The Sludgelord News: ROYAL THUNDER SHARE NEW SONG “TIME MACHINE” VIA NPR

Photo credit: Kevin Griggs

Royal Thunder, the Atlanta-based outfit helmed by Mlny Parsonz and Josh Weaver, share Crooked Doors’ album opener, “Time Machine,” via NPR (http://www.npr.org/2015/03/05/390980154/royal-thunder-time-machine).

“You can’t go back,” says Parsonz of the song’s message. “There is no such thing as a time machine.  Live for now and learn forever. Beware the black streak that resides within each one of us. Relax, it’s just livin’.”

The band gave fans an early listen to music from Crooked Doors with the recent stream of “Forget You” (https://soundcloud.com/relapserecords/royal-thunder-forget-you/s-JHKg9), which Paste Magazine said takes “the atmospheric elements of their music even further. It’s a song that has a heady blend of the sludgy blues stomp that garnered them widespread attention and even heavier, darker elements than before.”

Pre-orders for Crooked Doors are available now with the music available on CD/2xLP/Digital via Relapse (http://bit.ly/royalthunder).  Digital pre-orders (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/crooked-doors/id963913145) include an instant download of “Forget You” and “Time Machine.”

Royal Thunder plays SXSW on March 17 (Dirty Dog).  The band joins Halestorm and Rival Sons for a brief western U.S. tour in June:

June 5     Anaheim, CA     The Grove

June 6     San Francisco, CA     The Regency Ballroom

June 8     Portland, OR     Roseland Theater

June 9     Seattle, WA     Showbox SoDo

June 10     Boise, ID     Revolution Center

June 12     Missoula, MT     Wilma Theatre

June 13     Spokane, WA     Knitting Factory

June 14     Vancouver, BC      Commodore Ballroom

Royal Thunder is Mlny Parsonz, Josh Weaver, Evan Diprima and Will Fiore.  Royal Thunder began work on the album in early 2014, returning to work at the Aria Recording Studio where they recorded the band’s critically lauded debut, CVI.  Pitchfork described singer Mlny Parsonz as “a blues-rock banshee of a woman, equal parts riot grrl and gospel diva” while Spin said she “commands a bluesy mix of Led Zep and Sleater-Kinney.” Rolling Stone’s David Fricke said Weaver’s playing has “the meaty, base elements of early-Seventies British blues.” 

For more information:

www.facebook.com/royalthundermusic

www.twitter.com/royalthunderatl

royalthunder.bandcamp.com

Source: Speakeasy PR

The Sludgelord News: FAITH NO MORE STREAM “SUPERHERO” VIA MARVEL.COM

Faith No More press photo (credit: Dustin Rabin)

  SOL INVICTUS COVER ART REVEALED; DIGITAL PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW FOR MAY 19 RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, March 2, 2015 – Faith No More offer up a second song from their forthcoming album, Sol Invictus (May 19, Reclamation Recordings/Ipecac Recordings), with the single “Superhero” currently streaming via Marvel.com (http://marvel.com/news/comics/24157/faith_no_more_brings_superhero_to_marvel).

The band has also revealed the cover art for Sol Invictus, which features an image from Ossian Brown, a member of Coil and Cyclobe, who also published the book “Haunted Air” in 2010.

Sol Invictus digital pre-orders, which feature an instant download of the single as well as the previously released song, “Motherfucker,” are available now via iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sol-invictus/id968564846?ls=1).  “Superhero” will be available as a limited edition 7-inch single on March 17.  The song made its worldwide radio premiere last night on BBC Radio 1’s Rock Show with Dan Carter.

Sol Invictus track list:

1. Sol Invictus
2. Superhero
3. Sunny Side Up
4. Separation Anxiety
5. Cone of Shame
6. Rise Of The Fall
7. Black Friday
8. Motherfucker
9. Matador
10. From The Dead

The Bay Area band recently announced their first North American tour since 2010, with all dates sold out upon on-sale. 

