Welcome To Heavy Planet!

If you are looking for new Stoner Rock, Doom, Heavy Psych or Sludge Metal bands, then you have come to the right place. Heavy Planet has been providing free promotion to independent and unsigned bands since 2008. Find your next favorite band at Heavy Planet. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Heavy Planet Thanks You For Your Support.

Hey Guys! Thanks for your continued support. Next week look for a few more New Bands To Burn One To. It's weird because I can go weeks without anyone sending me anything, then all of a sudden I get hammered with requests. So now that I have a few requests I will begin to post them ASAP. Also, please continue to click on the ads and purchase items from Amazon as that is the least you can do to allow me to bring you the information on this blog. This blog has grown from around 25 visitors per day to over 500 per day throughout the past year and I intend on making more improvements when I have the time. So once again, thanks for making Heavy Planet a huge success!

~Reg

CORMORANT Post Song From New Album On Myspace!!

Francisco Bay Area progressive extreme metallers CORMORANT have unveiled a new song off their upcoming full-length, Metazoa, which was recorded with and produced by Billy Anderson (NEUROSIS, MELVINS, SLEEP, PRIMORDIAL). The song, entitled “Salt of the Earth,” will be debuted on the band’s Myspace at midnight their time (3am EST). According to bassist/vocalist Arthur von Nagel, the band chose to use “Salt of the Earth” as the first single because, “The song succinctly brings our doom, folk, black metal, prog rock and death metal elements together.”

Mixed by Anderson and mastered by Justin Weis (HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE, LUDICRA, SLOUGH FEG), Metazoa features ten tracks of forward-thinking, multihued black metal that combines the folk-tinged atmospheres of Agalloch with straight-up heavy metal thunder, the expansiveness of post-rock, and the progressive blackness of latter-day Enslaved. Increasingly often mentioned in the same breath as friends and like-minded souls Hammers of Misfortune, Ludicra, Giant Squid, and Asunder, CORMORANT have established themselves as one of the brightest rising stars of the once again burgeoning San Francisco metal scene, and with the release of their debut full-length, Metazoa, promise to continue their graceful rise to the top.

Track listing for Metazoa



01. Scavengers Feast
02. Uneasy Lies the Head
03. Salt of the Earth
04. Blood on the Cornfields
05. Hanging Gardens
06. Hole in the Sea
07. The Crossing
08. The Emigrant's Wake
09. The Sky Burial

VALIENT THORR ANNOUNCE NEW TOUR DATES & SXSW APPEARANCES

Venusian rockers and current Earth dwellers, Valient Thorr, have announced new tour dates in March, including appearances at SXSW in Austin, TX. Valient Thorr, who have been laying low in an undisclosed location in North Carolina since returning from Hawaii at the end of 2008 where the band played some epic dive bars and front porches as well as learning to surf. They emerged briefly in January to perform as Funkadelic for ‘Raleigh Undercover’, an event that revived a former annual Raleigh, NC tradition called ‘The Great Cover-Up’ that began almost a decade ago at Kings Barcade (r.i.p.), where local bands would work on tribute-act sets in secret that would not be revealed until the band hit the stage. Coverage of both events can be found below.

Valient Thorr in Hawaii: http://www.stoneyour.tv/?video_id=13252
Valient Thorr as Funkadelic: http://mannsworld.blogspot.com/2009/01/raleigh-undercover-night-1-valient.html


NEW VALIENT THORR MARCH TOUR DATES:
03/01/09 Raleigh, NC - Tir Na Nog
03/02/09 Atlanta GA - The Earl
03/03/09 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
03/04/09 Pensacola, FL - Waterboyz (ALL AGES early show)
03/04/09 Pensacola, FL - The Break (21+ late show)
03/05/09 Tampa FL - Crow Bar
03/06/09 Jacksonville FL - Jack Rabbits
03/07/09 St Augustine FL - Harvest Of Hope Festival
03/08/09 Orlando FL - Back Booth
03/09/09 Savannah, GA - The Jinx
03/10/09 Birmingham, AL - The Nick
03/12/09 Columbus OH - Ravari Room
03/13/09 Chicago IL - Reggie's Live
03/14/09 Iowa City, IA - The Picador
03/15/09 Kansas City, MO - The Brick
03/17/09 Dallas TX - Club Dada
03/18/09 Austin TX - Emo's Annex (SXSW)
03/20/09 Austin TX - Rusty Spurs (SXSW)
03/28/09 Houston, TX – Numbers

http://www.valientthorr.com
http://www.myspace.com/valientthorr
http://www.volcoment.com

This Saturday, Get Blazed and Confused

Hellfire Red Rock Art & Photography In Association With Club LSD Presents:
“Blazed & Confused” - A Celebration Of Heavy Music
Saturday, February 28
Silver Factory Studios
915 Mateo Street
Los Angeles, California 90021
Admission: $8.00 - 21 and over

www.myspace.com/hellfireredrock


"Blazed & Confused" will be an ongoing event, presenting the best of our heavy rock culture in a multimedia environment. This debut show kicks off Hellfire Red`s visibility in the rock community as an organization that will bring this scene into the public`s eyes and ears. Starting off the evening`s festivities at 9 pm, will be a screening of the stoner rock documentary Such Hawks, Such Hounds, featuring music and interviews from BRANT BJORK, ACID KING, HIGH ON FIRE, OM, DEAD MEADOW, SCOTT REEDER, WINO and many more.


Such Hawks explores the music and musicians of the American hard rock underground circa 1970 - 2007. Focus is on the psychedelic and/or `70s proto-metal-derived styles that have in recent years formed a rich tapestry of unclassifiable sounds. The film charts the evolution of these styles and their creative components, while primarily serving as a character study of the musicians themselves - artists on the fringes of both straight society and hip indie circles.


www.myspace.com/heavythemovie


At 10 pm, Live music from HALLOWED ENGINE, featuring members from SASQUATCH, VOLUME, and DIRTY RED. Their live shows are a unique amalgamation of thick riffs coupled with nonstop energy. Their heavy groove-laden songs keep the ENGINE rolling and keep their audience coming back for sloppy seconds.


www.myspace.com/hallowedengine


At 11 pm, the heaviness continues with a performance from RIDE THE SUN out of San Diego. A mixture of classic rock and psychedelia, their massive desert sound has earned them a rightful place amongst SD heavyweights like EARTHLESS.


www.myspace.com/ridethesun


At midnight, the event is topped off with GUSTO from the Palm Desert, featuring Alfredo Hernandez (formerly of KYUSS and QOTSA), Mike Neider (from the legendary SST band BLAST) and Dave Dinsmore (ex-CHE). This new trio promises to deliver a powerful mix of fuzz jams and hard driving anthems in the vain of FU MANCHU and NEBULA.


www.myspace.com/gustojams


Club LSD will be supplying the environment as they bring you DJs: Rocco and Joseph Dutra and VJ: Zaico. This event promises to be a night that is sure to mark the advent of a heavy rock movement in Southern California.


www.myspace.com/larichkids


Hellfire Red Rock Art & Photography exists primarily to help musicians realize their sonic vision. All music emanates it`s own aesthetic. It is Hellfire Red`s goal to help all musicians achieve the imagery that most reflects their sound. Whether it`s a live or posed photo session, CD packaging, posters, flyers, handbills, web banners or a t-shirt design - Hellfire Red Rock Art & Photography exists to make music look incredible. The members of the collective have all worked with both major label artists and new bands who are releasing their first demo. Hailing from an environment where art has been a labor of love, it is the collective`s passion to help launch new projects and encourage growth within the heavy music network.


www.myspace.com/hellfireredrock

Motherboar Meets Bloodcow

From MOTHERBOAR:

Boston`s MOTHERBOAR has just released a split 7" with Omaha, Nebraska`s BLOODCOW, titled Swine and Bovine. The vinyl comes with a coupon for a digital download of all the songs on the 7", plus a bonus track, so iPod yuppies and non-vinyl-hipsters can enjoy the rock, too. If you order it via the internets, you gets black vinyl. If you come to one of our shows and buy it from our merch table, you gets either clear vinyl or orange vinyl. Oh, and the artwork fucking slays.


www.myspace.com/motherboar

Sparzanza Previews New Album

SPARZANZA`s new album, In Voodoo Veritas, is up on MySpace now! Hear the whole album prior to release.

www.deaf-dumb.com/sparzanza

SuperGiant News

SUPERGIANT`s Valentine`s Day show at the Agency in Albuquerque, NM was recorded live. Check out and stream a few songs online here.

