Today, Indianapolis doom metallers Apostle of Solitude announce the longest stretch of European touring they’ve done. Anchored by appearances at Grand Paris Sludge, Wonnemond Festival and Desertfest Oslo, it’s not their first time abroad, but it’s special both because they’re going places they’ve never been and it’s how the band are celebrating their 20th anniversary.

Following a pair of formative demos, their debut album, Sincerest Misery (discussed here), came out in 2008 through Eyes Like Snow, and set them on an innovative course that helped define an emotive strain of doom which continues to flesh out today. After the warm-but-for-the-artwork reception their second full-length, Last Sunrise (review here), garnered upon release in 2010, the band offered a pair of splits in 2011 and restructured the lineup around founding members Chuck Brown (guitar/vocals) and Corey Webb (drums), bringing in Bob Fouts (who passed away in 2020) on bass and Steve Janiak of heavy rockers Devil to Pay as a second guitarist and singer.

The addition of Janiak to Apostle of Solitude shouldn’t be discounted as a landmark in the band’s 20-year run. I remember picking up their 2012 Demo (discussed here) at Days of the Doomed in Wisconsin that year and listening to the CD on the long drive home. It wasn’t a full conceptual reset for the band — they were doom before and doom after — but it was the start of a new era, and I’ll gladly put the three records they’ve done since, 2014’s Of Woe and Wounds (review here), 2018’s From Gold to Ash (review here), and 2021’s Until the Darkness Goes (review here), forth as examples of their progression in style and songwriting.

They’ve been talking about their next record for a while now, which is kind of how it goes. In the video interview below, which was conducted this past Sunday afternoon as the band met for rehearsal in Brown‘s basement (recognizable from any number of shared pics over the years), they talk a bit about new material and how they might or might not put it together for a sixth LP, but there’s no concrete recording or release plan at this point, and three years out from the last record, that’s fair. But if it’s 2025 or even 2026 before Apostle of Solitude make their next offering, what, you’re gonna be like, “No, this took too long so I won’t listen?” Probably not.

From Webb and Brown as originals, to Janiak now tenured for 13 years, to bassist Marshall Kreeb, who joined last summer, Apostle of Solitude have a range of perspectives on the band’s history, and I felt fortunate to be able to talk to all of them about it. And let the record show that when called upon to stand up for 20 years of Apostle of Solitude, they indeed stood. I say it to them and I’ll write it here: congratulations on 20 years of Apostle of Solitude.

Enjoy the interview. The tour announcement (fresh today) follows in blue.

Here you go:

Apostle of Solitude, Full Band Interview, March 3, 2024

(L-R in video: Steve Janiak, Marshall Kreeb, Chuck Brown, Corey Webb)

Commemorating their 20th Anniversary, Apostle of Solitude embark on a European tour this spring. The tour begins at the Grand Paris Sludge festival in Paris France on April 26th, and includes 14 shows in 7 different countries (including 5 shows and 2 festival appearances with Eyehategod), concluding at Desertfest Oslo in Oslo, Norway on May 11th. Apostle of Solitude have released five full-length albums since the band’s inception in 2004, the most recent being their 2021 release “Until The Darkness Goes”, on Cruz Del Sur Music.

20th Anniversary EU Tour dates are as follows:

April 26 – Paris, France @ Savigny le Temple, l’Empreinte Grand Paris Sludge
April 27 – Martigny, Switzerland @ Les Caves du Manior
April 28 – Torino, Italy @ Ziggy Club
April 29 – Bologna, Italy @ Freakout Club
April 30 – Viareggio, Italy @ Circolo ARCI GOB
May 02 – Osnabrück, Germany @ Bastard Club
May 03 – Berlin, Germany @ Slaughterhouse Berlin
May 04 – Vienna, Austria @ Escape Metalcorner
May 05 – Budapest, Hungary @ Robot
May 07 – Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlachthof Wiesbaden
May 08 – Göppingen, Germany @ Zille
May 09 – Düsseldorf, Germany @ Pitcher
May 10 – Sebnitz, Germany @ Wonnemond Festival
May 11 – Oslo, Norway @ Desertfest Oslo

Apostle of Solitude, Until the Darkness Goes (2021)

Apostle of Solitude on Facebook

Apostle of Solitude on Instagram

Apostle of Solitude on Bandcamp

Apostle of Solitude BigCartel store

Apostle of Solitude website

Cruz Del Sur Music on Facebook

Cruz del Sur Music website

Tags: Apostle of Solitude, Cruz Del Sur Music, Indiana, Indianapolis

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 9:29 am and is filed under Bootleg Theater, Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.