Faith No More tour dates:

March 3     Auckland, New Zealand     WestFest

April 15     Vancouver, BC     PNE Forum

April 16     Seattle, WA     Paramount Theater

April 17     Portland, OR     Keller Auditorium

April 19     San Francisco, CA     Warfield

April 20     San Francisco, CA     Warfield

April 22     Los Angeles, CA     The Wiltern

April 23     Los Angeles, CA     The Wiltern

April 24     Los Angeles, CA     The Wiltern

April 25     Santa Ana, CA     The Observatory

May 7     Chicago, IL     Concord Music Hall

May 8    Detroit, MI     The Fillmore

May 9     Toronto, ON     Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

May 11     Boston, MA     Orpheum Theatre

May 13     New York, NY     Webster Hall

May 14     New York, NY     Webster Hall

May 15     Philadelphia, PA     Electric Factory

May 29     Nurburgring, Germany     Grune Holle Festival

May 31     Munich, Germany     Rockavaria Festival

June 2     Milan, Italy     Sonisphere

June 4     Vienna, Austria     Vienna Rocks Festival

June 5     Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic     Rock For People Festival

June 6     Berlin, Germany     Zitadelle Spandau

June 8     Krakow, Poland     Tauron Arena

June 12     Landgraaf, Netherlands     Pinkpop Festival

June 13     Donington, UK     Download Festival

June 20     Clisson, France     Hellfest

June 21     Dessel, Belgium     Graspop Festival

June 23     Hamburg, Germany     Sporthalle Hamburg

June 24 - 27     Seinajoki, Finland     Provinssi

June 25 – 27    Norrkoping, Sweden     Bravalla Festival

June 28     Odense, Denmark     Tinderbox

Aug. 7 – 9     Montreal, QC     Heavy Montreal

Sept. 24 – 27     Rio de Janeiro, Brazil     Rock in Rio

-30-

www.fnm.com

www.facebook.com/officialfnm

www.twitter.com/faithnomore

Source: Speakeasy PR

The Sludgelord News: ACID KING PREMIERE NEW SONG “RED RIVER” VIA Decibel

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, CENTER OF EVERYWHERE VINYL PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25, 2015 – Acid King premiere the first music to be heard from the forthcoming album, Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere, with the song “Red River” streaming via Decibel Magazine (http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/track-premiere-acid-king-red-river/).

Band founder, singer/guitar player Lori S. said of the song: “Put on your headphones and let ‘Red River’ slowly dissolve into your brain and travel through your body.”

Pre-orders for the vinyl version of the eight-track outing are available now via The Omega Order (http://www.theomegaorder.com/ACID-KING-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Center-Of-Everywhere-Blue-2LP).

Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere was recorded at both Sharkbite and Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, mixed at Different Fur Studios and produced by Acid King and Billy Anderson. Famed tattoo artist Tim Lehi (High on Fire, Earthless) designed the cover art for the new album.

The band recently announced a European tour:

April 24     Berlin, Germany     Desert Fest

April 25     Lisbon, Portugal     RCA Club

April 26     London, UK     Desert Fest

April 27     Brussels, Belgium     Magasin4

April 28     Paris, France     Glazart

April 29     Athens, Greece     Kyttaro Club

May 1     Copenhagen, Denmark     Heavy Days in Doomtown Festival

May 2     Osnabruck, Germany     Bastard Club

May 3     Frankfurt, Germany     Zoom

May 4     Munich, Germany     Krahnhalle

May 6     Linz, Austria     Kapu

May 7     Vienna, Austria     Viper Room

May 8     Budapest, Hungary     Roham

May 9     Innsbruck, Austria     PMK

* Dates from April 27 to May w/Black Cobra

Source: Speakeasy PR

www.facebook.com/AcidkingSF

www.acidking.com

Torche - 'Restarter' (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/2/2015

Label: Relapse Records

‘Restarter’ CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. Annihilation Affair
2. Bishop in Arms
3. Minions
4. Loose Men
5. Undone
6. Blasted
7. No Servants
8. Believe It
9. Barrier Hammer
10. Restarter

Torche is:

Jon Nunez | Bass

Rick Smith | Drums

Steve Brooks | Guitars, vocals

Andrew Elstner | Guitars, vocals

Review:

Torche have an uncanny ability to plunge you into their overwhelmingly sludgey swamp of a sound, where, like Indiana Jones in The Temple Of Doom the walls come closing in all around you. But then, at the moment you opt to draw that final breath, a gilt-edged hook spikes out from the mix and grabs you by the balls. This is a special band and ‘Restarter’ is their much anticipated return to the foray.

