Sunday 31 March 2019

ZDZIS LAW

BandZDZIS LAW
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz
Related artistsPoetry Of Torch and Cyberne.
CountryKyoto JAPAN
Years Active2013-2016
Song: "The Wedge Can't Pull Out"
Album: "Wish You Were Here aka HerLens split"
Year: 2014
For fans ofBlue Friend, Sans Visage, Istilah, Yarmulke, Cape Light, HerLens, Forget Me Not, 49 Morphines, Sto Cosi Cosi, Dip Leg, Youth Novel, Caitlyn Bailey, Craneo, El Eje Del MalMališa Bahat, Sailboats, Yage, La Quiete and Komusō.
Label(s): Self Released / 
This post's artist is from the March 2019 Mix. This is track #6.
You can download: the March 2019 Mix#3 right here or get the new April 2019 Mix#4 here.

I'm pretty sure I found out about ZDZIS LAW through my friend Guitalex (Alex/guitar from Nous Étions) after we both discussed our love of Japan's Poetry Of Torch, whom apparently share at least one member with this band. While Poetry Of Torch is extreme and noisy, ZDZIS LAW takes a more melodic approach to screamo, giving them a sound similar to fellow Japanese bands Blue Friend, Yarmulke and Komusō. Their songs are generally only 1-2 mins in length and certainly are packed full of twists and turns, but their ability to stay rooted in semi-repetitive swings sets them apart from the more abrasive Japanese stuff.

Following the band's history was a bit of a task, but from what I can gather they started releasing in 2011 with their 'Demo' cd which may or may not be a self-titled release, a single track in 2013 (an 'Untitled' demo song), then dropped the fantastic 'HerLens split' in 2014, followed by some practice songs from a digital released called 'untitled' in 2015. I saw they played a show in 2016 so they didn't break up until then, at the earliest.

So let's quickly look at their first demo, titled 'Zdzis Law' (I think). These five songs are much lengthier than their later material, as the first song alone is over four minutes while later releases tended to be one-to-two minutes in length. The aforementioned opener "Sympathy Where It Loses" is a powerful screamo tune, opting for a solid-yet-moody foundation instead of chaos and speed. "saMsAra" is only 1:20 but packs double the punch that the opener is able to, bringing in more of an emo-violence feel that could be likened to bands such as Craneo and Caitlyn Bailey. "Compass" is a disjointed stop/start fest that most certainly brings Malaysian screamo to mind, "Revelation That Restrains Idea" is the shortest/fastest track and boasts exceptional drumming, while the closer "Scapegoat" is an epic, spacey closer that shows some of the tangents that can be found on later releases.

We'll skip the 2013 "Untitled" song as it's just a demo or unmastered version of "Nothingness" from the 'HerLens split', which we'll run through now. There are five songs by ZDZIS LAW here and they are all worth a gander. Opener "Denial of Sea" feels like straight-up Blue Friend and Sans Visage worship which is fine by me. The song rattles around with a positive vibe and some jazzy guitars, kind of like I Love Your Lifestyle if they played Japanese screamo...wait, should I just say it sounds like Hue then? "Nothingness" and "The Wedge Can't Pull Out" are next and are both twice as fast as the opener, bearing more resemblance to early Loma Prieta and Danse Macabre, as those drums are frantic as fuck and the vocals take on a harsher vibe. "Three Minutes City" gets pretty dancey halfway through and twinkles enough at points to make me think they were jamming some Swedish screamo on top of their home influences. Closer "Laugh Pointing" seems tame enough for the first 20 seconds but then it eats a ton of sugar and becomes hyperactive and chaotic, utilizing dual screams and unpredictable shifts, all in just 1:01.

The band's final songs surfaced in 2015, from the look of things. They are listed as "practice" and therefore my guess is these are jamspace recordings. "Hazard City" and "The Only Cure is Dying" sound a lot like Poetry Of Torch (so it's noisy and violent) which isn't really much of a surprise considering they shared a member. The final song is called "30secs" and obviously is not finished, but it sounds pretty fucking sick, and is very German emo-violence.

So there you have an incorrect, partially fabricated discography review from yours truly. You're welcome/sorry, it's the best I can do.

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DISCOGRAPHY
Click )==>here<==( to download the band's complete discography in mp3 form.

