Satan’s Satyrs: New Single “Quick Quiet Raid” Out Friday; Band Signs to Tee Pee Records

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 7th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

satan's satyrs (Photo by Jordan Vance)

A bit of housekeeping here as the PR wire steps up to make official the return of Satan’s Satyrs. Perhaps relocated from their Virginia home to NY, the classic heavy rock unit led by bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess announced early last month they’d reunited with a new lineup, would have a new single and live shows and all that we’re-a-band-again stuff. What’s new here is making public the band’s signing to Tee Pee Records for Quick Quiet Raid and the preorder link for the 7″. One assumes this is kind of a precursor to a fuller return in 2024, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an LP at least in the works by the end of next year if not before. You’ll note in the below Burgess says he’s been writing all the while.

Cool stuff to come, one hopes. We’re into November now, so there’s as much that’s going to be about next year as this one, but with the single on the way, I don’t think you’re wrong to think of it as something to applies to today as much as eight months in the future, or however long it ends up being until they get another record together. Gets the old “we’ll see,” I guess.

From the PR wire, as noted:

satan's satyrs quick quiet raid

Cult Scuzz Rockers Satan’s Satyrs Return with 7″ Single, Live Shows, and a Pledge of Allegiance to Tee Pee Records

After calling it a day in 2019, this Friday the NY-based biker trash/occult obsessed quartet will be reborn again via new single ‘Quick Quiet Raid’

Pre-order their 7″ single here ahead of its release through Specimen Records/Tee Pee Records on 10th November 2023: https://teepeerecords.com/products/satans-satyrs-quick-quiet-raid-7-out-11-10-23

After years in the void, heavy rock devotees Satan’s Satyrs are back to deliver a lumbering, glam doom Frankenstein of a tune with 7″ single ‘Quick Quiet Raid’, the band’s first stab at new music since 2018’s The Lucky Ones.

Having harboured a cult following for over ten years and four indispensable albums prior to their split – Electric Wizard’s Jus Oborn once described them as, “Violent, filthy, ugly and loud like it should be” – the band is thrilled to announce that they’ve signed to legendary New York label, Tee Pee Records.

“It’s a great fit for us because they can appreciate our odd-band-out legacy,” explains bassist, Clayton Burgess. “Tee Pee Records has a long history of cultivating a heavy freak rock underground and we feel right at home in that universe.”

Soaking Sabbath, Venom, The Stooges, and Blue Cheer in acid and acrimony, the quartet’s love of exploitation movies and horror culture have always permeated their music, and none more so than on their latest paean to primitive rock. Replete with howling vocals and a freak-fuzz guitar meltdown, this is volcanism at its finest and signals a return to form for Dungeon Rock’s wayward sons.

“Even during the band’s recess, I never stopped writing,” Burgess continues. “We were always the riffy band on punk bills, the fast band on doom bills, the glam-tinged band on metal bills, with each album sounding different from the last. As new material slowly amassed and the right players fell into place, the potential couldn’t be ignored. The band could be a vital force again.”

The band also take to the road this month for a string of live dates, all of which you’ll find below. Pre-order their 7″ single here ahead of its release via Specimen Records/Tee Pee Records on 10th November 2023.
LIVE DATES:

14/11 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
15/11 – The Warehouse – Richmond, VA
16/11 – The Runaway – Washington, DC
13/12 – Knitting Factory – Baker Falls, NY

SATAN’S SATYRS:
Russ Yusef – Drums
Morgan McDaniel – Guitar
Clayton Burgess – Bass, Vocals
Jarrett Nettnin – Guitar

https://www.instagram.com/satanssatyrs/
http://satanssatyrs.bandcamp.com/
https://satanssatyrs.bigcartel.com/

teepeerecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/teepeerecords/
https://teepeerecords.bandcamp.com/

Satan’s Satyrs, “Quick Quiet Raid” teaser

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Satan’s Satyrs Reunite w/ New Lineup; Live Shows Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 8th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Satan's Satyrs 2023

Virginian doom rockers Satan’s Satyrs broke up in 2019 following a successful run of 10 years and four full-lengths — the last of them was 2018’s The Lucky Ones (review here), on Bad Omen Records — as well as other releases and a tenure that saw founding bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess receive no less of an endorsement than being hand-picked to hold down low end in Electric Wizard for a few years/tours. Not a minor feather in the cap of a young player and I’ve little doubt it was an education unto itself.

