New Dawn Fades and Lykoi Fel
In case you didn’t know, we have a YouTube Channel, mostly dedicated to interviews and topics of interest to bands. My latest video was an interview with Todd White from King Volume Records. One of the things we talked about was how many submissions we get, and how there’s no way we can get to everyone. The struggle is real!
This is on my mind right now, because New Dawn Fades and Lykoi Fel are two bands that deserve a listen. They’re kinda Yin/Yang in that one is on the Stoner side of things, the other extreme Heavy Psych. A perfect match!
new Dawn Fades
New Dawn Fades is a band growing, right before our eyes while I type this! This Philadelphia project started out as a one-dude show from Ritual Earth singer George Chamberlain. But something this good was bound to attract other playa’s, and rumor has it that a touring band is sharpening their hooks and riffs and getting ready to make some noise.
And tremendous noise it is! Out the gate with opener, True Till Death, us North Carolina folk will appreciate the solid Corrosion of Conformity foundation, including the rousing chorus. This is definitely a Philly take on Raleigh’s finest, the kind that can unite the North/South divide into fist-pumping harmony.
This Night Has Closed My Eyes continues the same vibe, but things open up quite a bit. I hear so many influences it’s hard to keep track, but damn, this just fricking works. It’s kinda like late 80’s rock before money and MTV got ahold of the LA scene and ruined the party. Full on balls-out swagger with one of the best vocal performances this year.
New Moon closes out this EP without taking the foot off the gas. I see a lot of other writers declaring how a full-length will be one of their most anticipated LP’s of the year, and I totally get this. New Dawn Fades digs deep into hard rock traditions and picks out the choicest slabs. George is a force to be reckoned with, and I hope it happens soon. And a small tour in North Carolina with the likes of Holy Roller and/or Lie Heavy would be epic.
Lykoi Fel
Yes, I make fun of the fact that I’m a Boomer, and I have no intention of stopping. I’m totally amused by my bullshit, and take glee at peeling back the layers of my generational hubris. The latest “oh, I think I get it now” is TikTok. Once I got past the self-righteous postering, it turns out there’s a healthy and vibrant Stoner/Doom vibe on the Chinese Propaganda app.
So, I was randomly checking stuff out when this girl, I’m guessing early 20’s, talks about her favorite band from Minnesota, Lykoi Fel. I did know what “lykoi” meant, which is a type of cat.
Newbie that I am on TicTok, I didn’t like or save the post. Hopefully, I run into her posts again, because I owe her a like and even a…comment and a subscription. I’m learning just how important these are (cough, cough,… YouTube)
The name Lykoi Fel stuck with me, and I checked them out, and holy shit! I was totally in the mood for something off-the-wall, quirky, and even a little dissonant. The kind of thing I can’t predict or even make sense of, at first.
Multiversal Rending sounds precisely how the title sounds and the artwork looks. It starts out with an off-kilter drum rhythm and jangly, almost out-of-tune guitar with a layer of feedback over top. At a minute in, it starts to settle, but just a hair. At 1:30 it takes on a pulsing quality, the dissolves into an early-70’s prog sound, before melody was a consideration.
Lykoi Fel provides us with oddly compelling Extreme Heavy Psych that becomes significantly heavier at the 3:16 mark, at which time the stank-faced grin might creep onto your puzzled face. Warning: it just continues to build, minute by minute, for another 6 minutes.
Thank-you random Minnesota TicTok girl! I absolutely love this. If you’re a fan of experimental, off-the-wall and intriguing music, this has YOU written all over it.
