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writingmochi · 1 year

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a honest review of dark blood purely from musical and conceptual observation (not proofread)

opening remarks: do i want enha to come back to their regal era? yes! in a way, this album gave the given-taken vibes i have wanted enha to do for a long time now. but with a hint of maturity to it. i think this album came from the backlash of both dimension: answer's blessed-cursed and manifesto: day 1's future perfect, the success of fever as a b-side, and how much engene wanted to get enha's vampire-esque concept back instead of pushing it to dark moon: blood altar.

though i'm a fan, i'm not scared to comment if i have disagreements with what my idols give out. and as time goes, i've noticed much more inconsistency of enha's album concept comparing it to other 4th gen groups in hybe (excluding fromis_9 because they didn't debut under hybe or any of their subsidiaries) and i think there are conflicting parties in play that make enha's concepts not as thoroughly explored as txt's, consistent with their theme like le sserafim's, or consistent with their visual like newjeans...

let's just start, shall we?

1.fate: enha always has an intro and outro for the album and this is the second intro they have that doesn't explicitly say "intro" and a colon (:). i love the string(?) arrangement. it sounded like a korean instrument or it might just be a synth effect. the build-up is good too. though it ranks a bit lower than my fav intros of theirs, walk the line and the invitation, it sets the mood right, especially with the concept they're now using.

2.bite me: did i have a bad sentiment about songs with shorter lengths and no bridge? hell yes (referred to my receiptify list that has songs with an average of 4 minutes per song) and the fact that the title track is as long as the intro just makes me want to squeeze my hand into a fist. but, i can't lie that this song is very catchy. gives me a 2000s pop rnb type song that plays in the club ala monica with the fat bass and rising ostinato percussion in the background deep in the layers. definitely can see myself bopping to this song.

but the freaking lack of a bridge, oh my god (oh my, oh my god). just like my review of sugar rush ride, i can imagine this song have a much more variety of layers that differentiate the last chorus from the other choruses + if we get a bridge, i can imagine heeseung belting a high note and even adlibs at the last chorus. a missed opportunity right there...

3.sacrifice (eat me up): okay bouncing bass (that could even be made better with a pan between the left and right speakers like treasure's jikjin or bts' save me. but just a tiny bit that we can still here them in the middle too). i can hear some reggae undertones there with the guitar but not as evident as onf's sukhumvit swimming. niki, jake, and hee's voice here is great. but the lack of jay here is very apparent and i almost can't recognize hoon's voice.

4.chaconne: i wonder how not many kpop groups don't have songs with this as the title (the only music term i remember in as a kpop song title is rv's feel my rhythm and loona's sonatine). a bit more voice tune was added in the vocal. great guitar sound at the pre-chorus. this is more trap than the previous ones. hoon's voice is more clearly recognizable and i heard hee play around with vocal techniques in the chorus. bridge part with sunoo and hee, that's hot! and the song loops too (intro and outro start the same way)

5.bills: the lo-fi guitar with a lot of reverbs oh my god!!! the song that caught my attention in the preview cause it sounded more dream pop, but of course, it is a trap song as always with the drum and bass entering. and a shorter track in the album. i love hearing won's and sunoo's lower registers here. hee's voice is another stand-out here. but it could be a stand-out track if they pushed the song more on the dream pop aspect :[

6.karma: is this even an outro track? cause we got rock enha again let's go! okay, the voice layer is a bit more airy that it almost blends in with the guitar layer, which i was hoping to be a "bit in your face", especially with the arena rock style they're going.

musical closing remark: i like that i can recognize the voices of the members. it shows that you can have autotune without really changing the singer's voice. but the voice layer still sounds a bit pressed though, maybe a bit of reverb might help with that. i also like how sunoo is shining musically in this comeback, song starters, more singing parts. let's go! definitely want to highlight hee, jake, and sunoo in this album cause they're my favorite voices here.

but i think i can say that the songs here don't really elevate something, but maybe it is because my music palette has diversify as i've been listening to more experimental and progressive music that it makes this album sound a bit "boring:, but it is what the pop landscape is right now so i accept that. i recognize that they're playing safe with this album and have, overall, the same vibes throughout the album, a more low-key rnb coded album, which is not what i was expecting with the concept because i thought it will a bit more sonically rich (aka "songs that makes you think you're in an isekai" as coined by a friend of mine). i wanted to say "daring" at first to describe it but look at how it goes with blessed-cursed and future perfect for being "daring"... discography-wise, a bit safer and in the middle of the spectrum if it has border: carnival on one side and manifesto: day 1 on the other.

final ranking:

6. bills

5. karma

4. sacrifice (eat me up)

3. chaconne

2. bite me [a bopper]

1.fate [the most interesting sounded one out of all the songs]

small conclusion: give me more enhypen songs with a bridge!

time for the spicy hot take... the concept!

as i said in my short comment and my opening remark, they abandoned their manifesto concept and go for a more sexy-vampire route. it just makes me realize how not ready belift is for their groups' artistic output and career. i have no choice but to compare it to txt's who has a clear era basis for each of their albums with outliers being put into minisodes and it is always released in between larger eras. dark blood might be the outlier of the group concept-wise but it felt weird to put it out after the manifesto era is starting. the progression of the album concepts seems to be jumpy in a way and that happened since the 2022 releases (very sad if i thought about it and how they impact the sudden change of enhypen's sound sonically). and, i can't lie, this album seems more of a large marketing promotion for dark moon as both enhypen and &team comes back around the same time (&team's comeback is june)

another take: the sexy vampire concept makes me uncomfy. story-wise, i like it. it's badass, it's powerful. the choreo with the back dancers is great and bold. but is it just me or does belift really want enhypen to have a more mature concept than txt, especially with their younger age? niki's a minor and he is already doing a more mature concept than when taehyun and hyuka did back in 2021 when they became a fully fledge adult (with the chaos chapter, which is darker than the dream chapter).

the thing that i want to point out is how enhypen, concept-wise, doesn't mature along with their fans. they grew up at a faster pace than us and when it happened, it blunders almost all parties. experimenting is cool but when it doesn't make sense... well, you can refer to the criticism they got for their 2022 releases. i, for one, have a traumatic experience with fever and i like the song and i know people really love this song, but that song's success *specifically* shows that the fans want sexy songs and it lets belift push the boys into a mature concept and make them "grow up faster", which makes them more sexualized, especially for jungwon and niki who are minors at the time. engene wanted ppl to stop sexualizing niki and won last year, but it contradicts with the numbers and sells they made on a certain concept in both visual and sound. from the buzz on social media to view count on fever's fancams

i'm okay with enhypen doing this concept especially if they consent to it. i just want them to grow up along with me cause i still feel like i'm stuck in tamed-dashed era where they were having fun at the beach playing rugby. it felt like they were my friends who left me alone to face coming of age by myself (especially since i'm closer to them in age with sunoo being a fellow 03 liner like yours truly) and it's... scary... but i think it's too late now. they've grown up and i have to accept what they give out because i'm not their creative director who could arrange their album concept in a clearer, more comfortable way :]

#sorry for the somber end #ignore the ramble #seriously ignore it if u can’t take people’s opinion and criticism

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wheres-sam · 3 years

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I binge-watched the spn anime because of the brain rot

It’s bad except for the parts that are good, and it’s pretty to look at. Here’s a comprehensive list of pros and cons. Spoilers ahead!

