Monday, July 25, 2011
Seattle bound!
Just giving a heads up to those who still follow my blog I'll be heading down to Seattle! Yes, I'm still alive. IT'S A FUCKING MIRACLE! Haha. Not really though. But yeah, I just thought I'd like to let everyone know. Thanks for still following even though I'm pretty inactive as fuck!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
A message to all those who read up on the blog...
This is going to be a very quick and brief message since I don't want to take away much from your time. I've been very VERY inactive in the past month or so mainly due to the fact I've been trying to get my priorities straight. I *technically* have to be out of the country by the end of this month but in about a week or so I'm backpacking to Vancouver with nothing but a sleeping bag, some clothes, and some other necessities. I won't be having a place to stay either, which I'm not TOO worried about. I'll be travelling all this summer and possibly up until next from Vancouver, BC all the way down the western coast through Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Sarcamento, CA. Hopefully, I will make in one piece and end up in Phoenix, AZ around mid December or so. From then on I will travel along the Southern coast, trying to make it to New Orleans and eventually going back up the East coast where I was staying before. It's going to be a long and gruling year for me but this is what I need. I'm sorry to those who were following the blog and provided for me to provide you with new music and I'm VERY sorry to the bands that have sent me material and such that I haven't been able to put up. I have listened to them though, don't get me wrong. But anyways, hopefully in a year when I'm done my travels or possibly I may find that I like one of these cities A LOT to the point where I can settle and find a place to live and get my blog back up and running. If you'd like to help me along my travels, show me around the city, or just say hi, PLEASE get in contact with me ASAP. Any place to stay is nice too. I'll be needing an adddress and/or phone number if that's the case. Here are a few places you can get in contact with me at if you're interested:
ryonikis.blogspot@gmail.com
http://facebook.com/WHYANNEWENDULLWOOLZ (my real facebook)
http://twitter.com/#!/Ryonikis
last.fm/user/L_E_D_Zep
Sorry again to all those who were dependent on my blog. It sucks leaving something behind but it's my time to do my own thing. I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you do the same for me.
ryonikis.blogspot@gmail.com
http://facebook.com/WHYANNEWENDULLWOOLZ (my real facebook)
http://twitter.com/#!/Ryonikis
last.fm/user/L_E_D_Zep
Sorry again to all those who were dependent on my blog. It sucks leaving something behind but it's my time to do my own thing. I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you do the same for me.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Boris - Attention Please (2011)
From last.fm:
"Boris is a Japanese musical group formed in 1992 in Tokyo.As of 2010, their lineup consists of: Atsuo - Drums, Vocals; Takeshi - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals; Wata - Lead Guitar, Vocals.Michio Kurihara - Live session guitarist.Boris are as prolific as they are experimental. They are known to regularly switch musical genres between albums, drawing from a wildly diverse variety of musical styles including psychedelic rock, punk, sludge, doom metal, drone, pop, noise, shoegaze, ambient, and more. The band’s name is taken from a song on Melvins’ album Bullhead."
After my however long hiatus, I am back with the new Boris albums ready to get this shit done. If you've been following up with the news, Boris have decided to release three (four respectively with their collab with Merzbow) albums this year and the first one, New Album, was released back in March. The first thing I've gotta point out about this album is the appreciation for Wata. If you're a big Wata fan then you're going to fall in love with Attention Please. It's about fucking time they've gave this Boris babe her own album. Now don't have any preconceived connotations when first listening to this album or else it'll completely just ruin it for you like it almost did for me. The first track, Attention Please, is a rather jazzy and slow song which almost threw me off of the entire album had me going WTF because it really pissed me off as to how boring the song was. Tracks like Tokyo Wonder Land, some kind electronic fusion of industrial-esque whatever with some crazy feedback and very bluesy at times, and You, a very ambient and spacey track that'll have you lost in purgatory, save the album from being a complete disaster. I mean yes, there ARE tracks off New Album that also resurface on this one but they're all different versions and all have Wata as the main vocals. Like New Album, Attention Please heavily focuses electronic sounds here and there for the backbone of the album with a bit of psychedelic rock and ambient. This is yet another album that's unlike anything Boris as ever done and I can totally see traditional Boris fans not liking this album. It's a fucking shame though because this is EXACTLY what Boris is about -- experimentation.
"Boris is a Japanese musical group formed in 1992 in Tokyo.As of 2010, their lineup consists of: Atsuo - Drums, Vocals; Takeshi - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals; Wata - Lead Guitar, Vocals.Michio Kurihara - Live session guitarist.Boris are as prolific as they are experimental. They are known to regularly switch musical genres between albums, drawing from a wildly diverse variety of musical styles including psychedelic rock, punk, sludge, doom metal, drone, pop, noise, shoegaze, ambient, and more. The band’s name is taken from a song on Melvins’ album Bullhead."
After my however long hiatus, I am back with the new Boris albums ready to get this shit done. If you've been following up with the news, Boris have decided to release three (four respectively with their collab with Merzbow) albums this year and the first one, New Album, was released back in March. The first thing I've gotta point out about this album is the appreciation for Wata. If you're a big Wata fan then you're going to fall in love with Attention Please. It's about fucking time they've gave this Boris babe her own album. Now don't have any preconceived connotations when first listening to this album or else it'll completely just ruin it for you like it almost did for me. The first track, Attention Please, is a rather jazzy and slow song which almost threw me off of the entire album had me going WTF because it really pissed me off as to how boring the song was. Tracks like Tokyo Wonder Land, some kind electronic fusion of industrial-esque whatever with some crazy feedback and very bluesy at times, and You, a very ambient and spacey track that'll have you lost in purgatory, save the album from being a complete disaster. I mean yes, there ARE tracks off New Album that also resurface on this one but they're all different versions and all have Wata as the main vocals. Like New Album, Attention Please heavily focuses electronic sounds here and there for the backbone of the album with a bit of psychedelic rock and ambient. This is yet another album that's unlike anything Boris as ever done and I can totally see traditional Boris fans not liking this album. It's a fucking shame though because this is EXACTLY what Boris is about -- experimentation.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Hammers
From last.fm:
"After a year of Drummer issues, Hammers have called it a day. I would expect to see other bands form from the ashes of Hammers though. Hammers are a crust influenced hardcore band from Manchester, UK. Featuring former members of Dreams Are Free Motherfucker, Anxiety Attack and The Secret. So far, they’ve put out a self titled 7”, which was self-released, a cassette entitled “Year One” on Hit Time Records, a split 7” with Jesus Of Spazzareth out and a one sided 12” called Orogeny. This year will see a slew of split 7”s with the likes of Crocus, Dolcim, Alpinist, Canyons and Manatees to follow. Also a (late) year 2 cassette and probably some more."
I'm going to be HIGHLY fucking disappointed if the rumors about whether or not Hammers breaking up are true. Seriously, WAY TO BREAK MY FUCKING HEART, LAST.FM! :< It says they're still touring and have yet to put out some splits this year so that's a good thing. Right? ANYWAYS, lets talk about Hammers. The first thing I thought about Hammers was HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT what is all this chaotic shit doing in my music?!?! They remind me of Enabler but only x10 harder and a lot more of a crustier and chaotic sound. Hell, I'd even go far as saying KEN Mode minus all the overwhelming sludge influence. I don't think all the tags I threw on them are necessary but I just want to get the point across that they're not your average neocrust band. Now, I couldn't decide which release I liked more so I decided to throw up both. Year One is is actually a compilation of three unreleased tracks, their 2009 self titled album, and their splits with both Jesus Of Spazzerath and Dolcim. Year One's tracks seem to be a lot more screamo/chaotic hardcore/mathcore influenced with some heavy sludge riffs and strong d-beat patterns. Orogeny is their only release album and it's a bit more hardcore punk influenced but still kick ass in it's own sense of crusty hardcore playing. Most resembling Oroku or Enabler, like I stated above. You can find all these albums plus two unreleased tracks on their bandcamp website.
"After a year of Drummer issues, Hammers have called it a day. I would expect to see other bands form from the ashes of Hammers though. Hammers are a crust influenced hardcore band from Manchester, UK. Featuring former members of Dreams Are Free Motherfucker, Anxiety Attack and The Secret. So far, they’ve put out a self titled 7”, which was self-released, a cassette entitled “Year One” on Hit Time Records, a split 7” with Jesus Of Spazzareth out and a one sided 12” called Orogeny. This year will see a slew of split 7”s with the likes of Crocus, Dolcim, Alpinist, Canyons and Manatees to follow. Also a (late) year 2 cassette and probably some more."
