More good news out of the Desertfest Berlin camp in that Witch Mountain and Cough will be hitting up the Austra Kulturhaus on their European run as a part of the fest. The two forward-thinking American acts will also play Desertfest London and Roadburn, representing some of the best doom the opposite US coasts have to offer. Desertfest sent over the following announcements:

WITCH MOUNTAIN (USA)

On tour from April with COUGH, we are thrilled to announce that WITCH MOUNTAIN is added to the DESERFEST 2013 line-up !! WITCH MOUNTAIN is classic doom metal band delivering a magic potion of massive and rumbling riffs that bore you skull, and bluesy, ballsy, and sensual vocals that attract everything with their seductive wildness.

From Portland, Oregon, WITCH MOUNTAIN was formed in 1997. The band self-released a demo “Homegrown Doom” in 1999, and their first full-length album “Come the Mountain” in 2001. But after a 2002 tour with Eternal Elysium, the band slowed activity for several years…

A July 2009 show opening for Pentagram, with guest singer Uta Plotkin, marked a revival of the band. Uta brought the necessary ingredient that Witch Mountain founders Rob Wrong and Nate Carson had been seeking since they initially formed the group.

She was asked to join the band as main vocalist, and Witch Mountain recorded their second full-length album, “South of Salem” six months later. Produced by master “engine-ear” Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Melvins), it was unleashed in April 2011 through their own label Mountastic Recrods. In November 2011, WITCH MOUNTAIN was signed with Profound Lore Records and released their third full-length album, “Cauldron of the Wild”, in June 2012.

Just after, an invitation to play the main stage at Scion Rock Fest 2012 along with Sleep, Saint Vitus, and Down gave the band an opportunity to return to US stages, successfully headlining in the US and Canada for most of June. This fall, Scion sponsored the band’s most extensive tour to date — a 5-week headlining trek around the US and Canada with witchy friends Castle in support.

They will be in Europe from April, with COUGH, for their first European shows ever!! The DesertFest couldn’t miss this occasion, and you either!!

COUGH (USA)

On tour from April with WITCH MOUNTAIN, we are thrilled to announce that COUGH is added to the DESERFEST 2013 line-up !!

Formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 2005, COUGH is a sludge/doom metal band delivering thoroughly massive, epic and impenetrable walls of sound and volume, at points suffocating and claustrophobic, at others warped and hallucinogenic.

The band self-released an EP, “The Kingdom”, in 2007, and followed it quickly with their first proper full-length “Sigillum Luciferi” in 2008, recorded with acclaimed producer Sanford Parker (Minsk, Rwake, Pelican, Nachtmystium). Sporadic gigging followed the release before the band holed up in a Richmond warehouse to write the follow up, but the band slowly laboured forward with the writing. By winter 2009/2010, the band had signed to Relapse Records and returned to Chicago, Illinois, enlisting Parker once again to record the long awaited “Ritual Abuse”, released in October 2010.

Upon its release the band embarked on two epic North American and European tours lasting almost four months ! In 2012, COUGH performed another US headline run, and their first ever Australian and New Zealand tours. They will be back in Europe in 2013 for a seven-week tour starting from April, stopping at the DESERTFEST Berlin to deliver their impressive monolith of sound !

The linup for Desertfest in Berlin gets a little more unfuckwithable with the addition of Witchcraft in a headlining spot. Danava and Lecherous Gaze were also added over the course of the last couple days, and the fest sent over a couple announcements. Desertfest Berlin 2013 is set for April 25-27 at the Astra Kulturhaus, and the list of bands is monstrous with Unida, Fatso Jetson and Yawning Man representing the Californian desert scene while Euro heavy answers back with classics like Lowrider and Dozer and newcomers Kadavar and Belzebong. Not much more you can really ask of three days of doom and music.

As seen on the Berlin Desertfest website:

WITCHCRAFT (SWE) – 3^rdHeadliner !!

After a 5 year wait for all the fans that have been watching out for a new sign of life, the Swedish band WITCHCRAFT have marked the fall of 2012 with their new album ! And we are thrilled to say they will mark 2013 by playing at the DesertFest Berlin on Saturday 27^th !!

From Örebro, Sweden, WITCHCRAFT was founded in 2000 when Magnus Pelander wanted to record PENTAGRAM tribute album. It took until 2002 when the band finally released a first single which caught the ear of Lee Dorian’s label, Rise Above Records, who quickly signed them. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2004, followed by their 2^nd one “Firewood” in 2005, and “The Alchemist” in 2007. They manifested their very seventies-esque distinctive signature sound that made WITCHCRAFT known as Swedish finest psychedelic/classic rock band that helped to spearhead the now very bright Swedish rock scene.

After a five year break, WITCHCRAFT released in September 2012 their 4^th studio album “Legend” on a new label, Nuclear Blast. The new album marked the recording debut of the band’s new members, including Simon Solomon (guitar), Tom Jondelius (guitar), and Oscar Johansson (drums), with singer Magnus Pelander focusing only on vocals instead of both vocals and guitar. Now a double-guitar five-piece, WITCHCRAFT reinvented their sound and shirked off most of the vintage stylization that marked their previous work and boldly opted for something new and heavier. And they delivered the most rocking album of their career!

