Life is Hell, and Hell is Lost by Old Man Winter (2013)

Kind of Like: Converge, Punch, No Omega
Genres: Mathcore, Hardcore
Preview:


It's been awhile since I've been a blog that's beaten everyone to the punch. So, instead of the proven well-documented stuff I have been posting lately, here is a relatively new and unknown band from out of New Hampshire.  They just put their first EP out this past Tuesday and it's heavy.  It shows a lot of potential and they made a great first impression by going in on production instead of a 8 track in somebody's basement.

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One of Us Is the Killer by Dillinger Escape Plan (2013)

Excellent promotion for Tama, right?

Kind of Like: Botch, Every Time I Die, Between the Buried and Me

Genres: Mathcore, Hardcore

Buy: Sumerian Records

Preview:

I have to be honest with you.  After Ire Works, I kind of lost touch with DEP.  I have just settled on Miss Machine being their go-to album for me because that is where I feel they did their best work.  But thanks to their PR guys, I was attacked by an onslaught of media through various websites promoting this new album.  The first thing I saw was that video for "When I Lost My Bet" and it blew me away.  Then a few days later I watched their live set on 2013 Golden Gods and seeing them still going berserk brought all those fond memories back to me.  I am still listening to this and I doubt it will replace Miss Machine for me, but so far it sounds really great.

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Nagykanizsa by Aussitôt Mort (2012)

Kind of Like: Kidcrash, Birds in Row, Daitro, Baton Rouge
Genres: Post-hardcore, Screamo, Post-rock
Preview: 

This is the latest release from French screamo outfit Aussitot Mort (Eng: As Soon As Dead).  Think of the heaviness of Birds In Row but slowed down and more post-rock influences as well.  They just finished up a Russian tour and are currently touring around France.

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New Colonies by Secret Arms (2012)

Kind of Like: Native, Pg. 99, Capsule, Animal Faces
Genres: Post-hardcore, Screamo, Mathcore
Preview:


I was just listening to Anomie by Animal Faces on the way from class back to my car, and as I listen to this album, I get a really similar feel.  Anomie is one of my favorite albums so far this year, so I have a feeling this may leave quite an impression on me.  This album was engineered by a guy from Capsule, so you already know the production is going to be tight.

The album cover reminds me of more recent Suicide Machines album covers (War Profiteering, A Match and Some Gasoline) with the not-so-subtle political implications.  This is a fun one.

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Anomie by Animal Faces (2012)

BLAAEERGHHEAAGH

Kind of Like: Kidcrash, Native, Beau Navire
Genres: Screamo, Post-hardcore, Mathcore
Buy: A Mountain Far
Preview:

I posted on Animal Faces before with their release Analytical Dreaming.  I enjoyed that EP, but this is much improved as far as I'm concerned.  Dreaming had a couple really good songs on it, but after the initial excitement for this band wore off, I thought it could be expanded and refined even more.  This release shows maturation; they take their ideas and aren't satisfied with them alone.  They throw in transitions and breakdowns that remind me of the kind of flow that Kidcrash has to their material.

Hey, this is the 700th post.  Weird.

Listen Here:

Streampad: Animal Faces - "Breathe Lightly"

Ominous Silence by Tharsis They (2012)

Stop!....Hammer Time!

Kind of Like: Converge, Trap Them, Botch
Genres: Chaotic Hardcore, Hardcore, Thrash, Mathcore
Preview:


I got the chance to see these guys open up for The Armed and Capture the Flag in Detroit on Saturday.  It was a free house show at the Bear Cave.  It was my first time at this place, but I was surprised with how nice the neighborhood was.  I know, not all of Detroit is bad, but it was one of the few neighborhoods that not only held onto it's dignity but was a lot nicer than even neighborhoods in the burbs.

These guys put on a killer set.  My only gripe was that they were the opening band and they didn't show up until a couple hours after the show was supposed to start.  I know, I don't know what they had going on, there may have been an emergency or something.  However, when the band after you and the headliner are at the venue an hour before it is even supposed to start and you don't show up for a couple hours after that, it just doesn't look good.  Better late than never though, because they got the show started off really well.  Lots of energy to get people into it.

