Eistnaflug Festival: Various Venues Neskaupstaður, Iceland

Posted on July 27, 2015 by News Team

In a little town on the east coast on Iceland, Eistnaflug is a small festival still barely noticed by the larger world. With names like Kvelertak, Behemoth, Enslaved, Rotting Christ, Inquisition and Carcass on the bill this year, the world is beginning to take notice. We make the long trek, passing through all of Iceland as we travel from Reykjavik on the west coast round the island perimeter all the way east. In the town of Neskaupstaður (pop. +-1000), the past 11 years Eistnaflug has been swelling with metal fans, this year by almost threefold. With the midnight sun in Iceland in July, and the festival’s average end at 2 in the morning, walking out of a dark venue into what feels like daylight is estranging. The party then rages on at various after parties and especially the camping. Usually these parties keep going until the local pool opens, which is outdoors, open early and until late and has several hot tubs, an ice tub and a sauna, next to some incredibly fun slides. It is so much part of the festival, several visitors choose not to sleep in their tents, but party until it opens, then nap in its shallow warm bath until the festival starts again at two in the afternoon.

Sólstafir, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Apart from the beautiful scenery and impressive party attitude, this is primarily an Icelandic music festival. Most of the Icelandic bands write their lyrics in Icelandic, and speak it on stage, which can be somewhat confusing for visitors. However the rugged beauty and isolation, desolation and cold of the landscape, yet the warmth and joy of the 350,000 population of this quirky land seeps into each bands music in such a way, that even native bands we have experienced before like Sólstafir and The Vintage Caravan suddenly are placed into a much wealthier context. It was a very special feeling to stand in a crowd of rapt Icelanders who all sang along with Sólstafir’s masterpiece ‘Fjára.’ The Vintage Caravan show as notable, not because of its intense serene beauty and the locals singing along, but because they decided to have a surprise, appearing dressed and made up as lovely girls on stage, while being aired live on national TV. Well played lads, or, uhm, lasses?

The Vintage Caravan, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

The big Icelandic closers of each day are some of the biggest draws for the locals as they relate best to these acclaimed and respected bands. Dimma’s dark soulful pop-infused rock, with a sad smile, yet determined perseverance, Kontinuum’s almost new-wave soundscapes that are perfect for a drive around these beautiful lands, Ham’s funky soul rock music party that got everyone dancing topless, with their powerful “we are Ham, you are Ham!” earning cheering crowds. The big international headliners were an exciting novelty for the Icelanders, whose remote country is rarely visited by these bands. All gave excellent shows, as was expected, though Carcass and Enslaved I’ve both seen giving better performances at times. Behemoth gives an incredibly impressive and professional show, where ever little gesture is precisely thought out to support the music. Even the local police on duty, enjoyed them with the biggest grins I’ve ever seen on men in uniform. Kvelertak is known as an exhilarating live band, the immense energy they exude and the utter joy they instilled in the shouting crowd is something I’ve not seen often before. Their reputation is well founded.

Kvelertak, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Part of the incredible atmosphere of this little fest is how friendly the locals are, offering rides through the icy rain when the so called “East fjord mists” rolled in on the Friday evening, flooding the campground. The festival itself has a very merry DIY feeling, it’s amazing to feel the chaos almost tear things up, yet somehow through creativity and dedication of the organizers everything always goes well and even turns out better than expected. When the campground flooded, the Saturday to Sunday night the venue the festival used to be held at, this year serving as its “off venue” got cleared out for wet and cold campers to sleep in. Another special mention should be made of the ingenious idea to have a special early children’s program on the “pre-party” Wednesday of the festival, where until ten at night children under 16 (and many were well under) are allowed to visit the concert with their parents or guardians there.

Auðn, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Auðn, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

The real gems of the festival however were the smaller mostly Icelandic bands that opened the festival days and played in the off venue. Sadly, it took me a long time to discover this second venue where the festival used to be held before, a place with a great atmosphere and built as a proper venue, not the gym hall used for the main event now. And with any festival that has as many bands as Eistnaflug on her bill, you always miss something great. I did. I missed the Icelandic black metal Wolf’s mass “Úlfsmessa”, and heard it was excellent beyond belief. This doesn’t mean I missed out on all the excellent new discoveries or acclaimed underground bands. Among these great shows were Auðn, Icelandic atmospheric black metal, with a gentility that reminds of Alcest, but a much more brutal set of pipes on the vocalist and a much gnarlier feeling in general. The groovy as hell Churchhouse Creepers. Misþyrming was also were involved with the wolf’s mass, and take black metal to a cold, grating upsetting place where it belongs, pushing and stretching it as far as it will go. The deep, slow moving LLNN form Denmark with their apocalyptic end of the world based lyrical material, rips you from reality. Britain’s acclaimed Conan almost shook the main venue out of bounds by sheer heaviness, and inspired much brotherly love between metal heads. Hardcore band Icarus, who managed to take me by surprise me by not having any of the general nuisances that turn me away from the genre as “too teen angsty” but keep the immense energy and destructive power this youthful genre is known for. Lvcifyre (UK) whose brutal and demonical mix of black and death will have your head spinning, with their impressive darkness sucking you in. And aside from all the metal, Eistnaflug also sports some interesting classic Icelandic punk bands, like Dys and the rather excellent Saktmoðigur. Of course there are always let downs. Two bands I’d heard many good things about but just failed to impress me, both Sinmara and Agent Fresco failed to live up to the buzz about them beforehand.

Icarus, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Conan, photo by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Conan, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Behemoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

Enslaved, by Susanne A. Maathuis Photography

In all this I’ve barely had room to mention the silly stunts pulled and costumes worn during the festival, nor the excellent panels held in the Hildibrand hotel. Eistnaflug leaves one excited yet exhausted, and need some time to be reflected on, and being conveniently located on the world map as a stop-over between Europe and North America, all I can do is suggest you go see for yourself. It’s an experience that simply cannot be put into words.

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

The Ocean Book Fall Tour Dates with Mono and Sólstafir

Posted on June 4, 2015 by News Team

German post-metal kings The Ocean (a.k.a. The Ocean Collective) posted to their Facebook that they have booked an extensive fall tour of Europe. Support is to come from Mono and Sólstafir. Notable stops include Into The Void and Damnation Festival. The Ocean is still touring behind 2013’s Pelagial (Metal Blade/Pelagic) album.

The Ocean’s statement on Facebook

“We’re excited to announce that we will be touring Europe with Mono (Japan) and SÓLSTAFIR in October / November. We are aiming to play a completely new set of old songs that we have never played before on this tour, as well as some new material. These are the dates, more to be added soon”

We’re excited to announce that we will be touring Europe with Mono (Japan) and SÓLSTAFIR in October / November. We are…

Posted by The Ocean Collective on Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Ocean Tour Dates, with Mono and Sólstafir:

Oct 10 Voxhall – Aarhus, DK
Oct 13 Vulkan Arena – Oslo, NO
Oct 14 Debaser Medis – Stockholm SE
Oct 18 Zhal Ozhidaniya – St Petersburg, RU
Oct 19 Volta – Moscow, RU
Oct 21 New York – Vilnius, LI
Oct 22 Proxima – Warsaw, PL
Oct 23 Heimathafen – Berlin, DE
Oct 24 Into The Void Fest – Leeuwarden, NL
Oct 27 Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, DE
Oct 28 Backstage – Munich, DE
Oct 29 Locomotiv – Bologna, IT
Oct 30 Bloom – Mezzago IT,
Oct 31 Ninkasi Kao – Lyon, FR
Nov 02 Metronum – Toulouse, FR
Nov 03 Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
Nov 04 Harterei – Zürich, CH
Nov 05 Trabendo – Paris, FR
Nov 06 Electric Ballroom – London, UK
Nov 07 Damnation Fest – Leeds, UK

Guðmundur Óli Pálmason Posts About His Dismissal from Sólstafir

Posted on June 3, 2015 by News Team

Sólstafir, with Gummi Pálmason (far left) Photo courtesy of Season of Mist.

Guðmundur Óli “Gummi” Pálmason has posted a long missive on his website about being forced out of Sólstafir after 20 years, earlier in 2015. Pálmason was the drummer of the band from its inception through its critical smash album Otta (Season of Mist). His website also claims to be the “official website of Sólstafir”, which is in fact www.solstafir.net

An excerpt of the post can be read below. The full post can be seen here:

Statement about my forced absence from Sólstafir

When I woke up on the morning of 20. January and looked at my emails I expected to find an email with my flight details for the Sólstafir tour that was supposed to start the day after. What I found instead was an email from Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, signed by him and the rest of my now ex-bandmates telling me I was fired from the band that I‘ve poured my sweat, blood and tears into for the last 20 years because of communication problems between us that were unjustly being blamed solely on me and me alone.

I called the airline and found out that my ticket had been cancelled without me knowing it. In a state of panic I quickly bought a new ticket, refusing to acknowledge Aðalbjörn’s right to kick me out of a band that I had formed with him 20 years earlier. Aðalbjörn’s response was to make it clear to me that he would refuse to perform on stage with me and this would irrevocably harm the band and ruin any chance of reconciliation between us. Loving the band that I have dedicated my life to I decided it would be worth it to try and solve this matter with worlds instead of war.

I begged them please not to do this, this was not the right way to handle things, but was only given the vague answer that they‘d maybe be willing to reconsider this in a month, or maybe in 6 months or a year, maybe, just maybe. I was forced to sit quietly at home and witness my life‘s work being taken away from me while it was made clear to me that if I’d speak out about this injustice in public I’d have ruined my chance of ever returning to the band.

By this they were trying to get rid of me in a quiet and painless manner (for them), releasing a bullshit statement (hidden inside a start-of- the-tour Facebook post) that I was absent from the on-going tour for personal reasons, telling people to refrain from asking questions. No questions asked, no consequences for them and I was being threatened to shut the hell up.

While the rest of the band was on tour I sat quietly at home, unable to speak out because of their threats of taking away my chance to regain the purpose of my life. But by every day the hope faded and it became increasingly clear to me that I was being kept in a prison of false hope with the penalty of total excommunication dared I speak out.

It became crystal clear to me that Aðalbjörn had no interest in reconciliation when I found out that the very next day he had applied for a patent of the name Sólstafir in his own personal name and I.D., not in the name of our company that runs the band and not with the signature of any other band members. Had I not discovered this by chance (a lawyer friend checking on the name Sólstafir in the Icelandic firm registry) he would have gained 100% intellectual and monetary control over the name and the brand that I had done more than my fair share to create.

Note that Aðalbjörn says he called Sæþór and Svavar to a meeting at Sæþór’s house on the evening on January 19th and they subsequently sent me the email shortly before midnight. Knowing it was my girlfriend’s birthday they must have known I was out for the night and wouldn’t read the email until late the next day. In fact I had been speaking to her on the phone next to Aðalbjörn a couple of days before about what restaurant we should go to. The very next day, before I had read the email Aðalbjörn had already submitted his patent application. This goes to tell that Aðalbjörn’s story doesn’t add up and that he had been dishonest about his intent.

During this time I tried time and again to reach some sort of agreement with Aðalbjörn. I even booked a session for the whole band with a family councillor upon their return and hoped that we could talk things out with the guidance of professionals.

We were given one and a half hour session, to discuss a decision that has had a bigger impact on me than any other event in my life so far. Despite the short time we were given, my ex-band members showed up 15 minutes too late. The weather was indeed kinda shitty that day, but then you just leave earlier.

Once we were all there the councillor said that if things would get heated we’d just take a 5 minute brake, calm down and start again. Aðalbjörn replayed to this with resentment stating that if things would get heated he would leave immediately. So big was his desire to reach an agreement. After sitting quietly listening to the others speak it was my turn to speak and like clockwork Svavar Austmann started interrupting me and finally stood up and stormed out and Aðalbjörn then made good on his threat and proclaimed this the meeting’s end. Thus ended our session with no results, and little or no attempt to reach any conclusion.

While Aðalbjörn was putting on his jacket, before he could storm out I managed to ask him if there was anything he had not been honest about that perhaps he’d like to tell me now. His answer was no. No? I asked. What about trying to get a patient for the Sólstafir name in your own personal name and I.D.? Obviously he had thought he was home free and got very upset and defensive by me asking this, and aggravatedly barked at me “you’re not in this band anymore”. We’ll see about that I said, and besides I still have some right regarding the use of the name and logo on merchandise and other things. His answer was short and to the point: Then get a lawyer! And with that he stormed out.

Music Video: Ancient Vvisdom – We Are Damnation

Posted on April 22, 2015 by newsteam

Occult death rock/folk metallers Ancient Vvisdom is streaming the music video for “We Are Damnation,” off of their new album Sacrificial, out now via Magic Bullet Records. Watch it below.

Catch them on their North American tour with Sólstafir.

Apr 22: The Shop – Brooklyn, NY
Apr 23: L’ail’ze – Montreal, QC
Apr 24: Mavericks – Ottawa, ON
Apr 25: Garrison – Toronto, ON
Apr 26: Bug Jar – Rochester, NY
Apr 27: 31st St Pub – Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 28: Ace Of Cups – Columbus, OH
Apr 29: Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
Apr 30: TBA – Milwaukee, WI
May 01: Nether Bar – Minneapolis, MN
May 03: Reggies – Chicago, IL
May 04: Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
May 05: Larimer – Denver, CO
May 06: Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, UT
May 08: The Pin – Spokane, WA
May 09: Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC
May 10: El Corazon – Seattle, WA
May 12: Oakland Opera – San Francisco, CA
May 13: Los Globos – Los Angeles, CA
May 14: Pub Rock Live – Scottsdale, AZ
May 15: Sister – Albuquerque, NM
May 16: Sons Of Hermann – Fort Worth, TX
May 17: Red 7 – Austin, TX
May 18: One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA
May 20: Strange Matter – Richmond, VA

Magic Bullet Records on Facebook

Roadburn Festival Part II – Various Venues, Tilburg

Posted on April 22, 2015 by News Team

Saturday, April 11^th

My impression of Acid Witch is that Heavy Metal has found an answer to drugs, and that answer is “Hell Yes!” This band is majestic mayhem on a stage, and their horror film inspired songs are a true pleasure to behold. Referencing Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop (set in their hometown of Detroit) for Metal Movie Marijuhana Massacre Meltdown, the bass player cheerfully yells out all of the song titles and their meanings. He also dedicates ‘Rabid Werewitch’ to all the ugly ladies. Besides the heavy grunting, the vocalist also has the best manic cackle I have ever heard. Despite having some technical difficulties leaving them occasionally unable to hear each other play, they really rocked their set and seemed to enjoy every moment of their performance. The audience sure enjoyed it, as the Patronaat was filled to the brim with head banging and swaying people.

Fields of the Nephilim, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Saturday saw the return of Fields of the Nephilim to the main stage of the 013, and the hall was almost as crowded as it was at their first set on Friday. With charismatic frontman Carl McCoy, this band is possibly the purest embodiment of Goth in existence. With a career of an astounding thirty years, they had no problem filling out two long sets with their soothing tones and hard edges.

Roadburn Audience, by Susanne A. Maathuis.

