LP Tracklisting

 

A1. Crab House (3:32)

A2. Pullin’ Like A Dray (3:50)

A3. Your Birthday Has Come And Gone (4:06)

A4. My Majesty (3:11)

B1. Scumblood (2:47)

B2. Pearlie (5:43)

B3. A Bone & A Thistle (3:06)

B4. Temple Controls (3:40)

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Release Info:

HENRY BLACKER are a rock band, a three piece, two from the group HEY COLOSSUS and a brother on the drums. These are the times they thought, let’s: WHOOP AND A HOLLER. Recorded August 2013 for £450 by Westminster Brown (Tim Cedar, Part Chimp) at the legendary Dropout studios, South London whilst a man from Torche watched on.

"Finally England provides a credible power trio. Fans of 70's heavy boogie will love it, but it'll also appeal to folk that dig Clint Foetus, Rapeman, Kyuss, Uncle Acid, Melvins, QOTSA/Desert Sessions. One of the (many) things I like about Hey Colossus (with whom Henry Blacker share two members) is their unrepentant Rockist streak, and boy is that made manifest on this offshoot. The album starts with a riff that would sit quite happily on 'Grand Funk', 'Blues for the Red Sun' or ZZ's classic 'Deguello', but within seconds the Henry Blacker English Power-Boogie identity is patented.

Some of the vocals treatments are classic Billy Gibbons (the Manic Mechanic sprang to mind) meets early QOTSA era Josh Homme. Available on vinyl and a limited run cassette from Riot Season, the cassette is strangely appropriate because these eight musings on aging, power, and failure are driving music. This is the album that the maniac in the monster truck is playing as he triesto mow you down in a 70's drive-in movie. It's the album Kowalski is playing to keep his drug and fatigue-addled mind alive as he heads for the Vanishing Point.” (Toby Mearing)

Straight rockin’

CASSETTE EDITION WITH EITHER BLACK OR WHITE SLEEVE, 25 OF EACH MADE

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REVIEWS

Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings is an insatiable craving, a stomach with
a hole. I feel like Henry Blacker aren’t in it for the journey, but rather
for the prize that constantly teases from afar – it’s an album that itches
with renewed thirst, running on empty but for the promise of more, and where
this sort of motorik onward drive can often be a symptom of a momentum that
painlessly renews itself, Henry Blacker’s motion is one of a ceaseless
anaerobic muscle exertion. Guitar and bass are jagged and frictional where
the oil between them has long run dry – warm, guttural, throttling amplifier
valves on their way out of the grill – with the drums charged with the task
of keeping everything in motion, in spite of everything pushing back.

The production is dry like cracked earth – voices squeeze out of vintage
Cadillac radios (sometimes mutated into monster groans through dehydration),
while snare drums clatter with the flimsy crack of a hammer against the
bonnet. There’s a real menace here; a rock ‘n’ roll that gnashes its teeth
with animalistic threat, rendered loose and unpredictable through sheer
exhaustion, and as “A Bone & A Thistle” throws crazed punches at its own
climax, words start to give way to some horrible grunts of torn throat and
sour bile – a primitive sickness ripping holes in Henry Blacker’s face

ATTN MAGAZINE


The US and the UK like to pass the title of 'Most Rockin' Nation' back and
forth like some sonic Ryder Cup. Britain provided the goliaths of the 1970s
(Zep, Sabbath, Who, etc.) while Alice Cooper and Kiss strutted their
superficial pantomimes. Things evened up in the hair metal/NWBHM years but
by the 1990s the States thrived with alt-rock, grunge, pop punk and
rap-metal when across the pond everybody was getting terribly excited by
'Wake Up Boo' and 'The Ballad of Tom Jones'.

Now, finally, it looks like the ball's bounced back into GB's court (to
muddle up my golf and tennis analogies). Since shedding their token lunatic,
Mr Oliveri, Queens of the Stone Age have continued diluting what little
squash remained in their audio beaker. Fellow stoners Dead Meadow have
backed up from their 70s influences to take inspiration from lighter 60s
hippy groups. Torche and Red Fang riff it up with the best of them, but
can't suppress their saccharine sweet teeth. Even established
intestine-rumblers Sunn O))) and Om appear to be stocking up on
finger-cymbals and embracing the 'new age'.

