God damn. I’ve been trying to get this post up for like a week. Literally. Seven fucking earth days. And probably longer than that. So what’s up? I don’t feel like writing about Rezn? Just a ton of other shit going on? I don’t know, but the fact that it’s taken me so long to get to this makes me feel like there’s something to be unpacked.

Truth of it is, Rezn‘s 2024 album, Burden (review here), is one of many that I felt like should’ve been higher than it was on my year-end list. That’s no fault of the band’s own. I had a busy summer and missed a lot of it when the record was being hyped up, and I still kind of felt like I was too much getting caught up to 2023’s Solace (review here) to be ready for a quick-turnaround sequel. That’s on my own inability to keep up, not the band, mind you. Rezn, so far as I know, did nothing wrong.

I’m pretty sure I’l be out of town when they hit NYC, but this band at TV Eye will be incredible. If I have any friends in the NY area who are in need of convincing, holy crap, go to that show.

Dates follow, FINALLY, from socials:

[NOTE: Actually, it totally worked out that I was so late because they announced the Euro tour in the meantime and I got to do both together. Go figure.]

NEW TOUR DATES! We are heading east this spring and will be joined by the bludgeoning sonic force of @harshrealmavl. Tickets on sale now at rezn.band/shows

REZN Spring Tour w/ Harsh Realm
4/12: Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
4/14: Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
4/15: Toronto, ON – The Garrison
4/16: Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
4/17: Braintree, MA – Hopsmoker Fest
4/18: Brooklyn, NY – TV Eye
4/19: Baltimore, MD – Grim Reefer Fest §
4/20: Philadelphia, PA – Milk Boy
4/22: Richmond, VA – Bandito’s
4/23: Asheville, NC – Eulogy
4/25: Atlanta, GA – Boggs Social & Supply
4/27: Orlando, FL – Conduit
4/29: Nashville, TN – Eastside Bowl
4/30: Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
5/01: Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle
§ – REZN only

Poster design by @frattalica

EUROPE + UK TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT 🌍

We are going overseas this summer for our first proper headlining tour in the EU/UK. Tickets on sale now, full dates below:

July 31: Hamburg, DE @ Logo
August 1: Beelen, DE @ Krach Am Bach Festival
August 2: Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft
August 3: Warsaw, PL @ Voodoo
August 5: Dresden, DE @ Chemifabrik
August 6: Jena, DE @ Kuba
August 8: Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse
August 9: Jaromer, CZ @ Brutal Assault Festival
August 10: Munich, DE @ Backstage
August 12: London, UK @ The Dome supporting @pelicansong
August 13: Birmingham, UK @ The Flapper
August 14: Bristol, UK @ ArcTanGent Festival
August 15: Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn
August 16: Merienthal, DE @ Hoflaerm Festival
August 19: Copenhagen, DK @ Stengade
August 20: Gothenburg, SE @ Monument
August 21: Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
August 22: Stockholm, SE @ Hus 7

Poster designed by the master @dunnhog 🫠

🎟️ rezn.band/shows 🎟️

REZN:
Rob McWilliams: guitar and vocals
Phil Cangelosi: bass and rainstick
Patrick Dunn: drums and percussion
Spencer Ouellette: synths, sax, lapsteel, flute, and piano

facebook.com/reznband
instagram.com/rezzzn
rezzzn.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/sargenthouse/
https://www.instagram.com/sargenthouse/
http://www.sargenthouse.com/

Rezn, Burden (2024)

Set to take place at The Ottobar in Baltimore once again at the tail end of April — 4/20 season, if you’re not the type who gets stoned to do the dishes — the all-dayer Grim Reefer Fest has unveiled its 2025 billing, with Chicago psychedelic texturalists Rezn and D.C. industrialized post-punkers Vosh at the top of the bill, with Temple of the Fuzz Witch coming from Michigan as they continue to spread the word of their own well-received 2024 outing, Apotheosis (review here), Dallas rockers Temptress and the house band Haze Mage taking part, as well as heavy noise rockers Consumer Culture, and Sorge, who are well due for a follow-up to their impressive 2020 debut EP (review here).

Rounding out are Richmond duo Thunderchief, Pennsylvania melo-cult classicists SpellBook and Baltimore’s own Knub, who I’ve never heard of before now but who are killer, opening. Their logo is noise and their sound is too, but throw in some poppier melody and turns out I have some homework to do. I put Knub‘s tracks from their 2023 split with Brain Cave below, in case you also want to dig in. There’s a Black Lung set there too from 2024’s Grim Reefer Fest just for the hell of it — as the fest notes, there’s more on the YouTube Channel — and while I’m dropping dates and links, I’ll note that I was fortunate enough to attend Grim Reefer Fest in 2023 (review here), and if you’re on the fence, I’ll confirm it’s a blast and well run. Maybe that helps? There’s food and such and it’s low-key; an easygoing vibe in which to be variably pummeled by volume.

The announcement from the fest follows here. Keep an eye as some things may change, but it looks like a good time to me as it is. And the poster, as you can see, continues a years-long streak of righteousness from Grim Reefer Fest as well. From socials:

Grim Reefer Fest 2025

We are excited to announce the return of Grim Reefer Fest! Join us once again at the legendary Ottobar in Baltimore, MD for a full day of heavy music, dank vibes, and high spirits! Join us on Saturday April 19th, 2025 as we celebrate the High Holidays with a stacked lineup from start to finish with some of the best bands the scene has to offer! Featuring the heavy psych sounds of Rezn, the mesmerizing Vosh, the heavy hitting Temple of the Fuzz Witch and many more (10 bands total)!

This is the 6th year of Grim Reefer Fest and one of our most ambitious lineups yet! We’re proud of what we’re accomplishing as a DIY grassroots festival. The genres and sounds for this year’s bands range from heavy psych to stoner doom to industrial darkwave to noise rock with so much more in between! There’s so many interpretations of what heavy music is, and to us, they all fit in a proper 4/20 celebration! We strive to grow our event more and more each year and to become a premiere heavy music regional event on the east coast!

The full list of performers at this year’s fest includes:

Rezn
Vosh
Temple of the Fuzz Witch
Haze Mage

Temptress
Sorge
Consumer Culture
Thunderchief
Spellbook
Knub

Doors are at 2pm, Music starts at 3pm and runs until midnight.

Tickets are $40 online and can be purchased here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/43621096

If still available, tickets day of the show will go up to $50 at the door.

We’ll have a food truck on site all day to handle all of your munchies needs!

More details for the fest can be found at GrimReeferFest.com

RSVP Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/968923325153892/

Past performances of the fest (Weedeater, Bongzilla, Telekinetic Yeti, Black Lung and many, many more) can all be found on our YouTube Channel.

https://www.facebook.com/GrimReeferFest
https://www.instagram.com/grimreeferfest/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3BL9lkMWbIC2qaqWZ4LH8g
https://www.grimreeferfest.com/

Black Lung, Live at Grim Reefer Fest 2024

Knub, Split with Brain Cave (2023)

I’m with Hoflärm on this one. After 24 years of writing out the full year all the time — it was worst in the aughts, admittedly, but I’m still more inclined to type 2024 instead of just ’24 — it’s time to admit that we’re probably talking about this century rather than the previous one when it comes to a festival announcing a lineup for, say, months in the future. So, as you can see on the poster below, Hoflärm ’25 is not only doing this, but doing it with a banger of a lineup to support its argument. Plus, my understanding is the fest has a pretty casual vibe anyhow — I’ve never heard a bad word about it from either anyone who has attended or played — so the ’25 fits. Wait until the ’40s.

Graveyard and Monolord at the top of the bill is a winning opening salvo from the German three-dayer, but that’s really just the tip of the riffberg, with Rezn and Elephant Tree, MaidaVale, The Warlocks and Mexico’s Vinnum Sabbathi taking part, Khan coming from Australia, Annie Taylor and her band from Switzerland, Spirit Mother making a return to Europe, Coltaine supporting their new album, plus Vug, Piece and Lurch and more to come. Nothing to complain about as they put tickets on sale for those who might be fortunate enough to make the trip from wherever. I expect a few of these will have tours around them — Khan, Spirit Mother, Rezn, Vinnum Sabbathi — so that will be worth keeping an eye on, but whatever shakes out in that regard, Hoflärm looks sweet as hell.

