Cellist Randall Holt - Godspeed Y!BE, Knest collaborator - shares first track from upcoming album

One of Austin's best classical & experimental cellists Randall Holt shares the first track from his forthcoming solo album today via Ghost Cult Magazine. Hear and share "I Felt Safe Again and Was At Home" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.) Randall Holt is a member of Knest (with Thor Harris & Jonathan Horne) and Horne + Holt. Randall has also played in Reverend Glasseye and has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Yann Tiersen, Eric McFadden Trio and jazz composer Adam Rudolph. Recorded with Chico Jones at Ohm Recording Facility in Austin TX, Inside The Kingdom of Splendor and Madness is an evocative & emotive cello showcase, lulling you in with "I felt safe again and was at home" into the howling strings of "Wandering: Mountain pass"; continuing the tension-and-release of an epic journey, each song a chapter from Holt's cinematic imagination, drawing to the inevitable yet joyfully prolonged ending of a fond goodbye in "Bid Farewell, Without End!" Originally released digitally in March 2016, the album will be available on cassette and CD on Friday, April 20th, 2018 via Self Sabotage Records. Pre-orders are available at selfsabotagerecords.bigcartel.com

Artist: Randall Holt Album: Inside The Kingdom of Splendor and Madness Record Label: Self Sabotage Records Release Date: April 20th, 2018 01. I Felt Safe Again and Was At Home 02. Wandering: Mountain Pass 03. Seeds of Light Descend 04. Revolution Weariness 05. What Hope We Have, What Hope We Haven't 06. Labyrinths (and other writings) 07. Lost In The Funhouse 08. Cool Over the fields 09. Bid Farewell, Without End! On the Web: randallcello.com selfsabotagerecords.bigcartel.com

The Elephant Parallax premiere hook-laden track via Metal Sucks, LA alt post-metal quartet

"Has elements of Karnivool's love of delay pedals, the spastic stylings of The Mars Volta, and maybe a touch of the vocal work you'd heard in 3. So everything good about progressive rock, basically!" -- Metal Injection "An interesting beast that defies easy categorization. Fans of quirky, tight bands with lots of attitude and nuance like Biffy Clyro and Dredg should find a whole lot to like here." -- Metal Sucks The Elephant Parallax premiere the epic closing track from their forthcoming EP Loam & Sky today via Metal Sucks. Hear & share "Incenfeminalgia II" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.) Metal Injection recently shared the hook-laden single "The Conscious" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud and Bandcamp.) The Elephant Parallax is a heavy eclectic band native to Los Angeles. Its members include David Renteria on guitars, Stephen Charouhas on bass, and Paul Charouhas on drums. Vocals are shared by all members.  Loam & Sky is the sonic exploration of earthly lows and divine highs, the microcosmic space of thoughts and dreams, devastating loss, love, and ability to evolve through time. A paradigm-shifting, range broadening release that leaps forward into new sonic spaces for The Elephant Parallax. It was recorded at L.A.'s legendary Ocean Way Recording (Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Tom Petty) which contributes to the massive and classic sound of the songs.  David Renteria formed the concept for the band in 2007 as a musical symposium of united outcasts, and found Stephen and Paul to complete the group. The band started working on arranging complex and challenging material, with a frontiersman approach, where each member's influences and musical personalities were explored. The group completed a demo in late 2007 entitled Apes Who Looked Up followed by their debut album, the Elephant Parallax, released in 2010. The band's live performances showcase their diverse musicianship, intense energy, and raw passion forged and driven by sound, in full spectrum.  Loam & Sky will be available on CD and download on May 18th, 2018. Pre-orders are available HERE. THE ELEPHANT PARALLAX LIVE: 06/14 Los Angeles, CA @ The Redwood

Artist: The Elephant Parallax Album: Loam & Sky Label: Self-released Release Date: May 18th, 2018 01. The Conscious 02. Star Stuff 03. Ohrei 04. Incenfeminalgia II On The Web: theelephantparallax.bandcamp.com facebook.com/theelephantparallax

Crystales (Burger Records) stream full album of shoegaze pop charm ahead of release

