To Live A Lie Records never really take a break, right? Consistently releasing interesting grindcore and powerviolence records every year, TLAL tend not to put a foot wrong. With Magrudergrind, Agathocles and Pretty Little Flower amongst their releases down through the years, it’s hard to argue otherwise. One of their latest releases is this new 7” from Boston grinders Curmudgeon – five tracks of the usual suspects, killer, no BS grind.
One of the most intriguing things about this 7” is the amount of activity that has been shoved into its short running time. Krystina Krysiak leads the vocal charge with her loud, boisterous wails over break neck verses and equally slower crushing riffs. Her vocals are often complemented by some typical muffled powerviolence vocals too. Meanwhile the drums are a frantic, battering mess.
An interview with…
dark punk band Dekoder!
by Oliver Sheppard0
Posted In Crust,Death Rock,Dis-beat,Features,Hardcore,Interviews,Music,Positive Punk
First there was the d-beat crust of Born Dead Icons, whose 2003 Ruins LP is some sort of d-beat/crust masterpiece. Then came the “post-d-beat” punk rock of The Complications, a band on Feral Ward that I interviewed for CVLT Nation, here.
Now, from ex-Born Dead Icons and Complications members, comes the deathrock of Dekoder, a goth-punk band that has reclaimed deathrock’s punk roots, and which is making some of the best new deathrock on the planet. Here, at CVLT Nation, is a new interview with Dekoder.
Let it be known that deathrock is officially reclaiming its punk origins. And it couldn’t sound better. Fuck yes!
Review source Toxicbreedfunhouse
Label A386 Records
I’ll be the first person to admit it I am probably the last person who should be reviewing this record because I am anything but completely biased, but I have to say I don’t care because this record is impossible to review negatively. I have seen Homewrecker since they started, and have seen how much they have grown and improved, from an awesome straight forward infest style power-violence band with both Matt Barnum and Ryan switching off on vocals, to the completely crushing metallic hardcore band that they have become. Not only have I seen them play but I also played bass for them on their last tour, and had a great time. These dudes are fun and some of the goofiest dudes you’ll ever meet, and on top of that they shred.
On to the album…..Worms and Dirt is absolutely flawless, and I am not just blowing smoke. I have been telling people that from the moment I heard it that it is by far one of my favorite records ever released coming out of the “holy terror” style, or whatever you want to call it. Homewrecker have the perfect blend of pissed off power violence (think Left for Dead/Infest) and metallic hardcore (Integrity/In Cold Blood). I don’t think there is a single band that manages to blend these styles in a more perfect unison than Homewrecker, with the exception of Pulling Teeth. The introduction, Wreck, is the perfect precursor to what the album will deliver, straight forward and crushing…and although I am generally put off by movie clips in songs they found the perfect one, it sounds like it was made for them. The stand-out song for me is by far Pipe Dreams. I think that Pipe Dreams is such a brilliant track, from the killer opening solo to the heavy breakdown ending, it offers a little something of everything I want in an album like this.
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Recorded by Bill Korecky (Integrity, Ringworm, Catharsis) the album is beefy and crisp, what you’d expect from Cleveland Hardcore. The thing that threw me at first was the vocals. The amount of reverb at first was a bit off putting, but I have to say, sitting down with the album now for the 20+ listen I think the reverb is amazing. Ryan’s vocals have been improving since day one and I think he has really come into his own this record. He has a deafening scream, but still manages to have great pronunciation.
This record has a little something for everyone; it is not exclusive to a389 fans, nor metallic hardcore. If you haven’t heard Homewrecker start with this, if you have and you weren’t blown away I am willing to bet this record will completely change your opinion of the band. This is by far their best work. The record feels like it is over before it begins, and begs to be replayed immediately. With the addition of great guest vocal spots by Tony from Masakari and Dylan from Full of Hell, as well as awesome artwork from Szymon Siech this is going to be my favorite purchase of the summer.
GHOSTLIMB’s Confluence is the second chapter of the trilogy that has been started with Infrastructure in 2011. And of course GHOSTLIMB deliver a surpassing Hardcore record again. Twelve tracks filled with everything you love about them: the anger, the emotions, the fury, the desperately surging guitars, the fuming vocals, bits of blast-beats here and there – in a word, everything that makes a good, modern Hardcore record that’s not getting into a watered-down or, hell forbid, metalcore’ish direction.
GHOSTLIMB create this pugnacious, often melancholic mood without using strained symbolisms like so many bands do while trying to create a dark atmosphere. You can hear in every note played and every word screamed that all this emotion comes straight from the hearts of the people playing this music, and is not just an image that’s being made-up.
So if I’d have to rate this record I’d give it a 7 out of 10. Why just a 7? Well, basically because from my personal point of view, GHOSTLIMB do everything right there is to do, but really nothing more. There’s just nothing unexpected happening, I mean the Hot Water Music cover surprised me but it fits the overall package so well you probably wouldn’t recognize it as a cover if you don’t know HWM. Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoy listening to Confluence, but it’s not that I feel the need to listen to it 24/7, two month in a row. And besides I’m quite saturated with Hardcore like this, I mean there countless “neo-Crust” bands playing similar music – more often than not the results aren’t as convincing like in GHOSTLIMB’s case of course.