If you missed the headline, the band are back. Hey hey! I hear there’s new music in the works — that would presumably be the “and more…” in the discussion of a live set below — and it’ll come from a lineup that now includes Morgan McDaniel (Mirror Queen, ex-The Golden Grass, etc.) on guitar alongside Russ Yusuf on drums, Burgess, and fellow guitarist Jarrett Nittnin. They’ve got three shows booked that are listed below, and let’s assume there will be more to follow after the winter’s thaw.

New album? We live in a universe of infinite possibility. Here’s this in the meantime:

Satan's Satyrs shows

Hey Satan! Hey Lucifer! We’re here, baby!

Very excited to announce that we’ve got the band back together again and we’ve been hard at work crafting a killer set that spans all 4 of our albums and more…! Join us for these select shows as we close out 2023:

11 / 14: Chapel Hill, NC: Local 506
11 / 15: Richmond, VA: The Warehouse
11 / 16: Washington, DC: The Runaway

We’re bringing Maryland Downer Rock freaks @magickpotionband with us so it’s gonna be LOUD!!

Photo by @gutterdrone

Satan’s Satyrs Line-up 2023:
Russ Yusuf – Drums
Morgan McDaniel – Guitar
Clayton Burgess – Bass & Vocals
Jarrett Nettnin – Guitar

https://www.instagram.com/satanssatyrs/
http://satanssatyrs.bandcamp.com/
https://satanssatyrs.bigcartel.com/

Satan’s Satyrs, The Lucky Ones (2018)

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Satan’s Satyrs Announce Breakup; SonicBlast Moledo Performance Canceled

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 29th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

I guess in the end it was probably lineup trouble that did in Satan’s Satyrs. Bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess was a founding member, and guitarist Jarrett Nettnin, if he wasn’t, joined pretty early on as well, but in their decade together, they’d been through a handful of drummers, and though they brought in guitarist Nate Towle in 2016, they’d seen a few other six-stringers come and go along the way as well. That kind of thing can take a toll on a band over time.

Still, Satan’s Satyrs‘ run was plenty productive. Over the course of their 10 years, they released four full-lengths — the latest of which, The Lucky Ones, came out in 2018 on RidingEasy and Bad Omen Records — as well as their 2010 breakthrough EP, Lucifer Lives!, a 2018 split on Relapse with their oft-tourmates Windhand and a host of other live and EP-type outings. While we’re on the subject, they toured steadily as well, hitting Europe multiple times as well as the US, where among many others, they did a run alongside Electric Wizard as Burgess pulled double-duty playing bass at the time for the UK doom legends.

As to what future plans might be, I’m not sure on the whole. Towle has hinted at something coming together with drummer Jason Oberuc — who filled in on Satan’s Satyrs‘ last tour — and vocalist Alyson Dellinger, but it’s all still pretty murky, and as to what the others’ plans might be, I can’t say. They were confirmed to take part in SonicBlast Moledo 2019 in Portugal next month with Sean Saley (ex-Pentagram, etc.) behind the kit, but that appearance as well as all other live dates have been canceled.

For being relatively young, they were veterans who came out of the gate 10 years ago with an aesthetic that was ahead of its time in blending ’70s biker boogie and doom to a VHS-grained effect. They would seem to have influenced more bands one way or another than they know.

Their statement was short and sweet:

satans satyrs done

Satan’s Satyrs is no more. The band’s scheduled appearance at Sonicblast Modelo is cancelled. Thanks for the last ten years, from the first demo tape to the final show.

