tour last October.  At the time, I didn’t know that they’d be adding any Canadian dates, so I was pretty stoked when I first heard about this gig.  They really couldn’t have picked a better day, either… ;)

CHOICE WORDS: “The nineteen-song set had a couple more new tunes than the last time around, but they also dusted off a few deep cuts that I didn’t hear in Cleveland (“Losers and Winners,” “Aiming High,” “Burning”) to go with all the title tracks (“Breaker,” “Restless and Wild,” “Balls to the Wall,” “Metal Heart”) and other anthems like “Son of a Bitch,” “Fast as a Shark” and “Princess of the Dawn”.  My only complaint was that I didn’t procure one of those Accept picks that were flying around, despite being directly in front of the stage.” – Accept: Just as good the second time around (if not better)! (Hellbound.ca)

3. Metalliance Tour (feat. Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Kylesa) @ Peabody’s, Cleveland, OH, March 26th

Ah Cleveland, The Mistake by the Lake.  Home of the Cavs, the Browns, the Agora, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and Rocket from the Tombs (look ‘em up!).  I’ve seen a few great gigs in this city, which is often the closest stop on many US-only tours–like Metalliance, which featured the one-two punch of Saint Vitus and Crowbar with solid support from Kylesa, Red Fang and The Atlas Moth, to name a few.  Sure, Helmet was headlining, but I didn’t bother to stick around.  There was only one bus outta town on Sunday that would get me back to Toronto before dusk, and it left some time around 8 am…

CHOICE WORDS: “Vocals were too low, I was almost singing as loud as Wino–but that mighta had as much to do with him as it did with the sound guy. He looked pretty hammered. Dave Chandler was really great to see live, stole the show IMO. He even went into the crowd during “Born Too Late” and rubbed his guitar’s neck against other people’s heads, haha.” (a post I made on the Hellride Music Forum)

I actually took a few pics at this gig, although my camera ran out of batteries, or memory, or something.  Anyways, here are a coupla shots that I haven’t posted anywhere yet:

2. Sleep/The Sword/Buzzcocks/Bison B.C. @ Olympic Plaza, Calgary, AB, June 24th

When I heard that Sleep was only playing three gigs this year–and one of them was in Calgary!–I immediately purchased a plane ticket back to the old country.  This Sled Island festival was a pretty sweet setup.  I had lunch at a pub where I saw Dead Meadow play in the middle of the afternoon, then moseyed on down to Olympic Plaza where they’d assembled a decent supporting lineup for the Weedians’ performance.  One thing they didn’t do, however, was purchase a powerful-enough PA system, as we couldn’t hear Al Cisneros’ vocals for shit.  That said, it was still quite the weekend.  (I caught The Sword, Red Fang and a coupla cool Canadian bands in a club the following evening…)

CHOICE WORDS: “It probably didn’t help that I was standing right in front of Matt Pike–and his twin Marshall stacks–on the opposite side of the stage.  Pike’s approach to both this, and last year’s reunion gigs, is the same as he takes to High On Fire, where he’s the stalking, menacing centre of attention–Cisneros is much calmer and Zen-like by comparison.  And since I couldn’t hear the vocals at all, it was great to be able to see the fingering that Matt uses on those classic riffs.” – Just got back from Calgary–and boy, is my wallet tired! (Hellbound.ca)

1. Kyuss Lives! @ Sound Academy, Toronto, September 16th

Sure, the Sound Academy’s a shitty place to see a show.  It’s a ways outta the way, down on the waterfront–and for a place with “Sound” in its name, you’d think they could get a better live mix.  Nevertheless, this was still the best gig of the year, in my books.  Had you told me I’d see Kyuss live–twice–in 2011 some five, ten years ago, Ida asked ya for a hit offa yer Green Machine.  Even without Josh Homme, the new (old) lineup still shines–especially with Scott “Hurricane” Reeder on bass for the Canadian dates.  And yes, I paid my 200 bucks to see ‘em again tonite.  Better make that 1 and 1A…

