Ruined families-Blank language (2013)

Ruined families is a band from Greece (Punk from Europe's black hole they say!) that I discovered last year with their excellent "untitled" 7' (HERE is my review of this record, check also their first record, Four wall freedom, also really good). They now are back with an album called Blank language. I would say screamo / hardcore is the backbone of their music, and it has all its qualities, the emotionnally charged intensity and "always on the edge feeling". but they're far from being just another screamo band because they have some other elements in their music. For exemple the riffs often have something like a black metal vibe (more than in their previous record), but they're not another "blackened hardcore band", their sound is sharper than that and carries something like a post-punk  urgency. Blank language is a confirmation of their musical quality and good taste, and I'm also pleased to see that, like in their older songs the lyrics are really worth reading.

check the record on their Bandcamp page

and their Blog

and read this interview I did by mail with Takis of RF (I think it's a good one! interesting band=good interviews!) : 

can you present the band for those not knowing you yet ?

Ruined Families is a hardcore punk band from Athens, Greece.

-You just released your second album "Blank language" what can you tell about it? What do you think it is bringing to your sound?

Blank Language is the most definite statement this band has ever made. We consider it a great refusal, first to ourselves and then to everything that surrounds us.

-why did you choose to call it Blank language? and what about the artwork?

Language is the most common medium for communication and is always open to new adaptations. Words are amazing and we create them, we use them, but, on the same time we become slaves of theirs. What is supposed to make us free now enslaves us. We try to leave open space for the listeners to translate the title through his personal spectrum. Same goes for the whole entity of the record.

-how would you describe your music? A mix of screamo, metal and old school noise / post-punk? or just pissed off punk music?

Definitions are for people that want their life put in boxes and their choices easily digestive. We try to avoid characterizing our sound. All of those are valid and are elements that exist in our music, yet, we try to call ourselves a punk band.

-a few words about your previous records?

In our previous records, it was us playing like the bands we would listen to. This LP is us being one of the bands we'd like to listen to.

-on your bandcamp page you present the band as “Punk from Europe's black hole” what do you mean by that? Is Greece, because of the crisis, the point that is revealing the deep failures of European civilization?

Greece is the prime example of a European country collapsing on a financial and social level. Also, it has been used as a scapegoat and an experiment of neoliberalism in Europe. This situation is a global problem presenting in more different countries presenting the lack of unity inside the European Union with whole countries being used as a "bad student". The strongest countries use the weakest ones and under the debt factor they make profit and expand their power.

I think the European Union has failed to become a Union of people and the Euro currency works only as an excuse for this plan. I think we should reconsider the European Union at its current status, equalize the balance and then plan another Union that will work for the people.

-what does “punk” means to you, a kind of music, an attitude? The scene where both meets? The smell of bourgeois culture burning…or a marketing label?

Punk is a way of thinking. Beyond the spikes and the patches, punk was created as an output for rage and reaction to different social models. There is less and less radicalism in the hardcore/punk movement and we can see it getting branded every now and then in order to make new scenes or new markets. People should be in the position to criticize and take everything into consideration and punk is definitely something to be considered as well. Radical thinking and critique is the true nature of punk.

-what is the usual writing process of Ruined families?

The band works on a theoretical level on what we want to do and then it usually bursts into music. We are not a jam band, but, we may turn into one.

-did the riots and protest movement influenced you and your music?

Definitely. The every day transformation of the urban landscape influences our music. The center of the city becoming a war zone, then getting back to be a marketplace, then getting fortified with cops and drowned in teargas then getting back to be a nightlife destination is certainly something unique.

-what can you tell about your lyrics? the impression I have is that express the miseries of daily life, the frustration that goes with trying to catch some intensity and freedom in life in a society which only admits fake intensity and freedom.

We try to criticize the world around us and any institution or tradition. Every rule is created by man, thus, it's open to be reconsidered and used for man's good.

Freedom is definitely an objective matter since freedom can't be defined by any system or way of thinking. Apart from "deodorant" or "motorcycle" fake freedom there's true will hidden in people. Still, from the moment you grow up and you're poisoned with fear, so, it's difficult to distinguish the lines.

-there is a sense of twisted poetry in those lyrics, do you spend a lot of time writing them or is it more a spontaneous process?

I consider the lyrics of "Blank Language" to be the most stripped-down thing i have ever done, still, trying to remain relevant. I didn't try to write in a certain way, but, i'm a reader, so, i suppose it comes naturally.

-do you think the crisis and the struggle resulting from it in Greece (and elsewhere) can be a beginning for some revolutionary changes? An occasion for rebuilding human relations on a different basis?

I'm not really positive about change. I think the crisis helps people to come together on a certain level, but, in the same time to feel more self-centered and egoistic. Not all people are willing to care about the world around them, even when their life gets worse.

-in an interview you mentioned Debord and the Situationist International (among others) as an influence, what do you think is most relevant from the situationists for today? And what attracted you in their theory/practice?

S.I. was a movement that shaped in a big part the temporary left wing/antiauthoritarian activism and a lot of the DIY aesthetics can be found in them,as they had a radical approach on art and politics.As for today, S.I. identified with the mοvements of the past and it would be deferred to point it as a guide for today.These are the problems of today's leftism,remaining stagnant and following dogmas, but, we can't deny that was one of the first (besides Henri Lefebvre) that imported the problem of everyday life in politics. Τhis well educated, but, lost generation without a purpose can find a lot in the IS and how to find weapons and front this political and cultural crisis. Debord and Vaneigem had acute political intuition and stayed out of dogmas making some unique verifications about the modern life and urbanism.As for Jorn, his approach on art is something that had an impact on us.

-which band from your area (or from Greece) would your recommend?

There's a huge scene going on with really great bands. Here are the first that come in mind.

Antimob, Acid Baby Jesus, Sarabante, Despite Everything, My Turn, Dephosphorus, Dirty Wombs, Gomgoma, Alecto, Narcan, Cut Off, KU, Bazooka, The You and What Army Faction.

-what can we expect from Ruined families in the coming months?

Playing shows, writing music, writing bullshit on the Internet, moaning all the time.

-want to add something?

Thanks for the great interview. Open your eyes, they are always closed, especially when you see.

Mudweiser-Angel lust (2013)

Mudweiser is a band from Montpellier (south of France) which plays some good hard rock / heavy metal in a stoner / southern US metal vein.  Angel lust is their second album and is released by Head records. there's many good thing in this record, and one of the best thing is its diversity, in the song, and between different songs. you have the heaviness of course, in rocking songs with a big fat groove. you have also the melodies in some "power ballads" (but also in the rocking songs as well). you even have the accoustic quiet moment (there "has to be one" in this type of record but it's not a bad thing and the one in this record "Blackbird" is a cool song).
you also have clean but powerful vocals, and the occasional cool hard rock solos. meat and potatoes. this enjoyable record will do nicely for drinking times or quiet laid back times.

check it on Bandcamp

their bassist Jay answered by mail to my questions about his band (it's in french):

-petit retour sur la formation du groupe, vous aviez une idée précise au départ de quelle serait la musique de Mudweiser ou c'est plutôt venu petit à petit ?

dès le départ l' idée était de faire du gros rock dégueulasse, après avec le temps les influences s’effacent et là tu trouves ton vrai son donc je dirais un peu des deux.

-avant de parler du petit dernier, Angel lust, quelques mots sur vos disques précédents ?

Avant Angel Lust, on a sorti un premier album "Holy Shit" en 2009 chez Head records et un vynil 4 titres "Drug queen" en 2010 toujours chez head records. Ces deux là ont été faits avec Said à la guitare ( qui est à l' origine du projet ), ole notre guitariste depuis presque 2 ans a enregistré le ep 4 titres ainsi que notre nouvelle galette. C'est rock, c'est gras.

-et maintenant comment vous présenteriez Angel lust?

Comme un bon skeud bien graisseux que t'écoutes en buvant un bon wiskhy, ou au volant de ta caisse sous 40 degrés !

-le son de guitare est un peu moins typé "stoner" que sur le disque précédent non ? Au niveau de l'enregistrement et de la production ça sest passé comment ?

Le changement de son est du déjà comme je te l'ai dis avant au fait que nous avons changé de guitariste. Ol a un jeu différent de celui de Said, moins direct rentre dedans, plus bluesy rock je dirais, plus fin ....donc le son va avec ! Pour l'enregistrement on a fait prises de son et mix à la maison chez Ol qui possède un studio et c est parti au mastering aux USA.

-comment vous composez, en répet de façon collective, ou alors un ou plusieurs musiciens du groupe composent de leur côté et proposent leurs morceaux au groupe ?

C'est un peu les deux. En règle générale ça se passe plus souvent en répéte à jammer c'est quelque chose qu'on aime beaucoup faire, mais on ramène aussi souvent des idées qu'on trouvé de notre coté.En gros il n'y a pas de règles établies, c'est variable.

-le disque est un peu plus calme avec plus de moment posé il me semble, c'est un truc que vous avez voulu, ou c'est que vous vieillissez, ou c'est moi qui raconte n'importe quoi ?

Tu racontes n'importe quoi!!!! Non, les moments calmes sont voulus bien évidemment on a envie de mettre de plus en plus d'ambiances dans nos morceaux, ça nous permet d'explorer d'autres choses que l'on a pas fait auparavant, de pas tourner en rond non plus.

-Nights in white satin, la "power ballad" qui clot le disque c'est le début d'une carrière à la Scorpion ? Plus sérieusement comment vous est venue l'idée de reprendre ce morceau des Moody blues?

C'est à la base parti d'un concert qu'on a fait à Toulouse (Toulouse is burning )  où on devait faire 3 covers de groupes commencant par la meme lettre que nous et donc est venue l’idée des Moody blues, on a ensuite décidé de la garder et du coup on l' a carrément enregistré. On fait la chose a fond du coup!

-la calligraphie du livret est un clin d'oeil à Down ou au livret du Great southern trendkill de Pantera on dirait, et je suppose que ça n'est pas une coincidence que l'enregistrement / mixage se soient fait au Trendkills studios ? Ce sont des grosses sources d'inspiration pour vous non?

Non le livret a été fait par Reuno et il n'a été en aucun point inspiré par Down, il a voulu réunir d'une certaine manière nos deux premieres pochettes, avec le côté violent de Holy shit et le coté plus psyché de la cover de Drug queen. Apres en grand fan de Pantera je te remercie de la comparaison même si ce n' est que pour le livret ! Après nos inspirations viennent beaucoup plus du vieux blues et vieux rock genre Sabbath, mais il est évident que ces deux groupes sont importants .

-les concerts accoustiques à l'Inglorious bar sont pour quelque chose dans l'écriture d'un morceau comme Black bird ?

On pourrait croire que oui mais en fait c'est vraiment l'envie d'écrire une chanson à l'ancienne, sortir les acoustiques et jammer sur du blues. Ca n' a même pas été vraiment réfléchi je crois, c' est sorti d'une idée "et si on faisait un blues " et tout le monde a trouvé l'idée bonne. On l'a écrite pendant l'enregistrement même pour te dire à quel point c'est venu comme ca.

-quelques choses à dire concernant les paroles, ça parle de la vie avec des métaphores un peu "western"?

Là-dessus je serai moins précis que Reuno vu que c'est lui qui écrit ses textes, mais il raconte des histoires sombres avec des personnages qui sortent de je ne sais où, il t' expliquerait mieux que moi!

-un petit mot sur la tournée française que vous êtes en train de terminer [fin mars]?

On est parti sur 16 dates en 17 jours avec nos collègues de 7 weeks et loading data pour ce "Stoner Rise 2013". On a fait un grand et beau tour de France, du monde partout, de bonnes rencontres, de la fête, de la transpiration, c' était magique et là on s est quitté tristes de se séparer mais on reviedra bientot!

-c'est quoi la prochaine étape pour Mudweiser ?

Ben on a déjà commencé à composer pour le prochain , on fera surement une tournée en Septembre j'espere à l'étranger vous serez bien sur au courant.

-le mot de la fin ?

Merci mec, on se recroise à un concert bientot !

Needful things-Tentacles of influence (2011)

If you're looking for some straight to your face grindcore this record will do. Tentacles of influence, released in 2011 is I think the second full lenght album of the Czech grinders Needful things. The riffing with crust punk and trash flavours and the simplicity of the song structure relates Needful things music to the old school of grind whereas the rapidity and density of the drumming relates clearly to modern grind (the especially fast drumming and the trashy riffing reminds me of The kill sometimes). the overall result is a well crafted and very efficient album that most grinders will enjoy. 

