Tag Archives: prog

Stumpfest Confirms Dates and Early Line-Up

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stumpfest

Stumpfest, the stoner-doom metal festival/party held annually in Portland OR has revealed this years fest will take place 4/23 – 4/25 and the early line-up of bands. Headliners for the weekend so far include northwestern doom greats YOB, Danva, Intronaut, as well as Portland locals Lord Dying, Sandrider, Author & Punisher, Graves At Sea, and Black Pussy. At least one more major band tba to close the Saturday night date. The fest will once again be held at Missisippi Studios, holding just under 400 people, so this makes it a very intimate one of a kind event, keeping with founder Rynne Stump’s goal of keeping the fest small and inexpensive as possible. Weekend passes are on sale now, as well as single day tickets. Last’s year’s fest sold out, so don’t sleep if you are considering going to this.

Press Notes:

In 2015, the “fantastic amalgam of music, bro love and art” returns to Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon on April 23-25. Hosted by none other than the beloved Stump sisters, the three-day festival is more riff-filled, filthed-up and stacked than ever.

The headliner of Saturday, April 25th will be revealed in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, you can purchase three-day passes or tickets to the Thursday and Friday shows below:

THREE-DAY PASSES

THURSDAY 4/23 (DANAVA, LORD DYING, LECHEROUS GAZE, BLACK PUSSY, SONS OF HUNS & PRIZEHOG)

FRIDAY 4/24 (YOB, INTRONAUT, AUTHOR & PUNSHER, GRAVES AT SEA & MUSCLE AND MARROW)

 

Stumpfest on Facebook


Full Details of New Steven Wilson Album, US Tour Announced

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Progressive rock and metal legend Steven Wilson has dropped further details of his upcoming opus Hand. Cannot. Erase. (Kscope) on March 3rd. In addition to his astounding solo career, Wilson is best known for his band Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, and his frequent collaborations with Opeth, as well as being an in demand producer, and re-mastering genius of classic rock and prog albums.

Wilson has announced that the second leg of his upcoming tour will see him cover the USA and Canada.

From Facebook:

The 2nd leg of Steven Wilson’s 2015 ‘Hand Cannot Erase Tour’ will cover the United States and Canada. For more information about the tour including dates and where to buy tickets, please visit here –http://stevenwilsonhq.com/sw/tour-dates/

You can pre-order Steven Wilson’s new album “Hand Cannot Erase” here –http://smarturl.it/HandCannotErase

“We are currently developing a show that I hope will raise the bar both musically and visually from previous tours, with a set list based around the new album, as well as casting the net further back into my songwriting past for a few surprises” – Steven Wilson

Tour dates:

Thursday, May 21 Albany, NY The Egg

Friday, May 22 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center

Saturday, May 23 Harrisburg, PA The Whitaker

Tuesday, May 26 Washington, DC 930 Club

Thursday, May 28 Philadelphia, PA Keswick Theater

Friday, May 29 New York, NY Best Buy Theater

Saturday, May 30 New York, NY Best Buy Theater

Thursday, June 04 Chicago, IL Park West

Friday, June 05 Chicago, IL Park West

Saturday, June 06 Madison, WI Barrymore Theater

Tuesday, June 09 Denver, CO Boulder Theater

Friday, June 12 Anaheim, CA The Grove

Saturday, June 13 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern

Sunday, June 14 San Francisco, CA The Warfield

Tuesday, June 16 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater

Wednesday, June 17 Seattle, WA Neptune Theater

Friday, June 26 Toronto The Danforth Music Hall Canada

Saturday, June 27 Montréal Montréal Jazz Festival Canada

 

Steven Wilson on Facebook

 


STAFF PICKS 2014: Chris Tippell’s Top 20 Albums Of The Year

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 Knifeworld - The Unravelling cover

