Gatecreeper "EP + Split Tracks: 10th Anniversary Edition"

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 5/17/24
CAT#: PRO-097
LABEL: Protagonist Music

After forming in Arizona in 2013, Gatecreeper amassed a significant, dedicated, and very diverse fanbase around the world pretty rapidly. Becoming known for their combination of creativity and brutality, as well as devastating live performances, these early songs cemented what would become the backbone of their undeniable sound. From there the legend has only grown as they have released several highly-regarded albums while touring the world playing alongside some of metal and hardcore's most notable acts. On this 10th anniversary release we find the 4 original tracks from their eponymous 2014 debut, plus songs from their out-of-print split 7"s with YAITW and TOAD, and their track from the 4-way split LP on Melotov. Completely remastered for vinyl by James Plotkin (Bongripper, Voivod, Khanate) and pressed at 45rpm for maximum punishment, the record also includes updated back cover artwork and poster insert.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Void Below
02. Force Fed
03. Overdose
04. Slave
05. Poisoned Mind
06. All Your Sins
07. Carved Into Stone

MARKETING POINTS:

• Remastered for vinyl by James Plotkin (Electric Wizard, Cave In, Bongripper, Khanate)

FOR FANS OF:
Bolt Thrower, Gorguts, Entombed, Grave

William Edward Thompson "Sleep Test"

LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 5/17/24
CAT#: PRO-061
LABEL: Protagonist Music

William Edward Thompson, known better as Billy to his friends, is a multi-instrumentalist based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He plays in notable acts such as Heavy Mantle, Secret Smoker, and Spiritiste, banging out angular, melodic, emotional hardcore in all three bands. However, on his solo debut, Billy strips down to his acoustic guitar and vocals with minimal backing to bring us all a little closer via a more raw and simple approach. Each song here is a quick window into his thoughts and feelings from day to day, almost like a musical version of a journal or diary where some tracks are fully realized and others more like a snapshot of a moment in time. This translates into an honest journey through a songwriter's first experience bringing the more vulnerable aspect of solo work into his repertoire, forgoing the rush-hour noise of a full band in favor of the straightforward energy of bedroom jams. With heartfelt melodies and poetic lyrics, he creates a sonic atmosphere that is both authentic and relatable under the moniker of his full name, William Edward Thompson, unveiling the "Sleep Test" LP as a testament to the basics of songwriting as cathartic expression rather than overly polished product.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Sleep Test
02. Ethereal
03. Candles
04. Fall On My Sword
05. My Grip Slips (Steady Hand)
06. Tight Rope
07. Perfect Souvenir
08. Hungry Ghost
09. Eyes Wide Open
10. Theme Song
11. What Remains

MARKETING POINTS:

• Recorded and mixed by Connor Guiberteau and Brian Domingue at Studio Dudio
• Mastered for vinyl and digital by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air

FOR FANS OF:
Evan Dando, Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessional, Elliott Smith

Gemm "Spun Out"

12"EP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 4/5/24
CAT#: PRO-090
LABEL: Protagonist Music

There's something decidedly comforting about 90's music, namely its wellspring of memorable alternative rock. The seismic shift in artistry of those times aside, there is a warm-fuzzy feeling that albums like "Nevermind" and "Siamese Dream" elicit from listeners then and now. Gemm makes a show of that nostalgic evocation, crafting a tone and style that is just as reverent as it is refreshing. Stepping into the studio in Arizona with producer/engineer Zach Rippy (Defeater, Common Wounds, Fleshwater) they created their newest and most fully realized effort yet, "Spun Out." Marrying the tectonic melodicism of The Smashing Pumpkins with the esoteric songwriting of Title Fight or Nirvana, with added dashes of pop sensibility and Alice in Chains grit, their always evolving sound has an almost alchemic quality. Reverential songcraft meets youthful abandon across a group of tracks that will stick in your head for days. Akin to contemporaries such as Basement and Superheaven, the magic of Gemm is poised to twist alt-rock and grunge-pop into ever more eclectic, fuzzy, anthemic forms that are wholly unique to them.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Trying To Feel
2. Fever Dream
3. No Escape
4. Dizzy
5. World On Fire
6. Split

