#bristol metal

[metalhead-brainrot]

[Album of the day] Froglord - Save The Frogs

Bristol, UK // 2021 // Swamp Records (later)

[Genres] stoner doom, groove metal

[Themes] SaveTheFrogs.com, Teocipactli the Divine Crocodile

[FFO] concept albums, charitable music, eco preservation

[Thoughts] This is an EP from a solo artist who's a decent guy and his whole thing is saving the frogs and preventing us from the consequences of ecological collapse. This EP is what originally caught my attention, particularly the throat singing.*

However, other releases are also good. Amphibian Ascending mythologizes the Froglord, following the deity through a narrative: the Froglord creates the Earth as a habitat for amphibians to flourish, and upon returning 10,000 years later is disgusted what the ape men have done to the biome. The Mystic Toad and Army of Frogs continues the tale; A Frog In The Bog is a split with Bog Wizard, a stoner doom battle won by Our Frogther Who Art In The Swamp. Later releases trend towards nu/groove metal, which is less my speed but still executed well.

Finally, there's a new release dropping in one week (2024.03.09), titled after the Froglord's sacred mantra: LIVE BY THE FUZZ OR DIE BY THE SLIME.

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* I was very into Tengger Cavalry at the time, still my favorite Mongolian folk metal project.

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[From the band/label]

"As a musician and a frog enthusiast, I send my thanks and respect to FROGLORD for his fabulous contributions to frog conservation, environmental education and the musical community. Long live the frogs and the ectoplasmic slime!" -- SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger SaveTheFrogs.com

The mission of SAVE THE FROGS! is to protect amphibian populations and to promote a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife. We work in California, across the USA and around the world to create a better planet for humans and wildlife.

Frog populations have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Since 2008, SAVE THE FROGS! has been at the forefront of worldwide amphibian conservation efforts.

SAVE THE FROGS! is a 501(c)(3) public charity, funded primarily by donations from nature enthusiasts like you. If you share our vision of a world in which amphibians and humans co-exist and the sounds of frogs calling still fills the nighttime air, please support our efforts by donating to SAVE THE FROGS! today. Thank you!

[aurademortt]

[thisnoise]

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Research reveals rare metal could offer revolutionary switch for future quantum devices

Quantum scientists have discovered a rare phenomenon that could hold the key to creating a 'perfect switch' in quantum devices which flips between being an insulator and a superconductor. The research, led by the University of Bristol and published in Science, found these two opposing electronic states exist within purple bronze, a unique one-dimensional metal composed of individual conducting chains of atoms. Tiny changes in the material, for instance, prompted by a small stimulus like heat or light, may trigger an instant transition from an insulating state with zero conductivity to a superconductor with unlimited conductivity, and vice versa. This polarized versatility, known as "emergent symmetry," has the potential to offer an ideal On/Off switch in future quantum technology developments.

Read more.

[tomoleary]

Simon Bisley "Wolves in the Distance" Heavy Metal War Machine aka Heavy Metal Special Vol. 7 #1 (1992) Source

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

IRON FIST & THE HORDES FROM HELL -- GIGGING IN THE HOME BASE OF AMEBIX.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on the mighty MOTÖRHEAD, classic line-up, performing live at the Old Granary, Bristol, UK, c. 1979.

^Not a location in the UK that you hear mentioned very often when it comes to past Motörmusic gigs, so, I thought that was worth a mention. Notably, CHAOS UK and DISORDER were also from Bristol. Solid.

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/pftgg/7457413262.

[slyarte]

TEASER of the upcoming listening party on Bandcamp:

SlyArtË - Early Millennium Decades Decay Listening Party NOV 15, 6:00 pm (GMT +1)

https://slyarte.bandcamp.com/merch/early-millennium-decades-decay-listening-party

[sndwave]

the overlap of leather and wood work stands at anime cons and ren faires is (un)surprisingly high

[doomedandstoned]

UK’s FROGLORD Delivers Visual Spectacle for Kaleidoscopic New EP

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Artwork by Shane Horror

All Hail the Mighty FROGLORD! We've covered previous releases by the band and featured them in our Doomed & Stoned in England Vol. II compilation. Suffice it to say, we're believers!

Now the mysterious UK project is back with a new EP, and today Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first look 'n' listen with the music video premiere. LBTF((((or))))DBTS (2024), e.g. Live By The Fuzz or Die By The Slime is a three-track work where ominous tones mesh with tongue-in-cheek humor.

