Crib Notes

“Seeing the Dark” and “Spirit Molecule,” the first two cuts from Zoroaster’s The Voice of Saturn, have materialized on the B-side of a split 7-inch with Portland, Oregon’s Aldebaran (Kreation Records).

Both acts are cut from a similar cloth of slow, doom-laden metal riffs, and the vinyl treatment really blows out the bottom end of the dirge. The bass-heavy mix draws out the rich and blackened qualities, and as a teaser to the forthcoming vinyl version of The Voice of Saturn, it definitely leaves you wanting more.

Aldebaran’s side is a growly voiced anthem called “Aldebaran Red,” which fits smoldering guitars and war drums over dueling high/low godlike grumbles. There’s less of a psychedelic bent to Aldebaran’s side of the record. Instead, these Portland tormentors summon a maelstrom of teeth-gnashing, scorched-earth vitriol. 900 copies pressed on black vinyl, 100 on clear/”black haze” vinyl.

Zoroaster’s “Spirit Molecule” mp3

Zoroaster plays the Masquerade Thurs., Sept. Sep 24 with Gojira and Burst and Scale the Summit.  $13. 8 p.m. 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178.

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Chad Radford:  There’s a singular sense of humor to what you do. I have seen the Torche T-shirts that look like the old skin head, staraight edge shirts that say “not so straight” next to the picture of the shaven-headed hardcore guy who looks like he’s about to swallow the microphone. That’s hilarious.
Steve Brooks:  We’re genius…

That’s a pretty macho scene. Have those shirts come back to bite you?
No, not at all. I don’t think that people really got the joke when we first made the shirts, but people started to get it once we stopped taking them on tour with us. People at the merch table started saying where’s your  not so straight shirt, those things are hilarious!’

It’s cleverly disguised like a real straight edge T-shirt. If you’re not paying attention you think it’s just another dumb ass Strife T-shirt, or something like that.

Yep. The Harvey Milk shirts on this tour are hilarious, too. There’s one with the Wicked Witch taking a dump on a toilet, eating a hamburger and reading the paper, and the headlines says ‘the Mc Rib is back.’ I thought that one was pretty awesome. There’s another one that and then there’s another one with a bunch of ticks doing beer bongs.

Torche “Healer” mp3

Harvey Milk and Torche play the Earl on Fri., July 31. $12 (adv.) $15 (dos). 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Road. 404-522-3950.

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Atlanta psych metal masters Zoroaster announced last week that they will will be heading out soon for their fall, 2009 “North America is Doomed” tour in support of Voice of Saturn, beginning Sat., Aug. 1.

Then on Mon., Sept. 21 they’ll begin a stint of live shows appearing as the hand-picked opening act for French metal band Gojira, for two weeks during their fall run in support of Metallica and Lamb of God.

When those shows are over Zoroaster and Gojira then head overseas to embark on a month-long European tour with experimental black metal bands Absu and Nachtmystium. This will mark Zoroaster’s first trip to Europe and the shows kick-off Fri., Oct.16 in Darmstadt, Germany.

In the meantime, Voice of Saturn is due out on vinyl via Kreation Records any day now…

“White Dwarf” (feat. Brent Hinds) mp3
“Spirit Molecule” mp3

Click below for tour dates

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Masters of blackened drone-mental and avant-garde dirge, Stephen O’Malley and Co. are bringing Sunn O))) this side of the Mason/Dixon to play church shows in both Atlanta and Athens.

On Sat., Sept. 26  Sunn O))) plays Legends Special Events Center in Atlanta. Then the group plays two shows in Athens on Sun., Sept. 27 and Mon., Sept. 28 at the Seney-Stovall Chapel (the same church where REM was hanging out in the film Athens, GA Inside/Out). Eagle Twin opens all three shows.

Tickets go on sale this Fri., July 24.

“It Took the Night to Believe” mp3
“Etna” (Sunn O))) & Boris) mp3

Legends Special Events Center is located at:
181 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30312
404-658-1960 x181
$15adv/$17dos
(Tickets available exclusively at Ticket Alternative and their retail outlets)

The Seney-Stovall Chapel
201 North Milledge Avenue, Athens GA 30602
706-542-2736
$15adv/$17dos
(tickets available exclusively at Wuxtry and Schoolkids in Athens, and Criminal Records in Atlanta).

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Like so many great artists who have gone before them — Bad Brains, KISS, Iron Maiden and Slayer — Mastodon is finally being immortalized in shoe.

An ad appearing in this month’s Decibel magazine (pictured above) shows off a pair of black high-tops that feature artist Paul Romano’s cover art for Blood Mountain. There will also be a slip-on shoe that features the artwork from Mastodon’s latest album, Crack the Skye. Both shoes are rumored to be hitting the shelves on Mon., July 6 (according to NME).

(Photo courtesy Decibel magazine)

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To celebrate the release of their fourth coming, Brendan O’Brien produced full-length album, Crack the Skye, Atlanta metal behemoth Mastodon has announced that the group will play a free, live in-store performance at Criminal Records on Tues., March 24 at 8:30 p.m. — the date the album is officially released in the U.S.

If you attended any of the shows at Criminal’s mini-metal fest the night before the Scion Rock Fest on Fri., Feb. 27, than you know that space will be limited and hair will be flying like helicopter blades.

Bring ear plugs and be sure to get there early or get stuck outside.

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For today’s Roll Call we call out Joakim Nilsson of the Swedish band Dead Man.

Who are you?
I’m a curly gentleman. I play bass and sing in Dead Man. I like whiskey beer and Indian food. My friends call me Jocke. I drive a 64 Plymouth Valiant.

Describe yourself in three words.
Calm, humble and delight.

Who — dead or alive — would you most like to meet?
Donald Duck or Roger Ramjet.

Who would you most like to slap in the face?
Tom Bergeron.

What song do you wish you had written?
“Who do you love” – Bo Diddley.

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Elvis Cowbell the drummer in Asteroid.

LP, CD or MP3?
LP!!!!

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
Rock.

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
I would like to end the extreme home makeover trend.

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
Anton LaVey & Blanche Barton.

“A Pinch of Salt” MP3

“Rest in Peace” MP3

Dead Man plays the Earl on Tues., Feb. 10 w/ Ocha La Rocha and Radio Moscow. $8. 8:30 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.

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Savannah’s punk-metal-hardcore ogres Kylesa have announced March 17th as the release date for their next record Static Tensions (Prosthetic Records).

The record’s release coincides with a full-fledged tour of the U.s. with the haunted and Glass House, which kicks-off Thurs., Apr. 2.

Kylesa guitarist/vocalist Phillip Cope produced Static Tensions, which was recorded at the Jam Room in Columbia, S.C.  Cope boldly claims that the songs on Static Tensions are the group’s “best work yet.”

The album’s artwork was created by by Baroness’ John Dyer Baizley, and the album will see will a vinyl release on the same day via 20 Buck Spin.

Kylesa “Where the Horizon Unfolds.”

(Tour dates and Static Tension track list below the jump).

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For today’s Roll Call we call out Dan Scanlan of Zoroaster.

Who are you?
Dan Scanlan, drummer, noise maker for Zoroaster.

Describe yourself in three words.
Pretty Fucking Awesome.

Who — dead or alive — would most you like to meet?
Dick Wolf, Creator/ Executive Producer of Law and Order. I’d like to thank him for giving me a reason to spend every second of my spare time on the couch!!

Who would you most like to slap in the face?
Michael Vick.

What song do you wish you had written?
Happy Together by The Turtles….quite possibly the best song ever!

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Presley!!

LP, CD or MP3?
LP, but really I like 8-tracks, I’m waiting for their resurrection someday.

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
Canceling American Idol… Does that count? Well it should!!

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Nickleback, My Chemical Romance, what’s that other really shitty band…? Yeah, that one too!!

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
Megan Estes. Mariska Hargitay, aka Detective Olivia Benson, I really like Law and Order… and Tom Cheshire.

“Spirit Molecule

Zoroaster plays the Clermont Lounge on New year’s Eve. Atlanta’s Withered and Athens’ doom and drone duo Subrig Destroyer also perform. 9 p.m. $10. 789 Ponce de Leon Ave. 404-874-4783.

(Photo by Kevin Griggs)

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Atlanta psych metal trio Zoroaster has completed its third album, Voice of Saturn, due out on Match 10th via the group-run Terminal Doom Records.

Voice of Saturn was recorded at The Living Room with Ed Rawls, and carries Zoroaster’s hallucinogenic hybrid of doom-laden metal, drone and dirge to bombastic new places, and even features a guest appearance from Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds on the song “White Dwarf.”

Voice of Saturn track list:

1.) Intro (1:00)
2.) Spirit Molecule (6:10)
3.) Undying (13:43)
4.) White Dwarf (5:42)
5.) Voice of Saturn (5:25)
6.) Lamen of the Master Therion (7:55)
7.) Outro (14:14)

Bassist / vocalist Brent Anderson was recently featured as a guest on MTV’s Headbangers Blog.

Zoroaster will embark on a full North American tour starting in February. In the meantime you can catch them on New Year’s Eve as they headline a bill with Withered and Subrig Destroyer at the infamous Clermont Lounge.

“Spirit Molecule” (live).

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Savannah’s blackened metal masters Kyleasa recently finished recording their fourth full-length, due out on Prosthetic Records in ‘09, and are heading to Japan in Januray. The journey to the land of the rising sun is in support of the Japanese release of their 2006 album, Time Will Fuse Its Worth (Red Cobalt Industries).

Before they leave for Japan Kylesa will play three stateside shows with crust punk legends, Amebix.

Kylesa tour dates:
1/29-Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY (w/ Amebix)
1/30-AS220 – Providence, RI (w/ Amebix)
1/31-Starlite Theater – Philadelphia, PA (w/ Amebix)
2/6 -Huck Finn – Nagoya, Japan
2/7-Earthdom – Tokyo, Japan
2/8 -TBA – Tokyo, Japan
2/11-51 – Gifu, Japan
2/13-Graf – Fukuoka, Japan
2/14-Club Squad – Yamaguchi, Japan
2/15-Club Drop – Osaka, Japan

(Photo by Jan Schwarzkamp).

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Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher (pictured second from left) has been hospitalized in London as of Nov. 3. while embarking on the bands current European Unholy Alliance Chapter 3 tour. Doctors continue monitoring his condition which is said to be improving.

For the time being Mastodon is continuing on as a trio and are hopeful that Kelliher will rejoin the group in time for their headlining tour of Europe which begins Nov 30, in Utrecht, Holland.

Details as to why he was hospitalized are sketchy at best, though Spin.com reports that a spokesperson for the band says “At this point all we know is that Bill was not feeling well upon arrival to the UK and went to the hospital where doctors are running tests now.”

More details will be reported as they develop.

Photo courtesy of Mastodon

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