Posted in Whathaveyou on May 9th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Fresh off their pickup at this year’s Spellmannprisen — where the above photo was taken — for their work on 2024’s Tundra Rock (review here), Bergen four-piece Slomosa have announced a run of tour dates in their native Norway for the end of this year. Of course, in October, they’ll play the first-ever Tundra & Lightning Fest in their hometown, and they have other appearances in the Fall as well, but the tour from Dec. 11-20 has distinct ‘victory lap’ vibes, and that’s fair enough for a band who in five years have gone from completely unknown to generational forerunners in heavy rock.
The post on social media was partly in Norwegian, but it said to translate it, so I did, and included that in brackets below. Dig it:
SLOMOSA – 🇳🇴 NORGE 2025 🇳🇴
Super psyched to share this!! Stay tuned internationals, more tour news to come🤘
Now hit that translate button!
Vi gleder oss ordentlig til å spille i Florø, Hamar, Bodø, Mo i Rana, Lillehammer, Moss & Skien for aller FØRSTE gang, i tillegg til å komme tilbake til kjente og kjære plasser!!!❤️🔥
[We are really looking forward to playing in Florø, Hamar, Bodø, Mo i Rana, Lillehammer, Moss & Skien for the very FIRST time, in addition to returning to familiar and beloved places!!!❤️🔥]
12.09.25 Hamar – Tk Deathfest 02.10.25 Florø – Vesle Kinn 04.10.25 Bergen – Tundra and Lightning 05.12.25 Stavanger – Folken 06.12.25 Kristiansand – Kick 11.12.25 Trondheim – BYSCENEN 12.12.25 Bodø – Sinus 13.12.25 Mo i Rana – BråK 17.12.25 Lillehammer – Wiese 18.12.25 Oslo – Rockefeller 19.12.25 Moss – Verket Scene 20.12.25 Skien – Parkbiografen
Kristiansand, sammen med de forrige spellemannsvinnere i rock, våre brødre i Kristi Brud , og vårt største headlineshow noensinne i Oslo blir også sykt!
Abonner på nyhetsbrevet vårt (link i bioen) for å få pre-sale link allerede i morgen torsdag kl 10!
Ordinære billetter i salg fredag kl 10:00!
Håper vi sees!
[Kristiansand, along with the previous Spellemann winners in rock, our brothers in Kristi Brud, and our biggest headline show ever in Oslo is also getting sick!
Subscribe to our newsletter (link in bio) to get the pre-sale link already tomorrow Thursday at 10 am!
Posted in Bootleg Theater on January 16th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Hitting Ireland and the UK in a couple weeks’ time before returning to the US for their second Stateside touring stint since their second album, Tundra Rock (review here), was released last September, Norwegian heavy rock spearheads Slomosa — seen above in full flannel regalia — have rolled out ‘The Making of Tundra Rock,’ a 37-minute documentary and performance video that goes behind the scenes as its title suggests. The band, maybe last week?, had put up a video for “Monomann” from the album that would seem to have been taken from this, and it’s one more way in which they’re engaging their audience and inviting people to take a look at what they do on a professional level.
This just came down the wire this morning, so I haven’t had time to sit in my own ’70s cushion chair and dig in, but you do get to see the band recount their favorites from the new record (and then play them) and the sound on the recordings is such that if the audio was posted to Bandcamp as an album-performance in-studio live record kind of thing it’d probably be worth picking up, so even at a skim it’s got something to offer anybody who dug the record. And if Slomosa‘s winning the year-end poll here is anything to go by, that’s plenty of people.
The video, PR wire info, and all the upcoming tour dates I currently have follow here. Enjoy:
Slomosa, ‘The Making of Tundra Rock‘
Slomosa Releases “The Making of ‘Tundra Rock'” Performance + Interview Video
Norwegian Rock Band set to Support Helmet on ‘Betty’ 30th Anniversary Tour; See New Music Video “Monomann”
Slomosa’s New LP, ‘Tundra Rock’, Out Now!
