I would argue that Thomas Schlatter is the embodiment of screamo. At 42 years old, he started You & I when he was 17 and literally hasn't stopped playing screamo since. With a piercing, time-tested scream and his trusty axe, Tom and friends in HUNDREDS OF AU are dropping 'Acting From Remote Satellites' on May 7th, 2021 via Patient Zero Records. Tom took some time away from his wife, pets and library zoom calls to speak with me about his past, present and future in this very special episode of (((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))) podcast #64. We talk about a plethora of things, including: describes each of his bands in a sentence, dreams coming true at 17, veganism by pinky swear, the depiction of punk and skateboarding in the 80s, touring is just camping, the Paul Alan Connection, screaming vocals in a library, playing remotely written songs together for the first time, the new album, introductions to La Quiete and Italian screamo, undercover screamo fixin' computers, and lots more. Bands played in this podcast: Closer, Piet Onthel (PREMIERE!!!), Reverie (PREMIERE!!!) and Youth Novel. Listen to podcast #64 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
The fact that I've known Steve Roche for a few years now still boggles my mind. After years of me bowing down to the entity that was OFF MINOR, the band has okayed a cassette run of a completely remixed version of 2004's 'Innominate'. How big is this? It's fucking huge. Without a doubt one of the most influential people in "screamo", Steve played drums/screamed in OFF MINOR, a few instruments with SAETIA and BOOKS LIE, not to mention recording/engineering at Permanent Hearing Damage for two decades. He played in a bunch of other bands which you can hear him discuss on podcast #63, as well as: peaking early, the Steve/Kevin package deal, ABC No Rio, Saetia's history, past frictions, Jamie's lack of carpentry skills, music pre-internet, 7 Seconds was meh, how Off Minor wrote, recording bands, the dark ages of vegan bake sales, upcoming Massa Nera LP?, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Rorschach, Die Emperor Die and Bore War. Listen to podcast #63 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
AU BOUT DE MES LÈVRES and OMSB have a pretty rich history, as I just realized that I've premiered every release they've done thus far; February 2018 was the debut 'L'ivresse de l'eau' EP, September saw the 'Yubari GoGo split', June 2019 was the 'Entre la violence des corps I, II, III', in February of 2020 I premiered the '4-way split', and today I get to premiere their new 7" lathe 'Malgré la nuit' that will be released on Larry Records with the physicals being ready by August. The new line-up adds Gabrielle on bass/vocals, who you may remember from her time in Lonely Animals. 'Malgré la nuit' was engineered and recorded live by the in their jam space in Quebec City, mixed by Antoine Boily-Duguay, mastered by Will Killingsworth @ Dead Air Studios, and will be releasing on 7" lathe cut and tapes by Larry Records (USA), tapes by Zegema Beach Records (Canada + USA) & Le Blast Records (Canada).
(2021)AU BOUT DE MES LÈVRES "Mauvais sang" (from 'Malgré la nuit')
Jeeeeeesus, that first minute is like lava on the face! Emo-violence with tons of shrieking, followed by a super chill/atmospheric section that finally lets some sun shine in on all the death and darkness. At the halfway point (just before three minutes) shit gets super epic in an Envy kinda way, making this one of the best screamo jams of the year. Fuuuuuuuck.
(2021)AU BOUT DE MES LÈVRES "Endormir les enfants" (from 'Malgré la nuit')
Side B is much more relaxed, and begins with a harmonic ambient intro (as opposed to the noisier outro of Side A) which builds and eventually shifts its focus to a spacey, dispersed guitars. At the two-minute mark the rest of the instruments chime in and the car takes off, driving an ever increasing speed until the band freezes time at 2:30. It's at this point the balance of screams and clean singing meet up with some huge fucking bass to officially take this three-piece to the next level. And by four minutes? Goodbye, cuz that part might kill ya.
Copenhagen's DISILLUSIONIST are a name you'll likely be familiar with if you're invested in the screamo scene, particularly in Denmark/Europe obviously. The three-piece play screamo mixed with melodic, metallic and post-hardcore, releasing another music video a few weeks back called "Sleeper" (linked here). The song/video premiering today is for "Resented", another of the six jams from 'Love and Anxiety' EP May 2021 on Over The Under Records
(2021)DISILLUSIONIST "Resented" (from 'Love and Anxiety')
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence Related artists: Sudirrrman John Macbaren, A Lot Like Turd, Foire', Falter. Country: Seremban MALAYSIA Years Active: 2019-present For fans of: Virginia On Duty, Amu Daria, What Of Us, Carol, Acme, Mališa Bahat, Takaru, A Light In The Attic, Jeanne, Union Of Uranus, June Paik, Daighila and Capacities.
Label(s): Bilic Chaos Records / Zegema Beach Records OR Tomb Tree Tapes (upcoming release)
A few weeks back I came across a new release that someone said was "Malaysian screamo", so naturally I flew in to take a peek cuz Malaysian screamo literally always delivers. MAKRUH is no exception, and may I be so bold as to say it's the best emo-violence album of 2021? So far, a big-ass yes.
Released back in January, 'Makruh' containts 11 jams that can best be described as bassy, dark, compact, and explosive screamo. The vocals in particular are layered on nice and thick, reminding me most of Virginia On Duty in both vocal style and instrumentally. Only one track eclipses the two-minute mark and literally every jam is a banger, including the instrumental intro "Introvert". The most blatant of notables include "Altercation" (a revamped version from the demo the year prior), "I am Wrath" (with a breakdown that descends into hell), "Aghast" (injects some dancey screamo tones and has a ridiculous ending), "Bloodlust" (atmospheric intro/riffy mcrifferson), "Judgement Dead" (41 seconds of ), and "The Path" (closer and general slap in the face).
If you're hankering for some intense, cathartic and epic emo-violence then by golly, THIS IS IT!!!
Genres: Punk / Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence Related artists: ?. Country: Campinas BRAZIL Years Active: 2005-2006 For fans of: Deftones, Endor, Finch, La Parade, Vientre, Viva Belgrado, and Standstill.
Label(s): Self Released
MEIA LUA E SOCO hailed from Brazil and were active very briefly in the mid-2000s. They played a very post-hardcore take on screamo and metallic hardcore, falling somewhere between bands like Deftones/Finch and Spanish screamo/post-hardcore such as Vientre and Viva Belgrado. Their name translates to "half moon plus punch", which was the famous command for Ryu's hadouken in the game Street Fighter 2. They released a demo and two additional songs which were compiled last year on the digital EP titled 'A todos os nossos amigos'.
Some of their songs have a distinct vocal inflection of making a pronlonged scream more and more broken/loud as it goes. That may sound like a weird description, but take a gander at the first 30 seconds of "Lacra o Shopping" and you'll know what I mean. I even spoke about how much I loved it in the Sean Leary of Stormlight/Loma Prieta/Beau Navire podcast (linked here) and recently recorded a song for Apostles Of Eris where I literally tried to do the same thing. Another feature are the clean vocals, but they're kind of hit or miss and bring to mind Endor.
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DISCOGRAPHY
2005 - Demo digital EP
2006 - comp/single tracks
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(2006) MEIA LUA E SOCO - "Underground para vida" (digital single)
Ever since Jon Riley messaged me about releasing YOUTH NOVEL's 'Turned around abruptly beside a mirror and jumped at my own reflection' I've been in eager anticipation of every thing the band touched. Following six years of silence YOUTH NOVEL semi-reformed to finish the LP started more than half-a-decade prior, and concocted one of the best screamo albums in recent memory. Check out my talk with 75% of the band in podcast #62 with Jon Riley, Maya Chun, and Nathan Whittle. A few highlights include: the possible next Youth Novel cover songs, the secrets of their bass tone, art explanations, At The Drive In love, a slew of drummers, notes from Korea, bell kits or whatever, what is mathcore?, the future of Youth Novel and "I think you're neglecting the fact that I make very good money". Bands played in this podcast: Big Brave, Lower Automation, Mid-Air Thief and The Darkness. Listen to podcast #62 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
In early 2020 I finally heeded the advice of a friend and checked out St. Louis' SINE NOMINE (pronounced 'SEE-nay NOE-mih-nay"). After a couple of half-listened to songs, "Everyone's Classroom" came on at 2am while I was making nachos and I headbanged my way into the next dimension. Seriously, 2020 was the year of SINE NOMINE for David Norman. No band was listened to as much as this band. Nor has any band ever brought me to so many air guitar moments and neck-flailings.
After convincing the band to let me release a double-discography tape, I followed up with drummer Mike Frisella and chatted about lots of stuff, including: GI Joe references, mp3.com, Joshua Fit For Battle, owning laundromats, everyone likes the Deftones, the band's demise, Guns' N Roses, the curfuffling of screamo and the secret of dipping tapes, among other things, of course. We also included Mike's objective reviews of both SINE NOMINE full lengths, check it out below! Bands played in this podcast: Birds In Row, La Mantra De Fhiqria, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, and Snag. Listen to podcast #61 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
1 LOVE LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN "Calm and Secure" (Mike)
2
LA MANTRA DE FHIQRIA"Lackluster" (Dave)
3 SNAG"Jar Spell" (Dave)
BIRDS IN ROW"We vs. Us" (Mike)
~Dave
An objective review: by Michael Frisella
"this machine is malfunctioning"
Overall problems: sound quality...song structure on some songs is a little weak and Mikey should just be eliminated
Today: good song as far as writing goes.. recording quality makes it sound like chaos.. which gives it some character... we should've re recorded this song at some point.
Bandi: possibly the best sounding song on the album as far as sound quality goes... solid writing also, although we should've cut out the weird drum circle weirdness towards the end..
Farewell: solid song, quality not so great.. should've re recorded this as well
Sad: I always liked this song, now it sounds a little juvenile in the writing category.. just a little bit though.. still decent I guess
Accidental: solid song and decent sound quality.. definitely the albums radio single
Cookie: song should be cut from the album.. has one or two cool parts but overall lacks in structure
Sept: This song also feels a little juvenile to me... I'm not sure exactly what that even means... just doesn't seem structurally sound
Jesus: cool song.. kinda weird but in a good way.. maybe just shorten it a bit
Everyone's: good sound quality on this.. maybe better than bandi.. and pretty sweet song also.. EXCEPT for the almost nu metalish bouncy part... that could just be a result of the drums, but take that part out and this is the best crafted song on the album
"Super Molecular Dust Separator"
Heavy: great song... sound quality is excellent.... throughout the whole album really
Yellow: eliminate the intro thing and this is good
Brown: the intro to this song should be its own song.. a nice melodic instrumental jam.. I actually want to make it a song like right now... the rest of this song is meh.. the vocals are too repetitive.. it's gets annoying
Jeffrey: this was always my favorite song on the album... wouldn't change anything except maybe add some screamy vocals in the background towards the end behind the melodic part
Filled: pretty cool.. kinda long, but it doesn't feel dragged out...
White: I go back and forth... the vocals/lyrics kinda ruin the song in the beginning few parts... if you take them out I still go back and forth on if I like it... it's a weird song
Chester: I really like this song and think the lyrics are fun and actually meaningful as a metaphor for a lot of things.... BUT it's a bit drawn out.. take out a few of the repeating parts and it's pretty cool
Kill: tied for my fav song on the album... the recording sounds extra crisp/clean... and there's nothing I would change about it...I still like the young guns clips!
"Smack"
Yeah smack ep the songs are flawless as far as writing goes, I wouldn't change a thing ... we really matured on that album 😆
youth sound wise is way better sounding than the other two for some reason.. sound overall is way better than first album but we should've re recorded the whole thing
A follow-up to the Robert Hansen (drums/Eyelet), I spoke with guitarists/vocalists Matt Redenbo and Craig Smith. EYELET released 'The Devil Shining Out Your Eyes' on 12"LP on December 31st, 2020, concluding a shit year in the best possible way. In this episode we discuss the Gillian Carter/Eyelet 7" split onward and touch upon tattooing, recording bands, 'Howling In The Hall', why Crowning rules, how tunings influenced the new album, living in Hagerstown, tripping on cookies, and the status of the next Eyelet record. Bands played in this podcast: Crowning, Daitro, and Rainmaking. Listen to podcast #60 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
You may know Logan from his primary band GILLIAN CARTER, as well as The Caution Children (for which he played guitar in for a minute) and Witchbender (drums). Way back in June of 2017 we did our first podcast together (linked here), so if it's band history you're after go listen to that podcast first. In this episode we discuss 2017 onward and touch upon Thou, the MEHlvins, NanBob's origin story, how to track at home in your pajamas, and the status of the next Gillian Carter record. Bands played in this podcast: Buildings, Charles Bradley, Envy, and Floral Grey. Listen to podcast #59 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence Related artists: Øjne. Country: Cinisello Balsamo ITALY Years Active: 2014 Album: "Heritage" Year: 2014 For fans of: Naedr, Coldrain, Loftus, Mortar, State Faults, Olam, Suffocate For Fuck Sake, Tunes For Bears To Dance To, Robots Don't Cry, and Floral Grey.
Label(s): self released
THY SOLACE were from Cinisello Balsamo in Italy and released but one four-song EP in 2014, playing a volatile mixture of screamo, metalcore and post-hardcore. Imagine State Faults on speed or Olam with more screamo elements and you're pretty dang close. Opener "Eyes That See Too Much Lose The Will To See" is a decent rager, but follow-up "My Wild Goose Chase" takes it even further and somehow injects some clean singing that fits wonderfully. "Hearts Unfulfilled, Feelings Unconveyed" borders on my Singapore and Malaysian friends Naedr and Mortar, bringing volatile screams over metallic hardcore that borders on emo-violence. Closer "Ultima" is poppy enough during the opening to be reminiscent of Tunes For Bears To Dance To or Robots Don't Cry, with it also being the most post-hardcore of the bunch anchored by a wonderfully lush build halfway through that brings the song to a most epic conclusion. Goddamn I love those vocals.
AGENT MULDER hail from Barrie, Ontario and were introduced to me by our resident Zegema Beach Records artist Kyle Calvert. The band recently released a four-song EP titled 'And All I Loved, I Loved Alone' with tapes following next month, as well as their brand new single "Something Tells Me That We Aren't Getting Out Of Here Alive". I am pleased to bring you the music video that they recently shot for opener "Christopher Walkin' Away" which is embedded/linked below. It's dark, chuggy, injected with solos and hella heavy on the paint. Cassettes for the EP release on Tomb Tree Tapes February 12th, 2021.
(2021)AGENT MULDER "Christopher Walkin' Away" (from 'And All I Loved, I Loved Alone')
I've been chatting with Hayden Rodriguez from FOR YOUR HEALTH for a few years, so it was a no brainer to do this podcast leading up to the release of their debut 12"LP 'In Spite Of'. As I was asked to swirl dip the band's cassette tapes, I've been jamming this record for a few months and it's fanfuckingtastic. It releases February 12th, 2021 on Twelve Gauge Records but you can get a plethora of information about it in this podcast. I do highly recommend it. Bands played in this podcast: Daughters, In Reverent Fear, My Chemical Romance, Panic At The Disco, The Stryder, and Youth Novel. Listen to podcast #58 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.
