Levitation France 2022 recap – Day Three

View from Chateau d’Angers

The final day of Levitation France (June 05th) had the coolest weather, but there was no rain. The predicted thunderstorms all came overnight, and most of the rain came in the afternoon on Saturday, so we never had to wear our ponchos. The bands we saw that day were among the most varied in musical styles.

First up were the Japanese trio Kuunatic, who play music I can best describe as psychedelic traditional Shinto music mixed with some doom metal bass. It was their first time playing in France, so that made their set a little more special. Everyone in the crowd was intrigued by them at first and loving them by the end of their set.

Kuunatic getting us into a different headspace.

We took a lunch break (Yay, focaccia!) and then came back to the Elevation Stage to see Frankie and the Witch Fingers. My girlfriend hadn’t seen them before, and this would be the fourth time I had. To say their set was powerful would be a massive understatement. They destroyed that stage. The crowd was absolutely bonkers by the end of their set. Many, it seemed, had no idea what was in store for them and were almost blasted into shock not even halfway through their show. My girlfriend described them as follows: “They play like their hair is on fire.”

Frankie and the Witch Fingers melting faces.

Pretty much everyone did an about-face after their set to watch The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who played a good mix of new and classic material. I lost count of how many times some of them switch instruments. Audience members were calling for songs, or trying to have loud conversations with band leader Anton Newcombe in-between songs. Newcombe’s banter with the crowd was fun, especially after one man yelled, “I need more drugs!”, and Newcombe replied, “You don’t need more drugs. You need better drugs. If you had better drugs, you wouldn’t be yelling. You’d be mellowed out.” They sounded great. Top marks go to whomever engineered their set.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre with their requested “drug lights, not drug bust lights.”

The day, and the festival, ended with British post-bunkers Lumer playing a hard, rocking set. They’d been hanging out at the festival most of the weekend, and they looked like they were on a mission, possibly to rescue a skyscraper full of hostages or even some ducklings that had fallen through a sewer grate, every time I saw them walking somewhere. They all had this intense focus and looked ready to either fight or share a pint with you depending on the circumstances. Their live set embodied this the entire time.

Lumer illuminating the evening.

Afterwards, we got on the first of only two paid shuttle buses leaving the festival to go back to downtown Angers. This bus nearly sideswiped a road sign along the Angers streets, to the point where we had to yell for the driver to stop as he attempted to make a turn. He backed up and went through a number of additional one-way streets to get back on track to the downtown city center…where he proceeded to sideswipe two parking poles while attempting to make another tight turn. The wreck caused the glass in the rear exit doors to burst, and it appeared that the bus was stuck on the poles and unable to move. One festival-goer, with a beer still in hand, managed to remove the poles from the sidewalk so the us could make the turn. Only a third of us got back on the bus, either to return to a campground (the only other stop it was scheduled to make) or, like us, to see how this crazy trip would end. Thankfully, it ended with us at the city center without further incident.

The post-festival transportation is my only complaint about Levitation France. There were plenty of buses going to La Chabada, but only three returning on Friday and Saturday nights and only two on Sunday night. Plus, the odds of finding an Uber driver late night in Angers are slim to none. I don’t know if the festival can convince Angers to have more late buses (especially for those who can’t or don’t intend to stay for the whole evening – most of the buses didn’t arrive until the final act was done each night) next year, but that would be a great upgrade to an otherwise fun festival.

Next year will be the tenth anniversary of Levitation France, so the lineup will surely be one to behold. Start brushing up your Français now, and get ready for Levitation Austin on Halloween weekend!

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation France 2022 recap – Day Two

When in Angers, you should check out the Apocalypse Tapestry at Chateau d’Angers. It’s one of the most doom metal things ever made.

Day Two (June 04th) of Levitation France was our busiest day of the festival. There was a small worry of rain and thunderstorms hitting the festival all three days, but it stayed away on Friday and had hit the area on Saturday afternoon. The skies looked clear for Saturday evening, and, thankfully, that turned out to be the case. We walked in for about the last third of a set by You Said Strange, who were highly popular judging by the number of their band shirts I saw at the festival that day.

You Said Strange getting strange on the Reverberation Stage.

Up next were Death Valley Girls. I hadn’t seen them live since the Psycho Music Festival last year, and they’d written a couple new songs since then (with a new album due in 2023!). They came out, battling the sun beaming directly into their eyes, and put on a heavy, spooky set to counter the light pouring over them.

