Particulars have begun to surface regarding Pallbearer‘s third album, Heartless. Art and tracks — you know the drill. First there was the album announcement last month, and now we have the cover and tracklisting. Soon audio premieres will start through the broader media websites, who’ll pad their underground cred by celebrating a doom band while exposing the Arkansas four-piece to a wider public; win-win. Let’s say three songs out one at a time and then a full-album stream? Then more tour dates once the record’s out March 24 via Profound Lore, because as ever, one can expect Pallbearer to bust their collective ass on the road, and maybe a video or something like that. Then tour tour tour and that’s how it is. Like I said, you know the drill. It’s the modern album cycle. Half of you are in one part of it or another, I’d wager.

And nothing against it. Pallbearer’s Heartless will no doubt be one of 2017’s biggest releases in doom and likely under the wider sphere of metal as a whole. They’re due for that kind of ascent. So only right it should be done up with maximum ceremony. The PR wire explains why:

PALLBEARER UNVEIL DETAILS FOR THEIR HEARTLESS LP, DUE OUT MARCH 24th FROM PROFOUND LORE

Progressive doom giants Pallbearer have returned with their third album: a 7-song collection of monumental rock music titled Heartless, which will be released March 24th from Profound Lore in North America (in Europe from Nuclear Blast Entertainment). Pallbearer recorded Heartless on analog tape at Fellowship Hall Sound in their hometown of Little Rock, AR, and mixed it with Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, Melvins, Soundgarden) in summer of 2016. The end result is an album grander in scope than anything they’ve released prior, showcasing a natural progression that melds higher technicality and more ambitious structures with Pallbearer’s most immediate hooks to date.

On Heartless, Pallbearer offer a complex sonic architecture that weaves together the spacious exploratory elements of classic prog, the raw anthemics of 90’s alt-rock, and stretches of black-lit proto-metal. Lyrics about mortality, life, and love are set to sharp melodies and pristine three-part harmonies. Vocalist and guitarist Brett Campbell has always been a strong, assured singer, and on Heartless, his work is especially stunning. Written by Campbell and bassist/secondary vocalist Joseph D Rowland, the words have moved from the metaphysical to something more grounded. As the group explains: “Instead of staring into to the void—both above and within—Heartless concentrates its power on a grim reality. Our lives, our homes and our world are all plumbing the depths of utter darkness, as we seek to find any shred of hope we can.”

By fusing their widest musical palette to date, Pallbearer make the kind of heavy rock that will appeal to diehards, but could also find the group crossing over into newer territories and fanbases. After having helped revitalize doom metal, it almost feels like they’ve gone and set their sights on rock and roll itself. Which doesn’t seem at all impossible on the back of a record like Heartless.

See Pallbearer on tour in support of Heartless in February and March (dates below with more to surface) and look for song premieres, pre-orders and more information from Profound Lore to be posted soon.

Heartless, track listing:
1. I Saw the End
2. Thorns
3. Lie of Survival
4. Dancing in Madness
5. Cruel Road
6. Heartless
7. A Plea for Understanding

Pallbearer is:
Brett Campbell – guitar, vocals
Devin Holt – guitar, vocals
Mark Lierly – drums
Joseph D. Rowland – bass, vocals

PALLBEARER, ON TOUR:
February 25 Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
March 22 Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Room
March 23 Nashville, TN @ The End
March 25 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March 28 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
March 29 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
March 31 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
* w/ The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

https://www.facebook.com/pallbearerdoom
https://twitter.com/pallbearerdoom
https://instagram.com/pallbearerdoom/
https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/
https://profoundlorerecords.com/
https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/

Pallbearer, Fear and Fury EP (2016)

Of all the surprises the universe might bestow on a given day, Pallbearer announcing a round of tour dates is probably pretty low on the scale of absolute shockers. They tour a lot. They’ve toured a lot since their second album, Foundations of Burden, came out in 2014, and they toured a lot for the preceding 2012 debut, Sorrow and Extinction (review here). It’s just what they do.

