Dopethrone Post “Life Kills You”; New Album Coming Soon

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 25th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Montreal extreme sludgers Dopethrone — they call it ‘slutch’, presumably because the harder consonant sound makes it nastier, which it kind of does — have a Western Canadian tour coming up with Severed Arm that will take them from British Columbia through Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba before it’s done, and apparently a new album for Totem Cat Records. The latter will be the three-piece’s first since 2018’s Transcanadian Anger (review here), and for proof of life, the band have posted “Life Kills You” — also the name of the tour, either will or won’t be the name of the LP — to sate the disaffected masses yearning for their particular brand of fuckall.

When’s the album coming? I don’t know. They make a point of not saying. Maybe tomorrow, maybe yesterday, as Ben Sisko once put it. But knowing such a thing is in their pocket is a comforting discomfort, and one imagines they might want to take a few records to the UK with them when they go to headline Masters of the Riff III (info here) as an exclusive appearance, so it could be that the pressing is in the works for March, could be April for the tour dates listed below, or could be never because fuck you anyway it’s Dopethrone and that’s just how it is. I won’t pretend to know the future, but if I see a definite date or more details, I’ll post accordingly.

Till then, the track’s at the bottom of the post, just under the tour dates and album-existence announcement:

“LIFE KILLS YOU” by DOPETHRONE

Our slutchiest album is ready to shart blood in your eardrums.

No, we’re not telling you when.

Recorded and mixed by Jean-Baptiste Joubeaud
Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege

Videoclip by Vincent Houde, Marianne Martinez and Rodolphe Tremblay

Music by Dopethrone, Lyrics by Vincent Houde

New album coming out 2024 on Totem Cat Records: https://totemcatrecords.bigcartel.com

NAME YOUR PRICE DL: https://dopethrone.bandcamp.com/

DOPETHRONE “LIFE KILLS YOU” – WEST COAST 🍁 TOUR
HOP ON THE NIGHT TRAIN – 100% HELL – ZERO SHAME.

19/04/24 Victoria, BC – Wicket Hall
20/04/24 Vancouver, BC – Green Auto
21/04/24 Kelowna, BC – Jackknife Brewery
22/04/24 Nelson, BC – The Royal
24/04/24 Edmonton, AB – The Buckingham
25/04/24 Calgary, AB – Modern Love
26/04/24 Regina, SK – The Exchange
27/04/24 Winnipeg, MB – Handsome Daughter

Artwork by Max from The Death Wheelers

Dopethrone is :
Vince : Guitar / Vocals
Vyk : Bass
Shawn : Drums

https://www.facebook.com/dopethrone.mthell
https://www.instagram.com/dopethroneband/
https://dopethrone.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/totemcatrecords/
https://www.instagram.com/totemcatrecords/
http://totemcatrecords.bigcartel.com/

Dopethrone, “Life Kills You”

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Masters of the Riff III Adds Dopethrone for UK Exclusive Show

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 4th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

I actually decided to go back and search, and this post is the first time the phrase “riff tyrant” — or its pluralization, for that matter — has been used on this site. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but from where I sit, any time I hear “riff” in a phrase I’ve never encountered before it’s worth putting a star on the calendar, so kudos to London Doom Collective on the creativity as well as for importing Dopethrone from Canada to the UK to appear for an exclusive at Masters of the Riff III in March.

Although the Montreal scumsludgers dug into their back catalog to celebrate their 15th anniversary with the Deepest Hits tape on Northern Haze, we’re coming around on six years since their last album-proper, and they’ve accordingly threatened new stuff in the works. As to whether that will show up in 2024, 2025, or ever — now, soon, or infinity — I don’t know, but they join Elephant Tree and The Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell as headliners, and you can see the full lineup below. Gonna be a party. A messy party.

Sludging onward:

dopethrone-masters-of-the-riff-iii

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU RIFF TYRANTS!

We’ve been delving into the deepest and darkest corners of the underground, casting evil spells and summoning the nastiest tones in order to bring you our FINAL HEADLINER for the rapidly approaching MASTERS OF THE RIFF III 1st-3rd March 2024.

Therefore… …with absolute terror and delight we are pleased to announce that Québec’s filthiest, Dopethrone, will be heading over to London to eat your soul and rip ya face off at this year’s Masters Of The Riff festival!

