Both of these are pretty badass and I didn’t figure anyone would complain, so I thought I’d put up the posters for Desertfest next year. Both London and Berlin have come out in the last couple days — you’d almost think it wasn’t a coincidence! — and though each has its own personality like the fests themselves, I think looking at either you know you’re getting a heavy show. Maybe I’m biased.

Malleus handled the London poster, and Ammo, from Belgium, the Berlin one. For Malleus, these are pretty regular themes — their affection for redheads goes way back and here brings to mind some of the exploits of Fanny Jo Stingray, may she rest in piece — and with Ammo’s the pencil grays and insane level of detail bring to mind a black and white take on Earth‘s The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, though obviously the color/lack thereof makes a huge difference.

Check them out and see what you think:

Desertfest London 2014 Poster by Malleus

We are pleased to be able to unveil Desertfest 2014’s awesome limited addition screen print poster, created by the equally awesome Malleus. Malleus is a poster art trio featuring Poia and Urlo of UFOMAMMUT and we just couldn’t help get them involved again. The prints will be available next week to pre order at £20 and of course will be available at the festival.

We are also excited to be announcing the Human Disease/When When Planets Collide stage on Thursday. Expect a heavy underworld line up…

https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon

Desertfest Berlin 2014 Poster by Ammo

We are thrilled to unveil our official poster for DESERTFEST BERLIN 2014, made by the Brussels-based guy AMMO!! We really dig it, and we hope you too!

You will discover more about AMMO through an interview that will be published soon, but meanwhile, you can check his past work on http://ammoamo.blogspot.fr/!

https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin

Okay, maybe not, but (1:) that would be hilarious and (2:) they’re perfect for the role since they’ve never been here before and we could probably even get Eddie Murphy to do a cameo as the owner of McDowell’s. He’s not busy.

In any case, the PR wire — vigilant as ever — informs that Italian doom/art collective Ufomammut (whose visual side is known as Malleus) are coming to the US to show both their sonic and painterly wares. Too bad it’s not on my side of the country, but I’m sure it’ll be enjoyable for all the left-coastern doomers. Dig the specifics:

The Italian art collective Malleus, known worldwide for their striking poster designs and screen printing magic, will be returning to San Francisco this month alongside Alan Forbes, Firehouse (Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan) and countless more international artists, under the tour banner Dark Nouveau, a return to the roots of poster creation. Dark Nouveau evokes equally the fin de si?cle style of Toulouse-Lautrec and 1960?s San Francisco Psychedelia. It operates as a manifesto of reinvention and revision, aimed at connecting to the poster movement of the Decadent Period to the Belle Epoque and folding it into the Psychedelic Period to the present modern global silkscreen movement. Dozens of other artists will be involved; see the full list of artists and full info on the festival here.

Additionally, Ufomammut — the oppressive, cerebral doom unit which contains several members of the Malleus Collective — will be playing their first American shows in October! Two California shows have been booked in conjunction with the Dark Nouveau art tour, in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Ufomammut – First US appearances!
10/16/2009 Nomad – Los Angeles, CA
10/24/2009 Varnish – San Francisco, CA

Ufomammut will be returning to the US in May 2010 for the annual Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore. Their most recent album Idolum was released in 2008 by Supernatural Cat Records, the label also handled by members of Malleus and Ufomammut. Their next record is also in the works for a 2010 release.

Being a nerd for Ufomammut and all things Malleus in general, I thought this tidbit of relevant news about the band Incoming Cerebral Overdrive and their new album Controverso on the Supernatural Cat label might be of interest. Dig it:

In 2003, the band released a self-produced demo that helped break them quickly into the local show circuit and also in the media, earning the Top Demo from Metal Hammer magazine and more. In August 2006 their debut album CEREBRAL heART (recorded at Fear Studio, mixed by Kurt Ballou) was released on Italian label Myphonic Records, gaining the band quite a bit of attention all over Europe.

Now it’s time for Controverso? the next evolution in ICO?s destructive lineage. Controverso represents a new impulse of uncontrollable nature. Constructed of eight tracks, the album evolves through a conscious musical growing, breathing with the innovative soul of avant-garde music. Originating from the Mastodonic approach to the riff, wholly rooted in a hardcore attitude, and overall developing in something rather unique and multiform, their furious dynamics, searing vocals, 70s Italian prog reminiscence, and psychedelic aesthetic show ICO?s will to experiment on continuously mutating song structures.

Track list:
1. Reflections
2. Oxygen
3. Controversial
4. Science
5. Magic
6. Sound
7. Colours
8. There

Controverso will be released in September in a very limited edition packaging, hand-printed by Malleus, with colored LP and CD.

Taken from the DVD Such Hawks, Such Hounds and posted by the good hardworking folks at the Malleus Rock Art Lab comes this clip focusing on the visuals of modern psychedelia and stoner rock. In it we get to see Malleus, Arik Roper, Stephen O’Malley and more. Pretty killer. Enjoy, and when you’re done, head over to suchhawkssuchhounds.com and buy a copy of the movie. It’s all about education, man.