I'm going to be HIGHLY fucking disappointed if the rumors about whether or not Hammers breaking up are true. Seriously, WAY TO BREAK MY FUCKING HEART, LAST.FM! :< It says they're still touring and have yet to put out some splits this year so that's a good thing. Right? ANYWAYS, lets talk about Hammers. The first thing I thought about Hammers was HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT what is all this chaotic shit doing in my music?!?! They remind me of Enabler but only x10 harder and a lot more of a crustier and chaotic sound. Hell, I'd even go far as saying KEN Mode minus all the overwhelming sludge influence. I don't think all the tags I threw on them are necessary but I just want to get the point across that they're not your average neocrust band. Now, I couldn't decide which release I liked more so I decided to throw up both. Year One is is actually a compilation of three unreleased tracks, their 2009 self titled album, and their splits with both Jesus Of Spazzerath and Dolcim. Year One's tracks seem to be a lot more screamo/chaotic hardcore/mathcore influenced with some heavy sludge riffs and strong d-beat patterns. Orogeny is their only release album and it's a bit more hardcore punk influenced but still kick ass in it's own sense of crusty hardcore playing. Most resembling Oroku or Enabler, like I stated above. You can find all these albums plus two unreleased tracks on their bandcamp website.
Hammers - Year One (2009)
__________________________________________________________________________
Hammers - Orogeny (2010)
Destroy Judas - Wake (2011)
From last.fm:
"We come from a long list of different bands (Mindrot, Phobia, Eyes of Fire, Asunder, Lachrymose, Noctuary, Winterthrall, Deathevokation, Dystopia, Semtex Vest, Dead America, Crisis, etc…). We all have grown up together in OC and known each other (mostly) for a long time, and until I get something else interesting up here, this will have to do"
A super group comprised of ex-crust, sludge, and grindcore bands? If that last.fm description right there doesn't have you sold on this band maybe I'll persuade you otherwise. Out of from the ashes of said bands comes a newly formed band taking their previous works, going above and beyond what used to be, and executing it perfectly to the point that will have your jaw glued to the fucking ground. This album consists of four tracks, each track appropriately named corresponding to something dealing with the sea. The first track, Wake, is an 18 minute masterpiece consisting of sampled waves and seagulls at the beginning, slowly transitioning into a melody of death doom influences riffs. About half way through the song, the tempo changes becomes all out instrumental, throwing in some shakers and cymbal hits that sound as if they're waves crashing down. To The Sea, the second song, starts off yet again with more sampled waves and seagulls, only this time cutting straight into the beautifully executed riffs and even throwing out some post-rock crescendos that will totally blow your fucking mind. It quickly transitions into Seek The End, a 10 minute journey of relentless instrumentals, even throwing some clean vocals to fuck with your mind. This song indicates some black metal as well as death metal influence. The album ends with Drown, an incredible outro to a wonderful album that begins with a ambient/post-rockish intro lasting a whopping 6:30 before ripping into the depressive vocals that ends with some tribal-like drum hits and heavy distortion. THERE! YOU SEE THAT? WHAT IS THAT ON THE GROUND? OH, IT'S YOUR FUCKING JAW! I KNEW that it was going to happen. Seriously though, I totally suggest you crusty fucks pick up this album. It's pretty much mandatory if you're going to browse my blog. Check out their bandcamp for a direct download.
"We come from a long list of different bands (Mindrot, Phobia, Eyes of Fire, Asunder, Lachrymose, Noctuary, Winterthrall, Deathevokation, Dystopia, Semtex Vest, Dead America, Crisis, etc…). We all have grown up together in OC and known each other (mostly) for a long time, and until I get something else interesting up here, this will have to do"
A super group comprised of ex-crust, sludge, and grindcore bands? If that last.fm description right there doesn't have you sold on this band maybe I'll persuade you otherwise. Out of from the ashes of said bands comes a newly formed band taking their previous works, going above and beyond what used to be, and executing it perfectly to the point that will have your jaw glued to the fucking ground. This album consists of four tracks, each track appropriately named corresponding to something dealing with the sea. The first track, Wake, is an 18 minute masterpiece consisting of sampled waves and seagulls at the beginning, slowly transitioning into a melody of death doom influences riffs. About half way through the song, the tempo changes becomes all out instrumental, throwing in some shakers and cymbal hits that sound as if they're waves crashing down. To The Sea, the second song, starts off yet again with more sampled waves and seagulls, only this time cutting straight into the beautifully executed riffs and even throwing out some post-rock crescendos that will totally blow your fucking mind. It quickly transitions into Seek The End, a 10 minute journey of relentless instrumentals, even throwing some clean vocals to fuck with your mind. This song indicates some black metal as well as death metal influence. The album ends with Drown, an incredible outro to a wonderful album that begins with a ambient/post-rockish intro lasting a whopping 6:30 before ripping into the depressive vocals that ends with some tribal-like drum hits and heavy distortion. THERE! YOU SEE THAT? WHAT IS THAT ON THE GROUND? OH, IT'S YOUR FUCKING JAW! I KNEW that it was going to happen. Seriously though, I totally suggest you crusty fucks pick up this album. It's pretty much mandatory if you're going to browse my blog. Check out their bandcamp for a direct download.
Mischief Brew - The Stone Operation (2011)
From last.fm:
"Mischief Brew is an Anarchist folk-punk band. It is a wicked concoction by Erik Petersen – a musical feast falling somewhere between the categories of pirate punk, Celtic folk, gypsy swing, devilish jazz, American olde-tyme and country. It’s good music to stomp, kick, pogo, jitterbug, waltz, drink, twist and shout to – whether the performance is solo acoustic or with a backing band of accordion, drums, and mandolin."
What summer can't be complete without a new Mischief Brew album! The 2011 outdoor summer anthem? I'm calling it! I've been well on the trail of The Stone Operation for a little over a few months now and I'm proud to have gotten my hands on it. If you're familiar with Mischief Brew then this album shouldn't disappoint one single bit. This anarcho-punk gypsy band ceases to amaze me with their original spin on the stale folk punk genre with their unique blend of old-tymey music with pre-1900s style of playing. What strikes me as odd about this album is that it's electric. I can only imagine that Erik Petersen's old punk band, The Orphans, had a big influence on him when making this album. Their honky tonky junky wunky sound is still present though, with instruments such as a banjo, cow bell, rusty pipes, xylophones, and sheet metal... it's just ELECTRIC! Hell, with their horn section and throwing in a few ska hooks one could even almost mistaken it for some kind of ska-hybrid junkyard infusion. The song that most represents this is Pompus-Ass Manifesto, which even uses lyrics like "pick it up", maybe even poking fun at Streetlight Manifesto with the a title like that? Who knows but it's fucking ingenious. Another song that I REALLY like is the Untitled one at the end. I can't really make out the lyrics to the song (because I suck) but it has this dark and dismal sound to it right from the get go with the slowly strummed guitar riff and slowly but surely entering violin and despairing sound of the tambourine. It almost reminds me of Leftover Crack... but a lot more darker and deeper without all the ska influence as well. All in all, this has got to be one of my favorite Mischief Brew albums. They've taken everything they put out in their previous albums and added a twist to it, for which I can't complain. Damn this shitty vocabulary! I totally could of described this a lot better but I'm so cluster fucked at the moment. For what it is, I have to declare this one of the best, if not, BEST folk punk/gypsy album release this year.
"Mischief Brew is an Anarchist folk-punk band. It is a wicked concoction by Erik Petersen – a musical feast falling somewhere between the categories of pirate punk, Celtic folk, gypsy swing, devilish jazz, American olde-tyme and country. It’s good music to stomp, kick, pogo, jitterbug, waltz, drink, twist and shout to – whether the performance is solo acoustic or with a backing band of accordion, drums, and mandolin."
