For Clutch, evolution is a way of life. Since 1991 these individuals have been challenging rock n' roll's limits, and Clutch show no signs of abandoning the unique experimentation that has defined them. On their ninth studio album, Strange Cousins from the West, the Maryland hard rockers continue to grow musically. Released this past July 14th, Strange Cousins sees the innovative quartet stirring up a sonic crock-pot of chugging blues riffs, punk rock grit, bombastic funk beats and raw, infectious vocals. Guitarist Tim Sult rips through epic grooves on cuts like "Motherless Child," while bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster lay an impenetrable rhythmic foundation on the likes of "Minotaur." Meanwhile, Neil Fallon croons out a soulful cacophony, lyrically conjuring an intergalactic pulp fiction. Invite these Cousins in, and you'll never be the same.

The only formula that Clutch will ever subscribe to is one of progressionon stage and off. Strange Cousins is particularly special for the band because it's the first full-length of new material to be released via the band's very own indie label, Weathermaker Music. They released a CD/DVD collection of live songs, Full Fathom Five and The Bakerton Group's El Rojo through the label, but this is the first new Clutch to come from Weathermaker. "There is a sense of gratification when you can call all the shots and cut out some of the middlemen. There's no artistic difference between what we're doing now and what we've done previously. We always did what we wanted to do even when we were with enormous labels like Atlantic. We've got a really good team put together to do this. We're not going to be the guy on the other side of the desk."

Live, Clutch still own every stage they stomp onto. They remain a highlight at major festivals and music events worldwide from the UK's Download and Australia's Meredith Music Festival to Bonnaroo in the States. They were also a top act at the renowned Austin City Limits Festival in 2009. No matter what the forum, Clutch have cultivated a live show that can't be stopped. In between all of the festival appearances, Clutch have lined up a slew of headline dates across the U.S. for their faithful.

"The live show has stayed very true to form," explains Neil. "Our overall approach and attitude is no different than it was 15 years ago. We want people feel to like they saw a rock concert. We're not adding a lot of bells and whistles. It's just amps, microphones and the crowd. It's like an event or gathering and it's developed a party atmosphere."

Ultimately, the band's intentions are as pure as they've ever been. "We want fans to listen to the album and escape reality for a little bit and keep coming back to it for that same reason. When I listen to music, it's either in the background or it's to put on headphones and get away. You have your own movie in your head, and everybody's movie is different. If we're providing that soundtrack, that's a very cool thing. There's a sacred, ancient dialog between the musician and the listener. When that happens, it's priceless. That's what I hope people get out of Strange Cousins. It's more of a philosophical reward than anything else."

Pentagram is an extremely influential American heavy metal hailing from the Washington DC area. Pentagram were quite prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, although they didn't release their first album until 14 years after forming. The band practically pioneered the subgenre of doom metal with their slow time signatures, heavy riffs, and lyrical content. Though invariably led by mysterious frontman Bobby Liebling , the band's volatile membership made it difficult to maintain any kind of momentum and kept them confined to metal's outer fringes. But interest in Pentagram's convoluted history continues to grow and their crucial contributions to the development of heavy metal seem at last to be receiving some of their late, lamented due. Most recently, the band played two triumphant shows entitled "Last Rites Live" in New York City and Baltimore, MD. The NYC show was filmed for the upcoming documentary film, "Last Rites: The Fall & Rise of Bobby Liebling" set to be released via sometime in late 2010. The success of these shows and their anticipated upcoming performance at Planet Caravan provide great evidence that the legend lives on!

Orange Goblin triumphantly continue to uphold the traditions of great British heavy metal. Having returned to the public eye after talks of a split following the departure of guitarist Pete O'Malley with their stunning album 'Thieving from the House of God' in 2004, the Orange Goblin express train just keeps on gathering speed and the band has now risen to the very pinnacle of the stoner metal field. The 'Thieving' album managed to encapsulate all of the unique traits that we've become so familiar with from the bands previous four albums, released on the legendary Rise Above Records. The Goblin are still riding high and leading the pack in 'balls to the wall' heavy rock! From the psychedelic noodlings of 'Frequencies from Planet Ten' to the greasy, biker groove of 'Time Travelling Blues', the crushing cosmic doom of 'The Big Black' right through to the aggressive punk-metal fusion of 'Coup de Grace' and the all out rock / metal majesty of 'Thieving.', the Goblin have been there, seen it, drunk the place dry and continued to motor onward, freeing themselves from any stagnant pigeonhole that may be thrown their way.