Death Valley Girls battling the sun and casting spells.

I finally got to introduce myself to them afterwards, which was a delight. We’d only “known” each other through mutually followed Twitter feeds until that time. They’re currently on a three-week European tour and will have a big U.S. / Canada tour this summer (as well as a return to Psycho Music Festival). Don’t miss them.

Some blogger / radio DJ with Death Valley Girls

We then zipped across the lot to see Gustaf. I’d been itching to see them, as I heard their live shows were as fun and weird as their album, Audio Drag for Ego Slobs, and I had heard right. They were just as quirky and sharp as I’d hoped.

I’m not sure if Gustaf or the crowd were bouncing more during their set.

We took a food break (Thanks, BBQ food truck!) and then returned to the Reverberation Stage to see the legendary Kim Gordon come out and rock a mini-skirt better than most women half her age and rock a guitar and stage better than most anyone in the game. It was great to see someone exude so much sensual, raw power.

Kim Gordon flat-out ruling.

Australian rockers Pond were up next and put on a fun, energetic set. Their musicianship was tested and on full display when one synthesizer broke only a few songs into their set. They had to adapt their set list on the fly and play songs they hadn’t intended, and did it without missing a beat.

Pond, changing like chameleons from song to song.

Japanese psych-rock legends Kikagaku Moyo were next. In case you weren’t aware, they are on their final tour for a long time – possibly forever – so don’t miss them if they’re near your town. They sound great as always and dazzled the crowd for their whole set.

Kikagaku Moyo

The festival closed with Canadian electro-industrial duo Pelada, who, if I heard right, were booked a bit at the last minute. They got the entire crowd dancing, with singer Chris Vargas owning the stage (and crowd) from the first moment she appeared. Tobias Rochman‘s beats were a wild switch from the trippy psych-rock and post-punk of the day. Watching douchebag guys being intimidated by Ms. Vargas was one of the highlights of the day.

Pelada dropping beats and spitting fire.

It was a fun day all-around, and the next day would bring psychedelic Shinto music, a band that plays like their hair is on fire, some psych-rock legends, four men on a mission, and a bus ride that will be talked about at the festival for years to come.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation France 2022 recap – Day One

It was my first time back to Levitation France in a few years, and it felt great to be back in Angers and at another Levitation music festival. This was my first time attending the festival at the La Chabada venue, which was composed of two outdoor stages facing opposite of each other, a food truck area, and an indoor merchandise booth. One of the many things Levitation France does better than most other festival is to offer affordable, tasty, non-alcoholic beverages for purchase. The lemonade and apple juice (really more like apple cider) there were top-notch. I wish festivals in the U.S. offered stuff like that. Here, it’s usually just an overpriced bottle of water or a can of Mt. Dew.

Day One of the festival (Friday, June 03rd) started off with a small bump when the lineup order had to be changed due to Dry Cleaning having to cancel their festival appearance. That was a bummer, as I was keen on seeing them for the first time. I hope they’ll be at the main Levitation festival in Austin, Texas this October.

So, we started off the festival by catching most of Stuffed Foxes‘ set. They’re a group of friends no older than twenty-two, I think, and they threw down a wild set of loud rock to get everyone ready for a wild weekend.

Stuffed Foxes stuffing us full of rock.

Up next were Albinos Congo, who played a fun set of post-punk with a bit of psychedelia thrown into the mix. Their drummer was sharp, using fills to excellent effect.

Albinos Congo

We closed Day One with Automatic, who hypnotized the crowd with their synth-punk / krautrock set. A funny moment was seeing them leave the merchandise area not long after their set, as they had a flight to catch or had to get on the road for their next gig, and watching their surprise when so many people applauded for them as they left.

Automatic playing alongside a beheaded Silver Surfer.

We were a bit exhausted by the end of their set, so we cut out early in order to be well-rested for the next day, which we knew would have even better attendance.

Coming up next, I finally get to introduce myself to a band I’ve been promoting for a while, see some dynamite legs, watch a band adapt to an equipment malfunction, see some psychedelic legends on their final tour, and watch a woman enthrall a crowd.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: A Place to Bury Strangers, Glove, and Ganser – May 30, 2022 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL

I went to the first of two shows A Place to Bury Strangers, Glove, and Ganser were playing at Chicago’s Empty Bottle beginning on the evening of Memorial Day. The holiday Monday night crowd was small, as many people were still returning home from the weekend or still gone on vacation, and due to every restaurant in the area being closed. I had to walk over twenty minutes to find an open Jimmy John’s.