What summer can't be complete without a new Mischief Brew album! The 2011 outdoor summer anthem? I'm calling it! I've been well on the trail of The Stone Operation for a little over a few months now and I'm proud to have gotten my hands on it. If you're familiar with Mischief Brew then this album shouldn't disappoint one single bit. This anarcho-punk gypsy band ceases to amaze me with their original spin on the stale folk punk genre with their unique blend of old-tymey music with pre-1900s style of playing. What strikes me as odd about this album is that it's electric. I can only imagine that Erik Petersen's old punk band, The Orphans, had a big influence on him when making this album. Their honky tonky junky wunky sound is still present though, with instruments such as a banjo, cow bell, rusty pipes, xylophones, and sheet metal... it's just ELECTRIC! Hell, with their horn section and throwing in a few ska hooks one could even almost mistaken it for some kind of ska-hybrid junkyard infusion. The song that most represents this is Pompus-Ass Manifesto, which even uses lyrics like "pick it up", maybe even poking fun at Streetlight Manifesto with the a title like that? Who knows but it's fucking ingenious. Another song that I REALLY like is the Untitled one at the end. I can't really make out the lyrics to the song (because I suck) but it has this dark and dismal sound to it right from the get go with the slowly strummed guitar riff and slowly but surely entering violin and despairing sound of the tambourine. It almost reminds me of Leftover Crack... but a lot more darker and deeper without all the ska influence as well. All in all, this has got to be one of my favorite Mischief Brew albums. They've taken everything they put out in their previous albums and added a twist to it, for which I can't complain. Damn this shitty vocabulary! I totally could of described this a lot better but I'm so cluster fucked at the moment. For what it is, I have to declare this one of the best, if not, BEST folk punk/gypsy album release this year.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Almanac Shouters - Windmills (2011)
From last.fm:
"The Almanac Shouters are a folk band based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, named in reference to the Pete Seeger/Woody Guthrie project the Almanac Singers. They formed in May of 2009 and have three self-released works, a 5 track demo and two full length albums, “A Long Road Home” and “Windmills”“It’s just one big, rag-tag piece of work, with youthful idealism, anger, and excitement bursting at the seams. The album is far from perfect, but that’s also where much of its charm and humanness comes from.” -soundsgoodink.com The band has a strong DIY focus, with an emphasis at playing house venues, info shops, and community spaces."
Late but never last, I'm proud to announce The Almanac Shouter's second full-length album entitled Windmills. If you're familiar with my previous post I stated that my buddy Ike bought their first album, A Long Road Home. At that time, the was the only accessible way you could listen to their music other than directly from their bandcamp via purchase. Both albums are now both up on their bandcamp website for free but I strongly suggest you throwing a few dollars their way. Any bit of money goes a long way despite the shitty taxes that bandcamp uses to take away from the artists. If you're famliar with their first album then you'll get the gist of their music. Just straight up subtle but yet powerful folk punk that will make you homeward bound after a long journey missing your loved ones. This album on the other hand... is a bit different. It's a lot more darker and depressing. Maybe it has to do with the correlation between album names? After a long road home you're there there to settle so you just watch the days go by as the windmills keep spinning. Does that sound right, no? I think I might be over-anaylzing it but in any case that's what it feels like to me. With songs like 100/3 that are about death via the rise of technology it only makes me wonder if these guys are true anarchists or maybe just want people to stop relying in technology so much. The way they put it, it's just fucking sad how we depend on technology for EVERYTHING. Thirteen was another song that spoke to me. Not only was the song completely in female vocals but the lyrics and style just spoke to me. It was just about being an adult and looking back at Thirteen and wishing for the simpler times like staying up late and going outside and playing with the fireflies. The whole album is just based on simpler times for simpler folk. I hate people who call folk punk "pretentious" and "for hipsters" and shit. It's almost sickening, really. I give a challenge to all those who use those words to describe it: try listening to this album and their previous one and come back to me and call it those awful things you did. It's not about being an anarchist or for "shock value", it's for expressing your fucking feelings in one of the most accessible ways via acoustic guitar and song.
"The Almanac Shouters are a folk band based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, named in reference to the Pete Seeger/Woody Guthrie project the Almanac Singers. They formed in May of 2009 and have three self-released works, a 5 track demo and two full length albums, “A Long Road Home” and “Windmills”“It’s just one big, rag-tag piece of work, with youthful idealism, anger, and excitement bursting at the seams. The album is far from perfect, but that’s also where much of its charm and humanness comes from.” -soundsgoodink.com The band has a strong DIY focus, with an emphasis at playing house venues, info shops, and community spaces."
Late but never last, I'm proud to announce The Almanac Shouter's second full-length album entitled Windmills. If you're familiar with my previous post I stated that my buddy Ike bought their first album, A Long Road Home. At that time, the was the only accessible way you could listen to their music other than directly from their bandcamp via purchase. Both albums are now both up on their bandcamp website for free but I strongly suggest you throwing a few dollars their way. Any bit of money goes a long way despite the shitty taxes that bandcamp uses to take away from the artists. If you're famliar with their first album then you'll get the gist of their music. Just straight up subtle but yet powerful folk punk that will make you homeward bound after a long journey missing your loved ones. This album on the other hand... is a bit different. It's a lot more darker and depressing. Maybe it has to do with the correlation between album names? After a long road home you're there there to settle so you just watch the days go by as the windmills keep spinning. Does that sound right, no? I think I might be over-anaylzing it but in any case that's what it feels like to me. With songs like 100/3 that are about death via the rise of technology it only makes me wonder if these guys are true anarchists or maybe just want people to stop relying in technology so much. The way they put it, it's just fucking sad how we depend on technology for EVERYTHING. Thirteen was another song that spoke to me. Not only was the song completely in female vocals but the lyrics and style just spoke to me. It was just about being an adult and looking back at Thirteen and wishing for the simpler times like staying up late and going outside and playing with the fireflies. The whole album is just based on simpler times for simpler folk. I hate people who call folk punk "pretentious" and "for hipsters" and shit. It's almost sickening, really. I give a challenge to all those who use those words to describe it: try listening to this album and their previous one and come back to me and call it those awful things you did. It's not about being an anarchist or for "shock value", it's for expressing your fucking feelings in one of the most accessible ways via acoustic guitar and song.
Black Trinity - In This Black Thrashing Night Of Infernal Hell (2010)
From last.fm:
"Black Metal band from Thessaloniki, Greece. 100% D.I.Y. and anti-NSBM, featuring members of some local hardcore/crust bands (DySpnea and Go Filth Go)."
It's no surprise that out from the ashes of ex-hardcore and crust band brings forth a RABM anti-NSBM crust influenced black metal band. Do I smell Darkthrone praise anyone? Unlike most RABM bands, Black Trinity play a more rawer and punker form of black metal whereas Cascadian bands play with more of an atmospheric touch. This 6 track EP is a big step up from their previous release, which was a shitty demo from 2005 that was just pure regurgitated shit. This EP ACTUALLY has some structure to it with some kick ass thrashy riffs and some energetic punk parts. Another thing incorporate is the use of the hi-hats. Holy fuck. It's as if I'm sitting at a train crossing an all I'm hearing it DING DING DING DING DING DING DING. Not that that's a bad thing anyways. Who doesn't love a little bit of hi-hat abuse with their tremelo picking? Greek black metal isn't something that is always looked at as being supreme but I think Black Trinity sure outdoes shitty bands like Liturgy and Krallice.
"Black Metal band from Thessaloniki, Greece. 100% D.I.Y. and anti-NSBM, featuring members of some local hardcore/crust bands (DySpnea and Go Filth Go)."
It's no surprise that out from the ashes of ex-hardcore and crust band brings forth a RABM anti-NSBM crust influenced black metal band. Do I smell Darkthrone praise anyone? Unlike most RABM bands, Black Trinity play a more rawer and punker form of black metal whereas Cascadian bands play with more of an atmospheric touch. This 6 track EP is a big step up from their previous release, which was a shitty demo from 2005 that was just pure regurgitated shit. This EP ACTUALLY has some structure to it with some kick ass thrashy riffs and some energetic punk parts. Another thing incorporate is the use of the hi-hats. Holy fuck. It's as if I'm sitting at a train crossing an all I'm hearing it DING DING DING DING DING DING DING. Not that that's a bad thing anyways. Who doesn't love a little bit of hi-hat abuse with their tremelo picking? Greek black metal isn't something that is always looked at as being supreme but I think Black Trinity sure outdoes shitty bands like Liturgy and Krallice.
Monday, May 2, 2011
состояние птиц
From last.fm:
"The group was formed in 2009-2010, in the city on the Neva. It’s retty hard to unequivocally characterize the genre of the group. They create a very dark, atmospheric and melancholy music with cello."
