Freak Valley 2026 Completes Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 4th, 2026 by JJ Koczan

Freak Valley 2026 has been sold out for months at this point, but if you think that would prevent the Netphen, Germany-based execution of the heavy-hippie ideal from adding more badassery to its bill, well, you probably haven’t stopped to think about the reason it’s already been sold out for months. Did that make sense? I don’t know, but the point is Freak Valley looks friggin’ awesome, again, still, whatever. From Uncle Acid and Goat at the top of the bill on down, taking in the now-complete lineup gives some sense of the sonic scope of the thing, surely broadened by bringing in the likes of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs PigsMessaGoat and Tranquonauts, and yeah. If you’re one of the few who managed to get tickets before they were gone, you don’t need me to tell you.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend Freak Valley four times now, and the atmosphere, the people, the music, the presentation, the location, the setup of merch and distractions, the sprinklers and little corners in the shade to cool off — it’s got everything you could want and more you woudn’t even think of like when they light the trees up at night and for just a moment it’s kind of like what the whole world could be if only it were entirely different than it is. A sanctuary of sound for weirdos, and an incredible time, to say the least.

From social media:

Freak Valley 2026 final poster sq

FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 2026 – 🔥FINAL ADDITIONS 🔥

The last bands to complete this year’s Freak Valley line-up – and what a way to finish things off.

@pigsx7
Hailing from the UK, they deliver massive riffs, raw energy and pure intensity. One of the most uncompromising heavy bands of the last decade – loud, hypnotic and impossible to ignore.

@seedyjeezus
Coming all the way from Australia, Seedy Jeezus bring raw, expansive psychedelic rock with a love for long jams. Trippy, loud and perfect for getting lost in the moment.

@margaritawitchcult
Straight out of the UK with dark, fuzz-drenched heavy rock and a fierce attitude. Fast, filthy and straight to the point – exactly how we like it.

@sunnataofficial
From Poland, Sunnata combine doom, psych and post-metal into a heavy, ritualistic and deeply atmospheric sound that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

The Grant East
Originating from the Netherlands, they blend vintage rock vibes with soul, groove and swagger – classic at heart, modern in punch.

@sergeantthunderhoof
This UK-based heavy prog powerhouse brings huge grooves, epic melodies and raw emotion – powerful and tailor-made for an open-air stage.

@frenzee.band
Born in Australia and raised in Greece, Frenzee deliver pure high-energy punk rock. Fast, loud and explosive – no brakes, no compromises.

@fightsoslo
Coming from Norway, Fights deliver intense, emotional hardcore punk with melody and heart. Short, sharp and straight in your face.

ROCKBLOG. BLUESSPOT PRESENTS @trailoffical
Rooted in Darmstadt, Germany, Trail bring heavy psych and desert-soaked grooves – laid-back yet powerful, perfect for drifting away down the Valley.

That’s it.
We’re sold out.
See you in the Valley. 💚🌵

@rockfreaksrec
Artwork: @branca_studio

http://www.freakvalley.de/
http://www.rockfreaks.de/
https://www.instagram.com/freakvalleyfestival/
https://www.facebook.com/freakvalley

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Death Hilarious (2025)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SonicBlast Fest 2026 Makes First Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 3rd, 2025 by JJ Koczan

Branca, killing it again with the SonicBlast Fest poster art. Year after year, that partnership continues to flourish.

I was lucky enough to be invited to Portugal for SonicBlast Fest in 2023, and it was a great time from the pre-show through the end of the last night. I’m sick as a dog at the moment, so thinking of breathing the fresh air on the Atlantic Coast is perhaps a little more vivid in my mind, as much as I can smell anything right now or keep my head up while I’m typing or stay awake, etc. I took some DayQuil and I’ll go lie down in a bit.

The assemblage here is rad. You don’t need me to tell you having Turbonegro, High on Fire, Elder, Kylesa, Conan and Dead Meadow on the same bill is going to result in a good time. It’s something of a given. Cool to see Necrot included though. I like a bit of riffy death metal, and SonicBlast hasn’t been shy in years past about reaching outside the heavy rock umbrella for punk and hardcore — note The Casualties here — so an extension of that makes sense. Note also industrial punker N8noface and Early Moods. Both of those I believe are managed by Daniel from RidingEasy Records, so I can’t help but wonder if they might be touring together next summer. Guess we’ll find out eventually.

