 Valhall, SE (Top40 Charts/ I Hate Records) - Jex Thoth, a psychedelic hard rock band named after its enigmatic singer, has announced the release of its self-titled debut album courtesy of Swedish imprint I Hate Records. The transnational quintet features a bevy of skull-thwacking riffs and folk-tinged tones supporting Thoth's gloriously soaring voice. The band also includes the impeccable musicianship and creativity of former Wooden Wand leader James Jackson Toth (Grim Jim) on bass and guitar, backing the frontwoman who had previously lent her remarkable harmonies to his former group. Likewise, members Silas Paine (guitars / bouzouki / flute), Zodiac (keyboards / studio wizardry) and Johnny Dee (drums, percussion) gathered from fields afar, solidify the Jex Thoth totem pole. Jex Thoth does not fall into predetermined categories. Its sound is far from "stoner rock" or cookie-cutter doom often associated with similarly thunderous metal-leaning urchins. Rather, Jex Thoth is a bright shining phoenix rising from the drudgery of predictable metal formalism. Taking its influences from sources obvious (early Danzig, Ozzy) and not so obvious (avant garde chanteuse Catherine Ribeiro, over-the-rainbow psych-folk savant Bobb Trimble), the band, led by the beautiful and commanding goddess Jex, follows its muse wherever it leads them. The band is not afraid to take cues from progressive rock and folk, and the band's debut album (which follows an EP released under the name Totem) marks a huge step forward for Jex Thoth. From the vociferous opener "Nothing Left To Die," a statement of intent that begins with Jex singing "You think you know me / but you won't believe your eyes," to an ambitious cover of Bobb Trimble's psychedelic masterwork "When The Raven Calls," Jex Thoth is out to prove they are peerless when it comes to intrepid, bone-shaking rock and roll. Reverent while maintaining a defiantly original sound, Jex Thoth embraces all that is good about the past and shuttles it defiantly into the future.
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