NEPTUNE - 'PATTERNS'

Formats

• VL007 - CD

  5060073260416

Details

BACK IN STOCK! REISSUED, AND NOW SOME PRESS MAY RUN TO COINCIDE WITH THE REISSUE DATE!!! THE NEW ALBUM DUE EARLY NEXT YEAR AND THE TOUR WILL MAKE THIS BAND A HOT PROPERTY! NOW SIGNED TO TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS, MODERN PRIMITIVE (FOR THAT IS BY FAR THE MOST APT PIGEON HOLE TO ATTEMPT) TRIO NEPTUNE HAVE A NEW RELEASE ON UK LABEL FORTISSIMO TO KEEP US SATED UNTIL THE TOE RELEASE LATER IN THE YEAR. INITIALLY UTILIZING A LOT OF HOMEMADE INSTRUMENTS CONSTRUCTED FROM OIL DRUMS, CIRCULAR SAW BLADES, BIKE PARTS ETC NEPTUNE NOW RELIES AS HEAVILY ON HOMEMADE ELECTRONICS IT DOES ITS SIGNATURE SCRAP METAL INSTRUMENTS: NEPTUNE ROCKS LIKE THE FALL, CLANGS LIKE NEUBAUTEN AND DRONES LIKE FAUST..

BAND MEMBERS: JASON SANFORD: BARITONE GUITAR, OSCILLATOR ORGAN, ELECTRIC THUMB PIANO, FOOT CONTROLLED RHYTHMIC OSCILLATOR, TUPPERPHONE, SMALL ELECTRIC SPRING, VOCALS MARK PEARSON: BARITONE GUITAR, 4 STRING SLIDE, BASS, OSCILLTORS, HOMEMADE SYNTHS, LARGE ELECTRIC SPRING, LIGHT SWITCH SYNTHESIZER, PERCUSSION, VOCALS DANIEL BOUCHER: DRUMS, ELECTRIC FLOOR TOM, DRUM TRIGGERED OSCILLATORS, TELEGRAPH NOISE BOX, ELECTRIC GAS PIPE, VOCALS

Tracks

N/A

Press

SOME WIRE, PLAN B AND ROCKSOUND REVIEWS A HAPPENING

Audio & Video

BATTLEMASTER - 'WARTHIRSTING & WINTERBOUND'

Formats

• FFR003 - CD

  TBA

Details

VIRGINIA BASED LABEL FORCEFIELD JOINS FORTE FOR UK DISTRIBUTION, THREE RELEASES ON PRESALE THIS WEEK, THIS IS THE FIRST: CHAOTIC EVIL IN ALIGNMENT, HASTENED SHREDDERS BATTLEMASTER WILL RUN YOU THROUGH WITH THEIR DEBUT FULL-LENGTH SWORD, "WARTHIRSTING & WINTERBOUND". IN A BALEFUL REIGN OF FANTASTIC METAL DOMINATION, BATTLEMASTER FORCE YOU THROUGH A CLASSIC OF A CAMPAIGN, DEEP INSIDE THE BLEAK CAVERNS OF FANTASY NOIRE. THESE FIVE RICHMOND, VIRGINIA BASED ADVENTURERS SPEED YOUR IMAGINATION THROUGH 10 TRACKS/45 MINUTES OF BELLIGERENT BUT CREATIVE DRUMMING AND BLACKENED CRYPT-CRAWLING GUITAR-WORK, WITH A FAST-PACED GOBLINOID NARRATION OF BESTIAL VOCAL VARIETY. "WARTHIRSTING & WINTERBOUND" SUMMONS AN ARRAY OF TECHNICAL AND NECROMANTIC SPELLS OF BLACKENED THRASH AND FORWARD-THINKING MELODY TO PAY GRIM TRIBUTES TO THE FIERCE AND FORGOTTEN DENIZENS OF THE UNDERDARK. RECORDED IN THE BRILLIANCE OF WINTER WITH CORY SMOOT (GWAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE), THE DEBUT CAPTURES THE MOMENTUM AND URGENCY A OF SPEEDFREAK GAME OF AD&D. FANS OF METAL! 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, ENTOMBED, MORBID ANGEL, ETC WILL LAP THIS UP!

Tracks

N/A

Press

REVIEWS IN KERRANG, TERRORIZER, BIG CHEESE, ROCKSOUND, METAL HAMMER.

Audio & Video

MICHAEL HURLEY - 'ANCESTRAL SWAMP'

Formats

• GONG07 - LP

  655035050713

• GONG07CD - CD

  655035050720

Details

ANCESTRAL SWAMP IS THE 20TH FULL-LENGTH ALBUM BY LEGENDARY RAMBLER, CARTOONIST, 'OUTSIDER' FOLK SINGER, AND GUITARIST MICHAEL HURLEY. IT ARRIVES JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME FOR THE RABID SNOCKOPHILE. A BATCH OF NEW VITTLES AND ENCORES OF SOME OF HIS CLASSIC TUNES, ANCESTRAL SWAMP BUBBLES WITH LAID-BACK EASE AND TREMOLODIC GOODNESS. MOST SONGS HAVE THE SIMPLEST OF ARRANGEMENTS: HURLEY SINGING SOLO, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS GUITAR, WURLIZTER ORGAN, OR FIDDLE. TARA JANE O'NEIL HELPS LEND A NICE TOUCH TO 'EL DORADO,' AND SNOCK CALLS UPON FREQUENT PAST ACCOMPLICES DAVE REISCH AND LOUIE LONGMEYER FOR THEIR GRACEFUL TOUCH ON SLEEPY WINNERS LIKE 'NEW RIVER BLUES' AND 'GAMBLIN' CHARLIE.' AS WITH ALL HURLEY'S ALBUMS, ONCE ONE SETS THE NEEDLE DOWN, ONE IS PUT IN A CERTAIN PEACE AND PLACE. HIS VOICE AND SONGS ARE UNIQUE, SHUFFLING WITH CHARACTERS AND VISIONS CLEAR AND WILD. WITH ANCESTRAL SWAMP, IT SEEMS SNOCK HAS LEFT HIS FRONT DOOR OPEN A BIT WIDER THAN USUAL. IF YOU LEAN IN CLOSE, YOU CAN INHALE A LITTLE OF THE VAPOR RISING OFF THE WATER, AND ENJOY A TALE OR TWO. SNOCK HAS PERSONALLY TEST MARKETED THE ANCESTRAL SWAMP' AND THE RESULTS ARE IN: 'THE ANCESTRAL SWAMP IS ACTUALLY A GOOD PARTY RECORD, EVEN THOUGH FRAUGHT WITH DIRGES OF DYING AND DEATH.'

Tracks

1. KNOWCANDO
2. DYIN? CRAPSHOOTER?S BLUES
3. LONESOME GRAVEYARD
4. NEW RIVER BLUES
5. EL DORADO
6. 1ST PRECINCT BLUES
7. LIGHT GREEN
8. GAMBLIN? CHARLIE
9. STREETS OF LAREDO
10. WHEN I GET BACK HOME
11. SHE GOT A MATHEMATIC

Press

REVIEWS IN UNCUT, SUNDAY TIMES, MOJO, FROOTS, MORE REVIEWS TBC

Audio & Video

ALEXANDER TURNQUIST - 'FAINT AT THE LOUDEST HOUR'

Formats

• VHF107 - CD

  783881010725

Details

FAINT AT THE LOUDEST HOUR IS THE ASTONISHING SOLO DEBUT BY GUITARIST ALEXANDER TURNQUIST, PART OF A YOUNG GENERATION OF GUITAR PLAYERS WHO HAVE TAKEN THEIR INCREDIBLE VIRTUOSITY AND TURNED IT INTO SOMETHING ACTUALLY WORTH LISTENING TO. LIKE JAMES BLACKSHAW, JACK ROSE, GLENN JONES, ET AL., THIS COULD ROUGHLY BE DESCRIBED AS 'RAGA' GUITAR, WITH ITS LONG, MODAL COMPOSITIONS AND HYPNOTIC OVERTONE PLAY. UNLIKE MOST OF HIS PEERS, HOWEVER, TURNQUIST EMPLOYS A VARIETY OF EXTENDED TECHNIQUES ALA HANS REICHEL, GRAPPLING THE STRINGS WITH BOTH HANDS AND USING A VARIETY OF APPROACHES AND ATTACKS ON BOTH THE STEEL AND WOOD. THERE'S ALSO A DISTINCT LACK OF AUDIBLE 'ROOTS' INFLUENCE HERE, WITH TURNQUIST SIDESTEPPING THE FAHEY-ISMS THAT DOMINATE SO MUCH CURRENT ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC. ALONG WITH THE SIX- AND TWELVE-STRING ACOUSTICS, TURNQUIST MAKES SUBTLE USE OF ELECTRONIC TEXTURES, SUCH AS THE SURPRISING FENNESZ-LIKE DISSOLVE THAT OCCURS MIDWAY THROUGH 'AMONGST A SWARM OF HUMMINGBIRDS.' FAINT AT THE LOUDEST HOUR WAS RECORDED BY SCOTT SOLTER (MOUNTAIN GOATS, LIAM SINGER, MANY OTHERS) WITH CINEMATIC DEPTH AND DETAIL. FANS OF JAMES BLACKSHAW, JACK ROSE, SIR RICHARD BISHOP, ALEXANDER TUCKER WILL WANT THIS.

Tracks

1. AMONGST A SWARM OF HUMMINGBIRDS
2. IN THE VEIN OF BEDLAM
3. WATER SPOTS UPON MY MIND
4. WHITE OUT
5. MIME FIGHT
6. AS THE SUN SETS, WE THINK OF DAYS TO COME...

Press

REVIEWS IN THE WIRE, UNCUT, MOJO, PLAN B

Audio & Video

MAKOTO, KAWABATA - 'INUI 4'

Formats

• VHF106 - CD

  783881010626

Details

INUI 4 IS THE FOURTH VOLUME IN MAKOTO KAWABATA'S SERIES OF SOLO RELEASES FOR VHF. WHILE WIDELY AND RIGHTLY KNOWN FOR EARSPLITTING DEEP PURPLE-STYLE GUITAR DEMOLITION WITH ACID MOTHER'S TEMPLE, GONG, ETC., KAWABATA'S INUI WORKS ARE HIGHLY PERSONAL AND INTROSPECTIVE, WITH LOTS OF ROOM GIVEN TO COSMIC ATMOSPHERE AND ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS. INUI 4 IS A SINGLE 68 MINUTE TRACK, A SLOW-BUILDING AND EVOLVING MULTI-LAYERED SWATH OF ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC GUITARS, ELECTRONICS, AND HURDY GURDY. THE FINAL 20 MINUTES FEATURE PROMINENT 'GLISSANDO' GUITAR, A LA DAEVID ALLEN -A VERY FINE SOUND TO BE LOST IN. LIKE THE OTHER INUI VOLUMES, THIS INCLUDES GREAT PHOTOS AND DESIGN BY MAKOTO AND SACHIKO KAWABATA

Tracks

1. RYO

Press

REVIEWS IN THE WIRE, PLAN B, UNCUT, SUDNAY TIMES

Audio & Video