Misc. Day – The Everlasting End
From the city of champions, Eternal Sleep reigns with an iron fist that attacks full-frontally without a shred of mercy. Their debut release, Dead Like Me is a rampaging powerhouse that smashes its way to the hearts and ears of mosh pits everywhere. While keeping the integrity of the sound, Eternal Sleep also changes the variables to include articles of the noise genre, sampling, and breakdowns that adds an additional layer of re-playability to an already outstanding record.
Eternal Sleep consists of Joseph Sanderson on the vocal aspect, delivering on the guitar is Travis Bennington, on bass is Ben Duty, and behind them is Colin Bennington on the percussion. Together, Eternal Sleep is a quad-headed monster of aggression that perpetually continues on a forward march. From the start of Dead Like Me, Eternal Sleep instantly launches into a flurry of furious intentions as “Small Talk” asks a simple question before sprinting into the music. As soon as “You ready?” leaves the lips, Eternal Sleep wastes no time in bringing in the rush of grinding strings, pounding percussion, and screams that make Dead Like Me, a punishing record from start to finish.
Incredibly angry, incredibly forceful, but also incredibly exciting; Eternal Sleep makes quick, but ultimately substantial use of the eleven-minute run time. From the sudden transition to the following track “Speak : Not Speak,” Dead Like Me also makes a use of transitioning the sound from a blitzing assault, to more of a slowed, but still deadly following. “Speak : Not Speak” uses a large focus on the vocals coming from Sanderson and continues to make another focal point on the chorus where Eternal Sleep shouts in unison “Fuck You… I never loved you.” As if a band could project a middle finger through music, Eternal Sleep switches into a bone-crunching breakdown that finally brings silence to the otherwise overtly style of play.
As the self-titled track “Dead Like Me” starts, it is met with feedback on Travis Bennington’s guitar and a sample of the (1980) movie Altered States, in which character Eddie Jessup begins, “I was in that ultimate moment of terror that is the beginning of life. It is nothing. Simple, hideous nothing. The final truth of all things is that there is no final truth…” Eternal Sleep also samples the (1985) film Brazil in which the character Mrs. Lowery explains, “Of course you want something. You must have hopes, wishes, dreams…” to which Sam Lowry replies, “No, nothing. Not even dreams!” This is the catalyst that brings in the final leg of Dead Like Me.
Ending with an atom bomb of proportions, Eternal Sleep screams, “Rest In Peace” and delivers on all fronts; a punching grind that uses different vocal layers, changes in the percussive play style, and a consistent hammering of the strings. As Dead Like Me comes to an unfortunate close, Eternal Sleep reminds not only Pittsburgh, but the world of hardcore why they are an unstoppable force of nature. The final breakdown of agony that delivers the inevitable silence is more brutal and more crushing than anyone could prepare for.
Listen to Dead Like Me Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
New Music – The Shrine
Franck Dadure & The Fakir Orchestra brilliantly combines both the synthetic recreation of electronic instruments, and authentic instrument sounds together to create a common partnership between the man and the machine. The relationship is almost instantly connected and has a great sense of flow that attaches onto each other. The synthetic moments make for the moments of true intrigue as they draw in the listener with subtlety, only to lead to an ambush of sound as the surrounding instruments join in. The instrumentalists, comprised of Franck Dadure, Dominque Grimaldi, Fabien Duscombs, Frédéric Sachs, Elliott Touzalin, and Daniel Zimmermann. Together, creating one mass of instrumentalists that together, create a new style of jazz.
Dadure also composes film and this translates incredibly well with the sound of Tako Mitsu, the record is entertaining and continues to keep surprises tucked away like a deck of cards. From the start with the self-titled track, “Tako Mitsu,” Dadure uses both vocal repetition and layered sections of horns where Dadure’s BandCamp page explains, “Tako Mitsu is a musical tour that begins in Japan with the singular interpretation of a traditional nursery rhyme, Bangladesh, French and Sweden.” It becomes almost instantaneously apparent that Dadure will explore a broad variety of cultures and sounds as “Tako Mitsu” uses childhood echoes that repeat a mantra of sorts. This mantra continues and is the first substantial instruments that stands out on the title track. When paired with the slick movements of the string ensemble, the proud horns, and the bouncing bass line that is laid down, it becomes a strange mix of eeriness and wonder.
Then as the percussion begins to flood in, the transfers between snare, cymbal, and what sound like handmade percussive instruments like bowls dropping and keys rattling creates a sense of organization. Franck Dadure & The Fakir Orchestra is not quite a free-form style of jazz, but it does pertain to those certain aspects as when the full range of instruments is cranking along like a well oiled machine, the piano in particular will move in a sweeping motion along the keys to create a small, almost controlled chaos within the track. As “Tako Mitsu” comes to a final stopping point, it makes sure to close by falling apart with instruments askew and a transitioning lead synthesizer that brings “Electric Sodium Trumpet” into frame.
Entirely instrumentally driven, The Fakir Orchestra creates drastic changes through each track, but maintains a level of familiarity so that no single track feels out of place or completely astray from the path. As a matter of fact, Tako Mitsu stays consistent with its approaches into the more experimental styles of jazz, even when crafting the authentic styled walls that will surround the sound, Franck Dadure still manages to include the authenticity of physical instruments packed into the electronic aspect. As the music breaks apart and becomes a sudden dash of a pre-loop percussive dance style beat, the band still maintains a large focus on authenticity as well.
In the track, “Le Sémaphore ambigu” it becomes almost atmospheric and reminiscing of a classic style of jazz with a new twist. The horn sections and percussion sections can be taken in a Miles Davis or John Coltrane style, but with the underlying and pushing piano, “Le Sémaphore ambigu” becomes more sinister towards the end of its run time and even as the track ends, the following picks up in similar fashion with “The Road to Almeria.” It is rather menacing, but instead changes to a slithering style of instrumental that relies on cymbal crashes and a focus on switching from subtlety and abrasiveness. Both style choices are effective in creating a constant shifting motion that also carries over into the much softer, more approachable following track.
“L’escalator Qui Plerue” is a soft-spoken giant of piano that creates the bass lines, and a saxophone that wails almost alone, completely standing out from the misty style that the other backing instruments create. It is one of the most impactful tracks on Tako Mitsu as it uses a sluggish approach, but stays fluent enough to stand on its own. The use of minimalistic instruments was a wise choice as it pins the focal point on just two entities, this is a drastic change before “The Grand Telerol Hotel” which resorts back to the usual style of previous, more enthusiastic tracks.
However, a track that truly stands out is “Coke Au Vin,” an incredibly experimental and strange track that sounds nothing like the rest of the album. It acts more as a track that tries to use everything in the vicinity, from big pieces of sheet metal to the clunking drums, the whole track feels like a scrambled mess. As a collective, Tako Mitsu is a powerful piece of jazz fusion that creates suspense and feels like a cinema masterpiece wrapped in a more convenient package.
Listen to Tako Mitsu Here!!! – Bandcamp/Spotify
Classic Day – Out The Geto
The Geto Boys are incredibly angry, incredibly brash, but incredibly fun to listen to and have a certain Southern Charm that nearly everyone will love. From the slick voices of Bushwick Bill, Scarface, or Willie D. Showing a strong disdain for conventional rap, Geto Boys bring a horrific factor and make We Can’t Be Stopped sound similar to a funk horror movie. As the Geto Boys move from track to track, the horrible style doesn’t stop and continues to only grow more and more grotesque. We Can’t Be Stopped is an exciting journey in the adventures of the Geto Boys, a new installment in the horrors of modern life in Texas.
Listen to We Can’t Be Stopped Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
Artist Showcase – Pus Mortem
Black Pus is straight from the dungeons of music where the light never touches the surface. The deepest, darkest sections where most music fans will never even dare to venture into, only true fanatics who like the occasional bone crunching, aggressive punches from music seek out the thrills and horrors of Black Pus’s domain. He is welcoming to few, stand-offish to all, and leaves a trail of busted teeth and misery that follows behind his music.
While Black Pus is unfortunately only a moniker and Black pus is actually Brian Chippendale by day, but Chippendale’s musical background and artistic background is actually much deeper than just Black Pus. Stemming his musical ability from Lightning Bolt and Mindflayer, Chippendale also has written a book, Battlestack Galaticrap Foods, and even directed a movie The Power of Salad, which was a documentary that included Peter Glantz and Nick Noe that follows Lightning Bolt’s time in Rhode Island. Even as Chippendale takes up the Black Pus cowl at night, by day he is a graphic design artist that creates both stencil works and album artwork, Brian Chippendale is truly a jack of all trades that has a much more sinister underbelly than most would see at first glance.
As Black Pus first emerged, 2006 saw the self-released dawn of Black Pus and was, “A collection of ferocious free jazz, multi-tracked on Chippendale’s cassette four track.” Incredibly forceful through his approaches, Black Pus is music for the deaf. The vibrations are so substantial impactful, so detrimental, and so downright ugly that his tracks can be felt and to see Chippendale’s sporadic musical playing style live would seem like a freak show. He brings amps and speakers that are taller than any creature and the one-man drumming machine launches right into an onslaught of distorted yells, tribal-like drums, and loops that rumble stages and crumble buildings down to their foundation. Not only is this style of play instantly recognizable as Black Pus’s own, but it echoes into the limitations of what one person can do. Black Pus sees no walls in his path and has no real barriers, his sound is his own and he imitates no one.
Black Pus is a strange case in the musical world. His musical style is the strangest that I personally have heard ever and he combines both Noise and Punk into a mixing pot of abrasive, aggressive, ugliness that never really shows a sign of peace or silence. Black Pus is truly a monument in impracticality, a beacon of hope in an over-saturated music world, a statue that destroys all limitations and truly sets his own path. Black Pus is a force to be reckoned with, and he desperately begs to crush anything and everything that stands in his way.
Listen to Black Pus Here!!! – BandCamp
New Music – Grit Your Teeth
Emotions are a pivotal component in an artist’s daily life, they control the exact way that their motive of operation’s direction and display their inner feelings about the world that surrounds them. This is all true, but rarely does an artist capture such a profound topic and contain such a feeling of raw emotion than Blanck Mass does on their newest record, World Eater. The love child of Benjamin John Power, Blanck Mass is an electric journey from the start to finish. Power does an incredible job of steeping to new heights and proving just what can be done with a minimal set of instruments and exactly how Power himself set these limitations as a way to light his comfort zone ablaze, creating an entirely new sound that both creates an enigmatic state, but also balances between beauty and pure fear.
The opening of World Eater grits the teeth and unleashes an incredibly cheerful, but gentle opening that leads the listener into what sounds like a madhouse of sound. “John Doe’s Carnival of Error” is just as the title suggests, it is reminiscing of a child-like wonder that has a substantial amount of draw to it. As the track slowly evolves, it becomes a mix of strange, chopped voices that are near impossible to make out and then erupts into a wall of sound that contains crashing suspended cymbals, synths that fade in from the background to the foreground, and an unexpected segue into a rapid-fired, electronic track that becomes a synthetic mix of both portions of dance rhythms and aggressive punches of bass and snare.
Almost introducing a cult-like consistent pounding from the percussion, “Rhesus Negative” is strength-ridden and brings about Power’s main message that he states on his BandCamp Page. Blanck Mass begins, “As humans, we are aware of our inner beast and should therefore be able to control it. We understand our hard-wired primal urges and why they exist in an evolutional sense. We understand the relationship between mind and body. Highly evolved and intelligent, we should be able to recognize these genetic hangovers and control them…” Power then moves on to say, “The human race is consuming itself…” Even as World Eater does show immense signs of incredible amounts of power and assertiveness through the seven-track record; World Eater still produces signs and sounds of hope for the future as well.
As the third-track, “Please” slides into frame after the frantic style of “Rhesus Negative,” Blanck Mass produces a better spotlight into the minimalistic style that was spoken about earlier. Using reverberated clicks and distorted voices, Blanck Mass illustrates a grand, open soundscape that produces echoing noises that follow the track until the bass lines are introduced. This is when the “Please” can take its mold as the distortion weighs heavily and creates a sense of waves that crash over the track, generating confusion that both collapses and reappears throughout the different sections. Even at the most minimalistic moments, World Eater is still incredibly layered and complex; Power creates moments of beauty that contrast between the moments of darkness and these contrasts work wonderfully. World Eater is a record that will generate a thousand different emotions within the near 50-minute runtime, and is a welcome change as the consistent flow keeps Blanck Mass continually fresh.
Aggression and animosity floods back into World Eater as “The Rat” jumps head first into the foreground and launches an instant assault of kicks that resonate as the pounding bass drums and increases in intensity as playful synths are introduced. Blanck Mass produces a power-hungry animal that borders on constant destruction as the instruments become progressively faster, stronger, and more unsusceptible toward the inevitable end that suddenly bounces into “Silent Treatment.”
These sudden jumps made by Blanck Mass make World Eater so unpredictable, so highly-spirited, and so adventurous that the sound from each track to the next is a completely new experience every single time. Similar to Clams Casino’s sound, “Silent Treatment” is a mix of both hopeful synths and simple percussion that moves between sixteenth-notes and these clam-like synths that open up and displays a much softer side of Blanck Mass. This soft side also continues into the following, “Minnesota / Eas Fors / Naked.” While the first portion, “Minnesota” is a noise-ridden and entirely unmusical styled track that instead relies on atmosphere and synthetic motions to then segue into the much easier to follow second portion, “Eas Fors.” More musical than its predecessor, “Eas Fors” continues to use atmosphere and eventually leads to a gentle intermission that focuses on using wind chimes and synth pads which then allows “Naked” to transition the sound with echoing drums and a large focus on tranquility.
The last triple-threat, “Minnesota / Eas Fors / Naked” is also the catalyst which leads into the final act of World Eater. “Hive Mind” leaves World Eater on a more than hopeful high note that echoes into the future and begs the question and the answering of human nature and the controlling motions of emotions. Man’s inner beast, that continues to thrive.
Listen to World Eater Here!!! – BandCamp/Amazon/iTunes
Classic Day – Pioneers of Hardcore
Detroit is home to the mecca of the music industry, spanning a long history of both rock, rap, and the obvious, hardcore music that struck harder, moved faster, and took less mercy than any other city in the United States. Able to instill fear into their enemies, Negative Approach formed in 1981 under the guise of John Brannon and Pete Zelewski, and as the line-ups changed and the boundaries shifted, Negative Approach slowly became signed on Touch and Go records and formed several different line-ups before releasing their first, self titled 7” record. With John Brannon leading the vocals, Chris “Opie” Moore on the percussion, Rob McCulloch on the guitar, and Graham McCulloch on the bass, Negative Approach became one of the founding fathers of hardcore music.
Located in the motor city capital of the world, Negative Approach cut their teeth in the hardcore scene by playing basement shows and doing tours with other surrounding bands at the time. One of the biggest movements in the 1980’s, Negative Approach moved in the same shadowy scenes as Necros, Black Flag, OFF! And even The Meat Puppets which while Negative Approach had a short career span before re-launching back in 2006, would still be followed by so many and claimed as to be one of the originators of hardcore music.
Negative Approach 7” comes as a lightning bolt that only lasts two-seconds over nine-minutes long and never shows a single second of mercy. From one track to the next, Negative Approach 7” is a constant pounding that assaults the ears with the power-hungry screams of Brannon and the abrasiveness of the instruments. As Negative Approach performs a mad-man like style on the musical front, the energy levels go through the roof and show no signs of stopping. From the first second of “Can’t Tell No One,” Negative Approach makes it known that they are going to be stomping, kicking, and punching their way through their debut release.
No track present on Negative Approach 7” reaches over the two-minute mark and tracks like “pressure,” “Why Be Something That You’re Not,” an “Fair Warning” are over so incredibly quick that it appears that Negative Approach is following the Get-In-And-Get-Out approach that other hardcode bands of this era were also doing. Negative Approach floods the ears of anyone caught in the blast radius and decides to break down any barriers that stand in their way. Without warning they crush the audience and sprint out just as quickly as they appeared. They personified youth rage and continually delivered a belligerent attitude with their tracks that captured the immense fun that came along with listening and performing hardcore music.
Negative Approach were just one of the many spotlight performers that contained an atom bomb’s worth of energy and the final closing track, “Negative Approach” makes it incredibly clear that the band had no problem giving every ounce of energy into one single movement. As Brannon nearly shrieks into the microphone, “Risk you take are calculated, though you think are all outdated. You’ve done nothing but make me laugh, cause you’re not ready to accept a negative approach, negative approach.” Incredibly hostile, incredibly forceful, but incredible on all fronts, Negative Approach makes for a sucker-punch to the system that begs to be played at high volume and to be moshed to once again, just as it was back in 1982.
Listen to Negative Approach 7″ Here!!! – Youtube (Thank You – SweetBabyJaysus)/Amazon
Misc. Day -Updates/Personal
Lately I have lost all motivation and want to jump from a 12-story building. I don’t want to write anything, so here is a few bands that I found out about this weekend that I have been digging on. I will most likely go back to doing Misc. Mondays and other stuff like normal but eh…
Thank you for the support and I hope that the people who read this actually take time to listen to the music I write about. It’ll change our little insignificant lives.
First Up on the list is
- TV Girl (Los Angeles Based Beautiful Music)
- Black Marble (New York Indie Music)
- Nnamdi Ogbonnaya (Might actually write about him but check it out)
- Crucified Mortals (Same deal, might write about this record later)
- Iron Lung (Power violence <3)
- BlakFace (I want to review this too)
Sorry for the lack of fun this Monday, but here is a song that pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling about the world and yeah…. I also hate putting my feelings into stuff but whatever. I can say whatever I want to in the physical world and no one can stop me…
Rather Be Broke and Alone Than Spend Another Fake, Unloving Second With You
Like the Gentle Sea Cow… We are forced to find our way out alone
New Music – Tools of Destruction
Skeletonized is indeed a rare breed of musical style that branches out from the gutters of Pittsburgh to bring an aggressive twist on the one-man band show. Drummer Matt Rappa combines both the authenticity of raw percussion work and various samples and electronics to create an unholy triple threat of emotion, confusion, and intrigue. Throughout his work, Rappa works in both the sporadic movement of jazz, to the complex cadences of heavy bass focused tracks with grooving snare rolls and freeform flow that is impossible to replicate and comes strongly on the ears.
As Self-Titled Cassette Excerpt opens, it is greeted with the simply titled “Side A Excerpt” that begins with near math-rock proportions of wailing horns, pounding percussion, and an assault of noise that floods to the listener and is reminiscing of an unfiltered and never calm style. The random flow, while incredibly un-fabricated and seemingly without direction shows a sincere sense of creating a completely new idea. While taking elements from other sections and genres of music, Skeletonized is able finally wind down and eventually leave the sporadic playing for more of a groove on the second half of “Side A Excerpt.” This is where the sections begin to connect and show a more distinct sense of direction. Even as the second half slowly falls in and out of these sporadic moments, Rappa is still able to bring back the reigns and really hunker down behind the cracks of both the snare and the Morse code like noises that play behind him. Finally, “Side A Excerpt” lets the dust settle with a large amount of feedback and silence before launching back into another glimpse into the pseudo-future of both animalistic unpredictability, and sheer ferocity.
Launching back into the undefined style, “Side B Excerpt” puts an immensely large focus on combining both the horns and percussion, but in a way that lets both instruments have their own spotlight. As the horns continue to wail and what sounds like a saxophone plays through both low grumbles and increasingly bravado style blurts, the percussion follows behind with continuing rolls and smacks on the cymbal domes to give off a complementary feeling between the powerhouse of instruments. Then as the percussion gradually takes the lead, the horns dial back and are instead replaced with these strange and unruly synths that take the backseat to the thunderous bass drums. Skeletonized is more of an experience and the Self-Titled Cassette Excerpt while only a small look into the future of Skeletonized, is still large enough to get a taste of something more.
The public can only look forward to the future of the eccentric, but overly and ultimately incredible work that is Skeletonized.
Listen to Self-Titled Cassette Excerpt (Skeletonized) Here – Bandcamp
Classic Day – The Spire Of The Nineties
Unwound holds a special place in 1990’s American Music as they were able to produce such a unique, genre-blending style while keeping a consistent flow of giving aggressive and abrasive tracks, but also pulling back the reigns and showing a softer, more approachable side as well. From the first seconds, Fake Train has a gravitational pull toward a chanting, punk rock style that balances both intrigue from the sparse and singular guitar work from Justin Trosper who also acts as Unwound’s lead vocalist, but also the incoming gentle rain of the bass guitar from Vern Rumsey and the gradual building of Sara Lund on percussion.
Hearing Fake Train for the first time is like stumbling upon a lost treasure that has finally been re-found. Unwound’s Fake Train is quite familiar, but different in its own regards. The biggest or most noticeable change is that while a debut record from Unwound, the production from Steve Fisk and Unwound’s direction is incredible. Fake Train goes through a constant wave of emotion and even at its lowest points, Fake Train still manages to progress and keep every single moving part, still congruent.
The opening track, “Dragnalus” is a somber reflection on the emptiness of daily life and how monotony can be the silent killer. Trosper explains, “My life, your life, this life, our lives you’re so bored with…I don’t feel strange, I don’t feel anything.” This is while Rumsey moves as a pillar in the foreground as his bass rumbles along and creates a clear distinction between the common-misconception of creating just a rhythm section. Rumsey acts above the call of duty and creates his own path that differentiates from both Lund and Trosper. Surprisingly, this is also Lund’s first record release and does an immaculate job with moving around her kit in both a loose and refreshing style. This becomes extremely evident on the following track, “Lucky Acid” where the percussion makes quick dashes between the snare and the cymbals. This style of playing is the catalyst that allows both Rumsey and Trosper to smack back along, creating one of the faster tracks found on Fake Train. “Lucky Acid” is a quickened series of dashes that show little time for recovery as it continually smashes and punches the way to the bitter end where the instruments become a sudden fallen mismatch of random, sporadic playing that falls to eventual silence.
Fake Train changes lanes so frequently between tracks, but amazingly, the true flow of the record never loses focus or becomes hard to follow. Instead, Unwound uses these different styles to their advantage and focuses on making both aggressive pushes like the track “Kantina” where Trosper can nearly yell his lyrics, begging, “wait, wait, wait, wait, don’t go. Stay, please stay, please… Resigned, the sunrise was a lie, was a dream, it’s too dark outside to be alive.” Both Lund and Rumsey support these screams with building sections where suddenly, the instruments become louder and louder and in mere seconds; Unwound is blasting at full force. “Kantina” is also another track where the music can shift and become almost silent. The constant waves that follow the rising actions and the falling fits of breaking down is incredible and is a progressive tool that shifts the focus between every aspect of Unwound’s style of play.
