Posted in Whathaveyou on September 1st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Boogie fuzz, heavy doom, meet the road. Poland’s Tortuga, for not the first time ever but for the first time in a while, are headed out on a tour of Eastern Europe. They’ll leave home in Poland ahead of an Oct. 13 start and head into Slovakia, Hungary (I recently saw pictures of the village outside Budapest where my family emigrated from; some green grass on those hills), Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, and so on.
When it comes to this kind of thing, an ‘Obelisk Presents’ situation, I always feel like I need to justify presenting the shows even though I won’t be there to see any of them. You know what? Screw that. I support, wholeheartedly, good bands getting out and bringing their wares to the masses, and with this stupid, increasingly-awful timeline we live in, all the more so. Tortuga‘s 2020 album, Deities, rules. I missed it when it came out — see “2020” and “awful timeline” earlier in this sentence — but will close out a week with it eventually, and it was on the strength of that album and the band’s touring that the band signed to Napalm Records last year.
What that means is, hopefully, this won’t be the last you hear from them and this won’t be the last time they get out. Awesome. New release in 2023? Maybe. They hint at new material in the tour announcement below, and if that’s a thing that happens, I’ll do all I can not to miss out. If you’re in an area where these shows are happening, or within a reasonable or unreasonable traveling distance, I hope you’ll do the same.
Dig:
TORTUGA – EASTERN EUROPEAN TOUR 2022
Dear occult doom worshipers, Mammoth supporters and heavy rock enthusiasts, the time have come to finally take Tortuga on the road!
It is with great pleasure that we are embarking along our favorite Polish doom lords on a tour, crossing all of Eastern Europe, for a series of killer shows.
Tortuga will present a mix of older and new material, celebrating the success of “Deities” and getting ready for their upcoming album.
Pick your closest stop out of the dates below and witness history in the making.
TORTUGA live: 13.10 Kulturak Klub Bratislava SK 14.10 Szabadkikoto Pecs HU 15.10 Channel Zero Ljubljana SL 16.10 Vintage Bar Zagreb HR 18.10 Singles Bar Sofia BG 19.10 Rover Bar Thessaloniki GR 20.10 Death Disco Athens GR 21.10 Mandrakoukos Ptolemaida GR 22.10 Nostos Live Xanthi, GR 23.10 Download Bar Plovdic BG 25.10 Expirat Bucharest RO 26.10 Flying Circus Cluj Napoca RO 27.10 Aurora Budapest HU 28.10 Colloseum Club Kosice SK
Posted in Reviews on August 29th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Rest assured, Conan will put down their double-sided battle axe when you come and take it from their cold, dead hands, and that’s going to be hard to do since, as the first track of their fifth album, Evidence of Immortality, asserts, “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots.” In continued association with Napalm Records, the boots-covered-in-red-mud UK three-piece of founding guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis, bassist/vocalist/producer Chris Fielding and drummer Johnny King return from the field with six tracks for a 50-minute double-LP that reassert the band’s sheer aural dominance.
It’s been a long, insane four years since the trio unveiled 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here), and Conan are past 15 years as a band but show little interest in settling into a comfortable veteran status. True, they know who they are as a band and Davis has driven a consistent vision for what he wants that to mean since before their landmark 2010 EP, Horseback Battle Hammer (discussed here; review here), with a sound based on unmatched riff largesse, minimalist lyrical narratives — often just words used as evocations; I’m actually a big proponent of Conan‘s lyrics as an undervalued aspect of their work, and not even just for the efficiency — turned in this case to a world where ideas like “Levitation Hoax” can be taken from real life and turned to the band’s bludgeoning purposes, Davis‘ shouts and Fielding‘s growls rising up from amid King‘s blasting drums and their own furious assault of groove in that single following the aforementioned 10-minute opener.
