REVIEW: Grizzlor / Godstopper - "Grizzlor / Godstopper 7inch"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: 7inch

Date Released: 17/02/2017

Label: Corpse Flower Records

 

Overall this is an excellent split that showcases two awesome bands with differing styles united in their bizarre approach and love of the riff.

“Grizzlor/Godstopper 7”//DD track listing:

1). Grizzlor – Are You Doing Your Job?

2). Grizzlor – Jack and Diane

3). Godstopper – Down Here For Long

4). Godstopper - Cellphane

The Review:

Corpse Flower Records have brought together two titans of oddball noise rock in the form of Grizzlor and Godstopper to create a killer split 7”.

New Haven’s Grizzlor came to my attention with their mighty 2015 7” “Cycloptic”. This time the band have slowed the tempo slightly to pack two songs into seven minutes, making these tracks almost prog in length compared to their previous output. Their unique brand of lurid, sludgy weirdness is as potent as ever though coming across like the Melvins providing a twisted soundtrack to Saturday morning kid’s cartoons. “Are You Doing Your Job?” sees the band expand their twisted surf edge in the form of unhinged reverbed-out guitar solo while “Jack and Diane” is a perkier slice of damaged punk rock. These two tracks offer a tantalising glimpse of Grizzlor’s power and hopefully they will be back soon with a longer release.

This split is my first taste of Godstopper and it has definitely made me hungry for more. The Toronto quartet deliver two tracks of wildly contrasting style but both of high quality. “Down Here For Long” is the heaviest track on the record, with crunching stop/start riffs giving way to outbursts of glorious Torche style melodic sludge. “Cellophane” provides a complete change of pace in the form of a strange power ballad. Consisting mostly of sparse guitar, piano and rim clicks, it’s a catchy tune that has hints of Faith No More’s quieter moments, particularly during the brief eruption of distortion. 

Overall this is an excellent split that showcases two awesome bands with differing styles united in their bizarre approach and love of the riff.

“Grizzlor/Godstopper 7” is available here

Band info: facebookgrizzlordestroys || facebookgodstopperband

Thee Arthur Layne - "Hvy Drt Vol 1" (Review)

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: 7inch

Date Released: 01/05/2015

Label: Wholsome Wax

‘Hvy Drt Vol 1’ 7inch//DD track listing:

1). Father Friendly

2). Scorpion Crawl

Thee Arthur Lane is:

Adam Scott | Guitar 

Sap DeFily | Bazz 

Angel Ledezma | Drums 

Screamin' Jay Walter | Vocals 

Zack Schneider | Wurtlizter & Mellotron 

The Review:

Raunchy bass and a thick groove to boot, Thee Arthur Layne bare their soul on “Hvy Drt Vol 1”. A mere nine minutes long, this 7” is split into two songs. The opening cut is a bellbottomed freedom run back to the 70s, bringing forth a hip shaking groove that’ll rattle the speakers off their perch.  Flip this bad boy over and you’ve got a bluesy march to get through named `Scorpion Crawl, ´ and crawl it does. From dive-bomb guitar solos to the way Screamin’ Jay Walter buzzes, hums, squeals, and whistles about women and the life he leads, Thee Arthur Layne shows us on “Hvy Drt Vol 1” of what a balls-out blues band should sound like circa 2015.  

‘Hvy Drt Vol 1’ is available for DD here and vinyl here

Band info: bandcamp |facebook

Fvnerals - 'The Path' 7inch (Review)

By: James Harris  

Album Type: 7inch

Date Released: 03/08/2015

Label: Eerie Echoes|
Throne Records

 

There are not a lot of bands that are easily comparable to FVNERALS, as they effortlessly draw together various elements of such sounds as if Swans and My Bloody Valentine had a sleek, crooning child in an underground speakeasy.

