I don’t know nothin’ about nothin’, but Brooklyn Vegan’s down at SXSW in Austin, TX, this week, and according to them, Nebula has broken up. Here’s what they had to say about it:

Tee Pee band Nebula broke up, thus changing their plan to head to Austin to play five shows. Naturally one of those shows was a BV (Attitude Adjustment at Red 7). Replacement still TBA, and assuming the break up sticks, full tour cancellation still TBA too.

Given the hundreds and thousands of people who’ve played in the band over the course of its existence, should anyone really be surprised if Nebula called it quits? No. Should we all look forward to the original lineup reunion bound to happen in about three years? Most definitely.

More on this as I hear it. Here’s “Aphrodite” from last year’s Heavy Psych, live at The Ottobar in Baltimore.

Connecticut darkened self-sustaining metallers When the Deadbolt Breaks have announced a partnership with the recently-launched FuzzTown Records. The now-four-piece outfit is responsible for some seriously deranged, murderous, brutally slow doom, and as much as I’d like to give the album a review, ethics and the fact that I sing vocals on the track “As Flies for Flesh” oblige me otherwise. Suffice it to say, Deadbolt play some incredibly fucked up shit and every time I play it I feel like there should probably be pills to stop whatever it is I’m thinking.

Here’s the PR wire with the news and where you can get your free download of the new album, The Last Day of Sun.

FuzzTown Records is amped to announce the signing of psychedelic dirge metal vagabonds When the Deadbolt Breaks. Their devastating new release, The Last Day of Sun, is a double CD that promises to be the darkest and most musically evolved CD this cult of nomads has released to date.

This collection marks the next two twisted chapters in the audio mindfuck of producer/vocalist/guitarist Aaron Lewis. The band (rounded out by Mike Connor on drums, Jon Harrison on guitar and Roman Garbacik on bass and vocals), brings new levels of aggression to the songwriting all the while bathing The Last Day of Sun with endless depths of low-end riffage and trippy psychedelia.

To mark the launch of FuzzTown Records, a label dedicated to bringing new and innovative music to the public, we’re releasing When the Deadbolt Breaks’ The Last Day of Sun as a free download, exclusively through FuzzTown Records! Tell your friends, spread the word! Enjoy!

Download When the Deadbolt Breaks, The Last Day of Sun here.

Vancouver riff mongers Bison B.C. are gearing up to release their new album, Dark Ages, next month, and as we all know, the new way to roll out singles and album highlight tracks is by putting them on websites that aren’t The Obelisk. It’s an important marketing move for any act looking to make themselves known.

Accordingly, the song “Stressed Elephant” premiered via something called ExploreMusic, whose standing in the heavy rock underground I’m sure is unquestionable and who make a wholly appropriate outlet for music as riffy and bastardly as that of Bison B.C.

“Bitter?” you ask? Yes. Here’s “Stressed Elephant,” because I can:

As if there was ever a bad time to be on the West Coast of the US, when Earth and Wolves in the Throne Room roll into town, life must seem especially sweet. Trapped in the perpetual gray of a Jersey Spring, I wouldn’t know, but I can only imagine it involves the stripping away of clothes and the giving away of vast sums of cash. And hoverboards, dammit.

Our dear friend the PR wire confirms the varying levels and interpretations of paradise:

Earth have joined up with label mates Wolves in the Throne Room for a week-and-a-half long West Coast tour for this April. The string of dates will also include opening support from cellist Lori Goldston, who will also be part of Earth’s live lineup for the tour.

Earth have been finalizing material for their next full-length to be released on Southern Lord Recordings by early 2011, and will be showcasing some of these new songs on the tour. The Earth lineup on these dates shall consist of:

Dylan Carlson – Guitar
Adrienne Davies – Drums
Karl Blau – Bass
Lori Goldston – Cello

Wolves in the Throne Room have just completed their first Australian tour, alongside French doom unit Monarch!, and will appear alongside Shrinebuilder at a special one-off East Coast appearance in New York City tonight.

Earth / Wolves in the Throne Room / Lori Goldston April 2010 Tour:

4/14/2010 The Oak Street Speakeasy – Eugene, OR
4/15/2010 Noctrum – Eureka, CA
4/16/2010 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
4/17/2010 Brookdale Lodge – Santa Cruz, CA
4/19/2010 Ché Café – San Diego, CA
4/20/2010 The EchoPlex – Los Angeles, CA
4/22/2010 Rotture – Portland, OR
4/23/2010 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
4/24/2010 Capital Theatre – Olympia, WA with special guests Mount Eerie and Ô Paon

Just one month after it was announced that frontman Ben Ward was leaving Ravens Creed, in a statement directed solely to me, UK thunderdoomers Orange Goblin said the following:

“Oye! I bet you’d like us to go ahead and put out a bloody new album so you could review it and talk about how fucking awesome we are. Well, fuck off, mate. We’re not gonna put out a fucking record this year. In fact, we might not ever put out a new album at all. What about that, eh? Ah, bugger off, you bloody tosser…” [At this point the statement devolved into a long series of specifically British insults that it would be pointless for me to print since no one would understand them.]

