Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Maggot Heart (Linnéa Olsson ex-The Oath) share new track from upcoming album

Best of 2018: Dusk To Dusk  -- Revolver Magazine

"They’ve got Joan Jett swagger and razor-sharp riffs that don’t quit, and they blend grimy rock n roll with melancholic post-punk so naturally they’ve created their own genre." -- CvltNation

"Similar to The Oath (or Ghost or Blue Oyster Cult) it has the spirit of darkness of metal, but really it's a catchy, swaggering rock song." -- Brooklyn Vegan


Berlin based hard rock band Maggot Heart share a new track from their forthcoming sophomore album Mercy Machine today via CvltNation. Hear & share "Justine" alongside an informative interview with singer/guitarist Linnéa Olsson HERE. (Direct track link to Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music.)

Brooklyn Vegan recently shared the title track HERE

Linnéa Olsson's Maggot Heart is back with their sophomore album, which will be released on Linnéa's brand new record label Rapid Eye Records. The Swedish guitarist and songwriter, based in Berlin since 2012, has made her band a much talked about force in the underground with their extensive touring (alongside Earthless and Voivod among others), cross-over hard rock sound, and punk ethos. 

The city as a throbbing organism is one of the fundamental themes of Maggot Heart, explored in several songs on City Girls (2017) and Dusk to Dusk (2018). On Mercy Machine (2020), the machinery of night runs on the steam of many bodies. Locked inside a prison of flesh the spirit will not soar, only in unity with the body can divine alchemy be achieved. Mercy Machine is a rock album about sex, death and the pursuit of freedom. 

This album was put together by Linnéa, long-time drumming partner Uno Bruniusson and bassist Olivia Airey (as well as on-and-off collaborator Gottfrid Åhman) at the end of 2019, and once again 
recorded in Stockholm, Sweden with award-winning producer Martin "Konie" Ehrencrona (Viagra Boys, In Solitude) in February 2020. It highlights Olsson's catchy, but strangely jarring songwriting in ten cutting tracks, swerving back and forth on the rock genre-spectrum. These songs contain a highly entertaining blend of urgency, bleakness and undeniable attitude which may or may not appeal to fans of Voivod, The Stooges and The Jesus Lizard. 

The incredible cover artwork is by Kristian Valbo, known to metal fans as the drummer for Obliteration.

Mercy Machine will be available on LP and download on July 10th, 2020 via Rapid Eye Records. Pre-orders are available HERE



Artist: Maggot Heart
Album: Mercy Machine
Record Label: Rapid Eye Records
Release Date: July 10th, 2020

01. Second Class
02. Sex Breath
03. Justine
04. Roses
05. Gutter Feeling
06. Mercy Machine
07. High Rise
08. Lost Boys
09. Senseless
10. Modern Cruelty

On the Web:







Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Death Wheelers share video ode to B-movie schlock to announce 'Divine Filth' album on RidingEasy Records

"Somehow even crustier than they were on their debut album. The track spans everything from revved-up shred to sludgy breakdowns alongside a bikesploitation-meets-Escape-from-NY-style music video." -- Metal Injection


Canadian heavy rock instrumentalists The Death Wheelers share a video single for the title track to their forthcoming album Divine Filth today via Metal Injection. Watch and share the B-movie ode "Divine Filth" HERE (or on YouTube.) Hear & share the single via Bandcamp

From beyond the gutter, The Death Wheelers bring you their second album, the soundtrack to the fictional bikesploitation flick that never was: Divine Filth. Drawing inspiration from instrumental rock, proto-metal, punk and funk, the band embalms the listener in their sonic world of decay, groove and debauchery. Surfing the line between Motörhead, The Cramps and Dick Dale, the Canadian quartet uncompromisingly blends rawness and power in their riff fueled compositions. Recorded entirely in 48 hours in a live setting just like in the good old days, this second opus is a testament to what the band stands for: a no BS attitude spiked with a heavy layer of crass. Just like their previous offering, the album is devised to serve as a soundtrack loosely based on a plot synopsis of a B-movie:

