*Vinyl Update for December '11

1. Sixx - Sister Devil
 - listen -
so the other night, a friend and i decided to go to the Reckless shop on Broadway, as neither of us had been to that particular location in a hot minute. dodging in from the cold rain, i immediately began scanning the Goth/Industrial section (duh) and came up with zilch. after flipping through half of the punk LPs and mostly finding re-issues of generic records, i became discouraged and convinced that i'd be walking out empty-handed. my friend, however, had snagged a copy of THOU's new 12" EP Baton Rouge, You Have Much to Answer For. i did spot a limited copy of The Cure's Pornography, but it was not all that well packaged (and $30).

 needless to say, i was feeling rather salty. that is, until i flipped through a random spot in the metal section. i saw this image of a red-eyed nun with a pentagram carved into her palm and thought, "okay, okay...". then i read the description: "2009 release of the obscure 1991 'Sister Devil' demo from SIXX (comprised of the same people responsible for the legendary VON). Originally released on cassette, in an edition of 100 copies, 'Sister Devil' shows a different, yet sinister, side of VON. SIXX has elements of VON (a dark aura & obsessive, chanting lyrics), yet musically this has more in common with SISTERS OF MERCY, CHRISTIAN DEATH, SAMHAIN, FOR AGAINST, early CURE, etc. Satanic deathrock. On NUCLEAR WAR NOW! Productions" and my jaw hit the fucking floor.

while i knew NWN! had been dropping gems like DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT and the aforementioned THOU release, i certainly did not anticipate them taking interest in a side-project of this caliber. how wrong i was. my copy is black vinyl w/ a fold-out poster of the cover art (which, as you can see, is wicked), but NWN! even has a 2xLP on clear red w/ poster, sticker, patch, and supplemental zine...for $15. wtf. want.

the record moves exactly as one would expect the tape too, with that yummy, ever-present hissing and extremely tinny cymbal pings. the guitar tone is well suited for this style of release as well, as it is a twangy clean channel with most of the notes being tediously picked out and plucked harshly. mostly mid-tempo, dreary, dancey, dissonant (some songs more than others), and with a ritualistic chant introducing each track - i think it's safe to say that my $10 was well fucking spent. incidentally, this is the first record i listened to in the company of my new dog, Zero. so, you know, things were kind of perfect for about half an hour.

2. Oak - II
- listen -
beautifully simple gatefold layout on this 2-track monster-of-an-album. even more props to the folks at a389 for fucking killing it right now. best label in heavy underground, imo. limited to 666 copies on dense as fuck 210g vinyl, OAK plays a satanic, doom-laden drone metal. i readily compared their feel and aesthetic to COUGH, but without wailing/note-bending vocals and psychedelic riffs. way more brooding and, well, metal sounding than that. early 90's death-metal styled "oar"s and "raaah"s. abysmal. also, came with a download code and shiny silver-on-black sticker. neat.

3. Wolf Eyes - River Slaughter
- listen -
to use one of those annoying descriptions about where the "music 'takes you'", not unlike the entirety of my last post, River Slaughter is kind of like watching the opening scene in Jaws. there's an eerily calm body of water under a black sky, and it hums and it moves and you feel at peace with it. sooo, you cast off your attire in a carefree fashion and become one with the scenery. your boyfriend's busy eating sand or something, anyway. so you're just kind of floating there, but then the tone turns ominous and you can't help but shake the feeling that something's not right. then a fucking SHARK GRABS YOUR LEG AND TOSSES YOU ABOUT LIKE THE WORTHLESS MORSEL YOU ARE AND SHREDS YOU APART IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. then your boyfriend is like "huh?" and the shark peaces out and if someone else were to have arrived minutes later they wouldn't have known the difference. did i mention it's an OOP diy gatefold? oh. well, it is. gnar-ly.

4. Young and In the Way - V. Eternal Depression
- listen -
mentioned these guys a while ago. they released this all sneaky-like and with very limited copies. pressing info here courtesy of Antithetic Records. a little more blackened style this time around, but a similar set-up to Amen where the b-side is just one long, epic track. totally atmospheric and beautifully minimal in design. kvlt, u no.

LOOKIT!

Guilty Connector - Beats, Noise, and Life.

imagine you come to find yourself dazed, in the middle of what appears to be an ever-expanding field of corn. you're lying on your back and with each subtle movement, the sun flickers directly into your eyes. you spot a black bird, and then another, and another, and another, until the sky slowly (yet frantically) becomes a sea. their wings wave to the beat of an alarm that sounds violently inside your stomach, but to your ears is faint and possibly delusional. a thought; the birds are either pulling a capsule over your perceived world behind them, or your body is not registering its own decision to stand.

the stalks that surround you begin to rust, and a piercing sound rings incessantly. just then, what you can only imagine to be a railroad spike is driven straight through the center of your skull. almost immediately after the shattering impact, you experience a euphoric moment of serenity as it seems the same black sea that covered the sky begins to run like tar over your brain. the clarity isn't fleeting, but is still complicated by the painful sound of ill-fitting gears struggling to rotate.

is industry coming or going? what part do i now play in this event? can i move (with intention)? do i care to change a thing? the sea is everywhere, and you are no longer able to discern whether you are the lonesome vessel or the rapidly flowing force sent to swallow it whole. you come to realize that your/the world's cyclical gestures and any semblance of pattern has been broken, and everything - including your own sense of self - is ripped to shreds and dispersed in every imaginable direction. you explode, but only to find your (true) self set in permanent motion and everything is experienced in singular moments. whether or not they are remembered is theoretically questionable, but you don't think to wonder. you're moving.

...that's what the opening track, "New York Shibaki Terror Conversation" is like. have fun with the other thirty minutes.

last.fm, Planet Mu Records, myspace in the title.

MOTIONLESS.

Gasp - Drome Triler of Puzzle Zoo People

to the handful of you who actually maintain interest in this blog: i do apologize for the wait and commend you for your patience. hopefully i'll be back to doing this on  the regular now that my life is (a little) less crazy. onto the monotonous ramblings!

gasp (pretty sure they preferred lowercase spelling, as i do, but sometimes it's capitalized for the sake of consistency and organizing...) was a noisy, atmospheric project which, without being formulaic, played spazzy powerviolence and/or heavy sludge. though only active for a brief period in the late 90's, the band appears to have had a lasting impact on other artists that are trying to push the limits of what punk rock can and should consist of. listening to this release in particular calls to mind the efforts made by bands like REFUSED, who seamlessly tied together an album that contained an array of styles, sound clips and samples, varying dynamics, etc. in a definitive and cohesive manner. in short, it shatters people's perceptions and expectations, and one can only hope it does so for the better.

in terms of the way it sounds, i'd put it much more on par with something like if GRIEF were to perform a live album underwater while tripping and forcing all the majestic sea creatures who come in contact with the sound waves/acid to get hella existential...which is just kind of what i envision rather than what it objectively sounds like. maybe i'd describe it as "bubbly" in this sense. if it helps, i'd also say the vocals remind me a lot of the later CHARLES BRONSON releases, and that the record was put out by Slap-a-Ham. no? alright. you should probably just listen to it for yourselves. it's really cool and miserable and stuff. i highly recommend listening to it alone on the subway or on rainy, introspective nights. you'll probably discover (if you haven't already) that a lot of things are "wrong" with you, but that's why we're "here" in the first place, isn't it? ANSWER ME.

instead of over-hyping it or going into useless details i'll let it speak for itself, as it has done so quietly for the last decade or so.

personal favorites include: Silk Orbita, Sky Flowers Through Horse Eggs, Auroren, and Trippy Dead Zone.

last.fm in the post's link, myspace here.

Full of Hell - Roots of Earth are Consuming My Home

UHHH 9.6/10 SERIOUSLY OLD NEWS I KNO GUYS BUT OMG I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO IT ON REPEAT FOR ALMOST A MONTH NOW AND IT'S BASICALLY THE BEST SO GO BUY IT DOWNLOAD IT GET SOME MERCH SEE THEM ON TOUR I DON'T CARE JUST FUCKING APPRECIATE THIS SHIT BECAUSE IT COMES ONCE IN A BLUE MOON GOD LORD WILL SOMEONE LET ME JOIN THIS BAND IS IT TOO SOON FOR A COVER BAND I DON'T KNOW SO MANY QUESTIONS IS THAT A CATERPILLAR NOPE JUST A CIGARETTE I LEFT IN MY WINDOW SILL WHOOPS.

eff this crowd, srsly. i'd be murdering everyone >>>

Welkin Dusk - Born into a Dying World

after a less-than-impressive 4 track demo released about a year ago, WELKIN DUSK have tightened things up significantly with this self-produced and distributed full-length debut.

a self-proclaimed anarchist quartet hailing from the south side of Chicago, these kids play a heavily blackened brand of crust punk in the vein of LIFE IS HELL. lyrics range from sociopolitical commentary to the ever-relevant topic of hate for oneself (and all things), and suicide.

while i don't find that they fit in with the current trend in raw usbm, they do maintain the general feel of said style by having released this album on cassette and, intentionally or not, emphasizing the high-end of things both musically and vocally. additionally, WD doesn't go for the epic neocrust prologue, nor do they perform SKAGOS (or, as the name may imply, EMPEROR) worship. 7 songs in 24 minutes. hello *screams* goodbye.

the drumming is tight and the vocals are incredible shrieks and growls. my only complaint, really, is the guitar tone. it's this twangy fender sound that, on the beginning of the album's first track, "Buried Deep in My Hate"  sounds like a cool intro effect that would later blend into a nice, rich, metallic low-end with tons of gain (like MARTYRDÖD, for example). but nope, guitar stays really weird and dry. i suppose it makes the riffs more audible, but i just think these songs would hit harder - even on a cassette - with some more depth. i wanna wall-o-sounnnd.

back on the positive side, the drumming is fairly technical, and none of the songs have a tendency to repeat themselves; neither in pattern/structure, nor riff or lyrics. it's pretty "diverse", but definitely still sounds and feels like a whole release, not just 7 songs thrown onto one tape and called an LP. plus their lives shows are pretty killer. they sounded wayyy more dense and atmospheric on stage than they do on the release. but again, it's a solid effort and the song-writing is really what counts.

check 'em out on myspace, or their bandcamp (in the post's title).

SORRY EVERYONE I'M KINDA LAZY RIGHT NOW. WANT PUMPKIN COFFEE.

CTTS - Decompositions Vol I, Chapter I: Rites of Initiation

i don't have to say anything, do i? well, just to be sure: this is the new CIRCLE TAKES THE FUCKING SQUARE EP. as far as i understand, it will be the first quarter of their upcoming full-length. i don't even have words for how excited i am. it WILL be the best album of the year.

the only words i can muster are, "holy shit, this is heavy". i'm in awe. may be over-hyping it for some of you, but idgaf. Way of Ever-Branching Paths and The Ancestral Other Side are just phenomenally amazing. that's right. double adjective. head-spinning. lots of depth.

BANDCAMP IN THE TITLE, SUCKERS.

White Lung - It's The Evil

Vancouver's own 3/4 lady-garage-punk-quartet.

apologies, all. i've been slacking on this blog front lately. i promise that a three-fer is on the way. maybe older/timeless records that i think go unnoticed? but onto this review:

i may be alone in this, but i'm totally stoked on/excited for this band to be in existence. It's The Evil is an awesome record from front to back. no lulls and little filler. it's just full force; aggressive, but with a hint of that rebellious apathy that i find endlessly appealing, especially in stage presence.

basically, this act is a way better version of the YEAH YEAH YEAHS. dancey but moshable punk rock. "raw" and "grungy", but not in the commonly understood sense of the terms. the emotion and "rawness" in presentation is palpable. you can't help but feel it bursting through your speakers. "grungy" in a rock-and-roll sense, but no fuzzy distortion. guitar(s) are crisp and clean, but the amount of gain is ear-piercing. same with the drums. these kids play their instruments hard.

vocally, Mish Way is whiny and wavy, but not in a nauseating or obnoxious way. her vocal style is very well balanced, especially with regards to the flow of the album. a good mix of yelling, screaming, singing, and snottiness. i hate to say it, because it seems all too obvious, but she honestly does remind of of Kathleen Hanna (BIKINI KILL) with the way she enunciates certain words in a mocking-like fashion. you know what i'm talking about. that being said, i wouldn't call WHITE LUNG a riot grrl band. which, incidentally, i think is for the better. (sorry to burst your bubble, second-wavers.) but i digress.

the bass has a distinct fender jazz sound with an excellent tone that blends well with the rest of the band, but stands out when it should/needs to. the cymbals sound like they're shattering to pieces every time they're hit. the snare is punching you in the throat. the guitar plays loud as fuck open chords and dizzying/hypnotic lead parts, but crystal clear and also (somehow) not overpowering. tracks like Viva La Rat, Shoot, and Like Dad (which are my three favorites on the albummm) feature what i find to be the raddest of lead riffs that help define the band. i also think the affect it has on the listener compliments the artwork and vice-versa. a lot of that good old fashioned 16th note stuff going on all around, but they can seemingly stop on a dime. well done.

favvsies: Viva La Rat, Two Seen, Shoot, Like Dad. (Atlanta gets a shout-out too for being hella catchy.)

so yeah, these folks are all over the interwebs: tumblr in the title, myspace, facebook, Deranged Records.

someone book them a show in Chicago. like, maybe that RVIVR/THIS IS MY FIST one in September?

MORE TO COME. I SVVEARRR.

Coffinworm - When All Became None

...and from the bowels of hell (aka Indianapolis), COFFINWORM has arisen. probably the most exciting new act the midwest has to offer.

they play a blackened-yet-stoner-friendly style of mid-tempo sludge. metallic, grim, and satanic. "my insurrection versus your ressurection". death obsession. "putrid breath of life, how i hate you". elements of grindcore set them apart from a lot of what's going on in sludge and black-whatever right now (i.e. the whole post-rock craze). specifically, they utilize the high/low vocalization; the former being very scratchy and audible, and the latter being deep, guttural and muddy. similarly, the employ a fair amount of thrashing on the drums during certain riffs, but this is usually in accordance with the tremelo (read: blackened) guitar riffs. uniqueness aside, the attention paid to this record is mostly due to the fact that these guys just do what they're doing extremely well.

a mere 6 song LP with tracks spanning from six to eight minutes in length, When All Became None is not by any means an extensive work, but similar to SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP, it may be the perfect duration for a band that's just beginning to make their mark on the scene and heading out on tour in the near future. with no obligatory intro(s)/outro(s)/interludes, swelling feedback, or long droning bridges/soundscapes - at least none lasting for more than 20 seconds - COFFINWORM hits the ground running and doesn't let up until the last deafening note. again, i would liken it to grind in this aspect, or at least a more "punk" side of sludge.

one of the coolest things about this release is how transparent it is. what i mean is that nothing is lost or overpowered in the mixing. nothing is notably driving anything else (aside from the tightness of the rhythm section), nothing is drowned out or made indistinguishable. i would anticipate that seeing them live (which i plan on doing August 20th @ Bottom Lounge!) would either match the sound of the record or exceed it. there is no studio magic holding this album together, and there won't be a box full of pedals necessary to replicate the pervasive gloom and doom. COFFINWORM is just simply a really good band, as a band.

personal favs: Blood Born Doom, Spitting in Infinity's Asshole, *The Sadistic Rites of Count Tabernacula.
*rager.

dudes are all over: myspace, bloggin', world-renowned facebook, and a link to their own website has been included in this post's title. kablaam.

SONS AND DAUGHTERS [AND GENDER VARIANTS] OF SATAN, COME TO ME.

Shards - Self-Titled LP

for those of you already familiar with North Carolina's SHARDS, you may have noticed that i've rotated the artwork 90 degrees right. i don't care how the LP is packaged; it really, really looks like a face, and having it sideways bugs the shit out of me.

anyway, a lot of people have been describing this new project as "dark" yet "melodic" punk. i can't say this is far from the truth (what else is new?), but i also feel that there's much room for elaboration. gritty, almost snotty vocals are probably the most notable aspect of the band. hooks and melodies? not really an option without harmonies or repeated one-liners/group vocals, in my opinion. catchy? yeah, i'll agree with that. last.fm claims that the band, "reach[es] back to punk’s pre-hardcore days", bringing to mind early TSOL. i'll agree with that too.

SHARDS goes for an almost SST Records (BLACK FLAG, HUSKER DU, etc.) style sound, and they do a pretty good job of it, considering it is 2011. heavy, crunchy bass is the most driving force underneath the layered vocals (which i must reiterate is definitely the most prominent force on this album), with a nearly absent bass drum and fairly weak snare drum hits. the guitar, however, is not nearly as fuzzy or distorted as these "pre-hardcore" punk pioneers. there are also no ridiculous solos or bends. the riffs they play are pretty rock-and-roll, but in a very subtle way.

because the record goes by so fast and there aren't many stand-out tracks, i'm going to go ahead and cut this one short. i must say, though, that for as underwhelming as i found it at first, this release has made more than its fair share of appearances on my last.fm charts. something about it keeps me coming back, and i'm sure they'd be quite a bit of fun to see live. i am very curious to see if they are able to spawn more bands with this interesting take on an old-school sound. perhaps some sort of unforeseen revival? i don't know. the point is: this is a solid piece of work, and there are definitely not enough people turned on to it. hence, my rants.

check out their myspace (linked in the post title) to hear these jams for yourself. it's not for everyone, i understand, but i think it's pretty cool stuff. and who doesn't like cool stuff?!

the songs i like better than some others: Bleach, Lycanthropic Discomfort, DMT, Self-Medication.

THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER.

Drainland - And So Our Troubles Began

once again, i will attempt to describe an irreducible band in one simple post. i apologize in advance. Drainland are, for starters, "5 angry people that live in Ireland who keep getting compared to crust and metalcore bands [they] don’t listen to" - last.fm. i would say it's more along the lines of dark hardcore, sludge, noisy doom metal, and a pinch of post-rock thrown into a blender. but who's to say that's objectively any more accurate or helpful? i've only very recently been turned on to this band, and i regret having not immediately checked them out. (i've gotten over the habit of completely neglecting bands with what i feel to be terrible names, but that in turn has made bands with names that aren't great but don't outright suck be able to fall by the proverbial wayside. (longest parenthetical ever.)). to be honest, i came for the cover art, but i stayed for the substantially unique jams.

i can't honestly say that the record is cohesive, or that Drainland has developed a new sound that is all-their-own, but it's kind of interesting in that sense. it's more of a challenging listen than a lot of bands who have a very well set and defined brand of music and simply follow that script. and while there is an "atmospheric" (for lack of a better term) presence throughout, no two tracks bleed together/become indistinguishable. maybe it's because i'm not up on my Irish punk/crust/sludge, but there's something about this band that strikes me as different. while trying to sum up their sound for my pal Brendan (new KRANG 12" coming soon, whaaat?), i could only manage to say "it's kinda like CURSED, but...not at all...".

vocals consist of decipherable yells which can, depending on the song, have a screamo-ish wave to them or reach bellowing depths. it's pretty neat. the drums are all quite punchy, with the exception of the popping metallic snare. cymbals - particularly the ride - are very well balanced and bright, of which the latter is typically unusual when it comes to heavy stuff. also neat. the bass is also hella metallic but has that crusty-distorted factor. fuzzy, but not sloppy. guitars have almost a black metal quality about them, in that it sounds like many of the riffs were recorded in barren caves and abandoned alleyways. in addition to the constant riffing, the guitars also create a lot of indiscernible noise, which serves both hi and lo end purposes. it's all just very, very neat.

favorite tracks: Jellyfish, Sominal Hex, Weakness, Luxophage.

i'm really tired, so i apologize once again for this half-ass review. but i do sincerely suggest you people check these guys out either on myspace, facebook, tumblr, or bandcamp (linked in post title). these dudes know how to utilize the web.

