***BRIGHTER ARROWS - Colin May exclusive interview***

Band: BRIGHTER ARROWS

Genres: Punk / Shoegaze / Rock / Post-Hardcore / Alternative / Ambient / Noise / Grunge
Related artists: Phoenix Bodies, Mans!, Lautrec, Hospital, Lifted Bells, Noumenon, Stay Ahead Of The Weather and Mara'akate.
Country: Chicago, Illinois USA
Years Active: 2011-2014
Song: "The Occupation"
Album: "Dreamliner"
Year: 2013
For fans of: Ladder Devils, Worst Gift, Cloud Mouth, Furtive Forest, Lucertulus, Mogwai, Cassilis, Kowloon Walled City, Lautrec, We Were Skeletons, These Arms Are Snakes, Slint,  and Sonic Youth.

Label(s): Skeletal Lightning / The Ghost Is Clear Records / Black Lake Records / I. Corrupt / Fairweather Records / Adagio830 / Galt House Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #5.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

Before I start the discography review, you should know this post is linked with an exclusive interview with COLIN MAY of Brighter Arrows, Phoenix Bodies, Mara'akate and Hospital.

***The interview is linked right here!***

Ahem, BRIGHTER ARROWS doesn't sound like the members old bands and is barely comparable to other bands, and therefore my "For fans of:" section is kinda garbage. BRIGHTER ARROWS sounds like BRIGHTER ARROWS.

The band's earlier work is much more Waxwing sounding with a lot of very high, light singing and much softer instrumentals that climb but the focal point is not the raw, heavier, asphalt lifting concoction that was implemented on their masterpiece 'Dreamliner'. I think the 'Locktender split' 10" is a good example of this, with "Eternity" is totally like that and most of "Entirety" follows a similar pattern, but the latter has some of the screamiest BRIGHTER ARROWS bits.

The band's first sole EP 'Division and What It Is to Abide' probably hits home the most with me, although I know most people pass out when discussing 'Dreamliner' because they can't keep their blood in the right place. This EP dips quickly into mathy rock and post-hardcore right away with "Departing", employing both sung vocals and strained screaming. The droning but well executed "ivi" follows which is quickly trumped by the amazing "Severance" which houses the most aggressive of all the vocals the band has ever done, and the talking/yelling reminds me a lot of mid-late 90s emo, such as Indian Summer and Four Hundred Years and some later acts like Bright Calm Blue. Definitely my second favourite BRIGHTER ARROWS song and the best on this EP. "In its Wings, A Wind Has Wrapped Them" was previously released on a very obscure 4-way split that I've yet to find, but thankfully shows up again here which is probably the most emo sounding song the band recorded. "Of One Accord" is a slow, soft little ditty featuring vocals and guitar for more than the first minute before catapulting into shoegaze/country/space rock territory for the final minute. The closer "N" is quite fitting and follows a similar ending to "Of One Accord" but dials in some sweet vocals to match the climax.

The band's crowning achievement was their final album, the already mentioned 'Dreamiliner' in 2013. After a quick noise intro "The Occupation" explodes and is by far my favourite jam on the album, and the best thing the band ever did. After a nice little intro the bass drops 50 seconds in and there's no turning back. The angular, shifting and dizzying instrumentals are joined by yelled/almost screamed vocals at 1:23. The song then slows down and incorporates clean vocals all the way up until 2:27 when Rage Against The Machine pops in for a few notes. Haunting whispers lead to the undoing of the fabric of time itself at 2:57 onward with those shredded remnants collecting into massive feedback. The universe resets itself just after four minutes and the song drops that prodigious bass riffing with excellently placed vocals that finally culminate at 5:45. Wow, what a doozy. "Visitation" follows and is a short, calming break after the bass-heavy romping that preceded it. "Vangelis China" gets things back on track with a disjointed, twisted, contorted mess of symmetry - it's as if everything shouldn't fit together but somehow does, which isn't too far off from some These Arms Are Snakes songs. Following this is "Noshow Me" which bears a strong resemblance to both "The Occupation" and "Vangelis China" in its intensity but the vocals are more prominent, the jam section is amazing and the song eclipses the six-minute mark. "Half Memory" is slow, building, post-hardcore/emo textbook. "Splendor Beyond Compare" is a very atmospheric instrumental track that makes me think I'm listening to an amalgamation of Mogwai and the Inception soundtrack. "Submission" nears seven minutes with a sprawled out shoegaze injection and the closer "Dreamliner" employs much more pop elements and almost sounds like I Love Your Lifestyle, Laika's Orbit or American Football but really pulls out some tangents that are very welcomed, especially the outro.

So there you have it. Heavy on bass, feedback laden, never screaming just yelled or dronefully sung vocals. Doesn't really sound like other bands. Check out discography. Read interview. Done.

***The interview is linked right here!***

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DISCOGRAPHY

2011 - 4-Way split 7"EP (w/Raw Nerve, Cloud Mouth and Grown Ups) (does anyone have the version on here?)

2012 - Division and What It Is to Abide cd/10"EP (stream/buy here)
2012 - Locktender split 10"EP (stream/donate/download here or buy the 10" from me here)

2013 - Dreamliner cd/12"LP (stream/buy here or buy the 12" from me here)
2013 - Dream Life Compedium cassetteLP (purchase here)

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(2013) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "The Occupation" (from 'Dreamliner')

(2013) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "Dreamliner" (from 'Dreamliner')

(2013) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "Noshow Me" (from 'Dreamliner')

(2013) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "Vangelis China" (from 'Dreamliner')

(2012) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "Severance" (from 'Division and What It Is to Abide')

(2012) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "Departing" (from 'Division and What It Is to Abide')

(2012) BRIGHTER ARROWS - "Entirety" (from 'Locktender' split)

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BRIGHTER ARROWS additional links

OMSB/Colin May interview

Bandcamp

Facebook

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CIRCA SURVIVE

Band: CIRCA SURVIVE

Genres: Punk / Prog Rock / Post-Hardcore / Alternative
Related artists: The Sound Of Animals Fighting, Zolof And The Rock & Roll Destroyer, Jeer At Rome, Saosin, This Day Forward, Audience Of One, High And Driving, 200 North, Psychic Babble, Taken and Anthony Green.
Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Years Active: 2004-present
Song: "The Lottery"
Album: "Violent Waves"
Year: 2012
For fans of: The Sound Of Animals Fighting, Saosin, Coheed And Cambria, Moving Mountains, The Mars Volta, (newer) Cave In, Glassjaw, Stephen Brodsky, Little Tyrant, Waxwing, La Parade, (newer) Standstill, Manchester Orchestra, Brand New, Radiohead, Guiltmaker, Muse, The Killers, Anthony Green, Thrice and Canvas.

Label(s): Self Released / Equal Vision Records / Atlantic / Sumerian Records / Music Alternatives
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #6.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

CIRCA SURVIVE. Yep. They've been around for quite some time now (a decade as of this writing) and were talked about in the music world relatively quickly, as Anthony Green was the frontman for Saosin and twas the night before a tour began when he decided to walk away and start a rock outfit with Colin from the recently deceased This Day Forward. Green ditched the screaming for purely melodic tones and it ended up working out really well...most of the time. CIRCA SURVIVE has released quite a bit of material in the ten years they've been together so I will focus on their work from a full length album perspective rather than discussing individual songs or the entire discography, although killer songs will be touched upon.

CIRCA SURVIVE released two albums in 2005, a teaser EP called 'The Inuit Sessions' that housed a few tracks from the the band's first full length record and arguably best release, 'Juturna' as well as the exclusive tracks "Handshakes at Sunrise" and "Suspending Disbelief" which are fantastic songs and worth tracking down if you don't have them. 'Juturna'...holy shit. This stuff is vocally and instrumentally superior to 99% of stuff on the radio that it's actually taxing to listen to. The soaring vocals of Green reach insane pitches during his falsetto jaunts yet retains melodies so infectious you'll have to slather your ears in antibiotics. Although there are quite a few gems here, such as "Holding Someone's Hair Back", "The Great Golden Baby", "Stop the Fuckin' Car", "We're All Thieves", "Oh, Hello", "Always Getting What You Want" and the trippy lullaby "secret track", it's the stupid good songs that I'll quickly discuss in further detail. "Act Appalled" set the bar extremely high very early on in the band's career. This doozy is damn near perfect with angelic vocal melodies and heavier, darker instrumentation that takes the cake as the album's highlight. "In Fear and Faith" comes in a close second, although it is a very different song. It's upbeat but cautious simultaneously. The bass groove and, obviously, Green's vocals steal the show here and the two together have not had this effect since.

'On Letting Go' was a big let down for me, and I assumed the band was on their way out. The sophomore full length, simply put, seemed pretty lazy. There are a few exceptions, but 3:12 isn't a good ratio. Those exceptions are "Living Together", "In the Morning and Amazing" and "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison Is in the Dose" with the latter two being downright excellent songs, especially "In the Morning and Amazing"'s chorus of, "this is wrong, this is wrong, I cannot sleep without the radio on." Although perhaps not the worst album in terms of good songs, I do find this to be the weakest overall release. Fans of the band may disagree with me, though.

2010's 'Blue Sky Noise' took me by surprise and was a darker and more varied journey than 'Juturna' but the vocal melodies and instrumentation were back on track. By the time the second song two rolls in it is quite apparent that this album is truly a different beast, as "Get Out" is a lively song with piercing vocals that trumps anything on the previous LP. "Glass Arrows" may surpass the prior song but track 4's "I Felt Free" is one of my all time favourite CIRCA SURVIVE cuts, as the chorus that first kicks in at 53 seconds is so fucking catchy and brilliant that it's stupid. The line of, "I fell apart in your arms for the last time and I felt free to do what I want because of the things you told me I felt free," is likely to lead you to madness via pleasure. Four more songs finish off the keepers from this LP: "Frozen Creek", "Fever Dreams", "Spirit of the Stairwell" and the fantastic "Imaginary Enemy" on which the vocal melody in the chorus is another jaw dropper and is basically the album's version of "In Fear and Faith". The acoustic versions of "Get Out", "I Felt Free" and "Dyed in the Wool" are worth a listen as well. The band's return to form was a very welcomed one from this camp.

In a surprise move, CIRCA SURVIVE dropped off all of their labels and self released 'Violent Waves' in 2012 with very little press. Although this record houses some great songs, the band's recent inconsistency became apparent with this release. The tracks seem to be either all or nothing in terms of sticking with me, and many didn't stick in a good way but instead stuck out like sore thumbs upon the first listen. That being said, this album deals out quite a few winning hands, the penultimate being track four's "The Lottery". This fucking banger is possibly the best written by the band to date and combines everything amazing about the band but has a heavy The Mars Volta vibe going on. Shit gets real when the chorus extends into the dual vocal back-and-forth at 1:40 that is both mesmerizing and mindboggling. "Sharp Practice" is another really good song that harkens the 'Juturna' era and combines it with spacey, semi-experimental and ever evolving CIRCA SURVIVE. "My Only Friend" has a rollicking good chorus that has Green hitting some great new falsetto territory and combining it with a near cracking of his voice using broken/dispersed patterns that just kill. "Blood From a Stone" is another good song that boasts a tranquil/soothing sound and pace.

Note to all bands everywhere, please don't start your album off with the best song - especially if it's by far the best song. The rest of the album is just a let down. So yeah, 'Denscensus' suffers from this affliction as the opener "Schema" is possibly the band's most aggressive song to date and absolutely rips. The rest of the album doesn't. "Child of the Desert" is pretty good with strong The Mars Volta influences yet again, which means it also sounds like The Sound Of Animals Fighting, "Sovereign Circles" is another track with some oomph and is worth mentioning.

So there's my relatively "short / pretty long" discography review of CIRCA SURVIVE. Regardless of any preconceived notions, this band (or at least certain songs) are definitely worth your time. There aren't many accurate comparisons in terms of bands that sound like CIRCA SURVIVE, so if for some reason you just read all that and are unsure of whether or not to check them out, just jam "The Lottery", "I Felt Free" and/or "Act Appalled" and let the band speak for itself, which will most likely blow you away.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2005 - The Inuit Sessions cd/12"EP (download here)
2005 - Juturna cd/12"LP

2007 - On Letting Go cd/12"LP

2010 - Blue Sky Noise cd/2x12"/12"LP
2010 - B-Sides 7"EP (does anyone have this?)

2011 - Appendage cd/12"EP (does anyone have this?)

2012 - Violent Waves cd/2x12"LP

2014 - Sunny Day Real Estate split 7" (does anyone have this?)

2015 - Descensus cd/2x12"LP
2015 - Juturna: Deluxe Ten Year Edition 2xcd

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(2005) CIRCA SURVIVE - "Handshakes at Sunrise" (from 'The Inuit Sessions')

(2005) CIRCA SURVIVE - "Act Appalled" (from 'Juturna')

(2005) CIRCA SURVIVE - "In Fear and Faith" (from 'Juturna')

(2007) CIRCA SURVIVE - "The Difference Between Medicine and Poison Is in the Dose" (from 'On Letting Go')

(2007) CIRCA SURVIVE - "In the Morning and Amazing" (from 'On Letting Go')

(2010) CIRCA SURVIVE - "I Felt Free" (from 'Blue Sky Noise')

(2010) CIRCA SURVIVE - "Imaginary Enemy" (from 'Blue Sky Noise')

(2012) CIRCA SURVIVE - "The Lottery" (from 'Violent Waves')

(2012) CIRCA SURVIVE - "My Only Friend" (from 'Violent Waves')

(2015) CIRCA SURVIVE - "Schema" (from 'Descensus')

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CIRCA SURVIVE random rare mp3/wma download / additional links

(download here)

Facebook

Website

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BLOODPHEASANT

Band: BLOODPHEASANT

Genres: Punk / Rock / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Alternative / Doom / Grunge / Sludge
Related artists: ?.
Country: Providence, Rhode Island USA
Years Active: 2011-present
Song: "Our Homes and Their Adornments"
Album: "Traum"
Year: 2014
For fans of: Alice In Chains, Black Mountain, Sinking Steps Rising Eyes, Queens Of The Stone Age and Cat Power.

Label(s): Tor Johnson Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #7.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

Let's be honest, BLOODPHEASANT have certainly carved their own sound. If Cat Power fried her style of sad pop music in southern chicken (think Alice In Chains) and threw in a lot of post-hardcore with the occasional screams you might have an idea of what BLOODPHEASANT sounds like. I heard the band name before the band and it almost put me off, but after jamming "The Drought" all of my silly preconceived notions regarding the band evaporated like the morning dew on a farm field. This band is truly a unique entity. My best description is would be eerie, southern sludge rock mixed with post-hardcore with two vocalists, the primary tackling most duties with a calming and beautiful singing voice while the backup male vocals vary from complimentary singing to demonic screams.

