Aarhus Koger presented eight of Aarhus’ finest, most promising and perspective hard rock acts. Curated by Magnified Eye member and head of Osmium Records Torben Egebjerg the limited edition vinyl and two day mini festival showcased the following bands: Bersærk, Double Space, Drön, Fusskalt, Green Orb, Magnified Eye, Stone Cadaver and The Silent Low. Every band contributed with a new recording and a great concert.
Deeply rooted in the soil of Jutland Bersærk shouts their audience to life and leads them back to the days when a man was a man, a woman ready to fight and going berserk was something you did together. The musical universe is heavy, solid and forceful with the Nordic sound as the main nerve. The high explosive, Danish-language stoner rock that dominates the expression of Bersærk, calls on the inner wolf and gives the audience the opportunity to howl in unison.
Fusskalt is made up of a handful of experienced musicians from different parts of the Danish metal and rock scene. The band plays a fast-paced mix of stoner rock and desert rock without a hitch, inviting you to step on the accelerator and just drive toward the horizon without looking back. Among the band’s more prominent inspirations we find great bands like Mustasch, Red Fang, Monster Magnet, Clutch, Sasquatch, B.L.S. and Wo Fat.
The West Jutland references are prominent in the case of duo Drön. The music is simple and futile and has a hardness, which is not far from the landscape out west. The music draws on inspirations from 70’s British rock to the grunge of the 90’s and the motivation is to get a dynamic and hard-hitting sound out of the duo format. The heavy riff is vital when Drön creates a melting pot of distorted amplifiers, primal song, resounding boilers and snarling cymbals.
Stone Cadaver combines 70’s hard rock and early heavy metal with elements such as doom metal and in that way creates a wonderful mix that easily conjures up a unique stoner rock sound that lies somewhere between giants like Kyuss, Electric Wizard and Black Sabbath. Stone Cadaver is a cauldron of punitive slow grooves and distorted, catchy and fast-paced riff that particularly in live settings makes quite an impression on the listener.
With their lava rock Magnified Eye has been a prominent act in the Danish and European rock underground since 1999. Everything from small clubs to large festivals have witnessed the band’s riff storm, psychedelic atmosphere and melodic hooks seasoned with a crisp and bluesy harp. Magnified Eye is known as an intense, energetic and engaging live band, and with more than 150 live concerts behind them they always deliver razor sharp live performances.
Double Space distills the essence of genres such as sludge metal, stoner doom and noise rock into their own crystal clear vision that is incomparable epic groove rock. The band stands for a completely and utterly relentless onslaught consisting of crushing power riffs and strong solos and the band seems to never look back. Double Space formed in 2003 around the recording of some songs written by guitarists Mikko Mansikkala Jensen and Rasmus Rosenkilde Jensen.
The Silent Low plays a catchy and captivating mix of hard rock, blues, metal, stoner rock, alternative rock and grunge and yet they sound completely different - a massive blend created and executed without any bullshit. The band’s four members combines many years of musical experience from bands such as Bullet Train Blast, The Burning and Second Society. The band play no bullshit rock with broad shoulders and an attitude that goes beyond the stage.
Green Orb was formed in 2014 by four guys all known from other Aarhus stoner rock and space rock bands. In the new constellation focus is on heavy and psychedelic stoner rock - harmonic guitars and a technical as well as hard-hitting rhythm section challenge each other, and all of the band’s songs gradually intensifies before the major energy is released; sometimes in a relieving manner, other times in an even more escalating fashion.