Posted in Whathaveyou on January 26th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Surprised at new stuff from Clouds Taste Satanic? I think that’s how you get to nine records in 10 years. The New York instrumentalists are set to issue 79 A.E., their latest full-length, through Majestic Mountain Records on March 1. The band were recently heard from with the late-2023 holiday-themed covers EP, All I Want for Christmas is YourSoul, which if you can stand holiday music in any context whatsoever was surely a fine argument for its existence.
It was not far behind Tales of Demonic Possession (discussed here), their last long-player — again, nine records, 10 years; their debut was 2014’s To Sleep Beyond the Earth — which came out in Feb. 2023, so this is perhaps their resuming of their pre-pandemic just-about-annual clip. Fair enough. The last album also found them with time to play Europe for I’m pretty sure the first time, and no doubt the thematically-constructed 79 A.E. — the intended soundtrack to a screenplay — will see their attentions return across the Atlantic.
From the PR wire:
CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC: NYC Post-Doom Quartet to Soundtrack the Apocalypse with New Album 79 A.E.
Majestic Mountain Records is thrilled to announce the official worldwide release of 79 A.E., the new album from revered underground doom quartet, Clouds Taste Satanic.
Ever since their formation in Brooklyn in 2013, the quartet’s penchant for harnessing deviant riff wizardry has taken listeners on countless voyages through the psychedelically charged realms of metal. The band melds the minimalist and heavy approach of bands such as Sleep and Earth with the instrumental fervour of Pelican and Bongripper.
Returning this March with their follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed Tales of Demonic Possession, 79 A.E. is a monumental offering from the accomplished four-piece who have a long and prolific history of committing music on the dynamic long-player format.
Serving as a soundtrack to an unmade post-apocalyptic movie, also named 79 A.E., the album is a tale of doom following the Days of Extinction, where the remnants of humanity fight to survive amidst the devastating aftereffects of an asteroid strike.
“After the density and scope of our last record, we wanted to make an album that felt more open and spatial,” explains guitarist Steve Scavuzzo. “Still heavy but with plenty of room to breathe. Luckily this concept was perfect for a film score”.
Fast forward six months and with plans for the film shelved and the screenplay filed away, doubts over whether the film will be made at all didn’t stop the band pushing on with the recording:
“The nature of the instrumental music we make has always demanded a certain level of imagination. It’s key when you don’t have a singer laying out the concepts for you. While imagining a film that doesn’t exist may seem like a difficult task, imagining a post-apocalyptic world should come naturally to anyone who has been to the movies. This album just happens to be our version of that movie.”
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 8th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Getting Masters of Reality over has been a project in the works for Desertfest London since before the pandemic, and it looks like 2024 will be the year. The band burned a few bridges over the last couple years when frontman Chris Goss took a hardline right-wing stance on issues surrounding covid and whatever else (that kind of thing will win fans as well in some cases), but their work remains the stuff of legend and any time there’s a connection to OG-era Californian desert rock — as there is with Goss, who was there in his own band and as producer for Kyuss, etc. — that’s a boon and a good get for Desertfest generally, though even if you’re not a Masters of Reality fan owing to politics or just never having gotten on board, the entire line right under them on the poster is unfuckwithable: Godflesh, Monolord, Acid King and Ufomammut. Goodness gracious. And the next name is Brant Bjork. Gonna be Desertfest, to be sure.
Warms my cold dead ‘eart to see Stinking Lizaveta and Darsombra confirmed — I’ll put Domkraft in that sentimental-favorite category as well, and check out fellow Swedes Astroqueen doing some more traveling — and I look forward to the grandiose plaudits soon to be bestowed on Warpstormer and Goblinsmoker after their respective appearances, which is something Sergeant Thunderhoof should be able to help them through. With Clouds Taste Satanic traversing the Atlantic again, and others like Pijn and Duskwood, Mantar, Maserati and Monkey3, there’s a three-day fest’s worth of acts already revealed in this first announcement and probably two or three more three-day fests’ worth of names to come. I’ll tell you outright I’d shit a brick to see this. If you’re gonna be there, know how lucky you are.
From the PR wire:
Desertfest London announces 25 bands for 2024 edition including headliners Masters of Reality plus, Godflesh, Monolord, Acid King, Ufomammut & more
Friday 17th May – Sunday 19th May 2024 | Weekend Tickets now on sale
Desertfest London have unveiled 25 bands for their 12th edition, taking place across multiple venues in Camden next May 17th – 19th.
Following their pandemic induced cancellation in 2020, Desertfest is thrilled to announce desert rock pioneers Masters of Reality for the event. It will be the band’s first UK appearance in almost a decade. Masters of Reality is the brainchild of legendary producer Chris Goss (Welcome to Sky Valley, Rated R, Blues for The Red Sun, Dust, Songs for The Deaf). Their combination of hard-rock blues with a progressive tinge makes no apologies for not sticking within the stylised box listeners would expect, yet simultaneously provides the perfect lesson in the musical ethos and story-telling of the Palm Desert scene – all led by the man who laid its foundations.
Following an unforgettable performance at the New York edition of the Desertfest franchise a few months ago, industrial trailblazers Godflesh will return to London for a masterclass in sonic brutality. UK exclusive performances come in the form of Swedish doom masters Monolord, California stoner metal legends Acid King and the long-awaited return of Italian experimentalists Ufomammut.
Further Desert Rock royalty rolls into Camden Town, as Brant Bjork Trio will treat attendees to a back-catalogue few artists can compete with. Instrumental sound shifters Maserati, hard-hitting duo Mantar, introspective visionaries Cloakroom and heavy-psych rockers Monkey3 will take the concept of genres and set them ablaze.
Elsewhere the likes of Blanket, Domkraft, Pijn, Sugar Horse, Stinking Lizaveta and Darsombra will bring a captivating change of pace to the event. Whilst the stoner rock vibes remain alive and well with Astroqueen, Wet Cactus, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Duskwood.
If that wasn’t enough to get your teeth into, Desertfest rounds of its first announcement with Goblinsmoker, Clouds Taste Satanic, Warpstormer, Sonic Taboo & Wizdoom.
Weekend Tickets for the event are on sale now via www.desertfest.co.uk with much more to still be announced!
Posted in Features, Reviews on September 17th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
09.16.23 – Saturday – Knockdown Center – Before show
First thing, got kicked out of the parking lot. “Who are you with?” Alone in the car, clearly I’m by myself. Whatever. That’s New York. “You can’t be here.” Is it okay if I exist anywhere else?
Yesterday was great, front to back. Knockdown Center has apparently gotten a new sound system since last year and I’ll confirm with my ringing ears that it is fully functional. But even aside from that, saw cool people I don’t often get to see, met some I’d never met, dared to enjoy myself amid the back and forth.
Got to bed at about 2AM, was up a bit after seven. Charged the camera batteries, phone, etc. Traffic was light on the way in, which felt like a gift, and I did find parking on the street nearby, so yeah.
What does the day hold? An intimidating amount of music. Today opens the third stage — called ‘The Ruins’ though actually it looks pretty nice — outside in back where the food trucks were last year. Brant Bjork Trio out there will be cool, as well as Clouds Taste Satanic and Mick’s Jaguar early. And both inside stages are packed, so it’s right back to it. It is my sincere hope that adrenaline will carry me through. Guess we’ll find out.
Conan loading in. Clouds Taste Satanic checking on the outside stage, where by the grace of Geezer Butler’s bass tone on Master of Reality there is a photo pit. Thank you Desertfest for that specifically. Maybe I’ll just hang out outside all afternoon. Crazy ideas you get.
Here’s the day:
—
Clouds Taste Satanic
Did not turn out to be a photo pit, just a barricade — Geezer’s bass giveth and taketh away; it’s okay though because Tomoko went in and I’m going to do the same next time — but though I went up and laid out on a picnic table before New York’s own instrumentalists Clouds Taste Satanic went on, here supporting this year’s Majestic Mountain-issued 2LP, Tales of Demonic Possession (discussed here) as they are after a first European stint this Spring, they bore the naked riffing and groove that tells you how little you need anything else when you do it right. I grabbed some photos and put myself in a shady spot. It’s a long day ahead, and especially as I’m outside in the sun, gotta hydrate. Clouds Taste Satanic, with their LSD name and raw sound, were a wakeup for me — almost literally — but there’s no arguing with their approach, they drew a good early crowd and more came as they played, and a broken kick pedal only cost about a minute before they were back at it. I’d never seen them though and I’m glad to have rectified that. Imagine sans-vocal toe-tappers, but like 15 minutes long.
—
Mick’s Jaguar
A check-in with New York-based attitude rockers Mick’s Jaguar is appreciated after the late-2022 release of their Salvation (review here) album, and their catchy, ultra-NYC take on heavy revels in a lineage that goes back actual generations, not just musical ones that are like four years or whatever. They’re the middle installment in a NYC triad opening the ourdoor stage, and their party vibe and brash swing and crash were suited to that spot, with some flow held over from Clouds Taste Satanic, but brought to a different context. There’s a narrative there, Clouds Taste Satanic into Mick’s Jaguar into White Hills, Desertfest celebrating the local sphere and its aural diversity. Other than to fill my water bottle — 16 oz. per band; I am a firm believer in radical hydration — I haven’t been inside yet, and I suppose that’s not really saying anything since there haven’t been any bands on in there yet, but the sunshine, gently autumnal breeze and buzz in the crowd were suitable accommodation for an energetic take and people were into it. I’ll say it was different being outside as opposed to when I saw them at Desertfest NY 2019 (review here), when they played the small room at The Well, which has only become smaller in my mind in the years since. Almost the opposite, really, but the fact that they owned both spaces is a unifying factor.
—
Mantar
I didn’t go in the photo pit, because jesus there’s gotta be a break somewhere and I could not envision a scenario in which somebody said to themselves “oh man he didn’t shoot Mantar — fucking poseur,” and I was all set to remain on the picnic bench where I’d been writing and hanging out, but the ultra-aggressive German two-piece drew me inside for a bit. Nasty, gnashing, pummeling and biting as they are, Mantar still groove. If that’s the crossover appeal that lets them play a fest like this, fair enough. They’ll always be an outlier, but you need that for something like this. Yesterday I called Windhand the sore thumb, and they were. That’s Mantar today, if less so with the always devastating Conan on the bill. Godflesh are mean, but it’s not the same intensity. Even punk as they are, Mantar cross that line between heavy and metal, and when you’re on one side there, it’s easy to recognize the other. They’re not really my thing most of the time, but I like that they wreck up the place, sonically speaking.
White Hills
White Hills are weirder than you, weirder than me, weirder than the fact that an electron doesn’t technically exist until something is used to measure it. The list goes on. But the stalwart NYC outfit — third of three in the noted triumvirate — seem perfectly content to inhabit their own spacial plane. Comprised of drummer/vocalist Ego Sensation and guitarist/vocalist Dave W., their persistently exploratory psychedelia — here droning, there rolling, somehow freaking out ALL THE TIME like they’re me with any kind of social obligation — is wholly immersive. Even in the great out-of-doors. Their sound bounced off the concrete wall up by where the trains go (I don’t think it’s an actual station, but could be wrong; it’d be an odd spot for one but these are odd times) and seemed to come from behind as well as in front while standing near the stage, and the effect was hypnotic. A roll you can just go with, a drift set adrift, jams for the universe. Spirals of water down a drain casting hurricane echoes and a scale at which even galaxies rotate. The sun’s out. Everything is great. Let’s be friends in real life.
—
Conan
I went outside for a bit during Conan’s set to let some air back in my lungs after they had squeezed it all out. They’re was about three entire seconds of my earplugs not being in, and I suspect that’ll be enough for me to hear their low distortion in my head when I try to go to sleep tonight. Fine. I don’t know how many superlatives are left to say it — also don’t care — but there’s no mistaking Conan as one of the heaviest bands on the planet. When I was done with pictures, I stood over by the sound desk for optimal fidelity. All hail “Volt Thrower.” Jon Davis, Chris Fielding, Johnny King — guitar, bass, drums — and if you put it on paper it’s nothing so special, but when these dudes hit it, you know damn well to whom you are listening. And if you do go see them, which you should, wear earplugs. The whole time. Sad to say, however, my foamies aren’t holding up to Conan’s volume assault — “Thronehammer” laying waste, as it will — which is probably to be expected. But against all common sense and every piece of advice one might receive from a medical professional, I stayed there and let that volume and tone just kill me. And sure enough, I was obliterated. 9 got another bottle of water though and felt better after that.
—
Dorthia Cottrell
You could hear Mondo Generator playing outside before Dorthia Cottrell — vocalist for Windhand, who played last night — started her set, playing as a three-piece with guitar and violin accompaniment. As to the metric by which I ended up inside instead of out, the math is easy. Last time I saw Mondo Generator was a month ago. saw Cottrell play solo was 2015, and Also last June. Both have new records. From hers, which is called Death Folk Country (review here), Cottrell eased quickly into the sad blues and dark folk — you might say she’s influenced by, death, folk, and country — with the breathy melody of her voice bolstered by the textures of the additional guitar (it was Leanne Martz, formerly of Heavy Temple) and fiddle. To their credit, once they started, I didn’t even know anymore whether you could still hear the noise from outside. Got lost in the mood and the ambience and and somehow it no longer mattered.