Perhaps more of a newsly morsel is that a third album is impending. Titled Heartless, it’s due in March and follows an EP released earlier this year also through Profound Lore called Fear and Fury (discussed here) that boasted covers of Dio-era Black Sabbath and Type O Negative back to back — just in case you weren’t sure they were up for a bold decision or two.

The limited album info and the tour dates around the release follow. Note that in February they’ll also be playing with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, which seems worth a trip to Austin if anything ever was:

PALLBEARER RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM, ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES

Their third full-length album, Heartless, due out in March from Profound Lore Records

Pallbearer recently announced their third full-length album, Heartless, which is due out in March 2017 via longtime label partner Profound Lore. In conjunction with the album’s release, Pallbearer will headline a string of shows in March; kicking off in their hometown of Little Rock, then heading to Nashville, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Grand Rapids and Chicago. These shows are the first since Pallbearer’s extensive U.S. tour alongside Baroness last fall – check out the full list of dates below.

PALLBEARER, ON TOUR:
February 25 Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
March 22 Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Room
March 23 Nashville, TN @ The End
March 25 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March 28 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
March 29 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
March 31 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
* w/ The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

https://www.facebook.com/pallbearerdoom
https://twitter.com/pallbearerdoom
https://instagram.com/pallbearerdoom/
https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/
https://profoundlorerecords.com/
https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/

Pallbearer, Fear and Fury EP (2016)

Nearly 20 years on to the day since the release of Type O Negative‘s now-classic fourth album, October Rust, as well as six years after the early passing of that band’s inimitable frontman Peter Steele, yeah, I guess a song like “Love You to Death” is fair game for covering. And as someone who’s loved Type O since I was like 12, I’ll say that hard touring Little Rock, Arkansas, doomers Pallbearer do an admirable job with it as well on their brand new EP, Fear and Fury, just released digitally through Profound Lore with vinyl to follow this fall, bringing their own psychedelic edge to the brooding sentimentality of the original, indulging in some choice keyboard work while maintaining the underlying push of low-end.

“Love You to Death” is joined by “Fear and Fury,” which Pallbearer released as a single last year, and a take on Black Sabbath‘s “Over and Over,” which has been a staple of live shows for several years now. The vinyl is up for preorder, the whole thing is available to stream and you can check it out under the PR wire info below, which also includes the dates for Pallbearer‘s tour with Baroness, which is happening as we speak.

Dig:

PALLBEARER RELEASE ‘FEAR AND FURY’ EP, EMBARK ON U.S. TOUR WITH BARONESS

Three-song EP out now digitally, on vinyl October 21st from Profound Lore / See Pallbearer on tour August 11 – September 10

Pallbearer is thrilled to release a 3-song EP, titled Fear and Fury, available now via digital download with a limited vinyl version to follow on October 21st from Profound Lore Records. The vinyl version will be presented in a beautifully packaged circular die-cut jacket with art and design by Johan G. Winther and inner-sleeve artwork by Michael Lierly. The EP’s three songs include a remastered version of the band’s titular 2015 single “Fear and Fury” and cover versions of Black Sabbath’s “Over and Over” and Type O Negative’s “Love You To Death”. The vinyl itself will have the three tracks on Side A and an etching on Side B and is available for pre-order now in all of its limited colors, along with a digital release which is available now as well.

Pallbearer is an American colossus, rooted in doom metal but shaping their own musical paradigm unfettered by the confines of genre. Initially formed in Little Rock, AR by Joseph D Rowland (bass) and Brett Campbell (vocals / guitars) and later Joined by Devin Holt (guitar), the line up was solidified by the addition of Mark Lierly (drums) after the recording of their debut LP. That album, 2012’s Sorrow and Extinction, captured the primal heaviness of the band’s live show but expanded beyond a reliance on pure volume. It wavers beautifully between subdued introspection and towering aural force.

2014’s Foundations Of Burden built on the groundwork of their debut, evoking a complex melodic consciousness, each song imbued with a weight of devastating melancholy. Produced and mixed by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Agalloch, Red House Painters), the album saw Pallbearer forging it’s own brilliantly desolate path, seeking balance at the very threshold of an unforgiving void.

Pallbearer are currently working on their third full-length LP, and will be on tour in August and September alongside Baroness – see all tour dates below and look for more news from Pallbearer coming soon.

PALLBEARER
(U.S. tour with Baroness)
08/11 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter**
08/12 – Washington, DC @ The Howard Theater
08/13 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Ballroom
08/14 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
08/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie**
08/16 – Providence, RI @ Fete Ballroom
08/17 – Buffalo, NY @ Waiting Room
08/19 – Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues
08/20 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews
08/21 – Chicago, IL @ The Metro
08/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cabooze
08/24 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada Theater
08/25 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge**
08/26 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
08/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Club Crescent
08/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill**
08/30 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory Northpark
08/31 – Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
09/02 – Dallas, TZ @ Granada Theater
09/03 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
09/04 – Baton Rouge, LA @ The Varsity Theater
09/06 – Orlando, FL @ The Beachum Theater
09/07 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater
09/09 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
09/10 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight**
**Pallbearer Only

https://www.facebook.com/pallbearerdoom
https://twitter.com/pallbearerdoom
https://instagram.com/pallbearerdoom/
https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/
https://profoundlorerecords.com/fearandfury/
https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/fear-and-fury

Pallbearer, Fear and Fury EP (2016)

Heebus jeebus, Pallbearer. You sure you’ve got enough tour dates planned out for the next couple months?

I think my favorite part about Pallbearer‘s summer tour — which started last night in Berlin after an appearance this past weekend at Psycho California — is that it’s utter insanity. It interrupts an already-in-progress European headlining run with Bast for three dates in North America, two in the US and one in Canada, and then an Australian tour before going to Japan and then resuming in Europe before coming back to North America again, this time with High on Fire. What’s the matter, dudes, couldn’t tack on any dates in India or Africa while you were at it?

Of course, if they did, no doubt they’d find welcome when they got there. Pallbearer‘s Foundations of Burden continues to reap acclaim from just about every corner of the universe after being covered in so much critical saliva upon its release last year. If nothing else, the four-piece are obviously busting their ass to support it. They also recently released a new video for the track “Watcher in the Dark,” which you can find way down beneath the list of tour dates hoisted from the PR wire.

Take a deep breath and dive in:

PALLBEARER PREMIERES FIRST MUSIC VIDEO EVER FOR “WATCHER IN THE DARK”; TRACK APPEARS ON FOUNDATIONS OF BURDEN; ON TOUR THIS MAY, JUNE AND JULY

Watch Pallbearer’s epic and cinematic new video for “Watcher in the Dark”

The video was directed, shot and edited by Adam Heathcott (Hometapes) and produced by Adam Heathcott and Sara Padgett Heathcott and marks the first ever official music video for the band.

Formed in 2008 by Joseph D. Rowland (bass) and Brett Campbell (vocals/guitars), Pallbearer grew from the fertile underground metal scene of Little Rock, AR. A year after their formation, the band released their first three-song demo (with guitarist Devin Holt), which garnered well-deserved attention. Pallbearer went on to release Sorrow & Extinction in early 2012 on well-respected Canadian indie label Profound Lore, and instantly made waves among listeners and critics who found the band’s compositional paradox of vulnerability and might unparalleled in the metal world. Sorrow & Extinction proved to be an unequivocal masterpiece in any genre of music and compelled Pallbearer to reach even further creatively for what would come next. In August of 2014, the band released the monumental and acclaimed, Foundations Of Burden; an album that delves even deeper into Pallbearer’s melodic contexts, adding a new and compelling dimension to music which has long since proven itself to be inexorably captivating.

Check out the band’s rigorous Spring/Summer European touring schedule below.

