Broken Ohms

With that being said, this week Broken Ohms will fill the B.O.W section! The band has recently hit the studio to start recording the follow up to their 2008 release “Nocturnal Emissions”. With album artwork, a title and a release date yet to be set they have everyone on their toes. The high energy rock act consists of vocalist Peter Hubley, bassist Stephen MacDonald, Paul Nickerson on drums and Troy Wilson on guitar. To purchase their last album visit their CDBaby account. With outstanding reviews from all over the world, Broken Ohms is and will be a long standing well known name along the east coast. The band puts together an amazing live performance that hits you in the face like a thick block of wood and leave splatters in the form of crazed fans! The band has some videos online for those of you who have been unfortunate enough to miss their live performance. - Visionthenet

Broken Ohms opened up the 2010 Canada Day celebrations @ Alderney Landing - Dartmouth, NS

Not normally something you would see around here - a metal band, open up a generally 'adult contemporary'/folky indie pop type event.

Despite the band being left off the official line-up, at least that I saw, there was a healthy crowd waiting in front of the large concrete stage. It's a great place to see a show, with a nice breeze from Halifax Harbour and a steady crowd of people coming from the ferry (and wandering down the hill from the Dartmouth Commons – home of the annual Cannabis Day gathering). Broken Ohms wasted no time in grabbing the crowds attention, and holding it.

Singer Peter Hubley walked the stage confidently, with a bright red Canada jersey, and kept the crowd engaged. It certainty didn't look like a typical crowd for the band, but there was plenty of clapping and cheering, and shout outs to the band. All the guys sounded great on the big healthy PA system, and all the songs were heavy, catchy, and tight. As great as they were, I have to give most of the props to Hubley, who played the perfect frontman role: fantastic vocals, showmanship, and great interaction with the band and the crowd. In between songs and lyrics, constant hyping and Canada Day acclamations seemed to keep the crowd hooked. - Noisography (Nova Scotia)

Lets play this scenario. Its a scenario many of us have done hundreds of times. We buy some tickets, show up to the venue a little later then appropriate because you’ve never really paid attention to the opener and you’ve had a few brews to get into ready mode for rockin out to the hits of the headliner. By the time you hit the stage the openers are half way through the set and you never think of them again…

Well lets play this scenario a little different. You get to the venue at your normal time, but set up is late. The openers are just going on stage and you decided to head over an get another drink to suffer through the set. Then something magical happens! The first guitar riff blares, the drums and bass begin to hurt your ears (in the good way), and the lead singer lets out a scream that makes every single person in the joint turn and stare at the stage with a sense of awe. The sense of awe in this case is Broken Ohms!

We witnessed this happen ourselves at “Rockin the Harbour.” Everyone was there to see Saga, Helix, and Trooper, but when Broken Ohms took the stage it quickly became all about them. Peter Hubley on Vocals broke in with a voice that was being compared to Chris Cornell (Sebastian Bach for me) and Troy Wilson on Guitar with the most metal beard I have ever seen absolutely owned the stage and made everyone walk up front and ask: “Who the hell are these guys?” The best part was this was a hard rock show, but the boys didn’t sway from their roots. They brought the Metal and never backed down!

Who the hell these guys are; is Broken Ohms from right here in Halifax, NS. By the second song Morgan and I agreed we have to talk to these guys and get some bio info because they are going to be huge. The first person we talked to was Troy Wilson. I introduced myself and said, “You just fucked Saga!” I said that because there was no way keyboards could follow the metal explosion that took place on that stage.

The reason I’m not doing the normal bio bit is simply because its rare that we get blown away by a live performance and become instant fans, but it happened. The boys gave us a drop card from their album “Nocturnal Emissions” and I have listened to it several times. The songs are clean, energenic, and most importantly all their own. Bass player Stephen MacDonald and Drummer Paul Nickerson described their style as Stoner Metal, but personally the sound I hear is a bluesy metal that is backed by amazing musicians and a voice in Peter that the music scene longs for. Peter can hit the high range, but has a very good growl on the bottom end.

Much like their live show the album is a roller coaster of hard rocking, horn flying, experiences. I know I don’t have anything concrete to say because its just damn good! All that can be really said is put it on your IPod and 12 months later your going to realize its still there.

