MP3 Venomin James - Crowe Valley Blues

Metal Doom Rock from Cleveland, Ohio.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (60:49) !
Related styles: Metal/Punk: Doom/Stoner Metal, Rock: Hard Rock, Mood: Angry

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Details:
The quixotic moniker sludge merchants emanating from Kirtland, Ohioâs version of the Bermuda Triangle, are a mystery, wrapped in an enigma. Swampy southern doom on the classic, traditional metal roster of the venerable Auburn Records. How does singer Jim Meador make sense of the contradictions? âMost of the guys are from Kirtland,â says Meador. âIt has this reputation, a weird vibe. Itâs an affluent area. It was the first encampment of Mormons. There have been cult slayings there. It has one of the highest elevations in the State, huge valleys. Itâs got a creepy feeling.â Might explain the mindset of the music! âWeâre real different. We donât fit the Auburn mold,â he states matter of factly. âItâs hard rock with metal elements sprinkled throughout. A heavy organic feel.â

So how did Crowe Valley Blues come to join the Auburn family? âWhen we released our first album, Left Hand Man, we sent it off to all the radio stations. Bill Peters (WJCU disc jockey and Auburn Records president) is the Pope of Cleveland metal. He called us to come down the station and do an on-air interview. Weâd run into some issues with other people saying they wanted to invest in us, but they turned out not to be trustworthy. His integrity and character is what made us want to work with Auburn. We produced our second album, Crowe Valley Blues, ourselves. Bill helped us with the mastering and will release it under his label.â

The DIY (do-it-yourself) ethic has long been part of VENOMIN JAMES, even prior to Meadorâs involvement. âA lot of the first album was written before the drummer and I came onboard. We took what they had and rolled with it. It got great responses from all over, but especially Europe.â Switching to the new disc, he continues, âCrowe Valley Blues, Iâm really proud of it. Everyone contributed and weâve locked onto what our sound is. Weâve got a chemistry and when we come together, we click on all cylinders. Most of it comes pretty easily. The production is a couple of notches higher than Left Hand Man and the songwriting is very strong. Thereâs one song we held back from the Left Hand Man sessions, called âDeathâs Wingsâ. It didnât really fit the first album. We stripped it down and changed a few things for the new one. Everything else was written since the recording of that first record.â

That would include âCosmonautâ, described by the vocalist as having, âsome twists and turns. It has a lot of intricate guitar work going on. Lyrically, itâs a contemplation song, viewing your life from a macro perspective; viewing the time continuum from a larger prospective and realizing the things people fret about on a day-to-day basis, the things that bring them down (emotionally) are really insignificant.â Another favorite for the frontman is âDesert Riderâ. âThatâs pretty straight forward. I listened to the demo and within five minutes, Iâd written the song. I started listening and I got the vision of being on a Harley, cruising through the desert, in New Mexico, at night. Itâs about dropping off the grid, reacquainting with ones self, isolation. Iâve spent a lot of time in the desert (as part of his military tour of duty in Iraq). I love it. Thereâs something about it, very mystical. Desolation and isolation brings you back to yourself, since you donât have any distractions.â

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