‘The Path’ DD//7inch track listing:

1.Solemn (05:53)
2.Ruin (04:57)

The Review:

I once compared this band to Chelsea Wolfe and Earth, but on this EP FVNERALS have further matured into a unique middle path between melodic gloom and bleak monochrome doom sensibilities. These two tracks elevate the darkness and sense of style and groove that made me love their last offering, last year's 'The Light' (review) so much while adding an added menace to their sound in the form of some extraordinary funereal riffing on the second track, ‘Ruin’, this new jagged edge makes a great counterpoint to their sparse, subtle lounge-drone tone, clashing in a crushing back-and-forth that is their most exceptional material to date.  

The first song, ‘Solemn’ opens with melodic, harmonizing layers of vocals that seem to waver between optimistic tunefulness and an example of the drone to come. Still, expansive, but stark, this band has always made great use of empty space between the sounds and this record is no exception. A big emptiness exists between every instrument, a space they sometimes attempt to fill, sometimes seem to shrink from, but never ignore. A chiming guitar over smoky candle lit cabaret motif dragged through the tomb, organ drones under the spectral voice of singer Tiffany. The silence between songs is abruptly shattered, big, loud chords pounding sluggishly in the intro to ‘Ruin’ before abruptly stopping. The intervening moment heavy in its own fashion, with a dread-filled folk mesmerism. A plaintive and spooky clean guitar icily winds its way around the fog and darkness before the hook brings back the wickedly heavy riffs of the intro.

There are not a lot of bands that are easily comparable to FVNERALS, as they effortlessly draw together various elements of such sounds as if Swans and My Bloody Valentine had a sleek, crooning child in an underground speakeasy. They have drifted from the sometimes sneaky sleazy timbre of ‘The Light’ toward a more sincere, direct, path of abjection. A straight walk down a moonless road, barefoot on the rocks. The only complaint I have is that it should be much longer, as it is over before you realize it.

‘The Path’ is available here and here

FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Earth, Swans, My Blood Valentine

Band info: official  | bandcamp

Castle - 'Deadhand Hexagram' 7inch (Review)

Album Type: 7inch

Date Released: 30/04/2015

Label: Ván Records

‘Deadhand Hexagram’ 7inch track listing:

1). Deadhand Hexagram

2). Be My Ghost (Reprise)

Review:

Traditional doom/heavy metal straight out of the US North West, this two track single wastes no time in laying down a lovely organic bass driven production. The riffing is Sabbath by way of Dio as are the vocals (which soar beautifully in places)  and phrasing. “Deadhand Hexagram” is an excellent four minutes plus of occult themed melodrama with time changes and catchy riffs throughout.

 The B-side “Be My Ghost Reprise” treads different territory with a clean guitar opening and sterling vocal from Liz Blackwell (who delivers on every level on this release). The track has strings too courtesy of Uta Plotkin which create a very melancholy atmosphere. As a taster of the band, this single works very well, showing both their melody and heaviness. In fact, it really made me want to explore their discography and get hold of more material. This fine and unusual stuff- most definitely heavy metal, most definitely doom, but not retro per se- Castle tread their own path. Give it a try and hear for yourself.

Words by: Richard Maw:

‘Deadhand Hexagram’ is available now

For more information:

Like: Facebook | Tweet: Twitter | Official: Website



Ramlord - 'Ramlord' EP (Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 10/3/2015

Label: Broken Limbs

‘Ramlord’ 7inch track listing:

1). 'The Breached Sanctum'

2). 'The Fog of Neglect'

Ramlord is:

Jann | void wailing riffhunter
Benn | knuckle grinding blastmage
Mikke  | seismic barbarian

Review:

'Self-titled releases always make me second guess a band's intentions. Is this a defining statement of the band's core sound? Is it some sort of manifesto? Did they just have no other good ideas for titles? I'm not familiar with Ramlord's previous output so, besides speculation, it's a pretty moot point. Adorned with the grimmest of astral/occult/morbid cover art, Ramlord spew forth their latest and self-titled two track EP.

Complete with the personality only competently unpolished production provides, Ramlord ease into the 'The Breached Sanctum' with clean arpeggiated guitar lines before launching into the blackened crusty riffstorms that sound way more fun than the cover art should allow. Keeping satisfyingly at perfect headbanging tempos for most of the song, riff follows riff as the dual harsh vocals play to each member's strength. Hell, this is a really well-written song.

'The Fog of Neglect' composes the second half of the EP, propelled by the drums that include toms and a kick that are so warm they can only be described as 'fluffy'. For a power trio the guitar is curiously subservient to the bass in the low to low-mid range, which makes a nice change from the wallflower bass tones and mixing so common to the genre. So the bass may not exactly compare in power to Joey DeMaio's sound (honestly though, I'm pretty sure only God could compete with that), but the bass on this EP is diiiirty. It sounds like I'd imagine a rotting manatee to look (just did a Google image search, I was right). Filthy.

At times the EP conjours up the thought of what Coffinworm would sound like if they injected more rock n' roll into their brilliantly miserable sound. It's great, and makes me wish I was around in the 80's tape trading days when my ignorance of that era makes me think I could expect to come across something that sounds as raw and powerful as this. '

Words by: Jake Mazlum

‘Ramlord’ is available here

For more information:

BROKEN LIMBS:
WEBSITE | STORE | BANDCAMP | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Ramlord:
FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP

Horisont - Break the Limit 7inch Single (Review)

Album Type: 7inch Single

Date Released: 6/1/2015

Label: Rise Above Records

‘Break the Limit’ 7inch track listing:

1. Break The Limit
2. Yellow Blues

Horisont is:

Axel | Vocals
Charles | Guitar
Kristofer | Guitar
Magnus | Bass
Pontus | Drums

Review:

Twin guitars and soaring vocals go very well together like Sunday mornings and a private strip show. Horisont do exactly that on their interim 7” release, firing up the wee hours of the afternoon on the A-side and getting your lady’s booty shaking on side B. First up is the title track; a rolling, groovy, chorus driven rock n’ roll party, deeply rooted in the Heavy 70’s. Flip this slab over and it’s the musicality that stands at the foreground, with sweet interplay between the band. A well executed change in rhythm kicks in at the three minute mark and leads into a crisp guitar solo to boot. Both sides total to eight minutes of rock n’ roll frenzy in true Horisont fashion, so there are good times all around.

Words by: Victor van Ommen

You can pick up a CD/LP copy here.

For more information:

Facebook | Official

The Glorious Rebellion - S/T 7" Vinyl (Review)

Album Type: 7 Inch

Date Released: 29/7/2014

Label: Magnetic Eye Records

“The Glorious Rebellion” DD/7” tracklist:

1). My Resume is a Suicide Note (03:50)

2). Thanks to AA, I'm the DD (03:13)

The Band:

Wade | Drums
Red | Bass
Billy III | Guitars, Vocals
Dave Washburn | creepy backup vocals
Lisa Washburn | extra creepy backup vocals

Review:

This may only be a two song 7” release, but what a pair of songs on offer. The cognitive dissonance of the following statement is true but contradictory: This is the most accessible sound of hyper abrasive sludge/punk I've ever heard. This is not to knock it at all, because I bet this shit is fucking great live, but the flow is almost poppy and is hyper catchy.  These guys could actually be played on a modern metal radio format. Which is pretty nuts and a testament to how great these two songs are, indeed if an album they subsequently release maintains this level of fury, it must not be missed!!

On to the review of the songs themselves. The first track “My Resume is a Suicide Note” begins with an Unsane style riff into an unusual verse section. Windmilling into a chugging hardcore chorus which perfectly follows the stompy verse. The breakdown is simple but has kind of a weird proggy feel to it. The second track “Thanks to AA, I'm the DD” begins with angry vocals and driving bass moving into a catchy chorus. The unusual bridge really sets this song apart as it feels almost like a left turn and is almost a chorus in itself. It actually reminds me of some of Helmet's stuff especially at the end of the bridge. Great mix too, check it out below.

Words by: Chris Tedor

Available at the following location as DD or Vinyl 7”

For more information:

http://thegloriousrebellion.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thegloriousrebellion

https://twitter.com/TGRnoise

Whores./Rabbits - Split 7"

Album Type : 7” Split

Date Released : 18/2/2014

Label : Eolian Empire / Brutal Panda

WHORES./RABBITS - SPLIT 7", track listing :

1). Jumping Someone Else’s Train

2). A Reflection

3). Give Me It

Bio :

East (Coast) meets West (Coast) in noise rock: WHORES and RABBITS joined together in misanthropy and misery. And what better material to manifest their unwavering rage than that of The Cure?

WHORES crushes "Jumping Someone Else's Train," taking said train on a insanely heavy ride, the main riff stretched into a hypnotic groove forever beat into your brain. RABBITS opens with the stark "A Reflection" before cranking out an uncaged, claustrophobic version of "Give Me It.” Who let these maniacs out? A killer slab of new noise.

The WHORES/RABBITS split is out now on wax and digital, a cooperative release between Eolian Empire and Brutal Panda Records. The vinyl version, limited to 500 copies -- 100 on pink/400 on black -- the EP is housed in a full color fold-over jacket featuring art by Went Knipe and Josh Hughes.

Review :

Now this truly is a thing of beauty. My initial reaction was to laugh when I discovered what the subject of a split between two of my absolute favourite modern purveyors of noise rock fuzzery would be, but then I realised that it would actually make perfect sense for Whores and Rabbits to do a 7" of Cure covers. It’s that unexpected, left-field mentality that makes them both thinking man's riff wranglers. And boy does it sound HUGE.

The Whores contribution is their version of 'Jumping Someone Else's Train'. Released in 1979, it was only the third ever single that the band had put out. You'd never know it was anything other than a Whores track though, after they put their own spin on it, soak it in feedback and force it sideways through the meat grinder. Still retaining that kind of dawn of post punk vibe, the cover is appropriately gloomy yet poetic at the same time. So while it doesn't sound like The Cure in a straightforward manner it still manages to retain the key qualities I guess. Still a complete shitkicker though, mind you.

Rabbits have two outings on here, and the first is 'A Reflection'. Taken from The Cure's second album 'Seventeen Seconds', by this point in time the Goth factor had really started to kick in and this reflects in the doom-laden stance of this instrumental lead-in to 'Give Me It'. A seamless blend between two songs that featured on albums that were miles apart in terms of time is pretty cool. Rabbits are a somewhat 'punkier' affair than Whores and the mood in the room is a lot more confrontational. Less of a party, more of an argument. Rolling drums give way to early hardcore beats and the riffs are never anything short of incendiary. What I wouldn't give for the chance to witness both of these bands share a stage.

This is an early contender for split of the year. Noisy as fuck and catchier than a barb wire covered sack that's full of the common cold, you can grab it in a variety of soothing colours from the good folks at either Eolian Empire or Brutal Panda. I suggest you do so with the greatest of haste.

Words by : Matt Fitton

You can get it from the link below

For more information :

http://rabbitusmaximus.com
http://whores.bandcamp.com
http://eolianempire.com
http://brutalpandarecords.com

FULL OF HELL / CALM THE FIRE - Split 7" Review

Album Type : Split 7”

Date Released : 30/11/2013

Label : A389 Recordings

FULL OF HELL / CALM THE FIRE – SPLIT, track listing :

1).Full Of Hell- Return To The Mines 

2). Full Of Hell- Kopf 

3). Full Of Hell- The Lonely Path Of The Cestoda 

4). Full Of Hell- Molluck 

5). Calm The Fire- Paralyzed 

6). Calm The Fire- We'll Be Fine 

Bio :

Maryland's FULL Of HELL are a harsh, noise power electronics infused hardcore band whom you should know/love by now.  Their side of the split contains three vicious hardcore tracks that fit perfectly in between both LP releases.  

Poland's CALM THE FIRE is on the flipside with powerful crusty d-beat hardcore.

Split was originally released as a limited pressing on HOLY ROAR records and is now available with altered artwork by Szymon Siech!  

Review :

Raging split ahoy! Some sailing lingo, there. Under the microscope today we have another battle royale of a release from A389, divided between Full Of Hell (USA) and Calm The Fire (Poland). An international dust up with more explosive flavour than a Rocky sequel dipped in a volcano of monosodium glutamate.

Full Of Hell contribute most of the split, with four of the six cuts belonging to them. They blast out a form of grind influenced hardcore, manic as shit. Like a fork scraping across your face. A very dirty, rusty fork. I hope we all have the correct immunisations in place. 'Return to the mines' is a bassy, creepy and squealing intro - very 'calm before the storm' diversionary tactic. It erupts into some more punk-end spectrum hardcore, solid and sturdy. 'Kopf' is far more grinding though, replete with the death metal styling’s that go hand in hand with that form of heaviness. Less than sixty seconds of bad intentions all up in your grill. 'The Lonely Path of the Cestoda' is even shorter and brutal, very raw and violent. Between the lightning riffs and ADD drums it's difficult to find any space to breathe. Only at the rear end of 'Molluck' does any sense of a manageable or digestible rhythm actually appear, with a tasty bruiser of a riff fading out. Seriously damaging and one’s to watch.

The two tracks that are on offer from Calm The Fire are far more friendly, more of your standard modern metallic hardcore. Think the Polish version of Doomriders, there is some rock and roll thrown up in the mix here somewhere. 'Paralyzed' is bouncy but never upbeat, heavy in all the right places and probably longer than the entire FOH running time on this damn thing (a meaty three and a half minutes!), but the ferocity factor that has already been established is tough to follow. Still a really good tune though, as is the more storming 'We'll Be Fine'. I prefer this track, way more vital and pounding. The type of hardcore you can feel in your chest.

All in all, both bands are spitfires but Full of Hell are the kind of spitfire that would go on a suicide run, crash and then come back to haunt the thing that it crashed into originally. Possessed of a mean streak a mile wide and quite evidently in a constant state of being pissed off, they go home with the belt in this title fight. Calm The Fire came out swinging though, and are a cool outfit in their own right - you should check out both bands today, and this split is the perfect way to go about achieving that.

Words by : Matt Fitton

You can buy it here

For more information :

https://www.facebook.com/fullofhell

http://fullofhell.bandcamp.com/

http://fullofhell.com/

http://calmthefire.bandcamp.com/

Iron Witch & The Atrocity Exhibit 7"

Album Type:7”

Date Released: Oct 31^st 2013

Label: Witch Hunter Records

Iron Witch & The Atrocity Exhibit 7" - track listing:

Iron Witch - Her Cheating Heart 6:42

The Atrocity Exhibit - Throne Of Bile 6:02

Iron Witch Band Members

Dan Fane - Guitar

Will Adams - Drums

Sam Rushton - Guitar

Chris Fane - Vocals

Rick Owen- Bass

The Atrocity Exhibit Band Members

James Caygill - Vocals/Guitar

Fuzzy Dave - Bass/Vocals

Matt Downes - Drums

Review:

Now I am going to let the press bio from Witch Hunter Records/Dead Chemist Records do all of the talking of this excellent and brutally heavy split 7” single as it will tell you all you need to know about two of the UK's loudest and heaviest bands you all need to check out now.

Iron Witch, the reigning kings of UK sludge, team up with the magnificently bearded grindcore/sludge berserkers The Atrocity Exhibit for this 7" split of pure audio carnage. 1 track each, both 6 minutes long, both designed to make your brain leak out through your nostrils such is the sheer force of the music contained within these grooves. The Atrocity Exhibit swerve the use of blistering speed sometimes shown in their past work and instead spit out the snail-paced 'Throne Of Bile', a masterclass in tension-filled suffering; a track rippling with a violent, unpredictable swagger that's constantly threatening to explode in your face. Iron Witch offer no respite, with 'Her Cheating Heart' being perhaps their best song yet; a track of such colossal heaviness and down-tuned, down-beat, forceful depression that's it's like having your face forced down into the muck that lines the banks of the Mersey. With both bands on such rampantly aggressive form, this is without a doubt the ugliest 7" to crawl its way out of the UK this year.

Iron Witch track was recorded by Bri and Devo Doom at the 1in12 Studio, Bradford, in September 2013

The Atrocity Exhibit track was recorded, mixed and mastered by Ian Boult at Stuck On A Name Studios, Nottingham, in July 2012

A joint release between Dead Chemists and Witch Hunter Records, this split 7" is limited to 500 copies, on none more black vinyl, and comes with a 4 panel gatefold sleeve, with artwork & layout by James Caygill

This 7” release is loud, brutal and heavy from the word go and it shows two amazing bands at the top of their game. Two 6 minute epic songs packed full of epic violent riffs if you like your music that little bit dangerous. Iron Witch and The Atrocity Exhibit lay their souls on the line here and it makes for deeply uncomfortable listening.

So do yourself a favour and listen to this brutal record at full blast and witness British Underground Sludge Metal/Grindore Metal at it's finest.

Another brilliant release from Witch Hunter Records which you buy on Vinyl now or Buy Now Download if you want to check out before you buy. Check out the other excellent releases from Witch Hunter Records. Loads of great stuff to buy and even a few free downloads to check out as well.

Witch Hunter Records Links:

Facebook

BandCamp

Dead Chemist Records Links

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BandCamp

Iron Witch Links

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BandCamp

The Atrocity Exhibit Links

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Written by Steve Howe

Vinyl Corner : Tellusian - Scania 7" Vinyl Review

Album Type : 7” Single

Date Released : 18/10/ 13 

Label : Pillowscars

Scania, track listing :

1). Kanrival 03:25

2). Eight years of rest 03:10

Bio :

Tellusian came together in 2010 in the city of Malmö, Sweden. John Nilsson (Guitars) and Erik Hall (Drums) had been jamming around for a while, and after the demise of Crowpath the ideas of turning Tellusian into a proper "active" band started to grow. Robert Fuchs was added on bass and Henrik Ivarsson stepped in on vocals

The Band :

Erik | Drums
Henrik | Vocals
Robert | Bass
John | Guitar

Review :

The band Tellusian, whom I referred to as Technical progressive sludge metal with some death grind influence back in 2012, are back with this super tight 7” vinyl release, entitled Scania.  Originally released via bandcamp in 2011 and with their upcoming first full length, Collision due to be released later this year. The Pillowscars label have decided to release theses tunes in two choice cuts of delicious wax, green limited to 200 and black

limited to 300.  So what about the record?  

Put simply, two blistering tracks and a showcase for this band’s undoubted talent.  Karnival kicks things off with the deftest introduction, then it is head first into a technical rage fest;  if you like your music off kilter with blast beats and enough time changes to explode your casio calculator watch, this band is for you.  The music on offer is brazen and forthright in its approach, unyielding riffs, death growls, superfluous shred guitar.  Indeed the amount of ground they cover in terms of progression, makes your head spin, this is unashamedly vicious stuff. 

Ironic indeed then that the next track is called, 8 Years of Rest, because after the previous dose of brutality, you’re gonna need it.  For me this is the highlight of the two tracks, revelling in the bastardised riffs on offer, their skills as evidenced on Karnival are on full display here too.  Differential calculus is a more apt title for this band, given the rate in which the tone of their music changes, Tellusian’s dexterity and cohesion is simply jaw dropping.  The biggest compliment I can give is simply, originality!!  An archetypal band, an original model, a type after which other similar things are patterned, Scania is a superior release, by a brilliant band.  So go buy it.  Bring on the full length

Words by : Aaron Pickford

You can buy it here

For more information : 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tellusian/187832791256105?id=187832791256105&sk=info

http://tellusian.bandcamp.com/

http://pillowscars.bandcamp.com/