A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE

Band: A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE

Genres: Punk / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Emo / Screamo / Meh
Related artists: ?.
Country: Washington, DC USA
Years Active: 2001-2005
Song: "What do you want me to do, sign your freakin' yearbook?"
Album: "Castle split"
Year: 2004
Label(s): Level Plane Records / Magna Carta / State of Mind Recordings / Paranoid Records / Delian League Records
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #12.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Envy, Mesa Verde, City Of Caterpillar, Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket, Angel Eyes, June Paik, Isis, Storm The Bastille, Rats Into Robots, Locktender and Animal Faces aka PROPER SCREAMO.

Let's get one thing straight, A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE makes me want to destroy everything. I'm a pretty passive, peaceful guy. If I ever saw this band I would have made a lot of enemies very quickly. Give "What do you want me to do, sign your freakin' yearbook?" a quick listen to see what I mean. The song is chaotic and violent. It's pounding and thunderous. Fer christ's sake listen to the part at 0:45-0:59...just...woah. Easily my favourite song by the band. "What do you want me to do, sign your freakin' yearbook?" is from the 'Castle split', which is also the home to "Part One". This ditty drops in weighing a hefty 7:19 and is a slow build to a semi-climax, followed by June Paik/мятеж-esque doomy, atmospheric ambiance before exploding at the 5:35-mark with the band's patented yelling/screaming thing and some downright amazing drumming (apparent in all the band's work).

This band truly towered over most, and this was during the height of the Level-Plane era of screamo. Towered, was initially a word I was going to use to describe the band but it works great for talking about most things regarding the band. The 'My Heroes Always Killed Cowboys' EP exemplifies this. Songs such as "Forward/Backward" uses dense, foggy layers of stripped down melodies to create a dreary and natural sounding backdrop before focusing on expanding it like a throbbing, breathing bubble. This generally builds until the band decides to drop the hammer and it gets silly - because it's so fucking good, which reminds me a lot of City Of Caterpillar, especially the reverberating bass at the beginning. "There are Objects and Objects" is probably the standout track from this record which is downright killer, although "Storming the Bastille' is another great tune that has a really cool, distorted chord progression that is isolated at first and starts a fantastic uphill climb much like the new Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket record.

We have to talk about it. Yeah, you know. Let's not deny it. The band changed their sound following these releases to appease their own internal musical voice, and it was kinda lame. At least in comparison to such daring and expansive post-hardcore/screamo that was driving people nuts, the subsequent and final album 'Notes' was a huge disappoint to most fans. In and of itself not a bad album, but knowing their could have been another massive and epic record is frustrating.

Regardless of the band's change in style and opinions regarding the matter, as they are subjective, the output in the heavier realm was easily some of the best ever recorded, in this fella's opinion. If you'd never heard the band until this post, I think we can both agree that you owe me lunch.

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DISCOGRAPHY
Click )==>here<==( to download most of the band's discography in mp3/wma form.

2003 - Silentreminder split 7"cd single

2004 - My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys cd/12"EP
2004 - Castle split cdEP

2005 - Notes cd/12"LP
2005 - Golden Birds split 7"single
2005 - Navies split 10"EP
2005 - 80 Records and We're Not Broke (yet) comp (contributed "Ronald's Rights")

2006 - The Emo Apocalypse comp 12"LP (contributed "Untitled")

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(2004) A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE - "What do you want me to do, sign your yearbook?" (from 'Castle' split)

(2004) A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE - "Part One" (from 'Castle' split)

(2004) A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE - "Forward/Backward" (from 'My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys')

(2004) A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE - "There are Objects and Objects" (from 'My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys')

(2004) A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE - "Storming the Bastille" (from 'My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys')

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A DAY IN BLACK AND WHITE out of print mp3 discography download (minus 'Notes' and their first split)

(download here)

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CONGRATULATIONS

Band: CONGRATULATIONS

Genres: Punk / Rock / Emo / Screamo / Hardcore / Garage / Indie / Ambient
Related artists: Life In Vacuum and New Wings.
Country: Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario CANADA
Years Active: 2013-present
Song: "Gospel"
Album: "Demo"
Year: 2014
Label(s): Zegema Beach Records / Skeletal Lightning
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #2.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: September, Bright Calm Blue, D'Amore, Funeral Diner, Gospel, Desaparecidos, ...Who Calls So Loud, Eyes Of Verotika, Bright Eyes, Indian Summer, Honeywell, Youth Novel, Life In Vacuum, Godspeed, You! Black Emperor and Coma Regalia aka PROPER SCREAMO.

