Holy shit.

I’m at a loss here. I recently posted about an Earthless tour saying I’d like to go an write a book about the experience, but Truckfighters, Greenleaf and Asteroid for 15 dates in Europe? Three Swedish bands who know each other as well as bands possibly could, with Asteroid having released through Truckfighters‘ label Fuzzorama Records and Greenleaf and Truckfighters having shared members in the past? Shit, I’d love to see this. I’d love to do the whole tour. I’ll fly myself over if I need to, I don’t even care. This is unreal.

Do you even understand what’s happening here? These are seasoned acts. None of them is undertaking this lightly, and aside from all three being killer on stage, they each bring something different in doing so. These shows are going to be incredible. God damn that’s a good tour. Sound of Liberation with the winning package. Whoever thought of this gets the prize.

This isn’t the last post I’m putting up today, but it’s the last one I’m writing and I think enough of this tour to post about it instead of properly closing out the week, so yeah.

From social media:

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: TRUCKFIGHTERS + GREENLEAF + ASTEROID

We’re stoked to announce this ABSOLUTE KILLER Swedish heavy rock package that will roll over Europe next Spring!

Okay folks, they really don’t need an introduction anymore…

For more than 20 years, the legendary fuzz kings Truckfighters from Örebro have been conquering the world with their outstanding heavy riffing (#128165#)

For their 2022 European tour, they have now invited some very special guests:

No other than the mighty Greenleaf are along for the ride and you all know what that means! 100% energetic live shows, delivered by riff master Tommi Holappa and his gang ⚡️

But that’s not all by any means! We’re stoked that the newly reformed Asteroid with their heavy, bluesy psych sound are on board as well (#128640#)

Sound of Liberation proudly presents:
TRUCKFIGHTERS + GREENLEAF + ASTEROID
“THE NORDIC FUZZCRUSADERS TOUR 2022”
25.03. – (DE) Hamburg | Fabrik Hamburg
26.03. – (DE) Würzburg | Posthalle Würzburg
27.03. – (NL) Amsterdam | Melkweg Amsterdam
28.03. – (BE) Brussels | Le Botanique
29.03. – (FR) Paris | Trabendo
30.03. – (DE) Cologne | Carlswerk Victoria
31.03. – (DE) Wiesbaden | Schlachthof Wiesbaden
01.04. – (DE) Erfurt | Zughafen
02.04. – (AT) Wien | ARENA WIEN
03.04. – (DE) München | Backstage München
05.04. – (DE) Leipzig | WERK2-Kulturfabrik
06.04. – (DE) Karlsruhe | Substage
07.04. – (CH) Pratteln | Konzertfabrik Z7 – Pratteln
08.04. – (AT) Salzburg | Rockhouse Salzburg
09.04. – (DE) Saarbrücken | Garage Saarbrücken

This is surely already the Heavy Rock Tour 2022 not to be missed. Join the journey and welcome the Nordic Fuzzcrusaders!

Tickets are on sale now, grab them while they’re hot

https://www.sol-tickets.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Truckfighters, Live in London (2016)

Greenleaf, “Love Undone” lyric video

Asteroid, “Til’ Dawn” official video

Preorders go live today for Naxatras‘ new album, IV, ahead of its Feb. 25 release date. In accordance with that, there comes the first streaming single from the record, titled “Journey to Narahmon,” which throughout its space-rocking six minutes serves to highlight some — not all, but some — of the sonic shifts the formerly jam-based Greek outfit have undertaken in sound, building more traditionally structured songs out of those jam rather than offering up the jams themselves. It’s three months from yesterday until the record comes out, so I’m not going to go on and on about it — I’ll review in good time — but Naxatras are right to give their audience a chance to get on board with where they’re at as soon as possible, let alone reach new ears as they inevitably will throughout 2022.

The recently announced tour is conspicuously lacking in festival appearances, but don’t be surprised when those start showing up too throughout Summer and Fall, conditions permitting.

Here’s links, info, audio:

Pre-order “IV” at https://naxatras.shop
Pre-save “IV” on all digital platforms: https://orcd.co/naxatras_iv

Tour dates with Puta Volcano:
31.03. – Sofia (BG), “Mixtape 5”
01.04. – Novi Sad (RS), SKCNS Fabrika
02.04. – Budapest (HU), Akvárium Klub Official
03.04. – Zagreb (HR), Klub Močvara
05.04. – Vienna (AT), ((szene)) Wien
06.04. – Linz (AT), Stwst Stadtwerkstatt
08.04. – Munich (DE), Feierwerk
09.04. – Jena (DE), KuBa
13.04. – Stockholm (SE), Hus 7
15.04. – Copenhagen (DK), VEGA
17.04. – Hamburg (DE), Knust Hamburg
18.04. – Dresden (DE), Chemiefabrik Dresden (Chemo)
20.04. – Berlin (DE), Bi Nuu
21.04. – Dortmund (DE), JunkYard
23.04. – Rotterdam (NL), Podium Grounds
24.04. – Paris (FR), La Maroquinerie
26.04. – Marseille (FR), Le Molotov
27.04. – San Sebastian (ES), Dabadaba
28.04. – Madrid (ES), SALA CARACOL MADRID
29.04. – Barcelona (ES), Sala Upload Barcelona
30.04. – Porto (PT), Hard Club
+ more to be announced!

Tickets: will be on sale very soon via https://www.naxatras.gr/tour

Vocals by Evi Seitanidou

Artwork by Chris RW ( https://www.instagram.com/chris__rw/ )
Recorded and mixed by Nikos Logiotatidis at Magnanimous Recording Studio

Naxatras are:
John Delias – Guitar, Vocals
John Vagenas – Bass, Vocals
Kostas Charizanis – Drums and Percussion
Pantelis Kargas – Keyboards and Synthesizers

http://www.naxatras.gr
http://www.facebook.com/naxatras
http://www.instagram.com/naxatras
http://naxatras.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6HN1s0JzLowapZ7nhOAJ71?si=w5UAkxrZQDujUwmi7tl8aA
https://www.youtube.com/naxatrasofficial

Naxatras, “Journey to Narahmon”

I mean, yeah, sometimes we all have that dream where we find a gun in a dilapidated house and use it to murder our inner child. The word you’re looking for is ‘relatable.’ If I start off goofing, maybe take it as a sign that, having been forced to feel feelings while watching Afrikaner heavy rockers Die Ek‘s video for “Dapper Huis” (‘brave house’ in English), I’ve no recourse but to bury my head in the thin veil of sarcasm that’s always provided a measure of weak armor from such things. Alas.

“Dapper Huis” follows behind Die Ek‘s “Die Ek” single/video (posted here) from earlier this year, which boasted a similar narrative feel. There’s no dialogue here, but none is really needed, and even with the language barrier in the lyrics — among the multitude of my ignorances: Afrikaans — the emotional underpinning comes through aided by wistful piano in the beginning of the four-minute track and a pair of swells later, not quite chaotic but emblematic of turmoil just the same. The band’s sound and the video-as-movie vibe suit each other well; both carry a sense of professionalism in their making and a feeling of knowing what they want to express.

So, while your own unconscious mind may or may not (but probably does) occasionally direct you toward self-assassination, the clip and the song it contains both make a striking impression and that’s clearly the intent. I don’t know the band’s plan as to putting together an album or an EP or some other collection of the songs they seem to be trickling out one at a time, but the safe bet is that a plan exists considering how much consideration is being put into the material itself. When it’ll come to fruition, we’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, enjoy:

Die Ek, “Dapper Huis” video premiere

To be a child is to be vulnerable… When I was young, I was staring at a dark corner of my room. In the space between waking and sleeping, I had the feeling that there was something in the dark. Something hiding there waiting for me to fall asleep. Sometimes my dreams took me to the most hellish scary places. I woke up soaked in sweat, overwhelmed by fear. Heart beating deafeningly. Body burning. I held my breath and listened. I turned on the light to see that there was nothing. I turned my back on the dark corner and told myself there is nothing there. It was all just in my mind.

The courage to look further into the darkness came later in life, but the anxiety of that total powerlessness still remains in the depths of my psyche. It stares at me from a dark corner and waits until I fall asleep.

Die ek is:
Riaan le Roux (Stem, kitaar, klavier)
Dylan du Toit (Bas kitaar)
Werner Breedt (kitaar, backing vocals, triggers)
Duncan Potgieter (Drums)

Die Ek on Facebook

Die Ek on Instagram

Die Ek on YouTube

Say hello — and Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it — to the first full-song audio and video to be unveiled from King Buffalo‘s upcoming LP and album-film, Acheron (review here), which is out Dec. 3. There was the teaser before, but with “Shadows,” you get far more of a sense both of what the four-song record has on offer and what the vibe was like when they started playing songs in that cave, deep beneath the surface of the earth. Granted, there hasn’t been a ton to compare it to on my end in terms of going-places-and-doing-stuff, but hitting up Howes Cavern to watch King Buffalo record was the coolest thing I’ve been to this year so far. And I only add the “so far” because I’ve got another, not-KB-related studio visit planned for December and you never know what might happen on a given day or two. But the standard is high, even considering the context of 2021.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m writing this while listening to “Shadows,” and the song just hit its circa-midpoint swell. Acheron has a couple linear builds, as did The Burden of Restlessness (review here) in June, and I guess if you’re only counting the first seven minutes or so, “Shadows” is one of them, but the song runs 11 minutes total, and I think the quiet exploration in the back end is pretty essential for more than just the return-kick to which it leads. Enough so that the band put it out as the first whole track unveiled — I would’ve expected the opening title-track, but it’s nice to be surprised — and would seem to have done so with the clear intent to convey just how different Acheron is from the preceding album in their plague-era trilogy, the third part of which will be released in 2022.

Don’t let me keep you. It’s a holiday, and while I could probably go on about the record, suffice it to say that King Buffalo have two of 2021’s best albums to their credit. With the next impending, they’re a bright spot in a perpetually weird reality.

Dive in:

King Buffalo, “Shadows” official video

From the new album and film, ‘Acheron’ available everywhere on 12/3/21.

For more info or to support the band directly visit: https://kingbuffalo.com/links

Directed by Adam Antalek.

King Buffalo, The Burden of Restlessness (2021)

King Buffalo BigCartel store

King Buffalo website

King Buffalo on Facebook

King Buffalo on Instagram

Stickman Records website

Stickman Records on Facebook

Named for the second Witchfinder General LP, Friends of Hell will release their self-titled debut album March 18 through Rise Above Records. One will immediately note the participation in the project of Tasos Danazoglou, currently of Mirror and Diavolos and formerly of Electric Wizard, as well as Sami “Albert Witchfinder” Hynninen currently of Opium Warlords and others and formerly of Reverend Bizarre, Spiritus Mortis and a league more. I have found neither audio nor a complete lineup of the band listed, but honestly, if it’s good enough to catch the ear of Lee Dorrian at Rise Above, it’s enough to pique my interest.

In addition to apparently taking some photos in a cave, the band recently filmed a video that will presumably make its way to public eyes/ears ahead of the March 18 release, but there’s not much more on that yet either, so the underlying message of the below seems to be “sit tight.” I guess that’s what I’ll do.

Rise Above put out the following on social media and it came down the PR wire as well. Gotta spread the word, even when there’s not much word to spread.

Dig:

RISE ABOVE RECORDS WELCOMES FRIENDS OF HELL!

In these bleak days, we think you might agree, it’s about time we had some dark news that was actually good? Well, Rise Above Records is certainly chuffed to announce the signing of this exciting new DOOM METAL MACHINE known as Friends of Hell. Brainchild of former Electric Wizard bassist, Tas Danazoglou, Friends of Hell also feature the enigmatic talents of former Reverend Bizarre vocalist Albert Witchfinder.

Their fantastic self-titled album will be released worldwide via Rise Above Records on March 18th 2022. More information (including a promo video) coming soon.

Tas:”we are all veterans, having played in many bands in the past, but this one feels very special. We are ready to strike!”

Photo by Pete Voutilainen.

https://www.facebook.com/riseaboverecords/
http://www.riseaboverecords.com/

Lost in Time is the second Liquify full-length of 2021 behind January’s Illusionary Reality, and it follows a science-fiction storyline set 300 years in the future dealing with a potentially lost love and, of course, an invader from an alternate dimension. Because if you’re going to write sci-fi, make it frickin’ count. Kudos to Washington-based Tanner Ratcliffe on giving listeners that much more to dive into.

It’s a vibe-heavy affair from the social media-averse solo-project and the spaciousness suits narrative as well. The last record for enough of a response that even I eventually caught onto it, so with the follow-up being self-released last night, it seemed only fair to note the occasion.

Info and audio, courtesy of Bandcamp:

Liquify – Lost in Time

In the distant year of 2321, visions of serenity have closely become reality in earth’s calm future. Join Captain Fritzer as he finds himself trapped in the time loop where he must save the love of his life while fighting off a hyper-dimensional invader who hunts them through the barren wasteland…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a fascination with science fiction, particularly that of the future. The thought of what the world could look like in a 100, 200, or 1000 years always struck me with a burning interest.

I had so many questions like what would technology look like? What would the cities and civilizations of the future look like and how far advanced would things be? Would humanity ever see the future advanced civilizations like of that depicted in 1950s and 1970s vintage retro art, or are we doomed to destroy each other and simply restart like a cycle? Is humanity even meant to achieve such advancements or is it only a concept belonging to the modern human imagination?

Anyway, I wanted this album to be future themed while still having the Liquify sound and desert feel. I also thought it would be unique to have a concept with a story about a man having to save the love of his life while escaping an evil interdimensional invader.

The album begins smooth and dreamy with Visions of Serenity and moves on to a relaxed pace with Trapped in the Time Loop eventually building to a crescendo of distortion guitar driven madness with multiple solos, like that of someone being driven insane while stuck in a time loop repeating the same event over and over. We move on to Forgotten Years which has a more somber feel while maintaining a groovy desert rock vibe. Next, we reach the Garden of Enchantment keeping it slow and steady while also keeping it short and sweet.

Last but not least, we arrive at the long riff building Future-Fi that includes a hypnotic synth and then closes off the album with a harmonic melody.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for the support along the way. I hope you enjoy the music and stay tuned for more on the way! – Liquify 

Tracklisting:
1. Visions of Serenity 03:25
2. Trapped in the Time Loop 09:27
3. Forgotten Years 08:29
4. Garden of Enchantment 03:56
5. Future-Fi 15:35

All instruments by Tanner Ratcliffe
Artwork by Yusuf Wahyudi
Written, Recorded, and Mixed from February to July 2021

https://twitter.com/Liquifyofficial
https://liquify.bandcamp.com/

Liquify, Lost in Time (2021)

Dublin-based Beneath the Sod — the mostly-solo-project of Raymond Keenaghan, also of Gourd — will release its self-titled EP on Dec. 17 through Cursed Monk Records. It is a work of atmospheric extremity, comprised of six songs running 28 minutes that, from opener “Silence of Lead” to finale “Deafness of Lead,” grips the listener with a lurching, semi-industrial sonic brutality. “Drooping Spirit” stinks of hot death. “Silence of Lead” rages to a forward riff and a drum-machine march that’s like Godflesh from the dark universe, and the cave-echo vocals, samples and rumbling, post-Khanate barely-a-song-ism of the piano-for-emphasis “Begotten of Grot” (video premiering below) — the first of two tracks to feature guest vocals from Unyielding Love‘s Richard Carson, the other being “Deafness of Lead” — follows with a further plunge into some oily abyss that only gets heavier and more maddening as it consumes across its five minutes.

It’s not so much a video premiere as it is a psychological test. A moving Rorschach of horrors across five minutes set to the audio from your deathly poetic nightmares. Though its underlying mechanized grit remains, highlighting (lowlighting?) the balance of rawness and concept that almost inherently coincides with something even partially industrial as Beneath the Sod is; that is to say, at some point during the process of making the thing, it’s likely Keenaghan looked at a waveform, and thought to himself that indeed this was the noise he wanted to make. That’s a jarring thought as “Expulsion of Revulsion” plays out its lumbering ugh-ness and “Rustling of the Spheres” kicks the tempo up but is almost so noisy in the process you’d hardly notice if not for the biting high frequency cut-through of the digitized cymbals. With “Deafness of Lead” — the EP running between silence and deafness, mind you — first calling back to (admittedly, a more active) Khanate before departing suddenly before two minutes in to a more disjointed version of the same progression on which it long-fades out, the proverbial last nail in the coffin proves no less rusty than any of the others.

It is well and truly fucked, on aesthetic terms, and “Begotten of Grot” should probably best be viewed in either a vomit-stank dungeon or a chic Dublin art gallery with the video projected on a white wall while viewers rest chins on their hands and discern whatever message from its raw scathe might be the most pretentious.

Not appropriate to say “enjoy” here, as I generally might, but if you can appreciate the expressive gruel of something so intended toward such punishment — and not everyone can, and that’s okay — well then, enjoy.

PR wire info follows the clip below:

Beneath the Sod, “Begotten of Grot” video premiere

Beneath the Sod is the one man project of Raymond Keenaghan, one half of Doom Noise merchants Gourd.

On December 17th we will be releasing Beneath The Sod’s new self-titled EP on CD and digital.

This will be Beneath The Sod’s third release after their debut album Circling the Drain (Fort Evil Fruit, 2017), and their split with Crypticum, Transmorphic Eye (Cursed Monk Records, 2018).

Featuring guest vocals from Richard Carson (Unyielding Love) on “Begotten of Grot” and “Deafness of Lead,” this latest offering from Beneath The Sod offers up an intense serving of Industrial Doom, a claustrophobic experience which sounds like the sonic equivalent of a panic attack. Quite frankly, we think it’s their best work to date.

Beneath the Sod scrape back the top soil to lay bare all that is repulsive and feculent beneath. Narcotic and eldritch, Beneath the Sod erodes the listener with a writhing tapestry of industrial doom, grinding noise and hallucinatory horror. Punishing and bewildering, with each release Beneath the Sod sinks deeper into their unique and singularly maddening mire.

Beneath the Sod, Beneath the Sod (2021)

Beneath the Sod on Facebook

Beneath the Sod on Soundcloud

Cursed Monk Records website

Cursed Monk Records on Bandcamp

Cursed Monk Records on Facebook

Cursed Monk Records on Instagram

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Silvio Dalla Valle of Cripta Blue, Desert Wizards & Fresno Bob

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I play drums in Cripta Blue and Desert Wizards, I also play bass and drums in my solo project Fresno Bob. I wouldn’t describe myself a proper musician, I’m definitely not a technical player, but I enjoy myself beating the skins and play some riffs. My brother used to play drums and when he sold the drum kit, I buy another one for me the day after and started to play on the easiest songs I liked at the time, that was my beginning.

Describe your first musical memory.

I really don’t have a good memory generally, but I remember one time probably at the beginning of the ’80s, coming back with my parents from a trip to Venice, sitting in the rearseats of my dad’s car listening to some shitty Italian pop music coming out from the speakers.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

It is quite difficult to choose only one, but I will go with the oldest one. The first concert I saw as a kid with my friends has been Faith No More supported by L7. I will never forget when entered inside this arena the smell of tobacco, weed, sweat, alcohol and Metallica’s And Justice For All played in the background with some metal guys were banging their head. That was a kind of hell, or paradise I guess.

Since then I have seen a lot of concerts, but I have always preferred the performance in the small clubs. I mean, I wasn’t lucky enough to see Black Sabbath Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd at their peak but I’ve seen a lot of amazing bands in small venues in the last 20 years… Sleep, Earth, Saint Vitus, Graveyard, Radio Moscow, Dead Meadow, Earthless, Church of Misery, Danava just to name a few, all of them remembered me the feeling of the first time.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

In 2012 I had severe pancreatitis and I stayed 10 days in the hospital and thinkin’ from my bed that nothing would be the same anymore. Especially play music, sober. Few months after my recovery, I met one of the biggest music collector here in Europe, Giovanni Zollezzi, and I started a friendship that lead me to discover tons of obscure heavy stuff made in the ’60s and ’70s that I didn’t really know existed. As a passionate listener ever since I have never stopped looking for the music I like, be it hard rock, jazz, blues or other… so, yes I think that music helped me again to find myself.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I think art in general is always progressing, the evolution of it can leads to new form of expressions, new musical freedom and new places of creativity.

How do you define success?

Well, it can sound like a cliché but I think of having the freedom of doing what you love, without struggling on how to pay the mortgage can be seen like a kind of success. If it makes you feel happy, for me that’s it. Whatever comes from it are extras and they are not really part of the game.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

The first thing that comes to mind is the tv series House Of Papel. I’ve seen only half of the first episode and it was enough.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would like to do a movie soundtrack, I love movies since I was a kid and I’ve always appreciate the combination of visuals and music.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Entertaining, feeding your soul and connecting other people together, I guess.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

A trip to the west coast of the United States with my family, there are many things that I would like to see and show to my children, possibly also pairing a Dead & Co concert would not be bad at all.

www.facebook.com/criptablue
https://criptablue.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Desert-Wizards-126803530722162/
https://desertwizards.bandcamp.com/

https://fresnobob.bandcamp.com/

www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/argonautarecords

Cripta Blue, Cripta Blue (2021)

Desert Wizards, Ravens (2013)

Fresno Bob, “I Will Just Go On With the Trip (Harry Dean Stanton)”