Taking the slot of a band who regretfully had to cancel their performance at Roadburn this year, Urfaust were perfectly suitable for Roadburn. Having performed at this festival before, it was no wonder they had the audience trying to cram themselves into the Green Room to witness their spectacular music. Comprised of only a drummer and guitarist/vocalist, Urfaust manage to make a spectacular amount of noise. As usual, you only miss the absence of a bass for about half a song, until you find the bass sound in the guitar. I have heard the vocals described as the cries of a baby seal in the process of being clubbed, and I must admit that this seems, at times, an apt description of the exclamations heard. It was such a shame that the show was cut just a little short by the unfortunate breaking of a guitar string. Since they were close to time anyway, there was no chance to restring the bugger and finish the show in style, and as much as the audience regretted it, the musicians themselves seemed devastated to have to leave us in such a way. Alas, such things do happen, and even the mighty Roadburn is not impervious to technical issues. The upside of the problems is that we have seen truly passionate people work their way around every obstacle, both from the bands dealing with the hurdles as the amazing crew bending over backwards to solve every problem as quickly and effectively as possible.

Sunday, April 12^th, the Afterburner.

The afterburner is the final day of Roadburn, and it always has a unique atmosphere due to the composition of the audience, which is either completely mellowed out by the onslaught of the previous three days, or fresh-faced and new looking for a taste of the festival. It is a great day for people who have never been to the festival and want to sample the atmosphere before committing to the entire thing. The only open venues are the Main Stage, Green Room, and Cul de Sac.

While White Hills heated up the Main Stage, I headed over to the Green Room to get my socks rocked thoroughly off by Argus. They play Heavy Power Metal with a touch of Doom, and this blend has a very smooth sound. Their bass player has stunning stage presence, and plays superfast fingered bass that was almost as impressive to watch as it was to hear. The music is heavy and catchy as hell, and is performed with enough power to illuminate a small country. There were a lot of fans and enthusiasts in the audience, happily banging away.

Anathema, by Susanne A. Maathuis.

Possibly the most anticipated show of the Afterburner was the one performed by Anathema, who performed the “Resonance” set that they are currently touring. Resonance is a show that spans their entire oeuvre, named after the compilation albums that appeared in 2001 and 2002. With their ten albums, their music embodies a diverse reach of genres, and has had a number of changes in band composition. Two of the former band members, Darren White and Duncan Patterson, join the current iteration of Anathema on stage tonight in their respective eras.

The show is divided into three sections, and the songs are played in reverse chronological order. This means that it started off with the atmospheric and melodious style that we know today, and ended with the Doom that they started with, fronted by Darren White. In between sets there were a few minutes break to give the band the chance to prepare and make the necessary line-up changes.

It was great to hear so many of their heavier songs performed live, and I really do hope they will play a few of them on their regular shows from now on, as they have an amazing amount of energy.

There is so much to see and discover at Roadburn, that there are likely to have been people at the festival who have seen none of the bands I saw or described here. You have to make hard choices between awesome bands, but no matter what you choose, in the end it is always going to have been worth it, because Roadburn is a festival that gets into your blood.

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WORDS BY LORRAINE LYSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

Roadburn Festival – 013 and Various Venues, Tilburg

Posted on April 21, 2015 by News Team

From April 9^th to the 12^th it was time for the festival of Stoner, Doom, and all things Alternative: Roadburn. This was the twentieth edition of the festival, and it was, as always, a spectacle. Music lovers from all over the world congregate in Tilburg and fill the streets with black shirts and beards. One of the streets is even re-dubbed “Weirdo Canyon” in honour of all the lovely and strange people who gather here in between shows to eat and drink. This year saw the return of the Weirdo Canyon Dispatch, a daily leaflet detailing the previous day’s highlights, shows recommended by members of the organisation, and other interesting titbits of information.

While it is of course impossible to convey the Roadburn experience in mere words, I will share some of the highlights from the main stages of this year’s festival to explain what makes this festival so special. The pictures are by Susanne Maathuis, who managed to shoot a mindboggling 62 acts this year.

Thursday

Solstafir, by Susanne A. Maathuis

The first day of Roadburn, and what a day it was! Opening on the main stage was Solstafír, who celebrated the thirty year anniversary of cult-classic Viking movie Hrafninn Flýgur (When The Raven Flies). Solstafír played the instrumental film score while the film itself was projected onto the screen. Unfortunately the balance in the music was just a little off, as the bass was too soft. This show did make me really curious to watch the entire film, which was hard to follow here since the subtitles were at the bottom of the projection, and thus hidden behind the lovely musicians themselves.

Diagonally opposite the 013 sits restaurant Dudok with the club above it, Het Patronaat. This venue holds about 500 people and really brings people together – much in the same way as sardines are very close to each other. This is just another part of the Roadburn experience, as is either leaving another show early to catch a show in this venue, or waiting outside in an orderly queue in the hope that enough people leave so that you can experience the show. One of the bands that filled Het Patronaat to the brim on this first day was SubRosa, an experimental Sludge-Doom band from Salt Lake City. With three female vocalists and two electric violins, this band has a really distinctive sound which is truly delightful to witness live. Their overwhelming stage presence combined with the quality of the music made this show one of my favourites of the festival.

Subrosa, by Susanne A. Maathuis

What I love most about Roadburn is the amazing diversity in musical styles. It doesn’t matter what your favourite style is, you’re bound to encounter it somewhere. This was highlighted by the show that followed SubRosa in Het Patronaat: Spidergawd. This Norwegian Heavy Rock extravaganza encouraged us all to dance to our hearts’ delight with their ‘Post Boogie’ style, characterised by a rumbling saxophone, hard rock vocals, booming basslines, and especially the drumming. Oh gawd, the drumming. Kenneth Kapstad owns his space at the front and centre of the stage, and he gives those drums such a beating that they need to be tightened every few songs or they’ll fall apart.

Another spectacular and genre-bending band to wow the audience in the main stage was Wovenhand, who were as close to a headliner as you can get with a line-up like this Monday. This magnificent dark folk band fronted by David Eugene Edwards sounds as if someone managed to convert the American Gothic painting to music. After their stunning performance in 2011, we didn’t think they could do any better – we have never been quite so happy to be proven wrong. Playing mostly from their latest and heavier albums, the band performed with more energy than ever before, but with the same humility that brings them even closer to our hearts. Edwards may say that they “are out of [their] league,” but we know that there are few bands that can rival the show that Wovenhand gave us.

Wovenhand, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Friday, April 10^th

Every year Roadburn has a curator, one person who gets the chance to handpick the Green Room and Stage01 bands for a day, as well as headlining the main stage. The choice of curator is important, because this person always gives a unique flavour to the festival by highlighting a genre. Last year Mikael Åkerfeldt bought the keywords of Swedish and Prog to life, as well as headlining with Opeth, but this year saw a veritable Viking invasion with its double curators: Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved and Wardruna‘s Einar ‘Kvitrafn’ Selvik. Together they programmed Houses of the Holistic, an incredibly diverse program of bands in wildly varying genres, they all had one thing in common: this was pure and unadulterated music. From the eccentric but oh-so-amazing blues from Pekko Käppi to the onslaught of sound from Black Metal Svartidauði, the intensity and passion burst forth from every single musician and made this day an unforgettable experience for the audience. And these weren’t even the headliners!

For the first time since 2007, Roadburn sold one-day tickets alongside the 3 and 4-day passes and afterburner tickets. And the first day to sell out was Friday. The reason for this is quite clear: headlining the Main Stage were not just Wardruna and Enslaved, but also the amazing combination of the two that is Skuggsjá.

Wardruna, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Wardruna’s unique modern take on old instruments and chants is mind-blowing no matter how you hear it, but there are few bands that can rival the intensity of their live performance. Although Gaahl has decided no longer to perform live, the vocals were not lacking in any way. And how could they, when there are up to 9 musicians singing at once! With such a range of percussion, vocals, and traditional instruments on stage, this was an almost otherworldly experience, and the audience, in so far as I was capable of observing it at that point, was completely entranced.

What a contrast, then, was formed by the black metal attack of Enslaved. This is a whole different brand of Viking, but it is no less effective. Despite their heaviness, there was a certain serenity about the music when performed live that I had not anticipated, but that I very much appreciated. During this show I did have a good vantage over the crowd, and the Main Stage was packed with happy music lovers, all the way up to the furthest reaches of the balcony.

Enslaved, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Then it was finally time for Skuggsjá, the collaboration of Enslaved and Wardruna, and in this they seem to have found an amazing combination. The balance of which band’s style has the overhand shifts with each song, but the sound always comes together in a meaningful way. The chanting just works so well with the metal. Written by Selvik and Bjørnson for the 200^th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution, this truly is the best reflection of the diversity of Norwegian musical heritage. It was an absolute honour to witness this performed live at the 20^th edition of Roadburn.

Fans partying at Roadburn 2015, by Susanne A. Maathuis

WORDS BY LORRAINE LYSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

Ancient Vvisdom and Sólstafir Book Upcoming North American Tour

Posted on March 23, 2015 by newsteam

Occult death rockers Ancient Vvisdom will be touring with Sólstafir on an upcoming North American tour. They are touring in support of Sacrficial, out via Magic Bullet Records. Produced by founding vocalist Nathan Opposition, engineered by Travis Bonner at The Diamond Factory Studios in Austin and mastered by Paul Logus (Anthrax, Clutch, Hellyeah, Shadows Fall et al) at Taloowa Mastering, Sacrificial finds the collective at their most eloquent conjuring dark, penetrating neofolkian psalms of unholiness that are at once melodic, catchy and maniacally addictive.

ANCIENT VVISDOM w/ Sólstafir:
Apr 22: The Shop – Brooklyn, NY
Apr 23: L’ail’ze – Montreal, QC
Apr 24: Mavericks – Ottawa, ON
Apr 25: Garrison – Toronto, ON
Apr 26: Bug Jar – Rochester, NY
Apr 27: 31st St Pub – Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 28: Ace Of Cups – Columbus, OH
Apr 29: Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
Apr 30: TBA – Milwaukee, WI
May 01: Nether Bar – Minneapolis, MN
May 03: Reggies – Chicago, IL
May 04: Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
May 05: Larimer – Denver, CO
May 06: Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, UT
May 08: The Pin – Spokane, WA
May 09: Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC
May 10: El Corazon – Seattle, WA
May 12: Oakland Opera – San Francisco, CA
May 13: Los Globos – Los Angeles, CA
May 14: Pub Rock Live – Scottsdale, AZ
May 15: Sister – Albuquerque, NM
May 16: Sons Of Hermann – Fort Worth, TX
May 17: Red 7 – Austin, TX
May 18: One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA
May 20: Strange Matter – Richmond, VA

