The second round of lineup announcements for ReykjaDoom Festival 2024 — set for next March in Reykjavík, Iceland, as the name might hint — brings Dread Sovereign, Kælan Mikla, a reunion from Sleeping Giant (not the Aussie band, who so far as I know are still together), as well as Slor with whom I’m not familiar at all but am anxious enough to learn that I put a 15-minute demo track at the bottom of this post, and upstart heavy rockers Volcanova, who released their Cosmic Bullshit EP (review here) early in 2022.

With one announcement to go, apparently, ReykjaDoom puts focus this time more on capital-‘h’ Heavy, and fair enough, but what Kælan Mikla will bring to this bill in terms of melody and atmosphere shouldn’t be discounted, and they’re by no means the only not-stonerdoomsludgewhatever act on the bill. Very curious who’s gonna end up in that last round, but it might be October before we get there, and given the teeny-tiny sliver of a brain in my skull, well, let’s just say that sometime between now and then I’ll put it in my notes to check in. Otherwise — oh look a squirrel! You see where this is going.

The fest posted these additions one at a time in hourly increments. I’ve compiled and edited those posts a bit to make it all one thing. If anyone notices/minds/etc., I’m glad to talk through whatever’s on your mind.

Right on. Here’s the latest:

The first announcement of the day for ReykjaDoom Fest 2024 is Kælan Mikla!

The goth witches will honour us with cold dark synth pop.

Come dance with us through the night.

Please welcome the Irish trio Dread Sovereign!

Doom metal so old school there is still black metal influence in it. Couple of the members are no strangers to Iceland, as they have performed here with Primordial, Malthusian and Conan.

Dread Sovereign will start the occult at ReykjaDoom Fest 2024.

Please welcome Slor to ReykjaDoom Fest 2024!

Never leaving no one with healthy ears after a performance, the stonerdoom trio are in the process of releasing music to the world.

Sleeping Giant will reunite at ReykjaDoom Fest 2024!

This will be the first performance in more than ten years. Expect great mix of doom, stoner and death.

Please welcome Volcanova to ReykjaDoom Fest 2024!

The friendliest stoner band you will witness packed with catchy hooks and tight showmanship.

ReykjaDoom Fest 2024

Konvent (DK)
Dread Sovereign (IE)
Kælan Mikla
Altari
CXVIII
Kvelja
Múr
Sleeping Giant
Slor
Volcanova

Tickets: https://www.midix.is/en//eid/89

The last bands will be announced in the fall!

We are not done with announcements.

We got one more coming up.

https://www.facebook.com/doomcember/
https://www.instagram.com/reykjadoom/
https://www.reykjadoom.com/

Fuzz-drenched Australian trio Sleeping Giant will release their new single, Fortress, on Oct. 30 through Copper Feast Records. It’s the quick-turnaround answer to the Bendigo/Melbourne outfit’s 2019 self-titled debut (review here) and intended as a bridge between that release and their next full-length, and indeed it presents a shift in approach. “Fortress,” the song itself, runs just under five minutes long, but that’s plenty of time for guitarist/vocalist Steven Hammer, bassist James Wright and drummer Pali Emond to established a thickened, full sound that runs denser and murkier than anything the LP had on offer. Certainly the elements that comprise it are there: dudes have riffs, tone, fuzz, groove, hook, some harsher shouts for good measure — all that we-wrote-a-song stuff. But what’s really intriguing about “Fortress” is the atmosphere it creates.

Emond did the cover art for the Fortress single — and for sure that’s a video game I want to play — but notice that beneath the stalactites of the cavern in the image is a smoky, humid swamp and of course the lingering sense of doom as the broken-horn, open-mouthed monster skull welcomes you to the titular fortress. It doesn’t look like a place in which you’d want to hang around for side-quests. However, it does expertly convey the spirit of what “Fortress” brings to Sleeping Giant‘s sound, which is precisely that doomed aspect. Where Sleeping Giant integrated influences from the likes of Lowrider and Kyuss, the clearest line one might draw from “Fortress” is to the rolling lurch of Windhand. This can be heard in Hammer‘s vocal melody as well as the immersion he conjures in doubling — or tripling, since he’s also playing guitar — as recording engineer, handling mixing and mastering too.

He did some amount of recording on the self-titled as well, but as that record was pieced together over a longer period of time and multiple sessions, “Fortress” not only feels like a progression in aesthetic, but one of cohesion. Hammer‘s guitar, Wright‘s bass and Emond‘s drums flow together with an in-the-same-room feel — mind you, whether they were actually in the same room or not, I have no idea; probably not given quarantine and so on — and the song pulls you deeper into its swirling, possibly toxic haze because of that. Like the shouts that emerge later on, these were things hinted at on the LP, especially in the later reaches of the “Visions” trilogy that capped, but come through more focused, more complete, and even more intentional on the single. For something that sounds so foreboding, it bodes awfully well.

“Fortress” will see issue as part of a split 7″ single with labelmates Foot sometime soon via Copper Feast, and it’s my pleasure to host the premiere today. Find it below, accompanied by more details from the PR wire.

And enjoy:

https://soundcloud.com/copper-feast-records/fortress/s-aqCFvKXwH7u

Sleeping Giant are back – and they’re back heavier and harder than we’ve seen them before with this absolute behemoth of a track crawling out of the abyss and into your earholes on October 30th.

Following the successful release of their eponymous debut in 2019, rehearsals and progress on the anticipated follow-up record was halted as a result of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Undeterred, the band have been able to write and record a brand new track from lockdown to give fans a glimpse of what’s to come next year.

Having been inspired to move in a heavier direction after recording the epic fan favourite ‘Visions’ trilogy, new single ‘Fortress’ has been a feature of their live set ever since the debut record came out and lyrically represents how cancerous cells can debilitate and make you a shadow of your former healthy self. Though the lyrics were written well before COVID, they still bear a strong relevance to the current climate.

This standalone single intended as a bridge between albums was written, recorded, mixed and mastered by frontman/guitarist Steve Hammer and is Sleeping Giant’s first foray into the world of home recording.

Drummer Pali Emond has meticulously slaved away to perfectly depict the visual aesthetic of ‘Fortress’ on the cover art, as well as producing a brand new t-shirt design which will be available for pre-order alongside the track, ahead of its 30th October release date.

What’s more, Copper Feast Records will be releasing ‘Fortress’ as a 7″ split single before the end of the year alongside label mates Foot on limited edition coloured vinyl which also features a brand new track from Paul Holden & co.

Sleeping Giant is:
Steve Hammer – Guitar/Vocals
James Wright – Bass
Pali Emond – Drums

Sleeping Giant on Thee Facebooks

Sleeping Giant on Instagram

Sleeping Giant on Bandcamp

Copper Feast Records on Thee Facebooks

Copper Feast Records on Instagram

Copper Feast Records on Bandcamp

Copper Feast Records BigCartel store

In case you’ve forgotten how the world works, reality isn’t polite enough to wait for one global crisis to end before the next one begins, and though the media cycle spotlight worldwide may have moved on to brighter, shinier travesties, the fallout from Australia’s wildfires earlier this year is still being felt and will be for many years to come. Ecosystem damage like that doesn’t disappear in a day. Particularly when humans are involved. We suck at that stuff. Good destroyers, bad rebuilders.

Anyhoo, there are those who do what they can, and among them stand organizations like WIRES and the Australian Red Cross, who are the beneficiaries of Copper Feast Records‘ new compilation out March 27, titled Hidden Noise. Australia’s one-of-a-kind environment and wildlife can’t be replaced, or cloned by futures usses, and the planet needs that ecosystem and those animals now. And not to mention the cost to humanity too in lost homes, livelihoods and lives. If a comp with killer tracks by killer bands gets any dollars — Australian or otherwise — to those causes, then that’s only a good thing.

