by BBG

Ladder Devils, which features members of The Minor Times, have teased us with a few tastes of their Am-Rep style post-hardcore, but it wasn't until recently that the band had ventured into the studio to knock out a full exhibition. Enter Nowhere Plans, the band's debut LP for Brutal Panda which is due June 26th and available for preorder now. Limited to 500 pieces of vinyl, the album spans nine tracks, one of which, "Good Enough Methodology," is available for streaming for the first time below.

Ladder Devils are on board to support Harkonen (as part of their East Coast jaunt) at Philly's Kung Fu Necktie with Whores and The Atlas Moth. The day before, look for Harkonen to play the BrooklynVegan/Brutal Panda Northside showcase which is happening June 15 at Union Pool. Tickets to the Brooklyn are still available (or use your Northside badge). Tickets to the Philadelphia show are still available too.

Stream that new Ladder Devils track below, along with some previously-available material.

Continue reading "Ladder Devils releasing 'Nowhere Plans' (stream a song)"

Art for Shiner's The Egg

Shiner was a band from Kansas City, Missouri that was active from 1992 to 2003. The group formed in 1992, and quickly found wide exposure, releasing a vinyl EP in 1993 and touring with acts such as Sunny Day Real Estate, Chore, Jawbox, Season to Risk, The Jesus Lizard, and Girls Against Boys. The group released their first LP, Splay (recorded at Steve Albini's Chicago studio) in 1996, and a second album, Lula Divinia the next year. Sub Pop took notice, and released a 7" single of the group's songs "Sleep it Off" and "Half Empty". Following this the band toured with Hum in 1998.[1] A third full-length, Starless, was released on a label run by members of The Descendents, Owned and Operated, in 2000. A fourth LP, The Egg, would follow before the group broke up in 2002.

Close to ten years later, the band is back for a quintet of reunion shows in the US in celebrate of The Egg's reissue, due on August 7th. The dates include stops in Lawrence, Kansas, Chicago, LA and NYC at Irving Plaza on August 11th with Errortype:11. Tickets are on sale.

In related news, Errortype:11 shares members of Primitive Weapons, who will team with Whores, Family, and Tiger Flowers at Saint Vitus on June 13th. Tickets are on sale. As previously mentioned, Whores will also play Union Pool on June 15th with Harkonen, The Atlas Moth, and Fight Amp as part of a Brutal Panda/BV-BBG Northside event. Tickets are still available, or get in with your Northside badge.

A listing of all Shiner tour dates and a teaser video for The Egg reissue are below.

Continue reading "Shiner reunites for US dates (including Irving Plaza)"

Mouth of The Architect is back from self-imposed exile to record a new LP and do a string of East Coast dates! The shows include stops in the Midwest and the East Coast, including on June 16th at Saint Vitus. Ticketing info is forthcoming.

With the reissue of Warrior Kids's Les Enfant De L'Espoir in the open (download it for free, buy it via Katorga Works), the band will hit the road for a string of US dates leading up to an appearance at Chaos in Tejas. The dates include two NYC stops at Acheron on May 22nd with Crazy Spirit, Creem and Goosebumps and Tommy's Tavern on May 24th with 45 Adapters and Offensive Weapon. Full tour schedule is below.

Fight Amp are currently working on their new LP Birth Control for Translation Loss. Reminder, Fight Amp will appear with Harkonen, The Atlas Moth and Whores for a show at Union Pool on June 16th. Tickets are still available, or get into this BV/Brutal Panda event with your Northside Badge.

Philadelphia punks Leather are working on a new long-player and will play a string of East Coast dates including a stop at Acheron on June 9th with Shoxx (ex-Pollution). Full tour schedule is below.

More suggested NYC shows, video from Autopsy last week (pictures are here), a new Ulver video, and more are below. What did I miss?

Continue reading "Evillive (Mouth of the Architect, Autopsy, Leather, Warrior Kids, Ulver & more)"

by BBG

"Giant squid sound like June of 44, neurosis and system of a down made an awesome three way music baby." [SethCDiamond

"hey LADIES, it's a great weekend to be a WOMAN in PUNK! canadian riot grrrls WHITE LUNG are in town tonite @ 538 johnson + tmw @ the acheron" -Maria Sherman

Giant Squid @ Saint Vitus

Translation Loss celebrated their roster at two shows in the East Coast, including NYC at Saint Vitus on 4/21. The Philadelphia-based record label looped in west-coast cello-centric metal crew Giant Squid for the special occaision, filling out the rest of the bill with appearances from Rosetta (who headlined the evening), Fight Amp and East of the Wall. Pictures and video from Saint Vitus on Saturday are below.

Shortly after the close of the show, I braved the elements to head to the sweltering-hot-and-obscenely-packed Acheron to catch the tail end of Crazy Spirit before White Lung hit the stage for their second of two NYC shows (the first was at 538 Johnson the day before). Thankfully, I missed a fight that broke out at the venue during the show and managed to catch all of the bratty-punk set by White Lung who, despite microphone issues and too much stage volume (which forces the vocals too high in the PA), were totally fun and unique. Video from Acheron is below.

If you missed Fight Amp, the band will be in NYC very soon... look for the Am-Rep-meets-hardcore trio to bless Union Pool on June 14th as the special guest for the previously announced Harkonen/The Atlas Moth/Whores show as part of the BrooklynVegan-BBG/Brutal Panda Northside showcase. Tickets are still on sale OR you can use your Northside badge to get in.

All pictures and video from Acheron and Saint Vitus are below.

Continue reading "Rosetta played w/ Giant Squid; White Lung played w/ Crazy Spirit; Fight Amp added to Northside show (dates/pics/video)"

by BBG

Rosetta at Gramercy Theater (more by Di Lynn Ring)

Whenever vocalist Mike Armine isn't handling vocals over spacey post-hardcore riffs with his band Rosetta, you can probably catch him crouching in the corner activating some of the samples and ambient tracks that provide texture and depth to their live show. Now Armine is welcoming an LP of tracks that further explore his ambient tendencies with Verse & Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift, a full-length that delves head-first into waves of noise, tones, and feedback, abandoning some of the clenched-fist approach of Rosetta in favor of introspection. Stream all of Verse & Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift below and look for the LP on Translation Loss Records this week.

Rosetta released a split with Junius and the The Determinism of Morality LP last year, and recently played with Kings Destroy at Saint Vitus on March 14th. The band will return to the space on April 21st as a special guest where they will join Giant Squid, Fight Amp and East of The Wall. Tickets are still available.

All tour dates and that Mike Armine stream below...

Continue reading "Mike Armine welcomes a new LP (stream it); Rosetta added to Translation Loss bill (dates)"

by BBG

Jackie of Giant Squid at BV/Profound Lore SXSW (more by Samantha Marble)

Fight Amp, Giant Squid, East of The Wall and special guests will team up for Translation Loss showcases at North Star Bar in in Philadelphia on 4/20 (with Rosetta) and at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn on 4/21 (with special guest TBA). Tickets for both shows are on sale (at the links).

Giant Squid, who released the Cenotes EP last year, is celebrating its vinyl release with these shows. The band currently have no other new releases on the way but their labelmates Fight Amp do...

Studio time is officially booked for our next full-length! Starting April we're recording to 2" tape at Gradwell Studios here in South Jersey, same place we used for our splits with Black Tusk, Kowlloon Walled City, and Ladder Devils. Here come the bummer jams...

Meanwhile, East of the Wall are hitting the road for a string of US dates with Hull and Black Tusk. You can also catch Brett from East of the Wall at Union Pool as part of Argonauts. All tour dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Translation Loss schedules label showcases with Fight Amp, Giant Squid, East of the Wall and more"

photos by Di Lynn Ring

Cynic @ Gramercy Theater

The inaugural Metal SuckFest had its final night on Saturday at Gramercy Theater (11/4) with a headlining appearance from Cynic, and support from Obscura, The Red Chord, 3, Fight Amp, Rosetta, Scale The Summit, Last Chance To Reason, A Life Once Lost and Ultrageist. Pictures from the show (none of Ultrageist) are in this post.

Before the show (on 11/2), Cynic headed to East Village bar Idle Hands to play an intimate acoustic show in celebration of their new EP Carbon-Based Anatomy. Check out an interview taken at that appearance, their Gramercy setlist as well as more pictures from the whole Gramercy show (night one HERE), below...

Continue reading "Metal Suckfest @ Gramercy --- night 2 pics, more Cynic dates"

Weedeater words by Lindsay Maharry, photos & Oxbow words by BBG

Weedeater

Weedeater headlined Europa Saturday night (9/10), playing alongside Oxbow, Bison BC, and Fight Amp as part of a larger tour for Weedeater & co. It was a rare one-off for Oxbow.

Weedeater as a band, and as people, are completely unaffected, giving their live show a remarkable jolt of undeniable authenticity. Beloved frontman "Dixie" Dave Collins' collision of dirty Southern grit and seemingly effortless talent is mesmerizing. Collins started the show off with a back pocket full of salami cold cuts and an arm full of American flag Budweiser. After riffing Sleep for the sound test, the band exploded into "God Luck and Good Speed". The room shook.