The conception of this record can be traced as far back as November 2013, with Floor’s short-lived but damn potent revival breaking up proceedings last year. So, considering the loyal fan base this band has, appetites are whetted and poised to devour another Torche record at long last. The first thing that needs to be said here is that ‘Restarter’ is by no means trying to out-do its predecessors or wade out of the swamp they have so crushingly dug out from boggy, tree-flecked turf. All this is, put concisely, is another Torche record. It’s another record of their signature holler trickling out of your speakers like treacle oozing over a sticky toffee pudding – but who doesn’t like sticky toffee pudding for Christ’s sake?

‘Restarter,’ the band state, is an attempt to capture their palpable live energy and bottle into a product that sounds precisely as contemporary as present day Torche does. The energy that does indeed contort and shriek from inside the bottle of this album is feral. If it bit you, you’d most certainly get rabies.

From the hammer blow opener of ‘Annihilation Affair’ – seriously, can any other band quite unfurl a punch drunk, fuzz explosion as devastating as it is fun as this band? – To the short, sharp, fast and frenetic ‘Undone,’ it ticks every box that makes up the band’s sound. Everything that you craved this album to have lurks somewhere in its depths. The former is a slow but rambunctious offering, while the latter’s syncopated guitar and snare wallop sound like a crazed knock on your door in the dead of night – it comes booming from out of nowhere, jerks you from your slumber and accelerates your heartbeat.

‘Blasted’, meanwhile, does just that to the listener. This is arguable the most ‘poppy’ of the songs on this ten track album, it harmoniously marries their enormous, tidal sound with honey drizzled vocal melodies which, like a cold breeze on an autumnal morning, brushes through you and raises the hairs on your neck and arms. ‘Believe It’ erects another wall of sound, Steve Brook’s vocals adding a spoonful of sugar to the gritty grind of guitars and sluggish thump of the rhythm section before octave chord lead work brings it to a whole other level of grandiosity.

To scrape a nit comb over this record, there is little originality in the noises that rattle your eardrums here. There’s nothing we haven’t heard and felt from the Miami four piece before, but  I for one am just delighted to hear another Torche record and I have no doubt that the vast majority of the already converted will see ‘Restarter’ as faultless.

Another highlight is, without a doubt, ‘No Servants.’ Split into two parts, it goes from high pitched, shrilled feedback and cymbal heavy drum work alongside a soulful vocal performance before it drops, the guitars kick in and all hell breaks loose. It is here perhaps that you feel the band have best epitomised what they are all about, where their blunt force energy is at its peak. When the song finishes in a crossfire of drum fills and towering power chords, you’re left a little breathless. And that is what Torche do best, they arrive with a fanfare of ridiculous proportions, charm you with those almost out of place luscious vocals before wrecking your home and leaving through a broken window. You stare at the rubble and turmoil left in their wake; you turn to watch their shadows creep over the horizon until it finally disappears out of sight, just a speck in the distance. It’s all over now, who knows when they will next pay a destructive visit, but I’ll polish my best crockery for the occasion.

Words: Phil Weller  

You can get a copy here

For more information:

http://torche.bandcamp.com/ | http://www.facebook.com/torcheofficial

| http://www.instagram.com/torche_band | http://www.torchemusic.com/

http://twitter.com/torcheband

The Sludgelord News: TORCHE SHARE RESTARTER IN ITS ENTIRETY VIA NOISEY

Torche is streaming their forthcoming album, Restarter (Feb. 24, Relapse Records), via Noisey (http://noisey.vice.com/blog/torche-restarter-stream).

The album stream follows a week of premieres as the band rolled out new songs via Alternative Press, Stereogum, Paste and Metal Sucks.  Noisey’s album stream debuts two previously unheard tracks: “Believe It” and “No Servants.”

Torche’s Relapse Records’ debut has received widespread praise from Rolling Stone (“bass-booming”), Revolver (“The album finds them further honing their ‘heavy pop’ approach, infusing sludgy, bass-heavy slabs of sound with bright and buoyant melodies”), Decibel (“a clamorous slab of riff-driven sludge-pop”), Spin (“thundering”), Stereogum (“They are masters of melody and songwriting”) and Outburn (“ridiculously catchy”). 

