The weather clouded up and we got some rain and hail, so it's back to the feel-bad jams that befit our never-ending bummer winter/the spring that never was. Hooded Menace are a Finnish band with a great name who sound like they spent way too much time listening to Black Sabbath on the wrong speed and then got a guitarist to come in with the most sickening, discordant harmonies possible. It's slow, queasy and yes, totally awesome. Until the sun comes back, I'm mired in this sludge.
Moses was a three-piece heavy rock from Denmark way back in the glory days of the late 60s/early 70s. I know I post a lot of similar stuff from new bands aping this style, so it's nice to get a slice of the real deal every once in awhile. And now, since Moses' sole (I believe) album "Changes" was recently reissued by , I have even more of an excuse to do so. No big surprises to be had musically speaking, these dudes are your typical fuzzed-out blues jammers, leaning a bit more towards Blue Cheer or Cream than Black Sabbath or Led Zep. I don't say "typical" to put them down though, I only say that so you don't go in expecting to be blown away by some was-lost face-melter. Naah, it's just a solid album that deserves better than being lost to history and, as someone who buys a heckuva lot of reissues, I can appreciate that. Play loud!
Three million! That answers the question: how many bands do The Graviators sound like? There's not really much else to say but, for the purpose of letting you all know exactly what you're getting, let's do a little exercise. By the end of this review you will know exactly what the The Graviators sound like, and I'm not even going to describe their music. Let's begin. Look at your CD collection. Check out all your treasured '70s-inspired doom/stoner albums, bookended with Black Sabbath and Pentagram. There's a load of them, right? A good percentage sound pretty similar, but there are a few in there who are doing something a little bit different. They've got the old-school fundamentals, yet they have an original, goosebump-inducing take on the style. They're awesome! They're constantly crumbling plaster off the ceiling. But the others are just good. They might get one listen a year, just for a wee change. But, not long in, you get a reminder as to why they only get one listen a year and you put something else on. As I sit here listening to The Graviators -- again -- I'm pretty sure it's not one I'll ever listen to again. I don't say that because it's a bad album; it's just that there's an abundance of better. Maybe I'll give it another spin in a year or so, just for a wee change. - John Norby
Way more exciting than a potential abba reunion, but even still kinda underwhelming: renown recluse artist Jakob Hellman will once again grace the live stage on an 80s reunion tour under the banner "Forever Young" alongside Reeperbahn (and Alphaville): http://www.foreveryoung2010.se/
Still no plans for a new album and personally, I think it's better that way.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Agent Side Grinder - The screams
02. TALK 1
03. Susanne Sundfør - The brothel
04. The Skull Defekts - Millions
05. Torpedo - Accelerate
06. TALK 2
07. Donkeyboy - Ambitions
08. Haust - Skate rock
09. Ikons - The hawk
10. Dyno - Deliverance
11. TALK 3
12. Monzano - Waterways and altitude
13. Moto Boy - The heart is a rebel
14. The Graviators - Back to the sabbath
15. Sonic Ritual - (Don't wanna) Feel alright
16. TALK 4
17. Oskar Schönning - Farsan
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
"Back to the sabbath?" Seriously dudes? C'mon, at least try to be original. Which is not to say I don't dig full-on Black Sabbath worship, I guess I just want to hold on to the illusion I'm hearing something new. Regardless, The Graviators do what they do and they do it well enough. I was just out driving around with the album cranked and it felt totally satisfying, like a good hard-rock listening experience should. Perhaps not one for the ages, but it's alright for now.
The Graviators - s/t 
mattg | Wed, Aug 25th, 2010 17:00:26