Cross-eyed madman Collins is also a jack of many trades. One minute he's knocking himself in the head, while the next he's straight-faced and seamlessly manipulating feedback in perfect sync with the rest of the band. Between growled lyrics, Collins shot strands of mucus in and out of his mouth, but not without casualties; spit strung through his beard for the rest of the set. He didn't wipe it away.

At one point, early on, he found a bottle of water on the stage. "What the fuck is this for? washin' clothes or something?," he muttered to himself, then threw the bottle over his shoulder and pounded the rest of his beer. He never missed a beat. - LM

Oxbow

Oxbow (my favorite band of the night) vocalist Eugene Robinson's well-documented knowledge of the combative arts translates to his moves on stage, punctuating big bang moments from the songs with uppercuts and downward fist strikes. Slithering to the band's bluesy-avant-jazz-meets-Am-Rep backing, Robinson would disrobe piece by piece- eventually grabbing, fondling and thrusting himself in his skivvies and a black leather vest. To say Robinson's performance is confrontational is an understatement, but also to discount Oxbow as a band with a novelty frontman would be a travesty. The trio of Dan Adams, Greg Davis, and Niko Wenner are exceptional musicians that write incredibly compelling tunes regardless of the vocal situation. David Yow knows it, so take notes young folk... this is how it should be done: raw, in your face, soulful, brutal and excellent.

Fight Amp and Bison BC also delivered my favorite performances yet. Bison are at the top of their live game. More pictures from the show, below...

Continue reading "Weedeater, Oxbow, Fight Amp & Bison BC brought the crazy to Europa (pics & review)"

by BBG

Magrudergrind at Music Hall of Williamsburg (more by BBG)

Metalsucks have announced most of their lineup slated for the Metal Suckfest 2011 at Gramercy Theater on November 4th and 5th. Joining the previously announced artists will be God Forbid, Howl, Black Tusk, Ramming Speed, Prime Evil, A Life Once Lost, Scale the Summit, Fight Amp, and Ultrageist across the two days. Tickets are on sale for both 11/4 and 11/5, or you can buy them packaged with tickets for Mayhem who play the day before (Metalsucks Pre-Game). Lineups by day and the show flyer is below.

Reminder: TWO of the artists slated to play the Metal Suckfest will play NYC this weekend. Fight Amp will support Weedeater/Oxbow/Bison BC at Europa on Saturday (9/10, tickets) and Despise You/Magrudergrind/Backslider/The Communion/Defeatist are at Shea Stadium (9/11).

Woe is also scheduled to play that Mayhem date at Gramercy, but will be in NYC next week as part of a show with 40 Watt Sun at Public Assembly on 9/16.

More shows happening this weekend are listed in Evillive.

The almost-full Suckfest lineup and the show flyer is below.

Continue reading "updated Suckfest lineup (tix on sale), Weedeater this weekend"

by BBG

Dixie Dave on stage with Buzzov*en at MDF (more by BBG)

Apparently resurrected after their encounter with a frightening Mancoon, Weedeater (with a spankin' new website) will hit the road in early September for a round of dates through middle October. Support will come from Saviours, Bison BC & Fight Amp, except for NYC & Philly who Saviours will bypass, with NYC getting a rare appearance from Oxbow! The show goes down on September 10th at Europa (ticketing information is forthcoming). BrooklynVegan is the proud sponsor of the Europa date and the tour as a whole.

Oxbow played an acoustic set at The Stone last year, but havent appeared as a full band since playing Isis's 10th anniversary show at Irving Plaza in 2007.

All tour dates and that "Mancoon/Turkey Warlock" video is below.

Continue reading "Weedeater announce tour w/ Saviours, Bison BC & Fight Amp +++ NYC show w/ Oxbow (2011 dates)"

photos by Samantha Marble, words by BBG

Compared to fellow Georgians Mastodon & Baroness, Kylesa have always been sort of the underdog. Now entering their 10th year as a band, it seemed like sweet justice on Wednesday (1/26) to see the band pack a headlining show at Santos Party House, and play with another THREE underrated bands in their own right.

Rosetta, East of The Wall, and Fight Amp all deserve bigger audiences than they usually draw. East of The Wall's Isis-meets-jazzy-tech is technically astounding, brutal, and endlessly watchable. Fight Amp conjure the best of Am-Rep, leaning towards hardcore. Rosetta's post-rock-meets-hardcore is spacey, atmospheric, emotional, and a live juggernaut.

