ninehertz

1. • Podge
   • Translated UFO Gestapo Review From French Online Zine itschristmice.cowblog.fr/
     
     UFO Gestapo - s / t
     After terrorism sound Partners In Crime, is that our same (or less) friends marseillais trying to establish a dictatorship using a mixture extraterrestre sludge / doom with feedback abound. Overall, it's very, very good, it was found that the effectiveness of any PIC with a more detailed, more research while keeping the side crade, sticky and gross décoffrage. The only criticism I have to do is the lack of sound kitschy synth facts found on some titles (or UFO Landing Above Gestapo), but this is my boring side takes over, because as good an album of crude fat and original, I can not ignore because it takes me directly by feelings. Especially in small hardcore accelerations that leave at a rate pachydermique with the voice of slaughtered pig who is trying desperately to sing (do not harm kkkeb). At the time of writing, not without waiting impatiently for the receipt of their new raid called smart Vatependr!, Released for Christmas Streaks Records, a label which is great credit to the real thing. To offer the whole family history to prepare for a future invasion of alien Nazis, as it surely will not delay.
     
     I want to send a message to all the factors: I know what your maneuvering with my packages, one day I would have sufficient evidence to make you all rot in jail and you lécherez stamps and envelopes all day until 'to dehydration.
     
     Available Now www.calculon.co.uk
   • [21:09 on 12/01/09]
2. • J Parker
   • haha I love the bit at the end against posties
   • [21:59 on 12/01/09]
3. • Podge
   • Hellride Review Of Gorse EP
   • [13:14 on 19/01/09]
4. • Podge
   • Gorse - Slumber of Artemis
     Review by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com)
     Calculon Records
     Release date: 2008
     
     
     There are certain vocal s t y l es that work only in the context of certain genres. Sure, you could record a version of Twisted Sister's “We're Not Gonna Take It,” as perfectly realized a pop song as they make 'em, using a death metal growl, but it would be like putting a dress on a pig. Of interest only to those who weren't right in the head to begin with.
     
     What does this have to do with the UK's Gorse? Well, the band vocally is of the surly alt punk/hardcore variety, the kind where attitude makes up for any sort of tonal limitations. The problem is that with the exception of “Green Light” and “10 Years” and “King of Tyre,” you don't really get the appropriate music to go along with that. That's not to say the other four songs on Slumber of Artemis are bad – in fact, the riffs themselves are pretty good throwbacks to the beautifully ugly days of AmRep (the dopesick and surly “Texas Blind Salamander” in particular). It's that to these ears, there's a disconnect between the singing and the rest of the music. If going forward, they make the former a bit meaner and rougher around the edges, they'll be on to something big.
   • [17:13 on 01/02/09]
5. • Podge
   • Gorse – Slumber of Artemis (Calculon Records)
     By Jay Snyder (www.hellridemusic.com)
     January 19, 2009
     
     I’ve been feeling like a one note joke recently. Seems like I can’t stop relating bands to the Am-Rep heyday; shit, almost every other review has been referencing Unsane, TITD, Hammerhead or some other juggernaut off the seminal label. What can I say? There’s been a fuckload of killer noise-rock offshoots springing up everywhere these days, so my hands are quick to type out the infamous Hazelmeyer fronted imprint without even thinking.
     
     It is important that I threw this out in the open for this review because I can easily do it again with the UK’s Gorse and their debut EP Slumber of Artemis. Fear not though because there’s much more than noise-rock in Gorse’s arsenal as plundering doom, groovy stew thick sludge and bleary eyed dreaminess are among the other weapons the band wield to their advantage. My first surprise was that the phenomenal Calculon Records was behind this album’s conception. I had to do some research to figure this out because the label’s name wasn’t present anywhere within the liner notes or even on the back cover. Secondly, James Parker formerly of the criminally underrated Hey Colossus swings the axe and contributes stellar, atonal vocals to cement this as an EP well worth your time and hard earned dollar. A filthy yet nuanced 8 track recording yields these songs the same kind of charm found on Soulpreacher’s When the Black Sunn Rises the Holy Men Burn EP and winds up giving Slumber of Artemis a world worn element you’re not likely to find on many albums these days.
     
