Here at Heathen Skulls we’ve just announced some of our best tours to dates, to say we’re a little excited is monolithic understatement. It’s safe to say all of these tours are completely different from one another, but here’s the thing, they all follow a similar theme, and that being the progression, heaviness and darkness of truly underground music. All these artists offer us a chance to let their music take us on a journey, to give us an opportunity to experience other lands through their eyes and ears.

Artist details, ticketing info and tour dates are all clearly listed below!

* Toxic Holocaust: With a five year absence, Joel Grind is finally bringing his thrash metal alter ego Toxic Holocaust back to Australia! In early to mid January, Toxic Holocaust will be laying waste on Australian shores with shows in most capital Cities. Facebook event: Toxic Holocaust Facebook event

* Death Grips: In late January we’re proud to present the first ever tour by the Sacramento, USA, experimental Hip Hop trio Death Grips, who are with out a doubt, due to their pummeling free mix tape album EX MILITARY, becoming one of the hardest & fastest rising avant-garde artists around. They bring to Hip Hop what Black Flag brought to hardcore. Facebook events, visit: Death Grips Australian tour – Facebook events!

*Scott Kelly (Neurosis) & John Baizley (Baroness): Heathen Skulls are very proud to announce one of our most unique tours to date, this February we’ll be presenting the first ever Australian and New Zealand tour for Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and John Baizley (Baroness), two undisputed legendary pioneers of all things progressive, metal, and doom!
For the first time EVER they’ll be banding together, hitting the road, and touring Australia as individual solo artists, a tour where both artists will respectfully present material from their vast back catalogues and future releases. Facebook events, visit: Scott Kelly & John Baizley Australian tour!

*Dead Meadow (LA/USA) & Pink Mountaintops (Vancouver/Canada): Heathen Skulls are proud o announce the return of North America’s cosmic sons, Dead Meadow! To mark their 3rd Australian tour, they’ll be touring with Black Mountains Stephen McBean and his side project Pink Mountaintops. Two undisputed legends of modern psych and cosmic vibes, sharing the sale stage, on the same tour! Facebook events, visit: Dead Meadow and Pink Mountaintops events page!

With very special guests

Ascending from the smoldering ash of a desecrated grave, Toxic Holocaust rose to remains in 1999 in the City of Portland, Oregon.

Much like their contemporaries Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust have become one of the most well respected and authentic sounding metal bands that have risen out of the old school thrash revival.

Taking well documented notes from the masters of blackened thrash punk, Toxic Holocaust is the brain child of multi instrumentalist Joel Grind, who for the first few albums and E.P releases hired a backing band and recorded all the instruments single handedly.

It wasn’t till signing with Relapse Records and the recording of their 2008 album ‘An Overdose of Death’ that Joel finally settled on a consistent rhythm section for Toxic Holocaust.
Since then, Toxic Holocaust have become a non stop touring war machine thats seen them blasting around the World sharing stages with every note worthy band with in the realm of heavy music, not to mention playing every metal festival imagiable!

With the release of their highly anticipated 2011 new album ‘Conjure and Command’, Toxic Holocaust have produced one of their most successful and critically acclaimed albums to date.
Conjure and Command is harder, faster, and far darker than Overdose of Death, and any previously release. With first rate production and the focus that only hardcore touring can create, Conjure and Command drives home the classic Toxic Holocaust signature sound with crushing force and new vitality.

Toxic Holocaust has finally come into their own as an unstoppable force, with years of touring now behind them, they’ve finally shaken the retro tag of the old school trash revival, a genre they once pioneered.

On drums Joel is now backed by Nick Bellmore on drums, and Phil Zeller on bass, this January Toxic Holocaust will be hitting every major City in Australia, this is their first tour down under in over five years!

Special guests are Melbourne warlords of D-Beat, punk and hardcore KROMOSOM (featuring members of Piss Christ and Nuclear Death Terror).

