Curmudgeon - Curmudgeon EP

Boston powerviolence trio Curmudgeon have unleashed a new 7” EP through To Live A Lie Records. The review of which is HERE on CVLT Nation. Go on, click it.

New Wildernessking EP has arrived

South African black metal enigmas Wildernessking have released a new EP entitled …And the Night Swept Us Away, the swift follow-up to the rather stunning debut album The Writing of Gods in the Sand. This EP has a short run of 40 physical copies, which are available through the band, all DIY, or via digital download on their Bandcamp. The band also released their first video, for the title track. Have a look below and call back soon for the EP review.

Chrome Waves - Chrome Waves EP

Chrome Waves may very well be something special that we are witnessing the beginning of. Featuring members of Nachtmystium, The Atlas Moth and Wolvhammer, they’ve released their self-titled debut EP so click HERE for the review as well as a full stream of the record and a chance to win a test press copy.

New Masakari track

Cleveland crust outfit, Masakari have another split in the works, this time a 5” with Grin and Bear It. A new track, ‘Contagion’, is streaming  and downloadable on their Bandcamp now or down below. The split, which is being put out by Halo of Flies, will be released next month. Masakari have been on a steady rise over the last few years since their Eden Compromised EP, which led to their impressive album The Prophet Feeds and last year’s resoundingly well-received split LP with Germany’s Alpinist, one of the best split releases of 2011 for sure. This is a band that are just getting better and better and this new 5” will do for now until the band get ready for a new LP.

New Ash Borer track

“Cascadian” black metallers Ash Borer have a new song streaming on Stereogum now called ‘Descended Lamentations’, which is taken from their forthcoming LP Cold of Ages. Click HERE to wrap your ears around the track. Personally, I’m waiting for the album to land before I even attempt to pass any significant level of judgement on this but needless to say, I’m quite excited for this album.

Altar of Plagues - The Pint, 22/6/12

Altar of Plagues played their first Dublin show last Saturday in about two years, alongside Wreck of the Hesperus, Brains and ZOM. Click HERE for the review of this pretty spectacular show.

Photo: Simon Ward

New song from The Pineapple Thief

British prog rockers The Pineapple Thief will release a new album, All The Wars, on September 3rd through Kscope, who are now streaming a new track ‘Last Man Standing’ down below as well as offering a free download HERE. Fans of Porcupine Tree, particularly In Absentia and Deadwing era, will find something to love in The Pineapple Thief with their slick melodic prog rock. Have a listen to the song below.

House of Apparition demo

Here's another demo of harsh noisy black metal for your to sink your teeth into. It's the12 minute demo release from California's House of Apparition, which is streaming now on CVLT Nation alongside a quick review of the racket. Click HERE to check it out.

Enabler - All Hail The Void

Enabler are set to release their new full-length next month, via Southern Lord, and make no mistake, All Hail The Void is an impressive effort and a 2012 highlight already. Check out the review HERE.

New Om song

Om will release their new album of mystic hymns next month entitled Advaitic Songs and the duo of Al Cisneros and new drummer, Emil Amos are now streaming a new song via Pitchfork called ‘State of Non-Return’. As expected it’s a hypnotic piece with Cisneros’ brooding vocals alongside intricately weaved basslines and frantic, but still gentle, drums. This song however is greatly complemented by beautiful string arrangements that really do steal the show. Have a listen to the song HERE or down below.

Gospel of the Horns - Ceremonial Conjuration

Australian blackened thrashers Gospel of the Horns are back with a new EP entitled Ceremonial Conjuration. Click HERE for the review of this short but sweet hail of black/thrash brilliance.

More new music: Katatonia

This week has been quite busy with new music and it’s not showing any sign of letting up. This evening the always magnificent Katatonia released the first taster track from their new album, Dead End Kings. The song, ‘Dead Letters’, in many ways, captures the essence this band. It’s dripping with melancholy, the guitars are heavy but lushly melodic and poignant meanwhile Jonas Renkse’s vocals are every bit as stunning as usual. The end result is a very heartening preview for this album from a band that has never released an album that’s below average. 

