Welcome to my new series - Stoner Mountain's Weekly Bandcamp Discoveries. The name is pretty self-explanatory. I'll be posting my Bandcamp discoveries every week. Here are 11 records from over the past two weeks that you should check out. From French stoner rock to Amercian black metal, here are some of the choicest records from around the world. Most of them deserve a separate review, but I just don't have the time to do that, so at least I can give'em some recognition.
Stone Falcons - Outside My World
Looking for pop-desert rock perfection? Then look no further than Stone Falcons' Outside My World. The young four-piece from Corsica, France nailed it on their first album. This really is bluesy stoner rock at it's best, with surf rock influences and a garage-ish vibe to it. You'll be tapping your feet and wanting to dance to a lot of the songs. It's one of those albums from which you could pick a song at random and you'd be guaranteed to come away listening to one of catchiest tunes you're ever likely to hear.
Favourite track: Heroes Of Fear
Kungens Män - Bränna tid
Kungens Mänd is a prolific krautrock band from Stockholm, Sweden and they just came back with a new instrumental release. Bränna tid contains three wonderful improvised jams. To fully appreciate Kungens Mänd, you need to be in a calm, relaxed mood. So sit back. Clear your mind. Forget your worries for a moment. Ignore the internet, the phone, just everything. Now start Bränna tid and just let the gorgeous heavy psych melodies wash over you.
Favourite track: Ring så spelar vi
The Souldiggers Band - III
The Souldiggers Band is a grungy stoner rock duo from St. Petersburg, Russia that consists of Chigidin Michael and Kukharev Dmitry. They have just released their third full-length album, where they play a warm and powerful mix off grunge and desert rock. Thick layers of guitar distortion hark back to an era when Stone Temple Pilots and Alice In Chains ruled the Billboard 200. The Souldiggers Band may rightly be seen as a concept for taking Stone Temple Pilot's legacy into the future.
Favourite track: Wrong Decision (Dedicated To Scott Weiland)
Weedcraft - Satan's Weedcraft Heavy Spliffs
Three members of the mighty Polish stoner groove formation Green Asylum started a couple of years ago a new group - Weedcraft. Since then they have released one digital EP in 2015 and they're coming back now with an album. On Satan's Weedcraft Heavy Spliffs Weedcraft plays a wonderfully dreamy, slow instrumental doom. I would describe their sound as ethereal doom metal. It's a fantastic record, very refreshing and well-performed.
Favourite track: Life's Good
Red Bowling Ball - Alongside the Traveller
Red Bowling Ball from Paris is the second band from France on this list. You might have had a hard time guessing they were French, because they play blues as if they were from Mississippi. Red Bowling Ball just released their debut album Alongside the Traveller, a six-song strong album of hauntingly beautiful blues rock. All songs are intense and beautiful; all at once catchy and challenging. I really, really can't say enough good things about this record. Just check it out!
Favourite track: No Matter What
I Am The Liquor - 7 Days Of Smoke
I Am The Liquor is a power trio from Richmond, USA and their name was obviously inspired by the cult TV series Trailer Park Boys. Actually, I stumbled upon this record by clicking on a 'related videos' link on Youtube, so this one caught me completely off-guard. And what a surprise it was; a superb stoner rock album. A distinct sound, somewhere between Queens of the Stone Age and Clutch. Vocals are spot on, grooves are killer.
Favourite track: Whiskey, Bourbon, Rye
The Moonshine Brand - Welcome To Gypsy Town
The Moonshine Brand is a new group from Bielefeld, Germany. This is a fuzzy stoner rock record with some psychedelic, blues and southern touches in the early 70's tradition. Their music is strongly influenced by bands like Thin Lizzy, Creedence Clearwater Revival and early Jethro Tull. If you want to listen to good old fashion rock, get this record.
Favourite track: Welcome To Gypsy Town
Voodoo Smurfs - Voodoo Smurfs
These retro-rockers from Vienna delivered an amazing debut EP. The influences on this album are all over the map, from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath. All of the four songs are simply brilliant. I always appreciate an album in which the different tracks have different sounds. This album is one of those. I think these people really knows how to make a record which sounds like 70's and still having somehow the spirit of today.
Favourite track: Hard Road
Cult Of Sorrow - Ascension
Cult Of Sorrow is a doom metal band from Cincinnati and this is their first full-length album (they've also released an EP). Their music is heavily inspired by bands like Witchfinder General, Pentagram and Black Sabbath. Ascension is a pretty damn good record. It holds your interest from start to finish with a heavy and catchy traditional doom sound. It has some fantastic clean vocals, enjoyable guitar riffs and equally good guitar solos. What's not to like?
Favourite track: Sun God
Two Headed Beast - Witch Mountain Single
Two Headed Beast is a heavy stoner metal band from Portland, USA. Their Witch Mountain single is a great mix of old and new, combining theatrical, old school heavy metal singing with more modern stoner metal. The result is a brilliantly dark groovy track. The single will be released on February 17.
Favourite track: Witch Mountain
The Black Metal Corner
Beorn's Hall - Mountain Hymns
In need of some melodic black metal in the vein of old Bathory and the second wave of black metal? Pick this up, I'm glad to give it my stamp of approval. It's a really top-notch album. I won't even describe it any more than that, so just listen to it. Even if the music's genre isn't your cup of tea, you could still enjoy this album.
Favourite track: Now Call We, Over Mountains Cold
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