Copenhagen psychedelic heavycrafters The Sonic Dawn are releasing their new album, Phantom, on May 10 through Heavy Psych Sounds. Preorders are up as of this announcement and you’ll find the links below, under the player bringing us “Iron Bird” as the first single to come from the record. You might recall their most recent long-player was 2020’s Enter the Mirage (discussed here). That was their third outing under the Heavy Psych Sounds banner behind 2019’s Eclipse (discussed here), 2017’s Into the Long Night (review here), their debut, Perception (review here), having been issued through Nasoni in 2015.

That makes Phantom their fourth album, and it’s also the first to be released since they marked their 10th anniversary as a band last year. In the interim since Enter the Mirage, frontman Emile Bureau has focused on solo work playing as just Emile and also releasing through Heavy Psych Sounds. “Iron Bird” marks a striking return for The Sonic Dawn, who with it present an earthier groove than one might expect from a band so generally given to ethereal float. Not that there’s none of that happening in the track, but they call it proto-metal, and you can hear that in there; a lean toward a more straightforward side of vintage-ism is by no means beyond The Sonic Dawn‘s reach at this point, or entirely unexpected. They’re songwriters. At a certain point, once you’ve got that, you can take it anywhere.

I haven’t heard Phantom in full, so can’t speak to how “Iron Bird” ties in, but it’s neither the band’s nor the label’s nor my first time at this particular dance, so I’ll cut the bullshit and say I hold this band to a pretty high standard of craft. They’ve shown themselves to be up to that over time, and their work has developed a personality and perspective of its own while remaining open to new ideas and thoughtful of its audience. They’re not going to be for everyone, but nothing is. Maybe they’re for you and that’s why you’re here. Great, and I mean that.

You’ll find “Iron Bird” on the player below, followed by a quote from the band, preorder links and more info from the PR wire.

Goes like this:

The Sonic Dawn, “Iron Bird” track premiere

The Sonic Dawn on “Iron Bird”:

Iron Bird is a protest against organized mass murder and the war pigs who run the show. As we see it humanity stands at a crossroads – a choice between sharing and coexistence or inevitable extinction. There will be no winners only death. Such a message calls for a heavy sound. On Iron Bird we explore an almost proto-metal style but fully psychedelic. If that sounds unsettling to you you’re getting the right picture. Much like the psychedelic experience itself our new album “PHANTOM” oscillates between the terrifying and the beautiful. Iron Bird certainly resides on the dark side of that spectrum. Brace yourself for a journey into some heavy acid rock.

THE SONIC DAWN – New album “PHANTOM” out May 10th on Heavy Psych Sounds

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

USA PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, The Sonic Dawn is one of Europe’s most prominent current acid rock bands.

Formed in 2013 by childhood friends Emil Bureau, Jonas Waaben, and Niels ‘Bird’ Fuglede, the trio has delivered four albums, celebrated for their dynamic fusion of genres from sitar pop to heavy psych. Their highly anticipated fifth LP is slated for release this spring via Heavy Psych Sounds.

The debut album, Perception (2015), marked their international breakthrough with Berlin-based Nasoni Records. The sophomore release, Into the Long Night (2017), launched on Heavy Psych Sounds, accompanied by an extensive European album tour—some 60 shows, including two weeks with Brant Bjork (US)—solidifying their presence. The subsequent album, Eclipse (2019), earned acclaim as “easily one of the best psychedelic pop albums of the decade,” and once again the group hit the road hard, playing in 11 different countries.

In 2020, The Sonic Dawn unveiled Enter the Mirage, recognized as “a modern psych classic” by Shindig Magazine. While the planned album tour was cut short, it was possible to play on WDR’s legendary TV show Rockpalast, which has featured David Bowie, the Grateful Dead, and many more through the years.

Now, their highly anticipated fifth album, Phantom (2024), is set for a worldwide release on May 10th, 2024. Formally welcoming long-time collaborator Erik ‘Errka’ Petersson as a new studio band member on organ/keys, The Sonic Dawn continues its sonic journey. Culminating from four years of creating music, the album showcases a raw and heavy musical style blended with the melodic psychedelia for which the band is renowned.

The band is gearing up for an extensive European tour in 2024-2025, promising a further development of their mind-altering exploration.

THE SONIC DAWN is
Emil Bureau – Guitars / Vocals
Jonas Waaben – Drums
Niels Bird – Bass

https://www.facebook.com/thesonicdawn/
https://www.instagram.com/thesonicdawn/
https://thesonicdawn.bandcamp.com/
http://thesonicdawn.com/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

The Sonic Dawn, Enter the Mirage (2020)

Five years on from their debut EP, Dying on the Mountain  (discussed here), it still feels a little weird that Big Scenic Nowhere are an actual band, never mind sounding more established with their core lineup, more progressive and more distinct as an outfit from their other collaborations than they ever have. They might rightly be called a supergroup with drummer Bill Stinson (Yawning Man, Yawning Balch, etc.), guitarists Gary Arce (Yawning Man, Yawning Balch, Yawning Sons, Ten East, Dark Tooth Encounter, Zun, WaterWays, some new band he’s got going with Pia from Superlynx, on and on) and Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Slower, Yawning Balch, Sun and Sail Club, ex-Minotaur, etc.) and vocalist/keyboardist Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Twelve Thirty Dreamtime, Constance Tomb, Stone Axe, etc.), though the term has fallen out of favor as these things inevitably will, but Big Scenic Nowhere‘s third full-length, The Waydown, is an accomplishment and realization of the band as themselves and shouldn’t be thought of otherwise.

While the project started as a lost Arce demo (discussed here) with completely different goals, and have always been open to guest appearances, Big Scenic Nowhere have featured plenty between 2020’s Vision Beyond Horizon (review here) and 2021’s The Long Morrow (review here) — at the start it wasn’t clear who was actually in the band, so that’s solidified as well — and The Waydown brings sit-ins from returning keyboardist/organist Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars, ex-Opeth, solo, etc.), guitarist Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie, The Cure), as well as former Hall & Oates keyboardist Eliot Lewis on the included Hall & Oates cover, “Sara Smile.”

Those other contributions from Wiberg and Gabrels and are spread throughout the seven-track/39-minute long-player, delivered as ever through Heavy Psych Sounds and meld with those of the band itself, but it’s Big Scenic Nowhere‘s own performances that are the highlights. I’m not even sure if it’s Reed or Balch on bass on a given track, but as much as it’s the two guitars at the forefront when considering the band, “Summer Teeth,” the slower but hypnotically hooky centerpiece “Bleed On,” and the mellow-rolling, seven-minute closer “100” — which bookends with the also-seven-minute “The Waydown” at the outset — are much bolstered by the low end, with Stinson‘s drums (or maybe Reed‘s, depending?) as the solid foundation beneath the explorations taking place.

Because while The Waydown is perhaps the most song-oriented Big Scenic Nowhere have yet been and it brings the core group into focus in no small part because of the unifying factor of Reed‘s vocals, it is still based on and carved out from jams, the band’s core process rooted in getting together for a time, banging out as much improvised or thought-of-a-part whathaveyou as they can, and sending the files home with Balch to be edited and carved into songs after the fact. It’s a heady way to do it, but it has allowed for a sense of progression in the band even as most of their material to-date has come from a single multi-day session. And on The Waydown, whether it’s the righteous creeper riff of the penultimate “BT-OH” or the declarative arrival of the first lines in “The Waydown” after the brief and comparatively minimal ambient intro, the carving, cutting, pasting and shaping results in a decisively and purposeful-seeming progressive feel.

“Sara Smile” is a departure, obviously, with Reed shifting into a gentler, soulful vocal on the cover taken from 1975’s Daryl Hall & John Oates and the band tackling an arrangement that’s something kin to a heavy/desert interpretation of AOR, but in the post-chorus-takeoff melancholy of “Summer Teeth,” the harder-landing fuzz in “Surf Western” in the midsection riffing and how it changes back to shimmer for the verse, and even the dreamy vibe brought to “100,” there’s an attention to detail in The Waydown that tells you the songs have been worked on and, considering the depth, loved, before arriving in their final forms as presented, and that thoughtfulness in composition — even if it comes after the moment the actual music was made — and consideration of atmosphere while building same isn’t to be discounted. That Reed and Balch are also studio engineers kind of makes the band possible as they are now, as Reed‘s home in Washington State and the rest of the band’s in Southern California is a distance crossed by craft, Balch getting parts set in a branched collaboration with Reed adding vocals and maybe keys or drums, and so on, which makes Big Scenic Nowhere multi-tiered as regards creativity when one considers Balch‘s other direct partnership in the band, with Arce on guitar.

And what about Gary Arce? Is the man whose guitar made the desert sing an afterthought on The Waydown? Hardly. As Reed steps forward in lead-singer fashion, Arce‘s signature tone is what lends the proceedings their lightness, making the atmospheres of “Bleed On” and “100” possible and speaking to the improvisatory roots of the songs themselves. I’m not sure “Surf Western” would exist as an aural concept let alone the actual track on the record if it weren’t for Gary Arce, and the subdued standalone strums after three minutes in — in the drawdown right before the big riff circles back with a wallop — Big Scenic Nowhere remind that a goodly portion of their emotional resonance comes from the string section, even if that too is changing with the highlight stretches of bass as noted.

Is The Waydown the best Big Scenic Nowhere record? Yes. It feels like it’s the most vivid manifestation of their project yet as distinct from other outfits — which is saying something considering Yawning Balch is literally Yawning Man… wait for it.. plus Balch — and the intention with which it sets itself to the work of craft has become a key aesthetic component in a way that is likewise the band’s own. More importantly, it’s also the most Big Scenic Nowhere record in its contemplations, its dynamic turns and changes in volume or mood, and the resulting definition of the personality for the entire outfit. Yeah, it might still feel a little weird that they’re a band at all — to wit, I’m not sure they’ve ever played live — but they most definitely are, and never quite so engrossing a band as right now.

Big Scenic Nowhere, The Waydown (2024)

Big Scenic Nowhere on Facebook

Big Scenic Nowhere on Instagram

Big Scenic Nowhere on Bandcamp

Big Scenic Nowhere store

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds on Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds website

In the interest of framing a discussion, we’ll call it the debut album from Brant Bjork Trio being recorded this week by the three-piece in California. But really, it’s not the first record Brant Bjork and Mario Lalli have made together, and it’s not the first record that Brant Bjork and Ryan Güt have made together — it’s just the first time the three of them are together under this configuration. Güt, on tour with Bjork and Nick Oliveri as part of Stöner, I’m pretty sure drums on the upcoming Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers release, and there was no shortage of crossover jamming on that tour between Stöner and Lalli‘s emergent project, spearheaded aside from his tenure with Yawning Man or Fatso Jetson.

So familiar-enough dudes, but with new songs. I guess they need to get it all done as soon as possible because in March it’s back on the road. First they’re in South America, then Australia, then Europe this Spring for three Desertfests and Sonic Whip in the Netherlands and more besides, including club shows with Ruff Majik (who also have new stuff in the works) and Monkey3 (who have a new record on Napalm out in March). A summer or September album release doesn’t seem unreasonable to anticipate, all the more since Brant Bjork Trio have already been confirmed for Rock im Wald (end of July) and Hoflärm in Germany and SonicBlast Fest in Portugal this August, which speaks of more European touring to be announced for later in the year.

Here are all the tour dates I could find. Note they were also at Planet Desert Rock Weekend in Las Vegas this past weekend. I assume the eventual LP will be on Heavy Psych Sounds, but you never know until you get the ‘X-person who’s signed to Heavy Psych Sounds signs to Heavy Psych Sounds’ news announcement. Always fun, those. Anyhoo:

Heading into the studio this week to capture these tres hombres grooving a righteous batch of new tunes !

In March we head out to rock in South America and Australia ✌🏽🎵🙏 good times roll on ⚡️⚡️⚡️

https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

Brant Bjork Trio
SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR 2024 !!
06/03 Casa de Salud Concepcion Chile
07/03 Metronomo Santiago Chile
08/03 Casa Aurea Sao Paulo Brazil
09/03 Uniclub Buenos Aires Argentina
10/03 Plaza Mateo Montevideo Argentina

Brant Bjork Trio w/ Full Tone Generator
Get DOWNunder !
28/03 – Barwon Club Geelong
29/03 – Frankston Singing Bird Studio
30/03 – Gasometer Hotel Melbourne
31/03 – Crown & Anchor Hotel Adelaide
03/04 – The Basement Canberra
04/04 – Dicey Rileys Wollongong
05/04 – Marrickville Bowlo Sydney
06/04 – Mos Desert Clubhouse Gold Coast
07/04 – Panthers Port Macquarie NSW

Sound of Liberation proudly presents:
BRANT BJORK TRIO – EURO 2024 TOUR
10.05.24 (NO) Oslo, Desertfest
11.05.24 (NL) Nijmegen, Sonic Whip
12.05.24 (DE) Cologne, Club Volta * w/ monkey3
14.05.24 (DE) Hamburg, Bahnhof Pauli
15.05.24 (DE) Bielefeld, Forum
16.05.24 (BE) Sint-Niklaas, De Casino * w/ monkey3
17.05.24 (UK) London, Desertfest
18.05.24 (FR) Wasquehal, The Black Lab
19.05.24 (FR) Nantes, Le Ferrailleur
20.05.24 (FR) Paris, Backstage By The Mill
22.05.24 (DE) Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal * w/ Siena Root
23.05.24 (CH) Aarau, Kiff * w/ Ruff Majik
24.05.24 (DE) Munich, Feierwerk * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Erfurt, VEB Kultur * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Berlin, Desertfest
28.05.24 (NL) Amsterdam, Melkweg

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

The Brant Bjork Trio:
Brant Bjork – guitar/vocals
Mario Lalli – bass 
Ryan Güt – drums

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
http://www.brantbjork.com

Brant Bjork Trio, “Sunshine” live at Desertfest New York 2023

Lie Heavy will issue their debut album, Burn to the Moon, through Heavy Psych Sounds on April 19. The well-pedigreed North Carolinian outfit comprised of guitarist Graham Fry (ex-Confessor), vocalist Karl Agell (The Skull/Legions of Doom, Patriarchs in Black, Leadfoot, Blind-era Corrosion of Conformity), drummer Jeff “JD” Dennis (Hank Sinatra and the Backsliders) and bassist TR Gwynne self-released the 12-song bangerfest last year and will now see it issued through Europe’s foremost heavy purveyor in its first physical editions.

An interesting passage-of-time aspect to how Lie Heavy are presented, since around the time Agell was were in Leadfoot (you’ll know it’s them because they drink for free) there was little talk of “throwbacks to another era” or this kind of dudely, straight-hitting sound as primal, with the implication of course that more complex ideas have come along since. That happens to be true. You can’t deny that heavy music has developed in the last two decades and that Lie Heavy are intentional in sticking to their guns updating their own versions of ‘the classics’ while themselves being cast with a classic sound.

This is a good thing, distinguishing among generations. You and I will live to see the first generation who made rock and roll die out. It is uncharted territory for the art form, and the narratives of the history of heavy will be made not by those who were there when the first riff was strummed but those who look back after and decide what was ‘classic’ or otherwise worthwhile in terms of influence. If Lie Heavy are a voice from the past stylistically, fine — heavy’s all about speaking to its own beginnings — but let’s also keep in mind that two decades (-plus) will has happened to Agell and company as well, and Lie Heavy are a stronger, fresher band for that.

Their video for “Burn to the Moon” — not a terrible-sounding idea — premieres below to coincide with the opening of preorders for the album from Heavy Psych Sounds. Info below comes from the PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Lie Heavy, “Burn to the Moon” video premiere

US heavy rock supergroup LIE HEAVY: Debut album “Burn To The Moon” out April 19th on Heavy Psych Sounds

Raleigh, North Carolina’s Lie Heavy is one of the few, true throwbacks to another era. They feature the vocals of Karl Agell, best known for Corrosion of Conformity’s BLiND album and Leadfoot. Heavy, heavy-ass blues that would have fit on the Man’s Ruin label back in the 90s, around the time that Orange Goblin was making waves. This is primal stuff: not quite Stoner, not quite Metal, and not quite giving a shit.

1. Nothing To Steal
2. In The Shadow
3. Burn To The Moon
4. Drag The World
5. The Long March
6. Lie Heavy
7. When The Universe Cries
8. Chunkadelic
0. Pontius Pilate
10. Unbeliever
11. Diabolik
12. End the World

Karl Agell – Lead Vocals
Jeff JD Dennis – Drums & Percussions / Vocals
TR Gwynne – Bass / Vocals / Acoustic Guitar
Graham Fry – Guitars / Vocals

Lie Heavy, Burn to the Moon (2023)

Lie Heavy on Facebook

Lie Heavy on Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds on Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds website

I was pretty stoked last week when word came through that Glasgow’s The Cosmic Dead had signed to Heavy Psych Sounds for their next record, and at that point I didn’t even know the album announcement would be here. Turns out the LP-to-come is called Infinite Peaks, and it’s got at least one entire-side-consuming jam, from which the video-premiering-below “Space Mountain Part I: Desert Djilo” has been carved out as an initial single.

A longer-form modus isn’t new for The Cosmic Dead, for whom Infinite Peaks serves as their ninth full-length as noted by the PR wire below. The band’s most recent outing, 2021’s split with Giöbia, The Intergalactic Connection – Exploring The Sideral Remote Hyperspace (review here), also came out on Heavy Psych Sounds, so it’s not the first time the band and label have worked together, and by adding the Scottish space racers to their roster, the Italian imprint only further cements its position at the forefront of heavy consciousness within and beyond Europe’s borders.

And if I told you “Space Mountain Part I: Desert Djilo” was a scorcher, would you believe it? How could you not? The Cosmic Dead‘s contribution to the Giöbia split was the 19-minute “Crater Creator,” and it doesn’t take them long to nestle into a groove on the new single, with threads of cosmic synth coursing along with the central outward nod; vibes and tones heavy, aimed at the sun, launch’d. There’s a lot of space rocking this and that out there right now. What distinguishes The Cosmic Dead from the glut of chic cosmic whatnot is the low end. It’s where heavy lives, and where bass is an afterthought in so much psych as there’s barely room on stage with guitar pedal boards the size of neighborhoods, The Cosmic Dead have always been able to hone a sound with float as well as heft. They’re heavier.

That’s what I’m hearing in “Space Mountain Part I: Desert Dijlo,” anyhow, and five years after 2019’s Scottish Space Race (review here), I’m glad for the reminder of what I thought was so badass about these guys to start with. The track is six minutes long, so more than a teaser, but you can still expect to be left hanging as the segment of the longer jam cuts out. The band comments on the piece under the player below, where you’ll also find the ever-crucial preorder links.

V-i-b-e:

The Cosmic Dead, “Space Mountain Part I: Desert Djilo” video premiere

THE COSMIC DEAD – New album “Infinite Peaks” out April 12 on Heavy Psych Sounds

“Infinite Peaks” is the long awaited ninth full length album from tumultuous Glaswegian astral travellers The Cosmic Dead. The album features two extended incantations recorded and mixed at Glasgow’s 16 Ohm Recording Studio. About the new single: “‘Desert Djilo’ is the opening section of our 20-minute instrumental track ‘Space Mountain’, completely improvised and recorded live in the studio, it was in itself part of a larger jam. This is a jam within a jam, synth follows bass follows drums follows fiddle. The sound of the radioactive desert.”

ALBUM PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

USA PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

The Cosmic Dead is:
Omar Aborida – Bass, Guitars, Wah
Tommy Duffin – Drums, Wah
Calum Calderwood – Fiddle, Wah
Luigi Pasquini – Synthesizer, Wah

The Cosmic Dead on Facebook

The Cosmic Dead on Instagram

The Cosmic Dead on Bandcamp

The Cosmic Dead website

Heavy Psych Sounds website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds on Instagram

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

I like it when cool things happen to good bands generally, but specifically in this case I’m glad that Child‘s 2023 heavy-blues delve, Soul Murder (review here), is getting another look with the backing of Heavy Psych Sounds — from whom I’m almost an hour removed from discussing as one of the premier heavy labels in the world, so I must be due — since the Melbourne trio basically opened their veins and bled onto the tape, at least if the audio was anything to go by, and at least in the narrative I have of last year in my mind, the corresponding response was not what the record had earned. A Heavy Psych Sounds reissue, which is a first proper physical pressing, will fix that. The concept of one kind of already does.

That Soul Murder will feature alongside reissues for the band’s other releases — 2018’s I EP (review here), 2016’s Blueside (review here) and 2013’s self-titled debut (discussed here) — should hopefully bring more validation the band’s way for what they’ve done over the last decade-plus, and that’s super too, but getting the material out for international distribution is where it’s at here, and preorders for everything go up early next month. If you need more info than that, well, stick around because I’m sure it’s coming.

What I’ve got for now follows here, courtesy of the PR wire:

*** CHILD *** repressing the australian band catalogue with 2023 album Soul Murder for the first time on VINYL and CD

We’re incredibly stoked to announce that the australian psychedelic hard rockerz CHILD are now part of the Heavy Psych Sounds Family !!!

Heavy Psych Sounds Records will release the band’s highly acclaimed 2023 album SOUL MURDER for the very first time on VINYL and CD + repress the first two albums Child and Blueside and the EP I

FOUR ALBUMs PRESALE STARTs: February 7th

BIOGRAPHY

Combine the heavy emotion of the blues, the tone and raw power of hard rock, the finesse of soul and a twist of 60’s psychedelia. It will give you a visceral musical experience that plays directly to your being. That is CHILD. Living for their art, the pubs, the booze, the endless highways and the blues is what makes this band who they are. Child are a must see for those who are worshippers at “the electric church”. The freedom and power of a live performance is important to CHILD in their approach to music, endeavouring to never perform the same way twice. They look forward to once again bringing this to the world on their continued search for sonic paradise.

Since the release of their runaway self-titled debut in 2014, Child have continued to develop their unique brand of heavy blues through constant writing and extensive national/international touring. The band released the follow-up ‘Blueside’ in December 2016, which builds on this foundation to deliver a disc of pure sonic expression whilst following in the long tradition of the blues. 2018 saw the release of Child’s first EP, simply titled ‘I’. Recorded live to tape, ‘I’ is a glimpse into the boundless directions that could be taken on upcoming releases.

CHILD is
Mathias Northway – guitar/vocals
Michael Lowe – drums
Rhys Kelly – bass

https://www.facebook.com/childtheband
https://www.instagram.com/childtheband/
https://childtheband.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/childtheband
http://www.childtheband.com

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Child, Soul Murder (2023)

Previously confirmed for Desertfest Oslo, Desertfest London and Desertfest Berlin, the Brant Bjork Trio have now tied those slots together as part of a European tour set for Spring. This tour is coupled by stints set for South America in March and Australia later in March and early April.

That will just about bring the three-piece of Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and Ryan Güt to here, which is the start of May at Desertfest Oslo and the launch of this tour. You’ll note that the run — which is put together by Sound of Liberation — is billed as ‘Pt. 1.’ It makes sense to think that ‘Pt. 2’ might happen in July or August, when they’re already confirmed for Hoflärm and SonicBlast Fest, which will either precede or not a slot at Ripplefest Texas, I can’t even remember. Gonna say, “probably?”

Before anything else, though, they’ll be at Planet Desert Rock Weekend in Las Vegas the weekend of Jan. 25, which is next week. I was hoping to make the trip, but well, hope don’t pay flights and a room for a couple nights and I don’t have a job, so yeah.

Note shows here with Ruff Majik and Monkey3. Both are slated to have new records out this year, maybe even in the first half of the year. And for what it’s worth, Siena Root are there too and they had a record in 2023, and Brant Bjork Trio have new songs as well. These kinds of things can make a run like this all the more special.

Go go go:

Sound of Liberation proudly presents:
BRANT BJORK TRIO – EURO 2024 TOUR

10.05.24 (NO) Oslo, Desertfest
11.05.24 (NL) Nijmegen, Sonic Whip
12.05.24 (DE) Cologne, Club Volta * w/ monkey3
14.05.24 (DE) Hamburg, Bahnhof Pauli
15.05.24 (DE) Bielefeld, Forum
16.05.24 (BE) Sint-Niklaas, De Casino * w/ monkey3
17.05.24 (UK) London, Desertfest
18.05.24 (FR) Wasquehal, The Black Lab
19.05.24 (FR) Nantes, Le Ferrailleur
20.05.24 (FR) Paris, Backstage By The Mill
22.05.24 (DE) Aschaffenburg, Colos-Saal * w/ Siena Root
23.05.24 (CH) Aarau, Kiff * w/ Ruff Majik
24.05.24 (DE) Munich, Feierwerk * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Erfurt, VEB Kultur * w/ Ruff Majik
25.05.24 (DE) Berlin, Desertfest
28.05.24 (NL) Amsterdam, Melkweg

Tickets: https://linktr.ee/brantbjorktrio

The Brant Bjork Trio:
Brant Bjork – guitar/vocals
Mario Lalli – bass 
Ryan Güt – drums

https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork
http://www.brantbjork.com

Brant Bjork Trio, “Let the Truth Be Known” live in North Hollywood, Sept. 8, 2023

Like, how stoned do you really think Bongzilla can get at this point? Don’t get me wrong — I know they’re willing to work at it — but after so many years of THC ingestion, be it smoking or edibles or vaping or dabbing or whathaveyou, how does your body still process the weed? Or do Bongzilla just have a line to some kind of magic Wisconsin super-herb that does the trick regardless? Maybe it’s not even about getting high anymore so much as evening out, like they just operate at a higher altitude generally. I don’t know about you, but “Bongzilla talks about weed” sounds like a great interview headline to me. I mean, how many milligrams do you estimate is floating around in their bloodstream at any given time? What’s the over/under?

I don’t think I’ve ever dabbed, but if it’s got Bongzilla‘s endorsement then it can’t be all bad. You’ll recall Heavy Psych Sounds had a few quality live records out in a bunch in 2023, from The Atomic Bitchwax, Duel, Ecstatic Vision, so maybe this is continuing the thread there. If you’re trying to put bodies in venues, reminding listeners how much they love live music while also giving your bands something else to sell on the merch table isn’t the worst way to go.

In any case, the more Bongzilla, the merrier. Bongzilla have a previously-announced Spring return to Europe set to start on April 26 at the Maximum Festival in Italy as they continue to support 2023’s Dab City (review here), which was duly bombed out and as crusty as fried cheese curds. So yes, awesome.

Here’s the news and those dates:

US stoner metal behemoths BONGZILLA to release new live album “Dabbing (LIVE) Rosin In Europe” on Heavy Psych Sounds this March!

Wisconsin’s premium stoner metal dealers BONGZILLA announce the release of their new live album “Dabbing (LIVE) Rosin In Europe” this March 15th, with preorders available now on Heavy Psych Sounds.

Following the 2023 release of their revered sixth album “Dab City” on Heavy Psych Sounds, the kings of weed metal BONGZILLA offer some of their smokiest riffs with their exclusive live album “Dabbing (LIVE) Rosin In Europe”. The album features seven tracks of the highest doom metal order recorded in various cities during their “Dabbing Across Europe & UK Tour” in the spring and summer of 2023. Mixed and mastered by Shane Trimble at Sletner Sound, with assistant mix engineers Justin DiPinto and Andrew Owens. The album will be issued in various vinyl editions, CD and digital on Marchb 22 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

“Dabbing (LIVE) Rosin in Europe”
Out March 22nd on Heavy Psych Sounds

TRACKLIST
1. Sundae Driver – 4:36
2. King of Weed – 5:46
3. Free The Weed – 6:26
4. Greenthumb – 4:06
5. H.P. Keefmaker – 6:40
6. Hippie Stick – 6:06
7. Gestation – 6:06

*** BONGZILLA ***
SPRING EUROPEAN TOUR 2024
FR. 26.04.24 IT ZERO BRANCO – MAXIMUM FESTIVAL
SA. 27.04.24 OPEN SLOT
SU. 28.04.24 HR ZAGREB – MOČVARA
MO. 29.04.24 TR ISTANBUL – DOROCK HEAVY METAL CLUB
TU. 30.04.24 GR ATHENS – ARCH CLUB
WE. 01.05.24 GR THESSALONIKI – BLOCK 33
TH. 02.05.24 OPEN SLOT
FR. 03.05.24 IT BOLZANO – PIPPO STAGE
SA. 04.05.24 IT TRIESTE – HPS FEST ITALY
SU. 05.05.24 IT BOLOGNA – HPS FEST ITALY
MO. 06 05.24 FR CHAMBERY – BRIN DE ZINC
WE. 08.05.24 NL DRACHTEN – IDUNA
TH. 09.05.24 NL HAARLEM – PATRONAAT
FR. 10.05.24 NL EINDHOVEN – CAFE THE JACKS
SA. 11.05.24 NO OSLO – DESERTFEST OSLO
SU. 12.05.24 OPEN SLOT
MO. 13.05.24 DE COLOGNE – MTC
TU. 14.05.24 FR PARIS – GLAZART
WE. 15.05.24 OPEN SLOT
TH. 16.05.24 FR STRASBOURG – LA MAISON BLEUE
FR. 17.05.24 CH DUDINGEN – BAD BONN
SA. 18.05.24 IT BERGAMO – PACI PACIANA

BONGZILLA is
Mike “Muleboy” Makela – Bass / Vocals
Jeff “Spanky” Schultz – Guitars
Mike “Magma” Henry – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/Bongzilla/
https://www.instagram.com/bongzillaband
https://bongzilla.bandcamp.com/
https://bongzilla666.com/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Bongzilla, Dab City (2023)