by rudyards | April 24th, 2013
Thrones (Salem, OR)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thrones/316817901419
Joe fuckin Preston!!!!
Need we say more??! The man has the burliest resume in the history of heavy:
•EARTH,
•Melvins 1991-1992 Played bass on: Lysol , Nightgoat 7″. Not to mention a solo Ep that was released along with Buzzo and Dale’s. Also featured on the DVD “Salad Of A Thousand Delights.”
•The Whip 2001-2002 Played guitar in this band with former members of Karp.
•Thrones 1996-Present Thrones is the “solo project” of Joe Preston. Thrones features all instruments. Including bass, drums, vocals and synth performed by Joe Preston.
•SunnO))) 2002-2004 played on on both SunnO))) albums “White 1” and “White 2 . Played a multitude of instruments on these albums including bass, vocals and drum machine programming.
•High On Fire 2004-Present Joined High On Fire for their Summer 2004 tour. Also played bass on the latest recording Blessed Black Wings. Now a permanent member
Eloe Omoe (Charlestown, MA)
https://infrasound.org/eloeomoe/
On the surface, Boston’s Eloe Omoe sure sounds like all this modern noise the cool kids keep yapping about. Monster drummer Tim Leanse flails about his kit like a tranced-out dervish, melting classic psych-rock grooves into stuttering, percussive splatter. Meanwhile, bassist Sam Rowell rocks hard. With violent hands wrenching strings, she feeds exploded bass lines through numerous effects, warping feedback, static, and distortion into a howling ogre’s endless tirade. The result, documented on Marauders, the duo’s full-length debut, could be tagged “free metal” or even “freecore.”
But underneath the electric squall and hardcore aggression thrives a devotion to the improvising techniques of classic free jazz. Like Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and Sun-Ra (the band is named after one of Ra’s musicians, in fact), Eloe Omoe breathes “fire music,” ’60s-style. Across these six swinging jams, the duo erects wildly fluid sound patterns — spontaneous and formless, yet physical. Familiar motifs do emerge, and that’s because Leanse and Rowell, an intimate partnership on every level, have cultivated a shared musical language while playing together for over 10 years now — which is the most old-school thing about this pair. In an age of loose-knit collectives and one-off collaborations, these two cling to one another. - Justin F. Farrar
Omotai (Houston, TX)
https://omotai.bandcamp.com/
“All Ears: Omotai - Peace Through Fear
“Houston’s no stranger to shred-heavy metal bands - we come across so many that sometimes it feels like a new one is spawned each week. Not all of them are impressive riff masters, though Golden Axe, Cavernous, Ghost Town Electric and Scale The Summit all fall into that category. Newcomers Omotai can now be added to that list, debuting their capable chops on their inaugural EP, Peace Through Fear.
The collection of five songs clocks in at a modest 12 minutes and 16 seconds, but be not mistaken - every moment of it is filled with thundering drums, ripping guitar work, and a low end that would make Geddy Lee need to change his underwear. The EP moves at tremendous pace, crushing song into song, and before the listener is ready, ends abruptly.
Omotai wastes little time on Peace Through Fear, which with each listen reminds us more and more of a condensed version of Mastodon. The vocals, when they are present, and the ever-present movement of the songs are to blame for this. If Atlanta’s current reigning champions of metal were stuck in a compactor à la Star Wars, Omotai would emerge on the other end, ready to crush out track after track of bruisers.
Anthony Vallejo’s drumming on this album puts some of the greats to shame - a fairly recent transplant to Houston, he’s got to be one of the best in town behind a kit. Melissa Lonchambon, whom you may know from Sharks & Sailors, is arguably among the top bassists, and Samuel Waters is certainly no slouch on the guitar, either [although it gets a bit more difficult to pick given all the stunners we've got here in Houston]. The sad fact, however, is that none of these deserving bandmates are nominated for best of their respective instruments in this year’s Houston Press Music Awards.
If we’ve a complaint about this release, it’s the length - after listening to it dozens of times, we’re still suprised when it stops. Hopefully this is merely the beginning chapter in a long history of releases for the fledgling three piece.” - Houstonist.com”
