Spokenest - We M●ve

'We M●ve'
Spokenest
2013

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Punk, Noise Rock, Garage Rock
For Fans Of: Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Wavves, Helta Skelta, God Equals Genocide

Spokenest are a two piece 'off-kilter punk'. They also happen to be a husband and wife. Aw cute.
'We M●ve' is the duo's debut EP, and while it is off-kilter, it has plenty of roguish charm and pop sensibility to go around. The twangy, angular guitar lines on We M●ve owe a lot to the likes of noise rock and surf rock, but also retain a catchy, three chord punk quality that drive the songs forward. Similarly, the drums have a steady energetic drive that are just as unpredictable as the guitar. It's the vocal dynamic between both members that really makes Spokenest though, with both members sporting raw, honest delivery - whether they're shouting, speaking or singing their lyrics.
If you fancy listening to something a bit more lighthearted than the usual stuff I post on here, I'd definitely recommend We M●ve - it's definitely a noisy album, but it's a much loftier and friendly affair than your average noise rock/punk album.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Where?
2. Dinner
3. Sunshine
4. Couple Hours
5. We Move
6. Leave Me
7. Wrong
8. See
9. People

Bandcamp

Irk - Bread And Honey

'Bread And Honey'
Irk
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Math Rock, Noise Rock, Mathcore
For Fans Of: Zu, Meshuggah, Zeus, These Arms Are Snakes, Primitive Weapons

It takes a fair bit of imagination, creativity and raw talent to stretch a bass-only, three piece as far as Irk have on Bread And Honey, and lo and behold their collective effort has paid off big time.
Sporting an absolutely massive bass sound (think all of Meshuggah's pickers/slappers rolled into one) and a range of influences drawn mostly from the hardcore and noise rock side of things, Irk's debut is as unique as it crushing.
Across three tracks, Bread And Honey revels in groove and tightly packed, concise rhythms that hop and skip in odd time signatures and mind boggling tempo changes. Despite this, Irk don't get bogged down in the sort of mathematical wankery you'd expect from  a bearded tech-death type and instead focus on the energetic appeal and focused aggression of hardcore. This is in turn met with forced out, emotive vocals that twist and turn with the ups and downs of the band's instrumentation.
The Leeds band have proved themselves most adapt at making noisy yet calculated music, despite only have three songs on this release. I'm definitely keen to see what these guys bring to the table on their next release, be it an EP or a full length.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Care Taker
2. Mammilian Love Merch
3. You're Welcome

Bandcamp

Inunrn - Inurn I

'Inurn I'
Inurn
2014

(Band Submission)

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Black metal, Depressive Suicidal Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal

Inurn is a two piece black metal band, with one member residing in New Mexico, and the other in Arizona. Despite this, Inurn have overcome the problems you'd expect to have when band members live in separate states to deliver three tracks of mournful, depressing blackened dirges.
Each piece on Inurn I builds on a repetitive riff, in the usual DSBM/atmospheric black metal fashion, and adds additional layers on to them as the song progresses. As well as the standard bass/drum/guitar affair, Inurn incorporate a synthesizer to great effect, using it to thicken their overall sound, and add even more haunting atmospheres to their compositions (thankfully there's no boring 'dungeon synth' excursions a la Burzurm, so worry not). Inurn's vocalist, Luke, goes between a throatier, almost hardcore tinged black metal shriek and a low end bello, which both carry the emotional heft you'd hope to hear in a DSBM release.
Inurn I is built around minimal, repetitive song structures, but they never feel boring or stagnant. Instead it's a slow, steady build up of emotional catharsis and  depressing atmospheres, that perfectly encapsulate what this genre is about.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Anchorless, Adrift
2. In Extremis
3. Between

Bandcamp

Reverse Baptism - Street Business

'Street Business'
Reverse Baptism
2012

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Power Electronics
For Fans Of: Whitehouse, Deathpile, Jason Crumer, Sutcliffe Jugend

OH
MY
GOD
Wow
So I was expecting something pretty special when I heard that Jason Crumer had a power electronics project with two female vocalists, but boy was I floored when I actually got around to giving this a listen.
The focal point on Street Business is definitely the vocals. Hands down. Vocalists 'Cheetah' and 'Henny' deliver the most hate filled musings on teenage life, deviancy and sex you'll ever find outside of Heathers, through spoken word passages, pained screams and sassy commands (think William Bennett crossed with Kathleen Hanna). The reversal of the usual gender roles and subject matter, as well as the women delivering it is another cool addition to this album.
Noise wise, you can expect a much more obscene, ramped up version of Jason Crumer's solo work, with massive static walls, shrill electronic wails and an assortment of other harsh assaults on the senses. There's a very rudimentary sense of rhythm throughout the songs, usually interspersed  with cut up, hyper distorted samples, effects and screeching feedback. Combined with the dual vocalists, it's a force to be reckoned with.
While most power electronics albums these days tend to focus on monolithic walls of noise and steady vocals, Reverse Baptism inject dynamics into both aspects of their sound, to great effect. Each track is distinct, and memorable and at times it comes off as an incredibly damaged punk album. Definitely worth listening to.

TRACKLISTING:
1. MNN
2. Vacations
3. Modern Art #4
4. Power Of The Right Advisor
5. Snot Rag
6. Big Bitch Cathy
7. MLK DY
8. Sally Are You Good Enough For Me
9. Street Business

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NASA Space Universe - Across The Wounded Galaxies

'Across The Wounded Galaxies'
NASA Space Universe
2011

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Hardcore, Punk
For Fans Of: Brown Sugar, The Coltranes, Die Kreuzen, Dry Rot, Raw Nerve, Bad People

Hardcore bands like to pluck mercilessly from the annals of the past, and about 87.98% of the time it's boring as fuck and makes me sad. The remaining 12.02% however do so tastefully, and usually add their own zest to mix resulting in..um...this rant has a point, and that point is NASA Space Universe.
Yes, these guys are certainly borrowing from the whacked out sounds of 1980s mid-western hardcore, but hey, that's the coolest kind of 1980s hardcore.
The four piece from California play their extremely energetic strand of hardcore with sloppy zest and even sloppier guitar leads. With the rhythm section keeping the band on track, the guitar is pretty much left to it's own devices, whipping up thrashy hardcore riffs, sleazy off-kilter licks and delicious atonal deviations. The vocals are reminiscent of early Die Kreuzen, with high register, crazed shrieks that are perfectly suited to the deranged instrumentation.
Across The Wounded Galaxies may be a few years old now, and if I my music taste had been as ~excellent~ as it is today, I could probably say it was just as refreshing as it was back in 2011. Alas I cannot. I can confirm however that this album rules, and that you would be doing yourself a solid by nabbing it.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Tiny Tom Allen Wrench
2. 3-2-4 Slop
3. AMBM
4. Pink Beret
5. Denzel Washington D.C. Forty
6. Graham Grizzly
7. PP Fresco
8. Grizzly Graham's Golden Shower
9. Come On Eileen Bung On My Face
10. Twap
11. Selfish Tony's Splendor Bender
12. Beware Of Bat Alley, Boo Spooky

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Billy Bao - Accumulation

'Accumulation'
Billy Bao
2008

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock, No Wave
For Fans Of: Coughs, White Suns, DNA, Swans, Boredoms

Billy Bao are a noise rock band who hail from San Francisco, and are named after their singer, who is apperently from Lagos, Nigeria. Cool.
Also the band have stated that they don't care about copyright, and ecourage bloggers (such as myself) to share their music. Cool x2.
Accumulation is a surprisingly accurate description for such an abrupt title. The structure for this EP is literally laid out before you on the cover - lyrics and all - with ten songs that begin and mono and converge into stereo at the middle. What isn't explained is that each song is only one minute long, and are practically identical - except each new track adds a new layer, tying in the theme of Accumulation. Neat, huh?
While hearing the same song 10 times may sound boring and a little futile, it really isn't - at least in the case of this EP. Building off the thumping bass and drum lines on the first track, each addition brings a new element of chaos to the mix - more guitars, more vocals, more drums and more noise just grinding against each other for sonic superiority. You're basically listening to this band become progressively more unhinged and manic as Accumulation progresses, and it begs the question - are they evolving or devolving with each passing track?

TRACKLISTING:
1. Accumulation
2. Of Frustration
3. Accumulation Of Capital
4. Their Bank Accounts Increase
5. A Revolution Detonates In Your Head
6. Bring Them Crisis, Fuck Their Future
7. Nothing To Lose, Your Future Is Fucked
8. There Is No Rewind Button, Your Future Is Fucked
9. Burning Your Skin In Front Of The Police Station
10. While Watching Their Stock Rise, Your Miserable Fucking Life Dies

Download

Interview With Zach Hill

Interview by Brayden Bagnall

HA

Tricked you. 

Well not actually, I am speaking to a 'Zach Hill' and he also happens to be behind a very neat noise project called 'Poète Maudit'. Here is an interview I did with him. Enjoy.

FBN: First of all, an introduction: what's your name, and the name of your project?

Zach: My name is Zach Hill, my project is named Poète Maudit. I create a variety of forms of noise and experimental music, including ambient noise, power electronics, and free improv.

FBN:  Apart from Poète Maudit, have you been involved in any other projects?

Zach: I started out playing in a lot of punk bands, they all failed. I'm currently trying to start an electric free improvisation/noise group. I also have a remix project, I work under the name Johnny 23. 

FBN: Poète Maudit is a name given to a poet living outside of society, and hence has some pretty transgressive connotations. Do you try and channel this concept through your music?

Zach: I certainly do to some extent. I would say that my pieces tend to be more influenced by the poems themselves though. If I ever get a live show, those elements will hopefully become more apparent.

FBN: What sort of equipment do you use to create your music?

Zach: I use handmade instruments, guitars, circuit bent toys, pedals, some basic synths/oscillators....also, staying true to my free improv interests, I use many found objects in some pieces. I've used everything from baseball bats to plungers to newspaper to wine glasses to Newton balls.

Also, I use an iPhone for making field recordings.

FBN: Speaking of field recordings, they are a big part of your composition process - what are some of the more interesting recordings you've used and how did you go about recording them?

Zach: Some of my favorite recordings are the ones I do in nature, such as crawling over a storm drain to catch rain sounds against metal or walking around the gardens/conservatory in Lincoln Park, Chicago, even though it became hard to isolate sounds from voices. Another was when I got sent to a piano shop for work and made tons of recordings of multiple pianos being played at once (the discordance was deafening and wonderful).

FBN: You've got a split coming out with Vomir soon! Do you have any plans to trump the seasoned noise maker?

Zach: I don't know if that's possible, but I did put a ton of work into my piece, and it's harsher than some of my recent stuff. There's field recordings of a lawnmower, a hydroelectric plant, and some nature sounds. There's a few vocal tracks, synth lines, and a bunch of noise tracks. So like I said, a ton of work. I'm really proud of the piece and I think it's beautiful. I don't think I've ever been this excited about a piece or a release, it's going to be a great tape.

FBN:  Your output is certainly prolific -  you've just put out your 20th release in half a year. What fuels you to put so much music out there?

Zach: It's rather simple. Making noise is something I love and enjoy, it's almost therapeutic for me. I stick to a schedule of sorts, and I almost never throw away tracks. I try to release an album a week (or rather, 4 a month).

FBN: What's your take on the whole analogue vs. digital debate that seems to be rife in the noise community? 

Zach: Personally, I don't see the point of the debate. Both can coexist quite easily and effectively. I personally use elements of both. I suppose I lean more toward analogue. I use digital techniques more as a processing tool, but it has become very important in my sound. I always use analogue when I use synths. I even use acoustic instruments quite often.

FBN: This is the part where I'd usually ask you what your top 3 noise releases of all time are - so, what are your top 3 ABBA songs?

Zach: My grandma is a huge ABBA fan, I used to (have to) listen to them in the car with her rather often.

1. "Thank You for the Music"

2. "Waterloo"

3. "Dancing Queen"

FBN: Because I can't think of anything else deep or meaningful to ask you: who'd win in a fistfight between Masami Akita and William Bennett? 

Oh, Akita for sure. Vegan power for the win! Also, it'd probably be hard for Bennett to throw a punch with his cut hands. Then again, he's probably into that kind of thing.

FBN: Finally, would you like to offer any encouraging words to the folks out there? Maybe thank some people, or give a shout-out? Or just shamelessly plug your musical pursuits?

Zach: First off, I'd like to encourage anyone who wants to start in the genre to just jump straight into noise. Don't hesitate or worry about gear or anything. It's a genre that's wonderful because anything can go in it, and as I said, it's a therapeutic experience for me.

I'd like to thank Brayden for this interview and my good friend William Shaw for being involved with some of my pieces and going to concerts with me all the time, I'd like to give a shout out to all the poets I've taken from and want to encourage people to read their works, and a big thanks to any person or artist who gives my stuff a listen and shows support.

Also, to be a bit shameless, I'm always looking for collaborations, remix requests, or splits, so anyone should feel free to contact me, I'm up for anything.

Thank you Zach! 

Mosey on over to the Poète Maudit bandcamp HERE where you'll find a heap of releases to sink your teeth in. Oh, and keep an eye out for that Vomir split - it'll be a doozy.

Hit Zach up at poetemauditnoise@gmail.com to arrange a split or collab

Interview With Gatecreeper

Interview By Brayden Bagnall

In addition to reviewing these guys (scroll down, you'll find it), I also conducted an interview with 'head coach' Chase Mason to find out more about the band, his stance of Swedish DM worship and how much technical death metal sucks. 

FBN: First of all, who are you and what do you do? 

Chase: My name is Chase and I am the head coach of Gatecreeper.

FBN: 'Gatecreeper' is a delightfully awful pun, but does it have a deeper meaning? 

Chase: No, it does not. I liked the name and had it bouncing around in my head for a year or two before we even started the band. It wasn’t until I googled it to make sure that it wasn't already taken that I found out it was a Magic: The Gathering card.

FBN: How did the band come to fruition? 

Chase: I had initially met Matt, our drummer, through mutual friends and quickly bonded over our similar taste in death metal. We were talking about much we both liked Dismember’s Massive Killing Capacity album and decided to start a band in that style. Eric, our guitar player, was Matt’s roommate at the time so we all teamed up and immediately started writing. I was living in Phoenix and the other two were living in Tucson, which is about 2 hours away, but we took trips back and forth every other week and made it happen. After the three of us had finished our first batch of songs together, we enlisted our friends Sean and Max to play bass and second guitar.

FBN: Your debut, self titled release came out a few months ago - tell us a little about the writing and recording process for that?

Chase: At the time of the recording, we weren’t even a full band. We had written those 4 songs with Matt on drums, Eric and I both playing guitar, and no bass player. Since we live in different cities and weren’t able to get together as often as we would have liked to, we would record demos of song ideas and send them back and forth to each other. When it came time to record, Eric and I both handled the guitar and bass duties.

The EP was recorded by our friend Ryan Bram at Homewrecker Studios in Tucson, AZ. Not only does Ryan play in another band with Matt, but he also has a solid understanding of what kind of sound we are going for, so it was a no-brainer to record with him. Ryan is really good at what he does and we were all on the same page as far as what we wanted for guitar, bass and drum tones so everything went very smoothly. We took about 4 days in the studio spread out over two weekends to finish the recording and then sent it to Brad Boatright at AUDIOSIEGE for mastering. We are all extremely happy with the way it turned out.

FBN: This might be a dumb question, given that you're a death metal band, but I'll bite anyway: what sort of themes do you explore in Gatecreeper's music? 

Chase: A good portion of the lyrics on the EP are about addiction and the apathetic feelings that come with it. This may not be very typical subject matter for a death metal band, but I believe that the demoralization and pain that comes from prolonged substance abuse is just as dark, if not darker, than any gory horror story I could write. I try to stick to what I know and have had personal experience with.

FBN: What are the biggest inspirations to the band, musically and otherwise? 

Chase: We try to focus on the riffs and the groove. All of the great Swedish bands like Dismember, Entombed, Grave and Unleashed all had a groove to them. We try to take that obvious Swedish influence and mix it with other classic bands like Bolt Thrower and Obituary. More recently, we have been incorporating doomier and more “melodic” elements that are inspired by bands like Hooded Menace or early Amorphis. We are not going out of our way to do something that hasn't been done before, we are just taking the sum of our influences and writing songs that we want to hear.

FBN: There's been a pretty noticeable rise in bands channeling the 'Swedish Death Metal' sound. Why do you think this is, and what drew you to the genre? 

Chase: Well the HM-2 guitar tone is definitely the most recognizable, but the songwriting of all the classic Swedish bands is what really grabbed me. I think the main reason why bands have been channeling that sound, whether it's metal bands or hardcore bands, is because it involves injecting a certain amount of catchiness, groove and melody into a genre of heavy music that is oftentimes dull and flavorless.

FBN: In my 'professional' opinion - technical death metal, save for a few bands, sucks. Kids should put down the 15 string guitars and take death metal back to its ugly, primitive roots. What is your relationship with the technical side of the genre? 

Chase: I've got a very similar relationship with it. Suffocation is the only "technical" band that I can think of off the top of my head that I can say I'm a huge fan of. We will never write anything that would be considered “technical” or “progressive”. We write GED riffs.

FBN: What would you say are the three most underrated death metal bands of all time?

 Chase: Carnage, Cemetary, and Interment.

FBN: 10. Last of all, any shout  outs or thank yous you'd like to share with the web?

Shouts out to Take Over and Destroy, Territory, Seas Will Rise, Chamber, SUV, Sovereign, Kashyyyk, North, Sex Prisoner, Goatprayer Records, Crown and Throne, Dillon Vaughn, JGA, Ando, Bram, Brad Boatright, Ms. Wagner, my woman Michelle and my dog Bodie.

Big thanks to Chase for the interview. Again, if you use that odd little wheel on your mouse, or your finger to swipe down you should be able to see the review I wrote for these guys. No? Don't want to? Okay, well here's the bandcamp link, RIGHT HERE

GGUW - Gegen Gravitation und Willensfreiheit

'Gegen Gravitation Und Willensfreiheit'
GGUW
2011

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, DSBM
For Fans Of: Luciation, Ulver, Blut Aus Nord, Wlyve, Glossolalia

Well it wouldn't be a black metal project if it wasn't shrouded in mystery and/or death, and in the case of GGUW they've got both. With their guitarist and founding member dead by his own hand, and the rest of the band choosing to remain anonymous (either based in Brazil or Germany), it's pretty tricky to get more information on this band. Ah well.
Onto the music though. GGUW are bit hard to put my finger on. On the first (untitled) track of this release, they play a pretty repetitious style of atmospheric black metal, that winds it's way in between inhumane, animalistic howls and depressing ambience. Yet, on the second track they go for a more straightforward, almost bestial style with slightly more sinister, less melodramtic vocals. The EP's closer however sees them merge the two styles in a mournful yet aggressive track.
I did thoroughly enjoy all aspects of Gegen Gravitation Und Willensfreiheit, especially the strangely uplifting guitar work on the first track. The only real downside to this would be it's short length, and given the fact that the main member has passed away, I'm doubting we'll see anymore material from this project. Despite that, you're left with a very pleasing taster of a band that could've had a very promising future.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Untitled
2. Untitled
3. Untitled

Download

FNU Ronnies - Saddle Up

'Saddle Up'
FNU Ronnies
2012

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Punk
For Fans Of: Butthole Surfers, Pygmy Shrews, Mayyors, Lubricated Goat, Homostupids, Big Black, White Mice

Noise punk. Morning Coffee. Small children injuring themselves in hilarious ways. These are three things that bring me joy - the latter of those three being the subject of this post.
and segue FNU Ronnies are the delinquent sounds of three dudes from Philadelphia making incredibly off center music. How off center you ask? Well if we going by terms of an Old Timey map, you'd be looking in the HERE BE DRAGONS section.
Several punk bands have channeled 'New Wave' before, yet none of them have made it sound quite as drugged out and mutated as FNU Ronnies. The multitude of vocal effects used here, in addition to myriad guitar manipulation and walls make Saddle Up sound like your 80s punk mixtape that's been left in the car for too long and warped beyond recognition. The band's sound is both robotic and alien, and it's just dripping with the same sort of pustulent ooze that makes bands like White Mice so terrifying to behold. And much like the aforementioned band, you'll find some awesome grooves and riffs, if you dig deep and uncover them from the pile of distortion, delay and flange that they've been generously coated in.
Honestly I don't really care whether a band decides to abandon all concept of musical structure and go the 'Full Happy Flowers' (as I have dubbed it), but I will sit up and take notice when the band flirts with this concept and ties it in with decent songwriting and catchy tunes - as per this. Check it out, you're in for a wild ride (pun not intended).

TRACKLISTING:
1. You Don't Look So Good
2. Cut To Ribbons
3. Saddle Up
4. Ant People
5. No Difference
6. Valley Of Wastoids
7. Laptop Vs. Beef
8. Silver Bullet

Download

!FUCKED BY NOISE MID-YEAR ROUND-UP! -Berns' Picks.

