Posted in Whathaveyou on October 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
It’s a good thing Slomosa keep announcing more tour dates, since I can’t get their fucking songs out of my head anyway and it gives me an excuse to put the album on again. The Norwegian four-piece just the other day wrapped their first US tour, engaging audiences as the opener for Alkaline Trio in support of their second LP and first for MNRK Heavy/Stickman Records, Tundra Rock (review here), released last month and in my mind a clear contender for album of the year — and the next night found them hitting another stage, this time in Germany as they set out on the next European stint for October, which includes festival stops at Into the Void Leeuwarden, Up in Smoke in Switzerland and Munich’s Keep it Low.
They’ll take about a month off (as of now) after this tour ends, then pick up in November and December for more shows in Western Europe, then Norway and Sweden, and in January/February, will make their way to the UK and Ireland, continuing to cover their bases as regards territory. Eastern Europe next? More North America? South America? Australia and New Zealand? Japan? I know nothing of their plans, but if any of the above were to be announced, it’d feel like fair game for a band clearly looking to make a career of it and putting in the work to make that happen.
The dates below are out of order — I’m starting with the newest-announced tour, then doubling back for what’s happening between a couple days ago (Sept. 30) and the end of the year — but you get the idea. If you haven’t dug into Tundra Rock as yet, you might consider giving it a shot on the player at the bottom of the post. If not this time, I expect there will be still more opportunities as Slomosa keep momentum on their side going into 2025.
From social media:
Tundra Rock Tour is going into 2025! Finally returning to Ireland and N. Ireland after 3 years. And looking forward to playing Nottingham and Norwich for the first time!
31.1 / Limerick / Dolan’s Kasbah 01.2 / Belfast / Voodoo 02.02 / Dublin / The Grand Social 03.02 / Manchester / Rebellion 04.02 / Glasgow / Garage Attic 05.02 / Nottingham / Rescue Rooms 06.02 / Brighton / Green Door Store 07.02 / London / Underworld 08.02 / Bristol / Thekla 09.02 / Norwich / Waterfront Studio
SLOMOSA – Co-headlining w/ Greenleaf (Psychlona supports) 30 SEP 2024 Leipzig (DE) Werk2 01 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Lido 02 OCT 2024 Hamburg (DE) Gruenspan 03 OCT 2024 Köln (DE) Club Volta 04 OCT 2024 Bielefeld (DE) Forum 05 OCT 2024 Leeuwarden (NL) Into the Void 06 OCT 2024 Pratteln (CH) Up in Smoke 07 OCT 2024 Innsbruck (AT) PMK 09 OCT 2024 Wien (AT) Arena 10 OCT 2024 Zagreb (HR) Vintage Industrial Bar 11 OCT 2024 Graz (AT) PPC 12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
Holiday-trip to Norway anyone?
SLOMOSA Tundra Rock Tour: 01.11 Paris FR 02.11 Vallet FR 03.11 Toulouse FR 04.11 Marseille FR 05.11 Barcelona ES 06.11 Madrid ES 07.11 Portugalete ES 10.11 Kortrijk BE 15.11 Kopervik // Ovenpaa 16.11 Stavanger // Tou 21.11 Jönköping // Scenen Sofiehof Underjord 23.11 Stockholm // Debaser 28.11 Oslo // Parkteatret 29.11 Halden // Aladdin Scene Halden 30.11 Fredrikstad // Månen 05.12 Tromsø // Blårock Cafe 06.12 Trondheim // Verkstedhallen 07.12 Ålesund // T2 Bar og Scene 13.12 Bergen // USF Verftet
Slomosa are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
Posted in Reviews on September 24th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
An orange Jersey sunset and a trafficky trip over the Driscoll Bridge later, I arrived at Starland Ballroom as mentally prepared as I was going to get to pay $10 to park in the only lot within a half-mile radius. It was almost enough, but my cause was just. Norway’s Slomosa on their first US tour, supporting Alkaline Trio of all bands. Not the oddest pairing ever, but still a head scratcher from where I sit. For me at least it would be an early night. Half-hour set, so, prorated down, it was three bucks a minute for me to park at Starland Ballroom.
Counterintuitive lineups and parking lot extortion be damned; I knew I wanted to see Slomosa’s first US incursion badly enough to overcome even the most minor inconvenience. Getting to watch the band for the first time at this past summer’s Freak Valley Festival in Germany (review here), and reveling in their newly-issued second LP, Tundra Rock (review here), well, I woke up in Connecticut, marched in a parade this morning and spent the early afternoon having my innards tossed around on rides at a fair three hours north of here in Connecticut. I wanted to be here badly enough to touch I-95 on a Saturday afternoon. I could go on.
Thankfully, Slomosa did that very thing a short while after I sat my ass on the photo-pit side of the crowd barrier. Officially this was still before the actual show started, and the room was packed. It would only be more so after Slomosa played, and however familiar people were with them when they went on, by the time they were done, hands were in the air. Before they finished, rounding out with “Horses,” as they will, Benjamin Berdous shouted out a couple against the barrier who’d come down from Massachusetts to see them. That beats Connecticut. I was up in the back after taking pictures and looked to the front and, presumably, they were the ones who knew to wear masks for “Horses.”