So here’s the info:

Copper Feast Records – ‘Hidden Noise’ Charity Compilation

The world is on fire. Australia is on fire. Things will not get better until things change.

In late 2019 and early 2020, Australia was ravaged by bushfires which have destroyed vast expanses of its unique natural environment, pushing some species to the verge of extinction and causing the loss of many lives, livelihoods and homes. As our way of giving back, 100% of the profits from ‘Hidden Noise’ will be going to charity.

50% will be going to WIRES (www.wires.org.au)
50% will be going to The Australian Red Cross (www.redcross.org.au)

‘Hidden Noise’, a compilation from Copper Feast Records, showcases unreleased tracks from some of the best ‘hidden’ psych rock and stoner rock bands that Australia has to offer. In addition, a small number of previously released tracks from even more amazing bands completes the compilation.

Some of the artists that have contributed brand new songs include Planet of the 8s, Turtle Skull and The Black Heart Death Cult. We also have new mixes of existing tracks from the likes of Sleeping Giant and Narla.

The compilation title ‘Hidden Noise’ takes on a variety of different meanings in relation to this project. These are all Australian bands that are massively deserving of a greater following than they currently receive. Their music may be somewhat hidden for now, but I urge you to explore them all further. Albums, singles and even demos can be found on each band’s own Bandcamp page with links provided below.

‘Hidden Noise’ also references how at-risk persons and families have found their voice lost when requiring assistance before and after the bushfire crisis affecting the country. This is in addition to the vast number of wildlife voices that go unheard at this time as humans exploit their habitats causing their destruction.

Last but not least, the compilation title is in reference to the media obstruction and government inaction all over the world regarding climate change and the crisis affecting not only Australia, but every country in the world as a result of this.

We need change. Please enjoy the music and be a part of it.

narlamusic.bandcamp.com
theroyalartillery.bandcamp.com
planetofthe8s.bandcamp.com
turtleskullmusic.bandcamp.com
sonsofzoku.bandcamp.com
theblackheartdeathcult.bandcamp.com
cosmosmelbourne.bandcamp.com
numidia.bandcamp.com/releases
motemelbourne.bandcamp.com
theivoryelephant.bandcamp.com
footmelb.bandcamp.com
droiddoom.bandcamp.com
paulholden.bandcamp.com
sleepinggiantband.bandcamp.com

Thank you to all the artists above for their contribution and support to this project. Thank you to Carl Saff for ensuring such a broad-ranging sound compiled into one record sounds cohesive. Thank you to you, the listener, for your support.

https://copperfeastrecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CopperFeastRecords/
https://copperfeastrecords.bandcamp.com/

Foot, The Balance of Nature Shifted (2020)

Sleeping Giant, Sleeping Giant (2019)

Always like good news, and a previously-independently-issued album getting picked up for a vinyl release is almost always that. Certainly so in the case of Aussie three-piece Sleeping Giant, who put out their self-titled full-length (review here) this summer have have been snagged by Copper Feast Records for an LP edition. Actually, to be more specific, a couple LP editions, as there will apparently be different regional variants. The label, founded last year with releases from Horsehunter, School Disco, Pseudo Mind Hive and LowFlyingHawks under its belt, has also apparently relocated to Australia, so getting a band like Sleeping Giant on board may be a sign of a burgeoning regional focus. Certainly plenty of Oz heavy to go around. It’s like they grow on trees down there.

Preorders start at the end of the month for Sleeping Giant‘s Sleeping Giant, and I’m not sure when the release will actually be or what the band’s plans are for after, but in the interim, like I said at the outset, a vinyl version is good news for platterhounds of all stripes.

Of course, the record’s also streaming at the bottom of this post, because it’s the future and we can do that here:

Copper Feast Records – Sleeping Giant

Sound the alarm…it’s announcement time!

I’m beyond excited to welcome the brilliant Sleeping Giant to the Copper Feast family. At the end of the month, we will be opening up pre-orders for the first and only vinyl pressings of the self-titled debut LP from these Melbourne/Bendigo based stoner metal riffheads.

