#pressor

“Press Conference”   artist, Hoke....Ebay Auction...Feb 23 - March 2...

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ACID KING

~Live 'n' Loud in Russia~

    Part I: St. Petersburg

Review & Cover Photos by Vadim Aleksensky

Additional Photographs by Mo Nemo

To be honest, I did not know entirely what to expect from this concert. It was almost 10 years ago that I begin listening to Acid King and I always eagerly awaited new material from them. All this time, the thought that Acid King could come to Russia did not seem possible.

Their last album 'Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere' (2015) pleased, but the live recordings I'd come across recently somehow did not impress. So when I heard Acid King was coming to St. Petersburg on the 19th of July 2017, I was excited, but braced for disappointment -- especially since the band had rarely performed in the decade between their third and fourth albums. Perhaps I was afraid they had lost the drive of those inspired earlier years.

Fortunately, those doubts were not justified. I could not have even imagined how cool Lori would sound in person. Her voice steals your soul from you and sounds even better live than on record. Everything else that night was at the highest level, as well -- even the lighting at MOD CLUB was perfect this time.

The setlist for Acid King's first ever show in Russia was wonderfully prepared, composed in such a way that the tension increased with every song. After beginning with a long, juicy instrumental, the main part of the performance was occupied mostly with fresh tracks.

About an hour after the start of the set, Acid King retired to the green room. I admit I was a bit hurt that little of their old material was played. But no! The band appeared again, bringing with them liters of vodka and treating the first row of fans to shots, rushing to bring more for the second. Lori and the boys went on to play over a half-hour of those fat, classic hits

Kinda strange line-up. Anyway have a good tour. --Vasya B.

Opening Act:

    PRESSOR

More Pressor.

Headliner:

    ACID KING

Can't believe I was listening to "Teen Dusthead" live! You are very special band that is like no other. Keep doing and stay true!

--Denis D.

It was incredibly cool show. Thank you, guys.

--Pavel T.

More Acid King.

The Russian foursome freaks us out with 'Weird Things.'

~Review by Billy Goate~

Photos by Ales Piletsky from Concert by Velvet Syringe

Let's set geopolitics aside for a moment and take a look at Russia's thriving heavy underground, specifically the sludge metal scene. I've been following it as a fascinated outsider for just a little while, but long enough to know that something of seismic significance is rumbling in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It's a vibe as defiant as NOLA in the '90s, as innovative as Oakland, Savannah, or Richmond in the early 2000s, as fierce as anything happening in Vancouver, Portland, or London right now.

I mean these people are into it, man -- bands and fans alike (see: Sludge Convention). "The funny thing I’ve noticed about Russians is how reserved they can be," Nick DiSalvo observed during Elder's trek through both cities last summer, "but then when the music is playing they are going crazy, moshing or stage diving, and crowd surfing the whole time."

Look beyond the obvious, dig just a little deeper below the surface, and you'll discover exciting acts like Burning Loss, Crypt Jaintor, С.Х., Dekonstruktor (formerly The Moon Mistress), dOpehaZe, Dronegoola Machine, Drunk Shaman, Electricjezus, Funeral Smoke, Grave Disgrace, ИЛ, Illegal Ones, Montezuma's Revenge, Nisshin Mara, Pwyll, Roswell Surgery, Satanhedge, Sheva, 609, Thy Grave, Vicious Black, Weedrunk, weezdüm, Without God, and Ypres on bills together. Each offers their own unique twist on the doom-sludge subgenre, often paired on bills with savage punk and hardcore acts.

There's one name I intentionally left out of the listing, because we're dedicating significant space to them today: PRESSOR. With almost 10 years under their belt (and counting), these guys have earned a place of distinction among their fellows.

When I looked into the archives, I was reminded that the first time we covered Pressor in these pages, they were our Band of the Week. They'd just released a fantastic split with Ukraine's Soom and the now defunct Idaho outfit Diazepam, following right on the heels of a very promising debut EP, Grave Full of Weed (yes, that's Dixie Dave smoking a fatty on the front cover). We've been tracking the Slavic sludgers through ice and snow ever since, waiting for the moment the beast would next bare its teeth.

Three years passed and we got our first hint of what Pressor had been up to during the void. By adding a few drops of acid to an already dank mixture of sludge, the filthy foursome transformed their soundscape into something altogether rabid. The psychotronic single "Tripping Deep" appeared 17 months ahead of their second EP, but it helped to tide us over until we could listen to the record before us now. Before we get into it, let's get better acquainted with members of Pressor.

Fronting the band is Stanislav ("Stas") Vasilyev. At first glance, Stas has a crazed look about him of someone you don't exactly want to look in the eye when you pass him on the street, lest you inadvertently piss him off and lose an earlobe. You might also take a hint from the ink on his left shoulder, the Baron of Hell from DOOM clutching a pitiful human in one hand, a great ball of fire in the other. Stas is one of the two founding members of Pressor (known back in the day as "Slow Stan"), raging steady in his role for damn near a decade.

Stas and Guitarist Anton Khmelevsky have a long history playing in bands together (Nocturnlands, Leaden Sky, Warped Lord). Anton (or "Alco Tony" as they used to call him) lays down some nasty riffs in the new record. Anton also heads up the surprisingly accessible neofolk group Княжая Пустынь, which is definitely worth checking out.

The two original members have been joined by various members of the rhythm section over the years. Drummer Daniil ("Danya") Kornev joined the crew sometime around 2016. As for bassists, Denis Zarutsky of Ypres was brought on board after the departure of bassist Nikita Shershev. Kirill Grushkin is featured on the recording of 'Weird Things' (2018), along with Tanya Shabanova on the Therminivox. The album is certainly Pressor's most significant creative achievement to date.

I like how the Pressor describe the new record: "stoner-doom with synths cut down by lumberjacks from Kostroma" (a reference to the historic city in western Russia that Pressor calls home). Before us are a quartet of tracks tingling with electricity, alive with weird quirks and buzzes, heavy like falling timber, one slammin' riff after another. I mean this record just does not let up!

Anton tells me that while he has partnered with Stas in writing songs up to this point (Anton writing lyrics and Stas the music), for Weird Things Stas was like a man on a mission, taking on both music and lyrics. His voice echoes with authority in this otherwise unhinged psychotronic realm.

Weird Things by Pressor

Kicking off this reality-bending adventure is "Heavy State," which makes a grand entrance, with declamatory chords accented by organ-like synth, pedal effects that flitter and fizzle like firecrackers. This is one hell of an introduction! The visual for me of a magic pill being delivered on a silver platter in ceremonial fashioned which is summarily consumed, and now down, down, down the rabbit hole we descend.

The pace picks up significantly for the title track and Stas describes the trip with a sense of urgency: "It's time to disappear in waves of doom. It's time to disintegrate in the froth of gloom." This is a revelation to the twisted nature of reality, the picture behind the picture that stares us in the face every day. "So this is what you've been waiting for...now you can see, now you can feel, you can take." On our eyelids are projected images of the world in all its weirdness, sickness, and cruelty.

You know that feeling It’s a long expected pain It’s meltdown in your brain

"Tripping Deep," as mentioned earlier, was released as a single sometime before the full album came to light, and is the longest section of the narrative. While it stands on its own well enough, it's helpful to now hear it in context, for on Weird Things one track blends so naturally into the next. If the previous track was marked by urgency, this one is delivered with gravitas. We are psychedelic sailors venturing out into unsettled waters, drifting away with no sense of direction into lightning filled skies. "Do you think it madness?" Stas asks. "Full speed ahead I say!"

If you're looking for respite in the album's final track, think again. There is no going back from the madness of "Hexadecimal Unified Insanity." This one had a wicked, Rob Zombie vibe about it, which I really liked, though it smartly steers clear of pop sensibilities. From the lyrics and what little the band reveals, this appears to have something to do with sex, or at least the pleasure-pain paradigm. If we can be certain of anything, it's weird and it's great doom!

So let’s meld up to twisted flesh We unify ourselves in viscous mesh Now we’re born as new essence And each of us is cells in this weird concrescence

The album art captures its vibe perfectly. Weird Things hits your senses like psychedelics, but with a dark, downtuned undercurrent rooted in the Electric Wizard school of doom, but more aggressive still. Certainly one of this year's Heavy Best.

To accompany your trippy listening pleasure, we're bringing you this exclusive interview with the band, translated from Russian to English by our Moscow contributor Rita Fevraleva (whose photographs we feature periodically in these pages).

Tripping Out & Trudging On

A Conversation with Stas & Anton of Pressor

~Interview & Photographs by Rita Fevraleva~

If we can, let's begin with your origin story. Who are you guys and how did you get together?

Stas: It all started with me. In fact, it all began nine years ago. We were part-time students and wanted to play a strange kind of music that nobody cared for in our small town of Kostroma at that time. I found a bass player, who I played doom with at home and various places of rehearsal. We jammed for probably a year-and-a-half or two, then after a while Anton joined.

Anton: Actually, we met by accident because we hung around in the same crowd, played in the same bands. Stas and I actually played black metal, that's how we met. Originally, we played funeral doom with the guys who were in the first line-up of Pressor. Later, we began to play other music and it got interesting. After the first concert, we realized that it was interesting for not only us.

Stas: We were more into this new sound for Pressor than funeral doom and began to evolve into sludge and stoner vibes. After the first show, development went on and we finally progressed beyond the practice space.

What's the meaning of the band's name, Pressor?

Stas: At that time, we were very inspired by the slow moving sound of the sludge, stoner, and doom music we listened to. It was like a huge mechanical press that smeared you all over its surface. We liked it and we wanted to play in the same manner, so the name came from there.

"Weird Things" Live In Azbuka Zvuka Studio

Where is Kostroma and what is life like there in your hometown?

