Ufomammut with Usnea

In 2012, Ufomammut would sign to like-minded metal experimentalists Neurosis' Neurot Recordings label for the creation of the band's most ambitious release yet. Split into two separate discs, ORO: Opus Primum and ORO: Opus Alter are both filled with disembodied voices and repetitive, minimalist riffs that pull the listener inexorably into a sonic vortex. Malleus also crafted full album-length video collages to provide an equally mesmerizing visual accompaniment for the two stunning records.

On the band's new Neurot Recordings album Ecate, Ufomammut delivers another stellar collection of songs that match crushing heaviness to ethereal ambient sounds. The crew's first full U.S. tour comes to the Bay Area for two stops in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Both dates will also feature the caustic, funereal doom of Portland, OR-based outfit Usnea, who released their first album for Relapse Records -- Random Cosmic Violence -- last fall. The Bad Light opens the show at the Catalyst Tuesday, while the Elbo Room appearance features Oakland crust/sludge heavyweights Badr Vogu and SF stoner rockers Hornss.   

Ufomammut with Usnea

Tuesday, June 2, 8:30 p.m. $10-$13
Catalyst Atrium

Wednesday, June 3, 8 p.m. $12
Elbo Room