Let me just get it out there - CONGRATULATIONS are one of the most exciting bands in music today. I may be a giant, slobbering octopus, but I don't exaggerate. Wait...of course I do, but not about this, for this young Canadian band is phenomenal.

I remember sitting at my computer one day and coming across Skeletal Lightning's posting of Life In Vacuum's '5' album for free download - my other favourite band. As a listener who generally likes to download stuff and put it on repeat on my mp3 player, downloading audio by new bands is huge, as I have way too many links. Anyways, after a few listens I was absolutely hooked. Fast forward another week or two and I come across a posting on a facebook community saying something along the lines of, "screamo from Kitchener/Waterloo with members of Life In Vacuum" and a live video. I used to live there and everyone knows I love the screamo, so I checked it out. I swear to science I had a massive erection by the time the first chorus of "Aren't You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton?" (check the video I'm talking about here) washed over me. I was told the band was done and cried myself to sleep. I regained my senses and messaged the guy who posted the video asking if they had any recorded output tracked before disbanding, to which Tony (vocals/guitar) responded explaining that they never disbanded, they were just lazy. Now I talk to the band weekly and Zegema Beach Records is releasing their debut, 5-song cassette EP along with the almighty Skeletal Lightning in the US. Zegema Beach Records will also release the CONGRATULAIONS & The Rabbit Theory split 7" in early 2015. Life is very, very good.

From what I have gathered, Tony basically enrolled Ross, Sasha (from Life In Vacuum) and Justin (from New Wings) in order to create a 90s emo/screamo sound - and boy did they hit the mark. So, I will go through EP track by track and then touch on the The Rabbit Theory split 7" as only two (well, now three if you hit up the Zegema Beach Records bandcamp page here) songs are currently available to rock out to.

"Aren't You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton?" is, without question, the CONGRATULATIONS theme song. This track does absolutely everything right. It starts with a dreamy, lulling intro with twinkly guitars and some spoken/lightly sung vocals before dropping the listener into the deep end at 0:48. The chorus for this song is stunning, which boasts some serious emotional screaming by both vocalists and pushes the song to the aggressive edge while still maintaining semblance of the more accessible parts of the band's sound. The verses have an almost 80s vibe like The Cure mixed with bands like Funeral Diner or September and revolve primarily around the journey of Justin's spacey guitar and are the ultimate lead-ins to the phenomenal chorus.

"Stars and Lights" is an interesting listen, and manages to successfully grab on to the poppier, melodic side that the band tapped in "Aren't You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton?" and really run with it. The first half is like it's from a boppy late 90s emo record and at the halfway point CONGRATULATIONS kick it into their genre dissolving gear and mix pop, rock, garage, post-hardcore and screamo into a single second of music. This song and the next were mediocre for me at first, but upon repeat listens and watching them live, (as well as remembering that not all music has to make me get physically excited, aka screamo) I have come to deeply appreciate this accessible and melodic side of the band.

"This Summer" follows a similar path, as it also injects a substantial amount of slower and softer riffs, progressions, vocals and overall feel to the song. 30 seconds in, you might think you are listening to a melodic hardcore band from the late 90s or early 2000s that could have made it on to the radio. The song veers into screamy territory now and again, reminding us that this is not a "poppy" band, per se, but they certainly perfect the middle ground. I'd be surprised if you don't find yourself singing along or at least humming Sasha's vocals by the end of the track, as they are not only repetitious in nature, but also kick major ass. This sounds like a summer song and is therefore very accurately titled.

"Your Halo Glistens" deviates from the band's regular sound and focuses all of its efforts on sounding soft, ambient and hazy. Whether the similarities to Bright Eyes (especially the vocal croon/warble thing) are intentional or not is irrelevant because the song really pulls you in with a cozy web of melody turned one volume level higher during the chorus.

"Gospel" is my baby. Good goddamn, this shit is my #1 jam for 2014 for shizzle. The song is titled "Gospel" because I was always dubbing the song as sounding like the band Gospel, and this very apt comparison should get some saliva dribbling down the side of your mouth because that band was unreal. The song boasts back forth screamers as well as ridiculously amazing, wailing notes from lead guitarist Justin (who also slays in New Wings) that truly carry the song during the verses which is layered perfectly over the cacophonous screaming. The song dips in and out of chaotic bliss and plodding, semi-improv jams and is a fucking killer way to end the band's debut.

As some fans may have come across, CONGRATULATIONS will be doing a split 7" with the Swiss band The Rabbit Theory early next year which will be released on Zegema Beach Records. The EP will boast one 6-minute track by each band. Below is a live video of the track that will appear on the split. Imagine Fugazi smoking some weed and creating a long, driving, bass-driven and moody track that culminates with an aural explosion and lots o' screaming. I have linked up a live video of the track that will be featured on the split below.

If you need any additional swaying, I'm insanely busy with a new baby and a new job, but I'm still making the time to try and make a music video for the band in the wee hours of the morning - that's how emotionally invested I am in these fellas. CONGRATULATIONS forever...and they haven't even released their demo yet.

Yours truly,

The Prince of Normandy

***

Order the demo cassette here from ZBR (includes alternate cover version) and here from Skeletal Lightning.
There are also t-shirts for sale here.
Zegema Beach Records put up 3 songs on bandcamp to coincide with the post so head over here to check out the new single "Stars and Lights" along with the already released "Aren't You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton?" and "Gospel".

On November 26th, 2014 CONGRATULATIONS will be hold a cassette release show at The Doors Pub in Hamilton with special guests NOUS ÉTIONS and TERRY GREEN. I hope to see you there! Check the facebook event page here.

***

Show links:

March 25th, 2014 w/The Caution Children, Foxmoulder and New Wings (when I first met the band)

May 25th, 2014 w/Itto, Life In Vacuum, Fossil and Sketchbooks (the first ZBR show)

June 20th, 2014 w/Life In Vacuum, Quiet Lakes and Dinosaur Sex Change

August 20th, 2014 w/The Reptilian, Two Knights, Total Bummer and Wimp City

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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Congratulations cassetteEP (stream 3 songs here and order here)

2015 - The Rabbit Theory split 7"

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(2014) CONGRATULATIONS - "Gospel" (from 'Demo')

(2014) CONGRATULATIONS - "Aren't You Frightened Skinny, Scary Skeleton" (from 'Demo')

(2014) CONGRATULATIONS - "Stars and Lights" (from 'Demo') live video

(2014) CONGRATULATIONS - "untitled" (from 'The Rabbit Theory' split) live video

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CONGRATULATIONS additional links

facebook

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SCOWLER

Band: SCOWLER

Genres: Punk / Rock / Hardcore / Screamo
Related artists: ?.
Country: Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Years Active: 2013-present
Song: "Specifically, In Waves"
Album: "How to Find Light"
Year: 2013
Label(s): Skeletal Lightning / Dog Knights Productions / No Guidance Music and Art Collective / Broken World Media
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #8.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Life In Vacuum, The Blood Brothers, Glassjaw, The Jonbenet, Short Hair, Daughters, At The Drive In, The Book Of Dead Names, Akimbo, Encrypt Manuscript, Vade, and These Arms Are Snakes.

Definitely a sound unto themselves, SCOWLER play urgent, sassy, awkward, jangly, danceable and screamy hardcore. That was a lot of adjectives, I know, but jam their new split with Youth Funeral and hear me nodding my head as you listen. Ummmhm.

Their first EP 'How to Find Light' found the band with quite a few adoring fans, and with songs like "Specifically, In Waves" it's obvious why - just listen to it below. "Tell US, Mr. Sir" begins with a juxtaposition of Trophy Scars crooning and full-on screaming ala JR Ewing as well as The Book Of Dead Names and has the listener second-guessing themselves on what the hell is going to happen next, but once you hear it it seems obvious/perfect every time after that. Urgent and abrasive with bouts of punk and melody, says I.

Now, the  new stuff...woah. The material destined for the Youth Funeral split is fantastic. Much like The Blood Brothers' progression from their first few releases to 'Burn, Piano Island, Burn', SCOWLER tie up all loose ends and sharpen all the knives, sharp sticks and other Sulaco-esque weaponry in their arsenal and fucking kill it. The sound isn't too far from The Blood Brothers, either. The extremes aren't as polarizing, but the consistency of which everything is layered together and the driving nature of each song is mesmerizing. "Break" is fantastic and "Maybe if I Sit Here Long Enough I'll Disappear" really grabs me at the halfway point and...bloody hell, just prepare to be floored.
.
For anyone not sold on the first listen (I wasn't crazed, at first...) just give it 3 or 4 listens and chances are you'll go from "good" to "great". Sorry I was a late bloomer, fellas.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2013 - How to Find Light cassetteEP (stream/donate/download here) (ZBR has some out of print copies in stock here)

2014 - Youth Funeral split 7"EP (stream here)

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(2014) SCOWLER - "Maybe if I Sit Here Long Enough I'll Disappear" (from 'Youth Funeral' split)

click here to listen on Skeletal Lightning souncloud

(2014) SCOWLER - "Break" (from 'Youth Funeral' split)

click here to listen on Skeletal Lightning souncloud

(2013) SCOWLER - "Specifically, In Waves" (from 'How to Find Light')

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SCOWLER additional links

bandcamp

facebook

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LYED

Band: LYED

Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Metallic-Hardcore / Screamo
Related artists: N/A.
Country: Austin, Texas USA
Years Active: 2014-present
Song: "Crooked Arrows"
Album: "Between My Claws"
Year: 2014
Label(s): Self Released
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #6.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Since By Man, The Bled, In Reverent Fear, Folly, Protest The Hero, Thrice, Hopesfall, Улыбайся Ветру (aka Smile To The Wind), In Pieces, State Faults, Young Mountain, Arcana Cain, Beloved and Carrion Spring.

LYED is a band that sent me their demo to review a few months back and I instantly fell in love. Out of hundreds of requests only a handful have ended up being this good. It's almost like a neo-Thrice meets The Bled and Since By Man, or perhaps even an all screaming Saosin. The focus over the 4 songs are well-calculated, mathy post-hardcore/metal. I love the chaotic/screamy semi-breakdowns such as in "Letter #48" at 1:30 where I feel like I'm listening to a record Hopesfall or In Reverent Fear should have made instead of sucking balls after some amazing releases. Although the instrumental interplay is more than decent, it's the vocals that really do this for me. Blood curdling screams that have some variation and it's all very well timed, which again reminds me of In Reverent Fear's 'Written in the AM' masterpiece released back in 2003. "Crooked Arrows" is the band's primary banger, so be sure to check that out below. I can't wait to hear more from this band. Enjoy, I sure did. Thanks, Blake!

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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Between My Claws (stream/donate/download here)

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(2014) LYED - "Crooked Arrows" (from 'Between My Claws')

(2014) LYED - "Letter #48" (from 'Between My Claws')

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LYED additional links

bandcamp

facebook

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***ZBR show #4 - MY DAD / ANIMAL FACES / WORST GIFT / TERRY GREEN / QUIET LAKES***

Holy moly, although there weren't too many peeps to witness this sick-ass show the bands played amazing and I was lucky enough to capture most of sets (18 songs over 5 bands) at The Doors Pub in Hamilton, Ontario CANADA on October 16th, 2014. To be honest I was really disheartened at the lack of attendance, but as this was only the 4th Zegema Beach show and I'm still getting my bearings as a promoter and the city of Hamilton doesn't really know much about what I'm trying to do, I have since made a substantial effort to go into each show knowing it can go either way, and for myself and the band's to just enjoy what I came to see and what they came to do - play amazing music for the benefit of those who made the effort to go to the concert and help the touring bands out with gas money. Here are my favourite videos from each band, but I highly suggest that you check out all 16 videos by following this link! Or...

***Click here to watch all 16 videos from the show***

MY DAD

My Dad were the band I was anticipating most, as I knew barely anything about them but had heard great things. As per usual I abstained (for the most part) from checking out tons of their material before the concert and went in with fresh ears. Holy fuck, these guys are amazing. Dave and Aaron are from Chicago and have some of that flair that Lord Snow embodies, but much less abrasive and chaotic - imagine Hot Cross mixed with I Hate Myself and a dab of The Reptilian and that's pretty much what I heard, albeit not a rip off of any of those bands in any sense. Instrumentally the band reminds me a lot of The Advantage and Tera Melos at times, as well. The guitars were quirky, mathy, catchy and enjoyable to watch, and the shouted/screamy vocals were perfect for the music. The bass was downright hypnotic, especially for those in the mar section, as his fingers jump around and play some really funky and playful stuff. Aaron from Animal Faces was on drums for this tour and he absolutely killed it, especially with that drum solo during the new song. The first thing my wife said upon seeing these videos was "This is my kind of music." Follow this link to see all 3 My Dad videos including a new song!