Fake Train then jumps back into the more, straightforward focused style with “Pure Pain Sugar” where the gradual builds are abandoned and instead traded for a lightning bolt of shock where Unwound moves, striking fast and aggressively; wasting no time as they continually pound away with rapid drum strikes, bass and guitar that move effortlessly through the fret board, and vocals that induce the world’s first screaming match with oneself. Trosper exclaims, “Another episode, we laugh, we cry, we’d almost rather die. The pain’s too great, don’t hesitate to taste your own. I feel okay, you want to know how I’d feel today.” This style is also adapted into the following, “Gravity Slips” where a locomotive style build is introduced and then gives way into a classic, punk rock style of track. Fast, abrasive, and unforgettable, “Gravity Slips” is incredibly angry but the short-lived assault is eventually traded once again for one of the most melodic and crawling styles on Fake Train.
“Star Spangled Hell” begins with subtle guitar moves from Trosper that eventually form into a more destructive attack that pushes the limits with substantial amounts of feedback and a sudden shift in power as the track falls into the pit of near silence once again. The waving motion is the most consistent theme of Fake Train as it is always present and challenges the listener in the way that Unwound moves. From the breakneck speed of tracks like “Gravity Slips”, “Lucky Acid”, or even “Honourosis”, to the melodic beauty of “Were, Are and Was or Is,” Fake Train creates a new mold that destroys both the walls of genre, and the walls known about creating a specific sound.
Listen to Fake Train Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
New Music – Underground Underdogs
Coming hot off the multiple releases last year, Fat Nick and Pouya have been trailblazers in the rap game and have showed no serious signs of slowing down. From working with $UICIDEBOY$, Getter, Sir Michael Rocks, and hundreds more, Pouya and Fat Nick are truly underground beacons that illuminate the night skies.
From the thousands of people dying to hear their newest tape Drop Out of School, Fat Nick and Pouya finally deliver and bring a fistful of clever wordplay, new tactics, and some old styles that fans of South Side Slugs or even Buffet Boys can hear once again and fall back in love all over again. The style directed by both Fat Nick and Pouya, the life long friends is still as fun as ever and even when the action slows down with tracks like “Torch,” the same level of intensity is present and uses a wide variety of 808 drums and hi-hat rattles that switch frequently to keep this consistent cascade of tools to use.
Here, Pouya and Fat Nick begin most of their tracks with a tag team tactic where they will trade verses back and forth, creating chemistry and a punch after punch style. Most of Drop Out of School is incredibly aggressive and shows almost no time of stopping or letting up, this adds to the unrelenting flow of the tracks and while Drop Out of School is just under thirty-minutes, the tracks featured are going to be substantial enough to be on repeat until Pouya surprises us with his other two albums he promised throughout the year. The work ethic of both Pouya and Fat Nick is incredible and seeing how they can release tracks, albums, and videos each month without suffering for quality, while only improving with each release is outstanding.
Listen to Drop Out of School Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes/Pouya’s Website
Classic Day – Flags On Fire
Nothing quite describes musical aptitude like emotion, emotion bleeds from every artist as they pour their words, sounds, and most importantly, their ideas into the finished product. Rage Against the Machine is a fireball set to inferno that blazes the genres of rock and rap music, mostly due to their eccentric style of front-man and vocalist, Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha, better known simply as the energized, Zack de la Rocha. Then alongside other members who not only boost Rocha up, but themselves are involved in the fires, Tom Morello works the guitar and uses a number of different distortions to get his strings sounding incredibly synthetic at times. There was also the hard-hitting Brad Wilk on percussion who had a style that blended rapid fire machine gun rounds, and the punch of a world championship boxer. Finally, there was Tim “Timmy C.” Commerford on the bass and never in a band has bass been used so maliciously, so incredibly forcefully, and in such great strides at the same time.
Self-immolation of Thích Quáng Dúrc is featured as Rage Against the Machine’s cover and completely summarizes exactly what Rage Against the Machine was striving to do. In an act of protest, self-immolation is the most powerful statement as the protestor gives their life to illustrate a true problem, Rage Against the Machine is similar in the ways they devote their lives to trying to educate and illustrate the issues within American and World governments.
As “Bombtrack,” the explosive first track comes into frame, it is immediately clear that Rage Against the Machine is going to bring destructive guitar riffs, even stronger bass and percussion, and an abrasive leading voice to scream anti-establishment lyrics. As the ringleader to the demolition, Rage Against the Machine is not afraid to stand above the rules and discuss topics as disheartening and off-putting as, “Instead, I warm my hands upon the flames of the flag to recall the downfall, and the businesses that burnt us all.” To most American citizens, this could be considered an act of terrorism, but Rocha simply justifies his First Amendment Rights and is pleased to attack the big business that he suggests, run American publics. As He proceeds to the chorus, Rocha practically spits, “Burn, Burn, yes you’re gonna burn,” repeating a number of times that the “suits, I ignite and then watch ‘em burn.”
Tom Morello has a subtle guitar solo that begins overpowering and full of strength, but slowly fades back into the chorus where Rocha can rephrase that everyone will “burn.” Even as the ashes of “Bombtrack” are still falling, the second track, “Killing In The Name” comes sprinting right behind. While not only one of the greatest protest tracks in music history, “Killing In The Name” is also an incredibly simple idea, but is fleshed out so incredibly well that Rage Against the Machine makes thrashing and burning seem like a brand new idea. From the quick, stuttering like motions of the band while Rocha screams, “And now you do what they told ya,” to the sudden differentiations with Morello’s guitar as he moves up the fret board almost effortlessly. The bass work from Commerford is also taking one of the spotlight positions and creates the backing work where percussive snare hits can lead into the chorus or rephrases.
The standout piece of “Killing In The Name” is obviously going to be the section where Rage Against the Machine loses all sense of direction and becomes this building monster that is headed by sporadic playing from the instrumentalists and Rocha slowly shouting, “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.” If anyone has ever heard this track, this is the section that everyone will remember and the words continue to echo over even as the track comes to a final close.
“Take The Power Back” is another incredibly forceful, obliterating track that begins with an intriguing use of Morello’s guitar that plays almost subtly, while Commerford plays the main riff of the track on his bass. Together, they build into a grasping riff where the guitar becomes a locomotive that slides the power between the bass and percussion. The instrumentalists are going to be the main focus of “Take The Power Back” and while Rocha still delivers an abrasive verse, the guitar solos from Morello and the grinding bass lines from Commerford are the true stars of the show. Even the off beat drum pattern that follows in the break down is fantastic and Rage Against the Machine is incredible in the way that it can switch from a slug-fest to a sullen, almost spoken word track in mere seconds. “Take The Power Back” falls into this grouping as the last minute is spent with Rocha gently singing, “no more lies, no more lies,” to then blasting as Rage Against the Machine flies back into frame without warning.
More of an abstract style of track, “Settle For Nothing” is much slower than the previous tracks and uses different sections of building and breakdowns that have Rocha at certain points screaming until his voice strains. The percussion is interesting as it slides between a steady drum beat, and a stranger style of play where sudden tom hits and random crashes are heard in the background. This also leads to Morello and Commerford playing more of a melodic and relaxed style of play which consistently switches between incredibly laid back and crushing. “Settle For Nothing” almost acts as an intermission to “Bullet In The Head” which was extremely controversial, but ultimately outstanding.
