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Photo by Joe Alberty

In the summer of 2020, with the world on lockdown, and consequently drummer Mike Alonso sidelined from his otherwise intense touring schedule with renowned Celtic punk rockers Flogging Molly, and with guitarist Kevin Roberts and bassist/vocalist Ross Westerbur both between projects and with pretty much nothing else to do besides ride out the pandemic, the three Detroit rock stalwarts verified their respective COVID-19-negative statuses, and then agreed to take what was a pretty bold step in those days: getting together face-to-face in Kevin’s basement for a good old-fashioned rock and roll jam. Ross, who was until then primarily a keyboardist (with a long resume that includes noted stoner rockers 500 Ft. Of Pipe, as well as alt-country road warriors The Deadstring Brothers, and just about everything in between), had recently acquired a Fender Mustang bass, and was glad to have an excuse to finally figure out how to play it. (Although for those first few jams he brought along his Wurlitzer 200 electric piano just in case.) Kevin was not long off of a stint with Tesco Vee’s notorious hardcore punk unit The Meatmen, but the COVID-19-era jam session cover songs that would gradually evolve into WINDS OF NEPTUNE would be closer to his deep classic rock roots: “Fire And Water” by Free, “Hope You’re Feeling Better” by Santana, and “New Day Yesterday” by Jethro Tull.

For that first year, it wasn’t so much a “band” as it was just a way to try to stay sane. The idea of ever playing a gig was at most a dark running post-jam joke during those “unprecedented times.” It was pandemic relief, in the form of the making of music in the old rock style that the three mutually loved. For its own sake. No band name, no gigs, no records, no merch… just jams. But nonetheless, the jams were good.

It probably wasn’t just a happy accident. The apparent effortlessness with which WINDS OF NEPTUNE operates is likely a direct result of their intermingled history. Each member has been previously involved in projects with each of the other two members, pairwise-speaking: Kevin and Ross in the heavy psych-blues band Bluesong, Kevin and Mike in the old-school thrash metal project Mykronian, and Ross and Mike in the MC5-inspired stoner trio Aquarius Void. It was maybe inevitable that they would eventually close the loop — especially given their shared affinity for the early ‘70s canon of heavy rock: Sabbath, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, etc. And as the pandemic ran its course, covers would eventually lead to originals. And originals begat more originals. Gradually, organically, unspokenly, the still-nameless group began to dial in a sound. And then in July 2021, as clubs began to cautiously re-open their doors, an opportunity for an actual, real-life gig at Detroit’s Lager House presented itself. The band adopted “Winds Of Neptune” from the name of the last unreleased Bluesong instrumental track, and the rest was history.

Since then, WINDS OF NEPTUNE has continued to cultivate a sound that makes no apologies for its obvious classic rock influences, while still forging a distinct and powerful identity of its own. Beyond just the heavy riffs (and make no mistake, the riffs are indeed most heavy), there is a foundation of fantastically nuanced songwriting, played by three legit musicians who know their instrument and know its place in the greater whole of the band. It’s a sound that is firmly planted in the ‘70s, evoking the likes of UFO, Budgie, and Captain Beyond, but it is equally at home alongside retro-informed contemporaries like Earthless, Kadavar, and Clutch. And in 2023, that sound would eventually catch the ear of Small Stone Recordings’ Scott Hamilton at a gig in Royal Oak, Michigan, paving the way for the band’s first full-length album.

And with that there could no longer be any doubt: the evolution from COVID-19 bubble to the seriously heavy rock of WINDS OF NEPTUNE was complete.

In advance of the release of Winds Of Neptune, today the band unveils first single and album opener, “The Faun’s Rhyme,” noting of the track,” It’s one of the first songs we wrote as a band, but it’s still one of our favorites to play live. It’s a simple, to-the-point 4/4 stomp, maybe a little bit of an Earache My Eye vibe. Lyrically it’s just a big homage to Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth, because why not?”

Stream WINDS OF NEPTUNE’s “The Faun’s Rhyme” HERE.

Winds Of Neptune was recorded by Jake Halkey and Al Sutton at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan, mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs in Ann Arbor, Michigan and features artwork by Bloodworld and layout by Alexander von Wieding. The record will be released on CD and digital formats with two bonus tracks as well as Black Dust vinyl (limited to 200 copies).

Find all preorders at the Small Stone Bandcamp page HERE.