We told you this one was going to be special! We are always striving to bring you the most sought after RIFFS, so this will be an LDC EXCLUSIVE and will be the band’s ONLY UK SHOW OF 2024!!!

If you aren’t there this never happened! So you seriously need to be there, as WE would love to see you, and YOU don’t want to miss this exclusive performance.

Seriously, this one is going to go off! Tickets won’t hang around long so make sure you grab them as soon as!

Weekend Passes available through

DICE: https://link.dice.fm/U8cb45f798a5

SKIDDLE: https://skiddle.com/e/36450206

Full Line up now announced…

Dopethrone, Elephant Tree, The Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Firebreather, Margarita Witch Cult, Dystopian Future Movies, Dead Witches, Grave Lines, Tuskar, Hundred Year Old Man, Trippy Wicked, Gurt, Dunes, Black Orchids, Wall, Helve, Novere, Godless Suns, Mountain Caller, Bodach and Orme.

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/256478197224605

Love you all dearly

https://www.facebook.com/londondoomcollective/
https://www.instagram.com/london_doom_collective/

Dopethrone, Transcanadian Anger (2018)

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SonicBlast Moledo 2019: Orange Goblin, Om, My Sleeping Karma, Minami Deutsch, Windhand, Zig Zags, Dopethrone and The Obsessed to Play

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 19th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

I was this close — this frickin’ close — to going to SonicBlast Moledo earlier this year. It was an enviable lineup, and when I saw the pictures after the fact, it only confirmed for me how much I wanted to have been there. So it goes.

Will I get that close to SonicBlast Moledo 2019? Probably not. Opportunities like that don’t come along every day or every year, and I know that. Still, in part because I’m a glutton for punishment — also for peanut butter — I’ll be doing my best to keep up with the lineup as it’s announced for next August’s edition of the beachside fest in Moledo, Portugal. Already, as I think you can see, they’re well on their way to destroying and winning hearts and minds.

To wit, a first lineup announcement that brings Om to Europe for the summer (they’ll be there in Spring too; I have to wonder just how long the band is spending abroad or if they’re racking up frequent flier miles), Orange Goblin, My Sleeping Karma (some day I will see that fucking band), Windhand, The Obsessed, Minami Deutsch, Zig Zags and Dopethrone is as righteous as it is varied, and it sets a pretty wide open sphere for what the rest might bring. I don’t have an inside track on that or anything, but 2018’s SonicBlast was certainly awesome looking and I see no reason why 2019 would be any different.

Tickets are available and I’m sure it’ll sell out. Words from the fest:

sonicblast moledo 2019

First bands for SonicBlast Moledo 2019! Let’s start the pilgrimage.

We’re so stoked to announce the first bands for SonicBlast Moledo 2019! Aug. 8-10.

Let’s start the pilgrimage.

OM, Windhand, Orange Goblin, MY SLEEPING KARMA, The Obsessed, Dopethrone, Minami Deutsch and Zig Zags are ready to burn the beach!
3 days that you’re never ever forget!

Om (usa) + Orange Goblin (uk) + My Sleeping Karma (ger) + Windhand (usa) + The Obsessed (usa) + Dopethrone (can) + Minami Deutsch (jp) + Zig Zags (usa) +++ many more tba +++

Artwork by Branca Studio

Tickets are now available at here.
(Also available in Portugal, through BOL physical point of sales: Fnac, Worten, Ctt’s…)

https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/
https://sonicblastmoledo.com/

Orange Goblin, “The Wolf Bites Back” live at StoneFree Festival

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Quarterly Review: Worshipper, Dopethrone, The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, Omen Stones, Capra, Universo Rojo, Sergeant Thunderhoof, Fire Down Below, Stone Deaf, Cracked Machine

Posted in Reviews on July 20th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

quarterly-review-CALIFORNIA-LANDSCAPE-Julian-Rix-1851-1903

Well, we made it to the end of another Quarterly Review. One more batch and then it’s off to planning the next one for late September/early October. I hope you have found something this week that you’ve really dug. I have. A few, to be honest. Not everything is going to stick with every listener, of course, and that includes me, but for as much as putting this one together has been, there’s been some really good, year-end-list-type stuff included. At least as far as my own list goes. I sincerely hope you agree.

