I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm amazed at how active Narrows is. The band is spread out over two continents and continue to stay active. After a few US tours in 2010, the Americans are packing up and heading to Europe for 2011.
Read more for the full European tour dates as well as info on a free live Narrows download. 
While Narrows were in the United States last year, they swung by Seattle for Hannah Levin's "Seek & Destroy" Radio show on KEXP 90.3 FM. The preformance is available for download here from Deathwish Inc. as part of their 'Deathwish Live Series.' While there is no news of new material yet, this live EP is a great sounding bit to bide the time with.
Narrows 2011 European Tour03/12: Prague, Czech Republic @ Klub 007
03/13: Germany @ TBC w/ TBC
05/14: Copenhagen, Denmark @ Stengade
05/15: Hamburg, Germany @ Hafenklang
05/16: Dornbirn, Austria @ Kulturcafe Schlachthaus
05/17: Gent, Belgium @ Frontline
05/18: Brighton, UK @ The Green Door Store
05/19: Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
05/20: London, UK @ Old Blue Last
05/21: Paris, France @ TBA
05/22: Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlachthof
05/23: Berlin, Germany @ Lovelite
05/24: Barcelona, Spain @ Moog
February 28, 2011
NARROWS RELEASE FREE LIVE EP, TOUR EUROPE
February 24, 2011
CRUSTCAKE INTERVIEWS: TRIPTYKON
Thomas Gabriel Fischer is one of heavy metal's true trailblazers. First with Hellhammer, and more famously, with Celtic Frost, Fischer sketched the outlines for death and black metal and forged a unique guitar tone and aesthetic identity. Nearly 30 years after his career began, Fischer -- known still to many as Tom Warrior -- is releasing some of the strongest material of his already essential discography. Simply put, without this heavy metal pioneer, you probably wouldn't be reading this site. Our Andrew Wilhelm had the privilege to speak with Fischer from his home in Zurich. - Ed.
Thomas Gabriel Fischer can be considered one of the architects of heavy metal. With Hellhammer, his outlet for youthful angst, he laid the groundwork for the feral element of death and black metal in the early '80s. Celtic Frost, Fischer's most well-known group, gave that chaos a structure. Not only he did create an identifiable guitar sound and composition style -- seriously, nobody can do mid-paced songs like Frost did -- but their experimental streak redefined what heavy metal could be. Fischer laid low in the '90s, but reactivated Frost in the early 2000s. Monotheist, released in 2006, remains one of the few "reunion" records that can stand proudly alongside classic material. In addition, Frost went darker and doomier than before. The album and the concerts behind it were well-received, but heated conflicts between Fischer, bassist Martin Eric Ain, and drummer Franco Sesa dissolved the band in 2008. Fischer may have been down, but he was far from out.
Not long after, he formed his current band Triptykon. The group released Eparistera Daimones last year, which was lauded (especially around here) by many as a continuation of Monotheist's strengths and of Fischer's musical legacy. It's more personal than Fischer's other records, largely stemming from his anger towards the way Celtic Frost ended, but that only makes the record heavier. While all the songs are amazing, closer "The Prolonging" is almost 20 minutes of Fischer banishing his enemies to an unspeakable hell and morphing himself into something stronger than all. Weighty, yes, but only he can pull it off.
I spoke with the venerable Fischer about the band's first tour of North America, his composition style, and why most YouTube videos of concerts are terrible.
Crustcake: You recently wrapped up a North American tour. Looking back on it, what was your overall impression of the tour?
Thomas Gabriel Fischer (guitars, vocals. and programming): It was fantastic, it was the first time for Triptykon to North America. I've done many tours of North America with Celtic Frost, and leaving Celtic Frost, I left behind a big vehicle. So I had no idea that Triptykon would ever make it to that point. I had to start from scratch three years ago, and to be given the opportunity to actually go back to the United States and play a full U.S. tour is not something you take for granted when you're a Swiss musician. It's a dream of every Swiss musician to be able to go back [to the U.S.], and another tour with a new band is a huge honor. Fan reactions were astonishing. My assessment of the tour - I'm very honored and it's a huge pleasure to be back on the road.
Crustcake: Were are any particularly memorable shows?
Fischer: The United States is very different than European countries. European countries are very small, so it's one or two cities. You basically assess the entire country, you know the reaction of the country. The United States, on the other hand, is the size of an entire continent. In every city, you have a different reaction because the cities are so far apart. You have widely differing impressions on the North American tour. It's very difficult to pinpoint certain cities that are better, because, I've played hundreds of shows in America. On this recent tour, maybe the most memorable show was San Francisco, simply because there was something magical in the air and it's hard to pinpoint what it was. I think the reaction of the audience - they gave us so much adrenaline, which in turn made us give them so much adrenaline and it just formed a cyclone which lasted for the entire show, which lifted the entire evening up to a very different level. On the other hand, we had some fantastic shows in Montreal, Chicago and Pittsburgh, where we played in a church, which also lifted the entire evening out of the ordinary. There's been many such events, it's very difficult to single out a city or two.
Crustcake: Had any of your bandmates in Triptykon toured the states before?
Fischer: V. Santura, our guitar player, has been the last guitarist for Celtic Frost for some 60 shows from Australia to North America, so he's done it before. Our drummer Norman [Lonhard] and our bassist Vanja [Slajh] - for them, it was their first time in North America, but they've played Japan and all of Europe before, but not in North America.
Crustcake: Do you think they liked it over here?
Fischer: They absolutely loved it. It was very difficult for all of us when the final day of the tour started, because we all wanted to remain on tour. Of course, we're still on the road for this album and we're planning to remain on the road for this album for all of 2011. We are hoping very much to be back next year and do a second leg of U.S. concerts.
Crustcake: Good to hear! One thing I was interested about the tour was that on some nights, Triptykon headlined, and 1349 headlined on others. Was there any reason y'all switched every now and then?
Fischer: The tour was planned as co-headlining from the very beginning. There's absolutely no rivalry between us and 1349. We shared the idea of a joint tour from the very beginning, we agreed from the beginning we would be equal co-headliners, and that's why we rotate every night, so the feeling is very fair. I think it worked very well. Some nights there were probably more 1349 fans and some nights there were more Triptykon fans, so rotating, I think, was the most appropriate thing to do.
Crustcake: About the setlist - there weren't that many Celtic Frost songs. It seemed like a very Triptykon-heavy set. How did you develop the setlist?
Fischer: It was exactly equally divided 50/50 Celtic Frost/Triptykon material. We always go on stage and play exactly 50/50, and that was our intention from the very first day we played with Triptykon at the very first rehearsal. And we also practice like that here in Zurich. We always practice; half of the practice is Celtic Frost and the other half is Triptykon material. These songs are my songs, these songs are very important to me. Each of these songs reflect a certain period in my life, a certain time, a certain emotion. They're personally quite significant for me for one of those reasons, and I really don't want to abandon playing them. For the time being, we will keep it 50/50. Maybe that will change once Triptykon has more albums, we will have more material to choose from. I think the mixture works very well and Triptykon, of course, is also the continuation of Celtic Frost. The band had a different name because it's different people, but in essence, musically and creatively speaking, it is the exact continuation of Celtic Frost. The music I'm creating, the albums I'm creating with Triptykon are exactly what I would have done if Celtic Frost continued to exist.
"The Usurper" Live in Toronto 10/11/10
Crustcake: Another thing I wanted to ask about the live show: I know in the '80s, there weren't as many recordings, but now people record concerts with their cell phones and it'll be on YouTube almost immediately after the concert's over. What do you think about that?