Norwegian “tundra rock” band, Slomosa, has released a live-in-studio performance and interview video centered on its new album, ‘Tundra Rock’, which was released this past September via Stickman Records in Europe and MNRK Heavy in the US, and was hailed as “a sweeping signature hybrid of revved-up stoner rock riffage, grungy hooks, and a concentrated punk wallop”. Recorded live in Bergen, Norway, the 37-minute “Making of ‘Tundra Rock'” video spotlights the undeniable energy and unquestionable catchiness that surrounds Slomosa, paired with behind-the-scenes stories about creating the album and forming the band.
Simultaneously, Slomosa drops a new play through music video for the powerful ‘Tundra Rock’ track “Monomann”. Crank it up now.
Slomosa will support Helmet on the North American leg of its ‘Betty 30th Anniversary Tour’. The 25-city winter tour kicks off on February 19 in Ft. Worth, TX and runs through March 23 in Baltimore, MD. The tour routing is as follows:
Slomosa + Helmet ‘Betty’ 30th Anniversary US Tour 2025: February 19 – Fort Worth, TX – Tulips FTW February 21 – San Antonio, TC – Paper Tiger (Slomosa headlining show) February 22 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar February 23 – Austin, TX – Mohawk February 25 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater February 27 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House February 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater March 1 – Oakland, CA – Crybaby March 2 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post March 4 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre March 5 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile March 6 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club March 8 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater March 9 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck March 10 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater March 11 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre March 12 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge March 14 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s March 15 – Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedraft’s Brewing Co March 16 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag March 17 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace March 18 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount March 20 – Boston, MA – The Paradise Rock Club March 21 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg March 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts March 23 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
UK & Ireland 2025: 31.1 / Limerick / Dolan’s Kasbah 01.2 / Belfast / Voodoo 02.02 / Dublin / The Grand Social 03.02 / Manchester / Rebellion 04.02 / Glasgow / Garage Attic 05.02 / Nottingham / Rescue Rooms 06.02 / Brighton / Green Door Store 07.02 / London / Underworld 08.02 / Bristol / Thekla 09.02 / Norwich / Waterfront Studio
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 3rd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
For context: Slomosa have already made their US live debut on a comparatively brief Fall tour (live review here) and recent confirmations for 2025 have already seen them announce a UK and Ireland tour for early Feb. in addition to being added to the lineups for Sound of Liberation‘s anniversary party in Cologne, Germany, on March 29 as well as Desertfest Berlin in May and SonicBlast Fest in Portugal next August. The let’s-squeeze-in-another-US-run tour being announced here alongside Helmet doing Betty in full — what’s up, dudes my age? — comes as Slomosa continue to support their second album, Tundra Rock (review here) and wrap up their Fall stint through Scandinavia. They work really fucking hard, in other words.
They’ll go coast-to-coast in the company of Helmet, scootching up to Canada for Toronto and Montreal shows. I won’t be the least bit surprised when tours are announced to follow-up on this in Europe to coincide with one if not all of those fest appearances above; you’ll note that the Sound of Liberation party is six days after the US tour ends. One thing to the next is how Slomosa seem to like it. Six days is more than they gave themselves last time they crossed the Atlantic, as I recall.
Word came down the PR wire:
Slomosa Announces North American Tour with Helmet
Norwegian Rock Band to Support Influential Group on ‘Betty’ 30th Anniversary Tour
Slomosa’s New LP, ‘Tundra Rock’, Out Now!
Norwegian rock band, Slomosa, will support Helmet on the North American leg of their ‘BETTY 30th ANNIVERSARY TOUR’, along with War on Women. The 25-city tour, which kicks off on February 19, 2025 in Ft. Worth, TX and wraps on March 23 in Washington, DC, will see Helmet performing the iconic “Betty” album in its entirety alongside favorites from the band’s extensive catalog.
