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Today, we return to the heavier side of Tauranga music. Last year, I wrote about a black metal band who caused quite a stir in Tauranga 30 years ago. But it wasn’t just an exercise in nostalgia.
The band are From The Dark and their one album, In The Last Days of The Sun, released on cassette in the mid-1990s, was discovered by Australian company Channel Sanctum, specialists in extreme metal, which reissued it worldwide on CD.
Unreleased let loose
In keeping with black metal lore, the band wore stage makeup – think scary Kiss – and had pseudonyms. Thus Jason, Tane and Tony, friends since fifth form at Ōtūmoetai College, became Laguz, Belial and Stone.
That re-issue sold out, but lurking in the wings was a previously-unreleased second album, recorded at Tauranga’s famous old Noise Factory with Shane Davies in 1999. Channel Sanctum has now let the band’s magnum opus, In The Night of Pan, loose on an unsuspecting world. In Tauranga, the CDs are for sale at Record Roundabout.
What does it sound like? Remember someone saying “Turn it down, that’s not music”? This was probably what they meant. Fast, bruisingly heavy guitar riffs supporting throat-shredding yelled vocals on five-minute musical epics, a dense overlaid sound complete with grand tempo changes, occasional keyboard moments and an operatic grandeur. But mainly heavy guitars and a lot of screaming.
Laguz. Photo / Dark Art Productions
If that’s the bag you’re into then I should also probably add a warning that this might offend Christian sensibilities.
The story might still not be over. One-third of the band – Laguz to be precise – is planning to assemble an outfit to belatedly play these tunes and to record new material. I’ll keep you updated.
Different ‘heavy’
Meanwhile, Hoick are a completely different kind of heavy. This band have released a self-titled debut album.
Previously, with a different bass player, they were Super Narco Man, before guitarist Joel Burgin and drummer Matt Gibson enlisted the help of Conrad Stephenson on bass. Engineered, produced and mixed by Evan Pope at the Mount’s most excellent Studio 11b the album – available on vinyl – contains 13 short, sharp modern punk attacks from the initial kick of Chargey Chargey to closing guitar workout Sewer Crab.
Hoick. Photo / Sandy Hughes
What distinguishes the band, apart from a slew of good songs, is their musicianship. If anyone still associates punk with scrappy playing then Burgin’s guitar will change that. In fact, there are more guitar solos here than you’d expect from a genre that once decried them. The whole band are tight and precise.
Hoick are on a nationwide tour and arrive in Tauranga on Saturday, May 30. They will play at Ōkahukura on Grey St in what looks like a killer night for fans of the alternative, with a rare outing from Threat.Meet.Protocol and sets from Two Skinner and Stunt Clown, who also have a new album almost ready to go.
Hear Winston’s latest Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/h4my6k5u