Zegema Beach Records just released the new 'Zampler #8 - I'm Doing My Part' and here is the premiere! 25 tracks, 14 unreleased songs aand a donation based download. Hot damn, you can't get much better than that. Start your 2017 off right with this unreal compilation from ZBR. Happy new year, readers. My advice for 2017, fuck the system and all authority figures. Fuck the government. Fuck the economy. Fuck racism, nationalism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. This year will likely be horrendous so if we don't act together to make the world a better place our children are going to die.
Saturday, 31 December 2016
Friday, 30 December 2016
RANDY
Band: RANDY
Genres: Punk / Skate Punk / Melodic Hardcore / Indie Rock / Garage RockRelated artists: The Hives, Asterisk*, The Lost Patrol, Franky Lee, Heffa Klump and Stacs Of Stamina.
Country: Hortlax SWEDEN
Years Active: 1992-present?
Song: "Now and Forever"
Album: "You Can't Keep a Good Band Down"
Year: 1999
For fans of: Choke, Satanic Surfers, Propagandhi, Tricky Woo, Jet, Gob, Osker, Venerea, Cigar, Millencolin, Raised By Apes, Donuts n' Glory, Belvedere, Captain Everything!, Adhesive, Astream, Diesel Boy, Dynamite Boy, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Abhinanda and The Hives.
Label(s): Fat Wreck Chords / Burning Heart Records / Epitaph Records / Ny Våg / Ampersand Records / Dolores Records / Jimco Records / Victor / Rugger Bugger Discs / Locomotive Music / G7 Welcoming Committee / Inya Face Records / Cage Match Federation / Startrec / Stereodrive! Records / Tralla Records / Busted Heads Records / Must...Destroy!!
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #7.
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #7.
RANDY was a band that I was in love with from 1998 to 1999. The Swedish skate punk turned indie rock band boasted two vocalists and very mature songwriting from a lyrical perspective as well as an uncanny ability to create insanely memorable songs with biting, introspective, political and socially conscious messages.
The band's early material, aka the debut 'There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In', doesn't do anything for me and is the adolescent version of what was refined and perfected on 'The Rest is Silence' with a fantastic mixture of lightning fast skate punk with some melodic hardcore and metal influence. I happened across this gem in a Barrie punk shop when visiting high school friend's cottage in late 1998 after being unable to find it at local cd stores for months. The band explained that they had attempted to write the fastest skate punk album ever, and preceded Canadian legend Choke's 1999 masterpiece 'Forward' by three years. The lyrics are overwhelmingly political and delivered in a nearly shoved-down-your-throat kind of manner, but considering I agree with pretty much all they sing about it's no bigee. "At Any Cost" is punk rock perfection with crunchy, melodic palm muting and extremely political lyrics that really gets going after the one-minute mark. It's really fucking catchy and I find myself singing along every time I listen and was most likely the last song they wrote for this record. "Where Our Heart Is" was my first introduction to the band, most likely via the G7 comps. It opens with fingertapping craziness and moves into typical skate punk RANDY afterwards, weaving the metal gods in now and again. On "Kiss Me Deadly" there's an awesome part of this cover of Lita Ford's original where "job" becomes "yob", and this is actually a really fucking good cover and I find myself singing along every fucking time. P.S. the ending sounds like Adam Sandler joined the band in the studio. "Whom to Blame" is a pretty damn epic song for RANDY and the obvious choice for the album's finale. It has a darker tone to it and the finale has a wicked breakdown with some hilariously yet well placed vocals.
'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down' was released in 1999 and was a huge turn for the band as they went for riffy indie rock as opposed to their lightning quick skate punk. The second track "Little Toulouse" is hella catchy and was made into a music video (which seems to have been pulled from youtube), with it being very obvious that RANDY had shed their punk skin (musically speaking) and adopted a rock persona instead. "The Exorcist" great lyrics albeit perhaps a bit cheesy in retrospect while "Me and the Boys" is a rock ready riff factory and would be a fitting drunken raw raw song. "Epidemic Ignorance" is probably the catchiest and most 70s stadium rock oriented song that the band Jet must have heard early on in their career and then cloned it, although I think I may be the first to have pointed this out. "Superstar" is another catchy as fuck song that should have been a single but the lyrics would have angered the entire pop industry. "They Fear Us" is a fantastic song and the intro was what my brother and Luke Hoskin from Protest The Hero used to dance to in our basement. "You are What You Fight For" is a very relevant song right now, and the bass is great along with those beautifully layered dual vocals that close out the song and can be heard again on "Now and Forever". Closer "Working Class Radio" could be used in a punk rock broadway play, whatever the hell that means.
