HOT RAM

HOT RAM 

Electric Medicine 

The Swamp Records 

May 21st, 2021 

Stoner Metal, Desert Rock, Doom 

[FormatCD/Digital] 

While trawling the sea of stoner metal, it is all too easy for fans to drown in the sheer excess of a genre prone to stagnation. However, since their formation in 2015, Atlanta’s HOT RAM have worked to honea sound that stands out in the fuzzy fray. Blending the groove-laden riffage and psychedelic haze we all love and crave with a distinctly hard rockin’ swagger, HOT RAM sits comfortably in the amorphous space between Earthless, Church of Misery, Melvins, and Judas Priest. If you have a certain proclivity for big riffs, bigger grooves, and a whole lot of fuzz, grabbing this HOT RAM by the horns is less a question of how...and more a question of when. 

One needs only look at the list of bands this three-piece has opened for to gain an understanding of their target crowd. They have shared the stage with The Sword, The Atomic Bitchwax, Ruby The Hatchet, Toke, Heavy Temple, and 20 Watt Tombstone, among many others. Putting aside the shows under their collective belt, HOT RAM are no strangers to the music business. New drummer Lionel Obriot played in Four Hour Fogger with Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders of Mastodon fame, while guitarist/vocalist Billy Konkel has worked with a bevy of well-known acts, from Metallica, to Santana, to Deftones. 

HOT RAM’s second album, the mammothian Where Light Goes To Die, was described by one listener as an “amazing find,” and by another as “a healthy arrangement of demented blues meeting fuzzed out groove.” Sleeping Village Reviews noted that the album reached beyond the motifs of its chosen genre, stating that “HOT RAM conquers the expected tropes with ease, and, fairly immediately, demonstrate that they have much more in store.” Not to be contained in mere aural form, Where Light Goes To Die spawned several music videos--the latest of which, “Tribes of Titan,” was released April 24th of this year with a special announcement in tow.  

This summer, HOT RAM will be releasing Electric Medicine via The Swamp Records. This 6-track features the most variety you’ve heard from HOT RAM thusfar, with a particular emphasis on dynamic vocals. Alongside the original tracks--several of which were inspired by quarantine viewings of Star Wars and Sergio Leone films--a cover of Judas Priest’s “Riding On The Wind” joins the fray. Despite a variety of hurdles related to a lineup change, and, of course, the sheer impact of the pandemic, this record is a document and snapshot of the tribulations of a hardworking band refusing to let things get in the way of making good music. Electric Medicine is a testament to the fact that when HOT RAM faces hard times, they are capable of pushing back even harder. Indeed, says the band: “With all these obstacles and unforeseen circumstances, we've made a great record, a document of  some of the most trying times we've ever seen.” 

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Praise for HOT RAM’s prior releases: 

“[Where Light Goes To Die] plays with all the energy and riffing good times that you would swear all the albums from the 1970s used to have...there's a variety to the songs that keeps the energy level all the way up, but at the same time the whole album has a cohesive feel, so you are glad to play it from start to finish (and then hit repeat)." - Fuzzy Cracklins 

“HOT RAM fire on all cylinders with marked consistency, performing with the braggadocious air of a demin-clad classic rock outfit, without delving into the airy arena of radio-friendly singles...this mix of high energy riffage, pounding drums, and bass with ‘tude on one hand, and psychedelic meanderings on the other, is pretty damn potent. Where Light Goes To Die comes highly recommended. - Sleeping Village Reviews 

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HOT RAM is: 

Billy Konkel - Guitars/Vocals 

Gordon White - Drums 

Dee Flores - Bass 

Electric Medicine Tracklist: 

The Hunter Lies 

 Conamara Chaos 

Trans Am 

Riding On The Wind (Judas Priest cover) 

The Grave of Arch Stanton 

Binary Sunset 

Recorded by Billy Konkel 

@232/LVL/401 

Mixed by Joey Jones@Aria Recording Studio 

Mastered by Derron Nufher @Saarlacc  

Front cover by Steven Yoyada 

Art Layout by Van Bassman 

All songs by HOT RAM except “Riding on the Wind,” by Halford, Tipton, Downing

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Short paragraph bio: 

While trawling the sea of stoner metal, it is all too easy for fans to drown in the sheer excess of a genre prone to stagnation. However, since their formation in 2015, Atlanta’s HOT RAM have honed a sound that stands out in the fuzzy fray. Blending the groove-laden riffage and psychedelic haze we all love and crave with a distinctly hard rockin’ swagger, HOT RAM sits comfortably in the amorphous space between Earthless, Church of Misery, Melvins, and Judas Priest. This summer, Hot Ram will be releasing Electric Medicine via The Swamp Records. Needless to say, if you have a certain proclivity for big riffs, bigger grooves, and a whole lot of fuzz, grabbing this HOT RAM by the horns is less a question of how...and more a question of when. 

***

HOT RAM - Grave of Arch Stanton (Music Video / Track Premiere) (SLEEPING VILLAGE REVIEW)

4/29/2021 

HOT RAM. If you know 'em, you undoubtedly love 'em...'cuz frankly, what's not to love? This crew from Atlanta exists in an arena where big riffs, big fuzz, big groove, and a hard rocking attitude are pretty much par for the course. Back in 2019 we reviewed their killer album Where Light Goes To Die--an album that (prophetically) remains in constant rotation to this day, due to a strong tendency to provide intriguing songwriting in a genre that is regrettably bogged down by repetition. Indeed, as I stated back then: "As much as I love the genre, we all know the truth of the matter: in the hazy confines of stoner rock, sophistication and brevity aren't always the qualities most sought. HOT RAM throw that stereotype in the woodchipper, delivering six massive (yet varied) bangers."  

Needless to say, this particular slumbering scribe is very pleased to present the first single from HOT RAM's forthcoming follow-up. The album in question, Electric Medicine, will undoubtedly receive a little more attention around these parts upon its release on May 21st, but for the meantime, we highly recommend checking out the excellent "Grave of Arch Stanton" below! As always, we'll see you on the other side! 

"Grave of Arch Station" takes the formula HOT RAM previously established and turns it all the way up. The guitar itself is massive, lumbering, and otherwise mammothian--draped in thick fuzz in all the right places. While not sluggish by any means, the riffs aren't particularly worried about getting anywhere too quickly. It's a quality that lends the whole affair an immersive listening experience, complete with the type of slow and methodical headbang that can only accompany the most bituminous of grooves. Also of note are the vocals, which feel a tad more bestial than what Where Light Goes To Die had to offer. Chalk it up to the cumulative effects of one hell of a year. In any case, this menacing delivery fits the bill pretty damn well. This track is more aggressive than what we have seen, and I'll be damned if it isn't a good look for HOT RAM. In sum? Killer stuff. 

Says Billy Konkel (guitar/vox) in regards to the track in question: "We practically arranged the 
song on the spot. "Grave of Arch Stanton" was inspired by being stuck in quarantine and watching some Eastwood/ Sergio Leone movies." Hence, y'know, the video's antiquated title cards. 

HOT RAM - Electric Medicine will be released May 21st, 2021 via The Swamp Records. Keep an eye out!