Over the last ten years, since their formation in the late night drinking holes of London's Soho, the band have risen to the very pinnacle of what they do and played a major role in inspiring a whole crop of today's upstarts such as Raging Speedhorn, Charger, 3 Inches Of Blood, Viking Skull, Kylesa, Torche, Baroness and more. The Orange Goblin reputation as an awesome live band has seen them share the stage all over the world with the likes of Alice Cooper, Heaven & Hell, Sex Pistols, Kreator, Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig, Monster Magnet, Nashville Pussy, Cathedral, Nebula, Unida, Alabama Thunderpussy, Dio, Grand Magus, Witchcraft and many more. Over the years, Orange Goblin have gained great maturity, due, in part, to the gruelling touring schedule that saw them conquer firstly the whole of Europe, a few times, and then headline a hugely successful first U.S tour, alongside Alabama Thunderpussy, that saw them play sell out shows in New York, Chicago and the famous Troubadour in Los Angeles.

After celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a sold-out show at the Underworld in London which received a 5K review in Kerrang!, the band headlined another US Tour with the mighty Scissorfight and began work on what would become their next album on new label Sanctuary Records. 'Healing Through Fire' was another slab of Sabbathian-Doom, punk-fuelled aggression and pure Heavy-Metal Thunder that earned rave reviews the world over and saw the band land a slot at the 2007 Download Festival at Castle Donington and support slots in Europe with Heaven & Hell. 2008 saw the band continue the hectic touring schedule supporting the 'Healing Through Fire' album before they finally started writing new material and signing a new worldwide deal with world renowned metal label, Candlelight. The new album will be written in 2009 and extensive touring plans are being made.

Orange Goblin were voted into the Top 10 Best Bands in the Terrorizer magazine Readers Poll for 2007. 'Healing Through Fire' came in at No.20 in Metal Hammer magazines Top 50 albums of 2007, was included in the Classic Rock Top 50 albums of 2007 and was voted 2nd best album of the year on AbsolutMetal.com.

They say that, if a band fails to perfect its sound by album number four, it's time for that band to do the honorable thing, and throw in the proverbial towel. This spring, Savannah, Georgia's KYLESA whose music defies classification, as it incorporates avant-garde experimentalism with relentlessly sludgy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock issued its fourth studio full-length, Static Tensions, and let's just say they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

Laura Pleasants, who, along with Phillip Cope, provides KYLESA's dual-guitar and vocal onslaught, said that Static Tensions marks not only the next phase in the band's musical progression, but is by far KYLESA's finest and most experimental effort to date. And that would make sense, seeing as Kylesa's been at it since 2001, and has experienced frequent lineup shifts over the years. Pleasants, who joins Cope as the band's sole remaining founding member, feels like the band has truly found its thunder.

"From the first record until the most recent record, my musical influences have changed a bit, and I've become a better guitar player," Pleasants said. "We write better together than we did when we first started, and I feel like we're a more cohesive unit now. Cope credits Pleasants with expanding on the psychedelic on the new record, but said he wanted to make an album of more accessible songs. "I didn't want to make the songs too longwinded or too crazy," Cope said. "I wanted to rein it in and leave the listener with something they could hum along to. We're not trying to be a pop band by any means but I think you can write memorable riffs. You can write a guitar line or a vocal line that stays with you, instead of going in one ear and out the other. I wanted to write a record that had a lasting impression."

Now, after successful tours with Torche, High on Fire, Baroness and Genghis Tron, a late winter Japanese road trip, and a US trek with Mastodon, KYLESA feeling strong, and sounding tighter than they ever have before are preparing for what will be a busy 2009-2010. But while Kylesa have found their voice, they're not exactly sure what it is.

"I'm at the point now where I really don't care," Cope joked. "People can call us whatever they want. Personally, I just play what I want to play, whatever it may be stylistically, and I'm not at all concerned about what other people want to tag us."

"I think there are metal elements to KYLESA, for sure, but we draw from so many different influences, especially with this new record," Pleasants added. "We're a little bit metal, a little bit rock, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I guess it depends on who you ask. I think in terms of song structure and tones, we down-tune so much that it is super heavy, so it has more of a traditional death metal tuning to it. As far as the writing and the song structures, it's more rock-based, with melodic, psychedelic influences as well."

