Sunday, February 28, 2010

Another Reason to LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND

It's official: Morbus Chron are the BEST DUDES EVER.

Why? This handwritten letter that they sent along with their demo tape (only cassettes are real) should make it clear:



The pubes were a nice touch.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND: Hot Graves



As soon as I heard the first gnarly chord of Hot Graves' set at this year's Heart of Winter Fest in Richmond, VA, I was HOOKED. Hellhammer-smashed sounds, goat-worshipping ugliness, d-beaten crustiness, primeval death metalisms, blackened battle kommands and a punk-as-fuck attitude - what's not to love?

LISTEN here - http://www.myspace.com/hotgraves
WATCH here -



Excerpt from Revelations of Doom 2/25/10:

"Hot Graves swear allegiance to like-minded blasphemers in Archgoat, Discharge, Revenge, Hellhammer and Wolfbrigade with their genre-smashing amalgamation of black metal, thrash, crust punk, war metal and heavier-than-hell slabs of primitive death metal (think Necros Christos). Throw in the odd sizzling guitar solo, a quartet of Southern drawls sweet as Waffle House sizzurp, sick Anti-Cimex & Discharge covers and a tongue-in-cheek, fuck-you attitude, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a good time. Wonderfully raw, unabashedly old-school, and undeniably awesome, Hot Graves’ d-beat death dirges are essential listening for those of you that like it nasty. Are they reinventing the wheel? Hell no, but you can bet they’re throwing some pimped-out spiked rims on that bitch!"

Read the full post here: http://www.metalinjection.net/latest-news/desecration-time-hot-graves

And go LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Profound Lore Announcement: COFFINWORM

COFFINWORM - Complete Debut Album, New MP3 Posted

Along with their recent induction in the Profound Lore/20 Buck Spin SXSW showcase (to take place March 19th at Headunters in Austin, TX), Indianapolis, Indiana blackened sludge metal abomination COFFINWORM have completed their debut album, “When All Became None”.



Following their acclaimed “Great Bringer Of Night” demo, which was hailed as one of the best and most crushing demos released in 2009 (even by magazines such as Decibel, Terrorizer, and Metal Injection) and blew away pretty much all metal demos attempted last year, said demo doesn’t even hold a candle to the final product that is “Great Bringer Of Night”. Summoned with the aid of Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Yob, Yakuza, Twilight, Krieg etc.) within the confines of Semaphore Studios, “When All Became None” has revealed itself as the soundtrack to the demise of humanity, the destruction of Christ, imminent death, poser disposal, and in a nutshell, pretty much sounds like death, doom, and destruction.

The blasphemy and depravity that COFFINWORM conjure is something that mirrors a diabolical mix of the sludge doom madness of bands such as EYEHATEGOD and UNEARTHLY TRANCE, along with a vicious layer of black metal to heighten the aesthetic, and of course a nod to the old-school ala CELTIC FROST/HELLHAMMER, BATHORY, and AUTOPSY respectively.

As previously mentioned and announced (and reiterated once again), look for COFFINWORM to bring their perversity at SXSW this year as they will bring nothing but destruction to the stage hosting the Profound Lore/20 Buck Spin showcase on March 19th. As well, COFFINWORM have also been confirmed for a few other shows during SXSW. More details surrounding these other shows will be revealed shortly.

To officially be released mid April, tracklisting for “When All Became None” goes as follows:

1. Blood Born Doom
2. Start Saving For Your Funeral
3. Strip Nude For Your Killer
4. Spitting In Infinity’s Asshole
5. High On The Reek Of Your Burning Remains
6. The Sadistic Rites Of Count Tabernacula

An MP3 of the track ‘Start Saving For Your Funeral’ is now available via the MP3 section of the Profound Lore Website:

Friday, February 12, 2010

LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND: Shadow of the Torturer



Paraphrased from my trio of Noisecreep features on the band:


The current incarnation of the band is comprised of three hardy scene veterans who've all done time in other bands (Aldebaran, H.C. Minds, North American Bison, the Fartz), and its original lineup boasted current and ex-members of Yob, Engorged, Fall of the Bastards and Oakhelm. As anyone with half an eardrum left can tell after suffering through the first three seconds of a Shadow of the Torturer song, this is not pretty music. It's not progressive or overly technical or accessible in any way; this is filthy, raw, misanthropic fuzz, slow as blackstrap molasses and oozing hate and distortion. Last year, Shadow of the Torturer hooked up with the sludge barons at Blind Date Records to unleash a strictly-limited vinyl version of their debut LP, 'Marching Into Chaos,' which is already in danger of selling out.

In short, DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.


Now go LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND! http://www.myspace.com/shadowofthetorturer

Thursday, February 11, 2010

ARISE!




I am incredibly pleased and excited to announce that I will be working with crust punk legends Amebix as the band's official publicist and that my company Catharsis PR will be promoting their forthcoming new album. More updates soon! Watch this space...no gods, no masters.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Sadistik Exekution Are Death. Fukk You.

As I was looking over Nasko's answers from a recent Teitanblood interview I'd done for Terrorizer, one set of quotes popped out at me" "We are Death...Fukk you!"

He was referring to both his band's perceived genre, and to a certain bestial classic - Sadistik Exekution's 1994 LP "We Are Death...Fukk You!"

What follows is my favorite Wikipedia entry ever, if only for the fact that the phrase "We Are Death...Fukk You" HAS A FUCKING WIKIPEDIA ENTRY.




We Are Death... Fukk You! is the second album from Australian death metal band Sadistik Exekution. It was released in 1994 on Osmose Productions. The name of the album does not appear on the cover, as the band had intended it to be a self-titled release. However, singer Rok had written the words "we are death... fukk you" on the master tapes in protest against the label's marketing of them as a black metal band. Osmose mistakenly believed that was the title of the album, and released it as such. Drummer Sloth left during the recording, and some drum tracks were recorded by Steve Hoban.
[edit]Track listing

"Suspiral" – 2:44
"Burnt Offering" – 1:51
"Internal Klok" – 4:44
"Mathematikus" – 0:35
"Electrokution" – 2:06
"Lest We Forget" – 2:07
"Evoke War Vomit" – 4:28
"Astral Abortis" – 6:39
"Ipsis Simus" – 4:05
"Hades Valley" – 6:46
[edit]Credits

Rok - vocals
Dave Slave - bass
Kriss Hades - guitar
Sloth - drums
Steve Hoban - drums

________________________________

.BUY OR DIE.

LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND: MITOCHONDRION





Filthy 'Domination'-era Morbid Angel grooves torn from the grave then mercilessly suffocated with no-fi production and gurgling slime? Yes please. Like every good extreme band ever (or at least Revenge and Blasphemy, which about covers it), Mitochondrion hail from Canada, and, much like every other good extreme metal band that is not Revenge or Blasphemy, have apparently signed to Profound Lore.

This music is about as noncommercial as you can get without turning into pure noise (and without being Merzbow if you've actually managed to create said pure noise). Unexpected moments of downtrodden, moody melody emerge like ghosts from the fog but are quickly dragged back down into the mire. As with new labelmates Vasaeleth, some will undoubtedly mislabel this viscous, roiling sonic mass as 'black metal,' but take heed: this is death metal at its filthiest and most bestial, down to its warm, still-beating heart.


Now go LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND!

http://www.myspace.com/mitochondrion

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Noisecreep stuff: At the Gates, DOWN, Anti-Flag

I do more than just insult deathcore bands and rave about Swedish death metal.

Well, sort of.

More At the Gates worship:

http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/02/09/at-the-gates-dvd-documentary/

I did my little sister a favor...

http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/02/09/anti-flag-pay-tribute-to-a-fallen-fan/

Rex Brown: Still Badass.

http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/02/09/pantera-down-rex-brown-government/

NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL Lineup Is Announced. Grim Kim Is Not Amused.



According to a press release:

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival will enter year 12 this April with an eclectic mixture of bands from the metal and hardcore genres. Returning to the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., the event will take place on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24, with an extra special pre-party sponsored by Atticus on Thursday, April 22.

Bands performing on Friday April 23 include Mastodon, Between The Buried And Me, Baroness, Cro Mags, Earth Crisis, Death Threat, Death Before Dishonor, COA, American Me, Thick As Blood, Forfeit, XTheWarX, Grave Maker, Rose Funeral, Conducting From The Grave and Howl. Doors open at 3:00PM

Bands performing on Saturday April 24 include Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth, Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, Skeletonwitch, Eluveite, 1349, Impending Doom, Lecherous, Nocturne, Tony Danza, Chelsea Grin, Abacabb, Arsonists Get All The Girls, Malfice, Swashbuckle, Cattle Decapitation, Acaro, Holy Grail, Disembodied, Cruel Hand, Reign Supreme, The Mongoloids, XTyrantX, Foundation, Soul Control, Alpha Omega, Burning Empires, Mother Of Mercy, Gaza, Across The Sun and Monsters. Doors open at noon.

