by BBG

Matt Pike of Sleep, on stage with High On Fire (more by Markus Shaffer)

I get my fair share of emails, but lately the number regarding a single issue has trumped all others: the sold-out Sleep show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple on 9/8. Unfortunately, those tickets are completely gone - relegated to the black market (not that I condone...). Luckily though, BrooklynVegan and Osiris Productions are proud to announce a SECOND show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple on September 6th, this time with support from Doomriders and Unearthly Trance! Tickets are on sale.

The show takes place the same day that Young Widows, Helms Alee, and Marching Teeth will take on Cake Shop as part of a BrooklynVegan/1000 Knives event. Tickets are on sale.

It's not the first time that Matt Pike and the boys from Unearthly Trance have shared a stage. It also happened when High On Fire played Music Hall of Williamsburg in late July with Natur.

Current Sleep dates and tons of videos are below...

Continue reading "Sleep add a 2nd Brooklyn show (the 1st one is sold out) "

by BBG

BXI

ATP NY have a plethora of exclusives upstate in early September, and now they're bringing one to NYC. On September 7th, The Blackened Music Series and ATP will combine forces for a show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple where sunn o))) & Boris will perform Altar in its entirety (a NYC first) and BXI will make their US debut! The melancholic and heart-wrenching Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter will sweeten the deal/provide awesome contrast for the rage. Tickets are on sale.

The show is one day before Sleep smokes out the same venue with Lichens and the newly added A Storm of Light (tickets still on sale for that too)...

As previously discussed, BXI is the collaboration of Boris and Ian Astbury (The Cult) who will release their debut EP in September via Southern Lord. The four song EP will feature three new tracks, as well as a cover of The Cult's "Rain". Dig on the EP cover, as well as a video of BXI in action (performing The Door's "The End") in Sydney Australia below.

Reminder, Boris plays MHOW on August 6 with Torche and Russian Circles (the day after UNSANE/Keelhaul at Santos!). Tickets are on sale.

The Altar flyer, a BXI video and cover art, below...

Continue reading "Boris will perform 'Altar' w/ sunn o))) & w/ Ian Astbury as BXI (all at the same NYC show!)"

by BBG

Sleep 2010 = Al Cisneros, Jason Roeder, Matt Pike.

The rumors are true. After initially reuniting for a "final show" at ATP The Fans Strike Back, followed by an announcement that the band would appear at ATP NY, Sleep is BACK with a vengeance! What's more? BrooklynVegan and Osiris will present the return of the gods of stoner doom, Sleep, at Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Sept 8th. Tickets are on sale now.

The NYC show is part of a string of dates for the band, who will return to the road (!) with an appearance at ATP NY, alongside Iggy & The Stooges, Sonic Youth, sunn o)))/Boris, and many esteemed others. They'll be performing their Holy Mountain album as well as "selections from Dopesmoker and more".

Lichens, who toured with Om in 2009 will open the show at Masonic Temple, and the gig Sleep are playing the next day at Chicago's Logan Square Auditorium. In Portland Sleep will play as part of Music Fest NW.

Sleep 2010 is looking a bit different from Sleep 2009, as Chris Hakius has definitely thrown in the towel and will be replaced by Neurosis bruiser Jason Roeder behind the kit. Full tour dates and some videos from the 2009 show, below...

Continue reading "Sleep announce US tour dates, Brooklyn show w/ Lichens!"

by BBG

Sleep 2009

"Famed San Jose stoner/doom band Sleep will reunite this fall to play a string of shows, according to High on Fire's publicist, Carl Schultz. The band, which was active from 1990 to 1998 and reunited last May for All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in England, featured current High on Fire frontman/guitarist Matt Pike, bassist Al Cisneros (Om, Shrinebuilder, and Asbestosdeath), and drummer Chris Hakius (Asbestosdeath, Om, The Sabians)....No other dates for Sleep have been announced yet, but the band may play select dates in Chicago, LA, San Francisco, and Austin. More details as they become available." [East Bay Express

Boris @ ATP NY 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

There aren't many music news items that get me excited as ATP lineup additions. This one is no different. Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, Torotoise, Bardo Pond, Beak> featuring Geoff Barrow of Portishead, Sleepy Sun, Avi Buffalo, Sunn O)) & Boris performing material from their collaborative album Altar, Dungen, and White Hills have all been added to the already-stellar bill of the 2010 festival at Kutsher's Country Club in Monticello, NY (Sept 3-5). All confirmed artists and more details below...

Continue reading "ATP NY expands 2010 lineup - Hope Sandoval, SUNN O)) & Boris, Tortoise, BEAK> (Geoff Barrow of Portishead) & more!"

All Tomorrow's Parties will return to Kutsher's Country Club, Monticello for the third ATP New York festival over Labor Day weekend, running from Friday 3rd September - Sunday 5th September. We are very excited to announce that legendary film-maker Jim Jarmusch, well known for his fantastic collaborations and documentaries with musicians will be the guest curator on Sunday 5th.

Continue reading "Jim Jarmusch to curate ATP NY - updated lineup w/ Sonic Youth, EITS, Breeders, Brian Jonestown, F'd Up, Raekwon"

by BBG

DROP OUT OF LIFE WITH BONG IN HAND......

BrooklynVegan: A lot of your US fans are wondering why [Sleep] aren't doing a US tour or even a show in San Francisco and NYC. Whats the reasoning? Is that mostly due to Chris?

Sleep's Matt Pike: I think the dude just wants to retire.... He lives up in the hills and he's got a lot going on... I don't think the rock lifestyle is really for him. Chris is really a "to himself" kind of guy... he's an awesome guy and an awesome drummer. But yeah, I don't think that's the lifestyle he wants... and me and Al... both of us are obviously lifers. But he still wanted to [reunited Sleep for shows in Europe] genuinely to wrap up what we started so long ago... and for our fans. I mean we played Jerusalem as Dopesmoker for a long time on tour, but people didn't even get into it until we broke up.

To continue our year-long celebrations of Ten Years of ATP we are thrilled to announce that All Tomorrow's Parties will return to Kutsher's Country Club, Monticello for it's third ATP New York festival over Labor Day weekend, running from Friday 3rd September - Sunday 5th September. Weekend and Day Tickets are available, with a Layaway Ticket option available. [ATP]

Al Cisneros of Sleep/Om recently played NYC as part of Shrinebuilder along with Rwake and Liturgy. Pics from that show are here. Matt Pike of Sleep also played NYC recently, as part of High On Fire. Dig on pics from that show here and here.

Another flyer, more info on this year's fest, and some videos from the Sleep reunion in the UK are below...

Continue reading "ATP NY 2010 tickets on sale - Sleep performing Holy Mountain! + Stooges confirmed & Mudhoney & the Scientists"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Shadow Of The Torturer - "The Walk" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fatalist - "Internal Misery" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mala Suerte - "Wine Like Clotted Blood" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Coffinworm - "High On The Reek Of Your Burning Remains" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clone II Snippet Sampler (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sleep - Demos 1990 (Mediafire Link, courtesy of Chunklet)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "Don't Vote" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "I am the Leviathan" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nirvana 2002 - "Mourning (Projections of a Stained Mind)" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mala Suerte - "Entrance/Black Art" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Brown Jenkins - "Ashes In Her Mouth" EDIT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Brown Jenkins - "Lords Of Suicide" & "Lifetaker" (Mediafire Link)
DOWNLOAD: Witchmaster - "Two Point Suicide" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Witchmaster - "Total Annihilation" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gravehill - "Rites Of The Pentagram" (MP3)

Consider this the "Swedish Death Metal" edition as we'll focus on a few bands that have taken cues from the great sounds of Entombed, Dismember, Grave, and so many others. As such, lets start off with Fatalist! Though they hail from the land of sun and surf (California), Fatalist have nailed the tone of early (Stockholm) Swedish Death Metal sound, putting their own spin in their songwriting. Featuring ex members of Exhumed, Fatalist's debut album The Depths of Inhumanity is out on 11/23 via Ibex Moon and for a taste of the killer riffs that the band has cooked up, dig on "Internal Misery" above.