So, the gods decree, spoken unto thee Play it low and slow don't rush, live by the fuzz!

Our trip to the swamp begins with psychedelic blues rising like vapors in the warming sunlight. Welcome to "Live By The Fuzz," where guitars pulse like ripples on the water and we hear the sound of the hurdy-gurdy with mysterious Near-Eastern groans. You might be reminded of OM or Zaum in the first two minutes (and that's a good thing), but no worries if you're seeking a headbaning moment because it's coming with the all crash of an alligator jumping out of the bog to snag a heedless crane (at 2:38). Later, a blast beat and ferocious throaty voices take us to the edge of sanity -- or, if you're ready for it, enlightenment.

Cleanse yourself from pain, numb away the fear Hiding from impermanent endings growing near

Middle track "((((or))))" ushers us into the haze of the sun as the day dawns, and this time we're in ancient desert places and there's the addition of enchanting female vocalizations, pedal effects, and what sounds like the didgeridoo. Acolytes of the Froglord recite their purpose in hushed, drugged tones. Then the power of this mysterious force bursts forth with wild drums and intimidating roars (at 10:35). The song at last returns to those chill opening moments, taking us all the way to sundown.

In the swamp where darkness dwells A figure emerges, casting spells Creature arise, a presence so grand Deity of doom of this cursed land

Closing doomer "Die By The Slime" begins by asking Why do the living disturb the sleep of the dead? Indeed, why would one awaken such a fearsome creature of Old? It's a slow 'n' low ride, with boisterous outbursts of percussion, guttural singing, stinging guitar licks, damning riffage, and a cultish chorus. Strange rituals are afoot, and one imagines this gathering turning into a very messy bacchanal before long.

Meanwhile, the visual accompaniment is at various junctures meditative and disturbing, with trippy mirror effects and a veritable collage of hypnotic imagery. Hints of frogs (or tadpoles) lie around every corner. Maybe don't watch it on LSD!.

Froglord's 'Live By The Fuzz or Die By The Slime' (2024) to release this weekend, March 9th, on CD and cassette (get it here), as well as digital format (here).

Give ear...

SOME BUZZ

Since the dawn of time, mystics have long prophesied the coming of an ancient amphibian bestowed with death ray vision and ectoplasmic slime. Emerging from deep within The Mystic Swamp, Froglord arise bringing their unique blend of stoner groove and psychedelic doom. With face melting fuzz and foot stomping grooves, Froglord’s reign of amphibious terror shall begin.

Having released four full length albums in the last three years, Froglord returns once more. This time with a shorter three track EP, 'Live By The Fuzz or Die By The Slime.' Adopting a distinctly more blackened-psychedelic-doom sound for this release, Froglord once again showcase their ability to blend genres across their already vast discography.

Previously, Froglord records have been entirely recorded and produced as a one-person operation, however this EP sees collaboration with other artists, to bring in haunting cello and vocal acapella arrangements. 'Live By The Fuzz or Die By The Slime' is the perfect record for fans of Om, Conan, and Batushka.

Formed during the pandemic as a one-man project, Froglord released their first EP in 2020, followed soon after by their debut album. To date Froglord has built up an extensive library of releases, including, 4 albums, 3 Eps, 1 split, 1 live album, and 2 singles. In 2021 just after the release of The Mystic Toad, Froglord developed into a 4-piece band as live venues began to reopen. Since then, Froglord has quickly gained a reputation for their commanding and theatrical stage performances.

Whilst Froglord's sound leans primarily toward stoner doom, they have been characterised for their genre-bending sound, with each album taking on its own distinct style, taking strong influences from psychedelia, prog, sludge, grunge, groove and blues; to deliver the tale of The Froglord through a concept-based discography.

Currently, Froglord are set to release a single in the spring of 2024, written for the upcoming found footage horror film Frogman (dir. Anthony Cousins). As well as this original, the film also contains several older Froglord tracks.

Rooted also in environmentalism, Froglord has worked closely with Save The Frogs, the world’s largest amphibian-based conservation charity, raising over £2500 through "Save The Frogs" EP sales and campaigning, as well as £300 for the Human Dignity Trust.

