Monday, May 30, 2011

manic in the grips

Over the years I've managed to be able to post about just about each Trap Them release as it has come about. Add this one to the list, their new LP, "Darker Handcraft" on black vinyl, thanks to Prosthetic Records.
So as I mentioned, I've managed to amass a small TT them collection over time, but sometimes I question why I've bothered. They've had their moments over the last few years, but overall, I've never been crazy about them at all, and I don't really know why. This should be right up my alley. Heavy, frantic structures, Euro styled death metal guitar tone, dark aesthetic, but for some reason I've just never really been able to get really excited about anything other than a couple songs off the "Seance Prime" 7". Namely 'Pulse Mavens', what a song.
Anyway, with this new album, they continue down pretty much the same path they've tread for the majority of their life as a band. Energetic, mis-timed structures, blast beats, some big heavy riffs, raspy vocals. If you've heard anything they've done before then you know what to expect here. What makes this release a little different though, is the noticeably cleaner recording. They lose no punch with the approach, but it's markedly tidier, crisper and arguably a little more clinical sounding, almost generic.
Barcode.
Inner dust sleeve that acts as the liner notes. The record in my package came sleeved in a separate, white dust sleeve though.
Gatefold sleeve that is left to waste though. All black with a few scribbles at each end. It's all part of the 'look' though I guess.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

fulfil the curse

I'll admit that this is a band that I've only really learnt about in the last six weeks or so, well behind the ball. I speak of Finland's merchants of DOOM, Hooded Menace. I'm behind by two full length records and a handful of 7" releases, but I snared second dub press of their "Eyeless Horde" demo tape a couple weeks back on eBay for $15. Happy with that considering their first album regularly sells for $150 plus. Someone sell me that for a reasonable price by the way. This was pro dubbed by Witchhammer Records in 2009 following an original band version on CD-R in 2007.
Two tracks, both of which get a re-recording on said following LP, what you get here is roughly twelve minutes of really slow, heavy doom/death metal. Arguably some of the deepest, loudest vocals in any modern metal band today, and much the same could be said for the guitar and bass tones. You can't fuck with this band. The sound of hell.
This tape has just had an official repress thanks to Rusty Crowbar Records. Get on it. I think the artwork is slightly altered, but from what I can tell, it's more or less the same thing. This one is hand numbered, as displayed. Not sure if the new press will get the same treatment. I got a nice round number.
They've just had a couple new splits come available for order in the last fortnight too, from a couple different labels. A split LP with America's Ilsa, and a split 7" (available as regular vinyl and as a picture disc) with Asphyx from The Netherlands. I haven't actually checked, but judging by how hyped all of these bands are, and based upon the fact that all of their stuff always sells out fast, it wouldn't surprise me if these records have already been all snapped up. Check it though. Google.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

dry your eyes

This is "A Hessian's Confession", the debut 7" from this pisstake Australian grindcore band, Michael Crafter. Stupid name and shtick aside, this is moderately achieved grindcore. Mid to high pitch vocals, fast tempos, punk guitar tone. Comparable I guess to bands like Magrudergrind/Phobia etc etc in the sense of how rough it is. Cherry/Pink wax of 100. Another 150 exist on black. Tenzenmen Records.
I've never paid a huge amount of attention to these nerds because of their stupid gimmick. They did a tape last year that I think I listened to once and that was it. They may have also released something else since then, I'm not too sure. This record isn't at all bad though. Well recorded, concise. It's probably their best stuff that I've heard so far and I wil probably pay a bit more attention to this EP.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

get destroyed interview

Haven't posted an interview on here for too long, so tonight after working on the next issue of Downsided Fanzine (issue 5, out in about a week or so), I managed to muster up the motivation to put this together. This is an interview that I did with Arizona's Get Destroyed a couple of years ago. It appeared in Downsided #4 (yes, it's been a long time between issues). These guys put out my favourite record of 2009 and they're on the verge of unleashing it's predecessor in the coming months. In my opinion these guys are one band of a select few that manage to do PV true justice. Blasting.

So you guys have been around long enough to get a couple ep’s out and about. What’s the basic round up of the band? Members etc?

Zach plays guitar. Ben Sings. Jay plays bass and I play drums.


How did you guys form? I heard that it was from the ashes of a couple other bands?

We have all been playing in the same bands for years. I played drums in Call the Cops with Zach who played guitar. A couple of our songs were released on a 625 comp. I also played guitar in a thrash band call No Shit with Ben (guitar) and Jay (bass). We broke up before we could release anything. Zach and Jay were in another thrash band called Coughing Up Blood, Zach sang and Jay played bass. They release a 7in. on a local record label. I loved all of these bands very much. It has been a ton of fun playing with them, and watching these guys play music.


The first 7” came out a while back now, after it all, how do you see that record? Was it received well? Anything you’d change about it?

I love our first record. I know it sounds weird to say that because I’m in the band. It was done so long ago that sometimes I find myself listening to it and forgetting that that is our music. I think people liked it. Our shows are always fun and people seem to enjoy what we play. To be honest I don’t think I would change anything about the record, it turned out better that we thought it would and we all still love it today.


The new record, “Burnt Offerings” has just dropped, what’s different to you guys about it? Did you approach this new one differently at all?

We actually recorded this record about a year and a half ago. Our song writing process is pretty ridiculous. We wanted to record another7in. and wrote the songs in a two or three week period and went into the studio with them. Although we kind of threw it together, we all really like the record. It’s a little different than the first one. Still pretty brutal, but we tried some new stuff. My favorite part of the record is Ben’s vocals. His voice sounds so mean. P.S. Ben might be one of the nicest, fun loving guys in the world, he is always drinking hot tea and playing mellow music. He plays guitar in a band called Destination Wilderness. He goes to school in Washington State and has a couple of bands up there. When he comes back in town though he tears it up with Get Destroyed!


It’s credited to be recorded back in 2007. I heard that originally you guys were recording for a split LP. Were these tracks meant for that? What happened there? WHo was the split going to be with?

The split was supposed to be with a band from Germany called The Gentle Art of Choking. They wanted to release the record sooner than we could get ours together, so it just didn’t work out.


I am pretty sure, almost positive that I hear Alex Hughes on vocal duties on a handful of songs on this new release. Am I hearing things? Or is it someone who sounds a load like him?

You are hearing things. We are friends with Alex. Hatred Surge is actually driving out to Arizona to play our record release show on Dec. 26th. Ben called Alex while we were recording and asked how he did his vocals. He told Ben to cup his hands in front of his face and scream into them. That’s how Ben got that sound. I love it!


Especially with Burnt Offerings, I’m hearing a heavy Evolved To Obliteration influence going on. Would I be wrong in this observation? How much of an influence would these guys (and similar bands from this era) be on the Get Destroyed sound?

We draw influences from all over the place. Mostly from the mid 80’s to late 90’s. I love everything Max Ward has been, Scholastic Deth, Spazz and of course WxHxN, etc... We all love Crossed Out and Infest and always looked to those bands as the best Power Violence had to offer. We also like new PV bands like Mind Eraser and Hatred Surge. We are all big fans of the Machine Gun Romantics too. Truth is we all listen to a ton of different types of music and who knows what is influencing the songs, they just come out and if we like them they stay.


Ben’s vox also ring true, I believe, to Andy from No Comment a fair bit. And over the years I’ve come across various bands whos vocalists often do attempt to manipulate their chords so that they do sound similar to their influences, often pulling it off rather well. Does Ben try this? Or is he just doing what he does?

Ben is just Ben. I consider Ben a real musician. I mean I play music and mess around with this power violence stuff, but Ben plays drums, guitar and sings well in many different genres. He just gets up there is rips out some brutal vocals. Who knows how the hell he does it. Must be all that damn hot tea and hippie Washington shit.


You guys hail from Arizona, an area of the country which I’m largely unfamiliar with in terms of the scene. It would seem that it’s certainly no Texas Gulf Coast, Cali or Boston. What kind of scene do you guys have going on there? I’d assume that you guys probably aren’t that far away from Cali. Travel there much for show?

I like our scene. There have definitely been some great bands to come out of it, and great bands still around playing. There is a dedicated group of people that keep underground venues open so all of us have places to play. We never play shows in California, especially now that Ben lives in Washington. A little while ago Get Destroyed went on a west coast tour with another drummer. I couldn’t make it because of school.


I spent half a day in the Phoenix airport once. Flying in and flying out it just seemed like a big, dry, hot plain. Would my observations be right? What do you guys do for fun in an environment like that?

The summers here are wicked hot. But for about nine month out of the year the weather is perfect. During the summer you either stay inside or get yourself into a pool. This last summer I went to a ton of pool parties. We usually just get together at someone’s house and hangout with each other. Always fun with friends.


With both records you guys have had a handful of record labels pitch together to release them both. Namely 625, Give Praise and To Live A Lie. How come? It’s not often that labels go 3rds in pressing records.

It actually was put out by four labels. 625, To Live a Lie, Give Praise and Vulgar Rex. The economy is in the shitter right now so I think this was the best way to get the record out. The distribution on the record by the four different labels has been amazing. The record is all over the world, which is all we really care about, getting the music out there to as many people that like Power Violence as possible.


Now I don’t know what it’s like where you guys are from, but round these parts it’s almost ‘taboo’ to say the word Powerviolence. Joke origins or not, I do like to believe that their is certainly a defined PV sound, a sound that you guys seem to play pretty hard at. That stop/start/fast/slow sound. What’s you opinions on the term? Do you like to use it? Do you believe that there is a defined sound that would suit the term? Do you think it’s stupid the way some people get so worked up about it?

Yeah, that is dumb. I don’t know what else you would call it. We definitely consider ourselves a Power Violence band. No one around here cares about that term. I always describe Power Violence as being real fast, fast and then real slow, slow, kind of how you described it. People are dumb.


I’m sitting here writing this interview, and the news on TV in front of me is reporting about some dust storms that are affecting your area at the moment. For conversations sake, have these storms affected you guys at all? Does this kind of shit happen often?

Nope, we are dust free. Just a little winter rain, but nothing to crazy, Arizona is pretty mellow on weather.


So what’s next for you guys? Does a chance to tour happen often? Does work/study interfere with that kind of thing?

We actually have been talking about writing another 7in. Were going to try to get it done by the end of April. Definitely no tour, though. I am moving to San Diego, CA May 1st to go to law school. Zach is moving away to go to medical school (he’s also getting his PHD, that kid looks retarded but he’s actually wicked smart). Ben is in Washington finishing his undergrad and Jay is here at ASU finishing his undergrad too. We love playing music, but have always put school first.


Thanks for the time Nik. Any thanks/fuck yous?

Thanks so much. Your questions were great. I had a bunch of fun with this interview. The only other thing I want to say is check out all the other bands we are in. I just recorded with my new band, Mark of The Rat. I play guitar in the band and really like the new stuff. Jay plays guitar in a band Netzeah and they are so good!!! My favorite local band by far. Ben is in that band Destination Wilderness. He went on a U.S. and European tour with them. They also played South by Southwest. That band is awesome. Thanks so much. Good luck with the zine and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

rotten apple

Another late night post, another brief one too. The latest OFF! single "Compared To What b/w Rotten Apple". Nice, thick black vinyl, cool guy central Southern Lord Records.
More of the same from this band; 80's inspired punk hardcore from real 80's punks in the middle of a mid life crisis. I've certainly become a bit more skeptical of this band since their last batch of releases. Not a bad record by any means, nothing crazy good either. Strongly defined by Morris' vocals of course.
As to be expected from Southern Lord, some very tidy packaging.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

brutal tyranny

These photos aren't mine, but you should know what the following are...
Oh man.

priorities

I've been up working on my zine and just realised how late is, and I've got work tomorrow (priorities) so I'll make this brief. Here we've got the new(ish) 7" from Weekend Nachos, "Black Earth" on black wax. Pressed by A389 Records, four tracks in line with the bands sound these days; heavy, fast hardcore that retains some of the bands PV roots and makes it a little more accessible for the moshier guys. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for this band and this record doesn't do anything to change that. With that said though, this isn't at all ground breaking stuff (it never has been), and there are bands out there that do it better.
They just put a new album out on Relapse, just CD I think? I think I read somewhere that Deep 6 will be doing the vinyl, but as far as I know that hasn't happened yet. A couple of the tracks here are on that album and in the context of a full length, collected with a handful of more songs I must say that it all works really well. I only have the digital at this point, but I'll certainly try and chase down this new vinyl, unlike the last proper album, because it's probably their best recorded material to date.

Friday, May 20, 2011

things take a turn

I've never been insane about Toronto's Career Suicide. They bite on some old music that I love and I like the idea behind the band, but I've never heard anything of theirs that has really blown me away. This is their 7", "Cherry Beach". Black wax, Dirtnap Records.
This is a reissue following an original release by Sewercide Records back in 2008, to coincide with a tour that the band did of Ireland. This version has different artwork, some extra songs that weren't on the first press, and updated recordings of the originals.
Before this, "Attempted Suicide" was my favourite stuff of theirs, these tracks take the place on the mantel now as number one though. Compared to that previous LP (and much of their material), these tracks kind of have a much more 'rounded' recording, more rocky if you will. The songs have a slight lean in that direction too in terms of a writing point of view. Rockier leads and more of them, bouncy rhythms and sing along bits, and a and lead track that is nearly four minutes long.
Insert poster. There's a few random pics of the band live on the other side too, but blogger's being shit tonight and won't let me upload the photo of it.
I grabbed this from Rev. Pretty sure there's still copies available. The original was limited to 300 copies. I'm not 100% on it, but I have a feeling this edition isn't nearly as limited.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

mounting stress

This is the new s/t Sorry Excuse 7" on Lifeline Records. Preorder clear brown wax of 160, but I didn't preorder this, I just grabbed it after Thomo spoke about it a month back. Fast, angry, straight edge hardcore from Kansas. In terms of a modern sound I guess they're heavily comparable to bands like Nightstick Justice, Coke Bust and Vacant State. You could probably say that they're biting on a reasonably consistent mix of 80's USHC, everything from east coast to west coast. I am most reminded of a handful of faster DC bands.
Digging the grim layout.
And they're earlier 7" from last year (I think), "Listen With Prejudice". Again, fast and angry hardcore. I grabbed it along with the new one from the Lifeline webstore. This exists thanks to Third Party Records though. Black marble smudge type thing which I obviously haven't taken a good enough photo of. Check Thomo's post for a better look.
Most of the songs on this record get a re-do on the new 7". Here they are rougher and messier. I actually thought this may have been they're demo 7" or something like that, but judging from Thomo's post about the demo, I don't think this is. Different songs.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

responsible man

I don't post about CD's on here. For this one I will make an exception. Not much to talk about though. It's the LP pre-sampler from Crowd Control from last year. Sold on tour. A good mate recently gave this to me knowledgeable of the fact that I am totally ape shit for this band. No idea how he got his hands on it though. Three songs. Simple packaging. CD-R. Have I told you how obsessive I am about this band? It worries me a little.

local madness

So there is a show coming up next month. Local bands, a reasonably mixed bill in the sense of styles from each band. I rarely plug shows on here, but a mate of mine is organising this so I figure I will.
I'll also plug the fact that I will have a handful of stuff to peddle at this show. The list is as follows:
-Downsided Fanzine #5. My zine. An interview with Irelands Crowd Control, a 3000 word intro, some photos and a reviews section. It's a zine, go figure.
- The Hexis demo tape. Doomed out black metal/hardcore from Denmark.
- The Prison Chapel demo tape. Shitty, fuzzy hardcore from Ireland.
- The God Harvest demo tape. Heavy grindcore from Florida. Sounds like Nasum.
- The Impalers demo tape. 2nd edition of this tape of dis-beat hardcore. Members of Hatred Surge and Mammoth Grinder.
- The Column Of Heaven "Ecstatically Embracing All That We Habitually Suppress" demo tape. Members of The Endless Blockade. Nosier, 'less hardcore' incarnation of that band. More electronics. Rougher recording.
- The new Sick People demo tape (this show is the release show for it). Brisbane based, early 80's USHC inspired jams. Members of my inner friend circle. Good guys. The next Delayed Response release.
- The Slaughter Strike "Winter's Agony" demo tape. Yeah, I will still have copies.
- The second edition of the Downpour demo tape. I'll have limited copies at the show, the rest are for when the band embark on a short tour in July when I'll be overseas.
-I'll also have a couple single copies of a few records and tapes. Mainly doubles that I have.
Come to think of it, some of the previously listed imported tapes may not make it to me in time. Brisbane dudes, I'll have them at some point and I'll be keeping them all local. Out of towners, I'm more than happy to sell you the Delayed Response stuff. Say hi.
It's of worth to mention that pretty much all of the bands on this bill should have some sort of merch or music to sling aswell. Bring your play money.

Playlist (inspired by a few blogs of note):
Drainland- Split LP with Trenches
Autopsy- "Macabre Eternal"
Get Destroyed- "Shut In" advance digital
Column Of Heaven "Ecstatically Embracing All That We Habitually Suppress"
Mammon- "Demiurge"

Monday, May 16, 2011

they all died is what happened

Here's the new Despise You/Agoraphobic Nosebleed split LP, "And On And On...". Shitty purple mix wax, the cheap kind, Relapse Records.
So as most would know at this stage, this record marks the first recorded output from Inglewood's Despise You in something like 10 years. It also stands as their cleanest recording to date by far, but I guess in modern day hardcore this shouldn't really be a surprise. In the grand scheme of things it's still a perfectly fitting approach production wise, it doesn't sound over polished, and it suits the band to the tee. 18 songs in a similar amount of minutes, structure wise and style in general, the stuff here isn't hugely removed from any of the bands past material. Fast, short, crusty blasts, built around dual male and female vocals, with a rough, gritty guitar tone.
Never really having been a massive fan of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, I'm not going to be able to tell you how this stuff stacks up against any of their old music. I can tell you that I like it, and in an immediate kind of satisfaction sense of the word, this stuff is good, heavy hardcore. It's got a really clean sound and a chunky recording quality and the singers vox are reverbed pretty heavily, which is a good thing most of the time. Being the massively prolific band that they are, this LP marks something like the eighth or ninth split I own of which they feature on the other side. I just realised that too, cool.
CD booklet that serves as the insert/liner notes. I don't often buy Relapse vinyl releases (most bands that I like just never do wax with the label, maybe the label just doesn't do vinyl very often anymore?), so I'm not sure if this is a regular thing or not. It works I guess. Combined with the cheap vinyl, it kind of gives it a bit if a less caring feel though, like they couldn't be bothered with doing it in full. Who am I to talk shit on such an influential record label though?
Great record, if just for the Despise You side. Some of their best material here. Such a cool return to form. Lets hope that there's more to come.