Also Jon Davis from Conan pulling double-duty with an Ungraven set, and more still to come. The following comes from social media:

SONICBLAST FEST 2026 FIRST POSTER sq

Get ready for the 14th edition of SonicBlast Fest ⚡️

We’re thrilled to announce the first confirmed bands:

Turbonegro
High On Fire
Chat Pile
Deafheaven
Kylesa
The Casualties
Midnight
Frankie And The Witch Fingers
Snapped Ankles

Elder
Levitation Room
Dead Meadow
Conan
N8noface
Adult.
Necrot

Margarita Witch Cult
Early Moods
Primitive Ring
Goya
Hög
Ungraven

Tickets are already on sale at Bol and Masqueticket

https://garboyl.bol.pt/

https://www.masqueticket.com/en/entradas/sonicblast-festival-portugal-bilhetes-tickets-2026

Artwork by @branca_studio

https://sonicblastfestival.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sonicblast_fest
https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/

Elder, Liminality/Dream State Return (2025)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Margarita Witch Cult Premiere “Scream Bloody Murder’; Strung Out in Hell Out July 18

Posted in audiObelisk, Whathaveyou on May 27th, 2025 by JJ Koczan

MARGARITA WITCH CULT STRUNG OUT IN HELL

Whether they’re covering Billy Idol‘s “White Wedding,” blasting a sax and trumpet at the end of the ultra-swinging “The Fool” or telling you to “Scream Bloody Murder” in the night, Margarita Witch Cult have stepped up their game with their sophomore LP, Strung Out in Hell. Set to release on July 18 through Heavy Psych Sounds, it is the follow-up to the Birmingham, England, trio’s lauded 2023 self-titled debut (review here), with a sharp-cutting nine songs across 37 minutes of raw garage doom, proto-metal, scummer rock, and whatever brand of dirt-coated blowout “Conqueror Worm” is on offer for willing heads, truants, drunkards and general reprobates.

I’ll spare you a deep-dive because the record’s not out for a month and a half, but I got asked last-minute-style to host the premiere of “Scream Bloody Murder” as the lead track from the record and there are a couple things you should know going in. First of all, oof, that’s catchy. The debut wasn’t shy about an Uncle Acid influence, and part of that is represented here by a push into a nastier sound generally. There’s still melody, as “Scream Bloody Murder” demonstrates, but there’s a harsh streak in Margarita Witch Cult beyond the violence of the lyrics that Strung Out in Hell uses to make a central part of its impression.

Margarita Witch CultBut only part. As biting as “Dig Your Way Out” is and as much as “Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm” wraps with its own harsher moments, “Witches Candle” sounds like early Nebula tripping on occult biker magazine covers from 1968, the “White Wedding” cover — which is the side A finale and centerpiece of the tracklisting — is rougher than the original of course but fairly reverent, and “Mars Rover” touches on classic turn-of-the-century stoner rock with a fuzzy shove that can’t be faked. Strung Out in Hell presents itself as barebones, tapping into something ancient in metal, and the budget iconography of its rad-as-hell cover art referencing the songs bears that out (note the screaming cyclops skull; that’s for “Scream Bloody Murder”), but all is not as simple as it first appears and there is sonic range taking hold in their sound. Whether you hear that in “The Fool” or pointedly ’70s opener “Crawl Home to Your Coffin” will ultimately be up to you, but it’s there to be heard.

Volatility is a crucial element, but don’t expect outright chaos going into either “Scream Bloody Murder” or the LP it’s representing as the first single. Margarita Witch Cult send a clear message that the first album wasn’t a fluke and that they’re willing to chase their darker impulses in craft wherever they may lead. So be it, screaming bloody murder in the night.

PR wire info follows. Please enjoy:

Margarita Witch Cult, “Scream Bloody Murder” track premiere

Margarita Witch Cult on “Scream Bloody Murder”:

“‘Scream Bloody Murder’ is an irresistible slice of classic heavy metal- an unapologetically melodious anthem for the damned that worms its way into the cerebral cortex and takes up permanent residency- just like the night terrors it depicts. Shock rock for the wretched soul- equal parts stadium-size banger and soundtrack for the dingiest dive-bar- it perfectly captures the essence of Margarita Witch Cult’s bombastic unrepentant sophomore album.”