Lets get it out of the way, Nirvana 2002 is not a boxset from a certain Seattle band. In fact, Nirvana 2002 is the name of a lost Swedish Death Metal band who will finally release their full recorded output via Relapse Records, Recordings 89 - 91. The band that featured vocalist/guitarist Orvar Säfström (ex-Entombed) have released the "Mourning (Projections of a Stained Mind)" MP3, available for download above after it recently premiered on Decibel. If you love the sickening Swedish Death Metal buzzsaw sound, these long lost tracks are a welcome surprise. Orvar Säfström recently discussed his top 6 favorite Swedish Death Metal albums.

Much like Fatalist, Gravehill is also a sickening early death metal worship act from California. Gravehill's Rites Of The Pentagram LP is out NOW via Enucleation and the title track is available for download above. The band recently played the NJ Death Fest along with Acheron, who are releasing their latest LP and first in six years, The Final Conflict: Last Days Of God, on Ibex Moon.

Mala Suerte doom away on their latest crusty, dimly lit LP, The Shadow Tradition, available via Hellride Music. Download a pair of tracks from that Austin band's LP above. Mala Suerte have been around since the 90s and released a few LPs of their filthy Grief-like psychotic doom as well as a split with Japan's Coffins.

A Mala Suerte video for "Non Servium", Coalesce, Ghast, Eyehategod, Fuck The Facts, Zoroaster, Graveyard, thoughts on the new Slayer, and more as TWIM continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (11/03/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: YOB - "Burning The Altar" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Caïna - "To Pluck The Night Up By Its Skin" (MP3)

sunn 0)))

According to ancient Mayan prophecy, The Age Of The Fifth Sun draws to a close in 2012 when armageddon will fall upon the land. Considering this is only 2009, it is entirely possible that sunn 0)))'s soundtrack to the end of days/new album, Monoliths & Dimensions, may have been delivered a bit prematurely (out NOW). Not that a moment on Monoliths resembles anything less than meticulous detail; Attila Csihar's Bela Lugosi-like vocals, heavenly choirs, harp, trumpet, and orchestra all add to the nauseating rumble, and at times, shimmering beauty emanating from their full stacks. Pick it up at Southern Lord on CD. Vinyl is due this summer. The boys have also announced a rough sketch idea of their upcoming tour plans:

We are preparing tours as a 4 and 5 piece in support of this opus. Attila Csihar and Steve Moore (Zombi) will be in the ranks as well as a yet undecided 5th member for some shows. Randall Dunn will be on the big guns.

SUNN O))) "Monoliths & Dimensions" tours 2009

Midwest USA July 2-12
West coast USA August 5-11
East coast/Southeast USA September 18-30
Middle & East Europe/Scandinavia October 17 - Nov 1st

There should also be UK and Japan jaunts following those pieces. We are working on it, more to come.

We are also considering and contemplating a few special event concerts with an expanded acoustic ensemble lineup. This is a whole different ballgame but may be in the cards and we have a few loyal partners in Europe on board to help manifest if/when the time is correct.

ATP's Fans Strike Back festival took place last week, two nights of Sleep included. Check out our pre-ATP interview with Matt Pike HERE. Video and setlist from the ATP shows below.

YOB's new album for Profound Lore, The Great Cessation, now has an official release date, July 14th! The new effort by the reformed Eugene, OR doom colossus will span five tracks over it's 60+ minutes including "Burning The Altar" which is downloadable above! Look for US dates to follow, and once we have news on NYC, you know you will too.

YOB's album art, plus videos of Sleep, news on The Dillinger Escape Plan, Clutch and Baroness, Opeth, Converge, Ringworm and much more as This Week In Metal continues....

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (05/17/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

Matt Pike with High on Fire @ Scion Rock Fest (more by Steven Brown)

It's the whole chicken or the egg syndrome. Does Matt Pike's mischievious snarling smile come from High On Fire's on-stage persona, or is it those riffs that coax the demons out of him?

The best people to ask may be Matt Pike's high school friends and bandmates in Sleep, the 90s stoner/doom favorites who eventually splintered into Om (bassist Al Cisneros & Chris Hakius). Though largely (and unfortunately) unknown throughout their tenure, Sleep managed to crank out three LPs including their post-humous swan song, Dopesmoker, now considered a landmark recording of Stoner Rock. The band recently agreed to reunite for two nights of performances at ATP's Fans Strike Back (May 8-10, 2009) (we interviewed Al Cisneros about that here).

