New Records / Picks For May
Lost of stuff going on: The Benefit Meageshow for Jim Michow was a great success, thanks to all came, played, and donated. My band The Last Van Zant is recording on Sunday, April 24 at the Jam Room in Columbia. That studio has birthed badassness from Throttlerod, Damad, Stretch Armstrong, Kylesa, DeathValley Driver, the Queers, Antischism, In/Humanity, Baroness and tons more. Speaking of Baroness, that's a killer new band any one who is a fan of heavy music should check out. They're kind of like a gritty, crusty Mastodon (you know techy metal) Here's a review from Hellridemusic.com:
With a mere three songs, Savannah's Baroness manages to outshine nearly all of their contemporaries. In 18 minutes, they cover more ground than most bands do in their entire careers.
Baroness' strength is its difficulty to be pigeonholed. The vocals are rather sparse, but when used, the screams are annunciated well enough so that the lyrics are rather clear. Their sound is lavishly textured and relies on crushing breakdowns interspersed with guitar harmonies to die for. They meander between genre and style as effortlessly as they do time changes, never sounding forced and without going too far out; someplace where the listener cannot or does not want to follow.
First is essential--get in on the ground floor.
Unfortunately, we don't have this Cd at Earshot, their distribution is changing and I'm working on getting their new one, when comes out. In the meantime, get it here.
My new picks for May (two new, two from April - which I didn't post)
UNSANE "Blood Run"
Thank fucking God (or Satan, whoever) UNSANE is back recording stuff. No one can touch them and their noisy, trashy hard rock. They don't change or break new ground with each record, they just bury you some more. UNSANE is touring through the area too: 05/25 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA and 05/26 - Tremont (Casbah) - Charlotte, NC.
Buzzo*ven "Welcome To Violence"
I completely missed Buzzo-ven when they were around. They were the most dangerous, explosive, fuck it here's a better description (from Alternative Tentacles): Buzzoven exploded onto the early 90s d.i.y. scene in a whirlwind of sharp metallic chops over sludgy punk, heavy feedback, and truly awe-inspiring live shows that dragged the audience into the dark places of the band's dementia. Simultaneously self-destructive and musically innovative, Buzzoven is one of the seminal bands of the underground loud music scene of the time, alongside bands like Born Against, Rorschach, and Man Is The Bastard. "Welcome to Violence" collects the band's early Allied Records recordings, the "To A Frown" full-length, and the EPs "Wound" and "Unwilling to Explain." Hatred, pain, anger, violence, addiction and depression boiled over in both the lyrics and the music, and were ignited by the band's legendary live performances. Walking a tightrope between precision and pure mayhem, the very explosiveness that made Buzzoven so crucial was what caused their instability.
Kylesa "To Walk A Middle Course"
I'm pictures guy, not a words guy, so I'll rip off another review (from stonerrock.com): Kylesa return after 2004’s “whet the appetite” No Ending/A 1000 Heat Index EP with their full length, To Walk a Middle Course. The elements that made their EP so good are not only still intact, but also show substantial growth. To Walk a Middle Course expands on the sound displayed on the No Ending EP, putting the band with contemporaries like Rwake, Dove, and Mastodon. They’ve got complicated, mathy moments, where they abruptly shift directions mid song, and repeat listens show that there’s significantly more going on than your standard verse-chorus-verse template. But Kylesa also know that the most effective approach is the simplest one. So while songs like “In Memory,” “Motion and Presence,” and “Bottom Line” may be jammed with about face moments, they never stop being direct. Besides, with three singers, there’s more than enough going on with Kylesa. You’ve got an early Mike Muir signin’ shout, a John Connelly (Nuclear Assault) screech, and a hardcore bark. The styles go back and forth, occasionally merging together into one angry din. Those familiar with their prior work will undoubtedly be impressed with To Walk a Middle Course. Those looking for something beyond the standard, run of the mill metal will feel the same.
Lair Of The Minotaur "Carnage"
Brutal, Show No Mercy-era Slayer, Celtic Frost, praise Hell metal. Primal, evil, one of the best records of the year.
******************************************************************
Still on my list, and you need to check out:
Behemoth "Demigod" - Brutal Viking death metal. Makes me excited about about extreme music again.
Cursed "II" - The only band from Canada worth a shit. Pure Death & Roll.
Discharge "Hear Nothing..." - The original.
DropDead - 1st album. I need to buy this. My brother burned me a copy of it. RULES. I've been under a fucking rock when it come to this kind of stuff.
DeathValley Driver - "Standing Tall Before The Wagon" - I'm getting some of these for the store asap. Total metal rock from Columbia SC. This shit is like a South Carolina Scissorfight with a "Fuck You" attitude.
With a mere three songs, Savannah's Baroness manages to outshine nearly all of their contemporaries. In 18 minutes, they cover more ground than most bands do in their entire careers.
Baroness' strength is its difficulty to be pigeonholed. The vocals are rather sparse, but when used, the screams are annunciated well enough so that the lyrics are rather clear. Their sound is lavishly textured and relies on crushing breakdowns interspersed with guitar harmonies to die for. They meander between genre and style as effortlessly as they do time changes, never sounding forced and without going too far out; someplace where the listener cannot or does not want to follow.
First is essential--get in on the ground floor.
Unfortunately, we don't have this Cd at Earshot, their distribution is changing and I'm working on getting their new one, when comes out. In the meantime, get it here.
My new picks for May (two new, two from April - which I didn't post)
UNSANE "Blood Run"
Thank fucking God (or Satan, whoever) UNSANE is back recording stuff. No one can touch them and their noisy, trashy hard rock. They don't change or break new ground with each record, they just bury you some more. UNSANE is touring through the area too: 05/25 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA and 05/26 - Tremont (Casbah) - Charlotte, NC.
Buzzo*ven "Welcome To Violence"
I completely missed Buzzo-ven when they were around. They were the most dangerous, explosive, fuck it here's a better description (from Alternative Tentacles): Buzzoven exploded onto the early 90s d.i.y. scene in a whirlwind of sharp metallic chops over sludgy punk, heavy feedback, and truly awe-inspiring live shows that dragged the audience into the dark places of the band's dementia. Simultaneously self-destructive and musically innovative, Buzzoven is one of the seminal bands of the underground loud music scene of the time, alongside bands like Born Against, Rorschach, and Man Is The Bastard. "Welcome to Violence" collects the band's early Allied Records recordings, the "To A Frown" full-length, and the EPs "Wound" and "Unwilling to Explain." Hatred, pain, anger, violence, addiction and depression boiled over in both the lyrics and the music, and were ignited by the band's legendary live performances. Walking a tightrope between precision and pure mayhem, the very explosiveness that made Buzzoven so crucial was what caused their instability.
Kylesa "To Walk A Middle Course"
I'm pictures guy, not a words guy, so I'll rip off another review (from stonerrock.com): Kylesa return after 2004’s “whet the appetite” No Ending/A 1000 Heat Index EP with their full length, To Walk a Middle Course. The elements that made their EP so good are not only still intact, but also show substantial growth. To Walk a Middle Course expands on the sound displayed on the No Ending EP, putting the band with contemporaries like Rwake, Dove, and Mastodon. They’ve got complicated, mathy moments, where they abruptly shift directions mid song, and repeat listens show that there’s significantly more going on than your standard verse-chorus-verse template. But Kylesa also know that the most effective approach is the simplest one. So while songs like “In Memory,” “Motion and Presence,” and “Bottom Line” may be jammed with about face moments, they never stop being direct. Besides, with three singers, there’s more than enough going on with Kylesa. You’ve got an early Mike Muir signin’ shout, a John Connelly (Nuclear Assault) screech, and a hardcore bark. The styles go back and forth, occasionally merging together into one angry din. Those familiar with their prior work will undoubtedly be impressed with To Walk a Middle Course. Those looking for something beyond the standard, run of the mill metal will feel the same.
Lair Of The Minotaur "Carnage"
Brutal, Show No Mercy-era Slayer, Celtic Frost, praise Hell metal. Primal, evil, one of the best records of the year.
******************************************************************
Still on my list, and you need to check out:
Behemoth "Demigod" - Brutal Viking death metal. Makes me excited about about extreme music again.
Cursed "II" - The only band from Canada worth a shit. Pure Death & Roll.
Discharge "Hear Nothing..." - The original.
DropDead - 1st album. I need to buy this. My brother burned me a copy of it. RULES. I've been under a fucking rock when it come to this kind of stuff.
DeathValley Driver - "Standing Tall Before The Wagon" - I'm getting some of these for the store asap. Total metal rock from Columbia SC. This shit is like a South Carolina Scissorfight with a "Fuck You" attitude.
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