This year has been full of excellent release and new bands alike. I have discovered some cool noisy tunes all year and well, we're at the halfway point on 2014 so I have made  list of my favourite releases thus far.

1. Lamplighter – Lycanthropy

Genre/s: Hardcore, Powerviolence, Grindcore.

Anchorage, Alaska! This blew me away and my review of this prompted some new freindships. Coolest band, coolest guys and their music will blow you away. It’s filthy, fast and sure it’s hardcore, but it has a lot of grindcore elements, which makes it kinda powerviolency. Lycanthropy by Lamplighter is definitely amongst my top releases.




2. Lack Of Interest/ Bastard Noise - Split

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Hardcore

Old Mates, Bastard Noise and Lack of Interest are at it again and they don’t disappoint to bring you a solid split. Who doesn’t love having their heads kicked in by some powerviolence and experimental stuff every now and then? The Bastard Noise side of things is pretty experimental, which is pretty refreshing especially with some electronics here and there.
 Lack of Interest deliver the tried and trusted Powerviolence noise that we all love and know. They've been in the game long enough, and still they deliver some crushing noise.

3. Teitanblood – Death

Genre/s: Black/Death Metal

Spanish black/death tyrants Teitanblood are at it again and it’s faster, heavier and filthier than ever, but its not all about playing fast or don’t and they got the memo. Sometimes slowing it down, tuning low and playing slow adds atmosphere. Death is a masterpiece by all accounts.






4. BAT – Primitive Age

Genre/s: Speed Metal, Punk, NWOBHM

Defending the underground is something that should never be overlooked and Richmond, Virginia based speed/thrash/punk outfit BAT understand this more than anyone. Primitive Age is a barrage of underground heavy metal done in a gritty kinda way.It’s buzzy and fucking noisy and it has hints of NWOBH in there somewhere. Noisy speed metal punk is definitely a threat again.

5. Cripple Bastards - Nero In Metastasi

Genre/s: Grindcore

The veteran Italian grind mutants are at it again with yet another grindcore release you can really sink your teeth into. Nero In Metastasi is just another way of proving that these bastards are far from done and they haven’t fallen off at all. I really dug this release and it truly encapsulate their sound and mission for all to grind their dicks off to.






6. CagedGrave –  Gutless

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Hardcore.

How is that Australia are at the bleeding edge of noisy, angry and fast music? Who cares, please never stop. Caged Grave is one of the standout bands from Aus and they’ve recently released Gutless and it’s an absolute fucking gem from start to the rather abrupt finish.

7. Cave State -  S/T

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Hardcore.

As far as having a hard-on for start stop style of Crossed Out, these guys execute it to a tee and definitely add their own sound to the style of Powerviolence. The 7-inch to out do all 7-inches this year? Probably. Their self-titled release ripped me a new one and I still bump it at least once a week.

8. Super Fun Happy Slide – Drop your pants and Grind

 Genre/s: Grindcore, Goregrind.

Melbourne based grindcore maniacs Super Fun Happy Slide are at it again with their second full-length titled "Drop your pants and Grind". Super raw old-school grindcore with just a hint of goregrind to keep thing interesting, what more is there to say? Sometimes you just need to drop your pants and GRIND!

9. Anti-SoundxAnti-Life – Demo

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Noise, Hardcore.

Blast as fuck grindviolence from Pennsylvania! Anti-Sound x Anti-Life stay true to their name and just blows you to shit with a seemingly endless barrage of noise from start to finish. Their 4track demo will leave you with bleeding ears. Top stuff









10. Trap Them - Blissfucker

Genre/s: Sludge Metal, Hardcore.

Everything too happy and too poppy around you? The lads from Trap Them will fix that! It's not as fast as the previous releases, but man does it crush. Riff upon riff, upon riff of sludgy hardcore goodness, with the malice you'd expect from Trap Them.

Gatecreeper - Self Titled

'Gatecreeper'
Gatecreeper
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre: Death Metal, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Entombed, Trap Them, Grave, Black Breath, Carnage

PICK UP YOUR BLACK LES PAULS AND SET YOUR HM-2s TO 11... because this is actually a pretty darn cool release and I'm not going to insult by lumping it into the Entombedcore pile.
Gatecreeper, in addition to having a brilliant name are a band from Arizona who play Swedish flavoured death metal served with a nice crust and a glass of vintage hardcore. Yes my analogies are horrendous.
As you'd expect, the band do have an absolutely humongous sound, courtesy of the razor sharp guitar tone and monstrous drums which are in turn met with steady, Earth shaking bass and the missing link between a 90s death metal vocalist and a gruff hardcore frontman.Rather than boring you with three useless divebomb-ridden, inane guitar solos, Gatecreeper are more than content throttling you with delicious grooves (again with the food analogies, I apologise), be it a main riff or breakdown.  And, I gotta say, I was pretty entranced with the production of this album - it was crisp where it needed to be, and if you closed your eyes, you almost feel the vibrations from the amplifiers seeping into your ears and massaging your brain gently into mush.
I could throw some cliched statement about 'not re-inventing the wheel' or something about 'it ain't broke' etc etc, but I won't. Rather I'll let you find the bandcamp link yourself, press play and take in the maelstrom of dark energy that awaits you.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Void Below
2. Force Fed
3. Overdose
4. Slave

Bandcamp
Download

Warpath - Fuck You! I'm Queer: The Discography

'Fuck You! I'm Queer: The Discography'
Warpath
92 - 96

(Band Submission)

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Crust Punk, Hardcore, Queercore
For Fans Of: Aus -Rotten, Heresy, Doom, Napalm Death, Nausea

Warpath were a band from Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania who created highly political, socially conscious punk music between 1992 and 1996. While Warpath's music does share similarities with other crust punk bands (i.e Nausea and Aus-Rotten), Warpath's sound also borrowed heavily from the likes of grindcore, with growled and screamed vocals (both male and female), breakneck speeds and unbridled intensity. As per the title of this discography, Warpath did indeed champion queer rights in their music, as well as animal rights, peace, anti-Capitalism and Anarchism.
This discography covers the band's entire studio recorded output, including several unreleased tracks and three covers - including 'Bloodstains' by Agent Orange (which is actually the coolest song ever). Pop on over to the Reality Is A Cult bandcamp and buy the record - or download it below!

TRACKLISTING:
1. War Ensemble ('94)
2. The Result ('94) 01:17
3. Silence = Death ('94)
4. Starve to Feed ('94)
5. Needless Brutality / Kill For Peace ('94)
6. Sick Joke (Doom - '94)
7. Bloodstains (Agent Orange - '94)
8. Christian Headfuck ('94)
9. Silence = Death ('95)
10. The Result ('95)
11. Chief Seattle ('95)
12. Hate Crimes ('95)
13. Christian Headfuck ('95)
14. Starve To Feed ('95)
15. Cage ('95)
16. Needless Brutality / Kill For Peace ('95)
17. Abomination ('95)
18. Sick Joke (Doom - '95)
19. Fallout (Nausea - '95)

Bandcamp
Download

Interview with BoneMagic

Interview by Brayden

BoneMagic is one of several projects from Matt Hex aka 'The Only Noise Artist in Oklahoma'. While BoneMagic isn't strictly a noise project (it owes more to synthwave and industrial), it's no happy walk in the park either. I talked to the man behind the keyboard to find out more about the project and his involvement in the world of experimental music.

