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: Ben Lombard of Bog Wizard

—

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

I play guitar and do most of the vocals for the band Bog Wizard, and usually have at least a hand in the writing process, whether that’s interpreting things Harlen (drummer) is throwing at me or putting together my own riffs.

I’d always sort of had an interest in music, both of my parents played instruments when I was young, but past learning the C-chord on an old acoustic, I didn’t really pick up an instrument until middle school when I started playing snare drum in the school band. That progressed to general percussion, but I’d only ever learned to read music halfway, and to this day can pick out the rhythm but not the note names from a piece of sheet music. Sometime in late high school I got a guitar for my birthday, but ended up quickly trading it for a bass that I began noodling around on.

As far as how the band got started, I met Harlen and some others in college that were in a sort-of band, sort-of looking for a bassist, and I ended up going over to try out, and eventually started to hang with them regularly. It wasn’t too long before someone told me that I played bass like a guitar and I should play guitar, and from there Harlen and I both sort of learned our instruments together I suppose.

From there it took about ten years and half a dozen band names before we actually formed Bog Wizard and stuck with the moniker.

Describe your first musical memory.

I think it would have to be either my mom singing or playing either the piano or the flute. I would always sit next to her on the piano bench and go through all the sheet music books she had, handing her ones that I thought looked interesting and trying to get her to play them. Unfortunately, interesting looking also usually meant difficult, and she would often sigh and laugh a little about what I picked before trying to play it anyway.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I might just have to throw a couple answers out there for this one, it’s hard to pick favorites! I’ll start with the best concert I’ve been to, had to be the Devin Townsend Project, Gojira, and Opeth together at The Vic in Chicago. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen any of the bands, I’d seen Opeth many times at that point and had even seen Devin open for Gojira before. Devin was great, Opeth was great, but Gojira stole the show, and was hands down the best live set I’ve ever witnessed. Something about their whole presence, the energy and the performance, was just on another level. A close runner-up for the winner here would be the time I saw Dethklok and Mastodon co-headline at the Fillmore in Detroit.

Out of gigs we’ve performed ourselves, our most recent one at Mulligan’s Pub in Grand Rapids with Starman Deluxe (who filled-in last minute) and Iron Mountain stands out. The crowd was there to rock, it was a great lineup, and they gave us our first real mosh-pit, definitely an awesome night.

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

I suppose being a teenager and realizing that I might be bisexual or gay instead of straight was a big one. I’m still wrestling with the finer points of that actually, 15 or more years later. Not the question of if I’m straight or not, I’m not, more how far into the gayness spectrum I am, haha.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Hopefully being more satisfied with the work one produces! Being able to express more clearly the thoughts and feelings you want to express, a heightened ability to express yourself in your chosen medium, regardless of what that may be.

How do you define success?

In steps, and there are many, and they depend on your ambitions. A small success for us was getting our music out there in the first place, having a physical thing that we created that we could put into the hands of others. Another might be playing our first gig, and then our first gig outside our hometown. Starting to collaborate with other artists, coming to the realization that there are people out there, maybe even a fair amount of people, that want to hear our music, that are waiting for us to put out more. This all sounds like success to me, with hopefully more to come!

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

The ugliness in some people that the pandemic brought out, their absolute disregard for the wellbeing of those around them.

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

There are so many ways this answer could go. I suppose I’ve never really had a plan about where to point my creative interests, I’m pretty happy with where I’m at in Bog Wizard right now, so, further Bog Wizardy things? We do have some things in the works, we might have something going on with some unconventional cover songs in the future, trying to turn non-metal into metal, basic alchemy stuff.

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

Expression, whether of self or of an idea, and the ability to put that expression or idea out into the world for others to perceive, perhaps providing a connection between people who would have otherwise never met or interacted.

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

I’m looking forward to the weather being consistently warm enough for me to get outside on a regular basis, I spent far too much time cooped up inside over the winter and that needs to change. More specifically, I’ve been getting into disc golf more and more over the past couple years, and I’m going to try to get out and practice a lot more as I’d like to eventually get good enough to play in my local league.

https://www.facebook.com/BogWizardBand/
https://twitter.com/bogwizardband/
https://www.instagram.com/bogwizardband/
https://bogwizard.bandcamp.com/
https://bogwizard.bigcartel.com/

Bog Wizard feat. Froglord, “The Frog Lord” official video

Ahead of releasing their new album, Elusive Mojo, on May 13, Ecstatic Vision announce a round of European touring to follow-up on prior festival confirmations. The Philadelphia-based band are nothing less than a righteous bee in the bonnet of stagnant psychedelia, ready and willing to blow minds out the airlock instead of impressing you with the obscurity of their own record collections. Their music wants nothing for nuance, but theirs is a psych for rejoicing, energetically delivered and engineered to be an unrepentant good time rather than something more cred-seeking and, often, staid. If you can keep up with them on their way, you’re doing awesome. Psych of body and much as mind.

The run starts at Heavy Psych Sounds Fest back to back nights in Switzerland and Austria, then continues from there through Hellfest and so on, capping at Red Smoke Fest in Poland. I note a couple empty dates circa Germany around the start of the tour, so there may be another announcement coming for that. Or maybe they’re just gonna hang out with Heavy Psych Sounds labelmates after the fests and live it up like that. Who knows?

From the PR wire:

ECSTATIC VISION Announces European Tour Dates!

New Album, “Elusive Mojo”, out this May on Heavy Psych Sounds Records!

Philadelphia’s psychedelic hard rockers ECSTATIC VISION have announced an extensive European tour kicking off this summer, with selected club shows as well as festival appearances at such as Hellfest, Heavy Psych Sounds Fest, Red Smoke and many more! The band will release their fourth studio album, Elusive Mojo, on May 13, 2022 through Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

Elusive Mojo finds ECSTATIC VISION firing on all cylinders with this unhinged, raw and dangerous new album. The band continues down their unique warpath mixing heavy psych rock, Detroit-rock, proto-punk, and world music. The album contains caveman grooves that would rattle the remaining teeth out of the Asheton brother’s skulls, scorching saxophones that would make Nik Turner feel high on a potent mix of speed and Viagra, and basslines hot enough to melt down the Lemmy statue.

Just recently the band shared a first album single, “March Of The Troglodytes/Elusive Mojo”! Listen to the track right here.

Their upcoming album, Elusive Mojo, was recorded live to 2” tape in Philadelphia by Joe Boldizar (Sonic Praise) with Bob Pantella (Monster Magnet), and was mastertered by Tim Green (Melvins). What emerged was a burly, timeless and unique sounding record that is hard to tell if it was recorded in 1971 or 2022. It will be out on May 13th in various Vinyl formats, CD and digital via powerhouse label Heavy Psych Sounds, the pre-sale is available at THIS LOCATION: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS228

03.06.22 CH Winterthur HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST
04.06.22 AT Salzburg HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST
05.06.22 DE Stuttgart Komma
10.06.22 NL Nijmegen Doornroosje
11.06.22 NL Utrecht dB’s
13.06.22 BE Brussels Magasin4
14.06.22 UK Brighton The Hope & Ruin
15.06.22 UK Liverpool Kazimier Stockroom
16.06.22 UK London Black Heart
17.06.22 UK Bristol Crofters Room 2
19.06.22 FR Clisson Hellfest
20.06.22 FR Tours Canadian Café
21.06.22 FR Bordeaux L’Astrodome Open Air
22.06.22 FR Clermont-Fd Blackmoon
23.06.22 FR Paris Supersonic
24.06.22 FR Bourlon Rock in Bourlon
25.06.22 FR Bourlon Rock in Bourlon
26.06.22 FR Bourlon Rock in Bourlon
29.06.22 IT Sardegna secret location
30.06.22 IT Cagliari Corto Maltese
01.07.22 IT Bologna DEV
03.07.22 IT Schlanders BASIS
04.07.22 AT Linz Kapu
05.07.22 SK Kosice Collosseum Club Kosice
06.07.22 SK Bratislava Kulturák Klub
07.07.22 PL Wroclaw Akademia
08.07.22 PL Krakow Klub RE
09.07.22 PL Pleszew Red Smoke Fest

ECSTATIC VISION is
Doug Sabolik
Michael Field Connor
Kevin Nickles
Ricky Kulp

https://www.facebook.com/ecstaticvision
https://twitter.com/ecstaticvision_
https://www.instagram.com/ecstaticvision
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Ecstatic Vision, “March of the Troglodytes/Elusive Mojo”

There’s inevitably a point in Iguana‘s new video where you’re going to ask if they’re screwing with you. And yeah, they kind of are. “Rites of Passages” comes from Iguana‘s most recent studio album, 2019’s Translational Symmetry (review here), and is instrumental in its entirety. How, then, do you do a lyric video? I guess you’ll have to watch and find out. I refuse to spoil it.

Iguana have a few choice live dates coming up, including appearances at Alterna Sounds this weekend and Krach am Bach in August — both enviable lineups — along with a Tonzonen fest later in the year. You can see below the righteousness of the company the four-piece are keeping, and I think that speaks to their beyond somewhat underrated in the sphere of Euro psych-prog. Maybe that’s true of the whole microgenre, but Iguana have been at it one way or the other for 20 years now and it seems only fair to celebrate that, let alone the actual quality of the work they’ve done in that time, particularly in the last decade as they’ve moved toward and into the style of the aforementioned latest LP.

Bottom line is it seems to me as an outside observer that this is a better band than people know. Perhaps all the more for their willingness to delve into the absurd as they do in the video here. That’s my piece and I’ve said it.

Maybe something to keep in mind while you enjoy the clip here, or maybe not. I can’t control these things.

Either way, more info from the band follows, as well as their appearances for the next few months:

Iguana, “Rites of Passages” official video

It feels more than banal these days, sometimes inappropriate, to make music, play concerts and release videos. There are far more important things, let’s take a look at the world and the neighboring crisis areas. Nevertheless, Iguana will release another video single from their current record “Translational Symmetry” with “Rites Of Passages” on March 31, 2022 – as a short escapism, as a short, psychedelic escape, as a short smile in dark times, so to speak. If you also activate the inserted subtitles of the YouTube video, the ironic Dadaism will hopefully be able to conjure up a little smile on the face of every karaoke friend. And after that we get back to the important things!

With “Rites Of Passages” Iguana release the third video from their current record “Translational Symmetry”. Contrary to the gloomy lyrics of the album, the song is a sunny, almost 9-minute ode to wild psych rock riffs and sprawling kraut jams of days gone by. Absolutely unsuitable for radio on the one hand. And on the other hand, still catchy, fresh and danceable. Even suitable for singalong! Because the subtitles of the video radiate karaoke potential. Too bad, that “Rites Of Passages” is a pure instrumental song ;) and with that the subtitles become an ironic, dadaistic deconstruction of the song.

Tourdates:
02.04.2022 – Münster, Sputnikhalle, Alterna Sounds Fest, w. Mythic Sunship, Temple Fang
06.08.022 – Beelen, Krach am Bach Festival, w. All Them Witches, Witch, Rotor, Kanaan
29.10.2022 – Krefeld, Tonzonen Labelnight, w. Glasgow Coma Scale, The Spacelords

Iguana is:
Alexander Lörinczy | Vocals, Guitar, Synthesizer
Alexander May | Bass
Robert Meier | Drums
Thomas May | Guitar, Synthesizer

Iguana, Translational Symmetry (2019)

Iguana, “Time Translation Symmetry” official video

Iguana on Facebook

Iguana on Instagram

Iguana on Bandcamp

Iguana website

Tonzonen Records on Facebook

Tonzonen Records on Instagram

Tonzonen Records website

And so Heavy Psych Sounds moves one step further toward becoming the Roman Empire of the underground. Minus all that conquering, I guess, but you know what I mean. The label has newly picked up Los Angeles-based three-piece Somnus Throne and will next week unveil the details, preorders and first streaming track from their upcoming album, which, since they’re starting promo in April, it seems reasonable to expect will be out in July or maybe August at the latest, end of June at the earliest. That’s me reading tea leaves, mind you. I have nothing confirmed until next week, which will presumably bring the next press release on the subject. I do what I can, folks.

Somnus Throne‘s 2020 self-titled debut (review here) was issued through Burning World Records, which puts the band two-for-two on working with European imprints. I can’t help but wonder if that doesn’t signal some greater intention or focus on where they’ll look to support the new record live — obviously that’s something that hasn’t really been possible until now — but again, I know nothing.

Speaking of things I don’t know: Evan‘s last name. Whenever one person in a band chooses to stay first-name-only, my immediate thought is that they must have a really good job they don’t want to know about their secret life playing heavy music. No clue if that’s the case here, but it happens. Some of those bands in hoods are out there in middle management.

In any case, good for Somnus Throne. First album was killer, will look forward to more.

Alas. For now, we feast on the scraps the PR wire gives us:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS signed the heavy psych doom band SOMNUS THRONE for the new album // presale + first track premiere April 6th !!!

We are so stoked to announce that the heavy psych doom riffers SOMNUS THRONE has signed a worldwide deal with Heavy Psych Sounds for their new album !!!

PRESALE + first track premiere: APRIL 6th

SAYS THE BAND:

“Heavy Psych Sounds was our first choice. They’re doing so much all over right now, it’s huge. We mostly sent it to them as a joke but I guess the riff gods were looking down on us or something because they got back to us quick and we’re stoked to hear that! The doom must flow.”

BIOGRAPHY

Somnus Throne is a three-piece formed way back in 2016 in a cacophony of underground heavy music shows, leaking warehouse ceilings, and perpetual sedation of one kind or another. While their members have haunted many a ‘5 dollar-at-the-door, Monday through Friday no rent crash-pad, repurposed crack-house turned venues’ from New Orleans to Portland, they are based in Los Angeles, California. They mostly flew under the radar until the release of their first album “Self Titled” on Burning World Records (of Roadburn Festival fame) in 2020.

Their current roster boasts one Matt Davis on drums, Ansel Bretz on bass, and Evan on guitar/vox. Various music critics who each can’t seem to understand their origins at least agree that Somnus Throne is a 3-piece band that plays doom, heavy psych, stoner and grunge akin to Dead Meadow, Acid King, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Black Rainbows, OM, Dopelord and Vokonis with a healthy dose of Black Sabbath (as always).

SOMNUS THRONE is
Evan – vocals/guitars
Ansel Bretz – bass
Matt Davis – drums

https://www.facebook.com/TrueSomnist
https://www.instagram.com/somnus__throne/
https://somnusthrone.bandcamp.com/
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
www.youtube.com/user/MonoStereo79

Somnus Throne, Somnus Throne (2020)

Swedish psychedelic post-rockers Pershagen will release their third album, Hilma, April 29 through Lövely Records. Written and put to tape in the pandemic era, its nine-song/40-minute run bridges elements progressive and traditional, winding its instrumentalist way into a kind of searching sensibility, successive cuts like a glimpse — or, in some cases, a longer stare — meditating on what is and how they got to where they are. They call it tallskogsrock, which relates the sound directly to the large pine forests of their home. Fair enough. From the moment opener “Klanskog” takes hold, it is as though the four-piece are saying, “relax, you’re in good hands.” That turns out, fortunately, to be precisely the case at that short, ultra-mellow, shimmering opener gives way to the more direct and also drummed title-track, which taps Pixies “Where is My Mind” vibes in a more spacious and textured manner ahead of the single premiering below, “Långt borta nära,” its blend of sweet droning guitar and pedal steel coming across to my American ears not too dissimilar from some amalgam of Yawning Man and Arbouretum, the latter particularly in the (sans vocal) chorus.

What’s unaccounted for there is Pershagen‘s folk influence, which comes through as “Alla minns den sista gången” unfurls acoustic and electric guitar together and a kind of backing melodic hum. They push into more weighted roll, relatively speaking, and that’s an avenue they’ll continue to explore in combination with minimalism and nuance-laden wash in pieces like “Ekoparken” later and the subsequent jazzy centerpiece “Karelia,” which gracefully nudges into the terrain of European psych fusion, a patience of delivery tying all the material together even as “Ofog i djävulens sällskap” scratches on electronic experimentation over its steady drum beat and fleshed out guitar ambience, bordering on space rock by the time they’re done but returning to pastoralist grace in the opening stretch of the aforementioned “Ekoparken.” The material is evocative, willing to be joyful, and bold without brashness. Even the more modern and urbane fuzz bass of the penultimate “Solen är en trumma” highlights a depth of consideration to their approach, each piece of Hilma offering something of its own to contribute to the whole, and the varied lengths of the songs honing a subtle momentum pulling the listener from one part to the next.

That’s not to undersell the evocative nature of the work. There’s more here than just an execution of style — though that’s a part of it too, Pershagen seeming to have a firm notion of who they are and what they want to do as a band — and the capping gospel-folk drone of “Archangelsk” asserts their continued growth while giving Hilma a quiet, meditative finish suited to the spaces the band has already cast but separate from them as well. Hilma will not be for everyone all the time, but neither are they meant to be. Nonetheless, the songs make up a sonic narrative of who Pershagen are as a group and their ability to communicate the complexity of their ideas with cohesion and purpose. That is, you may feel as though you’re wandering among the old tall trees, but in truth you’re being carefully led all the while. This is only to the band’s credit.

Right down there, you can stream the premiere of “Långt borta nära,” which doesn’t necessarily account for everywhere Pershagen go on Hilma, but is a surprisingly encompassing three and a half minutes unto itself.

I hope you enjoy:

Pershagen, “Långt Borta Nära” track premiere

Pershagen on “Långt Borta Nära”:

‘Långt borta nära’ has been a part of Pershagen’s live set since 2018. The song was written by Jimmie during a period when he studied the musical language in Swedish folk music, especially polskor (a type of style in Swedish folk music).

The fact that folk music has been a source of inspiration to ‘Långt borta nära’ may seem foreign to some ears, but it is clearly there. But since the first version of the song it has changed shape and been filtered through more sources of inspiration. The result is a melodic piece that is straightforward.

Stream “Långt borta nära”: https://orcd.co/langtbortanara

Pershagen will release their third studio full-length ‘Hilma’ in April 2022. The Swedish quartet delve deeper into their very own niche of dreamy and cinematic instrumental music on the new album. Throughout ‘Hilma’, psychedelic rock intertwines with post-rock, and Scandinavian gloominess melts into colorful moments of bliss.

Following their critically acclaimed, self – released albums ‘Den siste av mitt namn’ (2016) and ‘Tarfala’ (2018), Pershagen returns with a set of 9 new cuts. Constantly moving between darkness and light, ‘Hilma’ throws the listener on a journey of both improvised jams as well as elegantly arranged compositions. Elements of Nordic folk music meet fuzzy, overdriven grinding, experimental psych rock and guitar driven indie on the new album. Decorated with the colorful sounds of guitar, pedal steel and organ, ‘Hilma’ captivates throughout the 40 minutes of running time, constantly introducing new soundscapes and musical components.

‘Hilma’ was created during 2020 and 2021. The album was recorded in Pershagen’s own Studio LUR by Elias Ortiz. Mixed by Albin Eidhagen and mastered by Anders Hellgren.

‘Hilma’ is released April 29 on Lövely Records. The album will be available on green vinyl, clear vinyl, and digital formats.

Tracklisting:
01 – Klangskog 2:21
02 – Hilma 3:25
03 – Långt bort nära 3:36
04 – Alla minns den sista gången 4:01
05 – Karelia 7:26
06 – Ofog i djävulens sällskap 5:42
07 – Ekoparken 5:02
08 – Solen är en trumma 3:41
09 – Archangelsk 5:30

Pershagen:
Jimmie Nilsson – Guitar
Theo Stocks – Pedal Steel, Guitar
Andreas Sahlin – Bass
Johan Kalla – Drums

Pershagen on Facebook

Pershagen on Instagram

Pershagen on Bandcamp

Lövely Records on Facebook

Lövely Records on Instagram

Lövely Records on Bandcamp

Lövely Records website

I spot TBA dates May 22 and 27 on SÂVER‘s tour that will taken them from Colossal Weekend in Copenhagen to and through Desertfest Berlin 2022 with other fests and shows in the company of past-tourmates Ufomammut as well. Obviously if you’re in a position to help out with open shows, I’d encourage you either to reach out to the band or to Sound of Liberation, who booked the tour, and offer such assistance. Everybody likes the person who comes through on a TBA. Not all heroes wear capes, and all that.

SÂVER, gracious me, what a band. Their 2019 debut, They Came With Sunlight (review here), still resonates with what-comes-after-sludge force, and their even more expansive 2021 split LP with fellow Pelagic Records denizens Psychonaut — titled simply Emerald (review here) one assumes in honor of that time Mastodon covered Thin Lizzy; don’t correct me if I’m wrong — confirmed the forward-thinking nature of their sound. They’re set to enter the studio next week to record the follow-up full-length to They Came With Sunlight, which I can only hope will be ready for release sometime before the end of the year. They’ll again be working with Pelagic on that, either way.

I could go on about these guys and my anticipation of the record, but to be honest with you, I have the feeling this won’t be the last time I’m talking about them in the next few months, and I’d rather not hype myself up for something that’s probably not going to be in my inbox anytime before the summer at the earliest. Still, I’m looking forward to it.

Dates and such from the PR wire:

SÂVER will enter Caliban Studio Storsjøen this coming Monday, April 4, to record the upcoming album for the following 7 days.

We will bring Kim Lillestøl to the studio with us, since he has had his touch on all our recordings so far.

In May we will finally go on tour again, starting at A Colossal Weekend in Copenhagen. The tour includes shows at Desertfest Berlin, Toxoplasmose Fest in Switzerland, Dudefest in Karlsruhe, a handful of shows as direct support of Ufomammut and a few headlining shows. We are actually looking for a show nearby Switzerland, preferably France alongside NORNA on Friday May 27th.

SÂVER tour dates:
20.05.22 Copenhagen, Colossal Weekend
21.05.22 Kiel, Schaubude
22.05.22 TBA
24.05.22 Vienna, Arena (w/ UFOMAMMUT)
25.05.22 Karlsruhe, DUDEFEST
26.05.22 Saint Imier, Toxoplasmose festival
27.05.22 TBA
28.05.22 Groningen, Vera (w/ UFOMAMMUT)
29.05.22 Berlin, Desertfest
30.05.22 Dresden, Chemiefabrik (w/ UFOMAMMUT)
31.05.22 Salzburg, Rockhouse (w/ UFOMAMMUT)

SÂVER is:
Markus Støle
Ole Ulvik Rokseth
Ole C Helstad

https://www.facebook.com/saveroslo/
https://www.instagram.com/saeverofficial/
https://saeverband.bandcamp.com/
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords

SA?VER, “Dimensions Lost, Obscured by Aeons” studio playthrough

I don’t write about Voivod all the time, but I never regret it when I do. For 30-plus years, the Quebecois outfit have offered a product unlike anyone else, and that thread continues right up Synchro Anarchy, their latest album that they’ll set out to promote with a round of US and Canadian dates this June. Obviously, it’s been a while since they toured, but from where I stand, I can only urge you if you’ve never seen Voivod in-person in any incarnation, to do so. They are a joy. Open your heart and let love in. You will not regret it.

Given the August date listed below in Belgium, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect a round of European touring to follow this, so if you’re in that part of the world and up for it, sit tight as that might be on the way, conditions permitting and all that. One way or the other, Voivod make the world a better place. May they continue to do so interminably.

From the PR wire:

VOIVOD ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES FOR JUNE

TICKETS & INFO HERE: https://www.voivod.com/en/shows

SYNCHRO ANARCHY OUT NOW VIA CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS

Legendary metallers and Juno Award-winning band VOIVOD announce North American tour dates for this coming June. Tour dates are in support of the band’s new album Synchro Anarchy which debuted at #2 on Billboard Canada’s Hard Music Albums chart, #6 Current Hard Albums in the USA, #7 on the UK’s Rock & Metal chart and charted #7 in Germany among other countries including Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, and The Netherlands. The tour will kick off in Trois Rivieres, Quebec on June 1st with 14 dates to follow and will wrap up on June 19th in Boston, MA.

Michel “Away” Langevin (drums) comments on the tour: “At last! After more than two years without touring, we are finally hitting the road in June 2022 in North America. We are thrilled to play the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest, It will also be exciting for us to play songs from Synchro Anarchy for the first time live! We can’t wait to see our old Voïvodian friends again and meet some new ones. See you then!”

VOIVOD TOUR DATES:
June 1 Trois Rivieres QC L’Entité
June 2 Ottawa ON Bronson Centre Music Theatre
June 3 Toronto ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
June 4 London ON The Music Hall
June 5 Detroit MI Small’s
June 6 Chicago IL Reggie’s
June 8 Huntington WV The Loud
June 9 Columbus OH Ace of Cups
June 10 Philadelphia PA The Fillmore Decibel Magazine Metal and Beer Festival (There will be a Voivod beer)
June 11 Baltimore MD Ottobar
June 13 Pittsburgh PA Crafthouse
June 14 Buffalo NY Rec Room
June 15 Cleveland OH Grog Shop
June 17 Brooklyn NY Market Hotel
June 18 Liverpool NY Sharkey’s
June 19 Boston MA Brighton Music Hall
August 12 Belgium Alcatraz Festival

VOIVOD are:
Denis “Snake” Belanger – Vocals
Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain – Guitar
Dominic “Rocky” Laroche – Bass
Michel “Away” Langevin – Drums

http://voivod.com
http://www.facebook.com/Voivod
http://www.centurymedia.com
http://www.facebook.com/centurymedia
http://www.cmdistro.com

Voivod, “Paranormalium” lyric video

Voivod, “The Lost Machine” live

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: Eryka Fir from Coma Hole

—

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

I make music as a cathartic and meditative process. What I do now musically compared to what I was even doing three years ago is vastly different and it really is a product of an impulsive decision to switch instruments 10 years into playing guitar.

Describe your first musical memory.

One of my first musical memories that left an impact on me was when I picked up a guitar at 11 years old. I had a younger cousin with one of those crappy Walmart kid’s guitars and I brought it outside to play it on the swing set my aunt and uncle had. My uncle asked me if I liked playing it and if I wanted one for Christmas and I said yes.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

It was a show we played last May. 33 Golden Street is the place we played our first gig in 2019 and then COVID happened and they didn’t have gigs for over a year. We played a bill with our friend’s band Marvelous Liars and it was 33’s first gig since they closed back in 2019. The bar was absolutely flooded; two band bill, each band having an hour long set, it was incredible. I think everyone was itching to finally get back out again and see live music and the energy was crazy. It was the funnest show I’ve ever played, and definitely the most money we’ve ever made.

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

Growing up I felt I had a lot of doubt surrounding me regarding the musical path I wanted to pursue. People think unless you achieve celebrity status being an artist or musician is not a realistic career path and the lack of support I received from some of my teachers and some of the people very close to me only compounded with the insecurity I had about my own abilities. I’ve always known I’ve wanted to play and create music and that feeling has never changed, and I’m happy I didn’t allow others’ opinions to sway me into abandoning the things I’m truly passionate about.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Investing in yourself continually can only breed more success. I think it can open yourself up to developing more connections with people and the more people you make friends with the more insight you can gain about your artistry and life in general that you can apply to your craft.

How do you define success?

I’ve always felt the definition of success is subjective. Something you may consider successful for yourself may not be what someone considers success for themselves. Everyone has different passions and skill sets, and if you invest in yourself and find fulfillment in the goals you achieve then I consider that successful. It’s whatever makes you happy.

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

The movie Tusk.

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

Recently I decided to do more research into block printing. I haven’t block printed since middle school art class and I have had so many ideas for band merch and prints and it makes me feel like my artistic flame has been reignited by a new form of art after a long period of creative burnout.

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

I think there’s two functions; one is it functions as a vessel to channel ideas and emotions through as a cathartic process for yourself. The other part is how others receive it and how it helps them process their emotions. Everyone enjoys art for a different reason, but as someone who listens to and also creates music I can think of numerous times where certain albums or songs spoke to me at a particular time in my life. Whether it’s associated with positive times or negative ones, they’ve left their imprint on me and either aided me through something difficult or inspired me to create music myself. It’s a reciprocal relationship and I like to think maybe the music I make for myself that helps me through my emotions can do the same for others at some point. Maybe something in the music I make will speak to someone the way other people’s music has spoken to me.

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

I cannot wait to go up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire this summer. I love camping and being out in nature, and I’m stoked to cook over an open fire, drink tequila, and go off kayaking or hiking.

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Coma Hole, “Old Climb”