Posted in Whathaveyou on April 2nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Ah, Sacri Monti, summering in Europe once again. By my count this upcoming run — which looks like a banger with stops at Freak Valley (see you there), Pamouss Festival, Rock in Bourlon, Stoned From the Underground and Red Smoke finishing in Poland — will be at least the sixth time the five-piece have gone abroad to tour in the decade since their first album came out, and that’s pretty significant even before you get to those asterisked plague years.
The occasion of their return to Euro shores in 2025 is to continue to support last year’s LP, Retrieval (review here), and at this point, a lot of this band’s life has happened on the road. It’s been a few years since I caught them last, but their sound has only grown in that time and the latest record is their finest work to-date, so if you’re in Europe and you’re at this point kind of getting used to having the band around, maybe starting to take them for granted, my advice is don’t.
The following was hoisted from socials:
SACRI MONTI – EUROPE 2025 TOUR
We are proud to announce another European tour this year in support of our latest album ‘Retrieval.’ Looking forward a handful of festivals and club shows in some new and familiar places we’ve been. Tour poster design by the talented @branca_studio Big thanks to @swampbooking for another banger. See you soon Europe….
Europe 2025 20/06/2025 DE Siegen Freak Valley 21/06/2025 NL Tilburg Little Devil 22/06/2025 NL Amsterdam de Tanker in Noord 24/06/2025 IT Sezzadio Cascina Bellaria 25/06/2025 IT Treviso Altroquando 26/06/2025 CH Aarau Kiff 27/06/2025 FR Manigod Namass Pamouss festival 28/06/2025 FR Dijon Tanneries II 29/06/2024 FR Bourlon Rock In Bourlon 03/07/2025 DK Ebsjerg Kulturscenen 04/07/2025 DK Copenhagen Lygtens Kro 05/07/2025 SE Stockholm Geronimo’s FGT 06/07/2025 SE Malmo Plan B 08/07/2025 DE Berlin Neue Zukunft 09/07/2025 AT Vienna Viper Room 10/07/2025 SK Bratislava Žalár 11/07/2025 DE Erfurt Stoned From The Underground 12/07/2025 PL Pleszew Red Smoke Festival
Sacri Monti is: Brenden Dellar -Guitar Dylan Donovan- Guitar Anthony Meier- Bass Evan Wenskay- Organ, Synth Thomas Dibenedetto- Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 24th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
That’s it for Freak Valley 2025 as regards lineup adds — a special moment in the cycle of any annual festival, as the complete shape of the thing is revealed for the first time to the people who’ll be attending — though the Germany-based festival set for June 19-21 on the gorgeous AWO grounds in Netphen apparently couldn’t resist sneaking a few names in under the wire. Seeing Bushfire added brought a smile to my face, as they’re something of a house band at Freak Valley that, in the now-several years I’ve been lucky enough to attend the festival, haven’t played. So much the better as they’ll do so with the occasion of a new album.
The Ocean are the last headliner to be announced Freak Valley‘s long-since-sold-out 2025 edition, and they join Motorpsycho and the reunited The Sword at the head of a significant bill bolstered by the classic boogie of Sacri Monti and London punkers Jools. I’ve never seen The Ocean, though I know Pelagic Records does a lot of killer, important work, so that will be an interesting first-time experience, and taking in the full bill from the poster below, it looks like it’s going ot be a wild couple days out in that field. Fingers crossed for good weather.
From social media:
Freaks, it’s time!
Our sold-out Freak Valley Festival 2025 is adding the last pieces to the puzzle, and it’s gonna be MASSIVE!
🔥 THE OCEAN – will be headlining Freak Valley Festival! Prepare for an epic sonic journey through crushing heaviness and deep atmospheres!
🔥 SACRI MONTI – Heavy-psych riff madness straight from California!
🔥 JOOLS – The UK punk collective bringing raw energy and rebellion! This one’s gonna be wild!
🔥 BUSHFIRE – Our longtime friends are bringing the heat to Freak Valley Festival with a Record Release Show!
Heavy, soulful, and packed with pure, unfiltered energy – their new album is ready to shake the valley, and you’ll be the first to experience it live!
The Valley is calling, and you’ve answered! Let’s make this one for the books.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 31st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Following a first announcement that featured Monolord, Splinter, the Parker Griggs-led El Perro, Brant Bjork Trio and Stonerhead, the by-now-legendary Stoned From the Underground festival in Germany has made four more confirmations. And I know that might not seem like a ton, but frankly, they’re four killer-enough bands that I don’t think you need names to add. Persuasive enough is the argument of San Diego boogie-prog stalwarts Sacri Monti, Finnish out-there-bound jammers Skyjoggers, Elephant Tree making a return to the stage after years of (reasonably) limited activity, and Rochester psych-prog/prog-psych rockers King Buffalo, whose prior confirmation for Bear Stone Festival in Croatia (held July 3-6) begins to give some shape to their European tour plans for the summer.
Stoned From the Underground celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025 — which I guess has made counting easy enough? — and if you don’t think that’s a big deal, I dunno, do anything let alone run a pioneering underground heavy music festival for a quarter-century of your life and see where you wind up. I’ve done my best in years past to keep up with the festival, which among all of them seems to be brought the least to my eyes by the algorithm — to wit, I missed the first announcement — and will do the same for the coming edition. By the time they get there it’s always a daydream, and with these four bands alone, this already would be.
Onward to what I snagged from socials and that snazzy new King Buffalo single:
⚡️STONED FROM THE UNDERGROUND 2025⚡️
July 10, 11, 12
We’re thrilled to announce fresh bands for the 25th Stoned from the Underground Festival:
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 31st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
We knew Elder were going to spend a decent portion of the Spring on tour in Europe, and today brings word that they’ll do the US before that as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of 2015’s genre-landmark third album, Lore (review here), by playing it in full on stage. They also note there will be older songs in the set too, and wouldn’t be surprised if that means 2012’s Spires Burn/Release EP (review here) gets some representation in the set. I seem to recall from shows of the era that that stuff went well together, at least.
I’ve included the Euro dates here as well in case that’s relevant to you. And a further word to the wise, check out Moon Destroys. It’s Juan Mantoya (ex-Torche, MonstrO), Evan DiPrima (ex-Royal Thunder) and Charlie Suarez (also MonstrO). They’ve got a single out called “The Nearness of June” (posted below) that rules. Sacri Monti of course are more of a known quantity with more records out, and their 2024 LP, Retrieval (review here), should certainly be among the reasons to look forward to this tour.
From social media:
ELDER – LORE 10th ANNIVERSARY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Following our announcement of European dates to celebrate Lore turning 10, we’re pleased to also reveal our North American dates next April! We’ll be performing a full album playthrough of the 2015 record along with older songs from the fold before turning our focus back to album 7.
Joining us on this run are two fantastic bands, SACRI MONTI and Moon Destroys.
Sacri Monti are old friends from San Diego whose sun-soaked progressive psych always blows our mind. Check their latest album “Retrieval” now!
Moon Destroys is a newer project from ex-members of Torche, Royal Thunder and MonstrO. We got a sneak peek at their upcoming LP and let’s just say if you dig downtuned, shoegazing, dreamy riff-rock you’re in for a treat.
4/3 Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows 4/4 Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar 4/5 Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House 4/6 Asheville, NC @ Eulogy 4/8 Orlando, FL @ The Conduit 4/9 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl 4/11 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups 4/12 Chicago, IL @ Reggies 4/13 Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary 4/14 Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room 4/15 Toronto, ON @ Axis 4/17 Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount 4/18 Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom 4/19 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East / Downstairs
Original LORE album artwork by Adrian Dexter Poster by Adam Hill
ELDER – LORE 10th ANNIVERSARY TOUR – EUROPE
08.05.2025 Hamburg (DE), Bahnhof Pauli 09.05.2025 Copenhagen (DK), Colossal Festival 10.05.2025 Oslo (NO), Desertfest Oslo 11.05.2025 Stockholm (SE), Hus 7 13.05.2025 Esch-Alzette (LU), Kulturfabrik 14.05.2025 Tourcoing (FR), Le Grand Mix 15.05.2025 to be announced soon 16.05.2025 London (UK), Desertfest London 17.05.2025 Nijmegen (NL), Sonic Whip 20.05.2025 Wiesbaden (DE), Schlachthof Kesselhaus 21.05.2025 Lyon (FR), L’Epicerie Moderne 22.05.2025 Lucerne (CH), Sedel 23.05.2025 Munich (DE), Feierwerk 25.05.2025 Berlin (DE), Desertfest Berlin
Elder is: Nick DiSalvo – Guitars, Vocals Mike Risberg – Guitars, Keys Jack Donovan – Bass Georg Edert – Drums
San Diego classic heavy rockers Sacri Monti are set to release their third album, Retrieval, on July 26 through Tee Pee Records. And as much as the 37-minute six-tracker merrily bends time to its whims in terms of the melding of heavy ’70s progressivism and modern expanse, it has still been five real years since the five-piece’s last studio full-length, 2019’s Waiting Room for the Magic Hour (review here), though they did in 2023 issue live at Sonic Whip MMXII (review here), capturing their performance at the Dutch heavyfest of the same name and introducing listeners to new songs “Desirable Sequel” — a phrase one might use to describe Retrieval itself — and “Intermediate Death.” Following the opener “Maelstrom,” those two appear in succession on the new record, as part of an included trilogy of counterintuitive adjectives and nouns that also encompasses the vinyl’s side B opener, “Brackish Honeycomb,” before the interlude “Moon Canyon” and nine-minute closer “More Than I” (premiering below) complete the proceedings with some of Sacri Monti‘s most ambitious and richest sounds to-date.
Like its predecessor, Retrieval flows smoothly and is unrepentantly speaking to vintage ideas in the organ work of Evan Wenskay and the shuffling riffcraft of Dylan Donovan and Brenden Dellar (also vocals), given solid form and push by Anthony Meier‘s bass and Thomas DiBenedetto‘s drumming. But as they lean toward a more modern recording sound, the sprawl of their melodies has never sounded quite so realized, and in the pairing of shorter and longer cuts throughout, they find a way to balance a kind of rhythmic restlessness next to more patient, flowing ideas. This is the up-front message sent as “Maestrom” — which feels like it was born to open a live set — builds to a synth-laced tension of chug and Dellar begins a first verse after two of its three minutes have passed, and “Desirable Sequel” unfurls from there, setting out with quiet guitar meander and establishing a melancholy vocal narrative. It might be considered of a kind on some levels with “Slipping From the Day,” which appeared on the band’s self-titled debut (review here) in 2015, but the comparison only emphasizes the growth the years since have wrought in their sound, likewise affirmed by the clarity with which “Intermediate Death” spins out its initial intensity only to drop to standalone organ and lands in the plague-era malaise of the verse, marked by the lines repeated later, “Running through this world on empty/Tryin’ to do the best I can.”
Since their inception, Sacri Monti have had the ability to splinter off in one movement or another, the guitars and organ taking melodic flight while Meier and DiBenedetto provide crucial ground beneath, only to come together around a verse, chorus, whatever it might be. “Intermediate Death” is more straightforward in terms of structure, ultimately, but still holds this spirit as the lush hook unfolds, all the more conveying its emotional crux with the five members of the band heading to the same place at the same time.
“Brackish Honeycomb” follows with Thin Lizzy-style guitar (and organ) leads and classic prog jabs, but its eight-minute course is a precursor for “More Than I” to come in its sweep, and as they move through the second half of the song, the drums, bass, organ and guitars, in succession, take a moment to shine with jammy breadth before turning back to see how far they’ve come via more lockstep lead guitar. This is Sacri Monti at their best — vibrant, writing for the ‘magic hour’ they’ll spend playing on a stage, making the most of the chemistry and instrumental conversation happening — and they arrive at that moment organically, as “Brackish Honeycomb” proceeds, giving it due and purposeful culmination before departing to the acoustic, lap steel, and Mellotron-ish sounds of the sub-three-minute, duly echoing “Moon Canyon.”
And part of the reason “Moon Canyon” lands where it does on the record is likely to give space between “Brackish Honeycomb” and “More Than I,” which are Retrieval‘s two longest and farthest reaching tracks, but the atmospheric reset also informs the context in which the closer sets forth. It is progressive enough in its mood to remind of Astra, and patient in the verse without being staid as the band build toward the short guitar solo after the three-minute mark, then double-back to the song’s intro and set out again, only to wind up in a more subdued instrumental stretch, not quite a jam, but a go-with-it kind of groove that opens to lush keyboard melody and a build that carries them to Dellar‘s subtly Sabbathian “whoa-oh yeah,” and off to double-guitar soar from there. The serenity of that moment doesn’t last — Sacri Monti aren’t hanging out anywhere for too long — as there’s one more build into the finish, but it’s acoustic guitar that closes, and the prevailing sentiment complements the melancholia throughout, without letting go of the live energy that’s obviously so crucial to the character of the band.
In that way, as well as in the complexity of its songwriting, the thoughtfulness of its melodies and the care put into its arrangements, Retrieval feels like a definitive work on Sacri Monti‘s part. At the show — whichever show; they play plenty of them — it’s the kind of thing they could do live in its entirety and represent their stylistic scope, and by the time “More Than I” finished, it’s easy to imagine a line at the merch table to grab LPs. Can’t argue. However long it may or may not have been in the making, Retrieval comes across like a culmination, and front to back, it brings the listener with it on a course that is dynamic and not untroubled, but nonetheless able to swing through whatever comes. There’s a lesson in there for the listener, to be sure.
“More Than I” premieres on the player below. I advise a deep breath before you dive in, and thank you for reading.
PR wire info, including European Please enjoy:
In recent years, Sacri Monti has transcended sonic expectations to create a singular sound so unique that their name has become synonymous with invention.
Signed to Tee Pee Records, this July the SoCal five-piece are back to show once again why they are one of the label’s leading progressive lights with the release of their third studio album, Retrieval.
Formed in Oceanside in 2012 the band has ridden the crest of an enduring wave of unmissable heavy psych bands that have emerged from the San Diego area. So much so that in 2018, Roadburn Festival invited them to take part in a ‘San Diego Takeover’, which found the band showcasing their inimitable sound alongside peers such as Arctic, Harsh Toke, Joy, and a handful of others.
Fans will also be pleased to hear that this summer Sacri Monti embark on a European tour in support of the album, dates, and details of which can be found below.
There’s no question that Sacri Monti has upped their game on Retrieval. Due for release on 26th July 2024 via Tee Pee Records we highly advise you to do the same. Pre-order the album here: https://hypeddit.com/sacrimonti/maelstrom
European Tour Dates
1/8 – Blah Blah – Turin, Italy 2/8 – Pietra Sonica Fest – Osoppo Udine, Italy 3/8 – Palp Festival – Couvert du Goly. Switzerland 5/8 – Stone Smoker – Louny, Czech Republic 6/8 – Channel Zero – Ljubljana, Slovenia 9/8 – Sonic Blast Festival – Moledo, Portugal 10/8 – Hoflarm Open Air – Seelbach, Germany 11/8 – Urban Spree – Berlin, Germany 14/8 – dB’s – Utrecht, Netherlands 15/8 – Merlyn – Nijmegen, Netherlands 17/8 – Volcano Sessions – Montpeloux, France 18/8 – Secret Place – Montpellier, France 21/8 – Le Cirque Electrique – Paris, France 22/8 – The Black Heart – London, UK 23/8 – 1865 – Southampton, UK 24/8 – Kazimier Stockroom – Liverpool, UK 25/8 – Cosmic Vibration Fest – Sheffield, UK
Track Listing
1. Maelstrom 2. Desirable Sequel 3. Intermediate Death 4. Brackish/Honeycomb 5. Moon Canyon 6. More Than I
Sacri Monti is: Brenden Dellar -Guitar Dylan Donovan- Guitar Anthony Meier- Bass Evan Wenskay- Organ, Synth Thomas Dibenedetto- Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 27th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
This news came through last week, but I was in Quarterly Review Land, so I do hope you’ll pardon the tardiness. In any case, the internet’s big enough to accommodate me being late on a thing, and in the interim, Sacri Monti‘s Retrieval hit the inbox so I’ve actually had a chance to listen to a thing that’s coming out before writing about it. Novelty, I know.
First of all, it’s way ’70s sounding. Not vintage like they’re trying to pretend it’s 1973 and instead of Nixon and war it’s weed and riffs, but organic in its root and you can hear that right away on “Maelstrom,” which is both the lead single and opening track. A driving chug of guitar given tension through low-key ace-in-the-hole drumming and complemented by organ and a glut of effects, in and out in three minutes’ time. Easy to dig. The record grows more expansive as it moves into side B, but they keep that it’s-called-prog-rock-because-it’s-progressive-and-it-rocks sentiment throughout and I stoked to get to know the songs better. It’s been five long years since 2019’s Waiting Room for the Magic Hour (review here), and the San Diego five-piece sound like they’re ready to move forward.
They’ll do so later this summer on a European tour following Retrieval‘s July 26 release through Tee Pee Records, as the PR wire tell it:
SACRI MONTI’s Retrieval will be released via Tee Pee Records on 26th July 2024
San Diego’s premier spaced-out psych quintet are back in Europe with their heaviest and most progressive album yet…
In recent years, Sacri Monti has transcended sonic expectations to create a singular sound so unique that their name has become synonymous with invention.
Signed to Tee Pee Records, this July the SoCal five-piece are back to show once again why they are one of the label’s leading progressive lights with the release of their third studio album, Retrieval.
Formed in Oceanside in 2012 the band has ridden the crest of an enduring wave of unmissable heavy psych bands that have emerged from the San Diego area. So much so that in 2018, Roadburn Festival invited them to take part in a ‘San Diego Takeover’, which found the band showcasing their inimitable sound alongside peers such as Arctic, Harsh Toke, Joy, and a handful of others.
The first single taken from Retrieval also happens to be the opening salvo, ‘Maelstrom’; a whirling 70s prog rock opus that recalls the chugging riff/organ majesty of Machine Head-era Deep Purple, slung with the Space Ritual vibes of Hawkwind. A fine and fitting way to ease listeners into a heady and head-banging assembly of new songs which, like previous album – 2019’s Waiting Room for the Magic Hour – thrives on the art of keeping you guessing.
Fans will also be pleased to hear that this summer Sacri Monti embark on a European tour in support of the album, dates, and details of which can be found below.
There’s no question that Sacri Monti has upped their game on Retrieval. Due for release on 26th July 2024 via Tee Pee Records we highly advise you to do the same. Pre-order the album here and check out ‘Maelstrom” now! EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:
1/8 – Blah Blah – Turin, Italy 2/8 – Pietra Sonica Fest – Osoppo Udine, Italy 3/8 – Palp Festival – Couvert du Goly. Switzerland 5/8 – Stone Smoker – Louny, Czech Republic 6/8 – Channel Zero – Ljubljana, Slovenia 9/8 – Sonic Blast Festival – Moledo, Portugal 10/8 – Hoflarm Open Air – Seelbach, Germany 11/8 – Urban Spree – Berlin, Germany 14/8 – dB’s – Utrecht, Netherlands 15/8 – Merlyn – Nijmegen, Netherlands 17/8 – Volcano Sessions – Montpeloux, France 18/8 – Secret Place – Montpellier, France 21/8 – Le Cirque Electrique – Paris, France 22/8 – The Black Heart – London, UK 23/8 – 1865 – Southampton, UK 24/8 – Kazimier Stockroom – Liverpool, UK 25/8 – Cosmic Vibration Fest – Sheffield, UK
TRACK LISTING: 1. Maelstrom 2. Desirable Sequel 3. Intermediate Death 4. Brackish/Honeycomb 5. Moon Canyon 6. More Than I
Sacri Monti is: Brenden Dellar -Guitar Dylan Donovan- Guitar Anthony Meier- Bass Evan Wenskay- Organ, Synth Thomas Dibenedetto- Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 22nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
San Diego heavy psychedelic rockers Sacri Monti have finished recording their yet-untitled third full-length for release later this year. Pictured below with producer Eric Bauer at Discount Mirrors, the band issued Live at Sonic Whip MMXXII (review here) last year through Burning World/Sonic Whip, and though one assumes Tee Pee Records will handle the studio release to come since they did 2019’s Waiting Room for the Magic Hour (review here) and Sacri Monti‘s 2015 self-titled debut (review here), but it occurs to me I have no confirmation of that.
But it seems to have been a joyous process, if the posts I saw from bassist Anthony Meier were anything to go by. Osees‘ John Dwyer stopped in for a bit, which was surely rad, and it looked like the focus was on playing live, getting that energy onto tape as best as possible. I hope to and look forward to engaging with the results and hearing what the last five years have brought to Sacri Monti‘s sound. I haven’t heard any of it beyond the new songs that were on the live record, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one with just about nothing to base that on except the band’s own history and the fact that they looked like they had a good time putting it together. But I think that might be enough to go on, at least for now.
When I see or hear anything else, I’ll post it. Expect release news and tour dates both, as Sacri Monti will return to Europe this summer and are already confirmed to appear at SonicBlast Fest and Hoflärm 2024, happening on the same weekend in Portugal and Germany, respectively. While a just-that trip would likely be intense enough to count as a whole tour, more dates to come feels like a safe expectation.
So, for now, here’s what I saw to mark the end of the recording/mixing process:
Just wrapped up recording and mixing our third studio album in the past 7 days. The process was a lot of fun and everything came together sonically with this one. It was a pleasure and an honor to work with Eric Bauer at Discount Mirrors Studio in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for release date and upcoming plans. Onward!
Sacri Monti is: Brenden Dellar -Guitar Dylan Donovan- Guitar Anthony Meier- Bass Evan Wenskay- Organ, Synth Thomas Dibenedetto- Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 3rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
After celebrating the fifth anniversary edition in 2023, German festival Hoflärm has made known the first round of acts confirmed for its three-day stretch from Aug. 8-10. If you’re paying attention — and I know you are — that’s the same weekend that SonicBlast Fest is happening in Portugal, and Brant Bjork Trio, Wine Lips, Sacri Monti, Home Front and Poison Ruin are confirmed for that as well, so there’s going to be some driving happening that weekend across Western Europe, to be sure. Nonetheless, the initial lineup reveal for Hoflärm finds the German fest welcoming Slomatics and Siena Root in addition to the above, and from this we can glean that Brooklyn’s Castle Rat will be taking their theatrical show abroad supporting their to-be-released debut LP, and Bikini Beach, Thronehammer and Tornet round out. If this was it — and as the poster tells you, it isn’t — you’d call it three days well spent. Or I would, anyhow.
From social media:
HOFLÄRM – First Band Announcement – THE RIDE IS ALWAYS LOW
Join us 2024 for the 6th stony ride to Hoflärm! We are very happy to announce the first bands of the line-up today! We also announce the start of the presale by 01.01.2024 at 6 pm (link in bio)!
Get ready for our first Headliner @winelipsband !
Coming all the way from Canada, Wine Lips will tear down the stage with a big Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party of their current album! If you know, you know!
Needles to say, @brant_bjork is a legend. Therefore we felt very honoured to welcome Brant, @mariolalli and Ryan Gut for the second time to the unholy woods of mary valley! Back at Hoflärm 2022 these guys visited with Stöner, in 2024 they will hit Hoflärm with a special Brant Björk set!
You wanted something new, you get something new! @poisonruin and @arewenothomefront will test you apart with their fresh sound! Poison ruin will deliver you some Infest the Rats‘Nest Vibes, while Home Front brings you the energy with their influences by Joy Division, High Vis and late 80s Post Punk.
We welcome @siena root, @slomatics and @sacri_monti_band ! These three bands are the holy trio of stoner, psych and doom!
What would be a Hoflärm Fest without our dearest Friends Sabine, Jan and Andre ? This year they will come to perform with @earthship_official
Castle Rat will be for the first time in Europe! They just played Desertfest New York with their Electric Wizard inspired Doom!
To complete this announcement we welcome @thronehammer.official , @bikini_beach_fuzz & @tornet_xvi !
