Ancestors, Night Horse to spark up West Coast

Night Horse Photo by Ilana Shulman

Tee Pee Records had a good run this year. The label put out records by Ancestors, Annihilation Time, Blackstrap, Earthless, Graveyard, and Night Horse, with not a dud in the bunch. This Friday, Ancestors and Night Horse embark on a joint (pun intended) US West Coast tour (dates below). Ancestors bring blacklit heaviness (I reviewed their record here), while Night Horse bring Danzig doing '70s rock. Hot boxing and good times will be had by many.

Ancestors - Neptune with Fire (edit)
Night Horse - Wicked Love

- January -
2 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
3 Sacramento, CA @ On The Y
4 Eureka, CA @ Auntie Mo's
5 Medford, OR @ Johnny B's
6 Eugene, OR @ Samurai Duck
7 Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
8 Portland, OR @ East End
9 Seattle, WA @ Josephine (w/ Wildildlife)
10 Portland, OR @ Blood Bank (house show)

- Links -
Ancestors
Night Horse
Tee Pee Records

Frostmoon Eclipse bring Italian ice to US

Frostmoon Eclipse

Italian black metallers Frostmoon Eclipse, whom I wrote about here, embark on their first US tour this Sunday. (See dates below.) The routing is frankly strange - scattered locales in the South and Midwest. This is probably due to their tourmates, Nashville's Chaos Moon and Ft. Lauderdale's Benighted in Sodom, whom I reviewed here and here. Dubbed the "Beauty, Darkness, Chaos Tour," the package should help shed light on these wonderfully idiosyncratic acts. Frostmoon Eclipse are like a black metal Opeth, interspersing electricity with moody acoustic guitar. Chaos Moon and Benighted in Sodom make lush, dreamy black metal - they're USBM's next great hopes. A split CD with these three bands will be sold on this tour.

Frostmoon Eclipse - Fury of the Elements
Chaos Moon - The Palterer
Benighted in Sodom - Paradigm Inumbrate (excerpt)

- Nov -
16 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN (no Chaos Moon)
17 Metal Shakers - Chicago, IL (w/ Velnias)
20 The Borg Ward - Milwaukee, WI (w/Foetopsy, Half Gorilla)
21 Club 161 - Columbus, OH (w/ Velnias)
22 Little Hamilton - Nashville, TN (w/ Velnias)
23 Charlotte's Underground - Charlotte, NC (w/ Mysteriarch)
25 Radio-Active Records, Fort Lauderdale, FL
26 Swayze's - Marietta, GA (w/ Winds of Malice)

Javelina to take self-sharpening tusks on tour

Photo by Scott Kinkade

Tonight Philly's Javelina begin a short tour spreading downtuned filth and beard envy. (See dates below.) The jaunt begins at Nara Sushi, a combination sushi joint/music venue. What a brilliant idea. Another stop on the tour is Star Booty, in St. Petersburg, FL. Evidently, it's a vintage clothes boutique. I am all for strange venues. Someone should play a show in the entrance of a bank, where they have the ATM's. Or at Disneyland, after hours. I once DJ'ed a party in the steam tunnels below MIT. The possibilities are endless!

Let the Blood Flow

11/11 Nara Sushi - Richmond, VA w/Jail
11/12 Gottrocks - Greenville, SC w/The Last Van Zant
11/13 *TBA*
11/14 Star Booty - St. Petersburg, FL w/House of Lightning
11/15 Uncle Lou's - Orlando, FL w/Six Dead Horses
11/16 Dragon's Den - New Orleans, LA w/Liber Diurnus
11/17 Lenny's - Atlanta, GA w/Withered, Sons of Tonatiuth
11/18 Slim's Downtown - Raleigh, NC w/Man Will Destroy Himself
11/19 Nowarehouse - Baltimore, MD w/The Pilgrim, Hatchetface
11/29 East End Cafe - Newark, DE w/Clobbersaurus, Onita
12/07 Public Assembly - Brooklyn, NY (w/ Nachtmystium)

Blacklisted take black hearts to blacktop

Foto by xBORZAKx

Not to spam you with tour dates - but good bands on the road deserve support. 99% of bands don't mean anything to me. I might enjoy their music, but it doesn't reach deeper than my ears. Blacklisted fall in the other 1%. ...The Beat Goes On (Deathwish, 2005) helped me through a tough part of my life; even now, its crimson heart in a cavern stirs something within me.

I Am Weighing Me Down

Their new record, Heavier than Heaven, Lonelier than God, took getting used to. It was even more abrasive and desperate, and certainly not a sunny day listen. Now that sunny days are gone, I get it. It's uncomfortable to face down one's psyche. But it's necessary. Flipping through the liner notes - whose amazing, atypical layout by Jacob Bannon is David LaChapelle-esque surreal - one sees the lurid banality of personal interiors. Joan Osborne posited a lonely god in "One of Us." Blacklisted find one in all of us.

- Buy -
CD
MP3
Colored vinyl

- On tour with Have Heart, Ceremony, Let Down -

11/08 Madison, WI @ Club 770
11/10 Covington, KY @ Mad Hatter
11/11 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
11/12 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
11/13 Pittsburgh, PA @ Roboto Project
11/14 Syracuse, NY @ Klub Polski
11/15 Boston, MA @ ICC Church
11/16 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
11/17 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
11/18 Maplewood, NJ @ Garden State Music
11/19 Deer Park, NY @ Deer Park VFW

Landmine Marathon to maim West Coast

Get Your War On

Landmine Marathon are good on record, but magnificent live. They have a 3-D aspect that wax/disc/MP3 can't capture - flying spit, whipping hair, speakers pushing air. Even though they basically only have one song, it's a damn good one. They're one of the few bands I've felt like begging to play longer. The Arizona quintet embarks today on a short West Coast tour (dates below) to promote its new record, Rusted Eyes Awake, on Level Plane. Some dates feature distinguished guests - Graf Orlock, Cattle Decapitation, Trash Talk, Early Graves. I'm curious if the Marathoners will be playing Jackson axes, as per their recent endorsement. When I saw them, they were playing Gutierrez custom guitars with awesome upside-down cross inlays. The bassist's fretboard had lights on it, too!

Red Days Awake (feat. Jonny Davy, JFAC)

- Buy -
Rusted Eyes Awake (CD)
Rusted Eyes Awake (MP3)

- Nov -
7 San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe (w/ Graf Orlock)
8 Ontario, CA @ Granada Theater (w/ Graf O., Cattle D.)
9 Isla Vista, CA @ The Pink Mailbox (w/ Graf Orlock)
10 Oakland, CA @ Quarter Century Michael Jordan
11 Reno, NV @ The Eyeball (w/Farley Overdose)
12 Portland, OR @ Rotture (w/Elitist)
13 Medford, OR @ Johnny B's (w/Ischemia)
14 Berkeley, CA @ 924 Gilman (w/ Trash Talk)
15 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse Record Store (w/ Graf Orlock)
19 Phoeniz, AZ @ The Creephouse (w/Early Graves)

Today Is the Day - Axis of Eden: The Film

Director David Hall has made a film around last year's Axis of Eden, by Today Is the Day. The band is currently on tour (dates below) providing a live soundtrack to the film. (The above video for "I.E.D." comes from the film. I love how the mirror effect assaults the central axis.) I just came back from this, and it was amazing. Hall basically downloaded the mess that is Steve Austin's mind - guns, drugs, sex, psychosis - and splattered it across a psychedelic horror canvas.

Broken Promises and Dead Dreams

If there's a plot, it doesn't make sense, but it also doesn't matter. TITD is about drilling down to the bottom of the psyche and exposing it in the rawest way possible - no hiding behind corpsepaint or costumes. This show featured an extended duet between shrill computer keyboards and Austin's surprisingly good crooning, and a song that was just bass-drums-vocals. Uncomfortable, challenging stuff, and ultimately invigorating. Go see this show.

In the meantime, check out two good interviews with Austin. The first is at Revolver. Despite the nonsensical navigation - you have to scroll down on each page - it's informative, discussing the film and Austin's SuperNova label, which now releases albums only on MP3 and vinyl. Austin astutely observes that abandoning CD booklets opens up the possibility of online, animated artwork - something I've always wondered why bands/labels haven't done more. Then, buckle up for this incendiary interview at Metalsucks. It names names and burns bridges; I'm surprised Relapse hasn't issued a statement in reply.

- Buy-
Axis of Eden (CD)
Axis of Eden (MP3)
Axis of Eden: The Film (digital download)

- Nov -
6 Philadelphia, PA @ Millcreek Tavern
8 Toronto, ON @ Blue Moon
9 Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques
10 Providence, RI @ Club Hell
11 Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st St. Pub
12 Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
13 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
14 Lansing, MI @ Mac's Bar
15 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
16 Chicago, IL @ The Metal Shaker
17 Nashville, TN @ The End (w/Zoroaster)
18 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
19 Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music
20 Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee (w/Zoroaster)
21 Dallas, TX @ Reno's Chop Shop (w/Zoroaster)
22 Austin, TX @ Red 7 (w/Zoroaster)

Halloween Metal '08 - Corrupted, Asunder, Ludicra, Fuck the Facts, Cattle Decapitation, Nadja, Menace Ruine, Villains, Negative Plane

Corrupted, Ludicra. Asunder Slim's, SF, 10.31.08

Lots of good metal going on this All Hallow's Eve.

Japanese doom legends Corrupted kick off a short US West tour (dates) with Bay Area doomsters Asunder tonight at Slim's in San Francisco. Corrupted haven't been to the US in 11 years, so this is a big deal. Making it bigger is the addition of Ludicra - my favorite metal band - doing their annual Halloween hometown gig. This show will be crazy. 11/3 in Olympia, WA: Corrupted/Asunder/Samothrace. 11/4 in Portland, OR: Corrupted/Asunder/Trees. (We wrote about Samothrace here and Trees here.) These towns will become craters.

Ludicra - In Fever

Ottawa grinders Fuck the Facts play a hometown gig at Babylon alongside Buried Inside, who have been quiet for too long. FtF's Disgorge Mexico is in my top 10 this year. I recently saw them live, and they killed. Buried Inside just finished a recording session at Godcity Studio with Kurt Ballou. The end of silence, indeed.

Fuck the Facts - Absence and Despite

Veggie death grinders Cattle Decapitation are filming a video at their Che Cafe show tonight in San Diego. They ask fans to come dressed as zombies. You can see the cattle call here.

Nadja, Black Sun, Steve Moore, Menace Ruine Fontana's, NYC, 10.31.08

Canadians Menace Ruine and Nadja (whom I wrote about here and here) will bring black metal and drones, respectively, to New York City tonight at Fontana's, 105 Eldridge, between Broome and Grand. Unfortunately, they will not bring better health care or cheaper prescription drugs. (Well, maybe the latter, but I neglected to put in my order.) Joining the bill are Scottish doomsters Black Sun, Steve Moore of Zombi doing a solo set, and the one and only James Plotkin as DJ for the night. I am so there.

Menace Ruine - Kill the Egregore

Black metal aftershocks in Brooklyn 11/1: the mighty Negative Plane (whom I wrote about here) make a rare live appearance alongside the likewise redoubtable Villains (whose second full-length, Lifecode of Decadence, is "in the can" - but when will it come out???) at Rock Star Bar, 351 Kent Ave. @ S. 5th in Williamsburg. Hipsters will die.

Villains - Before the Spike

Chicago gets heavy tonight with a reunited Grief at the Hideout, 1345 W. Wabansia. Joining them are the punishing Indian, noted experimental musician Kevin Drumm as DJ, Rabid Rabbit, and Bloodiest. (Thanks to baconandblastbeats for the tip.)

Grief - One of Those Days (live)

Finnish black metallers Horna kick off a US tour (dates) with Blood Stained Dusk in Los Angeles tonight at the Black Castle, 855 W. Manchester Ave. Joining them will be Nokturne, Spiculum Iratus, and Baal Zabub. (Thanks to etan for the tip.)

Samothrace - Life's Trade

by Cosmo Lee

First Cough, then Thou, then Samothrace - it's a great time for American sludge/doom. Why this Lawrence, KS outfit named itself for a Greek island is unclear, as it sounds distinctly American. Big slabs of downtuned dirt abut melodies that recall Earth's leanings towards Americana. In fact, this record might satisfy those disappointed by Earth's recent refusal to drop the hammer. It has the soul - the jangle, the blues - but it also has the weight, constantly shifting tectonic plates so that slow never becomes static. These tracks are 10 minutes plus, and they feel much shorter. On only its debut, this band has mastered the momentum that makes good doom much more than just slow tempos. (Add Renata Castagna to the list of worthy extreme metal axewomen.) Producer du jour Sanford Parker turns in a reliably thick, naturalistic recording.

Awkward Hearts (excerpt)
Cacophony (excerpt)

David D'Andrea refracts the floral/angelic theme of Tom Denney's previous artwork for Samothrace (which is extremely similar to his cover for Sourvein's Ghetto Angel) into a lovely gold/black package. The LP version comes in double gatefold vinyl with a poster (gold vinyl limited to 150 copies); mailorder copies include a patch and sticker. This is yet another killer release this year for 20 Buck Spin, who have a spiffy new label/distro website.

- Buy -
Amazon (MP3)
20 Buck Spin (CD)
20 Buck Spin (Vinyl - Gold)
20 Buck Spin (Vinyl - Black)

- Upcoming tour dates -

10/16 The Grill/ROTC - Fayetteville, AR w/Deadbird, Dirtmother
10/17 Noel, Lisa, Cedric, etc... House - Tulsa, OK
10/18 Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK w/The Flood
10/19 Spinks @ Neil Diamond - Oklahoma City, OK
10/22 Replay - Lawrence, KS w/Rabbid Rabbit
10/23 Blast-Mat - Denver, CO w/Burn Heavy
10/24 TBA - Albuquerque, NM
10/25 TBA - Flagstaff, AZ
10/26 TBA - Phoenix, AZ
10/27 House Show @ Chuey/Jaime's - Los Angeles, CA w/Barren
10/28 Hazmat - Oakland, CA w/Embers
10/29 Thee Parkside Bar - San Francisco, CA w/Giant Squid
10/30 Monstros Pizza - Chico, CA w/The Makai
10/31 Halloween Show in PDX - Portland, OR
11/01 Squid and Ink - Seattle, WA
11/02 Green Frog Acoustic Room - Bellingham, WA w/Piano Mover
11/03 TBA - Tacoma, WA
11/04 TBA - Olympia, WA
11/05 TBA - Portland, OR
11/06 TBA - Boise, ID
11/07 TBA - Salt Lake City, UT
11/08 Curtis St. Bar - Denver, CO
11/09 TBA - Lincoln, NE
11/10 Arts Center - Vermillion, SD w/Servium
11/11 TBA - Fargo, ND
11/12 TBA - Minneapolis, MN

- For TBA dates help and info, contact band MySpace -

Dreaming Dead on US tour

While women are slowly infiltrating extreme metal lineups, they're mostly vocalists, bassists, and keyboardists. The "skill positions" - guitars and drums - are still a boys' club. Some exceptions: guitarists Laura Christine (Warface), Liz Buckingham (Electric Wizard), Laura Pleasants (Kylesa), and Christy Cather (Ludicra); Chiyo Nukaga (Graves at Sea/Nostra Cornu), Gabrielle Morin (Deeply Confused), and Sandrine Bourguignon (Gorod), all sick drummers.

Elizabeth Schall is the latest addition to these ranks. She's the vocalist/guitarist/mastermind of LA's Dreaming Dead, who changed their name last year from Manslaughter. Check out the video above for "Within One" live at Hollywood's Key Club. (The band has since become a two-lady axe attack.) It's as if Chuck Schuldiner came back as a woman - the vocals, the pedal point riffs, the wide interval melodies. This song rips. Look at those fingers! They were made for playing guitar. Dreaming Dead are out on a two-week US tour - see dates below. Their PR needs work (see this extremely confusing promo photo), but they'll get the hang of it. Debut LP Within One is out on Ibex Moon on 1/29/09 - I eagerly await that bad boy (girl).

- Dreaming Dead live-

10/13 Metamusic - Santa Cruz, CA
10/14 The Metro - Oakland, CA (w/Kataklysm, Dying Fetus)
10/15 Monstros - Chico, CA
10/16 Samurai Duck - Eugene, OR
10/17 Hell's Kitchen - Tacoma, WA
10/18 Mootsy's - Spokane, WA
10/19 Sundance Saloon - Payette, ID
10/20 Club Vegas - SLC, UT
10/21 Cafe Cero - Denver, CO
10/22 The Pig - Independence, MO
10/23 Memphis on Main - Champaign, IL
10/24 Elva's Fiesta Club - South Bend, IN
10/25 The Ritz - Warren, MI
10/26 *TBA* - Cleveland, OH
10/28 Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
10/29 The War Legion Underground - Amarillo, TX
10/30 Code Red - Las Cruces, NM
10/31 Halloween House Party - Tucson, AZ
11/01 Divebar - Las Vegas, NV

Thou - Peasant

by Cosmo Lee

Baton Rouge's Thou were hands down the most hotly tipped band for me this year. I'm astonished by how many people in different quarters recommended them to me. Interestingly, no one told me why Thou were good. (In this increasingly democratic information age, distressingly few people articulate why they like or dislike things. Everything is "this sucks/rules.")

The Work Ethic Myth
Burning Black Coals and Dark Memories

Most reviews of Peasant (Autopsy Kitchen, 2008) will probably focus on its "crushing" sludge/doom. But though Thou can bring the hammer, that's the least interesting thing about them. "Crushing" isn't hard to attain now - Les Paul, Sunn amp, big beard, big strings, tune down, play slow. Thou have a certain something, though, beyond that formula: delicacy. The Godflesh-esque jangles in "The Work Ethic Myth," the lovely intro to "Burning Black Coals and Dark Memories" - these wrap bludgeoning in hooded mourning.

The raspy vocals sound borrowed from the nearest black metal band, but they say interesting things. "We have paved the roads that have led to our own oppression / Fear of the unknown, of rejection, has put brutes and villains in power" (in "The Work Ethic Myth") succinctly sums up post-9/11 America. The song ends with a literal kicker: "We are the accomplice class: footstools for our masters, spineless bastards all." Devastating woodcut-style art pours out the political subtext in arterial reds, whites, and blacks.

Thou are a work in progress - their "crushing" parts aren't crushing yet (production is somewhat to blame; last year's Tyrant (reissue forthcoming on Southern Lord) hits harder), and the vocalist needs more range. But they have that extra something. They're strong on concepts and visuals. How great Thou art, in due time.

- Buy -

The End
Autopsy Kitchen
Vinyl forthcoming on Level Plane

- October tour dates -

13 Nara - Richmond, VA
14 The Black Lodge - Wilkes-Barre, PA
15 Knitting Factory - New York, NY w/Sunn O)))
16 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA w/Sunn O))), Earth
17 Girl Cave - Washington, DC
18 ABC No Rio - New York, NY [matinee, w/Resistant Culture]
18 Supreme Trading - Brooklyn, NY [night]
24 Fletcher's House - New Orleans, LA

Wetnurse to lactate over East Coast

Not your mom

This month, NYC's Wetnurse bring their dairy-free brand of prog/hardcore/metal/weirdness to much of the US East Coast, with a few stops in the Midwest - dates are below. They're supporting their new record Invisible City, out now on Seventh Rule. Along for much of the ride are Black Market Activities band Khann, who sound very much like a Black Market Activities band. I can't really tell BMA bands apart, but their one sound is great. Some choice guests grace this tour - the mighty Samothrace in Philly, Skeletonwitch in Charlotte, Plague Bringer in Chicago, Complete Failure in Pittsburgh. This tour promises anything-goes mayhem, so don't sleep.

Wetnurse - Not Your Choice
Khann - Pralay

- October -
2 Philadelphia, PA @ Millcreek Tavern (w/ Samothrace)
3 Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Art Space (w/ Three Faces Of Eve)
4 Richmond, VA @ Nara Sushi (w/ Attitude Problem)
5 Wilmington, NC @ Soapbox (w/ Khann)
6 Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone (w/ Khann, Skeletonwitch)
7 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn (w/ Khann, Sons Of Tonatiuh)
8 Orlando, FL @ Black Box Collective (w/ Khann)
9 Miami, FL @ Churchill's (w/ Khann, Light Yourself On Fire)
10 Tampa, FL @ Transitions Gall. (w/ Khann, Light Yourself On Fire)
11 Tallahassee, FL @ St Mike's (w/ Khann, Light Yourself On Fire)
13 Athens, GA @ Go Bar (w/ Khann, Peregrine)
14 Nashville, TN @ The Five Spot (w/ Khann)
15 Cincinnati, OH @ The Blue Rock Tavern (w/ Khann)
16 Indianapolis, IN @ The 1511 (w/ Khann)
17 Chicago, IL @ The Beat Kitchen (w/ Khann, Plague Bringer)
18 Dayton, OH @ Dayton Dirt Collective (w/ Khann)
19 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose (w/ Khann, Complete Failure)
21 Kingston, NY @ The Basement (w/ Khann)
22 Burlington, VT @ Wasted City (w/ Khann, Romans)
23 Portland, ME @ Geno's (w/ Khann)
24 Worcester, MA @ Forbes St (w/ Khann)
25 New York, NY @ Crash Mansion (CMJ)
26 Doylestown, PA @ Moose Lodge (w/ Khann, No People)

Watain 10th anniversary tour

The Burning Darkness

Celebrating its 10th birthday, Watain begins a North American tour in a week - dates are below. Opening for Watain = cannon fodder, but Book of Black Earth and Withered may be up to the task. To commemorate the decennial, Norma Evangelium Diaboli pressed up picture discs of Watain's three studio albums - see the tasty results here. The LP's are to come out this month. If you're stateside, inquire at The AJNA Offensive, NoEvDia's US distributor.

Watain - Sworn to the Dark
Withered - The Fated Breath
Book of Black Earth - Death of the Sun

The AJNA Offensive has asked for help with Watain's infamous live show. The details speak for themselves.

WATAIN needs at least 1 liter of blood for their live rites each night. Can you assist?

Likewise, if anyone can bring carrion(pig/sheep/other heads) to add to the feast let us know by sending an email to ajna @ theajnaoffensive . com. Be sure to let us know what city you'll be attending.

Recompense will be made when/where it can.

10/03/08 The Opera House - Toronto, ON
10/04/08 Katacombes - Montreal, QC
10/06/08 Maverick's - Ottawa, ON
10/07/08 The Middle East - Boston, MA
10/08/08 Knitting Factory - New York, NY
10/09/08 31st St Pub - Pittsburgh, PA
10/10/08 Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
10/11/08 Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL
10/12/08 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
10/13/08 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom - Denver, CO
10/14/08 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
10/15/08 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
10/16/08 Rotture - Portland, OR
10/17/08 The Metro - Oakland, CA
10/18/08 Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
10/19/08 Jumping Turtle - San Marcos, CA
10/20/08 The Sets - Tempe, AZ
10/21/08 Gator's - Farmington, NM
10/23/08 Reno's Chop Shop - Dallas, TX
10/24/08 Walter's on Washington - Houston, TX w/Ritual Killer
10/25/08 Red 7 - Austin, TX w/Ritual Killer
10/26/08 Red Dragon - New Orleans, LA w/Ritual Killer
10/28/08 Brass Mug - Tampa, FL
10/29/08 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
10/30/08 Volume 11 Tavern - Raleigh, NC
10/31/08 Jaxx - Springfield, VA
11/01/08 Sterling Hotel - Allentown, PA

Heshers vs. Hipsters: Kylesa tours with Pinback

Laura Pleasants, Kylesa

Kylesa is touring with fucking Pinback. I commented last year on another weird tour Kylesa did (Revolver's "Hottest Chicks in Metal" tour, with Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation, et al.), but this is just bizarre. In case you don't know Pinback, they're indie rock. They have a knack for interlocking vocals and guitars that evoke that time-honored format, the round. But despite their quality (they're one of three indie rock bands I like), they and Kylesa should not be dating, so to speak. Pinback's Rob Crow has a metal project, Goblin Cock, and my guess is that he helped pick Kylesa. But, still. They should have called this the "Heshers vs. Hipsters" tour. Black Sabbath shared some bills with The Ramones in 1978, but this is even stranger. Dates are below - links to buy tickets are here.

Pinback - Penelope
Kylesa - Eyes Closed From Birth

9/17 Shreveport, LA – Lil Joe's
9/18 Dallas, TX – The Loft @ Palladium Ballroom (w/ Pinback)
9/19 San Antonio, TX – Rock Bottom (w/ Pinback)
9/20 Austin, TX – The Mohawk (w/ Pinback)
9/21 New Orleans, LA – Howlin' Wolf (BRING THE NOIZE FEST)
9/22 Birmingham, AL – WorkPlay (w/ Pinback)
9/23 Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club (w/ Pinback)
9/24 Charleston, SC – Music Farm (w/ Pinback)
9/25 Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre (w/ Pinback)
9/26 Richmond, VA – The National (w/ Pinback)
9/27 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (w/ Pinback)
9/28 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom (w/ Pinback)
9/29 Baltimore, MA – Ottobar (w/ ASG)
9/30 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber (w/ ASG)
10/01 Washington, DC – DC 9 (w/ ASG)
10/02 Wilmington, NC – Soapbox (w/ ASG)
10/03 Savannah, GA - The Jinx (w/ A Girl A Gun A Ghost)

Trees to defoliate US West Coast

Ignore the indie rock font

Funeral doom merchants Trees are making an Ent-like US West Coast excursion - see dates below. Also on the bill for 9/12 in Portland are House of Low Culture, the doom/drone project of Aaron Turner from Isis, and Mamiffer (cinematic piano + psychedelic fuzz). The latter two play in Seattle on 9/14 at The Rendezvous. HoLC hardly tours, so don't miss out. Mamiffer's enjoyable new album Hirror Enniffer is out 9/23 on Hydra Head, but will be available at these shows. Trees' new record Light's Bane, which we wrote about here, is available for a mere $1.98 on MP3 from Amazon.

Trees - Nothing (excerpt)
Mamiffer - Annwn

9/12/08 Someday Lounge - Portland, OR w/House of Low Culture
9/20/08 The Comet - Seattle, WA w/Rabbits
9/25/08 Vox Gallery - Sacramento, CA w/Thrones, Silentist
9/26/08 Hemlock - San Francisco, CA w/Burmese
9/27/08 *TBD* - Santa Cruz/Los Angeles, CA w/Thrones, Silentist
9/28/08 Stork Club - Oakland, CA w/Laudanum

Gridlink - Amber Gray

by Cosmo Lee

If it's possible, Jon Chang's voice has become even more abrasive since he fronted the legendary Discordance Axis. It's basically nails down a chalkboard. I cannot think of a better cure for low blood pressure. If Chang's Hayaino Daisuki project (which I wrote about here) is power metal on speed, Gridlink is thrash on meth - imagine Kerry King on fast forward. Both bands share guitarist Matsubara, of Japan's Mortalized, so the riffs are more metal and grounded than Discordance Axis' anime seizure. 11 songs race by in under 12 minutes, a perfect length; any longer invites heart attacks. Evidently, Gridlink live sets are 15 minutes long, and rare occurrences since the band meets for only two weeks each year. They have a brief East Coast tour this August with Hayaino Daisuki and ASRA - a face-melting show, for sure. Just don't show up late!

Severance Package
Pattern Recognition

8/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Charleston
8/15 - Baltimore, MD @ TBD
8/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ TBD
8/17 - Stamford, CT @ TBD
8/18 - Providence, RI @ AS220 w/ I, Destroyer
8/19 - Boston, MA @ Church of Boston

To arrange a show in a TBD city, contact Gridlink's MySpace.

Buy:
Amazon (MP3)
Hydra Head (CD)
Hydra Head (CD + T-Shirt Bundle)

Dirtbag tour of the year

In the dirtbag tour of the year, Kylesa are hitting the road with The Ocean, Lair of the Minotaur, and Withered. (I think I grew chest hair just typing that.) These stars will only align for a few dates - see below. However, they're also touring separately or in smaller combinations; for schedules, click the MySpace links above. LotM and Withered have new records out in late March and June, respectively.