FBN:Greetings! Who are you and what do you do?

Matt: I'm Matt Hex and currently the only recognized noise artist from Oklahoma...trust me I've looked or they don't wanna be found.

FBN: How did the name for your project, BoneMagic come about?

Matt: Really it came from none other than a Halloween episode of the Simpsons, the one involving grounds keeper Willie assuming the role of a Freddy Kruger type...in the story Willie is burned alive and proclaims his curse then chief wiggum mentions something like "skeleton power" so I riffed with that hence BoneMagic

FBN: BoneMagic isn't exactly a 'noise' project, strictly speaking. How would you describe it?

Matt: Started with wanting to do something more structured and I've been a big fan of old industrial & 70/80s era synth soundtracks so that played a big part in developing the project, there are bits of noise littered through out the releases but I believe it's coming out into the forefront.

FBN: What sort of themes do your music and lyrics explore?
Matt: They tend to come from recent life changes and failed relationships, not to sound cliche but it's been a real emotional arc in progress to deal with and overcome. Other themes spur from ones own mortality and the end times but that is in my own perception

FBN: Where do you draw inspiration for BoneMagic, musically and otherwise?

Matt:  Damn to be honest, I enjoy everything, industrial and old synth stuff as made mention before but the real Inspiration comes from early prince and older pop music such as Isaac Hayes, BeeGees and a new cat Adrian Younge. Gotta expand and not recycle

FBN: How do you construct your tracks? Is there much of a writing process, or does improvisation play a part in it too?
Matt: I'll spend a few months making loops and toying with various bits of noise for background and when I feel it's ready I'll go in, record the main structure then afterwards add noise and sound bits to make it fuller, vocals are usually done in one day to maintain consistently. When I play live, improv is a big part of it as well, it keeps each show different and loose.

FBN: What do you use to record and play live - instrument/equipment wise?

Matt:right now I'm using Alesis micron, a mix of pedals, a shaker box"crank sturgeon issue" a boss looper, boss multi effects for vocals and a custom Trogotronic hot rod. I tend to mix it up when I play a different show. Helps break up the pace.

FBN: Noise and experimental electronic music has certainly experienced a renaissance period with the internet and development of online music services (youtube, bandcamp, soundcloud etc etc). Where do you see this kind of music going in the next five to ten years?
Matt: That's really hard to say, it's really helped me network and get out there as far as anything else and with the digital medium it's really leveled the playing field for people to be heard but trends change in a heartbeat.

FBN: What are your top three noise releases of all time?
Matt: This is a hard one...
In no order but had a profound impact

Halo - Body Of Light

The Bastard Noise - Rogue Astronaut

Sunn - White One

FBN: This is the part for any shout-outs. thank yous, words of wisdom or inane trivia you may have for the folks reading this. Shameless self promotion is allowed.
Matt: .I really want to give props to Sean Beard, that dude is cool as fuck, Raws"Plack Blague" nothing but nice and genius in assless leather chaps.Wt Nelson...a mentor and a brother simply & Johnny Cash for helping me really network with all the other freaks from the noise scene. Plugs??? My bandcamp Cruel Corrupt Recordings and my other bro Colt "45IVE" who I dj for under the guise of "Dj Fancy Feast". And for those who prefer something more harsh, I have a noisecore project called Video Nasty & a more traditional experimental called GRÆYBACK. Both our up on the cruel corrupt recordings bandcamp
Check him out... But that's all I can riff on. Thanks for having me.


No problemo man!
You can check out Matt's bandcamp over yonder  and, while you're at it, you can scroll down a page or so and check out the review I did for BoneMagic, and maybe give a listen and a download. It's pretty good.

Mittimus - Event Horizon

'Event Horizon'
Mittimus
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation, Noise, Avant Garde, Experimental
For Fans Of: Fushitsusha, Zu, Borbetomagus, Skullflower, Ground Zero

Mittimus are doing a lot of things right - well, at least as I'm concerned. I like jazz, I like noise and I like both of those things when they thrown together with reckless abandon and played loudly. So naturally I was drawn to this band's promise of such things and thankfully I was not let down.
Event Horizon begins like a noise album, with a lengthy, spaced out drone track before sucker punching you with full band, improvisational antics. Entanglement the second track introduces you to the highly syncopated, disjointed and oh so good band dynamic that is Mittimus - via call and response instrumentation, challenging tempo changes and tasteful post production manipulation. From there on in you're in for a veritable sonic rollercoaster, that'll see you exposed to harsh guitar drones, synth freakouts, noise rock tantrums and snide jazz outbursts. If you came into this album expecting to be able to place your finger on an exact genre by the time it's over - than you're in for a good couple of hours of head scratchingm friend-o.
Event Horizon is 18 tracks long, with more than a few tracks stretching past the five minute mark. While that may seem long, it never feels that way, due to the band's constant exploration of sound and incorporation of new musical elements. The constant change-up of styles may come of as jarring to some listeners - but honestly I find it to be rather refreshing. To see a band explore more ideas in one release than another band might explore in their entire career is pretty impressive, to say the least.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Piercing the Singularity
2. Entanglement
3. Door to the Edge
4. Dark Matters
5. Passing the Event Horizon
6. Spaghettified
7. Sagan the Father, Hawking the Sun, Tyson the Holy Ghost
8. The Only Signal that Escaped
9. Light from a Million Years Ago
10. Solar Blizzard
11. Voyager's Reply
12. Reflection on the Death of Time
13. Perpetual Flight
14. Universe Bleeding at Edges
15. The Tyranny of Physics
16. Oceans without Gravity
17. Circumstellar Disk
18. A Path Impossible to Retrace

Download/Listen

Noise Megapost

I've gotten a heap of new noise submissions over the past two weeks, and now that I've pulled myself out of the lazy abyss that had been consuming my willpower I think I might post them now.

'DROWN' - GRVD
GRVD is the 'Depressive and Suicidal Harsh Noise' project of Brent Gunn, out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you're looking for thick, tightly compacted walls of noise and severely distorted vocals that practically just jump out of the throttle you then maybe you should give GRVD a listen. There's a heap of cool little deviations from the static and feedback from what sounds like a synthesizer and a few pedals, but I think the ultimate goal is to mow you down with some extremely violent noise.
Bandcamp

'13-31/31-13' - BoneMagic
'Charmingly retro' and 'dance-able' are not terms I'm used to throwing around on this blog, but yet here we are with BoneMagic. The brainchild of Matt Hex, BoneMagic invokes ritual atmospheres via the synth and drum machine flavors of 80s electronica, with his own harsh vocals. Seeing artists who've come from noisy backgrounds flirt with other genres is always rewarding, and the same can be said here - the synthwave/noise stylings of BoneMagic are something to behold/
Download