  1. Knifeworld– The Unravelling (InsideOut)- Ex Cardiac’s member Kavus Torabi has never been one for subtlety and simplicity and The Unravelling is the glorious embodiment of such. Eccentric, cartoonish yet at times very dark, unpredictable but on the whole very catchy; this is the album that should see Knifeworld placed around the top of the pile of modern Prog.
  1. Opeth– Pale Communion (Roadrunner)- Sticking a big middle finger to those who whined about their shedding of death metal on Heritage, Opeth continued further down the rabbit hole on Pale Communion. With its roots in golden-era Prog such as Genesis, Goblin and Comus, this encapsulates Akerfeldt’s real influences and artistic vision perfectly and is thus arguably the band’s best opus to date.
  1. Behemoth– The Satanist (Nuclear Blast)- The most important metal release of the year, Behemoth ascended further than possibly imagined with The Satanist, transcending beyond the extreme metal fan base and garnering universal plaudits. Controversy follows this band like a stalker but this and Nergal’s Leukemia contributed to a breathtaking opus that will be spoken about in years to come.
  1. Voices- London (Candlelight)- A late contender but one that simply bulldozed its way into contention. Simply massive in scope and in range, this is simultaneously disorientating, ferocious and hypnotic. Another shining gem in UK extreme metal’s crown.

    Anathema

    Anathema

  1. Anathema– Distant Satellites (Kscope)- A few eyebrows were raised with some of the album’s more dance orientated direction but this is still full of pure emotional resonance, whilst showcasing the band as a forward thinking entity. Tears will still be shed and knees will weaken.
  1. Scott Walker & Sunn O)))– Soused (4AD ltd)- Predominantly this is a pure Scott Walker effort, as Sunn O))) provide the perfect backdrop; honing his sense of eeriness and haunting whilst never overshadowing. Pant wetting levels of scary; once again Walker proves certainly not for the faint hearted.
  1. Evergrey– Hymns For The Broken (AFM Records)- Masters of emotional and bold anthems, Evergrey continue their trend of deep, dark yet motivational numbers with perhaps their most personal effort and human effort to date.
  1. Gazpacho– Demon (Kscope)- Based on the ramblings of a man searching for a ‘demon’; Demon is the perfect embodiment of Gazpacho’s prowess at conveying the mysterious and the macabre. Minimalist in part, yet still varied and ultimately heavy.Gazpacho---Demon
  1. The Pineapple Thief– Magnolia (Kscope)- Following the passing of mainman Bruce Soord’s friend, Magnolia is oozing with sentiment and heart. This combined with a set of the band’s most compact songs to date and you have their most immediate and strongest effort.
  1. Slipknot– .5: The Gray Chapter (Roadrunner)- How would Slipknot cope without the creative input of the late Paul Gray and departed Joey Jordison people asked. Pretty fucking well it turns out. The most visceral they have sounded in years accompanied with some touching tributes to their fallen brother, this is a true rise from the ashes.
  1. Decapitated– Blood Mantra (Nuclear Blast)- Everyone by now knows how formidable and phenomenal an act Decapitated are and Blood Mantra more than cements their reputation and puts any doubts people had about Vogg’s decision to continue to the sword. Easily a match for their revolutionary early days.
  1. North Atlantic Oscillation- The Third Day (Kscope)- These guys just get better and better with each album. Following on from Sam Healy’s solo outing Sand from last year this proves an even more expansive and heart warming affair.
  1. Ageless Oblivion– Penthos (Siege Of Amida)- Pushing the envelope of extreme metal even further, Penthos is an evolution upon Ageless Oblivion’s debut album. Combining the most ferocious of death metal with the Cult Of Luna’s atmospheric post rock; this is a truly unpredictable, imaginative and volatile beast.
  1. Pallbearer– Foundations Of Burden (Profound Lore)- It has to be said that independent label Profound Lore has had a spectacular year with new releases of the highest caliber. Top of the heap is Pallbearer, which kills the notion of the second difficult album. A more colourful and diverse effort than their debut, this shows an ear for psychedelic and prog influences alongside worship of riff masters like Saint Vitus.
  1. Babymetal– Babymetal (Amuse Inc)- The most argued about album of the year. Fronted by J-Pop teenagers, backed by some of the most talented virtuosos Japan has to offer, altogether ranging from cute pop to death metal with everything from reggae to rave in between. One of the most forward thinking metal acts today, without a doubt.
  1. Aeon Zen– Ephemera (Independent)- Always on the cusp of delivering something special, prog metal tykes Aeon Zen stepped up several gears this year. With the technical mastery of prog and tech metal, the drama and theatre of Devin Townsend and the quirky ear of Haken, this is the sound of their potential realised.Aeon-Zen-Ephemera-Front-Cover
  1. Bloodbath– Grand Morbid Funeral (Peaceville)- With Nick Holmes returning to his death metal roots and taking mic duties, Bloodbath have returned more energized and vibrant than ever. Grand Morbid Funeral takes you down the road to the sludgey, darker realms of death metal’s origins, with a little help of Autopsy alumni Chris Reifert and Eric Cutler.
  1. Threshold– For The Journey (Nuclear Blast)- Marrying both the virtuosity of prog and the crunch and riffage of metal, Threshold are one of Britain’s most underrated gems, and For The Journey is evidence as to why they should be championed by both camps.
  1. Triptykon– Melana Chasmata (Century Media)- Tom G Warrior and co return with another slab of pure, uneasy heaviness. Morbid, nauseating and even choking; this is a rocky ride through the darkest of emotions.
  1. Matt Stevens– Lucid (Esoteric Antenna)- Encompassing his very wide musical taste from the likes of Voivod, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Celtic Frost and rich delights of Prog, this is Matt Steven’s most vibrant, diverse and complete work to date. Already a household name to the prog contingent, this is proof of his appeal to anyone with an open mind.