Alrighty so I was originally interested in this band because I saw them somewhere else and was like "ooooh 2011" release. Little did I know that they were a post-rock influenced screamo band, another fucking plus right?! I've been listening to both of their EP's, 10 and 11, both respectively released in those years (2010 and 2011). For some reason, the simplicity and convenience of having your releases named after the year they were released was just awe-inspiring and ingenious to me. It totally sounds like something I'd do but more in a jokingly manner sort of way. As for their music, the last.fm description is dead on with "create a very dark, atmospheric, and melancholy music with cello". YEAH, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THAT. Beautiful crescendos building up to some very soothing screamos all layered upon a nice wonderful bass line and a splash of cello. Now, I couldn't decide which album I liked more. Sure, one was a 2011 release but their 2010 was JUST as good, if not, even BETTER. So, my being the loveable bastard that I am, has decided to throw both albums up for your enjoyment. Sorry I'm not rambling doing my usual rambling on but I'm in a pretty bad mood and would just like to throw these albums up. Okay? Thanks.
"The group was formed in 2009-2010, in the city on the Neva. It’s retty hard to unequivocally characterize the genre of the group. They create a very dark, atmospheric and melancholy music with cello."
Alrighty so I was originally interested in this band because I saw them somewhere else and was like "ooooh 2011" release. Little did I know that they were a post-rock influenced screamo band, another fucking plus right?! I've been listening to both of their EP's, 10 and 11, both respectively released in those years (2010 and 2011). For some reason, the simplicity and convenience of having your releases named after the year they were released was just awe-inspiring and ingenious to me. It totally sounds like something I'd do but more in a jokingly manner sort of way. As for their music, the last.fm description is dead on with "create a very dark, atmospheric, and melancholy music with cello". YEAH, IT'S PRETTY MUCH THAT. Beautiful crescendos building up to some very soothing screamos all layered upon a nice wonderful bass line and a splash of cello. Now, I couldn't decide which album I liked more. Sure, one was a 2011 release but their 2010 was JUST as good, if not, even BETTER. So, my being the loveable bastard that I am, has decided to throw both albums up for your enjoyment. Sorry I'm not rambling doing my usual rambling on but I'm in a pretty bad mood and would just like to throw these albums up. Okay? Thanks.
состояние птиц - 10 (2010)
__________________________________________________________________________
состояние птиц - 11 (2011)
xINHx - This Is My Fxxcking Answer!! (2011)
From last.fm:
"xINHx are a four piece straight edge metalcore band from China."
It's not everyday that I get to review a band from China so be sure to cash on these guys! If you're familiar with this brand of beatdown then you're in for a real treat. For what they are, xINHx are a pretty energetic, lively, loud, and go fucking hard metalcore/beat down band. Consisting of 7 face-melting tracks, this is by far one of my favorite metalcore releases so far. The album starts off with an intro, that fucking SHREDS with some gnarly breakdowns quickly jumping into the next song, that has some Starkweather-esque riffs and followed by more and more crunchy breakdowns. Hell, they even start sampling some Watchmen, most notably Rorschach. Maybe it's an ode to the metalcore band Rorschach? In any case, don't miss a beat and pick this album today!
"xINHx are a four piece straight edge metalcore band from China."
It's not everyday that I get to review a band from China so be sure to cash on these guys! If you're familiar with this brand of beatdown then you're in for a real treat. For what they are, xINHx are a pretty energetic, lively, loud, and go fucking hard metalcore/beat down band. Consisting of 7 face-melting tracks, this is by far one of my favorite metalcore releases so far. The album starts off with an intro, that fucking SHREDS with some gnarly breakdowns quickly jumping into the next song, that has some Starkweather-esque riffs and followed by more and more crunchy breakdowns. Hell, they even start sampling some Watchmen, most notably Rorschach. Maybe it's an ode to the metalcore band Rorschach? In any case, don't miss a beat and pick this album today!
Dance or Die!!! / PFA - Split (2011)
Alrighty so check this. I had someone by the name of Zoli (the bassist for Dance Or Die!!!) send me a demo asking for me to throw their band up on my blog and here I am. The split is between two bands: Dance Or Die!!! and PFA. Sure, I could of listened to both of their bandcamps (I'll provide the links later on) and a get clue of how they sounded but I wanted to be surprised. The track order is all fucked up so it just listed Dance Or Die!!!'s songs alphabetical order first. I had to start off by saying that both bands almost sound identically the same with a bit of key differences. Dance Or Die!!! seem to have this really crusty influence to them, almost similar to his His Hero Is Gone or some kind of neocrust/hardcore band with some fastcore like Migra Violenta. With track names such as Music Industry and Modernisation My Ass, Progress My Hole, DoD!!! seem to lean towards the more left end of the spectrum whereas PFA are just a bunch of young guys who want to play fast music. Not that there's anything wrong with that! I digged up a bit of information about them and I noticed that they were influenced by early hardcore bands like Gorilla Biscuits and it only made sense that they were comparable to The Exploited but with a bit more fast edge to them if you will. Despite most of their tracks being under 30 seconds, the one that IS over four minutes is quite melodic, almost TOO melodic if you ask me. It's just strange to use a song like this as an intro and have the rest just blitzkrieg fuck all grindy under 30 seconds instead of using it as an outro. I don't know. I guess I don't see the potential. ANYWAYS, with that being said check out some DoD!!!'s and PFA's bandcamps for purchase or at dzsukhellrekords, Chaos Is Ours, and Do It Yourself Or Die.
Spectre Alone - Demo (2011)
From last.fm:
"Spectre Alone are a three piece screamo influenced hardcore punk band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts that started in May 2010 and released at 2011 demo on May 1st, 2011. Email them at spectrealone@gmail.com"
I had this little number emailed to me a few days ago by Evan, the guitarist. They're a little screamo/hardcore punk band all the way up from Cape Cod and around Boston, MA. I was browsing a few pictures and was highly fucking disgusted at the amount of hipsters that show up to their shows. Seriously, a fucking Joy Division shirt? Fuck off with that SHIT. Sure, the turn outs may look like typical douchebag sorority boys (unfortunately that's the type of people who only exist in around Boston) but this demo is great, especially for it being DIY. There's 5 tracks consisting of in your face raw and rather melodic hardcore that seem to change it up a bit. For instance, the first track, I Thought I Heard A Train Coming, seems to just nail you with relentless screams upon screams with all out aggression whereas a song like Küntslerroman throws in some weird instrumental part in the middle of the song. It just went from a few mathy chugs to like this melodic part and I'm just WTFing all over. WHATEVER it is, it fucking works because I enjoyed it lots. I think what adds a lot to this band is the bassist. I discovered that before I started reading the DUDE, AWESOME BASS LINE comments on their facebook. All in all, it's a solid demo. I just wish you guys get the fuck out of that place and play for a crowd that actually appreciates it instead of these D.C. wannabe assholes and yuppies. If you wish to be a fan of their facebook then do so and here's a link to their bandcamp. Here, have a BEAUTIFULLY constructed tumblr website too. Just kidding. Love you guys. <3 Listening to this demo almost makes up for getting the "oh I've gotta go to sleep now" treatment when I asked my friend if she wants to fuck. ._.
"Spectre Alone are a three piece screamo influenced hardcore punk band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts that started in May 2010 and released at 2011 demo on May 1st, 2011. Email them at spectrealone@gmail.com"
I had this little number emailed to me a few days ago by Evan, the guitarist. They're a little screamo/hardcore punk band all the way up from Cape Cod and around Boston, MA. I was browsing a few pictures and was highly fucking disgusted at the amount of hipsters that show up to their shows. Seriously, a fucking Joy Division shirt? Fuck off with that SHIT. Sure, the turn outs may look like typical douchebag sorority boys (unfortunately that's the type of people who only exist in around Boston) but this demo is great, especially for it being DIY. There's 5 tracks consisting of in your face raw and rather melodic hardcore that seem to change it up a bit. For instance, the first track, I Thought I Heard A Train Coming, seems to just nail you with relentless screams upon screams with all out aggression whereas a song like Küntslerroman throws in some weird instrumental part in the middle of the song. It just went from a few mathy chugs to like this melodic part and I'm just WTFing all over. WHATEVER it is, it fucking works because I enjoyed it lots. I think what adds a lot to this band is the bassist. I discovered that before I started reading the DUDE, AWESOME BASS LINE comments on their facebook. All in all, it's a solid demo. I just wish you guys get the fuck out of that place and play for a crowd that actually appreciates it instead of these D.C. wannabe assholes and yuppies. If you wish to be a fan of their facebook then do so and here's a link to their bandcamp. Here, have a BEAUTIFULLY constructed tumblr website too. Just kidding. Love you guys. <3 Listening to this demo almost makes up for getting the "oh I've gotta go to sleep now" treatment when I asked my friend if she wants to fuck. ._.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Pyrrhon - An Excellent Servant But A Terrible Master (2011)
From last.fm:
"Pyrrhon are a experimental technical death metal band from New York."
I can't even... HOW DO I HOLD ALL THESE AVANT-GARDE? Haha. I'm just getting away from all of this OH MY GOD OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD bullshit that's going on. Seriously, I saw a "OBAMA IS ANNOUNCING SOMETHING IMPORTANT!" status followed ten seconds later by a thousand updates "OSAMA IS DEAD!!!!" and shit. It's bad enough that they're Canadian and don't know shit about American politics but I don't really understand why it's a big deal to them. Hell, I'm American and I couldn't care less. ARRRRRRRRGH! Just fucking aggravating. Oh well. That's what I get for having 500+ "friends" on facebook I suppose. ANYWAYS, enough ranting about that bullshit and lets move onto this incredible fucking band shall we? I originally found them through Hammer Smashed Sound blogspot after the owner showed me their bandcamp. He said he didn't listen to much death metal but said he really liked this album. So, judging by his words that could mean it was really off the wall insanely good or just a pile of shit that has been purified and blended into a drink for me to vomit up but fortunately it was the first of the two. I couldn't help but think G TO THE O TO THE R TO THE G TO THE U TO THE T TO THE S when checking them out on bandcamp. Seriously though, 30 seconds into the first song and it has Gorguts and Discordance Axis written all over it. I went to go "like" it on facebook and noticed Humanity Falls, an experimental death metal band who plays in the style of Discordance Axis "liked" them as well so I knew I was up the same alley when comparing these two bands. I was chatting with a few of mine and he kept calling them Disgordance Axguts which was making me laugh and then compared them to Deathspell Omega, which is actually a relative comparison. Sure, they may not be a black metal band or whatever but if you take away all the other elements and just leave the guitar I'd say they're pretty accurate in a sense of sounding like one another. With all of that being said, you should know what you're getting yourself into. Pyrrhon are one of this indescribable bands that would end up sounding like shit if a pleb like my tried to explain them with my unfeesable vocabulary so I'll let you discover them for yourself.
"Pyrrhon are a experimental technical death metal band from New York."
I can't even... HOW DO I HOLD ALL THESE AVANT-GARDE? Haha. I'm just getting away from all of this OH MY GOD OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD bullshit that's going on. Seriously, I saw a "OBAMA IS ANNOUNCING SOMETHING IMPORTANT!" status followed ten seconds later by a thousand updates "OSAMA IS DEAD!!!!" and shit. It's bad enough that they're Canadian and don't know shit about American politics but I don't really understand why it's a big deal to them. Hell, I'm American and I couldn't care less. ARRRRRRRRGH! Just fucking aggravating. Oh well. That's what I get for having 500+ "friends" on facebook I suppose. ANYWAYS, enough ranting about that bullshit and lets move onto this incredible fucking band shall we? I originally found them through Hammer Smashed Sound blogspot after the owner showed me their bandcamp. He said he didn't listen to much death metal but said he really liked this album. So, judging by his words that could mean it was really off the wall insanely good or just a pile of shit that has been purified and blended into a drink for me to vomit up but fortunately it was the first of the two. I couldn't help but think G TO THE O TO THE R TO THE G TO THE U TO THE T TO THE S when checking them out on bandcamp. Seriously though, 30 seconds into the first song and it has Gorguts and Discordance Axis written all over it. I went to go "like" it on facebook and noticed Humanity Falls, an experimental death metal band who plays in the style of Discordance Axis "liked" them as well so I knew I was up the same alley when comparing these two bands. I was chatting with a few of mine and he kept calling them Disgordance Axguts which was making me laugh and then compared them to Deathspell Omega, which is actually a relative comparison. Sure, they may not be a black metal band or whatever but if you take away all the other elements and just leave the guitar I'd say they're pretty accurate in a sense of sounding like one another. With all of that being said, you should know what you're getting yourself into. Pyrrhon are one of this indescribable bands that would end up sounding like shit if a pleb like my tried to explain them with my unfeesable vocabulary so I'll let you discover them for yourself.
Desidia - Self Titled (2009)
From last.fm:
"Formed in 2007, Desidia is screamo/progressive band from A Coruña, Spain.“Laziness, negligence, inertia, sloth, abandon, carelessness, negligence, carelessness, nonchalance, unconcern, phlegm, dirt, dirt, apathy, coldness…“They are product of a musical and personal evolution that departs from other groups previous to this one. Three of the band members played together from past periods, other two have been the last incorporation to this long evolution, which has shown difficulties, stagnation, differences. Despite of it all friendship and music still join them."
HNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH! So... fucking... good. As you can read, Desidia are a screamo band who goes above and beyond the norm combining elements of post-rock, ambient, and hardcore. Don't get them confused with the neocrust band Desidia. They're great as well but these Spaniards top the fucking cake. They attempt to woo you into joining their side and getting lost in their fucking BEAUTIFUL melancholy of rich harmonies and experimental melodies, which they've successfully done so. Some songs such as Retratos de Nadie and Zairus are rather explosive, just pummeling your face with aggression and quickly transitioning into instrumental parts whereas songs like Merma start out with slow builds and eventually work their way up to some punishing climaxes. There were a few parts when listening to that I just HAD to take off my headphones and breath for a minute because it was just too much for me. YEAH! THAT fucking powerful I swear to you. This album will have you crumpling at your feet with mixed emotions as you attempt to keep your grasp on reality whilst bearing the ability to even withstand one song. I have very mixed emotions about screamo now. Yes, the France scene is wonderful and the Russian scene has some of the greatest screamo bands I've listened to but fucking Spain, I swear, has some of THE BEST bands around in any genre. I'm so glad to have found this band because they've made my day.
"Formed in 2007, Desidia is screamo/progressive band from A Coruña, Spain.“Laziness, negligence, inertia, sloth, abandon, carelessness, negligence, carelessness, nonchalance, unconcern, phlegm, dirt, dirt, apathy, coldness…“They are product of a musical and personal evolution that departs from other groups previous to this one. Three of the band members played together from past periods, other two have been the last incorporation to this long evolution, which has shown difficulties, stagnation, differences. Despite of it all friendship and music still join them."
HNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH! So... fucking... good. As you can read, Desidia are a screamo band who goes above and beyond the norm combining elements of post-rock, ambient, and hardcore. Don't get them confused with the neocrust band Desidia. They're great as well but these Spaniards top the fucking cake. They attempt to woo you into joining their side and getting lost in their fucking BEAUTIFUL melancholy of rich harmonies and experimental melodies, which they've successfully done so. Some songs such as Retratos de Nadie and Zairus are rather explosive, just pummeling your face with aggression and quickly transitioning into instrumental parts whereas songs like Merma start out with slow builds and eventually work their way up to some punishing climaxes. There were a few parts when listening to that I just HAD to take off my headphones and breath for a minute because it was just too much for me. YEAH! THAT fucking powerful I swear to you. This album will have you crumpling at your feet with mixed emotions as you attempt to keep your grasp on reality whilst bearing the ability to even withstand one song. I have very mixed emotions about screamo now. Yes, the France scene is wonderful and the Russian scene has some of the greatest screamo bands I've listened to but fucking Spain, I swear, has some of THE BEST bands around in any genre. I'm so glad to have found this band because they've made my day.
Hanging Rotten - Your Cheatin' Heart (2001)
From last.fm:
"Hanging Rotten are a grindcore/sludge band from North Carolina featuring members from Seven Foot Spleen. They released a self titled EP in 2001, a full-length album Your Cheatin’ Heart, a split with Verge on Reason entitled At Odds, and contributed two songs to the “Transcendental Maggot” compilation. The time of date in which they broke up is unknown."
