Monday, April 21, 2014

Grab Bag of Justice Vol 2 - I've Been Busy!


Apologies for the prolonged absence, folks! It's been a particularly busy few weeks and recently the wonderful people at the excellent music blog Bucketlist Music Reviews have asked me to start reviewing records and shows for them. You can go read what I've written for them here and here!

Of course, I'll still be using Late Stage Deafness as my platform to blather on about the stuff I'm listening to on my own time. As such, here is another installment of Grab Bag of Justice!

1. Nomads / Treacherouskin Split EP "Violent Fucking World"


I'm a pretty cheap date when it comes to this particular flavor of raw, crusty hardcore. Give me some Feedback-laden, gain-knob-turned-to 11 guitars, a 200 BPM d-beat and a singer who sounds like he's been raised on a steady diet of crushed glass and bath salts and I'll probably invite you up to "see my apartment". This split EP from L.A. groups Nomads and Treacherouskin hits all the right buttons and then some. The Nomads side is fast, furious, and incredibly tight. Fans of NAILS and Dead in the Dirt will eat this right up. Metallic hardcore band Treacherouskin slow things down a touch but their two tracks are punishingly heavy and make me want to break furniture. For fans of Xibalba, First Blood, and random acts of property destruction.




2. Animals as Leaders - The Joy of Motion


I made the terrible mistake of avoiding Animals as Leaders because I didn't care for many of the acts with whom they tended to share a bill . I wrongly assumed that a group opening for Periphery, for example, would either be a boring Djent act or a talented group of musicians that would employ too much clean singing for my tastes. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb. Thankfully, a positive review of their newest record "The Joy of Motion" on the always excellent and hilarious Metalsucks.net  prompted me to give them a shot and I was completely blown away. Animals as Leaders' take on instrumental prog metal is nothing short of breathtaking. Guitarist and principal song writer Tosin Abasi creates rich, expansive soundscapes that showcase the band's considerable chops without ever entering the Wank Zone. All of Abasi's solos are in service of the the bigger picture. This is some seriously groovy shit.



3. Coffinworm - IV.I.VIII


This is the happiest record you will ever listen to. For fans of: Good will towards others, The promise each new day brings, The warmth and joy that healthy relationships add to your life, The laughter of small children, and That special tingle in your chest every Christmas morning. Let the dulcet tones of "Sympathectomy" act as your perfect pick-me-up cure for the Monday blues.


4. Biipiigwan - Something For Everyone, Nothing for Anyone.


As a big fan of Montreal sludge monsters The Great Sabatini, I was excited to hear that Steve Vargas was going to be drumming in another heavy project as Steve Vargas' side projects tend to be FUCKING SPECTACULAR . This new release from Ottawa's BIIPIIGWAN is no exception. Lead singer and principle song writer Musqwaunquot "Musky" Rice has crafted a record that is heavy and caustic, but remains riff-focused enough to keep your head bobbing through the oppression. Lyrically, the album explores a number of political and social themes, with particular focus on the mistreatment of native populations, environmental destruction, and the need for collective responsibility. A number of the songs are written and sung in Anishinaabemowin, an Ojibwe language which totally works for metal. It's also really cool to hear heavy music coming from a cultural perspective that is different from the typically homogeneous (read: white) North American metal scene. The album artwork will also give you a nosebleed if you stare at if for more than 30 seconds.

Steam the first track "Man" HERE

As always, I hope you all find something here that is to your liking! while I will try to post a bit more frequently, you can be sure that leading up to my upcoming Father/Son road-trip to Maryland Deathfest this May I will be posting up a storm! For example, it was just announced that Powerviolence lunatics ACxDC will be added to the line up due to some last-minute cancellations. SQUEEEE!



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