CHRIS TIPPELL


Periphery Debut Graveless Track, New Tour Draws Closer

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'Juggernaut - Omega'

‘Juggernaut – Omega’

Periphery is preparing to drop their sprawling double album effort Juggernaut on January 27th from Sumerian Records. In the meantime feat your ears on ‘Graveless’ from the Omega half of the offering. Listen to the track below. Tour dates are also around the corner too, so check the links below to get tickets.

 

Press Notes:

Periphery, who release two new albums on Jan. 27 via Sumerian Records: Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega, is streaming “Graveless” from the Omega release via MetalSucks (http://www.metalsucks.net/?p=161360).

 

“Graveless is one of my favorite songs on the record! It’s fast and aggressive, but morphs into something beautiful and catchy as the song progresses,” explained Adam “Nolly” Getgood. “There’s an element of the classic Periphery sound in there, but with all band members pushing to take things to the next level it’s got a whole palette of colours that the band hasn’t explored before too.”

Digital and physical pre-orders for the pair of albums are available now with instant downloads of “22 Faces,” “The Scourge” and “The Bad Thing” available via iTunes (http://hyperurl.co/Juggernaut_Alpha and http://hyperurl.co/Juggernaut_Omega). Physical pre-order bundles, which include The JuggerDoc, a documentary on the making of the new albums, are available viahttp://sumerianmerch.com.

Periphery’s tour, with support from Nothing More, Wovenwar and Thank You Scientist, is days away, launching Jan. 10 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, N.C. Tickets are on-sale now with VIP packages available via Soundrink.com.

Confirmed dates are as follows:

January 10 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle

January 11 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore

January 12 Atlanta, GA Masquerade

January 13 Tampa, FL Orpheum

January 14 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live

January 16 New Orleans, LA House of Blues

January 17 Houston, TX House of Blues

January 18 Dallas, TX House of Blues

January 20 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre

January 21 Phoenix, AZ Club Red

January 22 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues

January 23 Anaheim, CA Yost Theater

January 26 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

January 27 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater

January 28 Seattle, WA El Corazon

January 31 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall


February 2 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater

February 3 Chicago, IL House of Blues

February 4 Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall

February 6 Toronto, ON Opera House

February 7 Montreal, QC Corona Theatre

February 8 Albany, NY Upstate Concert Hall

February 9 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall

February 11 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

February 12 New York, NY Irving Plaza

February 13 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore

February 14 Philadelphia, PA District N9ne

April 25 – 26 Jacksonville, FL Welcome to Rockville Festival

May 15 -17 Columbus, OH Rock on the Range


Devin Townsend Project – Animals As Leaders –  Monuments: Live at the Worcester Palladium

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Abstract-Reality-tour-poster

On what may be the coldest night ever experienced in a jammed pack Worcester Palladium, the Abstract Reality Tour was able to heat up Massachusetts on an early December night. From the moment opening band, Monuments, hit the stage until security was trying to clear the floor after The Devin Townsend Project, the energy in the venue did not dwindle. The Abstract Reality Tour consisted of Monuments, Animals As Leaders, and The Devin Townsend Project. Some might say that three bands was not enough for this tour, but I beg to differ. Personally, I have seen both Animals As Leaders and HeavyDevy’s solo band a multitude of times but I always hope for longer set lists and this was a perfect set up for that. To start the night off, however, I was able to see a band I had never seen or even listened to before.

