Resonating intimation; exploring the sounds of Jeff II

Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.

Can you first introduce yourself and give us some background to how you began making music?

Hey! I’m Jeff II an electro rock music producer and guitar player. I’ve been doing music for more than 10 years. I’ve been playing in bands since forever as a guitar player. I’m doing some session gigs and some live shows. This is really cool but at some point, I wanted to have my own project to play my own music. It all came up naturally, I had a lot of pre-written material, but I needed some time to bring everything to life and to find my sound as a solo artist.

How have the experiences of being in other bands previously impacted and guided what you are doing now, in maybe inspiring a change of style or direction?

Yeah I’ve been in bands since I started playing the guitar. Mostly rock and pop bands. I had a lot of fun but I started to gain an interest for music production and especially electronic music. I like working with bands but I enjoy being alone in my studio writing and producing new music. My style hasn’t changed that much, it’s still hard rock music but with an electronic production.

What inspired the band name?

My friends in France are into rap music a lot. I’m the only ‘rock dude’ around, so they started calling me ‘JE2F’ to make my name sounds more ‘Hip Hop’ *laughs* I just adjusted it to ‘Jeff II’ eventually. It all started with a private joke.

Was there any specific idea behind your solo venture, in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?

I wanted to do my own solo project for a long time. My idea was to make some music that sounds good live on stage, in a club or at home with the headphones on. It’s not always easy to find the right balance but eventually I worked hard on my sound and ideas to figure it all out.

Do the same thoughts still drive the band when it was fresh-faced or have they and your sound evolved over time?

I’m still driven by the same passion and desire to produce quality music. My mind-set hasn’t changed. The sound changed a little bit but it’s still in the same electro/rock vein. I’ve been in many bands before and it’s sometimes difficult to deal with 3, 4 or more different individuals. As it is a solo project, it’s much easier to manage and to know where I’m heading.

My sound has become more and more ‘produced’. I don’t see it as a bad thing; it’s a natural evolution for me. The more I’m practicing my skills in the studio, the more I want to apply my knowledge to my tracks. When I started I was just a guitar player I didn’t know anything about production, so it was mainly riffs, bass and drums. Now there’s more effects and synths.

Has it been more of an organic movement of sound or more you deliberately wanting to try new things?

Totally an organic movement, I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t go like ‘ I have to change my sound’. It just evolved naturally until now.

Presumably you have a wide range of inspirations and artists you admire; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on your music but your personal approach and ideas to creating it?

As a guitar player I’ve always been a fan of Hendrix, SRV, Satriani, Jimmy Page….I like classic rock in general. But when I started producing I was more into electronic bands such as The Prodigy or The Glitch Mob. At the end of the day my music sounds like both worlds. There’s a few punk and pop elements here and there but it’s not dominant.

Is there a particular process to your songwriting?

I usually start with a guitar riff or a melody. I’m recording a loop of it and eventually I build my track around it. Then I set the structure so I have a whole track. Then comes the production part, I add all the effects, the layers, the samples…. I’m trying to mix while I’m producing so my song sounds good right from the start.

…And any lyrical side to your songs?

My music is mostly instrumental, there’s no real lyrics. I use voice samples here and there but I’m not too concerned about the words, I’m all about the sound and the vibe. If I have a voice sample that fits right for a certain track, I’ll use it no matter what’s the lyrics in it.

Give us some background to your latest release.

My latest single ‘Laying low’ is a bit different than what I’m use to do. It has less guitar but more synths and drums. I was focused on the beat and the atmosphere of the song rather than the riff. The mood is a bit darker and less euphoric than songs like ‘Sleepless’. It’s an ‘introvert’ song kind of.

Could you give us an insight to the themes and premise behind the single and other songs?

Recently my songs are getting a bit more ‘serious’. My first tracks were really straight forward EDM/Rock. It’s the kind of music that entertains and makes you move. It’s all about that really, hedonism and escapism. But I wanted to add a little more subtlety in the new release. It’s cliché but I’ve through tough moments recently and I wasn’t feeling like doing ‘hard rocking party music’ kind of songs. So the latest tracks are more ‘laid back’.

Do you go into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?

I change my tracks all the time. When I’m in the studio I have no idea where the song is gonna go. That’s the cool part about recording everything at home, you don’t have a deadline or you don’t have to worry about time, you can change any parameter at any moment.

Tell us about the live side to Jeff II?

