… Picking up more or less where I left off…

When I got back to the room after night one, I found that I’d left my SD card reader at home (it’s on the table next to my side of the couch; I saw it there before I left) and so had no way to transfer the day’s photos from my camera to my laptop. Fuckbuckets. I panic-texted The Patient Mrs., who generally speaking is magic, even across continents, but there wasn’t much she could do from New Jersey. My next panic text went to Matt Bacon, who came back with a camera store recommendation about five blocks down from the hotel. They opened at 10 on Saturday morning. It was very clearly as good as I was going to get, and I decided to sleep as much as I could if I wasn’t going to spend the next three hours sorting pics.

So I did. I had made plans for morning coffee with Howling Giant, and it turned out Tom Polzine had a reader he let me borrow so I could post the first day review, as well as this. I’m in debt to his generosity, and the coffee at that place around the corner from the hotel, the name of which I’ve already forgotten (again, because I was there in 2025 as well), but to which I’ll return if I’m fortunate enough to be here again next year, is pretty killer. I had to stop myself from buying a bag of beans, but I could eat about half a caesar salad and that felt like a godsend.

Went back to the room and finished the post, crashed a bit more but didn’t really sleep again from the morning, which I guess was fine since I survived. Called home to check in, always in a somewhat apologetic tone because I’m not there, but they of course were thriving as could only ever happen in my absence, so that’s fine. The Patient Mrs. had already checked me in for my flight at 10AM tomorrow, and of course that was on my mind all day. My night would end during The Sword for a Sunday 6AM wakeup, shower and go. Madness does not end.

Howling Giant’s soundcheck was quick and straightforward and among the more polite in terms of conversation that I’ve witnessed, though The Sword at Rockefeller a bit later you would never call rude either. They hit into a couple songs, which I was glad to see as I already knew I’d need to be out early, and was more than a bit dragging if you want honesty at the expense of cool. But they were one of the principal acts who taught the Millennials how to riff, and they’ve gotten due acclaim over the years — the hype when they came out was thick enough to stand on — but 20-odd years after the fact, the material holds up. It would be fun to see them later, even just for a little while. Earthless soundchecked next, which just felt like (and kinda was) me getting away with something.

Some more coffee and chat later, it was time for the actual show to start. Howling Giant were first at John Dee, and people were already waiting when I walked back in about 20 minutes before they went on. Their 2025 album, Crucible & Ruin (review here), remains fresh in mind, and though if I’m lucky I’ll see them at least three times this year, Desertfest Oslo being the first, it was also my first time seeing them as a four-piece with Adrian Zambrano on guitar, my first time seeing them since the record, and perhaps most crucially, my first time seeing them since bassist Sebastian Baltes reined in his formerly glorious locks for a shorter and doubtless lower maintenance look.

Opening night of their tour, opening the day to a crowded room — there was some unintentional feedback coming through from Zambrano’s guitar in the P.A. They’ll be at Desertfest Berlin on this run, and they finish at Freak Valley, which will likely also be a celebration but even though they didn’t cover “Song of Storms,” it was a set of banger after banger as their catalog has grown in he last decade since the first EP. The guitar thing stuck around and Polzine, Baltes and reminder-of-the-difference-a-great-creative-drummer-can-make drummer Zach Wheeler jammed slick while Zambrano got sorted, which took a couple minutes and some light electrical work, then a new head. The Marshall did the trick.

In absolute professional fashion, Zambrano entered the jam and wrapped it with a solo, then they were on to the next song with all the space of a beat, like nothing had happened. A blip at best in the momentum of their set. The place went off first when the guitar clicked on and then again when the song started. It was a rad move, smooth and no less confident in execution than the vocal harmonies been Wheeler and Polzine. In the end it was a monster set and it felt like the technical trouble only endeared them more to the room, as well as how they handled it. Must of what they played was Crucible & Ruin stuff, but the title-track of 2023’s clarion Glass Future (review here), and “Tempest and the Liar’s Gateway” slower but a definite highlight regardless. Even with Earthless getting ready to go on upstairs, I watched the whole set. My neck would be sore getting on the plane, but seriously, who cares about that when they’re closing with “Sunken City?” Fire emojis from here to Nashville.

I’m not sure what you’re supposed to say to an Earthless set other than “hey yes please.” The long-running Californian mostly-instrumental trio playing first assured Rockefeller would be packed early, and they dug in with about a 10-minute buildup and were onward from there with their signature immersive shred, guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Mike Eginton and drummer Mario Rubalcaba like a machine that gets on stage and does that thing, casting expanses of psychedelic rock, melting your brain and mine and everyone else’s like they do. You expect that from Earthless, and they delivered all the headspinning, all the twist and all the longform fluidity that’s promised when they’re on a bill. And also as one has come to expect over the years, they’re on plenty of bills over here between this, Desertfest in London and Berlin, Mitchell’s slated Tranquonauts appearance at Freak Valley in Germany, and so on.

Adjusting one’s perception of time, a half-hour was fine before you knew it and it felt like they had barely stopped to take a breath, because they hadn’t. I found a spot to sit and let the sound wash over for a bit and that’s always a good choice as regards the experience. The last time I saw them was SonicBlast 2023 (review here) in Portugal, and though the form of what they do never really changes unless it’s one of those times they do a tune or two with vocals or cover whichever heavy ’70s act it might be, every show is different and I was lucky to catch this one, even if I was so worn out my eyes were closing. It was a good thing I wasn’t stoned or I’d have been screwed. More water, more coffee like I was trying to burn a hole in the lining of my stomach, then back downstairs for Blackwater Holylight.

Granted I’m not chasing down all their press or anything, but I don’t see nearly enough people giving credit to Blackwater Holylight as heavygaze pioneers, and I assume that’s a sexism thing. Set to a kick you could feel in your chest and feet both because the floor was shaking, they had all the mist one would hope for in their sound — this would make them a fitting one-two with the grungeier Daevar a short time later — but I’d never seen them play as a trio before and it let their moments of push come through a little more directly, and that suited them as well. They packed the place out, as one would expect, and churned through enough brown-note tone that I thought I might need to go back to the hotel room, but were methodical enough in their delivery that the coolness in their sound became its own presence on stage. They’ve been at this a while now, so fair enough, but the last time I saw them was four years ago and their metallic delve is all the more refined now.

Maybe most prevalent of all was a sense of flow, and that made them kin to Earthless too, but on a much different path in terms of aesthetic. The sampled strings were welcome when they kicked in, but the band hardly stopped once they got going, and having momentum behind a sound so outwardly languid felt like a win in and of itself. They’ve been a vibe all along — even before everything was vibes — but the complexity that maturity has brought to their dynamic, as well as the continued prevalence of melody, made the corresponding crush even more theirs.

They brought out a second full stack for Conan at Rockefeller, and that was probably a reasonable thing to do. The UK omnidestroyers were on tour in the US recently, and did a show in Kingston, New York, with Geezer that I very much wanted to see but couldn’t as it conflicted with life, so catching them here was a bit of bruising reconciliation. They are who they are stylistically, and aggression has remained central, but they’ve gotten noisier along the way while holding firm to the tonal extremity of their earlier days. If I said they killed, I wouldn’t do so expecting anyone to be surprised, but it was so satisfying just the same to be flattened by their riffs and cathartic pummel.

I don’t know what movies were splicing together on the screen behind them while they played, but it was practical effects and violent wizardry just the same — could’ve been classics and I wouldn’t know because I’m a poseur philistine — but the visuals were an added atmospheric element to run alongside all that warhammering and punishment. I’m pretty sure somebody’s face fell off, so about as fitting as it gets. It would’ve been nice to see them without having to drive to NYC last month, but I’ll take hoping on a plane to Oslo and witnessing them at Desertfest Oslo for consolation anytime. I didn’t know it, but as exhausted as I was after Howling Giant finished, the much-bleaker gallop of “Battle in the Swamp” and “Levitation Hoax” was precisely what I needed to pick me up for the rest of the night ahead. Deathly, and even more brutal than the fart cloud I passed through getting photos on the balcony. Oh, humans.

Daevar were on soon — train don’t stop — and John Dee was ready. Their 2025 Sub Rosa LP (review here) was a deeper dive into slow-nod ’90s riffing, and it felt good to see them and recognize songs from the album, as they’ve continued to grow as songwriters over the last few years and fleshed out the murk of their beginnings. I heard a little Type O Negative even, which is something just about bound to land with me. And they’ve progressed quickly. To wit, I enjoyed seeing them for the first time at Freak Valley 2024 (review here), but the Sub Rosa material has a richness that stands out. They felt in conversation with Blackwater Holylight, as anticipated, but diverged as well into their own roll, and that was dense and engrossing.

They spoke out against injustices against women in Iran, which was the only political sentiment I’d heard from the stage in the two days of Desertfest. I’m all for escapism, don’t get me wrong — just as an example, I’m in Norway this weekend — but I respect having something to say and saying it and, frankly, doom needs more of that and less “I’m not political,” though if you think human rights are a political issue, that’s part of the problem too. It was refreshing to hear, despite the fact that every time I think about the situation in my home country I want to cry as much as rage against it. I could go on here, and probably should, though it feels a bit like voidward screaming. Either way, it has been encouraging to see (also hear) Daevar come into their own, and a pleasure to watch them on stage again.

I did some socializing — it recently occurred to me most of my interpersonal communicating not with my family or at concerned meetings at my daughter’s school happens at shows, and that that’s a thing worth investing in — ahead of Dozer, but there was no, no, no fucking way I was missing their set. Not even for pleasant conversation. Every time I’ve seen Dozer they’ve leveled the place, and every time I have seen them has felt like a gift, and this was the same. Fredrik Nordin led the crowd in singing happy birthday to Tommi Holappa, as if the songs weren’t sweet enough, and the band ran through a succession of inimitable grooves like the masters they are. Similar to King Buffalo last night, they weren’t the headliner but they were my headliner, if you know what I mean.

There was a point in my life when I thought I’d never see Dozer. That seems so sad now, on the occasion of my fifth time doing so, and they are a reminder of how fortunate I am to have the life I do, here and at home. I don’t believe in a soul, but mine felt awfully good watching Dozer anyhow, and standing over by Johan Rockner’s side of the stage with Sebastian Olsson’s snare cutting through the low end was a gorgeous experience. I didn’t understand most of what Nordin said from the stage between songs, but even in the photo pit as they were starting, you had to be into it. Electric in the figurative and literal sense. I know I’m not here to pick favorites. It’s not what I do and not who I want to be, but I was a Dozer fan before I ever wrote about them and the ensuing two decades-plus has only endeared them further. One of the best heavy rock bands of all time — all. time. — and an onstage force unto themselves. Highlight of the weekend, highlight of the year. My only complaint is the hour went too quick. A singular tumult.

Where do you go from there? The answer was to extremity, and fair enough for the superlative aural weight of Primitive Man, legit giving Conan a run for their money in tone while embracing a nastiness born from sludge but that has mutated into something next-stage that I don’t have a name for other than monstrous. A huge consuming thing, built to tear flesh from bone, stylistically speaking. I had gotten to chat with their tour manager early in the day, and I wasn’t aware that this show closes out a 35-date tour for Primitive Man, but they were hardly limping to the finish. Lumbering, yes, but strident in existential victory. They are a challenging band, and always have been, but if you can hang in with them, all that onslaught has a reward beyond simply making it through, and they capture something inhuman about the world that has a value bordering on the literary. They’ve pushed themselves as artists all the while, and while there’s rampant disdain in their music, the sheer physical presence of their sound is undeniable.