 

Monuments was a band I had always heard great things about (especially after their recent tour with Scale the Summit) but never really gave the time and attention to them. Well, I am proud to say that I was happily surprised. The best way I could explain the sound of Monuments to someone who does not know them, think of an early djent band such as Tesseract or Textures, but with vocals that were very similar to that of Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust fame. Monuments did a great job with the time they had in trying to push their newest release that came out this year, entitled The Amanuensis (Century Media). The Worcester crowd got a total of six songs in this short opener slot where four were from the new album and two from the first release, Gnosis. There was one track, which unfortunately the title has escaped my mind, where lead singer, Chris Barretto, actually picked up a saxophone and played a very melodic, but appropriate, intro and then picks it back up halfway through for a solo that was truly ground shaking in the metal world.

Up next were co-headliners, arguably one of the biggest instrumental heavy bands out there today, Animals As Leaders. Lead by virtuoso guitarist, Tosin Abasi, the progressive threesome played a slew of songs off all 3 albums. Obviously with a new release out this year (The Joy of Motion (Sumerian) I would expect a heavy list of newer tracks. AAL actually did a fantastic job of playing a good mix of new versus old with six off the new album and seven off of previous releases (five off the Self-Titled, two off Weightless). Oh and for the few concerned fans out there, yes, they closed with CAFO again. Complete with a mind bending video/light show in the background, I tend to lose track of where band members are and just lose myself in the visuals in front of me and the music all around. Each and every time I am truly happy with this band and their live performance. The only burning question in the back of my mind over this band: How in the Hell do these kids mosh to this?

 

 

Finally it was time for the main event. The man behind DTP and everyone’s favorite coffee drinking alien, Ziltoid, was hitting the Palladium stage, ready for another comedic and awkward live performance. Again, coming into this show with a brand new double disk release (one for Ziltoid, one for DTP) most expected a list with mostly new tracks. Just like their co-headliners in Animals As Leader, The Devin Townsend Project did a great job mixing between old and new with exactly six old versus six new. To juggle up the set even more, the Worcester fans were treated to some old classics such as the opener, ‘Regulator’, ‘Bad Devil’, and ‘War’. New tracks were also a fair split, four from Dark Matters which is the Ziltoid disk and three from Sky Blue, the DTP disk. March of the Poozers, Z2, and Ziltoid Goes Home were some of the tracks from the Ziltoid disk while ‘Rejoice’ and ‘Midnight Sun’ were a couple off of the DTP release. For the bigger fans of Ziltoid than that of the DTP music, you can be happy knowing that most of the corny dialogue and narrator as found on the recording were used as samples throughout the ZIltoid songs. Personally I loved watching the poozer walkers march on the screens during, you guessed it, ‘March of the Poozers’. Also, ‘Ziltoid Goes Home’ may be one of the most epic songs I have ever seen Devin play live. Of course I am always open to a possible live performance of ‘Deadhead’… wink wink Devin. One of the best moments, even if it was the end of the night, was where Devin did not want to leave the stage and go outside into the cold so after playing Grace, he made the crowd pretend they left the stage, let us chant for another song for a minute or so, then Devin pretended to make his way back to the stage. At this point, Devin introduced the encore/last song of the night which was the rewritten version of ‘Kingdom’ as found on Epicloud which may be one of the greatest songs he’s written, even if it took twice to get it to where he wanted it.

Overall, another great show at the Worcester Palladium. Three great progressive bands with very different sounds and messages played to their fans for what was a very energetic night. It is safe to say that most shows a fan could attend would end up being described as “brutal” or maybe even a simple “great.”