Birmingham, UK’s doom rock torchbearers MARGARITA WITCH CULT are set to return with a bang this summer, with their sophomore album “Strung Out In Hell” to be issued on July 18th through Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

ALBUM PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS360

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

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
Crawl Home To Your Coffin – 4:07
Scream Bloody Murder – 3:41
Conqueror Worm – 4:21
Witches Candle – 2:38
White Wedding – 4:45
SIDE B
Mars Rover – 4:53
Dig Your Way Out – 2:27
The Fool – 3:24
Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm – 6:46

CREDITS
Recorded & Mixed by Mark Gittins at Megatone Studio, Birmingham, UK
Mastered by Scott Middleton at High Wattage Cottage, Ontario, Canada
Producer – @mark_gittins_sound / @megatonerecordingstudio
Artwork by Dirt Wizard.
All songs Copyright Margarita Witch Cult 2025 except Track 5.

Guest Performers
Alicia Gardener-Trejo – Baritone Sax on ‘The Fool’
Sam Wooster – Trumpet on ‘The Fool’

Writing Credits
All songs written by Scott Abbott except:
Track 3 – Conqueror Worm – James Brown / Scott Abbott
Track 5 – White Wedding – Billy Idol
Track 7 – Dig Your Way Out – James Brown / Scott Abbott

MARGARITA WITCH CULT is:
Scott Abbott – Vocals & Guitars
James Brown – Bass, Vocals, Synth, Mellotron, Guitars
George Caswell – Drums & Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/margaritawitchcult
https://www.instagram.com/margaritawitchcult/
https://margaritawitchcult.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/margaritawitchcult

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

Margarita Witch Cult, Margarita Witch Cult (2023)

Tags: , , , , ,

Margarita Witch Cult to Release Strung Out in Hell July 18

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 16th, 2025 by JJ Koczan

Note the cover art with its various iconography culled from the song titles. Whatever you do, don’t miss the Mars rover. Classic ’80s metal vibes there that have me somewhat curious as to how Birmingham heavy rock trio Margarita Witch Cult will have progressed from their well-received 2023 self-titled debut (review here), but there’s no audio yet to begin to get a sense. They’ll get there, I’m just impatient with this stuff.

Whatever the three-piece are up to in pieces like “Conqueror Worm” and “Crawl Home to Your Coffin,” the safer bet is it’ll be over the top, as that’s where the self-titled spent a good portion of its time. There’s still the better part of two weeks before the first single gets posted though, so really what they’re doing is laying the groundwork and getting those who dug the first record to snag the second one on spec, which honestly probably isn’t a bad call to make. I’m sure when one pressing sells out they’ll do another, because why not, but if you don’t look at this cover and want a first pressing, I feel like maybe you need to re-up your appreciation for the absurd.

From Heavy Psych Sounds via the PR wire

MARGARITA WITCH CULT STRUNG OUT IN HELL

MARGARITA WITCH CULT – Strung Out In Hell

– sophomore album for the UK proto metal – doom riffers –

Today we are stoked to start the presale of the MARGARITA WITCH CULT upcoming sophomore album STRUNG OUT IN HELL !!

RELEASE DATE: JULY 18th

ALBUM PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS360

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

FIRST SINGLE COMING OUT ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS MAY 28th

RELEASED IN
15 ULTRA LTD TEST PRESS VINYL
100 ULTRA LTD SIDE A – SIDE B YELLOW/ORANGE/RED VINYL
100 ULTRA LTD HALF-HALF TRANSP./RED TRANSP. + SPLATTER BLACK VINYL
400 LTD GOLD NUGGET VINYL
BLACK VINYL
DIGIPAK
DIGITAL

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
Crawl Home To Your Coffin – 4:07
Scream Bloody Murder – 3:41
Conqueror Worm – 4:21
Witches Candle – 2:38
White Wedding – 4:45
SIDE B
Mars Rover – 4:53
Dig Your Way Out – 2:27
The Fool – 3:24
Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm – 6:46

ALBUM DESCRIPTION
Margarita Witch Cult captured lightning in a bottle with their 2023 debut- a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it behemoth that saw the band thrash and burn through Europe and the UK, picking up legions of fans and touring with the likes of Cancer Bats, Monster Magnet and Nebula.

Now, the Birmingham trio are set to pick their teeth with the bones of their own past- as their second LP ‘Strung Out In Hell’ takes everything that was so compelling about their debut and turns the knob up to 11; rips off the knob; throws the knob into the fires of hell and cackles maniacally in the wake of its demoniacal glory.

From top-to-tail, ‘Strung Out In Hell’ is a cloven hoof to the chest; a dizzying descent through infernus. It will caress you only to chew you up and spit you out. It is the soundtrack to the afterparty of all life on earth. Succumb to its sordid siren song. Bolder, stranger, and downright more mean, there’s no better time to jump on the Margarita Witch Cult train- and it’s going straight down, fast.

CREDITS
Recorded & Mixed by Mark Gittins at Megatone Studio, Birmingham, UK
Mastered by Scott Middleton at High Wattage Cottage, Ontario, Canada
Producer – @mark_gittins_sound / @megatonerecordingstudio
Artwork by Dirt Wizard.
All songs Copyright Margarita Witch Cult 2025 except Track 5.

Guest Performers
Alicia Gardener-Trejo – Baritone Sax on ‘The Fool’
Sam Wooster – Trumpet on ‘The Fool’

Writing Credits
All songs written by Scott Abbott except:
Track 3 – Conqueror Worm – James Brown / Scott Abbott
Track 5 – White Wedding – Billy Idol
Track 7 – Dig Your Way Out – James Brown / Scott Abbott

MARGARITA WITCH CULT is:
Scott Abbott – Vocals & Guitars
James Brown – Bass, Vocals, Synth, Mellotron, Guitars
George Caswell – Drums & Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/margaritawitchcult
https://www.instagram.com/margaritawitchcult/
https://margaritawitchcult.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/margaritawitchcult

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

Margarita Witch Cult, Margarita Witch Cult (2023)

Tags: , , , , ,

Heavy Psych Sounds London 2024 Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 24th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Oh, you know, no big deal. It’s just Desertscene (the folks behind Desertfest London) and Heavy Psych Sounds (the foremost European heavy imprint and booking concern) pairing up for a London-based Heavy Psych Sounds Fest this November with DozerBlack RainbowsLord Dying, Black TuskAlunahThe Cosmic DeadMargarita Witch CultChildJosiahMR.BISON and The Clamps at The Underworld and The Black Heart. Oh wait, that is a big deal, and awesome besides. Like a mini-Desertfest, tucked right in there after the end of the always-busy Eurofestival October. Killer bill, killer clubs. Dozer and Josiah in the same lineup alone. Total no-brainer. If you can go, just go. Trust me, the rest of us will wish we could too.

From the PR wire:

heavy psych sounds fest london 2024 poster

*** HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST LONDON 2024 ***

– LINEUP + TICKETS PRESALE ANNOUNCED –

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST returns to London after four years this fall to make Camden Town rumble and crumble under the mighty fuzz assault of some of the most revered bands in the stoner, doom, psych and heavy rock scene!

The festival will proudly welcome Swedish stoner rock royalty Dozer, Portland genre-bending heavy metallers Lord Dying, and Savannah swamp sludge specialists Black Tusk for the first time. Fuzz and buzz will be supplied by some of the finest live acts from the HPS roster with stoner rock icons Black Rainbows, Scottish space rock explorers The Cosmic Dead, Birmingham’s soulful proto-rock merchants Alunah and occult doom revelers Margarita Witch Cult, Italian heavy psych goldsmiths Mr.Bison and speed stoner’n’roll unit The Clamps, as well as UK heavy psych veterans Josiah. Fans of the finest psychedelic blues be delighted by an exclusive UK appearance of Australia’s own Child.

