Dr. Colossus Introduces The World To “Dr. Tongue”
Simpsons themed doom? Yep, it's a thing. Dr. Colossus are gearing up to deliver their "heaviest, catchiest and stupidest" release yet.
~Review: Billy Goate | Photos: Sally Townsend~
One thing about Dr. Colossus, they don't exactly take themselves seriously, nor have they plans of doing so anytime soon. Hailing from the Land Down Under, Dr. Jon (vocals, guitars), Dr. Love (bass, vocals), and Dr. Johnston (drums) have got a cure for what ails ya. Raised on a steady diet of Black Sabbath and The Simpson, Dr. Colossus aims to keep doom alive by injecting it with a much needed dose of humor.
Just check out the band's clippings if you don't believe me:
Rearing their ugly heads a couple of years ago with an extremely well received EP and smatterings of 7”s and tapes, Dr. Colossus managed to capture the attention and imaginations of listeners of the metal world who were in desperate need of a laugh. An in-joke so well-crafted and subversive a couple of tracks gained the attention of national radio station Triple J ("Stupid Sexy Flanders," "Excellent"), quickly landing the band with a booking deal with ‘The Harbour Agency’. The joke continued as the band toured nationally, landing support slots alongside international titans of the riffworld like Red Fang, The Shrine, Beastwars, Brant Bjork and The Dwarves.
And that brings us up to speed to present day: we have now a full-length record on our hands. "The album came about largely due to gaining a new member," I was told by JC (aka Jono Colliver aka Dr. Jon). He's referring to Mike Findlay (aka Dr. Love), the bass player. Up until then, the band was just JC and Nath (aka Nathan Johnston aka Dr. Johnston -- are we all clear now?). "We have a work ethic of zero," JC confides. "Mike gave us a new fire and a bit of a fresh set of ears when it came to bringing heavier riffs."
"I've been trying to write pop tracks basically," JC says, "heavy as all hell, but catchy. My aim has always been to make something crushing that actually sticks in the listeners head. I think once Mike got on board, it really helped bring a heaviness to the record." And, trust, the riffs and the rhythms couldn't be tighter.
The title of debut album by Dr. Colossus? 'The Dank' (2017). That's right. Any guesses of which episode of The Simpsons that came from? Well, don't ask me, but I know it's the one based on this interchange between Moe and Carl:
Moe: “Everybody is going to family restaurants these days. Seems nobody wants to hang out in a dank pit no more.”
Carl: “You ain’t thinking of getting rid of the dank, are you, Moe?”
Carl: “Oh but, Moe, the dank! The dank!”
Credit: Every.Simpsons.Ever (@EverySimpsons)
Ah, yes, the dank. The Dank features two styles of writing coming together for Dr. Colossus. Mike brings in "really transcendental, sometimes almost progressive (in the '70s sense) riffs and riff structures and a real 'space' to the sound," JC tells us, "and I'm working hard at keeping tracks punchy, catchy, melodic, hooky, and of course lyrically witty." In other words, the new record is "just a deeper, darker and more potent version of Dr. Colossus." Yep. More dank.
The single ‘Holy Driver’ was the first taste we got of the new record and believe me, friends, it is a delight:
"We recorded the record at Home Brewed Studio in the bush outside of Melbourne," JC recalls. "Most of the time it was pouring rain outside and windy as hell, this added to the 'Dank' nature of the mood."
"Dr. Tongue" is the last track on the record -- the closer. "We've been closing shows with this one, too," notes JC, "as it just has a really loose, heavy section slowly falling apart till the end. We thought it was an appropriate ending to the record. Originally it was going to fade out, but we kept it raw in the end. It's the story of Bart falling in love with 'The Girl Next Door' only to have it stolen away right in front of his eyes by Jimbo Jones. This track came around when one of my mates Kris McDonald challenged me to write a song called 'Dr. Tongue' about Jimbo. We thought it would be funny to give it a roughly Indian inspired sound Ala 'Paint it Black' and contrast that with a really heavy chorus."
"Dr. Tongue" is being called "flamboyant," "ridiculous," and (most importantly) "crushing." After all, that's all we really ask for in a good Doomed and Stoned song, right? The new eight-song album releases September 9th on vinyl, CD, and digital formats via the band's label Death Mountain. It can be pre-ordered here.
With this opus, Dr. Colossus may just have pioneered a new sub-genre of its own: dank 'n' roll. Will the stink stick to you like it does to Carl, Moe, and Disco Stu?
