by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Batillus - "The Division" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thou - "The Song of Illuminate Darkness" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Salome - "With Hell For A Mouth" (MP3)

Batillus

Batillus have scheduled one final NYC show before the quartet hit the road to play a string of dates with the mighty Salome and locals Hull as part of the "Beard Destroyer Tour". That show takes place this weekend, 9/5 at Lucky 13 Saloon in Park Slope. The band was originally scheduled to play The Charleston with Overmars & Battlefields TONIGHT (9/3), but that show has since been cancelled (pics from Europa are here).

If you manage to catch the band in the coming weeks, make sure and hit up the merch tables for a copy of their limited-to-75 tour-only EP which includes "The Division" available for download above! The Tour EP was mastered by Josh Bonati and produced by Brendan Tobin of Made Out of Babies fame.

Salome who recently premiered a new track at MetalSucks as part of their split Our Enemy Civilization EP with Thou. Download that Thou as well as the Salome track above. Release details on that split EP are forthcoming.

Batillus, Salome, and Hull will also cross paths with the incred-amazing Planet Caravan Festival, which will feature (among countless other notables) Pentagram, Orange Goblin, Clutch, Tombs, The Gates Of Slumber, Kylesa, and YOB. Who wants to go? I have a pair of passes for the weekend as well as a custom screened poster (below) and t-shirt to give away! Details are at the bottom of this post.

Speaking of Brandon Tobin, I recently ran into Mr. Made Out of Babies who told me he is working on new MOOB material! So far the band has written two new songs and have the skeletons for an additional five. Described to him as "happy doomy", the tracks are still in infancy bu he promises that the new LP will signify a change in direction, similar to The Ruiner. In addition, word is that Julie Christmas's solo LP is inching closer toward completion, as all for Babies recently recorded the final track together. Bassist Cooper also plays with the Austin band Ratking.

Tobin moonlights in Red Sparowes (though not a permenant member), and they recently put their entire catalog on Bandcamp.com for free download! (Although it seems that the site is missing both a limited tour EP and their split with Grails)

Dates and more below...

Continue reading "Overmars show cancelled, Batillus playing Lucky 13, Salome & Hull tour dates, win Planet Caravan tix, new MOOB & more"

by Black Bubblegum

Battlefields' Rusty, belching forth the unholiest of bellows

To quote my Aunt from Pennsylvania, I was in "a pickle". French Swans-y post-metallers Overmars were touring the US for the first time ever with another favorite of mine, the criminally underrated North Dakota (!) band Battlefields at Europa. Across town, LA's Night Horse were playing Union Pool with Tournament & Orphan. Which to go to? With impeccable timing and some well-placed text messages, I was able to make both on Sunday (8/16).

Starting out the night at Union Pool, I caught an opening set by Orphan, my first live experience with that band. As a fan of the well-written and brilliantly executed Aborted By Birth, I can't tell you how disappointed I was by their live show. Union Pool definitely felt like a practice session, complete with false starts, off timing, and an overall lack of interest in engaging the audience. I hope their live show improves, because the riffs and the songs are definitely there.

After Orphan, I made it over to Europa to catch the last few moments of Inswarm before Battlefields set-up to tear down. Battlefields' new LP on Translation Loss, Thresholds of Imbalance, hits that sweet spot between post-metal dirge and post-rock ambience, with a touches of jazz (!). It's a favorite of mine and is recommended for those who appreciate bands like Neurosis, Cult of Luna, and Samothrace (with which they once shared a member). Their live firepower is impressive as well, as I originally learned when I saw them headline a show with Amenra at Precious Metal close to two years ago. Their lineup has changed considerably since that encounter, but their performance/ability hasn't. If any of this sounds appealing, I highly recommend that you get to The Charleston on September 3rd (also with Overmars).

As Battlefields were waving sayonara, I made it back to Union Pool in record time to catch Night Horse who had just begun their set (I missed Tournament). Night Horse has all the makings of a really killer blues-based rock band, and are tons of fun to boot, but I could have done without the stage stylings of vocalist Sam James Velde who comes off like as a Chris Robinson knock off complete with the shoeless 70s dances. I could be sensitive to this schtick (The Black Crowes and in particular, Chris Robinson, bother me), but it came off as a distraction. That said, there was nothing distracting about the instrumental arrangements that surrounded Velde. Performing simple bluesy rock is walking a fine line, as bands in this style are a dime a dozen, but searing solos by Justin Maranga (also in Ancestors), and Greg Buensuceso, elevate this band from cool neighborhood local to a worthy touring band. While at the show, Saviours dropped in (fresh off their Dinosaur Jr appearance) and received an birthday wish from the band.

I skipped out of the last couple Night Horse songs in order to make it to Overmars in time. The French band's "new" LP (released in 2007, out now on Crucial Blast) is comprised of a single massive song, "Born Again", which dabbles in blackened ambience, but recalls faves like early Swans, Godflesh, and Neurosis. Overmars performed with the lights out (hence the poor photos), a coordinated video presentation (possibly a little cliche?), and were absolutely stunning. Highly, highly recommended along with their new LP. In addition, look for an upcoming split in the works with Starkweather. More on that soon.

Night Horse also played a show at Pianos with Graveyard (who played the Gramercy Theatre that same night) while they were in town. More of their dates HERE. More pics and full Battlefields/Overmars dates are below...

Continue reading "Overmars, Night Horse, Battlefields & Orphan @ 2 Brooklyn venues in one Sunday night - pics & more tour dates"

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)"