From the Professor’s Page – Upcoming releases 2012, Part I

Since 2012 is well under way it is high time that I highlighted five releases planned for later this year that are guaranteed to rock the Casbah (even if Sharia don’t like it).

Storm Corrosion (ETA: April)

Storm Corrosion is the name of the long awaited full album collaboration between prog rock godheads Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No Man, Blackfield) and Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth, Bloodbath). It is planned to be the spiritual third part of the trilogy that started with Opeth – Heritage and Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning. These two have worked together extensively in the past (Wilson produced four separate Opeth albums) and the duo have promised that it will be familiar to their fans but miles away from their existing bodies of work.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (ETA: ?)

I’m a sucker for supergroups and this one takes the cake. Featuring Ben Weinman (Dillinger Escape Plan), Eric Avery (ex-Jane’s Addiction), Jon Theodore (ex-Mars Volta, One Day As A Lion), and Brent Hinds (Mastodon) this band has enough potential to flash-fry a giant squid. Nobody knows what they sound like yet but the very idea of this collaboration makes me drool a little.

Grinderman – Grinderman 2 RMX (ETA: March 12)

The spinoff band to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds made two excellent, sleazy garage rock records before calling it a day for now. As an aperitif of sorts they are releasing a remix album (featuring the likes of Nick Zinner, UNKLE, and Joshua Homme) that includes a demo version of ‘Evil’ and an alternate version of single ‘Heathen Child’ that features King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. Cave + Fripp = solid gold.

The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet (ETA: March 27)

It feels like a long time since the Volta dropped Octahedron back in 2009. I think we got used to these space cadets releasing an album every year-and-a-half. When news broke of an At The Drive-In reunion it threw another Volta album further into question. Fear not, Noctourniquet is apparently not that far away now. I await this release with sweaty palms and kaleidoscope eyes.

Meshuggah – Koloss (ETA: March 27)

Need I say more? Meshuggah are the pinnacle of punishingly heavy, uncompromising metal. If Obzen was anything to go by this shit is likely to physically draw blood.

Obviously there are plenty more releases than just these to get excited about. Apparently it is not unreasonable to expect new albums from Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Portishead, Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantomas), Ancestors, Rush, Deftones, Kyuss Lives, Franz Ferdinand, Black Sabbath, MGMT … the list goes on. I am committed to giving you all a taste of the world’s best music so I will see you in the future.