I didn’t even know Citizen Kane had entered the public domain, but that’s probably to the general benefit of humanity, what with the cautionary tale of oligarchical excess and capitalistic exploitation. True its culture-shifting impact is more about the filmmaking itself than the sociopolitical commentary — funny how that happens — but it’s a classic either way. If you’ve never watched it, it’s like doom: long, slow, rhythmic, repetitive in parts. You’ll love it. Watch out for that screaming bird.

To the matter at hand, France’s Yojimbo have an April 25 release date set for their debut album, Cycles. Today, in addition to the cover art below, the band are unveiling the first single in the driving groove of “Rosebud,” which of course takes its title from the ending of Orson Welles’ ultra-classic. Footage from the movie is spliced in among live shots of the band, and a good time is had by all, despite Welles’ own stern countenance.

From the PR wire:

Carried by a cosmic energy, fuzz tones with progressive hues and powerful vocal flights, the ship YOJIMBO sails through massive and catchy stoner grooves, abyssal depths of doom and explores the ethereal landscapes of post-rock.

After releasing their first EP in 2022, which allowed the quartet to share the stage with bands like IAH, GEEZER, and Villagers Of Ioannina City, YOJIMBO continues its interstellar journey and is determined to conquer new universes with the release of their debut album on 04/25/2025.

In its quest for power and wealth, capitalism breeds monsters willing to do anything. But in the face of death, what remains when regret replaces glory?

Inspired by Citizen Kane (1941), Orson Welles’ masterpiece, Rosebud is the lead single from the debut album, “CYCLES”, set to be released on April 25, 2025. A raw sonic journey where power and fragility collide.

Music by YOJIMBO
Recorded @Kawati Studio by Florent Herrbach
Mixed by Clément Adolff & Théo Seemann @Studio La Turbine
Direction & Video recording by Dom Pichard / P-MOD
Movie’s content from CITIZEN KANE (Orson Welles – 1941- public domain)
Live footage filmed by Résigraphies’crew (Clélia Wang, Christine Fey, Fred Ergenschaeffter, Stéphanie Dillmann, Greg D’Haillecourt), trained and supervised by Marc Linnhoff as part of Yojimbo’s residency at Espace Django.
www.resigraphies.fr

Snowball created by AnneK Lejeal – Atelier M33
Live lighting scenography: William Roussel
Video editing by Dom Pichard & Marc Linnhoff

https://www.facebook.com/yojimbomusicband
https://www.instagram.com/yojimbo_stoner_band
https://yojimbostonerband.bandcamp.com/

Yojimbo, “Rosebud” official video

This past Friday, Amsterdam-based heavy psychedelic rockers Cervus released their new single Cycles, a standalone nine-minute track to follow-up on late-2021’s debut Ignis EP. The track is mellow and prog-leaning, exploratory but ultimately plotted in its direction, and while one might expect an instrumental approach for such a thing based on countrymen outfits like Monomyth or even Temple Fang — who aren’t instrumental, but at least mostly so — Cervus bring structure to what might otherwise seem to willfully meander in the verses here. A human presence in the ethereal, if you want to think about it. Voice in the mist.

I’ll readily cop to “Cycles” — birth, death, repeat on cosmic scale — being my first exposure to Cervus, and it’s something of a step aside from most of what the band had on offer on last December’s EP, where a song like “Run Baby Run” was aggressive enough in its push to ask in the hook, “You want a piece of me?,” and the sphere was much more in line with straightforward heavy fuzz, organ adding to melody and lending a classic feel in the jammier shuffle of the seven-minute finale “The Witch’s Wail” and elsewhere. Six dudes in the band, safe to say there’s room for such things.

And for the shift in approach that “Cycles” represents, it’s not so out of step ultimately with the prior EP as to be unrecognizable, despite the marked uptick in patience. Could well be that Cervus are working strictly in response to what they did last year, and if so, that’s an impulse they will hopefully continue to pursue, since whatever it leads to won’t be stagnation, or maybe they’ve adopted a more lysergic mindset on the whole and have the video to showcase that. The fact that I can’t say for sure either way makes me like them better.

If you also missed the EP — which I know you didn’t because you’re cooler than me — it’s streaming at the bottom of this post, and you’ll find the “Cycles” video immediately below, followed by more on the song and the band.

Enjoy:

Cervus, “Cycles” official video

‘Cycles’ is a journey through time and space, about the unending cycle of life and death as it occurs throughout the universe. From the genesis of the tiniest microbe to complete solar systems being swallowed by black holes.

Music video made by Ton van Rijswijk with editing assistance by Dennis de Bruin.

Mixed by Rogier Henkelman and mastered by Wessel Oltheten of Spoor 14.

—
Cervus’ music is a combination of heavy Stoner Rock, Doom and 70’s Hardrock with a psychedelic edge. The many influences of the band create a potent and moving mix of massive, pounding riffs and driving grooves, interspersed with soaring melancholic passages. This six-headed beast fires off a wall of sound, all engrossing and intoxicating.

Cervus is:
Tom van der Linden – Vocals
Tom Mourik – Bass Guitar
Rogier Henkelman – Drums
Jan Woudenberg – Guitar
Ton van Rijswijk – Keyboard/Guitar
Dennis de Bruin – Guitar

Cervus, Ignis (2021)

Cervus on Instagram

Cervus on Facebook

Cervus on Bandcamp

For a band like Malmö, Sweden’s Throneless, who roll out huge-sounding, lumbering grooves in longform and pummeling fashion with a lysergic underflourish and cavernous crash, one can imagine few direct endorsements that might carry the weight as that of Jon Davis, guitarist/vocalist of UK crusher-destroyers Conan. Davis has signed the three-piece to his Black Bow Records imprint for the release of their second offering, Cycles, which will be out on March 23, 2018. As in five months from now. Hey, I like an early heads up as much as the next guy. Probably more, actually, since that’s about as long as it takes me to review shit sometimes.

I digress. The band made their self-titled debut in 2015 via Heavy Psych Sounds, and it’s worth noting they’re not really out of place on either label. Still, from the quote below it’s pretty plain they’re stoked to be working with Black Bow, and yeah, they should be. That record was also four songs of mega-stomping doom, so it’s nice to see they’re keeping to form with the new one. Not that I’ve heard it yet or anything, but it’s bludgeoning.

From the PR wire:

Throneless – Cycles

On March 23rd 2018 Black Bow Records will release Cycles by Swedish doom metal band THRONELESS. The album is four tracks of psychedelic doom metal that is highly recommended for fans of Conan, Yob and The Slomatics.

The album is set to be released on limited edition vinyl and digital formats.

The band commented, “We’re stoked to release our second album on Black Bow Records, and getting the opportunity to work with people who totally understand the type of music and expression we stand for.”

Throneless is a doom metal band from Malmö, Sweden, that through heavy downtuned fuzz, monotone and medative riffs focuses on waking people up from the masshypnosis we call society.

Tracklisting:
1 – BORN IN VAIN 9:43
2 – CYCLES 9:12
3 – SENSELESS 6:29
4 – ORACLE 14:05

Throneless are:
Johan Sundén – Guitar & Vocals
Patrik Sundberg – Bass & Artwork
Johan Burman – Drums & Production

https://www.facebook.com/thronelessdoom
https://thronelessdoom.bandcamp.com/
www.blackbowrecords.com/
blackbowrecords.bigcartel.com/
https://blackbowrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Black-Bow-Records-565275456841866/

Throneless, Throneless (2015)