London doom rock magnates Orange Goblin have set a summer release through Spinefarm Records for their anxiously awaited new album, The Wolf Bites Back. The UK scene kingpins entered the studio little more than a month ago to begin the recording process with Jaime Gomez Arellano at the helm, and while that alone might lead one to expect a continuation of the more metallic side of the band that surfaced on their last studio record, 2014’s Back from the Abyss (review here), the simple fact that here we are about five weeks later and the new album is done, named and announced speaks to what must have been a pretty organic recording process.

Anticipation is high for the next Orange Goblin, to be sure, and with a summer release, the band already have live dates announced to support The Wolf Bites Back, including suitably high-profile appearances at Hellfest in France this June and Summer Breeze in Germany this August.

As posted on the social medias:

ORANGE GOBLIN – NEW ALBUM NEWS – THE WOLF BITES BACK!

ORANGE GOBLIN have finished work on their upcoming new album and are preparing for its summer release.

The legendary British rock band holed up at Orgone Studios with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Grave Pleasures, Paradise Lost, Cathedral) to create their latest opus, titled ‘The Wolf Bites Back’. The resulting nine track album will be the band’s ninth studio release and will be released via Candlelight/ Spinefarm Records worldwide.

Vocalist, Ben Ward, commented “We are very excited about this new album. The Wolf Bites Back is our strongest and most diverse collection of songs to date, it’s certainly a lot darker both musically and lyrically. It is still definitely a distinct ORANGE GOBLIN album but we have incorporated a lot more variation on this record and there are hints of Can, Captain Beyond, Wishbone Ash and The Stooges nestling amongst the obvious Sabbath and Motorhead influences. Lyrically I have explored everything from alien serial killers to zombie biker gangs, Buddhist warriors through to descendants of the Salem witches!”

“There was definitely a concerted effort to make sure all the songs could work in a live environment which gives the album a more raw, stripped back feel – something that I feel has been lacking from good rock and metal in recent years. Working with Jaime Gomez Arellano was really productive and a great experience, especially going back to tracking stuff to tape. I feel that he got the best out of all of us as musicians and songwriters and that really comes across in the songs, there is an air of confidence and experience. It was also a real honour for us to have Phil Campbell of Motorhead lending his hand to a couple of solos on there too!”

The full track list and artwork will be released at a later date, but the band have confirmed titles such as Sons of Salem, Ghosts Of The Primitives, Burn The Ships, Zeitgeist and Suicide Division. Artwork will be created by Roland Scriver at Familiar Ink.

The Wolf Bites Back is scheduled for a June 2018 release.

Orange Goblin live:
Mar 31 – Paaspop, Schijndel, NL
Apr 07 – Durbuy Rock Fest, Durbuy, BE
Apr 27 – Impetus Fest (@ Le Docks), Lausanne, CH
May 04 – Planet Club, Rome, IT
May 05 – Dagda Club, Rotorbido, IT
Jun 16 – Stone Free (@ o2 Indigo), London, UK
Jun 23 – Hellfest, Clisson, FR
Aug 11 – Alcatraz Metal Fest, Kortrijk, BE
Aug 18 – Summer Breeze, Dinkelsbuhl, DE
Sep 08 – Summer Dying Loud, Aleksandrow Lodzki, PL

https://www.facebook.com/orangegoblinofficial/
https://twitter.com/OrangeGoblin1
https://www.instagram.com/orangegoblin1/
http://www.orange-goblin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/spinefarm
www.spinefarmrecords.com/

Orange Goblin, Live at Desertfest Athens 2017

[Click play above to stream ‘Wave of Conscience’ from BlackWater HolyLight’s self-titled debut. Album is out April 6 via RidingEasy Records and available to preorder here.]

With headphone-ready psychedelic immersion, dreamscape melodicism and an approach to pop hooks so completely unafraid it’s enough to make you forget you were wondering just what the hell their moniker is all about, Portland, Oregon’s Blackwater Holylight (also stylized as BlackWater HolyLight make their self-titled debut via respected West Coast purveyor RidingEasy Records. I’ll say flat out that it’s one of the best heavy psych debut albums you’ll hear in 2018, and perhaps the finest melding of indie and heavy-fuzz impulses on a first record since Witch‘s Witch in 2006.

At least perhaps for those at some geographical remove from the crowded Portland underground, BlackWater HolyLight might strike as having come out of the blue, but with vocalist/bassist Allison Faris as the apparent driving force behind the project with crucial contributions from her bandmates guitarist/vocalist Laura Hopkins (oh the fuzz, oh the harmonies!), drummer Cat Hoch (oh the echoing crash cymbal) and synth player Sarah Mckenna (oh the fuzz-bolstering progressive flourish), they hardly sound like a “new band” at all, instead having a clarity of intent that’s almost ironic even as it underpins the tonal murk and haze of “Slow Hole,” the longest cut on BlackWater HolyLight at 6:56 and a a stonerly highlight that seems to get high and wander off from some of the more lucid (relatively speaking) fare surrounding, whether it’s the key-heavy-into-riff-heavy brook-no-refusal groove of “Sunshine” before it or the drum-led bounce of “Carry Her” after, which delves into post-Queens of the Stone Age guitar-plunge antics before fuller fuzz takes hold and the four-minute song becomes a drifting horror show — that cuts back to its verse just before staring the last minute as though the whole thing never happened which, really, who the hell knows at that point. You could convince me either way.

It would seem to be Faris‘ band across these eight tracks and 41 minutes, and fair enough for that, but as the guitar and drums roll open the harmoony-topped intro to opener “Willow,” the real story of BlacKWater HolyLight still awaits telling. Faris‘ bass creates a tension in the midsection of the song, but the second half that follows, the payoff is as much driven by the underlying key work of Mckenna as Faris‘ creative fills or the echo-drenched solo from Hopkins. Ending with some swirl, tape loop noise and laughter, immediately, “Willow” sets a multifaceted dynamic for the band to follow, and follow it they do throughout the subsequent seven tracks, bending the balance of their sound to one side or another to suit their whims and those of their already-so-cogent songcraft.

Second track “Wave of Conscience,” bringing its verse/chorus approach to the forefront along with organ an guitar interplay and one of the record’s most memorable hooks, serves as a pointed highlight and an easy source point for the Witch comparison above, though when it comes right to it, BlackWater HolyLight bring more to the proceedings in terms of melody, and when they hit into a nod-nod-nod slowdown after about two and a half minutes in, the affect is all their own, gradually picking up speed again to lead into the subtle low end beginning of “Babies,” which has a kind of playfully spooky New Wave sensibility in its pointed snare hits and chorus keyboard declinations, still complemented by a deep-running fuzz in Hopkins‘. “Babies” is both toying with femininity in heavy rock and critical, but like its predecessor, wildly catchy and even more fun. No surprise then that with the subsequent “Paranoia,” the mood shifts to more brooding shoe-haze, a linear build that plays out over the course of an efficient four minutes and closes out side A with due wash of tonal reverie and residual keyboard notes.

Though it seems to establish such a wide breadth, “Sunshine” sill doesn’t reach the five-minute mark, an early guitar ringout foreshadowing the highlight riffing to come while the keyboard, bass and drums seem to bounce along through the first two verses as though blissfully unaware of what lurks around the corner. Soon enough that darker guitar returns and at 2:17 into its 4:51, the track turns itself over to this wall of fuzz, which unveils a standout riff for both the track and for BlackWater Holylight as a whole; the kind of riff of which Acid King would be proud. They cycle through again and end, naturally, on that riff, fading away to let slow stick clicks from Hoch begin the low-end roll and rumble of “Slow Hole,” which is singularly hypnotic compared to its surroundings.

Even as far out as closer “Jizz Witch” seems to unfold in its languid meandering, it’s got nothing on “Slow Hole,” the bass fuzz of which consumes outright while the quiet melodies echo through in a fashion that would make Mars Red Sky jealous. The ending is sudden and with an uptempo — again, almost New Wave — beat, “Carry Her” is clearly meant to snap the listener back at least nearer to reality. I’m not sure it does, even as harsher guitar feedback becomes such a key component of its hook alongside the keys/organ. A dose of purposeful weirdness echoes some of the playful aspect of “Babies,” but there’s a creepy undertone here as well, as a slowdown in the second half bridge seems like it’s about to derail the song entirely heading toward the final minute.

To BlackWater HolyLight‘s credit, it doesn’t, and they return to the verse and chorus as suddenly as they got there the first time around, fading amp noise leading into the subdued beginning of “Jizz Witch,” which one assumes is sending up modern cult rock not a minute too soon. Either way, like the bulk of the album before it, the closer is a molten and groove-heavy bit of immersive heavy psychedelia, holding a sense of structure at its core while sounding neither shy about wandering away from that nor too formulaic in the moments it does so. As a debut, the coherence of its vision is all the more impressive, and the four-piece leave no doubt that they entered into the process of songwriting with an idea in mind of what they wanted to do as a band — a mission, in other words. Though one easily could, I’ll stop short of calling that mission accomplished and instead simply hope that this is just the point of its beginning.

BlackWater HolyLight on Instagram

BlackWater HolyLight on Bandcamp

RidingEasy Records website

From what I’m told, the new Dandy Brown video for the track ‘This World’ relates to the last one from guitarist/vocalist Dandy Brown and his band, which was for “The Bees” (posted here). Fair enough. If you go back and watch it, “The Bees” has the same young lady hanging out while the band plays and with the progression from downing booze in the earlier video to sleeping on the couch in the new one, well, I guess the narrative at play is easy enough to put together. Fortunately Dandy Brown and company aren’t making too much of a ruckus with “This World.”

Indeed, like much of Scattered Days, which is the Dandy Brown album on Taxi Driver Records on which the track serves the pivotal role of centerpiece, “This World” is an unpretentious and laid back slice of desert rock chill. There’s nothing overblown about it. It’s not overly laid back in terms of “oh the song got high and wandered off” — that is, it has a structure and sticks to it — but Brown commands the song with a lighter hand and lets the tones do the work of reinforcing a sense of heft while his own vocals recall some of the melodic styling of Hermano bandmate John Garcia while also still retaining their own identity.

Scattered Days finds itself nestled into classic rocking moments on tracks like “The Sleeper” and closer “The Swimmer,” acoustics and electric guitars commingling amid a residual sense of ’60s psychedelic influence, but “This World” represents the album well nonetheless. You’ll note the samples in the beginning and end of the video that don’t seem to be on the album, and that in addition to the return of the woman on the couch, we also see Brown don makeup and take on the role of some kind of figure who seems to be outside the sphere looking in on “This World” itself. In appearance I was reminded of Chris Goss circa the last Masters of Reality album. In concept, it was more The Watcher from the Marvel Comics What If…? series. Sometimes the mind goes strange places, my friends.

Anyway the song rocks, and you’ll find the Tyler Geeson-directed video below. Scattered Days is a gem and it’s out later this year on Taxi Driver Records.

Enjoy:

Dandy Brown, “This World” official video

Dandy Brown (Hermano, Orquesta del Desierto) has just published the second single, “This World”, from his upcoming new album “Scattered Days” (Taxi Driver Records, 2018).

It’s the sister-piece to the first single “The Bees”, following the same story thread and shot by same director, Tyler Geeson.

Both new songs are included in “Scattered Days”: born in the high desert of southern California, the album is Dandy Brown’s final collection of songs written and recorded in the Morongo Basin. What began with the release of the Hermano and Orquesta Del Desierto collections, “Scattered Days” is the final phase of Brown’s desert writing sessions.

Written and produced by Dandy Brown
Engineered by Paul Francis
Mixed and Mastered by Paul Francis
Get Right Recording, Yucca Valley, California

Video directed and edited by Tyler Geeson

Dandy Brown website

Dandy Brown on Thee Facebooks

Taxi Driver Records webstore

Taxi Driver Records on Thee Facebooks

Texas-based heavy rock trio Crypt Trip self-released their latest full-length, Rootstock, in January. You’ll find it streaming at the bottom of this post, and I’d imagine that if you want to actually take a listen to it — no reason not to, what with the rock and roll and all — your time to do so is limited. Seems to me that in signing to Heavy Psych Sounds, Crypt Trip‘s situation is somewhat similar to that of Philly’s High Reeper, who’d also self-released a full-length before getting picked up by the Italian label.

Does that mean we’ll see a new version of Rootstock coming up, perhaps with revamped artwork like High Reeper‘s self-titled? Hell if I know, but if you didn’t already press play on album opener “Heartslave” and hear the scorching guitar solos that cap the track, you’ll just have to take my word for it that you won’t regret doing so either way. So yeah. As High Reeper‘s record got pulled from streaming ahead of its official release, so too might Crypt Trip‘s. Get while the getting is good.

Congrats to Crypt Trip as well. They join fellow Lone Star Staters Duel in working with the label, and it’s not at all difficult to imagine the two pairing up for a European tour presented by Heavy Psych Sounds‘ booking arm, though of course I’ve no concrete evidence that such a thing is in the works.

Maybe better to just turn it over to the PR wire. Yeah, let’s do that:

Crypt Trip – Heavy Psych Sounds

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records & Booking is really proud to present a new band *** CRYPT TRIP ***

We are stoked to announce the signing of the american hard rock band Crypt Trip !! More info coming soon .Crypt Trip is a group from Texas that plays hard rock music. Originally formed in Dallas in 2013, the first incarnation of the band had a heavy psychedelic sound that was reminiscent of a dark nineteen seventies underground.

It wasn’t long before guitarist/singer Ryan Lee and bassist Sam Bryant relocated to Central Texas where they met drummer Cameron Martin and began to solidify their sound. Taking influence from aged rock records, jazz methodology, and their cultural roots in the cosmic American South, their music presents you with a genuinely personal experience.

Their new album will be released on Heavy Psych Sounds this year.

CRYPT TRIP are
Ryan Lee: Guitar, Vocals, Elec. Piano
Cameron Martin: Drums, Vocals, Perc.
Sam Bryant: Bass

https://www.facebook.com/CryptTrip/
https://crypttrip.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/
www.heavypsychsounds.com

Crypt Trip, Rootsock (2018)

Netherlands-based three-piece Bismut are using their debut single in precisely the right way. For a band like this — instrumental, heavy, grooving and with ambitions toward a blend of structured and freeform songwriting, a lone track like “Buntovnost” is just the thing to pique audience interest and leave people curious as to what might come next. At very least, that’s how it worked out with me as I made my way through the nine-minute groover, asking myself where the band might go from here and how their apparent method — show up in the studio with something of a plan, work around it more than directly from it — might continue to develop in the future, either becoming invariably more or less rigid over time.

If I had to guess as to a direction listening to “Buntovnost,” I’d bet on Bismut — the Nijmegen trio of Huibert, Peter and Nik — getting jammier over time, as often happens with bands like this as their chemistry continues to develop in the studio and on stage, but the fact that “Buntovnost” was “partially improvised” and recorded live in five takes in the studio makes me think there’s an element of perfectionism at play as well, and it could be interesting to hear if and how that flourishes in their sound too, and if, no matter how far out they might go in veering from it ultimately, they stick to using a central plan in their work going forward.

Man, new bands are fun.

The underlying point? There’s potential here. We don’t yet know what Bismut will be sound-wise — and please don’t quote me on any of the speculation above (unless I’m right); the band could just as easily pull a Wight and go funk-reggae out of the blue, and really, who saw that coming? — But that “Buntovnost” triggers the imagination to wonder about such things in its chugging, turning, energized nine-minute stretch is emblematic of their potential as a whole. “Buntovnost” is available as a name-your-price download at their Bandcamp and they’ve also got a brand new video for it that you can see below if you’re so inclined.

More info follows from the PR wire. Please enjoy:

Bismut, “Buntovnost” official video

“Buntovnost” by Bismut. Recorded live in the studio and partially improvised. This is the best version of 5 takes. No edits. Enjoy! This track was recorded live at Studio 888 and mixed and mastered by Bismut. Recorded and Edited by NNfilm: http://nnfilm.nl

Some Footage by Gusto Video Producties: http://gustoproducties.nl

From explosive and experimental jam sessions in the caverns of the Nijmegen underground arose Bismut. Infinite jamming resulted in an oasis of psychedelic excesses, vicious riffing and heavily drawn-out grooves. After their debut performance in November 2016, the three guys played many kick-ass shows in the Netherlands and abroad. The performances of Bismut are dynamic, intense and straightforward.

In 2018 the band’s focus will be on recording their first full-length which is expected to be released in oktober on the in Hamburg based label, Pink Tank Records.

Bismut is Huibert, Peter and Nik.

Bismut on Thee Facebooks

Bismut on Instagram

Bismut on Bandcamp

Pink Tank Records website

Pink Tank Records on Thee Facebooks

Pink Tank Records on Bandcamp

It does not take long to understand why Italian trio Cambrian hit such a mark with their debut full-length Mobular, upon releasing it digitally last year. Their weighted tones arrive offset by a sense of psychedelic drift. They claim it as a Hawaiian influence, and you can hear that in the tracks — though I think if they had said desert instead of island, they’d have a pretty good claim there too. I guess the underlying point is: sandy psych. Maybe the heavy parts are the crashing waves.

Mobular, which you can stream of course in its entirety at the bottom of this post, has been newly issued as a limited CD digipak by Taxi Driver Records. The numbers are few, the editions are special, and the details are below, as swiped from the PR wire.

Like so:

“MOBULAR” by CAMBRIAN, CD release

Taxi Driver Records announced the digital release (Spotify, Itunes and all other main digital platforms) of Mobular, debut album by Cambrian in Summer 2017.

We’ve just released the CD version, in February 2018, limited to 300 digipak copies. First 50 are hand-numbered and come with screenprinted o-card and patch.

Cambrian is an Italian “supergroup” formed by Boggio Nattero (Carcharodon) at Lap-steel guitar, Electric guitar and Vox, Fabio Cuomo (solo project, Eremite, Mope) at Drums and Piano, Stefano Parodi (Vanessa Van Basten, Mope, Dead Esther) at Bass guitar. They play “Relaxing Hawaiian Sludge Doom in the key of C”.

A surreal and alienating combination of very slow Hawaiian lap-steel scores and elephantine sludge/doom riffs with compelling blues shades. It’s as if Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath were jamming with Earth and Sleep on a Hawaiian beach at sunset.

In 2015 Boggio Nattero started experimenting his riffs, which sounded between a relaxing Caribbean movie soundtrack and evil doom sonorities. As Fabio Cuomo listened to these home recordings, he immediately decided to go jamming in the rehearsal room with Boggio. He also involved doomster Stefano Parodi, who already shared with him many music projects.Tracks were finally recorded in total relax, mixed & mastered by Emi Cioncoloni at El Fish Recording Studio (Genova, Italy) in July 2016, Summer of Doom. Artwork and Graphic Layout by Jessica Rassi/The Giant’s Lab.

Tracklist:
1. Melt
2. Seaweed Shaman
3. Hooded Mantanaut
4. Mobular
5. The Lethargic Hours
6. Emperor Seamount

http://smarturl.it/tdreccambrian
http://cambriandoom.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/Cambriandoom

Cambrian, Mobular (2017)

Rocky Mountain destroyers Primitive Man head out next month on a tour of the Midwest and East Coast with Spectral Voice, playing, among other spots, the Meatlocker in Montclair in my beloved Garden State for a set that surely will test the structural integrity of that basement venue’s support beams. Now, following that run, they go to the UK — also a one-off in Israel, because obviously — to play Desertfest London 2018 and other dates with Bismuth before coming back to the US and hitting the West Coast for a headlining stretch alongside a slew of others detailed below.

All of this is happening in support of last year’s aptly-titled full-length, Caustic (review here), which offered an overwhelming dose of the Denver three-piece’s sludge extremity. They stand among the heaviest bands in the US right now, and off the top of my head, I’m not sure who has them beat, if anyone does. Let me think on it. I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, surely venues like Mac’s Bar in Lansing, the aforementioned Meatlocker, and Sister Bar in Albuquerque — as well as, you know, everywhere else — will want to investigate earthquake insurance.

Info from the PR wire:

PRIMITIVE MAN: Announce West Coast Headline Tour; Tour with Spectral Voice Begins Next Month

Denver nihilistic trio PRIMITIVE MAN announce 2018 West Coast tour dates in support of their recent full-length album Caustic. The tour commences May 19 in Fort Collins, CO and ends June 18 in Dallas, TX, including appearances at Northwest Terror Fest and Austin Terror Fest. Direct support will be provided by Infernal Coil (5/19-5/21), Celeste (5/26-6/01), Wayfarer (6/11-6/18) and Forn (6/14-6/19). A full list of confirmed tour dates is available below.

Additionally, PRIMITIVE MAN begin their Spring headline tour with Spectral Voice next month on March 17 in Omaha, NE. The tour runs through 24 cities and ends on April 09 in Denver, CO. PRIMITIVE MAN have also announced a United Kingdom tour from April 25 to May 06 with Bismuth. Includes an exclusive one off and the band’s first ever performance in Tel Aviv on May 03. PRIMITIVE MAN are currently confirmed for a couple Summer festivals including Electric Funeral Fest and Temple of Ascension Vol. 1. Stay tuned for more tour news in the near future.

PRIMITIVE MAN Tour Dates:

— All Dates Mar 17 – Apr 08 w/ Spectral Voice —

Mar 17 Omaha, NE The Sydney
Mar 18 Milwaukee, WI Cactus Club
Mar 19 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry
Mar 20 Chicago, IL Subterranean
Mar 21 Lansing, MI Macs Bar
Mar 22 Pittsburgh, PA Cattivo
Mar 23 Syracuse, NY Spark Art Space
Mar 24 Toronto, ON Lees Palace
Mar 25 Ottawa, ON Mavericks
Mar 26 Quebec City, QC L’Anti
Mar 27 Montreal, QC Bar LeRitz
Mar 28 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Mar 29 Portland, ME Geno’s Rock Club
Mar 30 Montclair, NJ Meatlocker
Mar 31 Brooklyn, NY Saint Vitus
Apr 01 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie (Primitive Man Only)
Apr 02 Washington D.C. Atlas Brew
Apr 03 Richmond, VA Strange Matter
Apr 04 Atlanta, GA The EARL
Apr 05 Nashville, TN The End
Apr 06 St. Louis, MO Fubar
Apr 07 Rock Island, IL Rock Island Brewing Co.
Apr 08 Kansas City, MO Riot Room
Apr 09 Denver, CO Syntax Physics Opera

— All Dates with Bismuth Apr 25 – May 06 —

Apr 25 Newcastle, UK Trillians Rock Bar
Apr 26 Glasgow, SL North of the Wall
Apr 27 Wigan, UK The Old Courts
Apr 28 Manchester, UK Rebellion Club
Apr 29 Sheffield, UK West Street Live
Apr 30 Bristol, UK Old England
May 01 Leeds, UK Temple of Boom
May 03 Tel Aviv, IL Levontin 7 (Primitive Man Only)
May 04 Nottingham, UK Angel Microbrewery
May 05 Plymouth, UK The Junction
May 06 London, UK Desert Fest

— West Coast Headline Tour —

May 19 Fort Collins, CO Hodi’s
May 20 Albuquerque, NM Sister Bar
May 21 Phoenix, AZ Club Red
May 22 Tijuana, MX Garage Rock Bar
May 24 Tucson, AZ Flycatcher
May 25 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
May 26 Los Angeles, CA Union
May 27 San Francisco, CA Elbo Room
May 28 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst
May 29 Sacramento, CA Blue Lamp
May 30 Eugene, OR Old Nick’s
May 31 Portland, OR Tonic
Jun 01 Seattle, WA Northwest Terror Fest 2018
Jun 02 Victoria, BC Capital Ballroom
Jun 03 Vancouver, BC Astoria
Jun 05 Boise, ID Neurolux
Jun 06 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
Jun 11 Wichita, KS Barleycorns
Jun 12 Wichita Falls, TX Iron Horse Pub
Jun 13 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
Jun 14 New Orleans, LA Santos Bar
Jun 16 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
Jun 17 Austin, TX Austin Terror Fest 2018
Jun 18 Dallas, TX Reno’s

w/ Infernal Coil (5/19-5/21)
w/ Celeste (5/26-6/01)
w/ Wayfarer (6/11-6/18)
w/ Forn (6/14-6/19)

Jun 29-30 Denver, CO Electric Funeral Fest

Aug 16-19 Edmonton, AB Temple of Ascension Vol. 1

PRIMITIVE MAN:
Ethan Lee McCarthy – guitars, vocals
Jonathan Campos – bass
Joe Linden – drums

http://www.primitivemandoom.com
http://www.facebook.com/primitivemandoom
http://www.relapse.com
http://www.relapserecords.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords
http://www.twitter.com/RelapseRecords

Primitive Man, Caustic (2017)

Here’s a fun fact: I’m fortunate enough to say that 2018 will be my 10th time attending the Roadburn festival. For most of those years, I have been fortunate enough to have a pass to let me take pictures in the photo pit; an experience for which I’m continually grateful. Among the many talented others with which I’ve shared that sometimes-cramped space between the audience barricade and the stage has been London-based photographer Ester Segarra. I’ve never said hi to her once. Not once. No introduction. Never said, “Hi Ester, my name is JJ. You probably have no idea who I am but I’m a big admirer of your work and just wanted to say hello,” like I practiced and swore to myself I would do last year.

Why not? Because Ester Segarra is fucking amazing. That’s why not. Because I’m not worthy of saying hi to someone whose talent reaches that caliber. Ester Segarra‘s photos have helped define the aesthetic of heavy metal for more than a decade. No. You don’t bother Ester Segarra even when you’re standing there waiting for the next band to come on stage. What you do is you make sure your big dumb head isn’t blocking her shot, and if it is — spoiler alert: it probably is — you get the hell out of the way quickly, because Ester Segarra not only earned the right to take that picture, she invariably will do a better job of it than just about anyone else.

It’s not every photog who gets an anthology published by Season of Mist with a companion record by Uno Bruniusson of In Solitude and Death Alley. But yeah, we’re not talking about every photog here, are we?

From the PR wire:

Season of Mist to release ESTER SEGARRA photo anthology with companion album by Uno Bruniusson (GRAVE PLEASURES, IN SOLITUDE)

Renowned photographer ESTER SEGARRA has been an integral part of the worldwide heavy music landscape for over 15 years. SEGARRA’s multitude of photos have been featured in every major metal magazine, a wide array of critically acclaimed albums, some of the most popular band photos circulating the internet, and has worked for perennial artists such as MAYHEM, ROTTING CHRIST, WATAIN, DARKTHRONE, ABBATH, ELECTRIC WIZARD, and many more.

After years of compiling her work, ESTER SEGARRA will release her anthology photo-book titled ‘Ars Umbra’ later this year via Season of Mist. The ‘Ars Umbra’ anthology will feature an original score composed by Uno Bruniusson (GRAVE PLEASURES, IN SOLITUDE, PROCESSION, and more).

Regarding the book announcement, ESTER SEGARRA comments: “The anthology, ‘Ars Umbra’ celebrates 15 years of my music photography. Pictures and music are presented in the form of a photo-book with an added original soundtrack, which I had specially commissioned from percussionist extraordinaire, Uno Bruniusson (ex-IN SOLITUDE, DEATH ALLEY, PROCESSION). His music has been created to provide a rhythm, a mind-space that alters the experience of the book. This project has consumed me for the last two years and I am very glad and honoured to have it finally released via Season of Mist, which is most fitting; considering their eclectic roster of bands, their boundary pushing attitude and their graphic art outlet E-Kunst. Having worked many times with this label before, I know their fire is as strong as mine. The time will soon come to unleash and fuel the flames of ‘Ars Umbra’!”

For over a decade, ESTER SEGARRA has re-imagined the visual aspect of heavy metal for bands like GHOST, WATAIN, ELECTRIC WIZARD, CATHEDRAL, MAYHEM, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, AT THE GATES, CARCASS, DARKTHRONE, ROTTING CHRIST, VENOM, ABBATH, and many more.

Through her lens, SEGARRA has captured some of extreme music’s most notorious players and in turn become one of the most prolific and significant contemporary music photographers.

More news about ESTER SEGARRA will be available at the Season of Mist website.

https://www.facebook.com/estersegarraphotography/
http://www.estersegarra.com/
http://www.season-of-mist.com
http://www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial
https://www.instagram.com/seasonofmistofficial
https://twitter.com/SeasonofMist

Ester Segarra, Photo Exhibit at Roadburn 2011