Announces Debut Self-Titled Album Out June 17th on Monofonus Press * Upcoming Dates w/ Saviours!
The Roller is the preferred soundtrack of dragons or trolls under bridges, a doom metal roar stretched into a dropped-D gnarr that rumbles and pitches like a barely chained beast. - The Onion
“Massively distorted guitar, plodding bass and drums and a singer who sounds like all 20 feet of his small intestine are being slowly removed from his body with a fork.” – Joe Gross, Austin American Statesman
Formed in the psychotropic bowels of Austin, TX, The Roller emerged in late 2005 with a sound as annihilating as it is heavy. Vacillating between the drone of classic doom and the faster, unpredictable tempos of sludge-metal, the foursome provide the ideal soundtrack for a hesh sesh or all night fuck-fest of mind-bending and calamitous proportions.
The Roller freed some of their first recordings in 2006 on a limited-release, 250-press demo, before permanently recruiting Axes to the Sky alumnus Theron "Groady" Rhoten on guitar. With the current lineup complete, Rhoten, along with drummer Jeremy Jenkins, bassist Ed Davis and vocalist Mike Morowitz launched into a US tour in support of Austin brethren The Sword and San Francisco sludge-bags Black Cobra. They have also already shared the stage with fellow darksiders such as Pelican, Skeleton Witch, Saviours, Middian, Daughters, Kylesa, and Mammatus.
Drawing from the deep vibrations of vintage doom and heavy stoner rock such as Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, The Roller began work on their first full-length album, recorded at Austin's Sweat Box studio. Set to release on June 17, the band will head out on a west coast tour this summer in support of the album.
For their first full-length, The Roller has teamed up with Austin label Monofonus Press for the 2nd installment of the IF Series, a collection of multimedia box sets that bring together musicians, writers, and visual artists. The Roller establishes the mood with their vicious volume and undeniable presence while author Rebecca Bengal provides the story, Captioning for the Blind, a lonely, lost Hill Country tale full of absence and animal carcasses. Both are accompanied by painter Virginia Yount’s fluorescent visions of surreal and mysteriously abandoned landscapes. Inspired by this collaboration, Morowitz wrote the opening track, “Zugunruhe,” based on Bengal’s story. The title describes an anxious behavior in birds, or as his sickening vocal sermon eerily declares, a “restless migration.”
PLAYERS:
Ed Davis (bass)
Jeremy Jenkins (drums)
Mike Morowitz (vocals)
Theron Rhoten (guitar)
Tracklist for The Roller:
1. Zugunruhe
2. Under the Beneath
3. Cremation of Care
4. Spirit of the Sun
5. Rattle of the Shaman
US Dates w/ Saviours Coming Soon!
For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/gloomaxe
www.monofonuspress.com