Slomosa continues to tour in support of its new album, ‘Tundra Rock’, released this past September. Purchase ‘Tundra Rock’ at this location:https://slomosa.ffm.to/tundrarock
Tickets for the Helmet + Slomosa tour go on sale this Friday, December 6, at 10 AM ET / 3 PM UK / 4 PM CET, with presales available prior via Spotify, Knotfest, and Blabbermouth. Visit Helmet’s official site for ticket links and additional details. The tour routing is as follows:
Helmet ‘BETTY’ 30th Anniversary US Tour 2025: February 19 – Fort Worth, TX – Tulips FTW February 22 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar February 23 – Austin, TX – Mohawk February 25 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater February 27 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House February 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater March 1 – Oakland, CA – Crybaby March 2 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post March 4 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre March 5 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile March 6 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club March 8 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater March 9 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck March 10 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater March 11 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre March 12 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge March 14 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s March 15 – Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedraft’s Brewing Co March 16 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag March 17 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace March 18 – Montreal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount March 20 – Boston, MA – The Paradise Rock Club March 21 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg March 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts* March 23 – Washington, DC – Union Stage* * Dates without War on Women
UK & Ireland 2025: 31.1 / Limerick / Dolan’s Kasbah 01.2 / Belfast / Voodoo 02.02 / Dublin / The Grand Social 03.02 / Manchester / Rebellion 04.02 / Glasgow / Garage Attic 05.02 / Nottingham / Rescue Rooms 06.02 / Brighton / Green Door Store 07.02 / London / Underworld 08.02 / Bristol / Thekla 09.02 / Norwich / Waterfront Studio
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan
It’s a good thing Slomosa keep announcing more tour dates, since I can’t get their fucking songs out of my head anyway and it gives me an excuse to put the album on again. The Norwegian four-piece just the other day wrapped their first US tour, engaging audiences as the opener for Alkaline Trio in support of their second LP and first for MNRK Heavy/Stickman Records, Tundra Rock (review here), released last month and in my mind a clear contender for album of the year — and the next night found them hitting another stage, this time in Germany as they set out on the next European stint for October, which includes festival stops at Into the Void Leeuwarden, Up in Smoke in Switzerland and Munich’s Keep it Low.
They’ll take about a month off (as of now) after this tour ends, then pick up in November and December for more shows in Western Europe, then Norway and Sweden, and in January/February, will make their way to the UK and Ireland, continuing to cover their bases as regards territory. Eastern Europe next? More North America? South America? Australia and New Zealand? Japan? I know nothing of their plans, but if any of the above were to be announced, it’d feel like fair game for a band clearly looking to make a career of it and putting in the work to make that happen.
The dates below are out of order — I’m starting with the newest-announced tour, then doubling back for what’s happening between a couple days ago (Sept. 30) and the end of the year — but you get the idea. If you haven’t dug into Tundra Rock as yet, you might consider giving it a shot on the player at the bottom of the post. If not this time, I expect there will be still more opportunities as Slomosa keep momentum on their side going into 2025.
From social media:
Tundra Rock Tour is going into 2025! Finally returning to Ireland and N. Ireland after 3 years. And looking forward to playing Nottingham and Norwich for the first time!
31.1 / Limerick / Dolan’s Kasbah 01.2 / Belfast / Voodoo 02.02 / Dublin / The Grand Social 03.02 / Manchester / Rebellion 04.02 / Glasgow / Garage Attic 05.02 / Nottingham / Rescue Rooms 06.02 / Brighton / Green Door Store 07.02 / London / Underworld 08.02 / Bristol / Thekla 09.02 / Norwich / Waterfront Studio
SLOMOSA – Co-headlining w/ Greenleaf (Psychlona supports) 30 SEP 2024 Leipzig (DE) Werk2 01 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Lido 02 OCT 2024 Hamburg (DE) Gruenspan 03 OCT 2024 Köln (DE) Club Volta 04 OCT 2024 Bielefeld (DE) Forum 05 OCT 2024 Leeuwarden (NL) Into the Void 06 OCT 2024 Pratteln (CH) Up in Smoke 07 OCT 2024 Innsbruck (AT) PMK 09 OCT 2024 Wien (AT) Arena 10 OCT 2024 Zagreb (HR) Vintage Industrial Bar 11 OCT 2024 Graz (AT) PPC 12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
Holiday-trip to Norway anyone?