MARKETING POINTS:

• Produced by Zach Rippy (Defeater, Common Wounds, Fleshwater) at Sound Signal Audio

FOR FANS OF:
Superheaven, Title Fight, Basement, Militarie Gun, Silverchair

Leaving "Liminal"

LP - $14.65
STREET DATE: 3/29/24
CAT#: PRO-095
LABEL: Protagonist

Leaving, who hail from Oakland, CA, meld the heavy distortion of doom metal with the ethereal textures of shoegaze, forging an audio landscape that is devastatingly hypnotic and dripping with sorrow. Founded in 2021, they are a seasoned group of sonic architects who include members of Noothgrush, Amber Asylum, Graves at Sea, Lycus, and Funerary among them. Leaving weaves a musical tapestry that plunges listeners into the abyss with shadowy vocals adding emotional depth and somber undertones to their enormous sound. Lyrically they delve into themes of desolation, depression, loneliness, introspection, and the shadows that lurk within the human psyche. Leaving’s music paints a bleak but vivid, almost gossamer picture of a world consumed by decay. This interplay of light and shadow, coupled with an underlying heaviness, creates an atmosphere that is bound to envelop the listener in a shroud of mesmerizing gloom. With each note, the band invites you into the liminal space they’ve crafted – a space between worlds, emotions, and musical genres. Anticipate a profound sonic journey as Leaving sets the stage on their debut album, promising an immersive exploration of the thresholds of emotive heavy music. Are you ready to leave?

TRACK LISTING:

1. Slow Motion Collapse
2. Broken Flame
3. I’m Just Resting My Eyes (Interlude)
4. Downturn
5. Hollow Ache
6. Liminal

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring members of Graves at Sea, Noothgrush, Lycus, Funerary, Amber Asylum.
• Recorded by Greg Wilkinson (Deathgrave, Autopsy, Graves At Sea, Necrot) at Earhammer Studios.
• Mastered by Nick Basset (Whirr, Nothing)
• Cover painting by the late Mariusz Lewandowski.

FOR FANS OF:
Nothing, Holy Fawn, Windhand, Hum, Grivo, Whirr

Greed Worm "Ritual Onslaught"

LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 3/15/24
CAT#: PRO-093
LABEL: Protagonist Music

At the violent intersection of tech noir and old-school metalcore is where we find Greed Worm, a Chicago-based quintet in the business of serving dank, mean-spirited riffs for the disenfranchised since 2021. With "Ritual Onslaught" they've fused outright ignorant doses of musical dissonance and noise with lyrics condemning the artificial constructs that create and perpetuate human suffering. This approach conjures an almost mechanized brutality across the album that sees fit to reflect, and in turn, destroy, our collective societal malaise. Featuring Mike Lundin from Sarin, Karly Soto from Snuffed, and Nick Ayala from Break the Cycle, this is Greed Worm's most anticipated and mature release yet.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Pirate Signal
2. Chaos Theory
3. Hand Over Your Flesh
4. Ritual Onslaught
5. Machine Learning ft.Nick Ayala
6. Crypto Fascist Arcology
7. Holographic Prison ft. Karly Soto
8. Broadcast Diaspora
9. Reap & Devour ft. Mike Lundin
10. Survive The City

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of Crowning, Snuffed, Shrivel Up, Modern Nun
• Recorded and Mastered by Pete Grossman (Frail Body, Mouth For War, Gates to Hell, Inclination) at Bricktop Studios

FOR FANS OF:
Disembodied, Slipknot, Cult Leader, Pig Destroyer, Nails

Graduation Speech "Arcane Feelings"

LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 3/1/24
CAT#: PRO-094
LABEL: Protagonist Music