CHOICE WORDS: “Suits me just fine, since Sky Valley is my favourite Kyuss record.  I think it branches out into psychedelic territory more than their other releases–and the band took full advantage of that, playing some longer, drawn-out versions of a few tunes.  Man, I would probably pay just to watch these guys jam for an hour, it’s really that good.” – Kyuss Lives! Long Live Kyuss! (Hellbound.ca)

…

And there you have it.  I gotta say, I’ve got no idea which gigs will be in my Top 10 for 2012, as there haven’t been a lotta exciting tour announcements made to date.  Looking back, though, I think this past year will be pretty hard to beat.  See ya in the pit!

P.S.: I’ll be putting out my list of Top 10 albums tomorrow.  There may or may not be a radio tie-in with Gruesome Tunes, as well.  Okay fine, there will be.  Stay tuned…

Reunited, and I’m not surprised…

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Picture this, if you will…  Black Sabbath rents out the Whisky-A-Go-Go for a big press conference, which they announce on their website through a curious ad banner.  The day comes, Henry Rollins introduces the band, who then declare that because they owe so much in back taxes, they’ll be auctioning off Ozzy’s vacation properties in order to cover the bill.

Yeah, I think we knew that wasn’t going to happen.  Clearly, the purpose of this whole 11/11/11 thing was to announce a reunion.  I saw it coming from a mile away.  Right from the day Dio died, I had a hunch that Ozzy would get back together with his old bandmates.  I mean, half of the original lineup was touring with Heaven and Hell at the time, and Ozzy still had his solo work–playing a buncha Black Sabbath tunes live, to boot.  Notice how Iommi issued a statement after that infamous Birmingham Mail story that didn’t actually deny what he’d said, just that it wasn’t meant for publication?  That was definitely a dead giveaway.

But while a reunion tour was almost to be expected, I am a little intrigued at the idea of a new studio album.  The band members had long said they wouldn’t be able to recapture that old magic, and when The Devil You Know came out, the commonly-used line from Iommi and Butler was that they never could’ve done it with Ozzy, the dude just couldn’t get his shit together.  That said, while the Iommi-led lineup of the 80′s and 90′s released a lot of albums that only a true diehard could love, I think a new album could do more to tarnish their legacy, if it flops, than any of the Tony Martin-era stuff.  After all, several media outlets have actually reported that they haven’t recorded an album since 1978…  (I’m looking at you, KLOS!)

Let’s face it, these guys are a lot older now, and we know that Ozzy can’t sing like he used to.  I’m seriously debating whether the band tuning down for his benefit would make things sound better or worse.  And Bill Ward is a definite wild card, being the only member who hasn’t been out on tour recently, and with a history of health issues, as well.  Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t be a proper reunion without him, but you almost hafta wonder how he’ll hold up, the drums being the most physically-demanding instrument, and whatnot.

All things considered, I’m definitely buying a ticket to see ‘em in Toronto, or barring that, the nearest U.S. city.  (Pretty sure they’ll be playing here, though.)  Will I buy the new album when it comes out?  I dunno, I’ll hafta read a few reviews first.  I mean, at this point I don’t think they have any songs written, much less recorded, so there’s no telling what this thing’s gonna sound like.  As for what to expect live?  Well, this Ozzfest gig from six years ago should give us some idea:

As for touring partners, well, there’s been rumours of them touring with Priest and Motorhead–which would be kinda like deja vu, since Heaven and Hell’s last tour also featured those two bands, along with Testament.  Of course, Priest are headliners in their own right, and Motorhead can still pack smaller venues, but if it was up to me, I’d like to see them tour with some lesser-known, yet well-established doom bands that would clearly appeal to the true Sabbath fans.  Here’s what I’m thinking…

There’s no question that Sleep are Sabbath worshippers.  Hell, when I saw ‘em on their 2010 reunion tour, they projected a giant image of Tony Iommi behind the stage, and sold shirts with his image and likeness and the words “The Deity” written underneath.  Having only played sporadically these past few years, I think they’d attract a crowd in several cities where people haven’t seen ‘em, as I know they did in Portland and in Calgary these past two years.  I’d also hope that a chance to tour with Sabbath would bring Chris Hakius back into the fold.  Fuck, I’d even drive to see ‘em on an off-date if that were to happen!

