Posted in Whathaveyou on July 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Man this looks like a wild time. Desertfest Belgium 2023 has just about finalized its lineup, bringing Enslaved, Quicksand, Black Mirrors, Khan, Iron Jinn, Bushfire and a host of others to the bill and teasing that there’s still one more to add. Belgian native. A surprise. You’ll note below that it says “artist” instead of “band.” Could it be a solo act? Curious.
Whoever it is, they’ll join a packed bill that stands out even among the crowded European Fall festival circuit. You can see the list of names below and I sincerely doubt you need me to tell you how badass an assemblage it is, so I won’t. I will point out that it’s a great mix of European and American acts with representatives from Australia in Khan and South Africa in Ruff Majik. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s four continents accounted for across the three days of the fest. Not too shabby.
The latest from the fest is below, as per social media:
We are excited to announce the following final bands. Some are big, some badass, some barbaric, some boisterous, and some all of the above! (#129304#) We are talking about:
Enslaved – Quicksand – Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – Khan – Black Mirrors – LA MUERTE – Fire Down Below – BUSHFIRE – Red Sun Atacama – Iron Jinn – Astodan – Witch Piss
Unfortunately REZN’s European tour was cancelled, so they won’t make it to this year’s Desertfest. We sure hope to welcome them back somewhere in the near future.
On the bright side, we have one final, very talented Belgian surprise artist tugged away in our sleeve! The project is so secret that we can’t say much more just yet, but we will be lifting a corner of the veil pretty soon…
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 15th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Belgium’s Black Mirrors will release their second album, Tomorrow Will Be Without Us, on Nov. 4 in continued alliance with Napalm Records. What a four years it’s been since the band issued their debut, Look into the Black Mirror, and one gets the sense from the title of the new record, the in-the-crematorium-with-the-body cover art, and the album info wrought by the PR wire below that there’s been some shift in perspective on the part of the group, perhaps pulling back from the Native American-informed imagery and lore in favor of a more real-world outlook.
Which means — given the ‘real world’ we’re living in — that maybe they’ve gotten somewhat darker in the last couple years. Black Mirrors are by no means alone in expressing anxiety about the unfolding effects of climate change on the planet, and since damn near everything everywhere is political all the time, I guess on some level Tomorrow Will Be Without Us probably is too, at least if “Anthropocene” and “Ode to My Unborn Child” are anything to guess by. I haven’t heard the record yet, so can’t speak to how it all plays out, but cool that Alain “Never Gonna Hurt a Record to Have Him Involved” Johannes makes an appearance, and if Black Mirrors are expanding in sound and mindset, that’s only going to result in more interesting music as far as I’m concerned. So here’s to that.
Video for “Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You” is down at the bottom of this post. Preorders are up and the link is in the info here twice, just in case you miss it the first time out:
BLACK MIRRORS Announces New Album, ‘Tomorrow Will Be Without Us’ Out November 4, 2022 via Napalm Records!
Watch the Music Video for First Album Single “Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You”!
2017 saw Brussels-based rock sensation BLACK MIRRORS take the world by storm with the debut of their awe-inspiring ‘Funky Queen’ EP. Feverishly acclaimed live appearances and a powerful festival showcase later, the band, fronted by extraordinary vocalist Marcella Di Troia, quickly inked a worldwide deal with leading rock and metal empire Napalm Records, soon gaining further praise with the release of their first full-length album, ‘Look into the Black Mirror’.
Continuing to exceed expectations, the unstoppable BLACK MIRRORS have now crafted a new masterpiece and one of rock’s leading highlights of 2022 – their upcoming release, ‘Tomorrow Will Be Without Us’, out November 4, 2022 via Napalm Records!
Are we killing our own planet? No, BLACK MIRRORS don’t believe that we as humans have the power to destroy mother earth. However, as the album cover below portrays, it’s clear who will end up burning – all living creatures, us. ‘Tomorrow Will Be Without Us’ is a clear statement impacting every single one of us living on our planet. As first album single “Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You” proves, the band pushes their fuzz pedals to the max, delivering a powerful rock anthem you can’t help but move and groove to, yet perfectly showcases BLACK MIRRORS’ unforced, versatile and organic talent.
