NEWS FROM RISE ABOVE RECORDS

Received a newsletter from Rise Above Records earlier today, with lots of exciting news. Might as well give it to you in full so nothing is left out.

MELLOW CANDLE - Swaddling Songs PLUS Deluxe vinyl set
Apologies to everyone that has pre-ordered this set and is still waiting. Due to the nature of the contents and packaging of this item, it has taken longer than expected to manufacture.

We were expecting this to have been delivered and shipped by now but have been informed by the pressing plant that it will not now be with us until the second week of November. Of course we will start shipping them as soon as they come in, but please allow at least a week after then until they are all shipped. Any inquiries please email sales@riseabove records.com

INCREDIBLE HOG - Volume 1 +4 Vinyl COMING SOON!
We have been told by the plant that this will be ready and with us by late October/early November. The regular version comes with a an added 10" EP, featuring the four killer previously unreleased studio tracks recorded in 1973 and a 16-page LP sized booklet.

The die hard edtion will be 300 copies on pink vinyl and also includes a picture sleeve 7" featuring alt takes of the lost studio sessions and an embroidered iron-on patch.

BANG - Death of a Country first time on vinyl!
Yes, also due in at the same time as Incredible Hog vinyl will be the first time ever vinyl release of Bang's legendary (unreleased at the time) debut album. Available for pre-order soon.

CATHEDRAL Anniversary, A New Ice Age and Farewell
We are delighted to announce the release of the first ever official live Cathedral album. Recorded at the bands 20th Anniversary concert in December 2010, it comprises of two sets, spread over two separate discs. The first disc contains the one-off performance featuring the original Forest of Equilibrium line-up, in which the album was played in its entirety. The second disc is a rollercoaster doom ride through the bands following years of hard-rocking diversity.

The set comes in two editions, the special edition containing mini LP replica's of each set, a 40-page booklet and gig poster. This edition is strictly limited to the UK/Europe and is a limited one-off pressing. Japanese and American editions will vary.

Unfortunately, again due to manufacturing issues, the European release date for Anniversary has been forced to be put back until November 14th, though we will most likely have copies in before that ourselves. Vinyl box set for Anniversary will be released next year.

On another note, we are also excited to be releasing a brand new 2-track 12" EP by Cathedral entitled A New Ice Age. Featuring exclusive Dave Patchett artwork, this release comes in a series of limited colours and features two monstrously heavy tracks - Open Mind Surgery & Sabbadaius Sabbatum.

Special editions of 100 white and 200 transparent blue, both including A2 poster will be on sale exclusively at the bands Farewell show (plus Grand Magus, Comus & Gentleman's Pistols) on Saturday December 3rd at London's HMV Forum, Kentish Town.

HORISONT album coming soon & EXCLUSIVE UK appearance with Pentagram!
Yes, we are very pleased to announce the signing of this promising Swedish band. Second full-length coming early 2012. In the meantime, catch them with Pentagram - a show not to be missed!

Coming in 2012
Angel Witch - brand new studio album
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell - debut studio album
Astra - The Black Chord (second full-length studio album)
Brân - Rise Above Relics CD Box & Vinyl reissues of all three studio albums
Comus - Out of the Coma 12"/mini LP brand new recordings PLUS the infamous unheard Malgaard Suite.
The (original) Iron Maiden - Maiden Voyage (remastered from original tapes)
Purson - debut 7" ltd to 300
Rog & Pip - Our Revolution. Amazing release for Rise Above Relics featuring tons of previously unheard studio recordings from this heavy early 70's duo of ex-Sorrows members.

www.riseaboverecords.com

DEATH IN JUNE Helsinki, Finland, October 12 2011

Last time Death in June performed around my parts was in 2003 when they played in Stockholm. That time I missed out on the whole thing, and I never thought I’d get another chance. But then, all of a sudden, Death in June felt like celebrating their 30th anniversary, and a bunch of dates in Europe started to surface. Of course nothing in Sweden, but Finland is not that far away so it was a no brainer to go.

So there we are, at the DOM venue in Helsinki, and finally the intro starts and Douglas P enters the stage. People are starting to cheer, but he waves at us as to stop. He places a couple of incense sticks on his monitors, puts his guitar in place, and then quickly leaves.

After about 15 minutes or so, Douglas Pearce and John Murphy (SPK, Current 93, NON and plenty others) make it to the stage, with their trademarked masks on and in full camo gear. “Death of a Man” starts it all off and I instantly feel I’m in for a very special night.

After the first song the masks are off and a trip down memory lane begins. Apart for some new tracks from the latest album, “Peaceful Snow” (we get to hear them as they were originally written and we are among the first in the world to hear them this way, Douglas assures us), we are showered with almost all the songs I was hoping for. I mean, how can you go wrong with “All Pigs Must Die”, “Kameradschaft”, “Rose Clouds of Holocaust”, “Little Black Angel”, “Runes and Men”, “But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter” and “She Said Destroy”? You can’t of course.

