A Frog in the Bog: The heavy split album by Froglord and Bog Wizard

Posted on April 7, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*A Frog in the Bog was released on April 1, 2022*

A Frog in the Bog is the concept record collaboratively produced by the UK’s Froglord and Michigan’s Bog Wizard. The two stoner doom bands, known for their D&D style narratives, came together from across the Atlantic expanse to document the meeting of the reclusive Bog Wizard and the god-like Frog Lord, resulting in magical and smoky adventures in the depths of the bog.

Bog Wizard starts the album with two tracks, Reptilian Death Squad and Frog Lord, whose doomy riffs and tortured, operatic vocals document the Frog Lord and and his followers’ invasion of the marsh, and of a magical interaction with the Wizard of the Bog, mostly from the Wizard’s perspective.

BOW DOWN TO THE POWER OF THE FROG LORD

Froglord provides the next two tracks, The Bog, and The Wizard. They tell the tale from the perspective of the Frog Lord, attempting to convert Bog Wizard to his cult, and then preparing to do battle. Don’t miss the gnarly blast beats on The Wizard, and keep an ear out for movie sound-bytes, including one from Labyrinth, during the two tracks.

The final track, The Bog Wizard, featuring both bands, tells the epic and surprising tale of the final encounter. Who will win the equally matched battle or will the slimy bog take them both? Listen to the album and experience the full smoky climax to find out what happens.

There’s a lot to like from these two bands and this album. First, the contributions by both bands as well as their song collaborations gives the album a fun mixtape kind of feel, yet with the benefit of having a cohesive narrative, and the retro, 16-bit album art by Benjamin Blåholtz is a great throwback. The digital album can be found on Bandcamp where it is also available on vinyl, CD, and cassette while supplies last. Also check out the merch page for all kinds of cool gear, including album art prints, stickers and patches.

A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand, the heavy new album by Humanotone

Posted on April 1, 2022 by thesonicsofa

*A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand was released on March 11*

Humanotone is a one man musical project, produced and performed by multi-instrumentalist, Jorge Cist, who is based in Coquimbo, Chile. His music is a progressive dose of muscular stoner rock and shares the same psychedelic vein as heavy hitters such as Elder and Swan Valley Heights. Jorge just released Humanatone’s second album, A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand, an impressive follow-up to 2017s self-titled debut.

Flourishing Fall consists of six richly layered, flowing compositions, five of which range from eight to over 12 minutes in length. Initially written between 2017 and 2019, the songs were structured and recorded between May and October of 2021. According to Jorge, “All the songs were inspired by the sea and are a way of thanking the healing power it had on me during rough times.”

While listening to this album on repeat on a recent bus trip through the Rocky Mountains, I realized why this album stands out: It seriously flows! Similar to the ocean or the mountain ranges passing before my eyes, the album has a natural quality, indefinable by words alone. While many similar progressive rock albums can tend to get bogged down in their own complexity, Flourishing Fall flows seamlessly from riff to riff like crashing waves or thunder on mountain peaks.

In addition to performing vocals and instrumentation, Jorge also recorded and mixed the album in his own Massive Void Recordings studio and created the artwork using pointillism technique on 140g Canson paper. Make sure to also check out the artwork produced for the album’s first single, Light Antilogies. A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand is available on Bandcamp, where the entire discography can be downloaded for under five dollars. While there, you can also link to videos and social media.

Pike vs The Automaton

Posted on March 9, 2022 by thesonicsofa

Matt Pike’s first solo album came to us in a time when we needed it the most. In the dead of a winter filled with wars and rumors of wars, pandemic, natural disasters, as well as between releases and tours by primary groups Sleep and High on Fire, the riff-master took matters into his own hands and produced Pike vs The Automaton.

It’s a heavy album that explores retro sounding heavy metal, thrash, punk, and even some twangy blues. Falling somewhere between the riffy thrash of High on Fire and the stoner-doom of Sleep, Pike gave in fully to his musical instincts, riffing his way through an assemblage of songs guaranteed to induce head-banging and disgust with authority.

Recorded in his garage during the pandemic, Pike’s describes his work this way: “I made a psychedelic rock record that Sleep and High on Fire fans would like. And maybe if you’re not a Sleep or High on Fire fan, you might like it too. I definitely think it’s interesting; it has D-Beat punk, two-step. It’s got everything and it still works together, it doesn’t sound odd. It’s just an off-the-wall psychedelic rock record.”

At the core of the ensemble group is Pike on guitars and vocals, backed by friend and drummer Jon Reid. Featured among many guests on the album are some familiar names. Brent Hinds of Mastodon appears in a surprisingly chill cameo on the twangy “Land.” Pike’s wife provides caustic vocals on the hard-core “Acid Test Zone.” Jeff Matz, bassist of High on Fire, plays the Turkish electric saz on the album’s epic 11 minute closer, “Leaving the Wars of Woe.”

The album clocks in at 63 minutes with 10 tracks, and features beautifully rendered, symbolic cover art. It’s available on vinyl and CD, as well as digital release.