Danzig doing the Lucifuge record, plus Emperor and Mercyful Fate on US exclusives. In the age of spectacle, Psycho Las Vegas stands apart from its otherwise-might-be peers. There’s a method to all this madness. A plan in action. These people aren’t stupid — this isn’t a stupid lineup, unless you mean “stupid” in an emphatic sense. That’s what Psycho Las Vegas is: emphasis realized. The chaos is the mission. How could there be a more suitable complement to this year, this moment in human history? This is happening at a fucking casino. In Las Vegas. Do you understand what I’m telling you? Do you understand you surreal that is? Repulsion are playing a god damned casino. On a bill with The Flaming Lips and Katatonia. This is your brain on… fire, I guess?

A couple weeks ago — days ago? hours? I have no idea what day it is or why I should be expected to know; I’ve actually set an alarm to post this at the right time in an effort not to screw it up which I probably will anyhow — I happened to have some quick email correspondence with the souls behind the genre-consuming beast of a festival that is Psycho Las Vegas 2020 and I made my BIG PITCH for coverage. Want to know what it was? What it basically boiled down to was, “How about you guys bring me out to the festival and put me up for four days, I take a bunch of mushrooms, maybe go see some bands and write whatever the hell I want?”

Their answer was yes, so that’s my plan. I think Psycho deserves nothing less than me ranting about I don’t know probably cultural decay, self-hate manifest as pretentious judgmentalism, and not eating for four days? Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll go with that.

The schedule isn’t out yet, but it’s clearly a choose-your-adventure festival. For those seeing HOT TIPS from an internet influencer, you’re on the wrong goddamn site. I’m the guy who spent half his morning cleaning up animal piss at his mom’s house. I’ll say though that along with the gargantuan proportion of the headliners — come on, Danzig doing Danzig II is brilliant and you know it — and all the indie, emo and post-hardcore stuff that, yeah okay, I get it, the aughts were a thing for some people (not for me; was too drunk to remember any of it), it’s righteous to see such a huge event in addition to telling Coachella to suck its ass continuing to commit to the heavy underground. My chosen adventure will include but not be limited to placing priority on Lord Buffalo, Blackwater Holylight, Fatso Jetson (of course), Mothership (the context is too good to pass up), Hippie Death Cult and… yes… Katatonia. Because they’re the wintriest band ever and it’ll be 100 degrees. The most Psycho move ever would be to put them on the pool stage. Keeping my fingers crossed that’s how it works out. Shit, put Mayhem out there while we’re at it.

That’s all provided I’m not too out of my mind to leave the hotel room.

Here’s a poster and words in blue. See you there, sort of:

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2020 – COMPLETE LINEUP

DANZIG (Celebrating 30 years of “Lucifuge”)
MERCYFUL FATE (2020 USA Exclusive)
EMPEROR (2020 USA Exclusive)
THE FLAMING LIPS
BLUE OYSTER CULT
DOWN (Celebrating 25 years of “Nola”)
BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB
TY SEGALL
WARPAINT
MAYHEM
SATYRICON
WATAIN
BLONDE REDHEAD
HEALTH
OBITUARY
ULVER (2020 USA Exclusive)
KATATONIA
AT THE GATES
POISON THE WELL
TSOL
CROWBAR
EXHORDER
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM
THURSDAY
PINBACK
ZOLA JESUS
DRAB MAJESTY
BORIS
KING DUDE
PAUL CAUTHEN
AMIGO THE DEVIL
EYEHATEGOD
PIG DESTROYER
REPULSION
IMMOLATION
MIDNIGHT
MGLA
WINDHAND
CURSIVE
BRUTUS
PROFANATICA
LOWER DENS
BLACK JOE LEWIS
INTRONAUT
BOYSETSFIRE
DEATH BY STEREO
CURL UP AND DIE
ADAMANTIUM
THIS WILL DESTROY YOU
KHEMMIS
MOTHERSHIP
GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH
DENGUE FEVER
KAELAN MIKLA
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT
FATSO JETSON
WINO (ACOUSTIC)
CREEPING DEATH
MEPHISTOFELES
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
TOKE
FOIE GRAS
FLAVOR CRYSTALS
SILVERTOMB
LORD BUFFALO
WARISH
ALMS
BOMBERS
GLACIAL TOMB
RELAXER
HIPPIE DEATH CULT
VAELMYST
MOTHER MERCURY
DJ SCOTT SELTZER