     All it takes is the opening, dissonant chords of “Tarantella” to know where Gorse is coming from. The steady crack of primal drumming underlies the murderous introductory noise-guitar riffs and has all the charm of a rapist looking for one last victim right before the morning light. Doom’s ugly head rears in the form of a surging molasses groove which shows its allegiance most clearly near the song’s very end. Parker battles with strained melody in his voice occupying a ground that sets snuggly between shouting and singing; the fact that his voice isn’t pretty only accentuates the off the cuff snarl of the music. Then just when you think you’ve heard it all there’s a psychedelic undercurrent swirling momentarily before a claustrophobic sludge eruption brings the house down one final time.
     
     As you sit there baffled at what you just heard, you’re head is immediately exploded with the deconstructed Cavity by way of TITD sludge contained in “Green Light”. Creeping in with an eerie bass lick it isn’t long before downtrodden riffing tips the hat to Sabbath and all of the sludge heathens who embrace them. Everything comes off live n’ loose thanks to the recording method and it places the slithering riffs nicely against a wall of rising noise breaks and ill tempered melodic surgery.
     
     Not content to fall into a pattern, Gorse lights up a fat spliff of high-octane insano metal in the form of “Tipus Tiger”, where fucking gnarly stoner leads muscle their way to the head of the mix. These stoner grooves lurch their way into a doom-laden, noise burned knife fight and manage to emerge victorious. Grungy, tuneful sensibility appears out of thin air (sounding mysteriously akin to Tad) but is sucked into a vacuum of black hole sludge so infinite you can’t see anything beyond its timeless expanse.
     
     Epic intentions ooze from every pore of “Klaus”, sizing up the listener’s melon in its sight and exploding it with one shot between the eyes. Imagine if Floor, Unsane, Hammerhead, Godflesh, Isis and Helmet had a block party with at least a hundred kegs of moonshine on the premises. Heaving riffs pull the weight of eons upon their collective backs and intermingle with a vortex of rhythms so powerful in tow; they could easily sink an aircraft carrier. Strangled guitar chords wring out far more beauty than pillage and the end result is Isis with a big set of balls, sacrificing all sort of passiveness for a zeroed in attack element which keeps everything moving forward. No time to stop and put you to sleep as there’s a purpose to each individual note.
     
     They stick with a similar motif on its sister track, “King of Tyre”; a ticking time bomb of decimating sludge riffery and synapse imploding monuments to racket all carefully molded and controlled by Godflesh’s steady hand. Cavity peers through the clouds during the opening riff, setting the stage for a straightforward, no frills mudslide of dirt n’ Sabbath but of course Gorse decides to reconfigure their course and drift into uncharted waters becoming lost in a Bermuda Triangle of enraged riffs who cling persistently to the rhythm section’s capillary bursting climax. If Hammerhead and Cavity had a deformed monstrosity of a child it would sound something like the maddening closure of “King of Tyre”.
     
     Ugly (in a good way), off-key vocals add a damaged sense of style to the slower than slow tirade of “10 Years”. Finality wrings in every riff as the booming crunch erodes the UK countryside with all the grace of acid rain. The corrosion goes as far as melting down the band’s practice space, turning their sound into a slimy mess of understated tenderness. While the stinging noise bleeds out of every chord there’s a fucking beautiful underscore going on with the guitar as the drums plod straight to the bowels of Hell. Don’t let that scare all you heavies out there because there’s a fistful of the turgid, nastiest pile of shit sludge you’re ever likely to hear out of the UK all throughout “Ten Years”. Even the verbal abuse suddenly turns to sickening screams of hate above a high rise of volcanic doom.
     
     Experimenting further with withdrawn Am-Rep detachment knowledgeable of finding its way around a shimmering dissonance, you couldn’t ask for a better closer in “Texas Salamander”. Hammerhead’s inferno of pain and suffering is subdued by Aaron Turner in the picturesque opening where James’ singing mires in a cold ambience surrounded by waves of sparse, harmonic guitar strum. When bellowing doom mutilates every peaceful ripple to be found, you soon forget you were once floating on an abandoned ship under a soothing sunset and find yourself run aground on the rocks with sharks nipping at your heels. Perhaps, the crowning achievement here is the squealing 70’s guitar solo that so deliciously leads us into the end of the record, you won’t even have time to blink before your gasping for breath at the bottom of Davy Jones’ locker. Finally, we can rest easy as Gorse draws the curtain on our turbulent voyage.
     
     Bet that it is safe to say that this EP is a fucking masterpiece. Noise-rock, doom and melody have rarely combined into a sound so deep and organic. Hey Colossus is the most recent band on my mind to do something along these lines, although Gorse doesn’t sound much like their guitarist’s former outfit in any way, shape or form. Instead, Gorse walk to the beat of a coke addled drummer. Ever wonder what would happen if TITD, Hammerhead, Tad and Unsane were to travel down to Florida and butt heads with Cavity, Dove or Consular? Well, your request will be granted with one listen to Slumber of Artemis. Mark my words; this is a band to look out for. 2009 is already proving to be a pivotal year for doom-y, filthy music and my year will be filled with repeated listens of Gorse’s monolithic offering.
     
     Forget the EP billing too as this one is comfortably over the half hour mark. Just what sets the two apart these days as I’ve seen albums shorter than EPs and EPs shorter than albums over years past? Who cares, the only thing that matters is that Gorse mean business and easily have the power to kick your ass out of the solar system. Noise and doom fans, rejoice! Gorse walks a perfect middle ground between the two with tense dynamics and apocalyptic heaviness going hand in hand making for an essential piece of listening for all fans of complex, brain bending doom. Thank you Calculon for sending this my way and continuing to set the bar on what an extreme doom/sludge/noise label should be! They should honestly think about combining their roster with Shifty and we’d get an international stronghold of the finest that the extreme arts have to offer. Someone, please prepare the merger, but back to the subject at hand. Gorse fucking rules and no dweller of the heavier side of the tracks should miss out on this.
     
     
     Visit the Calculon website at www.calculon.co.uk
   • [17:20 on 01/02/09]
6. • Podge
   • www.cosmiclava.com/
     
     UFO GESTAPO (s/t) MCD
     Outside it's getting spring but the French wrecking crew UFO GESTAPO brings back a filthy, rainy day in November with their debut EP that has been released through Calculon Records in 2008. Here's no room left for any life-affirming principles, and song titles like 'Fear Weed', 'Peace Crap' or 'Commander Mindfuck' support my impression. Happily enough UFO GESTAPO don't rob the complete discography of Grief or EyeHateGod to channelize their negative emotions, and especially the supplemental sound of an organ adds something extremly morbid to their dirty, heavy riff armory. Too bad, that they don't use it in each of the six tracks, but otherwise it could be less effective after more than two songs. Sometimes UFO GESTAPO has integrated sudden eruptions of speed instead of just trudging along in the same pace. 'Mercy's Hole' is a good example, where the band displays their love for harcore punk. Guitarist and vocalist kkk does not only torture the listener with a brutal fuzz sound, but also with some of the sickest and most abrasive vocal assaults, that I've heard in a long time. Needless to say that some of the songs also contain slow, grinding passages and even here the band is able to create something wreckful that stands on one's own feet as for example in 'Commander Mindfuck'. This is, incidentally, a very psychedelic track, with a lot of bizarre sounds in the background. The dry production emphasises the heaviness and hostility of the songs so that UFO GESTAPO offers a real alternative to the usual heavy sludge that we know from the USA. On the whole this is damn ugly bastard of a disc, what is meant in the most positive meaning.
   • [21:07 on 04/03/09]
7. • Podge
   • UFO Gestapo CD Review - English Translation from French Noise Magazine
     
