Busy times ahead for Lords of Beacon House. Don’t believe me? Just look at that frickin’ headline. Could it be any longer? Well, probably, but still, you take my point. The band will have two EPs out ahead of their next full-length, titled Recreational Sorcery, one of which will be a split with Great Electric Quest, and they’ve got tours lined up for both June and July to herald all these studio goings on for the rest of 2017. Oh yeah, and they’ve signed with Midnite Collective for these new offerings after issuing their 2015 self-titled debut (discussed here) on HomHomHom. So there’s that too.

Note among the dates next month is a slot in Denver at the Electric Funeral fest (info here). Lords of Beacon House join Corky Laing’s Mountain, Acid King, Sourvein, Electric Citizen and many more on that bill. It’s awesome. You should check out that link.

And don’t forget to dig into the track premiere of “Cadillac Daddy” at the bottom of this post. These things are there for you to enjoy.

Alright, here’s all the latest:

Lords of Beacon House: Have swagger, will travel.

After scorching the West Coast’s crowded heavy underground with their 2015 self-titled debut on HomHomHom, Los Angeles trio Lords of Beacon House gave boogie jams a much-needed kick in the ass. Before they get up to no good with Recreational Sorcery, the anticipated follow up full-length, they’ll set the theme on a new split with fellow up-and-comers Great Electric Quest as well as a new EP, titled Fools Gold.

Having hooked up with Midnite Collective in early 2017, the band will be treading a rock and roll revival all their own as they travel throughout the Southeast to the Northwest with a feature slot locked in at Denver’s Electric Funeral Fest this year and make moves to shake up the American territories as they charge onward to what lay ahead in 2018.

Here are the dates for upcoming tour:

Dirty South, Dirty Mouth Tour:
6/8 Yucca Tap Room – Tempe, AZ
6/9 Low Spirits – Albuquerque, NM
6/10 Reno’s Chop Shop – Dallas, TX
6/11 The Lost Well – Austin, TX
6/12 Circle Bar – New Orleans, LA
6/14 Cobra Bar – Nashville, TN
6/15 Sinkhole – St. Louis, MS
6/16 Electric Funeral Fest – Denver, CO
6/18 Double Down Bar – Las Vegas, NV
6/19 Secret Party Video Shoot – San Pedro, CA

West Coast Overdose Tour w/ Roast:
7/14 The Red Cove – Ventura, CA
7/15 Sweet Springs Saloon – San Luis Obispo, CA
7/16 Starlite Lounge – Sacramento, CA
7/17 Old Nicks Pub – Eugene, OR
7/18 The Highline – Seattle, WA
7/19 Kenton Club – Portland, OR
7/20 Hemlock Tavern – San Francisco, CA
7/21 Tower Bar – San Diego, CA

https://www.facebook.com/Lords-of-Beacon-House-714064795308176/
http://lordsofbeaconhouse.bandcamp.com/
http://lordsofbeaconhouse.com/
http://midniteclv.storenvy.com/
https://midniteclv.bandcamp.com/

Lords of Beacon House, “Cadillac Daddy”

In a little less than a month, Long Island prog-metallers Moon Tooth head out on tour to support their latest album, Chromaparagon, which was released in February. They’ll be doing essentially a month-long swing down and back up the Eastern Seaboard, playing New England with Warm at the end of May, pushing into the South early in June, and then cutting back north, meeting up with Boston trio Rozamov to continue into Upstate New York and into Canada for shows in Montreal and Toronto before rounding out June 20 in Burlington, Vermont.

All put together, it’s a not inconsiderable run, and hardly Moon Tooth‘s first, the band over the last several years having basically forced their way into East Coast the progressive consciousness through hard work and volume. As noted below, this is the first time both of these acts will hit Canada, and Rozamov do so ahead of the release of their much anticipated debut album, due out later this year. They’ll apparently be playing new material at these shows.

Word came down the PR wire:

Long Island progressive sludge rock weirdos Moon Tooth and Boston atmospheric sludge mongers Rozamov have announced a string of dates together this June. This will be both bands’ first excursion north of the border, hitting both Montreal and Toronto on this run. Moon Tooth are supporting their self released debut LP “Chromaparagon” which has reached numbers 85 and 120 on the Hard Rock and Best New Artist charts respectively.