As for the other two, both Count Raven and Sheavy are still going strong after several years, though the former hasn’t played North America in forever, and the latter rarely leaves their native Newfoundland.  Besides, if Ozzy needs someone to hide under the stage and hit the high notes for him, either Steve Hennessy or Dan Fondelius would surely be up for it.  Those guys can probably sing Sabbath songs better than he can nowadays… ;)

Mind you, I’d also kill for a Legends of Doom tour featuring Sabbath, Vitus and Pentagram in North America, and I’d even consider crossing the pond for a European edition with Sabbath, Cathedral and Candlemass.  But we all know neither of those are gonna happen.  After all, Sharon Osbourne’s the one booking this thing.

On that note, don’t be surprised if the floors have assigned seating and the best seats cost upwards of 100 bucks.  My guess is this tour will be more comparable to a KISS or AC/DC gig than Iron Maiden or the Heaven and Hell headlining jaunt in that regard.  Man, I can’t wait to shell out 40 dollars for a Black Sabbath photo book…

(I’m fucking serious!)

Musicians wanted for sludge metal 80′s pop cover band

Posted by gruesomegreg on

You know, in my time in Toronto, I’ve seen a handful of sludge bands come and go with little fanfare.  Zoroaster and Weedeater might draw half-decent crowds when they come to town, but the closest thing to a local sludge metal band with a respectable following was Shallow North Dakota, and they broke up maybe five years ago.  (They were also from Hamilton.)

I have always said this city could use some more sludge bands, but when the genre languishes in complete obscurity, it doesn’t encourage local musicians to “Tune Low, Play Slow” as Kirk Windstein would say.  So I wanna start a band that gives 80′s pop songs the sludge treatment.  I’m sure that Kirk would approve.  After all, he did cover “Dream Weaver”…

Yes, I know that this is a little fucked up, but when I hear bad 80′s music on the radio, I sometimes replay it in my head with downtuned riffs and bellowed vocals.  There are certain tunes that I feel are deserving of the sludge treatment, which I won’t name here, but I’m always open for other suggestions.  Not that I’d take requests on stage, cuz that’s kinda lame.

In any case, I’ve already come up with the perfect name: Eyehatethe80s.

So, here it goes…

MUSICIANS WANTED FOR SLUDGE METAL 80′S COVER BAND

Seeking guitar, bass and drums for sludge metal outfit, to perform 80′s pop songs in the style of Crowbar and Eyehategod.  Looking for people who can play slow, keep time, and own Sleep’s full discography (including both Jerusalem and Dopesmoker).  Reliable gear is a plus, must fund own drug habit.

Practices will occur in downtown Toronto at least once a week.  A bigger time commitment is required in the beginning, in order to determine set list.  Creative input required in coming up with ways to make “Come On Eileen” sound truly evil.  Must be able to craft slow, downtuned riffs from syrupy pop ballads.  Backing vocals is a plus.

Looking for dedicated, passionate individuals with at least a couple screws loose.  If you think that “I Think We’re Alone Now” would sound better if it was sung by Mike IX Williams, I want to hear from you.  Drop me a line at gruesomegreg@gruesomeviews.com.  Serious inquires only.

P.S.: Please be prepared to audition to one the following: Crowbar – “Dream Weaver”, Melvins – “Going Blind”, Weedeater – “Gimme Back My Bullets”

Yeah, this is going up on Craigslist … or not.