Ufomammut Announce Hidden LP Out May 17; “Leeched” Video Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 18th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

ufomammut

Italian cosmic doom progenitors Ufomammut have always believed presentation matters and they’ve got the closely-associated Malleus visual arts studio to prove it, but I can’t remember them ever quite going so deep into that notion as to manifest an album’s concept in the actual piece of plastic to which it’s pressed. Yeah, they’ve done special editions and on-theme colors, but Hidden takes that another step as you can read in the just-got-here PR wire info below. See also the sense of crushing weight and consuming atmosphere that’s defined most of their output over the course of the last two-and-a-half-plus decades. That seems to be well intact too, as demonstrated in their new animated video for “Leeched,” the first single from what will be their 10th full-length, out May 17 through Neurot Recordings and their own Supernatural Cat imprint.

Newfomammut is always good news as far as I’m concerned. Last Fall, they offered a sneak peak at Hidden‘s direction in the Crookhead EP (review here), the title-track from which features as the new record’s opener. “Leeched” finds the three-piece digging into the heart of their approach with clarity and efficiency across its five minutes, but if the other nine Ufomammut albums — the last of which was Fenice (review here), released just in 2022 — have taught us anything, it’s that you never know all the places the band will explore until you’re actually in the whole record itself. Even then sometimes you might lose track of where you’re at. Don’t worry, that’s part of the thing too.

Something to look forward to:

ufomammut hidden

UFOMAMMUT: Italian Psychedelic Doom Trio To Release Tenth Album, Hidden, On Neurot Recordings/Supernatural Cat Records On May 17th; Animated Video For “Leeched” + Album Details And Preorders Posted

Italian psychedelic doom metal trio UFOMAMMUT celebrates their 25th Anniversary in 2024 including the release of their massive tenth studio full-length, Hidden. Today, the band confirms the album for May release on Neurot Recordings/Supernatural Cat Records, unveiling the cover art, track listing, preorders, and an animated video for the song “Leeched.”

Rising from the ashes of their prior band Judy Corda, UFOMAMMUT formed in the late 1990s by Poia (guitars, effects) and Urlo (bass, vocals, effects, synths), together with Vita (drums). With Levre taking over on drums in 2021, the band has undergone a rebirth, culminating in the release of the 2022-released Fenice LP, and on Halloween 2023, the Crookhead EP.

Over the course of two-and-a-half decades, UFOMAMMUT has developed a unique sound that combines heavy, dynamic riff worship with a deep understanding of psychedelic tradition in music, which has resulted in a cosmic, futuristic, and technicolor sound that fully immerses listeners. They’ve produced a wide spectrum of albums, EPs, live albums, a box set, compilation tracks, and covers – including a track on the Superunknown Redux Soundgarden tribute album.

Now, in 2024, as they celebrate their quarter-century milestone, UFOMAMMUT is set to release their tenth LP, Hidden. This album marks a shift in the band’s musical composition, aiming for a more intense and heavy sound, as they have displayed over the prior two releases. The title, Hidden, reflects the concept of the presence of everything in our existence and the ability to bring to light what lies within us. With Hidden, the band delves into a sonic journey that traverses vast expanses of space and time. From the crushing heaviness to the hauntingly melodies, from the textured compositions to the otherworldly atmospheres, Hidden testifies to the never-ending evolution of UFOMAMMUT and their mastery of creating immersive sonic experiences: a fitting celebration of their 25 years of sonic exploration and experimentation.

Like any good psychedelic trip, the music of UFOMAMMUT has always been inextricably intertwined with visual art. Poia describes longer compositions, “like a painting,” as if to reinforce the relevance and importance of visual art in their music. And as always, the artwork, videos, and all visuals/graphics for Hidden were created by Malleus Rock Art Lab, the rock/music graphic design collective of which Poia and Urlo are part of with Lu.

Hidden was recorded at Flat Scenario Studio in Piemonte, Italy, with Lorenzo Stecconi handling the mixing and mastering, and Luca Grossi overseeing vocal tracking.

With the lead single, Poia writes, “‘Leeched,’ the first song from the new full-length album Hidden, perfectly represents the new direction of UFOMAMMUT, which began with the album Fenice and continued with the EP Crookhead and reiterates once again that there are no failures or hesitations in our sonic research.

The fusion between heaviness and psychedelia, an obsession of the band since the beginning, takes on a new, changing form in ‘Leeched.’”

Hidden will be released on CD, LP, and digital on May 17th, in North America through Neurosis’ Neurot Recordings, the vinyl pressed on a Silver Nugget variant in a gatefold jacket. In Europe, the band’s Supernatural Cat Records will release it, a standard version on 180-gram Marbled Purple And Black variant, and a limited version of 500 copies on 180-gram Crystal Clear variant crafted by hand using photosensitive colors that are activated by sunlight, bringing the concept of the album to life, with multiple bundles and options.

Find US preorders/presaves at Neurot Recordings HERE: https://music.neurotrecordings.com/hidden.OPR

EU preorders at Supernatural Cat HERE: https://www.supernaturalcat.com/home/hiddenpreorder/

Hidden Track Listing:
1. Crookhead
2. Kismet
3. Spidher
4. Mausoleum
5. Leeched
6. Soulost

UFOMAMMUT will be touring regularly in support of Hidden, with a long list of tour dates already announced across Europe and the UK through all of May and into June, with much more being plotted. See the current 25 Years Anniversary Tour listings at the band’s website HERE: https://www.ufomammut.com/site/

UFOMAMMUT:
Poia – guitars
Urlo – bass, vocals, effects, synths
Levre – drums
Ciccio – soundlord

https://www.instagram.com/ufomammut
https://www.facebook.com/ufomammutband
https://ufomammut.bandcamp.com
https://www.ufomammut.com

https://www.instagram.com/SupernaturalCat_recs
https://www.facebook.com/Supernaturalcat666
https://www.supernaturalcat.com

https://www.instagram.com/neurotrecordings
https://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings
https://neurotrecordings.bandcamp.com
https://www.neurotrecordings.com

Ufomammut, “Leeched” official video

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Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Italy 2024 Announces First Bands

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 12th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Okeydokey, what do we learn here? Bongzilla will be in Europe this Spring, and Mondo Generator will be out to follow up on Nick Oliveri‘s winter solo tour, and Kadabra will go supporting their most excellent 2023 outing, Umbra (review here), though that was already apparent from the first Desertfest London announce. Along with MR.BISON, the esteemed Ufomammut — who’ll have a new LP out sometime in 2024, allegedly — Greek mainstays Nightstalker and upstarts 1782, speedrockers Tankzilla and punkers The Clamps, that’s the bill as it stands that will swap acts back and forth across two nights in Bologna and Trieste next May for Heavy Psych Sounds Fest Italy 2024.

This is not the end of the announcements, of course, but it’s a rousing start as the Italian label and booking agency continues to branch out to new places. You’ll note Trieste is home for Rocket Panda Management, who are involved here and also behind the StonerKras Fest that’s taken place the last couple of years later in the summer. I assume that’s still happening too, and will do so until I hear or see otherwise.

I don’t have numbers on the site’s readership in Bologna or Trieste, but I think these things are relevant anyway exactly because of the above: they show you who’s going to be where when. And it gives me an excuse to post the Kadabra record again. Double-win.

From the PR wire:

heavy psych sounds italy 2024 lineups

Heavy Psych Sounds to announce HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ITALY 2024 Bologna & Trieste – TICKETS PRESALE + FIRST BANDS !!!

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking will smash Bologna and for the first time Trieste with their highly acclaimed mini festival-series, the HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST!

In cooperation with Freakout Club and Rocket Panda Management, today Heavy Psych Sounds has announced the first confirmed bands + TICKETS PRESALE for the upcoming HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ITALY 2024 !!!