Psycho Entertainment & MGM Entertainment present PSYCHO SWIM

Lineup:
OLD MAN GLOOM
ELDER
THE SKULL
DEATH VALLEY GIRLS
BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT
HERE LIES MAN
POLYRHYTHMICS
DJ SCOTT SELTZER

Tickets for PSYCHO LAS VEGAS as well as the PSYCHO SWIM pre-party, which requires a separate ticket from the main festival pass, are on sale now!

Tickets for all PSYCHO LAS VEGAS events can be purchased at VivaPsycho.com or AXS.com.

https://www.facebook.com/events/3255628101138593/
http://www.vivapsycho.com
http://www.facebook.com/psychoLasVegas
http://www.instagram.com/psycholasvegas

Danzig, Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990)

Even apart from how it relates to the other festivals under the Desertfest banner — Berlin, Belgium, New York — Desertfest London set an extremely high standard for itself last year, and it was obvious coming into Desertfest London 2020 that they’d have their work cut out for them in reaching those same heights. Their lineup isn’t finished yet, and of course we’ll see how it all looks when the day-schedule is fully unveiled, but bringing Lowrider on board to support their first release in 20 years, Refractions, is nothing if not significant — they played there in 2013 and were fantastic — but they’ll also be the the UK debut for Khemmis from the US and at least the first time at Desertfest for MaidaVale from Sweden. They’ve pretty much lost their minds and added 20 bands in a single shot here, so there’s plenty to dig into, but you’ll note King Witch, who are frickin’ awesome, as well as The Hazytones, Alunah and the slew of others taking part. They’re building a desert empire in Camden Town.

Has it been nine years already? I may have to start planning my return for year 10 if they’ll have me.

From thee social medias:

DESERTFEST ADDS 20 NAMES TO LONDON LINE-UP, INCLUDING GRAVEYARD AS NEXT HEADLINER

Tickets – https://dice.fm/festival/desertfest20

Desertfest is thrilled to be kicking off the new year in style with the apt number of 20 names added for our 9th edition this May. Sweden’s most beloved export of hard rock, the impeccable Graveyard will bring their unique bluesy tones to London as headliners of Desertfest London 2020. The Swedish family reunion continues as we welcome back one of the most synonymous desert rock (and Desertfest) bands, the iconic Lowrider return with not only a rare live performance, but their first record in almost two decades. A masterclass in the melting pot of genre fluidity comes from two-man powerhouse Big Business, whilst psychedelic stoner rock trio Somali Yacht Club will make the trip from Ukraine to play Desertfest for the first time.

Speaking of debuts we’ll play host to the first UK show for Denver melancholic doom outfit Khemmis and Sweden delivers once again with rock’n’roll four-piece MaidaVale. Elsewhere on the bill we are thrilled to welcome Your Highness, Hexis, FIREBREATHER, The Hazytones, Opium Lord, King Witch, GURT, Alunah, 1782, Tides Of Sulfur, Doomicidal, Under, A Gazillion Angry Mexicans and Dunes.

As you may have noticed, The Picturebooks have unfortunately had to cancel their performance at Desertfest due to a schedule conflict out of our control. However with more acts still to be unveiled, plus day tickets on sale soon there’s much more to come for our 9th edition.

Weekend tickets are on sale now via this link – https://link.dice.fm/desertfest20

Artwork by Piotr w. Osburne

https://www.facebook.com/events/464163361105416/
http://www.desertfest.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_london/

Lowrider, Ode to Io Deluxe Edition (2017)

I’ll be 100 percent honest with you and say I don’t know how recent the lineup additions are here, but I’m trying basically to keep up with Monolith on the Mesa 2020 and there are names listed below that weren’t included in the last lineup update I got from the PR wire, so if I’m a month behind, I’m sorry. It’s been a busy month. Some of those additions are significant as well, from Warhorse, Heavy Temple and Yatra making the trek from the East Coast to Mondo Drag coming from San Diego, Khemmis from Denver and Distances from the relatively nearby Albuquerque. All these and the others listed below will convene at the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership for what’s the second Monolith on the Mesa Festival, which I have very little doubt is precisely the kind of party it looks like on paper. To wit, it looks like quite a party.

