Chicago is rarely thought of as a celestial otherwordly plain, but with the roots of soul and gospel buried in its very foundations, perhaps a band like Dead Feathers were inevitable. Tony Wold and the psychedelically named Shaggy Shadric (guitars), Rob Rodak (bass), Jose Bernal (drums) and the bluesy lungs of Marissa Allen came together to create a sound that harks back to the ’60s explorative rock of bands like Procol Harum, Pink Floyd and 13th Floor Elevators while sitting easy on the ears of fans of Jex Thoth, Blood Ceremony and Royal Thunder. Conjuring perfect wintery moods in the Iron Fist office while we dive headlong into another stressful deadline, we caught up the band to ask them how they weaved such magic and thanked them for honouring us with a stream of their stunning new EP…

Your new self-titled EP (out this month on HeviSike Records) is crushingly beautiful, where the hell did you come from? Tony Wold: “Thank you. The band was started by myself and the bassist, Rob Rodak. We started it in high school and were looking around for a drummer who then got us in touch with our second guitarist, who ended up knowing Marissa, our lead singer. … Read More

Purson welcomes you to ‘Desire’s Magic Theatre’, which according to the band is “A technicolour trip through the mind’s eye of songstress/vocalist/guitarist Rosalie Cunningham, whose signature approach to her craft stands boldly centre-stage, blending progressive dexterity and cabaret romp into a compelling, multi-faceted rock ‘n’ roll show.” Already one of our editor’s albums of 2016, ‘Desire’s Magic Theatre’ draws inspiration from the rock operas of the late ’60s and early ’70s; musically, visually and lyrically, it touches on a variety of realms, including folk, prog, psychedelic, gothic and classic rock, making telling use of classical instruments and complex arrangements, and fully exploring the outer limits of reel to reel tape.

Says Rosie: “’Desire’s Magic Theatre’ has turned out to be everything I’d imagined and more! My world has been so consumed by it that I’ve barely been able to reflect on what it has become: a technicolour variety show, a playful display of the musical whims only briefly hinted at in our previous work; a psychedelic rock opera dedicated to our good friends Sarge Pepper and Zig Stardust.”

The album is set for release in March 2016 through Spinefarm and Machine Elf and a UK tour will follow

UK HEADLINE TOUR DATES

MARCH WED 09          BRISTOL, THE LOUISIANA THU … Read More

With a bizarrely titled debut album on a hot label, a penchant for really bad puns, and eye-popping, Jesús Franco-referencing cover art, Salem’s Pot has made an immediate impression in early 2014, not the least of which is thanks to the actual music therein, a lysergic combination of hazy psychedelic rock and woozy, lumbering doom metal. When asked about what inspired the Swedes to venture down the path forged by Black Sabbath and Hawkwind, guitarist/singer Knate’s answer is succinct. “Blues and hallucinogens; the same thing that inspired those bands. For us it always feels like they were on to something and they wanted to tell the truth. Whatever the path we choose, in the end, for us it’s all about reality. We live in a small town where it’s really hard to find people to play with, but we found each other eventually. We were all lonesome riffers that just worshipped sleazy old slasher-movies before we came together. But we still don’t have a permanent drummer so we haven’t really come together completely just yet.” Released on California’s EasyRider, a record label that’s on a seriously impressive roll these days, ‘…Lurar Ut Dig På Prärien’ might be comprised of only three … Read More

It’s increasingly hard for this life-long psych-doom obsessive to get excited about new bands, but the new generation is starting to spin some interesting tales. One such act is Sussex space rock three-piece Riddles. There is a definite garage-psych vibe going on with catchy raw fuzz leads cutting through some very British vocal delivery. It’s refreshing stuff. “We are definitely influenced by our own sound,” fills in charismatic mainman Jimi Riddle. “But there are some key bands that brought us to find it, like Hawkwind, Stooges, Motörhead, early Sabbath, Pentagram and Orang-utan. But it doesn’t end there, there are so many great genres and powerful bands to come out of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, it’s almost impossible to list every band that made us create the vibe we have.” The broad range of influences seems to have allowed them to create a distinct sound thus far, but are they part-timers or ambitious chaps? “We all put a lot of time and effort into this band and I think we all believe in it as its own entity. You get back what you put in and so we’re putting a lot into it. It’s like a plant, we’re giving it … Read More

Halfway to the North Pole on the Norwegian coast, Trondheim seems to be the least likely place to shelter a band like High Priest Of Saturn. And indeed, stuck between a vivid pop/rock scene and a hardcore black metal movement, the power-trio, led by foxy vocalist Merethe, stick out. Openly inspired by stoner and doom, their 2011 two-track demo was a revelation, an epic trip drowned in echoes and menacing organ lines. Fast-forward a year and a small line-up switch later and the trio’s self-titled album picks up where things were left and goes totally berserk… or should we say cosmic? “Regarding the name, we wanted an aesthetic related to Saturn, both on an astronomical and mythological level. We do like the symbolism attached to it and believe it fits our music well. And, most importantly, we just think the name sounds cool,” Merethe laughs. “Musically, Acid King is one of our main influences, next to other classic stoner doom bands such as Sleep and Om, but also ’60s and ’70s bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors and of course Black Sabbath. We also used a keyboard player for the album and his organ paints the walls in psychedelic colours; the … Read More