words and photos by Ilya Blokh

sloth

Saturday (5/15) was my first time at the relatively new Party Expo, to see Divider, Beauty Apes, Chambers, Tiger Flowers and The Abominable Iron Sloth. Mixed feelings on the space - I like floor shows and the sound was better than expected, but the crowd was anemic at best. Not that I particularly miss windmills and spin-kicks, but I'll take them over glazed eyes and sullen stares any day.

Divider opened with a jaw-clenching set of hardcore/metal crossover, followed by Beauty Apes' filthy sludgecore, though I wish the bands' Neurosis and Kylesa shirts showed through a bit more in their music.

Chambers - from NJ - were on-fucking-fire! Doomriders are a decent reference point, but Chambers tread much further into drunken, psychobilly-style guitar rock, colored by Dan Pelic's raspy shout-alongs. Though steeped in metal and punk, this is pure beer-swilling, fist-fucking, bar-fight rock'n'roll at the core. Their "Old Love" debut is out June 22nd.

Not sure why, but I dug Tiger Flowers much more here than at their Public Assembly show a few weeks back. Maybe it was the DIY venue and the floor set-up, but the boys put on a fierce, fluid and raw performance, despite the iffy sound.

After briefly blowing out the power, The Abominable Iron Sloth finally took the floor for a short but massive set. Guitars tuned down to the ground, The Sloth feels like one massive rhythm section, slamming a giant sledgehammer into your chest with every sludgy chord. Apparently they only had 20 minutes of material ready due to a new touring drummer (or is he full-time?) - a damn shame. Check out their recent The Id Shall Overcome album and the song "Hats Made Of Veal And That New Car Smell" off their first record - the riff will bury straight into your brain.

More pics from the show and dates are below...

Continue reading "The Abominable Iron Sloth, Tiger Flowers, Chambers, Beauty Apes & Divider played Party Expo"

by BBG

Tiger Flowers at Lit Lounge (more here)

The previously discussed show scheduled for TONIGHT (5/14) with The Abominable Iron Sloth at Fat Baby has moved to Party Expo, adding some serious firepower along the way... Tiger Flowers and Chambers! Divider and Beauty Apes will open the show and doors open at 7:30. Get there!

Chambers are welcoming Old Love, the band's debut album which hits (digital) shelves on June 22nd. The band recently played Cake Shop alongside Tiger Flowers and Gods & Queens in support of Blacklisted.

Also tonight: Finland's Kyklooppien Sukupuutto play their first of two NYC shows happening this weekend.

All Chambers dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Tiger Flowers & Chambers playing Party Expo & other dates"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: The Abominable Iron Sloth - "Two Black Helicopters" (MP3)

Don't be fooled by the somewhat over-the-top moniker, The Abominable Iron Sloth mean business. On their self-titled LP on Goodfellow Records, the Sacramento band bore their fangs and barked through a fiery LP of thundering post-hardcore sludge. Blood was shed, and songs like "Hats Made of Veal..." proved that this band featuring of members of Will Haven were not to be fucked with. Comparisons to Melvins meet Eyehategod seemed appropo.

The lineup has changed a bit since that 2006 LP (all Will Haven members have bid adieu), but one thing has stayed the same: raw and uncompromising sludge-core. Exhibit A: The Id Will Overcome, a new batch of post-hardcore cannon blasts due on April 20th via Black Market Activities (Guy from The Red Chord's label). The record, produced by Chris Owens of Louisville's Lords and Nick Zampiello, features twelve tracks of rumbling riffage like the Charles Manson cover "Big Iron Door" and "Two Black Helicopters" above. It's every bit as fierce and ugly as it's predecessor.

AIS hits the road in May, tagging NYC' Fat Baby on 5/14 along the way. Full tour dates and some video are below...

Continue reading "The Abominable Iron Sloth - new album, MP3, 2010 tour dates "

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)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: -16- - "So Broken Down" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Obscura - "Universe Momentum" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JODIS - "Continents" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Satyricon - "The Sign Of The Trident" (MP3)

Happy New Year and Welcome Back to The Week In Metal! We took some time away, but believe me, the hate only grew STRONGER.

Wolves In The Throne Room have emerged from the dark forests of the Pacific Northwest to announce a pair of new releases and drop more details on their previously announced upcoming live LP, Live At Roadburn 08! First up, the Malevolent Grain EP will hit Southern Lord with a 180-gram LP bang, with Conspiracy Records dropping a small pressing of picture discs for the record (a limited batch of CDs will be available on tour). Then on March 31st, the band will drop Black Cascade their new full-length on Southern Lord! Both Malevolent Grain and Black Cascade were recorded by Randall Dunn/Mell Dettmer and are the first to feature new guitarist (former touring member) Will Lindsay of ex-Middian / Age Eternal fame. In addition, WITTR's Live at Roadburn 08 will be released with a companion DVD available with the first pressing of 500 copies, with 150 coming in gold vinyl with a silkscreen. Full WITTR tour dates are below, including their date at Scion Rock Fest.

Obscura, an astonishing tech-death band from Deutchland that may or may not be named after the classic Gorguts LP, are streaming a trio of new tracks from massive and recommended upcoming LP Cosmogenesis. Relapse has been kind enough to allow one of those tracks to be made available here for download... check out "Universe Momentum" available above! Cosmogenesis impacts on Feb 17th.

Tombs is pulling double duty on Feb 21st, having scheduled a day show at ABC No Rio with Black Anvil, Woe, and Bastard Sapling and a Winter Hours Record Release show with Defeatist, Engineer, and The Wayward later that night at Death By Audio. Winter Hours is due on Feb 17th via Relapse.

YOB have announced that they will hit the studio in late March with Sanford Parker to record their new album of "5 songs hitting about the 60+ minute mark". Look for it to surface in late summer 2009. In the meantime, Northwesterners can catch the band at their first reunion gig on 2/28 at The Ash Street Saloon in Portland, Oregon.

Shrinebuilder

Shrinebuilder is in progress! The band blogged through the weekend as they completed recording of their debut album for Neurot.

The previously announced Down/Weedeater/Evil Army tour has been postponed.

With a tagline like "2 stages + 2 days = Total Brutality", you better f'n deliver. That said, The LA Murder Fest will turn those sunny California skies black on May 9th & 10th when Coffins, Landmine Marathon, Ghoul, Stormcrow, Agenda of Swine, and Lack of Interest hit the stages of The Knitting Factory in Hollywood! Also on the bill are sickening sludgemeisters -16-, who's new record Bridges To Burn drops on Jan 20th. Check out "So Broken Down" available for download above from the record and to all y'all left coasters, support the band when they hit the road with Giant Squid! Tour schedule is below.
General Surgery will also report for duty at the LA Murderfest, and recently announced the release of their split with Butcher ABC. Look for it on CD via Obliteration Records on January 11 (email grindrock@hotmail.com for a copy) and limited-to-1,000 LP in February via Living Dead Society/Coperaction Records (email unsane_crisis@hotmail.com for a copy). The band will also hit the road with Ghoul following the Murderfest and leading up to Maryland Death Fest (thx SMNNews). Full tour dates are below.

Malkuth, an absolutely killer black metal band featuring members of No Neck Blues Band, have scheduled a show on 1/25 at Public Assembly with Villians, Castevet, and Ipsissimus. Malkuth recently released Mutus Liber out on Hospital Productions and are prepping their second LP for the label.

Converge have scheduled a show at Europa on March 27th! Tickets are on sale. Converge has been added to the Scion Rock Festival in Atlanta... yet one more reason to go! (Thanks Chris!)

Also recently added at Europa, Young Widows will team up with The Austerity Program, My Disco, and Tournament for a show on April 1st! Ticket info is forthcoming, full Young Widows tour dates below. Tournament is lined up to play with Kylesa, Tombs, and Black Anvil at The Charleston.

Satyricon's new record The Age of Nero drops on Jan 13th via KOCH Records, and I have to say that I definitely enjoyed it a hell of alot more than Now, Diabolical. Check out the video for "Black Crow On a Tombstone" below and dig on "The Sign Of The Trident", which the band has made available for download above! Satyricon will hit the road opening for Cradle of Filth at Starland Ballroom on Jan 15th (tix here) and have scheduled an NYC date at Nokia Theater on Feb 27th (tix here).

That Satyricon video, Mastodon, Khanate, Burnt By The Sun, Dillinger Escape Plan, Coliseum, Amenra, Pestilence and more as The Week In Metal continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (01/13/09)"