I did my best, but it was getting late and my head was half out the door, at the risk of honesty. The Sword would be on soon, but with Primitive Man still bashing away to headline the night at John Dee, I said a round of preemptive goodbyes to a few of the incredible people here and reiterated how fortunate I felt to have been at Desertfest Oslo again, which is really the only way I have of putting it. The next morning I’d fly back to Jersey and be glad to get there, but this was a special couple days and as much for the community as the acts on the bill, though, Dozer.

Some day I’ll watch a full The Sword set again. This wasn’t that day and I knew that coming in, but that doesn’t mean they made it easy to go. I found myself hanging in the back of the room trying to convince myself to stay put, but the go impulse almost always wins. I don’t know what The Sword’s plan is as they make the inevitable transition from reunion-band to working-band, but riffs have always been on their side and 20 years after people used to complain about “hipster metal,” they stand tall having proved themselves right over and over and over. If you need a convenient metaphor for the history of heavy rock more broadly, there you go.

I thank you for reading.

Thank you to Ole, Preben, Dan, and everyone at Desertfest Oslo for having me back. Thanks to Tom from Howling Giant for the SD reader when I needed it (and have a great tour; see you at Freak Valley). Thank you Matt Bacon and Kaia.

Thank you to The Patient Mrs. for the time and the support from home. I can’t even begin to tell you how tired I’m going to be when I get home, but hell, I needed this. Really. From Thulsa Doom to Russian Circles and Earthless to The Sword, there wasn’t one single minute I regretted coming here, and if I’m so lucky as to be invited back, I’ll be here in a fucking minute so long as that minute is also an eight-hour flight from Newark. Thanks to The Patient Mrs. for booking my flight.

The lesson of the weekend is the heavy underground is a treasure and a sanctuary. It was a pleasure to come here and be obliterated by it. To break myself on it like a rock tossed off a bridge onto more rocks. Like I said, I needed this.

More pics after the jump. No posts tomorrow, May 11.

Read more »

Granted, most of the about-festivals posting that happens in this space happens before the event in question. This is after. The 2026 edition of Doom City Fest took place on Feb. 28 in Mexico City, headlined by YOB with sets from Pelican, Primitive Man, Mephistofeles, Ocultum, Jaspe, Terror Cósmico, Apocalipsis and Cotton Mouth filling out the all-dayer with what is now documented-on-video volume and heart.

The sets were filmed by KingBong Productions, which, fair enough, with audio mixing/mastering by Fernando G Esteve, which explains why they sound so darn good. There aren’t clips up yet from all of the bands (if everybody was even filmed; I don’t know either way), but the five posted below should give you some sense of what the day was like, to say the very least. Pelican doing songs from 2025’s Flickering Resonance (review here) is cool to watch as they get into it, and I’ve yet to live a day I wouldn’t be happy to watch YOB play “Prepare the Ground,” so that’s an automatic win as well. Checking out the clips for this post was also my first time hearing atmosludgers Apocalipsis as well, and the complexity and the immersion of their nonetheless crushing tones were a cool find for me.

I checked out their 2015 LP, Dimensión Maldita, on their Bandcamp and it bears out the post-metallic-but-still-int0-metal-too onstage presentation of the video — a dark mirror to Pelican‘s airier tonality, if you want to think of the context of the day — though there’s more to it than that with factors like Primitive Man‘s unstoppable noise onslaught and the cultistry of Mephistofeles, but you know how these things go. In any case, I’ve put all five videos that are out now below, so if you want to make a choose-your-own-adventure out of it, by all means, have at it.

So far as I’ve seen, Doom City Fest hasn’t announced its 2027 date yet, but there’s time. They’ll host a Mexico City appearance for Amenra (who also played the first Doom City in Feb. 2020) in June, however, at the infamous Fuckoffroom. More info is available on the fest’s socials, which are linked under the videos below.

Please enjoy:

YOB, Live at Doom City Fest 2026

Pelican, Live at Doom City Fest 2026

Primitive Man, Live at Doom City Fest 2026

Mephistopheles, Live at Doom City Fest 2026

Apocalipsis, Live at Doom City Fest 2026

Video by KingBong Entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/@kingbongentertainment1732

Multitrack Mixing and Mastering Fernando G Esteve

YOB photo by Paola Baltazar.

Doom City Fest on Instagram

Doom City Fest on Facebook

Because it’s the future, the poster with the new round of lineup additions for Roadburn Festival 2026, in always-accommodating Tilburg, the Netherlands, is a video. And Roadburn is one of few places on the planet where ‘the future’ is a hopeful prospect. While you and I live in dystopic hellscapes of various shapes and oppressive, overwhelming, strip-you-of-your-rights-on-our-way-to-passively-if-not-actively-murdering-you realities, Roadburn unrepentantly brings a sense of optimism. The future isn’t that boot on your neck. It’s whatever you want it to be.

This is a message I appreciate as much as I appreciate being obliterated by bands on stage, and surely the likes of Inter Arma, Primitive Man and Slift meet that need here, among others. Look at Warning becoming a Roadburn house band. And a full-album performance from Blackwater Holylight for a record that isn’t out until Jan. 30 — the band will be back in Europe in May for more touring and more fests, and has a US tour slated for February/March, as I think went up yesterday. I have trouble keeping up sometimes with when things are actually getting posted these days. See horrors above.