PALLBEARER – ON TOUR
May 20 Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain
May 21 Prague, CZ @ Klub 007
May 22 Koln, DE @ MTC
May 23 Utrecht, NL @ Le Guess Who
May 24 Brussels, BE @ AB Club
May 25 Paris, FR @ Social Club
May 26 Schorndorf @ Club Manufaktur
May 27 Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
May 29 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival
May 31 Bristol, UK @ Temples Festival
June 1 Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
June 2 Birmingham, UK @ Rainbow
June 3 London, UK @ 100 Club
June 5 Porto, PT @ Optimus Primavera Sound
June 6&7 Houston, TX @ Free Press Summer Fest
June 12 Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
June 14 Edmonton, AB @ Farmageddon
June 17 Melbourne, AUS @ Ding Dong Lounge
June 18 Hobart, AUS @ Dark Mofo Festival
June 19 Melbourne, AUS @ Northcote Social
June 20 Sydney, AUS @ Hermann’s Bar
June 21 Brisbane, AUS @ Crowbar
June 24 Osaka, Japan @ Conpass
June 25 Nagoya, Japan @ Huck Finn
June 26 Tokyo, Japan @ Earthdom
June 30 Oslo, NO @ BLÅ
July 1 Gothenburg, SE @ Truckstop Alaska
July 2 Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
July 3 Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
July 4 Wiesbaden, DE @ Schlachthof Wiesbaden
July 6 Milano, IT @ Lo Fi Club
July 7 Bologna, IT @ Freakout Club
July 8 Roma, IT @ Traffic Live
July 9 Padua, IT @ Radar Festival
July 10 Vienna, AT @ Mind Over Matter Festival
July 11 Erfurt, DE @ Stoned from the Underground – Festival
July 30 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah ^
July 31 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex *
August 1 San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom *
August 3 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *
August 4 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw *
August 5 Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
August 7 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex *
August 8 Denver, CO @ The Gothic *
August 10 Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights *
August 11 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
August 12 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch *
August 13 Toronto, ON @ Opera House *
August 14 Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon *
August 15 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza *
August 17 Boston, MA @ Royale *
August 18 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
August 19 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts *
August 20 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage *
August 21 Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggy’s *
August 22 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
August 23 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s *
^ w/ High On Fire, Lucifer
* w/ High On Fire, Lucifer, Venomous Maximus

https://www.facebook.com/pallbearerdoom
https://twitter.com/pallbearerdoom
https://instagram.com/pallbearerdoom/
https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/

Pallbearer, “Watcher in the Dark” official video

True to their word, it’s Jan. 15 and Psycho California 2015 has announced the headliners for what looks like the best American festival lineup I’ve seen since the days of Emissions from the Monolith. That’s not to take away from the hard work anyone else is doing, but just look at the list of bands. It’s unreal. You’d want to be everywhere at the same time to see all of it. Absolutely wild.

Sleep and Pentagram were pretty clear choices to headline. Not only for being legends in the heavy underground, but for also being just about two of the only bands left. Sweden’s Cult of Luna were something of a surprise, but for a festival already showing a European reach in bringing aboard the likes of Samsara Blues Experiment and Stoned Jesus, they make sense. Hell of a bill. Kudos to anyone who actually gets to go to the thing.

Announcement follows, courtesy of the PR wire:

PSYCHO CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES HEADLINERS: SLEEP, PENTAGRAM AND CULT OF LUNA

WEST COAST METAL FESTIVAL HAPPENING MAY 15, 16 & 17 AT THE OBSERVATORY IN SANTA ANA

FIRST WAVE OF ARTISTS ANNOUNCED INCLUDED KYLESA, EARTH, OM AND RUSSIAN CIRCLES

Psycho California, the west coast’s first annual metal festival and a must see for fans of doom, heavy psych and sludge, has announced the headliners for this year’s event: Cult of Luna (May 15), Sleep (May 16) and Pentagram, who will perform First Daze Here in its entirety (May 17).

“2015 is going to be a slow year for Cult of Luna. However as much as we are musicians we are also fans,” said Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson. “Evaluating if the offer to play Psycho California was worth dusting off our instruments was not hard after looking on the line-up. Being on the same bill as Pentagram, Sleep and a festival packed with the best bands around is a privilege in itself and we’ll try to live up to that honor.”

