Posted in Whathaveyou on October 2nd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This Wednesday — two friggin’ days from now — French heavy psych rockers Mars Red Sky will post their video for “Break Even,” which is the first single from their new album, Dawn of the Dusk, due Dec. 8 on Vicious Circle Records and the band’s own Mrs Red Sound imprint. In fact, the clip is already up. It was sent to media with the press release below, and I’d love to share it, but it’s a 48-hour embargo and only assholes don’t respect that kind of thing.
My question is: am I really going to put up another Mars Red Sky post on Wednesday with that video, just two days after the album announcement? On social media, that kind of thing makes sense because of the constant demand for content from the greedy algorithm. Here, especially on a week when I’m doing a Quarterly Review and that’s most of the writing/brain power/posted-stuff going up, I’m less certain.
But I’ve heard the record and it’s awesome. A wholly representative work from an essential band. Whether or not I’ll put that video up in a couple days isn’t my only question about it, either. This is the first album Mars Red Sky will have put out past their 15th anniversary last year. Is it the dawn of the dusk of the band? The beginning of the end? One never really knows, but I always get nervous when acts I like start talking about endings in record titles. That’s before you get to “The Final Round.”
So maybe I will post that clip! Getting while the getting’s good, and all that. If you heard the collaborative Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow EP (review here), you’ll be happy to know that “Maps of Inferno” from it (video below) features early on Dawn of the Dusk and is part of a reprise later on as well, almost similar to how the EP ended with an edit of the track itself, but a different melodic interpretation.
I don’t know a lot of stuff coming out in December yet, and in my head, this might be the last big release of 2023. I’m sure it won’t be — because the truth is the onslaught never friggin’ ends — but in terms of my personal listening habits, it’s already been a big one and I have the feeling it will continue to be as the next few months draw down and we head into the dark of winter.
I did a video chat at some point with Julien and Jimmy that was great and I’m going to try to again for this record if I can. Keep an eye out.
Here’s this from the PR wire:
French heavy psych torchbearers MARS RED SKY to issue new album ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’ on December 8th: enjoy first extract “Break Even”.
Doom-psych / heavy-progressive project MARS RED SKY reveal details on their new album ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’ – due out on December 8th 2023 via Mrs Red Sound and Vicious Circle Records. Fuzz-laden video extract “Break Even” is due out this wednesday 4th October
‘Dawn Of The Dusk’: the beginning and the end are one. Mirror effects, reversals, double-dealing, deterioration… This fifth studio effort from French heavy psychedelic stalwarts MARS RED SKY is a genuine conceptual piece of work skilfully designed to take the listener on a journey through a shifting, unpredictable and even utterly disconcerting sonic universe. Bordeaux-based trio explore progressive and post-metal territories with boundless inspiration. Their original signature of jagged vocals and thundering rhythm is spiced up by drones and various mid-kraut rock and mid-gothic effects. The atmospheres and settings are finely crafted, with Julien Pras’s voice adding a delicious pop languor. Debut single “Break Even” shapes the components of the album into a kind of reversible allegory, as appealing as disturbing. The video directed by Clara Griot invites us to enter their post-apocalyptic world with wild open eyes.
MARS RED SKY’s new record ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’ is coming out on December 8th via Vicious Circle (Slift, We Insist!, Shannon Wright, The Psychotic Monks) and Mrs Red Sound (their own imprint) on coloured LP, CD digisleeve, streaming and download. It will be available for preorder on October 25th through both labels. All songs by Mars Red Sky except Maps Of Inferno by Mars Red Sky and Queen Of The Meadow (off their latest EP). Produced, recorded and mixed by Benjamin Mandeau at Cryogène Studio in Bègles, France. Mastering by Ladislav Agabekov (of hardcore band Nostromo) at Caduceus Studio in Gimel, Switzerland.