Magic Bullet Records on Facebook

Roadburn 2015 Musical Lineup Complete

Posted on February 12, 2015 by News Team

The 2015 Roadburn Festival has announced today that their lineup of musical artists is complete with the Enslaved and Wardruna-curated “Houses of the Holistic” day finalized. In addition to the highly-anticipated performance of Nordic tribute Skuggsjá, added to the bill are Fields of the Nephilim, Virus, Sólstafir; BardSpec (the ambient music side-project of Ivar of Enslaved) as well as performances from Enslaved and Wardruna separately. Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik each commented:

“I’ve got to admit to feeling a streak of melancholy as our ‘Houses of the Holistic’ is completed with so many wonderful bands. It is humbling to have been given the honor of curating the Roadburn Friday, and also it has been a process that has given me a massive boost of belief in, and love for, this music scene that we’re all rambling around in: every invited band has been massively supportive and enthusiastic in accepting our invites. It is also important for me to extend a massive thank you to my two main co-conspirators in this evil planning: Einar Kvitrafn of Wardruna, my co-curator and musical sparring partner par excellence. And then of course Dr. Evil himself: Walter from the Roadburn organization itself – for guiding us through the process and for having faith in our abilities. After all, we are musicians and shouldn’t be trusted with too much grown-up stuff haha! See you all in Tilburg!” — Ivar Bjørnson

“The line-up for our curated Roadburn day is now complete and I personally think it is insanely good! ‘Houses of the Holistic’ will display a broad variety of acts that despite the spectrum of expressions and genres still manage to compliment each other as well as firmly grip to a solid red line. It will also reflect the curators and their past, present and future. A huge thanks goes out to Roadburn, and of course my partner in crime Ivar Bjørnson. It has been a pleasure and honor to work on this so far and the festival haven’t even started!” – Einar Selvik

In addition to Einar hosting a workshop on his creative process, Roadburn 15 features can’t miss events seen nowhere else such as Anathema hosting a career-spanning set, countless other incredible music acts, artists in residence The Heads (Wayne Maskell, Hugo Morgan, Simon Price, and Paul Allen), films, exhibits and much more. Tickets are said to be moving briskly so get yours while they last!

Buy Tickets to Roadburn Festival 2015

Roadburn Festival Announce New Additions

Posted on February 1, 2015 by newsteam

Roadburn Festival has new additions to their 20th edition of the festival, taking place April 9-12, 2015 in Tilberg, The Netherlands.

Roadburn 2015’s curators Wardruna’s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik and Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson have almost completed the line up for their event on Friday April 10. Loop main man, Robert Hampson and Swedish psych heroes, Agusa will both perform alongside Focus, Death Hawks, Sólstafir and others. BardSpec – the Ambient project/band from Enslaved composer/guitarist Ivar – will also perform at the event. Einar will present a workshop which will delve into his approach to music and the extensive creative concept behind Wardruna´s ongoing ‘Runaljod’ trilogy as well as his approach and study of the runes and other Norse esoteric arts. He will demonstrate a selection of the oldest Nordic instruments, play fully accoustic Wardruna music and there will also be time for questions from the audience.

Other bands added to the event include:

Briqueville
Moaning Cities
Your Highness
King Hiss
Tangled Horns
Ashtoreth
Miava
Gnaw Their Tongues
Abrahma
IZAH
Hypnos
Verbum Verus
City of Ships
Big Naturals
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell
Death Penalty

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Steve Tovey’s Top 25 Albums of 2014

Posted on December 25, 2014 by Steve Tovey

Our UK Editor Steve Tovey has been counting down his Top 25 albums of 2014 via Social Media, including via his Twitter account @steevXIII

If you haven’t been following, find his thoughts on his favourite 25 long players of the year here…

25, Scar Symmetry– The Singularity (Phase 1 – Neohumanity) (Nuclear Blast)

A bit of kitchen sink album, this one – prog, power, death, bits that sound like Extreme (the band), a concept that makes Demanufacture look like a children’s story (OK, it is hardly the most developed story anyway…) and part 1 of a trilogy I’m keen to see if it can keep up with the level of this first one.

24, Unearth – Watchers of Rule (eOne)

The album I wanted ‘At War With Reality’ to be, but with a metric tonne of breakdowns (or possibly beatdowns – I still get them confused) on top. Blistering with Gothenburg tinged spiky riffing, dual guitars flying, full on vocals and some good old fashioned metal aggression, Old Wave of Swedish Melodic Death Metal style. No remorse, no repent, no let up, no problem!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhtoLKEfH34

23, Ageless Oblivion – Penthos (SOAR/Century Media)

Relentless, progressive and technical death metal, and damn good at it, too.

22, Opeth – Pale Communion (Roadrunner)

I have always had a very strong dislike of Opeth. Then they released an album that doesn’t sound like Opeth. Now loads who did like them, don’t, and loads who didn’t like them, do. Not normally a massive prog fan either, but this album is really good. AND somehow I’ve now started to get into the older stuff I’ve never liked before like Blackwater Park and Still Life. Weird, innit.