New Wound Upon Wound track

Dublin black metallers, Wound Upon Wound, are streaming a new song now from their forthcoming full-length album. The track ‘Every Tongue Shall Confess’ can be heard below. It’s the second song they’ve released, after ‘Descent’ a number of months ago. This band has been evolving greatly since their 2010 EP Grievance. Along with a vocalist change, the band has allowed more leftfield BM influences like Altar of Plagues and Krallice to creep into their sound. But this 10 minute opus also opens with an almost Primordial-like riff that gives way to eerie meandering passages that tip their hat to Deathspell Omega, albeit vaguely. Regardless of the myriad influences on show here, this is an impressive taster alone from Wound Upon Wound for their first album. More details yet to come, for now check it out.

Them Martyrs - Wretched

Galway's Them Martyrs are back with a new EP - Wretched. Check out the full review of the new release HERE on CVLT Nation.

Is this a new Killswitch Engage song?

An allegedly new Killswitch Engage song has leaked online, untitled with no other information. The song was doing the rounds on YouTube earlier today but was of course taken down swiftly by Warner Bros, who own Roadrunner, and that in many ways confirms that this is Killswitch. However, Lambgoat have a stream of the song right now. In case you’ve been living in an undersea kingdom, this is the first song with Jesse Leach back in band. The as yet unnamed album is roughly slated for a late 2012 or early 2013 release but this track sounds finished, perfectly mastered and release ready, which could suggest a release date sooner rather than later. The band has yet to comment on the song’s leak.

The untitled song is still very much in the vein of Killswitch’s recent material, and thankfully doesn’t sound like nostalgia trip to try and recapture the sound of Alive or Just Breathing. Any effort like that would simply have been contrived and ultimately sounded weak. Despite it being only one song it suggest some much stronger material on its way compared to 2009’s, still good, self-titled record. Better check out the song HERE quickly before it gets taken down again.

New Devil Sold His Soul track

Devil Sold His Soul are extremely underrated band. Their mesh of ambient soundscapes with post hardcore is always impressive, all proved by 2010’s stunning Blessed & Cursed album. Almost two years on, the band is preparing their new album Empire of Light for a September release and are now offering up a new song ‘No Remorse, No Regrets’ for free download via their Facebook page or listen below. As expected, this new song is lush offering of stunning atmospheric melody that combats with Ed Gibbs’ coarse hardcore stylised vocals, all soaring to an eventual clean sung close. This album should be superb.

Arts - Thousand Wounds of War

“Arts, simply put, play dirty manky lo-fi black metal”, starts this review. Thousand Wounds of War is the new album from one man filthy black metal project, Arts. Click HERE for the review on CVLT Nation, which alos includes a full stream of the LP.

Footage of new Zozobra material live

Recently I was joyed to learn that Zozobra, the sludge outfit helmed by Cave In’s Caleb Scofield, were working on a new album. I was surprised because I assumed the project was put on hold, almost permanently, after Cave In reformed and released White Silence last year. Lo and behold though, the band is back, playing live and have debuted some new material at a recent gig.

Decidedly leaning more towards hardcore than the sludge of their previous two albums, this new material (what we can hear if it at least) is much faster, and if it was possible, even more visceral. The clip, filmed by a fan presumably, is down below and is eight minutes of all new Zozobra. Check it out.

Mono post album trailer

Japan’s Mono really are a unique entity. Often just classified as post rock, the band has also been referred to as neo-classical, an ambiguous term that doesn’t really explain much. However as band that have taken soaring instrumental rock and worked with large live orchestras, it’s easy to see where the classical comes into it. See their live album, Holy Ground: NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra for further evidence. Finally though, the band will release their follow-up to 2009’s Hymn To The Immortal Wind later this year. The album is currently untitled but the band gave Self-Titled Magazine the honour of streaming the first trailer for the new album, which you can view HERE or watch below.

Happy fathers' day...

Yeah...

New Nachtmystium track

US black metal deities Nachtmystium are preparing the release of their new album, Silencing Machine and are now streaming a new song, ‘Borrowed Hope and Broken Dreams’, thanks to German magazine, Visions – HERE. The song sees the band tread a mid-paced gloomy path with meandering clean guitar flourishes that are dripping with a death/doom-like melancholy meanwhile Blake Judd’s vocals are that typical muddled BM shriek. 

Silencing Machine is allegedly taking the band slightly away from the unpredictability of the previous two albums but this still shows Nachtmystium delighting in oh so gloomy and depressive fashion. Check it out HERE. 

The Pledge of Cain - We...Martyrs

New review of an old album. Kind of. Click HERE for the lowdown on French doom/sludge band The Pledge of Cain's 2010 album We...Martyrs now as well as the link to check out their new live album.

A New Dawn - Demo

Californian d-beaters A New Dawn have released this short, battering demo effort, and for free download too. Check out the review HERE.

Windy & Carl - We Will Always Be

Ambient drone husband and wife duo, Windy & Carl have released their latest offering We Will Always Be through Kranky Records. Click HERE for the review of this beautiful album.

New Baroness track

As Baroness’ new album grows closer and closer, the band has released a second song for streaming (via Pitchfork). This time it’s the vibrant and exuberant ‘March to the Sea’, which is just a small snippet from their staggering double album Yellow and Green. Click HERE to listen to the song now and keep an eye out for the review in Molten Magazine soon. In case you missed the first teaser the band released, HERE is the reminder of ‘Take My Bones Away’.

Ruined Families - Untitled EP

Greece's hardcore act Ruined Families released their untitled 7" earlier this year, it's an EP of four caustic hardcore barrages and one of the most impressive hardcore EPs of 2012 so far. Click HERE for the review.

Downfall of Gaia sign with Metal Blade

Big news right here – Downfall of Gaia have signed with Metal Blade Records. The German crust turned post metal band have been doing it DIY for years with a string of releases, not to mention last year’s stunning split with In The Hearts of Emperors and heavy touring. It all appears to have paid dividends now as the band has inked a deal with Metal Blade. The band comments: “We feel quite honored to be a part of the Metal Blade family and to work with one of the most notable labels in the world! We are really excited about our Metal Blade debut and the future! A big thank you to all the people who supported us in any way during the last years, without you all of this wouldn't be possible!"

The band’s first release with the label will be their second album, Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes, slated for release later this year, the follow-up to 2010’s Epos. Next month the band will also be playing a select few dates with Vestiges on their European tour, stopping over in Ireland including a show at The Pint on July 13th.

Old Man Gloom - No

No is the new album from Old Man Gloom, their first since 2004, featuring members of Isis, Converge and Cave In. Click HERE for the review of this long overdue album.

The Universe Divide interview - new album, new drummer search

Photo: Kevin Griggs

After releasing their debut EP, Dust Settles on the Odontophobes, Atlanta’s instrumental prog metal trio The Universe Divide have since been reduced to a duo with the departure of drummer Jason Parker. Guitarist Chris Rushing and Gael Pirlot talk about what the band have been up to since I last spoke with them and how work is going on their first full-length album, Nihil Ultra as well as the search for a new drummer.

Since I was last speaking with you, you began work on your first full-length album, Nihil Ultra, and Jason has left the band. Why did he leave?

Gael:  Jason had other focuses. His schedule did not allow much time for this project.

Chris:  This group is a labour of love. As you can imagine, there isn't much to be gained playing eight minute instrumental progressive metal songs. We all work full time jobs, have personal lives and indulge in other hobbies/interest. It takes quite a bit of focus to really stay on top of our music. Unfortunately Jason's other interest and obligations were rendering him unable or unwilling to contribute to the group in a timely manner. We felt it would be best for us to move forward without him.

How much of the new album is completed?
Gael: We have two more completed songs and about two or three songs in varying stages of completion. I'm very excited about the new direction we are taking. There is a stronger focus on the song writing element.

You released a new song, ‘Death of the Sun (Day 1)’ recently (streaming HERE), which features Jason playing. How much of the album features his playing?
Gael: This will be the only song with Jason. We may revamp ‘Death of the Sun’ with the new drummer for the album or not put it in the album. The song fits the album concept but has been so long in the making that it may be a standalone piece. Perhaps a reboot on the song will revive it!