SLOMOSA Tundra Rock Tour: 01.11 Paris FR 02.11 Vallet FR 03.11 Toulouse FR 04.11 Marseille FR 05.11 Barcelona ES 06.11 Madrid ES 07.11 Portugalete ES 10.11 Kortrijk BE 15.11 Kopervik // Ovenpaa 16.11 Stavanger // Tou 21.11 Jönköping // Scenen Sofiehof Underjord 23.11 Stockholm // Debaser 28.11 Oslo // Parkteatret 29.11 Halden // Aladdin Scene Halden 30.11 Fredrikstad // Månen 05.12 Tromsø // Blårock Cafe 06.12 Trondheim // Verkstedhallen 07.12 Ålesund // T2 Bar og Scene 13.12 Bergen // USF Verftet
Slomosa are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
Posted in Reviews on September 24th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
An orange Jersey sunset and a trafficky trip over the Driscoll Bridge later, I arrived at Starland Ballroom as mentally prepared as I was going to get to pay $10 to park in the only lot within a half-mile radius. It was almost enough, but my cause was just. Norway’s Slomosa on their first US tour, supporting Alkaline Trio of all bands. Not the oddest pairing ever, but still a head scratcher from where I sit. For me at least it would be an early night. Half-hour set, so, prorated down, it was three bucks a minute for me to park at Starland Ballroom.
Counterintuitive lineups and parking lot extortion be damned; I knew I wanted to see Slomosa’s first US incursion badly enough to overcome even the most minor inconvenience. Getting to watch the band for the first time at this past summer’s Freak Valley Festival in Germany (review here), and reveling in their newly-issued second LP, Tundra Rock (review here), well, I woke up in Connecticut, marched in a parade this morning and spent the early afternoon having my innards tossed around on rides at a fair three hours north of here in Connecticut. I wanted to be here badly enough to touch I-95 on a Saturday afternoon. I could go on.
Thankfully, Slomosa did that very thing a short while after I sat my ass on the photo-pit side of the crowd barrier. Officially this was still before the actual show started, and the room was packed. It would only be more so after Slomosa played, and however familiar people were with them when they went on, by the time they were done, hands were in the air. Before they finished, rounding out with “Horses,” as they will, Benjamin Berdous shouted out a couple against the barrier who’d come down from Massachusetts to see them. That beats Connecticut. I was up in the back after taking pictures and looked to the front and, presumably, they were the ones who knew to wear masks for “Horses.”
Berdous, bassist/vocalist Marie Moe, guitarist Tor Erik Bye and drummer Jard Hole played six songs in what felt like a short set, one half of one hour. Setting out with “Afghansk Rev,” they featured “Rice” and “Monomann” from Tundra Rock and interspliced cuts from the 2020 self-titled debut (review here) that set in motion their ascendancy to the forefront of the heavy underground. As noted, “Horses” finished, but earlier on it was “Estonia” and “In My Mind’s Desert” in succession. I’ll be honest, I was a bit surprised to get neither “Cabin Fever” nor “Battling Guns,” two singles released from Tundra Rock, two weeks old at the most in terms of release date, but three and three felt like a fair split. If they only played brand new stuff, those people who drove four-plus hours south might have been bummed out. Slomosa are nothing if not crowdpleasers, if by their own dictates.
They continue to resonate potential. Seeing them play to a mostly full room that caps at 2,500 — there weren’t that many people there, but it was probably over 1,000 — not only did they win over an audience in a span of those six songs, but they did it across genre lines and on their first trip to the country. These are not minor accomplishments to consider, and if the Jersey show is at all a bellwether for how the rest of the tour has gone — they’re more than halfway through — then it’s probably been worth the trip, but what’s really incredible about it is they don’t at all seem to have peaked in craft, performance or presence on stage. Whatever they’ve done to this point, they’re still growing as a band.
It’s hard not to be excited about a relatively young band bringing it at the level they are. They’re not blindingly original in their approach, but they’re obviously doing the thing right, and the 10-year-old next to me rocking out while they played who was there to see Alkaline Trio with his dad? He neither knows nor cares that Slomosa are taking cues from a Queens of the Stone Age record that came out some untold number of years before he was born. The songs were good and people were into it. This is the rock and roll ideal, and on a given night on this tour, it doesn’t matter if Slomosa are one of the brightest hopes for the next generation of heavy rockers, adding to a genre with a refreshing perspective and material that stands on its own when set against the classics that inspired it.