Pros:

- more psychic kid backstories: Max (Nightmare), Lily (Darkness Calling), Jake (Loser)

- more psychic Sam

- more Azazel

- basically if you want more about the psychic/demon kids, watch the anime

- more young Winchesters

- the monsters, the superhuman abilities, the fight scenes, it all looks really cool animated. (But PSA it’s violent. It doesn’t shy away from blood and gore.)

- Sam and Jessica backstory

- more of the brothers being cute and funny together

- Missouri isn’t forgotten

- includes some Japanese legends/mythology

- the impala looks great in every scene. They did Baby good

- the “Supernatural” intro title

- the outro sketches of the boys hanging out with Baby

- Episodes adapted from the original show are different, but I like some of the changes? It’d be boring if it was an exact retelling and the visual medium wasn’t utilized. (I know I said spoilers before, but this is when they get detailed. If you wanna skip over, I’ll tell you where they STOP.)

Nightmare goes more into the abuse Max has suffered. Instead of locking Sam in a closet, Max sends Sam through the floor and covers the hole by breaking his bed in half, and it’s extremely sexy how Sam shoves the 2 halves apart with his mind. Later on Dean puts bandaids on Sam and they talk about demons loudly in front of a fast food intercom.

In My Time of Dying highlights the guilt Sam feels over Dean. In both the og and the anime John verbally blames Sam for not shooting Azazel, but where in the og Sam goes right on arguing, in the anime he reels back for a moment like he was slapped. Dean’s spirit touches Sam’s shoulder, and Sam knows immediately that it’s Dean. He doesn’t even question it. Instead of “Are you here?” it’s “I know you’re with me. I can feel it.” And I love that. Dean figures out right away he’s dealing with a reaper, and the reaper takes on the appearance of Mary to convince Dean to move on to the afterlife. Instead of a Ouija board, Sam uses a laptop to talk to Dean, and the first word Dean types is “Sammy!” Dean is so fond of his little brother and Sam is so baby.

Rising Son is an anime only episode, but it draws inspiration from John’s journal. Dean has a proper breakdown over his dad’s death and the possibility of having to kill Sam. Ms. Lyle, Sam’s favorite teacher who turns out to be possessed, is explored. John takes Dean hunting, and in the journal Dean hesitates to shoot a buck, and little Sam shoots it thinking it was endangering Dean. In the anime, Dean’s cornered by a moose and Sam makes it explode with his mind and it’s so !!! How little Sam’s first words are, “I’m glad you’re okay. It didn’t hurt you?” The boys are covered in blood and guts and Dean’s like 👁👄👁 “Why are you here? Did you do this?” And then Sam starts freaking out a little, the shock sets in. “I don’t know. I don’t know, honest.” And he’s staring at his hands, and I am a big fan of Sam showing superhuman signs as a kid. Like in the journal, Ms. Lyle tries to take Sam. She gives Sam the illusion of a choice to come with her or stay with Dean, and Sam chooses Dean. This ep is pretty much when John figures out Sam has demon blood. He kills another hunter that wants to kill Sam.

Crossroad is based on Crossroad Blues, and I love how the crossroads demon shows up. It’s hard to describe, but it’s so neat, like she’s walking underneath Dean in this mirror world, and then the mirror world takes over the regular world, so you really get this sense of otherworldly seclusion, existing outside of time.

What Is and Should Never Be shows Dean is a firefighter in his ‘Mary never died’ world, and Sam got to play soccer growing up like he wanted. The brothers hold each other after Dean is saved from the Djinn.

AHBL part 1. When Azazel shows Sam that he fed Sam his blood, Sam gags and slaps a hand over his mouth, and I like that reaction more than the live action. The psychic kids get to go more anime with their powers, and that’s a lot of fun. They don’t need weapons. Ava slams Sam into the brick side of a building and cuts him without touching him. Jake snaps Ava’s neck with one hand and then catches Sam in his arms. When Jake attacks Sam, there’s no gun or knife. He’s relying on his super strength, his fists. Sam throws his arms up to protect himself, and (accidentally?) pushes Jake back with his mind, and the collision creates a crater in the ground. Jake puts his fist through Sam’s chest to kill him. It’s brutal and it’s rad as fuck. These kids are terrifyingly powerful.

The Sam and Dean reunion before Sam is killed is not as emotional as the live action imo, but what the anime does intrigues me. Hurts in a different way. Because Sam is stunned after he uses telekinesis again, on Jake, and when he hears Dean behind him Sam freezes. He doesn’t look relieved to see Dean, but wary and weary. It’s Dean taking steps towards him, not the other way around, and it has to be because Sam doesn’t know if Dean saw him push Jake back. Sam doesn’t know how Dean’s going to respond to all this, to him, having powers that come from a demon, the demon, Azazel. Sam hasn’t had a chance to process anything. He’s scared. He’s tired. And the way the anime focuses on Sam’s eyes here. Gah. “Dean. Dean, I’m...” I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m glad you’re okay. I’m a monster. There’s also this one shot between Sam and Azazel that sends me because of how anime it is.

AHBL part 2. I love how Sam brought back to life is animated, with all the color returning to his face and a light wind rustling his hair and his lips parting to indicate his soul returning to his body. Jake attacks Dean, and, a lot like how Sam activates telekinesis to save Dean from Max in Nightmare, Sam gets a burst of superhuman strength. He rips Jake’s arm off and tackles him to the ground and beats him to death, punches holes into his body, and it’s so savage and bloody and scary, and I love it. The Devil’s Gate opening looks so cool animated. Same goes for Dean shooting Azazel with the Colt.

Not to turn this into a meta post, but I also noticed how the last couple times Sam uses his powers they’re colored green-yellow, the same colors as Mary’s ghost when she reveals herself in the anime’s Home, and I don’t know if that’s intentional, but it’s neat how it draws a connection to Sam’s biological family instead of Azazel’s blood.

The Spirit of Vegas is like Bad Day at Black Rock, but Dean has all the bad luck instead, and it shows off the silly cartoony physics that make animation fun. The boys sleep outside and split a chunk of bread for dinner. Also this lil bit of Dean’s hair tied in a bow.

- (STOP) the brothers are pretty. I am not immune to animated Sam and Dean Winchester.

Cons:

- Jensen doesn’t voice Dean until the last 2 episodes

- The English dialogue is really bad sometimes. I wish I could’ve watched the sub, but I couldn’t figure out how to change the language

- Some character designs are really different from the live action, and maybe that’s petty, but if you’re gonna change the characters diversify them? Don’t just make them unrecognizable white people

- Missouri’s design as a stereotypical witch doctor is racist

- Gordon is replaced by some British guy named Jason?? Why

- There’s an LGBT character who is not accepted by her family and, while that bigotry is always shown to be negative and she dies the hero of the episode, she still dies ://

- In the English dub Lily’s gf is made into her roommate instead. Idk about the sub

- Bobby’s pretty much a totally different character

- Sam and Dean are OOC sometimes

- Dean’s hair usually looks darker than Sam’s and it drives me crazy

- The storytelling is, overall, not nearly as good as the live action

- The non-Japanese lore in some episodes makes no sense. Sometimes it’s just plain ridiculous?? Like there’s a giant robot made of cars and scrap metal controlled by a demon? ? I wish I was making this up

- Meg’s role is severely reduced

- No Harvelles or Roadhouse

- Shadows are overused, but maybe that’s because the og show is so dark?