I could tell from not only the crowd's size, but from some of the faces, that Kylesa's new LP Spiral Shadow has been attracting attention from some different corners of the music world. Nevertheless, the bulk of the crowd popped for fan fave "Hollow Severer" (from 006's Time Will Fuse Its Worth). Material from personal fave Static Tensions received the same warm welcome... if by welcome you mean stagedives and windmills. It was another excellent set from this crew, who unfortunately had some extra work to do the next morning.

More pictures from the show and the setlist are below...

Continue reading "Kylesa played Santos Party House w/ Rosetta, East of The Wall and Fight Amp (pics & setlist)"

photos by Chris La Putt, words by BBG

Kylesa's latest release Spiral Shadow is garnering its share of year-end accolades, and the band continues to play shows through the end of the year after recently completing a tour with High on Fire and Torche that brought them to Webster Hall in October. But Kylesa isn't content; they've already announced another tour for the new year!

BrooklynVegan is proud to present Kylesa's Spiral Shadow January 2011 tour of the East Coast, featuring appearances from Zoroaster, Rosetta, and Fight Amp along the way. The tour makes an NYC stop on 1/26 at Santos Party House with Rosetta and Fight Amp. Tickets are on sale now for the BV/1000 Knives co-production. All dates are below.

If this were science class, I'd propose the hypothesis that NYC loves Kylesa. I would then prove said theorum with the evidence of their recent surprise show with Hull at Public Assembly that took place one night after the above-mentioned Webster Hall show. It was an excellent turnout on short notice, on that possibly-hurricane-threatened day, and the Savannah band were great as they ripped through staples from previous burners as well as new classics like "Don't Look Back". Pictures from that show are HERE and HERE.

And a second set of pictures from the Webster Hall show is in this post. They continue with the tour flyer and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Kylesa touring in January -- dates & more Webster Hall pics"

by BBG

UOoA at Death By Audio (more by Keith Marlowe)

After a triumphant return at shows in Baltimore and Death By Audio in Brooklyn with No Age, Universal Order of Armageddon will play NYC again as part of a stint of East Cost dates in the New Year that will include Cake Shop with The Body and Orphan on 1/21, and a return to DBA with Fight Amp and Trophy Wife. Full tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Universal Order of Armageddon announce more shows"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Kowloon Walled City - "The Commuter" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ladder Devils - "Get OK" (MP3)

Kowloon Walled City

Much like Wolvserpent recently did, I propose Kowloon Walled City change their name. After being bludegeoned by their recorded output, it's obvious that the band name should probably be Kowloon Walled F'N City.

And now the newly f'n renamed (by me) KWFC has a new f'n release under their belts, a three way split with Fight Amp and Ladder Devils perfectly titled Lose/Lose/Lose. Due on Brutal Panda Records in September, the limited-to-300 12" features two tracks from each band, and is "packaged with a special silk screened poly bag and a 12"x16" fold-under insert". Preorder it now, and dig on a pair of tracks from that LP above including "The Commuter", which makes its first appearance above (both are also streaming below).

Kowloon Walled City will play NYC TWICE with Batillus in the coming months as part of BV/1000 Knives events: Cake Shop gets 'em on 9/18 with Riff Cannon and Acheron gets a piece on 10/2 with Liturgy. Full KWC/Batillus dates, a stream of the above tracks, as well some video are all below.

Continue reading "a Kowloon Walled City/Fight Amp/Ladder Devils 3-way (MP3s)"

words by BBG, photos by Meghan McInnis

Coliseum bassist Mike Pascal, in flight

Coliseum headlined Europa on July 8th (Thursday), alongside ex-Cursed project Burning Love, Tournament, Elks, and the great Fight Amp as part of a larger tour in celebration of A House With A Curse, their new album out NOW on Temporary Residence Limited.

The new LP shows the band venturing into new territory (as discussed in our recent interview) with similarly compelling results as the old material, though guitarist/vocalist Ryan Patterson remarked:

"We got called Prog Metal today."

Burning Love supported, and Chris Colohan's new band absolutely smokes! Though they have more in common with Doomriders than Colohan's former band, the band ripped through their set and brought to life some of the material that I was so-so on in their recorded output. Tons of live energy, these dudes rule.

Unfortunately, I missed Tournament, Fight Amp and Elks (our photographer missed Tournament & Fight Amp), though I am sure that both Fight Amp and Elks delivered a whopping blow to the early crowds. Elks will play Death By Audio on Sunday (7/18), alongside Reading Rainbow, Splinters, Heavy Cream (currently touring with JEFF The Brotherhood) and Big Boyz.

