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 →])

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Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters

“I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots”
More album and band info on their Southern Lord page
You can also download this song from the WITTR page on Southern Lord

I have a review of the Wolves In The Throne Room/Ludicra/Graves At Sea concert in SF that I will be posting this weekend, so check back!

OM will be releasing their third album, Pilgrimage, on Southern Lord Records. I already reported about the album, which will be released on October 2nd, but now we have audio to share! Go to the original OM Pilgrimage article to listen to “Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead.” You can also download the mp3 directly from the new OM page on Southern Lord’s website.

Hold The Press! We have a new updated version of the Wolves In The Throne Room US tour. We don’t want anyone to miss an opportunity to see these guys live, or show up on the wrong day, or anything like that… WITTR will bring their special black forest metal to cities throughout the west coast, midwest and deep south touching on various tours with different bands of equally extreme caliber: Wolves In The Throne Room will play different shows with Jesu, Graves At Sea, Kinski, Ludicra, Thrones and more. ([More →])

Stephen O’Malley is oft recognized as a pioneer of doom and drone metal from his participation in Khanate and Sunn O))). But before either of these incarnations, O’Malley and Greg Anderson (also of Sunn O) were creating blackest doom metal in Burning Witch and Thorr’s Hammer. Thorr’s Hammer was an incredible band with a charming female who sang in Norwegian (Runhild Gammelsæter aka Ozma, who was a 17 year old exchange student from Norway at the time). My favorite song by them is “Norge” which starts out softly, Ozma’s voice fades in, chanting in Norwegian. Then, that same female voice dives deeply into gravelly death metal vocalizations. It’s hard to believe that it’s a female singing still, she is so convincing with her delivery! ([More →])

Yet another update to the Jesu, Sunn O))) and now Wolves In The Throne Room Tour! That’s right, Wolves In The Throne Room will be joining the heavyweights of experimental metal for half of their tour as well as playing numerous shows with Ludicra this Fall. The only down side is that Wolves will no longer be playing the shows with Asunder that were accidentally announced last week. But playing with Jesu more than makes up for it, I think! ([More →])

Steve Albini strikes again! As a recording engineer, he is one of the few who can be trusted with the task of recording extreme music that has a long history of being improperly mastered and mixed-down. He has made all the difference in the world on recordings with Neurosis, Fugazi, Gogol Bordello, The Stooges, Mono, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and many more. Well, it’s no wonder then, that OM trusted him to record their third full-length album at Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The album will be titled Pilgrimage and it is due to be released on Southern Lord (OM’s first album on this label) on October 2nd. ([More →])

Wolves in the Throne Room have been busy this summer. They’ve been on an extensive tour with Sunn O))) and Earth, they are scheduled to play a few shows with Ludicra, and they have added even more shows that will extend their tour into Fall. Not only that, but they are playing with some of the best live metal bands along the way! I am so excited for the San Francisco show, not only because Wolves in the Throne Room put on a smashing show, but also because they will be playing with one of my fave doom metal bands - Graves at Sea. In other cities they play with Thrones, Asunder, Goatwhore and more! They will even venture into Canada for a few shows, so if you are a metal fan on the west coast, there will be no excuse for missing one of these epic shows… ([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 →])

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

Southern Lord announced that there has been a change of venue for the Sunn O))) and Boris show on May 5th in Brisbane, AUS :

Due to the Columbian losing their license for live music, the May 5 Sunn/Boris show has now moved to the QUT GUILD BAR, Gardens Point
All pre-purchased tickets for this show are valid at the new venue
Doors open at 8pm
Apologies for the inconvenience!!

anyone know why the Columbian lost their license for live music? that sucks…

Wow! it is a good time to be down under! this show not only features the notorious drone duo known as Sunn O))), but also includes a brand new collaboration with Tasmanian native - STRIBORG!

this is what is posted on Southern Lord’s news page :

SUNN 0))) PRESENTS: PENTEMPLE

GREG ANDERSON (of Sunn 0))), Goatsnake, Burial Chamber Trio)
STEPHEN O’MALLEY (of Sunn 0))), KTL, Khanate, Gravetemple)
OREN AMBARCHI (of Touch records, Gravetemple, Burial Chamber Trio)
ATTILA CSIHAR (of Mayhem, Tormentor, Aborym, Gravetemple, Burial Chamber Trio)
SIN NANNA (aka STRIBORG)

Tuesday 8th May 2007
The Toff in Town

As you will know, US doom-drone behemoth SUNN 0))) will be performing a HUGE must-see show together with Japanese monsters BORIS at the Hi-fi Bar on Wednesday 9th May. However we are pleased to announce a Melbourne-only intimate ‘improv’ show that will include collaborations with members of black metal legends Mayhem and Striborg! This show will be completely different to the Hi-fi show and strictly limited to capacity at Melbourne’s newest venue The Toff in Town on Tuesday 8th May

This ritual will feature the first public appearance of Tasmania’s Sin Nanna aka STRIBORG, making a special & rare live collaboration with Attila Csihar, (legendary vocalist of Mayhem), Aussie avant-maverick Oren Ambarchi, and Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley of Sunn 0))). Blackened low-end psychedelics not for the faint hearted - a one-time event not to be missed!!!

Unearthly ritual with strictly limited capacity. You can pre-purchase tickets to avoid disappointment from The Toff in Town, Metropolis Bookstore, Polyester Records and the Corner Box Office - phone: 9427 9198 or on-line: www.cornerhotel.com. Tickets on sale Thursday 26th April. Pre-sale tickets: + bf / on the door if available.

The Toff in Town
Level 2, Curtin House
252 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 03 9639 8770

Read More about Sunn O))) : Sunn O))) news