Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 5th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
So at this point two tracks have been made public from the forthcoming Graveyard full-length, 6. The first one, “Twice,” arrived in a video with the album announcement, and was a burner. Released just today, “Breathe In, Breathe Out” — a handy reminder if e’er there was one — is the second, and its melancholy will be recognizable to those who’ve followed the progression of the Swedish band through their more recent output. Granted, their still-latest-as-of-today album is 2018’s Peace (review here), so perhaps ‘recent’ with some context, but “Breathe In, Breathe Out” still tracks with the duality that has emerged in their approach.
Two ends of their style, hmm? One is the uptempo boogie, all-go shove topped with high-register howls from guitarist Joakim Nilsson, and the other is the downer soulful blues represented by “Breathe In, Breathe Out” as the four-piece begin to reveal some of the scope of 6. Much of the record works to find a middle-ground, or at least a fluid balance between these two poles, and while Graveyard are a popular enough act that there are people who prefer one side or the other — the “old stuff” vs. the “new stuff,” as opposed I guess to bands who aren’t so big and can do whatever they want without catching shit for it on the internet?; the world is weird — but as they have done since 2011’s landmark Hisingen Blues (review here), they remain true to all aspects of their expression, and on an apparently pretty windy day so covered with clouds that it turned the picture black and white, they took to the shoreline to make their new video.
No, Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson don’t show up, but there are some hints of Bergman just the same. And I assume the bearded, pipe-smoking fisherman was just hanging out by the docks when they got there. Check out the video below, you can’t miss him.
From the PR wire:
Graveyard, “Breathe In Breathe Out” official video
Swedish blues rock institution GRAVEYARD have released a new single titled ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out’, the second single from their upcoming album 6, that’s set to be released on September 29th via Nuclear Blast Records.
The band comments “Our 2nd single from the upcoming album 6 is rolling in like a fresh breeze from the west coast for all of you to enjoy. We are happy and thrilled about it, hope you will feel the same”
Directed by Emil Klinta Director of photography – Johan Forsberg Colorist – Oskar Larsson / Tint Site Manager Göteborg – Adam Gårdsmed Make-Up – Rebecca Nilsson Sea captain – Stig Karlsson Chief engineer – Jesper Strandberg Master gunner – Martin Mörck Location Grötö – Familjen Kleiner-Sedin Location Vinga – Bea Bengtsson Thank you’s – Vinga vänner & Amir Chamdin Produced by Our Man Klint Productions
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 4th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Big hook and melody, sweeping keys, heavy riffing and an air of classic metal that may be a foreshadow for the record to come as Green Lung make ready to release This Heathen Land, their follow-up to 2021’s Black Harvest (review here) and their first LP for Nuclear Blast. If you think of Graveyard before Hisingen Blues, Earthless before Black Heaven, Kadavar before Abra Kadavar, that’s where the London-based heavy cult rock outfit are now. I’m not saying This Heathen Land is going to be on that level, but as a tense stretch of waiting before they offer up this thing they’ve made, the position is similar. A potential watershed moment for the band.
“Mountain Throne” is the first single from the record, which already has a UK tour announced to support its Nov. 3 release as well as European shows in October including a stop that puts Høstsabbat among the many festivals played this year, and pay attention to the guitar and organ together. On rhythmic and structural lockdown, as is their wont, Green Lung smoothly course through the song’s accessible, fest-ready four and a half minutes, sharper along the edges perhaps than they were a couple years ago and no less themselves for that. Do I need to say I’m looking forward to hearing more? Frickin’ duh. Sub-titled ‘A Journey into Occult Albion,’ This Heathen Land will be perfectly suited to its autumnal arrival, and is among my most anticipated releases for the remainder of 2023. Can’t imagine I’m the only one.
From the PR wire:
GREEN LUNG – This Heathen Land – Nov. 3
We couldn’t be more excited to announce that our third album THIS HEATHEN LAND will be released via Nuclear Blast Records on November 3rd, and is available to preorder on Bandcamp now.
‘Mountain Throne’ was the first song we wrote for the album, and we wanted to share it as the first single as it feels like a natural bridge from the old Green Lung to the new. We’ve always been inspired by the story of the Pendle Witches, and such an iconic subject required an epic rallying cry of a song – we hope that we’ve done these folk heroes justice! Old Gods Never Die!
Tracklisting: Side A: I: Prologue II: The Forest Church III: Mountain Throne IV: Maxine (Witch Queen) V: One for Sorrow Side B: VI: Song of the Stones VII: The Ancient Ways VIII: Hunters in the Sky IX: Oceans of Time
Recorded at Blank Studios and Bear Bites Horse Studios, February-March 2023 Engineered, recorded and produced by Wayne Adams, with additional drum engineering from Sam Grant Mixing and additional production by Tom Dalgety at Psalm Studios, April 2023 Field recordings made at Fritton Woods, Norfolk, April 2023 Mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering
Illustration and graphic design by Richard Wells Gatefold photography by Andy Ford Art direction by Tom Templar
14-17 June Copenhell 2023 Refshaleøen, Copenhagen, Denmark 7-9 July 13 County Fair 2023 Penn Meadow Farm, High Wycombe, UK 28-29 July Rock Im Wald 2023 Oberfranken, Germany 25 Oct. Bonn, Germany Harmonie 26 Oct. Hamburg, Germany Indra 27 Oct. Berlin, Germany Badehaus 22 Nov. Glasgow, UK Cathouse 23 Nov. Manchester, UK Gorilla 24 Nov. Nottingham, UK Rescue Rooms 25 Nov. Sheffield, UK Corporation Sheffield 26 Nov. Bristol, UK Thekla 30 Nov. Wolverhampton, UK KK’s Steel Mill 1 Dec. Norwich, UK Norwich Arts Centre 2 Dec. Southampton, UK The Joiners 10 Dec. London, UK Scala
Green Lung Is Tom Templar – Vocals Scott Black – Guitar Joseph Ghast – Bass John Wright – Organ Matt Wiseman – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 2nd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Swedish classic heavy rockers Graveyard will release their new album, called simply 6, on Sept. 29 in continued cooperation with Nuclear Blast. The staple outfit are half a decade removed from 2018’s Peace (review here), and hopefully found a bit of that in the interim, elusive though it may have been for the rest of the planet. They herald 6 with a video for the first single “Twice,” which is the catchiest thing I’ve heard from them since probably their third record and would have its feet firmly planted in boogie if boogieing didn’t require moving your feet. In any case, if you’ve been wondering when Graveyard were going to hit it with their particular past-into-present interpretation of classic heavy blues, well, you’re going to want to check out that song. Now.
I was fortunate enough to see Graveyard at last year’s Høstsabbat (review here), and after touring with Kadavar earlier this year, the band played Kristonfest in Spain and are confirmed for Up in Smoke in Switzerland in October. It would be not in the least a surprise if this word of the album that just came in like right now is followed shortly by a tour announcement. Nice to see them getting back into it, all the more since the song rules. Can’t wait to hear the record it comes from.
Newly off the PR wire:
GRAVEYARD Announce New Album “6”
Release Video For First single “Twice”
Swedish hard rock band GRAVEYARD have revealed details of their new album “6,” that’s set to be released on September 29th via Nuclear Blast Records. Alongside the announcement, the band have also released the video for first single “Twice,” their first new music in five years. “6” is easily identifiable as the most striking, original album of GRAVEYARD’s story so far. A gently lysergic blend of desolate guitars, simmering Hammond and lithe, nimble bass and drums, the Swedes demonstrate a lightness of touch that they have only hinted at in the past.
The band comments, “Finally it’s here, ready to be harvested and enjoyed like the forbidden fruit in your backyard. We are very, very happy being able to share album number 6 with you all very soon. Peace out.”
GRAVEYARD – “6” Tracklist 1. Godnatt 2. Twice 3. I Follow You 4. Breathe In Breathe Out 5. Sad Song 6. Just A Drop 7. Bright Lights 8. No Way Out 9. Rampant Fields
The album was recorded at Silence Studios and Don Pierre Studios and was produced byDon Ahlsterberg, who previously worked with the band on “Graveyard” (2007), “Hisingen Blues” (2011) and “Lights Out” (2012).
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 12th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Could this be an album release tour? I mean, it’s possible. London’s Green Lung signed to Nuclear Blast last Fall and hit the road with Clutch thereafter. They’ve been relatively hunkered down in 2023 as regards road work — though they also have some German shows booked for October, and fests this summer; to wit, they were at Sweden Rock this past weekend — and the timing would make sense. If you’ll recall, 2021’s Svart-issued Black Harvest (review here) wanted nothing for autumnal vibe despite being released over the summer, and if they put out their third LP sometime between August and October, that puts them in line for the Fall heavyfest season in Europe, which for a band like Green Lung whose ambitions and potential both point them in a headlining direction, is as grand an entry as one could ask into what’s sure to be a busy album cycle once it starts. We already know they’ll be at Høstsabbat in Oslo later in October.
As ever, I’ll emphasize that I have no inside info or anything like that. I’m just seeing a list of shows and speculating, which is something that I seem to think is great fun because I’m a dork. Whenever the Green Lung LP arrives, it’ll be met with high expectations after Black Harvest, but even as righteous as that record was, I’m confident they can step forward into even bigger and bolder sounds. These guys are on their way to being something really special. I hope they get there.
From social media:
GREEN LUNG – UK TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT!
