by theseseans (NYC)
Rotten Sound's Napalm EP is short but damn good. Side A delivers three new Rotten Sound originals while Side B features the band covering three Napalm Death songs. The new Rotten Sound songs demonstrate the band's full comprehension of grindcore; both "Mindkill" and "Brainload" surprised me how each song is just over a minute long and how the band is clearly comfortable playing such high speeds and is not afraid to incorporate real compositional changes into a one minute, sixteen seconds. The result is a very satisfying grind. Side B also shows attention to detail but in different ways. The production is different than Side A's (I didn't find any notations about this on the liner notes), and the sounds have a rawer feeling to them. I can't help think how this, too, is a nod to Napalm Death's albums. Vocalist Keijo Niinimaa takes his usual range and embarks lower for "Suffer The Children" from Napalm Death's classic Harmony Corruption. Drummer Sami Latva also does an excellent job at stepping back from his usual speeds to play slower blasts and more standard rock beats. When the eleven minutes, thirteen second runtime has come to a close, the songs have enough variety and strength that leaving the digital tracks (provided by Relapse with vinyl purchase) on repeat might just be your favorite part .
The physical product is simple, yet enjoyable. The art continues with the Napalm Death worship with nods to Scum's cover art. The neon green reminds me of one time when I was 16 when my friend Dan Bartlett drank too much Mike's Hard Lemonade and puked in the middle of the street. His vomit glowed in the moonlight. I'm not kidding—his vomit was glowing. If that doesn't make you want to buy this, I don't know what will.
The accompanying DVD, Live at Obscene Extreme, isn't as satisfying. Simply put, the DVD doesn't capture Rotten Sound's intensity. The DVD is one full set filmed in a large venue where the crowd interaction was either edited out or just plain nonexistent. Rotten Sound perform with the kind of extreme execution that grindcore demands, but they don't have a noteworthy lively stage presence. What makes this worse is how the camera work constantly jumps around and never provides a steady view of the actual live show. The one exception is a lingering broad shot that though it shows the full band, it's from a distance that removes any intimacy. The camera work has the almost awe-inspiring way of filming each member without letting you see them actually play their instruments. It's incredibly frustrating when the camera first zooms in on guitarist Mika Aalto as he plays, then crops in on only the first three guitar frets in the shot as Mika clearly plays just outside of view on the fourth or fifth fret. Before you know, the shot splits to Sami drumming as you see his back for just a few seconds before the shot jumps. Although the DVD is enjoyable enough for the audio, I doubt I'll be putting it on again. Makes sense that this DVD is packaged with a release that I would recommend strongly for purchase because there is no way this would sell on its own.
[Buy]: Rotten Sound releases from Relapse Records.
Front Cover
Back Cover
Record (The record is a very transparent neon green, it photographed slightly dark. Its actual color is very similar to the back cover, seen above)
DVD front cover
DVD back cover
May 25, 2010
CRUSTCAKE REVIEWS: ROTTEN SOUND - NAPALM
May 24, 2010
MORE THIS COMP VOL. 2 INFO, PREVIEW TRACKS AVAILABLE
Hot on the heels of our announcement that This Comp vol. 2 actually exists, we now have even more information, including all bands included and a link to a page where you can listen to preview tracks, including new stuff from legends Despise You.
The full list of bands is as follows:
Despise YouLook for it to be in stores on June 22nd, though if you're impatient you can pre-order it here. Also look for it to be awesome. We think it will be pretty awesome. Will it be "Weekend Nachos, Kill the Client, Insect Warfare, Brutal Truth, Maruta" awesome? We'll have to wait to find out. Continue Reading...
Apartment 213
Crom, Noisear
Owen Hart
Hummingbird of Death
Lack of Interest
Drugs of Faith
Social Infestation
Marion Barry
Septic Surge
Population Reduction
Idiot's Parade
Extortion
Three Faces of Eve
Voetsek
Superbad
Strong Intention
May 21, 2010
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NYC SHOWS 5/21 - 5/28
by theseseans (NYC)
I'm currently vacationing in Missouri, which is awesome, but equally awesome is that Trash Talk are playing NYC tonight (for free!!) with my current favorite local band: Psychic Limb. Every time I've seen Trash Talk (and every Trash Talk show I've heard about in passing) has been an out right riot. It should be fun to see a headliner match the intensity of Psychic Limb (for all of you anyway). Did I mention this show is free?
On Wednesday the 26th the Blackened Music Series strikes again with Gorguts, Krallice, Portal and Bloody Panda. Despite not really enjoying their record, I'm very excited to see Portal live and give them a chance to scare the shit out of me, and win me over. 
Crustcake Picks - NYC Shows: 5/21 -5/28Friday 5/21 - Trash Talk, LA Dispute, Cerebral Ballzy and Psychic Limb @ Acheron 57 Waterbury St., Brooklyn
Krallice just issued their latest LP Dimensional Bleedthrough in true LP fashion. Double vinyl gatefold, available for purchase here. Portal just pressed two songs from their demo on vinyl entitled Lurker At The Threshold, that can be purchased here. Trash Talk have a new record called Eyes and Nines that can be ordered (or pre-ordered) here.
Wednesday 5/26 - Gorguts, Krallice, Portal and Bloody Panda @ Knitting Factory, Brooklyn
May 20, 2010
ISIS ANNOUNCE THEIR END, ONE LAST EP AND FINAL TOUR
ISIS have announced their end. After their upcoming tour ISIS will not continue on. Sad news indeed, but their farewell tour looks like it would have been a must see even if this were not their final bow. The first leg of the tour will feature support from Tombs, and for the second part, the East Coast will get The Melvins. As I have mentioned before, I feel that live, ISIS' music takes on a life of it's own. I urge everyone to catch this tour and indulge yourself, whether it be for the first time or once more.
In ISIS' statement regarding their end, the band states that they do have plans for "pursuing the completion of a final EP, compiling live audio and visual material for future releases." We are hoping that this is an EP in addition to their upcoming 12" split with The Melvins (who state that they are hoping the split will be ready for their leg of the ISIS' tour). We're sad to say goodbye, but are looking forward to ISIS' last releases and shows.
Art from upcoming ISIS / Melvins 12" split 
ISIS Final Tour
May 26 The Casbah San Diego, California, US#
# = w/ Tombs
May 29 Wow Hall Eugene, Oregon , US#
May 30 Capitol Theatre Olympia, WA#
May 31 Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, British Co, CA#
Jun 1 Neumo’s Seattle, Washington, US#
Jun 2 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon , US#
Jun 4 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California, US#
Jun 5 The Troubadour Los Angeles, California, US#
Jun 12 Bonnaroo Festival Manchester, Tennessee , US
Jun 14 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia , US*
Jun 16 9:30 Club Washington, Washington, US*
Jun 17 Theater Of Living Arts (TLA) Philadelphia, Pennsylvan, US*
Jun 18 Webster Hall New York, New York , US*
Jun 19 Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York , US*
Jun 20 Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachuse, US*
Jun 21 Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachuse, US*
Jun 22 Port City Music Hall Portland, Maine , US%
Jun 23 Club Soda w/ Cave In Montreal, Quebec , CA%
* = w/ The Melvins
% = w/ Cave In
Further Tombs Tour Dates w/ Eyehategod, Brutal Truth, Black Anvil, NachtmystiumJune 11 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
Melvins Tour Dates Outside of ISIS tour
June 12 Brooklyn, NY Europa
June 13 Providence, RI Club Hell (w/ HOWL) June 1, San Diego, CA - The Casbah
June 2, Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
June 3, Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
June 5, Austin, TX - Emos
June 7, Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
June 8, Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
June 9, New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
June 10, Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree
June 12, Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival
June 25, Chicago, IL - Double Door
June 26, Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
June 27, Des Moines, IA - House Of Bricks
June 29, Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
July 2, Calgary, AB, Canada - Sled Island Festival
July 3, Calgary, AB, Canada - Sled Island Festival
July 5, Vancouver, BC, Canada - Rickshaw Theatre
July 6, Seattle, WA - Showbox At The Market
July 7, Eugene, OR - John Henry's
July 9, San Jose, CA - Blank Club
May 18, 2010
BLACK TUSK'S 'TASTE THE SIN' STREAMING IN FULL
Stream: Black Tusk - Taste The Sin
That Brandon Stosuy has got pretty good taste. Just over a couple weeks ago, Haunting The Chapel, his column on sterogum premiered Howl's Full of Hell and now he's got Black Tusk's Taste The Sin queued and ready to go.
We've got this record going right now: raw sludge with rock sensibilities. We recommend listening to it for free. Tall order, we know.
Read more for usual Baizley awesomeness and tour dates.
Black Tusk - Taste The Sin
Black Tusk - 2010 tour datesMay 21 Raleigh, NC Volume 11 Tavern*
* = w/ Pentagram
May 22 Savannah, GA The Jinx*
May 23 Orlando, FL The Backbooth*
May 27 New Orleans, LA The Hanger*
May 28 Nashville, TN The End*
May 29 Newport, KY Southgate House*
June 5 Raleigh, NC Volume 11 Tavern%
June 6 Louisville, KY Headliners%
June 9 Richmond, VA Alley Katz%
June 15 Birmingham, AL The Nick#
June 16 Memphis, TN Hi Tone Café#
June 17 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory#
June 18 Dallas, TX The Lounge On Elm#
June 19 Austin, TX Emo’s#
June 21 Albuquerque, NM Burt’s Tiki Lounge#
June 23 Ramona, CA Ramona Mainstage#
June 24 Hollywood, CA Viper Room#
June 25 Oakland, CA Oakland Metro#
June 26 San Francisco, CA Thee Parkside#
June 28 Portland, OR Satyricon#
June 29 Seattle, WA Funhouse#
July 1 Salt Lake City, UT Club Vegas#
July 2 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge#
July 3 Kansas City, MO Riot Room#
July 4 St. Paul, MN Turf Club#
July 6 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle#
July 7 Newport, KY Southgate House#
July 8 Pittsburg, PA 31st Street Pub#
July 9 New York, NY Webster Hall#
July 10 Philadelphia, PA Khyber#
% = w/ Eyehategod
# w/ Zoroaster, Dark Castle
THIS COMP KILLS FASCISTS, VOL. 2 COMING OUT SOON!
While we still don't have Scott Hull's rumored imprint label that would hypothetically deal in grindcore, hardcore, powerviolence, noise and other forms of violent fast music, we can temporarily be held over by a new This Comp Kills Fascists. The disc will feature music in all of those internal organ punishing genres and should be released on June 22nd this year. Featuring the likes of Despise You, Apartment 213, Drugs of Faith, Crom, Noisear, Triac, Social Infestation, Lack of Interest and more, this comp should rip.
But will it hold us over until the new Pig Destroyer comes out?
R.I.P. RONNIE JAMES DIO
by Andrew Wilhelm (CHI)
On behalf of the Crustcake staff, I'm paying respect to the greatest voice in heavy metal, Ronnie James Dio. He passed away Sunday morning after struggling with stomach cancer.
For myself, as I'm sure it was for all of Dio's fans, he was an icon. I've rocked my Last in Line shirt and record plenty of times, and for good reason. His voice, that soaring wail, wasn't renowned just because of his massive range, it's remembered because when you hear it, you know it's Dio and only Dio. He brought a sense of majesty to any song he performed on. He could do ballads, such as Black Sabbath's "The Sign of the Southern Cross," and rockers, like his calling card, "Rainbow in the Dark," with equal conviction. Tony Iommi expanded his playing style to match Dio's melodicism, thus resulting in one of Sabbath's best albums, Heaven and Hell. Dio's solo material was hard rocking and catchy to boot - don't act like you don't yell out "HOLY DIVAAAAAAH" when that song comes on your radio or your iPod. And let's not forget his contributions to Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.
Most of all, while Dio's songs may have exulted the glories of warriors, dragons and sorceresses, he was truly a down-to-earth and classy person. I've seen Dio twice - once with his solo band supporting Iron Maiden and once on the Metal Masters tour with Heaven and Hell - and no performer respected an audience more than he did. Dio always heaped praise on the audience for coming out and supporting true heavy metal and he returned the favor by never giving less than 101 percent, besting performers a third his age. Oh, and remember that Hear n' Aid video I posted a while back? He was the man behind that magic.
"So live for today, tomorrow never comes." Even with his untimely passing, Dio lived by this chorus he sang on "Die Young." He inspired us to take on the world, even when we came close to falling off the edge of it. Dio may not be of this mortal plane any longer, but we'll never forget how much he kicked ass.
And last, but not least by any stretch: the horns - we all know it, we all live it. We'll never stop saluting.
After the jump is a few vids that represent just a taste of what the man did for heavy metal.
May 11, 2010
CRUSTCAKE INTERVIEWS: ARSIS
by Andrew Wilhelm (CHI)
Sometimes, trolling around on musician nerd forums can pay off. In a sea of "PICK OR FINGERZ" and "SATCH VS. VAI" topics, I came across a thread featuring a couple MP3s from a then-unknown Arsis' 2004 debut album, A Celebration of Guilt. And you know those moments where you found a band that, at least for the time, was exactly what you were looking for? For me, that was one of those moments.
It was melodic death, yes, but it wasn't Americans trying to be European. It grabbed At the Gates by the balls and yelled, "Oh yeah? We can do better!" And they did. Many bands of the same ilk were either creatively stagnant or going into poppier directions, but Arsis crafted songs that showed that brutality, catchniess, and complexity are, shockingly, not always musically exclusive. They released the also-excellent 2006 album, United in Regret. But when 2008's We Are the Nightmare came out, they seemed to become tech for tech's sake. Add that with James Malone's well publicized weight struggles, and the future of Arsis was in doubt. Not ones to cower in the face of struggle, Malone got back to health and Arsis released Starve for the Devil earlier this year. While I hate to say that anything is a "return to form," this album has the soul that Nightmare was lacking, and they appear to be kicking ass once more.
I had the opportunity to speak with Arsis' lead guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter James Malone. In the conversation that follows, we discuss the new album, Blackie Lawless' of W.A.S.P.'s dubious choices in recent times, and playing with thrash legends Exodus.
Crustcake: Recently, an AC/DC fan was impaled at a show in Brisbane. Has anyone ever been impaled at an Arsis show?
Jim Malone: No one has ever been impaled at an Arsis show, and I'm rather disappointed by that. [Laughs] I think someone got an eye busted open in Sioux City and some guy broke his hands in Seattle, I believe. I heard a girl got pregnant at an Arsis show once ...[more laughs]
Crustcake: Well, was it someone from the band?
Malone: Naw, I was just joking. That's crazy that an AC/DC fan got impaled. Wow. What was he impaled on, is my question.
Crustcake: The article said he was in a wheelchair and his buddy hit the joystick to move and he fell on a metal pin he uses to maneuver objects. It became embedded in his eye.
Malone: Wow. That's the crazy. But I just thought of a clever, dirtbag answer to your question. Someone got impaled with my dick at an Arsis show. [laughs]
Crustcake: Y'all some dirty ass motherfuckers. Speaking of tours, how did the Arch Enemy and Exodus tour go?
Malone: It was amazing. That was probably my favorite tour of ever. Everybody was really nice on the tour, all the bands got along. We were in a van, so it kinda sucked driving ourselves around. Other than that, it was a blast. The shows were just amazing – great fans, I had a good time, man.
Crustcake: Cool. I heard somewhere that the drummer from Exodus lives in a forest secluded from society. Do you know if that's true or not?
Malone: I got the impression that he lives in Northern California somewhere kinda out in the middle of nowhere, but I don't think he's necessarily some sort of weird hermit or anything. He just enjoys nature and not being around the city.
Crustcake: How was Rob from Exodus' stage banter? When I saw them, actually with you guys a long time ago in San Antonio, he said something to the extent of "bomb the Middle East" or some shit like that. Did he have any crazy stage banter this time around?
Malone: Yes, he did actually. One of my favorite things I heard come out of the man's mouth onstage was probably the first night of the tour in Baltimore. He got off on a rant about terrorists, and he was just like, "They're training their pets to hate you! They're training their pets to kill you!" It was just envisioning Al-Qaeda training cats or bunnies to wreak havoc. I was pretty entertained by that.
Crustcake: He's a true American, what can we say?
Malone: Exactly, man.
Crustcake: Talking about touring more, y'all have had a lot of different members play with y'all live. Does that affect the live dynamic at all?
Malone: I think it can, honestly, but for the past year or so it's been a pretty stable lineup. I feel like we're the best live that we've ever been, but in the past, yeah, it affected things at times. Even just down to trying to coordinate the other bands members, you bring a new guy in, and he's used to stepping this way ... injuries can happen.
Crustcake: Do you think Mike returning to the lineup had a positive effect on the live show?
Malone: Definitely. Mike's just a great live drummer, and I think he's a pretty good showman as far as drummers go. Just solid every night (and) my favorite drummer to play with by far, that I've ever had the opportunity to play with.
Crustcake: How did Mike return to the band?
Malone: He took some time off to study radiology. We always kept in touch 'cause we've been friends for so long. Then last winter, I told him – we were talking about things, I was unhappy with the drummer we had at the time, and I was telling him I wanted to make a fun Arsis album and have a blast with it. He texted a couple days later and was just like, "Dude, you really want to have fun with this again, I'm in." We went out to lunch, ate some Indian food, and just kinda ... I don't know, been in ever since. It's awesome.
Crustcake: What was the making of the new album like?
Malone: I had a great time. Nick [Cordle, guitar] and I worked our asses off writing songs. We got together for a couple rehearsals prior to going to the studio, and we kinda went in and banged the whole thing out in three-and-a-half weeks. I think we were over-prepared in a lot of ways. It was a rather quick, fun experience.
Crustcake: One of the more interesting songs on the album is the lead-off track, "Forced to Rock." What led to the idea for that song?
Malone: I fucked around with those riffs for a while, just kinda goofing off when I'd try out a guitar in a guitar store or something ... just being a cornball. I wanted to see if I could actually turn it into an Arsis song. It's actually hard to play though. I just wanted to write a fun death metal song, just kinda like try to have fun with it, because everyone's so serious all the time, especially technical death metal. I kinda wanted to give a perspective on things. Whether or not it succeeded is the question.
Crustcake: It’s got a early 80s metal vibe to it, like W.A.S.P. and Motley Crue before they turned soft.
Malone: That's totally what we're trying to do with it. Once we had that, I was just like, well, it needs a cheesy 80s style video to go with it. We tried out best to do that as well.
Crustcake: Speaking of W.A.S.P., who I mentioned earlier, have you noticed Blackie is a total teabagger now?
Malone: Oh, really?
Crustcake: Yeah, he's always comparing Obama to Hitler in recent interviews.
Malone: Wow. I love early W.A.S.P. I think it's pretty freaking amazing, actually. But I will say this: I haven't read any of his recent interviews, but I have heard he refuses to play "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" now because it's a bad influence on children. What the fuck – it's Blackie Lawless, dude, come on now.
Crustcake: That's really lame because "Animal" is a great fuckin' song.
Malone: Yeah, it's classic.
Crustcake: He's also a Christian now, so it's like Prince not playing "Head." I might go see W.A.S.P. play some shitty sports bar.
Malone: I would. It would certainly be entertaining.
Crustcake: Lotta cougars.
Malone: Yes! Cougars are fun.
Crustake: Do a lot of cougars come out to Arsis shows?
Malone: Not so much, no. I'm rather disappointed by that fact, but it is what it is.
Crustcake: Getting back to the album, it's a lot less tech-y than the previous album [We Are the Nightmare]. What led to that direction?
Malone: I always thought the last album was too tech-y for my tastes anyway. When it was all said and done, I wasn't 100 percent happy with it. I kinda wanted to try something that would be a little more laid-back, just having a good time, that would be fun to walk out on stage.
Crustcake: If you thought the last album was too tech-y, why did you go through with it? Or did you realize it after the fact?
Malone: Yeah, yeah, and plus, I don't know, maybe I needed to do it for my ego at the time and try to write the most retardedly technical thing I could.
Crustcake: Well, going on that a little more, have you considered making an 80s-style guitar instructional video?
Malone: That would be amazing. I would want it to be like Marty Friedman's Exotic Metal or whatever video. Have you ever seen that one?
Crustcake: No, I haven't.
Malone: Dude, the guy is clearly baked out of his mind. It's pretty awesome.
Crustcake: I'll check it out. Last year, when there was a lot of speculation about what was going on with you, what was the craziest rumor you heard about yourself?
Malone: Craziest rumor I heard about myself ... Wow ... probably that I'm just a drug addict, I would imagine. That's about as wild as it got. Heroin or meth or coke. I think I still got accused of being on coke on YouTube recently.
Crustcake: Wow, that's crazy. About your struggles with weight, did the fact that it's not normally associated with men make it harder for you to get through?
Malone: Yeah it does. It's hard to find treatment and stuff, because there's plenty of free care available to 16-year-old girls that only eat paper, but for a dude well into his 20s, it's just like, eh, not happenin' so much. But yeah, I guess it does make a little difficult and wasn't really something I wanted to have to come public with. I just got kinda sick and tired of interviewers asking me if I was on coke. I really lost my shit one day.
Crustcake: Did your experience allow you to reflect the fucked up way we tend to approach our bodies? Everyone in magazines being thin, but also coping with a widespread obesity problem?
Malone: Oh yeah, totally. It was weird. After having the eating disorder, then I became obsessed with the Food Network. We had the Food Network (and) every time I wake up in the middle of the night, there's some kind of commercial on about some new weight-loss product or exercise equipment. Our country's obsessed with it.
Crustcake: Anything else you want to say?
Malone: Naw, thanks for the interview man.
May 10, 2010
SLAUGHTER STRIKE DEMO NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE
Remember that band Slaughter Strike we told you about? You know, the awesome death metal band with members of The Endless Blockade? Remember that tape they put out? Yeah, well, sorry, they ain't makin' em anymore. You CAN, however, download it for free via the Survivalist blog. Not such a bad deal!
Expect the new Slaughter Strike 12" coming this June to be awesome as well. Oh, and buy it.
May 7, 2010
HOODED MENACE GET NEW VOCALIST, VINYL UPDATE
Hooded Menace recently announced some puzzling news: they are getting a new vocalist. Not long ago the band expanded into a three piece (seen in the picture above), adding Antti on bass in order to start playing live. Before Hooded Menace was Lasse (vox, guitar, bass) and Pekka (drums) and did not play live. Now the band announces inclusion of Oula on vocals. Oula is also currently the vocalist for fellow Finland residents, grind act Death Toll 80k.
Lasse stated on Hooded Menace's MySpace Blog that the upcoming splits with Asphyx and Coffins (drool) are already recorded and will feature the previous Hooded Menace line up (Lasse and Pekka), so it seems like the band is planning on this being a permanent change, not just for a live setting.
Furthermore, Doomentia just announced that vinyl for Never Cross The Dead will be coming soon. 200 diehard editions, and 400 black vinyl edition will be available from the Czech website, along with 100 colored vinyl available for allthatisheavy for us in the US. Coming soon (!) so be on the look out.
We're excited about all of this, but we loved Lasse's vocals.
LIVE REVIEW: THE RED CHORD, PREMONITIONS OF WAR
The Red Chord
When: Sunday April 25th, 2010
Where: Public Assembly, Brooklyn
With: Premonitions Of War, Tiger Flowers, Descender
by theseseans (NYC)
There was an uneasy vibe on Friday night when I entered Public Assembly in Brooklyn. Descender had played, and Tiger Flowers were setting up. There were technical difficulties and kids in hooded sweatshirts mocked the band's requests to adjust monitor levels. Once the levels were right and the amps were working Tiger Flowers transformed technical frustrations into their cathartic atmospheric hardcore. I had seen them once before and they had made a favorable impression on me. I wasn't as impressed this time around, but it could have been the uneasy aura hanging around the crowd I had felt upon entering that hampered Tiger Flower's performance. The young band did their best to fight through it and played a solid set. Their sound reminds me of "for fans of" stickers. I can already see it: For Fans of Botch, Converge and ISIS. Not that is a bad thing, Tiger Flowers are young, and live, they can have moments of true power, something special. I'm hoping they find their way through to their own, on their own.
When Premonitions Of War were setting up, there were again some monitor problems. This time though, it was just an issue of the vocals being too powerful, something Nate Johnson was obviously comfortable with, "Just pull my vocals completely out of the monitors," Johnson stated. "Absoultely, I'll be fine," Johnson again told the sound man. Despite recently reuniting, Premonitions came out with confidence, and this feeling rippled through the audience and excitement dispelled the discomfort that had hung earlier in the air. I was not familiar with the band before their set, so song titles are out for me (they definitely played 'Black Den'), but most of the people in attendance were beyond excited to get a chance to scream lyrics back at Johnson and crew. The band player tight and powerful, their not too technical death-metal meets not too simple hardcore whipped the crowd into a frenzy. People piled over each other to get to the stage they were not blocked from. Circle pits. Johnson ended the set by enthusiastically thanking the crowd, stating that this had been the best show of their short tour and to expect to see them again soon.
The Red Chord jumped on this show after the volcano put an end to their European tour (Rotten Sound, The Red Chord and Aborted! That would have ruled!). I had not seen the band in a couple of years and was excited to catch them in a small setting. Unfortunately a good portion of the audience did not seem present during their set. A shame really, because, even following Premonitions, The Red Chord killed. There were no difficulties for The Red Chord's sound and the band jumped on the audience. They began abruptly and caught most of the audience off guard. People surged toward the stage with surprised enthusiasm. The Red Chord's material is excellent, and while their style of "death-core" has been exploited, their songs still ring through with urgency and a very recognizable signature. Guitarist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie has serious chops, with his left hand (doing the picking) moving at speeds that would make Scott Ian proud. Seeing him preform live reminded me of just how god-damned impressive their riffs are. Greg Weeks and Michael Justian (recently reunited with the band, as he was their original drummer) played with attitude. Weeks screamed at the crowd for more, and Justian jumped on top of his drum set to stare down those hammering along with the band. After the band's set, they began to break down when, just as promptly as they began, singer Guy Kozowyk made the brief announcement, "Okay, here's our 50 second encore," and the band ripped into 'Clients' to end their set for good. People again surged toward the stage, and this time the crowd over took the band screaming "These are mine" for as long as they could. After such a closing, and such a set, the audience was all smiles, laughs, and good moods. Myself included.
Check out photos from the show here, from Brooklyn Vegan, who put on the show along with 1,000 Knives.
May 6, 2010
LIVE REVIEW: NARROWS, PSYCHIC LIMB
Narrows
When: Saturday April 24th, 2010
Where: The Cake Shop, NYC
With: Acid Tiger, I Hate Our Freedom, Psychic Limb
by theseseans (NYC)
Narrows exist as a band with members living in several countries. The fact that they were able to come together in the height of Volcano season for a one-off show in NYC, was no small feat. The show that they put on is undoubtedly going to be one favorites of this year, and not just for my Botch nostalgia. The line up was diverse, with no band sounding like another, and top to the bottom the show was fun. While the highlight of the show might have been the chance to finally scream and holler along with Dave Verellen, each band put on a great set.
Psychic Limb opened with their power-violence, a term to describe their sound and performance. The band impressed musically with an excellent rhythm section and strong songs. Their guitarist play left handed, upside down, everything inverted. This gives their sound a little bit of a differential aspect. The low end, typically found at the start of guitar sounds, comes last from a down pick; this might seem trivial, but it throws most "heavy" guitar stylings out the window. Vocalist Brian Montuori threw his body violently around the small space, monitors lifted off the ground to move in unison with his body as he freed coiled mic cables. Their shows are like living dangerously as a teenager all over again, no matter how much recklessness comes with your fun, every now and then their is a moment of fear for one's life that must be over come. If you live in NYC make sure to catch this band.
I Hate Our Freedom played extremely well. Their material is a noisy rock, that has the ability to have huge chorus without ever breaking into "radio-rock" territory. The band executed with energy and proficiency, but I was already gearing up towards Narrows. Of course before Narrows, it was Acid Tiger's record release show. I'm not a huge fan of the band's southern rock meets The Bronx style hardcore, but they played with a lot of grit that night. Heads were banging, in large part to the addition of Jim Carroll on second guitar. The dual guitars brought the southern runs to life and greatly improved the bands set. The material seemed like it had it's own life that night, not just an outlet for Ben Koller's massive drum chops.
Narrows were setting up and I was already being pushed into monitors and amps. As soon as the band started the crowd surged and the genuine love between band and audience typical of great hardcore shows began. I'm a fan of the Narrows' recorded material, but after seeing them live I can say with certainty that it in no way does Narrows justice. Songs like 'Chambered' and 'Sea Witch' took on new life, with much, much more power live. Guitarist Ryan Frederiksen (formerly of These Arms Are Snakes) whipped his guitar around in true 'lost in the moment' movements. The subtle guitar interplay between he and Jodie Cox was easier to see live, especially when Ryan slipped in 'Horse Girl' between songs; Jodie laughed and jumped into the riff with ease. Vocalist Dave Verellen spent most of the show leaning into the audience, his massive voice booming through the microphone and enthusiastically joined by everyone lucky enough to know the words and sing along. It wasn't just the people up front who were in on the action. When I had the brief moment to turn around and look, the greater part of the crowd seemed to be motion. Those glances were fleeting, as I and others were involuntarily shoved and tripped over monitors, from which my leg is still bruised over a week later. When the band closed with 'Life Vests Float, Kids Don't' it seemed like the entire venue was there with "I watch as the messenger bleeds dry." The only real message I want to deliver is this: Narrows played like a seasoned band, and should be thought of as nothing less. No matter what continent you live on, if you get the chance to see them, do so.
Live photos can be seen here, on Brooklyn Vegan, who put on this show along with 1,000 Knives.
May 4, 2010
LISTEN TO HOWL'S FULL OF HELL ON STEREOGUM
Stream: Howl - Full Of Hell
Howl have teamed up with Sterogum to bring out a full stream of their new record, Full Of Hell. We here at the 'cake have been anticipating this one for quite some time: our vinyl pre-orders are in and the stream is going on at full volume. So far, real good.
Full Of Hell comes out next Tuesday, May 11th and the band is one the road already. Read more for their full 2010 tour dates (so far) including shows with Eyehategod and Pentagram. Not too bad really.
HOWL 2010 Tour DatesMay 29 Baltimore, MD Sonar (as part of Maryland Deathfest)
* = w/ Eyehategod
June 13 Providence, RI Club Hell*
June 14 Milford, CT Daniel Street*
June 15 Manchester, NH Rocko’s*
June 18 Chicago, IL Reggies#
June 19 Akron, OH Backstage Concert Club#
June 22 Columbus, OH Skully’s#
June 23 Philadelphia, PA The Blockley#
June 25 Providence, RI Club Hell#
# = w/ Pentagram
May 3, 2010
WIN TWO TICKETS TO SEE CONVERGE THIS THURSDAY IN NYC
Want to see Converge this Thursday, May 6th, for free? We're giving away two pairs of tickets courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan, and all you have to do to win is email us at crustcakecontests@gmail.com with the subject line "CONVERGETIX." Please include your first and last name.
Anyone looking for to ensure their victory can tell us which song off Jane Doe is comprised solely by drums and vocals. Otherwise, winners will be chosen at random! Winners announced Wednesday.
Converge are playing with Touche Amore, Lewd Acts and Black Breath at Santos Party House. So what are you waiting for?
