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Quarterly Review: Torche, Spillage, Pharlee, Dali’s Llama, Speedealer, Mt. Echo, Monocluster, Picaporters, Beaten by Hippies, Luna Sol

Posted in Reviews on July 3rd, 2019 by JJ Koczan

quarterly-review

We meet again. The Summer 2019 Quarterly Review. It’s four in the morning and I’m getting ready to start the day. I haven’t even managed to pour myself coffee yet, which even as I type it out feels like a crime against humanity, such as it is. I’ll get there though.

Wednesday in the Quarterly Review marks the halfway point of the week, and as we’ll hit 30 reviews at the end, it’s half of the total 60 as well, so yeah. Feeling alright so far. As always, good music helps. I’ve added a couple things for consideration to my ongoing best-of-the-year list for December, so that’s something. And I think I’ll probably be doing so again today, so let’s get to it.

Quarterly Review #21-30:

Torche, Admission

torche admission

15 years later and Torche‘s sound is still expanding. To that point, it’s never sounded quite as expansive as it does on Admission, their fifth album and second for Relapse behind 2015’s Restarter (review here). There are still plenty of straight-ahead heavy riffs on cuts like “Reminder” or “Slide” or the bomb-tone-laden “Infierno,” but in the title-track, in “Times Missing,” the closer “Changes Come,” “Slide” and even the 1:30-long “What Was,” there’s a sense of spaciousness and float to the guitars to contrast all that crunch, and it effectively takes the place of some of the manic feel of their earlier work. It’s consistent with the brightness of their melodies in songs like “Extremes of Consciousness” and the early pusher “Submission,” and it adds to their style rather than takes away, building on the mid-paced feel of the last album in such a way as to demonstrate the band’s continued growth long after they’d be well within their rights to rest on their laurels. Sharp, consistent in its level of songwriting, mature and engaging across its 36-minute entirety, Admission is everything one might ask of Torche‘s fifth album.

Torche on Thee Facebooks

Relapse Records website

 

Spillage, Blood of Angels

spillage blood of angels

If you, like me, believe doom to be the guardian style of classic heavy metal — you could also argue power metal there, but that’s why it’s an argument — Chicago’s Spillage might be the band to help make your case. With their own Ronnie James Dio in Elvin Rodriguez (not a comparison I make lightly) and a connection to the Trouble family tree via founding guitarist Tony Spillman, who also played in Earthen Grave, the band unfurl trad-metal poise throughout their 53-minute second album, Blood of Angels, hitting touchstones like Sabbath, Priest, and indeed Trouble on a chugger like “Free Man,” a liberal dose of organ on “Rough Grooved Surface” adding to the classic feel — Rainbow, maybe? — and even the grandiose ballad “Voice of Reason” that appears before the closing Sabbath cover “Dirty Women” staying loyal to the cause. I can’t and won’t fault them for that, as in both their originals and in the cover, their hearts are obviously in it all the way and the sound is right on, the sleek swing in the second half of “Evil Doers” punctuated by squealing guitar just as it should be. Mark it a win for the forces of metal, maybe less so for the angels.

Spillage on Thee Facebooks

Qumran Records on Thee Facebooks

 

Pharlee, Pharlee

pharlee pharlee

San Diego strikes again with Pharlee‘s self-titled debut on Tee Pee Records, a 29-minute boogie rock shove that’s marked out by the significant pipes of Macarena Rivera up front, the shuffling snare work of Zack Oakley (also guitar in JOY and Volcano) and the organ work of Garret Lekas throughout, winding around and accentuating the riffs of Justin “Figgy” Figueroa and the air-push bass of Dylan Donovan. It’s a proven formula by now, but Pharlee‘s Pharlee is like the band who comes on stage in the middle of the festival and surprises everyone and reminds them why they’re there in the first place. The energy of “Darkest Hour” is infectious, and the bluesier take on Freddie King‘s “Going Down” highlights a stoner shred in Figueroa‘s guitar that fits superbly ahead of the fuzz freakout, all-go closer “Sunward,” and whatever stylistic elements (and personnel, for that matter) might be consistent with their hometown’s well-populated underground, Pharlee take that radness and make it their own.

Pharlee on Thee Facebooks

Tee Pee Records website

 

Dali’s Llama, Mercury Sea

dalis llama mercury sea

Long-running desert rockers Dali’s Llama return with Mercury Sea, their first release since 2017’s The Blossom EP (review here) and their first full-length since 2016’s Dying in the Sun (review here), sounding reinvigorated in rockers like opener “Weary” and the subsequent grunge-vibing “Choking on the Same,” “When Ember Laughs” and the garage-style “She’s Not Here.” Persistently underappreciated, their albums always have a distinct feel, and Mercury Sea is no different, finding a place for itself between the laid-back desert blues and punkier fare on a cut like “Someday, Someday,” even delving into psychedelic folk for a while in the 6:54 longest track “Goblin Fruit,” and a bit of lead guitar scorch bringing it all together on closer “All My Fault,” highlighting the theme of love that’s been playing out all the while. The sincerity behind that and everything Dali’s Llama does is palpable as ever in these 11 tracks, an more than 25 years on from their inception, they continue to deliver memorable songs in wholly unpretentious fashion. That’s just what they do.

Dali’s Llama on Thee Facebooks

Dali’s Llama on Bandcamp

 

Speedealer, Blue Days Black Nights

speedealer blue days black nights

Speedealer ride again! And just about at top speed, too. The Dallas, Texas, outfit were last heard from circa 2003, and their turnabout is marked with the self-release of Blue Days Black Nights, a fury-driven 10-tracker that takes the best of their heavy-rock-via-punk delivery and beefs up tones to suit another decade and a half’s worth of hard living and accumulated disaffection. The Dallas four-piece blaze through songs like “Never Knew,” the hardcore-punk “Losing My Shit,” the more metallic “Nothing Left to Say,” and the careening aggro-swagger of “Rheumatism,” but there’s still some variety to be had throughout, as highlight “Sold Out,” “War Nicht Genung” and “Shut Up” find the band no less effective working at a somewhat scaled-back pace. However fast they’re going, though the attitude remains much the same, and it’s “fuck you fuck this” fuckall all the way. Those familiar with their past work would expect no less, and time has clearly not repaired the chip on Speedealer‘s shoulder. Their anger is our gain.

Speedealer on Thee Facebooks

Speedealer webstore

 

Mt. Echo, Cirrus

mt echo cirrus

Based in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, the instrumentalist four-piece Mt. Echo present a somewhat noisier take on Russian Circles-style heavy post-rock with their nine-song/46-minute debut, Cirrus. Not at all shy about incorporating a noise rock riff or a more weighted groove, the dual-guitar outfit nonetheless spend significant time patiently engaged in the work of atmosphere-building, so that their material develops a genuine ebb and flow as songs tie one into the next to give the entire affair a whole-album feel. It is their first outing, but all the more striking for that in terms of how much of a grip they seem to have on their approach and what they want to be doing in a song like “Lighthouse at the End of Time” with airy lead and chugging rhythm guitars intertwining and meeting head-on for post-YOB crashes and an eventual turn into a harder-pushing progression. Ambience comes (mostly) to the fore in the seven-minute “Monsters and the Men Who Made Them,” but wherever they go on Cirrus, Mt. Echo bring that atmospheric density along with them. The proverbial ‘band to watch.’

Mt. Echo on Thee Facebooks

Mt. Echo on Bandcamp

 

Monocluster, Ocean

Monocluster Ocean

Over the course of five longform tracks on Ocean, Germany’s Monocluster build fluidly on the accomplishments of their 2015 self-titled debut (review here), greatly expanding on the heft and general reach of their sound while, as opener “Ocean in Our Bones” demonstrates, still holding onto the ability to affect a killer hook when they need one. Ocean is not a minor undertaking at 56 minutes, but it dedicates its time to constructing a world in cuts like “Leviathan” and “A Place Beyond,” the giant wall of fuzzed low end becoming the backdrop for the three-part story being told that ends with the 11:43 “Home” standing alone, as graceful and progressive as it is brash and noisy — a mirror in that regard to the nine-minute centerpiece “Guns and Greed” and a fitting summation of Ocean‘s course. They keep this up for very long and people are going to start to notice. The album is a marked step forward from where Monocluster were a few years ago, and sets up the expectation of continued growth their next time out while keeping a focus on the essential elements of songwriting as well. If we’re looking for highlights, I’d pick “Leviathan,” but honestly, it’s anyone’s game.