The BC page

Mars red sky (2012)

Mars red sky is a new band from Bordeaux (France) that released their first and self titled full lenght album in the end of 2012. they plays a psychedelic rock with a fuzzy stoner sound and manages to do a good mix of 70' influenced rock and a more modern approach, taking what's good in the old school but without sounding retro at any times. some of the songs are really excellent, not just good riffing but also good sogwriting with variations of feels throughout the record. but what maybe is their main stenght is the excellent clean singing and melodic vocal lines.

just do yourself a favor and check it on their BC page.

Badgod music is a label founded in 2011 and dealing underground and uncompromising music. each of its thirteen band plays a variety of extreme and dark music in brutal or more subtle ways, ranging from death / black metal to indus / noise / ambient experimental music.

you can learn more about Badgod music and its bands on its website :
badgodmusic.com

or listen / download the records on its bandcamp page.

you can also read below what Dave, the man behind Badgod music, answered to my questions :

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-on your facebook page we learn that Badgod music was formed in 2011, what were your motivations then? what was the project at the start?

I was and still am hosting a radio show on non-profit station near Vail CO. I accept promos from a number of labels and pr firms as well as independent artists. Many of the unsigned artists fascinated me because I thought their material rivaled or surpassed that of artists on labels – large or small, Doing the radio show I had the good fortune of meeting Never To Arise, Trillion Red and Black Crow King; in fact Gordon Denhart (Never To Arise) was my first “friend” on Myspace as I was setting up a page for my show. Being the paranoid introvert that I am, I immediately checked him out and that led me to his band. I was blown away! Connections with Trillion Red and Black Crow King subsequently followed. I started the label with the simple goal of helping artists I enjoy reach more people.
At the start, the label consisted of three bands and the desire to spread their musical manifesto.

-how did you get into music and metal?For as long as I can remember I have been interested in music. When I was very young I listened to the radio during much of my spare time. A relative bought Kiss ‘Alive’ for my brother. At first we were both horrified, but after multiple listens I was hooked. AC/DC followed and that quickly led to a slippery metallic slope starting with the standards : Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, etc..

Despite having limited to no musical aptitude, three friends and I did form a band in high school. It was a joke at first but we did build a rather large fan base quickly and we actually got on the radio and played a handful of gigs before disbanding when we started college. I played drums for a while but as I had no sense of timing or rhythm, I quickly moved to vocals, which fit as I wrote most of the lyrics.

It was for the better that we did breakup because we had strayed from our Misfits/Dead Kenndedys/Ministry roots to something of a Yes/ Metallica/Men Without Hats hybrid with a Yoko Ono thing going on.

-you already signed a few band and released quite a lot of record for a new label in two years, I suppose Badgod music takes a lot of your time?It definitely does take up a large amount of my time and I would hate to actually sit down and calculate my hourly wage, but I am passionate about it and I like the challenge of starting a label from scratch and bringing it and the bands a level of notoriety that will shock and awe.


-were the band you signed bands that you knew already or bands that you discovered after the birth of Badgod music?As mentioned, I knew Never To Arise, Trillion Red and Black Crow King before starting the label and they were the initial inspiration to take the first steps towards global musical domination. A recent signing, Denver thrash/doom trio The Casket Crew, I knew of before starting the label. It took a while to work up the moxie to sign them as they scared the shit out of me and these feelings proved to be well-founded as they proved to be hard-asses when it came to negotiations. Inferion approached me through the recommendation of Clawhammer PR. They were another band I had played on my show, so was well aware of them and absolutely rapturous when Nick Reyes approached me.

-how do you pick the bands you want to work with?There has to be an initial spark but I will also listen to the artists dozens of times before making a decision. I never have any preconceived notions of who or what genre I want to sign. Whatever turns my crank at the time but I want to make sure the crank keeps turning.
-although the majority of the Badgod music bands are playing death or black metal you're not limited to that with bands more noise / ambient as well, was this diversity something you wanted from the start for Badgod music?When I first started out, I did consider what kind of label I wanted it to be, and decided I did not want to pigeon-hole the label, aside from maintaining a feeling of darkness, malevolence and heaviness. As I enjoy a wide variety of heavy music, the thought of dealing with only death or black metal would have been hard for me.


-it seems that your released has most of the time an "evil" (overtly and brutal or more sneaky) global presentation, music, cover, lyrics, etc..I suppose from the name of the label that it not just coming from the bands but is also your idea of what should be a badgod music release?Yes, the idea is to maintain an overall feeling of evilness or brutality, even if these can be subversive at times. I believe the bands currently on the roster have no problem maintaining the label’s overall feel now or will in the future.

-what is your most successfull release yet?

That is a difficult question to answer as I feel they have all been successful in their own way, garnering overall very positive responses from critics and hoi polloi alike. Ever the diplomat!


-a few words about your most recent releases?

Summarizing the latest releases in a few words would be a difficult task. The year started off with an unrivaled storm of malevolent ugliness in the form of the industrial/power-electronics of Project:Void’s ‘The Anthropogenic Process’. It is limited to 100. Another limited release is the Trillion Red ‘Echo Road EP’. It possesses a darker, heavier sound than the recently released ‘Metaphere’. Unlike ‘Metaphere’, there are no subtleties: it mercilessly uses the doomscape as its stomping ground. Uvikra’s ‘Bi’ is one of the most interesting slabs of blackened death you will ever hear: production that gives no quarter to pretense and an almost sinuous chord progressions that immediately envelopes the listener in a stranglehold of dread and hopelessness. And the most recent release: ‘The Grace Of Pettiness’, a split between Back Crow King and Thoreous, is a wild sludgy queef of musical experimentation that may push the Grammys to inaugurate a new category. Coming soon is King Carnage’s ‘Ounce Of Mercy, Pound Of Flesh’: a violent and raging Black/Death concoction that will split heads.


-what can we expect from Badgod music in the coming months?

More wonderful weirdness, darkness, heaviness, brutality and overall exciting musical shenanigans that will take music and people’s lives to unparalleled heights of introspection and exploration.
 

Inter arma-Sky burial (2013)

Sky burial is the third record of Richmond's Inter arma and their first one with Relapse. Their first one was the very good full length Sundown in 2010, the second release was the excellent Destroyer EP. about this EP read the review I wrote, with the interview that comes with it HERE.

I said their music could evoke a colliding between Mastodon and Enslaved, and I think it's still the case for Sky burial, not because it's really close to one of these bands but more because this comparison leaves room for many different possibilities and one thing very important in their music is that they try many different things, explores many different paths. Destroyer had a lot of diversity in its song and Sky burial goes further down this road (taking two songs that were in Destroyer along the way). What do you want? Black metal aggression? Hard rocking stoner like heaviness? A dark atmosphere? Quiet acoustic moments? Melodies bordering psychedelia? Post-hardcore song structure slowly growing the song to a final epic apocalypse? You'll find all that in sky burial, and not only that. But the good thing with this record is not just the diversity, it's that the smart songwriting manage to mix all these elements without turning everything in a messy hodgepodge. It's not an accumulation of elements, it's really songs, memorable and powerful. And the quality of the execution goes with the quality of the songwriting, so it's excellent songs played with excellency (check for example the final of  the title track, sky burial, its riffing drumming madness really carries you somewhere else!).

Inter arma BC page

Vuyvr-Eiskalt (2013)

Vuyvr is a band from Switzerland, featuring membres from Knut, Impure Wilhelmina, Elisabeth and Rorcal. considering this lin-up it's not surprising, first that Vuyvr music is good, and secondly that their black metal is not strictly traditionnal. on their new record, Eiskalt, the basis is raw and blastbeating black metal, ferocious and intense. and to this agressivity they add some epicness and melody, in a way that remins a bit Emperor (but rawer and without keyboards..), but also some post-hardcore elements making their sound bridging the gap between old school and modern black metal. merciless blast beats and subtility? a meeting of black metal and modern hardcore? intense and uncompromising music? you'll understand easily why this release is a collaboration between Blastbeat mailmurder productions and Thoatruiner records.

you can have this release (come on, you must have this release!) eiter as a digital free download, or on vinyl (the more aggressive song on the A side, and the most melodic / atmospheric ones on the B side).

check it on the Bandcamp page. highly recommended!