From 2011 the band had been developing their sound that was finally unleashed on 2014's 'Traum' LP. The album begins with the instrumental song "A Bird and its Wings" which sets an excellent tone for the album, not heavy per say, but certainly brooding and dark with a touch of southern flare. The fantastic "Our Homes and their Adornments" meanders for a few minutes before whisking up my favourite vocal melodies that begin at 2:30. As stated earlier "The Drought" is another keeper, sounding like Johnny Cash and Queens Of The Stone Age, they hit their absolute stride after three minutes with a chorus/closing of, "I fear not but the demons inside of our hearts when the ground settles." That might be the highlight of the album with a ridiculously epic build that begins the explosion just before 4:20.

The longest song on the record comes next and is probably the closest thing that the band would have to a radio single. "Annette" begins dreamy, trippy and with wavering/echoing vocals with more great lyrics, "Remember father, we watched the sun drop out of the sky. Remember when we felt the world lurch forward. Remember father, we watched the world end, we watched it start again." The next song in this stretch of amazingness is "Wyola" which is by far the heaviest song on the album. It doesn't begin as such, but the bass and other instrumentals build until 2:15 when the dual screaming comes in. That's some heavy ass shit. Finishing off the really good stuff is "Failure", which has been floating around since 2011 and again, employs fantastic sludge rock instrumentals over soaring clean vocals until three minutes in when the guitars get all chuggy and breakdowny...nice! The final three songs, "I Am the One Who Knocks", "Farewell, Viking" and "Fell Short" are all decent but don't have the bite of the earlier tracks but "Farewell, Viking" comes pretty close.

In summary, after an astounding six song beginning the final three tracks lose some steam. I think if the album was ordered in a different way this would alleviate my issue with the close of 'Traum'. I'm really pumped to hear the bands new material. If you have the chance to see them live get on that. I did, reviewed it and posted videos here.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2011 - "Failure" digital demo single (stream/donate/download here)

2013 - Live at AS220 digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)

2014 - Traum cd/12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2014) BLOODPHEASANT - "The Drought" (from 'Traum')

(2014) BLOODPHEASANT - "Our Homes and Their Adornments" (from 'Traum')

(2014) BLOODPHEASANT - "Annette" (from 'Traum')

(2014) BLOODPHEASANT - "Wyola" (from 'Traum')

(2013) BLOODPHEASANT - "A Bird and its Wings" (from 'Live at AS220')

(2011) BLOODPHEASANT - "Failure" (from 'Failure' demo/single)

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BLOODPHEASANT additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

Show review/Live videos

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COMRADE KILKIN

Band: COMRADE KILKIN

Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Doom / Crust / Sludge
Related artists: ?.
Country: Detroit, Michigan USA
Years Active: 2005?
Song: "The Dirty Shirt Party"
Album: "Omission split"
Year: 2005
For fans of: Majority Rule, Examination Of The..., Neurosis, Isis, Tigershark, Circle Takes The Square, Fear Before, Llynch, Locktender, Arbogast, Spires, The Power And The Glory and Fordirelifesake.

Label(s): Rock-Love Rekkids
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #4.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

I'll preface this by saying that this is a "meh" post. I've listed some really great bands in the "for fans of" section and you should know that COMRADE KILKIN pales in comparison to them all, but that doesn't mean this isn't worth a gander, especially if you dig those bands. I've only ever found one split by the band, and that is the 'Omission split' cd. If I were to take LastFM as gospel then the band has at least one more release because there's a fair amount of songs listed there. I did stumble across one youtube video for a song titled "King Fool's Golden Heart" which you can jam here. Alas, this split is really all I got. First, let's take a trip in my time machine because holy shit, I just found this review I wrote on Interpunk written back in 2007:
"Omission would have made me jizz in my pants about 7 years ago. They have a very Strung Out punk/metal style that works well for them, but I have since (5 years ago) moved on. As for Comrade Kilkin, that was why I bought the cd - because I had heard it was Isis-esque. It is ... and isn't. But mostly isn't. Mediocre stoner doom metal with some punk elements, as I think their instrumentals are great but the vocals could use some work. Anyways, an ok split at best. Nice artwork though!"

Let's try that again. So, the three songs. COMRADE KILKIN's side starts with "The Dirty Shirt Party" begins with a very pleasing intro reminiscent of Llynch before delving into the screamy post-hardcore that isn't far off from Majority Rule. The ending of the songs lurches into late Examination Of The... territory with sprawling post-hardcore/post-metal undoubtedly influenced by Neurosis. "All Cretes are Liars" is a much more punk oriented affair with the first half sound like an Arbogast/Strung Out hybrid and the second half exploding like fireworks following a brief but engaging atmospheric/proggy interlude. The closer "A Fly in Marmalade" ties the first two songs together with heavier post-metal leanings and cool prog-rock midsection. The bass is quite prominent here and gives the song a thicker feel. As is my beef with most of the first two songs, the vocals are okay but quite bland. If the singer varied his screaming approach (especially in the higher register) this release might be a completely different story.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2005 - Omission split cd/12"EP (download here)

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(2005) COMRADE KILKIN - "The Dirty Shirt Party" (from 'Omission' split)

(2005) COMRADE KILKIN - "All Cretes are Liars" (from 'Omission' split)

(200?) COMRADE KILKIN - "King Fool's Golden Heart" (from unknown)

embed won't work, click this link to watch on youtube

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COMRADE KILKIN / Omission split download / additional links

(download here)

LastFM

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***OMSB Podcast #5 - Olin Dunleavy aka Friendly Otter Records***

"I listened to screamo as kind of my backbone and my best friend. I moved around a bunch and I didn't really have a consistent best friend, but I did have that Portraits Of Past LP when I was 15, y'know? And I guess that made the difference."
~Olin Dunleavy

Olin is my boy from the US who currently resides in Chicago. He runs Friendly Otter Records. He is a fantastic human being. He also lets loose some huge news about the band called Mans...check it out!

***OMSB Podcast #5 - Olin Dunleavy (Friendly Otter)***

Friendly Otter bandcamp

Friendly Otter store

CROCUS

Band: CROCUS
Genres: Punk / Emo / Screamo / Hardcore / Emo-violence / Skramz 
Related artists: Crows-An-Wra, Goodtime Boys, NO/TIME, Bastions and Svalbard.
Country: Cornwall UNITED KINGDOM
Years Active: 2007-2012
Song: "When Your Own Heart Asks"
Album: "The Worst Kind of Joy is Hope"
Year: 2008
For fans of: Tristan Tzara, Jeanne, Kaospilot, The Ultimate Screamo Band, Manhattan Skyline, Beau Navire, Danse Macabre, Zann, The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra, Orchid, Uwaga, Ampere, Blind Girls, Caitlyn Bailey, Kaddish, Thisismenotthinkingofyou, Forget Me Not, Heiße, PG.99, The Assistant, Maths, We Were Skeletons, Means To An End, Fall Of Troy, Adaje and Eaves aka PROPER SCREAMO.

Label(s): Holy Roar Records / Unlock Yourself Records / We Heart Records / Klangverhältnisse / Small Town Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #11.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

I first heard UK's CROCUS after scouring for Lavotchkin's discography. I heard the CROCUS side and instantly fell in love with the Orchid meets Danse Macabre screamy hardcore.

If you'd like to take a gander at the band's general instrumental style just jam the 1:17 "If Love is Madness, Then I'm Madly in Love With You" which showcases the European (German, in particular) emo-violence guitars that React With Protest Records was well known for in the early 2000s. "This is Pain" has major Eaves and Danse Macabre feels. "All of You" brings newer bands such as Jeanne and Uwaga to mind with extreme heaviness partially offset by great, mathy melodic sections. The 4:37 "You Don't Belong" careens wildly through Orchid and even 90s emo (is that September I hear?) but for the most part lays down crushing screams amidst the choas. "Left to Bruise" is a playful number that is all over the place and brings Forget Me Not and again, Danse Macabre. "Ignorance We Swallow" is a bassfest with some of CROCUS' most mature and memorable songwriting flowing forth in downright awesome fashion and has some Fall Of Troy moments, albeit much grittier and dirtier. "When Your Own Heart Asks" is the penultimate CROCUS track that is infused with an insane amount of German emo-violence/screamo going on and powerful breakdowns...ooo goddamn this track alone will blow your socks off, mates.

I'm just going to stop here and say check that shit out. An often overlooked keeper from Cornwall.

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

2008 - The Worst Kind of Joy is Hope cdEP

2009 - Lavotchkin split cdEP

2012 - Our Memories Dress Me in a Dead Lust cd/12"LP

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(2012) CROCUS - "Left to Bruise" (from 'Our Memories Dress Me in a Dead Lust')

(2012) CROCUS - "You Don't Belong" (from 'Our Memories Dress Me in a Dead Lust')

(2012) CROCUS - "All of You" (from 'Our Memories Dress Me in a Dead Lust')

(2009) CROCUS - "Ignorance We Swallow" (from 'Lavotchkin' split)

(2008) CROCUS - "When Your Own Heart Asks" (from 'The Worst Kind of Joy is Hope')

(2008) CROCUS - "We Must Taste the Inexhaustable" (from 'The Worst Kind of Joy is Hope')

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CROCUS out of print mp3/wma discography download / additional links

(download here)

Facebook

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DOUGLAS

Band: DOUGLAS 

Genres: Punk / Rock / Skate Punk / Hardcore
Related artists: ?.
Country: Wales UNITED KINGDOM
Years Active: 1998-2003, 2012
Song: "Twenty Year Itch"
Album: "Persona"
Year: 1999
For fans of: Adhesive, NOFX, Pennywise, Satanic Surfers, Standoff, Consumed, Frenzal Rhomb, Story So Far, I Hate Myself, 88 Fingers Louie, Turtlehead, Vanilla Pod, Chopper, Jawbreaker and Backside.

Label(s): G.F.Y. Records / Speedowax Records / Boss Tuneage / The 23:59 Label / Gravity Dip
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #8.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

There was once a time when Dave only listened to skate punk. This happened in early 1998 when a friend showed me NOFX's "Vincent" in Science class. Although I am not interested in that style anymore, I am unable to distance myself from the past skate punk bands that meant so much to me all those years ago. One very obscure band was called DOUGLAS. I came across two songs on two separate compilations and was floored. I found a third song on the internet about a decade ago but have yet to stumble upon any other material. Writing the discography section was a little frustrating, as I found out that the band had a bunch of releases, none of which I can find jack shit for. Okay that's not totally true, I found a few randoms on youtube but nothing downloadable.

It's interesting to note that DOUGLAS had early splits with notables Gameface and The Ataris but don't have all that much in common with them besides being very influential to my early punk days in the late 1990s. Although some songs are rather straightforward and forgettable, others are very mature and downright awesome. "Keeping Up" and "Twenty Year Itch" are both amazing skate punk mixed with a sprinkling of I Hate Myself singing. "Keeping Up" was my first introduction to the band via the Serial Killer Compilation and the intro of the vocalist yelling "Rip!" is a fantastic start to the song. The balance of rawness and melody is matched nearly perfectly, with mildy snotty, raspy singing layered over top of relatively unique skate punk instrumentals that dip into rock and other genres at 1:42. "Twenty Year Itch" seems heavily influenced by 88 Fingers Louie and is not your typical skate punk fare, although it is rooted in that - there's just something about it. The band also reminds me of Standoff but much more refined.

From what I can tell the band's later material is much more polished, especially in the vocal department. It sounds okay but I'm biased towards that killer debut LP. I have been completely unsuccessful in my attempts to acquire anything past the three songs I already obtained some 15 years ago. is a youtube link to a nice person who's posted a 14-track mix of DOUGLAS which is home to most of the 'Persona' LP.

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DISCOGRAPHY

1999 - Persona cd/2x7"LP (download 3 songs from the release here)

2000 - Wrists of Fury (split w/Ataris) 7"EP (does anyone have this?!?!)
2000 - Gameface/Pinto split 7" (does anyone have this?!?!)

2001 - Phase II cdEP (does anyone have this?!?!)
2001 - Douglas compilation cdLP (does anyone have this?!?!)

2003 - B is the New Way cdEP (does anyone have this?!?!)

2012 - Deathbed split 7"EP (does anyone have this?!?!)

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(1999) DOUGLAS - "Keeping Up" (from 'Persona')

(1999) DOUGLAS - "Twenty Year Itch" (from 'Persona')

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DOUGLAS additional links

(download 3 songs here)

(stream 14 songs on youtube here)

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TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT

Band: TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT

Genres: Punk / Rock / Post-Punk / Screamo / Hardcore / Experimental / Avant Garde
Related artists: Last Match, Pig Eyes, 8 Days Of Nothing, Chronic Heist, Cryme, Nightvision Campers, Pharadox, The Je Ne Sais Quoi, The Members Of Tinnitus and The Skull Defekts.
Country: Stockholm SWEDEN
Years Active: 2000-2008
Song: "Run, Idiot, Run"
Album: "Trapdoor Fucking Exit"
Year: 2001
For fans of: Lucertulus, Transistor Transistor, JR Ewing, The Blood Brothers, Single Mothers, Vade, Refused, At The Drive In, Abhinanda, ∞ (aka Eight), Trachimbrod, Panthers, The Stooges, Black Flag, Fear Before The March Of Flames, Drive Like Jehu, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Life In Vacuum and The Death Of Anna Karina.

Label(s): No Idea Records / Bridge Of Compassion Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #9.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT hailed from Sweden and played dirty post-punk/hardcore with abrasive, screaming in the punk vein, all slathered in sass. I'll quickly discuss my two favourite songs and then you can take a gander for yourself, and most likely be pleasantly surprised.

I'm gonna spend pretty much all my time talking about the 2001 self titled debut 'Trapdoor Fucking Exit' because it's the only full album I have by the band and from what I've heard of their later material it's also the best. "Run, Idiot, Run" is my fucking jam. It starts out as being the most driving and truly screams early Drive Like Jehu and a few sparks of Refused while building to that awesome chorus that explodes by 1:30 and then slips quickly into Lucertulus, early Transistor Transistor and Vade territory with some interesting and very catchy guitar work. "Run, idiot, run. Run, idiot, run. Run, idiot, run. Run, idiot...RRRRRUUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!" Another awesome song is "Choking on Teeth" which brings to mind quite a few different bands including Single Mothers vocals, Transistor Transistor instrumentals and the general sound of JR Ewing. The bass riff that punctuates the entire song rolls in at 2:05 and reminds me of Abhinanda's better material before sliding into some really great rock'n'roll. Around three minutes the song starts to split at the seams from all that sass that's been building up and then BAM! 3:20 hits and that sexy, bombastic bass riff builds everything back up again. "New Spark", "Plastic Disasters", "30 Hours" and the killer closer "We've Been Hearing About Your Heartbeats" are also worth mentioning because they're really fucking good.

Everything released thereafter, and all of it on No Idea Records, isn't up for streaming or download anywhere that I can find. I don't have the funds to go buy all of the cds so I'll have to hope that someone has the files and can post them. If I ever see the 'Devil's Egg' EP and/or the 'Be Non Content' and 'Crooked Life Straight World' for sale cheap somewhere I'll grab them in a second, but that seems highly unlikely. The only thing I've managed to dig up are a bunch of youtube videos, so I've linked the best ones I've come across. Hopefully someone out there who reads this has the albums and can send them our way! From what I can tell the progression is quite similar to the progression made by JR Ewing (and isn't too far off in the sound department, either) but doesn't boast many clean vocals, although when they do incorporate them they work, which didn't happen with JR Ewing's final LP. Another good comparison would be Drive Like Jehu, but enough talk - just go listen for yourself.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2001 - Trapdoor Fucking Exit cd/12"LP (download here)

2003 - Devil's Egg cd/7"EP (got this? please post it!)