So let’s do this last one, then go sleep for a couple hours. Alright? Here we go:

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Worshipper, Mirage Daze

worshipper mirage daze

I don’t know if Worshipper knew they’d be embarking on their first West Coast tour in Summer 2018 when they hit Mad Oak Studios in Oct. 2016 to record the four cover tracks for their Mirage Daze EP on Tee Pee Records, but it certainly worked out in the Boston four-piece’s favor. Following-up their 2016 debut, Shadow Hymns (review here), Worshipper present four cover tracks in Uriah Heep’s “Easy Livin’,” The Oath’s “Night Child,” Pink Floyd’s “Julia Dream” and The Who’s “Heaven and Hell,” and while I’m a little sad that “Heaven and Hell” isn’t the Black Sabbath song, which I think they’d nail if they tried it, and I’m glad to have a studio version of their take on Floyd’s “Julia Dream,” which from the first time I saw them live was always a pleasure to watch live, I think the highlight of Mirage Daze might be “Night Child.” I never bought that The Oath record, and Worshipper’s take on its lead single is about the best argument I’ve seen for doing so. It may or may not be a stopgap issued to coincide with the tour, but Mirage Daze is a welcome arrival anyway. It’s a fan piece? Well, I’m a fan, so right on.

Worshipper on Thee Facebooks

Tee Pee Records website

 

Dopethrone, Transcanadian Anger

dopethrone transcanadian anger

Montreal scumsludgers Dopethrone return with Transcanadian Anger, an eight-track blister-fest of crunch riffing and misanthropic vibes. Delivered through Totem Cat Records, the 36-minute Weedeater-gone-bad-drugs sludge assault seems to invite superlatives front to back, even in the slamming instrumental “Killdozer” – a tribute to the band? – and the swinging penultimate cut “Kingbilly Kush.” Elsewhere, opener “Planet Meth,” “Snort Dagger,” “Tweak Jabber” and “Scuzzgasm” celebrate addiction and violence unto oneself and others, making a spectacle of decay set to voluminous sludge riffs and abrasive vocals. This is Dopethrone’s aesthetic territory, and they’ve done well over the last decade to make it their own. As they answer 2015’s full-length, Hochelaga (review here), and the next year’s 1312 EP with yet another filth-caked collection, they seem all the more in their own league of aural and narcotic self-punishment. They could be straightedge vegans for all I know, but they sure sound high as fuck, and I guess that’s the point. So, well done.

Dopethrone on Thee Facebooks

Totem Cat Records webstore

 

The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, BooCheeMish

the mystery of the bulgarian voices boocheemish

Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance would seem to be trying to solve The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, a choral group from Bulgaria who, seemingly until teaming with Gerrard for the Prophecy Productions release BooCheeMish was known by the French name Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. Whatever you call them, their history dates back nearly seven decades and their harmonies are utterly timeless. BooCheeMish is comprised of gorgeous folk renditions for 45 minutes of world-building perfection. Percussion of various sorts provides backing and on pieces like “Rano Ranila” they speed through at a pace and arrangement that’s head-spinning, while the later “Zableyalo Agne” finds them joined by flute for a nigh-religious experience and the subsequent “Tropanitsa” has a bounce worthy of any good times one might to envision from its evocative pulse. One can’t help but feel a bit of the cultural voyeur in taking it on – as well as feeling totally outclassed in reviewing it – but these songs were clearly meant to be enjoyed, and as their ambassadors, The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices genuinely serve a public best interest.

The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices on Thee Facebooks

Prophecy Productions website

 

Omen Stones, Omen Stones

omen stones omen stones

Virginia duo Omen Stones have no online presence as yet. No songs streaming. No cheeky logos-on-photos social media posts that new bands do when they’re sitting on their hands waiting to get material out there. What they – and by “they,” I mean guitarist/vocalist Tommy Hamilton of Druglord and drummer Erik Larson of Backwoods Payback, The Might Could, Alabama Thunderpussy, etc. – have is a four-song self-titled EP collecting about 13 minutes of material in demo fashion, bringing forth the Southern-shuffle-gets-weird-then-explodes opener “Secrete” as a first impression of a deceptive approach. You think it’s all good and then you get punched. Go figure. “Secrete” is also the longest track (immediate points) at 4:06, and the forward charge and harsher vocal of “Fertile Blight” follows, catchy as it is mean, and more indicative of what’s to follow in the maddening tension of “Sympathy Scars” and the fuckall sludgepunk of “Purity Tones.” Immediately against-trend, Omen StonesOmen Stones is a bird of prey unto itself. Hopefully at some point soon they make it publicly available.

Druglord on Bandcamp

Erik Larson on Bandcamp

 

Capra, Unholy Gallows

Capra Unholy Gallows

Taking influence from hardcore punk, post-hardcore and sludge, Lafayette, Louisiana’s Capra seem to fit in a Midwestern style of semi-metallic aggression that has flourished in the wake of the likes of The National Acrobat and Coliseum. The foursome’s Unholy Gallows single follows their also-two-song self-titled 2016 EP, and finds Tyler Harper (also of the recently-defunct The Midnight Ghost Train), Jeremy Randazzo, Ben Paramore and Lee Hooper aligned in their purposes of riff-led bludgeoning. Unholy Gallows is two songs/six minutes long – not by any means an afternoon commitment in terms of listening – but its furies are unveiled in far less time than that, and both “Red Guillotine” and “Hot Lips” waste no time in doling out their beatings. A sense of heft stems from tonal thickness, but they make it move to a propulsive degree, and aside from a quick feedback intro to “Red Guillotine,” there’s no letup; even as “Hot Lips” slows the pace some initially, it maintains geared toward foreshadowing the next fist to fly.

Capra on Thee Facebooks

Capra on Bandcamp

 

Universo Rojo, Impermanencia

Universo Rojo Impermanencia

Sprawl, sprawl, sprawl. Into space. Universo Rojo’s excellent four-track debut album, Impermanencia, makes you want to speak slowly enough to feel the words vibrate out of your mouth. The Chilean four-piece offer lengthy, jam-based excursions that echo out their feel across vast reaches of effects, progressive rhythm and melody-making unfurling all the while beneath an overarching swirl of effects, guitars and synth running atop the mix like competing currents of water. Opener “¿A Dónde Ir?” (8:13) gives way to the flute-laden krautrockism of “Visión Planetaria de los Tiempos” (8:40) as vocalist/guitarist/clarinetist Ferro Vargas-Larraguibel, drummer Naim Chamás, bassist Cristóbal Montenegro and synthesis Francisco Arellano conjure such molten possibilities. Though it’s just 34 minutes, Impermanencia is nonetheless expansive, with the 9:36 “Cinco (La Quinta Dimensión)” finding a place between drift and psych-jazz undulations while closer “Inmaterialización del Sentimiento Cósmico” (7:32) lets out a full-impulse burst of energy that’s blinding if you know just where to look. Not to be missed.

Universo Rojo on Thee Facebooks

Universo Rojo on Bandcamp

 

Sergeant Thunderhoof, Terra Solus

sergeant thunderhoof terra solus

Kudos to Bath, UK, four-piece Sergeant Thunderhoof on starting off their sophomore long-player, Terra Solus, with the album’s longest track in “Another Plane.” And likewise for the blend of psychedelia and burl that unfolds. In taking on the follow-up to their 2015 debut, Ride of the Hoof, they offer eight cuts and 51 minutes of spacious riffing charged with just an undercurrent of English boozer burl, Elephant Tree and Steak meeting head on for a raucous session of who knows what. “B Oscillation” taps nod and particularly satisfying fuzzy warmth in its lead section, while even a would-be bruiser like the subsequent “Diesel Breath” has a trip-out included. There is time for such things as every track but the penultimate and relatively minimalist soundscaper “Half a Man” tops six minutes, but Sergeant Thunderhoof make a much richer impression overall than their moniker might lead one to believe, and close out in particularly resonant fashion with “Om Shaantih,” emphasizing the breadth and post-rock elements that help make Terra Solus so engaging from the outset.

Sergeant Thunderhoof on Thee Facebooks

Sergeant Thunderhoof on Bandcamp

 

Fire Down Below, Hymn of the Cosmic Man

fire down below hymn of the cosmic man

The adaptation of Kyuss’ “Thumb” riff for Fire Down Below’s “Ignition/Space Cruiser” after the “Red Giant” intro on their second album, Hymn of the Cosmic Man (on Ripple), is nothing short of a clarion to the converted. The Belgian unit’s mission would seem to be to find that place on the horizon where the desert ground and space itself seem to meet and become one, and as side A closer “The Cosmic Pilgrim” turns from its initial crunch into more patient and drifting psych, they’d seem to get there. Atsmophere is certainly central to the record, as the aforementioned “Red Giant” and its side B counterpart “Nebula” demonstrate, never mind the other five tracks, and even as “Saviour of Man” runs through its janga-janga stoner-riffed hook there’s a flourish of effects to create a balance between the earthbound and the interstellar. Side B’s “Ascension” and especially 11-minute album-closer/highlight “Adrift in a Sea of Stars” seem to find the balance the four-piece is shooting for all along, and just before the nine-minute mark when the thick, fuzzed-out riff emerges from the jammy lead, the entire impetus for their journey seems to be laid bare. Well done.