Fischer: It doesn't depend what I think of, it doesn't make a difference. It exists, you can't stop it, you can't influence it. In a way, it's fantastic because there were, actually, a lot of bootlegs in the '80s. I have a million bootlegs from the old days and I have bootlegs for almost every single Celtic Frost show I ever played. But it was much more difficult to get a hold [of bootlegs], you really had to be a collector, you had to contact record stores, you had to write letters to record stores worldwide or to collectors worldwide to obtain these bootlegs. What's really changed that it's much easier to get them nowadays, you can download them or they're streaming or whatever. Every fan worldwide - a fan in China, a fan in India, a fan in America, you can get the bootlegs now within seconds. That's the big difference. For fans in remote countries who might never get the chance to see a band, it's a good thing. If you speak as a musician who is conscious of quality, it's not always a good thing. Not every concert is as good as it should be, there's always technical issues, sometimes there's a bad sound because the venue is not right. There's so many things that can influence what concerts sound like, and not everyone who records bootlegs comes to the show with the proper equipment. Sometimes, these bootlegs sound terrible. As a quality-conscious musician, there's a downside that sometimes a fan who's really eager to hear the band that's never seen the band hears a bootleg that's really shitty. Which is counterproductive, of course, for the fan and the band. It's very difficult to find one conclusive opinion about that.
Crustcake: I've seen some of these YouTube bootlegs that sound like a wall of noise. They sound more like a Merzbow album than a live performance from whatever band's on stage.
Fischer: Absolutely. I mean, most of those standard issue cameras are designed for family home movies for the average joe. The microphones, they're not designed for a wall of noise, they're simply just technically overwhelmed, When somebody attempts to record a metal show, it would probably work with an ambient or electronic music concert, but not with a metal show because the microphones are simply overwhelmed. The value of the bootleg is reduced to nothing. It's like you say, a wall of noise with a picture. What good does it do? Even in the most ideal case, even if it sounds perfect, even in the case of a proper live album, there's always the question of can you capture the essence of a concert? Can you capture that on a recording, even under perfect circumstances? The aura of the concert, I think, most of the time, you can't really capture it.
Crustcake: Definitely. I had the pleasure of seeing Celtic Frost in 2006, and there definitely was a visual element that I don't think could be captured on an audio recording.
Fischer: Celtic Frost and Triptykon's music has a very strong bass characteristic - not just the bass, but also the guitars - that is difficult to capture on a recording. You really have to take good equipment to actually bring them across. If you record it with some cheap microphone on a cell phone or even in a hand camera, you will lose a lot of the heaviness and darkness that is experienced when you stand in the crowd. That's kind of a shame, because that's pretty much the essence of the band, the signature of the band and you can't capture that on cheap equipment.
Crustcake: The Triptykon record was in the Top 5 of Decibel's year end list, and in general, it's been well received. What's your reaction to the album's reception?
Fischer: I feel honored, I feel happy and very humbled. As I said, three years ago when I left Celtic Frost, I knew very well what I was giving up. I was stepping off quite a big ship, probably at the top of its game. I had absolutely no guarantee that I would be able to resurrect my career. The reasons for my exit from Celtic Frost are very complex and I realize that if you don't see behind the scenes, it's probably very difficult for a lot of fans to understand why this happened. So I didn't know what fans would think, if they would give me another chance. We recorded the best album we could do under the circumstance. We were really careful about the quality of the album, we worked very hard on the album, but we had no guarantee whatsoever what the public would think. The fact that the album has been received so overwhelmingly well is a huge relief and a huge honor. I've been in this industry for so many years, to find that fans are still walking this path with me loyally means the world to me. It's the audiences and the media who have made this long path possible for me and that they're still with me after all these years is absolutely amazing.
Crustcake: A lot of the songs on the album are rooted in personal issues you've gone through. Has performing these songs live help you come to terms with these issues?
Fischer: Yeah, very much so, actually. It was hugely therapeutic to actually write these songs and record them, and it still is therapeutic to play songs. Not for a second is there a moment of routine when we perform these songs. I'm always very aware of what I'm singing about in my lyrics and on stage. In the case of Triptykon's songs, it's sometimes quite intense. For example, I was standing on a stage that I played with Celtic Frost a few years ago with the person in question who, in my opinion has ruined Celtic Frost. I'm standing on stage and performing "The Prolonging," which essentially is a huge occult mass inspired by the events. We're standing there and I know I was standing there with that person. It sometimes is, it lifts me up to a different level. It's not an abstract way of performing, it's the opposite, it's an emotional, personal, intimate way of performing. I never forget that aspect, it's very present.
Crustcake: "The Prolonging" is something I wanted to comment on. You repeat "As You Perish, I Shall Live." It's seems as though you're triumphing over your adversaries and what you've gone through.
Fischer: Of course. That's basically the essence of the song. The only difference is that in earlier days, I had to sing about fantasy stories or historical figures to get across such a point. "The Prolonging," of course, is from real life, which renders the impact of the song much more drastic. It's a very different approach.
Crustcake: A lot of bands talk about issues, not always using fantastical elements, but metaphorically, instead of literally.
Fischer: Well, I can't really comment on that. Every person is different. It depends on so many factors - how you grow up, what your circle of friends is, the experiences in your life, and so on. There's so many things that influence what you write and what you're interested in. The older I got, the more I draw from my own life in writing lyrics. When I was a teenager in Hellhammer or in Celtic Frost, I hadn't lived life. Martin [Ain] and I drew very heavily from fantasy stories or from religion or history. Nowadays, the lyrics are far more personal, but as the word implies, it's a very personal process. I can't really comment on how that compares to other bands. Everyone has their own approach, and if anything, people should choose whatever they're best in to make the most authentic lyrics, whatever it might be.
"A Thousand Lies"
Crustcake: Another song that sticks out is "A Thousand Lies," because it's one of the faster songs on the album and you take a more extreme approach on the vocals. I'm curious how that song developed.
Fischer: Well, there's a lot of aggression on the album, of course. There was a lot of aggression bottled up in me due to the way Celtic Frost ended. A lot of positive intention, a lot of good faith was misused, was abused, was betrayed by one of the members of Celtic Frost. Of course, that left me with, at that time, a lot of unresolved issues, a lot of anger, a lot of aggression, and coupled with my love for extreme metal, that yields to a lot of aggressive songs, whether they're fast or not. "A Thousand Lies" is probably the most extreme song on the album, certainly in terms of speed. I love that song, actually. I think it's a very necessary song, both in terms of speed and as far as lyrics are concerned. Again, it's a very authentic song, and it's an important song. We've played it before live, and we don't play it currently, but I think at a certain point we should add it back into our repertoire for next year. I really think this song is very essential for us. Another small part of the story of the song is I wanted to sing so radical and so extreme on Celtic Frost's last album, but there was a lot objection against that. The others didn't want me to sing so heavy so I didn't, but in Triptykon, everybody's happy to hear me sing so heavy, and I'm happy about it of course too. I feel kind of unleashed and I love that freedom to sing in any way I deem correct.
Crustcake: Were there any songs in particular on Monotheist that you wanted to use that vocal style on?
Fischer: There was different takes on several songs on the album with heavier lyrics. We compared the different versions, and unfortunately in most cases, I was voted down. I did several versions of most of the songs, and I guess the others weren't prepared for so much heaviness. I don't know, it's a matter of perception.
Crustcake: Another song that's interesting is "Myopic Empire," with the piano break in the middle. How did you come up with that song?
