There are some bands that burst forth from a scene and develop their own musical philosophy and style. In doing so, they influence other bands to greatness and cull a following that hangs on every release, every song, and every note. Such bands become legend, and NEUROSIS, love them or not, are.
A band that soon realized the crusty Hardcore scene and its trappings were too limiting for their ultimate vision, NEUROSIS nurtured and perfected a sound that has sophistication, heaviness and a depth that many strive for but cannot achieve. Fans allow themselves to be submerged in it; others disregard it as over-hyped, overwrought, and boring. NEUROSIS is not for everyone, but for those who “get it”, their music is almost a religious thing, and seeing them live is like going to church.
NEUROSIS is not a band of road warriors by any stretch. True to their approach to music – which is their way, not yours – they tour when their job and family obligations allow. So to see them live is special, not only because opportunities are few, but because there really isn’t any band like them live. Their stop through Atlanta was to demonstrate that even if you aren’t a fan, they have a power onstage and a sway over their fans that is impressive.
But before NEUROSIS took the stage, they had openers that more than primed the audience for them. NEUROSIS runs their own label, Neurot Recordings, and they had label signees U.S. CHRISTMAS (USX), start the night off. Sludgy, yet Bluesy, crunchy with hints of Folk, U.S. CHRISTMAS is, like NEUROSIS already has, forging their own sound. Vocalist NATE HALL alternated between hollering (in a good way) and clean vocals, while his guitar and the rest of the band painted an original sonic landscape. Of note is violinist MEGHAN MULHEARN, whose violin to U.S. CHRISTMAS is like SCOTT KELLY‘s guitar to his band; supportive, not flashy, adding depth and color. If you dig a slower stoner vibe with a Psychedelic bent you will like this band.
Next up was PRIMATE, a punkish ‘supergroup’ of sorts featuring KEVIN SHARP of BRUTAL TRUTH and Bill Kelliher of MASTODON. They took to the stage and immediately went full-throttle. It is always nice to see Bill Kelliher do his thing, and I dig PRIMATE’s sound, but they did seem out of place on the bill. On a night where the other bands had their raging sounds under tight control and there were very few stage gyrations and antics, PRIMATE’s performance was unbridled and wild. However, it could be looked at as a sonic break from a night full of Sludge!
CT of RWAKE
Next up was RWAKE, another sludgy band with a twist that has managed to create something rather unique in a Metal world that has pretty much done and seen it all. Incorporating a Moog synthesizer and tandem screams from vocalists C.T. and B., RWAKE pummeled through a set that showed the musical synergy between its members. Some bands radiate a vibe, and RWAKE’s vibe was all business, rarely allowing the crowd to come up for air. Those who had not seen this band live before should have had a new respect for them. They were a great choice to be the band right before the mighty NEUROSIS.
First off, there is no just grabbing a NEUROSIS CD and expecting it to make sense on first listen. They are not that kind of band. If you like a band’s live performance to consist of flinging themselves all over the stage and pandering to the crowd, they will disappoint you. Their music demands your undivided attention; it makes you either submit to its complexities or annoy and bore the piss out of you with its mood swings, spoken word pieces and ambient passages. However, make no mistake; NEUROSIS is probably the heaviest band you will ever witness. Its sheer musical weight, as in real density, is almost tangible. Even the quieter moments stand on your shoulders, daring you to speak. The bass of DAVE EDWARDSON rumbled deep as he and his bright purple buzzcut undulated/ They were so deep into their own performance, keyboardist/sampler NOAH LANDIS cut his forehead while rocking out and seemed oblivious to it. And while they played, there was no one cheering out of place, no rampant horn-throwing, no moshpit, no chicks on their boyfriend’s shoulders getting their tits out. No. There was a reverence, a deep respect shown to the band to where it felt that it would have been rude – wrong, even – to do any of those things. The fans were there to absorb every note, revel in the perfect light show, allowing the voices of STEVEN VON TILL and SCOTT KELLY to resonate into our very cores. The band was perfect, with four songs of the set coming from their latest release, “Honor Found In Decay”. The set featured two songs from “Given to the Rising”, one from “Times of Grace”, one from “The Eye of Every Storm” and two from “Through Silver In Blood”.
Scott Kelly
Before you think that the crowd was half-asleep, that was certainly not the case. The energy pouring back and forth between the band and the audience was palpable. The crowd grooved and swayed, threw their arms in the air and sang along to the lyrics that spoke to them. We all headbanged in a quiet rhythm when the band dug in and ground out the heavy, and stood hushed on pins and needles when the slower, more pensive sections of music came around. It was all a build to the climactic performance that brought the much-loved and anticipated “Through Silver In Blood”, Neurosis’ 12-minute-plus sonic opus that plumbs the depth of rhythm, heaviness, dynamics and vocal power. VON TILL banged on some drums along with JASON ROEDER, while the crowd finally swirled and screamed in unison.
No stage talk, no song names, no band member intros and no encore. None were necessary. The enigmatic KELLY came back out and took a picture of the crowd, then slid into the backstage darkness with the rest of the band, leaving behind happy fans and others who were still processing what they just experienced. Neurosis proves that you don’t need to have fire, props or dancing girls onstage to make a great show; you just need to do what you do with such conviction and confidence that the audience can’t help but be fascinated. NEUROSIS is still on the road, so catch them while you can as we never know when they’ll come around again. If you’ve never seen them live this is an opportunity to witness something more than just another Metal show, and see the band that – for good reason – has influenced so many others.
It’s happened a million times before. Bands head out on tour together a few times, or play some local shows side by side, and before you know it a couple members from one band and a couple members from the other utter the inevitable: “We should totally do a project together!” Where it goes from there could be any number of directions, but it often boils down to a common two.
The first and most likely destination is nowhere. Everyone goes home, sobers up, and forgets about their drunken expressions of utter devotion to the new undertaking and professions of unleashing fresh fury upon the scene. Second is somewhere, but nowhere good. The new best band mates for life get together and mash their collective influences into a genetic mess of a new genre that even the proud new progenitors don’t like.
But when members of MASTODON, BRUTAL TRUTH, THE DESPISED, and OTOPHOBIA get together, there is a third option. Everyone puts all that other B.S. aside and gets down with some good ol’ fashioned dirty punk and grind. BRUTAL TRUTH’s KEVIN SHARP (vocals), MASTODON’s BILL KELLIHER (guitar), along with MIKE BRENNAN (guitar), DAVE WHITWORTH (bass), and SHAYNE HUFF (drums), are the parts that make up the sum of PRIMATE, a punk and grind super group for people who pierce their eardrums with an ice pick at the mere mention of the term super group.
Draw Back A Stump, PRIMATE’s first full-length, sets the basic, belligerent tone with the title track. Sharp’s maniacal ranting on the tenets of Chaos Theory leads into punked-out pinch harmonic grind riffs spewed forth alongside raw, venomous hatred. But considering the grind pedigree of PRIMATE’s front man, this album is far more punk than grindcore. “Global Division” follows up the initial offering with some hardcore and d-beat with southern inflections, understandable given the band hails from Atlanta. The lyrics are typical socially conscious but no less poignant punk fare—“A world of confusion/We live in delusion”–and Sharp does have a knack for the vocal hook that’s immediate and timely.
Kelliher and Brennan let their southern flags fly in their lead work from time to time, but this is no twangy SKYNYRD love fest. It’s hardcore punk bombast and fist pumping pogo all the way with clean production, four chords, and five lifetime’s worth of scene credibility wrapped up in an airtight and ferocious package. Sharp is always Sharp, whether he’s emitting tortured screams or his one-of-a-kind gruff and honest delivery. Songs like “Silence of Violence” seem to have a bit of Euro-crust influence to them, with semi-melodic hooks and thick, memorable riffs. “Drinking and Driving,” a BLACK FLAG cover, the longest track on the record at just under three minutes, is faithful to the original. PRIMATE’s guitar duo perfectly captures GREG GINN’s acid jazz punk leads while Sharp channels the acerbic anger of HENRY ROLLINS.
There are quick blasts of all out rage to be heard as well, like the 46-second “Get the Fuck off My Lawn.” A more appropriate song title for a group of aging punkers I couldn’t imagine. Metallic moments like the lead riff on “March of the Curmudgeon” rear their ugly heads from time to time as well. Though the band has a Mastodon member in its ranks, there’s nary a progressive hint to be heard.
All in all what we have here is a fitting tribute to classic punk, d-beat, and grind sounds that doesn’t attempt to Mastodon plus Brutal Truth equals some kind of bastard child of beardo progressive rock and angry politico grind. The PRIMATE boys have left their regular gigs at home for this one, for the most part, and decided to make something entirely new, the kind of hardcore they probably all crank in the den in the wee hours once the little ones have toddled off to bed. It’s not breaking any boundaries, but it is a warning shot across the bow of punk gone safe from an old guard that is nowhere near ready to be referred to as the old guard with anything less than the right amount of respect, and they have earned it anew with Draw Back a Stump. Get the fuck off my lawn indeed.
PRIMATE: A super-group that for a change, is really super!
1. Tombs – Path of Totality
2. Opeth – Heritage
3. Mastodon – The Hunter
4. In Solitude – The World. The Flesh. The Devil
5. Brutal Truth – End Time
6. Hate Eternal – Phoenix Amongst the Ashes
7. YOB – Atma
8. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room
9. Inquisition – Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual
10. Junius – Reports From The Threshold of Death
11. Graveyard – Hisingen Blues
12. Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
13. Exhumed – All Guts, No glory
14. False – False
15. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
16. Revocation – Chaos of Forms
17. Trap Them – Darker Handcraft
18. Obscura – Omnivium
19. Drugs of Faith – Corroded
20. Subrosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones
21. Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All
22. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
23. Atriarch – Forever the End
24. Disma – Towards the Megalith
25. Moab – Ab Ovo
26. Gridlink – Orphan
27. Skeletonwitch – Forever Abomination
28. Vallenfyre – A Fragile King
29. Crowbar – Sever the Wicked Hand
30. Mournful Congregation – The Book of Kings
31. Machine Head – Unto the Locust
32. ABSU – Abzu
33. Negative Plane – Stained Glass Revelations
34. Origin – Entity
35. Darkest Era – The Last Caress of Light
36. Deafheaven – Roads to Judah
37. Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street
38. Krallice – Diotima
39. Rwake – Rest
40. Graf Orlock – Doom Box
Nunfuckritual-In Bondage to the Serpent (Debemur Morti)
Although the debut from Nunfuckritual arrives equipped with an impressive, ‘supergroup’ lineup, as well as some of the more badass cover art in recent memory, the musical end results don’t exactly live up to expectations.
Featuring Konsortium/Mayhem guitarist Teloch and The Black/Vinterland drummer Andreas Jonsson alongside vocalist Espen and badass bassist du jour Dan Lilker (Nuclear Assault, Brutal Truth), Nunfuckritual certainly have their blackened hearts in the right place-composing tunes which are undeniably dark and mercilessly heavy-the actual songwriting leaves a bit to be desired, suffering from a severely sluggish sense of pacing, and generally uninteresting atmosphere.
This isn’t to say that In Bondage to the Serpent doesn’t have style or atmosphere, because it does…just not convincing enough to providing a feeling of true terror or unease. Rather, solid songs like “Christokokos” end up sounding like average, dirge black metal tracks, despite the band’s every efforts to insert some real dread and darkness into the tunes via dark background effects, weird chord phrasings and pulsating feedback.
Still, this isn’t enough to make Nunfuckritual’s songs memorable at the end of the day, nor does it make In Bondage to the Serpent any better than your average hyped collection of musicians, seeking out some diversion from their main acts. Though not terrible in the slightest, the music of Nunfuckritual really only elicits a sluggish, half-hearted thumbs up.
When it comes to grindcore, taste can be very specific.
While bands like Nasum changed the face of the genre pioneered by bands like Napalm Death and Carcass by tightening the arrangements to lock-tight precision, Brutal Truth decided to deconstruct grind via their own, chaotic style in the early 90s, starting off their career with the comparatively more death metal focused Need to Control and Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses.
