Posted in Whathaveyou on June 18th, 2018 by JJ Koczan
The two 20-minute songs that comprise Bongripper‘s new album, Terminal, are respectively dubbed ‘Slow’ and ‘Death.’ So you know, points for accuracy and whatnot. The Chicago instrumentalist riffcrushers have made preorders available for the outing through their own webstore as well as a host of others, including Burning World Records in Europe, and they’ve got tour dates scheduled following the release date on July 6 — including two nights at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, the first of which will feature them playing 2010’s Satan Worshipping Doom in full. They’ll be in Finland later this year for BlowupFestival, which may or may not be part of a larger European tour still to be announced.
Their last album, 2014’s Miserable (review here), was as excellent as he was destructive, and to expect anything less of Terminal would be folly. Bongripper‘s manifestations of hopelessness always have a tendency to remove air from the lungs.
Warning comes from the band’s social medias:
BONGRIPPER – TERMINAL LP/CD/Digital (2018)
Bongripper is set to release their seventh full-length album, ‘Terminal’, on July 6, 2018. This is the follow up to 2014’s ‘Miserable.’ The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Bongripper’s Dennis Pleckham at Comatose Studio with artwork from Sam Alcarez, the artist behind the band’s merchandise throughout the years. ‘Terminal’ will be released through their label, The Great Barrier Records on all vinyl, CD and digital formats.
Track Listing: 1. Slow 20:15 2. Death 20:06
Bongripper is doing their first US East Coast Tour in a decade in support of the new full-length. This includes a special performance of ‘Satan Worshipping Doom’ in its entirety at Saint Vitus in New York City. They will also be appearing at Modified Ghost Festival in Vancouver and Blowup Festival in Helsinki, Finland. Tour tickets are on sale Friday, March 30.
THE TERMINAL TOUR 2018 5/25 – Vancouver, BC – Modified Ghost Festival 7/13 – Chicago, IL – The Metro – Record Release Show 7/20 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups 7/21 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 7/22 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter 7/23 – Washington, DC – Atlas Brew Works 7/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Kungfu Necktie 7/25 – New York, NY – Saint Vitus: Satan Worshipping Doom in Entirety 7/26 – New York, NY – Saint Vitus 7/27 – Pittsburgh, PA – Migration Festival 10/12 – Helsinki, Finland – Blowup Festival
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 16th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
As someone who’s worked professionally to produce them, I know how difficult it can be to come up with a good tagline, headline, whatever you want to call it. As simple as it is to receive the directive, ‘Oh hey, just go ahead and give me something concise and maybe astoundingly witty that nonetheless sums up an entire idea/story/product/anything in three or four words,’ materializing that is much, much harder to do.
Accordingly, I tip my virtual hat to Dust Presents and The Decemburger 2017 for coming up with the tagline “Medium-Rare Mayhem,” which not only conveys the fact that, yes, the event will feature a hamburger-eating contest like it did last year, but captures as well the humor and good nature behind the festival as a whole. “Medium-Rare Mayhem?” Pink in the middle, maybe a little bloody? Fucking delicious? Probably. Sign up to eat a bunch of sliders and find out.
Show is at the Hi-Dive in Denver, Colorado, on Dec. 16 and will be headlined by Bongripper and also feature sets from Call of the Void, the Primitive Man-related projects Nightwraith and Vermin Womb, Serial Hawk and Weeed coming down from Washington, Abrams, The Munsens and Sceptres. Killer show. Once again, looks like it’s gonna be a great time. If you’re in Denver or you can get there, it’s a pre-holiday blowout that I only wish I was involved in presenting.
Info follows from the PR wire:
DUST Presents: THE DECEMBURGER 2017
“Medium-Rare Mayhem” Denver, CO
The second annual installment of DUST Presents’ The Decemburger returns to Denver, Colorado, Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 at the Hi Dive, a staple for good times in Denver’s South Broadway neighborhood. The 2017 lineup leans more toward the metal spectrum of “heavy” in comparison with last year’s event (featuring The Shrine, The Well, Zig Zags, Malahierba, and more).
Chicago’s crushing doom-metal legends, Bongripper, will headline the sophomore iteration of The Decemburger, supported by a prime selection from Denver’s booming metal scene, including Call Of The Void, Vermin Womb (featuring Ethan McCarthy of Primitive Man), Abrams, the Munsens, Nightwraith (current and former members of Primitive Man, Vimana, Black Sleep of Kali, Rottenness, Collapse, and more), and Sceptres.
The 2017 bill also features a pair of standout acts from Washington. Serial Hawk, a hypnotically heavy three-piece metal group from Seattle, whose 2015 full-length out on Bleeding Light Records achieved global recognition, will join Weeed from Bainbridge Island, WA and their energetic brand of heavy, psychedelic rock in rounding out the bill.