MARS RED SKY New album ‘Dawn Of The Dusk’ Out December 8th 2023 on Mrs Red Sound and Vicious Circle Records
TRACK LISTING ‘DAWN OF THE DUSK’ 1. Break Even 2. Maps of Inferno 3. The Final Round 4. A Choir of Ghosts 5. Carnival Man 6. Trap Door 7. Slow Attack 8. Heavenly Bodies
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 25th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This past weekend was Ripplefest Texas, and I gotta say, even having gone to a fest last friggin’ week, I was looking hard at that lineup and thinking to myself it’d be awfully nice to see a whole bunch of West Coast acts I don’t normally see. Maybe next year.
Wait, who’s thinking about next year when the festival is barely done? They are. Ripplefest Texas 2024 is bringing over Dozer and Mars Red Sky — oh I hope they tour together — and will have The Skull-offshoot Legions of Doom, Boston’s Gozu, The Heavy Eyes, High Desert Queen, Bone Church, Blue Heron, Demons My Friends and, as you might guess looking at the packed lineup that was assembled for this year’s event, many more to come.
Honestly, you had me at eitherDozer or Mars Red Sky, but the appeal here goes well beyond those, and in a US festival sphere reeling without a major summer event or two this year it’s gotten pretty used to having around, Ripplefest seems to be stepping in at least to give the heavy rock end of the underground somewhere to flourish. I’ll be interested to see in the next two or three years how it will continue to grow, but also just for next year. I’d imagine there’s a whole bunch of people who’ve already made their travel plans to get to Austin. Can’t say I really blame you.
More to come as we get closer to a year from now, obviously, but they’re throwing down. Pretty sure those earlybird tickets are gone:
DATES AND FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR NEXT YEAR!
DOZER LEGIONS OF DOOM MARS RED SKY GOZU THE HEAVY EYES HIGH DESERT QUEEN BONE CHURCH BLUE HERON DEMONS MY FRIENDS
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 19th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Let’s casually presume that when Mars Red Sky release their new video on Oct. 4 for the track “Break Even,” that they’ll tag an announcement for their next full-length on with that, and I’m hoping it’ll be out before the end of the year. That does make it potentially a December release, and I’d hate to think of it not getting the look it deserves because listeners are settling into the holidays and the music industry is exhaling until late January or thereabouts, but they’ve got live shows set for the next half a year with likely a bunch more to come for Spring and Summer 2024, so I don’t think they’ll be lacking for spreading the word. They’ll do Freak Valley‘s big winter to-do in December as well, so whether that’s when the record comes out or not, it’ll be a busy month for the Bordeaux trio.
They posted the dates on socials with the ticket link and other whatnots. Earlier this year, the band put out the self-titled Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow EP (review here) and there’ve been some quality short releases throughout 2023 thus far, but I’m not sure I’ve heard anything to top that one in my mind. Their last full-length was 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), so yeah, they’re about due to hit it again. Hope they come back to the States.
Here’s dates from socials:
MARS RED SKY – TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT
Here we are!! Thanks to 3C and Sound of Liberation for the gigs. New video clip “Break Even” to come out on October 4th 2023. Stay tuned ’cause we have more cool things to announce.
So I kinda wanted to hear some old shit alongside all the new shit, which I guess I feel okay about. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like every second of every show has to be super-recent as much as possible to get word out about new bands again as much as possible — and again again as much as possible to the extent of whatever the audience for this show is; I honestly have no idea — but that’s not even close to being true in reality. I could play Death, no one would give a shit.
I should play Death. Next show if I remember, which I’m saying up front is like 70/30 no.
Anyway, so old High on Fire into new Dozer and Altered States’ recent “The Crossing” crossing with The Hidden Hand’s “The Crossing” from their brilliant 2004 opus, and JAAW feeding into Celtic Frost feeding into Vape Warlök. Fucking a. This show’s pretty good. I hope I don’t ruin it by, you know, talking.
A few albums here I’m looking forward to knowing better. Swanmay for sure, JAAW absolutely, and I might even say that of Dozer, perhaps into perpetuity or at very least until long after I’ve reviewed it and hailed it as one of the best albums of the year — which I don’t even feel shy in saying because it’s a fucking given — and Bongzilla, because they’re Bongzilla and I’m glad they’re putting out records. They’re a needed reminder of how even the heaviest things can be made to float.