Winds Of Neptune Track Listing:

1. The Faun’s Rhyme
2. Gas Giant
3. La Cacciata
4. Temporal Mutant
5. U.S.L.
6. So Sayeth The Mouth Of The Void
7. The Fitz (Bonus Track – CD/Digital Only)
8. Queen Of Sumatra (Bonus Track – CD/Digital Only)

WINDS OF NEPTUNE:
Ross Westerbur – bass, vocals
Mike Alonso – drums
Kevin Roberts – guitar

Photo by Luca Scarabicchi

Italian psychedelic fuzz rock conjurors BLACK ELEPHANT have returned to release their new full-length, The Fall Of The Gods, on October 18th via Small Stone Recordings!

In 2018, BLACK ELEPHANT unleashed Cosmic Blues. A true underground classic, Grizzly Buttshailed, “a full-on hard-bluesing stoner rock album that collects the spirit of early Fu Manchu, the space-faring fuzz-rumble of Dozer’s debut and a heavy chug of acid rock’s finer blues guitarists for inspiration,” while Ave Noctum wrote accurately, “Their main source of inspiration is obviously seventies fuzz, but also guitar heavy music from the ‘90s. Think Jimi Hendrix making music with Chris Cornell’s Soundgarden. How does that sound? Pretty good, actually.”

Two years later, the band delivered the Japanese themed Seven Swords, a record MetalSucks lauded for its glassy-eyed riffing and cosmic cadence. “BLACK ELEPHANT stomp their pedalboards like their namesake pachyderm. These Italian riffmeisters also engage in some serious amplifier abuse, but it’s all in the name of kick-ass heavy psych-blues jams.”

The DNA shared between these two albums is simple: both are collections of classic-minded heavy groovers, picking the best the ’70s, ’90s, and ’00s had to offer in face melting riffery.

The Fall Of The Gods continues the trajectory of their two previous sonic gems, while taking things to a heavier place, both literally and figuratively. Comments guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader Alessio Caravelli, “The theme this time around is the fall, from the decay to the reborn… After the last very tough years for all societies, we understood that many principles and colossuses have fallen, exactly like the gods and ancient cultures such as the Maya and Aztec civilizations did. This has been also the inspiration for our graphic designer Farfante, who hand drew the cover and art for the new album with these concepts in mind.”

On The Fall Of The Gods, a wide range of dynamics are present (All Them Witches come to mind). Hints of Hendrix meld with moments of ‘90s shoegaze à la The Verve’s A Storm In Heavenbefore heading down a long desert highway that would make Brant Bjork feel at home.

Fuzz pedals preach on, the sky cracks, and the riffs themselves seem to lock bellies in sumo battles, so what the hell? The world’s ending anyway. You might as well have some fun with it.

In advance of the release of The Fall Of The Gods, today BLACK ELEPHANT unveils first single, “Go,” now streaming at THIS LOCATION. 

BLACK ELEPHANT’s The Fall Of The Gods will be release on CD and digital formats as well as limited edition vinyl — 250 units pressed in the US via Small Stone and 250 units pressed in Germany by Kozmik Artifactz.

Find preorders at the Small Stone Recordings Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION. 

The Fall Of The Gods Track Listing:

1. Mother Of The Sun (Part 1)

2. Go

3. The Fall Of The Gods

4. Vedova Nera

5. Se Chiudo Gli Occhi

6. Dissociale

7. Cuori Selvaggi

8. Shadow

9. Jupiter

10. Mother Of The Sun (Part 2)

BLACK ELEPHANT Recording Lineup:

Alessio Caravelli – guitar, vocals

Massimiliano Giacosa – guitar

Francesco Glielmi – bass

Simone Brunzu – drums

Photo by Jesi Cason

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Florida-based heavy rock unit THE ELECTRIC MUD will release their Ashes And Bone full-length on October 4th via Small Stone Recordings! It’s been three years since the release of THE ELECTRIC MUD’s Black Wool EP and, encouraged by friends, family, and the brass at Small Stone, the band is excited to announce their return. They believed they had more to say, and that their best music was still in front of them. They believed the ideas and creative philosophy that brought the band to life and to the precipice of so many exciting things just a few short years ago had to be carried to the next point in their evolution. A new full-length album, it was decided, was the best way to make that statement. During the writing sessions a theme emerged: Mankind’s obsession with its own destruction. Where did it come from, and where will it take us? THE ELECTRIC MUD intended to examine some of the darker angels of our nature, and set it to a heavy, post-apocalyptic soundtrack. Decamping to Juniper Recordings in Cape Coral, Florida, and bringing Caleb Neff aboard not just to engineer the record but produce it created an open and creative environment in the studio that’s integral to the sound. There is a deep collaborative bond stitched into the fabric of the record, a collection of heavy sounds and ideas that are truly egalitarian in nature. The point is emphatically driven home with a fantastic mix by Ben Mcleoud, studio wiz by day, guitar demigod for All Them Witches by night. The resulting record, Ashes And Bone, has been a labor of love, and a reminder of what they love about music and each other. Boasting a heavier, more aggressive sound that owes as much to the sludgy, prog inflected ferocity of Soundgarden or Mastodon as it does the eerie proto-metal riffing of Black Sabbath and soulful, energy of Graveyard, Ashes And Bone is a firmly taken musical step forward into the future as much as it is the sound of a band taking care of unfinished business. In advance of the record’s release, today THE ELECTRIC MUD unveils their first single, “Top Of The Tree.” Comments Constantine Grim, “‘Top Of The Tree’ was chosen for its pace, energy, and because it serves as connective tissue for the theme of the record: a look into humanity’s obsession with its own destruction through varying perspectives through our history. ‘Top Of The Tree’ is a look in on the end of the world from a position of plenty and privilege, set to an apocalyptic soundtrack for the ages.”

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Ashes And Bone, which features album artwork and design by Alexander von Wieding, will be released on CD, LP and digital formats.

Find preorders at the Small Stone Recordings Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION.

Ashes And Bone Track Listing:

1. Silent Gods

2. Top Of The Tree

3. The Crown That Eats The Head

4.  Gone Are The Days

5. Wrath Of The Mighty

6. Ashes And Bone

7. The Old Ways

8. Manmade Weather

9. Pillars

10. Ace

THE ELECTRIC MUD:

Constantine Grim – guitar

Pierson Whicker – drums, percussion

Peter Kolter – vocals, guitar

Tommy Scott – bass

Special Guests:  

Joe Reppert – organ and keys on “Wrath Of The Mighty”

Jon Meek – synths on “Wrath Of The Mighty” and “Ace”

For THE ELECTRIC MUD coverage contact liz@earsplitcompound.com.

https://www.facebook.com/TheElectricMud

https://www.instagram.com/theelectricmud

https://smallstone.com

https://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords

https://www.instagram.com/smallstonerecords

Photo by Free Ride

Psychedelic fuzz rock outfit FREE RIDE will release their Acido Y Puto full-length on August 9th via Small Stone Recordings.

Born from the smoky depths of underground jam sessions in generator parties, FREE RIDEemerged from the haze with a thunderous blend of stoner rock, psychedelic grooves, and cosmic vibes. Formed in Madrid, Spain by childhood friends Borja Fresno (vocals/guitar), Victor Bedmar (bass), and Carlos Bedmar (drums), the band came together in 2016 with a shared passion for heavy riffs and mind-expanding melodies.

FREE RIDE channels the spirit of the ’70s with their raw, unapologetic approach to rock music. Influenced by the likes of Hendrix, The Stooges, and Black Sabbath, the band’s sound is a sonic tapestry of fuzzed-out riffs, pulsating rhythms, and lysergic solos that transport listeners to the outer reaches of the cosmos.

For their second album, Acido Y Puto, the band sought to capture the raw energy that flourished within the confines of their humble rehearsal room. Armed with nothing but their instruments, a few microphones, and an insatiable desire to create, they set out to capture the essence of their sound in its purest form. Produced by Fresno himself and mixed and mastered by Matt Dougherty in Chicago, the band’s DIY ethos permeates every aspect of the recording process, from engineering their own sessions to experimenting with different mic placements and recording techniques.

Acido Y Puto is a sonic exploration of the human psyche and the depths of the unknown. This album delves into the mysterious and often unsettling aspects of existence, inviting listeners to confront their fears and embrace the darkness within. Musically, it’s a journey that defies categorization, blending elements of psychedelia, punk rock, and even surf-rock into a fascinating soundscape. The result is an album that shimmers with crude intensity and cosmic energy, where each track is a testament to the band’s unyielding dedication to their craft.

In advance of the record’s release, today the band unveils a video for first single and album opener, “Space Nomad,” a tale of a nomadic voyager traversing the universe in search of cosmic truth and connection.

Watch FREE RIDE’s “Space Nomad” video at THIS LOCATION. 