After the untimely demise of Sleep, Matt Pike took his buzzsaw guitar tone and applied it to a hundred mile an hour freight train that was more virtuosic Motorhead than Black Sabbath, christening the new project High On Fire. Over the course of four LPs, a relentless touring cycle, three record labels and as many bassists (including Joe Preston and their current bassist Jeff Matz of Zeke), High on Fire has established themselves as heavyweights, most recently completing a touring cycle on Megadeth's Gigantour.

During Scion Rock Fest at the end of Feburary, we sat down with Matt Pike to discuss what's next for High On Fire, as well as the impending and short-lived (he promises!) reunion with Sleep happening this weekend in the UK!

=====

So you recently signed with Koch Records... what's going on with the follow-up to Death Is This Communion... when can we expect it?

I dunno, I'm running a little behind deadline but it's for a good reason, dude. It's gonna be badass. You know you can't force things. It should be out by the end of summer, I'm hoping Halloween-ish or some shit. But I cant really tell until I've recorded/mastered it.

Yeah we have tons of material. It's just making it perfect... you know there are like 3 ½ hours of riffs that you have to sort through... figure out what's good what's bad... Gets crazy!

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview with Matt Pike (High on Fire, Sleep)"

Devo @ McCarren Pool (more by Zach Dilgard)

On Friday, March 20, performing right society BMI will partner with SXSW to present new wave progenitors Devo at Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces St). The show marks the climax of BMI's focused presence at SXSW 2009: Throughout the week, the organization will also stage indie rock showcases, orchestrate film and songwriter panels, and host its annual invitation-only mixers, the details of which will be announced soon.

SXSW also announced a ton of other bands playing SXSW this year. On that list, is....Sleep, BUT after a false alarm that included a minor Black Bubblegum freakout, we confirmed that in fact the band playing SXSW is a different Sleep. Oh well.

A few other bands playing SXSW this year: The Wrens, Peter Bjorn and John, Primal Scream, and Explosions in the Sky.

by Black Bubblegum

Before High On Fire and Om, there was (and now is) Sleep, but before THAT, there was Asbestosdeath:

Asbestosdeath started life as trio consisting of Al Cisneros on bass, Chris Hakius on drums, and Tom Choi on guitar. Matt Pike later joined as a second guitarist. They recorded two 7"s: their first ("Unclean", 1990) was self released (Asbestos Records) and a second 7' ("Dejection," 1990) was released later that year by Profane Existence. Choi left Asbestosdeath to form Noothgrush after the release of the second 7". The band recruited Justin Marler to replace Choi and changed their name to Sleep. - [Wikipedia]

Continue reading "remembering Asbestosdeath (video, High on Fire, Om...)"

by Black Bubblegum

Sleep in Germany, 1993 (permission from Al Cisneros)

Sleep departed from this Earth 'round 1996, and not with a bang, but a whimper. In 1995, the future members of Om and High On Fire began work on their third LP, the follow-up to their highly-acclaimed Holy Mountain. Upon completion, Sleep delvered their new album, entitled Dopesmoker to their label, London Records, who deemed it "unmarketable". Undeterred, the band headed back to the studio and reemerged with Jerusalem, a leaner version of Dopesmoker with re-written lyrics. Again, London Records refused and as a result, Sleep disbanded.
Jerusalem AND Dopesmoker have since seen the light of day, and in that time the legend of Sleep has grown by leaps and bounds.

Nowadays Sleep is cited by most (if not all) doom metal enthusiasts as a seminal band, and usually in the same breath as such heavyweights as Saint Vitus (who are also reuniting) & Pentagram.

Since it was announced that Sleep would reunite for the ATP's The Fans Strike Back Festival, fans have been clamoring to hear more details about the reunion, as well as the reasons behind it and whether they would play any additional shows. Luckily, we were able to corner Al Cisneros of shortly after his tour of Europe with Om to discuss some of these issues as well as shed some more light on Om, Shrinebuilder, and High On Fire's new album!

---

When I interviewed you in September, were the plans already in the works, or did the ATP folks corner you at the festival and start to nail it down then?