There isn't much known about this band to date. I had to surf the internet for a bit and look for some information to update the last.fm description (there wasn't one before). My friend on last.fm, Numerator_41, hooked me up with this album a few months ago and instantly turned it away because the tracks were labeled as A side and B side, not individual tracks. He messaged me earlier today saying he upped the album from his collection and separated the tracks so I decided to give it a listen. I'm quite surprised with how it turned out and how awesome this band truly is. Sure, it may not be the best recording but it's what you get out of it is what truly matters. To get a band from 2001 that combines both influences is remarkable because it seems this whole grindcore/crust infused sludge is much more of a trend nowadays then it was back then. Yeah, there were bands like Dystopia doing it but it just seems a lot more common in this music world today. DON'T GET ME WRONG THOUGH!! I fucking love the incorporation but I'm just saying... yeah. Nevermind. I will shut up. If you're familiar with the band Agents of Satan I then I think it's safe to say that Hanging Rotten is most comparable to them. Maybe even a bit of Negative Standards? In any case, if you're looking for some dirty grind/sludge fusion that has a raw and distinct sound, Hanging Rotten is your safest bet. As for the album cover, I couldn't find one. ._. Oh well. This vinyl picture will have to suffice.
"Hanging Rotten are a grindcore/sludge band from North Carolina featuring members from Seven Foot Spleen. They released a self titled EP in 2001, a full-length album Your Cheatin’ Heart, a split with Verge on Reason entitled At Odds, and contributed two songs to the “Transcendental Maggot” compilation. The time of date in which they broke up is unknown."
There isn't much known about this band to date. I had to surf the internet for a bit and look for some information to update the last.fm description (there wasn't one before). My friend on last.fm, Numerator_41, hooked me up with this album a few months ago and instantly turned it away because the tracks were labeled as A side and B side, not individual tracks. He messaged me earlier today saying he upped the album from his collection and separated the tracks so I decided to give it a listen. I'm quite surprised with how it turned out and how awesome this band truly is. Sure, it may not be the best recording but it's what you get out of it is what truly matters. To get a band from 2001 that combines both influences is remarkable because it seems this whole grindcore/crust infused sludge is much more of a trend nowadays then it was back then. Yeah, there were bands like Dystopia doing it but it just seems a lot more common in this music world today. DON'T GET ME WRONG THOUGH!! I fucking love the incorporation but I'm just saying... yeah. Nevermind. I will shut up. If you're familiar with the band Agents of Satan I then I think it's safe to say that Hanging Rotten is most comparable to them. Maybe even a bit of Negative Standards? In any case, if you're looking for some dirty grind/sludge fusion that has a raw and distinct sound, Hanging Rotten is your safest bet. As for the album cover, I couldn't find one. ._. Oh well. This vinyl picture will have to suffice.
Summon The Crows - One More For The Gallows (2011)
From last.fm:
"Crust with black metal influences from Oslo, Norway."
Yep. I'm late to the party YET AGAIN with releases. Whatever. It's not like Toxic Breed has this album thrown up on their blog so it's not like I fucking care anyways. I was checking out Southern Lord's distro and actually discovered this. I didn't really know they were going to put out on album actually but I'm glad they did because this world lacks more Summon The Crows. Fuck crusties, fuck occult black metal, fuck thrashtards. Summon The Crows seem to combine all three of these elements in this album (crust, black metal, and thrash obviously what I was referring to) to combine an original blend, especially for being located in Norway. I was reading a few comments on last.fm and a few people were comparing them to Slayer. Okay, don't EVER compare this band to Slayer EVER. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! That's just a fucking insult to Summon The Crows. Okay, they may have a few Slayer-esque riffs but other than that there's nothing that joins the two together. I mean the thrashy riffs are what makes up a good bit of this band but what really had me were the vocals and underlying bass. It's not everyday you get a break through bass line that defines a band but I think Summon The Crow have found a nice balance of what makes a blackened crust band what it is. I keep wanting to type Storm The Crows for some reason. It's probably because I keep thinking of Stormcrow. Anyways, I'm really digging this album a lot. With newer devastating crust bands such as Nuclear Death Terror, Contagium, Parasytic, and Axewield, I think this album will fit right into the style nicely. Definitely one of my favorite crust albums so far this year.
"Crust with black metal influences from Oslo, Norway."
Yep. I'm late to the party YET AGAIN with releases. Whatever. It's not like Toxic Breed has this album thrown up on their blog so it's not like I fucking care anyways. I was checking out Southern Lord's distro and actually discovered this. I didn't really know they were going to put out on album actually but I'm glad they did because this world lacks more Summon The Crows. Fuck crusties, fuck occult black metal, fuck thrashtards. Summon The Crows seem to combine all three of these elements in this album (crust, black metal, and thrash obviously what I was referring to) to combine an original blend, especially for being located in Norway. I was reading a few comments on last.fm and a few people were comparing them to Slayer. Okay, don't EVER compare this band to Slayer EVER. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! That's just a fucking insult to Summon The Crows. Okay, they may have a few Slayer-esque riffs but other than that there's nothing that joins the two together. I mean the thrashy riffs are what makes up a good bit of this band but what really had me were the vocals and underlying bass. It's not everyday you get a break through bass line that defines a band but I think Summon The Crow have found a nice balance of what makes a blackened crust band what it is. I keep wanting to type Storm The Crows for some reason. It's probably because I keep thinking of Stormcrow. Anyways, I'm really digging this album a lot. With newer devastating crust bands such as Nuclear Death Terror, Contagium, Parasytic, and Axewield, I think this album will fit right into the style nicely. Definitely one of my favorite crust albums so far this year.
Baptists - Self Titled (2011)
From last.fm:
"Furious hardcore band Vancouver, Canada on Southern Lordhttp://www.southernlord.com/store.php http://www.myspace.com/baptistsband"
First off, don't confuse this Baptists with the OTHER hardcore band Baptists from Norwich, UK. Both of them have insane amounts of potential but I prefer this band a hell of a lot more. Oh and yeah, I'm late to the party picking up this album but deal with it fuckers. It seems that Southern Lord is trying to push out the whole crust influenced metallic hardcore punk thing with such bands as Black Breath and Masakari. I'm not AGAINST this or anything but it's definitely a different turning point in both crust and hardcore scenes as hardcore is becoming more metallicized than it is punk. I've talked to some purists and they obviously dislike the whole metalcore thing meanwhile people such as myself do enjoy this style a lot more. It's whatever though. You like what you like. Anyways, being signed to the prestigious record label that they are, Baptists kick it fucking hard with their crusty hardcore in vein of bands like Nails, All Pigs Must Die, and Black Breath. I guess you could call it dark hardcore but I fucking hate that term for some unexplained reason. With the crazy ass random mathy riffs and vocal style, one could also compare this band to the stylings of Converge and most notably, Cursed. Not only that but they also have a very blackened and sludgy sound to them I can't put my finger on. It's just fucking HEAVY not to mention they have parts where the vocals are cut out and you're just left with a wall-shattering riff like in the song Farmed. Baptists are a great addition to this new hardcore that's rising and I can't wait to hear more from them. Apparently they're working on a full-length album as well which I'm fucking ECSTATIC to hear hopefully sooner than later. Check out one of the years best EPs by grabbing this stellar release.
"Furious hardcore band Vancouver, Canada on Southern Lordhttp://www.southernlord.com/store.php http://www.myspace.com/baptistsband"
First off, don't confuse this Baptists with the OTHER hardcore band Baptists from Norwich, UK. Both of them have insane amounts of potential but I prefer this band a hell of a lot more. Oh and yeah, I'm late to the party picking up this album but deal with it fuckers. It seems that Southern Lord is trying to push out the whole crust influenced metallic hardcore punk thing with such bands as Black Breath and Masakari. I'm not AGAINST this or anything but it's definitely a different turning point in both crust and hardcore scenes as hardcore is becoming more metallicized than it is punk. I've talked to some purists and they obviously dislike the whole metalcore thing meanwhile people such as myself do enjoy this style a lot more. It's whatever though. You like what you like. Anyways, being signed to the prestigious record label that they are, Baptists kick it fucking hard with their crusty hardcore in vein of bands like Nails, All Pigs Must Die, and Black Breath. I guess you could call it dark hardcore but I fucking hate that term for some unexplained reason. With the crazy ass random mathy riffs and vocal style, one could also compare this band to the stylings of Converge and most notably, Cursed. Not only that but they also have a very blackened and sludgy sound to them I can't put my finger on. It's just fucking HEAVY not to mention they have parts where the vocals are cut out and you're just left with a wall-shattering riff like in the song Farmed. Baptists are a great addition to this new hardcore that's rising and I can't wait to hear more from them. Apparently they're working on a full-length album as well which I'm fucking ECSTATIC to hear hopefully sooner than later. Check out one of the years best EPs by grabbing this stellar release.