Being on stage is the main reason why I’m doing music. Even though I spend more and more time in the studio, the final goal is to play all that in front of people. My stage set up is a bit special; I’m DJ-ing and playing guitar at the same time. There’s a drummer and a bass player backing me up. It’s like a hybrid of a DJ set and a hard rock band. I wanted to keep the ‘rock n’ roll’ vibe by having a real band with me but it’s impossible to play all the different layers of sounds that my music contains without some electronic gear.

It is not easy for any new artist or band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it so far?

Well these days with the internet it’s much easier. You can reach so many people from different places with platforms like YouTube. Also my music being instrumental I’m not too concerned about the languages and the identity of the listeners. My sound isn’t ‘American’ or ‘European’ it can appeal to everybody. I’m based out of Los Angeles but my goal is to ultimately play worldwide.

How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date? Do you see it as something destined to become a negative from a positive as the band grows and hopefully gets increasing success?

It’s a game changer. I won’t go into the debate whether or not it has ‘killed’ the sales income for musicians. But what I do know is that internet is the number one space for promotion. Maybe people won’t buy your albums but if they like your music they’ll still go to your shows. As a music producer who does everything by myself, social medias are a fantastic tool to use. These days you see 17 year old kids making hit songs on a laptop in their bedroom. And they’re able to eventually book big tours all around the globe. Thanks to the internet. On a negative note I will say that artists should get much more income from the streaming platforms.

Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?

Thank you for your time and attention. Check me out on YouTube and Instagram (jeff2music). You can also learn a bit more about me and my background on my website (jeff2music.com).

https://www.jeff2music.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jeff2music/

Pete RingMaster 11/01/2019

Boundless lifescapes; exploring the realm of Lucid AfterLife Interview

Nov15

lucid-afterlife-pic_RingMasterReview

With a sound as eclectic as the themes within its imagination driven walls, Vancouver hailing Lucid AfterLife has earned loyal attention and support at home and across a global landscape. Renowned as one of Canada’s more impressive and memorable live propositions, the progressive groove rockers are luring bigger spotlights their way with their new EP, the successor to their well-received debut album I Am, expected to spring a new wave of invention hungry fans the way of the quartet. We recently had the pleasure to find out more about the band, that upcoming EP, and the creative heart of Lucid AfterLife with guitarist Thom Turner…

Hello and thanks for sharing your time to talk with us.

Hello, Thom from Lucid AfterLife here. Thank you so much for having us!

Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?

In the beginning our vocalist Nat Jack was floating through the aether contemplating the purpose and form of existence. He then came upon our drummer Matt. The two of them forged a great alliance. From this union a great universe was born. It was one of never ending inspiration and possibilities. To round out this vision myself, Thom, and our bassist Miles were sought. Together we are take these rough shapes and turn them into the most honest and kick ass songs that we can.

Have you been or are any of you involved in other bands? If so have they had any impact on what you are doing now, inspiring a change of style or direction maybe?

I am a current member of the band Freya as well as being a professional musician for the last 15 years. I have played in numerous groups. The work ethic and attention to artistry that I got from that band is immense. Sonically they are very different. Miles is a member of Riftwalker and Hallux. Matt has played with many groups as well. As for Nat Jack…He simply is. All of us take our experience and add it to everything we do. That is one of the best things about LAL. Genre does not factor in. Whatever mood serves the lyric or vibe is what it needs to be.

What inspired the band name?

As a group we feel that reality is in an illusion…More than that it is malleable. Life, death they are merely shades on a continuum. So through our music we transcend. To be able to visualize and experience multiple levels of existence is. We can experience multiple worlds through our songs and live shows. That is what Lucid Afterlife means to me.

Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?

There are always stories that come to us…things that may be inspired by every day. Some come from deeper more existential places. All of them are important to us. As we have toured we have been lucky to see that these topics hit home with so many people. So we continue to write them. As for the sound it is meant to be inclusive. To be the heaviest thing ever when the emotion is deep and powerful then, turn around and be very clean and melodic to represent another story or character is as honest as we can be.

Do the same things still drive the band when it was fresh-faced or have they evolved over time?

Constant evolution…we are all about that. That said though most of the same principles are the corner stones of what LAL is. Relatable honest music that is served with all the energy we have live.

Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?

Since I was brought on I would say that the sound has evo-loved. We still love Sabbath and Monster Magnet. On top of that we explore our mutual love of progressive music. Things like Kansas and Yes and Porcupine Tree and Kings X. It adds a broader pallet to the stories we can tell. Really though it all comes down to the live show for us. Nat Jack is a wild man on stage and we push out the sound track for the listener’s experience.