It's 1982. Spurcity is run-down. The crime rate is up and so is drug use. A new kind of kick has hit the streets and it ain't pretty. DTA, a powerful and highly addictive hallucinogenic drug, is transforming its loyal citizens into undead trash. Its users experience an indescribable high, but it leaves them rotting away within days, craving human flesh. No one knows who is dealing this new potent drug, but rumour has it that the motorcycle cult, The Death Wheelers, is behind this concoction. Could this be the end of civilization as we know it? What is motivating this group of psychotic individuals?

The cycle of violence indeed continues with this sordid slab of sounds. So hop on, and enjoy one last ride with The Death Wheelers.

Divine Filth will be available on LP, CD and download on September 11th, 2020 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasyRecs.com.


Artist: Death Wheelers
Album: Divine Filth
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: Sept 11th, 2020

01. Welcome to Spurcity
02. Ditchfinder General
03. DTA (Suicycle Tendencies)
04. Divine Filth
05. Lobotomobile
06. Corps Morts
07. Murder Machines
08. Motörgasm (Carnal Pleasure)
09. Chopped Back To Life
10. Road Rite
11. Nitrus









On The Web:







Friday, June 5, 2020

MONOLORD release instrumental version of 'Vaenir' album on Bandcamp + vinyl mail-order

"Without vocals, Empress Rising suddenly becomes a post-metal, stoner epic in the vein of Sleep’s Dopesmoker and Monster Magnet’s 30-minute opus 'Tab.' Arguably Monolord’s most atmospheric work, the instrumental treatment gives the album a new life and listening experience." -- Consequence of Sound


Swedish trio Monolord release a special all-instrumental version of their breakthrough 2015 album Vænir today via Bandcamp in conjunction with the online merchant's continued pandemic relief effort to help artists affected by the shutdown. The instrumental mix is streaming in full via Metal Injection HERE. (And Bandcamp HERE.)

Limited edition vinyl pressings of the instrumental mixes of Vænir and the band's debut Empress Rising are also available today. These are mailorder-only, with sleeves printed on premium chrome jackets limited to 1000 copies each album. Begun as a digital-only release for Empress Rising - instrumental, the response was so overwhelming the band and RidingEasy Records decided to release both revised albums on vinyl as well. 

Bandcamp is giving 100% of their revenue for all sales today, June 5th, to artists as part of their efforts to help bands impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with canceled tours, postponed album releases, loss of work, etc. RidingEasy Records will also give the band 100% of the profits from sales of this special release today.

About the release, Esben Willems, Monolord drummer and recording & mixing engineer for the original album and this version, says, "Listening to the mixes for the instrumental version of Vænir opened an unexpected door. We seriously didn't expect that the album would take such a different shape and feel in an instrumental version. Really stoked to see how our fans will experience this release. Also, getting both instrumental versions (Vænir & Empress Rising) released on LP adds another layer. Hope you like it."

Consequence of Sound premiered the announcement of the band's 2014 debut album Empress Rising getting an instrumental release back on May 1st, with the first Bandcamp relief day HERE

Monolord formed in 2013, quickly recording their 2xLP debut Empress Rising, which RidingEasy Records released on April 1st, 2014. The second album, Vænir, followed April 28th, 2015. The band's third album, Rust, released September 29th, 2017, was a critical and commercial breakthrough. It would be the band's last for RidingEasy, though the band remain managed by label head Daniel Hall, elevating them to the Relapse Records roster for their 2019 full length No Comfort

Both Vænir - Instrumental and Empress Rising - Instrumental are available for download/streaming and on limited edition vinyl via RidingEasy Records (US), RidingEasy Records (EU) and Monolord.bandcamp.com



Artist: Monolord
Album: Vænir - instrumental
Label: RidingEasy Records
Release Date: June 5th, 2020

01. Cursing the One
02. We Will Burn
03. Nuclear Death
04. Died A Million Times
05. The Cosmic Silence
06. Vænir

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Thursday, June 4, 2020

Gaytheist share video for "Crooked" off new album 'How Long Have I Been On Fire?'