Or download the entire show here (39mb, 45 minutes)


www.reverbnation.com/supergiant

The Glasspack Offers a Free SXSW Show

FREE SXSW SHOW
03-19-2009 21:00
Creekside Lounge (606 E 7th St., Austin, Texas 78701)
THE MOIST BOYS (Ipecac/members from WEEN, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, HONKY, QOTSA)
THE KNIVES (Los Angeles/Nick Oliveri)
TOTAL FAGGOTS (Austin)
THE GLASSPACK (Louisville/Small Stone Records)

THE GLASSPACK has finished a KINGHORSE (early 90`s Louisville band/Caroline Records/produced by DANZIG) cover track for a Louisville KINGHORSE tribute compilation. They are currently celebrating ten years of existence by recording a new song for a 7 inch release with Louisville label Noise Pollution and Louisville band TROPHY WIVES (ex-COLISEUM/ex-YOUNG WIDOWS). Also in celebration of ten years, they are having Jack Endino re-master their first LP release, American Exhaust, which will be available in a special digital package with lots of extras from Los Angeles label Poison Tree Records. THE GLASSPACK`s first demo, recorded for Man`s Ruin Records in 1999 and never released, will come with the package. Look for release around late spring, early summer.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

SUN GODS IN EXILE Signs With SMALL STONE RECORDS

SUN GODS IN EXILE, a new "heavy Southern rawk" band featuring members of Boston's CORTEZ and Maine's doom giants OCEAN, has inked a deal with Detroit's Small Stone Records. The group's debut album, titled "Black Light, White Lines", was tracked at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, Massachusetts with engineer Benny Groto, who has previously worked with ROADSAW, DIXIE WITCH, SOLACE and IRONWEED. According to a press release, the CD will contain ten "scorching heavy classic rock originals for fans of LYNYRD SKYNYRD, DIXIE WITCH, early ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, BROUGHT LOW." A June 9 release is expected.

SUN GODS IN EXILE is:

Adam Hitchcock - Guitar/Lead Vocals
Tony D'agostino - Guitar
JL - Bass/Vocals
Johnny Kennedy - Drums/Vocals

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/sungodsrock.

TROUBLE Guitarist To Guest On ROBOT LORDS OF TOKYO CD

Columbus, Ohio's ROBOT LORDS OF TOKYO have announced that Rick Wartell, who makes up one half of the legendary guitar duo in U.S. doom masters TROUBLE, will make a special guest appearance on their next album.

The ROBOT LORDS is a songwriting duo consisting of Rick Ritzler (drums, guitar) and Paul Jones (vocals, guitar), who utilize a "PROBOT-like" approach by utilizing a variety of special guest players. Their music has been described by critics as "classic southern-doom-groove metal topped by blistering solos." "I've made it a point in pretty much every interview I've done to make it clear that TROUBLE is a massively important influence on me," says Ritzler. "Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin have the single most devastating live guitar tone I've ever heard, period. It's beyond an honor to know we'll be working with Rick."

ROBOT LORDS OF TOKYO is currently promoting its second CD, "Whiskey, Blood & Napalm", released at the end of 2008. Guest six-stringers on the record include Steve Theado (AMERICAN DOG), Steve Pollick (ex-ICARUS WITCH, ORDER OF NINE), Rob Johnson (MAGNITUDE 9) and instrumental shred great Neil Zaza.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/robotlords.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Album Of The Week-The Black Angels-"Directions To See A Ghost" (2008)

The Album Of The Week is "Directions To See A Ghost" by The Black Angels.



Reviews:

Name yourselves after one of the Velvet Underground's most aggressively amelodic songs and package your second album in an op art burnt orange and chartreuse freakout and you'd better be able to deliver the psych-drone goods. What's most impressive about the Black Angels' Directions to See a Ghost is that not only does the Austin-based sextet deliver like few bands have been able to manage since Spacemen 3 split — see the dark, doomy "Science Killer" and the epic 16-minute closer "Snake in the Grass" for details — but the group also leavens its heaviness with a functioning knowledge of pop hooks and how to deploy them: as a result, songs like "You in Color" and "You on the Run" not only buzz and howl in a manner suitable for nodding along, they're also unexpectedly catchy in a style reminiscent of Love or the Doors. The sitar-laced two-chord stomp of "Never/Ever" sits comfortably alongside the post-punky desperation of "Doves," testament to the variety of sounds and moods the Black Angels squeeze out of their chosen idiom. This is the sort of psychedelia that space rockers and Nuggets fans alike can come together over. (Stewart Mason, All Music Guide)

"There was this guy I knew that described The Black Angels as a band that makes “music to have great sex at a funeral by.” As long as I weren’t the deceased, it might be a funeral I’d want to be a part of—I like to keep my options open. Besides, I remember reading somewhere that Walt Whitman wanted his funereal to be nothing short of a wild celebration of not just his life, but life in the truest sense of the word, full of song and unbridled orgiastic expression dancing confidently alongside death. The Black Angels evoke this same kind of haunting gala with relentlessly pounding drum and bass rhythms, fuzzed-out guitar droning and heavily echoed vocals that are vaguely discernable above the controlled chaos of their creations. Theirs is a music that is alluring, meditative, multi-layered, unquestionably dark and surprisingly redemptive." (Sean Lambert)

Track Listing:

01. You on the Run
02. Doves
03. Science Killer
04. Mission District
05. 18 Years
06. Deer-Ree-Shee
07. Never/Ever
08. Vikings
09. You in Color
10. The Return
11. Snake in the Grass

MySpace
Official Website



MASTODON Unveils 'Tripped-Out' Web Site For New Album



Head over to CrackTheSkye.com and get ready to have your mind blown! The new MASTODON microsite has just launched and features animation inspired by the band's upcoming album, "Crack the Skye". The new site is a Flash-based, interactive experience threading fans through an extremely visual, user-controlled cyber journey into the inner sanctum of "Crack The Skye". Content will be thematically based on the album's concepts, artwork, images, lyrics, videos, and its unique packaging through engaging visuals and music from "Crack The Skye" intended to accompany and enhance the experience of listening to the album in its entirety. The site also features the world premiere of the sweeping instrumental "Oblivion".

MASTODON recently shot a video for the song "Divinations" with director Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober; METALLICA's "All Nightmare Long"). The track comes off "Crack The Skye", which is scheduled for release on March 24.

As was the case with MASTODON's previous releases, the artwork for the new CD was created by Paul Romano (TRIVIUM, GODFLESH).

MASTODON will tour Europe with METALLICA this summer. In addition, they have been invited to perform as part of the Sonisphere touring rock festival this summer in Europe with METALLICA, LINKIN PARK, SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD and more.

Farflung Euro-Tour 2009 (w/ White Hills)

MeteorCity recording artist Farflung will be playing at the Roadburn Festival on April 23rd, 2009. They will be following that show up with a 9 day European tour with White Hills. Details as follows:

Apr 23 2009
ROADBURN FESTIVAL Tilburg, Holland

(All Dates below here are with White Hills)
===========================================

Apr 24 2009
Kulturhof, Lübbenau, Germany

Apr 25 2009
Gasthaus Berghamer, Sigharting, Austria

Apr 26 2009
Epplehaus, Tuebingen, Germany

Apr 27 2009
Kunstkeller, Fürth

Apr 28 2009
Studentenclub Schützengasse, Weimar, Germany

Apr 29 2009
Sojo, Leuven, Belgium

Apr 30 2009
Red Rooster, Berlin, Germany

May 1 2009
Arena, Vienna, Austria

May 2 2009
Stadtwerkstatt, Linz, Austria

Seventh Rule Signs Lord Mantis

Seventh Rule Recordings proudly welcomes Chicago`s blackened sludge tribe LORD MANTIS to its roster.

Hailed by the Chicago Reader for its "punishing music in beautiful packages", Seventh Rule`s catalog includes albums by AKIMBO, SWEET COBRA, PLAGUE BRINGER, and more.


LORD MANTIS features members of Seventh Rule labelmates Indian and avant black metallers AVICHI, as well as an ex-member of NACHTMYSTIUM. The `MANTIS wields a "bludgeoning sound" with "an extra layer of darkness," in the words of the UK`s Rock Sound - a sonic descent into hell, akin to NEUROSIS, ZENI GEVA, and even IMMOLATION.


Seventh Rule will release LORD MANTIS` full length debut, Spawning The Nephilim, on April 28. Spawning The Nephilim was recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker (THE GATES OF SLUMBER, LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR) and mastered by Collin Jordan (MINISTRY, PIGFACE).


Hear the aptly titled anthem, "Lord Mantis," from the upcoming album, Spawning The Nephilim, here.


LORD MANTIS will be touring throughout 2009, including dates with PLAGUE BRINGER and THE ATLAS MOTH.


www.myspace.com/lordmantis
www.seventhrule.com
www.myspace.com/seventhrule

Doomraiser to Raise More Doom

DOOMRAISER`s new album, Erasing the Remembrance, will be released in March 2009 via Bloodrock Records/Black Widow Records. The album will be released as both a digipack CD and as a double vinyl gatefold limited edition 500 copy (with two bonus tracks).

www.myspace.com/doomraiser

From Sweden and Germany comes Massive Rock

GRAND MASSIVE, the band featuring former DUSTER 69 and Daredevil Records founder Jochen, has posted new songs on their MySpace page.

The band is from Sweden and Germany, and features the following members:

Jochen (Germany: Daredevil Records/ex-DUSTER69)
(Sweden: CAVUS)
Toby (Germany: COMMANDER/BULLFUCK)
Holger (Germany: RED TAPE PARADE/ANYTHING BUT YOURS)
Jürgen (Germany: ex-BULLETTRAIN)


www.myspace.com/thegrandmassive

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Super, Ultra, Mega Heavy New Crucial Blast Releases on the Way

Crucial Blast Records is proud to announce the next two additions to their arsenal of aural oppression...

THE HUMAN QUENA ORCHESTRA - The Politics of the Irredeemable CD
Release date: 4/21/2009


We will be releasing The Politics of the Irredeemable, the second album from THE HUMAN QUENA ORCHESTRA in April. Some of you might have heard this pulverizing industrial-doom duo on their first disc, Means Without Ends, that came out a couple of years ago on Daft Alliance. If you did, then you`re already schooled in how bleak and devastating the soundwaves get from the ORCHESTRA. You know us - we like it heavy. And when these guys sent us a copy of their initial recordings for this album, their immense droneological blackness and eschatological nightmares knocked us f`ing flat. Politics is one long, dead stare into the imminent collapse of the human species, and I`m banking on this being one of the heaviest releases - both in tone and in sound - that Crucial Blast will be releasing in 2009.


HUMAN QUENA ORCHESTRA first took shape as a solo project from Ryan Unks, who had previously played guitar in the final lineup of the Pittsburgh metal band CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION. After moving from CIC, Unks began to work on a new project that would incorporate elements of black metal, crushing drone music, extreme psychotropic noise and psychedelic/krautrock influences into a sound that would be much heavier any of his previous projects. The first album from HUMAN QUENA ORCHESTRA was released in 2007 on Daft Alliance; Means Without Ends was a disturbing, introspective slab of blackened industrial doom that stood out in stark contrast from the rest of the slow n` low extreme doom scene, utilizing layers of harsh textured distortion and electronics to create a caustic form of monstrous doom that shared as much of industrial music`s cold, machine-like aesthetic as it did the ultra-slow riffage of the most extreme variants of doom metal. At the same time that the bands debut was taking shape, Unks was joined by another former member of CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION, Nathan Berlinguette (who was also a member of the dark ambient project M.KOURIE and the DEATHDRONE DUO 5/5/2000). With the addition of Berlinguette`s skilled application of dark ambience and expansive soundscapes, HUMAN QUENA ORCHESTRA began to move into even more textured territory which has culminated with the second HQO full-length, The Politics of the Irredeemable, a series of apocalyptic visions and epiphanies of end time realization, prophetic screeds that look to a future rendered pustulent and war-stricken by the failed machinations of the human race, presented as six chapters that enter your consciousness through a delivery system of extreme industrial dread. The Politics of the Irredeemable is crushing and oppressive, a crawl through abstract fields of low-end sound that move from punishing blasts of ultra-heavy machine-doom and earth-shaking tectonic riffs, to thick fogs of black electronic ambiance that shimmer with subsonic pulses and celestial drones, the presence of malevolent electricity crackling in the air around the lumbering, nightmarish electro-sludge monstrosity of the HUMAN QUENA ORCHESTRA. And at the same time, there are passages of immense beauty on this album that lurk at the peripheries of HQO`s malevolent crush; the track "Aspirations" for instance, where pummeling slow-motion industrial percussions grinds in an infinite loop beneath a swirling nightsky of kosmiche synthesizers and heavenly, blissed-out ambiance, the drums becoming like distant mortar blasts heard over the horizon as terrified screams ring out and stars fall dead from the skies. This is seriously apocalyptic deathmachine grind ambiance.


FREE MP3s available now from Crucial Blast from the upcoming release The Politics Of The Irredeemable:

"Aspiration"


www.myspace.com/thehumanquenaorchestra



OVERMARS - Born Again CD
Release date: 6/09/2009


Previously released through the French label Appease Me overseen by members of BLUT AUS NORD, Born Again is the latest full length from the French sludge band OVERMARS, a single album-long piece that descends deep into themes of self-immolation, horror, and rebirth. France`s OVERMARS have already established their atmospheric, electronically-tainted sludge-metal sound with their previous splits with DONEFOR,ISCARIOTE, FUGÜE, and ICOS, and their excellent 2005 album Affliction, Endocrine...Vertigo, but Born Again is something new from the band; this forty-minute epic moves from pulverizing industrial dirge blanketed with heavily textured layers of guitar and fearsome guttural roars intermixed with captivating female vocals, to passages of haunting dark ambiance and bottom-heavy churn, and a magisterial finale that stretches gloom-ridden, moody riffage, vaporous electronics and dramatic singing out over the song`s last fifteen minutes, building into an earth-shaking crescendo. Immensely bleak and heavy, Born Again brings together elements of GODFLESH`s industrial pummel, black metal, tribal dirge , the crushing nihilism of SWANS, death metal, and psychedelia into an austere sound of their own that moves them even further away from the NEUROSIS comparisons that have surrounded their earlier releases. As soon as I heard this, it became one of my new favorite French metal albums. We are doing a deluxe CD edition for the US release of the album through Crucial Blast, with different packaging than the original Appease Me release, and we`ll be putting together some other cool stuff for the release of Born Again here in the US. The band is also looking at touring here in the States later in 2009, and I`ll be posting information on that as it comes together. In the meantime, here are a couple of MP3 samples from Born Again for you to check out:


”Born Again 1”
”Born Again 2”
”Born Again 3”


www.destroyalldreamers.org
www.myspace.com/overmars

End of Level Boss and Stinking Lizaveta to Tour Europe

END OF LEVEL BOSS are about to embark on a full UK and European tour this spring, alongside Philadelphia based noise merchants STINKING LIZAVETA.

The tour will see EOLB road-testing a slew of new material in preparation for the recording of their third full-length album, due for release through Exile On Mainstream Records this summer.


The full tour dates are as follows:


14/03/09: Portsmouth, UK - Edge of the Wedge
15/03/09: Newcastle, UK - Tyne Bar
16/03/09: Edinburgh, UK - The GRV
17/03/09: Glasgow, UK - Bloc Bar
18/03/09: Brixton, London, UK - The Windmill
20/03/09: Tilburg, NL - Little Devil
21/03/09: Bad Frankenhausen, GER - White Pig
22/03/09: Erfurt, GER - Tiko
24/03/09: Dresden, GER - AZ Conni
26/03/09: Hamburg, GER - Hafenklang
27/03/09: Schwerin, GER - Dr. K
28/03/09: Berlin, GER - Red Rooster
29/03/09: Nurnberg, GER - Kunstverein
30/03/09: Prague, CZ - 007 Club
31/03/09: Bmo, CZ - Yacht Club
01/04/09: Vienna, AUT - Escape
02/04/09: Ljubljana, SLO - Orto Klub
03/04/09: Murska Sobota, SLO - M.I.K.K.
04/04/09: Munich, GER - Cafe Kult
05/04/09: Luzern, SWZ - Blues Bar
06/04/09: Stuttgart, GER - Kap Tormentoso
07/04/09: Trier, GER - Exhaus
09/04/09: Cologne, GER - Sonic Ballroom
09/04/09: Siegen, GER - Vortex
10/04/09: Berlin, GER - Schokoladen


For more information, check the END OF LEVEL BOSS website at www.eolb.com.

Sunn O))) Releases Details on New Album

SUNN O))) is proud to present their seventh studio album, after ten years of existence, entitled Monoliths and Dimensions. The album showcases the core guitar duo - Stephen O`Malley and Greg Anderson - incorporating influences from a plethora of guest musicians, bringing the SUNN O))) sound to epic new levels. The band also collaborated with composer Eyvind Kang (notable for his work with JOHN ZORN, MARC RIBOT, BILL FRISELL, etc.) on various acoustic ensembles, in addition to the Helios fueled electric guitars and basses. Key players on the album include Australian guitar genius Oren Ambarchi, enigmatic Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR, etc.) and slow music godfather Dylan Carlson (EARTH), as well as Julian Priester (worked with SUN RA in the 50s, JOHN COLTRANe`s African Brass band, and HERBIE HANCOCK`s Sextant band) and new-music horn player Stuart Dempster. There`s also an upright bass trio, French and English horns, harp and flute duo, piano, brass, reed and strings ensembles, and a Viennese woman`s choir led by Persian vocal savant Jessika Kenney.


The album is not "SUNN O))) with strings" or "metal meets orchestra" material. The band took an approach concentrating on more of allusion toward the timbre of feedback and the instruments involved, so the piece is really illusory, beautiful and not entirely linear, stating that the end product is "the most musical piece we`ve done, and also the heaviest, powerful and most abstract set of chords we`ve laid to tape" The album was recorded and mixed by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer at various points over the last two years, and will be released late May 2008. Monoliths and Dimensions is practice in density, gravity and momentum.


With honor, SUNN O))) is announcing four live performances in Japan, to recognize the tenth anniversary of SUNN O)))’s creation, and to coincide with the recording of the first album, The GrimmRobe Demos. SUNN O)) will be playing material from GrimmRobes exclusively. It will be a return to their primal origins, and approach respecting a concept of shoshin , the beginner’s mind, the yet undyed pure wool, the clarity in initiation upon the untraveled. The attitude of embodying the basics precisely, point by point, line by line, with an immovable faith in the teaching, experience and of beyond the possibility. Of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when approaching, even with much experience, just as a beginner would upon the initial impetus and thirst to seek the path. And so, with this mindset, they will be approaching these live concerts. Pure, raw, uninhibited invocations featuring O)))s core members: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson ONLY. Two Les Paul guitars, four Sunn fullstacks, four Ampeg bass stacks. No guests, no vocals, no keyboards. We hope you will join us!


SUNN O))) will also be playing the Leave Them All Behind Festival at Ebisu Liquidroom, on Sunday, April 19. The line up is Stephen O’Malley, Greg Anderson and Atsuo from BORIS; this is not Shoshin show but exclusive special arrangement.


4/19 (Sun): Tokyo, Japan – Leave Them All Behind Festival at Liquidroom, with ISIS, BORIS, ENVY, GROWING
4/21 (Tue): Tokyo, Japan - Earthdom, Shin-Okubo, with COFFINS (open 18:00, start 19:00)
4/22 (Wed): Tokyo, Japan - Earthdom, Shin-Okubo, with JIM O’ROURKE (open 18:00, start 19:00)
4/23 (Thu): Osaka, Japan - Sunsui, Unagidani, with BLACK GANION (open 18:00, start 19:00)
4/24 (Fri): Osaka, Japan - Sunsui, Unagidani, with RUNZELSTIRN and GURGELSTOCK (open 18:00, start 19:00)

Saturday, February 21, 2009

New Band To Burn One To-Lungs

The "New Band To Burn One To" today comes from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lungs is an experimental doom metal band and have a new EP out featuring 3 tracks. Lungs is currently out on the road so check them out live if you can.



-Lungs features ex members of Examination of the... and This Dialogue.

-Lungs has just recently got back home from tour supporting their EP along with the metal gods EMPIRES.

-The EP was produced by the great Andy Lageson at Devil's Workshop Sound Studio in Minneapolis,Minnesota.And mastered by JJ Golden at John Golden Mastering in California.

-The CD comes in a gorgeous 4 panel digipack with artwork done by the great Brian Barr.



01. Eunomia
02. A Green Sea Dusk
03. Kinsman

Buy EP here

For fans of Isis, Earth, and Neurosis

MySpace
Escucha Records MySpace

See Farflung Live in March

Farflung will be making two very rare appearances in California in March. They will be playing with Samsara Blues Experiment on the 19th of March at The Echo in Los Angeles and on the 20th at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco with Numinous Eye.

Translation Loss Records Gets Struck By Lightning

Translation Loss Records is extremely pleased to announce the addition of Columbus, Ohio’s Struck by Lightning to its roster!

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Struck by Lightning features Gregory Lahm (previously of Mouth of the Architect) on vocals and guitars, accompanying by Travis Kline, Mike Leach and John Peters. Encompassing the aggression and punk slathering of His Hero Is Gone and Disfear with the progressive rock acrobatics of Mastodon and Big Business, Struck by Lightning creates ferocious and hairsplitting aggression that will undoubtedly take the world by storm.

Struck by Lightning will be recording their Translation Loss debut with highly acclaimed producer and engineer Chris Common at Red Room Recording (These Arms Are Snakes, Mouth of the Architect, Book of Black Earth) in May of 2009 and will see a late summer release.

For more information on Struck by Lightning and demo tracks from their upcoming Translation Loss debut, visit www.myspace.com/struckbyfuckinglightning.

Biblical Proof of the West Side

Biblical Proof of UFOs has lined up the following shows:

February 22: Los Angeles, CA – Punk Rock BBQ at Liquid Kitty
The Bob Lee Experience (playing The Stooges` Funhouse in it`s entirety) - 6:30 pm
Biblical Proof of UFOs – 5:30 pm
Stains – 4:30 pm
Carnage Asada – 3:30 pm
Toothcore - 2:30 pm


February 25: Venice Beach, CA – Air-Conditioned Supper Club
It`s Casual – 12 am
Chingalera – 11 pm
Biblical Proof of UFOs – 10 pm
Lost Marauders – 9 pm

Sex Type Thing Releases EP

Sex Type Thing, the hard/stoner/southern/blues band from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, has released a new EP - The Southern Dreams From The Northern Reality.

The EP`s track list:


1. Freeway Ride
2. Save My Soul
3. Don`t Dement Me
4. Long Way Home Blues
5. Self Deception Road
6. Hurricane


www.myspace.com/sextypethingspb

Earthless/Witch Tour Started Last Night

Earthless and Witch begin their East Coast tour tonight. The dates are as follows:

2/20: Toronto, CA - The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
2/21: Montreal, CA - Les Saints
2/22: Providence, RI - AS220
2/23: Boston, MA - TT the Bears
2/24: Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda`s
2/25: Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
2/26: Washington, DC - DC9
2/27: Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes
2/28: Baltimore, MD - Ottobar

Witch is touring behind their March 2008 release Paralyzed. The record found Witch evolving beyond the standard Sabbathian riff structure that defined much of their first record. With Paralyzed, Witch step into new realms melding punk rock tempos with acid guitar freak-outs while maintaining sludgy head nodding grooves. Rather than revisiting the sounds of the 60`s/70`s, Witch reinvented them.


Earthless recently released Live At Roadburn, a double CD/LP masterpiece recorded live at the 2008 Roadburn Festival.

Catacomb Records Updates

From Catacomb Records:

We said we wouldn’t do it again… but we have! The “Electric Kool Aid Acid Fest” will be held on Thursday, 9 April 2009 at The Old Wharf, Digbeth, Birmingham and will feature such stoner/doom and dirty rock ‘n’ roll bands as Alunah, Grifter, Trippy Wicked, and Gringo… and it’s totally FREE! Surely that’s enough to make you come out on a Thursday?


To view the poster, click here.


Alunah News
Alunah/Queen Elephantine Split
The Alunah and Queen Elephantine tracks are currently being mastered, which means the 7" limited edition split vinyl is out soon!


Alunah on Nasoni Records
Fall to Earth is being re-released on 10" vinyl by German psych label Nasoni Records with a bonus track included! The release will be out in the next couple of months!


Difficulties finding Alunah?
Alunah releases may still be found under the old name of “Aluna” on HMV.com, Amazon.com and Play.com. Please check both spellings. If items still cannot be found, please refer to the Alunah store within their website.


Alunah have various UK dates planned for 2009, these include:



Saturday, 28 February 2009: Birmingham, UK - Meltdown Records “Farewell” Fest at The Asylum, with Godsize, I Am Colossus, Slab, Hellfire and Rotunda
Thursday, 2 April 2009: Redditch, UK - The Tardbigge
Friday, 3 April 2009: Stourbridge, UK - Katie Fitzgeralds
Saturday, 4 April 2009: Burton, UK - The Appleby
Sunday, 5 April 2009: Coalville, UK - The Vic
Thursday, 9 April 2009: Birmingham, UK - “The Electric Kool Aid Acid Fest” at The Old Wharf, with Grifter, Trippy Wicked, Gringo and Fancy Nancy
Friday, 10 April 2009: Wolverhampton, UK - The Gifford Arms, with Grifter
Saturday, 11 April 2009: Camden, UK - The Unicorn, with Grifter, Trippy Wicked and Stone Turner
Sunday, 12 April 2009: Essex, UK - “The Cosmic Puffin Fest” at Mersea Island Holiday Camp, with Litmus and many more psych bands and artists
Thursday, 16 April 2009: Tamworth, UK - Club Vertigo
Friday, 17 April 2009: Nuneaton, UK - Queens Hall
Sunday, 19 April 2009: Nottingham, UK - The Old Angel, with Ten Days Later
Friday, 24 April 2009: Kettering, UK - Sawyers
Saturday, 25 April 2009: Coventry, UK - Golden Cross, with General
Thursday, 30 April 2009: Birmingham, UK - Eddies Rock Club
Saturday, 23 May 2009: Exeter, UK - Tiggas, with Grifter and Fatty Chan
Saturday, 11 July 2009: Suffolk, UK - "Music on The Green Fest"
Wednesday, 29 July 2009: Bilston, UK - Robin 2, with War Pigs (Sabbath tribute)
Thursday, 30 July 2009: Leamington, UK - Jam Jam Club
Friday, 31 July 2009: Birmingham, UK - Scruffy Murphys


www.alunah.co.uk
www.alunah-myspace.co.uk (Please note, this is NOT a new MySpace address, the new domain will forward to the old Aluna MySpace page)


Grifter News
The artwork for the Simplicity of the Riff Is Key EP is now complete, the tracks mastered and now the wait is on...


