Tag Archive: iwrestledabearonce

iwrestledabearonce – Ruining It For Everybody

Filed Under: Reviews

Jun.29, 2011

iwrestledabearonce

Ruining it for Everybody

01. Next Visible Delicious
02. You Know That Ain’t Them Dogs’ Real Voice
03. Deodorant Can’t Fix Ugly
04. This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain
05. It Is “Bro” Isn’t It?
06. Gold Jacket, Green Jacket
07. Break It Down Camacho
08. Stay to the Right
09. I’m Gonna Shoot
10. Karate Nipples
11. Button It Up

[07/26/11]

[Century Media]

iwrestledabearonce are a band that everyone seems to love to hate. Quite the polarizing band, people get fairly passionate about them either way—but somehow I’ve managed to straddle the fence on them since their self-titled EP. I gave their debut album It’s All Happening a fair shake, and while I wasn’t exactly ‘feeling it,’ I didn’t think it was overly offensive or deserving of some of the hatred that it received. However, criticism where it’s due; the music was inconsistent, overly spastic, and vocalist Krysta Cameron seemed to have a problem singing in key. The whole affair felt sloppy, really, and as such I didn’t have high hopes for their followup Ruining it for Everybody—at first anyway.

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Tags: Arsonists Get All The Girls, iwrestledabearonce

iwrestledabearonce Are The “Next Visible Delicious.”

Filed Under: Audio, New music, Upcoming releases

Jun.14, 2011

Again, IWABO have proven that they’ve gotten better since It’s All Happening. Two for two, their upcoming album Ruining it for Everybody is now on my list of anticipated releases. As with their previous debut with “Karate Nipples,” haters will not be swayed, but they’ve certainly stepped up their game. Vocalist Krysta Cameron is best when she’s actually trying to sing instead of wailing, and we’re hearing more of her good side here, as well as the inclusion of some catchy synth lines. I’ve been trying to learn how to play keys, so I’m not sure if it’s my recent bias towards synth or not, but I’m definitely digging this track. Listen to it below:

Ruining it for Everybody rears its ugly head July 26th on Century Media.

- JR

Tags: iwrestledabearonce

iwrestledabearonce’s Ruining It For Everybody Cover is Tacky, But I’ll Probably End Up Buying It Anyway.

Filed Under: General News, Upcoming releases

May.27, 2011

Good ol’ uncle Axl over at Metalsucks alerted me to the fact that the always controversial iwrestledabearonce have revealed their album art, and upon further investigation, it looks like they’ve got some pretty cool pre-order options available (including vinyl and picture disc, as well as bundles that include party hats), along with a tracklist:

1. Next Visible Delicious
2. You Know That Ain’t Them Dogs’ Real Voices
3. Deodorant Can’t Fix Ugly
4. This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain
5. It Is “Bro” Isn’t It?
6. Gold Jacket, Green Jacket
7. Break It Down Camacho
8. Stay to the Right
9. I’m Gonna Shoot
10. Karate Nipples
11. Button It Up

Bizarre and tacky tracklist? Check. Bizarre and tacky cover? Check. Everything seems to be in order, except unlike It’s All Happening, I actually plan to pick this up. “Karate Nipples” is their best song yet, and if it’s representative of the album as a whole, it’ll be pretty good. I’ll be looking into that vinyl or picture disc. Worst case scenario is I hate the album and sell the vinyl for more than what I paid for it once they’re sold out. Best case scenario is that I love the shit out of it and have a sweet addition to my collection. Either way, I win. Suck it.

Ruining It For Everybody comes out July 26th on Century Media.

- JR

Tags: iwrestledabearonce

New IWABO Song “Karate Nipples” Is Predictably Not Black Metal; Unpredictably Awesome?

Filed Under: New music, Upcoming releases

May.20, 2011

While I’ve shown my distaste for the Louisiana-based ‘spazzcore’ trolls in iwrestledabearonce, I’ve always had an open mind to them. There was a ton of hype surrounding their debut album It’s All Happening, and for some time they’ve piqued my interest. I mean, I love bands like Arsonists Get All The Girls and Genghis Tron, so why shouldn’t I enjoy iwrestledabearonce? For some reason, the album never really clicked with me. It was interesting at some points and grating in others, so I didn’t know what to do with myself.

So, obviously, I was interested when they made the bold claim that they would be jumping ship to black metal. I thought it was dubious at best, but I kept it on the back of my mind for the following days leading up to the premiere of their new song “Karate Nipples” over at Metalsucks. As expected, IWABO and Metalsucks just wanted to get everyone all wound up for no reason, which was a damn brilliant promotional strategy. In fact, within ten minutes of the track going live, Metalsucks briefly crashed. Apparently, nothing brings in traffic like unbridled elitist rage.

The song itself? Wouldn’t you know it, it wasn’t bad at all! In fact, I’d say “Karate Nipples” is the greatest thing they’ve done so far. Frontlady Krysta Cameron actually sings quite well instead of wailing obnoxiously, so it gets my vote of approval. You’ve got your technical and abrasive metalcore sound as per usual, but you’ve also got some weird funky disco section and a glitchy dubstep part in typical IWABO fashion—but for some reason this new song feels much more focused than anything else they’ve done. I’m actually very eager to hear what else these guys have got in store. I mean, if for some reason IWABO have always rubbed you raw and you get pissed off at the mere sight of them, “Karate Nipples” will do nothing to sway you. For those like me who were on the fence, it might just be worth a shot.

iwrestledabearonce’s sophomore album, Ruining It For Everybody, is due out July 26th on Century Media.

- JR

Tags: Arsonists Get All The Girls, Genghis Tron, iwrestledabearonce

Arsonists Get All The Girls – Motherland

Filed Under: Reviews

May.19, 2011

Arsonists Get All The Girls

Motherland

01. Rise to Fall
02. Neck to Contrast
03. Gooseknuckle
04. It Was A Mamoir
05. Dr. Teeth
06. Avdotya
07. Waiting For The War To Die
08. West Cliffs
09. Hemlock Like This
10. Woebegone
11. Our Super Symmetry
12. Will Someone Please Turn Down The Ocean?
13. Tempest

[05/17/11]
[Century Media]

There’s still a reason to get excited about deathcore! This Californian band of progressive goofballs have made an evolution over the years from a jokester mentality and chaotic songwriting (an iwrestledabearonce before its time, as it were) to a more serious project with coherent songs with a sense of direction. After a would-be crippling lineup overhaul, AGATG released their third album Portals in 2009, becoming one of my favorite albums of the year. It would have taken home the gold too, had it not been for that pesky Between the Buried and Me, one of AGATG’s admitted influences. Do not discard this band simply because they have a silly name; they’re the highlight of an entire genre.

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Tags: Arsonists Get All The Girls, Between The Buried and Me, iwrestledabearonce

Visions “Oceans” Streamings, News Albums Details Announceds

Filed Under: Audio, Upcoming releases

May.18, 2011

Just added to Basick’s exciting summer release lineup is the new album by Peterborough progressive metallers Visions, entitled Home.

Visions just recently supported ~~Manure~~ Emmure, along with iwrestledabearonce (pre-black metal era), War From A Harlot’s Mouth and Winds of Plague, and whilst I wouldn’t have stayed beyond about nine o’clock at one of those shows, it’s good for interesting bands such as these guys to get on tours like this and school all the bros in the audience. To their credit, they’ve also shared a stage with the likes of The Arusha Accord and Sylosis, which probably gives a better idea of their quality.

Even more exciting, the album was produced by John Browne and Neema Askari of Monuments, and the stunning artwork is by John Barmby, who also did the work for Architects‘ latest (which definitely wasn’t the most terrible thing about that album) as well as Devil Sold His Soul‘s Blessed & Cursed, which is awesome.

Track 7, “Home” has been made available for streaming on Basick’s Soundcloud, or you can just stream it here, ennit?

VISIONS – Oceans by basickrecords

Catch the rest of the tracklisting after the jump, as well as the release date (I’ll give you a clue: it’s some time between July 17th and 19th)!

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Tags: Architects, Basick Records, Devil Sold His Soul, Emmure, Home, iwrestledabearonce, Monuments, Oceans, Visions, War From A Harlot's Mouth, Winds of Plague

iwrestledatrollonce: IWABO Goes Black; May Or May Not Go Back

Filed Under: General News, lolwut, RAGE, Upcoming releases, WILD SPECULATION!

May.18, 2011

IWABO are allegedly going grim. Elitists are pissed. Scene kids are pissed. Everyone is pissed. I, for one, am delighted.

It’s not that I’m a big fan of IWABO; in fact, I thought their debut album It’s All Happening was mediocre and failed to live up to the hype. Hell, it’s not even that I’m a fan of black metal; sometimes, I can’t stand the stuff! I do however enjoy how the band simply does not give a fuck. If their new album is in fact a forray into trve black metal that, according to Metalsucks, “sounds like fucking Mayhem in their prime,” then the sheer amount of balls it takes to completely disregard both fans and haters alike for the sake of their own amusement is quite admirable, especially if they’re capable of pulling off the sound, which—let’s be honest—is probably not that hard of a feat to begin with.

But then again, if they aren’t really changing up their sound and are in cahoots with MetalSucks to troll everyone (which seems to be the most likely alternative), then they’ve effectively made a fool out of everyone getting bent all out of shape over something so trivial. Either way you look at it, IWABO wins. Deal with it, everyone else.

Here’s a statement from guitarist Steven Bradley:

“We were sick of getting lumped in with ‘scene’ and ‘whatever-core’ bands, so we decided to embrace our roots and just go straight black metal on the new album. I’d say 90% of the new record is straight-up black metal, so we had to change our image to match… Because of course that’s just as important, if not more so, than the music.”

Absolutely biting. Personally, I don’t see how anyone could see this as anything other than a clever ruse. At any rate, we’ll find out this Thursday when Metalsucks debuts the new IWABO song, won’t we?

- JR

Tags: iwrestledabearonce, Mayhem

Helveticore: The Scratchy Band Logo Awards Part II

Filed Under: Helveticore

Apr.01, 2011

Here we begin our journey into the logos that make me proud to listen to metal. I would wear these logos on a tshirt at the gym and the beefcakes bullies would be so intimidated that they would stop making fun of my Yogilates X-Treme Kegel Blaster routine (patent pending). Here are the best scratchy band logos, 10 through 6.

Read part 1 here.

10. THE RED CHORD

To be completely honest, this logo is not that great. However, in high school I thought that it was the most badass thing on the face of the planet, so I am including it for nostalgic reasons. This is my list and not yours, suck it. That being said, the R is magnificent with it’s insect-like descender. I also greatly enjoy the E’s and H’s. I’ve always found the D’s to be a little bit awkward. High school me always did pretty well though, so he had to know one or two things right?

9. ANNOTATIONS OF AN AUTOPSY

This logo absolutely terrifies me. In a genre of music where the idea is to be as evil sounding and looking as possible, this logo truly succeeds. Sure it’s a little over the top but that only adds to it’s effectiveness. Analyzed from a high design perspective, it falls apart at the seams, but this logo is all about the initial gut reaction.

The first thing I think of when I look at this logo is the bugs from Starship Troopers. but not in the campy way that the movie presents them. I think of what it would actually be like to get dropped onto a planet and have to go into a cave filled with spiky, overgrown insects. Needless to say, I would be peeing my pants and praying for a swift rescue from Captain Zim (and a warm bath with Denise Richards).

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Tags: iwrestledabearonce, Job For A Cowboy, Logos, Scratchy Logo Awards, The Boy Will Drown, The Red Chord

Free Homefront Covers Album Featuring Dillinger, Periphery, IWABO, AGATG, and More!

Filed Under: Downloads, New music

Mar.22, 2011

Check out this unlikely collection of cover songs released in promotion for the video game Homefront. It’s limited to 25,000 digital copies, so act fast!

As I Lay Dying – “War Ensemble” (Slayer cover)
The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Fight The Power” (feat. Chuck D.) (Public Enemy cover)
iwrestledabearonce – “Uprising” (Muse cover)
The Acacia Strain – “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath cover)
Periphery – “One” (Metallica cover)
The Ghost Inside – “Fortunate Son” (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
Winds Of Plague – “For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Misery Signals – “Us And Them” (Pink Floyd cover)
Arsonists Get All The Girls – “Masters Of War” (Bob Dylan cover)
Oceano – “War” (Edwin Starr cover)
Veil Of Maya – “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (U2 cover)

Periphery covering Metallica? AGATG covering Bob Dylan? IWABO covering Muse? What’s happening to my world? Get it via the widget below”

- JR

Helveticore: Martha Stewart Wrestles Bears

Filed Under: Helveticore

Jan.21, 2011

Hello. I recently became one of the new writers here at Heavy Blog because I’m super ambitious and replied to the ad that was at the bottom of the page. In my real life I am a graphic designer and software developer; I have a bachelor’s degree and everything! I also listen to metal, and this is why my writing on Heavy Blog will be about design in metal. I’m going to review album covers, intelligently discuss the pros and cons of scratchy band logos, dissect the typography of gig posters and harshly criticize anything that offends my aesthetic sensibilities. Hopefully someone, somewhere will enjoy it. My articles will be under the label of Helveticore because I want a micro-genre all to myself. If you would like access to my most private and inner thoughts I have created a Twitter account to celebrate this occasion, it can be found at twitter.com/helveticore.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in. I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while now, and it’s not exactly breaking news, but I think it’s interesting and a good way to start off my blogging career.

Let’s talk about Iwrestledabearonce, a polarizing band to be sure. Below you will see their video for “Danger in the Manger.”

The video was created by KOTK Productions and looks pretty decent for something that was filmed in a garage. It contains all the classic IWABO video elements; spastic musical performances, rainbows, goofy random elements, and awkward dancing. The moment that interests me however, comes at around 1:40. We see the always charming Krysta Cameron flailing in front of some graphics. I have screen capped the moment below.

Krysta

Right behind Krysta is the typeface specimen for the Hoeffler Frere-Jones’ typeface Archer (seen below). There are a couple of reasons why I find this humourous/interesting. The first is that Archer was designed by HFJ for Martha Stewart Living Magazine a publication that would probably burst into flames if it was brought to an IWABO show. Somehow, I don’t associate IWABO’s immature, grindy antics with bunt cakes and 50 different ways to use pinecones decoratively.

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Tags: Archer, Barack Obama, Gotham, Hoeffler Frere-Jones, iwrestledabearonce, Martha Stewart