Rolling Metal Thread 2014

On Facebook one of the HSN members, the keyboardist, last month linked to The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble's Reflections, saying it was one of his favorites and an influence on the band. Apparently HSN's prior album was dedicated to the Greek composer who wrote Reflections' music. Anyway I'd not heard of NYRRE, but after listening to their "classical baroque rock" I can sort of see the connections -- lots of grand, sweeping but weirdly jolting music akin to Chicago, The Strawbs, even Renaissance. For my fellow uninitiated:
http://youtu.be/Tyj8nFoWNBM

I will witness Eyehategod, Graves at Sea and Stoneburner this evening in Oakland.. My god friends AUGURS are opening, stoked for them. Lycus was suppose to play too but dropped off the last minute. A long night of super heaviness with punk as fuck ethos..

A good gig.. Graves at Sea was amazing, glad I finally got to witness that. And Eyehategod was great, even with the new drummer. and they seemed pretty stoked to be in Oakland.

Looks like there'll be a new Ufomammut record this year. For which I'm stoked. Sean, I like that Augurs EP. Reminds me really strongly of something from the 90s that I just can't place. The slower side of AcMe or Cavity or Union Of Uranus or one of those bands... Too numbed by

word!!

I just got a couple goodies from Malleus Labs in the mail yesterday, patch and shirt from the Magickal Mastery tour. They're supposed to finally play in the U.S. this year, but I didn't expect a new album! What's your source?

I got tickets for the Graveyard show at House of Blues Apr 26. It'll be my third time seeing them, and they are indeed not to be missed.

Grammys last night from a metal perspective

My oppressed metal Facebook contingency is collectively complaining that they neglected to eulogize Jeff Hanneman. A smaller number of people were angry about the omission of Clive Burr.

Black Sabbath winning the metal Grammy was unsurprising.

People seem very torn about the Metallica performance: Some say it sucked, some say it really sucked, a minority liked it (I am in the minority).

And we need some pix to make fun of...

http://metalinjection.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Slipknot-Crown-Grammys.jpg

Wow, do the KSE guys look like douchebags...

http://metalinjection.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Killswitch-Engage-at-the-Grammys-2014.jpg

For professional reasons, I'm obviously disappointed that neither Killswitch Engage nor Dream Theater won (especially since I'd spent time on Saturday preparing news stories for each band just in case), but a) if you're gonna lose a Grammy, at least lose it to the band that invented your genre; b) Sabbath's win was honest, given that it was for a new song, rather than a live version of a 30-year-old song or something like that.

Is that Rockzo the Clown from Metalocalypse?

Looks like there'll be a new Ufomammut record this year.

Don't see any info on an album on the Ufomammut site. What do you know that we don't?? BTW this is the shirt I got:

http://images.cdn.bigcartel.com/bigcartel/product_images/126329361/max_h-1000+max_w-1000/Layout_Men.jpg

That shirt is sweet.

So this amused me: Metal Albums with Googly Eyes

My personal favorite:

http://24.media.tumblr.com/93a026f49deed23ae1cc57c726099c48/tumblr_n01kypJRnm1trrkjfo1_1280.jpg

Fastnbulbous - There's lots of "we're gearing up to make a record" talk on the Ufomammut social media machine. I don't think it's at the announcement stage but I'd guess by the end of the year there'll be new music released.

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Reveal Details On New Recordings

http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs190/1114457189250/img/440.jpg

Following the November release of their BBC Session 2011 Anno Domini two-track live 12" via Southern Lord, new recordings from WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM have been confirmed for a 2014 release. Following several months of anticipation, the Cascadian black metal clan comprised of brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver now humbly unveil their impending full-length release, Celestite.

Taking a different approach than their previous LPs, Celestite is a completely newly envisioned, parallel-universe version of Celestial Lineage, the beautifully blackened fourth studio full-length epic WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM released via Southern Lord in 2011. Celestite arises with a whole new, ethereal approach. There are no drums and no vocals. Rather, deep, heavy crystalline synthesizer journeying, Eno-inspired analog processing and arcane acoustic instrumentation expand upon dimensions folded within the universe of Celestial Lineage.

The Weavers tell us: "To make Celestite, we delved into the subterranean sonics that are buried in the mix of Celestial Lineage. We isolated them, processed them and took this unearthed soundscape as our starting point. Upon this base we recorded an entirely new album. Some melodies from Celestial Lineage are recognizable, but these familiar sounds appear as ghosts, barely tethered to the original compositions. This new album is an unorthodox foray; a fully instrumental, experimental companion record to Celestial Lineage. We left some work undone with Celestial Lineage. The recording of that album in the Winter of 2011 was a monumental project for us personally, and the creative fire from those recording sessions was still burning. This recording process was an opportunity to journey into our own inner universe to complete that which needed to be completed."

