Monophonics-in your brain

In your brain is a truly wonderful psychedelic soullful and funky record the third one by Monophonics a brilliant band formed in San Fransisco in 2005.

The playing is tight and the songwriting really efficient, neraly each song on the record is a "hit", you just can't resist to the groove of songs like "bang bang" or the aptly named "there's a riot going on". just listen to it and your mind will be blown away on a psychedelic path full of funky/spacey guitars, brass, soulful vocals, choruses and funky drumming.

lsitening to this record is mandatory, there won't be no excuses!

http://monophonics.com
you can listen to their previous records here : http://monophonics.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-infrasounds

Ursut-Dårarnas Paradis

 

Dararnas paradis (fool's paradise) is the first album by Ursut and it's a fine exercise in swedish crustpunk. Nothing really original but it's well done. the vocals are in swedish and are cool. the songwriting is good with a variety of rhythm, some more agressive parts, some more heavy parts, and some others more melodic. They manage to keep the energy and the dynamic at a high level throughout the whole record.

if you're into crust or hardcore you should give it a try :

http://ursut.bandcamp.com/

Nile - At the Gates of Sethu (2012)

I use to deal with less well known band, but hey, Nile is really a cool band, so I make an exception. and even the biggest death metal bands are still largely underground so...Yes Nile is among the biggest death metal bands and its not by chance for they were among the band that really brought something new into death metal int he last fifteen years. You known what it is : mind blowing intensity and musicianship but serving a truly brilliant , epic and larger than life songriting (with the egyptean/oriental mytholocial atmospheres, the hooks, the grooves, crazy solos, etc...). Since "Annihilation of the wicked" in 2005 they introduced a cleaner production and added more trashy parts to their death metal (but kept intensity to a high level), "Those whom the gods detest" in 2009 was a return to something more brutal but "At the gates of Sethu" stays is the direction of focusing more on catchy riffs and "songs" (but still death metal songs so the brutality is really present of course). In a few words it's a new great Nile record...

Nile official website

Dallas Toler-Wade, guitarist in Nile answered to the questions I sent him (thanks!). Read it below : 

- how do you see At the gates of Sethu in the evolution of Nile ? 

 
  Dallas Toler- Wade : I think with every record we learn more and more about writing and recording. At the gate of Sethu shows that we are still hungry, and focused on becoming better writers and players.

- was there something new for the band in the process of writing or recording/production?

  Pretty much the writing process is the same as in the past, except this time we made more complete demos with all of the elements there.  It really helped in getting everything as good as we could get it.
 We wanted things to be a little more raw this time, and I think we accomplished that.

- I feel that since Annihilation of the wicked your songwriting is more simple and focused on creating “catchy” songs while keeping a high level of intensity and technical playing of course. It seems to me that Those whom the gods detest was a bit more brutal and At the gates is more in the continuity of recent years focus on songs. Do you agree with that?

   It could be true sure. We just do what we do. We have always just went for what feels right at the time.

- is there a red thread in the lyrics and themes of the different songs? Is there a kind of a concept to the album or is it more a collection of different stories.

   At the gate of Sethu is a collection of individual songs, with a wide variety of topics.
 
- I read that you tour with Morbid angel and Kreator. That’s great! Are you headlining it? I guess that as many metalheads you listened to these bands, but what do you think about what they are playing now?

 
  Being on this tour will be lots of fun. We have toured with Morbid Angel, and Kreator in the past, so touring with these bands again is long overdue. As for what I think about how other bands are playing I say as long as they are happy with what they are doing musically then who gives a damn what other people think.

- which songs of the At the gates are you playing live?

   We will start off playing Enduring the eternal molestation of flame, The supreme humanism of megalomania, and The Inevitable Degradation of flesh for starters. We will add more as we go, and change out songs from tour to tour.
 
- how Nile’s songs are written? will you write again ten minutes songs like you did before? 

 
   The lyrics get written first, then the music. We don't think about how long the songs are. We just work on the stuff until we feel it's ready and kicking ass. Our songs take how ever long they need to take to say what they have to say.
 
