Sunn O)))

Morrow vs. Hajduch

Morrow vs. Hajduch: Bongripper’s Satan Worshipping Doom

Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.

Bongripper: Satan Worshipping DoomBongripper: Satan Worshipping Doom 2xLP (August 13, 2010)

Bongripper: “Hail”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Bongripper-Satan-Worshipping-Doom-01-Hail.mp3|titles=Bongripper: “Satan Worshipping Doom”]

Morrow: Chicago’s Bongripper makes the type of music that you might glean from its name — bleak, crushing doom metal that’s built on stoner riffs and down-tuned guitars.  I will preface this by saying that I’m not a huge fan of the genre, but the band already has two strikes in my book for the lame pot-related name and the (presumably tongue-in-cheek) Satanism.

Sunn O))) to curate 2011 Roadburn Festival

Since 1999, The Netherlands’ annual Roadburn Festival has showcased adventurous alt-metal, psychedelic, doom, noise, and experimental music from around the globe.

Drone-doom poster duo Sunn O))) will curate the 2011 festival, guaranteeing another exceptional lineup.  The two official members (Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley) have participated in various past Roadburns, and they will follow curators David Tibet and Neurosis from past years.  Specifically, the group will choose the events of Friday, April 15, personally selecting bands to play before headlining the event.

Last year’s stellar roster included Shining (Norway), Russian Circles, Earthless, Kylesa, Enslaved, Master Musicians of Bukkake, Jesu, Bohren Und Der Club of Gore, Nachtmystiuim, and Shrinebuilder.  The 2011 festival will take place on April 14-17 in Tilburg, Holland.

Southern’s Latitudes Series releases Gang Gang Dance and Nadja recordings

Southern Records’ Latitudes series continues with session recordings by Gang Gang Dance and Nadja, following a murderer’s row of releases by William Elliott Whitmore, Grails, Sir Richard Bishop, Bohren Und Der Club of Gore, Miasma and the Carousel of Headless Horses, White Magic, Mount Eerie, and others.

Recorded at Southern Studios, the Latitudes series reaffirms the bond between studio, label, and individual artists with the opportunity to record spontaneous, collaborative, or experimental work in the studio in a one-day session.  The result is truly unique, offering a more personal and relaxed experience from bands to their fans.

Nails joins Southern Lord Records

Freshly signed to a new label, Nails joins the likes of Sunn O))), Pelican, and Goatsnake under heavy metal giant Southern Lord Records with the re-release of their album, Unsilent Death. Comparable to a cross between Amrep bands of the nineties and Cro-Mags Age of Quarrel riffage, Nails’ severe sound is brutal, vicious, and raw, hurtling at hypersonic speeds.

A new release is in the works under the new label for early 2011, but in the meantime Nails is taking to the road with fellow label-mates in the Southern Lord-sponsored The Power of the Riff Festival in LA on August 8. A cross-country tour is also scheduled for early September.

Weekly Music News Roundup

It’s a rough week for independent music as Touch and Go cuts manufacturing and distribution services for 20 labels, Daptone‘s studio is robbed, and An Albatross still needs a touring guitarist.

In better news, Sunn O))) and Dave Douglas announce new albums, Farmers Market will perform with a symphony, and Ed Gein is playing together again.