SEEN AND HEARD: SÓLSTAFIR , DAWNBRINGER, DARK FORTRESS, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS

Photo by Guðný Lára Thorarensen and Guðmundur Óli Pálmason

Here’s a quartet of things I saw and heard over the last 24 hours that I thought were worth your time. I could have sub-titled this “The Exception to the Rule Round-Up”, because the vocals are almost all of the clean variety.

SÓLSTAFIR

I’ve written about every advance track that has appeared from Sólstafir’s new album Ótta, which will be released by Season of Mist on August 29 in Europe and September 2 in North America. So I guess it stands to reason that I’m going to write about the full-album stream that premiered yesterday at Noisey.

I love the album, but I’m not sure were going to review it. We didn’t get our promo copy of the album from the label until less than 24 hours before the stream went up (and only about 10 days before the European release date), and I do sometimes wonder what the point is of writing a review when everyone can hear the album for themselves, especially when there are so many other albums whose music is less accessible that are also worth praising. There’s always a point to bringing music to the attention of people who might not be aware of it, but anyone who regularly visits our site couldn’t possibly remain unaware Ótta.

Anyway, whether we write more about the album or not, you really should go listen to it. Among the previously unreleased songs, “Non” in particular has been getting repeated spins among our staff. The goddamn riff at the end is just glorious. Go here — you’ll be glad you did:

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/solstafir-otta-stream-interview

 

 

 

DAWNBRINGER

What you see above is the album cover for the new Dawnbringer album, Night Of The Hammer, which Profound Lore will release on Oct 28. The photo is by Caesar Cole. When PL revealed the cover yesterday, they wrote that it “totally captures the vibe of the album”.

I’m very curious to hear what Chris Black and company have cooked up for this new one. If you’re new to Dawnbringer, check out their last album below.

https://www.facebook.com/deathofhunger

 

 

 

 

 

 

DARK FORTRESS

As we’ve previously reported, Century Media will be releasing the seventh album by Germany’s Dark Fortress on September 2.  The title is Venereal Dawn and you can pre-order it here. It has been on our “highly anticipated” list for a long time, and I’ll tell you now that it meets and exceeds those expectations.

A few days ago, New Noise magazine began exclusively streaming one of the new tracks, named “Chrysalis”. It’s a wonderfully dark and dramatic song, with an air of the gothic shimmering about it. Great multifaceted guitar parts, great basso profundo vocals (and lacerating harsh ones), a great guitar solo. Basically, it’s just great. I recommend you go here to check it out:

http://newnoisemagazine.com/exclusive-song-stream-dark-fortress-chrysalis/

 

 

UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS

Earlier this month Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats announced the release of a new two-song 7″ named Runaway Girls. It’s coming via Rise Records on August 25. Yesterday, Loudwire premiered an official video for the A-side song. Like other Uncle Acid videos, it unabashedly pulls film clips from the era from which the band pull their music.

The song is kick to hear, yet another highly infectious piece of sinister psychedelic throwback (and I finally figured out that KR Starrs sounds like a more on-key Neil Young). The video is a kick, too, though be aware that it includes nudity.

In other Uncle Acid news, they’ll be embarking on a North American tour next month. You’ll find the dates after the video. I strongly recommend you see their show if you can; I caught them at MDF this year, and they killed it.

https://www.facebook.com/uncleacid

 

 

 

UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS North American Tour:

9/24: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
9/25: Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
9/26: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
9/27: Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
9/28: Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
9/30: Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
10/1: Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
10/3: Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
10/4: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/6: Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/7: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw
10/8: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
10/10: San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
10/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theater – SOLD OUT
10/12: Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theater