The HPS Fest Italy will be taking place 3rd and 4th of May at the Teatro Miela in Trieste and 4th and 5th of May at the TPO Club in Bologna !!!

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS FEST ITALY 2024 – BOLOGNA & TRIESTE

@ TPO, Bologna // 4th and 5th May 2024

@ Teatro Miela, Trieste // 3rd and 4th May 2024

feat.
BONGZILLA
MONDO GENERATOR
UFOMAMMUT
NIGHTSTALKER
1782
KADABRA
MR. BISON
TANKZILLA
THE CLAMPS
+ more TBA

BOLOGNA WEEKEND TICKETS:
https://www.freakoutbologna.com/hps

TRIESTE WEEKEND TICKETS:
https://www.miela.it/spettacoli/heavy-psych-sounds-fest-italy-2024/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://www.instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/

Mondo Generator, We Stand Against You (2023)

Kadabra, Umbra (2023)

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Desertfest London 2024 Makes First Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 8th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

desertfest LONDON 2024 banner

Getting Masters of Reality over has been a project in the works for Desertfest London since before the pandemic, and it looks like 2024 will be the year. The band burned a few bridges over the last couple years when frontman Chris Goss took a hardline right-wing stance on issues surrounding covid and whatever else (that kind of thing will win fans as well in some cases), but their work remains the stuff of legend and any time there’s a connection to OG-era Californian desert rock — as there is with Goss, who was there in his own band and as producer for Kyuss, etc. — that’s a boon and a good get for Desertfest generally, though even if you’re not a Masters of Reality fan owing to politics or just never having gotten on board, the entire line right under them on the poster is unfuckwithable: GodfleshMonolordAcid King and Ufomammut. Goodness gracious. And the next name is Brant Bjork. Gonna be Desertfest, to be sure.

Warms my cold dead ‘eart to see Stinking Lizaveta and Darsombra confirmed — I’ll put Domkraft in that sentimental-favorite category as well, and check out fellow Swedes Astroqueen doing some more traveling — and I look forward to the grandiose plaudits soon to be bestowed on Warpstormer and Goblinsmoker after their respective appearances, which is something Sergeant Thunderhoof should be able to help them through. With Clouds Taste Satanic traversing the Atlantic again, and others like Pijn and DuskwoodMantarMaserati and Monkey3, there’s a three-day fest’s worth of acts already revealed in this first announcement and probably two or three more three-day fests’ worth of names to come. I’ll tell you outright I’d shit a brick to see this. If you’re gonna be there, know how lucky you are.

From the PR wire:

Desertfest London announces 25 bands for 2024 edition including headliners Masters of Reality plus, Godflesh, Monolord, Acid King, Ufomammut & more

Friday 17th May – Sunday 19th May 2024 | Weekend Tickets now on sale

Desertfest London have unveiled 25 bands for their 12th edition, taking place across multiple venues in Camden next May 17th – 19th.

Following their pandemic induced cancellation in 2020, Desertfest is thrilled to announce desert rock pioneers Masters of Reality for the event. It will be the band’s first UK appearance in almost a decade. Masters of Reality is the brainchild of legendary producer Chris Goss (Welcome to Sky Valley, Rated R, Blues for The Red Sun, Dust, Songs for The Deaf). Their combination of hard-rock blues with a progressive tinge makes no apologies for not sticking within the stylised box listeners would expect, yet simultaneously provides the perfect lesson in the musical ethos and story-telling of the Palm Desert scene – all led by the man who laid its foundations.

Following an unforgettable performance at the New York edition of the Desertfest franchise a few months ago, industrial trailblazers Godflesh will return to London for a masterclass in sonic brutality. UK exclusive performances come in the form of Swedish doom masters Monolord, California stoner metal legends Acid King and the long-awaited return of Italian experimentalists Ufomammut.

Further Desert Rock royalty rolls into Camden Town, as Brant Bjork Trio will treat attendees to a back-catalogue few artists can compete with. Instrumental sound shifters Maserati, hard-hitting duo Mantar, introspective visionaries Cloakroom and heavy-psych rockers Monkey3 will take the concept of genres and set them ablaze.

