Unsane will be unleashing their eighth crushing album, Sterilize, on September 29th via Southern Lord, but thanks to Noisey, you don’t have to wait any longer to hear it. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Unsane
Fashion Week To Release New Album Next Month, European Dates Booked
New York noise-rock band Fashion Week has announced their next album So Last Season, due out this March on their own label InDebth Recordings. Details belowContinue reading
Exclusive stream: False Flags new track ‘Pet Wolf’
False Flags 2015
As the build-up continues ahead of the release of False Flags‘ debut mini-album Hexmachine, Ghost Cult are pleased to continue our association with the technical-hardcore miscreants from northern England by bringing you the stream of a new track, ‘Pet Wolf’ from the soon to be released mini-album.
Ghost Cult recently caught up with vocalist Chris Jenkinson (in a feature you can read here), who had this to say about the subject matter of their new outpouring:
The lyrics are kind of weird, really. Each song has a theme but they’re not really about anything in particular. Most of the time we come up with the title first, then I try to write around that. Charlie came in one day and said “Can we call a song ‘Pet Wolf’?” So that ended up being about one of my Chihuahuas being a little shit!
I’m a big fan of lyricists like Cedric Bixler (The Mars Volta) and John Congleton (The Paperchase) so I try to do that “interpret it how you like” kind of thing.
False Flags – ‘Pet Wolf’
Hexmachine, which the band will be releasing themselves, spurts abrasive, disjointed rock and takes inspiration from the likes of Unsane, Breather Resist, Botch and Coalesce. It will be released on 20th November.
The album launch show takes place at Bad Apples in Leeds, also on 20th November.
Fashion Week – Prêt-à-Porter
Who do they think they are with that bio? Nirvana? They’ll never own enough plaid! The Ramones with that promo shot in front of the former CBGB’s with is now ironically a high-end fashion shop? Like they’d never look that cool in leather. I would have to agree with Rolling Stone’s senior editor David Fricke though, when he stated “The Ramones were the normal guys everybody loved to love,” in which I could see some parallels and ok, maybe the guitar and bass have some similarities.
This cheeky trio, Fashion Week, featuring guitarist/vocalist Josh Lozano (Jarboe, Cobalt, Family), drummer Carl Eklof (Victory at Sea, Lidia Stone, Inswarm) and bassist Oscar Albis Rodriguez (A Great Big World, No Way, Nakatomi Plaza) set forth their noisy full-length debut Prêt-à-Porter (Solar Flare Records), following up their self-released Applicator and Coextinction Release 11 with Coextiction Recordings. Though the line-up has gone through some slight changes, it’s safe to say the mood and original style has remained intact, with the recording and mixing of Andrew Schneider (Unsane, Keelhaul) and mastering of Carl Saff (Pigs, Sofy Major) ellipsing every into an even greater epic cacophony.
The album starts off with ‘Fendi Bender’ who’s lead in brings me back to 90s noise rock bands like Unsane but with a lighter tone, reflective of an externally cleaner, safer New York, who’s underbelly remains just as thorny and problematic. Sly bursts of Lozano’s raging hardcore vocals, supercharge post-hardcore melody as the guitar trails resonates with every note. Their video for it is now streaming on Metal Injection, featuring Jesse Madre of Tiger Flowers if you want to check it out.
The third track on the album, ‘Meek is Meeznable’ pummels out catchy sludge riffs, the likes of Red Fang, scattered with raunchy distortion and melodic melodies. It’s as if Jawbox and Quicksand combined to form an amazingly chaotic yet progressive supergroup. After listening to the makings of this album about a year ago, my favourites continue to change, only proving Prêt-à-Porter continues to deliver with every listen.
‘Summer Line’ has a spacey, Failure inspired intro that makes it one of my favourites on the album, along with ‘Haute Topic’ who’s mysterious bass line I just can’t get enough of. For anyone who was a fan of 90s hardcore and noise rock, Fashion Week’s Prêt-à-Porter is a staple that should be added to your collection.
8.5/10
CHRISTINE HAGER
Rabbits Streaming Brighton Show
Portland rockers Rabbits has made their recent show from Brighton available here and “Meth Valley 99” with Guro of MoE on guest vocals, recorded at La Residencia in Valenica, Spain on Halloween here. Watch their Whitey McConnaughy analong-damaged video for “So Fake It’s Real” here. Listen to the lowdown on Booze’s dirty gear here. Stream the album here.
They are touring behind Untoward, the band’s third full length record via Lamb Unlimited (Chris Spencer of Unsane and Alan Schneider of No More Records). It was tracked live to tape at Type Foundary, Portland in one day and mixed in two, engineered by Jeremy Romagna (Trees, Tecumseh, Wives) and Fester (Nux Vomica, Usnea, Stoneburner), mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering, and the cover artwork by Anne Mersereau.