Fans of the band can try their skills at Torche vs. Robots: Annihilation Affair (www.torchevsrobots.com), a single-player game featuring each of the Torche band members as characters trying to save the city of Miami from destruction bend robots. Fans who play the game are eligible to win a prize pack that includes Restarter on vinyl, a t-shirt, two tickets to see Torche on tour and stickers.  To enter, contestants must upload a video to YouTube which shows them beating the game with the hash tag #torchevsrobots.  One prize pack per band member/character will be awarded with winners picked on Feb. 23.

Upcoming headlining shows from Torche:

March 4     Miami, FL     Churchill’s Pub #

March 6     Atlanta, GA     The Masquerade

March 7     Birmingham, AL     The Bottletree

March 8     Baton Rouge, LA     Spanish Moon

March 9     Houston, TX     Fitzgerald’s Downstairs

March 10     Austin, TX     Red 7

March 11     Dallas, TX      Club Dada #

March 12     Memphis, TN     The Hi-Tone

March 13     St. Louis, MO     The Firebird

March 14     Chicago, IL     Empty Bottle

March 15     Milwaukee, WI     The Cactus Club

March 16     Columbus, OH     Skully’s Music Diner

March 17     Cleveland, OH    The Grog Shop

March 18     Grand Rapids, MI     The Pyramid Scheme

March 20     Detroit, MI     The Pike Room

March 21     Toronto, ON     Lee’s Palace

March 22     Montreal, QC     Bar Le Ritz

March 23     Buffalo, NY     Mohawk Place

March 25     Boston, MA     Great Scott

March 26     Brooklyn, NY     St. Vitus

March 27     Philadelphia, PA     Underground Arts

March 28     Richmond, VA     Strange Matters #

March 29     Washington, DC     DC 9 #

May 2     Leipzig, DE     Taubchental

May 3     Wroclaw, PL     Asymmetry Festival

May 4     Prague, CZ     007

May 5     Munich, DE     Ampere

May 6     Milan, IT     Lo Fi Club

May 8     Barcelona, SP     Rocksound

May 9     Madrid, SP     Boute Live!

May 10     Lisbon, PT     Musicbox

May 11     Bilbao, SP     Kafe Antzokia

May 13     Zurich, SZ     Dynamo

May 14     Wiesbaden, DE     Schlachthoff

May 15     Cologne, DE     Underground

May 16     Berlin, DE     Hafenklang

May 18     Nijmegen, NL     Merelyn

May 19     Haarlem, NL     Patronaat

May 20     Paris, FR     Glazart

May 21     Antwerp, BE     Kavka

May 22     London, UK     Underworld *

May 23     Leeds, UK     Belgrave Social Club *

May 24     Galway, IR     Roisin Dubh

May 25     Cork, IR     Craine Lane

May 26     Dublin, IR     Grand Social

May 27     Belfast, IR     The Limelight

May 28     Glasgow, UK     CCA **

May 29     Manchester, UK     Sound Control **

May 30     Bristol, UK     Temples Festival

May 31     Nimes, FR     This is Not a Love Song

June 1     Nantes, FR     Le Ferrailleur

All U.S. dates w/Wrong; Nothing appears on all dates except when noted with a #

Restarter will be released on CD/LP/Deluxe 2xLP/Cassette/Digital, with pre-orders available now with songs “Harmonslaught” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Mantasy,” will be included on deluxe editions.  Digital pre-orders offer an instant download of “Annihilation Affair” and “Minions” (http://geni.us/RestarterDLX), Bandcamp (www.torche.bandcamp.com) and physically via Relapse (http://www.relapse.com/torche-restarter).

Source: Speak Easy PR

The Sludgelord News: PSYCHO CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES INDIVIDUAL DAY PASSES, DAILY LINE-UP

MAY 15, 16 & 17 AT THE OBSERVATORY IN SANTA ANA

Feb. 12, 2014, Santa Ana, Calif. – Psycho California, the west coast’s first annual metal festival and a must see for fans of doom, heavy psych and sludge, have announced the release of individual day passes as well as the daily line-up for the three-day outing.

Virginia doom outfit Cough have joined the line-up as have Sourvein, who recently announced a new album, Aquatic Occult, will be out later this year via Metal Blade.  Josh Graham, who has created on-stage light shows and visuals for a number of artists including Neurosis, Mastodon and Sleep, will be creating a unique light display for the festival.  Lastly, illustrator David D’Andrea, whose art is displayed both at galleries and as packaging for a variety of bands and brands (OM, Converse, Earth), will have a pop-up gallery.