FREE RIDE’s Acido Y Puto, which features artwork by Borja Fresno Benítez and Carlos Bedmar, will be released on CD and digital formats via Small Stone Recordings and opaque blue vinyl (limited to 250) via Kozmik Artifactz. 

Find preorders at the Small Stone Recordings Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION. 

Acido Y Puto Track Listing:

1. Space Nomad

2. Outsider

3. Kosmik Swell

4. Vice

5. Nazaré

6. Steamroller

7. Joy

8. Blackout

9. Living For Today 

FREE RIDE:

Borja Fresno Benítez – vocals, guitars, synthesizer, percussion, sitar

Víctor Bedmar Lam – bass

Carlos Bedmar Lam – drums

Photo by Audrey Wilson

North/South Carolina heavy rock outfit SHUN will release their long-awaited new full-length, Dismantle, July 19th via Small Stone Recordings! 

SHUN released their self-titled debut through Small Stone in 2021. Outlaws Of The Sun called the record, “a big adventure [that] takes the listener on an exciting journey within the vastness of progressive rock and stoner metal,” while Sentinel Daily likened the record to Foo Fighters, “had they avoided a life of Hollywood openings and celebrity girlfriends, concentrating instead on year after year on the road with COC, Clutch, and Cave In… that’s a mighty fine something to sound like.”

Dismantle continues several crucial threads from the debut in terms of songwriting and the returning production of J. Robbins (who also contributes percussion, guitar, and synth), while expanding their scope with a more refined crunch and drifting, ethereal outreach. It is heavier and paints a broader landscape in Matt Whitehead’s vocal and guitar melodies, able to take a prog-metal chug in “Horses” and reshape it as the backdrop for weighted post-rock while refusing to sap its own vitality in service to shoegazey posturing.

Punk and noise rock such as Cave In and Hum feel like touchstones as much as Sabbath and whom- or whatever might’ve inspired the crush tucked at the end of “You’re The Sea,” and while Dismantle may hint as a title at notions of things coming apart, there’s as much being built in its ten tracks as is being destroyed. What results from the trio of Whitehead, bassist Jeff Baucom, and drummer Rob Elzey (Bo Leslie has since joined on guitar, re-completing the lineup) is material varied in its purpose but drawn together in traditional fashion by the electricity of its performances. The band-in-the-room feel in the methodical rollout of opener “Blind Eye” is all the more resonant with the debut having been remotely assembled during plague lockdowns.

Does that make Dismantle something like a second first album? Not really, but if it helps you get on board, you probably won’t get a ton of arguments. While Whitehead’s past in Small Stone denizens Throttlerod is still relevant to SHUN in some essential and riffy ways, SHUN steps forward with Dismantle and declares their meld of styles in tracks like “The Getaway” and “Interstellar” which are able to push, pull, crash down loud, or recede into float as they will. That they’d wield such command in their craft likely won’t be a surprise to those who took on the self-titled, but among the things Dismantle undoes, it strips the listener of expectations and replaces them with its unflinching creativity and refreshingly forward-looking take.

Comments Whitehead on the band’s first single, “‘Drawing Names’ was written in its entirety in under 30 minutes while jamming at our drummer’s house. I’ve found those quick-to-come-together songs that aren’t over-thought and overworked often turn out the best… go figure. The recording of the track was super fun and collaborative as well. I’ll never forget J. Robbins crouched down by my delay pedals turning knobs while I played one section. And then he later added a double tambourine part in the chorus which we absolutely loved.”

Stream SHUN’s “Drawing Names” at THIS LOCATION. 

Dismantle, which features artwork by Alexander Von Wieding, will be released on CD, limited LP, and digital formats. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION. 

Fans of Torche, Cave In, Alice In Chains, Failure, ASG, and huge riffs, pay heed. 

Dismantle Track Listing:

1. Blind Eye

2. Aviator

3. Horses

4. Drawing Names

5. Storms

6. NRNS

7. You’re The Sea

8. The Getaway

9. Through The Looking Glass

10. Interstellar

SHUN – Dismantle Record Release Shows:

7/19/2024 The Odditorium – Asheville, NC

7/20/2024 Swanson’s Warehouse – Greenville, SC

7/26/2024 New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC

8/02/2024 185 King – Brevard, NC

SHUN:

Matt Whitehead – guitar, vocals

Rob Elzey – drums

Jeff Baucom – bass

Additional musicians:

J. Robbins – percussion, synths, guitar

Bo Leslie – guitar