sHEAVY

Before I'd ever heard of sHeavy and discovered the band when I was obsessing over doom and stoner bands back in the mid 2010's, Jeff had given me a CD of Synchronized. The band name was weird and the album artwork wasn't really appealing... hell, I'd never even heard of Rise Above Records at the time... and the CD quickly ended up on the bottom of a pile of things that I wasn't really interested in but also couldn't throw out. Even after falling in love with The Electric Sleep and Celestial Hi-fi, I still didn't really bother with that Synchronized CD.

Earlier this year, I stumbled upon the fact that Rise Above had finally issued Synchronized on vinyl at some point in 2024. There was a time when it seemed that every Rise Above release quickly sold out... and the clear vinyl die hard editions that are limited to only 100... goddamn, you had to be quick with your order if you hoped to get one. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the clear vinyl was still available for this record and I quickly grabbed one.

I don't know why I'm slow like this sometimes, because this album is so fucking good. I had plenty of opportunities to appreciate this record before this, and I ignored every one. So glad that this vinyl release finally set me straight. Great stoner doom metal, and it is a straight up crime that the die hard version of this is still available at Rise Above.

Sheavy Chase

A couple months ago, I picked up my first piece of sHeavy vinyl. Having never heard The Electric Sleep before, it immediately increased my appreciation for this band. I couldn't get enough of that album, and was soon looking to check out the follow up from 2000, Celestial Hi-Fi.

While Celestial Hi-Fi didn't set the hook immediately, I've found that with repeat listens, I enjoy it more and more. God damn, this band has jumped on my radar big time this year. Such a great Sabbath/doom/stoner sound.

I've been pretty hot on this band recently, and it was very tempting to spend the extra money and buy the clear vinyl Die Hard edition direct from Rise Above. In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and I saved the $60 shipping from overseas, and just bought the US pressing at a local record store. 1,000 pressed on solid purple vinyl.

Awakened From The Electric Sleep

It blows me away that I'm still able to find hidden treasures. I've been around the block a few times on this musical ride, and I like to think that I've got things locked down on all the good bands from the past 45 years or so...and then, along comes Rise Above Records and Sheavy to prove that there are still some surprises out there.

Sheavy are a stoner/doom band out of Canada. To best describe them, all you need to know is that the original band name, Green Machine, was taken from a Kyuss song, and the singer, at times, sounds like a dead ringer for early 80's-era Ozzy. I'd heard of the band throughout the years, and had given a couple of their albums casual listens from time to time, but I was not prepared for the greatness of The Electric Sleep.

This album was originally released on CD by Rise Above back in 1998, and this year the label decided it was time to give it a proper release on vinyl (and throw in a couple of bonus songs for good measure). Not one to turn my back on a Rise Above release, it seemed like it was a good time for me to finally check out this album. Holy shit. I had no idea what I'd been missing out on. Before I decided to make a purchase, I gave the the title track, The Electric Sleep, a quick listen. The song immediately had it's hooks in me, and I quickly grabbed the clear vinyl direct from Rise Above...high shipping prices be damned.

After finding a quick download of the album, it quickly became a permanent fixture in my daily playlists. After a month or so of listening to The Electric Sleep, my jaw still drops when I hear it. This may be one of my favorite records that I've heard this year.