News took a bit of a break, but we are back and recharged! If you have not been glued to the web (or the freakin’ Pokémon GO sensation), rest assured that you have missed a lot of cool stuff in the punk and independent music scene of all kinds. Here is a wrap-up of some of what has happened while me and probably a lot of you were on some in first 2 weeks of July 2016. Check it out and stay tuned for a lot more. There are loads of news stories to catch up on, so it will just take a couple of days more to get back on tracks, but there are tons of amazing stuff coming up here on IDIOTEQ. Expect some cool interviews, exclusive streams, new music & free downloads, music videos, live videos, and tour dates.
Photo: TRIAL live at Burning Fight book release show in Chicago. Featured photo: BANE. Both top photos by the amazing Matt Miller.
Our favorite post-HAVE HEART era hardcore band SPIRITS streaming 2 song promo for their new LP, coming out Fall 2016, to be released in conjunction with their July/August European Tour as a limited 7″ flexi.
The band commented:
While sitting here running through the songs, it really hit me how excited I am for tour. All of us absolutely love doing this and realize how lucky we are. Every so often I just have to stop to thank everyone that has been along with us for the ride. We have been a band less than two years and really had the opportunity to do a lot of cool things. We, sincerely, couldn’t do it without you, so if you’re reading this, thank you. We can’t ever properly express our gratitude through text, so come up and talk with us, if you have the chance. We love meeting people, love talking to anyone that wants to talk with us, and really love doing this band. Thank you so much.
CONVERGE played a sick show at Brooklyn’s House of Vans venue on July 6, 2016:
Texas metallic hardcore band DIE YOUNG is back with a new album! New single streaming below! From Houston, Texas, DIE YOUNG presents No Illusions, its first album for Good Fight Music. Founded in 2002 and rebooted in 2013 after a hiatus, the DIE YOUNG of 2016 is a revitalized beast and No Illusions, out August 26th on Good Fight, is a seething collection of thrashing, apocalyptic hardcore.
Over sixteen tracks, the band powers forward in the highest gear, led by vegan straightedge frontman Daniel Albaugh. The sound is equal parts Slayer end-times thrash, Cro-Mags street snarl, and Earth Crisis militancy. The foundation is blazing metal and chugging hardcore, but piano interludes, female vocals, and a Nick Cave cover fit under this album’s roof too. Albaugh describes the album as “a fun ride through various realms of human disappointment, irrationality, violence, nihilism and pessimism.”
No Illusions was produced by Craig Douglas (Bitter End, Venomous Maximus) at Origin Sound.
Die Young has toured the world with a vengeance – the US (including Alaska), Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America, South America, Europe, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, and beyond – and has shared stages with a long list of bands, from Cro-Mags, to Catharsis, to Modern Life Is War.
DIE YOUNG on tour:
Jul 30 – San Antonio, TX @ Korova
Sep 10 – Fort Worth, TX @ 1919 Hemphill
Sep 16 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar
Sep 17 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th St Collective
Sep 18 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
Dublin DIY distro and label Dogs and Vultures released a new sick Refugee Solidatiry Compilation with all proceeds from downloads and tape sales going directly to projects run by refugees and volunteers in Camp de la Liniere Grande Synthe, Dunkerque, France. Featuring RATS BLOOD, BURNCHURCH, KAMI ADA and more! Physical tapes are available from August 6th for €5. Email [email protected] to pre-order.
Odessa, Ukraine’s screamo band YOTSUIA KAIDAN release a song from a tribute compilation to screamo pioneers ORCHID by bands from the Post-Soviet states. Listen to ‘Epilogue Of A Car Crash’ below:
Swedish emotional post hardcore band CELESTICA streaming their new record in full!
Kansas City hardcore mob BLINDSIDE USA streaming 2 new Summer jams:
Through Love Records and UK uplifting indie alt pop rockers from FAUX preview the band’s new WP. Check it out below, along with their version of ‘Degausser’ by BRAND NEW, performed together with OUR NAMELESS BOY:
The label commented:
Since the release of their debut EP ‘Patterns’ last year, things have been getting bigger and better for Southampton (UK) dirty-pop quartet Faux. Having played to over 14,000 people in their hometown, racking up over 12,000 views on their video for single ‘Swimmingly’, supporting the likes of Black Peaks and Turnover AND beating off competition to perform at Rob Da Bank’s Festival Common People, you could say that Faux are making all the right marks on the music scene.
With the release of their sophomore EP ‘Inhale’ this summer, it looks like Faux are going to enjoy another hugely successful year as a band – make sure you’re a part of it.
Inhale is all about exploring boundaries. The lyrical content reflects the effects friendships / relationships have on you when in a situation where you feel you have no control over their actions and in turn how it makes you feel.
The instrumentation is us blending two genres of indie and emo. We love a big sing along chorus and clean twiddly guitars so felt pushing the two together in this way was very natural.Produced, mixed and mastered by Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House, Southampton.
Belgian hardcore veterans from DIE MY DEMON (Filled With Hate Records) working on a new deal with Demons Run Amok label to put a new 7” later this year and a full LP in 2017! Catch them live with a solid line-up on Halloween and see more details below.
The label commented:
Die My Demon is a 90’s East Coast style hardcore band from Dendermonde/Gent, Belgium; who started out as a side-project of DMD’s 4-piece Sad Origin back in 1999. After recording a first demo and some local shows the band was put on hold.
Some time later in 2001 they picked up the gloves for what turned out to be a hell of a ride. Releasing an EP “Love The Game – Hate The Players”, a split EP with 50 Caliber and a re-release of all the earlier work “Still Lovin’ The Game” on Filled With Hate Records made them play countless crazy shows throughout Europe. In 2004 they signed to Genet Records for their only full length to date, “Smell The Rat”.
Unfortunately, due to work, family and some internal struggles, the band called it quits, playing their last show in their hometown the 18th of March 2006.
In 2008 a couple of successful reunion shows were done, playing great fests in Belgium & Germany with an extended line-up including several past & present members: Wes, Christophe, Wim, Ali, Hans, Serge and supported by Jochen (Crawlspace/Full Court Press) on guitar.
Although DMD stopped, several of its members were involved in numerous other projects: Sad Origin, THL, The Boss, Crossed The Line, Whatever It Takes, Sunpower, Jerusalem The Black, Monkey C, … You can draw only one conclusion, once this music and scene gets in your blood it will be a part of you for the rest of your life, no matter what!
Eventually, early 2014, Pier, a close friend to the band for many years, managed to bring the band together for another local reunion show in April 2014. Never knowing that Ali, Serge, Christophe and Dennis, with an average age of close to 40 now, would find their groove and that DMD would turn out to be more alive than ever before. After that performance Die My Demon started to work on new stuf and wrote a bunch of songs, the best out of it was released on FWH records as a 4 song EP entiteled “Same World Different Eyes”
As we speak Die My Demon is workingout a deal with DemonsRunAmok Records to release a 7” vinyl in August 2016 and a Full CD somewhere in 2017…
Confusion Specialist Records has released another sick experimental noisy violent mixture of heavy genres. The new record features 2 bands and only 3 people, including the label’s owner Filip Stojiljkovic. Check out the newest horror-split between experimental duo COLLAPSED LUNG and impossibly raw and brutal solo act SUEISNTFINE:
Japanese post rockers from MONO announce new LP Announce New Album “Requiem For Hell“, to be released on October 14, 2016 via Pelagic Records in Europe. See a video trailer below.
Through echoes of beautiful, gentle soft strings, and the sudden surge of sound explosions, MONO delivers their ninth album, Requiem For Hell.
Unlike their previous album, The Last Dawn / Rays of Darkness- which re-visited much of their earlier sound – MONO once again introduce strings, showing further dynamics and a wider range of colour in their sounds.Written entirely by guitarist Takaakira Taka Goto, the five songs that comprise Requiem For Hell perfectly portray the signature orchestration- like range and dynamics of MONO. Goto comments on the new record: This album is a series of songs from a flood of inspirations in 2015. After writing song after song and giving them titles, we stumbled upon Dantes Divine Comedy and the story struck a chord with us. Divine Comedys story about travelling down to Hell, through to purgatory, then from Heaven to reality, turned out to be the same theme. This is when we decided to use Gustave Dóres illustration from Divine Comedys last scene as the main cover.”
The 2xLP vinyl version of Requiem For Hell shows an engraving, a curled up human foetus.
“Our long-time friend Jeremy (the owner of our American label Temporary Residence) recently had his first-born, named Ely”, comments Goto. “Jeremy had been sending us photos and her heartbeats from long before she was born. When Ely was born, we decided to dedicate one of our songs to her, with hopes of her listening to it when she is grown up, and decided to use her heartbeats as an intro on Elys Heartbeat” Goto explains.
The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and mastered by Bob Weston. Albini has worked with band three times previously, and just last year, his band Shellac embarked upon their first tour of Japan in 23 years, co-headlining with MONO.
Tokyo, Japan based 4-piece Instrumental rock band, MONO was originally formed in 1999. Their unique approach of blending orchestral arrangements and shoegaze guitar noise in their music has been held in extremely high regard; so much so, that the bands musicianship can no longer be sustained by rock music alone and was praised by British music magazine NME as This is music for the Gods. One of the most monumental live memories of the band was a special set of shows with 23-piece orchestra in New York, Tokyo, London and Melbourne.
Their annual world tour consists of around 150 shows. The band has now visited over 50 countries and proudly holds the stake of being one of the most internationally successful bands in Japan. Among their fans, they are revered as one of the best live bands in rock.
After releasing nine successful albums, including a live album with New York Orchestra, the band received the highly regarded award The Marshall Hawkins Awards: Best Musical Score – Featurette from the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema for their collaborative short film Where We Begin in 2015.
Maryland noise hardcore/metal hybrid FULL OF HELL streaming new live record documenting their appearance at this year’s Roadburn Fest!
Washington, D.C. raw thrashy hardcore act RED DEATH offering 2 free tracks ‘Deterrence’ and ‘Empty Shell’, to be released on a new 7” on independent label from Boston, Massachusetts, Lockin’ Out Records:
Melodic hardcore band BOTTOMFEEDER premiered new single “Flux Capacitor,” the first song off their debut EP Sink to the Depths.
Lambgoat magazine calls the Bottomfeeder sound, “rousing melodic hardcore in the vein of Time In Malta and Grade,” and that description pretty much nails it. Comprising veterans of the New Jersey scene, the band includes members of The Gaslight Anthem, Ensign, and Gates, among others. In the words of frontman Derek Reilly, they came together, “influenced by ’90s and early ’00s melodic punk and hardcore… most specifically the New Brunswick, New Jersey scene.”
On debut EP Sink to the Depths, out July 22nd on Good Fight Music, Bottomfeeder rages hard with songs that radiate hope as well as aggression. Pre-order the EP here.
Good Fight Music owner Carl Severson has made this statement about teaming up with Bottomfeeder: “After a 15 year friendship with [Bottomfeeder drummer] Benny Horowitz, and knowing the rest of the guys through the New Jersey scene, it was awesome to find a project to work together on. We’ve added a lot of awesome bands to the Good Fight family and we’ve been lucky to do so, but there’s a special spot here for NJ’s finest.”
Madrid’s ACCIDENTE serves a proper alternative to WILD ANIMALS’ melodic punk rock record of the year. Listen to the full ‘Pulso’ LP below.
The belting new album from Madrid’s ACCIDENTE. They are quickly becoming a house hold name with their blend of melodic pop punk and anarcho politics and constant touring. On their 3rd album ACCIDENTE from Madrid deliver another ten wonderful tracks of incredible pure HC / PUNK – melodic & straightforward! The sweet melodies, guitarriffs and basic drumming fit perfectly to the catchy female vocals. And you can’t help, not to sings along to the spanish lyrics (even if you can’t speak that language). This is an outstanding record and brings up comparisons to ELEKTRODUENDES, THE ASSASSINATORS and MASSHYSTERI. A powerful new band from Madrid, that you really should check out. If I’d be dancing, I’d dance to this in my room all night long!
Canadian post hardcore veterans BOYS NIGHT OUT (interviewed for IDIOTEQ a couple of weeks back) premiere comeback EP “Black Dogs”! The six-song EP came out July 8th on Good Fight Music.
Of the rebirth of the band, vocalist Connor Lovat-Fraser says, “None of us really knew when or if this day would come, but I’m fairly goddamn sure that we all hoped it would… We may not be touring again any time soon but it’s pretty fucking rad to have the opportunity to write music together again.”
Guitarist Jeff Davis explains the concept behind the new EP: “The title Black Dogs is a metaphor for pain, addiction, depression. It follows a concept that those negative aspects of the psyche are separate from the individual, and are carried around as an external being or unwanted friend– a black dog.”
The alliance between Boys Night Out and the Good Fight Music team extends back to the early ’00s. Founded in 2000 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, the band put out six releases between 2000 and 2007, including four on Ferret Music, the label owned and operated by the guys who would go on to form Good Fight. The band burned bright through those years, touring the world with My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Saves the Day, and other big names of that era.
Good Fight owner Carl Severson has said, “Boys Night Out were some of the most creative, passionate, and honest musicians I ever worked with. They just wanted to write and play and have fun, and they stopped when it didn’t feel right anymore. I always respected that. They wrote this new EP, Black Dogs, because years later it felt right again, and I’m honored we’re able to be a part of their music again.”
Black Dogs was engineered and mixed by Derek Hoffman (Seaway, Stick to Your Guns) at Fox Sounds in Toronto, and mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Brand New) at West West Side.
NY mathy, emotive post hardcore pack MOUSE FITZGERALD streaming their new record called “Living Like A Mouse”:
Mathcore veterans from NORMA JEAN release another new track called ‘“Synthetic Sun”, coming from their upcoming full length, Polar Similar, due out September 9th via Solid State Records.
Right from its jarring first moments, “Synthetic Sun” announces that this is not business as usual for Norma Jean. The angular opening guitar lead hints at the more melodic touches found on Polar Similar before hurling the listener into the storm of massive riffs and chaotic drums. As vocalist Cory Brandan vents the helplessness of watching a loved one struggle, “Synthetic Sun” culminates with a hauntingly quiet passage that explodes into the kind of unhinged heaviness that Norma Jean excels at.
A group of amazing DIY labels including Caleiah, Dingleberry, Dog Knights Productions, Krimskramz and Saltamarges presents their newest collaboration, a split between Madrid screamo band DESCRUBIENDO A MR. MIME and now-defunct HURRICADE, hailing from Girona, Spain.
HURRICADE commented:
Hurricäde belongs to the past, but we had a surprise pending that we now want to share with all of you: the 9th of May 2015, roughly a month before our farewell show, we visited the Ultramarinos Costa Brava Studios to record our last songs. Two tracks that are being released today, and have a very special meaning for us since they’ll be part of a 7″ split with our friends from Madrid Descubriendo a Mr. Mime. The vinyl will be available in a matter of days, through any of the five labels that have supported us. This is our last cry before falling into oblivion!
Three piece acoustic emo outfit HOMECOMINGS release new music video.
Homecomings are a three piece acoustic emo outfit that combine intricate melodic guitar parts with honest, personal and relatable lyrics that you can’t but help sing along to.
From a seaside town on the East Coast of Ireland, Homecomings has been compared more to acts on the East Coast of America such as Transit and Turnover. Formed in 2014, the band have been heavily involved in the punk scene in Ireland supporting acts such as The Front Bottoms & Steady Hands along the way. Having recently released their Debut EP in May of 2016 via Never Meant Records, the Acoustic rockers have followed this up with a video for the track “Fix Me”
Here’s what singer Oscar Hackett had to say about the track:
“I’ve always found it quite hard to move on from relationships, I guess I just find it weird to become strangers with someone you used to talk to everyday even though it’s for the best. So naturally after spending five years in a relationship I felt quite lost and wasn’t sure what to do with myself, so like always I turned to music. I wrote this song and the rest of the EP to help get me through a rough patch and help me move past it.”
Punk rock dadss GUTTERMOUTH streaming new EP in full!
With their first new material in ten years, Guttermouth has added a new chapter to their legacy as one of punk rock’s seminal acts. Known for their short, fast and loud songs, outrageous antics and offensive lyrics, Guttermouth has attracted plenty controversy over the years. In other words – They are punk rock as it’s meant to be.
French sludge/noise horde FANGE premiere a full stream of their crushing debut album ‘Purge’! Listen below and grab you free copy at this location.
This is the first release of the band with their new line-up that includes drummer B.Louvet (Le Dead Projet, Eat Roses) and vocalist M.Jungbluth (Calvaiire). The record is due out September 2nd on 12″ vinyl and CD via Throatruiner Records and Lost Pilgrims Records. The record can be preordered from the labels or from Deathwish Inc in North America.
“Founded in 2013 in Rennes (western France) by Huata’s bassist B.Moreau with the will of pushing sludge in its more abrasive, mind-numbing corners, FANGE’s debut EP «Poisse» revealed a band with an uncommon take of the genre. Re-appropriating the classic Swedish death metal sound with detours to harsh noise, crust or metallic hardcore, the band now fully realize their sound on their first album «Purge», strengthened by a new line-up that features drummer B.Louvet and vocalist M.Jungbluth (Calvaiire).
With only one guitar throwing out monstrous HM-2 fueled riffs, stomach-kicking yet versatile drum work and bile-gargling, mutilated vocals, «Purge» marks a filthier turn in the band’s uncompromising wall of sound. Entirely recorded by KKP (Abjvration, Huata, Ataraxie…) and enhanced by ear-piercing layers of noise, these six tracks are an exhausting aural experience. This is ignorant music for the Educated Man. For fans of : irrational feelings of guilt, Tom G.Warrior vocal gimmicks, body negativity.”
EXALT: “one of hardcore’s most promising bands” delivers crushing, haunting third album, “The Shape You Took Before the Ache,” to be released September 9th on Good Fight Music and New Damage Records; new track available now!
The Shape You Took Before the Ache will be released September 9th via Good Fight Music in the US, and via New Damage Records throughout the rest of the world.
From Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Exalt represents the next generation of dark, metallic hardcore, in the circle of current crushers like Code Orange and Harm’s Way. Influence can be traced back to a range of bands that first made their mark in the ’90s: hardcore heroes Converge; purveyors of industrial-strength dread Godflesh; and even some of the artists responsible for bringing metal to the mainstream in that decade and ushering in nu-metal, like Deftones and Fear Factory. Canada’s preeminent music magazine, Exclaim!, has named Exalt, simply, “one of hardcore’s most promising bands.”The sound on The Shape You Took Before the Ache exudes massive heaviness through simple, brutish riffs and primitive, machine-like rhythms. From opener “Sacrifice to Purify” onward, the band makes it clear that the intent is maximum impact through minimalist tactics, harking back to a time in metal’s past when raw power ruled. But adding another dimension to the music are the haunting melodies that arise up out of the punishment on many of the songs. “Worship” is elevated to a whole other astral plane by a soaring chorus vocal, contrasting vicious chugs; on “The Ache,” “The Shape” and “I Dove Into the Sun,” the band descends fully into a fragile, atmospheric realm, creating beautiful and unsettling moments. It is a further realization of what was promised by 2014 sophomore album Pale Light, which Substream called, “ominous… haunting… a foreboding soundtrack.”
The Shape You Took Before the Ache was produced by Pete Grossman and Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recording (Harm’s Way, Weekend Nachos) and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Nails, Ringworm).
EXALT, whom have toured with the likes of Cancer Bats, Obey the Brave, Capsize, Old Wounds,and Axis, are currently on tour with Dark Sermon in the US.
Jul 13 – Chicago, IL @ The Fallout
Jul 14 – Omaha, NE @ Lookout Lounge
Jul 16 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Jul 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Loading Dock
Jul 18 – Reno, NV @ PB&J’s
Jul 19 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Blue Lagoon
Jul 20 – Fullerton, CA @ Slide Bar
Jul 21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Pub Rock
Jul 23 – Tucson, AZ @ Gary’s Place
Jul 24 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Jul 25 – Ft Worth, TX @ Tomcats
Jul 26 – Austin, TX @ Dirty Dog
Jul 27 – San Antonio, TX @ Korova
Jul 29 – Birmingham, AL @ Syndicate Lounge
Jul 30 – Winter Park, FL @ The Haven
Aug 2 – Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary (Exalt only)
Damien Done (SHAI HULUD, CULTURE, MORNING AGAIN and AS FRIENDS RUST) shares new track “Dude Becomes Sea”! “Stay Black” will be released along with a new self-titled 7” EP on July 8th via Demons Run Amok Entertainment. Pre-orders are available at this location.
Having spent the last two decades playing and touring with hardcore bands like Shai Hulud, Culture, Morning Again, and As Friends Rust, Damien Moyal recently recorded songs that diverge from his other projects, exploring a dark and minimalistic post-punk/rock and roll sound not too far removed from Danzig and Dax Riggs. Those songs will finally be available on physical format with the release of a full-length album entitled “Stay Black” and a 7” EP, both coming out on Demons Run Amok Entertainment on July 8th.
Ohio hardcore act JUSTIFIED DEFIANCE streaming their self-titled record on Six Feet Under Records!
Riot Grrrl Duo KAMIKAZE GIRLS Reveal Debut EP and new Music Video For New Single ‘Stitches’!
The duo will also be heading out on tour this August on select Ireland dates with Belfast emo punks Apartments and UK dates with Dublin indie pop quintet The Winter Passing, as well as several other headline dates and festival appearances (see below for details).
What makes this pair tick? First and foremost, Kamikaze Girls want you to know that it’s okay to be sad. Since 2014 the Riot Grrrl duo, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Lucinda Livingstone and drummer Conor Dawson, have used music as a means to challenge attitudes and taboos surrounding mental health. Their aim has always been to show their strength and solidarity to other young people in the same position, through their vitriolic fuzz-rock and to work alongside other bands in the scene to help stamp out gender stereotypes in music for good.
KG’s sound is an amalgamation of their own pop sensibilities and 90s Riot Grrrl, citing the likes of Bikini Kill, L7 and Sleater Kinney as their main inspiration. The band’s raw live shows have become synonymous with the DIY/punk scene and since the release of their first single – ‘Tonic Youth’ last year – they have played shows across mainland Europe, America and the UK with the likes of Muncie Girls, Pup, The Menzingers, Me Without You, Modern Baseball, Moose Blood, Lemuria, Petrol Girls, Personal Best, Great Cynics, The Winter Passing, Nai Harvest, The World Is A Beautiful Place… and Woahnows, to name just a few.
Their forthcoming long-awaited debut EP ‘Sad’ perfectly marries their noisy, effervescent tendencies and their strong sense of principle. Livingstone’s lyrics speak honestly and openly about everything from anxiety and depression to addiction – it’s the way in which Livingstone’s raw lyrics permeate and shine through the songs so strikingly that make the band stand apart.
Whether it’s on tracks like ‘Hexes’ where they speak of the pains of anxiety“Psychosis, you’re messing with my head again / While I’m pulling out my eyelashes you’re fast asleep in bed”, or on ‘Black Coffee’ where they delve into the heart of addiction “I found the cure for these aching bones / I’ll breathe you when I just can’t hold it up”, Kamikaze Girls aren’t afraid to speak what’s on their mind, and are emblazoned with passion at every turn.
This pair are a band unafraid to lay their insecurities bare for all of the world to see, and they’re inviting you to join them.
KAMIKAZE GIRLS on tour:
24th July – Neighbourhood 2016 (part of Tramlines Festival) – The Picturehouse Social – Sheffield
12th August – Green Door Store – Brighton
18th August – Hangar, Dublin – Ireland w/ Apartments
19th August – The Stormy Tea Cup, Limerick – Ireland w/ Apartments
26th August – The Hope & Ruin, Brighton w/ The Winter Passing
27th August – Manchfest – The Star & Garter – Manchester
28th August – The Cricketers, Kingston w/ The Winter Passing
29th August – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (Red Room) w/ The Winter Passing
23rd September – DIY Space for London – London
24th September – The Key Club – Leeds
1st October – Southsea Fest – Portsmouth
Melodic hardcore band VANNA (Pure Noise Records) have premiered a full stream of their new record ‘All Hell’. The video for the track “Pretty Grim” can be seen below, as well.
Recently interviewed for IDIOTEQ, indie acoustic and recently-turned-into-full band project WESTING has released their first full band song. It serves a bit louder offering and contrasts his previously released songs a lot. The track is included on a compilation to raise money for the OneOrlando Fund.
Folk emo rock act PINKY SWEAR has released the next song of his upcoming EP “I Told You I Was Sick” titled “Could You Please”.
Sweaty & Cramped, a Hong Kong based emo / math DIY label, has releases a sneak peak into their new Asian emo compilation, featuring FORESTS from Singapore who we’ve previously interviewed, plus 7 other bands from Asia! Listen to side A / 4 first tracks below.
Powerful rock band CEDAR SPRING MOTEL streaming their debut EP, featuring some of the baddest rock riffs stolen from the devil.
Crossover thrash hardcore punks from MIZERY streaming more new tracks from their new LP:
Bristol sludge/drone/doom band SONANCE release new record designed to be played at the same time as TORPOR split then BLISTER THE MAW, with an intermission in between. It can also be enjoyed separately as an ambient/drone album. Listen below.
The band commented:
For a surround sound experience, playback devices should be spaced by about 3 metres, with the listener at the middle point between the two. M&V2 should be behind the listener and TORPOR SPLIT/BLISTER THE MAW should be in front.
For an ambient/drone experience, headphones are recommended as the album employs binaural techniques.
Surf pop punk alt rockers TWIST release 2 new charming tracks from their upcoming Buzz Records LP “Spectral”. /
Catch the band live at:
August 18 – Ottawa, Ontario @ Arboretum Festival w/ Dilly Dally
August 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium
August 21 – NYC, NY @ Mercury Lounge
August 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ NSYC
September 8 – Calgary, Alberta @ Broken City
September 12 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
NEUROSIS details their new album. Fires Within Fires is the next powerful step towards a destination that has long been and continues to be the very heart of “becoming” for the iconic band. Neurot Recordings will release the album on September 23rd worldwide, more information on pre-orders very soon. In the meantime, here’s where you can experience NEUROSIS live in the near future, including some newly added Steve Von Till solo shows.
Of all that humankind has inherited through our ancestry, no single language has transcended every age as powerfully as music. For thirty years, NEUROSIS have formed an unbreakable union, channelling that inheritance of sound with great command and authority. Showing their discontent with convention from the very beginning, NEUROSIS revealed what would become an instinct for transformation in sound and scope. Their sound has become interchangeable with vision of the conscious and unconscious, coexisting in an infinite audial spectrum. A vision that challenged not only the constraints of what listeners, and indeed the band themselves expected, but of themselves as beings. Going beyond the remarkable, NEUROSIS have become unforgettable.
The journey of their music has found the band relishing the unpredictable, embracing the unknown and exploring the possibility of where the music was capable of taking them. This year finds NEUROSIS taking a dominant leap with their eleventh full-length, Fires Within Fires.Three decades in the making, and following 2012’s Honor Found In Decay, the album is a testament both to the history and future of NEUROSIS. In true Ouroborean style, Fires Within Fires gives due to its predecessors while progressing forward into the unfamiliar and formidable. Striking the band’s signature balance between light and dark, beauty and repulsion, dense sonic heaviness and reflective space. Fires Within Fires is succinct, raw and deeply soulful, an all-encompassing reminder to all that transfiguration in sound remains their most commanding and inimitable strength.
Created by Scott Kelly, Steve Von Till, Jason Roeder, Noah Landis, and Dave Edwardson. The album features exquisite album artwork from the renowned Thomas Hooper and the stellar recording work of the group’s longstanding engineer Steve Albini. We are proud to reveal the artwork and track listing for the album below.
1. Bending Light2. A Shadow Memory3. Fire is the End Lesson4. Broken Ground5. Reach
NEUROSIS live dates:
10.08.2016 – CZ, Jaromer, Brutal Assault Festival (with Tesa)11.08.2016 – IT, Brescia, Festa Radio Onda D’Urto (with Tesa)12.08.2016 – CH, Le Locle, Rock Altitude Festival (with Tesa)13.08.2016 – NO, Oslo, Oya Festival15.08.2016 – GER, Leipzig, UT Connewitz (with Tesa)20.08.2016 – FR, St. Nolff – Motocultor Festival
STEVE VON TILL solo dates:
10.08.2016 – CZ, Prag – 00722.08.2016 – PT, Porto – Amplifest, Passos Manuel
Michigan hardcore band PROBLEM OF PAIN streaming new song PROBLEM OF PAIN streaming new song, “Forge (Feed the Flame)” The song is taken from the band’s forthcoming album, Burn What My Hands Wrought which is due out July 29th via Blood & Ink Records.
Michigan hardcore band PROBLEM OF PAIN packs more of a punch than most bands in heavy music—and they do so with only two members. Composed of Garrett Finch and Jake Beaver, the two have been making music and playing shows for just over a year now. But don’t let their youth—or size—fool you: PROBLEM OF PAIN is here for a purpose. “We want to break down formats and thought processes to challenge others to think critically, and even counter culturally,” shares Finch, who plays guitar and serves as co-vocalist. “[Our goal is] to use art as an expression and outlet of the inner dissension that I process daily. Embodying these thoughts through the sounds that we create with our ‘experimental’ sound; and the lyrics we write gives way to be honest with not only others, but also ourselves.”
PROBLEM OF PAIN on tour:
07/13/16 Fargo, ND @ The New Direction
07/14/16 Burnsville, MN @ The Garage
07/15/16 Waterloo, MI @ The Mode
07/16/16 Des Moines, IA @ Des Moines Skate Park Fundraiser
07/20/16 Ypsilanti, MI @ Crossroads Pub
08/06/16 Flint, MI @ Mac’s Bar
DEPARTURES release a new music video for their song ‘1994’, brand new video for ‘1994’ taken from their forthcoming third album ‘Death Touches Us, From The Moment We Begin To Love’.
COMEBACK KID‘s Andrew Newfeld and his other band SIGHTS AND SOUNDS are touring Europe soon! This tour is a highlight for every fan of atmospheric alternative rock music. See more details below.
04.10.16 – Germany Berlin @ Cassiopeia [Tickets]
05.10.16 – Germany Hamburg @ Hafenklang [Tickets]
06.10.16 – Germany Köln @ Underground [Tickets]
07.10.16 – Netherlands Eindhoven @ Dynamo [Tickets]
08.10.16 – Czech Republic Prague @ Lucerna Music Bar [Tickets]
09.10.16 – Germany München @ Feierwerk [Tickets]
10.10.16 – Switzerland Aarau @ Kiff [Tickets]
11.10.16 – Germany Karlsruhe @ Alte Hackerei [Tickets]
12.10.16 – Belgium Antwerp @Kavka [Tickets]
+ a couple of Canadian shows before the end of Summer:
AUG 10 – Burlington, ONT @ Dickens PUB
AUG 12 – Toronto, ONT @ BOVINE SEX CLUB
AUG 13 – St Catherines @ Detour Music Hall
More about the band:
The nomadic members of the band, brothers Joel and Andrew Neufeld, along side Adrian Mottram (guitar), Matt Howes (bass) have been creating music and taking it around the globe since 2006. “Sights & Sounds are truly a rare gem in a world full of deceit and manipulation. They deliver honesty wrapped in smart musicianship. The band just works, it only shows their passion as musicians that they can adapt and put together such a strong effort in a very different sound then what we are used to hearing from them” – Lucky 13.
