Well, if we’ve learned anything so far in 2019, it’s that The Obsessed will be spending significant amounts of it in Europe. The Maryland doom forebears have already been confirmed for Freak Valley and SonicBlast Moledo this summer, and they’ll be back this Fall — assuming they ever leave — with slots at Up in Smoke and now Keep it Low 2019. This is in addition to July UK dates with Alunah and an appearance next month in New Mexico for Monolith on the Mesa. Oh yeah, and there was that tour they did in March with C.O.C. and Crowbar too, so, you know, not a little bit of touring in general.

Their joining the ranks for Keep it Low 2019 comes with the festival’s announcement of the day splits — that’s who plays when — and the further confirmations of Bongripper and Mantar, thereby assuring the ground will shake and fury (and spit) will be spit with aggressive purpose as the fest plays out. There are a host of other righteous acts confirmed — Lo-Pan! Nebula! The Machine! etc. — so check out the lineup below, and here’s the latest from Sound of Liberation, which is presenting the whole affair:

As promised, here come the day-split, the single-day tickets and 3 new awesome bands!

We thought it was about time to bring more darkness and ferocity into our 2019 line-up, and therefore we are proud to tell you that German heaviest duo MANTAR, Illinois’ monster of riff BONGRIPPER & Maryland’s doom pioneer The Obsessed join the bill today! We still have a few bands to announce, but this 7th edition of Keep It Low Festival 2019 is shaping up nicely, isn’t it? :)

Check out the poster below to know the day-split, and get your tickets here https://www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low while you still can! 2-day passes are gone, it was faster than ever, and we’re sure those day tickets won’t last until the Summer!

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

The Obsessed, Sacred (2017)

One of the hazards in being so behind on shit all the time — all. the. time. — is temporal displacement. Thus, yesterday when I posted about Truckfighters making their reunion official and playing Keep it Low 2019 this Fall as a part of that process, that went up first, but actually came after the announcement that the Munich-based festival would host them this October. Does it matter? No. Is anyone other than me paying the slightest bit of attention? I can’t imagine they are. But, you know, temporal displacement. Someone call the DTI.

Good luck with that reference.

While I’m talking to myself, let me encourage you (me) wholeheartedly to dig into the new Ruff Majik single beneath the announcement from Keep it Low that follows. They have a new album coming that I’m hoping to premiere a song from when the time comes, and I think “Schizophrenic” is a pretty good indicator of why I’d want to do such a thing. They of course will also play Keep it Low, along with Philly’s Ecstatic Vision (new album? they’re due) and Munich’s own Instrument. It’s a solid bill, and no doubt there are even more announcements to follow. I’ll do my best to keep up, if only for my own edification.

Kaboom:

Truckfighters confirmed for Keep It Low Festival 2019!

Yes Keepers, you read it right!

Truckfighters’ hiatus is over and they will soon hit the stage again!! They played our very first edition of Keep It Low Festival in 2013, and we are thrilled to have them back in Munich this year to play their album “Gravity X” from finish to start!

Along with them, we are proud to announce today that Pennsylvania Heavy Psych quartet Ecstatic Vision, South African Garage trio Ruff Majik & Munich-based Postrock outfit Instrument are added to our 2019 line-up as well!

There aren’t many 2-day tickets left so better be fast and get them here: www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Ruff Majik, “Schizophrenic”

True, those of us who obsess over things like who’s gonna tour and when are consistently intrigued by things like fest-lineup-announcements way in advance. Nebula are said to be working on a new album. Will it be out by the time the band hits the road in Europe this Fall to play Keep it Low 2019 in Munich? They’ll be at a decade’s remove from their last LP, so they’re nothing if not due. Will Steak have a new record out? And what of mysterious hometown outfit Braindead Wavelength? Questions abound as we’re so many months away from October. Keep it Low announced another band as well in this batch, so they continue to build a strong lineup as part of what will no doubt be a strong Fall fest and touring season.

If you missed the first Keep it Low 2019 announcement, it was Lo-Pan, The Machine, Desert Storm and Dopelord, and I know Lo-Pan have a new record coming out this year — though much to my chagrin, I haven’t heard it yet. Could Europe get a Lo-Pan and Nebula tour? Jeepers that’d be awesome.

See? This is how I spend my time. Thinking about this stuff. That’s my day. I don’t know if I should be bragging about that or embarrassed. Maybe both?

Anyway, here’s the partial Keep it Low announce:

Keepers,

It’s time for a second announcement, as we secured 4 more bands for Keep It Low Festival 2019!

Today we are excited to tell you that stoner rock legends Nebula (currently working on their long-awaited new album) will join our 7th edition in October, along with… London based fuzz rockers Steak, and Munich’s Post Grunge infused Metal band Braindead Wavelength!

Regular 2-day tickets can be purchased right here:
www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low
(Limited Hard Tickets & Print-at-home Tickets)

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

Nebula, “To the Center” live at Camden Underworld, London, UK, July 6, 2018

This makes me happy for two reasons. First, Keep it Low has been a regular feature of my autumnal daydreams for years now. The Munich-based, Sound of Liberation-helmed festival, aside from regularly featuring hometown heroes Colour Haze — which would be reason enough to travel — consistently puts together quality lineups with a not-overblown vibe that resonates even to my dopey ass sitting across the Atlantic. So first and foremost, I’m glad they’re doing it again. I don’t they were two weeks outside of Keep it Low 2018 this past October before they were setting the dates for Keep it Low 2019, however, so that’s not exactly news if you keep up on social media.

However. The second reason is that Lo-Pan will be there. The Columbus, Ohio, natives are releasing a new full-length in 2019 that’ll be their first since 2014’s Colossus (review here), and as it stands right now, it’s my most anticipated album of the year. I’m glad to know they’ll be returning to Europe to support it in no small part because that means the record is definitely happening. I know it’s in the can and all that, but making tour plans is a confirming sign nonetheless. One doesn’t book such travel lightly, and I don’t imagine this will be the only Fall fest they play. There are certainly a few around, as subsequent lineup announcements will show.

But any way you look at it, the news is good. So here it is:

Keep It Low Festival 2019

11. & 12. October 2019
Feierwerk München

Early Bird Tickets sold out! Regular 2-day tickets now on sale.

Here come the first 4 bands confirmed for Keep It Low Festival 2019!

We are thrilled to welcome back the trippy The Machine (who played the very first Keep It Low in 2013), and bring for the first time at Keep It Low, the groovy Lo-Pan (Usa), the gloomy Dopelord (Pl) and the sludgy Desert Storm (Uk)!

Regular 2-day tickets can be purchased right here:
www.keepitlow.de/tickets-keep-it-low
(Limited Hard Tickets & Print-at-home Tickets)

https://www.facebook.com/events/250328939168797/
https://www.facebook.com/keepitlowfestival
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/

The Machine, Faceshift (2018)