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The Obelisk Presents: Kurokuma and Blind Monarch UK Tour

Posted in The Obelisk Presents on December 31st, 2018 by JJ Koczan

kurokuma

blind monarch

This is a pretty good example of how I regularly conduct business with this site. I’m dicking around looking at Star Trek memes on social media and Jon Davis from Conan gets in touch and tells me he’s got a new management thing going called Blackskull Services and do I want to present a tour with Kurokuma and Blind Monarch? My responses: Awesome, and yes. Done. I did not at that point have to turn anything over to a lawyer, there were no deals made, money did not exchange hands. It was, even in the stale form of typed communication sent across long distances — telegraph by any other name — remarkably human. Three minutes later, I was back to Trek memes.

And nifty as they are, even niftier is the two Sheffield outfits getting together to kick ass, destroy minds, harvest souls, and so on. I’ll admit this run is my first exposure to Blind Monarch, but their story checks out with their eponymous demo posted last year, a dense glob of sludge clocking in at 12 minutes of head-stomper riffing plus a bit of chanting that’s its own excuse for being. Kurokuma, it just so happens, released their two-songer Dope Rider EP in July on Doom Stew and hit the road in Eastern Europe this past summer to support it. If you haven’t heard, it’s the good kind of cavernous and can be streamed in full on the player at the bottom of this post.

Proud to be involved in the small way I am with a run of shows that’s sure to be just an absolute wash of beer and noise. If you’re in their path, be in their path.

Info follows from the PR wire:

kurokuma blind monarch tour

KUROKUMA AND BLIND MONARCH ANNOUNCE UK TOUR

Blackskull Services are proud to announce the addition of Blind Monarch as the main support for Kurokuma who are hitting the road in Feb/March in one of the few UK tours Kurokuma they will be doing in 2019!

Please keep an eye on the Blackskull Services and Blind Monarchs event tabs on our pages for ticketing info and other supports as announced.

27th Feb – Newcastle, Trillians w/ Goblinsmoker
28th Feb – London, The Black Heart
1st March – Nottingham, Soan w/ Bismuth
2nd March – Bristol, The Gryphon
3rd March – Coventry, The Phoenix

In association with The Obelisk and Off Me Nut Records.

Blind Monarch commented, “As the frosts thaw, the Blind Monarch begins a pilgrimage from beneath the shadow of the Dark Peak. To spread a dismal gospel across a land of despair, all that hear the word shall fall under that terrible shadow.”

Kurokuma further commented “We’ve been wanting to do a run of shows with Blind Monarch for a long time. They have some serious gear and tone and we played plenty of times here in Sheffield with ’em so now it’s time to take it on the road. It’s gonna be our last tour for a while. Come and watch us get topless in late February, early March.”

https://www.facebook.com/kurokumauk/
http://kurokumauk.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blindmonarchband/?
http://blindmonarch.bandcamp.com/

Kurokuma, Dope Rider (2018)

Blind Monarch, “Blind Monarch (Demo)”

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Quarterly Review: Khemmis, Morag Tong, Holy Mushroom, Naisian, Haunted, Pabst, L.M.I., Fuzz Forward, Onségen Ensemble, The Heavy Eyes

Posted in Reviews on July 18th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

quarterly-review-CALIFORNIA-LANDSCAPE-Julian-Rix-1851-1903

I always say the same thing on the Wednesday of the Quarterly Review. Day 3. The halfway point. I say it every time. The fact is, doing these things kind of takes it out of me. All of it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy listening to all these records — well, I don’t enjoy all of them, but I’m talking more about the process — just that it’s a lot to take in and by the time I’m done each day, let alone at the end of the week, I’m fairly exhausted. So every time we hit the halfway point of a Quarterly Review, I feel somewhat compelled to note it. Cresting the hill, as it were. It’s satisfying to get to this point without my head falling off.