2004 - Be Not Content cd/12"LP (got this? please post it!)

2006 - Crooked Life Straight World cd/12"LP (got this? please post it!)

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(2001) TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT - "Run, Idiot, Run" (from 'Trapdoor Fucking Exit')

(2001) TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT - "Choking on Teeth" (from 'Trapdoor Fucking Exit')

(2001) TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT - "30 Hours" (from 'Trapdoor Fucking Exit')

(2004) TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT - "Automathics" (from 'Be Not Content')

(2006) TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT - "DOA" (from 'Crooked Life Straight World')

(2006) TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT - "Into the Light" (from 'Crooked Life Straight World')

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TRAPDOOR FUCKING EXIT out of print wma/mp3 discography download

(download here)

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EXAMINATION OF THE...

Band: EXAMINATION OF THE... (aka EXAM)

Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Screamo / Hardcore / Thrash / Doom / Emo-violence / Noise
Related artists: Back When, In Loving Memory, Eyes Of Verotika, Caught In The Fall, Vanhelsing, Words Not Spoken, Eclipse Of Eden, Across Tundras, The Spirit Of Versailles, Transpire and The Attica Underground.
Country: Sioux Falls, South Dakota USA
Years Active: 2000-2003
Song: "Black Hair. Black Eyes."
Album: "We are the Architects of Desire"
Year: 2001
For fans of: Buried Inside, Loftus, Craneo, In Loving Memory, .Gif From God, Back When, Spires, Gray Ghost, Loma Prieta, Joshua Fit For Battle, Beau Navire, Crestfallen, Converge, Oktober Skyline, The Ultimate Screamo Band, United Nations, Across Tundras, Disappearer, Neurosis, Caust, Truman, Mara'akate, Neil Perry, Litany For The Whale, Towers, Jeromes Dream and Isis aka PROPER SCREAMO.

Label(s): Forge Again Records / Hawthorne Street Records / Init Records / 605 Recordings
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #2.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

Okay...are you ready? ARE YOU FUCKING READY!?!?!?! Hot damn EXAMINATION OF THE... was the shit. Sharing core members with one of my other favourite bands, Back When (as well as Eyes Of Verotika, Caught In The Fall and The Spirit Of Versailles), they were destined to be posted here sooner or later...I was just waiting for the readership. If you like emo-violence, grindcore, screamo - even post-hardcore and post-metal, this doppleganger went through a shift that will satiate your appetite for each of those genres. Basically what happened was EXAM formed and recorded some emo-violence during 2000-2001. In 2002 they expanded their sound without straying too far from the crazy, early material. In 2003 there was a substantial shift to post-everything, most likely due to extreme Neurosis-itus. The first split 7" with In Loving Memory was a wee bit unorganized and the final LP was overthought - aka they were okay in my books, but that middle material? Holy fuck. Let's go.

I'll be upfront here, 2001's 'We are the Architects of Desire' is a fucking emo-violence masterpiece. Honestly this is an undiscovered gem of amazingness. By the time "Each Lust in Prada" hits the speakers you will probably already be floored and this little ditty will send you straight to the grave. Insane speeds are calculated perfectly with catchy rhythms (albeit a little subtle) which give the chaos some organic grounding but allows the tips to grow completely wild. Bands like Loftus and .Gif From God are excellent comparisons as they both boast controlled screamy vocals, lightning speed and killer breakdowns. "Black Hair. Black Eyes." is my personal favourite from this album as it rolls in with some Neil Perry noodling before laying waste to the speakers at 1:05. The breakdown at 1:14 sells this as one of the best songs I've ever heard. Holy fuck I'm really excited right now. Said breakdown orbits full circle at 1:40 but is pulling some extra weight and it crashes to the ground by the song's 2:25 close. "The Incision and Sweet Taste of Uncertainty" could have been recorded during the same session as Mara'akate's early work when they were mad emo-violence. "Lady Red" closes out the record in typical EXAM fashion with their Back When lineage pretty much reflecting what was done on 'Swords Against the Father' aka my #1 EP of all time.

2002's 'Lady in the Radiator' showed a progression that housed the final heavy/chaotic stuff from the band. The opener "Lelani Ulalume (The Making Prosaic) Part 1" rams the older, screamy style down your throat, but simultaneously does so whilst showing you a very precise mathematical equation. The shifts and ambiance added to the chaos is the stepping stone that the band used to transition into their final record, of which I'm not the fondest. Sticking with the release at hand, the aforementioned "Lelani Ulalume (The Making Prosaic) Part 1" plows through an intense opening and closing that are bridged with a nice, Back When-ish jammy interlude that'll make you feel at least a little bit crazy. This is a great song. The next song "We Are, In Fact, So Ripe" dabbles primarily in EXAMINATION OF THE...'s earlier work with emo-violence and grindcore and does so in fantastic fashion. For this release I think comparisons to Litany For The Whale and later Mara'akate would be quite apt.

