After the jump there are three new and new-ish videos from three awesome artists and some brief musings on their worldly ramifications. It’s really deep and important and you should press “read more” or whatever it says now.
Last year’s debut from Jess and the Ancient ones was a striking but ultimately inconsistent effort. It seemed like the vocal prowess of Jess herself was always on a leash, that is, the songwriting and riffing just couldn’t keep up with her potential. If the “Astral Sabbat” is any indication, it sounds like the band will be turning away from the occult rock bubbles favorite party trick of recycling Blue Oyster Cult hooks. Instead the song sounds like a surf-rock infused James Bond number, as if Jess and the gang have been listening to acts like Supreme Beings of Leisure in addition to their usual ritual rock. The Astral Sabbath McD is due out on February 22nd on Svart Records and will hopefull step outside the boundaries of what just might be a dying occult trend.
I’m constantly surprised by how many bands in this, the 2013th Year of Our Lord, don’t seem to give one fuck that it isn’t the 80s anymore. And yet, when I think I’ve seen it all, De La Cruz prove that I’ve yet to see anything. The only thing that would constitute more blatant worship of Van Halen, Poison and Motley Crue is me belting out the actual hits in the shower. To add to the absurdity, nobody in the band is named De La Cruz. Considering this is Frontiers Records band –the same people that brough us killer acts like Crazy Lixx and Crashdiet– this starts to be a little more understandable. It may my knee-jerk rejection of all the self-loathing indie trends and art rock snobbery infiltrating my favorite extreme metal genres but this song is actually pretty catchy and fun. Then again, I’ve never hid my soft spot for the 80s. Street Level will be out in late March on Frontiers Records.
And finally, Kvelertak hired a bunch of kids to lipsync and play air guitar to their newest single. The song is an insanely addictive blend of stoner grooves, hardcore/punk dynamics and some nice clean chorus hooks. The song is below. The video is over at Stereogum.
Loving Jess and the Ancient ones, but Kvelertak leaves me cold when I think back to the addictive debut record. The video does little to help the song because it feels like it was put together in a rush. I’d rather see the band performing than a bunch of silly little kids.