While grind forebears like Napalm continue to redefine the parameters of their music with mindblowing results, the noise of Brutal Truth seems to have actually devolved over the years, becoming more incohesive and indistinguishable from the legions of power-violence bands drenching their work in feedback and bad ideas. While End Time features a number of tight-as-hell blowers-”Swift and Violent,” “Old World Order,” “Crawling Man Blues” and “Small Talk,” to name a few-it’s when the band meanders into grating, indulgent discordance that the real reason for being here as a listener seems to drift away and vanish.
This is nothing new, really. Brutal Truth have been shifting creative gears since right around 1996′s Kill Trend Suicide full length, admirably attempting to challenge themselves and their audience via their increasingly deconstructed grind, only to really lose the plot, in the end. One would be hard pressed to find a bulk of memorable songwriting buried beneath the avalanche of spastic guitar mangling and drum whack-a-mole so prevalent here on End Time.
While some will probably argue this being the inherent point of it all-and they’re probably right; I doubt anyone in Brutal Truth gives a good goddamn about ‘traditional songwriting’-the end of the day verdict equates to End Time simply not being a very fun listen.
So, what do you get when you combine MASTODON’s Bill Kelliher and the shattering vocals of BRUTAL TRUTH’s Kevin Sharp? You get PRIMATE, a completely new and unique take on grind that has now announced a new deal with RELAPSE RECORDS. The band is an evolution of grind and were one of the headliners at last year’s SCION MUSIC FEST, after they released their ‘Draw Back A Stump’ EP. Now the band will release their debut full length on Relapse.
I became hooked on them from that EP and have been anxiously awaiting this full length for a long time. Check out some PRIMATE below and let us know what you think about the collaboration.
I know we’ve been quite excited about the upcoming MASTODON record around here, but that isn’t the only huge album that’s coming out on September 27th. Actually, BRUTAL TRUTH will finally released ‘End Time’ on the same day and I can’t decide which I’m more excited for. Especially after listening to this brand new track, titled “Fuck Cancer”, I am really looking forward to hearing a new BT record!
Check out the song now and let us know what you think of BRUTAL TRUTH!
I’m not a very superstitious guy in life. However, sometimes signs jump out at you and glare in your direction until you notice them. After a few listens of the new EP from Brazil’s DESALMADO, I sat down to type this review and a funny thing happened. Out of nowhere my laptop, recently out of the repair shop started typing out a series of repeated numbers all on its own. All the numbers were strings of 666. Over and over again. 666. I shit you not! I’m not sure if my laptop is possessed or not, but one thing I do know is grindcore in Portuguese is muito surpreendente! Formerly known as EL FUEGO, the band is nearly finished with their full length opus produced by SEPULTURA drummer Jean Dolabella. In the meantime we have the Hereditas EP to tide us over until then.
Furious, fast and undeniably vibrant sounding, the band blends grindcore, hardcore and thrash styles to craft an expert slab of metal. Even in just under fourteen minutes you can hear the high quality of the songwriting and playing in the group. Lead track “Condenados Pelo Odio” sounds like old-school SEPULTURA to begin with after a thunderous opening. However, quickly it drops into a breakneck thrash/grindcore tempo that nearly reminds me of early KRISIUN. Fast and brutal is the way to go and for this and clearly shows the band has listened to a lot of NAPALM DEATH and KILL THE CLIENT growing up. The ending groove is just massive and killer. Second track “Em Sua Honra” just a short blistering jab in the eye musically. A wake up call with sick guitars and crazy vocals by front man Carlo Augusttas. His growling scream calls to mind Kevin Sharpe (BRUTAL TRUTH/VENOMOUS CONCEPT/PRIMATE) and is terrific. “Miseria Escravatura” is another quick burner chock full of great riffs and histrionic tempos. I fear someone is gonna hurt themselves trying to head bang and keep up with the power and speed of these songs. Moving a notch beyond the typical sounds found in most of the genre, DESMALDO is not afraid to change it up and show their other influences too. Drummer Ricardo Nutzmann definitely has a bit of the old Igor Cavalera tribalism in his stick work and you couldn’t fault the guy for being impacted such a legendary drummer from his country’s most important band. “Chagas Avertas” bashes and slashes away with razor wire riffage. Guitarists Estevam Romera and Bruno Texieira have good tones and can do more than just pedal a basic riff. These guys can really play whether it is thrash, punk or even a touch of death in their style. Bassist Maria Piti has a really sweet tone, albeit it is buried too much in the mix like most grindcore. The best track here is “Manto de Sangue” which means “cloak of blood”. The track is just vicious sounding and the guitars sound like hot saw-blades in action. The final song “Hereditas” is yet another harsh one. This band gives me a lot of hope and I’m really looking forward to their full length album later this year.
As has been the heritage case for grindcore bands since the dawn of time, Spain’s Looking For An Answer like to release split EPs…lots of split EPs.
This fact isn’t as surprising as the knowledge that Looking For An Answer have actually been in existence for over ten years now, with a duo of full length releases to their credit, to boot.
Eterno Treblinka is the band’s debut full length for Relapse, however, bringing with it that fresh, unmistakable odor of classic grindcore madness.
Indeed, this album could have been released on Earache back in the day, and no one would have thought any differently, so loud and proud does Looking For An Answer echo the racket of prime Napalm Death and Terrorizer. Eterno Treblinka also possesses a chaotic, spastic noise element to it which gives the album a certain Brutal Truth color, as well, balanced nicely between micro-blasts and sick, grooving breakdowns.
Of course, when it comes to grindcore, the book has been written. Very few bands, Looking For An Answer included, manage to turn the genre upon its ear with any new or inventive ideas. Yet, Eterno Treblinka isn’t seeking to venture down that route, either, instead striving to simplistically deliver proper homage to those who came before in its own, old school way.
In this endeavor, Looking For An Answer certainly succeeds.
I have had a lot of EP’s and shorter albums run across my desk of late and brevity seems to be where it’s at in terms of quality. I finally got around to checking out the highly anticipated debut from grindcore supergroup PRIMATE (not to be confused with PRIMUS or the hundred other bands who have had this name). This biting little EP comes in at about sixteen minutes long, but packs an enough wallop for hours. The band made its debut earlier this year with a small, southern US tour capped by an appearance at the Scion Rock Fest in California. The band played about twenty-six songs in half an hour that day, or so the story goes.
In the first twenty seconds of the title track vocalist Kevin Sharp (BRUTAL TRUTH/VENOMOUS CONCEPT/PURIFIED IN PAIN) details Chaos Theory so well you’d think he was an applied mathematics teacher at MIT rather than a legendary screamer in bands. If you know Sharp’s work from his other groups or his writing inDecibel Magazine the intellect, rage and sarcastic smarts in the lyrics and vocal delivery won’t come as a surprise to you. Musically, Draw Back A Stump has all the bells and whistles of old-school hardcore and the best of modern sludgey-grind that I personally can’t get enough of. Musically the band is like an all-star team of Atlanta underground metallers like guitarist Evan Bartelson (HALLOWS EVE/CURMUGEON), bassist/vocalist Dave Whitworth (THE DESPISED/CURMUGEON) and drummer Shayne Huff (THE DESPISED/CURMUGEON). Also in the fold is MASTODON’s Bill Kelliher which adds to the curiosity factor, but may also mean contending with Warner Bros. Records if they ever have bigger ambitions this release. Songs like “Global Division” and “Hellbound” tackle revered old themes of dissent and dismay and other dis-words I can think of. Despite the speed and ferocity of the tracks there is a reserved bit of soulfulness in them, added either by the vocals or some tasteful punk-ish leads by Keliher and Bartelson. The next song is a cover song of (my favorite) BLACK FLAG song “Drinking and Driving”. Bands do covers for two reasons: to show the listener where their head is at or to reinterpret it in their own style. This version is faithful to the original and definitely works with the other tracks here. “Wasted Youth”, “Pride” and “Reform” also have the mark of classic, lo-fi goodness that doesn’t try to temper the boiling tumult with nice production. “Pride” in particular is an amazing little stomper with a cool fuzzed out bass line by Whitworth.
The band promises a full length in the future, although what length that will be is anyone’s guess. You can get this record directly from the band here.