'The Whitest of Elephants' made a shift almost identical to the path that Back When was taking at about the same time, post-'We Sang as Ghosts', which wasn't the one I was hoping for, but the last thing any band should do is try to appease anyone other than themselves. The shift was most certainly brought about by the band's love of post-metal sludge aka Neurosis, including the doomy singing that I don't care for one bit. That being said, songs such as "Kicking a Dead Horse Aside" go a full two minutes of heavier, screamy hardcore/post-metal with an emphasis on being fucking massive. After a long buildup (that sounds a lot like Buried Inside meets Isis) it climaxes with "your womb is a graveyard!" until the six-minute mark when shits gets heavy again and reminds me of Spires and Back When all the way up to the end, which stretches itself out to 10:26. "To Anacreon, in Heaven" is another standout from the EP that is worth mentioning. It is only 4:41 in length and acts as a condensed version of the first song, hitting all the right notes that result in a cumulative effect that washes over the listener and creates a cacophonous euphoria. Shit goes ballistic first at 51 seconds in it doesn't really let up until near the end of the song. I'd put this song on par with Back When's "Fraud of Scribes" or even KEN Mode as its unrelenting use of pounding breakdowns harness deafening force rather than lightning speed.

So, to recap, download the discography I've posted here and improve your life.

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

2001 - We are the Architects of Desire cd/12"LP
2001 - In Loving Memory split 7"EP

2002 - Lady in the Radiator cd/12"EP

2003 - The Whitest of Elephants cdLP

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(2001) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "Black Hair. Black Eyes" (from 'We are the Architects of Desire')

(2001) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "Each Lust in Prada" (from 'We are the Architects of Desire')

(2001) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "A Feeling is Always/Never" (from 'We are the Architects of Desire')

(2001) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "She's No Stitch" (from 'In Loving Memory' split)

(2002) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "We Are, In Fact, So Ripe" (from 'The Lady in the Radiator')

(2002) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "Lelani Ulalume (The Making Prosaic) Part 1" (from 'The Lady in the Radiator')

(2003) EXAMINATION OF THE... - "Kicking a Dead Horse Aside" (from 'The Whitest of Elephants')

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EXAMINATION OF THE... out of print mp3 discography download / additional links

(download here)

LastFM

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THE END

Band: THE END

Genres: Punk / Math Metal / Metalcore / Hardcore / Experimental / Noise
Related artists: Mare.
Country: Mississauga, Ontario CANADA
Years Active: 1999-2007
Song: "Her (Inamorata)"
Album: "Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient"
Year: 2001
For fans of: Mare, Between The Buried And Me, Ion Dissonance, Dillinger Escape Plan, Into The Moat, The Love And Terror Cult, Protest The Hero, Knut, Meshugga, Buried Inside, Achilles, Rosetta, Psyopus, Jude The Obscure, Engineer, Warsaw Was Raw and Misery Signals.

Label(s): Relapse Records / Re-define Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #12.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

Imagine Mare going for chaos and speed instead of lush, evil layers. Imagine The Dillinger Escape Plan from 'Calculating Infinity' era and remove some of the insanity and replace it with deep, echoing sludge. That's what I take away from listening to one of Mississauga's best bands, THE END. It's not smooth, fluid and climactic like Isis and Amber, this is jarring, uncomfortable, and at times a stimulus overload.

After releasing the 'Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient' LP back in 2001 they hooked the ears of Relapse Records who reissued the 6 song breakthrough record. This shows the band at their best, combining pummeling rhythms and vocals as per Ion Dissonance and Into The Moat with Mare's hard to define jazz influence. This is definitely the release I enjoy the most and I think it's primarily because of those gutteral, crazy ass vocals

Before releasing 'Within Dividia' in 2003 the band had a growing reputation of putting on an utterly destructive live show. The release itself is an onslaught of double bass, hardcore dripping with liquid metal. The vocals are a little on the higher side of screaming, while the first LP dealt out a myriad of emanations, especially on the lower end. The song structures themselves are faster and sound more akin to bands like Achilles and Engineer. I like this album but there aren't any songs that hit me the way the debut does.

The band's final album was too metal for me (and also included some decent clean vocals, but not enough to save it for me) so I'm not going to discuss it, save that I listened to it right before posting this and it kinda bored me. That being said I always liked THE END, but didn't love them. Those emotions were directed solely at Mare.

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DISCOGRAPHY

1999 - Demo EP (does anyone have this? if so please post it!)

2001 - Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient cdLP (stream/buy here)

2003 - Within Dividia cd/12"LP (stream/buy here)

2007 - Elementary cd/12"LP (stream/buy here)

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(2001) THE END - "Her (Inamorata)" (from 'Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient')

(2001) THE END - "Opalescence II" (from 'Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient')

(2003) THE END - "Fetesque" (from 'Within Dividia')

(2003) THE END - "Orthodox Unparalleled" (from 'Within Dividia')

(2003) THE END - 'Elementary' full album stream on youtube

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THE END additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

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