A beacon amid perennial awfulness and distraction:

Maruja, billy woods, Inter Arma, aya and many more announced for Roadburn 2026

Roadburn festival has today announced a second wave of bands for the 2026 edition which will take place between April 16-19 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Among the names announced today are festival favourites Inter Arma performing their epic 2014 release The Cavern for the first (and last) time, American rapper billy woods, and Manchester’s genre-bending four-piece Maruja.

Roadburn’s artistic director, Walter Hoeijmakers comments:

“As the path toward Roadburn 2026 unfolds, the energy around us is rising. Every connection, every sound, every spark of creativity is drawing us closer together as the festival comes into view. This second announcement marks another step on that journey, an open invitation to feel the pulse of what’s ahead.

“The artists at the heart of this year’s edition are each shaping worlds of their own, their past, present, and future intertwining in bold new ways. At Roadburn 2026, you’ll hear echoes of where we’ve been, glimpses of where we’re going, and the raw emotion of right now. Each performance will remind us that art can move us, heal us, and bring us together – that through music, we find our shared humanity.

“We’re letting optimism light the way. Let’s meet in Tilburg next April – alive, open, and ready to share this amazing energy, face to face.”

All ticket and accommodation options for Roadburn are on sale now and more information including the full line up can be found at roadburn.com

The latest additions to Roadburn 2026 are as follows:

Additions to Roadburn 2026:

Ak’Chamel
aya
Backengrillen
Blackwater Holylight performing Not Here Not Gone
billy woods
Haress
Inter Arma performing The Cavern
Kowloon Walled City
Mandy, Indiana
Maruja
Milkweed
Orcutt Shelley Miller
Pain Magazine
Primitive Man performing Observance and a set of early years’ material titled Remembrance
Prostitute
RÓIS
Saetia
SLIFT
Slow Crush performing Aurora and premiering a special audio-visual presentation of Thirst
Slowhole
Truck Violence
Unsane performing Occupational Hazard
Warning

These artists will join a slew of previously announced artists including Oathbreaker, Krallice, Agriculture, Habak and many more. The full line up can be found at roadburn.com

Artwork by Douwe Dijkstra

http://www.roadburn.com
http://www.instagram.com/roadburnfest
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/

Blackwater Holylight, If You Only Knew (2025)

Slift, Ilion (2024)

King Buffalo, Dozer, Pelican, High Desert Queen, Blackwater Holylight, Howling Giant, Daevar, Bottenhavet, Moonstone, The Sword, Russian Circles — I mean, do I really need to say more here than the list of names. Desertfest Oslo 2026 will be the third edition of the Norwegian Desertfest installation, and one might accuse them of coming out of the gate swinging. Some of these — The Sword, Earthless, High Desert Queen, etc. — are being shared with Desertfest Berlin and Desertfest London, setting up the possibility of three weeks of touring at least for a few acts here. Then there’s King Buffalo, who I think are just spending their entire summer abroad next year. Not gonna complain about it if there’s a chance I can see them.

To that end, I was lucky enough to be invited to cover Desertfest Oslo last year and, unsurprisingly, I had a blast. Should I be so fortunate as to be invited again, I’ll go, but I’m not about to presume. Whether I’m there to see it or not has no bearing on the sickness of the lineup-thus-far, as you know, but still makes for a nice daydream.

They’ve got tickets on sale now, as per socials:

Let’s get this train running! 🔥

We’ve been so excited to share the first batch of bands coming to Oslo the 8th and 9th of May 2026.

From great geniuses of the genre, to guitar-wielding warlocks of the wasteland. From divine drop-d decibels, to new necromancers of nostalgic noise.

Please welcome to Desertfest Oslo 2026:

🏜 RUSSIAN CIRCLES (US)
🏜 THE SWORD (US)
🏜 EARTHLESS (US)
🏜 KING BUFFALO (US)
🏜 PRIMITIVE MAN (US)
🏜 DOZER (SE)
🏜 PELICAN (US)
🏜 DAEVAR (DE)
🏜 BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT (US)
🏜 WYATT E. (BE)
🏜 HOWLING GIANT (US)
🏜 HIGH DESERT QUEEN (US)
🏜 SPELLJAMMER (SE)
🏜 MOONSTONE (PL)
🏜 KOLLAPS (AUS)
🏜 BOTTENHAVET (SE)
🏜 SUNFACE (NO)
🏜 HÅNDGEMENG (NO)
🏜 UNDULATHUND (SE)

First round of tickets are now on sale 🤝

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.no/event/desertfest-oslo-2026-festivalpass-8-9mai-billetter/931528219

https://www.desertfest.no/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_oslo
https://www.facebook.com/desertfestoslo

Earthless, Live in Denton, TX, 10.10.25

Before Show

Doors aren’t for a while yet, and I’m sitting out the back of the Knockdown Center as far out of the way as I can put myself and still be here. It’s good to be here. I crashed hard after the pre-show last night, and it wasn’t painful when the alarm went off at 8AM, unless of course you count the various old-rocker ailments that hit me alongside consciousness. There’s a reason I bring ibuprofen to these things.

I’m staying with Tim Bugbee — a photographer and one of those people who proves you can be both insanely talented and kind — in an AirBNB down the way, and it was about five minutes by car from a to b. Coming into town, I did not travel light. Big suitcase, laptop bag, camera bag; I felt as though all my belongings were compressed to a maximum extent coming back from Budapest last month. This is hardly the same kind of trip, but I wanted to spread out a little. I brought a pack of seltzer, some leftover chicken. I can be comfortable while doing a thing. It’s allowed. I stopped short of bringing a coffee pot, but should have. I’m not usually much for Keurigs, but it was functional. My grinds can come home with me.

This was basically the mellow morning before two days of go. Fine. I sat in my car for an hour and a half from 11:30AM-1:00PM so it didn’t get ticketed or towed because alternate side parking — it didn’t — and hung around in air conditioning because it’s hot in the sun. The whole weekend is supposed to be gorgeous weather, warm and sunny, but the light is Fall. Can’t climate change the Earth’s orbit, I guess. Angles of the light and all that.

Seemingly random, but sitting off to the side in the main venue space, I just saw Amy Tung Barrysmith from Year of the Cobra checking bass and vocals with Amenra. It was a surprise; wouldn’t have been if I kept up with the band’s social media. No drama. Their bassist couldn’t make the trip, so she’s filling in. They announced it a few days ago. I wonder what the connection is there, but I’ll take it either way. I’ve never been huge on Amenra on a personal-listening level, but I’ve yet to hear Amy Tung Barrysmith play on a thing and not like it more for her involvement. Should be an interesting set. Cool. It will be the eighth one of the total 10 sets played today. I hope to see at least part of everybody. Will keep you posted how it goes.

To that end:

Guhts

My first time seeing Guhts, which is a thing worth remembering. Their first album, Regeneration (review here), is my one to beat for best debut of 2024, if that matters. More to the point, they were fucking great. Obviously I dig the record too, but at full volume and assault, it was just the right combination of expansive and oppressive. They had the laptop going the whole time with keyboard parts and various electronic atmospherics, and with the four of them up there, it was pretty clear ever were giving 100 percent of everything to the performance. The passion came through raw, and actually, having the backdrop and transitional drones happening apart from the band, emphasizing the ferocity of the delivery when they let loose. As they did. Righteously. If that had been the end of the night, the day would be a win.

Blackwater Holylight

It had been a couple years and, admittedly, there was the contextual weirdness of it being Psycho Las Vegas — that’s not a dig; their whole thing was absurdity — last time I saw Blackwater Holylight, but the sinister sound of 2021’s Silence/Motion (review here) came to life as part of an ambient pastiche. It was more immersive than a lot of heavy bands are willing to be, and I guess you could call that ‘gaze of some variety or other, but that almost implied a kind of laziness and Blackwater Holylight were as much fuzzy progressive grunge metal as they were languid nod, with keyboards adding to the texture of the melodies, some toward psychedelic but clearly mindful of place and time. And maybe they riff out for a while too. How is that anything but awesome?

Abrams

Among the bands I haven’t seen before, I was most curious and what Abrams would bring. The Denver heavy rockers are ultra-reliable somgwriters, and they’ve always had a clarity of purpose in their arrangements and structures that is underrated by exponents, but in the Texas room it was more about hitting hard and representing the scope of their craft. Some emo in there, or at least the punk of the aughts. In any case, they were dynamic and leaned into the impact of their heavier stretches. At the same time, they weren’t void of mood at all, and guitarist/vocalist Zach Amster is the charismatic frontman he has always seemed to be. Dude can sing. I stood in the back for most of the set, and I could feel my earplugs shaking in my ears. People had their fists up. I’m not shitting you. And seeing them live, maybe part of why they’re undervalued is they’re a bit between styles. They’re a heavy rock band, but that’s not it. They’re metal, prog, punk and a few besides. Practiced but not at all dry in their delivery, I have to wonder if Abrams ever plays a show without making a new fan.

Primitive Man

Brutal turn of vibe. You know on paper what you’re getting with also-Danver’s Primitive Man — punishment; sounds no less likely to consume you having just bludgeoned you into oblivion — but the reality of the thing is even more destructive. Caustic doom as a genre? Crushing doom? Those sound like words that could be things. Doesn’t matter. Also from Denver, the trio were a vision of aural misanthropy, extremist in purpose and volume. There have only been like three bands today, so it doesn’t mean a ton to call them the heaviest as even their quiet parts had a rumble beneath that you could feel in your chest, but they were the heaviest of the fest so far and it would take a lot of noise to beat. Frequencies as weapons. Malevolence and probably a truckload of dry ice. I wouldn’t call myself well adjusted by any measure — if I was, I’d have stopped doing this years ago — but even on a level of catharsis, Primitive Man are a lot to take. Which, wait for it, is the point of the thing. If dystopia’s coming, they’re ready. And brutally sad. I didn’t know any of the songs. Mostly they were terrifying. And it was astonishing that it could still be daylight while they played. If Khanate are hacking you to pieces, Primitive Man are pulling concrete blocks on your chest until you can’t breathe anymore.

Spirit Mother

About as fresh in my mind as they possibly could be since the album they put out today was streamed here yesterday. They played a good deal of Trails, and brought a heap of noise to the prior single “Locust,” and were thick in vibe while still keeping the songs moving. A fill-in violinist/vocalist held down that role without question, and Armand Lance pushed his vocals into screams and was still able to carry the melody alongside said violinist when the guitar and bass dropped out and it was vocals and ride cymbal only for a few measures in “Wolves.” Some aspects of Young Hunter, All Them Witches, but Spirit Mother are very much their own thing on the balance, and their songs are getting darker, more expansive, and better. My second time seeing them, and I’m extra glad to have seen them play the Trails material. I’ll look forward to the next one.

Belzebong

Riff-forward instrumental stoner sludge metallers Belzebong came all the way from Poland to elicit crusty vibes in fog that I couldn’t tell if it was theirs or leftover from Primitive Man. Surely they’re used to haze, one way or the other. Big nod, ‘Bong Fire Death’ — because Bathory, god damnit! — in the backs of the bass and guitars, amd an absolute lock on tone, there was precious little to not like. You would not call them subtle and neither are they trying to be. Doom. Fucking. Riffs. Black. Fucking. Sabbath. You get the idea. Like their countrymen worshipers in Dopelord, they wear their love of weed on their collective sleeve, and I get it. And “it” in this circumstance means stoned. But the reason it works is because the music and their performance of it is as much a celebration as anything else, and they’re not trying to convince anyone they invented Sleep riffs. They’re the kind of band that, if you’re in this thing, make complete sense, and would confuse the shit out of normal people. It’s a very specific idea of fun. Always a pleasure to see them.

Deathchant

I crossed paths with Deathchant in June at Freak Valley (review here), so not quite topping Spirit Mother for being in my head, but not terribly far off either. They were going to be a ripper on stage and they were. Thin Lizzy and Motörhead and Sabbath and DRI or whoever; they own records. But volume and energy and shove were the order of things, however much the two guitars might veer into NWOBHM-type harmony on the way. I was late getting in to take pictures, but that’s okay. I don’t really like taking pictures most of the time, and I do like talking to friends, so if I’m not in front of the stage for everything, fine. I was on the side. Still enough perspective to know Deathchant were the start of the party for a lot of the heads in the room, which was later-in-evening crowded, and fair enough. The West Coast skate thing doesn’t always translate in New York, but some things hit just right. I’d never seen them before last August at SonicBlast (review here) — to which they returned this year — now it’s three times in 13 months. Maybe I’m a fan.

Amenra

Sure enough, Amy Tung Barrysmith on bass. They’re not a casual band, Amenra. They’re not the kind of thing one might put on in the background of an otherwise quiet afternoon. And it’s all so very important-feeling, very solemn, whether a given part is loud and screamy or subdued and melodic. It’s a genre trope — partly in Amenra’s wake, I think — for pprt-metal to take itself seriously. So they do the thing where Colin H. Van Eeckhout bangs the sticks together while kneeling at the start, and there’s the strobe matching the heft of tone and emotional immediacy with its own kind of sensory overload. They have a lurch and an undulating waves of distortion that’s their own, and it’s not a hot take they’re incredible at what they do, but I’ve never managed to get fully on board. My loss. It was a blast to watch Amy from Year of the Cobra playing with them, though, and just because they may not be a band I put on all the time doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what they do and the influence they’ve had. It just means I’m probably going to be early for Domkraft.

Domkraft

And so I was. A band worth being early for. I spent most of the set right in the front, obnoxiously so, I’m sure, and kind of let go and nodded out for a bit. I didn’t fall asleep while Domkraft were playing or anything close to it. But it’s not a conscious thing when that riff hits you just right anyhow. I have to think the moshers know what I’m talking about. Starting out on a nine-day US run, the Swedish three-piece indeed were a culminating force from the Texas Stage, riffs bouncing off concrete walls and back again, creating that much more presence in the sound. There was a technical issue with the guitar, but it wasn’t actually that long in fixing, and they were right to restart “Whispers.” They’re are a lesson in the difference a great drummer can make, but they’re also a lesson in the difference a great everything can make. The lesson I learned was that I don’t appreciate their guitar solos enough, and the way I learned it was by being fortunate enough to be on the planet at the same time as the band.

High on Fire

The band who taught the world to shred riffs. Last met at the beginning of July in Croatia for Bear Stone (review here), though certainly they’ve been elsewhere since then, and they continue to hold their own standard. There was some not-fun-kind feedback intermittent early on, but it was a High on Fire set, like they wouldn’t deliver? They’re returning headliners at Desertfest New York, having played in 2022 (review here), and I don’t have a ton to say about them that didn’t apply two months ago, but to sum up they’re one of the best heavy-anything bands of their generation. I continue to dig the way they’re able to vary tempo in the live show while keeping the balance toward intensity on an LP. Of course they’re headlining. Hopefully it won’t be the last time they do. This forever will be the time that somebody was blowing bubbles during “Rumors of War,” however.

Unless they want to make it tradition or something. Which would be okay too, for sure. Hashtag Bubbles of War.

—

On that happy note, good night. I’ve been writing all day at the fest, and I’m ready to call it an evening. Tomorrow brings Dozer, Spaceslug and sundry other delights. There are more pics after the jump, and as always, thank you for reading.

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A righteous dose of lineup additions to Desertfest NYC 2024 today puts High on Fire and Amenra at the top of the bill thus far along with the previously announced Russian Circles, and unveils the bands who’ll play the pre-party as The Skull-offshoot Legions of Doom, Tee Pee Records‘ house classic heavy proggers Mirror Queen, the revamped Satan’s Satyrs, and Mustafina.

All well and good, don’t get me wrong. Killer, all the way through. For me though, the personal highlight here is Spaceslug coming from Poland to play, hopefully on the main stage at the Knockdown Center. Not only is their new album the latest in a string of immersive heavy psych semi-metal explorations, but right around the end of last year, I was angling trying to get myself out to Vegas to see them at Planet Desert Rock Weekend, where they featured this past January. The thought of seeing them in Brooklyn takes some of the sting out of missing their first US appearance, and as that will occur among the likes of Primitive Man, Blackwater Holylight and Spirit Mother, so much the better.

If you’re not from New York and have ever thought about traveling there, take a gander at the following:

DESERTFEST NEW YORK ANNOUNCES HIGH ON FIRE, AMENRA, PRIMITIVE MAN, BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT, SPACESLUG + MORE FOR 2024 EDITION

🎟️ https://link.dice.fm/desertfest2024 🎟️

Performing at the Knockdown Center please welcome…
↠ High On Fire
↠ Amenra
↠ PRIMITIVE MAN
↠ Blackwater Holylight
↠ Spaceslug
↠ Spirit Mother

Who will all be joining the likes of Russian Circles, Acid King, GREEN LUNG, Truckfighters, Dozer, BelzebonG for the 4th edition of our independent East Coast venture, celebrating the best in underground heavy music! With more still to announce, including day splits – which will be released in July.