"The fifth -- and best! -- album from longtime MetalSucks faves, Gaytheist... Another blast of infectious, energizing metal, punk, and noise rock from a band that has already proven to be masters of the form." -- Metal Sucks

"A trio that brings Thin Lizzy-like riffing, AmRep-styled noise rock mayhem, and a punk attitude to everything they do. An absolute motherf**ker of a record." -- No Echo


Portland, OR trio Gaytheist share the first video from their recently released 5th album today via Brooklyn Vegan. Watch/share "Crooked" video HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

Metal Sucks recently streamed their new album How Long Have I Been On Fire? HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

Gaytheist return Spring 2020 with their 5th full length record and their finest work to date, How Long Have I Been On Fire? Following several years of living on opposite ends of the country, the band reassembled in Vancouver, Washington and delved into a writing frenzy.

Once again under the watchful eye of master engineer Stephan Hawkes, Gaytheist recorded all of HLHIBOF on the last weekend of June, 2019. Thirteen songs of KABOOM rock, depression anthems and various attempts at communication. Feedback, rhythm and speed, it is an amalgamation of punk, hardcore, metal, and wild rock.

Incredibly catchy leads and soaring vocals are carried by subatomic, weighty bass grumblings while a tornado of drum wailing knocks the listener on their ass. Oh, and they're really funny too.  Who says metal has to be so serious all the time?

How Long Have I Been On Fire? is available on LP and digital, released April 10th, 2020 via Hex Records. Purchase available HERE




Artist: Gaytheist
Album: How Long Have I Been On Fire?
Record Label: Hex Records
Release date: April 10th, 2020

01. The Dark Deep
02. Let The Wrong One Out
03. Hashbrownblessed
04. Crooked
05. Hornsoggled
06. Fetid Delights
07. Dental Records
08. Border Patrol
09. Anticestry
10. It's Reigning Men
11. All Choices End In Death

On The Web:




Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Ghost Work (ex-Seaweed, Minus The Bear, Milemarker, Snapcase members) stream full album ahead of Friday's release via Brooklyn Vegan

"Strikes a balance between ’90s post-hardcore and ’90s indie rock, with a little post-punkiness in the mix too. Given these members’ pedigrees, a song like this is right in their wheelhouse, but it’s also not really a repeat of anything any of them have done before. It’s good stuff." -- Brooklyn Vegan

"A delicious blend of punk rock/post-punk goodness." -- PopMatters


Indie-punk supergroup Ghost Work are streaming their forthcoming debut full length starting today via Brooklyn Vegan. Hear and share You'll Be Buried With album HERE. The album will be out this Friday, June 5th on cassette and via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music.

Ghost Work is a new band from current and ex-members of Seaweed, Minus the Bear, Snapcase and Milemarker among others. The band brings their unique styles to the table along with various other punk and post-punk influences. Anyone familiar with vocalist/guitarist Aaron Stauffer's 90s work with Seaweed, Gardener (Sub Pop) and others will immediately recognize his voice the moment it drops in over a haze of chiming and chirping shoegaze guitars and the driving rhythm section in album opener "Fake Blood." 

You'll Be Buried With is the band's debut full length, recorded in various locations from Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle, Buffalo and Mendocino. It was mixed by Chris Rakestraw (Danzig, Megadeth, Retox, Deftones) in December 2019. 

