I haven’t been publishing a lot of metal lately, which is too bad. There were some real gems featured earlier this year plus a few tunes that just came in recently. Here is the Top Metal Music of 2007, as selected from the ([HearingTest]) audio archive. ([More →])

Residents and visitors of the Haight/Golden Gate Park area of SF should make some effort to secure fragile objects and batten down what needs secured this Sunday, October 14th. I don’t anticipate an earthquake, although that is always a possibility, but I do anticipate some serious seismic activity in that neighborhood on that day. See, I just got word that OM and Boris will both be performing live, for FREE, at the Amoeba Records at the tip of upper Haight Street. This is a monumental event, even by Amoeba’s free shows standards. Never before have 2 bands of such heavy sonic history played in-store on the very same day. I can’t wait! Finally a great reason to be in SF instead of London or NYC… ([More →])

Black Metal Updates Abound! Boris will again tour the US, but not with Sunn O))) this time. The tour begins in Chicago on September 30th, and features the japanese metal outfit playing collaborative sets with Michio Kurihara! They will play material off their most recent release, Rainbow plus many surprises! ([More →])

The West Coast US is positively spoiled for epic underground metal music. Especially in the last 6 years, when we’ve had regular access to incredible performances by Sunn O))), Earth, Ludicra, Wolves In The Throneroom, and many of Mike Patton’s incarnations. My apologies to metal fans of afar who are teased by our repeated thrashings and harmonic tremors. Behind this veil of an intro, lies news of a metal extravanganza for all ages. It begins with warnings for the weak of heart residing on the west coast which is about to be invaded by Ludicra, Wolves In The Throne Room, Wormwood, Middian, Orb of Confusion and more. But, if you are in the UK, you can skip the first half of this article and read the report on Earth, Sunn O))) and Boris in London below. West Coast and UK read on - if you dare… ([More →])

Southern Lord is giving away FREE STUFF including tickets to west coast shows on the 777 Tour, Sunn O)))/Boris LPs and Southern Lord goodies. This is your chance if you don’t already have tickets to see Earth, Sunn O))), Wolves In The Throneroom, and Weedeater in either LA, San Diego, Portland or Seattle. ([More →])

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.

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

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/