The lineup for Psycho California is: Sleep, Pentagram, Cult of Luna, Kylesa, OM, Earth, Russian Circles, Bedemon, Conan, Wrench, Eyehategod, Indian, Earthless, Pallbearer, Stoned Jesus, Old Man Gloom, Cave In, Acid Witch, Truckfighters, Tombs, Bang, Electric Citizen, Coffinworm, SubRosa, Eagle Twin, Mammatus, True Widow, Anciients, Bellwitch, Dead Meadow, Lord Dying, Death By Stereo, Radio Moscow, Ancient Altar, Samsara Blues Experiment, Atriarch, Elder, Mothership, The Well, Deathkings, Wo Fat, Rozamov, Destroyer of Light, Highlands, Bloodmoon, Slow Season, Goatsnake, Crypt Trip, Wrench, Lords of Beacon House, Tumbleweed Dealer, Sinister Haze, Blackout, Red Wizard, Banquet and Loom.

Festival interludes will be provided by Housecore Records’ artist Author & Punisher and vinyl DJ set from Bob Lugowe (Relapse Records) and Sean Pellet (Last Daze Here).

Previously announced early bird tickets sold out immediately. Tickets for the festival are on-sale this morning with both a 3-day pass ($149.50) and a 3-day VIP pass available ($256.66)

VIP packages include a 3-day festival pass, a signed screen print concert poster by David D’Andrea, express entry via artist check-in booth, access to artist VIP lounge, a limited edition Thief X Obey festival tee, a Psycho record bag and patch as well as access to a complimentary craft tequila bar, premium microbrews and artisan snacks.

www.psychoca.com
www.facebook.com/psychocalifornia
https://www.facebook.com/Thiefpresents

Sleep, “The Clarity/Dragonaut” Live in Chicago, Aug. 28, 2014

It was close for a long time, but in the last week or so, one record pulled ahead to stake a definitive claim on the top spot. Even so, more than the 2013 poll, this was a fun one to watch, three albums duking it out, trading back and forth in the raw votes depending on who happened to submit a list at any given time. In the end, 355 people participated in this year’s poll, which is an average of over 11 per day — there was a significant push at the end — and up from 2013, which now that it’s 2015 will no doubt soon feel like ancient history.

To that end, Happy New Year and huge, huge thanks to everyone who took the time to contribute a list to the poll. Even if it was one or two records, the simple fact that you felt it was worth your time to type out the names of bands and albums and take part in this thing is unbelievably gratifying to me. I do a lot of the talking around here, apart from comments and the forum, so to have your participation in this really means a lot to me. It’s nice knowing you give enough of a crap to take part.

You’ll find two lists below. The first, measured in points, is the weighted tally. A 1-4 ranking is worth five points, 5-8 worth four, 9-12 worth three, 13-16 worth two and 17-20 worth one. After that comes the raw votes, a measure of what caught the most attention along the way.

After the jump, you’ll also find all the lists contributed to the poll — including my own, which seemed fair since I do a lot of reading on this site, mostly to experience shame at the typos and correct them hoping no one else noticed — presented in the order in which they were received. Thank you all again.

Top 20 of 2014 — Weighted Results

1. YOB, Clearing the Path to Ascend (560 points)
2. Wo Fat, The Conjuring (404)
3. Electric Wizard, Time to Die (367)
4. Pallbearer, Foundations of Burden (334)
5. Conan, Blood Eagle (275)
6. Orange Goblin, Back from the Abyss (254)
7. Greenleaf, Trails and Passes (240)
8. Truckfighters, Universe (237)
9. Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, Black Power Flower (235)
10. Earth, Primitive and Deadly (230)
11. Fu Manchu, Gigantoid (225)
12. Blues Pills, Blues Pills (211)
13. Lo-Pan, Colossus (202)
14. Eyehategod, Eyehategod (198)
15. Monolord, Empress Rising (190)
16. Mastodon, Once More ‘Round the Sun (188)
17. Mars Red Sky, Stranded in Arcadia (161)
18. John Garcia, John Garcia (156)
19. Bongripper, Miserable (141)
20. Radio Moscow, Magical Dirt (127)

Honorable mention to:
Goat, Commune (126)
Swans, To be Kind (117)
Monster Magnet, Milking the Stars (116)
Blood Farmers, Headless Eyes (105)
Floor, Oblation (104)
Mothership, II (104)

Stubb, Elephant Tree, Thou and plenty of others also did very well in the voting, but everything else I could find was less than 100 points. Again, it was close for a while between Wo Fat, Electric Wizard and YOB — and Pallbearer wasn’t so far behind them, either — but YOB pulled it out in the end and jumped way in front of everyone else. A lot of number-one votes for Clearing the Path to Ascend, which I can understand completely, since I happened to agree with the position.

On to the raw votes:

Top 20 of 2014 — Raw Votes

1. YOB, Clearing the Path to Ascend (138 votes)
2. Wo Fat, The Conjuring (111)
3. Electric Wizard, Time to Die (104)
4. Pallbearer, Foundations of Burden (89)
5. Orange Goblin, Back from the Abyss (78)
6. Conan, Blood Eagle (72)
7. Fu Manchu, Gigantoid (71)
8. Truckfighters, Universe (66)
9. Earth, Primitive and Deadly (65)
10. Greenleaf, Trails and Passes (64)
11. Blues Pills, Blues Pills (63)
12. Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, Black Power Flower (60)
13. Lo-Pan, Colossus (58)
14. Eyehategod, Eyehategod (55)
15. Monolord, Empress Rising (52)
16. Mars Red Sky, Stranded in Arcadia (48)
16. Mastodon, Once More ‘Round the Sun (48)
17. John Garcia, John Garcia (47)
18. Bongripper, Miserable (41)
18. Radio Moscow, Magical Dirt (41)
19. Goat, Commune (37)
19. Mothership, II (37)
20. Swans, To be Kind (32)

And some honorable mentions:
Dwellers, Pagan Fruit (31)
Floor, Oblation (31)
Monster Magnet, Milking the Stars (31)
Mos Generator, Electric Mountain Majesty (30)
Thou, Heathen (30)
The Well, Samsara (30)

A couple ties here make the raw votes list a little more inclusive, and since it’s not like we’re giving out olympic medals, it didn’t seem fair to count out ties and sacrifice other numbers. The top 20 has 23 entries? Yeah, sounds about right. Again, not much mystery ultimately to who came out on top, but it was a more thrilling race than the final numbers might suggest. Cool to see some differences in placement emerge between the two lists as well, Greenleaf and Brant Bjork doing really well in the weighted results since they obviously inspire some strong support, and a couple of others working their way into the raw votes top 20. I’m not really a numbers guy, but it’s been cool putting this together.

—

About not being a numbers guy: All the lists that came in appear after the jump below. If you find some glaring error in my math, or something seems like it really got enough votes to be included in one or the other, it’s possible I just missed it. I hope you’ll point it out in the comments so that if there is a mistake, I can get on correcting it as soon as possible. Your vigilance is sincerely appreciated.

And thank you again so much for being a part of this readers poll. It’s been a really great experience and I look forward to doing it again come Dec. 2015.

Please find everybody’s list after the jump, and have fun browsing:

Read more »

Click Here to Download

[mp3player width=480 height=180 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=aot43.xml]

Since I don’t do theme podcasts or anything, the thoroughly unofficial subtitle of this latest one is “SOME of the Best of 2014.” Truth be told, it’s four hours long and I feel like I barely scratched the surface, so definitely the emphasis should be on “some.” By no means is it meant to be comprehensive, or am I claiming that it’s all the best and the rest sucked or anything like that. But some of the best stuff is here, so, you know, I hope you enjoy.

My intent was to make it three hours long, and then I got there and it just didn’t feel done without another hour’s worth of extended psych jams. That’s an odd habit to have. Could be worse. For what it’s worth, I was thinking of this as a companion for some of the year-end coverage that’s already been posted and is still to come. Some of this was inspired by picks from the Readers Poll, the submissions for which are still open. If you haven’t added your list yet, I’d greatly appreciate it.

