by Black Bubblegum

Doomriders @ Europa (more by Kason Walker)

August 9th isnt even here yet, and now we have a second Doomriders show to look forward to in the coming months. They're scheduled to play with Kylesa, Red Fang, Tournament, and Bison BC at Santos Party House on Oct 19th (a date that is awfully close to CMJ 2009). Stoked!

UPDATE: The lineup of this show is unconfirmed, and will not include Kylesa who reportedly "pulled all their East Coast dates". Stay tuned.

NYC's Tournament recently dropped their new LP, Years Old, on Forcefield Records and, as usual, these tireless punks have a few other NYC dates on their schedule including August 16th at Union Pool with Night Horse & Orphan, as well as August 21 at The Charleston with Cannabis Corpse.

Doomriders recently announced the release date for their new LP, Darkness Come Alive.

Kylesa is scheduled to play Oya in Oslo on August 12th, as well as the Planet Caravan Festival with Wino, Pentagram, and Yob.

Red Fang are currently "in the basement cranking out new songs" to follow up their self-titled LP from earlier this year.

Bison BC is currently on tour with Lazarus AD and Woe of Tyrants. Full tour dates for them, Red Fang, and Tournament are below...

Continue reading "a Doomriders show @ Santos ++ other tour dates"

Willamette Week's Musicfest NW announces this year's festival line-up which will be held at various venues around the Portland, OR metropolitan area on September 16, 17, 18 & 19. On the heels of the most successful MFNW to date, MFNW 2009 launches with nothing but the hope of a bigger and better festival. MFNW's ultimate aim is to provide Portland with a unique and special musical experience that features all types of acts including nationally renowned artists while still honoring and supporting the special musical scene of the Northwest.

The lineup so far, including the newly-reunited Sunny Day Real Estate, is below...

Continue reading "Musicfest NW in Portland, OR (Sept 16-19) - lineup"

words & photos by Black Bubblegum

Ancestors @ Room 710 in Austin - March 19, 2009

My SXSW adventure began Wednesday morning at the airport. Talk about starting things off on the wrong foot! A woman fell into a diabetic coma (she was ok later that morning) on my 6:30AM flight. That led to an unplanned stop in NOLA which was followed by a layover in a fogged up Houston Airport... to say I was a little late to our own day show at Emo's was an understatement. Unfortunately, Trash Talk were wheeling their amps out the door when I got there (which meant I also missed Garotas Suecas and Psychedelic Horseshit), but I managed to catch Trash Talk vocalist Lee cruising around, with a microphone grill imprinted on his forehead. His pain, our pleasure...

Continue reading "Black Bubblegum's SXSW-metal recap - part 1 "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Kylesa - "Said And Done" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Buried Inside - "V" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gnaw - "Feelers" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hex Machine - "Hook And Eyes" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Red Fang - "Prehistoric Dog" (MP3)

Kylesa opening for Amebix, (more by Justina Villanueva)

SXSW is upon us, and as such, so is the list of metal luminaries appearing in Austin! Check out the full list here, which includes Wolves In The Throne Room, Rwake, ASG, Pelican, The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Absu, Wildildlife, Rwake, and many many others!

In other news, one of those SXSW bands, Kylesa, will drop Unknown Awareness, the first single from the upcoming Static Tensions (due March 17th), via Hyperrealist. Limited to 1,000 copies with 400 on colored vinyl, we'll let you know when pre-orders hit the web, but in the meantime, dig on the recently dropped "Said And Done" also from Static Tensions available for download above!

After more than fifteen years in existence, black-metallers Ulver, will make their live DEBUT at the Norwegian Festival of Literature on Saturday, May 30 in Lillehammer, Norway. With a little luck, they'll realize what they've been missing and hit the road.... but probably not.

As we discussed last week, Gnaw is the terrifying new project from Alan Dubin (of ex-Khanate & OLD fame), Jamie Sykes (ex-Burning Witch), Carter Thornton (Enos Slaughter), Jun Mizumachi (ex-Ike Yard) and sound designer Brian Beatrice that meets at the corner of noise, metal, and dark ambient. Their debut, This Face, is due on 2/20 via Conspiracy Records, but the band has dropped off a taste of it in the form of "Feelers" available for download above!

If you're hankerin' for a hunk 'o Hammerhead and Melvins, Hex Machine have your fix twofold. The Richmond quartet (which once included skinsman badass Dave Witte) are preparing to drop their NEW record, Omen Mas on Feb 24th via their own imprint, Minimum Underdrive! Check out the severely kick-ass "Hook & Eyes" available for download above, and pick up Omen Mas from the band or at one of their shows, which include a date at The Charleston on March 11th with Dysrhythmia and Pollution! Full tour dates below.

Outlaw Order is playing Europa on March 24th. Tickets are on sale.

The "Agorapocalypse Now" is upon us.... the new track by Agoraphobic Nosebleed is streaming at their myspace.

Dysrhythmia (photo by Justina Villanueva)

Speaking of Dysrhythmia, the band is currently hard at work on their fifth full-length, Psychic Maps! Colin Marston (bassist, mem of Krallice) will engineer the effort at his Menegroth studio in Queens, where he'll track six songs clocking in at around 40 mins. Dysrhythmia recently played Union Pool with Tombs.

Hardcore Canucks Buried Inside have posted a pair of tracks from their upcoming full-length LP Spoils Of Failure, due on March 3rd via Relapse. Recorded at Godcity Studios with go-to man Kurt Ballou (Converge) and mixed at Red Room Recordings with Matt Bayles, check out "II" streaming at their myspace and download "V" above!

Lots of show news to report... Unearthly Trance has added a show at The Charleston on March 19th; Drunkdriver, Liturgy & Pollution are at Silent Barn on March 6th; Withered at Union Pool on April 16th; the always charming Seth Putnam and AxCx has scheduled a show at Europa with Anal Blast & Rumplestiltskin Grinder, (tix here); Wizardry will record a show at Union Pool for a live LP (flyer below).

Red Fang, featuring ex-mems of Facedowninshit and Bad Wizard, will release their self-titled debut on Sargeant House in March, and the band is hitting the road with Early Man in celebration, including TWO NYC area dates.... March 2nd at Maxwell's and March 4th at The Studio @ Webster Hall. Tickets for Maxwell's are on sale. In the meantime, dig on "Prehistoric Dog" available for download above and the accompanying video below... as Week In Metal continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (02/20/09)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Harpoon - "Frogs, Boils, Locusts..." (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - "Like Rainbows in Gasoline" Demo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - "Brown Acid Brainwound" Demo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - "Subliminal Force of Suggestive Notion" Demo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Super Happy Fun Slide - "Fast One" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Super Happy Fun Slide - "Bohemian" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Elder - "White Walls" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Serpentcult - "The Weight Of Light" (MP3)

Welcome to this week in Metal! This week we'll start with the pedal to the floor with Harpoon of Chicago, who will release their new LP Double Gnarly / Triple Suicide on Interloper Records. Featuring members of 7000 Dying Rats, the band recorded the LP in August 2008 with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos), sending it off to metal-mastering go-to Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed) for the finishing touches. The trio takes advantage of the drum machine gun to create a relentless grind assault reminiscent of Plague Bringer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, or Genghis Tron (sans keys). Check out "Frogs, Boils, Locusts..." available for download above, and cop it on limited LP (400 in black, 100 in white & blue marbled vinyl) when it drops on Feb 10th! Harpoon recently added bassist DJ Baracca (ex-Lair of The Minotaur) to their ranks and have added a few live dates in and around the Chi (dates below).

Absu have announced a new self-titled album, posting the ripping new track "Girra's Temple" to their myspace. Due on Feb 24th on Candlelight Records, the band have also lined up a few dates including SXSW on Mar 20th at Spiros and at... you guessed it... Maryland Deathfest. Meanwhile, Absu is garnering alot of media attention lately... check out features in Metal Maniacs, Terrorizer, and Zero Tolerance.

Hot off of the release of his first solo album Punctuated Equilibrium, Wino will play his first show with his solo band (featuring skinsman extraordinaire Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch) at the 9:30 club in Washington, DC on Sat Feb 7th! Wino will be joined by King Giant and the mighty Salome, who will be in NYC with Ocean on Feb 15th. In related news, Clutch have released their first digital single "King Of Arizona" (iTunes users, buy it here), from the upcoming remastered Slow Hole to China, Rare & Unreleased. The band have lined up a few dates with their alter ego (most of 'em anyway), The Bakerton Group including Feb 27 at The Chance in Poughkeepsie and Feb 28 at The Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale. Full tour dates below.

As much theorized and finally realized, The Auditory Assault Festival will take place at Club Europa on May 16 & 17.

Complete Failure announced a short tour of the east coast and the midwest with Polish grinders Antigama including an NYC date at Europa on May 20th. Details are forthcoming, full tour dates are below. The Pittsburghers (CF) have posted a trio of demo tracks at their website, check them out above. Antigama is prepping for March 3rd, when Relapse will drop their new album Warning.

Mastodon's Crack The Skye artwork

Mastodon is currently streaming "Divinations" from the upcoming Crack The Skye. Check it out kids... it's a burner! The single is also available for sale with a limited edition tee. Mastodon and Genghis Tron are playing the Coachella festival this year.

Eyehategod, Rotten Sound, Cripple Bastards, Malignancy, Resistant Culture, and Voetsek have been added to the Los Angeles Murderfest!

Napalm fucking Death will be in NYC in April!

Rise Above dropped the new album by Belgians Serpentcult, a doomy hybrid of Electric Wizard and High on Fire fronted by Michelle Nocon, a female with some SERIOUS pipes. The Weight of Light was produced by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Melvins) and the band is streaming three of those tracks at their myspace, with the title track available for download above. So far the band haven't added any North American dates, but if they do, we'll let you know (european tour dates below). Meanwhile, dig on an interview that Serpentcult did with Hellride Music here.

Coliseum have announced a slew of tourdates (below) as well as a new seven-inch entitled "True Quiet / Last Wave" on Deathwish! Full tour dates are below. Coliseum with join Converge, Genghis Tron (who was recently added), Ceremony, Pulling Teeth, and Rise & Fall at Europa on March 27th.

Blut Aus Nord have posted "The Formless Sphere (Beyond The Reason)" to their myspace page, the first new song from the upcoming Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars. Look for in Feb 23rd on Candlelight.

Valient Thorr have added a February 6th show at The Shank in Greenpoint (98 Bayard @ Leonard) with Acid Tiger, Golden Error, with Tournament. This show makes it TWO NYC dates.... don't forget about their upcoming show with Anthrax and a half pipe.

Minsk, Slayer, Battlefields, Devourment, Obituary, and more below...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (02/02/09)"

DOWNLOAD: Enslaved - RUUN (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tera Melos - When Worms Learn To Fly (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Weedeater - Potbelly (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Avatar - Schlacht (MP3)

Motorhead's Lemmy

You need the heavy? Austin is bringing it this year! To recap, we have
already
discussed
quite
a few
amazing
bands
and
showcases
so
far, so lets get to some of the other ones that are must see!

Continue reading "Black Bubblegum's guide to METAL @ SXSW 2008"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Graveyard - Thin Line from their self-titled LP (mp3)

Witch

J.Mascis's other other band, the doom-inspired Witch, will do a short stint of dates this month, opening their tour at the aforementioned Tee Pee Records showcase on March 12 and concluding on March 20, two days after the release of their killer record Paralyzed. Check them out at Luna Lounge in Brooklyn on March 19 (tickets here). Swedish 70s throwback rockers (NOT Witchcraft) Graveyard will open the show, playing tunes off of their grand self-titled effort. DEFINITELY a recommended album for fans of that other swedish 70s doom band or fans of Pentagram. Video and tour dates below....

Continue reading "Witch (J Mascis) & Graveyard - 2008 Tour Dates (SXSW)"

SXSW announced the first official list of bands playing the festival in Austin this year....

Continue reading "SXSW 2008 Showcasing Artists"