Heyo, just a word here as Roadburn does that Roadburn pre-holiday thing and announces a butt-ton of acts for next year’s festival before things get (outwardly) quieter for the next month or so. I know the narrative as regards the festival is that they’ve expanded from their beginnings, let go of the stoner rock stuff and all this, and to a certain point, that’s probably true. But among these almost-30 bands and artists, check out just how much heavy, psych, space and generally-out-there shit there is. Like, a ton.

Gnod & White Hills — who just announced a new collaborative album today — and Messa (I haven’t seen that album announcement but assume it’s coming unless I just missed it; it’s apparently called The Spin) playing full LPs, Coilguns, Smote, Thou, Zombie Zombie, Pothamus who I recently got put onto — some of it is spaced out and some of it is trippy, but if you’re looking for tonal presence, I don’t think it’s going to be in short supply.

That they also happen to be open-minded around this, such that Dødheimsgard and Chat Pile can exist on the same bill with Cinder Well, Faetooth and a Kylesa reunion, I don’t think is a weakness. At least it doesn’t seem to be looking at the new poster art, which I’ll just say flat out I prefer to 2024’s. I got to attend Roadburn earlier this year for the first time in five years, and it was magic and emotional both. I don’t know that I’ll be invited back for 2025 — because, really, why would I? — but this announcement does nothing at all to uncross my superstitious fingers.

The PR wire brought the latest:

Roadburn adds 29 new names to the 2025 lineup including envy, Oranssi Pazuzu, Thou, Gilla Band, Midwife, Steve Von Till and more

Roadburn has announced a further 29 names for the 2025 edition of the festival. Among the artists confirmed are several who will return to Roadburn – such as Thou, Messa, and Oranssi Pazuzu – and many who will be making their Roadburn debut – such as Envy, Tristwych y Fenywod, and Curses. Steve Von Till and Midwife have also been announced as artists in residence, both performing multiple times over the course of the festival. Roadburn 2025 will take place in Tilburg, The Netherlands between April 17-20.

Roadburn’s artistic director Walter Hoeijmakers comments:

“This announcement shows the broad scope of heaviness at Roadburn 2025. There are artistic, musical and emotional boundaries being pushed, and we are hosting up-and-coming acts making their festival debuts alongside longstanding luminaries. We are looking to the future, to our roots, and in all directions in the present to find those defying the perceived limits of genre in the underground. We know there are no limits.”

The new names added to Roadburn 2025 are as follows:

Bambara: brooding post-punk from New York

Big Brave performing their latest, critically acclaimed album A Chaos of Flowers

Blind Girls will make the trek from Australia to bring their frenetic screamo to Roadburn

Buñuel’s off-kilter noise rock will be presided over by enigmatic frontman Eugene S. Robinson

CHVE is the intense and intimate outlet for the solo work of Amenra’s Colin H. van Eeckhout

Coilguns will perform their new album Odd Love in its entirety.

Curses (Live) are set to deliver their neon-lit post-punk/electro hybrid

Dødheimsgard will bring their iconic combination of progressive black metal and avant-garde industrial as they perform their latest album, Black Medium Current

envy will make their long awaited Roadburn debut, performing A Dead Sinking Story in full as well as a modern era/Eunoia set

Gilla Band will revisit the Early Years with a noise-rock set that throws back to their roots

Gillian Carter hail from Orlando, Florida and will bring their distinctive brand of screamo to Tilburg in April.

Glassing head to Europe for just the second time to showcase their post-everything sound and bristling live energy.

Gnod & White Hills unite to perform their legendary Gnod Drop Out With White Hills II album

Great Falls fuse noise rock and hardcore in a discordant, emotion driven sonic purge

Messa return to Roadburn to play their upcoming new album, The Spin, in full.

Michael Gira and Kristof Hahn (SWANS) will present an intimate set of new and rarely heard compositions.

Midwife (Artist In Residence) – Madeline Johnston AKA Midwife will return to Roadburn – this time as an artist in residence – where she will perform three times, including a set with Vyva Melinkolya and a commissioned performance of her new album, No Depression In Heaven

Oranssi Pazuzu return to the festival with a very special performance of their latest release, Muuntautuja

Pothamus have just announced a brand new album, Abur, which they will perform in full at Roadburn 2025.

Pygmy Lush will play their first show in Europe at Roadburn, bringing their dark Americana to Roadburn.

Smote will expand to an eight-piece ensemble to perform their latest album, A Grand Stream

Steve Von Till (Artist In Residence) – we have invited Steve to be an artist in residence to honour his incredible musical legacy and shine a light on his future creative endeavours; he will perform two full sets and unite with artist Thomas Hooper for a collaborative audio-visual exhibition.

Thou will perform their latest album, Umbilical, in full on the main stage.

Tristwch Y Fenywod bring their folky Welsh-language incantations to Tilburg.

Violent Magic Orchestra blend black metal and electronics to dizzying effect

Vuur & Zijde feature members of Laster, Silver Knife, Terzij de Horde and more – and will make their live debut performing their album, Boezem

Vyva Melinkolya will play her first show in Europe, bringing her emotionally heavy dreamgaze to Roadburn.