Kylesa - Hollow Severer
The Ocean - Neoarchaean
Lair of the Minotaur - Behead the Gorgon
Withered - Fear and Pain that Cripples Me

Kylesa on tour

5/22 Raleigh, NC – Volume 11 (with Withered)
5/23 Philadelphia, PA – Millcreek Tavern (with Disfear, Thrones)

(with The Ocean, Lair of the Minotaur, Withered)

5/24 Boston, MA – Church of Boston
5/25 Wallingford, CT – Cherry Street Station
5/26 New York, NY – Knitting Factory
5/27 Cleveland, OH – Peabody's
5/28 Chicago, IL – Reggie’s Rock Club
5/29 Covington, KY – Mad Hatter
5/30 Charlotte, NC – Tremont Music Hall
5/31 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade

(with The Ocean, Lair of the Minotaur)

6/01 Orlando, FL – Back Booth
6/02 Tampa, FL – Brass Mug
6/03 Tallahassee, FL – The Beta Bar

Dethklok giveaway, tour details

Dethklok schwag

OK, another corporate giveaway. This is for friggin' Dethklok, though, so it's worth it. One winner gets: (1) Metalocalypse Season 1 DVD (20 episodes on 2 discs), (2) Dethklok Dethalbum CD, (3) Guitar Hero t-shirt, (4) Adult Swim t-shirt, (5) Adult Swim notebook, (6) Adult Swim postcards, and (7) Metalocalypse buttons. I have the Season 1 DVD, and it is awesome. You want it. My review of The Dethalbum is here. The video for "Bloodrocuted" is here. Metal Injection's audio interview with the band is here.

Rules: (1) Giveaway is only open to US residents. (2) Email invisibleoranges at gmail dot com by midnight EST, Friday, Nov. 2 with (3) the subject header "Give me schwag or give me Deth" and (4) your name, address, and t-shirt size. I will not share your info with anyone else. I will randomly pick a winner. Simple as that.

Dethklok: Gibson endorsees

Dethklok are coming to life and touring. My first thought was that it would be some Gorillaz-type thing, where they'd show the cartoon with music playing in back. But, no, Dethklok are touring as an actual human band. What a weird one, too - Dethklok co-creator/voice actor/guitarist/singer Brendon Small, guitarist Mike Kenneally and bassist Bryan Beller (both of Zappa/Steve Vai repute), and the mighty Gene Hoglan. They're touring with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, an extremely strange pairing. Three of the shows, at UNM Albuquerque, UC Berkeley, and UC Boulder, are free!

Dethklok, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead tour

10/29/07: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M. *
10/31/07: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nev. ^
11/01/07: University of California, Los Angeles, Calif. ^
11/02/07: University of California, Berkeley, Calif. *
11/05/07: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. #
11/07/07: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. #
11/08/07: University of South Dakota, Vermillion, S.D. #
11/11/07: University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo. *
11/13/07: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill. #
11/14/07: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. #
11/17/07: University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan. ^
11/18/07: Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill. #

* Free concert. Open to students and non-students. No tickets.
^ Students only. No advance tickets. Show ID for entrance.
# Students only. Contact box office for ticket information.

Ticket info is here.

Kylesa to tour with Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation

In WTF news, Kylesa will be playing select US west coast dates with Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation. This makes no sense other than for the fact that Kylesa happens to have a woman in its lineup also (and that maybe it qualifies as Southern gothic rock). It's great that the band will reach new audiences, but the Hot Topic set may be in for a nasty shock.

(with Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation)

5/30 - Spokane, WA - The Boulevard
5/31 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
6/01 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
6/04 - San Luis Obispo, CA - Downtown Brewing Company
6/05 - Sparks, NV - New Oasis
6/06 - Salt Lake City, UT - Avalon Theatre

The band has also released a video for "Hollow Severer" from its album Time Will Fuse Its Worth. Accompanying the video is a contest offering the chance to win Kylesa vinyl and t-shirts.

Kylesa - Hollow Severer