Not to be overshadowed by the sonic mania, the burger-eating contest for which the event is named will also return, with heightened competition (following 2016 champion Andrew Renfrow’s crushing victory) and a larger purse – cash, trophy, merch, framed prints and more. Contest entry can be purchased as a separate ticket that includes festival entry. (Burger-eating contest limited to 10 contestants!)
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 9th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
The first lineup announcement for the inaugural Days of Darkness festival came through last month and brought with it confirmation that the autumnal two-dayer presented by the crew behind the Maryland Deathfest wasn’t screwing around either on scale — Neurosis headlining — or in scope, bring on board multi-genre acts from across a swath of underground styles. Well, the lineup is now complete. Om join Neurosis as headliners, and Cirith Ungol act as classic metal counterpart to the previously-announced Manilla Road near the top of the bill. Sizable additions like Captain Beyond, and Boris join the likes of Warning, Dälek and Elder — whose new album will be out by then — and Bongripper and Unearthly Trance find further tonal-onslaught companionship with word that Cavity will take part. All in all it looks like a pretty fucking good show.
Tickets are on sale now, and though they might not go before Maryland Deathfest proper, held in May as ever, I would be surprised if there were any left by the time Oct. 28 and 29 gets here. I’d think Neurosis or Om could probably sell out Rams Head on their own, never mind with the stellar support cast they’re both given across the Saturday and Sunday event. Bringing in Om has me wondering if maybe they’ll have a new record release coming up — that’s a long trip to the East Coast — but that might just be wishful thinking on my part. Either way, they’ll of course find welcome once they hit the stage, because they’re Om, and only jerks don’t like Om. That’s science. It’s proven.
Here’s the poster and the lineup as posted by the fest, as well as the link to get tickets:
Maryland Deathfest presents: Days of Darkness Festival
October 28 & 29, 2017
@ Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, October 28th: Neurosis Manilla Road Captain Beyond Perturbator Elder Cavity Dance with the Dead Dälek Computer Magic Crypt Sermon Alms
Sunday, October 29th: Om Cirith Ungol Warning Boris GosT Unearthly Trance Le Matos Bongripper Magic Sword Night Demon Asthma Castle
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 10th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Expand or die, right? Certainly the idea isn’t a new one for the crew behind the famed Maryland Deathfest, which already has brand extensions in place in California and the Netherlands, but the newly-announced Days of Darkness Festival — for which early-bird tickets are on sale circa now — feels immediately different. Set for late October at the Rams Head Live, for one thing, it takes place in Baltimore, the home-base of the Maryland Deathfest itself. Second, it abandons the “Deathfest” title, in favor of the less genre-adherent “Darkness.” Third, its lineup seems way more of the doomed/post-metal/psychedelic/classic metal variety than any of the extremity one might find at the other Deathfest-promoted fests. These things make Days of Darkness 2017 distinct. The fact that Neurosis headline and Warning will appear playing Watching from a Distance in its entirety — something they’re also doing at Roadburn this April — means they mean business.
Compared to the core Maryland Deathfest, which runs four days at this point, the two for Days of Darkness feels a bit like testing the waters, and indeed that may be exactly what’s happening, but while a number of heavy festivals have popped up and disappeared after one shot — whither thou, Planet Caravan? — far fewer have the kind of production machine behind them as this one. Accordingly, one looks forward with great anticipation to seeing how Days of Darkness 2017 continues to develop its lineup and set itself apart not only from the central Deathfest brand, but also the slew of heavy fests in what seems to still be a surging US sphere.
More to come, in other words. Here’s the initial word in the meantime:
Maryland Deathfest presents: Days of Darkness Festival
October 28 & 29, 2017 @ Rams Head Live – Baltimore, MD
Lineup: Neurosis Warning (Watching from a Distance set) Manilla Road Elder GosT Unearthly Trance Dälek Bongripper
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 5th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
A busy few months ahead for Chicago riffers Bongripper as they head to Europe and the UK in May/June to play Temples Festival after a slot at Maryland Death Fest on May 16. The Temples appearance coincides with a tour alongside Ghold presented by the festival, as Bongripper continue to make choice appearances in support of 2014’s crusher, Miserable (review here). Ghold will reportedly have a new album out this year, and though I’ve yet to see reports of a new Bongripper, they’ll also be taking part in the Psycho Las Vegas fest in August alongside everyone and their cousin.
