Child - Child

Labels: Self-Released/Heavy Psych Sounds

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 19-Feb-2014/26-Apr-2024

Tracklist:

1. Trees

2. Stone By Stone

3. All Dried Up

4. Mean Square

5. Blue Overtone Storm/Yellow Planetary Sun

Earlier this year Italian purveyors of all things doom 'n' groove Heavy Psych Sounds set about reissuing   the entire back catalogue of Australian blues/stoner rock band Child, starting with their debut self-titled record from 2014, almost ten years after it's original release. This power trio are a new name to me but thanks to the HPS PR wheel that's forever turning, I have the chance to get acquainted with them. I hope you'll join me for what promises to be a wild ride.

On an evening when I’ve been given the annual reminder about noise levels within the block that I reside, a chilled out interlude is much needed. Child deliver a hefty dose of blues-rock with minimal urgency. Easy going percussion, sumptuous melodic guitar work and vocals oozing with that classy Desert Sessions-style drawl work in unison to deliver fantastic music on opener ‘Trees’.

‘Stone By Stone’ starts of with more immediacy, albeit not necessarily due to tempo. It has a more traditional song structure from the off but it later descends into a heavily-instrumental blues number, showing off just how impressive Child are musically. Where I live in the UK, there’s a bar that specialises in blues and to be honest, it has never appealed to me as a venue because it has an obvious clique; however, if it were to one day book Child (unlikely I know), I’d be there like a shot just to see them.

The screeching solo mid-section of ‘All Dried Up’ is upon me before I know it, alongside the warming Moog/organ and the whisky-drenched vocals that sound even more powerful now. Child’s momentum seems to grow with each song on this record and while this one is their shortest, it’s by no means forgettable.

From this point on Child go back down a fuzz-laden road on penultimate song ‘Mean Square’, thanks to the rumbling bass tone that kicks it off. That bass is the heaviest thing about it and the trio’s sound throughout this record, but there’s no need for anything louder to be honest. It’s not often now that I venture to this end of the slow/low musical spectrum but it’s something I should really do more often. Less dissonance, more resonance.

Ending their first record with the ten+ minute freak out ‘Blue Overtone Storm/Yellow Planetary Sun’ is (was?) a masterstroke. Kinda like if Kyuss, Oneida and Nebula formed one hell of a supergroup. I guess they would sound like Child do here. It’s an absolute joy to behold. Almost fourteen years after this blog’s conception, discovering bands that are new to me is the best thing. Child are excellent and well worth diving down the rabbit hole for.

You can stream and purchase Child directly from Child below:-

Physical vinyl and cd copies can be purchased from Heavy Psych Sounds here - https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/child-child

Child - https://www.facebook.com/childtheband

Heavy Psych Sounds - https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS

Cosmic Reaper - Cosmic Reaper

Labels: Heavy Psych Sounds

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 19 Mar 2021

Tracklist:

1. Hellion

2. Heaven's Gate

3. Stellar Death

4. Wasteland I

5. Wasteland II

6. Planet Eater

7. Infrasonic

I feel like doom and psych have very much been missing from these "pages" recently. After trying to line up some 2021 release premieres with Heavy Psych Sounds earlier in the year, I gave up bouncing from person to person (in the hope of getting somewhere) and settled for what I had, which is still pretty good to be fair. That led me to North Carolinan (US) quartet The Cosmic Reaper and their 2021 self-titled LP. What sweetened the deal was finding out that the band includes a member/ex-member of mathcore favourites The Great Redneck Hope, amongst others. I mean, that's not the only thing but I've had a stressful afternoon and that's all I can think of!

I like Electric Wizard but they haven’t been able to hold my attention for long enough, which is strange because I love sludge and doom. Cosmic Reaper have been compared to that enigmatic UK band yet they differ more than you’d think. On opener ‘Hellion’, there’s a lot of groove as you would expect, but good old classic heavy metal guitar work and hypnotic, mainly clean vocals set them apart. When they do heavy, Cosmic Reaper does heavy really well and the ironically titled ‘Heaven’s Gate’ is a prime example in full flight, instrumentally at least. Once again, the almost druidic vocals ring out as rumbling and low bass/guitar riffs drive the tempo, and the atmosphere of the album down a darker path.

