WERE-JAGUARS WERE-JAGUARS is a heavy psyche-metal band formed by Chad Rauschenberger – who is also known as a founder of SUN, A FIVE AND DIME SHIP, and STONESUPREME – in Austin, TX in 2011. “Were-Jaguars refers to Mezo-American shaman who would shape-shift after taking peyote. Heavy psychedelic music seems like the perfect soundtrack for this type of experience. I was in a band with James Harwood before A Five and Dime Ship called Sun. It was a prog-metal band, and James is great. I’d seen him rule it with Blood for Master, so I asked him to play for Were-Jaguars. Rick and Brian are both phenomenal guitar players as well, and they were down, so the first line-up was cool and the first album has some great playing on it,” said Chad. WJ’s eponymous album was recorded in the summer of 2012, released as a digital-only file and received many positive responses in the web. Follow WERE-JAGUARS on Facebook. Other bands/projects by Chad Rauschenberger: A FIVE AND DIME SHIP, STONESUPREME.

Were-Jaguars / Sea and Land (2015) "Sea and Land" is a new album by avant-psyche-metal band WERE-JAGUARS which features Chad Rauschenberger, James Adkisson, and Rick McConnell (all instruments) as well as guest appearances by Leon Spinkx (Hammond organ) and Jason Miller (vocals). The music and lyrics are inspired by illustrations and writings from the XIX century book, "Sea and Land. An Illustrated History of The Wonderful and Curious Things of Nature Existing before and since the Deluge" by J.W. Buel. The album (6 tracks – 34 min.) is available in Digital Format only: the download includes 20-page pdf-booklet with liner notes, lyrics, and antique illustrations. Free streaming or immediate digital download of the album (MP3, FLAC or other formats) is available through Official R.A.I.G. Bandcamp. Experience the wilderness of Natural World through Were-Jaguars' music! Digital Download: $4.00

Author's note by Chad Rauschenberger: "When I began to write the music for 'Sea and Land' I knew that I wanted to do something different from the dark spirituality of 'Were-Jaguars s/t' and 'II'. Something more down-to-earth, solid, and grounded. In March of 2015 I received a package from my father. It was an original print of the book 'Sea and Land' which is a compilation of illustrations and writings by mid 19th century adventurers. To me this was pure synchronicity. What can be more grounded and physical than 'Sea and Land'? The book also contains about 100 sepia prints. I got a little shiver when I realized that I had in my hands what may be the first ever popular reproduction of these images, many of which have since become iconic. The sepia ink had been sitting on these pages for 130 years and the fine, engraved lines had bled into each other. When I began scanning these images I was fascinated by the way the analog engraving lines were interpreted by the modern digital grid, analogous to the way modern, scientifically informed minds would interpret the content of this book. They would say - this is not correct, this is not accurate. And it's not. 'Sea and Land' is, in fact, mad conjecture offered up to us as a factual account of the natural world. It's a snapshot of the naivety that began the great adventure of knowledge acquisition that has led to todays still embryonic empirical world view. Were-Jaguars' 'Sea and Land' uses readings, images and lyrics inspired by the book to capture the intensity and emotionality of standing at the precipice of understanding but still asking the question - do gorillas really exist?"

Were-Jaguars / II (2015) Centered on the unfaltering vision of multi-instrumentalist Chad Rauschenberger, WERE-JAGUARS’ sophomore album features a renewed line-up of Chad Rauschenberger, Rick McConnell, James Adkisson, Chris Winn, and Russell Larcher. All tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered from summer through autumn 2014 at various studios. Chad Rauschenberger wanted the next band’s effort to be the psych-metal album he always wanted to hear. “I wanted an album that was pretty long, but without any fat. A continuous trip that is dense, but with lots of infinite space," he said.

The music of WJII continues in a similar heavy lysergic vein as found on the band's debut effort, but with even more depth, darkness and frenzy than ever before. Fusing wicked post-modern metallic crunch with narcotized acid-fretboard tripping, neo-psychedelic spatial meditations, and occasional far-out vocal chanting, this album is a hard-won document of WERE-JAGUARS's quest to explore an otherworldly and multidimensional confluence. (13 tracks – 69 min.). Free streaming or immediate digital download of the album (MP3, FLAC or other formats) is available through Official R.A.I.G. Bandcamp.

CD: $13.00 / Digital Download: $8.00

Review clips:

"It is impossible to see this work as ordinary, it’s an exclusive way creating mind discomfort, controlled to guide your senses through a progressive and experimental psych trip, fighting the lack of knowledge. Try something new, something incredibly ingenious which will only develop your perception as music lover." – at Round Trip (Portugal) (October 2015).

"An awesomely trippy combination of Stoner/Doom, Space-Rock and Prog Rock." – Kris Clayton at Doom-metal.com (UK) (October 2016).

More reviews: New Underground Music (The Netherlands), Musikreviews.de (Germany), Sea Of Tranquility (USA).