Weekend Nachos will release Unforgivable tomorrow, September 1st, through Relapse Records. But for those of you who just can't wait for the band's particular brand of powerviolence punishment, Weekend Nachos are now streaming the entire record.
[Stream]: Weekend Nachos - Unforgivable 
Weekend Nachos also kick start a tour today, read more for the details.
Weekend Nachos 2009 Tour August 31 Milwaukee, WI Borg Ward
September 1 Grand Rapids, MI The DAAC
September 2 Cleveland, OH The Tower 2012
September 3 Philadelphia, PA The Where?House
September 4 Brooklyn, NY Rockstar Bar
September 5 Richmond, VA Plaza Bowl
September 6 Chattanooga, TN Anarchtica
September 7 Atlanta, GA 585 Wells St
September 8 Birmingham, AL Mathews Bar & Grill
September 10 Nashville, TN Little Hamilton
September 12 Champaign, IL Terror House
September 22 Indianapolis, IN 1511 House
August 31, 2009
WEEKEND NACHOS STREAM UNFORGIVABLE
FRESHLY BAKED: SLAUGHTER STRIKE
In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.
by theseseans (NYC)
What's that? You like The Endless Blockade? We do too. How about old school death metal and grind? Yeah, we know, shit rules! Slaughter Strike are just that:
The Endless Blockade
+ Second guitar player
+ Different vocalist
Slaughter Strike
and they play, Napalm Death/Carcass inspired awesomeness.
Slaughter Strike only has three songs available on their myspace now, but they do have plans to release a six song demo Litany Of Vileness anytime now in cassette form. Awesome? We could probably make exception of our "vinyl only" reviews for a cassette.
Check their myspace, enjoy this sweet live video, and read more if you live in Toronto.
Slaughter Strike Live 2009Sep 10 2009 8:00P Sneaky Dees Toronto
Oct 12 2009 8:00P Poor Alex Theatre, Toronto
Oct 15 2009 8:00P Siesta Nouveaux Toronto
August 28, 2009
CRUSTCAKE REVIEWS: COALESCE - OX
by theseseans (NYC)
I didn't like Ox that much at first. It had already been hyped a ton. And there was the nostalgia to deal with. Even when I finally sat down with it, I admit I was a little underwhelmed. As with all records destined to grow on you, though, there was something there that made me say, "I'll give it another spin."
So here I am months later, obsessed. I think Ox might actually be perfect. The thing sounds like you are standing right in front of the band while they play. It has layers upon layers of depth found in rhythm, melody, composition, narrative and layout. The overall sound is strange, extreme and obscene, to the point that those uninitiated with Sean Ingram's voice will still shy away. Yet it's rewarding, beautiful even, for those who are willing to give it a chance.
The rest you probably know. Guitarist Jes Steineger channels Ennio Morricone throughout several guitar interludes, never flinching at the opportunity to bring western melodies into the Missouri foursome's noisy mathcore. Ingram's slow enunciation will give repeat listeners a new appreciation for the vocalist's sense of rhythmic composition. Take the following passage from "The Plot Against My Love":
I had to cut them off / They had me bought and sold / They plot against my love with my fears in their hands / I climbed into bed with no will to refuse them / If for just one night / In my haste I had to cut them off my flesh / I bought our lives in bulk / Refused sacrifice / I would not concede this damned curse that binds my blood
Speaking of rhythm, bassist Nathan Ellis and drummer Nathan "Jr." Richardson operate in beautiful unison within the songs. Richardson may be semi-new to the group (he came on in 2005), but his phrasing is perfect. Perfect. There are times on this record when the snare hit comes just a little later than you want it to, and God, it feels so much better than you thought it could.
Appropriate. Everything here is appropriate. This is a record that clearly reflects a band who took their time, who decided not only to do what they wanted, but to only do what they wanted when it worked. OX shows dedication, patience and understanding; qualities I'm saddened to say I don't use enough when discussing music of this nature. I'm really looking forward to Coalesce's next full-length. They can take another 10 years if the results will be this good again.
So it's pretty clear by now that everybody and their mothers love Ox. You love it. I love it. Everyone loves it. But with so much attention paid to the music (and rightfully so!) very little has been said about the physical product, itself.
Unlike the music, the vinyl packaging finds its beauty in simplicity. I can honestly say that this is the first record in quite some time I was thrilled to take home. I immediately put it on the deck, sat down with the lyrics and read along. Definitely worth purchasing. The first run of vinyl has sold out, but I'm sure a second run will come soon. In the meantime get down to your local record store and grab a copy while you still can!
Due to the reflective – and mainly black nature – of the Ox, I found it quite hard to photograph. Thanks are in order to Betsey with Relapse for providing the following pictures. 
[Buy] Coalesce - OX
PELICAN EVER-SO-SLOWLY RELEASE NEW SONG, TAUNT NON-BROOKYLNERS
Chicago post-metal fixtures Pelican have released a new song on their MyFace. Throwing caution to the wind, the band has crafted a brutal deathgrind song in the vein of Magrudergrind or Complete Failure. I won't be bolding those names because that is a bald-faced lie.
Nope, "Strung up from the Sky" is chugging and deliberate up the wazoo. Time for "serious metal" fans to go wild 'n out.
I am getting tired of metal bands' fascination with birds. You guys should comment 'n name some more.
Pelican will be making the Brooklyn Masonic Temple structurally unsound on September 22nd with the help of Sunn 0))), Earth, and the recently-cooked Eagle Twin.
August 24, 2009
CRUSTCAKE PREVIEWS: CONVERGE - AXE TO FALL
by theseseans (NYC)
Allow me to preface this with a simple statement. I love Converge. Love. Converge are one of the few bands that command my attention; I need not be in any particular mood to listen, I can put them on whenever and my mood adjusts accordingly. It has been a ten year love affair thus far, and I hope it continues actively for many more.
So...Axe To Fall comes out October 20th on Epitaph Records (Deathwish has the all important vinyl though). The record is an interesting follow up to (my own personal holy trinity of Jane Doe, You Fail Me and) No Heroes, as Axe To Fall sees guitarist Kurt Ballou really flex his guitar muscles. There hasn't been this much flashy guitar work on a Converge record ever before, the only record that even comes close is 1998's Petitioning The Empty Sky. I think this will benefit Converge, especially on their upcoming tour with more traditional metal bands Mastodon and Dethklok. Axe To Fall has massive crossover potential for Mastodon fans, due mainly to Kurt's especially prog'd out guitar work. Upon first listen I felt the single, "Dark Horse" was an odd choice to introduce fans to the new record, but after hearing the entire record a few times I think it works perfectly. Vocalist/artist Jacob Bannon even takes strides to make this record a little more accessible as he further expands (and uses much more frequently) his "clean"-er vocal delivery. Axe To Fall is not all hyper d-beat prog though: the record gets sludgy and at times really bluesy, and once again Converge play with an acoustic track. Really looking forward to grabbing the vinyl in October, full review to come then!
BURNT BY THE SUN ANNOUNCE SOLE U.S. SHOW
Burnt by the Sun have announced their first – and, so far, only – U.S. date in support of their latest – and last – LP, Heart Of Darkness (which is still streaming, right here).
Prior to their European tour, Burnt by the Sun will play one show at NYC's Cake Shop. The show, produced by 1000 Knives and Brooklyn Vegan, will see support from Tombs, Black Anvil and Bloodhorse.
Read more for further details and all of Burnt by the Sun's tour dates. 
BURNT BY THE SUN - 2009 TOUR DATESOct 2 2009 Cake Shop New York, NY
Oct 7 2009 13, Tilburg
Oct 8 2009 Vera, Groningen
Oct 9 2009 MUZIEKODROOM, HASSELT
Oct 10 2009 FIGHTING COCKS, KINGSTON
Oct 11 2009 BARFLY, CARDIFF
Oct 12 2009 CORPORATION, SHEFFIELD
Oct 13 2009 FIREBUG, LEICESTER
Oct 14 2009 STAR AND GARTER, MANCHESTER
Oct 15 2009 02 BAR ACADEMY, LONDON
Oct 16 2009 GAGARIN 205 ATHENS
Oct 17 2009 EX-MATTATOIO, PERUGIA
Oct 19 2009 CHELSEA, VIENNA
Oct 20 2009 007 CLUB, PRAGUE
Oct 21 2009 HAFENKLANG, HAMBURG
Oct 22 2009 LOKAL, BERLIN
Oct 23 2009 BIKINI TEST, LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS
Oct 24 2009 Kulturfabrik, Esch-Sur-Alzette
Oct 25 2009 PATRONAAT, HAARLEM
FRESHLY BAKED: NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW BY GUEST BLOGGER SACHA DUNABLE OF INTRONAUT
In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.
by Sacha Dunable - Intronaut (LA)
Ready for one of those "Best Bands You've Never Heard Of" moments? I mean, fuck. If someone told me there was a band out there who sounded like Neurosis covering Hum songs, who didn't sound like Jesu and stayed away from any Isis-ism cliches, I would tell them to fuck right the hell off. Hearing such a thing would surely cause me to fall deep into some sort of depression brought on by boredom, because I would NEVER need to listen to any other band ever again. Then if that person told me it was only two guys playing guitar, synth, more synth, and drums ALL AT ONCE, I..... there's just no telling.
National Sunday Law just put out a record called La Storia Di Cannibali, and it is a most truly DIY effort. Recorded and released by the band themselves, you will be absolved from any guilt upon purchase, by protesting corporate record labels, organized religion, and of course the hundreds of shit bands you are forced to read about on music blogs every day. Do yourself a favor and pick this bad boy up, and if you're in the L.A. area, go see them with Dysrythmia (another band I need you to get into) at the Relax Bar on October 18th.
August 22, 2009
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - LA SHOWS 8/22
by beatmasterspeech (LA)
How fitting for LA that we have some of the best up-and-coming, classic metal bands in the states! (Yeah I said it!) I've yet to see another city with as much love for the old school as LA. We can fist fight later about it, if you want. I mean, I know NY has the tr00 folks and other cities have their 'thang.' And I realize that LA has glossy, pre-fab shit everywhere. But dig deep, under the fake tits and eyeliner, my friends, and you'll find the good shit.