Elsewhere the likes of Blanket, Domkraft, Pijn, Sugar Horse, Stinking Lizaveta and Darsombra will bring a captivating change of pace to the event. Whilst the stoner rock vibes remain alive and well with Astroqueen, Wet Cactus, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Duskwood.

If that wasn’t enough to get your teeth into, Desertfest rounds of its first announcement with Goblinsmoker, Clouds Taste Satanic, Warpstormer, Sonic Taboo & Wizdoom.

Weekend Tickets for the event are on sale now via www.desertfest.co.uk with much more to still be announced!

Full line-up:
MASTERS OF REALITY | GODFLESH | MONOLORD | ACID KING | UFOMAMMUT | BRANT BJORK TRIO | MASERATI | MANTAR | CLOAKROOM | MONKEY3 | BLANKET | ASTROQUEEN | DOMKRAFT | PIJN | SUGAR HORSE | STINKING LIZAVETA | WET CACTUS | DARSOMBRA | SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF | GOBLINSMOKER | DUSKWOOD | CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC | WARPSTORMER | SONIC TABOO | WIZDOOM

TICKETS ON SALE – www.desertfest.co.uk

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

Godflesh, Live in Boston, Massachusetts, Sept. 15, 2023

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Ufomammut Premiere Crookhead EP in Full; Out on Halloween

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on October 27th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

ufomammut crookhead

Italian cosmos compilers Ufomammut will celebrate Halloween 2023 with the release of Crookhead, a new three-song EP. Releasing through their own Supernatural Cat imprint and of course handling the artwork in-house through their (partial) visual arts alter ego Malleus as per standard operating procedure, the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Poia, bassist/vocalist/synthesist Urlo (also The Mon) and still-recent-but-has-an-album-under-his-belt-now drummer Levre — all of whom make a great deal of noise — revel in raw spaces across the 17-minute outing, which serves triple duty as the follow-up to 2022’s Fenice (review here), a preface to their 10th album next year, and a solid merch-table feature for the Fall tour they’re about to start this weekend ahead of the EP’s actual release. No sweat to those in Maastricht and Munich, though. I’m sure they’ve got you covered as regards vinyl.

Also crush. Crookhead begins its offload with the title-track and works righteously longest to shortest through “Crookhead” (8:59), “Supernova” (5:12) and “Vibrhate” (3:35), and wholly justifies its release in about the first 15 seconds. “Crookhead” quickly establishes itself as a physical force of tonality. There’s historical context as regards the trajectory of their growth, but in order to make this sentence shorter than the actual EP, I’ll spare you some of it.

Suffice it to say that Ufomammut have never stopped seeking new dimensions within the void. Their heavycraft, which as the PR wire notes is nearly 25 years on from its initial manifestations, is singularly identifiable and constantly evolving Ufomammut (Photo by Francesca De Franceschi Manzoni)within its sphere. When Poia and Urlo (both founding members) brought Levre on as drummer in 2021, coming back from a hiatus announced in Jan. 2020, the result on Fenice was reorientation of principles.

Crookhead shares with Fenice a play between the expansive and the claustrophobic. Ufomammut craft huge spaces and drop them on your bones with all due gravity, and Crookhead effectively and efficiently showcases the various sides of their methodology, from the title-cut’s ultra-low distortion rumbling at a mean clip into the sampled-speech-topped central riff.

They ride that current of aural concrete to a stop at 1:50 and kick back in with Levre setting the slow march on hi-hat, as the speech echoes, complemented by grunts or effects-twists, whatever it might be — since it’s technology I don’t understand I’ll just call it magic — and pummel themselves into a break after four minutes in with a pinging sound like the construction across the street from where I live when they pull out rebar (it’s not the same sound, I checked), and a creeping melody of mosquito-buzz synth to bolster the tension ahead of the smooth return to full volume. Onward they roll, to victory, death, or that spot on an accretion disk where you might get a bit of both at once as the light bends around you and you watch the universe’s entire future unfurl in whacked-out spacetime.