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Holy Tongues – Weak People
The demise of angry yet thoughtful hardcore types Ruiner back in 2010 was mourned hard by those who preferred a little more variety with their tough-guy rage workouts, but ultimately their passing wasn’t noticed by the masses. However several members of the band in question have decided to re-group and have another go in the form of Holy Tongues, playing a style of music with one foot in the hardcore camp but seemingly eager to leave old habits behind.
Weak People (Melotov Records) is the debut effort by Dustin Thornton, Stephen Smeal and Joey Edwards; all previous members of the aforementioned Ruiner. Clocking in at thirty-four minutes, the album is a short yet interesting exploration of the uncertain ground where melodic hardcore meets noise rock; imagine Unsane playing around with a few old Poison the Well B-sides and you have an idea of the sounds captured on Weak People. The rhythm section is particularly impressive with the twanging bass guitar and playful drums establishing a solid background while the guitars lay down just as many squalling noise and melodic lines as they do anything approaching the thicker riffs one might expect from this sub-genre.
Tracks such as ‘Filters’ build nicely along a hefty bassline with the guitars brooding in a confident manner while ‘92’ kicks out the jams in fine punkish style. Elsewhere, the melodic introspection of ‘Bright Light’ proves to be an engaging listen with the soul-searching lyrics painting a bittersweet picture of the life of a young band-member.
For all the thoughtfulness however, there is no real energy or passion evident on Weak People with the band clearly still finding their feet. However, given time, there is potential for something special to emerge.
6.0/10.0
JAMES CONWAY
Helmet Announces Betty: 20th Anniversary Shows in Europe
Seminal 90s New York metal band Helmet is doing a UK tour this fall in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of their album Betty (Interscope). The band will play the album in its entirety, as well as other hits from their illustrious career. Coming from New York City in the same late 80s avant-garde music scene that gave us Swans, John Zorn, pre-metal White Zombie, Prong, Band of Susans, Sonic Youth, and Unsane; Helmet melded raw NYHC with the pummeling grooves of metal, but with the artistry and intelligentsia of post-No Wave aesthetics. Led by Page Hamilton, Following their stellar hit albums Strap It On and In The Meantime, Helmet released Betty to their highest charting success ever. The band also toured the world constantly and released videos for ‘Milquetoast’ (also heard in the movie The Crow), ‘Biscuits for Smut’ and the memorable ‘Wilma’s Rainbow’. In the process of becoming on of the most important bands of their time, Helmet helped influence the growing post-rock/post-metal genre that is still being felt today.
Helmet : Betty: 20th Anniversary Europe Tour Dates
11-Sep- Czech Republic Prague Lucerna Music Bar
12-Sep- Poland Krakow Fabryka
13-Sep- Poland Warsaw Hydrozagadka
15-Sep- Germany Berlin So36
16-Sep- Germany Leipzig Ei
17-Sep- Germany Munich Feierwerik
19-Sep- Germany Frankfurt Batschkapp
20-Sep- Germany Cologne Underground
21-Sep- Germany Hamburg Knust
22-Sep- Denmark Copenhagen Vega Jr
23-Sep- Norway Sandines Tribute
24-Sep- Norway Oslo Bla
25-Sep- Sweden Stockholm Debaser
27-Sep- Finland Helsinki Nosturi
29-Sep- Germany Bielfield Forum
30-Sep- Netherlands Groningen Vera
1-Oct- Netherlands Eindhoven Effenaar Kz
2-Oct- Belgium Brussels Ab
4-Oct- France Montbeliard Ateliers Des Moles
5-Oct- France Paris La Marouinerie
6-Oct- France Vennes L’echonova
7-Oct- France Bordeaux Le Krakatoa
9-Oct- Spain Barcelona Apolo 2
10-Oct- Spain Madrid Copernico
11-Oct- Spain Hondarribia Psilocybenea
13-Oct- Switzerland Zurich Plaza
14-Oct- Switzerland Geneva Usine
16-Oct- Italy Rome Circolo Degli Artisti
17-Oct- Italy Ravenna Bronson
18-Oct- Italy Romagnano Rnr Arena
19-Oct- Italy Cagliari Fabrik
21-Oct- Austria Dornbirn Conrad Sohm
22-Oct- Austria Salzburg Rockhouse
23-Oct- Austria Vienna Szene
24-Oct- Slovenia Ljubljana Kino Siska
25-Oct- Hungary Budapest Durer Kert
27-Oct- Greece Athens An Club
29-Oct- Uk Glasgow Cathouse
30-Oct- Uk Manchester Sound Control
31-Oct- Uk London Islington Academy
Sofy Major – Idolize
Noise rock; a nice, lazy generalisation of a group of bands you can’t be arsed to describe properly. Christ, the word noise gives zero indication as to what you’re about to hear. Is it Merzbow style, all looped electronica and harsh distortion, or maybe something akin to Pissed Jeans, blurring the lines as they crash into the hardcore world? Even rock doesn’t help because you’re talking 60 years of history and I just don’t have the wordcount for that sort of nonsense.Continue reading