Stunned no. 16

Brave Priest — Precious Summers c30 (Stunned no. 16) — out of stock —

These Portland bud-n-beard powered bros absolutely shred their way through the most killer motor-psych sessions of the year! The night we first heard Brave Priest's "No Blood" single which kicks off this tape was admittedly some sort of epiphany, and got our total attention for sure. Dudes-in-mention Matt McDowell, Dan Barone, and Brain Thackeray (all formerly of the excellent Dark Yoga) perfectly nail us with serotonin rushed northwest grunge-fried vibes that remind everyone to just relax & ROCK. The troupe rips through a trio of gnarly jams on Side A, ranging from drowsy garage-prog slowburnin' to quaking metal spinouts. Side B is a single 12-minute epic that twists and arcs toward a pinnacle of hot psych purity. Hit play and pump yer fists to the dawn of a new day. Hand numbered edition of 100 pro dubbed c30 tapes in logo-imprinted yellow shells with 3rd eye cover art by Cameron Stallones.
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reviews:

"The tape begins with “No Blood”, mellow wah’d guitar notes materializing in the misty tape hiss before a lethargic bass groove starts up along with minimal drumming... The song maintains a loose leisurely vibe for most of it’s duration but a drum-led rave ensues near the end of the track with some sinister bass notes before dropping back into the original groove and ending on dry, sparse percussive hits. “Vampire Canyon” follows and kicks the tempo up a couple notches. The band plays strictly as a unit here all following the same rhythmic pattern until they slip into separate suits, the guitar contributing a wah-fried lead, the bass creates a heavy-as-shit presence with only one note and the drumming keeps the whole thing afloat. Things get a bit faster and sludgy which you know I like. Probably my favorite song on the tape “Give You Bone” closes out side A. This one forgoes the guitar for a heavy bass/drums groove and barking vocals, a tad like the Jesus Lizard but with a jammy elasticity instead of “Gladiator”-style pummel. The guitar is used sparely and perfectly, providing an occasional bleating exclamation point. Great song, three to four minutes of bad vibes. Flip the tape for the side long jam “Yellow Revolution”. The piece features all three members going full throttle. Some really excellent guitar skree here and a thunderous thrashing from the rhythm section. Really dig McDowell’s detailed stickwork too (is stickwork even a term??). It sounds like there’s a little keyboard trill in there somewhere but maybe it’s just the guitar, the brief melodic glimmers provided by the guitar and bass are key to the track’s success. That the jam stays vicious, never getting boring, is a testament to the power of the groove and the group’s performance. Brave Priest quiets down near the end bringing in the first appearance of vocals on the side before bludgeoning the jam home." - AUXILIARY OUT

"Just a heavy duty situation all around, the side manages to reach some pockets of delusional fury the likes of which a lot of those 60s biker bands were never willing to go. Guess Brave Priest has time and a whole world of influences on their side. Or maybe it's just that the pot's stronger. Totally amazing tape that's sold out at source but likely available somewhere out there. If not, someone reissue this thing... could be the summer jammer of 2009!" - Ear Conditioned Nightmare