Witch Club Satan rip up the rule book of black metal, embracing the feminine and the theatrical along the way.

Zombie Zombie combine groovy electronics and trippy motorik rhythms in their psychedelic sound

More information on these artists can be found HERE: https://roadburn.com/line-up/

They will join a slew of previously announced artists including Chat Pile, ØXN, Sumac, Altin Gun, and Kylesa.

All ticket and accommodation options for Roadburn are now on sale. For all information including tickets, please visit www.roadburn.com

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Thou, Umbilical (2024)

Generally speaking, I probably wouldn’t include four media players for a four-band festival lineup announcement, but it seems to me like Høstsabbat in Oslo — which last year destroyed eardrums of many and at least one knee (mine) — is making a point. Adding Green Lung, well on their way to being a Very Big Deal, lets you that the festival is continuing to expand its reach, bring in bigger/emerging names to play on the altar at Kulturkirken Jakob, which is about as perfect a setting for this band in particular as I can think of. Having Alastor from Sweden digs deeper into newer-school stoner doom, heavy and brash in a way that feels consistent with who Høstsabbat are and makes me wonder if the band might, like Green Lung, have a new record in the offing. Something to keep an eye on.

At the same time, Witch Club Satan are raging black metal and Cult Member are hardcore, so some of the experimentalist tinge that Høstsabbat has brought forth in the last couple years is continuing, and perhaps flourishing, in 2023. The fest is adding another venue too, so it seems like maybe it’s becoming a choose-your-adventure kind of affair rather than a swap between stages. I guess that was the case this year too. I missed Astrosaur and will likely be kicking myself for years on that one.

In any case, there’s a lot to dig here and a lot to keep an eye on, and yeah, there’s four Bandcamp players below. The idea is four outfits each offering something different from the others. If you listen, I think you’ll find you agree that’s the case.

Fest announcement follows:

GREEN LUNG // HØSTSABBAT 2023

As you might remember, the fine Brits in Green Lung was supposed to play Høstsabbat in 2020. No need for further reminiscence, right?

Much has happened since then, and such also with Green Lung.

The London Lords of the Underground managed to outshine their wonderfully praised debut, with last years´»Black Harvest», and the tale of the green lungs skyrocketed into an abyss formerly unknown for the four piece. From a very promising up- and coming band, Green Lung were all of a sudden on everyone’s lips, playing every festival there is and constantly expanding their horde of Lungsmen. Much respect and very well deserved.

Stacked with sick riffs and an otherworldly control of their sorcerous craft, Green Lung will put their spell on Oslo for the first time this coming October.

All hail the Green Lung!

WITCH CLUB SATAN – Bloodmother // HØSTSABBAT 2023

One of the most refreshing sensations swirling out of our domestic music scene, is last years´ introduction to a true force of nature; WITCH CLUB SATAN.

These three Witches do something else entirely.

Witch Club Satan is a feminist Black Metal band, shining new, fresh and forward thinking light to the darkest of all genres.

Mentored by Necrobutcher from Mayhem himself, they are combining their theatrical background with a ferocious, yet gentle live mass. The live experience is on a different level all together.

Their music is cold, primal and punishing, their attitude the same.

Witch Club Satan will replenish our church of riffs with elements primarily unseen.

The spell of the Bloodmother is already here.

ALASTOR // HØSTSABBAT 2023

Høstsabbat and Sweden go way back, and this year will be no different.

We take pride and find lots of joy in keeping our eyes peeled on what´s cooking in the east. Their neighbouring influence and talent is outstanding.

Alastor is the first Swedish band to accompany our ten-year anniversary.

Being far from strangers to our community, these guys have been on our radar ever since their 2017-release «Black Magic».

We are stoked to finally welcome the Swedish priests of the occult to church, and not to mention; Norway for the very first time.

Alastor is one of those bands honoring the legacy of Jus & Liz from Dorset in the best possible way. Their stonerdoom is perfectly crafted, with dripping hints of horror, blood and rituals.

Let’s bow to the altar of Alastor.

CULT MEMBER // HØSTSABBAT 2023

The north has its very own qualities in so many different ways. A beautiful vastness in all its encompassing nature. Warm people in a cold climate. Their darkness is real, half of the year at least. But it has to be something in the water too. Northern Norway, and Tromsø in particular, keeps fishing and pushing forward outstanding bands from what seems to be an unlimited sea of talent.

Cult Member are the leaders of this pool, and find themselves in the absolute forefront of the ongoing hardcore attack from up north. They have a live presence as demolishing as their mountains, and they somehow manage to spark their recordings with the same fire.

«Infinite Death» from last year was a definite favorite.

It´s a sick album, delivered with cheery authority, icy chugs and razor sharp musicianship.

It makes you angry, but in the most positive way!

We can not wait for their onslaught at Høstsabbat 2023

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
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Green Lung, Black Harvest (2021)

Witch Club Satan, “Hysteria” (2022)

Alastor, Onwards and Downwards (2021)

Cult Member on Spotify