Yes. That definitely happened. Or, they said this:

With everybody’s commitments to work, family and other things, we have decided that it is best that we do not commit to any deadline for the next album as we wouldn’t want to rush and deliver a record that we are not 100 percent happy with. Songwriting will continue as and when we can, but we honestly couldn’t say when we will be ready to go into the studio to record again. It will definitely NOT be in 2010. Please rest assured that it will happen, but sometimes it is better to stop and think of what is best for Orange Goblin as a band!

I’ll leave it up to you to decide which one’s more plausible. Any way you slice it you don’t get an Orange Goblin record, so knock yourself out.

It’s the first Zoroaster album they won’t be releasing on their own, and expectations are high as the band have definitely proven in both the studio and live arenas they’re ready for that elusive next step on the path to world dromination. Voice of Saturn was eminently killer, and I see no reason why Matador shouldn’t be the same. Here’s hoping, and here’s a boatload of PR wire info:

Critically acclaimed “psych metal” band Zoroaster has entered Atlanta’s Living Room Studios (Mastodon, The Black Lips) to begin the recording of its hotly anticipated new album, Matador. A July release via E1 Music is expected.

Zoroaster is working with producer Sanford Parker (Pelican, The Gates of Slumber) on the new album, which will be mastered by Collin Jordan (Black Moth Super Rainbow, Nachtmystium) at The Boiler Room in Chicago, IL.  Matador’s drums and bass are being laid to tape at Atlanta’s Glow in the Dark Studios. Housed in the former location of the renowned Cheshire Sound Studios — the first dual 24 track facility in the Southeast – the recording complex has been home to projects featuring Prince, The Georgia Satellites, Steve Walsh and more.  Zoroaster’s new material is said to be “more direct, more intense and absolutely enveloping.”

Zoroaster will debut a number of new songs at its upcoming SXSW live performances which kick off on Wednesday, March 17 as part of the Action! PR SXSW Showcase (@ Mohawk: 912 Red River St., Austin, TX).  The all ages event will be open to the public as well as SXSW badge and wristband holders.

When asked for comment on Matador, Zoroaster guitarist / vocalist Will Fiore dished, “As a whole, these are the strongest songs we’ve ever put together and they really encompass everything we’ve done until now as a band.  There are some really heavy, slow creepers and some of the faster, more driving songs.  The new material ranges from really aggressive to more melodic and trippy.”  “It’s going to be a pretty straight-forward rock album and I think it’s what we wanted to create with both Dog Magic and Voice of Saturn rolled into one,” offers drummer Dan Scanlan. “There will be a lot of shorter tracks that are very straight forward and hard-hitting — it’s a lot less of a droning record than what people are expecting. The album title Matador sums up the feel of the album perfectly.  It’s an ‘epic’ sort of title; strong and powerful, but graceful.”

Wait. Not “toes.” “Shows.” Throttlerod has some big shows coming up. I’m an idiot.

If you’re anything like me, you think of Throttlerod as the band whose guitarist and vocalist Matt Whitehead made fun of you (playfully, I’m sure) for using the phrase “jagged noise influence” when describing their music in your interview. Then again, maybe you’re not like me in that regard. Might be on my own for that one.

Whatever. I happen to know Throttlerod has some big shows coming up, and I know this because of a mystical email received informing me of same. Observe!

Throttlerod has some big shows coming up [Told you, dude. -- ed.]:

3/18/10 Austin, TX @ Encore **Small Stone Records SXSW Showcase** We play at 8PM sharp, so you know what to do.
3/20/10 Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero **this will be our first show [here] in several years and we’ve got a lot in the works, so come early and stay late.
5/14/10 Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant St. w/ Hovel
5/15/10 TBD

I’ve been waiting for High on Fire to finally get a budget for a video. Not that “Rumors of War” from Death is this Communion was bad, but it was pretty much the shortest song on the album and the video was basically the band playing in a warehouse. If it doesn’t have a battle axe, it hardly seems appropriate.

The ensuing clip for “Frost Hammer,” from the band’s much-lauded Snakes for the Divine LP, seems to have the cure for anyone wanting of the epic. To wit:

And sayeth the PR wire:

Filmed on location in both Los Angeles, CA and NYC with director Kevin Custer for Toaster in the Tub, High on Fire’s “Frost Hammer” video showcases intense performance footage of the award-winning band juxtaposed alongside “the epic tale of a warrior’s sojourn to the cold and barren Plateau of Leng where he secures the fabled Frost Hammer that will be used to enact the final rites and complete the dark rebirth and reign of the Frost Child.” [Duh. – ed.]

…(Alex knows I’m just breaking his balls.)

New York’s sludgy testosterone rockers The Resurrection Sorrow kick off the first part of their Unholy Divine tour tomorrow, March 10, and the PR wire would like you to know all about it:

Still steadily promoting the hell out of their debut full-length Hour of the Wolf, thunderous New York rock quartet The Resurrection Sorrow will kick off the first leg of their three-part Unholy Divine tour tomorrow in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Resurrection Sorrow ’s The Unholy Divine tour, Part I:
3/10/2010 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
3/11/2010 The Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA
3/12/2010 The Depot – York, PA w/ Backwoods Payback, Wrath of Typhoon
3/13/2010 The Black and Red Bar – Washington DC w/ King Giant
3/14/2010 The Brighton Bar – Long Branch, NJ w/ The Ominous Order of Filthy Mongrels
3/15/2010 Lit Lounge – New York, NY w/ Maegashira

To be fair, it has been a couple months since the last Melvins album, a remix affair called Chicken Switch came out. They are due. It should come as no surprise, then, that the PR wire has details on a new record, The Bride Screamed Murder, set for release on June 1 through Ipecac Recordings. Anyone else thinking redemption for the Melvins/Big Business lineup? Here’s hoping:

The Melvins release The Bride Screamed Murder on June 1 via Ipecac Recordings with a US tour launching the same day in San Diego and including a stop at the Bonnaroo Festival.

The Bride Screamed Murder is the third release featuring Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Big Business’ Coady Willis and Jared Warren. While Melvins recently celebrated their 25 anniversary, the latest incarnation debuted with the highly-praised (A) Senile Animal (2006) and continued with Nude with Boots (2008).

Joining the Melvins on tour for a half dozen shows will be label mates Isis (who will also perform at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival) while Totimoshi will be along for the full run of Melvins dates.

Tour dates:
June 1   San Diego, CA   Casbah
June 2   Tempe, AZ   The Clubhouse
June 3   Albuquerque, NM   The Launchpad
June 5   Austin, TX   Emo’s
June 7   Houston, TX   Warehouse Live
June 8   Baton Rouge, LA   Spanish Moon
June 9   New Orleans, LA   One Eyed Jacks
June 10   Birmingham, AL   Bottle Tree
June 12   Manchester, TN   Bonnaroo Festival **
June 14   Athens, GA   40 Watt Club *
June 16   Washington, DC 9:30 Club *
June 17   Philadelphia, PA   TLA *
June 18   New York, NY   Webster Hall *
June 19   Brooklyn, NY   Music Hall of Williamsburg *
June 20   Boston, MA   Paradise *
June 21   Boston, MA   Paradise *
June 23   Cleveland, OH   Grog Shop
June 24   Detroit, MI   Small’s
June 25   Chicago, IL   Double Door
June 26   Madison, WI   High Noon Saloon
June 27   Des Moines, IA House of Bricks
June 29   Denver, CO   Ogden Theatre
July 2   Calgary, AB   Sled Island Festival +
July 3   Calgary, AB   Sled Island Festival +
July 5   Vancouver, BC   Rickshaw Theatre
July 6   Seattle, WA   Showbox at The Market
July 7   Eugene, OR   John Henry’s
July 9   San Jose, CA Blank Club
All dates feature Melvins (two sets) w/Totimoshi except:
* = Melvins/Isis/Totimoshi
** = Melvins/Isis
+ = Melvins

Yeah, I’m a little behind on this one (little behind on the review as well), but here’s the new video for Broken Teeth’s song “Blackheart.” Behold the Lemmy-ism at the beginning of the song and marvel that even in 2010 — “the future” by any measure — a black and white band-in-a-room video can still adequately get the job done as long as there are three or more cameras filming and the band in question doesn’t totally blow. PR wire says:

Austin rockers Broken Teeth have posted a new video online to the song “Blackheart” off of their latest release Viva La Rock, Fantastico that was released in January. “Blackheart” epitomizes the attitude of Broken Teeth and showcases influences that British heavy metal acts such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest have had on the band both in the lyrics and in the riffs in the song. The video comes on the heels of the release of the band’s fifth album Viva La Rock, Fantastico on Perris Records and just in advance of several SXSW appearances with Canadian rocker Danko Jones who appeared on the album. Stay tuned for new footage with Danko Jones that the band plans to film while he is in Austin for the annual music conference!

I fixed it all by myself. If you’ve been trying to reach me via the Contact page and failing, now your message can get through. Go ahead and test it out. Let the porno spam begin.

Anyone in upstate New York who wants to have their ears blown to bits tonight: Telecult Powers are bringing their omega-drone to the Nyack Village Theatre for a show sponsored by Opposite Records. They’ll be playing with several other noise acts (noise, not noise rock), and the whole thing is going to be simulcast on rocklandworldradio.com. Perhaps this poster will be able to say all the words I can’t:

…Places like all over everywhere. The Canadian riffy stalwarts are heading out from their peaceful post-Olympic home in Vancouver and are set to take North America by storm in support of their new album, Dark Ages (not to be confused with the Soulfly album of the same name), which is out April 13. I haven’t heard the record yet, but if it’s half as destructive as was their Metal Blade debut, Quiet Earth, it’ll be well worth the time when I do.

Until then, speaketh the PR wire:

Vancouver’s Bison B.C. is getting set to release their third album (second for Metal Blade), Dark Ages. This will hit streets on April 13, right in the middle of the biggest tour of the band’s career — High on Fire, Priestess, Black Cobra. Before that tour starts, Bison B.C. will be playing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on 3/13. If you haven’t seen this band live, this will be a great opportunity to see how these guys decimate crowds in a small club.

Bison B.C.
Tour w/ Shadows Fall, Baptized in Blood
03/04 Toronto, ON     Opera House
03/05 London, ON     Music Hall
03/07 Ottawa, ON     Mavericks
03/08 Montreal, QC     National
03/09 Quebec City, QC    Imperial
End Tour
3/13  Brooklyn, NY     Music Hall of Williamsburg w/Priestess
3/14  Greenville, SC    Earshot
3/15  Atlanta, GA     PS Warehouse
3/17  Austin, TX      The Mohawk SXSW w/ High on Fire
3/24  St. Louis, MO     The Fubar
3/25  Indianapolis, IN    The Tip Top Tavern
3/26  Pittsburgh, PA    31st Street Pub
Tour w/ High on Fire, Priestess, Black Cobra
03/31 Minneapolis, MN   Triple Rock Social Club
04/01 Madison, WI     High Noon Saloon
04/02 Chicago, IL     Lincoln Hall
04/03 Columbus, OH    Skully’s Music Diner
04/05 Morgantown, WV   123 Pleasant Street
04/06 Philadelphia, PA    First Unitarian Church
04/07 Cambridge, MA    The Middle East
04/08 Milford, CT     Daniel Street
04/09 New York, NY    Gramercy Theater
04/11 Washington DC    Black Cat
04/13 Charlotte, NC     Tremont Music Hall
04/14 Atlanta, GA     Masquerade
04/15 New Orleans, LA   One Eyed Jacks
04/16 Houston, TX     Walters on Washington
04/17 Austin TX      Emo’s
04/18 Dallas, TX      The Loft
04/20 Boulder, CO     Fox Theater
04/22 Tempe AZ      The Clubhouse
04/23 Los Angeles, CA    El Rey Theater
04/24 Costa Mesa, CA    Detroit Bar
04/25 San Diego, CA    The Casbah
04/27 Fresno, CA     Audies Olympic/Club Fred
04/28 Santa Cruz, CA    Blue Lagoon
04/30 Boise, ID      Neurolux Inc
05/01  Spokane, WA    The Boulevard
05/02  Bellingham, WA   The Nightclub
05/04 Seattle, WA     Chop Suey
05/05 Portland, OR     Dante’s
05/07 Eureka, CA     Nocturnum
05/08 Oakland, CA     The Fox Theater

Usually I like to keep my posts nice and neat, all separated and put into their unique classifications, then along comes the recently On the Radar-ed Roareth, screwing it all up. This is the first post in the year-plus The Obelisk has been active to be in not one, not two, but three separate categories. They’ve just put up a video for the song “Act I,” on their MySpace. Okay, so it’s an On the Radar update, it’s Whathaveyou because it’s news, and it’s Bootleg Theater because it’s a video. I don’t know about you, friends, but my mind is blown.

And that’s before I even watched the damn thing: