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Bible of the Devil: Somebody Get These Guys a Drink

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 25th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Aside from their having been the first interview posted on The Obelisk, I have sentimental attachment to Chicago hellraisers Bible of the Devil because, uh, they rock. They rock often and they rock hard. Would be nice if we saw a new record from them this year, but one can only imagine the run of dates they’re doing with Slough Feg will produce one if not more new songs about “the night,” so on that level, it’s all for a good cause.

The band checked in with this update. Note the Chicago show with Paul Di’Anno is happening tonight, Feb. 25:

Attention BOTD fans!  Here’s what we having coming up in the next two months:

February 25th Thurs. Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Live w/Paul Di’Anno, Icarus Witch, Desolate Sky $12 adv/$15 dos Doors 8pm BOTD plays at 9pm sharp!!!  We also will have limited edition screenprint posters available for $10 to commemorate this occasion.
March 12th Fri. Iowa City, IA @ The Picador w/Snow Demon, Bloodcow
March 13th Sat. Chicago, IL @ Quenchers w/American Draft

Parched in the Western World US Tour April 2010:
April 1st Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge w/Slough Feg, Hay Perro
April 2nd Madison, WI @ The Frequency w/Slough Feg
April 3rd Louisville, KY @ Third Street Dive w/Slough Feg, The Vibrolas
April 4th Carbondale, IL @ PK’s w/Slough Feg, Zuul
April 5th Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Café w/Slough Feg
April 6th Austin, TX @ Emo’s w/Slough Feg, Radio Moscow, Naam
April 7th San Antonio, TX @ Nightrocker Live w/Slough Feg
April 8th Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad w/Slough Feg, Leeches of Lore
April 9th Scottsdale, AZ @ The Rogue w/Slough Feg
April 10th Los Angeles, CA @ TBA w/Slough Feg
April 11th San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside w/Slough Feg, Orchid
April 13th Portland, OR @ Rotture w/Dark Black
April 14th Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
April 15th Missoula, MT @ The Palace w/Rooster Sauce
April 16th Rapid City, SD @ Roman’s Pub w/Woman is the Earth
April 17th Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room w/Bloodcow, The Dinks, Desire to Destroy

Check out our new video for “Warrior Fugue” from our 10 year anniversary show!!  The video was shot and edited by Derek Ashbaugh and friends who also did “The Turning Stone” video. You can see the video here:

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Here’s a Cathedral Review that Would Also Have to Fit on Two Discs

Posted in Reviews on February 25th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

A double album is always a curious read, and Cathedral’s ninth full-length, The Guessing Game, with which the legendary UK doom outfit celebrates their 20th anniversary, is no exception. All the more so considering The Guessing Game is so close to the 80-minute limit of what would fit on a regular compact disc that, if the band had nixed the two two-and-a-half-minute intros, the record would have fit easily. So it’s not like they’ve come up with such an abundance of material as a follow-up to 2005’s The Garden of Unearthly Delights, but the jeans are just a little too tight to hold what they’ve got. I think we’ve all been there at one time or another.

Please don’t take that as calling The Guessing Game bloated. As one of the bands who set the course for the genre of traditional doom with classic albums like 1993’s The Ethereal Mirror and 1995’s The Carnival Bizarre, they know what it takes to make a good record, and although I generally fall on the side of cut what you need to to make it work — to the point of agreeing with George Martin that The White Album should have been a single disc (would the world really miss “Rocky Raccoon” or “Revolution No. 9?”) — if after two decades of existence, Cathedral want to make a 2CD, I’m not about to fault them for doing so. After five years, I’m just happy to have a new record. Any issue of how to interpret whether to take it as one whole work or two separate albums is secondary to that. Maybe that’s The Guessing Game.

In any case, the remaining original and principal members of the band, vocalist Lee Dorrian (whose back story by now shouldn’t need retelling) and guitarist Garry “Gaz” Jennings, both give remarkable performances throughout The Guessing Game. From “Funeral of Dreams” and down the line of the first disc’s material, Dorrian’s voice is a constant high point. Even as “Funeral of Dreams” pays bizarre homage to ritualistic ‘70s prog — think bands like Black Widow and CovenDorrian stays in character and on point vocally. And it’s a hearty “holy shit” moment nearly every time Jennings kicks into a solo, perhaps most especially on “Painting in the Dark.”

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Update: Acid King Still Kicks Ass

Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 24th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Breaking news: As the video below for the song “Bad Vision” from 2005’s III album confirms, San Francisco stoner icons Acid King are indeed in a perpetual state of kicking ass. Reports are coming in from all around the world of Acid King-shaped bootprints in the buttockal regions of listeners everywhere. And though it’s been half a decade since they put out an album, any visitation of old material will find Lori S., Joey Osbourne and whoever happens to be playing bass that week assuredly delivering rump-tenderizing roundhouses as though it’s all they know how to do.

Point: Acid King still kicks ass. Of course, The Obelisk will follow this story as it develops further.

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Who Doesn’t Like a Little Naam in Springtime?

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 24th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Hard-hitting psychedelic fuzz mavens Naam are heading out on the road for the Spring, which, if you think about it, is a great time to do it. Everything’s blooming, everyone wants to get out and screw, beers are had, memories are made and repressed. Enjoyment all around. Dig this lofty PR wire update:

Brooklyn, NY heavy psych rock trio Naam has announced spring, 2010 US tour dates in support of its critically acclaimed, self-titled debut. The fast-rising buzz band will team up with heavy rockers Radio Moscow for a month long trek set to launch on March 31 in San Francisco, CA. The tour is expected to criss-cross the country and will run through early May.

When asked for comment on the just-announced tour, Naam bassist John Bundy exclaimed, “We can’t wait to hit the road and fuck shit up. Let’s do it.” Naam has also just announced multiple live appearances as part of the 2010 SXSW Music Festival, set for March 17-20 in Austin, TX.

NAAM tour dates:
February 28 Brooklyn, New York Pysch Fest @ Glasslands
March 13 Brooklyn, New York Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Priestess)
March 6 Brooklyn, New York Union Pool (w/ Liturgy)
March 17 Austin, Texas Mohawk (as part of the ACTION! PR SXSW Showcase w/ High on Fire, Priestess, Zoroaster, The Gates of Slumber, Mondo Drag and more)
March 18 Austin, Texas Emo’s (Full Metal Texas)
March 18 Austin, Texas Habana Calle 6 (as part of the Tee Pee Records SXSW Showcase
March 19 Austin, Texas Liberty Bar
March 20 Austin, Texas Red 7
March 21 Dallas, Texas The Double Wide (as part of Bro Fest 2010)

Naam / Radio Moscow US Tour:
March 31 San Francisco, California Elbo Room
April 1 Los Angeles, California Spaceland
April 3 Albuquerque, New Mexico Burt’s Tiki Lounge
April 5 Denton, Texas Rubber Gloves
April 6 Austin, Texas Emo’s
April 7 New Orleans, Louisiana Saturn Bar
April 8 Atlanta, Georgia Lenny’s Bar
April 9 Savannah, Georgia The Jinx
April 10 Charlotte, North Carolina Casbah @ Tremont Music Hall
April 11 Richmond, Virginia The Triple
April 12 Baltimore, Maryland Golden West
April 13 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania North Star Bar
April 14 New York, New York Cake Shop
April 16 Rochester, New York Bug Jar
April 17 Columbus, Ohio The Summit
April 18 Cleveland, Ohio Beachland Tavern
April 19 Newport, Kentucky Southgate House
April 20 Chicago, Illinois Double Door
April 21 St. Paul, Minnesota Turf Club
April 22 Ames, Iowa DG’s Tap House
April 24 Memphis, Tennessee Hi Tone Cafe
April 26 Lawrence, Kansas Replay Lounge
April 27 Denver, Colorado Larimer Lounge
April 28 Salt Lake City, Utah Club Vegas
April 30 Seattle, Washington Comet Tavern
May 1 Portland, Oregon East End
May 22 Brooklyn, New York NY Eye & Ear Festival

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Mountain Climbing with Invisible Orange

Posted in Reviews on February 24th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

It is no small thing to begin a stoner metal song in this day and age with a sample of a motorcycle engine revving. If there is one thing that’s going to make your audience say, “Alright, this better be the best riff I’ve ever heard,” it’s that. Not only has it been so done to death throughout this genre, but so often the engine noise has been accompanied by road-ready barn-burner guitar lines, that to expect anything else is pointless. Yet, somehow, “Ape Parade,” the second song on Invisible Orange’s debut full-length, Iron Mountain (Gary the “Landlord” Records), begins with such a sample and goes into a mellow groove before kicking in.

I will say that despite this egregious error on the part of the band (the song ends with the same noise), opener “Run” left a completely different impression the first time I heard it. I don’t recall to what I was listening prior, but there was an out-loud declaration of, “Yes, that sounds about right,” that came with hearing the opening riff of Iron Mountain, so within the first two tracks of the record, we can already see it works both ways. The Denver, Colorado, four-piece run through an expected 10 tracks of ‘90s-inspired stoner metal, bearing heavy riffage from guitarist Adrian Moore and the from-the-stomach Garcia/Hetfield-isms of vocalist Donovan Breazeale with abundant energy and a self-sustained feel that’s definitely reliant on 21st Century production methods, but comes off as reasonably natural nonetheless.

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Dead Meadow Announce Film Premiere for The Three Kings

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 24th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

It came up in the Obelisk‘s recent interview with bassist Steve Kille, but isn’t it only fair that the rest of the world be let in on the news about Dead Meadow‘s upcoming release party for their movie and live audio release, The Three Kings? I and the PR wire certainly think so. The band has also announced their first run of North American dates in support of the album/DVD. Check it out:

Dead Meadow have just announced the details surrounding their upcoming record release party / film premiere for their upcoming new album and original film, The Three Kings, out on March 23rd. Taking place at the historic location of Hollywood Forever Cemetery on March 25th, the event will include the premiere of the Dead Meadow movie The Three Kings as well as a live performance by the band. The night will include an open bar, free admission and giveaways, special DJ appearances, and a yet to be determined opening band. There will also be an art showing of low-brow art scene artist Charles Wish. Charles has been a major contributor to Dead Meadow art including an animated sequence in The Three Kings and will be showing pieces from the movie.

In addition, Dead Meadow have also announced that any fan who orders an advance copy of The Three Kings will be guaranteed a spot on the list for the band’s film premiere in Los Angeles. Just email the band at contact@deadmeadow.com and write “get into the gig” as the subject.

Dead Meadow Live!
March 25 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Record Release / Film Premiere

w/ Imaad Wasif
Fri Mar-26 Brookdale, CA Historic Brookdale Lodge
Sat Mar-27 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Wed Mar-31 Eugene, OR Wow Hall
Thu Apr-01 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Fri Apr-02 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
Sat Apr-03 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
Wed Apr-07 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge w/ Pack AD
Thu Apr-08 Lawrence, KS Riot Room
Fri Apr-09 Omaha, NE Slowdown
Sat Apr-10 Sioux Falls, SD Nuttys North
Tue Apr-13 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Wed Apr-14 Madison, WI Annex
Thu Apr-15 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
Fri Apr-16 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Sat Apr-17 Athens, OH The Union
Mon Apr-19 Columbus, OH The Basement
Wed Apr-21 Buffalo, NY Mohawk w/ Buffalo Killers
Thu Apr-22 Toronto, ONT Lee’s Palace
Fri Apr-23 Montreal, QUE Club Lampi
Sun Apr-25 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

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The Buried Treasure of the Century

Posted in Buried Treasure on February 24th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Okay, maybe not, but I was intensely glad to be able to get my hands on a copy of the first Fuzzorama Records release (fuzz CD001), Fuzzsplit of the Century, featuring Truckfighters and Firestone. Neither band is stranger to these parts, Truckfighters having released one of my favorite albums of last year in Mania, and Firestone‘s Stonebeliever EP having been covered in a previous Buried Treasure, but to get them both on this split CD from 2003, when Truckfighters were really just getting going and Firestone was on their way out, was too much for me to resist. Fortunately, Freebird Records had a copy on the (relatively) cheap and I grabbed it from their mailorder.

In a way, it’s a “what you see is what you get”-type scenario. While the “of the Century” is as debatable as any claim of anything being the greatest anything ever is, I won’t argue it’s a fantastic bit of fuzz both bands grow from out their Orange amps. We already know Oskar Cedermalm is the link between the groups (he played guitar in Firestone and handles bass and vocals in Truckfighters), but what’s more interesting about Fuzzsplit of the Century is precisely what was alluded to in the paragraph above: hearing Truckfighters in their beginnings and what could probably be called the most realized version of Firestone before their dissolution.

As someone who encountered Truckfighters first with the Gravity X album, their more nascent approach here is less assured, and, though it carries the seeds that in context can be seen as what would later become Mania‘s progressive bent, less established. They were a young band in 2003. Firestone, on the other hand, had their mission clear from the outset and so sound like the tighter unit. Of course, it’s worth saying that both bands were fuzzy as all hell at this stage in their careers.

It was a kind of curiosity purchase, bought basically so I could hear the roots of one of Sweden’s top riffing outfits, and though Fuzzsplit of the Century certainly isn’t their best group of songs, it’s a fascinating go-through nonetheless, and worth investigation for anyone who’s been mesmerized by their work since. And since Firestone remains a mystery to me (they released several EPs that, so far, seem impossible to find), having five more tracks of them at their best is definitely a win.

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La Fin du Monde and the Pretty Artocalypse

Posted in Reviews on February 23rd, 2010 by JJ Koczan

I put on Monolith, the new full-length from Chico, California, progressive instrumetallers La Fin du Monde, while a riding New Jersey Transit train for the first time in over a year. This wouldn’t be significant but for the fact of its former daily routine and the stout refusal I’ve made to board this or that numbered car since my “daily routine” earned its preceding “former.” A mental block, an associative trauma; there are numerous ways to frame it with varying levels of drama between them, but the point is it was something I wasn’t comfortable doing, and all I had to carry me through was La Fin du Monde.

Fitting, somehow, that their name (also that of a microbrew ale) should translate from French into “The End of the World.” Their intricate strains of technicality — five in total on the self-released Monolith — coupled with my lack of comfort at the time seemed to put me in a state of acute awareness as to the slips in and out of guitar-led passages and sundry other progressions. This is a brand of music that, as yet, has no genre tag. It blends post-metal musical thinky-thinkydom with heavy/ambient switches and rarely relies on traditional structures. Instrumental post-prog? I don’t know. The “post-” thing is thrown around a lot these days as a catch all. “Cherish rock,” maybe, since there’s something sweet about the ringing guitar tones that culminate “Dismal Tide.”

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