Acid King / Minsk / Wolvhammer / Bottomed
Bathed in distortion, baptized in a plume of smoke, and born again in 2015, Bay Area trio Acid King—Lori S. [vocals, guitars], Joey Osborne [drums], and Mark Lamb [bass]—re-emerged with their first offering in a decade, Middle of Nowhere Center of Everywhere. Tastemakers such as Noisey, Invisible Oranges, and New Noise lauded the album. They embarked on tours of the States and Australia, appearing on festivals including Psycho Las Vegas, Erosion Fest, Desert Generator, and more as well as sharing the stage with everyone from SLEEP and DOWN to BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and RED FANG. It extended a celebrated discography that encompasses three EPs and three full-lengths, namely Zoroaster [1995, Sympathy For The Record Industry], Busse Woods [1999, Main’s Ruin Records], and Acid King III [2005, Small Stone Records]. Forever etched in Acid King lore, Joey and Mark announced an amicable split during late 2016. Lori invited an old friend BLACK COBRA’s Rafa Martinez [bass] and avowed ACID KING fan Bil Bowman of HOMSS behind the kit for this string of shows in 2017.
MINSK broke into the scene in early 2005 with their debut full-length, Out of a Center Which is Neither Dead Nor Alive, via At A Loss Recordings. During the process, the band’s producer SANFORD PARKER (PELICAN, YOB, RWAKE) joined on bass guitar, solidifying the final lineup and priming the band for their next move. Positive coverage by outlets such as Kerrang!, Decibel, and The Village Voice, along with the band’s ground-shaking live shows, generated excitement that carried MINSK into appearances to festivals and tours around the world. Over the past decade, they’ve put out PARKER-produced records on Relapse Records, opened for the likes of BORIS, SUNN O))), and HIGH ON FIRE, gone on hiatus and ended said hiatus, and most recently released their 76-minute opus, The Crash and The Draw, in 2015. Decibel, Stereogum, Terrorizer, and MetalSucks all declared it the band’s best. Like their namesake city, MINSK have proven that they can recreate themselves again and again, the same entity birthing grand new ideas each time they return.
Minneapolis/Olympia four-piece WOLVHAMMER is an extreme metal outfit founded in 2008 and featuring current ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and SKELETONWITCH members. Their 2010 debut, Black Marketeers of World War III, was followed by two releases on Profound Lore. This output has cemeted WOLVHAMMER as a force in the American extreme metal communuity, as they’ve shown off their unique death n’ roll elements with black metal foundations. Earlier this year the band independenly released WorkingClass:AntiChristians, prior to an American tour with Swedish underground legends SHINING.
BOTTOMED is a dark, avant-garde project consisting of Nick Dellacroce of Bongripper. BOTTOMED’s material is oppressive, intense, and uncompromising, transporting the listener through a range of emotions and feelings.