But that (super subjective & super bitchy) demur shouldn’t keep you from buying this record if you like your Hardcore truly emotional, fast and angry. You won’t go wrong with GHOSTLIMB, that’s for sure. Confluence will be released on July 10th, you can pre-order it from Vitriol Records.
Brooklyn Vegan is streaming four songs of Confluence:
Serving Time In The Middle Of Liverpool:
An Interview With Iron Witch0
Posted In 80s Hardcore,Apocalyptic Blues,Doom,Hardcore,Interviews,Music,Sludge
As you can read here and here, I quickly became quite a fanboy of Liverpudlian Sludge freaks IRON WITCH. They definetely have more than enough potential to become a big name in the downtempo metal game. So of course we at CVLT Nation had to ask them a few questions about their music, their hometown and future plans!
IRON WITCH might still be unknown to some people, so could you give us a short who’s who?
IRON WITCH is a Rock’n'Roll band that consists of five members, Rick Owen (Bass), Dan Fane (Guitar), Chris Fane (Words), Sam Rushton (Guitar) and Will Adams (Drums). We started out back in 2010, in all honesty, out of sheer boredom. There wasn’t much going on in Liverpool at the time other than the Punk scene, which is cool and all, but everyone playing fast all the time gets boring. So, as Crowbar put it, we decided to ‘tune low and play slow’ haha.
How does it feel to be compared to Eyehategod all of the time? Can you still enjoy hearing that?
It’s pretty much just become a standard response now that we’ve become used to, and it doesn’t bother us too much anymore, and from what we’ve seen it doesn’t seem to bother people either. We’re not stupid, we know we have traits of Eyehategod, we play music in a style that was created by them, so it was always bound to happen. The way we see it though, when we started this band we never set out to do anything new, we just wanted to play stuff we liked and stuff we wanted to hear, and its not like we’re the only band out there to have adopted the sound of another. How many bands out there sound like Pantera, Weedeater or Electric Wizard? At the end of the day, we still write our own music and our own riffs and people seem to dig it so cool with it. READ MORE…
A CVLT NATION exclusive interview with Arctic Flowers!
by Oliver Sheppard0
Posted In Death Rock,Features,Hardcore,Interviews,Music,Positive Punk,Reviews
Arctic Flowers’ Reveries LP (Inimical Records) was easily one of the finest punk records of 2011. With a new EP, “Procession,” coming up in advance of an East Coast tour in August, things are going good for Arctic Flowers. The Portland quartet play a type of gothy peace punk that, unlike some bands in this genre, is not afraid to go at faster tempos. “Our sound is a mix of punk, deathrock, post punk, and goth,” guitarist Stan Wright explains. “Aggressive but at times danceable and melodic.” Arctic Flowers’ powerful combination of these elements makes them one of the most exciting bands around today.
Interviewed below are vocalist Alex, guitarist Stan, and bassist Lee.
Photo by Morgan Brig
Chaos, that’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of a Reproach show. Few bands know how to set a place on fire like these Belgians can. No matter where, what stage, the number of attendees, Reproach always delivers. Since a couple of months they have a new album out as well, more reason to ask a few questions to the madman that is their vocalist; Stijn.
READ MORE…
Greek d-beaters Sarabante were one of the lucky few chosen by Southern Lord around this time last year to have their album re-released by the label when they were scooping up some quality hardcore and crust acts like Alpinist, Planks and Drainland for limited run CD releases. Some of the bands that got the Southern Lord treatment outshined others and some were left not getting quite the same attention. Sarabante are one of those bands that didn’t get as much attention, which is a crying shame considering how good this album is.
READ MORE…
HEARTLESS & DEAD IN THE DIRT
Radical 6/18/12 Full Set
Now Showing!0
Posted In Film,Hardcore,Music Videos,Power Violence
Photos by Bubba Hamilton
One of the gnarliest tours of the summer has just ended! The HEARTLESS & DEAD IN THE DIRT onslaught is over, but our comrades at South Florida Hardcore captured this sick set @ Pembroke Pines’ Talent Farm. Check out both of their beyond insane sets below so you can see it for yourself. It should be noted that HEARTLESS & DEAD IN THE DIRT are cool fucking humans, plus epic musicians, so you should support these bands any way you know how. Fuck the dumb shit, press play and the brutal party started!
For a few years now Galway has been fertile ground for the cream of Ireland’s hardcore crop from steady hands like that of Bacchus’ crusty belligerence coming to the fore in last year’s stunning LP to more newer output in the likes of Vagrants and Swine. Them Martyrs have been a pillar of that scene too for many years, with two releases under the old name Les Christpunchers and 2010’s vibrant “French Extremity” album, the melodic hardcore five-piece have returned once again with a 12” EP in “Wretched”, just four new songs but quite possibly the four best songs that Them Martyrs have unleashed on the world.
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