More pics from the show are below....

Continue reading "Coliseum, Burning Love, Tournament, Elks & Fight Amp played Europa (pics) "

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Arckanum - "Þursvitnir" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Impetuous Ritual - "Ceremonial Disembowelment" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Amenra - "Wear My Crown" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fistula - "Bi-Polar Bear" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fight Amp - "Be Safe" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: KEN Mode - Holiday Sampler (Zipped MP3s)
DOWNLOAD: Elder - "Friendly Fire" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Struck By Lightning - "False Hope" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ludicra - "A Larger Silence" (MP3)

Dark Castle @ Union Pool (more by Sam Marble)

In recent months, the upswing in metal coverage on BV has rendered the moniker "Week In Metal" unnecessary. Small blurbs in "WIM" (as we call it around here) about Dark Castle have given way to photosets from their shows and posting of tour dates as they happen. Chalk it up to progress.

Starting this week, we will introduce a bit of a new direction for the old Week In Metal column, but without straying too far from the previous. The new column, entitled Short Wave Warfare, will scale back a bit, focusing on news that falls below the radar as well as shining a spotlight on new bands and upcoming shows in the NYC area. It won't be weekly. I hope you enjoy it.

Stay tuned for more upcoming shows in addition to Coalesce at Europa, Magrudergrind at Cake Shop, and The Hope Conspiracy at Union Pool, as well as a year-end best of 2009 post from myself and some of my favorite artists.

Thanks for reading. News on Portal, Oxbow, Master's Hammer, a collaboration between sunn O))) and Ulver, a new Haiyaino Daisuki & Gridlink, Amenra, Earthride, Kreator, Mammoth Grinder and so much more as (the new) Short Wave Warfare continues below....

Continue reading "Short Wave Warfare (12/9/09) (formerly This Week in Metal)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Shadow Of The Torturer - "The Walk" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fatalist - "Internal Misery" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mala Suerte - "Wine Like Clotted Blood" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Coffinworm - "High On The Reek Of Your Burning Remains" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clone II Snippet Sampler (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sleep - Demos 1990 (Mediafire Link, courtesy of Chunklet)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "Don't Vote" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "I am the Leviathan" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nirvana 2002 - "Mourning (Projections of a Stained Mind)" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mala Suerte - "Entrance/Black Art" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Brown Jenkins - "Ashes In Her Mouth" EDIT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Brown Jenkins - "Lords Of Suicide" & "Lifetaker" (Mediafire Link)
DOWNLOAD: Witchmaster - "Two Point Suicide" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Witchmaster - "Total Annihilation" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gravehill - "Rites Of The Pentagram" (MP3)

Consider this the "Swedish Death Metal" edition as we'll focus on a few bands that have taken cues from the great sounds of Entombed, Dismember, Grave, and so many others. As such, lets start off with Fatalist! Though they hail from the land of sun and surf (California), Fatalist have nailed the tone of early (Stockholm) Swedish Death Metal sound, putting their own spin in their songwriting. Featuring ex members of Exhumed, Fatalist's debut album The Depths of Inhumanity is out on 11/23 via Ibex Moon and for a taste of the killer riffs that the band has cooked up, dig on "Internal Misery" above.

Lets get it out of the way, Nirvana 2002 is not a boxset from a certain Seattle band. In fact, Nirvana 2002 is the name of a lost Swedish Death Metal band who will finally release their full recorded output via Relapse Records, Recordings 89 - 91. The band that featured vocalist/guitarist Orvar Säfström (ex-Entombed) have released the "Mourning (Projections of a Stained Mind)" MP3, available for download above after it recently premiered on Decibel. If you love the sickening Swedish Death Metal buzzsaw sound, these long lost tracks are a welcome surprise. Orvar Säfström recently discussed his top 6 favorite Swedish Death Metal albums.

Much like Fatalist, Gravehill is also a sickening early death metal worship act from California. Gravehill's Rites Of The Pentagram LP is out NOW via Enucleation and the title track is available for download above. The band recently played the NJ Death Fest along with Acheron, who are releasing their latest LP and first in six years, The Final Conflict: Last Days Of God, on Ibex Moon.

Mala Suerte doom away on their latest crusty, dimly lit LP, The Shadow Tradition, available via Hellride Music. Download a pair of tracks from that Austin band's LP above. Mala Suerte have been around since the 90s and released a few LPs of their filthy Grief-like psychotic doom as well as a split with Japan's Coffins.

