Metal Riot

Roadburn 2016 is lookin’ sexy as usual with Black Mountain, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and other killer acts slated to appear, but many people will be drooling about a full set of Jane Doe from some band called Converge you may have heard of. While that is cool, I think all the emphasis on that record takes away from how many of their other albums are just as awesome (Axe To Fall and You Fail Me in particular). But hey, it’s still rad. But I’m much more keen on the second announcement which finds the band teaming up with some awesome guests to reinterpret some of their weirder tunes.

To celebrate the upcoming 15 year anniversary of their legendary Jane Doe album, CONVERGE will perform the album in its entirety for the first and last time. The album is considered a classic that defined the metallic hardcore genre as we know it today. This special set is exclusive to the Roadburn Festival and will not be played again anywhere, ever.

CONVERGE will play the Jane Doe album live in its entirety at Roadburn 2016 on Thursday, April 14. 

CONVERGE “Blood Moon” is a collaboration between members Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou, Nate Newton, and Ben Koller and guest musicians Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm, Stephen Brodsky, and Steve Von Till. Together as a multi-instrumental group they will create renditions of existing CONVERGE material focusing on the band’s slower, more ambitious work within their legendary catalogue. 
CONVERGE “Blood Moon” will perform live at Roadburn 2016 on Saturday, April 16.

To find out more about CONVERGE at Roadburn, click HERE

This exhibition brings Yseult full-circle, having lived in New York City from 1982 – 1991, during which time she co-founded White Zombie while attending Parsons The New School for Design in Manhattan’s West Village, before moving to New Orleans in 1996 with nothing more than a single suitcase, a guitar, a banjo, and a Polaroid Land Camera.

More BELOW.

Hard rockers Life Of Agony always put their best foot forward live and the footage from Grasspop 2015 is a great example of how they still bring it hard. Mina and the boys rage through classics to a huge crowd. This band still deserves all the love in the world. Hope they make a new album. Meanwhile, watch the electric concert footage BELOW.

Currently listening to DRCARLSONALBION’s Gold as I write this, stretched out notes rounding the curve of my mind to carry some desert light to the backmost reaches of persona. Hot day crawling to a close and reading a Jack Reacher book from a pile of stuff my dad gave me before he died.Thinking about how anything Dylan Carlson is involved in seems to really resonate on the same frequency as the rugged, underground American spirit of freedom.

Carlson’s band EARTH are a favorite and I’m pleased to announce they have a slew of good events coming up, including Project Pabst Presents in Portland, Oregon on July 18th, a show in Olympia, Washington on the 19th, and a hometown Seattle performance on July 22nd. According to their PR:

EARTH has also confirmed their return to the East Coast, based around their participation in Necronomicon Convention in Providence, Rhode Island on August 22nd, at the upcoming city-wide tribute to H.P. Lovecraft in the famed writer’s hometown. September will see EARTH taking part in this year’s installment of the massive Ellnora Guitar Festival in Urbana, Illinois. Additional live performances will be announced in the weeks ahead.

 Dates below and links to get Primitive and Deadly.

I don’t know if anyone was medicating but nobody appears to have been that isolated at the Seether recent May stop in Clifton Park supporting Isolate and Medicate. The hard rock vets have an undeniably strong fan base and pull for those who want some chunky riffs and at times morose but striving, gruff vocals in their rock n roll  Summer. Hey not every band can have a riff like “Same Damn Life” that sounds a lot like a Little Peggy March “I Will Follow Him” vocal melody and somehow make it a radio grunge thing. Catharina Christiana supplied photos BELOW.

Swans have always seemed really tribal in some way to me, even when they have been more about casting out spirits or deep isolation. Not exactly always the most “social” music, in my opinion. It’s a quality of fearless expression you can find today in Swans themselves, of course, but also younger acts like Tearist , Palms or Ides Of Gemini who also kind of straddle this lonely line between beauty, stark poetry or powerful melody/humanity versus (or rather in conjunction with) discomfort, shamanistic ritual and the fearless self discovery of not caring if people are ready to be initiated where you need to travel on your own path to full blossoming.

Photographer Miss Magpi  documented elder statesman M. Gira’s act for us at their recent Union Transfer stop, a stunning venue to witness this act who still remain, in their way, more extreme than most “heavy” bands. Sometimes it’s all about the vibe, baby.

Magpi describes the show as:

“.collosal. & .meticulous.” 

Photos BELOW.