GIMME GIMME MELATONIN.

As We Draw - Lines Breaking Circles

punk inspired post-metal from France. some would simply collapse the aforementioned genres into "post-hardcore", and there would be a degree of validity to that. however, in an effort to paint a clearer picture, i'd say these guys are more along the lines of CELESTE, in that no one genre easily defines their sound. it's heavy, it's really angry and screamy, and no song breaches the 7 minute mark. it's an especially impressive effort considering it is their debut release. LP packaging looks amazing. seriously considering adding it to my collection, as the fizzle and pops would accompany the feel of this album quite nicely. includes lyrics that elaborate on their relation to the artwork.

the most interesting aspect(s) of this album - beyond the awesome vinyl format/package - are the vocals and the guitar tones. the vocals have somewhat of a CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE pattern to them. not necessarily call-and-response style, but pretty evenly divided and often overlapping scratchy skramz with guttural/more enunciated yells. as for the guitars, they lay down quite an atmospheric sound while remaining really crisp and clear.

i think they probably have a plethora of peddles/effects to aid in this, because they certainly don't rely on heavy, down-tuned chords or crushing distortion. granted, my guitar knowledge is limited (and i'm too lazy/not invested enough to look through pictures), but it sounds like a Gibson SG to me. i don't know how helpful that is to you, the reader, but it makes sense to me so i'm going with it. there's a lot of tapping riffs and hallway/reverb stuff going on, but when they want to make it more driving AWD does just fine. heavily distorted, metallic yet crusty bass aids in these efforts as well.

rhythmically, there are no abrupt shifts in either time signature or tempo, which i find suits this overall style of music better. it finds other ways of staying interesting, though. mostly through subtle snare taps, dynamic changes (lots), and ear piercing cymbal crashes. there's also occasional group vocals and group singing, which being as partial to classic hardcore as i am, i enjoy quite a bit. and it definitely helps keep this record unique and relatively unpredictable. i kind of get bored sometimes listening to sludge or post-metal where the vocals have one sound/style/technique that persists throughout.

in short, AWD has undoubtedly made an indelible mark on this recently popularized sound, and will probably only continue to get better and gain huge recognition worldwide. this isn't one of those bands you here, listen to for a month and then occasionally name drop. they're not a reference point, they're damn good. an instant classic that waaaay more people should be getting into.

favorite tracks: Sin of Addiction, Shield, Fault Lines, Draft, Scum of the Earth.

last.fm here and myspace link in the post title.

CAN YOU DIG IT?!

Social Coma - Self-Titled 7"

an all-too-often glossed over piece of Chicago power-violence magic. a surprising fact considering the band shared members with both the legendary CHARLES BRONSON and the almighty MK-ULTRA. repressed by Youth Attack, who also recently put out new RAW NERVE material. (see y'all on the 29th!)

clocking in at 11.5 minutes, this fifteen track 7" of shrieking female-fronted terror should probably have been sold with a paper bag with which to hyper-ventilate or puke from cranial overload. ear-wrecking shit.

favorite tracks of mine: Smear the Career, Confused as Fuck, Thanks for the T-Shirt, Marlboro Man, and Death of a Clone.

i don't really know what else to say about this release, it's pretty self-explanatory. so with that being said,

CHI-TOWN REPRESENT.

Seven Sisters of Sleep - Self-Titled LP

"tune low, get high" probably sums this album up better than the widely circulated description "sludge for people with short attention spans". granted, both are accurate, but there's so much more to Seven Sisters of Sleep than sludge. this is one of the few full-lengths in recent history that can be appreciated beyond the tracks contained within. this record, with its incredible gatefold artwork, consistency, uniqueness, dope (pun slightly intended) lyrics, etc. is simply an experience that the listener is actively engaged in. the fact that it's only 8 tracks at just under 20 minutes in length makes it all the more impressive.

tons of melodic feedback allow the songs to flow together nicely, and also gives you a chance to let your brain catch up with your ears. distorted, gruff vocals work in collaboration with the rhythm section nicely, whether intentionally or not is irrelevant. the cymbals are probably one of the biggest overall record highlights. maybe it was an effort in microphone placement or equalizing or something, but they actually stand out without having to be whipped as hard as possible. the rich tones they produce help keep an overall mellow vibe even with SSOS is hammering your soul with satanic, anti-capitalist hardcore. yes, i did just use the words "mellow" and "vibe" in succession. no, i do not regret it.

while describing their sound in more detail with a handful of local punx, i found myself viscerally making the following oversimplification: "it's somewhere between COUGH and early BLACK SABBATH, but with more rage and sometimes way faster". so yeah, to further oversimplify: heavy metal guitar riffs, crust punk bass, gritty wailing vocals, drums that slash your face.

standout tracks, in my humble opinion, include: Tide is Rising, CCEC, and Follow the Serpent. this may only be for the fact that they're the most pissed off sounding ones, but i stand by it. honorable mention also goes to Passed Out Standing, mainly for using a guitar riff that gets stuck in my head for at least an hour a day. Swamp also has some sweet lyrics. most of their songs can be streamed on youtube with footage from The Holy Mountain and weird shit like that. so that's cool. i wish i could spend more time talking about how special i think this band is/will be, but i think for the time being this album speaks for itself. another gem dropped by the folks at A389 Records. click this posts' link to access their website and check out all of their sweet merch that's probably all limited and shit like that. otherwise, you can dig them via facebook, like 'em, and build the hype so that they may exceed it in the future.

till next time...

Full of Hell - The Inevitable Fear of Existence

not an impressive band name, i know, but the music they write and - perhaps most importantly - the intensity with which they perform is incredible. brutal, grindy, shrieky, unstable, sludgy, chaotic, pukey, tortured, noisy, just plain fucking pissed. the only band i can readily compare them to is MAGRUDERGRIND, but that's really only in terms of the high-end vocal work and the occasional blastbeat on FoH's end. aside from this 7", which i find to be their best work yet (both in terms of song-writing and production), they have: a split with GOLDUST, a demo EP entitled Savages, and a few random demo tracks floating around. a full-length is also being pressed soon and will be released by A389 Recordings some time in August.

The Inevitable Fear of Existence kicks off with a beautifully simplistic guitar riff (reminiscent of TRAGEDY), which is soon accompanied by bass drum kicks and cymbal crashes powerful enough to make a whale's head explode. get it? because they use sonar. anyway, they hammer out the intro, let the notes hang, and then "Lead Tongue" just punishes you with relentless thrashy blastbeats, only to break back down and get super pissed, grunt, and bring the destruction right back for the last 15 seconds or so. it's honestly a damn near perfect song. from here, the album definitely falls more "into place", shall we say, as the band demonstrates that they can in fact play a consistent beat and groove for a minute. the thrashy drums and lyrics in "Black Iron" rule. trust me. and i don't mean thrashy like 80's crossover hit the drums light but fast DRI style or anything. i mean it sounds like this dude is just flailing his appendages at the kit as violently as he can while still maintaining a tight beat. rules rules rules. next there's "Horus" which features some nice double bass work and some stoner-inspired riffage. but then they end the 7" with a title track. this one is more of a doomy sludge song with hallway effect vocals. honestly kinda makes me think of DYSTOPIA because of how tortured and miserable everything sounds. its excellent. i cannot fucking wait for their upcoming LP.