—
Godflesh
The Main Stage heft streak continues, and it turns out that what I’ve needed all day was to be churned into so much human goo by industrial metal pioneers and still-ahead-of-their-time crushbringers Godflesh. They have a new record out, Purge. I didn’t see it on the merch table earlier, but will check again to be sure. They played at least initially mostly in the dark and fog, and fair enough, but the onslaught of their beats and distortion, of guitarist Justin K. Broadrick’s gruff, barking shout and the filthy tone of G.C. Green’s bass, was consuming regardless of how visible they might or might not have been. I’ve been destroyed. Bludgeoned. Godflesh were a culmination of the progression on the main stage today that drew through Mantar and Conan; another triad. A decidedly angrier one, and if you want to hear what it feels like when your brain is running a thousand miles an hour and you don’t want it to and your entire body feels overwhelmed to the point of physical collapse — if you want to hear something that will remind you of being an insecure kid — Godflesh are here for it. I’d heard a bunch of good things about them on their current tour — mostly from Boston — and I was not misinformed. Now, about that album. Not on the table. Oh, if only someone would invent the internet so I can buy a Godflesh CD. Oh wait, sold out online too. You’ve betrayed me, circumstance! JK Flesh, one of Broadrick’s many other projects, plays NYC tomorrow. Good for him, making the most of the trip. Also, Godflesh rule. Thanks.
—
The Brant Bjork Trio
Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and Ryan Güt are The Brant Bjork Trio, and they played songs from Bjork’s solo catalog. I don’t have any insight into the narrative of how they got together this time around, but I know that Bjork and Lalli have known each other for decades and worked together periodically over that time. Lalli played on Bjork’s 1999 solo debut, Jalamanta, so that’s about all the way back at least as far as this thing goes. And Mario Lalli and The Rubber Snake Charmers supported Bjork’s Stõner three-piece last year. On and on. Güt is a part of Stöner as well with Nick Oliveri on bass/vocals, and I kind of assumed that when Nick was ready to go back to Mondo Generator, keeping a trio configuration made sense. And crap, if there’s a chance to go on tour in a band with Lalli on bass, of course you’re gonna do that. Together, Bjork and Lalli are sculptors of desert rock, Lalli having actively participated in the forming of the style in Yawning Man and brought weird to the desert in Fatso Jetson, Bjork having played drums and contributed to the songwriting of Kyuss before joining Fu Manchu and embarking on the solo thing in various formats over the last 24 years, the latter I’d argue as his most crucial work. I could go on about this — blah blah generator parties; the horrible truth is I think the timeline is fun — but what I’m trying to say is these guys are real deal lifers, and in addition to having influenced two-plus generations of bands in a global underground that exists in part because of them, they also rock. “Cleaning Out the Ashtray” was a nice touch, and “Let the Truth Be Known.” There was a longer-maybe new song with a classic, sleek groove called “Sunshine” that broke after a couple verses into an even more languid flow, and if there’s new material, maybe this band will put out an LP. That’d be just ducky, thanks. Maybe I’d even get to tell the same story about how these guys are legends all over again! Perhaps with slight variations in the phrasing! Sweet!
—
Boris
Volume and thrust, lumber and noise. Shove. GO. Boris make it all exciting, and are somehow frenetic in their energy no matter what they’re actually playing. They drew the biggest crowd of the festival. Significant, statistically. Brant Bjork Trio finished and Djunah — of whom I saw a few minutes; knew nothing about them beforehand, turned out they were cool; a note-to-self moment — and I guess everybody who was at another stage congregated in front of Boris only to be blown back by a bulldozer of volume. Whoosh. It’s been a few years, but Boris were Boris, and that’s maybe the highest compliment they might be paid, since it actually means so many things, nearly all of them awesome. Wata, Atsuo and Takeshi took the whole building on a ride through a vortex of shred, the set becoming an assault of noise and fog with the band in the eye of their own storm, and while I could go on mixing metaphors and trying to craft suitable hyperbole for what they do on stage, the truth is that I’m really, really fucking tired and that I don’t need to hide that. Doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate Boris, doesn’t mean I don’t think they’re an incredible band with decades of influence and legacy who also absolutely slay live. The not-even-the-end-of-the-day fatigue might’ve put Boris closer to the line between immersion and abrasion for my own experience, but hell’s bells, they’re dizzying when they want to be.