Anton: Kostroma is a small town, about 300 kilometers from Moscow. There is a heavy scene, which even has its own history, but, of course, its old fashioned, completely monotonous, and all about traditional metal. So in Kostroma, it's not that hard to find musicians who would be interested in playing stoner and sludge, in principle, but it is difficult to find people who would even care to listen to it.

Why did you decide to move to St. Petersburg and when did this happen?

Stas: Anton and I decided to move a long time after the founding of the band, about three years ago. We decided that playing music in Kostroma and the nearby vicinity does not have any possibilities for development as a band. We needed to move to Moscow or St. Petersburg, because there were a lot of people who understood this music. Also, there are many more musicians in St. Petersburg, so it was not difficult to find a new people for band.

"Royal Witch" from Pressor's three-way split with Diazepam and Soom

You describe your sound as “stoner doom with synths cut down by lumberjacks from Kostroma.” Can you tell us how you came to evolve your sound as it is presently?

Anton: This phrase was created by Anton Kitaev, founder of "(No Name)" a label without name and logo, on which we publish. It most clearly describes what we are playing.

Stas: It all started with the fact that we were gaining experience and, personally, I got carried away by krautrock and various experimental electronic music. I realized that this music has a much deeper, diverse, and exciting sound than metal can offer. These sounds are pulled out of reality, leading deep into the depths of consciousness. After some time and experiments, we found out this is what we needed to supplement the metal music that had been boring us, so we mixed one with another. The hypnotic industrial background penetrates directly into the brain and the rage and groove of the sludge knocks the shit out of the body -- pressing on two levels!

Anton: But this is the technical side of the question. (laughs) Since we moved to St. Petersburg, things that help us to open our minds have become more available. And this also influenced our music.

We’re loving the new album. Can you take us on a guided tour?

Stas: The album tells about different experiences of modified states, a journey into consciousness. The first track "Heavy State" is really heavy and it's about that the journey will not be easy, but interesting. The next song, "Weird Things," is a reflection of opportunities and dangers that waiting for everyone in psychedelic trip. The third one, "Tripping Deep" is about the more lyrical, romantic view of psychonautics. The working title is "Marine," because it creates the feeling as if the sailors are rushing on their ship somewhere in Antarctica. The last track with a crazy name, "Hexadecimal Unified Insanity," it's about the big, universal love.

"Hexadecimal Unified Insanity" Drum Playthrough

Who writes the lyrics and what do you intend to communicate?

Anton: At the beginning, I wrote lyrics. For the last release, Stas did it. In both cases, we do not have a clearly worded idea to send the listeners. We did not have a specific message, like for example, hardcore bands often do. I think it's more for keeping the atmosphere and tuning to the right harmony, based on associations -- pictures in the head that arise when listening to our music. So the lyrics are fairly straightforward, for example, in our last album, 'Grave Full of Weed' (2015), and everything is in this spirit. On the last release, 'Weird Things' (2018), there are more reflections, as we have already told. The interpretation depends mainly on its subjects.

What inspires you in the world of art, music, or literature?

Stas: Some of us like philosophy, another is into the psychedelic '70s, and another likes modern acid visual art. In addition, we try to listen to a huge amount of the most diverse music possible. As a band, we are now especially inspired by experiments with both sound and songs. And, of course, we inspired by a tightly stuffed bong.

Tell us about the instruments, amps, and pedals you play and record with.

Stas: Oh, there is nothing special here: Les Pauls, Precisions, Gibsons, and Fenders. I have a stunning guitar head Hovercraft Falcon 50 (hello to Portland!). We are very pleased with it. It was sad that the price went up and we could not afford a second one. From synthesizers, we use small analog Arturia Microbrute and old cult Roland JP 8000.

Anton: We have an old Yamaha transistor amplifier at our rehearsal room. From my pedals, I'm most pleased with the acquisition of ProCo You Dirty RAT -- a very versatile thing.

Live at Mod Club in Saint Petersburg (courtesy NoTrust Metalfisha)

Are your live gigs as wild and as vicious as your records sound?

Stas: When we first started to play new music, I was afraid for us that people would not understand these strange sounds, besides the basic guitar, bass, and drums. Lately, however, I've started to hear feedback over and over like, "Wow, I was just in trance." We're really satisfied by this. Usually, we use hypnotic video in our shows and recently we started to use stage lights, so we're planning to work this into the whole experience. We are satisfied with the reaction of our fans.

Last question: if you had limitless ability travel, what cities or festivals would Pressor most like to play in around the world?

Anton: We always try to expand the geography of our concerts. At the moment, we do it by ourselves, but in the future we hope that we will join some booking agency and they will do this business. We would like to go beyond the ocean and play at such legendary festivals as Roadburn, Hellfest, Desertfest, and so on, including shows in the United States. By the way, we will not refuse a suggestion to play in the Kremlin to show them all an acid power. We really like playing live shows and want to do it anywhere and everywhere possible.

What would you like to wish to our readers in parting?

There is a future behind experiments! So please, experiment with anything you like. If we are lucky, we'll get over to the US and, of course, will party, trip, and chat with everyone who's interested in the same. Stay doomed and stoned, guys!

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