Classic Rock 435 Items

Originally released on Philips in 1970, Zweistein's trippy kraut psych experimental masterpiece gets its first vinyl reissue ever. Even more experimental than Faust, Kraftwerk or Cluster, their only album was a triple LP housed in a marvelous double gatefold cover, all made in silver & gold cardboard, with the front embossed and featuring a small mirror on it. Electronically adventurous, the sounds give you what's promised in the title in the form of an avantgarde collage produced by Suzanne Doucet -a successful pop singer and TV guest then, and now a famous voice in New Age music- with the help of her sister Diane and sound engineer Peter Kramper, who besides his recognised work as a studio wizard starting with many German beat bands like The Rattles or The Blizzards and later remixing albums by the likes of Hawkwind a.o. He also played synthesizer in some Amon Düül albums an records by other krautrock travellers like Utopia's 1973's self titled LP.

At the time Suzanne didn't want to link the avantgarde experiments collected here with her succesful pop career, so she used a pseudonym and signed the production as Jacques Dorian, while the recordings were issued as being made by a whole band named Zweistein. The photo you see on the cover of their only 45, here included as a bonus, show the Doucet sisters surrounded by friends who where ask to play any instrument they could, be a tambourine, a flute or simply stomp their feet on the ground, on the sessions.

The Wah Wah reissue has been licensed from Suzane Doucet, comes with remastered sound and will include one bonus 7" reissue of their non LP single. Like the original, it will be printed over metallic silver & gold embossed cardboard, plus comes with an insert with liners and photos. Limited edition, only 500 copies pressed!

In 1995, Zao released their first album, "All Else Failed," on Steadfast Records. Never a band to repeat a past success and always searching for new boundaries to push within their own music, "The Well-Intentioned Virus" finds Zao utilizing just as many familiar touchstones from their catalog as introducting new ones. Dense and clastrophobic one moment, beautiful and spacious the next. Vinyl version includes digital download.

Historical Graffiti is the band’s fourth full-length, out in 2016. Gary Arce, the guitarist, seems comfortable sitting on a single vamp throughout the opener ‘The Wind Cries Edalyn’, allowing the additions of violin and bandoleon accordion (played by the tango musicians Sara Ryan and Adolfo Trepiana, respectively) to weave melodies in between. Despite the titular connection to the Jimi Hendrix song, it bears no discernible resemblance to ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and it is a deceptive number; what seems such a simple, almost easy-listening song reveals more colour with every listen. ‘Her Phantom Finger of Copenhagen’ is slightly darker and almost sounds, with the slight distortion on Arce’s guitar, as if it could have come from Pot Head, the EP the band released in 2005. Mario Lalli, the bass player, begins the third song, ‘Naomi Crayola’ with a throbbing single note, aided by Bill Stimson’s metronomic drumming. Imagine if Can grew up near the beach, it’s that sort of vibe. The only problem with the song – and the album, as it happens – is that it is too short. Ryan’s violin returns in ‘The Secret Language of Elephants’, this time playing the role of keeping the main vamp alive while Arce’s guitar generates an evocative soundscape that opens in your mind a wide, violet sky like that above a desert the moment after the sun disappears for the night. The closing song and title track is the most free of the five on the album, with Stimson’s beat conjuring memories of Kyuss’s more mellow moments from Welcome to Sky Valley, Lalli’s bass marking the simplest of bottom ends and Arce having a ball over the top. (taken from the band's Bandcamp)

Historical Graffiti is the band’s fourth full-length, out in 2016. Gary Arce, the guitarist, seems comfortable sitting on a single vamp throughout the opener ‘The Wind Cries Edalyn’, allowing the additions of violin and bandoleon accordion (played by the tango musicians Sara Ryan and Adolfo Trepiana, respectively) to weave melodies in between. Despite the titular connection to the Jimi Hendrix song, it bears no discernible resemblance to ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and it is a deceptive number; what seems such a simple, almost easy-listening song reveals more colour with every listen. ‘Her Phantom Finger of Copenhagen’ is slightly darker and almost sounds, with the slight distortion on Arce’s guitar, as if it could have come from Pot Head, the EP the band released in 2005. Mario Lalli, the bass player, begins the third song, ‘Naomi Crayola’ with a throbbing single note, aided by Bill Stimson’s metronomic drumming. Imagine if Can grew up near the beach, it’s that sort of vibe. The only problem with the song – and the album, as it happens – is that it is too short. Ryan’s violin returns in ‘The Secret Language of Elephants’, this time playing the role of keeping the main vamp alive while Arce’s guitar generates an evocative soundscape that opens in your mind a wide, violet sky like that above a desert the moment after the sun disappears for the night. The closing song and title track is the most free of the five on the album, with Stimson’s beat conjuring memories of Kyuss’s more mellow moments from Welcome to Sky Valley, Lalli’s bass marking the simplest of bottom ends and Arce having a ball over the top. (taken from the band's Bandcamp)

Wytch Hazel’s stellar 2016 debut Prelude confirmed these Lancastrian apprentice wizards to be Britain’s most promising new hard rock band. Two years on, that promise comes to abundant fruition on II: Sojourn, an album that moves Wytch Hazel on from the innocence and exuberance of the debut to a darker, more profound and complex place, carefully wrought into optimum shape by the band’s singer, guitarist, songwriter and mastermind Colin Hendra. “I’m really into the idea of an album,” notes Colin. “I don’t do mix-tapes, I don’t listen to singles, I’m interested in albums. I want to make a good, listenable, cohesive work, that is the whole thing.” Asked what inspirations were brought to bear this time, Colin has good news, and even better taste: “I was listening to plenty of Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash last year,” remarks the frontman. “This seems to be more of a hard rock album, where the last one was more rock-folk. It’s definitely more rock than folk!” The most crucial influence fully expresses itself via Les Paul guitars in sweet twin harmony through cranked Super Lead Marshalls - “Exactly the same type of amp that Thin Lizzy would have used,” beams Colin - a benefit of working in James Atkinson’s Hand Of Law Studio, a converted gaolhouse in Leeds. “We knew there would be a lot more great gear, more amps, more options,” enthuses Colin of this productive new work environment. “We were more prepared, we planned better. I had a lot more vocals to record on this album, pretty much every song has at least three harmonies, but James is a really chilled out guy, he made it easy for us. I had a very clear idea of how I wanted each song to sound, I thought about every single aspect. I probably over-prepared for this album, and it paid off!” Wytch Hazel’s proud, avowed Protestant Christianity continues to set them apart from the occult hocus-pocus of their peers, and the very title Sojourn has a Biblical inspiration: “It’s used a lot in the Old Testament, people would travel somewhere to stay for a short period of time,” explains Colin, comparing the idea to Wytch Hazel’s development since Prelude. “We’re going to reside here with this sound for a while, and the next album might not sound the same. Come and have a listen to this aspect of Wytch Hazel - it’s a temporary stay. We’ll be here for a while, then there will be something else. I’m always writing, it’s a constant stream, but I’m always trying to raise the bar, because I don’t want the next album to be not as good as the other ones!”

Limited Edition. Gold Vinyl.
Includes original insert and CD.

Black Vinyl.
Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Includes original insert and CD.

Svart Records set to release the 10 year anniversary edition of Voivod's Target Earth. 2LP edition, including a booklet with photos and extra graphics. The limited Svart exclusive colorway comes with a slipmat.

Target Earth is the thirteenth studio album, and the sixteenth release overall, by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, which was originally released in 2013. This is the first Voivod studio album to feature Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain on guitar (replacing the late Denis "Piggy" D'Amour) and the only one since 1991's Angel Rat with Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault on bass.

The main songwriters on Target Earth were Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault, in his first songwriting credit with Voivod since 1991, and Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain, who replaced Piggy. As Michel "Away" Langevin explained, Mongrain's role was both challenging and natural: "He had to think from his point of view how Voivod should sound like nowadays...He learned to play guitar listening to Voivod, and he knows all the albums, he's a fan of all the eras, so it feels very natural for him to write Voivodian material."

"Target Earth is somehow, against all odds, the best Voivod album since probably The Outer Limits. It’s super-prog, plenty heavy, and pretty damn weird. And it has something to offer fans of any era of Voivod’s past, while also having its own identity and direction. Welcome back, guys." - The Angry Metal Guy

"For this, VOIVOD's thirteenth studio album, ever present drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and long reinstated vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger managed the coup of dragging founding bassist, Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault out of retirement, making it three-out-of-four original VOIVOD-ers - the better to facilitate new guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain's unenviable task of filling Piggy's space boots. To his credit, Mongrain blends right in, and so too does "Target Earth" blend in with numerous portions of VOIVOD's itinerant musical past, arguably making it the band's first truly "regressive" - not "progressive" - album, and, as such, likely good news for the band's oldest fans." - Blabbermouth

Svart Records set to release the 10 year anniversary edition of Voivod's Target Earth. 2LP edition, including a booklet with photos and extra graphics. The limited Svart exclusive colorway comes with a slipmat.

Target Earth is the thirteenth studio album, and the sixteenth release overall, by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, which was originally released in 2013. This is the first Voivod studio album to feature Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain on guitar (replacing the late Denis "Piggy" D'Amour) and the only one since 1991's Angel Rat with Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault on bass.

The main songwriters on Target Earth were Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault, in his first songwriting credit with Voivod since 1991, and Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain, who replaced Piggy. As Michel "Away" Langevin explained, Mongrain's role was both challenging and natural: "He had to think from his point of view how Voivod should sound like nowadays...He learned to play guitar listening to Voivod, and he knows all the albums, he's a fan of all the eras, so it feels very natural for him to write Voivodian material."

"Target Earth is somehow, against all odds, the best Voivod album since probably The Outer Limits. It’s super-prog, plenty heavy, and pretty damn weird. And it has something to offer fans of any era of Voivod’s past, while also having its own identity and direction. Welcome back, guys." - The Angry Metal Guy

"For this, VOIVOD's thirteenth studio album, ever present drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and long reinstated vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger managed the coup of dragging founding bassist, Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault out of retirement, making it three-out-of-four original VOIVOD-ers - the better to facilitate new guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain's unenviable task of filling Piggy's space boots. To his credit, Mongrain blends right in, and so too does "Target Earth" blend in with numerous portions of VOIVOD's itinerant musical past, arguably making it the band's first truly "regressive" - not "progressive" - album, and, as such, likely good news for the band's oldest fans." - Blabbermouth

Box is close to NM.