Ghost Work is:
Aaron Stauffer (ex-Seaweed) - vocals, guitar
Dustin Perry (Snapcase) - bass guitar
Sean Husick (ex-Milemarker) - guitars
Erin Tate (ex-Minus The Bear) - drums

Here is what Stauffer had to say in a recent interview with No Echo:

"Ghost Work, yes. I don't know any of the other guys in that band [laughs]. I've only spoken to Sean [Husick], the dude that was in Milemarker. I got an email from Erin [Tate], the guy who was in Minus the Bear, and he was like, "I got your email from so and so, and I hope I'm not intruding, but here's some music, see if you like it, and if you want to sing on it." I remember reading that to my wife and saying, "This is going to be terrible." [Laughs] I saw Snapcase mentioned in the email, and I thought it was going to be like a hardcore band. I don't mean that it was going to be terrible because it was hardcore, it just wasn't going to be right for me as a singer. Anyway, I heard the music and I was like, "Wow! This is really good." The guitar playing is super- interesting, and it reminded me of My Bloody Valentine or Cocteau Twins, you know? "I can totally sing on this!" It's been so much fun because in Seaweed, I only wrote about 10% of the songs, max, maybe for like 5% to be realistic. Most of the time I was just singing over someone else's riffs, and that's pretty much the only band I've played in where that was the case. So, it's been fun to be doing that again with Ghost Work. Yeah, I'm having a lot of fun with this band." 

You'll Be Buried With will be released June 5th, 2020 via the IDEAS label. 




Artist: Ghost Work
Album: You’ll Be Buried With
Record Label: IDEAS 
Release Date: June 5th, 2020

01. Fake Blood
02. Go Stat
03. Favored Routes
04. Statues in Spain
05. Bricks of Sun
06. Greeting from Gates
07.Salt From Tears
08. Contact Contract
09. B. Ledgewood
10. Confession on 6











On The Web:












Monday, June 1, 2020

LEWIS (ex-vocalist The Kinison) announces debut full length produced by Paul Fig (Ghost, Alice In Chains)


L.A. multi-instrumentalist Christopher Lee Lewis, with the nom-de-tune LEWIS, shares the title track to his forthcoming solo debut full length Son On The Floor today via Spill Magazine. Hear & share "Tobi" HERE and via Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music

Christopher L. Lewis (moniker LEWIS) is an American songwriter, musician and producer. He grew up in Oblong, Illinois (pop. 1,391) and began his solo career in 2019, having previously been the frontman for the punk outfit, The Kinison. Starting on drums from the age of four, Christopher has been involved in a number of groups since ranging from the mellow pop-rock group, Pioneers, to signer-songwriter acoustic duo Canada.

Throughout Christopher's career, he has recorded several studio full-lengths, three EPs and one live album. His 2019 EP LEWIS, released through his own Sona Baby Records, is the first release to showcase his musical talent across all instruments. Christopher's Mom said: "It's his best drumming since 1987!" 

LEWIS recorded the forthcoming full-length album at fabled studio Dave's Room in Los Angeles with Grammy nominated engineer/producer Paul Fig, for release in 2020. A prolific artist, he's been known to write up to thirty songs in a weekend.

Having played at Coachella, multiple Warped Tours, and Wembley Arena, Christopher is no outsider to being on the stage. You are sure to see him live soon at a venue near you, as soon as that becomes a thing again. 

Son On The Floor will be available on LP and download on August 21st, 2020 via Sona Baby Records. Pre-orders are available HERE



Artist: LEWIS
Album: Son On The Floor
Record Label: Sona Baby Records
Release Date: August 21st, 2020

01. Tobi
02. She’s Mine
03. Bathe Clean
04. What We Give
05. Pargana
06. Settle Down
07. I’m Nervous, Too
08. Son On the Floor
09. Fasten It Up
10. My Modesty
11. Intentions









On the Web:








Thursday, May 28, 2020

VILE CREATURE premiere new track from forthcoming album on Prosthetic Records


Doom metal experimentalists VILE CREATURE premiere a new single from their upcoming new album, Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm! The track, titled "When The Path Is Unclear" is streaming exclusively via Decibel Magazine alongside an excerpt from an interview due to be published in full in the print edition. Hear and share "When The Path Is Unclear" HERE. It will be available on all DSPs tomorrow, pre-order/pre-save SmartURL HERE

