Dead In The Manger - Cessation (Album Review)

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 3/2/2015

Label: 20 Buck Spin

‘Cessation’ LP//DD track listing:

1. Cessation, Pt. 1

2. Cessation, Pt. 2

3. Cessation, Pt. 3

4. Cessation, Pt. 4

5. Cessation, Pt. 5

6. Cessation, Pt. 6

Bio:

This LP comes on limited OX BLOOD / SILVER vinyl and on BLACK. An immediate download of the audio will be delivered when purchased from 20 Buck Spin (if ordering prior to Feb 3rd 2015, your download will be delivered on Feb. 3rd).

On Cessation, Dead in the Manger follows up their Transience debut from 2014 with six new stages in the grief process, resolved in their adherence to dispiriting melodic atmosphere and frenzied black carnage, ever reaching upward yet inevitably pulled down into the mire. Whether grinding forth in a cascade of blinding black metal violence or cloaked in despondent post-rock gloom, Cessation leaves no space for hope, compelling the paradoxical embrace of suffering.

As before, song titles, production credits, individual personalities and origins remain trivial in service of the one true purpose for Dead in the Manger, internal disorder from external domination. The machinery of plutocratic slavery, churning and grinding the spirit of life until little remains but the last gasp of a doomed humanity, a cessation of the primal light in an absurdist nightmare.

Review:

I’m not really someone who takes joy in harshly criticizing or lambasting a band’s work. I believe that people are more willing to listen to what someone has to say if they are willing to bother with making a strong case for why they don’t like an album. I didn’t review Dead in the Manger’s 2014 EP, ‘Transience’, but in conversation with friends and discussing the EP on Twitter I was fairly harsh in my criticism of it. What made the EP so frustrating was that its potential was obvious, and yet a few seemingly minor decisions nullified most of the good the song writing itself accomplished. I’m not so vain that I would believe my twitter whining had anything to do with the approach they took on ‘Cessation’, but they’ve addressed the concerns I had about the EP to such an extent that that my initial listens left only a smile and an “I’ll be damned” on my lips.

‘Cessation’ is a big step forward for Dead in the Manger. They’re dealing with similar musical themes and stylistic elements as before, but the ideas are fully-formed and better-executed than before. My biggest issue with ‘Transience’ was the excessive reliance on American style blast beats, which gave the material a really flat, lifeless feel. That blasting style was a burden that the material couldn’t carry, and it crippled the potential of the otherwise interesting work coming from the individual string tremolo riffs and slower, thicker riffs during the tempo breaks. That it was hard to pinpoint specific influences is a point in Dead in the Manger’s favour, but for someone who is susceptible to irrational anger from certain drumming choices (like myself), it was something I couldn’t get beyond. With ‘Cessation’ those drumming choices are seemingly reversed with a much stronger inclination toward the European blasting style (or if you prefer, the Pete Sandoval style blast beats) and it makes all of the difference in the world.

The other key element beyond the much-improved drum arrangements and the main reason this album is a stratosphere above the ‘Transience’ EP, is its variety. The speedier moments on ‘Cessation’ are certainly more effective than before, but the churning, tar-thick heaviness found on “Cessation, Pt. 3” adds a much-needed extra dimension  to the musical world Dead in the Manger are building. It builds well; as increasingly complex drumming and guitar layering lead to a powerful conclusion without overstaying its welcome.

With each listen I continue to appreciate just how much Dead in the Manger have grown in such a short period of time. While this album is pretty brief for a full-length at twenty-six minutes, it’s more than enough for me to realise that this is a band on a sharp upward trajectory and if the growth from ‘Transience’ to ‘Cessation’ is any indication of how quickly they move, their next album could be an outright classic. As it stands now, ‘Cessation’ is an album worth going out of your way to check out, being strong enough to elevate itself above the dozens of notable albums that come out on a weekly basis.

Words by: Daniel Jackson

You can pick up a digital copy here and an LP copy here.

For more information:

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The Sludgelord News: DEAD IN THE MANGER: Entire Cessation LP Now Streaming At Steel For Brains Days Ahead Of Worldwide Release Via 20 Buck Spin

Just days before Olympia, Washington-based 20 Buck Spin sets mysterious metal legion, DEAD IN THE MANGER's, Cessation LP loose upon the public, investigative metal webzine, Steel For Brains, has hosted an exclusive stream of the entire torrential album.

The follow-up to the anonymous act's malicious Transience EP, released approximately a year ago,DEAD IN THE MANGER's ominous objective is made all the more evident on their debut full-length endeavor, Cessation. The album surely unleashes the expected searing and blast-driven grind/black metal alloy as its predecessor, yet also explores much more spacious and trance-inducing textures, opening portals to new realms of their insidious dimension through six unnamed movements. Once again, the identity of the members and the origin of the outfit remain anonymous to allow their belittling delivery to be the focal point of their auditory rapture. Digging into the band's collective dead heart for insight into Cessation, Steel For Brains has interrogated the band alongside an exclusive early listen to the entire album, issuing, "Cessation is defined as the process of ending. If that journey into the terminal blackness of our end ever needed a soundtrack, DEAD IN THE MANGER just greased the rails."

Explore DEAD IN THE MANGER's entire Cessation at Steel For Brains through THIS PORTAL.

The band's Handshake Inc.-directed video for "II" was recently premiered via Decibel at THIS LOCATION.

20 Buck Spin will officially release Cessation this Tuesday, February 3rd, on 12" vinyl and through all prime digital outlets. Orders for the LP and shirt packages can be placed HERE and the digital HERE.

Whether grinding forth in a cascade of blinding black metal violence or cloaked in despondent post-rock gloom, Cessation leaves no space for hope, compelling the paradoxical embrace of suffering, the album shrouded in appropriately bleak artwork courtesy of Misanthropic Art (Secrets Of The Moon, Hooded Menace, Attic). The machinery of plutocratic slavery, churning and grinding the spirit of life until little remains but the last gasp of a doomed humanity, a cessation of the primal light in an absurdist nightmare. Noisey/Vice issued in part of the album in an early track premiere, "it's even better than their first EP. Smoldering black metal, gloomy post-rock, and flourishes of technical, melodic death congeal into something diabolically unique. These dudes know what they're doing." Metal Insider reviewed the record, praising, "DEAD IN THE MANAGER are a band on a mission, not unlike an army marching to war, knowing they will try like hell to take everyone down with them when they go. Yet, no matter how fast and pissed this album gets there are still those ever-prevailing elements of somber isolation and dread. Needless to say that Cessation is an album not recommended for those of weak constitution. It's the type of album that would chew you up and spit you out if you let it, like an owl depositing the remains of its kill in unwanted little piles." With a 4/5 rating, Skulls 'N Bones' review included, "it's obvious that DEAD IN THE MANGER put a lot more thought into the composition and arrangement of their music than just brutality and aggression," and Meat Mead Metal's rave critique offers, "DEAD IN THE MANGER are well on their way to establishing themselves as one of the most vicious, hopeless (philosophically, that is) bands in the extreme metal arena. They don't give a damn what they throw into their poisonous stew, as long as it maims and continues to give off a sense that everything they know is horrible and eventually going to destroy."

http://deadinthemanger.com 

http://www.20buckspin.com 

http://www.facebook.com/20buckspin 

http://twitter.com/20buckspinlabel 

Source: Earsplit PR

The Sludgelord News: Daily Digest

Your rundown of the top sludge news stories of the day …

BLACK SHEEP WALL - Some people are never satisfied. If you’ve been following the Sludgelord closely this week you may recall Monday’s Daily Digest where it was announced that BLACK SHEEP WALL were streaming the song “Tetsuo The Dead Man” on The Obelisk website. Well it seems the raucous Moorpark, California quartet wasn’t content with just showcasing one song. It was announced yesterday that the band is now streaming their entire ‘I’m Going to Kill Myself’ album on a dozen different websites from around the globe (see list below).

The album is scheduled to be released January 26 on Season of Mist Records. You can pre-order a copy at this location.

‘I’m Going to Kill Myself’ is now streaming at the following locations:

Lambgoat (USA)
VS Webzine (FR) 
Slam (AT/DE)
Lords of Metal (NL)
Loud Magazine (PT)
Metal Hammer (NO)
Metal Wani (IN)
ProRock (BG)
Rockoverdose (GR)
RockZone (ES)
Andfari (IS)
Spark (CZ)

Source:

Season of Mist

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IRON REAGAN - Australian waters are famous for housing many of the world’s deadliest sharks and it’s said that if a shark stops moving, it’s dead. Well those waters are about to get just a little more crowded. It may not be a shark invading, but a creature just as restless, with just as much bite.

It was announced yesterday that Richmond, VA punk / thrash quintet IRON REAGAN will hit the land down under after their month long North American tour. The band spent most of its time on the road last year, stopping just long enough to record their 24-song ‘Tyranny of Will’ album, which was released by Relapse Records this past September. You can find it at this location.

As for the tour dates, feast your eyes on this list:

***All dates w/ Napalm Death, Voivod, Iron Reagan and Black Crown Initiate***
Jan 27 Miami, FL Grand Central*
Jan 28 St. Petersburg, FL State Theater*
Jan 29 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade*
Jan 30 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's*
Jan 31 Baltimore, MD Soundstage*
Feb 02 New York, NY Gramercy Theater*
Feb 03 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer*
Feb 04 Toronto, ON Opera House
Feb 05 Ottawa, ON Maverick's
Feb 06 Montreal, QC Club Soda
Feb 07 Worcester, MA Palladium*
Feb 08 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance Theater*
Feb 09 Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom*
Feb 10 Chicago, IL Reggie's*
Feb 11 Minneapolis, MN Amsterdam*
Feb 12 Winnipeg, MB The Zoo
Feb 13 Regina, SK The Exchange
Feb 14 Calgary, AB Republik
Feb 15 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room
Feb 17 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theater**
Feb 18 Seattle, WA Studio Seven #
Feb 19 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
Feb 20 Oakland, CA Metro ##
Feb 21 Fresno, CA Strummers ##
Feb 22 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
Feb 23 Tempe, AZ Club Red ##
Feb 24 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater ##
Feb 25 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall ##
Feb 26 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater ##
Feb 27 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey ##
Feb 28 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's ##
* w/ Ringworm # w/ Theories
** w/ Dayglo Abortions ## w/ Phobia

**Australian Tour**
April 07 Wollongong, NSW Yours and Owls
April 08 Brisbane, QLD Crowbar
April 09 Newcastle, NSW Cambridge Hotel
April 10 Sydney, NSW Bald Face Stag
April 11 Melbourne, VIC The Tote

**European Festival Dates**
Jun 18-20 Copenhagen, DK Copenhell 2015
Jun 19 Clisson, France Hellfest
Jun 25 Milano, Italy Solomacello Festival
Jul 07 Tabor, Czech Republic Mighty Sounds
Jul 18 Albi, France Xtreme Fest

For More Info Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/IRONREAGAN
http://instagram.com/ironreaganofficial
https://twitter.com/iron_reagan
http://ironreagan.bandcamp.com
http://www.relapse.com

Source:

Freeman Promotions

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ABYSMAL DAWN - A second Relapse Records band made the news when it was announced that death metallers ABYSMAL DAWN will hit the road for all of this February and March around the United States and Europe.

They’re touring behind the strength of their ‘Obsolescence’ record which was released this past Fall. You can find it at this location.

Here are the tour dates:

Feb 02 Farmington, NM Studio 18
Feb 03 Amarillo, TX The Wreck Room
Feb 04 Tulsa, OK Downtown Lounge
Feb 05 Birmingham, AL The Syndicate Lounge
Feb 06 Panama City, FL A&M Theater

***All dates w/ 1349, Origin and Wolvhammer***
Feb 08 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
Feb 10 Austin, TX Dirty Dog
Feb 11 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
Feb 12 Phoenix, AZ Joe's Grotto
Feb 14 Los Angeles, CA The Complex
Feb 15 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge
Feb 16 Reno, NV Jub Jub's
Feb 17 Salt Lake City, UT Area 51
Feb 18 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
Feb 19 Kansas City, MO Riot Room
Feb 20 Joliet, IL Mojoe's
Feb 21 Cleveland, OH Roc Bar
Feb 22 Trenton, NJ Championship Bar
Feb 23 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre

***Feb 27 to March 22 dates w/ Death DTA Tours and Loudblast***
Feb 27 Bocum, DE Matrix
Feb 28 Endohoven, NL Dynamo
Mar 01 Antwerp, BE Trix
Mar 02 London, UK Electric Ballroom
Mar 03 Dublin, IR Academy
Mar 04 Manchester, UK Club Academy
Mar 05 Paris, FR Trabendo
Mar 06 Zurich, CH Alte Kaserne
Mar 07 Munich, DE Theaterfabrik
Mar 08 Ludwisburg, DE Rockfabrik
Mar 09 Romagnano Sesia, IT RnR Arena
Mar 11 Salzburg, AT Rockhouse
Mar 12 Wien, AT Szene
Mar 13 Cracov, PL Fabryka
Mar 14 Gdansk, PL B 90
Mar 15 Warsaw, PL Progresja
Mar 16 Berlin, DE K 17
Mar 17 Wurzburg, DE Posthalle
Mar 18 Hamburg, DE Markthalle
Mar 19 Gothenburg, SE Sticky Fingers
Mar 20 Stockholm, SE Klubben
Mar 21 Oslo, NO Vulkan
Mar 22 Copenhagen, DK Amager Bio
***All dates with Enfold Darkness***
Mar 25 Baltimore, MD Sidebar Tavern
Mar 26 Fairfax, VA Fat Tuesday's
Mar 27 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
Mar 28 Murfreesboro, TN Wall Street

For More Info Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/AbysmalDawn
https://twitter.com/AbysmalDawn
http://instagram.com/abysmaldawn
http://www.relapse.com

Source:

Freeman Promotions

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TEMPLES FESTIVAL - Fans of the band EARTH take note. The TEMPLES FESTIVAL is set to shake the foundations of Bristol this May and Earth may just be the band that finally brings the whole city down.

It was confirmed yesterday that Earth will be the festival’s final main stage headliners on Sunday May 31. The festival opens Friday the 29^th, with Converge, Pig Destroyer and Bongzilla the headliners on three stages. An additional 15 acts were also added to the lineup, they are:

VOIVOD
PALLBEARER
TRIBULATION
SONANCE
CAINA
ANTA
((OHHMS))
GRIEVED
SVALBARD
HALSHUG
THE KING IS BLIND
THE AFTERNOON GENTLEMEN
OLANZA
GRAND COLLAPSE
SWAN SONG

Festival organizers are also advising fans and ticketholders to stay tuned to the festival’s facebook page for a big, curveball announcement this Friday at 1 p.m. GMT.

Limited Weekend Tickets and an ample supply of Day Tickets are available from;
www.templesfestival.co.uk
www.bristolticketshop.co.uk
www.seetickets.com
www.gigantic.com

Source:

Rarely Unable PR

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OCEANO - Chicagoland deathcore agitators OCEANO have a new album and tour in the works, it was announced. The album, ‘Ascendants’ will hit stores March 23 in Europe and March 24 in North America via Earache Records. It’s the band’s first new release since 2013.

"This album is an evolution of our brand of heaviness,” frontman Adam Warren said. “It is our most focused release ever and contains a concept that elevates the band onto a higher plane. I want every Oceano fan old and new to be launched into an altered state and immerse themselves into discovering what Ascendants is all about."

You can hear more of Adam discussing the new album at this location. The album is currently available for pre-order on iTunes and at this location.

This mid-March to early-April tour will take this shape:

Mar. 16 - Erie, PA - Basement Transmissions
Mar. 17 - Indianapolis, IN - Emerson Theater
Mar. 18 - Newport, KY - Thompson House
Mar. 19 - Sauget, IL - Pop's
Mar. 20 - Tulsa, OK - The Vanguard
Mar. 22 - Grand Prairie, TX - South By So What?!
Mar. 23 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
Mar. 25 - Lake Worth, FL - Propaganda
Mar. 26 - Tampa, FL - Local 662
Mar. 27 - Jacksonville, FL - Burro Bar
Mar. 28 - Fayetteville, NC - The Drunk Horse Pub
Mar. 29 - Springfield, VA - Empire
Mar. 30 - Patterson, NJ - The Wild Bull
Mar. 31 - Amityville, NY - Amityville Music Hall
Apr. 01 - Albany, NY - Bogie's
Apr. 02 - Brooklyn, NY - M2 Brooklyn Asylum
Apr. 03 - Rochester, NY - California Brew Haus
Apr. 04 - Lakewood, OH - The Foundry

Facebook - http://facebook.com/oceanometal
Twitter - http://twitter.com/oceanometal

Source:

The Noise Cartel

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THEORIES - It was also announced that Seattle-based death grind band THEORIES have a new album looming. The band will make their Metal Blade Records debut in grand style with the release of the brand-new ‘Regression’ full-length on March 24. You can listen to the first single, “Cycle of Decay” and pre-order the album right now at this location.

Here’s a complete track listing:

1. Burnt Concrete
2. Cycle Of Decay
3. Shame
4. Abortive Crescent
5. Bathing In Pigs Blood
6. First World's Last Breath
7. Swimming in Mud
8. Revenge/Rewild
9. Hell in Her Eyes
10. Landfill

For more info visit:

http://www.facebook.com/theoriesgrind
http://www.theoriesgrind.blogspot.com
http://www.metalblade.com/theories

Source:

Earsplit PR

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DEAD IN THE MANGER - Moving from death grind to black grind now, Dead in the Manger made the news yesterday when they raised the curtain on their new “II” video exclusively at Decibel Magazine. The video was directed by David Hall of Handshake Inc.

"This is probably the first time I've made a video for a band without talking to any of the members," Hall stated. "I sort of just got an email one day from the label that asked if I'd be interested in making a video for a black/grind metal band. I listened to the track and really dug what I heard so I agreed. The only real info and guidance I was given was the name of the song, 'II', the album title, and the album's artwork. From listening to the track and taking the cover artwork as inspiration, I decided to try and create a depressing and degraded, impressionistic, moving version of the cover, and use some found footage, stuff that I shot, and mix it together to make a scratchy, black-toned void that hopefully assaults the eyes as nicely as the music assaults the ears. After a few botched attempts, I arrived at the version you see now."

The song was taken from the band’s upcoming ‘Regression’ album, set to be released on 12” vinyl, February 3 through 20 Buck Spin Records.  You can stream it right now at this location.

Watch the video for ‘II’ at this location.

http://deadinthemanger.com
http://www.20buckspin.com
http://www.facebook.com/20buckspin
http://twitter.com/20buckspinlabel 

Source:

Earsplit PR

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DRAWERS / NOLENTIA - And finally, file this one under D for “diplomacy”. Kaotoxin Records announced that two of its artists will be heading to Cuba for a week and a half long tour with three other bands. The Kaotoxin signees, are traveling to Cuba alongside La Horde, Sickret and Superbutt, as part of the bi-annual Brutal Fest where they will play with local bands around the country.

Drawers are supporting their self-titled album, while Nolentia will be showcasing their sophomore effort, titled ‘May the Hand that Holds the Match that Will Set this World on Fire Be Blessed above All’.

Tour dates are:
Feb.13 – Holguin
Feb.14 – Bayamo
Feb.15 – Bayamo
Feb.17 – Camaguey
Feb.19 – Santa Clara
Feb.20 – Habana
Feb.21 – Habana
Feb.22 – Matanzas

Links
Tour trailer: Vimeo.com/115058577
Drawers "Shadow Dancers" music video: Youtube.com/watch?v=HmQzPdY5ImI
Drawers @ Facebook: Facebook.com/drawerskvlt
Drawers @ Twitter: Twitter.com/_DRAWERS
Nolentia "On this Side of the Grave" music video: Youtube.com/watch?v=COKllFGiq-c
Nolentia @ Facebook: Facebook.com/NolentiaNoise

Source:

Kaotoxin Records

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And now you’re all caught up in the world of sludge.