July 2020: Top Picks - Las Historias, Conan & Deadsmoke, Battalions

Another month of this cursed year gone. I went to the pub for the first time in four and a half months over the weekend and I've forgotten completely what gigs are like. Thank god we're definitely coming up to the latter end, I guess?

In this month's instalment of my top picks I feature bands from countries as diverse as Argentina and Italy (as well as the North of England). Also, most of the tracks here aren't actually new. Still, if any of these went over your head at any point in the last few weeks (or the last few years), here's your chance to make up for lost time and listen to some new(ish) noise.

Las Historias - Las Historias (doom metal/psychedelic rock) - Electric Valley Records

The Argentinian scene might not be the most famous in the world for heavy riffs, although it's not without its gems. Buenos Aires trio Amethyst are a favourite recent discovery of mine, with their Down/Sabbath-y extended jams, and the spacey Fabricantes know how to pack a punch or two. I'd like to see Las Historias gain more recognition, though. Only their first album, their sound combines the darkness of Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard with a tripped-out psychedelic adventure straight out of the late 60s. With almost five minutes of unnerving instrumental wavering, 'Lord of Poisons' ominously sets the tone before 'Frankenstein', the first song with lyrics, comes in. Drenched in fuzz and dripping with dark, heavy blues, Las Historias show their ability to play with dynamic range, but also to just have fun and jam out as if Hendrix was still among the living. 'Hada Madrina' has a beautiful, slightly Latin flair to its chord sequences. It's a mostly calm and relaxing song, although has a brutally heavy section near the end with crushing guitar effects and pounding drums - before returning to its gentle trip. 'Ya Vendrán' is a longer jam that seems to float as much as it sinks to the ground, showing off highly impressive guitar work from Tomas Iramain - not to discount the efforts of the other two members, whose pounding, constant rhythm section provides a solid basis for the album. 'Mayhem and Sex', probably my album highlight for Las Historias, has an opening riff that could have been a lost idea from Dopethrone twenty years ago. It's heavy enough to satisfy the doomheads and has enough trippy weirdness to keep the psych fans entertained. A strong vocal performance from Tomas throughout the album is the icing on the cake, as he makes use of harmonies and stays within a comfortable range. It really is worth taking a trip with Las Historias soon.

Read Siân's review here

Conan & Deadsmoke - Doom Sessions Vol. 1 (doom/sludge metal) - Heavy Psych Sounds

Heavy Psych Sounds are starting a series of split EPs - one band per side - titled 'Doom Sessions'. Surprisingly, there'll be plenty of doom bands on there. HPS's own Deadsmoke join Liverpudlian titans Conan for the first round. Side A is a single Conan track that stretches on for seventeen minutes. It originally came out in 2013 on another split that they did with Bongripper, but it is for sure a lesser-known track in their discography. So, if you missed it back then, or became a fan in the seven years since, listen to 'Beheaded'! It starts off with pounding drums before Conan's instantly-recognisable, detuned guitar fuzz takes over. It's a sprawling epic, but only ever as simple as it needs to be. It's an atmospheric Side A - but in a completely different way to Side B, which showcases two brand new tracks from Deadsmoke. I'll be honest, I had no idea who they were before I listened to 'Doom Sessions'. After eleven minutes of the disgusting, dark atmosphere of 'Dethroned Concrete', I had to stop, take a break and have a think about what I'd just listened to. Intelligent utilisations of feedback and the dichotomy between sludgy creepiness and a filthy groove make it a really strong piece of music. Oh, and a tribal drum outro that pounds away just makes it the most hellish experience. In the best way possible, of course, what is sludge when you feel too happy listening to it, really? 'Dead Minds Army', the second Deadsmoke track, takes you on another bad trip before it closes out (and comes back in again). The two sides really complement each other well. Conan's hypnotic trance is very much different to Deadsmoke's nightmare fuel, but it's two sides of pure atmosphere and an absolute treat for fans of the genre.

Read my MMH Radio review here

Battalions - Pure Humber Sludge (sludge metal) - APF Records

Marking a decade of depravity from the cowboys from Hull, 'Pure Humber Sludge' is the first two Battalions albums, remastered by Chris Fielding for the 2020s. It's true that with bands like these we tend to listen to the most recent material out there when we get into them, so if you're relatively new to the Battalions train then now's your chance to get into their earlier work - and it's brilliant. The title pretty much sums up what you're in for; there's fast bits, slow bits, ugly bits, and yeah, it's sludgy as fuck. They're very much in the post-Eyehategod and Iron Monkey-generation of sludge that drips with blues, tortured vocals and powerful riffs. However, you can hear that they're more than just a one trick pony as the runtime of 'Pure Humber Sludge' ticks on. 'Lotion Basket' is scattered with thick Mastodon-inspired guitar licks, and 'Another Meaning For Death' is full of beautiful, more understated bluesy playing. These two particularly stand out as showing off the broad range of Battalions' palette, and are both from their sophomore album - 'Moonburn', released in 2017, proving the band's musical evolution. Most of the rest of the record does just seem to vengefully hit you in the face with a spade - maybe not literally - but that's exactly what you want with this genre. Whether it swings like 'Moonburn', gets the heads banging as 'Whiskey and Wine' does so well, or chugs à la the humourously spelt 'God's Cuntry', Battalions seem to do sludge so well, and free of filler. For that reason, it can feel difficult to pick out a personal highlight, because Battalions are so consistent. It's certainly not because there's no variety or catchy songs out there. One of my favourites, though, is 'Blood Bed', with its main riff that has more than a tinge of Sabbath worship to it, but dragged kicking and screaming into the early 21st century with its relentless stomp. As it should be. Have a listen to the more recent 'Forever Marching Backwards', which APF released a couple of years back, if you liked this one.

MN