We begin this recap of today’s Roadburn announcements with Tau Cross‘s first European show. Featuring the likes of Amebix‘s Rob Miller and Voivod‘s Away in their formation would normally be more than enough to make this an important confirmation, with things only getting more interesting with how good their debut self-titled record is.
And so it came to be that Lee Dorrian announced the first band of his curated event Rituals For The Blind Dead and it turns out to be none other than doom legends Pentagram, who will play a “best of” setlist. Regarding his first announcement, the former Cathedral frontman had the following to say:
“All I can add is that I’m am completely honored that they agreed to accept my invitation to appear at my curated event, Rituals For the Blind Dead! This greatest hits performance will be a big party in celebration of the bands long and treasured career. With Victor back flying out those riffs like flaming balls of fire it’s going to be so relentless, I simply cannot wait.”News about Rituals For The Blind Dead don’t stop here, as English folk-rockers Galley Beggar have also been added to the event. The authors of this year’s “Silence & Tears” are described by Dorrian as “one of my favourite UK bands” and will play his event on Saturday while Pentagram will take the stage on day earlier.
Brace yourselves, the whirlwind that is today’s Icelandic black metal will hit Tilburg hard. Better that than an Icelandic volcano, right? Next year’s artist in residence are none other than Misþyrming, who will thus break the trend of having an already established artist in residence in the festival (such as Enslaved, Justin Broadrick orThe Heads). Their residency will be made up of three concerts, namely Algleymi, Úlfsmessa and Söngvar Elds Og Óreiðu.
The first and last ones are rather simple (and yet we’re excited as hell to watch them), in the first the quartet will play new material while in the last they will play their debut album “Söngvar Elds Og Óreiðu” in its entirety. The second one, however, is that kind of special show that Roadburn has been known to regularly host and will see a collaborative performance of ten members from Misþyrming and other Vánagandr bands such as Naðra, NYIÞand Grafir. Described by Kim Kelly as leaving an impression of “awe and reverence”, and having “resonated on such an emotional level” with Roadburn‘s Walter, the whole residency will surely be an unmissable event within the festival.
As if this wasn’t enough to digest, there’s going to be a second Hexvessel show, this time with fellow Finnish act Arktau Eos joining them on stage for a collaborative rendition of their respective debuts, with Arktau Eos also playing their own solo show.
The Finnish invasion doesn’t stop here however, also including the psychedelic doom/drone of Dark Buddha Rising, the black metal of Oranssi Pazuzu, two projects featuring members of the aforementioned bands in Atomikylä and Abyssion, and finally MPH.
If you’re that jaded that you reached this point and thought “well, a couple more names and I’ll be really happy”, then maybe witnessing the apocalyptic sounds of Dead To A Dying World is exactly what you were missing, or maybe it’s Terzij De Horde showcasing why they’ve been one of the most interesting bands in the dutch black metal scene for a while now. Or Abysmal Grief, Epitaph,Crumbling Ghost, Zone Six and Hills.
After a few years where the tickets surprisingly did not sell out on the day they were put on sale, it’s probably not a very wild conjecture to say that it will happen again this year. If that’s the case, then you’ve got until tomorrow evening to get ready, because the online sales start at 20:00 GMT – check the festival’s websitefor more information.