- the great acoustic instrumental song on this album is called “ethno-musicological cannibalisms” is that title a kind of joke or something?

 
  Err is this question some kind of a joke or something?

- which are your favourite Nile’s songs?

   I don't really have a favorite Nile song. For me it's hard to have an outside perspective being in the band. It's all reflective of where we were as musicians and what we were getting into.
 
- which recent bands would you recommend?

   Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour of Penance. I don't know how long these bands have been around. I just know that I got to hear these bands recently and they were brutal as hell.
 
- which recommendations could you give to young bands trying to “do it”?  what’s more important, perfecting everyday the playing and songwriting skills or the “hard working touring endlessly for no money attitude”? obviously you did both and know a lot on the subject so what’s the key points on your opinion?

 
   My opinion is if you are a serious musician it's all in what you want from playing music. Some play mostly for money, some for fun at home, some for the musical challenge, some simply for the soul healing expression of writing and playing music, and some for all of these reasons. If you devote your life to any pursuit you will see results. Making it in music for me was being able to play and write music in a band that played shows and put out records. I never cared if there was label interest or chances for big tours. I just know that I will always play metal on whatever level I can, be it total pro or for fun locally on the weekends. I will always write music and play in a band.
 
- want to add something?

    I would just like to thank everyone that's into or plays metal for years of relentless dedication, and making life interesting!  

Asva-presences of absences

Asva is an interesting collective led by Stuart Dahlquist (Goatsnake,ex Byurning witch, Sunno))) ) what they play is mostly long drone songs, but with the addition of other elements. Their last record Presences of absences, released in 2011, see Asva evolve toward less guitars and heaviness and more organ layers and melodic singing, giving the record a strong progresive and "spiritual" vibe. maybe drone purist would dissaprove (but maybe Asva was already too original for them) but the result is a sucess in my opinion, the record having a strong personnality and being really enjoyable at the same time.

but just try it and make your own opinion!

Asva on last.fm

Municipal waste / Toxic Holocaust - Toxic Waste (split - 2012)

Toxic Waste is a really coherent 4 tracks (2 each) split record done by two leaders of the crossover/punk-thrash 80' scene. The content is without surprise with this Municipal Waste / Toxic Holocaust record, each band staying faithful to his usual style, but the quality is there so no reason to complain...if you like these bands you'll like this split. 

You can listen and download it for free at Tankcrimes Bancamp page.

Slave

Slave is a powerviolence trio from Birmingham (Alabama), that release in july their first full lenght tape (self titled). What is cool with this band is that groove and dynamic are often present in the 13 unrelenting tracks of the tape, with a good use of rythm changes. the dual high/low screams vocal attack is also a good point. The sound can be improved but it's ok. If you're into powerviolence or grind/punk/hardcore it is a release that you should listen to and Slave a band to follow because this first full lenght is promising.

you can listen to some of the songs on their Bandcamp page

Aaron Gibbs their guitarist/singer kindly answered to my questions so you can read it below : 

 -can you present the band, its members, what was the project at the start, how it evolved etc… ?

 SLAVE is a three-piece power violence band from Birmingham, Alabama consisting of Aaron on guitar/vocals, Chandlar on drums/vocals and Kevin on bass/vocals. Chandlar and I started the band and have been playing together since May 2011. At first we messed around with our sound a lot and played a few shows as a two-piece. Our best friend Justin started playing with us around July of last year. Unfortunately, he passed away in October of last year, so we took time off from playing shows and ended up recording the "Erode" demo with our good friend Carter Wilson. We started writing a lot of songs and playing more shows in January, followed by a short-lived bassist named Ben. We kicked him out because he was shooting up drugs and selling his body on the streets to maintain his drug habits behind our backs. We kept writing more songs and Kevin joined the band a few months back. He's a great guy, one of the best bass players I know and has been in a ton of great local Birmingham bands. That's pretty much the story so far. In a nutshell, it's been a slow and interesting adventure, but things are at full speed and better now than ever.  

-what can you tell about your self titled cassette that will be out in july? Why on cassette?

