Heavy Planet's Top 10 Stoner Rock/Doom, Etc. Albums Of 2009

Well, here it is, my Top 10 favorite albums of 2009.

01. Clutch- "Strange Cousins From The West" (Weathermaker)

Clutch has always been one of my favorite bands, and when I heard this album the entire way through for the first time, I knew it was going to be my number one album of the year.  The band continues to redefine themselves even on this being their ninth studio album. I was in the front row for their most recent concert in Pittsburgh and their live performances never fail to impress. If they ever come to your town mark your calendar!

Review:

"I love Aerosmith. I think Toys in the Attic and Rocks are among the most balls-rockin’ long players to ever be laid to tape. But there is a certain title given to the Bad Boys from Boston that they have failed to earn for over 30 years now. This title lay unclaimed for many years thereafter, but at some point in the mid-90's the throne was claimed. Ladies and gents, Clutch is America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band..."(Read more)

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02. Alice In Chains- "Black Gives Way To Blue" (Virgin/EMI)

When I first heard that Alice In Chains was releasing an album with a new singer, I must say that I was very hesitant. Nobody, I mean nobody could replace Layne Staley's unique vocal. His harmonies with Cantrell were unmatched. Well, I guess I was wrong, what happened was Cantrell went out and found himself a very comparable singer and wrote some amazing songs that were undeniable. The riffs, the harmonies, the gloom and doom along with some great melodies are still all there. Kudos!

Review:

"Fourteen years after their last studio album, seven-and-a-half years after the drug-fueled death of singer Layne Staley, Alice in Chains—easily one of the best and most influential hard rock acts of the ‘90s—is back. And though there are some who will never even give themselves a chance to admit it, Black Gives Way to Blue is a stirring return.

In the words of guitarist/vocalist/band leader Jerry Cantrell, the disc has a “bunch of dark, slow, creepy tunes,” and the mood is set appropriately on the crawling opener “All Secrets Known.” As he does on most of the album, Cantrell handles lead vocal duties; in fact, William DuVall, who stepped in for Staley when the band reformed in 2006, is barely audible. Song two, “Check My Brain,” a more up-tempo number powered by Cantrell’s deep, bending riff, features Cantrell and DuVall harmonizing in a way that recalls vintage Alice . It’s not until track three, “Last of My Kind,” that DuVall takes center stage and shows he is doing a lot more than playing the role of Layne Staley. His vocals are full of fire and personality, virtually leaping out of the speakers—backed by a powerful sonic assault that makes one wonder why Alice got stuck with the grunge label early in its career..."(Read more)

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03. Devil To Pay -"Heavily Ever After" (Lax Wax)

Believe it or not, I just listened to this album on my drive to work a few weeks ago. It has great vocals, crushing guitars and memorable songs. This is the band's third full-length and they just keep getting better.

Review:

"It'd be cool to say that with their third album, Indianapolis' Devil to Pay will finally hit the big time, but I have the sinking feeling that this four-piece will still be relegated to “local legend”/”should be bigger” status. Such is life in the trenches of underground riff rock. I'm sure the band's well aware of its destiny.

Still, it's not for a lack of trying. Sure, the band doesn't help maintain momentum by taking its time between recordings – three years have passed since Cash Is King and six since debut Thirty Pieces of Silver – and chewing through guitarists (new guy Rob Hough is their fourth) can't be good either, but as far as songs go, Devil to Pay has always not only consistently delivered, but they've also gotten better with each release. They may have started off as a more traditional stoner rock band, but they've grown into their own sound, finding the common ground between classic rock, classic doom, and classic metal..."(Read more)

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04. House Of Broken Promises- "Using The Useless" (Small Stone)

This album song for song is your classic in-your-face classic stoner rock album. Features former members of Unida. Great stuff!

Review:

"A band housing three out of four musicians who briefly made Unida such a promising threat to take over the stoner rock universe, before being broken by the most heinous major-label machinations, Palm Desert's aptly named House of Broken Promises attempt to go Garcia-less (as in without missing former colleague, singer John Garcia) on their 2009 debut, Using the Useless..."(Read more)

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05. Kylesa- "Static Tensions" (Prosthetic)

When their last album "Time Will Fuse It's Worth" came out, I listened to that album just about every day for a month. Ditto this one! It was well worth the three year wait.

