The Ex-Catch my shoe (2010)

I recently saw The Ex play at The secret place in Montpellier with their new singer / guitarist and it was very good, the new line up is really working (last time I saw them it was a few years ago and they played then with the ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mechuria, it was quite different but also very good).  Catch my shoe, their latest record, released in 2010, was the first with this new formation. 30 years after they formed in 1980 they still are (now it's 33 years after they formed), and more than ever, a unique band in the punk or post-punk galaxy. they have riffs that non others plays, they have rythms like non others, their vocals are also specials, well, they play music like no other band. and that's a really good thing. and what's more is that the result is really interesting and enjoyable at the same time. sharp and noisy but really moving and danceable at the same time. they can even cover a folk ethiopian song, sung in ethiopian by their female drummer, and it fits very well with the rest of the record that is nonetheless a punk record...
if you know them you probably already love them, but if you don't know them, try it.

The Ex website

Rapturous grief-st 7''(2012)

Rapturous grief is from Atlanta but sings in spanish. what they play is fastcore with a lot of blastbeats and with a riffing that is mostly punk but borders sometimes old school black metal. really good dark and agressive fastcore.

I think this 7'' released in october is one of their first release (they also did a few splits).

it's ten minutes of really cool grinding fastcore so if like me you're into that kind of stuff, just check it!

you can stream/download their record for free on their BC page.


their singer guitarist, Robert Sarabia, answered to my questions about his band, read it below :

-can you present briefly the band?

Robert Sarabia - guitar/vocals

Daniel Deckebach - drums

-was it a decision from the start to play as a duo?

 

Yea, we wanted to be a two piece and still like it but we talk about possibly adding a third member.

-do you play or have played in other bands?

 

Godsballs.bandcamp.com

-what about the self titled record you released recently?

 

It's a 7" only 200 pressed. There are two covers for the release so it'll be 100 and 100.

-why are you singing in spanish? is it because you're more easy with the spanish language or is it more a musical choice?

 

Kind of both. It's not easier, it is the same process for me to write in either Spanish or English. The lyrics have personal meaning so I thought it was appropriate since I am Hispanic. I might write a few songs in English too.

-I feel something like a black metal influence in the riffs, is it so?

 

We like black metal but its not a direct influence. I would say more metal than black metal. (Think Morbid Angel)

-which bands were important and influential for you on a musical or personnal level?

 

My personal influence comes from anywhere between Celtic frost to Jimmy Hendrix. I dont have a favorite band. 

-you're currently touring the US east coast isn't it? what are your imrpessions?

 

Yes we are, it's been a great tour so far, great DIY shows done right and good people.

-are you looking for a record label or do you want to do it the DIY way?

 

We are not partial and don't mind either way. It is nice when a label can help you get records into different countries and you aren't paying for everything, but it also feels good that we do everything ourselves, we also print our own merch.

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

 

All atlanta bands:

soundcloud.com/scavengerofdeath/manic-7-side-a

Cheapart.bandcamp.com

http://hawksnoise.bandcamp.com/album/push-over

what's your favourite record for 2012?

 

Year One by Holly Hunt. It just came out but I've seen them live a few times and this record crushes. 

-what is planned for Rapturous grief for the coming months?

We are going on tour with Shitstorm in February for 10 days, in the middle of the tour we will be playing a festival in Houston TX with Dropdead and Despise You. We may have a new tape by then.

-something to add?

 

Dennis, thank you for your interest in our band, we hope to meet you one day. I will definitely follow your blog and let people know about this site. Grind on!

 

Inter-arma-Destroyer (2012)

I found this band nearly by chance during one of my Bandcamp wandering. But not completely by chance, there was two reason I stopped at it and gave it a listen. First thing, the brilliant artwork, weird, dark, colourful and psychedelic. Then I saw that they were on Gilead media (the record label that has Thou in its catalogue). They just signed now to Relapse, I hope this will do them good.
OK. What about Inter-arma music?
It's quite good. A bit like a colliding of Mastodon and Enslaved. Mastodon for the heaviness and epicness. I mean early Mastodon. And Enslaved for the vocals and black metal meets psychedelia thing. It's not very close to Mastodon nor to Enslaved but you get the idea, it's heavy, sometimes melodic, sometimes heavily crushing. Their EP released this year called Destroyer has four songs. The first is a nearly ten minutes long heavy blackened and sludgy metal epic monster, with mid tempos parts, blast beats, solos, meats and potatoes. The second one is a short but interesting and good melodic instrumental, with a mix of acoustic and noisy riffing.  The third is instrumental for five minutes, quiet and a bit psychedelic, then the drumming starts and the guitar solo, and then it's an epic black metal song. And it's another good one. And the last song is more about slow heavy and hypnotic repetitive riffing through and through. So it's a really good record with a lot of diversity. It will be interesting to hear what will come next from them... 

But for the moment check their EP on their BC page.

Their guitarist Trey answered to the questions I sent them about Inter-arma. Read it below :

-how did you form and how did the band evolved until now?

The band formed in late 2006. The only original member is TJ (drums). But we've been playing in as this exact lineup for about a year and most of us have been together for closer to 4 at this point. Joe (bass) is our most recent member. He joined up in I want to say February (maybe January) of 2012.

-what do you have to say about Destroyer? How were the songs written and recorded?

Well, the songs were written over a pretty significant period of time i.e. a year and a half or so. They didn't take that long to write, but we had a lot of material that we tossed around and by the time we got to recording them they had existed for a good chunk of time. TJ had the main riffs/progressions for "Destroyer" and "The Long Road Home", and I brought the main riffs for "Wailing Moon" to the table. We just jammed on them collectively until we were pretty happy with their composition. We recorded the EP almost as a demo with our friend Garrett Morris from Windhand. We did it all live over a weekend and then took our time mixing it and adding different things.

-I read that you had deals with different record labels like Gilead media or Toxic asset and that you signed with Relapse for your next record, what about it?

Yeah, we've worked with several different labels over the course of our being a band. We had a split 7" with Battlemaster that was released by Mirror Universe (Robotic Empire) before "Sundown" was released by Forcefield Records. We mailed a ton of copies of "Destroyer" to different labels just to see what happened and 20 Buck Spin passed it off to a friend (Toxic Assets) who offered to put out the EP on vinyl. Gilead Media is going to put out the CD version of the EP. We recorded a new record in March (2012) and were lucky enough to have Relapse approach us about putting out the newest record and future recordings through them. 

-isn't your music a bit like doing your own mix of every styles in metal and playing it with something like "epic" intentions? (a silly question just to have you speak about how you see your music).

This is a question we get a lot. I don't think that we set out to play anything in particular. We kind of just write tunes and if they're cool then we keep playing them until we're happy with how they sound. We certainly haven't made it a goal to incorporate lots of styles or create our own thing. We're just eclectic guys who like playing heavy music.

-what's your favourite song on Destroyer and why? which one are you playing live?

I'm partial to "The Long Road Home" because I get to do my best David Gilmour impersonation, or at least an impersonation. We play all of the songs live excluding "Darker Movements".

-your lyrics are a bit spiritual and metaphorical aren't they? what ideas or images do you want to communicate through it?

Mike would answer this better, but I'll give it my best. I think that's a reasonable way to look at it. Themes range from dealing with loss, to hope and hopelessness, disgust, etc... "Destroyer" itself is about Robert Oppenheimer's ambivalent relationship to the atomic bomb. I'd recommend reading about that anyway as it's pretty interesting.

-how do you fit in the Richmond scene, do you see your music related to it?

I'd say everyone's environment affects their creativity in one way or the other so our music is irrevocably tied in with the Richmond community. I mean, we don't exactly sound like other bands around here, but we're friends with and play a lot of shows with good bands from the area. Their presence and music influences us, even if it's subconsciously, and I'm sure it's the same with them.

-with Destroyer we have the impression that you can evolve in many different directions, what can we expect from your next record? Do you already have new songs?

There's definitely evolution from recording to recording, but the overall idea is pretty much the same. We try to write good heavy music that we like. The new record is fast, slow and mid-paced. It's loud and quiet. We did rerecord some songs off of "Destroyer" for the record as those songs had evolved some since we recorded the EP. We also have new songs that aren't even on the upcoming Relapse release.

-you did a tour recently aren't you? a few words about it?

Yeah, we did a full US stint in September/October. It was rad. Mostly awesome shows all over the country. A few flubs, but that's to be expected. Overall it was awesome. Good people, a lot of good bands. Got to see some people we hadn't seen in a long time and meet some new folks. Tour is awesome even when it sucks.

-do European / French people have a chance to see you play in the coming times?

We're hoping to be out your way sometime in 2013. No specific details as of yet but stay tuned.
 
-what's your favourite record for 2012 so far?

Probably "Honor Found In Decay", the new Neurosis. Honestly, though, there's not a lot that hit in 2012 that I liked a lot. I was and am still kind of bummed on the new Enslaved. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but it's not as good as I'd become accustomed to expecting from them.

-a joke to share or something to add?

I don't know enough jokes that are universally funny enough to share without their meaning getting lost in translation. Just watch Snow on tha Bluff and you'll understand our lives.

this photo of Inter-arma's singer is by Karen A.Mann. she's doing photos and reviews  /articles for different publications.  check her blog for some photos, news & reviews related to metal.

F.U.B.A.R-Lead us to war (2012)

FUBAR is a dutch grind band, they are releasing their second full lenght record called Lead us to war (seven years after their first). to put it simple it's one of the best grind release of the year. to me it sounds like a near perfect mix of old school grind / powerviolence elements (for exemple the three singers vocals ar quite old school, a bit like Blockheads) with modern grind (Nasum et al.), the production is powerful without being too clean. The vocals and the grind / punk drumming have a great sense of rythm, bringing much dynamism and contrast to the songs, making it catchy and memorable and fast and brutal at the same time. well, it's smartly crafted grindcore, and that sounds really really nice to me....  and when they move into "crustier" terriory like in a few songs it works ok as well (they don't forget to accelerate again really soon!). it's a really strong and enjoyable grind record, so don't miss it!

FUBAR bandcamp page

Mark, who's playing guitar and screaming in F.U.B.A.R, answered to my questions by mail. read it below :

-how did Fubar started, was it very different from what it is now?
F.U.B.A.R. finds its origin in a project called I scream, protest! But never did anything worth mentioning under that name. With a new singer we found a new name and we never chanced line up again. F.U.B.A.R. always have been, Luc on vocals, Paul on drums, Bas first on guitar and later bass and vocals and me, Mark on guitar and vocals.

The basis of what we do has always been the same, making grindcore. The influences we put in are always chancing, but never too far away from grindcore. Most influences are from punk, metal, crust, hardcore and power violence.

How we make songs, also chanced during the years. Through the years it became more and more a band effort. The first years we would write songs separately and bring them to the rehearsal. Now days we start with a single riff and we create a song out of that. Same with the lyrics.

We exist for more than 10 years now. So fortunately a lot has changed. Change keeps it interesting, to go and write new songs again and again.

-why seven years between your previous full lenght and the new one? what about your previous releases, splits, EP, etc.?
The years flew by. And there was always the opportunity to do a split with a band we really liked. You do not say no to a split with Splitter, Lycantrophy or Blood I Bleed in my opinion.

That’s why it took so long for us to find the time to make a full length. We had to make loads of new songs for all are past splits.

And in my opinion if you want to be in a grindcore band, releasing split records is mandatory. Same goes for releasing vinyl and having some old tape with rehearsal recordings out. No mather how professional a scene can get, never forget where you came from. And what made this scene to begin with.

But to be completely honest, I think we will be releasing our next full length in about a year / year and a half from now. We are writing new songs, and things seem to go pretty good.

So no split records in het near future. (o, I just remember, we just released a split seven inch with Embalming Theatre. Same recording session as Lead us to war).

-what about Lead us to war, how was it written, recorded, produced?
It started with the idea to make a full length for a change. So when we started to write these songs, we knew their destination. Normally we start to write songs without knowing the format which they will be released as. So we knew we had to make a load of songs that had keep the listener interesting for about half an hour. We wanted a lot of diversity in the songs, and I think we did pretty fine. Some real (old school) grindcore, powerviolence, crust, hardcore, and metal influences but still recognizable as F.U.B.A.R.

We recorded 24 songs with the great help of J.B. van der Wall. He plays in a lot of good bands like Dr Doom and Herder. We loved what he had already recorded. So we knew he could make the sound we wanted, and he knows his grindcore. We think he did a great job on our recordings. He made it sound the way we wanted our songs to sound and he made recording even more fun.

-which is your favourite song on Lead us to war and why?
I have a few actually. I scream protest is one of my favorites, because it really stands for what F.U.B.A.R. has done all those years. The title refers to our past and it’s as grindcore as grindcore can be to me. And I love screaming: I scream protest!!!!

Another song I think turned out pretty good is Lead us to war. It’s totally different from what we have done in the past. It clocks over 3 minutes (I think close to 4 minutes actually) We can play a song like Blended about 8 times in 4 minutes. So a very long one. But I think there will be more songs like that in the future. It shows an other side of us, our love for crust and more melodic music.

-It looks like the lyrics are something like in a "protest" vein, can you tell us more about it? what do you want to express?
I do not write the lyrics of F.U.B.A.R. I only scream them. Luc an Bas are the main writers of F.U.B.A.R. lyrics.
They are about frustrations, daily ones and frustrations about big subjects like politics of our society. Stuff that makes us angry enough to write short, fast and loud songs and scream very hard over them actually.

If you read them, I think they speak for themselves. So too little time to explain what they all are about. It must be over a 100 songs we written over the years.

You are right when you refer to them as protest. Grindcore is protest in my opinion.

-what about the dutch grind scene? how do you fit into it? which bands would you recommend?
A lot of quality in the Dutch grindcore scene. Most popular Dutch bands tend to lean towards more gore and metal influences as F.U.B.A.R. I think the Dutch grindcore fan has more appreciation for that kind of music, than the more punk/hardcore oriented bands. But we can’t complain at all. It’s good to play with Dutch bands. Always a good time.

As I said, a lot of good bands in Holland. My personal favorites are Blood I Bleed and Krush.

-what does grindcore means to you? 
My interest in grindcore started when I was a teenager and thought music could not be fast enough. I loved the energy of grindcore / powerviolence and hardcore gave me.

A happy coincidence was I agreed with most of the lyrics all those bands where screaming.

Later on I got interested in other styles of music also. But my love for fast and aggressive music never died.

Also grindcore is the living proof of how underground music can have a very strong scene and be self sufficient. I love that. No need to interfere with the music business and their twisted fascination with money and fame.

-what's your opinion about the DIY ehics and actions?
I think my previous answer sais enough about my opinion of DIY. Pick up an instrument and go play some music.

-are you coming from a more punk or more metal background? how did you get into grind or extreme music in general?
Both actually. My love for blast beats and heavy guitars got me interested in grindcore. Before I knew what grindcore was I was listening to punk and metal. But when I saw Last days of humanity and Suppository play at a local bar. I forgot about that and started to listen to grindcore and hardcore. Funny coincidence I got to play in Suppository a few years later.

A lot of interesting music to listen to followed, during the years. But the more punk / hardcore oriented bands are is still my favorite grind bands.

-what's your favourite record for 2012 so far?
Converge - all the love we leave behind is my favourite record for 2012.

New releases that can’t go without mentioning in opinion are Martirdöd – Paranoia, Phobia Remnants of filth, Pig Destroyer - Book Burner.

-you are touring or planning a tour isn't it? I saw that Warfuck will play with you, what can you say about it?
Last time we played with Warfuck was great fun. And I love their album The weak and the wicked and live shows. So looking forward to go on tour with them.

I think the first shows are booked now. The tour will be in May and it will take us to Germany, Tsjech Republic, Poland, Italy, Hungary, France and more.

It has been to long sinds our last tour, can’t wait to jump in the van and go through Europe to make some noise once again.

-expect touring what can we expect from you in the coming months? more releases planned?
No new releases planed for the near future. I hope we will hit the studio end of 2013 or beginning of 2014. Expect some surprises on that recording. Think it will be a new full length. We really enjoyed making Lead us to war. So a new full length will definitely not take 6 years or more.

In the mean time, go and see us, when we are in the neighborhood. Playing live is what we love most.

-any final "full of wisdom" sentence to close the interview?
Start a grindcore band.

Aluk todolo-Occult rock (2012)

This record shines like a dark star, brilliant and very special. you can call it kraut ambient black metal or psychedelic noise rock or just occult rock but what is sure is that it's a an impressive record and a special listening experience. this french isntrumental trio, called Aluk Todolo, tries with their third record Occult rock to create some ritualistic occult music (they are into Aleister Crowley and stuff like that) and even if I can't take the "occult" thing too seriously I have to say that the hypnotic and "mind blowing" qualities of their music is indeniable and strong. Aluk todolo sound like no other band. really well done repetitive drumming patterns, noisy basslines and spacey kraut tenebrous riffing makes  Aluk todolo's recipe and the effects are powerful and stongly addictive. you've been warned...don't miss this record it will stay for the coming aeons as one of the best and striking, record of this year. Highly recommended.

Aluk todolo website
Aluk todolo on Soundcloud

Drawn and quartered-Feeding hell's furnace (2012)

This record is all about vicious riffing and blastbeating used with talent to create good songs pulsating with a morbid and evil feel. Good ol' death metal the way it should be? yes that's it, exactly! Feeding hell's furnace is releeased by Nuclear winter production and it's Drawn and quartered (from the US) sixth LP. If you like old school US death metal (it's more Immolation side's of death metal than Entombed) I'm pretty sure you'll like it because it has no weak points but is full of good, memorable, moments, and the songwriting and musicianship are simple but deadly efficient. it's more about creating a darkly majestic vibe than about speed and technical chops and it's fine since it works very well. recommended.

 D&Q FB page

Detroit-st (2012)

Detroit, despite its name is a canadian band. they play "grinding fastcore for angry people" as they say, and if you listen to it you'll have to agree. In a year of existence they already released a few short but very good records. Honsetly I don't really now how to explain exactly what makes them a really good band, they just have really cool songs and they play it the punkish grind way it should. good vocals, good punk / grind drumming, well good songs... an old recipe but served with the full effects. anyway just listen to it and if you dig this kind of music I'm quite sure you'll agree with me. sorry for the lazy reviewing but Detroit's music really speaks for itself...

their bandcamp


Yes Detroit's music speaks for itself, but I wanted to have also Detroit's musicians speak about their music!  so I sent them a few questions. read their drummer's replies :

-can you tell us a few words on the beginning of the band, is the line-up stable now?

me and our first singer Rhys started jamming roughly 3 years ago, went through a few guitarists before we found Emmett, who turned out to be a great fit.  we started playing shitty hardcore punk stuff, then we saw a band called kali, and instantly started to try and play powerviolence.  and YES, we finally have a stable line up, i can't see anything changing for a while.

-have you played or still play in other bands?

before Detroit emmett was in a band called The afflictions(punk) with sam, who sung for us before cory, and also Shit for brains(thrash/punk).  Detroit's the first band i've ever played in, but since then i've been in Suicidal cop(hardcore), Burn collector(weird pv), and i also currently play in Hard drugs hamilton (shoegaze), Paleface(harcore punk), and then three brand new bands, two of which are powerviolence, and the other skramz/black metal.  cory plays bass in Dysplasia(rad grind that we have a split 12" coming out with), and also that new skramz band with myself.

-what about the different released you already did up to now?

releases are tricky business for us, we write songs at such a quick pace that once were done waiting for a release to come together (be it because of the other bands, art, pressing time, ect.) we're already sick of those songs and have a ton of new ones that we like way more.  for example, in our current live set we'll play maybe 3 songs off all of our releases on our bandcamp.  at this point, i'm a degree of dissatisfied with everything we've put out so far, i just want people to be able to hear our new shit so band. 

-when can we expect an LP (or a longer record, an LP with less than one min songs would be too much maybe...)?

hopefully within a few months!  we're midway through writing it, but in a month or two it will be in the hands of whatever label wants to put it out.  we kinda sold out because there's some songs around the two minute mark, but we're still at 17 songs in 13 minutes right now haha.  i'm so stupidly stoked on how it's sounding so far, and can't wait to get it out.

-your music stands between fastcore and grind, what's your relation to these scenes?

we'll in Edmonton, pretty much because theres only grind/pv bands in the city, us, Dysplasia and LeonardxLawrence.  bc however has insane as fuck grind and fastcore scenes, i personally feel way more of a connection to that scene than anything happening in edmonton.  we've all good a ton of good friends in the scene here, but we just fit way better in bc.

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

Edmonton has a ton of great bands, even if not to many of them grind that hard.  my personal favorites are Flint, Mahria, Dysplasia, LeonardxLawrence, Begrime Exemious, Moons, Messiahlator, Black dracula, and Catgut.

-how did you get into this kind of music? and what fuels your love to play it?

for me it was without a doubt seeing Kali for the first time.  instantly hooked.  i can't pinpoint what fuels my desire to play it, it just feels so natural, so fun.  i spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about grinding and going on tour, but it just keeps me so stoked.

-what's your opinion about the DIY ehics and actions?

diy is a cornerstone of punk and for a very good reason.  we all totally endorse and practice it, bands that don't have a tendancy to fucking suck.

-what about your lyrics? isn't it more difficult to write lyrics for so short songs while still saying something?

Cory is actually the first vocalist we've had that will have actual lyrics, so we'll find out when the lp comes out i suppose.  i fell like short songs are good for lyrical clarity though, some lyricists could use that incentive to get to the fucking point.

-what's your favourite record for 2012 so far?

fuck, so many, i can't choose just one.  here's the best of the best though:  Republic of dreams/Cloud rat split. Sixbrewbantha lp, Sea of shit/Water torture split, Whirr lp, Moons ep, Flint ep, Skuff/Bridgeburner split, Obacha/Chetwrecker split.  and it was really hard to narrow it down to that, 2012 has ruled.

-what's the next step for Detroit, what can we expect from you in the coming months?

coming out with a sweet lp, going on a sketchy as fuck west coast tour all the way down to texas, probably playing some pretty not insane Edmonton shows, and getting stoked on life, weed, friends, grindcore, ect.

Demented are go-Welcome back to insanity hall (2012)

Demented are go are still around, still crazy and kicking! I recently saw them on their Halloween french tour for the promotions of their new record Welcome back to insanity hall (on the still cool People like you record).
The show took place at the Secret place where all good rock'n'roll bands go, and it was a damn cool show...
And their new record is proof that that are still at the top of their punkish and agressive psychobilly, and Sparky is still barking like a mad dog his obscene and crazy rock'n'roll lyrics.

DAG website
DAG FB

Encoffination-Elegant Funerals for the Unknown Dead EP (2012)

Encoffination is a band very concerned by the elegance of the buried, their new vinyl EP released by Debemur morti productions is called Elegant Funerals for the Unknown Dead and one song on their previous LP (see my review HERE) was called "Elegant in their funebrial cloaks arisen". But one member of the duo works in a morgue so maybe it's just being serious professional!
Encoffination is among the best band in the radical death / doom style pushing it to new heights of grimness. very slow, very low, death metallic or sabbathian riffing and, of corpse, a very funeral and grim atmosphere. plus on few occasion a very old school punkish death metal acceleration (the drumming is simple but very good, fitting very well the songs). If you're into this style of death / doom don't mis this very cool band and record.

Encoffination FB (yes even the grimest have that!) 
Debemur morti productions website 

Water torture / Thedowngoing split EP (2012)

when you team a destructive noisy fastcore bass/drum duo with a punishing noisegrind duo what do you get?
yes, something that's not for your grandma...the ruined buildings pics on the cover artwork of this record works well as a good evocation of what happens in your brain when you listen to this split.
who are the guilty parties?
two rising stars of the PV noisegrind scene : Water torture from Buffalo US and Thedowngoing from Australia (HERE's the reviews and interviews I did related to Thedowngoing). they are touring together the US and I let you imagine the path of destruction they are leaving on their wake...
Nervealtar records is the third culprit releasing this split vinyl/digital EP as a tesimony of the damages done.

Water torture plays eleven songs in 3 minutes. I have mixed feelings about their part of the split. I like short and fast songs but this time I feel that these tracks are to short to be songs. its more bursts of noise. in itself it's not a problem, can be cool, but maybe here it's too short to be really interesting. it starts blasting and you start getting into it and then it stops. it's a bit frustrating...but as a teaser for their live shows it's not bad because I think chances are their live shows are a way more effective and interesting experience than these tracks.

Thedowngoing part of the split is one long track (nearly five minutes, do you believe it?), but it's a collection of songs so it's a bit the same stop and go experience than wih Water torture. but in my opinion it works a lot better. it manages to grab you and stuck you into their whirlwind of audio fury, maybe because there's more heaviness and grooves in the songs (but maybe they're a bit cheating, you know the songs even have riffs! compared to water torture its bordering prog rock!).

as a whole it's a cool split, the Thedowngoing part being more effective and impressive in my opinion.

but the more important thing is that if you can see them destroying your city during their tour, don't miss it!

bandcamp page of the split
Nervealtar blog

The tunnel-Sultry daggers (2012)

Last month I reviewed Fathoms deep, a record released by a band from San Fransisco called The tunnel. it's a really good record (read my review HERE). So I was very pleased to find in my malbox the other day a mail from their singer/guitarist Jeff Wagner informing me that that were releasing their new record called Sultry daggers! and what's cool also is that I was not at all disapointed when I listened to it. the quality and character of their music is still here.
their sound is made of clean but tortured vocals, sharp post-punk guitars and their rythmic section are now more on the front, stressing the noise rock feel and dirty groove of the band. And it works really well. But what the band's doing the best is creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere that evoques something like an haunted, old and smoky cabaret noir.

listen to it on their Bandcamp
check their website

and read this interview with Jeff and Sam from The tunnel :

-tell us about the beginnings of The tunnel?

Pat and I met at a deathrock club. We started a 2-man band, a metal
drummer and a goth/theatrical singer/guitarist playing a dark
stripped-down blues. Then Josh Layton played guitar with us for awhile
and brought the rocknroll, and for the past 2 years Sam Black's bass
and electronics have added the low-frequency lushness.

-you just released a new record called Sultry Daggers, a few words about it?

vivid, electric, strange...Sam says: glossy, viscid...

-I read that the time between Fathoms deep and Sultry daggers were
hard times for you, how does this affected the written of Sultry
daggers?

 Yes, I broke lots of bones in an accident, and wrote many songs
during my recovery. Isolation lends itself to weirdness.

-what about your lyrics?

I like to tell cinematic stories that entertain and challenge myself,
at the very least. Sam says they are cinematic visions, characters
communicating through the songs.

-seems to me that on Sultry daggers the bass and drums are more
formward in the mix, pushing more your sound in a noise rock
direction, do you agree?

Yes, I think we tried to downplay that direction in our past records,
and strove instead to create fragile organic textures. This time we
let the noise come, restraint be damned. Also Sam did the tracking and
Chris Crawford who did the mix is a drummer, so the rhythm section got
some special attention.

-which is your favourite song on the record and Why?

Right now probably "Confessor". The undignified last rants of a
murdered man, in all their mood-swinging glory.

-a few words about the video you did for "Shed the skin"?

We filmed all night. It originally featured multiple Film Noir
stories. We kept removing subplots until there was no plot, only
images. Sam says: inky black and white textures, intensity realized.

-are you touring to present Sultry daggers, what else is planned for
the end of 2012 and 2013?

Yes, we are finally working on a new live set. We're looking forward
to performing it live in January in San Francisco.

-which little known band form the San Fransisco area would you recommend?

Faun Fables, or Hammers of Misfortune, or the Slow Poisoner. Or the
late, great, Pleasure Forever.

-your favourite records for 2012 so far?

hm, probably "Journey to the Far Side of the Room" by Kingdom of Not,
still due to be officially released, any day now. I cannot even begin
to describe their madness. Sam says "Wreck" by Unsane.

-a few words about your solo project?

more theatrical than the Tunnel..1970s exploitation films, 1950s
rockabilly, Beefheart, gothic noise, etc.

-any final "full of wisdom" sentence to close the interview?

I'll quote the murdered guy: "Life is so precious and vicious..." 

Haut & Court - La vie EP (2012) & interview

Haut & Court means High & Short, like in "hung high and short", it is a band from Strasbourg (east of France). They formed in summer 2012 and just release their first six track record called La vie. They call their music "mathcrust" and it is indeed raw and dark hardcore with some "math" riffing /drumming. The vocals are in a death metal/black metal vein. It's a first release but it seems that they already found their own style, a thing that is really welcome in an overpopulated "blackened hardcore" genre. They manage to bring something different and since the sound, the playing and the songwriting are also good I think it makes a really successful first record. When it stops you want to start it again (it lasts less than 15 minutes) and each time I listen to it again I like it better (especially the fast moments that makes most of the record, a bit less the slow ending).

Try it and spread the word (they're looking for places to play and maybe a record label). Here's their bandcamp

Arnaud from Haut & Court agreed to answer to my questions so you can read it below :

-you formed last summer, how did it happen ? What was the project with Haut & Court?

The drummer, Ravind and the singer, Arnaud knew each other for a while and it has always been obvious for them that they would play together.

Then the guitarist, Bernard joined and the alchemy came right away.

-I don’t know a lot of other band doing this mix of neocrust/hardcore with math elements, how did you get the idea?

We all have various influences and we wanted to enhance the crust style. A kind of mix between originality and efficiency. 

-I guess you play or have played with other bands, which ones?

The drummer has played for several month in The Pledge Of Cain, real nasty sludge from Strasbourg.

The guitarist is still playing in an open minded hip hop band called UNT.

-a few words about La vie (the record!)?

We tried to do the most raw and direct music we could. It has also been our first experience in studio, but we're quite proud of that first shot.

-what about the lyrics?

Each song has it's subject.

Let it burst: Revolution will come through Evolution, it's the small things that matter. 

Krokodil: About addiction, in every possible dimension

Collision: We're leaving in a molecular gang bang, so fuck the differences, we're all the same.

This Genesis: Basically, stop weeping on everything & start something. 

Life: Ahah.

Wasted time for wasted minds: Focus on what really matters. For us it might be cheese.

-you’re looking for places to play isn’t it? looking for a record label also?

Indeed! We really want to share our music and meet new people, it's what bring us together as a band.

For the labels, we aren't in a rush, we already had a few propositions, but we are still open, it is not our first aim those days.

-do you already have new songs or ideas for the next record?

We are always working on new stuff, hopefully our album will be ready for the middle of 2013. 

Being in studio helped us to improve our creativity skills, therefore we'll try to go there asap.

-which bands were the most influential for you?

We're all very eclectic in our influences, it goes from fusion like Zappa, George Duke to pop rock, hip hop and of course, metal, in its wider definition. 

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

Tortured Soul, Ratbomb...

In fact, the Alsatian scene is quite huge, we are lucky to have plenty of awesome bands in the area!

-your favourite records for 2012 so far?

The drummer has been highly brain damaged by the last This Gift Is A Curse, the guitarist stopped at the latest Zappa release so don't ask him about novelty. And the singer is definitely waiting for the next Booba to come out this month. 

-what do you think of the evolution of the hardcore scene these last years?

Hardcore is constantly mutating, we are glad to see a new chaotic/blackened hardcore scene coming out to give a bit of freshness in this genre. It's only the beginning, and it already hurt.

-any last comment?

Thanks a lot for this interview and for the support, we only had good feedback from our EP for the moment, we are swimming in love! 

We're really enthusiastic about the future. We hope to travel as much as possible, so, see you soon! 

Noisear-Turbulent resurgence (2012)

Noisear is a prominent player in the modern and technical grind game. the very special Dorian Rainwater riffing also makes them one of the most original grind act. add Bryan Fajardo (also Kill the client and Phobia) behind the drum kit and it easily  makes Noisear one of the most skilled band (the other guys in the band aren't doing bad either!). Willotip records recently made another good move in releasing Noisear latest record called Turbulent resurgence. a record written in a day and recorded in two! and judging by the result it seems to be a good way to make a grind record!

get your mind blasted by listening to it on Bandcamp

Demonic death judge-Skygods (2012)

Demonic death judge is a high quality stoner / sludge band from Finland. I discovered them last year with The descent that was really good (read my review HERE). They now are back with a new record called Skygods, and they keep the quality on a high with a good balance of heaviness and melody, of rawness and a touch of psychedelia (it's more about heaviness, but that's the good balance, a lot of heaviness with a bit of melody and psychedelia!).

It's another really good record even if for me it's not better than The descent due to a guitar sound that's going more on the stoner side. Stoner rock addicts will approve, more metal oriented people like me will be a bit disappointed. But it's really cool stuff anyway, the quality of songwriting is still well in place. 

You can try it on their Bandcamp

Their singer Jaakko Heinonen answered to my questions about Demonic death judge. Read it below :

-can you present the band and its music ?

We are Demonic Death Judge from south east Finland, and we have thick, heavy sludgy riffs and lots of them!

-you just released Skygods, a few words about it?

It's our second full length album and  I think it combines the best sides of the stoner/sludge/doom genres.

-seems to me that your guitar sound get a more stoner and less sludge/metal tone on this record, is that something you wanted?

Well we really didn't think about it that much, we just basically plugged the amps in started experimenting with the sound and when we found the one we liked, we just hit the rec button and started doing it. Also, the mixing process was a bit different this time around so that gave the sound a nice touch, we're really happy with it.

-what’s the songwriting process in Demonic Death Judge?

I don't really know how the bass and guitar playing Hakuli twins write these songs, they must have a some sort of secret recipe for doing this as they are producing great stuff all the time. So they do most of the writing and then me and the drummer Lauri might just add or change few bits here and there at the rehearsal room, but the twins deserve most of the credit.

-is there a Finnish touch in your music?

I don't really know, you tell me? I think we have our own thing going, it's quite universal sound.

-how are your live shows?

They're deep and sludgy. I think we have a great live sound, it helps that there's only one guitarist so  it's well-balanced and though it's raw and heavy it's still easy to take in. We just love playing live and i think it shows.

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

From our home town there aren't too many bands of our kind, but in Finland there are the likes of Fleshpress, Temples and Hebosagil to name a few that you might enjoy if you're into this type of stuff.

-how did you get into heavy music?

My dad was a huge ZZ Top fan, that was the first stuff I listened to as a kid so it's not surprising that I went on to grow a beard and started listening to all sorts of rock and heavy stuff. And I still love ZZ Top, they're the best!

-what’s the next step for Demonic death judge?

We're releasing Skygods on vinyl near Christmas and from there on we just keep playing gigs and try to get our asses outside of Finland and play some shows abroad.

-a joke to share with us?

I've only got dirty filthy jokes, I'd get in trouble telling them in here. Come and have drink with us, and we'll tell you all about it.

-what’s your  favourite record for 2012 so far?

Has to be Witchcrafts ”Legend” album, it's a seriously great record!

-a final “full of wisdom” sentence as a conclusion?

Fuck everything and rumble!