by BBG

Buzzov-en at Maryland Death Fest (more by BBG)

Posted to Facebook on Wednesday evening:

I am the singer and man who started buzzoven.I am in recovery from drug addiction and would love to share my journey with anyone who wants maybe to stop drinking or using drugs. This helps me!!

The above comment was left by Kirk Fisher on the Buzzov-en Facebook along with another shared statement. The Buzzov-en frontman has battled addiction for sometime now, so glad to hear he's doing well and best of luck to him. Find him on Facebook...

Meanwhile, I'm waiting anxiously for new music when he's ready, and some of his bandmates are out on the road in Hail Hornet.

words & photos by BBG

Tragedy @ MDF

There's four days of this?

Maryland Deathfest 2011 (May 26-29 at Club Sonar) kicked off at the early hour of 4:45PM Thursday with a set from Witchaven, an LA thrash four piece that is currently on the road with Nocturnal (who play the 2nd outdoor stage today, 5/27). The band was followed by the blasting grind of Shitstorm, a fantastic side project featuring 2/3 of Torche and Eric from Capsule. Noisear followed Shitstorm. The New Mexico quintet played pieces from their recent Subvert The Dominant Paradigm (out now on Relapse). Miasmal (who have a new LP) was next, and their throwback nod to Swedish Death Metal of yesteryear was a good palette cleansing after two sets of grind destruction.

One of my favorite sets of the day followed. LA's Lack of Interest killed the stage with their lightning fast hardcore. The show was the band's first on the East Coast, and the crowd responded appropriately with singalongs. Flesh Parade followed LOI with a set of brutal grindcore while the MDF Party Brigade tore up the pit with inflatable items and costumes (like Teletubbies, Ketchup outfits, a shack boy and more).

Next was Extortion's speedy hardcore which represented well live, though the band had some technical difficulties... though no where near as many as Buzzov-en. Buzzov-en fried a bass head before they could even start, and took a little while to set up. I don't know how K.Lloyd could function on stage (he seemed a bit, um, impaired) but regardless they ripped a killer set.

Tragedy, as usual, was amazing. The band's crusty d-beat incited pits and stage dives. Between them and LOI, I would have been content with an excellent day of shows. Cathedral's last-ever US show closed out the evening. I have always like Cathedral, but was never as mad about them as some.... but Sonar's soundsystem did them right last night. They sounded amazing.

Today is Neurosis! More pictures from Day 1 are below...

Continue reading "Maryland Deathfest 2011 -- Day 1 in pics & review (Cathedral, Tragedy, Lack of Interest, Flesh Parade, Buzzov-en & more)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Gridlink - "Dar Al-Harb" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Buzzov*en - "Lose" (MP3)

Buzzoven at Public Assembly (more by Samantha Marble)

Hydra Head has a helluva release schedule this week! Besides crucial represses of Neurosis's Sovereign, Discordance Axis's The Inalienable Dreamless, Oxbow's King Of The Jews, and new releases from Clouds (from the grave!) and Prurient, the label also released the long awaited LP from Buzzoven and the new Gridlink!

Now with 100% more Teddy Patterson, grindcore all-star team Gridlink's Orphan is out now. Download "Dar Al-Harb" from the new LP above, stream it below. Gridlink has also revisited their crushing (and BV fave) Amber Grey LP and added some serious low-end in the form of the Human Remains/Burnt By The Sun bass killer. Both Orphan and Amber Grey are packaged in a single slab of vicious vinyl, available now via the Hydra Head store. Helmet optional.

Sludge sickos Buzzoven's long shelved Revelation: Sick Again LP is FINALLY out on vinyl and CD. The release has been a decade in the making (!) and has been bootlegged countless times, but finally is here. Buzzoven fans, grab a fifth of Robo and rejoice... check out the "new" song "Lose" available for download above/streaming below and order a copy via Hydra Head.

In addition, Hydra Head has a new label sampler for FREE download featuring songs from Helms Alee, Jesu, Pyramids, and many others. Full tracklisting is below, along with some video and the song streams.

Continue reading "Buzzovern & Gridlink LPs out, Hydra Head sampler too (MP3s)"

by BBG

Kirk Fisher (aka K. Lloyd) of Buzzov*en (more by Samantha Marble)

Kirk Fisher and the rest of Buzzov*en destroyed Public Assembly with Black Tusk and Ramming Speed at their first show in NYC in 12 years last month. But Buzzov*en isn't Fisher's only persona. He also plays solo as K. Lloyd and in "supergroup" K. Lloyd & The Disciples with Jimmy Bower and Brian Patton, collectively of Eyehategod, Down, and Soilent Green fame. In both cases, think less dirge and riffy destruction, and more aching Southern blues.

K Lloyd will play a surprise show at Union Pool on TUESDAY (tomorrow, 10/12) with the great Erik Wunder (Cobalt/Man's Gin) at 9PM. $8 gets you in.

The Brooklyn show flyer, an (((unartig))) video from the Buzzov*en show, some other videos, and a few Eyehategod dates, below...

Continue reading "K. Lloyd playing a show ++ video from Buzzov*en & more"

photos by Samantha Marble, words by BBG

Threats of hurricane, cancellations (the boat, not to mention Javelina bowed out due to illness), and a dozen years away from NYC could not stop the return of Buzzov*en to NYC, who played Public Assembly on 9/30 as part of a short string of dates.

Ramming Speed and Black Tusk supported the southern sludge lords, BT's second show in NYC in as many months (they supported Fu Manchu at Santos in September). Ramming Speed opened the show and the band's thrashy blackened riffs were impressive and way too fun; this band is too good to be opening shows for much longer.

Catch Ramming Speed and Black Tusk on the road; tour dates, with more pictures from Public Assembly, below...

Continue reading "Buzzov*en, Black Tusk & Ramming Speed (but not Javelina) played Public Assembly (pics) "

by BBG

Dixie Dave of Buzzov•en on stage with Weedeater (more by Markus Shaffer)

Yesterday, ticketholders for the previously discussed return of southern sludge-core legends Buzzov•en received an email giving them a refund for their ticket purchase. No, the show is NOT off. That said, it has been moved to Public Assembly on the same night (9/30) AND not only will feature support from Black Tusk, but two more bands were added to the bill. You'll also get sets by Philadelphian sludge destroyers Javelina and Mass-thrashers Ramming Speed! To add insult to injury, we're going to do the entire BrooklynVegan-presented, 18+ show for $15 (it was $35 on the boat). A link for advanced tickets is on the way (we'll update this post). You might also be able to pick one up at the doors which open at 7PM. Get there!

All Buzzoven dates below...

Continue reading "Buzzov•en show moved to Public Assembly, price reduced"

by BBG

Buzzoven live in the 90s

Buzzov-en was a sludge metal band from North Carolina, formed in 1989 by the remaining members of Sewer Puppet. The band was known for being one of the founders of the sludge genre (after Eyehategod), and also for their out-of-control and violent live shows. The band in its early days toured heavily around the United States and built up a cult following leading up to the release of their debut album, To a Frown (1993), which caught the attention of Roadrunner Records, who released the band's second album Sore (1994). The band was dropped by Roadrunner, and from then on have gone through several periods of being split-up and reformed, with the only constant member having been Kirk Fisher.

Lightning strikes twice! Just like sludge faves Eyehategod, who returned to NYC with a trip on the high seas, the highly volatile Buzzov-en will return to NYC to play a BrooklyVegan / Rocks Off Concert Cruise on September 30th, alongside Black Tusk, their first NYC show in 12 years! Tickets are on sale, full tour sked is below. FYI, Buzzov-en 2010 looks a little like this: Kirk Fisher, "Dixie" Dave Collins (Weedeater, Bongzilla, Sourvein, Hail! Hornet), and Ramzi Ateya (Sourvein).

The NYC show is just 26 days after Black Tusk plays NYC with Fu Manchu (tickets), and will mark their fourth NYC appearance in less than five months. Their LP, Taste The Sin, is out now via Relapse - the label responsible for Buzzoven's latest EP, Violence From The Vault.

Some video of Buzzov-en, and full tour dates are below....

Continue reading "Buzzoven playing shows including a boat in NY w/ Black Tusk"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Crucifist - "Honor" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Flood - "Aphelion" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Culted - "Social Control" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fall Of Efrafa - INLÉ (Zipped MP3 Album)

Fall of Efrafa

Though the rain is mostly gone, it's still a doomy gloomy day here at Week In Metal, where we kick things off with Fall of Efrafa, who have dropped their FINAL album of thundering post-hardcore sludge on Denovali. It's called INLÉ and takes inspiration from an extremely unlikely source, the book Watership Down. The final in a trilogy of LPs that also included OWSLA and ELIL, INLÉ is available for FREE download above of for purchase via Denovali or Sound Devastation.

More details on Shrinebuilder have surfaced, including the FULL album art, as well as the tracklisting for the upcoming self-titled LP. Dig on that art here and the tracklisting below. Speaking of Al Cisneros, Vice blog recently interviewed Sleep and Om are on their way to NYC.

Roadburn has announced that 2010's Roadburn event will be partly curated by none other than Tom Warrior of Celtic Frost/Hellhammer/Triptykon fame! His new band Triptykon will headline Only Death Is Real, the Friday 4/16/10 event, and Tom will choose an additional 16 bands for the festival! Stokeage. More info is to come.

San Francisco's Flood, who take a line or two from the great Khanate with their low & slow doomy funeral marches, recently dropped their new LP Native on the esteemed MeteorCity (get that here). Check out a track from that massive LP, "Aphelion", which is downloadable above. Flood currently has no plans to head out east, but here's for hoping!

Kirk Lloyd is currently shopping an EP of unreleased material by legendary southern dirge merchants Buzzov*en!

It was recorded in Brooklyn by Shane and mixed by Mike Davidson and Brian Hill. Its 4 songs including "Nod" which was previously released on a split with Sourvein. The 3 other tunes are "Paintake","Breed" and "Mainline". "Mainline" got redone by the At A Loss lineup, but is actually a good bit different... with the original lineup of Brian Hill on bass, Ash Lee on drums, ...and this is the only recording with Johhny Brito on gtr. [Also look for] ...Pat Vigil now in Watch Them Die doing 2nd vocal on "Breed"!!

Meanwhile, Kirk Lloyd's current project, KK Lloyd & The Disciples (which includes Brian Patton of Eyehategod/Soilent Green and Jimmy Bower of EHG/Down) have scheduled a few shows in the NOLA area and are wrapping up the mixing and tracking of Purepainblues, the new album. A Hydra Head spokesman has stated that 2010 will see the release of the long-awaited Revelation: Sick Again LP by Buzzov*en. Sourvein are scheduled to play Union Pool next week with Saviours.

The legendary Autopsy will reunite at Maryland Deathfest 2010 bringing along with them Coffins, Melechesh, and Jesus Crost! Chris Reifert's current home, Abcess, recently released a split with Population Reduction.

More on Brutal Truth, Culted, Salome, Napalm Death, Torche, a new grind-fiesta in Williamsburg, and so much more, below...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (07/22/09)"