Fischer: If you listen to my music since the formation of Celtic Frost, I love to play with vastly different sections of music within the same song. It doesn't always have to be a different instrument. I love, for example, radical tempo changes. I love going into very slow parts, add a fast part and so on. I simply love the changes of mood - there's almost a flash of ADD symptoms. I know it's in fashion nowadays, but when I was a child in the 1970s, it was a disease that was not recognized and certainly not treated. I suffered from it when I was in school, and I was never treated for it. I have sometimes wondered why I have this urge to keep changing a song, in the song. Sometimes, I wonder if this is not a factor of once having had ADD. It's hard for me to focus on something that remains stagnant, I lose interest very quickly if something remains stagnant. Maybe psychologically speaking, that's why some of my songs have radical changes in them. That's why I approach songs with a desire for rapidly or radically changing moods. But I don't know if this is an accurate assessment. Of course, adding a piano was even more drastic because it's a completely different approach to music. I was really curious to see what it would sound like.
Crustcake: What was it about the songs on the new EP, Shatter, that prompted them to be released separately?
Fischer: Well for us, these songs were never separate from the entire body of material that Triptykon wrote. We made a very thorough pre-production and we abandoned all the songs we felt we didn't want to record way before we went to the studio. Once we entered the studio, we recorded the songs we felt needed to be released. The album as it is was already very long, and we didn't want to cram any more material on it. It would have been excessive, it was already excessive as it is and it would have been more excessive had we put all these songs on. So even before the album was out, we decided to release an EP. We recorded these songs to be released, not to be lying around on the studio floor. Of course, it's completely voluntary to buy an EP or not. Either you're a fan of the band, you want it or you don't, but for us in the band, these songs are very essential - no more, no less essential than the rest of the material on the album. For example, "Shatter," to me personally, is a very important song. Musically, I find it one of the most interesting songs Triptykon has recorded so far. I'm very happy that those who want to listen will have a chance to get these songs now.
"Shatter"
Crustcake: About "Shatter," the video for that song is very interesting. How did it come about?
Fischer: It's a concept I've had in my head for a long time and I've always been deeply impressed by German expressionism of the early 20th century. Graphic design, for example, or the movies filmed in the early 20th century. I've taken certain elements of certain expressionism, and kind developed them in Triptykon, at least the logo of the band. Certain visual elements - we expanded them into the video clip, and we were very lucky to find a director who shared that vision and worked with us in Germany on shooting that video.
Crustcake: Do you think music videos are still a relevant medium, now that MTV doesn't show videos and Youtube seems to be the primary outlet for them?
Fischer: Actually I think they're more relevant than ever. MTV never gave a shit about heavy metal, just because they had a metal show once a week for like an hour doesn't mean they really cared for metal. That show was pushed to like a late-night - for most of its existence, MTV catered to the masses and not to the metal scene. They didn't give a shit. The heavier the band, the less likely it would ever be played on MTV. Nowadays, they cannot dictate us in the metal scene, what we have to listen to, nowadays everyone can decide on their own, All the metal fans, we now have access to any video want to see. We can see all the videos from our favorite bands, we can see videos from bands we are curious about. It's up to us now, we have taken away the dictatorship of commercial industry. So I think videos are more relevant than ever. Albums are no longer being bought, so how else are you gonna assess what a band sounds like and then looks like? MTV won't play it, so you go on youtube and you see a band, you see a condensed version of a band, and at least that's a good starting point. It gives you an idea of whether you should check this band out, if you should go to a concert, what this band is all about, what they express. So yes, I think videos are more relevant than ever. If anything, the age of mass media is more visual than media's even been, since it existed.
Crustcake: Should bands be more conscious of how they present themselves visually?
Fischer: Well, I think bands should have always been conscious about that aspect, even before MTV. I think the visual aspect of bands is extremely important. If you call yourself an artist, why limit yourself? The visual gives you an additional platform to express yourself, to bring your message across, to spread the band to the audience, just like in the songs you write, you have the music as a level, you have the lyrics as a level, and there you've been given the gift of a visual side as an additional level. Work on it as diligently as you do on everything else in the band. I think it's an extremely important aspect as long as it's not cheap or just for commercial use. As long as it obviously represents the band, I think it's very important, absolutely.
Crustcake: Going back to the EP, one of the songs, "Crucifixus," is this dark ambient piece. How did that song come into existence?
Fischer: It's from a cycle of songs that I wrote a long time - we finished Celtic Frost's last album in the fall of 2005. I wrote a cycle of about five songs that are all in that kind of style. I tried to bring across darkness and certain lyrical aspects in a completely different way than they usually do it in metal bands. I realize, I fully realize that some fans will connect with that song and some fans won't, some fans will love it and some fans will find only critical words for it. But it was an attempt, it was an experiment. Sometimes you fail with experiments, sometimes you won't. I wanted to try it. It's become a very important part of Triptykon, the song "Crucifixus," it's something we feel represents us as much as every other song. It's also played at every Triptykon show.
Crustcake: Do you think Triptykon will develop any more ambient pieces like that?
Fischer: I don't know if it's an ambient piece like that, but the door is always widely open in Triptykon for any kind of experiments, just like it was in Celtic Frost. As I've said, Triptykon is a musical continuation of Celtic Frost, it's well established that Celtic Frost didn't establish any limits with - whatever there is in Celtic Frost, and I would like to continue that. As a musician, I don't see why I should be forced to censor myself. Normal society is already about censorship and not allowing certain things. Heavy metal is a revolution against that, so why would I censor myself within heavy metal? I'm a musician, music is an art form, and art is not about censoring yourself. Art is about taking risks sometimes, not just scratching the surface and not playing the safe card. I'm definitely going to continue experimenting with Triptykon, no matter what it's gonna be. We will always remain heavy, the core of our work will always remain dark and heavy, so I think it's absolutely permissible to be a little experimental and on the fringe.
"The Prolonging"
Crustcake: You've played heavy metal for almost 30 years. What has kept you interested in metal?
Fischer: It's the music that I'm passionate about, ever since I was 10 years old, I've been listening to this music. This music I can identify with most intently. I listen to a lot of different forms of music, but no music has had the impact that heavy rock had in my life. There's been ups and downs, there's been moments in my life where I really needed a break because I've been listening to it for so long, but I can honestly say no other music had had such a relevance in my life throughout all these years. I recognize myself within this music and it's my passion. It's not a job to me, it's not a routine. I've been as passionate about this music [as] I've ever felt, and I can't see any change coming.
Crustcake: Why is it important for you to keep up with what's going on now in metal?
Fischer: Once you stop doing that, you're basically dying. That doesn't just go for heavy metal, it goes for life in general, it applies to every human being. Once you stop living your life in the now, you might as well check out. You're admitting that you're getting old. I am extremely vital in my life, I'm full of energy, rage, and interest in all kinds of things. I'm a news junkie, both in history, politics, as well as in music. I want to know what kind of world I'm living in, in all these levels. Once that stops, it's time to check out. But right now, it doesn't stop, quite on the contrary. As long as I feel like that - that I'm honestly interested in all these things, I think I will remain relevant. Once it stops, I'm no longer relevant and I have no place in music.
Crustcake: Do you have any last comments you'd like to make?
Fischer: I would just like to say thank you again. Connecting to an earlier answer, I feel extremely honored and thankful to be granted to still be doing this and to have so many fans who support me, who have gone this path with me so loyally. I don't take this for granted, I try to work very hard to give something in return and I just want to thank the people for their loyalty.
ICEAGE USHER IN 'NEW BRIGADE'
With their bloody, occult imagery and opaque post-performance-art presentation, Copenhagen's Iceage are like the OFWGKTA gang if they were into Joy Division, Big Black and Wire. I haven't been this excited about a punk band in a long time. Their new LP, New Brigade, is available here.
February 23, 2011
PROFOUND LORE RECORDS ANNOUNCES SXSW SHOWS
One of the best labels in metal today, Profound Lore Records, will be one of the many trying to get their voice heard at the behemoth known as SXSW. With the two shows on March 19 they've recently announced, they demand your full attention.