– Clayton, Jarrett, Nate

https://www.facebook.com/satanssatyrs
https://instagram.com/satanssatyrs/

Satan’s Satyrs, The Lucky Ones (2018)

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SonicBlast Moledo 2019 Adds Monolord, Lucifer, Satan’s Satyrs, MaidaVale, Sacri Monti and More to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 24th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

It was good lineup after one announcement, but here we are and SonicBlast Moledo 2019 has announced the next batch of acts for its bill, which, when you step back and really take it in, seems all the more formidable. Note the San Diego infusion this time around from Sacri Monti, Harsh Toke and Petyr. I can’t help but wonder if that might mean those bands will head out on tour together in Europe sometime around August. Would make sense, since they all seem familiar with each other anyhow, but of course that’s speculation.

What isn’t speculation is that one continues to daydream about a quick weekend trip to Portugal in order to see this festival. Have you ever watched videos from SonicBlast? Seen pictures afterwards? It looks pretty incredible, and somehow the thought of seeing Monolord in such a rare and gorgeous setting seems all the more fun, let alone the classic-style rock of MaidaVale.

Ah, to dream.

The announcement was posted on the ol’ social medias and looked an awful lot like this:

sonicblast moledo 2019 poster square

We’re thrilled to announce ten more bands to the 9th edition of SonicBlast Moledo!

Monolord, LUCIFER, Toundra, Satan’s Satyrs, SACRI MONTI, HARSH TOKE, PETYR, KALEIDOBOLT, MaidaVale and MAGGOT HEART will bring us some loud heavy fuzzy doom tunes!

Om (usa) + Orange Goblin (uk) + My Sleeping Karma (ger) + Windhand (usa) + Monolord (se) + Lucifer (se) + The Obsessed (usa) + Dopethrone (can) + Toundra (es) + Satan’s Satyrs (usa) + Sacri Monti (usa) + Harsh Toke (usa) + Petyr (usa) + Zig Zags (usa) + Kaleidobolt (fi) + Maidavale (se) + Minami Deutsch (jp) + Maggot Heart (se) +++ many more tba +++

Artwork by Branca Studio

Tickets are now available at here.
(Also available in Portugal, through BOL physical point of sales: Fnac, Worten, Ctt’s…)

SonicBlast Moledo 2019
8, 9 and 10 of August
Moledo
Portugal

https://www.facebook.com/events/183265999284942/
https://www.facebook.com/sonicblastmoledo/
https://sonicblastmoledo.com/

Monolord, Live at Saint Vitus Bar, Brooklyn, NY, Sept. 2018

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Quarterly Review: Earthless, Satan’s Satyrs, Mantar, Child, T.G. Olson, Canyon, Circle of the Sun, Mythic Sunship, Svarta Stugan, Bast

Posted in Reviews on December 6th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

quarterly-review

There isn’t enough coffee in the universe, but I’ve got mine and I’m ready to burn the living crap out of my tongue if that’s what it takes to get through. We’ve arrived at Day 4 of the Quarterly Review, and though we’re less than halfway to the 100-album goal set by some maniac sitting at his kitchen table with a now-burnt tongue, there’s been an awful lot of good stuff so far. More even than I thought going into it, and I slate this stuff.

That said, today’s list is pretty killer. A lot of these bands will be more familiar than maybe has been the case or will be on some of the other days of this Quarterly Review. It just kind of worked out that way as I was putting it together. But hey, a few bigger bands here, a few “debut EP” demos there. It’s all good fun.

So let’s go.

