Text and photos by Astrid Tonella

It’s been a few weeks since the last Roadburn, and the after-festival is always a bit nostalgic. However, this year the nostalgia didn’t last long, with the brand new fest “Heavy Days in Doomtown” coming to darken the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark. Yet another “doom/sludge” festival you would say, but actually, this event is so much more than that. First of all, HDDT is organized and managed under the DIY principles, which means that the festival is run by volunteers only and as “payment” for their performance, bands get food, accommodation and transportation fixed for them. Besides, everyone is treated equally – it actually felt during the fest that the barrier between artists/volunteers/organizing crew/festival goers was almost nonexistent. For instance, the roster doesn’t have any headliners, despite the presence of big names such as Noothgrush (performing for the first time in Europe), Jex Thoth or Coffins, but it gives the chance for local bands to perform in front of an international audience. Other unique aspect of the fest is its strong artistic dimension. Not only does HDDT focus on the music, but also on the culture and aesthetic surrounding it. Therefore, all along the fest we were able to admire the extraordinary work of David D’Andrea, Glyn “Scrawled” Smyth, Samantha Mancino, 13th Sign Collective and Benjamin Sillanpaa, creating a whole new level of experience.

Full review after the jump…
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Every day is a great day at CVLT Nation, and a big part of that comes from the support we receive from the community, ie:labels, bands and especially our readers. We see this webzine as platform for creative, like-minded humans. So when we got an email from Jan from Germany saying he took sick photos of the SLEEP & A Storm of Light gig on 05/10/12 at Conne Island in Leipzig, we were stoked to check them out. I must say, the dude totally blew my mind with the quality of his flicks – the lighting is on point! What a year for doom heads: SLEEP re-releases Dopesmoker on Southern Lord, plus they go on tour tomorrow – the weed gods are blowing our way! Light your bong and have a look at this stonerdelic photo essay…Euro tour dates after the jump!

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Text Source:Mishka Blogin

In 1978, Steve Ignorant with his corrosive speech and sardonic lyrics proclaimed that, in fact, punk was dead. He believed that systems, movements, and all other organizations would invariably dig their meat hooks into the spirit of the music and use it as a means to exploit and market an ideology. In an ironic twist of fate, his band Crass (along with bands such as Subhumans, Conflict, Zounds, and Rudimentary Peni) would receive mainstream attention as pioneers of anarcho-punk, also regarded as peace punk, leaving many of their British contemporaries in the shadows of their subsequent success.

Groups like The System, Omega Tribe, Lost Cherrees, Lack of Knowledge, Blyth Power, and The Mob were amongst those that had fallen into darkness. Many others were even signed to Crass Records (see their A-Sides compilations) and/or had opened for them at their shows but just never caught on. They had moved away from the cacophony that typically defined the genre, gravitating toward melodic chants and stripped-down folk instrumentation. This distinct sound wasn’t nearly as abrasive or confrontational in form but lyrically and poetically there was much still in common including a strong political undercurrent.

Flash forward twenty plus years in the future to the Pacific northwest where a group of subversives have been resurrecting the once echoed calls of those unsung UK artists. PDX is both the revival and re-imagining of that forgotten sect. Based out of Portland, Oregon, the scene incorporates components of post-punk, crust, d-beat, goth, new-wave, and industrial to create an emotional outpouring while staking and laying claim to new ground.

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There has never been a time that I have looked at Daniel “Desecrator” Corcuera’s art and have not been fucking amazed. His art gives me the feeling that it was created by Lucifer himself, with the mission to destroy everything that is perceived as good! Like many wicked illustrators before him, Daniel has picked a new instrument of torment to spread his blackened apocalypse. He has has picked up the tattoo gun and is now the owner of Nekronikon Tattoo in Santiago, Chile. As an illustrator, Daniel has created graphics for some of the most vile bands in the underworld. His tattoo work is just as maniacal as his drawings, and seems to actually come to life on his victims’ skin. It seems that Daniel has the death touch to his work, that is why his lines are so morbidly awesome! I could write for daze about how sick his work is on many levels, but I’m going to allow it to make you bleed instead…peep the photo gallery after the jump!

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Besides writing for CVLT Nation, I also do graphic design from time to time. One thing that I really dig about tumblr is the endless amounts of visual inspiration you can find. It’s pretty epic when I stumble across pages that are full of killer images that just fucking blow my mind. THERE IS NO LIFE HERE, ONLY DIFFERENT WAYS TO DIE is that sort of tumbler where you can totally lose yourself but at the sometime finding out that you treasure everything morbid! Due to this fact and others, THERE IS NO LIFE HERE, ONLY DIFFERENT WAYS TO DIE is our tumblr favorite this very moment! Crawl around a really cool photo gallery after the jump!

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X were one of the most important bands to come out of the Los Angeles punk scene. When I used to go to their shows as a teenager, did I know that I was seeing history? Hell No! But I did realize that I was seeing a very special band that sounded like no other. X had a depth to their sound that other bands didn’t have, maybe it was due to the fact they were older. I can’t pin point it, but something about their songs made them the perfect soundtrack for what was happening in the city at the time. Exene was a goddess in my eyes, and I know for a fact she was a huge influence on how girls dressed back then, and her influence can still can be seen today. X were able to take the sleaze of Hollywood and twist it around the blues to create this dark world that would leave you transfixed. I was always impressed with the band’s love for the arts outside of music – ie. poetry, acting and painting. X made just as much of an impact on the young kids as the bands that shouted Anarchy! Today, CVLT Nation wants to share with you the outtakes from the documentary X The Unheard Music. Not only will you see the band perform some of it’s classics, interspersed are shots of Los Angeles that are fucking historic. So now step back in time with me and peep some awesome footage after the jump!

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This has been an amazing week in heavy music! On of my favorite bands, OLD MAN GLOOM, released a new album entitled NO via Hydra Head, pre-order HERE plus they played a sold out show at Club Europa in Brooklyn. Our comrades in radness, photographer Samantha Marble and videographer (((unartig))), were both on hand to capture this excerxise in audio magic. Samantha’s photo are fucking unreal, and we are so stoked that she took flicks for CVLT Nation on this killer night. Also, as usual, (((unartig))) did his thing with his video camera that only he can do! I’m going to let this beyond awesome photo gallery and video do the rest of the talking! So after the jump, peep OLD MAN GLOOM!

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Story Source You’re Not Human

Ien Levin from Kiev Ukraine is a extra epic artist that uses skin as his canvas.He work makes me want to jump on a plane and have start tattooing my body asap.Ien lines are the perfect balance between beauty and cryptic decay.I can look at his work all day long and never get bored.It also seems that Ien has a huge morbid imagination that is able transform the normal into the abnormal! CVLT Nation has put together a huge gallery of his work.So turn off the light burn some black candles and peep his work after the jump!

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A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the Portland group show, A Matter of Life & Death, at the Screaming Sky Gallery. by all accounts, the April 26th opening went well, and Screaming Sky sent me some photos to share with you. The calibre of artist in this show is outstanding, and you can still pick up some of the original works they have on display by Halseycaust aka Halsey Swain, Dan Harding, Jeremy Hush & Elli Adams at the gallery and in their webstore. After the jump, check out photos of A Matter of Life & Death, and if you’re in the portland area, make sure you head over to Screaming Sky to check out the show.

The two young dudes who started the Los Angeles clothing brand Vow, Christopher and Jorge, describe what they create as “equal parts occult,
cynical and abrasive.” I would describe it as part clothing brand, part DIY project, like finding a dope vintage tee and silkscreening some of your art on it for a friend. These guys put love and wit into their creations, with their tongue-in-cheek hand-printed graphics and hand-distressed tees, lovingly washed many times so that you don’t have to. I think my favorite piece is their vegan leather grocery tote, a collabo they did with Little Moons. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but Santa Monica banned plastic bags from grocery stores last year, so I have been dutifully carrying around my reusable bags everywhere. Although this tote really is too awesome to be used for storing food in. You can pick up any of their tees or totes in their webstore HERE. After the jump, check out a selection of their offerings as well as images from their SS12 lookbook.

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