—
Ecstatic Vision
Because I’ve seen the band before, I showed up 25 minutes early to Ecstatic Vision on the Texas stage. Does it make sense to leave a band from Japan’s set to go see a band from Philadelphia when you’re in New York? It does if that band is Ecstatic Vision. Psychrippers extraordinaire. Bombast in excelsis. Willfully sliding into most of humanity’s definition of obnoxious, but hitting this crowd just right. I wasn’t the only one there early, nor first in the room. A reputation, preceding. I knew I was going to miss the Melvins — I saw them in June and as I said then, I’m not a huge fan, though they were and are good live — and somehow having Ecstatic Vision in the small room as my capper seemed just right. It goes without saying they destroyed. The sax, the guitar, bass and drums, the effects wash, the intense push inherited from Hawkwind and Monster Magnet both, cosmic heavy rock turned into a party unparalleled by anyone I’ve encountered in current US psych. They were the blowout, and as excellent as the Melvins are live (and yes I know they’ve got Coady Willis drumming in place of Dale Crover; the point stands), I knew that was how I wanted to cap my Desertfest New York 2023. Three days of heavy stuffed into a cannon and launched into the sun, and everyone in the room with it. I’d take a new record from them for sure, but I do also feel like they shouldn’t even stop playing live long enough to make one. These guys are providing a valuable service guiding all involved parties on a direct line into the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.
—
I made it home from Brooklyn in under an hour. It was beautiful. Unheard of. “Magic,” as Ronnie James Dio might say. Falling asleep at the keyboard now.
That’s it for me. Thanks to Desertfest New York for coming back, to Sarika, Reece and Matte and all behind the making of the thing. Friends old and new — in the photo pit: Falk-Hagen Bernshausen (so glad you made it over), Tim Bugbee (you’re the best), Dante Torrieri (that Star Trek nerd-out turned my whole day around), Dylan Gonzalez (smartest guy in the room, also sweetest), Tomoko (thanks for the fruit offer, by the way you’re a genius), Charles (rarely do I find somebody who so much speaks the same language of sarcasm) — and everyone who came to say hi or something nice about the site. Thanks to The Patient Mrs. for the time. Thank you for reading.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 7th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
It was covered here last year as well, but just as a refresher: GockelScream is a private festival — if you want to go, you need to write for tickets — put together at the behest of ElbSludgeBooking and held in a secret location in Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach, Germany. And why would such a thing be covered? Well first, because I think it’s awesome and if the notion of attending a private fest with however few other people fortunate enough to do so doesn’t pique your imagination, then the international reach of the lineup hopefully will. Take a look at the day splits below. You’ve got bands from Germany and Austria, of course, but also Israel, the US, Sweden, Poland, France and the Netherlands. For what’s basically a birthday party, that’s some significant reach.
Details, if you want ’em, are available by emailing ElbSludgeBooking, and while no, I don’t think this is going to be the hugest event of the year, I also don’t think it’s trying to be. This is something for friends or those willing to be friends, and if that’s you, then I hope you go and make friends and have a great time watching killer bands. You got Temple Fang and Bees Made Honey in the Vein Tree (among others) playing on the same day. Ecstatic Vision and Clouds Taste Satanic meeting up (maybe touring together?), and Deathchant, Karkara, Moonstone and DUNDDW on the last day with a slot still open. Got until May to fill it and there are a ton of acts on the road then around Desertfest and the rest of the Spring festival season. Seems to me there probably won’t be a problem finding someone, it’s just a question of waiting to see who it is.
This is the kind of thing that, if I had all the money in the universe, I’d both host and attend on the regular. Maybe with a different poster, but you get the idea.
From the PR wire:
Gockelscream #4.0
May 26-29 – Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach
Gockelscream #4 will go down in Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach from 26. to 29.05.2023.
Saturday: The Great Machine (ISR), Temple Fang (NL), Stew (SWE), Bees made honey in the vein tree (GER), Love your witch (ISR)
Sunday: Deathchant (USA), Karkara (FR), Moonstone (PL), DUNDDW (NL)+ slot open still
Line up:
Our goal for GockelScream is always to make it just like a big party with great music. We try to come up with a one-of-a-kind line-up with bands that are not in the normal concert circuit.. Some of the bands play for the first time in our area or even in Germany. This year we wanted to get some more heaviness into the mix too because we are Elb”SLUDGE”booking, okay?
The location:
Last year we had to move the location for the fest and quickly found the perfect match for our purposes. The place in Dürrröhrsdorf-Dittersbach lies in a small valley, next to a small river. It’s a private property and the people there are just super supportive and share our DIY-attitude. We have plenty of space there for lotsa people, camping, 2 stages and the infamous Rattenbar. We couldn’t be more happy.
How to get in:
Write a mail to gockelscream (at) elbsludge.de and you will get all the information you need.
Posted in Radio on February 3rd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Yeah, I realize that I say the same shit every time I post a Gimme Metal playlist, but this is a good god damn show. New Simple Forms to start, new Sandrider, Merlock, Acid King, Polymoon, REZN, some WyndRider and Strider — both reviewed in the last week or so — then on to Enslaved as a shift into meaner fare with Tribunal, These Beasts, They Grieve, Fuzzy Grapes and Mammoth Caravan touching on various points in gruff doom and sludge before I come on again to mouthfart or whatever it is I do around saying ‘thanks for listening’ and turn it over to an 18-minute finish from Clouds Taste Satanic, who’ll head to Europe this Spring to support the 2LP record they released today on Majestic Mountain. Good god damn show.
There’s a flow to it that I like, from the Pacific Northwestern takes of Simple Forms and Sandrider at the outset to the lumbering of Mammoth Caravan before that last voice track, it has a groove. Because it airs at 5PM on a Friday evening, I’m not always able to blast out the show while I try to keep up with the chat — that’s Sesame Street time, these days, and all volume conflicts are resolved by my being yelled at and turning down the music, putting my phone on the lowest volume and holding it to my left ear or stepping out to the back yard to get stoned and listening there for a bit — but Dean Rispler, who actually assembles the thing from the playlist I turn in, is a genius and I always know that he’s got it down when it comes to conveying the flow from one song to the next. I rely on that, and he nails it every time. It honestly makes me look forward to these Fridays more.
If you listen, I hope you dig it. Thanks for reading either way.
The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.
Full playlist:
The Obelisk Show – 02.03.23 (VT = voice track)
Simple Forms
Unprecedented Uncertainty
Unprecedented Uncertainty
Sandrider
Alia
Enveletration
Merlock
Onward Strides Colossus
Onward Strides Colossus
VT
Acid King
Beyond Vision
Beyond Vision
Polymoon
Set the Sun
Chrysalis
REZN
Possession
Solace
WyndRider
Creator
WyndRider
Strider
Midnight Zen
Midnight Zen
Enslaved
Forest Dweller
Heimdal
Tribunal
The Path
The Weight of Remembrance
These Beasts
Code Name
Cares, Wills, Wants
They Grieve
Wither
To Which I Bore Witness
Fuzzy Grapes
Sludge Fang
Volume 1
Mammoth Caravan
Petroglyphs
Ice Cold Oblivion
VT
Clouds Taste Satanic
Flames and Demon Drummers
Tales of Demonic Possession
The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Feb. 17 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 2nd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This is a good way to spend a couple of nights in Denmark. Hot damn. I missed I think, wait, let me check, yes, all of the batch announcements for Esbjerg Fuzztival 2023 due, I assume, to the whims of the algorithm, but when it finally occurred to me to check in on the fest precisely because I hadn’t seen anything about it, well, there was the full damn lineup waiting for me.
And it’s looking sharp, as well. There isn’t one band on this bill I wouldn’t want to see, from Nebula and Greenleaf to Slowjoint and Vestjysk Ørken. Not a clunker in the bunch. And hell, I’ve never seen Clouds Taste Satanic and they’re from New York, so catching them in Denmark would be a hell of a way to see them for a first time. And Ecstatic Vision, High Desert Queen, Edena Gardens, Kryptograf, getting to check Causa Sui off my all-time must-see list? Yeah. Sounds fucking amazing, actually. Throw in Kanaan, Valley of the Sun and oh, say, Deathchant, and you’ve got yourself a deal. I’m not trying to be glib when I say this, but it looks like a lovely time.
I pieced the below together out of the aforementioned posts I missed, so if it reads clunky or they come off as excessively proud, perhaps, that’s why. Here you go:
Complete lineup for Fuzztival ’23!
Who are you most excited to see this year!?
Get your tickets in now!
Fuzztival are PROUD to announce our Friday night headliner NEBULA, bringing the desert to Denmark! ECSTATIC VISION, VALLEY of THE SUN and KRYPTOGRAF will be joining! And as always the Fuzztival house band VESTJYSK ØRKEN will be opening the festival for the 6th consecutive time!
We are PROUD to present another round of bands! Adding KANAAN as well as EDENA GARDENS (feat. members of Causa Sui & Papir) and CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC to Fuzztival 23!
We are proud to be adding the OG desert Rockers FATSO JETSON alongside DEATHCHANT and HIGH DESERT QUEEN! The riffs will be plenty and scorching hot! SLOWJOINT will be returning to Fuzztival with a special surprise set!
The almighty riff machine GREENLEAF will be headlining Saturday at Fuzztival ’23! Closing the fest with a shake and a bang so bring your dancing shoes!
Last but not least we are PROUD to welcome back the KINGS of Heavy Psych CAUSA SUI to Fuzztival ’23!
This wraps up the bands announced for this year! Final call to save some dough for more Fuzz Ales!
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 30th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
This is some of the biggest news of my year, right here, and precisely some of what I’ve been hoping for since the advent of Desertfest New York in 2019. The NYC branch of Europe’s foremost heavy festival brand is slates do the seemingly impossible this Fall and bring German heavy psychedelic rock progenitors Colour Haze to the States for the second time as well as Greek heavy rock forerunners 1000mods, overcoming the pandemic-interrupted growth after a successful 2022 edition to realize a genuinely world-class event already just with the first reveal. And that’s before you get to the badassery of Lo-Pan, Heavy Temple, bringing Duel back, Boris, and so on.
I mean that. This puts Desertfest New York on a level of scope and reach with Psycho Las Vegas,Monolith on the Mesa or Fire in the Mountains or whoever else you want to namedrop, while maintaining club-show roots in its pre-party and secondary stages. I also wouldn’t surprised if a third stage isn’t added to the fest proper, as Knockdown Center certainly has that space available.
Either way, this is a big fucking deal and I’m excited at the prospect of what’s still to come. Will Steak return? My Sleeping Karma? Perhaps even a Green Lung US debut? The doors are thrown wide here as Desertfest New York 2023 takes it to that next level. The possibilities are that much closer to endless.
From the PR wire:
Desertfest New York returns for 3rd edition this September announcing
Melvins, Boris, Colour Haze, Truckfighters & more
Leading independent stoner rock, doom, psych & heavy rock festival Desertfest returns to New York this September. Hot off the heels of their largest US event to date in May ‘22, the globally renowned festival will return to the unique space of the Knockdown Center in Queens, alongside an exclusive pre-party at heavy metal institution, Saint Vitus Bar from 14th to 16th September 2023.
Headlining the 3rd edition of the festival will be genre-defining trailblazers the MELVINS. With King Buzzo & Dale Crover at the helm ensuring their 40-year status as icons of the underground, Desertfest attendees can expect a MELVINS performance unlike any other, as they are treated to the bands’ expansive & iconic back catalogue.
Joining them on the Knockdown Center main-stage, with a rare New York performance, will be Japan’s own BORIS. An exercise in auditory marksmanship for any whom are lucky enough to bear witness, BORIS continue to redefine heavy on their own terms.
German psychedelic trio COLOUR HAZE will join the festival for a US exclusive, headlining Thursday’s pre-party at Saint Vitus Bar. A band who move beyond a space of labels, their continued evolution propels them out of any current galaxy recognised as ‘stoner rock’. Thursday night will also welcome the infectiously groovy sounds of LO-PAN & Texan goodtimers DUEL to help warm up the gears.
Long-time friends in the Desertfest-sphere, high-octane Swedish rockers TRUCKFIGHTERS join proceedings for their first New York performance in three years.
Greece’s stoner rock heroes 1000MODS also make the jump overseas, ready to bring their ear-worm worthy riffs to revellers. Local legends WHITE HILLS, raucous street doom reapers R.I.P & ‘heavy primal psych’ outfit ECSTASTIC VISION all join the bill.
Elsewhere Desertfest NYC also welcomes HEAVY TEMPLE, CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC, MICK’S JAGUAR, CASTLE RAT, GRAVE BATHERS & SPELLBOOK, with more still to be announced…
3-day passes (incl. access to Saint Vitus Pre-Party) & 2-day passes (Knockdown Center only) are on sale NOW via the following link – https://link.dice.fm/Desertfest_NewYork
Day Tickets will be released in April. There are no individual Day Tickets for Thursday’s Pre-Party.
Full Line-Up Saint Vitus – Sept 14th | Knockdown Center Sept 15th & 16th 2023 Melvins | Boris | Colour Haze | Truckfighters | 1000Mods | White Hills | Lo-Pan | Duel | R.I.P | Ecstatic Vision | Heavy Temple | Clouds Taste Satanic | Mick’s Jaguar | Castle Rat | Grave Bathers | Spellbook
New York-based longform instrumentalists Clouds Taste Satanic announced this past Spring that they’d signed to Majestic Mountain Records, and the then-promised vinyl, Tales of Demonic Possession, will be released on Feb. 3, 2023 as a four-song 2LP with each of its component sides consumed by a single track. The band — guitarists Steve Scavuzzo and Brian Bauhs, bassist Rob Halstead and drummer Greg Acampora — don’t make you go looking for the epic, but they’ve operated under this methodology across seven full-lengths to-date, so they’re well at home in the doing.
In general sound and feel, one is reminded in listening to the raw prog-doom riff-succession in “Flames and Demon Drummers” and “Sun Death Ritual” of later Revelation, though obviously the structures are different. But the atmosphere of weight implied even beyond the actual listening experience is there, and that holds in the later crashes and continual unfolding of “Sun Death Ritual” as well. Ebow or some similar magic trick makes an appearance in “Spirits of the Green Desert,” adding texture to the record’s heaviest roll — still just part of what that 21-minute track accomplishes — and the triumph in “Conjuring the Dark Side” is evident from the opening lead guitar onward, the acoustic layered in later on presumably conveying that, indeed, the dark side showed up.
That Clouds Taste Satanic get that point across without falling into the trappings of cultism is both a credit to the band and their instrumental configuration, since the music is broad and open enough to be interpreted as a given listener will. There’s a long time between now and Feb. 3, but to go with the confirmation of the release date, the band are premiering the video for an edited stretch of “Flames and Demon Drummers,” and you’ll find below, followed by PR wire info. Preorders start Friday.
Enjoy:
Clouds Taste Satanic, “Flames and Demon Drummers” video premiere
CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC – Tales of Demonic Possession
Happy Halloween Majestic folk! Your MMR Newswire is here with musical treats and the news of another killer new album release coming at you from the Majestic roster.
It is with great pleasure we can finally announce that ‘Tales of Demonic Possession’ by New York based instrumental riff masters Clouds Taste Satanic is on its way!
In celebration, we also bring forth a premiere of the first single off the album and its accompanying video. In its entirety, ‘Flames and Demon Drummers’ is an entrancing, 18 minute and 28 second trip to the dark side of the instrumental moon and with this preview of the third movement of the track, we stumble through an expansive, thick, and fuzzy prog fog oozing mega heavy atmosphere.
The listener takes a heroic dose with Clouds Taste Satanic, and we charge through the rabbit hole right into the furthest reaches of dark, dank and deep space where screaming riffs and Pink Floyd-esque grandeur reign supreme. The track is a tense and pensive journey which never quite lets us feel at ease, it’s a monolithic free-fall into a progressive, fully instrumental doom abyss. Exceptional musicianship and composition is unmistakable and even without vocals we are made to feel like we’re being led into some unknown yet impending peril and ultimate sacrifice awaiting just around the corner of the next refrain. Clouds quite simply kick us all right into the deepest pit of torturously good, proggy doom of the highest order.
‘Tales of Demonic Possession’ is an instrumental epic of magnificent proportions and the gents of Clouds Taste Satanic share with us the following about the impetus behind their new album:
“‘Tales of Demonic Possession’ is Prog-Doom born of and inspired by the pandemic and Yes’s Tales From Topographic Oceans. We wanted to make a record that felt different, dark, heavy and challenging. With time to write and create, we wanted to make music that reflected the ambitions of the past, the oppressiveness of the present and the cautious optimism for what comes next.
Yes’s Tales came at a time when bigger meant better. Creating works of art that challenged listeners to come along on their journey. The casual listener was put off by the lack of instant gratification. Lazy critics who longed for a simpler time used it as a scape goat rather than appreciating it for the masterpiece it was. Those willing to go along for the ride were rewarded with music that gained depth and beauty with each listen.
Fast forward to 2020. New year, new decade, and the creeping feeling that possession was around every corner. What would that possession feel like if it ever took hold? Would possession today be the same as demonic possession from years gone by but with a fancy new title? Bigger would not necessarily be better but it seemed to make more sense. Why not use the opportunity to reach farther. The one thing everyone seemed to have was time. Time to create, time to listen.
So here we are. Everyone has their own possession story. Ours is four sides of vinyl that tell the tale of where we came from, where we are now and the direction we are heading. We wanted to make a triple album but reality set in so we decided to leave that for another day. If you have some time, come along for the ride. Don’t fear… it has plenty of riffs.”
MMR is stoked on getting ‘Tales of Demonic Possession’ out to the world, it’s an expansive, diabolically monstrous, four-headed beast and will be coming to you on deluxe double vinyl. Four tracks of up to 20 plus minutes each, one epic song per side. As we’re continually striving to bring you the best in riffs and top shelf wax, to match the epic nature of this fantastic release, we’ve spared no expense or detail on this extra premium release for you.
Now is the time to get psyched, pre-order opens November 4th at Clouds Taste Satanic’s Bandcamp and Majestic Mountain Record’s BigCartel.
Official release comes to you on CD and digital on the 04 February 2023.
More info to come, stay tuned!
CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC: Steve Scavuzzo – Guitar Rob Halstead – Bass Greg Acampora – Drums Brian Bauhs – Guitar
