Sunday 30 April 2023

*** PODCAST #114 Melissa (Heavenly Blue, Mel*N) ***


     I've been a Youth Novel fanatic for a very long time, so when they disbanded and morphed into HEAVENLY BLUE I was all over them. So asking the band to play ZBR Fest 2022 was a no-brainer, and after they killed it and Encarsia dropped in 2023 it was another mind-lacker to add them. During that 2023 add conversation Jon (bass) told me that one of their two vocalists also does a pop project called MEL*N which I checked out and immediately fell head over heels for. With HEAVENLY BLUE set to start their road to ZBR Fest tour with Blind Girls today and a MEL*N cassette coming out on my Softseed Music label in late May, I've got a lotta Melissa Lynn in my life right. So there was no better time for this podcast! We had a very chill/fun time and discussed a wide range of topics not limited to: instagram recruitment, vocal techniques, J-pop, K-pop, Chill Korea, joining Heavenly Blue, from Michigan to Philly to New York, writing new Heavenly Blue, home turf vibes, forgetting names, unreleased Olth,  Peach Faygeaux, the beginning of MEL*N and further growth, cassette release and new material, playing shows, Dave softening up in his old age, etc. Listen to podcast #114 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.


HEAVENLY BLUE





1 Hass Aff It
POISON RUÏN "Not Today, Not Tomorrow" (Melissa)
SHOTMAKER "Sky" (Dave)

2 Let's talk about Heavenly Blue
ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES "As Long As She Doesn't Smoke" (Melissa)
*** OLTH "screamO sucks" (Dave) ***

3 If you tried too hard to sound like something you like it's just going to sound like a worse version of that thing.
JANET JACKSON "Someone to Call My Lover" (Melissa) [music video linked here]
ETHEL CAIN "Verona (demo)" (Dave)


~Dave


____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Tuesday 25 April 2023

*** YUKI (foreverwewillmissyou) exclusive song premiere ***

YUKI (foreverwewillmissyou)
"Castled in"
exclusive song premiere
For fans ofPeople's Temple Project, Pique, Truman, Trotsky, Life, My Hair Is A Rat's Nest and A Paramount A Love Supreme


     I few weeks ago I was sent a song and asked to give some opinions about it. My response was, "Yes and here it is, please send me this when you're done lol it's fucking sick <3". A week later I had all five tracks and over two days I dubbed them from a cd player to a cassette deck to make 20 DIY copies that will release and go on sale May 12th, 2023 on Tomb Tree.

     YUKI (foreverwewillmissyou) is the brainchild of Arne Peterson of Newberg, Oregon and their take on self-recorded screamo is a fucking treat. Mixing parts of People's Temple Project, A Paramount A Love Supreme, and some of Long.Way.Down.'s earlier/heavier moments, the five songs on this EP are very high-end on the lo-fi spectrum. We did 20 tapes over various random/unique swirl dips with a lyric sheet, just figuring out the packaging today with promo pics coming out sometime later this week.


(2023) YUKI (foreverwewillmissyou) "Castled in" (from 'Time doesn't heal all wounds pt.2')

     "Castled in" is the fourth of five jams and definitely the longest, clocking in at 3:18. This track is really fleshed out, rooted in simplicity while also being structured in epic fashion, so it all begins with a head-nodding intro that will get any screamo fan moving. Soon the unrestrained vocals arrive and unravel as they pour out of Arne. After the first minute we are graced with some classy chugs, an audio clip, more bobbin', and another swing at the chug as an outro. Awesome stuff!!!

Saturday 22 April 2023

*** SCENARIO exclusive song premiere ***

SCENARIO
"Tracers"
exclusive song premiere
For fans ofHot Cross, Eyelet and Frail Body

     After a fantastic debut and some member changes, Ohio's SCENARIO is back with a killer 12"LP titled 'When All Is Said And Done' that releases on Monday April 24th via Zegema Beach Records, The Ghost Is Clear Records, and Mishap Records.

(2023) SCENARIO "Voyage (Tracers coming, my program crapped out)" (from 'When All Is Said And Done')

     The second track on the album begins with ethereal soundscapes before the screamo takes hold with a phenomenal concoction of chugs, noodles, and screaming. By the one-minute mark the song shifts into more frantic territory before 1:30 the band brings on their heaviest section to date. What a fucking banger.


LYRICS:
Her mouth is moving in shapes.
Motion is in a dreamlike moment.
Words are sinking into his chest.
Tracers are tracking body movement.
Comfort paints the mind's eye grey. 
Hold on, be still, and let the fear pass through you. 
Remind yourself to breathe. 
Moments like these make your life worth living.
It’s worth experiencing. 
A perception can hinder us from feeling alive. 
Ask yourself, are you living life?
In a second, a second goes by. 
Did you spend it how you had in mind?

__________________________________________

     SCENARIO opened Zegema Beach Records Fest 2023 and blew everyone away. Here's a song from their live performance as they'll be back again this year!

(2023) SCENARIO "Knavery" (from 'Sounds in Sequence') live video

You can get tickets to the fest here and Michael from Scenario had this to say about their experience:

ZBR fest was a blast last year. A couple of us had never been to Chicago. Billy is from Peoria, so he was pretty familiar with the area. We had fun jumping around town, checking out shops, and eating hot dogs before the fest. There were so many good bands, some we'd seen before, some we hadn't. It was nice putting faces to names, chatting it up, listening to tunes, and hanging with the homies. It was just a really good time. We appreciate everything ZBR does for heavy music. 

__________________________________________

A week or two ago the band revealed their first single and music video via Brooklny Vegan. Check it below!

(2023) SCENARIO "Voyage" (from 'When All Is Said And Done') official music video
https://youtu.be/H4EX0suHNfU

__________________________________________

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

Wednesday 19 April 2023

RHA.

BandRHA.
GenresPunk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Metal / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Doom / Sludge
Related artists?.
Country: Lüneburg GERMANY
Years Active2008-present
For fans ofTrainwreck, (early) Baroness, AmenRa, Zann, Fall Of Efrafa, Lentic Waters, Back When, Perth Express, Mesa Verde, Titan, Hope Drone, Omega Massif, Isis, Flirt, I Am A Curse, and June Paik.
Label(s): Self Released / Moment Of Collapse Records / Tief in Marcellos Schuld Records / Désordre Ordonné Records / Aim Down Sight Records / Brückentick Records / Blindman Melodies


      I first heard of RHA. through a friend (Hi Alex!) and ended up miscommunicating a trade with Moment Of Collapse that resulted in me finding out about Riah (also sick but a very different style of band). Two or so years later we traded again and I rectified the problem and picked up the 'leben.lassen' 12" for the Zegema Beach Records distro and myself. I was instantly hooked at the sheer ferocity that gives way to excellently restrained post-rock parts, amassing in an epic, cathartic experience. Let's quickly go through the history of their output though.

     RHA.'s first, self-titled release 'rha.' came out in 2009 and is a very different beast than today, with all songs clocking in at three minutes or less. This is more straightforward German punk/hardcore/metal with slight screamo leanings (and lots of guitar solos) that goes hella fast, and almost ends up sound ing like Mesa Verde on speed. Not the starting point I'd recommend but for a first release it's very good.

In 2011 the band released 'plus+' (which also ends up on the 'plus+minus-' split with Always Wanted War the following year) focuses primarily on straightforward pummeling metallic hardcore in the vein of Trainwreck and Perth Express, with a few melodic twists and slowdowns, but generally you know what you're getting after the first minute or so.

     And then...holy shit and then in 2013 they released one of the best songs ever with the one-sided 12" and 18+ minute behemoth 'refugium' / "refugium". This thing is marks the second iteration of the band's music which is both heavier and crushing, boasting a real ear for building songs and having them climax in the most satisfying possible way. The band's dynamics really shine through as well, with intriguing and discordant sounds being the focal point instead of speed.

     2015's '4-Way split' with Lvthn, Paan, and Kratzer houses another lengthy banger by name of "lichtbruch" which is just as epic but much more urgent (save the head-nodding atmospheric midsection) and clocks in at just under 13 minutes. The same year the band's shortest song "bedeutungslos" appeared on the 'Always Wanted War split' double floppy disk which would have felt right at home on an Emo Apocalypse compilation.

     After four years the band returned with their absolutely stellar five-track 12" full length titled 'leben.lassen'. This thing is fucking incredible. Opener "inferno" is a whopping 13 minutes and after a four minutes of eerie atmospherics, isolated drum beats, and cavernous bass, it fucking lets loose with a raging lurch into a sound so prodigious it's almost terrifying. There's even a few swings (like 5:40, for example) that turn the macabre into a groove-fest and give the songs an additional level of uniqueness and memorability. "die eigene objektivität ist die größte illusion des menschen" wastes no time with anything other than laying down concise AmenRa/Fall Of Efrafa-esque post hardcore/post-metal with a cataclysmic climax (not unlike early/good Baroness). "zu zweit allein" is both unrelenting and serene, depending on which of the song you happen to be listening to, and closer "krampfhaft" is most reminiscent of the opener as it also reaches the 10-minute mark, but begins in a much more uplifting and tranquil manner before picking up four minutes in. A few songs on here somehow utilize a tremolo riff that sounds like something I'd hear when imagining ancient Egypt, and I fucking love it. I also love the packaging (pictured above).

     More RHA. please!

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

2009 - rha. cassette/12"EP (stream/donate/download here)

2011 - plus+ cd/12"LP (stream/donate/download here)

2012 - plus+minus- (this is 2011's plus+ tracks alongside an Always Wanted War side) cd/12"LP

2013 - refugium. 12" single (stream/donate/download here)

2015 - 4-Way split 12" (w/Lvthn, Paan, and Kratzer) (stream/donate/download here)
2015 - Always Wanted War split double floppy disk (stream/donate/download here)

2019 - leben.lassen 12"LP (stream/buy here)

________________________________________

(2019) RHA. - "zu zweit allein" (from 'leben.lassen')

(2019) RHA. - "inferno" (from 'leben.lassen')

(2019) RHA. - "krampfhaft" (from 'leben.lassen')

(2015) RHA. - "lichtbruch" (from '4-Way' split) official music video

(2015) RHA. - "bedeutungslos" (from 'Always Wanted War' split)

(2013) RHA. - "refugium." (from 'refugium.')

(2011) RHA. - "zeitlos" (from 'plus+')

(2009) RHA. - "klartext" (from 'rha.')
________________________________________

RHA. additional links

________________________________________

Sunday 16 April 2023

*** PODCAST #113 Lucidity ***


     In the mid-late 2010s I was honored to release a split 7" by the Russian emo-violence band Улыбайся Ветру (hereby referred to as their English name Smile To The Wind) followed by their full length effort and final release 'Illusions' on 12". It's been a tough few years waiting for the members to revisit this style of music, and in late 2022 I was sent their new incarnation Ясность (hereby referred to as Lucidity) featuring members of Smile To The Wind, Euglena, Crossbringer, The Homeless Is Dead, Mayak, Namatjira, etc. 'Минское море' (aka 'The Minsk Sea') is a seven-track 12" that is the new benchmark in screamo/emo-violence. Zegema Beach Records sold more than 75% of the pressing in the first few days. As of this posting we have less than 20 copies left, linked here. Things discussed in this podcast: Beatles and Rammsteinn, each members' past bands, falling in love with Converge at the hospital, the different shades of Cave In, shifting from Smile To The Wind to Lucidity: members, presentation, tone, lyrics, etc., the Kidcrash hole, the importance of the Ikar reunion show, how this band is basically Guitar Hero, Serpent Column's screamo/black-metal solo project conspiracy, and more! Bands played in this podcast: Capsule, Cave In, Choke, Converge, Shora, and The Wind In The Trees. Listen to podcast #113 which is available to stream and/or download for free via this link.


LUCIDITY


1 Hedgehog With Hole In His Side / You've All Been In So Many Good Bands...It's A Little Ridiculous.
CONVERGE "Fault and Fracture" (Artemy)
CAVE IN "Juggernaut" (Dave)

2 The Dissolution of Smile To The Wind
CAPSULE "small caps" (Rodiyon)
CHOKE "Numb Phase" (Dave)

3 Go into your job with your head held high and be like, "I'm a fucking hero", cuz you are.
SHORA "Discussing Watercolor Techniques" (Alexi)
THE WIND IN THE TREES "Dying in Light Years" (Dave)


~Dave

____________________________________________________________________



_____________________________________________________________________

Friday 7 April 2023

KOLLAPS\E

BandKOLLAPS\E
GenresPunk / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Crust / Doom / Sludge
Related artists?.
CountryHelsingborg SWEDEN
Years Active2020-present
For fans ofIsis, AmenRa, The Monarch, Sarin, Ikaray, I Am A Curse, We Are Among Storms, R. Josef, and Eretia.
Label(s): Trepanation Recordings / Evil Noise Recordings / Clouded Mind Records

      It's not often I get an email nowadays with a band that lines up as nicely as KOLLAPS\E and their 2023 push for the seven-song behemoth known as 'Phantom Centre'. Stretching across post-hardcore and post-metal with some crust/doom/sludge injection, there's no way fans of Isis and AmenRa won't be eating this up. Chugs and discordant/evil riffs are ever present here, as are vocals dripping out of a cement mixer, but you've also got some well-placed serene parts like the mid-section in opener "Era" that is bookended by some excellent stop/start textbooks. All-in-all most tracks create a very intriguing journey that climax in glorious fashion. "Uhtceare" is the album's most gargantuan track as it both clocks in at 8:35 and hits like a slow-falling anvil. "Anaemia" will appease fans of AmenRa with it's brooding, dark, and hypnotic swing, while my personal favourite "Radiant//Static" leans heavy on the 'Oceanic'-era Isis. A truly fantastic debut album!

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

2023 - Phantom Centre cassette/cd LP (stream/buy here)

________________________________________

(2023) KOLLAPS\E - "Radiant//Static" (from 'Phantom Centre')

(2023) KOLLAPS\E - "Beautiful Desolate" (from 'Phantom Centre')

(2023) KOLLAPS\E - "Era" (from 'Phantom Centre')

________________________________________

KOLLAPS\E additional links

________________________________________