Don’t mind me, just over here daydreaming about this one. Yeah, maybe I’ll always be something of a sucker for The Netherlands in Springtime, but even taking that into account, the lineup for Sonic Whip 2023 in Nijmegen speaks for itself top to bottom in terms of the bill. There’s a couple bands I don’t know — including The Psychotic Monks, who were just added, and Shaman Elephant, who were the other band that took part in Enslaved‘s big-band collab — but for familiar names and faces and acts I’ve never seen like Stoned Jesus, Causa Sui, Somali Yacht Club, Samavayo, Vinnum Sabbathi, Slift, and so on, I feel like this is two days I very much wouldn’t mind living through.

I feel that way about a lot of European fests these days, and maybe that in itself is worth examining — if perhaps we’re in something of a golden age (a loaded phrase for the Dutch) of smaller-scale festivals across the continent. I see nothing but arguments in favor of that proposition here, and post-covid, the explosion of events both new and returning is only welcome as far as I’m concerned. I haven’t been invited, won’t get over for it, but it’s a good one, and if you’re headed out to it, I tip my hat in your general direction. Or at least I will next time I have a hat on.

Final announcement follows. Tickets are on sale:

LINE-UP SONIC WHIP 2023 COMPLETE

5 & 6 MAY Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Sonic Whip, the multi-headed rock monster that combines ripping guitars with steaming bass lines, pounding drums and other sonic, psychedelic excesses. The 2023 edition will happen on May 5 & 6 in Doornroosje, Nijmegen.

With the addition of The Psychotic Monks (fra), Samavayo (ger), Shaman Elephant (no) and Vinnum Sabbathi (mex) the line-up for Sonic Whip is complete! We’re looking forward to welcome all these fantastic artists and are convinced this is going to be a rad psychedelic sonic party. We hope you will join us on 5 & 6 May in Doornroosje.

FULL LINEUP:
King Buffalo, SLIFT, Stoned Jesus, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Causa Sui, Lowrider, Somali Yacht Club, Les Big Byrd, GNOD, The Psychotic Monks, Radar Men From The Moon, Samavayo, Ecstatic Vision, Iron Jinn, USA Nails, The Gluts, Deathchant, Dommengang, Shaman Elephant, Psychlona, Vinnum Sabbathi and Madmess.

Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/SonicWhip2023

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/530494448958919

https://www.facebook.com/Sonicwhipfestival
https://www.instagram.com/sonic_whip/
https://www.doornroosje.nl/festival/sonic-whip/

Vinnum Sabbathi, Live at Channel 66 (2022)

I wish I could say I planned it out ahead of time that the 100th episode of The Obelisk Show would coincide with both the final one of 2022 and the third of the three roundups of some of the year’s best in heavy, but I’m nowhere near that coordinated. Fortunate happenstance, then, and a killer show either way.

You might note the minor departure from the general format I use in that this one doesn’t end with an extended track. Fact is there was just more I wanted to include than there was room for, so I opted to pack in three or four shorter songs where there might otherwise be one. Nothing here tops 10 minutes long — CB3 is just over eight and that’s the longest — and I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Before I turn you over to the playlist itself, I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Gimme Metal for allowing me to continue to do this show. Seems obvious to say, considering, you know, this site in general, but sharing music I dig is among my favorite things to do, and I value the opportunity to engage with Gimme’s audience as a part of that. Thank you to Tyler, Brian, Dean and the entire crew for having me and making this thing happen.

Thanks for listening if you do, thanks for reading if you are.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 12.23.22 (VT = voice track)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Jan. 6 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

The other day, Ukraine’s Somali Yacht Club posted the kind of year-end summary on social media that’s become more or less standard practice for bands who, say, give a crap about engaging their fanbase. Earlier in 2022, the Lviv trio released The Space (review here) on Season of Mist, and toured alongside Greenleaf and countrymen labelmates Stoned Jesus, and for sure those came up, as well as hints of this tour that was then TBA.

Obviously they also talked about the war that’s ravaged their home country for most of the year. This week, Ukraine’s president traveled to the US and spoke to congress, etc., shoring up commitment to the aide and weaponry the US has provided thus far. To say it’s a shitty situation generally, but gosh my home nation lives a proxy war with Russia, and if Ukrainian citizens and infrastructure are slaughtered and destroyed in the interim, well, that’s eggs and omelets, innit? I honestly don’t know what the answer is there, between ‘how can you not help when your military budget is by far the highest in the world and you’ve held yourself up — wrongly, but still — as a global moral authority since the end of the Second World War’ and ‘what the fuck business is it of ours if they’re not in NATO.’ Consider it’s probably where the trillions of dollars that went to Afghanistan so girls wouldn’t be allowed in libraries now should’ve gone, but no question it’s a diplomatic conundrum well beyond my paygrade to solve, and I’m not making light of it. Unfortunately the loss of life is real, whether the American people are the ones experiencing it or not. But America has never really given a shit about that either.

