DEAD - Idiots

Melbourne two-piece, DEAD are about to embark on an 18 show tour around the country on the back of their new album, Idiots. With them will be Vaz, from Brooklyn, NY. Featuring two members of Hammerhead, a criminally underrated band from the 1990's Amphetamine Reptile roster, Vaz build on that legacy to play a unique brand of driving, sarcasm-fueled, off-kilter noise rock. Check out their album, Chartreuse Bull here.

We'll be getting a taste of the madness in Canberra on Wednesday 28 November, when this ridiculously exciting double header will be teaming up with local sludge/punk/grind fiends The Reverend Jesse Custer, who will also have their shiny new 10" in tow.

But back to DEAD. On their first album, THUNDAAAAAH! and the couple of times I've seen them live, Jace (bass/vocals) and Jem (drums/vocals) consistently belt out a raw, primitive racket that hits like a sledgehammer to the guts. They haven't done too much to mess with the format on Idiots, and that's a good thing. Their music hits hard because there isn't really anything to distract from the force they put into it - it's just two blokes throwing everything they can at their instruments.

However, that's not to say what DEAD produce is one-dimensional - they can pack a lot into their songs. For example, the opening track on Idiots, "The Carcass is Dry" begins like some kind of minimalist art film soundtrack until the neck-breaking bass riff cuts in to introduce a battering snare and scathing growl that in turn gives way to an open rhythm and strained melodic wail. The empty horror of "Murder Hollow" works because the gravelly sustain of the bass, the ringing out of the cymbal and the hazy drawl of guest vocalist Linda J Dacio are all allowed to overlap and hang in the spaces. The sound on Idiots is clearer than on THUNDAAAAAH! so those kinds of contrasts are pretty well defined, but it's not like these guys have any intention of diluting the stripped-back ferocity of their music.

DEAD's stock-in-trade in a live setting is that bottom-feeding groove, and that's here in spades too. "Inherit the Wind" is an absolute rager, and "UP!" offers a dirty mid-paced rumbling bass line that would make Unsane proud. The album ends with the 11 minute "Lego Men", which sounds to me like it could have been inspired by spacing out to the Melvins - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Have a look at DEAD's website: deadsounds.com. Listen to/buy Idiots here or at the shows.

lxp

EYEHATECBR

This Friday 23 November will see the legendary EYEHATEGOD beat down the doors of the ANU Bar to humiliate and utterly obliterate Canberra's sense of well being...in the best way imaginable. We're getting one of five shows on their first ever Australian tour, presented by Heathen Skulls, and it's definitely not to be missed. Supports I Exist and Law of the Tongue are both amped for it, so head out early and prepare yourself!

Until then, if it feels like you're "serving time in the middle of nowhere", try distracting yourself with this EYEHATEGOD live video essay: Cvlt Nation.

lxp

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

I wasn’t wearing fingerless gloves but I had a bit of a head bang to thoroughly enjoyable sets from Captain Cleanoff & Blood Duster at BastardFest on the weekend. Great vibe at the Friday show and good to see a few old faces.

Code Orange Kids

Pittsburgh hardcore teenies Code Orange Kids have recently signed to Deathwish Inc. for the release of their forthcoming LP, Love is Love // Return To Dust. I’ve only heard the video below but I’m hooked, looking forward to hearing more.

http://codeorangekids.bandcamp.com

"Flowermouth (The Leech)": YouTube

Sea Bastard
Brighton, UK bastards, Sea Bastard have a new 5 track release of bleak sludgy doom. Recommended.

http://seabastard.bandcamp.com

http://www.facebook.com/seabastarddoom

Cheers

Unkle K
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Gig of the Week
Just jumping in on Unkle K's column to add that on Sunday 18 Nov, the Pot Belly is playing host to the fantastic pairing of Canberra titans Looking Glass and Hoodlum Shouts (yep, I still call 'em "local"), with A Drone Coda along for the ride. Will be a great night!

lxp

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

Aluk Todolo
Instrumental prog rock from France with occult leanings. Brilliant.
http://soundcloud.com/aluk-todolo/occult-rockv
http://www.amortout.com/aluktodolo
Live at Out.Fest 2008: YouTube

Nightslug 

Dusseldorf sludge monster. Download their killer demo for free.

http://nightslug.bandcamp.com

Live in Nürnberg 2012: Vimeo 

Enabler

Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Enabler have recently signed with Southern Lord records. Their All Hail the Void is an unstoppable brutal hardcore release.

http://enablermke.bandcamp.com

Live at Saint Vitus 2012: Metal Injection

Gig of the Week: BastardFest

Big weekend for Canberra metalheads as Bastardfest makes its way to Canberra for 2 nights at the Basement (9-10 November), featuring big guns Blood Duster, Captain Cleanoff, Psycroptic and I Exist, as well as exciting up and comers The Reverend Jesse Custer and Law of the Tongue + many more. Tickets are limited so buy pre-sales or get in early.

Bang on

Unkle K

Renegades: Metalheads in Botswana

I was sent a couple of links today (thanks Dave) that opened my eyes to the existence of a small but strong and growing metal community in Botswana. The Lemmy/Rob Halford inspired leather-clad rebellion of Batswana metalheads was captured in Renegades, an exhibition by South African photographer, Frank Marshall. Since the exhibition has been covered fairly widely already, I'll let the material speak for itself, except to say horns up!