BLACK MIRRORS about their first single: “‘Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You’ is one of the first songs we wrote and recorded for this album. We felt the song really helped us to shape the album as it embraces a lot of different influences like Nirvana and Hole, but also Queens of the Stone Age, Jack White and even Radiohead. The song is a shout out to the bitter world we’re living in, a shout out to our consumerist society! Our beautiful planet has its limits! We are on a sinking ship. We have left so many living beings to die, to disappear even. We need to change now more than ever – we have to change our ways.”
About the new video, the band states:
“The energy of “Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You” video is pretty close to what you can expect from a live show of Black Mirrors. Furthermore, we focused on what’s behind the lyrics. The colors, mainly yellow and red, were used as a symbol of the burning of our forest, our planet. One of the outfits Marcella’s wearing is a nod to the last mass extinction to warn us of the 6th mass extinction we are currently living in. At the end, she even changes into a tree to embody the return to nature.”
BLACK MIRRORS’ sophomore outing is a deep, soulful and vividly textured 90’s inspired rock record with umpteen layers begging to be picked apart with each spin, and lyrically, traverses humankind’s increasing apathy towards the world around them. The grunge-infused guitar lines meld in harmony, giving way to memorable riffs, rhythmic gems, big grooves and the addictive, beautifully unchained vocals of Di Troia. The album fluxes from fierce and blustery to often gentle and calming, channeling the flavor of MTV’s glory era showcasing acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, Hole, Alain Johannes, Alice in Chains and beyond.
Contrary to the album’s title and its evocative themes about today’s society and a world falling apart, tomorrow does belong to BLACK MIRRORS – there is no doubt they will own the next decade, providing us with the finest in heavy rock and melodic grunge grandeur the world of tomorrow unconditionally needs.
“Like all of us, we had to go through a lot during these past years. ‘Tomorrow Will Be Without Us’ is our answer to all the questions we had during that time, our reflection on the ecological catastrophe we’re all witnessing, our thoughts on our consumerist society, …”, the band comments. “Writing these songs gave us the strength to go forward and to heal us, it was our catharsis. We deeply hope it will bring you some light in these dark times.”
Together with the touch of worldwide-acclaimed producer Alain Johannes (Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, No Doubt), BLACK MIRRORS have reset the bar to unexpected heights, and their new album promises to leave its mark on today’s rock scene worldwide! One can be sure, the music world of tomorrow would be a lonely place without BLACK MIRRORS, and ‘Tomorrow Will Be Without Us’ locks them at the top.
‘Tomorrow Will Be Without Us’ will be available in the following formats: – CD Digisleeve – LP Gatefold BLACK – LP Gatefold Marbled BLACK/GOLD (ltd. 300) – Digital Album
Album Track List: 1. Snake Oil 2. Lost in Desert 3. Tomorrow Will be Without Us 4. Hateful Hate, I’ll Kill You 5. Ode to my Unborn Child 6. Through the Eyes of a Giant 7. Collapsology (Raise Your Voice), feat. Alain Johannes 8. Anthropocene 9. Tears to Share 10. Say it Again
BLACK MIRRORS Live: 11/3/22 (DE) Hamburg – Headcrash (Exclusive Album Release Show!) 11/4/22 (DE) Berlin – Cassiopeia (Exclusive Album Release Show!) 11/18/22 (BE) Brussels – Botanique (Exclusive Album Release Show!)
BLACK MIRRORS Current Line-Up: Marcella Di Troia (Vocals) Pierre Lateur (Lead Guitar) Yannick Carpentier (Drums) Pierre Guillaume (Guitar, Synths, Backing Vocals)
Posted in Reviews on March 28th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Feeling groovy heading into Day Two of the Spring 2017 Quarterly Review, and I hope you are as well. Today we dig into a pretty wide variety of whatnots, so make sure you’ve got your head with you as we go, because there are some twists and turns along the way. I mean it. Of all five days in this round, this one might be the most wild, so keep your wits intact. I’m doing my best to do the same, of course, but make no promises in that regard.
Quarterly Review #11-20:
Ulver, The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Norwegian post-everything specialists Ulver have reportedly called The Assassination of Julius Caesar (on House of Mythology) “their pop album,” and while the Nik Turner-inclusive freakout in second cut “Rolling Stone” (that may or may not be him on closer “Comign Home” as well) doesn’t quite fit that mold, the beats underscoring the earlier portion of that track, opener “Nemoralia” and the melodrama of “Southern Gothic” certainly qualify. Frontman/conceptual mastermind Kristoffer Rygg’s voice is oddly suited to this form – he carries emotionally weighted hooks like a melancholy George Michael on the electronically pulsating “Transverberation” and, like most works of pop, shows an obsession with the ephemeral in a slew of cultural references in “1969,” which in no way is likely to be mistaken for the Stooges song of the same name. While “So Falls the World” proves ridiculously catchy, “Coming Home” is about as close as Ulver actually come here to modern pop progression, and the Badalamenti-style low-end and key flourish in “1969” is a smooth touch, much of what’s happening in these eight tracks is still probably too complex to qualify as pop, but The Assassination of Julius Caesar is further proof that Ulver’s scope only grows more boundless as the years pass. The only limits they ever seem to know are the ones they leave behind.
Last year, Louisiana four-piece Forming the Void had the element of surprise working to their advantage when it came to the surprising progressive edge of their debut album, Skyward (review here). Now signed to Argonauta, the eight-song/55-minute follow-up, Relic, doesn’t need it. It finds Forming the Void once again working proggy nuance into big-riffed, spaciously vocalized fare on early cuts “After Earth” and “Endless Road,” but as the massive hook of “Biolazar” demonstrates, the process by which guitarist/vocalist James Marshall, guitarist Shadi Omar Al-Khansa, bassist Luke Baker and drummer Jordan Boyd meld their influences has become more cohesive and more their own. Accordingly, I’m not sure they need the 11-minute closing take on Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” since by then the point is made in the lumber/plunder of “Plumes” and in the more tripped-out “Unto the Smoke” just before, but as indulgences go, it’s a relatively easy one to make. They’re still growing, but doing so quickly, and already they’ve begun to find a niche for themselves between styles that one hopes they’ll continue to explore.
Though it keeps a wash of melodic keys in the background and its approach is resolutely laid back on the whole, “Beautiful Void” is nonetheless a major factor in the overall impression of Hidden Trails’ self-titled debut (on Elektrohasch), as its indie vibe and departure from the psychedelic prog of the first two cuts, “Lancelot” and “Mutations,” marks a major distinguishing factor between this outfit and Hypnos 69, in which the rhythm section of the Belgian trio played previously. “Ricky” goes on to meld acoustic singer-songwriterism and drones together, and “Hands Unfold” has a kind of jazzy bounce, the bassline of Dave Houtmeyers and drumming of Tom Vanlaer providing upbeat groove under Jo Neyskens’ bright guitar lead, but the anticipation of heavy psych/prog never quite leaves after the opening, and that doesn’t seem to be what the band wants to deliver. The sweetly harmonized acid folk of “Leaving Like That” is on a different wavelength, and likewise the alt-rock vibes of “Space Shuffle” and “Come and Play” and the grunge-chilled-out closer “Denser Diamond.” If there’s an issue with Hidden Trails, it’s one of the expectations I’m bringing to it as a listener and a fan of Houtmeyers’ and Vanlaer’s past work, but clearly it’s going to take me a little longer to get over the loss of their prior outfit. Maybe I’m just not ready to move on.
Naturalist vibes pervade immediately from this late-2016 self-titled Svvamp debut (on RidingEasy Records) in the bassline to “Serpent in the Sky,” and in some of the post-Blue Cheer heavy blues sensibility, the Swedish trio bring to mind some of what made early Dirty Streets so glorious. Part of the appeal of Svvamp’s Svvamp, however, is that among the lessons it’s learned from heavy ‘70s rock and from Kadavar‘s own self-titled is to keep it simple. “Fresh Cream” is a resonant blues jam… that lasts two and a half minutes. The bouncing, turning “Oh Girl?” Three. Even the longest of its cuts, the slide-infused “Time,” the subdued roller “Big Rest” and the Marshall Tucker-esque finale “Down by the River,” are under five. This allows the three-piece of Adam Johansson, Henrik Bjorklund and Erik Stahlgren to build significant momentum over the course of their 35-minute run, casting aside pretense in favor of aesthetic cohesion and an organic sensibility all the more impressive for it being their first record. Sweden has not lacked for boogie rock, but even the most relatively raucous moments here, as in the winding “Blue in the Face,” don’t seem overly concerned with what anyone else is up to, and that bodes remarkably well for Svvamp’s future output.
