TRAINING FOR UTOPIA

Band: TRAINING FOR UTOPIA

Genres: Punk / Metalcore / Hardcore / Math-Metal
Related artists: Asterisk Studio, Demon Hunter, Invisible Creature, Focal Point and Low & Behold.
Country: Sacramento, California USA
Years Active: 1996-1999
Song: "Thoughtless Reminders"
Album: "Falling Cycle"
Year: 1997
For fans of: Zao, In Reverent Fear, Norma Jean, The Chariot, Lavotchkin, (old) Codeseven, Crrust, Lamantide, Botch, Llynch, Circles Over Sidelights, I Hate Sally, Poison The Well, (early) Hopesfall and Thumbscrew.

Label(s): Self Released / Solid State Records / Tooth & Nail Records
This post's artist is from the November 2015 Mix. This is track #3.

You can download: the November Mix#11 right here or get the new December 2015 Mix#12 here.

Considering the 1996 time stamp on TRAINING FOR UTOPIA's 'Breathing in Disease' (later repressed as 'The Falling Cycle') and its relentless carnage that sounds very familiar to a ton of Christian math-metal bands who popped up more than five years after this release. Being extremely comparable to Botch and Norma Jean is a compliment in my book, even if the music itself doesn't match those bands - as that's a nearly impossible level to achieve. We have to remember this was 1996 and none of the "for fans of" bands were making music this good at that point. Botch didn't even sound like this until around 1998 so that tells you a lot right there. If you enjoy those bands or are religious and like heavy music you should probably give their early work a listen.

Following the EP release in 1997 TRAINING FOR UTOPIA released an LP later year titled 'Plastic Soul Impalement'. It's not terrible, but it's not even enjoyable for me. The sound itself is intact but it sounds devoid of power and gravity. This relatively slight shift in style was rubbing me the wrong way. Couple this with the band's lyrics about being very pro god and religion and they completely lost my interest. I haven't checked out anything past the 1997 material but if it's actually worth my time leave some comments and maybe my biases will be absolved.

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY
Click )==>here<==( to download the band's 1997 material in mp3/wma form.

1996 - Breathing in Disease cassetteEP (same tracks as 'The Falling Cycle')

1997 - The Falling Cycle cd/7"EP
1997 - Plastic Soul Impalement cd/cassette/12"LP

1998 - The Split cdEP (split w/Zao)

1999 - Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine cdLP

2004 - Technical Difficulties cdLP compilation

________________________________________

(1997) TRAINING FOR UTOPIA - "Thoughtless Reminders" (from 'The Falling Cycle')

(1997) TRAINING FOR UTOPIA - "Dead Signal" (from 'The Falling Cycle')

(1997) TRAINING FOR UTOPIA - "One Zero One" (from 'Plastic Soul Impalement')

________________________________________

TRAINING FOR UTOPIA out of print 1997 material download

(download here)

________________________________________

***2015 OMSB mp3 Mix #12 (December)***

(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain)))))
December 2015 mp3 MIX #12

 => ***DOWNLOAD HERE*** <=

http://www20.zippyshare.com/v/1mjK96Wm/file.html

...and updates

Knee deep in studies again (for the last semester...hopefully ever) and a full time job. Making time for my wife and son, the new band I'm in, the label and the blog is challenging but once school is done I'm back to a doable amount of things. Some quickies...

- Zegema Beach Records got a ton of new label releases this month including Tentacles, Lamantide, Nionde Plagan, Foxmoulder and Eaglehaslanded...and those are just the 12"s! Check the new items here.

- The band I do vocals for called The World That Summer had its first show on October 22nd, 2015 with Ken Mode, Life In Vacuum and Worst Gift which is linked here.

- This past month's podcast included Kerry Pries of legendary screamo bands Welcome The Plague Year, Makara and (Nineteen) Nineteen which you can download for free here.

- The new Terry Green / Huge Cosmic split cassette had an exclusive stream that's still up on Exlaim! which is linked here.

- And lastly, here is the tracklisting for last month's reviews.

1) MAJORITY RULE - At 3am

2) FOUR HUNDRED YEARS - If You're a Joke, I Don't Get It

3) (NINETEEN) NINETEEN - Piercing Wounds of Tiring Battles (Angels Last Stab)

4) JR EWING - Electric Yesterday

5) AUDIENCE OF ONE - The Icarus Ambition

6) ACABAH ROT - Erkenntnis

7) HERCULES HERCULES - Red Makes White

8) GET FUCKED - Inside the 8lb. Dorm Fire"

9) SALIGIA - Phoenix

10) CLOUDS - Pressure

11) AM I DEAD YET? - Distance and Saxophone

12) GLASIR - Into the Void

Much love,

Dave / OMSB / ZBR
*photo by YOSH Photography

______________________________________

ZBR Store/Bandcamp

TENTACLES 'Ambivalence' LP

12" (order here)

(listen here)

LAMANTIDE 'Carnis Tempora: Abyssus' LP

12" (order here)

(listen here)

FOXMOULDER / EAGLEHASLANDED 'Split' LP
12" (order here)
(listen here)

FOXMOULDER

EAGLEHASLANDED

NIONDE PLAGAN 'Frustration' LP

12" (order here)

(listen here)

ENDAMORI / BIG MACHINE 'Split' LP

cassette (order here)

(listen here)
ENDAMORI

BIG MACHINE

________________________________________________________________________

***Interviews/Live shows coming up this month for sure:
- Colin May from Phoenix Bodies, Mara'akate, Hospital and this band being reviewed in November
- Edhochuli 4/5 of set

***Interviews/Live shows posted last month:
- Kerry from Welcome The Plague Year, Makara and (Nineteen) Nineteen audio interview
- Ken Mode, Life In Vacuum, Worst Gift and full set from my band The World That Summer

________________________________________________________________________

The following page have changes:

-nada

________________________________________________________________________

As always, on or around the 1st of every month, I will be posting a ZIP file with songs for the upcoming month with ALL specifics deleted from the tags, so unless you already know the band, there is NO information regarding each track.

During the following month, I will post reviews for those bands and link the tracks to the review so you can associate the two together. This way you can listen to a new song/band and have little-to-no bias. Below, I have re-posted the November mp3 mix that is used for this month's reviews.

OLD MIX
***2015 mp3 Mix #11 (reviewed in November)***

(http://www20.zippyshare.com/v/xx880G5J/file.html)

________________________________________________________________________

The new OMSB mp3 Mix #12 features only 10 songs for it is xmas, my friends. Included are:

*-* a band I first got into when I read that Billy Werner (Saetia/Hot Cross vocalist) recommended them, and then they blew the fuck up, disbanded and are back together again
*-* an unreal new emo-violence band
*-* a Jacob Bannon project
*-* beautiful, moving, epic screamo
*-* more sasscore for fans of The Blood Brothers, Encrypt Manuscript and Hercules Hercules

NEW MIX
NEW => ***2015 OMSB mp3 Mix #12 (reviewed in December)*** <= NEW

(((((http://www20.zippyshare.com/v/1mjK96Wm/file.html)))))

________________________________________________________________________

Any bands/labels that are interested in having their stuff reviewed, please email zegemabeachrecords@gmail.com: with "Open Mind Saturated Brain" as the subject. Please keep in mind that I don't review everything, just what jives with the blog. I will, however, listen to everything you send me. I would recommend emailing with an idea for a song/album premiere 2 months prior to that song/album release date for a much stronger chance at being reviewed on this blog. Bands that have already had their discography reviewed can also submit new albums for review if they include song/album premieres.

(NINETEEN) NINETEEN + Kerry Pries interview (WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR / MAKARA)

Band: (NINETEEN) NINETEEN

Genres: Punk / Screamo / Hardcore / Thrash / Emo-violence / Noise / Skramz
Related artists: Welcome The Plague Year, Makara, Usurp Synapse, The Khayembii Communique, The Infinity Drive, The Book Of Dead Names, Song Of Zarathustra, Linedostar, Lavradores and Assassinations.
Country: Springfield, Massachusetts USA
Years Active: 1999-2000
Song: "Piercing Wounds of Tiring Battles (Angels Last Stab)"
Album: "Demo Tape"
Year: 1999
For fans of: Welcome The Plague Year, Makara, Yusuke, Get Fucked, Ruhaeda, Honeywell, Shotmaker, Inkwell, мища, Battle Of Wolf 359, Amygdala, Joshua Fit For Battle, Hassan I Sabbah, Mohinder and To Dream Of Autumn aka PROPER SCREAMO.

Label(s): Self Released
This post's artist is from the October 2015 Mix. This is track #3.

You can download: the October Mix#10 right here or get the new November 2015 Mix#11 here.

(NINETEEN) NINETEEN was a band that I discovered whilst combing through the Level Plane associated members lineage and finding vocalist Kerry Pries' early work prior to Makara and Welcome The Plague Year, which are two other phenomenal bands. The 'Demo Tape' was recorded and released in 1999 and housed four songs of very gritty, noisy screamy hardcore (aka emo-violence). Each song includes background clips from what I believe to be old swing/jazz records. "Piercing Wounds of Tiring Battles (Angels Last Stab)" is my personal favourite, but all four songs are scathing gems of early screamo that detonate and dissipate in as many minutes.

I recently became acquainted with Kerry after she stumbled across my review of To Dream Of Autumn a few months back. After a few quick discussions she agreed to do a Skype interview. I am extremely proud (and lucky) to be able to present a 90-minute streaming/downloadable interview with Kerry Pries [vocals in (NINETEEN) NINETEEN, Makara and Welcome The Plague Year] which I have broken up on bandcamp for stream and free download. It is...

ALL

LINKED

RIGHT

HERE!!!

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

1999 - Demo Tape cassetteEP (download here)

________________________________________

(1999) (NINETEEN) NINETEEN - "Piercing Wounds of Tiring Battles (Angels Last Stab)" (from 'Demo Tape')

(1999) (NINETEEN) NINETEEN - "Window of the Inamorata (Valentines in London)" (from 'Demo Tape')

(1999) (NINETEEN) NINETEEN - "Way of the Storyteller (Dubonet Dry)" (from 'Demo Tape')

________________________________________

(NINETEEN) NINETEEN out of print mp3 discography download / additional links

(download here)

LastFM

________________________________________