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"Melancholy Doom-laden Emo Crust." There is nothing else that needs to be said. This band features members of other, very well known bands and is about as right on as it gets. Hailing from Oakland by way of London by way of a smoldering, burned out apocalyptic wasteland, I don't really know what else to say. If that initial description gave you goose bumps the way it gives me goose bumps, you should have no excuse but to absolutely fall in love with this and listen to it every day until the sun explodes and the world comes to an end. This should appeal to fans of Oroku, Alpinist, Fall of Efrafa, Vestiges, Lentic Waters, Jungbluth and the like.
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Falsehood hail from Edmonton, Alberta and features Durell from Mahria on drums along with dudes from a whole bunch of other bands I have never heard of. These guys are trafficking in the sort of fucked up, nihilistic damage that bands like Eyehategod and Electric Wizard have been so adept at pummeling us with over the years. Doom and dirge and thrashing anger and a nightmarish, hash-fueled hellscape are the names of the game here. Quite often, these songs remind me of some of the early "Black Metal" by the likes of Bathory and Hellhammer. They also cite His Hero Is Gone and Swans as points of influence. Distinctly Lo-Fi, the whole thing sounds sparse, urgent and hollow. Not hollow like lacking substance, but hollow as in these songs might be the soundtrack to your own private hell where you are the last person standing after the nuclear winter has stolen all other life from the earth. As you trudge through the darkness, starving, half-blind and scared out of your wits, Falsehood might be the sound of a welcome end.
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Kohosh from Seattle play layered Anarcho-Punk with passion, sincerity and hope for a brighter future. I am honored to be able to call these ladies and gentlemen my friends. It is bands like this that keep me amazed and infatuated with our local scene. Ummm, I guess I should mention the extensive list of bands Kohosh have in their pedigree: Agatha, Alliaceous, Contravene, Creosote, Garmonbozia, Oroku, Pipsqueak, Roanoke, Skarp, Snuggle... I am sure the list could go on. That doesn't even really matter here though. Kohosh unequivocally stand on their own amongst the myriad sounds the band members have mined over the years. I can certainly hear some of that early Crass Records sound in these songs. They are definitely not playing it typical here. These songs are longer, drawn-out affairs that rely on atmosphere and that oh-so-sweet build-up to get the point across. With a twin guitar attack, beautiful wandering bass lines, ripping drums, some of the most entrancing cello work presented on a Punk record in years and Taryn's mesmerizing vocals bringing it all together, this record is a heart stopper!! I should have some band comparisons to give you, but, I am sort of coming up short in that department. How about this? Antischism, Spitboy, Kill The Man Who Questions, Remains Of The Day, Zounds, The Mob, K.U.K.L., Post Regiment, Submission Hold, Gorilla Angreb... Yeah, they are certainly working within the frame of amazing inspiration and pure heart. If this is the sound of modern Anarchy and social change, I am completely on board. One thing I need to mention is my inability to find a full album link... So, you are going to have to get by with the songs on their Bandcamp page. You could also just contact the band and buy the record directly from them. Oh yeah, I should mention the fact that this record was released collectively by five labels. Trujaca Fala Records from Poland, Tomorrow Belongs To Us Records, Acclaim Collective from Japan, Cut The Chord That... Records and Seattle's own Persons Unknown Records, who I can't find a link for. By the way, Kohosh are going to be on tour in April, here are the dates:
Go see them when they come to your town. Say hello, they are some of the nicest people in the world.
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I am going to keep this short. These French Canadians are staying true to that blown-out, overwrought, heart on sleeve approach that bands like Portraits of Past and Amber Inn were perfecting in the 90's. They are also playing around with that modern, Post Hardcore/Crust sound that brings to mind bands like Celeste and Mihai Edrisch. I love this!! They sing in French!!! Anarcho-Emo-Punk is alive and well. Think Stonehenge Records, think Amanda Woodward, think Hyacinth, think Zegota. Basically, this should appeal to the dreads, the tight pants, the thinkers, writers, lovers...
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Found a review request for this in my inbox this morning, and I couldn't be happier!!! Coming straight out of the chemical swamp that is Fresno, California, Tiger Lily are the embodiment of depression, anger and frustration. The songs on this new EP are the perfect soundtrack for the harsh reality that is modern life. Slow, lumbering and sludgy with the occasional burst of speed, I might go so far as to call this Power-Violence. Sort of Doomy, sort of Crusty, very pissed off, I would recommend this band to anyone that gets off on Eyehategod, Cavity, Thou or Dystopia. I for one am very excited to have these songs pummeling me about the head, neck and chest right now. Life has been a full-blown shit storm lately and it is nice sometimes to just get beaten senseless by some good fucking Hardcore. I am also very stoked on Tiger Lily's upcoming tour with Cabin Fire, who are another great Punk band from Fresno that is kicking my ass right now. Come to Seattle guys!!! I would love to book you at the Morgue!!
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Simply awe-inspiring!!! Death Mercedes are from France and feature members from such luminary bands as Amanda Woodward and L'Homme Puma. The sound straddles the fence between chaotic Screamo and pulverizing D-Beat/Crust with some interesting guitar work that brings to mind such forward thinking Post-Metal groups as Mouth of the Architect or Rosetta. These songs carry alot of weight when they are running full bore, but, there are some washes of beautiful serenity floating around under the surface. If you enjoy the music of Celeste, His Hero Is Gone or even Amebix, you won't be dissapointed with this record.
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Oh My... OK. Let me preface this review by telling you I just recently discovered this band from the U.K. and as strange as it feels to be saying this, I am not minding these clean, sing-songy, pretty boy vocals that pop up from time to time amidst the grinding, dirging assault. Well, maybe pretty boy is pushing it. As far as clean vocals go, these guys have managed to retain enough grit that it doesn't fall into that trap of sounding like Underoath or Blessthefall or some fake Metal bullshit like that. It almost feels like those cleaner vocals are adding to the overall atmosphere of the compositions, not detracting. Which is not something I ever thought I would find myself saying. I know... Plenty of Post-Whatever bands incorporate clean vocals in their songs. Even the traditional screamy Emo bands used a lot of melodic vocal parts to help build a feeling or mood. I am just having a hard time dealing with the glut of overproduced crap that gets passed off as Post-Hardcore or Post-Metal these days. This band certainly gets lumped in with all these new/newish Post-Metal bands like Cult of Luna, the Ocean and Mouth of the Architect. And while I can certainly hear and understand those types of comparisons, there is just something about those vocals that sets them apart. Aside from the random clean parts popping up from time to time, there is this gruff, throat shredding shrieking that really brings to mind more Screamo oriented bands like Celeste, Mihai Edrisch or Madame De Montespan. Three of my FAVORITE bands of all time! I guess Devil Sold His Soul is huge, seeing as they have landed on Century Media. A label that seems to wallow in the shitty and could certainly use some new luck to pull them out of their quagmire of signing some of the most astonishingly awful bands in the history of Metal. Anyway, I think I can safely say, if you enjoy lulling atmospherics that lead seamlessly into raging, chaotic screaming Hardcore, you could do far worse. I also recommend checking out their earlier releases. It is quite interesting to see how this band progressed. I would also like to note that they are one band that most certainly benefited from added production. I believe there were certain elements they were trying to address and nurture in their earlier works that just didn't translate well with the limited production. These new songs are so lush and full of life. It is a very organic listening experience. And for that I am appreciative. Even with those pretty boy vocals.
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Ekkaia are a Crustcore/Screamo-Violence outfit from Coruna, Spain. They are openly Anarchist and very, very pissed off. I hear traces of the classics here like ABC Diablo and Antischism. Basically, they are playing perfectly crafted Hardcore with revolutionary lyrics and an open thought process. Last FM compares them to Fall Of Efrafa which is also fitting. Driving D-Beat blends effortlessly with spacey Post-Rock and Metal creating a melange of heavy, heady sounds. I am sure that if you like your Punk with liberal doses of Straight Ahead Crust and Grind you will be very pleased with this band.
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Just listen and learn!! This is gloriously brutal, EPIC, crusty Post-Black Metal, Grinding D-Beat Hardcore Punk from the United Kingdom. Not unlike mid-period Neurosis with flourishes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and maybe some Tragedy thrown in for that galloping beat. Staunchly Atheist and Vegetarian, this band is uncompromising in their vision. 'Owsla is pt. 1 in a trilogy of records collectively entitled 'The Warren Of Snares'. Based on the mythology behind the novel 'Watership Down'. If you like your Crusty Hardcore with brains...
Embers are a powerful Psyche/Black Metal/Crust band from Oakland. They play songs totally suited for bong loads after dark or more appropriately a nice night by the fire of a burning cop car with other black clad friends reading page after page of Anarchist Literature. The members of Embers have served time in other rather popular Bay Area Punk bands such as Lesser Of Two, Fields Of Shit and Abandon. There are two links here, one for the Embers Blogspot and one for their Bandcamp page. I have known these men and women for years. They are wonderful people with strong, unwavering beliefs. They are friends, even though we haven't seen each other in a long time. You should check out their blog, leave a message, find their songs and liberate yourself. Anarchy is simple, it begins with you. By the way, Steve, I am no prude.
Embers Blogspot
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MOTIM At Bandcamp
This Portuguese Screamo band play crushing, chaotic Hardcore that can come very close to Metal at times. There is the usual high pitched screechy vocalist, but, they also have a growler who gives us some super gutteral Death Metal type vocals sometimes. There are some gang vocal chants that show up from time to time as well. I always appreciate when bands from other places decide to sing in their native languages rather than trying to pander to an American audience. Totally refreshing. The music sort of reminds me of Alpinist or Elder at times and Mihai Edrisch at others. I also hear some influence from a band like Takaru once in awhile. I guess at this point, with all the thousands of screamy, emotionally wrought Hardcore bands, trying to compare or contrast is rather foolish. All I am saying is, if you still enjoy "Screamo" and want to tell your friends you are into bands from exotic locales, you could do alot worse than MOTIM. As a side note, when I can, I will post the band's Bandcamp URL so you can download their album if you so desire.
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I stumbled across this one day while researching bands from San Francisco that I may have missed since moving to Seattle. They had been nice enough to offer the record as a free download on their Myspace page. I can think of very few things that are actually more punk than giving your music away for free. Anyway, Kowloon Walled City are indeed from SF. And yes, they play wonderful, sludgy, thundering Post Metal/Hardcore in the same vein as Fight Amp, Javelina and Fall of Efrafa. The thing that sets these noise mongers apart from their peers though, is this strange habit of sometimes playing parts that sound like Quicksand or Unbroken or some other long lost Post-Hardcore band from the 90's. And I can't fucking get enough of it!! One minute you are being pummelled by some soggy, resin clogged Sabbath riff, only to turn around and get hit with some strange, off kilter breakdown. The vocals don't stray too far from the usual. Throat shredding growls that can summon the ghosts of the great fire of 1906. I highly recommend this to people that wish Neurosis still sounded like they did on 'Pain Of Mind'.