Shame on you if you missed the show due to being hungover from a backyard barbecue or stuck at some family gathering full of drama and your bigoted uncle rating while he spilled mustard on his shirt. You missed a wild show.

Chicago’s own Ganser were first up, and they put on a solid set of post-punk that had influences of Joy Division and The Cure all through it. Their guitarist, Charlie Landsman, seems to play like he has no idea what he’s doing, but that’s kind of the point. My friend, Rafael (bass player for Chicago death metal band Asphyxiator), marveled at the sound Alicia Gaines got out of her bass throughout the whole set (“Her bass tone is really good!”).

Ganser

Glove were up next, and they reminded me of a heavier version of Ladytron. The throbbing synth beats mixed well with their post-punk guitars and krautrock vocals. Their set grew a bit darker as it went on, which was all right by me.

Glove fitting well on stage.

APTBS as always, came out and demolished the place. I wondered how loud it was going to be, as they’re one of the loudest bands out there and the Empty Bottle is a small venue. Sure enough, my feet were vibrating by the time they got to the heaviest version of “Oceans” I’ve heard them play.

Oliver Ackermann in his natural element – using a strobe light to play his guitar like its a washboard.

One of the best parts of APTBS‘ set was seeing how much fun they were having. Ackermann told me early in the evening that he was happy to be back out on the road and seeing everyone. He and his friends, the husband and wife duo of John and Sandra Fedowitz, were grinning through a lot of the set and having a blast as they melted faces and minds. You can always tell who is attending one of their shows for the first time because they always have the same “What the hell is happening?” look on their faces. I saw a lot of that.

A Place to Bury Strangers exploding heads in Chicago.

Go catch them if you can. You won’t regret it.

Keep your mind open.

[Thanks to Steven at Dedstrange for the press pass!]

Harkin is “Here Again” on her new single.

Photo by Kate Leah Hewett

With new album ‘Honeymoon Suite‘ out June 17th via Hand Mirror, the label Harkin founded in 2019 with her wife, the poet Kate Leah Hewett, today Harkin is sharing her new single “Here Again“, featuring brass by Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes) and Aaron Roche (Lower Dens, Sufjan Stevens, Anohni, Flock of Dimes). 

Speaking about the track, Harkin said “‘Here Again’ is a song about the timelessness and of love and loss. It’s about the dance of raw vulnerability and galvanising strength that comes with both, how each are transcendent and everyday. Everyone seems to mention how time has worked differently the last few years, and for me that really crystallised in my experiences of love and loss.

My grandad, who passed away years ago, wrote poetry and the line about dancing away references a poem he wrote about his own feelings on mortality. In some ways it feels like an ongoing conversation with him. It’s been hard over the last few years to feel like I’m remaining porous and open to life when there are so many reasons to want to shut it out. This song is a reminder to let it all in.”

Listen to “Here Again”: https://youtu.be/aSTJZBLJUQ8

‘Honeymoon Suite’ are a blend of love, grief, anxiety, resilience, danger, heartbreak and hope. Part pop record, part electronic soundscape, part interior still life, ‘Honeymoon Suite’ was recorded in a one bedroom flat in the depths of UK lockdowns

The album marks a significant shift for an artist who had previously built a career around collaboration. In addition to her own bands, Harkin has been a touring member of Sleater-KinneyWild BeastsFlock of Dimes, and Kurt Vileand Courtney Barnett’s Sea Lice. She performed backing vocals for Dua Lipa on Saturday Night Live. She dueted with comedian Sarah Silverman on ‘Tiny Changes: A Celebration of Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight’. Her studio work includes contributions to Waxahatchee’s ‘Out In The Storm’. Outside of the music world, Harkin has composed for Turner Prize-winning artist Helen Marten and British comedian Josie Long. She even has a Saturday Night Live sketch named after her (Fred Armisen’s 2016 ‘Harkin Brothers Band’). 

Where her self-titled first record is infused with the expansiveness which birthed it – written and recorded while touring the globe – ‘Honeymoon Suite’ is an entirely different affair. The album was written in the same room in which Harkin and her wife ate all their meals, held their virtual wedding reception and attended a funeral over zoom. As Harkin describes it, ‘Honeymoon Suite’ is “a ship in a bottle of that time”.

The album takes its title from the couple’s affectionate nickname for the flat they found themselves living in after relocating from their then-home in Hudson, New York, where Harkin’s wife was working as a live music promoter until the pandemic was declared. When it became obvious that they would both be out of work indefinitely, they joined many others heeding the call of their home nations to repatriate. In addition to that frenzied move back to the UK, the couple’s planned wedding also took a hard left turn. They had intended to hold a wedding for 150 in September 2020. Instead, they got married in a small, outside ceremony in front of their bubbled parents and siblings. They were married in the Derbyshire village of Eyam, coincidentally famous for quarantining itself during The Bubonic Plague. The flowers in the image on the album’s back cover are their wedding bouquets. “I followed a YouTube tutorial and made our bouquets out of the wedding flowers our friends sent us. We didn’t take a honeymoon and still haven’t. Instead, the flat in Sheffield became our honeymoon suite.”

The album’s DIY ethos continued through its artwork. “Kate took the cover photo and designed the layout. She also designed our original wedding invitations so it felt apt.”

The album also marks Harkin’s first forays into self-producing, a journey she began immediately after her move back to the UK. At that time, her best friend, cinematographer Ashley Connor, asked her to create the soundtrack for an experimental short film she was making for Sam Abbas’ quarantine movie ‘Erēmīta (Anthologies)’. “I’ve worked in all manner of studios and assumed many different roles in music making. I had thousands of flight hours but I had still never been the pilot. Owning the role of producer was more of a mental block than anything else, but circumstance dissolved that intimidation. Working on Ashley’s soundtrack early in the pandemic gave me the confidence to continue producing my own solo work. I won a grant from the PPL Momentum Accelerator Fund which would cover the mixing and mastering if I could be self-sufficient in recording. It felt like the quest I needed to push me into discovering this new direction.”

In terms of instrumentation, ‘Honeymoon Suite’ is more electronic than Harkin’s previous work and this too was for largely practical reasons. “Kate took a remote call centre job when we first got back. This meant we were in the same room, her taking customer service calls and me working on the album. The flat was also above a pub, so I had to record strategically. I’d program drum machines and synths in the day, record guitars in the evenings over the din of the pub-goers, and I’d squeeze vocals into the quiet weekend mornings.”

Indeed, most of the tracks on ‘Honeymoon Suite’ emerged out of synth drones, a refuge for Harkin during the weeks at a time that she didn’t feel like bursting into song. “The album’s glitches and degrading samples reflect the limitations of the digital intimacy we were all relying on during that time as we literally phoned it in.”

Harkin freely admits that the enormity of the task was no walk in the park for the first time producer. “Being my own mirror was ego-crushing at times; I knew these songs deserved extra gusto that I had to outsource.” That’s where the brass by Nate Walcott and Aaron Roche, slide guitar by J.R. Bohannon (Torres) and backing vocals by Sophie Galpin (Soft LadSelf Esteem) came in, sent down the wire from their respective homes. It was even mixed and mastered remotely (mixed by Jeff T Smith in Leeds and mastered by Guy Davie in London).

As Harkin puts it, “for me, this album was a rabbit hole and escape hatch. It’s a very vulnerable record. There are no performances – I made it alone. Releasing it into the world feels like an extension of the solitary process and remote collaboration which created it. I hope it travels far and wide.”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

JayWood says “Thank You” on his dreamy new single.

Photo by Tonje Thilsesen

JayWood – the moniker of Winnipeg musician & songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith – presents a new single/video, “Thank You,” from his forthcoming album, Slingshot, out July 15th on Captured Tracks. The album’s penultimate track, “Thank You” was co-produced with Jacob Portrait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra & Blouse and features string arrangements by Johan Lenox. The song brings JayWood’s sound full circle, offering something reminiscent of Haywood-Smith’s earliest recordings while flaunting that “the best is yet to come.” “‘Thank You’ is a song that’s dedicated to the folks that aren’t really in my life anymore, but more importantly it’s for my mom who passed away back in 2019.” says Haywood-Smith. “I feel like this song kinda wrote itself, it felt so easy to put together because I knew the core of what I was trying to get across. The demo for this song felt super strong but after Jake and I spent some time expanding a few ideas, the song really blossomed into something I couldn’t ever imagine.”

The charming accompanying video, directed by Chantel Simpson, shows Haywood-Smith passing out flowers across Harlem.

 
Watch Jaywood’s Video for “Thank You”
 

The narrative for Slingshot takes place in the span of one day. From the first track to the last track, JayWood takes you on a journey that touches on themes of childhood, religion, and identity. While writing and recording the album, Haywood-Smith put together a complex “script” mapping out all of the plot points, environments, characters that make up this surreal version of his real life. Musically, Haywood-Smith wrote and performed a bulk of the track’s instrumentations, but the LP has notable appearances from Canadian contemporaries Ami Cheon and McKinley Dixon, and fellow Manitoban musician Kayla Fernandes who fronts the doom-metal band Vagina Witchcraft. Despite the culturally homogenous nature of his hometown, Haywood-Smith takes inspiration from a wide range of Black performers and artists working in all genres and eras. “This album felt like I was making something that I would want my younger self to hear.”

Born and raised in the Canadian prairies, JayWood has captured Haywood-Smith’s journey of self-discovery and heartache through unique songwriting since 2015. After the loss of his mother in 2019 and a global standstill with multiple social crises throughout 2020, Haywood-Smith yearned for forward momentum. “The idea of looking back to go forward became a really big thing for me—hence the title, ‘Slingshot,’” Haywood-Smith explains. Feeling disconnected from his past and ancestry after the death of a parent, Haywood-Smith made a conscious effort to better understand his identity and unique Black experience living in the predominantly white province of Manitoba. Slingshot is a self-portrait of JayWood at his surface and his depths, merging fantasy scenarios, personal anecdotes, and infectious pop and dance instrumentals.

 
Watch “Just Sayin” Video
 
Watch “God is a Reptile” Video
 
Pre-order Slingshot

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: King Buffalo – Live at Freak Valley (2020)

Recorded in 2019, Live at Freak Valley by King Buffalo is a well-mastered and engineered document of a powerful set at that year’s Freak Valley Festival. It’s a great introduction to King Buffalo’s live sound if you’ve never heard it before and will make you want to seek them out at the nearest venue as soon as possible.

“Sun Shivers” sets off the show by launching us away from Earth’s gravity and into the endless sea of stars leading to the sun and beyond. They waste no time and get right to the cosmic riffs. “Longing to Be the Mountain” is a reference to a Chinese story about a stonecutter working on a mountain who desires to become the grand mountain that seems to be above all people, things, and concerns. He’s granted his wish but soon feels a tapping at his base. He looks down to see another stonecutter there chipping away at him. The stonecutter was caught by his own ego and delusions The song is a powerful as the lesson.

“Every day is the same,” they sing on “Repeater,” a fourteen-minute mind-melting experience that covers both existential ennui and Zen presence. By the time you get to “Orion” (“Can you hear me through the smoke and the haze?”), it feels like you’re drifting past his belt of stars. It’s a stunning track that must’ve been quite an experience for the lucky Freak Valley attendees.

“Kerosene” twists and turns around itself like some kind of heavy metal Escher drawing. They mention that A Place to Bury Strangers is up after them (which you can see here) before they get to the closer, “Eye of the Storm.” It’s a great closer that bridges the gap between stoner rock and desert rock for over ten glorious minutes. They encourage us to embrace the void without fear, for the eye of the storm is often the safest place.

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Psycholona – Venus Skytrip (2020)

If you’re looking for a good way to start off your trippy, heavy space rock record, why not do it with a song called “Blast Off?” That’s what Psychlona does on their cool Venus Skytrip album.

The opening track builds with guitar notes sounding like a countdown clock that blend into actual rocket launch countdown recordings and rocket fuel-hot riffs and drum hits. The band’s love of Black Sabbath is evident from the opening riffs of “10,000 Volts,” which hits as hard as its namesake one moment and lulls you into a dreamy headspace the next as they sing about voices in their heads confusing their souls. “Blow” adds stadium rock riffs to the mix.

“Star” punches the accelerator the band’s starship to the floor and plunges us straight toward a red dwarf about to go nova. “Edge of the Universe” practically takes you there. You can probably guess the inspiration behind “Resin,” and it’s as trippy as you hope it will be. The reverb-laden vocals, the echoing guitars, and the cool yet heavy drums all combine to make a satisfying blend.

“Tijuana” seems to be a story about the band encountering dangerous women, dangerous drinks, and other dangerous substances and people while on a trip south of the U.S. border. The whole thing sizzles like an annoyed rattlesnake on a hot rock. The album closes with “The Owl,” a grand, thundering piece that casts a bird of prey’s shadow over you and almost makes you quiver like a mouse in an open field.

This is a cool record, and I hope Psychlona gets us more new music soon. I’d happily go on another sky trip with them. How about Saturn next time, lads?

Keep your mind open.

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Review: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum

King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard are one of the few bands out there who could start off an album with a song that’s over eighteen minutes long and everyone would think that’s a perfectly normal thing to do. Their new record, Omnium Gatherum, does just that with “The Dripping Tap.”

The album almost sounds like a greatest hits record, as KGATLW move back and forth between genres, time signatures, tuning preferences, and distortion levels. “The Dripping Tap” is a wild psychedelic freak-out, the kind that first got the band noticed just a decade or so ago (although it seems longer due to the massive output the band has generated in such a short time). “Magenta Mountain” starts off with soothing keyboard tones and then drops in slick beats that are perfect for a stroll or cruising on a Jet-Ski.

The funky bass on “Kepler-22b” takes you into outer space and encourages you to have a good time there (as do the lyrics). “Gaia” takes us back to Earth with re-entry burn riffs. Then, just to confuse ads, they drops “Ambergris,” a bedroom slow-jam that would fit on a Thundercat record. “Sadie Sorceress,” believe it or not, is a rap track – and it works.

“Evilest Man” is electro krautrock mixed with roaring riffs and smashing cymbals that sounds like something they accidentally left off Nonagon Infinity. “The Garden Goblin” is a fun, bouncy track that could’ve been listed on Fishing for Fishies, as could “Persistence.” “The Grim Reaper” is another hip hop track, complete with trippy flute loops.

“Presumptuous” bounces with Outkast-like pep. “Predator X” is a return to hard-hitting thrash metal, countered nicely by the trippy “Red Smoke” and “Candles,” which literally has the band singing, “Wheee!” at one point. The album closes with an instrumental – “The Funeral,” an interesting name choice for the final track, and an interesting choice to close the record with a track that only has vocal sounds and no lyrics.

Omnium Gatherum is a great place to jump on the Gizzard Train if you’re new to the band. It showcases so many styles they can play, and play well, that you’re sure to like at least a few things here.

Keep your mind open.

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Johnny Kelly and Dan Lorenzo have become Patriarchs in Black.

Brooklyn native Johnny Kelly and NJ guitarist Dan Lorenzo have both played in more than a handful of bands.

Lorenzo was the founding member of both Hades and Non-Fiction and most recently Vessel Of Light and Cassius King. He even wrote the music with Bobby Blitz‘ first foray outside of Overkill in 2007 with The Cursed.

Kelly first came into prominence with Type O Negative and has also sat behind the kit for Danzig for nearly two decades. Kelly has also performed with Black Label Society, and currently Quiet Riot and Silvertomb.

Before now the two have never recorded anything together. “I honestly don’t remember how I first got in contact with JohnnyLorenzo stated. “I know we’ve had some email contact together for a while, and I remember originally being flattered that Johnny even knew who I was.”

Kelly stated, “I liked the riffs that Dan sent me and it’s a great opportunity to get to play with different people.” When Kelly was asked what he brings to the table for PATRIARCHS IN BLACK he came back with, ” I’m not really sure. I consider myself to be an average drummer at best. It must be my charming personality!”

The duo have named this project PATRIARCHS IN BLACK. Lorenzo wrote the music and plays guitar, Kelly is behind the kit. 

PATRIARCHS IN BLACK will have multiple vocalists. Karl Agell ( Corrosion of Conformity Blind), Dewey Bragg ( Kill Devil Hill ) Jimmy Gnecco ( OURS) and John Kosco  (Dropbox) have each sang a song. When pressed for a description of how the music sounds Kelly said, “All roads lead to Black Sabbath!”.

Germany’s MDD Records will release PATRIARCHS IN BLACK debut release Reach For The Scars on July 1st.

The new single “Demon of Regret” from PATRIARCHS IN BLACK is available NOW!

Stream here: https://patriarchsinblack.bandcamp.com/track/demon-of-regret

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]