We are extremely proud of this line-up and the amount of EU bands we are able to bring over to you!
Plus we are thrilled to welcome doom metal super-group Legions of Doom (ft. members of Trouble, Saint Vitus, The Skull & COC) to headline our SOLD OUT pre-party, hosted by TeePee Records alongside the return of Satan’s Satyrs, plus local heroes Mirror Queen & Mustafina!

Will we see you there?? Check out more info at www.desertfestnewyork.com

Desertfest New York 2024 will take place September 12th – 14th. 3-Day Festival Passes (incl. pre-party access) and 2-Day Festival passes are available now via https://www.desertfestnewyork.com & https://link.dice.fm/desertfest2024

https://facebook.com/Desertfestnyc/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_nyc/
http://www.desertfestnewyork.com

Spaceslug, Out of Water (2024)

Some crossover here, admittedly, in acts like Messa, Amenra, Blackwater Holylight, the Giant Squid reunion (nice), Mother of Graves, Body Void, and so on. Immortal Bird, whom I’ve spent the last 15 years feeling like I should be writing about, etc., alongside the extremity of grindcore pioneers Repulsion and plenty of other noise of varying harshnesses. I’ve covered the fest before, but if you’ll note the first word of the post, it’s “some” crossover, and that’s true here too. Even some bands, like Sumerlands or Mother of Graves, I can’t decide if they fit here or not. I like that about them, and I like that about Northwest Terror Fest 2024, which has early bird tickets on sale as of 1PM Eastern yesterda.

But while there’s badassery in the bill and that’s not at all a surprise, the dual-prong motive for posting is sharing the GoFundMe link for Northwest Terror Fest (and Southwest Terror Fest) founder David Rodgers, who has a rare form of cancer detailed below. I remember working with David about a decade ago when he had his band Godhunter (still ahead of their time) going and his label Battleground Records, both of which seem to take a back seat ultimately to the success of the festivals, and fair enough. He’s someone who’s done excellent work to move aesthetic forward, in his own artistic output and in terms of supporting the work of others, and if you can help, you should. This country has shit for medicine and doesn’t care if you live or die. Would in many ways prefer you dead. All we as humans have is each other. No one’s coming to save us.

From the PR wire:

Northwest Terror Fest Announces 2024 Line-up; Early Bird Tickets On Sale Monday November 13, 10am PST

NORTHWEST TERROR FEST, the Pacific Northwest’s only destination extreme music festival, will make its triumphant return for its 6th year, in Seattle, WA.

A limited number of early-bird tickets go on sale Monday, November 13, 2023 at 10am PST.

The inclusive extreme music festival will take place over three days – May 9th to May 11th – at two of Seattle’s premier music venues, Neumos and Barboza, located in Seattle’s historical Capital Hill neighborhood.

Over three days of NORTHWEST TERROR FEST – which is sponsored by the highly revered heavy metal site NO CLEAN SINGING, – the festival will showcase extreme metal, hardcore punk, and experimental music from 36 acts from the heavy metal underground and beyond. The festival packs a powerful lineup with Washington/Oregon exclusive performances by Daeva, Eternal Champion, Forbidden, Giant Squid (reunion performing Metridium Fields), Repulsion, Spiritual Poison, Sumerlands, and Weekend Nachos!

About the festival, The Northwest Terror Fest Planning Committee shares:

“We’re excited to once again bring three days of diverse and devastating music to Seattle in May, 2024. This year’s lineup features many of the most exciting new bands in metal, a handful of long-awaited reunions, excursions into industrial and darkwave, and a showcase of young and ambitious bands keeping underground music alive in the Pacific Northwest. Team NWTF is eternally grateful for the support of Washington and Oregon’s extreme music community – Northwest Terror Fest will always be for you. We’re looking forward to seeing you all in the pit. Until then, leave no cross unturned!”

Northwest Terror Fest VI 2024 Full Line-up
May 9-11 2024 | Seattle, WA
Neumos & Barboza

Abyssal
Amenra
Ascended Dead
Blackwater Holylight
Body Void
Brat
Colony Drop
Cystic
Daeva (WA/OR Exclusive)
Deathgrave
Diabolic Oath
Disimperium
Eternal Champion (WA/OR Exclusive)
Foie Gras
Forbidden (WA/OR Exclusive)
Giant Squid performing Metridium Fields (WA/OR Exclusive)
Grave Infestation
Habak
Hemorrhoid
Immortal Bird
Kömmand
Messa
Mother of Graves
MVTANT
Nox Novacula
Physical Wash
Primitive Man
Repulsion (WA/OR Exclusive)
Slow Crush
Spiritual Poison (WA/OR Exclusive)
Sumerlands (WA/OR Exclusive)
Ulthar
Undergang
Undulation
Warp Chamber
Weekend Nachos (WA/OR Exclusive)

NWTF TICKET LINK WILL BE LIVE MONDAY NOVEMBER 13, AT 10AM PST

https://www.axs.com/events/509507/northwest-terror-fest-tickets?skin=neumos

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ BELOW

David, a founder of Southwest Terror Fest and Northwest Terror Fest, has unfortunately been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer called Multiple Myeloma cancer. The cancer can only be treated, with the goal of entering a remission state that will allow David to live longer. Without treatment, his life expectancy would be two years, at most. The end of his life would be on a dialysis machine. David’s family has decided to throw everything they have at this and fight it with chemotherapy and stem cell replacement therapy. His doctors are hopeful that these treatments will push the cancer into a dormant state. They believe that this will give David nine years, or more.

Anything that you can give will help David and his family greatly. If you are unable to financially support the fundraiser, simply sharing the Gofundme page on the internet would be immensely appreciated: https://www.gofundme.com/f/xuvgvh-davids-cancer-fund.

https://www.facebook.com/northwestterrorfest/
https://www.instagram.com/nwterrorfest/
https://www.threads.net/@nwterrorfest
https://linktr.ee/northwestterrorfest

Giant Squid, Metridium Fields (2006)

Northwest Terror Fest 2024 teaser

It’s good to know the pandemic has not dulled the ambitious nature of Roadburn Festival. Earlier this year, the long-running Netherlands-based festival held Roadburn Redux and set a high standard for the notion of a “virtual event” could be. Whether or not Roadburn 2022 will have an online component as well, I simply don’t know, and frankly, I can see arguments either way. On the one hand, it sure was nifty for everyone who couldn’t travel to a real-life Roadburn to be involved in that special community. On the other hand, for next year that’s production effort and budget that could probably otherwise go to an actual stage.

The initial lineup for Roadburn 2022 contains a broad mix of styles, as one would expect/hope, including a few carryovers from 2020/2021 and some newbies. Familiar faces and not. The recently robbed Russian Circles, whose subsequent GoFundMe was super-heartening. I hope conditions in the world are such that I can be there to see them and all their new gear.

Anyway, love this. All love. Warms my heart. I don’t know all these artists. Doesn’t matter. All love.

From the PR wire:

ROADBURN 2022: first names announced including curators and artist in residence

Redefining heaviness

Roadburn Festival has today made its first line up announcement for the 2022 edition, which will take place between April 21-24 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The majority of tickets to the festival have already been sold, but a limited number will go on sale today (October 26) at 7pm (CEST) via Ticketmaster.nl.

Roadburn’s artistic director, Walter Hoeijmakers comments:
“After two years of not being able to host a physical festival, we’re extremely excited to actually return in 2022. Given the circumstances, everything about this has been a real challenge, but we wanted to make sure that next year’s Roadburn will be a stronghold for the forward-thinking artists we all love so much – whether genre-defining established acts or young, up-and-coming artists. We really want to reconnect them with our international community – artistically, musically and physically – and to see them do what they do best: be on stage. We want to give them a platform in front of a live audience again, as it’s time to celebrate the music they’ve written over the past two years, or the much acclaimed albums that helped us through these strange, unprecedented times.

“It’s equally exciting to have Milena Eva and Thomas Sciarone as our 2022 curators; their commissioned music project for Roadburn Redux, This Shame Should Not Be Mine, elevated GGGOLDDD to a whole new level, as it made such a huge impact – musically, emotionally, and spiritually. The intimate connection felt by everyone online will be greatly amplified at Roadburn 2022, and we could think of no one better than Milena and Thomas to get us all reconnected.”

Line Up Information

ULVER will be performing a special set to mark their return to the live arena, focussing on their most recent release, Flowers of Evil. Their headlining performance will be a continuation of Ulver’s unpredictable yet thrilling career arc and of the passion for innovative music that fuels Roadburn.

Roadburn’s 2022 curators are Milena Eva and Thomas Sciarone of the Dutch band GGGOLDDD; as well as hand-picking elements of the festival line up, they will join the rest of the band to perform the commissioned music they wrote for this year’s Roadburn Redux event – a piece entitled This Shame Should Not Be Mine.

As part of the curated element of Roadburn, LITURGY – the avant-garde black metal band – will be performing their 2019 album H.A.Q.Q in full, as well as bringing to life their 2020 album Origin of the Alimonies, performing it as an opera on the main stage in sync with a film created by Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. Milena and Thomas will also present the European debut of BACKXWASH – the celebrated artist fuses rap and metal, and will perform two special sets at Roadburn – and performances from DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE, and MIDWIFE.

Further commissioned projects – originally planned for 2020 – will finally see the light of day as JAMES KENT (PERTURBATOR) joins forces with JOHANNES PERSSON (CULT OF LUNA) to perform Final Light. Cellist JO QUAIL will perform her commissioned piece, entitled The Cartographer, and VILE CREATURE and BISMUTH will unite to perform A Hymn of Loss and Hope.

Elsewhere on the bill Roadburn welcomes back some familiar faces such as RUSSIAN CIRCLES and PRIMITIVE MAN, whilst also inviting some new and mysterious members to the Roadburn family, such as underground black metal bands LAMP OF MURMUUR and KOLDOVSTVO. For full details of what has been announced so far, please see the links below. Stay tuned for more line up announcements in the coming weeks.

ALCEST – performing Écailles de Lune

BACKXWASH – performing two special sets; European debut

BIG BRAVE

BLAK SAAGAN – performing Se Ci Fosse La Luce Sarebbe Bellissimo

DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE

DÖDSRIT

FACELESS ENTITY

FULL OF HELL – Artists in Residence, performing four sets

GGGOLDDD – performing commissioned music, This Shame Should Not Be Mine

GREEN LUNG – performing Black Harvest

HELMS ALEE

JAMES KENT & JOHANNES PERSSON – performing commissioned music, Final Light

JO QUAIL – performing commissioned piece, The Cartographer

KOLDOVSTVO – performing Ни царя, ни бога

LAMP OF MURMUUR – European debut

LILI REFRAIN

LITURGY – performing H.A.Q.Q and Origin of the Alimonies

MIDWIFE

MILENA EVA & THOMAS SCIARONE – Roadburn 2022 curators

NOTHING

PRIMITIVE MAN

RUSSIAN CIRCLES

SÓLSTAFIR – performing Svartir Sandar

SPIRTUAL POISON

THE HOLY FAMILY

TRIALOGOS

ULVER

VILE CREATURE & BISMUTH – performing commissioned music, A Hymn of Loss and Hope

https://www.facebook.com/events/964112394348925
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/
http://www.instagram.com/roadburnfest
http://www.roadburn.com