In 2008 Sights & Sounds hooked up with acclaimed producer Devin Townsend ( Strapping Young Lad, Lamb Of God, Misery Signals, etc ) and spent 2 months on Canada’s west coast in Devin’s Gibson, BC recording studio. Their debut full length album entitled “Mo
nolith” was released in 2009 and was licensed around the world.They have toured extensively through North America, Europe, SE Asia, and Australia with bands such as Billy Talent, Moneen, Lower Than Atlantis, Misery Signals, and more. With new edition David Grabowski joining S&S on keyboards, they relleased their last EP entitled “Silver Door” in 2013 on Distort ENT/ Pure Noise Records.
Grunge punk rockers SNEEZE (interviewed for IDIOTEQ in late 2014) release new music video for their song ‘Movie Sex’, coming from their new EP ‘Rot’, to be released this coming September.
“Boston punks Sneeze are gearing up to follow up 2014’s Wilt LP with a brand new six-song 12″ EP entitled Rot. Recorded in three days with Justin Pizzoferatto (Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Speedy Ortiz), Rot finds the trio at their heaviest and rawest. Today, we’re premiering the video for the EP’s second single “Movie Sex.” With an analog video game treatment by director/editor Eric Walker, the video shows the band struggling to find motivation and (alcoholic) sustenance on their way from the arcade to the gig. The song sounds like it’s straight out of the ’90s Pacific Northwestern grunge scene, with the sludge on high. Check out “Movie Sex” below.” – Stereogum
Pop punk rockers MASKED INTRUDER streaming new EP in full. The stream came just days before the records release on July 8th via Pure Noise Records.
One of pop-punk’s most critically heralded bands in recent years, Masked Intruder are on a spree with their latest effort Love And Other Crimes. The mysteriously masked band’s latest effort, and first for Pure Noise Records, features 6 anthemic tracks like “Take What I Want”and “Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt” that are criminally catchy and fun.
Escapist Records To Release “Never” – a new LP from heavy hardcore band WITHDRAWAL. New track called “A White Tower” streaming now!
Revenge. Paranoia. Dismay. Withdrawal emerges from three years of silence to collaborate with Escapist Records for the release of their debut full-length, Never. The band’s first LP boasts eleven scathing offerings of miserablist metallic hardcore and is the follow-up to their acclaimed 2013 split 7” with Young & In The Way on A389 Recordings. With Never Withdrawal continue to spread their message of despair and delusion, holding nothing back across a thirty-four minute labyrinth of Holy Terror influenced hardcore.
Formed in Winnipeg, Canada in 2008, Withdrawal has earned a devoted cult following with numerous releases across various mediums (vinyl, cassette, digital) and performances alongside legends and peers alike including Integrity, Power Trip, Ringworm, Xibalba, and more. For years, a full-length was often on the horizon, but seemingly never materialized. Never finds the band making good on that threat, dismissing the genre trappings to play it safe or by the numbers. Withdrawal casts aside expectation: Neurosis-like dirge gives way to Bolt Thrower-esque double bass runs. All Out War style thrash riffs transform into uneasy gothic laments. Connecticut-style breakdowns become acid soaked with pitch shifting delays. Neveris Withdrawal cementing their legacy in the realm of hardcore.
Never was recorded, mixed, and mastered with Brent McCrea at Private Ear Studios (Comeback Kid, Propagandhi) with additional recording at Posi-Tracks Studios. Wrapped in hauntingly dark art from Irish artist Sarah Sheil, Never features esoteric calligraphy beautifully pressed in gold foil on the LP jacket and will be available on three vinyl variants: Opaque Pink (100), Coke Bottle Clear (150) and Black (250). Never will see a late Fall 2016 release via Escapist Records on digital and vinyl formats.
MEEK IS MURDER, a band known for its redline musical approach and Terminator-style work ethic, has teamed with New Noise Magazine to document the creation of its new music video, start to finish, all within one day.
Since 2009, Meek Is Murder has been advancing with all the subtlety and restraint of a buffalo stampede, perfecting its impassioned, breakneck style of galloping noise-core over the course of a slew of releases. The Brooklyn trio balances pedal-to-the-metal wailing with a sense of real heartfelt desperation, making it one of those select few bands that is as soulful as it is punishing.
Was was produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Nails) and mastered by Alan Douches (Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan).
Two new Indisciplinarian Records releases have been unleashed: the self-titled debut EP from alternative rockers NO LIGHT and noise-proggers FOSSILS and their new 7” vinyl ”Altered Steaks” recorded live at Roskilde Festival 2015. Both will be released on August 5th and celebrated the same day with the bands playing at the Indisciplinarian Take Over Show in Pumpehusets Byhave, Copenhagen.
NO LIGHT might remind you of ‘the golden age’ of alternative rock, not unlike veterans as Dinosaur Jr, Hüsker Dü and Guided by Voices – yet with a fresh and vital sound.NO LIGHT is a competent team of rockers, previously leaving their marks on the DIY-maps of Europe and beyond. Comprised by people from bands such as Lack, The Fashion, Obstacles and Marvins Revolt – the members are no strangers to the game. 2016 will see the guys returning to a scene they never left, with shows and new recordings. The band’s self titled debut EP is compromised of four loud and honest songs, delivered with a strong sense of urgency. “No Light” will be released on cassette tape in a limited edition of 100 copies along with digital formats. Pre-order the tape HERE and listen to the EP below.
The EP is a taste of what NO LIGHT has to offer in a very near future. The band’s debut LP is now being finalized by producer Lasse Ballade (Halshug, Solbrud) and will be released in November 2016.
In 2015, instrumental noiseproggers FOSSILS had their Roskilde Festival debut and with that, one of the band’s biggest wishes came true. A performance at the legendary Roskilde Festival, the second largest music festival in Europe, had been on the band’s bucket list for years, and Saturday night, July 4th that dream became reality.
An experience of this kind had to be documented and preserved for posterity. So now, FOSSILS and Indisciplinarian are releasing a 7″-vinyl bearing the fitting moniker “Altered Steaks”. The record consists of four deliciously prepared songs served live at the Roskilde Gloria stage, where FOSSILS played an unusually extensive one hour show, stirring up a fiery crowd.
The four songs on the record is a display of both old and new. “Stun” and “Carnivore Arrest” are both songs from the band’s latest full length “Flesh Hammer”, which is given a hard, but fair and firm treatment live, while “Cerebral Vortex” and “Baconized” are two brand new songs – hard hitting indications of what’s to come on the band’s next album. The digital version of “Altered Steaks” contains another three FOSSILS “classics” from the Roskilde show, besides the four on the vinyl version. The 7” will be limited to 300 copies and can be pre-ordered along with a free download HERE.
Thrash hardcore band FORESEEN played a sick gig in Moscow on July 9th:
Melodic metal band PARKWAY DRIVE release new music video for their song “Devil’s Calling”
Montreal based deathcore act DESPISED ICON released ‘an old school 90s music video’ for their song ‘Bad Vibes’, directed by Jessy Fuchs of Slam Disques (OBEY THE BRAVE, SIMPLE PLAN).
“We’ve often been vocal about the classic death metal bands that have influenced us throughout the years but have rarely discussed the grindcore and hardcore elements in our music,” states vocalist Alex Erian. “Our new single ‘Bad Vibes’ is raw, straight forward and reminiscent of bands like Napalm Death, Brutal Truth, Biohazard, and Madball. The 90’s were a defining decade for us and so we opted for that old school look when putting together this new music video. ‘Beast’ comes out in a week. Get into it!”
‘Beast’ was produced and engineered by former guitarist Yannick St-Amand (Beneath The Massacre, Neuraxis) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Opeth, Nevermore). Artwork was created by Alexandre Goulet.
Post-hardcore quartet CAPSIZE will return to Europe in November, supporting hardcore act BEING AS AN OCEAN. Also completing the bill are fellow special guests Burning Down Alaska and Casey. Tickets are on sale now, with the full list of dates below. The tour will see Californian Quartet Capsize playing material from their soon to be released album “A Reintroduction: The Essence Of All That Surrounds Me”, out via Rude Records on 22nd July.
04.11.16 Germany Oberhausen Kulttempel
05.11.16 Germany Lindenholzhausen Huhn Aufs Eis Festival
06.11.16 France Paris Boule Noire
13.11.16 Belgium Hasselt Muziek-o-drome
14.11.16 Switzerland Zürich Dyanmo
15.11.16 Austria Salzburg Rock House
16.11.16 Austria Wien Flex
17.11.16 Germany Karlsruhe Substage
18.11.16 Germany Schweinfurt Alter Stattbahnhof
19.11.16 Germany Leipzig Conne Island
20.11.16 Germany Berlin Lido
21.11.16 Germany Hannover Bei Chez Heinz
22.11.16 Poland Warsaw Hydrogskaza
23.11.16 Germany Hamburg Logo
24.11.16 Netherlands Amstelveen P60
25.11.16 Germany Saarbrücken Garage
26.11.16 Germany München Backstage
Jul 17 Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
Jul 19 Noblesville, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
Jul 20 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
Jul 21 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
Jul 22 Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
Jul 23 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Jul 24 Shakopee, MN @ Canterbury Park
Jul 26 Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
Jul 27 Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Jul 28 Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
Jul 30 Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah State Fairpark
Jul 31 Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center Arena Lot
Aug 01 Albuquerque, NM @ Balloon Fiesta Park
Aug 02 Phoenix, AZ @ Phoenix Event Complex
Aug 05 San Diego, CA @ Qualcomm Stadium at Jack Murphy Field
Aug 06 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug 07 Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairplex
Aug 09 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Aug 11 Nampa, ID @ Ford Amphitheater
Aug 12 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheater
Aug 13 Portland, OR @ Portland Expo Center
Vocalist Daniel Wand states of the LP “For this album, I wanted to write lyrics that I felt like I needed to hear, or would have liked to have heard at certain times in my life that I have only just recently worked through enough to put into words. The title represents what the album does for the band, and me personally. It’s a reintroduction of who we are as a band, in reference to the things that have led to this point in my life“.
The album sees the quartet, completed by Andrew Tamayo on drums and guitarists Ryan Knowles and Nicolas Lopez, follow up on their well-received debut album “The Angst In My Veins” with a more distinctly post-hardcore sound. Now incorporating clean vocals throughout, their melodies soar; driving levels of intensity and aggression make way for haunting ambience, all the while interspersed with their signature darkness. Recorded in Atlanta, GA at Glow In The Dark Studios with producer Matt McClellan (The Devil Wears Prada, Being As An Ocean), “A Reintroduction: The Essence Of All That Surrounds Me” pushes the band into new musical territory, while remaining true to their roots.