From social media, which was a thing back in the ’20s:

⚡️ Hoflärm 2025 – Satan‘s Finest ⚡️

The goat cult continues – First Bands + Presale Start 🪦

We thrilled to announce that we are back – 14. – 16.08.2025 – Tickets are now an sale. Link in Bio 🐐

Please welcome the first bands for 2025:

@graveyardmusic and @monolordofficial will headline Friday and Saturday of @hoflaerm 2025!

We are more than happy to welcome Monolord again after their cancellation in 2022!

We are proud to announce Graveyard as festival headliner! This band has been an elementary companion since the first idea for this festival.

@rezzzn , @elephant_tree_band and @pieceismetal are going to open the fields of doom!

@thewarlocks , @maidavaleband @khanbandofficial and @lurch.band are here to trip with you through the cosmic clouds above!

Shake your knees to @annietaylorband , @vug.band and @spiritmotherband while you walk through the dark woods around Hoflärm with @vinnumsabbathiband and @coltaine !

But that’s not all, stay tuned for more bands!

Tickets: https://www.hoflaerm.de/tickets/

Campground directly at the festival side (30m)

Thank you very much for your support over the last few years. We appreciate it and will continue to carry our vibe!

https://www.facebook.com/Hofcafe.Hoflaerm
https://instagram.com/hoflaerm/
https://www.hoflaerm.de/

Monolord, It’s All the Same (2023)

One would not accuse Chicago-based atmospheric heavy rockers Rezn of shyness in terms of conveying their intent. To wit, Burden — their fifth full-length and first to be issued through Sargent House — follows behind 2023’s Solace (review here) — and has the stated intention of conveying a feeling of hardship, a darker representation to complement the soothing cosmic fluidity of the previous LP. They are still lush in melody with the soulful mystique in guitarist Rob McWilliams‘ vocals, and given complexity through the synthesizer, saxophone, flute, piano and lap-steel guitar of Spencer Ouellette, but as Phil Cangelosi bass underscores the standout chorus of second cut “Instinct” and Patrick Dunn‘s drums hammer away behind the floating lyric, “Hanging onto the razor’s edge,” the sense of burden in Burden is channeled both through the emotionality and the sheer weight of tone.

The seven-song/34-minute album’s opener, “Indigo” (‘blue’ in a the-blues sense, perhaps) taps into urgency that’s been rare for Rezn to-date — their debut was 2017’s Let it Burn (review here) — with siren wails of guitar or synth pulled against a backdrop of darker swirl, low end distortion a foreboding current brought to a sudden stop for an aftermath of synth drone. It’s not the last, as the arriving-early interlude “Descent of Sinuous Corridors” casts a brief hypnosis in a nonetheless exploratory 70 seconds after “Instinct,” a build of drums in the last few of those seconds giving directly over to “Bleak Patterns,” which serves as a worthy centerpiece and is the longest inclusion on the record at 6:52.

Ouellette‘s lap-steel weeps for some unknown loss as Dunn holds the pattern on drums and McWilliams‘ guitar touches on a folkish melancholia to complement the verse, only to stop short, rear back, and unleash a crush heretofore unheard on Burden; a willful plunge made and repeated throughout the chorus as the vocals carry on with the downward melody. Indeed, there is a pattern, and it is bleak, though it is somewhat the nature of their style that the listener can find room enough in what’s happening at a given moment — whether that’s “Bleak Patterns” being brought down on one’s head or the reaches left empty in “Descent of Sinuous Corridors” just minutes and epochs of distorted spacetime earlier — to inhabit a place.