Berdous, bassist/vocalist Marie Moe, guitarist Tor Erik Bye and drummer Jard Hole played six songs in what felt like a short set, one half of one hour. Setting out with “Afghansk Rev,” they featured “Rice” and “Monomann” from Tundra Rock and interspliced cuts from the 2020 self-titled debut (review here) that set in motion their ascendancy to the forefront of the heavy underground. As noted, “Horses” finished, but earlier on it was “Estonia” and “In My Mind’s Desert” in succession. I’ll be honest, I was a bit surprised to get neither “Cabin Fever” nor “Battling Guns,” two singles released from Tundra Rock, two weeks old at the most in terms of release date, but three and three felt like a fair split. If they only played brand new stuff, those people who drove four-plus hours south might have been bummed out. Slomosa are nothing if not crowdpleasers, if by their own dictates.
They continue to resonate potential. Seeing them play to a mostly full room that caps at 2,500 — there weren’t that many people there, but it was probably over 1,000 — not only did they win over an audience in a span of those six songs, but they did it across genre lines and on their first trip to the country. These are not minor accomplishments to consider, and if the Jersey show is at all a bellwether for how the rest of the tour has gone — they’re more than halfway through — then it’s probably been worth the trip, but what’s really incredible about it is they don’t at all seem to have peaked in craft, performance or presence on stage. Whatever they’ve done to this point, they’re still growing as a band.
It’s hard not to be excited about a relatively young band bringing it at the level they are. They’re not blindingly original in their approach, but they’re obviously doing the thing right, and the 10-year-old next to me rocking out while they played who was there to see Alkaline Trio with his dad? He neither knows nor cares that Slomosa are taking cues from a Queens of the Stone Age record that came out some untold number of years before he was born. The songs were good and people were into it. This is the rock and roll ideal, and on a given night on this tour, it doesn’t matter if Slomosa are one of the brightest hopes for the next generation of heavy rockers, adding to a genre with a refreshing perspective and material that stands on its own when set against the classics that inspired it.
Whatever their future does or doesn’t hold, however far they can push the thing and capture the enduring attention of an always-fickle listenership, Slomosa are crucial right now, and Tundra Rock sets a high standard for others in the tail end of this year. Their first US tour — I sincerely doubt it will be their last, but you never know — felt like an event to witness, however brief the actual set may have been, and I was lucky to have been there for this stop on it. They seemed to genuinely enjoy being on stage, introducing themselves to the crowd, and the manner in which they did made that joy infectious. It felt right to smile while they played, and regardless of style, potential or anything else, that makes Slomosa a special band. See them if you can, and thanks for reading.
Slomosa Interview with Benjamin Berdous, Sept. 5. 2024
[Click play above to stream an interview with Slomosa guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Berdous. The band’s first US tour starts this week with European touring thereafter. Dates are here.]
Bergen, Norway’s Slomosa were a lockdown-era salve when they released their self-titled debut (review here) in Aug. 2020, assembling together early singles “There is Nothing New Under the Sun” and “In My Mind’s Desert” as part of a barrage of catchy, memorable, mostly uptempo heavy rock tunes in a style that harkened back to not the beginnings of desert rock necessarily, but to a point at which is was codified and took on a life of its own as a genre. Tundra Rock, their nine-song/38-minute second album, arrives under different circumstances, though it too has shown inklings of its personality in advance singles “Rice,” “Cabin Fever” and “Battling Guns.”
But especially with the work the four-piece have put in touring over the last two-plus years, shifting quickly from upstarts to next-gen headliners in relatively short order thanks largely to the quality of their work and their onstage chemistry delivering it, Tundra Rock is inherently going to be less of a blindside for listeners. Slomosa, who have moved from Apollon Records to Stickman (Elder, King Buffalo, Iron Jinn) for Europe and signed to MNRK Heavy (High on Fire, Somnuri, Crowbar, etc.) for the US, are a big deal, and a band on whom numerous hopes have been pinned, fairly or not, for carrying a heavy rock torch in the years to come. Tundra Rock is anticipated. A moment to be answered.
There is very little one might ask a desert-style heavy rock record to do in 2024 that Tundra Rock doesn’t deliver with aplomb, character and purpose. The band’s lineup would seem to have solidified, with guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Berdous emerging as a frontman presence alongside bassist Marie Moe — who backs Berdous to make the chorus of “Cabin Fever” a highlight before taking the lead spot for the start of “Red Thundra” at the end of side A — lead guitarist Tor Erik Bye and drummer Jard Hole. The latter makes his first studio appearance here and proves malleable to the driving finish of “Cabin Fever” no less than the weighted crashes of album-intro “Afghansk Rev,” bringing a makes-its-own-groove ideology so that even the taps of the snare drum early in “Battling Guns” become a hook, reminiscent of gunfire as they may or may not intentionally be.
As with the self-titled, Tundra Rock is very much about its individual songs. “Rice” and “Cabin Fever” roll out after “Afghansk Rev” with vitality and tonal depth, and “Battling Guns” picks up from side B’s short piano intro “Good Mourning” to move fluidly into the album’s second half. The singles are well composed and all the more a welcome to the album for the contingent of Slomosa‘s fanbase — because, yes, there is one — who’ve heard them before, but whether one arrives to the record with prior familiarity with (some of) the material or not, part of the point is in engaging the audience. Slomosa are not fostering happenstance hooks, and neither is it coincidental how “Battling Guns” moves into “Monomann,” “MJ” and “Dune”; the band pushing deeper until the mellow-heavy, vocals-follow-the-riff conclusion of “Dune,” which feels monolithic in its fuzz but actually never stops moving, dancing throughout its deceptively tight five-minute course.
As a follow-up to a successful debut, Tundra Rock shows growth in craft and the band’s approach generally, whether it’s the smooth groove-riding of “Rice” or the dug-in riff-twists of “Monomann,” which is organic to the point of sounding like it came together in about 10 minutes at a rehearsal one night, adding to the personality and charm of the record in intangible ways. Moe‘s delivery of the initial verse in “Red Thundra” happens during a quiet intro that reminds vividly of the jammier side of the still-missed Sungrazer, and even though Berdous comes back as the song sweeps into its full volume, it’s a standout moment that one hopes will be a point of development in the future as the interplay of voices makes Slomosa‘s overarching dynamic that much richer. The second half of the album, which has less advantage as regards featuring singles — one out of four songs (plus an intro), as opposed to side A, for which two of the three non-intro tracks were streamed ahead of the release — offers subtle diversity without veering from what works.
“Monomann” is the shortest song at 3:50 and is a swinging riff to follow as it linear-builds across its succession of verses, and “MJ” rolls out with kick-drum emphasis behind its chug and a vocal from Berdous that reminds just how keyed in on the 1998 self-titled Queens of the Stone Age the band are in terms of influence, but is modern and full in its sound, memorable for its repetitions around the lyric “I know how it goes,” delivered with some measure of resignation for the story being told. The room-mic outset of “Dune” feels very QOTSA-era as well, but here too Slomosa find ways to make it their own, moving with the guitar through shifts in volume and strum as the riff-chant takes on more fervency. At 5:27, the closer is the longest cut on Tundra Rock, but by two seconds over “Rice” back at (or at least near) the outset. Even in those final moments, Slomosa are more about setting up crowd participation at shows than indulging some grandiose spaceout. They are focused, sharp and professional, as they have been all along.
Tundra Rock is quick in affirming the songwriting and appeal of Slomosa‘s debut, and they come across like there’s yet potential to be realized in their sound. Between the interplay of Berdous and Moe on vocals and the self-awareness that underscores their material, a nascent sense of poppish quirk and a generally organic progression in the two-thus-far LPS, there still seems to be room to grow. But they know where they’re coming from, are clearly writing songs to be played live, whether that’s “Rice,” “Cabin Fever” and “Battling Guns” or “Red Thundra,” “MJ” and “Dune,” and are distinguished by the level at which they do so. I don’t know whether ‘tundra rock’ will take on a life of its own in the spirit of desert rock before it, but if this album is to be the shape of such a thing and a point of influence for other acts to follow in turn, one could very easily do a hell of a lot worse. Either way, it is one of 2024’s strongest declarations in heavy rock, and whatever hype it has, it earns.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
With less than a month to go before the release of their second album — the declaratively-titled Tundra Rock, out Sept. 13 on MNRK Heavy and Stickman Records — and the beginning of their first stretch of live shows on US soil, it seems like a pretty exciting moment to be Slomosa. The Norwegian upstarts are among the most encouraging next-gen heavy rock outfits the 2020s have yet produced, and while their ascent has been swift and decisive, it’s also been well earned in terms of the work the band has put in touring, as well as the engaging quality of their songwriting across both their 2020 self-titled debut (review here) and the upcoming Tundra Rock. One of the best bands out there? Is that what I’m saying? I’ve only caught them live once — this past June at Freak Valley (review here) — but if you ever saw a band on stage and knew they had a shot at becoming something really special, that’s my experience watching Slomosa all the way.
In addition to the aforementioned US debut that has them counterintuitively paired with Alkaline Trio, the Bergen-based foursome will co-headline with Swedish veterans Greenleaf in Europe this Fall — you’ll note below they’re in Newport, Kentucky, one day and Leipzig, Germany, the next; fly out after the show, I guess? — and that will carry them into the Euro heavyfest season in October. A newly-announced stretch in Scandinavia — two shows in Sweden, nine in Norway — will follow, and as that takes them into December, I’m assuming that’s it for the year unless they end up doing a holiday tour or some such. Could happen.
The band posted the new dates and ticket links, and I filled in the rest from other posts to give some more idea of the complete plan. It looks like they’re going to be plenty busy. Check it:
Norway and Sweden! Hope to see you this fall?
We’re adding dates to our busy touring schedule to celebrate our coming album release (Tundra Rock 13.09), this time in Scandinavia🇳🇴🇸🇪
15.11 Kopervik // Ovenpaa 16.11 Stavanger // Tou 21.11 Jönköping // Scenen Sofiehof Underjord 23.11 Stockholm // Debaser 28.11 Oslo // Parkteatret 29.11 Halden // Aladdin Scene Halden 30.11 Fredrikstad // Månen 05.12 Tromsø // Blårock Cafe 06.12 Trondheim // Verkstedhallen 07.12 Ålesund // T2 Bar og Scene 13.12 Bergen // USF Verftet
Holiday-trip to Norway anyone?
SLOMOSA – US shows w/ Alkaline Trio 11.09 – San Antonio, TX 12.09 – New Orleans, LA 15.09 – Charleston, SC 17.09 – Wilmington, DE 19.09 – Wallingford, CT 20.09 – Wantagh, NY 21.09 – Sayreville, NJ 22.09 – Hampton Beach, NH 24.09 – Buffalo, NY 26.09 – Grand Rapids, MI 27.09 – Milwaukee, WI 28.09 – Columbus, OH 29.09 – Newport, KY
SLOMOSA – Co-headlining w/ Greenleaf (Psychlona supports) 30 SEP 2024 Leipzig (DE) Werk2 01 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Lido 02 OCT 2024 (DE) Hamburg (DE) Gruenspan 03 OCT 2024 Köln (DE) Club Volta 04 OCT 2024 Bielefeld (DE) Forum 05 OCT 2024 Leeuwarden (NL) Into the Void 06 OCT 2024 Pratteln (CH) Up in Smoke 07 OCT 2024 Innsbruck (AT) PMK 09 OCT 2024 Wien (AT) Arena 10 OCT 2024 Zagreb (HR) Vintage Industrial Bar 11 OCT 2024 Graz (AT) PPC 12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
Slomosa are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 21st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
I was fortunate enough to see Kosmodome at Freak Valley Festival in 2022 (review here), and after taking on the melodic reach and conveying-slog-without-being-a-slog sensibility of their new streaming track “Fatigue” (yes, it’s at the bottom of the post), I’m curious as to the spaces in which their upcoming second album, Ad Undas, might dwell. Proggy, weighted tonally but not so heavy they can’t give it a shove and have it move, the track heralds complexity and clarity of purpose in kind, and although I’m pretty sure the news they signed to Stickman came out while I was traveling a couple weeks ago (at least I thought it did) through social media, the PR wire makes it official with more details and, of course, the song itself.
Anybody notice Stickman‘s ongoing roster build? Yeah, you’ve got the Elder-adjacent stuff like Delving and Weite, but consider Full Earth, Temple Fang, Iron Jinn and Slomosa (who I think are still releasing through Stickman in Europe despite signing to MNRK Heavy in the US). Kosmodome push the label’s breadth into next-gen prog-psych even further, adding to the sphere while reaffirming their own intentions. If you can dig it — and you can; I believe in you — “Fatigue” waits below.
From the PR wire:
Norwegian Prog-Psych Rockers KOSMODOME Sign To Stickman Records & Release Album Details + Single From Upcoming Album “Ad Undas”!
Kosmodome, a rising star in the firmament of Norway’s flourishing prog music scene, have signed a deal with Stickman Records, who will proudly release the band’s sophomore studio album “Ad Undas” on October 11, 2024! The album pre-sale will start on September 6th.
The brainchild of the two Sandvik brothers, Sturle on guitars and vocals, and Severin on drums, Kosmodome’s music is riff-based rock with stoner elements all of which are placed within a progressive universe to great effect. Together, the duo bridges the gap between the explosive drive of bands such as Mastodon with melodic magic and retrospective, clever songwriting.
Today, the band is premiering a first single, the album closing track “Fatigue”, which Severin Sandvik describes as “a hard hitting song that captures the relentless grind — where every push feels like progress, but the weight of expectations and how you handle them pulls you under. It depicts the toll of constant striving and the need for balance in a hectic life. It’s the anthem of burning out, yet refusing to give up. Heavy psychedelic rock as well as progressive and stoner are genres that describe it.”
Hailing from Bergen, Kosmodome’s astonishing debut album from 2021 heralded the arrival of a melodic progressive powerhouse of a different stripe. While endlessly groovy, the band sidesteps the stoner genre by virtue of their sheer creativity, crafting extremely catchy but still unpredictable tracks topped by excellent vocals. With an explosive drive in which the melodious contrasts the hard and heavy music, Kosmodome came to blow minds with their psychedelic sounding, 60s atmosphere-coloured rock!
In recent years, the band has reached out beyond the Norwegian west coast and is now ready with their second full length album “Ad Undas”. On this album, they are less confined by genre expectations, but still sound like Kosmodome. Growing up with all types of music genres in a musical home from world music to metal is something the songwriting reflects.
Musically the record shows what else lives inside the progressive universe Kosmodome are building, where one/the goal is to avoid being stuck in genre expectations. Seeking a more dynamic and melodious sound than earlier, the songwriters – brothers Sandvik, but appearing as a stellar four piece live band – still deliver an album with heavy riffs, aggressiveness and many surprises.
Lyrically it delves into personal struggles with self-doubt, the pressures of societal expectations, and the existential battles of modern life. The songs touch on different aspects of the human condition, from the fear of failure and the need for growth to the turmoil of modern living and relentless self-exertion in a chaotic world. Ad undas is a Greek term meaning “to the waves”, but in Norway it is used as an expression when everything goes “to hell” or fails (everything goes south).
Kosmodome have played concerts on different stages in Norway and abroad, and are ready for more live performances after a studio hiatus in 2023 working on their much-awaited, second album, “Ad Undas” , set to be released on Stickman Records on October 11, 2024!
I’m not trying to play Mr. Cool here or anything like that, but I’m just not sure how much of an announcement there is to coincide with Slomosa’s new video for “Battling Guns.” I was hoping the PR wire would have word of their new album to coincide with the single/clip’s release, but no such luck as yet. The band I think put it up at midnight last night CET, and it’s still early AM on the US East Coast, so maybe the press release will be along.