In advance of this weekend’s festival appearances we are excited to announce that we’ll be heading out on our biggest UK tour yet this November – all dates available for presale now at greenlung.co.uk! We’ll be hitting some new cities, debuting new material, and bringing along some killer supports. Come, join our rites! (#128016#)(#128293#)
14-17 June Copenhell 2023 Refshaleøen, Copenhagen, Denmark 7-9 July 13 County Fair 2023 Penn Meadow Farm, High Wycombe, UK 28-29 July Rock Im Wald 2023 Oberfranken, Germany 25 Oct. Bonn, Germany Harmonie 26 Oct. Hamburg, Germany Indra 27 Oct. Berlin, Germany Badehaus 22 Nov. Glasgow, UK Cathouse 23 Nov. Manchester, UK Gorilla 24 Nov. Nottingham, UK Rescue Rooms 25 Nov. Sheffield, UK Corporation Sheffield 26 Nov. Bristol, UK Thekla 30 Nov. Wolverhampton, UK KK’s Steel Mill 1 Dec. Norwich, UK Norwich Arts Centre 2 Dec. Southampton, UK The Joiners 10 Dec. London, UK Scala
Green Lung Is Tom Templar – Vocals Scott Black – Guitar Joseph Ghast – Bass John Wright – Organ Matt Wiseman – Drums
Posted in Reviews on February 24th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
It is difficult to convey just how singular Enslaved are. For over 30 years, they have continually refined their sound, moved ever forward and refused stagnation. That’s impressive enough when you have four albums, let alone 16, and their commitment to exploration, to developing new ideas and to pushing themselves and the styles they’ve helped shape to new places has led them to a place where the unknown has become part of their mastery. Their latest full-length and, yes, their 16th, is Heimdal, a title that translates to English as ‘home valley,’ and throughout the included seven tracks, from the kraturocky keyboard jabs in the first couple minutes of opener “Behind the Mirror” to the let-it-all-loose shred Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal unleashes for “Caravans to the Outer Worlds” — also the title-track of a 2021 stopgap EP (review here) — to the final harmony-topped prog-rock shove of the ending title-track, they are indeed at home in this next step of their ongoing, as yet unceasing evolution.
They are second to none in scope, and in the galloping triumph of “Congelia” — a shivers-up-the-spine riff-rooted life-burst that starts at 5:21 and consumes the rest of the song’s eight minutes; kin to standout Enslaved moments like “Fusion of Sense and Earth” from 2006’s Ruun (discussed here) and “The Watcher” from 2008’s Vertebrae and “Roots of the Mountain” from 2012’s Riitiir (review here), but even more gorgeously crafted now than it could have been then — and the depth of layering in guitar, keys and vocals of centerpiece “Kingdom,” and just about everywhere else, they remind that scope is an essential facet of who they are. And so is change. Progress. Movement.
Heimdal is not a record Enslaved could have made even five years ago. It follows a busy few pandemic years of livestreams and live albums after 2020’s studio LP Utgard (review here), and it is very much a sophomore release from the incarnation of the band featuring drummer and producer Iver Sandøy. Alongside founding members Grutle Kjellson (bass, vocals), whose signature rasp saves its most vicious gnash for the djent-doom initial unfolding of the title-track — a fitting way to let listeners know they’ve arrived at the end of all things — but who also works in some spoken narration for “Caravans to the Outer Worlds” and clean singing elsewhere, and guitarist/backing vocalist/keyboardist/etc.-ist Ivar Bjørnson, whose creative drive as main songwriter is the epicenter of the band’s own, as well as the undervalued metallurgy of Isdal and the synth/keys and soaring melodic voice of Håkon Vinje, who joined the band in 2017 and has only added to their reach in the time since, Sandøy contributes in multiple regards to the spiritual and aural force of Heimdal.
As a drummer, he is propulsive beneath the keyboard-led middle of “Forest Dweller,” which begins with acoustic-inclusive layered sweep and ends in a dream-drift exhale after the tension has broke, and no less able to hold the more open groove of “The Eternal Sea” either in its harmonized early moments, the stretch outright charred extremity that follows or the all-in engrossing melodic payoff that follows with his vocals as a crucial element of the whole. Also one of Heimdal‘s principal producers at Solslottet Studios (Vegard Lemme also assisted with engineering), where the basic tracks were recorded — Isdal did the leads/solos at his Earshot & Conclave Studios and additional recording was done at ‘the Overlook Hotel,’ where all work and no play reportedly makes Jack a dull boy — Sandøy is all the more integrated into the five-piece band across Heimdal, and his voice when added especially to that of Vinje, but also the rougher deliveries of Kjellson (mostly) and Bjørnson, results in arrangements that are nothing short of majestic.
Of all the places Heimdal goes in its 49 minutes — including home, apparently — across the material that’s perhaps more expansive than Utgard as an added benefit of the additional years of working with this lineup, Sandøy is able to function at both the core and the forefront of the going. He is there at the payoff of the introductory tour de force that is “Behind the Mirror,” alongside Vinje in a melodic-singing duo that pushes the entirety of Heimdal to a higher level of execution. That’s true even in the darkest corners of the material. The clenched-jaw raging intensity of “Caravans to the Outer Worlds” that reminds of the band’s madly careening earlier days, and the head-spinning, sharp-turning precision of “Kingdom,” the way in which the lumbering doom at the outset of “The Eternal Sea” presents the crashing of waves — all of these moments and so many others are able to be realized because on every level Enslaved can’t not challenge each other to surpass what they’ve done before.