Frank Marshall, Dethguard, 2010

You can see photos from the exhibition on the Rooke Gallery website, which provides both a slideshow and the complete exhibition catalogue (PDF download). The catalogue also contains an introduction discussing the Renegades' relationships to Botswana's society and to broader heavy metal culture.

Some of the photos are also on Marshall's website (www.ironwarlock.com), along with other examples of his work (there's a live Carcass photo in there).

lxp

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

The Kill

Melbourne grind masters are back with their new release, Make 'Em Suffer, on Blastasfuk. 15 tracks of blasting grind, including a ripping cover of Slayer's "Necrophobic".

http://blastasfuk.blogspot.com.au

Ilsa 

These Washington DC crusty deathsters have had me interested for a while, reminding me of a more deathy Boonhorse. But their new track, "Say You Love Satan" off their forthcoming platter, Intoxications just reeks of catchy, dirty sludge and I am very keen to hear the full release on A389 Recordings.

"Say You Love Satan": Cvlt Nation  

http://www.facebook.com/ILSADC 

http://www.myspace.com/ilsadc

High Spirits

This one's for you, Adza & Mel...

Holy shit it's the 1980s again! Chicago's High Spirits totally nail it with Another Night, mixing all that was great about NWOBHM with hints of Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, DIO, etc, without sounding rehashed.

http://highspiritsmetal.bandcamp.com

Video of the Week 

(Courtesy of the RBB)

Axl looking more and more like a fat white trash Michael Jackson clutching his chest and panting through a truly woeful version of "Welcome to the Jungle", with multiple face pulling wankers playing acoustic guitars (I've always thought this band sucked). Enjoy: YouTube.

Bang On

Unkle K

Iron Crow - Demo + Live / Elizabeth - Where Vultures Land

I have never really understood the point of reviews that cover two unrelated releases, but it seemed like the thing to do today. After starting the morning with Disrupt's classic Unrest, which once again kicked the vego gas right out of me, I was left feeling lighter but had punk on the brain and wanted to dig up something new. And that's the dubious link holding this piece together.

First stop was Grindcore Karaoke, a label run by J Randall (Agoraphobic Nosebleed) that has tons of releases available for free download. I clicked lucky dip style on Demo + Live by Iron Crow. Nice one.

Sampled crow squawks bookend the Demo part, which consists of 8 gritty powerviolence ragers clocking in at just over 5 minutes. There's a pretty nifty display of the genre standards here: slow, open riffs that give way to short blast explosions; throaty, barked staccato vocals; and the almost obligatory sub 5 second song ("Two Seconds 'Till Death"). But Iron Crow still manage to squeeze a couple of interesting touches in. The Slayer-like thrash of "Society's Burden", the syncopation between the guitar and drums in "Pedophile", and the way a couple of the riffs are built around sliding, rather than static chords (maybe slightly reminiscent of the Locust) stand out.

The Live part is 9 tracks that sound almost like they could have been recorded in the same shoebox as the demo (they weren't), with a few extra people crammed in. It captures the energy pretty well and actually makes me keen for a house show. Anyway, it's definitely worth giving this a rip if you've got a spare 15 minutes. Download here.

My next target was more deliberate. I was told about Elizabeth, from Geneva, Switzerland a few months ago and wanted to finally give them a proper go. Their EP, Where Vultures Land was co-released in April this year by Throatruiner Records & I For Us. It's a nasty little bastard of a noisy hardcore record that plies its trade in desolation using a whole lot of tension, some unsettling changes and distorted, desperate vocal delivery.

The songs do break into a few passages that power straight ahead, sometimes with a bit of d-beat dropped in. But just when you're that little bit too comfortable, the rhythm shifts to awkward to put you on edge again, as in "Heartbeats". "Sharp Teeth and Knives" even has a chugging breakdown towards the end of the song, but that ultimately just falls away in futility. Even in the more restrained parts, like the verses in "The Call", everything points downwards. Any hint of uplifting melody Elizabeth offer is snatched away as soon as you accept it. "Sailor's Grave" gets almost triumphant, but really just ends up miserable.

I hear Ringworm and Converge influences in this, though that's not to limit what Elizabeth are doing because these songs are crawling with their own character. But don't take my word for it, listen here.

lxp

Unkle K's Bands of the Week

Witch Mountain
Portland bluesy doomsters have just released their third LP, the wonderful Cauldron of the Wild, which features the hauntingly powerful vocals of the gorgeous Ula Plotkin.
http://witchmountain.bandcamp.com
Live at Scion Rock Fest 2012: YouTube

Swallowed
Doomed out death metal from Finland done the old school way.
http://swallowed.bandcamp.com

Gig of the Week
The wonderful gents from 666 Entertainment (http://www.666entertainment.com) have brought out Atomic Bitchwax from the US to headline Doomsday Festival 2012.

Stellar Canberra lineup:

And to celebrate EYEHATEGOD’s first Australian tour in November, enjoy this great video from their performance in Baltimore earlier this year: YouTube.

Thrashing is my business and business is good.

Unkle K