Since the seeds were planted in the mid-’90’s, BONGZILLA have been sowing Madison, Wisconsin’s rich soil with their own style of homegrown, psychedelic sludge-core. Cultivating an extremely thick and heavy harvest of powerful mega-rock, BONGZILLA have fertilized their sound tenfold over time, and the results of their bumper-crop harvest speak for themselves. Prepare to inhale.
Having released pounds of material over the course of the last few years, BONGZILLA have raised consciousness in regards to their existence, and have kept their musical fires burning non-stop. Having toured the U.S. multiple times, playing gigs with the likes of TODAY IS THE DAY, UNSANE, NOOTHGRUSH, LOGICAL NONSENSE, DYSTOPIA, GRIEF, ZED, CATTLEPRESS, EL DOPA, IRE, CAVE-IN and the mighty SPAZZ, BONGZILLA love to perform live. The band’s live show is not to be missed as crushing heaviness blends perfectly with tortured, intense vocals and tripped-out passages of mellowed, experimental jamming. Heavy doses of slow, bluesy riffs ooze over the churning, sick thunder of the band’s rhythm section, comprised of Mike Henry (drums) and Nate Dethlefsen (bass). Mike Makela (guitars/vocals) spews the word and praise of the budlets that make his eyes bleed with euphoria as Jeff Schultz (guitars) adds his swirling contributions to the band’s otherworldly rock. BONGZILLA support the cause of legalization, regularly playing national Hemp-fests such as Weedstock (BONGZILLA contributed a track to the Weedstock Vol. 1 CD) and Harvestfest. The summer of 1998 proved to be an important time for BONGZILLA, as they made a highly-publicized appearance at the Milwaukee Metalfest in addition to joining labelmates UNSANE for a devastating tour of the Midwest United States.
Influenced by the medicinal powers of THC and a love for wicked grooves, BONGZILLA entered the infamous Austin Enterprises in 1996 where they recorded a massive demo with TODAY IS THE DAY’s Steve Austin overseeing the festivities. This, along with other demos from the band, made their way to the Relapse Compound (the subject matter alone warranted multiple listens) and the band was signed shortly thereafter. 1997’s Methods For Attaining Extreme Altitudes presented three opus magni for the elevating of musical consciousness, and proved to be a perfect companion to a serious session with the bong. Two heavy, stoner-rock anthems and a billowy sonic cloud of ethereal experimentation (aptly titled Smoke/I Love MaryJane) lit up the senses, and produced a hazy, bleary-eyed vision of what was yet to come. Now in 1999, the hemp-friendly horticulturists have returned from the stratosphere once again, bringing with them some of the best THC-powered rock ever exhaled!! Recorded under the influence of 3 ounces of Humboldt’s finest, Stash presents ten phat spliffs of crystallized bliss. Inhale deeply as both your mind and body are elevated to new levels of slow-motion psychedelia, as BONGZILLA blend trippy, sample-ridden segments of mellowed, mind-numbing madness into the massive power-sludge orgy they have so perfectly prepared. Producer extraordinare Billy Anderson has been pulled into the fog, further fertilizing the thick, immense sound(s) that BONGZILLA continuously coughs up. Stash dredges up the most repressed elements of counter-culture and packs a thundering, resin-coated wallop that will floor even those that have not experienced the ethereal joys of mary jane. In the truest sense (pun intended) of irony, the release date for Stash fell on April 20, 1999 (4:20, ‘99), a release date that occurs only once every 7 years!! In addition (and also by complete coincidence), the random Relapse catalog number assigned to Stash is 6420!! When extreme homage is payed, the true are rewarded justly. BONGZILLA have most certainly arrived!!