As musicians change, so does their music. It's an unavoidable truth that some fans hold against their favorite artists, but an artist's evolution also yields some of their most powerful music. Case in point: New Jersey's Graduation Speech was conceived when Kevin Day sought a quieter creative outlet separate from his band Aspiga. Though the intimate acoustic project differed dramatically from Aspiga's brand of blown-speaker pop-punk, it opened new doors for Day as a songwriter. Now, after six years of releases, Graduation Speech is ready with Arcane Feelings, an EP that noticeably features six full-band songs, building on 2021's Maintenance Required. On that EP, Day called on friends to add guitars, drums, keys, and percussion, showing what Graduation Speech could look like with more rhythm and layers. Where previous Graduation Speech releases were quiet, personal -- perfect for an acoustic house show living room -- the songs on Arcane Feelings are written for a small stage in the back of a bar, the crowd knocking shoulders, nodding to the beat as they nurse their beers. That's in no small part due to the addition of Billy Bollinger, Brandon Iacometta (both of Crucial Dudes), and Pat Pie rounding out this new lineup. It's different from what fans might initially expect, whether in the quieter moments which now seem to pack more weight, or in the resounding guitars and choirs of vocals, but the added instrumentation and layers transform these songs into something powerful in an entirely new way.

TRACK LISTING:

1. No Confidence
2. Henry
3. 09-12-20
4. Break The Curse
5. Get Lost
6. Follow

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring members of Aspiga, Crucial Dudes
• Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Dave Downham (Beach Slang, mewithoutYou, Into It Over It, Plow United)

FOR FANS OF:
The Weakerthans, The Get Up Kids, Jets to Brazil, The Menzingers

Bosses "Jokes"

CASSETTE - $6.00
STREET DATE: 12/29/23
CAT#: PRO-091
LABEL: Protagonist

Brooding rock melts into dreamy atmospherics on "Jokes," the first EP from Chicago area 5-piece, bosses. Originally led by Harlee Young, the full band lineup now includes members of Dead Sun, Highdiver, and Griefeater to flesh out their immense sound. Pulling inspiration from shoegaze and grunge, the hypnotic bosses approach can best be described as heavy, ethereal, and highly emotional.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Overkill
2. Windburn
3. Sick

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of Dead Sun, Highdiver, and Griefeater

FOR FANS OF:
Nothing, Balance & Composure, Superheaven, Still

Sexless Marriage "This Is Not Love"

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 11/3/23
CAT#: PRO-081
LABEL: Protagonist

Returning for their second album, Sexless Marriage burst forth with more of their frantic yet driving frustration and self-deprecating dirge. Crafting raw and unsettling hardcore that is unmistakably punk, they drag you through the shards of shattered convention as the story of "This Is Not Love" is told. The battering is delivered by the hands of players who've done service in Doomriders, Deafheaven, Umbra Vitae, Weak Flesh, The Red Chord, and Wear Your Wounds, across 15 grimy tracks including two with guest vocals by Jacob Bannon of Converge. Heavy doses of workaday grit and desperation are purged at every turn along the way, buoyed by tensely creative yet unforgiving musicianship that is guaranteed to make your ears bleed and your head bang. This Is Not Love...This Is Necessity.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Burnt Beginnings
2. Sundowning
3. Abstract Optimistic
4. Harsh Light
5. Enduring Love
6. Fortune Favors the Fortunate
7. Cardiac Arrest
8. Brainless Heart
9. Wet Room
10. Tethered
11. Arrogant Pessimist
12. Delicate Flesh
13. Flirting with Disease
14. Tapeworm
15. Tourist of Grief

MARKETING POINTS:

• Sexless Marriage features members of Doomriders, Deafheaven, Umbra Vitae, & The Red Chord
• Album features 2 tracks with guest vocals by Jacob Bannon (Converge, Umbra Vitae, Wear Your Wounds)
• Recorded by Chris Johnson (Cave In, Deafheaven, Cult Leader) at New Alliance.
• Mastered by Zach Weeks (Acid King, Into It. Over It.) at God City.

