Article by: Leanne Ridgeway

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‘The Devil’s Cattle‘ is the new full-length album from South African stoned rollers RUFF MAJIK and the first with their new label Mongrel Records. The album is equal parts Johni Holiday and newest member Evert Snyman, and was recorded in late 2019 at Evert’s studio in Johannesburg.

RUFF MAJIK was originally formed in 2012 when the band moved from Lydenburg to the realm of Pretoria. They entered the city as a three-piece (Holiday, Glass, Manchino) and conquered the labor force together with no real experience in the scene, but with a certain drive and ambition. After three years of adjusting and playing only a few shows, the band finally made the decision to release some music.

Fast forward to 2015, when ‘The Bear‘ EP was released, recorded with two mics in a garage which ultimately explains its grit and distortion, it got the band some mild recognition. In 2016, ‘The Fox‘ was recorded and released, it lead to more shows and a spot in a newly established South African heavy underground scene. ‘The Swan‘ stuck its neck out the following Spring in 2017 and brought a busier touring schedule for RUFF MAJIK. ‘Seasons‘ came by way of 2018, attracting some international attention. Freak Valley Festival reached out, leading to a German/Austrian tour with The Devil and the Almighty Blues in early 2018.

That same year, RUFF MAJIK played Sonic Blast Moledo in Portugal, and the creation of ‘Tǻrn‘ started after the tour and was recorded in October 2018. Released through Lay Bare Recordings, it led to lengthy European tours and a nudge in the right direction during 2019. The touring included festivals like Smoke Over Warsaw, Rock in Bourlon, Sonic Whip, Desertfest (Antwerp), and Keep It Low. The band then headed home to work on a rebrand, which included switching to a modular band agreement, and added Cowboy Van, Evert Snyman, and Tommer Wallace to the brew.

Now that we’re up to today, we bring details of their upcoming album ‘The Devil’s Cattle‘, along with a recent video single:

 

Tracklist:

01. All You Need is Speed
02. Swine Tooth Grin
03. Shrug of the Year
04. Heart Like an Alligator
05. Gregory
06. The Devils Cattle
07. Jolly Rodger
08. Who Keeps Score
09. Lead Pills and Thrills
10. Trading Blows
11. Born to Be Bile
12. God Knows
13. Hymn #5

“Who Keeps Score” is the latest single from these South African stoner rock kings, and is taken from the band’s highly anticipated album ‘The Devil’s Cattle’. The track also the first to feature new member, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Evert Snyman (Pollinator) on lead vocals. The animated video is a collaborative effort between Lllewellyn Van Eeden and long-time illustrator of the band, Annemarie Buchner.

The idea was to illustrate and animate an enticing storyline about a band of vampire hunters that bit off a little more than they could chew. It’s got church burnings, zombies, high-speed car chases, bad dancing – everything you’d want out of a B-movie, jam-packed into 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

“Vampires are at large I tell you, Vampires! Yeah. No seriously, some people are just so god damn draining. The only way to beat them is to write a loud and fast song and jam it out with some friends.” remarks songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Johni Holiday.

‘The Devil’s Cattle’ is set to be released on October 30th, 2020, via Mongrel Records. As of this article, two singles are available – the first, “All You Need Is Speed” was released in May – and we have the official video for the second single “Who Keeps Score” below. You can also find the tracks on various digital outlets [link].

RUFF MAJIK:

Johni Holiday
Evert Snyman
Jimmy Glass
Cowboy Van
Benni Manchino

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2020, Bandcamp, Heavy Rock, Mongrel Records, Ruff Majik, South Africa, Stoner Rock