DANAVA (USA)

To start this rocking new year, we are very happy to announce that DANAVA comes back in Europe in April/May, and will play at the DESERTFEST BERLIN!!! DANAVA is a band based out of Portland, Oregon, that has been steadily rising in the metal underground over the past eight years. The band turned heads with a a lysergic cocktail of stoner sludge, prog pomp, and rocket blastoffs!

They released 3 full-length albums in the past, the self-titled debut in 2006, “UnonoU” in 2008, and “Hemisphere Of Shadows” in 2011, all three on Kemado Records. Through the latter part of the decade, DANAVA also toured with the likes of Witchcraft, Voivod, The Melvins, Acid Mothers Temple, and Down (who have invited the band out three times now.) In 2012, they made an European tour with Saviours including Roadburn Festival!

Now it’s time for them to play at the DesertFest ! Get ready to enjoy their bombastic sound!!

LECHEROUS GAZE (USA)

Some of you maybe guessed when we announced Danava : LECHEROUS GAZE is added to the DesertFest’s line-up!! The history of LECHEROUS GAZE goes back to 2001 when guitarist Graham Clise and bassist Chris Grande started the hardcore punk band, Annihilation Time. After several personnel shake-ups, the band chose to lay the name to rest and begin with another project. They re-emerged with a new vocalist under the name LECHEROUS GAZE.

And after a few more line-up changes, the band released a self-titled 4 song EP with singer Lakis Panagiotopulos on Tee Pee Records in 2011. However, after some brief touring of the US and a full European tour, the Gaze decided to part ways with Lakis, again taking a brief period off to expand their arsenal of riffs. They soon enlisted the help of long time friend, Zaryan Zaidi to join the Gaze as their new front man. With his raspy delivery coupled with aggressively dark tones Zaryan gelled perfectly with the frustrated and heavy sonic assault the band had been building up for release since the break up of Annihilation Time.

October 2012 sees the release of the debut full-length 3 years in the making; which with its maelstromic mixture of heavy rock riffage, punk snarl attitude, and Zep-like attention to detail, “On The Skids” comes across as a hesher’s record collection melted together into one crushing slab of volcanic rock and roll that leaves nothing but burning embers and ringing ears .

Harsh and heavy, LECHEROUS GAZE is now ready to play destructively nasty music for fiendish people !

Oh my goodness gracious. Not a month ago, I was bitching on Thee Facebooks about how California gets all the good stuff like hoverboards and Unida shows, and while I’m still not sure they’ve caught up with Back to the Future Part II‘s vision of the twenty-teens, London’s at least got Unida going for them, and frankly, that’s more than enough for me.

Yes, I did just say I’d trade a hoverboard for a chance to see Unida live. And I meant it. I haven’t been this stoked for a festival announcement since… well, since Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson, Lowrider and Dozer were announced a few weeks back. This is going to be an incredible weekend, and I can’t wait to get there and be completely exhausted by it.

UPDATE: Unida will also play Desertfest in Berlin! More info here.

Here’s the announcement:

* Exclusive* UNIDA Play Desertfest….*Exclusive*

Yes, it’s correct. The mighty UNIDA and John Garcia are to headline Desertfest at the Electric Ballroom on Saturday 27th April. Here’s the full announcement, share it around and get your tickets quick.

You certainly didn’t see that coming did you!! Well, it’s true. Not only have DesertFest already reunited both the mighty Dozer and Lowrider for 2013, but we are now proud to announce that desert rock royalty Unida are Camden-bound this coming April to headline Desertfest 2013.

I’m sure you all already know the story, but that isn’t going to stop it being told over again… Upon the dissolution of Kyuss and Slo Burn, the voice of the Californian sands John Garcia (vocals) hooked up with Dave Dinsmore (bass), Arthur Seay (guitar) and Miguel Cancino (drums) to add their biker punk-metal rhythms to his unmistakable, paint-stripping bluesy grooves behind the mic. Despite huge early promise, a glorious debut album in 1999’s ‘Coping with the Urban Coyote’, a storming split with Swedes Dozer and a follow-up record due with American Recordings in 2001, the band stalled and sank back behind the cacti’ shadows. The long-awaited second album, reportedly entitled ‘The Great Divide’, was never released; Dinsmore left the band to be replaced initially by Scott Reeder and then later Eddie Plascencia whilst Garcia concentrated more exclusively on his new band Hermano and some solo work. Unida was certainly left in-need-a’ something… until now!

Back to blow us all away with the likes of ‘Wet Pussycat’, ‘Human Tornado’ and ‘Black Woman’ plus a whole lot more, this is one pick-up truck full of hulking riffs, fuzzed up overdrive and classic vocal majestics that you simply can’t afford to miss. Get ready to cope with the triumphant return of the urban coyotes themselves at DesertFest 2013!

http://thedesertfest.com/london/unida-headline-desertfest/

http://www.leedstickets.com/eventinfo/3477/DesertFest-2013