Introducing Vinje with 2017’s E (review here) was a beginning point, and Utgard can now be seen as the start of a new era of progressive manifestations because of the affirmations wrought throughout Heimdal, and both the blinding luminosity and the severity of their material — on the most basic level, the things they can and will do — are harnessed with poise and purpose alike. Longer on average than they were last time out, the songs on Heimdal maintain urgency and atmosphere alike, and whether it’s the open-space first verses of “Forest Dweller,” crooning clean vocals over swirling synth drones before the drums fade in and Kjellson treats his vocal cords to another round of punishment, or the break in the middle of the title-track, a few spoken lines in Norwegian before the drums launch and punctuate the somewhat angular and still melodically stunning keystone ending — not a blowout, but a thoughtful, completing moment that gives over to residual synth to end; a universe’s answer back to the rowing oars and sounding horn at the start of Heimdal about 45 minutes and lightyears before — the band never lose their sense of direction despite what seems at times like a wildly spinning compass.
But that is who they are. Enslaved burn even the loftiest expectations in the fires of accomplishment and give credence to heavy metal as a form of high art. On the front cover, as ever by Tor Ola Svennevig (maybe based on landscape photography by Kjellson and Mirjam Orman Vikingstad?), there are three distinct representations of the past, present and the future, respectively, as water, earth and sky. In the water, we see the past as a reflection of the present and the future; subtly notable for the hillside object that might be a banner, speaking to a history of Norwegian peoples and places that is very much a part of Enslaved‘s thematic explorations. In the sky is the future, foreboding and bright in kind, unknowable. The proverbial limit. And where the logo and title are placed is on the level of the land, the present; somehow all we’re given between the two surrounding temporal infinities. It is a reminder not only that time is fleeting as the idiom says, but that none of those three stages can exist without the other. The present is our own home valley, and as Enslaved continue to chase and seek new realms of sound and presence in that unknown future, they are no less grounded in right now for the multidimensional, ever-blossoming nature of their calling.
Enslaved, Heimdal (2023)
Enslaved, “Congelia” official video
Enslaved, “Forest Dweller” official video
Enslaved, “Caravans to the Outer Worlds” official video
Posted in Reviews on January 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
So here we are. On the verge of two weeks, 100 records later. My message here is the same as ever: I’m tired and I hope you found something worthwhile. A lot of this was catchup for me — still is, see Gaupa below — but maybe something slipped through the cracks for you in 2022 that got a look here, or maybe not and you’re not even seeing this and it doesn’t matter anyway and what even is music, etc., etc. I don’t know.
A couple bands were stoked along the way. That’s fun, I guess. Mostly I’ve been trying to keep in mind that I’m doing this for myself, because, yeah, there’s probably no other way I was going to get to cover these 100 albums, and I feel like the site is stronger for having done so, at least mostly. I guess shrug and move on. Next week is back to normal reviews, premieres and all that. I think March we’ll do this again, maybe try to keep it to five or six days. Two 100-record QRs in a row has been a lot.
But again, thanks if you’ve kept up at all. I’m gonna soak my head in these and then cover it with a pillow for a couple days to keep the riffs out. Just kidding, I’ll be up tomorrow morning writing. Like a sucker.
Winter 2023 Quarterly Review #91-100:
Gaupa, Myriad
Beginning with the hooky “Exoskeleton” and “Diametrical Enchantress,” Myriad is the second full-length from Sweden’s Gaupa (their first for Nuclear Blast), and a bringing together of terrestrial and ethereal heavy elements. Even at its most raucous, Gaupa‘s material floats, and even at its most floating, there is a plan at work, a story unfolding, and an underlying structure to support them. From the minimalist start of “Moloken” to the boogie rampage of “My Sister is a Very Angry Man,” the Swedefolk of “Sömnen,” the tension and explosions of “RA,” with the theatrical-but-can-also-really-sing, soulful vocals of Emma Näslund at the forefront, a proggy and atmospheric cut like “Elden” — which becomes an intense battery by the time it hits its apex; I’ve heard that about aging — retains a distinct human presence, and the guitar work of Daniel Nygren and David Rosberg, Erik Sävström‘s bass and Jimmy Hurtig‘s drums are sharp in their turns and warm in their tones, creating a fluidity that carries the five-piece to the heavy immersion of “Mammon,” where Näslund seems to find another, almost Bjork-ish level of command in her voice before, at 5:27 into the song’s 7:36, the band behind her kicks into the heaviest roll of the album; a shove by the time they’re done. Can’t ask for more. Some records just have everything.
Six albums in, let’s just all take a minute to be glad Orango are still at it. The Oslo-based harmonybringers are wildly undervalued, now over 20 years into their tenure, and their eighth album, Mohican (which I’m not sure is appropriate to take as an album title unless you’re, say, a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community) is a pleasure cruise through classic heavy rock styles. From opener/longest track (immediate points) “The Creek” twisting through harder riffing and more melodic range than most acts have in their entire career, through the memorable swagger in the organ-laced “Fryin’,” the stadium-ready “Running Out of Reasons,” the later boogie of “War Camp” and shuffle in “Dust & Dirt” (presumably titled for what’s kicked up by said shuffle) and the softer-delivered complementary pair “Cold Wind” and “Ain’t No Road” ending each side of the LP with a mellow but still engaging wistfulness, nobody does the smooth sounds of the ’70s better, and Mohican is a triumph in showcasing what they do, songs like “Bring You Back Home” and the bluesier “Wild River Song” gorgeous and lush in their arrangements while holding onto a corresponding human sensibility, ever organic. There is little to do with Orango except be wowed and, again, be thankful they’ve got another collection of songs to bask in and singalong to. It’s cool if you’re off-key; nobody’s judging.
You never really know when a flute, a choir, or a digeridoo might show up, and that’s part of the fun with Onségen Ensemble‘s six-track Realms LP, which goes full-Morricone in “Naked Sky” only after digging into the ambient prog of “The Sleeping Lion” and en route to the cinematic keys and half-speed King Crimson riffing of “Abysmal Sun,” which becomes a righteous melodic wash. The Finnish natives’ fourth LP, its vinyl pressing was crowdfunded through Bandcamp for independent release, and while the guitar in “Collapsing Star” calls back to “Naked Sky” and the later declarations roll out grandiose crashes, the horns of “The Ground of Being” set up a minimalist midsection only to return in even more choral form, and “I’m Here No Matter What” resolves in both epic keys/voices and a clear, hard-strummed guitar riff, the name Realms feels not at all coincidental. This is worldbuilding, setting a full three-dimensional sphere in which these six pieces flow together to make the 40-minute entirety of the album. The outright care put into making them, the sense of purpose, and the individualized success of the results, shouldn’t be understated. Onségen Ensemble are becoming, and so have become, a treasure of heavy, enveloping progressive sounds, and without coming across as contrived, Realms has a painterly sensibility that resonates joy.
Chad Heille (ex-Egypt, currently also El Supremo) drums in this Fargo, North Dakota, three-piece completed by guitarist/vocalist/engineer Chris Ellingson and bassist/vocalist Mitch Martin, and the heavy bluesy groove they emit as they unfurl “Witch Lung,” their self-titled debut’s 10-minute opener and longest track (immediate points), is likewise righteous and hypnotic. Even as “Paranoid Humanoid” kicks into its chorus on Heille‘s steady thud and a winding lead from Ellingson, one wouldn’t call their pace hurried, and while I’d like to shake everyone in the band’s hand for having come up with the song title “Yeti Davis Eyes” — wow; nicely done — the wandering jam itself is even more satisfying, arriving along its instrumental course at a purely stoner rock janga-janga before it’s finished and turns over to the final two tracks, “The Good Ride” and “Stoned Age,” both shorter, with the former also following an instrumental path, classically informed but modern in its surge, and the latter seeming to find all the gallop and shove that was held back from elsewhere and loosing it in one showstopping six-minute burst. I’d watch this live set, happily. Reminds a bit of Geezer on paper but has its own identity. Their sound isn’t necessarily innovative or trying to be, but their debut nonetheless establishes a heavy dynamic, shows their chemistry across a varied collection of songs, and offers a take on genre that’s welcome in the present and raises optimism for what they’ll do from here. It’s easy to dig, and I dig it.
Blake Hornsby, A Collection of Traditional Folk Songs & Tunes Vol. 1
It’s not quite as stark a contrast as one might think to hear Asheville, North Carolina’s Blake Hornsby go from banjo instrumentalism to more lush, sitar-infused arrangements for the final three songs on his A Collection of Traditional Folk Songs & Tunes Vol. 1, as bridging sounds across continents would seem to come organically to his style of folk. And while perhaps “Old Joe Clark” wasn’t written as a raga to start with, it certainly works as one here, answering the barebones runs of “John Brown’s Dream” with a fluidity that carries into the more meditative “Cruel Sister” and a drone-laced 13-minute take on the Appalachian traditional song “House Carpenter” (also done in various forms by Pentangle, Joan Baez, Myrkur, and a slew of others), obscure like a George Harrison home-recorded experiment circa Sgt. Pepper but sincere in its expression and cross-cultural scope. Thinking of the eight-tracker as an LP with two sides — one mostly if not entirely banjo tunes between one and two minutes long, the other an outward-expanding journey using side A as its foundation — might help, but the key word here is ‘collection,’ and part of Hornsby‘s art is bringing these pieces into his oeuvre, which he does regardless of the form they actually take. That is a credit to him and so is this album.
Oof that’s heavy. Produced by guitarist/vocalist Nick Forkel, who’s joined in the band by bassist Chris O’Toole (also Unearth) and drummer John “Jono” Garrett (also Mos Generator), Turbid North‘s The Decline is just as likely to be grind as doom at any given moment, as “Life Over Death” emphasizes before “Patients” goes full-on into brutality, and is the band’s fourth full-length and first since 2015. The 2023 release brings together 10 songs for 43 minutes that seem to grow more aggressive as they go, with “Eternal Dying” and “The Oppressor” serving as the opening statement with a lumber that will be held largely but not completely in check until the chugging, slamming plod of closer “Time” — which still manages to rage at its apex — while the likes of “Slaves,” “Drown in Agony” and “The Old Ones” dive into more extreme metallic fare. No complaints, except maybe for the bruises, but as “The Road” sneaks a stoner rock riff in early and some cleaner shouts in late amid Mastodonny noodling, there’s a playfulness that hints toward the trio enjoying themselves while doling out such punishment, and that gives added context and humanity to the likes of “A Dying Earth,” which is severe both in its ambient and more outright violent stretches. Not for everybody, but if you’re pissed off and feel like your brain’s on fire, they have your back with ready and waiting catharsis. Sometimes you just want to punch yourself in the face.
A third full-length in as many years from Roman four-piece Modern Stars — vocalist/guitarist/synthesist Andrea Merolle (also sitar and mandolin), vocalist Barbara Margani, bassist/mixer Filippo Strang and drummer Andrea Sperduti — Space Trips for the Masses is maybe less directly space rock in its makeup than one might think. The band’s heavy psychedelia is hardly earthbound, but more ambience than fiery thrust or motorik, and Merolle‘s vocals have a distinctly Mark Lanegan-esque smokiness to which Margani adds bolstering backing presence on the deceptively urbane “No Fuss,” after the opening drift of “Starlight” — loosely post-rock, but too active to be that entirely either, and that’s a compliment — and the echoing “Monkey Blues” first draw the listener in. Margani provides the only voice on centerpiece “My Messiah Left Me Behind,” but that shift is just one example of Modern Stars‘ clear intent to offer something different on every song, be it the shimmer of “Everyday” or the keyboard sounds filling the open spaces early in the eight-minute “Drowning,” which later takes up a march punctuated by, drums and tambourine, devolving on a long synth/noise-topped fade into the six-minute liquid cohesion that is “Ninna Nanna,” a capstone summary of the fascinating sprawl Modern Stars have crafted. One could live here a while, in this ‘space.’
Trillion Ton Beryllium Ships, Destination Ceres Station: Reefersleep EP
Those who’ve been following the progression of Nebraska’s Trillion Ton Beryllium Ships will find Destination Ceres Station: Reefersleep — their second offering in 2022 behind the sophomore full-length Consensus Trance (review here) — accordingly dense in tone and steady in roll as the three-piece of Jeremy Warner, Karlin Warner and Justin Kamal offer two more tracks that would seem to have been recorded in the full-length session. As “Destination Ceres Station: Reefersleep” open-spaces and chugs across an instrumental-save-for-samples 12:31 and the subsequent “Ice Hauler” lumbers noddily to its 10:52 with vocals incorporated, the extended length of each track gives the listener plenty to groove on, classically stonerized in the post-Sleep tradition, but becoming increasingly individual. These two songs, with the title-track hypnotizing so that the start of the first verse in “Ice Hauler” is something of a surprise, pair well, and Trillion Ton Beryllium Ships add a taste of slow-boogie to lead them out in the slow fade of the latter, highlighting the riff worship at the heart of their increasingly confident approach. One continues to look forward to what’s to come from them, feeling somewhat greedy for doing so given the substance they’ve already delivered.
The current of feedback or drone noise beneath the rolling motion of Borehead‘s “Phantasm (A Prequel)” — before the sample brings the change into the solo section; anybody know the name of that rabbit? — is indeed a precursor to the textured, open-spaced heavy progressive instrumentalism London trio have on offer with their aptly-titled second EP, 0002. Produced by Wayne Adams at the London-underground go-to Bear Bites Horse Studio, the three-song outing is led by riffs on that opener, patient in its execution and best consumed at high volume so that the intricacy of the bass in “Lost in Waters Deep,” the gentle ghost snare hits in the jazzy first-half break of “Mariana’s Lament” after the ticking clock and birdsong intro, and the start-stop declarative riff that lands so heavy before they quickly turn to the next solo, or, yes, those hidden melodies in “Phantasm (A Prequel)” aren’t lost. These aspects add identity to coincide with the richness of tone and the semi-psychedelic outreach of 0002‘s overarching allure, definitely in-genre, but in a way that seems contingent largely on the band’s interests not taking them elsewhere over time, or at least expanding in multiple directions on what’s happening here. Because there’s a pull in these songs, and I think it’s the band being active in their own development, though four years from their first EP and with nothing else to go on, it’s hard to know where they’ll head or how they’ll get there based on these three tracks. Somehow that makes it more exciting.
With song titles and lyrical themes based around Soviet space exploration, Kosmodrom is the ninth full-length from Parisian death-doomers Monolithe. The band are 20 years removed from their debut album, have never had a real break, and offer up 67 minutes’ worth of gorgeously textured, infinitely patient and serenely immersive death, crossing into synth and sampling as they move toward and through the 26-minute finale “Kosmonavt,” something of a victory lap for the album itself, even if sympathy for anything Russian is at a low at this point in Europe, given the invasion of Ukraine. That’s not Monolithe‘s fault, however, and really at this point there’s maybe less to say about it than there would’ve been last year, but the reason I wanted to write about Kosmodrom, and about Monolithe particularly isn’t just that they’re good at what they do, but because they’ve been going so long, they’re still finding ways to keep themselves interested in their project, and their work remains at an as-high-if-not-higher level than it was when I first heard the 50-minute single-song Monolithe II in 2005. They’ve never been huge, never had the hype machine behind them, and they keep doing what they do anyway, because fuck it, it’s art and if you’re not doing it for yourself, what’s the point? In addition to the adventure each of the five songs on Kosmodrom represents, some moments soaring, some dug so low as to be subterranean, both lush, weighted and beautiful, their ethic and the path they’ve walked deserves nothing but respect, so here’s me giving it.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on December 27th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
A couple things to note here for context. The version of “Caravans to the Outer Worlds” in the video below comes not from Enslaved‘s impending Heimdal album, due March 3 on Nuclear Blast, but from their prior livestream ‘The Otherworldly Big Band Experience.’ A bluray of that stream, a sort of culmination for the Bergen, Norway-based progressive black metal forebeards — that was a typo but I’m leaving it — from their ‘Cinematic Tour’ series that was released as a CD/DVD box set in 2021, will be included in the special edition of the new record, and featured a collaboration with the band Shaman Elephant. So when you see the glut of dudes in the video and say to yourself, “I don’t remember Enslaved being an orchestra,” well, there’s your explanation.
One can hardly begrudge Enslaved getting some mileage out of ‘The Otherworldly Big Band Experience’ or the streams in general, considering the quality of the audio/visual production at hand. Considering that alongside the adventurous nature of the project to start with, it’s pretty emblematic of who Enslaved are at this point in their career, masters of their sound who refuse not to explore new ideas. That’s been true of their work all along — one can trace a linear path across decades in their studio albums; if you never have, it’s a fun listening project provided you keep an open mind — but the farther out they go from their rawest beginnings, the more daring they seem to become. Special thanks to whoever it was that introduced them to krautrock, however many years ago now that might’ve been. At least 20.
You might also recall “Caravans to the Outer Worlds” was the title-track on an EP (review here) the band released last year. I don’t know if that version is the same one on Heimdal to come, but fair enough if it is, and while I haven’t heard the record yet, with the recent announcement of North American touring alongside Insomnium and Black Anvil, I look forward all the more to being immersed in that special expansiveness that is so quintessentially Enslaved‘s own when the time comes.
For now, dig into this and watch for flashing lights:
Enslaved, “Caravans to the Outer Worlds (Live from The Otherworldly Big Band Experience)” official video
Bergen visionaries Enslaved present, ‘Caravans to the Outer Worlds (Live from The Otherworldly Big Band Experience)’, taken from the bonus version of the upcoming album HEIMDAL. Pre-order / pre-save the album: https://enslaved.bfan.link/heimdal.yde
Left-field metal luminaries Enslaved have revealed a single and video for ‘Caravans to the Outer Worlds (Live from The Otherworldly Big Band Experience)’. The track, which comes from their forthcoming new studio album Heimdal (out March 3rd), as well as last year’s EP of the same name, sees an innovative, alternative live recording and stellar presentation of the song, with nuanced accompaniment from fellow psychedelic Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant.
This extraordinary performance took place one year ago, on last year’s Winter Solstice, via the streaming event The Otherworldly Big Band Experience.
Grutle Kjellson commented, “Caravans To The Outer Worlds’ was the first material written for our upcoming album, and that first song usually points in a certain direction. However, this song points in several directions, and that really made the whole process immensely interesting, and ultimately pushed us making our best album ever!
This live-version, taken from ‘The Otherworldly Big Band Experience’, our last big project keeping us alive during the pandemic, is the first of hopefully many opportunities to behold a performance of this energetic song. We hope you’ll enjoy it. God Jól!”
ENSLAVED – ALBUM LAUNCH EVENT HEIMHUG 03 March NO, Bergen – USF Verftet Head to enslaved.no/Heimhug for more information.
ENSLAVED + INSOMNIUM NORTH AMERICAN CO-HEADLINE TOUR 2023 w/ Black Anvil 05 April New York, NY – Irving Plaza 06 April Boston, MA – Big Night Live 07 April Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre 08 April Toronto, ON – The Opera House 10 April Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall 11 April Chicago, IL – House Of Blues 12 April Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater 14 April Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre 15 April Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex 17 April Seattle, WA – The Crocodile 18 April Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw 19 April Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre 21 April Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall 22 April Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre 23 April Phoenix, AZ – Nile Theater 25 April Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live 26 April Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall 28 April Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse 29 April Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre 30 April Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
ENSLAVED – 2023 FESTIVAL SHOWS 03 Feb 2023 DK, Fredericia – Winter Metal Magic 13 May 2023 UK, London – Incineration Festival 10-11 Nov 2023 MX, Monterrey – Mexico Metal Fest
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 15th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Norwegian progressive black metal masters Enslavedrecently announced their 16th full-length, Heimdal, would see release through Nuclear Blast on March 3, and today brings word that the band will return to North American shores to support it. Setting off from New York City on April 5 — which my calendar tells me is just four days after Church of the Cosmic Skullhit town for April Fools — Enslaved will co-headline with Insomnium for the better part of the month going coast-to-coast in the process with shoots up north for Montreal and Vancouver. I’m an easy sell on going to see Enslaved live, and if you’re not, it’s your loss. Me and Mike H.’ll happily tell you why you need to show up next time.
Rad as the tour news is, it’s only scratching the surface of everything the stalwarts have going on, between other special performances and festival dates coming up next year, special editions of Heimdal and this and that and then some. To wit, this PR wire info is about 700 words long. Most don’t crack 200, but then again, most bands who’ve been going for 30 years without a break aren’t still pushing boundaries the way Enslaved ceaselessly do with either their level of quality or productivity.
Anyway, here you go:
ENSLAVED Announce Co-Headline North American Tour With INSOMNIUM
Enslaved are pleased to announce a month-long, North American co-headline tour with Insomnium. The run will take place in April 2023, shortly after the release of Enslaved’s new studio album, Heimdal, out March 3rd. Support on the road will come from Black Anvil.
Ivar Bjørnson commented,
“Neither you nor we will BELIEVE how much we are looking forward to coming back to the US of A and Canada in April 2023! We have a new album (and more if you want to be technical), ‘Heimdal’, to show you – spoiler alert: it will lay venues waste. Yes, we are that confident. We also have some rather cosmically awesome (!) bands joining the trek in co-headliners Insomnium and support Black Anvil – how could this become anything but the most spectacular event of 2023?”
Tickets will go on-sale Friday December 16th @ 10am (local time) via the below links.
ENSLAVED + INSOMNIUM NORTH AMERICAN CO-HEADLINE TOUR 2023 w/ Black Anvil 05 April New York, NY – Irving Plaza 06 April Boston, MA – Big Night Live 07 April Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre 08 April Toronto, ON – The Opera House 10 April Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall 11 April Chicago, IL – House Of Blues 12 April Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater 14 April Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre 15 April Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex 17 April Seattle, WA – The Crocodile 18 April Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw 19 April Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre 21 April Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall 22 April Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre 23 April Phoenix, AZ – Nile Theater 25 April Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live 26 April Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall 28 April Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse 29 April Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre 30 April Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
ENSLAVED – 2023 FESTIVAL SHOWS 03 Feb 2023 DK, Fredericia – Winter Metal Magic 13 May 2023 UK, London – Incineration Festival 10-11 Nov 2023 MX, Monterrey – Mexico Metal Fest
But Enslaved have even more planned for 2023, including festival show dates, and a unique album release event in their home city of Bergen, Norway. Named Heimhug, the evening will feature an extended Enslaved live set with guests, and very special guest Jo Quail.
Grutle Kjellson commented, “Sometimes the answers and the truths lie under your very nose, or where the journey starts, where you first set sail towards horizons unknown. This was very much the case when we started working on “Heimdal”; we stepped back and looked a bit inwards and also at our immediate surroundings, at the area we hail from and where we still dwell today; Hordaland. On these shores people have been living and dying, worshiping and crying, laughing and lying ever since the Stone Age. History has been written here, history will still be written here and we will continue to dwell here until the end of our days.
“Built around this historical narrative, “Heimdal” was created, and on the 3rd of March 2023 we would like to invite you to celebrate the album release with us and pay homage to our history.
“Under the “Heimhug”-banner, we’re gonna perform a two-set release concert at USF Bergen with very special guests, we’ll have an art exhibition with the specific photographs and drawings we used for the artwork on the album and also an exclusive showing of last year’s “The Otherworldly BigBand experience”.
“See you in Bergen in March! Alu Alu Laukar!”
Enslaved’s 16th studio album, Heimdal, will be released on March 3rd 2023, via Nuclear Blast Records.
Heimdal tracklisting 01. Behind The Mirror 02. Congelia 03. Forest Dweller 04. Kingdom 05. The Eternal Sea 06. Caravans To The Outer Worlds 07. Gangandi (Bonus Track)* 08. Heimdal
Heimdal, is both a departure and a communion with roots forged over three decades ago in the turbulent birth throes of Norway’s black metal scene. The record is named after Heimdal, arguably the most mysterious entity in Nordic mythology.
The record features psychedelic track ‘Caravans To The Outer Worlds’ from last year’s EP of the same name. Album bonus versions contain an extra track, ‘Gangandi’, alongside a Blu-Ray copy of 2021’s stunning Otherworldly Big Band Experience streamed event – the band’s boldest project to date, featuring fellow Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant. The kaleidoscopic stage show features a stellar setlist, covering Enslaved’s career, both past and present.
