Heading to Austin this week for Chaos in Tejas? We're glad to hear. It's gonna be an epic - yes, epic - weekend of death metal, crust, punk, and a whole lotta Lone Star. Andy and Van will be at the fest representing the fest for the 'cake, so come give us a drink for our hand and a punch for our nutsacks. Here's a list of the shows we'll be at, plus alternatives if our main picks aren't your thing.
THURSDAY June 2nd
MUST SEE: Hooded Menace/Undergang/Acephalix/Bone Sickness/Mammoth Grinder at Red 7 Inside
Chaos In Tejas is on a wicked death metal bender this year. It's of the best kind too – the murky, raw, filthy kind. After Hooded Menace will have decimated Maryland Death Fest, they will make their way to Austin to do the same. Given Austin's reputation as a 420-friendly city, Hooded Menace's dank brand of death/doom is expected to go over well. They're like Cathedral if they took the direction of making Forest of Equilibrium swampier. As this is part of the band's first American tour, you should give them a warm Texas welcome, whether you've got a beer, a spliff, or pride in your hand. Denmark's Undergang will also bring the vomit and pestilence. Undergang's tourmates, San Francisco's Acephalix, have been a huge favorite around here with their crusty take on low-tuned and low-class death metal, and we're totally stoked to see them too.
Hooded Menace at Roadburn 2011
WILL BE COOL TOO: Converge/Trap Them/Touche Amore/Title Fight/Burning Love/The Menzingers/Dead End Path at Mohawk Outside
If death metal isn't your thing, Converge will be proving once again they ain't nothin' to fuck with over at Mohawk. We've heard if at least 10 stage divers come your way, you win a cruise or something. Go see if that's true. Whether it is or not, we do know for sure that Trap Them will leave you bleeding. In a good way. You'll most likely see our comrade Monsoon Cobra of Mouthful of Acid making a fool out of himself to appease Brian Izzi.
Converge - "Fault and Fracture" Live at New England Metal and Hardcore Fest 2003
FRIDAY June 3rd
MUST SEE: Autopsy/Citizens Arrest/Innumerable Forms/Extortion/Cider/Iron Lung/Hatred Surge at Emo's Outside
If you only go to one show at Chaos in Tejas, it better be this one. Seriously, this has to be most ridiculous bill on the fest. Reunited death metal gods Autopsy (pictured above)? Reunited Ted Leo-gone-punx group Citizens Arrest? MDF exports Extortion? Local urine garglers Hatred Surge? Fuck! It's Chaos in a nutshell – bringing the best reunions and mixing punk and metal into a Four Loko-and-PBR stew. We only hope you don't have anything to do the following morning. Like Loudness cheered, these are rock n' roll crazy nights.
Autopsy - "Dark Crusade" Live at Bonnie's, Atco, NJ, 5/16/93
WILL BE COOL TOO: Big Freedia/Katey Red/Cult of Youth at Red 7 Inside
While I never heard a bit of either Big Freedia and Katey Red's music until recently, in just a short time I think this show could rival Autopsy. Both hail from New Orleans and play a form of hip-hop called “bounce,” which is extremely hyperactive and contains so many gang chants, hardcore kids would approve. You know NOLA can bring a goddamn party with them. It's best if I just show this clip of Freedia's “Azz Everywhere”:
SATURDAY June 4th
MUST SEE: Iron Age/Miasmal/Axeman/Shitstorm/Nukkehammer/The Impalers at Emo's Inside
Well, we would recommend the Tragedy day show, but it's been long sold out. Iron Age it is, then. We are not settling though, we sure are not. As we reported earlier, this will be Iron Age's final show in the Capitol City before going their separate ways. It's gonna get poppin'. Miasmal continue the death metal death party for a third straight day. Our homeboy Carm had much to say about their show in Chicago, and if he digs it, you should too. Axeman, the Amebix-loving unit of SoCal black metal collective Black Twilight Circle (more on them later), will also be representing hard at the show. Saturday night is alright for fighting! [Man, I need to refresh my music critic cliché file.]
Iron Age Live at Chaos in Tejas 2011
WILL BE COOL TOO: Balmorhea/Oneohtrix Point Never/Pure X/SURVIVE at Antone's
Here, we're going to single our Oneohtrix Point Never as the band to see should you not get down with Iron Age. The first two days feature some intense metal, and you may want a break. We understand. Oneohtrix Point Never is the electronic work of Daniel Lopatin, and he sounds a lot like two of our favorite electronic groups: Tangerine Dream and Boards of Canada. Since the former has descended into New Age hell, and the latter we don't know where they are, this is the next best thing. Drift out into space, maaaaaaan.
Oneohtrix Point Never - "Returnal"
SUNDAY June 5th
MUST SEE: Dolorvotre/Ashdautas/Volahn/Arizmenda/Blue Hummingbird on the Left/Shataan/Kuxan Suum at Red 7
We – well, Van and I at least – are avowed fans of the Black Twilight Circle. They are a group of dudes from Southern California whose interests include black metal, playing in caves, and making extremely limited tape releases. Basically, BTC are if the dudes in Crustcake witnessed the strength of street knowledge (and magick). We caught a few BTC bands last year – Ashdautas and Volahn mainly – but this year the extended family is coming out. Well, “extended family” may be stretching it. It's mostly the dudes switching around instruments and presto – new band! With black metal this chaotic, however, we don't mind how they roll personnel-wise. This is an interesting cap-off to Chaos in Tejas.
Ashdautas - Where the Sun is Silent...
WILL BE COOL TOO: Baroness/Capitalist Casualties/Nerveskade/Teargas/Perdition/Manipulation at Emo's Outside
If there's an odd band out at Chaos in Tejas, it's Baroness. Wasn't punk supposed to destroy prog? False narratives aside, if you can't make it out to Black Twilight, this is a good substitute. Perhaps they'll debut new material? Who knows.
Baroness - "Wanderlust"
TACOS
Most of our food recommendations from our SXSW guide still hold, but we can't believe we forgot to put our favorite taco joints! And we can't blame that on the fest fatigue.
If you're looking for something good on the cheap, Tamale House on 51st and Airport is your destination. While there are no tamales, they do have plenty o' tacos that run for .89 a pop. That's for two ingredients, though if you want three, it shouldn't go over 1.29 a taco. Any place that can get you filled for under five bucks (hell, under four if you're not a fatass like I am). If that's not enough, our founder and Batillus drummer Geoff Summers backs this place hard. They only take cash and there's no seating, but shit, those tacos are damn cheap!
If you've got a little more money in your pocket, head down to Maria's on 2529 S. Lamar. They have scrumptious breakfast tacos - I personally recommend getting a ham and potato. Even if they are just a little bit pricier than Tamale House, going broke is impossible. Their Tacos Al Pastor are also quite delicious, especially with some chimichurri. While I've never had Maria's enchiladas, people who have say they wouldn't dare eat any other. Be warned - they get packed on Saturday mornings, and with their live music on Sundays, it's damn near impossible to find a table.
Tacodeli (three locations, but we prefer 4200 N. Lamar), on the surface, seems like a yuppie joint. It's not run by your abuela, and the name conjures up pastrami on corn tortillas. Luckily, this joint is among the best with Tamale House and Maria's. You can't go wrong with a sirloin, egg, and cheese for breakfast or a mole taco for lunch. Their Cowboy Taco - beef tenderloin, grilled corn, guacamole, caramelized onions, queso fresco, and roasted peppers - is also a huge favorite around Austin.
If I had to pick my absolute favorite taco in Austin, though, it would have to be the Trailer Park from Torchy's (several locations throughout town - we like 2801 Guadalupe). Fried chicken and queso - what more could a man want? Cosmo Lee and Todd Nief (Like Rats) really need to get me on a fitness plan.
May 31, 2011
THE CRUSTCAKE GUIDE TO CHAOS IN TEJAS
JOSH GRAHAM ART EXHIBIT OPENING THIS WEEK IN SF
If you're a fan of Josh Graham's dystopian, visually striking artwork and happen to live in the Bay Area, have we got some sweet news for you! The artist, who does visuals for Neurosis, Red Sparowes, and A Storm of Light (where he's also the guitarist and vocalist), will display his artwork in the River of Time exhibition June 2-25 at the Robert Berman/E6 gallery in San Francisco. You probably recognize his artwork with A Storm of Light's album covers (2008's And We Wept the Black Ocean Within pictured above), as well as the flyers for the first two editions of Scion Rock Fest. The Bay Area isn't just about puffy sneakers and freaky tales, so come out and support some amazing art!
A Storm of Light recently put out As the Valley of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade, featuring Soundgarden's Kim Thayil and former Swans vocalist Jarboe, through Profound Lore and will tour with Tombs in June. Those dates, as well as a flyer for the exhibition, below.
A Storm of Light/Tombs Tour 2011June 9 NYC Studio @ Webster Hall
June 10 Montreal QC @ Catakombs
June 11 Toronto ON @ Sneaky Dee's
June 12 Detroit MI, @ Smalls
June 13 Chicago IL, @ Pancho's
June 14 St. Louis MO, @ Fubar
June 15 Oklahoma City OK, @ The Conservatory
June 17 Austin, TX @ Red 7
May 24, 2011
IRON AGE REPLACE XIBALBA AT CHAOS IN TEJAS
If you were expecting to be launched into the heavens by the space black metal of Mexico's Xibalba at Emo's June 4 for Chaos in Tejas, you're shit outta luck, as the group had to cancel their appearance. The organizers initially booked Morbosidad as a replacement, but they can't make it either. Cancellations are always a frustrating situation, but when Dio closes a door, he opens a window. Austin's own Iron Age have been selected as the replacement for Xibalba, and more significantly, this will be their last Austin show ever! Joining Iron Age's retirement party will be Torche grind side band Shitstorm, Swedish death metallers Miasmal, Black Twilight Circle's Amebix-worshiping Axeman, and The Impalers, a.k.a. the punkier side of Mammoth Grinder. While it sucks to see Iron Age go - The Sleeping Eye still shreds nearly two years later - this will be one hell of a party.
Click below for information about Iron Age's final release.
Iron Age recently put out what can be considered their swan song, The Saga Demos, which sees a harder direction towards the pure heavy metal sound that was seen on Eye. It's only two songs longs, but it's also some of the best stuff the band has written. While the tape version is sold out, Cyclopean Records has Saga streaming on their Bandcamp. Canadian label BSVIV will release the demos as a dual flexi and 12-page zine in early June. Pre-orders are being accepted now, and the flexi set will be limited to 300 copies.
In other Chaos in Tejas news, Cro-Mags will replace Killing Joke, who have cancelled their entire upcoming tour, June 2 at Emo's. Cause you gotta know if there isn't going to be a wardance.
May 18, 2011
FRESHLY BAKED: TREE OF SORES
In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.
By Andrew Wilhelm (TX)
As Greg Ginn realized back in 1984, playing fast isn't everything. Taking it slow with your ax is nice too, and in the process, you find out new and rewarding things about each other that a whirlwind relationship couldn't illuminate. Tree of Sores, a three-piece from Leeds, takes this approach to their music. The members came from hardcore punk bands, but the tunes they play prefer to stop and smell the burning flesh rather than frantically douse the fuel. A dark psychedelic air hangs over; you can't help but breathe it in. Reality is pinched - you feel that something's askew, but can't quite figure it out. When the music ends and the lights come back on, you wonder where the hell you went. The ride's more important though, isn't it? Tree of Sores make for an opaque and oblique ride.
Tree of Sores recently released their self-titled debut through Witch Hunter Records, and it's a recommended piece of crusty, hazy sludge. I recently corresponded with the band's guitarist and vocalist, Matt Faragher. The conversation follows.
Crustcake: Could you give us a brief history of the band?
Matt Faragher, guitars and vocals: Tree Of Sores started in July/August 09, I wanted to start a band doing something different to my last band Spiteful Way which was quite a fast hardcore punk band. My personal aim was to be playing music which had a lot more time and space to develop the songs. Ben had been a good friend for several years and was interested straight away to get involved. Initially we had a few practices, gigs and demo recording with Barthur from Leeds' own The Afternoon Gentlemen on bass. Barthur decided to leave around November of 09 and we asked around for a replacement. Talia (formerly of The Mingers/Jesus Bruiser) was first to get in touch and seemed like a great replacement. Ben and me played a few gigs as a 2-piece whilst Talia got up to speed with the songs, and we've been playing as a 3-piece since around January 2010. We recorded our EP in October 2010 and this was released through Witch Hunter Records in late February 2011 as a limited edition cd (a lot of which have sold already) and a pay-what-you-want download via our bandcamp page.
Crustcake: How would you describe Tree of Sores' overall sonic approach?
Faragher: Much like we took our name from the title of a David Lynch painting, I like to think the sound reflects similar tones to Lynch's films. The main overall sound I'm interested in is one of disconcerting malevolence as far as possible, hence lots of heavy sections filled with delay and reverb to give a dream-like wall of sound where possible.
Crustcake: What feelings do you get playing this music? What do you want the listener to invoke when listening to Tree of Sores?
Faragher: I think for all of us it's quite a cathartic experience. As I find personally with most people in heavy bands, we're all fairly relaxed easy going people and I think the music is a good release of tension. Hopefully that comes across to the listener too. I'm quite drawn to dark subject matters and enjoy entering that space for a time be it through music, film or art. Also I'm a trained mental health nurse and have a particular interest in the emotional/perceptual nightmares that can be caused in hallucinatory, dream or psychotic states. Seeing where we can take people with a song is fascinating to me and hopefully we achieve that to some extent. People have often approached us after gigs saying they felt pretty "spaced out" by the end of our set.
Crustcake: Is there a specific example of how your work as a nurse manifests itself in the music?
Faragher: The whole band work in care settings and whilst I can't speak for Ben and Talia directly, I know for me work often involves seeing some quite upsetting things or working with people who have had some absolutely horrific experiences in their lives. Our music can be a good outlet for me to deal with issues that arise through work in hopefully a fairly positive and creative manner.
Crustcake: While the music is plenty heavy, you seem to favor atmosphere and shifting tension over straight-up brutality. Why?
Faragher: Much like the reasons why I felt limited musically playing in punk or hardcore bands I want our music to have shades of like and dark. The heavy parts I would hope are strengthened by contrast with the lighter sections. It's very hard to sustain constant emotional release without any respite I feel. Likewise I would hope the quieter atmospheric sections help to build up the songs and offer times for reflection within our set or the song being played.
Crustcake: Punk is about energy - was it difficult or odd to transition to playing music based on repetition and atmosphere rather than sharp outbursts of rage and speed?
Faragher: Not really, if anything it was pretty liberating as a guitar player. I've been in punk bands on and off for 10 years and more recently songs I was writing were going off in different directions, more like what we're playing now, quite naturally. Obviously the band listen to a lot of different types of music and it's refreshing to have a bit of freedom to incorporate different influences that might not have suited a faster (for example) punk band.
Crustcake: How did the use of dueling male/female vocals come about? What aesthetic purpose does it hold for Tree of Sores?
Faragher: When Talia joined it seemed only natural to have her involved in the vocals. She had been singing in her previous bands The Mingers and Jesus Bruiser and it would have been a waste not to have her singing. Hopefully having male and female vocals gives the songs an extra level of variation and works well for us to contrast different sections by alternating the vocals. Also, it's nice for me not having to sing sometimes and just enjoy playing as this is the first band I've ever sang in.
Crustcake: The lyrics have a Dischage-like bluntless to them. How do you approach lyrics?
Faragher: So far the lyrics have always been the last part of each song. Generally the song is finished musically and then lyrics adding where we think they'll fit best to emphasize certain points of the music. As a result structurally the lyrics tend to be related statements on a broad theme as used in "Grave" or "God Theory". I find it hard writing lyrics as I'm very self critical and find a lot of lyrics to be overly cliched. Talia has more of a talent for writing lyrics and as such she wrote what is lyrically the most structured song I feel - "Silent Scream". One songs' lyrics ("Sandford") were written from a package a friend of mine received at work. Inside was around 60 pages of newspaper clippings and advertisements with scribblings all over of various paranoid/unusual ideas. For the song we took the most interesting phrases which would fit the music and used those.
Crustcake: Another thing about the lyrics - while they are charged, they do not force a specific agenda, which some hardcore bands tend to do. Was it a conscious effort to keep the lyrics as agenda-free as possible?
Faragher: As I said before the lyrics are normally the last thing to be added to a song. I even considered having the band as instrumental at the very start. Obviously we'd rather have good lyrics but equally, for me personally, the music is the most important part and I wouldn't like anything to detract from that or perhaps become the main focus by forcing an agenda. Everyone has their own beliefs but what most people can relate to together is their passion for those beliefs. The lyrics I relate to most tend to embody that passion whilst not excluding the listener by specifics of opinion. Having said that I would like to make it clear that anyone of a racist/sexist/homophobic opinion is not a welcome fan of our band.
Crustcake: Over the last few years, the lines between hardcore, metal, and other forms of extreme music have gotten more blurry. Tree of Sores comes from a punk/hardcore background but the music appeals to people outside that spectrum. Would you say any of this is true?
Faragher: Yeah there certainly seems to be a lot of overlap between heavier music genres at the moment. From our perspective it would seem bands such as Fall Of Efrafa's popularity in the "crust scene" has led people who might have mainly listened to punk/d-beat previously to be more interested in more expansive, and perhaps slower heavy music. Likewise with bands like Amebix reforming people may be in more of a mind to listen to a band like ours. Also it was never my intention to appeal purely to people from a punk/hardcore background so if people outside that spectrum like us then I'm happy.
Crustcake: Is there anything uniquely Leeds-ian about your music?
Faragher: Not that I'm conscious of. Obviously there's a lot of really good bands in Leeds at the moment, many of whom we are lucky enough to be friends with and get to play with. Maybe that means we've got to strive to write good stuff when there's so much competition but it's never been something I'm consciously aware of.
Crustcake: Who did the artwork for the album? The grey tones of the roots capture the band name well. What does it represent to you?
Faragher: The artwork is by the fantastic Black Uroborus. We got in touch with him originally to produce us a logo but after doing the recording we were keen for him to do the whole album art. We sent him the recordings to listen to and kept in touch as the art progressed and we couldn't be happier with it. I'd urge people to have a look at his other work on his site and we definitely hope to work with him again on future releases.
Crustcake: You have the Tree of Sores album streaming free on Bandcamp (a very useful site, by the way) - what opted to this approach?
Faragher: That is the general approach for most of the Witch Hunter Records releases; a limited edition cd for people who are interested in a physical copy that looks good and a pay-what-you-want download option through Bandcamp. I was amazed at how quickly our album was on a variety of non-authorized download sites so it seems only sensible to have an official source of downloading it, and there is also an option of contributing to the band through the pay-what-you-want option.
Crustcake: What's next for Tree of Sores?
Faragher: I'm currently in the process of writing the next album. We're rehearsing a 15/20 minute song at present which will form half of the next album. Once I've got another 1/2 songs written for that we'll be aiming to record again hopefully with a bit more time in the studio (the current album was recorded in 2 days) to flesh it out and get some really big sounds. We're playing shows in May with Appalachian Terror Unit, our friends NAISIAN and our label-mates Year Of The Flood. We'll continue playing shows around the UK and would like to play in Europe and further afield if we can get enough promoters to help us out. If anyone wants to get in touch about booking a show or anything else our email address is treeofsores@hotmail.co.uk.
May 17, 2011
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NEW CAKE IN THE OVEN: LIFELOVER - SJUKDOM
By Andrew Wilhelm (TX)
When I was starting out at The Daily Texan in 2007, I interviewed Aesop Dekker of Ludicra to promote the band's appearance at SXSW. During the course of the interview, I asked him what he was digging at the time. He mentioned a Swedish group called Lifelover, describing them to me as a black metal version of The Cure. That has to be awesome, right?
Never has a personal recommendation been so fruitful. Mixing black metal and pop, even when that pop isn't rainbows and motivational tweets, is a risky proposition. With sounds so opposed to each other, there runs the concern of watering down both. Like their countrymen Ghost, the band knows you have to have strong hooks to convert potential followers, and they've got them in spades. Lifelover also don't follow their template strictly - all of their records have some straght-up left-field songs too. You know of any other black metal groups with a trip-hop song? Don't worry, I'll wait.
On Lifelover's latest record, Sjukdom, the group plunges further into the darker elements of their sound. Like its cover, the sound is very rich in reds and grays. There is a more pronounced Peaceville Three influence present on the record. While the piano has always been a sign of influence in this regard, especially in how the piano tends to be the dominant melody, the metal side of the band has gotten doomier too. More upbeat (let's remember this term is used rather liberally) tracks, such as "Homicidal Tendencies," "Karma" and "Led by Misfortune," are more suited for headbanging than go-go dancing. In particular, "Karma" sounds like a song that without the blackness, could make Century Media's European division a lot of money. As mentioned earlier, Lifelover also like to throw in confusing bits and pieces. "Bitterljuv Kakofoni" starts off with backwards guitars and depraved grunts, eventually transitioning into sparse drums and menacing. "Misfortune" also has some odd samples at the end - their source, I don't know, but they play into the dark humor Lifelover is known for.
And now, for a curt interview with the band's vocalist, Kim "( )" Carlsson:
Crustcake: What feelings or vibes do you intend to evoke through Lifelover's music?
Kim "( )" Carlsson, vocals: Anything you feel like when experiencing it.
Crustcake: Where do you draw inspiration from to create Lifelover's music?
( ): What is inside and around us.
Crustcake: Given the nature of your music, "Lifelover" is kind of a funny name. Does dark humor work its way into your music?
( ): It's not by intention. It comes naturally.
Crustcake: Lifelover has elements of black metal, especially in the nature of the guitars, but do you consider Lifelover to be black metal or something else entirely?
( ): Lifelover performs Narcotic Metal exclusively.
Crustcake: All of your records tend to have some sort of stylistic/compositional diversity to them. Is this a conscious effort?
( ): Definitely.
Crustcake: Sjukdom refers to "sickness" or "disease" in Swedish. Why was this name chosen? Does it relate to themes in the album as a whole?
( ): It relates to the album as a whole, certain states of mind and certain aspects of our previous works and experiences as well.
Crustcake: In some of your songs - such as "Expandera" from Sjukdom and "Mental Central Dialog" from Konkurs - the melody is led by the piano, not the guitar. What accounts for this method?
( ): We use piano when we feel that it will add another dimension to a song, when any other instrument would not create an entirety.
Crustcake: Some songs are sung in English, while others are in Swedish? Is there any particular reason for this?
( ): We write lyrics in a language which fits the atmosphere of a song or state of mind and translate if we feel it would fit the song better to get the best result possible.
Crustcake: The EP preceding your latest release, Dekadens, was more "rock" than Lifelover's other releases. Was this release a way to get out some songs that may not have fit on Lifelover's full-length releases?
( ): Perhaps. For every album were are very conscious about creating an entirety so it should be natural that it comes off a bit different when it's less songs involved.
Crustcake: Where did the cover art from Sjukdom come from? What led to its use for the record?
( ): It's from an artproject I did with a friend two winters ago while working on a different project we assembled a montage in the woods which we lighted and photographed during two days. We felt it represented the atmosphere of the new album well and decided to use some of the photos from this artproject for the artwork of the album.
Crustcake: Does Lifelover have any plans to play live in the U.S.?
( ): Yes, definitely, absolutely. Keep your eyes open…
GET THE INVISIBLE ORANGES MDF PROGRAM!
Crustcake is a digital outlet, but all the dudes here are major fans of the printed word. We all collect zines and read voraciously when we're not headbanging furiously. Our libraries are diverse, populated by the likes of Peter Beste, Lemmy, Don DeLillo, Geroge R. R. Martin, and who else but H.P. Lovecraft? Hell, I hope to have a NYT best-seller one day.
More importantly, Invisible Oranges recently put out an amazing program for this year's Maryland Deathfest (which is now back at Sonar). Cosmo Lee and his crew did an amazing job with this magazine, which features interview with many of our favorite bands playing the fest, including Voivod, Hail of Bullets (pictured), Tragedy, Neurosis, and a helluva lot more. The cover design, which is available after the jump, was done by none other than the talented French. This bundle of pride and joy is available as a print edition for $12 dollars and as a digital for merely a buck. However, the print edition includes a digital copy at no extra cost.
Print isn't dead, folks. In fact, it's as alive as ever. Get a copy and support true heavy metal journalism.
May 13, 2011
CRUSTCAKE STREAMS: WEEKEND NACHOS - WORTHLESS
Just in time for Friday, we're bringing you a free stream of Weekend Nachos' latest album, Worthless. If you're the type who's into Vampire Weekend, this is too heavy for you and more importantly, how did you get to this site? For the rest of you, this is an ultra-concentrated dose of hardcore-through-Sunns (hardco)))re?) goodness. Coming off the impressive threepeat of Unforgivable, Bleed, and Black Earth, the Chicago unit shows no signs of wimping out on Worthless. "Powerviolence" gets thrown around an awful lot when it comes to these dudes, but they've got the right blend of speed, riffs, and feedback to appeal across the gamut of heavy music. Hell, they even got Patrick Stump - yes, Patick Stump of fucking Fall Out Boy - to contribute vocals on the record. North Shore represent! All the songs are great, but if we had to pick out some choice cuts, the title track conjures some of Bleed's sludge, and "Jock Powerviolence" is sure to get people mad. Listen to the record below, and check out Weekend Nachos on tour this month.
Weekend Nachos - Worthless by crustcake 
Weekend Nachos/The Afternoon Gentlemen US Tour 2011
5/21 Ann Arbor MI at Metal Frat
5/22 Milwaukee WI at The Doghouse
5/23 Rock Island IL at Rozz Tox
5/24 Lincoln NE at 2800 n. 48th st. w/ beartrap
5/25 Denver CO at Blastomat (w/ capitalist casualties and catheter)
5/26 Provo UT at Deathstar
5/27 Boise ID at House of the Rising Sun (w/ hummingbird of death and downsided)
5/28 Seattle WA at Neumos (Rain Fest)
5/29 Portand OR at Red and Black Cafe 400 SE 12th
5/30 San Jose CA at 416 W San Fernando St. San Jose CA 95110
5/31 Sanger CA at Puff Daddy's House 2301 Walton Ave
6/1 Los Angeles CA at Blvd (w/ nails)
6/2 Tempe AZ at The Slurp
6/3 El Paso TX at Naylair 10756 Limas
6/4 Dallas TX at Phoenix Project
6/5 Liberty MO Detto's Barn 11410 NE 136th St
6/6 Peoria Heights IL at Peoria Pizza Works
6/7 Chicago IL at Albion House (Record Release Show)
HARPOON HEAD INTO THE STUDIO FOR DECEPTION AMONG BIRDS
Chicago grinders Harpoon could be described as sort of the Godflesh of grind. They use a drum machine, but don't try to tell us they're disco. No shortage of vitriol at all. The songs, which have a very thrashy bent, are very much real, even if the drums are not. And hey, that's one more mouth the band doesn't have to feed! The band, who feature 7000 Dying Rats associates Toney Vast-Binder and D.J. Barraca (also formerly of Lair of the Minotaur) in their ranks, fit well into the Chicago metal scene, where no band is really conventional.
Harpoon are set to go into the Bricktop Recording next month to record Deception Among Birds, where they'll be engineered by Andy Nelson of Weekend Nachos (who are going on tour) and Like Rats. Deception will serve as the sequel to 2009's Double Gnarly/Triple Suicide on Interloper. The record will be released in September through Portland's favorite Windy City expats, Seventh Rule. Even if they've discovered the dream of the 90s is alive in Portland, Seventh Rule have had an amazing track record with Chicago metal, including Indian, Lord Mantis, and Sweet Cobra. We've been pumping up summer a lot here, but Harpoon have given us a reason to look forward to fall.
Click below for a demo version of "To The Tall Trees" from Deception. It's more of a creeper than most of their material, but no less killer.
Harpoon - To The Tall Trees by seventhrule
May 10, 2011
CRUSTCAKE STREAMS: SEIDR - "SWELTERING"
Seidr - "Sweltering" by crustcake
Last weekend, a bunch of horses ran around a track, people threw away their money on said horses, mint juleps were consumed by the tubful, and giant hats were strewn about like Will and Kate came to fuck on the middle of the field. With this and mutant super-chickens, what is Kentucky really good for?
Seidr give the state a damn good name with their uncompromising doom. Featuring Austin Lunn, of anarchist black metallers Panopticon (who are also worth your time), the band has only been around since 2009, but have been crushing like ancient beasts from the Appalachians. Like Panopticon, there's some shoegaze and post-rock bits thrown in there, but they don't lighten the aural burden. On the contrary, they add to the "nighttime in the possessed woods" vibe. Seidr have released an EP and a couple demos so far, and their full-length For Winter Fire will be out on the 24th through Flenser Records. We're debuting a track off the album, "Sweltering," which you can listen to below. But we recommend you secure yourself first. This is some intense stuff.
Our pals at BrooklynVegan also debuted the leadoff track from Fire, "A Vision From Hlidskjalf," earlier.
May 6, 2011
LIVE REVIEW: DANZIG
Danzig
Where: Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
When: Tuesday, May 3, 2011
With: Devildriver
By Andrew Wilhelm (TX)
Danzig's show at the Boulder Theater is maybe the second metal show I've heard of in the city, the first being High on Fire's 4/20 show last year. I suppose if the Marley brothers and Phil Lesh had a metal band, they'd be hitting up Boulder ever six months. Venue employees were probably perplexed to see the Danzig-skull-septopuses and Danzig-skull-gargoyles flanking the stage instead of Grateful Dead bears. Damn the flower children and their flower children's children! Danzig's presence was much needed, and I sure as hell wasn't going to pass up seeing a legend. Even with a couple hitches, crossing the Dio-sized warrior off the concert bucket list was worth it.
I didn't arrive to the venue in time for 2 Cents (though post-show examinations did not instill any regret), so Devildriver were the first band I witnessed. The horns of the Danzig skull banner were peeking out behind Devildriver's banner - a sly reminder of who's show it really was. Despite my overall disdain for the SoCal unit, somewhat stemmed from a small part of me that can't resist thinking Dez Fafara might be overcompensating for his first band, I'm not going to blame the sound issues during their set on them. The guitar sound was muddy, and Fafara seemed to have occasional mic issues. It's no surprise that metal shows don't come to Boulder Theater often, and it showed in the sound. Devildriver didn't look like they were playing an off show, even with a mix even they didn't deserve. "I Could Care Less," with its Pantera-lite structure that was popular when the song came out in 2003, stuck out like a sore thumb in the band's more melodeath-influenced repertoire. Funny how bands change.
In high school, I worshiped Danzig's first three albums, and a lot of the crowd must have been like me, since most of Danzig's set came from those classics. Even with a prime setlist, which included "Twist of Cain," "Tired of Being Alive," and "Her Black Wings," there were still sound issues. Danzig's vocals weren't all that audible aside from his yells, which is distressing when that's one of your band's main selling points. Strangely, his crooning on "How the Gods Kill" could be heard rather well. Any incarnation of Danzig is bound to be negatively compared to the classic Christ-Biscuits-Von combo, but the current line-up of Prong's Tommy Victor on guitar, Type O Negative's Johnny Kelly on drums, and bassist Steve Zing of the TON-related A Pale Horse Named Death is quite solid. Victor in particular almost overshadowed Danzig himself. While Evil Elvis still writes the songs, the guitar sound is very Prong-y, and the solos don't quite have the bluesy bent that John Christ possessed. He also bore a greater role in amping up the audience, armed with plenty of fist pumps and "make some noise" hand geastures. Danzig hardly spoke to the crowd aside from introducing "Thirteen" and his band. Was he feeling bristly? Maybe, but it also lent to a brisk, energetic set. When the last note of "Dirty Black Summer" rang, one could tell that the mostly-up-from-Denver crowd were up for more swingin' occult bangin'. Even demons must rest, though, and despite the sound problems prevalent, Danzig showed Boulder a thing a two about heavy metal.
And yes, they played "Mother." Damien Marley wouldn't be let off by skipping "No Woman, No Cry," what makes you think Danzig would be different?
Danzig/Devildriver/2 Cents Tour 2011May 06 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
May 07 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheater
May 09 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
May 10 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
May 11 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
May 13 - Richmond, VA - The National
May 14 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
May 15 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
May 17 - Baltimore, MD - Bourbon Street
May 18 - Westbury, NY - Westbury Theater
May 20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
May 21 - Columbus, OH - Rock On The Range (No Devildriver and 2Cents)
May 22 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave -
May 24 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Orbit Room
May 25 - St. Louis, MO - Pop's
May 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
May 28 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theater
P.S. - Danzig is now a unit of measurement. How awesome is that?
DEATH COMES RIPPING WITH NAILS AND RINGWORM THIS SUMMER
May's only recently begun and summer is getting hotter than ever.
Nails and Ringworm have announced a slew of summer dates as part of the Death Comes Ripping Tour. We've gone on and on about Nails before, and Ringworm are enjoying some post-SXSW attention. Both bands are known for their metallicized takes on hardcore, so this tour will be one for the bruisers. Bitter End and New Lows are confirmed as support.
Nails are currently in the studio working on their second record for Southern Lord. They've also got a couple dates preceding Death Comes Ripping, including Maryland Deathfest (which is no longer at Sonar, though organizers say they have a backup venue lined up) and Rain Fest in Seattle. We've got all those dates below.
Nails Live 20115/27/2011 TBA - Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest
5/29/2011 Neumo's - Seattle, WA @ Rain Fest
6/03/2011 Cobalt Cafe - Canoga Park, CA w/ Cruel Hand, The Carrier, Former Thieves, The Greenery
Death Comes Ripping Tour 2011 - Ringworm & Nails w/ Bitter End, New Lows7/30/2011 924 Gilman - San Francisco, CA
Nails - "Conform/Scum Will Rise"
7/31/2011 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
8/01/2011 Nile Underground - Mesa, AZ
8/02/2011 Trainyard - La Cruces, NM
8/03/2011 Red 7 - Austin, TX
8/04/2011 Trees - Dallas, TX
8/05/2011 Downtown Music - Little Rock, AR
8/06/2011 The Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
8/07/2011 Fubar Music Venue - St Louis, MO
8/08/2011 Subterranean - Chicago, IL
8/09/2011 Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
8/10/2011 Bogies - Albany, NY
8/11/2011 Great Scott - Boston, MA
8/12/2011 *TBD - Philadelphia, PA
Ringworm - "Justice Replaced by Revenge"
LITURGY ON TOUR: IT'S GONNA BE A HATERS' BALL
If any band these days could incite people to form picket lines outside their shows, it's Brooklyn's Liturgy. People think their philosophy of "Transcendental Black Metal," designed by guitarist, vocalist, and leader Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, is overly pretentious, as if black metal was such an accepting genre. Some think Hunt-Hendrix talks like he should be in Fleet Foxes rather than a metal group. And then there's the honest few who just can't get into their actual music. Hell, our next contest should be who can come up with the best, most thought-out takedown of the band, but without using the word "hipster." (Gotcha there!) For Liturgy fans like myself, however, there's good stuff in store.
First, NPR is streaming their new record, Aesthethica, in full. From my initial listen, it's got all the strengths of Renihilation, but with expanded songwriting capabilities and interesting bits of experimentation. Liturgy will also be heading out on tour this summer. They will play at Saint Vitus bar tonight in Brooklyn with Terence Hannum of Locrian, White Ring, and Robert Lowe of Lichens. Full dates after the jump.
Liturgy 2011 DatesFri May 6 Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus w/ Terence Hannum, White Ring, Robert Lowe
"Returner" Live at SXSW 2011>
Thu Jun 2 Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory w/ Sightings, Matteah Baim
Tue Jul 5 Washington, DC - DC9
Wed Jul 6 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox
Thu Jul 7 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
Sat Jul 9 Chicago, IL - West Fest
Sun Jul 10 St. Louis, MO - Firebird
Tue Jul 12 Denver, CO - Hi Dive
Wed Jul 13 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Fri Jul 15 Anacortes, WA - What The Heck Fest
Sat Jul 16 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Mon Jul 18 Portland, OR - Branx
Wed Jul 20 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Fri Jul 22 Santa Barbara, CA - Muddy Waters
Sat Jul 23 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
Sun Jul 24 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
Mon Jul 25 San Diego, CA - Casbah
Thu Jul 28 Austin, TX - Red 7
Fri Jul 29 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
Sun Jul 31 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
May 3, 2011
RUNHILD GAMMELSAETTER RELEASING AMPLICON ON VINYL
Runhild Gammelsaetter is a fucking badass, no two ways about it. Her presence in pre-Sunn O))) unit Thorr's Hammer is impossible to overlook, in no small part due to the fact that she can lay down a growl few singers of any gender have been able to best since. She was only 17 when she performed on that record too, paving the way for young visionaries like Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator. She's also performed with James Plotkin in Khylst, an excellent fusion of metal and free jazz. Not only that, Gammelsaetter also holds a PhD in cell biology from the University of Oslo - she's even the president of a biotech company and models for apparel lines like Anti-Sweden. In 2008, she released a solo album through Utech called Amplicon, a multi-faceted work that is both insane and beautiful. What sounds get touched upon that album would be harder to list than those that don't. Best of all, there's no shortage of her vocal range.
While Amplicon has heretofore only been available on CD, it will finally be released on vinyl and digital through Little Black Clouds on June 7. Find out more details and a track from the album after the jump.
The vinyl edition will be limited to 100 clear vinyls and will feature new artwork from Gammelsaetter herself. These vinyls will also come encased in a soft cotton webbing with a handwritten lyric line and autograph from Gammelsaeter. You can pre-order the record and take a gander at the artwork, a self-portrait of Gammelsaeter, here.
"Collapse - Lifting the Veil"
May 2, 2011
CRUSTCAKE PICKS - AUSTIN SHOWS IN MAY
By Andrew Wilhelm (TX)
No, it's not quite Chaos in Tejas time, but May still has a bevy of killer shows.
Sailor Jerry did not do me any favors at SXSW, but they are putting on a free show featuring The Bronx at the Parish on Wednesday. While I've never been a fan of their studio material - if I'm missing something, there is a comments box - they always put on a rowdy live show. You can RSVP for that show here. The Parish, despite being an overall great venue, doesn't get a whole lot of heavy shows, so if you've never been there, this is your chance. Stubb's is known for their (overpriced and decent, if not as good as Smitty's) barbecue, but Danzig will be cooking up something a lot more evil on Friday. Tell your children and children-at-heart to walk his way, hear his words, what they mean, what they say. There may even be another fan whose ashes will be spread on stage ala Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009.
Saturday, Lions of Tsavo will kick off their tour at the Broken Neck with a little help from Kill the Client. These boys are about to go into uncharted waters, so don't be a cheapass! Things slow down for a bit but pick up again on the 16th, when Mogwai rolls into town at Stubb's. These Scots pioneered the loud-soft-loud-soft that bands named after Egyptian goddesses and birds love to lift from. If Mogwai isn't to-the-point enough for you, Misamal will give you a fistful of Swedish death metal. They'll also be kicking off a tour, and they're bringing along local painkillers/paingivers Hatred Surge and Mammoth Grinder. They'll swing back by for Chaos in Tejas, but if you happen to be out of town this, go to this show.
The 21st brings Northwestern punks Zeke and Southern rabblerousers Antiseen to Red 7. Both bands don't deal with subtlety cause it isn't as cool as loud riffs and kicking ass. Capping off the month is a two-nighter from The Melvins on the 27th and 28th at The Mohawk. The first night, they'll be revisiting their albums Lysol, Eggnog, and their breakout Houdini. They'll bust out Bullhead and Stoner Witch the following night. Go to both if you can, but one is better than none. After all, they are only doing these in Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago Boston, and Brooklyn. And lord it is going to be heavy!
Austin Shows in May5/4 - The Bronx @ the Parish
5/6 - Danzig, Devildriver, 2 Cents @ Stubb's
5/7 - Lions of Tsavo, Kill the Client, Omotai, Curse the Heavens, Deadly Reign @ The Broken Neck
5/16 - Mogwai, Errors @ Stubb's
5/17 - Miasmal, Anhedonist, Hatred Surge, Mammoth Grinder @ Beerland
5/21 - Zeke, Antiseen, Joe Buckyourself, Goddamn Gallows @ Red 7
5/27-28 - The Melvins @ Mohawk