Quarterly Review #21-30:

Khemmis, Desolation

khemmis desolation

Continuing their proclivity for one-word titles, Denver doom forerunners Khemmis take a decisive turn toward the metallic with their third album for 20 Buck Spin, the six-track/41-minute Desolation. Songs like opener “Bloodletting” and its side B counterpart “The Seer” are still tinged with doom, but the NWOBHM gallop in “Isolation” and “Maw of Time” – as well as the sheer force of the latter – is an unexpected twist. Khemmis showed classic metal elements on 2016’s was-a-very-big-deal Hunted (review here) and 2015’s debut, Absolution (review here), but it’s a question of balance, and as they’ve once again worked with producer Dave Otero, one can only read the shift as a conscious decision. The harder edge suits them – certainly suits the screams in “Maw of Time” and side A finale/album highlight “Flesh to Nothing” – and as Khemmis further refine their sound, they craft its most individualized manifestation to-date. There’s no hearing Desolation and mistaking Khemmis for another band. They’ve come into their own.

Khemmis on Thee Facebooks

20 Buck Spin website

 

Morag Tong, Last Knell of Om

morag tong last knell of om

A rumbling entry into London’s Heavy Generation, the four-piece Morag Tong unfold voluminous ritual on their debut full-length, Last Knell of Om. Largely slow and largely toned, the work of guitarists Alex Clarke and Lewis Crane brings the low end to the forefront along with the bass of James Atha while drummer Adam Asquith pushes the lurch forward on cuts like “New Growth” and “To Soil,” the band seemingly most comfortable when engaged in crawling tempos and weighted pummel. Asquith also adds semi-shouted vocals to the mire, which, surrounded by distortion as they are, only make the proceedings sound even more massive. There’s an ambience to “We Answer” and near-13-minute closer “Ephemera: Stare Through the Deep,” which gives the record a suitably noisy finish, but much of what Morag Tong are going for in sound depends on the effectiveness of their tonality, and they’ve got that part down on their debut. Coupled with the meditative feel in some of this material, that shows marked potential on the band’s part for future growth.

Morag Tong on Thee Facebooks

Morag Tong on Bandcamp

 

Holy Mushroom, Blood and Soul

holy mushroom blood and soul

Working quickly to follow-up their earlier-2018 sophomore long-player, Moon (review here), Spain’s Holy Mushroom present Blood and Soul, an EP comprised of two songs recorded live in the studio. I’m not entirely sure why it’s split up at all, as the two-minute “Introito” – sure enough, a little introduction – feeds so smoothly into the 19-minute “Blood and Soul” itself, but fair enough either way as the trio shift between different instrumentation, incorporating sax, piano and organ among the guitar, bass, drums and vocals, and unfold a longform heavy psychedelic trip that not only builds on what they were doing with Moon but is every bit worthy of being released on its own. I don’t know if it was recorded at the same time as the record or later – both were done at Asturcon Studios – but it’s easy to see why the band would want to highlight “Blood and Moon.” Between the deep-running mix, the easy rhythmic flow into and out from drifting spaciousness, and the turn in the middle third toward more expansive arrangement elements, it’s an engaging motion that makes subtly difficult shifts seem utterly natural along the way. And even if you didn’t hear the latest full-length, Blood and Soul makes for a fitting introduction to who Holy Mushroom are as a band and what they can do.

Holy Mushroom on Thee Facebooks

Clostridium Records website

 

Naisian, Rejoinder

naisian rejoinder

Sludge-infused noise rock serves as the backdrop for lyrical shenanigans on the three-song Rejoinder EP from Sheffield, UK, trio Naisian. Running just 12 minutes, it’s a quick and thickened pummel enacted by the band, who work in shades of post-metal for “90 ft. Stone,” “Mantis Rising” and “Lefole,” most especially in the middle cut, but even there, the focus in on harsh vocals and lumbering sonic heft. It’s now been seven years since the band sort-of issued their debut album, Mammalian, and six since they followed with the Monocle EP, and the time seems to have stripped down their sound to a degree. “Lefole” is the longest track on Rejoinder at 5:18 and it’s still shorter than every other song Naisian have put out to-date. Their crunch lacks nothing for impact, however, and to go with the swing of “Lefole,” everybody seems to contribute to a vocal assault that only adds to the punishing but thoughtful vibe.

