I was able to catch up via email with one of the creators of this years most talked about Southern California extreme music festivals…California Discord Fest. The first of many more to come, this festival has already generated massive buzz due to the impressive and exclusive lineup with bands from all over the world convening at its Los Angeles based location. Heres a brief insight into the mind of Daniel Gonzales of Bones Booking.
Read the rest of this epic interview after the jump!

What up corporate criminal, you want some of this? You might end up DEAD IN THE DIRT. This A-Town band is a fucking wrecking crew, their four song tour demo is 4 minutes & 30 seconds of raw fucking anger with a killer groove, and what else can you ask for? I’m just saying, the drumming on this demo is pure war & has pounded my brain into a state of blackened bliss. Shit, my neck won’t stay still long enough for me to write this review about this off the hook band! DEAD IN THE DIRT are straight fucking madmen; they play whacked ultra dirty fast crust with a head made out of grindcore, so basically, this band eats you alive with each song. I don’t know how they do it, but also conjure up these metallic body blows made out of rotting melody they really make me want to dance. Both of the singers are cyco, as insane as can be, which just makes me want to hear more. If anything, DEAD IN THE DIRT plays that kind of damaged music that could wake the DEAD. Hold on, where is my head at…I just got decapitated by one of their riffs. This band proves that there is something called “controlled chaos,” because there is a method to the madness and it’s called DEAD IN THE DIRT. The word on the street is that a full length is in the works, & here is a message for the band: hurry the fuck up, I want to hear more of your madness!

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Yeah, I know, I know, another day another band doing the “downtuned metallic hardcore” thing. I’m as tired of it as you are at this stage, of hearing band after band trying to either be His Hero is Gone or Converge or..I dunno, some sort of cross between His Hero is Gone and Converge. It’s becoming harder and harder to find bands in the field with any identity of their own. But they’re out there. And England has one of the best – Manchester’s Pine Barrens.

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Napalm Death were having a show here last night in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is their third time here and they are still as brutal and abrasive as ever. So much energy and so much entertainment. And the heart of the show was the spectacle of watching frontman Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway do his unorthodox presence on stage. After all these years, they’re still consistent, and have great reputable achievements from “Scum” (1987) to “Time Waits For No Slave” (2009) – Napalm Death are still creating new and excitingly different albums. The surprise of the evening was their covers of songs from Cryptic Slaughter “Low Life“, Siege “Conform” and lastly the legendary Dead Kennedys “Nazi Punks Fuck Off“. So yes, the godfathers of grind are truly and still amazingly unbelievable.

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Ten songs & 4 1/2 minutes of killer off the wall groovy grindcore is what you get with +HIRS+ album, Worship. This band makes me smile; I don’t know, maybe it’s because they are just bonkers. To me, this band is punk as hell, but they are doing it by their own rules, and without being preachy, this album is really political. +HIRS+ uses samples in a very effective & intriguing way that gets their point across. Musically, this band is fast & ballistic, never sacrificing their off-kilter groove that will have you jamming out to a new reality. +HIRS+ music will turn your brains into scrambled eggs, toast & jam – and this will help the grindcore demons feed their appetite of destruction. +HIRS+ rips a new asshole into sound itself. This is the kind of awesome grindcore madness that will convert a non-believer. Go HERE to listen & download their rad albums!

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Considering the short time that DEATHRITE is an active band now, they were already able to turn a lot of heads towards their direction. Their demo tape, released in the beginning of 2011, was sold out within weeks, and shortly after they had a deal with Germany’s infamous Per Koro Records, which released this one-sided 12” just about two weeks ago. After putting the needle onto this record you fucking know what’s going on within the first five seconds: feedback, blast beat, fuck. Ripping in the wake of bands like Trap Them or Nails, those two bands should watch out not to be outpaced by DEATHRITE, who are definitely among the heaviest upcoming bands there are these days. You think I’m exaggerating on this one (again)? Well, fucking listen to the track Vultures/Wolves and wise up. Full review after the jump!
Deathrite – Vultures/Wolves

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When I first started going to metal shows in San Francisco regularly, I began to notice the name DJ Rob Metal on all the flyers. At first I didn’t think it was important to list who was DJing at a metal show. I was more interested in the bands playing than the music in between. The more shows I attended, however, the more I noticed how much more the overall experience  of going to a show could be improved by the music between bands. If the choice of house music was left to the venue or, worst case scenario, a jukebox, the time between setups could really drag on. Over the past year or so I began to appreciate that someone was there to play Enslaved or Deathspell Omega along with time honored classics. I met Rob recently at a Miasmal show, and asked if I could photograph his vinyl collection. He was kind enough to let me into his lair. Vinyl junkies and record collectors take note. Photos of his record collection and a few gems after the jump.

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My mind is being held captive inside a meat grinder & for some reason I find it fun, maybe it’s because LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER are my captors. This Spanish grindcore band’s recent Relapse Records release Eterno Treblinka is sonic pain at its best. The first thing that smacks you across your grill is the fucking wicked groove this band is able to create amongst their brutal sound. The vocals on this album are menacing & tormented the way they should be. LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER are on some crazy grindcore shit for sure, but I swear I hear a punk punch in their songs. This album is full of off the hook breakdowns that make you know these dudes are on some next shit. I’m not going to lie & say that this band isn’t pure rancid rage, but also there is a certain level intellectuality to the way they compose their music. The guitar work on Eterno Treblinka is insane – more than insanity itself – plus the drumming maniacal. Maybe I’m crazy, but when listen to LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER I hear so much fucking demonic melody I almost can’t handle it. If you like music that will kick start your day in a rad way, LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER is it & then some! It’s your lucky moment in time – to hear the whole album head over to Crustcake. After the jump, check out some super video.

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On June 1st, 2010 The BLVD club in East Los Angeles was full of blackened hardcore fury times infinity. Weekend Nachos, Nails, The Afternoon Gentlemen, Cyborg, ACxDC & Disapproval all fucking set it off! The party started for me with The Afternoon Gentlemen – this super band from Leeds, UK wrecked shop with their lethal dose of grind violence. The drummer was a fucking beast while the rest of the band were rabid animals on the prowl. Their singer belted out some kinetic shrill screaming that made the hairs on my neck stand up, plus they totally won over the native crowd who screamed FUCK YOU in endearment! Next up was the mighty NAILS, who shredded through all of their extra awesome tunes! The whole band gave everything they had, & the crowd devoured it. This band’s show is a an onslaught of pure demonic energy that you never want to end. The Weekend Nachos were on a fucking mission to let the kids know we can stand united. They came with blitzkrieg of audio terror that got the kids into a state of madness. The crowd were actually a huge part of their show – it seemed like there was no separation between the Weekend Nachos & their fans, which was epic to watch. That night, I realized why punk will never die – because it’s a sonic drug and rebellious youth will always need this fix in their being. CVLT Nation was on hand to take some rad flicks, so after the jump enjoy our photo essay!

NAILS

Oh sure, you’ve all probably just seen Dublin plastered all over your TV screens lately what with recent visits from the Queen of England and Barack Obama (both of which, I might add, made getting in and out of the society for work a fucking “Escape from New York” style ordeal). You’ve probably seen the media try and use these events to paint us as a country recovering from a harrowing recession,  a prosperous future just around our corner, a welcoming tourist friendly nation full of rainbows and sunbeams reascending the peaks of its’ former glories to take our seat at the table of wealthy. You probably saw these figureheads being chauffered from government buildings through crowds of cheering onlookers to their gala ball or VIP tour of the Guiness factory.

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