The Armed were up next, and if they didn't have bad luck they would have no luck at all.  They started off a great set and then right in the middle, the power went out.  I don't know if neighbors called to get the power shut off or what, but these guys kept it classy; they kept going on to finish the song with no power.  I would love to embed the following video, but it is uploaded to facebook, and there isn't an easy way to  put that here.  The power outage got captured on video, and 21 seconds into it, you get to see Randall break his hand.

Now that thing he hit didn't have a dent in it.  Randall is a big dude, so that thing had to be made of something hard.  The lights came back on, and his hand was clearly broken.  There was something protruding from it, and the nurse switch in me turned on.  I took a look at it, and first I thought a bone was sticking out, but it was just a flap of skin sticking out.  The bone may have very well came out when he hit it and gone back in.  He got bandaged up, and they decided to finish their set like bosses.

The bad luck continued though.  In the middle of their last song, a full beer fell onto Chris's pedalboard.  I cringed as I watched them lift up to drain the beer and foam out of it.  Needless to say, that guitar stopped working.  Luckily, it was the last song, and they all just broke their shit.  Kenny ripped his bass strings off with his bare hands.  Fuckin' christ.  I hope they can get more equipment before their show with Converge/Loma Prieta/Git Some in five days.

So yeah, check out this album by Tharsis They, and check out some of our previous posts on the Armed.

Skullgrid by Behold...The Arctopus (2007)

FUCKIN' NERD!

Kind of Like: PsyOpus, Dysrhythmia, Between The Buried and Me
Genres: Metal, Mathcore, Experimental, Instrumental, Post-rock
Spotify: No
Preview:

"Behold... The Arctopus play instrumental music inspired by both metal and 20th century classical music. This technical and progressive style is executed on a regular electric guitar and drum kit but involves a 12-string Warr guitar, an instrument that covers the range of a bass and guitar and is generally played by tapping with either one or two hands. Their music often includes dissonance, polyrhythms and jazz-like elements."
-Wikipedia

Another oldy that resurfaced in my collection.  If you want to be blown away by three musicians and are into really technical music.  This shit is hard to digest, but if you are into that kind of thing, then you will really love exploring this album.  "Canada" has one of the best flowing transitions into one of the most metal solos ever. This album is short, but extremely mind-bending.  Last news from this bands was that they were getting a new drummer and going to release new, even more extreme material from scratch.  That was back in 2009, so I am wondering if they ever will come out with something else.

We have a radio show tonight!  Remember?

UPDATE:  Someone posted a youtube link in the comments below of a live set from last month of BtA playing all new material.  Click Here.

Listen Here:

Stream Pad: Behold...The Arctopus - Sensory Amusia

Old Gods by Old Gods (2011)

Kind of Like: Dillinger Escape Plan, The Armed, Tharsis They
Genres: Mathcore, Experimental, Chaotic Hardcore, Punk
Spotify: Not as of this posting
Preview:


I saw these guys at a show that featured them and a bunch of other great Detroit punk/hardcore bands like Golden Torso, Child Bite and Hellmouth.  I couldn't stay for the whole show because I had clinicals at 5 in the morning, but I managed to catch these guys.  Solid rock n roll.  There was a ton of Black Flag covers as well because this 7" was given out for free by Detroit's Bellyache Records.

This EP by Old Gods takes a minute to break open, but after it does, it's all over.  These guys have already proven themselves from being in bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and The Armed.

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Equal Minds Theory by Equal Minds Theory (2011)

Kind of Like: Ed Gein, The Crinn, Bears in Ushanka, The Locust

Genres: Post-Hardcore, Mathcore, Chaotic Hardcore, Metal

Buy: Bandcamp

Preview: 

Haven't really given too much love to Russian bands on here, but after seeing that video I got to rep this band.  These guys are a bone-crushing/face-melting mathcore bands.  They have a lot of unique sound effects and filters going on throughout this album that not only add to the intense sound but are pretty unique and keeps it from becoming redundant.

