New Russian Circles song

Russian Circles have released a new song, from their new album Empros, for free download now. ‘Mladek’ is also streaming down below. What first hits you is the sleek, ultra-melodic guitars that eventually weave dramatically across the track. This hints to some stunning stuff for the new album, which is released on October 25th.

New issue of One More Robot is out now

The new issue of One More Robot is on sale now. You can pick up a copy in Dublin in Trout Records and The Rage, or online HERE. This issue features the 100 Songs That Changed The Game, featuring some picks by yours truly. Also, featured is an interview Race The Flux. Check it out.

Mastodon - The Hunter

Mastodon have more than earned the position they’re in; being a band that are seemingly revered across the board. With a slew of near-faultless records that reached a staggering zenith on 2009’s heavily prog-inflected Crack the Skye album, it’s hard to formulate any kind of argument that is otherwise. And as a result of that, Mastodon has to follow up that career highlight record, which was surely a daunting task.

One thing that must be made clear is that The Hunter is vastly different from Crack the Skye, but it’s still Mastodon, it’s just a different room in the same house. While Crack the Skye was characterised by large, unfurling epics that saw the band’s always-present prog sensibilities blossom into a beautiful record, The Hunter feverishly pulls the reins in with shorter, more hook oriented bursts of riff worshipping adrenaline.

‘Curl of the Burl’ attests to this with aplomb. The lead riff and monolithic chorus together make for a gigantic tune that will be lodged in your head for weeks, and you’ll find yourself unknowingly humming it loudly some day on the bus as fellow commuters look on bemused. ‘Blasteroid’ meanwhile accomplishes a very similar feat with cascading angular riffs that are utterly jarring and infectious.

‘Octopus Has No Friends’ whittles away with multifarious riffing and another oversized chorus while ‘All The Heavy Lifting’ sees some powerful vocals harmonies between Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders. Frankly, there’s zero filler on this record.

‘Creature Lives’ then hurls a curveball with its ceremonial vibe, and somewhat downcast aura. ‘Spectrelight’ returns to a more manic maelstrom, joined by Neurosis’ Scott Kelly, unsurprisingly, as he has guested on all Mastodon records since Leviathan.

Crack the Skye pushed one shade of Mastodon’s palette to its very limits and hats are off to the band for eschewing that path for The Hunter. They could have easily endeavoured to make Crack The Skye Pt. 2 or attempted to recapture the fury of their Remission days. Instead, they trekked to pastures new for them and still retained their identity. The end result? Another glistening Mastodon gem.

9/10

Parhelia acoustic show this Friday

Dublin post rock band, Parhelia will play a unique acoustic show this Friday in the basement of Into The Void Records, with a very limited numbers of tickets still available from the shop for €5. The band have been out of action for a while now so this show will see their re-emergence along with news surfacing not too long ago that they’re working on a new record. If you have already purchased ticket, please note that they gig will start at 7pm, not 8pm as printed. Pass on the word.

Alpinist / Masakari split LP

There's not much to say here, this split is just fucking ripping. Check out the review HERE.

Mike Patton releasing new album in November

Mike Patton will be releasing new album, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, in November. The album takes influence from the novel of the same name by Paolo Giordano. The album feels like a natural flowing score with no vocals and ambient instrumentation. Having had the chance to listen to the album, it’s safe to say that this is one for the diehard Patton fans. Check out the vague preview clip below and pick up the record on Patton’s Ipecac Records in November.

"Prime numbers are divisible only by 1 and by themselves. They stand in their place defiantly in the infinite series of natural numbers, squashed in between two others, but a step further on than the rest... suspicious and solitary." - Paolo Giordano

Full Loutallica track...

Yep, a full Loutallica track is now streaming. You’ll recall the brief snippet preview of the track, ‘The View’, posted a while ago. This is the full version. The collaboration has caused an absolute flurry of outrage/anticipation online and it is sketchy territory trying to pass comment on this song. It’s Lou Reed’s voice over some Metallica riffs, with James Hetfield coming in and out vocally at different stages. Have a listen:

  The View by Lou Reed & Metallica 

Lulu is released November 1st. 

Fuck the Facts - Die Miserable

Fuck the Facts are back, and back with an album of the year contender. Die Miserable, their full-length offering is outright ferocity and fucking belligerence, simple as. Click HERE for the full review now on Drop-d.

New Animals as Leaders track

Yeah, you read that right. The preview snippets and live footage just weren't enough to sate our appetites and Animals as Leaders are now streaming a full, brand new track – ‘Isolated Incidents’. It’s taken from their new studio album, Weightless, coming in November. Scroll down to have a listen and realise why you should be excited about this new album.

Primordial: Homecoming tomorrow

Tomorrow night, Primordial return to Dublin for a hometown show, which marks their 20th anniversary and it will serve as one of the spectacles in the Irish metal calendar. To state the obvious, Primordial are the high kings of Irish metal and with a set, assumedly, spanning their catalogue from Imrama to Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand, this will be one of the gigs of the year.

Be sure to keep checking The Grind That Annoys in the coming weeks for details on the live review and an interview with Nemtheanga that will be appearing in Molten Magazine. For now, listen to a few Primordial classics to whet your appetite. 

House of Low Culture album approaching

Aaron Turner has revealed the details of the new House of Low Culture and specifically, the artwork designs. Poisoned Soil will be released on Taiga Records (LP) and Sub Rosa (CD) on October 20th. The front cover which you can check out below was designed by Turner and his wife, Faith Coloccia. Check out the rest of the designs on Aaron Turner’s blog Feral Pig.

This will be worth checking out

Kerry post rock band, Leaflog play Dublin’s The Grand Social on Saturday October 8th, as part of the Hard Working Class Heroes showcase. The band rarely plays in Dublin, and after the release of last year’s Mayday EP, you don’t want to miss this one.

The Hard Working Class Heroes showcase is a unique event in Dublin running from Thursday October 6th through to Saturday, taking place across several venues in the city, including The Grand Social, The Workman’s Club, The Button Factory, The Mercantile, and more.

Across the weekend you can also see performances from Overhead, The Albatross Owensie, Enemies, Bats, Moths and Alarmist, all amongst a veritable feast of others. Check out the full schedule now and book your tickets at the Hard Working Class Heroes website.

Metallica + Lou Reed sample online

We’ve been scratching our heads since the album was announced, scratched even harder when we heard the theme of the album, and scratched a little more when the artwork and album title was revealed. Now, there’s some indication as to what Lulu, the collaborative album between Metallica and Lou Reed will sound like. It’s a scant 38 second clip of the song, ‘The View’, with some light riffing and Reed providing some semi-spoken word verses until James Hetfield kicks in, only for the clip fade away.

New Lethiferous tracks, album info

After last year’s well-received demo, Iain Andrew’s Lethiferous will return with its first full length album, Tongues of Scourge. You can listen to two new songs below, ‘Nauseation’ and the title track. The new record of filth-ridden black metal will feature five new songs as well as two covers of Order From Chaos and Damnation. Here’s the full track list:

1) Nauseation

2) Neuropathy

3) Tongues of Scourge

4) The Antidote

5) Dawn Bringer Invictus [Order From Chaos cover]

6) Monument (Vermin Swarm)

7) Insulter of Jesus Christ [Damnation Cover]

  Lethiferous - Nauseation by Lethiferous 

  Lethiferous - Tongues of Scourge by Lethiferous

The demo set some ripples upon its release so surely this full-length will only heighten interest. Strangely, Andrew is still searching for a label to release the record. Surely someone should get on that pronto. 

Irish Times metal feature

Today, The Irish Times has run a feature piece on the Irish metal scene in their entertainment supplement The Ticket. Pick up a copy of the paper to have a read or check it out online HERE. The feature includes interviews with Drainland, Darragh O’Leary of Invictus and Into The Void Records, Fergal Holmes of Dublin Metal Events and many more.

Anathema - Falling Deeper

Anathema make the bold decision to once again take a trip down memory lane and re-record, and re-imagine, old material for Falling Deeper. Is it a success? Click HERE for the full review of the record now.

Molten magazine: second issue out now

The second issue of Molten Magazine is on sale today, and is now available from Eason nationwide. This issue features four articles from me. Two album reviews – Dream Theater’s A Dramatic Turn of Events and 3’s The Ghost You Gave To Me. Both stunning records. Also, two live reviews – Slave Zero’s EP fundraiser with a bill that included Fragments, Xenocide, Bricktop and Weeping Ulcer. The second review is from The Secret and Tombs’ Dublin stop-over on their Irish tour last month. Go check it out!