Chris: We tracked drums for two songs in December, at Doppler Studios. There was a problem with the second song's Session file, so we ended up only having drums for ‘Death of the Sun’. We had planned to use those for the full-length as well as a new video we were working on but since Jason's departure it seems fitting to take a step back and shed some of the negative energy surrounding that entire piece. As Gael suggested, a slight revamp may breathe new life into it but at the moment, a standalone piece doesn't seem like too bad of an option. It's really too soon to tell.

How is the search for a new drummer going so far?

Gael: Things are going well.  We are fortunate to have some very talented drummer friends. We are currently talking to a good friend of ours in filling this role.  He's played drums on one of my favourite albums. If things work out, I would expect The Universe Divide to take an interesting and exciting turn!

Chris: Losing an original member is never easy. I think Gael is always a little more optimistic than me but we definitely have some options with the skill level to get the job done. At this stage, it is more about finding out whose style will suit the new album's direction best.

Other than Jason leaving, how has the writing and recording for Nihil Ultra been?
Gael: The writing process has been going great.  Chris and I are trying to make a concerted effort in creating an album which focuses on interesting song writing.  This equates to a longer song writing process though.

Chris: Gael and I wrote the EP before we had initially found a drummer. We started experimenting with Jason writing with us for the full-length. You can hear some of this influence in two of the more "rhythmic" or as some would say "djenty" sections of ‘Death of the Sun’. It definitely brought another influence to the table but there was not enough involvement overall for it to become an integral part of our sound. So overall the process really hasn't changed much from the way we were doing things pre and post EP.

You’re working with Jamie King again, who worked on Dust Settles on the Odontophobes (and has produced others bands such as Between the Buried and Me and Canvas Solaris). How has that been so far?
Gael: Jamie has yet to disappoint. I am thrilled with the tones he got on ‘Death of the Sun’.  There is very rarely a bad idea with Jamie.  We've pitched some fairly wacky ideas to him over the years, particularly with Canvas Solaris [Gael and Chris’ former band] and he's made them seem same and sound great!

Chris: These days we do almost all of the recording/editing ourselves with the exception of tracking the drums, which sucks because Jamie is an awesome guy to hang out with.  He can listen to what we send him and give us a no bullshit response. If he thinks something needs to be re-tracked or if a particular tone isn't working he has no problem telling us that. I don't know that he always understands where we are coming from artistically but sound-wise he is always on top of the game and straight up with us. He is one of the only people I know in the industry who is genuine and gives you 100x what you pay for. I can't say enough positive things about him. It's almost like he is an un-official band member at this point.

When do you hope to finish and get the album out?
Gael: I would [hope] to have the recording done some time at the end of this year.  I am still uncertain as to the amount of content we would like to include on the next album.  While I liked the conciseness of the previous album, we may opt for a slightly longer album.  That said, most of the albums I have worked on have an organic beginning and end. That will be the determining factor in the album's length.

Chris: Obviously our scheduling has been completely thrown out of whack with the recent drummer plight but we are hoping to be back up and running in the next month or so. As Gael stated, releasing something at the end of the year or early next year would be ideal.

How will you be releasing the album? Independently like the EP or will you get some label involved?
Gael: We will continue to record and release albums with or without label support. The last album did well without us being signed to a label and I imagine that I will be satisfied with the state of The Universe Divide even if we are never signed.

Chris: Label support would be nice but I don't really know that we are a group that fits that bill. We like to do things at our own pace and take our own path. Hopefully outside listeners will continue to enjoy our work but playing to an empty room has yet to discourage any of us. 

Dúnmharú - Curses Come Home

Dúnmharú is the Irish two-man black metal project, who have released their second album Curses Come Home. Click HERE for the album review on CVLT Nation now.

Crows tour fundraiser this Thursday

Tomorrow night Crows play a tour fundraiser show in The Thomas House so they can hopefully get the money together for their UK tour. It’s a great bill by the looks of it, with harsh noise/black metal-esque band Síoraí Geimhreadh playing their first Dublin in nearly a year (I think, the Council of Tanith EP launch last June was the last time I saw them here anyway). Disguise are also playing and if you dig reverb-drenched dissonant hardcore, influenced by Gauze and Disclose then you have to check these guys out. Fresh faced thrashers Psykosis are also on the bill. It’s €6 in before 9pm and €7 after. Check out the Facebook event page HERE as well as Crows’ Facebook page HERE for updates on their UK tour dates as they’re announced. The wildly imaginative gig poster is below.