Naisian on Thee Facebooks

Naisian on Bandcamp

 

Haunted, Dayburner

haunted dayburner

The effects-laden vocal swirl at the outset of Haunted’s “Mourning Sun” and moments in the Italian act’s longer-form material, “Waterdawn” or “Orphic,” for example, will invariably lead some listeners to point to a Windhand influence, but the character of the band’s second album, Dayburner (on Twin Earth, DHU and Graven Earth all), follows their 2016 self-titled (review here) by holding steady to a developing identity of its own. To be sure, vocalist Christina Chimirri, guitarists Francesco Bauso and Francesco Orlando, bassist Frank Tudisco and drummer Dario Casabona make their way into a deep, murky swamp of modern doom in “Dayburner” (video posted here), but in the crush of their tones amid all that trance-inducing riffing, they cast themselves as an outfit seeking to express individuality within the set parameters of style. Their execution, then, is what it comes down to, and with “Orphic” (12:46) and “Vespertine” (13:19) back to back, there’s plenty of doom on the 66-minute 2LP to roll that out. And they do so in patient and successful form, with marked tonal vibrancy and a sense of controlling the storm they’re creating as they go.

Haunted on Thee Facebooks

Twin Earth Records website

DHU Records webstore

Graven Earth Records webstore

 

Pabst, Chlorine

pabst chlorine

So, the aesthetic is different. Pabst play a blend of noise, post-punk, heavy rock and grunge, but with the ready pop influence — to wit, the outright danceability of “Shits,” reminiscent in its bounce of later Queens of the Stone Age – and persistent melodicism, there’s just a twinge of what Mars Red Sky did for heavy rolling riffs happening on Chlorine, their Crazysane Records debut. It’s in that blend of dense low-end fuzz and brighter vocal melodies, but again, Pabst, hailing from Berlin, are on their own trip. Weird but almost more enjoyable than it seems to want to be, the 12-track/35-minute outing indulges little and offers singalong-ready vibes in “Catching Feelings” and “Waterslide” while “Waiting Loop” chills out before the push of “Accelerate” and the angularity of “Cheapskate” take hold. Chrlorine careens and (blue) ribbons its way to the drive-fast-windows-open stylization of “Summer Never Came” and the finale “Under Water,” a vocal effect on the latter doing nothing to take away from its ultra-catchy hook. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a record someone with just the right kind of open mind can come to love.

Pabst on Thee Facebooks

Crazysane Records webstore

 

L.M.I., IV

lmi iv

If you’ve got a dank basement full of skinny college kids, chances are Lansdale, Pennsylvania’s L.M.I. are ready to tear their faces off. The sludge-thickened riff punkers run abut 11 minutes with their five-song release, L.M.I. IV, and that’s well enough time to get their message across. Actually, by the end of “Neck of Tension” and “Weaning Youth,” roughly four and half minutes in, the statement of intent is pretty clear. L.M.I. present furious but grooving hardcore punk more given to scathe than pummel, and their inclusions on L.M.I. IV bring that to life with due sense of controlled chaos. Centerpiece “Lurking Breath” gives way to “First to Dark” – the longest cut at a sprawling 2:55 – and they save a bit of grunge guitar scorch and lower-register growling for closer “June was a Test,” there isn’t really time in general for any redundancy to take hold. That suits the feeling of assault well, as L.M.I. get in and get out on the quick and once they’re gone, all that’s left to do is clean the blood off the walls.