Speaking of good shit, get your asses down to Vacation Vinyl for a free in-store performance by local heroes Holy Grail and Professor. Since the show will cost you nothing, you'll have plenty of pocket cash to pick up that amazing import you've always wanted. Vacation Vinyl, in short, is the lil' shop created by a respectful – and reputable – group LA music lovers.
Aaron Turner & Mark Thompson of Hydra Head Records
David Ritchie & Dave Pifer, owners of Secret Headquarters (rad comic
book store in Silverlake)
Peter Majors, Amoeba Record alumni
Go to this show and rip; then check out the ever growing vinyl selection.
Aug. 22 - Holy Grail, Professor - Vacation Vinyl
August 21, 2009
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - CHICAGO SHOWS 8/21 - 8/25
by Clive Candy (CHI)
Gloom, gloom, gloom. The weather's dull, but the metal's shiny.
Metal from somewhere that isn't the States or Scandinavia fascinates me, for some reason. Do I think that Spanish-speaking people can't be enamored of blastbeats and horror movies? I guess my ears perk up (even if the band's shit) whenever I suspect those growls are in a foreign tongue. Luckily, Manias, Albuquerque-natives repping the "brutal bilingual death/grind-core/speed/thrash/black metal" scene, don't seem to suck. Their meat 'n potatoes deathgrind certainly has potential. Check them out at Metal Shaker on Friday.
Get a taste of Black September's fairly unrelenting black metal attack, and chase it with some wind-tunnel folk-doom courtesy of Velnias. They're both at Subterranean on Tuesday.
Crustcake Picks - Chicago Shows 8/21 - 8/25Friday 8/21/09 - Manias, Sepulcro, Suspended, Asphyxiator, Beneath the Flesh @ Metal Shaker
Tuesday 8/25/09 - Black September, Velnias, Czar @ Subterranean
August 20, 2009
PROMISING BIRD-RELATED SUPERGROUP SPREADS WINGS, INSPIRES STUPID AVIAN PUNS
Pitchfork is reporting that Them Crooked Vultures have posted a longer snippet of a new (they're all new!) song called "Nobody Loves Us and Neither Do I" on their Twitting-thing. Video's after the jump. (Not) surprisingly, they sound like Queens. With a little bit of Zeppelin-prog. And, hopefully for them, the commercial prospects of the Foo Fighters.
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NYC SHOWS 8/20 - 8/26, OR, SEAN HAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS
by theseseans (NYC)
Asshole Parade? The return of my two favorite local thrash bands? Cannabis Corpse? Castevet and Batillus? This weekend's metal shows offer a microcosm of New York City itself. Is there something you want? Do you feel the need to indulge in several different kinds of extreme music? The city provides. Black metal? Check. Doom metal? Check. Thrash metal? Check. Land Phil's marijuana-inspired death metal band? Double check. Hell, you can even wind down at the end with a nice '70s-flavored psych show.
Read more for show details, see you out there.
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NYC SHOWS 8/20 - 8/26 Thursday August 20th Asshole Parade, Vermefug @ The Charleston
Friday August 21st Chronic Youth Launch Party: Cannabis Corpse, Tournament, Survival, Shred Bundy @ The Charleston
-Bloody Panda (Record release), Liturgy, Battilus, Castevet @ Union Pool
Saturday August 22nd Nebula, Entrance Band, Naam, Snake Sustaine @ Santos Party House
August 19, 2009
CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: DISFEAR - 'MISANTHROPIC GENERATION'
Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com.
by theseseans (NYC) and Van Damned (ATX)
More often than not, Sean and Van conduct crustcake business late at night over Google chat, drunk as Hell. As such, their conversations have a way of drifting and swaying, and, just as often as they drink, they usually end up talking about D-beat. To wit:
1:16 AM Sean: i'm using wierd media player from epitaph right now to get the new converge, very stokedThe Swedish D-beat legends may have lifted their defining drum work from the same band every other Dis-core disciple did, but on 2003's Misanthropic Generation and last year's near-flawless Live the Storm, Disfear beefed up their sound considerably, adding Entombed's Uffe Cederlund and At the Gates' Tomas Lindberg. Produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou, the (D-)beat hits crystal clear, like a boot to the head.
Van: oooh yeah i really like the new Converge song on their myspace
Sean: yeah, it's weird, but in a really awesome way. all prog'd out
Van: im a total sucker for d-beats of any kind
1:17 AM Sean: yeah me too, tragedy
Van: did anybody get back to you on the crusty clip?
Sean: no, if you want to do something tomorrow let me know, otherwise Ill try to
1:22 AM Van: how about Disfear?
Sean: hahaha, awesome, done
In fact, the only thing this video is missing is more footage of Lindberg, one of our collective favorite frontmen, ever. After At The Gates' recent reunion tour, we decided that every band should have Lindberg guest on their album. Darkest Hour's strongest moment, after all, included Gothenburg's grand growler.
"Misanthropic Generation" is the title track from their 2003 record, the first to feature Lindberg and an instant classic.
Disfear - 'Misanthropic Generation':
[Ed.'s note: Disfear may be Europe's finest crusty D-beaters, but Portland's Tragedy, without doubt, take the (crust)cake here in the U.S. of A. And because they never get enough press, we like to talk them up as much as we possibly can. They're that good.]
Buy:
Disfear - Misanthropic Generation [Amazon]Continue Reading...
Tragedy - Vengeance [Amazon]
PSYCH EVALUATION REVEALS ANCESTORS ARE "OF SOUND MIND." YEAH, WE WENT THERE.
LA doom-psych warriors Ancestors have completed work on their full-length followup to 2008's Neptune With Fire (Tee Pee): the heavy, heady, psychedelically-delicious Of Sound Mind.
Due from Tee Pee October 6, Of Sound Mind finds the quintet focusing their atmospheric doomage into an eight-part, hour-long exploration of the oft-fragile human psyche. Dense like Neurosis, spacious like Hawkwind, organ-laced like King Crimson and heavy enough for Hell's headbangers, Ancestors are poised to don a mantle few bands carry this well.
And look, if there's still any question, dudes have already proved that with absolutely ace songwriting, a (wait for it) two-song, 40-minute-plus concept epic about barbarian life, death and re-birth can actually be really good. Like really good. So trust us when we say Of Sound Mind is better.
Make the jump for a preview of the new artwork by LA-based artist Derek Albeck and more info.
Although Tee Pee isn't taking pre-orders yet, we're sure they will soon. Knowing them, the vinyl will be gorgeous, the art crisp and clear and the bass will hit like an Abrams tank.
Can't. Wait.
August 18, 2009
CASTEVET HIT STUDIO, GRAB AWESOME BASS PLAYER AND PLAY SOME SHOWS IN NYC
Castevet have announced that they will be heading into PAINcave studios with Colin Marston (Behold… The Arctopus, Gorguts, Krallice) in early September to record their full length follow up to this year's Stones/Salts 7".
This (currently untitled) recording will also debut bassist J. Scott (Defeatist [who we recently profiled], Anodyne). Castevet have couple shows lined up in the meantime, read more for show info. 
Castevet live 20098/21/2009 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY w/ Bloody Panda, Batillus, Liturgy
9/06/2009 Public Assembly - Brooklyn, NY "Show No Mercy" show w/ Gnaw, Mick Barr
SHRINEBUILDER RELEASE ALBUM ART, ANNOUNCE NYC/CHICAGO SHOWS
Resident NYC doom main man Black BubbleGum just gave us the heads up about the glory of the new Shrinebuilder art featured above. Josh Graham hits another home run with this beautiful, serpent laden, temple of doom.
What's more, Shrinebuilder have announced their first NYC show. While no other acts have been announced, the show itself will taking place at Le Poisson Rouge November 15th, tickets can be secured here. Chicago residents get the supergroup the day and night before, November 14 at The Empty Bottle. Tickets for the early show can be bought here, the late show here.
See you there!
CRUSTCAKE REVIEWS: THE HOPE CONSPIRACY - TRUE NIHILIST
by theseseans (NYC)
The Hope Conspiracy are my automatic "bad mood" band. Frontman Kevin Baker is a visual and audible embodiment of anger, while his band matches his intensity with hardcore of the highest quality. After a brief hiatus The Hope Conspiracy returned in 2006 with Death Knows Your Name, a record that left the band's previous metalcore leanings for a more punk rock inspired attack. With True Nihilist The Hope Conspiracy add a little bit of adventure into their musical repertoire.
While opener "In The Shadow Of God" is fairly straight forward hardcore song (but probably the best one of this year), the following two tracks "Greed Taught, War Driven, Born To Die" and "The Dismal Tide" both reach new heights for The Hope Conspiracy. "Greed Taught" has interesting start-stop-start chorus while "The Dismal Tide" slips into a bass driven interlude before ending in a huge melodic finish. Guitarist Neeraj Kane (Suicide File) peppers this 7" with his excellent guitar work, knowing where and when to add melodies and guitar solos without ever compromising the songs impact. True Nihilist is without a doubt my favorite hardcore release this year, even at just three songs.
The packaging for True Nihilist is an absolute ten. The front cover expands into a full spread that is nothing short of breath taking, and while most releases could have just stopped there True Nihilist also includes a lyrical insert. The choice to add this (so as to fill the back of the poster with thanks and Nietzsche quotes [personal highlight]) shows exactly what is great about The Hope Conspiracy, they are clearly playing by their own rules, only bothering to create when passion is involved. Now if only they would tour a little more.
Audio: 8/10
Visual: 10/10
Front Cover
Back Cover
Record Side A
Record Side B
Insert Front
Insert Back
Full Art Unfolded
Full Art Unfolded, Back
[Buy]: The Hope Conspiracy -True Nihilist
CONVERGE RELEASE NEW SONG 'DARK HORSE'
Converge are now streaming a brand new song from their forthcoming record Axe to Fall. The song "Dark Horse" is available here, at their myspace, and boy does it rip. Interestingly enough, it sounds sort of like a prog'd out d-beat tune. Axe to Fall will be released October 20th via Epitaph. Deathwish will handle the vinyl pressing. Album art and track listing were released yesterday.
According to Lambgoat, the album will feature a number of guests: Steve Brodsky (Cave In), Adam McGrath (Cave In), J.R. Connors (Cave In, Doomriders), Uffe Cederlund (Disfear, ex-Entombed), John Pettibone (The Vows, Himsa), Steve Von Till (Neurosis), and Mookie Singerman (Genghis Tron). Uh, wow. We are particularly excited to hear Cederlund's bluesy guitar ripping through a Converge tune.
Converge - Axe to Fall Album Art:
Read more for the track listing.
Converge - Axe to Fall01. Dark Horse
02. Reap What You Sow
03. Axe To Fall
04. Effigy
05. Worms Will Feed
06. Wishing Well
07. Damages
08. Losing Battle
09. Dead Beat
10. Cutter
11. Slave Driver
12. Cruel Bloom
13. Wretched World
August 15, 2009
FRESHLY BAKED: DEFEATIST
In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.
by theseseans (NYC)
New York City drives isolation into its residents bones through the constant and inescapable hordes of other people. So exhausting are the myriad crowds, one feels an unknowingly unpleasant utopia at home in a tiny apartment. Such are dreams, such is the sound of Brooklyn's Defeatist.
Composed of members from Anodyne and Kalibas, Defeatist's sound drops the experimentation of their member's pasts for a grind attack that is unparalleled. Their recent Willowtip full length debut Sharp Blade Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds (featured here on Invisible Oranges) compiles all the bands 7" releases, but to truly appreciate Defeatist, one must see them live. I have never seen a grind band as disciplined. Rehearsed well past the point of simple escapism, the three piece explode into songs like "Sorrowful Ways" without any count, and minimal communication.
Lucky for those in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Defeatist are on the road right now for this weekend only (hence the Saturday post), do yourself a favor and enjoy this band while you can.
Read more for show info.
Defeatist outside of NYC 2009Aug 15 2009 10:00P w/ Asshole Parade @ Filth City Fest II Baltimore, Maryland
Aug 16 2009 8:00P w/ Tombs @ Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 14, 2009
CRUSTCAKE INTERVIEWS: BOB MEADOWS OF A LIFE ONCE LOST AND STAGGERED WORKS
As part of our unfailing commitment to champion the best parts of a culture we hold dear, we here at Crustcake are expanding our coverage ov Thee Metal Musick to metal culture, writ large. Metal's aesthetic – be it dreadlocked, corpsepainted, bullet-belted, Viking-horned or otherwise – is as integral to the scene as the metal itself. As such, the artists, designers, filmmakers, writers, movers, shakers and scene-makers who contribute to that aesthetic are just as important as the musicians themselves.
By The WZA'd (Philly)
In Doylestown Pennsylvania, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, everybody in the live music scene knows who Robert Meadows is. Meadows is the guy who stands in the back at some of the shows, who can be seen at Siren Records sometimes looking through old Tangerine Dream records and who also happens to be the lead singer in A Life Once Lost. But in Doylestown, he runs the music scene and everybody just knows him as Bob.
Bob runs Staggered Works, a booking agency and now label that handles most of the shows in Doylestown and most of the metal shows in Philadelphia. I met up with him at a coffee shop in town and we talked about the scene and Staggered Works's involvement in it.
How did you start Staggered Works?
I’ve always had different production companies since I started booking twelve years ago. Staggered Works is one of the newer entities that I took on around the fall of 2006 when I was booking a bunch of shows at the First Unitarian Church [in Philadelphia]. I had a bunch of shows there and I had this kid Mike Wholberg who was doing all the flyer designs and I had another kid Louis Mansfield who was helping with random PR work and just anything extra that I couldn’t do. So with the shows, I ended up for some reason coming up to Siren Records more often and ended up working on the holiday staff 2006/2007 and then I booked my first show. It was Ed Gein, Minor Times, and a bunch of other pretty rad bands. A bunch of kids came out and Blair [Siren’s owner] kind of dug the whole idea and we slowly moved into being able to book more and more shows.
Staggered Works has a pretty big presence in D-town and Philly: most shows in this area and a lot in that area are booked by you guys. What was the music scene like before Staggered Works?
There was always a music scene, whether it was in basements or churches or wherever they could find to do shows – I know the teen center used to do a lot of shows but it’s kind of only regulated to kids and bands that are in high school. There were always pretty solid, from Lansdale to Chalfont, hardcore and pop punk shows and that’s what we always did pretty well in at Siren. A lot of the funk and jazz shows weren’t attended as well. It took us a while to get to that point – it took us a good year of booking shows there. We had some pretty rad shows like the Dillinger/A Life Once Lost show, and there was a ton of awesome bands in the area that were playing shows at the store. There were never any problems, never any fights. That was when it was at its peak. As soon as Siren started closing down is when it was dwindling. [Siren Records has actually been at three different locations in town in the last five years. Bob is referring here to the closing of the second location after they were legally prevented from hosting any more shows.] We were also doing shows at the mainstream Baptist church and we kind of wore out our welcome. We were forced to push a lot of our shows there. When you’re doing three or four shows there in a church basement a week, you’re kind of running up their electric bill and I’m sure what we were giving them wasn’t paying the bills by any means. After that, we went to the Moose Lodge.
How big is the staff now?
It’s pretty much just me right now. I mean, a lot of the shows we do, I’m doing at Muggs down on Main Street [in Doylestown] and that’s a 21+ spot but we don’t have a door guy because they’re free shows. Band payouts are based on bar gross which is cool in a way but kind of sucks if a band doesn’t draw a drinking crowd. The spots in the city I’ve been doing, it has been Kung Fu Necktie and the M room and they’re 21+ spots and they supply sound and they supply a door guy for me so I don’t need to work their shows. It’s pretty much just me and this guy Mike Wholberg, this artist from Philadelphia who’s been doing a lot of cool art shows in Doylestown and Philly and stuff.
Didn’t he do the artwork for the War Pigs album?
Yes, he did. He did that, he’s actually been picking up more and more layout design jobs, which has been pretty cool. It’s definitely him blossoming as an artist and he’s utilizing Staggered Works. The creativity he brought to the table with all the flyers and whatnot was always really appreciated.
So how hard has it been to find venues? I know you guys aren’t doing as many shows at the Moose Lodge now.
Well the Moose Lodge was sold and they had all these zoning meetings and we were kind of tagged in to being the problem or the nuisance. They were definitely very opposed to doing anymore all-ages rock concerts. I tried to go to a few different places like the Bucks County Senior center and they just weren’t interested because of the articles that the Intelligencer [local newspaper I actually used to write for] was printing.
What were they saying?
It was all about the zoning meetings and they made it more public and the articles always made me and the rock concerts out to be the problem. Honestly, they probably weren’t and it was more the Police calls and the calls based around the bar crowd and whatnot. They just weren’t interested in doing the shows. The kids were a problem and a bunch of other mumbo-jumbo bullshit.
How’s it been booking shows in Philly?
I work with the Broad Street Ministry, that’s on Broad Street, the avenue of the arts right across from the Kimmel center. I work with the first Unitarian Church, the M Room, Kung Fu Necktie, and now I’m working with the 941 Theater. It’s another spot on Front Street right in Fish Town. It’s right near the El. I haven’t been there but I hear it’s a nice spot and they’re offering all-age shows on a more regular basis, which is cool.
I know Decibel has been promoting a lot of shows with you guys like the Zoroaster show coming up [which has come and gone]. What’s your relationship with Decibel like?
It kind of started with A Life Once Lost, they’ve always been fans and always given us really good reviews with the band and stuff and we’ve always been really big supporters. We kind of tied that knot when we played the 50th anniversary show and I got them more involved with all the bar shows we do in the city and the extra promotion is always an awesome thing, especially when you’re able to get it from such an awesome and respected magazine like Decibel. They’re awesome dudes man, all the guys that work there, Mark, Albert.
For hardcore and metal, most major cities in America have a signature sound, like New Orleans with sludge metal and Boston with their hardcore and LA has their stoner rock. What would you consider Philly’s signature sound, if there even is one?
I don’t think we do. Just put it in the mess of New York City, where there’s all the Burroughs. We do have different areas of Philadelphia, like Fishtown. I don’t know man, there are just too many bands in Philadelphia to pinpoint an exact “this is what Philadelphia sounds like.” There’s a lot of successful bands out of Philadelphia and they’ve always sounded different, they’ve never sounded the same. They have that Philadelphia aggressive attitude, which is very important.
With the new War Pigs CD, you’ve also moved into the label business. How did that decision come about?
When I brought on a few extra people to help me with the shows at the Moose Lodge and Stuff, we were thinking of taking it a little bit bigger. When I started booking shows here in Doylestown, the first band that I really became attracted to was War Pigs. We unfortunately never got around to putting a record out, but being able to work with the guys was a pretty awesome thing. As far as the label now, we’re kind of just sitting on it, not really sure what we’re gonna do. There’s a lot of other things on our plates. When the shows pick up again, we’ll start venturing more into doing that.
So you’re not going to expand on it anytime soon?
We just need more revenue. We’re just kind of in the hole as far as CD sales go, but I think eventually we’re going to be able to pull ourselves out. It’s just one of those things that kind of takes a while. When we get there we’ll be able to do a little bit more. As far as releases go there’s a lot of local bands I really like and there’s a lot of other bands out there that I’m really really into that I would like to work with on a different kind of level. As far as being able to release records, I felt like there just wasn’t enough time either and that’s why we’re putting it on hold. Especially with A Life Once Lost and all the shows that do take up a minimal amount of time, I’m kind of stretching myself.
Where do you see Staggered Works in five or ten years? What aspirations do you have for the label and the booking agency?
As far as booking goes, I’m always going to be booking shows. As far as Staggered Works the name, it could be just another entity that fizzles away into what has become a graveyard of other production names I’ve come up with. I will always be booking shows and I’ll always be very active in the music scene. I’ve always had a strong draw towards booking shows, and it all started in my backyard, doing neighborhood shows. From there it’s grown into being pretty awesome, being able to work with different artists. To say I’ve booked this band or that band, it’s kind of cool.
Simple question: what have you been listening to lately?
A lot of Dub/Reggae kind of stuff. I got a lot of really good funk that I just picked up. I’ve been spinning records at Muggs, and that’s what I spin, the psych-rock and the funk and a bunch of other things. That’s been my interests lately, especially Dub. I just dig the early production vibe. It’s really cool and it’s a lot more complex than a lot of people think. Just fucking far out. Far out shit.
Anything else you want to add about Staggered Works or even A Life Once Lost or any of your other side projects?
I’m not really doing any of the side projects anymore. Everything just kind of fizzled away over time. A Life Once Lost, we’re just in the middle of demoing songs and I’m in the middle of writing lyrics for the album still. For Staggered Works, just keep checking out staggeredworks.blogspot.com for updates and we got a bunch of different shows coming up. We’ll see how things pan out with that. Like I said, I’ll always be booking shows and doing that aspect of music. I’ll be in a band playing music as well, so who knows? I’ll probably be doing something random in the next few months.
CRUSTCAKE REVIEWS: AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED / THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - SPLIT 7"
by The WZA'd (Philly)
The first in a long list of splits Agoraphobic Nosebleed has planned for this year is their new 7” with The Endless Blockade. Given the parties involved, the split is appropriately brutal and concise.
Side A is given over to AnB, who deliver three new tracks featuring the same bottom-heavy, powerviolence-influenced grind the band perfected on this year's Agorapocalypse. Tempo changes are just as rampant here as they were on that album and blastbeats provide punctuation to sentences like, “go ahead, call me a Jew / but I don’t give a fuck who dies / as long as for another 10 years / we can still stay in the cash.”
This split is probably the closest the band will ever get to a concept album: all three tracks focus conceptually on the Middle East. Jay Randall’s lyrics are as hate-filled as ever, but his ability to paint a disgusting picture in very little time is still impressive. Track three focuses on this talent, leaving Randall to shout his words over noise and a steady drum beat.
Side B starts off with what could be a modern-day Autopsy track, as The Endless Blockade slowly plods into a cut from 2008's Primitive, “3 93/93.” The rest of their side is comprised of material cut from that album, spanning the range of their awesome doom-, grind- and noise-influenced hardcore.
This isn’t a grindcore split. If anything, it’s a split between two of the best modern-day powerviolence bands. Don’t miss this one; The Endless Blockade are only going to get bigger.
8/10 [Audible]
7/10 [Physical]
[Front and Back Cover]
[AnB Insert]
[AnB Record]
[TEB Insert]
[TEB Record]
Buy it from Relapse here.
August 13, 2009
BURNT BY THE SUN STREAM HEART OF DARKNESS
[Stream]: Burnt by the Sun - Heart Of Darkness
Burnt by the Sun are now streaming their new record Heart of Darkness in its entirety. The record will be released in the US August 18th and internationally August 24th. Most importantly there will be a vinyl release. Check all that out here.
Read more for Burnt by the Sun's European tour dates.
Burnt By The Sun 2009 European Tour October 7 Tilburg, Netherlands 013
October 8 - Gronigen, Netherlands @ Vera
October 9 - Hasselt, Belgium @ Muziekodroom
October 10 - Kingston, U.K. @ Fighting Cocks
October 11 - Cardiff, U.K. @ Barfly
October 12 - Sheffield, U.K. @ The Corporation
October 13 - Leicester, U.K. @ Firebug
October 14 - Manchester, U.K. @ Star & Garter
October 15 - London, U.K. @ Bar Academy
October 16 - Athens, Greece @ AN Club
October 17 - Perugia, Italy @ Ex-Mattatolo
October 19 - Vienna, Austria @ Chelsea
October 20 - Prague, Czech Rep. @ 007 Club
October 21 - Hamburg, Germany @ Hafenklang
October 22 - Berlin, Germany @ Lokal
October 23 - La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland @ Bikini Test
October 24 - Esch-Alsette, Luxembourg @ Kulturfabrik
October 25 - Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat
GOATWHORE RELEASE VIDEO FOR 'APOCALYPTIC HAVOC'
Goatwhore have completed the first video from their recent full length, Carving Out the Eyes of God, for the song "Apocalyptic Havoc." Handled by prolific director David Brodsky, "Apocalyptic Havoc" kicks ass first and worries about consequences in the afterlife ... never.
In September Goatwhore will embark on a tour with Obituary, Krisiun, The Berzerker, and Warbringer, followed by a short run of shows with Pig Destroyer, Eyehategod and Anal Cunt. Read more for the dates.
Goatwhore tour w/ Obituary, Krisiun, The Berzerker, Warbringer09/03 Tucson, AZ The Rock
Goatwhore w/ Eyehategod, Pig Destroyer
09/04 Mesa, AZ U.B.'s Bar
09/05 Farmington, NM Gator's
09/06 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
09/08 San Marcos, CA Jumping Turtle
09/09 Los Angeles, CA Key Club
09/10 San Francisco, CA Slims
09/11 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
09/12 Seattle, WA El Corazon
09/14 Victoria, BC Sugar
09/15 Vancouver, BC Plaza Club
09/16 Prince George, BC Roll-A-Dome
09/17 Calgary, AB Warehouse
09/18 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room
09/19 Regina, SK The Riddell
09/20 Winnipeg, MB Royal Albert Arms
09/21 St. Paul, MN Station 4
09/22 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
09/23 Mokena, IL Pearl Room
09/24 Cleveland, OH Pirates Cove
09/25 Toronto, ON Opera House
09/26 Quebec City, QC Imperial
09/27 Montreal, QC Foufounes Electriques
09/28 Syracuse, NY Westcott Theatre
09/29 New York, NY Blender Theatre at Gramercy
09/30 Worcester, MA Palladium
10/01 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
10/02 Raleigh, NC Volume 11
10/03 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
10/04 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall
10/05 Nashville, TN The Muse
10/06 Sauget, IL Pop’s
10/07 Ft. Worth, TX Lola’s
10/08 San Antonio, TX Scout Bar10/23 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
Goatwhore w/ Eyehategod, Anal Cunt
10/24 New York NY The Temptress Boat Cruise10/25 Cambridge, MA Middle East no Pig Destroyer w/ Anal Cunt
August 12, 2009
THEM CROOKED VULTURES DESCEND WITH A TEASER VIDEO (AND WE FOUND A GOOD QUALITY LIVE CLIP) [EDIT: AND ANOTHER ONE]
Bluesy supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, consisting of members of Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin and the Foo Fighters, made their presence on the internet known yesterday with a website, myspace, twitter, facebook and teaser video (below). There's also some footage floating around on youtube from the show we reported on a week ago, though few videos have as good quality as these:
The second guitarist you see there is Alain Johannes, according to a show review done by the Chicago Sun-Times. That makes the band three parts QOTSA and one part Zeppelin! That article also has this nice bit: "the heart of the sound owed a lot to [QOTSA]'s brand of hypnotic but intense stoner rock, as well as to the more spacey and bluesy sounds of Homme's earlier group, Kyuss."
What Jho's involvement with TCV means for QOTSA and the new rumored Desert Sessions material, we don't know, but are dying to find out.
GOES CUBE PREMIER "SAAB SONNET" VIDEO ON BROOKLYN VEGAN
Our friend Black Bubblegum at Brooklyn Vegan premiered a video for "Saab Sonnet," one of our favorite songs off of Goes Cube's debut album, Another Day Has Passed. The band also just got a twitter, so, you know, look out world.
Video and a couple show dates below.
Goes Cube show dates in SeptemberFriday, September 25 - The Lost Horizon, Syracuse, NY
Sunday, September 26 - Webster Hall w/ Giraffes, and the Midnight Show
August 11, 2009
THE GATES OF SLUMBER'S NEW TRACK PREMIERS ON DECIBLOG
Decibel has posted an exclusive track from The Gates of Slumber's new album Hymns of Blood & Thunder. It's called "The Bringer of War," and it hits about as hard as you'd want a good groove-laden doom track to.
The Gates of Slumber are still on the "North America is Doomed" tour with Zoroaster and Serpentcult, so if you're in Ohio or Indiana, you still have a chance to get your doom on.
CONVERGE'S NEW ALBUM, AXE TO FALL TO COME OUT OCTOBER 20
Catching the word from Metalsucks, Converge's new album will be titled Axe to Fall and comes out October 20th on Epitaph. On their website last may, Converge said that Genghis Tron worked on a song with them, and that there are many other guest musicians featured on the album.
To support their new album, the band will be touring with Mastodon, Dethklok and High on Fire this fall, and according to their twitter: "there will be more CONVERGE touring after the Mastodon tour, we simply couldn't pass up touring w/ our pals on this one!!!"
Remember how excited you were when you saw this video? That's how excited you should be now.
BLUE RECORD IS UNSUPRISINGLY SOLID; OUR PREVIEW, AS WELL AS A TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT!
by The WZA'd (Philly)
I enjoy writing for Crustcake. I enjoy it for the special moments, like hanging out at Van Damned’s house and listening to some Disfear, or heading up to Brooklyn to see Pig Destroyer with theseseans, or waking up this morning to find out that I can listen to Baroness’s Blue Record a full two months before its official release date.
Teasing aside, I have to say that Blue Record, like it’s predecessor Red Album, is something really special. Boosted by confidence over the success of their last album, Baroness has taken another big step away from sludge metal and into a sound that is more fully their own.
Instead of stoner/sludge metal’s traditional minor-key riffing, Baroness write major-key melodies with interweaving guitar harmonies. It might sound ridiculous, but they actually sound more like the Minibosses than they do Mastodon. Vocal harmonies also come into play often, and “Steel that Sleeps the Eye” actually sounds like something Crosby, Stills and Nash could have written, with its “Helplessly Hoping”-esque sung lead and acoustic guitar.
Remember Red Album’s motif? It appeared at the end of “Cockroach En Fleur” and served as a coda to the album in “Grad,” the album’s final track. On Blue Record, “Bullhead’s Psalm” serves the same purpose, grounding the album after journeys into the settings Baroness conjure with their music.
On a different note, the band is going to headline a five-week tour starting this November, with unannounced supporting acts. Hopefully we can experience in their live show the same range they show off on the album.
Remember that you can listen to the first two tracks (combined as one) on Baroness's myspace, and you can already pre-order the CD, which comes out October 13th, in some nice deals from Relapse. No word on vinyl yet, unfortunately.