So perhaps the time is ripe for the UK to regain its heavyweight rock title
belt (oh crumbs, I've slipped into boxing now). Dundee three-piece Fat Goth
gave music a stout kick up the alt-rock arse with last year's Stud. 2013
also saw Future Of The Left release their strongest record to date.
Hookworms and their ilk are revitalising the psych-rock scene. Ginger
Wildheart's schizo-metal Mutation project is something to marvel. Black
Spiders are a tad prone to audacious cheese shapes but, hell, they're fun,
they're from Sheffield, and I'd rather hear Pete Spiby's gruff voice singing
something cringe-inducing than not singing at all. All of which is
encouraging because, let's face it, Lemmy's not looking as indestructible as
we once hoped and those are some big snakeskin boots to fill.

Henry Blacker feature two blokes from arty-metal collective Hey Colossus
along with another bloke who's related to one of 'em. Hungry Dogs Will Eat
Dirty Puddings was written in a Somerset barn and recorded by for £450 by
Tim Cedar from underrated noisesters Part Chimp. "YOUR MIND IS STILL IN
1992!" they bark on the swaggeringly cantankerous 'Your Birthday Has Come
and Gone'. This line could be self-criticism, yelled into a cracked and
sullied looking glass. Yes, their clearest reference points dwell in that
era (and geographically the American Midwest, not maraca-rattling
Manchester), even down to the bold Cows/Jesus Lizard vibe of the artwork.
Steve Albini's assorted activities and the perennially stimulating Melvins
also come to mind, not to mention Harvey Milk's emotionally-fragile
sludgework. Nothing wrong with that, so long as it's done well, and Blacker
sure as hell do that.

Fuzzed-up cool-dude boogie-stomp opener 'Crab House' could be a limey cousin
to Josh Homme's Desert Sessions, based in the West Country instead of Joshua
Tree, deprived of Homme's rich resources, fancy-ass equipment, A-list
compadres and PJ Harvey's shepherd's pie (and all the better for it). It
gets really fun towards the end when the vocalist abandons his stoner croon
to wobble his loose-cheeked face from side to side in close approximation of
the Tasmanian Devil. This phat ditty also earns bonus points for its worthy
subject matter: being eaten alive by giant crabs. 'Scumblood' headbangs
along as if Fu Manchu's 'Evil Eye' has been inhabited by several raucous,
foulmouthed squatters. And slow-jam 'Pearlie' is Duane Denison bad trippin'
with Gene Ween in a haunted abattoir.

Catchy, meaty, grubby, and bolstered by a feral Beefheartian belligerence,
what's not to like about this trio? With groups like Henry Blacker packing
such a powerful punch/power serve/pitching swing, it's game on, Uncle Sam.
Game on!

THE QUIETUS


Featuring two members from Hey Colossus in their ranks. This is very far
removed from that great band as Henry Blacker deals in hard-rocking
Sludge/Stoner/Blues/Boogie Rock riffs from the past 30 years. Do you miss
the brilliant and earlier days of Queens Of The Stone Age when they used to
write great songs packed with awesome riffs you could rock out to.

Well folks you can rejoice as Henry Blacker are here to save the fucking day
with their excellent new album - Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings. A 30
minute blast of finely tuned fast-paced riffs that will have you rocking out
from the very first second.

First track - Crab House - is the perfect introduction to these great
rockers as it shows what their music is all about. Sludge/Stoner Rock played
through a 70's Boogie/Hard Rock Blender. Imagine ZZ-Top jamming with QOTSA
and that should give you the impression on what to expect. Though the album
definitely has it's own identity and unique charm of it's own.

Second Track - Pullin' Like A Day - embraces the legendary Desert Rock Scene
with a groove laiden dirty Sludge Rock vibe that gives this track a dark
delicious edge. The vocals have a delightful menace to them as TF plays a
dual character here. Law-Abiding Citizen one moment and demented madman the
next. He can be all nice and polite but wait until the very end when he
becomes a different person altogether. Awesome stuff.

Third Track - Your Birthday Has Come and Gone - is my fave track on the
album as it's a completely fucked-up rock song embracing the albums more
dangerous edge. Sludge Rock, Hard Rock and Stoner Rock combine to show these
guys are definitely in a league of their own. Play this track at full blast
and embrace the darkness lurking through those Dirty Puddings!!!

Henry Blacker keep up this crazy style of fuzz drenched dirty riffs that
even pays homage to bands such as Harvey Milk, The Melvins, Pixies and
Kyuss. And it's still so god-damn original. Henry Blacker have delivered
more riffs in 30 mins than some bands won't be able to produce in their
entire career.

I loved every minute of this album. It's a fucking blast from start to
finish. The albums later tracks such as Scumblood and Temple Controls shows
why the UK Sludge/Stoner Rock scene is thriving at the moment. This album is
a riot. It's going to win a huge following within the Sludge/Stoner Rock
scene.

Brilliant. No Question.

SLUDGELORD


Two of Hey Colossus and one of their brothers? Of course I'm bloody
interested. Joe (bass) and Tim (guitar and vocals) are HC members but break
free here with some pretty rough-ended stuff with a solid drummer who plays
it straight.

Hailing from the West Country, (hailing always sounds like you're
approaching at speed, apt) they sound at points as if they could equally
come from Cali or Texas, there's a definite stoner rock influence here, but
also a lot of 90s alt stuff too. People have listed stuff like Rapeman,
Kyuss and QOTSA's Desert Sessions and that's entirely fitting. I'd say
there's a healthy dose of Melvins in there too, the bludgeoning and
simplistic stop-start of My Majesty for example transcends the sometimes
limiting stoner tag they might end up getting from lazy circles.

The vocals as well are simply brilliant, part growl, part yelp and with some
pretty camp inflections at points it could fit in with a sludge record,
making this a head-spinning half hour of music. I've not even mentioned the
lyrics yet have I?

Think Mark E Smith's sense of making poetry out of the banal and add a pinch
of Zappa and I think you are nearly there. How's about: "they lift you
whole/from room to room/but your mind is still/ in 1992/ They bring you a
rug, to warm the lap/ you can't feel/ it's one tap for "yes"/ two taps for
"no"/ but just how many taps, for "i don't fucking know"?

Back to that Kyuss mention from earlier, they really play up to that on Bone
& A Thistle not only with the rawkin' riffz, but with the deep down and
dirty vocals too. This is kind of Breaking Bad territory here, like that bit
where they stick a Mexican's head on a tortoise and rig it with a bomb.
Nasty.

The desert rock swagger makes a cool entrance on Temple Controls which also
sounds a bit punch drunk, with what sounds like keys slowly falling off a
cliff in the background.

It's available on vinyl, tape and download. Do one of them, this is ace.
They are heading out on a load of live appearances this year too, catch them
before they burn out.

NINEHERTZ

The debut from Henry Blacker, which features members of Hey Colossus, is one
master class in delivering dirty rock music. It takes parts of the stoner
punk that used to come out of the California high desert and merges it with
some crazy noise rock to form a totally messy, amazing hybrid. “Crab House”
opens with a down and dirty riff and a tinkling of keys that sound like they
were taken from “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer” by Queens of the Stone Age.
But instead celebrating the joys of the decadent life, this one takes you
right into the filth. “Pulling Like A Dray” has a big rock vibe, dirtied up
by slurred vocals guitars that sound like they were smeared in mud.
“Scumblood” lurches menacingly, while “Pearlie” goes slow and doomy, with
some more insane vocal work. “Temple Control” ends the album with discordant
guitar riffs and a pace that picks up toward the end, leading to a complete
thrashing of the drum kit.

This is a fine debut that hits all the primal rock impulses. There are rumors of possible United States tour dates in the near future, so you’ll want to familiarize yourself with this band before they come to your town and totally lay waste to your local dive.

VERBICIDE


Urgh… has everyone recovered from the frankly ridiculous year of next level
rock music that was 2013? Me either, however things don’t seem to be slowing
down in 2014 as West Country rockers Henry Blacker are proving. This rugged
little rock band is comprised of Joe and Tim from the more than legendary
Hey Colossus (and Tim’s brother) and their debut album Hungry Dogs will Eat
Dirty Puddings is coming out on Riot Season, whose owner Andy should be
given a knighthood for what he’s done for boundary pushing underground rock
music. The label boasts releases from Todd, Shit and Shine, Bad Guys,
Mainliner, Art Burning Water etc… wow! Anyway, are Henry Blacker another
mind bending string to the Riot Season bow? Yes of course they are.

You know that track ‘Hot Grave’ with the clean vocals on the Hey Colossus
record last year? What do you mean no? Go listen to it at once you fool, it
was my song of the year! Well, I am delighted to tell you that was actually
Tim who’s on vocal duties for these guys and we’re treated to his rather
quirky growls throughout entire album. Genuinely one of the most unique
voices you’ll hear and during first track ‘Crab House’ there is a wonderful
patch where the riffs take mini breaks for him to rant something but one
time it’s like he can’t think of anything and has a panic attack… fucking
class! The track also boasts a ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding
garage rock sound that you would have to be a complete moron not to adore.

‘Pullin like a Dray’ is an absolute gem of a number, such a groovy little
sound that just makes you want to boogie. It would not sound out of place on
one of Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions and if you put it on in a house party
full of people who don’t like underground rock music they would not go frown
and tell you to turn it off. It’s accessible but in a good way and more
importantly a massive pile of fucking fun.

Hungry Dogs will Eat Dirty Puddings consistently delivers on catchy little
numbers. I’m not sure how on earth they have made something so sludgy yet so
groove and downright entertaining. We’re consistently smacked around the
chops with little diamonds such as ‘Scumblood’ which makes you grin but has
a dark edge with sinister lyrics. It certainly has the potential to be a
crowd pleaser and can see it appealing to a huge range or rock fans from
across the spectrum. Whether you’re into Queens of the Stone Age, The
Melvins, The Jesus Lizard of Future of the Left you are going to love
getting down and dirty with these guys. They are a quirky, sludgy, growly
little rock band who don’t sound like anyone else for Christ sake, of course
you are going to love it.

ECHOES AND DUST

This is basically going to be a totally biased review since I know these
guys personally (then again, what review isn’t biased in some way?) but
anyway, Henry Blacker are a new trio formed by the brothers from curate’s
egg of an indie / electronica outfit Reigns and that tall bass dude from Hey
Colossus. They’ve all got down and dirty with some nicely immediate, grimy
and off the cuff power-trio post-hardcore jams. Like the titular pudding,
this raspberry tart of an album has a rock solid base (of pastry if you
will) with drums and bass locking proceedings down while Tim’s unusual
guitar jags and sometimes muttered, often howled and always threatening
vocals provide an acidic tang. Vibe-wise I am channelling the pension-age
weary gruffness of Harvey MIlk, though in a less mathy and more straight-up
manner, but keeping the crunchy riffs and nice roll to proceedings.
“Scumblood” and “A Bone And A Thistle” are the the rollicking efforts that
float my boat, though I think my fave is “Your Birthday Has Come And Gone”
with its snaky, mid-tempo riff that pays off with a satisfying crescendo.
Eight songs in half an hour means no oustaying of welcomes either.

COLLECTIVE ZINE


Henry Blacker are made up of two thirds Hey Colossus and an additional
brother. Their debut effort, Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings, is a 30
minute punch in the face. Hey Colossus’s 2013 release Cuckoo Live Life Like
Cuckoo was a personal favourite of mine. It was the perfect amalgamation of
heavy riffs and strange psych air. Henry Blacker stay exclusively in the
heavy riffs category. Album opener Crab House recalls dreams of driving a
beaten up car around a run down city while managing to feel absolutely
unstoppable. Rust and dust. I feel exactly the same way as I did when I
watched the video for Wires by Red Fang. Something along the lines of
“hmmmm, maybe I should stop being a pretentious shit and enjoy some beer,
beards and guitars. I can listen to some obscure sound art later.” I just
want to play air guitar where I hammer imaginary chord shapes rather than
mime fickle guitar solos. Could there be a better way to start a new year
than with some trusty noise rock? Possibly. But for now I’m content with
this. Maybe pretend you’re not trying to be healthy in January by listening
to this, it’s certainly better than a salad. That’s the least I can say. Go
on, let the distortion explore the crevices in your skull. Let the fleghmy
vocals seep into the deep recesses of your tinnitus ridden ears.

CRAIGNESS


Stuff 2013, here's one of the best albums of 2014. Finally England provides
a credible power trio response to ZZ Top and Josh Homme-ness activity! One
of the (many) things I like about Hey Colossus is their unrepentant Rockist
streak, and boy is that made manifest on this offshoot. Fans of 70's heavy
boogie will love it, but it'll also appeal to folk that dig Clint Foetus,
Rapeman, Pixies, Kyuss, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, and the new
Belligerants in the Midlands and North. But Henry Blacker hail from
Somerset!

It's available on vinyl and cassette from Riot Season Records, and the
cassette is strangely appropriate because these 8 musings on aging, power,
and failure are driving music. This is the cassette that the maniac in the
monster truck is playing as he tries to mow you down in a 70's drive-in
movie. It's the cassette Kowalski is playing to keep his drug and
fatigue-addled mind alive as he heads for the Vanishing Point. Now I am
aware that one member of this band does a heck of a lot of driving...