Death in June end the night with “C’est un Rêve” and the words; “Thank you and goodnight… and goodbye I guess…” It looks like he’s about to say something more, but makes a gesture with his hand as if to say, “no, it doesn’t matter”, and leaves the stage.

It was truly a night to remember, and as I’m pretty sure I’ll never get another chance to see Death in June live again, I couldn’t be happier that it was such an amazing performance.





Text and photos by Mattias Andersson.

ROADBURN OFFICIAL ARTWORK + TICKET INFO

The official artwork for Roadburn Festival 2012 has been unveiled. It's made by Voivod's Michel "Away" Langevin, and as you probably can see, inspired by 50's and 60's sci-fi art in combination with 80's computer game aesthetics.

More ticket information has also come our way. The much sought after tickets will go on sale (as you already know) on November 26, at 10:00 CET. The prices for the 2012 fest are as follows:

3-day passes: € 177,50 + service fees (1000 available)

4-day passes, including Afterburner: € 197,50 + service fees (1500 available)

Single tickets for the traditional Afterburner event: € 32,50 + service fees (500 available)

ULVER TO HEADLINE ROADBURN 2012

We've waited some time for this, and finally it has come true; Ulver to Roadburn 2012. The Norwegian act will headline on Thursday April 12. Apparently they are going to time travel back to the 1967 edition of the festival, what this is all about we just have to wait and see. Knowing Ulver, anything can happen.

The following is from Roadburn.com

Ulver cleave to a path of their own making, constantly carving out new sonic territories. They are by turns brilliant, perplexing, disconcerting, soothing, brooding, cogitative, thrilling and vexing. During the 1990′s they started with their “Black Metal Trilogy” (Bergtatt, Kveldssanger, Nattens Madrigal) which managed to run the gamut from primitive sounding black metal to folklore-inspired acoustic songs. They made their first major style shift with Themes from William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell in which they incorporated elements of industrial and electronica and melded them to texts written by Blake.

The 2000′s found leader Kristoffer Rygg (Garm) assembling a completely new lineup based around programmer / keyboardist Tore Ylwizaker (who joined the band for Themes…) and Ulver was free to go off on their own unique musical path that resulted in an amazing array of styles: minimalist ambient works (Teachings in Silence), full-blown techno / electronica (Metamorphosis), electronic post-rock / trip hop (Perdition City), symphonic soundtrack music (A Quick Fix of Melancholy, Svidd Neger), complex psychedelic / avant-garde rock (Blood Inside) and finally, a more traditional band-playing-instruments approach on 2007′s haunting Shadows of the Sun.

Ulver‘s latest record, Wars of the Roses, adds multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan (Guapo, Æthenor, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses etc.) to the lineup and they are now a seamless amalgamation of the enormous spectrum of sounds that they have prospected during the last decade. It promises to be a wild musical ride at their 1967-performance, we can hardly wait!

JUSTIN K BROADRICK NAMED ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FOR ROADBURN 2012

He did an amazing set with Godflesh at the 2011 edition of Roadburn, and was supposed to perform with Jesu last year but had to cancel. In 2012 he will be back as artist in residence, performing three different sets as White Static Demon vs. JK Flesh, Final and Jesu. Broadrick, being a personal hero for as long as I can remember, this is almost too good to be true.

The following is from Roadburn.com

Broadrick’s distinctive style involves coupling minimalistic drones with melodic, darkly layered, psychedelic guitar textures. He has an obvious willingness to experiment, as his influences range from shoegaze to dark ambient, from grindcore to industrial, from drum ‘n bass to power electronics. The styles he manifests by creating all-encompassing, yet devastatingly claustrophobic visions from minimalist means are all elements whose fumes have pervaded countless different acts at Roadburn over our many years.

Justin K Broadrick will carry on a tradition that  began in 2010 with Enslaved (performing the Armageddon Concerto together with Shining, Norway as part of their residency), followed by Circle in 2011. Justin will play 3 different sets during Roadburn Festival 2012, starting off as White Static Demon vs JK Flesh on Thursday, April 12 at the Midi Theatre. That is Broadrick’s power electronics project followed by JK FLESH, his heavy electronic based project which encompasses dissonant textures coupled with post hip hop / dubstep / drum and bass stylings.

On Friday, April 13th, Justin will perform as Final. Initially started as a two-piece punk band with a drummachine in 1982, the group recorded its first demo when Broadrick was thirteen years old. The project developed to embrace electronics and dark ambient throughout the years. Justin revived Final by himself in 1993.

Broadrick’s residency will lead into his main project, Jesu, performing on Saturday, April 14th. Named after the last song on the final Godflesh release (Hymns), Jesu (i.e. Broadrick) quickly got established as one of the seminal post-rock pioneers. Since the release of 2006’s Silver EP, which gained comparisons to My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, Broadrick’s sound evolved further into pop and indie sounds, while maintaining the claustrophobic sonic density his work is renowned for.