FOR FANS OF:
Filth Is Eternal, Black Flag, Pig City, Rabbit, Public Acid

The Suffering "Our Fathers Turn In Their Graves"

LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 10/27/23
CAT#: PRO-088
LABEL: Protagonist Music

Delivering a thundering metal onslaught with a sturdy hardcore spine, The Suffering live up to their dour name on a debut album of unbridled aggression. Members of the band are hardly strangers to playing abrasive music with scene veterans from notable bands such as Bleeding Through, Light This City, Mean Season, First Blood, etc. And all respect to the past, of course, but when The Suffering divert somewhat from former paths, opting instead for a noisier, bleaker, and more earache inducing brand of metal, it definitely stands on its own throat-punching merits. Their insistence on a non-stop attack, along with a pointed lyrical approach can really only be described as utterly relentless, combining break-neck speed and jarring breakdowns into an all-out musical tempest. Add to that the searing guest vocal spot on "Preach" from Aaron Weseman of Disembodied fame, and the deed is certainly done. File under uneasy listening.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Reflection
2. Excommunicated
3. Preach (ft. Aaron Weseman)
4. Black
5. The Disconnect
6. Influencer

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring ex-members of Bleeding Through, Mean Season, Light This City, First Blood
• "Preach" features guest vocals from Aaron Weseman of Disembodied

FOR FANS OF:
Bleeding Through, Gatecreeper, Pig Destroyer, Entombed, Ringworm

Bleached Cross "Exhumed"

Cassette - $7.00
STREET DATE: 10/20/23
CAT#: PRO-087
LABEL: Protagonist Music

"Exhumed" is the final offering from the studio sessions that produced the self-titled debut from Chicago's Bleached Cross. Featuring a previously unheard B-Side entitled "Despise", as well as remixes by The True Faith and Meatman (Trevor Vaughan), and unearthed demos from the time leading up to that recording session, this is simultaneously a bookend to the beginning stages of the band while also signaling the start of the next chapter in their sonic journey. Cold, introspective, and haunting, Bleached Cross have been making it their business to convert the masses into believers of their oppressive post-punk sound. With the release of "Exhumed" and future touring plans on the horizon, it's not too late to join in their next ritual… LET IT BLEED.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Despise
2. Field of Souls (The True Faith remix)
3. Field of Souls (Meatman Remix)
4. Suffer (Demo)
5. Soul Bleed (Demo)

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of DW artist Frail Body & Crowning and Pains
• Remixes by The True Faith and Meatman (Trevor Vaughan of Wound Man, Internal)
• On tour with Black Magnet in January

FOR FANS OF:
Cold Cave, The True Faith, Chain Cult, Frail Body, Drab Majesty, Soft Kill

Wet The Rope / Icepield "Split"

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 10/6/23
CAT#: PRO-078
LABEL: Protagonist Music

On this split album we find California represented in two bands that are deeply connected to the experience of 90's emotional hardcore, while firmly establishing relevancy for the current times. Northern California's Wet The Rope approach their second vinyl release by quieting their angular, off-kilter hardcore just slightly and focusing their work on exploring aging, loss, and death. Their sound is plaintive, urgent, and melodic, bringing to mind acts such as Ignition, Pot Valiant, and Swiz. San Diego's Icepield follow up their cassette EP with tracks that bring to mind their hometown flavor a la Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, while a closer listen reveals touches of 80's dark post-punk and alternative rock as well. Their anxious and chaotic melody along with cryptic, introspective lyrics, combine for a driving and ultimately catchy result. Wet The Rope boast ex-members of Amber Inn and Downcast, while Icepield have ex-members of Stickfigurecarousel.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Wet The Rope - Let the Rain Fall Forever
2. Wet The Rope - Appalachian Dusk
3. Wet The Rope - Suffocation
4. Wet The Rope - Alarms are Obsolete
5. Wet The Rope - Bring Us Back
6. Icepield - Truth Decay
7. Icepield - The Glove
8. Icepield - Brutal Holiday
9. Icepield - Please Send Hell
10. Icepield - Open Presence

MARKETING POINTS:

• Wet The Rope is ex members of Amber Inn, Downcast
• Icepield is ex members of Stickfigurecarousel
• Album mastered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Graf Orlock, Joyce Manor) at Atomic Garden

FOR FANS OF:
Amber Inn, Ignition, Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Swiz

Academy Order "A New Kind of Fear"

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 9/29/23
CAT#: PRO-085
LABEL: Protagonist Music

Since 2021, Academy Order have been honing their sound through various releases and live incarnations, expertly showcasing elements of death rock, punk, new wave, and even hardcore in a sonic amalgamation that is uniquely their own, while remaining just familiar enough to keep heads nodding. Now they surge forth with a debut LP, unleashing "A New Kind of Fear" to solidify an approach that touches nerves both lyrically and musically via counterpoints of aggression and melody not so commonly coupled in the broad genre of post-punk. The deliciously cold attack of driving guitars and Matthew's demanding vocals weighed against synth lines straight from the 80's dance floor and Norelle's angelic vocal hooks bring the shadowy rhythm of the whole album to halting depths and infectious heights. Though far from derivative, fans of seminal acts such as 45 Grave, Clan of Xymox, and TSOL may find themselves moving just as readily as those who enjoy Danse Society, Bleached Cross, and Chain Cult.

TRACK LISTING:

1. A New Kind of Fear
2. The Devil Spoke
3. World Sent Spinning
4. Death in the Mid-Atlantic
5. Echelons Cave
6. Remember the Night
7. ...You Learn To Sleep
8. Perennial Sun
9. Death in the American South
10. Life in the Fog Bank

MARKETING POINTS:

• Recorded by Zach Miller (GEL, Sick Shit) at Landmine/Noisewar Studios
• Mastered by Phillip Odom (Code Orange, Portrayal of Guilt, Angel Dust) at Bad Wolf Recordings
• Full US tour Oct/Nov 2023

FOR FANS OF:
45 Grave, Clan of Xymox, TSOL, Chain Cult, Bleached Cross, Blitz

Flowers for Burial "Animus"

CASSETTE - $4.75
STREET DATE: 7/28/23
CAT#: PRO-083
LABEL: Protagonist Music

Flowers for Burial is an abrasive hardcore unit from upstate New York formed in 2022. Drawing influence from power-violence and grindcore, they construct fast and heavy hardcore as a backdrop to lyrics reflecting inner torment. Nicole's vocals will shred your eardrums while conveying deeply personal lyrics of suffering, trauma, and isolation. Their relentlessly punishing debut release, Animus, is 8 blistering tracks of exactly the sonic bloodletting you might expect in these troubling times. Recorded at Nada Studios, engineered by Sean-Paul Pillsworth, mixed by Taylor Young at the Pit Studio, and Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Glass Ceiling
2. Defective
3. Incinerate
4. Youth
5. Animus
6. Rot
7. Sheep
8. Trapped

MARKETING POINTS:

• Recorded at Nada Studios, engineered by Sean-Paul Pillsworth
• Mixed by Taylor Young at the Pit Studio
• Mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air

FOR FANS OF: Regional Justice Center, Wound Man, Nails, Lesser Minds, Ingrown

THIEV "Break/Fade"

LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 7/28/23
CAT#: PRO-086
LABEL: Protagnoist Music

Something infectious and energetic was woven through the songs of 90's melodic punk, and THIEV are tapping directly into that vein again today. With influences such as Bad Religion, AFI, Lifetime, Pennywise, and Saves the Day, their approach is to play sincere melodic hardcore with a heavy west coast influence while sticking to their NJ pop-punk/hardcore roots. Those who yearn for the catchy hooks, tasty riffs, and anthemic choruses of yesteryear will find a veritable feast of such attributes on this vinyl release which contains both EP's. And alongside the formative elements of past influence, these tracks definitely find a firm anchor in the authenticity of the present with their conscious lyrics and emotively mature songwriting. Featuring members of bands such as Hundreds of AU, Silence Equals Death, Entropy, Lesser Minds, and more, the seasoned players in THIEV are hailing a resurgence of high-energy punk rock with a long memory and a keen eye to the future. Let's go!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Spinning
2. Meaningless
3. The In-Between
4. Where We Started
5. Noise Machine
6. The Paint Will Fade
7. A Break in the Fence

MARKETING POINTS:

• Feature members Hundreds of AU, Silence Equals Death, Entropy, Hell Mary

FOR FANS OF:
Bad Religion, Pennywise, Saves the Day, AFI, Lifetime

S.A.C. "S.A.C."

Cassette - $4.75
STREET DATE: 6/2/23
CAT#: PRO-082
LABEL: Protagonist Music

S.A.C. is a 4-piece slam/grind outfit from Providence, RI. Drawing their influences from hardcore, death metal, screamo, and hip hop, Shoot All Cops are putting us on notice with 3 tracks of unfettered disgust. Their songs tackle issues such as police brutality, inflated egos, smashing societal standards, and self accountability. The sound is as bleak as the message, dripping with filthy riffs and breakdowns that compliment their scathingly acidic vocals. Turn the volume up and prepare to ram your head directly into the nearest wall.

Featuring ex/current members of: Worst Days, Amitié, Tar, The Hate Street Dialogue

TRACK LISTING:

1. Check Yourself
2. MF 9-5
3. P.O.S.

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring ex/current members of: Worst Days, Amitié, Tar, The Hate Street Dialogue

FOR FANS OF:
Speed, Edict, Greed Worm, Sunami

Damien Done "Total Power"

CASSETTE - $6.00
STREET DATE: 5/19/23
CAT#: PRO-089
LABEL: Protagonist

Dusky rock'n'roll meets gloomy pop from Damien Moyal, the former of frontman of As Friends Rust, Culture, Morning Again, and Shai Hulud. Playing alongside former members of Child Bite, Earthmover, and Scissor Now, this latest effort sees Moyal continue his sharp turn from the angst of his past, instead using Damien Done as a vehicle to croon unnervingly voyeuristic tales over a collection of bleak but catchy tracks. Touching on the doom and drawl of swampy grunge and the cold, blue sneer of darker 80s pop and hazy post-punk, Total Power is just the slightest curl of a lip on an otherwise angelic face.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Maw
2. Black Moon
3. Pray For Me
4. Inexorcisable
5. Young Drugs
6. Always On Fire
7. Fin Dom
8. Gentleman Thief
9. Bounty and Blight

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring members of As Friends Rust, Shai Hulud, Child Bite.
• Full-color and multi-facet packaging with O-Card.

FOR FANS OF:
Nick Cave, Interpol, Billy Idol, Echo & The Bunnymen

Omen Astra "The End of Everything"

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 5/19/23
CAT#: PRO-076
LABEL: Protagonist

Nothing can fully prepare you for the scope and scale of what Omen Astra are documenting on this monumental debut. Crushing. Atmospheric. Challenging. Just some of the descriptors one might choose to wrap their mind around this release. Influences present include the brute force, technicality, and hooks of bands as diverse as Cult of Luna, Faith No More, Cave In, Gojira, and Neurosis, and even touches of the interstellar psychedelia and melodic songcraft of Bowie or Pink Floyd. The full album is so sonically and emotionally heavy that it might transform your record player into a home version of the large-haedron collider. No comparison or written description is truly apt here, though it might be best characterized as an explosion of rage and beauty akin to the eye inside a storm - an experience to be lived rather than read about. And one absorbed best at full volume!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Breathe Into the Wave
2. False Gods
3. Who's Been Painting My Roses Red?
4. The City That Burns
5. Glory To The Crown
6. This Is The End of Everything

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of New Day Rising, The Black Maria, Spread the Disease

FOR FANS OF:
Cult of Luna, Cave In, Gojira, Mouth of the Architect, Neurosis

Spiritkiller “Two Thousand Twenty Three”

CASSETTE - $4.10
STREET DATE: 3/31/2023
CAT#: PRO-084
LABEL: Protagonist Music

Spiritkiller will make you move, but leaves behind the mosh-heavy content and instead focuses on the dynamics and coherence that was so prevalent in 90's hardcore. The band carefully aims to lock you into a groove with the use of solid drumming and catchy strings. Topping it all off is the mission to get some lyrics stuck in your head and ultimately view the music as a chance to promote some self-awareness. Featuring members of: Hundreds of AU, Endicott, Lariat, At War With Shadows, Black Kites, and more, this is thoughtful hardcore. This is Spiritkiller from Albany, NY.

TRACK LISTING:

1. The Spiral
2. New Economy
3. Blind to Myself
4. Unconditional

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring members of Hundreds of AU, Endicott, At War With Shadows, Lariat, Black Kites

FOR FANS OF:
Unbroken, 108, Snapcase, Undertow, One King Down, Endeavor

Academy Order “The Devil Spoke”

CASSETTE - $4.75
STREET DATE: 3/17/23
CAT#: PRO-080
LABEL: Protagonist

Academy Order is a punk/death rock outfit formed in Philadelphia in 2021. They released a six song EP entitled “To Wilt Without Shame” via Denver’s Convulse Records that same winter which was very well-received, sold out of press, and was subsequently re-issued by Protagonist. The group blends punk, death rock, and new wave that calls to mind Christian Death, 45 Grave, and Clan of Xymox, with touches of early Oi and hardcore such as Blitz and TSOL. Here they have returned with “The Devil Spoke" which captures their continued growth and strong focus on demanding and infectious songwriting, while teasing listeners for what is yet to come...

TRACK LISTING:

1. The Devil Spoke
2. Death in the American South
3. Perennial Sun (Cassette Exclusive Track)

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring members of Stud Count, Drill Sergeant
• Art & Design by Preston Weippert (Of Feather And Bone)
• Includes download card

FOR FANS OF:
Killing Joke, 45 Grave, Stud Count, Christian Death, TSOL, Clan of Xymox

Common Wounds “Common Wounds”

CASSETTE - $4.75
STREET DATE: 3/10/23
CAT#: PRO-077
LABEL: Protagonist Music

Common Wounds is a Phoenix, Arizona based band established in 2018, under the former moniker Dead History. The band finds itself rooted in a love of 90's noise rock, post grunge, and emotionally driven post-hardcore with waves of distortion, melody, and pulsing rhythm driven through angst ridden, low-tuned instruments. This music calls to mind the street heavy DNA of Helmet and Unsane, with the meandering chaos of Lowercase and Unwound, and the passion of Hoover and Current; while any hints of influence serve the creation of their own tension-filled cacophony.

Though they are forging new paths in sound an songwriting, Common Wounds features members of respected bands like Run With the Hunted, Landmine Marathon, Suicide Nation, Seas Will Rise, and War Tongue. To properly capture the mood of this EP, it was recorded and mixed by Zachary Rippy (Full of Hell, Defeater) at Sound Signal Recording Studios in Mesa, Arizona, and mastered by Nick Zampiello (Torche, KEN mode) at New Alliance East.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Lament
2. Hit or Miss
3. High/Low
4. No Exit
5. Phantom Limb

MARKETING POINTS:

• Full-color, maltese style fold-out cover.
• Digital download card included.
• Ex-members of Run With the Hunted, Suicide Nation, Landmine Marathon.
• Recorded and mixed by Zachary Rippy (Full of Hell, Defeater) at Sound Signal Recording Studios in Mesa, Arizona.
• Mastered by Nick Zampiello (Torche, KEN mode) at New Alliance East.

FOR FANS OF:
Unwound, Lowercase, Jesus Lizard, Unsane, Hoover