Seriously, this is a show you don’t want to miss– YOB and Voivod will be taking over The Fine Line on Tuesday, March 26th. Tickets are still available HERE!
Epic, crushing, and heavy beyond words, YOB has achieved legendary status in recent years due to their unmatched aesthetic and incredible body of work. Formed in 1996 in Eugene, Oregon under the leadership of doom metal mastermind Mike Scheidt on guitars and vocals, the group initially released a three song demo tape in 2000 that garnered them international attention. Drawing comparisons to groups like Neurosis, Sleep and Electric Wizard, YOB succeeded in developing modern sounding doom metal that hearkened back to the classics.
In 2002, YOB released their debut album Elaborations of Carbon followed by Catharsis in 2003, a three song record that clocked in at a colossal 50 minutes. The buzz about YOB was beginning to grow and the trio began to tour more extensively. Remaining quite prolific during this period, YOB continued to release an album each year with The Illusion of Motion coming in 2004 followed by The Unreal Never Lived in 2005. Despite all the momentum, YOB disbanded in 2006.
In 2008 the band returned from hiatus and has remained strong ever since with Travis Foster on drums and Aaron Rieseberg on bass. Reinvigorated and reinspired, YOB released The Great Cessation in 2009. It was doom with a psychedelic twist, a sound that Pitchfork referred to as “cosmic doom.” At this point in their career, the band found increased exposure in the media, with The New York Times going so far as to call them “one of the best bands in North America” after a performance at Scion Rock Festival.
Now in 2018, the band has announced their newest album Our Raw Heart to be released on Relapse Records. As for how Our Raw Heart will be received? Mike Scheidt (guitar/vocals) is wise enough to know that it’s out of his hands. “I think every era of Yob fan will find something on there to dig—it’s just a matter of whether they can go on the whole trip or not,” he ventures. “And that’s none of my business. The music has a life of its own. It goes out there into the world and it’s gonna be received however it’s received.”
A personal favorite of mine- Voivod- will be joining YOB. The only predictable thing about Canadian cosmic-metal warriors Voivod is that they will forever be unpredictable. On the warpath for more than 35 years, Voivod have pushed their sound relentlessly forward, constructing imaginative musical realms with each endeavor. They literally changed the face of thrash metal in the ‘80s, forged new prog-metal ground in the ‘90s, and kept up with changing times and lineups in the 2000s with fresh, inspired music.
In 2018, Voivod’s 14th studio album, The Wake, is upon us. The band’s original members, drummer Michel “Away” Langevin and vocalist Denis “Snake” Belanger, find themselves reinvigorated and reenergized by the presence of guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain and new bassist Dominic “Rocky” Laroche. Mongrain, now celebrating ten years in the band, has done a more than respectable job replacing original guitarist, the ever-beloved Denis “Piggy” D’Amour. His contribution to the making of The Wake was as integral to the new album as was Piggy’s leadership during his reign. The Wake steers the Voivod spacecraft through a tangled, tantalizing storyline, woven into the most maze-like, edge-of-your-seat musical experience the band have embarked upon since those heady days of the late ‘80s. Songs such as “The End of Dormancy,” “Iconspiracy” and “Spherical Perspective” churn and twist in such a way that no Voivod devotee could possibly have wished for more.
AMENRA will kick the night off. Contrasts have always been deep, and at the very heart of AMENRA’s music, ever since they started uttering their Prayers and holding their Masses, eighteen years ago. Tormented darkness has always coexisted alongside luminous beauty, thunderous impacts instantly followed by frail, delicate subtleties. Songs that seem to engulf everyone in the world at once suddenly feel like they are being whispered to you inside the isolation of your solitary womb. Mass VI (2017) is here, and more than any other album in AMENRA’s past, it highlights those contrasts in a deeply affecting way.
Tour Dates:
03/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
03/27 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
03/28 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
03/29 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
03/30 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix
03/31 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
04/02 – Portland, ME @ Geno’s
04/03 – Boston, MA @ Royale
04/04 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
04/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/06 – Richmond, VA @ Broadberry
04/07 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings
04/09 – Knoxville, TN @ Concourse
04/10 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
04/11 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
04/12 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse
04/13 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda
04/14 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey
04/16 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater *
04/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red +
04/19 – San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick +
* = No Voivod
+ = YOB only
