Epic, crushing, and heavy beyond words, YOB has achieved legendary status in recent years due to their unmatched aesthetic and incredible body of work. Formed in 1996 in Eugene, Oregon under the leadership of doom metal mastermind Mike Scheidt on guitars and vocals, the group initially released a three song demo tape in 2000 that garnered them international attention. Drawing comparisons to groups like Neurosis, Sleep and Electric Wizard, YOB succeeded in developing modern sounding doom metal that hearkened back to the classics.

In 2002, YOB released their debut album Elaborations of Carbon followed by Catharsis in 2003, a three song record that clocked in at a colossal 50 minutes. The buzz about YOB was beginning to grow and the trio began to tour more extensively. Remaining quite prolific during this period, YOB continued to release an album each year with The Illusion of Motion coming in 2004 followed by The Unreal Never Lived in 2005. Despite all the momentum, YOB disbanded in 2006.

In 2008 the band returned from hiatus and has remained strong ever since with Travis Foster on drums and Aaron Rieseberg on bass. Reinvigorated and reinspired, YOB released The Great Cessation in 2009. It was doom with a psychedelic twist, a sound that Pitchfork referred to as “cosmic doom.” At this point in their career, the band found increased exposure in the media, with The New York Times going so far as to call them “one of the best bands in North America” after a performance at Scion Rock Festival.

For 2011’s Atma , YOB took a more organic approach to recording, opting to track everything at once. In Scheidt’s own words, he wanted the record to sound “grizzly, with hair on it.” Three year later, the group released Clearing the Path to Ascend , a record that upheld their legacy as a top notch doom metal act and was hailed by Rolling Stone as the #1 metal album of the year.

Now in 2018, the band has announced their newest album ‘Our Raw Heart’ to be released on Relapse Records. As for how Our Raw Heart will be received? Mike Scheidt (guitar/vocals) is wise enough to know that it’s out of his hands. “I think every era of Yob fan will find something on there to dig—it’s just a matter of whether they can go on the whole trip or not,” he ventures. “And that’s none of my business. The music has a life of its own. It goes out there into the world and it’s gonna be received however it’s received.”

For as loud as their riffs and roars are, Acid King’s legacy is as unassuming as it is enduring, casting a quiet shadow over the underground for over two decades.

Bathed in distortion and baptized in a plume of smoke, the Bay Area trio—Lori S. [vocals, guitars], Joey Osborne [drums], and Mark Lamb [bass]—re-emerged with their first offering in a decade, Middle of Nowhere Center of Everywhere. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, tastemakers such as Noisey, Blabbermouth, Invisible Oranges, Ultimate Guitar, and New Noise lauded the album. They embarked on tours of the States and Australia, appearing on festivals including Psycho Las Vegas, Erosion Fest, Desert Generator, and more as well as sharing the stage with everyone from Sleep and Down to Blue Öyster Cult, Red Fang, and YOB. The record extended a celebrated discography that encompasses three EPs and three full-lengths, namely Zoroaster [1995], Busse Woods [1999], and Acid King III [2005], carving out a foundation back in 1993. It’s no surprise strains of their style infect modern luminaries such as The Sword and Kylesa, and they’ve earned a place in tomes like The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal and the A to Z of Doom, Gothic & Stoner Metal.

Forever etched in the Acid King Necronomicon, Joey and Mark announced they would each begin their own respective new chapters in late 2016.

“When we started this band, it was always just about playing music that we love,” exclaims Lori. “Joey and Mark reached a point where they wanted to focus on other aspects of their lives. I wish them the best. It was simply the start of another era.”

As the proverbial train kept rolling, Lori invited an old friend to join her on the road for a string of shows in 2017. Black Cobra’s Rafa Martinez entered the fold again after assuming bass duties once in 2007. Meanwhile, she tapped the talents of local drummer Bil Bowman behind the kit.

“The new lineup sounds killer,” she goes on. “We’re carrying on the Acid King’s story.”

As she aims to commence writing, the future remains bright for the frontwoman. In the end, Lori keeps forging ahead as Acid King’s spirit rages on louder than ever before.

“Even though we’re doing the same thing we were at the beginning, I feel like it keeps getting better,” she leaves off. “It’s exciting to see the impact it has on fans. A lot of people will write me and say they had a shitty day, put on our music, and it took them to another place. Many songs are written while I’m riding my motorcycle. I want to transfer that feeling. It’s cool to see the reaction.”

Southern Lord is proud to present the new opus from The Bay Area’s devastating duo BLACK COBRA. Formed by drummer Rafa Martinez (ex-16, ex-Acid King) and guitarist/vocalist Jason Landrian (ex-Cavity), BLACK COBRA catapulted themselves onto the scene in 2001 with their ravenous, upbeat and ultimately unique style of punk/hardcore-fueled sludge metal. They were picked up almost immediately by indie At A Loss Recordings becoming the band’s label home for the release of their debut full-length, Bestial, and follow-up album, Feather And Stone. By 2009, with the band then virtually a household name to the tens of thousands of fans who’ve seen their flooring live performances over the years, BLACK COBRA signed with juggernaut Southern Lord Recordings for the release of Chronomega, the band’s most diverse material to date.

For the recording of this, the band’s second release for Southern Lord Recordings, BLACK COBRA recently ventured across the continent to pound out their anticipated new album, the follow-up to 2009’s massively well-received Chronomega. This time around the outfit enlisted the talents of Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and his God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. After a brutal week-and-a-half in the notorious lair, ‘COBRA hammered out what will soon be known to the world as their almighty fourth full-length album, “Invernal”. This is BLACK COBRA’s most honed and diversified material to date, and will definitely tear your face off completely. By the time you read this Black Cobra will have already decimated the fiends at the Power of the Riff Fest that their label put on in August. They also showcased songs from this album at the Music Fest Northwest festival in Portland and supporting High on Fire in Oakland. A rigorous amount of touring will continually be announced through the rest of 2011.