…And that’s only news because they’re from Chicago, which means the burger is at Kuma’s Corner, and it’s a unique and artery-clogging concoction named for the band. The Atlas Moth’s Candlelight/Battle Kommand debut, A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky, is out Oct. 20. In the meantime, dig this recipe (and other info) as told by the PR wire:

The Atlas Moth have announced a record listening party on October 4th at Chicago’s Kuma’s Corner (MySpace here), the restaurant known for naming its burgers after international and hometown favorite metal bands. Here they’ll unveil the mammoth “Atlas Moth Burger“… a 10 oz. slab of beef on waffles, topped with collared greens, fried chicken, chicken fried bacon and a bacon infused maple syrup. Amazing!

My chest hurts just thinking about it. Fortunately the band will get a good workout touring the US for about two months to support the album after a record release show at Reggie’s in Chicago with Kylesa, Saviours and Red Fang. Other dates follow after the jump.

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With a truly international lineup involving members from Hungary, Italy, Poland and the UK (where the band as a unit makes its home), semi-psychedelic hard rockers Obiat are bound to cull together a unique bundling of influences. And just as diversity of culture brings different perspectives to other group works, Obiat’s third album and first for Small Stone, Eye Tree Pi, leans toward post-metal without falling prey what are fast becoming the cliches of the genre, thanks in no small part to the individual elements each member adds to the sound.

Eye Tree Pi is an album that requires more than an immediate impression to go on. There is more to hearing it than just sitting passively and enjoying the sound; it is the process of digging deeper that gives the most satisfaction, and it was in that spirit that I hit up the band for an email interview, for which I was accommodated by vocalist Laz Pallagi and guitarist Raf Reutt. Among the issues discussed is the band’s storied heritage and how they all came to congregate around London and Reading, the making of Eye Tree Pi and how it stands in line with its two predecessors.

Interview is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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The children love Baroness, and though I don’t get it, I wouldn’t want that to stop anyone from checking out this combined listening party/show tomorrow night, Oct. 1, in Manhattan. They’re going to be playing the new Baroness record and there will be sets by Fight Amp, Moth Eater and Voyager, as you can see from the nifty poster below. You know you’ve been looking for an excuse to get wasted on Thursday…

If we’ve learned anything about Los Angeles thunder-thrash duo Black Cobra by this time, it’s that they kick ass. Starting with their 2004 self-titled, self-released EP, and across the two full-lengths that followed (2006’s Bestial and 2007’s Feather and Stone), guitarist/vocalist Jason Landrian (Cavity) and drummer Rafael Martinez (Acid King, 16) have left boot prints in the glutes of the multitudes planet-wide, touring incessantly and becoming ever tighter and ever more aggressive. Kicking, in other words, more ass.

So with the surprisingly unceremonious release of their new Billy Anderson-produced Southern Lord debut, Chronomega, it’s not much of a surprise to hear Black Cobra doing what they do best; taking all the intensity of earlier High on Fire and ramping it up even further with Melvins-on-speed riffing and unhinged drum-work that would do Dave Lombardo proud (listen to “Glacies en Spiritu” — it’s like the whole song is a fill!). Some subtle development in Landrian’s vocals is apparent throughout. Not so much in the beginning — opener “Negative Reversal” keeps it pretty straightforward — but the echo on the title track gives his voice an early-‘90s Ministry vibe and there’s some melody creeping into “Catalyst” that shows some definite growth. It’s in there if you listen for it.

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Connecticut was where I ended up this past weekend after much back and forth indecisiveness. A familiar enough setting by now, I can even navigate around Wallingford without a map, which came in handy when for the third time (here’s the second) I stopped in at Red Scroll Records on North Colony and hit their precariously positioned used rack to see what I could find. Of note, they had both Croatan’s Curse of the Red Queen and Soulpreacher’s Sonic Witchcraft, which I picked up in Maryland at SHoD X, and there were a couple other points of interest along the way, but what I ended up leaving with, paramount in the haul, was Lamentations by UK epic doomers Solstice and Suspect Symmetry by Ontario sludge-grinders Buried Inside.

I’ll be honest, I almost didn’t buy the latter. After reviewing their latest record earlier in the year I barely listened to it, and Suspect Symmetry didn’t seem to justify my $7.50, but curiosity won out, and since this was the record that ostensibly got them signed to Relapse, I figured it was at least worthy of hearing. And yeah, I guess it was.

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They’re not signed, they don’t have a release ready yet, I don’t even know if they’ve played any shows, but Salt Lake City fuzz duo Dwellers come with built in interest due to guitarist/vocalist Joey Toscano’s presence in the criminally under-noticed Iota and drummer Zach Hatsis‘ in I Hate Records doomers Subrosa. Does that officially make Dwellers a side-project? Probably.

In any case, there are two tracks over at their MySpace that are easily worth the time (hardly any at all) and expense (absolutely none at all) it takes to check them out. Go forth and groove.

Blood, the first album in 16 years by Seattle psych-stoners Snail (say that five times fast) is among 2009’s most pleasant surprises. Brought to light via the increasingly prolific MeteorCity, the album is comprised of 11 tracks the band had originally demoed before breaking up after releasing the All Channels are Open EP in 1994. It was to be their second full-length after their 1993 self-titled debut, and with the musical climate in Seattle at that time, the safer bet was it was going to get them noticed.

In the email interview below, Snail guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson cites the usual suspects as reasons for the band falling apart, but what’s even more important is the vibrant tones the trio-turned-four-piece calls forth from the ether on Blood. Johnson, original drummer Marty Dodson and bassist Matt Lynch are joined by new guitarist Eric Clausen, whose presence not only adds texture to the songs, but fitting and killer solos as well. All around, it’s a win.

Also worth noting that of all the emailers I’ve done (and I’ve done a bunch at this point), this one required the least editing or formatting, so a special thanks to Johnson for that and for his time in general. Interview is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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…And because awesomeness is its own excuse for being:

A friendly note from the PR wire reminds that Philly mongrels Javelina release their full-length, Beasts among Sheep today, Sept. 29, on Translation Loss. Haven’t heard it yet, but if it’s anything like their self-titled was, should be a winner. Behold the press release and tour dates:

Javelina posted the new tracks “You’re Going to Hate This” and “Black Blizzard” from their Translation Loss Records debut release titled Beasts among Sheep due out  September 29th, 2009, here.

Javelina’s new record Beasts among Sheep was recorded at Volume Studios in Chicago, IL, by Sanford Parker Parker (Minsk, Pelican, Nachtmystium), mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room, and features artwork by Philadelphia’s very own Old City Tattoo stalwart artist Jason Goldberg.

Beasts among Sheep is now available for with exclusive CD/T-shirt package deals only available on the Translation Loss Records webstore!

10/03/2009 Oade’s Hidden Camel – Lansing, MI w/ The Plague Years
10/04/2009 The Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN
10/05/2009 Ronny’s – Chicago, IL w/ Lord Mantis
10/06/2009 Red Raven- Fargo, ND w/ Nux Vomica
10/07/2009 The Bar – Missoula, MT w/ Nux Vomica
10/08/2009 The Morgue – Georgetown, WA w/ Nux Vomica
10/09/2009 The Rendezvous – Seattle, WA w/ Nux Vomica, Slave Traitor
10/10/2009 Plan B – Portland, OR w/ Nux Vomica
10/11/2009 *TBA
10/12/2009 Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA
10/13/2009 Alterknit Lounge @ The Knitting Factory – Los Angeles, CA
10/14/2009 Jug Heads - Phoenix, AZ w/ The Accused
10/16/2009 The Phoenix Project – Dallas, TX w/ Vorvadoss, Kill the Client, Maleveller
10/17/2009 Red 7 – Austin, TX w/ Pasadena Napalm Divison (members of DRI, Deadhorse)
10/18/2009 The Rats Nest – Houston, TX w/ Pretty Little Flower, Skruge, Termination Force
10/19/2009 Checkpoint Charlie’s – New Orleans, LA w/ Holy Dirt, Raum
10/20/2009 Transitions Arts Gallery @ Tampa Skate Park – Tampa, FL w/ Six Dead Horses
10/21/2009 Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL w/ Six Dead Horses
10/22/2009 Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA w/ Music Hates You, Sons of Tonatiuth, Fluff
10/23/2009 Slim’s – Raleigh, NC w/ Man Will Destroy Himself
10/24/2009 Barclay House – Baltimore, MD w/ Man Will Destroy Himself
11/11/2009 941 Theater – Philadelphia, PA w/ The Atlas Moth, Wetnurse, Woe

There’s little doubt everything about San Francisco freak rockers SubArachnoid Space’s ninth full-length, Eight Bells (Crucial Blast) is meant to provoke a reaction. The Stephen Kasner cover art is at once horrific and beautiful — we see a severed arm but also several other phantom limbs from the figure in Venus-like repose and the image is undoubtedly bleak in nature but still somehow triumphant — and the music that spreads across the five tracks that comprise the album follow a similar course of leading listeners in with engulfing sounds before repelling them again with complex changes and other sonic experiments.

It’s a battle of accessibility, and maybe that’s the intent all along. If so, then it’s most fully realized on the second of the five pieces, “Akathesia.” The title a reference to the inner restlessness keeping one from standing still, this is almost certainly evoked in the music, which follows a gradually building structure across its 13-plus minutes to an insistent and pulsating start-stop conclusion that is not only the most aggressive moment on Eight Bells, but also the most satisfying. It does what closing duo “Haruspex” and “Bird Signs” try to do all on its own.

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StonerRock.com, which has been following the story of one Tariq Ali, one of its board members who went missing Sept. 13, has posted an update that his body has been found in a forest near his home, dead in an apparent suicide. Again, I didn’t know him at all, we’d never spoken, but the scene around this music is small enough that there’s a genuine sense of community and to lose someone under these circumstances hits us all pretty hard. The Obelisk sends condolences to his family and friends.

Here’s a local newspaper story.

Today is my fifth wedding anniversary, so don’t expect much in the way of updates. The Patient Mrs. is well deserving of her name, but I’m not about to push it with, “Just a second, baby, I’ve gotta finish reviewing this record then we can spend time together.” Not today, anyway. In my absence, I decided to throw down enough media to hopefully last the afternoon and for everyone to enjoy. Even though I haven’t been updating as much as I was, say, in July, the daily hits for this site are on the up and that is much, much appreciated. Thanks for reading.

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Of all the Obelisk-relevant news that’s come in on the PR wire this week, this is the only bit that made me want to get in an airplane. Tee Pee Records has put together a festival for November called Fog Rising, set to take place in San Francisco at Broadway Studios. Here’s the info, edited from its original press release for form and content:

Tee Pee Records and Secret Serpents present Fog Rising.

Among the bands performing are Witch featuring Mario Rubalcaba of Earthless on drums, this will be Witch’s only west coast performance of 2009. Saviours, who release their brand new album, Accelerated Living, on October 26th, Ancestors, who have a highly anticipated release of their own coming out October 6th titled Of Sound Mind, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound and many more.

Advance tickets will go on sale Monday, September 27th, via the Secret Serpents website.

2PM, November 7
Broadway Studios – 435 Broadway
San Francisco, CA

Bands:
Witch
Saviours
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound
Night Horse
Ancestors
Black Math Horseman
Imaad Wasif with Two Part Beast
Lecherous Gaze
Citadelle

Artists:
Alan Forbes
David D’Andrea
Alan Hynes
Marq Spusta

Seriously, this whole afternoon, and to be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure it’s done right.

What you’ll find enclosed in the following two YouTube clips is the interview I conducted this past weekend at the Planet Caravan Festival with UK doom lords Orange Goblin. It was with the whole band and we all sat in the backstage area at The Orange Peel while Taddy Porter’s set came through the walls. Sorry about the background noise. You can kick me in the jimmy when next we meet and hopefully that’ll make up for it.

My initial plan for today was to sit down with the recorded interview (actually it was the plan for Tuesday, but that’s a different story entirely) and transcribe it all out, but I’m sure once you listen to 30 seconds of the first half of the interview and then stop it out of impatience you’ll understand why that didn’t work out. Not the best quality ever. Mostly I blame Taddy Porter. Then myself. In that order.

But it was my goal to have a beer with Orange Goblin, and I accomplished that. Planet Caravan being their only US show this year and their new album not due until 2010 — which is the future! — basically we just shot the shit for a little while about what it’s like to be in Orange Goblin, what they’ve got in store going forward and how Planet Caravan compares to Roadburn and the dearly-missed Emissions from the Monolith.

Enjoy. Oh, and any Solace fans might want to start with pt. 2, wherein Ben Ward calls them fucking scumbags. Classic.

Whereas the title could once be applied to the more tech-happy Atheist or later-era Death, for the better part of this century, the “progressive death metal” genre tag has been subsumed almost entirely by one band: Opeth. As such, when I say that Gwynbleidd’s epic debut LP, Nostalgia fits well into the prog-death genre, I’m basically saying it sounds like the seminal Swedes. I’m sorry, but it’s unavoidable.

Almost so much so that it’s a distraction in listening. Nostalgia is not my first experience with Gwynbleidd — that would be their self-released 2006 EP, Amaranthine — but the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Poland four-piece have upped their ‘Peth levels and it goes beyond mere aesthetic into the very fabric of the music itself. The hauntingly sustained notes, the acoustic/classic guitar interludes, the reverbed deathly growls and the back and forth interplay between heavy and melodic: all elements that should be immediately identifiable to anyone who’s sat with Blackwater Park and/or Deliverance on more than one occasion (note also that Gwynbleidd formed in 2002, between the release of those two records).

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