Doomed Confessionary: Danny Valle Johannessen (The Big Rip)
The Big Rip is a five-piece stoner rock band hailing from the industrial city of Porsgrunn, Norway. They are currently gearing up to release their new EP »Olympus Mons« this Friday, August 22nd, 2025.
The band was formed in november 2021, and since then they have been delivering their groovy, and heavy stoner/scandi-rock to audiences around the region. Combining fuzzed-out guitars, driving basslines, thunderous drums, and soulful vocals, The Big Rip creates a sound that is both powerful and captivating.
The Big Rip are Danny Valle Johannessen (vocals), Eivind Dalevoll (guitar), Ole Jørgen Kjørholt (guitar), Mats Bredesen (bass) and Simen Lunde (drums).
Can you please say a few words about your band?
The Big Rip is a cosmic stoner-rock entity born in November 2021 during the tail end of the pandemic. We started with grave robbers and Scottish cannons, but somewhere along the way we launched into space to explore extraterrestrial gods and the secrets of the universe.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Turning a hobby born out of lockdown boredom into something that could survive in the real world – and keeping momentum when life started speeding up again.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We’ve carved out a sound that’s entirely our own and survived our first few years without imploding… so far.
What was your biggest regret?
Trying to sound like bands we like instead of finding our own sound earlier.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Our last hometown gig at Rockeklubben in Porsgrunn – the crowd energy was wild, and for a moment we all felt like we were on the same spaceship headed into a black hole.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
How many incredible underground venues and bands that are right under your nose if you just step outside your usual haunts. Support your local scene, that’s where the new big bands start!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
High On Fire, Elder, Sólstafir, Black Sabbath (RIP), All Them Witches, Kvelertak and Dozer.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
To make music that you actually like and want to hear. If anyone else enjoys it then that’s bonus.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Bee Gees and disco music.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Porsgrunn?
We’re lucky that we have a Rock club right here that has been arranging concerts for the last 35 years. As a result, there are quite a lot of great bands in the Porsgrunn area. For stoner/doom, check out for example Emanuel Desperados and Musta.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’re playing at Dödsfest in Norway in October, and at Truckfighters Fuzz Festival in Stockholm in November! There are some other plans in motion, but that is mostly in Norway (for now). Also some really cool news coming, but currently not public info!
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Release our first album, play louder shows, and push our sound into even stranger territory, preferably a black hole.
How can people best support your band?
Come to shows, grab some merch, and spread the word – algorithms can’t compete with human enthusiasm.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thanks for listening!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well