Pinnacle - Shakey

'Shakey'
Pinnacle
2015

Band Submission

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Post Hardcore,
For Fans Of: WALLS, Kowloon Walled City, Unwound, Neurosis, The Dazzling Killmen

When people throw terms like 'noise rock' and 'post hardcore' around I get a little bit excited - it's hardwired into me. And when you add words like 'sludge' into the mix I sit up very abruptly and hit my head on a low hanging surface. Congrats to Californian band Pinnacle for doing just this, and incorporating three very nice genres into their sound. As you might expect, the band very heavily guitar oriented music, with plenty of atonal chords and noisy noodling included for good measure. What separates Pinnacle from most other noisy post hardcore bands however is the inclusion of sludgy, post metal-esque song structures - atmospheric buildups and cathartic crescendos. That being said, the usual genre stalwarts are there too - varied clean/strained vocals and an undeniable energy and emotional undercurrent running through each track.
It's great to see a band take a genre of music so deeply indebted to bands from the 90s and entrenched in stylistic norms and make it new and exciting again, without completely erasing its core characteristics. Great stuff - and it's available now for you over at Pinnacle's bandcamp page as a name your own price download. Geddonit.

TRACKLISTING:
1. flood
2. i'm not
3. gorgias

Bandcamp

Blank Veins - From One Head EP

'From One Head'
Blank Veins
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock
For Fans Of: D.N.A, Brainbombs, Arab On Radar, Billy Bao, Sex Scheme, The Pop Group, Puffy Areolas

When the first stabs of treble drenched, over-driven guitar ring out, it sounds as if Blank Veins are about to take you straight into abstract, no-wave territory. But as the first track progresses and the drums and bass kick in, this bad boy veers straight into sleazy, pummeling noise rock territory. And fuck, as soon as the sax snaked its way in through the cacophony I was completely sold.
Blank Veins take a simple, atonal riff and drive it forward for the entire duration of the song - completely deconstructing it and annihilating it in the process while the rhythm section pounds away in the background. Add intermittent background noise, yelled/slurred vocals and of course the sax and you have some sort of bastard child born from the fling between a Rhode Island noise rock band and an ex-East Village punk. Totally nihilistic, unrelenting stuff.

TRACKLISTING:
1. From One Head to Another
2. The Heat was Rising
3. Soaking Text
4. White Lights and Black Dots

Download

Gláss - Foreign Bastard

'Foreign Bastard'
Gláss
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Post Punk, Noise Rock
For Fans Of: Iceage. Wire, Gang Of Four, Unwound, Shipping News, June Of 44

Gláss are a three piece band straight outta Greenville, South Carolina that play particularly somber music. Taking the frosty stabs of clean guitar and gloom from 1970s post punk and the cathartic bursts of distortion from 1990s post-hardcore/noise rock and subtle nods to post rock and ambient music, Gláss twist all these style into a sound that is distinctly their own.
Each track exhibits gripping tension through buildups and sudden switches between quiet atmospherics, atonal guitar noise and massive riffs. Both vocalists adopt an emotionally distant, and softly delivered approach that remains cold and melancholic throughout the entirety of Foreign Bastard, letting the instruments convey the mood instead.
If you're the sort of person that loves the build ups and crescendos of post rock but can't be bothered to wait 10 minutes for them to happen, have a particularly soft spot for Louisville, Kentucky or just have a profound appreciation for moody, dark music this one's for you.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Scuff
2. S-Man
3. Room One
4. Widow
5. I'm Made of Plastic (and Spark)

Bandcamp

Status Noll - Self Titled

'Status Noll'
Status Noll
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Hardcore, Blackened Punk
For Fans Of: Church Whip, Sewer Drainer, Hoax, Divisions, Vile Gash

Hailing from Norrköping, Sweden - Status Noll play raw negative music that draws influence from the likes of hardcore, blackened punk and Swedish D-Beat.
Embracing a decidedly lo-fi (albeit coherent) live sound, Status Noll plow through their songs at either breakneck speeds or glacial, stompy pace - combined the two make for a suitably aggressive and nasty couple. The lyrics are delivered as a hoarse, menacing bark - in both English and Swedish - and are as mean and downtrodden as the music they're accompanying.
In summary: awesome, straight-up, no frills hardcore oozing with malice and dark energy. It's free, it's on bandcamp and it's totally worth your time.