Paired once again with producer Randall Dunn (Earth, Sunn O))), Master Musicians Of Bukkake), Celestite came to fruition at Avast Studios and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM's own Olympia-based studio Owl Lodge. While cloistered during the recording sessions they made use of a mammoth arsenal of crumbling vintage equipment including a Serge Modular System, Korg Poly6, Korg MS20, Korg Mono/Poly, Roland Juno 106, Roland Jupiter 6, Roland Super jx10, Jomox Airbase 99, Access Virus and more. The album also features a guest wind ensemble including friends Josiah Boothby on French Horn, Steve Moore (Earth, Sunn O))), Stebmo) on Trombone, and both Mara Winter and Veronica Dye on flute.

The upcoming release of Celestite is doubly exciting for WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM as it will mark another new venture for the duo; the inaugural release on their own new label, Diadem Records. The band states, "Diadem Records is the imprint we created to release Celestite and future albums. Most importantly for us, working on this album has revealed a whole new vein of creative energy for WITTR. Now that the long trip of creating this album is finished, our appetite is whetted for future projects, thus we feel it necessary to pre-empt the inevitable chatter that will accompany the release of this record. WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM has not permanently abandoned the guitar and drums! We sense that one day -- perhaps sooner, perhaps later -- we will be inspired to return to our stacks of amplifiers and cabinets to create new music."

I don't care if the hipsters like 'em, I do too.

fuckin rad.

i wish i could chant something and make it come out today

looking forward to this

how is two brothers a clan

So basically they're going to do what Burzum did last year?

I've always sort of admired them for making music every bit as boring as spending the day wandering around in a forest.

aren't there bears in the forest

I'm sure you're all in mourning
http://www.musictimes.com/articles/3767/20140128/motley-crue-announce-break-up-extensive-farewell-tour-alice-cooper.htm

Last gig is on the date of Mick Mars 100th birthday I believe.

INDIAN

yeah, that album is pretty immense

Hey, this is worth listening to, a dude I know turning out some pretty great doom. Also, it's $4, so why not.

http://kultofthewizard.bandcamp.com/album/the-blue-wizard

Also hi dudes, hope to be more around this year. Babies.

Not calling you babies, meaning I have one. Sleep deprivation is a hell of a thing.

well, not 2014, but i finally got around to cultes des ghoules' henbane and it is really, really good. that one riff build in the middle of "festival of devotion" is blowing my mind. also enjoying all of the grim cackling.

The new Hammercult, Steelcrusher, is pretty fun. Recommended for anyone who might have wished 3 Inches of Blood tossed in a little more death metal.

new agalloch in may apparently

This is a couple years old, but I just discovered Djerv, who kind of sound to me like what you might get if you swapped the LA shoutiness out of In This Moment and replaced it with Norwegian Kvelertakian stomp. Bracing, but catchy. Or catchy but bracing.

http://rd.io/x/QUPlByJTr1w/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq3FAy-JTAg

I wanted to like that band but something about it just left me cold.

I like Djerv a lot. They're about due a new record.

How the hell did I miss Gloria Diaboli for so long? It's not as good as Rites of Thy Degringolade (not much is), but still very entertaining in that rabid Canadian black/war/death hybrid way.

A friend turned me onto this.. Kinda post hardcore in a Refused type of way. a little looser and more spastic and/or thrashier.. whatevs.. good stuff, and they are French.. who what've thought! lol

Remote

Since 2014 seems to have hit a lull, here are bands that really should not have faded into obscurity:

Abdullah, with Iommi riffs and a vocalist that almost reaches the pummeling fragility of Warning/40 Watt Sun's Patrick Walker:
http://youtu.be/qZea4deXMDc

Enforsaken, rendering Jesper Stromblad's career of riffs moot, yes seriously (find the album The Forever Endeavor):
http://youtu.be/OSGfOlPnJMQ

And Yyrkoon, Gojira's darker, heavier, Lovecraft-addled brother, locked away in an attic:
http://youtu.be/zJOpBmW1cV0

So this is happening:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/q71/s720x720/1560674_10202843550001468_1877794796_n.jpg

OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod!

holy shit!

Anyone else interested in Gilead Fest? It's a tiny festival in Wisconsin with a great lineup:

http://www.gileadmedia.net/fest/

Weekend passes just went on sale for a paltry $75.

man I'm listening to some of the bands on that list...that sounds like a blast tbh!

You should come. It's going to be something special.

Last time looked pretty kick-ass & I think this one has upped the ante. Shame I'll be in the US a month & a half before it's on.

Phil Anselmo thinks more metalheads should listen to the Smiths and Morrissey:

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

Just downloaded the new/last Twilight release. Looking forward to checking it out!

Gilead looks cool, but they picked a bad date, the same weekend as Pitchfork. I'm probably not going to P-fork, but not sure I'm up for driving to Osh Kosh and spending two nights there on my b-day weekend.

I don't have specific comments yet, but am enjoying the new Slough Feg album a lot!

the new yautja record is amazing, don't sleep on it until they get signed to relapse like yall did with inter arma

Yeah, it's the jam.

this is good. v. pummeling, if i had to choose a word.