Grifter has various UK dates planned for 2009, these include:

Saturday, 28 Febuary 2009: Swindon, UK - 12 Bar
Friday, 6 March 2009: Bath, UK - James St Wine Vault
Thursday, 9 April 2009: Birmingham, UK - “The Electric Kool Aid Acid Fest” at The Old Wharf, with Alunah, Trippy Wicked, Gringo and Fancy Nancy
Friday, 10 April 2009: Wolverhampton, UK - The Gifford Arms, with Alunah
Saturday, 11 April 2009: Camden, UK - The Unicorn,with Alunah, Trippy Wicked and Stone Turner
Saturday, 23 May 2009: Exeter, UK - Tiggas, with Alunah and Fatty Chan

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

New Band To Burn One To-The Black Fire



Check out this band from Argentina called The Black Fire. They have an EP out now and are currently in the studio working on their first full-length. If you like Heavy Rock music with a touch of Doom then give these dudes a listen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Track Listing:

01. From The Ashes
02. Percepción
03. Libre Y Salvaje
04. The Black Fire
05. Inspiratto
06. Ongamira
07. Fragments

MySpace|Download

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Tenebrys Releases Video

The Brazilian doomsters of Tenebrys released a video for “Tetric Whistles of Matinta Perera,” recorded live in Teatro Margarida Schivazappa. It`s an unreleased song which will be featured in the band`s next album, the follow-up to Mundano EP, released last year.

In the next few months Tenebrys will release new videos which together will form an entire show in VCD format. Updates will be available in the band`s pages at YouTube and MySpace.

Check out “Tetric Whistles of Matinta Perera” here.

Javelina Reveals Album Details for Upcoming Record

Philadelphia`s Javelina (pronounced "ha-va-`lE-na") is preparing its sophomore release for Translation Loss Records and will hit Chicago this March to spend a week with Sanford Parker at Volume Studios (Pelican, Rwake, Nachtmystium, Minsk) and will be mastered by Mick Mullin at Super 8 Studios (Intronaut, Mastodon, Fight Amp). The band will be recording nine original tunes for their Translation Loss follow up to 2008`s self-titled release along with a Buzzv*en cover that will be featured on a upcoming tribute record. Some song titles include... "You`re Going to Hate This," "Towers of Silence," "The Black Blizzard," and "Stepchild."


Expect a late summer - early fall release on both cd/vinyl formats and check in at www.myspace.com/javelinaphiladelphia for show/tour dates and music.

Red Fang Now On Tour

Red Fang, who last year released the ”Prehistoric Dog” video, is currently on tour with Clutch and The Bakerton Group. The remaining dates are as follows:


Feb 17: Madison, Wisconsin - Club Majestic, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 18: Chicago, Illinois - Double Door, with The Bakerton Group and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band
Feb 19: Indianapolis, Indiana - The Vogue, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 20: Traverse City, Michigan - The Terminal (formerly Streeters), with Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 21: Detroit, Michigan - The Shelter, with The Bakerton Group and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band
Feb 22: Flint, Michigan - Machine Shop, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 24: Rochester, New York - Montage Music Hall, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 25: Burlington, Vermont - Higher Ground, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 26: Portland, Maine - Asylum, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 27: Poughkeepsie, New York - Chance, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Feb 28: Farmingdale, New York - Crazy Donkey, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Mar 1: Lancaster, Pennsylvania - Chameleon Club, with Clutch and Rev. Peyton`s Big Damn Band and The Bakerton Group
Mar 19: Austin, TX - SXSW (club TBA)
Mar 20: Austin, TX - SXSW (club TBA)
Mar 21: Austin, TX - SXSW (club TBA)

Monday, February 16, 2009

Album Of The Week-Serpent Throne-"Ride Satan Ride" (2007)

The Album Of The Week is "Ride Satan Ride" by Serpent Throne.



"Picture this:

Say there was a heavy rock festival in like '72 where Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash, the Scorpions, Budgie, and like Cactus are supposed to play, but then, due to a series of plane crashes and natural disasters, only 1 surviving member from each band can make it. In order to calm down the crowd of heavy rockers, Iommi grabs a couple dudes from the other bands and puts together an emergency band. And then Uli Roth says, "We don't need a singer because he'll just get in the way of the riffs." I think that's what Serpent Throne is aiming for. Whether we get there or not is another story, but we'll drink some beer and rip some guitar harmonies along the way."-Serpent Throne



Review:

Serpent Throne is a recent discovery for me and I've been completely enthralled with these guys since first hearing the bands work on myspace. In this day of cookie cutter doom bands it's rare for me to find something that I can latch onto, so I am absolutely elated that I stumbled across this band.

Serpent Throne hails from the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia) and includes at least one member of the now defunct Otesanek. The band plays a brand of hard rock that harkens back to the golden age of heavy riffs and tasty solos called the 70's. And just to be clear, Serpent Throne does not wallow in the mires of prog like Witchcraft or Burning Saviours. There's no pretense with Serpent Throne, these guys bring the rock and that's it.

Ride Satan Ride has really tapped into the essence of what Sabbath and a few others were doing back in the day. This self released album is chuck full of catchy heavy riffs and sweet soulful leads. The guitar duo of Fenton and Argott is really the highlight on the album and they deliver the goods in spades. I've not heard such heartfelt and soulful guitar playing since...well, the seventies. The bands rhythm section are no slouches either and hold it down with just the right pomp and swagger. All of these guys must have old souls; how else would they be able to conjure such authentic sounds? Born to late indeed!

One thing people might take issue with on this record is that there are no vocals. But in all honesty I did not miss them at all. A bad vocalist could ruin this band so I'm actually kind of grateful that there are no vocals. Sure, there are times when vocals probably would have been cool (if done correctly) as the songs are written in sort of a standard format and are not totally "jammy" feeling, but for me the guitar work fills in the space nicely so it's not a problem.

The record sounds great and one would not gather that this was a self financed release by listening to it. One thing I appreciate is that the sound of the recording is not retro per se. It does have an analog, warm and fuzzy vibe but does not have that deliberately sought after vintage tone that bands like Witchcraft like to capitalize on.

Ride Satan Ride will remain in rotation at this end for quite some time I'm sure, and I suggest you pick this album up if you want to take a trip down memory lane and love the rocking 70's!

(Doom Slug, GradationsOfMorbidity.com)

Track Listing:

01. Ride Satan Ride 06:14
02. Wheels of Satan 04:20
03. Veil of the Black Witch 04:22
04. Crucifier 03:12
05. Blood Rites 05:12
06. Chrome Wolf 03:19
07. Black Stabbeth 04:50
08. Satan WIll Guide Us 04:30
09. L.S.D. (Lawless Soldiers of the Devil) 04:11

MySpace



CLUTCH To Enter Studio Next Month

In an interview with The Obelisk, CLUTCH/THE BAKERTON GROUP bassist Dan Maines has revealed that the seminal Maryland rockers will enter the studio next month to record their as-yet-untitled new album. "This [current CLUTCH] tour goes on until the first of March, and we are planning on going into the studio basically a week after that to record the [new] CLUTCH [CD]," he said. "We have about eight songs, or eight song ideas that we're gonna flesh out through this tour and write a couple of new ones on top of that. We're trying to do somewhere around two to three new songs a night and we'll switch them up and just kind of smooth out the rough edges."

SAINT VITUS: German Club Shows Announced

Legendary U.S. doom metal band SAINT VITUS has scheduled a couple of German club shows to follow the group's sold-out appearance at this year's Roadburn festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. The dates are:

April 24 - 013 - Tilburg, NETH (Roadburn)
April 27 - Live Music Hall - Köln, GER
April 29 - Die Röhre - Stuttgart, GER

Olivier "Zoltar" Badin of UK's Terrorizer magazine last fall conducted an interview with SAINT VITUS guitarist Dave Chandler.

Terrorizer: Ironically, in between 1996 when you first split up, and 2003, the band's popularity had grown a lot. How do you explain it?

Chandler: The irony of it all is a friend whom I used to complain to that things were not happening for us in the '80s said to me that to become popular, all I had to do was to disband and reform five years later. How true. But seriously, I don't know what really happened. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that during the time we were gone the whole doom scene was finally blossoming, at least in Europe, and a lot of those bands were mentioning us as one of their main influences. I actually want to thank you guys at Terrorizer, because when you did that doom special thing spread over three issues, I know we got mentioned a lot and that did a lot for us. Or maybe we just lucky. I don't know. But it still feels weird. I work in a head shop here in New Orleans, I sell pipes you know. And few times, some customers who there looking to buy some stuff would all of a sudden just freeze in front of me and go like, "Wait a second, are you really who I'm thinking you are?" to which I would just answer like, "Errrrrr, I don't know." Usually, they would then rave on about me being in SAINT VITUS and being some kind of legend or whatever. And the only thing I'd tell then would be, "Really?"

Terrorizer: When you started considering doing the reunion shows, did you question which version of the band you'd reactivate?

Chandler: Well, the With Full Force guys explicitly asked for the "Born Too Late" lineup so we knew straight away this would happen with Wino at the mic, yeah.

Terrorizer: But you never thought there could be more than the two shows (Chicago and With Full Force)?