2011 - Demo cdEP (download here)

2013 - Untitled digital single (stream here)

2014 - HerLens split aka Wish You Were Here 3"cd (download here)

2015 - untitled digitalEP (stream here)

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(2011) ZDZIS LAW - "saMsAra" (from 'Zdzis Law')

(2011) ZDZIS LAW - "Scapegoat" (from 'Zdzis Law')

(2011) ZDZIS LAW - "Compass" (from 'Zdzis Law')

(2013) ZDZIS LAW - live video

(2014) ZDZIS LAW - "The Wedge Can't Pull Out" (from 'HerLens' split)

(2014) ZDZIS LAW - "Laugh Pointing" (from 'HerLens' split)

(2015) ZDZIS LAW - "30secs" (from 'untitled')

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ZDZIS LAW out of print mp3 discography download / additional links

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Friday 29 March 2019

CLOSET WITCH

BandCLOSET WITCH
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Screamo Grindcore / Noise / Mathcore
Related artistsThe Peaks.
CountryIowa U.S.A.
Years Active2014-present
Song: "Wind Whispers"
Album: "Closet Witch"
Year: 2018
For fans ofConverge, Cloud Rat, Aureole Of Ash, Nuvolascura, Kiss 2, Weak Wrists, Never Better, Union Of Uranus, One Eyed God Prophecy, Drift, Acme, Carol, This Land Is Now Dead, Metastatic, Arsen aka König Der Monster, Tentacles, Bucket Full Of Teeth, Discordance Axis, Phoenix Bodies and Amygdala.
Label(s): Self Released / Halo of Flies Records / Sassbologna / JEMS / Circus of the Macabre / Don't Care Records / React With Protest Records / Really Rad Records / Contrition Records / Middle Man Records
This post's artist is from the March 2019 Mix. This is track #8.
You can download: the March 2019 Mix#3 right here or get the new April 2019 Mix#4 here.

CLOSET WITCH is kinda blowing up, yes? I remember hearing about them tearing up shows in 2014 and 2015 but it wasn't until their most recent LP 'Closet Witch' that was released last year (and made my Best Of 2018 list) that I went from hearing about them to seeing them everywhere. Considering how good their music is and how hard they've worked, I'd say this is well deserved attention. Since 2014 they have been playing caustic, venomous, violent and thought-provoking grind/hardcore/metal and each release has seen steady improvement to the point where there isn't too much more to refine.

Their 'Demo 2014' debut is only two songs, but they both blast out of the speakers with such ferocity that you'll need take a quick vacation from music while your ears recuperate. "Great River Medical Center" seems to bear a bit more resemblance to bands like Phoenix Bodies, Discordance Axis and Arsen, but "Secane" ties in much more atmosphere, restraint and is nearly four times the length.

2015 was a very busy year for CLOSET WITCH. Their first of three releases was the 'Ergot' EP which contains five dark and nightmarish songs (including a Black Flag cover) unleashed in March. It opens with a rerecorded version of "Great River Medical Center" and it sounds fantastic. It's way bassier and those throat-shredding screams are much more audible. "Teen Rot" is simultaneously bouncy and acidic, as it straddles a few genres but does so in true CLOSET WITCH fashion, which is to say amazing, but my personal favourite just might be "Once Desolate Now Omega" which is the audio equivalent of a pack of werewolves tearing people apart. In October they released the 'Black Salt' EP, this time housing five tracks as well as a Nirvana cover. The title track is first and is over in 19 seconds, leaving the listener with a slight concussion before the onslaught that is "Ode to Queen Doris" begins and decimates everything within earshot, "Once Upon A Time" is another bass-in-the-face track that gets pretty hellish come 40 seconds, and it's probably noteworthy that "Secane" from the 'Demo' shows up here. Their final release of 2015 came in December and are three songs that combine for a whopping 1:01. An hour and a minute? No. A minute and a second. This thing will be over before you have time to load up your Locust record as a retort. As you can imagine, each song is between 13 and 30 seconds of 100% rage.

It was CLOSET WITCH's 2017 'Euth split' that first introduced me to the band. Their three songs here were the perfect time for a listener to jump on board, as the production and recordings were refined to the point of perfection. Opener "Funeral Regrets" paints a poisonous picture and closer "Nekhbet" is a quintessential song by the band, but it's the short and destructively bombastic "Civil Necessity" that wows me the most. This split sounds like CLOSET WITCH, but it's their 2018 LP that is CLOSET WITCH.

Yep, that 2018 self titled 'Closet Witch' full length is utterly ridiculous. Truly a coming out party for the band, they nailed it in 13 tracks. There is so much to love here I'm not going to go through track-by-track, but I can definitely say that the balance of repetition and chaos is uncanny, while the vocals are among some of the best in heavy music. I've seen videos of these songs live (such as the live @HateSix, embedded below) so I am itching to catch them ruin my life. There isn't a weak song here, but there are a few highlights on this absolute banger that rise a bit above the rest. Opener "Blood Orange" deserves some love, for after a rabid first half the song hits a breakdown at 1:15 that is unreal. The vocals shift from barked to shrieked and there's an additional guitar hook layered over the devastation, and I fucking love it. "Moonstomp" tears its leash at the 26-second mark and then shreds the jugular, not unlike "It Doesn't Feel Free" which also incorporates a killer Bucket Full Of Teeth-esque ending by use of a repeating guitar phaser. "Rule By Bacon" is unrelenting and perhaps my favourite song by the band. After going full-tilt they slow it down a bit at the one-minute mark but continue to pound the listener until another phenomenal shift at around 1:53 when there's a push to climax using an excellent stop/start method with unbelievable drums and more screams torn straight from the depths of hell. There's also "Wind Whispers" which takes a righteous turn at 36 seconds, then one-ups that at 52 seconds and again at 1:07, creating a punishing, successive behemoth that will have your parents fucking disgusted.

Well there you have it, a bunch of amazing, threatening and cathartic grindy hardcore that'll leave you with third degree burns.
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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Demo digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)

2015 - Ergot cdEP (stream/donate/download here)
2015 - Black Salt digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)
2015 - Ergot + Black Salt cassette2xEP
2015 - National Hero split floppy disk (stream/donate/download here)

2016 - Euth split cassette/7" (stream/donate/download here)

2017 - Cokburner digital single (stream/donate/download here)

2018 - Closet Witch cassette/12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2019) CLOSET WITCH - Live@HateSix

(2018) CLOSET WITCH - "Wind Whispers" (from 'Closet Witch')

(2018) CLOSET WITCH - "Rule By Bacon" (from 'Closet Witch') official music video

(2018) CLOSET WITCH - "It Doesn't Feel Free" (from 'Closet Witch')

(2017) CLOSET WITCH - "Cokburner" (from 'Cokburner') official music video

(2016) CLOSET WITCH - "Civil Necessity" (from 'Euth' split) official music video

(2016) CLOSET WITCH - "Nekhbet" (from 'Euth' split) official music video

(2015) CLOSET WITCH - 'National Hero' split official music video

(2015) CLOSET WITCH - "Ode to Queen Doris" (from 'Black Salt') official music video

(2015) CLOSET WITCH - "Once Desolate Now Omega" (from 'Ergot') official music video

(2014) CLOSET WITCH - "Great River Medical Center" (from 'Demo')

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CLOSET WITCH additional links

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Thursday 28 March 2019

***70 CM³ OF YOUR CHEST exclusive song premiere***

"I Ached"
exclusive song premiere
For fans ofLocktender, Respire, Arktika, I Was A Cosmonaut Hero, Duct Hearts and Nionde Plågan


Three-piece 70 CM³ OF YOUR CHEST hail from Lithuania, share members with Eat My Fear/Let's Start With A Forest Level and last released 'at first Chaos came to be' in 2016. I am ecstatic today because OMSB gets to help premiere the first single from their upcoming 12"LP 'When I Was A Dinosaur', releasing in full April 4th, 2019 via Flamingo Noise Records, Zilpzalp Records, Sunsetter Records, Les Disques Rabat-Joie and This Charming Man Records. It is massive, epic and moving post-hardcore/screamo bursting with feels and a second half that cascades like a waterfall, beautiful yet destructive. Inspired by Arktika, Fall of Efrafa, The Tidal Sleep and DIY hardcore scene as a whole.

The band had this to say:
"Some of us had emotionally hard times while writing ‘when I was a dinosaur’ - it was written in cooperation with pain, loss, childhood traumas and grief. In some sense it’s a tribute to the past and a lesson of letting go. Since it is pretty personal album and we are sure that many others can relate to the stories we tell, we are very happy we had a possibility to collaborate with Fabian from Sunsetter Recording Studio who did everything to make our vision happen. We had the best recording experience and we’re thankful that he kept it not only very professional but friendly and understanding as well. On 11th of April we are starting our 7th Europe tour through Switzerland, France and Spain heading towards Portugal to share “when I was a dinosaur” with everyone we’ll meet."



(2019) 70 CM³ OF YOUR CHEST "I Ached" (from 'When I Was A Dinosaur')
You might want to sit down for this 6:56 behemoth, cuz it's a doozy. The first minute and change are reserved for a swelling instrumental build that crashes and breaks onto a beautiful, tranquil shore. The next few sections build back up to the intro (but includes some screaming) and are definitely reminiscent of Arktika, picking up substantially from three to four minutes. The final part of the song lasts from about 3:56 to the 6:56 close, painting a lush, incredibly detailed and engaging climax plus denouement with clean singing overlapped with the harsh screams. By the end of the track I guarantee you'll find yourself singing along, for this is a truly moving piece of art.

Tuesday 26 March 2019

***RAYLEIGH exclusive song premiere***

"Diamondback"
exclusive song premiere
For fans ofMahria, Loma Prieta, Ampere, Nuvolascura, Capsule, Blind Girls, Hot Cross and Itto

Bandcamp
Facebook

pre-order cassettes from Zegema Beach Records:
in the U.S.A.
Canada/International

Back in 2014 Zegema Beach Records helped release RAYLEIGH's first recordings with the 'Rayleigh' cassette (long since sold out), so it seems quite fitting that ZBR and RAYLEIGH are teaming up to make 50 copies of their final, posthumous EP titled 'Last Word'. Today we are premiering the final of four tracks, titled "Diamondback". If you love that head-scratching technicality of Itto, Nuvolascura and Mahria then you may just have found your new favourite EP of 2019. Seriously, all the songs are at least this good.

I asked Paul (guitar) about the release and they responded with, "Definitely influenced by bands like Ampere, Loma, Itto. We tried to play things that were as challenging as possible while still holding it together and making it sound like music." You can catch the full premiere on April 16th via our friends at Captured Howls blog. The tapes will ship on that date or before and are available for pre-order now in the U.S.A. as well as in the Canada/International store, which you might want to jump on as each store has less than 10 swirled marble copies each. Members can now be found playing in Obroa-skai and Parliament Of Nerves. Enough info already - to the song!!!

(2019) RAYLEIGH "Diamondback" (from 'Last Word')
The final track on this EP is also the longest, although only by about 10 seconds, and weighs in at 2:18. I was tempted to count the number of parts in this time but decided against it...now I kinda want to...ehhhhh, fuck it - I just counted 26 but don't take my word for it. Anyhoos, this opens at full speed and has quite a few stops, shifts and unexpected turns in the first 30 seconds alone. After that the dueling guitars begin their battle and lead the song to an angelic, twinkly section 52 seconds in which eventually explodes somewhere around the one-minute mark. The climax comes during the final section that really lets loose come 1:30 with dual vocals that sound like Obroa-skai mixed with math class. Honestly this song is amazing. This EP is amazing. This band was amazing.

Monday 25 March 2019

SLEEPER WAVE

BandSLEEPER WAVE
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Jazz
Related artists?.
CountryMassachusetts U.S.A.
Years Active2013-2019
Song: "Atrophy Through the Aperture"
Album: "People's Temple Project split"
Year: 2019
For fans ofKidcrashUnder GlassThe Usual, Massa Nera, Eyelet, Dowager, Mustaphamond, Itto, Crowning, Fault/s, Foxmoulder, Oriana Raeo, Dawnbreed, Mouse Fitzgerald, Nouveau and Off Minor.
Label(s): Self Released / Zegema Beach Records / Akashita Corp. / IFB Records / Shove Records / Don't Live Like Me Records
This post's artist is from the March 2019 Mix. This is track #9.
You can download: the March 2019 Mix#3 right here or get the new April 2019 Mix#4 here.

I remember when I first heard about SLEEPER WAVE. It was through my friend Greg from People's Temple Project, who was basically gushing all over the new band (at that time), telling me it's kind of jazzy screamo along the lines of Off Minor. Let's be real here, finding a more than capable jazzy screamo band is really fucking hard. You've got your Off Minor, your Massa Nera, good ole Mustaphmond and the final album from Mouse Fitzgerald. So that is one of the things that make this band so special - they danced that screamy/jazzy hardcore line with ease, and their final three EPs/splits are sensational, to say the least.

I guess I have to start at the beginning. So, simply put, the 'Demo' is not that good - at least if the later SLEEPER WAVE sound is what you're looking for. This is unpolished, slow and much more simplistic than everything that followed. There are glimmers of what was to come, such as parts of "Jeremy's Dream", "Resemlance" as well as the instrumental midsection and ending of "Distance (ii)".

It was with the band's self titled 'Sleeper Wave' cassette that showed the band hitting their stride for the first time, but do so in immaculate fashion. "Mycorrhizae" opens and shows instant, staggering improvements. The dual vocals and stop/start, jarring rhythms are a staple in the band's sound, but it's those fantastically jazzy sections like most of "Fatal Summer" that make me swoon. "Eluviation" is a killer jam, boasting a swirling guitar progression that'll have you screamin' and dancin' in no time. And then there's the closer, "Abandonment", perhaps the ultimate SLEEPER WAVE tune. It opens with a absolutely sensational instrumental jam that rolls into dreamy, spacey twinkles amidst the jazz, giving the guitars some Via Fondo flavor. Once the vocals hit at the one-minute mark and then the band shifts to what I refer to as the "Sin City" riff I am fucking spent. Honestly this is one of the best screamo songs I've ever heard, so if you want a starting point for the band it's right fucking here.

In 2016 they released a split cassette with People's Temple Project in anticipation of their split 12", titled 'split/demo/tour' which housed "Drowning". I was lucky enough to premiere this song in a post (linked here) which is one of their chillest songs but hits classic, playful and catchy SLEEPER WAVE come 1:30.

So there's a bit of a story behind their involvement in the 'Eight Feet Under' 2x12" series. This thing began with two Canadian bands (Nous Etions and Congratulations) and after acquiring some Swedish gold (Via Fondo and Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket) I looked to the U.S.A. for the third side. I asked my friends in Youth Novel and Ice Hockey, who both agreed. But, a few months later, Ice Hockey broke up before writing/recording their contributions. I asked around and eventually decided to settle on SLEEPER WAVE. I loved the band and all, but I wasn't expecting all that much. They were the first band to submit their finished songs and, being as honest as possible here, I lost my marbles. What the fuck?!?! These four songs were and still are incredible. They pretty much took the cake for best songs on the entire 8-band split. A serious hats off to you three. Before sending me the songs they had let me know that they were "getting heavier" and they were definitely correct. Opener "Endless Elegies" and "Glacial" could both have ended up on the self titled and been some of the best tracks, but "Counter-friction" and "Welcome to My Life, This is Me" are on another level. "Counter-friction" is very dark and bass-heavy during the opening, and then at 40 seconds there's a transition through a wicked guitar build that are met with phenomenal drumming from the 53-second mark. At 1:20 the band drops a prodigious breakdown complete with dual shrieking and a noodly guitar throughout. And that last 30 seconds...holy shit, just devastating. "Welcome to My Life, This is Me" is much shorter but delivers the knockout blow in just 1:44. After palm mutes and feedback the back-and-forth screams spew outward with more insanely tight drumming that leads to a typical/mindblowing SLEEPER WAVE eerie/Sin City section 30 seconds in which detonates 20 seconds later. I still have these 2x12"s in stock in both Zegema Beach Records stores so feel free to pick one up here.

Also in 2017, they contributed an excellent cover of "A Present For Those Who Are Present" that one may successfully argue sounds more like Jeromes Dream than SLEEPER WAVE. Wanna pick up that tape? Nab one here.

In 2019 the final SLEEPER WAVE release was unleashed, and I was lucky enough to take part in it. Their split with People's Temple Project will undoubtedly be one of the top splits of the year as both bands crush it. In addition to being amazing, these final three songs are the band's heaviest material. Opener "Shelf Life" is has the melody and positive, playful sound found back on their stellar 2015 self title. "Coward" is next and was premiered first on the Zampler #12 compilation, primarily because it's my favourite of the three and up there as one of the band's best. The jazzy introduction is perfection and when the vocals chime in to help bring the intro to edge of the cliff I get fucking chills. the eventual fall happens at 49 seconds and then so many amazing things happen afterward that I'm not even gonna try. Closer, and without a doubt the angriest, most violent and cavernous song SLEEPER WAVE ever released, "Apathy Through the Aperture" is a more than fitting swan song. Those vocals at 0:52 are straight-up death, and the subsequent freak-out is tantalizing.

In honor of this very special band, I've posted a VINYL SPECIAL in the Canada/International Zegema Beach Records stores. You can get the SLEEPER WAVE split with People's Temple Project as well as the Eight Feet Under Vol.1 2x12". That's three 12"s for only $25CAD or $23US. Grab one from the Canada/International store here or the U.S.A. shop right heeya.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2013 - Demo digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)

2015 - Sleeper Wave cassetteEP (stream/donate/download here)

2016 - People's Temple Project split/demo/tour cassette (stream/donate/download here)

2017 - Eight Feet Under Vol.1 split 2x12"LP (stream/donate/download here) [buy from ZBR]
2017 - It's More Like An Homage To You cassette (contributed "A Present For Those Who Are Present") (stream/donate/download here) [buy from ZBR]

2019 - People's Temple Project split 12"LP (stream/donate/download here) [buy from ZBR]
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(2019) SLEEPER WAVE - "Coward" (from 'People's Temple Project' split)

(2019) SLEEPER WAVE - "Atrophy Through the Aperture" (from 'People's Temple Project' split)

(2017) SLEEPER WAVE - "Counter-friction" (from 'Eight Feet Under' split)

(2017) SLEEPER WAVE - "Welcome To My Life, This Is Me" (from 'Eight Feet Under' split)

(2017) SLEEPER WAVE - "A Present For Those Who Are Present (Jeromes Dream cover)" (from 'It's More Like an Homage to You')

(2015) SLEEPER WAVE - "Drowning" (from 'People's Temple Project' split/demo/tour)

(2015) SLEEPER WAVE - "Abandonment" (from 'Sleeper Wave')

(2015) SLEEPER WAVE - "Fatal Summer" (from 'Sleeper Wave')

(2015) SLEEPER WAVE - "Eluviation" (from 'Sleeper Wave')

(2013) SLEEPER WAVE - "Remembrance" (from 'Demo')

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SLEEPER WAVE additional links
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Saturday 23 March 2019

MACHINIST

BandMACHINIST
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Mathcore / Math-Metal / Grindcore / Noise
Related artists?.
CountryShawneee, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Years Active2006-2007
Song: "Slavedriver"
Album: "Machinist"
Year: 2007
For fans of: Destroyer Destroyer, Ed Gein, Discordance Axis, Sectioned, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sawtooth Grin, The Great Redneck Hope, Egarra, Kiss The Sky Goodbye, Euclid C Finder, Enkephalin, Letters In Binary, The Map Says We're Fucked, .gif from god and Secondgradeknifefight.
Label(s): Debello Recordings
This post's artist is from the March 2019 Mix. This is track #3.
You can download: the March 2019 Mix#3 right here or get the new April 2019 Mix#4 here.

MACHINIST were a band from Oklahoma that released a single five-song EP in 2007. The band played a constantly erupting volcano of noise, grind, hardcore and metal that can be likened to Destroyer Destroyer, Kiss The Sky Goodbye, Hayworth and Phoenix Bodies. Utilizing a shrieky vocalist as well as a gutteral growler, the breakneck instrumentals only ever slow down enough to engage in a breakdown that can strip paint, thus creating a cacophony of noise that most listeners can't begin to process. Opener "Joe Shit the Rag Man" is a mere 49 seconds of absolute destruction, dabbling in jazzy bits and awkward rhythms not unlike The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Great Redneck Hope. "Slavedriver" sounds like early Ed Gein on crack, "Sorting Through The Cultural Garbage and Recycling It" is ridiculous enough to get compared to both Discordance Axis and Sectioned. Assuming you are still alive by the time 1:12 hits you will be pounded into a bloody, pulpy mess by the next 35 seconds cuz those successive breakdown are the fucking shit. "Fuck Bugs" is the last proper brain bomb which boasts great palm-muted guitars early on followed by some nifty noodles after the 30-second mark. By 50 seconds the song seals a deal with the devil and lays waste to anyone within earshot. The final 30 seconds is bursting with high and low vocals, making it a very rewarding climax. Closer "Untitled" is a different beast, exchanging time bending speed for slow, dreary sounds and uncomfortable noises...it's also as long as the first four tracks put together.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2007 - Machinist cdEP (download here)

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(2007) MACHINIST - "Sorting Through The Cultural Garbage and Recycling It" (from 'Machinist')

(2007) MACHINIST - "Fuck Bugs" (from 'Machinist')

(2007) MACHINIST - "Slavedriver" (from 'Machinist')

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MACHINIST out of print mp3 discography download

(download here)
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Friday 22 March 2019

***KARAT'S GOLD exclusive album premiere***

'Hail Gold!'
exclusive album premiere
For fans ofVon WolfeThe ChariotMillions Of ThemDangers!Cadence Fox, Bleeding Kansas and Every Time I Die


Earlier this month we premiered "You're No Good" on this blog, and today I am pumped to premiere their EP 'Hail Gold!' in its entirety. Thanks to Erin at Pattern Recognition Records for hooking this up. The three-piece from Illinois play a postured, mathy and chaotic brand of metallic hardcore that gives nods to southern rock, metal and sludge. You can now pre-order one of the 50 clear cassettes with red splatter and a stamped logo, complete with hand-numbered 7x7 imprint of artwork, all through Pattern Recognition right here.

(2019) KARAT'S GOLD 'Hail Gold!'

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

"Silver Grand Am" official music video

Thursday 21 March 2019

***KARLOFF exclusive song premiere***

"Borboleta"
exclusive song premiere
For fans ofPeople's Temple Project, Raining, Sketchbooks and Slow Fire Pistol


You know No Funeral Records by now, right? Born from the sands of Zegema Beach, this Cambridge, Ontario-based label is run by friends Nate, Alberto and Megan. Today's song premiere (for Nate and Alberto's band, actually) is borrowed from the 'No Funeral Compilation 1' cassette releasing March 28th, 2019. This ridiculous comp includes exclusive songs from Botfly, Gillian Carter, Burial Etiquette, Joliette, Our Wits That Make Us Men, Dianacrawls and Piet Onthel, as well as this KARLOFF jam. So yeah, that's like...mindbogglingly good. You can buy it on tape or if you place an order over $40 you will get one free (while stock lasts, obviously).

(2019) KARLOFF "Borboletta" (from 'No Funeral Compilation 1')
This is a weird/cool song for KARLOFF, and seems like a bit of a one-off in terms of sound and structure. It's jangly, it's poppy, it's chill, it's screamy, it's emo, it's screamo, it's punk...shit what a cop-out of a description. Honestly, it's an uncomfortable but very accessible emo/hardcore song with strained vocals and a focus on the melodic over chaotic. After a lulling midsection the song eventually explodes at 1:46 and hits hyperdrive at 2:05.

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

Wednesday 20 March 2019

ENTRANA

BandENTRANA
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Metal / Screamo / Skramz / Experimental
Related artistsWinterbourne, Bongwraith and Treeminder.
CountryMilwaukee, Wisconsin U.S.A.
Years Active2017-present
Song: "Michael Scofield"
Album: "Jeffrey & The Last Monarch"
Year: 2018
For fans ofShin Guard, Edhochuli, Apostles Of Eris, Healing Powers, Kidcrash, Mouse Fitzgerald, Annakarina, Terry Green, The Fall Of Troy, Tunes For Bears To Dance To, Polina, Crippled Children and Snag.
Label(s): Self Released
This post's artist is from the March 2019 Mix. This is track #5.
You can download: the March 2019 Mix#3 right here or get the new April 2019 Mix#4 here.

I feel like this intro only needs two facts. #1 = the band was introduced to me by my friend Peter who plays in Snag. #2 = when I listen to this band and my wife is around I always turn to her whenever a song starts and state, "Riff City".

I could I should say a tad more before we get into the releasees. The band shares members with Winterbourne, Bongwraith and Treeminder and has a screamo/metal/prog sound that lies somewhere between the ridiculous technicality of Edhochuli/Kidcrash and newer screamo with some mathy leanings, such as Shin Guard, Apostles Of Eris, Healing Powers and Mouse Fitzgerald.

In 2017 they released a demo single for "Greasy Bags" but titled it "Demo 2017 (Track 4)", and to be honest it's fucking sick, whether for a demo or proper recording. The clean vocals waver a bit more and the screaming is a bit too high in the mix, but all the noodles and sick shit is all there. But I'm getting ahead of myself, as we should probably just move on to the spectacular 2018 EP that housed this track, as well as four others.

So, 'Jeffrey & The Last Monarch' is fucking stellar, plain and simple. It opens with the very short and deceptive "All These Bodies", which is a slow, dreamy, (mostly) instrumental jam with hints of what's to come in the final 40 seconds of the track. "Prog is for the Children" is next, and good god this is where shit gets real. After toying with the listener the song hits full swing 15 seconds in with dizzying guitar-work and screaming. The screaming then switches to gang singing and all of a sudden we got a sick breakdown and shrieking. Before the halfway point there's even laserbeamed solo that is transmitted into space as the band begins floating around with zero gravity. Seriously there are so many parts to this worth mentioning that I should just stop now cuz we have three more songs to talk about, all of which I like even more!

Smack-dab in the middle is "The Wiseman Who Knows Nothing", an awesome song that rides an unbridled riff through space and time, all whilst getting screamed at in your fucking face. There are some bassy sections in this that'll give you aftershocks, screams that'll haunt you for days and ridiculously meticulous guitar and drums. The nightmarish ending climaxes with a conclusion not far from the sounds of Between The Buried And Me. "Greasy Bags" shows up next, rerecorded and bursting with riffs that'll simultaneously wow and infect you, none more deadly than the 1:44 build to the 2:30 climax...good lord! Finale and the ultimate banger "Michael Scofield" is truly riff city, and titled after the main character on Prison Break (y'know, that show that started off well but by season 3 most of us we're yawning considerably). Seriously, be sure you're sitting down or you might get dizzy with all them swirling riffs, especially the sweeps from 1:08. The multiple screaming on this track makes it the most screamo as well as the most proggy (eh the previous track is pretty dang proggy too) and bares some similarity to The Fall Of Troy and Terry Green. Damn, a five-track EP so good that I needed two paragraphs. Hats off to ya, ENTRANA.

I kinda fucked up and forgot to include this on my Best Of 2018 because, simply put, I forgot to transfer it onto the list of choices. Sorry friends. But! I have been informed that ENTRANA has an upcoming split with Opia (which shares the drummer of Snag), which hopefully you will be able to listen to for the first time right here on (((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))) soon.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2017 - Demo 2017 (Track 4) digital single (stream/donate/download here)

2018 - Jeffrey & The Last Monarch digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2018) ENTRANA - "Michael Scofield" (from 'Jeffrey & The Last Monarch')

(2018) ENTRANA - "Greasy Bags" (from 'Jeffrey & The Last Monarch')

(2018) ENTRANA - "The Wiseman Who Knows Nothing" (from 'Jeffrey & The Last Monarch')


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ENTRANA additional links

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Monday 18 March 2019

***ALESKA + YAROSTAN exclusive song premieres***


pre-order 2xLP split cassette from Zegema Beach Records:
U.S.A. store here
Canada/International here

What happens when two amazing screamo/post-hardcore bands from France ask your label to help release their LPs but you're short on cash? You do a split cassette with each band's LP on either side, I guess. Cuz that's what I did after I heard YAROSTAN's 'Yarostan' and ALESKA's 'Construire ou détruire' a month or two ago. Both bands deploy dual vocals, swelling post-hardcore with explosive screamo and remind me of Daïtro, but in different ways. The former branches into some clean vocals territory while retaining a driving, screamy and passionate foundation, and the latter reaches both ends of the heavy/soft spectrum but incorporates some harsher vocals and expansive arrangements. Honestly, both albums are fucking amazing and well worth your time.

The tapes from Zegema Beach Records are up for pre-order above and should ship in late April. I'm only making 50 copies as both bands have 12"s coming of their respective solo LPs. ALESKA crowdfunded their 12"s while YAROSTAN will self-release their solo tapes, cds, and have a whack of labels helping release their 12" which include: Bus Stop Press (Marseille), Crapoulet Records (Marseille), Smart & Confused (Paris), Seaside Suicide Records (Le Mans), Longrail Records (Carmagnola), DIY Bikepunk (Salamanca), Badmood Asso (Marseille) and Atlas Music. ALESKA's 'Construire ou détruire' will be available in full March 26th with the 12"s coming in late May, most likely, with order links coming any day now. The band recorded and mixed the record themselves in true DIY fashion, although honestly it sounds better than most in the production department. YAROSTAN's 'Yarostan' releases in full later this week.