L.M.I. on Thee Facebooks

L.M.I. on Bandcamp

 

Fuzz Forward, Out of Nowhere

fuzz forward out of nowhere

Released one way or another through Discos Macarras, Odio Sonoro, Spinda Records and Red Sun Records, the eight-song/43-minute debut album from Barcelona’s Fuzz Forward, Out of Nowhere, has earned acclaim from multiple corners for its interpretation of grunge-era melodies through a varied heavy rock filter. Indeed, the vocals of Juan Gil – joined in the band by guitarist Edko Fuzz, bassist Jordi Vaquero and drummer Marc Rockenberg – pull the mind directly to a young Layne Staley, and forces one to realize it’s been a while since that low-in-the-mouth approach was so ubiquitous. It works well for Gil in the laid back “Summertime Somersaults” as well as the swinging, cowbell-infused later cut “Drained,” and as the band seems to foreshadow richer atmospheric exploration on “Thorns in Tongue” and “Torches,” they nonetheless maintain a focus on songwriting that grounds the proceedings and will hopefully continue to serve as their foundation as they move forward. No argument with the plaudits they’ve thus far received. Seems doubtful they’ll be the last.

Fuzz Forward on Thee Facebooks

Fuzz Forward on Bandcamp

 

Onségen Ensemble, Duel

Onsegen ensemble duel

The kind of record you’re doing yourself a favor by hearing – a visionary cast of progressive psychedelia that teems with creative energy and is an inspiration even in the listening. Frankly, the only thing I’m not sure about when it comes to Oulu, Finland, outfit Onségen Enseble’s second album, Duel, is why it isn’t being released through Svart Records. It seems like such a natural fit, with the adventurous woodwinds on opener “Think Neither Good Nor Evil,” the meditative sprawl of the title-track (video posted here), the jazz-jam in the middle of “Dogma MMXVII,” the tribalist percussion anchoring the 12-minute “Three Calls of the Emperor’s Teacher,” which surely would otherwise float away under its own antigravity power, and the free-psych build of closer “Zodiacal Lights of Onségen,” which shimmers in otherworldly fashion and improvised-sounding spark. On Svart or not, Duel is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year, and one the creativity of which puts it in a class of its own, even in the vast reaches of psychedelic rock. Whether it means to or not, it tells a story with sound, and that story should be heard.

Onségen Ensemble on Thee Facebooks

Onsegen Ensemble on Bandcamp

 

The Heavy Eyes, Live in Memphis

the heavy eyes live in memphis

Since so much of The Heavy Eyes’ studio presentation has consistently been about crispness of sound and structured songwriting, it’s kind of a relief to hear them knock into some feedback at the start of “Mannish Boy” at the outset of Live in Memphis (on Kozmik Artifactz). The three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Tripp Shumake, bassist Wally Anderson and drummer Eric Garcia are still tight as hell, of course, and their material – drawn here from the band’s LPs, 2015’s He Dreams of Lions (review here), 2012’s Maera, 2011’s self-titled, as well as sundry shorter offerings – is likewise. They’ve never been an overly dangerous band, nor have they wanted to be, but the stage performance does add a bit of edge to “Iron Giants” from the debut, which is followed by singing “Happy Birthday” to a friend in the crowd. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Live in Memphis is hearing The Heavy Eyes loosen up a bit on stage, and hearing them sound like they’re having as good a time playing as the crowd is watching and hearing them do so. That sense of fun suits them well.

The Heavy Eyes on Thee Facebooks

The Heavy Eyes at Kozmik Artifactz

 

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Kurokuma Announce Eastern European Tour; New EP Dope Rider Due in August

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

kurokuma

Good word from the UK in that sludge rockers Kurokuma will release a new EP, titled Dope Rider, on vinyl in August through Doom Stew Records. The three-piece have a string of Eastern European tour dates booked in order to celebrate the impending two-songer, which is based around a comic series of the same name. They showed influences psychedelic and tribal on their prior outing, 2016’s Advorsus, which is streaming at the bottom of this post, and since that release, they’ve toured with the likes of ConanDVNE, among others. I wouldn’t necessarily predict how the new release will sound — and I can’t pretend not to have heard it while talking about it, because, hey, I actually haven’t heard it — but I wouldn’t be surprised if their road experience translates into an even broader scope.