Review:

"Kylesa must be really, really tired of the Mastodon comparisons at this point. Though the two bands share some superficial similarities—both hail from Georgia and play sludgy-yet-modern metal—Kylesa approach their compositions from a completely different direction. Where Mastodon gird their riffage with prog-rock tinkering and epic pretenses, Kylesa have always gone directly for the throat, technical noodlings be damned. Considering that vocalist/guitarist Philip Cope (who along with fellow singer/guitarist Laura Pleasants is one of Kylesa’s surviving founders) did time in crust act Damad, his current band’s rawer aesthetic makes plenty of sense..."(Read more)

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06. Iron Age- "The Sleeping Eye" (Tee Pee)

I love me some old hardcore/thrash metal, but when you throw in some killer stoner metal riffs in the vein of High on Fire/The Sword. what more can you ask for.

Review:

"Finally Austin, Texas hardcore/thrash warriors Iron Age are back with their second full length album. Where their first album Constant Struggle was an album filled with hardcore/thrash that was heavily inspired by bands like Cro-Mags and Leeway and oldschool thrash metal, they made a pretty huge change in their sound and appearance (for the people who’ve seen them recently, they changed from a clean cut hardcore band, to a gruff looking bearded stoner/metal band)..."(Read more)

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07. Elder- "Self-Titled" (Meteor City)

This album was the best stoner/doom offering of the year thanks to Meteor City which is alive and very well.

Review:

"This is the first official full-length release from Boston's Elder and it's a heavy-duty monster for sure. My initial response is that it reminds me a lot Sleep's Holy Mountain. Perhaps it's more like an album that would have followed had Sleep became heavier and gone a more progressive route. I dare say that Elder have a greater knack for subtlety than Sleep and they be a little less self-aware as well. From the opening notes of "White Walls" I could feel my self being sucked in by the thick, dark sludge being created. They take a basic approach to their music, but that works wonders as they just dip down low and start hammering out the skull-crunching rhythms..."(Read more)

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08. Javelina- "Beasts Among Sheep" (Translation Loss)

Every once in a while I like to listen to something a little on the edge of insanity, that would be this album. It has intensity and crushing riffs and combines them very well.

Review:

"Their team may be down in the World Series as of Nov. 3 (Cliff Lee can’t pitch ‘em all), but Philadelphia’s finest purveyors of thickened thrash, Javelina, are just hitting their stride. On their second offering for Translation Loss, Beasts Among Sheep, they rip, tear, growl, feedback and scream their way through eight tracks (nine if you count the bonus) of righteous workingman’s fury, with just enough doom awareness to keep away from being a basement version of Slayer or whichever modern Slayer clone you’d want to compare them to. They’re like Thrash Sabbath..."(Read more)

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09. City Of Ships- "Look What God Did To Us" (Translation Loss)

I really like what Translation Loss Records is doing these days and this band is one of their most promising. Blending atmospheric, swirling soundscapes with crushing heavy guitars and angst-filled vocals what is there not to like? Just sit back and chill.

Review:

"City of Ships’ first full-length, provocatively titled Look What God Did To Us, is a loud order to shut up and listen groaned in ten different segments. It’s an avant-garde look at what a fusion of post-hardcore and post-rock could produce if executed properly, and, also in the process, a re-introduction of a still largely unknown musical niche the band would do well to fine-tune in years to come. Now everybody knows projects like these are hit-or-miss; melding genres together is a tricky business and so many Frankensteins have come up short, but thankfully City of Ships’ brand is a largely successful combination..."(Read more)

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10. Wo Fat- "Psychedelonaut" (Brainticket)

Wo Fat take their cue from bands of the seventies and freshen it up with their own brand of Sabbath-inspired fuzzed-out trippy psychedlic stoner rock. Killer shit!

Review:

"Back from the swamp these "Rednecks" will stomp all over your face!
Like predators out hunting, Wo Fat spins right thru your body like some kind of Murder weapon.