     "alcohol is the match, marijuana is the flame, heroine is the fuse and LSD is the bomb". If you compare with their past bands PARTNERS IN CRIME and ONE MILLION GRAVITY, the 3 Marseillais from UFO GESTAPO must have drown their pastis (local strong alcohol also called pastaga that need water but not too much) concerning the sleeve design (an artwork that looks like Dia de los Muertos and no Runes? oups, sorry, i did not open the booklet before), but if we talk about music, nothing have change. we say sludge,doom and down tempo, we compare to EYEHATEGOD, IRON MONKEY and CAVITY( better saying BLACK COBRA, it is a non bassist band as well), and we do not have the whole description yet. Because there is not only creeping stuff on that evil potion, there is a ton of psychedelism, the one you'll find into Monster magnet's 3 first records,that trickle down from a Farfisa keyboard. There are squealing to be scared, screams from a junky that need some dope ideally distant, rarely present, totally impressive.Mainly, there is what may be you do not ear at the first time that create a big difference after all: some dirty punk rock.
     huuuuuge."
   • [08:25 on 18/04/09]
8. • Podge
   • Sourvein / Blood Island Raiders - 7"
     Mondo Cada - EP
     
     OUT NOW
   • [19:12 on 24/04/09]
9. • Podge
   • www.deafsparrow.com
     
     GORSE
     Slumber of Artemis
     (Calculon)
     
     This album sounds like a classic. To most, Gorse will just sound like a stoner rock band. To me they sound like so much more. First of all, you gotta love their grit. Slumber of Artemis is a dirty record. It seems as informed by noise rock as by the groove laden approach of certain desert band. This goes way off into the sleaze world though.
     
     Does anyone remember Gruntruck? I don’t know why their name popped up while I was listening to this. Maybe is the dirt on their sound, their bare bones approach, the thrusty string sound, the gravelly vocals and those otherworldly effects. So yeah, in parts Gorse sounds like grunge gone wrong; Tad on a come down, or ye, Gruntruck with a British flare and a meth addiction.
     
     But their advantage lies in the flawless way with which they add a huge serving of stoner serving and end up with their own recipe. There are some really nice blues licks peppered throughout the record. They help give this seven songer a much friendlier approach than expected.
     
     Gorse have an angry sound you see, the bass playing is so loose it seems like the strings are hanging, the guitars have THAT splashing sludge sound and the vocals are tone deaf and lack the warmth of most stoner rock bands. In the end though, these help balance Gorse’s sound into a mediatic point of derangement where, you know, it all goes awry. Gorse didn’t drop out and tuned in. They dropped your ass like an anvil on a piano and tuned the fuck out.
   • [13:01 on 09/06/09]
10. • Podge
    • www.cosmiclava.com Review
      
      GORSE (Slumber Of Artemis) MCD
      
      GORSE's energetic mix of noise rock, 70's heavy psychedelic rock, and doom captivated me immediately. This debut, released in 2009, is a filthy beauty, a monument made of thick, fuzzed-out riffs and during the seven songs the band is firing on all cylinders. The diversity on this album is very apparent with a lot of melodies, well-wrought arrangements and an underlying sense of momentum and swelling intensity that makes 'Slumber Of Artemis' anything but boring. '10 Years' is one of the most melodic songs here with an additional wonderful reverb effect on the vocals while 'King of Tyre' is a musical rollercoaster ride of highs and dramatic lows. In opposite to the subliminal aggressive attitude in GORSE's sound, the clean vocals of guitarist James Parker (ex-Hey Colossus) make a nice contrast here. Once more, Calculon Records proves their excellent musical taste without limiting themselves to only one genre. The main point is that it the music has to be breathtakingly heavy and of high quality. UK's GORSE fulfil the qualifications with ease. I'm absolutely convinced.
    • [07:59 on 22/06/09]
11. • Podge
    • Gorse 'The Slumber of Artemis' CDEP 09 - Sleeping Shaman Review
      
      Calculon Records have an uncanny knack of finding some pretty sweet bands to release. To date the label have released product by bands such as Charger, Black Eye Riot, Sourvein, Church of Misery, Lazarus Blackstar, Blood Island Raiders...etc. Despite this impressive list a number of factors have conspired against the label to make life an uphill struggle which is scandalous given mainman Podge's keen eye for some serious talent. It is both a shame yet understandable that he is considering knocking the whole thing on the head.
      
      Gorse are something of a supergroup in the UK underground featuring former Hey Colossus man James Parker on guitar and vocals and Mothertrucker strummer Charlie Butler on drums. The net result is a release big on riff and short on shortcomings. This 7 track EP takes the noise/alt rock template set out by bands such as The Jesus Lizard, Barkmarket and shellac and infuses it with the mighty riff power of Sabbath by way of Torche, Kylesa and Baroness.
      
      Pop music this certainly isn't. Memorable hooks may be in relatively short supply here but that is more than made up for in sheer bulldog belligerence and colossal riff weight. The song here isn't really the focus in favour of an overall wall of sound that sits on your chest and crushes the breath from your body. Parker's angry bark may be an acquired taste but gives the music the level of aggression it needs to punch through the fuzzy barrage. The slightly murky 8 track production actually adds to the effect emphasising the guitars and the slab like crunch.
      
      If you're looking for a band to party down to and pull chicks…this ain't it but if you want to pummel your head into a brick wall until you can taste your own blood then this is as good a place to start as any.
      
      * Label: Calculon Records
      * Website: www.myspace.com/gorseband
      
      Contributed by: Ollie on the 23/06/09
    • [18:39 on 23/06/09]
12. • Podge
    • Sour Vein/Blood Island Raiders – Split 7” (Calculon Records)
      By Jay Snyder / www.hellridemusic.com/
      June 27, 2009
      
      It’s been a little while since we’ve heard anything from Podge and cohorts on his Calculon Records imprint. Gorse was the last transmission and boy was their album a fierce little minx. Calculon has been atomic bombing us lately with newer bands of the sludge/noise genus, all of which have turned out to be a slice of pure bliss for all of us audio degenerates out there.
      
      This time Podge and company decided to bring us a nice little split from some established veterans out there. NC’s, long-running sludge/doom bastards Sour Vein (their second contribution for Calculon actually) appears alongside UK metal titans, Blood Island Raiders in a tumultuous donnybrook of bad attitudes, swinging fists and broken whiskey bottles!
      
      Sour Vein has been a favorite of mine for many years now, ever since their debut, S/T LP materialized on Game Two Records way back when in 2000. I’ve been following them ever since and have proudly enjoyed the beatings delivered by subsequent follow-ups, Will to Mangle, Emerald Vulture and Ghetto Angel respectively. Vocalist T-roy is the only remaining member of the core line-up that cut the S/T and Will to Mangle all those years ago. Since then a revolving door line-up has moved in and out of the band’s ranks, touring and recording during their various incarnations as necessary.
      
      I missed out on the band’s latest EP Imperial Bastard on Candlelight, so the unreleased recording “Black Cloud Revelations” contained on this 7” will have to do in getting me up to speed. “Black Cloud…” isn’t really a new track as it dates back to sessions in December ’06, overseen by Vince Burke at the Sniper compound. Doesn’t really matter in the long run as it’s a pleasure to hear no matter when it was recorded. Easily among the band’s finest hours “Black Cloud…” kicks in slowly, with a delayed effect. The drugged-out, slomo riffs ooze with a Vitus creepiness complimented by T-roy’s one of a kind lamenting. I was always a big fan of his vocal style…it really isn’t a traditional scream but it is surely threatening in its own right. Like I said, his style really is best described as a lament fueled by two fifths of Old Crow and a regular dose of pain medication on the hour, every hour, for weeks at a time. Anchoring the bulldozing, time devouring riffage is a rhythm section full of sleaze and trailer park blues. Without warning, SV morphs their anti-gravity trudge into a back alley, bong rip with one of the band’s most blatant, Sabbath drenched grooves since the early days. This song is pure power from start to finish, topped off with a particularly scabby, encrusted ending not far removed from the legendary Buzzov*en. Plenty of gas left in the SV jalopy after all these years and “Black Cloud…” is a must hear for all of the band’s supporters who didn’t jump ship after Liz Buckingham (ex-13, current Electric Wizard) made her exit from the band after Will to Mangle.
      
      Holding their own against the decade strong SV is the UK’s leather clad (at least they sound as if they are) maestros Blood Island Raiders. At this point in time, the tune on the split with Among the Missing and a few scattered mp3tracks are the only thing in my possession. Beer swilling metal with a gruff vocalist, front n’ center riff/solo executions and top-notch rhythm wrangling has been the band’s calling card and even if you have no idea who the fuck Blood Island Raiders truly are, it won’t make any difference after one listen to their raging rocker “The Phobia” on this 7”. Vintage doom/rock plays dangerously with a rusted, metallic blade; tempting fate and threatening lives in one fell swoop. Warren’s hefty vocals deliver a hurdy gurdy, whiskey fed cadence…putting him in a similar ballpark as James Hetfield but with his own special touch included. In fact, the chorus is a real stunner, seeing Warren utilize his pipes to create a soaring melody and some gruffly memorable lyricisms. Psyched out guitar shreddery expands dimensions in the early goings but boils down to an all business, burly verse/chorus riff conjecture. Sturdy soloing brings an extra boatload of rock n’ roll to the proceedings before that fucking awesome chorus kicks in one last time, eventually winding down to a rather doom-y conclusion when all is said and done.
      
      Superior split release with two great and greatly different (might I add) bands putting their best foot forward. It seems that split 7 inchers are no longer serving as the dumping ground for unwanted experiments and live recordings that you can barely hear, as I’ve been graced by a pair of truly fantastic ones in the last couple of weeks. Rabid SV cultists will literally shit a brick upon hearing “Black Cloud…” and Blood Island Raiders have offered up an infinitely catchy fist-pumper in the form of “The Phobia”. Need some new heavy wax for your turntable? Well, this split is your answer and will probably end up as the best and the heaviest, 7” symmetry of the year!
      
      Visit the Calculon website at www.calculon.co.uk
    • [14:52 on 12/07/09]
13. • Podge
    • Mondo Cada – S/T EP (Calculon Records)
      By Jay Snyder / www.hellridemusic.com
      July 3, 2009
      
      The old adage that all good bands break up before their time, certainly holds true with Oxford’s (UK) Mondo Cada and their Calculon Records’ debut. I just got this EP about two weeks ago and upon checking the band’s page it seems that they disbanded back in April. What a crying shame, because this short, S/T pointed at great things to come for these damaged children of Black Flag, Black Sabbath and Am-Rep!
      
      Much akin to their mates of state (and label mates) Gorse; Mondo Cada take atomic, Am-Rep noise and nail it to the underbelly of some skuzzy sludge/doom mongrel, then throw the motley beast in a pressure cooker of tense vocalizing, assorted instrumentation (acoustic guitar, piano, organ, sitar) and hateful feedback. The resulting noise implosion is highly invigorating and while reference able to certain acts that have come before, has a feeling all its own.
      
      Acoustic malice fills the air in the opening seconds of “The Creature Was”, but quickly collapses under the weight of a filth-stricken, noise-rock groove that rests somewhere between the smart mouthed snarl of Unsane and the weirder, more rocked out side of Hydrahead proudly displayed by Harkonen. The hum of a carnival organ shines in the areas where most noise-rockers would interject a blast of haggard feedback and adds a unique dimension to the abrasive riffs n’ rhythms and throaty, Rollins on crack roar of vocalist Max Higgs. Speaking of Rollins and Black Flag, “Glass Shard” totally indulges in the My War hysterics of said classic punk band. Ripping full-bore with a speeding freight of burly, tonally nasty noise/punk; MC pull a wildcard I really wasn’t expecting. The vocals eschew a bit of their snarling scream for a vintage crust drawl that fits hand in hand with the simplicity of the music’s forward push. Not content to do anything by the book, the insanity is catapulted to a startling high when a stoner caravan rumbles into town, riding on a whirlwind of high-energy Am-Rep tenacity tempered by the grooviest of 70’s lead guitar licks! Again…not exactly what you’ll expect to hear if you pick this one up and follow along at home, but exactly what you NEED to hear.
      
      Yet another surprise swiftly follows in the form of “This Disease” where guitarist/mult-instrumentalist/songwriter Ian Moore exercises his inner Gaz Jennings with towering boogie riffs, dropping more than a few nods to UK legends Cathedral. MC spice up the proceedings a bit though, with a ripping guitar solo of their own, the tinkling of broken piano keys and a dash of sludge, noise and punk vitriol in order to make “This Disease” very much their own monster, and not another mindless, by the numbers copycat venture.
      
      Packing as much as humanly possible into less than two minutes of running time, “Locusts I” burns with the rage of the best Black Flag but adopts a brief series of clean chords into its riveting boil, giving it a double edged attack that simultaneously rips flesh and stitches it back on in time for the seething, Temple of the Morning Star flavored acoustic/sitar hum of “Black Box Recordings” to apply the necessary soothing adhesive to insure that your hanging lumps of flesh stay tacked on for the duration of the spoken word, Cavity crawl that is “The Drag”. “The Drag” is a more traditional stomper that boldly resuscitates the swaggering Sabbath lurch of Florida’s meanest of the mean. Elephantine in its weight, the crushing riffs ooze overtop of the Lauchie Banfield (bass) and Adam Beesley ode to rhythmic magma; laying waste to entire continents during its lengthy 4 minute pummel (lengthy for these ADD infected bastards!).
      
      MC’s eponymous EP culminates with “Locusts II”, another beautiful foray into transient clean guitars and tripped-out drum work that revives the ghost of soulful southern rock/blues, putting the final nail in both this release and the band’s coffin. Man, it sucks that this is probably going to be MC’s sole extended release, as smaller bands of this nature often dissolve only to never return to the fold. Ian and Adam are playing together in a new outfit called Ruins, leaving MC in a state of eternal dysfunction for the time being.
      
      It’s fucking sad, because this EP is a fully realized piece of work from start to finish. The atmosphere, the experimentation and the uncompromising heaviness all congeal into a unified whole of ugly noise ramming a fist up the ass of epic, artful noise; without a single Isis-ism to be found. Anyone wondering what Am-Rep’s sickest noise perverts such as Today is the Day, Hammerhead and Unsane would sound like on a steady diet of Black Flag, Hey Colossus, Cavity and Cathedral, will be elated at the sounds emerging from MC’s S/T EP. As of today, there is only a meager pressing of 75 copies available of this phenomenal disc. Hopefully all interested parties will buy a copy of this motherfucker in hopes of creating a larger pressing that’ll spark some international appeal…and even a reunion! Until then, this one will be on the receiving end of repeated spins. Recommended? You bet your boots it is!
      
      Visit the Calculon website at www.calculon.co.uk
    • [14:57 on 12/07/09]
14. • Podge
    • www.onlyfoolsandnoises.com
      
      Sourvein / Blood Island Raiders - Split 7"
      
      All fans of sludge and doom from around the globe will be familiar with the name Sourvein. Spawned from Max Cady’s Cape Fear, this lot have been dropping heavy boulders of doom onto our welcoming ear-drums since 1993, and Side A to this split seven inch, “Black Cloud Revelations”, is no exception. As soon as the needle hits the thick, black wax, you know what’s coming, and as the staple slow intro goes on, the speakers start to rumble and I know I’ll soon “learn about loss" as I prepare to lose control of my bowels. Before long, the world has come crashing down, as a loud and hostile racket erupts. It’s beefy and dirty chugs are met with intervals of feedback, and fronted with venomous-spitting vocals, all of which we’ve heard many times before from Sourvein, and will hopefully hear many a time again.
      
      The B-side contribution comes from the big smoke’s Blood Island Raiders. Although they’ve been together only half as long as their counterparts from across the pond, their back-catalogue is no less-impressive, and they too are getting familiar among the UK underground, having played with the likes of Brant Bjork, Scissorfight, Alabama Thunderpussy and Viking Skull, as well as getting a slot on last years Bloodstock. “The Phobia” is a proper metal track. Old school but not repetitive and boring. Its head-nodding riffs, solid solos and top vocals, are all traits that many a band keep on trying in order to copy and rip-off their heroes from the 80s. But it’s very rare that it’s done quite as well as Blood Island Raiders seem to manage with every record they put out.
      
      These two both know how to make a heavy fucking record singly, but collectively they’ll make any metal head shit his M&S Ys. So it’s another masterstroke from Sheffield’s Calculon Records, who will soon cease to exist, and it's a crying shame.
      