21, Overkill– White Devil Armory (Nuclear Blast/eOne)

Continuing their brilliant run of form that near matches their classic first 3 albums since signing for Nuclear Blast with another energetic, full-on, thrash classic. Really loving the vitality but above all the quality of the tunes. Always had a soft spot for Overkill and well chuffed they’re still flying the flag louder and harder than any other “old school” thrash band. Proud to review this one here.

20, Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral (Peaceville)

Set your HM-2 pedals to kill… Really enjoyable old school Death Metal romp. Plenty of Dismember, plenty of Entombed, bit of Morbid Angel in places, and just sounds like a bunch of guys who know what they’re doing having fun with metal they love. ‘sGot big riffs. And I like Nick Holmes vocals on it, too. More cookie monster than cookie cutter and add a distinctive edge.

19, Devin Townsend– Sky Blue (HevyDevy)

So, I split the two albums out and Dark Matters was in the ‘Not Quite…’ list. It took me a little while and a few listens to forgive Sky Blue for not being Epicloud. But seeing as Epicloud is probably my favourite album released in the last 10 years it was always going to be difficult. Sitting very much in the Addicted, Epicloud pop-metal end of the DTP arsenal, it can’t help but be a great, enjoyable listen. I just think he perfected it last time around, so this has a touch of diminishing returns. Still think it’s bloody good, like (hence it making the top 20).

18, Killer Be Killed– Killer Be Killed (Nuclear Blast)

‘im from Mastodon, ‘im from Dillinger, another ‘im from somewhere else (can’t be bothered to google it, sure someone will say below) and a Max Cavalera relegated to side-man all pulling off (tee hee) a bloody great album of riffs, grooves and big old tunes. Lovely stuff.

17, Primordial – Where Greater Men Have Fallen (Metal Blade)

The first track is possibly the greatest chest-beating Heavy Metal track of the year, resplendent (I’ve always liked that word) in its’ Bathory meets Manowar glory. After such an blinding start the album could only struggle to live up to expectations. It is bloody good though, and the last track is also amazing. Does what Primordial do, and does it well. One I reviewed, too, so you can check that out here if you like

16, Machine Head – Bloodstones & Diamonds (Nuclear Blast)

OK, still haven’t fully gotten grips with this one – it’s not long been out, there were other albums to cram in before end of year, reviews, life, all that, plus it’s a pretty long album and there’s a lot of music going on (contrary to popular belief, your average Machine Head track isn’t as bone head as many think these days), so sticking this one here. I know it’s good, I know I like it, just not lived with it enough to know how much.

Still, I know it brings the riffs, diversity, some intelligent song-writing, some really cool choral and non-metal touches, and I know I’ll like it more once I spend some time with it and the songs separate out.

15, Judas Priest– Redeemer of Souls (Epic/Columbia)

No, it’s not as heavy as Painkiller, but it does sound like a mix of everything they’ve done til now. Just lashings of good, solid, classic Priest with plenty of nods to their 70s and early 80s stuff (though no Turbo, unfortunately)

And, you know, songs and shit. Good job all round and damn fine album.

Another one I reviewed here.

14, Fen – Carrion Skies (Code666)

The one where they brought it all together, tying up all the threads that make up Fen and producing their best material to date with every track. A sound of a band with confidence and making a statement about who they are. More focused, more “metal” than the last and their definitive release to date.

Interviews Parts I, II, III, IV by moi.

13, In Flames– Siren Charms (Sony)

Note this is MY albums of the year… and by that I mean favourite not “best”. The perception that most people don’t give a monkeys about post-Colony In Flames is completely overridden by the fact that they’re loads more popular now than they were then (though popularity isn’t a measure of quality etc, I know…) It’s just the undergroundzz innit.

According to itunes, this was my most listened to album of 2014, and, yep, I dig it. It doesn’t do anything particularly different, amazing, new or unexpected, but is a step up on everything post-Come Clarity, for me.

Above all I just think it has a load of good songs. And I like good songs. Even more than I like spazzy-jazzy tech metal. Much more than I like spazzy-jazzy tech metal, to be honest… I dig it. Most of you on here will scoff. The band won’t care either way. And neither will I…

I reviewed here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9lCXVFCs20

12, Bast – Spectres (Burning World)

Excellently crafted “serious” metal, with a great album dynamic that moves through and between post-Black Metal, UK Doom and post-metal, but doesn’t sound inconsistent or forced. I have Steve Patton of Sea Bastard to thank for bringing these to my attention. Really glad he did. I reviewed here.

11, Pyrrhon– The Mother Of Virtues (Relapse)

This album still intimidates me. I probably could (should?) have this higher in my list, but I very rarely want to listen to it cos it’s hard work. Rewarding, but horrible hard work to listen to. Probably the most extreme, all out clusterfuck of the modern-tech “jazz” Ulcerate/Gorguts/Deathspell Omega influenced death metal albums of them all. This was the highest mark I’ve given anything in a review since I gave Insomnium‘s demo 10 back in the late 90’s (and the only time I’ve had an online slagging for giving a band a great review!). Takes death metal almost to the point of not being music any more.

Just don’t call them free-form… (which I actually didn’t… You can read what I did say here)

10, Edguy– Space Police: Defenders of the Crown (Nuclear Blast)

I really like this. It’s dumb, cheesy fun, yes, but it’s well put together, catchy – I still have a fair few of the songs and riffs bouncing around in my head – good, enjoyable entertaining rocky power metal. Cheesier than the stuff that’ll be on the board that will come out with the port at my folks an hour after Christmas dinner, and I love it for that.