The Norwegian four-piece are due to confirm a release date for their second album, of which “Battling Guns” is a highlight, among other things around that. They’ve already lined up their first-ever US touring, in odd-fit-but-whatever support of Alkaline Trio this September, and after that they’re set to return to Europe on the quick to co-headline with Greenleaf as Psychlona open. A concurrent album release doesn’t seem unreasonable as expectations go, but until I see it, I’m not saying it. Record could show up in December for all I know.
Whenever it’s due, Slomosa‘s sophomore outing will have received significant lead-in. “Battling Guns” follows behind two other singles in “Rice” and “Cabin Fever” (video premiere here), and last I heard both of those were also on the record. That’s nearly half of the tracklisting by the time you get past the intro and interlude, so a not-insubstantial portion. But it’s the shows and the touring that are going to keep propelling this band, and the songs that are going to get heads out to the shows, so yes, the more the merrier, however grim and Europe-at-war the theme is around “Battling Guns.”
Crazy catchy, though, and a sweet encapsulation of how Slomosa have been able to put so much of the heavy underground in their corner since the release of their 2020 self-titled debut (review here). There ain’t no secret to it. It’s the songs themselves.
If an album or anything-else announcement does come through, I’ll add it in here and make a note. Until then, the video is worth enjoying on its own merits, so by all means, have at it.
Tour dates and such follow, as well as players for “Cabin Fever” and “Rice” [EDIT: Yeah, that press release came in. Album is called Tundra Rock, will be out through MNRK Heavy and Stickman Records on Sept. 13. More below.]:
Slomosa, “Battling Guns” official video
Slomosa Sign to MNRK Heavy; Band to Release New LP, ‘Tundra Rock’, September 13
Stream New Video “Battling Guns” Now; U.S. Tour Dates Announced
Norwegian riff-rock regalers, Slomosa, have signed with independent music group MNRK Heavy (High on Fire, Escuela Grind, Crowbar). The Bergen-based band will release its new LP, ‘Tundra Rock’, on September 13. Boasting a brazen backbone of groove-bitten punch and silken melodic hooks heavily inspired by the Palm Desert music scene, Slomosa showcases a hibernating sound that has been reawakened for a new generation. Pre-order/save ‘Tundra Rock’ at this location: https://slomosa.ffm.to/tundrarock
In celebration of its new label home, Slomosa today releases a video for the new track “Battling Guns”.
“Slomosa is an absolute riff powerhouse with an amazing live show,” comments MNRK Heavy SVP, Rock & Metal, Scott Givens. “They are an incredible band and all of us at MNRK are thrilled they have picked us to be their label partners.”
Expansive mountains constitute nearly two-thirds of Norway. This breathtaking grandeur gives the country a sense of natural splendor and mystique as if its topography has held secrets for millennia. ‘Tundra Rock’ is, quite simply, ‘Desert Rock’ on Slomosa’s terms.
“A desert doesn’t have to be warm”, observes vocalist/guitarist Ben Berdous. “If you think about it, the biggest desert in the world is Antarctica. In this respect, the tundra is our desert. We thought it would be cool to coin a genre, and it’s stuck. You could certainly say the grandiosity of nature is evident in the songs of Slomosa.”
‘Tundra Rock’ is also advanced by the superbly heavy track, ‘Rice’, a cavernous cut soaked in sunbaked groove.
Since the release of its self-titled debut album in 2020, SLOMOSA has performed upwards of 130 shows and high-profile festival appearances in over twenty countries alongside bands such as High on Fire, Graveyard, Elder, Ufomammut, and Witch; its explosive live performances have earned the band an enthusiastic global fanbase. SLOMOSA’s music has even captured the attention of rock greats like Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who shared his enthusiasm for the band on his social media, and Kyuss legends Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri, who expressed their love for SLOMOSA’s sound.
In the end, Slomosa welcome everyone into their world on ‘Tundra Rock’.
“If you listen to this album, I just hope you feel something,” Berdous adds. “This is my life project. It means a lot to me. It’s given me a chance I never thought I’d have. I’m fortunate to be here. I want you to take away that “Tundra Rock” is here to stay.”
‘Battling Guns’ Music Video: Director: Yorick S. Gontarek DP: Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn & Finn Burrows Editor: Yorick S. Gontarek & Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn Producer : Yorick S. Gontarek, Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn & Finn Burrows Executive Producer: Slomosa / Benjamin Berdois Production Company: Front Film Photography : Sverre Hjørnevik Drone: UAS VOSS Lighting : SPRiLT Backline : Backline Voss Additional : HB Lyd og Lys
US tour w/ Alkaline Trio:
11.09 – San Antonio, TX 12.09 – New Orleans, LA 15.09 – Charleston, SC 17.09 – Wilmington, DE 19.09 – Wallingford, CT 20.09 – Wantagh, NY 21.09 – Sayreville, NJ 22.09 – Hampton Beach, NH 24.09 – Buffalo, NY 26.09 – Grand Rapids, MI 27.09 – Milwaukee, WI 28.09 – Columbus, OH 29.09 – Newport, KY
GREENLEAF & SLOMOSA w/ PSYCHLONA 30 SEP 2024 Leipzig (DE) Werk2 01 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Lido 02 OCT 2024 (DE) Hamburg (DE) Gruenspan 03 OCT 2024 Köln (DE) Club Volta 04 OCT 2024 Bielefeld (DE) Forum 05 OCT 2024 Leeuwarden (NL) Into the Void 06 OCT 2024 Pratteln (CH) Up in Smoke 07 OCT 2024 Innsbruck (AT) PMK 09 OCT 2024 Wien (AT) Arena 10 OCT 2024 Zagreb (HR) Vintage Industrial Bar 11 OCT 2024 Graz (AT) PPC 12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
Slomosa are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 11th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
As regards the popular demand for ambitious Norwegian heavy rockers Slomosa — which is real, to be sure — I have to wonder how many of those sending messages and leaving comments in the band’s direction might ever have called it that their first US shows would take place in the company of veteran pop-punkers Alkaline Trio. Not me, obviously, but the odd pairing aside, Slomosa‘s ascent to the forefront of the heavy rock underground continues with this significant step, and as I was fortunate enough to see them for the first and hopefully not last time just a couple weeks ago in Germany at Freak Valley 2024 (review here), where they headlined the first night in everything but name, I’ll note that as significant a step as this tour is, the band are ready to take on bigger stages and broader geographies even ahead of releasing their second record.
As to that, no, I don’t have a release date. It was supposed to be this Fall (read: September), but whether or not that’s happening I don’t know since it’s not mentioned here and hasn’t really been confirmed elsewhere. Whatever the plan ends up being, early singles “Rice” and “Cabin Fever” (video premiered here) speak well of the follow-up to their 2020 self-titled debut (review here), and the mark on heavy rock and roll songwriting that Slomosa are just beginning to make. They’ll likely learn a few things on this tour, certainly about the differences between being on the road in Europe and in the States, among who knows what else, but emerging stronger is part of the point.
They’ve got dates listed for when Ripplefest Texas is happening, but I guess the potential for their squeezing in a stop at Desertfest New York is there, though that might be a logistical nightmare. The routing follows here, as posted on socials. See what you think:
Finally!!! A million begging messages and comments later, we can finally tell you that we are coming over the damn dam to tour the US for the first time ever!!
Catch Spanish Love Songs & us supporting Alkaline Trio on any (or several) of these 13 dates in September:
11.09 – San Antonio, TX 12.09 – New Orleans, LA 15.09 – Charleston, SC 17.09 – Wilmington, DE 19.09 – Wallingford, CT 20.09 – Wantagh, NY 21.09 – Sayreville, NJ 22.09 – Hampton Beach, NH 24.09 – Buffalo, NY 26.09 – Grand Rapids, MI 27.09 – Milwaukee, WI 28.09 – Columbus, OH 29.09 – Newport, KY
Another milestone for us, still sinking in. Thanks for bringing us along, Alkaline Trio. And who knows, there might even be some more gigs added to our schedule🤷♂️
This is going to be a blast, hoping to see y’all somewhere along the road🐫🐫
Tickets on sale this Thursday, 12pm NYC time, on our website and elsewhere!
SLOMOSA are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
Welcome back to the Quarterly Review. Good weekend? Restful? Did you get out and see some stuff? Did you loaf and hang out on the couch? There are advantages to either, to be sure. Friday night I watched my daughter (and a literal 40 other performers, no fewer than four of whom sang and/or danced to the same Taylor Swift song) do stand-up comedy telling math jokes at her elementary school variety show. She’s in kindergarten, she likes math, and she killed. Nice little moment for her, if one that came as part of a long evening generally.
The idea this week is the same as last week: 50 releases covered across five days. Put the two weeks together and the Spring 2024 Quarterly Review — which I’m pretty sure is what I called the one in March as well; who cares? — runs 100 strong. I’ll be traveling, some with family, some on my own, for a bit in the coming months, so this is a little bit my way of clearing my slate before that all happens, but it’s always satisfying to dig into so much and get a feel for what different acts are doing, try and convey some of that as directly as I can. If you’re reading, thanks. If this is the first you’re seeing of it and you want to see more, you can either scroll down or click here.
Either way, off we go.
Quarterly Review #51-60:
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Pelican, Adrift/Tending the Embers
Chicago (mostly-)instrumentalist stalwarts Pelican haven’t necessarily been silent since 2019’s Nighttime Stories (review here), with a digital live release in Spring 2020, catalog reissues on Thrill Jockey, a couple in-the-know covers posted and shows hither and yon, but the stated reason for the two-songer EP Adrift/Tending the Embers is to raise funds ahead of recording what will be their seventh album in a career now spanning more than 20 years. In addition to that being a cause worth supporting — they’re on the second pressing; 200 blue tapes — the two new original tracks “Adrift” (5:48) and “Tending the Embers” (4:26) reintroduce guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec as a studio presence alongside guitarist Trevor Shelley de Brauw, bassist Bryan Herweg and drummer Larry Herweg. Recorded by the esteemed Sanford Parker, neither cut ranges too far conceptually from the band’s central modus bringing together heavy groove with lighter/brighter reach of guitar, but come across like a tight, more concise encapsulation of earlier accomplishments. There’s a certain amount of comfort in that as they surf the crunching, somehow-noise-rock-inspired riff of “Adrift,” sounding refreshed in their purpose in a way that one hopes they can carry into making the intended LP.