Rozamov recently wrapped up the recording for their own first full length, and will be airing songs from the album on this run. Last year saw Rozamov release “Ghost Divine” on a split with Deathkings via Midnite Collective.

June 16th – Kingston, NY @ The Anchor
June 17th – Rochester, NY @ Monty’s Krown
June 18th – Montreal, CAN @ Crobar
June 19th – Toronto, CAN @ Smiling Buddha
June 20th – Burlington, VT @ Nectar’s

https://www.facebook.com/Rozamov/
https://www.facebook.com/moontoothband/

Moon Tooth, Chromaparagon (2016)

Rozamov, “Ghost Divine” from split with Deathkings (2015)

We creep closer to the March 18 release for All that is Beautiful (review here), the four-song sophomore full-length from longform Los Angeles doomers Deathkings. The band previously unveiled “The Storm,” and leading up to the record’s arrival, they have a new lyric video for the track “Sol Invictus,” which opens the album. It’s what you’d call minimalist. And by that I mean it’s the lyrics. In white. On a black background. Also the song’s 18 minutes long. You might want to strap yourself in. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride. Just in case you didn’t think the lurching, growling, atmospherically-weighted vibe of “Sol Invictus” itself was doomed enough, it just got even more doomed.

I’m not going to lie to you and say I’ve watched the whole thing, but there is something hypnotic about it, and it’s hard not to admire that kind of commitment to aesthetic. All that is Beautiful is unremittingly dark in its affect, so I’m not sure why we should expect anything less of “Sol Invictus.” Deathkings have announced a quick round of West Coast tour dates to support the album’s release starting March 30, hitting Long Beach and San Diego on a route as far north as Seattle before they turn and head back to sunny SoCal, from whence all this bleakness emanates.

Those dates follow the clip below. Look, even if you don’t sit and stare at the screen for 18 minutes — maybe you check in every now and again — the song’s worth checking out. If that’s how you need to think about it, cool by me. Whatever gets you through the day.

Doom gets me through the day.

Enjoy:

Deathkings, “Sol Invictus” lyric video

Los Angeles’ DEATHKINGS Release “Sol Invictus” Lyric Video

Los Angeles based experimental/doom/rock group DEATHKINGS have released a lyric video for “Sol Invictus,” the opening track from upcoming album All that is Beautiful.

DEATHKINGS will release their second full length album, All That Is Beautiful on March 18. Pre-order it at this location.

The band has also announced Spring Tour MMXVI. Confirmed dates are below:

March 30 Que Sera, Long Beach, CA
April 1 The Merrow, San Diego, CA
April 2 Starlite Lounge, Sacramento, CA
April 3 High Water Mark, Portland, OR
April 4 Blacklodge, Seattle, WA
April 5 The Golden Bull, Oakland, CA
April 6 Complex, Glendale, CA

Deathkings on Thee Facebooks

Deathkings on Bandcamp

Deathkings website

Los Angeles downer metal four-piece Deathkings release their second album, All that is Beautiful, March 18 via Midnite Collective.

I guess after their 2015 split with Rozamov (review here) it isn’t necessarily a shocker to find All that is Beautiful working in extremes. Even the title is an absolute — one that, in conversation with the overarching atmosphere of the record itself, seems to refer directly to notions of beauty in darkness — and as Deathkings lumber through the included four tracks/64 minutes offers no shortage of harsh stretches. What was a surprise was just how much of that sense of extremity is born of mood and emotionality. Recorded in 2014, which is the same year the band’s debut, Destroyer, was released, All that is Beautiful is as much a work of ambience as it is of sheer aural weight — if not most so — and most of its depressive aspect comes from the resignation of its subdued, downtrodden meditations.

That’s not to say everything’s hunky-dory when 18-minute opener “Sol Invictus” explodes into its growl-topped slow-motion plod from its quieter introduction, just that the integration of the former, particularly at the very start of the record, sets a tone for something more complex than a full album of just the latter would provide on its own. As Deathkings‘ extended tracks continue, whether it’s “Sol Invictus,” “The Storm,” “The Road to Awe” or “Dakhma,” the band leans to one side or another of their sound, and the effect is a multifaceted listen that remains cohesive in its atmosphere and overall mood. It is heavy, conceptually and sonically, and its sky-darkening roll will defy most common conceptions of beauty, but of course, that’s the idea to start with. Building tension in its quiet moments and paying it off either in massive volume or faster, thrashing movements, “Sol Invictus” offers breadth enough to justify its extended runtime, but even this is just a part of the larger work, feeding directly into “The Storm” as though the two were one even grander piece.

“The Storm” and “The Road to Awe” are the two shortest cuts of the four at 13:24 and 12:25, respectively, but they retain the dual-tiered brutality of “Sol Invictus,” guitarists Daryl Hernandez and Mark Lüntzel fluidly shifting between weighted and lighter tones, as Nicolas Rocha provides depth to the mix with his bass and the layers of his vocals, which shift between growls, shouts and cleaner moments, reminding in the early, airier verses in “The Storm” of Rwake while shifting in the song’s final stretch to an interplay of shouts and chants, both seemingly buried beneath the guitars and bass and the hi-hat/snare march of drummer Sean Spindler. After its first couple minutes, “The Road to Awe” lurches to life somewhat awkwardly behind its guitar, but retains a Neurosis-style interplay between Hernandez and Lüntzel as it moves forward, Spindler enacting a chorus before a harsher section and a few quiet measures lead to a build seemingly cut short as the 19-minute “Dakhma” takes hold to finish out.

By then, it’s not really a case of Deathkings needing to expand on what they do, or even reinforce what’s come before — their point has gotten across — so much as to bring the sonic themes presented throughout to their natural conclusion. “Dakhma” does this via particularly tumultuous tradeoffs in volume, quiet feeding into loud into quiet into loud in more of a direct back and forth than All that is Beautiful has proffered before. After a driving, blackened apex past the 13-minute mark, they click off an even out somewhat shortly before 15:30, providing their own epilogue and letting the record end somewhere in a middle-ground that they seem to have been working so hard to find all along. Maybe that catharsis, and the catharsis of the entire outing preceding, is the beauty Deathkings are conveying, but neither will I take away from how skillfully the band balances ambient, contemplative evocations and sheer sonic heft. From the two, All that is Beautiful derives a consistency of purpose that makes it feel all the more like a work of passion.

Today I’m thrilled to host the premiere of “The Storm” ahead of the album’s release. Find it below, followed by some more info, and please enjoy:

In the wake of their debut album, Destroyer, as well as the recent vinyl 7? split with ROZAMOV through Midnite Collective, DEATHKINGS descended upon listeners with their bleak, yet enlightening look at the world around them. This state of unrest was developed and channeled into aural and material form with the help of Derek Donley (Bereft, Gravitron, National Sunday Law, You Big Ox, Pigeonwing, Intronaut) at his Ox Cave Studios in Los Angeles. With Donley at the helm, the band steers the listener through the blending of drowning, desperate rage blended with tranquil undertones.

All That Is Beautiful was finished in early 2014 at Donley’s Ox Cave Studios. Uniting with the Midnite Collective for the third time, both entities have grouped to carefully craft a visually stunning package, deserving of the music contained therein. The band will unleash aural and visual ruin via digital. CD. cassette tape and vinyl (later in the year) releases starting this Spring Harvest, 2016.

Deathkings on tour:
March 30 Que Sera, Long Beach, CA
April 1 The Merrow, San Diego, CA
April 2 Starlite Lounge, Sacramento, CA
April 3 High Water Mark, Portland, OR
April 4 Blacklodge, Seattle, WA
April 5 The Golden Bull, Oakland, CA
April 6 Complex, Glendale, CA

Deathkings on Thee Facebooks

Deathkings on Bandcamp

Midnite Collective

I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I’d never been to New Alliance Audio before. In operation since 1987, it’s one of the Eastern Seaboard’s best-reputed studios — you’ve probably also seen “Mastered at New Alliance East” on a plethora of releases; that’s right next door — nestled into the heart of Cambridge a couple blocks down from The Middle East in a building that also houses the radio station WEMF and numerous other entities of note. The occasion that finally allowed me to sneak a look was Rozamov putting the finishing touches on their first full-length, and I very much appreciated the opportunity to stop by, even more because I got to hear some of their new material than because it granted me a look at the place where they tracked it.

Or tracked most of it, anyway. There was still a bit of work to be done, some vocal overdubs prior to mixing and the like. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Iacovelli met me at the door and gave me directions upstairs — he was stepping out into the August heat for a quick break from recording — and up in the studio itself, I found bassist/vocalist Tom Corino and New Alliance head engineer Jon Taft in the control room past a narrow lobby. The control room itself is spacious enough to record in, a high ceiling, intimidatingly large tape machine, professional-as-hell low wall of preamps, expansive console, ProTools setup, stack of monitors and so on, all dark colors and lights that could probably be turned up if you wanted to make someone uncomfortable or see to clean — unlike many studios I’ve been in, it was clean — and through the window was the recording room itself, which had been arranged to suit the vocals, with partitions arranged to capture the sound just right and give a projected feel. I didn’t get a close-up look at the microphone, but from listening to what came through it in the control room once Iacovelli came back in and got started, it sounded expensive.

Rozamov, after releasing their first, self-titled EP in 2012 and following it up with a second EP, Of Gods and Flesh, in 2013, joined forces with Midnite Collective earlier this year for a two-track split with Deathkings (review here). I’ve seen them play periodically since 2012, and watched Iacovelli, Corino and drummer Will Hendrix (elsewhere for the afternoon) transition from a four-piece to a trio — former guitarist Liz Walshak now plays in Sea — and step forward as one of next-gen Boston’s fiercest heavy bands. They headed into New Alliance a couple weeks ago to start recording their first full-length, and I’d be hard pressed to imagine a better time. With the experience of their two EPs and that split behind them, as well as veteran status for the 2015 Psycho California fest, an opening spot at a Converse-sponsored show for none less than Slayer and tours both behind and ahead of them. They are nothing if not ready for their next test, which of course is the album itself.

Laughing as they listened to a playback of a song called “Serpent Cult” — not to be confused with the Belgian band of the same name — Iacovelli laughed as he pointed out that all their releases so far have had four songs, and the difference this time was that four songs topped 40 minutes. “Serpent Cult” did seem immediately expansive, and the layers of clean vocals he added while I was there — Corino likened them to a harmonized Electric Wizard, Taft to melody-rich locals The Proselyte — did much to make it all the more so. I wouldn’t cheapen their past output by calling it their most complex work before experiencing a finished product, but the ambition was plain to hear. And coming through the New Alliance monitors, even the unmixed crawl of a cut that had the working title “Super Doom” lived up to its name. Jokes were tossed back and forth through the microphone connecting the control room and the recording space, and Taft and the band (and I as well, obviously, though one tries to keep one’s opinion-expressing to a minimum in those instances) listened through each line to make sure it was where they wanted it to be before moving forward.

And it says something about the work Rozamov have put in up to this point that they have such a grip on what they want to do sonically and that they seemed so comfortable in directing the material. The bulk of the recording was done and would be finished before long. They were still working out lyrics — I think it was “Super Doom” that still needed a line — but there was plenty to do while they worked to nail down the finishing touches, and though the original plan had been to start mixing immediately, already more than half the day was gone and lunch had yet to be consumed, so the conversation quickly turned to pressing matters: sushi, Thai, Indian, etc.

I’d eaten before I got there, so thought it better to excuse myself rather than double-up, but I was grateful for the slice of new Rozamov that I got to hear and I always feel like you never really know a band until you see them work in the studio — laughing through, “That was bad. Do it again,” and so on — so I’ll look forward to the arrival of their debut even more now having been fortunate enough to swing through while it was coming together. As to when that arrival might happen? Between the inevitable pressing delay, label scheduling and whatever else, I wouldn’t think it would show up before 2016, but you never know. Either way, I’ll let you know when I hear more.

Rozamov & Deathkings, Split (2015)

Rozamov on Thee Facebooks

Rozamov on Bandcamp

Midnite Collective

Los Angeles sludgers Ancient Altar will release their sophomore full-length, Dead Earth, on Sept. 1. The 300-pressed vinyl comes courtesy of Black Voodoo Records, and there’s reportedly a tape to follow through Midnite Collective, which also released the band’s 2014 self-titled debut, the response to which was fervent enough to earn the four-piece a slot on the May 2015 Psycho California festival. Dead Earth makes no secret of its grim purposes across its four tracks and 41 minutes, but much to its success, the band manages to conjure a vision of atmospheric sludge that’s neither redundant in its methods nor specifically derived from the post-Neurosis school of undulation. Make no mistake, at some point along the way, someone in Ancient Altar probably heard Through Silver in Blood — whether that’s bassist/vocalist Scott Carlson, guitarist/vocalist Barry Kavener, guitarist Jesse Boldt or drummer Etay Levy, I wouldn’t speculate — but it’s by no means a defining influence, and Dead Earth seems much more geared toward innovation than emulation, or at very least the creation of an individualized identity from a variety of stylistic elements.

What the hell does that mean? In terms of the front to back listening experience, it means Ancient Altar are particularly adept at tipping their aesthetic to one side or another. Obviously the split between vinyl sides is a factor, but listening to Dead Earth digitally, its four cuts right in a row, the album moves almost seamlessly from one piece to the next, two longer cuts, opener “Leader, Liar” (12:38) and closer “Void” (12:48), sandwiching the shorter “Albion” (8:34) and “Dead Earth” (6:55), as all work in various levels of thoughtful abrasion toward a full-album flow, somewhere between aggro and a pervasive resignation that feeds into the titular theme — it’s too late to think about saving anything except ourselves. The bulk of the record is screamed, and “Albion” and “Dead Earth” especially dip into black metal atmospheres, but even in those moments, Ancient Altar refuse to be so easily categorized, and by the time they’re through the immersive beginnings of “Leader, Liar,” and they’ve trudged through “Albion” and the nadir of “Dead Earth,” they open up, not to a resounding hopelessness as the title “Void” might hint, but to a feeling of potential from within that despair. Amid clean vocals and a heightened melodic sensibility, the “Void” may be empty, but it’s also the only hope.

All of this ties in with the stated theme of the record, which is loosely that the planet is beyond saving and if our species is to survive, we’ll have to enter that void and find hope elsewhere. Of course, Ancient Altar do a better and more descriptive job on conveying it, so perhaps it’s better to leave it to them. Ahead of the album’s Sept. 1 arrival, I have the pleasure today of hosting the premiere of “Void,” which in addition to being the longest inclusion on the outing is also the richest in terms of the emotional and thematic drive on display.

You’ll find it on the player below, followed by tour dates for a run that begins tonight and more album info. I hope you enjoy:

Ancient Altar hails from the land of the unrelenting sun, crippling drought, and excess known as Los Angeles, born of arcane philosophy and a stripped-down approach to bristling, daunting, towering doom. Formed in late 2013, the band features bassist Scott Carlson and guitar player Barry Kavener splitting vocal duties, along with second guitarist Jesse Boldt and drummer Etay Levy.

Dead Earth is the band’s sophomore effort, coming just a year after their 2014 eponymous debut, which was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, and just a few months after a devastatingly stunning set at Psycho California in May. Dead Earth is a loose concept album based on war, corrupt leaders, and religion destroying planet Earth as we speak—which is happening, and only getting worse. The album depicts the only way for humanity to survive: leaving this dead earth and starting over somewhere else. The record dips and dives between themes of the utter despair of the human race’s impending doom—and a sense of hope as we triumphantly make our terrifying yet absolutely necessary escape toward a fresh start and a new future.

Track Listing:
1. Leader, Liar
2. Albion
3. Dead Earth
4. Void

Ancient Altar Tour Dates:
8/6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Bar
8/7 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Flux Capacitor
8/8 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Cave
8/9 Tempe, AZ @ 51 West

Ancient Altar on Bandcamp

Ancient Altar on Thee Facebooks

Ancient Altar tour event page

Black Voodoo Records

Midnite Collective

After two EPs in 2012 and 2013 and a split earlier this year with Deathkings that also marked their debut on Midnite Collective (review here), Boston extreme sludge/thrash trio Rozamov have entered the studio to begin recording their debut LP. If it feels like it’s been a long time coming, that’s only because the three-piece have had their shit on lockdown on stage for a while now, having moved from a four-piece to a trio following 2013’s Of Gods and Flesh and subsequently nailed a visceral attack both scathing and weighted, moving fast while sounding slow at the same time. Also sometimes moving slow. They do that too.

