IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Rising in Ireland

Thu, 31 May 2012 17:24:58 -0700

Rising is heading to Ireland next month:

6/06/2012 TBA - Belfast, Northern Ireland 6/07/2012 Kelly's Bar - Galway, Ireland 6/08/2012 Fred Zeppelins - Cork, Ireland 6/09/2012 The Pint - Dublin, Ireland

Absurd Fitness (video)

Tue, 29 May 2012 11:17:50 -0700

As someone who has listened to Rising at the gym nearly every day for the past six months or so, I highly approve of their music being used in this promo for "Absurd Fitness".

"To solemn ash" now streaming

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:42:00 -0700

To Solemn Ash by RISING

Rising's excellent album "To solemn ash" has now been posted for permanent streaming by their label Exile on Mainstream so if you haven't checked it out yet, there's no time like the present. Likewise, you can also stream and/or download the album now via Bandcamp if you are so inclined.

Rising on the road

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:03:15 -0800

Rising will be hitting the road across Europe in March:

03/08 - Paletten, Viborg (DK) w/The Kandidate
03/09 - Beta, Copenhagen (DK) w/The Kandidate
03/10 - Kansas City, Odense (DK) w/The Kandidate
03/16 - Red Rooster, Berlin (GER)
03/17 - Rockstation, Halle (GER)
03/18 - tba, Dresden (GER)
03/19 - Cafe na pul cesty, Prague (CZ)
03/20 - Galerie u Mloka, Olomouc (CZ)
03/21 - Stwst, Linz (AUS)
03/22 - tba (ITA)
03/23 - Swamp Club, Massa Carrara (ITA)
03/24 - tba (ITA)
03/25 - Ponyhof, Frankfurt (GER)
03/27 - Dachstock, Bern (CH)
03/28 - Rocas Cafe, Luxembourg (LUX)
03/29 - Bastard, Osnabrück (GER)
03/30 - Cafe Nova, Essen (GER)
03/31 - Glocksee, Hannover (GER)
04/01 - Molotow, Hamburg (GER)
04/02 - MAU Club, Rostock (GER)
04/05 - L' Orient, Linköping (SWE)
04/26 - Fritz's Corner @ Strand, Stockholm (SWE)
04/27 - Sticky Fingers, Gothenburg (SWE)
04/28 - Loppen, Copenhagen (DK)

Pitchfork reviews Rising

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:50:45 -0800

Pitchfork wisely approves of Rising's new album "To solemn ash": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16214-to-solemn-ash/
As you know, I'm a long-time supporter of the band and am stoked to see them getting some well-deserved international attention. Buy the LP -- I just got my own copy this week and it's a stellar package at a totally decent price.

Rising album preview (again!)

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:10:44 -0800

In case you missed it when it was streaming at Rock-a-Rolla Magazine, Rising's excellent new album "To solemn ash" is now streaming in full at The Obelisk for a limited time: http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2012/01/17/risingstream/

Rising at Pitchfork

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:58:05 -0800

You heard it here first, but now Pitchfork is getting hip to Danish heavies Rising and are also streaming the track "Mausoleum": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12924-mausoleum/

Top 10s for 2011: It's a Trap!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The prospect of whittling down my list of 2011 favorites to a standard top 10 or even 20 just didn't seem quite so appropriate this year so I've opted instead to break up my selections into a few compartmentalized and highly subjective niches. When I reflect back on the year just passed, this is the method that makes the most sense to me, and besides, music is not a contest and many of these records simply cannot withstand side-by-side scrutiny. Hopefully you'll agree, but if not, there's always the comments section.

BEST ROCK/POP

For lack of a better signifier, here are a few of my favorite releases that don't fit neatly into a clever subgenre.

Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme some
I feel bad for everyone who can't move beyond "Young folks". PB&J has always been and continues to be a fantastic powerpop band and their latest album might just be their best.

Penny Century - Friends and family
A grower, not a shower. I found myself returning to this record time and time again, discovering new things to appreciate almost every time. A deeply nuanced work masquerading as sweet indiepop.

Cut City - Where's the harm in dreams disarmed?
A fitting swan song that their final release should be a perfect encapsulation of modern goth/pop/postpunk.

Kaka - The two
Brilliant, addictive and secretly subversive once you start digging into the lyrics.

BEST SCENE: Black Hole Crew/Nekromantik Norway

Excellence in consistency, consisently excellent. While no one release blew me away quite like Okkultokrati's "No light for mass" or Haust's debut LP "Ride the relapse", the Oslo horde has been regularly churning out some of the finest punk/metal/hardcore in the world today.

Key selections:
Dark Times - s/t CS
Årabrot - Solar anus
Årabrot/Okkultokrati - split 12"
Okkultokrati - Ingen veit alt 7"
Okkultokrati/Haust - Black Hole X-mas 7"
Problems - 2011 CS

ALSO SEE: Hubro & HOOB Records

Allow me to step outside my confort zone a moment to also recommend to you the not-exactly jazz labels Hubro and HOOB Records, based in Norway and Sweden respectively. Both are delivering an amazing array of excellent genre-breaking music and, while I may not be intimately familiar with the circles they travel in, I can confidently say that almost every single release they've put out is well worth investigating.

Key selections:
The Splendour - Delphian palace
Thus:Owls - Harbours
Splashgirl - Pressure
Huntsville - For flowers, cars and merry wars
1982 - Pintura

BEST INSTRUMENTAL/SOUNDTRACK

Matti Bye & Mattias Olsson - Elephant and castle
Wheezing vintage organs and the clatter of clever percussion combine to create one of the most satisfying and creepy albums of the year.

BEST METAL

Execration - Odes of the occult
Much in the same way that Obliteration's "Nekropsalms" stood head and shoulders above the rest back in 2009, Execration's "Odes of the occult" expands on the same template established by their countrymates and adds a hefty does of epic doom to their filthy death metal, thus easily enabling them to (ahem) obliterate the competition.

ALSO SEE:
Dödsvarg - Livet är en dödsorsak
Mr. Death - Descending through ashes
Rising - To solemn ash

BEST EPs

2011 was an amazing year for EPs and many of these titles I have listed make up my absolute favorite releases of the year.

Grande Roses - Hide
Hands down, the best rock record of the year. Vital and passionate in an era when so many feign indifference or hide behind irony, no one else comes close.

Kite - IV
Even if you think that they'll never write another song as good as "Ways to dance", or even if you think they already did, Kite has never had a 100% fully satisfying release until this. Five songs, all synthpop anthems.

The Psyke Project - Ebola
As said before, forget the other half of this split -- it doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned. The Psyke Project is brutality personified; every time you think they couldn't get any heavier, they do.

In These Woods - s/t
Technically a late 2010 release, but who is really paying attention to anything new in late December? Classic Swedish indie guitar-rock is saved from extinction yet again.

Alouatta - DIY
Melodic mid-tempo punk played by dudes who are old enough to know better, but also old enough to do it just right.

FOREIGN JUNK

Not appropriate to waste words on these here, in this forum, but these records are all excellent and well worth checking out:
Austra - Feel it break
Charles Bradley - No time for dreaming
The Devil's Blood - The thousandfold epicentre
Royal Headache - s/t

MP3: Rising - Mausoleum

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:11:26 -0800

Rising represent to me the direction that Metallica should have gone post-"Black album". Heavy and bellowing, but still incredibly melodic and song-based; the exact sort of qualities that made them one of the biggest bands on the planet, albeit in a more streamlined form. Of course that did not come to pass, but we still have Rising and on their new record "To solemn ash" they take the directness of their hardcore background and put it to good use. Not a single note out of place, just straight-up head-banging riffs from front-to-back. Kinda in the same way that countrymates The Psyke Project stripped out all the bullshit to remake themselves into a brutal war-machine, except that Rising have more melodies than all-out mosh. Denmark must be sick and tired of being the Scandinavian underdogs because they sure sound pissed!