Fire Down Below on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

 

Stone Deaf, Royal Burnout

stone deaf royal burnout

Denver, Colorado’s Stone Deaf present a sans-frills desert rock vibe across the eight tightly structured tracks of their sophomore album, Royal Burnout (on Black Bow Records). Specifically, the compressed crunch in the guitar tone and some of the start-stop bounce riffing in cuts like “Room #240” and “Monochrome” seem to be drawn from the Songs for the Deaf methodology, and some of the vocals on opener “Spitshine” (video premiere here) remind of Queens of the Stone Age as well, but Stone Deaf – whose moniker, then, would be well sourced – have a deeper root in punk rock that underscores the “Go with the Flow” thrust of “Deathwish 62” as well as the chugging verses of “Boozy Spool” immediately preceding. It’s a sound that benefits greatly from the sharpness of its delivery and the craft Stone Deaf bring to it, and even when they seem to loosen up a bit on the midpaced pre-finale “That Lefty Request,” there’s a fervent sense of a plan unfolding. That plan would seem to be a success.

Stone Deaf on Thee Facebooks

Black Bow Records webstore

 

Cracked Machine, I, Cosmonaut

cracked machine i cosmonaut

Originally released last year, Cracked Machine’s debut, I, Cosmonaut, finds vinyl issue through PsyKA Records and earns it well with six tracks/45 minutes of mostly-instrumentalist and progressive space-psych. One assumes there’s a narrative thread at work across the span, as guitarist Bill Denton, bassist Chris Sutton, keyboardist/vocalist Clive Noyes and drummer Blazej Gradziel weave their way through “Twin Sons Rising” and “New Vostok” at the outset into the easy flow of “Baikonur Cosmodrome,” the harder-hitting title-track, the fuzzy declaration of “Svetlana” and the patiently executed 10-minute closer “Transorbital,” Denton’s guitar singing all the while. These places and, maybe, characters would seem to weave together to tell the story in impressions largely open to interpretation and correspondingly open in terms of their creativity, sounding spontaneous and maybe live-recorded if not entirely improvised, instead working to a plan for where each inclusion should go or end up. As Cracked Machine’s first album, it’s an ambitious work that does far more than get the band’s feet wet. It takes them out of the atmosphere and embarks on a journey beyond that one hopes is just beginning.

Cracked Machine on Thee Facebooks

Cracked Machine at PsyKA Records webstore

 

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VVitch Festival 2018 Confirms Lineup with Dopethrone, Celeste, Eagle Twin and More

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 22nd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Set in Milan across four nights and three different venues taking place over the course of two months, the full VVitch Festival is a season-long experience. It draws bands from multiple regions in Europe, the US and Canada, and is no less eclectic in its sound than in the geography. Each show has a different theme that feeds into the larger entirety of the experience, and VVitch Festival proper will be held as the last night, with Frizzi 2 FulciCeleste, KENmodeBelzebong and The Necromancers (who are touring together and also making a stop in Austria at the Heavy Psych Sounds Fest), Birds in Row and Coilguns. Seems like a pretty sick night and all over the place, but again, it’s just the last of four in the series.

Full lineups follow here, along with event links as per the PR wire:

vvitch festival lineup

-VVITCH-

Inspired by witchcraft and horror movies themes, between doom, sludge, black, grind, death and post metal, it?s coming soon in Milano, Italy, a new event for metal maniacs called “VVITCH FESTIVAL”. A trilogy of events plus a fourth one, the festival. Three different venues in Milano, 17 bands, some of them for the first time in Italy, some for exclusive Italian shows.

“..dark forces are going to cross the walls of the city, after the Sacrifice and the Ritual, the Evocation..”

