In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.
If you love stoner metal, psych rock, or anything that screams of the dirt and fuzz of the dirty 70s, you’re probably more than acquainted with Heavy Psych Sounds Records, the Italian label that for almost 20 years has been the home of some of the most fuzzed out stoner and retro metal out there. I mean, far out there, man… So for this edition of Second Circle we’re focusing on two new new releases from the label, highlighting the reinvention and re-invigoration of Bobby Liebling and Pentagram on the one hand, and the crazed do-what-thou-wilt rock madness of Fvzz Popvli.
Time to descend.
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You can’t talk about doom, stoner metal, or really even the birth of heavy metal without talking about Bobby Liebling. Despite not having released their first proper album until the mid 80s (seriously, check out Relentless if you don’t know it) Pentagram have been active since the early 70s, churning out incredible riffs and songs that never really got a shot until those 80s albums and the release of the First Daze Here compilation showed just how heavy the band were during the birth of the genre. 50 years later and too many incarnations of the band to count, Liebling’s working with a murderer’s row of talent to put together Lightning in a Bottle, album #10 that stomps its way through all the tried and true elements of the genre.
Featuring members from Big Scenic Nowhere, St. Vitus, and Mos Generator, Lightning in a Bottle dials down the doom just a bit to put the focus on the full throated roar of heavy rock. Early tracks like “Live Again” and “I Spoke to Death” see Liebling’s voice perhaps a little worn but still effective. The music is deep, dark, and heavy as lead, relying on thick guitars and a drum that sounds like it covers a small town to pound the riffs into your brain. There’s some swagger to the rock and roll of “I’ll Certainly See You in Hell” and you can hear some 50s influence creeping in the arrangements, not to mention Liebling’s ability to throw some “woos” where he wants to. But for my money the band works best when firmly ensconced in doom, like on the nauseous closing track “Walk The Sociopath.” I’m still feeling my way through this new version of Pentagram after having been so deep with those 80s album and the 70s comp, but it’s promising that Lightning in a Bottle shows an engaged band that knows how to use Liebling’s voice in fresh ways.
Lightning in a Bottle is available now via Heavy Psych Sounds. For more information on Pentagram, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.
A power trio out of Italy featuring a guy named Pootchie on guitar and vocals? And kicking off their new album with a song about Indiana Jones? You have my attention, Fvzz Popvli, despite my computer constantly insisting on correcting your band name’s spelling. Melting Pop is both album #4 for the band as well as a mission statement to its contents: forget expectations and just let everything the band enjoys melt into a stew of rock and roll. Their results are often indeed kind of poppy, like if Weezer was suddenly mugged and impersonated at their show by a bunch of drunken, stoned leather freaks. And I mean that as a compliment – this is a ripping fun record that doesn’t take itself seriously, gets out of its own way and just rocks.
So yeah: the album does kick off with “Temple of Doom” which is very much about Dr. Jones fighting and overcoming the bad guys, but where Melting Pop took my heart was on the single “Salty Biscvits.” It’s super infectious, the kind of indie rock song hundreds of bands try to write and fail at. In a more just world it would be all over indie and college rock radio, and would get enough traction to appear on some cable television show. Psychedelic doom permeates “Ovija” in another late album highlight, and I didn’t even mention “Kommando” which is about a certain muscle-bound action star…
The music plays fast and loose, the production is perfect, and I now am digging through to listen to everything else Fvzz Popvli put out. You need good times in this age of chaos? These guys got you covered.
Melting Pop will be available February 7th from Heavy Psych Sounds. For more information on Fvzz Popvli, check out their Facebook page.
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Until next time, keep it heavy…keep it safe.
– Chris
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