Dear friends, to embellish the end of the week some more, we present the second batch of bands confirmed for MGCDF 2017! Last time we were in extreme, yet more traditional, metal waters. Today, we are picking a different angle and heading out, with one exception, to progressive grounds.
Why? Because it would be a shame to omit bands outside the traditional styles. So get ready for:
STÍNY PLAMENŮ (cz)
We will not be far from truth by stating that Lord Morbivod is more less synonymous with black metal in Western Bohemia, and that his scope, manifesting in his various projects and bands, is similarly vast as the sewage system of Pilsen. And it is there where we shall venture on MGCDF, for the ninth installment shall be visited by one of Morbivod’s bands, namely by STÍNY PLAMENŮ, which means precisely the sewage black metal. This act was formed in 1998 and released till now eight demos and eight studio albums. Its most notable feature however is the thematic focus on the underground world of Pilsen’s sewers, the weird characters inhabiting it and on their stories. So, onward below!
DEMIMONDE (cz)
The Prague-based dark progressive avant-garde squad DEMIMONDE can be, without exaggeration, considered one of the pioneers of the Czech experimental metal, since the band originated in 1995. Already gaining attention with the first demo “The Warrior’s Poets”, the true breakthrough came with the 2000 debut “Mutant Star” that brought the band overwhelming acclaim, even from abroad. Then, however, its members shifted their focus elsewhere and DEMIMONDE became history. But not permanently, since last year they returned with the second studio album “Cygnus Oddyssey”, which the band presented on Brutal Assault 2015. Get ready then for an unorthodox music filled with dark moods, robotic sounds and industrial eruptions.
THE CORONA LANTERN (cz)
Have you heard metal-wise the term “sludge”? If not, then know that it is a subgenre which combines the elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. Its signature traits are slow tempo of songs that simultaneously contain highly contrasting fast-paced passages, heavily distorted instruments, screaming vocals and altogether pessimistic atmosphere. The word itself, synonymous for thick mud, implies something dense and slow moving, which is precisely how sludge compositions sound. Its roots are in the mid-80s and early 90s in the U.S., while its global spread came with the wave of post-metal and post-rock. Sludge has its heralds even here in Czech Republic and one of them is THE CORONA LANTERN. What was established in 2015 as a pure side project of the members of Diligence, so that they could manifest their alternative music ideas somewhere, quickly became a full-fledged band that unites musicians, whose main bands wary in styles and even genres (from acid pop, over modern metal, to progressive death metal). In its birth year, THE CORONA LANTERN released first an EP “MMXV”, followed by the debut “Consuming the Tempest” that scored with many critics, thus making the band a big surprise on the local scene. It is thus about time to welcome them on MGCDF!
KING KEPORKAK (cz)
So, that you can really acquire the taste for sludge, let’s have another Czech representative of this subgenre, namely KING KEPORKAK that are active since 2013. In the beginning, there was a joint jam session of Jan Cairola and Jakub Sedláček from the band Dittohead, and of Böhörüt from Ahumado Granujo, which gave birth to a regular band. In December 2013, it released a five-song promo and started live shows. Two years later, the debut album “Detachment” was spawned, and around that time KK also supported the American sludge-doom icon Crowbar during their Prague show. Join us then on a journey into the kingdom of whales and get ready for yet another intensive experience!
BETWEEN THE PLANETS (cz)
Since we are navigating the alternative metal waters, it would be a shame to omit the current trends in this area, meaning that on MGCDF 2017 there will also be a time for djent, which is an extension of progressive metal originating in early 21st century, based on a specific guitar sound that relies primarily on high distortion and intentional palm-muting of guitar chords and is usually played on seven, eight or ten-string guitars given their extended range. This foundation is then combined with elements of other genres, including ambient, fusion or jazz, to create rhythmically as well as technically complex compositions. Representing this style on MGCDF 2017 is the Czech ambient-djent act BETWEEN THE PLANETS, originally a solo project of Martin “Spacosh” Peřina established in 2012, when it released its debut album “Immersion Into the Unknown”, that later became a full-fledged band. BETWEEN THE PLANETS shall appear on MGCDF for the first time, so be sure not to miss their show.
Enjoy!