VVITCH I – Sacrifice
September 19th 2018, Spazio Ligera, Milano
DEMILICH (FIN) exclusive Italian show
SPECTRAL VOICE (USA) exclusive Italian show
CARDIAC ARREST (USA) exclusive Italian show
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1568544103256273

VVITCH II – Ritual
October 11th 2018, Kraken Pub, Milano
DOPETHRONE (CAN)
EAGLE TWIN (USA)
MESSA (IT)
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1979301145733544

VVITCH III – Evocation
November 3rd 2018, Spazio Ligera, Milano
BOLOGNA VIOLENTA (IT) “Uno Bianca” full album set
FISTULA (USA) exclusive Italian show
GRIME (IT)
DEATH HAS GONE (IT)
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2063352060550129

VVITCH FESTIVAL
November 25th 2018, Circolo Magnolia, Milano
FRIZZI 2 FULCI (IT)
(live soundtracks by Fabio Frizzi, of Lucio Fulci’s horror cult movies, for the
first time in Milano)
CELESTE (FR) exclusive Italian show
KEN MODE (CAN) exclusive Italian show
BELZEBONG (PL)
BIRDS IN ROW (FR)
COILGUNS (CH)
THE NECROMANCERS (FR)
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/172227866788138

https://www.facebook.com/vvitchfestival

Eagle Twin, The Thundering Heard (2018)

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Up in Smoke 2018 Adds Electric Wizard, Ancestors, Dopethrone, Messa, Child, Humulus and Giant Sleep to its Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 28th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Very cool that Electric Wizard are headlining Up in Smoke 2018. Very cool. Not saying it isn’t. And right on that DopethroneMessa, ChildHumulus — have to wonder if they’ll bring their own beer — and Giant Sleep are playing too. Awesome. The name I want to focus on here, however, is Ancestors. The returned/reactivated Los Angeles unit will have their new album out on Pelagic Records by the time they head to Europe to play Up in Smoke presumably as part of a larger round of touring, and I’m pretty sure I’ve said this already, but watch out for that fucking record. Really. It’s a stunner.

2018 has already seen a fair share of righteous outings — I’d list them here, but you know, stolen laptop — and a couple real landmarks are still to come, but don’t let the new Ancestors get by you just because it’s been a while since they put anything out. I’ll have more to say about it, I’m sure, because it’s the kind of record about which one doesn’t easily shut up, but yeah. Take it as an(other) early heads up.

Here’s Up in Smoke‘s announcement:

up in smoke 2018 poster

UP IN SMOKE 2018 – ELECTRIC WIZARD & 6 MORE ACTS CONFIRMED!

GET YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A WEEKEND PASS!

Up In Smoke Indoor Fest 2018 has just announced a bunch of new bands, including their second headliner: The almighty ELECTRIC WIZARD, bringing their new album “Wizard Bloody Wizard” to make Pratteln tremble once again! Also confirmed:

DOPETHRONE (CAN) – The riff comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s clean and elegant… sometimes it’s filthy, grimy and about as elegant as a sledgehammer to the sternum. “Dopethrone are the kind of humans that eat the blues for lunch and wash it all down with a giant jug of crust punch! This is one of those bands that will have the crusty punks head banging right next to the stoners, both united under the bad sign of doom.” (CVLT NATION) The Canadian trio released their new album “Transcanadian Anger” few days ago!

ANCESTORS (USA) – Ancestors formed in 2006 and instead of “choosing between prog rock or heavy rock,” merged the styles to create music rife with atmosphere, tension and raw human emotion. They create mighty, modern music that dovetails innovative arrangement, crushing primordial riff interplay and melodic instrumental passages with textural atmospherics. They will release their long-awaited new album this summer via Pelagic Records.

MESSA (IT) – Messa play evoking doom metal with a dark jazz twist. Deliciously haunting female vocals, rhodes piano and 70’s fuzz guitars combine to conjure a sound that is all of their own. With influences as diverse as Windhand, Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore, The Devil’s Blood, Jex Thoth, Angelo Badalamenti, Bellwitch, John Coltrane and Aluk Todolo, the band has moved from the droning occult doom of their first LP “Belfry” to a new, darker and more atmospheric approach clearly showcased in their new record “Feast for Water”, released in March!

CHILD (AUS) – Hailing from the urban wilds of Melbourne, Australia, Child combine the heavy emotion of the blues with the tone and raw power of hard rock to create a visceral musical experience that reaches right into the chest of listeners. Since the release of their runaway self-titled debut in 2014, Child have continued to develop their unique brand of heavy blues through constant writing and extensive touring. The band released their latest EP “I” a few months ago!

