Basalt Shrine are the Filipino doom/post-metal super quartet of Bobby Legaspi (Surrogate Prey, Malicious Birth), Rallye Ibanez (Ex-Religious Nightmare, Surrogate Prey) and Ronaldo and Ronnel Vivo (Dagtum, The Insektlife Cycle, Abanglupa, Imperial Airwaves, Ex-Hateure).
‘From Fiery Tongues’ is their debut album. It’s heavy. Really heavy.
It’s so heavy, we all had to take a lie-down instead of writing the planned review. While we pick ourselves up, listen to this:
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Dead Cross, the four-headed Hydra featuring Mike Patton, Dave Lombardo, Justin Pearson and Michael Crain, return with the abrasive 9-song album, II, on Oct. 28th via Ipecac Recordings.
The album, while both a raucous hardcore collection, and at times, a politically-charged opus, has its roots in friendship, with the band rallying together after Crain received a surprise cancer diagnosis.
"Words can’t even begin to describe how much this album means to me. It’s birthed of pain and uncertainty,” explains Crain. “The slow, excruciatingly painful, and nauseating recovery from cancer treatments were the catalyst for every riff and note on this album. However, my will to live and be with my brothers Justin, Dave, Mike, and co-producer Ross Robinson, got me out of bed and running into the studio every day to get it all on tape.”
Watch ‘Reign Of Error’ here:
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Blacklab are back. The self-proclaimed ‘Doom witch, duo from Osaka’ are set to drop their third album ‘In A Bizarre Dream’ this summer.
Their debut ‘Under the Strawberry Moon 2.0’ saw them taking Sabbath inspired doom, mashing it with a Japanese sensibility and a fuzzed-up groove. It certainly caused a stir, but only hinted at their potential.
Album two ‘Abyss’ added to the mix. A Stooges like squalor to the riffs, dollops of lo-fi hardcore punk and loose riffing, pointing the way towards a signature sound.
So what of the ‘difficult’ third album? Not so difficult at all it seems. ‘In A Bizarre Dream’ ups the ante considerably, to let rip and define what Blacklab are about.
The combined talents of Jun Morino on production and Wayne Adams (Big Lad, Green Lung, Pet Brick, John, Cold In Berlin) on the mix have conspired to produce a towering beast of a record. A real step forward for the ‘Doom Witch Duo’.
The drums have a humungous ‘Fugazi’ like welly, and the guitars are a boiling maelstrom of fuzz dense riffola and warped psychedelics, with added synth. Yuko’s throat shredding snarls are as mean as a pissed off Satan, and melodious, often within the same song.
This is doom meets hardcore punk, hooky melodies, and killer riffs, all cranked up to the max. Japan has always had a special take on ‘noise’ and ‘heavy’ and with ‘In A Bizarre Dream’ Blacklab add their own spin to that tradition.
Gone is the lo-fi approach, here is Blacklab in full effect.
‘Cold Rain’ and ‘Abyss Woods’ (debuted at their storming set at London’s Desert Fest and appearing here in its full version) are two nuggets of epic fuzz heavy doom with added screamo and a neat and canny grasp of melody at its core. Very much a Blacklab trademark.
‘Dark Clouds’ is D-beat fuelled hardcore, fierce and ferocious, with Chia’s rolling thunder drumming underpinning the distorted guitar. It’s pretty exhilarating stuff that shifts the mood perfectly.
‘Evil I’ is just that, a riff as evil as it gets, morphing into a chugging punk wig out. Then followed by ‘Evil II’ a breather, almost mellow, melancholy, with layers of dark overdrive threatening to explode beneath a sweet yet menacing vocal.
Then, the mid-point of the album drops a real surprise. Yuko has said before that the band’s name is a combination of her two favourite bands, Black Sabbath and Stereolab. Odd bedfellows to be sure, but if you want to know what that combination might sound like … here it is.
‘Crows, Sparrows and Cats’ actually features Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, no less, providing the lead vocal, adding a layer of cool over Blacklab’s Hawkwind meets krautrock sludge. Listen now:
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Iggy Pop loves The Armed. We love The Armed, too. It’s fair to say there really is no other act around quite like them. Which makes this latest video, released as a taster for the upcoming live movie, all the more exciting.
Watch ‘Masunaga Vapors (Live)’ here, and be exhilarated by the frenzied energy:
The Armed have released the soundtrack for their narrative-driven, ground-breaking concert film, ULTRAPOP: Live At The Masonic Temple, available digitally and physically via Sargent House. A running combination of score elements from the film and live performances captured in Detroit’s sprawling Masonic Temple, the soundtrack features live renditions of songs from their highly lauded LP, ULTRAPOP and cult-favourite, ONLY LOVE, and also includes their CYBERPUNK 2077 contribution “NIGHT CITY ALIENS".
The movie, which was only available to live stream for a short period of time around its 15th October 2021 debut, will come to Blu-ray and video streaming services on September 29th.
Part Lemonade, part Live at Pompeii and fully infused with a sense of Lynchian dread – the movie is a stunningly-filmed cinematic document of live performances taking place within the opulent chapels, imposing asylum rooms, full-size indoor handball courts, halls (and more) of the mysterious Masonic Temple of Detroit; a 550,000 square foot fortress in the heart of the city. Live performance and story-driven narrative melt seamlessly into one another, as the film confronts themes of identity, information warfare, the commoditisation of artistic products and the commodification of the artist.
ULTRAPOP, released in April 2021, received acclaim across the board, gaining the highly coveted Pitchfork Best New Music and praise from The New Yorker Magazine, Vulture, Stereogum, Revolver, AV Club, Fader, Bandcamp, Entertainment Weekly, Interview Magazine and so much more. Reaching the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise and otherwise "heavy" counterculture music subgenres, it finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. A joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listening experience possible.
Photo Credit: Trevor Naud
Russian Circles have just released the audio for new song ‘Betrayal’. Perhaps the heaviest song on the album, ‘Betrayal’ is a five-minute unmitigated assault and follows the first single ‘Conduit’. Both tracks show how the Chicago stalwarts have created their most fuming and focused work to date – an album that favours the exorcism of two years’ worth of tension over the melancholy and restraint that often coloured their past endeavours.
Forthcoming full length Gnosis eschews the varied terrain of those past works by employing a new song writing technique. Rather than crafting songs out of fragmented ideas in the practice room, full songs were written and recorded independently before being shared with other members, so that their initial vision was retained. While these demos spanned the full breadth of the band’s varied styles, the more cinematic compositions were ultimately excised in favour of the physically cathartic pieces.
Gnosis is arriving via Sargent House on 19th August.
Listen to ‘Betrayal’ here:
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RUSSIAN CIRCLES N. AMERICA TOUR 2022
Sep 15 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
Sep 17 Denver, CO – Gothic
Sep 18 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Sep 20 Seattle, WA – Croc Showroom
Sep 21 Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
Sep 23 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Sep 24 Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
Sep 25 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent
Sep 26 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
Sep 29 Austin, TX – Empire Garage
Sep 30 Dallas, TX – Amplified Live
Oct 01 Memphis, TN – Growlers
Oct 27 St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
Oct 28 Louisville, KY – Headliner’s
Oct 29 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Oct 30 Orlando, FL – The Social
Nov 01 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
Nov 02 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Nov 04 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Nov 05 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
Nov 06 Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
Nov 08 Boston, MA – The Sinclair
Nov 09 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount
Nov 10 Toronto, ON – Opera
Nov 11 Detroit, MI – El Club
Nov 12 Chicago, IL – Metro
RUSSIAN CIRCLES EU TOUR 2023 (Co Headline w/ Cult Of Luna)
March 17 Copenhagen, DK – Store Vega
March 18 Berlin, DE – Huxleys
March 19 Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof
March 20 Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Ronda
March 21 Brussels, BE – AB
March 22 Paris, FR – Olympia
March 23 Stuttgart, DE – Wizemann
March 24 Lausanne, CH – Les Docks
March 25 Ljubljana, SI – Kino Siska
March 27 Vienna, AT – Arena
March 28 Munich, DE – Muffathalle
March 29 Prague, CZ – Roxy
March 30 Krakow, PL – Studio
March 31 Warsaw, PL – Progresja
Photo Credit: William Lacalmontie
Experimental metal group Imperial Triumphant release their new track and music video for ‘Tower of Glory, City of Shame.’ The music video was directed and edited by the band’s very own Steve Blanco.
“Monolithic events engineered throughout the ages compel great shifts in consciousness. Seemingly coincidental and synchronous points forever alter the landscape. Pigeons gather one by one. Civilization moves through the gateways and in hindsight the obscured vision becomes clearer. Still unknown, however is the truth as all is an illusion with much loss of life and zero accountability. At a certain point there are too many pigeons for the control’s infantile stories to be what they claim,” states Imperial Triumphant about ‘Tower of Glory, City of Shame’.
Watch the video here:
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Imperial Triumphant is gearing up to release their forthcoming full-length album, Spirit of Ecstasy, on July 22nd via Century Media Records. The band have already released two singles off the upcoming album, ‘Merkurius Gilded’ (ft. Kenny G and Max Gorelick) and ‘Maximalist Scream’ (feat. Snake/Voivod).
Spirit of Ecstasy follows the band’s previous LPs 2020’s Alphaville, 2018’s Vile Luxury and most recently their 2021 live record, An Evening With Imperial Triumphant, which was recorded at the infamous Slipper Room in New York City. Just like its predecessors, the album features a handful of special guests including Kenny G on soprano saxophone, Max Gorelick on lead guitar, Snake on vocals, Alex Skolnick on lead guitar, Trey Spruance on lead guitar, Andromeda Anarchia with choirs, Sarai Woods with choirs, Yoshiko Ohara on vocals, J. Walter Hawkes on the trombone, Ben Hankle on the trumpet, Percy Jones on bass, SEVEN)SUNS on strings, Colin Marston on Simmons drums and Youtube, and Jonas Rolef on vocals. Stay tuned for more details about the highly anticipated release by following the band on socials.
Imperial Triumphant is Zachary Ilya Ezrin (vocals, guitars), Steve Blanco (bass, vocals, keys, theremin) and Kenny Grohowski (drums).
Recently, Imperial Triumphant announced that they will be joining Zeal & Ardor for their North American tour 2022. The band will be hitting the road starting September 11th in Brooklyn and wrapping on October 7th in Berkeley. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Imperial Triumphant’s website.
IMPERIAL TRUMPHANT Tour Dates:
U.S. Headline Shows
July 29 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
July 30 – Youngstown, OH – Into the Darkness Fest
July 31 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
European Headline Dates/Festivals
August 10 – Jaroměř, Czechia – Brutal Assault
August 12 – Oxfordshire, England – SUPERNORMAL FEST
August 13 – Manchester, England – The White Hotel
August 14 – Glasgow, Scotland – Stereo
August 15 – Belfast, England – Voodoo
August 16 – Dublin, Ireland – The Grand Social
August 18 – Somerset, England – ArcTanGent Festival
August 19 – London, England – The Dome
August 20 – Méan, Belgium – MÉTAL MÉAN
August 21 – Brittany, France – MOTOCULTER
August 23 – Madrid, Spain – Moby Dick
August 24 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Upload
August 25 – Toulon, France – L’Hélice
August 26 – Mantova, Italy – The Academy
August 27 – Winterthur, Switzerland – Gaswerk
August 28 – Strasbourg, France – La Maison Bleue
August 29 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Merleyn
August 30 – Hamburg, Germany – Hafenklang
August 31 – Aalborg, Denmark – 1000 Fryd
September 1 – Oslo, Norway – Bla
September 2 – Goteborg, Sweden – Fangelset
September 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Hotel Cecil
September 8 – Leipzig, Germany – Bandhaus
September 9 – Tel Aviv, Israel – Gagarin
Zeal & Ardor North American Tour
September 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw
September 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
September 13 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East
September 15 – Montreal, QC – LE Studio TD
September 16 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
September 18 – Detroit, MI – El Club
September 19 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
September 20 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
September 23 – Calgary, AB – Dickens
September 24 – Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
September 26 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
September 27 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
September 28 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
October 1 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
October 3 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
October 4 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
October 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
October 7 – Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone
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Louisiana-based industrial bass artist SINthetik Messiah has unleashed a provocative new single. ‘Assassins That Run On Faith’ takes aim at violence and abuse in the Vatican.
"For 1,000s of years inside the Vatican a covenant of nuns exist solely to rid the evil of this world. Through sheer violence, this covenant was able to bring the Vatican to its current day power." – Bug Gigabyte
Included in the recording is an authentic recording of Pope Francis apologizing to nuns for abuse.
The release includes a remix by none other than Tom Shear of Assemblage 23.
Listen and download here:
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Antelope Valley, CA – Hardcore Punk Rock band SHIIVA has announced the release of their new single ‘Cyclone’, out today on all platforms. The song is off the band’s upcoming EP Cyclone out on August 12th via Wiretap Records on Digital / and Cyclone 12” Compilation LP later this year via Wiretap / Another City Records.
Watch/Listen to ‘Cyclone’ here:
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The Anchoress writes: ‘In the wake of the overturning of Roe v Wade there was only one song that I was ever going to tackle this month, ‘Pennyroyal Tea‘ by Nirvana – named after the herb pennyroyal that was used historically to induce abortions. I have so much anger and sadness over what is happening in America right now as a women’s autonomy over her own body is put into question. Whatever your thoughts on what is happening to reproductive rights, I hope you find some comfort in this contemplative version of a song that’s always held a lot of power for me.”
It’s a stunning rendition.
Listen and download here:
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Following the release of her successful 2022 debut single, ‘Tiptoe,’ ‘Bite My Tongue,’ BEX teases whispered vocals, edging riffs, and a stomping chorus – an explosive follow-up to say the least.
Talking about the meaning behind the track, BEX tells:
“’Bite My Tongue’ is written about times I have not stood up for myself. In the last couple of years I have been really finding myself and it has caused me to reflect back to times where I didn’t truly know who I was or what I stood for, times where I bit my tongue instead of sharing my opinion. Musically it’s riffy and simple, it has that raw punch in the face, I love all my songs to be simple and short.”
Produced by Sam Cramer, with a double bass feature from Bex and live band member Josh, across ‘Bite My Tongue,’ BEX brings out a hook packed with adrenaline. The music video was filmed by a canal in Guildford, by videographer Olivia Brisset and self-directed by BEX. The video comes with disturbing glitchy visuals shot in a retro filter, and masters a cool DIY look.
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Originally titled, as ‘Chez,’ ‘Bite My Tongue,’ is now a track that stands as a mantra for BEX, and you too. Emphasising just how important it is to her to stand proud, speak up for the things she cares about and to not be afraid, BEX tells:
“Always stand up for yourself and share your opinions, but at the same time listen to others. ‘I’ll hold it in so you have fun’ I think this lyric is important because it reflects how I used to not speak so I wouldn’t upset anyone or ruin anyone’s night even if I was having a bad time. SPEAK, always speak, don’t hold back, share what you wanna share, just don’t be a dickhead. ”
BEX plays Y Not Festival – Scruff Of The Neck Tent, UK on 29th July
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Aural Aggravation 