That is less the purpose here than in Solace, presumably, and one can read that into the material and the flow from one piece into the next, and so on, but as concrete and heavy as they get, Rezn still give their audience the opportunity to dwell in the mix. Not lacking in impact, as the likes of “Instinct” and “Bleak Patterns” and the concluding “Chasm” — toward which Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles contributes a noisy guitar solo — Burden is nonetheless resonant, and one has to acknowledge the power of suggestion in terms of its narrative and impression. That is to say, if you end up finding a comfortable warmth in some of the psychedelic drift and emergent lurch of “Collapse” — which for sure has more than an edge of the depressive in lyrics like, “Can’t unsee spirals tightening/No reprieve suspending disbelief/Immolate, colors turn to gray/Acclimate to a long decay” — and taking ‘solace’ in the emotional presence of McWilliams‘ vocals and the alien expanses the band evoke instrumentally, I wouldn’t tell you you’re doing it wrong, even if it is counterintuitive to the concept.

Or maybe it isn’t, at all. Because how often does it happen that what we experience in art reflects back what we as viewers, listeners, consumers, bring to it of ourselves? And in that regard, if the weepy line of lap-steel before the two-minute mark in the penultimate “Soft Prey” — a precursor to Ouellette‘s saxophone solo, plus later bookend — gives some comfort by simply being relatable, has the art succeeded? Does that undercut the laid-out purpose behind Burden in conveying the darker aspects of Rezn‘s sound, of being the coin’s other side to Solace? I don’t think it does. And if the music makes you question why you feel what you feel at the time you’re experiencing it, I’ll argue your life just got fuller. In this way, and in being heavy the way one thinks of the churning semi-molten rock in Earth’s mantle beneath the cave painted in Adam Burke‘s cover art here, Burden is its own validation. Is it grimmer than Solace? Sure, in some ways; the lyrics are an example to cite. But at times, as in the patient chug that sets “Chasm” forth, it’s also more direct and terrestrial rather than celestial, and so it still broadens Rezn‘s scope as it exudes this gravitational force.

That is to say, the album — which was produced and mixed by Matt Russell in 2021 along with Solace and mastered by Zach Weeks at God City in Salem, Massachusetts — has a story it’s telling about what it does, but the thing about music that runs so deep is that once it’s out there and people start hearing it, they’re inevitably going to create their own stories for and with it too. Including this one, by the way. Taken as a vehicle for that, Burden is perhaps less a contradiction for Solace than a companion, though even that wouldn’t necessarily undercut the intention.

This is the part where I shrug my shoulders, say “I don’t fucking know,” and move on. Frankly, if you hear it and find it relatable on some level, whatever level — if it makes you feel something — I fail to see how that’s not success artistically. As to the noted corridors being descended, they are not entirely without light. It could be the concept emerged after the recording, as Rezn-circa-later-plague were thinking what to do with the glut of material they’d just put to tape and came to realize this natural divide within the songs. Once again, “I don’t fucking know.”

What I do know is that there are few bands in the US or otherwise within the spherical heavy underground who present such a tapestry in their work. And five records deep — even if Burden and Solace were tracked at the same time — there are few as immediately identifiable or as individual in their scope and execution. In seven years, Rezn have made a place utterly their own in heavy psych, cosmic doom, whatever you want to call their ‘genre.’ I’d be interested to know how the time since these sessions has changed them, especially given the touring they’ve undertaken since, but while Burden can do a lot for those who take it on with an open mind, it can’t do that. Instead, it snapshots a conceptualist (or at least thematic) side of Rezn unknown before Solace and showcases continued growth and ambition on the part of the band, hitting harder and digging further down than they have before. If that’s not enough, I don’t know what could be.

Rezn, Burden (2024)

REZN on Facebook

REZN on Instagram

REZN on Bandcamp

Sargent House on Facebook

Sargent House on Instagram

Sargent House website

Chicago molten-psychbringers Rezn are drawing nearer to the June 14 release date for their new album, Burden, through Sargent House, and you’ll note that by the time it arrives they’ll already be on the road. They’re set to stay that way for some time — a few weeks between tours notwithstanding — as they cover the East and West Coasts of the US and points between, alternately supporting Pallbearer and headlining with company from Mute Duo, each run with a couple Canadian dates for good measure.

The ascendant masters of drift and heady melody will in October embark on a festival-laden European tour in the company of Russian Circles, and that also feels like a big deal as they work from a quick turnaround following 2023’s Solace (review here) and head in working-band fashion to cover the geography. I haven’t heard Burden yet, but it’s a no-brainer to look forward to where the the band’s ongoing journey might lead, however foreboding the title they’ve given it, and certainly the early singles “Chasm” and “Collapse” hold promise for Rezn‘s textured tones and exploratory spaces. It’s an easy bet, if you’re the type to preorder, I guess is what I’m saying.

So maybe I should do that and get myself a CD, because I turned 12 in the ’90s and so am loyal to little plastic discs forever even though every time I buy one at this point all I can think about is how when I’m dead no one will want the collection that I’ve so carefully curated and treasured despite the fact that three quarters of it — the old stuff — is in storage.

What were we talking about? I’m sorry, I seem to have gone on a tangent and made myself sad. Surely won’t be the last time that happens.

You like VIBES? Here be tour dates:

Fresh headlining US tour dates added with support from the mesmerizing @mute_duo. Full dates below:

Supporting @pallbearerdoom
June 11: Durham, NC – The Fruit
June 12: Asheville, NC – Eulogy
June 13: Virginia Beach, VA – The Bunker
June 14: Baltimore, MD – Metro
June 15: Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360
June 16: Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
June 18: Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
June 20: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
June 21: Boston, MA – The Sinclair
June 22: Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount
June 23: Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
June 25: Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
June 26: Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
June 27: St Paul, MN – Turf Club
June 28: Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
June 29: Little Rock, AR – The Hall

July 26: Indianapolis, IN – Post. Festival (only REZN)

w/ Mute Duo
Aug 9: Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s
Aug 10: Kansas City, MO – MiniBar
Aug 13: Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
Aug 14: Salt Lake City, UT – Aces High Saloon
Aug 16: Portland, OR – Dante’s
Aug 17: Vancouver, BC – Green Auto
Aug 18: Seattle, WA – Substation
Aug 20: Sacramento, CA – Cafe Colonial
Aug 21: Oakland, CA – Stork Club
Aug 22: Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
Aug 23: Palmdale, CA – Transplants Brewing
Aug 24: Mesa, AZ – The Nile Underground
Aug 25: Albuquerque, NM – Sister Bar
Aug 27: Fort Worth, TX – Tulips
Aug 28: Austin, TX – The Lost Well

With @russiancircles
Oct 9 – Berlin, DE @ Astra
Oct 10 – Koln, DE @ Kantine
Oct 11 – Munich, DE @ Keep It Low Festival
Oct 12 – Prague, CZ @ Archa
Oct 14 – Vienna, AT @ Arena
Oct 15 – Bologna, IT @ Estragon
Oct 17 – Metz, FR @ La Bam
Oct 18 – Antwerp, BE @ Desertfest
Oct 20 – Gothenburg, SE @ Monument
Oct 21 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Oct 22 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
Oct 24 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Oct 25 – Aalborg, DK @ Lasher Fest
Oct 26 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefaehrlich
Oct 29 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute2
Oct 30 – Glasgow, UK @ Slay
Oct 31 – Belfast, N-IRE @ Limelight 2
Nov 1 – Dublin, IRE @ Button Factory
Nov 2 – Manchester, UK @ Damnation Fest
Nov 3 – London, UK @ EartH
Nov 5 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
Nov 6 – Rennes, FR @ L’Antipode
Nov 7 – Bordeaux, FR @ Krakatoa
Nov 10 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca
Nov 11 – Barcelona, ES @ Salamandra

🎟️: rezn.band/shows

REZN:
Rob McWilliams: guitar and vocals
Phil Cangelosi: bass and rainstick
Patrick Dunn: drums and percussion
Spencer Ouellette: synths, sax, lapsteel, flute, and piano

facebook.com/reznhits
instagram.com/rezzzn
rezzzn.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/sargenthouse/
https://www.instagram.com/sargenthouse/
http://www.sargenthouse.com/

Rezn, “Chasm” official video

Rezn, Burden (2024)

Shit man. New Rezn coming. That’s really good news. I don’t know how much more of this my heart can take. And guess what? The fucking single rules. A little meaner in the tone on first impression, but not so much as to give up the atmosphere, and I know you know vibe is everything here. The record is called Burden. It’s coming out through Sargent House on June 14. I hope it turns out I’m cool enough to hear it before then. Pretty much anytime after I finish typing this sentence would work.

Anything?

No?

Moving on.

Rezn — who I was lucky enough to see live on stage in Norway that one time, and whose 2023 album, Solace (review here), I still feel like I’m just getting to know, let alone be somehow over — will hit the road alongside Pallbearer and frickin’ The Keening, because if you’re going to do a tour, I guess make it a landmark. That’s a good-ass show. New Pallbearer also smokes, and The Keening is heavy regardless of volume. Killer. Then Europe in Fall with Russian Circles. Gracious me.

Info, links and whatnot headed your way.

Have a great whatever:

REZN – Burden

Our new album ‘Burden’ is out June 14 via Sargent House. The first single “Chasm” is streaming now alongside the official video release. Prepare for the descent.
rezn.band/burden

Recorded in August of 2021 at Earth Analog in Tolono, IL
Engineered, mixed, produced, and reduced by Matt Russell
Mastered by Zach Weeks at God City Studio in Salem, MA

Mike Sullivan: guitar solo on “Chasm”

Album art by Adam Burke / Nightjar Illustration
Layout design by Spencer Ouellette and Future Wisdom

Pre-order / pre-save “Burden” here: https://found.ee/rezn-burden
Stream “Chasm” now: https://found.ee/rezn-chasm

Tracklist:
1. Indigo
2. Instinct
3. Descent of Sinuous Corridors
4. Bleak Patterns
5. Collapse
6. Soft Prey
7. Chasm

In honor of their new album ‘Mind Burns Alive’, we will be joining @pallbearerdoom on select dates of their upcoming US tour.

May 11 – Oslo, NO @ Desertfest Oslo

With @pallbearerdoom
Jun 11 – Durham, NC @ The Fruit
Jun 12 – Asheville, NC @ Eulogy
Jun 13 – Virginia Beach, VA @ The Bunker Brewpub
Jun 14 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Baltimore
Jun 15 – Lancaster, PA @ Tellus360
Jun 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Jun 18 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
Jun 20 – Brooklyn , NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Jun 21 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Jun 22 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
Jun 23 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Jun 25 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
Jun 26 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Jun 27 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Jun 28 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
Jun 29 – Little Rock, AR @ The Hall

Jul 26  – Indianapolis, IN @ Post Festival

With @russiancircles
Oct 9 – Berlin, DE @ Astra
Oct 10 – Koln, DE @ Kantine
Oct 11 – Munich, DE @ Keep It Low Festival
Oct 12 – Prague, CZ @ Archa
Oct 14 – Vienna, AT @ Arena
Oct 15 – Bologna, IT @ Estragon
Oct 17 – Metz, FR @ La Bam
Oct 18 – Antwerp, BE @ Desertfest
Oct 20 – Gothenburg, SE @ Monument
Oct 21 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Oct 22 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
Oct 24 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
Oct 25 – Aalborg, DK @ Lasher Fest
Oct 26 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefaehrlich
Oct 29 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute2
Oct 30 – Glasgow, UK @ Slay
Oct 31 – Belfast, N-IRE @ Limelight 2
Nov 1 – Dublin, IRE @ Button Factory
Nov 2 – Manchester, UK @ Damnation Fest
Nov 3 – London, UK @ EartH
Nov 5 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
Nov 6 – Rennes, FR @ L’Antipode
Nov 7 – Bordeaux, FR @ Krakatoa
Nov 10 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca
Nov 11 – Barcelona, ES @ Salamandra

🎟️ rezn.band/shows 🎟️

REZN:
Rob McWilliams: guitar and vocals
Phil Cangelosi: bass and rainstick
Patrick Dunn: drums and percussion
Spencer Ouellette: synths, sax, lapsteel, flute, and piano

facebook.com/reznhits
instagram.com/rezzzn
rezzzn.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/sargenthouse/
https://www.instagram.com/sargenthouse/
http://www.sargenthouse.com/

Rezn, “Chasm” official video

Rezn, Burden (2024)

Set for the weekend of Oct. 18-20 and (I think?) celebrating the 10th anniversary of the first Desertfest Belgium, which was held in 2014, the 2024 edition of the Antwerp-based Desertfest has made its first lineup announcement, anchored by Fu Manchu and Russian Circles and featuring a host of others ranging in both geography and style. From the fluid textures of REZN and classic melodic prog rock of Mondo Drag to the reunited Scorpion Child, Bongzilla‘s singularly stoned crust and the expansive riffery of Stoned Jesus, whose Mother Dark complement to early-2023’s Father Light (review here) is awaited, it’s a well-rounded bill even before you account for heavy psych rockers Seedy Jeezus and bluesy ’70s traditionalists Child making the trip from Australia, the latter on the heels of Heavy Psych Sounds reissuing their catalog, the expansive sounds of Messa, and so on.

That it looks like a cool time isn’t really a surprise. Desertfest Belgium has developed a character of its own as the flagship Fall Desertfest in Europe, and while I’ve never been, I always look forward to seeing what it brings to the seasonal cohort of heavy festivals. Already we know REZN will be on tour with Russian Circles, as that was announced last week too, but it’s likely more tours will come from Mondo Drag, Ritual King and others below that haven’t been revealed yet if they’re even at this point finalized. In addition to the usual daydreaming-about-travel, I find thinking about these things and imagining tours and who might have new records out by the time October gets here to be a particular kind of nerdy joy.

The announcement, as per social media:

It’s that time of year again! It’s with great pride and excitement that we announce the first names for DF24! 👁️

Confirmed for Desertfest ANTWERP are:
Fu Manchu Russian Circles Stoned Jesus Bongzilla Scorpion Child MESSA Wolvennest Mondo Drag Seedy Jeezus CHILD REZN Ritual King The Abbey Lethvm RRRags Crouch Kara Delik

Three days of delirium and heavy delight are surely awaiting us all in Antwerp!

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

We’ll be back with more names very soon…🤘

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

Mondo Drag, Through the Hourglass (2023)

Over the last several weeks, the inaugural Desertfest Oslo has piece-by-piece announced the remainder of the lineup for May 10 and 11, and the list is substantial. Wolves in the Throne Room, Weedpecker, Kadabra, Steak, Crippled Black Phoenix, Earth Tongue, Apostle of Solitude, Orsak:Oslo, Margarita Witch Cult, REZN, Bongzilla and Slomosa joined the bill one at a time, broadening the scope exponentially in terms of style from searing black metal thrust to sad post-goth to stoner rock of progressive and willfully unprogressive strains and outright ambience, older and newer bands, and geographical range. It’s kind of stunning how commonplace this standard has become for the Desertfest brand over the last decade-plus.

Tickets for each day are also on sale now — in case, what you want to see Acid King and not REZN? it’s okay, I’m not judging; I know people have lives and things to do — but it’s pretty clear looking at the full roster of who’ll play that Desertfest Oslo 2024 is all-in on the thing. And with Kadavar, Monolord, Crippled Black Phoenix and Eyehategod headlining, they’ll rely on a multifaceted draw from the top down through the entire lineup. This feels both like a festival brand reaching into new territory and new collaborations — which it is, absolutely — and a righteous start to what could become a staple of the Spring touring circuit. Do I really need to go on about Norway’s underground boom? Probably not when a hand-picked selection of those responsible are present below to remind you.

Bottom line here is I look forward to seeing how this unfolds even from a distance, but whatever Desertfest Oslo does in the longer term, this is a monster. Behold:

Finally the day splits are here!

As well as day splits we’ve also made single day tickets available from february 29th.

See you may!

Find single day tickets and festivaltickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.no/artist/desertfest-oslo-billetter/1277694

Full lineup:

Friday:
KADAVAR
Monolord
Wolves In The Throne Room
Acid King
Slomosa
Weedpecker
Håndgemeng
Orsak:Oslo
Kadabra
Earth Tongue
Bismarck
Karavan
Superlynx

Saturday:
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX
Brant Bjork
EYEHATEGOD
REZN
The Devil And The Almighty Blues
Bongzilla
Full Earth
Margarita Witch Cult
Steak
Agabas
Saint Karloff
Apostle of Solitude
Suncraft

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https://www.desertfest.no/

Slomosa, “Rice”