It is that time of the year again when we eagerly anticipate the coming of another wonderful edition of SonicBlast, the best psychedelic festival in this beautiful blue rock we call home. As is usual, we shall be telling about a few of the bands that will take part of the lineup that think you should not miss, by any means necessary. Okay, maybe not so dramatically, but we do mean it to some extent – SonicBlast in itself is a festival no one should ever miss and each of the following names are reasons that uphold that sentiment.
Molchat Doma
Founded in 2017, in the city of Minsk, Molchat Doma stand at the intersection of post punk, new wave, cold wave and synth pop. Fascinated by brutalist architecture and inspired by groups such as Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Kino, the trio of vocalist Egor Shkutko, guitarist and drum machine player Roman Komogortsev, and bassist and synth player Pavel Kozlov create somber and mystifying melodies, melded with spectral and disembodied vocals, producing a wave of sound that is recognized instantly as entirely their own. With their first two records, S krysh nashikh domov and Etazhi, Molchat Doma’s name grew rapidly via word of mouth, in part due to the viral success of “Sudno (Boris Ryzhy)”, from the latter. On Monument, their third record, the trio started to reinvent their sound, expanding and solidifying their sound into the brutalist monoliths they so adore, something that would be achieved in perfect fashion on Belaya Polosa, their latest record to date.
On a live setting, Molchat Doma are all about emotions and haunting atmospherics. Injections of bleak, imposing rhythms will make even the most skeptical move their skeletons, and the vocals of Shkutko reach otherworldly heights, invoking nostalgia and melancholy like nothing we have ever seen. As the ultimate headliners of this year’s SonicBlast, Molchat Doma will not only provide a spectacle, but also an experience like no other. The trio will take all present on a dark journey through their beautiful yet gloomy world, of only for an evening. And that is everything you will ever need.
Circle Jerks
For fans of all things punk, Circle Jerks is a household name. Formed on 1979 by Black Flag founder and vocalist Keith Morris, as well as then-Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson, Circle Jerks quickly became a hallmark of the genre thanks to their fast, loud and tight as fuck sound, and frantic live shows. Amidst several dissolutions and reunions, Circle Jerks released six powerful records, including their phenomenal debut Group Sex, as well as the equally extraordinary Wild in the Streets and their swansong Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities. Rapid-fire guitar riffs, skull-pounding drumming and the spewing of sociopolitical lyrics make anyone immediately go into a frenzy, both at home or on a venue.
After being dormant for more than a decade, Circle Jerks returned to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of their aforementioned debut record, and we could not be more excited. Prepare for an energetic moshing session that will leave you dazed and bruised, as these hardcore punk legends leave no bodies unlacerated.
King Woman
Started by Iranian multi-dimensional creative force Kristina Esfandiari in 2009, King Woman started as a solo endeavour before evolving into a fully-fledged band. Over the years, the group crafted a unique sound rooted deeply in doom and post metal, melding the heaviness of the former with the transcendence of the latter. Hypnotic, and oftentimes droning, compositions are met with Esfandiari’s mournful voice, as themes of introspection, depression and religion flow through her words and into our heads. King Woman’s latest record to date, Celestial Blues, represented a change for Esfandiari, as she felt compelled to delve deeper into her personal experiences with religion, which included being exposed to exorcisms, spiritual warfare and intense sermons about heaven and hell. As Esfandiari expels her suffering and demons, turning them into art, she makes peace with her weighty past, and helps the audience reach their own state of healing as well.
SonicBlast will mark King Woman’s definitive and long-awaited debut in Portugal. A raw, visceral and cathartic performance awaits those who are in need of recovery through fire.
Chalk
Straight from Belfast come Chalk, a new and exciting act that has been pushing the boundaries of post-punk and electronic music, a blend that has earned the moniker of “trauma techno”. Formed during the pandemic by award-winning musicians and filmmakers Ross Cullen, Benedict Goddard and Luke Niblock, Chalk weave a sound that is filled-to-the-brim by soundscapes of industrial noise and euphoric guitars, as well as tortured vocals that sing about identity, anxiety and the human condition within a claustrophobic and often bleak urban landscape. To date, Chalk have released a trilogy of EPs under the name Conditions, each pulling from various visual and audio influences, and all of them featuring a rapturous sound that is unlike any other.
