(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain)))))

Thursday, 9 January 2025

* PODCAST #173 Johnny Whitney (The Blood Brothers) *

This is a life moment. A time when my musical past comes full circle and smashes head-on into my current existence. It's a fuckin' trip, man. I caught up with Johnny Whitney of THE BLOOD BROTHERS arguably one of the most influential vocalists of my lifetime a week and a half after his reunion tour. Still reeling from the outreach from fans all over the U.S and an additional family vacation drive, he took some time out of his schedule to sit down with me for an hour and half. Lotsa gushing. Fuckin' lots. A few things we touched on: 80-minute sets, crying for days, false chord engagement, peaking in your 40s, vocal mantras, feeling vs. thinking about music, tactical inaccuracies coming off as charming flourishes, tour band shoutouts, Blood Brothers' connection to ZBR, inducing vomiting and birthing at shows, touring with Orchid, a short history of Vade, gettin' pissed about Pink Tarantulas, fun vs. not fun music videos, songs The Blood Brothers couldn't recreate live, everyone wants to be The Locust, best Nintendo game, the most dad gifts, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Botch, Gxllium!, The Locust, The Murder City Devils, and Transistor Transistor. Listen to podcast #173 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.

THE BLOOD BROTHERS
Bandcamp

1 Vocals as a Baseball Mitt

BOTCH "God vs. Science" (Johnny)

TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR "Sweet William" (Dave)

2 7th Grade Vade (a band of children)

THE MURDER CITY DEVILS "Boom Swagger Boom" (Johnny)

3 The Future

THE LOCUST "Moth Eaten Deer Head" (Johnny) [official music video]

GXLLIUM! "Axel Peart" (Dave)

~Dave

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PODCAST #173 linked here

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The Blood Brothers OMSB Review

Wednesday, 8 January 2025

* BRAININAVAT exclusive song premiere *

BRAININAVAT

"devouring"
exclusive song premiere

For fans of: Daniel Striped Tiger, Llewelyn, Bravo Fucking Bravo, Wolves and Lowmeninyellowcoats

Bandcamp (coming soon)

releases February 7th, 2025 on Tomb Tree

BRAININAVAT is a new band from Ohio featuring at least one ex-member of Lowmeninyellowcoats (who readers of this blog are likely familiar with and missing hard), but shifts much more toward angular noise rock than technical screamo. Other notable bands the members have been in are CityCop, Griphook, Vita Bassa, Backtalk, Glass Bones and Quitr, and today I'm premiering their first single "devouring" from their self-titled EP releasing Friday Feb. 7th on Tomb Tree via 50 cassettes.

The band had the following to say about the track:

This was the first track written with Cody, our drummer, and you can hear that energy. At this point we weren’t sure if this was going to be more mathy/noodly, more thoughtful, or visceral, but it ended up being all of that. This track set the tone on the way we write songs, physically and emotionally.

Lyrically this song is about dealing with the weight of a loved one’s death, the feeling of walking into a room and feeling like a freak because all you can think about is a ghost. The song ends with me trying to find meaning in this because we must go on. This is what every song on this record is about—trying to make friends with our ghosts and forgiving oneself for letting them down.

(2025) BRAININAVAT "devouring" (from 'braininavat')

https://youtu.be/6Oyq9007ogs

Clocking in at 2:02, the EP's third track "devouring" wastes no time letting you know that slow and relaxed are not how this band generally operates. After nearly a minute of lightning, the band slows it down a tad and injects some nice start'n'stops before reverting back to breakneck speed. The grooves are very noticeable amidst the chaos and the bass is primarily to thank for that, although each instrument is great at holding their own. The yelled/screamed vocals rule and I certainly appreciate the inclusion of dual vocals for which I am always a sucker. Even if they suck. Which is not the case here. At all. Badass.

Tuesday, 7 January 2025

OSCURA CULTO

Band: OSCURA CULTO
For fans of: Akimbo, Belladone, Die Abete, Moxiebeat, Tigershark, Minerva Superduty, Black Love, and Nous Etions.
Genres: Punk / Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Metal / Screamo / Noise / Black Metal / Thrash / Doom / Sludge

Related artists: ?.
Country: Madrid SPAIN
Years Active: 2020-present

Label(s): Self Released / Catábasis Records / Dingleberry Records / Pifia Records / Navalla / Hombre Montaña / Noizeland Records / Fresh Outbreak

OSCURA CULTO are a duo play post-hardcore/screamo/rock, capturing a sound not easily comparable. I think the best I can do is label them the European Akimbo which is a hella compliment. Kinda sludgy, sorta doomy, occasionally upbeat and sometimes downright black metal, this band follows no clear trajectory.

The band's 2021 debut EP 'Ascension' begins their discography with an excellent first jab. The production is crisp and the songs bare much resemblance to their later work although perhaps a bit more in-your-face and less introspective, and there's more of a punk vibe at times than post-hardcore. The opener is great for letting you know what's coming and the EP peaks on second track "Cave" which is an exceptionally driving song with equal dosing of dark hardcore atmosphere and playful rock/metal riffs complete with excellent screamed/yelled vocals.

The duo's sophomore release is titled 'Invocación' and it follows a theme with the song titles: "The Moon", "The Shed", "The Party", "The Ritual", and "The Mask". Track for track I'd argue that this is the band's strongest release to date with "The Moon", "The Shed", and "The Mask" being my faves. "The Moon" opens the EP and shows the improvements in guitar which still drive like crazy, but also include excellent melodic nuances and riffs that are much grander in scale. "The Shed" is based around a very pleasing but brooding guitar section and closer "The Mask" centers around a swirling/danceable riff that teeters between beauty and chaos.

2024's 'Ceniza' is the EP that got me interested in the band, as this feels like a continuation of their sound with subtle refinements. "Súplica" has a section just before the halfway point that I swear sounds like a cover of a Gorilla Biscuits song and injects some nice clean vocals near the end. It's closer "Sanación" that takes the cake for me, with perhaps an additional vocalist that lays down as of the one-minute mark, as the last half sounds like Crossed with the screams coming in searing hot. (I checked, it's definitely Miguel from Crossed)

This band was a pretty random find but I def dig the sound and will be on the lookout for their next release, hopefully an LP!

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DISCOGRAPHY

2021 - Ascension EP (stream/donate/download here)

2022 - Invocación EP (stream/donate/download here)

2024 - Ceniza 10"EP (stream/buy here) [buy 10" from Zegema Beach Records]

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(2024) OSCURA CULTO - "Sanación" (from 'Ceniza')

https://youtu.be/wfRHxTqbpNE