MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Architects – “Dead Butterflies”
Brighton metalcore exports Architects are back with their ninth (!) full-length album, For Those Who Wish To Exist (out Feb 26th through Epitaph Records). Newest single “Dead Butterflies” might just be the UK quintet’s most polarising preview track yet, with vocalist Sam Carter’s stadium-rock cleans complemented by mid-tempo grooves and atmospheric string sections. Check out the track’s accompanying music video with footage of their livestream show at the Royal Albert Hall below:
Celestial Sanctuary – Soul Diminished
As the newest signees to rising UK label Chruch Road Records, Celestial Sanctuary are leading the charge for the new wave of British death metal. The group’s debut LP, Soul Diminished, is scheduled for release on March 26th, and sports plenty of headbanging riffs, devastating grooves, and grimy OSDM texture. Stream the title track here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
’68 – “The Knife, The Knife, The Knife”
Man, I miss The Chariot so fucking much. Oh well, at least we have Atlanta noise rock merchants ’68 to be thankful for, in providing vocalist/guitarist Josh Scogin (ex-Norma Jean, The Chariot) the perfect vehicle for the next stage of his messianic mayhem. Along with drummer Nikko Yamada as a fellow decibel in fuzz-driven destruction, Scogin & Co have gifted us a taste from their upcoming album, Give One Take One. Check out “The Knife, The Knife, The Knife” here.
Last Gasp – Second Wave 2.0
Pulled from the ranks of Ohio hardcore royalty, Cleveland roughnecks Last Gasp aren’t here to mince words. Second Wave 2.0 is a blistering four-track EP that offers up no-frills, zero bullshit hardcore: fast, opinionated, and fashion free. With the shitshow that was 2020 forming the lyrical content on display, it’s hardly a surprise that vocalist Ryan Hardwick spits out venomous lines like: “My condolences to the future/ There won’t be glitter in the ash of the mess we’ve left.” Stream the EP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Chelsea Wolfe – “Anhedonia” feat. Emma Ruth Rundle
Named after a psychological condition where people are unable to experience pleasure, “Anhedonia” allows neo-folk songstress Chelsea Wolfe to deliver a sweeping and stripped-down performance worthy of her ghostly vocal talents. Labelmate Emma Ruth Rundle pops up on the track too, lending delicate guitar and sorrowful vocals to Wolfe’s gothic chorus. Listen to “Anhedonia” here.
The Chisel – Come See Me/ Not The Only One
In the wildcard entry this week we have British punks The Chisel. It’s another random Bandcamp find, but man, does it deliver. This is breakneck, piss-swilling punk that captures the fun, the terror, and the sheer explosive energy of Oi!. If you ever find yourself getting glassed by a bunch of dead-eyed, red-faced lads at the football, then this is likely playing in the background. Stream the Come See Me/ Not The Only One EP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Genghis Tron – “Dream Weapon”
Admittedly, I could never get into Genghis Tron back in the day. I even saw them open for Converge once, but their set was a little too cerebral, too sonically jagged for my tastes at the time. Now, in 2021, after the year we just had, I say bring it on. Hit me with that hard shit. “Dream Weapon” is a great re-introduction: hypnotic, spacey, weird, and dissonant. If it’s anything to go off, their upcoming album will be a great comeback. Watch the track’s strangely alluring video below:
Fatum – Split w/ Decade
So, I went on a little binge through obscure Russian bands a few days ago, and Fatum were the hallowed prize at the end of that daring (and several coffees deep) exploratory mission. The Moscow outfit are the perfect anomaly: feral crust punk production and sludge metal groove riffs, somehow combined with mid-range hardcore shrieks. It’s like old Mastodon meets Eyehategod and it totally rules. Suss out their split with Decade here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Low Moder – S/T
I have a bone to pick with labels. Specifically, those used for genres and subgenres and the endless division of those subgenres into incrementally smaller and slightly more distinct subgenres. At some point, music just isn’t divisible. Otherwise, it’s just all protons and electrons whizzing around in a heap of probabilistic mess (I mean, music literally is that, but not for the purposes of this argument, okay?). As a prefix, saying ‘post-’ whatever means that the thing is somehow “behind” or “after” what’s being modified. So, is post-punk just what sits ‘behind’ punk? Is post-hardcore just whatever has come ‘after’ hardcore? Surely not. There must be more to it. Case in point: Low Moder.
On their self-titled EP, I hear notes and movements in the “alleged band from Lincoln” that are simultaneously reflective and divergent from these labels. Jangly, angular riffs. Bending bass notes. Crashing percussion. Dissonant tuning. Loud, shouted, almost hectoring vocals. I know Low Moder didn’t invent these things. But the music they make isn’t just the “behind” of something either. This isn’t music simply as residue or remains of what came before. Sure, Low Moder might have the same stain as punk—ugly, tactile, sticky, hostile—but they wear it differently. Sometimes, all we need is new skin.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
Listen to all these tracks on the TPD February playlist, updated each week.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Links to some of my other published work across the Web. Take a look and help a brother out.
Over at Killyourstereo, I published a review of the new record from Saint Petersburg’s WOWOD titled ‘Yarost' I Proshchenie’ (which, from what I can gather, means something akin to ‘Fury & Forgiveness’). I also covered the new album from Austrian duo Harakiri For The Sky, titled Mӕre, for New Noise. I can’t recommend both albums enough if you’re after dense and expansive post-rock and -metal instrumentals driven by persuasive vocals. You can find both those reviews here and here, respectively.