There are few songs ever written that require whoever’s playing them to “bring it” more than MC5’s “Kick out the Jams.” True, it’s been covered many, many times over, but few have done it well. Belgium’s Black Mirrors signal riotous intent by including it as one of the four tracks of their Napalm Records debut EP, Funky Queen, along with the originals “Funky Queen,” “The Mess” and “Canard Vengeur Masqué,” and amid the post-Blues Pills stomp of “The Mess,” the mega-hook of the opening title-track and the more spacious five-plus-minute closer, which works elements of heavy psych into its bluesy push late to welcome effect, “Kick out the Jams” indeed brings a moment of relative cacophony, even if there’s no actual threat of the band losing control behind the powerful vocals of Marcella di Troia. As a first showing, Funky Queen would seem to be a harbinger, but it’s also a purposeful and somewhat calculated sampling of Black Mirrors’ wares, and I wouldn’t expect it to be long before an album follows behind expanding on the ideas presented in these tracks.
No doubt that for some who’d take it on, any words beyond “members of Monarch!” will be superfluous, but Bordeaux three-piece Endless Floods, who do indeed feature bassist/vocalist Stéphane Miollan and drummer Benjamin Sablon from that band, as well as guitarist Simon Bedy, have more to offer than pedigree on their three-song sophomore full-length, II (on Dry Cough vinyl and Breathe Plastic cassette). To wit, 24-minute opener and longest track (immediate points) “Impasse” rumbles out raw but spacious sludge that, though without keys or a glut of effects, and marked by the buried-deep screaming of Miollan, holds a potent sense of atmosphere so that the two-minute interlude “Passage” doesn’t seem out of place leading into the 19-minute lumber of “Procession,” which breaks shortly before its halfway point to bass-led minimalism in setting up the final build of the record. Slow churning intensity and longform sludge working coherently alongside ambient sensibilities and some genuinely disturbing noise? Yeah, that’ll do nicely. Thanks.
Boasting four eight-plus-minute instrumentals, Couldn’t Handle… The Heavy Jam finds New Jersey trio Tarpit Boogie rife with classic style heavy rock chemistry, bassist John Eager running fills around the dense-toned riffing from guitarist George Pierro as drummer Chris Hawkins propels a surprising thrust on opener “FFF Heavy Jam.” I’ve been a fan of Pierro and Eager’s since we were bandmates a decade ago, so to hear them unfold “Chewbacca Jacket” from its tense opening to its righteously crashing finale is definitely welcome, but the 37-minute offering finds its true reasoning in the swing and shuffle of the eponymous “Tarpit Boogie,” which digs into the very challenge posed by the title – whether or not anyone taking on the album can handle its balance of sonic impact and exploratory feel – inclusive, in this case, of a drum solo that sets a foundation for a moment of Cactus-style rush ahead of a return to the song’s central progression to conclude. They round out with “1992 (Thank You Very Little),” Chevy Chase sample and all, bringing more crashing nod to a massive slowdown that makes it feel like the entire back half of the cut is one big rock finish. And so it is. A well-kept secret of Garden State heavy.
The self-released Dead Seeds, Barren Soil is Horseburner’s second full-length, and it arrived in 2016 from the four-piece some seven years after their 2009 debut, Dirt City. They’ve had a few shorter outings in between, demos and 2013’s Strange Giant EP, but the West Virginia four-piece of Adam Nohe, Chad Ridgway, Jack Thomas and Zach Kaufman seem to be shooting for a definitive statement of intent in the blend of heavy rock and modern, Baroness-style prog that emerges on opener “David” and finds its way into the galloping “Into Black Resolution,” the multi-tiered vocals of “A Newfound Purity” and even the more straight-ahead thrust of “The Soil’s Prayer.” Marked out by the quality of its guitar work and its clearly-plotted course, Dead Seeds, Barren Soil caps with “Eleleth,” which at just under eight minutes draws the heft and the complexity together for a gargantuan finish that does justice to the ground Horseburner just flattened as they left it behind.
Lafayette, Louisiana, five-piece Vermilion Whiskey telegraph participation in the New Wave of Dude Rock to the point of addressing their audience as “boy” in second cut “The Past is Dead,” and from the cartoon cleavage on the cover to the lack of irony between naming the record Spirit of Tradition and putting a song called “The Past is Dead” on it, they sell that well. The Kent Stump-mixed/Tony Reed-mastered six-tracker is the band’s second behind 2013’s 10 South, and basks in dudely, dudely dudeliness; Southern metal born more out of the Nola style than what, say, Wasted Theory are getting up to these days, but that would still fit on a bill with that Delaware outfit. If you think you’re dude enough for a song like “One Night,” hell, maybe you are. Saddle up. Listening to that and the chunky-style riff of closer “Loaded Up,” I feel like I might need hormone therapy to hit that level of may-yun, but yeah. Coherent, well written, tightly performed and heavy. Vermilion Whiskey might as well be hand-issuing dudes invitations to come drink with them, but they make a solid case for doing so.
If the cover art and a song title like “I Swear I’m Not My Thoughts” weren’t enough of a tip-off, there’s a strong undercurrent of the unsettled to Hex Inverter’s second long-player, Revision. The Pennsylvania-based experimentalists utilize a heaping dose of drones to fill out arrangements of keys, guitar and noise that would otherwise be pretty minimal, and vocals come and go in pro- and depressive fashion. Texture proves the key as they embark on the linear centerpiece “Something Else,” with a first verse arriving over a sweetened bassline after four minutes into the total 9:58, and the wash of noise in “Daphne” obscures an avant neo-jazz groove late, so while opener “Cannibal Eyes” basks in foreboding ambience prior to an emotionally-driven and explosive crunch-beat payoff, one never quite knows what to expect next on Revision. That, of course, is essential to the appeal. They find an edge of rock in the aforementioned “I Swear I’m Not My Thoughts,” but as the loops and synth angularity of closer “Fled (Deadverse Mix)” make plain, their intentions speak to something wider than even an umbrella genre.
The lesson of Black Mirrors new video for the title cut from their debut EP, Funky Queen, is much the same as was the lesson of the lyric video they posted last month for the same song: it’s catchy as hell. Not much more to say about it than that, really. The EP is out now via Napalm Records in its four-song entirety and while I haven’t heard it in full yet — it’s slated for the Quarterly Review at the end of the month, so I’ll get there soon — the push behind it seems geared toward bringing the band to wider acclaim. The two videos are a part of that, of course, but even more pivotal would seem to be the tour that Black Mirrors head out on later in March supporting Sweden’s Horisont.
Though they’re veterans of Desertfest Belgium, it’s not exactly like Black Mirrors have been slogging it out for years on the road at this point — remember, Funky Queen isn’t just their debut on Napalm; it’s their first release, period — so touring alongside a more experienced outfit like Horisont will be a way for them to test the waters both in terms of their own experience, how they work as a road band, and give them a crash course in how to engage an audience night after night. It’s an oldschool way to go about it, which is fitting enough to the band’s classic heavy rock sound, but if it’s something you really want to get done, I’m not sure there’s any other way to go. You’ll note that the list of tour dates below ends with a couple headlining gigs. I doubt very much that if all goes according to plan they’ll be Black Mirrors‘ last.
But that’s getting ahead of events unfolding. In the meantime, the “Funky Queen” video plays off simple visuals and silhouetted performance footage to highlight the song itself, which stands up to such scrutiny. I’m looking forward to getting to know the other three tracks on the EP better, and to seeing how the response to Black Mirrors continues to take shape as more people hear Funky Queen and the band moves on after this tour toward the next one very likely already being planned.
PR wire info follows the clip below.
Please enjoy:
Black Mirrors, “Funky Queen” official video
BLACK MIRRORS RELEASE NEW VIDEO
Debut EP ‘Funky Queen’ March 3rd 2017 on Napalm Records!
If Janis Joplin, Jack White, Anouk, Nirvana and Queens Of The Stone Age ever had the chance to breed, BLACK MIRRORS would have been their favorite creation. This jewel is Belgium’s answer to pretty much every rock band out there: BLACK MIRRORS, fronted by the charismatic vocalist Marcella Di Troia, manage to gather an endless amount of influences which have been ruling the rock n’ roll universe for decades, and combine them into BLACK MIRRORS’ very own and special sound. It’s been only a matter of time for their first debut EP, ‘Funky Queen’, to finally see the light of day on March 3rd 2017 via Napalm Records!
Now the band unveiled a brand new video for the EP-title track ‘Funky Queen’, and this one is a keeper! Filmed and edited by Van’s Ography, get some taste of BLACK MIRRORS’ upcoming EP and watch the ‘Funky Queen’ right HERE.
Says the band: “We hare happy to share with your our very first official video clip for «Funky Queen»! We had a blast making this video as it was crazy funny to play with our own shadows haha! We hope you’ll like it as much as we do!”
Funky Queen – the debut EP by BLACK MIRRORS coming March 3rd 2017.
BLACK MIRRORS live: w/ Horisont 16.03.17 DE – Hamburg / Logo 17.03.17 DE – Siegen / Vortex 18.03.17 DE – Dusseldorf / Pitcher 19.03.17 NL – Helmond / Cacaofabriek 20.03.17 NL – Nijmegen / Merleyn 21.03.17 BE – Liège / La Zone 23.03.17 DE – Munich / Backstage 24.03.17 IT – Fontaneto D’Agogna / Phenomenon 25.03.17 CH – Pratteln / Z7 26.03.17 AT – Vienna / Das Bach 27.03.17 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse 28.03.17 DE – Mörlenbach-Weiher / Live Music Hall 29.03.17 DE – Lichtenfels / Paunchy Cats 30.03.17 DE – Berlin / Privatclub 31.03.17 DK – Randers / Von Hatten 01.04.17 DK – Copenhagen / Huset
BLACK MIRRORS Headline Shows: 02.03.2017 BE – Brussels / Botanique 06.04.2017 BE – Antwerp / Trix
Posted in Bootleg Theater on February 2nd, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Last month, Napalm Records announced that it had picked up Belgian outfit Black Mirrors for the release of their debut EP, Funky Queen. Now, that’s a badass title, to be sure. Any angle you want to approach it from, Funky Queen works. But it’s no minor thing for a band who doesn’t have a release out to get picked up by a label like Napalm. That’s a significant endorsement of promise. I said at the time that I was curious what the band could actually do in the studio, since it seemed likely the imprint knew something that had not yet been revealed to us as listeners — except perhaps those fortunate enough to have seen them at Desertfest Belgium last fall — about Black Mirrors‘ potential.
With the lyric video below for the title-track to Funky Queen, we start to get an answer in terms of where Black Mirrors are coming from. The elephant in the room in terms of influence is probably Blues Pills — and will be for a good number of other acts before they’re done, to be sure; that stuff isn’t going anywhere anytime soon — but Black Mirrors bring a more modern, almost commercial clarity to the production aspect, and what really puts “Funky Queen” over the top is the track’s hook. Delivered by vocalist Marcella di Troia, it’s immediate, and likely won’t take more than one listen to embed itself in your frontal lobe for a while. As an initial impression, it finds Black Mirrors straightforward and making no bones about their intentions: they’ve come to rock as many ears, turn as many heads as possible.
The tour they’re about to embark on alongside Horisont after the March 3 release of Funky Queen certainly won’t hurt their cause, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their name starts popping up around summer festivals as well, but already they’ve got a couple headlining dates that take them into April. Expect more of those too, for sure.
The band offered some comment on the track and EP via the PR wire. Find it under the player below.
And enjoy:
Black Mirrors, “Funky Queen” lyric video
Debut ‘Funky Queen’ coming March 3rd 2017 on Napalm Records!
The band explains: “We are proud and happy to introduce you to our new EP! We worked on it with a lot of passion and love and we can’t wait to share it with the world and to hear people’s reactions. Making and releasing this EP fills us with great joy and hopefully more people will love our songs as much as we do! Initially the song “Funky Queen” – from a musical point of view – was far more complicated than how it is today. There were many different parts that have been revised to eventually come to the current version. We composed the final version on a folk guitar which helped us getting more into the essence and feeling of the song. Funky Queen is about any kind of addiction as in drugs, alcohol or even love. The Queen confronts everyone with one’s own demons.”
BLACK MIRRORS live: w/ Horisont 16/03/2017 DE – Hamburg / Logo 17/03/2017 DE – Siegen / Vortex 18/03/2017 DE – Düsseldorf / Pitcher 19/03/2017 NL – Helmond / Cacaofabriek 20/03/2017 NL – Nijmegen / Merleyn 21/03/2017 BE – Liège / La Zone 23/03/2017 DE – Munich / Backstage 24/03/2017 IT – Fontaneto D’Agogna / Phenomenon 25/03/2017 CH – Pratteln / Z7 26/03/2017 AT – Vienna / Das Bach 27/03/2017 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse 28/03/2017 DE – Mörlenbach-Weiher / Live Music Hall 29/03/2017 DE – Lichtenfels / Paunchy Cats 30/03/2017 DE – Berlin / Privatclub 31/03/2017 DK – Randers / Von Hatten 01/04/2017 DK – Copenhagen / Huset
BLACK MIRRORS Headline Shows: 02.03.2017 BE – Brussels / Botanique 07.03.2017 TU – Ankara / ODTÜ 06.04.2017 BE – Antwerp / Trix
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 17th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Belgian four-piece Black Mirrors have signed to Napalm Records for the release of their debut EP, Funky Queen. That winning title is — again, this is worth stressing — the band’s debut EP. Not just their label debut, but the first thing they’ve put out. And they’re signed to Napalm. That’s not an easy feat, considering that by signing to the label Black Mirrors join the ranks of Brant Bjork, Greenleaf, John Garcia and an impressive host of others. Already veterans of Desertfest Belgium, Black Mirrors will also tour in March as support for Sweden’s Horisont, and they have headlining shows besides, so it seems only fair to expect them to make a splash in 2017 one way or another. I’ll be interested to hear how the EP — which features a likewise brazen MC5 cover — actually sounds when its March 3 release gets here.
The PR wire has details:
BLACK MIRRORS Sign Worldwide Deal With Napalm Records & Reveal Details Of Debut EP!
BLACK MIRRORS are a new Garage Rock / Blues Rock gem that enriches the Napalm Records roster and are Belgium’s answer to pretty much every Rock band out there. BLACK MIRRORS sound encompasses endless amount of Rock influences, which have been ruling the Rock N’ Roll universe for decades. If Janis Joplin, Jack White, Anouk, Nirvana and Queens Of The Stone Age ever had the chance to breed, BLACK MIRRORS would have been their favorite creation. This one’s a keeper!
The band on their new home with Napalm Records: “We are super proud to announce that we signed a record deal with the high-acclaimed label Napalm Records! We are grateful and proud that we can work together with such a big record label and that we’ll be on the same roster like bands as John Garcia, Alter Bridge, Monster Magnet, Brant Bjork among so many others!
We are looking forward to working together with the whole Napalm family and to bring our music to every corner of the world and to rock with all of you! See you on the road soon and stay tuned as we will have some other great news coming for you!”
But not enough of good news from team BLACK MIRRORS as their debut EP entitled Funky Queen will be released worldwide on March 3rd 2017 via Napalm Records!
Check out the stunning EP artwork Artwork by mighty Sebastian Jerke (Greenleaf, My Sleeping Karma,).and track listing below and make sure to catch them live on tour.
The track listing reads as follows: 1 Funky Queen 2 Kick Out The Jams (MC5 cover) 3 The mess 4 Canard vengeur masque
The EP Funky Queen will be available as a Limited First Edition 4 Page EP Digipack as well as black & colored vinyl.
Catch up with BLACK MIRRORS in Europe: w/ Horisont 16.03.17 DE – Hamburg / Logo 17.03.17 DE – Siegen / Vortex 18.03.17 DE – Düsseldorf / Pitcher 23.03.17 DE – Munich / Backstage 25.03.17 CH – Pratteln / Z7 26.03.17 AT – Vienna / Das Bach 27.03.17 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse 28.03.17 DE – Mörlenbach-Weiher / Live Music Hall 29.03.17 DE – Lichtenfels / Paunchy Cats 30.03.17 DE – Berlin / Privatclub
BLACK MIRRORS Headline Shows: 02.03.2017 BE – Brussels / Botanique 07.03.2017 TU – Ankara / ODTÜ 06.04.2017 BE – Antwerp / Trix
BLACK MIRRORS Line-Up: Marcella Di Troia: Vocals Pierre Lateur: Guitar Gino Caponi: Bass Nicolas Scalliet: Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 23rd, 2016 by JJ Koczan
Goodness gracious. Desertfest Belgium 2016 continues to up its stakes. I don’t know if this is the final lineup announcement, but Graveyard would definitely seem to be the final of the three headliners — they join Red Fang and Goat in doing the honors — and the Swedish retro rock trailblazers top a whole list of new lineup additions, from native Belgian groups like Moaning Cities and Dorre to UK psychedelic classicists Purson. If this is the end of Desertfest Belgium’s lineup — if it’s actually complete at this point — it’s already an impressively packed bill, but I’m not at all convinced the fest doesn’t have more tricks up its sleeve. Guess we’ll see as we get closer to October.
From the PR wire:
GRAVEYARD is the last headliner at DESERTFEST ANTWERP 2016
So here it is – the last headliner announcement! We’re relieved to finally reveal that the mighty GRAVEYARD will be headlining the 2016 edition of Desertfest Antwerp. Joining them we have the last few names to complete the line-up: the proggy witchcraft of Purson, the equally mysterious Josefin Öhrn and the sludgers from Berlin, Earth Ship. We’re also proud to welcome Belgian sleaze legends La Muerte to our stage, as well as some Belgian heavy mainstays Toxic Shock and Moaning Cities. Finally, local young talent Black Mirrors and Dorre will get a chance to prove themselves on the Desertfest Stage.
Unfortunately, there’s also some bad news with the good: John Garcia has cancelled his European fall tour for personal reasons and will not be performing at the festival.
So now that’s it, get running for the earlybird priced tickets because in about a week, we will announce day tickets and prices will raise to regular!
GRAVEYARD
The unique psychedelic metal of Graveyard is rooted in the 70s heydays of Led Zep and Sabbath, but the success of Gothenburg’s hard rocking quartet lies in the timeless quality they bring to their riffage. We feel honoured and blessed that their steady climb through the Ranks of Rock’n’Roll now brings them to the Desertfest stage as a headliner.
PURSON
Rosalie Cunningham describes her band as “vaudeville carny psych”. Weaving together influences ranging from Cream to Deep Purple to Jethro Tull, Purson serves up a quasi-mystical pastiche of psychedelic wonder made up of fuzzed-out guitars and Wurlitzer organs. In 2016, the band released their sophomore outing, Desire’s Magic Theatre to much acclaim.
JOSEFIN ÖHRN
Josefin Öhrn and The Liberation combine a retro-chic pop sensibility with 60s psychedelia and krautrock, creating a heady mix that is all their own. The focal point is the enchanting Josefin, who radiates the aura of a lurking spirit, playfully coaxing the listener to embrace a deeper plane of consciousness.
EARTH SHIP
Behold the power of the riff in all shapes and sizes! It would be a serious understatement to simply lump Earth Ship in with the rest of the sludge rock genre. On their recent release ‘Hollowed’, these Berlins once more gracefully tackle the soft yet stronger dynamic of bands like Kylesa and Crowbar with morbid melodies that would make Alice In Chains proud.
LA MUERTE
Fuelled by vitriol, compared to such legendary gutter-dwelling sleaze-merchants as The Birthday Party, Foetus, and The Stooges, La Muerte has become a standard reference when it comes to Belgium‘s underground rock scene. Throughout the 80s and early 90s they released a string of cult-albums and EP’s which heavily resonated with those abandoned by love or devoid of hope.
MOANING CITIES
A psychedelic rock’n’roll band from Brussels blending blues roots, fuzz guitars and oriental psychedelia. Featuring a female powerduo on drums and bass, their sitar-driven groove comes into its own on the new upcoming album ‘D. Klein’.
TOXIC SHOCK
Belgian crossover thrash metal hardcore, influenced by the eighties Venice bands, Slayer, old Metallica and NYHC. Played their first show in 2011 with Black Breath, and since then played shows with Exodus, Cro-Mags, Power Trip, AF, Suicidal Tendencies, and many other trash legends.
BLACK MIRRORS
From Blues Garage Rock to Janis Joplin, with a melodic grace sustained through Qeens Of The Stone Age rythms, Black Mirrors seems to appear between shamanic evocations and spooky representations, in search of a tradition buried in the volcanic foldings of the earth.
DORRE
Dorre was born at the Rock Café in Leuven Belgium, serving up a cohesion of doom, noise, psychedelic rock, blues and stoner in long organic pieces.