      SIDE A: Black Cloud Revelations - Sourvein
      SIDE B: The Phobia - Blood Island Raiders
      
      www.myspace.com/sourvein13
      www.myspace.com/bloodislandraiders
    • [18:04 on 10/09/09]
15. • Podge
    • www.cosmiclava.com/ - Mondo Cada Review
      
      MONDO CADA (s/t) MCD
      
      Unfortunately, MONDO CADA's debut is also their swansong, and that's a real shame because what this four English guys are doing here is really impressive. Calculon Records may have thought something like that and took the opportunity to release this explosive recordings in 2009. The music of MONDO CADA is like a restless multi-faced monster that will reveal a new face every time. 'Glass Shard' has a lot of the raw energy of later Black Flag during their 'Damaged' phase, while 'Black Box Recordings' has more in common with the acoustic folk blues of Led Zeppelin. Generally speaking, MONDO CADA seems to have a special liking for acoustic guitars (or perhaps Led Zeppelin?), because 'Locusts II' is another instrumental track that is similar in style.
      
      The first thing you notice about 'The Creature Was' is the strong Unsane influence, but MONDO CADA is no copy. 'This Disease' isn't denying its sharp Stooges edge, and belongs to one of my favourite songs here. It's packed full with energy, but almost each song is characterized by the fact that the band unfurls a maximum of power. Just listen to 'The Drag', one of the heaviest songs here. There's a simmering tension under the surface that will be hold by the band in a very clever way. This means that they release more energy at the crucial moment, and it works perfectly. It would have been interesting to listen to a complete album of MONDO CADA, but since that's probably not going to happen, pressing the repeat button is the best thing I can do.
      
      www.mondocada.com
      www.calculon.co.uk
    • [14:33 on 14/09/09]
16. • Donny
    • Podge says:

      So it’s another masterstroke from Sheffield’s Calculon Records, who will soon cease to exist, and it's a crying shame.
      
      
      
      You knocking it on the head then Podge?
    • [14:46 on 14/09/09]
17. • Podge
    • yup,
      I don't have the money or enthusiasm to keep it going.
      
      I might have 1 more release which will be out of print & unreleased stuff including a 13 minute church of misery space jam but dunno if i can be bothered.
      
      I just need to work out how to clear my distro.
      
      anyone want to buy a record label off me?
    • [14:49 on 14/09/09]
18. • Donny
    • No thanks. Got my own to palm off.
      
      Anyone want a job lot of ATM albums? Got about 300 in the shed.
    • [15:20 on 14/09/09]
19. • Podge
    • i dont think i have that many of anything but i do have a hell of a lot of charger / ber splits
    • [15:53 on 14/09/09]
20. • Podge
    • www.cosmiclava.com Review
      
      SOURVEIN / BLOOD ISLAND RAIDERS (s/t) Split 7"
      
      First, I have to say that it is really great that Calculon Records are among those record label which send abroad promo vinyl copies. I really do appreciate this fact, especially because Calculon Records is a small label with not much money at their disposal. With this heavyweight vinyl 7" the series of split singles will be continued and after the 7" with Church Of Misery, SOURVEIN is again involved with a previously unreleased song named 'Black Cloud Revelations'. As expected, the song offers a successful mix of doom and sludge. I still believe that their second album 'Will To Mangle' contains their best material, but this is also a very solid track. In the first half of 'Black Cloud Revelations' SOURVEIN drags on and on before they speed up shortly before the end. I wish it were the other way round. The last time I've listen to BLOOD ISLAND RAIDERS was on a a split album with Among The Missing. Their contribution with the title 'The Phobia' appeals much better to me than the flipside. I personally would go so far as to say that this is one of their best tracks. This is where classic heavy metal, doom and 70's hardrock get united in a powerful way. The result of all this is also very catchy and won me over very soon. Here we have a damn fine 7" and if you want to buy a copy be fast, because this is strictly limited to 325 copies.
      
      www.myspace.com/sourvein13
      www.bloodislandraiders.com
      www.calculon.co.uk
    • [11:07 on 16/09/09]

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