NEUROSIS Announces First Bands For 'Beyond The Pale'

Long-running Oakland, California-based industrial/alternative/metal pioneers NEUROSIS have announced the first bands for the European version of their "Beyond The Pale" event, to be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland as part of the Roadburn festival. They are:

THE YOUNG GODS
GUAPO
AKIMBO:
U.S. CHRISTMAS

NEUROSIS' Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly had the following to say regarding their initial selections for "Beyond The Pale":

THE YOUNG GODS:

Steve Von Till: "NEUROSIS' very first show on European soil was a small festival in Germany in 1992. After a day or two of soaking in the foreign sights, sounds, and culture, we had the honor of supporting THE YOUNG GODS from Switzerland. We were young and still new to the methods of integrating keyboards and samples into our own style of heavy music and that night THE YOUNG GODS taught us a lesson. Massive guitar riffs blasted from the PA yet there was no guitarist to be seen. Their sampler / keyboardist was a true sonic alchemist brewing insane psychedelic heavy riffs from banks of custom created textures. Rarely had we experienced technology used so organically in music. Those sounds combined with the essential hard hitting, solid backbone of a great rock drummer and a charismatic vocalist blew our minds that night. Over the years we have continued to admire THE YOUNG GODS' music and their contribution to original heavy music. One of my favorite daily rituals during our brutal touring schedule in the late '90s was hearing our soundman Dave Clark test the local PA systems with THE YOUNG GODS, pushing the speakers to their limits. We are proud to have THE YOUNG GODS appearing with us this year for Beyond the Pale at Roadburn 2009. As our existence spirals out from the center, it is rewarding when some things come full circle."

GUAPO:

Steve Von Till: "Once in a great while, something unexpected and amazing arrives in the post office box. This happened several years back with a handmade wax-sealed package entitled 'Five Suns' by English outfit GUAPO. Instantly a wall of gongs, distorted bass and screaming Fender Rhodes built up a frightening hypnotic and pulsating beat that somehow managed to evoke images of 'Red' or 'Lark's Tongue'-era KING CRIMSON without the pretense, almost as if it were thrust forth with the ferocity of a JESUS LIZARD-type aggression. I was sold. Their albums have only become more intriguing, delving deeper into a strange space both claustrophobic and expansive, leaving most of their so called 'prog' counterparts seeming to wander inertly with a lack of emotion. GUAPO will absolutely bring a desired level of depth and complex harmonics to Beyond the Pale."

AKIMBO:

Scott Kelly: "AKIMBO was one of those bands that we had missed over the years, but as time went on their legend grew. When the time finally came that we could experience the power of these guys, all was right. When you see AKIMBO you see a band that has been hardened from the road, a band that has been focused on the sound and the sound alone, and a culmination of experience thrown at you on a lightning bolt."

U.S. CHRISTMAS:

Scott Kelly: "In all my days I have never had a band find me in the way that U.S. CHRISTMAS did. From deep in the mail pile of 2 months of submissions combatmusicradio.com, I picked up this demo and put it on my stereo. Instantly the subtle dissonance and space began to crawl around me as 'Lazurus' began, USX is like no other. I was instantly intrigued, I had to know more about this mysterious band. From deep in the Appalachians in North Carolina comes the sound of three guitars, two Theremins, and a rhythm section straight from the center of the earth. U.S CHRISTMAS will be the true revelation of Beyond the Pale at Roadburn '09."

Steve Von Till previously stated about the "Beyond The Pale" event: "The mission of 'Beyond the Pale' is for us to honor the spirit and power of sound with people that we feel are kindred spirits. We want to bring together a diverse group of people who push the envelope, are truly original, and have that unspeakable fire and inspiration flowing through their art.

"In our 23 years of existence, we have had very few experiences that felt as right as our initial performance at Roadburn in 2007. Roadburn is a unique experience in the often disappointing and disingenuous world of music; it is a festival organized and run by people with a true passion and dedication to sound. Roadburn is a completely different experience than the traditional music festival. It is a small, intimate, extremely well organized festival, put together by people who love the bands, and thrive on creating a unique social vibe where the lines between artist, audience, and staff are often completely blurred. In the spirit of this commitment we are proud to announce that the day of April 25, 2009 at Roadburn will be a rekindling of 'Beyond The Pale'. We will be performing as well as curating the entire day's events.

For more information, visit www.roadburn.com.

NEUROSIS performing "The Doorway" at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, New York on January 25, 2008: