by Fred Pessaro // BBG

One Tail One Head at Inferno Festival, April 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

2012 was a year of considerable personal growth for me, as a person, a photographer and a music fan. As I recounted in my favorite photos of 2012, I got to shoot some of my favorite bands of all time and travel the globe in search of new ones. The beginning of the year was spent dealing with personal drama, and if it werent for key records in my life I shudder to think at where I would be right now. To every band on this list and many who aren't, I cant thank you enough.

First order of business, my musical pallette is much much larger than just a series of metal records. This is NOT a list of my favorite records of the year, because that would surely include other entries from across many different genres. This is, however, a list of some of my favorite heavier records.

To me, the term "heavy" can be defined in many ways, from the elongated riff on a doom record to a noise squall to a particularly punishing punk-rock beatdown. While most of the following records are "heavy" in the traditional "distortion and loud guitars" sense, a few are not. You'll see metal, you'll see deathrock, you'll see raw punk, you'll see hardcore, and many spots in between in the numbered list below. And to answer your question, yes you'll see Swans... right beside D-Clone and Asphyx.

My favorite records of 2012 are below. Hopefully you'll see a connection in favorites or maybe discover something new. Regardless, I hope you found your own favorites of the year whether in this list or outside of it.

Continue reading "The Year in Heavy (Fred Pessaro // BBG's favorite metal, punk & other records of 2012)"

Pallbearer at Knitting Factory, September 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Decibel Magazine has compiled their annual list of top 40 albums of the year. As usual, there are some surprises but the 2012 top ten is basically a list of nine veterans with only a single newcomer to the bunch. The full list of top records of the year according to Decibel Magazine is below, along with a tweet from the winning band. Buy your copy HERE.

Continue reading "Decibel Magazine's top 40 LPs of 2012"

by BBG

After releasing For Winter Fire with his doom project Seidr earlier this year, Austin Lunn (A.Lundr) is back with his solo black metal venture Panopticon. Though keeping busy with splits as recently as this past August with names like Lake of Blood, When Bitter Spring Sleeps and Wheels Within Wheels, Social Disservices is Panopticon's first full-length LP since the release of the well-received Collapse featuring a guest appearance from Amebix's Rob Miller.

Social Disservices will rear its ugly head via the venerable Flenser Records in mid November, but we have the first look from the album in the eleven-plus-minute ripper "Resident" streaming below. Though "Resident" goes directly for the throat and rarely lets go, Social Disservices as an album allows brief moments of respite in between the scathing black metal destruction. Moments of spacious post-rock, atmospherics, and reverb dot the record, proving that sometimes being the heaviest means also knowing when to hold back.

Check out "Resident" for the first time, and a few samples from the LP below.

Continue reading "Panopticon releasing 'Social Disservices' (song debut)"

by BBG

Preorders are up for the new Bastard Noise LP, Skulldozer, the Cripple Bastards Frammenti Di Vita LP/EP, as well as Reproach's The Bitter End LP at Deep Six Records.

The Endless Blockade offer their swansong on a split with Pig Heart Transplant (mem Iron Lung). The split 7"is available now via Iron Lung.

Reminder: Defeatist hit Acheron on Saturday (10/8) with Regents (mem Frodus), Psychic Limb, and The Year is One. $8 gets you in.

Check out a new Wold track "Free Goat of Leviticus" at Pitchfork, and while you are there check out a new Leviathan track "Blood Red & True" and the latest edition of Show No Mercy.

Stream a new Panopticon track from the forthcoming Social Disservices LP due on Flenser Records. Preorder it now.

Stream the new Alaric LP, featuring members of Noothgrush, Cross Stitched Eyes, Dead & Gone, and more below. It is out now on 20 Buck Spin.

Reminder: Black Twilight Circle at The Charleston tonight. Check out video from Monday night, along with new songs from Dysrhythmia and Hex Machine, and a big list of upcoming NYC shows, below...

Continue reading "Evillive (Bastard Noise, Defeater, Wold, Panopticon, Alaric, The Endless Blockade & more)"