One can only wonder what the context of a full-length album will allow the veterans of this year’s Psycho CA fest to bring to their sound atmospherically, but as they’ve just started on it, seems likely it’ll be 2016 before we find out. In the meantime, they’ve got dates booked this fall with Destroy Judas and Trapped within Burning Machinery, as the following update affirms:

ROZAMOV Begins Work on Debut LP, Touring With Destroy Judas

Boston, MA doom trio Rozamov have begun tracking new material at New Alliance Audio in Cambridge, MA. Once again working with Jon Taft (Morne, Horrible Earth), Rozamov have set their sights on their first LP following the release of their split 7″ with Deathkings available now via Midnite Collective. The album, yet untitled, will boast lengthy tracks containing the heaviest material the band have created to date.

Additionally, the band will embark on a short tour with Destroy Judas and Trapped Within Burning Machinery this October.
Rozamov live appearances:

8/19 – Allston, MA at Great Scott+
10/1 – Richmond, VA at TBD*
10/2 – Philadelphia, PA at Kung Fu Necktie*
10/3 – Brooklyn, NY at Acheron*
10/4 – Baltimore, MD at TBD*
10/5 – Pittsburgh, PA at Mr. Roboto Project*
10/6 – Chicago, IL at Fizz*
+ w/ Ringworm, White Widows Pact
* w/ Destroy Judas, Trapped Within Burning Machinery

The recording session follows up spring live activity that included appearances at Psycho California and Converse Rubber Tracks Live where the band performed with such notable acts as Slayer, Doomriders, Sleep, Earth and Pallbearer amongst others.

http://Facebook.com/Rozamov
http://Rozamov.bandcamp.com
http://midniteclv.storenvy.com/

Rozamov, Live at Psycho CA, May 2015

Seems a little strange that Midnite Collective‘s Midnite Communion III: Midnite Masquerade fest this Nov. will take place in Long Beach, California, which is kind of the place on earth with the nicest weather ever, but if there was a lineup to darken a sky, this would seem to be it. The lineup boasts the likes of Buried at Sea, Morne, Church, Unearthly Trance, Beneath Oblivion and others, and the uniting factor seems to be an extremity of sludge and doom. Not sure what the Empire Ballroom of The Breakers in Long Beach is like, but the atmosphere will likely darken with an art show and the onslaught of distortion and volume.

Dig it if you dare:

MIDNITE COMMUNION III: MIDNITE MASQUERADE Reveals 2015 Dates & Lineup

Upon this third-annual celebration of dark arts, crafts, and music, Midnite Collective has gathered seven artists from around the world, eight bands from the far reaches of North America, and with the help of Below (a curator of all things beautifully gloomy) brought together a gifted group to fill our Craft Gala*. Now spanning two evenings, Communion III: Midnite Masquerade will host an elegant mass on Friday, November 13th to continue the evening of Saturday, November 14th within the Empire Ballroom of The Breakers in Long Beach.

Midnite Collective’s Announcement & Invitation follows…

It is our esteemed privilege to present:

COMMUNION III:
“MIDNITE MASQUERADE”
Curated by Midnite Collective

with Live Performances from

NOVEMBER 13th
MORNE · BURIED AT SEA · DOPETHRONE · CHURCH

NOVEMBER 14th
UNEARTHLY TRANCE · BRAINOIL · FÓRN · BENEATH OBLIVION

Featuring Original Artwork by

Brandon Holt
Glyn Smyth
Sin-Eater
Rotten Fantom
Jason Barnett
Førtifem
& Photo Narrative by
Steph Cammarano

With surprises still to come..

Please Note: Capacity is extremely limited in this unique venue, creating an intimate environment to experience this ceremony. Thus, there will be no door sales once reservations sell out online.
All attendees must be over 21 and no regrets will be issued.

* Craft Gala is on Saturday only with full art exhibit free of charge; this portion of the event is all-ages and has extended hours beginning at 4pm until 10pm in a room apart from the musical portion of the evening.

Tickets are on sale now RIGHT HERE.

LINKS:
facebook.com/midnitecollective
twitter.com/midnitemasses

Atriarch, Live at Midnite Communion II