Whatever their future does or doesn’t hold, however far they can push the thing and capture the enduring attention of an always-fickle listenership, Slomosa are crucial right now, and Tundra Rock sets a high standard for others in the tail end of this year. Their first US tour — I sincerely doubt it will be their last, but you never know — felt like an event to witness, however brief the actual set may have been, and I was lucky to have been there for this stop on it. They seemed to genuinely enjoy being on stage, introducing themselves to the crowd, and the manner in which they did made that joy infectious. It felt right to smile while they played, and regardless of style, potential or anything else, that makes Slomosa a special band. See them if you can, and thanks for reading.
Slomosa Interview with Benjamin Berdous, Sept. 5. 2024
[Click play above to stream an interview with Slomosa guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Berdous. The band’s first US tour starts this week with European touring thereafter. Dates are here.]
Bergen, Norway’s Slomosa were a lockdown-era salve when they released their self-titled debut (review here) in Aug. 2020, assembling together early singles “There is Nothing New Under the Sun” and “In My Mind’s Desert” as part of a barrage of catchy, memorable, mostly uptempo heavy rock tunes in a style that harkened back to not the beginnings of desert rock necessarily, but to a point at which is was codified and took on a life of its own as a genre. Tundra Rock, their nine-song/38-minute second album, arrives under different circumstances, though it too has shown inklings of its personality in advance singles “Rice,” “Cabin Fever” and “Battling Guns.”
But especially with the work the four-piece have put in touring over the last two-plus years, shifting quickly from upstarts to next-gen headliners in relatively short order thanks largely to the quality of their work and their onstage chemistry delivering it, Tundra Rock is inherently going to be less of a blindside for listeners. Slomosa, who have moved from Apollon Records to Stickman (Elder, King Buffalo, Iron Jinn) for Europe and signed to MNRK Heavy (High on Fire, Somnuri, Crowbar, etc.) for the US, are a big deal, and a band on whom numerous hopes have been pinned, fairly or not, for carrying a heavy rock torch in the years to come. Tundra Rock is anticipated. A moment to be answered.
There is very little one might ask a desert-style heavy rock record to do in 2024 that Tundra Rock doesn’t deliver with aplomb, character and purpose. The band’s lineup would seem to have solidified, with guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Berdous emerging as a frontman presence alongside bassist Marie Moe — who backs Berdous to make the chorus of “Cabin Fever” a highlight before taking the lead spot for the start of “Red Thundra” at the end of side A — lead guitarist Tor Erik Bye and drummer Jard Hole. The latter makes his first studio appearance here and proves malleable to the driving finish of “Cabin Fever” no less than the weighted crashes of album-intro “Afghansk Rev,” bringing a makes-its-own-groove ideology so that even the taps of the snare drum early in “Battling Guns” become a hook, reminiscent of gunfire as they may or may not intentionally be.
As with the self-titled, Tundra Rock is very much about its individual songs. “Rice” and “Cabin Fever” roll out after “Afghansk Rev” with vitality and tonal depth, and “Battling Guns” picks up from side B’s short piano intro “Good Mourning” to move fluidly into the album’s second half. The singles are well composed and all the more a welcome to the album for the contingent of Slomosa‘s fanbase — because, yes, there is one — who’ve heard them before, but whether one arrives to the record with prior familiarity with (some of) the material or not, part of the point is in engaging the audience. Slomosa are not fostering happenstance hooks, and neither is it coincidental how “Battling Guns” moves into “Monomann,” “MJ” and “Dune”; the band pushing deeper until the mellow-heavy, vocals-follow-the-riff conclusion of “Dune,” which feels monolithic in its fuzz but actually never stops moving, dancing throughout its deceptively tight five-minute course.
As a follow-up to a successful debut, Tundra Rock shows growth in craft and the band’s approach generally, whether it’s the smooth groove-riding of “Rice” or the dug-in riff-twists of “Monomann,” which is organic to the point of sounding like it came together in about 10 minutes at a rehearsal one night, adding to the personality and charm of the record in intangible ways. Moe‘s delivery of the initial verse in “Red Thundra” happens during a quiet intro that reminds vividly of the jammier side of the still-missed Sungrazer, and even though Berdous comes back as the song sweeps into its full volume, it’s a standout moment that one hopes will be a point of development in the future as the interplay of voices makes Slomosa‘s overarching dynamic that much richer. The second half of the album, which has less advantage as regards featuring singles — one out of four songs (plus an intro), as opposed to side A, for which two of the three non-intro tracks were streamed ahead of the release — offers subtle diversity without veering from what works.
“Monomann” is the shortest song at 3:50 and is a swinging riff to follow as it linear-builds across its succession of verses, and “MJ” rolls out with kick-drum emphasis behind its chug and a vocal from Berdous that reminds just how keyed in on the 1998 self-titled Queens of the Stone Age the band are in terms of influence, but is modern and full in its sound, memorable for its repetitions around the lyric “I know how it goes,” delivered with some measure of resignation for the story being told. The room-mic outset of “Dune” feels very QOTSA-era as well, but here too Slomosa find ways to make it their own, moving with the guitar through shifts in volume and strum as the riff-chant takes on more fervency. At 5:27, the closer is the longest cut on Tundra Rock, but by two seconds over “Rice” back at (or at least near) the outset. Even in those final moments, Slomosa are more about setting up crowd participation at shows than indulging some grandiose spaceout. They are focused, sharp and professional, as they have been all along.
Tundra Rock is quick in affirming the songwriting and appeal of Slomosa‘s debut, and they come across like there’s yet potential to be realized in their sound. Between the interplay of Berdous and Moe on vocals and the self-awareness that underscores their material, a nascent sense of poppish quirk and a generally organic progression in the two-thus-far LPS, there still seems to be room to grow. But they know where they’re coming from, are clearly writing songs to be played live, whether that’s “Rice,” “Cabin Fever” and “Battling Guns” or “Red Thundra,” “MJ” and “Dune,” and are distinguished by the level at which they do so. I don’t know whether ‘tundra rock’ will take on a life of its own in the spirit of desert rock before it, but if this album is to be the shape of such a thing and a point of influence for other acts to follow in turn, one could very easily do a hell of a lot worse. Either way, it is one of 2024’s strongest declarations in heavy rock, and whatever hype it has, it earns.
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 28th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
With less than a month to go before the release of their second album — the declaratively-titled Tundra Rock, out Sept. 13 on MNRK Heavy and Stickman Records — and the beginning of their first stretch of live shows on US soil, it seems like a pretty exciting moment to be Slomosa. The Norwegian upstarts are among the most encouraging next-gen heavy rock outfits the 2020s have yet produced, and while their ascent has been swift and decisive, it’s also been well earned in terms of the work the band has put in touring, as well as the engaging quality of their songwriting across both their 2020 self-titled debut (review here) and the upcoming Tundra Rock. One of the best bands out there? Is that what I’m saying? I’ve only caught them live once — this past June at Freak Valley (review here) — but if you ever saw a band on stage and knew they had a shot at becoming something really special, that’s my experience watching Slomosa all the way.
In addition to the aforementioned US debut that has them counterintuitively paired with Alkaline Trio, the Bergen-based foursome will co-headline with Swedish veterans Greenleaf in Europe this Fall — you’ll note below they’re in Newport, Kentucky, one day and Leipzig, Germany, the next; fly out after the show, I guess? — and that will carry them into the Euro heavyfest season in October. A newly-announced stretch in Scandinavia — two shows in Sweden, nine in Norway — will follow, and as that takes them into December, I’m assuming that’s it for the year unless they end up doing a holiday tour or some such. Could happen.
The band posted the new dates and ticket links, and I filled in the rest from other posts to give some more idea of the complete plan. It looks like they’re going to be plenty busy. Check it:
Norway and Sweden! Hope to see you this fall?
We’re adding dates to our busy touring schedule to celebrate our coming album release (Tundra Rock 13.09), this time in Scandinavia🇳🇴🇸🇪
15.11 Kopervik // Ovenpaa 16.11 Stavanger // Tou 21.11 Jönköping // Scenen Sofiehof Underjord 23.11 Stockholm // Debaser 28.11 Oslo // Parkteatret 29.11 Halden // Aladdin Scene Halden 30.11 Fredrikstad // Månen 05.12 Tromsø // Blårock Cafe 06.12 Trondheim // Verkstedhallen 07.12 Ålesund // T2 Bar og Scene 13.12 Bergen // USF Verftet
Holiday-trip to Norway anyone?
SLOMOSA – US shows w/ Alkaline Trio 11.09 – San Antonio, TX 12.09 – New Orleans, LA 15.09 – Charleston, SC 17.09 – Wilmington, DE 19.09 – Wallingford, CT 20.09 – Wantagh, NY 21.09 – Sayreville, NJ 22.09 – Hampton Beach, NH 24.09 – Buffalo, NY 26.09 – Grand Rapids, MI 27.09 – Milwaukee, WI 28.09 – Columbus, OH 29.09 – Newport, KY
SLOMOSA – Co-headlining w/ Greenleaf (Psychlona supports) 30 SEP 2024 Leipzig (DE) Werk2 01 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Lido 02 OCT 2024 (DE) Hamburg (DE) Gruenspan 03 OCT 2024 Köln (DE) Club Volta 04 OCT 2024 Bielefeld (DE) Forum 05 OCT 2024 Leeuwarden (NL) Into the Void 06 OCT 2024 Pratteln (CH) Up in Smoke 07 OCT 2024 Innsbruck (AT) PMK 09 OCT 2024 Wien (AT) Arena 10 OCT 2024 Zagreb (HR) Vintage Industrial Bar 11 OCT 2024 Graz (AT) PPC 12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
Slomosa are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
I’m not trying to play Mr. Cool here or anything like that, but I’m just not sure how much of an announcement there is to coincide with Slomosa’s new video for “Battling Guns.” I was hoping the PR wire would have word of their new album to coincide with the single/clip’s release, but no such luck as yet. The band I think put it up at midnight last night CET, and it’s still early AM on the US East Coast, so maybe the press release will be along.
The Norwegian four-piece are due to confirm a release date for their second album, of which “Battling Guns” is a highlight, among other things around that. They’ve already lined up their first-ever US touring, in odd-fit-but-whatever support of Alkaline Trio this September, and after that they’re set to return to Europe on the quick to co-headline with Greenleaf as Psychlona open. A concurrent album release doesn’t seem unreasonable as expectations go, but until I see it, I’m not saying it. Record could show up in December for all I know.
Whenever it’s due, Slomosa‘s sophomore outing will have received significant lead-in. “Battling Guns” follows behind two other singles in “Rice” and “Cabin Fever” (video premiere here), and last I heard both of those were also on the record. That’s nearly half of the tracklisting by the time you get past the intro and interlude, so a not-insubstantial portion. But it’s the shows and the touring that are going to keep propelling this band, and the songs that are going to get heads out to the shows, so yes, the more the merrier, however grim and Europe-at-war the theme is around “Battling Guns.”
Crazy catchy, though, and a sweet encapsulation of how Slomosa have been able to put so much of the heavy underground in their corner since the release of their 2020 self-titled debut (review here). There ain’t no secret to it. It’s the songs themselves.
If an album or anything-else announcement does come through, I’ll add it in here and make a note. Until then, the video is worth enjoying on its own merits, so by all means, have at it.
Tour dates and such follow, as well as players for “Cabin Fever” and “Rice” [EDIT: Yeah, that press release came in. Album is called Tundra Rock, will be out through MNRK Heavy and Stickman Records on Sept. 13. More below.]:
Slomosa, “Battling Guns” official video
Slomosa Sign to MNRK Heavy; Band to Release New LP, ‘Tundra Rock’, September 13
Stream New Video “Battling Guns” Now; U.S. Tour Dates Announced
Norwegian riff-rock regalers, Slomosa, have signed with independent music group MNRK Heavy (High on Fire, Escuela Grind, Crowbar). The Bergen-based band will release its new LP, ‘Tundra Rock’, on September 13. Boasting a brazen backbone of groove-bitten punch and silken melodic hooks heavily inspired by the Palm Desert music scene, Slomosa showcases a hibernating sound that has been reawakened for a new generation. Pre-order/save ‘Tundra Rock’ at this location: https://slomosa.ffm.to/tundrarock
In celebration of its new label home, Slomosa today releases a video for the new track “Battling Guns”.
