The Stranger has learned that plans are afoot for pioneering French prog-rock group Magma to tour North America in 2015 as part of their 45th anniversary celebration. There's talk of both Seattle and Portland dates. Nothing is confirmed yet, but we'll let you know when/if it is.

Led by powerful, bombastic drummer Christian Vander, Magma essentially created a new genre, Zeuhl, which features an invented language (Kobaïan) and a mythological backstory about humans fleeing Earth for the fictional planet Kobaïa. But you can enjoy Magma's music without knowing about any of those elements, especially if you have a high threshold for operatic and steroidal gospel vocals, mad unison chants, complex time signatures, huge and lewd bass throb, late-era-John Coltrane intensity, and a lot more. Pray to whatever higher power you believe in that Magma will make it here, with Vander's full kit and ego intact.