Curated by two major players of the European & UK heavy rock scene with London’s fuzz-worshipping Desertscene and leading independent heavy rock label Heavy Psych Sounds, this decibel-charged weekender promises to be one for the books, so don’t wait to book your ticket!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST
LONDON 2024
@ The Underworld // 2nd November 2024
@ The Black Heart // 3rd November 2024

– LINEUP –
DOZER
BLACK RAINBOWS
LORD DYING
BLACK TUSK
THE COSMIC DEAD
ALUNAH
MARGARITA WITCH CULT
CHILD
JOSIAH
MR.BISON
THE CLAMPS

TICKETS PRESALE: https://link.dice.fm/ic5b2e485533

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

Alunah, “Trickster of Time”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Desertfest Oslo 2024 Completes Lineup and Announces Day Splits

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 6th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Over the last several weeks, the inaugural Desertfest Oslo has piece-by-piece announced the remainder of the lineup for May 10 and 11, and the list is substantial. Wolves in the Throne Room, Weedpecker, Kadabra, Steak, Crippled Black Phoenix, Earth Tongue, Apostle of Solitude, Orsak:Oslo, Margarita Witch Cult, REZN, Bongzilla and Slomosa joined the bill one at a time, broadening the scope exponentially in terms of style from searing black metal thrust to sad post-goth to stoner rock of progressive and willfully unprogressive strains and outright ambience, older and newer bands, and geographical range. It’s kind of stunning how commonplace this standard has become for the Desertfest brand over the last decade-plus.

Tickets for each day are also on sale now — in case, what you want to see Acid King and not REZN? it’s okay, I’m not judging; I know people have lives and things to do — but it’s pretty clear looking at the full roster of who’ll play that Desertfest Oslo 2024 is all-in on the thing. And with KadavarMonolordCrippled Black Phoenix and Eyehategod headlining, they’ll rely on a multifaceted draw from the top down through the entire lineup. This feels both like a festival brand reaching into new territory and new collaborations — which it is, absolutely — and a righteous start to what could become a staple of the Spring touring circuit. Do I really need to go on about Norway’s underground boom? Probably not when a hand-picked selection of those responsible are present below to remind you.

Bottom line here is I look forward to seeing how this unfolds even from a distance, but whatever Desertfest Oslo does in the longer term, this is a monster. Behold:

desertfest oslo 2024 final poster

Finally the day splits are here!

As well as day splits we’ve also made single day tickets available from february 29th.

See you may!

Find single day tickets and festivaltickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.no/artist/desertfest-oslo-billetter/1277694

Full lineup:

Friday:
KADAVAR
Monolord
Wolves In The Throne Room
Acid King
Slomosa
Weedpecker
Håndgemeng
Orsak:Oslo
Kadabra
Earth Tongue
Bismarck
Karavan
Superlynx

Saturday:
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX
Brant Bjork
EYEHATEGOD
REZN
The Devil And The Almighty Blues
Bongzilla
Full Earth
Margarita Witch Cult
Steak
Agabas
Saint Karloff
Apostle of Solitude
Suncraft

https://www.facebook.com/desertfestoslo
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_oslo
https://www.desertfest.no/

Slomosa, “Rice”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SonicBlast Fest 2024 Adds High on Fire, Slift and More to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 19th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Last year, at what was my first time attending SonicBlast Fest in Âncora, Portugal, where it’s been held the last several years since moving from Moledo, I had a great, great time. Really. When I think every single day in multiple contexts about how I never seem to let myself enjoy anything — a perspective to which this blog stands as ready testament against, what with all the salivating and hyperbole — my time at SonicBlast is among the first counterpoints that comes to mind. I met new friends, I met old friends, I hung out with Dr. Space for like three days, and that dude’s the best. I stood on stage and watched Dozer, singing along and rocking out alongside friendly, welcoming faces. A rare moment overcoming insecurity. The place, the weather, the beach, the people are beautiful. And the music is very loud. For the rest of my life, I get to say I saw Ruff Majik supporting Elektrik Ram. For this I am deeply lucky.

The shape of my 2024 is such that when SonicBlast happens this year –Aug. 8-10, with the pre-show Aug. 7 set to feature Saint Karloff from Norway among others still TBA — I’ll be traveling with family elsewhere. That’s kind of a result of there only being so much summer between school years and my wife’s teaching semesters, so I’m rolling with it. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to assume I’d be invited back to SonicBlast anyhow, but if the weekend comes and you don’t see me covering the likes of High on FireMargarita Witch Cult (who I think I might need to see), The ObsessedTonsSlift, and so on, it’s not because I didn’t have a good time there last year or wouldn’t be interested in watching Brant BjorkGraveyardColour Haze and/or 1000mods (who ruled at Desertfest NYC and are maybe recording?), Truckfighters and probably four or five surprisingly hardcore-influenced acts on that huge stage, when in fact I very much would. Last year’s edition was unrealistically good. The photo pit was big enough to dance in. They even had chairs. I’d be back there in a second if I could. Maybe 2025 if I’m lucky and the world doesn’t end (again).