DOPETHRONE TO ROADBURN 2012

And yet another very welcomed addition to the 2012 Roadburn Festival. I've been listening a lot to Canada's Dopethrone the last year or so. If you haven't heard them you can probably guess from their name what you are in for; extremely heavy sludgy doom of course. Check out their two albums, "Demonsmoke" and "Dark Foil" immediately!

Dopethrone will play Voivod‘s Au-delà du Réel on Friday, April 13th at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.

FIRST TWO IDEOLOGIC ORGAN RELEASES IN STOCK

The first two releases from Stephen O'Malley's (Sunn O))), KTL, Khanate etc) Ideologic Organ label are now in stock.

The first one is Phurpa - Trowo Phurnag Ceremony 2xLP (SOMA001)

Stephen O'Malley comments: "Russian group led by the contemporary artist Alexei Tegin take on a traditional and ancient form of Tibetan ritual music by the name of Bon. While many familiar aspects will be revealed to the informed listener, the group PHURPA takes the polyphonic singing style to a lower key and a slower pace. Over the course of 4 LP sides this meditative listen unveils many spectral illusions and invigorating evolutions in sonic possibilities."

The second release is Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang - Aestuarium LP (SOMA002)

Stephen O'Malley comments: "Amongst many other amazing pieces Jessika & Eyvind collaborated on SUNN O)))'s "Monoliths & Dimensions" album, Jessika leading the choir on the piece "Big Church" and Eyvind composing the acoustic arrangements for "Big Church" & "Alice". I learned an immense amount about music through these collaborations, specifically the idea of Spectral music through research and discussion/reference points of composers such as Grisey and Murail. Aestuarium is a beautiful piece of minimalist spectral music which has brought great pleasure to my ears over the years."

Next up on the label is SUNN O))) Meets Nurse With Wound - The Iron Soul of Nothing 2xLP (SOMA005). More info on that one here.

BONGRIPPER TO PLAY SATAN WORSHIPPING DOOM AT ROADBURN

Ok, this is too good to be true. I knew that Bongripper would make their way to Roadburn eventually, but what I would never have dared to hope for was this. Hold on to yourselves; yes, Bongripper are going to play at the festival. Not once, but twice. First on the Saturday and then, here it comes, on the Afterburner performing their latest album, "Satan Worshipping Doom" in its entirety. Yes, we're going to see one of the best albums of 2010 come to life on April 15 2012.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

FLESHPRESS, NECROS CHRISTOS AND NECRO DEATHMORT TO ROADBURN

Damn, I can hardly keep up with all the greatness the Roadburn crew keep firing away at us. Three new bands confirmed; the awesome Fleshpress have been booked for the Afterburner. Germany's Necros Christos and UK's Necro Deathmort will play at the "regular" festival.

The following is from Roadburn.com

Indomitable sludge / doom behemoths Fleshpress will be playing a one-off  show at Roadburn 2012's Afterburner, set to be held on Sunday, April 15th at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. Combining massive riffs, searing vocals and tense atmospheric interludes, Finland’s Fleshpress is a  must-see for the misanthropically inclined.

Fitting for a band named after a song on a Grief record, Fleshpress make malevolent, crushing music punctuated by snarling screams of pure hatred. Interspersing noise-riddled, forbidding ambience between bouts of neck-snapping riff assaults, they provide no solace for the timid  and spasms of delirium for fans of filthy sludge and doom. We look forward to seeing the smoking crater they leave behind…

Necros Christos will be bringing their atmospheric doom / death metal to the Roadburn Festival on Saturday, April 14th, 2012.

Germany’s Necros Christos invoke ancient necromantic death metal rites thick with foreboding and sinister purpose. The band has built a rabid cult following in their 10 years of existence due to their unique blend of catchy old-school, mid-tempo death metal riffs, doomy textures and acoustic interludes.

Combining poisonous and massive riffs, dirty beats and crushing low end with huge banks of distorted synths, a touch of psychedelia, plus experimental, ambient soundscapes, UK’s Necro Deathmort has equal passion for electronic and extreme music. This London based duo have released two striking albums offering a new soundtrack to your nightmares, This Beat Is Necrotronic and Music of Bleak Origin — both are disturbing and soothing in equal measure.

If the names of Neurosis, Ulver, Atilla Csihar or Lustmord mean anything to you, then Necro Deathmort deserves to be on your radar as well, as their mix of the subtle and the extreme, the sublime and the physically repellent is just as remarkable as their peers. Necro Deathmort will perform on Saturday, April 14th.

GNOD AND SPIDERS TO ROADBURN

And they keep on giving and giving. Our long time favourites Gnod (well, if by long time you mean since their 2009 split 7" with Bong) and our fave Swedes Spiders has been confirmed for the 2012 festival. Last time I saw Spiders was when they opened for Pierced Arrows a few months ago, and they pretty much owned the room. A band not to be missed.