I’m in absolutely no doubt that this is the right record to be listening to on a Friday night, even if I don’t partake in the Mary Jane. I do have a glass of red wine though and savouring it while ‘Stellar Death’ plays is an utter joy. It also reminds me that I need more records like this in my personal collection. Will have to rectify that soon, if only for that grooving closing section. ‘Wasteland I’ is a slight departure in the sense that it’s somewhat shorter than the rest of the songs on the album; however, that’s no hardship at all because the musicianship on it is so strong. That’s what I like about bands like Cosmic Reaper. The fact that they’ve seemingly come from nowhere (at least to me anyway) and are still able to blow my expectations. They’ll blow yours too if you give them as much as a second of your time.

That previous song was entirely instrumental, but with ‘Wasteland II’ the band delivers a huge desert/stoner rock song with all of their bells and whistles added in for good measure. Everything about this album feels and sounds so assured, it’s insane to think that this is their debut full-length (though given their collective experience, it shouldn’t be!). Penultimate number ‘Planet Eater’ hints at something more cosmic and in some ways you do get that felling thanks to Cosmic Reaper’s psych influences, yet the heaviness is still there in spades. It’s the longest song on Cosmic Reaper and tempo wise it’s very much the slowest, which is no bad thing at all. Once again it’s heavily instrumental though the vocals within it settle back into the soothing tones of the album’s earlier songs.

‘Infrasonic’ is the final track here and much like the red wine, it’s gone straight to my head as the impulse to headbang is just too much. As I sit back and rejoice in the glorious tones I’m hearing, it’s hard not to feel the true energy of genuine, enjoyable music again, which is something I’ve probably been lacking over the last couple of months (purely due to my own state of mind and nothing else) . Cosmic Reaper have done a solid here. Hats off to Thad, Dillon, Garrett and Jeremy for being wholesome and awesome on this record.

You can purchase Cosmic Reaper on digital, cd and (multiple) vinyl pressings below:-

Cosmic Reaper - https://www.facebook.com/cosmicreapernc

Heavy Psych Sounds - https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS

Doom Sessions Vol.1: Conan/Deadsmoke

Labels: Heavy Psych Sounds

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 17 Jul 2020

Tracklist:

1. Conan - Beheaded

2. Deadsmoke - Dethroned Concrete

3. Deadsmoke - Dead Minds Army

This is the first in a new series of split records curated by Heavy Psych Sounds. It features three songs from the heavier end of the sludge/doom spectrum, with one song by the UK's Conan and two from Italian band Deadsmoke. It comes on three different vinyl variants; orange with blue splatter, red and black, as well as a limited run of test presses exclusive to Heavy Psych Sounds and a digipack cd with fully printed artwork. The digital download version only contains the Deadsmoke songs. I've contacted Heavy Psych Sounds for a comment on why the Conan song is not included and will post the response below the review.

Conan originally recorded and released ‘Beheaded’ as part of their split release with Bongripper back in 2013, so chances are many of you are already familiar with it. It’s a ritualistic, heavy song with distant shouted vocals that sit deep within the recording. The volume produced by the trio is bone-rattling, mainly thanks to the epic bass tone that’s achieved here. I’m not going to bang on about this song for too much longer due to reasons already mentioned above; however, it’s essential listening for anybody who considers themselves a fan of slow, heavy music.

Deadsmoke are a new band (to me anyway) and they’re as slow and heavy as Conan, but they also weave subtle stoner/psych tones into their music on ‘Dethroned Concrete’. They are very subtle tones though and mix in really well with the grooviness that the band delivers here, especially as the majority of the song is instrumental. Deadsmoke’s second song on the split ‘Dead Minds Army’  follows on from ‘Dethroned Concrete’ with even more groove. It’s a cross between sludge and straight-up noise rock, with a much more urgent feel. I’m not complaining about that either.

As split releases go, this is well worth the price. Three top notch sludge/doom songs spread over 30+ minutes from two bands who bring their A-game. This little split series just got interesting! Keep your eyes peeled for more.

You can stream the two Deadsmoke songs via Heavy Psych Sounds below:-

You can also pick the split up on all physical formats via the above bandcamp page too.

With regards to the omission of Conan's song from the digital download, Heavy Psych Sounds had this to say:-

"Unfortunately we didn't get the license to have the digital"

It's a pity that they weren't granted a licence to provide the song digitally, but I hope this helps anybody who was holding back on ordering the split. Just because the label that originally released such material was awkward, it doesn't mean you should disregard this release.

Conan - https://www.facebook.com/hailconan/

Deadsmoke - https://www.facebook.com/deadsmokedoom/

Heavy Psych Sounds - https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/