Chalk’s live performances quite lively, as their music erupts like a volcano, and the audience is left in awe and in need to discharge energy as quickly as possible. It’s like a party at Berghain, with all the sexual freedom and aural orgasms you can imagine. Enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
Castle Rat
Fantasy and sorcery run deep in the veins of doom metal. And no other band has been channeling those ever-important items as well as Castle Rat. On a mission to expand and defend The Kingdom from those who seek to destroy it, the group was formed by The Rat Queen, who conjures magickal riffage and enchanting vocals that mesmerize the listener. She is joined by The Count on guitar, The Plague Doctor on bass, and The All-Seeing Druid on drums. Together, they face the implacable wrath of their sworn enemy: Death Itself – The Rat Reaperess. At its core, Castle Rat is a band that invokes Black Sabbath, Lucifer and Orchid, among others, in a beautiful fashion, without sounding like a mere copy, but a progression of what each of those bands brought to the table. Their debut record, Into the Realm, is chock-full of heavy riffs, deep bass lines and ritualistic drumming, as well as The Rat Queen’s aforementioned enthralling vocals. Having constructed a fantastical story, Castle Rat will continue their journey on their upcoming sophomore, The Bestiary, which promises to take the band’s sound to new heights.
But don’t fool yourself – the story is not just fairy dust used to embellish their sound. The band’s performances are as theatrical, interactive and lore-laden as their music, and you can expect a show filled with choreographed battle scenes, death and suspense. And at SonicBlast, you will get to see all that two times – an incredible treat, if we say so ourselves.
Patriarchy
Snuff is usually described as something that shows real death captured in various types of media. But what if there was someone that subverted that meaning to sexuality in a positive manner? Enter Patriarchy, the brainchild of multifaceted artist Actually Huizenga, which strives to overturn the meaning of the word that gives the project its name, exploring its mythological roots and commenting on its power dynamics in society and personal experiences. Together with Andrew Means, Patriarchy created a sound that is an electrifying mixture of dark electronic dance music, skull-splitting industrial metal and suffocating experimental noise, combined with provocative and explicit visuals. Some find it offensive, others find it liberating, but the fact of the matter is that Patriarchy are breaking barriers and preconceptions in every way possible.
The sexuality found in their music and artworks is transported in full to their live performances. They are a spectacle of lust, metal and machine that need to be experienced at least once in one’s lifetime. Let go of your own pudency and reservedness – when Patriarchy is on stage, the rave is on and bodies will flow and meld as if they are only one being.
Gnome
Grab your pointy red hat, put on your blue coat and black belt – the mighty Gnome are here! Coming straight from Antwerp, the trio of vocalist and guitarist Rutger Verbist, drummer Egon Loosveldt and bassist Geoffrey Verhulst pack a bigger punch than their band name suggests. Combining irresistible hooks and thundering guitars, drums and bass with adventurous twists, they brew their unique and ultimately satisfying potion of stoner, prog and hard rock. Their influences are clear, ranging from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to Red Fang and Truckfighters, with the band also taking a lot of inspiration from the Lord of the Rings films and books, as well as video games such as Dark Souls and Age of Empires. Their latest record, Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome, is both outrageous and surreal, both in an aural and lyrical sense, something that Gnome fans have been accustomed to since the band’s debut, Father of Time.
On a live setting, Gnome are as thunderous and freaky as they are in the studio. Armed with pointy red hats like garden gnomes, they will hug your soul with jaunty riffs and make you headbang uncontrollably.
Spoon Benders
Witty, gritty and entrancing in the best way possible, Spoon Benders walk a fine musical line between psych, goth and garage rock, drawing inspiration from bands like The Stooges and Osees. Having relentlessly toured the United States, leaving a trail of new fans in their wake, Spoon Benders became synonymous with an electrifying stage presence that can only be described as loud, controlled chaos. On their two records to date, Dura Mater and How things Repeat, Spoon Benders showcase a sound that is both trippy and trance-inducing, with a sprinkle of punk attitude that will leave no one indifferent.
On their first ever European tour, Spoon Benders will visit the beaches of Âncora, bringing their incredible musicianship for what will surely be an unmissable, mind-bending performance.
Sunflowers
Everything louder than everything else – that is the motto that Sunflowers live by. Chaotic, raucous and blood-pumping are just a few adjectives one could use to the describe the aural world of vocalist and guitarist Carlos de Jesus, drummer Carolina Brandão, and bassist Frederico Ferreira, a trio that melds punk, psych and garage rock in perfect fashion. On their latest record to date, A Strange Feeling of Existential Angst, Sunflowers took a moment to think about their existence as a band and as individuals, especially as we were coming out of the pandemic era. The result was a masterful piece of art that explores the reduction of one’s identity to capitalized human data and the struggle to understand a world whose future is not at all promising, featuring songs that are both apotheotic and apocalyptic.
Despite being a well-known name in the Portuguese underground scene, this will be Sunflowers’ very first time playing at SonicBlast. Pandemonium, distortion and fervor will mark the band’s performance as they bring up the heat near the sandy beaches of Âncora.
Words by Filipe Silva