Individual day passes will be on sale Friday, Feb. 13 at Midnight PST and available via Psychoca.com.  A very limited number of 3-day passes remain available with VIP passes having already sold out.  Single day tickets are $64.50 while 3-day passes are $149.50.

May 15 performers: Cult of Luna, Russian Circles, Eyehategod, Old Man Gloom, Bedemon, Cave In, Conan, Bell Witch, Wrench, Cough, Atriarch, Samsara Blues Experiment, Radio Moscow, Death By Stereo, Destroyer of Light, Bloodmoon, Crypt Trip, Ancient Altar, Blackout, Loom

May 16 performers: Sleep, Kylesa, Earth, Pallbearer, Dead Meadow, Subrosa, Sourvein, Eagle Twin, True Widow, Rozamov, Mammatus, Lord Dying, Anciients, Electric Citizen, Acid Witch, Sinister Haze, Highlands, Banquet, Lords of Beacon House

May 17 performers: Pentagram, Om, Earthless, Indian, Tombs, Coffinworm, Elder, Truckfighters, Bang, Stoned Jesus, Deathkings, Wo-Fat, Mothership, Tumbleweed Dealer, The Well, Slow Season, Red Wizard

Festival interludes will be provided by Housecore Records’ artist Author & Punisher and vinyl DJ set from Bob Lugowe (Relapse Records) and Sean Pellet (Last Daze Here).

Source: Speakeasy PR

The Sludgelord News: FAITH NO MORE RELEASE SOL INVICTUS ON MAY 19

Photo credit: Dustin Rabin;

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10, 2015 – Sol Invictus, Faith No More’s highly anticipated follow-up to Album of the Year, arrives on May 19 via Reclamation Recordings/Ipecac Recordings.

“What I can say is that I think through our experience as musicians over the years, I think what we're doing reflects where we've gone since we made our last record as Faith No More. I think this kicks things up a notch,” explained Bill Gould in a recent Rolling Stone interview. “And I think there's parts that are very powerful and there's parts that have a lot of "space." Everything we do, with our chemistry, the way we play; it's always going to sound like us. It's just what we do, that makes us feel good. “

Sol Invictus was produced by Gould and recorded in the band’s Oakland, Calif. studio. 

The Bay Area band recently announced their first North American tour since 2010, with all dates sold out upon on-sale.  Faith No More travels to Japan and Australia in February.

Faith No More tour dates:

February 17     Tokyo, Japan     Studio Coast

February 18     Tokyo, Japan     Studio Coast

February 21     Adelaide, Australia     Soundwave Festival

February 22     Melbourne, Australia     Soundwave Festival

February 28     Sydney, Australia     Soundwave Festival

March 1     Brisbane, Australia     Soundwave Festival

March 3     Auckland, New Zealand     WestFest

April 15     Vancouver, BC     PNE Forum

April 16     Seattle, WA     Paramount Theater

April 17     Portland, OR     Keller Auditorium

April 19     San Francisco, CA     Warfield

April 20     San Francisco, CA     Warfield

April 23     Los Angeles, CA     The Wiltern

April 24     Los Angeles, CA     The Wiltern

April 25     Santa Ana, CA     The Observatory

May 7     Chicago, IL     Concord Music Hall

May 8    Detroit, MI     The Fillmore

May 9     Toronto, ON     Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

May 11     Boston, MA     Orpheum Theatre

May 13     New York, NY     Webster Hall

May 14     New York, NY     Webster Hall

May 15     Philadelphia, PA     Electric Factory

May 29     Nurburgring, Germany     Grune Holle Festival

May 31     Munich, Germany     Rockavaria Festival

June 2     Milan, Italy     Sonisphere

June 4     Vienna, Austria     Vienna Rocks Festival

June 5     Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic     Rock For People Festival

June 12     Landgraaf, Netherlands     Pinkpop Festival

June 13     Donington, UK     Download Festival

June 20     Clisson, France     Hellfest

June 21     Dessel, Belgium     Graspop Festival

June 24 - 27     Seinajoki, Finland     Provinssi

Aug. 7 – 9     Montreal, QC     Heavy Montreal

www.fnm.com

www.facebook.com/officialfnm

www.twitter.com/faithnomore

Source: Speakeasy PR