Fans and journalists alike have praised Burst for their stunning songwriting and heartfelt emotion. Metal Hammer named the band as one of its Hot 50 Bands You Must Hear for 2004 alongside Mastodon, Minus and Velvet Revolver amongst others. Subsequent UK tours supporting labelmates The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon cemented Burst's reputation as one of metals hottest young bands. The turning point in their evolution came with the addition of guitarist Robert Reinholdz. With this immense musical talent in the band, the making of what was eventually to be Conquest: Writhe had begun. BURST took the first step towards becoming the band its members wanted it to be and began creating music they all felt inspired by. Ten songs were recorded throughout spring 2000 with long time friend and engineer Fredrik Reinedahl (In Flames, Passenger). The LP saw the light of day in the summer of 2001. In late October, the CD version was released by noted underground hardcore label Prank Records. Their following two releases, Origo and Lazarus Bird continued the band's impressive and innovative brand of atmospheric metal.

The way of music, it has been said, must always be forward, and BURST intend to not stray from that rule. The initial punk rock roots of Burst were the earliest attempts of a disparate group of kids way back in 1993. BURST wanted to be intense, original, to evolve, and to strike a chord with the sense of exploration and musical innovation that their numerous inspirations and favorite bands so clearly had embraced.

Hailing from the ever-gray skies of Eugene, Oregon comes YOB, a band already well on their way to making their mark on the doom metal scene worldwide. Formed in 1996 by founding member Mike Scheidt, YOB started creating and destroying ideas that would become the foundation for one of doom metal's most promising upstarts. YOB's latest release is their sophomore effort on Metal Blade Records titled The Unreal Never Lived, which follows up their tremendously successful Metal Blade debut The Illusion of Motion. Undoubtedly, YOB is sure to make a lasting impression on fans both new and old with their brand of heavy and unrelenting doom that has secured them a place in the history of heavy metal.

Starting with their First EP in 1999, YOB's sound has developed into equal parts SLEEP, Burning Witch, Neurosis, High On Fire and Electric Wizard. YOB has accomplished a song craft that is as much their own sound as it is paying homage to the doom metal greats of both past and present. In 2001, YOB recorded its first full-length record for 12th Records in Spokane, Washington titled Elaborations of Carbon. This offering received dozens of rave reviews from magazines and fans worldwide, securing YOB's place as one of the best doom metal bands in the scene today. 2002 saw YOB secure a recording contract with Lunasound/Abstract Sounds. Catharsis, their first release under this label, hit the streets worldwide on November 4, 2003. Featuring a stronger production and three songs clocking in at 50 minutes, those who heard the album proclaimed it to be the best YOB record yet. That is until the release of the infamous doom metal album The Illusion of Motion, which showed the band expanding even further into the depths of their musical insanity. Enter 2005; the band entered the studio once again to begin recording their next opus The Unreal Never Lived. Once the band finished recording, they hit the road for a very successful tour across the US, proving to fans that a three-piece band can create as heavy and thick of a sound as preformed on CD. YOB has become known for putting on an astounding and innovative live show so it's quite certain that their Planet Caravan performance will not disappoint.

Robert Scott "Wino" Weinrich has long been one of the most influential doom vocalists and guitarist around, and for his first solo record, Puncuated Equilibrium, he keeps the music tied to those roots. His credentials include St. Vitus, The Obsessed and The Hidden Hand. Still slow, heavy, and riffy, Wino's sound is branching into a more bluesy sound. The band currently consists of Jean Paul Gaster (Clutch,) Jon Blank (Rezin) and Brian White.

Longtime Wino fans be reassured - Wino is back; he's as strong and as rocking as ever with the new album. Metalreview.com declares, "its muscular stomping riffs and bluesy groove rock with more authority than anything The Hidden Hand ever did. The furiously paced title track rocks even harder with a hardcore intensity that recalls early work of The Obsessed." Punctuated Equilibrium fits like a nice pair of gloves for long time Wino fans.

ASTRA are an amazingly innovative psychedelic metal band based out of California. Their members include Richard Vaughan (guitar/mellotron/moog/vocals), Conor Riley (guitar/mellotron/arp odyssey/organ/vocals), Stuart Sclater (bass), David Hurley (drums/flute/various noisemakers) and Brian Ellis (guitar, moog). Already making a name for themselves on the West Coast, ASTRA have shared the stage with such like-minded and diverse acts as Dungen, Winter Flowers, Bigelf, Saint Etienne, The Entrance Band, Titan, RTX, The Black Keys, The Sunshine Fix, All Night Radio, Green Milk From the Planet Orange and, of course, their good friends and San Diegan brethren Earthless - to name a few. Their debut album was released this spring on Rise Above and Metal Blade records.

