MIDDIAN Calls It Quits; YOB Reformation In The Works

AGE ETERNAL (formerly MIDDIAN), the band featuring former YOB leader Mike Scheidt, has issued the following update:

"AGE ETERNAL (MIDDIAN) is fucking dead.

"Our lawsuit [involving a Milwaukee-based band called MIDIAN over the use of the MIDDIAN name] is finally coming to a close. It has been a hard year, and we could not have done it without the support of the metal community world wide and the time and money people donated to our cause. We are eternally in your debt.

"Sadly, the lawsuit came with a high cost to us personally and interpersonally. Scott Headrick is quitting the band and moving. Mike S felt he needed to back off from touring due to family and work/lack of work issues, cutting his touring commitment from 60-70 shows a year to a handful of shows, mostly local to the West Coast, for an indefinite amount of time, maybe permanently.

"This extreme change in direction, coupled with the immense stress of our lawsuit and inner conflicts in the band resulted in Scott's decision to move on with his life. Scott Headrick is the highest caliber of person. We mourn his loss, and support his need to take care of himself.

"We are very sad to share this news about AGE ETERNAL, but are confident that it must and will open the doors for new music creation and growth.

"Will Lindsay and Mike S will continue to write music with the goal of recording and doing some shows, under another name, as a new band and not AGE ETERNAL. And with Will's now full-time commitment playing guitar with the immaculate WOLVES IN THE THRONEROOM, people should be expecting to see him in their hometown in the USA and abroad very soon.

"News regarding the reformation of YOB, including a small number of shows and a new recording, shall be announced officially soon.

"Once again, we cannot thank the metal community and people who donated their money and time enough. We feel extremely fortunate to be a part of such a quality group of people, and we will pay your kindness and generosity forward."

Album Of The Day-YOB-"The Unreal Never Lived" (2005)

The Album Of The Day is "The Unreal Never Lived" by YOB.



Review:

YOB has never exactly been easy listening. They are masters of doom metal -- slow, heavy, ominous, forceful headbanger music with a strong appreciation of Black Sabbath (whose riffs have been a primary influence on the doom/stoner/sludge field). But the Oregon residents have managed to increase the heaviness factor somewhat on The Unreal Never Lived, which favors a generally thicker, more distorted sound than their previous releases. That isn't to say that YOB has turned into one of the many ultra-dense, ultra-claustrophobic metalcore or death metal bands that believes in bruising for the sake of bruising; even with the increased heaviness, The Unreal Never Lived is not the type of metal album that goes out of its way to be harsh. Nonetheless, the thickness factor has definitely increased for YOB -- and another thing that makes The Unreal Never Lived come as a bit of a surprise is Mike Scheidt's lead vocals. Scheidt, in the past, was known in doom/stoner circles for his high-pitched vocals; he was arguably the doom equivalent of Rush's Geddy Lee or Cradle of Filth's Dani Filth. Scheidt can still hit the high notes, but this time, he surprises you with a lot of deep, guttural death metal-ish growling -- not the sort of thing one expected from him on previous albums, but it works nicely on this 2005 recording. Despite those changes and adjustments, The Unreal Never Lived still has YOB written all over it. These guys are still doom all the way, and they continue to enjoy extended performances; "The Mental Tyrant," for example, lasts 21 minutes. Bottom line: The Unreal Never Lived is a pleasant surprise that will probably be well received by the majority of YOB fans but may help them acquire some new ones. (Alex Henderson, All Music Guide)

Track Listing:

01. Quantum Mystic - 10:58
02. Grasping Air - 9:02
03. Kosmos - 10:25
04. The Mental Tyrant - 21:24

Play Entire Album Stream

Metal Blade

Also highly recommended is "The Illusion Of Motion" released in 2004. If you do not own either one of these albums, do yourself a favor and get them. Some of the most creative and original Doom Metal I have ever heard. Also, if you like that, check out Mike Scheidt's current project Middian and their album entitled "Age Eternal".

Middian MySpace

Middian Battles Onward

Eugene, Oregon`s almighty Middian, as they continue to battle the courts and fight for their existence in gracing us with with their pummeling psychedelic doom, are hitting the West Coast with Indian this month. The trio will be joining Indian, Red Fang, SubArachnoid Space, Agalloch, Red Sparowes, Grayceon, Russian Circles, Asunder, Witch Mountain, Nadja, and Trees at the March Into Darkness fest in Portland this month, kicking off their tour.
Check out the slew of site links below to keep up to date and help Middian out in their time of need!

Middian with Indian

03/21/2008: Portland, OR - March Into Darkness Fest at Berbati`s
03/22/2008: Seattle, WA - El Corazon, with Asunder, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth (Tad`s new band)
03/25/2008: Eugene, OR -Samurai Duck, with Ninth Moon Black, Black Waves
03/26/2008: Medford, OR - Musichead
03/27/2008: Oakland, CA - Maxwell`s
03/28/2008: Los Angeles, CA - Mountain Bar, with Ancestors, Harrassor
03/29/2008: San Francisco, CA – Annie`s, with Asunder
03/30/2008: Eureka, CA - Alibi

www.middian.org
www.myspace.com/middiandoom

INDIAN Tours The Western US With MIDDIAN

Chicago's avant doom-thrashers INDIAN head west this month for a two-week tour of the western U.S., including a stretch of dates with MIDDIAN and a stop at Portland, Oregon's March Into Darkness Fest.

INDIAN has been described by The Chicago Reader as "a five-alarm hellstorm...deeply, irresistibly evil," by The Chicago Tribune as "sonic bludgeon," and by StonerRock.com as "the future of heavy."

INDIAN's new release, "Slights And Abuse / The Sycophant" (a collection of two recent vinyl releases), hits stores April 1 on Seventh Rule Recordings. The CD was recorded and mixed in Chicago by BURIED AT SEA/MINSK member Sanford Parker (PELICAN, LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR, YAKUZA).

INDIAN tour dates:

March 18 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
March 19 - Denver, CO @ Kingdom Of Doom
March 20 - Boise, ID @ Mr Lucky's
March 21 - Portland, OR @ Berbati's Pan (March Into Darkness Fest) *
March 22 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon *
March 24 - Portland, OR @ The Tube *
March 25 - Eugene, OR @ Samurai Duck *
March 26 - Medford, OR @ Musichead *
March 27 - Oakland, CA @ Maxwell's *
March 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Mountain Bar *
March 29 - San Francisco, CA @ Annie's Social Club *
March 30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Broken Record
March 31 - Denver, CO @ Three Kings Tavern
April 01 - Wichita, KS @ Barleycorn's

* With MIDDIAN

AGALLOCH, MIDDIAN, NADJA Confirmed For Portland's MARCH INTO DARKNESS I Festival

AGALLOCH, MIDDIAN and NADJA are among the confirmed bands for the March Into Darkness I festival, set to take place March 21-23 at Berbati's Pan in Portland, Oregon. According to Nanotear Booking, which is organizing the event, "twelve uncompromising and critically acclaimed underground acts [will] appear on one of the best stages Portland has to offer. Featured artists come from as far away as Toronto, ON, and the entire weekend is built around one of only two U.S. performances that international cult act AGALLOCH has scheduled for 2008. Continuing the successful tradition of Stoner Hands of Doom V and Children of the Revolution 3 (both curated by Nanotear), March Into Darkness I promises an earful of mind-expanding/body-crushing musical exploration, and blistering rock glory."

March Into Darkness I festival billing:

Friday, March 21:

MIDDIAN (Eugene, OR)
INDIAN (Chicago, IL)
RED FANG (Portland, OR)
SUBARACHNOID SPACE (Portland, OR)

Saturday, March 22:

AGALLOCH (Portland, OR)
RED SPAROWES (Los Angeles, CA)
GRAYCEON (San Francisco, CA)
RUSSIAN CIRCLES (Chicago, IL)

Sunday, March 23:

ASUNDER (Oakland, CA)
WITCH MOUNTAIN (Portland, OR)
NADJA (Toronto, ON)
TREES (Portland, OR)

Three-day festival passes will be available via Ticketweb.com for $25. Please note that only Saturday's show is all ages, and tickets for that day can be purchased separately in advance.