Admittedly, they had me beforehand too, but had that not been the case, for sure they’d have had me at Acid King doing 2015’s Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere (discussed here, review here) in its entirety. One of the best heavy mellow psych records I’ve ever heard, in addition to being up to Acid King‘s own high standard of riffing. Behold Desertfest Belgium 2025, clearly following on from the last couple years in going big and making the lineup count.

Also in Acid King‘s cohort here are UK prog/post-metallers Wren, ascendant Brooklyn theatre-nerds Castle Rat, Nick Oliveri‘s Mondo Generator, as well as Neptunian Maximalism, MR.BISON and an international assemblage of others — Desert Storm should be listed as ambassadors from Desertfest London — adding to the festival’s already stellar list of names, which you can see in full on the poster below. Obviously they’re not screwing around.

From socials:

Hi Desertheads!

It’s been a while, but my oh my, do we have some ear candy in store for you. These 11 new bands will be gracing the Desertfest Antwerp stages this fall:

Acid King 🌑 Mondo Generator 🌑 Desert Storm 🌑 MR.BISON 🌑 Neptunian Maximalism 🌑 Castle Rat 🌑 Wren 🌑 neànder 🌑 Witchorious 🌑 The Miffs 🌑 Requiem Blues

And what’s even cooler, ACID KING will be playing two nights in a row at Desertfest! ⚡️⚡️

On Saturday they will be performing their classic album ‘Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’. The album was carved in stoner metal exactly 10 years ago. On Sunday the band will be playing a mix of biting, acid hits for your ears only!

Unfortunately, Bongzilla won’t make it to Desertfest Antwerp due to health reasons and so we wish them a speedy recovery. Earth Tongue had to cancel their gig as well, because they got a great offer to tour the US this fall instead. All the best!

On a brighter side, the day splits will be announced and our day tickets will be available this Wednesday 18th June at 11:00 am CET. Keep an eye on our website and socials!

You can pick up your weekend tickets below:

https://www.desertfest.be/antwerp/information/ticketing/

In the meantime, keep on rockin’…! 🤘
The DF-team!

http://www.desertfest.be/
https://www.facebook.com/desertfestbelgium/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_belgium/

Acid King, Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere (2015)

Behold as Desertfest Berlin launches its 2024 season with 15 bands like hey getting 15 bands in a place is no big deal. Of course, maybe it isn’t for the now-long-running German event with close ties to the Sound of Liberation booking concern, but for the rest of the planet. You’ll note Belgian post-metallers Amenra and always-hip weirdos Osees at the top of the thus-far bill followed immediately by Acid King and The Brant Bjork Trio, both of whom will also take part in Desertfest Oslo 2024 as announced yesterday. Norway’s Full Earth, an offshoot of Kanaan with a debut album coming next year on Stickman, will also be at both events, and they’re likely not the last.

So, context tells us to expect at least two weeks of touring in Europe from those three outfits. Monkey3 are on the road now, Siena Root, Dÿse and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — new live LP out — were recently confirmed for Bear Stone Festival 2024 in July, and it’s not unthinkable they’d be doing shows from one to the other. They’re confirmed here alongside Tuareg rockers Tamikrest, Earth Tongue from New Zealand, Thronehammer, Dirty Sound Magnet, Praise the Plague and Neànder. Sounds like a festival to me. I’m ashamed at this point to say I’ve never been.

Info came down the PR wire, courtesy of Sound of Liberation:

DESERTFEST BERLIN Announces First Bands For 2024! Tickets On Sale Now!

Desertfest Berlin friends (#129304#)

We’re delighted to finally share with you the first names of the bands that are going to play on our stage in 2024❤️‍(#128293#) AMENRA from Belgium are going to be one of our headliners along with the LA’s psych-punk warrior OSEES ⚡️ We’re happy to see again the great ACID KING and BRANT BJORK TRIO and welcome TAMIKREST for the first time with their mix of traditional African music and Western rock (#128165#) The Newcastle’s doom rockers PIGS x7 will play for us their new album ‘Land of Sleeper’ while MONKEY3 and SIENA ROOT will bring their instrumental psychedelic rock and bluesy hard rock to our stage. Get ready for the emotional as well as decal-laden music of DŸSE and the psychedelic rock by the trio Dirty Sound Magnet (#127786#)️ You’re going to experience the heavy psychedelic / fuzz music of EARTH TONGUE directly from New Zealand, and the epic doom of THRONEHAMMER (#128588#) The experimental Oslo based rock-quintet Full Earth will play along the black metallers PRAISE THE PLAGUE and NEÀNDER both from Berlin ⚡️

Get ready for more names very soon. We’re stoked!!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: www.desertfest.de

AMENRA | OSEES
ACID KING | BRANT BJORK TRIO | TAMIKREST
PIGSPIGSPIGSPIGSPIGSPIGSPIGS | MONKEY3 | SIENA ROOT
DŸSE | DIRTY SOUND MAGNET | EARTH TONGUE | THRONEHAMMER
FULL EARTH | PRAISE THE PLAGUE | NEÀNDER
& MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Desertfest Berlin
May 24th – 26th 2024
Columbia Venues

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: www.desertfest.de

www.desertfest.de
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin

Acid King, Beyond Vision (2023)

It’s not quite what one would usually think of as a video, but atmospherically speaking, it definitely gets the point across. Also, the point is atmosphere, and it’s one that Berlin’s Neànder — also stylized all-lowercase, neànder, presumably to preserve the humility their tonal onslaught casts aside — make well on “Eremit,” which is the title-track of their upcoming full-length on Through Love Records. Set to release Oct. 9, its titular representative finds the band coursing between atmospheric sludge and doom — so yes, post-metal — with a particular strain of weight in the low end that seems to give all the more breadth to the upper register guitars, creating space enough for sharper lead lines as well as the seeming float of effects.

Coinciding with a solid march set by the drums, not too fast, but more than one might call a plod, the track builds toward its final 90-or-so seconds with increasing tempo and intensity, eventually hitting more extreme territory but handling it with no less a sense of control than the band has maintained all along. I haven’t heard the full album yet, but given what’s going on here, I would expect the combination of refinement and sheer weight to be consistent in progressive fashion. They earn the grey on that cover image.

But the video. Yeah, it’s not quite a video so much as a manipulation of the album cover. It goes into and out of focus in different parts slowly, zooms in and out. Basically it’s a way to feature the song. They’re calling it a visualizer and that’s fine by me. Visualize yourself listening to the track and you’re probably headed in the right direction.

I hear there might be tour dates in the works for the German outfit — must be nice — but in the interim and before the album comes out, you’ll find the a/v and more info below.

Please enjoy:

Neànder, “Eremit” official visualizer

October 9th 2020 will see Berlin- based collective, neànder, return with their brand new, sophomore album “eremit”, only one and a half year after releasing their critically acclaimed debut. With their upcoming magnum opus, neànder continue to evolve their very own blend of heavy music that draws on musical elements of doom, ambient and black metal. A bleak and desolate atmosphere casts its shadow on this record, while the band cuts a dark crystal playing with variations of light and shade.

“We wanted to dig deeper into our own sound. As a result the riffs are slower and heavier than before and the epic parts are way more intense“ said the band earlier. “This album is all about finding your identity. Figure out who you are and then head out for the next chapter“ adds guitarist Jan Korbach. “We wrote our first album over a period of three years, but this one only took 6 months. And this really sticks it all together.“

Today, neànder have premiered a moody visualizer to the crushing album title track, “eremit”. The single is available via several digital platforms here: https://linktr.ee/neandereremit

“We didn’t felt that the new song ‘Eremit’ needed a music video in the classical sense.“ Korbach continues. “Like some band playing in a warehouse (I can say it, because I’ve done this too many times). Like this one can focus 100% on the music. In my mind the visualizer reflects the mood of the song perfectly. A creature from outta space (so to say) – that is not to be named yet – created the 3D animation.”

Album Tracklist:
Purpur (prelude)
Purpur
Eremit
Ora
Clivina
Atlas

Neànder on Thee Facebooks

Neànder on Instagram

Through Love Records on Bandcamp

Through Love Records website