The following is from Roadburn.com

It’s really hard to pin down Salford UK’s psych/metal renegades Gnod, as their their distinctive take on psychedelia is not just otherworldly, but also grounded in terrestrial styles like Afro-beat, krautrock, drone, jazz, space rock and even dance music. Gnod excels at the illusion of repetition whereby its motorik rhythms underpin a myriad of shifting hypnotic textures. As of now, Gnod have released approx. twelve full-length albums, each seemingly materializing from the aether, as the band is surrounded in mysticism. Their lengthy live-jams are created by an ever changing cast, of which there is hardly any information available.

However, Gnod will leave their collective residency at Salford’s Islington Mill — a creative arts space where they live and rehearse — to fog our brains and eyeballs with a wash of hallucinations, while enticing our bodies to lose control to the propulsive, repetitive beats at the very same time. Gnod will play Roadburn 2012 on Friday, April 13th.

Fronted by Ann-Sofie Hoyles, along with Witchcraft-guitarist John Hoyles, Matteo Gambacorta (bass) and Ricard Harryson (drums), Gothenburg’s Spiders mix garage punk and hardrock with bluesy melodies, mining a vein of late 60's psych that gets bulldozed by early metal and progressive rock. Spiders’ self-titled 10-inch (recorded with Graveyard’s Axel Sjöberg on drums) was very well received by Record Collector, and sold out almost immediately.

With our fondness for Swedish rock (we have invited the likes of Witchcraft, Graveyard, Dead Man, Horisont and Troubled Hourse et al, to previous festivals) it’s not surprising that Spiders are appearing at this years Roadburn… and not just because they are Swedish, because they are that good! Spiders will appear on Thursday, April 12th.

ANEKDOTEN TO VOIVOD'S CURATED ROADBURN EVENT

The first band to Voivod's curated event at Roadburn Festival 2012 has now been confirmed, and it's none other than Sweden's prog heroes Anekdoten. It's going to be a real treat seeing them at the festival.

Voivod has named their very own day after the 70's TV show The Outer Limits; Au-delà du Réel and it will take place on Friday, April 13 at the 013 in Tilburg.

It's going to be really exciting to see which other bands Voivod will choose to appear alongside Anekdoten. Feels like anything can happen.

CORONER TO HEADLINE ROADBURN AFTERBURNER

Legendary Thrash act Coroner will headline the Afterburner at next years Roadburn Festival. Not too bad, eh? I realize that I've used the word 'legendary' a lot when writing these festival news, but that's Roadburn for you.

The following is from Roadburn.com

Swiss legends Coroner picked up the thrash metal mantle in 1987 when Metallica went in a more pop direction and Megadeth began to succumb to their vices. They advanced the genre through amazing musicianship and by adding complex progressive / jazz musical elements like odd time changes and unusual modes, but always stayed true to the metal.

So advanced were the musical concepts that Coroner brought into their world of thrash metal, that their five records not only stand the test of time, but they transcend and expand the boundaries of the genre. Listening to them today is just as exhilarating and relevant as they were 20 years ago.

Not too bad for three guys that started out as the road crew for Celtic Frost, a band that got so good that they eventually had Tom G. Warrior do vocals on their Death Cult demo in 1986. By the time they switched to Ron Royce (bassist) handling the vocals, they were ready to unleash their first full-length R.I.P. onto the eagerly awaiting metal world. They followed that up with the classics Punishment for Decadence, No More Color, Mental Vortex and finally Grin.

Their sound evolved as they went along, eventually (on Grin) approaching Industrial metal territory, and they helped prolong the relevance of thrash metal in a world quickly turning its attention to grunge, grindcore, Swedish death metal and black metal. Coroner pushed the musical boundaries and kept their sound fresh and evolving, always displaying their amazing technical abilities and their memorable songwriting.

There is no doubt at all that Coroner will bring supreme metal chops as well as arsenal of amazing songs to their Roadburn show. For those that never got to to see them, this will be an education. For those that did, this should bring near-delirious anticipation of hearing some amazing metal.

LEAF HOUND TO ROADBURN 2012

The legendary British rock band Leaf Hound will make a return for the 2012 Roadburn Festival. Celebrating 40 years since its release, Leaf Hound will play "Growers of Mushroom" in its entirety.

I missed out on their set at the 2006 festival, but having heard the live recording I know that this is something you do not want to miss out on.

VIRUS, HEXVESSEL AND DARK BUDDHA RISING TO ROADBURN

A trio of Scandinavian bands will find their way to Roadburn 2012. We're talking Norway's avant-garde rockers Virus, and two bands from our other neighbour Finland; psych folk act Hexvessel and the drone metal band Dark Buddha Rising. A very welcomed addition.

The following is from Roadburn.com

Avant-garde rock maestros Virus, led by former Ved Buens Ende mastermind Carl-Michael Eide (a.k.a Czral), are one of the finest, most exquisite musical exports Norway has to offer at this very moment. Its very hard to describe the musical universe of Virus… think a vast spectrum of genres, ranging from psychedelic to krautrock and from rock via jazz to avant-metal, but all weird and trippy in an inexplicably elegant way… and then at the same time it’s really catchy, too!

Virus either smothers your inner demons, or gives them new life, as they pull you in all different directions. Their latest album, The Agent That Shapes The Desert, ranks amongst the very best metal albums of the year. To hell with the term progressive, what Virus does is beyond even futuristic — they are otherworldly, sublime.

Gavin Turner said: “Sometimes you hear an album for the first time and just know instantly that the music contained within is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. Dawnbearer is one of those albums.” Hexvessel released Dawnbearer in March with the cult, underground Finnish vinyl gurus Svart Records and since then it’s been making a fervent buzz in the music underworld, already scoring high on most people’s top ten lists of the year.

A psychedelic, haunting, folk rock band, founded by Englishman Mat “Kvohst” McNerney, known previously as a vocalist for avant black metal bands Dødheimsgard and Code, now living in Helsinki, Finland and joined by a coven of musicians from Tampere that feature members of Galacticka and Dark Buddha Rising. As Aquarius Records quite rightly said “his talents were wasted screeching and shrieking over black buzz,” and now he is deeply embroiled with his death-hippie cohorts in creating a witches brew of acoustic balladry and heavy tripped-out atmospherics that fuses late 1960s and early 1970s English folk and psychedelia with a love for Finnish nature, folklore and pagan mysticism.

Recalling the vibes of brethren like Woven Hand, Comus, Sixteen Horsepower, Burial Hex, Espers, Six Organs Of Admittance and Mellow Candle but also forging their own unique and uncanny own special atmosphere where nature, magic and the wonder of the universe are called forth in a passionate, urgent and gorgeously strange musical spell. They dub their band The Death Magicians, they call their sound “Interior-world-music for secret ceremonies and forest rituals,” and they cite Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band and the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 as some of their biggest influences. Expect a wild trip that embraces the true nature and spirit of the Roadburn Festival.

Shrouded in mystery, with no biographical information available, Dark Buddha Rising are known only by their musical output. Their latest LP, Abyssolute Transfinite is an immense, sprawling dirge of doom metal and myriad cryptic incantations. Their unrelenting riffs underpin a variety of vocal intonements (choral singing, chants, screams, throat singing), luring the listener into a trance of doom-induced sensory depravation.

DEVIL TO ROADBURN 2012

Norway's very own Devil have been confirmed for next years Roadburn Festival. The band that in 2010 released the excellent demo "Magister Mundi Xum" via Iron Bonehead and this year we saw their debut album "Time To Repent" on Soulseller. I personally love their old sound and being a huge Witchfinder General fan this can't go wrong with me.

Really looking forward to seeing them at Roadburn. Devil will play on Saturday, 14 April at the 013.

NEW RELEASES FROM IDEOLOGIC ORGAN INCL. SUNN O))) VINYL

Ideologic Organ, the label run by Stephen O'Malley in cooperation with Editions Mego, have a couple of new releases coming this fall.

First up, in November, is SUNN O))) Meets Nurse With Wound - The Iron Soul of Nothing 2LP (SOMA005). This is Nurse With Wound's take on the 00 Void album and it can previously be found on the Japanese CD reissue of said album which was released by Daymare Recordings in 2008.

Next, in December there's Eyvind Kang - With Visible Breath (I Am Walking) LP (SOMA004).

The two previous releases on the label are still available for purchace; Phurpa - Trowo Phurnag Ceremony 2LP (SOMA001) and Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang - Aestuarium LP (SOMA002).

Editions Mego
Ideologic

THE OBSESSED TO REUNITE FOR ROADBURN

The Roadburn crew just keep on giving. It is now confirmed that The Obsessed will reunite for the 2012 festival. Now how awesome is that? It will be the line-up from the last album they did, "The Church Within"; Scott “Wino” Weinrich on guitar/vocals, Greg Rogers (Goatsnake, Sonic Medusa) on drums and Guy Pinhas (Acid King, Goatsnake and Beaver) on bass.

From Roadburn.com

There is no debating the impact that Wino has had (and continues to have) on the stoner scene, and The Obsessed is the band with which he developed his signature doom song writing and guitar sound. Formed in Maryland in 1976 as Warhorse, they soon changed their name to The Obsessed. The original four man line-up was pared down to a power trio and they spent several years playing shows and honing their sound, culminating in the release of the Sodden Jackal 7" in1983.

The band then went on hiatus as Wino joined Saint Vitus for a few years in the late ’80s. They reformed in 1990 with Wino joined by a rhythm section of Greg Rogers and Scott Reeder. The new line-up released Lunar Womb before Reeder left to join Kyuss. At that point Guy Pinhas joined as the bass player and the band was signed to Columbia Records and went on to release The Church Within.

The Church Within was Wino’s most critically hailed album. Despite being co-released by Hellhound Records and the major label Columbia Records, the music-buying masses were not ready to embrace doom in 1994 and instead fixated on buying records by rehashed pop-punk bands. Several factors led to The Church Within becoming The Obsessed‘s last full-length album. Despite not becoming a top-seller, the album remains hugely influential.

Wino has appeared at Roadburn in a number of guises, including: Saint Vitus, Shrinebuilder, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, and his eponymous band, Wino. His distinctive style of guitar playing and his seemingly endless supply of great riffs has earned him a place on the Mount Rushmore of stoner rock, and now we at Roadburn are thrilled to give you the opportunity to experience the band that started the legend.

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM EUROPEAN TOUR

American Black Metal act Wolves in the Throne Room will head out for a tour of Europe in October/November. All the dates can be found here. Support act will be fellow American Doomsters Wolvserpent.

When I found out that there's a Stockholm date in the bunch, and at the Fylkingen venue I almost lost it. Maybe an overstatement, but still. It will be awesome to see the band at that place since it's pretty small and it's going to be a very intimate show. See you there on November 11.

NEW SUNN O))) MERCH FOR EU TOUR

As we reported a few months ago, SUNN O))) will head out for a short EU tour in September/October. SOMA has posted previews of the tour merch on his site, and what more can I say than that they look amazing. They are designed by Stephen O'Malley as well. If you can't make it to the shows, the left overs (if there are any) will be available via day after prints. Also, if you missed out on the "AGHARTHI 09-10" LP+7" release at Roadburn there will be copies available at the shows.

AGALLOCH, SÓLSTAFIR AND 40 WATT SUN TO ROADBURN

More bands are being confirmed for Roadburn 2012, and this time our favourites Agalloch are among them. Our wish list seems to be the festival organizers check list for the 2012 festival. Also confirmed are Iceland's Sólstafir and UK's own 40 Watt Sun. All three are bands you don't want to miss out on.

From Roadburn.com

Portland, Oregon’s Agalloch will bring their sweeping sonic landscapes conjuring desolate forests, icy waters and fire emerging from fog to Roadburn‘s main stage on Thursday, 12 April. The band’s highly atmospheric touchstones, which are equal parts dark ambient, drone, Nordic folk-infused black metal and dark wave, are as much a cinematic experience as a musical one. Agalloch‘s releases – four full-length albums and several EPs over the last 15 years – are a feast for the ears in the same way that Werner Herzog’s and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s visual imagery is a feast for the eyes. Marrow of the Spirit (2010) is a healing, spiritual journey through the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and one of last year’s most stunning statements in metal.

Iceland’s very own Sólstafir will appear on Friday, 13 April as part of the Roadburn Festival. Having emerged with a sound as dark as the volcanic ash spewed by their homeland’s volcanoes, the band has evolved to excel at blending atmospheric, angst-fueled post rock with their blackened heritage, underpinned by psychedelic phrasing and an eerily, hypnotic groove for a truly mind-expanding experience. Iceland’s endless white landscapes, glowering peaks, empty valleys and shrieking winds can be heard and felt through the band’s moving, sonic elements, too.
Sólstafir have come a long way much in the same way that Enslaved has progressed, albeit somewhat differently, as showcased on Köld (hailed as a true masterpiece) and the forthcoming Svartir Sandar, the emotional equivalent of the stormy North Atlantic.

After calling it quits in 2009, Warning’s Patrick Walker returns with his new band 40 Watt Sun and we are really pleased to welcome the band for a one-off show on Saturday, 14 April. 40 Watt Sun‘s stunning debut album, The Inside Room, ranks among the very best Roadburn-related albums of 2011, and offers Walker’s distinctive melancholic voice a more prominent role. His soaring and somber pipes bless the album’s burning tracks. 40 Watt Sun‘s emotionally charged, slowcore hybrid of Jesu meets a harder edged Red House Painters put the band in a class of its own.

d.USK (diSEMBOWELMENT) AND SAVIOURS TO ROADBURN 2012

Legendary doom act diSEMBOWELMENT, now known as d.USK will make their first ever European performance at Roadburn 2012. And, hold on to your horses, they will perform the classic album "Transcendence into the Peripheral" in its entirety.

From Roadburn.com

Commented guitarist Matthew Skarajew, “We feel that presenting “Trancendence into the Peripheral” in its entirety is a very unique opportunity and that Roadburn will be the perfect vehicle to realize it. I expect it will be the one and only time that it will ever happen!”

Says drummer Paul Mazziotta, “Although we cannot give the fans 100% of the original lineup, Matt and I have put together a band we are very proud of, and is committed to delivering the classic material with pure integrity, energy, passion.”

Timeless, classic, and immeasurably influential, Transcendence into the Peripheral remains a groundbreaking work that typifies the Roadburn Festival’s love of the powerful and ambitious. d.USK is pleased to present this celebrated body of work to Roadburn’s mainstage on Thusday, 12 April, 2012 at the 013 venue, Tilburg, Holland.

It was also recently announced that Oakland's Saviours will perform at the festival. They recently released their latest album, "Death’s Procession" via Kemado Records. There's a live show you do not want to miss. Saviours will perform on Saturday, April 14.

SLEEP AND OM TO ROADBURN 2012

Finally we don't have to sit on these awesome news any more. It's now official that the legendary Sleep will perform at next years Roadburn Festival. And if this weren't enough, OM will also perform. I couldn't be more excited about this! Lost for words...

From Roadburn.com:

Roadburn headquarters are in a euphoric state as we report that West Coast stoner metal legends Sleep have been confirmed as the headliner at Roadburn Festival 2012. Sleep are irrefutably a seminal band of the stoner rock scene and to our elation they are coming to their spiritual home of Roadburn to anchor the 2012 festival.

Featuring original members Al Cisneros and Matt Pike together with drummer Jason Roeder of Neurosis, Sleep will be playing (a one-off show) on Saturday, 14 April 2012. Al Cisneros will also be appearing with OM together with Emil Amos and Robert A.A. Lowe, bringing their hypnotic vibrations to Roadburn‘s mainstage on Thursday, 12 April.

“Sleep are honored to attend the Symposium of Iommic Research, Tilburg at the 17th Annual Roadburn Festival” – Al Cisneros.

VOIVOD TO CURATE ROADBURN 2012

The countdown to Roadburn Festival 2012 has begun (well, for me it began when this years festival ended, but still), today it was announced that Voivod will curate one of the days (Friday 13 April), and also play a second set on the Saturday. Great news for me since I pretty much missed out on them this year. Can't wait to see which bands they'll bring to Tilburg.

The following is from Roadburn.com

As curator, Voivod will personally select the bands that will play during their special event at Roadburn and perform a special headline show. We had a revelation this year: namely, that Voivod and Roadburn are not only kindred spirits musically and artistically, but also on the same wavelength in other ways, too. Voivod personifies the laid back Roadburn vibe. Respected by fans and bands that span the festival’s sonic spectrum,

Voivod is the ideal pick as Roadburn’s fifth curator. The band will carry on a tradition that began in 2008 with David Tibet, followed by Neurosis in 2009, Triptykon’s Tom Gabriel Warrior in 2010 and Sunn 0))) aka Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley at this year’s festival. After Voivod agreed to curate the Friday, we could not resist asking them to stay for a second show. It’s on! The band will appear on Saturday, April 14, 2012, too.

Away comments: “We are truly honoured to curate the Roadburn Voivod day on april 13, 2012. We will make sure that the whole spectrum of experimental music influential to Voivod is represented.Thanks to the Roadburn folks for inviting us, we’re already counting the days in anticipation of the event !!”

We are overjoyed to join forces with Voivod for the upcoming Roadburn Festival. The band’s take on thrash metal, hardcore, prog rock, avant-garde and punk has been honed to perfection for almost three decades. Captured in various stages and formations on more than 13 albums, including the legendary Killing Technology, Dimension Hatröss and Nothingface trilogy, the chilling Phobos and 2003's high energy self-titled release, what began as a desire to do their own thing is now recognized as ground breaking. The band has strongly influenced scores of musicians practising the kind of sonic alchemy that defies simple tags like “heavy metal” or “psychedelic.”

We are truly looking forward to the new ideas and visions that Voivod will bring to the festival next year. If asked to sum up Roadburn in one word, “progressive” would be a fitting choice. Evolution is a big part of this. The festival is a tribute to the open-mindedness of its bands, curators and audience. The joy comes from expanding musical horizons and looking at familiar territory from new angles. We will definitely be in for some artistic surprises with the always intrepid Voivod as our curator. We are excited to find out what they have in store for us!

Roadburn Festival 2012, including Voivod’s special event, will run for four days from Thursday, April 12 to Sunday, April 15 (the traditional Afterburner) at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. Pre-sales will start Saturday, November 26th, 2011.

THE TOP FIVE RECORDS ROADBURN EXPERIENCE FANZINE

From the foreword:
"We thought we’d do something special with our Roadburn Festival report this year, so here you have it. This is basically me (Mattias), re-living my youth of a fanzine maker; Nitad only came out with two issues in the mid 90’s (the first one can actually still be bought at www.topfiverecords.se) but at least I got a mention in Ekeroth’s Swedish Death Metal book. This zine will be an annual thing though. We are by no mean journalists, we just love music and the Roadburn Festival (which we are not in any way affiliated with by the way). And of course this “zine” is free so you’ve got nothing to lose, except maybe 10 minutes or so of your life.

To keep up with what all you pretentious record collecting assholes love (myself included), it’s of course hand numbered, and the fancy goat on the front is hand coloured."

So there you have it. Get your free copy by dropping a mail to info[at]topfiverecords[dot]se
The zine is limited to 500 copies, but we will save some copies to hand out at the 2012 festival.

Like I said, the zine is free of charge, but if you should feel that you want to donate some postage money (a Euro, a GBP or a couple of USD), feel free to do so via Paypal, to paypal[at]topfiverecords[dot]se

TOP FIVE RECORDS STORE UPDATED WITH LOADS OF VINYL

It was a pretty slow start of the summer for the Top Five Records online store, but I think we have compensated for that now. Just head over to www.topfiverecords.se and see for yourself. We've updated with a great mix of old and new releases. The stunning new Bathory 7xLP Box set for instance, the two new Boris releases, the Sabbath Assembly LP (1st press on gold vinyl), reissues from Beherit, Reverend Bizarre and Katatonia as well as old rare stuff from Grotesque, Disrupt, Bathory, Obituary, Morgoth, No Security, Totalitär, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and much much more.