They describe their sound, "Like a heavy hammer onto anvil, down from Ether's starry meadows, the sounds of ASTRA are engulfing this planet Earth. Free from all the ugliness and self-indulgence that took the initial spirit away from its post-60s psych originators, ASTRA make timeless music for timeless minds. None of that bloated pomposity that turned prog into a four-letter word, their approach is genuine and heartfelt - focusing on melody, symphonic landscapes, cosmic atmospheres as well as raw energy, dynamics and space travel". With their heads floating in the mist of Europe's original psychedelic and progressive eras, ASTRA formed under the winter sun of San Diego, CA in the year 2001. With the joining of new drummer/multi-instrumentalist David Hurley in 2006 and the recent addition of guitar wizard Brian Ellis, the planets aligned and ASTRA was complete.

Hailing from Silver Spring, MD, Lionize has set out to play music from the heart, the result a distinct sound in reggae and rock. By blending an organ and groove-heavy stoner rock sound with a deep bass and sharp skanking exploration of pulsating, dark reggae, Lionize adds a fresh spin on an old genre.

Taddy Porter is a raucous mix of old school rock and blues with a subtle hint of modern rock. The music is driven by howling vocals, ominous guitar riffs and foot tapping good rhythms. The band is made up of Andy Brewer (guitar, lead vocals), Doug Jones (drums), Kevin Jones (bass, vocals) and Joe Selby (lead guitar, vocals). These four young men, southern by birth, have a major habit of rocking outright. The brothers Jones command a rhythmic Abrahams, devastating all in its path, steady on its brooding course, leaving a wrecked wake where the war was waged. All the while, Brewer and Selby man the cannons hurling shell after screeching shell of audio assault. Brewer howls familiar with all the pains and medals that lie typically in the tones of men with triple his years. His words describe scenes you've known before in ways which still ring fresh. Selby invades every earhole in the room with a brute force and welcomed trauma that stays with a crowd well after he's done with them. This is Taddy Porter. Bred out of Stillwater, holding you at gunpoint and commanding that you shake your ass.

ORCHID hail from San Francisco, California. Their current line-up began late in 2006 and solidified in late 2007. Since that time, they have shared the stage with such heavies as Pentagram, Earthless, Saviours, Nachtmystium, and Fu Manchu. ORCHID is currently in the process of finishing their debut album. Members include Theo Mindell (vocals, percussion), Mark Thomas Baker (guitars, Moog pedal), Keith Nickel (bass), and Carter Kennedy (drums).

Steeped in classic psychedelic rock, ORCHID take pride in rocking hard, with their dark, psych-sonic blues assault, tearing down the centuries old corruption and tyranny that they believe makes up organized religion, telling the truth to their sleeping brothers and sisters of this once great nation, and undermining the super wealthy and powers that be who have taken hold of this land! They boast, "We are ORCHID- sons of the new dawn, the thorn in the heel of hypocrisy, the seeds of cancer in the bloated bellies of the rich, We are your children, your scion who have come back to cut your throat from ear to ear and take the throne. Hide your blonde, fair-eyed daughters, let them cower with your sons. Hide your precious live stock for we shall slaughter them all and spit their blood at your tall white gates!! This day is ours. The hour of ORCHID IS UPON YOU!"

When BISON b.c. took its first step, amps were scorched and drums were smashed. Born of the ashes of seminal Vancouver skate-thrash band S.T.R.E.E.T.S., BISON b.c. are every headbanger's dream. Their riffs are colossal and flow like a mighty river into a sea of fuzzed out shredding. Their message is punk rock angst and revolution, with the occasional nod to white wizards, the king of swine and a mythical beast called the "Stokasaurus". Their debut EP Earthbound captured their massive live sound on tape, garnering international buzz which landed them a deal with Metal Blade Records in 2008. BISON b.c.’s Metal Blade debut Quiet Earth has received a landslide of positive press from Metal Hammer to Rolling Stone.

