The Red Baron studio update 3

The final video update from The Red Baron surrounding their upcoming full-length debut on Blood & Ink Records in early 2009.

The Red Baron on MySpace

Best Shows of 2008 - Converge, The Red Chord, Baroness

My next candidate for best shows of 2008 is probably something that is on every person lists this year if they attended it. The Converge/The Red Chord/Baroness/Genghis Tron tour was probably one of the biggest tours announced this year and I was as excited about it as anyone could possibly be.


This tour hit Iowa City April 10th this year, taking place at the always awesome Picador. This tour played Chicago 2 nights in a row earlier that week which would've been amazing, but alas, this was the best I could do. The Picador is an awesome venue though with a great mix between small personal space and some great sound equipment.

We unfortunately missed most of Genghis Tron on this night, but I am not too familiar with them anyway, but from what heard, they were playing an awesome set that tour. I spent most of my time early that evening shoveling cash at Converge while my friend played Galaga in the back by the bar.

The first band that I would watch that evening was Baroness. Baroness is a band that I've long appreciated as being an awesome group, and have very much enjoyed listening to, but I just do not listen to them that much if that makes sense. Anyway, I was eager to see them, and so were a lot of other people.

They played a well paced set, that a lot of people were into. I came out very pleased, they craft very eloquent tunes, and they play them perfectly live. I was surprised to see a large chunk of people clear out after they played though. I guess it was their new found success on the MTV2 circuit, but I figured that most people were there for Converge (which was still largely true), but it was a surprise.

The Red Chord followed Baroness. I used to be really into the Red Chord, but up to this point I hadn't been listening to them much lately. They put on an awesome show though, it was really high energy, and they seem really comfortable playing their tunes which get very technical at times, they were just having fun. It was great. They played a little long I thought, but it was still entertaining to watch. Many stage dives and ridiculousness, including a bunch of people just getting on stage for no reason at the end which brought the singer into a fit of laughter in which he just embraced and stopped trying to sing.

After The Red Chord, Converge came on.

I had seen Converge before this in the same building actually, but this night would easily eclipse that in my mind's eye. Converge started with Kurt (guitar) standing on stage by himself playing 'Plagues' off of their album 'No Heroes' which is just about the best way any band could ever open a set in my eyes. Slowly the rest of the band joined him and the set began.

They played for about an hour playing every song I could have wanted minus one or two (I do not recall hearing The Saddest Day or Heaven In Her Arms), songs I can recall: 'No Heroes', 'Concubine/Fault and Fracture', 'Last Light', 'Locust Reign', 'My Great Devastator' along with a mess of others and finishing with an epic 12 minute finale of 'Jane Doe'. It was just fantastic, I couldn't have asked for a much better Converge experience.

This was easily one of my favorite shows of the year, and with such a varied lineup, it was a perfect night.

Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure

Shai Hulud is easily one of the most influential bands to exist in the realm of hardcore and metal since their inception in the mid-90's. A name that is unfortunately ignored by a large portion of newer kids getting into these styles of music considering, that the landscape of this music might look significantly different had Shai Hulud never come into existence. Of course, Shai Hulud hadn't released a record in over 5 years prior to this earlier in the year, so it's somewhat understandable.

Shai Hulud plays an almost unreproducable brand of metal influenced hardcore that has been blowing minds for years. The way this music is crafted fights every norm that one expects when listening to metalcore, or any other band of metallic hardcore. It's easy to pick up on some familiar time signatures and riff structures, but as soon as you feel like you know where it's going, you absolutely don't. That, coupled with Shai Hulud's unrelentingly angry, perfectly structured lyrics have made them into a group that has outlasted all trends within this scene, and something that few bands can touch.

'Misanthropy Pure' is their first proper released since 2003's 'That Within Blood Ill-Tempered', in which time a lot has happened to the band, their revolving door lineup situation claimed their long time vocalist Geert ven der Velde which was almost to the death blow to the band, but they were able to recover and write one of the best metal/hardcore records of 2008.

'Misanthropy Pure' is a constantly evolving, powerful beast. From the first notes of 'Venomspreader', the album's opener, to the the gradual fading out of 'Cold Lord Quietus', the album is unrelentingly fierce, brilliantly progressive and heavy all at the same time. New vocalist, Matt Mazzali, fits Shai Hulud perfectly I think, apart from Chad Gilbert, original vocalist of the group, I think he is probably the best vocalist for the group. The guitar riffs are wide ranging and varied, the drums are as intricate and detailed as ever and they really have come together to produce the best Shai Hulud album that could have been produced I think. The title track on the album is fantastic, 'Chorus of the Dissimilar', 'To Bear The Brunt of Many Blades' and the re-recording of Shai Hulud classic 'Set Your Body Ablaze' are my favorites on the album, but again, this album is fantastic, there isn't a bad track here.

The recording has been a hit or miss with many people. It is very high production, and I've heard arguments either way with it. I love it. I don't know if this is just because of the high production values, or if these have always been in Shai Hulud records, there are a bunch of subtle quick nuances that I can pick out on this record that going back into their catalog just aren't apparent. I think that with the range and dynamics that they have displayed with this record, the high production and clean recording fits very well.

Hands down, this is probably the best release in the metalcore genre this year, and in hardcore in general. It's brilliantly written in all aspects, and if you haven't checked it out, or if you've never listened to the band at all, check it out. This band is uncompromising of their vision, and this record is one of the best of this year.

Shai Hulud on MySpace
Metalblade Records

Black Dahlia Murder interview

From HARDTIMES.CA, during their recent Canadian tour.



The Black Dahlia Murder on MySpace

Best shows of 2008, Killing The Dream, Pulling Teeth

Our last trip into the best shows of 2008 covered the January 2nd show at the Muse in Nashville, TN. A show featuring a heavyweight line up of Have Heart, Down To Nothing, I Rise and many others. This will cover the night that would follow, and the real reason that we drove 9 hours to Nashville in the first place.

This next show was the crown jewel of the trip, it was to take place at The Anchor, a church not far from The Muse the night before. It's a venue run by a cool church group who's not so authoritarian on the bands that they let play their venue as evident by the nights lineup, Pulling Teeth, Ruiner and Killing The Dream. Playing alongside these titans were again a wide array of smaller bands to fill it out, including the ever fantastic hometown heroes, Hollywood.

Still 'hungover' from the trip and subsequent lack of proper rest and way too long spent at a local mall (fuck that story), the beginning of the show is again something of a blur. Pulling Teeth would be closing the night out, Killing The Dream playing third to last and Ruiner playing second to last. Oddly enough, the first awesome moments of this show as I can recall was Hollywood. I had seen the band before as they had toured up through the Midwest into Illinois, but seeing them in their hometown, in their element was something special. Kids just went nuts, it felt like the floor was going to cave in at times. Completely ridiculous.

Initially, I felt bad for Killing The Dream to have to come on after that, but they were the reason we were there, and they did not disappoint. They ripped through a set of the best tracks of their two albums at the time and played a new song. Not a lot of kids really seemed to know much of their words or anything it seemed like, until they played their epic finale, 'We're All Dead Ends', then all of a sudden it seemed like every single person in the building knew every word. It was an awesome set, totally worth the trip. Unfortunately, I was outside cooling off while Ruiner played, so I don't have anything to say about that set.

Pulling Teeth closed the show, and having known little about them at the time, I was merely a bystander, but I was made a fan that night. Pulling Teeth had played Nashville a few times before that I gathered, and a lot of kids there were familiar with their music, so it was another intense set as to be expected at this point. Kids reacted to what they were saying, and moshed hard. Pulling Teeth is now one of my favorite bands thanks to that night.

That brought an end to night 2 of 'Nashville Fest'. The next night would be the closer featuring another batch of high intensity sets from Kids Like Us, Know The Score, The Mongoloids, Barricade and a bunch more, and that would conclude the trip to Nashville.

Considerably more broke than before we arrived, we made the 9 hour drive home and were pleased with the results of our quest to see Killing The Dream.

Best shows of 2008 - Have Heart, Down To Nothing, I Rise

As 2008 draws to a close I thought it would be nice to recap some of my favorite shows of 2008. After all, the big draw to underground music, apart from hearing styles of music that you can't hear anywhere else, is the live setting in my eyes.

I can't picture going to a large arena 'concert' (I really hate that word) and feeling any sort of connection with a band, I'd rather listen to an album than be stuck half a mile away from a stage staring at tiny people wandering around a large stage. There is no personal connection there. At hardcore shows, and any underground music styles really, there is no division between the band at those people there to watch them. Everyone is the same, everyone is there for the same reason. I love that.
___________________

My year started off fast and set the bar pretty high for the rest of the year, which is the best way to start a year to be filled with many shows. To begin this tale, you must understand that my friend and I had become addicted to Killing The Dream in the end months of 2007, like really bad. To our dismay, and to anyone else who follows the band, Killing The Dream tends to tour Japan and Europe more often than the Midwest. The closet pass the band would be making in the near future was Nashville, TN, January 3rd of the next year.

We were sad and disappointed and often joked about making the 9-ish hour drive down there just to see them, however, the more we talked about it, the more possible it seemed. So we decided to give it a shot. Getting the trip organized was not easy at first, nobody wanted to drive 9 hours for one show. Luckily for us (upon further investigation), there were 3 awesome shows in a row in Nashville that week. After that, everything fell into place pretty quickly. 3 awesome shows was surely worth the 9 hour trip.

The first show of this trip would be January 2nd, the day that we would leave to go down to Nashville. It was an impeccable show to start the 3 day 'Nashville Fest'. Have Heart, Down To Nothing, I Rise and many more names that have become somewhat notable in the recent days (Wake Up Call, Lie and Wait, Maintain and Foundation) at 'The Muse', an awesome venue tucked away in a darker corner of Nashville.

Despite being pretty wiped out after the 9 hour drive and a brief rest at our trashy hotel, the show was intense. It's a little bit of a blur trying to recall now, but I first learned of I Rise that night which is what I mainly remember it for, but also, it was the first time I saw how big Have Heart had/has got. The first time I saw Have Heart was in Iowa early in the summer of 2007, and probably a handful of people there knew who they were. In Nashville that night, there were a couple hundred of kids screaming every word.


The show was incredibly high energy, tons of kids packed into a relatively small space all going nuts, non-stop stage dives, a perpetual pile on, no fights, no negativity, just an awesome time.

Have Heart closed the show, but that energy was there through every band. It makes me jealous how every time I go several hours outside of where I am from, the scene's seem to much better than ours. Nashville is/was? full of a bunch of awesome kids who support bands and are there to have a good time, no drama, no bullshit, no attitudes. It was really an awesome show.

We then retired to our hotel room, totally pumped that we had driven 9 hours for this, psyched for the next night, when we would finally satisfy the goal of the trip, seeing Killing The Dream...

Weekly update

NoiseBlog Reviews







News Bits
- Dominic Mallary passes away [link]
- The Red Baron Studio updates [1] [2]
- Irons/Pulling Teeth split details [link]
- The Banner side project, Wolve [link]
- Dillinger Escape Plan set to record [link]
- Between The Buried and Me interview on Lambgoat [link]
- Narrows updates [link]
- Victims album release details [link]
- Defeater tour dates [link]

Defeater tour dates

Defeater will hit the road in the new year for a quick east coast tour.

1/8 Wallingford, CT @ The Wallingford American Legion
1/9 Long Island, NY @ TBA
1/10 Washington, DC @ St. Stephen's Church
1/11 Baltimore, MD @ The Charm City Artspace
1/12 Richmond, VA @ Rumors
1/13 Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
1/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Stolen Sleeves
1/15 Albany, NY @ The Landing Zone
1/16 Wappinger's Falls, NY @ The Montrose Basement

Defeater on MySpace

Doomriders/Disfear split 7"

Doomriders and Disfear are two not-unknown names in the world of aggressive music. The two bands have been around for quite awhile, Disfear since the late 80's and Doomriders for at least 3 years. Doomriders being a project headed by Converge bassist Nate Newton, Disfear being an influential hardcore punk/rock group from Sweden featuring underground music celebrity Thomas Linberg (At The Gates, Skitsystem, etc) on vocals.

This split is a quick showcase for both bands, and I think a pretty decent point to dive in for either band if you haven't listened to either. Each band gives us one track (both around 5 minutes), and both songs are really great.

The first side of the split is Disfear. I have never listened to Disfear before this unfortunately, but that is one of the appeals of a split record, listening to something you wouldn't normally. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first listened to them, but it's clear that this split with Doomriders makes a lot of sense. Disfear is a kind of dark, rock, droning metal hardcore blend capped off by Linberg's famous rough vocals. It's really awesome if you're into that kind of stuff.

Doomriders half of this split is fucking great. 'Crooked Path' is probably their best song to date and listening to just this one song on this split is so frustrating because I want to hear more new Doomriders materal. Doomriders is easily one of my favorite bands right now, and their 'death n' roll' blend of rock, metal and hardcore is such an easy addiction to slip in to. They really aren't a band to ignore, beause this stuff is just brilliant. 'Crooked Path' is a brooding, building, epic track that is just punishing right from the start, it really is the bands best piece in my opinion.

If you haven't listened to either of these bands, you're doing it wrong, and if you want to check out either of these bands, this split is a great place to do it.

Doomriders on MySpace
Disfear on MySpace
Deathwish inc.

US release announced for newest Victim's release

Deathwish Inc has announced that they will be issuing Victims latest album 'Killer' in North America on February 17th of next year and have launched an audio player with 3 tracks from the album on the site now, which can be found here.


Victims on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.

The Red Baron studio update 2

The second of 3 video updates documenting the recording of their debut album, 'My First Love' out on Blood and Ink Records next year.

The Red Baron on MySpace

Alarmed - S/T 7"

Alarmed is a 5 person hardcore band from Baltimore that has been around for over 5 years now pumping out rock infused hardcore in a DIY style that is rather enviable. Having released a handful of EP's in the past, Alarmed released a self-titled EP earlier this year on Dead Truth Recordings.

I had never heard any of Alarmed's material before heading into this EP. I actually had been interested by them after seeing that Dead Truth Recordings was putting out their record, but they must have fallen off my radar. I am glad however that I've gotten the chance to listen to this record, it's pretty good.

Alarmed plays a style of hardcore that blends traditional hardcore with some rock elements in a way that reminds me of bands like Hollywood without taking it as far as Hollywood did. It's not to say that this a less than heavy style of hardcore, it's pretty heavy in parts, but it's clear that this is not the bands focus. The vocals are raspy and remind me again of Hollywood, but even Shipwreck and Baltimore contemporaries, Trapped Under Ice. The band gets into a groove that never really speeds up to too much, and never really slows down much either, but it's not a negative, it works.

On this EP, Alarmed have put together four very solid tracks that I have a hard time getting tired of. Anytime I put these songs on, I have no problem with letting them go and go without getting sick of it. It all just runs together really well, and it just feels right. If I had a problem with the record, I would just say that it's not long enough. I feel like I'm just getting a taste of something that is bigger, so I hope that this level of quality holds up with their future releases.

With this release, Alarmed really shows that they are a band capable of writing some great tracks, and that they're not concerned with meeting the status quo of hardcore. It's a different breed of hardcore, and it's really great. If you haven't listened to them yet, I suggest you pick this up.

Alarmed on MySpace
Dead Truth Recordings

Dominic Mallary passes away

Several days ago after a performance in Boston, Dominic Mallary, the singer for the band Last Lights, passed away due to a random blood clot in his brain.

Known for his energy filled live performances, Dominic has helped Last Lights gain quite a lot of notoriety recently, making this whole situation the more sadder. Those who knew him speak very highly of him and the music that he created. It is clearly a horrible lost to those who knew him and to the hardcore punk community as a whole.


Heart In Hand Records quickly announced the release of a compilation dedicated in Dominic's memory with all proceeds going to Dominic's family. The compilation sold out very quickly after being put up on their estore.

Further information surrounding Dominic's passing can be found at the following links.
[link]
[link]

Links to many of the musical acts Dominic was a part of.
Last Lights
Apparitions
Haunted Like A House
God & Country
The Mount Doom

Narrows updates

Narrows' new album has been named with a status of 'Coming Soon'. The album will be released through Deathwish Inc.A new song from the upcoming album, entitled 'New Distances', can be heard here on Deathwish's site.

Along with the album update, a west coast tour has been announced with Trap Them and These Arms Are Snakes.

12/11: Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
12/12: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
12/13: Santa Rosa, CA @ The Casbar
12/14: San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
12/15: Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
12/16: Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory
12/17: San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe

Those lucky enough to see them should, as extensive touring is not planned by Narrows.

Narrows on MySpace

Between The Buried and Me Interview on Lambgoat

Lambgoat just put up a great interview with Between The Buried and Me, it's well worth the read. Discusses the DVD show, various tours of the past, some label chat and clearing up the mysticism with the Cover album.

You can read it here.

Between The Buried and Me on MySpace

The Red Baron studio update 1

The first video blog of 'The Red Baron' recording their debut Full Length album entitled 'My First Love' to be released March 2009 on Blood & Ink Records.

The Red Baron on MySpace

Dillinger Escape Plan to record in June

The Dillinger Escape Plan has stated that they will enter the studio in June to record the follow up to 2007's 'Ire Works'. You can also read about 'Chinese Democracy', Metallica's new record and Ben's hillarious music apparel for dogs (it's real... Garmutt), as well as a bunch of other random things that made it into this ridiculous blog post.

Dillinger Escape Plan on MySpace

Wolve (The Banner side project) announced

Joey of The Banner has announced that he has formed a new band. The band is called Wolve and will be a continuation of the experimentation that took place on the last record The Banner put out, 'Frailty'. The group is a response to not wanting to continue that route with The Banner, with which they want to return to the basics. He also confirmed that The Banner has ceased touring, but to expect a new EP from the group next year.

Wolve has posted a demo track (with no vocals) to show off the kind of sound that Wolve will take. You can listen to that song here.

You can read The Banner's blog on the issue here.

Wolve on MySpace
The Banner on MySpace

Irons/Pulling Teeth - Grey Saviour, for 2008

The split album 'Grey Saviour', featuring Irons and Pulling Teeth will be seeing a 2008 release through Deathwish Inc. While specific dates haven't been announced, they surely will be shortly.

Irons is a collabrative project consisting of Jake Bannon of Converge, Dwid Hellion of Integrity and Stephen Kasner. This split will be this supergroups first material to be released and is highly anticipated by many.

"Irons:
J. Bannon (Converge, etc), Dwid Hellion (Integrity, etc), and Stephen Kasner (Blood Fountains) are "Irons". A collective effort to create apocalyptic, non-linear music from a primal fine art based mindset. With this release, Irons have forged a pensive sonic reflection ripe with melancholy and despair. Electronic textures, haunting vocals, and unorthodox guitar work all dance together to create an unforgettable melodic portrait that is unlike anything out there today.

Pulling Teeth:
A stylistic departure for Pulling Teeth, here they utilize this release to tread into deeper, more experimental, musical waters. The featured opus "General Of Dark Hymns I & II" shows a new kind of dynamic emerging from their dark well of creative character. Slowing the pace only to crash down with a force merely hinted at in previous Pulling Teeth recordings. The release also features a J. Bannon (Converge, etc) remix of "Dismissed In Time", the epic closing track from their heralded "Martyr Immortal" album."
[link]

Pulling Teeth on MySpace
Irons on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.

Weekly Roundup

NoiseBlog Content
- Show review - Pelican/Suicide Note/Head of Skulls [link]

NoiseBlog Music Reviews








New Bits
- Dead City teams up with Thrashed! Records [link]
- Creatures/Downpresser tour dates [link]
- The Red Baron recording new album [link]
- Poison The Well studio update [link]
- Architect tour dates [link]

Architect - Ghost of the Saltwater Machines

Architect is a largely under-rated often ignored hardcore/metalcore group out of Syracuse, New York. I have been a fan of this band for a while and I have been disappointed to not see these guys pick up the kind of momentum that a lot of bands of much less talent and dedication have. I don't think they have been effectively marketed to a really hardcore audience, instead more swept up with a bunch of deathcore acts that came up in the same time as them, and because of that, it's hard to get new kids to look at them. It's really unfortunate.

Architect is an in your face, issues driven band that is always intense. Their first album 'All Is Not Lost' was released last year, and was an explosive debut of chaotic hardcore tunes that I enjoyed quite a bit. 'Ghost of the Saltwater Machines' is more a continuation of that style, but has a much heavier more intense feel to it, as well as some more groove oriented riffing.

While it may not be much different than their previous material, I think it's still a compelling listen. It's definitely more pissed off than the first record, and the hardcore influences are much more pronounced both in the song writing and the recording. The first album had a very metal tone through out, but this record has a much more 'raw' sound. The vocals are as fierce as ever, I feel my own throat tearing open listening to these songs and it's just awesome. There is some tinkering throughout with more ambient sounding pieces and lots of play with feedback and stuff that pull together a different sound without getting too experimental, and maintaining its intensity throughout. Favorite tracks include 'I Am Become Death' (which has a sample from The Red Dawn at the end), 'Lamplighter' though every track here is solid.

One part I want to talk about this record is the visuals of the album art. This band has always had some pretty awesome visuals to accompany their music whether it's album art or merch designs and this album is no different. The package that this album comes in is fantastic and really ties in with Architect themes. I don't think enough bands really put enough effort into the visual side of their album art lately and these guys deserve props for it. You can see that art here on their MySpace.

It's not record of the year or anything, but it's a really great album and band that people should check out. Look past what bands they get pushed along with and listen to them.

Architect on MySpace
Black Market Activities

Poison The Well studio update

Poison The Well have put up a studio update via MySpace blog talking about the recording of their new album with Steve Evetts. This is apparently the first in a long series that will be posted. You can read it here.

Poison The Well on MySpace

Architect on tour right now!

Architect is on tour right now with Rose Funeral.

11/29 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Roboto Project
11/30 Wheeling, WV @ Yesterdays Draught House
12/1 Columbus, OH @ Bernies
12/2 Louisville, KY @ Bull Dog Cafe
12/3 Nashville, TN @The Muse
12/4 Selma, AL @ The Loud House
12/5 Panama City, FL @ Beamers
12/6 Tampa, FL @ Transitions Art Gallery
12/7 Orlando, FL @ The Dungeon
12/8 Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G
12/9 Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
12/10 Greensboro, NC @ Market St Music Hall w/ Wretched
12/11 North Carolina @ TBA
12/12 Fredricksburg, VA @ The Refuge
12/13 Wilmington, DE @ Mojo 13 (early show)
12/13 Berlin, MD @ The Pulse
12/14 NJ/PA @ TBA
12/15 New York, NY @ The Lit Lounge

Architect on MySpace
Rose Funeral on MySpace

Deathwish Inc Black Friday sale

Deathwish Inc will be having a Black Friday sale in their Estore tomorrow. Buy stuff.


Deathwish Inc.

Pelican/These Arms Are Snakes split 10"

Pelican and These Arms Are Snakes are too bands that do not need much introduction. They are two pretty well established groups that have been around for some time. Pelican, an instrumental post-metal band from Chicago, has been putting out tunes for 7 years; These Arms Are Snakes, a post-hardcore experimental group composed of alumni from various bands including the legendary Botch. This split came about after TAAS joined Pelican onstage for an encore during their European tour earlier this year, they liked the results so much that they decided to put it into recording.

On this split, each band covers a song of the others. Pretty straight forward, Pelican covering the song 'Diggers of Ditches Everywhere' (entitled 'Gold Diggers' on this split) by TAAS from their debut EP, and TAAS tackles 'Pink Mammoth' from Pelican's 'Pink Mammoth' EP. It comes out to be a really interesting record.

The first band on this split is Pelican. I'm going to be honest, my listening experience with TAAS is very minimal. I am not very familiar with their music at all. I know who they are, but I have never listened to them very extensively. That being said; Pelican does a Pelican job of making this sound like Pelican. I would have no problem believing this to be another Pelican composition if I did not know better. I don't know if this song is just natural for Pelican's style or just the way they managed to build it up, but it really fits what I've come to know and expect from Pelican.

TAAS's side of the split is an interesting take on a song that has been done by the parent band twice already. It's clearly Pelican's song, but the tones of TAAS really make it something else, also the fact that they have added a vocal part to it changes it quite significantly considering Pelican is an instrumental group. This is my favorite of the two songs on this split I think. It might just be because I am familiar with the track already, but it's a great song, and this fresh take on it is really good.

This split is clearly for fans of the band, and if you like either band, you probably will enjoy these tracks, and it's really worth checking out.

Pelican on MySpace
These Arms Are Snakes on MySpace
Hyrdrahead Records

The Faceless - Planetary Duality

The Faceless is a band whose rise to notoriety came from the recent deathcore explosion, though you'd have a hard time classifying them as such. They are and have pretty much been a technical death metal band since the beginning, but they gained their current rise in popularity through touring and word of mouth through the deathcore scene. Since that time they have spent a long time touring with some of the biggest names in death/technical metal and have really established themselves as something different.

They released their first full-length album 'Akeldama' in 2006, to some success on Sumerian Records. I enjoyed a small bit of that album, but overall, I didn't really get into the band. I found a majority of the songs on the album to be kind of boring with a few exceptions. Now, 2 years later, the band has released 'Planetary Duality'. I originally never anticipated listening to this album, but after hearing the rave reviews of people around me, I decided to give it a shot, and it is clear that those 2 years have made quite a difference on The Faceless.

To simply say that it is better than their first album is quite an understatement. As soon as you begin listening, it becomes clear that this is miles and miles beyond what the band produced with 'Akeldama'. Every aspect of the record is much better than anything that was on their previous effort. From the production and sound quality, to musicianship and just songwriting in general, it just blows 'Akeldama' out of the water.

A problem I had with 'Akeldama' was how a lot of times to me, it felt like a lot of pointless riffing that never went anywhere. 'Planetary Duality' has nothing of the sort, everything feels deliberate and perfectly placed and playing off each other, it all works and intermingles perfectly. The album is about 31 minutes long, which is pretty short for a album of the genre; I highly suggest other bands in the genre look at these guys for inspiration. Often time long songs get lost, but everything here is modest and straight to the point. There are some parts of writing I question, there is some dabbling with clean vocals and kind of tech synth singing that I feel really sticks out and doesn't have a place, but those parts aren't often.

The technical proficiency on this record is outstanding. That was clear even with the first album, but it seems like every member of the band has gone above and beyond in perfecting their craft. It's impossible to find a rough spot on this record, it is performed absolutely perfectly, that is a plus and a minus. Because of this perfection, the album feels very clinical; almost too clean and perfect. There is a certain texture missing from the album that disappears with the kind of surgical precision this kind of music has.

'Planetary Duality' is a technical, blistering assault of progressive death metal that really puts The Faceless in a position as a forefront of the community that birthed it. While I'm not ready to say it's one of my favorite albums of the year, it is certainly miles better than their older material, and I think that it's definitely worth listening to.

The Faceless on MySpace
Sumerian Records

Deathwish Podcast 19 up now!

Deathwish's latest installment of their in house podcast is now online to listen to. It includes an interview with Marty Kirby of the band Carpathian as well as music from a variety of Deathwish artists including Trap Them, Killing The Dream and hardly audible CONVERGE demos.

Listen to it here.
iTunes

The Red Baron recording new album

After a brief breakup and a long period of silence, The Red Baron have announced that they will be entering the studio very soon to finally begin recording their debut full-length after several missteps. The album will be titled 'To My First Love' and will be released on Blood and Ink Records next year.

The Red Baron on MySpace
Blood and Ink Records

Creatures - Downpresser dates

Creatures and Downpresser will go on a small tour late December into the new year in support of their upcoming split release.

12/26 Tucson AZ @ The Living Room
12/27 El Paso TX @ The Studio Gallery
12/28 San Antonio TX @ The Warhol w/ Power Trip
12/29 Ft. Worth TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/ Power Trip, Harm's Way, more
12/30 Dallas TX @ The Clubhouse w/ Power Trip
12/31 Tulsa OK @ The Monolith w/ Power Trip
1/1 Clovis NM @ El Matador
1/2 Phoenix AZ @ TBA
1/3 Riverside CA @ The Pharoah's Den w/ Alpha and Omega, more

Creatures on MySpace
Downpresser on MySpace

Dead City teams up with Thrashed! Records

Memphis hardcore band Dead City will be releasing their highly anticipated full-length album 'Goddamn the 21st Century', through Thrashed! Records sometime in the spring of 2009. Some tracks are available on their MySpace page right now.

Dead City on MySpace
Thrashed! Records

Pelican, Suicide Note, Head Of Skulls 11/22/08

In an effort to add a little more variety to the types of articles that appear on this blog... I present a review. The show that will be featured in this writing took place the Saturday before this in the college town of DeKalb, Illinois home of Northern Illinois University at the always cool House Cafe located downtown.

The show started a little later than typically expected, but I still managed to show up late and miss a good portion of the first band, Head of Skulls', set. From what I can gather from the few songs that I heard of theirs, they are a trio from the Chicago area that play a blend of punk and rock. From what I saw, I liked. The band had a really good attitude and played their music reasonably well. While it might not be a brand of music I will find myself going back to, I would go ahead and say that they are worth checking out. They've self-released their latest EP and that is always worthy of respect to me.

The second band of the night was an awesome surprise for me. Suicide Note has apparently been around for a long time and I have been ignorantly unaware of them for most of that time. They play a kind of noisey chaotic post-hardcore blend that is really addicting to listen to, and really fun to watch. It's really awesome to watch a band play music and not have any idea where the music is going to go. It's completely unpredictable and completely awesome. Most of the people in the place were really into them (minus irrelevant drunk idiot guy), and despite some small technical problems, they were really great. I've since picked up some of their music and have been listening to it quite a bit. I really urge you to listen to them if you haven't.

Finally, Pelican took the stage around 10 pm to the crowd's delight. I have seen Pelican before and I have been a Pelican fan for a long time now, but seeing them is just awesome. For those who do not know, Pelican is an instrumental/post-metal/prog-rock band from Chicago that have been cranking out masterfully composed tunes for the last 7 years or so. They played a great mix of old material and newer songs as well as completely new songs. The newer songs sounded really good, and had a different feel than their older material. They played a song that will be on an upcoming split with Young Widows that had some ridiculous heaviness to it, and played 'The Woods' from their first EP to the glee of those familiar with it.

Eventually irrelevant drunk idiot guy went too far and was asked to vacate the front of the venue after leaning over on stage and touching one of the guitar players gear on the floor much to the rest of the audience's pleasure. The set lasted for a little over an hour, and was easily the best set that I've seen Pelican play. I'm really excited to see what 2009 holds for the band esepcially after hearing that new material. I highly recommend seeing them if you haven't, because it's a great show.

Pelican on MySpace
Suicide Note on MySpace
Head of Skulls on MySpace

Weekly Roundup

Iron Thrones have made their new album 'Visions of Light' available for free download on their website. I highly recommend you go get it.
[link]

NoiseBlog Reviews








Bits
- Reign Supreme studio footage [link]
- Black Teeth 7" details and tour dates [link]
- Lewd Acts live set on the Radiobeat Podcast [link]
- Surroundings/Mammoth Grinder winter tour dates [link]
- The Chariot video update [link]
- Pulling Teeth blurb about new releases [link]

Pulling Teeth update

From [link]

"It's November 23rd, 2008 and we're in the final stages of tracking what is going to be our split 12" with Irons, as well as our new LP/CD 'Paranoid Delusions/Paradise Illusions' with Chris Camden. There are a lot of strange things going on in the studio, expect something very different, while remaining the same. Jeff Beckman is putting the finishing touches on the artwork for the new LP, we're beyond excited. We'll are in the middle of sorting out a few short tours for early next year, but in the meantime can be found playing these regional shows.

12/06: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar w/ Suicidal Tendencies, Madball
01/09: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar A389 Anniversary w/ Integrity, Oak, Pala, Warpriest
01/14: Washington, DC @ Bervin Haus w/ Seasick, Killin' It, Brick
02/25: Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head w/ Misery Index, Amen Ra, Pala"

Pulling Teeth on MySpace

Surroundings/Mammoth Grinder tour

Surroundings and Mammoth grinder will hit the road in January for a string of dates.

Jan 2 2009 Balitmore,Md w/ Traic,Fight Amp
Jan 3 2009 ABC No Rio - NYC,NY w/Seasick and Killin it(day show)
Jan 3 2009 The Charleston - NYC w/Fight Amp(night show)
Jan 4 2009 tba - Allentown,PA
Jan 5 2009 The Fly Trap - West Berlin,NJ w/ Cut it Out
Jan 6 2009 Lubeck Civic Center- Parkersburg,WV w/ Black Teeth
Jan 7 2009 15th St House - Columbus,OH
Jan 8 2009 The Skull Alley- Louisville, Kentucky w/ Rattletooth, Head Above Water
Jan 9 2009 Gingerbread House - Nashville, Tennessee

Both bands will be releasing new material around that time too.

Surroundings on MySpace
Mammoth Grinder on MySpace

The Chariot video update

Titans of chaotic noise, The Chariot have posted a video update bringing us up to speed on what they've been doing for the last few months, and that they will have a new album earlier next year. Lots of stage dives, broken gear and fire.

Welcome to Now

Embrace The End - Ley Lines

Easy to place in the 'under appreciated' category of 2008, 'Ley Lines' is the second full-length by one of the forerunners of the 'Deathcore' genre, Embrace The End. Based out of Sacremento, California, Embrace The End first made their mark on the metalcore scene in 2005 with their first full-length 'Counting Hallways to the Left', and again in 2006 in a split release with The End Of 6000 Years.

While it's easy to throw the deathcore label at Embrace The End, I think it is crucial to understand that for the most part, the generalizations and stereotypes associated with the genre to not fit Embrace The End. There are no pig squeels, the breakdowns are well placed and not a clutch, and the variety of music in this release is something that most other bands of the genre neglect.

The album is incredibly fast, jumping between riffs at breakneck pace, with a kind of styling of multiple personality disorder. It's like a jumbled mess of riffage and parts that aren't a mess and that somehow work. There are pieces of music that sound like a Red Chord album or some sort of powerviolence/grind band that go straight into some more beautiful slow, melodic pieces without a hint of awkwardness. It's hard hitting and heavy throughout while hitting with great guitar solos and ambienty slower parts when needed.

The album doesn't get muddled down in songs that are too long, and even the songs that do reach a longer time break everything up with the variety that I've been describing. It's not repetition, but a progression through a song and it keeps it fresh. I really enjoy everything about this album, the production is perfect, the musicianship showed in the recordings is great and the vocals aren't standard deathcore type.

Check out this band and album. One of the better releases in the metalcore community this year.

Embrace The End on MySpace
Century Media Records

Lewd Acts on Radiobeat Podcast

Lewd Acts' brief interview and live set from a recent Radiobeat radio cast on WERS radio out of Boston is now available online for your listening pleasure.

[link] 20 mb 14:44

Black Teeth Update

"Black Teeth will be releasing our first 7" on January 1st. It's a 6 song self titled 7" and will be released on Closed Casket Activities. The record release show for this is going to be in Peoria.

Upcoming Weekends
November 22nd - Des Moines, IA - Haunted Basement
November 23rd - Kansas City, MO - Wolf's Den

December 5th - Oshkosh, WI - Earth Diver Collective
December 6th - Waterloo, IA - Amvets Hall

Winter Tour w/ Take Control
January 1st - Peoria, IL - Record Release show/ Waster last show
January 2nd - Springfield, IL - Black Sheep Cafe
January 3rd - Louisville, KY - tba w. Iron Wolves, Rattletooth, Lewd Acts
January 4th - Greensboro, NC - House Show w/ Torch runner.
January 5th - Anywhere?
January 6th - Parkersburg, WV - Lubeck Civic Center
January 7th - Cleveland, OH - The Tower w/ Mad Minds
January 8th - Romeo, MI - The Static Age
January 9th - Grand Rapids, MI - The DAAC
January 10th - Chicago, IL - The Beat Kitchen
January 11th - St. Louis, MO - The Wedge w. Suburban Smash "

Black Teeth on MySpace
Take Control on MySpace
Closed Casket Activities

Decades - Numbered

Decades is a young hardcore band from the Dallas, Texas area on State of Mind Recordings, a label with a reputation for helping bands reach that next level of success (This Is Hell, Dead Hearts). They have recently released this EP, 'Numbered' and I have had the chance to listen to it quite thoroughly, and I really like it.

Decades' sound is something right up my alley, there's a slew of bands that I hear in this music, Modern Life Is War, The Carrier, Hollywood, even some older early 2000's metalcore stylings, and I really like it. It's a melodic sound that maintains a heavy edge and a lot of emotion in the vocals and composition keep it really engaging.

There is a lot of experimentation within the norms of hardcore that really accent the music that they've put together. They're not afraid to slow the songs way down with cleaner parts, and there are some really great parts where the vocals do an awesome, standout job of completely taking an otherwise normal piece of music and giving it an extra push.

It's a pretty meaty EP, the 5 songs here come in around 20 minutes, which is pretty long for a hardcore EP, but it's not too long. The songs are wrote well enough where they don't fall flat, they don't get repetitive, and they flow together very well. I think that the variety that they've put in this EP surely helps too. It's not a very predictable sound, and it's a sound in the ballpark of other bands, but it has it's own distinctness.

Decades is a great looking band, and this first EP they have released is very strong. I strongly recommend checking them out. I think they have a really bright future as a band, and I'm eager to see that future.

Decades on MySpace
State Of Mind Recordings

Reign Supreme - Testing The Limits... Studio footage

Reign Supreme: The Making of "Testing The Limits..."


'Testing The Limits of Infinity' will be released early 2009 on Deathwish Inc.

Weekly Roundup

NoiseBlog Reviews







Bits
- Watch Davey Havok of AFI cover Project X with Ceremony [watch]
- Defeater signs with Bridge 9 Records [link]

Iron Thrones - Visions Of Light

Sooner than I anticipated, I have my hands on Iron Thrones debut album 'Visions Of Light'. If you remember back to my writings a few day ago, Iron Thrones is a group of musicians from Minneapolis who used to perform as Everest. As Everest, the band released an EP in 2006 called "Where Earth Meets The Sky" on Mascaret Records, but since has been silent. 'Visions Of Light' is the band's debut full-length record, and it is quite a listen.

Iron Thrones sound has evolved quite a bit from their days as Everest. While Everest's material was definitely in the vein of metalcore, although with progressive bits, Iron Thrones has really clearly pulled away from those metalcore roots. There are bits and pieces of music that harken back to that kind of sound, but the music that you will find on 'Visions Of Light' is far away from what someone could consider metalcore.

'Visions Of Light' is an epic, almost orchestral sounding record. Steering away from the breakdown heavy, arpeggio crazed sound that has gripped so many bands of this nature lately, Iron Thrones have crafted an album of smooth flowing, beautiful, melodic riffs that paint distinct pictures and moods with their sound. From the opening notes of 'Swell to the Surface' until the last guitar rings out in 'Shadows Revealed', 'Visions' is a dynamic record that few bands can match.

Between all of the beautiful riffs, there are a sprinkling of elegantly composed guitar solos that don't feel forced, but natural; Bass guitar that is not afraid to become a part of the music; drums as strong as any record's could be, and the powerful vocals of Adam Clemens (Ex - Veil Of Maya), which remind me strongly of Between The Buried and Me, while maintaining the same feel that Evan Nagan (the former vocalist of Everest) brought to this group.

Simply put, 'Visions of Light' is one of the best albums that 2008 has to offer, and as a debut full-length for a band, it is phenomenal. If you are a fan of the progressive stylings of bands like Between The Buried and Me or Opeth, there is a strong chance that you will like this album, but really, if you like metal in any of it's forms, you should at least check this band and album out. This record will be self-released 11/21 and I strongly suggest you do what you can to get a hold of it, and support this band.

Iron Thrones on MySpace

Poison The Well - I / III

Several weeks ago, Poison The Well (metalcore juggernaut of the early 2000's turned post-hardcore icon) announced a series of 7" releases that would consist of B-sides from the recording sessions of their last full-length 'Versions' from 2007, leading to the release of their next, early in 2009. 'I / III' is the first of the three planned releases.

Poison The Well's sound has been constantly evolving since the band began, and 'Versions' was folk rock, almost country inspired take on hardcore. It was met with mixed reviews, but I took to it right away, I have always been a fan of the band and I thought that album was definitely one of the better to be released that year.

The two songs on 'I / III' have hints of those 'Versions' influences, but are really a completely different direction than that album. The first song on this release is 'New Fast' which is the most like 'Versions', it's a quick discordant riffed track with the trademark PTW half yell-singing into screaming. It's not really anything to get worked up about.

The second track 'Purple Sabbath' however, is a really different track for Poison The Well and it's really pretty awesome. It sounds like Poison The Well meets something in the Hydra Head catalog. It's a slow droning, heavy track that goes on for about 5 minutes and is unlike almost anything else the band has ever put out. I realize that these tracks weren't meant as to allude where the band was headed musically, but if they decided to write an album full of tracks like this, I wouldn't complain. I think it may be my favorite Poison The Well song yet.

This is really a release for Poison The Well fans to hold them over until the next big one, but people might be interested in some of this new material. I'm really looking forward to the next 2 7"'s now, and I'm really looking forward to the new full length. Check this out.

Poison The Well on MySpace
Ferret Records

Braindead - No Consequences

Braindead is band that I've been sleeping on for awhile. I've heard a lot of praise for the band, but up until now I have neglected to really take the time to listen to their music fully. Braindead is from the Philadelphia region. They released a 7" demo in 2006, a split 7" with Blackbirds in 2007 and earlier this year, they self-released their first full-length album 'No Consequences', with BurnBridges Records.

Braindead is quite a diverse sounding hardcore band, blending mixtures of more traditional hardcore with some rock stylings, and ambient, more experimental parts. It makes me think of what a band like Hopesfall would sound like if they came into the scene at this time in music. There is not so much emphasis on heavy as there is on melody, and the songwriting in general is much more complex than a lot of bands of today.

'No Consequences' is a great album. There is a lot of variety here without the record seeming disjointed, there are extended ambient instrumental parts that come straight out of what most people expect with a hardcore album, and there are a lot of fresh ideas throughout that are applied well. Some parts of this record almost seem like a different band entirely, but they all fit. The track "Guilt And Shame", almost seems like it could be an Alkaline Trio song, but it just melds perfect with the album that they've crafted. 'Dear Allison' is a very well executed instrumental interlude towards the end of the album that breaks up the intensity without killing it.

While the sound and production of the album is questionable at time, the musicianship of the band definitely makes up for it. The band is obviously very talented, the guitars are varied and singing, the vocals just ooze passion, and those things really carry this album. It might seem over too quick, but I think that is a compliment to the music, especially with 2 longer mostly instrumental tracks in the mix.

Braindead is really on to something, and if you've been like me and been sleeping on this band, I suggest you get up and check them out. They're great, and I am very eager to see what is coming next.

Braindead on MySpace
BurnBridges Records

Looking forward to 'Visions of Light'

Iron Thrones is a progressive metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota formely under the name Everst. The band recently changed their name as the long process of recording their debut full-length is coming to a close and the band is seeking to pick up momentum again. I also suspect it has something to do with the fact that Everest happens to be quite the common name for a band these days; a quick check on MySpace brings up 39 pages of bands with the name Everest or something similar.

Anyway, as Everest, the band released a 4 song EP in 2006 entitled 'Where Earth Meets The Sky', which was very well accepted amongst fans of their progressive blend of metal and hardcore. Since that time the band has been pretty quiet, touring and shows in general have been very sparse, and lineup changes have left a somewhat understandable anxiety about the band's future. However, the dedication of the band, clearly, has not been shaken.

It is now late 2008 and we are now fully aware of what the band has been doing for the last 2 years. They've been writing what is shaping up to be quite a spectacular piece of metal. 'Visions Of Light' will be the culmination of the last 2 years of a band with a lot of creative energy, that has been bottled up for far too long. The band has been releasing demo tracks over the past year, but as the final mixes and recordings of these tracks have made their way onto the band's MySpace, it is become increasingly certain that this will be a monster.

If the 6 (of 9 tracks on the final album) songs currently posted on the bands MySpace are any indication, Iron Thrones is finally ready to make their mark on underground music. There is a lot of listening to be done there, and I urge you to do so. Check out their music, check them out on their upcoming tour and spread the word.

Iron Thrones on MySpace

Weekly Roundup

Watch live music at home! (links valid day of the show)
- 11/8 7pm PST - Before Their Eyes, LoveHateHero, Oceana @ Chain Reaction (CA) [watch it]
- Do you know of other venues that stream live music online? [tell me] (or comment)

Bits
- Trap Them have a live set available from Crucial Chaos radio show [link] Starts at 28 mins
- Narrows have recorded their debut album, March '09 release [link]
- Liferuiner's antics have ruined and closed a venue in CT [link]

Tours
- Trap Them touring all over throughout the end of '08 - [dates]
- This Is Hell and Gravemaker will tour in November [dates]
- Blacklisted, Have Heart and Ceremony tour US Nov. [dates]
- Trash Talk and Alpha&Omega will be touring in Oct. and Nov. [dates]

Upcoming
- Doomriders/Disfear split 7" early Nov [pre-order]
- Trap Them "Seizures In Barren Praise" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Carpathian "Isolation" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Poison The Well "I/III" 7" 11/17 [pre-order]

Trap Them - Seizures In Barren Praise

Trap Them have been making a lot of waves amongst underground heavy music fans since about the time they signed to Deathwish Inc. in early 2007, hot on the tail of their first full-length 'Sleepwell Deconstructer' on the Trash Art! label. Shortly after their joining with Deathwish, the band put out an EP 'Seance Prime' and a split 7" with Extreme Noise Terror. With each release, more and more people have been taking notice, and now the highly anticipated 2nd full-length, 'Seizures In Barren Praise' is here.

Trap Them's sound spans every realm of aggressive music from hardcore, to death metal, to thrash, punk and beyond. It is an addictive, intense, assault of noise that never fails to pummel the listener into the ground.

'Seizures In Barren Praise' is a fantastic trip from beginning to end. The first track 'Fucking Viva', starts as a slow build into what fans of Trap Them have come to expect. The slow solitary guitar riff, joined progressively by all pieces of the band build into an attack that Trap Them's fans come to expect. That album takes off from there and never misses a beat, from the undoubtedly evil sounding riffs in 'Targets', to the unrivaled heaviness in 'Reincarnation of Lost Lones' this album is just great through and through. The final track is the 7 minute epic 'Mission Convincers', the slowest, yet most brooding track on the album, a perfect end to this 10 song explosion. I can't think of a song that I would take out of this, and I can't think of anything I would want to add to it.

While I think that there is a somewhat noticeable shift to a more hardcore sound on this album, it is still definitely Trap Them in all interpretations. It makes no excuses, it has no bullshit, it is a straight forward, in your face musical assault of the extreme music variety that few bands today can touch.

I think that anyone who has liked this band in the past is already super stoked for this album, but if they aren't they'll probably really enjoy it, and if you haven't gotten into this band yet for some reason, you should because they are one of the best bands around right now and you are missing out. In a year full of great hardcore and extreme music releases, this album stands above the pack. Check it out.

Trap Them on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.
Trap Them : Deathwish Inc. Estore

Killing The Dream - Fractures

Earlier this year a band by the name of Killing The Dream released their second full-length album 'Fractures' on Deathwish Inc. 'Fractures' was the highly anticipated follow up to their critically acclaimed full-length debut, 'In Place Apart' also on Deathwish Inc which was released 3 years previously in 2005. That is quite a break between albums, especially for a hardcore band, but Killing The Dream yet again put out a highly polished, punishingly beautiful hardcore record that fans of the band certaintly expected.

Most simply, Killing The Dream's style of hardcore could be easily pigeonholed as melodic hardcore, but they are definitely more than that. They are melodic hardcore, but they do not really sound like many other bands in that same blend of music. It is definitely more raw sounding, heavier, more punishing than most bands of this taste while still holding the melodic edge. 'In Place Apart' fit the melodic hardcore niche much more than 'Fractures' does, in the 3 years since, they have definitely progressed to a newer sound.

The album starts out deceivingly slow with the opening little guitar medly in '(Re)acquaintance' but it immedietly explodes into 'Part II (Motel Art)' where the album takes off at break neck speed and doesn't slow down until the very end. All of the tracks on this album exceed on the quality scale and never get repetitive sounding, I think there are some parts that may take some getting used to, but after you do it just makes sense, I remember feeling this sentiment when I first heard this record, but I can't even recall those parts now after having listened to this record so many times.

Songs that are standouts include 'Thirty Four Seconds' (which has replaced 'We're All Dead Ends' as their live closer), 'Part II (Motel Art)', 'You're All Welcome' (featuring Rob Sullivan of Ruiner) and 'Hang The Jury', but as I said before, everything on this record is quality. If you like anything that you've heard from this record, I'm sure that you'll enjoy all of it.

Closing, 'Fractures' is probably one of the best records of 2008 as far as hardcore is concerned. It is angry, ferocious and beautiful all at the same time. I definitely recommend it, and seeing the band live, as they are a great group to see.

Killing The Dream on MySpace
Deathwish Inc.
Killing The Dream : Deathwish Inc. Estore

Trapped Under Ice/Dirty Money split 7"

Trapped Under Ice, the new beast of the hardcore world (see post below this one) and Dirty Money from the UK teamed up earlier this year to release a split EP on Dead and Gone Records. I am a big fan of Trapped Under Ice and was generally ignorant of Dirty Money until this release, Trapped Under Ice reinforces why I love them, and Dirty Money has piqued my interest in the rest of what they do.

Getting straight down to it, Trapped Under Ice takes the first half of this split with two tracks that while similar to those found on their 'Stay Cold' EP, have a distinctly different vibe from them. The tracks are easily much heavier than most of what can be found on 'Stay Cold' in my eyes. 'Gemini' leads off, it's a heavy pummeling track that maintains the flow and 'groove' of their old material, putting it all into a great package. I think I would say that it's probably the best single song they've put out as a band, which sets the bar pretty high for the rest of this release. The second track, 'Death Clock Ticking' continues in the same direction as the first track, while not as memorable as the first. I probably would have put this track first as 'Gemini' steals the show, but both tracks sound distinctly un-'Stay Cold' and awesome.

This was my first exposure to Dirty Money, listening to their half of this split, I would sum them up as a more traditional, east coast sounding hardcore band. The material is not groundbreaking in any way, but it's solid. The lyrics are interesting and I really like the vocals, but getting right down to it, Dirty Money's half of the split just isn't as strong as TUI's which I think would be true of many bands put on the second half of this split, but at the same time it's getting exposure to a band that might otherwise get over looked.

Overall, this is a great split. Trapped Under Ice's half in particular is really good, but this has also opened my eyes to another good band in Dirty Money. Both of these bands are hitting the road together in January and this is a great chance to get familiar with both.

Trapped Under Ice on MySpace
Dirty Money on MySpace
Dead and Gone Records

Trapped Under Ice - Stay Cold

Trapped Under Ice was a band that launched itself into the spotlight this year, quite suddenly. Relatively unknown before this EP was released earlier this year, Trapped Under Ice is now a well known name in most hardcore circles.

'Stay Cold' was released earlier this year on Reaper Records to critical acclaim and unanimous acceptance of hardcore fans everywhere. While not yet a titan of hardcore, the splash they have made is a big one.

The music is a pounding, straight forward, dangerous sounding brand of hardcore influenced by the works of early 90's thrash and metal artists that has no trouble establishing it's identity. That might now sound so original, but I suck at describing music in words so you are going to have to listen to them to figure it out.

The songs are well written, catchy in their own way, engaging with well written lyrics dealing with everything from love to social-political issues that anyone can find some common ground with and sing along with. The band is heavy, melodic, fast and devastating without resorting to common crutches of hardcore bands, the band is definitely something special.

This record is easily one of the best things to come out of hardcore this year. Trapped Under Ice are simply doing things that other bands are not right now and doing it very well. If you're a fan of hardcore, you should definitely be checking it out if you haven't already, it's got something for everyone.

Trapped Under Ice on MySpace
Reaper Records

See You Next Tuesday - Intervals

See You Next Tuesday is a product of the deathcore explosion of the last few years, wielding a form of psuedo-grindcore that while not being groundbreaking, was at least different from every other band they were touring with. SYNT's first full-length, 'Parasite' was a kind of quirky, humorous attack that lasted about 18 minutes with 14 tracks. I never saw them as a band to take seriously, and I don't think a lot of people did, but I think they want to be, if their newest album is any sign.

'Intervals' is a quite different beast than their debut album. There's a definite shift from just trying to be as fast as possible and hit with breakdowns to slower, more thought out mature music. It works alright, but I still don't see them as much of a serious band. The kind of 'avant-gard' approach they've take with this new album seems very forced most of the time, and the return of some almost tone for tone gimmicks from the first album are really tired sounding and doesn't put across the notion of a band putting a lot of effort into writing their music.

Not a lot stands out on this album, except for the track 'Dedication to a New Era', a song that certainly draws a lot of influence from 'Plagues' by Converge. This 3 minute droning piece is the longest 'song' on the album, and probably the only piece that really sticks out to me other than the 2 'intro' tracks of mostly just noise. The rest of the songs are just easily forgettable and not very noteworthy.

'Intervals' is a step in the right direction for this band, but it's not a fully realized sound and they probably could've spent quite a bit more time on it crafting a good album. As it is, SYNT fans might like it, but I don't think they're breaking new ground or offering much more to people who didn't already know who the band was.

See You Next Tuesday on MySpace
Ferret Records
SYNT : Ferret Records Webstore

Weekly Roudup

It's a slow week.
Watch live music at home! (links valid day of the show)
- 11/4 7:30pm PST - Kids Like Us, The Mongoloids @ Chain Reaction (CA) [watch it]
- Do you know of other venues that stream live music online? [tell me] (or comment)

Bits
- Burning Fight book release show in Chicago announced [link]

Tours
- Trap Them touring all over throughout the end of '08 - [dates]
- This Is Hell and Gravemaker will tour in November [dates]
- Blacklisted, Have Heart and Ceremony tour US Nov. [dates]
- Trash Talk and Alpha&Omega will be touring in Oct. and Nov. [dates]

Upcoming
- This Is Hell/Nightmare Of You split 7" early Nov [pre-order]
- Doomriders/Disfear split 7" early Nov [pre-order]
- Trap Them "Seizures In Barren Praise" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Carpathian "Isolation" 11/11 [pre-order]
- Poison The Well "I/III" 7" 11/17 [pre-order]