Rocha’s deadly lyrical ability makes for one of Rage Against the Machine’s strongest tracks present on their self-titled debut album. He begins, stating, “Fools follow rules when the set commands ya, said it was blue; when your blood was red.” To then describe, “You’re standing in line, believing the lies. You’re bowing down to the flag, you got a bullet in your head.” Rage Against the Machine then leads into a substantial amount of energy being transferred from the instruments into Rocha and vice-versa. They both come swinging in full-force and do not care what gets destroyed in the process. This amount of reckless abandonment is perfect for the seguing motion into “Know Your Enemy”
Starting with Morello’s well-recognized style of guitar playing, he sets the tone for the other instrumentalists as they play along before Rocha breaks up the building sections with intense screams. “Know Your Enemy” is an easily recognizable track from Rage Against the Machine, not only because of Morello’s beginning riffs, but also because of how much energy that goes into the track itself. Rocha is constantly yelling and Rage Against the Machine launches into the best breakdown on the record where everything hits a steel wall and completely loses all speed, but maintains the same level of burning passion. The strings are rough, the percussion aggressive, and the screams are assaulting. Rage Against the Machine is a sucker punch to the sleeping public that begs for a wake-up call.
The following track, “Wake Up” touches upon subjects like the assassination of major political activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, who Rocha believes that both were government conspiracies and covered up in ways to halt progress of the public. He asks, “What was the price on his head? What was the price on his head?” Rocha then finally screams to anyone listening to “Wake up, wake up, wake up, how long? Not long, cause what you reap is what you sow.” The track “Wake Up,” and the following, “Fistful Of Steel” sound similar, but “Fistful Of Steel” is the sharper knife that cuts deep with the punishing riffs and percussion. The bass also has something similar to a solo as it controls a major section of the track which makes the other instruments fall behind and back it up. Rocha comes flying in with usual fashion where he explains, “Silence, something about silence makes me sick. Cause silence can be violent, sort of like a slit wrist.” He continues to portray big business and politicians as the enemy of the American public. Tom Morello features another experimental style of solo where his guitar is so heavily distorted that it almost sounds similar to synthesizer, and this leads back into the overarching theme of experimentation on Rage Against the Machine. Between the strange guitar solos, the powerful political front-man, and the off beats of the percussion and bass, Rage Against the Machine is more of a jack of all trades style of band.
Even as Rage Against the Machine comes to a final chapter and eventually closes, the band never falters in levels of energy and keeps consistently pounding through and through. They crush everything in their path, display their message in the ashes, and recruit anyone smart enough to join along in their fight against corruption. The battle has begun, and Rage Against the Machine asks what side you are going to fight for.
Listen to Rage Against The Machine Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
Misc. Day -Desert Vampires
Little is known about the desert-roaming ramparts that scourer the freakier side of the deepest parts of the inner psyche, Death Valley Girls touch upon aliens, loss, and science-fiction, bringing with them a certain new level of originality in both song writing and musical sound. Comprised of mostly femme fatales, Death Valley Girls slide into frame with a killer sound and a new grasp on personality in music. Not only is their style incredible, but their debut record Street Venom is utterly fantastic in the way it keeps a continuous flow from track to track. Between the consistent ups and downs, Death Valley Girls take a head-on approach and never show a sign of losing focus or trailing off in an impassable or awkward direction.
Strong, surf-rock is the first approach that Death Valley Girls use to their advantage. “No Reason” is a cheerful, driving anthem that captures the essence of slick guitar moves from both Bonnie Bloomgarden and Larry Schemel, and the steady, but captivating percussion work from Patty Schemel who also performed earlier with Country Love’s band, Hole. A powerhouse movement between all the instrumentalists creates a massive amount of stable energy that bursts throughout and makes for one of the more memorable and impactful style choices. Even when Death Valley Girls are going in a full-throttle sprint, the action is still accessible and leaves room for everyone.
As Street Venom segues into “Sanitarium Blues,” Death Valley Girls go for more of a creeping style where the guitar seems to slither and Bloomgarden is almost passive-aggressive with her verses. She switches consistently between an abrasive yell that is heavily distorted behind this crunching microphone, and the other sections where her voice is angelic and when played in tandem with the dream-like guitar, makes for a beautiful combination. The break down is where Death Valley Girls are truly shining through and produce a rapid switch up between grasping snare hits and guitar off-beats that make for a great contrasting motion when used as a progressive piece into one of the slower tracks on the record.
The somber, but inviting chords reign for “Get Home,” Bloomfield’s graceful voice once again grazes against the contrasting instruments and creates a beautiful, but ultimately crushed style of singing that echoes with immense emotion. The guitars ring in what seems like forever while the percussion from Schemel is pounding, but not overly aggressive in the way it moves alongside the other instruments, creating a perfect sense of chemistry of both sound and tone. Bloomfield nearly cries, “All I wanna do is get home to you, all I wanna do is get home,” this is then the progressive piece that allows for a subtle guitar solo that fades into a sudden and short-lived silence.
“Shadow” is a completely different style of track than “Get Home,” it is more energetic and goes back to the enthusiastic singing of Bloomfield that is well matched with solid guitar works and once again, a stellar performance on the percussion that keeps the Death Valley Girls in a tight, well-rounded ball that never falters in losing that urgent flow that is so vital. Not only is the consistent changes a welcome and wonderful surprise, but every twisting turn is a fantastic progressing device that allows Street Venom to always feel fresh with every different listen.
Finally, as the Death Valley Girls appear to slowly slink away from the sunlight, they come crashing back in with the gradually building “Run Run Rocky” which combines different bridges that connect the track through percussion focused sections and chorus-like sections where the Death Valley Girls work together, banging out a boom of guitar, percussion, and vocals. The track, “Run Run Rocky” then takes a sudden shift into a solo where a keyboard synth is being played and it seems almost similar to a church organ and it continues to sustain its notes until a dead stop of silence.
The final two tracks are more rephrases of everything that Death Valley Girls have shown in the last 30-minutes. Between “Red Glare” and “Girlfriend,” they combine both a dead-end feel and then completely switch and create an energetic last dash that ends up becoming an outstanding closer for Street Venom.
Listen to Street Venom Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes/
New Music – The Dead Walk
Zorn is a beautiful throwback to the fun loving days of punk rock, from the first sample of Smaug from The Hobbit delivering a mighty description of “My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath, Death!” While setting the war-like opening, Zorn soon launches into their first track “Star Reacher”, which is a complete breath of fresh air when coming to a genre like metal or punk music.
With a sudden deep, foreboding guitar from Jake that seems to echo when played along the percussion from Evan, immense rumbling occurs from beyond the surface and Zorn packs a sudden sucker-punch as Zorn’s vocalist, Eric releases a scream that sends the slowed approach into a complete frenzy. The last 30-seconds of “Star Reacher” is an utter powerhouse of blaring guitars, pounding percussion and bass, tied along with a verbal assault that shakes ears, rattles the mind, and leaves the listener begging for more.
With production coming from Nate Patsfall who had done work in the past with the likes of Iron Cages, Prom Night, and even Dazey and the Scouts, Patsfall has enough experience working with different genres of music that working with the genre-blending style of Zorn is unchallenging and Zorn sounds incredible. The production is crisp, clear, but still has that certain level of strength that supports Zorn, making their sound become a complete full experience. As Zorn continues on to the self-titled track, “Cemetery Man,” Zorn is in a sprint to the finish. Every instrumentalist is cranking away at the musical machine and makes for an under a minute journey where the guitar can feed off of the energy of the percussion, which feeds into the vocals that shout away before coming to a brick wall of a halt, seguing into “Intergalactic Queen”.
As the midpoint of Cemetery Man slides into frame, Zorn shows not a single sign of controlling their actions and they become even more animalistic as Eric the vocalist brings a short, but rugged grunt followed by a howling laugh as the floodgates burst open. Zorn makes Cemetery Man incredibly high-octane without sacrificing quality as well. The guitar has a subtle, but ripping solo where it seems to move along the fret board almost effortlessly. This solo is also what leads Zorn into a fast break where every instrument begins to clash together and complete a power struggle between the hit-squad Philadelphia.
The final act of Cemetery Man also happens to be the longest track of the record, spanning just over the two-minute mark. Zorn again takes no seconds to recover and launches head first into “Comix Zone”. Focusing more on getting lyrics from all of the members of Zorn, the band shouts together, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll puke., you’ll die.” Zorn also fluctuates in variety of layering in their stylistic approach to their tracks, especially present on “Comix Zone,” is the consistently changing riffs and steady sections that switch from a two-step moshing style to a drawn out and complex style that draws attention to the abrupt, staccato notes being played in unison.
Zorn makes a crashing entrance and leaves just as quickly as they began, they bring back a new found level of excitement in punk rock and prove to everyone that punk rock is still alive and well.
Listen to Cemetery Man Here!!! – Bandcamp
Header Photo BY: MR. FOUR FINGERS
Classic Day – The Wild And Wonderful
The mountains of West Virginia are the birth place of true Appalachian beauty. West Virginian band Karma To Burn come hailing down the mountain to bring about the contrasting nature of blaring guitar riffs, decibel marking percussion, and rough bass lines that only increase any expectations about the wild and wonderful, West Virginia. Not only is Karma To Burn a low flying plane on the radar of most major labels, often times phoning in and pretending to be another artist claiming that “Karma To Burn” was a hot new act. These phone calls eventually led to Roadrunner Records picking up the band in 1997, the only problem was Karma To Burn was lacking one key aspect, a vocalist.
While Karma To Burn strictly wanted to do an entirely instrumental album, Roadrunner persisted and the band did a short run with John Garcia, but eventually found Jason “J. J.” Jarosz who was willing to work with the band. Karma To Burn eventually dropped J. J. from the band, resulting in them losing the contract with Roadrunner Records but the band persisted on. Karma To Burn finished their first studio debut album, a self-titled release that would destroy not the charts, but the ground around the band. Eventually, leading to more instrumental releases and a large focus on making the best sound that could ever be produced from a single band.
Karma To Burn is a large step in the right direction for Karma To Burn, the self-titled release was a major benefactor in the way that every instrumentalist played a substantial role in creating the sound of the band. From the outstanding guitar work from William Mecum, the incredibly grasping drum work from Nathan Limbaugh, or even the powerful bass produced by Rich “Dickie” Mullins, Karma To Burn from the jump was a dynamite filled locomotive of talent that showed not a single sign of slowing down.
Opening with rough cuts of a guitar being played through what sounds like a strained filter, Karma To Burn launches the mood off in a smashing way with “Ma Petite Mort.” When translated from French, “My Little Death” turns out to be a pounding rock anthem with a substantial focus on the music while the vocalization takes a backseat to the recording. It is evidently clear that Karma To Burn manipulated the rules of Roadrunner as much as they possibly could, trying to weave their own style on the pressing matters displayed from the forced vocalist. While the vocals produced from Jarosz are deeply pushing and have an incredible amount of distinction to them, the true power comes from the constantly assaulting instruments that take sudden turns, leaving the listener begging for more.
Almost as suddenly as “Ma Petite Mort” slides into frame, Karma To Burn quickly segues into “Bobbi, Bobbi, Bobbi – I’m Not God” which, features Octavia Lambertis with backing vocals that add a sudden concept of beauty to the overtly dirty style of rock that Karma To Burn produces. One way that Karma To Burn keeps the flow continuously moving however, is the way they use every instrument as a progressive device into the different tracks. No single track stands alone without a segue going in or out, the floodgates are entirely open and benefits from this style of playing.
The tracks featured on Karma To Burn do not feel overly drawn out or immensely long. The whole record is just under the 50-minute mark, but feels only like a 10-minute EP. Not only is Karma To Burn incredibly well-produced, but it is also incredibly fun to listen to and brings about another depth level of excitement when the first riffs are heard on tracks like “Eight,” “Mt. Penetrator,” and even the opener, “Ma Petite Mort.” The track “Eight” starts with a harsh build and then launches with full force into an adrenaline rush of ripping guitar and percussion that works in harmony to create longer jam sessions where the bass can follow and work in the background to keep everything moving together.
This is also where the track “Mt. Penetrator” can become a shining beacon on Karma To Burn, focusing more on delivering crushing instrumentation, while also substantially preforming on the vocal aspects as well. Even as the only non-instrumental record, Karma To Burn makes the vocals work amazingly and even as the groundwork of a mainly instrumentally driven band is here, Jarosz still performs in stellar fashion.
Focusing on the wide range of how Karma To Burn can be a varied style, the tracks are primarily fast and destructive. There are however, several tracks that still keep the destructive nature but instead slow the action and produce more of a drained, emotionally driven style. This is apparent on tracks like “(Waltz Of The) Playboy Pallbearers” and “Twenty-Four Hours” where there is a sluggish approach, but the builds and the climaxes of the tracks’ balance out any slowed style. “(Waltz Of The) Playboy Pallbearers” is actually one of the more aggressive tracks featured on Karma To Burn, featuring an astounding amount of energy being built into the breakdowns of the percussion and of the shocking nature of the instruments that sound so barbaric and almost war-like.
The track that follows, “Twin Sisters And Half A Bottle Of Bourbon” keeps the energy moving but channels it into the guitars rather than the percussion. The percussion and bass still keep a strong influence on the sound, but the guitar is the true star of the show as it continues to fluctuate quite frequently and begs for an ever-increasing build up that leads into a final rephrase of cymbal crashes and vocal chants before letting the guitar drown out all available noise into a deafening silence. A truly menacing way to end the loud, utterly abrasive, but beautiful journey of the Appalachian trail-blazers.
Listen to Karma To Burn Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
New Music – Slashed And Bashed
Italy is home to many things, the Tuscan sunset, a rich history, and some of the best metal music in the world. The main exporter of precision machinery, Italian musicians’ LORN work as a well-oiled machine that combines a burning assault of authentic instruments, but also the uses of synthesizers and atmospheric tools to create a double-edged sword of excellence on their newest record, Arrayed Claws.
LORN has been in production since 2002 with their split-record release with band Near, Into The Frozen Empire. Since then, LORN has made their way through the ladder with their psychotic attacks and gentle underbelly that shines through as a catalyst to the destruction at hand. Once LORN begins rolling, their musical style is an unstoppable force of nature that continually builds and takes very little time to show mercy. Even during these few breakdowns, LORN still maintains that same level of intensity as they focus on a single instrument to progress the track forward, keeping an onslaught of constant depth to their tracks. While comprised of only two single members, Radok, the band’s multi-instrumentalist controls the guitars, bass, synthesizer work, and even vocal aspect, while Chimsicrin leads the percussion.
Arrayed Claws is only a five-track album, but spans nearly 40-minutes; a journey of mixed emotions that sways the energy from strength-driven metal to a gentle, more background focused style where LORN puts away their teeth and instead creeps up on the listener instead. On their opening track, LORN uses “Disharmonic Feticism” to instill a ten-minute journey of anguish, dread, but soon hope as the synthesizers start to fade away the black that surrounded the first sections, and in turn make for a beautiful ending. Before however, from the start of “Disharmonic Feticism,” Chimsicrin is pounding out hits on the bass drum and Radok is not only growling, but also moving in a sprinting motion on his guitar. Radok uses his vocals to cover topics of death, despair, and foolishness. Even his first lines on Arrayed Claws speak of, “Intentness, so that nothing correspond. Intolerance to the familiar, orgasmic grate. Reposing trust in the lag, like an addicting remand, misaligning spring of disorder. And his prolific pollen will strangle this illusion to fool the motionless ring of our hour.” LORN is more of an instrumental band that uses their sound to convey emotion rather than the actual lyrics; this is more and more present as Arrayed Claws continues into the following track, “Abstract Trap.”
While the synth segue is entirely misleading, “Abstract Trap” is just that; a track that uses bait and completely switches to bring about more destruction with the constant pummel and power struggle between the percussion and the guitar work. from the sections where no words are spoken, but the instrumentalists are screaming through their music continues the same level of intensity as before. It is a consistent ride of how the tracks are actually mapped out, most times they are a grinding persecution of long-winded, death metal style sections where the guitars can swell and work along side the percussion. Other times, the synths take over, or the guitar plays in a melodic style, branching out the sound in more of an experimental style.
LORN manages to switch their sound up in such variety, that it is almost impossible to not see each track as one long masterpiece of fluid content. There are miniscule sections where the music completely stops, the continuous nature is a wonderful style that not many artists can pull off as well as LORN. Even on the moments where Arrayed Claws is not a pulverizing conquest on the listener, like on the final minutes of the track, “Aus Nebel Turm (From Mist Tower)” where LORN instead becomes more drone-like in their approach and begins a broader perspective on their musical output. The genre-blending style of LORN is a fresh approach to metal and leaves the mostly destroyed backdrop for a more hopeful style with the final fading notes. They combine both a cloud of death, and a rebirth in their tracks near seconds from each other in a style that is impossible to mimic.
Listen to Arrayed Claws Here!!! – Bandcamp (I, Voidhanger)/Amazon/Website
Classic Day – Spawned From Rock
I am sick of writing 1800 word essays… So for this review… Just listen to the album, it is fantastic and combines so many outstanding points of jazz into one project. The longwinded and long named Pithecanthropus Erectus by Charles Mingus was released in 1956. Mingus was always a forward thinking artist that managed to push the boundaries of music and continue to create jazz in one of the most outstanding ways. Just check it out of you don’t believe me. I am sorry to anyone who stumbles upon this, I am usually not like this and I try to keep Matt’s Music Mine more professional, but screw the labels… For this showcase I wanted to break down the walls of writing and just let the listener experience every bit of detail in here. If you ever read, or don’t read… make sure you at least show the artists that I feature some love as they put everything they have into making these pieces of art for us… Don’t become complacent with not finding good ass music that expresses you and makes you personally feel good. I love you… Charles is dope…. Check it fools…
Check Out Pithecanthropus Erectus Here!!! – Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
I will probably be back to my old 7-page paper style on friday when I decide on what I want to feature next… Happy Valentines Day to all the couples, and to the single kids… You aren’t alone homies…
Misc. Day – To The Other Side
Portal, the Australian genre-blending metal band strikes from the darkness with their 2007 release, Outre’. Meaning unusual or startling, Portal is just that and comes bringing a new wave of murky sounding production and midnight like creeping that slithers through, track to track. Outre’ is a rare-breed of album that can sound so incredibly atmospheric, so confused, and ultimately incredibly clouded, but still succeed in creating these warped settings where Portal are the conjurers of the wickedness that they want to engulf the listener into.
Rather than a frontal assault, most of Portal’s Outre’ is a lumbering, prowling animal that waits after continual building to finally attack. Portal’s sound is not the only unusual thing about the band, they also choose to remain nameless and adopt personas, along with immaculate costumes for stage performances that are intended to disturb, but actually create a new level of depth to stage presence. With names that accompany the members like “The Curator” on vocals, “Horror Illogium” (likely stemming from “elogium” which stands for eulogy, or praise bestowed upon a person or item) on lead guitar, “Aphotic Mote” on rhythm guitar. “Monocular” on the drums, and “Elsewhere” on the bass. Together as the horrific, but still dynamic squadron, Portal makes Outre’ sound like the sickest horror movie soundtrack ever made. Stemming instant inspiration from silent film adaptions of horror, Portal makes the sound come to life, only to let that sound die off in the near forty-minute run time.
Starting with “Moil,” Portal makes the introduction of Outre’ become an intense build where it feels as though a presence is coming closer and closer before hearing the first bit of authentic instrumentation from Monocular, Aphotic Mote, and Horror Illogium on the seguing notion into “Abysmill.” The drums are the spotlight, if there is one at all in Portal, as they continually pound and create the backdrop where the rest of the instrumentalists and the atmospheric style of subtle assault can continually shake until reaching the foreground. Portal is not exactly drone metal, but there are sections of Outre’ where they illustrate the characteristics of long, seguing, entirely repetitive sections where only one or two instruments are playing at a time. This goes back to how their sound is representative of a silent film where the atmosphere and the listener’s emotions go into making the environments of Outre’ truly come alive.
Outre’ is a collective journey of murky production, pounding instruments, and deep growls of the lead vocalist, The Curator who stands tall as the front man, conducting the fears along with the army behind him. Outre’ all blends together into one seamlessly transitioning master working that can instill fear, but also immense curiosity when Portal continues to build before reaching the boiling point. The atmospheric fallout is however, truly apparent in the self-titled track, “Outre’.” Here, Portal uses breathing, soundscapes, and abrasive crashes to induce this synthetic like aftermath of a world where everything is crumbling and becoming destroyed. It then transitions into “13 Globes” which is more of a straight forward, crush of a track that uses sporadic playing and sectioning to create these maze-like approach. It works outstandingly and Outre’ as a whole can benefit from the consistent shifting. It leaves everything hanging in the balance of fate.
Portal are unpredictable and unrelenting, barely taking a single second to slow or even break their action apart. They constantly smash, crush, and pulverize their sound until there is nothing left. Outre’ is an experimental record that moves about like a snake, curving and contorting the listener into unknown horror that can only be described as Portal’s world of sound.
Listen to Outre’ Here!!! – Bandcamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
The Show was A Success!
Big Thank You to Isaiah Small and my boy Brandon for coming out and performing, you guys made this all possible and really encouraged me to have more shows in the future. I also want to thank everyone that came out and really showed love for the local artists of Pittsburgh. It wouldn’t be possible without the fans that showed out and continue to show support. Don’t feel bad if you missed out, you will be able to attend another show in the future. Shout out to KISS… they are going places…
New Music – Church Is In Session
Iron Reagan hails from Richmond, Virginia and brings with them an onslaught of blitz-like punches on their newest record, Crossover Ministry, which for some odd reason shares the same name of a free health care clinic also in Richmond. Iron Reagan is the complete opposite of any health clinic as they bring an additional layer of depth to the Thrash Metal genre. Consisting of Phil “Landphil” Hall and Mark Bronzino on the guitar, Rob Skotis on the bass guitar, Ryan Parrish on the percussion and Tony Foresta on the Vocals, Iron Reagan also recruited production heavyweight Kurt Ballou who has worked with everyone and anyone in the metal community, especially with some of the better releases of 2016-2017 with Code Orange, Nails, and even The Dillinger Escape Plan with their latest record, Dissociation.
While Iron Reagan has been around since 2012, it was not until Worse Than Dead did they finally come under my radar and instantly blew me away with their classic punk sound. I actually mistook them for a band that formed in the 80’s as their aggressive thrash metal style and punk-like message created this blast from the past mentality that would combine both ripping guitars and a large focus on breaking down everything in Iron Reagan’s path. With their newest record, Crossover Ministry, they once again reach into that “fun” aspect of listening to music where circle pits, mosh pits, dancing, and movement is all encouraged, a seamless throwback but step forward for metal music.
First launching with “A Dying World,” Iron Reagan makes quick work of punishing with a wall of sound that can bounce between Parrish’s rapid drum rolls and the screeching feedback from both guitars. Immediately, Iron Reagan jumps directly into the fire and comes out unscathed as they begin a two-step pattern on the percussion and use the guitars to blaze a trail that opens up for vocalist, Tony Foresta to repeat the lines, “Plague, anguish, pain, it kills to breathe, toxins course through my veins. Welcome to the tragic end of all life.” Crossover Ministry continues on the path of destruction that Iron Reagan has spoken about in the past, their lyrical style and the lyrical style of most hardcore bands includes daunting lyrics that touch upon the complete annihilation of mankind, Iron Reagan switches up their style on later tracks like “Fuck The Neighbors” where they instead speak about how incredibly annoying neighbors are and the fun of partying till the break of dawn.
Iron Reagan moves powerfully and transitions between tracks in a blasting motion, there are no seconds wasted before a guitar is being ripped apart, drums are pounding, and vocals are shouted over the hits of music that reign in a constant shifting style. It feels almost as every track on Crossover Ministry is in a race with itself and wants to keep the steady pace of sprinting. Iron Reagan takes no breaks through the near thirty-minute journey of crushing instrumentals and an overarching theme of aggression that will trade blows and always come out on top.
Listen to Crossover Ministry Here!!! – Bandcamp/Spotify/Amazon/iTunes
Classic Day -The Original G
The Long Beach Native, The Californian Colossal, Warren Griffin III, or better known simply as Warren G. Warren G began his love for music early in his life when first “listening to his parents’ collection of jazz, funk, and soul.” He then formed his own group, “213,” in 1990 with Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg. The name originally came from Long Beach’s area code, “213,” but since then has been changed to “562.” Even while perfecting his skills with 213, Warren G used every spare second in creating music and trying to form his own personal spin on music. Warren G released his first debut record Regulate…G Funk Era in 1994, only two years after his producing work with step-brother, Dr. Dre’s all-star album, The Chronic. With Producing credits under his belt, Warren G was already on the fast track to being able to release his own full length album that would eventually go triple platinum.
Leading the introduction to the opening track, “Regulate,” Warren G uses a sample from the film Young Guns, “Regulators. We regulate any stealing of his property. We’re damn good too… You gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean. Earn your keep. Regulators, Mount up.” This is going to be the calm before the slick and buttery smooth production style that Warren G represents. He brings about a new style of his original roots of funk and love for soul music. The instrumental consists of mostly acoustic bass, a gentle two-step percussion beat, and an electric piano that creates the classic sound of West Coast rap that balances between beautiful and classy.
Warren G and Nate Dogg also deliver on both fronts of verses with a tag-team style where they almost trade lines together and tell similar stories in different perspectives. Warren G starts with, “They took my rings, they took my Rolex, I looked at the brother, said, ‘Damn, what’s next?’” Nate Dogg then comes in trailing right behind with, “They got my homie hemmed up and they all around, can’t none of them see him. If they goin’ straight pound-for-pound, they wanna come up real quick before they start to clown.” This continues and is an ongoing synergy between Dogg and G in a team-working style, “If I had wings, I would fly, let me contemplate. I glanced in the cut and I see my homie Nate.” Nate Dogg then adds, “Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole, Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold.” It is a dynamic rap duo that has this perfect amount of chemistry that builds each other’s verse up and creates a gentle transitional flow that continues through Regulate…G Funk Era.
Being part of the soon all-star crew of “213,” Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg are going to be the primary features on Regulate…G Funk Era. Their featured verses are always welcomed and they both fit as substantial additions along side Warren G. On the following track, “Do You See,” Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg feature here and they both rap their verses in almost reminiscing style. Snoop Dogg recollects on his earliest days in “213,” the original group featuring Warren G, Snoop, and Nate Dogg, “You say everywhere we roll, you can say we roll thick. Way back then, 2-1-3 was the clique.” Nate Dogg then comes in with his verse stating, “We’d talk, and him and Nate’d conversate on the phone. He kept saying, ‘nigga, it wont be long before a little skinny nigga like me’ll be home.’” This look into the past gives more of a personal connection to The Regulators and even gives new generations of music listeners new facts about the names of Snoop Dogg or “Snoop Rock” as he was formally called.
A short skit and then it is right back to the smooth action of “Recognize,” which features Trip Locc and Wayniac, or better known as The Twinz. There is also a sample of Snoop Dogg’s verse off of his debut record, Doggystyle which was the first debut album to become a number one hit during first week of sales. Warren G would use Snoop Dogg’s unique lyrical style to contribute an additional level of technique that would be distinctively different from both Warren and Nate Dogg. That was what made Regulate…G Funk Era such a triple threat of an album, the different styles that combined to create this hydra of lyrical ability and the funky sound of the production created a consistent contrast between the subject matter and the more up-beat grooves.
Jah-Skillz then comes on and leads the entire lyrical attack of “Super Soul Sis,” Snoop Dogg and Warren G do show up to add their input for the choruses, but Jah-Skillz is the primary lyrical aspect that delivers three different verses during her feature. While not a strange concept to perform, it is interesting to see both Snoop and Warren G take a backseat on their own track, letting another MC flow on the lively track. Jah-Skillz delivers clever word play and some head turning lines, “All you MC’s desire to run through my pyre, I’m turning heads like the Exorcist flexing this.” Even going so far as to say, “And then I hear rhyme callin’ I won’t give it a rest, That’s how I got the motherfucking Super on my chest.” As her verse slowly fades into silence, the track segues into another skit track, “’94 Hoe Draft.”
While the skits do break up the straight forward attack of the music, they are not really significant enough to truly stand on their own or to fully discuss. Warren G does a better job of strictly sticking to the musical aspect and his following track, “So Many Ways” is another prime example of how Warren G can rhyme, produce, and leave room for features in a prolific way. This track, “This D.J.,” and, “This Is The Shack” are similar in sound, but “This is The Shack” is more of an upbeat, almost 1970’s funk track that features rap verses over the bass ridden and electric guitar primed instrumental. The chorus and the verses by The Dove Shack are outstanding and completely create a duality within the track. On one side, the instrumental is a funky, and ultimately beautiful arrangements of synthesizers and acoustic instruments. On the other hand, the verses involve lines that promote, “I let the AK ripper cut that ass in half, I dwells, I bells in the LBC. The real menace to society.” Even the chorus states, “This is the shack, this is how we act. Caps I peel, flex my steel.”
Warren G is a Long Beach Legend and with a team consisting of Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, there is no way that he could not win. He creates funky instrumentals and backs them up with slick verses that can resonate over the consistent contrast of the upbeat style of upbeat production and gangster verses. The group of regulators that came to destroy everything in their path, using one lyric at a time.
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MATT'S MUSIC MINE - MERCH FOR SALE
VIDEO REEL 2
LIVE PHOTOGRAPHY – JESUS PIECE AT BABY’S ALL RIGHT, DECEMBER 6TH, 2022
SUNDAY SAMPLER // (Playlist) “12/04/2022″
(Track) Jake Mason Trio – “Rib Eye”
(Video) Lightning Bolt – “Dead Cowboy @ TAICOCLUB 2014”
(Video) The Velvet Underground – “After Hours”
(Video) Mac Miller – “10 Years Of You”
(Video) A$AP Rocky – “Same Problems”
The complete list of all past streams can be accessed here as well
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