Sunn O))) album update -

Last week I mentioned the Sunn O))) album Oracle is being pressed to vinyl for release along with a 48 minute bonus disc consisting solely of the song “Helio)))sophist”. The album was available as a limited edition CD on their very recent tour through the Pacific Rim and Brainwashed got their hands on a copy. John Kealy has written up an honest review of the album which is accompanied by mp3 samples of all three pieces. Kealy reports that “Belülrol Pusztít” involves the FM3 Buddha Machines as its foundation, but the version of the song on Oracle is not the same version the band submitted for the Jukebox Buddha compilation. As previously noted, this new version utilizes the jackhammering of Joe Preston and the terrifying screeching of Attila Csihar. Meanwhile, “Orakulum” is a sonic venture that was originally commissioned for an art installation by Banks Violette and, as intended, is a solid representation of the droning riffs that Sunn O))) live shows have become notorious for. In a sudden plot twist, the epic track on the bonus cd, “HeliO)))sophist”, is in fact a sound collage of Sunn O))) live performances from 2005 that was arranged by their tourmate BORIS’ Oren Ambarchi.
Read the full review and listen to samples of all three songs on Brainwashed.

Oh that’s it. If I don’t build, buy, or otherwise acquire a teleportation device soon I’ll go mad! It started with the Roadburn Festival, then the upcoming Dour Festival, and now this – the lineup for the All Tomorrow’s Parties curated by Portishead… ([More →])

Yay! Southern Lord mates BORIS – the tiny Japanese trio with a great big GONG and a great big metal sound, will also be touring Europe this summer! Some stops will find them joining the ISIS/OXBOW concerts previously announced, one stop will find them sharing the stage with Pelican, and the others seem to be independent gigs. Southern Lord + Hydra Head = Serious Audio Doom!!

BORIS Tour Dates

06-17 Ljubljana, Slovenia – Cvetlicarna Mediapark w/ ISIS + OXBOW
06-18 Vienna, Austria – Szene
06-19 Wroclaw, Poland – Firelej w/ ISIS + OXBOW
06-20 Warsaw, Poland – Progresja w/ ISIS + OXBOW
06-22 Prague, Czech Republic – Palace Akropolis w/ ISIS + OXBOW
06-23 Dortmund, Germany – FZW
06-24 Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Popcentrum
06-25 Brighton, England – Engine Rooms
06-26 Manchester, England – Sacred Trinity Church
06-27 Glasgow, Scotland – Nice’n'Sleazy
06-28 Newcastle, England – The Cluny
06-29 Sheffield, England – Corporation
06-30 Nottingham, England – TBA
07-01 Bristol, England – The Cooler
07-02 London, England – KOKO w/ ISIS + OXBOW
07-03 Kortrijk, Belgium – De Kreun
07-04 Stuttgart, Germany – Club Schocken w/ Pelican
07-05 Hamburg, Germany – Molotow Club
07-06 Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival

LINKS

BORIS page on Southern Lord as always, you can listen to Southern Lord artists on their band pages and sometimes even grab the mp3.
BORIS HEAVY ROCKS Homepage
You can download “Farewell” off their album Pink at Southern Lord

Sunn O))) has announced more tour dates on their artist page at Southern Lord Records! I guess the Pacific Rim and Roadburn festival were good to them, because after they play the Sonar Festival in Barcelona, they will be playing one show in the UK and then heading home to the US for some west coast shows with label mates and mentors, Earth.

Dang I wish I could have been at that Roadburn, but I would be happy to catch their performance in Belgium with Wolf Eyes. One of my very favorite Sunn O))) performances ever was with Wolf Eyes at the Lobot in Oakland. Both bands have been a huge musical influence on me. My bandmate in T113 grew up in Ann Arbor and was friends with Nate of Wolf Eyes, thus sharing some of the same musical influences and ideas. My mate first introduced me to Wolf Eyes’ brilliant chaotic noise and I was hooked. I think an ideal show for our band T113 would be with Sunn O))), Wolf Eyes and Merzbow in Japan (where they truly appreciate noise as an artform). This festival in Belgium comes awfully close! Who wants to fly T113 out to the Dour Festival to perform as well?

Also on this upcoming tour, Sunn O))) will playing shows with Wolves in the Throneroom, whom I have also mentioned as a fantastic metal band. If you get the chance, definitely catch them live. They are TIGHT, and play furiously passionate metal. T113 has played shows with them, and Wolves has honored us on a few occasions by playing on our soundsystem, including at the Autonomous Mutant Festival. In fact one of my fave live performances as T113 was with Wolves in the Throneroom at Overload in Oakland. My mic wasn’t working, but my mate and I played a killer set that included a doom metal cover of Ledbelly’s “In The Pines”. The guys of Wolves in the Throneroom are such down to earth and sweet people in addition to playing stellar, dark music. Not theatrical, like Sunn O))) but intense nonetheless.

Tour

Jun 16, 2007 Sonar Festival Barcelona
Jun 18, 2007 Meltdown Festival London, UK w/Chrome Hoof
Jul 2, 2007 Casbah San Diego, CA Earth, Weedeater & Wolves in the Throne Room
Jul 3, 2007 El Ray Los Angeles, LA Earth, Weedeater & Wolves in the Throne Room
Jul 4, 2007 Independant San Francisco, CA Earth, Weedeater & Wolves in the Throne Room
Jul 6, 2007 Mt Tabor Portland, OR Earth, Weedeater & Wolves in the Throne Room
Jul 7, 2007 El Corazon Seattle, WA Earth, Weedeater & Wolves in the Throne Room
Jul 14, 2007 SuperSonic Festival Birmingham UK Om, Mogwai, Miasma, etc
Jul 15, 2007 Dour Festival Belgium Wilco, Merzbow, Wolf Eyes

Sunn O))) has also announced that they will be releasing a 12″ vinyl record called Oracle in the US this summer. The 2 singles that would comprise the 2 sides of the record are:
1. “Belülrol Pusztít” – 16:01
2. “Orakulum” – 18:37

The jackhammer on the A side is provided by Joe Preston (Thrones).
It will be accompanied by a bonus disc:

“Helio)))sophist” – 48:17

You should be able to acquire your copy at any of the US shows. Southern Lord has not yet announced whether they will carry it in the online store, so expect a super limited edition.

Links

Sunn O)))

Wolf Eyes

Wolves in the Throneroom

Merzbow

Related posts on HT:

Sunn O))) and Wolf Eyes Play Sonar Fest
Growing Wolf Eyes On Thrones Touring Europe
Boris and Sunn O))) tour Pacific Rim 2007
Sunn O))) Adds Roadburn Festival To Tour
No Fun Noise Fest Tortures NYC 4th Year In A Row

Technorati Tags: metal, music, news, noise, Merzbow, Sunn O, Wolves, Wolf Eyes, doom, drone, guitar, tour, vinyl, album, UK, SF

All the Behemoth news that’s fit to print:

The Polish metal veterans have published the artwork and tracklist for their new album, The Apostasy which drops on July 17th.

TRACKLIST

I Rome 64 C.E
II Slaying The Prophets Ov Isa
III Prometherion
IV At The Left Hand Ov God
V Kriegsphilosophie
VI Be Without Fear
VII Arcane Hereticae
VIII Libertheme
IX Inner Sanctum
X Pazuzu
XI Christgrinding Avenue

BEHEMOTH TOUR

May 26 Deathcrush fest Live Factory Adelsheim
May 27 Club Mocvara Zagreb
May 28 Sa Club Sarajevo
May 29 n/a Belgrad
May 30 Sofia Hall Sofia
May 31 Sala Preoteasa Bukarest
Jun 1 Undead Festival, Blue hell club Budapest
Jun 5 Mystic festival Katowice
Jun 22 Nummirrock fest
Jun 23 Summer nights festival
Jun 24 Hellfest
Jun 28 Peace & Love fest
Jun 29 Maelanrocken festival
Jul 5 Obscene Extreme fest
Jul 6 Battle of metal fest
Jul 7 Evolution fest
Jul 12 White River Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Seattle, Washington
Jul 13 Croatian Cultural Center Vancouver
Jul 14 The Gorge – Ozzfest George, Washington
Jul 15 McDonald Theatre Eugene, Oregon
Jul 16 New Oasis Sparks, Nevada
Jul 17 Sleep Train Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Sacramento, California
Jul 19 Shoreline Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Mountain View, California
Jul 20 Stramler Park Bakersfield, California
Jul 21 Hyundai Pavilion – Ozzfest Devore, California
Jul 22 Soma San Diego, California
Jul 23 House Of Blues Las Vegas, Nevada
Jul 24 Cricket Pavilion – Ozzfest Phoenix, Arizona
Jul 26 Journal Pavilion – Ozzfest Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jul 27 Boulder Theater Boulder, Colorado
Jul 28 Coors Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Denver, Colorado
Jul 29 The Cotillion Wichita, Kansas
Jul 30 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Ozzfest Kansas City, Missouri
Aug 1 Verizon Wireless Theater Houston, Texas
Aug 2 Smirnoff Music Center – Ozzfest Dallas, Texas
Aug 3 Lonestar Amphitheater Lubbock, Texas
Aug 4 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Ozzfest San Antonio, Texas
Aug 5 Clear Channel Metroplex Event Center Little Rock, Arkansas
Aug 6 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Ozzfest St.Louis, Missouri
Aug 8 Germain Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Columbus, Ohio
Aug 10 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Tinley Park, Illinois
Aug 11 Waverly Hills Sanatorium Louisville, Kentucky
Aug 12 Alpine Valley Music Theatre – Ozzfest East Troy, Wisconsin
Aug 13 Agora Theatre Cleveland, Ohio
Aug 14 Verizon Wireless Music Theatre – Ozzfest Indianapolis, Indiana
Aug 16 PNC Bank Arts Center – Ozzfest Holmdel, New Jersey
Aug 17 The Dome Theatre Niagra Falls, New York
Aug 18 New England Dodge Music Theatre – Ozzfest Hartford, Connecticut
Aug 19 Magic City Music Hall Johnson City, New York
Aug 20 Tweeter Center – Ozzfest Boston, Massachusetts
Aug 22 Tweeter Center – Ozzfest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Aug 23 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, Maryland
Aug 24 Post Gazette Pavilion – Ozzfest Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aug 25 Kool Haus Toronto, Ontario
Aug 26 DTE Energy Music Theatre – Ozzfest Detroit, Michigan
Aug 28 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Ozzfest Charlotte, North Carolina
Aug 29 The Tabernacle Atlanta, Georgia
Aug 30 Sound Advice Amphitheatre – Ozzfest West Palm Beach, Florida
Sep 1 Palamaggiò Caserta (near naples)

