PODCAST #38 - 2019 Review (w/Lisa Clements)

My partner Lisa and I do a podcast at least once a year, and recently have been doing them in January as a sort of year-end wrap-up. This "2019 Review" podcast blasts through 9 songs with commentary and a lot of Dave cackling like a hyena in the span of just under 60 minutes. Podcast #38 is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

1
A PARAMOUNT, A LOVE SUPREME - "catastrophising" (Dave)
GLASSING - "Lobe" (Lisa)
BOB'S BURGERS - "Bruce the Goose" (Dave)

2
CAVE IN - "Strange Reflection" (Dave)

SNAG - "Foam Cup Pt.II" (Lisa)

FRAIL BODY - "Fixed" (Dave)

3
MILLION DEAD - "Asthma" (Dave)
TRÖPICAL ICE LAND - "Teresa" (Lisa)

NERVER - "Imminent Death Syndrome" (Dave)

~Dave

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PODCAST #38 linked here
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KMKMS

Band: KMKMS

Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz
Related artists: Slavedriver, The Anchors and Amok.
Country: Nagoya JAPAN
Years Active: 2013-2017
Song: "Dante"
Album: "Blue Friend split"
Year: 2015
For fans of: Yarmulke, Yage, Evylock, Blue Friend, Broken Fingers, Cease Upon The Capitol, HerLens, Shotmaker, Forget Me Not, D'Amore, Tunes For Bears To Dance To, Apollo 18, Hollow Jan, Edhochuli, Orbit Cinta Benjamin, Sweetheart, Istalah, Dip Leg and Zdzis Law.

Label(s): Dog Knights Productions / Like A Fool Records / Impulse Records

This post's artist is from the January 2020 Mix. This is track #2.

You can download: the January 2020 Mix#1 right here or get the new February 2020 Mix#2 here.

The Japanese five-piece KMKMS played a jazzy, sassy and playful take on screamy hardcore. Information in English on this band is sparse to say the least. After much searching I have found the 'Blue Friend split' 7" material (which is where I found out about the band), a teaser for the 'Peelingwards split', a song on the 'Confidence' 2x7", a Soundcloud link (with all of their demos) and a bunch of live videos.

Their first recordings show up the 'Peelingwards split' 7" and they drop arguably their best ever track "ドラキュラ" first. Unfortunately I haven't found the recordings of these songs and have only seen them in live videos. Check it out along with "Trash Metal" in the youtube embeds below.

The two songs on the 'Blue Friend split' 7" are great and are what inspired me to write the review and frantically search for their other material. Their side opens with "Trump", a spacey, warbly screamy hardcore jam that sounds a fuck-ton like Evylock. It's the closer "Dante" that blows me away, though. This thing was one of the best tracks I heard in 2019 (yes, I know, I'm a bit late) and I reckon readers of this blog will get a kick out of it, assuming they haven't already heard it. "Dante" begins with a crunchy, angular and disjointed intro that shifts to palm muting and ramblings before the song swings back around and plays the first two parts over again. And it's here, in the transition at 1:36, that the guitar attack becomes formidable. There's a bit of Swedish screamo going on here (Via Fondo/Suis La Lune) with a powerful, razor-sharp hook that propels the song into mind-boggling status. Hot damn that's so fucking good.

Speaking of fucking good, "Watch Tower" is their lone song on the 4-way split 2x7" 'Confidence', falling on the much darker, screamier and post-hardcore end of the spectrum. At 3:52 it's the longest track I've heard from KMKMS, and to be honest they weave a city that generally takes a good six minutes to erect, so color me impressed. The first minute is dedicated to a robotic rhythm recycled with cumulative guitars that eventually push the song into its swirling, unsettling and downright disorienting second section. The confusion eventually dissipates as at 1:40 they hit a sick groove that they ride until things pick up weight and begin to get heavy at 2:26. By 2:42 the songs breaks through the floor and explodes in the pitch black basement. This climax lasts for over a minute, with the final sliver of the song emanating a furious and cathartic breakdown.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Peelingwards split 7" (do you have this? please post the songs for everyone to enjoy!)

2015 - Blue Friend split 7" (buy from ZBR distro here)

2017 - Confidence 4-Way split (w/Forgetmenot, Redsheer & What Ever Film) cd/2x7" (download here)

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(2017) KMKMS - "Watch Tower" (from 'Confidence' 4-way split)

(2017) KMKMS - "ドラキュラ" live (from 'Peelingwards' split)

(2015) KMKMS - "Dante" (from 'Blue Friend' split)

(2014) KMKMS - "Trash Metal" live (from 'Peelingwards' split)

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KMKMS additional links

Soundcloud

Facebook

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BURNING WIND, THE

Band: THE BURNING WIND

Genres: Metalcore / Hardcore / Mathcore / Experimental Hardcore / Chaotic Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Hardcore Punk
Related artists: xDwellx and Chamber.
Country: Kernersville, North Carolina U.S.A.
Years Active: 2017-present
For fans of: Converge, Botch, Disembodied, Martyr A.D., Norma Jean, Advent, Cult Leader, Coarse, Thirty Nights Of Violence, END, Chamber, Serration, A Dozen Black Roses, AXIS, MouthBreather, A Needle Under The Nail and remorse.

Label(s): Bitter Melody Records

You can download: the December 2019 Mix#12 right here or get the new January 2020 Mix#1 here

Review by: TARQUIN JONES

THE BURNING WIND is a punishing metallic hardcore band from Kernersville, North Carolina. The band's sound can be described as being heavily influenced by the '90s to mid 00's spectrum of hardcore. One can hear influences taken from noisemakers akin to the likes of Converge, Botch, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Disembodied shining through. The band expertly weaves this abrasive, chaotic and technical sound with off-kilter time signatures and uniquely constructed song structures to mind-bending effect.

My first introduction to the band was back in September of 2017. This was while browsing the Bandcamp genre tags on my daily roundup of content for my now-defunct blog. I came across this grungy minimalist black and white album cover with a bound lamb on an altar and the title 'The Burning Wind' placed above it. The band's striking name and bold minimalist album artwork really struck a chord with me. I immediately clicked the Bandcamp link to see what was to come and I wasn't disappointed. From the very first moments of the blistering intro track "Occam's Razor", I was hooked. The band savagely destroyed my ears in just under 7 minutes with four solid tracks of pissed off hardcore that aimed at the jugular. THE BURNING WIND's unique and progressive take on the metallic hardcore genre definitely checked all the boxes for me. I would recommend them to all of my friends who traveled within my music circle. Avid followers of OM/SB may also remember me including this EP to my '2017 Top Ten' roundup as well. You can check out the whole article over here.

I was very surprised to see THE BURNING WIND receive very little interest from publications and music-related websites during this EP's release cycle. They seemed to fly under the radar for the most part. I just couldn't understand how some folks seemed to sleep on the band. I suppose it was partially due to the limited information surrounding the project. At the time of my introduction to the band, I knew next to nothing about them as well. The band had no linked social media platforms, except for their Bandcamp profile and some individual Youtube track streams. There was also no band promotional or live photography of any kind. It gave the band a somewhat mysterious presence and kept me checking back to their Bandcamp and searching online for any info I could find. I would eventually come across an Instagram account and later on a Facebook page. Both platforms initially offered sparse content and very little info for me to go on. Over the course of some time, I would learn that the band is composed of former members of xDwellx (Blood & Ink Records) and a current member of Chamber (Pure Noise Records).

The band returned in August of 2019 with a new five-track EP entitled, 'An Inheritance in A#'. Again the cover artwork features a mainly bold black and white composition. However, there is the inclusion of bold red accents that surround the focal point of an ominous-looking figure. This really sets the tone for things to come. This new release sees the band upping the ante and firing on all cylinders. Clocking in at 11 minutes, the band has dropped one of the heaviest hardcore releases of 2019. The vocals are delivered in a raw and visceral fashion. The rabid nature of this delivery feels like being attacked by a pack of wolves. It is utterly punishing. The drum work hits with the utmost ferocity, like a knock out punch to the face. I'm especially a fan of the punchy snare that punctuates throughout the EP's onslaught and the hard-hitting bass drum that kicks you square in the chest. The guitars on the EP have a pulverizing crunch and at times brooding tone. The dissonant passages pierce with stabbing jolts and the breakdowns carry a furious sledgehammer like weight. This is the true definition of heavy in my book! Holding all this calamity down is the thick and heavy low-end bass. It truly ties all of this fury together.

All in all, THE BURNING WIND has managed to top their S/T debut and crafted an EP that flows with such a seamless fashion. The individual sections of each track blend organically from one another and the EP flows like one continuous statement. Throughout the constant barrage of aggression and noise, the band weaves in some experimental and nuanced elements to bring a personalized character to each respective track as well. There isn't a dull moment to find here and you'll find yourself hitting the replay button over and over again. Trust me on this.

If you are a lover of crushing metallic hardcore and want to be knocked off your feet, look no further. THE BURNING WIND has you covered in that department and I can't wait to see what they'll deliver next. It'll definitely be well worth the wait.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2017 - The Burning Wind digitalEP (stream/buy here)

2019 - An Inheritance in A# cassetteEP (stream/buy here)

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(2019) THE BURNING WIND - "No Hill to Die On" (from 'An Inheritance in A#')

(2019) THE BURNING WIND - "Speaking Red" (from 'An Inheritance in A#')

(2019) THE BURNING WIND - live (full set)

(2017) THE BURNING WIND - "Occam's Razor" (from 'The Burning Wind')

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THE BURNING WIND additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

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