HUMULUS (IT) – Humulus is a Psych-Stoner power trio from Brescia/Bergamo (Italy), formed in 2009. Their first self titled album was released by Go Down Records in December 2012. The ten tracks of this first work fully reflect the stoner attitude of the band and their aggressive sound that is best expressed during their live shows. Their latest LP “Reverently Heading Into Nowhere”, more psychedelic and heavier than ever, came out in the Spring of 2017.

GIANT SLEEP (GER/CH) – Giant Sleep are five guys from Germany and Switzerland, worshipping the power of the riff. The sound of the quintet penetrates the worlds of the subconscious and incomprehensible with no regard for genres nor boundaries. Modern post- and prog-rock elements meet the classic sound of the 70s; an original mixture of lively and creative music. On their second album “Move A Mountain” Giant Sleep takes you on a journey through rock history and beyond.

Taking place October 5th & 6th 2018 at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland, highclass acts such as JOHN GARCIA & THE BAND OF GOLD, ACID KING or SASQUATCH have already been confirmed with many more to come. Tickets for Up In Smoke are available HERE!

SHARE & WIN: To get another chance to win a weekend pass for Up In Smoke 2018, please visit the Facebook page for more info!

www.upinsmoke.de
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte
https://soundofliberation.com

Ancestors, “Gone”

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Desertfest Belgium 2018 Adds Elder, Dopethrone, Sasquatch, Eagle Twin & Black Moth

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 23rd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Desertfest Belgium 2018 has made its second round of lineup announcements, including a couple North American heavy hitters like Elder, Dopethrone, Sasquatch and Eagle Twin. These, along with UK outfit Black Moth make up the five bands who join the previously announced Acid King, YOB, John Garcia and Wo Fat, making it a thus-far American-leaning lineup to be sure, though I have little doubt that will even out over the coming months. Don’t forget, this fest isn’t until October, and that’s not exactly this weekend or anything like that.

Whatever the geography, anyplace that has YOB, Acid King, Elder and Sasquatch hanging around — let alone playing — is someplace you should want to be. Tickets are on sale, and on sale, now, as the PR wire affirms:

desertfest belgium 2018 elder

DESERTFEST ANTWERP 2018: Elder, Dopethrone & more confirmed

Are you ready for another lethal dose of Desertfestian awesomeness?

Good, ’cause that’s exactly what we’re here to deliver! Here’s five (count’em!) more bands that will absolutely slay come October, with no filler in sight.

We’re delighted to welcome back Elder to the DF stage after their blistering show in 2016. Next up, Dopethrone wants to show you why exactly their upcoming new album is called ‘Transcanadian Anger’. Rocking, pissed off and dope as fuck – exactly how we prefer our sludge.

In a more traditional stoner vein, we have Black Moth from Leeds (UK) and Sasquatch from LA. Both are known to deliver the grooves and riffs as well as the songs and melody, and both have more than a decade of solid live reputation behind them. Two quality picks for the real connoisseurs out there. Finally, from the depths of Salt Lake City comes Eagle Twin, whose new album ‘The Thundering Heard’ reaches new heights of shamanic delirium. A power duo if there ever was one!

All of this, and still no shortage of Reduced Combi Tickets at the price of €95. Are we crazy? Well, yes. So make sure you grab your ticket before we come to our senses – this high won’t last forever, but it’ll last you until the next announcement in a few weeks.

http://www.desertfest.be/tickets
https://www.facebook.com/desertfestbelgium/
https://www.facebook.com/events/364607267372737/
https://twitter.com/DesertfestBE

Elder, Reflections of a Floating World (2017)

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Dopethrone Announce Euro & US Tours; Transcanadian Anger out May 25; Video Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 2nd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

dopethrone

They may be the reigning champs of scum sludge Canadian or otherwise, but you can’t accuse Montreal trio Dopethrone of being unproductive. Having just pounded out a few dates around 4/20, the three-piece will embark on a European tour beginning June 22 at Hellfest in France in order to support their new album, Transcanadian Anger, which is out May 25 via Totem Cat Records. When they’re done with that, they’re home for a month — maybe long enough to shower — and then back out in the US for a stint that covers most of the East Coast and finds them playing a Western exclusive at Psycho Las Vegas. Oh, and they’ve got a new video. See what I mean? Dudes keep busy.

