Friday, March 28, 2014

New mix: Epic Is for Wimps

New playlist: Epic Is for Wimps

Carburador's new single
Carburador - "Lorelai"
Sunnata - "Asteroid" - Climbing the Colossus
SIOUX - "Ad Astra" - The One and The Many
Oryx - "To Create an Apparition" - Widowmaker
Shores of Null - "Kings of Null" - Quiescence
Firebrand - "Headstone" - Three Graves
Ancient Ascendant - "Riders" - Echoes and Cinder
Spiral - "Photographs" - Our Final Days on Bellicus Prime
Native Wildlife - "Most Accidents Happen Close to Home" - Split with Glass Lungs/Killing Thing/Aviator
Uppercut - "Holly Michaels" - Crujida

Firebrand are from here in Columbus. They only release demos so far, and the production quality seems really low, but I wanted to give them a chance anyway. Maybe they'll grow on me.

This is all heavy metal except for Spiral, which is more like progressive rock with screaming, and Uppercut (from Spain, I think), which is more like post-rock. I've played Carburador before. Great stuff from Panama.



Monday, March 24, 2014

Your opinion

Ok, Fu Manchu and Crowbar are both comin' to my town in May. If you could only pick one, which would you choose?

I'm leaning Crowbar currently.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

New mix: You Look a Touch Derailed

I'm already tired of writing stuff about every track (blogging should be fun, right?), so I'll just post the basics for this week's playlist, called You Look a Touch Derailed, My Friend. All tracks are from the last couple of weeks.

Bad Love - "Out on the Floor" - Daughters
Devilmaycare - "War of the Worlds" - War of the Worlds
Panucci's Pizza - "L" - Six Billion Double Dollar Bounty on Your Fucking Head (I have feelings too)
The Crow Farm - "Machinegun" - Have a Nice Trip
Shambles in a Husk - "Cowboy Doom"
Enchiridion - "Nameless"
11 Paranoias - "Turn to Stone" - Spectralbeastiaries LP
Moat Hug - "Black gazer" - Real Eyes / Realize / Real Lies
Down in One - "Dumpster Motel" - The Bittersweet Remedy EP
All of Them Witches - "Petrashevsky Circle" - Future Notes

Friday, March 14, 2014

New mix: Poseidon's Pubes

My new mix is called Poseidon's Pubes (Cannot Be Trimmed By Mere Mortal Tools). It's a heavier set this week, with more metal and less math and weird stuff.

Wo Fat - The Conjuring
We start with a brand new track from Dallas's Wo Fat, from this summer's new album The Conjuring! Nothing surprising here, but I always love to hear their stuff. And that album cover is rad. I'm going to Dallas on Monday...wish they were playing there!

New Philly rock band Doom Whore is next. They have a five-track release on Bandcamp with very short songs. I went with the longest, "Theese," which is also the last. It's angry, noisy punk rock, and it's great.

I mentioned Reward for a Dead Man the other day, and I put their song "Worm" here in the mix. Whatever's going on in Russia lately, it's apparently resulting in some great music. This is straight up metal at its finest. I do like the band's vocalist better than Jon Howard's voice that was used on their track "Poisoned Words." It's melodic, and I always prefer growl-singing to yelling or screaming. It takes a lot more effort to come up with a melody, and I think it actually sounds more badass.

Next is Finnish band Doomsday Inc., which was a Black Label Society cover band until they recently started recording original songs. And they sound amazing. This one's called "Pacify the Universe."

Then it's some stoner doom metal from Portland's Heavy Voodoo, the title track from their new three-song EP Cursed Is the Serpent. Pure rock 'n' roll.

Then we travel to Spain and hear from a heavy band called Cementerio. They have a four-track EP called Luna Hiena, and I chose the title track. Doesn't get much heavier than this.

Then we get a little hardcore with a Hungarian band called Octahed and a track called "The Great Splendour of Tameless Wrath." There's something almost soothing about it despite the death-metal styled vocal. It's interesting. Their new album is called The Four Directions and Love as an Underlying Force. Sounds like a P.M. Dawn album, but it couldn't be more different.

Then we get more hardcore with Look Left Swing Right, from Grand Rapids. Their new self-titled album is available for a donation to their cause, which is apparently rocking out as crazy as possible. The closer "Bubblerubbish" is technical and quite impressive.

Germany's Into the Wild is next. I think it's great that bands from all over the world are able to tap into the spirit of the American South. This is great southern stoner metal with very nice vocals. I'd love to see them live. Their album is called Restless, and I chose the song "Eruption."

I closed it out with a Swedish blues metal band called Lé Betre with a track called "Sir Meadows." Good stuff.

I felt like I got the most excited hearing Cementerio, but I may change my mind later. Enjoy!

 

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Beastwood CD drawing

It was either a second Beastwood post or no post at all today...

Got my Beastwood T-shirt from Wyoming today, sent by the drummer and manager himself! I just noticed on their Facebook page that the bassist on their 2012 album Alabama Space Witch has been replaced since then, and their amazing vocalist Jake Kraker left the band last fall. It's very sad because I feel that Jake's voice helped make Beastwood what they are. They are looking for a new singer. I'd totally consider it if I lived in Wyoming.

The T-shirt unexpectedly came with a copy of said album on CD, which is of no real use to me. So the first 50 people who comment on this post (or email me at scott.salsman@gmail.com) with the correct answer to this question will be put in a drawing to win this CD and a sticker:

What name did Erik Larson give his Flying V guitar?

Drawing ends April 13th, 2014 (one month from today).

By the way, I did remove the shrinkwrap to see what's inside. Can't blame me; I'm a fan of this band.

Here's the opening track, and you can see the guys I'm talking about here:

Beastwood - "Galactic Bison" (Alabama Space Witch, 2012)

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Beastwood: "Get Me a Boot that Fits"

Oh man, this song. From Beastwood's first album in 2011. Love how they miked their drums (sounds brilliant using Beats Audio through my car speakers). Should be getting a T-shirt in the mail any day now. Fan for life.
 
Beastwood - "Get Me a Boot that Fits" (Sex Devil, 2011)

Monday, March 10, 2014

Russia's Reward for a Dead Man

I was very drawn by the art on a brand new album by a Russian groove metal sextet called Reward for a Dead Man. I'll be playing a track from this release on a new 8tracks mix later this week, but here's a track featuring guest vocals by Jon Howard from Canadian metal band Threat Signal.



Friday, March 7, 2014

New playlist: Pocket Dementia

This week I've got ten new tracks in a mix called Pocket Dementia, a play on the pocket dimensions theories of astrophysics. The pun popped in my head the other day...I love when that happens.

We start with some sludgy southern metal (YES!!) with West Chester, PA's Backwoods Payback. Their new album is called In the Ditch.

Then we start the math with a band I was already familiar with, Austin's female-fronted progressive pop-rock band Megafauna. They have an album coming in April called Maximalist, and this is the first single, "Haunted Factory." Very good stuff.

Belgium trio terraformer is next with some happy instrumental progressive post-metal. They also have an album coming in April called creatures. The artwork is pretty impressive.

Often these playlists get out of order while I'm uploading the tracks. Very annoying, Anyway, that's followed by another instrumental track called "Oceanic" by reg3n, a skilled djent band from Argentina. Somehow they snuck their way two spots up the playlist.

Fister/Norska split
A track by Portland doom/sludge band Norska is next from their new split with Fister. The track is called "Samhain," and it's wicked cool.

And finally we get a tune from Cincinnati's Kallus Valley, which was supposed to be fourth in the list. The title track from their new EP No Burning Fire is classic stoner rock, and it's good. I might check them out if they come up to Columbus.

Then we get loud and chaotic with French hardcore math band The Heretic Process. They have an album coming next month called Here/CHAOS/Begins. I'm guessing they scream in French, since everything on their Facebook page is in French.

Then it's Existential Animals with another instrumental progressive metal track called "The Zanclean Deluge," from their forthcoming EP Surrealith, which will be a free download. This one is very heavy and technical. It's great.

Then we have a four- or five-piece, female-fronted, doomy stoner band from Philly called Ruby the Hatchet (clever). They had a full album in 2012, and now they're back with a two-track EP called The Eliminator. The artwork is cool and the music rocks. It's always fun to hear a hot chick rocking like this.

I finished it off, as I often do, with a lighter math-rock track. This time it's Baltimore's Monsters of the Antipodes with a track called "Circle Ponies," released on their EP Houses last year. It's like a little dessert after a heavy meal.

I don't really have a favorite this week, but it's all good stuff. Enjoy.


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Wild Throne complete EP streaming

Yes, the other two tracks from Wild Throne's EP are finally streaming on Bandcamp. Pretty good stuff. Check this out:





Also, I bought a Beastwood T-shirt from their Bandcamp today and finally have a fan account (I don't buy music as a rule). Now I'll be able to keep up with artists a lot better.

New playlist on 8tracks tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

An oldie from 4Mag Nitrous

I finally posted a song to YouTube, and it's apparently totally legal. Here's one of my top three bands, and everyone should know about them. From their 2004 self-titled album, here's NOLA's 4Mag Nitrous with "Gas Fumez." Love this tune so hard. That's an order.



Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Pigs - "Ello Kiddies"

Oh man, I totally missed an EP called Gaffe by one of my favorite bands, Pigs, back in October. Here's one of the tracks, "Ello Kiddies."


Thursday, February 20, 2014

New playlist: Mad Cravin'

Time for another heavy, math-y mix on 8tracks.com. I call this one Mad Cravin'. Remember the Crazy Craving monster from the Honeycomb commercials?

We start with some heavy alt rock by new French band TACKLEBERRY, the opening track from their self-titled album.

Next is a new one from Seattle's Helms Alee, whom I'd heard a few times before. Their new album is called Sleepwalking Sailors. This track, "Fetus. Carcass." starts out sounding a little thin, but it soon gets a bit massive.

Italian band The Glad Husbands are up next with a track called "The Day He Made Up His Mind." It has a classic math rock sound with spoken word and groaning vocals. [EDIT: Turns out this release is a year-and-a-half old. Oops.]

Next is a new Canadian band called Dynomite Broad with "The Kraken," from their self-titled album. They're pretty talented, and parts of this song have kind of a math-y reggae feel. I dig it.

Things start getting a little heavier with the band Claw Marks American and a post-hardcore song called "Able Bodied." The playlist gets a little shouty from this point.

After that is Chicago's The Calm Before with more post-hardcore from a split with another band called I Made You Myself.

Then we return to Italy with heavy metal band Warknife and a song called "The Infected Enigma" from their second album, Amorphous.

That's followed by a band with only one song on Bandcamp, a Norwegian groove/thrash/death metal band called Abode. The tune is called "King," and yes, it rules. Their forthcoming EP is called Self-Inflicted Damage.

After that is Baltimore's SwampHög with a mid-tempo sludge metal song called "Dead Reckoning."

And we wrap it up this week with punkier indie math sounds from an Orlando band called Neat Freak. They have a new four-track EP called Too Late. This track, "You're It," ends with a long bit of storytelling. Kind of interesting.

Lots of good stuff here, but I didn't find anything exciting enough that I'd want to hear it all the time. But this mix will be great for an intense workout.

I won't be making a mix next week since I'll be on vacation in the Keys all week. Back in March.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Blast from the past: Keelhaul

Here's a great blast from the past:




New 8tracks playlist coming tomorrow!

Friday, February 14, 2014

New Playlist: Empire of the Eaten Sun

My new playlist on 8tracks this week is called Empire of the Eaten Sun. You can play it in the sidebar. It's named after the bad guys in one of my favorite new webcomics, Mega Hyper Ecchi Overload Groperion, by Andy Pinkard. I'm a big fan of Pinkard! Comix, possibly the biggest. When I went to look for an image to go with my mix, I found out that a green lion eating the sun is an alchemy symbol from the Middle Ages, I guess. I wonder if Pinkard knew that.

I just realized that this comic has its own soundtrack on 8tracks, made by Pinkard. 

All the tracks on my playlist were released on Bandcamp in the last couple of weeks, as usual. My playlists often get a little weird, but this one's more off the beaten path than usual.

EEPEETOO by Steady States
We start off with the afore-promised tracks from Steady States and Edgecrusher. I'm really liking this Steady States band from Kansas City, which is not to be confused with the much more popular Steady States of England. These guys plays heavy, mathy noise rock with just enough twang to get me really fired up. Love it. I chose a track called "Whitecaps."

Edgecrusher's new single "Undertaker" is dark groove metal with a big southern drawl. I've never heard such sounds from Russia before. Pretty impressive.

UI is a one-man metal act out of Oakland, as far as I can tell. His new single "Teknatura" puts death metal vocals against a progressive noise metal backdrop. It's dark and interesting, but it's a bit quiet compared to the rest of the playlist.

We get a lot louder with the new single from Texas five-piece Can't Kill the Ugly, "Verse One." I'm pretty sure this is a new release, even though it's a bonus track on their 2012 album. I think they probably stuck it on there very recently, since that album was only put on Bandcamp in the last week or so. This is powerful southern metal with yelling vocals and plenty of changes and riffs. It's great.

Then we get super loud with a track from Florida's Vileplume, an experimental garage band that just put out a three-track demo called Weaving Out Of. I don't include many demos in my playlists, but this one's pretty cool, if a tad raw. I find the track "Hialeah SuRf?GnarGnar" hard to describe. It's three minutes of punky instrumental craziness, like Hella on acid. Just take a listen.

That's followed by a heavier track called "veglia opaca" from a new Italian band called Squieti on their new album Impronte Nella Cenere. It's fairly basic post-hardcore, but I dig it.

Then we get a little crazier with some chaotic hardcore from a new Baltimore band called Neck First. They have a five-track release called I Can Feel My Skin Crawl, and I chose the last track, "Thread Through."

We stay on the hardcore path with a seemingly comics-inspired Massachusetts duo called Frank Castle., which always ends with a period. It's pretty hardcore.

Then things get especially weird with a Canadian act calling themselves Mr. Guelph. Their track "Landscape Destruction" starts fast and noisy, and then they stop and wax poetic before falling silent and then suddenly launching into more chaos. Truly crazy stuff from a three-track demo called & His Profligate Sons.

 Then we go a little electronic industrial with Induxcorp and their self-titled demo track. I really went crazy with the demos this week. Induxcorp are from Mexico, and they make dark instrumental sounds with a technical, progressive edge. I can't really tell how this was made, but it's cool.

We finish it off with a Turkish five-piece called Kinesis and a track called "Kireç." This is nice, heavy math rock with sung vocals, and I dig it a lot. Their new five-track release is called Lavdanom, and the cover art rocks.

The last one might be my favorite release of the week, followed closely by Steady States.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

New goodies you gotta hear.

Oh man. I included a track by a new French math/punk/rock band called Mammouth a couple of weeks ago, and then I just forgot about them. I heard them again yesterday, and I'm listening to them now, and this band is really great. They have two short songs with vocals and the rest are instrumentals, including a fourteen-minute burner, on their seven-track album called Mortis Missouri (love that title). You gotta check 'em out. I'm gonna be listening to these guys for years. Here's the album closer.



Also I want to give a shout-out to a very impressive solo musician who seems to be on a huge creativity binge lately. Marcos "Mimic" Meza, a.k.a. RawSteak, of California makes instrumental metal, largely of the progressive sludgy kind, all by himself, and it's the type of work that makes me really envious. You never know which direction he's gonna go, and it all flows extremely well. And he's putting new stuff out so fast I can barely keep up. Two full albums in January. Yeah. And they're amazing. Really nice guy when I talk to him online, too. I've put two of his songs on my 8tracks playlists already, but here's an even newer one, the title track from his new album DeathCrawl.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

KC's Steady States

I found a nice KC rock band on Bandcamp today called Steady States. Dumb name, but a pretty cool noisy and creative band with a genuine rock 'n' roll sound. They have two EPs, one from 2011 and one from last weekend called EEPEETOO. I think they need help naming stuff, but you can't fault their sound. Added to this week's playlist!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Two great 2012 releases

Two releases from 2012 I'm adding to my collection after hearing about 30 seconds of each on Bandcamp:

Can't Kill the Ugly - Reality Slips EP

Powerhouse southern metal from East Texas




Edgecrusher - Damagemaker

Angry groove metal from Kaliningrad, Russia










Can't wait to drive my Expedition really fast with these tunes pumping in my speakers. I'll be including brand new tunes from both of these bands in this week's 8tracks playlist.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

I'm back...with ninjas

So, after a nearly three-year absence, I'm thinking about trying to write about music again. I'm not even listening to the same kind of music that I was three years ago. Nowadays I'm really into southern metal and heavy math rock, in equal measure. And I've been making playlists of new tunes on 8tracks.com every week, so the title of this blog is even more fitting now than it was before.

The plan for now is just to write whatever I want about any kind of music, whenever I want. I'm challenging myself to write at least once a week.

Today I just want to promote my most recent playlist on 8tracks.com, which happens to be my 40th. I started the weekly playlist last July 4th. I get all the new tunes from Bandcamp.com. It's mostly artists I've never heard of, but I find great stuff there all the time. My new playlist, like most of them, is a mix of southern metal, stoner metal, math rock, and mathcore. That's just what I do. It's great music for working out or driving.

For this week's playlist theme I chose the anime Naruto, but in the future. I've been thinking of ideas for a future novel I might write someday, and one idea I had was "No Country for Old Naruto"...I won't bother explaining it, but I decided to make it the theme of my playlist. I did a search for an image and found an awesome painting on DeviantArt of the two central characters of Naruto as older men with mustaches, returning to their village arm in arm after years of absence. It was perfect. And nearly every tune I had chosen, before I even picked the theme, had a title that seemed to fit this theme perfectly. So it turned out to be one of my best playlists. I ended up calling it No Country for Old Ninjas.

The only band I'd heard of before was The Last March of the Ents, from Phoenix, and only because I had chosen them for another playlist months ago. Their new track "Blood of the Giver," released four days ago, is pretty awesome and is one of my favorites this week. It's a creative hardcore punk tune with lots of shouting. I'm not sure what I find appealing about it, except that it has lots of energy and just feels novel somehow.

I'm no music writer, but if I can help some of these bands get noticed, I'm happy to try. So check 'em out if that sounds interesting to you. They've been releasing music for a few years, including an EP last July 4th called The Ever Distorting. So yeah, they were actually one of the first bands I heard when I started making these playlists.

Here's a link to No Country for Old Ninjas. Maybe these blog posts will get better. Here's hoping.