Poster by Branca — to whom I wasn’t brave enough to say hi last year, sorry — and the announcement from the festival’s socials follow in blue, as well as links and the High on Fire single in case you don’t want to just scroll down the site to find it in its own post:

SonicBlast Fest 2024

We’re so proud to announce 13 more bands that’ll burn down SonicBlast Fest’s 12th edition!

Welcome the great @highonfireband, who will release the first single from their upcoming album today, @gayesuakyol @sliftrock @thenightbeats @theobsessedofficial @coffin_aus @jjuujjuu @margaritawitchcult @skemer_official @tonsofweed666 @cobrafuma and @silvershark_boogie 🔥🔥🔥

We’re also so glad to announce the first name to our warm-up party, at the 7th august, @saintkarloff ⚡️

Unfortunately Sunami won’t be able to make it to SonicBlast Fest 2024.

*** more to be announced soon ***

🔥 Full festival tickets are already on sale at BOL (Fnac, Worten, Ctt…), at https://garboyl.bol.pt/ and at https://www.masqueticket.com/entradas/sonicblast-fest-2024

Check all the news at www.sonicblastfestival.com
Artwork by @branca_studio

https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/
https://www.instagram.com/sonicblast_fest
https://sonicblastfestival.com/

High on Fire, “Burning Down”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rock Im Wald 2024: Graveyard, Brant Bjork Trio, High Desert Queen & More Confirmed

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 23rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan

Pretty rad bill out of the gate for Rock Im Wald, which tops its thus-far bill with Danko Jones, who should be made an ambassador for Canada by now, as well as Sweden’s Graveyard, might-have-a-new-record-out-by-July UK stompers Orange Goblin, and the Brant Bjork Trio with its namesake on guitar and Mario Lalli on bass. Then you get into Planet of Zeus coming from Greece — maybe touring with Godsleep? — an appearance from The Devil and the Almighty Blues, which doesn’t happen all the time and you want to be there when it does, and the implied confirmation of summer European activity for High Desert Queen out of Texas, and it’s a win even before you get down to The Great Machine‘s madcap performance penchant, the upstarts Margarita Witch Cult, El Caco who released their first album in seven years in 2023, a partially-revamped Asomvel and Psychonaut‘s post-metallic texturing. It’s 13 bands. They’ve all got something going on.

The fest is set for July 25-27. Both SonicBlast and Hoflärm (in Portugal and Germany, respectively) are two weeks later, Aug. 8-10. Among the shared confirmations there are Brant Bjork Trio (who also announced a Spring run around the Desertfests and Sonic Whip) and Graveyard (for SonicBlast), so fair enough to expect tour announcements to come from them, and I’ll add Planet of Zeus and Margarita Witch Cult to that with an asterisk for ‘likely’ since of course I never actually know anything about anything.

There will be more to come, of course — it’s a three-dayer — and I’ll do my best to keep an eye out, but already there’s a lot to dig here. From socials:

Rock im Wald 2024 first poster

We are delighted to present the first 13 bands for our Rock im Wald Festival 2024, taking place from July 25th to 27th. As always, we have once again given our best to offer you Rock’n Roll in its most beautiful facets. And there is more to come soon, of course. Finally, we aim to provide you with three festival days filled with musical surprises and highlights this year.

For those of you who are already convinced, you can now secure your tickets in our ticket shop, which can be found at the following link.
https://rockimwald.de/ticket-shop/
Cheers & Peace
Eure #RIW Crew

Line-Up so far:
DANKO JONES | GRAVEYARD | ORANGE GOBLIN | BRANT BJORK TRIO | PLANET OF ZEUS | THE DEVIL & THE ALMIGHTY BLUES | THE GREAT MACHINE | PSYCHONAUT | EL CACO | ASOMVEL | GODSLEEP | HIGH DESERT QUEEN | MARGARITA WITCH CULT

https://www.facebook.com/rockimwald.festival
https://rockimwald.de/

The Devil & the Almighty Blues, “The Ghosts of Charlie Barracuda” live at Soulstone Gathering 2023

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,