I’m not sure I’d be quite so mad if I had so many cool shows coming up alongside the likes of Church of Misery and Sons of Otis, but when you’ve got a thing that works for you, don’t mess with it. And being pissed off certainly works for Dopethrone.

Here’s details from the PR wire and that video:

dopethrone tour posters

DOPETHRONE share NSFW lyric video for “Snort Dagger” ; new album and European & US tour coming

Montréal’s premium sludge merchants DOPETHRONE are back in the game with a NSFW lyric video for their brand new song “Snort Dagger”, streaming now. The band will unleash their fifth album “Transcanadian Anger” this May 25th through Totem Cat Records.

DOPETHRONE plays “Slutch Metal”, a foul Canadian mix of yellow snow, crackhead diarrhea, blood, tears and broken dreams. “Transcanadian Anger” follows in with the trio’s widely acclaimed fourth full-length “Hochelaga” (2015) and pushes their pervasive, filthy brand of sludge metal to its most extreme and intoxicating levels. This is eight punishing tracks of the highest order, a downtuned-as-hell, no-frills-given riff carnage that will entrance both the fans and fiends of sleazy and groovy heaviness overall.

This summer, DOPETHRONE will be hitting the European and North American roads for an extensive tour that will include long-awaited performances at Hellfest (Fr), Stoned From The Underground (DE) and Psycho Las Vegas (US), see dates below:

EUROPEAN TOUR (w/ Bongzilla & Sons Of Otis + *with Church Of Misery)
22.06 – HELLFEST OPEN AIR (FR)*
23.06 – BRUSSELS (BE), Magasin 4* (no Bongzilla)
24.06 – KÖLN (DE), Jungle *
25.06 – EINDHOVEN (NL), Effenaar
26.06 – BRIGHTON (UK), Green Door State
27.06 – BRISTOL (UK), The Fleece
28.06 – BIRMINGHAM (UK), Asylum 2
29.06 – EDINBURGH (UK), La Belle Angèle
30.06 – MANCHESTER (UK), Rebellion Club
01.07 – LONDON (UK), The Underworld
02.07 – UTRECHT (NL), Tivoli De Helling
03.07 – DEVENTER (NL), Burgerweeshuis
04.07 – WIESBADEN (DE), Schlachthof *
05.07 – ROSTOCK (DE), M.A.U
06.07 – GÖTEBORG (SWE), Truckstop Alaska
07.07 – STOCKHOLM (SWE), Kraken
08.07 – OSLO (NOR), Blitz
09.07 – TBA (SWE)
10.07 – COPENHAGEN (DK), KB18
11.07 – HAMBURG (DE), Hafenklang
12.07 – BERLIN (DE), Cassiopeia
13.07 – RED SMOKE FESTIVAL (PL)
14.07 – STONED FROM THE UNDERGROUND (DE)
15.07 – BREGENZ (AT), The Between

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
18.08 – CHICAGO, IL, Reggie’s
19.08 – PSYCHO LAS VEGAS (West exclusive)
20.08 – ALBANY (NY), Paulys Hotel
21.08 – BALTIMORE (MD), Metro Gallery
22.08 – RALEIGH (NC), Pour House
23.08 – SAVANNAH (GA), The Jinx*
24.08 – MEMPHIS (TN), Growlers*
25.08 – SAINT LOUIS (MO), Sinkhole*
26.08 – INDIANAPOLIS (IN), Black Circle Brewery*
27.08 – CANTON (OH), Buzzbin Shop*
28.08 – SCRANTON (PA), Irish Wold Pub*
29.08 – PHILADELPHIA (PA), Kung Fu Necktie*
30.08 – NEW YORK (NY), Saint Vitus Bar*
31.08 – BOSTON (MA), Once*

DOPETHRONE New album “Transcanadian Anger”
Out May 25th on vinyl, CD and digital via Totem Cat Records

All albums for free download on Bandcamp

TRACK LISTING:
1. Planet Meth
2. Wrong Sabbath
3. Killdozer
4. Scuzzgasm
5. Tweak Jabber
6. Snort Dagger
7. Kingbilly Kush
8. Miserabilist

https://www.facebook.com/dopethrone.mthell
https://www.instagram.com/dopethroneband/
https://dopethrone.bandcamp.com/
http://totemcatrecords.bigcartel.com/

Dopethrone, “Snort Dagger” official video

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