Friday, May 24, 2013

Epilogue Of A Car Crash - A Tribute To Orchid



01. Coma Regalia - Aesthetic Dialect
02. Full Of Hell - Framecode
03. For Want Of - Death Of A Modernist
04. Voyage In Coma - Epilogue To A Car Crash
05. You'll Live - Destination: Blood!
06. Carrion Spring - Lights Out
07. I Don’t Want To Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Anna Karina
08. Crocus - I Am Nietzsche
09. Cassus - Victory Is Ours
10. Lizards Have Personalities - Don't Rat Out Your Friends
11. Foxes - And The Cat Turned To Smoke
12. Deer In The Headlights - 36 Day Syndrome
13. Republic Of Dreams - Eye Gouger
14. Questionable Youth - New Ideas In Mathematics
15. Lord Snow - Amherst Pandemonium Pt. I
16. Adobe Homes - Amherst Pandemonium Pt. II
17. Ittō - Loft Party
18. ¡Silencio, Ahora, Silencio! - A Visit From Dr. Goodsex
19. History Of The Hawk - Class Pictures
20. Utarid - Anais Nin By Numbers
21. Todos Caerán - Tigers
22. Mahria - Let's Commodify Sexuality
23. Innards - Discourse Of Desire
24. Sed Non Satiata - None More Black & Impersonating Martin Rev

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Black Hourglass - Mite De Cimetiére Tour 2013



Black Hourglass (HU - post-hardcore, screamo)
Mite De Cimetiére (HU - screamo, emo)

Tour Plan:
09.13. Bratislava (SK) - FUGA
09.14. Linz (A) - TBA
09.15. Prague (CZ) - HELP US
09.16. Berlin Area (GER) - HELP US
09.17. Kiel - Hannover - Bremen - Hamburg AREA (GER) - HELP US
09.18. Kobenhavn AREA (DK) - HELP US
09.19. Goteburg AREA (SWE)
09.20. Oslo AREA (NOR) - HELP US
09.21. Stockholm - Uppsala - Örebro AREA (SWE) - HELP US
09.22. Malmö - Helsingborg AREA (SWE) - HELP US
09.23. Kiel - Hannover - Bremen - Hamburg AREA (GER) - HELP US
09.24. Leipzing - Chemnitz - Dresden AREA (GER) - HELP US
09.25. Vienna (A) - Venster 99
09.26. Pécs (HU) - TBA

If you are able to help these Hungarian bands with a gig, please write them.


Bocanegra - Bocanegra



01. El Nido Arderá
02. Bombay
03. Gusanos/Guerra
04. Caballos Ciegos
05. Serpientes
06. Cruces De Papel

Bocanegra is heavy. Starting these reviews is hard sometimes, but there is no better way to describe this band. They mix my favorite elements of crust, screamo, and hardcore into a hard hitting, dirty group of songs. Vocally, this release is largely screamed, and even if I could understand the vocalist, I believe the lyrics are all in Spanish. When the guitars move to cleaner riffs, the bass stays dirty and thunders underneath, pairing with the drums to create a thick textured rhythm that carries the more melodic guitars. When the guitars return to being heavy, they aren't content to be simplistic, and occasionally a more reverb soaked lead line will emerge, soaring above the thick rhythm chords. Bocanegra I suppose would be most easily classified as a hardcore band, but a closer look reveals a deeper texture. Passages with frenzied guitar work recall early screamo, while the devastating slow parts make me think of crust mainstays like Tragedy, and the more atmospheric guitar lines betray a possible post-rock influence. The members of Bocanegra manage to skillfully blend all of these influences into a cohesive package that is at times as melodic as it is destructive.

Reviewed by Justin.

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I Kill Giants - I Kill Giants



01. Traveler
02. Larry Jr.
03. Calender
04. Part 1 / Part 2
05. Pigskins
06. Lucky Shirt
07. Collector
08. Windmills
09. Part 3
10. Boys Of Bummer

I had never heard this band before, but for some reason I was under the impression that they were a hardcore or screamo band. When the opening chords and vocal melody of opener 'Traveler' hit my ears I was pleasantly surprised. The guitars on this record switch back and forth from chunky overdriven chords to slightly noodly lead lines wonderfully, making instrumental passages interesting while not crowding verses and choruses that rely heavily on vocal melody. To me, this release takes what has been good about the Cap'n Jazz style emo revival (slight noodling, shouty almost off key vocals), and runs it through a more punk filter to create a really catchy rough around the edges sound. In the catchiest bits the vocalist pushes his voice to a hoarse breaking point, keeping the pop from taking too much precedence. A trumpet makes an appearance in 'Windmills', creating just enough texture to break up the rest of the album and create a good thematic introduction to the guitar and vocal only intro to 'Part 3', which breaks into a fuzzy out spoken word bridge before continuing the mid tempo catchy flow of the album. Group vocal breaks like "If I'm not breathing, you can just assume I'm doing fine" will undoubtedly create crowd pleasing moments at live shows, and this album stands as a worthy document.

Reviewed by Justin.

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

June Paik - June Paik



01. Elmsfeuer
02. Traufe
03. Auswurf
04. Mit Abstand

June Paik is a four-piece screamo band from Donauwörth, Germany. After two EPs and splits (with Titan and Battle Of Wölf 359) they have released a self-titled LP, which is heavier and darker than their previous records. This is not a typical screamo album, all the four songs on the LP sound really dark, intense and apocalyptic, I can't describe the feeling when I listen them. June Paik deserves your attention, this record is amazing, so you have to listen to it!

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Tel Fyr - Todos Caerán Split



01. Tel Fyr - Almsivi Intervention
02. Tel Fyr - Sermon 15
03. Tel Fyr - Cult Of Winter
04. Tel Fyr - Aedra
05. Todos Caerán - Flow My Tears
06. Todos Caerán - Man In The High Castle
07. Todos Caerán - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
08. Todos Caerán - Valis

Before doing this post, let me just say that Dog Knights Productions has been impressing the hell out of me this year. This label is giving Topshelf Records a run for it's money and is quite possibly the European counterpart to that label. Dog Knights Productions has been consistently churning out great music the last few years, but this year is proving to be a milestone year for the label with releases from Nai Harvest, Capacities, Gillian Carter, the Orchid Tribute, and now this killer split LP featuring two amazing Canadian bands. This split LP features new material from Calgary, Alberta's, Tel Fyr and Edmonton's Todos Caerán. The first band on the LP is Tel Fyr. Tel Fyr play a killer style of post-hardcore/post-rock that calls to mind bands like Gifts From Enola or Caravels minus the vocals. On their side of the split, Tel Fyr offer up four songs of tense and atmospheric post-hardcore with post-rock leanings. The second band on the split is Edmonton's Todos Caerán. Regular readers of the blog should be really familiar with this band by now. Todos Caerán went through a ton of lineup changes in 2012 and have refocused their efforts and released four new songs as a result. Todos Caerán offer up four new songs of tense, emotional hardcore, punk, screamo influenced by bands such as City Of Caterpillar, Loma Prieta, and Portraits Of Past. Overall, this is a killer split LP and each band offer up top notch material. Highly recommended! Look for a physical release sometime in June.

Reviewed by Chris.

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Monday, May 13, 2013

Mini Post #17

Corporeal - Balance

Corporeal is a four-piece passionate screamo/punk band from Tampico, Mexico. 'Balance' is their brand-new record, you should listen to it, great stuff!
[ listen on bandcamp ]

Ayala - Lullaby Waves

Check the debut EP of Ayala, really good punk and emo mixture from Boston, Massachusetts, US with Title Fight, Tigers Jaw and Into it. Over it. influences.
[ listen on bandcamp ]

Osvald - Blunders

Two-piece twinkly emo band for fans of Merchant Ships, Snowing, Street Smart Cyclist and Dads. 'Blunders' is a truly endearing and lovable record.
[ listen on bandcamp ]

Gillian Carter - Lost Ships Sinking With The Sunset



01. Recently...
02. Dissertation #1 (Trapped)
03. Thesis Statement
04. Waking Up (Lost Ships)
05. Time (All That Is Left Is Fading)
06. I've Been Forgotten And So Have You
07. Sinking With The Sunset
08. Spring Song

Gillian Carter is a four piece band from Palm Bay, Florida who formed in 2005. Since their inception, Gillian Carter has released a prolific amount of material on various labels including Dog Knights Productions, Explosion!, Rabbit Foot, Middle-Man, Rabble With Out A Cause, and Die Young Records. Gillian Carter's discography includes two full length LPs, and two splits with Ghost Aviary, Sam Kuhns, as well as a three way split with Henrietta and Echo Base 3. 'Loose Ships Sinking In The Sun' is the band's latest eight song 10" which is slated for physical release via Dog Knights Productions and Middle Man Records this upcoming June. Musically, Gillian Carter play a tense, discordant, and angular style of music that incorporates elements of hardcore, punk, and screamo within their sound. 'Loose Ships Sinking In The Sun' is my first exposure to the band, and let me just say that I have been truly missing out on these guys. Gillian Carter mine a similar territory as bands such as Loma Prieta, Weak Teeth, Todos Caerán, and We Were Skeletons. Overall, this is a phenomenal 10" and Gillian Carter offer up eight songs of discordant, engaging, and at times chaotic sounding music. Enjoy!

Reviewed by Chris.

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Novak - Ruines



01. Mossoul
02. Parasite
03. Je Ne Peux T'oublier

At first glance, I thought this three-song release would be super short, until I noticed the track times. Most people would think that nine and ten minute long screamo/hardcore songs would drag or get repetitive, but for the most part that's not the case with Novak. If you play screamo in 2013, it's extremely difficult to not get caught in at least a few of the genre trappings, and that's totally fine. It's whether you can take your influences and twist them subtly into something that is very much your own that is important, and there are shining moments on this release in which Novak manages to do that. In a lot of ways, many parts of 'Ruines' bring Envy to mind, and then the band will take a turn into a staccato clean riff, allowing the bass guitar to take center stage, as in opener 'Mossoul'. The bass is a pretty prominent instrument here, and often times the effects coated guitars leave ample space for it to weave around underneath, pairing with the drums to form a perfect foundation for the ambient guitar leads. Definitely recommended for those who like some post-rock mixed in with their screamo.

Reviewed by Justin.

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Proverbs - 1.24



01. James Nesbitt Is Not A Legitimate Actor
02. BARTYOUWANTTOSEEMYNEWCHAINSAWANDHOCKEYMASK?
03. 8
04. 9

This release has a perfect set up. The opening track, 'James Nesbitt Is Not A Legitimate Actor', gently creates an ambient texture for almost two full minutes before the song breaks into a chaotic mess (and I mean that in a positive way). None of the setup is evident in the following track, however, as 'BARTYOUWANTTOSEEMYNEWCHAINSAWANDHOCKEYMASK?' launches straight into the fury. From time to time the band lets up the intensity and inserts a more melodic calm instrumental break just long enough for the listener to get comfortable before diving headfirst into mayhem. These songs fly by quickly and form a perfect introduction to this Australian emo-violence band.

Reviewed by Justin.

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