‘Sleeping Giant’ will be our first release since my relocation to Australia, which means that this fantastic album will be available in both Australia and the UK/EU in two region exclusive variants (details to follow later).

Having been around for nearly 6 years now, formerly under the name Lowpoint, ‘Sleeping Giant’ is an absolutely, absolutely killer intro to the band and well worth the wait! Some of the most crushing moments in stoner rock this year alongside some gorgeously mellow soundscapes…Melbourne’s done it again.

Sleeping Giant is:
Steven Hammer – Guitars/Vocals
James Wright – Bass
Pali Emond-Glenn – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/sleepinggiantband/
https://www.instagram.com/sleepinggiantband/
https://sleepinggiantband.bandcamp.com/
https://copperfeastrecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CopperFeastRecords/

Sleeping Giant, Sleeping Giant (2019)

Last time around, I actually managed to post the playlist for The Obelisk Show before Gimme Radio aired it, and I thought that worked pretty well, letting people know what was going to be on and all that. As it stands, I haven’t even had the chance to record the voice breaks yet for this one, but it’ll get done before airtime. Again, lots of new stuff this episode and a lot of it drawn from recent coverage around here, as well as some stuff that will be upcoming, whether it’s V‘s new single or the 20-minute Comacozer track that ends out.

That song and the We Lost the Sea track before it make up the final 35 minutes of the show. I wanted a couple longer tracks this time out, so between those, V, Monolord, Oblivion Reptilian and Hound the Wolves, I feel like we got there. There’s a couple rockers up front with Bison Machine, Blackwater Holylight and Lightning Born, but from then on pretty much all bets are off. I never know how that kind of thing will be received by the Gimme listenership, but screw it, I haven’t been fired yet, so I’ll take that for what it tells me. Not much, I suppose.

Dug these songs though. The Lightning Born, Sleeping Giant and The Black Wizards cuts were standouts from their respective albums, and the new Goatess single was just premiered elsewhere, but I’ll be covering the album too, so wanted to give that a chance to shine here. And a little bit of Crowbar seemed appropriate as I’ve already seen them once this month and plan to do so again before the month is out. Some bands you just can’t get enough.

Thanks for checking it out if you get the chance.

Here’s the full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 08.16.19

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Radio airs every other Friday at 1PM Eastern, with replays every Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next show is Aug. 30. Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Radio website

The Obelisk on Thee Facebooks

Sometimes a band comes right out of their second rehearsal with a batch of songs, ready to hit the studio and make a record — or at least that’s how it feels. That’s not the case with Sleeping Giant, who emerge from Australia’s crowded heavy underground some six years after forming as Lowpoint. Their self-titled and self-released-but-probably-not-for-long debut album is the result of the subsequent half-decade of writing and woodshedding, and comprises a clean eight tracks and 42 minutes of solid-foundation fuzz rock, turning influences from earlier Queens of the Stone Age, Lowrider, Kyuss and more rolling fare into a collection of original songs that bask in their fuzzy familiarity but still feel geared toward their own approach, perhaps because they’ve been so worked on. Even the recording process for Sleeping Giant‘s Sleeping Giant took a year, which sounds excruciating, but the resultant long-player finds guitarist/vocalist Steven Hammer, bassist James Wright and drummer Pali Emond-Glenn sounding well aware of who they are as a band and able to manifest that in their material without losing their first-album edge.

Even without knowing it was so long in coming together, the songs don’t feel off-the-cuff. They feel worked on, thought out, considered, and that’s by no means a detriment to their execution, which remains plenty energetic. That’s an achievement unto itself, but it’s just one of the ways Sleeping Giant ultimately impress throughout, as they move through a tracklisting that’s no less impeccably arranged than the songs themselves in terms of bringing out the different sides of the band’s approach, growing richer as it goes from side A to B in what’s clearly a vinyl-intended progression — the cover by Emond-Glenn would seem geared toward that as well — that nonetheless flows smoothly throughout, making its way toward the three-part finale, “Visions I,” “Visions II” and “Visions III,” which together introduce new elements of atmosphere and aggression to the proceedings, taking the straightforward core of heavy rock from which Sleeping Giant work and using it as a basis for exploring different ideas. However long it took to make it happen, there’s little more one could reasonably ask of a debut album.

Sleeping Giant opens, suitably enough, with “Sleep,” which begins an initial salvo that will continue basically through the first four songs to one degree or another. A mid-paced groove takes hold with effective, laid back vocal melodies overtop from Hammer and a fuzz that’s both warm-sounding and right on in terms of capturing a desert-style feel while still giving Wright‘s bass room to make an impression. One is reminded early on of Sungrazer to a degree, but Sleeping Giant are on a less jammy trip overall, and the roll of “Sleep” is offset by the sheer thrust of “Temptress,” which pushes the vocals forward in the mix and offers as support for them a fervent push and tempo kick, the trade from one to the next crucial to understanding how side A works, since the subsequent “Empire” and “Serpent” will essentially make the same moves, though of course there are changes in the approach to be considered.

“Temptress” resolves itself in a nod and final shove before dropping out to a series of curses — somebody’s mad about something, comically — and leading to the six-and-a-half-minute “Empire,” which is a highlight for its blend of bounce and roll, the chorus reminding of some lost late-’90s/early-’00s gem from somewhere in Northern Europe, even as the tones and production by Erek Ladd and Jarod Meadows remains modern. Guitar drops out in the second half of “Empire” for a moment to let the bass introduce the apex nodder riff and the slow-motion swagger that ensues is more than welcome upon the return of the full tonal breadth. In comparison, “Serpent” — also the most direct source of the Lowrider comparison above — is arguably the highest-energy of the bunch, with a careening Homme-style central riff and sense of movement brought out all the more by the shift into a slower section at the midpoint, only to return to a speedier finish. Again, not by any means revolutionary, but effective in conveying Sleeping Giant‘s priorities, which are clearly geared toward songcraft.

The basic structure of side B changes, thanks largely to the aforementioned “Visions” trilogy. “Gypsy” unfolds very much in the character of side A’s tradeoffs between longer and shorter songs, finding Hammer‘s malleable vocals in a lower register over a slower riff before opening up for the chorus, trading tempos much in the spirit of “Serpent,” only reversed. In the overarching progression of the record, “Gypsy” is inherently outshined by “Visions,” but its being there makes sense and the work it does to tie the two halves of the album together isn’t to be forgotten. Still, it’s a significant turn when the instrumental “Visions I” begins its subdued unfolding, reminding of progressive-era Truckfighters‘ less jumpy moments, with a linear build toward the heavier guitar’s full brunt.

They get there before the track’s three minutes are up, and turn directly into “Visions II,” which unfolds a King Buffalo-y psychedelic blues vibe until a more severe riff leads at 2:42 to harsher growling in post-hardcore fashion — actually, the voice reminds me of Elegy-era Amorphis, but I’m willing to chalk that up to sonic coincidence — gradually working in clean and harsh layers effectively to carry Sleeping Giant to a genuinely unexpected crescendo, leaving “Visions III” to pick up immediately from there, which it does by shifting into another engaging nod-roll as a bed for a return of sung vocals and the gradual build of a melodic wash of tone, which acts not so much as an epilogue to the prior part’s payoff, but as a different stage of the same idea — in that way, “Visions” is all the more well executed as a whole. And it’s in that last three-parter that Sleeping Giant most show the potential in their sound for bringing a range of styles together under a fuzzy banner and crafting an identity of their own from them. After six years and a name change leading to this debut, I won’t speculate on where they might go from here or when they might get there, but the obvious care they put into the writing and honing and construction of this material shows through one way or another in each track, which is no less than they deserve.

Sleeping Giant, Sleeping Giant (2019)

Sleeping Giant on Thee Facebooks

Sleeping Giant on Instagram

Sleeping Giant on Bandcamp

[Click play above to stream Lowburn’s Sleeping Giant EP in full. It’s out Feb. 2 on Argonauta Records.]

With four tracks and four distinct takes between them, Lowburn‘s Sleeping Giant is an EP in the truest sense of the form. It is a formidable sampling of range within the sphere of heavy rock — especially for an outing half the duration of its predecessor — and even for those who experienced the Finnish four-piece’s 2015 full-length debut, Doomsayer, or any of their prior, shorter releases, it should make an impression with its efficiency and level of songcraft alike.

Delivering once again through Argonauta Records, the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Tomi Mykkänen (also Battlelore), guitarist Tommi Lintunen, bassist Miika Kokkola and drummer Henkka Vahvanen find their niche right on either side of the dividing line between heavy rock and more aggressive metal, and where a song like “Do Mi Ti” from the long-player had its element of grunge-style melody, even the melancholy closer here “Lost Control,” seems to have grown outward melodically from this impulse.

That’s an encouraging sign on a performance level, but what really distinguishes Sleeping Giant from Doomsayer or Lowburn‘s previous 2014 split with Church of Void or 2013 debut EP, Soaring High, is in the efficiency of the band’s work in executing the material. Whether it’s the forward charge of opener “All Life Long” or the more rolling groove of the subsequent “The Power it Holds” and “Sleeping Giant” itself — which, rest assured, awakes before it’s done — Lowburn do not spare a moment on Sleeping Giant, and they sound all the more assured coming off their debut of the kind of band they want to be and how they want to get where they’re going in terms of sound.

Interestingly, in doing so on Sleeping Giant, they start at more or less at the beginning. While there’s no question “All Life Long” gives Sleeping Giant a somewhat ironic launch with its full-boar energetic take, all-out from the drum lead-in through the sped-up Kyuss-style riffing that propels it through its four minutes to the burly delivery of Mykkänen, slowing only to catch its breath in the midsection before resuming its rush at the ending payoff. I’m not sure it’s the same recorded version — it’s close if not — but the song originates in 2013 and was initially released as a digital single around the time of Soaring High. Whether redone or not, the form is essentially the same, and it makes a somewhat sneakily appropriate lead-in for the three tracks that follow and expand the dynamic of the release overall.

Lead guitar shines throughout “The Power it Holds,” which has plenty of room for soloing as it nears a seven-minute runtime, but it’s the slower, rolling groove that most stands the song out, and a better balance in the mix between the vocals and surrounding instruments that makes the tones sound larger and adds depth on the whole. Give the origin story of “All Life Long,” I’ll note that I don’t know when “The Power it Holds,” “Sleeping Giant” or closer “Lost Control” were recorded — they could well be from the same session; universe of infinite possibilities and all that — but in context they sound newer, more developed stylistically, and speak to that level of assuredness one can sense in Lowburn post-Doomsayer.

“Sleeping Giant” pushes this notion even further with a more immersive nod and a willingness to ride its groove that departs even further from “All Life Long” at the outset. Patience? Yeah, patience. It wasn’t entirely absent from Lowburn on Doomsayer by any means, but it serves the title-track particularly well and shifts smoothly into the low-key harmonies of “Lost Control” in a way that gives even this sampling-of-wares-style short release a sense of full-album flow.

Likewise, the closer’s subdued beginning feels very much like a mirror held up to the initial push of “All Life Long,” and in that draws attention once more to the growth undertaken on the part of Lowburn — not just to where they can write effective trades between verses and choruses without unneeded flourish or structural variance, but to where their material has evolved in range while holding onto that sense of purpose and drive regardless of the actual tempo in which they’re working. What their plans might be after this relatively quick offering, I don’t know, but the message comes through clearly in these tracks that while on the surface Lowburn‘s attack can seem at times to be more about boozy burl and dudely riffing that willful creative progression, there’s obviously plenty of both at play in their sound.

Lowburn on Thee Facebooks

Lowburn website

Lowburn on Bandcamp

Argonauta Records on Thee Facebooks

Argonauta Records website