And so it begins: The great barrage of festival announcements. Things won’t really pick up until the winter — which is fortunate since nothing else will be going on at that time — but already Roadburn, Desertfest, Freak Valley and others have begun to leak confirmed names from their 2015 lineups, and already I can’t keep up with all of it. I’m not sure which if any of the above I’ll be able to attend next year, but the news is still relevant even if I don’t make it, so I’ll continue to do my best to stay on top of it.

In the case of Roadburn, their now-years-long push into aesthetic diversity seems to be hitting new heights via their partnership with Enslaved and Wardruna for a curated event dubbed “Houses of the Holistic.” The news that Fields of the Nephilim will take part in that event came out yesterday and was received with much appropriately gothic cooing. Also reaffirming their commitment to the riff, RidingEasy Records upstarts Monolord and Electric Citizen have also been added, so as ever, Roadburn‘s got a little bit of everything going already, and only more to come.

Snagged this off the PR wire:

FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM TO PLAY TWO EXCLUSIVE SHOWS AT ROADBURN FESTIVAL 2015

We are honored to announce that British gothic rock innovators Fields Of The Nephilim will be gracing the stage twice at the 20th edition of the Roadburn Festival atthe 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands. In addition to serving as the Saturday headliner on April 11, 2015, the band will perform a different set as special guests at ‘Houses Of The Holistic’ on Friday, the special Roadburn event curated by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Wardruna’s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik, which will be held on Friday, April 10.

Currently 30 years into a groundbreaking career, Fields of the Nephilim have had a major impact on an entire generation of musicians and music fans. Led by singer Carl McCoy, the Stevenage, England band fused the darker elements of post-punk with more overtly American sounds such as blues and outlaw country, creating a sound that was gritty, grandiose, and menacing, unlike anything that was made before or since. Such classic albums as Dawnrazor, The Nephilim, and Elizium helped shape the goth subculture, but at the same time played a profound role in influencing a wide array of today’s music, ranging from indie, to occult rock, to metal. Such contemporary bands as Watain, Katatonia, Horseback, and Enslaved cite the Nephilim as a major influence.

“Fields of the Nephilim has accepted our invitation for our “Houses of the Holistic” at Roadburn 2015. Bleep! Anything I say after that sentence is going to seem insignificant in comparison, so no pressure for once,” says Bjørnson, “I’ve been a avid fan of Carl McCoy and Fields of the Nephilim since I was introduced to them during the early years of Enslaved; and they have remained a constant source of inspiration ever since (check out the song ‘Nordlys’ from our Scion-EP ‘The Sleeping Gods’, for instance). Having these absolute masters of sublime Music from the Shadows as very special guests at our curated event is as big as it gets; April 2015 just can’t come fast enough! Aaaaaarrrrggghhh!”

Comments Selvik: “The basic idea of our ‘Houses of the Holistic’ is of course about inviting bands we find interesting and would love to see perform but it is also about creating an event that at the same time says something about what shaped and inspired us on our own creative path – AND – since the authors of the poetic Edda are long since gone I personally have difficulty thinking of a more fitting band than Fields of the Nephilim to give voice to that idea.”

We at Roadburn have been huge supporters of Fields Of The Nephilim since the Dawnrazor album in 1987, and with their influence looming large over so many acts that have played at our festival over the years, hosting these two special performances at Roadburn 2015 couldn’t be more appropriate.

In related news: In keeping with our tradition of bringing you the finest rock ‘n’ roll ceremony of occultish, Sabbathian shades and sounds, we’re thrilled to announce that Ohio’s Electric Citizen will play on Saturday, April 11. Sweden’s hotly-tipped psychedelic stoner sludge outfit Monolord (as in lords of monolithic riffing) will bring their massive mesmeric, speaker-rumbling amplifier worship to Roadburn Festival 2015 on Thursday, April 9.

Roadburn Festival 2015 (including The Heads as Artist In Residence, Enslaved and Wardruna among others) will run for four days from Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

http://www.roadburn.com/
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Monolord, Empress Rising (2014)

Here’s what I know: I know that between having Enslaved‘s Ivar Bjørnson and Wardruna‘s Einar Kvitrafn Selvik curating and having The Heads as artist-in-residence, Roadburn 2015 is going to make for one adventurous weekend. The craziest thing about it? It’ll totally work. It’ll be amazing. Don’t doubt it. At this point Roadburn‘s vibe is so dead-on that if, say, you want to have a day hand-picked by dudes in black and folk metal bands while off in a corner somewhere there’s a handful of British psych rockers jamming out, rest assured, the crowd’s gonna have no problem rolling with the spirit of the event. Further, it’s stuff like this that makes Roadburn what it is.

Looking forward particularly to seeing what Bjørnson adds to his curated day, since my understanding is he’s into heavy rock of various stripes, but special performances by both Enslaved and Wardruna as a part of the evening’s events is an excellent way to start while we wait for further announcements.

Dig it:

IVAR BJØRNSON OF ENSLAVED AND WARDRUNA’S EINAR KVITRAFN SELVIK TO CURATE ROADBURN FESTIVAL 2015

(Special shows by Enslaved and Wardruna)

We’re beyond thrilled to announce that Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved and Wardruna’s Einar Kvitrafn Selvik will curate the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival, on Friday, April 10, 2015 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

As curators, both Ivar and Einar will personally select the bands for their curated Roadburn event, named ‘Houses of the Holistic’, and play special shows with Enslaved and Wardruna respectively as well.

The Norwegian pair, both former Roadburn performers, have played an important role in bringing together the past, present and future sounds of hard rock, progressive metal, and alternative scenes, which makes them the ideal choice to carry on the tradition that began in 2008 with David Tibet of Current 93, and continued with Neurosis, Tom G. Warrior, Sunn 0))), Voivod, Jus Oborn of Electric Wizard and Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth.

One of the most hard-hitting and progressive bands to come out of Norway, Enslaved has drawn other musical genres and artistic expressions into the realm of metal, while being recognized for merging tradition and modernity in a unique blend of rock, prog and black metal, earning them Spellemann Awards (Norwegian Grammys) for much acclaimed and groundbreaking albums such as ‘Isa’, ‘Ruun’, and ‘Vertebrae’ among others.

Enslaved’s performance, dubbed ‘House of Northern Gods’, will consist of a set list specially put together for ‘Houses of the Holistic’, featuring songs from the band’s entire catalogue that embody the Norse gods, with accompanying visuals created by revered Romanian artist, Costin Chioreanu. Be prepared for a surprise or two, or even more.

Ivar Bjørnson comments: “To say that my dream as a kid was to one day curate the Roadburn Festival would perhaps be to take it a tad too far – but it isn’t that far from the truth. There’s some ridiculously big shoes to fill, but luckily negative pressure, idea draught and performance anxiety aren’t something I’m into. It is my favourite festival in one of my favourite parts of the world; so this is nothing short of one the biggest honours I’ve been given! It is a privilege to undertake this challenge in twosome with Einar; an artist I truly feel in tune with artistically and philosophically – now it is all about hard work and dedication to ensure that the audience and the festival itself is given a Friday to enjoy, experience and remember. I for one can’t wait!”

Winning the award for Best Underground Band at the 2104 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, Wardruna has taken Einar Kvitrafn Selvik’s musical visions out of the contemporary framework and back into the authentic sounds and instrumentation of ancient Northern Europe. Wardruna (featuring Gaahl and Lindy Fay Hella, alongside Einar) received rave reviews for their mesmerizing 2009 debut ‘Gap Var Ginnunga’ and equally exciting follow up, ‘Yggdrasil’, the first two albums in the planned ‘Runaljod’ trilogy that interprets the ancient runic alphabet of the Elder Futhark.

Wardruna’s special ‘Houses of the Holistic’ performance will definitely add another dimension to the kaleidoscope of styles and sounds associated with Roadburn.

“It is such a great honour for me; to be awarded the responsibility of carrying out the traditional role of the Roadburn curator”, says Einar Kvitrafn Selvik. “Doing it together with Ivar makes it even more special. Roadburn is in my opinion such a high-level music festival – all quality to the fingertips. It is also a festival where presenting high quality musical art is more important than anything else, such as genre distinctions and scene divisions. We will work hard to deliver a program that both explore territories one has come to expect at Roadburn, while at the same time continue to expand its boundaries into new sonic realms.”

While the two curators’ musical output differs instrumentally and stylistically, Bjørnson and Selvik have a common direction towards the primeval and undiluted, not only in their own artistic expressions but also in their taste for other music, which is ultimately what they wish to present at Roadburn 2015 during ‘Houses of the Holistic’. We look forward to this collaboration and cannot wait to see how both Ivar and Einar will expand Roadburn Festival‘s musical horizons as well as explore more familiar territory from new angles. We will definitely be in for some artistic surprises, and Norway’s Norse history, too!

Roadburn Festival 2015 (including The Heads as Artist In Residence) will run for four days from Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

http://www.roadburn.com/
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Enslaved, “Thoughts Like Hammers” official video

It was a bummer this year when UK psych legends The Heads bowed out of their appearance at the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands, but if year-to-year Roadburn has proved anything, it’s never count out the fest’s ability to make up for any lost ground. Oh, you’ve got a volcano grounding flights so people can’t get to play their sets? Bring them over next year and give them better slots. The Heads can’t play in 2014? Well, bring them over in 2015 and make them artists in residence, playing multiple sets that include Paul Allen in the mix and come on the heels of a reissue of their landmark second album, Everybody Knows We Got Nowhere, on their own Rooster Records.

That reissue is due out Sept. 28 in deluxe form — it’s a 2CD or 5LP, take your pick — and for the 20th Roadburn, it’s hard to think of a better way for the festival’s spirit to be embodied than to bring back The Heads for another go in even grander fashion.

Dig it:

THE HEADS (ALLEN, MASKELL, MORGAN, PRICE) – ARTIST IN RESIDENCE ROADBURN FESTIVAL 2015

We’re elated to announce that The Heads (Allen, Maskell, Morgan, Price) will return to Roadburn, their spiritual home in Europe, to follow in the footsteps of Enslaved, Circle, Justin K Broadrick and Neige (Alcest) as Artist In Residence at the 2015 festival (the 20th edition), set for April 9 – 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

For this very rare appearance, Paul Allen (Prof) is back in on lead guitar, completing the circle. All of the band members have been busy, Simon, Wayne and Hugo with Kandodo, Paul with Anthroprophh, and in the past year Wayne and (now) Hugo have joined Loop.

Meanwhile, The Heads reissue campaign rolls onwards, with the re-release of their second album “Everybody Knows we Got Nowhere” on their label, Rooster Records.

As Artist In Residence, The Heads will play separate sets over the course of Roadburn 2015. The first will be Kandodo and Anthroprophh, followed by a one-off collaborative freakout with a fellow traveller (TBC).

The band’s residency will culminate in some serious wigged out riffmongery and the melding point of amped-up space rock with blistering krautrock workouts on the main stage on Saturday, April 11.

At last, The Heads will turn their amps up once more and they will pummel the ears and minds of all who bear witness!

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Heads/282801075465

The Heads, “Long Gone” from Everybody Knows We Got Nowhere