And once again, hope you dig it:

First Hour:
YOB, “Nothing to Win” from Clearing the Path to Ascend
Fu Manchu, “Radio Source Sagittarius” from Gigantoid
Radio Moscow, “Death of a Queen” from Magical Dirt
The Golden Grass, “Stuck on a Mountain” from The Golden Grass
Monster Magnet, “No Paradise for Me” from Milking the Stars: A Reimagining of Last Patrol
Pallbearer, “The Ghost I Used to Be” from Foundations of Burden
The Skull, “Sick of it All” from For Those Which are Asleep
Electric Wizard, “Time to Die” from Time to Die
Orange Goblin, “The Devil’s Whip” from Back from the Abyss
Moab, “No Soul” from Billow

Second Hour:
Sleep, “The Clarity” from The Clarity 12”
Mars Red Sky, “Hovering Satellites” from Stranded in Arcadia
Floor, “Rocinante” from Oblation
Slomatics, “And Yet it Moves” from Estron
Conan, “Foehammer” from Blood Eagle
Druglord, “Feast on the Eye” from Enter Venus
Apostle of Solitude, “Die Vicar Die” from Of Woe and Wounds
Pilgrim, “Away from Here” from II: Void Worship
Blood Farmers, “The Road Leads to Nowhere” from Headless Eyes

Third Hour:
Lo-Pan, “Regulus” from Colossus
Elephant Tree, “Vlaakith” from Theia
The Well, “Mortal Bones” from Samsara
Lucifer in the Sky with Diamonds, “Counting Time” from The Shining One
Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band, “Stokely up Now” from Black Power Flower
Joy, “Driving Me Insane” from Under the Spell of Joy
Greenleaf, “Depth of the Sun” from Trails and Passes
Mothership, “Priestess of the Moon” from Mothership II
Truckfighters, “Get Lifted” from Universe
Mos Generator, “Enter the Fire” from Electric Mountain Majesty
Mammatus, “Brain Drain” from Heady Mental

Fourth Hour:
Øresund Space Collective, “Beardlandia” from Music for Pogonologists
My Brother the Wind, “Garden of Delights” from Once There was a Time When Time and Space were One
The Cosmic Dead, “Fukahyoocastulah” from Split with Mugstar
Montibus Communitas, “The Pilgrim to the Absolute” from The Pilgrim to the Absolute

Total running time: 4:02:57

Thank you for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 043

The list of bands, quite frankly, is astonishing, but even more astonishing is the fact that  Thief Presents‘ Psycho California 2015 (formerly Psycho de Mayo) hasn’t announced its headliners yet, because these sure as shit look like headliners to me.

A three-day festival set to take place at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA, Psycho California will feature the following acts:

Here’s that list again: Kylesa, Om, Earth, Russian Circles, Orange Goblin, Bedemon, Conan, Indian, Pallbearer, Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Tombs, Earthless, Truckfighters, Bang, Eyehategod, Crowbar, SubRosa, Lord Dying, Acid Witch, Electric Citizen, Coffinworm, Eagle Twin, Stoned Jesus, Mammatus, True Widow, Bell Witch, Death by Stereo, Radio Moscow, Samsara Blues Experiment, Anciients, Elder, Mothership, Ancient Altar, The Well, Deathkings, Wo Fat, Rozamov, Destroyer of Light, Highlands, Bloodmoon, Slow Season, Crypt Trip, Lords of Beacon House, Tumbleweed Dealer, Sinister Haze, Blackout, Red Wizard, Banquet, Loom.

Plus interludes by Author and Punisher.

God damn.

Not only does it cover both coasts, huge bands, legends and up and comers, but the reach is international. Take special note of Conan, since their appearance means that Maryland Deathfest won’t be their only US date, and also Samsara Blues Experiment and Stoned Jesus — two killer European bands that you don’t even go after unless you know what the fuck you’re doing. That also hugely extends the possibilities for headlining acts. It’s an assemblage that’s beyond impressive, and if you haven’t already looked up flights to Southern California, I don’t know what to tell you. As I write this it’s after one in the morning on Sunday night, and you know I wouldn’t be doing that if my mind wasn’t leaking out of my ears at the thought of experiencing this thing.

Stay tuned for more to come, since as the poster says, headliners will be announced on Jan. 15. I’ll be looking forward to finding out who else is in store.

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