KROMOSOM info!
Crushingly brutal over-distorted hardcore in the Scandinavian tradition featuring ex-members of PISSCHRIST and NUCLEAR DEATH TERROR. Hi-energy, raucous and loud, their live gigs here in Australia, the U.S. and Japan over the past six months have gained them a lot of personal injuries and broken a few eardrums. Their debut 12” was released in June 2011 by a consortium of labels from Australia, Japan, Sweden and the U.S. Now in its second pressing, it was followed by a split 7” released on Tokyo’s Hardcore Survives label prior to their tour there with Isterismo last September. Plans for 2012 include a new EP on Cleveland’s Holy Terror Records and a gig at Sydney’s Evil Invaders IV.

*****TOUR DETAILS below*****

TOXIC HOLOCAUST media

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ToxicHolocaust

Relapse Records profile:
http://www.relapse.com/label/toxic-holocaust.html

Myspace:
www.myspace.com/toxicholocaust

Web site:
www.toxicholocaust.bandcamp.com

Toxic Holocaust – Nuke the Cross (Video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4MK9bJdclc

Toxic Holocaust – Wild Dogs (Video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9z3IX2tX_Q&feature=relmfu

Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu7PAAopMyY

Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command in studio footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGAJwx2aaD4

Toxic Holocaust – No Where To Run (audio):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iSzL26B2HI

KROMOSOM media

Live clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh6WM63LIcc

Live clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh6WM63LIcc

Live clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikl1gxI2Eok&feature=related

Live clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVQSLulBrWc&feature=player_embedded

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Kromosom/154252137949838

Myspace: www.myspace.com/kromosom

Web site: www.kromosom.tumbr.com

Toxic Holocaust (Portland, OR, USA) & Kromosom (Victoria, AU) - Australian tour, January, 2012

TICKETS $30, available as of Friday, 11th of November, see outlets below!

Friday 6th: Melbourne @ The Bendigo Hotel (Johnston St, Collingwood)
(Tour launch party) w/ Ignivomous + special guests!
Please not: Capacity strictly limited to 200.

Tickets for the tour launch party @ Bendigo Hotel are available via Heathen Skulls directly, once purchased, your name will be put on a V.I.P guest list and ticked off at the door upon arrival. Please show I’D upon entry.
To purchase tickets, please pay via the two payment options listed below, then email your full name and payment confirmation to this email address: mailorderstuff@gmail.com

Tickets: $30 + $2 booking fee (Purchase through Paypal or direct deposit)

Paypal payment email address: mailorderstuff@gmail.com

Direct deposit payment details:
Bank: Commonwealth / Account Name: Robert MacManus
BSB: 063250 / Acc No: 10005644

*****Australian tour – January, 2012*****

Saturday 7th: Brisbane @ The Zoo
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au

Sunday 8th: Adelaide @ Fowlers
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au

Wednesday 11th: Geelong @ The Nash (Kromosom not playing)
Please not: Capacity strictly limited to 200
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au

Friday 13th: Canberra @ ANU Refectory
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au

Saturday 14th: Sydney @ The Wall (Bald Face Stag)
Tickets available TBC

Sunday 15th: Melbourne @ Hi Fi Bar w/ very special guests
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au

Heathen Skulls are very proud to present from Los Angeles, California!

Omar Rodríguez-López Group w/ very special guests Le Butcherettes
(Omar from Mars Volta + MV bassist & drummer)

If you’re unaware of who Omar Rodríguez-López is, which is understandable, then you’ll definitely be familiar with the various artistic projects he’s been involved in, most notable Mars Volta, the Grammy Award winning progressive rock band he founded with fellow At The Drive In member Cedric Bixler Zavala. Over the course of Omar’s illustrious and enduring career as a musician, producer, and film maker, he’s been involved with some of the most critically acclaimed artists of our generation, most notable numerous recorded collaborations with John Frusciante of he Red Hot Chilly Peppers. After countless tours by his previous projects, Omar will finally be touring his own band down under, a power trio that’s modestly entitled the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group, which just so happens to feature Mars Volta’s current drummer and bassist.

To accompany Omar on his first ever Australian tour he’ll be bringing the Mexican born, LA based, art punk band Le Butcherettes with him, in which he plays bass, and are signed to his record label.

Here’s some genius new footage of Omar and his Mars Volta rhythm section opening up for Primus the other night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo8AI-YeyFM&feature=related

Omar Wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Rodr%C3%ADguez-López

Omar’s official web site:
www.rodriguezlopezproductions.com

Live in Kentucky, USA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXRG7IsCRI&feature=related

Live in Los Angeles (Troubadour):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlhKf7FM7qs

Live in San Francisco, USA:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM0XZ2x0bNs

* Mr Omar Rodriguez Lopez (Mars Volta, At The Drive In, De Facto, GSL Records, & now ORL Productions)

Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes in classic possession mode, she’s ‘bloody’ amazing!

Australian tour – December, 2011
Tickets $25 + BF, available NOW!

Hailing from the windy City of Chicago, RUSSIAN CIRCLES have been making their mark on the international underground since 2004, as described on their Wiki page, Russian Circles play instrumental, sprawling music which runs the gamut of heavy discordant metal, to sot delicate passages.

Starting with their self tiled, self released, debut EP in 2004, Russian Circles gave gone onto critical acclaim by recording numerous singles and split releases, not to mention three monumental full length albums, with a fourth due in October. They’ve shared the road and befriended with every like-minded band you know and love, most notable Boris, whom they’re currently co-headlining a Europe tour with. They’ve even made their mark on the Billboard charts, with their most recent album ‘Geneva’ entering at 24.

Russian Circles feature Mike Sullivan on guitar, Dave Turncrantz on drums and Seattle based bassist Brian Cook,  Brian was previously with seminal hardcore legends ‘BOTCH’ and ‘These Arms and Snakes’.

Ladies and gentlemen, Heathen Skulls are proud to present Chicago’s RUSSIAN CIRCLES, for the first time, on Australian soil. They tour nationally this September! Please see below for ticketing and show details.

Russian Circles, Harper Lewis, Live at Wicker Park Festival, 2007

Russian Circles, Carpe, live version!

Russian Circles, Young Blood, live in Russia!

Russian Circles, Station (end), live in Russia!

****************************************************************

AUSTRALIAN / NEW ZEALAND TOUR  - September, 2011

****************************************************************

Wednesday 7th: Melbourne @ East Brunswick Club – JUST ANNOUNCED!

w/ Encircling Sea, Agonhymn, Hotel Wrecking City Traders

Tickets available from Corner Hotel box office: www.cornerhotel.com

*

Thursday 8th: Melbourne @ Corner Hotel – SELLING FAST!

w/ Coerce, Scul Hazzards, Bronze Chariot

Tickets available from Corner Hotel box office: www.cornerhotel.com

*

Friday 9th: Canberra @ ANU Refectory

w/ 4 Dead, Bronze Chariot + Spartak

No pre-sale tickets, door sales only!

*

Saturday 10th: Brisbane @ The Zoo - SELLING FAST!

w/ No Anchor + Scul Hazzards

Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au

*

Sunday 11th: Sydney @ Hermanns Bar - SELLING FAST!

LATE SHOW: 8:00pm – 11:00pm / Opposite Sydney Uni on Kings St, Newtown

w/ Further + Lo! and Behold

Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au

*

Sunday 11th: Sydney @ Hermanns Bar - JUST ANNOUNCED!

EARLY MATINEE SHOW: 4:00pm – 7:00pm / Opposite Sydney Uni on Kings St, Newtown

w/ Sleepmakeswaves + special guests

Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au

*

Tuesday 13th: Auckland, New Zealand @ The Kings Arms

w/ JAKOB + Arc of Ascent + special guest DJ’s

Tickets available through: www.undertheradar.co.nz

*

Thursday 15th: Wellington, New Zealand @ San Francisco Bath House

w/ JAKOB + Elephant of the Ocean + special guests DJ’s

Tickets available through: www.undertheradar.co.nz

*

Friday 16th – MONSTER MAGNET @ The Palace w/ Russian Circles CANCELLED!

