And so I sip the second cup from my second pot of morning coffee and decide it’s time to put together a post about The Atlas Moth‘s impending tour. The Chicago post-metal veterans head out in support of their new album, the Sandord Parker-produced Coma Noir — released by no less than Prosthetic Records — and though I’ve had the record on my desktop since I don’t know how long and it’s slated to be included in the Quarterly Review at the start of next month, I haven’t yet really dug into it in more than a cursory “yup, that’s The Atlas Moth” kind of way.

So I click a link included with the press release below for “Actual Human Blood” and with its blend of extreme metal clarty, post-sludge atmospherics and richly weighted groove, it’s hard to believe these guys are as underrated as they are. It’s not hard to imagine that if they were from Germany instead of Chi-town, they’d be hailed as progressive overlords — though being Swedish didn’t exactly work for Burst when it came to being improperly valued, so maybe I’m way off — but either way, for as much as they put into what they do in terms of both passion and cerebralism, my coffee and I both think they deserve more love than they get.

Good band, is the point. They’re touring the West Coast with Mustard Gas & Roses and He Whose Ox is Gored, as the PR wire informs:

THE ATLAS MOTH announce tour dates with Mustard Gas & Roses

New album, Coma Noir out now

Coma Noir is available now at http://smarturl.it/TheAtlasMoth.

THE ATLAS MOTH will continue inducing Coma Noir across North America with new tour dates announced. Joined by special guests Mustard Gas & Roses; THE ATLAS MOTH will also share select dates with He Whose Ox Is Gored and a special performance in Los Angeles at Resident DTLA with Of Feather & Bone on June 5th.

Released February 9, 2018 via Prosthetic Records, Coma Noir entered the Billboard charts at the and continues to draw praise from media and fans alike.

Produced by Sanford Parker (Eyehategod, Voivod), Coma Noir simultaneously channels the eclecticism and evolution of THE ATLAS MOTH; resulting in their finest offering of intoxicating psychedelic post metal to date. For deeper insight on the inspiration and creation of Coma Noir, listen and watch what the band has to say about the new album below.

THE ATLAS MOTH tour dates:
5/28 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar *
5/29 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre *
5/30 – Regina, SK @ Cloud 9 *
5/31 – Edmonton, AB @ Temple *
6/01 – Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria w/ He Whose Ox Is Gored *
6/02 – Seattle, WA @ Northwest Terror Fest
6/03 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater w/ He Whose Ox Is Gored *
6/04 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst *
6/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Resident DTLA w/ Of Feather & Bone *
6/06 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge *
6/07 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar *
6/08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Loading Dock *
6/09 – Denver, CO @ Trailside Saloon *
6/10 – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room *
*w/ Mustard Gas & Roses

THE ATLAS MOTH is:
Andrew Ragin – Synth/guitar
Alex Klein – Bass
Mike Miczek – Drums
David Kush- Guitar/Vocals
Stavros Giannopoulos – Guitar/Vocals

www.facebook.com/theatlasmothband
www.twitter.com/theatlasmoth
www.instagram.com/theatlasmoth

The Atlas Moth, “Actual Human Blood”

When Chicago’s The Atlas Moth were announced over the summer as signing to Prosthetic Records, the tentative timeframe for their next album, Coma Noir, was Fall 2017. Okay, so maybe the record will ultimately wind up a little off that mark, but I can’t help but think that’ll ultimately work to its benefit. This past Fall — we’re basically through it now, at least in terms of releases — was utterly slammed with new records. One after the next after the next. Granted, there’s always stuff coming out these days, but even for that, it was overwhelming.

I don’t know what else Feb. 9 will bring, but as The Atlas Moth follow-up 2014’s The Old Believer (discussed here), at least they’re not in such immediate danger of getting lost in the fray of everything coming out. They’ll be on the road at the time with Royal Thunder and Mirrors for Psychic Warfare — the latter whose lineup includes Sanford Parker, who produced Coma Noir (funny how these things work sometimes) — so all the better. The record was one to look forward to before. Still is.

The Atlas Moth will also take part in next year’s Northwest Terror Fest, as the PR wire affirms:

The Atlas Moth announce Coma Noir release date, headlining tour and Northwest Terrorfest appearance

Chicago’s experimental metallers, THE ATLAS MOTH, have set a February 9, 2018 release date for their fourth LP, Coma Noir. The band will kick off a North American tour the following day with Royal Thunder and Mirrors of Psychic Warfare. Full dates are below.