facebook

bandcamp

ANIMAL FACES

Animal Faces were the primary reason I wanted to put on this show, as they were the first band I saw when I got into the Toronto scene about 3 years ago. They began "Hold On" from the Solids split 7", dropped a heavy number, "Forward Through" to be exact, and then proceeded to get everyone's head bobbing with another 4 dreamy, post-hardcore, shoegaze rock. Watch the videos, they will make you feel warm, comfy and relaxed, but not in a boring kind of way...but with a grooving, head-nodding sort of deal. Excellent set.

facebook

bandcamp

WORST GIFT

I documented Worst Gift's first show a few months back and I really enjoyed what I heard. Why, then, was I surprised that the band blew me away? It would stand to reason that they would improve, but fucking shit this is really good. Imagine Fugazi playing shoegaze rock mixed with European screamo and gang vocals. The band doesn't boast a bassist but are doing fine without one as both guitars wash over the listener in waves of continuous, fuzzy and extremely engaging riffage. Take the chord progression at 2:30 to see what I mean. Also, I'm pretty shitty when it comes to noticing decent drumming, so I generally figure if I can't stop watching the drummer then they must be pretty goddamn decent. Darryl, you fucking rock. Very, very excited to hear more recorded material from this Toronto trio. Worst Gift will be playing at the Zegema Beach Festival (Hamilton) and Stress Fest (Toronto) in mid-November. Grab their demo tape 'Yard Meat' here.

facebook

bandcamp

TERRY GREEN

This was my first time seeing Terry Green after hearing some promising audio online. The band did not disappoint and put on an entertaining and fun (for christ's sake look at the grin on the bassist's face) set. Instrumentally the band is hard to pigeonhole, as they combine a myriad of rock, alternative, emo, post-hardcore, screamo and pop-punk influences. If I had to choose a band they sound like overall, including the screaming, I'd say they are kinda like State Faults. Vocally the band, or should I say Adrian, reminds me a hell of a lot of Van Johnson. Like, the closest thing I've ever heard to that amazing band from Ottawa, circa 2004-ish. And that's a really good thing, as they both pull off a great, nasally scream. This band from Mississauga, Ontario is definitely one of the better Canadian emo/screamo bands that I've seen. Terry Green will be playing at the Zegema Beach Festival in Hamilton at Club Absinthe on November 15th, 2014. Grab their demo tape 'Visiting Hours' here.

facebook

bandcamp

QUIET LAKES

As per usual, Quiet Lakes put on a mesmerizing and engaging show - but, this time they used a light show for the first time ever (as the band told me). It worked out really well, but moreover the new songs are insane. They retain the ambient and droning vibe but delve more into heavier moments and are starting to sound like heavyweights Russian Circles, Mono and Pelican as well as Shy, Low. This band's set was all instrumental if memory serves correct, but Graham dabbles in the shoegaze/post-metal croon now and again. I hope they can play ZBR fest on November 15th!

facebook

reverbnation

Grab a show poster /20 here.

***Click here to watch all 16 videos from the show***

SHOTO

Band: SHOTO

Genres: Heaviness / Doom / Ambient / Hardcore / Metal / Beards / Caves / Gargoyles
Related artists: The Reptilian.
Country: Kalamazoo, Michigan USA
Years Active: 2013-present
Song: "1"
Album: "Shoto"
Year: 2014
Label(s): End Note Records
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #11.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Mare, Isis, Back When, Intronaut, Old Man Gloom, The Abandoned Hearts Club, Kowloon Walled City and lots of other really heavy bands that I don't usually listen to and therefore cannot name...Cannibal Corpse? Fuck, I dunno.

SHOTO is new concoction of Mighiganites (folk from Michigan, USA) that I had the pleasure of meeting at a live show in Kalamazoo on March 2nd, 2014 which you can watch here. I had already spoken with Mark on facebook groups (drummer) and was involved with another member (Josh/guitar) through the amazing Seventeen Again and met the final member (Brok/bass) briefly at the merch...area, who used to play for The Reptilian. Well guess what? This review is short because for the most part when people ask me what SHOTO sounds like, I always respond with the same one-word sentence and see how they react, "heavy". So...yeah, that applies here.

This is so fucking heavy I feel like it is compressing my brain. Track "1" wastes no time letting you know this is not for the weak, poppy or happy. I'm going on sound alone, but man it's like doom sped up a little bit so it's really heavy and slow hardcore/metal with lots of breakdowns. There are two vocalists, and they both are demonic (let's not kid ourselves) in their own right. The bat-like shrieks from Josh and gutteral bellows from Brok remind me of the 9th circle of hell, assuming they really do play good music down there.

"2" showcases more brooding, distorted bass that sounds like it has risen up from a geyser. The rest of the song moves along nicely, not unlike Kowloon Walled City and Mare in the way the slow riffs wash over the listener. "4" is hellish, blistering and over right after it begins, at a tight and dense 1:24. "5" is a fantastic building song that kinda falls apart near the end but definitely shows the band's versatility on the record - imagine their "Afgahmistam", if you will.

Be sure to check these fellas out, especially if they play near you! One more time, SHOTO = HEAVY.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2014 - Shoto cassetteLP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2014) SHOTO - "1" (from 'Shoto')

(2014) SHOTO - "4" (from 'Shoto')

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SHOTO additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

Full live set

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ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB, THE

Band: THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB

Genres: Punk / Metallic Hardcore / Black-Metal / Thrash / Experimental
Related artists: Karenza, Spread The Disease, Cunter, Mindbender, Bad Touch, METZ and Hunter.
Country: Toronto, Ontario CANADA
Years Active: 2000-2005
Song: "Elvis Presley's Rock and Roll War Effort"
Album: "The Initial Confessions of..."
Year: 2001
Label(s): Self Released / Init Records / Abacus Recordings / Hydra Head Industries / Controlled By Robots / Double H Noise Industries / Century Media / Speedowax Records / 
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #7.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Uziel, Curl Up And Die, The Great Redneck Hope, Botch, The Catalyst, The Minor Times, Cassilis, Seventeen Again, The Avenging Disco Godfathers Of Soul, Lavotchkin, Engineer, Achilles, Canyons, The End, The Sheer Force Of Inertia and Converge.

You want a hidden gem...encrusted in aggression, violence and dirt? Here ya go. THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB played breakdown-laden, thrashy, mathy, metallic hardcore and hailed from Toronto, which I only found out recently as the they disbanded almost a decade ago and therefore I wasn't watching the scene in the area at that time. If you really like the early Curl Up And Die stuff like the 'The Only Good Bug is a Dead Bug' EP, catchy/heavy hardcore like Uziel as well as a slower, heavier and Botch-ier The Great Redneck Hope all mashed together with Horse The Band, you may accidentally try to make babies in your underpants, or if you are female just have an all around good time.

'The Initial Confessions of...'s "Elvis Presley's Rock and Roll War Effort" at 0:56 will make any pacifist want to punch someone random in the face as they mosh to these breakdowns. Many of the tracks on the band's initial EP, 'The Initial Confession of...' have a strange, eerie, bouncy rhythmic pulse to them. "Consensus Emptiness and the Never Encore Obsession" is a prime example of this. With the use of well-placed synth-sounds, the band manages to make the songs come apart at the seams as they pummel the listener with abrasive, experimental, metallic hardcore topped with a synth/sonic assault. "The Failure a Posteriori" puts this to the test and rips the songs apart just to piece it back together a few times, most notably at 2:33 but the few times before are pretty sweet also.

The posthumous LP 'Aloha Cocksuckers' was never officially released, but I acquired the mp3s and they are more math-metal influenced and less experimental. This time around the vocals opt for much more of a Minor Times-esque hardcore scream, and drop the crazy Curl Up And Die/Great Redneck Hope style - both of which I thoroughly enjoy. I really like this album, but their first EP is where it's at for me because it's so weird. This LP doesn't hold a candle to Botch or The Minor Times, but it's still really fucking good.

Random note, I found it unnerving to see that they listed their band members as "Terry Tittyfuck" and the like in the liner notes of their first album, even though I'm sure it's a joke. You can read up on a fair amount of the band's history here by clicking the "read more" link in the profile section, ya numbnuts. I've also posted the very rare download of their apparent discography here!

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

2001 - The Initial Confessions of... cd/7"EP

2002 - Live on the CIUT 89.5 cdEP

2003 - Mutation compilation cdLP (contributed "Experimenting with Maturity")

2004 - Aloha, Cocksuckers! digitalLP

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(2001) THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - "Elvis Presley's Rock and Roll War Effort" (from 'The Initial Confessions of...')

(2001) THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - "The Failure a Posteriori" (from 'The Initial Confessions of...')

(2003) THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - "Theme Song From The Film Noir Volatility Perversion" (from 'Where is My Robot?' comp)

(2004) THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - "Metropolitan Sentences" (from 'Aloha, Cocksuckers')

(2004) THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - "Admissions of a Sale Clerk" (from 'Aloha, Cocksuckers')

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THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB out of print mp3 discography download

(download here)

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ISCARIOTE

Band: ISCARIOTEGenres: Punk / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Hardcore / Thrash / Doom / Grunge / Sludge

Related artists: N/A.
Country: Yverdon-les-Bains SWITZERLAND
Years Active: 2000-2004
Song: "Soleil Thahi"
Album: "Envy split"
Year: 2002
Label(s): Shogun Records / Heroine Records / PurePainSugar / Last Day of June Records / Molaire Industries / Code of Ethics / Salvation / Oto Records
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #13.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Gantz, Envy, ∞ (aka Eight), Evylock, Curl Up And Die, Ken Mode, Light Bearer, AmenRa, Botch, Tetola93, Knut, Kowloon Walled City, Mono, Angel Eyes, Helmet and White Zombie.

I was introduced to ISCARIOTE through the Envy split cd that I picked up right after hearing 'Dead Sinking Story', as I was craving (that's putting it lightly) more Envy. I'm certainly glad that I picked this up because this band has a few really good songs and the albums are dark and brooding. Imagine Envy if there were less pretty stuff, way more sludge and an unsettling, dark ambiguity that shrouds many of the band's songs.

The Envy split is the superior release, in my opinion. ISCARIOTE starts out with "Soleil Thahi" which begins with an beautiful/eerie, spacey and dreamy intro that soon builds into a sludgy, grungy mess littered with scathing screams and breakdowns. The crazy riff that they bust out at 3:12 is unreal and my personal favourite of the band's. "Meanbeam and the Dark" has a great closing riff that leads into another great track, "Auto-Pilote" which is kind of a mix between AmenRa and Akimbo which is really cool.

The album has a few decent cuts but certainly doesn't draw me to it the same way as the split. "Kraj! (Old Jebi!)" is a great example of the band nailing their sound. There's the Japanese-esque soaring vocals (Evylock, anyone?) over anguished screaming, all packaged nicely with an epic Gantz feel to it. "Des Cheveux Noirs Sur la Paleur de Son Visage" has another dirty and grating , especially within the guitar sound, which isn't far off from heavy Helmet and White Zombie stuff with the chugging. The vocals bring Envy and ∞, and Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket and there's even some nice violin work that complements everything very well.

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

2001 - Iscariote 7"EP

2002 - Envy split cd (download here)
2002 - Overmars split floppy disk

2003 - Complete split 7" (download here)

2004 - Necropole Trauma cd/12"LP (download here)
2004 - Genese Et Agonie: 2000-2004 cd discography

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(2002) ISCARIOTE - "Soleil Thahi" (from 'Envy' split)

(2002) ISCARIOTE - "Auto-Pilote" (from 'Envy' split)

(2004) ISCARIOTE - "Un Pas De Plus Vers La Grace" (aka "One Step Closer to Grace") (from 'Complete' split)

(2004) ISCARIOTE - "Kraj! (Old Jebi!)" (from 'Necropole Trauma')

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ISCARIOTE out of print mp3 discography download / additional links

(download here)

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KNUT

Band: KNUT

Genres: Punk / Rock / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Sludge / Hardcore / Thrash / Doom
Related artists: Impure Wilhelmina, Macadam Pale Horses, Prejudice-GVA, Mumakil, Nostromo, Bliscappen Van Maria, Nebra, Vuyvr, Ananda, Finger Print, Jasemine and L'Invention de Morel.
Country: SWITZERLAND
Years Active: 1994-2010
Song: "Fallujah"
Album: "Terraformer"
Year: 2005
Label(s): Self Released / Hydra Head Records / Snuff Records / Ronald Reagan Records / Chrome Saint Magnus / Bone Tone Records / Vicious Circle / Molaire Industries / Mosh Bart Industries / Division Records / Double H Noise Industries / Conspiracy Records
This post's artist is from the October 2014 Mix. This is track #5.
You can download the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November Mix#11 here.
For fans of: Botch, Iscariote, Bleeding Kansas, Isis, Shoto, Zozobra, (old) Cave In, Engineer, Achilles, AmenRa, Trainwreck, Hexis, The End, Mare, Rorcal, Converge, Swarm Of The Lotus, Ken Mode, Tigershark, Perth Express, Llynch, Anodyne, Canyons, Officer Jones And His Patrol Car Problems, Pelican, Mutoid Man, The Minor Times, White Zombie and Intronaut.

How the fuck do you say this name, anyways? "Kay-noot?" said my friend. "nut" says my wife. I don't fucking know. I do know that KNUT played a riveting and sonically overbearing style of math-metal/hardcore. If you liked Botch (how could you not?), wanted a faster and more technical Isis or are in need of more Shoto-heavy mayhem, look no further. ....

The self titled EP 'Knut' is a very acidic listen. If metal/hardcore could eat through chest armour (Hicks, I'm looking in your direction) then this is the album for you. I would call this "noise laden". I don't care for the sound as much on this, as it sounds like a scratchy/muffled and early Converge.

The 'Challenger' album is much of the same with caustic metallic screaming with a heavy emphasis on hardcore. Still, songs like "Ice Will", "Repressed" and my favourite track "Bite the Bullet" are all fantastic.

'Terraformer' is the album that boasted the production the band needed and comes across more like Mare and Botch on speed. This full length captures what I thought KNUT was capable of and then some. The band expertly mixes their Botch influence with their Neurosis/Isis love and create a myriad of songs, structures and sounds. They confidently shy away from conventional structures, for the most part, and delve into mostly instrumental romps followed by long, expansive meanderings with way more vocals than I would have expected after hearing so little on the amazing shorter/faster songs, such as "Seattle" with a Cave In/Mutoid Man-esque thrash riff, "Genoa" blasts through with sludgy, Tigershark-esque riffing and "Fallujah" has a pummeling beginning that turns into a palm-mute fan's dream before exploding with the only vocals in the entire song - a howling scream, at 1:24. They do have some more basic songs, such as "Wyriwys" which could be mistaken for Swarm Of The Lotus and Iscariote pretty much any day of the week, as well as "Kyoto" which barrels through the speakers like an expertly trained army attacking, screaming, hacking and downright disemboweling the listener's ears before a lulling outro. Oh, and I love the cover art.

It's no wonder that 'Wonder', the band's final studio output and subsequent full length, isn't far off from 'Terraformer' territory. It has that massive, mathy, sludgy thrash/hardcore/metal feel to it but the songs don't grab me the way the aforementioned LP do. I'm nitpicking though, because this is a great album as well, with the standout tracks being "Suckers", "Calamity", "Fast Forward Bastard" and "Lemmings".

Grab the partial discography I've posted, as I need to complete my collection, as well.

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

1994 - Knut 7"

1996 - Ishma split 7"

1997 - Leftovers cdLP

1998 - Bastardiser cd/12"LP (download here)
1998 - Tantrum split 7"

1999 - Ordeal 7"

2000 - Botch / Ananda split 10"

2001 - Untitled cdEP (download here)

2002 - Challenger cd/12"LP (download here)

2005 - Terraformer cd/12"LP (download here)

2006 - Alter cdLP

2010 - Wonder cd/12"LP (download here)

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(2005) KNUT - "Fallujah" (from 'Terraformer')

(2005) KNUT - "Seattle" (from 'Terraformer')

(2005) KNUT - "Genoa" (from 'Terraformer')

(2001) KNUT - "You Deserve Me" (from 'Untitled EP')

(2002) KNUT - "Bite the Bullet" (from 'Challenger')

(2010) KNUT - "Calamity" (from 'Wonder')

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KNUT Dave's selected semi-discography mp3 download

 (download here)

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