I have to admit, I feel a little silly. This post should have been written to go up yesterday. In my defense, I’ll note that it was an extraordinarily busy weekend, involving monster trucks and family birthdays and a brunch and everything. But either way, yeah, I let it slip, and it wasn’t until I was tagged in a post in The Obelisk Collective on Facebook that I even realized, egads, Michael Jones was right! It is The Obelisk’s birthday, as of this past weekend. To think, I even hung out with Slevin — who built the site those 14 years ago — on Sunday. He was the brunch. Go figure.

To tell you the truth I’ve been pretty disoriented generally. Just kind of one-day-at-a-timing it, and I completely lost track of what the date was. I know, it’s right in the corner of my laptop screen, but I also got an email yesterday canceling jury duty that I wasn’t even thinking about yet because it wasn’t until something like Feb. 2 and that was eons from now. So I got to realize what week it was and not have to go to jury duty, and it’s The Obelisk’s birthday. The wins just keep coming.

The point of this post is to say thank you for your support of The Obelisk. Whether that’s commenting on a post (mostly it isn’t, I know) or sharing something on this or that social, being in the above-linked group, buying merch or sending music or even just reading once, forgetting the site exists for like three weeks, then reading again. Or reading every day. Or not. I don’t know. Thank you.

I don’t have any grand plans to reveal. More work? I know the Sandrider and REZN albums are killer if you want to do a top two of 2023 so far list, which I honestly thought about doing just as a joke making fun of basically my own lists let alone those of anyone else. But beyond that and what’s in my notes for the rest of this week and down the line in the calendar, I don’t know. I hope to travel this year. I’ll be at Freak Valley in June and Høstsabbat in Oslo in October. I’ve got my eyes on Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in March in Joshua Tree, but we’ll see. Monolith on the Mesa this year is a maybe if I can make it happen. Always love to be at Maryland Doom Fest when I can.

There have been a couple other invites — one to Iceland for Doomcember, which I was stoked on but couldn’t go this past December; one to Bear Stone in Croatia which I would fucking LOVE to do but for the camping because the bands are good, the people seem awesome and the vibe is right, but I’m no camper — that are kind of nebulous, and I suppose on some level driving the two hours with traffic to New York is supposed to be more convenient than flying to Germany, but I’ve sat at the Holland Tunnel in my life and legitimately been convinced otherwise, never mind actually driving in the city, which I’ve never particularly enjoyed. Gonna get my ass there for Desertfest though, I’ll tell you that.

That kind of travel will probably be the bulk of the shows I see this year, which is odd but just kind of how my life is organized at this point. Speaking of organized, I’ve got 175 emails waiting in my inbox, and, well, not everybody’s gonna get an answer. I hope you understand that even if I don’t go to every show, or review every record, post every press release and Bandcamp or social media update, or interview every band — or any bands beyond Questionnaires — that I’m doing my best. I’m trying to make this site a thing worth coming back to — for me, every day. For you, once if I’m lucky?

I won’t dismiss the amount of effort it is doing this. It takes up a significant portion of my time and brain capacity. My life would be easier without it, in many ways. Not trying to play Johnny Martyrblog, but I think it’s fair for me to say that running The Obelisk takes a lot of work. I’m doing my best to do as much as I can, all the time.

14 is cool. 15 will be cooler. We’ll get there. I’ll set a reminder in the calendar so I don’t let it slip, and hope to thank you again then.

All the best in the meantime,

JJ Koczan

A note to anyone who’s perhaps gone numb with the glut of tour announcements — not to mention Heavy Psych Sounds news — these last couple weeks as the year has begun to unfurl: This tour is happening sooner than most. A lot of what’s come down the PR wire of late has been stuff for Spring, or at least March. One struggles to keep up. This is for February, and it starts this week because — holy shit — so does February. There are still a couple dates TBA, which, hey, happens, and I’ve no doubt Kadabra and WarLung can happen into a gig somewhere between Germany and France over the course of those three days, but if you’ve got access to a show and can help, of course you’re encouraged to do so.

Kadabra will also play Heavy Psych Sounds Fest in California this March (WarLung played last year), and they head abroad supporting their a-little-under-the-radar-but-so-damn-good 2021 debut album, Ultra (review here), a follow-up to which would likely be impending sooner or later because if the band didn’t have any interest in continuing they probably wouldn’t bother going to Europe in the first place. WarLung in 2022 released Vulture’s Paradise (review here), their fourth album and a marked step forward in their blend of immersive breadth and structured, forward-delivered heavy. The two acts will complement each other well on stage. Safe travels to all.

From the PR wire:

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is proud to announce *** KADABRA + WARLUNG European Tour ***

– a massive heavy fuzz experience –

03.02.2023 IT Torino-Blah Blah
04.02.2023 IT Trieste-Kulturni Doom Prosek
05.02.2023 IT Bologna-Freakout
06.02.2023 HR Pula-Monte Paradiso
07.02.2023 TBA
08.02.2023 SL Ilirska Bistrica-MKNŽ
09.02.2023 AT Wien-Arena Beisl
10.02.2023 AT Ebensee-Kino
11.02.2023 DE Jena-KuBa
12.02.2023 TBA
13.02.2023 TBA
14.02.2023 TBA
15.02.2023 FR La Clusaz-Namass Pamouss x Le Lion d’Or
16.02.2023 FR Montpellier-Secret Place
17.02.2023 IT Parma-Splinter Club
18.02.2023 TBA
19.02.2023 IT Pescara-Scumm

KADABRA is
Garrett Zanol (Vocals/Guitar)
Ian Nelson (Bass)
Chase Howard (Drums)

WARLUNG is
George Baba: Guitar/Vocals
Philip Bennett: Guitar/Vocals
Chris Tamez: Bass
Ethan Tamez: Drums

https://www.instagram.com/kadabra_band/
https://kadabraband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WARLUNGBAND/
https://www.instagram.com/warlung/
http://www.warlung.bandcamp.com/
https://www.planetwarlung.com/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Kadabra, Ultra (2021)

WarLung, Vulture’s Paradise (2022)

It’s a big one. Weedian crust-sludge legends Bongzilla will head out on a European tour that will take them from Spring to Summer, May to July, as they hit the UK and the continent-proper for festivals and headlining club shows. They go ostensibly in support of 2021’s Weedsconsin (review here), but really they go in celebration of themselves, pot, and riffs in general. That is to say, you might be extra stoked when Bongzilla hit into “Free the Weed” or “Sundae Driver” from the new record, but you were already stoked to begin with. They’re calling it the ‘Dabbing Across Europe & UK Tour,’ and, well, I don’t doubt it. Art imitates life imitating art, and so on.

Note Tube Cult Fest in Italy, Desertfest Berlin and lineup-still-TBA (unless I missed it; possible) Heavy Psych Sounds Fests in Switzerland early in the tour and wide open spots for the UK portion. I don’t know what that portends, but no doubt Bongzilla can find ways to handle a couple days off at that point in the tour if it comes to it. Worst case is, what, they get high anyway? It’ll be fine. If you can put them up for a show, though, you might want to hit up Heavy Psych Sounds and say the word.

Dates follow:

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking to announce BONGZILLA European & UK tour 2023 !!!

*** BONGZILLA *** – Dabbing Across Europe & UK Tour 2023 –

We are stoked to announce that our Weedsconsin riffers BONGZILLA will smash Europe and UK in May and June 2023 !!!

*** BONGZILLA *** DABBING ACROSS EUROPE & UK TOUR 2023

FR 19/05/2023 IT PESCARA – TUBE CULT FEST
SA 20/05/2023 IT MARGHERA – RIVOLTA
SU 21/05/2023 DE BERLIN – DESERTFEST
MO 22/05/2023 PL WARSZAWA – HYDROZAGADKA
TU 23/05/2023 PL POZNAN – MINOGA
WE 24/05/2023 PL KRAKOW – ZAśCIANEK
TH 25/05/2023 AT WIEN – ARENA
FR 26/05/2023 CH WINTERTHUR – HPS FEST
SA 27/05/2023 CH MARTIGNY – HPS FEST
SU 28/05/2023 CH GENEVE – L’USINE
MO 29/05/2023 CH CHAMBERY – BRIN DE ZINC
TU 30/05/2023 FIN HELSINKI – Kuudes Linja
WE 31/05/2023 DK COPENHAGEN – LOPPEN
TH 01/06/2023 DK AALBORG – 1000FRYD
FR 02/06/2023 DE BREMEN – NIGHT OF THE BONG
SA 03/06/2023 IT LUGANO – OHM CLUB
SU 04/06/2023 DE OPEN SLOT**
MO 05/06/2023 DE COLOGNE – MTC
TU 06/06/2023 DE OPEN SLOT**
WE 07/06/2023 DE OPEN SLOT**
TH 08/06/2023 NL EINDHOVEN – EFFENAAR
FR 09/06/2023 NL LEEUWARDEN – NEUSHOORN
SA 10/06/2023 NL VENIO – GRENSWERK
SU 11/06/2023 NL UTRECHT – DB’S
MO 12/06/2023 UK BOURNEMOUTH – DORSET
TU 13/06/2023 UK TBA
WE 14/06/2023 UK TBA
TH 15/06/2023 UK TBA
FR 16/06/2023 UK TBA
SA 17/06/2023 UK TBA
SU 18/06/2023 FR OPEN SLOT**
MO 19/06/2023 ES SAN SEBASTIAN – DADABA
TU 20/06/2023 PT PORTO – HARD CLUB
WE 21/06/2023 PT LISBONA – RCA
TH 22/06/2023 ES MADRID – WURLITZER
FR 23/06/2023 ES BARCELONA – UPLOAD
SA 24/06/2023 FR MARSEILLE – LE MOLOTOV
SU 25/06/2023 IT TORINO – BLAH BLAH
MO 26/06/2023 IT BOLOGNA – FREAKOUT
FR 30/06/2023 IT CAGLIARI – TBA
SA 01/07/2023 IT OPEN SLOT**

BONGZILLA is:
Mike “Muleboy” Makela – bass/vocals
Jeff “Spanky” Schultz – guitars
Mike “Magma” Henry – drums

https://www.facebook.com/Bongzilla/
https://www.instagram.com/bongzillaband
https://bongzilla.bandcamp.com/
https://bongzilla666.com/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Bongzilla, Weedsconsin (2021)

This looks utterly doable. You get into London maybe Friday morning, find your way to Hackney and the Oslo venue in time for the start, check out a few killers on Friday, then spend Saturday and Sunday fully immersed in the front-to-back, digging on the variety mostly of London’s own heavy underground, but certainly from some outside as well. I kind of feel like every time Slomatics book a show at this point I end up writing about it one way or the other — they mostly play fests, so it’s almost true — but along the top line here with them is Gnome — as seen on many 2023 lineups — Conan and Esoteric. That’s a strong argument already, but with the likes of Josiah and Desert Storm and Old Horn Tooth further down the bill there’s more to dig into than headliners to be sure. If you haven’t heard Goblinsmoker yet and want a tutorial on UK sludge, they’re glad to offer.

If I had more money than gawd and fewer responsibilities than I do, this would be the kind of thing I’d pop over to hang out at. It’s not about big bands or any kind of pretense or whatever. It’s just a killer assemblage playing out over what’ll be a good weekend for those fortunate enough to see it. Some familiar, some newer acts, just the way it should be. Nothing more to ask.

Tickets are available, and the venue’s right by Hackney Central train station and there’s a Travelodge there and a Tesco down the road, so if you’re looking to set up shop coming in from out of town, it’s doable. Full lineup follows:

We’re back in the ring to take another swing!

London Doom Collective are proud to bring you the best of the underground doom/stoner/sludge with Master of the Riff II

Get your tickets here: https://www.wegottickets.com/f/12938

Friday
-Gnome
-Josiah
-Dvde
-Sky Valley Mistress

Saturday
-Conan
-Slomatics
-Wallowing
-Dessert Storm
-The Brothers Keg
-Old Horn Tooth
-Warpstormer
-Troy the Band

Sunday
-Estoteric
-Pantheïst
-Goblinsmoker
-Purple Kong
-Blood Wolf Moon
-Lowen
-Gévaudan
-The Day of Locusts
-Flamebearer

Door Times:
Friday – 5:30pm
Saturday & Sunday – 1:00pm

10pm Curfew

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/411310671167720

Josiah, We Lay on Cold Stone (2022)

Ankara, Turkey’s Strider make their full-length debut with the self-released Midnight Zen, and quite a debut it is. With the Kyuss-but-not-only-Kyuss-inspired “Hive” at the outset, the live-recording five-piece put themselves in the sphere of contemporary European-style heavy, perhaps taking influence from some of the many acts in neighboring Greece in addition to the classics of the form. One way or the other, they swing in “Hive” and shove in such a way as to put them in league with the likes of Valley of the Sun, an expansive production aiding them from the start in creating a sense of atmosphere to go along with the inherent range of their material, which starts raucous but isn’t necessarily limited to throwing elbows.

Fronted by Atılım Karaca, whose from-the-gut voice-push on the opener will be a familiar enough method to genre heads but who, like the band generally, isn’t limited to one approach, with Selçuk Çelebi and Yiğit Çiçek on guitar, Sertuğ Kostik on bass and Mertcan Kabaş on drums, the album — cover by Yağız Eyiişleyen — was tracked with Bora Özkum (who also mixed) at Mirage Studios in Ankara, co-produced by the band, and mastered by Memet İncili for a sound that is sharp but full and able to pull the listener into the momentum that “Hive” creates even as the subsequent “Bystander Apathy” immediately expands outward from the foundation the lead cut sets.

It does so by slowing the tempo a bit, pulling back on the vocal oomph and riding a twisting groove in the chorus on its way with deceptive patience for all the surrounding crash to a fuzzy bridge and a later airy solo section that more than hints at the crux of Midnight Zen itself, which lies in the band’s ability to pull together melodic songcraft, jammy breadth, and hard-hitting distorted rhythm. In its momentary break before it enters its seventh minute, “Bystander Apathy” is suitably melancholic, but it soon surges forward to end in its final minute on a chugging largesse worthy of its movement to that point.

On its face, Midnight Zen moves back and forth between shorter and longer cuts, and the tracklist pattern reads as follows:

1. Hive (3:51)
2. Bystander Apathy (8:16)
3. Dream With the Dreamer (5:26)
4. Midnight Zen (10:26)
5. Molly the Holy (6:07)

This obviously puts the 10-minute song that shares the album’s name as a focal point — they named the record Midnight Zen, so fair enough — but each piece of the whole serves a function to add something and deepen the listening experience, as with the semi-psychedelic noodling early in “Dream With the Dreamer,” which seems conscious of where it’s heading even as it holds back the weighted surge until it’s almost halfway through, patiently building in the drums and bass while the guitars set themselves on a more willfully meandering path before the fuzz pedals are stomped and the track coalesces around festival-worthy soloing and a memorable nod of a hook before they crash to a feedback finish.

As the centerpiece, “Dream With the Dreamer” moves the journey of the album deeper along its course, the band’s fluidity coming to the forefront whether it’s in the quieter or the louder half of the song, with Karaca‘s voice malleable to what’s called for in the moment. “Bystander Apathy” certainly has its heavier stretches and subtly angular procession, and “Dream With the Dreamer” affirms that the plotted feel there is no fluke.

In the second half payoff, the guitars resolve in a kind of jet-engine-takeoff repetitive buzz, but the full wash of distortion and cymbal crash makes for an even richer affect as they move toward that extended ringout finish, fading to the silence that serves as a direct-feeling — though on vinyl that’s invariably where the sides would split — transition into “Midnight Zen” itself, which maybe dips into Mediterranean folk in its early guitar leads as the song fades in like sunrise before picking up where that jet engine in “Dream With the Dreamer” left off, a largesse of riff very much bolstered by the bass as the initial verse unfolds smoothly.

Either one or both guitars gets a solo in the midsection, and the title-track shifts toward the instrumental to begin its back half, breaking from the triumphant shred to a stretch of pastoral noodling that calls back to the song while working in quiet and echoing vocals before locking into the denser nod of the payoff, having already hit its last crash before residual feedback carries it across the 10-minute mark and toward the finale “Molly the Holy,” which is executed as something of a summary of what Strider have done thus far, pulling together the atmospheric sections and the hints of Elder-style prog-heavy with a more straight-ahead heavy desert fuzz tonality, harnessing a three-dimensional mix to create and then fill a space with its own volume.

“Molly the Holy” does this by following the pattern of starting mellow and then kicking in heavy (at 1:40, if you’re looking for it), but the purposefully nodding tempo gives a grandeur to the procession, and the cavernous floating melody of the vocals matches well. They transition somewhat suddenly into a quieter verse, bass holding steady while even the drums settle down momentarily to punctuate the notes of guitar, and by the time they come back around to what will be Midnight Zen‘s capper heavy section, they’re in a full-on lumber.

Though as it moves past its fifth minute there’s tremolo guitar and a sense of end-of-set big finish in progress, the band remain admirably unhurried in their delivery, refusing to give into the temptation to blast out their ending and undercut the work they’ve done establishing an ambience across the record as an entirety. This is part of the accomplishment of Midnight Zen, but only part. The fullness of the production and the clear intent on the part of Strider to enter into the conversation of modern European heavy is writ throughout that last roll and the album more generally, and their potential to do just that is palpable in these songs.

It’s not that they don’t have growing to do, but that they’ve clearly already put time into developing their sound since their 2018 debut EP, Ironiea, was released, and they come across like they’ll continue to move forward in progressive fashion. Thinking about that hopeful future makes Midnight Zen an even more exciting listen, but whatever they may build on top of the accomplishments here going forward, those same accomplishments are worth appreciating right now.

