Swan Valley Heights release third heavy stoner rock album, Terminal Forest

Posted on April 10, 2023 by thesonicsofa

Swan Valley Heights is back with their third offering, Terminal Forest, an engaging and powerful stoner rock album. The German four piece group came on to the scene in 2016 with their self titled release, followed by The Heavy Seed in 2019. With the release of Terminal Forest, SVH have completed a nearly perfect trilogy of their own style of heavy, riff driven, spaced out stoner rock.

*Dario Puggioni produced the surreal cover artwork*

The band has stayed true to their style over the years, but have only gotten tighter and more creative. Similar to bands like Weedpecker and Spaceslug, SVH produce walls of heavy riffs, bathed in a heavy psych atmosphere develops and breathes with each composition.

The songs range in length from the three minute instrumental, Space Bash III, up to the 12 minute closer, Star Fever. With six tracks totaling 46 minutes, buckle up for an intense, engaging musical experience, with layers of psychedelic complexity.

1. Microbe Galaxy 11:24
2. The Hunger 5:11
3. Space Bash III 3:08
4. Terminal Forest 10:00
5. Looking For Bird Pet 4:18
6. Star Fever 12:19

The rhythm section is an absolute behemoth, with rock solid drums perfectly synced with a beefed out bass tone. Tracks like Terminal Forest highlight the band’s deep groove, with the bass taking a cool lead at the beginning while the song turns into a huge driving riff. And those guitars… flowing seamlessly from heavy riffage, to blazing, wah-infused leads, to spaced out, exploratory psych patterns. The guitars contain some seriously catchy hooks, like on instrumental headbanger, Space Bash III. Looking for Bird Pet, probably the best track title on the album, up there with “My First Knife Fight” from The Heavy Seed, also unleashes an awesomely massive headbanger riff. Listen for some awesome drum work and a huge riff with some wah-pedal drenched leads on the sprawling Star Fever.

Like their past work, the album tends towards an instrumental approach and the musicians definitely have deepened their groove over the years. No less can be said for the diverse vocals, which continue to be engaging and perfectly placed in the album to evoke emotion. Opening track, Microbe Galaxy, showcases the vocals nicely, with some great harmonies at the end. The Hunger features vocals on the mellower side, but with the addition of some grungy harmonies. The lyrical content tends towards the musing, reflective side.

The album was mixed and mastered at Tonmeisterei Oldenburg in Oldenburg, Germany. Dario Puggioni produced the wildly surreal cover artwork. The album is available on Bandcamp through Fuzzorama Records, where you can find the album on CD, vinyl, and streaming. Go to the band’s website for the latest news and tour information. They’re also active on social media. If you’re into well produced heavy psych music, punctuated with sections of heavy riffs, Swan Valley Heights is worth checking out.

TOUR DATES

JUN 24 StoomFest – London, UK

JUL 14 Stoned From The Underground – Erfurt-Stotternhei, Germany

AUG 11 Hoflärm 2023 – Seelback, Germany

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New music from Swan Valley Heights

Posted on June 3, 2019 by thesonicsofa

Swan Valley Heights is a stoner rock trio from Germany. Even though the band name sounds like an 80’s chick flick, they bring a powerful blend of heavy music with complex song structures, chunky riffs, and clean, melodic vocals. Their Self-titled album was released in 2016, and they recently announced the upcoming July 26 full length, The Heavy Seed, with the announcement accompanied by the new 10 and a half minute song, Teeth and Waves.

Swan Valley Heights (Self-Titled) was released independently

The band’s Self-titled album was released on January 30th, 2016, and was in my regular rotation for quite some time. If you’re a fan a Weedpecker, you’ll like the style that Swan Valley Heights was going for. The album features clean vocals, plenty of fuzzy riffs, and seven long, catchy songs. You’ll hear driving riffs like in the opener, Slow Planet, crisp drums and captivating guitars like in Alaska, and driving bass lines and Sabbath-esque riffs like in Caligula Overdrive. There are also plenty of other great touches, like the vocal harmonies in Mammoth, and the tasty drum fills in Mountain. Their first album is a great listen all the way through. If you didn’t catch the album when it was released, check it out on Bandcamp and listen to Caligula Overdrive, featured here.

Recently, the band was picked up by Swedish label, Fuzzorama, who have gained quite a name for themselves, with bands such as Truckfighters, Asteroid, and Valley of the Sun. They recently announced their new album, Heavy Seed, due on July 26th. Along with the announcement came the new single, Teeth and Waves, and the intriguing album art which appears to show to primal men in a scifi landscape. The digital album releases on July 26th, with the record shipping out on or around July 6th and the CD on September 1st. You can also snag some of their cool Astronaut and Cave-Men themed T-shirts on their Bandcamp page.

The Heavy Seed will be released by Fuzzorama Records

The song picks up right where their self- titled left off. It opens with psychedelic textures that include rim shots on the drums, watery guitar effects, and harmonic bass patterns. A clean toned guitar riff and haunting lyrical harmonies bring form to the song around three minutes in, but the real riff kicks in hard with the fuzzy overdrive pedal at the four minute mark. From then on the song explores several textures, with headbanging stoner rock interludes, a dreamy, effect-laced psychedelic audioscape, a soft section with thoughtful vocals, before a final triumphant return to the original theme.

The Sonic Sofa Podcast: Elder, Kavod, and Swan Valley Heights

Posted on May 29, 2019 by thesonicsofa

Podcast Transcript: I’m The Purlenaut and you’ve landed on the Sonic Sofa, your home for stoner rock reviews and podcasts. Hop on over to thesonicsofa.blog to read Lots of articles and hear some awesome music. This month, we’re checking out music by Elder, Kavod, and Swan Valley Heights. Become one with the Sofa, and prepare for blast off.

Elder is a four-piece psychedelic, progressive, stoner rock band from Boston, Mass. They have been a powerful force in stoner rock since the release of their self-titled album in 2008. The band has evolved over the years, from a doom-worshiping prototype, to a unique band that has in turn become an influence for their peers. To celebrate the news of their upcoming EP, The Gold and Silver Sessions, I’m going to play one of their earlier releases from their Self-titled album. Here’s Ghost Head.

Kavod is a three-piece stoner rock band from Perugia, Italy. They produce slow moving songs with an emphasis on trance-inducing riffs. Their name is a Jewish word for honor, as well as being a root that means to be heavy. Wheel of Time is their debut recording and was released on April 13, 2019. Go to my blog page at thesonicsofa.blog to read an interview with the band and also check out their bandcamp because they’re selling the EP for half a Euro. That’s basically 56 cents. Here’s a early sis minute track from that EP called Absolution.

Swan Valley Heights is a stoner rock trio from Germany. Even though the band name sounds like an 80’s chick flick, they bring a powerful blend of heavy music with complex song structures, chunky riffs, and clean, melodic vocals. The band’s Self-titled album was released on January 30th, 2016 and they recently announced the upcoming July 26 full length, The Heavy Seed, with the news accompanied by a new 10 and a half minute song. The track features plenty of changeups and cool stoner rock textures. Here’s their new song called Teeth and Waves.

Thanks for listening to the Sonic Sofa podcast. Check out the Sonic Sofa on mixcloud.com/purlenaut and thesonicsofa.blo g. Please support the bands by buying their music and merch. If you have music or an artist that you think should be featured on the blog or podcast, contact The Purlenaut at thesonicsofashow@gmail.com. Go in peace and rock on, Sofanauts.