It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and by that I mean it’s time for the first Roadburn announcements. The Tilburg, Netherlands-based fest is no stranger to throwing down a gauntlet in its forward thinking approach, and Roadburn 2016 looks to continue the thread. Here are the bullet points:

• Neurosis headline with a rare career-spanning set in celebration of their 30th anniversary.
• Lee Dorrian curates.
• Paradise Lost will play their classic Gothic album in full.

I can tell you honestly, the last time I saw Neurosis at Roadburn was 2009 and it was one of the purest earplugs-out communions with volume I’ve ever experienced. If I’m fortunate enough to get back there next April, I’ll consider myself even luckier, as they’ll be including songs from throughout their entire 30-year career. The thought of that meaning something off Souls at Zero is enough to send a shiver up my spine.

Lee Dorrian curating should hopefully mean a good amount of Rise Above acts on the bill. Could it be a return appearance from Uncle Acid, who played in 2013 as one of their very first shows? I don’t know. I won’t hold my breath for a Cathedral set, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think Dorrian‘s new project With the Dead with Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening (both ex-Electric Wizard) might make an appearance, and that’s fun speculation as it is, let alone whatever additions the next few months actually bring.

And Paradise Lost playing Gothic are a fitting answer to Fields of the Nephilim, who played twice at the fest this year. I’m a fan of that record though, and even their more recent stuff, so their arrival sits pretty well too.

Roadburn 2016 is starting off big, but if I’ve learned anything about the fest in the seven times I’ve been lucky enough to attend, it’s that this really is just the beginning. Initial announcements follow. More to come:

ROADBURN FESTIVAL confirms NEUROSIS and PARADISE LOST as headliners, plus LEE DORRIAN as festival curator

ROADBURN FESTIVAL is proud to announce that NEUROSIS will celebrate their thirtieth anniversary as headliners at the 2016 edition of the festival.

Pioneering Yorkshire doom legends, PARADISE LOST, will headline Roadburn Festival on Thursday 14 April 2016, playing their highly influential second album, Gothic, in its entirety.

ROADBURN FESTIVAL is incredibly proud to announce that our 2016 curator will be musician, label owner and sonic pioneer, LEE DORRIAN.

NEUROSIS

“To be invited to celebrate our 30th anniversary in Europe at Roadburn is an absolute honor. Roadburn is a treasured and unique event that embodies the spirit of open minded community and original, emotional heavy music. We are humbled to be a part of it again” – NEUROSIS, August 2015.”

The iconic, California-based band have planned just two events to mark this career milestone – one of which will be in San Francisco (March 4 & 5 at the Regency Ballroom), the other at Roadburn. NEUROSIS will in fact perform twice at Roadburn 2016 – as headliners on both Saturday 16 April, and on Sunday 17 April. The two sets will span the band’s entire career, showcasing NEUROSIS’ comprehensive evolution from their primitive beginnings to the seminal, epic outfit they are today. Each set will be completely different, and each album will be explored, allowing the band and the audience alike to revisit various parts of the band’s history.

NEUROSIS are very much a part of the tapestry that makes up Roadburn’s legacy; the announcement of their first headline slot at Roadburn 2007, marked a stylistic shift for the festival. Over the years, we have also played host to many NEUROSIS-linked side and solo projects, as well as bands that nestle under the Neurot Recordings label umbrella, and had the band truly kick off a new Roadburn tradition when they curated the festival in 2009.

Click here for the full NEUROSIS announcement details

PARADISE LOST

Pioneering Yorkshire doom legends PARADISE LOST will headline Roadburn Festival 2016 on Thursday 14 April 2016 playing their highly influential second album, Gothic, in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The band will play their masterpiece from start to finish, alongside tracks from their latest album, The Plague Within.

Leaders of the doom metal scene for over twenty five years, PARADISE LOST have kept their dank and dark take on the genre incredibly fresh with their latest album. Released on Century Media, The Plague Within marks a majestic return to PARADISE LOST’s innovative origins, recalling the melancholic heaviness of the band’s seminal second album, Gothic.

Renowned Romanian artist, Costin Chioreanu will be providing bespoke animated visuals to accompany PARADISE LOST’s Roadburn set.

PARADISE LOST’s Nick Holmes commented:

“As a young band we spent a good deal of time in the early 90’s driving around The Netherlands in a small transit van, living off chips with mayonnaise, drinking Chocomel and playing stuff from this album. ‘Gothic’ totally reminds me of those days, so if we were ever going to play the album in its entirety in 2016, it has to be in The Netherlands, and where better than the Roadburn Festival!!”

PARADISE LOST will be playing The Netherlands this year as part of their European tour in support of The Plague Within. They will play Tivoli, Utrecht on October 7.

Click here for the full Paradise Lost announcement details

LEE DORRIAN

Having headlined the first Roadburn Festival in 1999 with Cathedral, and celebrated Rise Above Records’ 20th anniversary at Roadburn in 2008, not to mention the bands that he has guided our way over the years, Lee’s history is very much entwined with that of Roadburn Festival.

“I feel very honoured to be handed this prestigious task to curate Roadburn 2016. Having been involved with Walter on a personal level for many years now, I always felt like part of the family, as opposed to being someone on the outside. So, with that in mind, I was both shocked and excited when he asked me to take on this fantastic opportunity.

I promise to make this an event that no-one will forget, and I’m already frothing at the potential of possibilities available!! It’s a dream and one that I never expected. This is what I love, so I will not disappoint. Come and join us in this ritualistic nirvana of praise and offerings to the unholy Blind Dead. Templars Arise!”

For the first time, Roadburn’s curator will take charge over two days – meaning the curator can develop a very specific and definitive vibe each day. Lee will curate the Main Stage on Friday 15 April 2016, before moving across to the iconic Het Patronaat venue on Saturday 16 April.

Click here for the full Lee Dorrian announcement details

Roadburn Festival takes place between 14 – 17 April 2016 at the 013 venue, in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Ticket announcements will follow in due course.

http://www.roadburn.com/
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival
https://twitter.com/roadburnfest

Neurosis, “Times of Grace” live at Roadburn 2009

There is not much one might do in doom or metal in general that Lee Dorrian hasn’t done. From getting his start at the beginnings of grindcore with Napalm Death to forming the massively influential Cathedral to fostering and continuing to develop an underground rock aesthetic few can predict or match with Rise Above Records — giving bands like Orange Goblin, Witchcraft, Naevus, Revelation and Electric Wizard a home in their early stages — his work over the better part of the last 30 years has not only resulted in badass records like Cathedral‘s 1991 debut, Forest of Equilibrium, or the 2002 Rampton album from the one-off project Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine with members of SunnO))) and Iron Monkey, but has actively played a role in reshaping what we think of as heavy. An inimitable stage presence, Dorrian put Cathedral to rest in 2013 after the release of The Last Spire (review here), but he continues his forward-thinking work with Rise Above, releasing landmark works from the likes of Ghost and Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats as well as potential doom-shapers like Lucifer.

This week, Cathedral reissues their first demo, 1990’s In Memoriam, complete with bonus live material, and I’m thrilled to be able to have Dorrian provide his answers to The Obelisk Questionnaire to mark the occasion:

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Lee Dorrian

How did you come to do what you do?

Just from being a fan of music since I was a little kid. From a very early age I was fascinated by not only the music, but also the lifestyle and culture surrounding it. In my early teens I started doing a fanzine, this led me to booking shows in local pubs and venues when I was sixteen. This in turn led me to joining my first ever band, which was Napalm Death and it went from there.

Describe your first musical memory.

I have memories of listening to records with my dad when I was about four years old. In particular, I remember him playing Beach Boys over and over but I also remember rocking out in the living room with him to Slade around the same time. Also, one very vivid memory from around this time was continually playing the Small Faces single on Immediate Records called “Itchycoo Park.” For some reason it had a blue ink stain on the black and white labels and I used to watch it going round and round, whilst the sound effects on the track would make me dizzy, haha. It was my favourite single when I was a little kid but the first single I actually bought with my own pocket money was “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas. After that I got into the Bay City Rollers, then became serious about rock ‘n’ roll and was a Teddy Boy at eight years old! I used to hang around with the older Teds and they showed me the ropes, what to wear, how to dance, etc.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I guess it was hearing a track off the B-side of Scum on the John Peel radio show. He had been my idol (if that’s the right word), since I was 10/11 years old, so hearing him play a record that I was on was just completely surreal. Then I got to know him a bit, which was just amazing. Nothing I did after that really topped it to be honest.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

When Cathedral signed to Columbia Records in the US. As anarchist teenager, I said I would never be in a band that signed to a major label. The opportunity came to us, we didn’t chase it, or even desire it. All I can say is, we had some great times as a result but it also fucked everything up.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Genuine artist progression leads to absolute greatness, though it depends on how you interpret it. I’m sure many artists I’ve admired early on, but not liked them so much as they’ve “progressed,” would view their progression differently than I would. I’m sure the same could be said for many people that have listened to some things I may have been involved with over the years: I might think it’s good, they might think it’s crap.

How do you define success?

Doing something you believe in and getting it right artistically. To me that would be more important than selling millions of records.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Swans a few weeks ago in London. Having said that, the first time I saw them in ‘86 was one of the best shows I have seen in my life.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A planet where only cool people lived.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

My daughter coming back from vacation!

Cathedral, “Morning of a New Day”

Cathedral on Thee Facebooks

Rise Above Records on Twitter

Rise Above Records

Usually when an allegedly limited edition reissue comes out and it’s packing a bonus DVD, it’s a completely skip worthy live set shot on one or two cameras with crappy sound that’s boring as hell. That, or like in the case of Earache‘s tackling last year of Cathedral‘s 1995 classic, The Carnival Bizarre, it’s all previously released. Review-wise, the second disc obliges a mention and little else. For their remaster of the seminal UK doomers’ 1991 debut, Forest of Equilibrium, however, the label has included a new 40-minute interview with the band about their career and making this album. Previously unreleased and relevant.

Granted, it’s shot mostly on one camera — other footage is spliced in — and it requires serious attention paid to dig words out of those Coventry accents, but it was enough for me to at least check it out before doing the review, hoping I’d learn something. I learned the “Ebony Tears” video (also included) kicks ass.

The audio portion of the release includes 1992’s Soul Sacrifice EP as another bonus and is a landmark in doom. Vocalist Lee Dorrian (blah blah Napalm Death, blah blah Rise Above Records), guitarists Gaz Jennings and Adam Lehan, bassist Mark Griffiths and drummer Mike Smail created a seven-track classic that’s morose by any standard you want to apply — even in comparing it to what was happening doom-wise in the UK at the time with My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Anathema. Put it next to Cathedral‘s last release, 2005’s The Garden of Unearthly Delights, and it almost sounds like a completely different band (Lehan, Griffiths and Smail being long gone might also have something to do with that).

Read more »