The five track album will be their first full length studio album under the Prosthetic Records banner. Metal Injection recently shared the video for "You Who Has Never Slept" HERE. (Direct YouTube.) Kerrang! previously launched the single audio HERE

VILE CREATURE is:
Vic (they/them) -  vocals, drums
KW (he/they) -  vocals, guitar, drums, percussion


About the new single, the band says:
"'When the Path Is Unclear' was the last song completed for the record and the one that, we feel, perfectly melds the slow, meditative doom of our past records with the musical experimentation & exploration we gravitated towards when making some of the more out there musical pieces from Glory, Glory! Apathy took Helm! Lyrically the song is a direct accusation towards those that would do harm by holding up failures of the past as pillars of strength for the future."

VILE CREATURE has been constantly evolving during their six years as a band; from each release to the next, the Hamilton, Ontario duo have been pushing the boundaries of their own creativity, and testing the limits of their own place in the world. Nowhere is this more evident than on their latest experimental doom metal album, Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm! VILE CREATURE are digging their heels in, ready to fight against the all too easy slide into nihilism -- as embodied in the sardonic album title. 


Opener, "Harbinger of Nothing" (which first emerged on an Adult Swim compilation in 2019 and was re-recorded for the album) provides a jumping off point for a record that traverses myriad raw, real life experiences and marks a distinct new chapter for the band. The album features contributions from vocalist Laurel Minnes and her choir, Minuscule, and additional instrumentation from Bismuth’s Tanya Byrne. VILE CREATURE remains embedded in the oppressive sounds of doom and metal, only now they are covered with a luxurious veil of majestic embellishments.

Recording took place in February, 2020 at Boxcar Sound Recording in Hamilton, Ontario, with Adam Tucker once again in the producer’s chair. With Vic’s evocative and primal vocals often taking centre stage, their marked growth in confidence as a performer is evident. By collaborating with photographer, Danika Zandboer, the trio have fashioned a striking visual accompaniment -- manifesting the psychedelic and theatrical influences that become present in both audio and visual form. 

Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm! will be available on LP, CD and digital on June 19th, 2020 via Prosthetic Records. Pre-orders are available HERE



Artist: Vile Creature
Album: Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!
Record Label: Prosthetic Records
Release Date: June 19th, 2020

01. Harbinger of Nothing
02. When The Path Is Unclear
03. You Who Has Never Slept
04. Glory! Glory!
05. Apathy Took Helm!

On The Web:


Wednesday, May 27, 2020

All-star experimentalists NOUS (Chris Bono w/ ex-Liturgy, Swans, Yoko Ono members) stream full album ahead of release

"A half-airy, half-aggressive interdisciplinary happening organized by the young and enterprising composer Christopher Bono, who brought together a wise, postcategory, electric and acoustic 12-person crew."  -- New York Times

"You couldn't pigeonhole it into one genre if you tried -- it goes from eerie David Lynchian soundscapes to Eastern melodies to avant-garde jazz drum freakouts to a million other places, all while remaining strangely accessible." -- Brooklyn Vegan

"One of experimental rock’s most stacked modern supergroups... I’m eager to hear what’s become my most anticipated album dropping this month." -- Heavy Blog Is Heavy


New York experimental music project NOUS, led by producer and composer Christopher Bono, is streaming their forthcoming album NOUS III early starting today via Brooklyn Vegan. The album is the third installment from the lineup and concepts which comprised the band's opening trilogy of releases. Hear and share NOUS III HERE. Pre-order/pre-save HERE.