Chandler: Pretty much, yeah. I mean during our lifetime, we had only played in small clubs with punk bands whose fans usually hated us. So the idea was to do one big show and that's it. Plus, everybody's got to take care of their own lives, you know? Wino had THE HIDDEN HAND going on, I had DEBRIS INC. and Armando was playing in a heavy rock outfit called DIRTY RED, so…

Terrorizer: What about DEBRIS INC.?

Chandler: Oh, this hasn't been happening for a long time now. After we released our album in 2005, we did some touring but I then realized the conditions were as horrible now as they were back in the days and since I'm not that young anymore, I just couldn't stand them, really, so I kind of put the band to rest. Since then, I've been jamming from time to time with friends during weekends, but just for the fun of it, nothing really serious.

Terrorizer: Nowadays, everybody in VITUS is pretty scattered all over the country, right?

Chandler: Yeah, I live in New Orleans, Armando and Mark are in California, and Wino is either in Washington or Maryland, I don't remember. Everybody's going to come down here for the rehearsals though. We're probably going to do a show prior to Roadburn as well, like when we played in Chicago in 2003, just to make sure everybody knows what they're supposed to do.

Terrorizer: A low-key DVD from your Chicago show was released in 2007. Are you going to record Roadburn as well?

Chandler: Well, the plan right now is to record both shows and maybe put out a sequel to our '90s live album. But you'd better ask my manager the details because I'm already too busy trying to re-learn those songs I wrote over twenty years ago.

Terrorizer: What about the setlist?

Chandler: Well, I can't reveal much right now but we're going to do mostly Wino songs, including a lot from "Born Too Late". But there's also going to be some surprises, even for our diehard fans, as we're going to play songs we never or rarely did live before.

Terrorizer: Any Scott Reagers songs planned, like from your final album "Die Healing" (1995)?

Chandler: We're going to do some of them, the ones most people see as "classic" VITUS songs but none from "Die Healing", no.

Terrorizer: Wouldn't it be the right time to, at long last, finally re-release your back catalogue? Even if Southern Lord did reissue "V" (1989) and "Live" (1990), your second album "Hallow's Victim" (1985), for example, has yet to be officially released on CD.

Chandler: That's one of the reasons why we want to record those shows coming up as some of those songs might end up on some of those re-releases as yes, I can reveal to you that we just got the permission from Greg Ginn (BLACK FLAG founder/guitarist and owner of SST Records, which released the band's first four full-lengths) to do it. The details have yet to be clarified — are they going be available separately or altogether in a box set, with or without bonus tracks, etc.? But it's going to happen, yes.

For more information, visit www.terrorizer.com.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Damnweevil Posts New Music

Good news. There is a new song up on the Damnweevil MySpace page. The song is called "S.O.L." It is a track from Damnweevil`s new album, tentatively titled "It`s Always Darkest Before It Goes Pitch Black".

ZOROASTER: New Song Featuring MASTODON's HINDS Available For Download

Avant-garde psych-metal trio ZOROASTER has completed work on its new album, "Voice of Saturn". The follow up to "Dog Magic" is scheduled for release on March 10 via Terminal Doom Records. The track "White Dwarf", taken from the upcoming CD, premiered online today via Brooklyn Vegan. Check out the song, which features a searing guitar solo and backing vocals from fellow Atlanta rocker Brent Hinds of MASTODON, at this location.

ZOROASTER will launch a U.S. tour in support of "Voice of Saturn" tonight in Hickory, North Carlina. The trek will include an appearance at the Scion Rock Fest on February 28 in Atlanta, where the band will share the stage with like-minded acts NEUROSIS, HIGH ON FIRE, BORIS and more.

Recorded at The Living Room (THE BLACK LIPS, MASTODON) in Atlanta with engineer Ed Rawls, "Voice of Saturn" pushes ZOROASTER's heady mix of mammoth metal and psychotropic shoegaze to skyscraping new heights. From the galloping post-SABBATH rock of the roll out track "Spirit Molecule" to the concrete street cleaning of "Lamen of the Master Therion" and through to the tribal percussive vertebrae of the album's "hidden" closer, "Voice of Saturn" administers in-the-red levels of both the band's mysticism and barbarism in spades. The record features a guest appearance from friend and fellow Atlantean Brent Hinds of MASTODON, who contributes a searing guitar solo to the song "White Dwarf".

ZOROASTER, who has been called "one of the U.S.'s most promising underground metal bands," formed in Atlanta in 2003 out of the need for "sedation by high volumes and low frequencies." The group has met to shining praise from both metal and indie rock press alike since its formation, receiving accolade for its deafening power, use of left-of-center instrumentation (which has included Moog synths, theremins, ominous vocal choirs and even brass sections) and unique take on heavy music. ZOROASTER features a live show that has been described as "an obliteration of the senses," earning the three piece the title of "Atlanta's loudest band."

When asked for a comment on "Voice of Saturn", ZOROASTER guitarist/vocalist Will Fiore stated, "With 'Voice of Saturn', we've continued to expand on our sound, while still keeping that heavy base we started with. The new album is another step in our ongoing evolution."

"Voice of Saturn" track listing:

01. Intro (1:00)
02. Spirit Molecule (6:10)
03. Undying (13:43)
04. White Dwarf (5:42)
05. Voice of Saturn (5:25)
06. Lamen of the Master Therion (7:55)
07. Outro (14:14)

The song "Spirit Molecule" has been posted online at this location. The album's cover art, courtesy of Brian Mercer (MELVINS, HIGH ON FIRE), can be viewed below.

SUNN O))): More 'Monoliths & Dimensions' Details Revealed

American "drone metal" act SUNN O))) will release its seventh studio album, "Monoliths & Dimensions", in late May via Southern Lord Recordings. The CD showcases the core guitar duo — Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson — incorporating influences from a plethora of guest musicians, bringing the SUNN O))) sound to epic new levels. The band also collaborated with composer Eyvind Kang (notable for his work with John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, etc.) on various acoustic ensembles, in addition to the Helios-fueled electric guitars and basses. Key players on the album include Australian guitar genius Oren Ambarchi, enigmatic Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR) and slow music godfather Dylan Carlson (EARTH), as well as Julian Priester (worked with SUN RA in the '50s, John Coltrane's African Brass band, and Herbie Hancock's Sextant band) and new-music horn player Stuart Dempster. There's also an upright bass trio, French and English horns, harp and flute duo, piano, brass, reed and strings ensembles, and a Viennese woman's choir led by Persian vocal savant Jessika Kenney.

The album is not "SUNN O))) with strings" or "metal meets orchestra" material. The band took an approach concentrating on more of allusion toward the timbre of feedback and the instruments involved, so the piece is really illusory, beautiful and not entirely linear, stating that the end product is "the most musical piece we've done, and also the heaviest, powerful and most abstract set of chords we've laid to tape."

The CD was recorded and mixed by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer at various points over the last two years, and is practice in density, gravity and momentum.

"Monoliths & Dimensions" track listing:

01. Aghartha (17:34)
02. Big Church [megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért] (09:43)
03. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia) (10:02)
04. Alice (16:21)

SUNN O))) will make a special, one-off appearance at London's Corsica Studios on February 22, with the core duo Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson performing their 1998 debut "The Grimmrobe Demos".

CANDLEMASS Mastermind LEIF EDLING To Release Solo Album Next Month

"Songs of Torment - Songs of Joy", the first solo album from CANDLEMASS and KRUX mastermind Leif Edling, is scheduled for release on March 10 via Candlelight Records.

Edling has always been unique in his songwriting, and "Songs of Torment - Songs of Joy" is, of course, no exception. The CD consists of eight monumental tracks, something Leif Edling calls minimalistic organ doom. It's slow and beautiful, but also black and epic like the album opener The Scar", and the colossal "It Is Not There". "Nautilus" is inspired by the Jules Verne classic "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea". And "On The Edge Of Time" is a poetic reflection over some old but fantastic HAWKWIND album cover art.

"Songs of Torment - Songs of Joy" was created in periods during the last year. Edling has nursed his moments of inspiration, which has lead to recording sessions in several different studios. Leif's vocals were laid down in mixer Stefan Fandén's bedroom, keyboard among colourful exotic fish in KRUX keyboardist Carl Westholm's studio, and bass and drums (by TIAMAT's Lars Sköld) in a more traditional studio environment. The guitars on the CD were tracked by Björn Eriksson and Chris Laney.

"You don't need an expensive studio to make cool music. Some friends and a creative perspective is enough," says Leif.

"Songs of Torment - Songs of Joy" track listing:

01. The Scar (05:55)
02. It Is Not There (04:26)
03. Angelic 'Til I Die (04:54)
04. On the Edge of Time (06:17)
05. Butterfly (00:57)
06. My Black Birthday (05:39)
07. Space Killer (05:40)
08. Nautilus (09:33)

Check out audio samples at www.myspace.com/leifedling.