*Random Disclaimer - the reason why i'm not being as creative or descriptive as far as this band/release goes is because i've just been too damn excited about them. all i can do is play them for people and be like, "see?! it's just fucking, like. FUCK!". so i apologize that this review or whatever is basically just saying that using a lot more words.

i don't really know what else to say about this band. they're fucking furious. and if i were to start my ideal band, it would sound pretty fucking close to this. they're in the middle of a huge US tour RIGHT NOW so check out their facebook, bandcamp, and all that good stuff. also if you catch them on tour, buy me their merch. one of everything. then email me and i'll send you my address. kthanks.

this is what you'll have to reckon with. enjoy.

Young and In the Way - Amen

Young and In the Way are, surprisingly, a mere four-piece band who are giving a whole new rise to the North Carolina punk scene. i say "surprisingly" because of the amount of noise they create. the sheer intensity of each song/release is simply undeniable. their last.fm entry describes YAITW as, "fast blasts and destructive crust with ties to unrelenting hardcore and black metal", which is not wholly inaccurate. too hardcore to be blackened crust, too blackened to be hardcore. if i were to describe them in a word, which is admittedly not a simple task, it would be "evil dark hardcore". (okay, that's three words, but whose blog is this, i ask you?)

Amen is my personal favorite of their albums thus far, though their newest LP entitled I Am Not What I Am is also pretty ruthless. and sold out on vinyl. damn.

the record kicks off with an instrumental track, which begins with some dreary noise, quickly followed by a bone-crushing wave of distortion and dissonance. awesome, right? without hesitation they begin blasting through "Dark Seed". with the snare smashing through the downbeats and the tempo-change-to-(yes i'm about to use this word)-breakdown, head-banging is imminent. roaring through the record, YAITW puts to use everything from blasts to half-time to d-beat while maintaining an overall gloomy/cold atmosphere. thus, this record not only has the ability to command your undivided attention, but also keeps that attention. in other words, you become involved with the record as opposed to being subjected to - and eventually lost in - the noise.

standout tracks for me include "Worrier" and the final track "The Becoming". the former exhibits a fucking awesome bottoming out of the guitar and drums during the hook line, which will ensure pile-ons for as long as they perform. the latter, however, is truly a masterpiece in and of itself. a fourteen-minute-long epic, "The Becoming" is surrounded on both sides (intro/outro) by an eerily serene arrangement of instruments, and the song - even after kicking in - has a momentum to it that you can feel building and building. the "climax" of the song, if you will, arrives right around the 9:10 mark, and honestly i think it might have the almighty FALL OF EFRAFA beat, at least in terms of rage. debatable as that may be, this track is still fucking incredible in its own right, and from what i can tell the band at large deserves much more attention.

a bandcamp link is provided in this post's title. you can listen to/purchase the digital albums and splits/EPs there. if you'd like to get a hard copy or vinyl (good luck) of any of their releases, keep checking out their official website: here. oh, also, their logo and artwork is badass. just thought i'd mention that as a final word.

GO FORTH AND WREAK HAVOC.

Terminal Youth - Self-Titled LP

Terminal Youth were a thrashcore band from Massachusetts, but with a distinctly west coast vibe. short-lived as their "career" may have been, i am grateful that they were able to unleash this 18-song record unto the world. maybe it's because i'm from Chicago (no coast like no coast!), but i don't feel that nearly enough people appreciate this hardcore outfit; this sublime effort in particular.

if you're more prone to checking out a band based on "member diversity" or whatever, they did have (i believe) a female bass player. lyrically, from what i've deciphered, TY seems to stick to the proverbial script, covering inter-personal relationships as well as some introspective subjects and occasionally offering some subtle political commentary. borderline powerviolence at times, this album truly rips from front to back. major distortion, major treble, major speed. "fastcore" is an applicable sub-sub-genre, if you're into such specificities.

distributed through To Live A Lie (who, incidentally, recently dropped the new DEATHRATS 7"!!!), i believe that there was a batch of just over 500 vinyl that are now, perhaps permanently, sold out. in the meantime, check out their myspace and get all resourceful if you want more.