A Mala Suerte video for "Non Servium", Coalesce, Ghast, Eyehategod, Fuck The Facts, Zoroaster, Graveyard, thoughts on the new Slayer, and more as TWIM continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (11/03/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Doomriders - "Lions" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Portal - "Omenknow" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Javelina - "Step Child" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Karma To Burn - Live at Lit Lounge 4/20/09 (Zipped MP3)
DOWNLOAD: 20 Buck Spin Label Sampler (Mediafire, Zipped MP3 via)
DOWNLOAD: Kowloon Walled City - Gambling On The Richter Scale (Zipped MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Converge - "Axe To Fall" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Power Pellut - "Black Molly" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Skies - "Smoke and Mirrors" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Yoga - "Seventh Wind" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sleep - Live at ATP 5/9/09 (MP3)

Javelina @ the Northside BV-BBG Showcase (more by Jason Walker)

Alright! I get it. Doomriders rules. Revocation is up there. There's a new Converge and Baroness on the way. But even with all of those great releases, it suprises me that Javelina isn't near some of the top of those lists. The band's filthy debut was a monster and their new one, Beasts Among Sheep, only adds to their considerable reputation. If you are a fan of the last LP, this one is a must have. Dig on "Stepchild" above and preorder the limited edition LP version of Javelina's Beasts Among Sheep via Brutal Panda Records and the CD version via Translation Loss.

Speaking of that Doomriders album, Darkness Come Alive is out NOW via Deathwish Records. Though the party vibe that permeated through Black Thunder is mostly gone, it has been replaced by a propulsive punk rock fury and, at times, a Misfits-era Danzig croon (see "Come Alive")! There are quite a few killer moments on this long-player, but we present to you the most "fuck you" of them all, the galloping "Lions" downloadable above!

In our last round up, we shined a light on into the deepest fathoms of Australia and the truly frightening Portal. The band's claustrophobic and positively frightening new death metal LP, Swarth, relies as much on freak-out atmosphere as it does killer discordant riffery. Swarth is due out on 10/20 via Profound Lore and we have a second taste in the form of "Omenknow" above.
Misery Index have completed four new songs and are looking to enter the studio in early 2010 to record their follow up to Traitors! Stoked.

Iron Age @ Cake Shop (more by Jason Walker)

I still remember that kick ass Cake Shop show with Iron Age, Mind Eraser, and Sex Vid, and walking out of that show wanting more. Thankfully, I can add to those great memories with a PAIR of Iron Age shows in the coming weeks! First up, the rowdy Texans will team up with the great Mother of Mercy (profiled here) for a show at Cake Shop (10/16). The next day (10/17), look for the band to pull a double header with a day show at Generation Records and a night show at The Charleston with Brain Killer, Naam & Descender. Speaking of Mind Eraser, the band will team up with the kick ass Iron Lung for a string of east coast dates which will include Cake Shop on 11/8! Full Iron Age and Iron Lung dates are below.

Black Skies will release the limited edition vinyl from their 2008 EP Hexagon on I'm Better Than Everyone Else Records. The Chapel Hill doom trio is currently on the hunt for drummer #5, but not before blessing us with some seriously killer riffage in the form of "Smoke & Mirrors" above. Preorder Hexagon here.

Power Pellut is also releasing their debut LP via I'm Better than Everyone Else Records. Preorder that here and dig on "Black Betty" from that LP above!

Church of Misery will release a live record culled from their recent set at Roadburn 2009! More details are to come, but look for Burning World to do the honors in November/December of this year. In the meantime, dig on this killer live video from Roadburn 2009!

That video, news on Kowloon Walled City, Boris, Asphyx, Struck By Lightning, Ringworm, Repulsion and more!

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (09/30/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Asphyx - "Scorbutics" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gods & Queens - "Head To Wall" (Quicksand cover, MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Catalyst - "I Hate The Future" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Planks - S/T (Rapidshare, Zipped MP3)
DOWNLOAD: They Are Cowards - Demo (Mediafire, Zipped MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Overmars - "Born Again" (MP3 Snippet)

Asphyx

Thanks all who came out Sunday night to Public Assembly. Full recap and pics coming soon HERE. In the meantime, pics from Friday's Repulsion show are HERE.

Asphyx's Death... The Brutal Way is due out in the US on August 18th, but it's shipping NOW at the Ibex Moon site. It's a sickening death/doom trip that's part down-tuned riff fest, part beastly conjuring, but 100% heavy heavy heavy. Recommended for fans of old school death metal, Entombed, Dismember, Autopsy, and the like. Check out one of the tracks, "Scorbutics", available for download above.

