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Patrick Walker of 40 Watt Sun & Warning Announces Solo Tour

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 4th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

We could probably sit and debate whether or not it makes sense for Patrick Walker — who recently released the LP Perfect Light (review here) with his main-these-days outfit 40 Watt Sun through Cappio Records and Svart Records — to embark on a solo tour, his first to my always fallible knowledge. Ultimately it’s moot, since the tour is happening this October, but it might be fun? For what it’s worth, I’m in Camp Yes on the question — which, again, doesn’t really exist — given the subdued intimacy of Perfect Light as a whole and Walker‘s performances as the album’s focal points anyway and the clear foundations in the songs of this-was-written-by-one-person-on-a-guitar that comes through despite the fleshed out arrangements in the ‘final’ versions.

It’s not intuitive — one’s brain automatically goes ‘band releases album, tours’ — but Walker has a long history of working against expectations in 40 Watt Sun and Warning, and his audience both knows that and respects him for it, so if this is what he feels is the right call, then it is. Like I said, it’s not really a question. Among his followers, Walker has long since earned that trust, and if a few other curious parties come aboard as well, so much the better.

Curious though how much of the discography might be in play here. Will Walker be reinterpreting Warning songs or stuff from the first two 40 Watt Sun releases? Is this/could it be if it goes well a beginning for a longer-term solo arc? Is there material he thinks of as specifically solo work, separate from either band?

These, I admit, sound like interview questions, and I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to Walker — maybe for the first 40 Watt Sun? that mid-‘aughts era is a blur for me thanks largely to my own solo work, with wine — so that might be fun, but in the meantime, here are the dates, should you happen to be in the neighborhood when he comes through:

Patrick Walker tour

Patrick Walker (40 Watt Sun) European solo tour dates, October 2022.

Thursday 06/10/2022 UK, Totnes – Totnes Cinema
Sunday 09/10/2022 PT, Porto – Amplifest
Sunday 16/10/2022 BE, Brussels – Witloof Bar | Botanique
Tuesday 18/10/2022 NL, Utrecht – Tivoli
Thursday 20/10/2022 DK, Copenhagen – Stengade
Friday 21/10/2022 DE, Berlin – Theater Expedition Metropolis
Saturday 22/10/2022 DE, Jena – KuBa
Sunday 23/10/2022 PL, Krakow – Alchemia
Monday 24/10/2022 PL, Warsaw – Hydrozagadka
Thursday 27/10/2022 DE, Dresden – Theaterruine St. Pauli
Friday 28/10/2022 DE, Hamburg – Nochtwache

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40 Watt Sun, Perfect Light (2022)

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Quarterly Review: Magnatar, Wild Rocket, Trace Amount, Lammping, Limousine Beach, 40 Watt Sun, Decasia, Giant Mammoth, Pyre Fyre, Kamru

Posted in Reviews on June 28th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

THE-OBELISK-FALL-2020-QUARTERLY-REVIEW

Here begins day two of 10. I don’t know at what point it occurred to me to load up the Quarterly Review with killer stuff to make it, you know, more pleasant than having it only be records I feel like I should be writing about, but I’m intensely glad I did.

Seems like a no brainer, right? But the internet is dumb, and it’s so easy to get caught up in what you see on social media, who’s hyping what, and the whole thing is driven by this sad, cloying FOMO that I despise even as I participate. If you’re ever in a situation to let go of something so toxic, even just a little bit and even just in your own head — which is where it all exists anyhow — do it. And if you take nothing else from this 100-album Quarterly Review besides that advice, it won’t be a loss.

Quarterly Review #11-20:

Magnatar, Crushed

magnatar crushed

Can’t say they don’t deliver. The eight-song/38-minute Crushed is the debut long-player from Manchester, New Hampshire’s Magnatar, and it plays to the more directly aggressive side of post-metallic riffing. There are telltale quiet stretches, to be sure, but the extremity of shouts and screams in opener “Dead Swan” and in the second half of “Crown of Thorns” — the way that intensity becomes part of the build of the song as a whole — is well beyond the usual throaty fare. There’s atmosphere to balance, but even the 1:26 “Old” bends into harsh static, and the subsequent “Personal Contamination Through Mutual Unconsciousness” bounces djent and post-hardcore impulses off each other before ending up in a mega-doom slog, the lyric “Eat shit and die” a particular standout. So it goes into “Dragged Across the Surface of the Sun,” which is more even, but on the side of being pissed off, and “Loving You Was Killing Me” with its vastly more open spaces, clean vocals and stretch of near-silence before a more intense solo-topped finish. That leaves “Crushed” and “Event Horizon” to round out, and the latter is so heavy it’s barely music and that’s obviously the idea.

Magnatar on Facebook

Seeing Red Records on Bandcamp

 

Wild Rocket, Formless Abyss

wild rocket formless abyss

Three longform cosmic rock excursions comprise Wild Rocket‘s Formless Abyss — “Formless Abyss” (10:40), “Interplanetary Vibrations” (11:36) and “Future Echoes” (19:41) — so lock in your harness and be ready for when the g-forces hit. If the Dubliners have tarried in following-up 2017’s Disassociation Mechanics (review here), one can only cite the temporal screwing around taking place in “Interplanetary Vibrations” as a cause — it would be easy to lose a year or two in its depths — never mind “Future Echoes,” which meets the background-radiation drone of the two inclusions prior with a ritualized heft and slow-unfurling wash of distortion that is like a clarion to Sagan-headed weirdos. A dark-matter nebula. You think you’re freaked out now? Wild Rocket speak their own language of sound, in their own time, and Formless Abyss — while not entirely without structure — has breadth enough to make even the sunshine a distant memory.

Wild Rocket on Facebook

Riot Season Records website

 

Trace Amount, Anti Body Language

Trace Amount Anti Body Language

An awaited debut full-length from Brooklyn multimedia artist/producer Brandon Gallagher, Trace Amount‘s Anti Body Language sees release through Greg Puciato‘s Federal Prisoner imprint and collects a solid 35 minutes of noise-laced harsh industrial worldbreaking. Decay anthems. A methodical assault begins with “Anxious Awakenings” and moving through “Anti Body Language” and “Eventually it Will Kill Us All,” the feeling of Gallagher acknowledging the era in which the record arrives is palpable, but more palpable are the weighted beats, the guttural shouts and layers of disaffected moans. “Digitized Exile” plays out like the ugliest outtake from Pretty Hate Machine — a compliment — and after the suitably tense “No Reality,” the six-minute “Tone and Tenor” — with a guest appearance from Kanga — offers a fuller take on drone and industrial metal, filling some of the spaces purposefully left open elsewhere. That leaves the penultimate “Pixelated Premonitions” as the ultimate blowout and “Suspect” (with a guest spot from Statiqbloom; a longtime fixture of NY industrialism) to noise-wash it all away, like city acid rain melting the pavement. New York always smells like piss in summer.

Trace Amount on Instagram

Federal Prisoner store

 

Lammping, Desert on the Keel

Lammping Desert on the Keel

This band just keeps getting better, and yes, I mean that. Toronto’s Lammping begin an informal, casual-style series of singles with “Desert on the Keel,” the sub-four-minutes of which are dedicated to a surprisingly peaceful kind of heavy psychedelia. Multiple songwriters at work? Yes. Rhythm guitarist Matt Aldred comes to the fore here with vocals mellow to suit the languid style of the guitar, which with Jay Anderson‘s drums still giving a push beneath reminds of Quest for Fire‘s more active moments, but would still fit alongside the tidy hooks with which Lammping populate their records. Mikhail Galkin, principal songwriter for the band, donates a delightfully gonna-make-some-noise-here organ solo in the post-midsection jam before “Desert on the Keel” turns righteously back to the verse, Colm Hinds‘ bass McCartneying the bop for good measure, and in a package so welcome it can only be called a gift, Lammping demonstrate multiple new avenues of growth for their craft and project. I told you. They keep getting better. For more, dig into 2022’s Stars We Lost EP (review here). You won’t regret it.

Lammping on Instagram

Lammping on Bandcamp

 

Limousine Beach, Limousine Beach

Limousine Beach Limousine Beach

Immediate three-part harmonies in the chorus of opener “Stealin’ Wine” set the tone for Limousine Beach‘s self-titled debut, as the new band fronted by guitarist/vocalist David Wheeler (OutsideInside, Carousel) and bringing together a five-piece with members of Fist Fight in the Parking Lot, Cruces and others melds ’70s-derived sounds with a modern production sheen, so that the Thin Lizzy-style twin leads of “Airboat” hit with suitable brightness and the arena-ready vibe in “Willodene” sets up the proto-metal of “Black Market Buss Pass” and the should-be-a-single-if-it-wasn’t “Hear You Calling.” Swagger is a staple of Wheeler‘s work, and though the longest song on Limousine Beach is still under four minutes, there’s plenty of room in tracks like “What if I’m Lying,” the AC/DC-esque “Evan Got a Job” and the sprint “Movin’ On” (premiered here) for such things, and the self-awareness in “We’re All Gonna Get Signed” adds to the charm. Closing out the 13 songs and 31 minutes, “Night is Falling” is dizzying, and leads to “Doo Doo,” the tight-twisting “Tiny Hunter” and the feedback and quick finish of “Outro,” which is nonetheless longer than the song before it. Go figure. Go rock. One of 2022’s best debut albums. Good luck keeping up.

Limousine Beach on Facebook

Tee Pee Records website

 

40 Watt Sun, Perfect Light

40 watt sun perfect light

Perfect Light is the closest Patrick Walker (also Warning) has yet come to a solo album with 40 Watt Sun, and any way one approaches it, is a marked departure from 2016’s Wider Than the Sky (review here, sharing a continued penchant for extended tracks but transposing the emotional weight that typifies Walker‘s songwriting and vocals onto pieces led by acoustic guitar and piano. Emma Ruth Rundle sits in on opener “Reveal,” which is one of the few drumless inclusions on the 67-minute outing, but primarily the record is a showcase for Walker‘s voice and fluid, ultra-subdued and mostly-unplugged guitar notes, which float across “Behind My Eyes” and the dare-some-distortion “Raise Me Up” later on, shades of the doom that was residing in the resolution that is, the latter unflinching in its longing purpose. Not a minor undertaking either on paper or in the listening experience, it is the boldest declaration of intent and progression in Walker’s storied career to-date, leaving heavy genre tropes behind in favor of something that seems even more individual.

40 Watt Sun on Facebook

Cappio Records website

Svart Records website

 

Decasia, An Endless Feast for Hyenas

Decasia An Endless Feast for Hyenas

Snagged by Heavy Psych Sounds in the early going of 2022, French rockers Decasia debut on the label with An Endless Feast for Hyenas, a 10-track follow-up to 2017’s The Lord is Gone EP (review here), making the most of the occasion of their first full-length to portray inventive vocal arrangements coinciding with classic-sounding fuzz in “Hrosshvelli’s Ode” and the spacier “Cloud Sultan” — think vocalized Earthless — the easy-rolling viber “Skeleton Void” and “Laniakea Falls.” “Ilion” holds up some scorch at the beginning, “Hyenas at the Gates” goes ambient at the end, and interludes “Altostratus” and “Soft Was the Night” assure a moment to breathe without loss of momentum, holding up proof of a thoughtful construction even as Decasia demonstrate a growth underway and a sonic persona long in development that holds no shortage of potential for continued progress. By no means is An Endless Feast for Hyenas the highest-profile release from this label this year, but think of it as an investment in things to come as well as delivery for right now.

Decasia on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

 

Giant Mammoth, Holy Sounds

Giant Mammoth Holy Sounds

The abiding shove of “Circle” and the more swinging “Abracadabra” begin Giant Mammoth‘s second full-length, Holy Sounds, with a style that wonders what if Lowrider and Valley of the Sun got together in a spirit of mutual celebration and densely-packed fuzz. Longer pieces “The Colour is Blue” and “Burning Man” and the lightly-proggier finale “Teisko” space out more, and the two-minute “Dust” is abidingly mellow, but wherever the Tampere, Finland, three-piece go, they remain in part defined by the heft of “Abracadabra” and the opener before it, with “Unholy” serving as an anchor for side A after “Burning Man” and “Wasteland” bringing a careening return to earth between “The Colour is Blue” and the close-out in “Teisko.” Like the prior-noted influences, Giant Mammoth are a stronger act for the dynamics of their material and the manner in which the songs interact with each other as the eight-track/38-minute LP plays out across its two sides, the second able to be more expansive for the groundwork laid in the first. They’re young-ish and they sound it (that’s not a slag), and the transition from duo to three-piece made between their first record and this one suits them and bodes well in its fuller tonality.

Giant Mammoth on Facebook

Giant Mammoth on Bandcamp

 

Pyre Fyre, Rinky Dink City / Slow Cookin’

Pyre Fyre Rinky Dink City Slow Cookin

New Jersey trio Pyre Fyre may or may not be paying homage to their hometown of Bayonne with “Rinky Dink City,” but their punk-born fuzzy sludge rock reminds of none so much as New Orleans’ Suplecs circa 2000’s Wrestlin’ With My Ladyfriend, both the title-tracks dug into raw lower- and high-end buzztone shenanigans, big on groove and completely void of pretense. Able to have fun and still offer some substance behind the chicanery. I don’t know if you’d call it party rock — does anyone party on the East Coast or are we too sad because the weather sucks? probably, I’m just not invited — but if you were having a hangout and Pyre Fyre showed up with “Slow Cookin’,” for sure you’d let them have the two and a half minutes it takes them (less actually) to get their point across. In terms of style and songwriting, production and performance, this is a band that ask next to nothing of the listener in terms of investment are able to effect a mood in the positive without being either cloyingly poppish or leaving a saccharine aftertaste. I guess this is how the Garden State gets high. Fucking a.

Pyre Fyre on Instagram

Pyre Fyre on Bandcamp

 

Kamru, Kosmic Attunement to the Malevolent Rites of the Universe

Kamru Kosmic Attunement to the Malevolent Rites of the Universe

Issued on April 20, the cumbersomely-titled Kosmic Attunement to the Malevolent Rites of the Universe is the debut outing from Denver-based two-piece Kamru, comprised of Jason Kleim and Ashwin Prasad. With six songs each hovering on either side of seven minutes long, the duo tap into a classic stoner-doom feel, and one could point to this or that riff and say The Sword or liken their tone worship and makeup to Telekinetic Yeti, but that’s missing the point. The point is in the atmosphere that is conjured by “Penumbral Litany” and the familiar proto-metallurgy of the subsequent “Hexxer,” prominent vocals echoing with a sense of command rare for a first offering of any kind, let alone a full-length. In the more willfully grueling “Cenotaph” there’s doomly reach, and as “Winter Rites” marches the album to its inevitable end — one imagines blood splattered on a fresh Rocky Mountain snowfall — the band’s take on established parameters of aesthetic sounds like it’s trying to do precisely what it wants. I’m saying watch out for it to get picked up for a vinyl release by some label or other if that hasn’t happened yet.

Kamru on Facebook

Kamru on Bandcamp

 

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Morlock Post “Flower Fiends” Video; The Outcasts Out July 15

Posted in Bootleg Theater on May 4th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

morlock logo

UK experimentalist psych outfit Morlock will release The Outcasts on July 15 through Cineploit Records & Discs. Following up on the 2019 debut, Ancient Paths, the seven-tracker with the three righteous weirdo aliens on the cover boasts an expanded lineup for expanded minds, seeing project-founder Andrew Prestidge (also The Osiris Club, Warning, and others) take on a full band for a broader exploration of synthesizer-fueled krautrock, space rock and way-gone psychedelia. Mostly instrumental, there are likewise-alien vocals on the title-track, and the songs vary between them as to just how much like a band they sound. The seven-minute penultimate “Dream Harvesters” moves from its synthy start to the record’s most riff-led progression, slow and unfolding like what doom would be if it was the opposite atmospherically. ‘Mood,’ I guess.

Fair enough. The subsequent closer “Oceanic Crustaceans,” borders on New Age with its shining drone and currents of synth woven between, but is decidedly more solo-feeling either way, and part of that is not having drums or guitar. Prestidge is joined throughout by Roland Scriver (who also did the aforementioned cover art), Alasdair C. Mitchell, Misha Hering (who mixed and adds synth) and Chris Fullard (who also recorded with Stanley Gravett), and the finale is the only piece not to includemorlock the outcasts some manner of organic percussion, as the opener “Vulpine Megaliths” finds a near-motorik groove in modern heavy-prog style while “Flower Fiends” opts for more dastardly bombast in its tom work and an almost gothic keyboard movement in its second half, leading to the bounce and run of “Host Roots,” which ends in a tumult of drums and drone, and gives over to the thicker-toned “The Prodigal,” which seems to be the mirror set up so that “Dream Harvesters” can reflect back on it from way out there on side B.

Way out there regardless of format, actually. “The Outcasts” is dancey behind its effects-laced spoken parts, and the shortest track at 2:28 (though others are close), and gives over to “Dream Harvesters” and “Oceanic Crustaceans” in a manner that reminds that no matter how weird things get, there’s always room for more, at least until the LP’s full. Morlock‘s vibe is vintage sci-fi but a relevant future just the same, cinematic in its more ambient stretches but balanced effectively against the drumming to stand on its own as more than soundtrack fodder (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I wouldn’t attempt to guess if this configuration of Morlock will hold together over a longer term, if Prestidge will return to working more on his own — though he wasn’t entirely solo on Ancient Paths either — or if The Outcasts heralds a new path that Morlock will stay on for some time, but it works here and feels like there’s potential to keep toying with the balance of electric, electronic and analog elements.

You’ll find the clip for “Flower Fiends” below, followed by more from the PR wire on the release.

Enjoy:

Morlock, “Flower Fiends” official video

Flower Fiends is taken from the forthcoming album by Morlock called The Outcasts.

Available on vinyl, cd and digital from the 15th July 2022

Morlock’s ‘The Outcasts’, the sophomore album of cosmic explorations by synthesist and drummer Andrew Prestidge (Zoltan, Warning, The Osiris Club), is a deceptively accessible fusion of post-punk, electro-pop, Moog drones and Italian prog soundtracks. Blending melody and experimentation into a shifting patchwork of retro-futuristic splendour, these seemingly contradictory elements battle it out in a dream landscape of the ancient and the alien.

In contrast to 2019’s debut Morlock release, ‘Ancient Paths’, rhythm and riffage is to the fore throughout the course of these seven epic tunes. Much more a widescreen version of the band and a collaborative affair, the recording took place in London’s celebrated Holy Mountain studios in the spring of 2021. Mixed in Switzerland by Misha Hering (Memnon SA), who also co-writes and adds synthesizers to a number of tracks, the production veers between the pastoral and the urban, from the roots of the Earth to the measureless depths of outer space.

The ‘Outcasts’ concept began with Andrew developing creature designs for an imaginary graphic novel. The eventual Lovecraft-inspired illustrations are accompanied by a conceptual story-cycle originating from the mind of science fiction author Matt Thompson, all produced in a lavish and limited vinyl edition. A heavyweight pressing with grooves deep enough – just – to do the music full justice, ‘The Outcasts’ is truly an object to savour.

Composition by Prestidge, Scriver, Hering. Performed by Andrew Prestidge, Roland Scriver, Alasdair C. Mitchell, Misha Hering and Chris Fullard as ‘Morlock’. Tracked at Holy Mountain Studios, Bethnal Green, Spring 2021 by Chris Fullard and Stanley Gravett. Mixing and additional synthesizers by Misha Hering, Feb 2022 at Holy Mountain 2, Switzerland. Mastered by Michael Lawrence (Bladud Flies). Words prose by Sci- Fi /Horror author Matt Thompson based on Andrew’s Lovecraftian illustrations.

Morlock on Facebook

Morlock on Instagram

Morlock on Bandcamp

Cineploit Records & Discs store

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The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal Playlist: Episode 82

Posted in Radio on April 15th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk show banner

A tribute to Roadburn Festival is about as close as I can come to an absolute no-brainer. My life is a Roadburn tribute. Nonetheless, to look directly at the 2022 lineup and consider everything the Netherlands-based festival has been through over the last three years — everything everyone has been through — it seemed like the least I could do. I’ve been to every Roadburn since 2009. This will be the first I miss in all that stretch.

In 2021 when they did the virtual Roadburn Redux, I didn’t watch most of it. It was cool, I saw the whole setup they had with the virtual meeting room and I watched some of the streams, but yeah, I just kind of felt sad about the whole thing. And I saw the writing on the wall this year with the daily festival ‘zine I’ve been editing for the last seven or however many years even before I was told it wasn’t happening. Roadburn never needed me, but knowing that it’s happening next week and not being able to be there is sad. This isn’t really a consolation prize so much as a short love letter to the fest and best wishes to anyone who finds themselves in that space. I will miss it.

Thanks if you listen, thanks if you’re reading. Thanks in general.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 04.15.22

Year of No Light Interdit aux Vivants, aux Morts et aux Chiens Consolamentum
Sum of R Lust Lahbryce
Alcest Spiritual Instinct Spiritual Instinct
VT1
Sólstafir Ljós Í Stormi Svartir Sandar
Lingua Ignota Katie Cruel Katie Cruel (single)
Mizmor Wit’s End Wit’s End
Cloud Rat Mouse Trap Cloud Rat
Warhorse Black Acid Prophecy As Heaven Turns to Ash
Emma Ruth Rundle Blooms of Oblivion Engine of Hell
Årabrot Feel it On Norwegian Gothic
VT2
Kanaan Return to the Tundrasphere Earthbound
Smote Moninna Bodkin
40 Watt Sun Until Perfect Light
Messa Pilgrim Close

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 29 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

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Roadburn 2022 Makes Second Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 30th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

Roadburn 2022 redefining heaviness

A lot to dig into here, and I suppose that’s not really a surprise when it comes to Roadburn announcements. Likewise, not a shock to see Emma Ruth Rundle and Lingua Ignota here, as both are album-of-the-year candidates among the underground critical literati and Rundle was supposed to curate 2020’s fest. Cool to see Messa make a return as well, and that new Mizmor is sitting on my desktop waiting to be dug into. The new 40 Watt Sun will make some resonant listening live, as it does on record, and I’m curious to dig into Hangman’s Chair, as my impression of them is they sound like Type O Negative but from Paris, which I guess is nothing to complain about. Jammers Kungens Män will be a joy for all who behold them, and Kanaan‘s heavy turn on their new album will bring Roadburn back to its stoner rock roots — if indeed that’s what they play — in a way that no one yet on the bill will do.

Oh, and Smote. If you haven’t checked out Drommon (review here), do that.

Like I said, a lot to dig into. That’s not even all of it, so don’t let me keep you:

New additions to Roadburn 2022

The second group of artists to be added to the Roadburn 2022 line up has today been announced.

Artistic director, Walter Hoeijmakers, comments:

“Roadburn 2022 will be a festival of hope; a celebration of underground music by Roadburn alumni and young and upcoming bands alike. It feels so great to offer them a platform and it’s equally great to offer our community their much missed home away from home. Despite the difficult circumstances with live music we remain optimistic and move forward with caution. It’s not easy but we’re really hopeful to be able to welcome you to Roadburn 2022. The idea of celebrating together makes everything worthwhile.”

Lingua Ignota will return to Roadburn in 2022, following two explosive performances at the 2019 edition of the festival. Having released SINNER GET READY earlier this year to widespread critical acclaim, the return to Roadburn is well timed to showcase her new material.

Emma Ruth Rundle will take to the main stage to present her groundbreaking new album, Engine of Hell. Due to be our curator in 2020, we’re delighted to welcome Emma back to Roadburn and to have her step into an even bigger spotlight this time around.

Following on from the recent announcement of a new album, Perfect Light, 40 Watt Sun will also perform on the main stage in April. Mizmor will return to perform Cairn in full, as was originally intended as part of Rundle’s curated event, which due to the pandemic didn’t come to fruition.

After performing alongside Dylan Carlson and as part of Zonal in previous years, The Bug will return – this time with MCs Flowdan and Logan to accompany him. Milena Eva & Thomas Sciarone’s curated event gains a new name: Sordide will be performing their most recent album Les idées blanches in full.

A rejuvenated Sum Of R will perform their upcoming new album, Lahbryce, in full on the main stage. Messa’s recently announced album, Close, will be performed, as will A Loner – the new album from Hangman’s Chair.

Cloud Rat will perform two sets, including a special Do Not Let Me Off The Cliff electronic-based performance. Uniform will perform their album Shame in full. HEALTH, Kælan Mikla and KANGA will provide some end-of-the-world dance party vibes. Meanwhile, Smote will perform their new album, Drommon in full.

Also announced is Fågelle, Kanaan, Kollaps, Kungens Män, Pinkish Black, and Wyatt E.

These names join previously announced artists including Ulver, Sólstafir, Alcest, Backxwash, Russian Circles, artist in residence – Full of Hell and many others. Roadburn Festival will take place between April 21-24 in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Tickets for Roadburn 2022 are on sale now. Friday and Saturday day tickets are sold out. Thursday and Sunday day tickets, 3-day and 4-day tickets remain in limited numbers. Tickets and accommodation options are available to view via ticketmaster.nl.

https://www.facebook.com/events/964112394348925
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/
http://www.instagram.com/roadburnfest
http://www.roadburn.com

Smote, Drommon (2021)

Hangman’s Chair, “Loner” official video

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The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal Playlist: Episode 73

Posted in Radio on November 26th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk show banner

I had two ideas in my head for this episode. The first was to do a stuff-to-look-forward-to-next-year playlist, which I did, and the second was to do a me-spending-your-money-on-Black-Friday-Bandcamp-recommendations edition, which I did not do.

Was it the right choice? I don’t know, but it kind of feels like a victory for the good guys every time I get to play All Souls, or King Buffalo, or Sasquatch — or Gozu, or Conan, Stöner, Colour Haze, etc. — and there’s some small chance anybody will hear it, so I won’t exactly say I regret going the way I did. There will be other Bandcamp Fridays, I think.

And to be perfectly honest, I like thinking about this stuff, about new records coming out. I like to wonder what bands will come up with, song-wise, sound-wise, how things will have changed since their last record, how the identity of a group can shift over time. Think of High on Fire. Think of Dozer! A new Dozer album after 14 years. Who the hell knows what that’s going to sound like?

So yeah, that’s what I went with. And since preorder is up for some of this stuff — 40 Watt Sun, the PostWax series of which Dozer are a part, Naxatras, Messa, Earthless — I guess maybe you could spend some money anyway here. Plus there’s always older records to buy. It’s a big planet. There are a lot of albums on it.

Thanks for listening if you do and/or reading. I hope you enjoy.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 11.26.21

Dozer The Flood Beyond Colossal (2008)
Some Pills for Ayala Space Octopus Space Octopus (2021)
Gozu They Probably Know Karate Equilibrium (2018)
Wo Fat There’s Something Sinister in the Wind Midnight Cometh (2016)
VT
Sasquatch Destroyer Maneuvers (2017)
Earthless Electric Flame Black Heaven (2018)
Stöner The Older Kids Stoners Rule (2021)
Långfinger Silver Blaze Crossyears (2016)
King Buffalo The Knocks The Burden of Restlessness (2021)
Torche Times Missing Admission (2019)
All Souls Winds Songs for the End of the World (2020)
Conan Volt Thrower Existential Void Guardian (2018)
High on Fire Freebooter Electric Messiah (2018)
Messa Leah Feast for Water (2018)
40 Watt Sun The Spaces in Between Perfect Light (2022)
VT
Colour Haze Life We Are (2020)
Naxatras Land of Infinite Time III (2018)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Dec. 10 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

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40 Watt Sun Announce Perfect Light Out Jan. 21; Streaming “The Spaces in Between”

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 28th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

Set to issue through Cappio Records digitally and Svart Records physically, Perfect Light will be the third full-length from Patrick Walker‘s 40 Watt Sun, as well as the first since 2016’s Wider Than the Sky (review here). The Jan. 21, 2022, release is preceded by the new single “The Spaces in Between,” which features textures of piano and guitar woven together in a clearheaded but contemplative spirit of melancholia, which, if you know Walker‘s work either in 40 Watt Sun or his other outfit, the doomlier Warning, you know is a hallmark of what he does.

He’s brought some esteemed company along for the ride on Perfect Light. I for one very much look forward to what Walker and Lorraine Rath might sound like together on a track. “The Spaces in Between” has Ajit Gill on drums, bassist Ryan Cowell and Chris Redman on piano.

Fresh off the PR wire:

40 watt sun perfect light

40 Watt Sun – Perfect Light

40 Watt Sun has today announced a highly-anticipated new album, Perfect Light, and released their first new music since 2016. The Spaces in Between is streaming on all digital platforms now. Perfect Light will be released on January 21st digitally via Cappio Records and on physical formats via Svart Records. Pre-orders are live now: https://linktr.ee/40WattSun

Joining Patrick Walker (guitar and vocals), the track features guest musicians Ajit Gill, drummer of London-based progressive jazz band Vertaal, bass player Ryan Cowell, and pianist Chris Redman.

Perfect Light is a collection of eight songs recorded across a year, in Hertfordshire (Chat Bizarre Studios) and London (Holy Mountain Studios). Whilst Patrick’s vivid melodies remain as powerful as ever, and his familiar lyrical themes and fixations continue to haunt this new album of material, the music itself marks another transition in the development of his songwriting.

The well-crafted, personal songs range from sparse, unaccompanied voice and guitar, through gently layered instrumentation featuring piano and delicate brush work, to moments more reflective of the warm, subtle overdrive of the band’s previous album, Wider than the Sky (2016). Like Patrick’s best work, the songs quietly build with emotion, and ache with a darkness and melancholy beauty.

Perfect Light will be available as a 2CD numbered digibook containing a 38-page booklet of lyrics and photography by Patrick Walker bound within the gatefold. The second disc contains a 26+ minute live EP recorded at United Reform Church, Hertfordshire.

The vinyl edition will be available as a 2LP gatefold set on black vinyl, with a 28-page booklet featuring lyrics and photography. There will also be a limited edition pressed on yellow vinyl.

The first vinyl pressing will also include a bonus 12″ single in a unique picture sleeve, featuring two alternative versions of album tracks, including a version of Reveal recorded with Emma Ruth Rundle.

Signed/personalised copies are available direct from the band web store: https://40wattsunshop.bigcartel.com/products

Tracklisting:
1. Reveal
2. Behind My Eyes
3. Until
4. Colours
5. The Spaces in Between
6. Raise Me Up
7. A Thousand Miles
8. Closure

https://www.facebook.com/40wattsun
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https://40wattsunmusic.bandcamp.com/
https://40wattsunshop.bigcartel.com/
http://www.facebook.com/cappiorecords
http://www.twitter.com/cappiorecords
https://cappiorecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.cappiorecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/svartrecords
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https://twitter.com/svartrecords
https://svartrecords.com/

40 Watt Sun, Perfect Light (2022)

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Roadburn 2020 Adds 40 Watt Sun, Patrick Walker, Inter Arma, Darsombra, Dommengang, Kungens Män & Many More

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 29th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

ROADBURN 2020 BANNER

This announcement went out yesterday from Roadburn 2020, and as we in the United States celebrated Thanksgiving — one of our least morally reprehensible holidays until one examines it in any sort of historical context whatsoever — I was extra grateful for the fact that I found out this week that the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch, the daily festival ‘zine for which I’ve served as editor for the last six years, will run again. It’s always a fingers-crossed scenario as to whether there will be the budget for such a thing — it’s not like I could begrudge them making the right choice if it was “who needs the money, David Eugene Edwards or WCD?” — but I am of course beyond thrilled to say that I will be at Roadburn Festival for the 11th year in a row in 2020. If you’re going, I’m the guy with the cosmic backpack dorking out during Patrick Walker‘s solo set.

Which, by the way is a thing that’s happening. That was added along with Inter Arma playing their latest LP, Sulphur English, in its masterful entirety, DommengangDarsombra, two sets from Alcest40 Watt Sun doing The Inside Room in full, and Kungens Män and a whole bunch of others. I’ll look forward to feeling completely overwhelmed by it all as I try to cover as much as possible — like always.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to Roadburn for having me back. This festival has changed my life.

Here’s the update:

Today’s announcement for Roadburn Festival 2020 includes the only band where our two curators cross over: Alcest, who will play a special set titled ‘Visions du futur’, focussing on their last two albums. James Kent (AKA Perturbator) also added OKKULTOKRATI to his curation, whilst Emma Ruth Rundle added INTER ARMA (playing Sulphur English in full), 40 Watt Sun (playing The Inside Room in full) and a solo Patrick Walker set, Helms Alee and FACS.

Elsewhere we added Algiers, Richard Dawson, Dynfari (playing The Four Doors Of The Mind), BAD BREEDING, White Ward, Dommengang, Kungens Män, darsombra and TAU and The Drones Of Praise.

With 97% of weekend tickets now gone, and day tickets on sale on December 10 – we’re looking forward to seeing you all in Tilburg in April: roadburn.com/tickets

EUROPEAN FESTIVAL AWARD NOMINATION

Roadburn has been nominated in the best small festival category (less than 10,000 visitors) at the European Festival Awards 2019. Votes can be cast HERE. Votes and spreading the word are appreciated as it would be a huge honour for us to win such recognition.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1081424195382564/
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/
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http://www.roadburn.com

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