It’s a build, and they’re galloping by the finish, but because it’s Ufomammut, “Crookhead” is as much an expression of ambience as heft. With a memory-wipe 30 seconds of drone/synth noise, “Supernova” soon enough meets “Crookhead” on its own level of impossibly-dense noise riffing, but the turn toward atmospherics happens sooner, and is more patient, more willfully psychedelic.

Interesting to note that the vocals are spoken there too, but it’s a short stretch as Poia soon draws a solo over the soundscape, and a few more words lead into to a full-bore layered melodic verse before opening again to the speech and cycling through one more time. As will certainly happen, the vocals are in part consumed by the surrounding instruments, but that’s part of the immersion; the sense that all things are being consumed and so you are too. This is who they are.

They’re also the quiet psychedelics and the furious bludgeoning, and however fuck-yes-this-is-what-my-brain-needs the heaviest moments of Crookhead might be, dynamic is essential to the character of Ufomammut new or old. They have purposefully stripped down their style, but “Crookhead” and “Supernova” and “Vibrhate,” which also opens synthy and runs that thread alongside the relatively uptempo push of the guitar, bass and drums. For them, it’s a departure in structure and among the most straightforward, ‘traditional’-style metal songs they’ve ever done, but it’s neither out of place in style nor sound next to the other two, and the defined verses help ground the proceedings ahead of the last shove. In the spirit of the EP as a whole, I’ll call it ‘brutiful.’

And I’ll leave it there so you can actually hear the thing. You know the drill. Tour dates, preorder link and whatnot follow the EP premiere on the player below, courtesy of the aforementioned PR wire.

Please enjoy:

Ufomammut, Crookhead EP premiere

UFOMAMMUT presents a brand new EP, Crookhead, with three new songs that continue the expansion of the band’s sonic vision. The EP was recorded at Flat Scenario Studio in Italy by Lorenzo Stecconi in July 2022, and was mixed and mastered at Triple Sun by Stecconi. The artwork, as with all of the band’s releases, was designed and printed in Italy by Malleus Rock Art Lab, the graphic design collective of which Poia and Urlo are both founding members. The artwork, with its handprinted and numbered silkscreened cover, adds an artistic touch to the EP. Crookhead is a foretaste of the band’s impending tenth album, which will be released when the band celebrates their 25th anniversary in 2024.

The band reveals, “Crookhead is the Middle Earth, the gateway to something that lies within us and has yet to come, a bridge connecting our rebirth place called Fenice and the incoming journey. These three pieces perfectly represent how the new UFOMAMMUT form takes definitive shape and unfolds its fangs towards space, towards the unknown lands that await each of us. Crookhead is simply the final result of the urge to write new music, the natural introduction of our next record.”

UFOMAMMUT’s Crookhead EP will be released on Halloween, October 31st. The EP will released digitally and in a limited edition vinyl version of 500 copies: 200 on Marble Red Vinyl, 200 in Marble Gold Vinyl, and 100 in clear transparent vinyl which will be available only on the band’s fall tour. Preorders are now live at the Supernatural Cat shop HERE: https://www.supernaturalcat.com/home/?s=crookhead

UFOMAMMUT has booked a Fall tour across Europe in conjunction with the release of Crookhead, with dates running from October 29th through December 3rd. See the confirmed dates below and expect new tours to be announced into the new year.