Has it been more of an organic movement of sound or more the band deliberately wanting to try new things?

Extremely organic I believe. We work to service the songs that come out. Our sound is extremely diverse. Yet, when you hear it you know it is LAL. It all comes from that point of honesty in the lyric and music.

You mentioned some already but presumably across the band there is a wide range of inspirations; are there any others in particular which have impacted not only on the band’s music but your personal approach to creating and playing music? As I said before Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Monster Magnet, Yes, Kansas, Porcupine Tree. Also Ministry, Cream, Dream Theater, Kings X, Hendrix, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang Clan, Body Count, MF Doom. Soooo much music goes into what we do. From rock to jazz to metal to Hip-Hop, it all moves us.

Does the band have a particular method to its songwriting?

We work in very brotherly way. I will write some things, pass them to Nat and a lyrical idea will usually pop out. From there Matt and I go to work on fleshing out an arrangement and Miles lays down the bass. So far it has been all hands on deck movement.

Where do lyrical inspirations more often than not come from?

Everyday life through the lens of existential global truths…A lot of our songs have to do with relationships. Not really with people per se, more archetypes. If we do a song that is very obviously about sex then you can bet it isn’t at all about sex. We like to lead people, through the parlance of our time to deeper truths.

lucid-afterlife_RingMasterReview Can you give us some background to your latest release?

Our new EP Occult Mafia Mistress is an opening salvo into what is coming next for LAL. With this line-up we have 4 great singers so we wanted to put that to use. Most songs really take advantage of all of us.

How about an insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs?

This record focuses on themes of transcendence. Be it through love, sex, meditation or sheer elation. They are explained in somewhat adversarial roles. Some characters and ideas want to hold you down from your potential. Others are the inner explorers rupturing out into being against that oppressive force. We are able to do this through the use of many styles and genres, from hip hop on a song like Time Killaz (feat. Merkulese) to the pure rock and roll of Retarded Owl, the voice of the song blends seamlessly with the lyric.

Are you a band entering the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?

The frame of a song is all done by the time we get in there. Because we play the crap out of the songs live and see what goodness comes out. So when we get into the studio what happens is we add all the touches; layering and vocals. A record should be a piece of art unto itself. Music is ephemeral. It changes depending on your mood; where you listen to it, even through the course of the song. Then it is over. That time has passed. So when we are in there recording and mixing everything is fluid. What comes out is even more magical then what went in.

Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?

Live we are a completely different band depending on Nat Jack. His mood and character shape our live performance…never the same thing twice. We reach out to the audience and invite them in…literally. They play with us. We feel that the live stage is a conversation so we go all out. We breakdown our bodies and minds while we are up there and show the people they can too. We do a lot of improv along with our normal songs as well. We ask the audience for suggestions on style and lyrical content. And we go at it…all within the confines of a normal set.

It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods? Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands?

With the internet EVERYTHING IS REGIONAL; we have many devoted fans and neighbors in BC. They are amazing and we love them. But, we also have some amazing fans all over the world just looking for the same stuff we are. The impact is right there. The days of $500,000 an album contracts are gone. We are out there just to make these connections…One person at a time. Art drives life; even if only one person listens to us and passes it onto one friend. That is growth and the conversation continues. As long as you are creating you are growing.

Do you see the internet and social media impact you mentioned destined to become a negative from a positive as the band grows and hopefully gets increasing success or when or if it happens it is more that those bands have struggled to use it in the right way?

The internet is reality for many people. So ignorance on how to use it to your advantage doesn’t seem to make very much sense. Every tool is right there for you. It can be no different from handing a demo to a person on the street. As long as that person passes it on you are good. I really think it is a matter of perspective size. Many musicians hold themselves in light of Metallica and Sabbath and Kanye and Adele or whoever Enormous star. These standards can be so daunting that you quit creating. This is an atrocity. Look, did you know that Platinum albums are now 500,000 albums instead of 1,000,000? That proves that the old system is dying. That level of “success” is meaningless without a real connection with people. That is what the internet affords you…The ability to connect with THE WORLD. We all want to be able to make a living off what we love to do. But, that can’t be the end goal. We all have a world of art inside us and we owe it to ourselves and humanity to get it out there. So go into it with the goal of making great honest art, whatever that is and, people will take notice.

Once again Thom, a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?

Myself (Thom) and all of LAL want to tell you and your readers that we are so thankful for you to be participating in all this with us. We are looking forward to meeting all of you. Remember to keep your head up and your mind open.

