That’s a wrap on the lineup for Up in Smoke 2018, and it’s a doozy. Up and coming acts like Messa, Humulus and Glanville meet with established purveyors in Acid King, The Well, Elder and Sasquatch, newbie psych lords Naxatras, scumriffers Dopethrone and a slew of others across a stylistic swath that should be well enough to hold even the most fickle of feet in place over the two-day stretch in Switzerland. Plus Ancestors are gonna be there. And Farflung. Looks like a solid way to spend a weekend and then some.

Sound of Liberation, which puts on this fest and numerous others, has a last batch of bands added in one more round, and it’s Witchcraft near the top of the bill as well as the aforementioned Glanville, Farflung, The Well and The New Death Cult, the latter of whom I know absolutely nothing but who seem to be on the right page mission-wise.

Announcement came down the PR wire:

UP IN SMOKE 2018 – WITCHCRAFT & 4 MORE BANDS COMPLETE THE LINE-UP!

Yes, it’s true, you read it right, and we are very excited to share this great news with you all today!

UP IN SMOKE, Switzerland’s annual and finest Stoner, Fuzz, Doom and Heavy Psychedelic Rock Festival, has announced the final bands for 2018! The following highclass acts have just been added to close this year’s festival edition:

Sweden’s Heavy Rock legends WITCHCRAFT will perform an exclusive show at UP in SMOKE at Z7 in Pratteln! The band has barely played any live shows in the last years, so it’s more than a great honor to have them at this year’s UP IN SMOKE Festival VOL VI next month!

Some more sweet acts are added to the bill as well:

The outstanding spacerock cult band FARFLUNG, Texas finest heavy psych blues combo THE WELL and heavy hard rockers GLANVILLE will join Switzerland’s most heavy rocking party of the year. Last but not least UP IN SMOKE has added another surprise act! THE NEW DEATH CULT is here to crush hate, injustice, environmental destruction and greed with universal peace & love. Join the cult at UP IN SMOKE!

The line-up is now complete and features 20 amazing bands! Day Split will be unveiled within 10 days, but you should grab your 2-day pass while you still can! Taking place at the famous Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland, between October 5 – 6th 2018, tickets are available HERE!

Join the cult at UP IN SMOKE FESTIVAL VOL VI.

The line-up is now complete and features 20 amazing bands! Day Split will be unveiled within 10 days, but you should GRAB YOUR 2-DAY PASS while you still can!

www.upinsmoke.de
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte
https://soundofliberation.com

Witchcraft, “The Outcast”

As noted yesterday, John Garcia has postponed his Fall tour of Europe, and that included a stop at Up in Smoke 2018. No doubt Mr. Garcia is a significant presence as a part of an lineup in which he features, and accordingly, Up in Smoke has gone ahead and added five bands in the wake of his cancellation, including Berlin three-piece Kadavar, who will take over his headlining spot. Needless to say, you could do much worse, and with Elder, Whores., Villagers of Ionnina City and Six Months of Sun also joining the lineup, there will definitely be plenty to see in Garcia‘s absence. Plus, there’s always Keep it Low 2019 to think about. Well, not “always,” but at least for the next year or so. Ha.

The following confirmations came down the PR wire:

UP IN SMOKE 2018 – KADAVAR & 4 MORE BANDS CONFIRMED!

Smokers,

You may have seen that JOHN GARCIA cancelled his October/November tour yesterday. It’s with great sadness that we have to say it consequently includes his appearance at Up In Smoke 2018… But no worry! We found another amazing act to headline our Friday night, one of the biggest names in the scene whose sound can be recognized by a single guitar strum: the berlin-based power trio KADAVAR! We’re pretty thrilled about that, aren’t you?!

We are also psyched to announce the 4 following bands:

ELDER (USA) – Elder is the definition of a work in progress, as the group continues to meld the familiar sounds of Sleep‘s colossal riffage with their ever-evolving vision of soaring melodies and sonic soundscapes. Listeners will find themselves locked into the trio’s lengthy epics, which toe the line between the chasms of classic stoner metal and mindblowing psychedelia.

WHORES (USA) – Founded in 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia, Whores has established themselves as one of the most successful and motivated bands in the genre today. Through intense, cathartic live performances and the perfected aggressive tenacity present on their recordings, the band has gained a fervent following sure to do nothing but grow in the years to come. October 2016 saw the band’s first full-length album “GOLD”, and Whores is currently recording the next one.

VILLAGERS OF IOANNINA CITY (GR) – The experimental heavy rock band Villagers of Ioannina City (VIC) comes from the mountains of Epirus – Greece. Their unique sound fuses traditional music into heavy psychedelic rock. The band uses a wide range of instruments, such as low tuned guitars and bass, hammond and rhodes, along with traditional instruments such as clarino, bagpipe, kaval, didjeridoo and others. Currently they are recording their long awaited new album “Age of Aquarius” which will be released in September.

SIX MONTHS OF SUN (CH) – Six Months Of Sun are based in Geneva, Switzerland and released their debut album called “And Water Flows” in 2013. The band served on Stoner Rock sound and offers us instrumental compositions with strong influences from bands such as Karma To Burn, Black Sabbath, Goatsnake, Orange Goblin, Graveyard and Clutch. They released their excellent second album “ Below the Eternal Sky” barely 2 months ago!

www.upinsmoke.de
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte
https://soundofliberation.com

Kadavar, “Die Baby Die” official video

Very cool that Electric Wizard are headlining Up in Smoke 2018. Very cool. Not saying it isn’t. And right on that Dopethrone, Messa, Child, Humulus — have to wonder if they’ll bring their own beer — and Giant Sleep are playing too. Awesome. The name I want to focus on here, however, is Ancestors. The returned/reactivated Los Angeles unit will have their new album out on Pelagic Records by the time they head to Europe to play Up in Smoke presumably as part of a larger round of touring, and I’m pretty sure I’ve said this already, but watch out for that fucking record. Really. It’s a stunner.

2018 has already seen a fair share of righteous outings — I’d list them here, but you know, stolen laptop — and a couple real landmarks are still to come, but don’t let the new Ancestors get by you just because it’s been a while since they put anything out. I’ll have more to say about it, I’m sure, because it’s the kind of record about which one doesn’t easily shut up, but yeah. Take it as an(other) early heads up.

Here’s Up in Smoke‘s announcement:

UP IN SMOKE 2018 – ELECTRIC WIZARD & 6 MORE ACTS CONFIRMED!

GET YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A WEEKEND PASS!

Up In Smoke Indoor Fest 2018 has just announced a bunch of new bands, including their second headliner: The almighty ELECTRIC WIZARD, bringing their new album “Wizard Bloody Wizard” to make Pratteln tremble once again! Also confirmed:

DOPETHRONE (CAN) – The riff comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s clean and elegant… sometimes it’s filthy, grimy and about as elegant as a sledgehammer to the sternum. “Dopethrone are the kind of humans that eat the blues for lunch and wash it all down with a giant jug of crust punch! This is one of those bands that will have the crusty punks head banging right next to the stoners, both united under the bad sign of doom.” (CVLT NATION) The Canadian trio released their new album “Transcanadian Anger” few days ago!

ANCESTORS (USA) – Ancestors formed in 2006 and instead of “choosing between prog rock or heavy rock,” merged the styles to create music rife with atmosphere, tension and raw human emotion. They create mighty, modern music that dovetails innovative arrangement, crushing primordial riff interplay and melodic instrumental passages with textural atmospherics. They will release their long-awaited new album this summer via Pelagic Records.

MESSA (IT) – Messa play evoking doom metal with a dark jazz twist. Deliciously haunting female vocals, rhodes piano and 70’s fuzz guitars combine to conjure a sound that is all of their own. With influences as diverse as Windhand, Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore, The Devil’s Blood, Jex Thoth, Angelo Badalamenti, Bellwitch, John Coltrane and Aluk Todolo, the band has moved from the droning occult doom of their first LP “Belfry” to a new, darker and more atmospheric approach clearly showcased in their new record “Feast for Water”, released in March!

CHILD (AUS) – Hailing from the urban wilds of Melbourne, Australia, Child combine the heavy emotion of the blues with the tone and raw power of hard rock to create a visceral musical experience that reaches right into the chest of listeners. Since the release of their runaway self-titled debut in 2014, Child have continued to develop their unique brand of heavy blues through constant writing and extensive touring. The band released their latest EP “I” a few months ago!

HUMULUS (IT) – Humulus is a Psych-Stoner power trio from Brescia/Bergamo (Italy), formed in 2009. Their first self titled album was released by Go Down Records in December 2012. The ten tracks of this first work fully reflect the stoner attitude of the band and their aggressive sound that is best expressed during their live shows. Their latest LP “Reverently Heading Into Nowhere”, more psychedelic and heavier than ever, came out in the Spring of 2017.

GIANT SLEEP (GER/CH) – Giant Sleep are five guys from Germany and Switzerland, worshipping the power of the riff. The sound of the quintet penetrates the worlds of the subconscious and incomprehensible with no regard for genres nor boundaries. Modern post- and prog-rock elements meet the classic sound of the 70s; an original mixture of lively and creative music. On their second album “Move A Mountain” Giant Sleep takes you on a journey through rock history and beyond.

Taking place October 5th & 6th 2018 at Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland, highclass acts such as JOHN GARCIA & THE BAND OF GOLD, ACID KING or SASQUATCH have already been confirmed with many more to come. Tickets for Up In Smoke are available HERE!

SHARE & WIN: To get another chance to win a weekend pass for Up In Smoke 2018, please visit the Facebook page for more info!

www.upinsmoke.de
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte
https://soundofliberation.com

Ancestors, “Gone”

It would seem that in the new social media algorithmic rich-white-people-claiming-to-reshape-paradigms-everyone-else-when-all-they’re-really-doing-is-ripping-everyone-off universe of social media, somewhere along the line I stopped getting updates from Sound of Liberation. As someone who actively enjoys keeping up with a host of European events throughout the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, that’s a shitter to be sure. Already the lauded booking agency has started announcing lineups for two fall festivals: Up in Smoke 2018, held in Pratteln, Switzerland, and Keep it Low 2018, held in Munich, both in October. Needless to say, I’ve chased down the code like Neo in The Matrix or like whatever more up-to-date reference would apply and fixed the fucking problem for myself, social media overlords be damned.

Here’s me getting caught up with Up in Smoke 2018’s first four bands: Acid King, Naxatras, Sasquatch and John Garcia. Hell of a starting four, frankly, and of course there’s more to come. I wouldn’t actually put much stock in my technical prowess, but hopefully I should be able to do a better job keeping up from here on out.

An amalgam of the first and second announcements follows:

UP IN SMOKE 2018

Z7 I PRATTELN I OCT. 5TH-6TH 2018

Here we go, the 6th edition of UP in SMOKE indoor festival in Z7 is on its way! Our dear graphic designers from Elvisdead are bent over the desk and working like maniacs on our poster which we will be glad to introduce very soon!

But for now, as we know you want to hear fresh and crispy news, we are glad to lift the veil today of our first names:

– Acid King (USA). Bathed in distortion and baptized in a plume of smoke, the Bay Area trio fronted by talented Lori S. is rocking the heavy scene for more than 2 decades and we are just thrilled to host them for this edition of the festival.

– Naxatras (GR). Very much attached to the roots of psychedelia, paying tributes to masters like Pink Floyd & Hawkwind, while also praising Black Sabbath Doom lords, the trio is still forging very fresh tunes out of those influences and creating very sweet and fine music.

– John Garcia (USA). Yes, desert crooner and former Kyuss, Slo-Burn, Unida, Hermano, Vista Chino frontman John Garcia may rightfully be considered the ultimate incarnation of stoner rock! His first solo album and opus eponymous from 2014 was followed roughly three years later by “The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues”, a comparatively relaxed and purely acoustic affair! He is now about to release a new one, and will be presenting it at Up In Smoke this year! We’re so looking forward to hearing his new tunes!

– Sasquatch (USA). Next, if we say “All is fair in Love and Doom”, you say ? SASQUATCH, right?! The trio, whose music has been featured on numbers of movies, games soundtracks is FUZZ! Those Californian Dudes are riffrockers to the core: mixing elements of 70s rock, metal and psychelia…we’re all in for a hell of a party!

Heavy-Rock-Doom-Psych-Stoner Indoor Festival. 2 Days of Volume Worshipping in Switzerlands best Rock Venue Z-7 in Pratteln (Basel).
2 big stages, 20+ bands and the chance for fans to sleep over in the venue. The festival is sold out since 2016, the 6th edition takes part on Oct 5th and 6th 2018.

Line Up 2018:
JOHN GARCIA / ACID KING / NAXATRAS / SASQUATCH

www.upinsmoke.de
https://www.facebook.com/UpInSmokeIndoorFestivalInZ7/
https://www.sol-tickets.com/produkte

Acid King, Live in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 19, 2017