Monocluster on Thee Facebooks

Monocluster on Bandcamp

 

Picaporters, XXIII

picaporters xxiii

The third full-length from Argentine trio Picaporters marks another level of achievement for them as a band. XXIII arrives three years after El Horror Oculto (review here) and is unquestionably their broadest-cast spectrum to-date. The album comes bookended by eight-minute opener “La Soga de los Muertos” and “M.I.,” an 18-minute finale jam that would give a Deep Purple live record reason to blush. Soulful guitar stretches out over a vast rhythmic landscape, and all this after “Jinetes del Universo” motorpunks out and “Vencida” pulls together Floydian melo-prog, “Numero 5” precedes the closer with acoustic interplay and the early “Despertar” offers a little bit of everything and a lot of what-the-hell-just-happened. These guys started out on solid footing with their 2013 debut, Elefantes (review here), but neither that nor El Horror Oculto really hinted at the scope they’d make sound so natural throughout XXIII, which is the kind of record that leaves you no choice but to call it progressive.

Picaporters on Thee Facebooks

Picaporters on Bandcamp

 

Beaten by Hippies, Beaten by Hippies

beaten by hippies beaten by hippies

As their moniker hints, there’s some edge of danger to Belgium’s Beaten by Hippies‘ self-titled debut (on Polderrecords), but the album ultimately resolves itself more toward songwriting and hooks in the spirit of a meaner-sounding Queens of the Stone Age in songs like “Space Tail” and “More is More,” finding common ground with the energy of Truckfighters though never quite delving so far into fuzzy tones. That’s not at all to the band’s detriment — rather, it helps the four-piece begin to cast their identity as they do in this material, whether that’s happening in the volatile sudden volume trades in “Dust” or the mission statement “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which feels geared a bit to the anthemic but would probably work just as well in whatever pub they happen to be terrorizing on a given evening. Their delivery skirts the line between heavy and hard rock as only that vaguely commercially viable European-style can, but the songs are right there waiting to take the stage at whatever festival is this weekend and blow the roof — or the sky, I guess, if it’s outdoors — off the place.

Beaten by Hippies on Thee Facebooks

Polderrecords website

 

Luna Sol, Below the Deep

luna sol below the deep

Guitarist/vocalist Dave Angstrom may be best known in heavy rock circles for his work alongside John Garcia in Hermano, but in leading the four-piece Luna Sol through their 12-song/50-minute sophomore outing, Below the Deep (on Slush Fund Recordings), he proves a capable frontman as well as songwriter. Sharing vocal duties with bassist Shannon Fahnestock while David Burke handles guitar and Justin Baier drums, Angstrom is a steady presence at the fore through the well-constructed ’90s-flavored heavy rock of “Below the Deep” and “Along the Road” early, the later “Garden of the Gods” playing toward a more complex arrangement after the strutting “The Dying Conglomerate” paints a suitably grim State of the Union and ahead of the fuzz-rich ending in “Home,” which keeps its melodic purpose even as it crashes out to its languid finish. Whether it’s the charged “Man’s Worth Killin'” or the winding fuzz of “Mammoth Cave,” one can definitely hear some Hermano at work, but Luna Sol distinguish themselves just the same.

Luna Sol on Thee Facebooks

Slush Fund Recordings webstore

 

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Torche Set July 12 Release for Admission; “Slide” Video Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 14th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

torche (Photo by Keans Llamera)

So Torche have a new bassist in Eric Hernandez, who joins guitarist/vocalist Steve Brooks, guitarist Jon Nuñez (formerly bass) and drummer Rick Smith, for their fifth album, Admission. The record is due out July 12 on Relapse Records, and will be the follow-up to 2015’s Restarter (review here), which I really dug but seemed to catch internet-flack for being slower and not as maniacally upbeat as some of their past work. That’s something Nuñez seems to implicitly acknowledge below when he talks about the new lineup being more inspired and Hernandez being excited to be in the group. So it goes, I guess. I still thought that album was cool.

Torche of course have a bunch of tour dates to go with the release of Admission, and preorders are up and there’s the new single “Slide” playing below that you can dig into as well. So, uh, do that.

PR wire:

torche admission

TORCHE: Announce New Album Admission Coming July 12; Share First Single “Slide”

Miami’s heavy rock quartet TORCHE release Admission, the band’s fifth album, and first new music since 2015’s critically-lauded Restarter, on July 12 via Relapse Records.

