A razor-sharp recording that effectively proves how lethal Power Trip was in a live setting, Live In Seattle was recorded as the title states in Seattle at Neumos on May 28, 2018. Originally released in June of 2020, the collection will finally arrive on vinyl, CD, and digital formats on June 23rd, 2023.
The set list for Live In Seattle is a selection of classic tracks from the band’s discography; Nightmare Logic and Manifest Decimation albums (the Grammy™ nominated Best Metal Performance “Executioner’s Tax [Swing of the Axe],” “Conditioned to Death,” “Firing Squad,” and more), and even a deep cut / fan favorite, “Suffer No Fool,” these eleven thrashing crossover tracks are full of the fire and venom that only Power Trip can deliver.
“fantastical big-room thrash like 1986 never ended” – Stereogum
High Command have announced U.S. and Canada tour dates this May, ending at the Milwaukee Metal Fest on May 28th (full routing can be found below). This run marks High Command’s first jaunt away from the east coast in support of their new album Eclipse of the Dual Moons and follows the band’s support slots for Sunn O))) in Philadelphia and Brooklyn that closed out 2022.
On their second album, Eclipse of the Dual Moons, the band take their love of storytelling a step further, deepening and widening the world of Secartha, the realm of High Command’s songs. The band place themselves as omniscient narrators of the world they have created, and say that they are inseparable from Secartha and its people.
“It’s one thing to make a good metal record, but it’s another to put on top of it a sort of overarching story that makes sense to listeners. The whole High Command project is enriched by lyrics articulating characters, a world, and trials faced within it. We want our records to be immersive and leave listeners with a feeling they’ve experienced something bigger than the music.”
It’s not just a question of widening the world, which the band first started exploring on The Secartha Demos (2016); Eclipse of the Dual Moons sees High Command honing their process to a fine art “it’s like we started with chiseling a rock… this record is the moment the rock in question begins to look like an actual sculpture.”
Revisit Eclipse of the Dual Moons singles linked in the track listing below and catch High Command on the road soon:
High Command, on tour
May 20 Hartford, CT @ The Webster
May 21 Brooklyn, NY @ The Brooklyn Monarch
May 22 Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
1989’s Manic Ride is now sonically enhanced with an aggressive remaster from Brad Boatright. // Pre-orders are available now.
Frenetic, coarse and frequently atonal. Nothing is more a distillation of that sound than the mighty BL’AST! ’s final studio album, Take The Manic Ride (1989). Over 30 years later, and the album is getting the reissue treatment on Southern Lord.
In June of 1988 BL’AST! went into the studio with Black Flags’ live sound GOAT: Dave Rat (RATSOUND), and the breakneck Take The Manic Ride was recorded. This version was later destroyed after the band was dissatisfied with the original production. Now, this unmissable piece of hardcore history has been carefully restored under the strict guidance of mastering engineer Brad Boatright (also remastered the other BL’AST! albums re-released by Southern Lord). Manic Ride will be released by Southern Lord on March 10th.
Mike (Neider, guitar) comments on the reissue:
“The release of Manic Ride is essential to finish the history of past BL’AST! releases. It displays how off the beaten path BL’AST! is and always has been. The music and lyrics does not tread lightly. We’re grateful to have Manic Ride’s affiliation w/ Rat Sound/Dave Rat, SSTRecords and Southern Lord and for all of our friends, fans and family, as well as the BL’AST! blood brotherhood. For this to be released in our fortieth year as a band is truly amazing.
Rest In Power to the artist of the Manic cover, Justin Forbes.”
Photo credit: Naomi Petersen Photography, courtesy of Chris Petersen Images/Punk Life Naomi.
Additional bio information:
Having formed in 1983, the highly influential Santa Cruz hardcore legend BL’AST! released their first album, The Power of Expression in 1985. This debut album went on to become one of the highly sought after, must-have hardcore albums from the 80s.