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Clarity by Veils (2012)

Kind of Like: Mahria, Kerouac
Genres: Emo, Post-hardcore, Mathcore
Buy: Tangled Talk
Preview: 


I mentioned this album that I was excited for coming out this month from the UK's Tangled Talk.  Enzo over at Music Approved by a Banana got the rip, and I am really happy to finally be getting to listen to the whole thing.  This is, like Mahria, a female fronted screamo band.  If you don't get into that for some reason, you should know I had no idea Chlo was a girl from the get go.  I don't mean that as an insult, the vocals are a lot like Kerouac.  She doesn't have the higher scream characteristic in bands like Mahria, instead she opts for something more guttural and is the same pitch as bands like Kerouac.  I long said that The Long Haul and Kerouac were my two favorite UK screamo bands, but I think they need to make some room for these guys.  And as I said before, I love the album artwork.

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Debtors by the Long Haul (2012)

Kind of Like: Pariso, Kerouac, Bastion, Goodtime Boys

Genres: Post-hardcore, Chaotic Hardcore, Mathcore

Preview: Bandcamp

Update: I've been informed that this is indeed officially a 2012 release.  Lookit!  First 2012 album on here!

You may recognize this band from the best of 2011 list for their work on their split with Kerouac.  These guys and Kerouac are the two best hardcore bands in the UK right now in my eyes.  This band is featured on Tangled Talk Records, that features a slew of great UK hardcore bands.  One of which I will be looking for dropping this month that sounds like it could be one of the better hardcore releases this year: "Clarity" by Veils.  I was immediately drawn to the artwork, being a Michigander that enjoys seeing a majestic deer any day (As long as it isn't jumping out in front of my car).  I immediately wondered, are there deer in the UK?  Turns out there is.  In case you wondered.  Anyways, this album right here starts off with a quiet, distorted, jazzy, enticing riff properly named "Lenders".    The EP explodes immediately into the next song and doesn't stop until it ends with the title track "Debtors".  I am not great at determining themes of albums by lyrics and such, but I would imagine the whole inveigle yet empty sounding riff of "Lenders" mixed with the premise of Debtors may have something to do with the economic climate and protests that have gone on in the UK.  I could be completely wrong though.  Ever since I heard this band on their split with Kerouac, I have absolutely loved their unique guitar work.  If only I heard this sooner, it would've easily made the Best of 2011 list for the Hardcore section.

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Gods by Down I Go (2011)

Kind of Like: The Crinn, The Rodeo Idiot Engine, The Armed
Genres: Experimental, Mathcore, Chaotic Hardcore, Noise Rock
Preview: Bandcamp
Buy: Shelsmusic

Out of all the new material I've been hearing lately, this definitely is the most interesting thing I've stumbled on. When I first listened it was one of those instances where I recognized the band being very talented, but I still wasn't sure how I felt about their sound because it's pretty out there.  Then I watched this Tim and Eric-esque video and I felt better about them, every time Poseidon looks at the camera trying to keep a straight face, I can't help laughing.  I also thought it was funny that on Last.fm, Kenny's band, the Armed, was one of the top bands they were "super" similar to.  I can see the comparison for sure not only in the music (twangy southern-style mathcore with elements of noise rock) but in the sort of theatrics as well, perhaps.  Honestly, it just looks like these guys are having a bunch of fun being in this band (except for the sailors.  Come on guys, Poseidon is upstaging you), and I am always for that.  WE ARE BUILDING A WAAAALL!!

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Sooner Insignificant Better 7" by Pariso (2011)

Kind of Like: Kerouac, The Long Haul, Dillinger Escape Plan
Genres: Chaotic Hardcore, Sludge, Mathcore
Preview: Bandcamp
Buy: Throatruiner

I featured these guys on a split with Kerouac, back in April.  I recognized their name on Throatruiner's site, and saw they also had this 7 inch available that came out in January.  It is the opposite of Comity's album I just put up that was 52 minutes cut up into 4 songs; this album has 7 songs averaging at a minute and a half.  I am really digging these British guys so far, and it seems that the UK has a solid foundation of talented mathcore bands across the pond.  Cheers.

Listen Here:

The Journey is Over Now by Comity (2011)

Kind of Like: Ken Mode, Converge, Starkweather
Genres: Experimental, Mathcore, Chaotic Hardcore, Metal, Sludge
Preview: Bandcamp
Buy: Throatruiner

"The Journey Is Over Now", their first full-length in five years, shows a band more ruthless and musically ambitious than ever before. Four tracks delivering 52 minutes of an oppressive but finely worked chaos : a maze of winding riffs and unique melodies. Recorded and mixed between Laval and Paris by sound sorcerers Amaury Sauvé & Sylvain Biguet, mastered by Carl Saff, this fine-cut monolith of darkness shows a band in constant soul-searching and who has been able to push their art in ways they never would have dreamed possible. Exhausting in their ability to bring fluidity and atmosphere to their extremely dense compositions, "The Journey Is Over Now" reminds that COMITY is, more now than ever before, a band impossible to pigeon hole. This is extreme rock'n roll, and nothing else."
-Bandcamp

The hardest thing I have been listening to lately is screamo, which is certainly violent and chaotic, but not necessarily hard.  So finding this, was a breath of fresh air of sorts.

These guys are from France, and they rip it like they are from New York.  The quality is great, and it is just the kind of mathcore I love.  The layout of the album is unique; it is split into four parts ranging from 8 minutes to...22 minutes.  Something you are more likely to see out of a post-rock band, not a mathcore band that can easily cut down songs into specific parts.  That is probably the only problem with this album, and it isn't something I neccesarily have a problem with.  I just have a feeling this layout could only hurt the accessibility of this music instead of helping it.  I'm sure this band wasn't expecting to get radio plays, but there are small stations out there that play music like this that may be less willing to seeing that the shortest song is 8 minutes.  A lot of people don't like to be force-fed big hunks of music you know? I really don't mind it, the music  makes up for the odd layout.  These guys are really talented, and even though the song length may seem intimidating, start the album up and see if you stop it.

On a side note, this is another release by Throatruiner Records; a small time label from France that is run by one guy.  I am seeing more and more of their releases come my way, and I continue to like what I hear.

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Crooked Voices by Engineer (2011)

Kind of Like: Young Widows, Ed Gein, KEN Mode
Genres: Sludge, Mathcore, Hardcore
Preview: Bandcamp

"From Syracuse, NY, Engineer is compromised of three brothers and a brutal dude behind the drum kit. For those unfamiliar with the group, they play an intelligent and extremely loud blend of sludgy-hardcore and noisey, experimental rock that call influences from the likes of Knut, Breach, Anodyne and the Amphetamine-Reptile back catalogue (i.e. Helmet, Unsane, The Melvins) while maintaining a sound that is distinct, original and very much their own."
-Last.fm

I'm a late to this release; it came out way back in June.  I'm glad I decided to give it whirl now though.  Engineer delivers a hard as fuck, dissonant and truly unique album to a genre I haven't visited in awhile.

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Young & Beautiful by The Armed (2011)

Kind of Like: Converge, Botch, DEP
Genres: Mathcore, Hardcore, Noise Rock, Thrash
Preview: Bandcamp, Pizza

Apologies for the lack of updates.  There are several things in my way: school is heavy at the moment, I fried my laptop last week and am hesitant to buy a new one, work sucks, doing the radio show and hockey season started/Tigers are in the playoffs/Lions are actually good now/ UofM is undefeated/sports.  Right now I am updating on a shitty desktop computer.  Eventually I will get sick of using this and get a new laptop, but who knows.  That being said the new zine will probably be very small and come out right before Fest as some kind of a preview edition.  And then after Fest, I will probably have much more material to work with (interviews/photos/news) for a much larger winter edition.  Who knows, everything is in the air right now.

I was hoping Kenny would post this, seeing that this is his band and all.  But he is being lazy and/or modest.  This came out last week, but I was reminded to put this up when I saw the great reviews it was getting on Sputnik Music.  They are kind of moving forward from a straightforward mathcore/hardcore band like Converge to something more unique, with elements of noise rock/garage rock thrown into the mix.  That's my take on it anyways.  I think so far this album has gotten the most exposure out of all their work.  As one reviewer wrote: "It's good and it's free. Rips hard. Get it now."