LINKS

music$pace
official website
youTube channel

The latest in a series of video journal entries documenting behind the scenes action of the making of The Apostasy:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/hYTI0UDrgj8]

Not everybody likes the idea of a free show. For some, the cost in time and effort spent is more expensive then forking out the cash. Some die hard metal fans may be loyal OzzFest attendees, but are considering skipping this year, just because of the convoluted series of hoops to be jumped through and mazes to be navigated that is necessary to acquire a ticket to the FreeFest. Well, if you are in one of these categories, then i may have the solution for you. Ozzfest has announced that it will be offering different levels of VIP packages with various degrees of access to rewards. The 3 levels are:

Party Like a Rockstar – $300 – better-than-free seating, access to the VIP viewing platform and general VIP area, and a behind-the-scenes tour

I’m Part of the Show – $666 – all the above plus a seat on the main stage during Ozzy’s closing performance

Platinum – auction, bidding starts at $1K – all the above plus meet Ozzy face-to-face, and receive a special certificate signed by Sharon.  The proceeds from the sale of these tickets (limited to 10 per show) will benefit the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

So far, the official Ozzfest website does not have details of the packages, so watch the VH1 website for more info.

Holy Cow! I just downloaded the coolest album for FREE from Adult Swim! It’s called Warm & Scratchy, it has tracks by TV on the Radio, Jesu, Liars, Les Savy Fav + More!

You can watch a rad video of TV on the Radio’s “Me-I” and download the whole album (or individual tracks) from here:
Adult Swim website

TRACKLIST FOR Warm & Scratchy:

01 TV on the Radio – Me-I
02 The Raveonettes – Dead Sound
03 Les Savy Fav – The Equestrian
04 The Rapture – Crimson Red
05 120 Days – Justine
06 Broken Social Scene – Canada Vs. America
07 SOUND Team – Color of the Love You Have
08 The Good, The Bad and The Queen – The Bunting Song (acoustic)
09 The Brother Kite – Half Century
10 Jesu – Silver (original beats)
11 Amusement Parks on Fire – Back to Flash
12 Asobi Seksu – Stay Awake
13 Fennesz – Winter
14 Liars – Sunset Rodeo

Technorati Tags: music, news, Bedford Ave, Liars, metal, rock, free, mp3, album

I’m not sure if this has sold out completely or not… But this is another in the series of “I posted this so long ago, i feel it deserves a refresher post as the date soon cometh!” I want to be at this festival SOooo badly. Any transporters in the house tonight??

Roadburn Festival in Tilburg Holland has added yet another night of music to their already storming lineup! The weekend long festival, previously scheduled for April 20-21, is sold out. This third night, however, will be sold separately!
From the :: Roadburn Festival website ::

As if the forthcoming Roadburn Festival isn’t enough sonic overload, Sunn 0))), Bohren und der Club of Gore & Fear Falls Burning will play the Roadburn Festival Afterburner, scheduled for Sunday, April 22nd. Tickets will be sold seperately. Weekend tickets for the sold-out Roadburn Festival do not include entrance for this show.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale starting March 24th and there are only 325 total, so this will definitely sell out. don’t sleep!