Tickets for Friday only cost $40.00. Tickets for Saturday only cost $46.00. A 2-day ticket costs $80.00. All tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12 at 10AM at all stores, online at or to charge-by-phone call (800) 477-6849.
Sponsors this year include Atticus who is sponsorsing the pre-party on Thursday April 22, Metal Blade Records sponsors the main stage, Monster Energy Drink is the official energy drink of the festival, All In Merch / 518 Prints is the official merch sponsor, R&D Express / Art Brigatta makes our festival banners and backdrops. Heavy Hitter coordinates all our radio promotions, Mazur Pr coordinates our media inquiries and Metal Injection supplies fans with all the videos and interviews on their site so you can get a preview of all the bands to perform, Jeremy Saffer from jeremysaffer.com and Aaron Peppelis from returntothepit.com provide all the official festival photos."

Now here's my take on it:




First off, no disrespect to my dear friends at Heavy Hitter, Metal Injection, Atticus, and the Rev. Aaron - y'all are champs.

Secondly - this is absolute rubbish. There are exactly 10 bands on the lineup that I give even a microscopic shit about, and out of the 10, I have seen... 9 before, multiple times, on better packages and in smaller venues. I'm going to assume that a majority of the metal-consuming public can say the same - at least the people that actually dig, you know, metal, instead of regurgitated hardcore/metalcore/deathcore bollocks. I understand that this is a metal AND hardcore fest (they give it away in the title) but, seriously, that's the best you guys could do? I've only made it up to one of the editions of this particular fest, and had a good time (thanks largely to good friends, Municipal Waste, free booze, a lovely interview with Erik Rutan and the heart-stopping awesomeness of drinking whiskey with Brian from EHG) but it's embarrassing how overwhelmingly weak the lineups have been.

Bands that rule:
Cannibal Corpse, Skeletonwitch, 1349, Amon Amarth, Lecherous Nocturne (NOT "Lecherous, Nocturne," as the press release stated, for fuck's sake), Howl.

Bands that are pretty cool:
Earth Crisis (I used to LOVE this band when I was 14, and Kurt Buechler digs black metal. No shame), Eluveitie, Cattle Decapitation

Band(s) I have not yet seen but am going to FUCK EVERYONE'S DAY UP TO:
Cro Mags, duh.

Bands that I think should quit music and go work at Radio Shack:
All the others.

Bands that will have sweet gym shorts for sale and spend the majority of their stage time trying to be Scott Vogel:
Death Before Dishonor, Reign Supreme, xTyrantx (Though I will admit, the singer's pretty hawt in a "I have prison tatts and shank bitches" kind of way)

Bands that will inspire beard-stroking, marijuana usage, and blank stares from xTyrantx fans:
Baroness, Mastodon, BTBAM

Bands I have never heard of (but still don't care about):
Foundation, Soul Control, Alpha Omega, Burning Empires, Mother Of Mercy, Across The Sun, Monsters

Band I have been meaning to check out purely because Curran told me to:
Gaza

Bands I really, REALLY fucking hate:
Rose Funeral, Whitechapel, Impending Doom, Arsonists Get All the Girls (for FUCK'S sake, did you really think that was a badass band name? FUCK), Tony Danza, Chelsea Grin, Abacabb, Job for a Cowboy (metamorphosing into a lackluster fifth-rate cover band of Morbid Angel's b-sides does not make you credible, it just makes you more annoying to death metal fans).

Amount of whiskey it would take me to make it through both days of this shitshow without getting kicked out or making some deathcore wanker cry:
Immeasurable.

Monday, February 8, 2010

HEART OF WINTER II on Brooklyn Vegan



Check out my debut post for Brooklyn Vegan (featuring incredible photography by my babygirl Diana Lee Zadlo) on the 2010 edition of Richmond, VA's HEART OF WINTER FEST. I'm stoked to be working with BV, and hope to contribute more in the coming months. Mad thanks to my man BBG for bringing me on board.


http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/02/heart_of_winter.html

LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND: Morbus Chron




Primitive yet preternaturally sophisticated death metal from a bunch of Swedish dudes. Sounds familiar, right? Except that most of the kids - yes, kids - in this band were FIFTEEN when they started, essentially making Decapitated look like elderly statesmen of the death metal scene. Recently signed to the always on-point Pulverised Records, we can expect to see a full LP of creeping death and putrid riffage from these whippersnappers sometime in the coming year. Consider me stoked.

Now go LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND.

http://www.myspace.com/morbuschronband

Sunday, February 7, 2010

GO!

I'm going to make more of an effort to update this sumbitch and hopefully get some exclusive content up here - turn it into a *real* blog, instead of just a catch-all corner of the web for my sporadic ramblings. To put my money where my mouth is, as it were (or at least give me something to do besides procrastinate on this Bethlehem feature), I wanted to share a few thoughts about my adventures with At the Gates this weekend. Keep an eye out for (legitimate) extended features in Hails & Horns, Noisecreep, and on my Terrorizer.com blog (username Catharsis), as well.



So I went up to New York this past Friday afternoon to attend an invite-only screening for Swedish melodeath behemoths At the Gates' first DVD and interview axeslinger Anders Björler. A lot of familiar faces turned up, and to his well-hidden dismay, my man Bram from The Syndicate found himself fighting for precious elbow room and fending off my excited pokes whenever Skitsystem ("THEY'RE SO FUCKING GOOD") or Niflheim ("I KNOW THAT GUY!") popped up onscreen. The camera work wasn't incredibly professional (a few too many blurry shots and pensive "driving down a random highway" frames marred an otherwise well-done production) but the content is what really matters. After watching Tompa wander through his childhood elementary school and talk about his tape trading days, or seeing the naked emotion on original guitarist Alf Svensson's face as he was asked about his decision to leave the band at the height of their upswing, the viewer is left with no illusions whatsoever about the strong, yet fragile personalities that drove At the Gates into becoming what they were - and still are. The footage from their reunion lap across the globe struck a chord with this writer especially, as the reverent, fanatical, almost heartbreaking intensity with which fans met their heroes was laid bare. I remember watching At the Gates at both of their 2008 NYC gigs and being absolutely overcome by emotion. 'Slaughter of the Soul' was one of those albums that directly influenced the course of my musical development, and struck an incredible chord in my fifteen-year-old self. Seeing Tompa and the boys rip through their perfectly calibrated setlist - heavy on SOTS material, of course, though a few oldies slipped in - was an overwhelmingly euphoric experience. The fact that I got to see them do it from the side of the fucking stage made it even better!



(there I is - tucked away on the right!)

So the DVD screening ruled. I fully recommend that you check this baby out - it's a hell of a history lesson for those lacking in vital knowledge in the early Swedish death metal scene (though diehards will find plenty of interest, as well) and a fitting epitaph for a band that know better than to tarnish an untouchable legacy by recording new material. Would that Jon Jon Nödtveidt had had the same forsight (may the devil take his soul - R.I.P.). As various media types and a few stray Earache interns milled about and began trickling out the door, I nabbed Anders and stuck a microphone in his reserved, but perfectly cordial face. We talked tape trading, downloading, horror movies and Judas Priest until Earache's publicist Anthony started looking fidgety and herded us out the door. An impromptu photo session that found Anders shivering in the middle of a New York street (nervously eyeing the heartless taxi drivers hurtling his way) and dinner at some fancy-shmancy burger joint followed. We all ended up at Arrow Bar's weekly Heavy Metal Happy Hour event, where I proceeded to outdrink a sleepy Swede (Anders was on his last legs by 9pm - that Gothenburg-to-Gotham time difference is a bitch), make several new friends whose faces I'd be hard-pressed to pick out of a police lineup, and somehow manage to tear myself away from the Big Apple and head back to the (215) before Snowmageddon hit. Two feet of snow and a couple days later, I'm sequestered in my cozy little hole-in-the-wall procrastinating by writing this blog and getting ready to transcribe my interview with Anders (and about a million and a half more). A small part of me is still marveling at the fact that - dude, I totally MET Anders from AT THE FUCKING GATES! Fifteen-year-old me would have never seen that one coming, and twenty-two-year-old me is still pretty stoked, too. I've met, drank with, interviewed, and hugged the shit out of countless musicians I admire/worship by now, but there are still a few left out there that leave me starstruck - in theory if not in person. Anders is a perfectly nice, unassuming gent with a sly sense of humor; he's probably the least intimidating 'rockstar' ever, but dude was still in At the Gates!




Anyway, here are the deets on this DVD set, in case you were too lazy to look it up on metal-archives.com yourself :

Boxed set, Earache Records
February 22nd, 2010
[
Housed in a deluxe six-panel DVD digipak with a 40-page colour booklet, THE
FLAMES OF THE END will include three indispensable DVDs:

Disc 1 'Under A Serpent Sun - The Story of At The Gates' - a brand new
documentary with a running time of over 2 hours, detailing the band's entire
career with exclusive interviews and footage, filmed and directed by
guitarist Anders Bjorler.
Disc 2 'Purgatory Unleashed - Live at Wacken' - a 75-minute live set from
the band's reunion set at the Wacken festival in 2008 in front of 100,000
people.
Disc 3 'Only the Dead Are Smiling' - 26 rare and archive live performances
of the band playing in locations around the globe from 1991 - 2008.