Cattlepress - Hordes to Abolish the Divine

Proof that New York City has more to offer than just great salsa.  Nope, this some raw, midpaced Sludgecore.  This album is about halfway between Neurosis and Brainoil.  Very droney in parts, mathy in others, and I even detect a hint of Metalcore (hey, it was the 90's).  Pretty difficult to describe, but it'll seem very familiar once you hear it.  That's all I got today, just enjoy this album as it's kind of rare.

link courtesy of sketchy russian download site

Torture Division - Evighetens Darar

You ever notice how "punky" early Swedish Death Metal sounds?  Well, these three handsome men are about to prove that point once again.  Although there are blastbeats to be heard, as well as the typical Swedish "buzzsaw" guitars, I can't help but notice the D-Beat influence.  Ok, so maybe I'm blowing the whole "punky" thing out of proportion, it's still for the most part old-school Swedish Death Metal with a modern production (handled by Dan Swano, by the way).  These aren't some young dickheads trying to be "retro" either, these guys have spent time in the seminal Grave, Entombed, and Vomitory.  They also played in The Project Hate, who nobody really liked.  Lyrically, the approach is also more stripped down and maybe juvenile?  That's ok though, you'd be a fool to listen to Death Metal for the lyrics anyway.  If you like to-the-point Death Metal without any gay stuff like melody or artwork, this is for you.

fast, smooth, handsome rock

Kerouac - Cold and Distant, Not Loving

Forgettable name, brutal music.  I can't tell you how many times I've skipped over this album in my ipod because of it's unappealing "Nu Black" name.  Foolish, cause this is some raging Hardcore violence going on here.  Kerouac are from this newer school of Hardcore that's vaguely mathy, vaguely Grind, vaguely mosh.  You know what I'm talking about, bands like: The Power and the Glory, Trap Them, Inevitable End, and there's the ever-present Converge comparison.  Usually, UK bands of this style don't really do it for me, but these guys really hit the spot.  There's a vast range of influences to be heard here as well as a great "live" sounding energy.  You know you like this, and if you don't, you probably stopped reading at the first mention of "Hardcore".

still not loving police
monopoly, the soviet edition

Violation - Devoured

Metalcore, the genre that everyone seems to love to hate.  Even people raised on the stuff usually won't admit to liking it.  For all the negative connotations it's acquired, man is it satisfying when it's done right (to my ears, anyway).  This isn't the usual "Cro-Mags meets Slayer" sound of yore, nor is it the "At the Gates meets Throwdown" sound of today.  This particular cocktail sounds like equal parts late 90's Hatebreed and early 90's Sodom.  Close attention was paid to both the fast and slow parts, as they compliment each other nicely, and neither one outshines the other.  For a small-time band, the production here is quite good.  All instruments are clear and at the perfect volume, except for the clich'e "inaudible" bass.  The vocals are a special standout, being both highly intelligible and having an authoritative, throaty sound.  Really, the only thing missing on this album is some blazing solos.  Maybe, in time...

don't fear the mosh, my friend

Dusk Chapel - A Passage to Forever

This album reminds me of my teens, when I just couldn't get enough Melodic Metal.  Shadows Fall, Arch Enemy, and Nevermore were all staples in my (now archaic) portable cd player.  Not that this band sounds like they'll be played on Headbangers Ball anytime soon, but their sound is quite accessible and nostalgic of 10 years ago.  Actually, this band sounds most like a Ukrainian version of The Chasm, with some later-Death techinicality and early Arch Enemy style solos.  Not bad, especially if you like this style.

kingdom of joyless piss

Expulsion - Wasteworld

More tech shit to scare the "skinny jeans" off your spindly legs.  Expulsion are from the cult favorite of Death Metal countries, the Netherlands, although they sound like they would be from the US or Canada.  To be really brief, this is what Unique Leader bands would sound like if they knew how to write music.  Almost any brutal Death Metal band can claim to be "tight" or "tech" or whatever, but rarely can they produce anything remotely memorable or unique.  Expulsion actually achieves those things, at least in the guitar department anyway.  Not since Dave Mustaine have I heard such biting tone and furiously nimble playing.  Sure, these guys have yet to prove they have the songwriting repetoire of 'Ol Dave, but they show huge promise.  As that comparison would also suggest, the melodic tendencies are also there, which makes for an equally listenable and brutal experience.  If you're a true Death Metal fan, you can appreciate the sophisticated stuff as well as the dirty muddbath stuff, and you're in for some haute musique here.  If you're into mid-era Monstrosity, Quo Vadis, Decrepit Birth and like, you should go crazy for this.

fondue it

Soilent Green - Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction

Honestly, I've never really been a fan of Soilent Green, but twice now they've really impressed me.  The first time was about five years ago when I saw them live.  I wasn't particularly looking forward to their set, but I stayed just to feel like I was getting my money's worth.  You know what, they sounded so clear and tight live, that damned if I wasn't banging my head before their first song was over!  

Of course, the second time was with the release of this album.  Sure, those of  you with skinny pants and beards won't like it because it doesn't sound "tinny" enough and it doesn't have any post-rock meandering, but that's exactly why I like it.  The first thing to notice here is the slick production job of Erik Rutan.  The sound is clear as glass and very fat, totally lacking that "ringy" snare sound preferred by retardo Slam bands, or the endless crash cymbal distortion that most Grind bands seem to enjoy.  Nope, this album actually sounds very listenable; looks like Erik finally found something he's good at (zing).  Beyond that, the drumming and riffery are as tasty as it gets.  This isn't the "heehaw" Soilent Green of the 90's, this is Soilent Green cleaned up, and they clean up pretty good. 

this wins as the worst cover in triple B history

 

 

we don't take kindly to yer type round here

Battletorn - Terminal Dawn

It's time to go stupid again.  Seriously though, it's pretty stupid how this album was being sold for only 2 dollars.  Oh well, bad for them, but good for me!  Battletorn are from the hipster stronghold of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but thankfully, they don't sound like it.  Delivered here is some mean, low-IQ Crusty Hardcore.  Like Iron Lung, they're also a power-duo, so they have a concise and lean sound perfect for cutting your head in half.  Musically, they sound pretty similar to late 80's/early 90's Crust like Antischism, if that band had Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer) on vocals.  Expect huge amounts of D-Beat, and never-ending distortion complimented by a clear, yet piercing production.  Sure, prog music is great how it's challenging and stimulates your intellect, but sometimes, you just wanna tweak on some simple brutality.

remember myspace?
tap the Rocky's

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls

This fits in perfectly with the onslaught of rain I've been experiencing the past few days.  That's right, it rains in paradise.  Maui is like the Finland of the tropics.  What also may surprise you is that Katatonia used to be a pretty heavy and dark band, before they morphed into a more romantic pseudo-Metal band ten years ago.  Seriously, this almost a perfect little Death/Doom album.  The riffs and drumming here are top-notch, as is the warm production.  There are keyboard and clean guitar parts to go along with the anguished growls, so it may disappoint you if you're a stickler for the more abysmal sounds of Winter.  The album does get rather campy in parts, but you're just gonna have to forgive them for that, they're European.  But if you like, melody and tone with your gloom, you really can't go wrong here.  Plus, this was released on No Fashion records, pretty much everything they put out was gold.

*nothing says "I want to kill myself" like the color pink

blame it on the rain

HØST - HØST

I take you from the Midlands, to the Midwest.  This particular album has a history with me.  In 2007, when Aversionline.com was bringing me tons of great bands (not any as of late!), this obscure nugget caught my ear.  I got turned on by the odd time signatures, and long, grandiose riffs (very progressive for a BM band).  The band never seemed to gain popularity, despite being reviewed in major magazines and being available at Amoeba, which is where I bought mine.  Two years later, they finally embark on a true national tour that came through my stomping grounds of Oakland, California.  I had been anticipating this show for months, and when I got to the Stork Club, I was pretty shocked that less than a dozen people showed up, most of whom were there to see an awful Pyrate Punx band.  After the "Punx" opener, HØST were finally up.  Even during soundcheck, I could tell the singer (the "brains" of the band) was already in a bad mood cause I was seemingly the only guy there to see them.  After playing just one song, the singer was so unstable that he threw his bass on the floor because the drummer couldn't remember the proper lead-in.  That was it, he turned off his amp and his dumbfounded bandmates eventually followed suit as they couldn't do much without him.  I packed up, and rode my bike home having the sickest feeling of disappointment ever from a show.

Despite that awful experience, this album is actually quite great.  It's one of the most original Black Metal albums I've heard.  Very modern and progressive while having a significant "rock" influence in the way of some "major-sounding" keys and chords.  It's somber, but not suicidal; heavy, but not quite brutal.  At one point, the song "Desember" has what I'm sure is the same chord progression as "Keep on Rockin in the Free World".  Odd to say the least.  You'll probably either love it or hate it, but for me, this band was my favorite USBM band for a while.

hella punx