Thanks if you listen to this show. If not, it happens, but thanks for reading anyhow. If you stumbled here and have no idea what I’m talking about, you might still consider checking out a band or two from the playlist and find something to make your day better.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 03.31.23 (VT = voice track)
High on Fire
10,000 Years
The Art of Self-Defense (2001)
Dozer
Dust for Blood
Drifting in the Endless Void
Devoidov
Stab
Stab
MiR
Altar of Liar
Season Unknown
VT
Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow
Maps of Inferno
Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow
Black Rainbows
Superhero Dopeproof
Superskull
Lammping
Better Know Better
Better Know Better
Oceanlord
2340
Kingdom Cold
Arriver
Azimuth
Azimuth
Altered States
The Crossing
Survival
The Hidden Hand
The Crossing
Mother Teacher Destroyer (2004)
Iress
Ricochet
Solace
Grin
Nothingness
Black Nothingness
Bongzilla
Hippie Stick
Dab City
MWWB
Logic Bomb
The Harvest (2022)
Swanmay
Stone Cold
Frantic Feel
VT
JAAW
Rot
Supercluster
Celtic Frost
A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh
Monotheist (2005)
Vape Warlök
Inhale Death
Inhale Death (2022)
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 14 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
Bourdeaux, France, progressive heavy psychedelic rockers Mars Red Sky are drawing closer to the April 28 release of their new collaborative EP, Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow, set to issue through their own Mrs Red Sound imprint and Vicious Circle Records. The trio’s first work since 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), it sees Helen Ferguson, aka folk solo artist Queen of the Meadow, step in on lead vocals for the tracks “Maps of Inferno” (7:17) and “Out at Large” (5:39), with an edit called “Maps of Inferno (Shortcut)” (4:44) rounding out as a reprise.
All told, they’re done in under 18 minutes, and that is the source of my only complaint about Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow — it’s not enough. Unless they’re planning a series of these releases as a four-piece with Ferguson up front alongside Mars Red Sky guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist/sometimes-vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathew “Matgaz” Gazeau, two originals and the ‘shortcut’ just don’t cut it. From the wah-drenched solo in “Out at Large” and the density of the low end that feels so true to the band’s roller-fuzz beginnings to the Joni Mitchell-esque declarations delivered firmly by Ferguson in “Maps of Inferno” — long or short — and back again, the EP feels complete in its own terms with the focused-on-structure bookend they give it, but those terms leave one wanting more in a visceral way. There’s further they can go into that wash at the end of “Out at Large,” more to do with the bounce in “Maps of Inferno,” and certainly exploration to be done in the harmonies from Pras and Ferguson together.
EPs often precede LPs for Mars Red Sky — their discography is a big ol’ back and forth between long and short offerings — and this wouldn’t be the first time the band have expanded beyond their core lineup before going back to it for their next record, but the richness of “Maps of Inferno” begs to be fleshed out across at least one full-length, building as it does on an established partnership between Ferguson and Pras — on multiple levels; they may or may not be married — the latter of whom who has produced albums for the former and featured on guitar and vocals. Combining that spirit with the tonal weight of Mars Red Sky feels like a bolster to the band’s approach, influential as they’ve been in bringing together an abiding lushness in the sweetness of Pras‘ vocals and the heft of their increasingly complex grooves, which is something else “Maps of Inferno” demonstrates in its mellowed-out ambient break, peppered with sparse guitar as it moves fluidly through a swaying jam en route back to the central riff from whence it came, Matgaz‘s drums thudding the change.
There’s a lot of 2023 left, I understand, but Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow are the standard to which I’ll be comparing EPs for the rest of the year, and right now that feels like a pretty mammoth ask of, well, anybody. As of this writing, I haven’t seen the video yet for “Maps of Inferno,” and honestly I don’t even know if it’s the long or short version of the track yet, but what matters here is that the collaboration between Ferguson and Mars Red Sky has resulted in something special beyond what one might’ve expected of the elements involved, and it is a release that demands to be heard no less than it demands a follow-up. I hope it gets both.
