If you’re thinking, “Hey wait, wasn’t Into the Void just in January?” then first of all, kudos on keeping up, and yes, it was. That was Eindhoven, this is Leeuwarden, and if these Netherlands cities aren’t familiar, if these festivals keep happening almost certainly they will be. Into the Void Leeuwarden 2023 is set for Sept. 30 — all-dayer; nice — and has just announced its first 12 bands.

Yeah, crazy right? First 12 bands? It’s one day! How many more bands can there be? The headliner is still TBA, but with Alabama Thunderpussy leading the charge, they’ve brought on The Atomic Bitchwax, Yawning Man, REZN, Samavayo, The Machine, Howling Giant, Fire Down Below, Heavy Temple, Rrrags, Onhou and Moan, and that looks like a hell of a day to me. Shit, pick any four and that’s a good night alone.

I wanna know if Howling Giant and Heavy Temple are going to tour Europe together. It’d be the most adorable heavy rock export package of the year, hands down. For that alone I want it to be true. Charm offensive.

Anyhoozle, it’s another one for the Alabama Thunderpussy reunion, and a return trip for the Bitchwax that I think is TBA. Shit, put them on tour together too! Man, I’m booking gigs all over the place today. While we’re at it? I’d pair Samavayo and The Machine for a run too. And you don’t think Yawning Man and REZN wouldn’t be a good show? Come on.

I guess the underlying message is this lineup looks pretty good. Here it is as per socials:

Alabama Thunderpussy exclusive reunion show at Into the Void Leeuwarden

The first 11 names for Into the Void Leeuwarden are known. On September 30th Alabama Thunderpussy will host an exclusive Dutch reunion show at Into the Void. It’s the first time since 2008 that the band is back on tour, and despite their death, the Americans are still loved for their legendary live shows.

The Americans are taking Into the Void because as many as seven of the twelve are from the United States. Next to Alabama Thunderpussy that’s the atomic bitchwax, yawning man, REZN, heavy temple, and howling giant.

The (legendary) headliner is also from the US of A and we will announce it soon.

The Machine and Rrrags and the Groninger bands Onhou and Moan are from home. The Germans of Samavayo and the Belgians of Fire Down Below complete the line up for now.

Tickets are now on sale and cost 49 euros each.

Tickets https://www.intothevoid.nl/tickets

https://www.facebook.com/gointothevoid/
https://www.instagram.com/intothevoidfestival/
https://www.intothevoid.nl/

Rezn, Solace (2023)

Okay, so the 12-minute single doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Moan‘s self-titled debut and its improv-based heavy rock construction, but the fact that of the four songs, they picked “Nothing in Nature” in the first place tells you a lot. The looseness underpinning the four-track long-player reminds me a lot of older school stoner rock, and I can’t help accordingly but to wonder if over the course of the next year we’ll see more bands coming out like this, who maybe got their start either in the pandemic or adjacent to do it who’ve sort of gone to ground stylistically while bringing new creativity to established styles. In the world of sports, they follow ‘storylines’ for seasons. That’s one I’ve got my eye on, along with the rise of trad metal (similarly motivated in part, I think) and the ever-amorphous shifts in psychedelic trends between space this and acid that.

Moan are riffier and groovier, more about tone and progression than atmosphere, but they don’t lack that either, and “Nothing in Nature” most definitely proves that. The album is out Nov. 25 (I’ll be away that week or I’d have already asked to stream it), and you’ll find the release info and the clip for the extended lead single below. All comes courtesy of the PR wire:

MOAN are four dudes from Groningen, Netherlands. Guitarist Marcel and Bassist André have been making music together since forever. Two people in a room, hardly any lights and loads of weed. Sometimes other musicians came in, jammed, and went, not to return. Their music existed purely by means of making it. They hardly performed. Listeners at the door of that room, became long-time fans.

Ear-splitting hammer-like, the darkest of soundscapes. Singers and drummers came and went. “You can come in and join, but we are MOAN, deal with it”. How does one deal with MOAN? By becoming MOAN, not by being overambitious and wanting to change stuff. And stand firm because their black humour is all over the place.

In comes Drummer Reinee. A mammoth and that’s exactly what MOAN’s sound is like: a mammoth stompin’ about. Enter vocalist, Jurgen. He’s been listening at that door for ages, longing to become their singer. Once, he got a tape, tried to add his vocals, and failed miserably, nothing came up! Back to the door, listen, listen and listen again. How to deal with MOAN? Again, by becoming MOAN. So fuck the tape, he went in. MOAN improvised stuff that sounded like compositions. Almost all the material on their first album came to form during that first improvisation. MOAN is a four piece now…….

“We are MOAN. Our sound is massive, we feel it pressing on our chests. It is not doom, far from it. Our sound is sorrowful, not meant to kick your teeth in, but to drench your heart in melancholy and carry you. And yes, we like machinery, loud stomping machinery. We are mud, warm and damp. We are MOAN, our noise is stoner-like, the vocals tend to be melodic, our bass is a sledgehammer, and our drummer is a beast. MOAN is like black tourmaline and selenite: two stones that purify and cleanse…” –
MOAN

Track Listing:
1. Burning Man
2. Nothing in Nature
3. Learn to Bleed
4. Desert Island Drugs

Line Up:
Guitar – Marcel
Bass – André
Drums – Reinee
Vocals – Jurgen

facebook.com/Moansludge

https://www.instagram.com/AudioSportRecords
https://www.facebook.com/AudioSportRecords
https://audiosportrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.audiosportrecords.com/

Moan, “Nothing in Nature” official video