Watch the full collection of videos from the album, all of which were shot in the studio during the album recording and feature the exact moments each performer's parts were recorded via the label's YouTube page

Flood Magazine previously shared the single "Never Can It Be" HERE. Heavy Blog Is Heavy hosted "Blush" HERE. Treble shared "We Hope The Weather Will Continue" HERE

NOUS is an experimental music project with a fluctuating group of artists exploring ritual and spontaneity within music. The first trilogy of releases were culled from a 5-day musical retreat wherein 13 musicians were invited to join Christopher at the legendary Dreamland Studios, a converted church, with producer Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus) on an intensive 7-day immersion -- recording for 5 days, with 2 live performances at the conclusion. Each member was given a 47 page handbook that included a series of 60 musical "seed" ideas along with a list of conceptual cues. These ideas acted as a starting place for each improvisation. Bono then designed a daily schedule that began with a morning warmup routine of yoga followed by silent meditation, vocal toning, body percussion, and then a mixed percussion and toning session before moving to their respective instruments. These morning sessions were designed to move gradually from silence to sound within the body (vocal toning), rhythm on the body and finally to a blend of external instruments coinciding with internal sound (instruments and vocal toning.) Once the recording schedule began each day, Bono mixed the seed and conceptual ideas along with timed periods of free improvisation.This conceptual social experiment led to 3 albums and a transcendent sound formed from a unique fusing of collective consciousness. 

A final, very special collaboration between ambient legend Laraaji with this NOUS ensemble will be announced soon for release in 2020. 

The first NOUS trilogy along with the upcoming Laraaji & NOUS album will be followed by a new, entirely different incarnation of NOUS featuring Christopher Bono and Karl Berger, a jazz icon known for his stints with Ornette Coleman, Ed Blackwell and Don Cherry, and also for founding the now historic Creative Music Studio. Berger and Bono dubbed their collaboration NOUS: One Mind. They brought in 16 different musicians for various recording projects including Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, Wood), Christopher Pravdica (Swans), Ira Coleman (Sting), master flutist Steve Gorn and many others. The two composers explored improvisation and composition in ways that blended their own unique backgrounds into a festive expression of improvised music that highlights the free power of the individual within the framework of a talented ensemble of deep listeners.

Each NOUS incarnation centers around a different focal concept, always seeking alternative ways of creating art. The name was chosen for its double meaning. 'Nous' in the French language is the plural personal pronoun in the first person, meaning 'we' or 'us'. However, within the philosophical tradition it is a word sometimes equated to intellect that is used to describe the faculty of the human mind which is necessary for understanding what is true or real, similar in meaning to intuition.

Nous band members on this recording:
~ Christopher Bono (Composer, Ghost Against Ghost)  www.christopherbono.com
~ Greg Fox (Guardian Alien, Zs, Ben Frost, ex-Liturgy) 
~ Shahzad Ismaily (Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Bonnie Prince Billy)
~ Thor Harris (Swans, Angels of Light, Amanda Palmer, Shearwater)
~ Grey Mcmurray (itsnotyouitsme, So Percussion, Tyondai Braxton) 

Special guests:
~ Clarice Jensen, Cello (ACME: American Contemporary Music Ensemble, yMusic, Ra Ra Riot)
~ Caleb Burhans, Composer (itsnotyouitsme, ACME)
~ Laura Lutzke, Violin (ACME)
~ Alex Sopp, Flutes (ACME, yMusic)
~ Imago, Cello / Vocals (Múm)
~ Cecilie Hafstad, Vocals
~ Laraaji & Arji (Zither, Ambient Sounds)

NOUS III will be available for streaming and download on May 29th, 2020 via Our Silent Canvas. Pre-orders are available HERE



Artist: NOUS
Album: NOUS III
Record Label: Our Silent Canvas
Release Date: May 29th, 2020

01. We Hope The Weather Will Continue 
02. Ninths
03. A Falling Tear
04. Never Can It Be
05. Dust Suspended
06. Egac Ot Egamon
07. Blush
08. Chandra
09. Kindness

On the Web: