Showing posts with label Brutal Panda Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brutal Panda Records. Show all posts

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

ALBUM REVIEW: Norska - "Too Many Winters"

By: Charlie Butler


Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26/05/2017
Label: Brutal Panda Records




“Too Many Winters” is a captivating collection of powerful doom steeped in Norska’s unorthodox and compelling personality.



“Too Many Winters” DD//LP track listing:


1). Samhain
2). Eostre
3). Too Many Winters
4). This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
5). Wave of Regrets
6). Fire Patience Backbone


The Review:

Portland continues to deliver the strange heavy goods with Norska’s new LP, “Too Many Winters”. The band boast YOB bassist Aaron Rieseberg within their ranks and take a similarly exploratory approach but with a style all of their own. Over the course of this fine record they take a range of familiar influences from across the sludge/doom spectrum and immerse them in a cauldron of hazy nocturnal weirdness.

Samhain” acts as an appropriate welcome into Norska’s dark sonic world. Passages of rumbling Melvins-style riffage shift into spiky guitar lines reminiscent of early Mastodon that usher in a furious finale imbued with spirit of true heavy metal. The combination of these elements alone would make for a thrilling ride but the band inject their own distinct, murky atmosphere to create an air of compelling mystery. 

The central duo of the title track and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” form the mind warping pinnacle of “Too Many Winters”. The former opens in familiar fashion with complex discordant melodies forming the basis of the band’s attack before the track takes a left turn into the unknown. The noise falls away to an eerily quiet nightmarish lullaby complete with heavily effected guitars that sound as if they are shivering. Jim Lowder’s vocals are excellent throughout the album, but when he moves from aggressive barks and screams to deliver the finale of this track in an otherworldly clean baritone it is truly odd and effective. The snail-paced doom of “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” provides more opportunities for Lowder to demonstrate his talent, ramping up the ominous tension in the spaces between the band unleashing slabs of crushing full-volume riffage.

Too Many Winters” is a captivating collection of powerful doom steeped in Norska’s unorthodox and compelling personality.

“Too Many Winters” is available here





Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Wednesday, 3 August 2016

REVIEW: Nomad Stones - "Nomad Stones"

By: Charlie Butler

 
Album Type: EP
Date Released: 05/08/2016
Label: Brutal Panda Records

 

 
Nomad Stones deal in short, sharp blasts of scuzzy, grunge-soaked punk rock with hooks guaranteed to be buried in your skull for weeks to come.  It’s hard to resist the invigorating, infectious energy of these eight tracks. This brief burst of spiky noise leaves you hungry for more
 
 
‘Nomad Stones” DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Dead Batteries
2. Dirty Boots And A Friend Named Goo
3. Drain Brain
4. The Frugal Yankee
5. Glory Days
6. Heartbeat
7. In Too Deep
8. The Sandwich Police
 
The Review:
 
Nomad Stones deal in short, sharp blasts of scuzzy, grunge-soaked punk rock with hooks guaranteed to be buried in your skull for weeks to come. The Boston trio feature Cave In’s Adam McGrath and JR Connors within their ranks, but this debut EP is far removed from the epic bombast of their heaviest moments. Fans of Cave In’s simpler moments will not be disappointed though and everyone will be pleased that their penchant for searing, effects-laden solos remains intact.
 
Dead Batteries” and “The Frugal Yankee” deliver a perfect balance of gritty post-hardcore and melodic urgency that bring to mind the ragged, adrenaline rush of Cloud Nothings. “Dirty Boots and A Friend Named Goo” starts in unexpected bubblegum-fashion for a paean to Sonic Youth, but a wave of guitar squall that would make the New York noiseniks proud, rises from the depths and envelopes the landscape in fuzz.
 
Elsewhere, Nomad Stones deliver super-catchy pop songs caked in a healthy layer of dirt. The anthemic crawl of “Drain Brain” and their cover of Buddy Holly’sHeartbeat” sound like a union of the Misfits and Weezer. This sounds like an unlikely recipe for success but somehow the band makes it work and it sits comfortably alongside the more angular sounds elsewhere. 
 
It’s hard to resist the invigorating, infectious energy of these eight tracks. This brief burst of spiky noise leaves you hungry for more. Hopefully they will be back soon.
‘Nomad Stones” is available here
 
Band info: | facebook || bandcamp

Monday, 10 August 2015

Fight Amp - 'Constantly Off' (Album Review)

By: Greg Sheriff

Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 09/06/2015
Label: Knife Hits/Brutal Panda Records




‘In short, I’ve been missing out. I’m really happy to have had a reason to sit down with a band I already thought I knew and find out there’s still so much more to them. I can only highly recommend ‘Constantly Off’, and after this I’m off to check out all the stuff I’ve missed.’


‘Constantly Off’ CS/DD//LP track listing:

1). Ex-Everything
2). Survival is Strange
3). Leveling in a Dream
4). You Don’t Wanna Live Forever
5). I Perceive Reptoids
6). Happy Joyful Life

Fight Amp is

Jon Dehart | Bass, vocals
Mike McGinnis | Guitars, vocals
Dan Smith | Drums

The Review  

Fight Amp are one of those bands I’ve seen about a billion times opening for some other band I happened to be going to see, but never heard a proper release from. I’m not saying I don’t like them. At this point I’m always fairly excited to find out they’re on the bill and see that giant wall of budget “tone­hunter” amps. In my mind you’d have to be trying pretty hard to find something to gripe about if they’re playing, but if you asked my why I haven’t ever taken the time to listen to anything from their considerable output, well ­ I wouldn’t have ever been able to come up with a good reason; Until now that is, with their latest release (and only 4th full length out of 13 releases since 2003) Constantly Off . 

I’m pretty sure much has been made about Fight Amp laying neatly at the juncture of so very, very many influences, so the only thing I’ll add is how I think they do such an excellent job of sounding like everything and themselves at the same time. A less widdly ­diddly filled High on Fire at times, a heavier Fugazi at others and straight up Melvins worship but to me they fit right into this perfect space where fans of any number of punk and metal subgenres find crossover areas of interest. But I’ll go on: I think this is why I’ve never felt like I HAD to get a recording of theirs, or why I’ve never HAD to go see them when they come through town. With so much music to digest these days it’s the stuff that really focuses on a specific scene that gets most folks’ attention, which isn’t necessarily fair since ‘Constantly Off’ is really fucking good.

First off, the recording is next to perfect. Not in the slick, “produced” sense, more in the sense that the sound perfectly captures the essence of this band (as I think of them anyway). I’m mostly blown away by how much it sounds like seeing them live, just with less noise and more clarity in the low mids.  This isn’t a band that’s going to go in the studio and let the magic happen behind the board or dibble around with twiddling knobs for “ambiance”, they’re just going to go in and turn up and devastate you, so just go get a mic and stick it front of something. The guitars grind and spit, the bass and kick are both punching hard together, and the cymbals are present without washing out everything all to hell. Everything sounds like its right in front of you, with little reverb or room sounds, giving their brand of sludge a welcome clarity.

The album kicks off with a set of droning notes on ‘Ex –­ Everything’, fairly tired these days after so much knee­jerk “doom” fetishizing, but free of the usual pretense here it’s refreshing when it turns into a loping head ­nodder with sing-along choruses whose entirety clocks in at one second under three and a half minutes, which makes it one of two epics on an album whose average song length is approximately 2:59. By the time we get to the fourth, ‘You Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ Fight Amp has given us the fast, the slow, and the heavy, with the shifting of pace ­all a set up for this 5/4 banger that is, for me, the highpoint of the album. The toms and kick, in the opening give us the template and then it’s fucking ‘on’, proving you don’t have to make odd time signatures an incomprehensible skronk party. Visceral, compelling, simple ­ well done all around. From there we get the dissonant post punk of ‘I Perceive Reptoids’ and the closing “epic” ‘Happy Joyful Life’ whose ominous bass and band interplay clearly indicate life is anything but. In short, I’ve been missing out. I’m really happy to have had a reason to sit down with a band I already thought I knew and find out there’s still so much more to them. I can only highly recommend ‘Constantly Off’, and after this I’m off to check out all the stuff I’ve missed. 


‘Constantly Off’ is available here



Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Ladder Devils - Clean Hands (Album Review)



Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 04/11/2014
Label: Brutal Panda Records

‘Clean Hands’ DD/LP track listing:

1). Remember the Tooth
2). Midnight Eyes
3). Scabby
4). Hunt For Life
5). The Combine
6). Nameless, Faceless
7). Feeling is Natural
8. Land of Beauty
9). Eye of the Mundane
10). Dumb Jokes

Bio:

Philadelphia, PA noise rock quartet Ladder Devils make their long awaited return with Clean Hands, the first proper full-length for the band.  Featuring former members of hardcore heroes The Minor Times, the group previously released a series of EPs and splits with Helms Alee, Kowloon Walled City and Fight Amp, leading up to the recording of this album  With tighter song writing and cleaner production, the band mix the punk urgency of Nirvana with the sonic experimentation of The Pixies to create a sound that is all their own.  Fans of post-hardcore, noise rock, grunge and loud indie rock will surely embrace the rattling sounds of Ladder Devils.

Recorded at Gradwell House Studios in Haddon Heights, NJ by Steve Poponi (Fight Amp) in the winter of 2013/2014

Ladder Devils are:

Eric Haag | Guitar/Vocals
Matt Leo | Bass/Vocals
Timothy Leo | Guitar
Mike Howard | Drums

Review:

Taken at face value, Ladder Devils fall somewhere between Unsane, Ken Mode and the more experimental edge of Botch, ‘Clean Hands’, their latest, offers an original take on the already well explored genre of noise rock / Am Rep worship.

At first, there doesn’t appear to be much to distinguish them from Unsane as they share a similar discordant and bass driven style. The guitar and bass often divert from each other before combining for the more aggressive segments, whilst the vocals have an almost sarcastic tone to them which remind me of Jesse Matthewson of KEN mode. It’s competent, professional, but just seems to be little more than a copy of their influences.

Once this album starts to sink  in however, there are some key differences; where  Unsane rely heavily on the blues and KEN mode on technical metal to define their sound, Ladder Devils incorporate an almost garage band / rock n roll vibe. Imagine if The Bronx were noise rock but they had to sedate their front man. The ending of ‘Midnight Eyes’ for example builds to a break that could (kind of) be The Hives and yet from nowhere a hypnotic guitar line fades in, adding a completely unexpected atmosphere and what was an excellent noise rock song takes on a completely new angle. It emphasises they have their own identity and this is the first of a number of unexpected, but welcome musical shifts.

Tracks such as ‘Scabby’ provide some thunderous aggression, ‘Hunt for life’ even reminds me of In Utero era Nirvana, and ‘Feeling is Natural’ relies on stomping riffs  before spinning into uncomfortably aggressive psychedelia. For me, it never feels like they are leaping genres, rather they are cohesively bringing these elements to define their own sound. They clearly know exactly what they want to achieve and despite the sometimes disparate influences (pretty sure there is a Piano and some female backing vocals in ‘Land of Beauty’) it never loses focus. The album closes with the dirge like ‘Dumb Jokes’, combining elastic riffing with a despairing narrative of “I’ve got a joke for you, I have a joke for you too” which plays out to the albums end. It’s a downbeat and unpredictable ending on a surprising album that has everything you want from this genre and a lot you wouldn’t expect.

‘Clean hands’ then, is excellent, focused, inventive, disdainful. With its creative path separating them from the many others of their ilk, this album gets better with each listen.  It’s quite easy to imagine this becoming a classic in its own right and if there is any justice they will become an influence to others.  Awesome. Get it. Now,

8/10.

For fans of: Unsane / Botch / KEN mode

Words by: Chris Wilson

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:


Friday, 4 April 2014

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 :


Sunday, 9 March 2014

Wild Throne - Blood Maker EP (Review)


Album Type : EP
Date Released : 4/3/2014
Label : Brutal Panda Records

Blood Maker, track listing :

1). The Wrecking Ball Unchained
2). Shadow Deserts
3). Blood Maker

Bio :

Bellingham, WA progressive rock/metal trio WILD THRONE (formerly known as Dog Shredder) emerge with their debut EP, Blood Maker, under their new moniker.  A mind bending amalgamation of progressive rock, metal, jazzy syncopations and swirling melodies, Blood Maker was recorded with legendary producer Ross Robinson (At The Drive In, Machine Head, The Cure) in Venice Beach, CA.  Fresh off a US Tour with Red Fang and Helms Alee, WILD THRONE are only just beginning their quest for eccentric rock greatness.

The Band is: Joshua Holland | Guitar, Vocals
Noah Burns | Drums
Jeff Johnson | Bass

Review :

Resonating the kind of anarchic beauty you’d expect Mastodon to create while enduring a bad acid trip, with a heightened focus on psychedelic aesthetics, Wild Throne have absolutely nailed it with Blood Maker. Put simply, you won’t hear many other debut releases as accomplished, well-rounded and as stunningly executed as this in 2014.

Wisely changing their name from Dog Shredder, the kind of moniker destined to make the RSPCA shit their proverbial pants, their new, less offensive name takes steps towards encapsulating the unfettered mayhem of this record.

From the soft, graceful beginnings of Wrecking Ball Unchained, one of the most ferocious and feral songs of the year so far, it provides the lulling calm before the throbbing, apocalyptic storm that follows. Riff after riff, it takes a sledgehammer to yourself, all the while peppering each track with moments of dynamically quiet and lucid landscapes and lofty choruses.

The fury of Shadow Deserts leaves your mouth agape in a matter of milliseconds. They say that actions speak louder than words, and the faces it leaves stunned listeners pulling, says far more than any superlative-laced review could.

Its bridge riff is a stunning example of what this band are capable of, taking a ravishing, raging riff before bastardising its time signature, adding the crunch when you least expect it. It's followed by crying, fuzzy-enough-to-have-its-own-beard lead guitar work before a whirling, spaced out grooves a-la Hawkwind with their foot on the accelerator and a mesmerising solo takes the foray.

Once more, while you are pummelled with the most insane, mind-bending riffs that transcend a multitude of time signatures and metallic, psychedelic and progressive styles, melodic passages, where Joshua Holland’s
vocals soar are never far away. The effect is devastating.    

Ross Robinson's (At The Drive In, Machine Head, The Cure) production allows the vast array of intricacies buried within this album to breathe without hindering the brutality of the music. Their resulting sound is huge and impossible to ignore, but trust me, you wouldn’t want to.

Its length, at only 3 tracks, you would think, would leave you craving a little more. Yet, as the silence that follows juxtaposes their sonic storm, you are left entirely satisfied, if not a little out of breath. Wild Throne deserves a massive future.

Words: Phil Weller

You can buy it here

For more information :


Wednesday, 5 February 2014

The Sludgelord News : WILD THRONE: Premiere New Song via Stereogum

WILD THRONE: Premiere New Song via Stereogum   

Blood Maker coming March 4th via Brutal Panda Records 

Band to Perform at SXSW

Watch the music video for "Shadow Deserts" HERE.  



Photo Credit:  Ryan Russell
 
Bellingham, WA progressive rock/metal trio WILD THRONE (formerly known as Dog Shredder) have premiered the title track from their debut EP Blood Maker via Stereogum, who call the EP " a blistering, thunderous, infectious barrage of tightly wound instrumental precision and ecstatic, bellowed vocals" that is " loud, catchy, fun, and heavy as fuck."  Listen HERE.

A mind bending amalgamation of progressive rock, metal, jazzy syncopations and swirling melodies, Blood Maker was recorded this past Spring with legendary producer Ross Robinson (At The Drive In, Glassjaw, Machine Head).  The album is set for release via Brutal Panda Records on March 4th via limited edition LP and digital download.  A preview of the album's cover art designed by Orion Landau (Red Fang, Inter Arma) in addition to LP pre-orders can be viewed HERE with digital pre-orders available HERE.  The music video for the EP's first single, "Shadow Deserts" can be viewed HERE .  

Additionally, the band has confirmed a SXSW appearance with exact dates and more details to be announced soon. 

For more information : 


Thursday, 16 January 2014

The Double A Doom Interview: Whores.



If gargantuan helmet esque riffs are your deal, then you won’t have failed to notice, the holy ball buster that was Whores.  sophomore release, Clean.  Fitton described the record best saying it  is so good; it should be illegal for it to exist.  The amount of groove base riffs per capita was truly mouth watering, so much so in fact that after hearing a mere 2 tracks, I immediately headed to their bandcamp site and purchased both their records.   Result!!

Therefore, I am beyond stoked Christian from Whores. agreed to talk to us here for the second installment of The Double A Doom Interview.  Following the release of Clean. these riff dealers are not resting on their laurels and during our conversation, they seem agitated to get back into the studio to record a follow up.  So with talk of new music and whole lot more, It is gives me great pleasure to welcome, one Whore to SludgelordHQ, Christian Lembach.  They ain’t no pimps!!



(DAD) Who are you, state your name (s) and purpose?

My name is Christian, and I’m here to fuck shit up.

(DAD) Summarise your musical journey (s) this point?

I love Journey. Seriously. Steve Perry can sing his ass off.

(DAD) What can fans look forward to from you in 2014? How is your schedule shaping up?

We have a bunch of stuff coming up. We have a split single coming out that we did with the band Rabbits (Portland), we’re recording an indieATL session, we’re recording a song for the Amphetamine Reptile’s revived Dope, Guns and Fucking in the Streets series, we’re playing the Metal Sucks showcase at SXSW, and we have a U.S. tour directly following (dates with Deafheaven, Lo Pan, Gay Witch Abortion, Fight Amp, Rye Coalition and Roomrunner). And that’s just March.

(DAD) What springs to mind when you think about the completion of your new/current record?

I’m ready to get cracking on the next one, honestly. I love everything we’ve done so far, but I feel like we’re just getting going.


(DAD) Who handles song writing duties?

I usually bring in riffs or basic structures and we flesh out arrangements together. Then we record the rough arrangement and I bring the recording home to write words and tweak the arrangement.

(DAD) How long was the gestation of your new/current opus from conception to delivery?  

We’ve played a few of the songs on Clean in our set for a little while, and some of the songs were brand new, so it’s hard to say. The words for “Last Looks” were written in the studio, but Cougars, Not Kittens is actually one of our oldest songs. We also recorded more songs than we released. We get shit sometimes for not putting out longer records, but we’d rather release something that we are super proud of than something we’re 80% proud of, you know?



(DAD) Reflecting on your new/current record, was your artwork designed with a particular physical format in mind? Who designed it? What are your thoughts the finished physical product? What format is/will be available? 

I usually have an idea in mind as far as the name of the record and the artwork should reflect that. We treated Clean as a companion piece to our first record, Ruiner, so I had the concept of the matches and the name together. Our friend Chad Hess took the picture and our friend Patrick Copeland did the layout. I absolutely love the grey splatter vinyl, and the purple version is beautiful as well. Sadly, those are both long sold out. We are self-releasing a CD with both Ruiner and Clean on it for our upcoming tour, and Brutal Panda is doing a second pressing of Clean on vinyl as we speak.

(DAD) The best and worst things about being in a band?

The best thing is everything. I couldn’t do anything else.
The worst part is scraping by to make ends meet financially.

(DAD) Influences and heroes, what are turn offs and turn on’s?

Our influences are pretty obvious, I think. What a lot of people probably don’t know is that we all really like pop music like The Pixies and I personally love 80s stuff like Bauhaus and The Birthday Party. A sort of morose aesthetic really resonates with me for some reason. Dax Riggs and Mark Lanegan are two of my favourite singers.

(DAD) Any record from the past or present that springs to mind?

I like so much stuff; it’s hard to say just one record. Let’s say Rated R.


(DAD) The last album that kicked your arse?

Easy. Retox’s YPLL.

(DAD) What was your first instrument or musical experience and what do you use today?

I had a friend growing up who had an electric guitar and amp, and I used to go over his house to make noise with it while all of our other friends were outside playing or whatever. I was so drawn to it.

I could talk about gear for hours. For the sake of brevity, I play single-coil guitars, fuzz pedals and loud, clean amps.

(DAD) One item, gear or otherwise that characterises your band and one item from your set up you cannot live without?

Another easy one: the green Russian Big Muff.

(DAD) Pro-tools versus old school?

Both work. I’m no purist.

(DAD) Blogs and social media vs. getting on the road and touring?

I shepherd our online stuff pretty closely, and I think it has definitely helped our band, but there is no substitute for melting faces. I love knowing that people like our band based on recordings alone, because that means we’re going to absolutely fuck them up when they see us play.

(DAD) What are your survival tips for the road, any rider requests? 

I have to drink a gallon of water a day, sleep constantly and not eat any dairy whatsoever. We’re nowhere near having any sort of rider yet, though. Two words: Waffle House.

(DAD) Have you ever been starstruck and what have been your band highlight (s) thus far

I haven’t really met any celebrities or whatever through the band, but that stuff is kind of silly to me anyway. As far as highlights, Playing with Retox and meeting JP was a pretty big deal for me.  


(DAD) Vinyl Junkie or Ipod flunky? Discuss 

As a band, you have to do both, but I want both as a listener as well. I listen to a ton of vinyl at home, but I have to have access to music everywhere, so an iPod is a must. I recently lost an iPod with over 5,000 songs on it. I was so bummed. I’m populating a new one now. On the flipside, I just got two records in the mail today.



(DAD) Indiegogo or creative no no?

Never. That shit is disgusting to me.

(DAD) Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?

Hahahaha. Certainly not.

Thank you on behalf of the Sludgelord.


Thanks buddy. I hope we can get over to the UK sooner than later.

Words and interview by : Aaron Pickford

For more information :