Thou / Hell - Resurrection Bay

This will easily be one of the splits of the year. It’s the split 7” Resurrection Bay that has brought Louisiana sludge doom masters Thou and Oregon’s Hell together, with one track each. Click HERE for the review now.

Burzum - Umskiptar

Varg Vikernes has quickly come out of the woodwork again with another new album – Umskiptar, how does the divisive black metal enigma fare this time around? Click HERE for the review on Drop-D now.

Jesse does Howard

Since Jesse Leach re-joined Killswitch Engage there’s been reasonable scepticism about how he would carry the KSE material with former vocalist Howard Jones. The two have both very distinct vocal styles and Jesse’s approach to the newer material would be watched with a keen eye. Well, Killswitch have played a few shows now with Jesse back up front and finally some pro-shot footage is available from last weekend’s Rock AM Ring festival in Germany. Some clips are streaming on Roadrunner’s site HERE and you can check out the performance of ‘Rose of Sharyn’ below, one of Howard’s biggest songs with the band.

The sound quality from the stage is a little lacking at times, but the vocals from Jesse sound great. He hasn’t tampered with the song in any way, and sounds like… well, Jesse. It’s heartening to see him pull off this material so strongly, approaching another person’s songs with respect.

New Gojira track available for streaming

The new Gojira album is nearly upon us and will be released next month, on the 26th. A completely satisfying piece of work in league with From Mars to Sirius, L’enfant Sauvage is the attention grabbing album that the band needed to make. Having already released the title track for your consumption, the Frenchmen have released another salvo for you in ‘Liquid Fire’. It’s colossally heavy track, like the whole album (surprise surprise) with healthy levels of melody. It’s streaming now on Gojira’s Facebook page. Check it out HERE. Keep an eye out for the album review in the next issue of Molten Magazine.

Astralnaut - Back to the Bog EP

Fresh faced Armagh stoner rockers Astralnaut have released their debut digital EP, Back to the Bog. Click HERE for the review on CVLT Nation.

J Randall chips in on music fans today

Last night, J. Randall, the Agoraphobic Nosebleed vocalist and mastermind behind Grindcore Karaoke took to Twitter to have a wee rant about music fans today. For a man that dedicates his life to creating and spreading the word about some of the most extreme music there is, it’s interesting to see his take on some things in various demographics of music fans, specifically teenagers and college students. Here’s the transcript of tweets below and you can find his Twitter page HERE.

"Teenagers don't give a fuck about this music and don't need own music / records for identity -they just need to "like" it (on facebook)"

"Teenagers are content with listening to pop music, odd future and Trashtalk -they don't need to know nothing else to be cool"

"College students / 20 somethings are content with listening to club music / dubstep -they don't give a fuck about "EXTREME MUSIC" either"

"Instead kids putting on shows we have promoters like Scion A/V doing showcases / fests for all the 30-40 yr olds trying to relive something"

"What I'm getting at is the bubble has definitely popped and this extreme shit is mostly just a bunch of novelty acts for middle age ppl"

"OK I get it if your 20 something and your following me on twitter your on the fuckin' level -sorry, wish you weren't an endangered species"

EDIT:

New Mouth of the Architect track

Mouth of the Architect have been quiet for a while, not releasing anything since 2010’s EP, The Violence Beneath and no full-length album since 2008’s Quietly, which was an impressive record that put their prior work to shame. It would seem that silence is soon to be broken. ‘How This Will End’ is being stream now by Lambgoat, and is a previously unreleased track from the band. It’s featured on the latest Falling Down Compilation, alongside a whole host of other great bands and unreleased material. It’s unclear whether this song will be included on the new album that Mouth of the Architect are currently working on. If it will be, it bodes well for the band continuing the trajectory started with Quietly. Check out the song HERE.