Listen Here:

Transit EP by SLOTHS (2011)

Kind of Like: Botch, Off Minor, Ampere, Pulling Teeth
Genres: Punk, Hardcore, Sludge (sometimes), Mathcore (sometimes), Post-rock (sometimes)
Preview: Bandcamp

"SLOTHS are a band from Portland OR, that plays heavy music with a wide range of influences. The music is at once sludgey and slow, fast and discordant, melodic and occasionally mathy. Each of the 3 members brings a different set of influences and sounds to the band. Formed in 2010. "
-Last.fm

"A band from Portland" doesn't really narrow down things too much.  Still digging this stuff.  Wander over to their bandcamp, and give it a listen.  The title track is just ambience, but the other three songs are tight and have their own feel.  I am kind of getting lost in the album art....

Listen Here:

B EP by Animal Skins (2011)

Kind of Like: Blackcloud, Former Theives, Bone Dance
Genres: Sludge, Hardcore, Mathcore, Chaotic Hardcore
Preview: Bandcamp

I can't listen to this music too loud because I am sitting at a gate at the airport waiting for a flight to come in.  I don't have my headphones on me, so I'm playing it out loud amongst a bunch of people.  It's pretty coarse, ruthless sounding stuff, and I don't think people around me would like if I were blasting it.  Although I'm pretty sure the people that are having a stressful layover have this music playing in their heads right now as they curse the airline for all their problems.  Also, I didn't notice that guys mouth on the album cover when I first looked at it; it made me shit bricks when I saw it.  I just added another person that will probably be contributing stuff soon.  He is from Halifax, Canada (at least that's what I think he means by Hali, east coast of Canada).  I've always wanted to visit Nova Scotia; the closest I've been is Montreal and I loved it there.  He gave me a nice rundown of his living situation and all the cool stuff he likes to do, which I really appreciated because I like to know the people I collaborate with.  He says he likes funk, old punk, dub, reggae, but mostly hardcore and screams.  So, maybe he will dig this too.

Listen Here

Three Way Split by Bone Dance/Divider/Plebian Grandstand (2011)

Kind of Like: Gaza, Botch, Ken Mode, Deadguy, Neurosis
Genres: Sludge, Chaotic Hardcore/Mathcore, Post-Hardcore
Preview: Bandcamp

"Three bands, three different interpretations of hardcore/punk, two continents, one policy: Destroy.


BONE DANCE (Boise, Idaho, USA) doesn't want to be your friend. The nihilism you'll hear from these self-described "five loud dudes with shitty attitudes", playing their exceedingly raw brand of chaotic hardcore/sludge, will ring a bell whether you're into GAZA or KEN MODE, BOTCH or CURSED. Conceived with a colossal sense of brutality, yet never forsaking their punk ethos, "West" and "Conniver" will further consecrate this band as one to watch. Remember this goddamned name.


No matter how paradoxical it may seem, DIVIDER (Long Island, New York, USA) would prefer to unite rather than to divide. Uniting the sound of more modern filthy hardcore bands with a strong sense of punk emergency, these two tracks ("Gaia" & "Halios Geron" ) introduce Chris Tzompanakis behind the mic, best known for his work with the influential group SKYCAMEFALLING in the early 2000's. If you're into DEADGUY, THE POWER AND THE GLORY, or VISION OF DISORDER, you've found the perfect soundtrack for your next bare-knuckle boxing match.


As for PLEBEIAN GRANDSTAND (Toulouse, France), if the shrapnel-laden assault that was "How Hate Is Hard To Define" had you asking for more, this time around there won't be any survivors left to beg for a rematch. If the explosion of screaming and distortion that is "Woe Is Me" isn't enough, then the hallucinatory "Woe Is You", with its NEUROSIS inspired, trance-like drums, and a throbbing bassline that builds to a crescendo which threatens to tip the richter scale, certainly will be. The first time I heard these tracks, I felt like ripping off my eyelids. And I won't be the one."
-Bandcamp

Pretty effin' brutal if you ask me.

Listen Here

Fools Will Crush the Crown by The Rodeo Idiot Engine (2011)

Kind of Like: Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Ed Gein
Genres: Chaotic Hardcore, Grindcore, Mathcore, Thrash
Preview: Bandcamp

The french aren't known to be brutal as fuck, but these french guys are...brutal as fuck.  This was mastered by Alan Douches (hehe, douches...) who has worked with Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge.  If you liked that Ed Gein post earlier on this month, this is another angry/rip your face off album.  You can buy the LP/CD here.  Great job!

Listen Here