We think pretty highly of Arsonists Get All The Girls, even going as far as to say that their 2009 album Portals is among one of the greatest albums in the deathcore genre. I personally thought the band had hit their stride and continued to rise, but following their 2011 album Motherland, their contract with Century Media expired and the band lost two members. These arsonists aren’t stopping though, instead announcing that their new lineup (featuring original vocalist Remi Rodberg) will release their upcoming album Listen to the Color independently via Bandcamp.
Here’s the press release, featuring band quotes and a tracklist for the new record:
Oh how the mighty have fallen. All That Remains still holds a special place in many of our hearts, as This Darkened Heart and The Fall of Ideals remain among some of the greatest material to ever come out of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal/metalcore scene. Those days are unfortunately long gone, and things don’t look promising. The band stumbled through Overcome and For We Are Many, but the band’s latest pitfall A War You Cannot Win sees the band making yet another grab for radio-friendly rock hits that are formulaic and absolutely boring, falling even further away from the sound that first put them on the map. Gone are the powerfully heavy yet uplifting anthems of ‘Six‘ and ‘The Weak Willed.’ Instead, we’re left with boring uninspired songwriting that we’ve heard done better in previous albums at best and hamfisted paint-by-numbers mediocrity bordering on butt-rock territory at worst. One thing you can still count on All That Remains for is ripping guitar solos, and fortunately lead guitarist Oli Herbert hasn’t stopped contributing harmonic leads and shred, but it’s usually not worth sitting through the songs to get to them. Pass on this, and stick with the pre-Overcome discography and wonder where it all went. - JR
When the abrasive and aural assault of grindcore gets mixed with the minds of people willing to push the genre’s boundaries and mix some of the most polarized genres of music, the result is strange, inaccessible and just downright questionable. In the strange world we live in, grindcore has bred with it’s distant in-law jazz and a few dedicated groups have provided us with some of the most challenging recordings we have encountered. What follows is taste of the more accomplished bands in the curious world of avant grind.
Heavy Blog’s favorite label Basick Records’ most recently announced signing Dissipate are releasing their new EP Tectonics next week, but you can get a head start in getting acquainted with Tectonics this week at Metal Underground, who have the exclusive stream. If you’re unfamiliar with the type of business Dissipate involve themselves in, think of the chaotic musical abstractions from the likes of Ion Dissonance, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, and Car Bomb with added melodic and atmospheric Deftones flair thrown in for good measure. We’re looking at a new obsession in the making with Dissipate.
Take one part Car Bomb, one part The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza and one part Ion Dissonance — smash them together and what do you get? Ask Basick Records.
Dissipate — Basick’s latest signing, who peddle some very tech-y and math-y ‘core’, definitely have the right influences when it comes down to it, but it’s the music that really speaks for itself. The above track ‘Motion‘ gives us our first insight into the bands upcoming EP for the label, Tectonics, with it’s stuttering and crushing rhythms and a surprising ending that finds vocalist Joshua Foster switching effortlessly between his gutteral shouts and crooning cleans. Definitely a band to keep an eye on and Basick continue to maintain their winning streak of signing some of the best underground groups around.
Tectonics is set for release on November 19th in Europe, 20th in North America.
The California based deathcore group Bermuda were supposed to release their debut album The Wandering this week, May 8th, on Mediaskare Records. As a few of you out there have noted, that never happened. In fact, there wasn’t really an official announcement that it was pushed back until the day it was actually supposed to be released. Via Facebook:
Alright guys, first off we want to apologize so much for the albums delay. But that being said, no more delays, the album WILL be out July 17. Again, we really are sorry. We wanted the album out today as bad as you guys.
Seems odd that it was pushed back, but it’s also actually pretty shocking it hasn’t leaked yet despite going out for reviews back in late March. Resident contributor Anthony DiGiacomo gave it his thumbs up last month, likening their chaotic grooves to Ion Dissonance, whose vocalist Kevin McCaughey actually makes a guest spot on ‘In Trenches,’ which can be heard below.
So yes, Mediaskare pushed back the album release. No word is available as to why, but if you were looking forward to The Wandering, you’re gonna have to wait til July 17th.
01. Intuitions
02. Process of Drowning
03. Invictus, Unconquered
04. In Trenches
05. Lost at Sea
06. Sachael
07. Gamorrah Reborn
08. Lagrange Pointe
09. The Wandering
10. Polaris Breach
11. Obstruction
[05/08/12]
[Mediaskare Records]
To put it simply: Oxnard, California’s Bermuda are one of the heaviest bands you will hear this year. Their debut album, The Wandering, is the sonic equivalent of a war, like bombs going off in your ears. The songs resonate with a level of controlled chaos that will have you wanting to fight anyone in the vicinity. Vocalist Corey Bennett belts out every song with such intensity that you can almost feel the anger that the lyrics of songs such as ‘In Trenches’ and ‘Polaris Breach’ hope to convey. Corey’s delivery itself is something to mention, easily setting himself apart from other vocalists in the hardcore/deathcore scene.
Oxnard, California’s Bermuda have released a new song, ‘In Trenches’, from their debut full length The Wandering, which features a guest appearance from Kevin McCaughey of Ion Dissonance!
Speaking of Ion Dissonance, Bermuda’s new sound is reminiscent of theirs if they followed the Minus The Herd sound a bit further and mixed in more hardcore/deathcore influence. Basically, the song is balls to the wall fucking ridiculous. It’s like the sonic equivalent of being beaten by a sledgehammer made of broken glass.
Singer Corey Bennett had this to say about the album:
“This is just the beginning. We wrote a heavier, catchier, more technical and diverse album. We put aside what we thought others wanted to hear, and just wrote for us.”
In my opinion, the best thing a band can do!
But enough talk; listen to the new song (above) and try not to punch the nearest person in the face. The Wandering is due out April 24th on Mediaskare Records.
Basick Records are on the ball. Easily one of the best indie labels going right now, they’re home to bands like Chimp Spanner, Monuments, Aliases, and Ion Dissonance – and with their new distribution deal with Century Media, they’re going places in 2011. Today, Basick announced that they’ve proudly added Uneven Structure to their lineup! Here’s the press release:
BASICK RECORDS is extremely pleased to welcome the incredible talent of UNEVEN STRUCTURE to its ranks!
A truly exciting prospect for the future of heavy music, UNEVEN STRUCTURE disassemble and reconstruct the Metal genre we all know and love, by creating contemporary atmospheric movements that are all at once dripping with seductive cinematic ambience and groove-laden riffs.
BASICK label boss, Barley comments on the signing: “I’d been following this band’s movements with interest for quite some time before I finally got to see them play live in Germany at last year’s Euroblast Festival. Within 30 seconds of them taking to the stage and diving into their set, my jaw was on the floor. Meshuggah-like precision combined with a TesseracT-like ethereal atmosphere made for a completely spine-tingling experience. I knew there and then that we had to sign them. I can’t wait for you all to hear this album!”
Igor Omodei, guitarist and producer with the band comments: “We are so glad to be working with BASICK, a label that completely understands and allows us the creative freedom we are looking for. We’ve endured a lot of hard work and effort in order to create our debut album ‘Februus’ and it’s a great pleasure to know that we can count on Barley’s team to push things forward and nail its release in perfect conditions. THALL.”
Excellent! That’s another step closer to getting us the highly anticipated Februus. Remember that teaser Februus Extract that was released a while back? You can stream the song, titled “Frost,” below!
01. Insomnia
02. To Age And Obsolete
03. The Increased Sensation Of Dullness
04. Sleep Is The Brother Of Death
05. The Polyglutamine Pact
06. Cancer Man
07. C.G.B. Spender
08. Sugarcoat
09. Spineless
10. Recluse MMX
11. Inferno III/IV
[Lifeforce | 11/09/10]
I actually planned on reviewing this album earlier, but due to some medical complications I wasn’t able to. Then the 2010 list came about, and it had actually fallen under my radar. And I regret that it did, because I would’ve exchanged one of my selections for this one. To be honest, I had a hard time staying interested in War From A Harlot’s Mouth earlier work In Shoals. My main complaint at the time was the fact that In Shoals lacked the consistent intensity throughout for me to want to continue listening to it past the beginning tracks. Fast forward to their latest album, MMX, and things have certainly changed in respect to maintaining the energy. As for consistency, this is still a point of criticism which I’ll explain later.
All That Remains – A War You Cannot Win
War from a Harlot’s Mouth
