Yeah, yeah, Kylesa have a new album coming, that’s very cool. Look at that frickin’ list of tour dates! Kylesa don’t need to be touring like that at this point. I mean, there are breaks in there, but if they wanted, the Savannah, Georgia, outfit could probably take it down a little bit in terms of the road work. People know who they are, have a pretty good idea of what they do — as much as one can as regards Kylesa from one album to the next — so it’s not like they’re going door-to-door-punk-rock spreading the word two ears at a time. Point is it looks like a lot of shows. I guess they’ve found a way to make it sustainable. Not everyone does.

And while the album title Exhausting Fire — which is the follow-up to 2013’s Ultraviolet (review here) — doesn’t do much to capture the energy they bring to the stage, no doubt it will prove of its own merit, Kylesa having yet to stagnate in what seems a creative progression as unrelenting as their touring cycle.

The PR wire brings album details, tour dates and the new song “Lost and Confused” for previewy enjoyment:

KYLESA announce new album, ‘Exhausting Fire’

Savannah’s genre-defying quintet KYLESA have announced a new album titled ‘Exhausting Fire’, to be released by Season of Mist on Oct. 2. The band are streaming the first track from the new record titled “Lost and Confused.” Pre-orders for ‘Exhausting Fire’ will be available across several CD and LP formats at the Season of Mist E-Shop.

Regarding the new album, KYLESA vocalist/guitarist Phil Cope comments: “‘Exhausting Fire’ is an album we really put our hearts on our sleeves for. We’ve always done that, but emotionally, it’s probably the most honest and raw album we’ve ever done.”

Guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants continues, “No band sounds like us and we don’t sound like any other band. After all these years of experimenting with different styles and sounds, we’ve really developed our own thing and I can faithfully say that we sound like us. With this album, we’ve successfully made a record that incorporates all the elements we’ve always played with into a record that works on its own.”

The album artwork and track list for ‘Exhausting Fire’ can be found below:

Track List:
1. Crusher
2. Inward Debate
3. Moving Day
4. Lost and Confused
5. Shaping The Southern Sky
6. Falling
7. Night Drive
8. Blood Moon
9. Growing Roots
10. Out Of My Mind
11. Paranoid (bonus track)

KYLESA have announced a tour across the U.S. The tour, which begins on August 29 sees the band traveling throughout August and September, before concluding in Seattle on November 22.

KYLESA tour dates:
8/29 Durham, NC @ Motorco
8/31 Charlottesville, Va @ The Southern
9/1 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
9/2 Montreal, QC @ Cafe Campus
9/3 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club Theater
9/4 Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
9/5 St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room
9/6 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
9/7 Augusta, GA @ Sky City
10/6 St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
10/7 Miami, FL @ Grand Central
10/8 Orlando, FL @ The Social
10/9 Savannah, GA @ Jinx
10/10 Asheville, NC @ New Mountain
10/13 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
10/14 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
10/16 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/17 Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
10/19 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
10/20 Philadelphia, PA @ Black Box @ Underground Arts
10/23 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
10/24 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
10/25 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
11/6 Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
11/7 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
11/8 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
11/10 San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
11/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
11/13 Austin, TX @ Red 7
11/14 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11/15 Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar
11/17 Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
11/18 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/19 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
11/20 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
11/21 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11/22 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
11/6 Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
11/7 Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater
11/8 San Francisco, CA @ The Filmore
11/10 San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
11/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
11/13 Austin, TX @ Red 7
11/14 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11/15 Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar
11/17 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
11/18 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/19 Salt Lake City UT @ The Complex
11/20 Boise, ID @ Neurox
11/21 Portland, OR @ Hawthrone Theater
11/22 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile

http://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/predefined-search?id_list=65
https://www.facebook.com/KYLESAmusic
http://season-of-mist.com/

Kylesa, “Lost and Confused”

My prevailing association with Leeds four-piece Gentlemans Pistols is the phrase, “the best band in Britain.” That’s what I was told about them prior to seeing them play at Desertfest London in 2012, and while I don’t know if I could really be a judge of that kind of thing at all, not living there, they definitely kicked all kinds of ass on stage that night at The Underworld. At the time, their second full-length, At Her Majesty’s Pleasure, was still pretty new. It’s been four years now since it was released, so to call them due seems fair — it was a similar pause between their 2007 self-titled debut and that album — and the news has come down the PR wire that, whenever it arrives, their third offering, Hustler’s Row, will be issued via Nuclear Blast as part of that label’s ever-expanding heavy rock portfolio.

Here’s the announcement:

GENTLEMANS PISTOLS sign global deal with Nuclear Blast!

Leeds based riffers GENTLEMANS PISTOLS have been causing a stir on the underground for a while now with their debauched lyrics, melodic groove and general Yorkshire rock ‘n’ roll swagger.

Formed as a three-piece back in 2003, the band has gone through a variety of line-up changes throughout their career and has now stabilized as a four-piece and is prepared to unleash their magnum opus through Nuclear Blast next autumn.

The band comments: “GENTLEMANS PISTOLS are very pleased to announce the upcoming release of their third album, Hustler‘s Row, on Nuclear Blast. The album was recorded by singer/guitarist James Atkinson at Mutiny Studios in Bradford and reflects nearly five years of experience for the band: good times, bad times, boredom, exhilaration, heartache, frustration and wonder. With this album, we tried to make a record that we would want to listen to; one that was heavy but melodic, intense but catchy, thoughtful but unruly. A record for reprobates and romantics, for gentlemen and hustlers.?

GENTLEMANS PISTOLS‘ last album At Her Majesty’s Pleasure was released to great acclaim in 2011, the band has performed at UK and international festivals such as Desertfest, Hammerfest, Long Division and Fuji Rock festival in Japan previously toured with the likes of WITCHCRAFT, LEAF HOUND and PENTAGRAM.

GENTLEMANS PISTOLS are:
James Atkinson – vocals/guitars
Bill Steer – guitars
Stuart Dobbins – drums
Robert Threapleton – bass

Visit GENTLEMANS PISTOLS online:
www.gentlemanspistols.co.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/Gentlemans-Pistols/340601796105
www.nuclearblast.de/gentlemanspistols

Gentlemans Pistols, “Your Majesty”

There has been a lot of quality video from this tour, which Wino undertook with Oakland, CA’s Saviours and Nick Oliveri after the three parties — Oliveri with his band Mondo Generator — opened for Clutch on their annual holiday run leading up to New Year’s 2013. It would also seem to have been the root of Wino‘s recent studio collaboration with Saviours (give me another week or two; we’ll get there) and for the advent of the yet-to-be-realized Royale Daemons collaboration with Oliveri, assuming that’s still a thing in the offing for somewhere down the line. Vague enough? Good.

Point is the tour-as-nexus also yielded much documentation, be it in full-set videos or clips of other on-stage jams between the various players. It must have been a good one, since nobody’s quite let it completely go. Fair enough to revisit, then, as we continue to wind down the Wino Wednesday feature on the march to number 200 in a few more weeks (this is #194, if you’re counting). This time around, it’s Wino and Saviours delivering a killer take on Motörhead‘s “Limb from Limb.”

The clip comes from Los Angeles, was filmed Jan. 11, 2013, at The Satellite, and even this wasn’t the first time Wino and Saviours had jamemd out — the band having brought the legendary frontman on stage at Scion Rock Fest in 2010 as well — but clearly by the time they got out to L.A., they were comfortable sharing a stage together. Of course, the song is the closing track from Motörhead‘s 1979 sophomore outing, Overkill, and it’s no less of a classic than that album as a whole, but Wino and Saviours give it its due, the former hanging onto the microphone in a manner that anyone who saw him with Saint Vitus over the last six years will likely recognize.

Hope you enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

Saviours & Wino, “Overkill” Live in Los Angeles, Jan. 11, 2013

San Francisco purveyors of righteous fuzz Acid King are barely a week out from announcing their first round of coast-to-coast dates in the better part of a decade, and here they are, adding one more to the mix. The riff-led trio join the lineup for North West Hesh Fest 2015 in Portland, Oregon, next month (Aug. 27-29) to fill the slot vacated by Weedeater, and frankly, I’d be hard pressed to think of anyone more up to the task at hand.

Acid King are supporting this year’s most excellent Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere (review here), which is their first album in 10 years, and at North West Hesh Fest 2015, they’ll play alongside YOB, Dead Moon, Pentagram and local Portland favorites Diesto, among others. If you’re into good times, it looks like it’s gonna be one.

Side note: Thanks to everyone who entered the ticket giveaway contest. A winner has been chosen and emailed. If I don’t hear back from them, another winner will be chosen and emailed, and so on. Presumably by the time I get to everyone who took the time to leave a comment in the first place, someone will have gotten back about it. But yeah, thanks.

Here’s the updated poster and info for the North West Hesh Fest, of which I’m very happy to have The Obelisk be a sponsor:

AMERICAN ICON RECORDS***NORTH WEST HESH FEST—-PENTAGRAM-DEAD MOON-YOB-ACID KING-SWEAT LODGE-SCHOOL OF ROCK-FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM-P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.

Dante’s
350 West Burnside, Portland, Oregon 97209

Thursday Aug 27 $25 Pre/ $30 Dos
PENTAGRAM

Friday Aug 28 – $25 Pre/$30 Dos
DEAD MOON-FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM
P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S-THE LAST DANCERS-DRC3

Saturday Aug 29-$20 Pre/ $25 Dos
YOB-ACID KING-SWEAT LODGE -DIESTO
SCHOOL OF ROCK-DJ NATHAN CARSON

http://clients.ticketbiscuit.com/DantesLive/EventPage.aspx?EID=244489 – PENTAGRAM – HESH FEST DAY 1

http://clients.ticketbiscuit.com/DantesLive/EventPage.aspx?EID=238976 – DEAD MOON-HESH FEST DAY 2

http://clients.ticketbiscuit.com/DantesLive/EventPage.aspx?EID=241982 – YOB & ACID KING-HESH FEST DAY 3

https://www.facebook.com/events/299451473578318/
https://www.facebook.com/NorthWestHeshFest
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanIconRecords
http://americaniconrecords.bigcartel.com
https://acidking.bandcamp.com/releases

Acid King, Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere (2015)

Vultures of Volume II is rightfully stoked to add Internal Void guitarist Kelly Carmichael to the lineup. I’m also stoked, because The Obelisk has joined the list of sponsors for the second-annual festival, based in Maryland and set to take place at Delmar Bar & Grill in Hagerstown on Sept. 4 and 5. In addition to Carmichael, who’ll bring an electrified boogie Delta blues set to the mix, the esteemed likes of Spirit Caravan, Solace, Elder, Ruby the Hatchet and many more will play and it promises to be a hell of a weekend. I’m hoping to make the trip down for it as well, so assuming that comes together — one never knows when a piano might fall on one’s head, preventing travel to the Chesapeake Watershed or, really, anywhere — keep an eye out for the coverage.

Until then, the announcement of Carmichael‘s getting on board follows. Note no confirmation that he’s the last act to be added. Could it be that Vultures of Volume II has even more up its sleeve?

Only one way to find out:

Just when you thought this outrageous lineup for Vultures of Volume 2 couldn’t get any better we prove you wrong! We are ecstatic to have the one and only KELLY CARMICHAEL, whom many of you will most assuredly know as the six string tone maestro behind Maryland doom legends Internal Void and a former valuable member in the ranks of the mighty Pentagram!! Kelly will be bringing his electrified brand of “Raw Roots Delta Blues” to the Friday night lineup. Carmichael promises this performance to be “LOUD, HARD AND DIRTY” and we are COMPLETELY stoked to have him part of the festivities this year! SO….the question is…do you really need another reason to get your advance tickets NOW?

SATURDAY***
ELDER 12:30 – 1:30am
RUBY THE HATCHET 11:30 – 12:15
WRETCH 10:30 – 11:15
WEED IS WEED 9:30 – 10:15
CAROUSEL 8:30 – 9:15
RIGHTEOUS BLOOM 7:30 – 8:15
FOGHOUND 6:30 – 7:15
WITCH HAZEL 5:30 – 6:15
THOUSAND VISION MIST 4:30 – 5:15
WIZARD EYE 3:30 – 4:15
WASTED THEORY 2:30 – 3:15
BUZZARD CANYON 1:45 – 2:15
HEAVY TEMPLE 1:00 – 1:30pm

FRIDAY SEPT. 4th
SPIRIT CARAVAN 12:30 – 1:30am
SOLACE 11:30 – 12:15
KING GIANT 10:35 – 11:20
PALE DIVINE 9:35 – 10:20
KELLY CARMICHAEL 8:40 – 9:25
FAITH IN JANE 7:50 – 8:30
BAILJACK 7:00 – 7:40pm

http://daysofthedoomed.com/Ticket_Info_Shop.html
https://www.facebook.com/events/1467154363582033/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vultures-of-Volume-FEST/578873918893964

Kelly Carmichael, “Queen Fareena”

Austin four-, maybe five-piece Sweat Lodge will release their debut album, Talismana, via Ripple Music on Aug. 7. A vinyl-ready nine-track/35-minute offering, its unpretentious oldschool-is-the-new-newschool rollout owes some of its modus to West Coast boogie, but true to their Texan roots, the sound across songs like opening hook-megaphone “Tramplifier,” “Bed of Ashes” and “Phoenix Ascent” is somewhat earthier, touching on classic heavy rock and psychedelic influences but refusing to play entirely to one or the other. There are times when the lineup — vocalist Cody Lee Johnston, guitarists Javier Gardea and Dustin Anderson, bassist Austin Shockley and drummer Caleb Dawson — call to mind what might’ve happened had Freedom Hawk and Graveyard ever decided to collaborate, most especially on cuts like “Slow Burn” and “Black Horizon,” but though their ultimate path is straight ahead, the well-vested Sweat Lodge work enough swing and swagger into their approach across the board that the only real choice is to get down and go along for the ride.

They make it a worthy endeavor across the board, and while perhaps in part because of the title one might wait for Sweat Lodge to veer into some vague cultish theatrics, Talismana keeps its all-seeing eye on the prize of ’70s-ish biker motor-riffing and rhythmic sway, the title-track maybe touching lyrically on some of that finding itself fluidly enacting tempo shifts via either-call-it-stoner-or-don’t riffs and swirling leads and echoes. Like a lot of the record, it is not as simple as it first appears — a dreamout taking hold and liquefying the proceedings only to resolidify prior to the finish — but Sweat Lodge make short work of finding a cohesive vibe through such turns, nodding at Deep Purple with “Black Horizon” before the especially ’70s “Boogie Bride” takes hold as the longest cut on Talismana at a manageable 5:51, a summertime fuzz holding firm for the course even as the verses seem to be impatient in their move toward the inevitable leads, the two sides coming together ultimately as Johnston‘s vocals top the semi-psych apex and then let the rocker blues carry out to the whistling start of the penultimate “Heavy Head,” a somewhat more laid back mood but an irresistible roll all the same and one of the record’s catchiest moments.

This careening, deceptively efficient, swinging but not reckless and aesthetically coherent course ends out with “Banshee Call,” somewhat more atmospheric at its start and maybe a bit moodier but still nowhere near overblown. If anything, it underlines the control that Sweat Lodge exercise over the span of Talismana as a whole, which — especially considering it’s the band’s first full-length — is doubly impressive given how poised they manage to remain while letting loose.

I’m thrilled today to host a track premiere for “Heavy Head,” which you’ll find on the player below, followed by some more info off the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

The Austin, TX outfit have made good on their promise with a record that delivers more than you could possibly ever ask from it. Pillaging and plundering some of the most explosive eras of hard rock, heavy psychedelia and proto-metal with a conviction and execution rarely found this side of the millennium, in short, Sweat Lodge’s potential is one that knows no bounds.

Seizing on the southern grooves of Fu Manchu, Saint Vitus and the blues-driven majesty of 70s legends Mountain and fellow Texans ZZ Top, across Talismana – riff after punishing riff, howl after soulful howl – the vintage sound of rock ‘n’ roll reigns supreme, sparked through an engine of uncompromising youth. As anyone who witnessed the band’s debut TV appearance on Last Call With Carson Daly in March will testify, charismatic front man and vocalist Cody Lee Johnston’s ability to bring it on home is hypnotic. Backed by the gnarled bass fuzz of Austin Shockley, the Bonham-esque drum play of Caleb Dawson and guitar interplay of Javier Gardea and Dustin Anderson, the band will be unstoppable in 2015 and Talismana an essential record for fans of the genre.

Talismana by Sweat Lodge will be released on 7th August on Ripple Music.

Sweat Lodge on Thee Facebooks

Sweat Lodge on Bandcamp

Sweat Lodge webstore

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music

How far off can we, as a species, be from a stoner rock cruise? I don’t know. Heavy metal already has like 50 different cruises. Get Royal Caribbean on the line! What? There’s no lines? And I’m not actually speaking to anyone? I’m blogging? Still? Ah hell.

SonicBlast Moledo 2015, in Portugal, isn’t the only fest in the world offering a resort-type atmosphere — a certain “secret” Sardinian shindig walks by and waves — but they certainly make the prospect enticing. Part of that, of course, is the lineup. Pentagram will headline, and Greenleaf, My Sleeping Karma, Belzebong, High Fighter and many more share the bill on Aug. 14 and 15 in the coastal town of Moledo. Going to the beach is nice. Going to the beach where riffs are is how you win at life.

The timetable for SonicBlast Moledo 2015 has been newly unveiled, and you’ll find it below with more info from the PR wire to fuel your escapist fantasies:

It’s on the 14th and 15th of August that, by the Atlantic shore, the 5th edition of SonicBlast Moledo takes place. For those looking for stoner, psych, doom or heavy music styles, it’s already an obligatory yearly stop. This small festival is a well kept secret for the fans of these genres. With a powerful line up, a dream location in one of the most beautiful beaches in the Iberian Peninsula and affordable prices, going to SonicBlast Modelo is a no brainer.

Spread across two stages, in the afternoon by the pool and at night by the park, the highlights of this year are pioneers of doom Pentagram, unique and hypnotic My Sleeping Karma, the intense sound of Greenleaf, responsible for one of the best stoner records of 2014 (Trails and Passes), heavy rockers The Vintage Caravan and Belzebong, playing for the very first time in Portugal. Some other smashing acts from the european scene playing at Sonicblast Moledo are Wight, Mother Engine, High Fighter, The Attack of the Brain Eaters, Somali Yacht Club, Puma Pumku and Galactic Superlords. The usual support to the punk scene is held by Nervous from North America and Cuchillo de Fuego from Spain. The Portuguese scene is also very well represented through the 70’s rock from The Black Wizards, Big Red Panda, Lâmina, Vircator, Mantra and the return of aweless Plus Ultra.

This festival has a free-entrance warmup party on the 13th August on a beach bar, several activities as surf or skate, and free camping just two minutes away from the sea, where it meets the forest.

Kadavar, Blues Pills, The Atomic Bitchwax, Church of Misery, Samsara Blues Experiment, The Machine and Black Bombaim are some of the great bands that have passed for SonicBlast Moledo in the past editions.

The tickets for this outstanding gathering are already on sale. You can acquire the 2 day pass for 36€ until the 13th August. After this date the price is 42€. Daily tickets are 20€ until the 13th and 25€ on the day.

Tickets at:
http://www.blueticket.pt/site/EventoDetalhe.aspx?ecomm=1&eventoId=2308&idiomaid=2&op=0
www.sonicblastmoledo.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SonicBlast-Moledo/242619262427066
https://www.facebook.com/events/607451179385390/

Belzebong, “Diabolical Dopenosis” live in Germany

Church or CHRCH, this band fucking destroys. They could call themselves Donnie and Marie Osmond — though one doubts it would cut back on legal troubles — and they’d still be one of the most potential-filled acts in doom. Their Unanswered Hymns full-length (review here) is set to release on vinyl from Battleground Records Sept. 28 and it’s easily one of the year’s best debuts. Not even a question. They’ve also got tour dates coming up with Primitive Man, which sounds even more devastating. In all seriousness, however you hear them, do it. Don’t miss out. The situation that brought about the change sounds like it was a bummer, but at least the vinyl is still coming.

The PR wire speaks of preferred nomenclature:

CHRCH (Formerly CHURCH): Sacramento, California Doom-Slingers Formally Announce Name Change, Tour Dates

Sacramento, California’s fresh-faced psychedelic doom crew formerly known as CHURCH just crushed their way onto the scene with their stunning debut album Unanswered Hymns to overwhelmingly positive response, enchanting metal’s toughest critics and bringing crowds to their knees all over the west coast. The group signed to Battleground Records to release the vinyl version of the debut on September 28. However, due to a cease and desist sent to the band by a lawyer hired by Australian alternative rock group The Church, the band has opted to avoid further confrontation and drop the vowel, simply continuing on as CHRCH. Aside from the name change, the vinyl release and tour dates will proceed as planned.

Official statement from the band:

“Due to the fact that defending the claim of ‘willful infringement’ and ‘unfair competition’ is lengthy and expensive, we are now CHRCH. The bourgeoise system of ownership demands that knowledge and culture be rationed by the ability to pay. We thank everyone for their overwhelming support thus far. We are approaching our dates with Primitive Man and Northless August 13th-17th and we open for Pentagram in Santa Cruz on August 29th. In darkness, CHRCH.”

Official statement from Battleground Records:

“The band having to change their name due to a legal technicality is just that, a technicality. Underground artists like CHRCH and small labels like ours just don’t have the resources to get into legal squabbles over such matters. Regardless of the name, what truly matters is that we’re helping to release a great record from a great band that people out there want to get a hold of. We’ve simply got to keep moving forward. Many thanks to everyone who supports the label and the bands we work with. -BR”

See CHRCH live:

Aug 13th – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock w/ Primitive Man, Northless, Church Abstracter
August 14th – Oakland, CA @ The Metro (Deadfest)
August 16th – Sacramento, CA @ Starlite Lounge w/ Primitive Man and Northless
August 17th – Chico, CA @ 1078 Gallery w/ Primitive Man, Northless, Amarok, Vexed
August 29th – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst Atrium w/ Pentagram
October 3rd – Record Release show: Sacramento, CA @ Starlite Lounge w/ Special guests
November 13th – Long Beach, CA @ The Breakers (Midnite Communion III)

CHRCH is:
Eva – Vocals
Matt – Drums
Shann – Guitar
Ben – Bass
Chris – Guitar, backing vocals

facebook.com/chrchdoomca
https://churchdoom.bandcamp.com/
http://battlegroundrecords.bigcartel.com/product/church-unanswered-hymns-lp

Church, Unanswered Hymns (2015)