Monster Magnet

Following on from the last post, I thought I'd keep the good stoner/doom music tours coming your way. This one is a band I've been a fan of since the 90s as an awkward pre-teen, but only just saw this year for the first time at Soundwave.

It's Monster Magnet.

They felt a bit out of place in the middle of a summer day on a stage with mainly "popular" "core" bands, but to me, they were one of the highlights of the day. Perfect for relaxing in the shade and just letting the music wash over you.

This year they've decided to play one of their classic albums, Dopes to Inifity, in full. Their lead singer explains:

When I wrote ‘Dopes…’ in 1995 I envisioned a hard-rock, tripped-out journey exploring the many sounds and styles of the great psychedelic era of 1968-1974. I carefully sequenced the album to take the listener on a roller-coaster ride of engaging words and music. I sang songs of love, hate, lust, joy and desperation in a style I hoped would fire the listener’s imagination, bringing the everyday emotions that we all share to mythical heights. Thankfully, the fans and critics told me I succeeded. Now I’d like to bring that experience to the stage. ‘Dopes To Infinity’: Live! In it’s entirety. A complete trip from beginning to end. I can’t wait!

September 17 at the HiFi. 18+

Church of Misery

Japan.
It's a country of great music. There's no doubt about it. So many great bands, of every genre, seem to come out of there. I think of it as Asia's Sweden. Both countries just export such quality music.

One Japanese band I stumbled across this year is Church of Misery. Imagine, if you will, some 1970s Black Sabbath. Now take that, mix it up with some Kyuss and Oliveri-era Queens of the Stone Age (fuck he made that band) and while you're at it, throw in some dirty southern rock (in a Maylene and the Sons of Disaster style) and just a pinch of the Melvins.


Finding all of those videos for those bands mentioned above has made me excited for this. They are just truly awesome doom-metal. So it's not surprising that they're headlining Doomfest this year. October 14 at the Jubilee.

If you like only one or two of those bands I listed above, do yourself a favour, head over to their MySpace and chuck a listen. Don't let the band name or the genre fool you, it's just great rock and roll.

EDIT: According to the festival's Facebook, Church of Misery are out. Stay tuned to see who the replacement is