Meek is Murder are one of the most promising bands sporting the ambiguous whatevercore blend of grind, math, and hardcore. We’re talking one-or-two-minute chaotic tracks that are technical and absolutely crushing. This fledgling band is totally independent (labels, get on this or something! They’re perfect for Relapse or Deathwish, Inc.) and booked a short set of dates around the East Coast this month. Check out our photos from their set at The Pariah in Philadelphia, PA courtesy of local photeggrapher (yes) Maclyn Bean below.

TIP: Use keyboard arrow keys to navigate through the gallery below.

For original high resolution images and more from the photographer, visit Maclyn Bean Photography on Flickr.

]]> http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2013/05/22/photos-meek-is-murder-may-10th-philadephia-pa-the-pariah/feed/ 0 http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2013/05/22/stream-new-scale-the-summit-track-atlas-novus/ http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2013/05/22/stream-new-scale-the-summit-track-atlas-novus/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 16:26:32 +0000 Alkahest http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/?p=40691

Scale the Summit are one of my favorite instrumental acts, simply because they’re able to consistently deliver a near perfect blend of melody and technical prowess that just excites me. I’ve always referred to Scale the Summit as “adventure music,” making a brilliant soundtrack for road trips or idle game playing; let me tell you, playing Minecraft with Scale the Summit is a pretty blissful experience. The band’s new album The Migration looks to really up the ante with the whole whimsical soundtrack sort of thing so far, especially in the band’s new track ‘Atlas Novus.’

‘Atlas Novus’ may very well be my favorite StS song ever so far, simply because it changes things up in some ways for the band. There’s some new tones being explored by the band, and the writing is just fantastic throughout. The pairing of Scale the Summit with producer Jaime King is apparently a glorious one! Stream the track below:

The Migration will be available on June 11th via Prosthetic Records. Pre-orders here!

- JR

Do you like mathcore? Well it doesn’t matter, you should. More importantly, you should like The Colour Line — an up and coming British mathcore band that are set to release their debut later this year.

Signed to Destroy Everything, which you may know as the recently announced sister label to Basick Records, the band caught my attention initially as probably the most intense and heavy of the first batch of bands that the label announced but quickly sold me on their frantic and mind-bending mathcore. Taking the pedal-to-the-floor approach of bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, they waste no time in making their intents known in a flurry of off-kilter blasts and skronky chords that you can hear right here and, although new material is thin on the ground at the moment, the band have just released a teaser containing snippets of playthroughs from their rehearsal space:

If even half of those ideas might it into the final product, The Colour Line are going to have something pretty spectacular on their hands. Also, be sure to check out the brilliantly named ‘Thrash Bandicoot‘, it slays.

- DL

Despite whatever I may have said about post-black metal’s sense of homogeneity (oooh, tremolo picking and blast beats!), the sound can be extremely heart wrenching if done with sincerity, confidence, and just the right amount of affect. Deafheaven manage to do this adequately, and if you’ve ever seen the band live, you know the kind of passion these guys put into performing their beautifully haunting black metal compositions, especially frontman George Clarke, whose intensity truly sells the show.

‘Sunbather,’ the band’s new single, is now available for streaming, and as if the previously debuted track ‘Dream House’ wasn’t enough, it paints the upcoming record in an impressive light. The band must be looking to top their debut Roads to Judah, because these two new tracks blow the previous album away. The track is available at The Fader. While you’re listening, follow along with the lyrics:

Sunbather

I held my breath and drove through a maze of wealthy homes. I watched how green the trees were. I watched the steep walkways and the white fences. I gripped the wheel. I sweated against the leather. I watched the dogs twist through the wealthy garden. I watched you lay on a towel in grass that exceeded the height of your legs. I gazed into reflective eyes. I cried against an ocean of light.

Crippled by the cushion, I sank into sheets frozen by rose pedal toes. My back shivered for your pressed granite nails. Dishonest and ugly through the space in my teeth. Break bones down to yellow and crush gums into blood. The hardest part for the weak was stroking your fingers with rings full of teeth..

It’s 5 A.M…and my heart flourishes at each passing moment.

Always and forever.

Woah.

Sunbather will be available June 11th on Deathwish Inc. Come on already with the pre-orders!

- JR

We may be right of the cusp of the release of the new Black Dahlia Murder record Everblack, but that hasn’t stopped the band supporting their previous album Ritual, with the recent release of a live video of, what was by far the stand-out track, ‘Moonlight Equilibrium‘. Now I understand the band’s amazing chops may be the most immediate thing for most people, but for anyone like myself  who has seen the band quite a few times now, the most shocking revelation was the fact that vocalist Trevor Strnad is actually wearing a t-shirt.

As it turned out, the Youtube comments are in full agreement with me. It just came all too sudden for me, I’m considering boycotting Everblack until Strnad goes back to his normally shirtless ways but I’m honestly not sure I could hold out as the teasers for the album have been pretty mindblowing.

Everblack will destroy you come June 11th, through Metal Blade Records.

- DL

I was actually aware that Canadian grinders Fuck The Facts were working on anything new, but, fuck it, this is great news. The band have released a new track ‘L’enclume Et Le Marteau‘ (which roughly translates to ‘The Anvil And Hammer’), from their upcoming EP Amer, and naturally it slays. For a band that are known to be a staple of the grindcore genre, they sure take the genre approach and twist it viciously, mixing in mid-tempo grooves and some surprisingly catchy and melodic riffs alongside the traditional sheer blastbeat fury that is a cornerstone of the genre.

Any previous fans of the band will find more than enough to sink their teeth into and, if you’re a grind fan that has somehow got to this point without checking these guys out, I’m certain you’ll be able to see why these guys are so widely praised.

Amer will available from June 18th, apparently (I may be wrong) in 10-inch vinyl format, cassette or as a digital download. Don’t miss out.

- DL

I had no idea that sludge powerhouse Black Sheep Wall were putting out a new EP, especially because it feels like it hasn’t been that long since they released their album No Matter Where It Ends to much acclaim. I don’t know where I’ve been, but not only are the band putting out a new EP titled It Begins Again, but it is now available for streaming. What a lovely surprise to wake up to under this rock of mine!

This 20-minute EP features three tracks:

1. Ancient Fvck
2. Provider
3. Evangelic Exorcism

Speaking on the new music, frontman Trae Malone adds:

“For this EP, I thought we could do something special. We decided to record our new material with BLACK SHEEP WALL’s  original vocalist, Jeff Ventimiglia. Everyone has been so welcoming of my presence in the group, since the beginning, so I thought it would be a nice gesture, to all the individuals that have supported us, through the years. I have been a fan/friend of Jefff’s for years. Regarding the music, I listen to a lot of doom/sludge/grundge, new and old. Most of it is from Europe. With this EP, I really wanted to tap into some of the traditional tones of that genre. It just feels like an organic progression of the music, it just feels right. This EP felt good to get out.”

No idea how the EP can be purchased or downloaded (no “official” release date mentioned anywhere), but enjoy it above until something happens!

- JR

Entrench

01. Counter Culture Complex
02. No; I’m in Control
03. Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick
04. The Terror Pulse
05. The Promises of God
06. Romeo Must Never Know
07. Secret Vasectomy
08. Figure Your Life Out
09. Daeodon
10. Why Don’t You Just Quit?
11. Monomyth

 [03/19/13]
[Season of Mist]

It took four albums and more than a decade’s worth of waiting but Winnipeg, Canada’s KEN Mode have finally broken out. They hit it big with their fourth LP Venerable, which won the Juno Award for Heavy Metal album of the year in Canada; since then, they have toured with the likes of Revocation, Kylesa, and The Atlas Moth. Although they’re leagues away from selling out arenas, what success they have achieved lately is by all means well deserved, as the band deliver a unique and explosive performance both on record and even more so live. This is most certainly evident on their newest effort, Entrench, which is not only an exemplary showcase of the trio’s talents, but a perfectly timed icing on the cake and the full stop to an impressive chapter of their career.

Much of this record’s excellence stems from the fact that it is a well-balanced amalgamation of all styles the band had previously delved into. The noise rock-meets-post-hardcore jams are present in spades, and sound just as energetic and punishing as always. KEN Mode live up to their name (an acronym for Kill Everything Now) right from the get-go, as opener ‘Counter Culture Complex’ is perhaps the heaviest song on the album, both in its freight-train verse riffs and agonizing chorus. On their own, the songs that follow suite with this formula do run it a bit into the ground. However, they contain enough standout moments that somewhat neutralize this effect, such as the frantic guitar leads in ‘Why Don’t You Just Quit?’. What’s more, they are sandwiched in a roughly fifty-fifty split by the sludgier, more melancholic tracks like ‘Daeodon’ and ‘The Terror Pulse’.

Experimenting with tempo is not new for the band, but Entrench sees it done as effectively as ever.  Actually, this is one of the most crucial factors that make Entrench a resounding success, since it manages to be aggressive, heavy, and maintain a high level of energy without constantly pummeling the listener in the face with loud riffs, angry shouts, and fast-paced rhythms. This doesn’t mean that the slower ambient moments provide much of a relief, because they just offer an alternate approach in generating intensity through suffocating suspense. Even the track ‘Romeo Must Never Know’, which flirts with  post-metal soundscapes and whispered vocals , still remains eerie at all times and creates a feeling of constant unease.

Strangely, in addition to being the record’s high point, its variance may also be its greatest weakness. While the different songs do complement each other, they also might divide the listener’s attention. Those seeking a quick blast of chaotic hardcore, as well as those that yearn for the dreary sludge sound, will likely see only an EP’s worth of quality material on Entrench. This is weird because there really is no filler on the album whatsoever, yet by splitting their album in two in an effort to better utilize dynamics, KEN Mode chops up the album’s flow and, ironically, makes it a less accessible listen. The band does sometimes succeed in connecting each successive song with the previous, but Entrench doesn’t manage to grip the listener firmly throughout its entirety like a Converge LP would. Which is a shame, seeing as the band does the ‘slow-burner’ archetype just as well as Converge themselves.

Alas, this is where pretty much all criticism stops. From a production standpoint, for example, the band is spot on, delivering a completely fitting sound that is also distinguishable from that of 2011′s Venerable. Whereas Kurt Ballou created a heavier tribal sound for the latter, new producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Alice in Chains, Isis, etc.) makes Entrench sound sharper and much more like a punk album, while drawing a fine line between clarity and warmth. Furthermore, looking purely at instrumental performances, it’s pretty apparent that KEN Mode are much more talented than a large portion of punk – or punk-inspired – bands out there, what with all the syncopated drums and angular riffage.  Even the lyrics are, for the most part, crafted masterfully, as they separate the band from the traditionally brute angst of most of their contemporaries. Though, at times, it does seem like the ‘sophisticated’ approach at spewing out hatred is a bit too forced and gimmicky.

On that note, gimmick is probably the worst word to use when it comes to KEN Mode. This is a band that has, since their very inception, thrown all nonsense out of the window. Yes, even this late in their careers, they have come up short in designing a perfectly palatable record, but perhaps that is just the nature of their sound. After all, they take cues from a lot of genres infamous for being abrasive and chaotic. However, that’s where KEN Mode’s beauty lies, since they are one of the very few bands that successfully combine the intricacy and heaviness of metal with the energy and aggression of hardcore, even adding a bit of good ol’ rock’n'roll fun.  Entrench might not have its full running time to offer in terms of enjoyability, but whatever it does offer holds enough substance to propel it as one of the year’s true highlights.

KEN Mode – Entrench gets…

4/5

-DA

Few tours offer as much MOSH as the recent Nails, Xibalba, and Early Graves tour. As usual, our regularly contributing photographer Maclyn Bean (the most technical and speedest photographer ever) attended his local show at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia and managed to not get his equipment broken! Photos of the show can be viewed below:

TIP: Use the keyboard arrow keys to easily navigate photos.

Cop Problem

Early Graves

Xibalba

Nails

For high resolution images from the show and more from the photographer, visit Maclyn Bean Photography on Flickr.

Last week we informed you that Karnivool‘s new album is done and will see an anticipated summer release. Along with the announcement, the band promised the release of a new song that the band have been performing live called ‘The Refusal’ would be available. The song is now available for free download, and it’s surprisingly heavy. There’s some screaming and pretty aggressive riffing going on, which sounds great in the context of their prog rock sound. The song’s production’s a little weird though. Perhaps it’s unmixed/unmastered? I certainly hope so anyway. Stream the track below!

A download of the track is available here. More Karnivool news when we get it! New album out mid-year!

- JR

]]> http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2013/05/20/new-karnivool-track-available-the-refusal/feed/ 21 http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2013/05/17/author-punisher-women-children/ http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2013/05/17/author-punisher-women-children/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 20:00:37 +0000 Alkahest http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/?p=40584 Author & Punisher

Women & Children

01. Women & Children
02. In Remorse
03. Melee
04. Tame As A Lion
05. Fearce
06. Miles From Home
07. Pain Myself

[06/11/13]
[Seventh Rule]

The marriage of metal and electronic music is not a new concept, and often ends up with shoddy or campy results. Industrial metal is one such genre born from this union and even still, results may vary; Bands like Godflesh and Jesu are regarded quite favorably as innovators whereas the likes of Marilyn Manson and Static-X get mixed reception. Recent developments within the genre have lead to wild avant-garde experimentation, where Norway’s SHINING and Californian one-man band Author & Punisher are met with repeated acclaim for their furtherance of industrial music in their own right.

The latter act, Author & Punisher, is a relatively little-known project from mechanical engineer and sculptor Tristan Shone that broke out last year in some ways with his sophomore album Ursus Americanus, which ended up on many critics’ year-end lists of favorites because of its unusual exhibition; Shone makes all of his instruments himself and rigs them in a way that allows him to perform his complex doom and drone inspired compositions entirely by himself. This makes for some highly unique music and performance art that is currently unrivaled in the genre. Only a year after Ursus Americanus wowed privileged listeners, Shone’s third record Women & Children explores Author & Punisher’s dark and twisted sound further and adds some much needed heart into this band of machines.

Despite the short wait between releases, Women & Children is the next logical step in the Author & Punisher evolution. The sonic palette established by Shone is still omnipresent; after a soundscape of crickets and buzzing flies, the opening title track kicks in with downtempo grooving drum machines passed down from Godflesh and massive droning synths churn together in a hypnotic fashion while Shone chants distorted syllables through the track’s dynamic rise and fall. Shone is no stranger to writing heavy and oppressive music, and shows with immediacy that he still loves the feeling of overdriven bass.

However, what makes Women & Children so different from his previous records is its moodiness and diversity. When compared to Ursus Americanus, Women & Children seemingly dials back the machines and instead focuses more on Shone’s range of emotion. For instance, on the album’s second track In Remorse, we hear glimpses of Shone’s clean singing voice, which was previously a bit of a rarity. Later, ‘Tame as a Lion’ almost catches listeners off guard, as we hear Shone at his most vulnerable as he sings quite melodically along to piano in verse-chorus structure, though his voice with his is distant and somewhat shrouded in distortion. The piano and Shone’s singing voice even make a reprisal in the album’s chilling closer ‘Pain Myself.’ While no mere piano ballads, these seemingly out of character tracks show a whole new breadth of character and marks a new direction for Author & Punisher to explore.

Following this trend, Women & Children is much more stripped down in terms of electronics, and the album is largely more atmospheric and pensive than the in-your-face aggression of Ursus Americanus. Previously, it was more often than not that distorted synths would drone longer and louder as well as rhythmically attack in a dubstep sort of fashion as the main event, as in the new track ‘Fearce‘. Now, Shone is seemingly more mindful of his songwriting on Women & Children, with tracks like ‘Melee‘ and ‘Miles From Home’ taking time between spastic vitriol for moments of sober atmosphere and dynamic ebb and flow. As such, Women & Children feels more real and human on some level, as if the tyrannical machines of past had suddenly became sentient and empathetic.

This isn’t to say that his previous work was somehow immature or lacking of emotion, but Shone has transcended what was once thought possible for Author & Punisher’s sound and created a brilliant album with some newfound variance and depth. It’s good to see Author & Punisher material pushing forward into newly emotive territory, even if it does make for more accessible songwriting. Despite this appreciation for atmosphere and melody, Women & Children is still a remarkably bleak and sinister record that explores the depressive and psychedelic in entirely new ways.

Author & Punisher – Women & Children gets…

4/5

- JR

After the Burial‘s Road To Metalfest tour was a progcore dream tour! Featuring support from Within The Ruins, The Contortionist (who had Last Chance To Reason‘s Michael Lessard filling in on vocals!), and Glass Cloud, the trek took the bands to and from the annual New England Hardcore & Metal Festival. Needless to say, the Eastern US got rocked — hard. Our regular contributing photographer Maclyn Bean shot the stop  in West Chester on April 22nd, and photos from the show can be viewed below!

TIP: Use the keyboard arrow keys to easily navigate photos.

Glass Cloud

The Contortionist

Within The Ruins

After The Burial

For high resolution images from the show and more from the photographer, visit Maclyn Bean Photography on Flickr.

As far as blatant Black Sabbath worshiping goes, Windhand are one of the bands that do it absolutely right. The occult rock thing is getting a bit homogenous, but it helps when you’re able to be as catchy as Windhand. The band have just wrapped up their full-length Relapse solo debut (they had a split album with Cough earlier this year through the label) and are hitting the road this June.

Here are the dates:

06/05 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar

06/06 – Philadelphia, PA – Golden Tea House

06/07 – Brooklyn, NY – St. Vitus Bar

06/08 – Providence, RI – AS220 !

06/09 – Boston, MA – O’Brien’s

06/10 – Cherry Valley, NY – Steve’s Koi Pond

06/11 – Buffalo, NY – Vault Art Space

06/12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Gooski’s

06/13 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups

06/14 – Chicago, IL – Ultra Lounge

06/15 – St. Paul, MN – The Turf Club

06/16 – Milwaukee, WI – Quarter’s Rock n Roll

06/17 – Indianapolis, IN – The Sinking Ship #

06/18 – Newport, KY – South Gate Revival House

06/19  -Nashville, TN – The End %

06/20 – Knoxville, TN – The Pilot Light %

06/21 – Raleigh, NC – Slim’s $

06/22 – Richmond, VA – Strange Matter $



! = w/ Elder and Morne

# = w/ Skeletonwitch

% = w/ Generation of Vipers

$ = w/ Inter Arma

The tour actually hits several towns around me in a four hour radius, but they’re all on weekdays. Bummer. Hit up your local spot if you can make it though! Windhand’s new album will be out this Fall. More news when we get it! Check out ‘Shepherd’s Crook’ from their Reflection of the Negative split with Cough below.

- JR

It’s a sad day. UK independent record label Brew Records has announced that they are closing their doors after 6 years of service. The label has been a home to some of the noisiest and loudest bands in the UK including Hawk Eyes, Blacklisters and Nine Black Alps and released over 25 releases during their lifetime. As their parting piece, the label have made all of their releases (barring the latest Humanfly release) available digitally as pay what you want through their bandcamp and have reduced the prices on physical releases, giving you the chance to check out some really great music and hopefully throw their cash their way too. Check it out here, I would highly recommend Blacklisters BLKLSTRS, Hawk Eyes Mindhammers and Humanfly‘s Darker Later, but honestly you really can’t go wrong here.

On their farewell post, the label stated:

“We’ve had the pleasure of releasing some incredible records over the years and have been fortunate to work with so many amazing people. We’d like to thank everyone that has ever supported us, bought a record or a t-shirt and spread our music in general. Humanfly’s ‘Awesome Science’ is our final release and we couldn’t think of a better record to go out on which sums up what we love about physical records both musically and aesthetically. The label will still remain active for a while as we wind things down and continue to take and fulfill orders.”

It’s a shame to see such a hard working group call it a day, but they’re at least going out on a high note with Awesome Science. So thanks to Brew for all they’ve done, they should most definitely be proud of what they achieved.

- DL

Sound Awake is my favorite album of all time. It’s the perfect mix of heavy and harmony, and it’s one of those albums you wish you could have written. However, it’s been four years since the band put it out, and although I’ll never tire of it, it’d be nice to have a new album or even just a new song to jam. Well, ladies and gents, it is nearly time.

Karnivool have announced that their new album will come out midway through 2013, is done being recorded, and a new song from the record, ‘The Refusal’, will be played Sunday night. The best part? They’re also releasing it as a free download on Monday. SWEETNESS. They’ve also announced a new music video is in the works and is being edited now. Being that this is my most anticipated record of the year (and probably also of 2011 and 2012 when I learned they had started writing it), this is huge news. Finally getting close to the release date means that soon the album will be out and everyone can enjoy it. It also means that they can come tour the US again and I can finally see them live, having missed them last time due to work.

The band also released a short video blog about the album, with some little snippets of songs, and judging by what I heard, it sounds like it may be their heaviest and most complex album yet. You can read the full statement from the band after the jump, but stay tuned; we’ll have the single up on Monday!

-SS