The Unbeheld releases its psychedelic torrent in new CD

The unbeheld

Hunched over plates of fried rice and Vietnamese soup in a Midtown restaurant, the members of Memphis stoner metal band the Unbeheld seem far removed from the world they sing about, an adolescent suburban boy’s fantasy land of monsters and demons and epic battles of good against evil surrounded in a mist of rumbling drum and epic guitars.

“The newer stuff has gotten a little more psychedelic and more shamanic,” says lead singer Brian Anderson, who has been know to sneak verses in archaic angelic tongues into songs. “On the new album we’re dealing with stuff from science fiction to mythology, philosophy. It goes all over.”

The unbeheld

The Unbeheld will throw a CD release party for their full-length debut "In the Arms of Mother Chaos" Friday at the Hi-Tone with special guests the Dirty Streets and Iron Tongue from Little Rock.

The Unbeheld formed almost 2 years ago. Former co-workers Anderson and guitarist Ben Aviotti, who were then playing with bands called Grandma and Serapis, respectively, decided to start a side project playing a batch of thrash metal tunes Aviotti had recorded on his computer. The pair recruited old friends Shawn Zorn (de-missile, the Infidelles) on drum and Nathan Raab (Grandma, Aaron Alexander) on bass.

Almost as soon as the new band began playing together, the music started to take a sharp turn from its original focus, becoming darker and bluesier in the mold of such classic progressive rock and early metal bands as King Crimson, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, and Iron Butterfly.

“When we got together and had a more organic writing process, a very different sound came out, still very heavy but substantially different,” says Raab.

Pretty soon the members’ other bands fell by the wayside and The Unbeheld became their primary focus. They played their first few shows under the name Vengeance of Mordeth, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the more fanciful excesses of psychedelic and prog rock.

“I think it was when were going to put out an EP that we decided if we’re going to change the name its now or never,” says Zorn of the re-christening. “We realized we were better than a joke band.”

That a group made up of players in their 20s and early 30s should so wholeheartedly embrace music that was recorded before they were born may seem a bit outmoded, but early electric boogie rock, proto-metal and other heavy sounds of the ’60s and ’70s have had a huge influence on younger bands since the 1990s and bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, and Wolfmother.

Locally, The Unbeheld has become the hub of a stoner rock scene that also includes the Dirty Streets and Tanks. Members of the group also run a Web site called memphishatesyou.com, an online gathering place for the alternative metal scene, as well as a companion music festival held annually over Labor Day weekend. In time for this year’s festival, the band is working on a double 7-inch record also featuring Iron Tongue, and local bands Saurus and These Wolves Are Robots.

One enduring appeal of heavy rock for The Unbeheld is its live nature, putting an emphasis on musicians playing together. That was the aspect the band tried to carry over into the making of The Unbeheld, which, except for vocal overdubs and one guitar solo, was cut live at a home in Lakeland by producer/engineer Alan Burcham (Clinched Fist).

“We found a house that had high ceilings, wood floors that we were able to use,” says Zorn. “It was definitely a choice of sound. We took it over for like three days, kicked them out. Sometimes they were at work, and it was okay. But sometimes they were there, and it was a bit awkward, especially when Brian started singing in tongues.”

The Unbeheld CD release party with special guests The Dirty Streets and Iron Tongue

Friday at the Hi-Tone Café, 1913 Poplar Ave. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission: $5. Advance tickets available at hitonememphis.com. For more information, call (901) 278-8663.

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