I don’t see that war ending anytime soon. If the US pulls the rug out, Ukraine is likely sunk, and that’s basically a setup for genocide. If we send more missiles, what, Kyiv takes Moscow? Or Putin kicks off and all is forgiven? That doesn’t seem likely either. It’s a mess, ugly, and there’s no good answer. Hey, anyone see that trailer for Oppenheimer? Let’s not forget the latent threat of nuclear war hanging over our heads, as if to prove once and for all that humanity has learned jack squat in the last seventy years.

So anyway, happy holidays.

I guess what I’m trying to say is if Somali Yacht Club are somewhat disheartened despite the successes of the band in 2022, well, they’re human beings in a roiling shitshow of a situation, so that seems well justified. What can you do to help? Buy a record? Buy a shirt? I don’t know. That won’t end a war, but it might at least let them know someone gives a shit about what they’re doing.

Okay, that’s my piece. Here’s tour dates. They’ll be out with Psychlona. Sláva Ukrayíni:

Tour. May. 2023. Special guest Psychlona!

First time in Netherlands, UK, Croatia, Sweden, and Denmark! Don’t miss it.

02.05.2023 (PL) Warszawa, Hydrozagadka
03.05.2023 (DE) Dresden, Chemiefabrik
04.05.2023 (DE) Jena, KuBa
06.05.2023 (NL) Nijmegen, Sonic Whip*
10.05.2023 (DE) München, Feierwerk*
11.05.2023 (HR) Zagreb, Mochvara*
13.05.2023 (DE) Ludwigsburg, Scala*
14.05.2023 (DE) Hannover, Faust*
15.05.2023 (DE) Hamburg, Knust*
17.05.2023 (DK) Copenhagen, Stengade* (w/ Kanaan)
18.05.2023 (DE) Kiel, Schaubude* (w/ Daily Thompson & Kanaan)
19.05.2023 (DE) Berlin, Desertfest*
20.05.2023 (PL) Kraków Alchemia

Kudos Sound of Liberation!

Line-up:
Ihor – guitar, vocals, keys
Artur – bass
Oleksa – drums

http://facebook.com/Somaliyachtclub
http://somaliyachtclub.bandcamp.com
http://instagram.com/somaliyachtclub

https://www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial
http://www.season-of-mist.com/

It’s not a long reach to grasp the intended metaphor when it comes to Iron Rain, the impending debut album from Ukrainian heavy post-rock solo-project Super Pink Moon, helmed by Somali Yacht Club guitarist/vocalist Ihor Pryshliak in Lviv. Given the ongoing war between Russia and Pryshliak‘s home country — with my home country, the US, just living its absolute best-life proxy-war thanatos boner dream against an old Cold War foe, complete with all the reactionary propaganda — it seems pretty clear Iron Rain is talking about bombs. If it needs to be said, it is unfortunate that the circumstance exists in which to title an album thusly in the first place. War, like so many other enduring human innovations, is bullshit. If anyone had allowed women to learn to read before, like, 1980, I have no doubt many similar conflicts would have been avoided, but it is what it is. Sad and dragging on.

“Nothing is Real” is the second single to be posted from Iron Rain, which is out in Feb. 2023, and a suitably atmospheric follow-up to the prior-posted “Doomscrolling,” which you can also stream below and which resolves itself in a roller of a heavy riff that offers an alternate definition for the name Pryshliak has given it. Both songs are united in their exploratory feel.

The PR wire has the story to tell:

Somali Yacht Club frontman to release new solo album as SUPER PINK MOON in February 2023; stream dreamy new single “Nothing Is Real” now.

Lviv-based post-rock and shoegaze multi-instrumentalist Ihor Pryshliak aka SUPER PINK MOON announces the release of his new solo full-length “IRON RAIN” in February 2023, and premieres his new single “NOTHING IS REAL”!

Written amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this new offering from Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ihor Pryshliak as Super Pink Moon is a sonic testimony that depicts the angst and emotional turmoil of making to make it through the day when surrounded by chaos. Gracefully interweaving post-rock, shoegaze and indie rock, “IRON RAIN” washes over the listener with ten dreamy spells filled with shape-shifting dynamics, heady riffs and delicate melancholic vocals from the beloved Somali Yacht Club frontman.

About the new album, Super Pink Moon comments: “Half of the album was recorded before the 24th of February (the day of Russian invasion) and the second half afterward. For Ukrainians, this date has left a deep wound that is still massively bleeding. To escape from reality, I had to switch my focus to something else, otherwise, I’d just go mad. Musically, my idea was to confuse listeners as much as possible. There are many hidden tricks. I tried to craft complex melodies and rhythms with multiple layers while keeping them as ‘listenable’ as possible. The LP is completely recorded at home.”

“All the lyrics are revolving around self-reflection on the war. It’s still hard to describe the weird mix of feelings. Sometimes you’re extremely proud and even happy, but usually, all you feel is sadness, pain, and despair. One might say, ‘dude, you’re living in the western part of Ukraine’, which is relatively a safe place. But the feeling of survival guilt is constantly hunting you and there’s no place to hide. Also, you can’t hide from the missiles, which is disturbing at least. So, I had to evolve. Now I’m feeling much better, and this record is a kind of snapshot of the ‘self-curing’ process. After our victory, I don’t think I’d ever listen to this record again, too many emotions.”

Super Pink Moon – New album “IRON RAIN”
Out on February 16th, 2023 on all streaming platforms

TRACKLIST:
1. NOTHING IS REAL
2. EVERYTHING
3. DOOMSCROLLING
4. COLLISION
5. MIRAGE
6. FORWARDBREAKFORWARD
7. CALMNESS
8. PER ASPERA AD ASTRA
9. HOLLOWNESS
10. ウクライナにславаあれ

Super Pink Moon was created in 2019 as a side project of Somali Yacht Club guitarist and vocalist Ihor in Lviv, Ukraine. After a few months of home experiments, the “Nude” mini album was released in November 2020 under the moniker Slow Noise. Within the next few months, he worked on his debut album “SUPER LP”. All his music is recorded at his home studio, and mixed by Jaro Sound.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064109648958
https://superpinkmoon.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0y7uR8sScWoz7t8sYfSuC8

Super Pink Moon, “Nothing is Real”

Super Pink Moon, “Doomscrolling”

This is always an exciting time of year, when the next Spring’s festival season in Europe begins to take shape. Between Desertfest Berlin and the same festival brand’s London edition, you can tell a good bit about who’s going to be on tour, and in the case of an act like Church of Misery coming from Japan, maybe even glean some idea of when their album is coming out just by the fact that they’re making the trip.

I have to wonder too if Uncle Acid won’t have their next record out by then — as I recall they were gearing up for a release more than two years ago — and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if King Buffalo managed to put together at least an EP to take over for the merch booth. Dozer as well will have a record coming if not out by then, and if that doesn’t make you feel warm inside, then I have absolutely nothing for you.

My big question is with whom Ecstatic Vision will be on tour, since there’s some serious potential for package runs. So you see it’s exciting to think of these festivals as the anchors they’ve become — you’ll notice Desertfest Berlin has a new venue to call home — for the touring season. Precisely my kind of fun to see who’s headed where and why, and I hope you share my nerdy enthusiasm as the announcements continue to roll in.

Weekend tickets go on sale Friday. From the fest’s social media:

FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR 2023 EDITION ⚡️NEW VENUE COLUMBIAHALLE ⚡️ WEEKEND TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 28th AT 12PM CET

DESERTFEST BERLIN has announced the first names for its 2023 edition, and is happy to welcome UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, THE OBSESSED, KING BUFFALO, CHURCH OF MISERY, DOZER, BLOOD CEREMONY, L.A. WITCH, SOMALI YACHT CLUB, GNOD, ECSTATIC VISION, DAILY THOMPSON, GAUPA and PSYCHLONA, with many more acts to be announced soon!

Taking place between May 19 – 21, 2023 will see a venue change from the Arena to Columbiahalle and Columbia Theater, with additional outdoor space & stage.

Weekend tickets for DESERTFEST BERLIN 2023 will be on sale this Friday, October 28th at 12PM CET via www.desertfest.de

Address: Columbiadamm 13-21, 10965 Berlin.

Artwork by @callumrooneyart

www.desertfest.de
www.facebook.com/DesertfestBerlin
www.instagram.com/desertfest_berlin

Lowrider, “Pipe Rider” live at Desertfest Berlin 2022

Some considerable names in the first announcement for Desertfest London 2023. The festival set for next May 5-7 in Camden Town will be kind of the first to be removed from the effects of pandemic delay — many artists who played earlier this year had been originally booked for 2020. Seeing them move forward is encouraging.

All the more so given the bands playing, from Uncle Acid and Kadavar to High Desert Queen and Plainride. With Mars Red Sky, Ecstatic Vision and Gaupa included, Blood Ceremony, Spaceslug and a ton of others in just this first round, it looks like Desertfest is ready to throw down after a few rough years, now a survivor event hopefully that much stronger for the experience as it moves past its first decade into the next.

Announcement follows, as seen on social media:

DESERTFEST LONDON – FIRST BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR 2023 EDITION

Tickets via www.desertfest.co.uk

Returning stronger than ever thanks to the unyielding support of our steadfast fan base, Desertfest is now entering its eleventh year next May. Kicking off the initial 2023 announcement, we welcome cult heroes Uncle Acid and the deadbeats to headline the Roundhouse for the very first time. As one of the most widely-requested bands in the Desertfest-sphere, the Uncle Acid amalgamation of riff-driven hard-rock & trippy melodic weavings has allowed a uniquely original, yet utterly timeless beast to form.

Swedish heavy-blues maestros Graveyard join once again, eliciting raw emotion with their lyrical prowess & introspective compositions. One of the greatest live acts of all time, German groovers KADAVAR and worshippers of vintage occult folklore Blood Ceremony, all of whose boundary pushing retro-rock sounds make a gratifying return.

For those with a heavier appetite, macabre Japanese doom legends Church of Misery, genre-bending nihilists INTER ARMA & London’s own gloom heroes Grave Lines should be a delectable entrée to proceedings.

Ukraine’s Somali Yacht Club will undoubtedly meet a rapturous reception when their flawless musicianship makes its long awaited Desertfest debut. Dynamic US rockers Valley of the Sun will also make their first DF appearance, as they quickly propel themselves onto ‘must see’ lists across the globe.

Poland’s own Spaceslug will bring revellers into a world of atmospheric sci-fi influenced proto-doom, whilst the unique sounds of Mars Red Sky, GAUPA & Ecstatic Vision also up the ante with their progressive fusions of stoner & psychedelia.

Rounding off this first announcement, we also warmly welcome Celestial Sanctuary, High Desert Queen, Plainride, Everest Queen, Venomwolf & Margarita Witch Cult.

Weekend tickets for Desertfest London 2023 are on sale now, with much more still to be announced – www.desertfest.co.uk

Artwork by Callum Rooney

http://www.desertscene.co.uk/support
https://www.facebook.com/DesertfestLondon
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_london/
https://twitter.com/DesertFest
https://www.desertfest.co.uk/

A few different tours coming together here, right? Stoned Jesus, Greenleaf and Somali Yacht Club on the road together. Elder, Pallbearer and Irist. Hippie Death Cult out there on their own now that their would’ve-been-tourmates High Reeper dropped off. Naxatras making the rounds. Sasquatch doing like they do on a stretch with Orange Goblin before continuing a longer European run (you should always stretch first; ain’t nobody getting younger). Electric Citizen out with Fu Manchu. All of this is organized, mapped out ahead of time, and a lot of it is starting this weekend at Up in Smoke 2022 in Pratteln, Switzerland, as though to save you the time, money and effort necessary to hit up all these individual tours, which may or may not be routed everywhere to start with.

You can see the final lineup below with Fu Manchu, Orange Goblin and Elder getting top billing, and as the first of Sound of Liberation‘s Fall festivals in Europe — Keep it Low in Munich and Desertfest Belgium will follow in the coming weeks, and there’s a bunch of others besides — Up in Smoke is distinguished by vibe even more than timing. I’ve always been curious what it would feel like to sleep in the venue after a show. Indoor camping. Are there showers? Could be a pretty smelly affair by the third day; Up in Stink Lines, if you will. But more about the mindset. Are you so locked into the experience at that point that you wake up, find breakfast and are ready to roll as a part of the thing? I’m not sure I’d ever actually be brave enough to do it — not exactly the camping type in any context — but it could be interesting. Sound of Liberation has also posted the time-table, if you’d like to know more about what time to wake up.

The lineup below is final final final, and the day splits make it look like one hell of a festival. If you’re going to be there, I hope it’s a blast. I’d love to hear about it:

UP IN SMOKE 2022 – DAY SPLIT & DAY TICKETS – UP IN SMOKE FESTIVAL Z7 Pratteln 2022

Hey Friends,

we are getting closer and closer!

Check out the festival line up day split below!

Day Tickets are available from now on!

(#127915#)Day Tickets & 3 Day Passes:
www.sol-tickets.com

(#127915#)Day Tickets & 3 Day Passes with sleep over possibility in the venue:
www.z-7.ch

Friday, September 30th:

Fu Manchu
monkey3
Mother Engine
Temple Fang
Electric Citizen
ECHOLOT

Saturday, October 1st:

Orange Goblin
Elder
Sasquatch
Slomosa
Pallbearer
Irist
CARSON
Midnight Deadbeats

Sunday, October 2nd:

Stoned Jesus
Mars Red Sky
Greenleaf
Naxatras
Somali Yacht Club
HALF Gramme of SOMA
Hippie Death Cult

Cheers,
Your SOL-Crew

https://www.facebook.com/events/598002655273695/
https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.sol-tickets.com/
http://www.z-7.ch/
https://www.upinsmoke.de

Orange Goblin, Live at Hellfest 2022

Yo, not for nothing, but you could go see Incantation and Bongripper and Naxatras on the same lineup if you go to Antwerp. Or how about Alunah, Gozu and Suma? Cities of Mars and Stygian Bough? Slomatics and Somali Yacht Club and Polymoon? Sasquatch and Weedpecker? God damn.

If I had cash and time, I — well, I’d do a lot of things — but I’d be at this one. I know sometimes in the grand scheme of things looking at a bunch of names on a poster your eyes can glaze over, but if you can stop that from happening here, it’s worth looking at the stylistic sprawl that’ll take place over the course of the weekend. It is far more in terms of aural landscaping than simply desert, which has been true of the various Desertfest-branded events over the last, I don’t know, six years-plus, but is only emphasized here.

Plus, just about anytime Slomatics do anything it makes me happy. Those guys are great.

From the PR wire:

DF 2022 ANTWERP: WEEDPECKER, WUCAN, SLOMATICS, AND MORE!

This is the final batch of names that completes the DF Antwerp line-up, and we’ve definitely saved up some fine morsels for last. All sizes and shapes is the name of the game, so get hyped and dig in.

For those of you who like their stoner music to truly widen the senses, WEEDPECKER and SOMALI YACHT CLUB definitely fit the bill. Both incorporate many psychedelic influences in their jams, taking you on a killer trip.

On the more brutal side of things, we welcome New York’s death metal pioneers INCANTATION who come to celebrate their ‘Tricennial of Blasphemy’. With SLOMATICS, we present you with the heaviest of heavy in sludge doom. No messing about – just pummelling wall-to-wall riffage.

WUCAN and ROSY FINCH enrich our line-up with two kick-ass women that deal in idiosyncratic and highly original rock. Wucan’s Francis Tobolsky still rocks a flute like nobody’s business, and speaking of unconventional instruments in stoner bands: meet MY DILIGENCE who traded their bass player for a Moog keyboard!

As an unfortunate side-note: we have been mercifully spared of cancellations this year.. until now. We are sad to let you know that MOTHERSHIP will not be appearing at this year’s Desertfest Belgium. Their slot has already been filled in above, but still… it’s a bummer.

But hey! We’re still looking at one seriously sumofagun line-up for three days of delicious fuzztastic wreckage… So if it wasn’t before NOW is the time to secure your tickets. Especially because those Reduced Price Combi Tickets are going fast and be gone before you know it.. Don’t let it happen! Don’t do it! By which we mean: do it!

DF ANTWERP & GHENT REDUCED COMBI: 149 Euros
(valid 4 days: 14-16/10 – Antwerp & 30/10 – Ghent)

DF ANTWERP ONLY REDUCED COMBI: 120 Euros
(valid 3 days: 14-16/10 – Antwerp)

DF ANTWERP ONLY REDUCED DAY TICKET: 58 Euros
(valid 1 day: 14, 15 or 16/10 – Antwerp)

DF GHENT ONLY REDUCED DAY TICKET: 52 Euros
(valid 1 day: 30/10 – Ghent)

http://www.desertfest.be/
https://www.facebook.com/desertfestbelgium/
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_belgium/