That lead song stakes its riff like a flag in the ground, not so much to question what’s real, but working to turn the confusion of our age into an aural metaphor of its own ridiculousness. Plus to destroy. These things Conan do with grim determination, cheeky revelry, and a craft recognizable from miles away. They are inimitable and influential in kind, and whether it’s the lumbering force of “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” or the build of intensity from “Levitation Hoax” into the galloping of “Ritual of Anonymity,” their pattern of holding to their central stylistic purpose while offering instances of forward progression holds plain across the span. “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” takes about two and a half minutes to settle into its rolling-over-your-skull central/verse riff, and by that point, Evidence of Immortality has already let the audience know it is in the hands of masters.
Circa 2022, Conan are nothing if not that, from Davis‘ riffs and shouts to Fielding‘s production and backing barks — the call and response in the first half of “Levitation Hoax” is a particular joy — to King matching his cymbal crashes to the guitar’s chug later in “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots.” But there are instances of reach too. The band’s underlying influence of ’90s crunch metal and noise rock comes through, and the sheer amount of feedback on Evidence of Immortality isn’t necessarily anything new from them, but it is prevalent. After the shove shove shove that culminates in “Ritual of Anonymity,” side B brings “Equilibrium of Mankind” and “Righteous Alliance,” both eight-minute crushers that reinforce the central message of Conan‘s return after the longest break between albums of their career (the extenuating circumstances go without saying): if you counted them out, those’ll be your limbs on the floor. You’ll probably want help picking them back up for reattachment.
The construction of Evidenceof Immortalityis further proof of Conan‘s intention. The three songs on the first side clearly fit together toward a united purpose. Same is true of the lurching, deathly shout-along in “Equilibrium of Mankind” and its companion, the we-took-a-doom-riff-and-made-it-kill “Righteous Alliance,” which drops out to feedback and cymbal wash at about 5:20 into its total 8:35 to dedicate the remainder of its time to a glorious, marching celebration of slog. Slog worship. And a fitting lead-in for 14-minute instrumental closer “Grief Sequence,” which is easily, hands-down the most atmospheric work Conan have ever done, unfolding a five-minute mire before lumbering through the next five minutes until a John Carpenter-style keyboard line — it’s actually former bassist David Perry (now of Dead Void in Denmark) — picking up from the ambient organ-style sounds that have run alongside the guitar, bass and drums to that point.
If you’re looking for firsts on a band’s fifth record, that’s a first. Though Davis has delved into synthesized sounds in other projects, working that into Conan both feels and is new. And if you’re listening digitally — as likely most will — it is a hypnotic finish to a collection that has found Conan playing to what have always been the band’s strengths while branching outward from there. On vinyl, it’s somewhat different, since the limitations of the format mean “Grief Sequence” appears standalone on side C with an etching on side D. This leaves one to wonder how many will, having heard and processed “Grief Sequence” as it is in relation to the rest of what’s come before it, swap out an entire LP just for that rather than simply go back to “A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots” after “Righteous Alliance.” Depends on the listener, obviously, and with digital as the main means by which Evidence of Immortality will be consumed — or through which it will consume — it’s a non-issue. Still, vinyl being what it is leaves “Grief Sequence” a bit out in the cold.
Given the song’s experimental feel, that’s all the more something to watch out for as a listener, because its further establishing of Conan as a forward-thinking veteran act isn’t to be discounted. I have to think that if they didn’t want it to be there, it wouldn’t be. That is, if Evidence of Immortality ended after “Righteous Alliance,” they could’ve easily written a shorter interlude or something like that to fill it out past a 36-minute runtime. “Grief Sequence,” on practical and aesthetic terms, is much more than that. More than a decade and a half on from Davis‘ starting the band, Conan are willing to take risks as well as to sound the familiar war horns of devastating tonal heft, higher-in-the-throat/lower-in-the-gut shouted vocals, and a general aura of violent threat. If that isn’t commendable, nothing is.
I guess this is where I’m supposed to wrap up by calling them immortal or making some clever-but-still-cliché remark about their work living forever. Well fuck that. Everything fucking dies. Everything decays. Everything ends. Evidence of Immortality isn’t asserting otherwise so much as pointing out the folly of believing the plainly stupid. In other words, watch your fucking head.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 18th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Doom legends Candlemass — announced just the other day as headliners for Desertfest Belgium 2022 in Ghent on Oct. 30 — will release a new full-length on Nov. 18 through Napalm Records. What do we know about it? Well, it’s got Leif Edling and Johan Längquist, so already that’s more than enough for me, but considering the Swedish outfit’s 2019 offering, The Door to Doom (review here), was nominated for a Grammy — it’s mentioned twice below; see if you can find it! — for the Tony Iommi-included “Astorolus: The Great Octopus,” the pressure is on Candlemass in a way it hasn’t been in a long time if it ever was before. Where does a band like this — who’ve gone everywhere, done everything, know their sound backwards and forwards, have decades-since worked to define epic doom and are driven by one of the best riff writers of all time in Edling — go after that? I guess we’ll find out.
Today, the band are streaming the new video “Scandinavian Gods” — because, what? they were going to have a song with that title and not use it as a lead single? — and it’s the first new music from Candlemass since 2020’s The Pendulum EP (discussed here), which was more a victory lap after the last album’s success than anything else. Still, the turnaround on Sweet Evil Sun speaks perhaps to Candlemass feeling creatively energized following the success of The Door to Doom, and I don’t care how dark the music ultimately is, if Candlemass are feeling good, that’s good news.
The PR wire has this:
US Grammy-nominated epic doom legends CANDLEMASS return to their roots with the supreme Sweet Evil Sun!
Clocking in almost four decades, it’s no stretch to say that Grammy-nominated Swedish epic doom legends CANDLEMASS are still one of the heaviest metal bands on earth. As the godfathers of epic doom metal, the band defined the genre with releases such as Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986) and Nightfall (1987). Through their evil riffs, crushing rhythmic attack and dramatic vocals, they changed the landscape of metal worldwide. Reunited with outstanding original vocalist Johan Langquist, the band around founding member Leif Edling finds its way back to its roots and finally delivers the long awaited, earth-shaking new full-length album, Sweet Evil Sun, out November 18, 2022 via Napalm Records.
After working on this massive piece of art for 18 months in total, with Sweet Evil Sun, CANDLEMASS brings back all the grandness of their early years, exploring themes of ambition and strife, hope and failure. Opening track “Wizard Of The Vortex” instantly casts a spell with a riff so powerful, the listener is immediately ensnared. Title track “Sweet Evil Sun” kicks in with warning guitar feedback before sludging a heavy-as-hell riff as Johan Langquist deftly warbles through melancholic, beckoning passages and a hooky chorus. His imposing vocals fit each riff and tone perfectly, emerging as an instrument in itself. The dark, classic rock-tinged Nordic metal anthem “Scandinavian Gods” reveals a perfect musical interaction between slow and heavy drums, droning guitars and majestic vocals as they convey mysterious tales of Scandinavian mythology to the next generation of doom lovers.
Jennie-Ann Smith (Avatarium) lends her beautiful voice to the theatrical, grim “When Death Sighs”, creating a shimmering, intermingled chorus duet eventually backed by rising organs and a marching rhythm. The haunting atmosphere is highlighted by an amazing guitar solo that reads like a story as it bends and descends, marking the sign of death on the listener’s door. It comes as no surprise that, alongside the band, renowned producer Marcus Jidell captured the band’s massive, smoky guitar tones, powerful drums and larger-than-life vocals, offering a truly unique, high quality sonic experience. The artwork for Sweet Evil Sun was illustrated with the skilled hand of Erik Rovanperä, the architect behind CANDLEMASS’ visual style since Psalms for the Dead (2012).
Leif Edling on the new album: “Sweet Evil Sun is about hope, striving, adoration and failure. It’s about all the personal battles that you have, but also the never-ending decay of humanity.
The record took over a year to make and there’s not a bad track on it! We had a fantastic time recording it and are really looking forward to the release. It’s Doom, It’s Metal! It is the essence of CANDLEMASS put into one album!”
Recorded at NOX studio in Stockholm, Sweden, Sweet Evil Sun impressively showcases that, after almost 40 years in the game, the creativity of these Swedish doom masters sees no bounds. Through the power of wall-shaking riffs, incredible vocal performances and the blood and spirit of classic heavy metal, Sweet Evil Sun shines as a masterpiece of impending legend that truly honors the epic doom metal cult of CANDLEMASS.
Sweet Evil Sun Tracklist: 1. Wizard Of The Vortex 2. Sweet Evil Sun 3. Angel Battle 4. Black Butterfly 5. When Death Sighs 6. Scandinavian Gods 7. Devil Voodoo 8. Crucified 9. Goddess 10. A Cup Of Coffin (Outro)
Sweet Evil Sun will be available in the following formats: Ltd. Die Hard Vinyl Box (Napalm Shop only) 2LP Gatefold Sun Yellow (Napalm Shop only) 2LP Gatefold Black 2LP Gatefold Purple 1CD 6pp Digisleeve CD Digisleeve + Shirt Bundle Digital Album
Experience CANDLEMASS live in 2022: 19.08.22 DK – Næstved / Næstved Metalfest 20.08.22 NL – Eindhoven / Ijssportcentrum 22.10.22 SE – Sundsvall / Nordfest 30.10.22 BE – Gent / Desertfest Ghent 19.11.22 DE – Würzburg, Hammer of Doom
Candlemass are: Leif Edling – Bass Mats “Mappe” Björkman – Guitars (rhythm) Jan Lindh – Drums Lars Johansson – Guitars (lead) Johan Längquist – Vocals
[Click play above to stream My Sleeping Karma’s Atma in full. Album is out tomorrow on Napalm Records and available here: lnk.to/MSK-Atma/napalmrecords.]
If you believe in a soul, the music of My Sleeping Karma could hardly come from anywhere else. The German instrumentalists have gone to lengths to position Atma — the title derived is Sanskrit, translated roughly as the non-physical totality of a universal self in Hinduism; recall the YOB album of the same name in 2011 — as their most emotive offering to-date, which in the 16 years since their self-titled debut (discussed here) and the works they’ve released in the interim is saying something. Atma collects six tracks that break evenly across two vinyl sides, marked by the smoothness of groove and production that has in no small part defined their work and their distinctive approach to progressive heavy psychedelia, post-rock and weighted density of fuzz, and repositions the band from where they left off with 2015’s Moksha (review here), their most recent studio LP, which they followed with Mela Ananda — Live (review here) celebration of their 10th anniversary in 2017.
The four-piece of guitarist Seppi, bassist Matte Vandeven, drummer Steffen Weigand and synthesist Norman Mehren (credited, as always, with “soundboard”), pull back on some of the fleshed-out arrangements of the last album — so far as I can tell there are no horns on Atma — in favor of a more direct approach. And while the narrative — blessings and peace upon it — is about the emotionality of the material and that one way or the other the band has put five years of work into making this record, the truth about My Sleeping Karma‘s music is that it’s evocative and resonant enough that if they put the power of suggestion into telling you it was a story about flying to Saturn, there would be no choice to believe it; like all of their output, Atma is at very least a journey somewhere.
But in the context of the outbreak of war in Europe (which happened after the record was done, but still serves as an example), the pandemic era, a rise of political extremism, climate crisis, and health and other personal concerns within the band, and perhaps even just the apparent slog of building these tracks themselves over such a stretch of time, a wistful sensibility is easily read as the nine-minute opener “Maya Shakti” quickly nestles into its volume trade patterns over its first two minutes, and that aspect holds true across the song and record that follows.
All of which is to say, as My Sleeping Karma are out there saying Atma is driven by emotion, the music backs that up.
“Maya Shakti” takes place over three movements, the last of which is one of the album’s most expansive stretches, the melody of the guitar, bass and keys pushed forward by Weigand‘s drumming, his snare cutting through the mix in a way that will sound high enough to stand out as jarring by the time the subsequent “Prema” hits into its more swinging second half — though I’m not sure that’s not on purpose; aural punctuation as grounding effect amid so much float, perhaps, or even a spiritual wake-up call — but ultimately finding a balance with the other elements at work as “Mukti” unfolds soft and ethereal, its memorable keyboard line set to a backdrop of hypnotic guitar and breadth of atmosphere.
The Sanskrit title, as the band has said, refers to the notion of letting go and finding peace in all things. Maybe that’s what’s happening with the krautrocking synth before the more driving finish of the track, and if it’s some semblance of existential freedom being obtained as the heavier thrust to the end — that snare again marking the path — then fair enough. As ever, they make it difficult to argue.
Side B’s “Avatara” is a mirror to “Maya Shakti,” stretching over nine minutes long and setting the ambience of the two songs that follow. There’s a tension in the line of organ, drums and bass in the song’s middle-third, and that does pay off after the quiet break in the ending, but true to Atmaas a whole, “Avatara” is more about the act of going than getting there, though they do dare a bit of prog-as-funk in the guitar late and that is especially satisfying on a record that’s so weighted in mood. With purposeful drift at its finish and what seems to be a gong, they stick-click into “Pralaya” and pointedly leave behind the quiet introductions that each of the four songs before and closer “Ananda” still to come have proffered in favor of a more immediate takeoff.
There are two subsequent comedowns and launches, and taken together they highlight the dynamic of My Sleeping Karma and their interaction with various post-heavy genres as well as the individualized take on sonic meditation that has made the band so influential in their time. If an understated one compared to some of what surrounds, it’s reasonable to call “Pralaya” a highlight, and its last crash and thud seems specifically meant for a live stage.
So be it. One wonders if the denser riffing that emerges early in the eight-minute “Ananda” is intended as an answer to that as well, as it feels imbued with a similar energy, but Atma‘s finisher ultimately has different plans, pulling back to quiet synth and guitar right around three minutes in to establish the bed for the album’s last build.
And it is a build, where much of Atma has been about the band lulling their audience into a trance and then snapping them out of it either by the sudden entrance of a sweeping volume surge or some other twist, the progression of “Ananda” — keyboard notes like water drops throughout — is a more even flow, still dynamic and quite heavy by the time another three and a half minutes have passed, but seeming to find resolution and catharsis in its last wash, letting the album go on a quick fade, reminding of the impermanence of all things, including ourselves.
I will not pretend to know the totality of what My Sleeping Karma have been through over the last seven years since Moksha was released. True to the storyline, Atma is sad, longing almost for a better world, but by no means void of hope, and if the band are laying themselves bare musically, they’ve captured the expressive beauty that’s always been at the heart of their craft. That combined exclamation of soul. It is easy to feel powerless, overwhelmed, to wake up every day and know that defeat is coming to such a degree that it’s already there. It’s harder to turn that into something that speaks to a possibility for more, and that is precisely what makes this return from My Sleeping Karma so vital. Someday I’ll see this band live.
UK crushmasters Conan edge closer to the Aug. 19 release date of their new album, Evidence of Immortality, with the video below. “Righteous Alliance” is the second single to come from Conan‘s fifth full-length — you can see their prior clip for “Levitation Hoax” hear the bottom of this post — and it brings a fresh(ly decayed) eight and a half minutes of outright crush presented wrapped in a video wherein Jon Davis, founding guitarist/vocalist, goes to buy a guitar — quick plug for Sam’s in Chester (not London as I initially thought) — and a cheeky Wayne’s World reference at the end in if-you-know-you-know fashion.
But by the time “Righteous Alliance” is done, you won’t really know anything except that Conan continue to dominate sound with a rare cruelty and that the rawness and dirt that comes through their tones this time is 100 percent owned. It’s theirs. “Righteous Alliance” sounds like it was recorded onto sweat more than a hard drive, and the live footage that makes up most of the video — black and white first, then color and mirrored, etc. — is grainy and a likewise fitting context for the song.
Hey guess what? Conan are really fucking heavy. If you’re saying, “yes we know that,” you’re right. And I’m not taking away from the band’s ethic of consistency. Despite shifts in the rhythm section before they settled on the trio of Davis, bassist/vocalist/producer Chris Fielding and drummer Johnny King (also Dread Sovereign), they’ve always stuck to the central tenet of putting heft first, and that has suited them and allowed them to build a reputation for aural impact that’s nearly unmatched. There’s grit in “Righteous Alliance” though, and with it being longer than prior single “Levitation Hoax,” there’s room for it to flesh out and really tell the listener something about the record from which it comes.
A bit of humor in the clip doesn’t hurt either. I asked Davis what kind of guitar he picks up at Sam’s and he said, “The guitar is made by Tttides guitars (David from Luxembourg). It’s his take on the BC Rich Ironbird, but the body is just slightly smaller,” just in case you’re curious. It certainly seems to get the job done.
Enjoy:
Conan, “Righteous Alliance” official video
Following their much acclaimed 2018 full-length, Existential Void Guardian, and their Live at Freak Valley record released just last year, England’s doom metal masters CONAN strike back again! The trio’s fifth studio album, entitled Evidence of Immortality, drops August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records.
New Album out August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records. Pre-Order HERE: https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/conan
“‘Righteous Alliance‘ is another track that we have been playing live,“ guitarist and singer Jon Davis comments. “It is all about war, and the hopelessness of it. However, a hero is coming and just as death is imminent, an unflinching savior enters the fray and the day is saved, for now.
We were keen to include some fan footage from over the years, thankfully they came through so thanks to everyone for being a part of it.”
“Evidence of Immortality was written between December 2019 and late 2021. As such, it has absorbed a lot of the emotions that were flowing through our lives then,” Davis explains. “The lyrics were written on the eve of the war in Ukraine so, naturally, they deal with subjects such as victory and defeat, loss and hope, pain and determination, fear and hatred. Movies such as Conquest, Lord of The Rings, Fire and Ice, Krull, Beast Master and Clash of The Titans once again provided inspiration for the themes of the songs, as we maintain our determination to not write about real-world events. You want to escape? Throw this record on, turn the lights off and turn it up until your fucking ears bleed.”
CONAN live: 12th August – Sonic Blast, Portugal 3rd September – Septembro Negro, Brazil 23rd September – Homme Sauvage, France 14th October – ManorFest, UK 12th November – Tyrant Fest, France
Line up: Jon Davis – vocals, guitar (2006-present) Chris Fielding – bass (2013–present) Johnny King – drums (2017–present)
Posted in Whathaveyou on June 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Hard to mess with Conan being Conan, and as they announce the slated Aug. 19 release of their sixth long-player, Evidence of Immortality, the three-piece share a video for “Levitation Hoax,” the first single from the record. Sign me up. You can hear the concrete-crumble-riffing that is their trademark, as well as the vocal interplay in call and response and all-in-assault from guitarist Jon Davis and bassist/producer Chris Fielding while drummer Johnny King assures that the underlying procession matches the tonal intensity. All well and good. Later in the song though — you’ll note the video takes a turn as well — there’s a bit of overarching guitar kind of layered on top, and that feels new to me. I’ll have to go back and revisit 2018’s Existential Void Guardian (review here) to be sure, but that might be using space in a different way. Floating guitar would make sense in a song about levitation though, or fake levitation, as it were.
There will be tour dates, more songs and probably videos, and blood. For now, this just came down the PR wire:
Bow Down and Hail CONAN! – England’s Doom Metal Masters Strike Back with Brand New Album, Evidence of Immortality
Following their much acclaimed 2018 full-length, Existential Void Guardian, and their Live at Freak Valley record released just last year, the trio has announced the release of their fifth studio album, entitled Evidence of Immortality, due out on August 19, 2022 via Napalm Records.
As first album single proves, on their upcoming magnum opus, the British kings of brutally heavy slowness push their down-tuned axes and cranked pedals to the limit, crushing ears and minds when huge, rumbling chords and malevolent riffs muscle their way in over lances of infinite distortion and drums that pummel and thunder like the hands of a god against the gates of hell.
First single “Levitation Hoax” showcases CONAN’s trademark sound combined with fast-paced riffage and a pounding groove in epic doom metal grandeur, before dragging you deep into a black hole, as you scream in silence.
“‘Levitation Hoax’ grew from a riff that was created in December 2019, when we were on tour with Cavalera Conspiracy”, guitarist and singer Jon Davis comments. “The song begins as a thrash metal onslaught and just gets heavier and heavier as it progresses. It was a fun track to write, and has some of my favourite lyrics from the album.”
“Evidence of Immortality was written between December 2019 and late 2021. As such, it has absorbed a lot of the emotions that were flowing through our lives then,” Davis continues. “The lyrics were written on the eve of the war in Ukraine so, naturally, they deal with subjects such as victory and defeat, loss and hope, pain and determination, fear and hatred. Movies such as Conquest, Lord of The Rings, Fire and Ice, Krull, Beast Master and Clash of The Titans once again provided inspiration for the themes of the songs, as we maintain our determination to not write about real world events. You want to escape? Throw this record on, turn the lights off and turn it up until your fucking ears bleed.”
Evidence of Immortality was produced by Chris Fielding and mastered by James Plotkin. The album also sees former band member Dave Perry perform on the track “Grief Sequence”. The album’s artwork was provided by the skilled hand and mind of Tony Roberts, architect of the CONAN visual style since day one and their debut release, Horseback Battle Hammer. Bow down and hail CONAN, as their sound will live forever on the battlefield of doom. Their new album will be the ultimate Evidence of Immortality!
Slated for a release on August 19, 2022 through Napalm Records, Evidence of Immortality will be available in the following formats:
– Digisleeve – 2LP Gatefold BLACK (ltd 300) – 2LP Gatefold MARBLED CLEAR/BLACK (ltd 300) – 2LP Gatefold GLOW IN THE DARK (Band exclusive) – Cassette Tape Edition – Album Cover Shirt & Digisleeve Bundle (European webstore only) – Digital
Evidence of Immortality track listing: 01. A Cleaved Head No Longer Plots 02. Levitation Hoax 03. Ritual Of Anonymity 04. Equilibrium Of Mankind 05. Righteous Alliance 06. Grief Sequence
CONAN live: 13th July – Obscene Extreme, Czech Republic 12th August – Sonic Blast, Portugal 3rd September – Septembro Negro, Brazil 23rd September – Homme Sauvage, France 14th October – ManorFest, UK 12th November – Tyrant Fest, France
CONAN is: Jon Davis – Guitar, Vocals Chris Fielding – Bass Johnny King – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 10th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Been waiting for this one since before My Sleeping Karma actually announced the record was done in February. The stalwart heavy psychedelic instrumentalists have set July 29 as the release date for Atma on Napalm Records. It’s been seven years since 2015’s Moksha (review here), which is more than long enough as far as I’m concerned, even when one counts the 2017 live album, Mela Ananda – Live (review here), and speaking of things like My Sleeping Karma playing on stage, whatever else happens between now and the My Sleeping Karma LP after this one, I really, really want to make finally seeing them live happen. It’s not a long list of need-to-see-before-I-die bands at this point, but be assured, they’re on it.
I haven’t heard the album yet — Napalm, insultingly, doesn’t even send promo downloads anymore; you get a soon-to-expire Haulix stream and that’s it, as if to say, “if we could give you even less to work with, we certainly would” — but I hope to at some point soon, and I’ll just go ahead and get all my hyperbole about how awesome the band are ready for the eventual review. It’s been a while. Should be a good time.
The band posted the cover art and preorder links as well as the video at the bottom of this post for “Prema,” which sounds very much like My Sleeping Karma. Wouldn’t have it another way:
MY SLEEPING KARMA – New Album “Atma” + Music Video For First Single “Prema”
Dear friends, Today we are happy to finally share some great news with you.
Our new album “Atma” will be released on July 29 and pre order starts now and here: marbled blue edition in msk webstore: https://mysleepingkarma.de/vinyl & glow in the dark edition in sol webstore: https://sol-records.com/products/atma-lp-lim-col-edition
Preorder/presave: https://lnk.to/MSK-Atma
Many of you know about our difficulties in the last years and honestly we never thought this record would see the light.
“Atma” is our deepest and most emotional album and it surely would have not been possible without your endless support throughout the years.
We will give you more detailed info about the album, concept, videos , artwork one after another.
Now enjoy our music video for the first single “Prema”.
MY SLEEPING KARMA Live: 26.05.2022 (GER) Berlin, Desertfest 11.06.2022 (GER) Munich, 17 Years SOL 25.06.2022 (GER) Wiesbaden, 17 Years SOL 03.07.2022 (ESP) Viveiro, Resurrection Festival 30.07.2022 (GER) Hamburg, Grünspan 12.08.2022 (BE) Kortrijk, Alcatraz Festival 13.08.2022 (PT) Moledo, Sonic Blast Festival
MY SLEEPING KARMA is: Matte – Bass Seppi – Guitar Steffen – Drums Norman – Soundboard
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 21st, 2022 by JJ Koczan
I’ve decided to in the next couple weeks make it a point to revisit some of 2020’s many releases that, due largely to the chaos surrounding general existence at the time, I didn’t get to cover as much as I wanted. File Villagers of Ioannina City‘s Age of Aquarius in that category. Released first by the band in 2019 and then by Napalm Records in 2020, I’ve never really had that nagging feeling in my head stop about the need to give it a proper review, so now — or at least some time in the next couple weeks — seems to be as good a time as any for that and assorted others in that particular reach of my skull.
As regards Villagers of Ioannina City‘s upcoming tour, you’ll no doubt note both the quantity and the quality of the dates. A slew of festivals including Desertfest Berlin and a return to Freak Valley, Hellfest and a stretch alongside DVNE, when any single one of them would be enough to base a stint of gigs around. For a band who’ve been twiddling their collective thumbs not getting to support the best album of their career as they should, I’d be willing to speculate they’re relieved to finally announce these shows.
Sound of Liberation posted the following:
VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY – TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT
Friends, we’re extremely happy to share that Greek psychedelic-folk-rockers Villagers of Ioannina City will hit the road in less than a month.
And pay close attention, in some cities no other than Edinburgh’s hottest progressive rock/metal act DVNE will open the night for you.
Sound of Liberation proudly presents:
Villagers Of Ioannina City + special guests DVNE European Tour 2022
14.05.22 (GR) Thessaloniki, Principal Club Theater 20.05.22 (BG) Sofia, “Mixtape 5” 21.05.22 (HR) Zagreb, Vintage Industrial Bar 22.05.22 (AT) Salzburg, Rockhouse Salzburg 25.05.22 (DE) Wiesbaden, Schlachthof Wiesbaden 27.05.22 (DE) Berlin, Desertfest Berlin 28.05.22 (DE) Jena, KuBa Open Air* 29.05.22 (PL) Krakow, Klub Zaścianek* 30.05.22 (AT) Vienna, ARENA WIEN * 02.06.22 (DE) Bielefeld, Forum Bielefeld* 03.06.22 (DE) Rotterdam, Podium Grounds* 04.06.22 (DE) Gelsenkirchen, Rock Hard Festival 06.06.22 (NL) Amsterdam, Melkweg Amsterdam* 08.06.22 (DE) Hamburg, Knust Hamburg* 09.06.22 (DE) Dresden, Beatpol* 10.06.22 (DE) Munich, 17 years Sound of Liberation • Backstage Munich* 11.06.22 (DE) Kassel, Goldgrube Kassel* 13.06.22 (GR) Athens, AthensRocks 15.06.22 (DE) Nephten, FREAK VALLEY FESTIVAL 16.06.22 (DE) Zurich, Rote Fabrik 21.06.22 (FR) Paris, GLAZART 23.06.22 (UK) London, 229 25.06.22 (FR) Clisson, Hellfest Open Air Festival + more to be announced
*with DVNE
Better grab your tickets fast!
VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY are: Alex (guitar/vox) Akis (bass) Aris (drums) Kostantis (clarinet, winds) Kostas (bagpipe)
