Well that’s a pretty heavy 12-minute single you’ve got there, Year of No Light. The Bordeaux-based six-piece haven’t issued a full-length since they gave the Vampyr score a once-over in 2013, and to herald the coming of Consolamentum, the band have revealed “Réalgar,” a post-metallic instrumental soundscaper that’s suitably big on atmosphere and impact without losing itself entirely to either. The new album will be their first for Pelagic, and it comes as they mark their 20th anniversary as a band, also releasing a new limited box set that is nothing if not extensive. You know bands are giving it their all when they put the slipmat along with 12 platters in the hand-silkscreened wood box.

What’s really enticing about “Réalgar” — aside from that synth line running beneath the airy guitars — is how short it makes that 12 minutes seem. Didn’t we just set out on this journey, Year of No Light? And already we’re dissolving into gorgeous ambience? They do spend the last couple minutes in that swirl, but don’t be fooled by the lack of drums, there’s still plenty of substance to the proceedings.

Cool beans. (That’s probably something no one else will say about this track, so there. Thanks for reading.) You’ll find the details for the box and Consolamentum below, courtesy of the PR wire:

Year of No Light announce Consolamentum album and 20th anniversary box set

Bordeaux, FR post-metal sextet joins Pelagic Records w/ heaviest album to date

Bordeaux, France post-metal sextet Year of No Light announce their forthcoming fifth studio album Consolamentum today, sharing the first single “Réalgar” via all DSPs. Hear and share “Réalgar” via Bandcamp, Spotify and YouTube.

Consolamentum is the band’s first album on Pelagic Records. To celebrate joining the label and Year of No Lights’s 20th anniversary, they will release a limited edition deluxe wooden box set of the band’s entire discography, titled Mnemophobia on July 2nd. The handmade, hand-silkscreened wooden box features 12 vinyl LPs in 6 gatefold sleeves, exclusive colored vinyl variants, a slipmat, metal pin, patch and poster. For more information, see HERE: https://pelagic-records.com/product/year-of-no-light-mnemophobia-wooden-lp-boxset/

Year of No Light’s lengthy, sprawling compositions of towering walls of guitars and sombre synths irradiate a sense of dire solemnity and spiritual gravity, and couldn’t be a more fitting soundtrack for such grim medieval scenarios. But there is also the element of absolution, regeneration, elevation, transcendence in the face of death. Consolamentum is dense, rich and lush and yet somehow feels starved and deprived.

It comes as no surprise that ever since the beginning of their career, the band have had an obsession for the fall of man and salvation through darkness. The term “consolamentum” describes the sacrament, the initiation ritual of the Catharic Church, which thrived in Southern Europe in the 12th – 14th Century – a ritual that brought eternal austereness and immersion in the Holy Spirit.

“There’s a thread running through all of our albums”, says the band, collectively “an exploration of the sensitive world that obeys a certain telos, first fantasized (“Nord”) and reverberated (“Ausserwelt”), then declaimed as a warning (“Tocsin”). The deeper we dig, the more the motifs we have to unveil appear to us. Yes, it’s a bit gnostic. This album is invoked after the Tocsin, it’s the epiphany of the Fall.”

With debut album Nord (2006) and sophomore release Ausserwelt (2010), the band made themselves a name in the European avant-metal scene. Extensive tours of Europe, North America and Russia in 2013 and 2014, including two appearances at Roadburn festival, Hellfest and a spectacular performance in a 17th Century fortress in the Carpathian mountains introduced them to a broader and quickly growing international audience.

With their seminal 3rd album Tocsin, released in 2013, Year Of No Light reached the peak of their career thus far – a logical decision that Consolamentum was made with the same team again: recorded and mixed by Cyrille Gachet at Cryogene in Begles / Bordeaux, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side.

“We wanted this album to sound as organic and analog as possible”, comments the band. “All tracks were recorded live. The goal was to have the most natural, warm and clean takes possible, to give volume to the dynamics of the songs. We aimed to have a production with a singular personality.”

For the adept listener, Consolamentum seems to be venturing deeper into the dark and claustrophobic spheres explored on Tocsin – but the band doesn’t conceive of the evolution of their music in a linear way, as it would be apparent from looking at their discography.

