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The Grand Mal

The Grand Mal are essentially Oxford royalty. A coming together of five of their favourite sons, in the form of Desert Storm’s twin brothers Ryan (guitar) and Elliot Cole (drums), as well as Mother Corona’s Rob Glenn (bass), Lee Cressey (guitar) and Dave-O (vocals), this is a band you should definitely already be interested in from that fact alone.

Formed in 2015 and having already honed their chops in their other bands, it was always a no brainer that they should find a place at APF Records given their individual pedigrees; so after hearing their tracks put to record, the band signed to APF in 2018.

Their self-titled debut, October 2019’s The Grand Mal [APF021, leant into grunge, whilst maintaining elements of the sludge, southern and stoner that have become staples of Desert Storm and Mother Corona’s output. Opening with the crunchy hooks of 'Explode', it was an instant introduction to an absolutely massive record; one which reached far further outward than a mere sum of the constituent parts. From start to finish, The Grand Mal captured the attention, leading to critical acclaim, significant sales, and a placing at No. 8 in the Doom Charts.

Following the album’s release The Grand Mal would play live all over the UK, both on a 10-date headline tour and as support to Conjurer, Evil Scarecrow, Sergeant Thunderhoof, Tuskar, Dead Lettuce, The Brothers Keg, Alunah, Desert Storm, Limb, and many others.

After focusing on the release of Desert Storm’s Omens album and European tour in 2020 and 2021, Elliot and Ryan returned to The Grand Mal, recording album two with Dave-O, Rob and Lee at Jimmy Hetherington’s Shonk Studio. A band who could and should never be dismissed as a side project, The Grand Mal built upon their solid foundations, assembling a monolithic beast of a second record. Released on 4th November 2022, you should get it in your eardrums right away.

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