Weekly Roundup: April 19th
Weekly Roundup: April 19th
Featuring Quicksand, Church Tongue, Bewitcher, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Bewitcher – “Electric Phantoms”
Self-identifying as Lucifer’s house band, Oregonians Bewitcher are patrons of a particular type of sound: “HEAVY METAL AT THE SPEED OF SATAN.” On their latest album, Cursed Be Thy Kingdom, this unholy trio sound like a match made in Hell, as exemplified by their latest single “Electric Phantoms”: galloping drums, finger-melting riffs, blazing solos, and devilish shrieks. Watch the video below:
World Peace – Come and See
Hardcore power-violence minus serrated guitar riffage? Sure, why not? On their debut LP, Oakland trio World Peace bring the low-end pain with nothing but caustic vocals and a rumbling rhythm section. There are twenty tracks on offer with Come and See, and not one of them runs over a minute. It’s a fast, furious, and refreshing record with absolutely zero interest in staying power. Stream the LP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Imprisoned – “The Unstoppable Marching of Time”
It’s been a while for Melbourne bruisers Imprisoned, and the quintet’s bludgeoning new single announces two distinct changes for the band: the introduction of vocalist/frontman Jamie Hope (ex-The Red Shore/I Killed The Prom Queen), along with a pivot to a more groove-oriented metal sound, rather than the abrasive metallic hardcore featured on 2018’s Slaves To Nothing. Listen to “The Unstoppable Marching of Time” here.
King Buffalo – The Burden of Restlessness
Fresh off the wandering haze of 2020’s evocatively titled Dead Star, Rochester fuzz merchants King Buffalo are back with another slab of sludgy, atmospheric stoner rock. The Burden of Restlessness (out June 4th) is shaping up to be the group’s most introspective record to date, with lead single “Hebetation” getting downright existential: “25 and all I find are clever ways to hide/ Every night I dream a million different ways for me to die.” F e e l s. Stream the LP’s pre-release single here (Bandcamp).
Action/Adventure – “Poser”
Nostalgia is a powerful thing, friends. I remember listening to Four Year Strong’s Rise or Die Trying (2007) for the very first time and being utterly delighted by their upbeat and melodic take on hardcore sensibilities. It was the perfect pick-me-up mix of pop-punk fun—something that Chicago’s Action/Adventure are clearly indebted to. Watch the video for their new single “Poser” here.
Church Tongue – The Hubris of Gods Departed
This was another random yet pleasant find on social media. With production and mastering from scene mainstays like Greg Thomas (Misery Signals, END) and Will Putney, The Hubris of Gods Departed (great title, by the way) proves that Ohio metalcore juggernaut Church Tongue are destined for big things. This will definitely hit the heavy-bangers sweet spot for fans of Turmoil, Knocked Loose, and Counterparts. Stream the EP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Quicksand – “Inversion”
Walter Schreifels is a busy guy, and he’s now pulled his classic post-hardcore act Quicksand back from the brink for another revival project. Following 2018’s Triptych Continuum, “Inversion” is the first taste of the band for this new decade. Fans can expect colossal grooves, smooth vocals, and tasty rhythms of the noticeably 90s variety. Watch the colourful animated video for “Inversion” below:
Floatie – Voyage Out
I know very little about Floatie and Voyage Out. What I do know is that this record has some of the most sincere and brilliantly breezy math rock I’ve heard in years. The compositions feel like ad-libs patched in from some red-eyed live-room brainstorming session, where the instrumentation only just manages to keep it together long enough to string out a melody. Each track sounds like it’s seconds away from falling apart, and there’s something truly sublime in capturing that tension and making it sound so effortless. Stream the album in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Conway The Machine – La Maquina
For years, I’ve been waiting for Conway The Machine to emerge from the shadow of his closest peers. His home, Griselda Records, has been on a steady rise to stardom over the last few years, clinching distribution and management deals with heavyweights like Shady Records and Roc Nation. And yet, despite this well-deserved momentum, it feels like some in the culture underestimate Conway’s efforts.
On the grandiose “6:30 Tip Off,” Conway spits the central thesis of this anxiety: “They say Wes is the brains behind it, and Benny is the star / But let’s not act like Machine ain’t the silliest with the bars.” Conway and his cousin, Benny The Butcher, had stellar projects last year, both of which featured as Honourable Mentions on my Top Albums of 2020 List. But Conway has always had the hardest punchlines in the Griselda catalogue, and on his newest full-length, La Maquina, he finally gets to flex those muscles.
With booming production from Murda Beatz, album standout “KD” lets Conway duck and weave around the pocket of Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” flow with electrifying results. The track has an incredible groove and is stacked with plenty of quotables with Machine dropping wisdom on hood affirmations and street authenticity. Likewise, the tongue-twisting “Scatter Brain” puts Conway out of his comfort zone and into the frenzied world of speed rap. Against thick and fast feature verses from JID and Ludacris, Conway rises to the occasion: “Gettin’ rich off za like it’s base in the ‘80s/ Spot jumpin’ like Tracy McGrady/ Ten chains on, n****’s face lookin’ crazy/ I still get a paycheck from Shady, ah.”
La Maquina is a testament to Conway’s desire to stay ahead of the game, to grow, to evolve, and push the boundaries of what Griselda can do. And that’s why his major-label Shady debut, God Don’t Make Mistakes, can’t come soon enough.
Stream here: Spotify | Youtube
Listen to all these tracks on the TPD April playlist, updated each week.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Links to some of my other published work across the Web. Take a look, share if you feel like it, and help a brother out.
I reviewed the new LP from post-hardcore all-stars Hail The Sun, titled New Age Filth, over at my regular haunt, New Noise. It’s a lot of fun, and if you’re into alternative music with lots of great, technical instrumentation and progressive flirtations, then it comes highly recommended from yours truly.
On that note, if you’re interested in how the sausage is made musically, so to speak, then I also published an interview I did with Hail The Sun’s drummer/vocalist/frontman/multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Donovan Melero. You can find that over here.