“It’s more a matter of sonic devotion. Music against modern times. Year Of No Light” is above all a praxis. We wanted intensity, trance, climax and threat, all of them embedded in a bipolar and mournful ethos.”

Consolamentum will be available on 2xLP, CD and digital on July 2nd, 2021 via Pelagic Records. Preorders are available HERE: https://pelagic-records.com/artist/year-of-no-light/

Tracklisting:
01. Objuration
02. Alétheia
03. Interdit aux Vivants, aux Morts et aux Chiens
04. Réalgar
05. Came

https://yearofnolight.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/yearofnolight
https://www.instagram.com/yearofnolightofficial
http://smarturl.it/yearofnolightDGTL
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords

Year of No Light, Consolamentum (2021)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Will Benoit of SOM

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

Heavy. Atmospheric. Doom Pop. Shoegaze. We’ve all been fans of dark music with heavy guitars for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older the tempo has slowed down and now it feels more distinct to our own voices. We all are arriving at the same place from different paths, and it seems to be a mixture of working really hard to achieve our own sound, and it just happening naturally over time and life experience.

Describe your first musical memory.

There isn’t one “aha” moment I can remember. But while I was growing up my father had an acoustic guitar that I would play around with. I do remember figuring out if I plugged a microphone into a tape deck that I could record my voice as being a big moment in childhood. And then a bandmate leaving his four-track tape machine in my parents’ basement. That along with buying my first Roland MS-1 sampler were all really standout memories that felt important to my development.

Describe your best musical memory to date:

The first thing that jumps into my head is my memory of the first time I went down to SXSW. It was really incredible to see so many hard-working bands converge on one city, and seeing so many friends from all over the world over the course of one week. I helped book a showcase, and we made trays of vegan food that fed a mob of drunk people. To be part of that was really satisfying, and something that continued for many years.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

I’ve always strived to allow my beliefs to be tested in order to strengthen them, so it doesn’t answer your question necessarily, but the thing I believe most is — let other people’s ideas in, try to understand their perspective, weigh that against what you think you know, and then either internalize it or reject it.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

To the highest mountains or the deepest caves, depending on whose hands it’s in.

How do you define success?

This is a tough one that I’d like to think even the smartest people still struggle with. It’s certainly not about financial success, or else we’d probably all be putting our time into something more lucrative, though there is of course some element of that baked into every young American’s head.

At this stage it’s more about trying to add value to my life, which is really difficult to define. But it seems like putting the time, energy and work into something that we can all be proud to put out into the world, and then follow that up with memorable and interesting experiences continuing to travel the world, seeing new places and meeting new people through playing music.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Coming 2 America.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

This EP was our first endeavor into narrative music videos. Our guitar player Mike was doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes acting as producer / creative director, and while we‘ve all had various experiences in the visual production world, it’s something that feels new and uniquely challenging that I’m sure we’ll be looking into different ways to pursue moving forward.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

This is another tough one because it’s so relative. In its simplest form, art should provoke further thought or entertain, even if it is just for the person creating it, but even that is entirely subjective. As I’ve spent more and more time in different circles with very different definitions of what art even is, I’ve come to accept that there’s no right way to make art, and I don’t feel like it’s my place to judge what does or doesn’t make someone else feel or not feel something.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Going back out in the world — seeing shows, seeing movies, having a beer with friends.

http://som.band/
https://www.facebook.com/somtheband
https://www.instagram.com/somtheband/
https://somtheband.bandcamp.com/
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords
http://www.instagram.com/pelagic_records
https://www.instagram.com/bloodblastdistribution/

SOM, Awake (2021)

Two bands, two sides, two songs. Don’t mind me, but I’m just kind of over here wondering if we’re seeing Pelagic Records chart the way forward for post-metal? The German label founded by The Ocean‘s Robin Staps seems to be doing an awful lot of pivotal work these days, including releases by both Psychonaut and SÂVER, who are the two bands sharing a side apiece on this Emerald split LP. The Belgian troupe lead off with the 16-minute “The Great Realisation,” bringing progressive textures and patient melodic build en route to a satisfying onslaught, volume trades not necessarily unpredictable but welcome nonetheless, as Norway’s SÂVER follow with the 19-minute “Dimensions Lost, Obscured by Aeons,” dedicating its opening stretch to surprising drone atmospherics before making its way into their sludgy-but-not-dumb crunch and a confident increase in melodic reach.

All told, it’s a 35-minute LP sampler platter of two deeply creative acts in stylistic bloom. There’s no audio public yet ahead of the May 14 release date (fair, since it’s two songs), but if you’ve not yet dug into Psychonaut‘s Unfold the God Man or SÂVER‘s rightly-ballyhooed 2019 debut, They Came with Sunlight (review here), both are at the bottom of this post. You’ll not regret taking the time.

Split info comes from the PR wire, of course:

Announcing: PSYCHONAUT / SÂVER ‘Emerald’ (Split Release)

‘Emerald’ will be released on May 14 and is available for pre-order on April 6!

PSYCHONAUT and SÂVER are akin in many ways: both artists embody and explore corporal, physical heaviness in their sound as much as spirituality and philosophy, both artists often stretch their compositions close to the 20 minutes mark, and both artists redefine the concept of the classic power trio within a context of genre-bending, modern heavy music: where SÂVER plea for calculated minimalism, PSYCHONAUT employ an arsenal of percussion instruments on their recordings, and it is even more so astonishing how well they manage to reduce the polyphonic assault to the trio in a live setting.

PSYCHONAUT literally came from out of nowhere, Mechelen, Belgium, to be precise. Their 2020 album Unfold The God Man showcases excellent musicianship and songwriting abilities, heavily influenced by 70’s bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, but also drawing inspiration from contemporary heavy artists like Tool or Amenra.

“This release is by far the most elaborate production we have ever done. We let go of all boundaries and gave ourselves complete freedom in terms of songwriting and arranging. This massive track represents a process of both personal and collective change that is conveyed through five chapters which are based on a psychedelic experience.”

SÂVER from Oslo, Norway delivered an equally astounding debut album of sublime heaviness, shimmering moogs, abrasive vocals and a devastating, gnarly bass tone. Their jaw-dropping performance at the renowned Oya Festival in Oslo in the summer before the pandemic, accompanied by mesmerizing visuals on a huge screen, was a foreboding of what to expect from this band in the future.

“As a band , we try to write music we would love to listen to ourself and we believe this 20-ish minute song really sets the path for what we want SÂVER to sound like. Atmospheric, brutal, yet beautiful and heavy as the sun itself. We love the way this release turned out and we hope you will too.”

https://www.facebook.com/psychonautband
https://www.instagram.com/psychonautband/
https://psychonautband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/saveroslo/
https://www.instagram.com/saeverofficial/
https://saeverband.bandcamp.com/

http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords
https://www.instagram.com/pelagic_records
https://pelagicrecords.bandcamp.com/

Psychonaut, Unfold the God Man (2020)

SÂVER, They Came with Sunlight (2019)

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Katy Elwell of Lizzard

—

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I would call myself an animal drummer. For me, drumming is a martial art. A primal, tribal form of expression. Becoming a drummer came to me as a revelation. One day I just knew. So I started drumming…

Describe your first musical memory.

My Dad’s Michael Jackson BAD vinyl… I was probably about four years old. My Dad was a hifi fanatic and had (and still has) an awesome collection of music. I used to dance and jump all over the place when he put music on!

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Tool, Ænima. Hearing just the first notes of that album changed my perspective on life immediately! No other music has had that kind of impact on me since. I was transported.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

When I heard Connor McGregor, the MMA fighter and a great inspiration of mine, say: “speed over strength, precision over power.” That shook my belief that I could just play drums with reckless abandon, and I realized that I could only let go and lose control if I actually had control in the first place…

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Spiritual development and self knowledge. Better communication with others. Better understanding of the world and its complex nature.

How do you define success?

Definitely by being happy and fulfilled in what you do. Living life to the full and giving the best of yourself.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

The dark side of human beings, myself included. Fear, anger and our totally destructive nature.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A unique piece of drumming that will truly inspire my bandmates!

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Uplifting and awakening people and conveying a message, preferably one of hope and positive energy!

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Getting back to practicing Qi gong, the fundamental martial art.

http://smarturl.it/lizzardDGTL
http://lizzard.fr
http://www.facebook.com/lizzardmusic
http://www.instagram.com/lizzardmusic
http://twitter.com/lizzardband
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords
http://www.instagram.com/pelagic_records

Lizzard, Eroded (2021)

The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Days of Rona: Ole C. Helstad of SÂVER (Oslo, Norway)

—

How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

When this whole thing started, or when it started FOR REAL, SÂVER found ourselves in Budapest, Hungary. We were set to do a 17-show tour with Belzebong, and the first show was going down in Budapest. After eager discussions within our band and with our booking agency of whether to leave for tour in the first place or not, we decided to go for it as every promoter gave the green light Tuesday evening March 10th. But as soon as we landed in Krakow the following day, emails started coming in with the one cancellation after the other.

It was a feeling of hopelessness hard to describe. Anyway, we went to Budapest with our van and driver, still with decent hopes. While arriving there one day prior to the show, all countries surrounding Hungary started closing their borders.

We had this idea of us being flexible in a van, that it would be our security net, meaning if all things got cancelled we could at least go back to Oslo by van. But this changed to a nightmare situation by the hour, as our driver wouldn’t be able to enter his home country, and also being put in quarantine. So the night after the show in Budapest. (Yes, the show actually happened, but in a smaller rehearsal-like venue, since the original venue had to shut down by government demand), our driver had to leave us to be able to get back home himself. At this point all hope to continue the tour was lost obviously, and we had to gather money to be able to book flights home, with our small collection of tour supply counting 17 checked luggage by the three of us. Dark times. Thankfully friends and family came to the rescue, and we got a flight back home the following Saturday.

Safe and sound back home we pushed merch sales through our SoMe channels for some economic damage control, and people supported like never before. THANK YOU!

Luckily we also received some government funding from Music Norway to help out with all the costs involved with the cancellation of a tour like this. A lot of money down the drain.

We also got an invitation to do a live stream show from Kulturkirken JAKOB, the same church hosting Høstsabbat, where people were encouraged to donate. And they did. We are extremely thankful and humbled for all the support shown after the tour cancellation. We wouldn’t have been able to deal with this without it.

On top of this, Desertfest Berlin, where we were set to play also had to cancel. Another 10-day run we were supposed to do late May/early June around Europe has also been cancelled.

Not to mention the Norwegian Grammys, which were set to happen March 28th.

For KITE, our new album dropped March 27th, and it’s fair to say this whole situation withdraws attention from that kind of news of course. The planned release show in April also got cancelled.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a period of time as much as this spring, and all of a sudden it’s all shattered. Even Roadburn, JJ! We don’t get to meet at Roadburn either this year. Haha.

That all being said though, the covid-19 situation puts your everyday life in perspective. And even if it feels dramatic, and bums you out completely, it’s heartwarming to see the collective effort being laid down all over the world. When the shit hits the fan, people stand up for each other, and show love towards their neighbour. Health and safety always first. Follow the advice given at any time!

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

After we got back home from Hungary we had to be quarantined for 14 days. Everyone entering Norway from abroad applies to this rule. The same goes for people who’ve been in touch with or close to anyone infected by covid-19. If you test positive you have to be in isolation until seven days after you’re symptom-free.

How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

Well, it’s had tremendous impact already, and not in a good way. This whole spring/summer seems cancelled all together when comes to bigger events. All venues in Norway are shut down completely since March 13th. Meaning they are in huge risk of losing their business and livelihood. Norway as a country needs to fund running costs for all venues, and grant funds to everyone who lost their business overnight.

It is very scary times for people in love with cultural activities.

As all bands are cancelling their tours for the coming months, I fear for a chaotic Fall, with smaller bands suffering from lack of venues to play, because the bigger bands all need to go out again to regain financial loss. On the other hand people are probably starved for live events, and I have a feeling the support given from fans when things go back to normal will be immense.

A good thing from the horrendous corona-situation might be people not taking everything for granted afterwards. In Oslo, we are seriously spoiled when comes to shows and events, and this period of everything shut down might remind people of what they love, and why they love it. AND, that it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

For the time being my bandmates and I are alright. When this shitstorm passes, everyone needs to stand up for their interests. We need to support each other, and in particular local venues, promoters, bands, you name it. All people involved in especially the live music industry will need all the help they can possibly get.

Actually all small businesses will.

Be there for each other, and eventually make the world a better place for all.

https://www.facebook.com/saveroslo/
https://saeverband.bandcamp.com/
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords

This is a combination of elements I’d expect to pay dividends for all involved parties except maybe the eardrums of those who happen to fall in the tour’s path. Polish stoner metallers Belzebong and Norwegian trio SÂVER find common ground in elements of sludge, but what they do with it is vastly different. For Belzebong it’s about that weed, those riffs, and your head, smoked-out and nodding. For SÂVER, the issue is more complex. Their groove is present and accounted for, but they bring aggro post-metal and atmospheric reach to go along with their crushing, and thereby expand the mind as much as bludgeon the skull in which it resides.

But one way or another, you’re doomed. No mistake.

The shows are presented by Sound of Liberation, who greet 2020 in loud fashion. Also love the “slowly presents” on the poster below. Cleverness always gets bonus points from me:

BELZEBONG & SÂVER – “SMOKE OR DIE“ 2020 TOUR!

From all of us at the Sound of Liberation HQ, wishes for a heavy new year and, well, a whole decade! We hope Santa Claus found you in time, cause in our case he came a bit late, hung out for a smoke and left, leaving us however with this AWESOME poster!

Ladies and gents, we sloooowly present this mighty doom metal package:

BELZEBONG + very special guest SÂVER on the “SMOKE OR DIE“ 2020 TOUR!

Fill your lungs for evil weedian riffage from Polish doom summoners BelzebonG and devastating low-end tunes from our Norwegian post-miracle SÂVER. Let yourself drown in the sea of fuzz on one of these dates:

11.03. Košice, Collosseum Club Košice (SK)
12.03. Budapest, Dürer Kert (HU)
13.03. TBA
14.03. Bucharest, Soundart Festival (RO)
15.03. Cluj-Napoca, Flying Circus Cluj (RO)
16.03. TBA
17.03. Vienna, ARENA WIEN (AT)
18.03. TBA
19.03. Hamburg, Hafenklang (DE)
20.03. Drachten, Poppodium Iduna (NL)
21.03. Cologne, Helios37 (DE)
22.03. Brussels, Magasin 4 (BE)
23.03. Paris, The Backstage Paris (FR)
24.03. TBA
25.03. Munich, Feierwerk (DE)
26.03. TBA
27.03. Leipzig, UT Connewitz (DE)
28.03. Cottbus, Zum Faulen August, Cottbus (DE)

Belzebong is:
Cheesy dude
Sheepy dude
Alky dude
Hexy dude
Boogey dude

SÂVER is:
Markus Støle
Ole Ulvik Rokseth
Ole C Helstad

https://www.facebook.com/belzebong420/
https://www.instagram.com/belzebong420/
https://belzebong.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/saveroslo/
https://saeverband.bandcamp.com/
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords

Belzebong, Light the Dankness (2018)

SÂVER, They Came with Sunlight (2019)

Philly post-metallurgists Rosetta self-issued their new three-songer EP, Terra Sola, through their Bandcamp page, which is a pretty similar treatment to how they did their last full-length, which was 2017’s Utopioid. Like that album, which was also followed by the experimentalist offering Sower of Wind (review here) earlier this year, Terra Sola will see subsequent release through that celebrator of that which is aggroprog, Pelagic Records. Feb. 14 would seem to be the date in question, and since it’s been available name-your-price style since October, of course it’s available now to stream and download. I even put it at the bottom of this post in case you don’t want to leave the comforts of my decade-old blog theme.

I know that grey on black is like a warm blanket. It’s okay. It is for me too.

From the PR wire:

ROSETTA: Philadelphia Based Post-Metal/Sludge Outfit To Release New EP “Terra Sola” Through PELAGIC RECORDS in February

On the heels of an incredible 2-year, 36 country, 200-show touring cycle supporting Utopioid, ROSETTA returns with new EP Terra Sola. Conceived on tour and breathing more freely outside the structure of a formal album, the title track layers a multitude of moods, its cinematic sweep hearkening back to ROSETTA deep cuts like “TMA-3” and “So Warm a Solitude”. At the same time, it explores new textures and new conceptual ground, connecting the human themes of Utopioid with questions about the future of the planet and our people on it.