Something of a harsher take on A Mortal Binding, which is the 15th full-length from UK death-doom forebears My Dying Bride, as well as their second for Nuclear Blast behind 2020’s lush The Ghost of Orion (review here. The seven-song/55-minute offering from the masters of misery derives its character in no small part from the front-mixed vocals of Aaron Stainthorpe, who from opener “Her Dominion” onward, switches between his morose semi-spoken approach, woeful as ever, and dry-throated harsher barks. And that the leadoff is all-screams feels like a purposeful choice as that rasp returns in the second half of “The 2nd of Three Bells,” the 11-minute “The Apocalyptist,” “A Starving Heart” and the ending section of closer “Crushed Embers.” I don’t know when the last time a My Dying Bride LP sounded so roiling, but it’s been a minute. The duly morose riffing of founding guitarist Andrew Craighan unites this outwardly nastier aspect with the more melodic “Thornwyck Hymn,” “Unthroned Creed” and the rest that isn’t throatripper-topped, but with returning producer Mark Mynett, the band has clearly honed in on a more stripped-down, still-room-for-violin approach, and it works in just about everything but the drums, which sound triggered/programmed in the way of modern metal. It remains easy to get caught in the band’s wretched sweep, and I’ll note that it’s a rare act who can surprise you 15 records later.
Masonic Wave‘s self-titled debut is the first public offering from the Chicago-based five-piece with Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Corrections House, Led Zeppelin II, etc.) on vocals, and though “Justify the Cling” has a kind of darker intensity in its brooding first-half ambience, what that build and much besides throughout the eight-song offering leads to is a weighted take on post-hardcore that earlier pieces “Bully” and “Tent City” present in duly confrontational style before “Idle Hands” (the longest inclusion at just under eight minutes) digs into a similar explore-till-we-find-the-payoff ideology and “Julia” gnashes through noise-rock teethkicking. Some of the edge-of-the-next-outburst restlessness cast by Lamont, guitarists Scott Spidale and Sean Hulet, bassist Fritz Doreza and drummer Clayton DeMuth reminds of Chat Pile‘s arthouse disillusion, but “Nuzzle Up” has a cyclical crunch given breadth through the vocal melody and the sax amid the multiple angles and sharp corners of the penultimate “Mountains of Labor” are a clue to further weirdness to come before “Bamboozler” closes with heads-down urgency before subtly branching into a more spacious if still pointedly unrelaxed culmination. No clue where it might all be headed, but that’s part of the appeal as Masonic Wave‘s Sanford Parker-produced 39 minutes play out, the songs engaging almost in spite of themselves.
There are shades of latter-day Conan (whose producer/former bassist Chris Fielding mixed here) in the vocal trades and mega-toned gallop of opening track “Sky Father,” which Bismarck expand upon with the more pointedly post-metallic “Echoes,” shifting from the lurching ultracrush into a mellower midsection before the blastbeaten crescendo gives over to rumble and the hand-percussion-backed whispers of the intro to “Kigal.” Their first for Dark Essence, the six-song/35-minute Vourukasha follows 2020’s Oneiromancer (review here) and feels poised in its various transitions between consuming aural heft and leaving that same space in the mix open for comparatively minimal exploration. “Kigal” takes on a Middle Eastern lean and stays unshouted/growled for its five-plus minutes — a choice that both works and feels purposeful — but the foreboding drone of interlude “The Tree of All Seeds” comes to a noisy head as if to warn of the drop about to take place in the title-track, which flows through its initial movement with an emergent float of guitar that leads into its own ambient middle ahead of an engrossing, duly massive slowdown/payoff worthy of as much volume as it can be given. Wrapping with the nine-minute “Ocean Dweller,” they summarize what precedes on Vourukasha while shifting the structure as an extended, vocal-inclusive-at-the-front soundscape bookends around one more huge, slow-marching, consciousness-flattening procession. Extremity refined.
That fact that Sun Moon Holy Cult exist on paper as a band based in Tokyo playing a Sabbath-boogie-worshiping, riff-led take on heavy rock with a song like “I Cut Your Throat” leading off their self-titled debut makes a Church of Misery comparison somewhat inevitable, but the psych jamming around the wah-bass shuffle of “Out of the Dark,” longer-form structures, the vocal melodies and the Sleep-style march of “Savoordoom” that grows trippier as it delves further into its 13 minutes distinguish the newcomer four-piece of vocalist Hakuka, guitarist Ryu, bassist Ame and drummer Bato across the four-song LP’s 40 minutes. Issued through Captured Records and SloomWeep Productions, Sun Moon Holy Cult brings due bombast amid the roll of “Mystic River” as well, hitting its marks stylistically while showcasing the promise of a band with a clear idea of what they want their songs to do and perhaps how they want to grow over time. If this is to be the foundation of that growth, watch out.
Dortmund, Germany’s Daily Thompson made their way to Port Orchard, Washington, to record Chuparosa with Mos Generator‘s Tony Reed at the helm, and the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Danny Zaremba, bassist/vocalist Mercedes Lalakakis and drummer/vocalist Thorsten Stratmann bring a duly West Coast spirit to “I’m Free Tonight” and the grunge-informed roll of “Diamond Waves” and the verses of “Raindancer.” The former launches the 36-minute outing with a pointedly Fu Manchuian vibe, but the start-stops, fluid roll and interplay of vocals from Zaremba and Lalakakis lets “Pizza Boy” move in its own direction, and the brooding acoustic start of “Diamond Waves” and more languid wash of riff in the chorus look elsewhere in ’90s alternativism for their basis. The penultimate “Ghost Bird” brings in cigar-box guitar and dares some twang amid all the fuzz, but as “Raindancer” has already branched out with its quieter bassy midsection build and final desert-hued thrust, the album can accommodate such a shift without any trouble. The title-track trades between wistful grunge verses and a fuller-nodding hook, from which the three-piece take off for the bridge, thankfully returning to the chorus in Chuparosa‘s big finish. The manner in which the whole thing brims with purpose makes it seem like Daily Thompson knew exactly what they were going for in terms of sound, so I guess you could say it was probably worth the trip.
Kicking off with the markedly Graveyardian “Hangtime,” Mooch ultimately aren’t content to dwell solely in a heavy-blues-boogie sphere on Visions, their third LP and quick follow-up to 2023’s Hounds. Bluesy as the vibe is from which the Montreal trio set out, the subsequent “Morning Prayer” meanders through wah-strum open spaces early onto to delve into jangly classic-prog strum later, while “Intention” backs its drawling vocal melody with nylon-stringed acoustic guitar and hand percussion. Divergence continues to be the order of the day throughout the 41-minute eight-songer, with “New Door” shifting from its sleepy initial movement into an even quieter stretch of Doors-meets-Stones-y melody before the bass leads into its livelier solo section with just a tinge of Latin rhythm and “Together” giving more push behind a feel harkening back to the opener but that grows quiet and melodically expansive in its second half. This sets up the moodier vibe of “Vision” and gives the roll of “You Wouldn’t Know” an effective backdrop for its acoustic/electric blend and harmonized vocals, delivered patiently enough to let the lap steel slide into the arrangement easily before the brighter-toned “Reflections” caps with a tinge of modern heavy post-rock. What’s tying it together? Something intangible. Momentum. Flow. Maybe just the confidence to do it? I don’t know, but as subdued as they get, they never lose their momentum, and as much movement as their is, they never seem to lose their balance. Visions might not reveal its full scope the first time through, but subsequent listens bring due reward.
The narrative — blessings and peace upon it — has it that guitarist/vocalist Bobby Spender recruited bassist Loz Fancourt and drummer Harry Flowers after The Pleasure Dome‘s prior rhythm section left, ahead of putting together the varied 16 minutes of the Liminal Space EP. For what it’s worth, the revamped Bristol, UK, trio don’t sound any more haphazard than they want to in the loose-swinging sections of “Shoulder to Cry On” that offset the fuller shove of the chorus, or the punk-rooted alt-rock brashness of “The Duke Part II (Friends & Enemies),” and the blastbeat-inclusive tension of “Your Fucking Smile” that precedes the folk-blues finger-plucking of “Sugar.” Disjointed? Kind of, but that also feels like the point. Closer “Suicide” works around acoustic guitar and feels sincere in the lines, “Suicide, suicide/I’ve been there before/I’ve been there before/On your own/So hold on,” and the profession of love that resolves it, and while that’s at some remove from the bitter spirit of the first two post-intro tracks, Liminal Space makes its own kind of sense with the sans-effects voice of Spender at its core.
A solid four-songer from Birmingham’s Slump, who are fronted by guitarist Matt Noble (also Alunah), with drummer David Kabbouri Lara and bassist Ben Myles backing the riff-led material with punch in “Buried” after the careening hook of “Dust” opens with classic scorch in its solo and before the slower and more sludged “Kneel” gets down to its own screamier business and “Vultures” rounds out with a midtempo stomp early but nods to what seems like it’s going to be a more morose finish until the drum solo takes off toward the big-crash finish. As was the case on Slump‘s 2023 split with At War With the Sun, the feel across Dust is that of a nascent band — Slump got together in 2018, but this is their most substantial standalone release to-date — figuring out what they want to do. The ideas are there, and the volatility at which “Kneel” hints will hopefully continue to serve them well as they explore spaces between metal and heavy rock, classic and modern styles. A progression underway toward any number of potential avenues.
What dwells in Green Hog Band‘s Fuzz Realm? If you said “fuzz,” go ahead and get yourself a cookie (the judges also would’ve accepted “riffs” and “heavy vibes, dude”), but for those unfamiliar with the New Yorker trio’s methodology, there’s more to it than tone as guitarist/producer Mike Vivisector, bassist/vocalist Ivan Antipov and drummer Ronan Berry continue to carve out their niche of lo-fi stoner buzz marked by harsh, gurgly vocals in the vein of Attila Csihar, various samples, organ sounds and dug-in fuckall. “Escape on the Wheels” swings and chugs instrumentally, and “In the Mist of the Bong” has lyrics in English, so there’s no lack of variety despite the overarching pervasiveness of misanthropy. That mood is further cast in the closing salvo of the low-slung “Morning Dew” and left-open “Phantom,” both of which are instrumental save for some spoken lines in the latter, as the prevailing sense is that they were going to maybe put some verses on there but decided screw it and went back to their cave (presumably somewhere in Queens) instead, because up yours anyhow. 46 minutes of crust-stoned “up yours anyhow,” then.