“This album is more revealing of who we are. I think the core of the band is happier and more inspired than we have been in some time, and we’ve got somebody new who’s excited to be a part of it. It’s just refreshing. It feels right. It feels real,” says guitar player Jon Nuñez, referencing the band’s new line-up which includes a shift from bass to guitar for Nuñez and the addition of bass player Eric Hernandez (Wrong). Steve Brooks (guitar/vocals) and Rick Smith (drummer) round-out the band.

“Slide,” a new song from the Nuñez produced album, is streaming now. “’Slide’ is one of the first songs Eric came to the table with, fully realized and arranged,” explains Smith. “Eric is a total beast of a songwriter. I suggested he use the first three Gary Numan records as inspiration and he came back at us with some melodically sound material that nailed the Torche vibe.”

The new song arrives as Torche announce their first wave of tour dates, including performances at this year’s Levitation, The Fest and Sled Island festivals. Tickets for all non-festival dates are on-sale this Friday at 10 am eastern.

Admission pre-orders are available now via Relapse’s webstore (http://relapse.com/torche-admission/). Digital downloads and streaming services are available at http://ffm.to/torcheadmission.

Admission cover; artwork by Richard Vergez

Admission Tracklist:
From Here
Submission
Slide
What Was
Times Missing
Admission
Reminder
Extremes of Consciousness
On The Wire
Infierno
Changes Come

The 11-song album is available in various formats (CD/LP/CS/Digital) with several highly-limited colored vinyl options on-sale now. The album artwork was created by Richard Vergez, a Cuban-American visual artist, who is known for his handmade collages that highlight the meeting of human and technological elements in our modern society. His work has been shown at No Romance Galleries (TriBeCa), Urban Arts Society (Chicago) and Kids of Dada (London).

TORCHE Tour Dates:

May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival
June 15 – Denver, CO @ Electric Funeral Fest IV
June 19 – Calgary, AB @ Sled Island Festival
July 26 – Tampa, FL @ The Crowbar
July 27 – Jacksonville, FL @ The Justice Pub
July 28 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
July 29 – Harrisonburg, VA @ Golden Pony
July 31 – Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
August 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
August 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar
August 3 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott
August 4 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met
August 5 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
August 6 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
August 7 – Wilmington, NC @ Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern
August 8 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
August 9 – Orlando, FL @ Henao Center
August 10 – Miami, FL @ Las Rosa’s
September 21 – Asheville, NC @ Heavy Mountain
November 1 – Gainesville, FL @ FEST
November 9 – Austin, TX @ Levitation

torchemusic.com
facebook.com/torcheofficial
instagram.com/torche_band
http://www.relapse.com
http://www.relapserecords.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords

Torche, “Slide” official video

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Torche Enter Studio to Record New Album

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 9th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

It seemed like Miami’s Torche surprised a lot of people with their 2015 fourth album, Restarter (review here), and maybe confused some as well with a more complex emotional basis than they’d showed previously. That record took the manic energy that typified 2012’s Harmonicraft (review here) and the heft of 2008’s Meanderthal and kept some of both, but also expanded in order to encompass a broader range of expression on the whole. I thought it worked well, but going by the response I saw, others seemed confused by what they were doing and the changes the band had undergone.

All the more curious, then, to hear what Torche come up with for their fifth long-player, about which the first thing they mention is the “balance of new elements.” Does that mean they’re pitting different sides of the band’s sound against each other? Working in new modes of songwriting? New tones? It could be anything, I suppose. Restarter opened a lot of doors for them sonically to work in new directions. Only bummer is it looks like we have to wait until next year to find out how that’s manifest on the new album.

They’re in the studio now with guitarist Jonathan Nunez at the helm:

torche

TORCHE RECORDING RESTARTER FOLLOW-UP; ALBUM SLATED FOR 2019 RELEASE VIA RELAPSE RECORDS

Torche has entered the studio to record the band’s fifth full-length album, due in 2019 via Relapse Records.

“The new record has a great balance of new elements that have become a part of our sound over the last couple years, which is very exciting for us,” said the band in a joint statement. “We’re pushing classic signatures of our sonic identity, and bringing new vibes to the table. This time around there’s going to more dynamics while pushing our ‘wall of sound’ nature much further.”

Guitar player Jonathan Nunez is recording the release at Cabana East in Miami.

torchemusic.com
facebook.com/torcheofficial
instagram.com/torche_band
twitter.com/torcheband
http://www.relapse.com
http://www.relapserecords.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords
http://www.twitter.com/RelapseRecords

Torche, Restarter (2015)

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Desertfest Athens 2016 Lineup Complete

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 12th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

desertfest-athens-2016-banner

With the final addition of Cough, the lineup for Desertfest Athens 2016 is complete. The fest is set for Oct. 7 and 8 — less than a month from now — and Cough join the bill as they’ll be on tour at the time with Elder (dates here) supporting their new album, Still They Pray (review here), which was released by Relapse.

The roster of bands they join, including Red Fang and Greek forerunners 1000mods, whose new song “The Son” you can hear below (more to come on that album), is ridiculously strong, and seems to draw from the history of Desertfest itself in various ways, Steak representing London’s incarnation, Colour Haze that of Berlin (though they’re from Munich), and really any number of these acts the Belgian edition. It’s a great mix that does well to represent its home country as well in Automaton (who’ll be joined by Dr. Space himself), Sadhus, and the aforementioned 1000mods.

Looks like a great show, and particularly as it’s the first one, I wish them all the best of luck with it.

Final announcement and lineup follow:

desertfest-athens-2016-poster

Doom/Sludge masters COUGH joining the bill for Desertfest Athens 2016 1st edition!

This is the full line up for the 1st ever Desertfest Athens!

Red Fang
1000mods
Pentagram
Torche
Colour Haze
Truckfighters
My Sleeping Karma
Karma to Burn
Elder
Cough
Black Rainbows
House of Broken Promises
Steak
Beggars
Sadhus
Black Hat Bones
Automaton with Dr. Space
We Own the Sky

Enjoy desert army!

After London, Berlin and Antwerp, the Desertfest franchise is keeping up its conquest of Europe by launching the very first Greek edition of the famous stoner, doom and psych festival. DESERTFEST ATHENS will take place over the second weekend of October, as a sister event of the autumnal Belgium edition.

Over the years, DESERTFEST has become one of the most popular events in Europe for everything heavy, stoner, doom and psyche. “Made by fans for the fans”, the festival gathers thousands of people from across the globe each year by hosting the finest headliners, while also constantly stretching the limits of its own niche with dozens of quality live acts throughout a weekend. Nurturing a friendly atmosphere since the very beginning, DESERTFEST is a urban festival that has won the loyalty of heavy music lovers, so expect your Greek holiday to be a unique and memorable music and human experience!

https://www.viva.gr/tickets/music/iera-odos/desertfest-athens/
www.detoxevents.gr
https://www.facebook.com/Desertfest-Athens-189161564797514/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1530177053945310/

1000mods, “The Son”

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Desertfest Athens 2016 Adds Torche, My Sleeping Karma, Steak and We Own the Sky to Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 25th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

desertfest athens 2016 header

At first, it seemed this was the first announcement to come from Desertfest Athens 2016 that didn’t feature a band from Greece, but when We Own the Sky came aboard, that took care of that. One suspects it’s more happenstance than anything else either way — and there have only been three rounds of lineup adds so far; October’s still a ways off — but it makes sense that the inaugural edition of the Athens brand extension would look to pursue an international reach the same as its compatriots in Antwerp, Berlin and London. This time around, in addition to We Own the Sky, we get My Sleeping Karma from Germany, Torche from the US and Steak from the UK added to the bill alongside Colour HazePentagram and others, and though the announcements were brief from the fest, what each band brings to the event as a whole speaks volumes to the kind of range it will have by the time it’s ready to roll out.

I’ve been seeing word The Atomic Bitchwax will open for Pentagram on their European tour (at least confirmed in Ireland so far). Have to wonder if an announcement for them is in the cards soon. In the meantime, exclamations:

desertfest athens 2016 poster no bands

Torche join Desertfest Athens!!!

MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL will blow your mind at Desertfest Athens!!!

Straight from Uk to Athens, Steak live at Desertfest Athens!!!

we.own.the.sky join Desertfest Athens 2016!!!

Get your tickets now!!!

Desertfest’s early bird tickets are sold out!!!

After London, Berlin and Antwerp, the Desertfest franchise is keeping up its conquest of Europe by launching the very first Greek edition of the famous stoner, doom and psych festival. DESERTFEST ATHENS will take place over the second weekend of October, as a sister event of the autumnal Belgium edition.

Over the years, DESERTFEST has become one of the most popular events in Europe for everything heavy, stoner, doom and psyche. “Made by fans for the fans”, the festival gathers thousands of people from across the globe each year by hosting the finest headliners, while also constantly stretching the limits of its own niche with dozens of quality live acts throughout a weekend. Nurturing a friendly atmosphere since the very beginning, DESERTFEST is a urban festival that has won the loyalty of heavy music lovers, so expect your Greek holiday to be a unique and memorable music and human experience!

https://www.viva.gr/tickets/music/iera-odos/desertfest-athens/
www.detoxevents.gr
https://www.facebook.com/Desertfest-Athens-189161564797514/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1530177053945310/

My Sleeping Karma, “Prithvi” official video

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Desertfest Belgium 2016 First Announcements: Pentagram, My Sleeping Karma, Torche, Electric Citizen and Your Highness to Play

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 4th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

desertfest belgium 2016 header

One festival season (spring/summer) has barely begun, and already it’s time to start setting up the next one (fall). The snag here, of course, is that there is no such thing anymore as festival season. It’s all seasons. For Desertfest Belgium 2016 — the Antwerp-based fest now in its third year — extra intrigue is added because of its proximity to Keep it Low, held the weekend after in Munich, to the newly announced Desertfest Athens, which happens the weekend before in Greece, and to Up in Smoke 2016, held two weeks before in Switzerland.

What does that mean? Well, there’s always some overlap from one fest to the next, one year to the next, so that won’t necessarily be a surprise, but it seems fair in addition to that to expect a lot of tours to be announced that will perhaps start in Athens and anchor weekends in Antwerp and Munich, so not only do we get a sense of how long these runs will go — obviously not everyone will do four weeks, but some will — but also their general direction. For example, Pentagram, who’ve been announced for Desertfest Belgium, will also be at Up in Smoke. That’s three weeks in Europe right there already. You see where I’m going with this.

Looking forward to watching all these lineups shake out, who goes where and when. Also added to Desertfest Belgium 2016 are My Sleeping Karma, Torche, Electric Citizen and Belgian locals Your Highness, as the fest itself informed:

desertfest belgium 2016 first poster

Aaaaaand….. here. The Fuck. We. GO!

We know this is the moment you’ve been waiting for, so we won’t waste too much time on pleasantries. Here are the first bands that will turn Desertfest Antwerp 2016 in our greatest edition yet:

The True Doom Legend of PENTAGRAM!

The expanding mind grooves of MY SLEEPING KARMA!

The thick Florida sludge of TORCHE!

The delirious retro throwback of the up-and-coming ELECTRIC CITIZEN!

and finally: the fabulous YOUR HIGHNESS hailing from our hometown Antwerp!

So how’s that for starters. Expect some more big names to be heading your way in a couple of weeks, meanwhile: start spreading the news, and start booking your ticket! Early Bird tickets are gone, but you can now get your Reduced Combi Tickets at €95 (which let’s be honest, is still a steal)

Come taste the rock at the Home of the Heavy! Save the date! On October 14-16, Trix Antwerp will become a temple to all sound heavy and psychedelic!

Enjoy 3 stages and 3 days of face-melting riffs and rump shaking grooves!

https://www.facebook.com/desertfestbelgium/
https://twitter.com/desertfestBE
https://www.facebook.com/events/488174281372335/
http://www.desertfest.be/tickets

Pentagram, “All Your Sins” Live at Roadburn 2016

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Torche Announce US Tour with Kvelertak and Headlining Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 11th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

torche

Miami four-piece Torche and Norwegian noise-rock troublemakers Kvelertak have teamed up for a North American tour starting April 8 in Nashville. Kvelertak will headline (which, to be honest, surprised the hell out of me), but Torche also have additional dates on the itinerary on which they’ll headline as they continue to support last year’s Restarter (review here), their fourth album and first to be issued through Relapse Records. They’ve already toured in the US and Europe for it, and since they’ll head to France in June for Hellfest, more European appearances don’t seem all that unlikely, barring exclusivity or anything like that.

Either way, Torche are touring, and that’s never been bad news. The PR wire fills us in:

kvelertak torche tour

TORCHE Announces Headlining US Dates, Tour With Kvelertak

TORCHE has announced a slew of new North American dates beginning this coming April and May. The Miami stoner/sludge rockers will be directly supporting Norway’s Kvelertak on a nearly month-long tour throughout the US and Canada. On either end of the tour, TORCHE will also be playing two weeks of headlining dates in the US East and Southwest. Up-and-comers Wild Throne will support on the majority of the dates. Check out a full itinerary below.