The PR wire has it like this:
TEMPLES FESTIVAL PRESENTS: BONGRIPPER & GHOLD EUROPEAN TOUR; GHOLD TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM INFO SOON
Temples Festival extend their influence outside of Bristol by presenting to you the Bongripper and Ghold EU tour. Smouldering, smeared and summoning, this one is for all purveyors of the low-end, distorted and uncompromisingly heavy sonic. This mammoth monolithic juggernaut will bulldoze through France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. The full set of dates can be found below:
TEMPLES FESTIVAL PRESENTS: BONGRIPPER & GHOLD EU TOUR 2016 29/05/2016 Le Ferrailleur, Nantes, FR 30/05/2016 Glazart, Paris, FR 31/05/2016 VK Club, Brussels, BE 01/06/2016 UT Connewitz, Leipzig, DE 02/06/2016 Cassiopeia, Berlin, DE 03/06/2016 Patronaat, Haarlem, NL 04/06/2016 Temples Festival, Bristol, UK (BONGRIPPER ONLY) 05/06/2016 Star & Garter, Manchester, UK
Ghold took command of the Sunday stage at the 2015 edition of Temples Festival and are welcomed as the lead support for the first full “Temples Festival Presents” tour. Devastating and haunting, this triad of rhythmic ritualists recently finished recording their follow-up to 2015’s Of Ruin and more info on that will be incoming shortly…
Gnarled instrumental quartet Bongripper released their latest album, Miserable, last summer and this tour will see their Temples Festival debut. Expect witnesses to be suffocated by their weighty, wallowing riffs.
Tickets are on sale now. It’s time to deluge yourself in the unrelenting.
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 20th, 2016 by JJ Koczan
In the fine tradition of, well, last year’s Psycho fest, 2016’s Psycho Las Vegas has announced an overwhelmingly impressive initial group of acts for its lineup, including some of the finest North America has to offer and choice imports. Notable in that category are Candlemass, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Colour Haze, Mars Red Sky, Belzebong, Øresund Space Collective and The Cosmic Dead, and they’re joined by returning figureheads Sleep and Pentagram, who headlined the 2015 Psycho California fest, along with YOB, Down, Mudhoney, Acid King, Fu Manchu and a whole host of others listed below.
The truly insane part about Psycho Las Vegas is that, like last year with Psycho California, the lineup is staggered, so this isn’t it. On Valentines Day, the festival will announce its full lineup of acts, which I’m just going to go out on a limb and assume includes everyone else on earth, and then after that, in March, they’ll follow up again with the headliners. So what we learn today is that 2015’s headliners will have someone playing over them. I don’t know who, or how that could be possible, but you can bet your ass I’m anxious to find out.
All the details so far unveiled about Psycho Las Vegas, as well as the link to purchase tickets, appear below:
PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2016
Neon Knights arrive and ignite the the city of light in a sleepless celebration of heavy culture. High rollin’ low lifes will low roll the high life at the world famous Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in “Sin City”, Las Vegas. For three straight days, from August 26th through the 28th, born losers win as Psycho Las Vegas holds a rock steady hand of bands, performance artists, tattoo artists, art exhibits, a black light chamber, custom van and chopper show, pinball arcade, and much more.
Psycho Las Vegas sins and grins two blocks south of the strip at the expansive Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The high-octane Rock ‘n’ Roll-themed casino resort hosts three stages; The Joint, which is a main stage, Vinyl, the rock club and out under the desert night sky is the second main stage, The Pool Stage. Experience live music, 24 hours a day.
In between bands and bets, ride outside to the venue’s open lot and witness the most bitchin’ rides this side of Death Valley at Psycho’s first ever custom van and chopper show!
Psycho Las Vegas features some of the most revered screen printed poster artwork with an exclusive exhibition from commissioned Psycho Las Vegas artist David D’Andrea. D’andrea, who returns to Psycho for a second year, created all the official festival artwork. Attendees will be able to eternally commemorate the event on their own walls with signed, limited edition works from D’Andrea.
Psycho Las Vegas acts and events were co-curated with music scene stalwart Sean “Pellet” Pelletier. (“Last Days Here” documentary) “Thief Present’s ‘Psycho’ festivals are visionary and have consecutively been the number one music event I’ve want to attend since they’ve started”, said Pellet. “I’ve been dreaming about putting on a cool culture and music festival for quite some time and I jumped at the chance to help us all go psycho in Las Vegas! The event is a celebration of subculture and a spiritual gateway for all of us into sonically connected sub-genres of heavy rock that hopefully, some of which, may be new to our senses. I’m booking bands that I’ve always personally wanted to see and have requested setlists that we’ve all wanted to hear.”
Among the first string of live acts announced will be hard rock legends, BLUE OYSTER CULT with a set heavy on their early songs that have inspired so many great bands over the years. Mark Arm and Steve Turner, also both of Green RIver-fame, will remind us why MUDHONEY are heralded as essential grandfathers of grunge. English psych rock pioneer, THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN returns to America with a performance sure to highlight where groundbreaking artists such as Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Ghost may have gotten some of their ideas. We’ve reunited proto-metal masters TRUTH AND JANEY who will appear for an exclusive live set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their underground classic debut, “No Rest For The Wicked”! “A Band Called Death” documentary film stars DEATH, pulsate the pool stage and will show us why they are finally considered one of the first Detroit punk bands. Germany’s top psychedelic stoners COLOUR HAZE have chosen the festival for a rare US manifestation that’s sure rise us all high above the neon. Swedish doom metal ministers CANDLEMASS come crushing in yet another one of Psycho Las Vegas’s special performances. Stay tuned for the announcement of even more acts, over 60 in total, over the next few months.
Thief presents Friday, August 26, 2016 at 12:00 PM – Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 12:00 AM (PDT) Las Vegas, NV
SLEEP BLUE ÖYSTER CULT CANDLEMASS DOWN THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN MUDHONEY COLOUR HAZE PENTAGRAM FU MANCHU ACID KING DEATH (Detroit) YOB BELZEBONG ORESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE DANAVA TRUTH AND JANEY GOLDEN VOID JUCIFER BONGRIPPER MARS RED SKY A STORM OF LIGHT CAVE OF SWIMMERS THE COSMIC DEAD
ACCOMMODATIONS Join the bands and crew at the Hard Rock Hotel & use the code: Psych16 at checkout to recieve 30% off your rooms.
Posted in audiObelisk on June 30th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
I was especially eager to see Bongripper at the Afterburner at this year’s Roadburn. They had played a couple nights before as well (that set is streaming here), performing their 2014 album, Miserable (review here), in its entirety, but I’d had to miss that set and knew going into the fest that I wanted to see them one way or another follow-up on the performance they gave in 2012, which had been chest-shakingly heavy.
No regrets, of course. They proved to be devastating and I’m anxious to revisit the set today via the newly released live stream. Also included in this latest of the four-so-far batches is a bunch of stuff I missed, including two of the most-talked-about bands of the entirety of Roadburn 2015: SubRosa and Thou. The former outfit played the first day and I continued to hear about them through to Sunday, while Thou‘s atmosludge devastated the crowd at Het Patronaat and were bandied about as one of the highlights of the whole fest.
Along with performances by Acid Witch, Death Hawks, Mugstar (another one whose name I kept hearing), Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, and KEN mode, this makes for a pretty diverse round of streams. If you get to dig into any or all of them, I hope you enjoy:
Acid Witch – Live at Roadburn 2015
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell – Live at Roadburn 2015
Bongripper – Live at Roadburn 2015 (Afterburner)
Death Hawks – Live at Roadburn 2015
Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Live at Roadburn 2015
Kenmode – Live at Roadburn 2015
Mugstar- Live at Roadburn 2015
Subrosa – Live at Roadburn 2015
Thou – Live at Roadburn 2015
Special thanks to Walter as always for letting me host the streams. To read all of this year’s Roadburn coverage, click here. For the first, second and third batches of streams, click here and then click here and then click here.
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 16th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
The classy gents of Chicago’s Bongripper will head to the West Coast in July to play a quick series of shows. Dubbed the ‘Way of the Shred’ Tour, it will be Thief Presents‘ gearing up for this year’s Day of the Shred fest — preceded, of course, by Night of the Shred — though the tour’s in July and I’d have sworn the fest was in Oct./Nov., coinciding with the traditional Day of the Dead.
Further inspection shows a couple bands have already been announced for Day of the Shred, among them Captain Beyond, as well as Monolord and Black Bombaim — like Thief‘s recently executed Psycho California fest, this one showing a keen eye for European acts — and Rwake, Torche and Windhand, lest Relapse go underrepresented. Announcements have reportedly been suspended until next month, at which point headliners and others will be unveiled, but already it seems to be a pretty impressive lineup for the Night and the subsequent Day, listed as Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lucky Halloween is a weekend, I guess.
So I’m not sure how Bongripper will be involved in that fest — they’ll play Southwest Terror Fest earlier in Oct. in Arizona — but they’re on board for the ‘Way of the Shred’ in any case, and no doubt what will be shredded is eardrums. Also stomped on.
Poster, dates and links:
Bongripper – California – July 2015
Night/Day Of the Shred announcements have been postponed until July. In the meantime we are flying in BONGRIPPER for a proper 3 day run up the coast.
Thief presents WAY OF THE SHRED July 2015 “A short west coast run leading up to Day Of The Shred 2015 featuring SHRED Alumni and friends.”
7/25 – Los Angeles @ Complex w/ Trapped Within Burning Machinery & YIDHRA *Co-presented by Church of the 8th Day tickets:http://wots-la.eventbrite.com/