In the day time, they'll be holding it down with Brooklyn Vegan at Lovejoys (which is a great bar any time of year). Profound Lore acts Castevet (pictured above), Dark Castle, and Grayceon will play, as well as Wolvhammer, Tombs, Deafheaven, The Body, Altaar and Batillus. A feeling of trepidation came over me as I typed this, thinking "Is the public ready for all those bands in one place?" Just recently, we speculated if having Batillus and The Body together in one place would cause massive destruction. But you know what? The public is ready for such an amazing lineup. I trust our readers.
Continue reading for some fliers, videos and info on the night time show.
When the night falls, Profound Lore will move over to Valhalla, formerly Room 710. Castevet, Grayceon, Altaar, and Wolvhammer will also play this showcase, in addition to a Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Bloodiest, Circle of Animals) solo set and performances from Profound Lore bands Ken Mode and Slough Feg. Whatever your opinion might be Mike Scalzi's columns on Invisible Oranges, Slough Feg put one one of the best live shows in metal and should not be missed. All in all, Chris Bruni knows how to stack them.
In addition, Profound Lore bands Agalloch, Yob, Worm Ouroboros, and Amber Asylum will be playing the Nanotear showcase on March 17th at the Barbarella patio. 
Castevet - "Gray Matter" Live at Europa, NYC, 4/18/10
Slough Feg - "Hiberno-Latin Invasion" Live at Keep it True V 11/5/05
Grayceon - "It Begins and So It Ends" Live at Barroselas Metalfest XIII 4/29/10
Agalloch - "The Watcher's Monolith" Live at Berbati's Pan, Portland, Oregon 12/17/10
The Body - "A Curse"
GOD DETHRONED ... DETHRONED
God Dethroned are no more; or at least will cease to be come December 2011. The Dutch heathen poets who brought us lines like "I'm gonna shoot you from real close/I'm the serpent king" have had enough of the touring lifestyle and will play their last show at the Eindhoven Metal Meeting in Holland.
"For a Nihilist, nothing is at least something," said frontman Henri Sattler. "We could have spent another year in a tour bus because the amount of offers was endless, but I just don't feel like touring anymore. People told me to take a break for a year or maybe two, but as I'm an 'all or nothing at all' type of person, I decided to call it quits."
They might not have broken much new ground, but there was some good and groovy Christ-raping in their early career. The last two albums, the WWI-themed Passiondale and Under The Sign Of The Iron Cross, definitely took things up a notch with more cohesive and challenging song-writing. Will this break-up last? Will there be more projects in the future? How do you dethrone something if you believe in nothing? We'll have to wait and see...
MONARCH TOURING AUSTRALIA WITH UNEARTHLY TRANCE AND EAGLE TWIN
Photo by Fred Pessaro
Australian readers! Are you out there?
French doom group Monarch, known for their suffocating riffs and frontwoman Emilie Bresson, are heading down under for a round of shows beginning on Friday in Melbourne. Joining Monarch on this tour are Richard MacManus of Grey Daturas on second guitar and Rob Shaffer of Dark Castle on drums. Shaffer did some dates with Monarch on their recent US tour, including the infamous show with Tinsel Teeth Ilya reviewed. Coming along are two of America's best doom acts: Salt Lake City's Eagle Twin (who will be playing SXSW) and New York's Unearthly Trance (who we've covered plenty). The coral reefs aren't gonna know what hit them once this tour gets going! They may even see the dudes from Sadistik Exekution fishing, making neoclassical albums, playing bass lightning fast and being all around sadistic.
Get the full scoop after the jump.
Monarch, Unearthly Trance and Eagle Twin 2011 Australian tourFriday Feb. 25th: Melbourne @ Hi Fi Bar w/ Marco Fusinato / Robin Fox light show & sounds
Saturday Feb. 26th: Adelaide @ Fowlers w/ Spacebong
Sunday Feb. 27th: Geelong @ National Hotel w/ Face On Fire and Lamort
Monday Feb. 28th: Melbourne @ Arthouse (Eagle Twin only)
Tuesday Mar. 1st: Melbourne @ Arthouse (Unearthly Trance only)
Thursday Mar. 3rd: Canberra @ ANU w/ Iron Lung (USA) & 4 Dead
Friday Mar. 4th: Sydney @ Manning Bar w/ Summunus
Saturday Mar. 5th: Brisbane @ Hi Fi Ballroom w/ No Anchor
Sunday Mar. 6th: Melbourne @ Arthouse (Monarch only) w/ Thrall, Dead + special guests
Monarch live at Cake Shop, NYC 11/12/10
Unearthly Trance - "Decrepitude" Live at Willemeen, Arnhem, The Netherlands 4/5/09
Eagle Twin Live at Ken Sanders Rare Books, Salt Lake City, UT
CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: STEVE VAI FEAT. DEVIN TOWNSEND - 'IN MY DREAMS WITH YOU'
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 Andrew Wilhelm (TX)
This is not for the faint of heart.
In the early '90s, guitar virtuoso Steve Vai recruited drummer and fellow Frank Zappa alum Terry Bozzio, bassist T.M. Stevens, and a then-unknown Devin Townsend to play on Sex and Religion. One of the singles from the album was "In My Dreams With You," which Vai co-wrote with Roger Greenawalt and Desmond Child. Mr. Child is well known for putting the pop in pop-rock, with songwriting and/or production credits also including Kiss' "I Was Made For Loving You," Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," and Aerosmith's "Angel." This song is plenty poppy, but that's not the issue here. It's the video that defines "it's so bad, it's so good."
It starts with what appears, and sounds, like Townsend experiencing an orgasm. The video only gets wronger from there. Vai with dreadlocks and a five o'clock shadow? Townsend wearing a Neil Peart hat? A bust of Vai getting smashed? Stevens and Bozzio had left the band at this point because of infighting during the recording sessions for Sex, so Vai recruited two session musicians to fill their place for the video. The bassist is not offensive, but the drummer makes a statement with that vest-no-shirt combo of his. I wish I could get him for my band!
Now, I know I shouldn't be ripping on these people cause they're all very talented, and everyone makes mistakes, but fuck it, you have to see it to believe it:
February 22, 2011
KRALLICE ANNOUNCE RELEASE DATE FOR DIOTIMA
One of the most anticipated records of this year has an official release date. One of Colin Marston's bands, the black metallers from Jay Z's hometown Krallice, have finished riffing, mixing and mastering their third full-length, Diotima. The record will hit shelves and the interwebz officially on April 26. Click the jump for the album cover, track listing and an mp3 of the track "The Clearing."
1. -
An MP3 of the track "The Clearing" can be heard here
2. Inhume
3. The Clearing
4. Diotima
5. Litany Of Regrets
6. Telluric Rings
7. Dust and Light
RISE AND FALL TO RECORD NEW ALBUM, TOUR WITH MASAKARI
Deathwish Inc.'s Rise and Fall are about to head back to the studio to record a follow-up to 2009's Our Circle Is Vicious. The band plans to record at Godcity with master knob-twister Kurt Ballou in early March. Rise and Fall will be getting their hands dirty before and after the recording by touring Europe and then the U.S. with Crustcake fav Masakari. Peep the jump for tour dates and a quote from the band about the upcoming recording.
Rise And Fall say:We're in the process of writing a new record and contrary to past writing experiences where, unfortunately, the comparison with 'some kind of monster' came to mind more than once, this time around the experience is actually an inspiring and really creative one. Together with our new drummer Wim, who is now a full time member of Rise And Fall, we have written a great deal of songs and the record is slowly coming together in our heads. Early March we are doing preproduction and early May we will enter the infamous Godcity studio in Salem, MA with Kurt Ballou to record our 4th full length album.
RISE AND FALL EUROPEAN TOUR02/19 - Geneva, CH @ Les Caves de Versoix
RISE AND FALL U.S. TOUR WITH MASAKARI
02/26 - St.Petersburg, RUS @ V-Club
02/27 - Moscow, RUS @ AktZal w/ Rearranged
03/11 - Utrecht, NL @ ACU w/ This Routine Is Hell
04/22 - Brussels, BEL @ M4 w/ Pentagram05/08/2011 Providence, RI @ Club Hell
05/09/2011 Albany, NY @ Bogies
05/10/2011 Garden City, NY @ Ethical Humanist Society
05/11/2011 Baltimore, MD @ Charm City
05/12/2011 Richmond, VA @ Warehouse
05/13/2011 Philadelphia, PA @ Broad Street Ministry
05/14/2011 NYC, NY @ TBD
February 21, 2011
IMMORTAL'S DEMONAZ TO RELEASE MARCH OF THE NORSE ON APRIL 1
Norwegian musician Harald Nævda, better known as Demonaz, stopped playing guitar with Immortal in 1997 due to a hand injury, but he never technically left the band. He still wrote a good part of the group's lyrics - no small component of Immortal's grim and frostbitten aesthetic - and participated in interviews. So while he remains in the shadows, Demonaz is still a big part of the band. Now he's branching into making music on his own, as his solo debut March of the Norse will be released on April 1 through Nuclear Blast, also the current label of Immortal. From what I've heard so far, there's a strong influence from Bathory's Viking-metal era. Nothing wrong with that.
Demonaz wrote all the music and lyrics and sings on this release. He got Immortal's Abbath on bass, former Immortal drummer Armagedda, and Enslaved guitarist Ice Dale to play on the record. Essentially, it's a reunion of the Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism lineup plus Dale. Abbath, Dale, and Armagedda also played on the I record Between Two Worlds, which was made while Immortal were inactive. Demonaz contributed lyrics to that as well.
Check out a tracklist, the cover, and a couple songs after the jump. Immortal are currently in the States doing a limited run of dates with Texas warlocks Absu. Those remaining dates will also be available below.
01. Northern Hymn
"Over the Mountains"
02. All Blackened Sky
03. March Of The Norse
04. A Son Of The Sword
05. Where Gods Once Rode
06. Under The Great Fires
07. Over The Mountains
08. Ode To Battle
09. Legends Of Fire And Ice
10. Dying Sun (bonus track)
"Under the Dying Sun"
All Shall Fall U.S.A. 2011Feb. 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre
Feb. 22 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
Feb. 24 - Denver, CO - Summit Theatre
Feb. 26 - San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live
February 18, 2011
KILLING JOKE ADDED TO CHAOS IN TEJAS
Well, this makes up for losing Curren$y.
Austin people: your dreams of seeing "Wardance" performed live will come true soon. Killing Joke has just been confirmed for Chaos in Tejas, who were clearly not content with just having the already unfuckwithable Autopsy and Converge on board. Since Inquisition aren't returning for another round, somebody's gotta represent the corpse paint, and who better than Jaz Coleman himself? We know we hype this fest quite a bit, but dude. Killing Joke. Seriously. And you get to party with 2/5 of the Crustcake Crew. It is impossible to hate on this.
Other recent additions to the fest are Austin's very own Mammoth Grinder and Minneapolis punks Off With Their Heads. Full lineup after the jump.
Acephalix
Allo Darlin' (England)
The Arrivals
Asta Kask (Sweden)
Autopsy (only U.S. show of 2011)
Balmorhea
Bone Sickness
Career Suicide
Ceremony
Cheap Time
Chinese Telephones
Converge
Crazy Spirit
Criaturas
Cult of Youth
D-Clone (japan)
Dillinger Four
Doom (England)
Double Negative
Extortion (Australia)
F.Y.P. (reunion)
Free Spirit
Fucked Up (Canada)
Guitar Wolf (Japan)
Hatred Surge
Hooded Menace (Finland)
Innumerable Forms
Isterismo (japan)
Katey Red
Kieltolaki (Finland)
Killing Joke
Kriegshog (Japan...last show ever)
Larm (Holland..1st U.S. show ever)
Low Threat Profile (ex Spazz/No Comment)
Lower Dens
Mammoth Grinder
The Marked Men
Miasmal (sweden)
Milk Music
Mind Eraser
The Mind Spiders
Nerveskade
Night Birds
No Statik
Nukkehammer
Off with their Heads
Omar Souleyman (Syria)
Omegas (Canada)
Oneohtrix Point Never
Origin of M (japan)
Perdition
Rampage
Reigning Sound
Rival Mob
See You In Hell (Czech)
Seein Red (Holland)
Shitstorm
The Shitty Limits
The Slowmotions (Japan)
Spazm 151
The Spits
Teargas (Australia)
Textbook Committee
This is My Fist
Title Fight
Touche Amore
Toys that Kill
Tragedy
Unbroken
Undergang (Denmark)
Underground Railroad to Candyland
Unholy Two
Universal Order of Armageddon
Urban Blight (Canada)
Vaaska
Veins (only show ever...)
Vile Gash
White Fence (members of Darker My Love)
Xibalba (Mexico)
Youth Of Today (reunion)
"Eighties" Live on The Tube 1984
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NEW CAKE IN THE OVEN: EARTH - ANGELS OF DARKNESS, DEMONS OF LIGHT I
by Van Damned (TX)
The tale of Seattle drone doom legends Earth is that of two bands: the grungy, black-tar-heroin middle finger raised in protest to the confines and conventions of heavy metal and the sober, august expression of a man who's lived through Hell and survived. That man, guitarist Dylan Carlson, is the defining force and sole constant member of Earth -- an elder statesman steering one of the heaviest ships in modern music. While Earth's latter incarnation has eschewed distortion and grime in favor of keys, strings and horns, Carlson's commitment to tone and riff remain undeniably unchanged.
Their newest missive, Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I, part one in a two-part series, is out Feb. 22 via Southern Lord. It is, if you can believe it, a further distillation of their new sound, with Carlson delving deeper into the glacial drift of melodic twang, creaking, insistent rhythm and tone for fucking days.
Angels is, no doubt about it, very much a new Earth album. It's sparse and sprawling. Where 2005's Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method -- Carlson's first after a nine-year hiatus -- was brittle, Angels is much warmer and smoother, thanks, in no small part, to the sinuous moans spun by cellist Lori Goldstein (Nirvana, David Byrne), who lends the re-vamped Earth lineup a more studied, chamber-ready air. And where 2008's The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull was almost lush by Earth standards, Angels hearkens back to the Hex's windswept desert blues and even further back to Tinariwen, Morricone and Jodorowsky.
photo by Sarah Barrick
What isn't as immediate, to me, anyway, is the British folk that Carlson's been citing in recent interviews. I guess the prancing, courtly melodies of Comus or Pentangle are there, just slowed to Earth's typical tectonic crawl. The seven-minute, 33-second "Descent to the Zenith," for instance, is like a cowboy ballet performed underwater, a languid dance of diminishing returns.
"Hell's Winter," on the other hand, is a dark and droning march across a sun-blasted basin. Yes, "cinematic" is a word that gets tossed around when discussing Earth. Yes, it's appropriate. The righteous Todd DePalma once said, in regards to the images of 19th-century cowboys, American Indians and hardscrabble settlers that adorn Hex, that Earth's music acts as "an eidetic narrative to these worn and stoic environs." He used a 10-dollar word, but he's not wrong.
It is interesting, given the connection between Hex's black-and-white photography and Bees' gorgeous Arik Roper skull-and-flowers, to note Stacey Rozich's willfully esoteric illustration that adorns Angels. It's colorful and bold and oblique in the way that really gnarly psychedelic construction paper art is. I am, as ususal, looking forward to what kind of rich vinyl treatment it will get from Southern Lord.
All of the above is praise, to be sure. But it's tempered with the knowledge that we're going to get Part 2 of this collection later this year. I'm not withholding too much judgment, though. Carlson is a living genius and Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II, if it's anything like its predecessor, will be utterly brilliant.
BATILLUS ANNOUNCE TOUR WITH HULL
A couple of weeks ago, we said that NY juggernauts Batillus were headed down to the southern reaches of the country with fellow New Yawkers Hull. Sadly, even though we've been bowing down to Furnace, we had no concrete dates to report then. But today is your lucky day, because now we do! They'll be doing shows throughout the Northeast and mostly the Southern U.S. with U.S. Christmas, Pack of Wolves as part of SXSW, The Body...
Wait, THE BODY? O))) snap! Can people handle that much vibration? Maybe they should engage in a doom metal cage match. Sure, a 4-on-2 fight might not be even, those Providence boys can sure hold their own. Should Batillus survive a theoretical cage match, they'll head back up North to conclude their tour with a NY show with Horseback.
Full dates below.
Batillus / Hull 2011 Spring TourFri 3/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie w/ Ominous Black
Sat 3/12 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter w/ U.S. Christmas, Balaclava
Sun 3/13 – Johnson City, TN @ Hideaway w/ U.S. Christmas
Mon 3/14 – Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music w/ The Body
Fri 3/18 – SXSW – Austin, TX @ Triple Crown Tattoo w/ Pack of Wolves, Mutilation Rites
Sat 3/19 – SXSW – Austin, TX @ Lovejoy’s – Brooklyn Vegan / Profound Lore Showcase *
Sat 3/19 – SXSW – Austin, TX @ Shiner Bar w/ Pack of Wolves, Mutilation Rites
Mon 3/21 – New Orleans, LA @ 2227 St. Claude w/ The Body, Whitehorse
Tue 3/22 – Nashville, TN @ Little Hamilton Collective w/ Mose Giganticus, Sacaea
Wed 3/23 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Reservoir w/ Caltrop
Thu 3/24 – Baltimore, MD @ Sidebar w/ Caltrop, Billows
Fri 3/25 – Montclair, NJ @ Meatlocker w/ Caltrop
Sat 3/26 – New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall w/ Horseback, Caltrop
* no Hull
"Uncreator" Live at The Cake Shop, NYC, 9/18/10
February 17, 2011
SANFORD PARKER, COLIN MARSTON TALK PRODUCTION, GEAR, METAL
Producers can make or break an album. The right one can do everything from highlighting nuanced elements of a band's performance and eliciting tone and depth from an amp setup to cementing an iconic sound for an already iconic band. The wrong one ... well, we've all heard the sonic abortion that was St. Anger. Two of-the-moment producers who decidedly fall in the former category are New York's Colin Marston and Chicago's Sanford Parker. Between the two, the multi-hyphenate talents play in nearly a dozen bands and have turned knobs and faders for more than a hundred artists.
Two video interviews have recently* hit the web wherein both talk about the tools they use and the approach they take toward making and producing truly outstanding heavy metal records.
Take a look.
Colin Marston (Dysrhythmia, Krallice, Gorguts -- or "Gore Guts," as the dumb video editor wrote) gives Scion A/V a tour of his Menegroth, The Thousand Caves studio in Queens, NY. Marston is youthful and serious in only the way an NYU music technology graduate can be. Mega gear porn alert, as Marston shows off his analog and digital decks, 12-string Warr guitar and isolation booths. Kickass music festivals be damned, Scion are still a bunch of wangs because they don't allow embeds, so click here for the video.
Sanford Parker (Minsk, Nachtmystium, Twilight, Buried at Sea), on the other hand, has a totally different approach to production and music making. In his interview with The Huffington Post's Mark Bazer, he admits to not being that into "the technical aspects" of heavy metal production, instead favoring "vibe," "feeling" and "atmospheric texture." His dry (the funny kind, not the boring kind) and laid-back personality give the impression of a seasoned veteran, but one that is still very much plugged in to -- and thrilled by -- what he's doing.
In that, both Parker and Marston are alike: they clearly love doing what they do. That they get paid to do it is something to be jealous of.
*Marston's was posted in November 2010, but it just came to my attention and is still worth a look.
LITURGY TO RELEASE AESTHETICA MAY 10, NEW SONGS AVAILABLE NOW
The "are they or aren't they" speculation is about to boil over again. This has nothing to do with any Hollywood would-be couples - it's about whether Brooklyn's Liturgy are metal or not. The transcendental black metal group will release Aesthetica through Thrill Jockey on May 10. Thrill Jockey, you say? Trust me, it'd be much weirder if their album was put out by Nuclear War Now!, Hell's Headbangers, Iron Pegasus, or another "true metal" label.
Thrill Jockey's Soundcloud has put up two songs from Aesthetica, "Returner" and an edit of "High Gold." Both are...perkier than Liturgy's already "high on life" material. Hunter's infamous essay on Transcendental Black Metal will also be released as a book limited to 151 copies. You can pre-order it on Handmade Birds, a label and distro run by R. Loren of Pyramids/White Moth/Sailors With Wax Wings.
Check out album art, what album it resembles, and live dates below.
Aesthetica album art
Slayer - God Hates Us All censored cover
Liturgy 2011 Live Dates2/26 285 N. Kent Ave. - Brooklyn, NY
3/10 Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY w/ The Ex
3/11 Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA w/ The Ex
3/17 Scoot Inn - Austin, TX @ Converse and Thrasher's Death Match w/ Zoroaster, The Body, Weedeater, Trash Talk
3/18 Emo's - Austin, TX w/ White Hills, Pontiak
3/20 Club Dada - Dallas, TX @ Bro Fest w/ The Body, White Hills, Wild Flag, The Secret, The Funeral Pyre, Owen Hart, Deafheaven and more
3/21 Revolution Music Room - Little Rock, AK w/ White Hills
3/22 Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center - St. Louis, MO w/ White Hills
3/23 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL w/ White Hills
3/24 Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH w/ White Hills
4/2 Fordham University - Bronx, NY w/ Oneida
Live at The Acheron, NYC, 12/3/10
THE CRUSTCAST: EPISODE 6 - DOOMRIDERS LIVE IN BROOKLYN 2.12.11
Doomriders
When: Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011
Where: Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY
With: Unearthly Trance, Sweet Cobra
Crustcast episode6 by crustcake
In our effort to bring you more of The Crustcast, we've decided to start trying some new formats. Episode 6 brings you the immediate reactions of theseseans and ill! ya? during Doomriders' headlining show at Union Pool. We also enlist the help of audience member Rachel Brown from New York's own Archon.
This is by far our shortest episode, clocking in at just over 11 minutes. As always, please let us know what you think in the comments. We are planning to do more of these show reviews/shorter episodes, hopefully with some actual show audio next time.
To subscribe to the crustcast through your favorite feed, go here.
Read more for a list of the song clips and a mini-review, and be sure to listen to the very end for info on Episode 7!
Song Clips used:Sweet Cobra - "Brux"
Thanks to Rachel for randomly doing this completely spur of the moment. Archon will be bringing their doom to Lit Lounge on Monday, Feb. 21, alongside Bassoon, Vultus and Deep In Vein. Go check it out! Support local metal and Precious Metal's Metal Mondays.
Unearthly Trance - "Headless / Heartless" (His Hero Is Gone Cover)
Doomriders - "Come Alive"
Sweet Cobra drummer Jason Gagovski also told us about a split coming in May from Sweet Cobra and Doomriders. The 7" split will feature Doomriders covering "Girl You Want" and Sweet Cobra covering "Gates of Steel" by Devo. Kurt Ballou (Converge) recorded and mixed the Doomriders song and Allen Epley and Eric Abert (both of The Life And Times) recorded and mixed the Sweet Cobra song. Look for this via Hawthrone Street Records.
Sweet Cobra had a fun -- though not particularly memorable -- set of heavy rock'n'roll. Little flourishes of Big Business (good) and Pelican (not good). Their last song, "Leviathan," got the crowd moving. It should have been first.
Unearthly Trance had mammoth sound, teeth-grinding intensity and a sick cover of His Hero is Gone's "Headless/Heartless." New York's finest.
Doomriders' set was complete chaos, with crowdsurfers, dancing, fists in the air and sing-alongs. Killer band, crowd and show. As sad as I am to have missed Scott Kelly at Mercury Lounge, I'm glad I made it to this one.
All written review text and photos by Ilya Blokh
February 16, 2011
CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: DEATH - "FLESH AND THE POWER IT HOLDS" LIVE 1998
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 Andrew Wilhelm (TX)
Yesterday, Relapse reissued Death's final album, The Sound of Perseverance. If you are inclined to purchase it, you can do so here. Originally released by Nuclear Blast in 1998, the record took an even harder turn towards progressive metal, and the last couple albums preceding that were already quite removed from the rawer approach on Scream Bloody Gore. Chuck Schuldiner had signed to Nuclear Blast intending to begin his new project, the even more progressive-oriented Control Denied, but the label wanted one last Death album, so this compromise accounts for a lot of the album's sound. Aside from a god-awful cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller," Perseverance is a damned great coda. In honor, here's a performance of "Flesh and the Power it Holds" from that album. It makes a great compliment to the stellar Death oral history in the latest Decibel (who knew Rick Rozz's real name is Frederick DeLillo? Maybe he's related to Don.) Enjoy.
PENTAGRAM RELEASING LAST RITES IN APRIL, PLAYING SXSW
Bobby's back! (And Victor, too.)
Pentagram's long-awaited new album, Last Rites, will be released April 12 via Metal Blade Records. The doom legends' last album of new material was 2004's Show 'em How, which had Internal Void backing Bobby. This is also the first album that singer Bobby Liebling and guitarist Victor Griffin have released together since Pentagram's 1994 classic, Be Forewarned. Will it live up to the trio of Liebling/Griffin monuments? We'll find out in a couple months.
And while you may already be sick of SXSW news, according to Haunting the Chapel, Pentagram will be playing the Shinebox/Thrasher showcase on March 19 at the Scoot Inn with Eyehategod, Naam, Cough, Ancient VVisdom, and Primitive Weapons. Looks like Mike IX needs to start shopping for pink denim pants if he's gonna upstage Liebling.
Check out a track listing and album art below. Also, is that live album recorded in Chicago ever gonna get released?
01. Treat Me Right
"All Your Sins" Live at The Rock, Copenhagen, Denmark 10/1/09
02. Call the Man
03. Into the Ground
04. 8
05. Everything's Turning to Night
06. Windmills and Chimes
07. American Dream
08. Walk in Blue Light
09. Horseman
10. Death in 1st Person
11. Nothing Left
BLACK BREATH ANNOUNCE SPRING DATES, RECORDING PLANS
Looks like the dates that Seattle filth-punks Black Breath are sharing with Ken Mode are part of a larger attack on the central and eastern parts of the Lower 48. Beginning with the much vaunted Scion Rock Fest in Pomona, Calif., Black Breath will take their buzz-sawed Entombed-core through places like New York, Chicago and Toledo, then back down through Kentucky, Kansas City and Denver. We also hear that somewhere in the middle of all these dates, the five-piece will again be holing up in Kurt Ballou's God City Studios to record the follow-up to 2010's much-debated-over Heavy Breathing. Sounds like a (death)rockin' good time!
Confirmed dates after the jump.
Black Breath - Spring 2011 Tour:3/05 The Glass House - Pomona, CA @ Scion Rock Fest
3/16 Albion House - Chicago, IL
3/17 Revolution - Toledo, OH
3/18 Sugar City - Buffalo, NY
3/19 PA's Lounge - Boston, MA
4/02 The Studio At Webster Hall - New York, NY w/ Ken Mode
4/03 Warren Legion Hall - Warren, NJ w/ Ken Mode
4/04 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA w/ Ken Mode
4/05 Chestnut House - Louisville, KY
4/06 Fubar Lounge - St. Louis, MO
4/07 Scion Lab - Kansas City, MO
4/08 Blast O Mat - Denver, CO
February 15, 2011
KEN MODE RELEASING VENERABLE, MASSIVE TOUR DESERVES RESPECT TOO
2011 is shaping up to be the year of muscular and noisy hardcore/metal aberrations. With new releases from Young Widows, Trap Them, and Engineer, I'm stoked to get my chaotic and dirty groove on.
Another noisecore band releasing a record are Winnipeg's KEN mode. Venerable will be released by Profound Lore March 15, just a few days after the band heads out on a massive North American tour (including multiple SXSW performances!) with fellow countrymen and noise-mongers Fuck the Facts and Vilipend as well as the Boss Death Metal pedal enthusiasts Black Breath.
Check out two of the songs from Venerable over at Invisible Oranges and Brooklyn Vegan and figure out just how many of the tour dates you'll be able to make after the jump.
KEN MODE SPRING TOUR WITH FUCK THE FACTS, BLACK BREATH AND VILIPEND3/11 Sioux Falls, SD Latitude 44
* with Vilipend
3/12 Denver, CO Blast-O-Mat
3/14 Dallas, TX TBA
3/15 San Antonio, TX The 1011
3/16-18 Austin, TX SXSW
3/19 Austin, TX Profound Lore SXSW Showcase
3/20 Kansas City, MO Scion Lab
3/21 Champaign IL Dan Aykroyd's House
3/22 Windsor, ON Coach & Horses3/23 Hamilton, ON - Casbah*
3/24 Toronto, ON Garrison*
3/25 Ottawa, ON Cafe Dekcuf
3/26 Quebec City, QC Le Scanner
3/27 Montreal, QC Katacombes
3/28 Sherbrooke, QC Bar Le Magog
3/29 Burlington, VT 242 Main
3/30 Boston, MA O'Brians Pub
3/31 Syracuse, NY TBA
4/1 Long Island, NY Ethical Humanist Society
4/2 NYC, NY Webster Hall^
4/3 Brick, NJ Bricktown Moose Lodge ^
4/4 Richmond, VA Strange Matter ^
4/5 Greensboro, NC TBA
4/6 Savannah, GA TBA
4/7 Gainesville, FL TBA
4/8 Tampa, FL Transitions Art Gallery
4/9 Orlando, FL Will's Pub
4/10 Tallahassee, FL The Farside
4/11 Hattiesburg, MS TBA
4/12 Birmingham, AL The Firehouse
4/13 Atlanta, GA TBA
4/14 Chattanooga, TN JJ's Bohemia
4/15 Akron, OH TBA
4/16 Rochester, NY Monty's Krown
4/17 Columbus, OH TBA
4/18 Detroit, MI TBA
4/19 Buffalo, NY The Funeral Home %
4/21 Indianapolis, IN The Melody Inn %
4/22 Chicago, IL The Mutiny %
4/23 Minneapolis, MN TBA %
4/24 Fargo, ND The Aquarium %
4/26 Boise, ID The Shredder %
4/27 Portland, OR Rotture %
4/28 Seattle, WA The Comet %
4/29 Victoria, BC Logan's Pub %
4/30 Vancouver, BC Funky Winkerbean's %
5/1 Kamloops, BC Pogue Mahone %
5/2 Edmonton, AB Filthy McNasty's %
5/3 Calgary, AB the New Black (all-ages) / Dickens Pub (18+) %
5/4 Saskatoon, SK Amigos %
5/5 Prince Albert, SK PA Arts Center %
5/6 Regina, SK O'Hanlon's Pub %
5/7 Winnipeg, MB Royal Albert (hometown record release) %
^ with Black Breath
% with Fuck the Facts
POWER OF THE RIFF AND NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FEST ROCK SXSW
Attention all Austin folks and anyone heading to Austin for SXSW: your party planning beings now!
First off, the Power of the Riff is throwing it down Friday, March 18, at ND @ 501 Studios. It's gonna go big, y'all. Trap Them and All Pigs Must Die are gettin' funky, Masakari are bringing the ruckus, The Secret comin' atcha with that Italian flavor, and Eagle Twin gonna be burning up ya ice. Trap Them and Eagle Twin played the previous edition of the fest in LA back in August.
New England Metal and Hardcore Fest will also be hosting a show on that Friday at Emo's Annex. Trap Them will smash it again, Bison BC gonna tear it up, The Red Chord (pictured above) will get silly, and Gaza are coming back, even if He never will. Yeah boy. Have an alibi ready.
More details below.
The Power of the Riff:
ND @ 501 Studios w/ All Pigs Must Die, Trap Them, The Secret, Eagle Twin, Masakari, County Bucks.Studio...FREE.
New England Metal and Hardcore Fest:
EMO'S ANNEX
603 Red River St - Austin, TX 78701
(corner of Red River & 6th)
FRIDAY MARCH 18 - 12:00PM to 6:00PM
FREE SHOW
ARMOR FOR THE BROKEN: 12:10PM - 12:30PM
ACROSS THE SUN: 12:40PM - 1:00PM
FUNERAL PYRE: 1:10PM - 1:30PM
BISON BC: 1:40PM - 2:00PM
GAZA: 2:10PM - 2:30PM
WITHIN THE RUINS: 2:40PM - 3:00PM
OUR LAST NIGHT: 3:10PM - 3:40PM
TRAP THEM: 3:50PM - 4:20PM
THE RED CHORD: 4:30PM - 5:00PM
THE ACACIA STRAIN: 5:10PM - 5:40PM
The Red Chord - "Fixation on Plastics"
Trap Them Live at Don Pedro's, NYC, 11/1/07
Bison B.C. - "Stressed Elephant" Live at SXSW 2010
Masakari Live at The Gomorrah, Cleveland, OH 9/17/10
The Secret - "Where it Ends"
FLOURISHING ARE...FLOURISHING
Flourishing, one of our favorite acts from The Path Less Traveled Records (which is also a 'cake fav') is in the studio recording the full length follow up to their debut EP A Momentary Sense Of The Immediate World.
Guitarist and vocalist Garett Bussanick says, “Where deathgrind was mainly at the fore on the last release, it's now been joined by more equal measures of ambience and melody.” We're not sure what to think about that. Momentary absolutely got us excited but sounded like the band could use a little more focus, rather than freedom. We shall soon see as the recording is slated for release this summer through TPLTR.
February 14, 2011
CONVERGE CONFIRMED FOR CHAOS IN TEJAS
The dudes at Chaos in Tejas just scored another huge coup - Converge! Yes, the New England bangers are confirmed for the fest, and if you've seen one or many of their live shows, you know ish just got real serious. Between this, Autopsy, Hooded Menace, and Tragedy, this may be the best year of Chaos ever. Also newly confirmed are Austin grinders Hatred Surge, Boston powerviolence group Mind Eraser, Converge tour veterans Touche Amore, and Japanese cult punks Guitar Wolf.
Check out the full lineup below.
Acephalix
Allo Darlin' (England)
Asta Kask (Sweden)
Autopsy (only U.S. show of 2011)
Balmorhea
Bone Sickness
Ceremony
Cheap Time
Converge
Crazy Spirit
Criaturas
Cult of Youth
D-Clone (japan)
Dillinger Four
Doom (England)
Double Negative
Extortion (Australia)
F.Y.P. (reunion)
Free Spirit
Fucked Up (Canada)
Guitar Wolf (Japan)
Hatred Surge
Hooded Menace (Finland)
Innumerable Forms
Isterismo (japan)
Katey Red
Kieltolaki (Finland)
Kriegshog (Japan...last show ever)
Larm (Holland..1st U.S. show ever)
Low Threat Profile (ex Spazz/No Comment)
Lower Dens
Miasmal (sweden)
Milk Music
Mind Eraser
Nerveskade
Night Birds
No Statik
Nukkehammer
Omar Souleyman (Syria)
Omegas (Canada)
Oneohtrix Point Never
Origin of M (japan)
Perdition
Rampage
Reigning Sound
Rival Mob
See You In Hell (Czech)
Seein Red (Holland)
Shitstorm
Spazm 151
Teargas (Australia)
Textbook Committee
The Arrivals
the Marked Men
The Shitty Limits
the Slowmotions (Japan)
the Spits
This is My Fist
Touche Amore
Toys that Kill
Tragedy
Unbroken
Undergang (Denmark)
Unholy Two
Universal Order of Armageddon
Urban Blight (Canada)
Vaaska
Veins (only show ever...)
Vile Gash
White Fence (members of Darker My Love)
Xibalba (Mexico)
Youth Of Today (reunion)
Converge - "Axe to Fall"
Guitar Wolf - "Jet Generation"
Hatred Surge Live at KVRXplosion, Austin, TX 3/18/10
Mind Eraser Live at Knitting Factory, NYC, 12/17/10
February 11, 2011
PYRAMIDS GET "MONKS" REMIXED BY GLASS GRAVES
Here's some weird tuneage to kick off your weekend.
Any Pyramids-related news gets me all worked up in good ways. They've got collaborations with Horseback and Wraiths in the works, and they're also working on the follow-up to their majestic self-titled debut. Until then, we've got a remix of the s/t's "Monks," courtesy of Glass Graves. You can check that out below. It takes the Pyramids original and gives it a very "grave wave" sort of vibe. Dark but infectious. Gaby of GG will also contribute vocals to the Pyramids/Wraiths collaboration. I can't wait.
MONKS (GLASS GRAVES REMIX) by YOU TEXAS DARK STAR
NAILS ANNOUNCE MORE DATES
Unsilent Death continues to roam the land as Nails schedule more shows for you to bring your daughter to the slaughter. The trio has quite a few fests coming up, including Scion Rock Fest in March, New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in April, and Maryland Deathfest and Seattle's Rain Fest in May. They've also got an East Coast run with Burning Love, New Lows, and All Pigs Must Die coming up too. Nails are also demoing songs for a successor to Death, which has been the source of much praise round these parts. More Dismember-infected hardcore is certainly not a bad thing.
Peep the dates and a performance from Philly below.3/05/2011 Glasshouse / Fox Theatre - Pomona, CA @ Scion Rock Fest
3/31/2011 Great Scott - Boston, MA - Great Scott w/ Burning Love, All Pigs Must Die, New Lows
4/01/2011 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY w/ Burning Love, All Pigs Must Die, New Lows
4/02/2011 The Barbary - Philadelphia, PA w/ Burning Love, All Pigs Must Die, New Lows, Deathbeds
4/16/2011 The Palladium - Worcester, MA @ New England Metal & Hardcore Fest
5/27/2011 Sonar - Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest
5/29/2011 Neumos - Seattle, WA @ Rain Fest
Nails - Live at Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA 8/15/10