 TRACKLISTING:
1. I Want to Suffer
2. Nej
3. A Knife
4. Pointless
5. NEET Punk

Bandcamp

Fuck The Facts - Abandoned

'Abandoned'
Fuck The Facts
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Grindcore
For Fans Of: Maruta, Mumakil, Blockheads, Rotten Sound, Afgrund, Cloud Rat

Fuck The Facts really need no introduction - the French Canadian band has been playing their self coined brand of 'bastardized grindcore' for just over fifteen years now, and have a rather prolific catalog of releases under their collective belt.
Abandoned is the latest three track EP from the four piece, and again showcases their ability to write songs that are both ridiculously heavy and intense, while jamming neat little melodic sections in any available section. Seriously, in the first song alone there's hints of melodic death metal, neocrust, hardcore and grindcore that transition perfectly into each other. The impressive musicianship is matched by the dynamic, dual vocal combination of Mel Mongeon and Marc Bourgon who provide high shrieks and throaty lows respectively. On Abandoned, Fuck The Facts really do come off as a band with an endless source of interesting new ideas, and the constant twists and turns the three songs here take reaffirm this.
Abandon is available to stream and download of their bandcamp for a measly $1 CAD, but they've also most graciously included a free download link for the blog. I highly recommend you check this out and swing by their bandcamp later where you'll find all of their releases available to stream and purchase.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Endless Emptiness
2. Disabused
3. L'impasse

Bandcamp
Download

Swinging Balls - Swinging Balls

'Swinging Balls'
Swinging Balls
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Sludge, Doom
For Fans Of: Flipper, Cherubs, Harvey Milk, Swans, Sleep, Melvins

Remember the first time you listened to 'Lysol' by Melvins, or 'Dopesmoker' by Sleep? Those looooooooooong, continuous droney riffs pouding away at your skull until the bass and drums kick in, essentially resulting in what the experts are calling an 'eargasm'?
You're in luck, as this self titled debut from Swinging Balls opens with exactly that kind of formula, and from there on in explores the full range of downtrodden sounds offered by down tuned guitars and oppressively slow tempos.
Hailing from Coventry, England, the four piece's off kilter style of music borrows from doom metal and sludge, adds some angular noise rock and the nihilistic, repetitious tendencies  of early 80s Swans. Top the plodding bass and guitar riffs of with a gruff vocal performance that sounds like a cross between Cherub's Kevin Whitley and Harvey Milk's Creston Spiers, you've got a winning combination that's as sonically hefty as it is diverse.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Riff
2. Sabbath
3. Sleepbombs (Ripped to Pieces)
4. Last Song, Last Set
Download

Mutter - Trashed Body

'Trashed Body'
Mutter
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Atmospheric Black Metal, DSBM, Experimental Black Metal, Ambient
For Fans Of: Mamaleek, Wolves In The Throne Room, Locrian, Jesu, Pink City

Black metal is no stranger to synthesizers and guitar-less tracks - but to extend that beyond a single ambient track on an album and to foreground the synth as the main instrument in the band is something else. Enter Mutter, a Western Massachusetts project that does just this.
On Trashed Body, the synthesizer is used to created lush drones and harsh oscillating burst of sound layered on top of each other to create an all encompassing wall of sound. Utilizing a drum machine as the means of percussion, Mutter switches between a more traditional black metal drum sound and a heavily distorted, electronic drum sound that borders on EBM or industrial. Combined with the washed out vocals, this thing just pummels you with this constant barrage of stark, experimental black metal and frost ambiance.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Hell Is Your Body
2. Mud Wasp
3. A Stranger In Your House
4. Spore Breather
5. Dry Cum

Bandcamp

ColumnIII - Forrotian

Forrotian
ColumnIII
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Sludge Metal, Noise Rock, Post Metal
For Fans Of: KEN Mode, Fight Amp, Old Man Gloom, The Body

ColumnIII are a band hailing from Tempe, Arizona who certainly live up to their bandcamp's page promise of 'NOISY ROCK'.
The four piece band play a brooding, progressive strain of sludge metal, steeped in dissonant atmospherics and glacial riffs. There's layers upon layers of sounds to pick apart here, but most notably there's an excellent interchange between the darker, noisier passages and some subtle, underlying melodic guitar and bass work. Forrotian also displays ColumnIII's multifaceted approach to songwriting - opening track Disdain is a more traditional sludgy post metal track, while Custom To Bury sits somewhere between angular noise rock and math rock. The title track itself is a more subdued affair with distant vocals and heavily delayed guitar lines mingling with a droning bass guitar.  Together it's 6 tracks of dark, heavy soundscapes interspersed with frosty melodies and stark quiet/loud dynamics.
Forrotian, along with three of ColumnIII's releases are available as pay-what-you-want downloads, the link to which you can find below.

Bandcamp
1. Disdain
2. Chamber
3. Custom to Bury
4. Not to Preserve
5. Forrotian
6. Self-abasement

Bandcamp

Sex Snobs - Lonely

'Lonely'
Sex Snobs
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Alternative
For Fans Of: The Jesus Lizard, Future Of The Left, Cherubs, Death From Above 1979, Melvins

Sex Snobs are a three piece outfit hailing from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who play a mixture of alternative and noise rock. Taking inspiration from the likes of Am Rep and Touch And Go's scuzzier side and filtering it through the  cleaner sounds of modern alternative rock to create something that's equally as abrasive as it is toe tappingly catchy.
Lonely presents you with 7 tracks of this heavily riff driven take on the genre - and while the tends to stick to a fairly straightforward approach in terms of verse/chorus/verse dynamics, they throw in the occasional curveball with wailing guitar noise, strained vocals or plain old feedback. The guitar certainly represents a fair portion of Sex Snob's sonic output, but its the tight rhythm section that holds it all together. The overdriven muddy bass guitar cuts a swathe through the power chords whilst the drums provide a suitably bombastic, energetic backing for the band.
Lonely, Sex Snob's new EP Ugly and their demo are all available for download at their bandcamp (pay-what-you-want).

TRACKLISTING:
1. Sick as a Dog
2. The Idiot Room
3. Lonely
4. The Other Room
5. Pissin' the Bed
6. King of the Jungle
7. Prologue

Bandcamp

Vertigo Index - Posthuman v1.1

'Posthuman v1.1'
Vertigo Index
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Grindcore
For Fans Of: Discordance Axis, Noisear, 324, Napalm Death, Cellgraft, Gaza

Any band that names themselves after a Discordance Axis song are okay in my book - and if they happen to sound like them, hell that's even better. But that's not to say Ohio band, Vertigo Index, are mindless clones. Rather the three piece band channel the chaotic, angular grindcore we know and love into an entirely different, yet vaguely familiar beast - even one that recalls the likes of chaotic hardcore in the vein of Gaza or Cult Leader.
Sporting a definite hardcore influence in both musical and vocal delivery that ties in nicely with the usual grindcore stalwarts (i.e blastbeats, guttural vocals and blistering tempos), Posthuman v1.1 certainly shows potential, given that this is the band's first recording.
Wearing your influences on your sleeve is one thing, but having the chops to do that and crank out some original, killer tunes is another, and Vertigo Index do this with flying colours. Head on over to their bandcamp where Posthuman V1.1 is available as a pay-what-you-want download, or hit up the link below.

