The second of two Cherry Red Records re-presses/remasters from prog rock innovators and legends Van Der Graaf Generator, this one sees the classic 1976 album Still Life getting the treatment, and boy does it deserve it.
This is VDGG at their finest, coming off of one of their most prolific periods of writing and recording in 1975 that produced their classic album GodBluff, two of those songs from those sessions made Still Life along with three other great tracks, Still Life is one of the best and most realized albums from one of the more underrated prog bands of the 1970s.
A contemporary to Genesis and a huge influence on Rush, Van Der Graaf Generator is a must listen for prog fans, especially the of the masters and influencers, and VDGG is just that. The ten-minute La Rossa is mandatory 70s prog listening, with all of the keys and wind instruments and moments of straight ahead 70s rock and roll.
You need Max Boogie Overdrive in your life. I mean like now. This is the current debut of the year and is firmly a top twenty album of the year for me. This record rips but is so much more. Get Stoned Again ASAP. 9/10
The Quill - Wheel Of Illusion (Metalville Records)
It is kind of crazy to type but the Quill have officially been around since 1991 or even a demo as early 1986, depending on what reference you use to confirm such things, which no matter which one you use is a really long time for a band that continually puts out high quality heavy/stoner rock without any kind of major breakthroughs commercially outside of their native Sweden and other parts of Europe.
A contemporary to Genesis and a huge influence on Rush, Van Der Graaf Generator is a must listen for prog fans, especially the of the masters and influencers, and VDGG is just that. The ten-minute La Rossa is mandatory 70s prog listening, with all of the keys and wind instruments and moments of straight ahead 70s rock and roll.
The opener, Pilgrims, is one of my favourite VDGG tracks of all time, melding the vocals from Peter Hammill and the keys perfectly. As with any 70s prog records, these are not easy listens, as the length, complexity and tempo changes of My Room (Waiting For Wonderland) and Childlike Faith In Childhood’s End may intimidate some but for those who understand, the genius is evident. Cherry Red has done an amazing job on the remaster as this sounds amazing. I can’t want to experience it from the vinyl repress as well.
Cherry Red releases are pretty much mandatory listening if you are a fan of the band’s they are putting out, so if you want to experience for the first time or get reacquainted with Van Der Graaf Generator, the live repress reviewed previously and the Still Life remaster would be excellent places to start. 8/10
Max Boogie Overdrive - Stoned Again (Self Released)
The Los Angeles band Max Boogie Overdrive sound just like a band named Max Boogie Overdrive should sound, and you will see what I mean when you listen to their debut record Stoned Again, because you will listen to Stoned Again, because Stoned Again is great. As reference points, think a heavier version of Fu Manchu.
Cherry Red releases are pretty much mandatory listening if you are a fan of the band’s they are putting out, so if you want to experience for the first time or get reacquainted with Van Der Graaf Generator, the live repress reviewed previously and the Still Life remaster would be excellent places to start. 8/10
Max Boogie Overdrive - Stoned Again (Self Released)
The Los Angeles band Max Boogie Overdrive sound just like a band named Max Boogie Overdrive should sound, and you will see what I mean when you listen to their debut record Stoned Again, because you will listen to Stoned Again, because Stoned Again is great. As reference points, think a heavier version of Fu Manchu.
Their Bandcamp bio mentions Orange Goblin and some 70s metal bands which I hear for sure as well. I saw a couple of reviews that mention Rob Zombie and I can get behind that, but only a rawer version. No matter what, this kicks all sorts of ass. The guys in the band have been around the scene and you can tell base on how strong and mature of a debut this is.
The title track smacks you right away with straight ahead heavy stoner rock that is also catchy and super memorable. Suffer Sister rips it up as well, and I dig that guitar work on this one as you start to understand my comment about the band’s name as this one blasts from your speakers. Freakazoid is a good example of that heavier Fu Manchu reference. I mentioned this is a mature debut, but this does always relate to the lyrics, as there are all sorts or insults thrown at the title character, including Hemorrhoid, but when this track rocks, whoa baby does it rock, especially the middle instrumental part.
The title track smacks you right away with straight ahead heavy stoner rock that is also catchy and super memorable. Suffer Sister rips it up as well, and I dig that guitar work on this one as you start to understand my comment about the band’s name as this one blasts from your speakers. Freakazoid is a good example of that heavier Fu Manchu reference. I mentioned this is a mature debut, but this does always relate to the lyrics, as there are all sorts or insults thrown at the title character, including Hemorrhoid, but when this track rocks, whoa baby does it rock, especially the middle instrumental part.
These guys are not afraid to add the psych fuzz to the guitar either as they do on Van Groover, which is a nice and groovy stoner track that I had to look back to see if Fu Manchu had a song with that title too (they don’t). You want riffs, how about the one from Bomb Incoming? Did I hear some background vocal harmonies in this one too? And Cowbell? Yup.
Demonaire is a fun little track that has a QOTSA kind of guitar sound and a unique tempo change. King Of Fire has a fun little breakdown as well and continues the heavy and catchy stoner goodness trend created from the beginning of this record. The closing title track is their stoner anthem and will be this band’s theme song for as long as they want to continue to rock us, which is hope is a long time.
You need Max Boogie Overdrive in your life. I mean like now. This is the current debut of the year and is firmly a top twenty album of the year for me. This record rips but is so much more. Get Stoned Again ASAP. 9/10
The Quill - Wheel Of Illusion (Metalville Records)
It is kind of crazy to type but the Quill have officially been around since 1991 or even a demo as early 1986, depending on what reference you use to confirm such things, which no matter which one you use is a really long time for a band that continually puts out high quality heavy/stoner rock without any kind of major breakthroughs commercially outside of their native Sweden and other parts of Europe.
Their new record, Wheel Of Illusion, is the band’s tenth full length record and is as good or better than all of their material so far, which is saying a lot for a band that has been around for this long and never puts out anything that is a real stinker. Did I love the last coupe of albums? Not really, but Wheel Of Illusion makes up for it.
Straight up Sabbath worship kicks us off with the title track, but with a nice and subtle use of synths right behind the Iommi style riff. This one is an upbeat stoner ripper and is the perfect way to get album ten kicked off. Magnus Ekwall’s vocals are as strong as ever and the band sounds super tight. We Burn is less Sabbath and more straight ahead stoner rock, which the band obviously excels at. I wonder if Early Moods has any of The Quill records in their collection. A tour with Sahg would be a show worth watching for sure as well.
Straight up Sabbath worship kicks us off with the title track, but with a nice and subtle use of synths right behind the Iommi style riff. This one is an upbeat stoner ripper and is the perfect way to get album ten kicked off. Magnus Ekwall’s vocals are as strong as ever and the band sounds super tight. We Burn is less Sabbath and more straight ahead stoner rock, which the band obviously excels at. I wonder if Early Moods has any of The Quill records in their collection. A tour with Sahg would be a show worth watching for sure as well.
Rainmaker slows it down a bit until the band decides to pull out their Priest influence on Rainmaker. Tracks like Elephant Head and The Last Thing You Remember continue the great stoner heavy rock goodness, with the former reminding me of Fireball Ministry. Hawks & Hounds sounds like a Freedom Hawk track, adding a bit of psych to the equation, and is one of my favourites on Wheel Of Illusion.
The bass line on L.I.B.E.R. sounds like we are about to get a Runnin’ With The Devil cover but instead the riff kicks in to give us more Sabbath/Freedom Hawk which will never get old. The band continues to shine when worshiping at the Church of Iommi, with Sweet Mass Confusion bringing it. Wild Mustang is quite the closer; almost eight minutes of riffs, cool vocals, and one of the more epic tracks The Quill have ever delivered.
Three or four decades in and The Quill have not slowed down at all. Wheel Of Illusion is as good as pretty much anything they have put out before and a big step up from the last couple of releases. This band should be bigger, and maybe Wheel Of Illusion will finally make this happen for them. 8/10
Sonic Wolves - Sonic Wolves III (Argonauta Records)
So, this is Sonic Wolves III, which means there were two others, which means I have some catching up to do because if the first two are anything like III then I have been missing out. The Italian trio and veterans of the scene (ex Ufomammut, Zed, Pentagram to name a few) rip it up on their third record, leveraging both the heavy blues and heavy psych of the 70s to their advantage on the eight tracks on III.
Shapeshifter opens it up and rips us up from the beginning, with a frantic style of psych guitar, Keith Moon inspired drumming, and great female vocals, which is a formula for success in my book for sure. The band goes all crazy heavy psych on the eleven-minute O.B.E. and you can just picture the band playing like they are in a tornado. Yeah, it’s long but for the guitar work alone it is worth your time. I am out of breath for the band.
Three or four decades in and The Quill have not slowed down at all. Wheel Of Illusion is as good as pretty much anything they have put out before and a big step up from the last couple of releases. This band should be bigger, and maybe Wheel Of Illusion will finally make this happen for them. 8/10
Sonic Wolves - Sonic Wolves III (Argonauta Records)
So, this is Sonic Wolves III, which means there were two others, which means I have some catching up to do because if the first two are anything like III then I have been missing out. The Italian trio and veterans of the scene (ex Ufomammut, Zed, Pentagram to name a few) rip it up on their third record, leveraging both the heavy blues and heavy psych of the 70s to their advantage on the eight tracks on III.
Shapeshifter opens it up and rips us up from the beginning, with a frantic style of psych guitar, Keith Moon inspired drumming, and great female vocals, which is a formula for success in my book for sure. The band goes all crazy heavy psych on the eleven-minute O.B.E. and you can just picture the band playing like they are in a tornado. Yeah, it’s long but for the guitar work alone it is worth your time. I am out of breath for the band.
If eleven-plus minutes is too long for you, how about the Black Rainbows inspired Dead To The World with more of that killer psych guitar work that also reminds me of Nebula. Sonic Wolves can bring the crunchy riffs too, case in point is Dark Recollection. Did I already mention how great the guitar work is on this album? Sonic Wolves have a proto vibe to them as well, with a sound that reminds me of something off of Hotter Than Hell at the beginning, until it brings you down the rabbit hole on a nine-minute hallucination filled trip.
Speaking of trippy, how about a heavy, head exploding trip with The Ten Doors? This more heavy-ass psych at its best and acts as an upper from the chill vibes of the previous track. Those pedals continue to be very generously used with the heavy, bluesy fuzz of Won’t Be Their Fool (dig the tempo changes on this one) and the crunchy garage rock goodness of Gotta Do It Right.
This power trio is the definition of that term, because Sonic Wolves generates enough power to keep the lights on across their native Italy. Whoa, does this record rip and the guitar work is some of the best heavy psych guitar I have heard in a long time. There are some who may be intimidated by some of the longer tracks, but hang it there, it’s worth it.
This power trio is the definition of that term, because Sonic Wolves generates enough power to keep the lights on across their native Italy. Whoa, does this record rip and the guitar work is some of the best heavy psych guitar I have heard in a long time. There are some who may be intimidated by some of the longer tracks, but hang it there, it’s worth it.
Somehow Sonic Wolves have alluded me until now, but lucky for me I get to experience the first two for the first time, and if they are anywhere near III, I am in for a treat, which is what you are in for when you check this out. Play it really, really loud. 8/10
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