Enjoy the clip and, most importantly, the song:
Mars Red Sky, “Maps of Inferno” official video
When the power of psychedelic heavy meets the depth of dark folk harmonies, it results in a complex and exhilarating flavor. The daring combination opens up the genres to a whole new dimension. MARS RED SKY’s new EP, soberly entitled “Mars Red Sky & Queen Of The Meadow”, exalts and enhances the trio’s magic formula: namely, the blend of a robust and determined rhythm section with jagged and ambitious vocals, all evolving within a unique soundscape. The two tracks of the record suggest a disturbing journey through an immense maze directly inspired by mad architect Piranesi and his towers with terrifying staircases. Real melodic narrative, Queen Of The Meadow’s vocals carve out an unexpected intensity. Mars Red Sky offers here an abyssal production, polished and unheard of.
Produced, recorded and mixed by Benjamin Mandeau at Cryogène Studio, Bègles (France). Mastering: Ladislav Agabekov at Caduceus Studios, Gimel (Switzerland). Band photography: Jessica Calvo (photography), Fluor_99 (artwork). Cover: Machado Leão (artwork), Brett Kielick (photography). Layout: Floriane Fontaine
All songs composed, written and arranged by Mars Red Sky and Queen Of The Meadow: Helen Ferguson: lead vocals and melodies Julien Pras: guitars, back-up vocals Jimmy Kinast: bass Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums
And so they were. The narrative behind Mars Red Sky‘s 2014 sophomore outing has always been important to the listening experience, and nine years later, the Bordeaux trio’s creative leaps feel no less resonant as the bassline underscoring the intro to “The Light Beyond” kicks in with its welcoming rumble while the atmospheric vocal melodies float overhead. Their first outing to be released through Listenable Records, the eight-song/44-minute Stranded in Arcadia (review here) had the unenviable task of following up Mars Red Sky‘s 2011 self-titled debut (review here, discussed here), and the band’s plans for it were about six years ahead of their time in completely evaporating.
Guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist/backing vocalist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau (who was still pretty new to the group at that point) were set to travel to the US, record at Thunder Underground in Palm Springs, California, between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, 2013, and do a quick run of shows up the West Coast after. Who knows what might’ve been had that happened, but after having their visas blocked, they wound up in Brazil directly following a handful of dates there and in Argentina, working at Estúdio Superfuzz in Rio de Janeiro with Gabriel Zander at what would turn out to be a pivotal moment for them as a band.
True, their 2012 collaboration with countrymen Year of No Light (discussed here) and their 2013 Be My GuideEP (review here) put forth the notion that the playful bounce and blend of folkish melodies and weighted tones of the self-titled were the beginning point as opposed to the sum of all they had to offer, but when Stranded in Arcadia landed, it marked not only the next stage of an LP-then-EP-then-LP methodology that they’ve kept up ever since — their new EP, a collaboration with Queen of the Meadow, is out April 28 (info here) in time for a grand run of European festivals and more this May — but also a flourishing of sound and style on which their two subsequent full-lengths, 2016’s Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul) (review here) and 2019’s The Task Eternal (review here), would continue to build.
From the grand unfolding of eight-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “The Light Beyond” (premiered here) through “Join the Race” setting up a direct lineage for pieces on the next two records like “Under the Hood” and “Crazy Hearth,” to the double-kick surge late in the instrumental “Arcadia” and the drench of wah offsetting the languid march of the penultimate “Seen a Ghost” before “Beyond the Light” calls back to the leadoff with a blasted-out-there noisy reprise, Stranded in Arcadia used songwriting to overcome circumstance. Where it could have been haphazard or sloppy or rushed considering the improvised nature of the band finding and hitting a studio, it isn’t at all.
Even “Holy Mondays,” which arguably has the most shove behind its hook (Kinast taking over lead vocals from Pras for the moment), is laid back in its verses, and in following the memorable “Hovering Satellites” (video premiere here), it demonstrates the branching into sonic progressivism that was taking place across the larger span. Hypothetically speaking, had all gone according to plan, if that had been the end result, the album (presumably called something else) would be a triumph. That they overcame legitimate adversity — I don’t know if you’ve ever been told you can’t fly to where you’re supposed to fly, but it is a very particular helplessness — to do it takes that to another level entirely.
