VIENTRE

Band: VIENTRE

Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Ambient / Experimental
Related artists: ?.
Country: Cali COLOMBIA
Years Active: 2016-present
Song: "Esplendor"
Album: "Semillas"
Year: 2018
For fans of: La Parade, Standstill, Viva Belgrado, Joliette, Shirokuma, LKTDOV, Careless, Descubriendo A Mr. Mime, We Never Learned To Live, Young Mountain, Yarostan, Vi Som Älskade Varandra Så Mycket, Lucas Kane, Aleska, State Faults, EUX and Ànteros.

Label(s): Self Released

This post's artist is from the April 2019 Mix. This is track #5.

You can download: the April 2019 Mix#4 right here or get the new May 2019 Mix#5 here.

Is softcore screamo a thing? If we crossed awesome, epic, post-hardcore/screamo with Joliette vocals and some seriously sensuous riffs we'd have it, and we do, actually, in the form of Colombia's VIENTRE.

The band's 2016 debut EP consists of 8 tracks and is a generally heavier release than the 2018 LP. 'Las Huellas Que Dejamos' opens with "Navío" which packs a wallop and is reminiscent of both Joliette and Viva Belgrado of beautiful yet screamy post-hardcore. "Renacer" has some excellent clean singing amidst the otherwise deadly space chaos although the last half is much more chill. I fucking love "Consecuencias" and it's epic, Vi Som Älskade Varandra Så Mycket-esque delivery, while "Desa[prender]" and "Esperanzas y Recuerdos" follow a similar trajectory, albeit a touch softer. "Des[aparecer]" has that strong Joliette feel again and it clocks in at nearly five minutes, making it the longest track by over a minute. Closer "Niebla Sobre Pinos" has some unreal drumming and that transition halfway through is pretty nifty.

It was 2018's 'Semillas' that introduced me to VIENTRE. This album rocks, but don't expect any chugs, interweaving screams or chaos. It's an ethereal experience that really hits once the clean singing in track three's "Vidas eternas" mixes with the screaming and leads to an epic conclusion. This transitions beautifully into the stripped-down, acoustic and intoxicating "Abismo" that tugs at my heart strings with the crooning dip at 1:56 and is reminiscent of later Standstill. Much like track three, "Sueños" is nearly the opposing style from the early EP but it works so fucking well. The way the vocals swing in and out of singing/screaming is exceptional and one of the highlights of VIENTRE. "Esplendor" is the last track I'll lay lots of love down upon, as it rolls along with a nice beat led by driving bass, guitar serenading and vocals that could be used as a pillow. The song gets a bit heavier after 1:15 and again at 2:00 but the soft stuff balances out the heavier stuff like a long division question with no remainder...ahhhhhh.

It sounds like the band is going to tour the west coast of the U.S. and Mexico this summer but I am unsure of the exact dates. I am very interested as well as excited to see where they go next musically. I generally find myself chanting, "please don't get softer" with new releases, but with VIENTRE I don't give a fuck cuz it's all incredible.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2016 - Las Huellas Que Dejamos digitalEP (stream/buy here)

2018 - Semillas digitalLP (stream/buy here)

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(2018) VIENTRE - "Vidas eternas" (from 'Semillas')

(2018) VIENTRE - "Sueños" (from 'Semillas')

(2018) VIENTRE - "Abismo" (from 'Semillas')

(2016) VIENTRE - "Consecuencias" (from 'Las Huellas Que Dejamos')

(2016) VIENTRE - "Renacer" (from 'Las Huellas Que Dejamos')

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VIENTRE additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

Official Website

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***VALTIEL exclusive album premiere***

VALTIEL

'Human Error'
exclusive album premiere

For fans of: Under A Sky So Blue, Bright Calm Blue, Montcalm, Funeral Diner, Binary, Big Water and People's Temple Project

ZBR Bandcamp
Facebook
pre-order

In the late summer/early fall of 2018 I visited Seattle and attended a SeeYouSpaceCowboy house show and met Erin (formerly Pudding Cup) who offered to set me up for the night. We've stayed in touch and after hearing their new band's material putting out their debut EP and having them play ZBR Fest was a no-brainer. VALTIEL play a sometimes-driving sometimes-venomous style of screamy hardcore/metalcore that wouldn't have been out of place in the late-90s. The band is from Seattle and feature members of Save Bandit, Itemfinder, Counter/Balance, and Ketamine Cat. They play fourth on the second day of ZBR Fest, aka June 1st, 2019 and you can get all the info you need from the facebook event linked here. Zegema Beach is doing 60 tapes on silver tapes across the following versions:

ZBR fest/release show/swirl /15

ZBR pre-order /10

Band swirl copies /10

Band silver copies /25

Pre-order one from the U.S. store here or from the Canada/International store here. As you can see from the numbers above we only have 10 total "pre-order versions" of the tape available so hop on those!

Alrighty, on to the premiere!!!

(2019) 1 - VALTIEL "A Low Roll on the Tragedies Table" (from 'Human Error')

The opening track is awesome...plus the intro is from the movie Cube. This has hard Sleeper Wave, People's Temple Project as well as Slow Fire Pistol vibes and is way more screamo than metalcore (when compared to some of their other stuff) with a jazzy, Greyscale-esque conclusion.

(2019) 2 - VALTIEL "...And Then There Was No One Left, Not Even I" (from 'Human Error')

Definitely my favourite of the five, it reminds me heavily of Ecorche and Bright Calm Blue on speed and severely pissed off. There are a few sections that erupt beyond anything those two bands ever did, most notably at 24 and 52 seconds when shit gets dipped in death.

(2019) 3 - VALTIEL "Onager" (from 'Human Error')

This track is a bit discombobulated until the 30-second mark when everyone comes together for an emo-violence party.

(2019) 4 - VALTIEL "Human Error//Holy Death" (from 'Human Error')

A noise interlude that sounds like someone's digitized nightmare.

(2019) 5 - VALTIEL "Miasma" (from 'Human Error')

The lengthiest track is last, and although it doesn't hit three minutes it packs a punch whilst also being epic, making it a fitting closer. The fury unleashed at 1:30 all the way up until the 2:10 denouement is soaked in anger and impatience.

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

Zegema Beach Records Fest 2019

MILLION DEAD

Band: MILLION DEAD

Genres: Punk / Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Alternative
Related artists: Frank Turner, Abjure, Palehorse, Who Owns Death TV, Kneejerk, Möngöl Hörde, Mothlite, Queen Of Swords, Armed Response Unit, Dream Of An Opium Eater, Future Of The Left and This Becomes Us.
Country: London, England UNITED KINGDOM
Years Active: 2000-2005
Song: "I Am the Party"
Album: "A Song to Ruin"
Year: 2003
For fans of: Marathon, Christiansen, For The Mathematics, Saosin, At The Drive In, Attica! Attica!, Frank Turner, Moneen, I Am Alaska, Sparta, Face Tomorrow, Harvey Danger and Soundgarden.

Label(s): lots of them

This post's artist is from the April 2019 Mix. This is track #4.

You can download: the April 2019 Mix#4 right here or get the new May 2019 Mix#5 here.

I had seen Frank Turner's name around for years but never checked out his solo stuff. When my friend Vanessa from Crowning came to my place and we did a podcast together she introduced me to his "hardcore" band MILLION DEAD. Considering I didn't know the former I wasn't all that excited to hear the latter. Upon hearing it, though, I changed my tune quite quickly as her pick "I Am the Party" is a stellar jam off an album that I searched for afterward and played heavily, titled 'A Song to Ruin'. Later on I looked into the band's final album 'Harmony No Harmony' and wasn't nearly as impressed, so this review will focus almost solely on 'A Song to Ruin'. The early stuff just isn't very good and the later stuff feels almost too refined.

So 'A Song to Ruin' was released way back in 2003 and draws sounds from At The Drive In, Q And Not U as well as Marathon to create a sassy, poppy and screamy punk record that sounds like none other than MILLION DEAD. Opener "Pornography For Cowards" opens as a raging hardcore song before shifting to much more melodic rock/post-hardcore and is followed by another doppleganger titled "Breaking the Back" (which has a music video as well) that is both driving and anthemic and not unlike At The Drive In. "I Am the Party" is next and was my introduction to the band that is still a favourite of mine, as the near overconfidence as well as fantastic vocal placement and lyrics are infectious. "Charlie and the Propaganda Myth" is a very Propagandhi song in every sense of the word, as it focuses on movies, media and their purposeful subversive messages...and it also sounds like them. Some other decent comparisons to the sassier, more melodic stuff would be both Moneen and Christiansen, but again the band really did their own thing. Things slow down considerably with "A Song to Ruin" but that doesn't mean it's not a great song. "Smiling at Stranger on Trains" speeds things up a bit but this is still a light song, bringing pop-punk meets emo to mind, and holy shit is it catchy. I also thoroughly enjoy "Macgyver", "The Kids are Going to Love It", "Gnostic Front" and "The Rise and Fall", the last of which has a serious Chris Hannah feel to the vocals.

I guess it's time to immerse myself in Frank Turner's solo work. Thanks, Vanessa!

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

for the complete discography check out the band's page linked here

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(2003) MILLION DEAD - "I Am the Party" (from 'A Song to Ruin') official music video

(2003) MILLION DEAD - "Breaking the Back" (from 'A Song to Ruin') official music video

(2003) MILLION DEAD - "Smiling at Strangers On Trains" (from 'A Song to Ruin') official music video

(2004) MILLION DEAD - "I Gave My Eyes to Stevie Wonder" (from 'I Gave My Eyes to Stevie Wonder') official music video

(2005) MILLION DEAD - "Plan B" (from 'Harmony No Harmony')

(2005) MILLION DEAD - "Bovine Spungiform Economics" (from 'Harmony No Harmony')

(2005) MILLION DEAD - "Living the Dream" (from 'Harmony No Harmony') official music video

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MILLION DEAD out of print mp3 discography download

(download here)

Podcast w/Vanessa of Crowning

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LACK

Band: LACK

Genres: Punk / Rock / Noise Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Metalcore
Related artists: 300hz, Anchorless, No Light, Rising, Total Heels, Beautiful Burning World and Tvivler.
Country: DENMARK
Years Active: 1999-2008
Song: "Achilles And The Tortoise"
Album: "Blues Moderne: Danois Explosifs"
Year: 2001
For fans of: Since By Man, The Bled, Forstella Ford, Cadence Fox, Dangers!, Colored Moth, Millions Of Them, Officer Jones And His Patrol Car Problems, Fall Of Troy, In Reverent Fear, JR Ewing, IEatHeartAttacks, Yage, Training For Utopia, Secret Arms, Ken Mode, Remote, The Jonbenét and (early) Codeseven.

Label(s): Self Released / EarthWaterSky Connection / Nova Recordings / Scene Police / Get Off Records / Futhermocker / Said In Jest / Undergroove / Riptide Recordings / Play/Rec / 

This post's artist is from the April 2019 Mix. This is track #1.

You can download: the April 2019 Mix#4 right here or get the new May 2019 Mix#5 here.

One of my friends turned me on to LACK a few months back and I was smitten...with the release I was told to check out. The chaotic, crushing whirlwind that is 'Blues Moderne: Danois Explosifs' would be blasphemous to not have on this blog, but the later material I didn't really enjoy all that much.

LACK released a self titled cdr and 7" in 1999 that I have yet to hear. In 2001 they released ma deep jam, 'Blues Moderne: Danois Explosifs' and that's pretty much all I'm gonna talk about here, although I did enjoy what I heard from 2002's 'Sisyphus' EP but didn't find a download so meh. Anyhoos, back the the LP. Opener "Zur Genealogie Des Modernen Menschen" bounces a riff around for a bit before the vocals meet up 19 seconds in and the band lurches forward boasting some seriously adventurous, dancey and pummeling metallic/chaotic hardcore. "Pessimistic Poetry" begins as rabid and ferocious as anything you'll hear in 2019 and is, simply put, a rager. You want a song to check out as an introductory tune? Well look no further than fucking "Achilles and the Tortoise" because that shit is straight-up ridic. Let's take a quick run-through: 25 seconds = huge palm-mute breakdown, 39 seconds = even faster/dancier breakdown, 55 seconds = Since By Man guitars/vocals/everything...and that's just the first goddamned minute.

I don't feel the need to continue, as the opening, aforementioned three tracks are worth your time, as are the remaining 7. Peruse the rest of their discography to see if it's for you.

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DISCOGRAPHY

1999 - Lack cdr/7"EP

2001 - Blues Moderne:  Danois Explosifs cd/12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

2002 - Sisyphus 7"EP

2005 - Be There Pulse cd/12"LP

2006 - Lack 7"

2007 - Beta Satan split 7"

2008 - Saturate Every Atom cd/12"LP

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(2001) LACK - "Achilles and the Tortoise" (from 'Blues Moderne:  Danois Explosifs')

(2001) LACK - "Zur Genealogie Des Modernen Menschen" (from 'Blues Moderne:  Danois Explosifs')

(2001) LACK - "Pessimistic Poetry" (from 'Blues Moderne:  Danois Explosifs')

(2002) LACK - "Solipsist Letter To The World" (from 'Blues Moderne:  Danois Explosifs') live video

(2002) LACK - "My First Death" (from 'Sisyphus')

(2002) LACK - "Build On Sand" (from 'Sisyphus')

(2005) LACK - "5'o'clock in the Evening" (from 'Be There Pulse') official music video

(2008) LACK - "Bombing the Moon" (from 'Saturate Every Atom') official music video

***CHALK HANDS exclusive premiere***

CHALK HANDS

"Charm"
exclusive song premiere

For fans of: Envy, Shizune, Vi Som Älskade Varandra Så Mycket, Amanda Woodward, Yarostan, Shirokuma and Amber Daybreak

Bandcamp
Facebook

I am elated to bring you a new song from CHALK HANDS. If you're anything like me you've been keepin' an eye out for anything new from this band since their debut, two-song EP 'Burrows & Other Hideouts' release two years ago. The new song we're premiering today is called "Charm" and it is from the Brighton band that will be included on the '3-Way split' 12" releasing in full tomorrow alongside Reveries and Okant. You can grab the stellar release from the following labels as well as the bands' bandcamp pages.

Future Void Records (UK - vinyl)

Callous Records (UK - tape/vinyl)

Missed Out Records (US - vinyl)

Dingleberry Records (GERMANY - vinyl)

Time as a color (GERMANY - vinyl)

Smart And Confused (FRANCE - vinyl)

Dischi Decenti (ITALY - vinyl)

CHALK HANDS bandcamp (U.K.)

OKANT bandcamp (Sweden)

REVERIES bandcamp (U.S.A.)

(2019) CHALK HANDS "Charm" (from '3-Way' split)

Ooooo baby this is a banger. It builds for nearly a minute before erupting in an explosion of screamo and post-hardcore not unlike Amanda Woodward and Envy. There's a second slowdown with a nice, driving post-everything instrumental section that brings the almighty Sed Non Satiata to mind, so that's sayin' something. This swirls, hurtling through space until 3:30 when its gravitational force finally lassos the listener and leads them over the edge of their event horizon. It's one hell of a trip. Well done, my friends.

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

Chalk Hands OMSB review

'Last Word' by: RAYLEIGH

RAYLEIGH's 'Last Word'

Year: 2019

For fans of: Ampere, Mahria, Frail Hands, Itto, Crowning, Nuvolascura, Blind Girls, Obroa-skai, Улыбайся Ветру, Loma Prieta and Capsule.

Review by Dave Cullen:

So pretend it's the summer of 2017, and pretend you're in Crowning and you're playing the midnight slot at a festival in Vancouver. Senza is there, Rayleigh is there, Dad Thighs, lots of cool people. Crowning isn't so much on tour, but rather on vacation with guitars, so we're looking around trying to figure out who we can borrow a full band worth of gear from. Rayleigh comes through and lets a bunch of strangers  borrow just about everything in their van. I might have even borrowed Cory's pants, i don't remember. Either way, Crowning plays a C+ set and we get the hell off the stage because somehow 3 more bands have to go on still. This anecdote doesn't really serve a purpose past revealing how biased I am.

So here we are at the final, posthumous release from Edmonton's own Rayleigh, harboring members of Mahria and Obroa-Skai. If you're familiar with Rayleigh then you know what you're in for; an onslaught of technical guitars, throaty screams, and a very structured lack of structure. And right here at the end, Rayleigh wears these 4 tracks better than any of their older material.

The first track, "Blood Letter", begins with a red herring as the ambience of an orchestra tuning is soon obliterated by the expected chaos that has come to define the Rayleigh experience. It always sounds as though the band writes songs 6 seconds at a time, in an almost Exquisite Corpse style, while their embrace of melody keeps them ever sounding all that mathy or disjointed. They seem to have found that elusive middle between straight forward and excessive. Sure there's some flexing in there, but it's never off-brand.

The fourth track, "Diamondback", is my clear favorite. I'm a real sucker for those opening guitar noodles and the constant rearranging of tempos. The lyrics paint a picture of a person intentionally cramming their mind with obligations and responsibilities in order to not spiral into worse thoughts. The line "Thoughts racing, body immobile. Will we wake from this Faustian nightmare?" is incredibly relatable. Who among us hasn't felt like Faust, transitioning helplessly from moment to moment, emotion to emotion, all the while being expected to participate and react accordingly.

And then it's over. The final chugs chug out for infinity and we're left with nothing but the aftertaste (and the other EP, and LP, and their old and new bands, and you can have whatever is in my pockets).  Definitely give this a listen. Definitely give their other stuff a listen. And definitely check out Mahria and Obroa-Skai when you get the chance.

Goodnight Rayleigh, thanks for the tunes.

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(2018) RAYLEIGH - "Blood Letter" (from 'Last Word')

(2018) RAYLEIGH - "Last Mechanical Art" (from 'Last Word')

(2018) RAYLEIGH - "Sun Stealer" (from 'Last Word')

(2018) RAYLEIGH - "Diamondback" (from 'Last Word')

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Buy the tapes:
- in the U.S.A. (silver versions available)
- in Canada (gold versions available)

Bandcamp

Facebook

OMSB "Diamondback" premiere

OMSB 'If History' album review

OMSB Rayleigh review/interview

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ISTILAH

Band: ISTILAH

Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence
Related artists: ?.
Country: SINGAPORE
Years Active: 2016-present
Song: "Listen Now Listen"
Album: "Fill the Void"
Year: 2018
For fans of: HerLens, Zdzis Law, Yarmulke, Blue Friend, Tröpical Ice Land, Orchid, The Ultimate Screamo Band, Coma Regalia, Via Fondo, Cape Light, Komusō, Sto Cosi Cosi, Forget Me Not, Dip Leg, Sans Visage and Suis La  Lune.

Label(s): Self Released / Dekaden Records / Canopus Distro

This post's artist is from the April 2019 Mix. This is track #2.

You can download: the April 2019 Mix#4 right here or get the new May 2019 Mix#5 here.

If you've been following this blog you'll likely have come across a few posts gushing about ISTILAH. I first heard the three-piece Singapore screamo/emo-violence band when my friend Jörg (Machina Rex, Yung Nat$, Swallows Nest) showed me in a podcast that we did together back when I lived in New Zealand (check it out here). The song he showed me is titled "Lightning in a circle" and can be found on the band's 2016 'Demo'. The four-song debut EP is excellent, utilizing classic screamo/emo-violence riffing with desperate screams that comes off sounding very Japanese and I fucking love it. Opener "Never again" hits the Orchid meets Yarmulke vibes nicely while "Nothing" climbs like Indian Summer before rooting to a sick groove. The same year they released another two tracks on the 4-way split w/5000, Ilill and Rûth including "Time will tell" which is a cool jam tail-ended by an outro that is very, very Suis La Lune.

It was 2018's 'Fill the Void' that pushed me from like to love, as the eight tracks take a slightly more aggressive approach which makes the Japanese style so much more obvious, whether intentional or not I don't give a damn cuz I've been eating this shit up for over six months. There are some very cool vocal patterns in "Listen Now Listen" that start about 25 seconds in and drives the music during the pulsating ridiculousness preceding the Yage-esque at close. There's a ton of cool stuff in "Apartheid", including the eerie/swirling section about 30 seconds in and a sick, epic palm mute midsection that is easily one of my favourite parts on the record. "Crisis Point" has a frantic opening that slides into a nice groove with an added, high, dipping guitar riff while "Between Trees" does much of the same chaos before doing dreamy emo for final half. "Unjust" is fire and doesn't let up for its two-minute entirety and boasts a really cool ending that is rooted in a guitar ring-out over drumroll that first hits at 1:08.

I don't know what ISTILAH is doing next but I'll be all over it when it comes out.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2016 - Demo cassetteEP (stream/donate/download here)
2016 - 4-way split cd w/5000, Ilill and Rûth (stream/donate/download here)

2018 - Fill the Void EP (stream/buy here)

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(2018) ISTILAH - "Apartheid" (from 'Fill the Void')

(2018) ISTILAH - "Listen Now Listen" (from 'Fill the Void')

(2018) ISTILAH - "Unjust" (from 'Fill the Void')

(2016) ISTILAH - "Time will tell" (from '4-Way' split)

(2016) ISTILAH - "Nothing" (from 'Demo')

(2016) ISTILAH - "Never Again" (from 'Demo')

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ISTILAH additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

OMSB Best Of 2018

Idioteq "Top 10 reasons you don't drop your Year End Lists before the year is fucking over"

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SHOT TWICE

Band: SHOT TWICE

Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Powerviolence / Grindcore / Noise / Metal
Related artists: Поминай как звали.
Country: Moscow RUSSIA
Years Active: 2015-present
Song: "Zäh"
Album: "Worsen"
Year: 2018
For fans of: Buran, Aspergers, Minaret, Euglena, Graf Orlock, Pig Destroyer, Six Brew Bantha, Carl Johnson, Lora, Hexis, Afterlife Kids and Storm{o}.

Label(s): Self Released

This post's artist is from the April 2019 Mix. This is track #9.

You can download: the April 2019 Mix#4 right here or get the new May 2019 Mix#5 here.

SHOT TWICE are a self-described screamo/powerviolence/emo-violence/fastcore band from Moscow, and they nailed that description on their 2018 debut EP 'Worsen'. Five songs in just 8 minutes gives you an idea of the speed before even listening to the music.

The digital (as far as I can tell) EP wastes no time dismembering the listener with the 43-second introductory blast "Не смешно (вообще)", but it's the second track "Льву с моего герба стыдно на нём находиться" that takes the blazing hardcore and trains it to restrain enough that the song unloads over two minutes instead of in the blink of an eye. This track gives me strong Euglena and Storm{o} vibes, but the subsequent two fly by quickly before the mindfuck of a closer "Reported Speech Translation Problems" comes in to sweep away your ashes.

This music is dirty, dark, angry and explosive, so if you're looking for a relaxing listen maybe just jam something else. This is music for the world we live in, and it mirrors the truth to a t.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2018 - Worsen digitalEP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2018) SHOT TWICE - "Льву с моего герба стыдно на нём находиться" (from 'Worsen')

(2018) SHOT TWICE - "Zäh" (from 'Worsen')

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SHOT TWICE additional links

Bandcamp

Facebook

VK

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***TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL release show w/Ape War, Shearing Pinx & Balance***

TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL:
'Spooky Girls' Gymnasium album release show'

@The Avant-Garden on April 19th, 2019
Vancouver, B.C. CANADA

Live Show Review

BALANCE

Opener BALANCE were super nice and were the first to introduce themselves to me upon entering. About two songs into their set I went from thinking, "this is pretty good," to "oooo damn I am diggin' hard!" The closest comparison I had was Kowloon Walled City, as their dark, abrasive hardcore utilizes progression and expansion within a generally confined genre. These two videos don't do them justice, as the subsequent two songs were even better than the videos I've posted.

(2019) BALANCE - 2

Bandcamp

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APE WAR

Holy fuck. This was what I said to myself and everyone else I saw that night about APE WAR. I don't think many there had seen this hardcore/grind/powerviolence/thrash/metal mutation before but people started shitting themselves once those vocals hit. Absolutely ravenous shrieking took the cake for me, but the dual-guitar attack was on-point and the bass and drums were tight-as-fuck. They had fantastic energy and my favourite moment of the night came when one of the guitarists nuzzled his head into the vocalist during a song. It was a very tender moment amidst a very violent and intense set. You will be seeing more of this band on the blog soon. Do yourself a favor and be sure to make it to at least 2:25 in the embedded video below...good lord almighty.

(2019) APE WAR "Born of Sodom"

For fans of: Discordance Axis, Pig Destroyer and Cannibal Corpse

Bandcamp
Facebook

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TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCOOL

It was their release show, and they brought it. Any other way would have been a letdown and this entire show was anything but. Henrietta strutted around squawkin' and screamin', Matt danced around with the bass, Miggy let loose some ear-shattering shrieks whilst guitarin' it and the drummer Matt lost every stick possible and looked like he was having a helluva time. Their new album 'Spooky Girls' Gymnasium' was released but two days ago to much acclaim (OMSB, Sophie's Floorboard, Idioteq and Bandcamp) so ya best get on it.

(2019) TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL full set

For fans of: Innards, Kiss 2 and The Blood Brothers

Bandcamp
Facebook

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SHEARING PINX

I was aware of a few other projects by members of SHEARING PINX, but hadn't heard or seen this band yet. They were excellent and played a mishmash of rock, post-punk, noise and post-hardcore that were a perfect end to the night, especially their instru-metal jam that reminded me of Pelican and the embedded semi-improvised closer below with a rather terrifying climax. I get a bit of a Sonic Youth vibe but this is most certainly out of my comfort zone when it comes to accurate comparisons. It turns out the drummer is from Nanaimo so hopefully I can meet up with them soon and break into Nanaimo...as taking a 2-hour ferry each way for shows is expensive and time-consuming...but goddamn I love it.

(2019) SHEARING PINX - closer

Bandcamp
Facebook

~

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

more live videos from the show:
BALANCE - *1*
APE WAR - *1* & *2*

TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL
podcast
premiere

2018/19 Vancouver Shows

***APOSTLES OF ERIS / RAINING exclusive split premiere***

APOSTLES OF ERIS / RAINING

'Split'

exclusive album premiere

For fans of: Altar Of Complaints, Raein, Cease Upon The Capitol, Sinking Steps...Rising Eyes, Caught In The Fall and In Loving Memory

Apostles Of Eris
Bandcamp
Facebook

Raining
Bandcamp
Facebook

order in the U.S.
order in Canada/Internationally

Spoiler alert, I am biased. For I do some of the vocals for APOSTLES OF ERIS as well as run the label that released it (Zegema Beach Records) and I'm friends with the members of RAINING because two of them played in Emo Lendvai with me. That being said, I think I know my stuff, and I like this stuff. Very much, actually. So does Eric who runs Larry Records as they are coreleasing it.

The APOSTLES OF ERIS side is instrumentally the most screamo thing I've ever been a part of, and lyrically/vocally what I am most proud of to date. Jesse Mowery does all the instrumentals including the drums on a real kit. He is one of the most passionate, friendly, honest, caring and hilarious people that I've ever met and sharing this music with him is more than an honor. Opener "...and one for all that I know" has guitars that give me goosies every time I hear that Via Fondo-esque intro, and the swing post two-minutes with those spacey lead riffs are unreal. The clips in "Fascist Pacifist" are from The Dark Knight and the song boasts a chorus that I dare say is one of the heaviest, angriest things I've ever written. Oh, and when Jesse fires off that lazerbeam of a riff come 1:43 my legs get all wobbly and I get butterflies in my stomach. No song has made me cry as much as writing the lyrics for "Mikey Got His Gun", which is about my brother's destructive cavernoma that robbed him of the use of 3/4s of his limbs and left him in a wheelchair at 32 years old. It's our longest and most varied track, and instrumentally reminds me of European screamo/post-hardcore with a ton of layered vocals. I even tried out some spoken word stuff inspired by bands such as Sed Non Satiata and Amanda Woodward with a questionable degree of success. "A fire for your horrid life..." was the first track we wrote together for this split and is about my utter revulsion at the ideals, education, hate and greed brought on by anything related to what Asshat Trump is associated with. Closer "The Eye" is a relatively straightforward screamo jam with a heavy swing around the one-minute mark that bleeds into a build that hits full stride at 1:45 before the post-rock/strings outro.

The RAINING side is, honestly, much better than I had anticipated as they gained two members since their previous endeavor and both add their screaming to the mix, bringing the total number of vocalists to four. Think In Loving Memory crossed with Sinking Steps...Rising Eyes and you're pretty much there. Opener "blanktree" is a whirlwind of screaming and chaotic instrumentals with a 90s emo midsection and I fucking epic/groovy conclusion. "inoperant" is similar albeit shorter and screamier with an excellent use of the sax. "two mirrors" is the subdued interlude by way of acoustic guitar and some spoken word before the intoxicating rhythms of "sleepy ernst" hit, and that cut/transition at 1:55 to the isolated groove is remarkable. Closer "chervonenkis in the swamp" is a sad, awkward and depressing affair that is also the sides longest track at 4:58. The band has an LP and another split coming out, one would presume in 2019.

(2019) APOSTLES OF ERIS "Fascist Pacifist" (from 'Raining' split)

(2019) RAINING "Sleepy Ernst" (from 'Apostles Of Eris' split)

(2019) APOSTLES OF ERIS full side of 'Raining' split

(2019) RAINING full side of 'Apostles Of Eris' split

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

Apostles Of Eris/Raining premiere on This Noise Is Ours

Apostles Of Eris OMSB review

Raining OMSB review

Podcast w/Jesse of Apostles Of Eris

Podcast w/Tom of Raining

***CLOSEDOWN exclusive song premiere***

CLOSEDOWN

"II"
exclusive song premiere

For fans of: Beast Jesus, Leveless, Pianos Become The Teeth, Devil Sold His Soul and Wolf Teeth

Bandcamp
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Today's premiere comes from a new(ish) band that was born from Ohio's Wolf Teeth. They recently had these two songs on a cdr that was available on a tour with Plague Walker (as vocalist Eddy played in Plague Walker on tour), which is now available for a full stream/donation-based download on the CLOSEDOWN bandcamp page which is linked here. The band plays an awesome mix of post-hardcore, screamo with splashes of post-rock and metal. They have an EP coming out soon so be on the lookout when it drops, these songs are beyond promising.

(2019) CLOSEDOWN "II" (from 'Demo')

This song doesn't sound like another band, and I can't just say a genre or two to get the point across. "II" is a trippy, post-hardcore/screamo song that dips into metal, post-rock and has so many dynamic shifts and vocal variations that you'll think you're jamming Beast Jesus. The opening has a strong Wolf Teeth feel, as Eddy croons his vocals before letting loose after about 20 seconds, at which point low growls and horrific shrieks seep out of the swaying, rhythmic, seismic shifts. After a collapse at 1:25 the band really focuses on their post-rock/post-hardcore with a beautiful build that erupts at 2:12 like Leveless was doing. Finally, I love the Swedish screamo instrumentals with the distant gang vocals to close out the track. Head over to their bandcamp to jam "I"!!!

***TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL exclusive premiere***

TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL

exclusive 3-song premiere

For fans of: The Blood Brothers, Short Hair, Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower and Innards

Bandcamp
Facebook

I am very stoked to bring you three brand spankin' new tracks from my local Vancouver friends TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL. The band features members of Diva Plavalaguna and Double Standards, some of who help run Emocat Records. The three songs will appear on their debut LP titled 'Spooky Girls' Gymnasium' releasing in full this Friday on cassette and digtially in conjunction with the band's release show at The Avant-Garden in Vancouver that I will be attending, distroing and filming which I've linked here. You can pre-order tapes or robot-zap it digitally by going to the Emocat Records bandcamp page.

The songs that you can jam below are very sassy with an unmistakable Blood Brothers influence, but there's more at work including some serious shrieking, the slightest of folk/country influence and strong ties to screamo. Guitarist/vocalist Miggy had this to say:

"This record has been a long time coming with songwriting spanning multiple years, some songs back from when we were a three piece. Bands that might be interested in coming to Vancouver and playing with us should get in contact with us or Emocat Records."

(2019) TERRIFYING GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL "Diving Bell + Beach Town Chillzone + Teresa Of The Faint Smile" (from 'Spooky Girls' Gymnasium')

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

'Spooky Girls' Gynmasium' release show