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[corek1d-dan]

So excited to see alestorm TOMORROW

[soundsandnoises]

DON BROCO in O2 Academy Bristol

The Birthday Party Tour

04/12/2023

[aurademortt]

[jayne-hecate-writer]

Goth Dad and Vision Video Live in Bristol

With the global state of LGBTQ+ rights being rather shite at the moment, it is occasionally nice to come across something that affirms the right for rainbow people to simply exist and I found one of these things recently and was then rather taken with the character of Goth Dad.

Dusty Gannon created the character for Tictok and Instagram with the intent to share a message of kindness and support to young Goth kids and to be honest, us older Goth kids too. The words of kindness he shared were beautiful and I started to look for more of his kindness and wisdom in the short films and quickly discovered that Goth Dad was the singer of the American Goth band Vision Video.

For many years it has been easier to say to folks who meet me for the first time that I am a Goth, rather than trying to explain the intricacies of Heavy Metal culture. After all my first love is extreme metal, mainly in the form of Black Metal from bands such as Emperor, Enslaved and Akercocke. Already I can see that some of you want to discuss the differences between Black Metal Art, Viking Black Metal and Blackened Death Metal, but lets just make it easy and stick it all under the easily pigeonholed title of “Fokkin Goffic!” to quote the abusive thugs who enjoyed shouting at me as I wandered the dark streets of Plymouth in the late 1990s, before they swapped to “Fokkin Tranny!” Ahh, the vigorous repartee of the average urban 1990s thug, draped in his Burberry tracksuit while smoking Happy Shopper fags!

So back to my original point, I will identify as Gothic when asked, because I tend to wear a lot of black, often with funny make up and appear somehow Vampiric. The fact is though that I do enjoy the occasional Goth band, such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Fields of the Nephilim, The Sisters of Mercy and The Cure. Pictures of You, by The Cure is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and everything ever sung by Siouxsie Sioux is pure magic. However Fields of the Nephilim have that dark post apocalyptic feel that makes me want to curl up and die in blissful soundscapes, with the track 'Trees come down' being my particular favourite. So when I found Vision Video, a fairly minor pop Goth band from America, I was happy to give them a listen. What I heard combined the wisdom of Goth Dad with the sadness of American societal despair at school shootings, huge economic inequality, almost constant war and a lack of health care into something beautiful. Despite the poppy sounding music, the themes have a serious message and strong heart, especially when the content of the song drops into the personal experiences of the singer's military service in Afghanistan.

I bought the first album, 'Inked in Red' almost instantly and played it nearly constantly. It reminded of the the very best parts of The Cure, mixed with the best parts of Siouxsie and with hints of Joy Division thrown in too. It remains a beautiful little record, with several high lights among the tracks. However the track Kandahar mixes beauty with a deep rage over the horror of the war in Afghanistan and the slaughter of those caught between the combatants. Let us not hide from the truth here, history will judge this era harshly, for the rampant capitalism that funded wars for oil in the Middle East, which then resulted in the deaths of many innocents. Meanwhile there was significant Governmental funding of groups such the Taliban who were set up and trained by the CIA in their early days, to fight against Soviet interests in the region. After twenty years of war, the West pulled out Afghanistan, leaving it to the clutches of the fundamentalist Islamic Government, who promptly took away the rights of women and girls before starting to complain that running a country was a lot harder and far more work than they had expected!

This leaves the world now as a fucked up mess and let us not hide from the main cause of this as the super rich companies still fight for the right to mine coal, while burning mega tonnes of what they already have dug up and filling the atmosphere with filth. Meanwhile, you are being chastised for not putting out your plastic and glass recycling in separate boxes (I read Environmental Science for my degree and it was heart breaking learning that with enough time the Earth will rebalance just fine, it's just unfortunate that our species probably won't make it!).

Vision Video as a band is not just about Goth Dad. Keyboard player Emily Fredock has a powerful voice as well as being a great musician and when she sings, you can hear her anger coming out too, despite the gentle pop sounds of the music. Combining with Dusty on vocals and guitar, Dan Geller on bass and Jason Fusco on drums, they make some truly joyous sounding music, but with those dark edges that Gothic music demands. None of it is offensive despite the sad imagery each song creates and it is fairly clear that these people will not be burning down any churches, murdering rival musicians in fights over who is the most evil or burying their stage clothes so they can feel the pull of the grave when they perform... All infamous tropes Black Metal has been guilty of in the past. The first. However, as a small Goth band in America, I never thought that I would get to see them... and then came the announcement, that they were to be support for the March Violets on a limited EU and UK tour.