TRACKLISTING:
1. The New Tomorrow
2. No Fate But What We Make
3. Posthuman Decline
4. Mother Boxx
5. Chrono Distorter
6. Head In The Mushroom Clouds

Bandcamp
Download

Veuve S.S - VISCÈRES EP

'VISCÈRES EP'
Veuve S.S.
2012

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Hardcore
For Fans Of: Vile Gash, Cult Ritual, Nazi Dust, The Men, Hoax, Torch Runner

I was put onto this band by a guy who may or may not be a member (it's hard to tell when all the band members are listed under initials only), and I gotta say, I'm glad I got that email.
Veuve S.S. seem to be embracing all the best things about (mysterious guy) hardcore - the violence, the esotericism and the dark vibes. The French four piece have concocted a gnarly sound that successfully merges the feedback drenched, angular riffage of noisy hardcore, and the chaotic, claustrophobic vibe of dark hardcore. Combine this with some ungodly, crusty vocals and you've got yourself a pretty formidable band.
Veuve S.S. speed back and forth between sludgy, noise rock dirges, powerchord bangers and blastbeat frenzies in the space of one song, and sound damn good doing it. Variation is always welcome, even more so if its coming at you like a nest of angry hornets.
The Visceres EP, along with later splits and releases PLUS a demo are all available on the band's bandcamp for free or purchase in physical form. Additionally, if you're keen to keep up with the band and check out some cool artwork, head on over to their blog HERE and chuck them a follow if you happen to be a tumblr user.

TRACKLISTING:
1. AU FOND
2. CATHÉDRALES
3. COMME LES VERS
4. VISCÈRES
5. DISCIPLINE
6. CREVARD

Bandcamp

Umor - Held Us Silent For A Moment

'Held Us Silent For A Moment'
Umor
2014

(Band Submission)

Review By Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Doom Metal, Post Metal
For Fans Of: Earth, Harvey Milk, Joy Division, Isis, Melvins, Suffocate For Fucks Sake

AAAAAGGGHHH
I tried to contain my excitement, but alas it has escaped me, no thanks to the subject of this post - Croatian band, Umor.
...Don't get me wrong, I get great band submissions all the time here, but every once and a while you get albums like Held Us Silent For A Moment that come along and not only exceed your expectations - but beat them to a bloody pulp, feed them into a mulcher and spray their fine, visceral remains all over the place. Thank you Umor.
Held Us Silent... contains most of the ingredients found in many other doom/post metal band formulas - the giant brooding riffs, a dash of melody and nice, clean production  - what sets Umor apartis their flawless vocal delivery. I can draw comparison to both Ian Curtis, AND Glenn Danzig, but this guy really makes it his own, rising and falling with the gigantic, doom-y cascades that serve as the backing to Umor's mournful, atmospheric music. Doom and Post Metal are both genres ridden with hackneyed impostors and boring musicians but Umor put a unique spin on their dirges, and an impressively unique take on the quiet/loud dynamic.
While I'm still picking my jaw out of my lap, maybe you should check Umor out - I'd wager that there's something here for any fan of slow, heavy music - drone, doom, sludge or post metal, and you know what, I reckon the post punk fans could get on this too. Held Us Silent..., as well as a few other releases are available for download - FOR FREE - on their bandcamp, all the more reason to check it out.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Stowaway
2. Opportunity To Be Heard
3. Sandstone
4. He Spun A Dozen Times
5. Cotton Rose
6. Vinous Red

Bandcamp

Golden Bats - VI

'VI'
Golden Bats
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Sludge, Doom
For Fans Of: Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath, Satan's Satyr, Rwake

Golden Bats is a sludge/doom project from Brisbane, Australia from singular, 'Golden Bat' Geordie Stafford. As the title may suggest, this is his sixth release (seventh if you count the split with Dumb Numbers),and it's a fine of example of someone making much more noise than a singular person has any business doing. Not that that's a bad thing at all. While it's a one man band, that doesn't stop Golden Bats from sounding like any other fully fleshed out musical project, with Geordie handling vocal and guitar, and a machine handling the drumming - both in studio and live.
VI pairs Sabbath style doom riffs with the harsher elements of sludge metal to great effect. The plodding  dirges also dive into melodic territories, offering harmonizing guitar lines and synth deviations that are surprisingly uplifting given the downtrodden nature of the tunes. Vocal wise, Golden Bats are more akin to the more abrasive side of sludge, with a hoarse throaty bellow coated in a tasteful layer of reverb. Together it's a formidable slab of dark vibes, tasty riffs and a kick-ass Autopsy cover.
VI and all of Golden Bats' other releases are available for your listening and downloading pleasure on their bandcamp - which I highly suggest you go visit now.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Mountain Eyes
2. Block Out The Sun
3. Rast Blast
4. Ridden With Disease (Autopsy)
5. Jenny Haniver

Bandcamp

Senior Fellows - Ecclesiastical Servitude

'Ecclesiastical Servitude'
Senior Fellows
2013

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Sludge
For Fans Of: Thou, Admiral Angry, Black Sheep Wall, The Abominable Iron Sloth, KEN Mode

Tune your strings to drop spaghetti and grow your hair out kids, IT'S SLUDGE TIME.
Sludge time today is brought to you courtesy of Oklahoma 'Political Sludge' band, Senior Fellows who combine crushing low end and pummeling riffs with socially conscious and intelligent lyrics.
On Ecclesiastical Servitude, Senior Fellows juxtapose massively downtuned 'chugs' with interesting, and slightly 'off kilter' riffs that would sound right at home with noisier metalcore acts such as Fight Amp or KEN Mode. This innovative approach to sludge (which is usually pretty straightforward and derivative) really does lend itself to a fairly progressive take on the genre, that keeps each of the 11 tracks on this album from sounding dull or repetitive. Paired with the crisp production and bowel rupturing heaviness, Senior Fellows have indeed crafted a formidable entry into the annals of modern sludge metal.

TRACKLISTING:
1. ATROCITIES EXPLODE THE DELUSION OF TOLERANCE (#24)
2. OFFICER, ARE YOU DETAINING ME, OR AM I FREE TO GO? (#8)
3. TERROR, HARM, AND JUSTICE (#22)
4. GOD ENDORSED SLAVERY (#2)
5. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF BIBLICAL MORALITY AND ITS INJURIOUS IMPACT ON
    SOCIETY (#19)
6. CREDIT DEFAULT SWAPS (#9)
7. UNDERESTIMATING THE EXTENT OF PREJUDICE IN THE WHITE POPULATION (#23)
8. FUNDAMENTALIST INTERPRETATION (#14)
9. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR (#13)
10. RECEIVE NO MERCY AND BE EXTERMINATED, AS THE LORD COMMANDED (#16) 02:56
11. STEPPED FORWARD TO RULE (#15)

Bandcamp

Clotting - Sensory Secretion

'Sensory Secretion'
Clotting
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Power Electronics
For Fans Of: Deathpile, Slogun, Bastard Noise, The Rita, Grunt

I can't decide whether it was the True Detective sample that opens this release, or the bastardization of Take My Breath Away on the closing track that cemented by firm approval for Clotting's brand of power electronics. This four track cassette from the Chicago based project contains quite a few samples, such as the aforementioned two, as well as some uttely ferocious walls of fuzz and distortion, and powerful vocals thrust straight to foreground. The vocals sit very highly in the mix, sometimes receding into the pulses and swashes of the background noise, and divert time between a more standard bark/command and beefy gutturals, not too dissimilar to that of Eric Wood's subterranean growl. The noise on the other hand sits somewhere between straight up harsh noise walls,  interspersed with a manner of distorted squeals, wails and synth pulses. All together it's a fairly minimal, primitive take on power electronics, composed in a manner that allows the vocals and samples to form a narrative. Simply put, it's a well constructed monolith of sound that also happens to be collapsing on your person, and will surely crush you and your precious vital organs with it's static-y girth.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Sensory Secretion
2. Mindless Digestion
3. Compromised Machine
4. Abducted Breath

Bandcamp

Abjection Ritual - Self Titled

'Abjection Ritual'
Abjection Ritual
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Industrial, Death Industrial
For Fans Of: IRM, Pharmakon, Skin Area, Nyodene D, Navicon Torture Technologies

If you're looking for something bleak, noisy and absolutely APOCALYPTIC to ruin your day then look no further, for you have found it here. Abjection Ritual is a solo death industrial project from Pennyslvania, USA, and this here is the stunning self titled debut release.
Abjection Ritual is built around numerous components - synth, noise, samples and vocals - delivered in massive, exquisitely composed tracks. thats tows the line between creepy ambient pieces, and the aforementioned APOCALYPTIC industrial dirges.
Each track sees new ideas and sounds explored - tracks such as Wastrel utilize minimal percussion and vocals pushed to the foreground of the mix, while Haunted Distraction is entirely 'instrumental' and serves as as a chilling soundscape. 
As much as I love my improvised noise, there's no denying the power that deliberately composed pieces have, and Abjection Ritual most certainly demonstrates this on this release. Turn this one up loud and enjoy the sounds of the end of the world.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Wastrel
2. Painted Womb
3. Haunted To Distraction
4. A Body Against Itself
5. Thought Hostage

Bandcamp

Wreak Wrists - Demo

'Demo'
Wreak Wrists
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Screamo, Emoviolence
For Fans Of: In/Humanity, Guyana Punch Line, Loma Prieta, Young And In The Way

Wreak Wrists are a sceamo band from Asheville, North Carolina - whose sound encapsulates the unbridled ferocity of 90s 'emoviolence', adds a smidgeon of 'balckened' into the mix and sends it off to school with a kiss and a packed lunch.
While Wreak Wrists do flirt with melody, their primary means of conveying their raw, emotional music is through blast beats, pummeling tremolo riffs and throaty screams.
For a demo, this is an absolutely massive sounding release, and with the blistering instrumentation and vocals it's pretty fucking formidable. Epic, aggressive screamo at it's most fierce, chaotic best.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Inescapable
2. Trail Stained
3. Cavalcade
4. Spreading
5. Nausea
6. Quiet Entombed

Bandcamp
Download

Bichkraft - маскот

'маскот'

Bichkraft

2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Industrial Rock, Post Punk

For Fans Of: Big Black, A Place To Bury Strangers, Pink City, Dreamdecay

Whether you're an analogue purist or digital fiend - we all know that drum machines have a place in heavy music. Big Black demonstrated this waaaay back in the 80s, and bands like Agoraphobic Nosebleed have opened up a multitude of possibilities for up and coming grinders (for better, and for much, much worse). Bichkraft, much like AnB have seen the potential for crafting unique and exciting music via the drum machine, but instead of dialing in blast beats at 10bazillion bpm, they've opted for breakbeat/techno inspired drums. 

Thankfully you're not dealing with Venetian Snares-esque beats (though that would be interesting), rather they're more subdued, sophisticated patterns that weave in and out of the hazy guitar lines and droning passages of feedback. The vocals are hidden behind a layer of delay and buried into the mix, lending a pleasant, vaguely dystopian slant to the overall sound.

маскот is a seamless blend of organic and inorganic compounds, a combination that is both robotic and full of life. Cold and distant when it needs to be, energetic and groove-ridden when it's not. 

TRACKLISTING:

1. не знал 

2. кроссовки 

3. свитер

4. а4 

5. тебе 12 

6. кусты 

7. майти найт дикс 

8. форд скорпио 

9. жорж 

10. widlce 

Bandcamp

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