Cancer Bats - You'll Never Break Us - Separation Sessions Vol. 1 (2020)

To be honest I have never been interested in Cancer Bats usual records, but I'm really happy I gave a chance to this EP called You'll Never Break Us - Separation Sessions Vol. 1 and featuring acoustic reworking of 6 of their classic songs (with banjo, guitars, organ and drums and percussion). I totally dig this EP. Less electricity, more intensity! Whether you like Cancer Bats, hardcore, metal, metalcore, folk, country, and whatever, just try it.

Highly recommended !

The BC page.

 

Steve Von Till - A life Unto Itself (2015)

You probably know Steve Von Till, singer / guitarist in Neurosis also releases solo accoustic albums (like Scott Kelly), last year's A Life Unto Itself is the latest one. It is a brilliant dark americana / folk album. Of course Steve Von Till is a good singer and composer and it also shows on this album, but what is also excellent is the viola parts from Eyving Kang and even more the pedal steel parts played by Jay Kardong. It really brings the songs a special feel. And no, it does not really sound "country music", but yes definitely American roots music. It's not "heavy" in the way Neurosis is heavy, but the atmosphere is as deep and strong as it is quiet.

The Bandcamp page.

Wino & Conny Ochs - Heavy kingdom (2012)

I'm a bit late with this one (it's been released in 2012) but it's so good and I still listen to it on a very regular basis so I had to post about it.. Heavy kingdom is a collaboration between Wino (yes this Wino, the one of St Vitus) and a young german folk singer-songwriter called Conny Ochs. Except for some guitar solo it's entirely acoustic. But they prove that songs don't have to be amplified to sound heavy or have a doom vibe! Even if it's more about the melodies than heaviness it still sounds heavy and very... Wino. Because of Wino's great vocals and because of the riffs that are powerful enough to sound great without needing any amplification. I said it sounds very Wino but that doesn't mean that Conny Ochs is a dead weight for this album, far from that, I don't know exactly which part he played in the songwriting but what is sure is that he's a great singer and his vocals are a great complement to those of Wino, bringing an extra dimension to the songs. I'm sure this album will stand the test of time and I would be really pleased if they do another one together.

the Lastfm page

Correction house - Last city zero (2013)

Correction house is Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) and Sanford Parker (Minsk), so their first album Last city zero raised many questioning and expectations. Does it live up to it? I'd say yes, it's a really good and interesting album. With a lot of diversity but managing to stay cohesive thanks to the overall atmosphere it develops through the record. So what do we have? Mostly industrial beats and bleak acoustic folk but also saxophone (Bruce Lamont), spoken words (Mike IX Williams) and noisy post-rock guitars. It can evoke at times Neurosis, Scott Kelly acoustic solo works, The swans or Einsturzende neubauten. Its global sound is related to industrial, post-punk / post-rock, or neofolk  but in a way that is personal and innovative. While you listen to it it's always evolving and surprising while staying in the same moods and colours. Well, it escapes easy description so you'll have to try it, it's really worth it anyway.

Correction house on Neurot records

CityCop

CityCop is a really good and special band. Their music sounds like an accoustic kind of screamo, but is really better than what you expect at first, the result is really impressive.
They released two records in 2011, an LP The Hope in Forgiving & Giving Up Hope, and an EP called Seasons. Both are very good, and both have a bandcamp page where you can listen to it (and then buy it if you have the money because it's really worth it).
Here it is : The Hope in Forgiving & Giving Up Hope
and  : Seasons

Their singer kindly accepted to answer to a few questions.
You can read the interview just below :

-can you present the band, its members, its history, what was the project at the start, how it evolved? where does the idea of playing accoustic comes from?

The band is made up of Max Adams (Guitar/Vocals), Eddie Gancos (Vocals), Cody Mikesell (Drums) and Duncan Treen (Bass). The band started as just a little Indie/Folk project between Max and I (Eddie). We then went to record a demo at Duncans house and he asked to play Bass on a few songs. he was then just added into the band. We then figured we needed some drums and Cody wanted to join too. We've all been really good friends since Middle school so everything just kind of fit together pretty well. As we grew older our influences changed and we started getting into things like The Fall Of Troy, Saetia, etc. and our style changed as well but we wanted to keep the acoustic guitar because we liked the sound of it and it fit more to our roots.

-why did you choose this bandname?

we honestly could not think of a band name so we went to a band name generator website and city cop seemed to be a pretty decent enough name so we went with that.

-even if playing accoustic sets you apart, do you feel like being part of a scene, screamo or else? with what kind of band do you play with?

We don't really consider our music any specific genre. It's really a mix of everything we've observed and everything we've loved and followed over the years. We have played with Screamo, Punk, Rock, Indie, Acoustic, Metal, Metalcore, Pop Punk, and anything else you could think of. We don't really care what kind of shows we play because we appreciate pretty much every genre and love playing to new people no matter what they are fans of.

-how people react to your live performances?

Generally people tell us that it wasn't anything they expected, in a good way. We try to bring as much energy and emotion as we can and try to show how much these songs mean to us and we want people to believe that what they are seeing reflects that.

-the guitar playing seems influenced by rock/heavy music but not only, am I right?

You are correct. I can't speak for Max but he is really influenced by everything including Jazz, Latin, etc. Though we are influenced heavily by heavier music so we do the est we can do with an acoustic guitar.

-I think you manage very well to keep the passionate feeling and intensity that goes with screamo/hardcore music. is it hard to achieve that while playing accoustic?

don't think being passionate about something and showing a lot of intensity should only be restricted to those who do play electric. I don't think it's hard to achieve it either by doing what we do. It's kind of a tough question to answer.

 -can you tell us about the lyrics of the songs, it seems to be mainly about personnal issues, true?

 Most of the lyrics on the first alum are about Girls, growing up, hating everybody and the usual angst you would typically find. In Seasons I feel like my writing has matured a lot, and I think that's mainly because I've grown up a lot as a person. Most of what is on Seasons is about my family, my father, growing up around a lot of negative people and ways of living, depression, and just trying to get by in the time we live in right now.

-where do you get the idea of the EP seasons? do you think you will again adapt a poem as lyrics for a song?

We thought of the idea as like, the mood of the songs had to get more and more sad as the Seasons change. Living in Ohio, Winter seems to be the most depressing season and it is reflected in the mood of the song "Winter". We just tried to pace it like how the actual Seasons kind of just roll on by. I don't think we are ever going to do anything like the poem again. I'm not too fond of using other works that aren't personally mine. I'm just a huge Bukowski fan and I wanted to show my appreciation for him as a writer. 

 -what is your opinion about the Occupy movement and the general situation in the US?

 We don't really like to get into political topics too much, though we all have our individual opinions, I cannot speak for everybody on the topic.

-which good band of your area (or anywhere) should we check?

The Northeast Ohio music scene is probably one of the best I have seen. Some great young bands are coming out of it and doing great for themselves. I'd check out Ages, Homewrecker, Light Years, Setbacks, Minor League, Dead Words, Street Fight and I know I'm forgetting a lot but just check out all the bands in general, Ohio music is for sure music to get into. Venues to check out are West End 2153, Now That's Class, and Tower 2012.

-do you have something to add?

Check Out Flannel Gurl Records, L'Amour Records, Sober Todd, Code Orange Kids, Jarrod Lachey, Kenny Powers, Paul Rudd, Matt Izzi, Mike Aponte and Tip.

-your turn to ask me a question if you like. any idea?

How did you hear about us? 

I discovered you on a blog called Spreading Neurotoxins, where I found a link to the bandcamp page for Seasons.here is the post.