MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Amyl and The Sniffers – “Guided By Angels”
After their raucous 2019 debut, Melbourne gutter punks Amyl and The Sniffers are finally back with a new LP, Comfort To Me (out September 10th through ATO). The record’s lead single “Guided By Angels” is propulsive and electric, with plenty of snarling ferocity courtesy of indomitable bandleader Amy Taylor. It’s a total vibe and Taylor rocks the shit out of the clip below. Check it out:
Koyo – Drives Out East
The Long Island sound lives on with Koyo’s latest four-track EP, Drives Out East, out now through Triple B Records. It’s the perfect mix of upbeat melodic punk, with earworm hooks and gentle nods to genre forefathers like The Movielife, Crime In Stereo and Taking Back Sunday. Running at a brisk eleven minutes end to end, it’s a vital listen with very high repeat potential. Stream the full EP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
TONER – “Ox ‘45”
I don’t know much about Oakland’s TONER, but I came across “Ox ‘45” through some random YouTube shuffling and it was the highlight of my day. Crunchy shoegaze riffs with great atmospherics and dreamy vocal melodies make it an easy win for me, and I’m excited to see what the band have in store on their upcoming third LP, White Buffalo Roam (out September 3rd through Smoking Room). Listen to “Ox ‘45” here.
Spirit Adrift – Forge Your Future
Heavy metal masters Spirit Adrift simply do not quit. After dropping one of 2020’s best records, Enlightened In Eternity, the prolific quartet have returned once more with a new three-track EP, entitled Forge Your Future (out August 27th through Century Media). With Preston Bryant on synthesizers this time around, the band continue to exemplify the perfect mix of melodic metal, doom and hard rock. Stream the pre-release title track here (Spotify/YouTube).
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – “Sticky’”
Fresh off destroying the Download Pilot festival last month, the UK’s bad-boys of rock ‘n’ roll, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, are back with LP#4, Sticky (out October 15th). On the release of the album’s lead single and title track, Carter says: “‘Sticky’ is about that moment where you’re drunk at a bus stop at 3 AM. You know there are no more buses, but you sit there anyway because you’re too fucked to figure out your options. Your kebab is on the floor, there’s a Stella in your pocket, and you’re woken up by a dirty little fox eating your shoes.” Yep, been there, mate. Listen to “Sticky” here.
Wraith – Undo The Chains
Indiana thrashers Wraith are set to bring the heat like it’s 1984 on their latest LP, Undo The Chains (out September 24th through Redefining Darkness Records). Searing lead single “Cloaked In Black” is chock full of head-snapping riffs and blazing solos, channelling the fire and fury of metal greats like Metallica, Bulldozer, and Motörhead. Stream the pre-release single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Dying Wish – “Fragments of a Bitter Memory”
Metalcore revivalists Dying Wish have been on my radar for a while now, and I’ve been patiently waiting for news of their debut album. Well, it’s finally here and by all accounts, Fragments of a Bitter Memory (out October 1st via SharpTone Records) is going to be an absolute monster. There’s a yearning, melancholic edge to the album’s title track that reminds me of mid-2000s Killswitch Engage and that’s never a bad thing. Watch the video below:
Nightlife – New Low
Fronted by vocalist/producer Hansel Romero, Baltimore soul punks Nightlife have dropped their debut three-track project, New Low, and god damn does it groove. With a diverse smattering of sonic influences (Stevie Wonder, letlive., Donna Summer, Issues, and more), there’s plenty of smooth croons and funky vibes on offer here—not to mention a sneaky Rob Thomas on the back end that’s hands down better than the original. Stream the EP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2021 VIBING playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Eighteen Visions – 1996
Back in the “long, long ago,” also known as 2017, I reviewed the comeback album from Orange County metalcore OG’s Eighteen Visions. In the review, I noted that if devoted fans had ever “wondered what a revisionist album would have sounded like, had the band not ventured into wannabe dad-rock territory a decade ago, and doubled-down on their aggressive metalcore past instead, then XVIII is the likely answer.”
Well, as it turns out, fans would finally get a taste of that revisionism a few years later, just not as they—myself included—may have conceived of it. Dropped as a surprise release last week, 1996 finds Eighteen Visions wading into cover album territory with mixed yet interesting results. Sides A & B are split with five tracks apiece, each side covering various artists from the ‘90s hardcore and hard rock spectrum.
There’s a crushing six-minute rendition of “The Hanged Man” by Damnation A.D. sitting right next to heavy covers of Earth Crisis and Unbroken. Flipping the record, the band then flex their grunge credentials with nods to greats like Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana and Alice In Chains, before taking a swing at Metallica’s “Sad But True.” It’s an ambitious record in both scope and execution, but Eighteen Visions have always had the guts and gusto to go the distance.
Stream here: Spotify | YouTube
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.