At Devil Dirt - Self Titled (2011)
From last.fm:
"At Devil Dirt are a two piece Sludge/Doom/Stoner band from Chile."
I had the pleasure of this band sending me their demo via my new email account. One thing I noticed when first listening to album was the fuzz. FUZZY WUZZY WAS A BEAR. FUZZT WUZZY HAD NO HAIR. etc... Back to the matter at hand, dat F U Z Z. Sure, they may not come up with the MOST original riffs but that's what a fuzzbox is for. They throw in some southern rock-esque blends with their traditional stoner metal sound to create a jam packed album filled with 12 tracks of Electric Wizard worship. Actually, I can't stop but think that these guys are actually similar to Goatsnake, at least with the vocal style anyways. All in all, if you are fond of fuzzy stoner doom I have no problem recommending this album. Check it.
"At Devil Dirt are a two piece Sludge/Doom/Stoner band from Chile."
I had the pleasure of this band sending me their demo via my new email account. One thing I noticed when first listening to album was the fuzz. FUZZY WUZZY WAS A BEAR. FUZZT WUZZY HAD NO HAIR. etc... Back to the matter at hand, dat F U Z Z. Sure, they may not come up with the MOST original riffs but that's what a fuzzbox is for. They throw in some southern rock-esque blends with their traditional stoner metal sound to create a jam packed album filled with 12 tracks of Electric Wizard worship. Actually, I can't stop but think that these guys are actually similar to Goatsnake, at least with the vocal style anyways. All in all, if you are fond of fuzzy stoner doom I have no problem recommending this album. Check it.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Powder! Go Away - Laika Still Wants Go Home (2011)
From last.fm:
"Powder! Go Away are an instrumental post-rock band from Russia."
I'm not gonna lie, this band had me in tears. No fucking joke. It all started with when I was browsing around randomly looking for a powerviolence band and somehow found this album. I saw that they had a 2011 release and was all "OH SHIT COOL!" but what really had me was the album cover, which was of a small dog looking up at the moon. I knew I saw this dog somewhere before. Perhaps in a book I read before? If I had remembered correctly, it was about a Russian dog named Laika, who was the first animal to orbit the Earth and sadly the first animal to die in orbit as well. I decided to look it up on Wikipedia and unfortunately, I was correct. As I started to read the article and glue each part together, a sad and dark presence started to settle over me. I was currently listening to the song Locomotive Comes In Your Dreams when I started to burst out into tears. I don't know whether it was the slow and settling ambiance of the song or this part I read at the end.
"Before the launch, one of the scientists took Laika home to play with his children. In a book chronicling the story of Soviet space medicine, Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote, "I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live."
I knew right then and there that this album was a homage to Laika and her triumphant trials and tribulations in space and how she made such an impact on space travel. I'm all for animal rights and liberation so they struck home to me on a personal level. As for the band itself, they seem to capture everything that I love about instrumental post-rock and then some. The build ups aren't enough to overwhelm you with sound but not minuscule enough to have you yawning. Another mellow aspect I enjoy much is the whole space-oriented influence that evokes a feeling of quiet spaciousness. All in all, the album is beautiful and the meaning behind it is a powerful one that will have you speechless in amazement.
"Powder! Go Away are an instrumental post-rock band from Russia."
I'm not gonna lie, this band had me in tears. No fucking joke. It all started with when I was browsing around randomly looking for a powerviolence band and somehow found this album. I saw that they had a 2011 release and was all "OH SHIT COOL!" but what really had me was the album cover, which was of a small dog looking up at the moon. I knew I saw this dog somewhere before. Perhaps in a book I read before? If I had remembered correctly, it was about a Russian dog named Laika, who was the first animal to orbit the Earth and sadly the first animal to die in orbit as well. I decided to look it up on Wikipedia and unfortunately, I was correct. As I started to read the article and glue each part together, a sad and dark presence started to settle over me. I was currently listening to the song Locomotive Comes In Your Dreams when I started to burst out into tears. I don't know whether it was the slow and settling ambiance of the song or this part I read at the end.
"Before the launch, one of the scientists took Laika home to play with his children. In a book chronicling the story of Soviet space medicine, Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote, "I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live."
I knew right then and there that this album was a homage to Laika and her triumphant trials and tribulations in space and how she made such an impact on space travel. I'm all for animal rights and liberation so they struck home to me on a personal level. As for the band itself, they seem to capture everything that I love about instrumental post-rock and then some. The build ups aren't enough to overwhelm you with sound but not minuscule enough to have you yawning. Another mellow aspect I enjoy much is the whole space-oriented influence that evokes a feeling of quiet spaciousness. All in all, the album is beautiful and the meaning behind it is a powerful one that will have you speechless in amazement.
Frandy - Relief (2011)
From last.fm:
"Frandy are a hardcore/sludge band from Flint, MI playing in the styles of Botch, Converge, and Trap Them. They released a 2011 demo entitled “Relief”."
WOW, OH WOW. I have to start out this review by saying this is one of THE BEST demos I've ever listened to and one of THE BEST submissions for my blog ever!!!! HOLY FUCK is this blowing my mind away or what? Deathwish Inc has been pumping out incredible sounding experimental hardcore bands such as Trap Them, Nails, Converge, All Pigs Must Die, Cursed, Botch, Starkweather, United Nations and a shit ton of others that have inspired bands world wide to follow in the footsteps, creating their own unusual sounds themselves. Frandy are THAT band, taking the music and inspiration from incredible bands like that and making it their own, without the help of Deathwish Inc. As for this five-track demo, it's fucking ridiculously batshit insane. When I read my email and saw "Botch, Converge, Trap Them-esque" I KNEW I was in for a real treat but no one told me there was a fucking caramel center made of rich wholesome gooeyness. The demo starts out with a track coincidentally called Cursed, which may or may not be a homage to the band Cursed. It wouldn't really surprise me though because Frandy sounds JUST like them. One of my favorite lyrics are taken from this song which goes like, "Can I escape or am I just cursed?". Another neat feature about this song is that they threw in some tambourines, which surprisingly sounds bad ass. As you start to dive deeper and deeper into the album, you'll start to get a real feel for their true sound. Resembling all the bands I stated previously above, the heavy distorted riffs with the emotional lyrics and aggressive vocal style will have you breathless as you start to question yourself about being sane or not. I'm seriously fucking ecstatic about this demo and I'm super fucking excited to see what Frandy has in store for us in the future. With a sound like this, there's so much fucking potential it's unreal. I hope these guys are here to stay because I couldn't get enough of them. As for now, we have this demo and I'm more than happy with it. If you're feeling like a jerk and want to download their album directly check it out on their bandcamp.
I'VE SEEN THE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I'VE SEEN THE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEND
I'VE TIED MY SPIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT
I'VE TIED MY HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART
"Frandy are a hardcore/sludge band from Flint, MI playing in the styles of Botch, Converge, and Trap Them. They released a 2011 demo entitled “Relief”."
WOW, OH WOW. I have to start out this review by saying this is one of THE BEST demos I've ever listened to and one of THE BEST submissions for my blog ever!!!! HOLY FUCK is this blowing my mind away or what? Deathwish Inc has been pumping out incredible sounding experimental hardcore bands such as Trap Them, Nails, Converge, All Pigs Must Die, Cursed, Botch, Starkweather, United Nations and a shit ton of others that have inspired bands world wide to follow in the footsteps, creating their own unusual sounds themselves. Frandy are THAT band, taking the music and inspiration from incredible bands like that and making it their own, without the help of Deathwish Inc. As for this five-track demo, it's fucking ridiculously batshit insane. When I read my email and saw "Botch, Converge, Trap Them-esque" I KNEW I was in for a real treat but no one told me there was a fucking caramel center made of rich wholesome gooeyness. The demo starts out with a track coincidentally called Cursed, which may or may not be a homage to the band Cursed. It wouldn't really surprise me though because Frandy sounds JUST like them. One of my favorite lyrics are taken from this song which goes like, "Can I escape or am I just cursed?". Another neat feature about this song is that they threw in some tambourines, which surprisingly sounds bad ass. As you start to dive deeper and deeper into the album, you'll start to get a real feel for their true sound. Resembling all the bands I stated previously above, the heavy distorted riffs with the emotional lyrics and aggressive vocal style will have you breathless as you start to question yourself about being sane or not. I'm seriously fucking ecstatic about this demo and I'm super fucking excited to see what Frandy has in store for us in the future. With a sound like this, there's so much fucking potential it's unreal. I hope these guys are here to stay because I couldn't get enough of them. As for now, we have this demo and I'm more than happy with it. If you're feeling like a jerk and want to download their album directly check it out on their bandcamp.
