You know, it happen to the best of us…meaning me. I come across a band that I've never heard and think, "Wow! Cool new band!"
So after listing to a couple tunes, if I'm really interested, I might try to dig up more info on the band.
Then it comes to light that the "cool new band" actually formed around 22 years ago.
Such was the case when I recently discovered Holland's own Dead Head.
I know, I know. Some of you out there are saying, "You've never heard of Dead Head?!"
No, I never heard of Dead Head - that is, not until I stumbled upon their Bandcamp page. Like I said: it happens to the best of us. So thank God for Bandcamp!
Anyway, now that I know the name of Dead Head, I should at least offer penance of my ignorance by giving them a big fat plug here on the NWOTM Blog.
The first song I heard from these guys is the blistering thrash track titled Firegate off their Depression Tank album.
The tune features vocalist Ralph de Boer, who boasts a killer set of pipes. Boer guides us through the chaos of Dead Head's frantic riffs with commanding form that brings to mind the savagery of Sadus and Demolition Hammer.
The music itself is relentless and cut throat. As someone who is not familiar with Dead Head's early recordings, I can completely understand why I was mistaken into thinking these guys were a new band. They sound f**king HUNGRY. If after over 20 years of cranking out thrash they can still put out something that is this fresh sounding, then I can't wait to dive into their past releases.
Check out Firegate below, and then go to their Bandcamp page to download it for free. Facebook them here and then bookmark their web site.
It's been over a week since my last post, so I am combining the Thrashline post with the Weekend Breakdown post. Below, you'll get your fill of both news bits and killer new bands you may not yet have heard.
So let's gear up for this week's
• Scotland's DISPOSABLE have a killer 3-song EP titled The Disposable EP available as a free download here. Some of you may be thinking, "Who?" Well, now that you know the name and where you can snatch up their tunes, check out Disposable's brand of galloping, neck-thrashing METAL! No matter what you think of these guys, there is no way you can't move when they kick into their mid-tempo chug-a-thons. Quality stuff here, my friends. For freaking' FREE!!
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• Australian metal men 4ARM have signed a world-wide record deal with RISING RECORDS! I'm excited to see that 4ARM's music will be easily accessible to those outside of their country. Also, I'm hoping that such a deal will result in a U.S. tour (HA! It's always about me, isn't it?).
Anyway, check out their band profile on the Rising Records website! Nice! ------------------------------
• Let's keep our feet firmly planted in Australia for another moment. Sydney's thrash metallers HEAD IN A JAR have recently released their 4 song EP titled Atomic Circus. The album is pure aggressive fun, and damn, it sounds good! One of my favorites is Judge Mental with its rolling riffage that could make a dead man move. Give it a listen below, buy their Atomic Circus on iTunes, and then hit them up on Facebook.
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• It's been a long road, but now California's INVECTION will finally be releasing their debut album on Nov 15th through Stormspell Records. Get a taste of Facet of Aberration with the song sample below. Yes, it kicks ass. Infinity.
• LICH KING released a video of Mr. Rob recording a solo for for the song Agnosticism which should be on their upcoming album Born of the Bomb. His finger styling appear as Rob may have an old-school Dexterity stat of at least 17. Since he plays in Lich King, he has a Constitution of 18 and Charisma of…I dunno…8?
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• Sweden's PARANORM have offered up their new six-song album titled Pandemonium's Rise as a FREE download. Paranorm play straight-forward thrash with hints of progressive elements, traditional metal, and melody to mix with the harsh vocals. Killer! Listen below and check them out here.
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• RedMist Destruction is on the verge of unleashing their new album Nobility in Death onto the public, and I have been lucky enough to hear it. Nobility is a killer album full of punchy, memorable riffs, gruff vocals, and dynamic song structures. RedMist Destruction plays thrash that truly embraces its raw punk roots, blending crossover with a crushing, and at times melodic, modern thrash stomp.
The musicianship is in top form, with parts of each song containing what are essentially mini-epics of dynamic valleys and peaks. Nobility in Death is an album that towers high in its achievements of catchy aggression, speed, twisting riffs, melody, and hard galloping crunch. RedMist Destruction recorded one hell of a metal album.
