One of the best things about writing on a website is the opportunities it provides to interact with different bands and artists. Through one of these interactions, I was able to have some new art commissioned for the site. New this month, The Sonic Sofa is featuring brand new artwork by legendary stoner rock artist, Steven Yoyada.
Yoyada has done work for Telekinietic Yeti
Yoyada, based in Indonesia, is a prolific artist who produces graphic designs for bands and websites. His fantasy based art has been influenced by such greats as Arik Roper and Frank Frazetta. Yoyada mainly produces album covers, t-shirts, and tour posters, but he also specializes in t-shirt designs as well as graphics for beer cans and bottle labels.
I first saw Steven’s work in 2020 and began following his Facebook page. He has done work for so many artists and big names in the stoner rock community. This includes work for Weedian, Windhand,Red Fang, and Mothership, just to name a few.
Dope design for Twin Wizard
The diversity of Steven’s work is also impressive. His work runs the stoner rock gamut, employing so much great imagery and attention to detail. Much of his wok includes vans, skulls, babes, barbarians, swords, spaceships, wizards, planets, etc. Check out his Instagram page for some hi-def uploads of his work.
Design for The Goddess of Green
It was really easy to work with Steven, making a plan for the website artwork. I was able to provide the dimensions I needed, as well as a few baseline ideas for the work, and then Steven took it from there. He was great to work with through the whole process, showing previews of the work and checking in to make sure I liked the design.
If you’re interested in having work commissioned by Steven Yoyada, he can be contacted by email: stevenyoyadaliem@gmail.com.
Colour Haze is a four-piece band from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1994 and are one of the most influential German stoner rock groups active today. The group produces a detailed audioscape of psychedelic music. The songs are filled with progressive drumming and riffs, soothing and spacy keyboard tones, incredibly catchy guitar hooks, and positive vocals. Since the mid-90’s, the group has released 13 full length albums as well as a handful of live albums and numerous EP’s. Now, the group is back with their 14th full length, Sacred.
Sacred clocks in at 42 minutes with seven tracks. Cover art for the album was created by graphic and tattoo artist, Sara Koncilja. The album was released through Elektrohasch and was recorded live by Willi Dammeier at Clouds Hill in Hamburg. Mixing and mastering was done at the band’s own Colour Haze Studio by founding singer and guitarist, Stefan KoglekIf.
If you’ve followed the Sonic Sofa for any length of time, you’ll know that I often refer to Koglek’s recognizable and influential guitar style. Koglek is joined again by Manfred Merwald on drums, Mario Oberpucher on bass, and Jan Faszbender on keys. Together, they have created an album that radiates good vibes and wicked musicality. Positive, poetic lyrics, delivered in Koglek’s unique, raspy melodies, encourage listeners and prompt them to look to nature, and not the material world, for fulfillment and guidance. Musically, listeners are treated to progressive riffs with insanely catchy guitar hooks, intriguing keyboard layers, and a technically progressive rhythm section.
1. Turquoise 6:09 2. Goldmine 4:35 3. Ideologigi 8:58 4. Avatar 4:41 5. 1.5 Degrees 3:37 6. See The Fools 6:54 7. In All You Are 6:58
Turquoise opens the album and sets the standard with a rich tapestry of low-key psych sounds and distinctive guitar tones. Listen for same tasty drum work, a thick bass tone, and some spacy synths. Goldmine features a growly riff, a super catchy guitar hook, and low key melodic vocals which discuss materialism and human nature. On Idiologigi, listen for progressive music with complex time signatures, and an awesome closing jam. Koglek’s lyrics reject religious dogma and encourage free thought. Avatar opens with some nice harmonies on strings. The lyrics discuss the shallowness of social media culture. Listen for a cool middle-eastern sounding keyboard lead.
1.5 Degrees, a possible allusion to the Paris Climate Agreement, opens with acoustic guitars and an ethnic feel, giving way to an overdriven, distorted guitar riff. See the Fools features some nice, progressive stoner rock riffs, some great organ and string keyboard layers, and reflective vocals about peace, equality, and anti-violence. The closer, In All Your Are is incredibly encouraging lyrically, especially during the closing melodies. Listen for a crisp bass tone paired with some tasty, faster paced drums and a vibrant synth tone that fills out the track nicely.
Colour Haze performing live
Where can we find it: You can find Colour Haze’s new album, Sacred, on Bandcamp where you can download the digital album for under $9. According to their website, vinyl will be available in October and CD’s should be available later this month. The full album, with lyrics, has also been released on the band’s YouTube channel. The band is active on social media as well as their website.
Evidence of Immortality was released on August 19th
Conan, the three piece doom metal band from Liverpool, are back with their fifth full length, Evidence of Immortality. Formed in 2006, the group has delivered a consistently heavy barrage of “caveman battle doom.” Down-tuned to the extreme and amplified as loudly as possible, the riffage, thunderous rhythm section, and tortured sounding vocals conjure images of blood-soaked battlefields and cosmic monsters; in other words, great escapist stoner rock. The lyrics are also mixed with just the right amount of nihilistic philosophy in the vein of Robert E Howard and Lovecraft. Conan is to doom what High on Fire is to thrash-stoner, but don’t get hung too up on genres: The important thing is that with Evidence of Immortality, Conan has once again delivered one of the heaviest records available today.
1. A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots 10:23 2. Levitation Hoax 5:29 3. Ritual Of Anonymity 3:36 4. Equilibrium Of Mankind 8:23 5. Righteous Alliance 8:34 6. Grief Sequence 14:29
Evidence of Immortality was released on August 19, 2022. It clocks in at 51 minutes with six songs. Personnel include founding guitarist/vocalist, Jon Davis, bassist Chris Fielding, who first appeared on 2014’s Blood Eagle, and drummer Johnny King, who joined before the recording of 2018’s Existential Void Guardian. Long time band artist Tony Roberts once again completely captures the feel of the band with some gnarly battlefield album art. The album was released through Napalm Records.
Conan – Levitation Hoax
Album opener, A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots, clocks in at over 10 minutes (typical Conan song length) with slow, monolithic riffs and a huge drum sound. Pay attention for some cool phaser effects and a snarly guitar solo. Levitation Hoax was the first single released for the new album, accompanied by a hilariously brutal music video. Davis and Fielding’s, “I am the unborn son, of the unborn son,” chant is pretty catchy, and don’t miss the head banger last half. Ritual of Anonymity, the shortest song on the album, features some groovy rhythm sections and some positively thrashy sections.
Jon Davis of Conan, during a 2018 concert
Equilibrium of Mankind features some huge buildups, heavy-blues sounding riffs when it gets into it, and tortured, existential battle vocals. It’s also got a great interlude with a seriously groovy drum beat and huge sounding cymbals. The double kick at the end is an awesome touch. Righteous Alliance was the album’s second single. It’s embedded below, so give it a listen. The sound is classic Conan, with dark riffs and a chunky bass tone. Listen for the catchy, “Cometh the righteous alliance,” lyrics and don’t miss the slow, doom jam at the end. Grief Sequence, the longest track, is an instrumental slow burn with the addition of some funeral-doom, haunted house style organ synths provided by former bandmember Dave Perry.
You can find Evidence of Immortality as Conan’s back catalogue on Bandcamp. The digital download is available for $10. A double LP of the record is available for $23, along with tons of other cool merch and copies of back albums, through Napalm Records. The band is active on social media.
Tour Dates
Sep 22 L’Homme Sauvage Festival, Auzas – Toulouse, France
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