UFOMAMMUT Tour Dates:
10/29/2023 Samhain Festival – Maastricht, NL
10/30/2023 Feierwerk – Munich, DE
11/04/2023 Sonic Rites – Helsinki, FI
11/15/2023 Mostovna – Nova Gorica, SLO
11/16/2023 Arena – Wien, AT
11/17/2023 Turbina – Budapest, HU
11/18/2023 Stadtwerkstatt – Linz, AT
11/19/2023 Kamienna – Krakow, PL
11/20/2023 Hydrozagadka – Warsaw, PL
11/21/2023 Kabinet Muz – Brno, CZ
11/22/2023 Club 007 Strahov – Prague, CZ
11/23/2023 Cassiopeia – Berlin, DE
11/24/2023 Hafenklang – Hamburg, DE
11/25/2023 4AD – Diksmuide, BE
11/26/2023 GeBAude 9 – Koln, DE
11/27/2023 P8 – Karlsruhe, DE
11/29/2023 Effenaar – Eindhoven, NL
11/30/2023 Le Bulle – Lille, FR
11/01/2023 Petit Bain – Paris, FR
11/02/2023 La Poudriere – Belfort, FR
11/03/2023 Old Capitol – Langenthal, CH

UFOMAMMUT:
Poia – guitars, effects
Urlo – bass, vocals, effects, synths
Levre – drums, effects
Ciccio – soundlord

Ufommammut website

Ufomammut on Facebook

Ufomammut on Instagram

Supernatural Cat website

Supernatural Cat on Facebook

Supernatural Cat on Instagram

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Ufomammut to Release Crookhead EP Oct. 31; Fall Tour Starts Sept. 29

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 18th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Some emails you like to get, and word of a new release upcoming from Italian cosmic doom progenitors Ufomammut is never anything but welcome. The long-running trio will issue the three-songer EP Crookhead on Halloween through Supernatural Cat, which is their own label, with art by Malleus, which is their graphic design company/arthouse weirdo outlet. Multi-tier DIY, in other words. Preorders are up, including limited editions — there’s a clear version that will be sold on the Fall tour, 200 copies; those’ll go — and it’s a herald for the band’s next full-length, which if it shows up in 2024 will still be a pretty quick turnaround from 2022’s Fenice (review here), which was released on Neurot. An Ufomammut record every two years is pretty oldschool, but I’ll certainly take the productivity.

PR wire info follows, including the tour dates, which start Oct. 29:

ufomammut crookhead

UFOMAMMUT – CROOKHEAD EP – Pre Order Now

RELEASE DATE : OCTOBER 31, 2023

Preorder link: https://www.supernaturalcat.com/home/?s=crookhead

“Crookhead” is a 3 songs EP and it’s anticipating the 10th Ufomammut full length coming in 2024. It is a limited edition of 500 copies in total, of which 200 in marbled red vinyl, 200 in marbled gold vinyl and 100 in clear transparent vinyl (available only during the 2023 European fall tour). Designed, hand printed and crafted in Italy by Malleus Rock Art Lab, “Crookhead EP” is available worldwide via Supernatural Cat Recs.

CROOKHEAD TRACK LISTING:
1. Crookhead
2. Supernova
3. Vibrhate

Recorded (at Flat Scenario Studio, in Italy, JULY 2022),
mixed and mastered at Triple Sun by LORENZO STECCONI

Crookhead EP will be available in pre-order till the release date on a special price.

UFOMAMMUT / EU Fall Tour 2023
29/10. Samhain festival – Maastricht (NL)
30/10. Feierwerk – Munich (DE)
04/11. Sonic Rites – Helsinki (FI)
15/11. Mostovna – Nova Gorica (SLO)
16/11. Arena – Wien (AT)
17/11. Turbina – Budapest (HU)
18/11. Stadtwerkstatt – Linz (AT)
19/11. Kamienna – Krakow (PL)
20/11. Hydrozagadka – Warsaw (PL)
21/11. Kabinet Muz – Brno (CZ)
22/11. Club 007 Strahov – Prague (CZ)
23/11. Cassiopeia – Berlin (DE)
24/11. Hafenklang – Hamburg (DE)
25/11. 4AD – Diksmuide (BE)
26/11. GeBAude 9 – Koln (DE)
27/11. P8 – Karlsruhe (DE)
29/11. Effenaar – Eindhoven (NL)
30/11. Le Bulle – Lille (FR)
01/12. Petit Bain – Paris (FR)
02/12. La Poudriere – Belfort (FR)
03/12. Old Capitol – Langenthal (CH)

