by BBG

Envy's As Serenity Calls Your Name single art

One of Japan's greatest exports, Envy, are doing something to give a little back to their homeland.

Japan's legendary post-whatever powerhouse ENVY have recorded a brand new song specifically to benefit relief efforts for the devastating earthquake that struck Japan earlier this year. It will take years - likely decades even, - to rebuild the affected areas. This single will be available exclusively on iTunes so that we can minimize overhead costs to insure that 100% of the proceeds from each sale will go towards relief efforts.

The song, "As Serenity Calls Your Name" is on on sale now and it's a characteristically epic track that tops the seven-minute mark, so the ROI on this jam is high. Fans of anything from Thursday to Mogwai to Russian Circles, take note and pick up a copy if interested.

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Envy - "Dreams Coming To An End" (MP3)

Aside from splits with Jesu and Thursday, Japan's Envy haven't released an album since 2006's triumphant Insomniac Doze. That all changes on Oct 12th, when the band releases their fifth album of their 20 year career, Recitation, via Temporary Residence Limited! Dig on the sixth track from that LP, "Dreams Coming To An End", above and dig on the album art/tracklisting below.

Good news becomes better though with the announcement of a new US tour and NYC date, their first in four years! BrooklynVegan & 1000 Knives are pleased to announce the return of Envy at Santos Party House on 9/30 with Trash Talk, Touche Amore, as well as And So I Watch You From Afar. Tickets are on sale Friday at noon. The rest of Envy's US tour will be filled out with La Dispute, who will rotate into the Trash Talk slot, full dates are below.

Album art and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Envy releasing Recitation (MP3), touring w/ Trash Talk (dates) "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: United Nations - The Spinning Heart of The Yo-Yo Lobby (MP3)

Hey wait! I know that hairless chest (photo by James Petrozzello)

A band of unknowns announced their new self-titled LP to be released on Eyeball Records on September 9th, as well as another EP and a seven inch. Ok, they aren't exactly unknowns... it's just that the true line-up of United Nations ISN'T known. Lets start with the facts.... Yesterday, Geoff Rickly of Thursday sat down with Alternative Press to discuss his new side project, United Nations, a "secret supergroup of mid=90's screamo revivalists"

, here's a snippet:

So who are the members involved with this project, and what do they do in the band? Besides you and vocals, obviously

Well, I actually mostly played guitar and did some of the singing. The rest of the band are in contracts, so they're anonymous.

How did this idea first come up?

I was... This is really weird... I've known a kid named Daryl who plays in Glassjaw for a long time, and we used to go to shows, all the same hardcore shows, and we would get excited about a lot of the same bands. We both really loved what was going on on the West Coast in the early '90s, like Gravity Records stuff, really spazzy stuff. We also really loved the Ebullition style, mid-'90s, what they call the emo power-violence stuff.

Read the whole thing here.

So we have some kind-of-but-not-really confirmation that Daryl Palumbo is on board. That in and of itself is not a mindscrambler, but add in the fact that Converge has confirmed that drummer Ben Koller (also of Acid Tiger and ex-Cave In fame) is on board, as well as that message boards / the world's most accurate online encyclopedia are claiming Cooper of Made Out of Babies has joined on, UN takes on a whole new realm of possibilities.

United Nations is streaming their entire self-titled album at their myspace and you can download "The Spinning Heart of The Yo-Yo Lobby" from that record above.

In related Thursday news, Japanese badasses Envy will share a split with the band for Temporary Residence Limited, due on vinyl (with accompanying CD) September 15th. Spanning seven tracks, the record will have four new joints from Thursday and three new ones from Envy. The split was recorded this spring and Thursday enlisted Anthony Molina of Mercury Rev to remix one track, "Appeared And Was Gone", the lead in to Envy's first song. Pick it up at TRL when it drops....

Continue reading "United Nations = Thursday + Glassjaw + ?, full stream, MP3"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: The Sword - "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Soilent Green - "Antioxidant" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Iron Maiden - "Intro", "Aces High", & "Two Minutes To Midnight", Live in Tokyo Feb 16th, 2008 (VIDEO, WMV)

Neurot Recordings have announced details for THREE Neurosis-related releases in the next two months! First up, a new solo album from the mighty Scott Kelly, who will release The Wake on May 5th, his first release in the seven years since his debut Spirit Bound Flesh. Two weeks later, the world's most intense elementary school teacher Steve Von Till drops A Grave is a Grim Horse, his first non-Harvestman release in six years (Harvestman recently collabo'd with Fear Falls Burning). More details on A Grave Is A Grim Horse can be found here. The third we knew about, but has now gone official: A Storm Of Light's debut And We Wept the Black Ocean Within will be released on June 2nd. Read our recent interview with Josh Graham here.

Tickets for the previously mentioned second At The Gates show go on sale Thursday April 3rd at 10 AM here. Tomas Lindberg's other band, the mighty Disfear, have announced a few more dates, including another show in Brooklyn at Europa on May 22nd with Trap Them and Bloodhorse! Ticket info for Disfear at Europa isn't available, but there are still tickets for their show at the Knitting Factory. New tour dates are down below.

MUCH MORE..............

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (04/02/08)"