Rising album preview

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:15:52 -0700

Rock-a-Rolla Magazine is streaming Rising's just-released new album "To solemn ash" in full for a limited time: http://rock-a-rolla.com/main/?p=2457

New Rising tune + tourdates

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:52:02 -0700

Another new Rising tune for our collective listening pleasure to coincide with the unveiling of their new website. Go see the band on tour:

10/28 - Raum Eins, Aarhus (DK)
10/29 - Stengade 30, Copenhagen (DK)
11/03 - Schaubude, Kiel (GER)
11/04 - UJZ Korn, Hannover (GER)
11/05 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
11/06 - Hafenklang, Hamburg (GER)
11/07 - Bastard Club, Osnabrück (GER)
11/08 - Sonic Ballroom, Köln (GER)
11/09 - Kreativfabrik, Wiesbaden (GER)
11/10 - Comet, Berlin (GER)
11/11 - UT Connewitz, Leipzig (GER)
11/12 - K4, Nürnberg (GER)
11/13 - Black Fleck, Potsdam (GER)
11/24 - Kansas City, Odense (DK)
11/25 - 1000fryd, Aalborg (DK)
11/26 - Beta, Copenhagen (DK)

Rising - Through the eyes of the catalysis

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:51:12 -0700

Brand new tunage from Danish heavies Rising, the first taste of their upcoming full-length debut "To solemn ash", due out October 24.

Rising confirm new album details

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:50:38 -0700

Rising sends word that their new album "To solemn ash" is finished and confirmed for release in Germany on September 30 and elsewhere in Europe on October 21 via Exile On Mainstream. There will also be a North American release at some point, but details are still TBC. Check out the cover art and tracklist here: http://www.southernrecords.de/news/rising-names-debut-album-reveals-artwork-track-listing-and-release-dates/

New Rising LP getting closer

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:30:38 -0700

Danish bruisers Rising report that they are done recording their upcoming full-length debut and it is currently being mixed by Jakob Reichert Nielsen before being sent off to Alan Douches for mastering in July.

Fri, 13 May 2011 11:33:17 -0700

Two tracks of burly metal delivered with hardcore-level intensity, buoyed even further by a clean and powerful recording. I know I should've covered this ages ago when it first came out, but I've been too busy spinning the mp3s on repeat while pumping iron at the gym. Seriously though, if you want modern heaviness that delivers on the false promises of bands like Mastodon and High on Fire (face it, neither of those bands are all that hot), then you need Rising. The band gets better with every release and the fact that they manage to sound so tough without resorting to any sort of lunkheaded machismo is commendable as well. Can't wait to hear what they do next.

Rising sign with Exile on Mainstream

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:24:24 -0800

Danish heavies Rising have officially signed with German label Exile on Mainstream and will soon begin recording their debut full-length with producer Jacob Reichert Nielsen in late March. Expect a late October release with a European tour to follow.

Harsh R #2

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:37:05 -0800

Episode #2 of my new podcast Harsh R is now online: http://www.harshr.com/
Features new music from Fun, Rising, Johan Heltne and others, plus a whole bunch of other things I've been listening to. Feedback is appreciated!

Rising 7" tracks posted for preview

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:25:25 -0700

Danish heavies Rising are now streaming two brand new tracks at myspace off their forthcoming 7", due out November 29 via Red Tape: http://www.myspace.com/risingdk
In other news, the band's self-titled debut EP will be getting a much-needed 12" vinyl release on November 29 as well, via German label Pain of Mind in an edition of 500 copies, 150 on white.

Obstacles Dividual PlayRec

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:52:25 -0700

With very few exceptions, purely instrumental rock albums get very tedious very quickly, often highlighting the importance of the vocal element in adding an extra, somewhat essential, dimension to the overall experience. København's Obstacles fall somewhere between exposing this shortfall and revealing that the inclusion of a singer isn't as important as some may think. The album displays an insane amount of technical wizardry, falling in and out of rock and free jazz, at times sounding like an intense math-rock jam session. Closing track "Locomotive" is where "Dividual" both rises and falls. Featuring the only vocal performance on the album, it makes it very clear that the music Obstacles plays benefits greatly from having a singer -- in this case Henrik W. Hald of Trust and Rising fame -- in the fold. His inclusion offers a distinct Mastodon vibe and shows, undeniably, that this is a band who has the potential to reach a level of appreciation that will escalate them to a greater international recognition. The music is of the same style as on the rest of the album; it's just that where the other, voice-free, tracks often wind up sounding a little too much like fret-wankery of the highest order, the vocal addition gives us something additional to concentrate on, resulting in a greater, true appreciation of the musicianship on display. There's great potential here. Whether or not the band decides to capitalize on that is entirely up to them.

Rising to tour Europe again

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:36:21 -0700

Heavy Danish act Rising is hitting the road in September for a string of dates with German act Behoover:

09/02 - Black Fleck, Potsdam (GER)
09/03 - Stumpf, Hannover (GER)
09/04 - South of Mainstream Festival, Stolzenhain (GER)
09/05 - Immerhin, Würzburg (GER)
09/06 - Holoubnik, Kolin (CZ)
09/07 - Kunstverein, Nürnberg (GER)
09/08 - Scheune, Dresden (GER)
09/09 - tba, Kirchdorf a.d. Krems (AUS)
09/10 - Sub, Graz (AUS)
09/11 - Ponyhof, Frankfurt (GER)
09/12 - Cassiopeia, Berlin (GER)

If you're curious as to what to expect, you can watch an excerpt of the band's Roskilde performance here: http://roskilde-festival.tv/0012777585551774/concert-with-rising

Rising to release 7" via Red Tape

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:40:37 -0700

Rising will be releasing a new 2-track 7" via Danish DIY collective Red Tape featuring "Legacy of wolves" b/w "Daughter of the sun", their first recordings with new drummer Jacob Johansen (Lack, The Fashion).

Rising gets a new drummer, more

Tue, 11 May 2010 12:01:09 -0700

Drummer Martin Niemann (ex-Marvins Revolt) has decided to take a break from music and has resigned from his place on the throne for Danish heavy rockers Rising. Jacob Johansen (Anchorless, The Fashion, ex-Lack), who has already previously sat in with the band back in late 2009, will be taking his place. As for the future, the band has cancelled their show with Moloken on May 21 and will instead debut the new lineup on May 28-29, in Göteborg and Malmö respectively, their very first Swedish dates. Otherwise, the band plans to work on their debut full-length for next six months or so and will be touring Europe in September.

Sirius playlist week #19

Mon, 10 May 2010 11:16:34 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Sweatmaster - Turnover
02. TALK 1
03. Viola - Leave it all again (feat. Bääbs)
04. Regulations - Down the street
05. The Bear Quartet - Sweet beef
06. TALK 2
07. Mattias Alkberg - Lys upp mig en stjärna
08. Susanne Sundfør - Turkish delight
09. The Skull Defekts - Remain in cruxus (dub)
10. TALK 3
11. Obliteration - Ingesting death
12. Zombiekrig - Håll käften ge mig dina pengar
13. Grande Roses - The astronaut
14. Brutus - Solution
15. TALK 4
16. Ikons - Guns
17. Rising - Grail of bone
18. The Aches - Dancing syllables
19. TALK 5
20. Eskatol - Fane av løgner

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Rising in Ireland updated

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:39:34 -0700

Updated Irish tourdates for Danish rockers Rising:

04/07 - Upstairs @ Twisted Pepper, Dublin
04/08 - Sally Longs, Galway
04/09 - Emmet's Bar, Ballina
04/10 - Limelight, Belfast w/The Ocean

Rising in Ireland

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:58:31 -0800

In addition to the European dates announced earlier this week, heavy Danish act Rising will be heading to Ireland in April:

04/07 - tba, Cork
04/08 - Sally Longs, Galway
04/09 - tba, Dublin
04/10 - Limelight, Belfast w/The Ocean

Rising European tour

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:39:33 -0800

Rising will be heading out on the road with fellow Danes Double Space in March:

03/18 - Simplon, Groningen (NL)
03/19 - La Taverne Du Theatre, La Louviére (BEL)
03/20 - Verso, Luxembourg City (LUX)
03/21 - Graf Hugo, Feldkirch (AUS)
03/22 - Modra Povice, Prague (CZ)
03/23 - tba (CZ/DE/POL)
03/24 - CRK, Wroclaw (POL)
03/25 - tba (CZ/DE/POL)
03/26 - Hammerschmiede, Kassel (GER)
03/27 - Magnet Club, Berlin (GER)

MP3: Marvins Revolt - Siberia

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:11:28 -0800

"After almost a decade of making music together as Marvins Revolt, we have decided to put the band to sleep for an unknown period of time."

Bummer, especially since I was just now getting into their latest record "Patrolling the heights". The band was always that way for me though, their music always needed extra time to simmer before it reached optimum flavor and that just doesn't fly in this short attention span world. I make notes to revisit, but many others have already moved on. Pity. Anyhow, here's to whatever comes next for those guys -- I'm sure they'll be doing good things whether with Rising or something else. (Read the band's full statement)

Top 10s for 2009: Play/Rec

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Ten reasons for Play/Rec to wake from the dead

Brilliant bands all around us:
1 - Marvins Revolt
2 - Adam McCormack
3 - Menfolk
4 - Trust
5 - Obstacles, Rising, Bjørst, Chainsaw Eaters, Snake, Bongo & Friends and many others

Chaos all around us:
1 - Bank Account has hit the floor
2 - Babies screaming in our homes
3 - Need legitimate reasons to go out more often
4 - Will have to stay active to get invited to Roskilde Festival next year.
5 - We can't help doing it.....

---------------------------
Recent releases from Play/Rec include the Marvins Revolt album "Patrolling the heights" and a series of digital EPs from Adam McCormack.
http://www.playrec.dk/
http://www.myspace.com/playrec

Sirius playlist week #46

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:17:24 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Champagne Riot - THe champagne anthem
02. TALK 1
03. C.Aarmé - Bodybuilding
04. Mattias Alkberg - Andra känner
05. Asha Ali - The time is now
06. Karin Ström - Hon som älskade dig
07. TALK 2
08. Masquer - Bang bang
09. Mikkel Meyer - Tartar
10. Rising - Grail of bone
11. TALK 3
12. Sambassadeur - Days
13. Tortyr - Joag
14. Franke - Exil riktas inåt
15. Madamm - Lately I've been so blue
16. TALK 4
17. Taggarna Ut - The secretary
18. José González - In our nature
19. Moloken - Followers
20. Kitty & the K - Iamamf
21. Joel Alme - You will only get it once
22. TALK 5
23. The Movements - Going to your house

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: Rising - Dead kings

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:53:28 -0700

Indie/hardcore dudes attempting to play metal is a dicey proposition, hence me approaching Danish act Rising with extreme caution, especially considering the "true fucking metal" banner they fly on myspace. However, in their favor I will concede they have a legit metal brother in guitarist Jacob Krogholt (ex-Withering Surface), but is he enough to offset the potential poseurtude of drummer Martin Niemann (Marvins Revolt) and bassist/vocalist Henrik Hald (Trust)? Or maybe those dudes are just slumming it with their other bands, finally able to let loose their inner-hessian with Rising? It's not an unreasonable question because I must concede that yes, they do successfully bring the heavy. Rising leans a bit towards the angular sludge of Unsane or Årabrot more than, say, the true metal glory of Manowar, but that's not such an awful digression IMO. If you're still in doubt, just wait for the solo section on this track and your opinion might be swayed. And really, I'd much rather hear a band like this than any 4th-rate thrash revival, even if it isn't exactly denim-vest and bullet-belt material or the truest of true. It's heavy and I like it, that's enough.

Sirius playlist week #39

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:22:39 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
02. TALK 1
03. Boy Omega - Dinosaur drugs
04. Katatonia - Forsaker
05. Moloken - Die fear will
06. TALK 2
07. Rising - Dead kings
08. The Cardigans - Erase/rewind
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. The First Miles - Black heart
12. [ingenting] - Medan vi sov
13. Skriet - Kärlekens land
14. TALK 4
15. Abandon - It's all gone

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.