And ‘another level’ is kind of the running theme for Stranded in Arcadia anyway. The distance of years has done nothing to-date to dull the warmth of tonality in either Pras‘ guitar or Kinast‘s bass or the sheer largesse through which Gazeau‘s snare cuts so readily and yet so perfectly set in the mix such that even the twists in the later “Circles” find the needed round edges from out of the surrounding sharper angles. Likewise, the solidity of their purpose, the element of craft in the material structurally and in the layers of the production, is only enhanced by the fluid grooves and gentle melody in Pras‘ voice as Mars Red Sky reveal a more ambitious scope than the first album could have presented and yet couldn’t exist without that first album behind it.
Their combination of heft and float has proven a major point of influence across multiple niches within heavy rock, psychedelia and doom, but it’s the active nature of the progression across Stranded in Arcadia that’s most striking; the sense that, having gotten their feet under them, they were ready to begin their journey in earnest, and both Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul) and The Task Eternal have felt like they have more in common with the second LP than its predecessor. They went from having their original idea for making the record bureaucratically pulled out from under them to giving themselves a model to work from on their third and fourth full-lengths. As regards turning lemons into lemonade, gambling and winning, that’s pretty god damned impressive.
If I say it doesn’t seem like it’s been so long since Stranded in Arcadia was released, take that as a sign of my enduring affection for it, which I’ll make no attempt to hide. I recall hearing “The Light Beyond” for the first time, not really knowing what to expect after Be My Guide and the self-titled, and being summarily blown away by the uptick in breadth. You won’t hear me say a bad word about the debut — at all. ever. ever. ever. — but the pivot in Stranded in Arcadia‘s material and the use it makes of what Mars Red Sky had already established as the tenets of their approach is still stunning. Yes, I’ve belabored the point, but it feels justified to say this would’ve been a brave record to make in the best of conditions. They turned it into a defining statement of intent and one of the best albums of the 2010s. It’s a great story and an even greater album. How and why would you not celebrate such a thing?
As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.
—
The moral of this week, I suppose, is that everything is easier when The Patient Mrs. is around. Not new learning, necessarily, but reinforced by her Spring Break this week. We got more cabinets hung in the kitchen — one of the doors is too low; my fault of course — and moved the fridge to where we eventually want it to be, etc. Has not been a fast process, but we’ve done more in the last three weeks than probably in the six months prior, so not bad. At least there are cabinets now. I put plates in them. And so on.
A little scattershot this morning, I guess. It was a pretty effective work-week for me in terms of writing. A little extra time here and there as a result of the aforementioned Spring Break doing wonders generally for my state of being. I’ve still been getting up before the alarm — yesterday a little before 2:30AM, today just after 3AM — but I’m also asleep by 9PM barring disaster, so you know, you get by. But I’m all over the place today. It’s just after 4:20AM and I’ve been back and forth between email, FB messages, putting together a Questionnaire to go up on Monday — which I’ve managed to finish — listening to Les Nadie, looking up info on Dopelord (who are the next PostWax band I need to write about), reading about AI, downloading a bunch of records I need to check out, the myriad mental interludes of the internet, and so on. I need to get my second cup of coffee, so a sojourn to the kitchen is the thing that will hopefully renew my focus. Distraction, you say, between here and there? Possible. I might just end up emptying the dishwasher midsentence at the rate I’m going.
To wit, the point of the paragraph above was that I actually managed to write the piece above about Mars Red Sky yesterday (Thursday) after finishing the Dun Ringill video premiere, and I can’t remember the last time I actually did the writing for a Friday Full-Length before Friday morning. It was easier since Dun Ringill was just writing about one song, and I had most of the back end already set up to roll, but still. But I didn’t do shit yesterday afternoon, and I don’t really plan on doing shit this afternoon either, so yeah. If I’m in that position today it’s because it was a pretty smooth week leading up to it. There’ll probably be like six new album releases I want to put up today. The one my brain goes back to is ‘Electric Wizard Announce New Album‘ from 2016. That’s become my shorthand for some-shit-I-should-post-now. The numbers seem to have been erased, but that post is one of the most shared in the history of this site. It had over 10,000 likes on FB or something. I’ve only hit that mark once or twice. Shame to see it gone, actually, but these things are flimsy on the internet.
