Posted in Whathaveyou on May 5th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
We’re getting close to the launch of Egypt‘s European tour with Tombstones ahead of their appearance at Freak Valley 2015 in Netphen, Germany. The run kicks off on May 23 in London at the Underworld and carries from there with shows in Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium before actually hitting the fest on June 6. First announced back in February, it will mark Egypt‘s debut on European shores.
The North Dakotan trio go supporting their 2013 split with Wo Fat, Cyclopean Riffs (review here), while Oslo’s Tombstones, now Roadburn veterans after appearing at the festival in the Netherlands last month, will tour heralding the follow-up to 2013’s Red Skies and Dead Eyes (review here). They played a ton of new material at Roadburn, so I’d expect no less for this tour.
Dates and info follow here, along with the tour poster by Kim Holm:
Tombstones (NO) & Egypt tour Europe 2015
More than a decade after starting out, Egypt were more active and more widely known than they’d ever been, having racked up shows alongside the likes of Dead Meadow, Jucifer, Today is the Day, Acid Mothers Temple, Weedeater, Church of Misery, and Orange Goblin.
There’s nothing happenstance about it, and in an age where word can travel faster than it ever has, Egypt have slow-burned their way to the fore of the American stoner rock underground. In 2015, they’ll look to expand beyond those borders with their first European tour in support of a new album, set to release this winter. Where they go beyond that is up in the air, but for a band who regrouped by popular demand and have only gathered momentum since, Egypt are just beginning to shape their empire.
Tombstones has been brewing on dirtier filth this time, and their new, third, studio album; “Red Skies and Dead Eyes” will tear holes in your ears and speakers. Norwegian doom has never been played with more confidence and style, and the riffs and grooves penetrate your soul like a demon from ancient caves.
Says Egypt’s Aaron Esterby: “We are extremely stoked to announce the dates of our first European tour this Summer with the killer band from Norway, Tombstones. We couldn’t be more excited to head to Europe. It’s been a long time coming. There are still a couple holes to fill, but for the most part the tour is fully booked. Here are the dates.”
23.05.2015 UK – London, Underworld 24.05.2015 UK – Hastings, Union Bar 26.05.2015 CH – Geneve, Kalvingrad 27.05.2015 IT – Kulturcafe Schlachthaus, Dornbirn 28.05.2015 CH – Olden, Coq D’Or 29.05.2015 A – Innsbruck, PMK 30.05.2015 A – Vienna, Arena 31.05.2015 DE – Nürnberg, K4 01.06.2015 NL – Brussel, Le Bunker 02.06.2015 F – Paris, Glazart 03.06.2015 BE – Antwerpen, AM 04.06.2015 NL – Nijmegen, Onderbroek 05.06.2015 CH – Winterhur, Helvti 06.06.2015 DE – Netphen, Freak Valley Festival
Posted in Features, Reviews on April 10th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
04.11.15 — 01.17 — Fri. Night — Hotel
The curated day is a Roadburn tradition going back to David Tibet of Current 93, who was the fest’s first curator in 2008. This year, the hallowed duty was bestowed on Enslaved guitarist Ivar Bjørnson and Wardruna multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik, and their day took on the title “Houses of the Holistic.” I don’t know who picked what individual band for what stage, or if the two agreed on everything or what the situation was, but I know the results were pretty magical, particularly on the Main Stage, which hosted — in order — Virus, Sólstafir, Fields of the Nephilim, Warduna and Enslaved, who joined forces for the final set of the evening to perform Skuggsjá, a Norse-minded work originally commissioned to honor the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution and first performed at the Eidsivablot festival last fall. To my knowledge, Roadburn 2015 is the second time it’s ever been played in public.
I did some wandering, as one will, but the day started with Virus, who played Roadburn in 2012 and were among the most talked-about bands that year. I knew I didn’t want to miss them again, so I got to the main hall well in time for their start, which unfolded quickly in a technically intricate post-black metal from the lineup of guitarist Carl-Michael “Czral” Eide, bassist Petter “Plenem” Berntsen and drummer Einar Sjursø. They came highly recommended, and while I heard The Black Flux, their second album, when it was released in 2008, that was also seven years ago and it seemed reasonable to expect they would’ve progressed even further along their dissonant path. Sure enough, while they dipped back to their debut, 2003’s Carheart, for “Be Elevator,” it was the material from 2011’s The Agent that Shapes the Desert that most stood out to me, “Chromium Sun,” which appeared early in the set, and “Dead Cities of Syria,” which followed soon after, as well as the new song that served as their closer, “Rogue Fossils,” which Eide teased as being included in their to-be-recorded fourth record, calling it “atonal.”
A challenging start to the day, but Virus‘ avant twists weren’t impossible to track. “Rogue Fossils” was downright catchy,” and the turns of “Lost Peacocks” from The Black Flux weren’t so sharp as to go off the rails. Obviously that’s a credit to the trio, whose sound is individualized enough that it could only have grown organically. If you were to start a band and say, “Okay, we’re going to sound like this,” wherein “this” is Virus, it would fall flat. Some things just need to grow on their own. It was an impressive showing, but I also wanted to catch Ivar Bjørnson‘s ambient project, BardSpec, which was making its debut on Stage01, the smallest of the rooms at the 013. Easy enough to wander over, and I managed the rare feat of getting in before it was too packed and found Bjørnson‘s experimental side in full display, a table set up on the stage with mixing boards, guitars — Enslaved‘s Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal sat in on guitar, and I mean “sat” literally; he was behind the table, largely hidden from view, sitting on a monitor wedge — a laptop and no doubt two or three other swirl-making doodads obstructed from view.
Decked out in a shirt the homemade-seeming designs of which reacted with the blacklights in the room to look like they were glowing in the dark and glasses with lights in them, Bjørnson soundscaped and built on waves of drone from Isdal‘s guitar, manipulating a live mix while video played on the screen behind. Formative, maybe, but ambitious, and Enslaved bassist/vocalist Grutle Kjellson showed up to watch as well. With a primary focus on atmospherics, it was maybe more of something you’d put and close your eyes to than something to watch on stage, but I almost always find the live creation of droning sounds interesting, to think of that as part of a performance. I stayed for a while and went back and forth to watch Virus finish their set, waiting for Icelandic four-piece Sólstafir to take the Main Stage, which they did — in force, by storm, or however else you want to say it. Like Virus, they played in 2012 and were much heralded, though they also played yesterday doing the live soundtrack to the Icelandic film Hrafninn Flýgur (“Flight of the Raven“), so either way, the Roadburn crowd was familiar with their wares.
Even after playing yesterday, though, Sólstafir drew what was at that point the biggest crowd I’d seen so far at the Main Stage. There were many Sólstafir shirts in the audience, and it didn’t take long for the band — who’ve had the same lineup since the turn of the century with guitarist/vocalist Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, guitarist Sæþór Maríus Sæþórsson, bassist Svavar Austman and drummer Guðmundur Óli Pálmason — to demonstrate how they earned such loyalty. Supporting last year’s fifth LP, Ótta (review here), they played “Dagmál,” album-opener “Lágnætti” and the title-track right off the bat, Tryggvason a consummate, emotive and charismatic frontman, wielding an e-bow for his guitar as if it was powered by his heart, but the whole band just dead on, through and through. I had been looking forward to seeing them for a while, and they more than justified the anticipation. The ending of “Ótta” alone was worth standing there, but I stayed put for just about the entire set and was treated to “Kukl” and the title-cut from 2011’s double-album, Svartir Sandar, as well as “Rismál” from Ótta, which was a highlight, and “Goddess of the Ages” from 2009’s Köld.
The latter showed off some blackened roots, but there was strong sense of performance running through the whole set, and as far back as Sólstafir dipped into their catalog, that tied the show together. A dynamic band, strong in mood and consistent in their songwriting, they also held down that stage, no questions whatsoever. In their energy and their presence, they owned it. Another album or two to follow-up Ótta and I would not at all be surprised to find Sólstafir return to Roadburn in a couple years even higher on the bill. I won’t get to see them on their US tour, which begins April 22 (dates here), but at least now I know what I’m missing. I can’t imagine what they’d be like in a smaller space — Reggies in Chicago, Red 7 in Austin, etc. — if Tryggvason would go into the crowd as he did for “Goddess of the Ages” before climbing back on stage to end out with more e-bow. They’re something special, and I got the vibe from their set that they’d likely be something special whatever the context in which one happened to be seeing them.
There was a break in between Sólstafir and Fields of the Nephilim, so I shuffled over to the merch area and picked up a couple odds and ends — mostly Live at Roadburn releases; Papir, Papermoon, Sula Bassana, and I had my eye on a YOB, The Unreal Never Lived Live at Roadburn 2012 LP that I might have to make mine on the morrow — and ran back to the hotel to drop off the goods, getting back in time for the legendary UK goth rockers to hit the Main Stage, carrying with them a host of classics I’m woefully out of my depth discussing, having never really followed vocalist Carl McCoy or the band. They were something unknown to me, which has an appeal on its own, and particularly following Sólstafir, it was easy to read a Fields of the Nephilim influence in retrospect, in headwear and style. I never gothdanced, but there were some shimmying shoulders to be seen for “Dawnrazor,” “Moonchild” and others, though with Dutch prog legends Focus shortly on in the Green Room, the Main Stage attendance thinned out noticeably, Fields of the Nephilim having gone on about 15 minutes late. They’re back tomorrow as the headliners on the Main Stage.
As I understand it, that’s because Walter is a huge fan, which is probably the best reason you’re ever going to see a band playing Roadburn. They don’t have a new record out, they’re not touring, but they’re here doing two sets because Walter, who is the head, figurehead and face of the festival, loves them. Who could argue? I’m not sure I’m a convert, but it gave me a chance to get some dinner, watch Focus through the door for a bit — I’d done similar with Icelandic black metallers Svartidauði earlier, and found them satisfyingly ripping — and still get back in time for the start of Wardruna, about whom I had zero preconceptions. Before they went on, two tiers were added to the stage, making room for the Norwegian outfit’s range of percussion, vocalists, and so on.
Very much led by Selvik — he was the only one on the lowest level of the stage while they played — they were nonetheless an orchestra. Atmospheres so thick you could swim in them, harmonies rang out in Norwegian, telling Viking tales of a history to which I can’t relate but set me off wondering what it might be like to be from a place with a traditionally homogeneous culture; how it might be to have a “team” in terms of nationality. Americans divide. That’s what we do. I don’t have any experience with a history like that into which Wardruna seemed to be tapping, Selvik with a variety of traditional instruments at hand. It’s easy to respect it, and the performance, if you’ll pardon my saying, was splendid. Soulful, rich, immersive and as complex and beautiful as anything I’ve heard at Roadburn in my seven trips here. But even “Americana” discounts entire portions of my nation’s population, so outside the language barrier, I had a bit of cultural wall standing between me and Wardruna‘s Viking paeans, though by the time they got around to the memorable dirge “Helvegen” from 2013’s Runaljod – Yggdrasil, I was ready to set sail on whatever hand-carved ship they might’ve had parked outside the 013. One could almost hear the lapping waves of the Norwegian Sea.
Over in the Green Room, it was a different kind of traditionalism playing out. Oslo-based trio Tombstones riffed loud, riffed early and riffed often — their tones a dense, earplug-vibrating lumber that grooved on vicious roll. I knew I liked that band from 2013’s Red Skies and Dead Eyes (review here), but I didn’t realize quite how much I liked that band. Guitarist Bjørn-Viggo Godtland and bassist Ole Christian Helstad shared vocal duties atop their own punishing low-tone and drummer Markus Støle‘s swinging crash, and with a hooded statue of Death on either side of the stage, they played some material I didn’t recognize — might be new? — but slammed home their sonic tonnage as though it was a thing to be directly hammered into the assembled skulls before them and headbanged with true doomly fuckall abandon. I hadn’t seen a band be heavy like that all day, so Tombstones were more than welcome, and the savage heft likewise. They were an act I was very, very glad to have seen at Roadburn.
Coming out of their set, I felt I had a better understanding of what they were about. Not that the album didn’t paint a coherent picture, but to actually see Tombstones made me better appreciate the intensity of their approach. “Intensity” would prove an operative word back in the main hall as well, with Enslaved getting ready to go on. Drummer Cato Bekkevold — buried, as ever, behind his kit — and keyboardist/vocalist Herbrand Larsen had already had their gear positioned in the back row, the highest of Wardruna‘s tiers, in anticipation of the Skuggsjá set still to come, but this was a special gig as well. Dubbed “House of Northern Gods,” it found Bjørnson, Kjellson and Isdal down front of the stage, leading the way through a setlist spanning all the way back to 1993’s Hordanes Land EP, with “Allf?ðr Oðinn” one of the several cuts chosen to represent Norse deities or their archetypes as the band tore through their discography with spoken samples between each song, and runes appearing and disappearing behind them on the Main Stage projection screen along with animations by the artist Costin Chioreanu.
No doubt there were many in attendance who’ve seen Enslaved more than I have, but I’ve seen Enslaved six or seven times by now — including at Roadburn — and this was hands-down the best show I’ve ever watched them give. Also the best setlist. For how tight they were, for the fact that after opening with “Frøyas Smykke” from 2000’s Mardraum (Beyond the Within), they launched into “Fusion of Sense and Earth” from 2006’s Ruun. Kjellson‘s rasp was in top form, and all five of them were raging full-on. It was, yes, intense, and it only became more so as “Fenris” from 1994’s Frost led into the more chorus-centered “The Watcher,” the closer from 2008’s Vertebrae, a one-two that brought to mind not only Enslaved‘s intended focus on Norse mythology for the set, but the progression they’ve undertaken in their 24 years together. For his part, Larsen now sounds better live singing the clean parts on a song like “The Watcher” or “Path to Vanir,” which followed, than he sounded in the studio when they were recorded, his confidence and prowess as a vocalist an ever-increasing factor in Enslaved‘s growth.
Put it this way: I saw Enslaved in New York about three weeks ago. Not only did I stay put for the entirety of their “House of Northern Gods” set, but I’m planning on watching them again tomorrow as well. They wrapped by bringing out an acoustic guitar for “Axioma,” which seemed intended to serve as a transition to Skuggsjá, though there was a changeover necessary and one of Selvik‘s stringed instruments had some technical trouble, so there was an added delay there too, the members of Enslaved and Wardruna both on stage at their appointed start time of 00.15, or thereabouts, but not actually getting going until after 00.30.
When they did start, Skuggsjá was both modern and deeply rooted. With Bjørnson and Selvik at the front of the stage, and a total of 11 people participating, they blended elements from both bands as well as some experimentalism and grand choruses into something beautiful and unique unto itself. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it gets released as a Live at Roadburn album, because it deserves it. To describe the bare parts doesn’t really do justice to what was happening on stage. It was a moving late-night performance that, knowing it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, I was glad to stick around and see.
With the second day down, there’s still plenty of Roadburn 2015 to come. More tomorrow, but until then, there are some more pics as well after the jump.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 23rd, 2015 by JJ Koczan
The occasion is a slot during the final day of Freak Valley 2015, but I’m sure that whatever else it might’ve been, North Dakota trio Egypt are happy to be going to Europe for the first time since forming a decade ago. They’ll be keeping good company on the road with Oslo doom trio Tombstones, and while there are still a few gigs to be solidified, the two bands will start out on May 23 and on June 2, they hit Paris for Abrahma‘s release show for their new album, Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird.
Egypt‘s most recent outing is a vinyl reissue of their original self-titled demo (review here), but their latest studio release is the 2013 Cyclopean Riffs (review here) split they shared with Texas fuzzrunners Wo Fat on Totem Cat Records, the label that also issued Egypt‘s 2012 full-length, Become the Sun (review here). Tombstones will also appear at Roadburn 2015 and their latest album, Red Skies and Dead Eyes (review here), came out in 2013.
Tour dates and a quote from Egypt‘s Aaron Esterby follow:
Tombstones (NO) & Egypt tour Europe 2015
More than a decade after starting out, Egypt were more active and more widely known than they’d ever been, having racked up shows alongside the likes of Dead Meadow, Jucifer, Today is the Day, Acid Mothers Temple, Weedeater, Church of Misery, and Orange Goblin.
There’s nothing happenstance about it, and in an age where word can travel faster than it ever has, Egypt have slow-burned their way to the fore of the American stoner rock underground. In 2015, they’ll look to expand beyond those borders with their first European tour in support of a new album, set to release this winter. Where they go beyond that is up in the air, but for a band who regrouped by popular demand and have only gathered momentum since, Egypt are just beginning to shape their empire.
Tombstones has been brewing on dirtier filth this time, and their new, third, studio album; “Red Skies and Dead Eyes” will tear holes in your ears and speakers. Norwegian doom has never been played with more confidence and style, and the riffs and grooves penetrate your soul like a demon from ancient caves.
Says Egypt’s Aaron Esterby: “We are extremely stoked to announce the dates of our first European tour this Summer with the killer band from Norway, Tombstones. We couldn’t be more excited to head to Europe. It’s been a long time coming. There are still a couple holes to fill, but for the most part the tour is fully booked. Here are the dates.”
23-5 Underworld – London, England 24-5 TBC – Brighton, England 25-5 TBC 26-5 Cab L´Usine – Geneva, Switzerland 27-5 Kulturcafe Schlachthaus – Dornbirn, Austria 28-5 Coq D´Or – Olten, Switzerland 29-5 PMK – Innsbrück, Austria 30-5 Arena – Vienna, Austria 31-5 Zentralkafe K4 – Nürnberg, Germany 1-6 Le Bunker – Brussels, Belgium 2-6 Le Glazart – Paris, France 3-6 AMC – Antwerp, Belgium 4-6 Onderbroek – Nijmegen, Netherlands 5-6 HELP NEEDED!!! 6-6 Freak Valley Festival – Netphen, Germany
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 12th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Just days after announcing Anathema‘s special reunion set, Roadburn 2015 turns around and lets loose with another round of lineup additions, including Wovenhand headlining Thursday night — ask me about how they were the heaviest band I saw at the fest in 2011; I’d love to tell you all about it — and Enslaved and Wardruna each playing individual sets on top of their collaborative Skuggsja set. Russian Circles will also play, and Helms Alee with whom they’ll be on tour in Europe, and it’s kind of buried under all the other details, but some other killer acts have joined the bill as well.
Among those, an immediate standout is Uzala, whose “Tenement of the Lost” has been stuck in my head the last few days, with its glorious wash of feedback and the sweetly depressive melody that emerges therefrom. The thought of Argus taking stage at Roadburn is a thrill as well, and Tombstones, who released their Red Skies and Dead Eyes (review here) album last year, and Bell Witch and Eagle Twin and Sun Worship and even more than that. It’s an astounding and exciting bunch of acts.
I won’t delay any further. Dig in:
Wovenhand, Russian Circles, and more announced for Roadburn 2015; Enslaved and Wardruna unveil more show details
Roadburn is very pleased to announce Wovenhand, Russian Circles, Wardruna, and a second Enslaved performance among the latest additions to the 20th edition line up of the festival which will take place in April 2015.
Wovenhand and Russian Circles added to Thursday line up
Wovenhand’s incendiary performance at Roadburn 2011 remains one of the most talked-about shows in the festival’s history, and it’s a great pleasure to have David Eugene Edwards and his band back at the festival for what should be another thrilling, transformative concert. The band will reignite the 013 stage as the headline act on Thursday April 9.
Led by former 16 Horsepower frontman Edwards, Wovenhand similarly delves deep into the darker, more gothic side of Americana, only on a much more personal, introspective level. The latest album ‘Refractory Obdurate’ is the band’s most visceral work yet, with its heavier arrangements packing a devastating punch.
Already veterans of Roadburn, Chicago instrumental trio Russian Circles will return to the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival for a much anticipated main stage performance on Thursday, April 9, filling the main hall with their spacious, tonally lavish sound.
With a blend of post-rock airiness, heavy riffing and progressive rhythms, they are one of the most evocative instrumental bands in the underground today, and we at Roadburn couldn’t be more excited to welcome them back.
Roadburn curators confirm details of special performances
After a stunning sneak preview of the upcoming Enslaved album, we can only conclude that the band keeps blasting past their own and their associated genres’ limits. Listening to the album prompted us to invite the band for a second show at Roadburn 2015 on Saturday, April 11th, so that all of our beloved attendees can bask in the band’s creativity and talent, and share our excitement about what is sure to become another Enslaved classic.
We at Roadburn are huge admirers of Enslaved, thus it won’t have come as a suprise that we have invited their guitarist/composer, Ivar Bjornson, along with Einar Selvik (Wardruna), to curate the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival (a special event named ‘Houses of the Holistic’) on Friday, April 10 at the 013 venue.
Besides performing Skuggsjá, the sound of Norway’s Norse History, together with Wardruna, Enslaved will also perform a show dubbed ‘House of Northern Gods’, which will consist of a set list specially put together for ‘Houses of the Holistic’, featuring songs from the band’s entire catalogue that embody the Norse gods, with accompanying visuals created by revered Romanian artist, Costin Chioreanu.
“The Friday show during Roadburn 2015 will indeed be a special one”, says Ivar Bjørnson. “We have named the concert ‘House of Northern Gods’ and it will consist of a walk-through of an imaginary, magical house. It is a mental construction that could represent the mythological Valhalla with its inhabitants – or in Jung’s school of psychology: the archetypical roles of the human psyche. This will be the foundation for the set-list and the framework around the concert; there’s a stem of thematic songs from ‘Allfadr Odinn’ (the Paternal archetype) on ‘Hordanes Land’ in 1993 up to ‘Materal’ (the Maternal archetype) from 2012’s ‘RIITIIR’ where various characters/ roles in the ‘House of Northern Gods’ are represented and materialized into music. These are the songs that will make up the Friday show at Roadburn 2015!”
“As if it wasn’t a big enough honour to play one show at Roadburn 2015, we get to play a second show Saturday!” Ivar continues. “We are already hard at work with planning to turn these into the most spectacular two Enslaved shows possible, as we know that this double-Roadburn-whammy is not likely to happen again (we’ve heard of lightening striking twice, but thrice?). This second show will be one of the first European shows where we present our new album, that will be released something like a month prior to Roadburn 2015. We don’t like to brag; but be prepared for something monumental! We will also make use of the fact that Tilburg will be loaded to the brim with friends and colleagues at this point, so don’t be surprised if the show culminates in Enslaved having good friends on stage to make sure we go out with a blast! He who lives will see…
Ivar Bjornson’s fellow curator, Einar Selvik will also be performing with Wardruna in a special performance, dubbed ‘House of the Spinning Seer’. The winners of Metal Hammer’s Golden God award for Best Underground Band, will take to the stage on Friday 10th of April as another part of ‘Houses of the Holistic’.
“We are very excited as well as honored to be back to perform at Roadburn 2015″‘ says Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik, “and so we plan to use this occasion to give the audience a concert out of the ordinary. It will be a Wardruna concert in an all-new form. With almost twice the amount of musicians that we normally have on stage our sonic threads of old and new shall be majestically spun and our soundscape carefully woven on the loom of the spinning seer.”
Argus, Bell Witch, Darkher, Eagle Twin, Helms Alee, Sun Worship, Terminal Cheesecake, Tombstones, Brimstone and Uzala have also been confirmed for the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival.
Curated by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Wardruna‘s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik, Roadburn Festival 2015 (including Fields of the Nephilim, Anathema, Skuggsjá, Enslaved, Wardruna, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performing Dawn of The Dead and Susperia in its entirety, Zombi, Sólstafir, White Hills, Bongipper, Floor, Eyehategod and The Heads as Artist In Residence among others) will run from Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 29th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
True, it wasn’t all that long ago I posted these same tour dates with news about Witch Mountain and their forthcoming record, but the basic fact of the matter is I dig Tombstones and thought it was worth pointing out that they’re on the bill for most of Witch Mountain‘s run as well in the supporting role. Tombstones‘ 2013 outing, Red Skies and Dead Eyes (review here), is available to check out below via their Bandcamp page if you haven’t heard it yet, though I’m sure you have, because you’re up on your stuff like that.
Likewise, you probably know that this tour started on Tuesday in Oslo with a night off yesterday and is picking up tonight — hell the show’s probably over by now, with the time difference — in Tyrolen, but again, I pretty much took the list of dates an excuse to post the album stream, so even if you can’t make it out to Copenhagen tomorrow, the record’s worth a listen. And don’t worry, we all wish we could make it out to Copenhagen tomorrow.
Dig:
We are stoked to announce we’ll be supporting the mighty Witch Mountain across Europe for three weeks!!
Tombs shall rise!
29.05 SE – Tyrolen, Muskelrock 30.05 DK – Copenhagen, Musikcafeen 31.05 DK – Aalborg, 1000Fryd 01.06 GER – Hamburg, Hafenklang 03.06 GER – Berlin, Cassiopeia 05.06 A – Vienna, Arena 06.06 A – Graz, Bang Bang Club 07.06 I – Bologna, Freak Out Club 08.06 I – Milano, Lo Fi Club 10.06 F – Paris, La Fleche D’Or 12.06 UK – Barrow, New Cons 14.06 UK – London, Underworld 15.06 UK – Bournemouth, Anvil 16.06 BE – Antwerp, Kavka 17.06 NL – Tilburg, Little Devil
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 8th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
After hitting the UK in collusion with Widows last October (also with Wizard Fight on board for the run), Norwegian doomers Tombstones will once more hit the road alongside the Britsh outfit. Tombstones are touring in support of their fourth album, Red Skies and Dead Eyes(review here), on Soulseller Records, and the current stint is slated to hit the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany starting on Feb. 1.
The PR wire has it like this:
Tombstones / Widows – European Tour, February 2014
In the first week of February, Eclipse Productions brings you Northern Doom, set to captivate the European continent. The ultra-heavy Norwegian three-piece TOMBSTONES team up with UK-groovers WIDOWS for a 7-day trail, visiting The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany.
TOMBSTONES’ highly acclaimed album “Red Skies and Dead Eyes” was released in October by Soulseller Records, and has featured in many end-of -year lists and has received rave reviews from web- and fanzines throughout the world, including the likes of Terrorizer, Visions Magazine and Metal Hammer. In 2013 the band blew minds with three bludgeoning sets at Desertfest in London, found themselves supporting bands such as Clutch and Ufomammut, and are now ready to once again bring their crushing live act across Europe. TOMBSTONES can be described as the bastard child conceived by a filthy threesome with Sleep, Melvins and Bongripper.
Nottingham-based WIDOWS play music you can raise a beer and swing a fist to and they do it hard fast and loud, with bone crushing grooves and undeniable swagger!Influenced by the likes of Down, Kyuss, and Clutch, WIDOWS have spent the three years since the release of their debut EP (2010’s Raise the Monolith) building up an ever more impressive live set as they chewed up, spat out, and pounded venue after venue into submission, adding weight to their sets with regular new tracks and building the collection of songs that would later become their debut full length CD, Death Valley Duchess.
Posted in Reviews on November 21st, 2013 by JJ Koczan
Norwegian trio Tombstones have released four albums in the last four years. Red Skies and Dead Eyes, on Soulseller Records, is the latest of them, and if the band works quickly, take it as a sign they also know what they’re doing. The six songs on their recorded-live fourth long-player clock in at a vinyl-ready 44 minutes, and whether it’s the Sleep-style thud of opener “Black Moon” or the later divergence into post-Electric Wizard terror-groove in “The Other Eye,” the Oslo-based three-piece of vocalist/guitarist Bjørn-Viggo Godtland, bassist/vocalist Ole Christian Helstad and drummer Jørn Inge Woldmo always seem to keep in mind a steady injection of individuality into the material. Part of that comes through the cave echo on Godtland and Helstad‘s vocals, which at times seem like just another rhythmic element at work to follow the riff — not a complaint; the riffs are worth following — but moreover, it’s about the atmosphere of Red Skies and Dead Eyes, which is full of darkened stoner metal idolatry that never quite veers completely into cult rock. It knows where that line is though and seems to enjoy straddling it, though when it comes to a song like “King of Daze,” Tombstones seem more preoccupied with the chugging itself than mystical posturing — true riff worship. But for the 10-minute “Obstfelder” and the 7:20 title-track, songs hover somewhere between six and a half and seven minutes long, which is roughly consistent if a little shorter on average than the cuts on 2012’s Year of the Burial, which set Tombstones to touring Europe and found them performing at Desertfest in London this spring, and the sampled wind that starts “Black Moon” both calls to mind YOB‘s “Burning the Altar” and sets the album to a rumble that continues throughout the rest of its course, the tones being consistent and large but malleable to the various moods in which the band puts them to use.
One could argue Red Skies and Dead Eyesis structured to work in vinyl sides — at very least it splits about even with three songs in each half — but it works well as a CD, whereby the shift into darker atmospherics on the later tracks seems more linear and gradual. When it comes to “Black Moon” and “King of Daze,” the focus is pretty clearly on riffing. Godtland leads with low, full fuzz, and Helstad‘s bass enhances the already mud-covered push while Woldmo offers a march on his snare. They may be looking unto the rays of the new stoner sun rising, but they’re doing so from their own angle, and though Gotland‘s vocals are somewhat buried — as they should be for this kind of tone-minded fare — when Helstad joins in, a dynamic is enacted that undercuts some of the superficial simplicity of what’s basically a shouting approach. Further, with about a minute left in “Black Moon,” they pull a quick instrumental turn into a different riff and tempo, and though there’s almost a hiccup at that point, it speaks to the instrumental chemistry the trio have developed over the course of their time together. A light touch of insistent High on Fire-style push at the start of “King of Daze” opens wide to one of the album’s most engaging grooves, and is in turn driven headfirst into a slowdown to more massive riffing and crashing, Woldmo keeping steady on what sounds like a considerably proportioned ride until the pace picks up again somewhat and the verse starts. Helstad takes the fore on vocals near the halfway point with Godtland joining shortly, and they cycle through again, this time skipping the slowdown to go right back into another verse that enacts a lumber all its own, ending big, ending faster than one might expect, and leading to the from-the-ground-up build of “Obstfelder,” which rounds out the first half of Red Skies and Dead Eyeswith a few lead lines from Godtland (Billy Anderson, who’s also credited with additional engineering, is listed as having contributed “additional bending and feedback,” perhaps here, along with Petter Svee, who engineered and mixed in cooperation with the band), something largely avoided on the first two tracks.
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 16th, 2013 by JJ Koczan
Coinciding with the slated release of their fourth album, Red Skies and Dead Eyes, Oslo-based stoner doomers Tombstones will head to the UK and link up with Widows and Wizard Fight for a string of shows. Red Skies and Dead Eyes is set for release on Soulseller Records and follows on the heels of last year’s Year of the Burial, which you can hear in full under the dates, links and info below.
Told you:
FAT Wizard Promo Presents SONIC SEA MONSTER ROAD TOUR PART I
10/10 Heretic Promotions Presents Tombstones / Widows / Wizard Fight / Yamakunt at Scruffy Murphys, Birmingham 11/10 Tombstones / Widows / Wizard Fight / Black Fathoms at The Old Angel, Nottingham 12/10 When planets collide Presents Tombstones / Widows / Meadows / War Wolf / Prosperina / Wizard Fight / Burden of the Noose /March of the Desert at the Brixton Windmill, London 13/10 Tombstones / Widows / Wizard Fight at the Tubman, Hastings FREE ENTRY https://www.facebook.com/events/494378830647608/
TOMBSTONES The ultra-heavy Norwegian doom three-piece are coming back to tour the UK after their 2 mind blowing sets at this years Desertfest. https://www.facebook.com/tombstonesoslo
WIDOWS Formed in 2008 in the troubled UK town of Nottingham, WIDOWS play music you can raise a beer and swing a fist to and they do it hard fast and loud, with bone crushing grooves and undeniable swagger!
Influenced by the likes of Down, Kyuss, and Clutch, WIDOWS have spent the two years since the release of their debut EP (2010’s Raise the Monolith) building up an ever more impressive live set as they chewed up, spat out, and pounded venue after venue into submission, adding weight to their sets with regular new tracks and building the collection of songs that would later become their debut full length CD, Death Valley Duchess. https://www.facebook.com/widows666
WIZARD FIGHT Formed in 2012 by Luke Bolton (ROTS) and former Steak drummer Dan Kinsey, they set out as a two piece to play insanely sludgey filth with a good measure of Doom and a wee bit of Stoner groove. Early 2013 see the addition of Dave on bass adding the much needed earth shaking guts needed to add to the Wizard Fight sound. Work is ongoing writing material and we will be coming to a shithole near you soon! WATCH THIS SPACE DEBUT ALBUM COMING OVER YOU SOON! You can get a FREE DOWNLOAD of our first release ‘The Beast Lives (Demo)’ athttp://wizardfight.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Wizardfightuk