Occult Mafia Mistress is released digitally and on CD December 9^th @ http://lucidafterlife1.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lucidafterlife/ http://lucidafterlife.ca/

Pete RingMaster

The RingMaster Review 15/11/2106

Brain Pyramid – Chasma Hideout

Oct2

brimstone-coven_photo01

As impressive debut albums go, Chasma Hideout from French psych rockers Brain Pyramid is right up there amongst the most enthralling and scintillating propositions. The seven track sonic exploration is a transfixing adventure of ear bending, mind warping psychedelic revelry, but one equally bred on the finest stoner rock grooving and experimental mischievousness. At times it feels like one massive glorious jam but throughout there is an enterprise and inventiveness which just as potently leaves senses basking and passions greedy. If the album is your introduction to Brain Pyramid, be prepared for one ruggedly spellbinding ride.

The Rennes band was formed in 2012 by guitarist Gaston Lainé and drummer Baptiste Gautier-Lorenzo drawing on inspirations from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Sabbath, Motorhead, and Blue Cheer alongside those of Kyuss, Sleep, Nebula, Earthless, and Orange Goblin. Last year’s well received Magic Carpet Ride EP put ears and attention on notice but now with bassist Ronan Grall of Huata alongside the founding duo, Brain Pyramid is ready to really stir things up with their thrilling offering. a0031606373_2

The earth bound spatial adventure is started by Living in the Outer Space, a country twang and kick over of a truck engine the lift off to a groove driven flight through sultry skies and flaming sonic landscape. Instantly riffs draw a raw canvas framed by an unpredictable rhythmic incitement. It is a compelling coaxing but it is the similarly unpolished vocals and senses entwining grooves which brings the strongest colour to the contagion. A flirtation with a noir wrapped jazzy seduction provides a new twist of pleasure before the fiery surface and enterprise of the song re-establishes a forceful and gripping presence. Continuing to surprise and enthral, the song is a sizzling and immersive treat but only the beginning of the fun.

The following Lazy instantly unveils its funk seeded heat and tenacity, the lure bubbling with relish and energy the more the song reveals itself. Grooves and rhythms make a flavoursome embrace whilst the bass with its throaty temptation offers intriguing shadow soaked hues. It is a roaring blaze of melodic and sonic toxicity, the song worming under the skin through the excellent slightly deranged craft of Lainé and the irresistible heavy stoner-esque stroll of the track. Its success is soon surpassed by the even hotter creative breath and climate of Landing on the Pyramind. Soaked in tenacious and intensive blues flavouring, the song twists and entwines ears with serpentine agility through scorching grooves and another deliciously imposing bass tone. It is a big boned temptress with all the moves and invention to enrapture anyone with a lust for dirty riffs, thunderous rhythms, and caustic sonic beauty.

The pair of Lucifer and Twin Headed Giant provides strong individual temptations, the first a mesh of lumbering intensity and sci-fi noise which leads into a smouldering psychedelic wash of sinister persuasion. This in turn slips into something ferocious and fiery, heavyweight riffing and destructive beats punctuating burning grooves; The Doors meets Orange Goblin and Desert Storm if you will. Though it does lack something compared to its predecessors, the track’s dark demonic texture and presence leaves ears enthralled before its successor draws on even stronger seventies psychedelic and heavy rock inspirations to cast its pulsating and pleasingly raw mind-bending adventure. Guitars and keys radiate hallucinogenic sonic colours aligned to a warped imagination whilst rhythms just as voraciously impose upon and stalk the psyche with the gripping cleaner vocal delivery.

The song is a fireball of sound but even its qualities and potency cannot match up to the album’s pinnacle, Into the Lightspeed. The instrumental is sensational; an impossibly addictive and infectious stampede of hooks and grooves bound in another seemingly organic and improvised majesty. Its opening is a riotous almost chaotic coaxing which flirts with disaster as eagerly as the senses before settling into a gloriously robust and hungry swagger of rhythms from Gautier-Lorenzo. Every swing resonates through to the bone even when Hammond-esque keys wind around its spine with taunting relish and the bass of Grall adds its own irrepressible throaty resonance. Spicy grooves and deeply rooting hooks are no strangers either as the piece continues to grow and increase its enslavement on ears and emotions. The track is a mind-bending, thought twisting journey and quite brilliant.