Part of the trouble of having a bunch of stuff I need to hear is that I can’t stop listening to the new Ruff Majik album. It’s one of those. Even when I’m not actually playing it, the songs are running through my mental jukebox. A good problem to have, to be sure, but a hard standard for other records to meet in terms of my mental priority. A couple times a year I get hit with records like that. Last year, Author & Punisher and Caustic Casanova were the two that most come readily to mind — records that just had to be heard over and over and over and over, like I’m watching my favorite videos as a kid, Spaceballs or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or whatever it was. Secret of the Ooze. My retro arcade has the original Turtles in Time on it. I’m very much looking to dive into that.
See? All over the fucking place. Started that paragraph talking about Ruff Majik, ended with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That’s about where my head is at. All this free time. I got to shower before the alarm would’ve gone off, which felt like a luxury, and I’ve now finished my coffee before the first post of the day is still up. That’ll be the aforementioned Dun Ringill. Then the Lazy Bones announcement that came out the other day on socials. Then maybe Høstsabbat or the Gimme wrap. The day proceeds.
I’m not sure if you can chat through the web interface, but it’s kind of cool on the app. Last time was really good. I have the feeling this one’s going to be dead. Longer songs. So it goes. Can’t all be radio hits all the time or there’s no point.
Next week, on Monday a new single from Ape Machine and the aforementioned Les Nadie, a full stream for their bonus-track-inclusive reissue on however many labels it was. I can double up because the Les Nadie was already reviewed so that won’t be a full writeup, but I wanted to feature the record anyway because it’s so good. Les Nadie and Moodoom have me wondering if there’s a new generation taking over in Argentina, which would be awesome. Something to keep an eye on over the next couple years, though South America’s pretty much a constant stream of quality heavy largely overlooked by the gringo world because it’s not in English. Whatever. I guess I care less about that than some.
So that’s Monday. Tuesday an interview with Keith Gibbs and Craig Riggs of Sasquatch. First non-Questionnaire interview I’ve done in months, and if it was a band I hadn’t been covering for the better part of 20 years it would probably have been a disaster, but, you know. They’re friendly guys. Wednesday a premiere for The Crooked Whispers. Thursday is Oreyeon, who are always fun and weird to write about. And Friday, on its release day, I’ll review the Acid King record. I had wanted to do that earlier but moved it due to other timely stuff. That’s how it goes. Things that don’t have to be on a specific day always end up getting moved, falling through the cracks, etc. I do my best, but soon enough my head is back to Turtles in Time, and that’s that.
Pretty sure I’m finishing with fewer emails than I started the week, though, which is a definite win.
But it’s 5:05AM now and The Patient Mrs. is up and The Pecan just came downstairs so I guess it’s time to get the party started. I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Have fun, watch your head, hydrate. You know the drill. Back here on Monday.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 9th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This is the second time this week I’m posting news about Mars Red Sky. The Bordeaux trio are fresh off announcing a stretch of tour dates alongside Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti that starts this month, and they’re following that with the unveiling of their new EP, made in collaboration with folk singer Queen of the Meadow. Born Helen Ferguson, she and Mars Red Sky‘s Julien Pras have worked together going back to his being her guitar teacher and they may or may not be married. In any case, I’ve heard the thing, and it’s a fit, which is what matters, and obviously it’s that basis in the prior relationship that makes that possible. Stumbling through Queen of the Meadow‘s Bandcamp, 2018’s A Room to Store Happiness hits a nerve nicely in “Royal Garden.” I’ve embedded it below. It’s not her latest album, that’s 2021’s Survival of the Unfittest, but you know how to get to Bandcamp from an embed.
Of course, Mars Red Sky have long had a pattern of releasing EPs as a way of leading into new full-lengths, so I’ll just say I hope that’s the case here. It’s also not the first collaboration the three-piece have done, as they worked together with Year of No Light on an EP (discussed here) in 2012. It’s a good one though. You won’t regret keeping an ear out.
For now:
Hey there!
We are excited to officially announce the release of our new EP « Mars Red Sky & Queen of the Meadow » this April 28th 2023 on long time friends record label Vicious Circle Records and our own one Mrs Red Sound !! We teamed up with dark folk artist Queen of the Meadow who sings on each track. We hope you’ll like this one made – as always – with love & fuzz. Details about the release and more surprises to be revealed in the next few days… Stay tuned!
18.02.2023 (#127465#)(#127466#) ERFURT Bandhaus Erfurt 29.02.2023 (#127462#)(#127481#) VIENNA Echoes of Erebos 30.02.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) BRISTOL Astral Festival 01.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) CARDIFF The Globe Cardiff * 02.05.2023 (#127470#)(#127466#) DUBLIN The Grand Social* 03.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) GLASGOW Cathouse Rock Club* 05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) SHEFFIELD Corporation Sheffield* 05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) MANCHESTER Factory Manchester* 06.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) DURHAM Dominion Festival 07.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) LONDON Desertfest London 27.05.2023 (#127466#)(#127480#) MADRID Kristonfest 26.08.2023 (#127463#)(#127466#) RILLAAR Down The Hill * With Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti.
MARS RED SKY are: Julien Pras : guitar, vocals Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums, vocals
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 7th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This is a cool mix. Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti have been tourmates in the past in the US, so for them to take that show to the UK and Ireland for fests and more, adding Mars Red Sky to the mix gives it a totally different character, tying together tonal largesse and melody as is their wont while Telekinetic Yeti bludgeon with riffs and Weedeater bring their signature party scathe, which at this point I think I’m prepared to just call ‘the blues’ and leave it at that. There. Weedeater are a blues band. Feels good to say that. Via sludge, sure.
Mars Red Sky have new material in the works — perhaps the next announce from their label Mrs Red Sound will be that release?; one hopes — but either way, they have festivals booked throughout the Spring and Summer. They’ll be in Bristol this month for Astral Festival, and this tour takes them to Desertfest London ahead of appearances at Kristonfest in Madrid — presented in part by this site — and Down the Hill in Belgium. Gonna be a busy year for the Bordeaux trio, I think. “Sapphire vessel gaining speed,” and so on.
The aforementioned Mrs Red Sound sent the following:
France’s psychedelic doom stalwarts MARS RED SKY to announce new dates across the UK and Ireland with Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti.
Doom progressive veterans MARS RED SKY are back on track with a full UK and Ireland tour announcement. They will be sharing the stage with North Carolina sludge/stoner legends Weedeater and US heavy psych heavyweights Telekitenic Yeti. Mars Red Sky will also be playing some nice festivals such as Astral, DesertFest London, Dominion or Kriston Fest. Let there be loud!
Impossible to miss French trio MARS RED SKY on the road this Spring. According to some posts and their social medias, the Bordeaux-based psych doom band are up to new audio material. This tour should be the best way to hear more about it. Stay tuned…
18.02.2023 (#127465#)(#127466#) ERFURT Bandhaus Erfurt 29.02.2023 (#127462#)(#127481#) VIENNA Echoes of Erebos 30.02.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) BRISTOL Astral Festival 01.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) CARDIFF The Globe Cardiff * 02.05.2023 (#127470#)(#127466#) DUBLIN The Grand Social* 03.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) GLASGOW Cathouse Rock Club* 05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) SHEFFIELD Corporation Sheffield* 05.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) MANCHESTER Factory Manchester* 06.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) DURHAM Dominion Festival 07.05.2023 (#127468#)(#127463#) LONDON Desertfest London 27.05.2023 (#127466#)(#127480#) MADRID Kristonfest 26.08.2023 (#127463#)(#127466#) RILLAAR Down The Hill * With Weedeater and Telekinetic Yeti.
MARS RED SKY are: Julien Pras : guitar, vocals Jimmy Kinast : bass, vocals Mathieu “Matgaz” Gazeau: drums, vocals
