California-based heavy psych rockers Deer Lord are gearing up for Halloween 2023 and are set to release a killer two-part live performance of four of their best songs on their YouTube channel this month. Part 1 will drop on Friday the 13th (October), and all four live songs will be ready to stream on Halloween on all streaming platforms.
“Deer Lord, Live from the Deer Cave” is a multi-angle shot/fully mixed jam session produced by Northern Buffalo Productions in Northern California (Santa Rosa, to be exact). The videos are currently unlisted/unposted, but the doom-n-rollers gave me a first look, so I’ll provide some thoughts.
Part 1 is about 11 minutes long and contains the songs “Witches Brew” and “Psychedelic Roadkill,” which the band released on the Dark Matter, Pt. 1 EP earlier this year. We get a feel for the “Deer Cave” in the first few minutes as the band tunes up amid the feedback before launching into “Witches Brew.” The sound quality is excellent, and the cave is smoky as hell – either from the reefer or whatever they’re cooking up in the cauldron.
It’s an excellent version of perhaps Deer Lord’s signature song, with the fuzzed-out riffs and massive rhythm section. Jared Marill, the bass player, also gets some extra points for wearing an Aiwass shirt. Next, they jump into “Psychedelic Roadkill,” also one of the band’s strongest songs.
“Psychedelic Roadkill” has a faster tempo, and the vocals have an excellent growling, mountain-man quality. This is some top-shelf heavy psychedelia, and watching the ecstatic energy of the live performance is even better.
Part 2 is around the same length (about 10 minutes long) and showcases “Slab City Blues” and “Hopeful Transmissions.” Both songs are from Deer Lord’s self-titled debut EP that came out in 2020. The band kicks things off with “Slab City Blues” and a crunching wall of noise. The song and performance show them at their doom-n-roll best; it’s a track with an infectious groove, incredible heaviness, and an excellent vocal delivery. When they break into the jam at the three-and-half-minute mark, there’s thunderous drumming and a nice, brief guitar solo before it wraps up.
After a brief break, Deer Lord jumps into “Hopeful Transmissions,” which starts a bit slower. It sounds similar to “Slab City Blues,” so you might get the transition confused. Nevertheless, it feels like a long, extended jam, which is the part that I enjoyed the most. There are also more guitar leads in “Hopeful Transmissions,” as vocalist and guitarist Sheafer McOmber shows off his chops.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Deer Cave Sessions, and I think fans of the band and new listeners will, too. The visual and audio production quality is well done and includes some cool psychedelic effects. The Deer Cave in Northern California also looks like an excellent place to jam.
Stay tuned to Deer Lord’s social media pages and YouTube channel for more news about the release of the Deer Cave sessions. As we mentioned, Part 1 will drop on Friday the 13th, and all the live song performances will be available on all streaming platforms on Halloween. I can think of no better way to celebrate the spooky season than listening to these heavy psych rockers.
Find Part 1 of the Deer Cave Sessions on Friday the 13th here on Deer Lord’s YouTube channel.
Support Deer Lord by finding them on Bandcamp and social media (Instagram, Facebook).
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