BL’AST! were beyond intense, continually pushing the boundaries of hardcore with their advanced musicianship, unstoppable energic delivery and explosive live performances. This overwhelming power caught the attention of SST records, who released the band’s second album, It’s In My Blood in 1987. Their third album, Take The Manic Ride, was then released in 1989.
BL’AST!‘s wide-eyed, ambitious approach and intense perseverance became an influence for many bands to come. Shortly after the release of Take The Manic Ride the band broke up and their story was, for some time, buried by time and dust…
The band reformed in the 2000s, and released the 7” EP, For Those Who Grace The Fire, from 2015, which featured Dave Grohl on drums and Chuck Dukowski on bass. They then released Blood!, an album consisting of then-lost recordings, and remixed by Dave Grohl, in 2013. Later on, they also did a split 7″ with Eyehategod, contributing “Cut Your Teeth” in 2017.
2022 has been a phenomenally active year for Greg Anderson as The Lord. Having previously shared standalone track releases, he then released his debut solo album Forest Nocturne in Summer followed by a collaborative album with PetraHaden, Devotional in October.
Now, he is heard in collaboration with David Pajo in a brand new track, “Nazarite“, which sees the two musicians meet over ominous arpeggios and spoken word segments in this new track which Greg suggests is a “gateway” to more collaborations in the future.
Greg says, “I’m beyond honored to have been able to collaborate with David Pajo for this ever evolving output as The Lord. Slint remains one of the most important bands ever to me. I composed the music for Nazarite as a love letter to Slint that exemplifies my obsession and devotion. David’s brilliant response to my humble offering is clear proof of his genius.“
David Pajo says, “In Tennessee, I played a bit of acoustic guitar on the Goatsnake song ‘Another River To Cross.’ It was then that I realized we had a perfect working dynamic. We seem to be able to push an idea from nothing into solid shape, without much effort or ego. I trust Greg’s ear and musical sense implicitly—he’s fearless.“
In an interview with Earthquaker, Anderson explains that he first met Pajo in Los Angeles (around 2015), and the pair became friends. Pajo later played a guitar intro on a Goatsnake album. Sunn O))) first invited David Pajo to join them on tour in 2019 and the pair remained in touch to eventually collaborate on this new track.
Greg continues; “Making music as The Lord has given me the freedom to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians from William Duvall to Petra Haden to David Pajo as well as exploring my own sound as a solo musician. Each track or full length that Southern Lord has put out so far has gone way beyond expectation and taken on a life of its own. These musicians have brought out the different sides of my musical interests in a very organic way, and it has been life-affirming to try things that I’ve never explored before.“
We look forward to sharing more from The Lord in 2023.
See core members Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson on the road soon, with a bonus show added in Los Angeles.
In the coming weeks, core Sunn O))) members Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley will return to the live aspect as Shoshin (初心) Duo in its original, raw form. They’ll perform as a pair, immersed in profound valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion, and volume. Pure and primeval riffs of temporality, massively heavy structures of sound pressure. Witness a live experience of physical sound, and glacial maximalism like no other.
Supporting acts for select dates on tour have been announced and include High Command, Kali Malone, Tzompantli, David Pajo and more. See the full list of support acts as well as ticket links for the shows listed below.
“fantastical big-room thrash like 1986 never ended” – Stereogum
High Command share the final single from their forthcoming full length album Eclipse of the Dual Moons, out November 25th on Southern Lord. The single, “Fortified by Bloodshed,” arrives today alongside a new interview with the band via Invisible Oranges. Additionally, Eclipse of the Dual Moons is available for pre-order on all formats here.
Swords and metal go hand in hand. That’s what crossover thrash band High Command say, having turned heads with their debut album Beyond The Wall of Desolation (2019).
“Our love for the bay area in the 80’s is certainly no secret. Besides some of the more obvious influences we have I think we were much more comfortable exploring some of the less obvious stuff we hinted at with the first record. Particularly traditional heavy metal (Dio, Mercyful Fate) the south’s interpretation of the bay area (Exhorder, Obituary, Nasty Savage, Devastation, Rigor Mortis) first wave black metal (Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost). Of course all of this executed with the discharge, Cro mags, Sacrilege DNA that runs through our veins,” High Command comments.
