Like any webzine, Merchants Of Air is active on facebook, twitter etcetera.  Recently we created a profile on the newest member of the social network family, Tsu.  We quite agree with their terms of use and their view on social networking so we were glad to join in.  Here's a short list of websites we're on (short indeed because we don't feel like spending too much time on them).

facebook
twitter
tzu
minds (not very active)
last.fm
tumblr (not very active)

Hardcore superstars Converge will soon release their new DVD, named 'Thousands Of Miles Between Us'.  As a teaser, they now revealed a clip from that DVD, showing a highly energetic live performance of 'Concubine' and 'Dark Horse'

Pre-order Thousands of Miles Between Us at http://thousandsofmilesbetweenus.com/

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Spanish extreme metal band Neter has released a video for the song 'Idols' from the album with the same title.  We reviewed this album a while ago and we'd still like to recommend this great piece of work.  You can purchase the album on their bandcamp page

More goodies for the blackest souls among us.  Italian black metal act Namter has released a video for the song 'Introspettiva Inumanità Disvelante'.  The song comes from the album (Il Rifugio della Creazione', which you can find on bandcamp.  The video was shot and edited by Namter himself during roamings throughout the Italian mountains.

Italian blackened hardcore hordeLaCasta has unleashed a crushing single.  The single 'No Hope' is taken from the upcoming ep 'Encyclia', which will be released by the end of this year.  Judging from 'No Hope', that ep will be a massive blend of black metal, hardcore punk and many other extreme metal genres...

Goths of the world, rejoice.  The German Amphi Fest has unveiled a first batch of names for their 2016 edition.  The first headliner is Editors, followed by an impressive set of acts, including Frontline Assembly, Suicide Commando, Tarja and Xotox.  So, no doubt Köln will once again draw black and purple on 23 and 24 of July 2016

After a highly successful passage in my hometown of Antwerp, Desertfest crosses the Channel again to a massive London edition.  Today, Godflesh, Crowbar, Egypt, Truckfighters and many more amazing acts have been added to the line-up.  See the impressive line-up below.

- DESERTFEST LONDON 2016 -
April 29th to May 1st in Camden, London (UK)
Weekend tickets available AT THIS LOCATION
 
Current lineup is as follows:
ELECTRIC WIZARD
GODFLESH
CROWBAR
TRUCKFIGHTERS
ELDER
EGYPT
CONAN
WO FAT
MOTHERSHIP
MONOLORD
ROTOR
RAGING SPEEDHORN
PLANET OF ZEUS
WITCHSORROW
 
Get more infos at www.thedesertfest.com 
Follow the festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Post-rock band Caspian is about to tour Europe again after their recent US tour.  They will be supported by the brilliant solo cello sounds by Jo Quail.

Italian industrial metal combo The Silverblack have a special Halloween gift for their fans, a Lady Gaga cover.
Read our review for their smashing album 'The Grand Turmoil' here

Taking influence from Europe's music festival circuit, Armstrong Metal Fest is a heavy metal celebration that encourages metal heads from across Canada and the globe to mosh and camp with the backdrop of great outdoors of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. 

Armstrong Metal Fest is still taking band submissions until November 1st for this year's 8th annual 2016 edition taking place on July 15th and 16th in Armstrong, BC at the Hassen Arena to showcase over thirty Western Canadian and international bands.

Band Submissions : https://armstrongmetalfest.ca/contact/ (Deadline November 1, 2015)

In december, Rome (Italy) will be the scene for another fuzz-loaded festival, hosted by label & booking agency Heavy Psych Sounds.  With this lineup, no doubt it's going to be awesome...

UFOMAMMUT (doom legends / Italy)
PSYCHEDELIC WITCHCRAFT (occult stoner blues / Italy)
KILLER BOOGIE (fuzz rock / Italy)
SGT SUNSHINE (psych rock / Sweden)
THRONELESS (doom metal / Sweden)
WEDGE (krautrock / Germany)
SMOKE (heavy rock / Australia)
ISAAK (ballsy stoner / Italy)
TONS (sludge metal / Italy)

Weekend & day tickets available HERE
Join the official Facebook event

One of the most anticipated festivals in Belgium (at least here at Merchants Of Air), Dunk!Festival has announced a first batch of names for the 2016 edition.  It already looks quite promising and I'm sure other awesome bands will be added soon.  The pre-sale will also start somewhere within the next few weeks.

• Baikonur from Chile
• Her Name Is Calla from UK
• Nordic Giants from UK
• CHVE (Colin H van Eeckhout​) from Belgium
• Fall of Messiah from France

We're just sobering up from Desertfest Belgium 2015 and the organisation already comes up with the dates and early bird tickets for next year's edition.  Of course, we all expect The Melvins to show up next year, right?

Desertfest Belgium
Trix, Antwerp
14-16 October 2016

​buy your tickets here

Lithuanian duo Hellhookah have released a first song from their upcoming album 'Endless Serpents'.  If you're into good ol' fashioned doom metal with a hint of stoner rock, this surely is something to check out.

Dutch sludge band Herder lives by the motto 'Herder Is Harder' and apparently, that got them in trouble last weekend.  At a metal festival in Hilversum (NL), including loud acts like The Shining, Enthroned and Sodom, the drummer was asked to stop playing so loud.  Of course, that usually doesn't really work and after a set of only 22 minutes, police escorted the band out of the venue.
The organisation mentioned that the band exceeded the volume limit and continued to do so after the sound technicians tried to resolve the problem.  Herder seems to think the whole incident is quite funny and narrow minded and will obviously continue to be one of the hardest bands in The Netherlands.