I'VE SEEN THE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I'VE SEEN THE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEND
I'VE TIED MY SPIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT
I'VE TIED MY HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART
Life Of Refusal - Self Titled (2011)
From last.fm:
"Life of Refusal is a Hardcore/Powerviolence band from Southern California.They formed early 2010 and solidified a line-up by fall that year. Life of Refusal put out a demo CD in 2010 and a 7” in April the next year, both being self-released."
This four piece duo from Southern California kick it old school with their original powerviolence sound. I was browsing the pictures beforehand and the only thing I was thinking was "Void worship??" and was all FUCK YEAAAAAAH! and stuff. See, isn't this Void worship or what?
"Life of Refusal is a Hardcore/Powerviolence band from Southern California.They formed early 2010 and solidified a line-up by fall that year. Life of Refusal put out a demo CD in 2010 and a 7” in April the next year, both being self-released."
This four piece duo from Southern California kick it old school with their original powerviolence sound. I was browsing the pictures beforehand and the only thing I was thinking was "Void worship??" and was all FUCK YEAAAAAAH! and stuff. See, isn't this Void worship or what?
Maybe it's just the fact they dislike Christianity? The last song on this track ends with chanting "There is no god" so that might be the case as well. Who the fuck knows. The funny thing is an upside-down cross was used when St. Peter died to show respect. ANYWAYS, enough with the Christian talk. Life Of Refusal burn the house down with their hardcore punk influenced powerviolence with a bit of a fastcore touch. I can totally hear Siege in this band x100000000000000000. Not to mention there's some absurdly strange chugs and metal riffs that take place which add for a very peculiar sound. Just imagine like... Cruel Hand but with a faster and angrier sound. It's good to know there's some original PV out there and Life Of Refusal reinstate this opinion and turn it into a fact.
Roñoso - Seep And Destroy (2010)
From last.fm:
"Roñoso is a crust punk / sludge metal band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have released two full length albums, “Roñoso” in 2008 and “Seep and Destroy” in 2010."
So I managed to get my hands on Roñoso's 2010 release Seep and Destroy. I threw up their self titled release earlier in the week and if you're familiar it then you'll know EXACTLY what you're getting in store. I wouldn't say Seep and Destroy any better, don't get me wrong though it's a fucking great album, but their debut release will always be my favorite. SaD brings that all too known incorporation of crust and sludge, with this album even throwing in some more noticeable hardcore punk influences. They bring that intense d-beat drumming pattern with much more distortion than the previous song. I think this albums influence is much more comparable to a band like Enabler. There's tons and tons of downtempo with a bit of a hardcore influence. All in all, it's a great album to add to any collection and the mix of crust and sludge will have any fan of either genre swooning over it.
"Roñoso is a crust punk / sludge metal band from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have released two full length albums, “Roñoso” in 2008 and “Seep and Destroy” in 2010."
So I managed to get my hands on Roñoso's 2010 release Seep and Destroy. I threw up their self titled release earlier in the week and if you're familiar it then you'll know EXACTLY what you're getting in store. I wouldn't say Seep and Destroy any better, don't get me wrong though it's a fucking great album, but their debut release will always be my favorite. SaD brings that all too known incorporation of crust and sludge, with this album even throwing in some more noticeable hardcore punk influences. They bring that intense d-beat drumming pattern with much more distortion than the previous song. I think this albums influence is much more comparable to a band like Enabler. There's tons and tons of downtempo with a bit of a hardcore influence. All in all, it's a great album to add to any collection and the mix of crust and sludge will have any fan of either genre swooning over it.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Carol Ann - Score To Settle (1997)
From last.fm:
"The teenage prequel to Black Hell and Graves at Sea was CAROL ANN. We played for about seven years, and shared the stage with such great acts as Noothgrush, Bongzilla, Drop Dead, Born Dead Icons, Sourvein, Unruh, From Ashes Rise, Citizen Fish, Orange Goblin, Alabama Thunderpussy, Ludicra, Watch them Die, Nigel Peppercock, Noisegate, Misanthropic, Sea of Deprivation, Tomsk -7, Burn Victim, ETTS, Contravene, Teen Cthulu and many more. We released two records pictured below, and recorded a mass of material that never saw the light of day."
There isn't much to say about this band. Just think of Dystopia if they relocated in Arizona with a bit of a melodic doom metal sound with some sick chugs. Check out the lyrics here.
"The teenage prequel to Black Hell and Graves at Sea was CAROL ANN. We played for about seven years, and shared the stage with such great acts as Noothgrush, Bongzilla, Drop Dead, Born Dead Icons, Sourvein, Unruh, From Ashes Rise, Citizen Fish, Orange Goblin, Alabama Thunderpussy, Ludicra, Watch them Die, Nigel Peppercock, Noisegate, Misanthropic, Sea of Deprivation, Tomsk -7, Burn Victim, ETTS, Contravene, Teen Cthulu and many more. We released two records pictured below, and recorded a mass of material that never saw the light of day."
There isn't much to say about this band. Just think of Dystopia if they relocated in Arizona with a bit of a melodic doom metal sound with some sick chugs. Check out the lyrics here.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Dead America - Bleed The Human Heart (1997)
From last.fm:
"DEAD AMERICA are a totally forgotten/overlooked anarcho-crust-grind-something band from early to mid-90’s Costa Mesa, California."
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. When people ask me, "HEY RYAN! I LOVE THE MISANTHROPIC SOUND OF DYSTOPIA AND WANT SOME MORE. WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?" I generally throw out something like Social Infestation, Elitist, Utopium, or Sea Of Deprivation but I've found yet ANOTHER band similar to that sound and maybe even closer to the others. These crusty fucks from the California region kick it old school with this 1997 release that is nothing but straight up fucking misanthropy and hatred. Like the bands similar above, Dead American combine that raw fucking downtempo'd HOLY FUCK GUYS YOUR STRINGS ARE ALL FUCKED UP sludge sound that sounds as if there's a fucking spaceship blasting off into space combined with the insane amounts of reverb. The fast paced crustgrind influence and face-punching vocals are enough to melt the skin clean off your fucking bones. I don't think this band needs no introduction. Having played with Dystopia before, there's GOT to be some credibility to their name. Sadly enough, yet another underrated band goes unknown but I am here to shed light and push forth what would otherwise be unknown. Don't let the obscurity fuck with your mind because these guys are truly the grim of the grimmest.
"DEAD AMERICA are a totally forgotten/overlooked anarcho-crust-grind-something band from early to mid-90’s Costa Mesa, California."
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. When people ask me, "HEY RYAN! I LOVE THE MISANTHROPIC SOUND OF DYSTOPIA AND WANT SOME MORE. WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?" I generally throw out something like Social Infestation, Elitist, Utopium, or Sea Of Deprivation but I've found yet ANOTHER band similar to that sound and maybe even closer to the others. These crusty fucks from the California region kick it old school with this 1997 release that is nothing but straight up fucking misanthropy and hatred. Like the bands similar above, Dead American combine that raw fucking downtempo'd HOLY FUCK GUYS YOUR STRINGS ARE ALL FUCKED UP sludge sound that sounds as if there's a fucking spaceship blasting off into space combined with the insane amounts of reverb. The fast paced crustgrind influence and face-punching vocals are enough to melt the skin clean off your fucking bones. I don't think this band needs no introduction. Having played with Dystopia before, there's GOT to be some credibility to their name. Sadly enough, yet another underrated band goes unknown but I am here to shed light and push forth what would otherwise be unknown. Don't let the obscurity fuck with your mind because these guys are truly the grim of the grimmest.
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