Battlesnake and Spirits Burning & Michael Moorcock

Plus Unsung Heroes on Classic Albums

The Australian band Battlesnake has recently released The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple, and it is already one of my favorite albums of 2024.

In a Wall of Sound interview from last year, Battlesnake guitarist Paul Mason described the band as follows:

“A noxious synthesis of gasoline and amphetamine… Think if Queen, King Gizz and AC/DC birthed a serpent in the depths of the underworld. That’s us!”

In the same interview, Mason shares how fantasy literature has influenced the band:

“Our main thematic influences stem from fantasy literature, we are all huge fans of the greats Tolkien, Frank Herbert, etc. This informs the world building and imagery of the album.”  

You can listed to my favorite song from the new album, “Alpha & Omega,” here:

Consider including Battlesnake in your playlists for setting the mood for games like Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland, Mutant Crawl Classics, and Car Wars. The official videos for The Rise and Demise of the Motorsteeple defy concise description and are must watches:

Unsung Heroes on Classic Albums

I was a panelist on a recent episode of the Contrarians in which we discussed unsung heroes on classic albums. Watch the following if you are interested in my thoughts on some lesser known contributors to albums by the Who, Pat Benatar, and Blue Öyster Cult:

Spirits Burning & Michael Moorcock

BraveWords just published a review of last year’s The End of All Songs - Part 1 album by Spirits Burning & Michael Moorcock. Here is a description from the review:

“Fantasy writer/art rock visionary Michael Moorcock and Don Falcone’s space rock collective Spirits Burning return for a new collaboration on this new album, performers include Albert Bouchard (Blue Öyster Cult), Alan Davey (Hawkwind), Paul Rudolph (Pink Fairies), Chas Cronk (The Strawbs), plus members of The Damned, Camper Van Beethoven, Tangerine Dream and others. Instruments heard include synth, piano, organs, clavinet, Mellotron, percussion, and strings.”

In addition to Albert Bouchard, Blue Öyster Cult’s Buck Dharma also contributes, singing lead on the cool and moody album opener “The End of Every Song.” Fabienne Shine from the legendary but obscure Shakin' Street lends her distinctive vocals to two of my favorite tracks (“It Is Everything” and “Don’t Concern Yourself with the End of the World”).

Spirits Burning is a music collective led by Don Falcone that “celebrates space rock, progressive rock, new music, and other music.” Check out the Sprits Burning website to learn more about how “Spirits Burning has brought together over 250 musicians (from the family trees of Blue Öyster Cult, Gong, Hawkwind, Van Der Graaf, and many, many more groups).”