- I don’t mind the art style. I like the aesthetic, but I wish it was a little more expressive. It doesn’t do Sam’s puppy eyes justice.

- AZAZEL’S SHADOW?? PROPORTIONS?? PEA SIZED HEAD

- Idk why they mashed season 1 and 2 together? The story feels rushed

- there’s not as much chemistry between Sam and Dean, but that’s a given without J2 on screen

- Nobody tells you!! That there’s scenes after the credits!! And some of them are important! Why are important scenes after the credits??

The anime would not be good on its own, without the heart and depth the live action brings, but it works as supplementary material you can cherry pick from. I would watch more if there were more episodes.

It hasn’t turned me off from wanting an spn anime. I’d like to see it continued or redone, with updated animation and better scripts. There’s a lot of potential in exploring more about the psychic kids and Sam’s powers, storylines that were cut short in the og show. Animation is a great medium for showing off the supernatural, getting creative and creepier with the designs, dramatic with the fight scenes, without having to worry about bad CGI. I don’t want a live action reboot, but I think a redone animated series could be a lot of fun! (As long as it’s not an excuse to make any romantic ships take over. SPN is a platonic love story, and I like it that way.)

If you made it to the end here and are interested in watching the spn anime, you can watch it for free on the CW Seed app! You can probably stream it elsewhere, but idk where!

#spn anime #supernatural #supernatural the anime #my detailed pros is pretty much me letting you know what episodes are worth watching #and why #its bad but I kind of like it #I like what they were going for. the potential it has #I like sam and there's lots of sam

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colbybrocksmolder · 5 years

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Never Have I Ever Had A Threesome - Colby Brock x Reader x Jake Webber (smut) [PART 1/3]

"Y/n!” Colby yelled, walking into his apartment and chucking his things on the counter, Jake following him in and diving onto the couch. When you didn’t respond, he yelled again. “Y/n?”

“Is she at Sam’s?” Jake asked, scrolling through the trending page on YouTube to try and figure out what the fuck he was going to record tonight. He had gone out of town after his breakup and completely put off recording and he was about to hit a week with no video.

“I don’t think so” Colby answered, checking his bedroom and the balcony. “Her shit is still all here.”

“Check your loft” Jake suggested. “Remember she used to climb up in the one at your parents house all the time.”

You had known Jake, Sam, and Colby for years. You were always the closest to Colby, but you guys just vibed. Sam used to call you soul siblings. You always loved the same music, style, authors…pretty much everything. You were drawn to the same people…Sometimes if felt like you were reading each other’s minds. You’d never really dated, but you’d had your fair share of “comforting” each other. At least that’s what you called it. That was another thing you had in common. You weren’t afraid of your sexuality. You’d shared more than one “I want to try something, but I want to try it with someone I trust” nights. Honestly, Jake and Sam had talked about the two of you more than once. They were still convinced, to this day, that you were somehow TOGETHER together. Or secretly in love with each other.

“Oh shit, you’re right. But why wouldn’t she be answering?” he asked as he ran up the stairs. “Y/n?”

There you were. Bundled up in one of Colby’s baggier sweatshirts, headphones in, Colby’s stuffed koala in your arms…You’d dragged his big fluffy blanket up there to take a nap and had slept longer than you originally planned.

“Jake” Colby whisper yelled. “Chuck me my phone”

“Is she asleep?” Jake asked, grabbing Colby’s phone and running up the stairs. “Awww, I miss her. I’m glad she’s here.” He handed the phone to Colby.

“She’s staying, too.” Colby told him, squatting down on one knee to take a picture of you.

“What!?” Jake asked excitedly. “When is she moving out here?”

“We’ll go back and get her shit from her mom’s place soon. I talked her into it last night.” Colby answered, smiling down at your sleeping form. “I fucking missed her, dude.”

“Is she getting her own place?” Jake asked.

“Nah, she’ll just move in with me until the lease is up and then she’ll probably move to whatever house we end up getting.” Colby answered matter-of-factly, knowing neither Sam nor Jake would ever have an issue with her being around.

“Bro. I feel like we’re getting the band back together.” Jake laughed.

Colby moved to lay by you, scooting against you. “Y/n” he said your name, pulling your headphones out of your ears. “Wake up, sleepy head.” He leaned forward and kissed your cheek. “We need to record a video for Jake.”

When you didn’t budge, Jake started teasing you. “Y/n! I’m gonna lick your face if you don’t wake up!”

Your eyes popped open, Colby’s face just inches from yours. You gave him a confused look. “Did I just dream that or did Jake jus…” Jake interrupted you, making slurpy noises with his mouth. “Not a dream” you laughed, moving to get up.

“We should just play Never Have I Ever” Jake said, heading back downstairs.

“What?” you asked, confused as to why he so casually suggested that.

Colby laughed, “he needs to record a video tonight.”

“Oooooh. That makes more sense.” You moved to wipe the sleep from your eyes. “Let me shower really quick and I’ll help you guys with the video.”

Before you could walk past him, Colby pulled you into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re staying.”

“Me too. I’m anxious and worried, but I fucking missed you guys so much.” You answered, leaning up to kiss Colby’s lips.

“I told Jake, btw. He’s stoked.” Colby answered, letting go of you and following you down the stairs.

“How do you feel about me staying around here and annoying you all the time?” You teased Jake, walking up behind him and jumping on his back.

“Hey, you only annoy me when you eat all the Cheetos and don’t tell me we need to get more. I take my snacks very seriously.” He joked, spinning around in circles in the living room.

You pressed multiple kisses to Jake’s cheek and hopped off of his back. “I’ll be out in like 15 minutes, boys.”

Jake dropped down next to Colby on the couch, staring over at one of his best friends. “You’ve gotta let me in, man.”

“What?” Colby laughed, locking his phone and setting it on the coffee table.

“You two are definitely more than friends but you just genuinely smiled over at us when she was kissing me half an inch from my lips.” Jake sat there with a ‘duh’ look on his face.

“Jake” Colby leaned in, making sure to make eye contact. “She’s allowed to do whatever she wants. We’re not dating. We’re not boyfriend/girlfriend. I promise.”

“You guys are so confusing, like…why aren’t you actually together? You literally make more sense than Sam and Kat. WAY more sense than Tara and I ever made.” Colby went to speak, but Jake kept going. “Or OR if you ARE together, how are you so chill with how flirty and touchy feely she is with us?”

Colby could tell this wasn’t just about him and Y/n. He was still upset about Tara. Colby scooted closer to his friend and pulled him into a hug, Jake collapsing against Colby. “You’re gonna get over her. I promise.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” He answered.