Anyway here's a taster. The album starts with a riff that would sit quite
happily on the Grand Funk; Blues for the Red Sun; or Deguello albums but
within seconds the Henry Blacker English Power-Boogie identity is patented.
Some of the vocs treatments are classic Billy Gibbons (the Manic Mechanic
sprang to mind). The passage that commences at 1:45 is the absolute SHIT!

TOBY MEARING RADIO SHOW


Named after The British Giant, this trio burns through eight songs of lo-fi
punk that sounds like inner-urban revolution than backyard barn antics which
is exactly where these songs were conceived.

The first thing you get out of Hungry Dogs is that the vocals are quite
unique, like it’s a strange seance turbo-charged into hyperdrive. Three
chord metal prose acts like you could be hip-swaying to some Judas Priest
jam dominates “Crab House,” when in essence, Henry Blacker has the demeanor
more like The Stooges.

Compiled from a shit ton of songs and paired down into a neat little
package, this album is pieced together from what seems like total
randomness. The lyrics involved expel into a stream of conscience. Once you
get past that and decipher what is really being said, the album is actually
densely painted to the equator of where this band stands both geographically
and emotionally.

“how many fingers am i holding up? what’s my name? what’s the day today? the
course that i’ve steered, over motionless seas, suspiciously clear, of
obstacle, tentacle, sea fret and drear, the wrecks in my wake, are not my
concern, nor the ones that i break, against the might jut of my prow, my, MY
MAJESTY, only my majesty has got me this far, only my majesty to fall back
on.” — from the song “You’re Birthday Has Come and Gone.”

Somewhere between The Melvins and Girls Versus Boys, is a cacophony of punk
sludge that will warp your mind. They will tangle you up in their words and
spit you out. For them, the song pretty much remains the same.
Crotch-thrusting rhythms, chords fuzzed out with noise, and a vocalist that
sounds like he is ripping out his larynx and throwing it in your face. You
almost feel sympathy to his vocal chords, a slight shrill to his guttural
growls that spew out of his mouth.

Henry Blacker is noise pollution you can dance to. It’s bearded cantor where
the sweat drips from. You will get caught up in the whirlwind.

SELECTIVE MEMORY


You have to admire a group so unconcerned with music industry bullshit or
massaging their own egos that the self-penned press release for their debut
LP makes the celebratory meal at the end sound like the most exciting part
of the recording process. Of course, in this case such wry apathy is
misleading: Henry Blacker (named after the 7’4” 18th century “British
giant”) are a Somerset-based three-piece featuring Joe and Tim from Hey
Colossus, and if you were anywhere near as smitten as I was with that group’s
2013 album Live Life Like Cuckoo, you’ll likely find that very exciting news
indeed. Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings finds the trio getting straight
down to the serious business of rocking the fuck out, spewing forth a
succession of razor-sharp hooks and loose-limbed locked grooves as fierce as
stomping Cuckoo highlight “Hot Grave” and sounding every now and then like
they can’t quite decide whether to keep jamming on the same two chords for
another ten minutes or stop and have a nervous breakdown. If you wished the
Jesus Lizard had had the Melvins’ sense of humour, or preferred QOTSA when
they were robo-riffin’ wild men as opposed to the chart-friendly friends of
Elton they are today, then this is for you: injecting their speed-freak
boogie woogie with precision-tooled metallic sludge dynamics (the immense,
lumbering “Pearlie”), insane vocals – imagine Tom Waits panicking midway
through a sword-swallowing trick – and just a pinch of melodic sugar, the
Blacker boys have created the year’s first great outsider rock record.

FOAMHANDS


Featuring two members from Hey Colossus and a brother on drums – whose
brother were not quite sure – could be your brother if he has a penchant for
tub thumping – which we admit sounds in print when reading back like some
private aside that old wife’s tales would have you believing procured
blindness in men folk. Comedic turns aside – this lot make up Henry Blacker
who as it happens are shortly to have their debuting long playing ‘hungry
dogs will eat dirty puddings‘ platter debuting on riot season. From that set
we’ve this gnarled little blighter ’pullin like a dray’ to drop kick into
your comfortable listening space. Typically damaged and deranged not to say
a tad demented, this beatnik bastard rumbles ominously, rising from a
primordial ooze it flexes its scowling disquiet to a progressive mathian art
gouged grooving that’s heavy on the brooding agit core scale whilst
surprisingly leaning towards the flame hot psychosis of a youthful Birthday
Party, very bad to the bone boogie making that forthcoming album something of a must hear treat

MOON BLOGS FROM SYB
 

HENRY BLACKER CRAB HOUSE PROMO T-SHIRT