Weekly Roundup: February 19th
Featuring High On Fire, Wristmeetrazor, L.S. Dunes, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Diamond Construct – “Switchblade OST”
Aussie metallers Diamond Construct are kicking off their next era with a shiny new single/album. It’s titled Angel Killer Zero, and it’ll be out on April 26th via Greyscale Records & Pale Chord. Their sophomore album was mixed and mastered by Lance Prenc (Polaris, Thornhill, Alpha Wolf) and explores themes of loneliness, heartbreak, childhood trauma, and substance abuse. Latest single is a braggadocious, glitch-heavy banger, and its companion video—courtesy of Colin Jeffs (from Ten Of Swords Collective)—throws down some big Neon Genesis/Gundam vibes. It’s dope. Watch the video for “Switchblade OST” below:
Hot Water Music – Vows
Next up is the tenth (!) studio album from legendary punk rockers Hot Water Music. Vows is set for release on May 10th through Equal Vision and End Hits Records along with Cooking Vinyl Australia. This latest LP was helmed by acclaimed producer, hardcore legend, and frequent collaborator Brian McTernan and features a slew of guest appearances, including members of Thrice, City and Colour, The Interrupters, Turnstile, and more. As the quintet states:
“The theme that kept coming up while working on this record was growth — how writing a song, recording an album, or being in a band is like planting a seed and helping it grow. We think a lot of that had to do with looking back and realizing that over 30 years, we’ve managed to make something special that we all really love.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
L.S. Dunes – “How Dare You”
The post-hardcore supergroup L.S. Dunes gave fans a little Valentine’s Day gift last week in the form of their standalone single “How Dare You.” The track was produced by Will Yip (Turnstile, Circa Survive, Quicksand) and serves as a while-you-wait teaser of new material as the band ready their next release for later this year. According to vocalist Anthony Green:
“The past life is gone, and yet it never really was... For me, this song sets the stage for the new era of L.S. Dunes. It’s about pushing yourself beyond your limits and giving your all to something in order to achieve alternate states of consciousness and connection.”
Listen to “How Dare You” here.
High On Fire – Cometh the Storm
It’s been a few years since riff-master Matt Pike stoked the flames of his main outfit, High On Fire. The group’s previous LP was 2018’s Grammy-Award-winning Electric Messiah, which was then followed by their 2019 Record Store Day EP Bat Salad. Pike also had the release of his solo album, Pike Vs. The Automaton, in 2021, so I guess now is a fitting time to get the “band” back together. The group’s forthcoming ninth album, Cometh The Storm, was recorded with producer Kurt Ballou (Converge) and features drummer Coady Willis (Murder City Devils, Big Business, Melvins). Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Play Drive – “Tiger by the Tail”
With former vocalist Nikki Brumen living her best life in Norway fronting Blood Command, it makes sense for the remaining members of Melbourne black magic punks Pagan (Danny Bonnici, Matt Marasco, and Xavier Santilli) to pick up the tools and get back to rocking once more. Enter Play Drive. The trio’s debut single, “Tiger by the Tail”, was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mike Deslandes (Terminal Sleep, RUN, Tropical Fuck Storm), and it hits with an old-school post-hardcore intensity–think Glassjaw, Horsell Common, Irrelevant. It’s great stuff. Listen to “Tiger by the Tail” here.
Seed Toss – Safe & Sound
I was a huge fan of 2022’s Love Business EP from Montreal outfit Seed Toss. I featured the release in my end-of-year EP roundup, and I’m delighted to say that the Montreal quartet are back with a follow-up five-track titled Safe & Sound, out on March 1st through Setterwind Records. Lead single “Heard You Say” has that perfect blend of 90s emo and jubilant power pop that they already do so well, and I can’t wait to hear the full EP. If you’re a fan of Weezer, Joyce Manor, and Title Fight, get on board right now. Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Wristmeetrazor – “Trepanation”
Metal quintet Wristmeetrazor have announced their upcoming third LP, Degeneration (out on March 29th through Prosthetic Records), and it sees vocalist Justin Fornof stepping away from bass duties into a fully-fledged frontman role. The album was recorded in isolation in the woods of New Jersey with Randy Lebeouf (Dying Wish, Kublai Khan TX, Crush++) and acts as the follow-up to 2021’s impressive Replica of a Strange Love. (More on Degeneration and WMR down below). Watch the video for “Trepanation”:
Pure Hex – Spilling/Five of Tears
Bay Area shoegazers Pure Hex have released “She Comes Up” as the first teaser from their forthcoming double LP, Spilling/Five of Tears, which will be out sometime in May via Neon Bloodbath Records. The single expertly pairs angelic melodies from vocalist Marta Alvarez with a darker, gothic-tinged undercurrent. The album reportedly finds the group “staying true to their roots” while also hinting at a departure into a world of dreamy, textured complexity. It’s sure to be one for the fuzz-pedal dreamers and urban space cadets. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2024-7 HITS playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
The Requiem – A Cure to Poison the World
There was a point in the mid-2000s when the convergence of emo, punk rock and post-hardcore seemed virtually unstoppable. Within the space of 18 months, AFI dropped their genre-defining sixth LP, Sing the Sorrow (2003), only for The Used’s In Love and Death and My Chemical Romance’s Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge to explode and pierce the mainstream consciousness the following year.
All three records were released through major labels (Dreamworks and Reprise, respectively), produced by industry titans (Jerry Finn/Butch Vig, John Feldman, and Howard Benson), and are now certified platinum. Suffice it to say, this is the period to which The Requiem (formerly L’exquisite Douleour) cast their nostalgic gaze backward in time.
“I want people to actually be able to relate to the music and identify. We want to represent our generation in the best way possible,” says vocalist Damien Douleur on the release of their Fearless Records debut, The Cure to Poison the World. “Rock music has lost the sloppiness and the vulgarity it used to have. When you’re young, you need to embrace that attitude and danger. We want to bring all of that back to alternative music.”
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
On their forthcoming third LP, Degeneration, creative intensity and concentrated seclusion were the crucible required for Wristmeetrazor to produce their heaviest and most confronting album to date. As vocalist Justin Fornof smashes through his abrasive, groove-laden Hit List, we chat about crafting misanthropic anthems, the intrigue of maximal production choices, underrated metalcore acts lost to time, and the versatility of heavy textures. Check it out below: