Press release
Smoke The Fuzz gigs proudly presents the first Smoke The Fuzz Fest ever!!
Smoke The Fuzz is breaking ground with the gathering of huge international bands of the heavy sound under one stage, thus creating the first ever festival in Greece that exclusively addresses to enthusiasts of doom/post/stoner/sludge/psychedelic/space/blues sounds! Three different editions on three different days were designed in accordance to the style of the bands included, thus rendering each day an unprecedented for Greek standards music marathon that will satisfy the wishes of the fans of each and every one of our favorite genres and subgenres. Smoke The Fuzz Fest is entirely special in its conception and identity, since the line-up of each day is globally unique, it does not follow a particular and is certainly not an extension or a copy of any other pre-existing international festival. All the bands were picked one by one, many of them flying as one-offs from the other side of the Atlantic!
Its first edition, “Fall of Doom edition”, will take place on Saturday 17 September 2016 at Gagarin205 Live Music Space (Athens, Greece) and includes an impressive lineup of some of the greatest bands of the doom / sludge metal scene worldwide :
YOB
Bongzilla
Dopethrone
Sons of Otis
Black Cobra
SUMA
Love Sex Machine
unprecedentedly sharing the same stage..!!
Pre-sale : https://www.viva.gr/tickets/music/gagarin205/smoke-the-fuzz-fall-of-doom-edition-en/
YOB
Just watch the video from their previous, sold out appearance in Athens. Actually we can do this in an even more summarizing way. Awe. Three letters are enough to describe the effect that Yob had on our hearts and souls when they found themselves on stage on October 10th, 2014. It was a spiritually exhausting, yet simultaneously cathartic 2 hour live show made out of our craziest fantasies and forever change the idea of what should be considered a top notch live show of this scene, just like Yob, since their beginnings, have altered the idea of what is considered innovation on the genre of doom/sludge. The images from their ferocious, relentless performance on stage is something that with difficulty will ever be forgotten by the Greek audience and the whispering conversations of disbelief outside the venue, concerning what we’d just experienced, can be used as a testimony to that fact. Perhaps the only thing that could tone down these memories would be the new live appearance of the masters from Oregon. Since this is Yob we’re talking about, that does not seem entirely impossible. Their latest album (“Clearing The Path To Ascend”), which we had the privilege to enjoy almost in its entirety live, had gotten praising reviews from all the major music media , taking a glorious seat amongst the other six –already beloved and extensively worshipped by their fans- masterpieces of Yob. Breaking all the barriers (time length, influences, specific style), Ypb are a league on their own and the almost philosophical essence of their music serves on the reformation and maturation of the listener’s/ attendants’ feelings and psychic state. There are no more words that could describe Yob. Their love connection with the Greek audience will be verified once again and we are preparing ourselves for an experience that we can recount for the future generations of fans of this sound. Smoke The Fuzz Fest- Fall Of Doom Edition will throw the final curtain in the most spectacular of ways.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yob/36708497970
http://www.neurotrecordings.com/
BONGZILLA
One name carrying the history of a whole music genre. If we had to define the musical foundations of stoner, then Bongzilla would be one of the most basic pillars of that structure, no questions asked. What could possibly write about the legendary Bongzilla of “Stash”, “Gateway” and “Amerijuanican” that has not already been written or said? Every riff they ever wrote was another stone on the hill of stoner/sludge history. Every riff they ever produced has been a source of influence and inspiration for more bands than we can count from 1996 till today! If heavy sound was a curriculum at universities, then Bongzilla would be taught on “Stoner 101”. Having devoted their music in “smoke” and on finding that proper, perfect riff and then stretching it as far as it goes, the mythical Bongzilla have graced us with an abundance of hymns; “Amerijuanican”, “Stonesphere”, “666lb. Bongsession”, “Gateway”, “Sacred Smoke”, all of these being just some of the tracks that stoner fans all around the globe know from heart and consider to be holy gospels for our scene. Their last masterpiece of a full length, “Amerijuanican”, was followed by a long and painful for the fans hibernation period, until last year, unexpectedly, Bongzilla rose from their ashes for the sake of Temples Festival and once again found themselves travelling the smoke filled road that they had started to pave 20 years ago. Therefore, Smoke The Fuzz, listening carefully to the heartbeat and the long -time wish of the Greek stoner/sludge fans, has booked the legendary pioneers Bongzilla for one, exclusive, out of tour and straight from the U.S appearance on the “Fall Of Doom” edition of Smoke The Fuzz Fest. They will honor us with their classic, historic songs and we will honor them with our collective appearance and our thundering reactions. So, let yourselves go within the smoke and the repetitive groove of Bongzilla, for a unique, unprecedented concert experience.
https://bongzilla.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Bongzilla/
http://www.myspace.com/bongzilla420
DOPETHRONE
The most loveable sludge scumbags in the globe return at the scene of the crime, one and a half year after their first, historic appearance in AN Club on April of 2015. The massive headbanging, the endless supply of energy by the band as well as the crowd, the glorious sing- alongs and the arena-like atmosphere we experienced on the underground club of Exarchia will forever be etched on the memories of those who attended the show. The video with the reactions during “Dark Foil” says way more than we could ever write. Sludge has never sounded so epic and fun at the same time as the sludge that Dopethrone proudly rocked on “Dark Foil”, “III” and “Hochelaga”. Dopethrone live to play music and their passion radiates through their albums, as well as their fierce live shows. How else, if not passionate, could we characterize a band whose frontman breaks his leg and despite that, one month later he’ll be on the road again to play, even on a chair? Entertainers, bad motherfuckers, party animals, groovy demons… We could stick those and many, many more labels on the rogue trio from Quebec, but their live shows speak for themselves and they’ll let you draw your own –praising- conclusions. Once again, the furious sludge of the South will unite with uplifting stoner rhythms, Vincent Houde will pummel our ears with his zombie like vocals and for one more time the cries “Smoke! Drink! Die!” will fill the night of Athens.
https://www.facebook.com/dopethrone.mthell
http://dopethrone.bandcamp.com/
SONS OF OTIS
Another one of our concert wishes is about to be crossed out from the list, since Smoke The Fuzz has brought the legendary Sons Of Otis straight from the U.S., for an exclusive, out of tour appearance, to further enrich the already inconceivable for the Greek standards line up of Smoke The Fuzz Fest. With more than 20 years of service in the world of music and an array of influences too long to mention, Sons Of Otis are true teachers for any band that ever wanted to experiment with the limits of sludge. With guitars that sound as if St. Vitus had swallowed a whole bottle of steroids and psychedelic passages like a heavier version of Farflung, Sons Of Otis give flesh and blood to a twisted sonic offspring of Melvins and all the alternative heavy scene of the 90’s, away from labels and limitations. From the shocking, groundbreaking duet of “Paid To Suffer” and “Spacejumbofudge”, up until the bestial Seismic of 2011, Sons Of Otis have never shown a drop in the quality of their course, nor have they ever failed to produce inspiring works that satisfy even the most demanding fans of the heavy sound. As if they were indeed sons of Otis, as depicted by Bill Moseley on House of 1000 Corpses/ The Devil’s Rejects, the Canadians torture (not people like Otis did), their equipment until it produces the perfect, destructive, psychedelic sludge we’ve all grown to love. Ken Baluke screams “When will I learn?” and on September 17th we will learn what Sons Of Otis on stage means. Another band we never expected to see in our country, yet Smoke The Fuzz manages to book Sons Of Otis, promising another night filled with joy.
http://www.reverbnation.com/sonsofotis
https://www.facebook.com/sonsofotis/
BLACK COBRA
Yes , indeed, two people are enough to cause musical mayhem and Black Cobra have proven that time after time. Since 2004 when the formed this ferocious two man army, Black Cobra have been testing the limits of sludge, with their peak being 2011’s epic “Interval”. As if they were an extreme version of Mastodon and Baroness, their impeccable groove, their inexhaustible energy on stage, the destructive riffs and the inspired changes of tempo are a guarantee for a listener who wishes for a progressive spin on their classic sludge. Those two musicians exhibit skills that can match the highest standards of this genre, skills fit to create a dystopian soundscape in which tons of rage are encapsulated. Having cooperated with prominent labels of the extreme sound (At A Loss Recordings, Southern Lord, Season Of Mist) and having appeared on the top festivals of our music (Hellfest, Roadburn, Desertfest London) Black Cobra do not only possess the quality, but also the experience needed to present a deafening show that will please even the most demanding listeners. Let’s not forget that after 5 years of waiting, “Interval” now has an heir, “Imperium Simulacra”, which has been praised by editors and fans alike and definitely, the new tracks will get the time they deserve during the live show in Athens. The duet from Los Angeles is certainly not going to show mercy on our ears…
https://www.facebook.com/blackcobramusic/
https://blackcobrasl.bandcamp.com/
SUMA
The crazy Swedes, beloved by the Greek stoner fans, return once more! A band that is famous for their colossal sound that feels like Sleep’s and Toner Low’s slow and “smokey” riffs have united under the same flag with Rage Against The Machine’s raging groove, returns to leave the Greek audience more sweaty, more exhausted and more bruised than ever. How can we not be overwhelmed by mass paranoia when we hear the mighty riffs and screams from the beyond during hymns like “Hypno Assassin” and “No, you’re the monkey” while Erik tortures the skins on the drum kit? And if the love towards Suma’s preexisting work drove the audience onto such great demonstrations of affection, we can only shiver at the thought of what might happen when, for the first time and in global exclusiveness, tracks from the upcoming album “The Order Of Things” will echo all around Smoke The Fuzz Fest. Finally, after 6 whole years Suman have completed the heir to “Ashes” and the Greek audience will have the honor of hearing first the brand new, majestic doings of the Swedes. They might take their sweet time, but Suma’s history has taught us that surely, when these songs are played live, they will deliver. Sludge/stoner havoc from Malmo then, and let’s see who can make it till the end. The fuzz axe of Suma is predictably going to fall extremely heavily on our heads..
http://sumanoise.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SUMA/122272097788708
LOVE SEX MACHINE
With sound heavier than a bag of bricks to the head and with lyrical themes that could embarrass an exhibitionist, this particular psychotic quartet from Lille, France is coming to satisfy the tastes of the most extreme sludge/doom fans. Thanks to the 2012 debut that sounds more like slow, downtuned crust/grind, plus the Anal Cunt-esque humor that runs through their name and lyrics, Love Sex Machine managed to turn quite a few heads to their side. Building on their brutal sound, this year they released their second full length “Asexual Anger” which proudly continues the rotten legacy of the debut. Their vitriolic, “torn apart” vocals, mixed with their extreme sound that is bound to satisfy fans of Iron Monkey and Grief signify a no holds barred appearance by a band-revelation.
https://www.facebook.com/love6sex6machine6/
http://smokethefuzz.com/
http://smokethefuzz.gr/
https://www.facebook.com/SmokeTheFuzzGigs