RANDY then went garage rock and at that point (2000+) I was getting hard into Hopesfall, The Blood Brothers and screamo in general so I cut ties with the band. Check it out if you liked the direction they were going but itching for lo-fi recordings.
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DISCOGRAPHY
1993 - No Carrots for the Rehabilitated & More cdEP/minicdLP
1994 - There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In cdLP (download here)
1994 - Ska EP cd/7"EP
1995 - Refused Loves Randy split cdEP (w/Refused)
1995 - Education for Unemployment cdEP
1996 - The Rest is Silence cd/12"LP (download here)
1996 - At Any Cost cdEP
1998 - Out of Nothing Comes Nothing 7"picdiscEP
1999 - You Can't Keep a Good Band Down cd/12"LP (download here)
2001 - The Human Atom Bombs cd/12"LP
2001 - I'm Stepping Out 7"EP
2001 - I Don't Need Love cdEP
2001 - Summer of Bros cdEP
2002 - The Heebie Jeebies 7"EP
2002 - Cheater cd/7"/10"EP
2003 - Welfare Problems cd/12"LP
2004 - X-Ray Eyes cd/7"EP
2005 - Randy The Band cd/12"LP
2005 - Razorblade cdEP/dvd
(1999) RANDY - "Now and Forever" (from 'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down')
(1999) RANDY - "Epidemic Ignorance" (from 'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down')
(1999) RANDY - "Superstar" (from 'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down') official music video
(1996) RANDY - "Whom to Blame" (from 'The Rest is Silence')
(1996) RANDY - "Where Our Heart Is" (from 'The Rest is Silence')
(1996) RANDY - "At Any Cost" (from 'The Rest is Silence')
(1994) RANDY - "Education for Unemployment, Lesson 1" (from 'There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In')
(1994) RANDY - "Humanalogism" (from 'There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In')
1994 - Ska EP cd/7"EP
1995 - Refused Loves Randy split cdEP (w/Refused)
1995 - Education for Unemployment cdEP
1996 - The Rest is Silence cd/12"LP (download here)
1996 - At Any Cost cdEP
1998 - Out of Nothing Comes Nothing 7"picdiscEP
1999 - You Can't Keep a Good Band Down cd/12"LP (download here)
2001 - The Human Atom Bombs cd/12"LP
2001 - I'm Stepping Out 7"EP
2001 - I Don't Need Love cdEP
2001 - Summer of Bros cdEP
2002 - The Heebie Jeebies 7"EP
2002 - Cheater cd/7"/10"EP
2003 - Welfare Problems cd/12"LP
2004 - X-Ray Eyes cd/7"EP
2005 - Randy The Band cd/12"LP
2005 - Razorblade cdEP/dvd
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(1999) RANDY - "Now and Forever" (from 'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down')
(1999) RANDY - "Epidemic Ignorance" (from 'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down')
(1999) RANDY - "Superstar" (from 'You Can't Keep a Good Band Down') official music video
(1996) RANDY - "Whom to Blame" (from 'The Rest is Silence')
(1996) RANDY - "Where Our Heart Is" (from 'The Rest is Silence')
(1994) RANDY - "Education for Unemployment, Lesson 1" (from 'There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In')
(1994) RANDY - "Humanalogism" (from 'There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In')
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RANDY additional links
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Wednesday, 28 December 2016
BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE
Band: BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / NoiseRelated artists: Raccoon Eyes, DBLSTANDRDS, Gun Control, Senpai Suicide Club, Winnower, Lo Tek Dolphin Hackers Of The Newark Underground, White Nothings, Black Tortoise, Neon Annex, Ex-Maoist and Dog Thermos.
Country: Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA
Years Active: 2015-present
Song: "Nü Jersey"
Album: "3-Way split"
Year: 2016
For fans of: Terrifying Girls High School, René Descartes, Innards, Mara'akate, Racebannon, Tunes For Bears To Dance To, Deers!, The Blood Brothers, Single Mothers, I Hate Sex, Crippled Children, Daughters, Kelut, The Encyclopedia Of American Traitors and Flowers Taped To Pens aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Emocat Records / Never Better Records / damnfinetapes!
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #2.
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #2.
BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE are a newer Canadian screamo band with ties to many other projects and two labels. They play jarring, rabid, untamed, sassy and screamy hardcore that seems to have a schizophrenic mind of its own.
The band's first release was 2015's 'Scene 14' which is seven raw, spastic and acidic tracks that have some really cool parts but as a whole lacks cohesion. These slight qualms I have were amended on future recordings, in my opinion. Upon writing this review I realized that this EP has been taken down from the BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE page so I've uploaded for download here. Opener "not bad for a human" is a discordant and screamy romp through lo-fi recordings beamed back in time from the future. The closest comparison I can think of is The Locust meets Innards. "hedonistic imperative" isn't far from experimental east-Asia meets screamo. "the bloodless world of vegetables" is super chill and gives off a hazy, drug-induced trip aura that, although different, doesn't do a whole lot for me. "sarchosuchus! (took my hand)" is like a mixture of The Blood Brothers and Single Mothers and closer "if you're here to dance...pt.1-3" is a jangly, loose and dizzying amalgamation of short tracks that reminds me a little of Clancy Six spliced with Drive Like Jehu and Dinosaur Jr.
2016 was the coming out year for BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, says I. It wasn't until the premiere of their '3-way split' tape with I Hate Sex and Algae Bloom that I decided to review them on this blog. With only two songs, this release is (surprisingly) the ultimate BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE release. Why? Oh, okay. "Unrequited Love! The North Pole Aurora" is an epic banger that touches on a ton of different genres and shows the evolution and experimental risk-taking that is making the members much more confident, and in turn they write much better music. The intro builds for almost a minute with a repeating, echoing riff that meets up with some intense screaming post-one minute from more than one person. By 1:33 the song hits on all cylinders and is reminiscent of mid-2000 greats Tunes For Bears To Dance To. On the other hand we also have "Nü Jersey" which is crazy, short, rabid and chaotic burst with a catchy as fuck riff that screams Mara'akate. The new BLACK KNIGHT 'split with Cyclamen' was sent to me via Emocat Records and is a very solid release. "Space Graveyard Deathshadow" showcases more awkward/jarring guitars and rhythms and is like a revision and extension of "Nü Jersey", while "Crust Issues" is a venomous spit in the listener's face and "Saturday Crush" closes the EP with a bouncy yet spacey trip through lose-your-mind screamsville.
It is also worth nothing that Ill Goth, Kitty On Fire Records, Emocat Records are all run by members of BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, which helps show the passion and commitment that they have for music and people who make it. Keep it up, y'all. Here is a short blurb from Miggy about the latter two labels:
"The companies share similar business models in that we do everything DIY and independent while sharing as much profit with our artists as possible. All albums and tracks are free to download and we make tapes and CDs to order and ship them internationally."
"The companies share similar business models in that we do everything DIY and independent while sharing as much profit with our artists as possible. All albums and tracks are free to download and we make tapes and CDs to order and ship them internationally."
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DISCOGRAPHY
2015 - Scene 14 digitalEP (download here)
2016 - 3-Way split cassetteEP (w/I Hate Sex and Algae Bloom) (stream/donate/download here)
2016 - Cyclamen split cassetteEP (stream/donate/download here)
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(2016) BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE - "Space Graveyard Deathshadow" (from 'Cyclamen' split)
(2016) BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE - "Nü Jersey" (from '3-Way' split)
(2016) BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE - "Unrequited Love! The North Pole Aurora" (from '3-Way' split)
(2015) BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE - "not bad for a human" (from 'Scene 14')
(2015) BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE - "sarchosuchus! (took my hand)" (from 'Scene 14')
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BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE out of print mp3 discography download / additional links
'Scene 14' mp3 album (download here)
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Tuesday, 27 December 2016
RITUAL MESS
Band: RITUAL MESS
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / ThrashRelated artists: Orchid, Ampere, Longings, Bucket Full Of Teeth, Panthers, Wolves, Dweller On The Threshold, Kindling, Landing, The Last Forty Seconds, All I Ask, Absolute Power, Demonbrother, Failures, Laceration, No Faith, Succumb, Vaccine, Won't Belong and Violent Bullshit.
Country: Amherst, Massachusetts USA
Years Active: 2012-2014
Song: "Actualize the Taste"
Album: "Vile Art"
Year: 2014
For fans of: Orchid, Since By Man, Panthers, Ampere, Swing Kids, Kabul Golf Cart, Blacklisters, Wolves, JR Ewing, Caitlyn Bailey, Heroin, Antioch Arrow, Angel Hair, Clikatat Ikatowi and Teenage Swoon aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Clean Plate Records / Adagio830 / Ritual Music
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #8.
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #8.
In the off chance that you've been living under a rock the last few years and are a fan of Orchid, you'll be beyond ecstatic to know that the majority of the band reunited as musicians (not Orchid) and released twice as the entity that is RITUAL MESS. The 'Ritual Mess' 7" on Clean Plate Records (Will's label) dropped in 2012 to myself and quite a few others being ecstatic beyond belief with the material. These three songs showed that the individuals who comprised RITUAL MESS were not looking for acceptance, compliance and closure because the EP is acidic, angry and volatile as fuck, with tracks such as "F+" and "Pig Island" both being prime examples, exploding overhead quickly and without warning in only a minute and a half.
I'm not too sure if RITUAL MESS will be doing anything else, but my guess is that they are on hiatus until everything lines up and then maybe they'll do something, so I won't hold my breath. For now, grab the discography (here) or support the band by picking up their 12" (here), read the Will Killingsworth interview we did with the iconic guitar player, (here) and then immerse yourself in Forme Un Leere's Jayson Green interview (here). Both interviews are from 2016 and therefore quite relevant!
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2012 - Ritual Mess 7"EP (stream/buy here)
2014 - Vile Art 12"LP (stream/buy here) [buy 12" here] ON SALE!!!
(2014) RITUAL MESS - "Actualize the Taste" (from 'Vile Art')
(2014) RITUAL MESS - "Ritual Blood Pact" (from 'Vile Art')
(2014) RITUAL MESS - "Wasting" (from 'Vile Art')
(2012) RITUAL MESS - "F+" (from 'Ritual Mess')
(2012) RITUAL MESS - "Pig Island" (from 'Ritual Mess')
2014 - Vile Art 12"LP (stream/buy here) [buy 12" here] ON SALE!!!
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(2014) RITUAL MESS - "Actualize the Taste" (from 'Vile Art')
(2014) RITUAL MESS - "Ritual Blood Pact" (from 'Vile Art')
(2014) RITUAL MESS - "Wasting" (from 'Vile Art')
(2012) RITUAL MESS - "F+" (from 'Ritual Mess')
(2012) RITUAL MESS - "Pig Island" (from 'Ritual Mess')
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RITUAL MESS out of print mp3 discography download / additional links
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Monday, 26 December 2016
WE WATCH CLOUDS
Band: WE WATCH CLOUDS
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Emotive Hardcore / Screamo / Emo-violence / SkramzRelated artists: Potlatch, Don't Fuck With Columbus and SRVVL.
Country: Warsaw POLAND
Years Active: 2014-present
Song: "birds will shit over your bleeding gums"
Album: "Unclassified"
Year: 2015
For fans of: June Paik, Neil Perry, Ravin, Storm The Bastille, Tristan Tzara, Loma Prieta, Colored Moth, Crowning, Capacities, Foxmoulder, Callow, Cassilis, The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra, Brume Retina, Potence, Orchid, Joshua Fit For Battle, Annakarina, Carrion Spring, Yotsuya Kaidan, Ruined Families, Cease Upon The Capitol, Republic Of Dreams, Thisismenotthinkingofyou, The Usual, Swan Of Tuonela, City Of Caterpillar and Eyelet aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released / Zegema Beach Records
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #9.
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #9.
I'm still not really sure how I found out about WE WATCH CLOUDS, but I'm damn sure I did. The Polish band plays dark screamo with sludgy, metallic and emo-violence influences noted throughout. After releasing a stellar digital debut EP 'Unclassified' in early 2015, they followed up with an excellent split with Escapism and have laid low in 2016, acquiring a new bassist and focusing on heavier, more chaotic compositions. In 2017 the band release a new EP with Zegema Beach Records that should be out late summer and may or may not be on a split. I have been told the newer material has a much more "Neil Perry and Joshua Fit For Battle" vibe so I'm basically losing my mind over here.
The 'Unclassified' EP is great, with opener and aptly titled "intro" building an excellent atmosphere in line with June Paik and Neil Perry with an explosive finish that begins about 50 seconds in and is over by 1:30. "birds will shit over your bleeding gums" was my choice for the blog mix and opens with fantastic drums and dual vocals that remind me most of Republic Of Dreams and a little Thisismenotthinkingofyou. The slowdown at one minute is beautifully timed and has strong Cease Upon The Capitol vibe to it. A final note on this is the inclusion of Steve Carrel's quotes from The Office which show up on here and on at least one other track. "olmo caraestaca" is next and is three minutes of a hazy nightmare in post-hardcore form, a cool tangent for a band that generally tears it up in terms of speed and aggression. "see you in antwerp" is pretty scathing in the vocal department and again reminds me of a slightly less intense Republic Of Dreams while "picking up girls at parties talking about real emo" begins slowly and seems like it will topple but never quite does and bears strong resemblances to Baltimore's The Usual aka pre-Eyelet. "milford cubicle" begins like an insanely sexy mixture of Swan Of Tuonela, Viva Belgrado mixed with City Of Caterpillar and it is truly wonderful. The swirling guitars weave a massive structure intertwined with multiple thorns of passionate screaming. Fucking hell this is amazing! Closer "wanna come over and listen to my drone vinyls?" is a tense and nervous romp through the noisier and more experimental side of the band.
In late 2015 WE WATCH CLOUDS dropped three songs on a split with Escapism, opening with "Tom Curse" which has a killer, cavernous breakdown that starts at 1:06 and carries the song through the remaining 56 seconds. Sophomore song "Michael Moore" is a slow builder, much like my personal favourite "milford cubicle", which rides slowly through an eerie, pounding and foggy stretch of post-hardcore and screamo. This lush intro provides an excellent transition at 2:02 as the song shifts into phase two and begins to accumulate and expand until the imminent explosion at 3:12. "Andy Wormhole" ends the split in a short and powerful whirlwind of awesomeness. This release is recorded a little more on the wall of sludge side and a little lo-fi but everything comes across nicely, with the band reaching for some more gutteral screaming than on the preceding EP.
A song from WE WATCH CLOUDS will be included on the upcoming Zampler #8 compilation released January 1st, 2017. Check back in March and April on Zegema Beach Records and the band's Facebook page for more news!
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DISCOGRAPHY
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(2016) WE WATCH CLOUDS - live video of new song #1
(2016) WE WATCH CLOUDS - live video of new song #2
(2015) WE WATCH CLOUDS - "intro" (from 'Unclassified')
(2015) WE WATCH CLOUDS - "Michael Moron" (from 'Escapism' split)
(2015) WE WATCH CLOUDS - "Tom Curse" (from 'Escapism' split)
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WE WATCH CLOUDS additional links
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Sunday, 25 December 2016
EXPLORATION, THE
Band: THE EXPLORATION
Genres: Punk / Indie Rock / Emo / Alternative / AmbientRelated artists: Oliver Houston and Xerxes.
Country: Grand Rapids, Michigan USA
Years Active: 2009-2015
Song: "Meeting"
Album: "For Cabana"
Year: 2013
For fans of: Oliver Houston, The Advantage, Native, Mouse Fitzgerald, I Love Your Lifestyle, American Football, Dakota/Dakota, Piglet, Clever Girl, This Town Needs Guns, Tottoro, Tera Melos, La Dispute and The Reptilian.
Label(s): Self Released / Too Far Gone Records / Quiet Year Records / Fawning Records / Driftwood Records
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #6.
This post's artist is from the December 2016 Mix. This is track #6.
When I first started out as a label I traded with a few labels, some which I still fully support and others that have imploded as a catalyst of their owners' terrible decisions as human beings. Regardless, I was introduced to a killer band through a trade with a US label that no longer operates. In early 2014 I nabbed five copies of THE EXPLORATION's 'For Cabana' 7" because out of the twenty bands I had the option to trade with on the label, this was the only one I enjoyed. The band played stripped down indie rock mated with twinkly, dreamy and tappy as fuck emo music. Here is a brief history, from what I know.
In 2009 the band released a four song demo titled 'Basement Demos' and apparently people lost their collective shit for almost half of a decade before the band finally started dropping more releases, including the 'For Cabana' 7" and tape as well as the 'Demography' cassette. On that debut cdr the recording quality may be lo-fi but everything comes out nice, balanced and raw with the keeper here being "The Ocean" with its awesome guitars and strained yells. The 'Demography' tape was released in 2013 and includes the 'Basement Demos' as well as six other songs, with "An Ending" being my personal favourite with an eerie, dreamlike aura that makes everything feel slightly hazy and as if in slow motion. The 'For Cabana' EP was their final release and came out on 7" in 2013 and cassette in 2015. This EP is an excellent final release, including the best version of "Meeting", which happens to be my favourite THE EXPLORATION song, and three others including the bouncy as hell "Nostalgical" that is an instant headbobber.
While on, or perhaps even during, their 2015 tour in the US and Canada I was able to capture an entire seven-song set in Toronto on March 13th (linked here) just a few days before they broke up and formed the mathy emo/pop-punk band Oliver Houston.
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DISCOGRAPHY
2009 - Basement Demos cdEP (stream/donate/download here)
2013 - For Cabana cassette/7"EP (stream/donate/download here)
2013 - Demography cassetteLP (stream/donate/download here)
(2015) THE EXPLORATION - "I'm Sorry I'm Leaving" live video
(2015) THE EXPLORATION - "The Ocean" live video
(2013) THE EXPLORATION - "Meeting" (from 'For Cabana')
(2013) THE EXPLORATION - "Nostalgical" (from 'For Cabana')
(2013) THE EXPLORATION - "An Ending" (from 'Demography')
(2009) THE EXPLORATION - "The Ocean" (from 'Basement Demos')
(2009) THE EXPLORATION - "I Guess I'm Leaving" (from 'Basement Demos')
2013 - For Cabana cassette/7"EP (stream/donate/download here)
2013 - Demography cassetteLP (stream/donate/download here)
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(2015) THE EXPLORATION - "I'm Sorry I'm Leaving" live video
(2015) THE EXPLORATION - "The Ocean" live video
(2013) THE EXPLORATION - "Meeting" (from 'For Cabana')
(2013) THE EXPLORATION - "Nostalgical" (from 'For Cabana')
(2013) THE EXPLORATION - "An Ending" (from 'Demography')
(2009) THE EXPLORATION - "The Ocean" (from 'Basement Demos')
(2009) THE EXPLORATION - "I Guess I'm Leaving" (from 'Basement Demos')
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THE EXPLORATION additional links
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Friday, 23 December 2016
RUTKA LASKIER
Band: RUTKA LASKIER
Genres: Punk / Emo / Emotive Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Post-Metal / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Prog / Atmospheric / NoiseRelated artists: ?.
Country: Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou, Znojmo, Brno CZECH REPUBLIC
Years Active: 2014-present
Song: "Zničit - Změnit - Stavět"
Album: "EP/LP"
Year: 2015
For fans of: Old Soul, Nic (aka ██████), Daïtro, Angel Eyes, Swan Of Tuonela, City Of Caterpillar, Sed Non Satiata, They Sleep We Live, ∞, Evylock, Funeral Diner, ...Who Calls So Loud, Potence, Envy, Ravelin 7 and Yarostan aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released
This post's artist is from the November 2016 Mix. This is track #1.
This post's artist is from the November 2016 Mix. This is track #1.
Rutka Laskier sas a 14 year old who kept a diary for three weeks at Auschwitz before being murdered which you can read about here. Based on the child's name, the band RUTKA LASKIER hails from the Czech Republic and was first introduced to me by Jimmy of Old Soul via this podcast (linked here). He showed me "Chápat - Ucit Se - Milovat" and I was intrigued but not blown away although after downloading it and jamming it a few times, however, I shit my pants. Their first proper release came in mid-2015 with 'EP/LP', an apt title for this album with a very fringe length that weaves dreamy, atmospheric and explosive screamo/post-rock - think Old Soul meets Daïtro.
On 'EP/LP' opener "Den Za Snem" toys with the listener during the first two minutes, as they build tension using extremely sparse ambient noise, but after that the accumulating tide reaches the shore and will likely have you bobbing along to the spacey and rolling post-hardcore/screamo that wobbles back and forth between melody and chaos. Despite its awesomeness, track one also happens to be the worst song on the record. "Chápat - Ucit Se - Milovat" follows and incorporates minimal instrumentals again to start, instead opting for birds and then a dreamy, almost 80s sounding build that injects some tappy fingers and is fanfuckingtastic. At 2:14 the song hits full force, sounding much akin to France's Daïtro and by 3:20 the band gets pretty heavy which is reminiscent to Envy's 2000-ish material which extends almost until the 6:39 finish. "Zničit - Změnit - Stavět" is the shortest song, weighing in at 4:16 but also has the sickest fucking intro, jesus unholy christ. The dark and brooding guitars are minimal but effective as all hell as the song begins kinda like some Swan Of Tuonela material before the 1:24 mark when the bands get pretty goddamned screamy and drop the atmospheric/ambient cloak for a short time but take it up again right before two minutes. Closer "Toužit - Smát Se - Nežít" again opens with noise for the first minute and then delves deeply into dirty European screamo/hardcore like Potence. By two minutes we are back in lulling post-rock territory with a beautifully constructed midsection that brings Old Soul to mind and pretty much brings this review around full circle.
Well, not completely I guess. In January of 2015 they released their debut song/release titled "Bordel Tour" which clocks in at average RUTKA LASKIER length (about seven minutes) and is laced with much more of a chill vibe and includes instrumentals that remind me of Red Sparowes and Pelican on downers with zero vocals.
Hmmmmm, it is probably also worth nothing that RUTKA LASKIER has recorded two new songs, one of which will appear on the upcoming Zampler #8 on January 1st, barring any mastering setbacks. I'm not 100% sure what will happen with the two songs but Zegema Beach will nearly certainly be involved.
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DISCOGRAPHY
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(2015) RUTKA LASKIER - "Zničit - Změnit - Stavět" (from 'EP/LP')
(2015) RUTKA LASKIER - "Toužit - Smát Se - Nežít" (from 'EP/LP')
(2015) RUTKA LASKIER - "Chápat - Ucit Se - Milovat" (from 'EP/LP')
(2015) RUTKA LASKIER - "Tour Video 1" from Ravelin 7 tour
(2015) RUTKA LASKIER - "Tour Video 2" from Ravelin 7 tour
(2015) RUTKA LASKIER - "Bordel Tour" (from 'Bordel Tour')
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RUTKA LASKIER additional links
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Thursday, 22 December 2016
UZIEL
Band: UZIEL
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Math Metal / Metalcore / Grind / Metal / Black Metal / ThrashRelated artists: Soreness, Shorebreak, Aiguilles, Applied Asturias, Bèstia Ferida, Homenatges, Les Aus, Omega Cinco, Vactor, Veiled, Lords Of Bukkake and Refraining.
Country: Barcelona SPAIN
Years Active: 1998-2004
Song: "Goodbye"
Album: "Pulse"
Year: 2003
For fans of: The Love And Terror Cult, Von Wolfe, Botch, Tentacles, Crestfallen, (early) Curl Up And Die, Campaign Committee, Officer Jones And His Patrol Car Problems, Fall Silent, Crrust, Ed Gein, Zao, Vein, Euth, Every Time I Die, Converge, Harlots, Robinson, Owen Hart and The Abandoned Hearts Club.
Label(s): Underhill Records
This post's artist is from the November 2016 Mix. This is track #4.
This post's artist is from the November 2016 Mix. This is track #4.
I can't for the life of me figure out exactly how I came across the Barcelona mathy metalcore band UZIEL. I think someone who read the blog back in the early days of 2013 sent it to me and I spent the last few years dabbling here and there without really investing my full effort into listening. A few months back I decided it was time to post them and started jamming the record again. Wooooooah nelly, what was I missing the first time? UZIEL hit me in all the right ways and I realized quickly that they sound very similar in many respects to awesome bands such as The Love And Terror Cult, Crestfallen, Curl Up And Die, The Abandoned Hearts Club as well as the almighty Botch. The very dancey, almost sassy metalcore is best exemplified on their final recording titled 'Pulse' which came out a decade before I had assumed, way back in 2003.
'Pulse' opens with the exceptional "Goodbye" with some fantastic, mathy and rolling breakdowns at 38 seconds, 1:04 and another at 1:58, all slathered in venomous screams that aren't far from Ed Gein and The Great Redneck Hope territory. "Martyr" is a slower and darker song that topples like a prodigious landslide and includes quite a few Curl Up And Die sections, while "Deaf Man" really brings Von Wolfe's mathy material to mind but is much more menacing. The title track "Pulse" is also a banger, as is the instrumental tangent named "Come Back Home Track". There are another few songs on here, all good at the very least.
I have acquired the LP and split EP with Hopeful but have yet to stumble across the 2000 material aka the split with Nous and The Kill, Kill, Kill Compilation 7". I have posted the 2001 to 2003 material right here but if you have the early stuff please upload it for everyone.
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2000 - The Collection Series cdLP (split w/Nous)
2000 - The Kill, Kill, Kill Compilation. 7"EP comp (contributed "End of the Light")
2001 - The Collection Series III cdEP (split w/Hopeful)
2003 - Pulse cdLP
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(2003) UZIEL - "Goodbye" (from 'Pulse')
(2003) UZIEL - "Deaf Man" (from 'Pulse')
(2003) UZIEL - "Goodbye" live video
(2001) UZIEL - "Seize Control" (from 'Hopeful' split)
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UZIEL out of print 2001-2003 mp3 discography download / additional links
(download here)
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Tuesday, 20 December 2016
***THE WORLD THAT SUMMER Tour Diary - Day #1 + EYELET exclusive interview***
THE WORLD THAT SUMMER - Day #1
Date: September 21st, 2016
Location: @Doors: Taco Joint & Metal Bar in Hamilton, Ontario
Players: Eyelet, Foxmoulder, The World That Summer and Wimp City
Genres covered: punk, emo, screamo, emo-violence, hardcore, post-punk, post-hardcore, post-metal
Interview with:
EYELET
EYELET spent the night prior at my house following the Toronto show. Late the next afternoon we sat down for almost half an hour and discuss the history of the band, influences and a bunch of other shit. I've thrown in some sweet live footage every 3-6 minutes or so cuz they killed it live right after we finished this interview. Thanks so much to Tony, Craig, Matt and Robbie for playing Hamilton, writing awesome music, putting on a hell of a show and just being all around fantastic people.
Link to song *2*
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Facebook
Pin / Sketchbooks tape
FOXMOULDER
Two quick things about this set, besides the fact that Toronto's FOXMOUDER destroyed as per every FOXMOULDER set. First, you can actually hear Em really really well in these videos, which is a rare occurrence. Second, the bass was like a rippling wave of unstoppable death as opposed to the generally drowned out notes. Darren's bass, and especially his high notes in "Increments", were entrancing whether they were making you sway your head or making said head fucking explode. The video embedded below is of a new and unrecorded song.
12" split / 7" / 5" split
Link to songs:
*2* Browbeaten
*3* Solely
*4* Blood is the Weakest of Bonds
*5* Pit of Despair
*6* New Song
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THE WORLD THAT SUMMER
EYELET
EYELET is amazing, plain and simple. The four-piece (with three members sharing vocal duties) tore through about 7-8 songs with just enough melody and catchiness for the crowd to get hella into it but also bob their collective heads. It was kinda strange, but after one song the venue was empty as everyone was still smoking outside, but after a few the place was packed pretty tight for a ZBR show. The band plays an astonishing mixture of chaotic emo-violence with clean, noodley bits that is balanced almost too well. The multi-headed hydra that is the vocal mouthpiece is comprised of Matt (bass), Craig (guitar) and Tony (guitar) as well as one of my heroes Robbie Hanson on drums. Matt and Tony shared a mic with amazing back and forth screams while Craig had the lone mic and gets so into playing and he has this thing where he swings his head in subdued passion, and it fucking floors me. Robbie is an incredible drummer (and ex-мища) and plays with such calmness and fluidity that he makes it look almost easy. They played their new EP 'error(s)' released on Fake Crab Records in full as well as a few off of 'Nervewracker' and a brand spankin' new song that I assume will be going on the split 7" with Gillian Carter via Zegema Beach Records and a few other fine labels.
*2* Browbeaten
*3* Solely
*4* Blood is the Weakest of Bonds
*5* Pit of Despair
*6* New Song
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THE WORLD THAT SUMMER
The local post-hardcore/post-metal band that I play in closed. I enjoyed myself. I screamed. I fell on the floor. I partially lost my voice on the first day of "tour". I have posted a video below of us playing two songs from our upcoming 10" split with our Swedish friends in Nionde Plågan titled "Heat Death Parties are the Bomb, Man" and "Moth Volcano". You can currently stream/download the latter right here via the Caged Bird Sounds compilation.
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