“Believe me, Jake. You’re gonna find someone that really loves you for you.” Colby reassured him, his arms still tightly around his friend. “Who wouldn’t love you? Tara is stupid. You’re one of the best people I know.”

“Thanks, man.” Jake sat thinking for a minute. “I just don’t get why you guys don’t see it” he continued. “You guys are like two halves that fit perfectly together.”

Colby pulled back, letting go of Jake and looking at him. “Sometimes I think that” he admitted. “I do. And if that girl told me I was the one she wanted to spend forever with, I’d drop everything to make it happen. But I don’t think I am. And I really am happy to be in her life however she wants me to be. I’m in no rush to make my forever plans.”

“I knew it. I fucking knew it! I knew you had to be like secretly in love with each other. I just told Sam I thought….” Jake was interrupted.

“You can’t tell Sam shit. Sam will talk to her about it and I don’t want that. I just want to fly to Kansas and drive back with all of her shit and live here happily with one of my best friends that I’ve been missing.” Colby sounded firm. “Agreed?”

Yeah, Colby had yelled at Jake before, but he’d never seen him get SERIOUS serious about pretty much anything. “Yeah, man. No worries.”

Colby nodded, pulling Jake back into a hug. “Thanks, man.”

“I won’t tell Sam, but I think you’re stupid as fuck for not telling her.” Jake laughed.

Colby and Jake decided that they’d play the alcoholic version of Never have I ever. You either answer and tell the story or choose not to answer and take a shot. On the whole, the three of you were pretty open people, but you definitely threw some questions in that you guys knew no one would want to answer. As the last question came up, Jake said “Never have I ever had a threesome!”

You and Colby looked at each other, wide-eyed and smiling. “Give me a shot” you said, reaching for the bottle of Jack.

“Me too” Colby said, downing a shot right after you.

Jake, a little tipsy, bust out laughing. “Well guys, turns out all my friends are hoes” Jake shook his head. “Thanks for watching! Make sure to check out these two down in the description. I think we finally convinced this one to start a channel” Jake side tackled you on the couch. “I’ll see you guys next week!” He yelled.

Colby ran at the camera with his hand to cover the lens at the end of the outro, laughing and turning it off. “Jake did us dirty” he said, walking back to the couch.

“How was I supposed to know both of you were sex crazed maniacs” He laughed, teasing you.

“Oh like you’re an innocent boy” you scoffed, pulling up your Postmates app.

“Hey, I never said that.” Jake laughed. “I want foooood”

“Well, here.” You said, climbing in his lap. “These are the places that are open still” you scrolled through the list in your Postmates app.

Jake wasn’t paying attention to you. He was looking over at Colby who was standing in the kitchen, massive grin on his face. *These two are so confusing* Jake thought to himself, finally looking down at your phone screen.

“Colby, come help pick” you said, letting Jake take your phone from you.

Colby couldn’t stop smiling. He thought the scene in front of him was adorable. You were sat on Jake’s lap, playing with the bracelets on one of Jake’s wrists while he scrolled through food options. Your faces were close so you could both see the screen. Two of the people he loved most on this planet. One was enviably confident and the most loving person he’d ever met and the other was currently heartbroken and in need of love. To Colby, it made sense. He walked to the couch, laying down so his head was laying in your lap…or laps, I guess. “You know what I like. Just order me something from wherever you two pick.”

You grabbed the phone back from Jake, adding yours and Colby’s order to the restaurant he had picked. “If you don’t like what I got you we can switch” you said, reaching down to play with Colby’s hair.

Jake laughed. “If Sam walked in here right now, he’d wonder what the fuck we were doing.” He looked at all of the open seating that wasn’t being used because the three of you were practically on top of each other.

“It’s not my fault Sam is stingy with his cuddles” Colby replied.

“Psshhh, like I didn’t used to catch you two cuddling when I’d go in to wake you up” you laughed, resting your hand on his chest.

“Let me rephrase” Colby chuckled. “It’s not my fault Sam is stingy with his cuddles when he’s awake and sober.”

The three of you laughed and you rested your head against Jake’s chest. “I need to figure out when I’m gonna go get my stuff.” You thought out loud, just passing the time until your food got there.

“WE’LL fly out there sometime in the next week or so and just rent a little moving truck and drive back” Colby said, making sure you knew he wasn’t letting you do it alone.

“I CAN do things for myself, Colby. You’re already not letting me pay you rent.” You complained, more for the principle of the matter than actually being mad Colby made decisions for you.

“Y/n” Jake said, wrapping his arms around you. “You should know by now that none of us really volunteer to do shit we don’t actually want to do.”

You sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. “I love you guys.”

“That’s a relief” Colby snarked, getting up to get the door that was being knocked on.

You could feel Jake’s body bounce with his laugh. “I’m seriously so happy you’re going to be around again” he said. “It’s like perfect timing.”

You sat up to look at Jake. “I’m sorry about Tara.”

“Don’t be” Jake smiled. “If it wasn’t meant to be, I’m glad it’s over. It would have sucked worse to waste more time on it.”

“You’re going to make someone very happy one day, babe” you pecked his lips with a quick kiss and hopped off his lap to go grab the food that had just been delivered.

“Jake!” Colby called from the kitchen, “come eat!”

When Jake walked into the kitchen, he saw you and Colby whispering to each other, but he couldn’t tell what you were talking about.

“I think it would be good for him” you whispered to Colby.

Colby smiled down at you, his hand reaching up to push your hair out of your eyes. “I agree and I think he’d be down” he replied.

“Okay, but YOU have to be the one to talk to him” you said. “I don’t know if he knows how *comfortable* you are with him, if you know what I mean.”

“Don’t worry” he said, leaning down a bit to kiss you. “We have a pretty touchy feely friendship, Y/n” he laughed.

“You two don’t look hella sus or anything” Jake snarked, grabbing his food.

“Oh, you wish you knew what we were talking about, brother” Colby smirked at him. He grabbed his food and kissed Jake on the cheek, the two of you moving to the living room to eat.

“I forgot how weird you two get when you’re around each other all the time” Jake laughed, sitting between the two of you on the couch.

After you had finished eating and finished watching the movie you had put on, Colby looked over at you and then to Jake. You knew he was going to ease into what could be the rest of your night. Colby leaned his head on Jake’s shoulder, not saying anything. He just let his weight fall against his friend. You took Jake’s other arm and put it around your shoulders so you could snuggle into his other side.

“Aww” Jake quietly said. “I feel loved” he chuckled a bit.

“That’s the point” Colby said, once again kissing Jake’s cheek.

“We do love you, Jake” you added, putting your hand on his thigh.

“Stay with us tonight” Colby whispered to his friend, his lips grazing Jake’s ear.

Jake looked over and stared at Colby with parted lips, an almost vulnerable look on his face. “Wait…you…am I reading this wrong?” Jake’s eyes dropped to Colby’s lips for a second before moving back to stare into his blue gaze.

You moved to straddle Jake’s lap, hiding your face in his neck. “You’ve got all the control, Jake” you said, pressing your lips to his neck.

Colby put his hands on either side of Jake’s face. “She’s right” Colby said, his eyes dropping to stare at Jake’s lips. “What happens is up to you.”

“This is real?” Jake asked, not exactly in the trusting mood after his break-up. “Please don’t fuck with me” he said in an almost sad whisper.

Colby leaned forward and pressed a soft and slow kiss to Jake’s full lips, you sat up and watched as Jake relaxed into Colby’s touch. “We’d never fuck with you like that, Jake” you assured him.

Colby pulled back from the kiss and stood up. He started cleaning up the dinner trash. “Are you gonna stay with us?” he asked, walking to the kitchen. He wanted to give Jake room to think.

Jake looked at you, his cheeks flushed pink. “Awww, you liked it” you teased, pressing kisses to Jake’s cheeks. “Colby, you made him blush” you called out. You could hear Colby laugh from the kitchen.

“Colby!” Jake called out, his hands moving to gently rest at your waist.

Colby walked back into the living room, standing behind where you were still straddling Jake’s lap. “Yes, Jake” Colby smirked down at him.

“What we talked about earlier…” Jake said, his eyes dropping to meet yours for half a second before looking back up at Colby. “Are you sure?”

Colby leaned down from behind you and pulled Jake into a quick, but rougher kiss. “Very” he said, walking back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

Jake looked at you and pulled you into a kiss, his hands pulling you closer against his body. “Wait” Jake broke the kiss. “I assume your threesome answer earlier meant you’ve had one together?” he laughed.

“maybe” you blushed, hiding your face in Jake’s neck.

“Aww she’s embarrassed.” Colby laughed. “You weren’t so shy about it when Nate had you…”

“NATE Nate?” Jake threw his head back laughing, interrupting Colby. “Yeah, I could see that.”

“Hey!” you hopped off Jake’s lap, walking up to Colby. “I spent half of that night watching Nate walk you through your first…”

“Babe!” Colby threw you over his shoulder laughing, interrupting you. He started walking towards his bedroom. “You coming?” he turned and smiled at Jake, continuing forward and flipping you down onto the bed in front of him.

“Hey! I like that story.” you pouted, reaching up to pull Colby into a kiss. You then ran your thumb over his bottom lip. “Seeing these pouty lips wrapped around Nate was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen in my life.” you said, pulling his lips back to yours.

You guys watched Jake hesitate at the door. “I think you should go get our boy” Colby said, pulling you to your feet.

Grabbing Jake’s hands, you turned the two of you and started pushing him into the room. Wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling his lips to yours, you slowly backed him up into Colby. “You’ve gotta talk to us, babe.” You removed your arms from around him so Colby could pull Jake’s shirt up over his head, tossing it to the floor.

“I don’t know what to say” Jake blushed, tipping his head to the side when he felt Colby’s mouth teasing the skin of his neck. Jake moaned Colby’s name

“We need to know you feel safe” Colby said, wrapping his arms around Jake and continuing to leave kisses across his skin.

Your fingers started undoing Jake’s pants, watching the two boys. “God, you two are gorgeous” you quietly said, moving Jake’s jeans to fall around his ankles.

“I feel safe” Jake stuttered out, his hands reaching out for you without pulling away from Colby. “I don’t like that I’m the only one getting naked though.” His hands tugged at your shirt.

“Don’t worry, we’ll join you soon.” Colby laughed, his hand slipping further down Jake’s torso to cup him through his boxers. “I think he likes us, y/n” Colby teased, feeling Jake harden beneath his palm.

Jake groaned, dropping his head back to rest against Colby’s shoulder. You quickly stripped out of your jeans and top, dropping to your knees in front of him. “Jake” you said, running your hands up and down his thighs.

“Oh fuck” Jake’s head flew forward, his eyes staring into yours.

Colby pushed Jake’s boxers down over his erection. “Can I touch you?” Colby whispered into Jake’s ear, his fingers grazing the skin of his lower abdomen while you pulled his boxers the rest of the way down.

“Please” Jake almost whined.

“Ooo, so polite” Colby teased, circling Jake’s hardness in his hand and stroking him at an almost painfully slow pace.

“Baby, it’s my turn” you said, moving Colby’s hands. Firmly holding the base of Jake in your hand, you wet your lips and slid the rest of his length into your mouth.

Colby moved out from behind Jake and stripped out of all of his clothes. “Y/n” Jake moaned, his fingers tangling with your hair as you quickened your pace.

“You don’t want to end this too soon” Colby scolded.

Jake reached down and pulled you to stand, connecting your lips. “I want to taste you” he said between kisses, pushing you towards the bed.

Colby was already on the bed and he pulled you down to lay your back against his chest, his hands fiddling with your bra until he got what he wanted and it was discarded on the floor with the rest of the boy’s clothes. Jake did the same with your underwear. “I bet you can’t wait, y/n” Colby teased you, his fingers moving to play with your nipples. “I bet you’re already soaked just thinking about Jake’s mouth on you.”

Jake moved to kneel between your legs, his strong hands holding your knees apart as he left wet open mouth kisses down your inner thighs. He looked up to see your body sprawled across Colby’s naked form, your eyes shut and your cheeks rosy. His thumb teased your clit, moving effortlessly between your wet folds.

“Don’t tease me” you cried out, moving to close your legs because of the too-light pressure.

“No you don’t, baby girl” Colby said, using his legs to hook around yours and keep them open. Your body fully exposed for Jake.

Your eyes flew open and you started down at Jake, seeing the grin on his face. “Please” you begged, the light touches just weren’t enough.

Jake removed his thumb, sliding two fingers into your heat. “I just can’t say no to you when you look so needy” he laughed, dipping down to swirl his tongue around the sensitive bit of flesh. “So sweet” he said, lapping at and sucking on your clit.

As you neared your orgasm, you couldn’t help but moan Jake’s name. “God, I love watching you fall apart” Colby said, his hand moving to rest against the front of your throat.

Jake looked up to see Colby lightly squeeze his ring clad fingers around your throat and groaned, the vibrations moving through you and pushing you over the edge of your climax. “Holy fuck” Jake said, staring at you and Colby.

“Tease her” Colby told Jake, still holding you down.

Jake dipped his mouth to suck you back into his mouth. “Aahhh” you cried out, your nerves being overstimulated and still too sensitive. “Jake!” you tried moving away from his mouth, but you were at their mercy.

“Keep going” Colby said, knowing you’d be falling apart again in just a few seconds. When he knew you were right on the edge of your second orgasm, he tightened his hand, momentarily stealing your breath from you. “Jake”

You felt your second orgasm flood through you. Your body felt like it was floating and you couldn’t hear anything but your heart beat.

Jake and Colby watched you fall apart all over again. Colby let go of your throat and released your legs, letting you relax back against his body as you slowly came down from your intense high. Jake crawled up next to where the two of you were laying. He traced patterns into the skin of your stomach and thigh while he waited for you to ‘come to’. When your eyes fluttered open, he leaned in and kissed you.

“You two are evil” you smiled against Jake’s lips.

“You loved it and you know it” Colby smirked, letting you climb off of him. He moved to lay down on the other side of Jake. “I think Jake deserves a reward for being so good to you” He said, pulling the boy into a rough kiss.

You reached for the bedside table to grab a condom. You opened it and rolled it onto Jake. “I think you just want to watch us because it gets you off” you teased him, moving to straddle Jake.

“Guilty as charged” Colby said, moving to suck a mark near Jake’s collarbone.

“You beautiful possessive boy” you smiled, sinking down onto Jake’s girth.

“Jesus fuck” Jake moaned, caught off guard. His hips started to move with you, meeting your bounces with his thrusts.

“He’s so pretty when he moans” Colby said to you, kissing down Jake’s chest and sucking one of his nipples between his lips.

Jake moved his hand to the back of Colby’s head, a silent invitation to keep going. “I think he likes that” you said, moaning when Jake thrust up into you a little harder. “He definitely likes it”

“We’re learning all sorts of stuff about you today” Colby said, biting down on Jake’s nipple before moving to the other one.

“I’m close” Jake mumbled out, throwing his head back against the pillow when Colby roughly bit down on his other nipple.

Colby climbed off of the bed and grabbed another condom, watching Jake’s thrusts falter. As he rolled the condom on himself, he heard Jake cry out. The look on his face, pure bliss.

Colby moved to straddle Jake behind you, pushing you forward to lean over Jake’s body on your hands and knees. “My turn, baby girl” he said, thrusting fully into you in one go.

Jake pulled you into a kiss, his hands playing with your breasts. You could feel Colby angle his hips to aim at that specific spot inside you. “Fuck, Colby. Right there.” You cried out.

“You are literally dripping wet, y/n” Colby said in his low sexy voice. Colby was always a talker in bed. He liked having power over you and you were a sucker for everything that boy did. “I know you love letting us use your body, baby” he said, his hands moving to grip your hips as he thrust harder, aiming for that spot.

“Colby” you moaned, your body falling to partially lean on Jake.

“Touch yourself, Y/n” Colby told you in a firm voice. “I know you can come again.”

You reached your fingers back between your legs, deciding to tease Colby first. You reached past yourself to gently grab Colby’s balls, massaging them in your hand. His thrusts stopped, himself buried balls deep in you with a grunt. “What’s wrong baby?” you asked.

“Is that what I told you to do?” Colby asked, his hand landing in a hard slap on your ass before you could answer.

“Jesus” Jake said, seeing a side of Colby he had never witnessed before. “If you two go on much longer I’ll be ready for round two” he said, seeing Colby continue to thrust into you from behind.

“Don’t worry, we’ll all get a round two in a few hours, right y/n?” Colby asked, slapping your ass again.

“Fuck yes” you moaned, sliding your fingers between your folds and pushing yourself towards your third climax of the night.

“I can feel you close, baby” Colby said, his thrusts getting sloppy as he was almost there with you. You clenched down onto Colby’s girth as ripples of pleasure worked their way through your body. “Y/n” Colby called out, filling the condom with a few more thrusts.

Colby stayed on his knees with his hands on your hips for a moment as he gained his composure. He reached down to remove Jake’s condom as well as his own and left the bedroom to throw them away. Your body collapsed onto Jake’s.

When Colby came back in the room, he couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at the two of you. You both looked exhausted and happy. “Come on, you two.” He said, bending down to kiss you both one after the other. “Scoot that way, y/n” he instructed.

You ended up on your side with your back pressed to Jake’s front, his arms holding you tight to him. Colby slid into the bed and wrapped his arms around Jake from behind, pulling a blanket over the three of you. “Guys?” Jake whispered, nervous you had already fallen asleep.

“You okay?” Colby sleepily asked, nuzzling his face into Jake’s hair.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” Jake shyly let out.

“You don’t need to thank us, babe” you said, squeezing his hand.

“Yeah, you’re always welcome here.” Colby said, the three of you drifting off to sleep.

#colby brock #colby brock x reader #jake webber x reader #colby brock imagine #colby brock smut

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doomedandstoned · 4 years

Text

Oakland Doomy Bluesers Phantom Hound Roar ‘Cross The ‘Mountain Pass’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Album Art by Molly Stetson & Heather Hughes

I live not far from the railroad and there's something very comforting about hearing a train roll in. It's appropriate that the might and roar of that metallic convoy be responsible for opening the new record from PHANTOM HOUND.

We met them some years back, when the Oakland doom and power blues trio dropped, 'Phantom Hound' (2016), their debut EP. Now Jake Navarra (guitar, vox), Stephen Rogers (bass guitar), and Jack Stiles (drums) are back with a full-length: 'Mountain Pass' (2020). The new spin showcases a sound that's genuinely enticing, much like Guns 'n' Roses' Appetite For Destruction was when I first heard it at age 12 (the first cassette I had to buy clandestinely from my parents).

The riffmaking, from leads to solos, is strong with Mountain Pass, driving each track forward like a mighty engine, from the rush of an opener "The Northern Face" to the grinding blueser "Thunder I Am," the chugging pistons of "Irons In The Fire," and the Matt Pike-like filigrees of "The Southern Face."

Jake's powerful pipes fall somewhere in between Chris Cornell's soaring medium range, the raspy grit of Finnish vocalist Olli Suurmunne (Kaiser, Altar of Betelgeuze), and the commanding force of Australia's Chris Fisher (Field, Lamassu).

You ain't gonna bring me down You ain't gonna bleed me out You ain't gonna kill me now You ain't gonna snuff me out

In fact, if you liked Kaiser's '1st Sound' (2018), this would make a very nice companion.

A pleasant acoustic interlude, "Grace of an Angel" gives us a rest stop from the treacherous uphill journey, leading to the album's expansive namesake track and a very overcast second-half. "Devil Blues" is quite effective in conjuring the rough terrain of the California mountains and the sense of aloneness one feels when traveling deep into the wild.

Steady return into the dark Dealing again my hand the card A whisper, a spark, and a flame Has bitten me again Killing me again the same

We've now travelled from "The Northern Face" to meet "The Southern Face," the Mountain Pass closer. It's a doomy one for sure, though the intrepid tempo gives the sense of determination that this journey will be finished.

"Overall this record is about survival and living for every moment," the band told Doomed & Stoned. "A gritty reflection on what is required to actually live your life rather than be a slave to it."

And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the premiere of Mountain Pass by Phantom Hound, ahead of its wide release on Saturday, March 28th (pre-order here).

Give ear...

Mountain Pass by Phantom Hound

Track By Track: A Listener's Guide to Mountain Pass

We asked the guys to give us a walk-through of each number on Phantom Hound's new album. We got more than we expected and are delighted to share this in-depth breakdown with you from frontman Jake Navarra.

The Northern Face

This song started off early writing sessions for the record as a new riff when I bought a new Jazzmaster not long after that Rob Zombie show. The riff was written hours before my first audition in two years as something aggressive and impressive to take to them. The guys I jammed with didn't get the vision and we didn't click in general so I put it in my back pocket. I brought it home and kept working on it though. My love of all things Alice in Chains carved this track out to serve as our "Them Bones" This main riff would later serve me again on a second song "The Southern Face" I used the main riff from "The Northern Face" as a bridge riff after the second chorus outro in "The Southern Face" but since the song is in B-Standard on the Baritone guitar its nearly unnoticeable. The songs became the beginning and the end of the record pretty early on. Lyrically the song serves as a cry of raw life. The idea being that, we are born into this world and its a fight to stay here. Climbing the northern face is a metaphor for the listener to be the train that has set off to see its railroad completed. (Drop D)

Thunder I Am

I grew up watching old westerns with my grandpa and my old man. There's nobody that doesn't relate to Clint Eastwood's characters and this songs a direct tip of the hat to the attitude portrayed in nearly all of his films. Thunder I Am is essentially that sense of justice that will always rain down. The song wrote itself when I first plugged this guitar into my Orange. Heavily inspired by Down and Soudgarden. (B Standard)

Irons in the Fire

This song directly reflects a love for Down & Pantera. Lyrically a direct reflection on how hard our members work on a daily basis and what it takes to make a band happen these days with all the different DIY elements band members have to juggle. We can never loose faith in ourselves or let the idea of a dream die out. We simply have to stoke the fire and keep it burning at all times. We put some southern style groove at the end of this song to pay homage to some dime style breakdown riffing. (B Standard)

You Don't Know Death

This song was written during The Ether era. How it survived is beyond me. It's tough, fast, and sharp as a dagger so maybe that helped. Lyrically a reflection on the overwhelming amount of death worship. I don't feel like a lot of bands really know what they're talking about sometimes but I was also much younger when I wrote it and far more angsty. I was craving diversity from metal at the time. I simply want life to be valued at its core. Perhaps the opposite of how it sounds I guess. (Drop C Standard)

Grace of an Angel

Throughout 2018 my step mother battled liver cirrhosis. She turned 67 on Dec 11th and passed away two days after Christmas on Dec 27th. She was in my life for 20 of my 30 years and was nothing short of an angel. She brought children into this world for over 30 years in the medical industry working as an RN for Kaiser Permanente. She never drank, smoked, or swore. She retired around the age of 64 and almost instantly got sick. She did her part for a transplant but was denied a liver through the waiting list. It was the single most painful experience of my life as I was there through the end holding her hand and looking after my old man as we all watched helplessly on the wayside. During her pain and suffering she never lost her integrity and showed more strength in her final hours than I think anybody could truly understand. People leave this world in many different ways but she did it as gracefully as only an angel could. I wrote this only weeks before the end. Steve is playing a Fender Rhodes and Jack added some light drums on it. I did more takes of this than any other track on the record. (Drop C)

Mountain Pass

This song started off during the years I walked away from music as the only thing I would play on my only instrument which was the acoustic that I kept. Occasionally I thought of a record that could capture the sound I always wanted to make combining heavy influences and trying to really make a grand opus. Something long and stoneresque calling on some Matt Pike meets Jerry Cantrell riffage. As the years went by and the idea for this record started to form it really honestly felt like we were struggling at every turn to see this record through. Life changes, career changes, the economy, the price of living, the music industry. Its been a struggle for many. This song is an anthem to all of the blue collar workers and dream of the builders putting one foot in front of the other to see their journey through. We have to set examples sometimes or nothing will change. (Drop C)

Devil Blues

This song is tip of the hat to The Blues. When I started playing guitar again I decided to play with a fire and make sure above all else that we were having fun in this band and having fun at our shows. Life is incredibly short and that's all there is to it. This song is about giving into The Blues and letting that feeling live inside you and remind you to stay out late, spend the extra money, go look at the stars, and jump into the ocean. (B Standard)

The Southern Face

The journey ends here. We've fought, we've struggled, we've survived the perilous journey of life and you're all the stronger and wiser for it. a reminder that you did it with your own two hands, your wit, and that not everybody made it. It's not a perfect story and it didn't work out well for everybody. We took losses and we made gains. And when you're done its time to reflect and count your blessings. This song is a steep descent into a smooth arrival back at the destination you set out to reach. This song wraps up the story entirely and leaves a sneak peak for what's to come. You can hear Steve's wizardry as his psychedelia morphs into a trance-like sense of closure and clarity until the train drops you off and carries on. (B Standard)

Wrong Turns & Second Chances: Interview with Phantom Hound

Every band has an origin story. Sometimes if you dig a little beyond the surface and get to know the musicians behind the music, their stories become surprisingly relatable. As Doomed & Stoned is all about both the music and the stories of the heavy underground, we were curious to know more about a lesser known band with a huge sound and grand ideas called Phantom Hound. We got the scoop from frontman Jake Navarra.

The Beginning

We formed in 2013 under the name Hound. Keith Hernandez (bass and engineer) and Dominic Torres (drums) did The Ether EP with me but not long after we recorded and started mixing I got into a motorcycle accident at the end of 2014 and decided to walk away from music altogether. I had been playing music for 10 years at this point and in part of the collapse of my previous band Cast Iron Crow and the continued struggle to keep a band going in general felt that my time as a musician was done. I fucked up my right shoulder and tore my ACL in the crash, had to get reconstructive surgery on my knee, and learn how to use my left leg all over again during recovery.

Because of this and the inability to play any instrument at all I sold off all of my gear except for my acoustic guitar in order to help pay my bills and for nearly two years never looked back. It was in summer of 2016 that I found myself with some free tickets for Rob Zombie. I took my older brother out to see him as we grew up listening to White Zombie and Rob Zombie from all the old Twisted Metal video games growing up. There was a brief moment when John 5 came out on stage at the beginning of House of 1000 Corpses.

The stage went dark and a spotlight came down upon him and he had this glow in the dark Telecaster with the TV screen in between the pickups while an old horror movie was playing on it and had the whole arena at his attention with that ominous riff. My brother elbowed me and said "You're telling me you don't wanna do that anymore? That doesn't look fun to you?" a light bulb went off that night and I called Kieth Hernandez a few days later to dust off The Ether mixes and we spent the fall dialing it in and finishing what we started. I ended up getting introduced to Oz Fritz who's worked with Les Claypool in the past and has some ties in the East Bay Area. I released it digitally that Christmas as a present to close friends and family.

The Rebirth

At the start of 2017, I wanted to really get back into playing again and struggled for some time to secure a lineup. I had two line ups of close friends help me get the ball rolling and things were off to a slow start for a while as we only had the EP material which was written on a Fender Jazzmaster. In the early months of 2017 I acquired a guitar that changed everything. The Hagstrom Viking Baritone. As soon as I plugged this guitar into my amp "Thunder I Am" was the first thing that came back out of it. "Devil Blues" was second and "The Southern Face" was the third. These three songs became the basis for what would become Mountain Pass and for a year-and-a-half my renewed interest in guitar and the blues pumped new life into the band. We played two shows this year and survived only by a slow pulse.

Paths Converge

It wasn't until I met Jack Stiles (drums) in March of 2018 through craigslist and that things got serious. He was the first person in 5 years that was as motivated as myself about the project and we set out to overhaul the band immediately. Jack (44) is a business owner of 10+ years, married, and a father of two little ones with more energy than most people my age (30). Jack has been a drummer for less than 5 years and a bass player of 20+. From sheer motivation he's answered the call and taken every challenge I've thrown his way. Jack strictly plays Ludwig classics and has shaped his playing around the hooks and rhythms these songs call for. A general love for all things music he's been one of the single most important musicians to ever share the stage with.

Through Jack we met Steve Rogers (bass) a few months later in June of 2018. Steve is a guy as casual as they come. (43) 100% Irish. Here's a guy who backpacked the John Muir trail in 8 days and shrugs his shoulders over his accomplishment when you bring it up. An established sound engineer with Dolby in San Francisco he's one of the friendliest people I've ever met. At the time he was pretty upset with his previous audition with some other band because they told him he didn't have the right image. Their loss, our gain. Steve's unwavering dedication to his bass tone filled a huge gap in our sound and with his Ampeg SVT and Music Man offers a brutal low end I didn't realize these songs couldn't benefit so much from. During the recording sessions Jack and I marveled at his ability to convey how these songs should expand with our engineer Chris Hughes. His sense of temp and atmosphere is responsible for all of the psychedelia and the keys hidden in 'Mountain Pass" and "Grace of an Angel."

Phantom Hound, Jake Navarra, and Mountain Pass

In late summer of 2018, the three of us went straight to work. At this time the name "Hound" had become convoluted and our music simply couldn't be found. After much deliberation and research we expanded the name to Phantom Hound. Symbolically this further represented the folklore surrounding the concept of why I chose "Hound" in the first place. Everything from Hell Hounds of the south capturing elements of The Blues, Black Shuck 's and Phantom Hounds of the UK and America to the mighty Cerberus going all the way back to Greek mythology. The Phantom Hound is essentially a guide/gatekeeper between worlds of the living and the spiritual underworld. We felt this helped us fully mature into our sound as were a bit of a mutt ourselves in the sense that we don't particularly fit in anywhere but get by everywhere so far.

As the main guitar player, vocalist, and songwriter it is my primary goal to try and compose records with expansive styles highlighting what the guitar can offer a listener. My own personal inspiration comes a lot from the classic rock I grew up on as a kid like so many, Seattle grunge, Mississippi and Chicago Blues, NOLA sludge, Italian and East Coast Jazz, Californian desert and stoner rock, and even the eclectic resurgence of all things metal in the local Oakland scene.

After rebuilding throughout the summer of 2018 on what had now become the 4th lineup of the band and the 1st lineup of Phantom Hound we came back up for air renewed and rebranded. We spent the winter of 2018/2019 performing, writing, shaping, and designing our brand. Our love for westerns, camping, backpacking, and history brought us to the Theme of "Mountain Pass," which is a loose concept record comparing one's personal journey through adulthood and all of the challenges one faces during those years to construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. In its essence: A perilous journey inward and mission for oneself to see through to its completion.

Producing Mountain Pass

2019 was the biggest year for us by far. We went into the studio with my friend Chris Hughes in May. About 10 years earlier I met him through an old friend back in college down in southern California. During that moment in time I was discovering Sleep's Jerusalem and was so stoked on Sleep I gave it to this transplant from Denver who wanted to get his hands on anything heavy and stoner metal related. Life went on and I didn't see him again for 10 years. During that time he continued to date and eventually marry an old friend of mine from High School and pursue audio engineering up here in the Bay Area at Expressions.

Somewhere along his journey, Chris got connected with the boys in the South Bay in KOOK and they hired him to produce their first album "Kook" and again their follow up "Kook II". This time however and the reason I mention this part of the story is that KOOK is well acquainted with Billy Anderson who came down from Oregon as the executive producer on the follow up record. Chris was able to shadow Billy in these sessions and learn and assist with much of the engineering on this record.

So after not seeing Chris or my old friend Heather we bumped into each other at Bevmo here downtown in Oakland to buy some beer. We instantly caught up having one hell of a laugh that after all these years the chance encounter we had over Sleep led him to working alongside Billy Anderson himself. With Chris fresh off the sessions of Kook II and Phantom Hound locked and loaded with Mountain Pass, everything lined up right and we went into the studio together at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, California and recorded nearly everything but the vocals in the same room Metallica recorded S&M and had a blast combining all our knowledge together and reconnecting as friends.

Chris Hughes took our record to extraordinary levels and our songs gave him a solid platform to apply his newly acquired skill sets on. We continued to perform all throughout the year with as many bands around town as possible as we built our relationships and earned a place here in town. In September of 2019 through Chris Hughes we were introduced to Jeff Wilson from Kook, Heavy San Jose, and Glory or Death Records and got on the bill for his annual Beers in Hell event. This was single handedly the most important gig of the year for us last year as we got to play with tons of killer bands and open for Hippie Death Cult, Kook, Disastroid, Holy Grove, and High Tone Son of a Bitch (which included Billy Anderson on Bass that night). We then played again with Hippie Death Cult in Pacifica a few weeks later and hit it off as friends.

Mastering Mountain Pass

After mixing was completed and our shows for September were wrapped up, we took off into Nevada City to reconnect with Oz Fritz at Ancient Wave Studios. This place is located down a long dirt road deep in the woods of Gold Country. A perfect relaxing place to kick back and watch the record come to life. Oz Fritz worked with me on The Ether EP. He's worked on Primus's Antipop, several Tom Waits records, and Miles Davis to name a few. Oz is straight to the point and gets down to business quick. He was stoked on the variety of the songs he was working with and added a great layer of warmth that comes through the best on vinyl as we've heard with our test pressings. There is a photo attached of us at Ancient Wave with him working his magic. He was once asked by Tom Waits "This mix sounds great but...it needs more brown" and so he figured it out.

The Northern Face Music Video Shoot

In October, we took off to Soda Springs and rented a cabin during filming for the music video. As I mentioned above we filmed in a historical landmark. You can see us at the entrance of Tunnel #6. If you look Closely you can see the scars on the granite as if the black powder and dynamite just blew it up yesterday. The town behind me on the cliff is Truckee and the lake below is Donner Lake. It is my goal to bring our listeners into the outdoors and feel the dirt in their hands and the smell of the woods.

Tragedy nearly took place though as after we finished filming all day on Saturday and celebrating all night Saturday night. What we thought were minor electrical issues with the house itself turned out to be a near fatal one when an electrical short in the gas fireplace sparked around 3AM. The fireplace caught fire thus lighting the outside of the house and chimney on fire proceeding to fill the house with smoke while 9 of us were fast asleep.

At 3:30 AM the smoke alarms went off like a symphony and we scrambled to find the source only to quickly determine that the fireplace was the problem. Black smoke poured out everywhere from behind the fireplace and we used two fire extinguishers in an attempt to put out the flames. What we didn't know and couldn't see was that the fire crept up all the way through the chimney in between the interior and exterior of the chimney. And just like that, within 10 minutes we started evacuating the house and helping each other clear the place out of our belongings, instruments, film equipment, and vehicles. The Truckee Fire Department came out and went to work and kicked ass on the fire while we assisted with information on how the fire and extending the hoses until reinforcement arrived.

In the end we all got out ok and luckily nobody had to go to the hospital. We all got smoked out pretty bad and were pretty shaken up. It was the real deal 100%. That house was on its way to burning down the house. That's the story behind the home footage at the end. If you look closely the entire house is billowing with smoke. We were all fast asleep about 40 minutes before that was filmed.

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