Thursday 31 August 2017

***NINE ELEVEN exclusive interview***

BandNINE ELEVEN
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Crust / Doom
Related artistsAmanda Woodward, The Apollo ProgramAussitôt Mort, Burning Bright, Sequoia, D.F.I., Daily Mind Distortion, Ed Warner, Think Twice, Verbal Razors, End It, Death Mercedes, No Time To Lose and Real Deal.
CountryTours FRANCE
Years Active2005-present
Song: "Apocalypse"
Album: "Sentinels"
Year: 2016
For fans ofAmber, Monuments Collapse, Lamantide, I Am Your Curse, Sarin, Rosetta, Cult Of Luna, Nionde Plågan, Fall Of Efrafa, Back When, Light Bearer, The Solexine Chapter, Vi Som Älskade Varandra Så Mycket, Remains Of The Day, The Alaskan, Envy, Amanda Woodward, Titan, Buried Inside, Raised Fist, Fall Silent, Sick Of It All, Old Soul and Isis.
Label(s): Self Released / Sieve Sand Records / Zegema Beach Records / Kill Me Twice Records / Chorus Of Trust The Hype / Customcore Records / Emergence / Free Edge Conspiracy / Break Out Records / STS Network / Brain Ache Records / Effervescence Records / Bad Mood Records / i.corrupt Records / World's Appreciated Kitsch / Trivel Records / Epidemic Records / Twenty-Four And Nine Records / Unlock Yourself Records / Ugly And Proud Records / Dingleberry Records / Désordre Ordonné / Hardcore For The Losers
This post's artist is from the August 2017 Mix. This is track #10.
You can download: the August 2017 Mix#8 right here or get the new September 2017 Mix#9 here.

***update: this band seems to be showing signs of being comprised of horrible people. Victim shaming, sharing victim's names, causing shit, etc. and thus has been removed from the Zegema Beach Records bandcamp. Cuz fuck that shit.

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In mid-2016 I was talking to Sieve Sand Records' Antoine, who also happens to be the drummer of NINE ELEVEN as well as Burning Bright, The Apollo Program, Death MercedesAmanda Woodward and Aussitôt Mort. He asked if I could help release their new 12" and as I'd never heard the band before I checked them out. I dug it, but knew that Zegema Beach Records didn't have the funds to help. After helping premiere a music video for the LP I soon fell in love and kicked myself for not selling something in order to help out with the release. Now it's a year later and that sucker is all sold out, so a repress is in order and this time I scoured for monies and nabbed some copies as ZBR will be helping out. NINE ELEVEN have gone through some changes, but the newer material (2013 onward) is prodigious and imposing post-metal/post-hardcore in the vein of later Amber, Titan, Cult Of Luna and Buried Inside.

As only a little more than half of their recorded material is housed on the NINE ELEVEN bandcamp page, there are a few releases I have yet to hear. Considering the evolution of the band I'm not overly inclined to scour the recesses of the internet for more early work generally sounds like a mixture of Equal Vision metalcore from the late 90s, aka Fall Silent mixed with Sweden's Refused and Raised Fist-esque hardcore. It's okay, but doesn't hold a candle to the awesomeness that is 'Sentinels'. Songs like "The New Shame of Punk to Come", "The Quick and the Dead" and "Sen" from 2009's 'City of Quartz' LP as well as "Starkweather", "Dance On Your Own Ruins Tomorrow" and "Maison Dieu" from 2012's 'La Reve de Cassandre' show some glimpses into NINE ELEVEN's future by incorporating some bigger, atmospheric post-hardcore/post-metal, but this is pretty much a straight up hardcore affair. My primary issue with these early releases are the vocals, which are in by no means bad, but they're monotonous and lack the intensity and power that the later material packs.

'24 Hours' gets pretty dang heavy right off the bat as the opener "Fleeing From God..." boasts much deeper vocals that aren't far from the Perth Express and Graf Orlock/Ghostlimb department. "...Defying the Sea" slows things down a tad and injects more of the old-school NINE ELEVEN, but the transition to epic post-hardcore/post-metal is pretty much complete. "Face the Triangle" is my personal favourite, although it doesn't get immense and crushing until 4:23 and is easily the closest thing to their 2016 undertaking. "Into the Storm" is a brooding and crusty number that packs a wallop while "Under the Foam" reminds me of I Am Your Curse. The finale "Never Fear a Goodbye" is their first foray into 8+ minute territory, as this covers nearly 10 and has some of the sickest bass drops at around the three-minute mark.

In 2016 NINE ELEVEN released 'Sentinels' and it is glorious. Truly an achievement, the one 35-minute track is broken up into five themes. Theme A's 8:29 "Elysium" opens up and is a hefty 8-something and establishes the basic NINE ELEVEN sound, which surprisingly enough is my least favourite section on the record. That being said, it's still a great tune, it just lacks the poignant swells and climaxes that leave a signature on the other four themes. This thing is a massive, rolling and thunderous introduction with even darker and heavier vocals, and it's great for what it is. Theme B's "Guidecca" is next, and holy fucking smokes this thing gets me from interested to bloody giddy, as this is over 8 minutes and absolutely massive. At 1:38 we are introduced to recurring spacey guitars that give the monstrous riffs an even larger feel and transition nicely into deathly single note breakdowns come 3:56. There are also some excellent trumpets that lead the denoument from five minutes onward. "Purgatory" is a shorter theme, with C clocking in at 5:49 of pummeling post-hardcore/post-metal. The changeover just before the 30-second mark is fantastic with some killer basslines as well as insane drumming, dual vocals and some Rosetta sounding riffs at around 1:42. Theme D's "Apocalypse" was the song/video that I got to premiere on this blog back in September of 2016 (linked here). This thing is epic as fuck and blatantly evident from the get-go with walls of riffs that fill up the room with deep, resonating darkness. At 1:43 things slow down and get pretty goddamn grooving and beginning at 3:21 layer a heap of sweet guitar harmonization amidst the atmospheric wanderings. The final theme, E, is titled "The Final Circle" and is the shortest track at 4:56. Beginning as the fastest song on the record, it is a worthy conclusion that brings in more trumpets to close it out, making it sound almost like a post-metal spaghetti western.

Upon deciding the help corelease the repressing of 'Sentinels' on Zegema Beach Records (pre-order coming soon), I asked Antoine from NINE ELEVEN (drums) to do an interview regarding his past and present projects, some of which include Amanda Woodward and Aussitôt Mort as well as the label Sieve Sand Records. Read it in full below.

1) Hi Antoine! Thanks so much for agreeing to answer a few of my questions. So...let's start! Aside from playing in bands like The Apollo Program, Aussitôt Mort, Amanda Woodward, Burning Bright and Nine Eleven, what else have you done/do you do?
In terms of music? I've actually played guitar at the very beginning of the band called End It. I have also played guitar for Death Mercedes on a pretty lame Russian tour. That's basically all the serious things I've been involved in apart from what you have listed. Lately I've started to get interested in more electronic and hip hop music. I just came back from Amsterdam where I went to visit my friend, Buster. He is the drummer of Kidcrash, and he is “now working for the biggest rap band in the world,” as he said. So he was on tour with them and we managed to take some time off to make music together. I really enjoyed that experience. I think I need to try different stuff, now. Also I have started a little DIY label some years ago called Sieve and Sand Records. I definitely don't have the business skill and it doesn't garner much attention, but I enjoy putting out some records I like for the people I like. It goes slow, as I don't have much time for it and barely any money. Lately my last activity was to build up a DIY place here in Caen where I live. The project was to get a place where we could converge our DIY punk scene and the more political activists and activities. It is pretty cool, we can make shows again, and try to work on a legacy.

2) Sieve Sand is an awesome label, how did it start? Why the name? What has been your most well received release? Which is your favourite?
Thanks for the kind words mate. It is actually a pretty lame structure. But I like the bands I've put out. Well I wanted to do it for years. Basically when I would see a band I liked, I would rather do music with them or at least take part in the project. Helping bands to release records was something I could do without being intrusive. At some point I started Burning Bright. I didn't feel like looking around for labels and asking for help, so I just felt it was the opportunity to start something. The name comes from Fahrenheit 451 from Bradbury. It's almost the name of the second chapter “the sieve and the sand”, Burning Bright is actually the third. This book has had a major impact on me. My best release I think was Burning Bright – Domesday which we repressed, but it has been easier for me to support it as I was playing in the band and selling records at shows. Also the Aussitôt Mort / Catalyst were gone quickly. My favourte release is a tough question. I like them all very much. Some were easier to put out, others easier to sell, but maybe my fav is the Wild Guess LP which has always been so problematic to put out. I think we will finally be able to get this out soon, and I m very happy with it.

3) What’s coming up for your label?
Recently I had that Child Meadow / Appletop 7” split. So next I hope will be Wild Guess, and probably the new Burning Bright record.

4) Tell us about The Apollo Program. There seemed to be a few different drummers. Also, that band seems pretty obscure here but I think your stuff was excellent.
True, I think I was on the third one. I never get to record with them though, but it was my first steps into the DIY scene. I learned a lot very quickly with this band and from the ashes of this band we built Aussitôt Mort.

5) Amanda Woodward was a huge influence for me as I first heard your band when La Decadence was released because I was obsessed with Level Plane Records. What was your time in the band like? Do you feel that the band has lasting value? Myself and many others still hold Amanda Woodward in very high regard.
I actually played for only one year before the band broke up. I was also a huge fan of that La Decadence record. For me it has been really positive as I was still learning a lot from this movement and this music. It has been a pleasure to play songs I loved, to learn how to play the drum parts. I did improve a lot at the time. I have met a lot of different people and some I am still good friends with. My only regret, maybe, is that I was young and not confident in my music skills, and I think I didn't give any value to the band as I didn't feel that it belonged to me.

6) Aussitot Mort was another band that I followed after Amanda Woodward split up and enjoyed thoroughly. They changed their name to Mort, Mort, Mort and I believe you left the band beforehand, correct? Did you leave on good terms? Did you enjoy your time in the band?
Well I was in Aussitôt Mort from the very beginning and as I was saying I was not a very confident person when we started. I think after the years past I became more and more confident, but it also became more and more difficult with each other. I'm not gonna tell the story here, and point the finger at anyone but it became totally impossible to make music together or even to talk to each other. Pierre (the bass player) and I left the band like rats from a sinking ship. We couldn't make more music and our friendship was shit - no need to go on. They kept playing the same songs again an again under the name of Mort Mort Mort which I don't want to be related to. Nowadays things are going better between us, since everyone has their own path and projects since we have this DIY place. But in the end I feel that I had good times, meet great people and had awesome experiences. And I really enjoy the 'Nagykanizsa' album. Just the last year with the band was terrible.

7) What bands are currently active? How is each band different for you?
At the moment Nine Eleven is the most active one. We often tour and might start to work on a new record. Burning Bright is also active. We have recorded a new album, we just need to finish the vocals. It might take a little while as everyone is very busy but I think by the end of the year it should be done.

8) Nine Eleven started way back in the late 2000s, how did y’all start? And how has the band evolved to where you are now?
Once again I joined the band only two years ago. I can't talk about a period of time I don't know much about. I can tell you that they started from the ashes of a band called No Time To Lose. They had different singers, drummers, and bass player in the beginning. Only the two guitar players have been in the band since the start. We are not from the same cities, and Aussitot Mort and Nine Eleven met time to time over the years. They started playing modern hardcore and I think we now play something very different. They had already started to integrate more atmospheric or progressive element in their “24 Years” LP and I believe that on the last album my influences and way of making music have led the band in other directions.

9) ‘Sentinels’ is an amazing record. I’m not surprised it sold out and a repress is nearing completion. Was the idea of making a 35-minute song intentional? How did you decide to break it up into the 5 tracks? What was the idea behind the 5 music videos and how did you make them?
Thanks again for the kind words. It was intentional. Nine Eleven has always played short songs and also the idea to play more progressive music would fit better to a long a song. It was quite a challenge but also I think it gave us more freedom during the composing process. It was the first time Richard (guitar player) and I made music together. We both have different backgrounds and skills, so I believe such a song was a good idea to get to know each other better. There was no box we wanted to fit in. The videos come from the fact that when I listen to music I see pictures. We had some ideas but none of us ever made any videos. We didn't want to do cheap pictures has we have no skills, so we tried to tell a story by picking up pictures from different movies or docs and mount it as cool as we could. Richard and I did it. It was a huge amount of work but very interesting as we'd never done it before.

10) What is next for you?
As I told you new Burning Bright is on the way. With Nine Eleven we have a couple of tours planned including one to South Asia in December. I'm very much looking forward to this, and we will also start writing a new album. I have some new life goals in mind including working less, making more music and doing more useful projects.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2005 - Intruder split cdLP

2006 - King For a Day, Ghost For a Lifetime cdEP

2007 - Use Your Disillusion cdLP

2009 - City of Quartz cd/12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

2010 - A Bout De Souffle 7"EP

2012 - Le Rêve De Cassandre cd/12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

2013 - 24 Years cassette/12"EP (stream/donate/download here)

2016 - Sentinels 12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

2017 - Sentinels 12"LP repress
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(2017) NINE ELEVEN - "Apocalypse" (from 'Sentinels') official music video

(2017) NINE ELEVEN - "Guidecca" (from 'Sentinels') official music video

(2017) NINE ELEVEN - "Purgatory" (from 'Sentinels') official music video

(2017) NINE ELEVEN - "The Final Circle" (from 'Sentinels') official music video

(2017) NINE ELEVEN - "Elysium" (from 'Sentinels') official music video

(2013) NINE ELEVEN - "Face the Triangle" (from '24 Years')

(2013) NINE ELEVEN - "Into the Storm" (from '24 Years')

(2012) NINE ELEVEN - "Dance On Your Own Ruins Tomorrow" (from 'Le Rêve De Cassandre')

(2009) NINE ELEVEN - "Sen" (from 'City of Quartz')

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NINE ELEVEN additional links

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Sunday 27 August 2017

FLESH BORN

BandFLESH BORN aka Elesh Norn
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Noise
Related artistsTwo Knights, Father Figure, New Science Projects, Plunge, Chokey, Swine Flu, Joy Sores and Mimisiku.
CountryDenton, Texas U.S.A.
Years Active2013-present
Song: "My Thoughts"
Album: "4-way split"
Year: 2014
For fans ofMoonasiмищаEyeletFather Figure, Deers!, Yusuke, Arse Moriera, Marcy, Innards, Old Soul, Vampires, Amygdala and René Descartes aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released / Skeletal Lightning / Dingleberry Records / Friendly Otter Records / Middle Man Records / Epileptic Media / Fall Into Void Recs / Guard / It's A Trap! Records / Ozona Records
This post's artist is from the August 2017 Mix. This is track #3.
You can download: the August 2017 Mix#8 right here or get the new September 2017 Mix#9 here.

FLESH BORN is a killer band from Texas that I have witnessed destroy my face on two separate occasions. They also play in many other bands including the much discussed Two Knights and Father Figure.

Being quite sporadic in terms of releases per year, FLESH BORN's sole release in 2013 was the EP titled 'All the Pain I've Built Up' is a screamy and dreamy affair that was also their only release to be produced under the moniker ELESH NORN, which was changed the following year. Like all of their recordings, most songs are between one and two minutes and blast back and forth between shrieking chaos and chill beats...with shrieking. The longest and most interesting track nears the end as "Dead" is over three minutes of driving instrumentals and screaming that take over a minute to let up, at which point things get hella epic as they simultaneously bust out the jams. Overall it sounds like a mixture of Yusuke and мища.

2014 was a busy ass year for FLESH BORN, as they dropped an 8-song tape/12", a split 12" and a split 4-way 10". The 4-way split with Coma Regalia, Mothlight and Marcy contains three tracks of dirtier, darker and violent screamo with obvious metal overtones with my favourite being the pulsing and vibrant guitarwork in "My Thoughts", as well as those back and forth screams at the end. The split 12" with Cara Neir also houses three tunes, all of which kick serious ass. "They Fear It, Only to be Comfortable" is 1:29 of screechy hardcore and emo. "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" is pretty goddamn insane for the first half and then at 53 seconds they drop a bomb. Closer "Unforgivable" doesn't even make it to a minute as the song is so intense that it exhausts itself before then, and it's also the best track here. The EP that could probably be an LP titled 'Han' is the most cohesive and best work ever released by FLESH BORN, according to my brain. The balance of sheer madness and melodic anchors is remarkable. A rerecorded version of "Unforgivable" opens with the faaaaantastic "Destroy the World of Men" second. "Lament" is a blast to chest that will knock the wind out of you but still get your head bobbing quickly by the end, while "Gloom" lives up to its name as for the entirety of the 2:15 length the band trudges through a swamp rank with evil. "The Fever of Feeling" is very cool, so much so that it ends a little too quickly. "Empty" is a more typical FLESH BORN number along with the 29-second nugget of gold that is "Body System" is contrast to the experimental hardcore closer "The Other Side of Despair".

In January of 2015 I saw the band at Austin Blood Alliance Fest (review here) and filmed four songs (linked halfway down the page here) of FLESH BORN just tearing shit up. In the summer of 2016 I saw them again, this time at Swamp Fest II in Richmond (review and five videos here) where they played a Slipknot cover and banged a keg with a baseball bat (linked here).

In 2017 they split with the much beloved Ostraca with songs more akin to that band than anyone else, as their five tracks are are the darkest, heaviest and most distraught stuff released by FLESH BORN, and considering there were three years in between this and their previous stuff it isn't all too surprising, especially considering Parker and Miles likely get their softer, emo side out with bands like Two Knights and Mimisiku. The deep and vicious vocals are abundant on songs like "Unredeemable" and "Of the Same Earth". "Many Ports" is pretty nutty until the midsection twist that gives birth to some great bass work, while "Existence, Our Exile" boats an unreal opening and closing riffs by Parker and a sick switch 42 seconds in. The final song "Nothingness, Our Home" is a very different beast in that the vocals are nice and clean for the first minute as they take on what sounds almost like a monk chant. This, of course, evaporates quickly once the unrelenting vocals come in with a four-second climax at 1:22.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2013 - All The Pain I've Built Up cassetteEP (stream/buy here)

2014 - Han cassette/12"EP (stream/buy here)
2014 - Cara Neir split 12"EP (stream/buy here) [buy from ZBR on sale here]
2014 - 4-way split w/Coma Regalia, Mothlight & Marcy (stream/donate/download here)

2017 - Faces of the Moving Year (split w/Ostraca) 12"LP (stream/buy here)

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(2017) FLESH BORN - "Existence, Our Exile" (from 'Faces of the Moving Year')

(2017) FLESH BORN - "Many Ports" (from 'Faces of the Moving Year')

 (2016) FLESH BORN - live from Swamp Fest II

 (2015) FLESH BORN - live from Austin Blood Alliance Fest

(2014) FLESH BORN - "Body System" (from 'Han')

(2014) FLESH BORN - "Destroy the World of Men" (from 'Han')

(2014) FLESH BORN - "My Thoughts" (from '4-way' split)

(2014) FLESH BORN - "Unforgivable" (from 'Cara Neir' split)

(2013) FLESH BORN - "Dead" (from 'All The Pain I've Built Up')

(2013) FLESH BORN - "Irreplaceable" (from 'All The Pain I've Built Up')

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FLESH BORN additional links


Facebook

2015 Blood Alliance Fest review here

2016 Swamp Fest II review here
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Wednesday 23 August 2017

***ZAGREB, CROATIA shows / Ostraca, Komarov, Hexis, Mališa Bahat & Adrestia***


June 14th, 2017
The first show that Mike and I went to was the first night in Zagreb. It was a very entertaining show with awesome sound but perhaps too much smoke machine, as you rarely see the drummers! A million thanks to Dragon, who let us stay at his place for a few days/nights. We can't thank you enough!

KOMAROV
Openers from Brighton in the UK was the band that I first heard when they submitted their Jeromes Dream cover earlier this year and I loved it so much that I put it as the opening track on the tape tribute. They played a dark, menacing and intense set that got me very stoked to see them at Cry Me A River Fest 2017. If you dig the video I’ve embedded be sure to check back for more videos from CMAR where they absolutely destroy. You can watch a tidbit of them in the ‘Congratulations On Your Impending Vacation’ video at about 4:13-4:39 linked here.
ffo: Battle Of Wolf 359, June Paik and Ostraca

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OSTRACA
Next up was Richmond, VA’s OSTRACA. This three-piece was sensational. Being only my second time seeing them, I was excited but in honesty they blew away whatever expectations those may have been. First off, the sound was amazing and the band responded in kind, playing a very precise and engaging set that had me mesmerized. There will be a 20-minute video interview posted in September on this blog along with a discography review so be sure to watch out for that. Until then jam the songs below as well as their 2016 Swamp Fest set, linked here)
ffo:, Dolcim, 60659-C and Senneval

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ADRESTIA
Playing dark, d-beat, crusty hardcore from Sweden were ADRESTIA. The four-piece was very proficient and embrace their black metal roots, I’d reckon. I enjoyed their set more than my general expectations of those genres were anticipating and I would also say that their in-between song information and thoughts were quite interesting to listen to.
Link to song: *1*
ffo: Tragedy, His Hero Is Gone and Perth Express


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June 17th, 2017
Considering it was this day that Mike and I found out the мятеж tour was not to be, I had a really good time at what was planned to be our first show.

MALIŠA BAHAT
Let's get one thing straight, I fucking love Mališa Bahat. The reason I considered playing a show in Croatia was solely for seeing this band. Their debut EP 'Moments We're Lost In' was my number one EP of 2016 (proof = here) and I've spoken to the band about pressing that beautiful thing on a one-sided 12", so watch for that in early 2018. They play an awesome, furious and downright catchy screamo as was done in the late 90s and early 2000s around Italy, mixed with newer Malaysian screamo. A thing of beauty, this band. Check that shit out.
Most of set
The last song
ffo: Virginia On Duty, Jeanne and We Watch Clouds

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HEXIS
Woah. What the hell, this was waaaaay crazier than I had anticipated. HEXIS, for lack of a better description, tore the place apart. Sinister? Yes. Maniacal? Definitely. Deathcore, extreme hardcore or black metal? I haven't the foggiest. Check that shit out for yourself. I think this was one of their forty shows on tour. Wowza!
Link to song: *2*
ffo: AmenRa, Converge and Rorcal
Facebook


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Here are some pictures from around Croatia.










 Mališa Bahat
 Komarov

Thursday 17 August 2017

MAHUMODO

BandMAHUMODO
GenresPunk / Rock / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Experimental Hardcore / Post-Metal / Alternative
Related artistsRinoa, Ancients, *Shels, Fireapple Red, March Of The Raptors and Devil Sold His Soul.
CountryLondon ENGLAND
Years Active1997-2003
Song: "California"
Album: "Bythewaters"
Year: 2001
For fans ofDeftones, Moving Mountains, Finch, Hopesfall, In Reverent Fear, La Parade, Chore, Endor, Inkling, Codeseven, Rinoa, Will Haven, Tool, Alexisonfire, Envy, Jude The Obscure, We Never Learned To LivePoison The Well, Recover, This Day ForwardThe Solo ProjectLyed, (early) Saosin and Glassjaw.
Label(s): Self Released / Shelsmusic
This post's artist is from the August 2017 Mix. This is track #6.
You can download: the August 2017 Mix#8 right here or get the new September 2017 Mix#9 here.

The only reason I have any idea who MAHUMODO was is because in December of 2016 I reviewed the band Rinoa and was told this band shared members and was great. Yep. And yep. There's some cheese here not present in Rinoa, but considering pretty much of all their recordings were done between 2000 and 2002 (and compiled on 'Waves' in 2003, again in 2007 and finally on 12" in 2013) so it's not too surprising. I've never actually jammed any of the old EPs as I was sent the 2007 edition of 'Waves' which didn't have some of the early/heavier material. The new 10-year anniversary edition of 'Waves' includes some additional tracks so I'll do a run through of that release as it is streaming in full on their bandcamp page linked here.

"April's" is a beautifully balanced post-hardcore/melodic metalcore song that gathers the soft and pretty as well as the screamy and chugging sections from both ends of the spectrum and mashes them together. The 40-second intro is driving as hell and transitions well into the fluid and lush vocals that carry the song, although the breakdown and subsequent screaming at 1:52 take the cake. "Withme" isn't far from the opener, but the focus here is on melody for the first two and a half minutes before the few seconds of shred creeps in toward the end of the track. "*Waves" is a smooth concoction of the soft and heavy that teeters back and forth, sounding like Deftones, Moving Mountains, Endor and Codeseven with an ending that commits fully to violence from 3:47 to 4:35. "4" is pretty much a 1:25 acoustic guitar interlude, while "California" is much like "April's" and "*Waves", as it straddles that line yet again between serenading and crushing. 46 seconds in and the searing screams will get your attention, no doubt, and when the song lays back into Hopesfall/Poison The Well territory amidst the scorching sections you'll be keen to recline and relax, nestled between your headphones. "Herparadise" is a 6:33 trek through all things MAHUMODO, especially the dreamy post-hardcore instrumentals coupled with angelic singing as well as a sinister and dark closing. "Bythewaters" isn't far removed from the preceding track, as the band opts for massive, heaving and melodic post-hardcore sprinkled with atmospheric rock, but this track sheds the screaming and instead delves solely into soaring singing with little to no lyrics, it's just all melody, baby. "Orchids" (the rerecorded 2003 version) and "Shine" (also recorded in 2003), are the heaviest and most venomous songs that the band ever laid down. They both really have a Finch, Deftones, In Reverent Fear and even early Hopesfall feel as the vocals have that shrieky and pitchy feel to them, with the instrumentals bordering on metalcore most of the time.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2000 - Shels cdrEP

2001 - Bythewaters cdrEP

2002 - April's cdrEP

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

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(2003) MAHUMODO - "*Waves" (from 'Waves')

(2003) MAHUMODO - "Shine" (from 'Waves')

(2002) MAHUMODO - "April's" (from 'April's') official music video

(2001) MAHUMODO - "California" (from 'Bythewaters')

(2000) MAHUMODO - "Orchids" (from 'Shels')

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MAHUMODO additional links

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Tuesday 15 August 2017

KISS THE SKY GOODBYE

BandKISS THE SKY GOODBYE
GenresPunk / Hardcore/ Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Thrash / Grindcore
Related artists?.
CountryBaltimore, Maryland U.S.A.
Years Active2008-2010
Song: "318"
Album: "FUCK"
Year: 20
For fans ofThumbscrew, Oktober Skyline, Vein, Tyranny Of Shaw, Clancy Six, Enkephalin, Euth, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Machina Genova, Letters In Binary, Owen Hart, Crestfallen, Phoenix Bodies, Hive Mind, Ed Gein, .gif from god, Advocate, Tentacles, Anger Is Beautiful, Kelut, Arkata, (early) Back When, Converge, Bury Me Standing, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, The Great Redneck Hope, Harlots, (early) Examination Of The..., (early) From A Second Story Window, The Sawtooth Grin, Secondgradeknifefight, Hospital, Weak Wrists, Aureole Of Ash, The Armed, Malevich, Norma Jean, The Chariot, Robinson, Textbook Traitors, Flesh Born, (very early) The Bled and Worst Days aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Ignite Records
This post's artist is from the August 2017 Mix. This is track #2.
You can download: the August 2017 Mix#8 right here or get the new September 2017 Mix#9 here.

Kyle Stevens linked me to the 'FUCK' EP on Bandcamp probably two to three years back and I only just got my head out of my ass and jammed it. Dear lord of science, this shit is fucking bananas. Remember Thumbscrew? No? Well, KISS THE SKY GOODBYE plays a style much akin to that extreme band, which is to say they play frightful mathcore, metalcore and emo-violence. Existing from 2008 to 2010 in Baltimore and running into a few lineup changes near the end of their short career, the material left behind surely influenced many.

In 2007 (officially it came out December 31st) they dropped a two-song debut which is, simply put, amazing. "My Brother" opens the 'Demo' and good lordy is this song fantastic. The staple metalcore/panic sections are in abundance, to the point at 55 seconds when a riff occurs that must have been studied by SeeYouSpaceCowboy as well as Black Nail, .gif from god and Letters To Catalonia because they all share a striking amount of sick similarities. The breakdowns during the final 20 seconds are prodigious and imposing which make this track one of the band's best, and it's from a goddamn demo! The second track is titled "The Poacher." and is decent but doesn't hold it's own against the opener.

In 2009 the band released their best release, the five tracks that are the 'FUCK' EP. This thing is downright evil. With spastic changes in direction, venomous shrieks, menacing speed and ferocious drumming, KISS THE SKY GOODBYE created what I consider to be one of the best chaotic metal/math-core records I've ever heard. Likely influenced heavily by Thumbscrew, Love Lost But Not Forgotten and early From A Second Story Window, the maniacal bursts of noise are all violence and without a moment's peace. Opener "Handless" seems to have begun a second before the song actually begins, as the screaming and batshit crazy drumming come straight in before you even know what's happening. By 21 seconds the first, very quick breakdown occurs and is rather reminiscent of The Great Redneck Hope, Letters In Binary and early Ed Gein so by 40 seconds the song is over. My personal favourite is next, the fucking insane "318". This thing is all over the place, with some of the best in speedy drums that I've ever heard. After 1:10 the guitars and bass take a slight breather as the drums continue to spiral out of control until 1:30 when an absolutely massive breakdown takes us to the penultimate riff of "dah-nah-nuh" that repeats itself from 1:43 until the bass utterly breaks the song apart at 2:08. Title track "Fuck" follows smack dab in the middle of the EP and in 2:22 it does more of the same. "I Can't Recall" tries to walk a tight rope between their regular style and more straightforward punk/hardcore, but it ends up being the weakest song on the EP. The finale "Oh, How I Hate This Place" manages to squeak in the lone, slower, relatively chill instrumental interlude after its initial pandemonium.

Apparently in 2010 KISS THE SKY GOODBYE reformed and was able to record but a single, titled "Covering the Majority" which is meh. The vocals and production are noticeably inferior but that doesn't stop the first minute from running amok before settling down into a slightly softer, breakdown laden second half. Seriously the guitars on the latter half of this track are great and include some noodley, mathy stuff that help anchor down the chaos.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2007 - Demo EP (stream/download here)

2009 - Fuck EP (stream/download here)

2010 - Thank You, Joe single (stream/download here)

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(2007) KISS IT GOODBYE - "My Brother" (from 'Demo')

(2009) KISS IT GOODBYE - "318" (from 'Fuck')

(2009) KISS IT GOODBYE - "Handless" (from 'Fuck')

(2009) KISS IT GOODBYE - "Oh, How I Hate This Place" (from 'Fuck')

(2010) KISS IT GOODBYE - "Covering the Majority" (from 'Thank You, Joe')

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KISS IT GOODBYE additional links

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Sunday 13 August 2017

MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD

BandMY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD
GenresPunk / Rock / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz
Related artists?.
CountrySpokane, Washington U.S.A.
Years Active2003-2005
Song: "He Might At Least Let Her Have Tea In Peace"
Album: "My Life With The Spaniard"
Year: 2004
For fans ofArches, Cease Upon The Capitol, Sinaloa, Dolcim, Subjects/Rulers, The Sky Above And Earth Below, Eyes Of Verotika, Caught In The Fall, Ten Grand, Altar Of Complaints, Rickyfitts, Drive Like Jehu, Creepozoidz, D'Amore, Hugs, La Mantra De Fhiqria, Adaje, Light The Fuse And Run, Descubriendo A Mr. MimePortrëit, Jiyuna and Flashbulb Memory aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Self Released
This post's artist is from the August 2017 Mix. This is track #9.
You can download: the August 2017 Mix#8 right here or get the new September 2017 Mix#9 here.

I don't even remember how I first heard about MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD, but they played awkward and angular, slightly akimbo, driving screamo from Spokane.

On the 'Demo there are some questionable melodies here and there and a few ill-advised transitions but generally it's an interesting listen to raw, passionate and broad stroke at screamo with definite glimpses into their near future. The last quarter of "The Smallest Horse From a Distance" has an excellent ending that really brings to mind Cease Upon The Capitol. "45 Love" experiments with poppy elements as well as metalcore, clean singing and gang vocals, none of which turn out that well. "They Start The Day With Coffee And The Paper" is the last song here and boasts some Bright Calm Blue love that I've gotta get behind, with touches of heavier screams ala Arches and Portrëit.

Is isn't until 2004's 'My Life With The Spaniard' when the real sound and awesomeness of the band is released. Gone are the poppy elements and attempts at heavy, growly nonsense. Instead they beautifully capture a melodic mix of chaotic hardcore and the emo/screamo genres, with the most apt comparison being Arches, Cease Upon The Capitol and Sinaloa. "He Might at Least Let Her Have Tea in Peace" is my personal favourite, especially the unreal section from 1:28 to 2:08 with soaring guitars and a driving , unstable core, but every track is great it its own way. I love the vocals, most of all. You can't get away from the Arches, Portrëit and Matt from Cease Upon The Capitol, Dolcim and Subjects/Rulers sound which is rarely replicated, whether it be on purpose or not. "Condoms Mixed in With the Action Figures" reminds me of Sinaloa while "Jesus Christ, Hero Number One Hundred and Twenty Three" and "They Start the Day With Coffee and the Paper" (rerecorded from the 'Demo') have some serious Creepozoidz and D'Amore going on, with the latter getting its math on during the screamy parts.

The progression from 2003 to 2004 was big, but that from 2004 to 2005 was minimal, likely because MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD had found their niche and sound. The opening track "Light On Story, Heavy On Gory" bangs out a killer Hugs-esque bass riff right from the get-go and after some rump shaking it transitions nicely into typical and highly enjoyable MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD screamo that they eventually layer with dual vocals, sounding akin to La Mantra De Fhiqria. The disjointed and screamy "Whenever the Genie is Around, Pleasure is Involved" is probably the best song here, but it is just that, a bit of a clusterfuck that ends up coming together even though it kind of doesn't. Huh? I dunno. "Aslan on the Move" has some guitar squealing going on which wasn't expected and doesn't play out as well as the rest. "The Great Outdoors, a Beautiful Woman, Plenty of Food, and Fire Ants" begins super chill and in general is more indie rock and emo than screamo until almost the three minute mark when we get back to playful, noodley screamy jams. Closer "Fuck Future" is another mathy song that includes a lot of great instrumental work and screamy vocals and closes with an audio sample.

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

2003 - Demo 7"EP

2004 - My Life With The Spaniard EP

2005 - Eahs cdEP

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(2005) MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD - "Fuck Future" (from 'Eahs')

(2005) MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD - "Whenever the Genie is Around, Pleasure is Involved" (from 'Eahs')

(2004) MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD - "He Might at Least Let Her Have Tea in Peace" (from 'My Life With The Spaniard')

(2004) MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD - "Condoms Mixed in With the Action Figures" (from 'My Life With The Spaniard')

(2003) MY LIFE WITH THE SPANIARD - "They Start The Day With Coffee And The Paper" (from 'Demo')

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MY LIFE AS WITH THE SPANIARD out of print mp3 discography download

(download here)

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