I went to the fest’s website and cut and pasted the lineup. That’s what I did. Swiped the logo while I was there too. Full confession.

With dreams of the desert in Springtime:

Monolith on the Mesa 2020

May 28-30, 2020 at Taos Mesa Brewing

Monolith on the Mesa, a “High” Desert Experience, is an independent three-day festival entering its second year in 2020. The festival takes place at the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership, and on the grounds of Hotel Luna Mystica, just outside of Taos, New Mexico. The festival is focused on heavy riff-rock acts from across multiple sub-genres including stoner rock, heavy psych, doom metal, sludge, drone, and retro rock. The festival includes interactive art installations and visual projections throughout the grounds to compliment the mind bending sounds of the bands. Festival capacity is limited to 1,500 to provide an intimate experience. Bands perform on the club-style indoor stage, and the scenic “earthship” outdoor amphitheater stage.

Bands Playing at Monolith on the Mesa:
Black Maria
Destroyer of Light
distances
Duel
Earthride
Fatso Jetson
Great Electric Quest
Heavy Temple
Khemmis
Love Gang
Magic Castles
Mark Deutrom
Mars Red Sky
Mondo Drag
Mondo Generator
Mountain of Smoke
Nebula
Prism Bitch
Ruby the Hatchet
Sons of Otis
Sun Dog
Warhorse
Wo Fat
Yatra
Yawning Man
Year of the Cobra

DATES AND TIMES:
Box office opens at 9 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
May 28th doors at 4 pm til 1:30 am
May 29th doors at 12 noon; outside stage til midnight; indoor stage til 1:30 am
May 30th doors at 12 noon; outdoor stage til midnight; indoor stage til 1:30 am

VENUE INFORMATION:
Taos Mesa Brewing: The Mothership
20 ABC Mesa Rd.
El Prado, New Mexico 89529
https://www.taosmesabrewing.com/

TICKET INFORMATION:
Rain or shine event! No refunds!
https://tickets.holdmyticket.com/tickets/344140

https://www.monolithonthemesa.com
https://www.facebook.com/monolithonthemesa
https://www.instagram.com/monolithonthemesa

Monolith on the Mesa 2020 promo

The mighty force of metallic melancholy known as Khemmis will finish out 2019 with a nine-day run down the West Coast, the band taking unto themselves the potentially arduous task of driving through the Rockies in wintertime in order to get from their home in Denver through Utah and Idaho before hitting the more temperate coastline and circling south, ending up where they began with a hometown show at Bluebird Theater on Dec. 14. They’re joined in the endeavor by Un from Seattle, and I can’t help but wonder if this might tie into news of a new album coming next year, either in February, when the music industry returns to life after its winter hibernation, or sometime in Spring. Depends on when they record, duh, but as I haven’t seen news one way or the other about that — doesn’t mean it hasn’t been out there, just that it’s a thing I don’t know — I obviously can’t speak to it. One way or the other, I’d categorize a new LP from them in 2020 as “likely.”

But if “definite” is more your thing, they’re definitely touring. Here are the dates:

KHEMMIS Announce West Coast Desolation Tour 2019!

Denver, Colorado based doomed heavy metal quartet KHEMMIS are proud to announce their West Coast Desolation Tour 2019. The 9-date tour will kick-off on December 16th in Salt Lake City and conclude in Denver, Colorado on December 14th. Joining the band on the tour is Seattle funeral doom warlocks UN.

KHEMMIS comments, “After the success of the first leg of the North American Desolation Tour we are thrilled to announce the West Coast Desolation Tour a nine-date headlining trek with support from Seattle funeral doom warlocks UN. We will conclude the outing with a very special hometown show–our only one this year–featuring a rare local appearance by black metal hellions WAYFARER. Tickets for all shows will go on sale this Friday, we’ll see all of you on the road this winter!”

Tickets will be available for purchase on Friday, August 23 at 10AM PST. For more information visit: www.khemmisdoom.com

Confirmed dates for the KHEMMIS West Coast Desolation Tour 2019 with special guests UN are:
12/06/2019 Salt Lake City UT • Soundwell
12/07/2019 Boise ID • Neurolux
12/08/2019 Seattle WA • The Highline
12/09/2019 Portland OR • Doug Fir Lounge
12/10/2019. Oakland CA • Starline Social Club
12/11/2019 Los Angeles CA • The Echo
12/12/2019 San Diego CA • Brick By Brick
12/13/2019 Phoenix AZ • Club Red
12/14/2019 Denver CO • Bluebird Theater (w/ Wayfarer)

Khemmis are:
Phil Pendergast // guitar, vocals
Ben Hutcherson // guitar, vocals
Daniel Beiers // bass
Zach Coleman // drums

http://www.facebook.com/khemmisdoom
http://khemmis.bandcamp.com
www.nuclearblast.de/
https://www.facebook.com/nuclearblastusa

Khemmis, “Isolation” official video

Colorado’s Khemmis, recently signed to Nuclear Blast, will head out on tour once again in July, doing shows up and down the Eastern Seaboard before hitting into Canada and sweeping back through the Upper Midwest. They go supporting last year’s Desolation (review here), and if you’re on the West Coast and feeling left out of the party, rest easy. There’s still plenty of 2019 left, and somehow I seriously doubt they’ve forgotten California exists. Give it time, is what I’m saying. Fall, maybe, if they don’t go to Europe, or even winter. They’re bound to show up sooner or later.

And in the meantime, they’ll be joined for the upcoming trip by Cloak from Georgia, and the dates follow here, courtesy of the PR wire:

KHEMMIS Announce North American Desolation 2019 Tour!

Denver, Colorado based doomed heavy metal quartet KHEMMIS are proud to announce their North American Desolation 2019 tour. The 16-date tour will kick-off on July 11th at Growlers in Memphis, Tennessee. The trek will make stops in Richmond, Philadelphia, and Detroit before concluding on July 28th at Nightspot in Bloomington, Illinois. Joining the band on the tour is Atlanta, Georgia’s metal quartet CLOAK. Prior to the main run. KHEMMIS will play a stand alone show on June 14th at Hodi’s Half Note in Fort Collins Colorado.

KHEMMIS comments, “We’re excited to hit the road for our first proper headlining tour in support of ‘Desolation.’ This trek features our first Southeastern shows as well as dates in some of our favorite cities/venues, including Saint Vitus in Brooklyn and Reggies in Chicago. If that wasn’t enough, we’re bringing black ‘n’ roll maniacs CLOAK with us! Make sure you grab your tickets early, since these are our only eastern US and Canadian shows for 2019. Brush up on the lyrics, practice your air guitar moves, and catch us on tour this summer!”

Tickets will be available for purchase on Friday, April 5th at 10AM local time. For more information visit: www.khemmisdoom.com

Confirmed dates for the North American Desolation 2019 tour are:
06/14/2019 Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, CO*
07/11/2019 Growlers – Memphis, TN
07/12/2019 Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
07/13/2019 Clairvoyance Fest – Lexington, KY
07/14/2019 The End – Nashville, TN
07/16/2019 The Maywood – Raleigh, NC
07/17/2019 The Camel – Richmond, VA
07/18/2019 Songbyrd – Washington, DC
07/19/2019 Saint Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
07/20/2019 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
07/21/2019 Great Scott – Boston, MA
07/23/2019 Bar Le Ritz – Montreal, QC
07/24/2019 Velvet Underground – Toronto, ON
07/25/2019 The Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
07/26/2019 Reggies – Chicago, IL
07/27/2019 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
07/28/2019 Nightshop – Bloomington, IL
*=no cloak

Khemmis are:
Phil Pendergast // guitar, vocals
Ben Hutcherson // guitar, vocals
Daniel Beiers // bass
Zach Coleman // drums

http://www.facebook.com/khemmisdoom
http://khemmis.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/khemmisdoom
www.nuclearblast.de/
https://www.facebook.com/nuclearblastusa

Khemmis, “Isolation” official video

Denver doom exports Khemmis have inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast. You might recall their 2018 album, the wide-lauded Desolation (review here), came out in the US via 20 Buck Spin and Nuclear Blast in Europe, so the difference now is they’re a Nuclear Blast band all the way, as A&R legend Monte Conner continues to mine some of the underground’s finest acts and bring them into the label’s fold. Khemmis right now are labelmates with the likes of Witchcraft, Kadavar, Graveyard, as well as a slew of landmark metallers any of whom would make just as likely tourmates for a band like Khemmis as the rock acts just mentioned.

Probably kind of inevitable, but emblematic of the surge that has been Khemmis‘ career to this point. I saw the note on the PR wire and said, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Here’s the announcement:

KHEMMIS SIGN TO NUCLEAR BLAST WORLDWIDE!

Nuclear Blast are proud to announce the now worldwide signing of Denver, Colorado based doomed heavy metal quartet Khemmis. Welcome to the global family! Khemmis released their third studio album Desolation in June 2018, to rapturous praise from fans and media alike. They are currently working on new material, and are planning to tour throughout 2019.

Khemmis commented on the news: “We are honored and excited to join the Nuclear Blast roster alongside so many legendary artists. Endless thanks to Monte Conner, Mark Palmer, Yorck Eysel and the rest of the amazing team at Nuclear Blast for sharing in our vision for the future. We also send our unending gratitude to Dave Adelson of 20 Buck Spin, who not only took a chance on us when he released Absolution in 2015 but also became a true friend and brother to us over the last few years. Finally, thanks to everyone who has supported us by seeing us live, snagging a shirt, and/or picking up a CD or LP. Without all of you, none of this would be possible. We’ve got some very exciting announcements about tours, festivals, and new music coming soon. Cheers!”

Khemmis’ passion for progressive and soulful heavy music is more evident than ever in 2018’s Desolation. Though undeniably influenced by doom and classic metal, to tag the quartet with those labels doesn’t do justice to what they’ve accomplished; a perfect representation of modern heavy metal that integrates the past in a way only possible with the faculty of hindsight. It’s impossible to ignore the lengths that the four piece goes to in order to master their craft and produce a highly unique form of heavy sound. Their magnificently uplifting, yet sorrowful groovy riffs weave the listener along on an unparalleled journey. Desolation is not just the best Khemmis record to date but a testament to the quality and evolution that heavy metal is still capable of.

Having worked for the third time with Dave Otero of Flatline Audio in Denver, the band and producer achieved a deep mutual understanding, able to arrive at the perfect symbiosis of song writing, arrangement, and production value.
Formed in Denver in 2012, Khemmis have released three albums to date. 2015’s Absolution and 2016’s Hunted painted a unique portrait; encompassing spiraling progressive doom, fuzz-toned stoner riffs, syrupy sludge and churning classic grooves. They transcended traditional doom forming elegant yet dramatic tracks, conveying their unique sense of melancholy edged with a sense of foreboding.

With latest record Desolation, Khemmis have finally reached a more international audience, winning over hearts and minds across the globe.

Khemmis are:
Phil Pendergast // guitar, vocals
Ben Hutcherson // guitar, vocals
Daniel Beiers // bass
Zach Coleman // drums

http://www.facebook.com/khemmisdoom
http://khemmis.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/khemmisdoom
www.nuclearblast.de/mydyingbride
https://www.facebook.com/nuclearblastusa

Khemmis, “Isolation” official video

If you’re reading this, congratulations on making it all the way through the existential rollercoaster that was 2018.

I hope you celebrated that year’s end and this year’s beginning in riotous fashion if that’s your thing, and if you’re more the stay-at-home-and-don’t-break-stuff type, I hope that was fun too.

Over the last month, best-of lists have been collected from all around the world and as we move into 2019, it’s time to do the results of the Year-End Poll for 2018.

What a year. As I look back on the lists submitted, of course I can’t help but think how absolutely incredible 2018 was for music. With the world crumbling around, creativity surged, and the quality of output was off the charts. I published my own list last week and was quickly inundated with stuff I forgot or that I missed owing to being robbed earlier this year — I guess I didn’t even realize until the post went up just how much that screwed me — and I’m sure there’s more still out there from what everyone turned in. It’s infinite. It keeps going. Trends change. Sounds change. People change. Creativity flourishes.

But I think if you’re reading this, you know why we’re here. We wound up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 discrete releases submitted. That’s more than five for every day of the year. And they came from 547 people, which is amazing. Accordingly, there should be plenty here to keep you busy for a while.

Not exactly suspenseful as to which was the album of the year, but it’s still interesting to see where stuff landed. Just to remind, there are two lists, one of the raw votes, and one in which a 1-4 ranking is worth five points, 5-8 worth four, 9-12 worth three, 13-16 worth two and 17-20 worth one. Thanks as always to Slevin for the help in setting up the back end functionality and compilation scripts.

Let’s go:

Top 20 of 2018 — Weighted Results

1. Sleep, The Sciences (1,087 points)
2. YOB, Our Raw Heart (721)
3. High on Fire, Electric Messiah (478)
4. Earthless, Black Heaven (413)
5. King Buffalo, Longing to Be the Mountain (408)
6. Windhand, Eternal Return (387)
7. All Them Witches, ATW (373)
8. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Wasteland (354)
9. Clutch, Book of Bad Decisions (323)
10. Fu Manchu, Clone of the Universe (315)
11. Greenleaf, Hear the Rivers (285)
12. Holy Grove, Holy Grove II (274)
13. Graveyard, Peace (225)
14. Brant Bjork, Mankind Woman (222)
15. Weedpecker, III (212)
16. Corrosion of Conformity, No Cross No Crown (197)
17. Monster Magnet, Mindfucker (189)
18. Conan, Existential Void Guardian (188)
19. The Skull, The Endless Road Turns Dark (167)
20. ASG, Survive Sunrise (164)

Honorable Mention:
Messa, Feast for Water (150)
Gozu, Equilibrium (148)
Judas Priest, Firepower (148)
Naxatras, III (148)
Forming the Void, Rift (146)

I’m not saying everyone had to love the Sleep record, but there’s no way it wasn’t the biggest underground heavy release of the year. That top spot was established the first day the poll went up and while YOB caught up as both neared 100 votes, there was no doubt how it would ultimately shake out. It was pretty clear early on what people were passionate about, but there are some interesting differences between the raw vote and the weighted results even high on the list, as you’ll see below.

Top 20 of 2018 — Raw Votes

1. Sleep, The Sciences (263 votes)
2. YOB, Our Raw Heart (185)
3. High on Fire, Electric Messiah (141)
4. Windhand, Eternal Return (115)
5. Earthless, Black Heaven (109)
6. King Buffalo, Longing to Be the Mountain (102)
7. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Wasteland (101)
8. All Them Witches, ATW (95)
8. Clutch, Book of Bad Decisions (95)
9. Fu Manchu, Clone of the Universe (93)
10. Greenleaf, Hear the Rivers (77)
10. Holy Grove, Holy Grove II (77)
11. Graveyard, Peace (69)
12. Brant Bjork, Mankind Woman (67)
13. Weedpecker, III (63)
14. Monster Magnet, Mindfucker (57)
14. Conan, Existential Void Guardian (57)
15. Corrosion of Conformity, No Cross No Crown (54)
16. The Skull, The Endless Road Turns Dark (50)
17. ASG, Survive Sunrise (48)
18. Gozu, Equilibrium (46)
19. Forming the Void, Rift (45)
20. Judas Priest, Firepower (43)
20. Khemmis, Bloodletting (43)
20. Mos Generator, Shadowlands (43)
20. Orange Goblin, The Wolf Bites Back (43)

Honorable Mention:
Messa, Feast for Water (41)
Domkraft, Flood (40)
Naxatras, III (40)
Thou, Magus (40)

Everything else got fewer than 40 raw votes. Why cap it at 40? I don’t know. Good a place as any. And when a top 20 has 26 releases on it, I don’t imagine there will be too many complaints about not enough stuff being included. One can hope, anyhow. You can see the difference between Sleep and everyone else here as well, a pretty precipitous drop after both them and YOB, and YOB and High on Fire — the top three being well ahead of everyone else in terms of general agreement.

The ‘Respect the Hustle’ Award

Somewhere around the middle of the month, I noticed a massive surge of votes for a band called Entropía and their debut album, Invisible. A bunch of people with lists of 20 just including Entropía. I’ve included them below, you can see them. I didn’t know what was up, whether it was the band spamming the vote or what, so I sent them a message. Turns out they had sent the link to their email list and asked for votes, and that’s how they all got in. Well, okay.

They wound up with well over 750 raw votes (to remind, Sleep got 263), and it didn’t feel representative to have them be album of the year, but hey, I respect the hustle, so they get the award accordingly. Nicely done, folks. I’ve been doing Year-End Polls since like 2010 and that’s never happened before. Their totals were 2,367 points and 777 votes.

—

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading. Whether this is the only post you’ve seen this year or you click ‘Like’ on everything that comes across your Facebook feed, your support is tremendously appreciated. This is the only post that will go up today, but we’ll be back to business as usual tomorrow, and in the meantime, you’ll find everybody’s list included after the jump.

All the best for 2019.

Read more »

I don’t know what song Khemmis have signed on to do for Magnetic Eye Records‘ next tribute compilation, Dirt [Redux], but as the label takes on one of the all-time classic albums of the 1990s — as well as the soundtrack to a goodly portion of my youth — they’ve started out well in choosing the acts to participate. The project has unsurprisingly met its corwdfunding goal via preorders and will press head with Khemmis as the first announced band involved. Who’s next? Hell if I know. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in this thing? It’s fucking Dirt. My real question is who’s going to do “Iron Gland?” I bet if you doomed that out you could get five minutes from it, easy.

Of course, Magnetic Eye is also on the cusp of issuing its Pink Floyd tribute, The Wall [Redux], which follows homages to Jimi Hendrix and Helmet, and has also seen a massive response. Tune in Oct. 26 around these parts for a rather sizable feature on that, and I’ll hope to have more to come on Dirt [Redux] as well, since the source material is one of my favorite albums, period.

Here’s the Khemmis announcement:

KHEMMIS confirmed to appear on “DIRT [REDUX]”

Riding the wave of excitement and success around The Wall [Redux], the massive Pink Floyd homage featuring The Melvins, Pallbearer, Ruby the Hatchet, Mark Lanegan, ASG, Scott Reeder and many others, Magnetic Eye Records has seized the moment and set its sights on the next volume in its popular Redux series.

And, given the staggering array of bands MER secured for its latest outing, the label can afford to be selective.

With that in mind, Magnetic Eye is ecstatic to announce that, pending the expected logistical discussions, acclaimed Denver prog-doomsters KHEMMIS have enthusiastically joined the project.

Says Khemmis, “We are thrilled to announce that we will contribute a track to Magnetic Eye Records’ newest project, a reimagining of the legendary Alice in Chains album Dirt. After the success of their last undertaking, Pink Floyd’s The Wall (featuring Pallbearer, (the) Melvins, ASG, and many more), the Magnetic Eye crew set their sights on Seattle. We are honored to be part of the record; just wait until you find out what song we’re covering and who else is on this project.”

If The Wall [Redux] and the signing on of Khemmis are any indication, Dirt [Redux] will be another stunning volume in this ongoing series that pays tribute to iconic musical works classic and modern by re-imagining them from cover to cover.

The Kickstarter campaign to move the project forward must meet its pre-order goal by the morning of Wednesday, October 17 to move forward, with more info available at kickstarter.com/projects/magneticeye/dirt-redux/

store.merhq.com
http://magneticeyerecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords

Alice in Chains, “Hate to Feel”