Gods & Queens currently have a new split 7" on the way via Hawthorne Street with the mighty Medusa, and have taken the time to drop off a killer cover of the Quicksand classic, "Head To Wall"! Download that above.

Weedeater have announced that Steve Albini will record their new album, which will be available in Spring 2010.

Swallow Your Teeth is the end of a long road for Richmond's The Catalyst, as the band has dropped multiple releases over their seven year history but THIS is their first LP! The noise-core merchants are currently streaming their Swallow Your Teeth at Scene Point Blank, but you can download the sick opening track, "I Hate The Future", above! The Catalyst have a few shows in the very near future, including The Glass Door on August 14th and a TBA show lined up for Aug 15th in Manhattan. Full tour dates are below. Pick up a copy of Swallow Your Teeth here.

Attention hardcore fans! Lambgoat is reporting that the legendary Disembodied will release Psalms of Sheol on Prime Directive in August, comprised of thirteen tracks of rare and unreleased material that includes the Existence In Suicide MCD and the Confession 7". Disembodied has reunited and sporadically played shows recently.

Baroness has a new album on the way, which we knew, but we now can attach a name to that effort Blue Record! The LP was recorded in Dallas, Texas with producer/engineer John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Black Mountain) and will hit the racks in October. Meanwhile, dig on the cover art (to the left) and the tracklisting below!

First of all, The Endless Blockade would like it be known that they "have not broken up". As a matter of fact, they finally released their split with Agoraphobic Nosebleed and have a split with The Bastard Noise out soon (stream the new BN track here). The boys in TEB "just figured another band would give us even less time in our lives to do anything else". That new band? Slaughter Strike.

Candlelight records has signed the mighty midwestern band The Atlas Moth, whose new album A Glorified Piece of Blue Sky will be released on Oct 6th. The band dropped their massive EP, Pray for Tide, on Witch Trial last year.

Planks have reissued their 2008 split with Tombs as the "European edition" featuring artwork by Mike Wohlberg. If you never got a hold of the Black Box Recordings version, it is highly recommended. Pick that up through the either of the bands on tour. Meanwhile, Planks recently made their massive S/T LP (where these two songs came from) available for free download! Pick that up above. Mike Hill of Tombs has posted all of the lyrics from the massive Winter Hours via his blog.

Crucial Blast is set to release Overmars's 2008 LP Born Again. The LP combines electronics, ambient soundscapes, Swans industrial dirge, and the thunder of Neurosis to create a different and powerful take on post-metal. The band is scheduled to hit the US with the mighty Battlefields, logging a pair of dates in NYC: Europa on August 16th and September 3rd at The Charleston. This will destroy.

Mastodon, High On Fire, Converge, and Dethklok announced dates (and a presale).

The premiere of the NEW Goes Cube video for "Saab Sonnet", more news on Black Sun, Absu, Trap Them, Kylesa, Anaal Nathrakh, and Darkthrone as This Week In Metal continues.....

Continue reading "this week in Metal (8/5/09) (includes new Goes Cube video)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: YOB - "Burning The Altar" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Burnt By The Sun - "Inner Station" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Weekend Nachos - "A Few Blocks South" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nadja & Black Boned Angel - "II" Edit (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Greymachine - "Vultures Descend" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Burning Love - 2009 Demo (Sendspace MP3 link)

YOB Live (hevisto)

Out this week, the return of the mighty YOB with their absolutely colossal new album The Great Cessation. If you were a fan of masterful, thundering, sickening doom or the previous material by YOB or Middian/Age Eternal, this album is HIGHLY recommended... possibly their best LP yet? The Great Cessation is currently on sale at the Profound Lore, and the band recently was interviewed by Hellbound.

The brutal band with the awesome name, Weekend Nachos, are hitting the road at the end of August and into September bludgeoning the Northeast with dates including Rockstar Bar on Sept 4th! The band is currently supporting their new LP Unforgivable out now at your favorite distro or via the band. Check out "A Few Blocks South" from Unforgivable and make sure and get out to Rockstar Bar on 9/4, if you ain't chicken.

Cave In is BACK officially with the release of the Planets of Old 12", and the song "Retina Sees Rewind" available now on iTunes! The ultra-limited 12" is available July 28th, and in much larger numbers at their comeback show on July 19th in Allston, MA.