It's been almost two years since Wo Fat from Dallas, USA started harassing the big Record industry and with the debut "The Gathering Dark" made them a name in the scene. On the second release "Psychedelonaut" these Kentucky fried chicken eating trio take us on a speed boat trip on the Mississippi and just like the debut it kicks major ass!..(Read more)

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Honorable mentions:

Goes Cube- "Another Day Has Passed" (The End)
Tombs- "Winterhours" (Relapse)
The Company Band- "Self-Titled" (Restricted)
Baroness- "Blue Record" (Relapse)
Shrinebuilder- "Self-Titled" (Neurot)
Fu Manchu-Signs of Infinite Power (Century Media)- If I would have created this list in June 0f 2010, this album would probably have been in my top 10. I previously had stated that I had been a bit disappointed in the album, but now I cannot get it out of my stereo. This album is bit more Stoner Doom than Stoner Rock, which when it comes to Fu Manchu anything they do is brilliant. Songs such as "Signs of Infinite Power", "El Busta" and "Web Foot Witch Hat" are legendary.


Most Over-rated:

Them Crooked Vultures- "Self-Titled" (DGC)

First of all, before anyone gets pissed off, I must start by saying that I was never a fan of Queens Of The Stone Age. I just do not like their herky jerky rhythms nor do I like Josh Homme's voice. I tried so hard to listen to this album the whole way through but just couldn't do it. I felt like the album lacked a bit of heaviness. I wish that Dave Grohl would have wrote some songs in the same line as he did for the Probot album. Some killer groove-laden stoner rock with a seventies feel would have been awesome, not this herky jerky QOTSA sounding bullshit.

Well, there you have it. Wishing everyone an awesome 2010!

Planet Caravan Festival

What: AC Entertainment presents Planet Caravan featuring Clutch, Pentagram, Orange Goblin, Kylesa, Burst, YOB, Wino, Astra, Revolution Mother, Taddy Porter, Orchid, and Pick up the Snake
When: September 18 and 19, 2009
Where: The Orange Peel, Asheville, North Carolina
How: Tickets are $79.50, plus applicable service fees, available beginning Saturday, July 18, at 12 p.m. Eastern time, via The Orange Peel box office, by phone at 866-468-7630 and online at www.planetcaravanfestival.com

KNOXVILLE AC Entertainment is proud to announce Planet Caravan, a two-day music festival celebrating the origins of heavy music at The Orange Peel Social Aid and Pleasure Club in Asheville, North Carolina. Featuring a line-up of some of the best emerging and established rock and metal bands, the debut festival showcases heavy music in many of its various sub-genres and incarnations, from doom and psychedelic to progressive and experimental.

"Planet Caravan is an homage to the pioneers of heavy music," says event creator Charlie Jennings. "The event spotlights bands that carry on the traditional sounds of heavy rock and blues but also push it into new and exciting territories."

This year's festival features Maryland hard rockers Clutch, who released their ninth studio album, Strange Cousins from the West, on July 7. Highly influential, recently reunited doom metal legends Pentagram will appear for a rare performance. Swedish progressive metal band Burst will make its first-ever U.S. appearance at Planet Caravan. Orange Goblin, named "the best underground band in Britain," by Metal Hammer magazine, will make their first appearance in three years and their only U.S. performance in 2009. And, hot off their newest release Static Tensions and a major tour with Mastodon, Georgia band Kylesa will bring their sludgy brand of rock to the Planet Caravan stage.

Other performers include newly reformed doom band YOB, who return to the East Coast for the first time. Doom metal icon Scott Weinrich (of St. Vitus and The Obsessed fame) appears with his new project Wino. Hot new San Diego band Astra will perform tracks from their recent Rise Above/Metal blade release The Weirding. In other firsts, San Francisco's Orchid will make their debut performance outside the Bay Area. Rounding out the bill will be Mike Vallely's Revolution Mother, modern blues rockers Taddy Porter, and Knoxville's own Pick up the Snake.

That the first Planet Caravan is being held at The Orange Peel is a testament to the club's premier status in the rock community. Named one of the top five rock clubs by Rolling Stone in the magazine's "Best of Rock 2008" issue, The Orange Peel is situated in vibrant downtown Asheville, N.C. Since it opened in 2002, The Orange Peel has hosted revered performers including Queens of the Stone Age, King Crimson, Wolfmother, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Sonic Youth, and 311, as well as special performances by The Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, and a nine-night residency with the Smashing Pumpkins.

Asheville, situated in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina with an estimated population of over 70,000, is recognized for its unique Bohemian culture, natural beauty, and lively downtown, often referred to as the "Paris of the South."

Here's the complete line-up:

Clutch
Pentagram
Orange Goblin
Kylesa
Burst
YOB
Wino
Astra
Taddy Porter
Tombs
Bison b.c.
Zoroaster
The Gates of Slumber
Orchid
Sourvein
Hull
Salome
Batillus
Pick Up The Snake

Revolution Mother is no longer on the bill.

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.

Dragontears to Play Roadburn

Dragontears will play their official debut gig at Roadburn 2009. The band released their second album, Tambourine Freak Machine, in November and will now enter the stage at The Green Room at Roadburn on Friday, April 24. Dragontears was always meant to be a studio project but the band couldn’t resist to play at the most happening festival for psych, doom and stoner rock in Europe. This years festival looks great by the way and includes Saint Vitus, Motorpsycho, Amon Düül II, Colour Haze, Cathedral, Atomic Bitchwax, and many, many more. For more information, visit Roadburn.com.

The Dragontears cover of Bob Dylan`s “Master of War” has just been added to the Bad Afro MySpace page.

Massive Roadburn Festival Updates

OM, Six Organs of Admittance, Skullflower, and A Storm of Light confirmed for Neurosis` Beyond the Pale
"The mission of Beyond the Pale is for us to honour the spirit and power of sound with people that we feel are kindred spirits"
- Steve Von Till.

OM, Six Organs of Admittance, Skullflower, A Storm of Light, The Young Gods, Akimbo, US Christmas, and Guapo, along with Neurosis, have been confirmed for the inaugural European version of Neurosis’ acclaimed Beyond The Pale festival, set to be held at Roadburn 2009 on Saturday, April 25 at the 013 venue, Tilburg, Holland.


Scott Kelly comments: "Om is such a rare bird in the vast landscape that is sound, music, art, and emotive expression that they absolutely defy description. The straightest line is the quickest path to the godhead, Om know this, it is the foundation of their mountain. The meditative nature of the patterns and rhythms found within the speaker flexing sonic blanket that they weave is unparalleled. Om is the heaviest band to ever walk the face of the earth."


"Josh Graham is a prolific individual, a man driven to create. In the years that we have spent together collaborating in Neurosis he has shown himself to be a visionary artist as well as a diligent worker. A Storm Of Light is born of this obsession; it is an ominous sound, a cloud of oppressive doomage. Equal parts heavy and hypnotic, A Storm Of Light is a band grown from truth."


"When you see Akimbo you see a band that has been hardened from the road, a band that has been focused on the sound and the sound alone, and a culmination of experience thrown at you on a lightning bolt."


"US Christmas will be the true revelation of Beyond the Pale at Roadburn `09. From deep in the Appalachians in North Carolina comes the sound of three guitars, two Theremins, and a rhythm section straight from the centre of the earth.”


Steve Von Till comments: "All must bow before the pagan wall of drone - I couldn`t agree more with the opening quote of Skullflower`s semi-official website. Hearing the tortured distorted and eerily shamanic drones emanate from the stereo for the first time in the early nineties was truly a revelation. IIIrd Gatekeeper and Obsidian Shaking Codex are two of my all time favourite albums and have been extremely influential on the way my brothers and I approach guitar-based heavy music: to grab an electric guitar, drive a loud amplifier to its physical limit, and ride the drone into oblivion is ecstasy, and Matthew Bower has been showing us all how it is done for 20-odd years. Finally after all these years we will all get to witness the power together at Beyond The Pale 2009."


"The words `psych folk,` although being a genre of music I feel a passion and affinity for, have begun to lose their meaning and significance over the last several years. A so-called `revival` has dredged up wave upon wave of shallow rehash. Ben Chasny and his Six Organs of Admittance, often tagged by that limiting genre, is a bright flower of inspiration to bring us all hope and remind us that as movements devolve, free spirits can rise above and remain vital among the pale imitators. Fearless and able to avoid the pitfalls and traps of classification he has constantly managed to play cathartic soul music. Not `soul` music, but music that accompanies transformation and the journey of one’s spirit. We are pleased to have this tonal psychonaut join us for this special event."


"Over the years we have continued to admire The Young Gods’ music and their contribution to original heavy music", says Steve Von Till, "One of my favourite daily rituals during our brutal touring schedule in the late ‘90s was hearing our soundman Dave Clark test the local PA systems with The Young Gods, pushing the speakers to their limits. We are proud to have The Young Gods appearing with us this year for Beyond the Pale at Roadburn 2009."


"Guapo`s albums have only become more intriguing, delving deeper into a strange space both claustrophobic and expansive, leaving most of their so called “prog” counterparts seeming to wander inertly with a lack of emotion. Guapo will absolutely bring a desired level of depth and complex harmonics to Beyond the Pale."


Saint Vitus to Headline Friday Roadburn Festival Date, Friday April 24, 2009
David Chandler comments: “We are extremely happy that were invited to Roadburn and we are excited to play. Those of you that saw us on the original reunion tour in 2003 are going to be extremely surprised at our set list. We are pulling stuff out of the hat that we haven’t played in a long long time. So I suggest that you all get up front and prepare for your DOOM!”


Legendary US doom metal pioneers Saint Vitus have been confirmed as the headliner for Friday`s April 24 date at the 2009 Roadburn Festival.


Saint Vitus is known as one of the very first doom metal bands, starting out in the late 1970`s, and have released many classic albums over the ensuing decades. Although Saint Vitus has been on hold for several years now, they will be reforming as the classic Born Too Late line-up (Dave Chandler, Scott "Wino" Weinrich, Mark Adams, Armando Acosta) headlining Friday night at Roadburn 2009.


Over the last two decades, Saint Vitus has become revered as one of the main architects of the modern doom scene, encompassing all that doom metal is all about: emotion, melody and epic songs stacked with enough behemoth riffs to light a week long bonfire. Every note the band has ever put to tape is a benchmark by which all other doom records have been judged. Saint Vitus classic phrase “Born too late” has become the war cry for generations of doom-aficionados.


Wino comments: "We will be playing a lot of everybody’s favourite stuff. Also, my project band Wino will be playing as well, playing tracks from my solo record, Punctuated Equilibrium, and some surprises too!"


Wino`s solo band is set for Roadburn 2009`s additional Afterburner event, scheduled for Sunday, April 26, alongside Solace, Dÿse, Bill Steer`s Firebird, and more.


Reactivated NWOBHM Legends Angel Witch, Baroness, and Minsk Confirmed for Roadburn Festival 2009
Reactivated NWOBHM legends <>Angel Witch (based in London, UK) have been confirmed for the Friday Roadburn date, April 24, alongside Cathedral and Saint Vitus and more.


Firmly rooted in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Angel Witch, comprised of guitarist and vocalist Kevin Heybourne, Chris Fullard (guitar), Will Palmer (bass), and Andy Prestidge (drums) will celebrate the genre`s 30th anniversary by playing songs from the band`s legendary self-titled debut album, and singles from that era.


Roadburn is also pleased to report that post-metal stalwarts Baroness and Minsk have been confirmed for the Thursday Roadburn date, April 23.


"Baroness` Red Album has pushed them to the forefront of underground metal. Combining thunderous riffs, roaring vocals and crashing drums, the band has created a monumental record that soars, thanks to its mainly instrumental focus. With their music created in the same vein as former label mates Mastodon, the Red Album is an epic math-metal and prog-infused masterwork that never slows down- save for when the acoustic rears its beautiful head at just the right moments”
- Sarah Kitteringham, Roadburn


In other related news, Terrorizer, the world`s leading extreme music magazine will be sponsoring Roadburn 2009.


"Yet again Terrorizer Magazine has been invited to be a part of Roadburn Festival, and yet again we are incredibly proud to align ourselves with such a gargantuan event in the extreme music calendar. I can think of few other festivals who so wholly mirror our magazine`s own passion for the riff, are as enthusiastic about those unique artists that push the boundaries of extreme music and are as obsessed with searching out the most exciting bands on the planet.