Also, it has the best song Van Halen have(n’t) written for 20 years. Reviewed this one here.

9, Schammasch – Contradiction (Prosthetic)

Came to this late in the year as was unsure about its mammoth length (fnarr etc). Atmospheric black/death cleverly sprawling over 85 minutes, it certainly doesn’t drag, filling every one of those minutes with quality.

8, Voices – London (Candlelight)

Was very impressed with these at Bloodstock, the discovery of the weekend for me, so couldn’t wait to check out the album particularly once you hear they’d chucked in a concept to it. Wasn’t disappointed, indeed they exceeded my expectations. Discordant and unsettling and well worth a checking if you haven’t already.

And for the record, I’ve never checked Akercocke beyond seeing them live at the LA2 as a support band 15+ years ago, so no fanboying from me.

7, Slipknot– .5: The Gray Chapter (Roadrunner)

Not much to say, other than a massive return with a massive batch of massive songs.

As I said in my review for Ghost Cult: “The Gray Chapter is a statement of intent, a mountain-strong collection of hate-anthems to stand with Slipknot’s best.

All Killer, No Filler, And then some. .5 punches hard, deep and long, undeniably their most consistent album since Iowa. Nine may have become seven, but if you’re five five five, then they’re (still) six six six. ‘.5: The Gray Chapter’ is an album of some significance.”

You can read the rest of the review here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtZwvGh3rLc

6, Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity (Candlelight)

It’s a close run thing, but I think I love the classics of black metal more than those of death metal, yet, other than those 90’s gems, I have very little time for black metal – mainly because it tends to involve the aping of the same 5-10 albums again and again (ad infinitum). It’s not a hard and fast rule, there are bands / albums of BM nature I’ve picked up on and very much enjoyed over the last 15-20 years, and this year brought forth a couple of beasts. I’ve already mentioned Fen, but there was also this British classic that brought joy to my ears. Running a gamut (good word) of sentiments and feelings, being more human than a lot of black metal dares to be, ‘Divination…’ excels dynamically, melodically and emotionally. Distinctively Winterfylleth, this is their best yet.

5, Decapitated– Blood Mantra (Nuclear Blast)

The most hotly anticipated modern death metal riff-fest of the year did not disappoint in any way shape or form. Power, grooves, and, well, riffs. Riffs that came armed with big meathooks. Some cool Slipknot-y and industrial touches here and there, but this was all about great *heavy* metal. I like the overall sound on it, too, dragging them out of the “death metal” pack and making them sound more in a field of one. Which, I guess is where they now stand…

4, BEHEMOTH– The Satanist (Nuclear Blast)

Another band I’d never been massively bowled over by in the past who impressed me this year. Something to do with the fact they actually have songs with hooks and interesting things going on in them. The album gets better as it goes on, peaking in a brilliant crescendo of ‘O Father! O Satan! O Sun!’.

Added to the music, aesthetically this album is great (cover, production, photos, the official vids as well) and can see why it’s wracked up a number of album of the year awards, including the Ghost Cult Magazine official writers AOTY.

Fair play and well done.

3, Revocation– Deathless (Metal Blade)

Paul Alan Ryan spun me a couple of Revocation tunes way back at the start of the year, and I was impressed, so had my eye out for this release. Once it hit, the mix of intelligent thrash, Death (Official) and definite lashings of Mastodon in the melodies and approach all wormed its way under the brain to become one of my go to albums in the second half of the year and one that I’ll keep going to into the new year. Really good modern, technical thrash with a touch of (when they were good ‘Rust In Peace’ era) Megadeth in there too. You’ll do me.

2, Mastodon– Once More Round The Sun (Reprise)

Was late to the Mastodon game, arriving some point around 2009 and ‘The Hunter’ was their first “new” album for me. Despite loving a bit of Leviathan and a bit of Crack The Skye (but not so much Blood Mountain), for me, their simpler, rockier stuff definitely suits them and they’ve really come into their own recently as OMRTS picks things up where Hunter left them off. Just tune after tune after tune after tune with swagger and hooks galore and distinctively ‘Don. Also, they have a song called ‘Diamond In The Witch House’ which does it for me in spades.

1, Sólstafir – Ótta (Season of Mist)

Two in a row for Sólstafir. Hats off! Svartir Sandar romped it for me in 2011, and by golly, Iceland’s finest have only gone and bloody gotten even better! Last time around it could be argued the album went on a touch too long and the vocals weren’t quite up to the level of the rest of wares on offer (though only by a smidge), well, those minor gripes have been consigned to the bin.

Now, post-rock isn’t exactly my bag of gravy, but Sólstafir delivers atmosphere, emotion and deep feelings, while the dynamic journeys of each track on Ótta pull you along for the ride.

A beautiful, magical album. As I say, it’s not my usual bag. Scroll through my ipod and there’s little similar on there, but Sólstafir have a way of speaking to me. Truly. Deeply.

This track’s a really cool video too.

Steve Tovey

Ghost Cult Magazine

Music News, Interviews and Reviews that matter.

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