The Roller releasing 'Wasted Heritage' (new MP3 & tour dates)

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: The Roller – “Candle Black” (MP3)

The Roller at LoveJoys (more here)

By the time that Sunday after SXSW hits, you don’t want to do a fucking thing; copius visits from sometime friend/mortal enemy Al, too little z’s, and late late nights have all taken their toll. So when I heard about the surprise show with Weedeater, Dark Castle and The Roller as part of a larger bill that also included Green & Wood and many others (at Lovejoys on 3/21), much to my surprise I dusted myself off, got an extra large coffee (which I would later chase with Lone Star) and got to the show. Body be damned, it was a killer bill and I was going to be there.

Weedeater and Dark Castle delivered dependably blistering sets in the small room, but a new (and strong) impression was left by Austin’s The Roller. They were powerful when I saw them at the Slow Southern Steel showcase in Austin in 2009, but the recent addition of bassist Miguel Veliz (Graves at Sea, Sourvein) alongside the lineup of ex-The Devil & The Sea drummer Jeremy Jenkins, vocalist Mike Morowitz and guitarist Theron Rhoten was, comparatively, a knife to the gut. Crusty, doom riffs like tempered steel crushed with the same power as Dark Castle and Weedeater. These dudes don’t fuck around.

Now The Roller are boasting a new LP called Wasted Heritage. It’s four fresh odes to the dark lord of the riff across 40 minutes. The gatefold LP, due on Cyclopean Records on 11/2, was recorded by Bryan Richie (The Sword) and will be released on a limited vinyl collection of 500. 100 on color will be available through mailorder only, and the first 50 pre-orders come with a Roller t-shirt. Check the Cyclopean site for ording details, but until then dig on the transition from Slayer-esque opening notes to full on doom rage of “Candle Black” available for download above.

The Roller are hitting the road for a string of dates, though none in the immediate future for the Northeast. Full tour dates and some video is below.

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The ROLLER – Emo’s Austin, TX – 07/30/10

The Roller – Live at Emo’s Austin TX 5/7/10

THE ROLLER – Wasted Heritage Track List
1. Candle Back
2. Of Feather and Bone
3. Passage
4. White Wing

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THE ROLLER – 2010 TOUR DATES
Sept. 30th – Austin, TX @ Mohawk Inside w/ Iron Age
Oct. 22nd – Austin, TX @ Red 7 w/ Thrones
Nov. 6th – Austin, TX @ Emo’s w/ Iron Age
Nov. 8th – Tucson, AZ @ TBA
Nov. 9th – San Diego, CA @ Til Two w/ Archons
Nov. 10th – Los Angeles, CA @ TBA w/ Green & Wood
Nov. 11th – Los Angeles, CA @ Three Clubs
Nov. 12th – San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
Nov. 13th – Oakland, CA @ TBA
Nov. 14th – Eugene, OR @ Hope St. Speakeasy w/ Lesbian
Nov. 15th – Portland, OR @ Plan B w/ Samothrace
Nov. 16th – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse w/ Samothrace
Nov. 17th – Boise, ID @ Gusto’s Bar w/ Uzula
Nov. 18th – Denver, CO @ Bar Bar w/ Roskopp
Nov. 19th – Lincoln, NE @ TBA
Nov. 20th – Fort Worth/Dallas, TX @ TBA