(2019) YAROSTAN "L'inertie du mouvement" (from 'Yarostan')
This is the fourth of five tracks and is a wonderful balance of screamy Daïtro and French emo-pop like 12XU. There's a nice, soft intro that explodes at the 22-second mark and then switches back and forth between the singing and epic screams until 1:04 when the song hits full speed and you'll catch some similarities to another amazing French band by the name of Amanda Woodward. It chills out substantially by the halfway point and lush acoustic guitars weave a sleepy tapestry that puts the track to rest.

(2019) ALESKA "Indispensables" (from 'Construire ou détruire')
This is the second of 8 tunes on the ALESKA side and holy shit is this song a banger. Opening with drums that meet up with a guitar every few seconds until the drumroll has every instrument, including screaming, latching on by the 25-second mark. There's a dual-vocal/dancey swing at the 50-second mark that floors me, and the urgency continues with a fantastic spacey riff layered over it the second time, not unlike Vi Som Älskade Varandra Så Mycket and Les Deux Minutes De La Haines. By the song's midsection we are met with a substantial slowdown, spoken word vocals and by about 2:13 the guitars fly back in like alien ships dancing in the night, twinkling and creating a beautiful auditory opus that climaxes at 2:55. This epic conclusion continues for almost a minute-and-a-half like a runner burning the take before the end of a run, and completely exhausts itself just past the finish line at 4:20.

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

Sunday 17 March 2019

***COARSE exclusive interview***


An Interview with:

On the cusp of their Japan Tour, I present an interview with drummer/vocalist Brandon Gallagher. Enjoy, and grab a 7" with the alternate /20 cover or the regular edition /300 here. That EP is so good that I listed it as my favourite EP of 2018, which you can check out here.



*1* Do you remember your first meeting / interaction with Ryan?
Truthfully no I don’t. Our old bands had played a couple one-offs together when we were both on the up and touring a fuck ton. We would just randomly rip a show together when our DIY tours would hit the same city on the same night. I THINK it was a show we played in Sylmar, CA in 2012 - like 45 minutes outside of LA in someone’s living room. My memory is shot haha. Either way he ended up becoming one of my best bros that I’ve met from touring, and for years after that we would hang in various cities, or when Capsize would come through they would always crash at my parents house in NJ.

*2* What was the first song you wrote together?
When him and I first talked about starting this band, Ryan had sent me like a minute of what ended up becoming “In Peril” via a text message, just a riff and a really cool drum part… and I was like yeah this fucking rules. It wasn’t until he came to NYC after working on a writing session in like Toronto or something that we really began writing. He and I both had some ideas so he crashed on my couch for a week and we wrote the whole 'I' EP pretty much in order. We just went through and was like “okay yeah this should come next”.

*3* How do you work out the lyrics and vocal patterns?
It’s an interesting system. I’m constantly writing lyrics, whether it’s full songs or just a couple lines - I have a text file on my phone that I constantly add to. We had written all of the music for 'I' without any lyrics or vocal patterns in mind. Once the EP was done, I just sent Ryan all of the lyrics I had “loosely” written for the EP after listening a bunch and then he worked his magic. He then sent back his vocal takes and I free-styled layers and parts over his, eventually cutting out what we didn’t want to use.

*4* What is your favorite Coarse song and why?
I really like the last two, "In Peril" and "No Heart". We wrote these songs in order of the EP so I think the song writing just got better as we progressed.

*5* Were any of the songs trickier than others to write, record, or play?
All of these songs are pretty tricky. Since Ryan and I do not live in the same state we definitely practice a lot in our spaces with headphones. Literally every time I finish a session I’ll text Ryan and be like “holy fuck why did we write these songs?” Haha.

*6* What would you define Coarse as, genre-wise?
I think the term “metal core” is a little played out. Everyone wants to be a “metal core” band but like a COOL “metal core” band. Okay I’ll stop with that term, but I like that some press called us “Feral Rock”. I think that is our genre.

*7* What bands have influenced Coarse the most thus far?
Going in to writing the EP I was really influenced by Some Girls - 'Heavens Pregnant Teens', and Fear Before the March of Flames - 'Art Damage'. Both of those records were my bible in terms of lyrics, riff ideas, drums, etc. Going into the new record I’ve been listening to a lot of Kiss It Goodbye, Ed Gein, Genghis Tron, and All Else Failed. There is also a lot of industrial and noise influence on the newer stuff so I’ve been listening to a lot of HIDE, Skinny Puppy, Youth Code, and Nine Inch Nails. It’s a little all over the place, but there are definitely elements that I can take from all of these bands.

*8* Did you want to reveal any info on…
I don’t want to go into super specifics, but I will say we have new music done, an EP specifically. We have a rad feature on it, and working on a couple more. Ryan and I started working on an LP too.

*9* You are touring Japan… do tell.
Yeah I’ve always wanted to tour Japan so this is truly a great honor. Japanese food and culture is some of my favorite so I’m really excited to just dive in and experience it all. Vision of Fatima is a rad band so I’m stoked to catch them every night as well.

*10* What is next for Coarse?
We’re dropping that EP in the spring. Touring Japan and Europe in March and April. Coming back in the late spring to finish writing and record and hopefully have an LP out by the year’s end.