I checked :: ideologic.org :: to see what else i could find out, and they have the lineup of who will be playing as Sunn O))) for this night :
Attila Csihar, Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley, with TOS Niewenhuizen

YES – even Attila will be with them!
I can’t believe the lineup for the other 2 days, it’s like sxsw for dark avant garde metal! Neurosis, OM, Red Sparrowes, Clutch, Growing, Circle, Thrones, Melvins, Amenra, and so many more!!
That’s just one more reason i should be living in Holland.

Technorati Tags: sludge metal, doom metal, drone metal, Neurosis, Sunn O))), metal, music, news, festival

Hydra Head comes through again! You can listen to the entire Pelican album City Of Echoes on the Pelican artist page on Hydra Head Records. The album will be released on June 5th, but you can preorder it (ships out the week of June 5th) from Blue Collar Distro. Until May 29th, you can also order very sweet garments with Pelican artwork all over, including men’s/women’s briefs!

Hydra Head states that “The CD is a 6 panel digi-pack with black gloss printing.”

Track Listing:

1. Bliss In Concrete
2. City Of Echoes
3. Spaceship Broken – Parts Needed
4. Winds With Hands
5. Dead Between The Walls
6. Lost In The Headlights
7. Far From Fields
8. A Delicate Sense Of Balance

You can read about Pelican plus a solid report on the state of metal releases, including Nile’s upcoming Ithyphallic and news of Mayhem touring the States this summer, in VH1.

The rest of Pelican’s Tour:

4/19 London, UK @ Islington Academy w/ These Arms Are Snakes
4/20 Brighton, UK @ Audio w/ These Arms Are Snakes
4/21 Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Festival w/ Neurosis, Om, Growing, Thrones, more
4/22 Dresden, DE @ Groovestation

OH! How I Want To Be At That ROADBURN FESTIVAL!!!! Any wish-granters out there? I still haven’t found a TARDIS on ebay….

Links

Pelican
Hydra Head News
Hydra Head Records
City Of Echoes streaming audio

Technorati Tags: sludge metal, music, news, album, Pelican, festival, tour

OXBOW (or OX_BOW, or oxbow) play infectious dissonant sludge metal. Think Mr. Bungle meets Neurosis… They have a new album coming out on Hydra Head Records called The Narcotic Story that will be released on June 5th. OXBOW and ISIS just announced that they will be touring Europe together this summer. OXBOW will also be doing a US tour sometime, hopefully this year. US tour dates will be announced when they return from the european tour.

OXBOW – The Narcotic Story

Tracklist For The Narcotic Story

(intro)
Geometry of Business
Time Gentlemen Time
Down A Stair Backward
She’s A Find
Frankly Frank
A Winner Every Time
Frank’s Frolic
It’s the Giving, Not the Taking

Stream the whole album on Hydra Head

ISIS & OXBOW Tour Dates

May 24 2007 Oran Mor Glasgow #
May 25 2007 Brickyard Carlisle #
May 27 2007 Bierkeller Bristol #
May 28 2007 Barfly Birmingham #
May 29 2007 Concorde 2 Brighton #
May 30 2007 Le Grand Mix Tourcoing #
May 31 2007 Ancienne Beligique Brussels #
Jun 1 2007 Moloko Geneva #
Jun 2 2007 Sonic Lyons #
Jun 3 2007 L’Embobineuse Marseilles #
Jun 4 2007 Le Rockstore Montpellier *
Jun 5 2007 Transilvania Live Club milan, Milano *
Jun 6 2007 Circolo Degli Artisti Rome, Roma *
Jun 7 2007 New Estragon Bologna, Bologna *
Jun 8 2007 Kilbi Festival Dudingen *
Jun 9 2007 Hirscheneck Basel
Jun 10 2007 La Locomotive Paris *
Jun 11 2007 Paradiso Amsterdam *
Jun 12 2007 Stollwerck Koln *
Jun 13 2007 Postbahnhof Berlin, Berlin *
Jun 14 2007 AN Club Athens *
Jun 16 2007 FLUC Vienna #
Jun 17 2007 Mediapark Ljubljana #
Jun 19 2007 Firlej Wroclaw #
Jun 20 2007 Progresia Warsaw #
Jun 22 2007 Palace Akropolis Prague *
Jul 2 2007 Koko London, London and South East *
Jul 14 2007 Supersonic Festival Birmingham #
Jul 16 2007 The Spitz London #

* = OXBOW (full band)
# = LOVE’S HOLIDAY (OXBOW’S ACOUSTIC DUO)

For an idea of what ISIS is like in concert, please click over to my concert review of ISIS with Jesu and Zozobra in SF this year…

LINKS

ISIS:

ISIS website
ISIS my$paz page

OXBOW:

OXBOW website
OXBOW my$spaz page
OXBOW artist page on Hydra Head

HYDRA HEAD RECORDS:

Hydra Head news
website and store

In related news – OXBOW’s vocalist/frontman, Eugene Robinson, will be releasing a book in the fall. It’s called Fight: Or, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking and will be available on Harper Collins. He will be doing a spoken word tour with the book after it is released.

Technorati Tags: metal, music, news, tour, ISIS, sludge metal, album

Sonar has added more music acts to their extensive bill of cutting-edge musicians (including Wolf Eyes!) For more info on what this festival is about, check out their website, and read my previous post that announced this year’s lineup. Here is the news, straight from their press release. i haven’t changed a thing, so all credit goes to Sonar writers :

Sunn O))) Romantica Infinite Livez Digitalism Calle 13

The most varied approaches to music are confirmed in the festival’s day and night-time line-ups. The dark ambient-rock of Sunn 0))), the best techno en masse supplied by Richie Hawtin, the rave-pop of Digitalism and Calle 13′s reggaeton are some of the last minute additions. The somber and heavy atmospheres of the duo Sunn 0))), consisting of Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson will fill the Sónar Hall. At a festival that is paying special attention to the most extreme and original variations of rock, the presence of this pioneering doom metal – or as they prefer to call it, power-ambient – group is especially timely. Also from the world of noise comes Blixa Bargeld, the vocalist from the legendary group Einstürzende Neubauten, who will be at Sonar by Day to perform with FM3, the inventors of the famous Buddha Machines and one of China’s most important electronic groups.

Hip-hop and the various facets of pop increase their presence at Sónar by Day with Infinite Livez vs. Stade feat. Joy Frempong and Hey Willpower. These two projects include highly unusual stage features in their own special musical universe (including puppets and dancers). Other highlights are the new showcases by Accidental (Matthew Herbert’s label), OndandOn Records & French Music Export Office and Rush Hour presenting Beat Dimensions. James Holden, one of the greats of dance electronica, will also provide a special set, which he has announced will differ from his usual sound.

Among the latest additions to the Night bill is the name of Calle 13, the group that has renewed Latin rhythms with an edge. Yes, it’s reggaeton, but at its most surprising and eclectic. Winners of two Grammy awards and a long way from fitting into any cliche, this Puerto Rican band are frequent collaborators with artists of the stature of La Mala Rodríguez (also on the bill of Sónar Night). Richie Hawtin returns for his traditional tumultuous session, and for the first time together with his friend Ali Demirel on visuals. And this will also be the year of Romantica at Sónar. This Japanese group combines music, performance and cabaret in an erotic-musical spectacle that has captivated audiences all over the world. The shows by Digitalism, cutting edge remixers and stars of the new-rave movement Modeselektor DJ-team and Damian Schwartz vs. Tadeo will also be essential viewing.

CONCERTS

Calle 13
Sonar by Night

Damian Schwartz vs Tadeo
Sonar by Night

Digitalism
Sonar by Night

Hey Willpower
Sonar by Day

Infinite Livez vs. Stade feat. Joy Frempong
Sonar by Day

James Holden
Sonar by Day

Modeselektor DJ-team
Sonar Night

Richie Hawtin
Sonar Night

Romantica
Sonar Night

Sunn 0)))
Sonar by Day

SHOWCASES

ACCIDENTAL presents
Setsubun Beat Unit (UK)
Mica & the Cluster (UK)
The Invisible (UK)
Sonar by Day

ONANDON RECORDS & FRENCH MUSIC EXPORT OFFICE present
C2C (FR)
Hocus Pocus (FR)
Sonar by Day

RUSH HOUR RECORDS presents BEAT DIMENSIONS
Hearin Aid (SE)
Jay Scarlett & Cinnaman (UK / NL)
Sonar by Day

m-nus presenta
JPLS
Tractile
Sonar by Night

Sónar Festival 2007

Sónar 2007: 14.15.16 June 2007

concert review of ISIS, Jesu, and Zozobra at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco, CA on April 6th, 2007
by Molli Fire

…

San Francisco

San Francisco is rocked by earthquakes regularly – tremors that rattle the china, or knock a picture off the wall are often shrugged off and forgotten 20 minutes later. This might explain why residents were indifferent to a bump in seismic activity last Friday when ISIS, Jesu, and Zozobra installed a wall of guitar amps that made the ground tremble. Neighbors can blame these 3 bands for the Seismic Sludge Metal rumbling from amps turned up to 5.5 (Richter). Their booking agent was wise to secure Bimbo’s 365 Club for the epic event – one of the few venues large enough, comfortable enough, and loud enough to showcase three heavyweight bands. With Jesu and ISIS, their music history alone would crush the floorboards of a lesser club. Add Zozobra to the stage, and the show would have moved to the basement. Bimbo’s delivered a solid, high quality show in style.

Zozobra

I am super impressed by Zozobra. They could easily be headlining their own tour, but they were an ideal choice for initiating this occasion. They displayed a horde of talent and powerful command of superbly written songs. the night started with frontman and founder Caleb Scofield, appearing solo. He greeted the room with a lovely melody that he plucked from the strings of a red guitar. When he sang, it was dark, yet gentle, almost a serenade. A few moments into this ballad, the rest of the band came out and he switched the guitar for a bass. The other two guitarists flanked Scofield on stage. Both are lean, with just enough hair to cover their faces. The entire time they played, they were grinning and rocking their heads wildly. They looked very similar, almost like twins, which provided me with a stereoscopic view of iconic guitar thrashing. The three men commanded the front of the stage, headbanging powerfully and enthusiastically, occasionally synchronized by a unified strum across 17 tense strings. I felt hypnotized by the timeless guitar stances “the twins” mirrored as they sustained a restless sonic assault. Zozobra created layer after layer of harmonic tremors that rippled through the wooden dance floor, which caused the crowd to sway like skyscrapers on heaving foundations. The guitarist on Scofield’s left deftly worked a nice range of pedal effects – psychedelic tremeloes hung in the air long after the string had been silenced, a repeat/reverse combo twisted melodies into meandering snakes that doubled back over their own tracks. The guitars seamlessly complimented the rolling explosions and fierce pummelings of the drums. The ricochet of drumming resembled an avalanche with perfect rhythm, almost belying the human element at its source. Zozobra rocked so hard as an opening band, that i thought maybe they had just stolen the show!

Zozobra tuned their guitars between songs, then shredded hard enough to wrench the strings into new keys again. In fact, all three bands refined the listening experience by adjusting the tuning of their guitars many times during each set. Most did this without delay, taking turns with tuning or playing something simple as interlude music. Unfortunately, this did not hold true for the wait in between bands. It seemed to take way longer than necessary for Jesu and ISIS to appear on stage. Don’t get me wrong, i do understand the dynamics of breaking down and setting up, especially for the soundguy who has to reset all the levels on the mixer for every microphone pointed at every drum, amp, and singer. It still took a long time beyond that. (And why does every venue since the dawn of time play the most unrelated, inappropriate intermission music over the house speakers?)

Jesu

Jesu was next, led by Justin Broadrick (formerly of Napalm Death and Godflesh). Broadrick had worked out a great set for this tour : he used his laptop to integrate an occasional piano melody, or extra guitar effects, or – for one song – rapid fire kick drum action (a la Mayhem). Not at the expense of the live drummer, however, who was wicked!! He accented the machine gun rhythm with impeccably timed staccato hits on the cymbals and snare. From what i have previously read, he is Danny Walker of Intronaut, filling in for Jesu’s regular drummer, Ted Parsons. Walker plays drums in exactly my favorite style – the cymbals are used to accent and release the energy raised, rather than a constant trigger of sustained sound. I am pretty sure that he had the spring on the snare drum loose so that it did not create the typical noise, but was more like the tight marching drum once used in battle. This, sometimes combined with a rapid fire beat on the low tom at the beginning of each measure, created a feeling of heading into a tribal war. On top of everything, the guy had mad skills and his timing was flawless during the entire set. This more than compensated for the brief technical difficulties experienced by other sections of the band. Dave Cochrane, the stoic bass player, has done many collaborations with Broadrick and is covering for Jesu’s Diarmuid Dalton during this tour. Unfortunately, he encountered a series of problems with the bass amp when it began cutting out of the soundsystem. He fell off a song or two, but the interaction actually seemed to loosen him up a bit. He played more confidently and seemed to have more fun once everything was working properly. All three musicians displayed class and a good rapport, as well as technical skill. Despite this, however, i couldn’t help feel like Jesu was really just Broadrick, and the others were simply jamming along with him. Which was pretty much the case, but i didn’t want to actually feel it.

[splashcast KDIS4782PZ]

Bimbo’s 365 Club

Bimbo’s 365 Club is huge inside – much bigger than Slim’s, Cafe Du Nord, or Bottom of the Hill – and on this night, it was packed with metal fans. Aahhh, but the nice thing about Bimbo’s is that it maintains a comfortable environment, even when a show, like this one, is sold out. According to the club’s website, “packed” is somewhere between 6-700 people! Many decades ago, someone planned its building and interior with the definition of “ample” as their blueprint. The stage had room enough for 3 bands’ drum kits, stacks of guitar amps/cabs, 3 synthesizers on stands, and still ample room to rock. The main room is vast, with tall ceilings and plenty of ventilation. It looked like everyone in the audience had a good view of the stage, and interaction with the bands felt close and intimate. The decor is luxe and elegant, in the style of a 1940′s dinner club, and the waitresses are a bit punk rock with their black fishnets and crowd maneuvering skills. Bimbo’s 365 Club is one of the most enjoyable places in SF to see a show, especially a loud metal show. The 6-700 people in attendance comprised a good mix of metal fans – i noticed veterans as well as new faces in the crowd. Some crews that i haven’t seen at a show in SF since the 3 Days of Darkness hosted Khanate, Thrones, and Graves At Sea, in 2004. Some of the younger faces in the crowd were likely due to Bimbo’s admittance of 18-21 year olds.

ISIS

Finally, after another long wait between bands, ISIS appeared. They immediately annihilated the intermission atmosphere, proving absolutely that it had been worth the 30 minute wait and the lifetime of anticipation spent by those who came to be initiated into live, loud sludge metal, exacted by masters of the craft. ISIS thrashed even harder than i have come to expect from sludge metal bands enjoying their 10th year of performing together. The 4 guitarists rejected the hypnotizing effect of synchronized movements that Zozobra had wielded, in favor of thrashing individually, each to a different aspect of the music. Sometimes bending completely over the guitar they gripped, then snapping backwards to stare at the ceiling, never relenting on the strings they were punishing. This added a striking visual dissonance that superbly matched the music’s innate discord. Sounds forged in minor keys and draped in distortion only to be fragmented by the battling pulses of the drums, the cymbals, and the synths that delayed and decayed at doomed intervals. This frenzy made it impossible to capture a clear photo of the whole band at once. You can see in my photos that some moved so quickly as to leave a trail of places they had been! B.C. Meyer (i believe) switched between atmospheric synthesizers and grinding guitar, headbanging and thrashing equally on both instruments. ISIS played a fair amount older material, from Celestial, Red Sea, and Mosquito Control, which made me VERY happy. I stopped listening to ISIS when they released Panopticon in 2004 because i prefer their earlier sound – uncompromisingly heavy atmospheric sludge metal. To my ears, Panopticon sounded too smoothed out, polished; in other words, too commercial, and devoid of the grit i felt was at the soul of earlier work. However, on stage in 2007, the occasional “weak” song merely provided enough contrast for the band to show off just how heavy their usual sound is. And heavy is something that ISIS owned at this show. They hit some songs so hard that it weighed down your own head, until you were facing your own soul, and then lifted it high with distorted upsweeps, until you gazed above the room, to where the melodies were scattering into the depths of space. At times, the pummeling beats could elevate your strong arm into the air, and cinch your hand into devil’s horns. An enthusiastic display of solidarity grew within the crowd, gaining strength with each attack on silence. I actually heard some fans singing along. Well, not really singing, more like growling. It was the first time i noticed anyone growling along to songs at a metal show. Whenever ISIS would delve into the quieter, more melodic parts, the crowd would cheer, or scream the band’s name, as if some just couldn’t handle the sudden release from crushing bar chords.

My Afterparty

The show inspired me greatly – this was the kind of show that justifies going out, and raises the excitement about what the future holds for music. The minute that i got home, i ripped the plastic off my new Celestial double vinyl to see what colours i got (the album has been repressed at least twice recently, each batch offering a different blend of marbled inks). Next, i lifted my shining black guitar from its furry grey coffin and played everything i had heard that night. That is my definition of a great show.

LINKS

ZOZOBRA
Zozobra music on murdochspace
interview with Caleb

JESU
Jesu website
Jesu in Wiki

ISIS
ISIS website
ISIS music on murdochspace

HYDRA HEAD RECORDS
Hydra Head news
website and store

VENUE
Bimbo’s 365 Club San Francisco, CA

…

Southern Lord announced the release of Earth’s newest album, Hibernaculum on heavyweight vinyl :

The vinyl version of Earths’ latest offering: “Hibernaculum” is upon us! Beautifully designed heavy cardboard, “tip-on” style (ie: like an old 70s jacket) jacket with thick printed innersleeve. Slightly different artwork then the CD.

Initial pressing:
(3,000 )180 Gram Black,
(1,000 )180 gram clear.

We are offering both colors for sale.

1. Ouroboros Is Broken
2. Coda Maestoso In F (Flat) Minor
3. Miami Morning Coming Down
4. A Plague of Angels

Please click over to the Southern Lord Store to purchase.

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news is slowly trickling out of the wake of the ISIS and Jesu tour path.

the reports are coming in daily from NYC, Cambridge and Toronto. we should be hearing from Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis soon. i’ve compiled a handful of concert reviews about the ISIS/Jesu tour. in addition to each link, i have quoted a tiny snippet about each band from each review. this is my attempt to create a tour-at-a-glance view with heads’ own words, so you can get an idea of how the bands are sounding. definitely go read the reviews in their entireity. they all have detailed descriptions of each band from each show. all the links here are pretty good, the top 2 really stand out.

• great review by Chris Bilton
  march 20 at the opera house toronto ontario
  jesu : distorted shoegazer drones performed at a snail’s pace
  isis : captivating set….intense physicality to the heady philosophies found within.

• probably the best review, or maybe just the most positive and well informed by Shehzaad Jiwani :
  March 20, 2007 Opera House Toronto, ON
  only one quote, for the show overall : the show was a phenomenal display of underground talent…

• great review by not paper’s adam
  Zozobra : fast, rhythmic chug-rock and slow, melodic doom
  Jesu : shoegaze-enriched art-metal
  ISIS : gritty dirges, rousing choruses, soulful movements, and ambient noise

• photos by Rev. Aaron
• photos by gdvorsky
• photos by propheci

• decent review from ottawa by the Humpradio blogger
  jesu : 45 minutes of powerful atmospheric metal
  isis : Tool sounding prog metal

• another review, this one by Brad Filicky
  torche : Stoner grove
  isis : nonstop art metal assault
  overall : uncompromising heavy music

• by the blogger, March to the Sea
  jesu : wonderfully “sonic” show
  isis : post metal slug fest

sounds like the critics agree on two things – the shows are LOUD! and resonate the thinking centers as much as the feeling centers. but mind what you’re feeling when you’re shoulder to shoulder in a thicket of black hooded ‘heads….

i’d be pretty satisfied if my music was described as Stoner grove. i mean really, how can you go wrong with that kind of street cred?

i can’t wait. i will be imbibing the layers of distortion from the swanky seating in san francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club. it’s like the old dinner clubs from 1930′s movies, you sit and enjoy the entertainment, perhaps make a round of the dancefloor if yer feeling, amped. i plan to immerse myself in the intensely ambient atmospheres, and gaze at stoner slugs with soulful movements in a rousing assault on doomed sonic snails, and maybe post metal underground to be captivated by gritty dirges as they distort themselves into uncompromising art. then again, i”ll probably drone on for 45 minutes nonstop after a heady chug fest-enriched display of powerful choruses. only time and the 2 drink minimum will tell. (and of course i will have a full report for you when i recover!)

here is the rest of the ISIS, Jesu, Zozobra tour :

4/1 The Big Easy Boise ID
4/2 The Big Easy Spokane WA
4/3 Neumo’s Crystal Ball Reading Room Seattle WA
4/4 Hawthorne Theatre Portland OR
4/5 DAY OFF
4/6 Bimbo’s 365 Club San Francisco CA
4/7 Downtown Brew San Luis Obispo CA
4/8 Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles CA

In my continuing efforts to keep you up to date on the whereabouts of drone metal’s darlings Sunn O))) and their japanese experimental thrash metal cohorts, Boris, i present you with :

Boris and Sunn O))) will be touring Australia and Japan this year!!

MAY 3 – PERTH – totally huge new music festival

MAY 5 – BRISBANE – the columbian

MAY 6 – SYDNEY – factory theatre

MAY 9 – MELBOURNE – hifi bar

MAY 13 – NIIGATA – lots

MAY 16 – NAGOYA – quattro

MAY 17 – SHINSAIBASHI – quattro

MAY 20 – KAWASAKI – citta

more info should be available soon from the websites of :: Southern Lord :: or :: Steven O’Malley :: or :: Boris ::

this is not a collaboration of the 2 bands like the album Altar represents. each band will play a full set at each show. i can’t promise that there won’t be any overlapping of the 2 bands on stage though!

Sunn O)) have taken the minimalist metal approach first showcased by the band Earth, and driven it through guitar amp feedback of epic proportions! their live performances have a strong ritual influence, and are about as loud as sustained bass frequencies can get.

Boris, hailing from japan, bring their own unique twist to thrash metal. probably most famous for the enormous gong that looms over the drummer, waiting to add rippling emphasis to their loud and banging sound. Boris may be tiny in height, but they reign huge in sound!

the 2 bands toured together in previous years, developing a musical rapport that led to the collaboration album called, Altar. Other collaborators on this album include :
Jesse Sykes (vocalist:Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter)
Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
Joe Preston (Earth, thrones, melvins, high on fire)
Rex Ritter (Jessamine, Fontanelle)
Steve Moore (Earth)
Dylan Carlson (Earth)

more info on this album can be found here : http://www.sunnborisaltar.com/