Stoner doom tonight at DC9!
Monday, September 19
$7, 21+
doors at 9
VOG (VA sludge-doom)
Burnout (Iowa doom)
Weed Is Weed (debut of local doom supergroup playing weed anthems, featuring current and former members of Spirit Caravan, Unorthodox, King Valley, Wretched, and many others!)
VOG http://www.whereisvog.com Formed in the peak of the summer of 2004, VOG had its first jam in a basement in Oakton, Virginia. VOG came to fruition based on an intent to play music with other members who were serious enough to commit to playing on a regular basis. Riffs written out of pipe dreams flowed through the aura of dirge that released the steam of sour days.
VOG is the hawaiian term for a wretched gas/smoke present when volcanoes erupt that makes all that come in contact with it nauseous.
VOG also has symbolic meaning in the Runic language, an ancient European language that was used on inscriptions, monuments, and for magical divinatory purposes. In the Runic language, each character means something particular and combined into one they form something greater. Here's it correspondence with VOG:
V (Wyn) - the rune of pure joy and happiness, not through others but through the achievements of one's dreams and unique life path
O (Odal) - is the homestead, which was very precious to wandering peoples. It is used to represent all domestic issues and is a protective rune of the home.
G (Gyfu) - means the gift of giving. It also represented relationships, especially sexual ones, and is therefore one of the fertility runes.
The band is making great headway and will have a demo available soon consisted of their first epic song, "The Colors of Infiniti," which is around 25 minutes long.
VOG consists of ex-members of such bands as Lost It, The Seventh Gate, and The Ludivico Technique. Ex-members play in such bands as Durga Temple (
www.myspace.com/durgatemple) and Anvil of Crom (RIP). VOG played their first show in the basement of a house in Dale City, Virginia with good friends The Wayward (formerly Carrion) and Durga Temple. Since then, the band has played in Baltimore, Harrisonburg, Leesburg, etc, with such bands as 5ive, Baroness, Beaten Back to Pure, Buried Inside, Dragon Green, Durga Temple, Earthride, Gates of Slumber, Nitroseed (ex-Spirit Caravan), Off Transmission, Pearls & Brass, Rebreather, Reverend Bizarre, Syzslak, the Tenth Key, Unearthly Trance, Unorthodox, Valkyrie, The Wayward (ex-Carrion), Witch Hunt, and Withered (ex-Social Infestation, Leechmilk).
The band entered the studio of Jeff Kane (City of Caterpillar, Malady) in late 2004 and recorded three songs: "The Stepping Stones of Humane Survival" (released on a split 7" with Valkyrie), "The Colors of Infiniti" (self-released on 100 pressed CD-Rs), and "Like the Sky Above" (unreleased to date). These releases have gotten good write-ups in several underground zines, and have been well received in both the US as well as abroad. Sean McEleny, the band's drummer on the first recordings, left the band in January for personal reasons. VOG found another drummer named Shawn Gisreal, who did the outer split 7" art. Shawn Gisreal was with the band for our weekend with Unearthly Trance and a couple of other shows before he decided that he would not be able to put as much time into the band as we needed. The original drummer, Kifah, returned to the band after leaving for personal reasons out of his control. He has been with the band since May, and learned the songs way quicker then expected.
After a few months of practice, VOG was ready to record their followup to "The Colors of Infiniti," their epic 22-minute-long song. VOG recorded with Jeff Kane again in a newly-improved studio in early September. The band recorded eight songs over the course of five days that ended up being 80 minutes long. The band is now going over the rough mix and preparing for the mixdown process that will take place in mid-October. The recording will then be given to Steve Austin (Today Is The Day) for mastering. The band is playing several shows this fall in support of their upcoming full-length with such bands as Burnout, El Buzzard, Unearthly Trance, Wooly Mammoth, Unorthodox, Weed Is Weed, Valkyrie, Sex System, and Torche. After early December, the band will be focusing on songwriting, taking a short hiatus from shows, and not dragging their equipment through shitty winter weather. The band will probably resume playing shows in late February.
Burnout http://www.burnoutrocks.com Burnout's latest, <I>Armour of the Gods</I>, is full of heavy, chunky riff after riff and strong melodic vocals...their overall sound is simple with catchy guitar parts and stonery goodness.
This 11-song CD is packed with one trucking song after another. It's all pretty much straight-up, no-frills rock and tuned-down roll with plenty of sludge. Musically it reminds me of bands like Clutch and ATP with their thick, heavy, saturated bass and guitar lines. Vocals are right up front and painted over the thick canvas...Burnout aren't necessarily pitching in anything that groundbreaking, and the album tends to be kind of the same thing from song to song (a lot of the songs are even in the same key); nonetheless, these cats lay down the law and just plain rock, pure and simple. The sound is just throttling and the production is top notch. I don't know what these guys tune their strings down to, but it reminds me of the same sort of heavy riff sound that Goatsnake gets across.
There is plenty of southern dirge influences throughout this CD as well. It reminds me of a heavy, evil Skynyrd at times...twisted for sure.
I dig Burnout for their pure heavy goodness. If you dig ATP, Sixty Watt Shaman, and Unida, then you will almost certainly appreciate what these guys have to offer. It's heavy, evil, and just downright mean and dirty at times. A good one to throw on when you are heading home from work and are about to pick up a 6-pack of Pabst on the way. (Stonerrock.com)
