Take a few parts heavy stoner metal and mix in a few parts prog and psych and you might end up with the unique sound of Caustic Casanova. Take a listen to Stampede from their most recent EP:
I really dig the high energy combined with the heavy riffs, but at the same time we get the lively guitar work and time changes from post metal or prog. Caustic Casanova has a very fresh and catchy sound while still keeping its roots in heavy metal.
Caustic Casanova is a trio from Washington, DC. consisting of Francis Beringer on bass & vox, Stefanie Zaenker on drums & vox, and Andrew Yonki on guitar.
And check out this news: Caustic Casanova will have a track on Magnetic Eye Records Best of Black Sabbath companion record, a bonus to the Vol.4 record. Available for pre-order now at MERHQ.net. Expect it to be out April 2020.
You can listen to Caustic Casanova's Stampede from Pantheon: Volume 3 along with many other fresh tracks from the heavy underground on this month's Bandcamp comp, Earth Day:
A quick glance at Fuzzy's collection on Bandcamp will show you how much I dig instrumental music in general, and heavy psych specifically. And we all know how much great stoner music comes from Greece. So when the guys in Their Methlab told me about their new album, I was definitely eager to listen to it. You should listen to it too:
Oh yea...... this is very groovy! Their Methlab can serve up the psychedelia in heavy doses, or they can deliver it in mellow slices. Arctic Funk starts of strong, gets a little pensive and melancholy, but cranks up the heavy bass and guitar work again well before it's done.
There are several themes going on with the songs on THE LAST SECOND. Of course you are getting the heavy stoner sound, with the psychedelic guitar work on top of that, but also there are places where you get that blending of the two and Their Methlab achieves a very nice desert sound. They way these guys take you from one sound to another in such a smooth fashion might be what I enjoy about them the most.
There are a few places where Their Methlab gets into prog metal and progressive psychedelic sounds, for example in the middle and end of A Call To Arms. I really dig that. The heaviness combined with the fast-paced and excellent guitar work just sounds incredible. There are even some time changes to give it that proggy sound. If you need your stoner music to be super chill all the way through, like a drive along a smooth desert highway, then maybe these tracks might not be your thing. But if you don't mind doing a little bit of 4x4 off-roading then Their Methlab is surely going to please your ears.
If fact, here is how Their Methlab describes their music:
This region of the country (Athens, Greece) thrives with post-apocalyptic-like nature scenery, face melting wind melodies and almighty mountains. This landscape, our way of life as students and the music scene of the city, were the first influences that formed the core of the band. Our music emerged in the form of long, heavy, groovy, psy jams.
One thing that is important to me is to be able to start an album, and just let it play right through to the end. That is definitely the way you can listen to THE LAST SECOND by Their Methlab.
Their Methlab started in 2011 and are from Athens, Greece.
The Last Second by Their Methlab is a really top rate instrumental stoner psych album! Check it out at one of the links below.
Zingaro is a 2-piece experimental progressive desert rock band out of Denver, Colorado that blends progressive metal with funk, jazz, and even a little psychedelic guitar work. Take a listen:
I dig instrumental stoner music. I dig psychedelic improvisation and jams. So you know I dig this. These tracks keep the music fresh and more than interesting, and they do not get into repetitions.
Most of these songs are improvisations, and they are all recorded live. You can hear that live energy in the tracks.
Zingaro is Kade Hornbuckle on guitar and Quinn Warren on drums and percussion. Check them out on the Zingaro Bandcamp page.
If you like your instrumental stoner to have that extra layer of cosmic guitar sound then you have to listen to the debut EP from La Grande Armée:
You know Fuzzy digs stoner, and I dig psych, and always I am into the instrumental. So when you combine all three sounds then I am pretty much getting my mind blown. La Grande Armée delivers psychedelic guitar work on top of a very solid stoner sound. Just play this entire EP on a loop and have a safe trip.
Here's some info the band sent me:
La Grande Armée is a psych rock/instrumental band formed in San Pedro de la Paz, Chile in 2017. The members of the band are Joaquín Landero (drums and percussion), Juan Carlos Márquez (guitars) and Frank, the Franker (bass). Together they make this astronomic experience of sounds and sensations from the 70s come to life. Landero and Márquez started experimenting with sounds in the summer of 2010, creating a number of music projects. During this period, Frank was also working with other bands. After a few months of rehearsal, La Grande Armée recorded its first EP in February 2018 with Ático Records LTDA record label and it was released in January 28th, 2019. Nowadays, the band is on the songwriting process for their LP record.
Very rarely does Fuzzy dig into the lyrics of a song as much as I have with this one; they are pure doom poetry. As a side benefit, the music and vocals completely kick ass, too. So take a listen to the debut EP "Ashy Mountains" from Canada's Smoothsayer:
Here's a quote from the last track, Ashy Mountains / White Trash Gandalf:
He's a mortal man with an immortal soul
Ancient magic slowly takes control
"A wizard has no hubris nor any greed. I pay with orcs blood for those drugs I need."
Yea that's right, this is a song about junkie magician who has seen better days. Much better days. With some hard driving stoner rock and tough vocals to back it up.
So what group dares sing about such things? Smoothsayer out of Red Deer, Alberta.
Smoothsayer formed last year and is a 4 piece stoner rock band comprised of Brady Ryan on guitar, Dallas Mann on vocals, Jacob Beebe on bass, and Zach Selander on drums. I can't say for sure the order matches the picture.
Smoothsayer has some shows coming up so check them out:
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