Strider, Midnight Zen (2023)

Strider on Facebook

Strider on Instagram

Strider on Bandcamp

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: “Komet Lulu” Neudeck of Electric Moon & Worst Bassist Records

—

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

I am doing artwork, music and have a little record label, so it’s all related to each other.

I define it as exploring the soul realms, life, the universe within and trying to make a living from this. I came to it naturally, it unfolded as my way with every step i did in this society, knowing from an early age, that I do not fit in the regular way.

Describe your first musical memory.

There are two from the same time. I was maybe 5 and my mom listened to CSNY in the car and I asked what this was and when the song “Deja Vu” ended, I asked her to play it again. It kept stuck in my head since then, this ethereal melody of the vocals…

The other memory was in the same age, my dad listened to a record of The Doors and “Riders on the Storm” began and I was like “Wow, what is going on there?”

These two moments feel like my gateway in consciously listening to music.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

This is a tough task, haha. There are so, so, so many.

But maybe it was my first Motorpsycho concert and they played “The Wheel” in full ecstasy, followed by “Vortex Surfer.” I wasn’t far from exploding emotionally back then…

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

At a young age, when my parents parted ways after a long period of arguments, it kind of broke my basic trust.

This was my firmly held belief, until I realised, that I was already collecting the pieces since then, all the time, and that I was building a new thing from these, full of cracks but beautiful and my own…

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Being on an artistic journey, to me, is like being a scientist of life. Constantly reflecting, realizing, questioning, appreciating, loving…

How do you define success?

To me, success is being kind of happy where you’re at.

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

This is interesting, as soon, as I want to type my answer, my brain says, “Well, but on the other hand, seeing this, made you think about it.” – There are few situations I recall, seeing a pig getting killed directly in front of me, seeing my best friend getting beaten down by a stranger, seeing someone with a gun preparing to shoot, seeing someone die – but all of these situations made me reflect in the end. Interesting.

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

Pottery! And a huge painting, mural or so. And a solo album.

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

Nurturing our souls and changing our perspective… Basically, making us encounter something.

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

Finding home. :)

www.facebook.com/ElectricMoonOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/electric_moon_official/
https://electric-moon.bandcamp.com/
http://www.electricmoon.de

https://www.facebook.com/worstbassistrecords
https://www.instagram.com/worst.bassist.records
https://worstbassistrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.worstbassist.com/

Electric Moon, Inferno (2022 Remaster) [2011]

It’s probably fair to call Simple Forms‘ new single a song for our times. At very least, the Oregonian outfit would seem to have mined current vernacular for a particularly relevant alliteration. Thus comes the four-and-a-half-minute “Unprecedented Uncertainty” with a plot-twist of a sound that’s somewhere between atmospheric grunge and avant garde black metal, bearing a force of delivery that comes across in deceleration that, after compiling their initial singles into the self-titled Simple Forms EP (review here), signals the five-piece are moving forward with a clearer idea of what they want to do as a band.

Counterintuitive as that might be to the title “Unprecedented Uncertainty” itself, it comes through in the rhythmic intensity of the song, as well as the way the Rob Shaffer and Dustin Rieseberg‘s guitars seem to stand in their own place adjacent to but not necessarily always inside the tumult. Drummer Ben Stoller gets a workout from the moment the song kicks in from its kinda-horrifying intro, and that run of kick and toms and forward push does a lot of the work of drawing the track together, with Aaron Rieseberg‘s bass giving crucial density as the ground from which the vocals of Jason Oswald, more commanding here already than on the EP, echo outward.

One song does not (usually) an aesthetic shift make, but “Unprecedented Uncertainly” lays claim to stylistic territory that Simple Forms had not previously touched on with such purpose, and feels like they’re actively ‘figuring it out.’ All the more reason to follow along as they do. I don’t know what it will lead to for the rest of this year, let alone next, or new songs, or touring, or recording, or breaking up tomorrow and all of this is moot before I even finish this post — you might say the future is uncertain — but you’ll find the cover art, the barebones recording info I hoisted from their Bandcamp and, most importantly, the player itself tucked away safely at the bottom of the post. Listen and breathe.

Enjoy:

All but one could see, the canvas holds the deepest need…

released January 26, 2023
Music Recorded at Red Rockets Glare
Engineered by Dominic Armstrong and Raymond Richards
Mixed by Dominic Armstrong
Mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph

Simple Forms:
Jason Oswald – Vocals
Aaron Rieseberg – Bass, Synth
Dustin Rieseberg – Guitar
Rob Shaffer – Guitar
Ben Stoller – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/Simple-Forms-2159388204175112
https://www.instagram.com/simpleformsnw/
https://simpleformsnw.bandcamp.com/

Simple Forms, Unprecedented Uncertainty (2023)

This is some of the biggest news of my year, right here, and precisely some of what I’ve been hoping for since the advent of Desertfest New York in 2019. The NYC branch of Europe’s foremost heavy festival brand is slates do the seemingly impossible this Fall and bring German heavy psychedelic rock progenitors Colour Haze to the States for the second time as well as Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods, overcoming the pandemic-interrupted growth after a successful 2022 edition to realize a genuinely world-class event already just with the first reveal. And that’s before you get to the badassery of Lo-Pan, Heavy Temple, bringing Duel back, Boris, and so on.

I mean that. This puts Desertfest New York on a level of scope and reach with Psycho Las Vegas, Monolith on the Mesa or Fire in the Mountains or whoever else you want to namedrop, while maintaining club-show roots in its pre-party and secondary stages. I also wouldn’t surprised if a third stage isn’t added to the fest proper, as Knockdown Center certainly has that space available.

Either way, this is a big fucking deal and I’m excited at the prospect of what’s still to come. Will Steak return? My Sleeping Karma? Perhaps even a Green Lung US debut? The doors are thrown wide here as Desertfest New York 2023 takes it to that next level. The possibilities are that much closer to endless.

From the PR wire:

Desertfest New York returns for 3rd edition this September announcing
Melvins, Boris, Colour Haze, Truckfighters & more

TICKETS ON SALE NOW VIA WWW.DESERTFESTNEWYORK.COM

Leading independent stoner rock, doom, psych & heavy rock festival Desertfest returns to
New York this September. Hot off the heels of their largest US event to date in May ‘22, the
globally renowned festival will return to the unique space of the Knockdown Center in
Queens, alongside an exclusive pre-party at heavy metal institution, Saint Vitus Bar from 14th to 16th September 2023.

Headlining the 3rd edition of the festival will be genre-defining trailblazers the MELVINS.
With King Buzzo & Dale Crover at the helm ensuring their 40-year status as icons of the
underground, Desertfest attendees can expect a MELVINS performance unlike any other, as
they are treated to the bands’ expansive & iconic back catalogue.

Joining them on the Knockdown Center main-stage, with a rare New York performance, will
be Japan’s own BORIS. An exercise in auditory marksmanship for any whom are lucky
enough to bear witness, BORIS continue to redefine heavy on their own terms.

German psychedelic trio COLOUR HAZE will join the festival for a US exclusive,
headlining Thursday’s pre-party at Saint Vitus Bar. A band who move beyond a space of
labels, their continued evolution propels them out of any current galaxy recognised as ‘stoner
rock’. Thursday night will also welcome the infectiously groovy sounds of LO-PAN &
Texan goodtimers DUEL to help warm up the gears.

Long-time friends in the Desertfest-sphere, high-octane Swedish rockers
TRUCKFIGHTERS join proceedings for their first New York performance in three years.

Greece’s stoner rock heroes 1000MODS also make the jump overseas, ready to bring their
ear-worm worthy riffs to revellers. Local legends WHITE HILLS, raucous street doom
reapers R.I.P & ‘heavy primal psych’ outfit ECSTASTIC VISION all join the bill.

Elsewhere Desertfest NYC also welcomes HEAVY TEMPLE, CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC, MICK’S JAGUAR, CASTLE RAT, GRAVE BATHERS & SPELLBOOK, with more still to be announced…

3-day passes (incl. access to Saint Vitus Pre-Party) & 2-day passes (Knockdown Center
only) are on sale NOW via the following link – https://link.dice.fm/Desertfest_NewYork

Day Tickets will be released in April. There are no individual Day Tickets for Thursday’s
Pre-Party.

Full Line-Up
Saint Vitus – Sept 14th | Knockdown Center Sept 15th & 16th 2023
Melvins | Boris | Colour Haze | Truckfighters | 1000Mods | White Hills | Lo-Pan | Duel |
R.I.P | Ecstatic Vision | Heavy Temple | Clouds Taste Satanic | Mick’s Jaguar | Castle
Rat | Grave Bathers | Spellbook

https://facebook.com/Desertfestnyc/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_nyc/
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Colour Haze, Sacred (2022)