Maryland Deathfest has announced the inital 2010 lineup and.... whoooa nelly!
ENTOMBED, OBITUARY, EYEHATEGOD, PENTAGRAM, SINISTER, INCANTATION, PORTAL, HAEMORRHAGE, IMPALED, GRIDLINK, INGROWING (Czech Republic), GRIDE (Czech Republic), 16, BIRDS OF PREY, MASSGRAVE (Canada), FUCK THE FACTS (Canada), TOMBS, HOWL

Out now via 20 Buck Spin, the collaborative LP between Nadja & Black Boned Angel. Black Boned Angel is probably best known as the alter-ego of Campbell Kneale of Birchville Cat Motel, who collaborated with Nadja over 2+ years to create the three tracks which formed this LP, as well as the Christ Send Light EP. The graphic artwork is very indicative of the collaborative spirit of the LP as well, as it is also a collaboration between revered artists Stephen Kasner and David D'Andrea. Check out a snippet of one of the tracks on the LP above. Also out now, BBA's new LP Verdun available via Riot Season.

Union Pool has gone metal! Besides the previously mentioned Dysrhythmia show and the Hull / Giant Squid / Grayceon shindig, the venue has also lined up a few other notable shows in the coming months including the mighty Atomic Bitchwax on August 1, f'n Cable on August 15th (3 days before the release of The Failed Convict), and finally Neurot signees It's Casual on August 23rd. Full Cable tour dates are below. Stream the new Dysrhythmia album, Psychic Maps, here.

Baroness have completed work on their new album due in October via Relapse Records!

Burnt By the Sun are preparing their FINAL album for release, Heart Of Darkness due on August 18th via Relapse Records. Check out "Inner Station" available for download above, which is also on the Relapse Contamination 2009 comp available for $5.99 on iTunes. The band has scheduled a gang of Euro-dates, but none in the US so far... although with Dave Witte gearing up to release Municipal Waste's Massive Aggressive, I'm guessing it might be a while.

Check out a video interview with Municipal Waste, live video of Saint Vitus, as well as a new project featuring Chris Colohan of Cursed, Pentagram, Burzum, 3 Inches Of Blood, Kayo Dot, and much more as This Week In Metal Continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (07/13/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Opeth - "Lotus Eater" (edit) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Gates Of Slumber - Ice Worm (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Gates Of Slumber - Trapped In The Web (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Leviathan - Made As The Stale Wine Of Wrath (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lurker Of Chalice - I (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wold - Frost Crystal Symmetry (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ascend - Ample Fire Within (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wolfbrigade - "Prowler" (MP3)

Intronaut Live in Barcelona, 2007 (buckyrocks)

New Century Media signees Intronaut will be back in town in August 8th at the Knitting Factory (on sale NOW), this time bringing Behold... The Arctopus and Mouth Of The Architect! Following up last year's excellent yet grab-baggy The Challenger sort-of-EP, the boys will head back into the studio in April to record a new LP. Mouth Of The Architect have a new album on the way as well, Quietly, and you can preview first single "Hate And Heartache" at the Translation Loss MySpace.

Speaking of Colin Marston, the new record for his black metal project with Mick Barr, Krallice, is in the can and is due in July via Profound Lore. Mick Barr's Ocrilim are on board to play a Todd P show opening for the mighty Thrones at Death By Audio on May 22nd. Thrones, aka Joe Preston of Melvins, High On Fire, and many other esteemed projects was spotted playing guitar with the mighty Harvey Milk at SXSW and WFMU has the whole thing available for download.

more...........

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (05/02/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Disfear - The Cage from "Live The Storm" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Saviours - Cavern Of Mind from "Into Abandon" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wolves in the Throne Room - I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots from "Two Hunters" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kylesa - Where The Horizon Unfolds from "Time Will Fuse Its Worth" (MP3)

Disfear will bring "The Storm" across North America in April, including an appearance at the New England Hardcore & Metal Festival (that bill is unbelieveable), the Maryland Deathfest, and the Knitting Factory on April 16th with Bloodhorse. Tickets are on sale.

Unfortunately, the obituary (not the legendary band) section for this week is way too big. Modern Life Is War has called it a day, their recently announced spring tour will be their last. Check out tour dates below and get out to the show! Prog-metal legends Voivod have announced that their next LP for The End, constructed by riffs left behind by Dennis "Piggy" D'Amour, will be their last. Piggy succumbed to colon cancer in 2005. Current members Snake, Away, and Jasonic (aka Jason Newsted, ex-Metallica), will join ex-members Blacky and E-Force to put together the final 13 songs, and possibly do some farewell shows.

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (03/01/08)"