Bison b.c is James Farwell (Guitar/Vocals), Dan And (Guitar/Vocals), Masa Anzai (Bass), and Brad Mackinnon (Drums). They boldly proclaim, “Crawling through the forest of time, we came to destroy your life - so you might rebuild it again with these ideals more in mind: rock, rock and more rock. So forget about your life for a moment and bang your fucking head.”

Summoned by the mighty sludge of The Melvins, the mysticism of Celtic Frost and the nihilistic blues of EyeHateGod, Zoroaster formed in Atlanta, GA in 2003 out of the need for “sedation by high volumes and low frequencies". Creating devastating, dirge-ridden doom that erupts into heavyweight grooves and transcendental musical atmospheres, Zoroaster's sound has been compared to "having 10,000 ton granite slabs dropped on your head from a height of several miles". The band consists of Will Fiore (guitar / vocals), Brent Anderson (bass/ vocals) and Dan Scanlan (drums).

Zoroaster features a live show that has been described as "an obliteration of the senses", earning the three piece the title of “Atlanta’s loudest band". The trio has toured relentlessly across the U.S., sharing the stage with a diverse array of artists including Big Business, Nachtmystium, High on Fire, Oxbow, Saviours and Bastard Noise. The group has met to shining praise from both metal and indie rock press alike since its formation, receiving accolade for its deafening power, use of left-of-center instrumentation (which has included Moog synths, theremins, ominous vocal choirs and even brass sections) and unique take on heavy music. According to the Village Voice, "At their fastest, Zoroaster could pass for half-speed Motorhead. At their slowest, the seconds between notes inch into double-digits. Titanic heaviness...in the right light, those wide-open riffs hide worlds inside."

The Gates of Slumber encapsulates the metal experience for true believers. The Indianapolis doom metal trio formed in the late 1990’s with the goal of creating a band whose sound delivered an updated take on the member’s long list of favorite heavy metal greats. Weaned on Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, the melodic might of Iron Maiden and a host of classic bands from Thin Lizzy to Rainbow to Mercyful Fate, The Gates of Slumber draw deep from heavy metal's most powerful blood and deliver doom in its purest form. The band is formed by Karl Simon (guitars/vocals), Jason McCash (bass) and “Iron” Bob Fouts (drums).

The band’s newest album, Hymns of Blood & Thunder dropped on the heels of the brightest and busiest year in the respected power trio’s history; one that saw The Gates of Slumber pack clubs during its first U.S. headlining tour and land atop many year-end media polls with Conqueror, an album that was hailed as “a breath of fresh air within the doom / true metal underground.” The record placed at the #5 position in Decibel’s "Top 40 Albums of 2008" and made Village Voice Media’s "Top 10 Metal Albums of 2008", joining an impressive list of some of the genre’s finest including AC/DC, Judas Priest and Metallica. The Gates of Slumber has clearly become a new American voice for underground metal, and has done so with maximum conviction. With plans for serious worldwide touring on behalf of Hymns of Blood & Thunder, The Gates of Slumber is out to show why it is regarded as one of the most talked about new true doom / heavy metal bands today.

Brooklyn's Tombs delivers a stunning tour-de-force with their Relapse Records debut Winter Hours. The trio, made up of Mike Hill (guitars / vocals), Andrew Hernandez (drums), and Carson Daniel James (bass), tread a unique musical path that draws equally from several disparate music worlds. The austere and appropriately-titled album is a somber, sobering affair that brings together hypnotic psychedelic harmonies, lush and introspective sonic textures, and a relentless intensity found in the most blackened metal to stunning effect. Whether through driving melodies, explosive noise, or the most fragile of interludes, Winter Hours hits hard and resonates deeply within the listener.

Formed in 1993, Sourvein relocated to Cape Fear, North Carolina after Hurricane Katrina ravaged their long-time home base of New Orleans. Blacktide Music describes their sounds as, “ominous riffs, which launch into despair-ridden breakdowns the likes of which would make Eyehategod tremble with fear.” Currently featuring vocalist T-Roy Medlin, former Buzzov-en drummer Ramzi, bassist Bonne Doom with guitarists Cool Clyde and Sleepy Doom, the band has released two full length albums - the self-titled (often referred to as Salvation) debut released in 2000/Game Two Records and Will to Mangle released in 2002/Southern Lord. Numerous EPs and split recordings have kept the band in the eyes of their growing fanbase as well their commitment to consistent touring both in the US and overseas.

Candlelight Records signed the band in 2008 and released the Imperial Bastard EP, with a new full length scheduled for a 2010 release. They have been called one of the most influential sludge doom bands to ever walk the earth, crushing all over the world! Sourvein’s massive tone and distortion are leaving crowds blacked out and with hearing problems, pure raw emotion right from the heart.

Bear witness to the lightning that is Hull. Forged in the sweat-laden depths of darkest Brooklyn, Hull materializes as a massive entity storming stages and immersing their audiences in a blanket of grandiose down-tuned compositions, a shifting fault line beneath a vast arctic wasteland. Hull's three guitar attack achieves maximum sludgery. A musical colossus of epic proportions, Hull commands their listeners through each riff with incredible precision, as a seafarer guides his vessels through ominous waters. The band’s style is headbanging, growling, deliciously downtuned stoner metal. The five-piece force of nature has all the crush of early Mastodon met with the ambient fire of Neurosis, but somehow Hull avoids sounding like either one of them and brings a sound that is uniquely their own.

Fort Awesome, Virginia’s slow-motion destroyers Salome came into being in 2006, after founders Kat and Aaron Deal decided to take their mutual love of Thorr’s Hammer and Khanate and start up a slow, heavy project of their own. After recruiting friend Rob Moore on guitar, the trio started writing songs for what became their self-titled debut album. Salome was released in 2008 by Vendetta Records, and featured 45 minutes of pure sonic excess driven by Deal’s megalithic drumming, Moore’s soul-crushing riffs, and Kat’s cavernous roar. Drenched in feedback, downtuned to the point of no return, and tempered by moments of eerie calm, the four songs on Salome were nothing short of obliterating, and gained them a considerable amount of positive attention from the media and the fans alike.

A series of high-profile gigs followed, and saw Salome opening for doom god Wino’s solo project, sharing stages with the likes of Ocean, Black Anvil, and Woe as part of Pitchfork’s Show No Mercy series, and appearing at the inaugural edition of the Scion Rock Fest alongside Neurosis, Mastodon, Boris, High on Fire, Nachtmystium, and dozens more.

They recently recorded a Fugazi cover (“Blueprint”) for Blind Date Records’ Clone project, and are currently working on a split 12” with Baton Rouge sludge fiends Thou. Vocalist Kat has also contributed guest vocals to a Pig Destroyer song (“Lost Cause” on 2004’s Terrifyer) and pulls double duty behind the mic in spazz grinders Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

In September 2009, Salome will be taking their furiously cathartic live show on the road with Hull and Batillus, and will enter the studio in late 2009 to once again open up the gates of hell and record the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut.

Slow and steady, Brooklyn’s own Batillus has the metal groove down to a science. By combining walls of noise and blasting riffs, Batillus generates “more genuine creepiness in three tracks” on their self-titled EP “than most full-length metal albums” according to The Aquarian. The band takes cues from classic heavy metal and adds their own brand of powerful, atmospheric doom to create an extremely unique sound.

Pick Up The Snake debuted their crusade of heavy stoner/doom in the later months of 2004 on an unsuspecting Knoxville, TN. The music scene here held little or no traces of doom metal other than the legendary band Place Of Skulls. Forging their sound equally from Black Sabbath, the pioneers of Metal, and their love of underground stoner/doom bands like Pentagram, The Obsessed, Place Of Skulls, Cathedral and Monster Magnet, the band has developed a loyal following in and around East Tennessee.

The band's members, Nathan Wright (vocals, lead guitar), Matt Stansell (bass) and Todd Lamar (drums), are no strangers to the music scene or roughing it on the road. Wright formed the Knoxville stoner legends Skeyebone and is an ex member of local punk band Serene Scream. Matt paid his dues with The Inlaws and Todd currently drums for local rockers American Plague in addition to his duties for Pick Up The Snake. Early 2005 saw the self-release of the band's debut EP CD "Feel The Fire". National and international stoner/doom and metal webzines praised the EP for it's professional layout, production and the band's talent for song writing. 2005 also began an extensive run of regional shows and appearances that gained the band recognition for their thundering live sets and the ability to capture the same tone found on their recorded tracks. Stonerrock.com describes the band, "If you can imagine what it would sound like if Dave Wyndorf sang for the NOLA super-group Down, you'd have a close approximation of Pick Up the Snake's sound. This Tennessee four-piece throws down some swampy, Sabbath-infused metal with vocals so uncannily similar to Monster Magnet."