Our self titled cassette is 13 songs total. 12 originals and a cover of "Culpa Mia" by Despise You. It's all six songs from the "Erode" demo tape and six new ones we wrote this year. It was recorded in May by our friend Shibby Poole in Nashville, TN.

We decided to do a tape for a few reasons. Number one being that everyone in the band is really into owning a physical copy of recorded material by bands we like. I can't speak for the other two guys in my band, but I get a certain feeling when I'm looking at the artwork or insert of the piece of music I'm listening to that gives me a little more insight on what I'm hearing wether it be what they're singing about, where they're from, pictures of the band or where/how they recorded the material. I'm kind of a nerd. Once I get into a band I want to know as much as I possibly can about them.

Another reason we decided to do a tape is because my good friend Daniel runs a DIY label out of Memphis, Tennesse called Fat Sandwich records and said he wanted to put it out. We were going to self release the new recordings on a tape ourselves, but after he approached us we decided it'd be a good move to let him put out the tape. We're also looking to put all of these songs on a 7" but we'll see how that goes.

-what about it’s cover artwork?

The artwork was done by our friend Chase Wilson from Nashville, Tennessee. He knows the powerviolence genre well and knew what we were going for so we chose him to do it. He does great work. There are two versions of cover art for the S/T release. The first one is a man being whipped. The second is a deceased, tortured body on the ground, surrounded by people. We sing about some pretty fucked up things that are going on everywhere in some way, shape or form. 

-what I like in your songs is that with rhythm changes, with the vocals, etc, you introduce diversity, dynamic and groove while keeping the intensity on a high. Is that something you have in mind when you write songs?

I think in the beginning we tried to write powerviolence songs with a bit of grind influence on them and I think we accomplished that sound on the "Erode" demo tape. We're all into a lot of different stuff wether it be heavy music or not and I think this recording really showed that. When we were writing the new songs I was listening to a ton of death metal and tried to incorporate a simplified version of those breakdowns into our music. Also, a lot of the older songs are played faster, in addition to the newer material just being faster in general. I'm a fan of bands trying to do new things wether it just be something totally off the wall or mesh multiple styles together. I don't think we're necessarily doing anything new or original, but I want listeners to see that we're into a wide variety of music.

-what are the lyrics about?

Our lyrics are pretty straight forward and simple. We talk about our distaste for police and the legal system in a few songs. A few songs are about our religious beliefs and views on racism, sexism and homophobia. None of that shit is cool at all. Living in the "Bible Belt" of the United States is pretty crazy and at times, disheartening. I feel like a lot of people in the southeast, where we're from, are raised into going to church every Sunday and are threatened by the bible and Christian values into doing what's "right". I think that's bullshit and it really sucks that some people will only know those ideals and feelings because it's been forced upon them since day one . There are a lot of good people in this world regardless of their race, gender, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. If you have a good heart and are a good person, then you have a good heart and are a good person. It's really sad that people around the world aren't accepted for who they are because of something so minuscule like that. It's fucking bullshit in my opinion. Another thing we talk about a lot is use of heavy drugs. I smoke and drink and am completely okay with whatever a person wants to do, but I have a problem when it starts fucking up mine or my friends and families lives. I know everyone in the band has had at least one bad personal experience with friends or family being hurt or torn apart from drug use. 

-does the name of the band indicates you feel that the freedom we have in today’s society is illusory and that we should revolt? If so in which ways can/should it be done in your opinion?

We originally took the name from the title of the Infest record, but the more I think about it everyone is a slave to something or someone in some way, shape or form. Wether you be a slave to your job, school, the legal system, drugs, a relationship, religion, etc. there's something always holding you back from doing exactly what you want to be doing in the exact moment you want to be doing it.  

-what drives you to play extreme/pissed off music?

I like the speed and intensity of it. I like that I can write a song in my room on my guitar, practice it with my band and and scream as loud as I want about what pisses me off. The most rewarding part of it is being able to do this in a room in front of people who feel the same way that I do. I consider myself to be a really nice and approachable person, but that does't mean I don't have a lot of things that I'm not angry about. It's a way for me to get out a lot of bottled up aggression in about ten minutes, Haha.  

-your music is somewhere between, or mixing, punk/hardcore and extreme metal/grind, with what kinds of bands do you usually play with? do you fell like being part of a scene and in which way?

 Everyone got into the music we're playing now from listening and going to punk rock and hardcore shows. I hope to show and share the music of my influences through the music I write. We usually play with a lot of different kinds of bands. We've played shows with a lot of punk and hardcore bands. We've also played a few shows with stoner/doom metal bands and a few powerviolence and grind bands. Unfortunately there aren't many bands similar to us that come through the area, but we try to book shows and jump on ones we'd correspond well with any chance we get.

I absolutely love being a part of the scene in Birmingham. I try to go to every local show and catch regional ones when I have the time. If you don't support your local bands and venues you aren't going to have anyone to play with and you aren't going to have anywhere to play. There is a ton of diversity in our scene. We honestly have a little bit of it all and I really don't think there's a single bad band in Birmingham. It's cool, though. Birmingham isn't huge, but it isn't small, either. Everyone knows or knows of each other. Everyone hangs out all the time. We all love each other. There's not a lot of bullshit or drama here at all. It's perfect. I've done a lot of touring and I can honestly say there's nowhere else in the United States I'd rather live. Birmingham is my favorite place.  

-which bands from your area would you recommend?

From Alabama - Legion, Deism, Grandaddy Ghostlegs, Younger Siblings, The Urns, Belial, Central Fires. Yautja and Choking on Ash from Nashville, TN are great. Seraphim from Mississippi and Dead in the Dirt from Georgia are also really rad.  

-what have you planned for 2012 apart from the release of the cassette?

In 2012 we plan to play as many shows as we can. We're currently writing for splits with Yautja from Nashville, TN and Consent from Chicago, IL. We want to get the S/T pressed onto a 7", too. We're doing a lot of weekend shows out of town and hopefully can do some touring this fall or winter.

-when are you touring Europe?

We would love to tour Europe. That has been something we've all wanted to do for years. As soon as the opportunity is there we'll take it. I literally know nothing about setting up shows in Europe, but I know we'd do it in a heartbeat.  

-Something you’ll like to ask me (it’s your turn now if you want!)? something you want to add?

Thanks for the interview, Dennis. Your review/interview and kind words are appreciated. We don't have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, but anyone who's interested in our band, booking us on a show or picking up some shirts or tapes can email me. You can also check us out on bandcamp and read our blog.

aaronchristoffgibbs@gmail.com

slavepv.bandcamp.com

slavepv.blogspot.com

Pet the preacher-the banjo

Pet the preacher is a new really promising hard rock band. They are from Denmark but they play hard rock with a southern feel (I mean southern as New-Orleans is southern), wih soul, groove and a bluesy roots sound. They release their first full lenght record on vinyl with Kozmik artifactz, it's called The banjo. The ten songs tells the story of the downfall and redemption of a musician (or at least thats what I understood). some songs are quiet, some songs are rockers, but the quality is on a high through all the record. Good songwriting, good musicianship, great vocals, a very cool record. if you're into heavy and rocking music you have to check this new band.

HERE is a video they did for one of the song of their EP. and HERE is "the devil's door" from their new record The banjo.

Their singer and guitarist Christian Hede Madsen agreed to answer to my questions about his band. (Thanks you Christian!). You can read it below : 

-can you present the band and its evolution up to now ?

We are a danish trio called Pet The Preacher and we play rockNroll music. We were fromed in late 2010, and after finding our feet, Jacob Bredahl produced our first release, Meet The Creature(2011), as well as our debut album, The Banjo(2012, Bilocation Records). We are going back in july to record another EP as well.

We wanna be the best playing band out there, in the best meaning of the term, so we try to evolve with every song and every performance.

It´s all about the music.

-to me your sound goes back to the roots of hard rock with a kind of bluesy feeling, do you agree? How would you describe your music?

I totally agree. I think that blues is the thing that really holds us together. That groovy-vibe that Son House, Bukka White and the other delta-musicians stood for. They played dangerous music in a living and passionate way, and I think we wanna do the same, though the sound and structures are different.

We are very inspired by  bands like CLUTCH as well as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, newer bands like DOWN, Mastodon, Baroness, The Raconteurs, Graveyard, Rival Sons and everyone else who plays heavy, groovy music from the heart. I think I will describe our sound as: "heavy, progressive blues!" . If it makes any sense at all!?

-how did you get into this kind of music? And do you play or have played in other bands?

The style developed out of nothing. The three of us sounds like Pet The Preacher when we play. It is our differences that gives it that groove.

I tend to be the "heavy" dude, playing with nasty gain, screaming my lungs out and being all over the place. Torben, the bass-player is a truly great player, who often takes the role of another guitarist, playing harmonies and intricate bass-lines. He can fill out where I mess up. Christian, the drummer, knows a great riff when he hears one and lays down one the best half-time beats I have heard. He has got the balls and makes sure it never gets too Sweet or too boring.

Though he has a thing for small percussion-instruments too.

-The banjo is a concept album in that the lyrics are about the evolution of a man and tells its story, can you tell us more about this story and why did you choose this approach for The banjo?

I write all the lyrics and I was very keen on writing a concept album as our first record. I thought it would make a good statement and also show that we are not a mindless-whisky-drinking-Mötley Crüe-tribute band. We are here to stay and to change things.

The theme came step by step. I thought that a concept of a man deep down in a personal hell and his ascendancy too another place, not a heaven, but a natural place to stay and be happy, is very relevant. I am very aware of "direction" in life. Where are we going? And why? Why wait to be happy, when we control it ourselves? I think it is one of the biggest challenges in our modern world: staying positive and believing life is beautiful. There is so much shit around. But  I wrote an adventure called "The Banjo", thats the short story. Everyone can make of it what they want.

-how was the album written and recorded?

The music was written, the three of us together. Every riff and idea is tried out. Musically, we are a very democratic band. Everybody should feel comfortable about their parts, before we move on. That can change later in the process, but to start with we are happy haha.

I, or Torben, usually come with a riff or 5 and we take it from there. Then I put lyrics to it. Pretty simple. We are a rock-band, not scientists.

Regarding the recording process, we went to DEAD RAT STUDIO in Åbyhøj, Jacob Bredahl´s studio. That is a kick-ass place and we feel very at home there.

We record without a click-track and all together in the same room. Even the solos are recorded live this time. Then we put a rhythm guitar and vocals on top.

Jacob Bredahl is a really good friend and an amazing producer. He loves the sound of "human beings", meaning that it has to be dangerous and edgy, which really suits our sound and approach in the band. A mistake is only a mistake untill you hear it the 10th. time. Then it becomes an integral part of the song.

There is a reason we return in july for the 3rd. time. I can recommend DEAD RAT STUDIO to everyone who has balls and dare to be challenged.

-I guess you are or will be touring to promote the record? What else is planned for the rest of 2012?

 Yeah we have some great plans for the future, very soon we will present some new dates for 2012, as well as a European Tour with some really good friends.

We wanna play as much as possible, we are indeed a live-band. But keep and eye on our twitter, facebook and other stuff for a tour update, and come dance.

That will be truly appreciated.

-with which band would you dream to play?

Everyone who plays from the heart. World-tour with Black Sabbath or Mastodon would be cool though... But we love so many bands, that everyone has something to bring to the table. Just call us!

-how is the scene in Denmark? Which band would you recommend?

 The scene is flourishing. There are a lot of great bands coming out, in a lot of different genres.

I think we are leaning a little bit towards the metal-scene, because people seem to relate to us very well there. Though they consider us a soft blues-band I guess. There are so many to reccomend, but some that I know got their shit together and their heart in the right place( dont mind the genre):

By The Patient, RISING, HelHorse, Specktors, Hexis, The Kandidate, Scarred By Beauty, Dance With Dirt, Stream City, Stoneword, Solbrud but again there is so many new bands and even more established acts. It is easy to get inspired. This is just the start.

-something to add?

Thank you so much for noticing us and giving us your time. We really appreciate it. Please buy our record on vinyl, www.kozmik-artifactz.com, and spread the word.

Peace