This show has now been relocated to The Espy / Gershwin Room – JUST ANNOUNCED!

w/ Matt Sonic and the High Times, River of Snakes + special guests TBA

Doors 8:00pm, $30 + BF, tickets available soon, stay tuned.

*

Saturday 17th: Perth @ The Bakery

w/ Eleventh He Reaches London, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, Drowning Horse

Tickets available from www.lifeisnoise.com

*

Sunday 18th: Adelaide, S.A @ Fowlers Live

w/ Coerce, Lady Strange Love + Rote Mare

Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au

All shows $30 + BF (see venues for ticketing / show details)

*

Monday 19th: Melbourne, end of tour party featuring Russian Circles LIVE

Venue TBA very soon, stay tuned, this ones for the fans that made this tour possible!

MONARCH Sortilege (Heathen Skulls) – Aquarius Records review.

In transit across the Pacific for months now, we had almost given up, but this grim little slab of droned out ritualistic slo-mo sludge finally showed up from Australia. Previously a tour only release from this aQ beloved female fronted French ultradoom horde (now featuring Robert Macmanus from Grey Daturas on drums), Sortilege is a single 11 minute track, and is of course everything we (and you) have come to love about Monarch, sprawling expanses of low end buzz, deep drones, minimal drum pound, blurred downtuned guitarage, but “Sortilege” is something a bit different, with the song never fully exploding into actual churn and crunch, instead, it seems to be Monarch’s take on black ambience, and we have to say it most definitely suits them. The sound atmospheric and haunting, the rumbling buzz of the guitars a thick backdrop for all manner of wordless vocalizing, of warm washed out streaks of feedback, of buried melodies, and constantly shifting textures, not harsh or heavy, but still harrowing and haunting, the eleven minute running time is a bit frustrating, cuz this is the sort of jam you want to keep going and going and going. But otherwise, a seriously dense slab of hypnotic blackened drift, a sonic full moon ritual, corpsepainted and candelit, deep in the forest, in some underground cave, the sounds seeping from beneath the ground, and enveloping the listener like some grim black cloud. Awesome.
Really swank reflective black digipaks, with some super striking photos of frontwoman Emilie, multiple Emilie’s in fact, face painted, dagger in hand, presiding over the ritual, whose soundtrack is captured on Sortilege. Andeeee / Aquarius Records

*

Monarch – Sortilege is a CD EP that was released to coincide with Monarch’s February – March Japanese / Australian tour, tour dates listed below, Heathen Skulls are proud to announce the release of a brand new Monarch CD EP entitled Sortilege.

Sortilege was recorded during the ‘Sabbat Noir’ sessions in December 2009 in the south of France, it’s one long 13 minute drone, doom, industrial noise track that best resembles the likes of early Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten, Sunn O)) and Wolf Eyes. Sortilege is strictly limited to 500 copies.

Price: Retail price is $12AUD + postage

Postage: With in Australia: $3 per unit / International by Air: $8 per unit

For orders: Please email: mailorderstuff@gmail.com

For a limited time, which means when i run out of stuff to give away basically, with every order of MONARCH’s fiercely brutal and still currently available Japanese / Australian tour CD EP ‘Sortilege’, you’ll get a free limited edition A3 poster, a silk screened patch and two totally awesome free Heathen Skulls CD releases. The ‘FREE’ CD’s in question being the debut album by Melbourne, Australia’s BLACK WIDOW entitled NIGHT OF THE RAVEN and the debut album by the Oakland / Australian collaborative experimental noise gang AUDIBLE DELUSIONS ENSEMBLE and their album WINTERS WEAPON.

Sortilege is $12AUD

Postage with in Australia is $5AUD / International postage by air is $10AUD

Payment can be made by Paypal, email payments to: mailorderstuff@gmail.com

That right folks, album number six is on it’s way: Written in Japan over a few intense evenings whilst on tour, the drums, percussion and guide tracks for Monarch’s new album were recorded at Kakurega Studio in Osaka in mid February. The guitars, bass and additional percussion were recorded by Neil Thomason at Head Gap Studios in Melbourne, Australia in early March, and the vocals were recorded at Crane Studio’s in Montreal, Canada in early April. The album is to be mixed by Sanford Parker at Engine Studios in Chicago. Both the release date and the albums title is unknow, but stay tuned.

It’s safe to say this album’s far heavier, darker, and more melodic and epic than anything Monarch has ever recorded, it’s definitely a major step forward in the legacy of Monarch. Recorded across three studio’s in three different Countries, this new two track / 40 minute piece of metal has a tonal quality that only the road can muster.

This recording session captures Monarch in it’s currant five piece formation, as seen on the road in Japan and on the East Coast of the US, that line up being: MicHell Hammer (Bass), Emily ‘Eurogirl’ Bresson (Vocals / effects), Shiran Kaidine (Guitar), Rob Shaffer (Drums) and Robert MacManus (Guitar).

THRONES (USA / Joe Preston / ex- Melvins, Earth, Sunn O)) and High on Fire)

JOHN WIESE (USA / Wolf Eyes, Sunn O)), Merzbow, Evan Parker)

AUSTRALIAN TOUR – April 2011

Heathen Skulls are proud to announce that legendary doom metal bassist and avant-garde punk Joe Preston will be bringing his revered one man band THRONES to Australian shores for the first time this April. After his departure from both the Melvins and Earth in the early 90’s, Joe went onto to mastermind the idea of touring as a solo artist in a one-man band, the results being THRONES! A Portland based sludge doom industrial project that’s recorded countless releases for the likes of Southern Lord, Conspiracy Records and Kill Rock Stars, not to mention shared stages and the road with every well respected artist with in the experimental, drone and doom metal genre.

During this time Joe has also recorded and toured as an active member with the likes of Sunn O)), High on Fire and Harvey Milk.

As an added bonus, Joe will be touring with the legendary Los Angeles based experimental noise artist John Wiese. John toured here as a member of Sunn O)) in 2005, not to mention touring with them around the world, he’s also collaborated with the likes of Wolf Eyes, Evan Parker, Merzbow, Smegma, Kevin Drumm and Cattle Decapitation. John also has his own project called Sissy Spacec.

This April both THRONES (top photo) and John Wiese (photo below) will be touring Australia.

ALL SHOWS $20 on the door / No pre-sales (Nothcote S C show excluded)!

Thursday 31^st: Melbourne @ Arthouse Hotel

w/ True Radical Miracle, Hotel Wrecking City  Traders + Bonnie Mercer solo

Friday 1^st: Adelaide @ The Ed Castle

w/ Rote Mare, Bronze Chariot + Cuntsuckula

Saturday 2^nd: Geelong @ The National Hotel

w/ Divide and Dissolve

Sunday 3^rd: Hobart @ Brisbane Hotel

w/ Robert MacManus (solo) & M.O.1.O

Tuesday 5^th: Melbourne @ Toff in Town - (John Weise solo)

w/ Oren Ambarchi / Joe Talia duo, Embers Duo, Susie’s Gone + DJ Joe Preston

Thursday 7^th: Sydney: Red Rattler

w/ Dead Farmers and Pure Evil trio

Friday 8^th: Brisbane @ Tym Guitars – FREE!

(In store performance + meet and greet, starts 6:30pm – ?, be sure to thank Tim for this!!!)

Saturday 9^th: Brisbane @ The Step Inn

w/ Die on Planes, Pastel Blaze, Joel Stern / Robert MacManus duo

Sunday 10^th: Melbourne @ Northcote Social Club with special guests (see below):

Kangaroo Skull (Ro & Ben of My Disco), Poletopra (Pateras / Fusinato) + Smith / Brown / MacManus trio

For tickets, please see: Corner Hotel, Northcote Social & East Brunswick Club box office! $20 + BF