Chasma Hideout sees its title track bring its triumph to a close. Flowing out of the previous track, its celestial exploration proceeds to soar across an expansive melodic and cavernous ambience, guitars and bass slowly swaying with evocative radiance and imposing enterprise as the good ship Brain Pyramid fuels its flight with a transfixing creative sonic illumination. The song leaves listener and album on a high, its energy and incitement continuing to increase with every second of its creative hunger and technical urgency.

The track is a captivating end to an awe inspiring release. Managing to impress and offer more with each and every listen, Chasma Hideout is one of the year’s real treasures and Brain Pyramid a band destined to leave psychedelic rock aflame now and ahead.

Chasma Hideout is available now via Acid Cosmonaut Records @ http://acidcosmonautrecords.bandcamp.com/album/chasma-hideout

https://www.facebook.com/brainpyramid

RingMaster 02/10/2104

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from

http://audioburger247.webs.com/

Electric Taurus/Prehistoric Pigs – 12″ split

Jun20

cover

Split releases are invariably a gateway into new striking adventures and intrigue drenched propositions, the awakening of attention to artists seemingly more often than not lying in shadows away from attention. They can be the beginnings of great sonic friendships and in the case of the Electric Taurus/Prehistoric Pigs split from Go Down Records, the announcement of important emerging forces. Consisting of three tenaciously imaginative and vivaciously inventive soakings of stoner/hard/psychedelic rock, the release is a mouthwatering encounter to invigorate the senses and stoke up the passions.

First up is Irish band Electric Taurus with their sixteen minute epic Behind The Sun, a glorious exploration through a space rock landscape with ever shifting and expanding scenery. Formed in 2010 as a recording project by guitarist/vocalist Matt Casciani, the Dublin trio went through numerous line-up changes before finding stability with the addition of bassist James Lynch, and drummer Mauro Frison. 2012 saw the band sign with Moonlight Records for the release of debut album Veneralia, a well-received encounter bristling with the inspirations of heavyweight like Black Sabbath, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple with those of underground bands from the same era such as Buffalo, Leaf Hound, Iron Claw, Primevil, and Captain Beyond. It is only one shade of their sound though as evidenced by Behind The Sun, the sultry sizzling flavouring from bands such as Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Electric Wizard, and Orange Goblin, adding to what is a refreshingly distinct conjuring from Electric Taurus.

Their contribution to the split embraces ears in a sonic web, a spatial entanglement which teases and stimulates the imagination and senses. It is also an intimidating enticement but one with charm and bait to inspire a hunger to dive in deeper, especially when a flirty stride of rhythms burst out of the thick mist with mystique wrapped, fuzz kissed melodies riding their lure. Now within an evocative premise still revealing its intent with unpredictable twists and diversions, the track steadies its pace and experiment to slip into a potent blaze of stoner fuelled sonic endeavour and melodic blues acidity. Binding the ears in rich grooves, provocative rhythms, and a great doom groan, the song paints an emotive journey, which finds its strongest trap for the passions with the entry of guest vocalist Barbara “Babz” Allen of Irish blues rock titans Crafty Fuzz. With a delicious growl to her riveting tones, air and thoughts are brought into a sirenesque harem of syllables and melodic incitement. Her presence also sparks a stronger flame to the sonic thrust and tenacity constantly weaving through the track, resulting in one searing blaze. Again though it is just one turn in the emprise, the song continuing to colour and bewitch ears for a voraciously creative and thrilling escapade sculpted by the skilled and magnetic exploits of each band member. It is a stunning track setting a formidable task for its release companion to match.

Italians Prehistoric Pigs more than put up an enjoyment equalling effort with their two tracks, even if personal tastes does just plump for the previous track as the pinnacle of the impressive release. Hailing from Mortegliano, the trio of guitarist Juri Tirelli, drummer Mattia Pi, and bassist Jacopo Tirelli employ inspirations from the likes of Kyuss, Jimi Hendrix, Sleep, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin into their instrumental incitements. Their sound is a sludge rock rich mix of bracing doom soaked psychedelic alchemy, an earthy mix which paints the imagination and strokes the emotions for individual sonic paintings, as presented on Wormhole Generator, their excellent album of 2012. The Perfection Of Wisdom presents the perfect evidence of their potent weave of sound. Starting with a lone bass lure beneath whispered calls of the song title, the track shapes a compelling ambience with precise melodic hues of guitar, their presence gentle and unhurried as they colour the increasingly smouldering breath of the emerging track. It is a seductive unveiling of the full weight and terrain of the ever impressing piece, rhythms gaining intensity as the sonic enterprise ebbs and flows in insistence before unleashing a voracious flame of imagination and ingenious texture.

It is an enthralling provocative flight of sound and creativity swiftly backed by 79360 Sila-Nunam. Its entrance is subdued and slightly muffled in comparison it its companion but ready and eager from its reserved poise to escape into a climactic burst of intensive sonic wind and rhythmic demands. Grainy in its air and scorching in its touch, the track sizzles with the heat of a Karma To Burn upon Kyuss like desert rock, every note and riff igniting thoughts and emotions for a thoroughly captivating and somewhat corrosive treat.

Electric Taurus and Prehistoric Pigs come together for one of the best split releases in recent years and one of the most exciting psyche/stoner heavy rock releases in recent times. It is an essential doorway into the worlds of two extremely talented and imagination inspiring bands which deserve the fullest attention possible.

The Electric Taurus/Prehistoric Pigs Split is available now on 12″ vinyl format through Go Down Records @ http://www.godownrecords.com

https://www.facebook.com/electrictaurus

https://www.facebook.com/PrehistoricPigs

9/10

RingMaster 20/06/2014

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from

http://www.audioburger.com

The Brimstone Days – On A Monday Too Early To Tell

Sep26

If the heady days of soulful blues soaked 60’s and 70’s rock ignite your heart and the likes of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and Free send your emotions and pulse rate soaring then a new and equally impactful treat is just waiting for your adoration. The Brimstone Days is a band from Malmö, Sweden, a trio who live and breathe those inspirational days whilst their creativity sows those old seeds within its own unique imagination to bloom impressive and powerful songs as within their new album On A Monday Too Early To Tell. The band and their release takes you back to those heated groove filled times whilst brewing its flavours through their modern energy and invention. It is a vibrant pleasure and an essential listen for all blues rock fans.

The Brimstone Days began with vocalist/guitarist Hakan Lanz and drummer John Malmqvist driving off boredom by forming Blue Windmills. Playing as a blues /rock duo the band soon realised something was missing so brought in bassist Elias Dellow and changed the band name to The Brimstone Days. 2009 saw the release of their debut EP Flowers and Rainbows as the trio continued to light up stages with their irresistible sounds around the Malmö -Lund region. Not long after the EP came out Dellow left the band and was replaced by Hampus Hallgard, the new line-up energising the band further with its varied musical tastes linked by the love of sixties and seventies rock. The following year brought the release of their self titled album, its arrival well received and eagerly digested. Having gigged all over Europe the past years, the band has unmistakably matured and evolved further, with On A Monday Too Early To Tell the irrepressible evidence that the band has elevated all aspects of its craft, from songwriting to sound, and that their passion is as potent as ever and always sleeve worn.

Released through Transubstans Records, the album immediately opens on a major high in I Need Soul, a song which envelops the ear with a teasing swagger and infectious declaration, its heart and enthused energy an instant contagion to unleash ones inhibitions to. It is a confident piece of rock which is unafraid to settle back at times to build a crescendo of garage sixties fuelled melodic heat; it is also a song which has one on their toes physically and emotionally to share the warm eager skies it strolls.

From such a strong and irresistible start many bands might have lost impetus such the quality of the song, but The Brimstone Days just lays layer after layer of sensational sounds and impassioned energies brought with sharp invention and fired imagination. The likes of the hungrily grooved What Do You Want light up every corner of the senses with its simple yet incendiary breath, whilst songs such as the devilish Same Old Story, the catchy Burry The Hatchet, and the growling bluesy One-Two-Two, simply grabs one by the scruff of the neck and lead into an unbridled tempered riot of melodic fires and addiction forming grooves.

The vocals of Lanz are outstanding throughout, his delivery carrying whispers of so many greats from the past within his own inspiring tones. Within the slower prowl of Helping Hand his plaintive style really stokes the emotions and on what are predominantly energised storms of sharp melodic enterprise and energies elsewhere he leaves smouldering trails behind his powerful delivery.

Bigger highlights, though the release is one colossal one, come with the thumping title track, a demon of a blues rock conjuration, and the delicious Captain Tom. The second of the pair has a unique character amongst songs which are nothing less than diverse anyway, its pulsating saunter veined with great backing vocals and an acidic guitar sound to mesmerise completely, the result one breathless listener. It is masterful, a track just exuding flames of artistry and impassioned imagination.

On A Monday Too Early To Tell is a dynamic and absorbing album which only enlivens and illuminates the day and senses. The Brimstone Days are on the verge of major recognition, it definitely starts here.

http://www.thebrimstonedays.com/

RingMaster 25/09/2012