Quarterly Review #31-40:

Earthless, From the West

earthless from the west

Bonus points to whatever clever cat correctly decided that Earthless‘ 2018 studio album, Black Heaven (review here), needed a companion live record. With artwork mimicking a Led Zeppelin bootleg of the same name, From the West arrives through Silver Current and Nuclear Blast capturing the most powerful of power trios earlier this year in San Francisco, and it’s like the fire emoji came to life. With Mike Eginton‘s bass as the anchor and Mario Rubalcaba‘s drums as the driving force, guitarist Isaiah Mitchell starts ripping holes in the fabric of spacetime with “Black Heaven” and doesn’t stop until 64 minutes later as “Acid Crusher” dissolves into noise. Of course “Gifted by the Wind” from the latest LP is a highlight, and suitably enough, they cover Zeppelin‘s “Communication Breakdown,” but I’m not sure anything tops the extended take on “Uluru Rock” from 2013’s From the Ages (review here) — and yes, I mean that. Of course they pair it with the 1:48 surge of “Volt Rush,” because they’re Earthless, and brilliant is what they do. Every set they play should be recorded for posterity.

Earthless website

Silver Current Records on Bandcamp

Earthless at Nuclear Blast webstore

 

Satan’s Satyrs, The Lucky Ones

satans satyrs the lucky ones

Encased in cover art that begs the Spinal Tap question, “what’s wrong with being sexy?” and the response that Fran Drescher gave it, Virginia classic heavy rockers Satan’s Satyrs return with their fourth full-length, The Lucky Ones (on RidingEasy and Bad Omen), which also marks their first record as a four-piece with guitarist Nate Towle (Wicked Inquisition) joining the returning lineup of bassist/vocalist Clayton Burgess, guitarist Jared Nettnin and drummer Stephen Fairfield, who, between the fact that Burgess founded the band and played in Electric Wizard, and all the lead guitar antics from Nettnin and Towle, might be the unsung hero of the band. His performance is not lost in the recording by Windhand‘s Garrett Morris or Burgess‘ own hefty mix, and as one would expect, Satan’s Satyrs continue to deliver deceptively refined ’70s-heavy vibes caked in cult biker horror aesthetics. Some songs hit more than others, but Satan’s Satyrs‘ dust-kicking approach continues to win converts.

Satan’s Satyrs on Thee Facebooks

RidingEasy Records on Bandcamp

Bad Omen Records on Bandcamp

 

Mantar, The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze

mantar the modern art of setting ablaze

One generally thinks of Hamburg duo Mantar as having all the subtlety of a bone saw caught on video, and yet, in listening to “Seek + Forget” from their third album, The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze (on Nuclear Blast), there are some elements that seem to be reaching out on the part of the band. Guitarist Hanno‘s vocals are more enunciated and discernible, there is a short break from the all-out blackened-sludge-punk assault that’s been their trade since their start in 2012, and “Obey the Obscene” even has an organ. Still, the bulk of the 12-track/48-minute follow-up to 2016’s Ode to the Flame (review here) is given to extremity of purpose and execution, and in pieces like the churning “Anti Eternia” and the particularly-punked “Teeth of the Sea,” they work to refine their always-present threat of violence. Closer “The Funeral” brings back some of the quiet moodiness of intro “The Knowing” and underscores the point of sonic expansion. I hope next time they use a string section.

Mantar on Thee Facebooks

Nuclear Blast website

 

Child, I

child i

It took me a few minutes to get to the heart of what my problem with Child‘s I EP is. Really, I was sitting and listening to “Age Has Left Me Behind” — the first of the three included tracks on the 20-ish-minute 12″ — and I had to ask myself, “Why is this annoying me?” The answer? Because it’s not an album. That’s it. It’s not enough. Kudos to the Melbourne, Australia, heavy blues trio on having that be the biggest concern with their latest release — it follows 2016’s righteously-grooved Blueside (review here) — and kudos to them as well for their cover of Spirit‘s “The Other Song,” but of course it’s the 10-minute jam “Going Down Swinging” on side B that’s the immersive highlight of I, as Child‘s balance of softshoe-boogie and expansive mellow-psych is second to none in their subgenre. It’s not an album, and that’s kind of sad, but as a tide-ya-over until the next long-player arrives, I still does the trick nice and easy. And not to get greedy, but I’d take a II (or would it be You?) whenever they get around to it.