Stay tuned, because you'll want to pick this one up. ----------------------------------
• HELLsingborg troublemakers SIX IN LINE have a new song streaming titled Plata o Plomo. As with the past 6iL tunes, this one rocks just as hard, if not more. I have stated in the past that their tunes bring to mind a thrashier version of the band Scissorfight, and Plata o Plomo is no exception. This is not to say that 6iL are mired down as a knock-off band by any means. Similarities to possible influences be damned, because these guys definitely rock with their own sound. It's punk influenced grime thrash with mid-tempo punch, and the crazy off-kilter riffs make 6iL tunes kick that much more ass.
By the way - for some reason, every time I listen to Plata o Plomo, the gang vocals at the 31 second mark always manage to scare the living sh*t out of me. I swear I jump every time.
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• Speaking of punk-infused gutter thrash (and I mean that in the highest regard), our friends in SPEEDBOOZER have posted a couple more new songs. These tunes are raw as hell, but just try not to slam around to the thrash 'n' roll riffage of the tune Metal Punk. Hell, yeah! This tune was built for the live show, man! Crude, rude and completely unwashed - I love this stuff!
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• Here's a quick plug for all you old-school death metal fans. Give Wittier, CA's own SKELETAL REMAINS a look. Good, heavy tunes and a vocalist that reminds me of a cross between John Tardy and Rodney Dunsmore of Devastation. Killer!
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• Another young band out of California is VENGENCE. These guys jam out aggressively evil thrash. Vengence hammer out some thunderous riffs, all wrapped around some stellar songwriting. Check out their tunes below and then hit them up on Facebook here.
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• What's this? VINDICATOR released a new demo track! Is it everything you've been wait for? Of course! Hit play below and thrash it up!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I am far behind in my reviews and wanted to get a couple written, but I also haven't posted a new Weekend Breakdown for a while. The backup of bands I have in waiting is overwhelming and I could have made this post an obnoxiously long one, featuring a dozen bands, but if I had time for that we wouldn't have so few posts this month, right?
Right.
So let's get into this week's... DEATHRAISER There are a slew of thrash bands that try to convey a deep meaning in their songwriting, holding the listener tenderly with moody transitions, overlong intros, and toe-tapping choruses. Others just want to tear your f***ing throat out.
Brazil's DEATHRAISER hammers out slaughtering thrash that rubs your face hard in the gravel of its relentless speed and aggression. These guys take a stripped-down Kreator approach to thrash and kick the speed up to almost unmanageable proportions. Do want the fury of a non-stop thrash assault? Then by all means, get your hands on Deathraiser's Violent Aggression album and let it pummel your ears bloody. Completely bad-ass.
Check out the streaming vids and then hit them up on Facebook.
SUBHUMAN Italy's SUBHUMAN play killer death/thrash that is as tight and technically sound as it is brutal. The drums and guitars roll together in razor sharp precision, laying out a fierce foundation for vocalist "Zula" Ferzola's throat-mangling charge.
Subhuman slams out fast and searing metal. For those who lean on the death side of aggressive tunage, check them out below and then Facebook them here.
HEAD CRUSHER HEAD CRUSHER originally formed in Colombia and are now located in Texas, forging a 10-year history of spreading their brand of Cavalera-tinged thrash/hardcore/death. These guys crank out fat hooks that combines vicious speed with mid-tempo groove. At times, they layer the songs with passionate slices of atmosphere to let the music take off in flight before nailing them back down with aggressive riffage. Cool stuff.
VEHEMENT We go back to Italy to find some crushing modern thrash in the form of VEHEMENT. These guys use many tools within the various extreme music genres to create their metal.Vehement pack a punch with a hammering onslaught of guitars and vocals that hint of aggressive hardcore without going completely crossover. At times, you'll catch a curve ball such as the NOLA-esque riffs and vocals in All That's Behind and the painfully brutal sludge in The Slow Drowning of Mortality.
Vehement is a killer band that blends its influences into coherent slabs of mean freaking' METAL. Check them out below and follow them here (If the stream below isn't working, go here to listen to their available streaming songs).
Liverpool's BLUDVERA are scheduled to record their upcoming EP in November. As of this writing, confirmed track titles include Conjure the Dead, Reanimator, Citizen Monopoly and Voyage Beyond the System. I don't know how soon they plan to unleash the new material on the public, but I'm ready! ------------------------------
San Jose's ECOPOLIS has recruited Marcus Giddings as the band's new drummer. However, they are still on the outlook for a new vocalist! If you are unfamiliar with Ecopolis's brand of stompin' deathrash, click here and enjoy! Killer, killer stuff! ------------------------------
Splatterthrash giants GHOUL have their most recent release Transmission Zero available as a digital download for a whopping $6.66 over on their Bandcamp page. It should also be in the stores as you read this. To give you an idea of how good this album is, head over to the Skull Fracturing Metal Zine and read their review.
Also, for the Ghoulish fans out there, "Japan Nick" Perkel posted an interview with singer/guitarist Digestor here. ------------------------------
St. Paul's non-moshists IN DEFENCE are a featured band on the Midwest Thrash Attack 7" which includes other bands Stand Off, Choose Your Poison, and Damage Deposit. You can pick it up through Profane Existence Distribution.
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Check out the pure bad-assery of the new album art from Virginia's POSSESSOR for their new release City Built With Skulls! You gotta love the flyer on the far right of the picture showing Possessor headlining a gig over the Big Four.
As far as I know, this album will be available in November, so keep you eyes glued to their Facebook page for new info.
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Celtic metal masters Raw Dawgs have put up a YouTube page. Really, there's not much on there right now, but I wanted to mention it as an excuse to post their unusually goofy video for the song Lord of Illusions!
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California thrashers SCYTHE will embark on a mini promo tour within the Bay Area. A promo tour? Yep! Meet up with these guys who will be passing out band materials, demos, and trying like hell to network with all you metalheads. Those of you outside of the Bay Area should check out their EP The Seventh Day on iTunes, Zune, or Amazon. Those of you who are within driving distance, hit them up at the following dates:
Nov. 4th - San Francisco (close to Fisherman's Wharf) Nov. 5th - Berkeley (Berkeley University)/ Concord (The Red Hat) Nov. 6th - WHEREVER THE HELL WE WAKE UP!!! (Most likely Hayward) ------------------------------
Popular crossover kings SSS will embark on their Problems to the Answer European Tour 2011. I'm stuck all the way over here in Kansas City, so I won't be attending any of these killer shows. However, if you're in the area, go thrash and support!
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Speaking of Kansas City, I have some sad news from the hood: local punk/thrash slammers The Tards have officially disbanded. I'm not 100% sure as to what caused the break-up, but according to the band's Facebook post, vocalist Keegan Smith quit after guitarist Mike Smith and bassist Tom Nieves played a Tards song acoustically on a radio show (?). I'm sure that there is more to the story (or backstory), but whatever the circumstances, I wish the guys good luck on future endeavors. ------------------------------
Finally, I going to pimp a YouTube channel called The Underground Attack. According to the channel's chief operator Emmet J. Kiernan, The Underground Attack is "The voice of Irish underground music, here to let you find the best bands you've never heard of!"
I like it because he's featuring killer bands such as Psykosis and the aforementioned Raw Dawgs. However, he also features bands most thrash fans HAVE heard of, such as the modern thrash legends Gama Bomb.
Check out Parts 1 and 2 of a chat he had with Gama Bomb below and then subscribe to his channel. You can never have enough thrash-related vids in your life, right?
Lich King have announced Born of the Bomb as the title of their upcoming 4th album in a video teaser released earlier today.
I am hyper excited to hear this album. The rough mix of Combat Mosh is killer, as is the background music to the teaser vid. Let us not forget that the cover art is one of the best, most eye-catching of all the Lich King albums (in my humble opinion).
So when is Born of the Bomb going to be out? Dunno. I imagine sometime next year, but I hope it is sooner than later. When I find out, I'll let ya'll know.
There will be no Weekend Breakdown post this time around, but in this week's Thrashline bits of thrash news, there is plenty of kick ass new music to check out. Let's get to it! --------------------------
If you're like me, you shrugged your shoulders in disappointment after reading the news that vocalist Kyle Thomas and guitarist Jay Ceravolo quit Exhorder, seemingly killing off the band for good.
I guess it was just not meant to happen for these guys. I have been waiting with my hands wringing in mouth-slobbery excitement over the upcoming new Exhorder album. Well, poop.
I can only imagine that they have demoed some new material, no? If so, I wouldn't cry if it were released, even in raw form.
As for the future, I am interested to see if Kyle and Jay decide to continue on another project together. I hope the music is mean as hell. --------------------------------
Nuclear Torment have taken their creative blood, sweat and time to create a killer EP titled 8 BIT DEATH and have blessed the metal-loving public by offering it as a FREE freaking' download!
The music is bad ass speedy thrash and you would be doing yourself a disservice by not packing 8 BIT DEATH into your music lists. Your MP3 player will thank you. --------------------------------
Speaking of free thrash, go check out Sabretung immediately and download their full length album Conquest. These Australian thrashers come up with some killer riffs and satisfying song structures that kick them up a notch above most up and coming thrash bands. There is so much good riffage on Sabretung's 9 song release that it's hard to pick a favorite (although The Thing and Eliminate the Weak come to mind). Check it out, bang your head, hit them up on Facebook and tell 'em how much you love 'em.
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Our favorite Illinois super heroes Smash Potater has teamed up with thrash brothers-in-arms Attack Imminent and released a split titled Horrific Halloween Double Creature Feature. Own this piece of underground history for a measly $5! Go here…now!
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As I write this, Alcoholator's new album Coma is streaming in its entirety. Get your dose of alcohol-fueled insanity here. If you like what you hear, the hard copy should be available through EBM Records soon.
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Ireland thrashers Heresy will be changing their name to Animator. A new website and new songs will launch on November 11th. Check out the tune False Flag Attack from their Open Your Eyes album here.
By the way - Thanks to Eoin Clarke for tipping me off on these guys. You rock, man! --------------------------------
Daniel Jackson filmed a video for the new Thrash Or Die song Street Trash. Any splatter fans out there remember the 80s horror flick this song is based on? I still remember the disgustingly awesome pics in an old issue of Fangoria. Ah, the memories.
Anyway, wake up and smell the thrash and check out the vid for Street Trash below!
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Are you a fan of Stephen King's IT? Of course you are! So you owe it to yourself to check out Windsor, CA's clowncore giants IT. Listen to Pennywise come to life here! --------------------------------
Guitarist Alonso Maguino has parted ways with NY's Legionary. As I write this, The band is looking for a tight as hell death/thrash player who can fill in the newly vacant spot. If you're interested, check out their Facebook page for info. If you're not interested, go there anyway, like their page and listen to their bad ass tunes! --------------------------------
U.S. thrash/punk band Speedboozer released a rough mix of their song Gunned Down, a pissed off raw slab of punk-infused metal! Man, I can't wait to hear the rest of the upcoming album! Check this vid stream below.
It took me a while to pop out this review of the new EVILE album, but I did not want to be hasty in my write-up. If I'm not going to be at least a tiny bit fair, then I shouldn't post my thoughts about…well, anything I guess.
The reason I say this is because I am not a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Evile's first album. When I first bought Enter the Grave, my interest in the music went up and down, and ultimately it left my CD rotation rather quickly. I just couldn't get into it.
My feelings toward the first album naturally influenced my decision into not buying the second album (Infected Nations). I heard a few tracks online, but I just wasn't interested.
Now, here comes Five Serpent's Teeth, the third album from Evile. Cutting through my settled-in prejudices of how I think I will feel about the music, I listened.
I will cut right to the chase and say that I now have a rejuvenated spirit regarding Enter the Grave and I am eager to hear Infected Nations. Why the sudden change of heart?
Well, that's the thing. It wasn't a "sudden" change of heart. Remembering my first spin of Five Serpent's Teeth, I had no change at all. "Same ol' Evile," I thought.
On further spins, the riffs began to sink in, bringing to mind hints of Justice area Metallica. After that, the partition I built after putting aside the first album came tumbling down and I began to embrace Five Serpent's Teeth as the killer metal album that it is.
What really got the ball rolling for me was the song Cult, which is the first video Evile filmed for this album. The song was a good choice for them to highlight because it's one of the best on the album - a mid-tempo stomper with catchy as hell riffs to match the memorable chorus.
Five Serpent's Teeth is high caliber metal, complete with killer riffage and well constructed solos that add layers of brilliance to each song. Yes, Evile write what are essentially love letters to the thrash titans of yore, but the end result is undeniably Evile in sound and execution.
So what changed in the style that made me see the light? Stylistically, not much. The production is a little too slick for its own good, but a distinct lack of rawness cannot take away from Evile's musical prowess. So, really, I can't put my finger on my new found love for this band except that even quality music can take a while to sink in.
