Pretoria, South Africa’s Acid Magus released their second album, Hope is Heavy, through Mongrel Records in July as the follow-up to their 2021 debut Wyrd Syster (review here). The rolling, loosely hip-hop-informed “Dead Weight” is the third single from the six-track/43-minute long-player, preceded by “Caligulater” (posted here) and “Demon Behemoth” (posted here). Diverging from the band’s general methodology as it appears here, the penultimate cut features a guest appearance from Johni Holiday — whose band Ruff Majik released their excellent Elektrik Ram (review here) album earlier this year; you may have heard me drone on about how perfect it is — and wraps itself around the hook that begins with the line, “Twelve gauges to waste you,” and elephantine-fuzz marches through with due nod until the dreamy midsection, from whence it moves into a slower solo before rallying for a final chorus. Catchy, bouncing in its lumber-prone way, with Acid Magus vocalist Anrico Jeske reminding of Sasquatch during the verse with Holiday joining in effectively for the chorus and introducing the song.

Jeske is new to the band as of Hope is Heavy, as is guitarist/vocalist Brendon “Cowboy Bez” Bezuidenhout (also of Ruff Majik), who take the places respectively of former vocalist Christiaan Van Renen and nobody. Returning players Keenan Kinnear (guitar, songwriting), Jarryd Wood (bass) and Roelof van Tonder (drums on the album, now bass) are fairly consistent in tone and purpose from where Acid Magus was on Wyrd Syster, putting marked heft and fuzz behind heavy psychedelic liquidity with melody over top and an exploratory foundation. But there’s no question Acid Magus are a different band on Hope is Heavy, the title evoking a sense of ‘daring to hope,’ positing perhaps that it’s easier to be hopeless, whereas in order to have any kind of optimism for the future is harder work. I have little doubt this is true, and if you like heavy music named after heavy things, 10-minute LP closer “Trillion Tonne Sun” should satisfy nicely, but the change in the group is almost immediate as opener and previously mentioned single “Demon Behemoth” winds in on feedback and crashes to announce the arrival of its central riff and moves into its first verse.

Placed at the presumed end of side A, “Caligulater” gets a little rougher edged in its middle, but the melodic serenity of “Demon Behemoth” and the subsequent “Progeneration” — light touches of guitar there floating over the bassline and a chorus emerging that’s all the more a triumph because it stays slow — is maintained and a fluidity results as “Caligulater” picks up the tempo in seeming response to the song before it, keeping the airiness of guitar but setting it to swing along with the drums. Side B’s “A Planet, a Deathstar” is the shortest inclusion at 4:33, and it uses that time to begin a classic second-half-of-the-record expansion of style, with a spoken vocal over the early, resonant à la All Them Witches, acoustic-inclusive, low-key galloping verse, and a groove that holds as the fuller-toned fuzz unveiled and the grittier voice returns, suitable to the pulses that punctuate the riff, fading out to let Holiday mark the arrival of “Dead Weight.” And there is no level on which Hope is Heavy‘s penultimate track isn’t play. It’s cheeky, its groove is downright arrogant and the Jeske/Holiday tradeoffs make it a party, even if the video is set in an office with a surprising amount of longhairs in lower management.

It’s a blowout, if a somewhat different kind than “Caligulater,” but ends up in a not entirely dissimilar place following its two-minute intro, shimmering with heavy prog tonality and filled out beneath by denser low-end fuzz, opening for the verse like older-school European heavy rock and touching on ’90s-style alternative, but Acid Magus are clearly aware they’re at the end, and after reaffirming the semi-psych liquidity of side A, they use the final chorus of “Trillon Tonne Sun” for a crescendo with an epilogue of quiet guitar bookending the start of the song. The last purposeful move on the album but by no means the first, Hope is Heavy would feel like a second debut if the band hadn’t put so much detail and depth into the recording. Setting a broad context for themselves, they introduce listeners to their new lineup with intentional creative reach and a sound and style more cohesive than it was two years ago, despite the personnel shifts. And in some ways subtle and some ways not, they put a focus on songwriting that, whether it’s “Dead Weight” or “Progeneration” or “Demon Behemoth,” produces memorable results.

They were a band with potential, and so they remain. They don’t at all sound like they’re done growing, but Hope is Heavy does benefit from lessons gleaned from Wyrd Syster, and in thinking about where they might go for a third long-player, one hopes nothing so much as that Acid Magus continue to develop on the path they’ve set for themselves. That would be the best-case scenario, and they seem to know it, having come into a make-or-break moment for the band with a collection of songs ready to answer the question in decisive fashion: make.

“Dead Weight” video premieres below. Hope is Heavy is out now. More info follows from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Acid Magus, “Dead Weight (Feat. Johni Holiday)” video premiere

Buy / Stream Hope Is Heavy:
https://orcd.co/hope-is-heavy
https://acidmagus.bandcamp.com/album/hope-is-heavy

Get ready to be entranced by the dark, thought-provoking soundscape as South Africa’s own progressive doom virtuosos Acid Magus unleash their latest masterpiece — a riveting music video for their track Dead Weight from their critically acclaimed new album Hope Is Heavy out now on Mongrel Records. This release delves into the heart of modern popular culture’s relentless imitation game, challenging conventions and inviting viewers to question the status quo. To amplify the impact, the track features a captivating guest vocals appearance from none other than the esteemed frontman Johni Holiday from prominent South African stoner rock sensations Ruff Majik.

Johni takes on a dual role, gracing the track with his unmistakable voice while also embodying the main antagonist in the music video. In a stunning visual portrayal, he assumes the role of a vampire, reigning as a corporate overlord in a dystopian, cutthroat business environment.

Featuring 6 tracks, the album explores themes of existentialism, introspection, and the human condition. The band’s poetic lyrics delve into profound and introspective territories, inviting listeners to explore the depths of their own psyche.

“As time passed and I grew older, I found myself becoming depressed for no reason other than for the fact that I was becoming a bitter cynic. ‘Hope is Heavy’ is me trying to find that elusive light at the end of the ever present, gloomy tunnel.” – Keenan Kinnear, guitarist/songwriter.

Track Listing:
1. Demon Behemoth
2. Progeneration
3. Caligulater
4. A Planet, A Deathstar
5. Dead Weight (ft. Johni Holiday)
6. Trillion Tonne Sun

Line Up:
Keenan Kinnear: guitar
Jarryd Wood: bass guitar
Roelof van Tonder: drums
Anrico Jeske: vocals
Brendon Bezuidenhout: guitar, vocals

Acid Magus, Hope is Heavy (2023)

Acid Magus, “Caligulater”

Acid Magus, “Demon Behemoth”

Acid Magus on Facebook

Acid Magus on Instagram

Acid Magus on Bandcamp

Mongrel Records website

Mongrel Records on Facebook

Mongrel Records on Instagram

Mongrel Records on Bandcamp

This album turns a decade old this Fall, but the truth is I’ve been wanting to revisit it for like two years, so whatever on album anniversaries. But Seattle heavy rockers Ancient Warlocks released their self-titled debut (review here) in Nov. 2013 — issuing first through Lay Bare Recordings and then in 2014 on STB Records, the latter of which made them labelmates to the likes of Spelljammer, Curse the Son, Druglord and Geezer, and Ancient Warlocks had some elements in common with those and others in the ouevre. Like Curse the Son, they had an obviously-sought fuzz delivering choice riffs. Like Geezer they had swing and jammy groove. Like Druglord they weren’t afraid of bring cast in their genre. But because they were young, they could be from Seattle and not have to play grunge, and Ancient Warlocks most represented a boom in Pacific Northwestern heavy rock that was taking place from about 2010-2014 — as much as it ever stopped — and brought a generational shift of bands picking up in the wake of acts like Red Fang or Earthless (not that the latter are PNW, just very influential), and they did it with style.

With the lineup of lead guitarist/vocalist Aaron Krause, guitarist Darren Chase, bassist Anthony “Oni” Timm and drummer Steve Jones, Ancient Warlocks had made their presence felt with their 2011 7″, Into the Night b/w Super Wizard (review here), which was pressed following their first demo in 2010, “Killer’s Moon.” They had a split with Mos Generator — as every up and coming heavy rock act from the state of Washington should at some point or other — and with their own Jones at the helm to engineer, mix and master at Big Sound in Seattle, they unfurled eight songs in a tight 33 minutes on their self-titled with no pretense, unforced good times, dynamic shifts in mood and approach, and fuzz. Oh, the fuzz.

It was a record you knew was going to be good going in that turned out, yes, to indeed be good. Ancient Warlocks weren’t a stylistic revelation, but they did manage to pull ideas from the bluesier end of the aesthetic spectrum and work that into some of the guitar and vocals, and “Lion Storm” swings with a looseness and underlying drive that reminds me now of North Carolina’s Caltrop. It was easy then to peg them as a straightforward band, and that’s what they were. Verses, choruses. Guitars, bass, drums, vocals. The latter, from Krause, were not entirely untreated, effects-wise, and on a song like the ultra-Queens of the Stone Age-circa-1998 “Sweet’s Too Slow,” that helps enhance some of the garage-y looseness that complements the fuzz established at the outset with “Into the Night” — that first single being placed to open side A while “Super Wizard” starts side B; “Killer’s Moon” resurfaces here as well, with its shuffling procession and thick boogie putting emphasis on live energy. As regards vocals, the thicker Fu Manchu-style riffing of “Cactus Wine” comes accompanied by a melody later that showed the potential for growth in arrangement and delivery, but Krause wasn’t coming out of the gate here trying to sound like James LaBrie, and it wouldn’t have worked if he was.

Being rockers suited Ancient Warlocks well. “Super Wizard” followed the drums into a rawer shove with a bit of feedback before the verse kicks in. At the end of side B, the finale “Sorcerer’s Magician” is the longest cut at 5:27, but “Super Wizard” is the shortest at 3:09 and it’s a burner, with rhythmic shove like Sasquatch, lyrics that know they’re dopey, and a casual feel to its sound overall, not looking to make trouble, but doing so, and with charm. The subsequent “White Dwarf” has an immediate push as well and brings that momentum to a riff structure that feels somehow like it’s working off Elder circa Dead Roots Stirring (remember, this was 2013), but does so without departing structurally from what Ancient Warlocks have been doing up to that point. It’s a stylistic niche that’s become something of a microgenre in the last few years. Proto-heavy prog? I don’t know.

As they make their way through, “Killer’s Moon” locks into the aforementioned boogie, and “Sorcerer’s Magician” ups the doom factor by announcing itself with a riff that’s slow-Slayer, but slower, before breaking to near-silence and putting the vocals over an open-spaced verse peppered with bluesy guitar licks, the use of silence and empty space calling back to ’90s Clutch, maybe, and that self-titled, but as with the rest of this self-titled, Ancient Warlocks made these parts and these themes their own, showed themselves to be a multifaceted band interested in growing, and laying out a range of contexts for their craft. That is, while consistent largely in tone and in possession of an abiding organic feel, Ancient Warlocks — the album — is not the work of a band doing the same thing over and over. They’re trying new ideas, laying out a swath of options for future exploration, establishing the ground that their next, oh, four or five records would no doubt continue to develop.

Sadly that turned out not to be the case, however. Ancient Warlocks released their second long-player, appropriately titled II (review here), in June 2016, and by that time, Krause and Timm were already out of the band despite appearing on the record. The band continued with Chris Mathews Jr. on vocals and lead guitar and Stu Laswell on bass. The Live LP followed quickly behind the sophomore album, and already in announcing the new lineup, Ancient Warlocks were talking about making a third studio offering. Didn’t happen. They seem last to have been doing shows in late 2017, which is how it goes sometimes, and Ancient Warlocks were a band whose potential never really got to see realization. They had two cool records, seemed like they were moving forward, then nothing. When you look out into the abyss of bands who did and could’ve written more cool riffs in their time and didn’t, does the abyss stare back?

Almost certainly. And Ancient Warlocks may a decade later be a footnote in that generational turnover moment in heavy rock, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of what they did here or on the second record, and like the best of heavy fried heavy (think of it like chicken fried chicken), the work holds up regardless of the passage of years. So yeah, the anniversary doesn’t matter after all.

As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy.

—

‘Fun week’ is a week wherein there’s no camp and The Patient Mrs. and The Pecan and I do fun stuff and hang out before school starts and so on you get the idea. We went to the Natural History Museum. We went to see family in Connecticut. I bought Halloween jack-o-lantern Peeps. The fun never stops.

Having been in Portugal two or three weeks ago and experienced that, this week has been a bit of the opposite, and I find myself flailing for the balance between the two sides that commonly exists. Because The Obelisk gets the shaft, no doubt about it. What, I’m gonna give up time with my family that I’ll never get back to run a blog about music for no money and also that takes a whole lot of time? Of course not, but I do it.

We had a Dio dance party this week, though, and that was pretty rad. The house was lagging on Wednesday and it kind of picked up the room as The Last in Line is wont to do. Beyond that, we’ve been swimming at a pool at relatives’ house — my sister’s husband’s mother and father’s house; they made the mistake of an open invite — reading lots of books and trying to deal with nerves about starting kindergarten. Like she’s not going to go, immediately catch a cold, and have to stay home for three days.

Though I say that and I have to acknowledge that maybe there’s a bit of wishful thinking in there, and that along with the adjustments my wife is making to a new semester at a job she finds increasingly dissatisfying and demeaning, and that my kid is making to starting kindergarten and being out of the house more than she has in her life, I’ll be making an adjustment after five-plus years to being on my own for a longer portion of my day than I’m used to. Empty nester.

Next week, an Acid Magus premiere on Monday, an Aiwass premiere on Wednesday, a The Silver Linings premiere on Friday, and I have stuff I want to write about to fill those other open days. Might try to review Slomatics one day and Domkraft the other, which would be a fun pairing in my nerd brain for their new albums since the bands are coming off that split they did last year that was so wonderful. We’ll see if I get there.

I hope you have a great and safe weekend. Have fun, watch your head, get your back to school shopping done, shoe measuring and all that crap. The sun’s coming up so I’m calling it quits. My absolute best to you and yours.

FRM.

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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: Jeff Irwin of Will Haven

—

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

I define what I do as just an artist first and foremost, I play drums and guitar but never took lessons, I wanted to learn on my own and create my own artistic stylings, I loved the challenge of it, this goes the same with writing music for my band will haven, I had a lot of influences but wanted to create my own twist on things and come up with something new, pushing the envelope on my own terms is what I have always set out to do, not into the status quo

Describe your first musical memory.

I have a couple that moved me into wanting to be a part of music and not just a listener, the first was hearing Micheal Jackson Off the Wall, I remember hearing that as a little kid and the music on that whole record just moved me, the melodies were so catchy and that’s when music made sense, then when I first heard Motley Crue Too Fast For Love I knew I wanted to play that kind of music, then I got to see them live when I was 12 and thought, yep I want to play on stage one day just like that, those are the ones that set me in motion

Describe your best musical memory to date.

As per the last question, seeing Motley Crue at 12 was bigger than life to me, I wanted to be a rockstar after that, then seeing Pink Floyd when I was 13 was another moment that changed my life forever, Personally when my band got to tour with the band Deftones and we played two sold out nights at the Astoria Theatre in London, England, to play that legendary place and the energy of those shows were the most unreal moments I have ever had playing in a band or in life in general

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

To be honest I don’t know if I have concrete beliefs, I do believe in love but outside of that I have no idea what is real and what is not, life is an ongoing journey of wondering, why am I here? What am I doing? What is reality? What is not? I don’t think I will ever know the answers to that, maybe in the next realm it will make sense but this lifetime it’s all just trying to figure stuff out, I do believe there is something that creates energy and life but I do not know what that is, so life in itself is one big test, you will have good times and bad and to if you truly believe in something directing you you might get let down, so I just let life move fluently and learn from it and accept it’s just part of the plan of living.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I believe it leads to pure happiness, as an artist you always want to push yourself, to create something better than the last, The challenge can be so much fun, to be able to open your brain and use it and be free of anything else, it’s a blessing to have that use of the brain to create, to keep progressing and create something you love is a feeling that is unmatched, pure joy and happiness,

How do you define success?

Success to me is if you look back at your resume and see what you created, if you can look back at your catalogue of work and be completely happy with it then that is more than anything, money, fame does not stand the test of time, your music or art does, so if you know that you are leaving art behind that inspired people and will always inspire people that is true success

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

The evil side of humanity, I always thought that if we have one shot at life it should be amazing, we are only here for a very short time and it should be filled with adventure and love and everything that is here for us to survive, but deep down there is a part of humanity that believes in greed and torture and taking advantage of others, It makes you think what kind of place is this that creates such evil intentions for a life that is so short, Seeing that has definitely made me question the pureness of humanity when I shouldn’t have to

What is something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create?

I am always reaching for that perfect song, that song that can bring up every emotion the human body has, to make that song where one second you are angry, then sad, then you are at complete peace by then end, the song that takes you on a insane journey of every aspect of life, I am always searching for that, I don’t know if I ever will be able to do it but I will keep trying to figure it out

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

to move people, I know some artist create just for themselves which is awesome, but to share your art with people and have them feel it, it creates an amazing energy, to connect with people that you would never normally connect with is amazing, to have a common bond with someone, its that life is all about, sharing energy and coming together as a whole, music is very powerful, its vibrations that connect with others that only you as the artist can put out, it’s a pretty amazing feeling bringing people together, but in a good way

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

moving onto my next chapter of life, spending it with the people I love, looking back at all the amazing things I have done and creating more, moving to a new place and starting new adventures there, all I know is that life is just a dream…..

https://www.facebook.com/willhavenband
https://www.instagram.com/willhavenband
https://willhaven.bandcamp.com
https://linktr.ee/willhavenVII

https://minushead.com
https://www.facebook.com/music4yourHEAD
https://www.instagram.com/minusheadrecords
https://minusheadrecords.bandcamp.com

Will Haven, VII (2023)

Just being a little safe here in that when Carlton Melton announced Turn to Earth, their new album, would be out Oct. 6, there were European and UK tour dates announced with that. Now, what I don’t know is whether this announcement is in addition to that, or instead of it, or what. Ultimately, it’s a big whatever. It’s not like I was gonna see Carlton Melton in friggin’ Belgium anyway, so whether those shows are happening is a little moot except in my generally wanting things to go well for good bands — shitty bands can fall off a cliff — but I’d imagine they are and this is just a press release centered on the UK because there are a bunch of shows there and it’s the UK.

But, more generally about Carlton Melton: They rule. Very much their own kind of weird. I know you don’t need me to tell you that, but it’s true just the same. I haven’t heard the new record yet, and I know the last one isn’t necessarily a tell because they’re unpredictable like that, but the last three records at least have been gems and I think these guys know a streak when they’re on it. If they cruise on momentum alone, it’ll at least be interesting. And the UK announcement? Maybe it was just the Brett Savage poster art was too good not to send out.

Either way, here’s that, along with dates and other whatnot from the PR wire:

CARLTON MELTON UK TOUR 2023

New album Turn To Earth out October via Agitated Records

Phil Becker (Terry Gross, Pins Of Light) contributed drums and percussion to a few tracks on Turn To Earth, recording the album at El Studio in San Francisco. With Becker at the helm, the synths have become more prominent (“Cosmicity,” “Roboflow,” “Migration”) and the tone heavier on the doom (“Cloudstorming,” “Unlock The Land,” title track): several moments could even serve as background music for epic dark fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, or Heavy Metal.

As exquisite as Turn To Earth is, Melton are best appreciated as a live act: their recordings as well as their gigs are largely improvised – not so much composed as birthed. And yet their most recent tour ended abruptly and perilously. The group had to cancel its final three shows once members were admitted to Arnhem hospital in the Netherlands. Five years later, reinforcements have strengthened the band and restocked its arsenal of great tracks.

After the rockus interruptus of that 2018 tour and the tantric tease of the intervening Covid lockdown, Melton have some unfinished business. An October 2023 tour is poised to set the freshly minted quartet back onto the stages of Europe and within the cerebral folds of its fans.

Turn To Earth, sure … but keep your head in outer space.

CARLTON MELTON 2023 UK SHOWS
Oct 12 – LONDON – STRONGROOM BAR w/ Black Helium and Psychic Lemon
Oct 13 – GLASTONBURY – KING ARTHUR w/ Dead Otter and Thee Crow
Oct 14 – HEBDEN BRIDGE – THE TRADES CLUB w/ Dead Sea Apes, Dead Otter and Waka (DJ Set)
Oct 15 – GLASGOW – IVORY BLACKS w/ Nebula, The Cosmic Dead and Lucid Sins
Oct 17 – SALISBURY – THE WINCHESTER GATE
Oct 18 – BRISTOL – CROFTER RIGHTS w/ Sonic Jesus and Stereocilia
Oct 19 – MARGATE – BAR NOTHING

Poster credit: Brett Savage

Carlton Melton is: andy duvall – drums/gtr; clint golden – bass; rich millman – gtr/synth; and anthony taibi – synth/gtr.

https://www.facebook.com/Carlton-Melton-band-page-142609689122268/
https://meltoncarlton.bandcamp.com/
http://www.carltonmeltonmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AGITATEDRECORDS/
https://instagram.com/agitated_records
http://agitatedrecords.com/

Carlton Melton, “Turn to Earth/Cloudstorming” official video

Believe me, I understand that Europe is not exactly lacking in instrumental psych bands. Free-range and free-jazz trios roam in the wilds Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK even, Italy, Scandinavia, on and on. We know this. What I’m saying is that Nijmegen’s Bismut are on something of a different trip. Yeah, when you read about it, you’re going to hear ‘instrumental psych’ and think, “okay, this is one of those post-Earthless or maybe post-Colour Haze jam bands” and know what you’re getting. And by the way, if that was what Bismut were doing, fine. I love that shit.

But Bismut are more progressive in their sound on their third LP behind 2020’s Retrocausality (review here) and their 2018 debut, Schwerpunkt (review here). I can hear Tool and Karma to Burn both in opening track “Mendalir” and the subsequent “Faun” backs that up with surprisingly earthy riffing. However much Bismut‘s beginnings may have been in improv, these are composed pieces. There’s genuine crunch in the tone on “Despotisme” and the closer “Euphoria,” and “Masta” spaces out a bit, but as much as a band without vocals could, Bismut sound like they’re trying to capture an audience. A live crowd. And these songs sound like they were written for the stage, which they may well have been.

So yeah, I’ve heard it and it’s not worth pretending otherwise. I’m currently slated to stream [title redacted] on Oct. 18 ahead of its Oct. 20 release (don’t tell the internet, but the day between is my birthday). Mark your calendars for that. It feels far in the future with September between here and there, but it’ll come eventually.

The PR wire sent words. I made theM blue and put them here because it is important to see the narrative an artist/band/anybody is telling you about their own work:

BISMUT – NEW LP – RELEASE DATE 20th OCTOBER 2023

Hailing from the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, Bismut is a dynamic heavy psych trio that has been carving their unique path since forming in 2016. Drawing influences from an eclectic blend of genres including progressive rock, doom, metal, stoner, heavy psych, and classic hard rock, their music is an intense and mesmerizing fusion that transcends traditional boundaries. Their distinctive sound has earned them a dedicated fanbase, and their performances on stages across Europe have solidified their reputation as a force to be reckoned with.

New album [title redacted] marks the triumphant return of the band, following the success of their sold-out (on vinyl) previous releases, Schwerpunkt in 2018, and Retrocausality in 2020, released via Lay Bare Recordings. This album promises to be a sonic journey that delves even deeper into the band’s diverse influences while pushing their sound to new heights. From thunderous, doom-laden riffs to mind-bending psychedelic explorations, the album seamlessly weaves together a tapestry of textures that will resonate with long-time fans and newcomers alike.

[Title redacted] is a joint effort between the band’s current Dutch label Lay Bare Recordings and the Spanish label Spinda Records. This collaboration brings together a diverse range of expertise, amplifying the album’s potential for international recognition and success. The partnership aims to introduce the band’s electrifying sound to a wider global audience, leveraging the strengths of both labels in their respective regions.

Track Listing:
1. Mendalir
2. 不安 (Fuan)
3. Despotisme
4. Mašta
5. Euphoria

Line Up:
Peter Dragt – drums
Huibert der Weduwen – bass
Nik Linders – guitar

https://www.facebook.com/bismutband/
https://instagram.com/bismutband
https://bismut.band/
https://bismut.bandcamp.com/

https://laybarerecordings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/laybarerecordings/
https://www.instagram.com/laybarerecordings/
https://laybarerecordings.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SpindaRecords
https://www.instagram.com/spindarecords
https://spindarecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.spindarecords.com/

Bismut, Retrocausality (2020)

The lineup for Keep it Low 2023 is finished with the last additions of Zeal and Ardor, a stopthrough from the Howling Giant and Heavy Temple tour, as well as a trio of bands from Germany in Morast, Instrument and Einseinseins. The former rest atop a wild bill, and anyone who would accuse heavy underground music of all sounding the same should go ahead and listen to the first five bands listed here in succession. Zeal and Ardor, Colour Haze, Mantar, The Obsessed and King Buffalo — it wouldn’t work as a Spotify playlist, or maybe it would, but it will make for a killer festival.

This is the ninth Keep it Low Festival, the vibe of which I’ve always found particularly alluring from a distance, and for what started as a kind of humble event, this looks pretty huge. It’s still at Backstage in Munich, so the amount of tickets available will be the same as ever, but even as the names get harder to read on the poster below, there’s good stuff to be had. I see The Moth and Lucid Void and Swan Valley Heights down there. It would be far too easy to do worse.

Sound of Liberation sent the following down the PR wire:

Hey friends,

We’re super stoked to present you the last bands for our beloved Keep It Low festival in Munich 2023, including the last headliner! (#128121#)

And alongside we must warn you: our 2-day-passes are almost sold out and you need to be fast if you want to enjoy the full weekend experience!

Please welcome:
ZEAL & ARDOR (CH)
HOWLING GIANT (US)
HEAVY TEMPLE (US)
MORAST (DE)
INSTRUMENT (DE)
EINSEINSEINS (DE)

We can’t wait for October to come!

Two days of heavy rock music, aftershow DJs, outdoor beergarden, “Doom Frühschoppen” & more!(#128640#)

06. – 07. Oct 2023
Backstage
Munich (DE)

Grab your tickets at:
www.sol-tickets.com

This is our last call for weekend tickets!

https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival/
https://www.keepitlow.de/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
http://www.sol-tickets.com

Howling Giant, Glass Future (2023)

The forthcoming Return From the Cauldron by Cloud Catcher will be the Denver-based headspinner-rockers’ first full-length since 2017’s Trails of Kozmic Dust (review here). But if you’re feeling like six years is a long time, it’s actually not a terrible turnaround when one considers that the band broke up in 2019 and wound up back together with a new lineup behind founding guitarist/vocalist Rory Rummings — that’d be bassist Matt Ross and drummer Will Trafas — putting out a split in 2020 with their alter-egos Tricoma called Royal Flush Sessions Vol. 1. Three years on from that, releasing on their own label, yeah, that sounds about right.

But if you’d like to know a bit more of what’s to come with Return From the Cauldron — more than you might glean from the first single, “I Am the Storm,” streaming below — it’s that split that you’re going to want to dig into, because “Boundless Journey,” “Magician’s Chariot” and “Wield the Blade,” which all appear on the album’s tracklisting, were all featured on the 2020 release as well. So if you play it right, you’ve got the first three tracks and a cut from side B — four songs. That’s probably a more significant advance listen than will otherwise be available, even if the recordings are different.

West Coast tour lined up, of course. Release show is Sept. 30 in Denver, then they’re off and running. I wouldn’t mind seeing them again. Last time I did, they were a whole different band. Funny how that happens sometimes.

The PR wire has it like this:

CLOUD CATCHER: Denver Power Trio To Release Return From The Cauldron September 29th; New Track Streaming, Preorders Available, And Fall Tour Announced

Denver heavy rock power trio CLOUD CATCHER will release their third full-length, Return From The Cauldron, on September 29th via their own Cauldron Audio Works.

CLOUD CATCHER is guitarist/vocalist Rory Rummings with bassist Matt Ross and drummer Will Trafas, a rhythm section akin to Geezer Butler and Mitch Mitchell. With two albums and two EPs already under their proverbial belts, CLOUD CATCHER has been dispensing their own brand of guitar driven, heavy rock to the masses for over a decade. The band’s 2017 released Trails Of Kozmic Dust full-length reaped critical accolades both stateside and abroad.

With Return From The Cauldron, the Rocky Mountain riff merchants continue to push their signature sonic assault forward. An album about emerging positively from hard times and negative experiences, it’s a collection of songs where the themes are perseverance, growth, and hope. Most of the tunes were written when CLOUD CATCHER went on hiatus for the better part of 2019 and during 2020 when the world was slipping into pandemic madness…

“Return From The Cauldron is what I would consider the first true CLOUD CATCHER album,” elaborates Rummings. “We have found our sound and the material present is a further expanse on what we are capable of.”

In advance of the record’s release, today the band unveils first single, “I Am The Storm.” Notes the band, “’I Am The Storm’ is a song about crushing negativity and overcoming hard times with the power of self-realization and riffs. This song was inspired by some of the bands we all know and love such as Iron Maiden, ZZ Top, and of course, Black Sabbath. This song has been chosen as the first single because we feel it is a great introduction to those who don’t know of CLOUD CATCHER.”

Return From The Cauldron was self-recorded by Riley Rukavina, mixed and mastered by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios, and comes swathed in the cover art of Christina Hunt of Heavy Metal Talisman.

The record will be available digitally and limited-edition vinyl via the CLOUD CATCHER Bandcamp page HERE:

Return From The Cauldron Track Listing:
1. I Am The Storm
2. Boundless Journey
3. Magician’s Chariot
4. Burning Might
5. Gemini’s Ascent
6. Wield The Blade
7. Wretched Moon
8. Return From The Cauldron

CLOUD CATCHER has toured the US several times, including one run with Earthless and an appearance at Psycho Vegas 2017. The power trio has also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of such stoner/doom luminaries as Dead Meadow, The Obsessed, Danava, Acid King, Lecherous Gaze, and Pike Vs The Automaton. The band is set to embark on a West Coast tour in the Fall in support of Return From The Cauldron. See all confirmed dates below.

CLOUD CATCHER – Live From The Cauldron Tour 2023:
9/30/2023 Hi-Dive – Denver, CO * Return From The Cauldron Record Release Show
10/06/2023 TBA – Fort Collins, CO
10/07/2023 Ernie November Record Store – Cheyenne, WY
10/12/2023 Aces High Saloon – Salt Lake City, UT
10/13/2023 Artifice – Las Vegas, NV
10/14/2023 Poor House – Oceanside, CA
10/15/2023 Knucklehead – Hollywood, CA
10/16/2023 Cocktail Lounge – Ventura, CA
10/17/2023 Thee Stork Club – Oakland, CA
10/18/2023 Cafe Colonial – Sacramento, CA
10/20/2023 High Watermark – Portland, OR
10/21/2023 The Shredder – Boise, ID

CLOUD CATCHER:
Rory Rummings – guitars, vocals
Matt Ross – bass
Will Trafas – drums

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Cloud Catcher, Return From the Cauldron (2023)

Cloud Catcher & Tricoma, Royal Flush Sessions Vol. 1 (2020)

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: Joseph Schafer of Colony Drop

—

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

I don’t try to define what I do, personally.

As a kid, I wanted to be a “Writer” – whatever that means these days. I must thank my excellent High School teachers, Ms. Forte, Mr. Kinkaid and Mr. Broadway, for fostering that talent in me. I should also thank my writing professor in college, Diane Suess (Pulitzer Prize Winner), for training me.

I don’t think people need to be just “one thing” anymore. Idris Elba is an actor and a rapper, for example. Rhianna is a CEO of a clothing company as much as she is a pop star. Frances Ford Coppola probably makes more money as a wine mogul than as a film director. If all those folks can do many things, why not me, too? The only limitations are my willpower and my circumstances, though those are both significant limitations.

Besides writing, everything else that I now do began by accident. As an events promoter, I just wanted to put a half-decent show on and wound up running a small business. As a musician, I just wanted to yell in a room with my friends, and now I’m in a band, and in that band, I often manage our analytics and booking, so as a band member, my role is much larger than only “musician” and that’s true of every member of Colony Drop. Creativity and enterprise are simply about doing things.

Describe your first musical memory.

My earliest musical memory is being a five-year-old child and going with my parents to see Jurassic Park. I recall being strongly affected by John Williams’ theme in that film. Maybe that’s a bit basic. The first song I remember wanting to hear a second time was “Be Prepared” in the Lion King a year later. That soundtrack was the first cassette I begged my mother for. We wore it out. Pop music, rock music, and extreme metal all came later.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

It’s difficult to pick a ‘best,’ however, in 2005, I saw Nine Inch Nails play the Toledo Sports Arena on the With Teeth tour. That was my first genuinely massive show. I got into the mosh pit as a scrawny teen and was totally ripped away from my friends and thrown way far near the front of the crowd. I was totally alone and could not find them (no cell phones!). I recall I had a sunburn, so the bodies around me were kind of uncomfortable. I had no choice but to give myself up to the stimulation of the lights and sounds and Trent Reznor’s music. That was the first time I truly went into a transcendental or sublime surrender state while seeing live music. I still have a bootleg CD of that show – it was a great set. They played “Dead Souls”!

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

When I was a kid, my parents went all out for Christmas. They were really into making Santa Claus real for me. Dad would get his boots muddy and track them through the house at 4 AM – the works. As a result, I believed in Santa for a while longer than my friends. When I confronted the fact that Santa wasn’t real, that led to an immediate test of my juvenile religious beliefs. Jesus and God went in the trash can probably minutes after that. My apostasy was fast and brutal. Black Sabbath came into my life soon thereafter!

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Bankruptcy. But if you’re doing it right, it also leads to community, friendship, and solidarity. Maybe even love – I met my wife through metal.

How do you define success?

Success is when something you’ve taken part in has a tangible effect on someone else’s life. Even if you only bring a spark to one person’s life, that justifies all the labor involved in creative expression. The only value in trying to do music, writing, or art on any kind of large scale is that it gives you the opportunity to have a tangible effect on people more often and more regularly – everything else is just a hoop to jump through.

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

I spent too much time on the Something Awful forums in High School; let’s leave it at that. I’m thankful I never followed any of those random acquaintances to 4chan.

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

I have an as-yet unproduced complete screenplay for a feature-length horror film, as well as a complete manuscript for an epic fantasy novel. I’d love to see those two pieces published.

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

I subscribe to the theory of creative expression put forth by playwright Lajos Egri – I’m not sure if his theory has a formal name or school of thought, but his basic premise is that art exists to express a worldview and put it up for an audience’s evaluation.

So, for example, the worldview expressed by Metallica on Master of Puppets is “life cannot have value while you’re being controlled by an outside force.” Each song explores one outside force that sucks value out of your life: narcotic addiction, religion, wartime conflict, mental institutions, and so on. The album is such a success because it expresses that worldview so completely without talking down to the audience.

Egri argues for this theory in his excellent books On Dramatic Writing and On Creative Writing. They’re great resources even for songwriters, musicians, or painters. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

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

I’m getting married next month. I’m looking forward to the wedding, but I’m also looking forward to the wedding being over so I can finally get some sleep. Haha!

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Colony Drop, Brace for Impact (2023)