But it’s not solely metal music which influences the band, who cite the lustful violence of Robert E. Howard, Michel Moorcock, Jack Vance and many other legendary pulp writers of the 20th century as an impetus for their expansive storytelling. “People would also be surprised to hear we drew quite a bit of inspiration from the music of Ennio Morricone, especially in regards to writing some more of the epic, grandiose passages and chord progressions.” says the band.
With their second album, Eclipse of the Dual Moons, the band take their love of storytelling a step further, deepening and widening the world of Secartha, the realm of High Command’s songs. The band place themselves as omniscient narrators of the world they have created, and say that they are inseparable from Secartha and its people.
“It’s one thing to make a good metal record, but it’s another to put on top of it a sort of overarching story that makes sense to listeners. The whole High Command project is enriched by lyrics articulating characters, a world, and trials faced within it. We want our records to be immersive and leave listeners with a feeling they’ve experienced something bigger than the music.”
It’s not just a question of widening the world, which the band first started exploring on The Secartha Demos (2016); Eclipse of the Dual Moons sees High Command honing their process to a fine art “it’s like we started with chiseling a rock… this record is the moment the rock in question begins to look like an actual sculpture.”
“wields a unique energy that could only come from this strange union” – AllMusic
Devotional is the new collaborative release from The Lord (Greg Anderson of Sunn O))), Goatsnake and Engine Kid) with vocalist and violinist Petra Haden. The album is a rapturous and heady offering of wordless vocalizations, droning guitars, and heaviness explored in unexpected and intoxicating ways. On Devotional, through a haze of incense, flowing robes, and secret mantras, Petra Haden’s voice rings out over constant drones in ecstatic chants throughout this musical investigation into the myriad of ways in which worship can lure and intoxicate. This is a journey that Haden and Anderson go on together, the guitar and vocals combined like the call and response of a guru and its congregation.
Petra Haden first worked with Greg Anderson during his time in Goatsnake, as well as on the second SUNN O))) studio album, ØØ Void. Now, two decades later, the duo reunite for Devotional. Anderson comments, “It had been about 20 years since we had recorded together and Petra is as she was then: a master improviser and otherworldly vocalist.” Haden continues, “It was so much fun getting to play and sing on SUNN O)))’s album ØØ Void. 20 years later, I’m on stage with them at The Mayan Theater in Los Angeles singing and playing on the encore. I was in heaven! After the show, Greg and I talked about working on more music together. When I heard his ideas, I already had melodies in my head. I recorded some ideas at home and it developed from there. Greg is a really deep listener and he’s so much fun to work with. Getting to collaborate with Greg reminds me why I love to sing and improvise. I feel free and happy. That’s what music is all about.”
Inspirations for Devotional came from deep listening to Indian classical music (“a loose metal-head caveman interpretation of the Indian modal scale,” comments Anderson), as well as a fascinating look at the chaotic and unbelievable life of Ma Anand Sheela and the Rajneesh community. Anderson elaborates, “I’ve had an overall fascination with religious cults all my life, in particular the complete sacrifice of self and surrender to a particular belief or being, person… trying to decipher why someone does that and trying to imagine what must be in their head when doing so. The only thing I can possibly equate is how I feel about music; creating it performing it. I try to channel what I think that feeling is into my playing and definitely in the creation of the music for this album.”
He continues, “Growing up in the Pacific Northwest (especially in the 80’s), I would see what appeared to be hippies all dressed in purple around the University of Washington area passing out literature and having deep philosophical discussions with people. I wanted to know who they were and what they were about. At that time, I wasn’t able to learn much other than some unsavory, controversial news stories that made it to our local news station. A few years ago, an incredible documentary (Wild, Wild Country) about the Rajneesh, Baghwan/Osho and Ma Anand Sheela came out and I devoured every episode of it… a few times. I was again fascinated by their complete and total devotion to one person (Osho) and his philosophies. The devotees seemed completely and utterly blissful, in a complete state of nirvana. Ultimately the story has a very dark, sinister twist to it and in some ways that is an appropriate analysis of the music of the album as well. The contrast of serenity and darkness.”
Officially released today on physical and digital formats, Devotional is a seductive, hypnotic and intriguing new chapter in The Lord’s exploration of heavy music. Look for the release in stores and online, and check out the liner notes by Ian Astbury for an esoteric perspective on the music.
The song appears on their forthcoming full-length Eclipse of the Dual Moons, arriving November 25th via Southern Lord.
“If you’re looking for a perfect blend of old school heavy metal and bay area metal, you’re really going to dig whatHigh Command is bringing.” – Metal Injection
High Command share a second track from their forthcoming full length album Eclipse of the Dual Moons, arriving 25th November via Southern Lord and produced with Seth Manchester. The new track, “Imposing Hammers of Cold Sorcery“, is a hefty and atmospheric track which tells the story of a perilous quest. In the band’s words: “‘Imposing Hammers Of Cold Sorcery‘ is a sonic conquest of ancient lore. A testimony of fortitude peering into the eyes of obliteration. Following an attack from a celestial horde, the Four Realms are cloaked in apprehension. On a fabled whim of the long forgotten Guild Of Sage, Dikeptor & the Infernal March must endure the frozen winds and scale the perilous cliffs of the Serrated Peaks. What lies beneath the clouds is a formidable mystifying power.”
Swords and metal go hand in hand. That’s what crossover thrash band High Command say, having turned heads with their debut album Beyond The Wall of Desolation (2019).
“Our love for the bay area in the 80’s is certainly no secret. Besides some of the more obvious influences we have I think we were much more comfortable exploring some of the less obvious stuff we hinted at with the first record. Particularly traditional heavy metal (Dio, Mercyful Fate) the south’s interpretation of the bay area (Exhorder, Obituary, Nasty Savage, Devastation, Rigor Mortis) first wave black metal (Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost). Of course all of this executed with the discharge, Cro mags, Sacrilege DNA that runs through our veins,” High Command comments.
But it’s not solely metal music which influences the band, who cite the lustful violence of Robert E. Howard, Michel Moorcock, Jack Vance and many other legendary pulp writers of the 20th century as an impetus for their expansive storytelling. “People would also be surprised to hear we drew quite a bit of inspiration from the music of Ennio Morricone, especially in regards to writing some more of the epic, grandiose passages and chord progressions.” says the band.
Now, with their second album, Eclipse of the Dual Moons, the band take their love of storytelling a step further, deepening and widening the world of Secartha, the realm of High Command’s songs. The band place themselves as omniscient narrators of the world they have created, and say that they are inseparable from Secartha and its people.
“It’s one thing to make a good metal record, but it’s another to put on top of it a sort of overarching story that makes sense to listeners. The whole High Command project is enriched by lyrics articulating characters, a world, and trials faced within it. We want our records to be immersive and leave listeners with a feeling they’ve experienced something bigger than the music.”
It’s not just a question of widening the world, which the band first started exploring on The Secartha Demos (2016); Eclipse of the Dual Moons sees High Command
honing their process to a fine art “it’s like we started with chiseling a rock… this record is the moment the rock in question begins to look like an actual sculpture.”
See High Command on tour on the east coast in October, as part of their Season of the Witch Tour, with Dead Heat and Final Gasp:
See core members Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson on the road in December + January.
This winter, see core Sunn O))) members Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley return to the live aspect as Shoshin (初心) Duo in its original, raw form. They’ll perform as a pair, immersed in profound valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion, and volume. Pure and primeval riffs of temporality, massively heavy structures of sound pressure. Witness a live experience of physical sound, and glacial maximalism like no other. Tickets for the tour are on sale now.
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