'Some Live Shit' - MPHIAT
As you might've figured from the titled, this EP features two live recordings from MPHIAT aka Zack Dion. This 7" was just released via H8 Track Stereo and features some of the most unhinged, deranged power electronics you'll ever hear. Apart from the wailing, high pitched screeches of feedback you'll also be treated to the inhuman, and utterly terrifying vocals of Zack, who sounds like a man possessed by a particularly malevolent demon. Harsh, scary stuff.
Download
Bandcamp

'Nativos' - God Pussy
Swirling vortexes of harsh fucking noise courtesy of God Pussy, a project from Brazil. My grasp of the Portugese language is abysmal (i.e non existent), so I resorted to google translate to find out more about this release. From what I can gather, Nativos is a chronicle of the atrocities and injustices faced by the native Brazillian people - presented through dynamic,  and very damaging harsh noise.
Download
Blogspot

'Acropolis' - Architeuthis Dux
Architeuthis Dux bring a whole new level of power electronics to the table on Acropolis, with their caustic melting pot of mangled synth, screeching electronics and garbled vocals. It's the weird, insectoid noise you'd expect from the likes of Bastard Noise, but ramped up to the absolute extreme with a constant barrage of the harshest possible tones. Most definitely not one for fans of ambient music.
Soundcloud/Download
Bandcamp

'When The Light Took Us Away' - Blakkr Nio
This one's not so much noise as it is a solo, guitar based drone project - but it should appeal to you noise freaks nonetheless. Across five tracks, Blakkr Nio explores heavy, grating drones, as well as more ethereal ambient pieces that recall some of Earth's later releases. While there is an element of 'tone worship' on When The Light Took Us Away, it is a distinctly lo-fi recording, which, combined with the doom laden, drawn out riffs invokes a superb atmosphere of isolation and desolation.
Bandcamp

INTERVIEW WITH 1/4 DEAD

Interview by Brayden Bagnall

With one demo out, and a new release to follow shortly, 1/4 Dead are taking hardcore back to it's ugly, fucked up roots and injecting it with a well needed dose of 'weird'. I spoke to the self described 'weirdo freak noise punk' band about stuff, and things. And by spoke to, I mean I sent them a .txt document with questions on it.

FBN: First up, who are you guys and where are you from?

-I'm Shayne I play drums and I'm from south jersey near philly.

-I'm Ethan I live in delaware and you can deduce what I play.

-I'm Eric I live with my mom in Delco.

-Im Joe and I move between parent's places in Delaware when they don't hate me.

FBN: Is your band's name some sort of sneaky scheme to draw in deathrock and anarcho punk fans?

Eric: Anarcho-what?? I don't know what you're talking about

Shayne: No it's just a cool name that has nothing to do with anything except our band

Eric: I don't even listen to Rudimentary Peni

Ethan: I like Reggae

Eric: *plays country riffs on his guitar*

Shayne: *turns off Eric's amp*

FBN: How did the band come together?

Joe: I started this as a solo project and I wanted to play the songs I'd written. I've played with Ethan since high school and with Eric for the past couple of years so after our last band fell apart I asked them to do another project with me.  It took a little while to figure out who would fill the drummer position but then I remembered Shayne had been in a couple bands that were pretty cool so I asked him. He was ready to say no but then we realized that we're all pretty close together so it would work out even though we're from 3 different states. 

FBN: What are a few bands you guys take inspiration from?

Shayne: I don't think this band has any inluences, we don't try to sound like any particular band or stlye, we just play hardcore punk that we think sounds good. Lately I've been listening to the Grateful Dead, Lil Ugly Mane, No Trend, Gang Starr, Ornette Coleman, Antiseen, Jimi Hendrix, the Butthole Surfers, and The O-Jays. But that has nothing to do with this band.

Eric: Is it against the punk rules to say Black Flag? On the tape we stole one of the riffs from an anihilation time song. bands that i borrow riffs/ styles from would be mutilation rites, no trend, plauge dogs, black flag, basically 

Joe: My main influences for this band are No Trend, SQRM, Flipper (on the first demo for the solo project I did a cover of HaHaHa), Crossed Out, Gudon, Man Is The Bastard, Total Abuse, Gay Kiss, The Crucifucks, and all that nasty noisy shit. 

Ethan: Everything except for country and rap...and I guess Discharge

FBN: Outside of music, what else influences your music and lyrics?

Joe: Crippling anxiety and depression and probably hentai

Shayne: Work, pro wrestling, drugs (especially acid), and dealing with mad problems. 

Eric: For me...drinking and having shitty bosses working in restaurants and wanting to put people in deep fryers. and Martian Manhunter. and the attitude era of WWE

Ethan: Getting fired from the deli, I think this is too deep for me. only real 90s kids will understand that. 

FBN: You've got a tape coming out on an English label -Vanity Pill Tapes - how did you get involved with them?

Joe: I had heard of them because they were an antifascist label involved in noise which I thought was really cool considering how saturated noise is with fascists. So I contacted them and sent them the demo and they loved it and wanted to work with us on our second tape. 

FBN: What's the most annoying trend in modern hardcore, in your opinion?

Shayne: For me it's bands who reform just for shows. fuck reunion shows. 

Eric: I hate shitty house show promoters who don't pay bands and kegs at hardcore shows. and kids with mohawks who have meal plans and think they're oi.

Ethan: Less circle pits,more fedora tips 

Joe:  I hate bands ripping off old bands or trying to relive 80s and 90s hardcore. Nostalgia is killing punk. 

FBN: 'Support the scene' - a genuine cause or tired slogan used by those wishing to force their way into the inner circle of said scene?

Eric: Words are bullshit

Joe: It's jut a lame slogan. I think some people who are super into the scene ignore the fact that they're lucky enough to have the friends and resources to be a part of it and really take that for granted.

Shayne: I think it's a tired slogan. Everyone contributes in different ways if they want to be involved, nobody's better then anyone else. Who are you calling out for not supporting? Preaching to the choir.   

FBN: What's the future looking like for 1/4 Dead? Shows, releases etc etc

Shayne: We've got a bunch of shows and a new tape and we hope to play shows farther out

Ethan: We're gonna do things and have stuff 

Joe: Probably suicide at some point 

FBN: Any final thoughts, shout outs or words of wisdom you wish to share with the internet?

Shayne: Fuck all y'all mutha fuckin haterz (fuck you). 2014, just finalized my divorce, OD for me. Shouts to Going Nowhere, supporters, and Raech and bake (macho man rae rae savage).

Eric: 1/4 dead we're just tryna tighten up our bankroll and make some power moves and go platinum

Ethan: Believe in the heart of the cards

Joe: I often wonder when Code Orange Kids[sic] will break up

Neato! Thanks for the interview guys. 

Keep a look put for the band's new tape on their bandcamp HERE and while you're at it, listen to their demo - definitely one of my favourite punk releases of 2K14 so far.

This Moment In Black History - It Takes A Nation Of Assholes To Hold Us Back

'It Takes A Nation Of Assholes To Hold Us Back'
This Moment In Black History
2007

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Swing Kids, Jesus Lizard, The Festival Of Dead Deer, Pigeon Religion

This Moment In Black History (TMIBH from here on in) are a quartet from Cleveland, Ohio who've been at it since 2001. Equal parts hardcore and angular 90s noise rock, TMIBH's sound is boisterous, energetic and just a little bit aggressive. Listening to It Takes A Nation... I also picked up some elements of post hardcore, most evident in the guitar work, which occasionally deviates from the usual punk/hardcore power chord progressions and into more dissonant, free form territory. The interesting guitar work is complemented with a steady rhythm section and sporadic squelches, phases and buzzes from a synthesizer. To top it off, front man Chris Kulcsar's almost 'sassy' take on the usual gruff punk vocals recalls a slightly less manic David Yow, with more melody.
It Takes A Nation... is one of those awesome albums that'll appeal to just about anybody into the weirder side of punk It's noisy and aggressive enough to get your attention, and it keeps it with it's experimental tendencies and unusual song structures.

TRACKLISTING:
1. World B. Free
2. Larry Pulled A Knife
3. Garbage In/Garbage Out
4. Back In A Plaza Groove
5. Let's Talk About A Civil War
6. Economy Of Line
7. God On Drugs
8. On Tour With Charlie Parker
9. Tape Don't Lie
10. Code Unknown
11. My Warden
12. For On The Floor
13. Parish Sinker
14. Nailed To The Cross

Download

Skin Crime/Government Alpha - Unnatural Disasters

'Unnatural Disasters'
Skin Crime/Government Alpha
1998

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Harsh Noise, Harsh Noise Wall, Japanoise
For Fans Of: MSBR, Sewer Election, The Rita, Incapacitants

DENSE
Brevity is a valued commodity, and as far as I'm concerned that's pretty apt description for this release, but I'll guess I'll go into more detail for this one. *sigh*
Skin Crime is an American harsh noise trio who've been kicking it since 1994 and Government Alpha is the solo project of Yasutoshi Yoshida, from Japan, obviously.
Skin Crim contribute a twenty minute long track to this split, 'Unnatural Disasters'. Essentially harsh noise wall - it has  monolithic low end and crumbling textures in all the right places, with some tasty little deviations and dynamics in the background.
Government Alpha's two contributions are actually two separate live recordings which capture his hectic, metallic harsh noise at its most brutal, cut up best. The two tracks, 'Disaster Area 1' and Disaster Area 2' retain the sonic heft of Skin Crime's track, but forcefully insert the madness you'd expect from a Japanois artist, and golly gee does it work.

TRACKLISTING:
SKIN CRIME
1. Unnatural Disasters

GOVERNMENT ALPHA
2. Disaster Area 1 (Recorded Live 14th Feb, 1998)
3. Disaster Area 2 (Recorded Live 26th July, 1997)

Download

Nazti Skinz - Sic Semper Tyrannis

'Sic Semper Tyrannis'
Nazti Skinz
2002

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Hardcore
For Fans Of: Void, The Repos, Ecoli, Necros, Die Kreuzen

Sloppy and fast.
Not only does that adequately sum up my sex life, but it's also a fair indication of what short lived hardcore band Nazti Skin were getting up to in 2002 with their only release, Sic Semper Tyrannis. I'll  also throw around the 'underrated' and 'short lived' tirade too, because that's kind of true too.
Nazti Skinz play lean and mean, but they also take cues from the weirder, more obscure bands from 1980s hardcore, so there's some weirder elements to the thrashy riffs and pounding bass lines. There's aping the 80s and then there's tasteful appropriation, and I think Nazti Skinz fit snugly into the latter - they're not rewriting the hardcore wheel, but they're playing in a way that feels fresh and invigorating. It also helps that they're not ripping off Boston hardcore - because that stuff generally bores me to tears.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Defending Liberty
2. Bootlick
3. No Accident
4. Tirade
5. Criminal Crime
6. Race War

Download

Sete Star Sept and Limbs Bin - Split

'Split'
Sete Star Sept/Limbs Bin
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Harsh Noise, Noisecore, Noisegrind
For Fans Of: 7MON, Nihilist Commando, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Masonna, Bastard Noise

There's a good chance you'll know who Sete Star Sept (7s7) are if you follow this blog, but for those of you unaware, 7s7 are a super prolific, two piece Japanese noisegrind band. Honestly, I've lost track of how many releases they've put out and I'm not entirely sure how the hell they manage to churn out that amount of releases, but hey, I'm glad they do.
The recording on this is a little scratchy, and very heavy on the treble, but  for the most part, I can hear 7s7 journeying into harsher, more improvised territory, with a greater emphasis on pure feedback, wild drumming and absolutely throat shredding vocals. It's a bit tricky to tell exactly what is making which noise given the quality of the recording, but for twenty minutes you'll be treated to the harshest improv jam in the history of recorded improv jams. Neat.
Aaaaaaaaaaand on the flipside, you have one man harsh noisegrind Limbs Bin! Josh Landes has been putting out his style of grind influenced harsh noise since 2008, and much like 7s7's stuff, it focuses very heavily on short, violent and painful aural temper tantrums. Purely electronic, with drum machines, harsh synths and burly vocals, Limbs Bin side is jab after jab after jab of brutal ear puncturing outbursts with these neat little spacey interludes in between them. In fact closing track As Above, So Below is fourteen whole minutes of that weirdo, spacey noise (which is reminiscent of some of Man Is The Bastard/Bastard Noise's stuff).
This is a really cool split by currently two of the most prolific noise groups out there - it's a mixed bag - but it's also pretty fucking harsh. Dig it below.

TRACKLISTING:
SETE STAR SEPT
1. Peace Preservation Law
LIMBS BIN 
2. Intro + Unmoored + A Breakdown Of Respect + Authority Violated + Sweet Tea At The JCC + Alone
3. Thamsanqa Jantjie + Love Of Painful Noise
4.White Christ + Golden Sandwich + Thuggery
5. Late Night At The Compound
6. Hemoclysm + XIII + Childs Park + The Color Of Gore + Mars Penal Colony
7. Apex Predator + To Step On The Bridge Of Light + Total Collapse + Goodbye
8. Goodbye Again + To Pittsfield, Forever Undefeated
9. As Above, So Below

Bandcamp

Norymberga - Self Titled

'Norymberga'
Norymberga
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Punk, Noise Rock, Blackened Punk
For Fans Of: Bone Awl, Drunkdriver, Sexdrome, Hoax, Brainbombs

Wow. File this under shit I was definitely not expecting.
In the email I received from these guys (who hail from Wroclaw, Poland) I was told to expect 'some sort of noise-punk', and while that's not necessarily untrue - it was also the understatement of the century.
Fuck.
Okay, so imagine if you will stompy, hardcore punk. Got that? Okay, well THROW IT OFF THE FUCKING TABLE AND STOMP IT TO SHIT... and while you're at it, throw feedback at - ungodly, unrelenting amounts of feedback. And you know what? Throw some obtuse, atonal guitar licks into the broken pile of instruments you've just created. Vocals - well you're talking a ferocious, distorted to the point of incomprehensibility black metal roar. Sounds pretty scary, huh? Well it fucking is.
Honestly, I was not expecting this level of venom and destruction from this band, so I was just absolutely floored when the vocals and instruments kicked in. Not only that, but the band do retain a vaguely 'catchy' (or at least a 'I can mosh to this') sound, despite the thick, fuzzy walls of noise leaping out at you.
This is the kind of music that gets me excited. You should get excited about it too. Check it out.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Reakcja atomowa
2. Umieć latać i rozmawiać ze zwierzętami
3. Szympans
4. Osiedle Piastowskie
5. ...
6. Norymberga

Bandcamp
Download

Drowse - Songs To Sleep On

'Songs To Sleep On'
Drowse
2013

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Ambient, Experimental
For Fans Of: Tim Hecker, Pale Earth, Ben Frost, David Lynch, Planning For Burial

It's fitting that the album cover to this release by Drowse is a pillow, not just because of the project's name, but because of the dreamy, heavenly layers of sound that permeate the three tracks on Songs To Sleep On. Much like the surreal, dreamlike cinematic work of David Lynch (who's musical output is similar), Drowse's music has a similar hazy, uncertain tone but with a much more sugary and uplifting quality - i.e something you definitely want to find in or around your pillow. Songs To Sleep is primarily constructed with minimal synth lines and vocals, but layered and manipulated in such a way that the tracks never become repetitive and boring. Much like shoegaze or noise music, the thick walls of sound will have you coming back again and again, trying to pick apart the subtle nuances and elements that comprise Drowse's music.

TRACKLISTING:
1. leaving
2. needing
3. waiting

Bandcamp
Purchase the Tape Here!

!FUCKED BY NOISE MID-YEAR ROUND-UP! - Brayden's Picks

Welp. It's June already, which means 2014 is at it's halfway mark. On one hand I feel as if I've wasted the year and done nothing of real value, but on the other hand - THERE'S BEEN HEAPS OF REALLY GOOD FUCKING MUSIC RELEASED - and we've got six months of it left!
Without further ado, here is my top ten releases of 2014 so far. EPs, LPs, demos and all.

SWANS - To Be Kind

....


....

.......well duh



But also...

IDYLLS - Prayer For Terrene 
Okay, I've got to give this some more credit. Australia's best band got besterer with this release, honing their math-y brand of hardcore into a meaner, more concise noise machine. Much more of grind influence seeping into tracks such as 'Sow Control' and 'Animal Test', re-recorded tracks from the Indian Circle EP (Pay With Youth/Concord Prison) and my favourite track of the year so far with 'PCP Crazy', a throwback to scuzzy 80s Australian noise rock. A new vocalist, more vicious songs and added sax have really payed off for these Brisbanites.

JARHEAD FERTILIZER/PURGE - Always Faithful
Phwoar. Utterly pulverizing grind delivered in a neat, little package. And by little, I mean this thing goes for less than five minutes.
Both Purge and Jarhead Fertilizer deliver chaotic, breakneck grindcore that it's surprisingly well produced, so not one blastbeat goes unheard. While Jarhead lean towards a more unhinged, consistently fast sound, Purge change things up vocally and musically - ain't nothing wrong with a little chug.
Both sides are as equally devastating (and good), it's just a pity they don't go for longer.

THE LOWEST FORM- Negative Ecstasy
Iron Lung Records continue their winning streak with this absolute beast of an LP. There's hardcore, and then there's the rabid, brutal sonic attack that these British punks peddle. While it may be straight forward songwriting, The Lowest Form deliver their music at such intense levels that you'll be picking your bloody teeth off the ground after listening to this. The mean, buzzsaw guitar is accompanied very nicely by unholy amounts of feedback, frantic drumwork and absolutely pissed of, gruff vocals.
I'm inclined to say this is my favourite hardcore release of the year so far.


WARTHOG - Prison 7"
More hardcore. More Iron Lung Records. Oops.
Warthog are a New York based hardcore punk band who feature ex The Men vocalist Chris Hansell. While they're not a far cry from The Men's noise punk days, Warthog deliver a much more focused, straight to the point punch with their stompy, blown out hardcore tunes.
Hansell is as unhinged as ever on vocals, while the rest of the band conjure up a d-beat/punk inspired storm. This is perfect music to just fucking mosh your way through a wall to. Seriously.



CROATIAN AMOR - Genitalia Garden
And now for something completely different!
Loke Rahbek is a busy man indeed - as if Sexdrome (RIP), Var, Damien Dubrovnik and Lust For Youth (plus running a record label) weren't enough work. But here we are with Croatian Amor, the self styled 'bubblegum industrial' project of the aforementioned Dane. Genitalia Garden  is a collage comprised of field recordings, samples and warm bubbly synth that comes together to form the soundtrack to a grimy European arthouse flick that doesn't exist yet.


1/4 DEAD - Demo
What an excellent demo, seriously. These so called 'weirdo freak noise punks' have certainly lived up to the moniker with this 5 track salute to noise rock and hardcore punk. Erratic Greg Ginn-esque guitar work and manic, reverb coated vocals meet to form a deliciously unique take on hardcore, that just reeks of alienation and frustration. Every thing I could want from a punk release, and more.
Certainly the last thing you'd expect to come out of Delaware, that's for sure


THE BODY/HAXAN CLOAK - I Shall Die Here
This has been wowing music fans all over, and I can't say I'm surprised either - Haxan Cloak's dark ambient/electronica and The Body's experimental sludge dirges proved to be a very, very well suited couple indeed on I Shall Die Here. Haxan Cloak's manipulations, glitches and background ambience launched The Body's already terrifying music into dizzying heights, creating one of 2014's spookiest listens by far. Ignore the hype, ignore the fanboys, just listen to this and form your own opinions. You won't regret it. Probably.


CULT LEADER - Nothing For Us Here
if, like me, you were incredibly bummed out by the demise of Gaza, then you were probably super stoked to here about the formation of Gaza 2.0 aka Cult Leader. The wait proved to be well worth it, seeing a much more honed, precise take on the math/sludge/metalcore/grind formula that we all know and love. Better yet, new vocalist Anthony Lucero's throaty, gritty bellow is so similar to Jon Parkin's vocals, I was barely able to tell the difference. GAZA LIVES - just with a different name, I guess.


DEEP CREEPS - Crown Gall\

At first glance, a garlic themed band may be an amusing gimmick at best, but Deep Creeps proved they had the musical chops to back up their garlic-y alignments. Crown Gall was strung out, weirdo punk at its finest, throwing in a multitude of various other heavy genres to thicken it's musical broth. I reviewed this album on this very blog earlier this year, and I highly recommend you go check it out.




MALLEVS - Mallevs
Arizona's consistently brilliant music scene gave us yet another gem this year in Mallevs' self titled LP.
Mallevs present darkwave/minimal wave filtered through industrial and techno, with a dreary and grimy aesthetic with deadpan (female) vocal delivery. This is the sort of music you listen to while you're wearing a leather jacket and ray bans. This is the sonic equivalent of 70s/80s New York, without the rampant crime and violence. Mostly it's just good.





Anticipated releases for the remainder of 2k14:
- TRIAC (Full length and split with Lie Still)
- New SHELLAC
- COLUMN OF HEAVEN split with SUFFERING LUNA
- New LIZZARD WIZZARD
- FULL OF HELL collaboration with MERZBOW (!!!!!!!!!!)