Terra Sola also features two brand-new B-side tracks, connected in concept but showcasing the quieter sonic incarnation of Rosetta. “57844” mines the harmonic structures of Utopioid’s “54543” for new sounds and new meanings, while the instrumental “Where Is Hope” merges gentle acoustic guitar and lo-fi electronica, rare sounds in the ROSETTA catalog. Formed in Philadelphia in 2003 as a four-piece, ROSETTA’s first two albums pulled together elements from 90s hardcore, drone, doom, and atmospheric sludge metal. Informed as much by the minimal soundscapes of STARS OF THE LID as by the pulverizing weight of GODFLESH, the band’s compositions had a spaced-out, exploratory feel, appropriately dubbed “metal for astronauts.” 2010’s A Determinism of Morality moved on from celestial themes, focusing on increased melodic sophistication while honing a confrontational urgency.

In 2013, ROSETTA embraced their newfound independence with the self-funded, pay-as-you-wish album The Anaesthete, which marked their greatest success so far, recouping costs in 24 hours and remaining the top-selling release on Bandcamp for nearly a month. 2015’s Quintessential Ephemera, ROSETTA’s first effort as a five-piece, received widespread critical and audience acclaim. The band returned in 2017 with Utopioid, their sixth full-length album and most concept-driven work to date, an intersection of heaviness and beauty.

TRACKLIST:
Side A:
1. Terra Sola
Side B:
2. 57844
3. Where is Hope?

Rosetta lineup:
Mike Armine – vocals, sampling
Eric Jernigan – electric & acoustic guitars, vocals
B.J. McMurtrie – drums, vocals
Matt Weed – guitar, bass, piano

https://theanaesthete.bandcamp.com/
http://rosettaband.tumblr.com
http://www.facebook.com/rosettaband
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords

Rosetta, Utopioid (2017)

You know, I get why they didn’t, because the band has a direct relation to the festival itself and that’s always awkward because it’s not like you want to book your own band twice in a row, but there’s a big part of me just the same that wishes SÂVER were playing Høstsabbat in their native Oslo again this year. And it’s a selfish part. I’d heard their debut album, They Came with Sunlight (review here), before I saw them there last October, but I feel like I know the record much better now, and so would the rest of the crowd. And now there’s the news that basically right after the fest, the three-piece are taking off on a tour that starts on a run with Høstsabbat headliners Ufomammut, so really, one way or another, it would make sense to find them once again on that festival bill. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll get brought over for Desertfest New York next September.

I count They Came with Sunlight pretty high on the list of the year’s best debuts so far, and there have been more than a couple of winners in that regard. If you haven’t heard it — and I know you have, but just roll with me — it’s down below in full, courtesy of Pelagic Records on Bandcamp. The band, also among the last confirmations at Desertfest Belgium, will play there as well as Into the Void in the Netherlands and alongside the soon-to-be-legendary Steak, Elephant Tree and Lo-Pan tour in Germany.

They posted the dates as follows:

We are touring Europe in October!

Stoked to join UFOMAMMUT, BONGRIPPER, Lo-Pan, Elephant Tree, Steak and more.

See you on the road!

Thanx to Hartwien Stein for the killer poster.

DATES:
08.10.19 – On the Rocks, Helsinki (FIN) – w/ Ufomammut
09.10.19 – Von Krahl, Tallin (EE) – w/ Ufomammut
10.10.19 – Melna Piektdiena, Riga (LV)- w/ Ufomammut
11.10.19 – Narauti, Vilnius (LN) – w/ Ufomammut
12.10.19 – Hydrozagadka, Warsaw (PL) – w/ Ufomammut
13.10.19 – Zet Pe Te, Krakow (PL) – w/ Ufomammut
15.10.19 – Peter-Weiss-Haus, Rostock (DE)
16.10.19 – Loppen, Copenhagen (DK) – w/ Bongripper
17.10.19 – Zollkantine, Bremen (DE) – w/ Lo-Pan, Elephant Tree, Steak
18.10.19 – TBC
19.10.19 – Neushoorn, Leeuwarden (NL) – Into The Void Fest
20.10.19 – Trix, Antwerp (BE) – Desertfest
24.10.19 – John Dee, Oslo (NO) – w/ Sibiir

SÂVER is:
Markus Støle
Ole Ulvik Rokseth
Ole C Helstad

https://www.facebook.com/saveroslo/
https://saeverband.bandcamp.com/
http://www.pelagic-records.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pelagicrecords

SÂVER, They Came with Sunlight (2019)