It’s a relatively quick run on which Norway’s Kal-El and Denmark’s Bogwife will embark as both make their way around to the Esbjerg Fuzztival on May 14 — and I guess kind of geographically inefficient on the part of Bogwife who will leave Denmark only to wind up back there for the fest. Both acts are signed to Majestic Mountain Records — and Kal-El have already been announced for that label’s first festival to be held in June in Oslo (info here), and I’m kind of assuming Bogwife will join those ranks as well before the fest takes place. Seems only reasonable.

While we’re talking about things they have in common, both bands released strong and well-received albums in 2021. Bogwife‘s A Passage Divine (discussed here) was issued in September, and Kal-El‘s Dark Majesty (review here) was released in August, and as previously been noted, was recently nominated for a Spellmann prize, otherwise known as the Norwegian Grammy. A feather in the cap, in any case.

The tour starts after Kal-El appear at Sonic Whip and runs for eight days with two shows still TBA. If you’re between Rotterdam and Esbjerg and can help out, speak up.

Kal-El announced the dates thusly:

As we do two festivals early May, we gang up with labelmates Bogwife for a few dates in between. Its been a bit on and of with the dates due to restrictions, and we have two spare dates up for grabs. Any takers please contact Lasher Agency to get it sorted.

6/5 – Sonic Whip Festival – Nijmegen, NL (Only KAL-EL)
7/5 – la Zone – Liege, BE
8/5 – Cafe Central – Brussels, BE
10/5 – Bastard Club – Osnabrück, GE
11/5 – Baroeg – Rotterdam, NL
12/5 – TBA (contact Lasher Agency for booking)
13/5 – TBA (contact Lasher Agency for booking)
14/5 – Fuzztival – Esbjerg, DK

This is going to be a very heavy experience, see you out there.

http://kal-el.no
http://kal-el.bandcamp.com
http://facebook.com/kalelproject
http://instagram.com/kalelband

https://www.facebook.com/Bogwife
https://bogwife.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/bogwifeband/

http://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com
http://facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords
http://instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

Kal-El, Dark Majesty (2021)

Bogwife, A Passage Divine (2021)

Snare snaps and then you’re immediately swallowed by the fuzz of Bogwife‘s new single. If you’re the type to get a headache or worse from flashing lights, you’ll want to listen to “Celestial Dawn” without necessarily watching the video that’s premiering below — that is, I encourage you to hear the track one way or the other, but I’m not trying to hurt anybody by not giving fair warning — which culls together performance footage of the Danish four-piece as they unfurl the first audio from their upcoming LP, A Passage Divine. Set to release on Sept. 17, their second album overall behind last summer’s Halls of Rebirth (on Psychedelic Salad) reunites the band with producer Jacob Bredahl (HateSphere, Allhelluja, many, many more as performer and producer) and will be Bogwife‘s first offering through Majestic Mountain Records.

The consuming riffage becomes the theme of “Celestial Dawn,” tapping into Witchcult-era Electric Wizard while remaining more clearheaded in its vocal melody, nestling into a nodding groove that is smooth, warm and weighted in kind. Whether you watch the video or put it on switch tabs or apps or whatever, the track is easy to dig and I’m happy to premiere it ahead of A Passage Divine starting preorders.

You’ll find it at the bottom of the post, following the announcement from the PR wire:

A Passage Divine, the brand-new album by Bogwife will be officially released on 17th September

Pre-order the album HERE: https://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com/

Formed in 2018 in the city of Aalborg, Bogwife – named after a mythical, swamp dwelling creature from Scandinavian folklore – is a Danish quartet which experiments with elements of doom, stoner rock and psychedelia to create a mesmerising mist of sound which, much like its namesake, casts a spell over everyone it touches.

Their debut album, Halls of Rebirth, released in July of last year was not only well received across the scene in general, which was no small feat given how little opportunity the band had to play live or test their material out in front of fans. Using that spare time to write new material instead, the band pushed ahead and recorded their second full-length – titled, A Passage Divine – with Jacob Bredahl at Dead Rat Studio in the spring of 2021.

“For us, A Passage Divine is a natural continuation of what we began exploring on our last record, both in terms of our musical development and how we write and compose lyrics,” explains the band. “Lyrically, all the songs revolve around the bog and the significance the bog had mythologically in the Iron Age in Europe. Whereas musically, it all just felt ‘right’ instead of us putting pressure on ourselves to achieve a specific goal or structure.”

A Passage Divine, the brand-new album by Bogwife will be officially released on 17th September through Majestic Mountain Records

Track Listing
1. The Approach
2. Restoration
3. Among the Trees
4. Celestial Dawn
5. Descent

Artist: Bogwife
Album: A Passage Divine
Record Label: Majestic Mountain Records
Formats: CD/Digital/Vinyl
Release Date: 17/09/2021

https://www.facebook.com/Bogwife
https://bogwife.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/bogwifeband/
http://majesticmountainrecords.bigcartel.com
http://facebook.com/majesticmountainrecords
http://instagram.com/majesticmountainrecords

Bogwife, “Celestial Dawn” video premiere