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Devin Townsend Project

Animals As Leaders

Monuments

 

WORDS BY TIM LEDIN

PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON


Antemasque – Antemasque

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antemasque

Following the ending of The Mars Volta, it seemed the long time working relationship and friendship between Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez had sadly soured and it did seem that tensions were high and this dynamic duo was gone for good. Then, out of the blue arrived Antemasque, with both of them at the helm once again.

After the visceral post-hardcore of At The Drive-In and the explorative and unpredictable prog journeys of the The Mars Volta, Antemasque (Nadie Sound) sees them in new territory. This is a much more straightforward album than they have been accustomed to producing, part blues rock, part indie rock (think NME fodder) with shades of punk. Aside from Bixler-Zavala’s instantly recognisable voice this has little in common with their previous works, and even then this suitably lacks the vocal spite in At The Drive-In.

This is the most simplistic album of the duo’s career; song structures are a stock verse-chorus formula, only 3-4 minute average durations and focused on catchiness and tune rather than tangents and thought provoking routes. The indie vibes may put off many people especially those who discovered them from a progressive background, but otherwise this should make a great summer soundtrack, especially in a festival setting.

 

7.0/10

Antemasque on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL


Which One’s Pink? Stavros of The Atlas Moth And Pink Floyd

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The Atlas Moth (4 of 29)

 

We have interviewed Stavros Giannopoulos many times over the years in his career so far and we often talk of our mutual love of Pink Floyd. Particularly we both dig their weirder, instrumental work from earlier in their career as much as the hits. His band has even covered The Floyd several times. With this in mind, we put him on the spot and asked him if he could write a song with either Syd Barrett, David Gilmour or Roger Waters… whom would he choose?

 

Pink_Floyd_-_all_members

“That is the hardest question I have ever heard! What a loaded question! I don’t think I could talk to Syd Barrett at all (laughs). I think I’m going to go with Roger Waters. I feel like he contributed a lot of awesome stuff to Pink Floyd, and he often gets painted the asshole! I definitely feel he wasn’t the person holding back the full-on Pink Floyd reunion, and that they never got back together all those years. I think that was David Gilmour. With present knowledge included and of course with Rick (Wright) passing away, they aren’t coming back. They can’t come back without him. So David Gilmour is probably an asshole, even though he rules! (laughs) You know I’ve seen Gilmour and I’ve seen Roger Waters solo live, and they both rule! So it’s kind of like when your parents get divorced and now you get two Christmases! David has played with Roger, and Nick Mason has played drums with Roger a few times too. So I’m going to go with Roger, especially if we are going back in the heyday, when we know for certain Roger wasn’t a complete cocksucker at the time.”

“That was really hard so fuck you! (laughs)”

 

The Atlas Moth on Facebook

 

KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES

LIVE PHOTO BY MEG LOYAL PHOTOGRAPHY

 


Pink Floyd – The Endless River

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PFFull

 

I have waited my entire writing career, and maybe my entire life to review a Pink Floyd album.

I just wish it wasn’t The Endless River (Parlophone/Columbia).

Anyone who knows me personally or via music journalism knows “The Floyd” has been a huge part of my life, certainly as much as any metal band, and encoded to my musical DNA since I was a small child. While some people have personal relationships with deities, I have them with music and bands. Their music has meant an enormous amount to me, helped colour my worldview at a young age, and even my own attempts at musical endeavors for twenty-five plus years in one form, or another.

With the passing of Rick Wright in 2008 and David Gilmour’s reluctance to use the moniker any longer, fans have long been resigned to the fact the band was long gone. The tracks that would become this album came from a series of sessions that didn’t make it on to The Division Bell (EMI) in 1993 and from a side project called “The Big Spliff” (lol), both including a ton of Wright penned and recorded pieces for make a four sides of a record. Considering the history of Wright’s ouster from the band by Roger Waters in 1980 following The Wall, the idea of sending out a final recording in tribute to Rick, is a nice touch. The Endless River, from the bands point of view, is a way to demarcate the finish line of their long, weird journey.

The problem with the album is that it is not fully realized musically at all. At this stage Gilmour, and his co-producers Youth, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Jackson (this thing needed four producers?) should know how to make a Pink Floyd album sound, right? However, what you get is even less than a collection of half-finished songs and more like a pastiche of Floydian tropes. The slide guitar from Meddle, the delay pedal from ‘Another Brick In The Wall Part I’, the Hammond B-3 swell from ‘Great Gig In The Sky’, the backing singers, a dusky saxophone, jazzy Nick Mason back-beats from Animals and Wish You Were Here, the dour analog synth sounds of ‘Welcome To The Machine’, the space-rock “musiq concrete” of Dark Side of The Moon, the Stephen Hawking sample from The Division Bell; all carefully placed here as if someone made a “greatest hits” mixtape for you, just in case you forgot what they sounded like. Another bad mis-step is the awful ‘Louder Than Words’, the one song with full vocals on the album. This ‘Comfortably Numb’–lite track is feeble, but a well-meaning attempt to wax philosophical on life, death and the space in between. These were all topics better served lyrically by Syd Barrett’s insane whimsy and Waters’ wounded psyche rage-a-thons. This is the band that wrote ‘Bike’, ‘Childhood’s End’, ‘Echoes’, ‘Time’, ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Mother’ to name a few similar-themed tracks. By comparison, the baby boomer dribble of the hackneyed lyrics from Gilmour and wife Polly Sampson (please, just stop) wrecked it for me.

On the plus side, it’s great to hear Rick’s playing and writing one final time. Often imitated, instantly recognizable and shining brightly: he was the glue that held their music together. His peers from the 60s and 70s were concerned with virtuoso technique and speed, and making the keys sound as un-keyboard like as possible. Meanwhile good ol’ Rick knew well the balance between laying the foundation for moods, and driving the rhythm with just a few tasteful cadences and a deft touch. Along with Dave’s occasional simmering guitar solos and tasteful inflections, this helps overcome some of the tracks. Contributions from past collaborators like Bob Ezrin, Anthony Moore and Guy Pratt are all welcome. These are some of the reasons the album is not a total wash.

The Endless River is not wholly unenjoyable. Take it for what it is: an album of so-so out-takes, released in tribute to a fallen great, and the end of one the greatest bands ever with a messy thud.

wright1-1100

 

5.0/10

Pink Floyd on Facebook

 

KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES


Roadburn Festival 2015 Adds Eyehategod, Focus, Black Anvil & More

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Roadburn Festival 2015 Line Up Poster

Roadburn 2015 just got a lot sludgier with the addition of NOLA sludge legends Eyehategod. The New Orleans five piece will join the likes of Fields Of The Nephilim , Enslaved and Bongripper at next years event which will take place from the 9th to the 12th April. Also added to next year’s event are prog rockers Focus and post-black metallers Tombs.

 

Press release:

Nola’s Eyehategod To Inflict Double The Anguish And Pain On Roadburn 2015

Dutch prog rock legends Focus confirmed for Ivar Bjørnson’s and Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik’s Houses of the Holistic at Roadburn Festival 2015

Tombs, Black Anvil, Death Hawks and Pekko Käppi & K:H:H:L have also been confirmed for Roadburn 2015.

We’re beyond excited to welcome seminal New Orleans, Louisana sluge-legends Eyehategod back to the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival at the 013 venue in Tilburg,The Netherlands, with two sets of their unique, Southern hardcore-blues-sludge-and-doom on Thursday, April 9 at the main stage, and in HetPatronaat, Friday, April 10.

With its hateful, hopeless, anguished vocals set against extra-slow Iommi-inspired riffing,Eyehategod are credited with founding sludge-core, one of the most vital new genres of metal to emerge from the 1990’s. Countless bands have followed their footsteps, and after more than 20 years of creating some of the most corrosive, vile music known to man,Eyehategod still hasn’t lost the piss and vinegar, propaganda, and despair that fueled them back in 1988.

Over the years, Eyehategod have had more than their fair share of hardship, and recently suffered the tragic loss of drummer and founding member, Joey LaCaze. The new, self titled release from Eyehategod, the follow up to 2000’s Confederacy Of Ruined Lives, sees LaCaze’s drum tracks appear posthumously on this classic of the genre.

The album personifies desperation and addiction in the various backwaters of forgotten America, punctuated by the N’awlins sound of rebellion and pollution resulting in triumph over adversity. Come experience transcendence through malevolence as Eyehategoddeface Roadburn 2015.