The album marks a few firsts for the band; it’s the first release for LA indie metal, Prosthetic Records, it’s the first to feature Mike Miczik (Broken Hope) on drums, and it’s the first time the band worked with an outside producer. On previous releases, the band’s guitarist/vocalist, Andrew Ragin handled production duties. This time around, longtime friend, Sanford Parker (Eyehategod, Voivod) stepped in to steer the Coma Noir ship. An outside voice, one that the band was comfortable with, was key to channeling all the different elements the band brings to the table and keeping everything cohesive and concise.

More information on Coma Noir will become available in the coming weeks, and plans are already underway for further activity for THE ATLAS MOTH in 2018.

THE ATLAS MOTH w/ Royal Thunder & Mirrors of Psychic Warfare
2/10 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
2/11 Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
2/12 Toronto, ONT @ Hard Luck – Tickets
2/13 Montreal, QUE @ Bar Le Ritz
2/14 Allston, MA @ Great Scott
2/15 Hamden, CT @ Ballroom at the Outer Space
2/16 Brooklyn, NY @Saint Vitus
2/17 Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
2/18 Washington, DC @ DC9
2/20 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
2/21 Columbia, SC @ New Brookline Tavern
2/22 Atlanta, GA @ 529

5/29-6/02 Seattle, WA @ Northwest Terror Fest

THE ATLAS MOTH is:
Andrew Ragin – Synth/guitar
Alex Klein – Bass
Mike Miczek – Drums
David Kush- Guitar/Vocals
Stavros Giannopoulos – Guitar/Vocals

www.facebook.com/theatlasmothband
www.twitter.com/theatlasmoth
www.instagram.com/theatlasmoth

The Atlas Moth, The Old Believer (2014)

Chicago’s The Atlas Moth are currently dug into the recording process of their fourth album, to be titled Coma Noir. Their first outing since 2014’s righteous The Old Believer (discussed here), it’s being produced by none other than Sanford Parker (Buried at Sea, Mirrors for Psychic Warfare, etc.) and will see release this fall as the band’s debut release through Prosthetic Records.

Solid fit for a band who’ve consistently played outside genre lines and an imprint who’ve taken pains particularly over the last couple years to expand their own aesthetic palette to cover swaths of the heavy and/or doom underground, and when it comes to The Atlas Moth, the likelier bet would be further progression of their densely-weighted, atmospheric sound, since whatever else they’ve done over the course of their three LPs to-date, they’ve never failed to push themselves forward.

One to look forward to in the colder, darker months to come.

From the PR wire:

THE ATLAS MOTH Sign to Prosthetic Records, Recording New Album, “Coma Noir”

In-Studio Now with Sanford Parker (Voivod, Eyehategod) | Release Details Coming Soon

Chicago-based experimental metal band THE ATLAS MOTH have officially announced their signing to Prosthetic Records. The five-piece is augmenting their ever-evolving sound with producer Sanford Parker (Voivod, Eyehategod) at the helm.

Vocalist/guitarist Stavros Giannopoulos comments on the signing, “We have nothing but the best things to say about our time with Profound Lore and we are equally excited to start our next chapter with Prosthetic Records! We are currently tracking our fourth full-length record, Coma Noir, in Chicago with Sanford Parker at the helm! We’ve known Sanford for many years and are stoked to have him be the first to produce a moth record outside of the band. Keep your eyes peeled for in studio updates.”

Coma Noir will be released in the fall of this year. More information will be made available soon.

THE ATLAS MOTH have released three full lengths, A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky (Candlelight Records), An Ache For The Distance (Profound Lore) and The Old Believer (Profound Lore), as well as numerous splits, EPs and singles. They have toured with Gojira, Boris, Between the Buried and Me, The Ocean, Scale The Summit and many more throughout the world.

THE ATLAS MOTH is:
Andrew Ragin – Synth/guitar
Alex Klein – Bass
Mike Miczek – Drums
David Kush- Guitar/Vocals
Stavros Giannopoulos – Guitar/Vocals

www.facebook.com/theatlasmothband
www.twitter.com/theatlasmoth
www.instagram.com/theatlasmoth

The Atlas Moth, The Old Believer (2014)