We’ll find out when we get there, of course, but in the meantime, shows in Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Lithuania and Latvia should bring them to the attention of that region’s passionate underground and help their cause generally. The extremity they brought to Advorsus was visceral in its three-track rollout, and as they center around a narrative structure, there’s an opportunity to bring new progressive sensibility to the proceedings.

So proceed. The following came in hot on the PR wire:

kurokuma eastern europe tour

Kurokuma Eastern Europe Tour 2018

UK psychedelic sludge band, Kurokuma slash their way through Eastern Europe this August, hitting up Rockstadt Festival in Romania and Brutal Assault in Czech Republic along the way. Playing alongside the likes of Obituary and Converge, this is their first time in mainland Europe. There will also be a performance at Berlin’s independent cinema, ZUKUNFT am Ostkreuz, in conjunction with a screening of The Doom Doc.

The tour is in support of their Dope Rider EP which comes out on vinyl, CD and cassette through San Fran’s Doom Stew Records in the same month. The EP contains two lengthy tracks in tribute to Dope Rider, a graphic fiction story originally printed in High Times starting in the 1970s. The release features artwork by the strip’s creator, Paul Kirchner; the vinyl version especially features a whole Dope Rider story on the insert. The EP was recorded at The Cro’s Nest by Slabdragger’s Sam Thredder and mastered at Skyhammer Studio by Chris Fielding.

4/8 Rockstadt – Brasov, Romania
5/8 Revolver Sound Studio – Budapest, Hungary
6/8 Garaze – Bratislava, Slovakia
7/8 Bar Pod Hodinam – Kolin, Czech Republic
8/8 Brutal Assault – Jaromer, Czech Republic
11/8 Zukunft am Ostkreuz – Berlin, Germany
12/8 Chmury – Warsaw, Poland
13/8 Carpenter Inn – Olsztyn, Poland
14/8 XI20 – Vilnius, Lithuania
15/8 Melno Cepurisu Balerija – Jelgava, Latvia

https://www.facebook.com/kurokumauk/
http://kurokumauk.bandcamp.com/
@kurokumauk
https://www.doomstew.com/

Kurokuma, Advorsus (2016)

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Vinnum Sabbathi to Begin UK Touring this Weekend

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 4th, 2017 by JJ Koczan

vinnum sabbathi

Mexican riffbringers Vinnum Sabbathi have been on the road in Europe since last month supporting their debut long-player, Gravity Works (review here), which was released earlier this year. The run, which wrapped up its continental portion on July 1, will pick up again this coming Friday at the warm-up party for the Bristol Psych Fest, and from there, Vinnum Sabbathi hit the road alongside Kurokuma — who’ve newly issued a Kraftwerk cover as a name-your-price download — for a stretch of dates across the UK that includes another free all-dayer in Kurokuma‘s native Sheffield and gigs in Coventry, Bath, Hull, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and so on.

It’s a solid stint to continue Vinnum Sabbathi‘s push for their awaited first full-length, and they’ll cap their time abroad on Aug. 12 with an appearance at SonicBlast Moledo in Portugal, which, frankly, is an awesome way to go out.

Dates, links and music follow here. Dig it:

vinnum-sabbathi-kurokuma tour

Vinnum Sabbathi / Kurokuma UK dates

ALL THE INFO ABOUT OUR UK TOUR IN JULY WITH:
Kurokuma / Cegvera / SODEN

July 07 Bristol Bristol Psych Fest WARM UP PARTY (Free Entry)
July 13 Edinburgh Vinnum Sabbathi / Kurokuma / Lucifers Corpus – Bannermans Bar
July 14 Hull HNC#50 Vinnum Sabbathi (Mexico) / Kurokuma / Battalions / Still
July 15 Dewsbury Vinnum Sabbathi/Kurokuma/Sick Tapestry/Gandalf The Green at The Old Turk
July 16 Liverpool KUROKUMA // VINNUM SABBATHI // PHULLOPIUM DUDE // MR TED
July 20 Coventry Vinnum Sabbathi / Kurokuma / Cegvera + MK1 Soundsystem
July 21 London Vinnum Sabbathi, Kurokuma, Cegvera, Doomicidal
July 22 Bath Vinnum Sabbathi, Kurokuma, Cegvera, Doomicidal
July 23 Sheffield Doomlines III – free doom/sludge/stoner all-dayer
July 28 Manchester Vinnum Sabbathi (Mexico) + special guests
July 29 Scunthorpe Vinnum Sabbathi (Mexico) + Guests

Vinnum Sabbathi:
Aug. 12 SonicBlast Moledo, Portugal

Vinnum Sabbathi is a space doom band from Mexico City founded in 2011 and formed by Alberto (guitar), Gerardo (drums), Samuel (bass) and Roman (live samples).

With influences like Ufomammut, YOB, Electric Wizard and 35007, the band mixes heavy riffs with scientific themes to bring loud and distorted sonic textures and energetic live performances; playing in venues all around Mexico with the Fume On Tour (2014), the Fuzzonaut Tour (2015) and the TerroNaut Tour (2016) along with bands like Terror Cosmico, Weedsnake and El Ahorcado.

Vinnum Sabbathi have just released Gravity Works to widespread acclaim.
https://vinnumsabbathi.bandcamp.com/album/gravity-works

Kurokuma have just released their cover of Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity”.
https://kurokumauk.bandcamp.com/track/radioactivity-kraftwerk-cover

www.facebook.com/VinnumSabbathi/
https://vinnumsabbathi.bandcamp.com/
http://aimdownsightrecords.com/
https://lsdr.bandcamp.com/

www.facebook.com/kurokumauk
kurokumauk.bandcamp.com

Vinnum Sabbathi, Gravity Works (2017)

Kurokuma, “Radioactivity”

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Kurokuma and DVNE Announce UK Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 1st, 2017 by JJ Koczan

Next month, as the world turns its attention toward the coming onslaught of spring and summer festival season, UK sludgers Kurokuma and DVNE will head out together on a short round of dates to herald new releases. In the case of Kurokuma, it’s a single, a cover of Kraftwerk‘s “Radioactivity,” which I won’t even pretend to be familiar with, and for DVNE, it’s an impending full-length to follow-up on their 2014 two-songer, Aurora Majesty, and the preceding 2013 EP, Progenitor (review here). Bands, obviously, have toured for less reasonable causes.

As a side note, Kurokuma‘s Joe Allen was recently announced as having a new drone project with Jon Davis from Conan called DOS. Info is sparse as yet, but there’s a Thee Facebooks and that’s a place to start. Kurokuma also have a few killer live dates before the tour that you can see in the update below.

Dig it:

kurokuma-dvne-poster

Kurokuma and DVNE, two imposing figures in UK sludge join forces for five dates in April this year. The trail starts off with two dates in Scotland before rolling down to England for three shows there.

DVNE will be playing tracks from their upcoming album, Asheran, which will see the light of day this summer – the band’s first release since 2014’s Aurora Majesty.

Kurokuma’s next output is set to be a prodigious cover of Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity” along with fitting visuals. Kurokuma will also feature heavily in the upcoming documentary on UK doom, The Doom Doc (www.facebook.com/thedoomdoc).

Kurokuma & DVNE UK tour:
Friday 14th April – Musical Vision, Aberdeen (w/ Death Watch)
https://www.facebook.com/events/773008732850857/
Saturday 15th April – Bannerman’s, Edinburgh (w/ Seas, Starry and Somaesthesia)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1427787527292620/
Friday 21st April – Pi Bar, Leicester (w/ Temple of Lies)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1852908281589863/
Saturday 22nd April – Doom Over Dewsbury all-dayer at The Old Turk, Dewsbury (w/ Foetal Juice, Battalions and more)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1314224735336355/
Sunday 23rd April – Stag and Hounds, Bristol (w/ Lacertilia and CTBKM)
https://www.facebook.com/events/651351828358443/

Kurokuma live dates:
Saturday 4th March – Star & Garter, Manchester supporting Slomatics
Friday 17th March – Plug, Sheffield supporting Crowbar
Friday 31st March – Chameleon Arts Cafe, Nottingham supporting Alunah
Saturday 8th April – Ritual Festival, Leeds w/ Ihsahn, Anaal Nathrakh, Bossk, Serpent Venom and more

www.facebook.com/kurokumauk
kurokumauk.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/dvneuk
songs-of-arrakis.bandcamp.com

Kurokuma, Advorsus (2016)

DVNE, Aurora Majesty (2014)

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Kurokuma and Under Touring the UK this Week

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 10th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

Imagine crushing sludge roving across the English countryside. Granted, it’s probably less like that and more like dudes in a van, but either way, Sheffield’s Kurokuma and Stockport’s Under have paired up to tour across Britain this week and they’ll cover a good swath of that good land. Kurokuma go supporting their EP, Advorsus, which was released last month on tape via Medusa Crush Recordings and brings about three new tracks of pummel both spacious and significant. You can check it out for yourself in full on the player below, because, you know, I posted it there and whatnot.

As one might expect, they’ve got a suitably apocalyptic backstory, which is also fun. I’ve put a bit of that under the dates below as well, which came off the PR wire. Dig:

kurokuma-tour-poster

Kurokuma / Under UK Tour

Having racked up quite the CV of support slots in their hometown of Sheffield (Conan, Primitive Man, KEN mode, Skeletonwitch) psychedelic sludgers, Kurokuma decided it was time to head out on the road themselves. Bringing along Stockport’s Under, a match for them in the realms of strange, heavy music, it’d be certainly worth your time catching two of the most unique bands in UK underground metal right now.

Wed 12th Oct – Drop the Dumbulls, Liverpool
(w/ Springbok + Leavers)
Thu 13th Oct – Subside, Birmingham
(w/ Sealclubber)
Fri 14th Oct – The Bridge Inn, Rotherham
(w/ Spaztik Munkey)
Sat 15th Oct – NOIZ Weekender, Manchester
(w/ Telepathy, 1968 + more)
Sun 16th Oct – Liquor, Lincoln
(w/ WRECK + Temple Steps)
Tue 18th Oct – Corporation, Sheffield
(Just Kurokuma w/ Trap Them, OKKULTOKRATI + Venom Prison)

Not all that sleeps is silent; from the dark awakened a visceral being that fed from the smoldering flames and dim glow of the sun.

Strip away the dirty robes and poor illusions, find yourself hideously revealed. Know you are an animal, your heartbeat a steady drum pulsing for atavistic pleasures. Cast your eye upwards from the fire, bear your teeth.

Dance with us as this world crumbles into a mist of ashes.

facebook.com/kurokumauk
https://twitter.com/KurokumaUK
http://medusacrushrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/advorsus
facebook.com/understockport

Kurokuma, Advorsus (2016)

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On the Radar: Naisian

Posted in On the Radar on March 9th, 2011 by JJ Koczan

I was all set to write Sheffield, UK, double-guitar four-piece Naisian off as another boring, over-thought post-metal band, but then, while giving their new Mammalian full-length a listen, I noticed something. They have a song called “Take Me to the Mountain Dew Mountain.” Could it be that there exists a band on this planet playing this kind of music without having their heads shoved so far up their pretentious asses that you can see their faces through their stomachs? Well, it’s true what they say: there really is magic in Britain.

Naisian also earn nerd points for structuring Mammalian‘s five component tracks in order from shortest to longest, starting with the five-minute “Fletcher-Munson” and ending with 11:18 “I am Eustache Dauger.” So, okay, maybe they get down with a little of that “check us out we read books” mentality, but little touches like naming a song “Take Me to the Mountain Dew Mountain” go a long way. I don’t know if I’ll be returning to Mammalian‘s alternating churned peaks and ambient valleys time and again, but they at least gave me a smile on a night I was stuck late at the office, so thanks for that.

Their sundry merchandises are for sale here. Here’s a video of one of the dudes recording in a sombrero:

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