Later this week, Northern Irish sludgebringers Elder Druid will issue their second full-length album, Golgotha. I’ve heard it. It’s a beast, and what’s more, it sees Elder Druid beginning to manifest their potential in terms of tone and general aggression level, starting to show themselves as willing, able and actively trying to branch out from their root influences. Also it’s very, very heavy. So all the way around, it’s a 39-minute win of a pummeler.

They’ll play a couple shows this weekend in Belfast and Dublin to mark the release, and then next month, they head out on their first European tour, with gigs in Belgium, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. It’s five dates, so yes, very much an initial incursion, but I’ve seen tours go much longer and not cover as much ground, so there you go. All the best to them, safe travels, lock the van and all that stuff.

In case an album release and tour announcement weren’t enough for you — the internet be greedy — the five-piece also have a new video for the instrumental track “Sentinel” from the new record. At a little over three minutes, it’s the shortest cut on the outing, and it doesn’t have Gregg McDowell‘s varying sludge-metal gutturalisms over top, but it should still give you some idea of where Elder Druid are coming from atmospherically and in terms of their general approach. Enough to whet your appetite ahead of Friday, anyhow.

From the social medias:

ELDER DRUID – EUROPEAN TOUR 2020

Delighted to finally announce we’ll be going on our first European tour in February 2020, celebrating the release of our new album ‘Golgotha’, due out on 17.01.2020.

We’ll be doing shows across Belgium, Germany and Poland on this tour and the dates are as follows:

12.02 • GHENT, BELGIUM Kinky Star
w/ Welcome to Holyland

13.02 • BERLIN, GERMANY Toast Hawaii
w/ Witch Ritual

14.02 • DRESDEN, GERMANY Eichenkranz
w/ Swan Valley Heights, Morbus Kinski

15.02 • KATOWICE, POLAND Drzwi Zwane Koniem
Fellowship of the Riff Vol. 6 w/ Fish Basket, Plaster Cast, Hermopolis, Raskolnikow

16.02 • OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC Galerie Nibiru
Klubovna Jeden Tag

Cheers to all the promoters and venues who have helped us organise these shows and to all the absolutely killer bands we have playing with us. The final show will be announced in the coming days. We can’t wait. Cheers to the guys at Galactic SmokeHouse for helping complete the tour dates. Legends.

PRE-ORDER ‘GOLGOTHA’ NOW: https://elderdruidband.bandcamp.com/album/golgotha

Elder Druid is:
Gregg McDowell – Vocals,
Jake Wallace – Guitar,
Mikey Scott – Guitar,
Dale Hughes – Bass,
Brien Gillen – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband

Elder Druid, “Sentinel” official video

I don’t mind telling you that I’ve seen at this point in my life a fair amount of videos that feature a band walking around, either playing or doing something spooky, in the woods. Like, a lot of them. In the era of the-technology-is-so-cheap-that-every-band-is-basically-expected-to-make-at-least-one-per-LP, it’s only fair there would be some overlap in subject matter in a genre — that’s what genre is, essentially — and in any case, it’s certainly not something to hold against anyone. I like walking in the woods sometimes too, as long as it’s dry. Actually, who the hell am I kidding? I like sitting on my ass on the couch and watching Star Trek. Going grocery shopping for me is like a major effort these days.

Before I get any further off-track here, Elder Druid‘s new clip for the title-track of their impending album, Golgotha — confirmed for a Jan. 17, 2020, release — is indeed one of the off-to-the-forest-type clips, and yet, having seen a number of them as I have, I’m still struck by the woods in question. They’re beautiful. The band apparently filmed in Woodburn Forest, in Carrickfergus, about 35 minutes southeast from their home in Ballymena toward the Northern Irish eastern coastline, and yeah, the scenery is just gorgeous. There’s some shaky-cam stuff in the video — fair enough considering the sludge-doom assault happening at concurrently in the music — but the video is otherwise shot in a kind of sepia filter that plays up the visual impact of the place, and having been in Northern Ireland for a few days earlier this year and felt like I saw any number of righteous sights, I clearly also missed one along the way. Guess my trip’s itinerary was too focused on politically-driven murder to go spend any time dicking around among the trees. So it goes.

Oh, and kudos to the band on finding a sunny day to shoot. That couldn’t have been easy either.

Elder Druid play this week in Bangor (not Maine) and then head across to England for four dates with Barbarian Hermit next week. They’ll do Crypt of the Riff, which they’re involved in organizing, and then it’s on to the album release party — a two-parter party, no less — and more festivals later in 2020 that one assumes will be supplemented by tour dates to come. Nothing like keeping busy.

Or sitting on ass, enjoying the view:

Elder Druid, “Golgotha” official video

Official music video for ‘Golgotha’, the title track from our upcoming album ‘Golgotha’ due for release in January 2020.

Filming and editing: Exposing Shadows Photography.
Performances: Patrycja Dziedzic, April Morgan & Elder Druid.
Special thanks: Fresh Garbage for providing costumes and Peter Clarke for his assistance in shooting the video.

Music:
Written and performed by Elder Druid.
Produced by Dale Hughes in Blackstaff Mill, Belfast.

Elder Druid live:
22.11: Elder Druid & Nomadus | The Goat’s Toe, Bangor
28.11: Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Satlan / Gandalf the Green | Temple of Boom, Leeds
29.11: Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Satlan / Slowbro | The Phoenix, Coventry
30.11: Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Bad Kush | The Lounge 666, London
01.12: Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Satlan / Kong Lives | Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff
13.12: Crypt of the Riff Vol. 4
17.01: Elder Druid • ‘Golgotha’ Album Launch • Voodoo, Belfast
18.01: Elder Druid • ‘Golgotha’ Album Launch • Fibber Magees, Dublin
01.05: Iron Mountain Metal Festival 2020
06.06: Stonebaked Festival
31.07: Monolith 2020

Elder Druid is:
Gregg McDowell – Vocals
Jake Wallace – Lead Guitar
Mikey Scott – Rhythm Guitar
Dale Hughes – Bass Guitar
Brien Gillen – Drums

Elder Druid on Thee Facebooks

Elder Druid on Bandcamp

Elder Druid on Instagram

Elder Druid will hop islands at the end of November to do a four-show British run of shows with Barbarian Hermit and Satlan. My understanding from this past Spring was that the Northern Irish five-piece were planning to release their new album, Golgotha, before the end of 2019. I haven’t heard word either way as to whether that’s still going to happen as was initially laid out, but figure if it is, this tour would either be the band’s way of celebrating the record’s arrival or maybe heralding it for early next year, barring some kind of more significant delay.

Either way, good for them getting out. Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters will sit in for Satlan on the London show, and there’s local support as well. More on Golgotha when I hear it — either the news or the album, that is. Ha.

Here’s the tour info:

ELDER DRUID – UK TOUR UPDATE – CARDIFF SHOW

Very stoked to finally announce our English tour coming up at the end of November. We’ll be joined by the incredible Barbarian Hermit and Satlan as our main tour supports, with the lads in Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters stepping in for Satlan on the London date.

We can finally announce the last date of our UK shows at the end of November/start of December.

We’ll be playing FUEL ROCK CLUB in Cardiff, Wales on Sunday 1st December with our touring heavyweights Barbarian Hermit, Satlan and Wales’ very own stoner doom/post-metallers Kong Lives.

TOUR DATES:

28.11 • LEEDS • Temple Of Boom Leeds
Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Satlan / Gandalf the Green

29.11 • COVENTRY • The Phoenix
Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Satlan / Slowbro

30.11 • LONDON • The Lounge Promotion: Nightclub Kolis
Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Bad Kush

01.12 • CARDIFF • FUEL ROCK CLUB
Elder Druid / Barbarian Hermit / Satlan / Kong Lives

Elder Druid is:
Gregg McDowell – Vocals,
Jake Wallace – Guitar,
Mikey Scott – Guitar,
Dale Hughes – Bass,
Brien Gillen – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband

Elder Druid, Carmina Satanae (2017)

Let’s face it: if you’re doing a festival featuring any kind of heavy music, and you make it so far as to do a fourth edition, you’re pretty much obligated to base the poster design around Vol. 4. You gotta do it. I’d imagine that for festivals it’s both a celebration and a rite of passage to get to that point. Crypt of the Riff Vol. 4 in Belfast is set for this December with Tuskar headlining and Elder Druid, Hornets, God Alone, Duellists, Towers and Gravity Well confirmed. The traditional holding position is Voodoo in Belfast, and as I was in the city recently, I feel like I can say with some assurance that it’s a cool town to host a fest, and of course there’s plenty of Irish heavy to feature, as Plain Living Promotions and Elder Druid — who put the thing together — know fully well. The Obelisk presented the last edition, and if you happen to be in the neighborhood, I’d without hesitation recommend checking it out.

Here’s the info and copious links from the event page on Thee Facebooks:

CRYPT OF THE RIFF VOL. 4

Belfast’s heaviest riff fest returns for Vol. 4 in December.

HEADLINER:

Tuskar (ENG)
A two piece doom/sludge outfit hailing from Milton Keynes, residing in the Surrey Hills. Combining elements of: Doom, Sludge, and Black Metal.

Comprised of vocalist and drummer Tyler Hodges and guitarist Tom Dimmock, Tuskar’s chemistry is unmistakable both live and in the studio. They have grown up playing together in bands and have struck out on their own with material that owes as much to Conan and Sleep as it does bands like Behemoth and Darkthrone.

https://www.facebook.com/TUSKARBAND/
https://tuskar.bandcamp.com/

Elder Druid
https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband/
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com

Hornets
https://www.facebook.com/Hornetsband/
https://hornets.bandcamp.com/

God Alone. (IRL)
https://www.facebook.com/godalonecork/
https://godalone.bandcamp.com/

Duellists
https://www.facebook.com/Duellistsband/
https://duellists.bandcamp.com/

Towers
https://www.facebook.com/TowersBelfast/
https://towersbelfast.bandcamp.com/

Gravity Well
https://www.facebook.com/GravityWellBelfast/

Date: Friday 13th December
Venue: Voodoo, Belfast
Time: 7PM
Tickets: £10 + booking fee

Tickets are available via Eventbrite at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crypt-of-the-riff-vol-4-tickets-63108010759

They will also be available on the door.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2504270066258014/
https://www.facebook.com/plainlivingpromotions/
https://cryptoftheriff.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VoodooBelfast/

Tuskar, The Tide, Beneath, The Wall (2018)

Northern Irish riffers Elder Druid are preparing to release their second full-length later this year. Titled Golgotha, it will be the answer to 2017’s Carmina Satanae, which saw them blending sludge burl and doomed atmospheres and themes to encouraging and engaging degrees. What does the new album hold? Beats the hell out of me — I haven’t heard it yet. But if the cover art by Mariusz Lewandowski is anything to go by, things won’t be any less bleak this time around. Lewandowski was the painter behind the the striking cover of Bell Witch‘s Mirror Reaper, and Golgotha would seem to be on-point in terms of its general outlook. Murky and depressive. Heavy like slumped shoulders.

There’s no audio from the record as yet, or even a solid release date made public, so there’s probably more to come before the album is actually out — unless they get sneaky and just drop it without telling anyone first; it happens — but until then, the cover art and tracklisting are what there is to go on, so that’s what I’m going on. If you’re curious to learn what a song called “Paegan Dawn of Anubis” sounds like, me too. I’ll look forward to finding out.

Here’s the art and their corresponding post:

ELDER DRUID – ‘GOLGOTHA’

Delighted to finally reveal the artwork and tracklist for our second full-length album, ‘Golgotha’, due for release in late 2019.

We have the honour of using this piece by one of the greatest surrealist painters in the world right now… the mighty Mariusz Lewandowski. (The artist behind Bell Witch’s ‘Mirror Reaper’ and Shrine Of The Serpent’s ‘Entropic Disillusion’).

Recorded in our rehearsal space in Belfast.

TRACKLIST:
1. Golgotha
2. Dreadnought
3. Sleeping Giant
4. Vincere Vel Mori
5. Sentinel
6. Paegan Dawn of Anubis
7. The Archmage

Elder Druid is:
Gregg McDowell – Vocals,
Jake Wallace – Guitar,
Mikey Scott – Guitar,
Dale Hughes – Bass,
Brien Gillen – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband

Elder Druid, Carmina Satanae (2017)

Yes, it’s only four days, but I mean, look at that poster. Just look at it. How on earth was I not going to embrace the radness of that poster? And as Northern Ireland’s Elder Druid and England’s Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters head out on their second tour together given the much-less-cumbersome designation of ‘Elder Kush 2,’ they’ll meet up with Lacertilia on March 29 for what’s been dubbed a “Fuck Brexit Party.” I don’t care if you’re all for dissolving the European Union and descending back into nationalist tribalism, you have to at least appreciate the fact that they made it a party.

The March 30 date is also of particular note, as it will be an appearance for both bands at Riffolution Festival 2019 alongside Elephant Tree, Belzebong and others you can see below. Speaking of parties, I’d say that just about qualifies.

And for good measure, the run ends March 31 at The Black Heart in London, which remains a great place to see a show, even if they don’t let babies in the downstairs bar. Nobody’s perfect, but a night at The Black Heart remains damn near a guaranteed good time in my experience.

So, off you go:

ELDER KUSH 2 TOUR

Stoked to announce that we’re heading across the water again to do a second tour with London’s tie-dye fuzz goblins Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters across England & Wales.
28/03: Arches Venue Coventry | Coventry
29/03: The Moon Cardiff | Cardiff w/ Lacertilia
30/03: Rebellion Manchester | Manchester
31/03: The Black Heart | London

Event pages in the comments!

Got some killer company including Lacertilia in Cardiff, GNOB in London and the likes of BelzebonG, Elephant Tree, The Necromancers & Tuskar in Manchester for Riffolution Festival 2019.

Poster: Subliminal Vision

https://www.facebook.com/elderdruidband
https://elderdruid.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.instagram.com/elderdruidband

http://facebook.com/chubbythunderousbadkushmasters
https://chubbythunderousbadkushmasters.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ChubbyThunderousBadKushMasters

Elder Druid, Carmina Satanae (2017)

Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters, Come and Chutney (2018)

There’s nothing like motivation. The first Crypt of the Riff festival was held last May. The second? Last month. The third will be in April at the same venue in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that hosted the second one, which is Voodoo Belfast. Set up by Plain Living Promotions, the one-day fest will feature six acts with the headliner as Dead Witches, who will release their second album, The Final Exorcism, on Feb. 22 through Italy’s Heavy Psych Sounds, who are also co-presenters.

Rounding out the bill are Northern Irish acts Elder Druid, Bad Boat, So Much for the Sun and Owlcrusher as well as Ireland’s Tome, which, if you’ve got a quota for sludge, should be well enough to meet it easily. The night will range in atmospheres from dark and crushing to darker and crushing-er, and with Garganjua having headlined the first one and Ten Ton Slug the second, Dead Witches stand in a position of increasing prominence in being selected to top the bill. I’m not saying I’ve heard their album or anything, but I have, and no doubt their headlining slot at Crypt of the Riff will be a treat for those fortunate enough to see it.

Between that and the kind of hunger on display from someone who might decide to put together three fest’s in a year’s time, I’m definitely stoked to be involved with Crypt of the Riff Vol. 3 in the small way that I am. If you get to go, shoot video and send it my way.

Here’s the announcement from the fest itself:

Crypt of the Riff Vol. 3 – April 18 – Voodoo Belfast

Delighted to announce that Dead Witches (ENG) will headline the third edition of Crypt of the Riff.

‘Haunting vocals, heavy riffs, fuzzed bass, savage drumming, Dead Witches will take you to another world… a world of darkness. The brainchild of drummer Mark Greening (founding member of ELECTRIC WIZARD, RAMESSES and WITH THE DEAD) with bassist Carl Geary, guitarist Oliver Irongiant and vocalist Soozi Chameleone.’

Support from:
Elder Druid
Owlcrusher
TOME
So Much For The Sun
Bad Boat

Event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1885639041531535/

Thursday 18th April
Voodoo Belfast
7pm | £8 online/£10 on the door

Ticket link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crypt-of-the-riff-vol-3-tickets-54102585289

Massive thanks to Goatess Doomwych for the incredible poster design!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1885639041531535
https://www.facebook.com/plainlivingpromotions/
https://cryptoftheriff.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VoodooBelfast/

Dead Witches, “Fear the Priest”

First of all, I know nothing about the band, but I’ll give credence to any event that features a group called Goatschlager, because that, my friends is how you win at monikers. Second, that righteously-named troupe is just one of the reasons one might think about booking passage to the inaugural Crypt of the Riff Festival, set for May 18 in the Northern Irish capital of Belfast. Among the others? Hornets, Elder Druid, zhOra, Molarbear, Two Tales of Woe, So Much for the Sun and fest-headliners Garganjua.

That’s a packed lineup for a show that according to the poster starts at 7PM (multiple stages? all-nighter?), but with Garganjua at the top of the bill, due heft is assured. The Leicestershire, UK, doomers issued their four-song A Voyage in Solitude full-length in Jan. 2017 and brought together extreme sludge, post-YOB rollout, Paradise Lost and Pallbearer-style woefulness and flourish of Electric Wizard melody for good measure, making a home for themselves in in-between spaces nonetheless marked out by an engrossing and dark atmosphere.

If you didn’t hear it, that album is streaming in full at the bottom of this post. Plain Living Promotions, founded by Elder Druid guitarist Jake Wallace, posted the event info for Crypt of the Riff 2018 as follows:

Plain Living Promotions presents: CRYPT OF THE RIFF FESTIVAL 2018

The lineup is finally complete for Plain Living Promotions presents Crypt of the Riff Festival 2018. On Friday 18th May some of the finest purveyors of heavy music from this country and beyond lay waste to the subterranean Crypt of the Riff.

So stoked to announce Garganjua (Leicestershire) as headliners. Still 5 months to go but that leaves plenty of time to invest in worthwhile ear protection and/or get tickets.

Full lineup:
Garganjua
Hornets
Elder Druid
zhOra
MOLARBEAR
Two Tales of Woe
So Much For The Sun
Goatschlager

Date: Friday 18th May 2018
Venue: Bar Sub, Mandela Hall, Belfast
Tickets: £8 online / £10 on the door
18+

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1780384045329089/
Ticket link: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/422378

https://www.facebook.com/plainlivingpromotions/

Garganjua, A Voyage in Solitude (2017)