Happy New Year! 2019…holey moley! This is our first episode for the new year. I had the idea to do a bit of a “year in review” type episode for 2018. I wanted to acknowledge the fact that we had now been doing the Podcast for a year and just give a knod to all the great artists I interviewed or covered in some fashion. I figured this would be a great way to tie up one year and start another. So, as we brainstorm what is next please give this a listen and hear a cool and fun little wrap up of what I thought was a really great year for M-S-G. More guests on the way. Peace and love! And, a big thanks to my Monkey man 😉
*ALL MUSIC USED WITHIN THIS PODCAST IS PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL WRITERS.*
Richmond Virginia based, Sadartha return with their sophomore release, Eden. Sadartha is the type of band your Mother would always yell at you to turn down. Loud, nasty, raw, imperfect. These are all ingredients that make up something truly great. Few bands today possess an effortless punk rock attitude like these guys. It’s simple because IT IS just simple, and genuine. Album opener “Nautilus“ is an instant eye-opener, hard and fast. Singer/Guitarist Johnny Noxious groans his artful lyrics “Singing siren, pull me deeper. Like the Kraken, hold me tighter” over a swimming pool full of flange and distortion while the drums and bass drive you into instant madness. The record continues on the creaky tracks of it’s fairly gloomy rollercoaster ride until it uncomfortably parks you at the top only to be screamed at in “You Lack The Courage of Your Convictions, Sir” which just begs for a mid 80’s CBGB’s style moshpit to erupt out of thin air scaring the shit out of the suits as punk rock aliens invade – “Fire in the sky, dance in the ashes!” – This brings me back to what I had said earlier, simple and genuine and it all just works so well. We now push forward to the part of the ride that leads you to loops and uncomfortable twists and turns. From the Silverchair style “Dragon Opal Goddess” to the dark tunnel that is “Deep As Blue”, which is probably one of the most cohesive tracks on Eden up until the final slow burning cliffhanger, “Dancing Flames” only to make you want to take the stomach churning ride all over again. Did these guys reinvent themselves from their debut, Heavy Sound Damage? Nope. But the growth is there in every aspect. Production, songwriting, vocals…everything has been brought up a notch but not to the point where Sadartha loses themselves. They stay true to their style and message. The grunge band from the future flying their dirty tattered flag true and proud. Another year or two and I feel like album number three will be THEIR album. You have been warned.
I would say if a time machine did actually exist that the boys in Sadartha may have been the ones to discover it,  AND the story would go… Somewhere between the years 1990 and 1992 Singer/Guitarist Johnny Noxious and Bass slinger Mello Cefola were dragging a smashed Jaguar six string through a pumpkin patch donning their best ripped up flannel and middle fingers held high. Suddenly, a blinding light ripped through the field and, bang…Sadartha found themselves smack in the middle of a confusing 2017 armed only with copies of their debut record, “Heavy Sound Damage” and ready to push it straight into the face ofauthority. What I’m trying to say is that these young guys from Virginia have delivered a true grunge record. It’s kind of scary actually how well executed it is. I mean, let’s face it, most everything comes back around (sigh) and people try to recapture that special time and far too often it’s lacking the soul and true artistry the original possessed. But here, without pretense and very naturally, Sadartha have delivered a wicked album heavily inspired by a genre they obviously are flying a flag for, and it’s great! Noxious wears his moniker proud with his full of attitude vocal approach permeating the record coupled with his dirty/clean/dirty/clean guitar tendencies. Cefola does a great job holding down the fort with Drummer/Engineer Eddie Payne.
Heavy Sound Damage opens with the gritty punk infused “Never Knows Best” which sounds like it could have been a lost single for an old SubPop compilation. Centered in the middle of the record is “Brittle Bullet”, arguably the best song on the record. It’s heavy, dark and one of the better written contributions to the album. “Permeate The Ether” is the discs finale, and it’s a sort of alterna-type space jam which is a tasteful way to go out for a fairly dark record.
With an image and a sound to match, these guys aren’t shy about what they are trying to achieve here, and with some outside production and another year or so under their belts I wouldn’t be surprised if they wound up leading some sort of NuGrunge movement. A solid effort with some scrapes and bruises, but that’s what makes this a truly honest work. Check out lead single and video, “Insects Last Moments” then head to the skate park and tear up some concrete!