Child on Thee Facebooks

Kozmik Artifactz website

 

T.G. Olson, Wasatch Valley Lady & The Man from Table Mountain

tg olson wasatch valley lady and the man from table mountain

Across Tundras frontman T.G. Olson, who by now has well lapped that band’s output with his solo catalog, would seem to have sat down with his guitar sometime in the last week and put two songs to tape. The resulting 10-minute offering is Wasatch Valley Lady & The Man from Table Mountain, its component title-tracks stripping down some of the more elaborate arrangements he’s explored of late — his latest full-length, Riding Roughshod (review pending; it’s hard to keep up), came out in October — to expose the barebones construction at root in his Rocky Mountain country folk style. “Wasatch Valley Lady” and “The Man from Table Mountain” make an engaging couple, and while Olson has a host of videos on YouTube that are similarly just him and his acoustic, something about the audio-only recordings feel like a voice out of time reaching for human connection. The first seems to have a natural fade, and the second a more prominent rhythm showcased in harder strum, but both are sweet melodies evocative as ever of open landscapes and wistful experience.

Across Tundras on Thee Facebooks

T.G. Olson/Across Tundras on Bandcamp

 

Canyon, Mk II

canyon mk ii

The Deep Purple-referential Mk II title of Canyon‘s second EP, also the follow-up to their 2017 debut LP, Radiant Light, refers to the lineup change that’s seen Dean Welsh move to drums so that he and guitarist Peter Stanko can welcome bassist/vocalist Fred Frederick to the fold. The three included songs, the hooky “Mine Your Heart,” expansively fuzzed “Morphine Dreams” and bouncing “Roam” make a hell of a first offering from the reconstituted trio, who capture classic heavy naturalism in a chemistry between players that’s mirrored in the songwriting itself. Canyon‘s 2016 self-titled debut EP (review here) held marked promise, and even after the full-length, that promise would seem to be coming to fruition here. Their tones and craft are both right on, and there’s still some gelling to do between the three of them, but they leave no doubt with Mk II that this incarnation of Canyon can get there. And, if they keep up like this, get there quickly.

Canyon on Thee Facebooks

Canyon on Bandcamp

 

Circle of the Sun, Jams of Inner Perception

Circle of the Sun Jams of Inner Perception

One man jams! Psych-jam seekers will recognize Daniel Sax as the drummer for Berlin-based trio Cosmic Fall. Circle of the Sun is a solo-project from Sax and Jams of Inner Perception collects six tracks for 39 minutes of adventuring on his own. Sax sets his own backbeat and layers bass and “effectsbass” for a full-lineup feel amid the instrumental creations, and those looking to be hypnotized by the space-rocking jams will be. Flat out. Sax is no stranger to jamming, and as one soaks in “Jamming in Paradise” or its nine-minute predecessor “Liquid Sand,” there’s little mistaking his intention. Curious timing that Circle of the Sun would take shape following a lineup change in Cosmic Fall — perhaps it was put together in the interim? — but whether Jams of Inner Perception is a one-off of the beginning of a new avenue for Sax, its turn to blues noodling on “Desert Sun,” thick-toned “Moongroove” and fuzzy roll on “Acid Dream” demonstrate there are plenty of outer realms still to explore.

Circle of the Sun on Thee Facebooks

Circle of the Sun on Bandcamp

 

Mythic Sunship, Another Shape of Psychedelic Music

Mythic Sunship Another Shape of Psychedelic Music

The simplest way to put it is that Mythic Sunship‘s Another Shape of Psychedelic Music lives up to the lofty ambitions of its title. The Danish band is comprised of guitarists Kasper Stougaard Andersen and Emil Thorenfeldt, bassist Rasmus ‘Cleaver’ Christensen, drummer Frederik Denning and saxophonist Søren Skov, and with Causa Sui‘s Jonas Munk — who also produced the album — sitting in on the extended “Backyard Voodoo” (17:41) and “Out There” (13:53) as well as overseeing the release through El Paraiso, the band indeed makes there way into the far out reaches where jazz and psychedelia meet. It’s not about pretentiously saying they’re doing something that’s never been done. You’ll note it’s “another shape” and not a “new shape” or the “shape to come.” But immersion happens quickly on opener “Resolution” (14:23), and even quicker cuts like “Last Exit,” “Way Ahead” and “Elevation” carry the compelling spirit of forward-thinking creativity through their dynamic course, and if Mythic Sunship aren’t the shape of psychedelic music to come, it’s in no small part because there are so few out there who could hope to match what they do.

Mythic Sunship on Thee Facebooks

El Paraiso Records website

 

Svarta Stugan, Islands / Öar

svarta stugan islands oar

Islands / Öar — the second word being the Swedish translation of the first — is the 40-minute debut full-length from Gothenburg atmospheric heavy post-rock instrumentalists Svarta Stugan, who demonstrate in influence from Hex-era Earth on the opener “Islands III” but go on in subsequent tracks to pull together a sound distinct in its cinematic feel and moody execution. Five out of the seven component tracks are “Islands” pieces, which are presented out of order with “Islands IV” missing and “Islands Unknown” perhaps in its place, and the respective side A/B finales “Inner Space” and “Prospects Quatsi” standing apart. Both bring to bear a style ultimately consistent with the melancholy so rife throughout Islands / Öar as a whole, but they’re obviously intended as outliers, and so they seem to be. The LP release follows a couple shorter outings, issued over the past six-plus years, and it’s clear from the depths and range on display here in the build-to-crescendo of “Inner Space” alone that Svarta Stugan haven’t misspent their time in their progression to this point.

Svarta Stugan on Thee Facebooks

Svarta Stugan on Bandcamp

 

Bast, Nanoångström

bast nanoangstrom

Largesse of scope and largesse of tone work in tandem on Bast‘s Nanoångström full-length on Black Bow, as they bring together aspects of post-metallic churn and more extreme metal methods to hone a style highly individualized, highly weighted and as much cosmic as it is crushing. Through six tracks and 57 minutes, the London trio (plus two guest spots from Chris Naughton of Winterfylleth) careen and crash and set an atmosphere of chaos without actually being chaotic, their progressive craft working to tie the songs together into a larger impression of the work as a consuming entirety. It’s the kind of record you pick up and still hear new things in by the time they put out their next one. Production from Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio only helps creates the heights and depths of their dynamic, and whether they’re rolling out the severity of closer “The Ghosts Which Haunt the Space Between the Stars” or laying out the soundscape of “The Beckoning Void,” Bast shape the tenets of genre to suit their needs rather than try to work within the barriers of any particular style. Nanoångström is all the more complex and satisfying for their efforts in that regard.

Bast on Thee Facebooks

Black Bow Records webstore

 

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Days of Darkness II Announces Lineup for Oct. in Baltimore

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

So I guess playing Psycho Las Vegas worked out for Blue Öyster Cult, huh? As Days of Darkness II, the return autumnal installment from the crew behind the venerable Maryland Deathfest, unfurls its lineup for this October, we see the classic heavy rockers in the top spot — which, hey, is fair enough. A few surprises under them, however. One is thrilled to see logos for BangEarthEarthride and Alcest, but even more fascinating is the inclusion of groups like Front Line Assembly and Die Krupps, and I can’t help but wonder if another one of the headliners still to be announced — because presumably Blue Öyster Cult will close one of the two nights and someone else TBA will close the other — will fit a similar industrial mold, and if that’s one of hte ways in which Days of Darkness will look to expand its identity and stave off the year-after-year redundancies that fests can fall into if they’re not careful.

I know nothing, of course. I’ve never been in touch with the MDF crew, so have zero inside track whatsoever. Just speculating and musing, is all. Just intrigued.

The fest posted the following on social media:

days of darkness ii poster

12 more bands have been confirmed for Days of Darkness II, set to take place on October 27 and 28 at Rams Head Live and Baltimore Soundstage.

Earth
Front Line Assembly
Die Krupps
Controlled Bleeding
Earth Electric
Bang
Lazerpunk
Child Bite
Crazy Bull
Rougemarine
Electropathic
Crud

A third and final round of bands will be announced in the coming weeks! Once again, expect approximately 2 times more bands than last year. Early bird passes sold out a few weeks ago, but all ticket options will go on sale soon. We’ll keep you posted on an exact date and time.

Here is the full list of confirmed bands (in alphabetical order):

Acid Witch
Alcest
Anna von Hausswolff
Bang
Blue Öyster Cult
Child Bite
Controlled Bleeding
Crazy Bull
Crud
Die Krupps
Earth
Earth Electric
Earthride
Electropathic
Front Line Assembly
Lazerpunk
Rome
Rougemarine
Satan’s Satyrs

https://www.facebook.com/daysofdarknessfestival/
https://www.facebook.com/events/146652199417747/
https://www.facebook.com/MarylandDeathfest/

Neurosis, Live at Days of Darkness 2017

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Windhand Post “Old Evil” Video; Split LP with Satan’s Satyrs Due in Feb.

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 11th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

windhand sally patti

Established: Windhand‘s 2015 long-player, Grief’s Infernal Flower (review here), was pretty rad. Produced by Jack Endino, it featured the band’s most progressive and aesthetically resounding work to-date, building on the established personality of 2013’s Soma (review here) without giving up the dirge-laden weight or overarching sense of murk that defined that record or their 2012 self-titled debut (discussed here) before it. From where I sit, it was also a watershed moment for the Richmond, Virginia, outfit. Not just for working with Endino, but for being their third full-length in general, for following up on years of hard touring, and for arriving at a moment when clearly they were ready to take their approach to another level, primed for wider exposure and being a “bigger” band generally than they were going into it.

Barring some kind of Nirvana-style commercial breakthrough — which the current structure of the music industry almost entirely prohibits at this point — most of the time an album’s success isn’t ultimately judged until the next one arrives. That’s why first-week sales are still relevant; they serve to demonstrate and summarize the reaction to the preceding record. Did Grief’s Infernal Flower push Windhand into true headliner status? I don’t know. They certainly seem to have made arguments for it and for themselves in that regard, but it’s not just a question all the time of where a band is on a given tour or festival bill either. Sometimes it can just be down to the songs. Are they memorable? Did they make an impression? Did they connect?

Grief’s Infernal Flower was awesome. It worked with an inspired sense of atmospherics and was consuming in its tonality. It’ll be a while still I think before we know what impact it ultimately had — my touchstone comparison point for it all along has been High on Fire‘s 2007 Endino-helmed offering, Death is this Communion, which led to their signing to eOne from Relapse — but in the meantime, Windhand continue to put in admirable work on the road and in the studio. They toured Europe this Fall and hit fests there, they’ve already been confirmed for Maryland Doom Fest 2018, and they have a new split due in February with fellow Virginian tour-buddies Satan’s Satyrs from whence their new video for the track “Old Evil” comes.

Checking in at a relatively brief six minutes, it may or may not be a preview of where Windhand‘s next album might go coming off of Grief’s Infernal Flower, but either way, you’re not going to hear me complain about new Windhand coming down the line in whatever form it might take.

PR wire info follows the clip below. Please enjoy:

Windhand, “Old Evil” official video

WINDHAND: Announce New Split LP With Satan’s Satyrs; Share “Old Evil” Music Video

Announce 2018 US West Coast Tour Dates

Two of Virginia’s finest heavy bands team up for an amp-worshipping, acid trip from hell! The split includes two brand new songs of smoldering gloom and grief from WINDHAND paired with three tracks of devilish, fuzz-drenched metal/punk from SATAN’S SATYRS.

The band has also announced a quick run down the West Coast next spring; check below for a full list of dates.

WINDHAND and SATAN’S SATYRS Split LP is due out February 16th on CD/LP/Digital. Physical pre-orders are available via Relapse.com HERE and digital downloads HERE

windhand satans satyrs splitSPLIT TRACKLIST:
Side A – Windhand
1 – Old Evil
2 – Three Sisters
Side B – Satan’s Satyrs
3 – Alucard AD 2018
4 – Succubus
5 – Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby

WINDHAND Tour Dates:
Mar 23 Richmond, VA The Broadberry (Record Release Show) *
Apr 19 Seattle, WA Nuemos #
Apr 22 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall #
Apr 23 Los Angeles, CA Roxy Theatre #
Jun 23 Frederick, MD Maryland Doom Fest 2018
* w/ Satan’s Satyrs
# w/ Ruby The Hatchet.

Windhand on Thee Facebooks

Windhand on Bandcamp

Windhand at Relapse Records

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Windhand Post “Forest Clouds” Video; European Tour with Satan’s Satyrs on Now

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 29th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

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If you needed a nine-minute refresher as to the badassery of Windhand‘s latest album, Grief’s Infernal Flower (review here), the Richmond, Virginia, outfit hereby offer up a new video from the Jack Endino-produced outing for the track ‘Forest Clouds’ for you to check out. Directed by Jordan Vance, it has all the purple-tinted murk one could ask for and comes along as Windhand return to Europe for their Fall 2017 tour alongside fellow Virginians Satan’s Satyrs, with whom they also hit the road earlier this year in the States.

As it happens, Windhand also tracked material for an upcoming 2018 split with the same outfit, so it seems pretty safe to say they’ve probably grown close over their time together and they may indeed plan to spend a little more of it. Fair enough for the complementary nature of the two bands, with Windhand‘s permanent tone-rolling mire hitting its stride sound-wise on Grief’s Infernal Flower and Satan’s Satyrs only growing more brash as time goes on in their doomly motor-ready boogie style. I wouldn’t tell you how to live your life or anything, but if the tour came or is coming through someplace you might happen to be, no question it’s worth showing up for.

You’ll note as well on the list of gigs below sent down the PR wire that it includes slots for both acts at Up in Smoke 2017 and Desertfest Belgium 2017. The latter is sure to be particularly riotous, as it’s the final date of what by then will have been a significant run. It’s already underway, in fact — the tour, not Deserfest — and hits Cologne, Germany, this very evening en route to continuing through a slew of dates in Germany, France, Austria, Italy and so on.

Clip and info follow here. Please enjoy:

Windhand, “Forest Clouds” official video

Richmond, VA’s WINDHAND have shared the official video for “Forest Clouds” off their latest full-length album Grief’s Infernal Flower. Watch the Jordan Vance directed video via YouTube HERE.

Additionally, WINDHAND kick off their headlining European tour with Satan’s Satyrs tomorrow night in Copenhagen, DK. A full list of confirmed tour dates is available below.

The band recently recorded songs for an upcoming split with Satan’s Satyrs that will be released by Relapse in early 2018. Details will be revealed shortly.

WINDHAND Tour Dates:
— All dates with Satan’s Satyrs —
Sep 29 Cologne, DE MTC
Sep 30 Wiesbaden, DE Kesselhaus
Oct 01 Leipzig, DE UT Connewitz
Oct 02 Berlin, DE Cassiopeia
Oct 03 Vienna, AT Arena
Oct 04 Munich, DE Feierwerk
Oct 05 Bologna, IT Freak-Out Club
Oct 06 Mezzago, IT Bloom Club
Oct 07 Pratteln, CH Up In Smoke Festival
Oct 08 Paris, FR Stoned Gathering
Oct 09 London, UK The Borderline
Oct 10 Leeds, UK Brudenell
Oct 11 Glasgow, UK Audio
Oct 12 Manchester, UK Rebellion
Oct 13 Bristol, UK Exchange
Oct 14 Antwerp, BE Desertfest BE

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