Wenches (ex-Racebannon) unleash brilliant hard rock/noise hybrid "Mama, Wake Up" from forthcoming debut album

"Straightforward, no-nonsense rock." -- Metal Injection

Bloomington, IN quartet Wenches (ex-members of Racebannon) share a new track from their forthcoming debut album Effin' Gnarly today via Outburn Magazine. Hear & share "Mama, Wake Up" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.) 

Metal Injection recently shared the "Bad Man" video HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

Assembled from broken bits and leftover chunks of various known and unknown groups in the punk, metal and post-hardcore world, Wenches hail from Bloomington, Indiana in the heart of the Midwest. Described by No Echo as “raw, no bullshit...undiluted rock realness" and in the vein of proto-punk bands like MC5 and The Stooges, the debut album Effin' Gnarly is slated for a February 2021 release. 

Tracked at Russian Recording (Built to Spill, Tortoise, of Montreal) and mastered by James Plotkin (Sunn O))), Pelican, Earth, ISIS), the band portrays the album as “high-energy screaming hard rock played the only way long-haired punk metalheads know how. "After a rotating door of bassists and drummers, the band has finally landed on what hopes to be a lasting lineup. Effin' Gnarly follows a previously sold out 3-song "demo" cassette and precedes the release of a limited edition 7" single entitled State Fair Hair. 

Effin' Gnarly will be available on LP and download on February 26, 2021 via Master Kontrol Audio. Limited edition cassettes will be released by Small Hand Factory. Pre-orders are available HERE. 

Artist: Wenches

Album: Effin’ Gnarly

Record Label: Master Kontrol Audio 

Release Date: February 26, 2021

01. Mama, Wake Up

02. Truck Stop Tank Top

03. Bad Man

04. What’s Next To The Moon

05. My Lady’s On Fire

06. Break Up To Make Up

07. Six To Midnight Man

08. Slip Slidin’

09. 100,000 Years

On The Web:

www.wenches.rocks

facebook.com/wencheswencheswenches

instagram.com/mstrkntrl

Årabrot share first single "The Lie" from forthcoming album on Pelagic Records, Norwegian Grammy-winning band returns

"They’re at their weirdest and best." -- The Wire

"Superb." -- The Quietus

"Dark and heavy yet almost startlingly accessible. It's an evil twist on a punchy, concise pop song, and there's really nobody who does this kind of thing the way Årabrot does." -- Brooklyn Vegan

Norwegian Grammy Award winning band Årabrot announce their forthcoming new album today with an animated video for the first single "The Lie" via Brooklyn Vegan. The epic 2xLP album Norwegian Gothic, is due out in April on Pelagic Records and finds the historically caustic band expanding melodically with evermore catchy hooks. Hear & share "The Lie" HERE. (Direct YouTube and Bandcamp.)

Årabrot also recently released a teaser EP The World Must Be Destroyed via The Orchard and YouTube. 

Årabrot's 9th full-length album Norwegian Gothic (its title a play on the Grant Wood painting American Gothic) sees the band collaborate with Lars Horntveth (Jaga Jazzist), cellist Jo Quail, Tomas Järmyr (Motorpsycho), Anders Møller (Turbonegro, Ulver) and Massimo Pupillo (Zu). A stellar production by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Black Eyed Peas, Paradise Lost, Hexvessel, Oranssi Pazusu) makes this the quintessential Årabrot record, as guitarist and vocalist Kjetil Nernes confirms: 

"Norwegian Gothic is the culmination of everything Årabrot has done musically the past 10 years. It is not only the climax of the band so far, but also a good indication of what to come. It is basically anamalgamation of all of our influences here in the church where we live. Musically it is inspired by all the albums of our record collection and thematically by the books we have in our shelves. More specifically it is our special brand of rock'n'roll music mixed with fin-de-siecle decadence, surrealism and even a pinch of old German philosophy to boot.”

While the 20-year history of the band is a story of change and correlation, it would be too simple to break this creative duality down to the stereotypical dichotomy of the yin and the yang... and if one attempted to do so, it would turn out to be quite difficult to determine which of these forces would be represented by which individual. 

A chubby child from a christian family, growing up in a small Swedish village and years spent in a Missionary school in Japan made Karin Park desperate to break away from narrow thinking. And she used her only advantages to do so; her unique voice and personality. By the age 15 she had moved away from home to find her place in music After studying at Stockholm Music Conservatory, a Norwegian poet took her to Norway where she started her pop career, this was followed by a move to London to write songs, and working as a model. 

After five albums, a few Grammys, writing a Eurovision entry for Norway and hits for other artists and performances with Lana Del Rey and David Bowie, Karin returned to the village of her youth and bought the church where she first sang in front of an audience as a child. She turned the church into iswhere they rehearse and record, surrounded by pianos, organs and hundreds of old bibles that the church left behind when the congregation stopped. The clerical environment has proven to be an excellent creative tapestry for a band whose lyrical focus orbits around sex, death and defiance.

Kjetil Nernes was diagnosed with malignant throat cancer in 2014, in the middle of a tour. Instead of heading in for surgery right away, the band finished a full European tour first, "Every night of that tour was like the last show ever“, Nernes comments, "It was really strange. When a doctor calls and says,'you're terribly sick', it's surreal. You go into this phase where life is more vivid and more real, in a weird way. We've done so many shows through the years and sometimes it’s a little like going to the factory to do a job. But with an axe hanging over your head you perceive the world differently.“

But the axe did not fall, and after successfully recovering from cancer, Årabrot are now stronger than ever. The band has collaborated with procuders like Billy Anderson and Steve Albini, and musicians like Ted Parsons (Killing Joke/Swans), Sunn O))))'s Stephen O’Malley, and Kvelertak's Erlend Hjelvik. They have composed music for silent movies like “Die Niebelungen” and “Doctor Caligari”, and have teamed up with The Quietus founder John Doran on his spoken word tour. Their album The Gospel was named “Album of the Year” by The Quietus.

Norwegian Gothic will be available on 2xLP, CD and digital on April 9th, 2021 via Pelagic Records. Preorders are available HERE. 

Artist: Årabrot

Album: Norwegian Gothic

Record label: Pelagic Records

Release date: April 9, 2021

01. Carnival of Love

02. The Rule of Silence

03. Feel It On

04. The Lie

05. The Crows

06. Kinks Of The Heart

07. Hailstones For Rain

08. The Voice

09. (This Is) The Night

10. Hard Love

11. Impact Heavily Onto The Concrete 

12. Hounds Of Heaven

13. Deadlock

14. The Moon Is Dead

15. You’re Not That Special

On The Web:

http://www.arabrot.com

https://www.facebook.com/ARABROT

pelagic-records.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpN0MnP1OT8HSoa-WmHL3Wg

https://twitter.com/ARABROT

 

WARISH (feat. Riley Hawk) share official video for lead single to upcoming album 'Next To Pay' on RidingEasy Records

 

"Remember when indie rock sounded all grimy, corroded and metal-sludgy -- the last thing you'd hear in a commercial or being played at an arena show? Warish do. It's music to the ears of anyone who wants to damage their ears." -- Rolling Stone

"Warish totally rules... An awesome mixture of punk energy, biker rock fuzz, and grunge growl." -- Kerrang!

"Sludgy and punk-y at the same time, with an Iggy and the Stooges meets Misfits vibe, plus a bit of stoner rock and metal mixed in, as well." -- Consequence of Sound

Southern California trio Warish share the first single from their anticipated sophomore full length, Next To Pay (RidingEasy Records) today via Revolver Magazine. Watch and share the video for "Say To Please" HERE. (Direct YouTube, and song at Bandcamp.)

With a name like Warish, the San Diego noisy punk-metal trio assured listeners they were in for a maniacal bludgeoning from the get-go. But the band has never been as dark and bitingly vicious as the wholly ominous Next To Pay. The band’s mix of early AmRep skronk, dark horror rock and budget doom antipathy is taken to a whole new level on this 13-song invective. 

“‘Next To Pay’ is about a sense of imminent doom, everyone is going to die,” vocalist/guitarist Riley Hawk says. “It’s not the happiest record, I guess.” To say the least. On the title track opener, Hawk screams through shredded vocal chords with the tuneful rage of Kill ‘Em All era James Hetfield and the seething desperation of Kurt Cobain. 

“This album is more of an evolution, it’s a little more punk-heavy,” Hawk says of the group quickly founded in 2018. “We figured out what our sound was.” And with that evolution comes a change in the lineup. Original drummer Nick (Broose) McDonnell plays on about half of the songs, while new drummer Justin de la Vega brings an even tighter urgency to the remaining, more recent tracks. Bassist Alex Bassaj joined after the debut album was recorded and here showcases muscular and melodic low end previously missing. Riley Hawk is also the pro-skater son of Tony Hawk. 

Inspired by early-Nirvana, The Misfits, The Spits and Master of Reality-era Black Sabbath, Next To Pay keeps things heavy and pummeling at all times. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Greg Ginn’s and Buzz Osbourne’s wiry contortions, and occasionally drenched in chorus effects. The rhythms bash right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated. Warish’s cover of 80s Dischord Records punks Gray Matter turns the emotive flail of “Burn No Bridges” into a Motorhead style basher. 

Next To Pay will be available on LP, CD and download on April 30th, 2021 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: Warish

Album: Next To Pay

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: April 30, 2021

01. Next To Pay

02. Another No One

03. S.H.M. (Second Hand Misery)

04. Burn No Bridges

05. Say To Please

06. Seeing Red

07. Destroyer

08. Woven

09. Scars

10. Ordinary

11. Superstar

12. Make The Escape

13. Fear and Pride

On The Web:

instagram.com/warish.usa

facebook.com/Warishband

ridingeasyrecs.com

Årabrot surprise release 'The World Must Be Destroyed' EP, announce forthcoming album on Pelagic Records

"They’re at their weirdest and best." -- The Wire

"Superb." -- The Quietus

Norwegian Grammy Award winning band Årabrot announce their return today with a surprise release 5-song EP The World Must Be Destroyed. The band also announces their forthcoming epic 2xLP album Norwegian Gothic, due out in April on Pelagic Records. Norwegian Gothic will be available for pre-order beginning on January 28th. Hear & share The World Must Be Destroyed EP via The Orchard and YouTube. 

Kjetl Nernes, vocalist/guitarist of Årabrot explains the EP thusly:

“Originally recorded during the Who Do You Love album sessions back in 2017 — the title track even intended as main single but for various reason ended up as an outtake (!) — these songs are among my personal favorites from this period. They are all inspired by Antonin Artaud's insane masterwork: His 'biography' of child emperor Heliogabalus. Hallucinatory, sadistic, overly sexual and above all just completely nutters.”

Produced by the Tall Man himself and the Dark Diva Karin Park. Musicians include Dana Schechter (Insect Ark/Swans), Andrew Liles (Current 93/Nurse With Wound) and tubaist Kristoffer Lo (Highasakite / Motorpsycho). Greg Norman recorded the songs at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago. 

“After 20 years of doing Årabrot I have learnt one important thing," Nernes says: "In order to rebuild, it must all be destroyed.”

Norwegian Gothic will be available on 2xLP, CD and digital, and The World Must Be Destroyed on 10" vinyl and CD on April 9th, 2021 via Pelagic Records. Additional details to come. 

Artist: Årabrot

Album: The World Must Be Destroyed

Record label: Pelagic Records

Release date: (digital:) January 22, 2021 (physical:) April 9, 2021

01. Inner Sanctum

02. The World Must Be Destroyed

03. The Coming

04. Another Hallucinatory

05. The World Must Be Destroyed (spoken)

On The Web:

http://www.arabrot.com

https://www.facebook.com/ARABROT

pelagic-records.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpN0MnP1OT8HSoa-WmHL3Wg

https://twitter.com/ARABROT

 

Grunge alt-metal group Planned Dilemma share "Softly" single from forthcoming debut

"Alternative metal that practically bleeds punk energy, then you're going to dig the new Planned Dilemma song 'Tell Their Lies'. It's a great blend of noisy breakdowns, slow-burning riffs, and enough sections to incite quite a few pits." -- Metal Injection

Hamilton, ON quartet Planned Dilemma share a new single from their forthcoming debut Inspace today via New Noise Magazine. Hear & share "Softly" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Metal Injection recently premiered the band's "Tell Their Lies" video HERE. (Direct YouTube)

Relentlessly restless, riling. These three words, off Planned Dilemma’s three song debut EP Inspace., describe the band’s frenzied efforts to write, record, and prepare for an early-winter release. Produced and guided by Henry Moss, the band recorded at the illustrious Noble Street Studios in Toronto. 

With each part they laid down, they dialed in to the vast array of sounds from which they draw their inspiration. Sounds of grunge, hardcore, shoegaze, and vocalist Amina’s recalling of the soulful and powerful rock vanguard (the Joplins, Cornells, Morrisettes, etc.), all fused together to create Planned Dilemma’s distinctive sound. The songs were then mixed and mastered by Zach Weeks at Kurt Ballou’s GodCity Studio, where they were given the GodCity signature gnarl. All in all, whether viewed as politically charged, self-loathing, or a personal respite, one thing escapes interpretation. The band channels these songs through the psyche of disgruntled youth in a culture of uncertainty. 

Through the towering halls of alternative rock, the sleazy streets of hardcore, and the gritty rooms of grunge and shoegaze, Planned Dilemma sits in the center. Over a zealous summer in 2018, the 4-piece, fronted by Cairo, Egypt transplant Amina Axi with guitarist Josh Agnoletto, drummer Rob Singh and bassist Dan Scime fully formed in a Hamiltonian basement. There, they tended towards driven, groovy rhythms and swaying dynamics, dipped in a dose of anger-fuelled melancholy. 

To harbour such a multi-dimensional sound, they moulded together their influences from bands such as Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins, and Hum — with soaring, Janis Joplin-like vocals, putting the icing over a grungy, noisy cake. 

Inspace. will be available on CD and download on February 19, 2021. Pre-orders are available HERE. 



Artist: Planned Dilemma

Album: Inspace.

Record Label: self-released 

Release Date: February 19, 2021

01. Tell Their Lies

02. Softly

03. Without You

On The Web:

https://www.facebook.com/PlannedDilemma/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6oc1UmQUIXQTn3Z_4Yc3jQ

https://planneddilemma.bandcamp.com

Blackout Transmission share new single from forthcoming debut via Outburn Magazine

"Opens with a dusty tremolo guitar sound, like a grungier Duane Eddy, with vocalist Christopher Goett showcasing a voice that’s uncannily similar to Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch. It’s fuzzy, hard-driving rock ‘n’ roll at heart." -- Treble

Los Angeles quartet Blackout Transmission share a new single from their forthcoming debut album today via Outburn Magazine. Hear and share "Heavy Circles" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Treble recently hosted the lead single "Portals" HERE. 

Los Angeles-based post-punk shoe-gaze band Blackout Transmission summon a psychoactive rush of sound on their debut long-player Sparse Illumination out February 19, 2021 via Etxe (et-CHAY) Records.

The album has an artful intentionality and natural cadence to its composition. The meditative, atmospheric opening track “Once There” dovetails into a catchy, Bad Seeds meets Bunnymen groove of “Since She Guided You Away” wherein questions of mortality and the afterlife collide. The late-night romantic pursuit of “Tactile Responses” summons sultry Wire and Public Image Limited vibes while incorporating beautiful, bowed-like choral guitar effects. Side A flows to conclusion with the shimmering, and faster-paced, “Heavy Circles” oscillating between driving, frenetic moments and textured, ethereal passages.

Side B launches with the intoxicating and gauzy, “Verdant Return” that features jaunty melodies and blooming choruses juxtaposed with a biting, confrontational lyrical narrative. The hypnotic groove of “Pacifica” eases off the gas pedal with a psychedelic coastal exploration crossfading perfectly into “Portals” a late-night driving track replete with Storm In Heaven textures and propulsive energy framing desert-evening ruminations about space and time. “Sleepwalking Again” closes the album reflecting upon exhausting, widening income inequality and social movements with a simmer- to-a-boil composition that conjures the more reflective moments of Unwound and early Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Bright and gleaming at times, warm and meditative at others – Sparse Illumination effectively creates a seamless, lysergic journey filled with potent lyrics coupled with a rush of multi-chromatic textures anchored by magnetic bass grooves and feverish drumming.

Christopher Goett (Silo Halo), the main creative force of Blackout Transmission, had a growing body of work since his return to Southern California after a decade in Washington, DC. He attributes reconnecting with longtime friend Adam D’Zurilla (Sleepmask, Dreamland) as a catalyst to further explore and refine those ideas.

Arrangements were rounded out with the addition of Kevin Cluppert on bass and Anthony Salazar (Teenage Wrist) on drums culminating with the band playing out in late 2019 and harnessing their live chemistry as they entered the studio in early 2020.

A good portion of album was recorded at Dream Machine in Long Beach and produced by Scott Holmes (Highlands) with Goett. “Scott pushed me in the best way to reimagine elements of my approach” says Goett, “as such we captured the vibe and feel that I was seeking with these songs.” The pandemic forced Goett to finalize many of his overdubs at his home studio in Los Angeles (Twin Dragon West) as well as birthing two additional tracks included on the LP.

Collectively, the eight tracks on Sparse Illumination combine for a tight 34-minute dose of post-punk, shoegaze, and neo-psychedelia that evokes low-shutter-speed nocturnal journeys through desert canyons and winding coastal highways.

Sparse Illumination will be available on LP and download on February 19, 2021 via Etxe Records. Pre-orders are available HERE. 

Artist: Blackout Transmission

Album: Sparse Illumination

Record Label: Etxe Records

Release Date: February 19, 2021

01. Once There

02. Since She Guided You Away

03. Tactile Responses

04. Heavy Circles

05. Verdant Return

06. Pacifica

07. Portals

08. Sleepwalking Again

On The Web:

blackouttransmission.bandcamp.com

etxerecords.com

facebook.com/BlackoutTransmission

instagram.com/blackout_transmission

Alpha Hopper (Hex Records) drop "The Goods" video alongside interview at No Echo

"A frantic, messy variety of guitar rock, that won’t say no to a night out with punk, hardcore, new wave, or which ever genre (or hottie, or mark, or naive and corruptible young fool) catches their eye that evening." -- New Noise

"Alpha Hopper have boiled down the finer elements of noise rock, no wave. and art-punk to create something so distinctly their own, while paying homage to the sordid style of early 90’s AmRep and Touch & Go favorites." -- Post-Trash

"The album will assuredly have everyone mesmerized... Strikingly riveting and original." -- GhettoBlaster

Buffalo, NY quartet Alpha Hopper share a new video today alongside a revealing interview with No Echo. Watch & share "The Goods" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

The band recently released another stunning video, for the album track "En-Skin" from their recently released third album Alpha Hex Index. The video was created by Tbilisi, Georgia collaborators UTA (wearable sculpture artist) and Virtual Reality filmmaker Flatsitter. Watch & share "En-Skin" video via YouTube.

Hear and share the full album Alpha Hex Index via Bandcamp.

The video is a collaboration between wearable sculpture artist Uta P. Bekia and virtual reality filmmaker Flatsitter and was conceptualized and directed by Jessica Wegrzyn, a costume designer and the band’s long-time personal friend. The concept was inspired by lead singer Irene Rekhviashvili’s lyrics, which demands us to armor ourselves with the protective hides of creatures and the head and heart of our own spirit.

"A bartender, a personal trainer, a graphic designer, and an immigration attorney walk into a practice space..." 

Formed in Buffalo, New York in 2014, Alpha Hopper creates a frenetic stew of guitar-driven rock'n'roll with ingredients from punk, hardcore, noise rock, and no-wave. Their 3rd LP Alpha Hex Index shows them deeper than ever down their rabbit hole. Sassy, snotty vocals punctuating the ever growing wall of catchy, bizarre riffs and prison break drum beats. Dummy math, noise-rock for art-punk drop outs.

For this album the band decided to record the effort themselves in their homes. Pandemic-related shelter in place recommendations caused some hiccups in being able to track the entire effort in a single block, and instead recording sessions were conducted in intervals when the members could safely get together and hash out their respective parts. Once they were satisfied with the mix they handed things over to engineer John Angelo (Gwar, Every Time I Die, Gas Chamber) to handle mastering duties.

Alpha Hex Index is available on LP, CD and digital, released on November 20th, 2020 via Hex Records. 

Artist: Alpha Hopper

Album: Alpha Hex Index

Record label: Hex Records

Release date: November 20th, 2020

01. In The Desert In The West

02. Not the Universe

03. Big Body

05. En-skin

05. #592720

06. The Goods

07. Glows, Explodes

08. Wrestles Snakes

09. #1D2951

10. Spiral

11. Third Man

12. #16161D

On The Web:

alphahopper.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/alphahopper

hexrecords.bandcamp.com