The guys sent me the following information:

Too metal for the indie scene and too indie for the metal scene, Broken Ohms have been busy over the past four years creating a sound that is truly their own. A unique blend of stoner/prog/metal/pop/heavy rock can be heard rumbling out of venues across the East Coast that welcome the Ohms onto their stage. Their reputation as a great live act has landed them spots in the Halifax Pop Explosion, Maritime Tattoo Festival and Nova Scotia Music Week. With the 2008 release of their album “Nocturnal Emissions”, Halifax’s heavy rock ambassadors have spent some weeks in the Canadian college radio charts and have had rave reviews from all over the world. The album was also nominated for Music Nova Scotia’s “Loud Artist Recording of the Year”. 2010 has already been huge for the band. Ohms recently won the Q104 Molson Rock Showdown, opened up the Canada Day Concert at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth and rocked out with classics Trooper, Helix & Saga at the Cunard Centre in Halifax. Armed with a tight set of new songs, the band is currently in the studio recording the follow-up to “Nocturnal Emissions”.www.myspace.com/brokenohmsmusic www.brokenohms.com www.sonicbids.com/brokenohms
Become an Ohms fan! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Broken-Ohms/9923483314

That is good bio information, but here’s where I stand. Get up off your lazy asses and go see these guys live. Oct 23rd at the Pavillion you will find them playing along side the mighty Black Moor. This will be a great show for you to realize that Halifax has some amazing treasures in the Metal scene, but Broken Ohms is in a class all of their own. - We Love Metal (Canada)

http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/104574-broken-ohms-nocturnal-emissions-album.html

Broken Ohms are a curious hybrid of tuneful, indie-based tracks that have been weighted down with heavy slabs of rock. It's quite a unique little (I say little, I mean enormous) sound that they have created which is almost like the missing link between Queens Of The Stone Age and Iron Maiden - yes there was a missing link between those two I've been assured!

On 'Nocturnal Emissions' we are treated to seven tracks of pounding driving rhythms interspersed with soft-heavy guitar and vocals that border on the MOR of seventies rock and the heavy squealing of eighties heavy metal. In short this is incredibly fun, raw-energy rock.

'Choix' and 'So Mean' are 100 mile-an-hour rock-out tunes with the latter taking a heavier stance to it's predecessor's incessant driving qualities that are tempered by a more stable vocal delivery. Things really take a turn on 'Telepsychopathic' where we are treated to a much more psychedelic vocal from Peter Hubley (very reminiscent of Josh Homme here) twinned with a thudding bass-line and continued guitar fuzz. This is very much the track for those stoner's out there.

'For The Air' opens very much in your face, ploughing along quite melodically despite it's continued rock assault that again is propelled by Stephen MacDonald's excellent bass. The vocals are more of the howling kind this time, unfortunately there isn't much here in terms of lyrical content. 'Fear Of God' is the lengthiest track on show and starts off almost country like before settling into more rhythmic styling's featuring some seventies rock guitar play, stopping to gather breath occasionally we are settled into lyrics/rock-out/stop/lyrics/rock-out and so on and so forth.

'Missing' is much more your staple rock track with little to differentiate it from so many others and that is one of the few criticisms that can be labelled at Broken Ohms, they aren't particularly original in sound but then who is nowadays? Ending with 'Sleepytown' employing some Bon Jovi-esque twangs in a more restrained intro before kicking off around the minute-mark into an energetic pound along.

'Nocturnal Emissions' is a great little introduction to the sound of Broken Ohms but certainly they will need to unleash more tricks next time, however, this a fun little record that should be played as loud as humanly possible at the expense of the neighbours.
- Altsounds (UK)

http://www.cosmosgaming.com/articles.php?id=1743&articletype=review

2009 may have just begun only three days ago, but the stoner rock genre is still kicking out the jams harder than ever. Such is the case with Canada’s Broken Ohms, who released their sophomore album Nocturnal Emissions right before last year ended. Offering hard hitting and groovy stoner rock jams that are like a cross between Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and Soundgarden, these Canadians certainly have some addictive and solid ideas but do admittedly sound a little too similar to the bands that inspired them.

Listeners will immediately notice that the instrumentalists have great chemistry with one another and have written some very tight and cohesive riffs on Nocturnal Emissions. The main style to Broken Ohms’ music is that of stoner rock, but their music is noticeably more melodic than some of the other acts in the genre. This also gives the album a bit of a 90’s alternative rock vibe as well, and does make Broken Ohms sound a little different from your typical stoner act. However, it is worth mentioning that because the instrumentalists wear their influences on their sleeves that some of the riffs sound very similar to both Kyuss and Soundgarden and that the group will have to find more of their own unique style as they move forward.

Broken Ohms’ vocalist Peter Hubley bears a very striking resemblance to Chris Cornell in style, which is likely where many of the Soundgarden comparisons are going to come from. Hubley has a similar pitch and high level of energy, but his slightly lower range singing during verses does make his style distinguishable enough. And though I’m not particularly fond of how he chooses to push his voice into near off pitch levels on “Choix”, the rest of the album has enjoyable and energetic singing that is sure to hook listeners.

Nocturnal Emissions is a solid release that stoner rock fans will definitely want to check out. It is admirable for a band of this type to channel their influences and write an album that has similar and catchy riffs. Admittedly you could easily hear many of the styles offered here on any Kyuss or Soundgarden album, but the fact that such a new band is able to it so well is worth taking note of. Hopefully this group will find some ideas that help them stand out a bit more, but I’m willing to support them while they work to get to that point.

Chris Dahlberg
January 04, 2009
- Cosmos Gaming (USA)

If Josh Homme woulda ended up lightin' shit up with Soundgarden, back when they were good, I think it mighta sounded something like Broken Ohms.
Before my first time seein' 'em, while meetin' singer/drummer, Peter Hubley, I told him his vocals reminded me of Loud Love-era Soundgarden, to which he replied "Yeah, but I can pull it off live". I know that may sound cocky to some (and may prove difficult if forced to belt it out night after night), but I love cocky, especially when it's well placed! Even though he may have been a tad bit uncomfortable bein' out from behind the drums(they've added a drummer since the release of Ghost Effects) he, and the rest of the boys, did not disappoint. Live or on this disc!
Presumably guitarist Troy Wilson brought the QOTSA influence with him from former band Eddybulls. Normally, I'd say that's not a good thing(cause most can't do Queens justice), but with Broken Ohms, it's quality, layed with lots of off-time/off beat goodness!
The album starts heavy (ragin' opener, "Give"), ends heavy(the almost Kyuss-y, Last Call), and shows ya in the middle that they can even do mellow well! My fave, though, has gotta be 2nd track, "Cindy Day", a frustrated ode to/about the East Coast weatherwoman of the same name, in which Peter sings "All these things that she says, they could be lies". Most of us know, in Eastern Canada, you can never trust a meteorologist!
(BTW - Broken Ohms "mischief towels" are also available and a new reord's on the way!)

- Chris Lewis - DG-OD Magazine (Montreal)

http://www.diminishedfifthrecords.com/ezine/
page 11 - Horns High Online Magazine

The Canadians performed a set composed entirely of Kyuss covers at a Queens of the Stone Age after party last year, and that act alone will tell the listeners almost everything they read to know. Yes, they are essentially a response from the tundra to the desert rock of Kyuss, and that will be their biggest obstacle. They have similar heavy and catchy riffs imbued with monstrous fuzz and a good dose of the '70s. Not to mention catchy. So far so good. They are solid constructions with monstrous grooving riffs and catchy choruses -- you want weird time signatures, look elsewhere. Their biggest obstacle may be in convincing listeners that they are not simply a Canadian Kyuss. As long as you're not too upset by a band that regards originality as alien as an okapi, then there will be no problem. I have my doubts whether Broken Ohms can continue on this path without providing a personal touch, but in the short term, they provide a dose of good old fashioned rock.

Quentin Kalis - http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/Articles.aspx?id=2-5681

http://hardtimes.ca/brokenohms

Album: Nocturnal Emissions
Name of Patient::
Broken Ohms
Date of Birth::
11/2008
Region and Country of Origin::
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Height:
These jamming revivalist rockers have been at it for just under two years.
Weight:
"Nocturnal Emissions" is the band's first official release.
Significant Findings:
The say some of the best music comes from small towns. The comparative lack of a city bustle, endless distractions, and the inflated cost of living tends to do wonders for creativity, as the increased time to do nothing enables the human brain to wonder and turn fantasy into reality. Psychadelia and 70’s rock, especially, were all about fantasizing, idealizing, dreaming, chilling out, and in turn, creating like animals. As veterans of the heavy music scene are well aware of, it is no longer merely Top 40 pop rock acts that abide by a formula to drain every last dollar out of underexposed music listeners; this trend has infected the underground as well, in a big way. A cursory listen to Halifax, Nova Scotia quartet Broken Ohms, whose name has to be one of the cleverest to emerge from indie rock in a long time, reveals a band that is much too confident in their own ideas to even consider conforming to a preset formula. Adhering to a strict sound could not be easier than in the stoner rock genre, a fuzzed-out, rhythm-heavy modern day Sabbath-inspired movement where 4/4 patterns and verse/chorus/jam-out song structuring is the reinforced norm. Even back in the 90’s when the genre first began to emerge as an homage to the long-lost 70’s, Frank Kozik’s label Man’s Ruin Records ended up going under, in part due to the sameness of its roster. Broken Ohms are a different story altogether. While these mellow Canadian dudes would satisfy any discerning, rock-loving stoner with their cross-generational hybrid of authentic, flowing jam rock, there is much that sets them apart from the fuzz rock genre that both influenced them, and would also be the first to accept the Led Zeppelin-influenced Broken Ohms into the ranks of the variety. The songwriting on Broken Ohm’s new album, “Nocturnal Emissions,” is simply many steps above what people are used to hearing from throwback rock acts. They don’t veer much into abstract or ambient territory as bands like Young Widows, Russian Circles, or late-era Breach and Neurosis have in recent years, nor do they burrow ahead like two of their many influences, Fu Manchu and Kyuss, were known for years ago; however, the gifted Broken Ohms did master enough Kyuss material to perform a COMPLETE set comprised entirely of Kyuss cover songs for the official Queens Of The Stone Age performance after-party earlier this year. The band obviously lives it. But from the music out to the vocals, these Halifax boys are no rip-off artists. Frontman Peter Hubley is no John Garcia or Josh Homme clone, either. Instead, his freewheeling pipes bring to mind a young Robert Plant, a Loud Love or Badmotorfinger-era Chris Cornell, in addition to both of AC/DC’s vocalists Brian Johnson and Bon Scott, and even Ronnie James Dio. “Nocturnal Emissions” has the toned-down, timeless feel of albums like QOTSA’s self-titled debut and Kyuss’ “And The Circus Leaves Town” with enough pick-up to get heads banging, and it accomplishes all this in a conservative 7 tracks.
Possible Diagnosis:
Fans of jam rock like Mastodon and Baroness will find a definite and irresistible nostalgic vibe in Broken Ohms, impressively stripped of the metal influence that somehow permeates most bands’ attempts at “real rock” these days, those aforementioned surging Relapse Records artists especially.
Recommendation:
The far east coast of Canada truly seems to be growing its army of superior rock acts, not the least of which are New Brunswick’s Iron Giant, The Motorleague, and now Broken Ohms.
- www.hardtimes.ca (Montreal)

CD Review- Broken Ohms
Nocturnal Emissions
Dirt Reynolds Music

Broken Ohms newest release, Nocturnal Emissions is seven tracks of pure fun- killer vocals, simple yet catchy riffs, tons of bass- in a nutshell, straight up hard rock. Following in the footsteps of their 90’s predecessors (mainly Kyuss, Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age), these guys throw down song after song of raw, energy-filled rocking out with intermittent moments of day-dream inducing trippiness. While their influences are clearly… well, influential, from the first track it is evident that Peter Hubley (vocals), Stephen MacDonald (bass), Nicolas Michaud (drums) and Troy Wilson (guitar) are serious about the tunes they write. Not simply a 90’s throwback (or a witty name for that matter), Broken Ohms are here to rock without regret and sound as good as they possibly can while doing it.

Although the first two tracks are solid, well-written songs that give listeners a good indication of what Broken Ohms are about, the band doesn’t really seem to get rolling until “Telepsychopathic”. Arguably, Peter Hubley’s voice is remarkably strong here. With less rasp and smooth, clean tone, he helps the band transcend the catchy verses of “Choix” and “So Mean” creating a mysterious and captivating sound. It’s doubtful that coincidence has anything to do with the fact that the joint you may have been inspired to spark during the first verse of “Choix” seems to kick in at the same time as “Telepsychopathic” and “For the Air”. Watch out, these guys sneak up on you too.

For a band that seems to have come out of nowhere, Halifax’s Broken Ohms make a strong first impression. This album is sure to appeal to music connoisseurs of all appetites and is definitely worth a listen.

By Alxs Ness

http://abortmag.com/?p=2649 - Abort Magazine (Vancouver)

http://www.cosmiclava.com/reviews-interviews/record-reviews/records-b/brokenohms-nocturnal-emissions/

This is the self-released debut album from a young Canadian band, and it has definitely some very good moments, especially when BROKEN OHMS try to find their own musical identity that lie somewhere between early Soundgarden and early QotSA. Well, that maybe that doesn't sound very exciting, but BROKEN OHMS have a keen sense for melodies that carve their way into my ear and stuck there for more than two hours. For my taste the first three tracks aren't very special, although vocalist Peter Hubley is the one here who makes sure that I won't skip to the next songs. He sounds like the small brother of Chris Cornell without imitating his style and has definitely the ability to fill the songs with passion and soul. One of the first highlights is 'Fear of God' that kicks off with a slight 60's influence and alters itself into a noisy direction without losing its rockin' hookline. 'Missing' is also worth mentioning. In contrast to the reast of the material this song reminds me to some of the bands which have been released by Dischord Records in the mid-80's. Once again the song wins over with a compelling hookline. 'Sleepytown' is the last song here, and it's definitely a perfect ending for this album. The base is a heavy, funky rhythm that owns enough drive to make this song to an energetic experience. Of course, 'Nocturnal Emissions' isn't groundbreaking or sensational, but it's a good start for a promising band. - Cosmic Lava