Switchblade sets recording date

Switchblade will be entering Gröndal Studio with engineer Karl Daniel Lidén (VAKA, Dozer) on April 24 to begin recording their next album.

Kongh plans to enter the studio this fall to record their new album, tentatively titled "Shadows of the shapeless". Expect an early 2009 release, but in the meantime, be sure to catch them on tour with labelmates Switchblade - dates (and samples) at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kongh

Swedish doom acts Switchblade and Kongh are doing some shows together in September:

09/03 - Utkanten, Malmo (SWE)
09/04 - Cassiopeia, Berlin (GER)
09/05 - Kunstverein, Nurnberg (GER)
09/06 - Negasonic, Aalst (BEL)
09/07 - 013 (Ashes To Ashes, Doom To Dust III), Tilburg (NL)
09/08 - tba

Belgian doom artist Fear Falls Burning is enlisting the help of Swedish musicians Johannes Persson and Magnus Lindberg (both from Cult of Luna, guitar and drums respectively) plus Tim Bertilsson (Switchblade, drums) to help him perform his album "Frenzy of the absolute" in its entirety on November 1 at Schouwburg Cultuurcentrum Luchtbal in Antwerpen, Belgium. Oh, and Steven Wilson from acclaimed UK act Porcupine Tree will be supporting with his solo act Bass Communion. Read more: http://www.ccluchtbal.org/2003/Concert2003/FearFallsBurning.html

MP3: Promise and the Monster - Sheets

Promise and the Monster in a word: haunting. For awhile, I had her CD sitting on my desk next to Kongh's "Counting heartbeats" and it's amazing how similar the cover art for the two albums are. Kongh, a band on Trust No One (the label run by Switchblade drummer Tim Bertilsson), play loud, crushing doom which of course is far from the quiet, reserved sounds of Promise and the Monster, but they both evoke similar feelings of despair. The dark woods, the serif font, represent it well. As the best doom bands know, heaviness is not always related to volume and distortion. It's the space between that's often darkest.

Promise and the Monster - Sheets

Here's the playlist for this week's special spooky/scary Halloween edition radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Entombed - Hollywood Babylon
03. ARM - Humming bug
04. Camouflage - Oktober
05. TALK 2
06. Notre Dame - Red Cross
07. Sanctum - Lie low
08. Bay Laurel - Pale colours
09. TALK 3
10. At the Gates - Blinded by fear
11. Frode Haltli - Lude
12. Brighter Death Now - Little baby
13. Death Breath - Lycanthropy
14. TALK 4
15. Breach - Mr. Marshall
16. The Skull Defekts - Carved in bones
17. The Cardigans - Mr. Crowley
18. TALK 5
19. Diabolique - Catholic
20. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Masks, walls and other ways to keep things out, to keep things in
21. The Bear Quartet - Broken heart
22. Mercyful Fate - Come to the Sabbath
23. TALK 6
24. Beyond Dawn - Cigarette
25. Pimentola - Heart's dementia (Phase I)
26. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
27. TALK 7
28. MZ412 - Infernal affairs II
29. Satyricon - Nemesis divina
30. Switchblade - Selfdestruct schematics / Open aftermath
31. TALK 8
32. Rasion D'etre - Metamorphyses Phase IV
33. Cortex - We are the dead
34. TALK 9
35. Emperor - I am the Black Wizards

Trust No One reports that their entry into the Logh "Raging sun" 7" series (theirs is 3/4, mine is 4/4) will soon be available for preorder: http://trustnoonerecordings.blogspot.com/2007/04/sorry-for-abscence-of-updates-lately.html
Also on the way from the label is the debut album from Kongh as well as a possible Switchblade live DVD.

Top 10s for 2006: C-J Larsgården (A Perfect Friend, Pacta Sunt Servanda)

Trust No One and Riptide/Pleasure Syndicate are teaming up to release Switchblade's latest self-titled album on vinyl. No word on an exact release date yet, but it will include slightly different artwork in a gatefold format and there will probably be clear, clear with smoke and black vinyl.

MP3: Out of Clouds - Like a lily

I like the dichotomy of switching between heavy gloom and doom and happy, sunny pop. So it's only natural that I follow yesterday's post on the mighty Switchblade with something just a bit more appropriate for the season. A track from Out Of Clouds' "Into your lovely summer" EP is an obvious choice. The band actually does have their melancholy moments (as is the case with most Swedish pop), but the opening track "Like a lily" is nothing but sweetness. Good tunes for good times.

Out of Clouds - Like a lily

MP3: Switchblade - 7:05

Switchblade's latest (and greatest) self-titled album is out now in the US via Cyclop Media. Two songs, one clocking in around 30 minutes and one topping off around minute 17. I considered posting a track, but man - that's a lot of bandwidth. And besides, the whole thing is available for streaming here. Posting samples would be redundant. What I have for you instead is the original version of track 2, the song featuring Mattias Friberg of Logh on vocals and additional guitar. Originally released on the tour-only 7"/CDR back in 2004, the song marks an important point in the band's development. It's less focused on plodding mid-tempo Isis-esque riffage, more on space and texture. The guitars are still plenty heavy, but they're brighter, cleaner and much more sparse. You can hear every note of each ringing chord - nothing is lost in overly sludgy tone. Think of how Shellac's guitar sound is still threatening without necessarily being totally overdriven and distorted. The song builds slowly and remains focused on Mattias' half-spoken vocals before breaking out into an awesome lurching riff at around 4:40. Obviously, it takes awhile to get there, but the journey is worth it as the moodiness of the song's first half is just as important as the bombastic conclusion. If you like Khanate, but sometimes wish they were a bit less esoteric, this is for you.

Switchblade - 7:05

Switchblade will be doing a few tourdates with Amen Ra in August:

08/24 - La Batofar, Paris (FRA) (possibly featuring E on vocals)
08/25 - Ieper Festival (BEL)
08/26 - tba
08/27 - Exzess, Frankfurt (GER)

MP3: Deud - Fredag

I mentioned Deud in passing when they first appeared on myspace, but I always worry that my little side comments go unnoticed. I knew the band was something special even after hearing just a few songs streamed online, so I immediately requested a copy of their demo "The man who was Sunday". Blessed be the miracle of the Internet, I had mp3s in my mailbox in less than 24 hours! That's modern magic right there! The music probably isn't for everyone, but I for one love their take on doomy post-hardcore. Think Breach, but way more drawn-out and atmospheric. It's not quite as dark and menacing as Khanate or Switchblade, but it's still mighty ruling and the track I've posted today is a definite highlight. The sound quality can be a bit rough (it is a demo after all), but the sounds they create overcome the technological limitations. Please note that you can download the whole damn demo at the aforementioned myspace link, but also be aware that I boosted the levels for this particular mp3 so it'll sound slightly different.

Deud - Fredag

Check out an e-card for the US release of the new Switchblade record: http://www.switchblade2006.com/
They sound way more like Khanate than Isis this time around and I think that's a good thing. Definitely recommended, especially the track with Matthias Friberg from Logh.

Canadian label Cyclop Media has licensed the most recent Switchblade album for release in North America. It comes out May 9.