This is the fourth album to date from DEVOURMENT and it is excellent! With nine tracks clocking in at just over thirty five minutes, there is no fooling around. ERIK RUTAN (Mana Recording Studios) does a masterful job with the production of this album, making it the band’s best sounding in their seventeen plus year career. The cover art by COKI GREENWAY makes me want to but that shirt right now. Seriously, the cover art alone is worth the price of admission.
This album starts off with one of the finest guttural wails I’ve heard in a while. Vocalist RUBEN ROSAS really shines with his powerful phrasing and a strong clarity in his growls. With songs like “Fucked with Rats” and “Heaving Acid”, his voice at times reminds me of DYING FETUS but that’s not a bad thing at all. There’s a lot of well placed blasting all over the record thanks to ERIK PARKS drumming. On “Fifty Ton War Machine” his playing just makes me smile. “Today We Die, Tomorrow We Kill” is just insanely good. It’s my favorite song on here. CHRIS ANDREWS (bass) has a massive presence on this album also. On opening track “Legalize Homicide” he busts out the album’s only solo type part. Guitarist MIKE MAJEWSKI simply shreds on “Parasitic Eruption” and the title track “Conceived in Sewage” has a tone on here that’s very distinct.
DEVOURMENT doesn’t just stick to one style of death metal, they keep mixing it up. There isn’t one song or point on here where it starts to feel boring. They even have an a killer interlude with “March to Meggiddo”. My only complaint if you can call it that, is “Carved in Ecstasy” should have been the closing track. It has one of those sludgey endings I really dig. This album has good everything: performances, songs, mixing and cover art. I wish they were playing a show tonight.
DEVOURMENT turns in (maybe) the best album of their career.
People seem to love or hate these Year End Top Metal albums list-thingys. As a long-time reviewer, I enjoy doing them, but you have to find the right balance. Last year I tried to do a top 100 list, and honestly it was brutal, and I don’t mean the music. This year I have cut the list down to a more manageable number. A full list of Top 40 albums will run next week, but for the next two days, we’ll run the top 20. Without further ado here is my list from 20-11.
#20. ALCEST- Les Voyages de L’Âme (Prophecy Productions)
Hauntingly beautiful, disturbing and introspective. Those are the words that describe ALCEST in general, and their early 2012 offering. Maestro NEIGE is one of the most creative thinkers, genius lyricists and bravest art makers in all of music, not just metal.
#19. ROYAL THUNDER- CVI (Relapse)
For a band that has only had the public ear for a few years, ROYAL THUNDER’s CVI is amazing and refreshing. MLNY PARSONZ is a reluctant hero and front woman for the bluesiest, brooding proto-metal band to come along in ages.
#18. WOODS OF YPRES- Woods V: Grey Skies and Electric Light (Earache)
With the one year anniversary coming up of the tragic death of DAVID GOLD, it was bittersweet revisiting this album recently. His passing looms large over the music left behind in retrospect. Woods V is an epic masterwork of gloom ridden, melodic Doom. A terrible loss for the music world.
#17. HIGH ON FIRE- De Vermiis Mysteriis (E1)
Another concept album that made the top 20 list. Another magical, proto-metal burst of grand musical ambition from Messrs MATT PIKE and company. This is a band that keeps getting better and better. The record is also a guitar playing tour de force from start to finish too.
DEVIN TOWNSEND is at the pinnacle of his powers. He might also be the JAMES BROWN of metal, the hardest working man in the business. Epicloud is his most straight forward, rocking and fun effort. Worth buying for the performance of ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN alone.
#15. GOATWHORE- Blood For The Master (Metal Blade)
One of the top outfits in metal, 2012 saw the band release another great album. They even get some commercial exposure for the first time ever. It was long overdue for a unit that has made some of the most consistently harsh, and evil music from America in a long time. Kudos!
#14. CONVERGE- All We Love We Leave Behind (Epitaph)
For a band that has rewritten some of the heaviest music in their career, they shun the term metal or the typical definition of it. Yet, their latest album is one of the hardest to come out this year. A band that continues to write and re-write the book on modern music.
#13. THE DEFTONES- Koi No Yokan (Reprise)
Not quite as heavy as their previous efforts, but still an astounding melodic statement from one of the most creative forces in modern metal. Few albums can be said to be this rough and gorgeous sounding too. THE DEFTONES pulled it off.
#12. LAMB OF GOD- Resolution (Epic)
One of the heaviest and bad-ass albums of the year. Credit to the band for also making the most diverse album of their career, without sacrificing what has made them the leaders of modern metal. The shame of RANDY BLYTHE‘s legal troubles abroad has been not enough attention has gotten paid to how adventurous and cool Resolution is musically.
#11. MARES OF THRACE – The Pilgrimage (Sonic Union Metal)
Just missed the top ten. A complex, heavy concept-thick album that stays with you long after the music stops. G THÉRÈSE LANZ doesn’t get nearly enough notice for her lyrics, which match the best of any album in 2012. Another brilliant release from the most brutal band in Canada, and maybe sonically; the heaviest tone in modern metal too.
Virginia’s PIG DESTROYER has been blasting disease into this bloated organism we know as “happiness” since 1997. From the frightening atmospheres of Prowler In The Yard to the daringly sparse doomscapes of Natasha (EP), PD have never failed to write something that commands attention in some way shape or form. Sure, some releases such as Phantom Limb may have lacked in memorable tracks, but one would be foolish to say that they have ever put out anything that can be called mediocre. Aside from perhaps that odd demo tape where the members all went under pseudonyms, but I haven’t heard it, and don’t have an extra 50 bucks to investigate what could otherwise be a life-changing audio fieldtrip to the backwoods of VA.
For fear of digressing further, PIG DESTROYER is a fucken good band. Ever since Phantom Limb, they quieted down significantly, though never went comatose. Since they don’t tour often or play more than the odd show or fest here and there, PD fans had to make due with other Grind bands in the meantime. Digging through NASUM’s back catalogue, making friends with ROTTEN SOUND’s belt-sander-to-the-groin approach to music, or provoking the sound-barrier with HIVESMASHER’s weirdo-grind was a worthwhile distraction for some, but PIG DESTROYER, man. That takes top priority.
Book Burner, which is charged with melting a hole in the altar of the optimistic blind-eye we turn towards mindless consumer products, politics and the church, is proving to be well worth the wait. Recorded throughout the summer of 2012 A.D., I get the feeling that they planned everything out over a long span of time before going in to finally make the recording equipment sorry it was born that way. J.R. HAYES, ex-vocalist of defunct VA Grinders ENEMY SOIL, along with SCOTT HULL (nucleus of ANAL CUNT, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED, and JAPANESE TORTURE COMEDY HOUR) form the core of the musical operation, with Adam Jarvis on drums and Blake Harrison on samples and additional vocals to add a new dimension of sonic terror. One may ask, is Book Burner really that good?
This may just be the fact that I’ve been salivating ever since I got word that they were still alive and kicking in the abyss, but fuckin’ A, it’s everything you could want from a return-to-form PD release. Though it’s carrying a lighter production than efforts like Terrifyer and Prowler, opting for a more standard Hardcore vibe and also ditching much of the aural creepiness, this proves not to be a handicap. If anything, this more compact PD shows a side that’s all tooth, blood, foam, and fur standing on end as opposed to a rapist in the dark armed with a hook hand and bad hygiene. Both approaches are equally nasty, just in their own ways. The opener, “Sis” shows that PD still have what it takes to skin a man alive in under a minute and a half, and boy is it one of THE best opening tracks of the year. Just try not to snap your neck during that ending breakdown.
I could go track-by-track since the album’s so rich with the intelligent depravity of J.R.’s lyrics, to say nothing of his vocals in addition to Blake’s (and possibly others, as many different throats seem to pop up), Scott’s ever inventive yet focused guitar lines, and the insane drumming that puts the “destroy” in PIG DESTROYER. While they certainly aren’t traversing much new ground, and are in fact simplifying their serial-killer-grind approach to a twisted version of the Hardcore they all grew up listening to, it’s just great to have them back. Catch them at Maryland Deathfest, I know I’ll try to.
The Verdict: My sister is also dangerous.
PIG DESTROYER: Slightly less politicized. Still, no fucks given.
Grade: A-
by Sean Genovesse
(Editor’s note: If you dig Sean’s reviews and writing style like we do, do yourself a favor and check out his blog. You’ll thank us for it. )
Sorry about that headline. I tend to get a little carried away. SUMMER SLAUGHTER to some fans of more extreme and interesting bands is THE tour of the summer this and every year. The line-ups are consistently good and the sponsors do a bang up job in my opinion. This years’ line-up does not fucking disappoint! The tour begins tonight! I’m super stoked to see EXHUMED and motherfucking GOATWHORE early in the day. You better not be late to this one folks. These guys could be doing their own headline tours or playing to thousands in Europe nightly. Call out sick from work or whatever you do with your days between shows, but get there early. Next JOB FOR A COWBOY is gonna crush it big time. Then I like how three of the modern metal bands in a row step up in VEIL OF MAYA, PERIPHERY and THE FACELESS. The new album from THE FACELESS’ is gonna drop on 8/14, right in the middle of the tour! Sick! You all better buy that shit and not download it you pack of crims. Then in the co-headliner spots you have BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and the impeccable CANNIBAL CORPSE. A little something for the Prog nerds and the Death Metal old-schoolers. CANNIBAL is going to gut their audiences musically and I for one cannot wait because they are one of the best bands of all time live. Get your tickets now and not the day of because apparently some of the shows have been selling out. For more details check the tour Facebook page. See you there!
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!
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!
RELAPSE RECORDS is one of my favorite labels in the business. They bring so many new, incredible bands into my life each year that I find it hard to find any fault in what they do. Now they are taking things one step further toward giving fans easier access to new and exciting music from their label. They have now announced they’re teaming with Moshpit Tragedy for a ‘Sliding-Payment Download Series’ — what does that mean, you ask? That means that each week, RELAPSE will make a new title available over at Moshpit Tragedy that you can purchase for the beginning price of $2.99 or you can pay whatever you like. So, if you really love BONGZILLA, you can show them that by paying $15 for their album or if you’ve never heard of them before, you can check them out while still supporting the band for a mere $2.99.
It’s brilliant! I’m more and more impressed with labels who take the initiative to find a new way to satisfy their artist’s needs while still making money and keeping their doors open. Granted, I highly doubt that Relapse will put the new BARONESS album up on Moshpit Tragedy on it’s week of release, but it does open the door to give fans a chance to check out new music that they may have never heard before at a very fair price.
I think this is a great move on RELAPSE’s part and I hope they find some success in doing it!
One of Canada’s most evil and crushing bands of all time has joined forces with one of the underground’s best labels, blackened death metallers WEAPON have inked a deal with Relapse Records. The band has released two of the strongest death metal outings in the past few years with ‘Drakonian Paradigm’ and, more recently ‘From the Devil’s Tomb’, which wound up on my end-of-the-year ‘best of’ list. Now, they have began writing for what promises to be an even more evil and brutal outing as they debut on Relapse.
Frontman Vetis Monarch had the following to say about the signing, “Weapon is ready to take over the world, and our signing with a legendary label like Relapse Records is a key element in achieving that goal. We are in the process of writing the follow-up album to ‘From The Devil’s Tomb’, and all our supporters can rest assured that the new material is a direct continuation of the sinister and violent music we have delivered thus far. Onwards and upwards by the blessing of Lucifer…”
I am beyond stoked to see a band of this caliber getting the backing of a label like Relapse. This will surely lead to some excellent music and, hopefully, we’ll get to see WEAPON hit the road in the near future. They have dates planned for Western Canada with TOXIC HOLOCAUST and HOLY GRAIL but here’s hoping that they make it to the States in the near future!
Somehow, this trek stayed under our radar but this is one of the coolest packages of the fall in my mind. You have evil thrash underground icons TOXIC HOLOCAUST, heavy metal’s young heroes HOLY GRAIL and high-voltage hardcore punks KRUM BUMS all on one awesome package. Hopefully some of our readers have already caught this tour, but for those who haven’t, many of the major markets are still coming up! I’ll be at Europa in Brooklyn on August 19th to witness this blazing, powerful package in action!
HOLY GRAIL released their long-awaited full length earlier this year via Prosthetic to much acclaim. TOXIC HOLOCAUST recently released ‘Conjure and Command’ more recently and it has become an instant underground classic. Next up, KRUM BUMS will release ‘Cut the Noose’ on August 23rd via People Like You Records. Moreover, the KRUM BUMS album strongly represents the hardcore/street punk scene that seems to be in heavy resurgence right now.
This is sure to be an awesome bill! Get there!
8/10: Miami, FL @ Churchills Pub
8/11: Orlando, FL @ The Backbooth
8/12: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
8/13: Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
8/14: Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barricade
8/16: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
8/17: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
8/18: Allston, MA @ Great Scott
8/19: New York, NY @ Europa
8/20: Buffalo, NY @ Broadway Joe’s
8/21: Pittsburgh, PA @ Belvedere’s
8/22: Ashtabula, OH @ West End 2153
8/23: Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
8/24: Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
8/25: Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
8/26: Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
8/27: Minneapolis, WI @ Triple Rock
8/28: Des Moines, IA @ Vaudville Mews
8/29: Omaha, NE @ The Sandbox
9/1: Boise, ID @ The Shredder
9/2: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
9/3: Bremerton, WA @ The Charleston
9/4: Portland, OR @ Branx
9/6: Sacramento, CA @ The Fire Escape
9/7: Oakland, CA @ The Metro
9/8: Long Beach, CA @ Di Piazza’s
9/9: San Diego, CA @ The Shakedown
9/10: Los Angeles, CA @ The Blvd