I purchased my tickets that afternoon, despite knowing next to nothing about the March Violets, for the show on a ship in Bristol docks, The Thekla. Having seen some very good shows on the Thekla, I knew that that it would be intimate, with beautiful sound and a small crowd. I purchased two tickets, one for me and one for my friend Jan, my companion for the slightly more odd gigs, such as when we went to see the Kunts in Bristol, or when we went to see Richard Herring live in Wells, or when we went to see Richard Herring interview Kunt in London! I had played 'Inked in Red' to Jan and she quickly grew to love it. So she was quite excited to be going to see Vision Video.

A few days before the gig, we were told that Vision Video would be on early and it was advisable for us to get there in plenty of time for the show or risk missing them. However, the weekend before the show, Jan and I found ourselves broken down in Keynsham where we had gone to play with Lego on a steam train. The alternator in my car had failed and I had driven into the car park of Bitten Steam Railway with no power steering, nor any ABS brake assist, air conditioning, music or dashboard lights. It was thanks to a fairly new battery that we got there at all, but the journey back home again on the back of an RAC van, driven by Rob the kindest mechanic I have ever met. Luckily for me, my darling wifey Carol was on the case before I even got home and she quickly ordered replacement parts and also said that a new serpentine belt would be a good idea and promptly ordered one of those too. By Tuesday my car was back in good health and ready for our trip to Bristol on Wednesday evening. When we arrived at the venue, forty minutes before the doors (hatches?) on The Thekla opened, we sat in glorious sunshine listening to my favourite punk band, Alice Donut. As soon as the (as it turned out) roller shutters opened on the ship, we queued up and were inside within five minutes, only to come face to face with a poster of band times. Somewhere along the way, we had been viciously lied to! Vision Video were due on about twenty minutes later than we anticipated...

Jan and I headed inside the ship and quickly discovered that the floors were remarkably uneven. I had not noticed this before, but on this occasion I really struggled with the venue and found it difficult to keep a steady footing. I wobbled about like Bambi on ice and we eventually found our way down into the stage area (hold?) of the ship. Away from the heat of the day, it was deliciously cool and the DJ was playing some suitably gentle Goth themed music, some of which I recognised but most of which I did not. Like I say, I am mainly a metal head, I just look like a goth to the untrained eye. The first act on stage was electronic musician Kristeen Young and she reminded me of a mix of Diamanda Galas and Kate Bush, with powerful grinding rock backing and her voice that was capable of violent roars and shrill squeals. It was impressive, she was clearly hugely talented and very good at her art, but I did not gel with it and lamented that with her incredible vocal talents, she desperately needed to front a powerful Black Metal band, rather than playing a keyboard based rock music. However, I was probably alone in this thought because she had a lot of fans among the crowd who surged in to watch her perform.

I took the time to grab a t-shirt from the Vision Video merch stand and caused a laugh from the softly spoken American woman behind the desk when I asked for a size suitable for a fat bitch like me. Jan just shook her head knowing that I had said something objectionable, without actually hearing my words.

Finally Vision Video took to the stage and the four piece are just as beautiful on stage as they are on you tube or album. It was fairly clear that they were playing to a crowd who were on their side and I was not alone in singing along to some of the tracks from 'Inked in Red', although I did not hear much if any from the second album 'Haunted Hours'.

The songs were beautifully performed, both Dusty and Emily sang with their usual power, despite having spent several weeks on tour in both Europe and back home in America.

But all too quickly it came to the last two songs and that was when we got to see the heartfelt politics of the band as Dusty gave us a spoken word introduction that laid out all that is wrong in modern American society. He talked about wealth inequality, gun violence, health care provision, warfare and human rights and he did so with the undisguised disgust of someone who has seen the horrors of fighting a war. It was utterly heart breaking and yet also uplifting because surrounded by others of the same opinion, it gave all of us hope that by standing together we could change some of these awful things. With the speech over, they launched into 'Organised Murder' and it felt justified to be dancing to such angry and heartfelt words. With the final song done, they walked off stage to the whooping, yelling and applause of a very happy crowd, despite the sadly short play time. This is not to denigrate their performance time which was just over thirty five minutes. The truth was that I could have listened to them play each album twice and then the special new tracks from the as yet untitled new album. It was a very different experience for me, for a start the front of the stage did not turn into a violent maelstrom of a mosh pit. The dance floor was a remarkably gentle place, while still being energetic and fun.

With the band finished, Jan and I retreated to the seating area and then the toilets and had a chat. We had hoped to get to say hello to the band, which has happened a couple of times on the merch stand when I have seen bands on the Thekla, but sadly this was not to be. We chatted and I complained about the low lampshade that I had hit my head on when we had sat down earlier. The March Violets took to the stage and when I had recovered enough energy, Jan and I descended the stairs to check them out. The March Violets have been touring and producing albums for over forty years, but each song was new to me and to be honest it was not really my thing. It was very clearly being enjoyed by the crowd, but for me, it lacked the brutality of metal or the heart of Vision Video. It was perfectly good, electronic, new wave music from the eighties and I was a child for the eighties and did not turn eighteen until 1991. I had also not been exposed to a lot of music during my childhood, which looking back saddens me now because music is such a huge part of my life these days. However we did not have MP3 players with the sort of data compression needed to carry a whole album collection in my pocket when I was kid. Modern technology utterly spoils us these days, given how easy it is to access my music collection, take photos of bands and browse the internet from the small computer in my pocket that also allows me to call out for fried chicken whenever the whim takes me (thanks Ginny, for convincing me that smart phones were great. I never leave the house without it now!).

Feeling slightly sad that we had missed the chance to say hello to the band, while also feeling unsteady on my feet and remarkably energised at having seen the band, we decided to leave slightly early, meaning getting home at better time and not getting caught by the rush at the end. Slowly and unsteadily I climbed the stairs, with Jan behind me worried that I was going to fall and we reached the top, turned the corner and almost barged into Goth Dad himself, Dusty!

Dusty was everything you hope that a rock star will be. He was generous with his time, he was happy to sign albums and even pose for photos with fans. But the best of all, the politics and the heart are all real for him. The standing up for and caring about LGBTQ+ young people is real. The caring about the state of the world and his wisdom are all real. I wish that I could remember his exact words, sadly I was too star struck to take it all in, but it went something like this. “Those Motherfuckers in power are all old and they are fighting as they die out. Eventually they will be gone and the world will get better as the young people see them for what they were.” I could have cried. It was at that moment that Emily strode along the deck and said hello. We had obviously kidnapped Dusty and she had come to find him, the poor lad was probably on his way to the loo when we nearly crashed into him. But they both stood with us for photos, signed albums and Emily even talked to Jan about cats. These two people, gave me hope. Fuck, I feel old saying that. Now when Jan and I write about faerie warriors in our Winscombe books, it is just possible that we had unknowingly based one or two of them on Dusty and Emily.

I have said it before when I had the pleasure of spending some time teaching art to my friend's daughter, the insight of the youth is what is going to save our world and it will be safer in their hands than it ever was in ours. They will take the goodness from us and the vileness of our hate will fade away, acceptance and kindness will rise, maybe even the religion will fade away too? The world will be 'woke' and when you look at what woke means, a woke society will be a good society where minorities are protected, where institutional racism is dismantled and egalitarianism takes over. Fuck me, I am a fucking dreamer. At my darkest moments, all I can see is a foul dystopian end to humanity as global warming destroys the human safe climate and brings an end to the Anthropocene. As I think of this, I think of my nieces, of my friend's children, of my own children and grandchild and ache for a better world for them and for all young people. I want the youth of the future to feel safe to be true to themselves, to be accepted for being a rainbow person. I want the distinction of being LGBTQ+ to be minor to how we live our lives, just like eye colour is or how tall we are. Maybe, in his own small way, Goth Dad and the band Vision Video can add to that better future?

[introverted-kindas0ul]

Nearly three and a half years after getting my ticket … I finally got to see Lamb of God on Wednesday night. Even got a setlist and a plectrum!! 😍

[business4u]

Shingle Roof repair Services in Rockland

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[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

BOW TO THE RIFFS OF UNCLE STIG -- PUTTING THE "HEAVY" IN HEAVY PUNK SINCE 1978.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on UK crust punk/metal punk band AMEBIX, specifically guitarist/band co-founder Stig C. Miller, performing live at Newcastle Riverside, UK, c. 1987, during the band's “Monolith” era. 📸: Craig Pancrack.

Source: www.picuki.com/media/3442631489683153317.