UFOMAMMUT are:
Poia – Guitars and Fxs
Urlo – Bass, Vocals, Fxs and Synths
Levre – Drums & Fxs
Ciccio – Sound lord

www.ufomammut.com
www.facebook.com/ufomammutband
www.instagram.com/ufomammut

http://www.supernaturalcat.com

Ufomammut, Fenice (2022)

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The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal Playlist: Episode 99

Posted in Radio on December 9th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk show banner

Picking up from last time, and leading into next time, this episode continues the Some of the Best of 2022 coverage for ‘The Obelisk Show,’ and I feel reasonably comfortable assuming that would come through clearly even if I didn’t say it outright.

You’ll note this one starts pretty heavy and aggro with 16. That’s on purpose. My timeslot on Gimme Metal follows artist-guest specials, and I’ve felt at times in the past like it’s a really abrupt shift from most of those — sometimes death metal, grind, and otherwise extreme — and what I do, which is different. I know that’s the point, but I wanted to see if I could make that transition smoother than it otherwise can be. We’ll see how it goes, I guess.

From there, there’s a good amount of branching out, and while this is by no means all of the killer stuff that 2022 has wrought, my hope is that at least some of the sprawl comes through, some of the combination of new and old bands, and so forth. Next episode, which will be #100 and the last one of the year — bit of an event in the life of the show — will continue the thread.

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 – 12.09.22 (VT = voice track)

-(16)- The Floor Wins Into Dust
Telekinetic Yeti Rogue Planet Primordial
Cities of Mars Towering Graves Cities of Mars
Colour Haze See the Fools Sacred
VT
Moura Lúa vermella Axexan, Espreitan
Ufomammut Pyramind Fenice
MWWB Logic Bomb The Harvest
King Buffalo Avalon Regenerator
Geezer Stoned Blues Machine Stoned Blues Machine
Charley No Face Big Sleep Eleven Thousand Volts
My Sleeping Karma Prema Atma
Kadavermarch The Eschaton Into Oblivion
Ruby the Hatchet Soothsayer Fear is a Cruel Master
UWUW Landlord UWUW
Caustic Casanova A Bailar con Cuarentena Glass Enclosed Nerve Center
Hazemaze Ceremonial Aspersion Blinded by the Wicked
VT
E-L-R Forêt Vexier
Temple Fang Jerusalem Jerusalem/The Bridge

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Dec. 23 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

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The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal Playlist: Episode 95

Posted in Radio on October 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk show banner

This is me feeling like I can’t keep up, I suppose. Even in like the week, two weeks?, since the Quarterly Review ended, I’ve basically got another one full, and I’ve been feeling suitably overwhelmed as we move into Fall. The releases keep coming, keep being announced, and it’s just so much. I’m doing my best, and a lot of this stuff will be covered hopefully before December comes around, but I can’t promise that at this point. It would matter way less if records like Sky Pig, Smokes of Krakatau, Teverts, Deadly Vipers, Tons and Witchfinder, Grin, Grandier, Giant Mammoth weren’t as cool as they are.

I should’ve called the show ‘Punk Rock Guilt,’ but no one would get it anyway. I’m not sure anyone gets it now. I’m not sure why Gimme Metal continues to let me do this, but I’m happy they do. Anyway, for me personally this one’s all about the moment when it hits into Caustic Casanova’s “Bull Moose Against the Sky” from their just-released Glass Enclosed Nerve Center (review here) album, but I’m also reminding myself how much I dug that Ufomammut album and how just because Scott Kelly turned out to be a phony and a shit it doesn’t mean everything Neurot Recordings ever put out should be shunned like a mouthy Amish person. Also threw in some Kyuss, to remind myself I like them. Like, oh yeah, Kyuss. That’s a thing the internet and I agree on.

Bottom line is it’s a show with music I think will help your day, from All Souls and Sasquatch to Faith in Jane and the new Papir/Causa Sui collaboration Edena Gardens. If I’m going to take up two hours of Gimme Metal’s precious airtime — space on the internet may be unlimited and ever expanding, but time is still time — the least I can do is play good shit. So that’s what I’m doing.

Thanks if you listen and thanks for reading.

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

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 10.14.22 (VT = voice track)

Deadly Vipers Welli Welloo Low City Drone
Smokes of Krakatau Septic Smokes of Krakatau
Sky Pig Motionless It Thrives in Darkness
VT
Sasquatch Live Snakes Fever Fantasy
Ufomammut Psychostasia Fenice
Giant Mammoth Circle Holy Sounds
Teverts Road to Awareness The Lifeblood
Kyuss 100 Degrees Welcome to Sky Valley
Grin Transcendence Phantom Knocks
Tons A Hash Day’s Night Hashension
Grandier Viper Soul The Scorn and Grace of Crows
All Souls Roam Ghosts Among Us
Witchfinder Ghosts Happen to Fade Forgotten Mansion
Edena Gardens Hidebound Edena Gardens
Faith in Jane The Seeker Axe to Oak
VT
Caustic Casanova Bull Moose Against the Sky Glass Enclosed Nerve Center

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Oct. 28 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

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Ufomammut Announce Fall European Tour

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 21st, 2022 by JJ Koczan

Ufomammut (Photo by Francesca De Franceschi Manzoni)

One does not need an excuse to see Ufomammut. One simply shows up and receives a pummeling from the outer reaches of the known cosmos as expanded by the James Webb Space Telescope and is thankful for the experience. The long-running Italian trio already did a stretch of dates this Spring to support their new album, Fenice (review here), and UrloPoia and post-hiatus drummer Levre will again hit the road this Fall. They were previously announced for Keep it Low in Munich, and they’ll also be at the 25th anniversary celebration of Orange Factory in Belgium.

There are a couple dates TBA on the poster, and you’ll have to forgive me for assuming there’s something there that’s yet to be revealed rather than just empty slots. Worse to worst, Ufomammut, you’re always welcome by me and I’m just like a nine-hour flight from Denmark, so feel free to pop over for a day or two.

The band posted these dates on social media:

UFOMAMMUT tour

So stoked to announce our Fenice Fall Tour!
We will be touring Europe this September and October and we’re looking forward to meet you all again.

Thanks to Sound of Liberation for making this happen and Neurot Recordings and SUPERNATURALCAT for supporting our music.

20.09 – Lyon (FR) – Rock’n’Eat
21.09 – Nantes (FR) – Le Ferrailleur
22.09 – Paris (FR) – Backstage
23.09 – Tourcoing (FR) – Le Grand Mix
24.09 – Leuven (BE) – 25 Years Orange Factory – Het Depot
26.09 – Dortmund (DE) – Junkyard
27.09 – Hamburg (DE) – Knust
28.09 – Malmö (SE) – Plan B
29.09 – Stockholm (SE) – Hus 7
30.09 – Gothenburg (SE) – Valand
01.10 – Oslo (NO) – Kulturkirken Jakob (Høstsabbat presents)
02.10 – Copenhagen (DK) – Loppen
04.10 – TBA
05.10 – Leipzig (DE) – Ut Connewitz
06.10 – TBA
07.10 – München (DE) – Keep It Low Festival
08.10 – Linz (AT) – Stadtwerkstatt

Art by Malleus ROCK ART LAB
Photo by Francesca De Franceschi Manzoni

UFOMAMMUT are:
Poia – Guitars and Fxs
Urlo – Bass, Vocals, Fxs and Synths
Levre – Drums & Fxs
Ciccio – Sound lord

www.ufomammut.com
www.facebook.com/ufomammutband
twitter.com/ufomammutmafia
www.instagram.com/ufomammut

http://www.neurotrecordings.com
http://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings
https://neurotrecordings.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/OfficialNeurot

http://www.supernaturalcat.com

Ufomammut, Fenice (2022)

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