“Slomosa is an absolute riff powerhouse with an amazing live show,” comments MNRK Heavy SVP, Rock & Metal, Scott Givens. “They are an incredible band and all of us at MNRK are thrilled they have picked us to be their label partners.”
Expansive mountains constitute nearly two-thirds of Norway. This breathtaking grandeur gives the country a sense of natural splendor and mystique as if its topography has held secrets for millennia. ‘Tundra Rock’ is, quite simply, ‘Desert Rock’ on Slomosa’s terms.
“A desert doesn’t have to be warm”, observes vocalist/guitarist Ben Berdous. “If you think about it, the biggest desert in the world is Antarctica. In this respect, the tundra is our desert. We thought it would be cool to coin a genre, and it’s stuck. You could certainly say the grandiosity of nature is evident in the songs of Slomosa.”
‘Tundra Rock’ is also advanced by the superbly heavy track, ‘Rice’, a cavernous cut soaked in sunbaked groove.
Since the release of its self-titled debut album in 2020, SLOMOSA has performed upwards of 130 shows and high-profile festival appearances in over twenty countries alongside bands such as High on Fire, Graveyard, Elder, Ufomammut, and Witch; its explosive live performances have earned the band an enthusiastic global fanbase. SLOMOSA’s music has even captured the attention of rock greats like Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who shared his enthusiasm for the band on his social media, and Kyuss legends Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri, who expressed their love for SLOMOSA’s sound.
In the end, Slomosa welcome everyone into their world on ‘Tundra Rock’.
“If you listen to this album, I just hope you feel something,” Berdous adds. “This is my life project. It means a lot to me. It’s given me a chance I never thought I’d have. I’m fortunate to be here. I want you to take away that “Tundra Rock” is here to stay.”
‘Battling Guns’ Music Video: Director: Yorick S. Gontarek DP: Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn & Finn Burrows Editor: Yorick S. Gontarek & Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn Producer : Yorick S. Gontarek, Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn & Finn Burrows Executive Producer: Slomosa / Benjamin Berdois Production Company: Front Film Photography : Sverre Hjørnevik Drone: UAS VOSS Lighting : SPRiLT Backline : Backline Voss Additional : HB Lyd og Lys
US tour w/ Alkaline Trio:
11.09 – San Antonio, TX 12.09 – New Orleans, LA 15.09 – Charleston, SC 17.09 – Wilmington, DE 19.09 – Wallingford, CT 20.09 – Wantagh, NY 21.09 – Sayreville, NJ 22.09 – Hampton Beach, NH 24.09 – Buffalo, NY 26.09 – Grand Rapids, MI 27.09 – Milwaukee, WI 28.09 – Columbus, OH 29.09 – Newport, KY
GREENLEAF & SLOMOSA w/ PSYCHLONA 30 SEP 2024 Leipzig (DE) Werk2 01 OCT 2024 Berlin (DE) Lido 02 OCT 2024 (DE) Hamburg (DE) Gruenspan 03 OCT 2024 Köln (DE) Club Volta 04 OCT 2024 Bielefeld (DE) Forum 05 OCT 2024 Leeuwarden (NL) Into the Void 06 OCT 2024 Pratteln (CH) Up in Smoke 07 OCT 2024 Innsbruck (AT) PMK 09 OCT 2024 Wien (AT) Arena 10 OCT 2024 Zagreb (HR) Vintage Industrial Bar 11 OCT 2024 Graz (AT) PPC 12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
Slomosa are: Benjamin Berdous – Vocals/guitar Marie Moe – Vocals/bass Tor Erik Bye – Guitar Jard Hole – Drums