TORCHE recently released Restarter, the band’s debut for Relapse Records and its best-selling album to date. The ten-song collection landed on multiple worldwide charts and was universally lauded by press outlets worldwide. Pitchfork called Restarter TORCHE’s “most compelling record since Meanderthal,” and Entertainment Weekly dubbing the band “loud rock’s most adroit genre-benders.”

Restarter is available on CD/LP/2xLP/Digital and can be purchased via Relapse at THIS LOCATION or streamed & purchased digitally via TORCHE’s Bandcamp page HERE.

TORCHE Live:
***All Dates with Kvelertak & Wild Throne unless noted***

Apr 8 Nashville, TN The End*
Apr 9 Louisville, KY Haymarket Whiskey Bar*
Apr 10 Columbus, OH Skully’s^
Apr 11 Buffalo, NY The Studio @ Waiting Room*
Apr 12 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall
Apr 13 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Apr 14 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
Apr 15 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
Apr 16 Washington, DC DC Brau (Festival)
Apr 17 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 18 Quebec City, QC L’Anti*
Apr 19 Montreal, QC L’Astral
Apr 20 Toronto, ON Opera House
Apr 23 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
Apr 24 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
Apr 25 St Louis, MO The Ready Room
Apr 26 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
Apr 28 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
Apr 29 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
Apr 30 Boise, ID Neurolux
May 1 Seattle, WA El Corazon
May 2 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
May 3 Portland, Or Hawthorne Theatre
May 5 San Francisco, CA The Independent
May 6 Los Angeles, CA Fonda Theater
May 7 San Diego, CA The Hideout*
May 8 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Bar*
May 10 Austin, TX Barracuda*
May 11 Dallas, TX Three Links*
May 12 Houston, TX Rudyard’s^
May 13 New Orleans, LA Siberia^

* = with Wild throne ^ = Torche only

June 18 Clisson, FR Hellfest

http://torche.bandcamp.com/
http://www.torchemusic.com/
http://facebook.com/torcheofficial
https://twitter.com/torcheband
http://instagram.com/torche_band

Torche, Restarter (2015)

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Torche Announce First Headlining Dates of 2016

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 22nd, 2015 by JJ Koczan

torche

I don’t know, don’t you just feel good knowing that Torche are out there? Even if they’re not coming to your town this time around, it’s a pretty reliable supposition that they’ve been there before and they’ll get there again, and as they continue to support earlier-2015’s Restarter (review here), I’m just glad to know they’ll be kicking off the New Year doing what they do best in delivering boots to the collective ass of a live audience. Because they’re a fucking good band, and good bands should be playing live, as Torche are, rampaging through Europe (again?) next month before breaking for the holidays.

That’s your sports wisdom for the day, pointing out the obvious. If you need me, I’ll be in my zen rock garden.

Sadly, no, that’s not true. I neither have, nor spend time in, a zen rock garden. Even if I did, I’d just ruin it by bringing my laptop.

Here are the tour dates:

torche jan tour

TORCHE: Announces January US Headlining Dates

Miami stoner rockers TORCHE have just announced a short new run of headlining US dates beginning this January. The 10-day tour is set to kick off just five weeks after the band’s month-long European headlining tour concludes this November. After having toured in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Europe over the past year, TORCHE will now bring their unique brand of rock to the US South for two weeks kicking off January 14. A complete listing of dates is available below.

TORCHE recently released Restarter, the band’s debut for Relapse Records and its best-selling album to date. The ten-song collection landed on multiple worldwide charts and was universally lauded by press outlets worldwide.

TORCHE Live:
***All Dates With Jeff Carey and Day Old Man***
Jan 14 Savannah, GA Jinx
Jan 15 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade – Hell
Jan 16 Johnson City, TN The Hideaway
Jan 17 Chattanooga, TN JJ’s Bohemia
Jan 18 Memphis, TN The Hi-Tone
Jan 19 Birmingham, AL Saturn
Jan 20 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder
Jan 21 Gainesville, FL The Wooly
Jan 22 Orlando, FL Will’s Pub
Jan 23 Miami, FL Churchill’s Pub
Jan 24 Tampa, FL New World Brewery

https://www.facebook.com/torcheofficial
http://twitter.com/torcheband
http://instagram.com/torche_band
http://torche.bandcamp.com
http://www.relapse.com
http://www.facebook.com/relapserecords

Torche, “Annihilation Affair” official video

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