Whereas Duel’s first two LPs rattled head shops across Austin, the local quartet’s third full-length for Italian powerhouse Heavy Psych Sounds rockets a whole new classicism. Epic in song, sound, and confidence, Valley of Shadows shatters every water pipe in the house on its fission of base elements evoking Kiss, Monster Magnet, and the Hellacopters. They thus help fuel one of the label’s four inaugural U.S. showcases.: “Heavy Psych Sounds Records is the creation of Italian mad man Gabriele Fiori,” writes in Duel frontman Tom Frank from California, where two of the fest dates fall. “Gabriele started the record label to self-release his own albums from his bands Black Rainbows and Killer Boogie. He soon picked up more and more super active bands in the doom, stoner, and heavy psychedelic scene in Europe and the U.S. The Austin lineup for HPS Fest features most the Texas bands that are booked by or have released albums with the label.”: Who better, then, to handicap the local bill than Frank, a supernova of hair and an almost British overlord intonation on Valley of Shadows:: Ecstatic Vision: “Tripped-out space rockers from Philadelphia, who recently toured with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats.”: Wo Fat: “Super heavy riff masters from DFW.”: Duel: “Heavy occult rockers from ATX.”: Crypt Trip: “Up-and-coming Seventies progressive rock from San Marcos.”: Greenbeard: “Austinites who serve up their own flavor of high desert rock.”: Tia Carrera: “Beloved Austin improvisers with endless heavy jams.”: Heavy Temple: “Great female-fronted doom band also from Philadelphia.”
Sat., May 11