ULVER To Perform At NORWEGIAN FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE

Progressive Norwegian black metal band ULVER will perform at the Norwegian Festival of Literature on Saturday, May 30 at Maihaugsalen in Lillehammer, Norway.

Once among the pioneers of Norwegian black metal, now living legends of dark experimental music, ULVER is one of Norway's most acclaimed international artists. While remaining something of a secret treasure back home, a long series of strong releases, most recently the album "Shadows of the Sun" (2007), has earned them a unique status worldwide.

ULVER has, since its first album, been exclusively a studio band. This being their first live performance in 15 years, the concert at Lillehammer is a historic event.

Commented the group in a statement: "Last year Mr. Stig Sæterbakken approached us with an offer to play live at the Norwegian Festival of Literature, and after long consideration we have decided to accept the invitation. We go to the job with great humility and horror."

A limited number of tickets is available at www.billettservice.no.

MONSTER MAGNET: East Coast Dates Announced

MONSTER MAGNET has scheduled the following dates:

May 15 - New York City, NY - Blender Theatre at Grammercy
May 16 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom

Fan-filmed video footage of MONSTER MAGNET performing the song "Radiation Day" on November 23, 2008 in Milan, Italy can be viewed below.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Fifty Foot Woman - Stoner Band From Poland Asks For Your Help

Fifty Foot Woman asks for a little help so they can qualify for the top 5 of the Neuro Music contest.

Here's how to vote for them:

Go to this site, http://www.myspace.com/asymmetrypl

select the third item, and press "zaglosuj".

The five bands with the highest number of votes will perform at the ODA "Firlej" -Wroclaw, Poland. In the second stage of the contest the jury will chose the winner.

The winner will have it's first album financed and obtains a possibility of playing at Asymmetry Festival in Wroclaw - sharing one stage with Baroness, Lento and Ufomammut!

Help a brother out and vote now!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

SOLITUDE AETURNUS Confirmed For 'Joe's Garage Tribute Weekend'

Texas doom legends SOLITUDE AETURNUS have been confirmed for Joe's Garage Tribute Weekend (in memory of Abboud "Abb" Greig), which will be held on Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23 at the Rockstar Sports Bar (7120 South Freeway) in Fort Worth, Texas.

The billing is shaping up as follows:

SOLITUDE AETURNUS
PUNCTURE
GRUESOME FATE
DARK ALLIANCE
BLOOD OF THE SUN
BELIEF SYSTEM
VIOLENT INTENTIONS
TEXAS METAL ALLIANCE

Abboud "Ab" Greig, owner of the Joe's Garage venue in Fort Worth, Texas where bands like PANTERA and RIGOR MORTIS got their start, was found shot in the head on Monday, January 12. He was 74 years old.

HEAVEN AND HELL: Album Title, Release Date Announced

HEAVEN AND HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar), Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Geezer Butler (bass) and Vinny Appice (drums) — has set "The Devil You Know" as the title of its debut album, due on April 28 via Rhino. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Bible Black", "Rock & Roll Angel", "Breaking Into Heaven", "Atom & Evil" and "Eating the Cannibals". The LP was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, U.K. where the 1992 SABBATH album "Dehumanizer" was also tracked.

New Acts Added To Templars of Doom

Yes my friends, I am very pleased to announce the return of both Midnight and Orodruin to the Templars line up this year! Both bands a amazing and both are among the best that the US has to offer!

The festival will take place on May 7 through the 9 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the historic Melody Inn.


The line up is shaping up as follows:


Apostle of Solitude
Argus (featuring Butch of Penance)
Backwoods Payback
Bulletwolf
Earthen Grave (featuring Ron Holzner of Trouble/Debris Inc)
Earthride
The Gates of Slumber
Hounds of Hasselvander (featuring Joe Hasselvander of Pentagram/Raven)
Iron Man
Lair of the Minotaur
Midnight
Necropharmacon
Orodruin
Pale Divine
Revelation
Tunguska


For more up to the minute updates, check www.myspace.com/templarsofdoom.

Ocean Chief News

Swedish doomsters Ocean Chief entered the studio in late January and recorded four new songs with a total playing time of approximately 45 minutes.

Now the band is looking for a label for a 2009 release of the CD version of the new (not yet titled) album. Belgian label Electric Earth Records is planning to release the LP version later this year.


Interested parts may contact Björn thru MySpace (www.myspace.com/oceanchief) or e-mail (bjorn666(at)bredband.net).

Gnaw To Release Debut

Gnaw`s debut to be released Feb 20 via Conspiracy Records

Gnaw was formed in 2006 by Alan Dubin (ex-Khanate, OLD) along with Jamie Sykes (ex-Burning Witch, Thorr`s Hammer, Atavist), Carter Thornton (Enos Slaughter), Jun Mizumachi (ex-Ike Yard, 80`s NYC industrial legends) and Brian Beatrice (Emmy Award winning sound design/mix wizard).


Gnaw`s debut album, This Face, is the sonic culmination of over a year of sound experimentation. It`s a genre destroying journey that almost defies description. Sykes is a percussive madman blasting out anything from tribal beats to ultra slow tom killings. Mizumachi is a renown sound designer for film and TV and is a master of electronics including synth, factory noise, metal bashing and other craziness. Beatrice is also a sound designer and mixer for film and TV and was the mixer for This Face as well as experimenting and adding additional sounds. Thornton is a crafty musician who actually makes his own instruments. He played guitar, bass, piano and some unnamed home-made "things." Additionally, Thornton supplied field recordings and arranged many of the songs. Dubin rounds out the group with his gut-wrenching vocals, noise and arrangements.

Screaming, singing, whispers and chants can be heard throughout This Face. Dubin`s lyrics will fuck with your mind!

MySpace

Conspiracy Records

Monday, February 9, 2009

Album Of The Week-Samothrace-"Life's Trade" (2008)

The Album Of The Week is "Life's Trade" by Samothrace.



Review:

First Cough, then Thou, then Samothrace - it's a great time for American
sludge/doom. Why this Lawrence, KS outfit named itself for a Greek island
is unclear, as it sounds distinctly American. Big slabs of downtuned dirt
abut melodies that recall Earth's leanings towards Americana. In fact,
this record might satisfy those disappointed by Earth's recent refusal to
drop the hammer. It has the soul - the jangle, the blues - but it also has
the weight, constantly shifting tectonic plates so that slow never becomes
static. These tracks are 10 minutes plus, and they feel much shorter. On
only its debut, this band has mastered the momentum that makes good doom
much more than just slow tempos. (Add Renata Castagna to the list of
worthy extreme metal axewomen.) Producer du jour Sanford Parker turns in a
reliably thick, naturalistic recording.

David D'Andrea refracts the floral/angelic theme of Tom Denney's previous
artwork for Samothrace (which is extremely similar to his cover for
Sourvein's Ghetto Angel) into a lovely gold/black package. The LP version
comes in double gatefold vinyl with a poster (gold vinyl limited to 150
copies); mailorder copies include a patch and sticker. This is yet another
killer release this year for 20 Buck Spin, who have a spiffy new
label/distro website. Invisible Oranges)

Read more reviews...

Track Listing:

01. La Llorona 12:27
02. Awkward Hearts 9:59
03. Cacophony 11:19
04. Cruel Awake 13:33

MySpace



Ocean, Salome, Batillus, Riff Cannon to Play Pitchfork Showcase

On the heels of Pantheon of the Lesser, their second album for Important Records and subsequent features in Decibel, Metal Maniacs, and Terrorizer, Portland, Maine quartet Ocean is joining Virginia trio Salome (featuring members of Agoraphobic Nosebleed) for a night of epic doom on February 15 at Brooklyn, New York`s Public Assembly (formerly Galapagos) as part of the third installment of Pitchfork`s monthly Show No Mercy Showcase. (The first two events were headlined by Nachtmystium/Velnius and Skeletonwitch/Cannabis Corpse, respectively.) Ocean and Salome will be joined by Boston riff rockers RIFF Cannon and Brooklyn`s own icy minimalist doom crew Batillus.

Future Show No Mercy events will include Tombs, Crucifier, Wetnurse, Krieg, and Krallice, among others. Each month, artist Seldon Hunt (Neurosis, Khanate, Jesu, Isis, etc.) will create original Show No Mercy flyer designs. The series is organized by Brandon Stosuy, who writes Pitchfork`s monthly metal column, Show No Mercy.

Lethe Announces Tracklisting For Debut

Psychedelic stoner rock outfit Lethe (who features Dylan Desmond and Joe Noel of Samothrace) have just released the track listing for Mnemosyne, their upcoming debut full-length for Reptile Records. The album will have five songs, clocking in at somewhere around 45 minutes, and the songs will be in this order:

1. Mother Milk Eyes
2. Therefore Let Us Feed The Beast
3. New Queen`s
4. Open Harvest
5. Mnemosyne


The album was recorded at Black Lodge studio and Mixtape Soundlabs in Lawrence, Kansas by Eric Graves from The Esoteric, and is slated for a winter 2009 release by Reptile Records.


To get a taste of Mnemosyne, head over to Lethe`s MySpace page and check out the brand-new song they recently posted - "Therefore Let Us Feed the Beast."

Saturday, February 7, 2009

PELICAN Signs With SOUTHERN LORD RECORDINGS

Southern Lord Recordings has announced the signing of Chicago heavy-rock instrumental icons PELICAN. Their genre-defying sound and eagerness to explore new musical directions will fit right at home alongside similar bands on the label like EARTH, BORIS and SUNN 0))).

PELICAN is currently at Red Room studios in Seattle, Washington recording an EP that will be the band's first release on Southern Lord. The new material will be heavier, darker and very "riff-oriented," according to guitarist Trevor De Brauw. A very special guest guitarist who has been heavily influential to the band will be making a guest appearance.

In March, PELICAN will play a number of shows alongside new labelmates WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, including making a triumphant return to the South By Southwest music fest in Austin, Texas as part of the Southern Lord showcase.

Upon returning home, PELICAN will focus its sights on the band's fourth full-length album.

HEAVEN AND HELL Confirmed For Germany's WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival

HEAVEN AND HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar), Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Geezer Butler (bass) and Vinny Appice (drums) — has been confirmed for this year's Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AMON AMARTH
AXEL RUDI PELL
BORKNAGAR
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CALLEJON
CATHEDRAL
DRAGONFORCE
EINHERJER
EPICA
GWAR
HAMMERFALL
HEAVEN AND HELL
IN EXTREMO
IN FLAMES
KAMPFAR
KINGDOM OF SORROW
KORPIKLAANI
MACHINE HEAD
MOTÖRHEAD
NAPALM DEATH
NEVERMORE
TESTAMENT
TRISTANIA
TURISAS
VOLBEAT
WALLS OF JERICHO
WHIPLASH

ICS Festival Service GmbH, which organizes the Wacken Open Air festival, has announced that all 70,000 tickets have already been sold for this year's event. "Never before [has] a festival of this size [been] sold out two times within one year," they write in a statement. "But we are not chasing after records — we 'only' want to create a great festival for you and are working on it since more than 20 years now and standing in responsibility and duty for the best fans in the world! We thank you all for your amazing support and loyalty!"

In 2008, Wacken Open Air festival was honored with a Live Entertainment Award in the "Festival Of The Year" category. This award recognizes distinguished achievements in live entertainment and is given out by Live Entertainment Award (LEA) committee. The winners were announced on March 11, 2008.

Upcoming Pittsburgh Show W/Ten Pound Sledge, Centrifuge, and Bastard



Ten Pound Sledge MySpace
Centrifuge MySpace
Bastard MySpace

ISIS' "Wavering Radiant" Track Listing & Cover Art Revealed

ISIS, the Los Angeles by way of Boston quintet, will release their fifth full-length album, Wavering Radiant, on May 5 via Ipecac Recordings.

The album, recorded over the late Summer and Fall of 2008 in Los Angeles, was produced by Joe Barresi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Melvins) and will also see a vinyl release on Apr. 21.

Aaron Turner recently discussed the new album with Billboard, saying "This is a better sonic representation of what the band actually sounds like. In the past I think some of the recordings were a little too clean in their final form. There was something about the energy that seemed to be lacking. It seems to feel more like us than anything else has."

"I feel a sense of completion with this record that I've never felt before,” Aaron Harris adds. “We spent more time creating this record than we have with any other, and I feel in my heart that this record is in many ways our best."



Cover art was once again created by Turner.

The track listing for Wavering Radiant is:

01. Hall Of The Dead
02. Ghost Key
03. Hand Of The Host
04. Wavering Radiant
05. Stone To Wake A Serpent
06. 20 Minutes / 40 Years
07. Threshold of Transformation


ISIS is currently planning extensive worldwide touring behind Wavering Radiant with more details to be announced shortly.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

OSSEIN/ERASER EYE Collaboration Available for Free Download

Nile Bowie of experimental sound artists OSSEIN recently checked in from Europe to announce the completion and release of a brand-new OSSEIN-related recording – Opal Sativa.

"We've recently completed this new collaborative LP with Eden Lustig's new project ERASER EYE. Eden has contributed to OSSEIN before, having played on the 'Osaka' release. This is the first LP we're releasing as a full collaborative effort. It serves as the fourth OSSEIN LP, and the debut ERASER EYE LP. It's a creative collaborative live percussion & electronics recording."

"Thematically, the recording retains a very primal aura, the concept of altered physical & psychological states are the kinds of ideas that influenced this music. The idea of being lost within sound is one of the consistencies you'll find in OSSEIN records, and this may be one of the best examples. We're interested in hearing your interpretations. Enjoy, dissect, and distribute."

Song titles:

1. Opal Sativa (Part 1) 56:53
2. Opal Sativa (Part 2) 20:04


The album is available for free download on OSSEIN's Myspace page.


OSSEIN's previous release, a double album entitled FÜHRER, is also available on Ossein's Myspace page, alongside free downloads of their other releases (2008's Declination and Osaka).

SUNNO))) To Release 'Monoliths & Dimensions' In May

American "drone metal" act SUNNO))) will release its new album, "Monoliths & Dimensions", on May 5 via Southern Lord. Described by the band as "probably the most musical piece we've done and also the heaviest, powerful and most abstract set of chords we've laid to tape," the LP — the band's seventh — was recorded during 2007 and 2008 with Randall Dunn and features a host of collaborators, including Eyvind Kang, Oren Ambarchi, Jessika Kenney, Attila Csihar and Dylan Carlson, among others.

"Monoliths & Dimensions" track listing is as follows:

01. Aghartha
02. Big Church
03. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)
04. Alice

SUNNO))) will also make a special, one-off appearance at London's Corsica Studios on February 22, with the core duo Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson performing their 1998 debut "The Grimmrobe Demos".

BLACK MATH HORSEMAN Signs With TEE PEE RECORDS

Los Angeles, California-based experimental/religious metal band BLACK MATH HORSEMAN has inked a deal with Tee Pee Records. The band's new album, "Wyllt", is scheduled for release on April 21. According to a press release, the LP contains "five songs of epic, heavy, esoteric, and apocalyptic doom rock which should appeal to fans of BLACK SABBATH, PENTAGRAM, TOOL, OM, and the like. Heavy, melodic, and tastefully hooky guitar playing is coupled with mammoth drumming while otherworldy female vocals call to you through a thick blanket of mist. BLACK MATH HORSEMAN do a superb job balancing the atmospheric with the heavy elements and leave plenty of room for some seriously rocking moments. It was recorded and produced by Scott Reeder of KYUSS, who also contributes guest vocals on one song."

BLACK MATH HORSEMAN is

Sera Timms (bass/vocals)
Ian Barry (guitar)
Bryan Tulao (guitar)
Sasha Popovic (drums)

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/blackmathhorseman.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Album Of The Week -Greenleaf-"Agents Of Ahriman" (2007)

Sorry guys, I've been so busy celebrating and basking in the Super Bowl win by the Pittsburgh Steelers (I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs and still live here)that I neglected to post an Album Of The Week. So for your listening pleasure I have decided on "Agents of Ahriman" by Greenleaf. Enjoy!



Review:

A whole four years after their last release (003's Secret Alphabets) left curious listeners intrigued and somewhat confused, here comes Sweden's Greenleaf -- the sometime side project that won't die, but sure takes its sweet-ass time to come on back -- with another collection of stoner and classic rock action titled Agents of Ahriman. Here again, the group seems to feature as many "core" musicians (most notably Dozer guitarist Tommi Holappa) as invited guests (including members of Lowrider and Truckfighters), and this goes some way towards explaining both the loosely arranged, almost improvisational feel to many of their fuzz rock explorations as well as the vast array of retro-rock styles visited from start to finish. To wit, give Agents of Ahriman just a cursory glance, and you'll identify several shades of Deep Purple and lunar phases of Steppenwolf ("Black Tar," "The Lake"); Ozzy vocal imitations ("Highway Officer") and screaming Monster Magnet intensity ("Ride Another Highway"); Pink Floyd-like space meddling ("Sleep Paralysis") and Hawkwind-esque interstellar droning ("Treehorn"); Ram Jam-style blues crust ("Stray Bullit Woman") and Sir Lord Baltimore-type psych guitar gone "Bolero" (the title track), and lots of latter day Blue Öyster Cult in the catchy licks and vocal lines of "Alishan Mountain." In the end, though, the one thing that all of these songs have in common is a rather basic, lo-fi production strategy (which suits them rather well, don't you know?), and the aforementioned ability to confuse and intrigue in virtually equal measures. Obviously, none of this bodes very well for Greenleaf to attract a dedicated fan contingent, but, if past form repeats itself, it's not like that the group will be coming back this way again any time soon, either. (Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide)

Track Listing:

01. Highway Officer
02. Treehorn
03. Alishan Mountain
04. Black Tar
05. The Lake
06. Agents of Ahriman
07. Ride Antoher Highway
08. Sleep Paralysis
09. Stray Bullit Woman

MySpace

Small Stone Bio



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