Released on BIRD NEST REC. in 1975. AGNES STRANGE was founded in 1972 and this English trio walked their path between Heavyrock, Blues and R 'n' R , very heavy and fuzzy, comparable to INCREDIBLE HOG, BLACK CAT BONES or BUDGIE, just to mention a few. In some moments of "Strange Flavour", AGNES STRANGE had such an enormous drive which reminds me to some of the fantastic Australian underground R 'n' R acts like RADIO BIRDMAN or early CELIBATE RIFLES for example. Especially the opening track "Give Yourself a Chance" is an amazing R 'n' R hitter, very heavy and fast. But the whole album is nice and beside the opening track AGNES STRANGE have also other good songs.Some are more mellow and bluesy,while others tracks are going more in a Hardrock or Rock n Roll direction. It's sad that this band only released this album and two singles, because I think they had a great potential and BIRD NEST was a very small label, without any big distribution. So,if you like your 70' s Rock straight and hard, check out this record. The original LP is expensive, but you can get a CD re-issue with bonus tracks on GREEN TREE RECORDS.There also exists a CD, entitled "Theme for a Dream", with unreleased demo versions and the second album, which had never seen the light of day.

(KK)

Released on KARMA SUTRA REC. in 1971. This record starts with an awesome track, "Stone Woman", that shows what DUST had for abilities. A heavy drumsound, bottleneck guitar, a deep and warm bassound and the clear vocals are making this track to a unique one. Another outstanding song is "Love me hard" with a hard and agressive guitar and very melodic. One of rademarks of DUST is the dynamic drum-style of Marc Bell, which later in the 70's joined RICHARD HELL & THE VOIDOIDS and then the RAMONES. Another great song is "From a Dry Camel", a real Doomtrack, that clocks in 9:49. It's in the same vein as early PENTAGRAM or BLACK SABBATH. This Detroit-based power trio released the second and last album in 1972, titled "Hard Attack", on the same label but it was a little bit lame and less heavy than this one. Another thing I want to mention is the cover of DUST's first LP. It shows a photo of a catacomb with three rotting persons. Get a hold of this recommandable early Hardrock jewel, it's worth every cent.

(KK)

Released on HOOKAH REC. in 1969. This was the second and last record from this proto-Doom/Heavyrock group. Some people call JOSEFUS the BLACK SABBATH from Texas, but that doesn't fit well. JOSEFUS had a also a dark and heavy sound, but more simple and rougher than SABBATH. I would compare them with SEOMPI, another group that came out of Texas. JOSEFUS had a strong singer named Pete Bailey, who gives them a trademark with his vocal-style. "Dead Man" contains six songs and a excellent cover of the Stones classic "Gimmie Shelter". On the second side is the title track, a bluesy and heavy one that lasts 17:30, with a slight Psychedelic touch. The whole album has a melancholic atmosphere and I think it's beside the first HIGH TIDE album and the first BLACK SABBATH one of the heaviest at the end of the 60's. The cover is also very beautiful. It shows a black and white photo of a skull.....a dark cover for this time...! If you want to listen to other dark bands, that exists beside the famous Birmingham band, watch out for JOSEFUS. You can get a CD or LP re-issue on a record fair, I think.

(KK)

Released on REGAL ZONOPHONE in 1971. Australia had some good bands in the 70's like FANNY ADAMS, BUFFALO or BLACKFEATHER and MASTER'S APPRENTICES. They started in the 60's as a typical R&B band and at the beginning of the 70's they changed their sound more into Heavyrock direction. This masterpiece offers well-balanced Hardrock and for me, it's one of the best records that came out of this period. There's is no boring song and it's a great pleasure to listen to this album. It's a classic and the album sounds very timeless. An excellent songwriting and heavy riffs are making this record to a recommandable one for every Doom Metal and Heavy Rock fan. The cover was done by Hipgnosis (a group of artists) and it fits very well to the atmosphere of the songs. Hipgnosis had done a lot of cover-artworks, the most for VERTIGO, I think. After this album, MASTER'S APPRENTICES released the "Nickolodeon" live LP and in 1972 the last album, entitled "A Toast to Panama Red", but this one shows them in their finest hour.

(KK)

Released on SPECTATOR in 1971.This Danish powertrio is comparable to NOVEMBER and BLUE CHEER (the "Vincebus Eruptum" period!), but MOSES have no long guitar freak-outs like BLUE CHEER and they sound more "cleaner", not so aggressive and stoned. MOSES played heavy fuzzed-out Bluesrock, very solid and compact. I think this was the only album MOSES ever recorded. It's not really a masterpiece of an album, but a very enjoyable one, because it has a lot of groove and Blues and it's real heavy. In some moments the vocals are a little bit lame, but that isn't to hard. Sorry, I have no more informations about MOSES, but if you like groups like BLUE CHEER, this album must satisfy you. The original copy is impossible to find, but there exists a LP re-release on DRONE SYNDICATE.

(KK)

Released on DANDELION in 1972. The roots of STACK WADDY lay somewhere back in 1965. Absolut raw, simple and ultra-heavy, this Manchester group rules. In 1970 STACKWADDY released the self-titled debut, also on DANDELION. With "Bugger Off!", the 2nd one, their sound was more agressive and heavier than on the 1st LP. It was produced by John Peel, who had shown interest in STACK WADDY. But not only the music was aggressive. They have gained quite a reputation of being agressive physically towards promotors and agents. So it must be hard in the 60's to handle this band. Back to the record, there are twelve songs on it and, like on the 1st album, they played a few covers like "Willie The Pimp", "It's All Over Now" or "You Really Got Me", but STACKWADDY filled these songs with an own vibe and so they sound like their own songs. For example, "Hoochie Coochie Man" is a monster of a coversong. I think, this is the heaviest version of this old Blues song, that a band ever had played. The vocals from John Knail are very impressive and they remind me to CAPTAIN BEEFHEART. At least, the rumours tells that STACK WADDY gigs in the early 70's were violent and if you listen to this album, maybe you can imagine why.

(KK)

Released on POLYDOR in 1972. They are from Greece and play Hardrock in the vein of GRAND FUNK RAILROAD or BUDGIE. Maybe CREAM is a band that is in some moments also comparable to SOCRATES DRANK THE CONIUM. I got no informations about this band, but for every fan of early 70's Hardrock, this is a must-have. This trio have had the musical skills, especially the rythm-section is fantastic. They play with a great drive and energy and a little progressive touch. High recommandable for Heavyrockers.

(KK)

Released on FONTHILL in 1969. Heavy organ-based Rock, with a lot of DEEP PURPLE influences (especially the vocals), but these Canadian band had worked out their own heavy style. WARPIG are darker and harder. Only a few bands today play this kind of Heavyrock, maybe BIGELF is one of them. The organ doesn't dominate WARPIGs music to much, mostly it supports the heaviness or it gives the songs a medieval touch. But in most of the tracks the band plays hard and energetic. As far as I know, this is the only album WARPIG released and the original record is hard to find, but you can get a re-issue with different or same cover. There are also slight differences within the sound-mixing, but that isn't really important. Maybe you need some time to find this record, but you won't be disappointed from this monster-album.

(KK)