Like I said; see for yourself at www.topfiverecords.se

Also, later this week we will receive the much longed for vinyl reissue of EyeHateGod - Preaching the "End-Time" Message as well as some releases from Martyrdöd, Poison Idea and more.

SUNN O))) EU TOUR THIS AUTUMN

SUNN O))) will do a short European tour this autumn. Here are the dates:

mon 26/09/2011 De Dresden Beatpol
tue 27/09/2011 De Karlsruhe Jubez
Wed 28/09/2011 Ch Fribourg Fri-son
Thu 29/09/2011 It Torino Carceri
Fri 30/09/2011 It Rome Circolo Degli Artisti
Sat 1/10/2011 It Bologna Tpo
Sun 2/10/2011 De Essen Denovali Swingfest

ROADBURN FESTIVAL DAY 4 - Afterburner (April 17 2011)

The fourth and final day of the festival started a bit early for us. At about four in the morning the phone starts ringing. First we ignore it, but after a while it gets a bit annoying and we answer, it’s the receptionist, she says “oh, isn’t this Greg Andersons room?” About 30 minutes later we are woken up by some random dude walking in to our room and starts taking his shoes off. “Uhm, sorry man, I think you got the wrong room.” The next morning the phone rings again, this time it’s one Stephen O’Malley asking for Greg. “No sorry, it’s the wrong Anderson.” “Ah ok, I guess that’s been happening a lot?” I guess the hotel staff must have been confused with two Andersons at the same time...

The Afterburner seems to slowly but steady becoming a regular fourth day of Roadburn. This year they had upgraded it by using the Main Stage and the Green Room, as compared to last year when it was the Green Room and the Bat Cave, and there are a few more bands playing as well. One part of me likes this as you actually never want to leave, but on the other hand the Afterburner works as a great closure with an even more relaxed atmosphere than the first three days. That’s actually what all great festivals need; a relaxed after party that lasts for an entire day.
Unfortunately the whole day is pretty much a haze for some reason. And no, not because of various substances mind you, but probably because this in fact day number four of a festival where there is so much to take in and process, and a festival where I like pretty much all of the bands performing. I guess that’s a lot for my brain to handle. When I look at the notes I wrote down while watching the bands perform I’m starting to question myself quite a lot. But yeah, I remember some things, so here we go.

First band for me was the classic American doom act Blood Farmers. This was their second set at the fest, they also played the first day but I couldn’t see them then since they clashed with Wovenhand. They were really impressing on stage with killer riffs and a very strong repertoire. They even played a new song, called “1000 Yard Stare”. Don’t know exactly how “new” this song is by now, but it sounded like something they could have written back in the day. Awesome stuff. Why this band hasn’t produced more music is beyond me.

Blood Farmers

Next up was Japanese death metallers Coffins. I was really looking forward to seeing them as I like Autopsy as much as they do. Well, maybe not that much, but close. It was great to see how much they enjoyed being up on the Main Stage, Uchino’s (guitar/vocals) smile when he took pictures of the crowd lit up the whole room. Their old school Death Metal (or Death Doom as they call it) is pure excellence and they delivered a very tight set that more people should have seen. Oh, and it was almost impossible to reach their merch table afterwards...

Coffins

For some reason I missed out on Dead Meadow, which I regret now. Next up on the Main Stage was Black Mountain, but fortunately I had seen them a few months earlier in Stockholm so I could avoid the agony of choosing between them and Black Pyramid. Knowing myself I would probably have chosen Black Pyramid anyway. I fell in love instantly with their debut album from 2009, and they were actually just as good live as on my turntable at home. This band has a way of producing great riffs and melodies that other bands would kill for. Their second album due out this fall is at the top of my list for most anticipated albums of 2011.

Black Pyramid

I stayed in the Green Room to check out Germany’s Samsara Blues Experiment. They in fact turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the festival. I had of course heard their debut album, “Long Distance Trip”, and really liked it, but seeing the band live was something else. It was like one long jam in the vein of bands like Earthless for instance. Very groovy space-riffs that you never wanted to end.

Samsara Blues Experiment

Unfortunately it had to end, because I had promised myself to end the evening with Sourvein over at the Main Stage. Not a bad change of venue though since Sourvein showed us all what sludge is all about, as they were supposed to have done last year, but for reasons you know, cancelled.

Sourvein

And then, all of a sudden, Roadburn Festival came to an end. I know that there’s of course always a lot of hard work when organizing something like this, but this year must have been a vacation for Walter, Jurgen and the rest of the crew compared to last year. The only change in the schedule that I noticed was the delay of Earth that I mentioned on day two, and that was no biggie.

What more can I say? Awesome festival as usual, and oh yeah, a great place to spend your hard earned cash as you can see below.