Continue reading "another interview w/ Al Cisneros of Om & Sleep -------------------------- on the reunion, future plans"

by Black Bubblegum

Al Cisneros & Matt Pike of Sleep in High School 1990

From our interview with Om at ATP:

BV: If you got a call from Matt Pike and Chris [Hakius] today to reunite for a show or two, would you be into reforming Sleep?

Al Cisneros: Reforming? No.

Sleep will share the stage with Devo, Spiritualized, and Grails at ATP UK's The Fans Strike Back in Minehead on May 8th-10th, 2009, playing two nights which will be a "world exclusive that will never be repeated". DAMMMIT! Ugh. Anyway, what does "The Fans Strike Back" mean?

For this festival we are reviving something we did in 2007; asking the people that come to the festival to decide who plays! So half of the lineup is chosen by us (ATP) and the other half by you. Everyone that buys a ticket will get a chance to vote for 10 acts they would like to appear at the festival, and we will be compiling charts of the results and approaching acts to see if they are available to play the festival...

Voting will commence in just over 2 weeks on Monday 17th November.

In other ridiculously-awesome-American-doom-bands-that-are-not-reuniting-in-America-news, Al Cisneros's Shrinebuilder bandmate Wino is getting Saint Vitus back together at Roadburn.

Also Om related: Grails have a show coming up at Union Pool and another with Flower Travellin' Band.

Om is currently touring Europe. Tour dates and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Sleep reuniting for The Fans Strike Back, an ATP UK festival"

interview by Black Bubblegum, photos by Zach Dilgard

DOWNLOAD: Om - Gebel Barkal (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Om - (Version) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Holy Sons - Gnostic Device (MP3)

Al Cisneros & Emil Amos

Om is the brainchild of Al Cisneros. In the wake of Sleep's dissolution, Al founded Om with his former Sleep and Asbestosdeath band-mate Chris Hakius. Sleep's guitarist Matt Pike went on to form High On Fire. Over five years, Om has carved a unique path... retaining the doom appeal of Sleep, while forging a new somber, yet also oddly calming tone over the course of three studio albums and various vinyl releases. Chris Hakius recently left the group, but was quickly replaced by drummer Emil Amos of former Om tourmates Grails.

Emil Amos is a juggler. Besides Grails and his new venture with Om, Amos also has a solo project called Holy Sons. Of course, Al Cisneros is also on the move, most recently forging an indie metal supergroup of sorts called Shrinebuilder - a four piece with Scott "Wino" Weinrich (of Saint Vitus, Hidden Hand, The Obsessed, many others), Scott Kelly (of Neurosis and Blood & Time), and Dale Crover (of Melvins and Porn).

Om was one of many bands who performed at the ATP festival at Kutscher's resort in upstate NY this past weekend. While there, we were able to coax the duo into taking a ride with us in one of the "sea nymphs", aka rowboats, on Kutsher's Lake. Along the way we paddled, and poked and prodded the band about Om, Shrinebuilder and their many other projects including, "Gebel Barkal", a limited Sub Pop 7" they recently put out (both songs from it are available for download on the top of this post). Among other things, we also found out about an electrician who happens to be very talented on the guitar.

Warning, if you have an aversion to poor yachting, please look away now.

Continue reading "an interview w/ Al Cisneros & Emil Amos of Om"

OM @ Roadburn Festival 2007, Tilburg, Holland (CRED)

With Pilgrimage (Southern Lord) garnering all types of year-end accolades, the Sabbath-as-meditation'ers Om will hit the road again - this time with Holy Mountain labelmates Lichens and Daniel Higgs of Lungfish. Starting on Jan 16th in Seattle, they'll hit the Luna Lounge in Brooklyn on Feb 8th. Tickets are on sale, .

Last time the boys came through NYC, it was at Europa and Knitting Factory with Grails.

And speaking of ex-Sleep dudes and albums of the year, nine-string guitarist Matt Pike and High On Fire have cancelled a date from their current winter tour (Feb 10th in Hackensack, NJ), and added a new one in Brooklyn... Feb 10th @ Club Europa! Tickets Are On Sale. All tour dates below.....

Continue reading "OM & High On Fire playing Brooklyn, Tour Dates, Daniel Higgs"