We’re equally excited to announce that Dutch prog rock legends Focus have been confirmed for Houses of the Holistic, Ivar Bjørnson‘s (Enslaved) and Wardruna’s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik‘s curated Roadburn event on Friday, April 10 at the 013 venue inTilburg, The Netherlands.

With their unique brand of progressive rock, Focus established themselves at the start of the 70s as the most successful and appreciated of all the Dutch pop-rock exports. Fronted by founding member Thijs Van Leer, and best known for their hits Hocus Pocus,House of The King and Sylvia, as well as critically acclaimed albums Moving Waves, Focus 3 and Hamburger Concerto, Focus regrouped with a fantastic new line up in the early 2000s, which resulted in several well received albums, like Focus 9 / New Skin and Focus X.

Focus today consists of Thijs van Leer on vocals, flute and keyboards, and famed Focus drummer Pierre van der Linden, who joined the group on their second album Moving Waves in 1972. Internationally renowned for his rhythmic skills, Pierre remains a defining factor in the Focus sound. Bassist Bobby Jacobs, who comes from an acclaimed Dutch musical family and guitarist Menno Gootjes, who participated in Focus at an earlier stage, complete the band’s current line-up.

“If you know anything about prog beyond “old Genesis, not the new stuff”, you know Focus – an extremely influential band for any band in the progressive tradition that came after them; whether its progressive Metal like we try to fool around with, or purer retro-prog (a funny combination of concepts, by the way)”, says Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson. “Focus embodies everything that is true “Prog” for me: the incorporation of the classical elements, the tongue-in-cheek playfulness across times, genres and geography – and of course extraordinary musicianship. These highly vital legends has also shown amazing form live these days, so having freakin’ FOCUS accepting our invitation for our curated day. To put it simple, straight-forward and un-proggy: a dream come through!!!”

Pekko Käppi & K:H:H:L and Death Hawks have also been confirmed for Ivar Bjørnson’s and Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik’s Houses of the Holistic on Friday, April 10.

As huge admirers of Tombs blackened ferocity, we simply couldn’t resist bringing this primordial killing machine back to the 20th edition of Roadburn on Saturday, April 11.

Straight from the filthy sewers of New York City, Black Anvil will hail death at Roadburn 2015 on Saturday, April 11.

In related news: Tickets for the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival, set for April 9 – 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands, will go on sale on Thursday, October 16,2014.

Set your alarm and get ready to score your tickets at 21:00 CET! (20:00 UK | 22:00 Finland, Greece | 3pm East coast | 12pm West coast).

Ticket info: http://www.ticketmaster.nl/artist/roadburn-festival-tickets/875833

Roadburn on Facebook


The Pineapple Thief – Magnolia

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KSCOPE282

 

In the realms of modern Prog, few bands are as simultaneously revered yet overlooked as contemporary powerhouse of the genre than The Pineapple Thief. A very consistent but a little understated (or at least under the radar for many) back catalogue reached a creative and commercial high on the previous full length All The Wars. Latest album Magnolia (both Kscope) takes the climb to even higher heights.

In the time since the last album, main man Bruce Soord and his cohorts have faced several tests and trials, namely the departure of long-standing sticksman Keith Harrison and the loss of Soord’s close friend Steve Coe, a mentoring figure to him. Such sorrow is worn completely on Soord’s sleeves in Magnolia’s morose lyrics; such as on the tender ‘From Me’. Such lyrical themes offer a sense of fragility to the album, even amongst the albums punchier numbers.

Talking of which, Magnolia is proof of the band’s underestimated ability to write catchy, more upbeat ranged prog anthems. ‘Alone At Sea’ in particular shows an almost party riff vibe, akin to the type The Von Hertzen Brothers are masters of, despite the hints of melancholy beneath its skin.

Certainly the band’s most accessible album to date, at first glance Magnolia is a very simplistic album, but with time it reveals greater intricacies and dimensions, and a darker underbelly based on agony and loss, but without proving overly sullen, another reason why this band is such a vital component to the new prog machine.

 

8.0/10

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CHRIS TIPPELL