“Roadburn Festival is a truly special event that should be an essential ticket for any music devotee. Not only for its steadfast commitment to producing an unrivalled weekender in terms of its enviable line-up, but also because it`s a festival by fans for fans and ever since April 21, 2008 we have been waiting with bated breath for the announcement of its 2009 edition and are again so thrilled to be involved"
- Louise Brown, Editor, Terrorizer Magazine


Orange Goblin`s Roadburn Festival Performance to be Recorded for Live Album
“It has to be said that Orange Goblin shows are very predictable, in the sense that you know they are going to be brilliant before they even hit the stage”
- Terry Beezer (Kerrang!)


British doomsters Orange Goblin will record their performance at next year`s Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland on Thursday, April 23, 2009 for a limited-edition, vinyl-only live album, due out on Roadburn Records.


Orange Goblin`s Ben Ward comments: “Orange Goblin are honoured to be invited back to take part in the Roadburn Festival 2009. It’s our seventh appearance at the festival that keeps going from strength to strength each year and we see the main stage at Roadburn as the perfect place to record our live album, which is what we’ll do! The atmosphere and the vibe at Roadburn is always better than anywhere else in the world so we look forward to rocking with old friends and new fans alike!”


Roadburn 2009 is set for Thursday, April 23 to Sunday, April 26 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.


14th Annual Roadburn Festival 2009



Thursday, April 23
Motorpsycho
Orange Goblin
Church of Misery
Wolves In the Throne Room
The Devil`s Blood
Ufomammut
Radio Moscow
Alexander Tucker
Black Sun
Farflung
White Hills
GomerPyle
Amon Düül II
Baroness
Minsk


Friday, April 24
Saint Vitus
Scott Kelly
Steve Von Till
Bohren und der Club of Gore
Cathedral
Colour Haze
Dragontears
Mono (Japan)
Negura Bunget
Omega Massif
The Outskirts of Infinity (headlining the Green Room)
Angel Witch
The Winchester Club


Saturday, April 25: Beyond the Pale
Neurosis
Om
Six Organs of Admittance
Skullflower
The Young Gods
Guapo
US Christmas
Akimbo
A Storm of Light



Sunday, April 26: Afterburner (only 350 tickets available)
Wino
Bill Steer`s Firebird
Dyse
Solace
One more band TBA


Tickets
Ticket pre-sales available from Saturday, December 13
Tickets for the main festival, including Beyond the Pale, will be priced from € 99 (excl. service costs) with no campsite accommodation. There will be separate tickets for the additional Afterburner event and Campsite.


All countries can order online through Ticketservice (credit card) or order your ticket through the 013 venue (www.013web.nl). People in the Netherlands can order via Ticket Service, the 150 bigger post offices, VVV`s, GWK`s, and the 013 venue. More info will follow soon.


For those who didn`t get to take part in previous Roadburn festivals, and for those who did, but want to relive it, we finally have put up the on-demand audio stream of Neurosis live at Roadburn 2007 for your listening pleasure here.


www.roadburn.com

More Roadburn Acts Announced

Neurosis and Roadburn are proud to announce OM, Six Organs of Admittance, Skullflower, and A Storm of Light for Beyond the Pale at Roadburn 2009.


"Om is the heaviest band to ever walk the face of the earth"
- Scott Kelly, Neurosis


OM, Six Organs of Admittance, Skullflower, and A Storm of Light, along with Neurosis, have been confirmed for the inaugural European version of Neurosis` acclaimed Beyond the Pale festival, set to be held at Roadburn 2009 on Saturday, April 25, the 013 venue, Tilburg, Holland.


"Om is such a rare bird in the vast landscape that is sound, music, art, and emotive expression that they absolutely defy description," says Scott Kelly, "The straightest line is the quickest path to the godhead, Om know this, it is the foundation of their mountain. The meditative nature of the patterns and rhythms found within the speaker flexing sonic blanket that they weave is unparalleled. Om is the heaviest band to ever walk the face of the earth."


"Josh Graham is a prolific individual, a man driven to create. In the years that we have spent together collaborating in Neurosis, he has shown himself to be a visionary artist as well as a diligent worker. A Storm of Light is born of this obsession; it is an ominous sound, a cloud of oppressive doomage. Equal parts heavy and hypnotic, A Storm of Light is a band grown from truth."


Steve Von Till comments: "All must bow before the pagan wall of drone - I couldn`t agree more with the opening quote of Skullflower`s semi-official website. Hearing the tortured distorted and eerily shamanic drones emanate from the stereo for the first time in the early nineties was truly a revelation. IIIrd Gatekeeper and Obsidian Shaking Codex are two of my all time favorite albums and have been extremely influential on the way my brothers and I approach guitar-based heavy music: to grab an electric guitar, drive a loud amplifier to its physical limit, and ride the drone into oblivion is ecstasy, and Matthew Bower has been showing us all how it is done for 20-odd years. Finally after all these years we will all get to witness the power together at Beyond the Pale 2009."


"The words "psych folk,` although being a genre of music I feel a passion and affinity for, have begun to lose their meaning and significance over the last several years. A so-called `revival` has dredged up wave upon wave of shallow rehash. Ben Chasny and his Six Organs of Admittance, often tagged by that limiting genre, is a bright flower of inspiration to bring us all hope and remind us that as movements devolve, free spirits can rise above and remain vital among the pale imitators. Fearless and able to avoid the pitfalls and traps of classification he has constantly managed to play cathartic soul music. Not "soul" music, but music that accompanies transformation and the journey of one`s spirit. We are pleased to have this tonal psychonaut join us for this special event."


Also scheduled to appear at Beyond the Pale/Roadurn 2009 are The Young Gods, Akimbo, Guapo, and U.S. Christmas, with more bands to be announced.


Roadburn 2009 will run for three days from Thursday, April 23 to Saturday, April 25 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. There will be an additional Afterburner event on Sunday, April 26, 2009. Pre sales for Beyond the Pale/Roadburn 2009 will start, Saturday, December 13. More info about Roadburn, including confirmed bands for Beyond the Pale and the full festival will follow soon.


Please keep checking www.roadburn.com, www.neurosis.com, and www.neurotrecordings.com for updates.

Saint Vitus to Headline Friday Roadburn Festival

Legendary US doom metal pioneers Saint Vitus have been confirmed as the headliner for Friday`s April 24 date at the 2009 Roadburn Festival. The 14th annual Roadburn Festival will take place April 23-26, 2009 and will be held at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

David Chandler comments: “We are extremely happy that were invited to Roadburn and we are excited to play. Those of you that saw us on the original reunion tour in 2003 are going to be extremely surprised at our set list. We are pulling stuff out of the hat that we haven’t played in a long long time. So I suggest that you all get up front and prepare for your DOOM!”



Saint Vitus is known as one of the very first doom metal bands, starting out in the late 1970`s, and have released many classic albums over the ensuing decades. Although Saint Vitus has been on hold for several years now, they will be reforming as the classic Born Too Late line-up (Dave Chandler, Scott "Wino" Weinrich, Mark Adams, Armando Acosta) headlining Friday night at Roadburn 2009.



Over the last two decades, Saint Vitus has become revered as one of the main architects of the modern doom scene, encompassing all that doom metal is all about: emotion, melody and epic songs stacked with enough behemoth riffs to light a week long bonfire. Every note the band has ever put to tape is a benchmark by which all other doom records have been judged. Saint Vitus` classic phrase “Born Too Late” has become the war cry for generations of doom-aficionados.


Wino comments: "We will be playing a lot of everybody’s favorite stuff. Also, my project band Wino will be playing as well, playing tracks from my solo record, Punctuated Equilibrium, and some surprises too!" Wino`s solo band is set for Roadburn 2009`s additional Afterburner event, scheduled for Sunday, April 26, alongside Solace, Dyse, and Bill Steer`s Firebird, amongst others.



In other developments, Roadburn is also pleased to report that UK doom legends Cathedral will play the Friday Roadburn date. Purveyors of psychedelic doom since 1991, Cathedral have been amazing audiences with impassioned live performances thanks to the monstrous grooves and monolithic riffs from tracks like "Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)" and "Utopian Blaster."


Also scheduled to appear on the Friday are both Scott Kelly & Steve Von Till from Neurosis, Mono (Japan), Bohren und der Club of Gore, Negura Bunget, Dragontears, The Winchester Club, Omega Massif, Colour Haze, and The Outskirts of Infinity, amongst others.



Roadburn is also pleased to report that Amon Düül II, one of the most influential bands in the canon of Kosmische Musik pioneers has been confirmed for the Thurday Roadburn Festival date, Thursday, April 23, alongside Motorpsycho.



Pre sales will start, Saturday, December 13. Tickets for the main festival (including Neurosis` Beyond The Pale event at Roadburn 2009) will be priced from €99 with no campsite accommodation. More info about ticket sales and complete line up will follow shortly.



For more info, please check www.roadburn.com, www.myspace.com/roadburnfestival, and www.myspace.com/stvitus.

Solace - Roadburn 2009

Solace will be returning to Holland`s Roadburn Festival on April 26, 2009. The band made its European debut at Roadburn in 2006 and intends to bring the same energy and bombast this time around. Expect to hear songs from the long awaited and highly anticipated full-length album A.D. Solace expects 2009 to be a banner year for the band.

Solace will be appearing alongside Wino`s new band (featuring JP Gaster from Clutch on drums), Bill Steer`s Firebird, Dyse, and one other band. More info about the entire Roadburn Festival 2009 will follow in the next weeks to come.

Roadburn Festival 2009 News

“The mission of Beyond the Pale is for us to honor the spirit and power of sound with people that we feel are kindred spirits. We want to bring together a diverse group of people who push the envelope, are truly original, and have that unspeakable fire and inspiration flowing through their art.”
- Steve Von Till

“In our 23 years of existence, we have had very few experiences that felt as right as our initial performance at Roadburn in 2007. Roadburn is a unique experience in the often disappointing and disingenuous world of music, it is a festival organized and run by people with a true passion and dedication to sound. In the spirit of this commitment we are proud to announce that the day of April 25, 2009 at Roadburn will be a rekindling of Beyond the Pale. We will be performing as well as curating the entire days events.
- Scott Kelly


Roadburn is very pleased to invite our spiritual brethren from Neurosis to host a European version of their Beyond The Pale festival. We couldn`t imagine anyone being more attuned to the atmosphere and energy of Roadburn than Neurosis, and offering them the opportunity to stage the first ever Beyond The Pale outside of the U.S. is our way of honoring their enormous contributions to underground music as well as their iconic style and sound.


On Saturday, April 25, Neurosis will have complete freedom to invite all the bands and set the lineups for each of the stages. Over the years, Neurosis has exhibited an amazing commitment and dedication to the art of underground music, something that we at Roadburn understand and appreciate completely. We are looking forward to the new ideas that they will bring to the festival, as we feel Neurosis are truly kindred spirits. We look forward to uniting at Roadburn 2009.

Steve Von Till comments: "It is a great honor and privilege to have asked to host our own Beyond the Pale event at Roadburn 2009. Since playing Roadburn 2007, we could think of no better people to work with on this event than the organizers and promoters of Roadburn and the wonderful staff at the 013. Roadburn is a completely different experience than the traditional music festival. It is a small, intimate, extremely well organized festival, put together by people who love the bands, and thrive on creating a unique social vibe where the lines between artist, audience, and staff are often completely blurred.


"2009 also marks the 10th anniversary of our own label, Neurot Recordings. What an amazing way to mark our first decade as a label. I believe that Roadburn and Neurosis share a clarity of vision that will result in an amazing experience for us all."


Roadburn 2009 will run for three days from Thursday, April 23 to Saturday, April 25 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. There will be an additional afterburner event on Sunday, April 26, 2009. Keep checking www.roadburn.com, www.myspace.com/roadburnfestival and www.neurosis.com for updates.

For those who didn`t get to take part in the Roadburn festivals, and for those who did, but want to relive it we have put up on-demand audio streams of Roadburn 2008 (including Scott Kelly, Enslaved, Current 93, Trouble, Witchcraft, Grand Magus, Witch, and Wolves in the Throne Room, amongst others) for your listening pleasure. Please check http://www.roadburn.com/homepage_webcasts2008.html for the audio streams.

In other news, we`ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of Roadburn.com on Friday, September 12, 013 venue, Tilburg, Holland. Dorset doomsters Electric Wizard are headlining and The Freeks will make their European debut. The Freeks are: Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless), Glen Slater (Wellwater Conspiracy), Carl Horne (Zen Guerrilla), Andy Duvall (Zen Guerrilla), and Ruben Romano (Nebula). Plus Radio Moscow will play as well. Please check the Roadburn website for more info and tickets.