After an initial, limited release late last year of their narrative-driven, groundbreaking concert film, ULTRAPOP: Live At The Masonic Temple, The Armed are now announcing the soundtrack release for it, along with release dates for Blu-Ray DVD + digital streaming. The OST will arrive on all streaming services and physically in stores on July 15th on Opaque Red vinyl via Sargent House. The movie, which was only available to live stream for a short period of time around its October 15th, 2021 debut, will come to Blu-ray and video streaming services on September 29th. 

ULTRAPOP: Live At The Masonic soundtrack is a running combination of score elements from the film and live performances captured in Detroit's sprawling Masonic Temple and mixed by Zach Weeks at God City Studio. 

This release features live renditions of songs from their highly lauded LP ULTRAPOP and cult-favorite ONLY LOVE, and also includes their CYBERPUNK 2077 contribution “NIGHT CITY ALIENS.” 

Part “Lemonade,” part “Live at Pompeii” and fully infused with a sense of Lynchian dread - the movie is a stunningly-filmed cinematic document of live performances taking place within the opulent chapels, imposing asylum rooms, full-size indoor handball courts, halls (and more) of the mysterious Masonic Temple of Detroit; a 550,000 square foot fortress in the heart of the city. Live performance and story-driven narrative melt seamlessly into one another, as the film confronts themes of identity, information warfare, the commoditization of artistic products and the commodification of the artist. 

ULTRAPOP, released in April of this year, received acclaim across the board, gaining the highly coveted Pitchfork Best New Music and praise from The New Yorker Magazine, Vulture, Stereogum, Revolver, AV Club, Fader, Bandcamp, Entertainment Weekly, Interview Magazine and so much more. Reaching the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise and otherwise "heavy" counterculture music subgenres, it finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. A joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listening experience possible.

Heavy instrumental greats Russian Circles have announced a new LP Gnosis available August 18th via Sargent House. Listen to the relentless first single “Conduit”. Gnosis, their eighth album, eschews the varied terrain of their past works as it razes a path through the most harrowing territory of their sounds by employing a new songwriting technique. Rather than crafting songs out of fragmented ideas in the practice room, full songs were written and recorded independently before being shared with other members, so that their initial vision was retained. While these demos spanned the full breadth of the band’s varied styles, the more cinematic compositions were ultimately excised in favor of the physically cathartic pieces. The album was engineered and mixed by Kurt Ballou at God City with additional tracking done at Chicago’s Electrical Audio. 

The band has also announced a 40 date world tour including US headline dates and EU co-headline dates. Kicking off September 15th in Minneapolis the US portion will make stops in Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, DC, Brooklyn and more before wrapping November 12th for a home town Metro Chicago show. In March of 2023 the band will continue their dates in the EU with Cult of Luna. See full dates below.

Deafheaven have come a long way from “Windows,” off 2013’s Sunbather, which contains audio of guitarist Kerry McCoy scoring drugs with the last of his cash. It’s incredibly harrowing. It’s perhaps just as incredible that Deafheaven as a band left years of drug and alcohol abuse behind. Now they’re sober, healthy, and making artistic strides with their latest album, Infinite Granite. 

I talked to McCoy and vocalist George Clarke as they prepared to tour again after two years of COVID-19 pandemic. They presented a textbook lesson in how one is the company one keeps. (Their friends include previous Health Awaits interviewees Nate Garrett of Spirit Adrift and Gina Gleason of Baroness.) They also offered insight into staying balanced through life’s ups and downs – by staying busy, establishing routines, and keeping fit.

Full interview via decibelmagazine.com

Dylan Carlson will play a solo show in Antwerp on June 26th during Earth EU summer tour 2022.

Earth EU shows 2022: 

June 21 Utrecht NL - Winkelcentrum De Helling 

June 22 Brussels BE- Le Botanique 

June 24 Clisson FR - Hellfest OpenAir (Sold Out) 

June 26 Dylan Carlson Solo Show - De Nor - Antwerp 

Info/Tickets: thronesanddominions.com

New vinyl represses of Lingua Ignota's CALIGULA are now available at her stores Hello Merch and Evil Greed. Very limited 2XLP in four new colors.

Stores: linktr.ee/linguaignota
 

New Wovenhand shows: 

June 30 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen 
July 1 Urbana, IL @ Audiofeed Festival  
July 8 Denver, CO @ Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox  
July 23 Moran, WY @ Fire In The Mountain

Tickets/ Info: wovenhandband.com

After his beloved gear was stolen during a recent tour, the bass pedal guru quickly found the music world rallying around his band Russian Circles. 

Through the entirety of his three-decade career, bassist Brian Cook has made a name for himself by delivering brutal and powerfully effected tones while creating innovative music across heavy genres. Based in Seattle, Washington, Cook got his start with his influential mathcore band Botch in 1993, until the group disbanded in 2002. He then went on to form the experimental post-hardcore outfit, These Arms Are Snakes until he was recruited by Chicago instrumental rockers Russian Circles in 2007. As of recent, when he’s not in the studio or on the road with Circles, he’s busy playing in his sludge metal trio Sumac and releasing solo material under the moniker Torment & Glory, whose debut album We Left a Note with an Apology was released back in August of 2021. The thread through all his numerous projects is his distinct playing, his creative riffs, and his wild use of effects, which he expertly hones in ways that few bassists can. His prized gear – including his rare basses, amps, and many obscure pedals – has all been hand-selected throughout his impressive career, which is why he was devastated when he was robbed of it on his most recent tour.

Full interview via earthquakerdevices.com

Last month, Astral Noize packed its bags and boarded a comically short flight to the Netherlands to attend Roadburn Festival 2022. As the first in-person edition of the celebrated event since 2019 many were simply thrilled to be attending at all, but never one to play it safe the festival has continued to diversify and expand its own definition of heaviness; consider this year’s introduction of a bona fide jazz stage, or the incredible performances of UK Grime MCs Flowdan and Logan playing alongside The Bug. 

We spoke to a number of the artists playing across the four day event, and in the coming days and weeks will be sharing these discussions under the banner Roadburn Recall. 

Below you’ll find our first interview, with Ben Verellen of Helms Alee. 

So, on Roadburn and the fact that this is your first rest date since the festival. My first question really is, how is the ‘romance’ of being on the road in ‘22? How does it feel to be back at it? 

Ben Verellen: That’s been the big question. And, you know, we hadn’t done any kind of travelling to do music, obviously, for the last three years. So on paper it sounds dreamy, tagging along with our good buddies in Russian Circles. And in Europe, where touring is so well accommodated compared to the States. We’re very much in the comfort of a best case tour scenario for guys like us. So it all sounded like it was going to be dreamy, but then there was the fear of, well, how’s it gonna feel? To be really out there and really away from home and just sitting in a van all day, how’s that gonna feel? All my memories are the best parts of it, but then getting back down to it and then inserting additional stress and anxiety around COVID stuff, it’s kind of a question mark, sort of looming. But, you know, we’re three weeks into about a six week tour. And the conversations have all been about how amazing it’s been. 

And also, we’re a few years older than last time we did this kind of thing. So there’s that as well. It’s another factor. So we’re figuring out how some of that has played into different ways to do things, how hard to hit it, trying a little more self care. Self preservation is kind of part of the calculation these days, but we all seem to be keeping our head’s on, and still having a good time. So it’s awesome, it kind of forces you to solve some problems that probably could have been dealt with a few years earlier. Like maybe we shouldn’t go out all night, or at all, maybe you should just kind of keep it together. Because tours are exhausting enough as it is, but it’s always tempting to be like, oh I can see all these old friends and catch up! We’re finding a balance. 

Full interview via astralnoizeuk.com

Emma Ruth Rundle’s second installment in her Electric Guitar series, EG2: Dowsing Voice, is like the soundtrack to a film that hasn’t been made. The mostly instrumental record follows her on a trip to the Welsh coast and down a magical well into the waters of nature, myth and the Old Golds - by way of her improvised music. The 40 plus minute album was sewn together from recordings channeled during her month-long solo journey in the early days of 2020 and completed before 2021’s critically lauded album Engine of Hell was even written. 

Unlike Electric Guitar One, EG2: Dowsing Voice features vocal improvisation, unconventional singing and extended vocal techniques free from lyrics - like the throat singing on “In the Cave…” which is meant to be the voices of crones gathering in a rhythmic and physical ritual. Rundle was led to these voices by unseen forces along with the immense impact of the Welsh water: ocean, rivers springs and wells that gave the album its extended title Dowsing Voice. While there is some focus on vocal and story here, her textural and even bombastic guitar improvisations are featured throughout the album. The album is accompanied by a massive body of visual artwork Rundle created in her studio upon returning to the states in an attempt to further flesh out the world and beings she encountered in the landscapes and music during her trip to Wales. The blood self-portrait on the cover is from this series and is meant to capture the moment after rebirth. For Rundle, the Electric Guitar series will always be about inspired, unplanned moments like this at its core.

Info: https://linktr.ee/emmaruthrundle