"A dreamy debut album full of shimmering surf riffs and sunny melodies." -- PopMatters Los Angeles shoegaze pop quartet  Crystales are streaming their forthcoming debut full length in its entirety ahead of release beginning today via PopMatters. Crystales is out Friday the 13th on Burger Records (Ty Segall, The Growlers). Hear and share full album HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.) Named after the famed glass cathedral in Orange County, the L.A. shoegaze pop band Crystales evoke the California coast with their distorted surf riffs and Beach Boys-inspired melodies. Songs like the dreamy "Boring" and kaleidescopic "Seance" combine deep distortion a la My Bloody Valentine with touches of Phil Spector's wall of sound, the Smiths' jangle pop and Spanish music, while songs like "Shoggoth" are darker and heavier, revealing a sound closer to Nirvana or Sonic Youth.  The album was recorded by Joel Jerome (Dios) in Highland Park, Calif., and come from the band's forthcoming debut LP, to be released on Burger Records on April 13th, 2018.  After all playing together in various configurations over the years, Crystales formed in 2012 by brothers Nick and Billy Gil (guitar/vocals), cousin Tony Infante (bass) and neighbor Jason Hanakeawe (lead vocals/drums). They've played all over L.A. at venues like the Echo, the Smell and at Make Music Pasadena, with like-minded acts like Roses, Dunes, Moaning, Post Life, Joel Jerome and others. The band has released two digital 7"s and in 2015 released a self-titled EP, recorded by Alex DeGroot (Zola Jesus).  CRYSTALES LIVE: 05/14 Los Angeles, CA @ Resident w/ Feels

Artist: Crystales

Album: Crystales

Label: Burger Records

Release Date: April 13th, 2018

01. Boring

02. Seance

03. Kate Blanchett

04. Lie Awake At Night

05. Shoggoth

06. When It's Over

07. Ariel

08. Donkey

09. I Don't Care

10. Agrias

11. Honora

On The Web:

facebook.com/crystalesLA

crystales.bandcamp.com

Mike Spine shares lead track from forthcoming double album anthology via XS Noize

Seattle/Europe based troubadour Mike Spine premieres the lead track from his forthcoming double album anthology today via UK outlet XS Noize. Hear and share "Delirious" HERE. (Direct Soundcloud.)

Mike Spine is a critically acclaimed Seattle born and Seattle/Europe based musician known for his captivating live performances, intelligent songwriting and support of humanitarian issues. He has played hundreds of shows in five continents since 1995 and has received press and radio airplay throughout the US, Europe, UK and Asia.

Forage & Glean, Volumes I & II, is the 10th full-length studio album for Mike Spine. It is a 32 track double album, an anthology containing the best of Mike's songwriting and recordings from the last two decades.

Volume I is a collection of Spine's best work of folk rock and rock songs, including the memorable and more relevant than ever "Crumble", personal political songs such as "Meteorite", and the labor themed "Sand in Your Teeth".  There's also a hauntingly beautiful version of "The French Girl" and the stripped down "Black Diamond", the lyrically dense and moving tale of families immigrating to work in the coalmines outside Seattle in the early 1900's.

Volume II contains Spine's more explosive rock and punk material. It opens with the dynamic anti-war song "Kiss and Remember" and then launches into fiery, complex and catchy rockers like which touch on the themes of global warming with "Second Hand", empire "Transylvania" and the anti-corruption song, "Power Broker", before transitioning into the hook filled songs like "Iron Lake" hybrid country punk song "Another Day" and the rocker version of "Meteorite".

For twenty years, Mike Spine bounced between the worlds of folk rock, underground rock and punk, while simultaneously working as an inner city language arts and social studies teacher in Seattle, Portland, New York and London.

Since retiring from public school teaching in 2011, Mike has spent his time focused on music, having performed hundreds of concerts and benefit shows in multiple continents, ranging from Italy to Vietnam, Cambodia and Costa Rica. The last few years he has split his time between the US and Europe, touring extensively throughout the EU and often living out of a motorhome for months at a time.

Credits:

The songs on Forage & Glean were predominantly recorded and mixed at Haywire Recording in Portland, Oregon with longtime engineer Rob Bartleson (Wilco, Pink Martini, Pond, etc.). The album was mastered by Ed Brooks (Pearl Jam, REM, Heart, Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie, etc.) at RFI/Resonant in Seattle, Washington. 

The recordings were made with a highly talented pool of band mates from Seattle, Portland and Italy over the last decade. 

Core musicians on Volume I include Joey Prude and Chris Croft on Drums, Martin Flores on guitars, Katie Toft and Ali Ippolito on piano, accordion and backing vocals, Amelia Claire on backing vocals, Robert Bartleson on electric bass, Brian Casey on upright bass, Barbara Luna on violin and Mike Spine on guitars, vocals, songwriting, arrangements, etc.

Core musicians on Volume II include: Jeff Gall and Chris Croft on drums, Martin Flores on guitars, Richie Parish on guitar and bass, Jack Peters on bass, Amelia Claire on backing vocals and Mike Spine on guitars, vocals, etc.

Forage & Glean, Volumes I & II will be available on CD and download on June 1st, 2018. Pre-orders are available HERE.

MIKE SPINE LIVE:

04/11 Copenhagen, DK @ Drop Inn

04/12 Odense, DK @ PaTaget

04/13 Aalborg, DK @ Thylejren

04/14 Hals, Nordjylland, DK @ Kaelderen

04/18 Dresden, DE @ Wulbert's cafe & Bar

04/20 Berlin, DE @ Madame Claude

05/23 Milan, IT @ Al Baggese

06/02 Lake Como, IT @ Mountain Lake Music Festival

06/03 Lake Como, IT @ Mountain Lake Music Festival

Artist: Mike Spine Album: Forage & Glean, Volumes I & II Label: Global Seepej Records Release Date: June 1st, 2018 01. Delirious 02. Meteorite 03. Sand In Your Teeth 04. The French Girl 05. Crumble 06. Sinaloa 07. La Frontera 08. Primrose Hill 09. Nora 10. Mouth of Hell 11. Razors 12. The Beautiful Sunset 13. Cutter 14. Black Diamond 15. The Accordion 16. Spanish Anarchy Volume II 01. Kiss and Remember 02. Second Hand 03. Transylvania 04. Power Broker 05. Iron Lake 06. Another Day 07. Meteorite (Rock Version) 08. Lick and Squeal 09. Miklukho-Maklay 10. La Frontera (Rock Version) 11. Mott Haven 12. First Day of Spring 13. Mouth of Hell (Rock Version) 14. The Ointment 15. Joys of Oil 16. Battle in Seattle On The Web: www.mikespine.com facebook.com/mike-spine mikespine.bandcamp.com

Death Wheelers premiere gritty bikespoitation video & new single from upcoming RidingEasy debut album

"Sounds like it belongs in a scene out of Easy Rider.... Like what would be played during the epic bank robbery climax scene." -- Metal Injection

Canadian heavy rock instrumentalists The Death Wheelers premiere the song & official video for "13 Discycles" from their forthcoming full length debut I Tread On Your Grave today via Brooklyn Vegan. Watch & share "13 Discycles" HERE. (YouTube.)

Metal Injection recently shared "Black Crack" HERE. (Direct YouTube.) And, CvltNation previously hosted the title track, "I Tread On Your Grave" HERE.

Heavily inspired by the aesthetics and ethos of bikesploitation movies such as The Wild Angels, Werewolves on Wheels and Psychomania, The Death Wheelers seek to glorify this unsung era of movie making through their sordid sounds. Taking musical cues from rock's greats such as Davie Allan, The Cramps, Motörhead, The Stooges and Grand Funk Railroad, the Death Wheelers perpetrate the tradition of heaviness by making zero compromises when it comes to laying down the groove. Through their bare bone, stripped down, jammy approach of their very own brand of sleaze n' roll, this instrumental Canadian quartet pushes the listeners to their deepest, filthiest carnal/sexual desires. 

I Tread On Your Grave is more than just an album -- it's devised to serve like the soundtrack to a wild B-movie in your mind, following this truly awesome plot synopsis:

Decimated in 1972 by local authorities, all members of The Death Wheelers, a notorious motorcycle club, have been buried at the Surrey cemetery. But the time has come and they have risen for their last ride. They're back from the grave and they're hungry for blood! Nothing can stop this gang of living dead from recruiting new members as they travel coast to coast to find the filthiest, nastiest, trashiest individuals to join their ranks. Their goal, assemble a legion of 13 "discycles" (disciples+cycles) to seek revenge on the pigs that dismantled the club and send them to their graves. The cycle of violence continues...

Yes, please! Their debut LP, a sonic desecration dedicated to the dead, is an ode to the earlier days of rock 'n' roll when lust and danger were an integral part of the scene and culture. This violent offering of pure aural aggression, recorded full band with no bells and whistles or studio trickery, is a testament to what The Death Wheelers stand for: rawness and power. 

I Tread On Your Grave will be available on LP, CD and download on May 11th via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasyRecs.com.

Artist: The Death Wheelers Album: I Tread On Your Grave Label: RidingEasy Records Release Date: May 11th, 2018 01. I Tread On Your Grave 02. 13 Discycles 03. Roadkill 04. Sleazy Rider Returns 05. Deaf Wheelers 06. Black Crack 07. Moto Vampiro 08. Purple Wings 09. Backstabber 10. RIP (Last Rie) 11. Moby Dick 1 On The Web: ridingeasyrecs.com facebook.com/thedeathwheelersband

HERE LIES MAN announce new album & share single, Antibalas members "if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat"

Los Angeles quintet Here Lies Man announce their forthcoming sophomore album today, sharing the first single "Fighting" via Bandcamp and YouTube. The album, You Will Know Nothing will be released June 15th via RidingEasy Records.  Here Lies Man play the prestigious Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain in May before hitting the road with Earthless in June. Later in Fall, the band hits the massive Desert Daze festival in Southern California. Please see current dates below.  Here Lies Man took the music world by storm in 2017 with their self-titled debut positing the intriguing hypothesis: What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat?  Rough Trade named Here Lies Man in their prestigious Top 10 Albums of 2017. BBC 6 & Classic Rock Magazine deemed it among the year's best, as well as countless other press outlets singing its praises.  This June, the L.A. band comprised of Antibalas members quickly follow their auspicious debut with the even more thoroughly realized album You Will Know Nothing. Its 11 tracks expand upon the band's exploration of heavy riff-based rock and psych within the ancient rhythmic formula of the clave. "We're very conscious of how the rhythms service the riffs," explains founder and vocalist/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Marcos Garcia (who also plays guitar in Antibalas) of the band's sound. "Tony Iommi's (Black Sabbath) innovation was to make the riff the organizing principle of a song. We are taking that same approach but employing a different organizing principle: For Iommi it was the blues, for us it comes directly from Africa." Sonically, on You Will Know Nothing the dynamic range is thicker, crisper and more powerful. It glistens as much as it blasts. The songs are even catchier, more anthemic, and the production reflects that of a band truly come into its own. Lyrically, it's an equally more conceptualized effort that reflects upon states of being and consciousness - a driving force that carries throughout the words and moods of all of the band's releases, interconnected to their trancelike music. Here Lies Man have honed their sound and their focus, and soon, you will truly know Nothing.  "We wanted to go deeper with the sonic experience," says Garcia. "Even though it sounds more hi-fi than the first record, it was important that it didn't sound too polished."  While You Will Know Nothing certainly maintains its gritty grooves, there's an interesting conceptual mathematics to the entire proceedings. "There are interludes between each song that are 2/3 to 3/4 of the tempo of the previous song," Garcia says. "The reason it breaks down to 2 over 3 or 3 over 4 is that everything in the music rhythmically corresponds to a set of mathematical algorithms known as the clave. The clave is an ancient organizing rhythmic principle developed in Africa." "We dove deep into the texture of the music, beyond the groove and the riff," says HLM cofounder and drummer Geoff Mann (former Antibalas drummer and son of jazz musician Herbie Mann.) "Although something might sound like one instrument, there are subtle layers shifting through. It's definitely a headphone album." Garcia and Mann recorded the album much like they did the debut, at their own L.A. studio on a Tascam 388 8-track tape machine. Congas were later recorded by percussionists Richard Panta and Reinaldo DeJesus. Then, Garcia went to NY to record interludes with former Antibalas keyboardist Victor Axelrod. Mixing took the most time in order to find the proper sonic space for each layer of musical detail, with first album engineer Jeremy Page mixing the drums and the band tackling the remainder while also juggling a hectic touring schedule. Here Lies Man has already spent much of early 2018 on tour, with dates supporting Antibalas and Fu Manchu as well as a headlining trek through the EU & UK. Many summer festival dates and headline tours await later in the year as Here Lies Man continues its infectious charge onward.  You Will Know Nothing will be available on LP, CD and download on June 15th, 2018 via RidingEasy Records.  HERE LIES MAN LIVE 2018: 05/31 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Festival  06/05 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight * 06/06 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade * 06/07 Spartansburg, SC @ Ground Zero * 06/08 Orlando, FL @ Wills Pub *  06/09 Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury * 06/10 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon * 06/12 Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs * 06/13 Austin, TX @ Barracuda * 06/14 Ft Worth, TX @ Ridgela Room * 06/15 Memphis, TN @ Growlers * 10/12-14 Lake Perris, CA @ Desert Daze 2018 * w/ Earthless

Artist: Here Lies Man

Album: You Will Know Nothing

Label: RidingEasy Records

Release Date: June 15, 2018

01. Animal Noises

02. Summon Fire

03. Blindness

04. That Much Closer

05. Hell (Wooly Tail)

06. Voices At The Window 

07. Taking the Blame 

08. Fighting

09. Floating On Water 

10. Memory Games 

11. You Ought To Know 

On The Web: hereliesman.com facebook.com/hereliesman hereliesman.bandcamp.com ridingeasyrecs.com

Henry Kaiser/Chris Cogburn/Ingebrigt Håker Flaten/Bob Hoffnar group stream full album ahead of release

"An expressionistic, free-form fusion alternating between aggressive musical pile-ons and anti-gravitational space sections." -- Austin Chronicle

The quartet of spectacular musicians Chris Cogburn / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Bob Hoffnar / Henry Kaiser are streaming their forthcoming collaborative album starting today, ahead of its Friday release. Hear and share En Las Montañas de Excesos via Big Takeover Magazine and/or Soundcloud. 

Legendary guitarist Henry Kaiser recently spoke with Austin Chronicle. about the album, sharing the opening track "The Shadow Over Overkill" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

The interview includes great quotes from veteran guitarist Kaiser discussing the project (which he defines as "just rock'n'roll") and its contrast to most music today. Kaiser says of mainstream pop music: "It's indie rock that's about as experimental as Perry Como." 

En Las Montañas de Excesos is the unease & frisson of scaling a mountain, a trek with long moments to peer over the edge or stare far off into your thoughts. From the collective fingertips & minds of drummer/percussionist Chris Cogburn (SSBT), prolific bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (The Young Mothers; Atomic), composer & pedal steel guitar maestro Bob Hoffnar (The Mood Illusion; Indoor Life) & renowned guitar experimentalist Henry Kaiser, the album is a towering edifice of free rock, fusion and new music.

In its digital format, the album is four unedited peaks; the LP version is two contiguous sides (of combined edited peaks). Coming out Friday, 6 April via Self Sabotage Records (Pre-order at Big Cartel-Self Sabotage).

Chris Cogburn - drums

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten - electric bass

Bob Hoffnar - pedal steel guitar

Henry Kaiser - electric guitar

Recorded April 3, 2015 at Congress House Studio (Austin TX)

engineering: Andre Moran & Mark Hallman

mixing: Simon Tassano & Henry Kaiser

re-mastering: Jeremy Goody & Henry Kaiser at Megasonic Sound (Oakland CA)

LP mastering: Rob Halverson at Halversonics Recording (Austin TX)

art direction & cover painting: Brandy Gale

production: Henry Kaiser

Artist: Chris Cogburn / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Bob Hoffnar / Henry Kaiser Album: En Las Montañas de Excesos Record Label: Self Sabotage Records Release Date: April 6th, 2018 01. The Shadow Over Overkill 02. The Colour Out Of Superfluity 03. The Luxuriance Horror 04. The Dream Quest Of The Unknown Plethora 05. En Las Montañas de Excesos, part I 06. En Las Montañas de Excesos, part II On the Web: http://selfsabotagerecords.bigcartel.com

Russian quintet AESTHESYS stream album in full ahead of release: lush, heavy, dramatic rock

"An ambitious and sprawling work, at times mournful and delicate in its production, in others heroic and powerful... It's breathtaking, emotional stuff." -- TrebleZine "A welcome addition to the world of grandiose and magnanimous, yet emotionally dark, post-rock." -- Decibel "Nothing short of brilliant. Aesthesys are simply very good at creating rich tapestries and balancing all of the elements therein." -- Heavy Blog Is Heavy Moscow, Russia quintet Aesthesys are streaming their forthcoming sophomore album Achromata in its entirety today ahead of release. Hear and share Achromata in full via TrebleZine (U.S.) and  The Spill Magazine (Canada.) (Direct Soundcloud.) Band founder and multi-instrumentalist Nik Koniwzski recently shared a collection of songs by artists that have influenced Aesthesys in an interview with Echoes & Dust HERE.  Aesthesys recently were interviewed by Decibel Magazine in which they shared the single "Melanocardia" HERE. New Noise Magazine previously launched the album's first single, "Marea" HERE. Heavy Blog Is Heavy recently shared "Grauer Wald" HERE.  Alongside the album's epic, dramatic tunes, the song titles also coincide with a fictional short story that accompanies the release. Read the full story HERE.  Aesthesys is an instrumental outfit based in Moscow, Russia. Founded by Nik Koniwzski as a one-man project back in 2007, it has eventually evolved into an ensemble performing post-rock music with ambient and neoclassical influences by becoming a quartet in the end of 2011, with Eldar Ferzaliev, Dmitry Solopov and Arsentiy Karpov joining as guitarist, bassist and drummer. By early 2013 band expanded with Victor Krabovich joining as keyboardist.  In the next years Aesthesys performed live across many European countries, including at the biggest post-rock festivals of Europe - dunk!festival (Belgium) and Astral (Russia), and shared the stage with such bands as God is an Astronaut, 65daysofstatic, Maybeshewill, And So I Watch You From Afar, Ef, sleepmakeswaves and many others.  After the release of Ascendere in 2013, their further strive for experimentation eventually resulted in line-up changes, and with Sasha Coudray as a bassist and Nikita Sarukhanov as a drummer they started to work on the material for Achromata, expanding their touring geography with Asia after their solo China Tour in 2016.  In recent years they have worked with Jamie Ward (Maybeshewill, Dark Dark Horse) and Ian Shepherd (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Deep Purple, King Crimson, Keane).  The current lineup consists of Sasha Coudray (bass guitar), Artem Taganov (drums), Eldar Ferzaliev (guitar), Victor Krabovich (guitar, keyboards) and Nik Koniwzski (violin, keyboards, guitar).  Achromata will be available to download on April 3rd, 2018. The LP vinyl version will be released July 7th, 2018 in limited edition on Narshardaa Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.  AESTHESYS TOUR: 04/05 Moscow, Russia @ Gorod 04/07 St. Petersburg, Russia @ Fish Fabrique Nouvelle 04/21 Minsk, Belarus @ Brugge

Artist: Aesthesys Album: Achromata Label: Self-released Release Date: April 3rd, 2018 01. Grauer Wald 02. Filis Aureis 03. Marea 04. Himmelbarn 05. Melanocardia 06. Sapatha 07. Apogeion 08. Eosfyllon On The Web: aesthesys.com facebook.com/Aesthesys instagram.com/aesthesysband