Touché Amoré "To The Beat Of A Dead Horse"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 847191066664
STREET DATE: 4/14/23
CAT#: CNDLNC03Rv
LABEL: Condolences

Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, TOUCHÉ AMORÉ set themselves against the glamour and greed of their hometown culture with ...To The Beat Of A Dead Horse, the passionate debut LP set for release through 6131/Collect Records. Where TOUCHÉ AMORÉ's demo 7" on No Sleep Records was full of promise, ...To The Beat Of A Dead Horse never feels fully realized: the guitars bend and weave but always maintain their drive, the rhythms are frequently off kilter but never off-time and the vocals are screamed at the edge of breaking up but they're always exciting, pleasing even. Featuring guest vocals by THURSDAY'S Geoff Rickly and MODERN LIFE IS WAR'S Jeff Eaton, ...To The Beat Of A Dead Horse was recorded by Alex Estrada at Earth Capital Studios and mastered by Paul Miner (SUICIDE FILE, NEW FOUND GLORY, UNBROKEN).

TRACK LISTING:

  1. And Now It's Happening In Mine
  2. Honest Sleep
  3. Cadence
  4. Throwing Copper
  5. Swimming With Sharks
  6. History Reshits Itself
  7. Suckerfish
  8. Broken Records
  9. Nine
  10. Always Running, Never Looking Back
  11. Adieux

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Repress of TA's classic debut
  • Features guest vocals by Geoff Rickley (Thursday) and Jeff Eaton (Modern Life Is War)

FOR FANS OF:
Title Fight, La Dispute, Hot Water Music

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Touché Amoré "Dead Horse X"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 847191102973
STREET DATE: 4/14
CAT#: Condolences
LABEL: Condolence

The 2019 rerecording of ...To the Beat of a Dead Horse was recorded by Zach Tuch and mixed by CONVERGE’S Kurt Ballou. Tuch served as an engineer on the band’s 2018 single “Green.” Rickley and Jeff Eaton of MODERN LIFE IS WAR also rerecorded their guest appearances for the new version. “You might be asking ‘Why re-record this album?’ Mostly, it’s because we physically couldn’t remix and remaster the 2009 version due to all the files being lost when the hard drive containing them crashed,” the band’s Jeremy Bolm explained in a statement. “We also just loved the idea of [drummer Elliot Babin] and [bassist Tyler Kirby] getting to play on this album as they weren’t in the band at the time. We wanted the songs to sound like how we’ve been playing them these last bunch of years. Faster and with more energy. So that’s what you get here.” This is the first standalone pressing of the re-recorded version (previously released as part of the deluxe version of the original album).

TRACK LISTING:

  1. And Now It’s Happening In Mine
  2. Honest Sleep
  3. Cadence
  4. Throwing Copper
  5. Swimming With Sharks
  6. History Reshits Itself
  7. Suckerfish
    08.. Broken Records
  8. Nine
  9. Always Running, Never Looking Back
  10. Adieux

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Re-recording of TA's debut's release
  • Mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Every Time I Die, Cave In)
  • Features guest vocals by Geoff Rickley (Thursday) and Jeff Eaton (Modern Life Is War)

FOR FANS OF:
Title Fight, La Dispute, Hot Water Music

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Scowl "Psychic Dance Routine"

12"EP - $17.25 / CASSETTE - $10.70 / CDEP - $10.70
12"EP UPC: 603111758213
CASSETTE UPC: 603111758244
CDEP UPC: 603111758220
STREET DATE: 4/7/223
CAT#: FSR69
LABEL: Flatspot

Scowl has quickly made a name for themselves as one of the most vivid and hard-working acts in the rock world. Since the release of their debut album, How Flowers Grow in late 2021, the band has become a powerful force to be reckoned with. Lauded for its reality-driven, aggressive blend of hardcore-punk, the critically-acclaimed album opened up new doors for the band, including a non-stop touring schedule. As new music began to take shape, it was no surprise that experiencing most of their lives on the road would greatly influence the next phase of Scowl.

Enter Psychic Dance Routine.

Since forming in 2019, the band has consistently eschewed being pigeon-holed, moving far beyond the confines of what a typical “hardcore” band is considered. Floral motifs lace their artwork and merchandise, they’ve notably toured with diverse acts like Limp Bizkit and Destroy Boys, and one of the most talked about tracks on How Flowers Grow was a melodic number with a saxophone solo. On Psychic Dance Routine, Scowl continue to push the boundaries of their sound and artistic presence, now laying somewhere between hardcore and alternative. As the band puts it, “it’s like Negative Approach meets The Breeders.”

In September 2022, the Santa Cruz, California band traveled to Pennsylvania to seclude themselves in the studio for a week, recording with Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip at Studio 4. Working with Yip was a completely collaborative experience as he not only brought life to these songs, but greatly encouraged Kat Moss as she worked on her elevated vocal style found across the record. The highlights and challenges of performing, whether in the studio, on tour, or in the act that is life, became a recurring notion on the five track EP.

As Moss states; “I chose to revolve the main theme around performance. This is both literal and figurative, as the band has been on tour practically all of 2022. My perspective of being consumed as the version of myself that is ‘performing’ has shifted dramatically, while simultaneously grappling with the experience of being a feminine artist in a world that doesn’t always take you seriously.”

Lead single “Opening Night” sets the stage marrying edgy melodies with dynamic riffs. Stylistically, Scowl evokes the same feeling as first hearing bands like Sonic Youth and The Strokes, making sounding cool seem almost effortless. “Shot Down” encompasses the battle of fear versus confidence in both lyrical and sonic form, as the band teeters between circle-pit ready moments and sugary hooks. The most vulnerable and pivotal moment of the EP comes in the title track “Psychic Dance Routine.” Moss and the band emphasize their capability of writing a striking indie-alternative song filled with breathy vocals, lush melodies, and a fundamental introspective for the entire release.

“​​The best way I can define Psychic Dance Routine is that it represents the mental gymnastics or ‘dance routine’ one might have to participate in order to telepathically project their feelings or emotions to another person because they no longer have the ability to express themselves with words” comments Moss on where the title derives. She concludes, “The overarching theme of this EP lies heavily in the definition of the name— I wanted to lyrically express feelings of alienation and loneliness as well as questioning my own reality. I made an effort to speak more with metaphors as I wanted these topics to be relevant to other people.”

On Psychic Dance Routine Scowl has exemplified their ethos of being true to themselves through creating innovative song structures and personable lyrics. Their ability to be genre fluid intersects with their up for anything attitude, whether that means playing in a fast food drive-in parking lot or hitting the stage at Coachella. It’s all just part of the plan for the ever-evolving band that is Scowl.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Shot Down
  2. Psychic Dance Routine
  3. Wired
  4. Opening Night
  5. Sold Out

MARKETING POINTS:

  • SCOWL is one of the most exciting bands in Punk/Hardcore at the moment
  • Can appeal to not only the Hardcore crowd but also Punk, Metal, Rock and Alternative demographics too
  • Has toured w/ The Chats, Show Me The Body, Circle Jerks, Destroy Boys, Limp Bizkit, Drug Church, and More
  • Will tour US, AUSTRALIA, UK, EUROPE in 2023
  • Playing Coachella, Flatspot World, Sick New World, Outbreak, Bamboozle Festivals in 2023
  • A perfect hardcore release that will stand the test of time!
  • Has played festivals such as Sound & Fury, Outbreak, FYA, Act Like You Know, Promcore, etc.
  • Recorded by Grammy Nominated Producer, Will Yip (Turnstile, Code Orange, Turnover)
  • Screenprinted B-Side
  • Pressed on Colored Vinyl

FOR FANS OF:
Negative Approach, The Breeders, Amyl & The Sniffers

Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Fange "Privation"

LP - $17.50
STREET DATE: 4/7/23
CAT#: THRT090
LABEL: Throatruiner

Born out of shared obsessions for stark aesthetics, bold moves and uncomfortable sounds, FANGE's music never stopped evolving since their inception in 2013, transfiguring their sludge roots with death metal then industrial influences. A singularity affirmed with an unexpected, brutal switch to drum machines on late 2019. If the first half of the pandemic saw the breton band exploring their new-found sound over a slab of savage releases ("Pudeur", "Poigne" and "Pantocrator"), the second half was willingly spent off-grid, fully dedicated to their next move.

The result appears under the form of "Privation", their fourth full-length. Clocking in at 40 minutes and seven tracks, the now-quartet raises the bar at every single level to serve their vision : writing more memorable, emotionally-charged tracks without sacrificing the maniacal abrasion of their previous material. This album appears as FANGE's most expressive work, not afraid to balance their trademark wall of noise with more tempered elements, with clean guitars channelling the bleakness of post-punk and cold wave. Pursuing that same intent, vocals appears more versatile and nuanced than ever, while the striking work on sound design and production unveils new details with every listen. "Privation" is nothing but a tour-de-force in a now rock-solid discography, from a band that ignores how to play it safe, nor how to fulfill anything else than their own desires.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. À La Racine
  2. Sang-Vinaigre
  3. Les Crocs Limés
  4. Né Pour Trahir
  5. Enfers Inoculés
  6. Portes D'Ivoire
  7. Extrême-Onction

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Recorded and mixed by Cyrille Gachet (Year Of No Light, Verdun, Chaos Echoes)
  • Mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan)
  • Guest vocals on "Portes D'Ivoire" by Cédric Toufouti (Hangman's Chair)
  • Guest vocals on "Né Pour Trahir" by Cindy Sanchez (Lisieux, Candélabre)
  • Upcoming european tour with Imperial Triumphant

FOR FANS OF:
The Body, Street Sects, Morbid Angel

Instagram | Facebook

Trembler "Folding"

CASSETTE - $7.00
STREET DATE: 4/7/23
CAT#: SDR-091
LABEL: Sunday Drive

Released at the end of 2022, “Folding” is the sophomore LP from Houston alternative-rock band, Trembler. With the help of producer, Corey Coffman (Gleemer) the band was able to reinvent their sound on “Folding”. While the band focused on indie/emo music on their debut, “Folding” finds Trembler vastly expanding their soundscape—leaning both heavy and soft in the realm of alternative rock.

There’s an introduction of many atmospheric layers and noisy guitars that pair perfectly with solemnly catchy vocal melodies and introspective lyrics from vocalist Luke Gonzales. Trembler is creating a unique sound in this genre in 2023—with songs that get stuck in your head and pass quickly, due to the bands’ attentive sequencing and sharp songwriting.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Permission
  2. Lizards
  3. Hiding
  4. Fluorescent Green
  5. Supplemental
  6. Hellisyourface
  7. Concrete
  8. WSD

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Produced by Corey Coffman (Gleemer)

FOR FANS OF:
Radiohead, Duster, Low

Instagram

Ohhms "Rot"

LP - $17.90 / CD - $8.00
STREET DATE: 3/31/23
CAT#: CRR165
LABEL: Church Road

Following a string of singles released by Church Road Records over 2022, UK post sludge headbangers ((OHHMS)) have announced the release of their 4th full-length album - entitled ‘Rot’. Due for release on March 31st, 2023, ‘Rot’ is eight tracks of uncompromising riff-filled and horror fuelled songs.

Each track takes its inspiration from the horror movies that have impacted the band's psyche since the release of their previous album, Close. From the lyrical drive to the rhythms and tempo changes on the drums, from the tone of the layered guitars to the dual vocal approach on several of the cuts, ‘Rot’ sees the group push forward into unexplored pastures.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Tonight's Feature Presentation
  2. Let’s Scare Jessica To Death
  3. Eaten Alive
  4. Blood Feast
  5. Body Melt
  6. A Dark Song
  7. The Mephisto Waltz
  8. Sisters
  9. Swamp Thing

FOR FANS OF:
Baroness, Torche

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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

Bad Blood “The Bad Kind Decides”

12"EP - $15.30
STREET DATE: 3/31/23
CAT#: FSR68
LABEL: Flatspot

“No nonsense hardcore with a punch and a pulse.” That’s how Scott Vogel (Terror, Buried Alive) introduces Bad Blood, the newest project featuring the esteemed vocalist. The band formed in Buffalo, NY after tossing around the idea of playing music together with guitarists Eric Ellman (They Live, Violent Way) and Mason Hutchins (Violent Way), bassist Greg Vinal (Exhibition), and drummer Nick Terlecky (Violent Way). The result is the five brutal tracks that make up The Bad Kind Decides EP, set for release on Flatspot Records. The songs were laid down live with producer Jay Zubricky at GCR studios and mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air studios. Taking influence from ‘80s hardcore bands like Warzone and Brotherhood, Bad Blood have created a fast, in your face sound with lyrics that deal with the negativities of reality. With the release of ​​The Bad Kind Decides, Bad Blood is packing honesty in aggression that’s set to connect from your headphones to the pit.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. 716 Bust / Bad Blood
  2. Fear Is All
  3. Lost To Sin
  4. Apology Denied
  5. The Bad Kind

MARKETING POINTS:

  • New band from Buffalo NY featuring members of TERROR, BURIED ALIVE, VIOLENT WAY, EXHIBITION, and more
  • Can appeal to not only the Hardcore crowd but also Punk, Metal, Rock and Alternative demographics too
  • Playing Flatspot World 2023
  • Screenprinted B-Side
  • Classic Hardcore w/ a rough edge
  • A perfect hardcore release that will stand the test of time!
  • Recorded by Jay Zubricky (Every Time I Die, Buried Alive, Terror) at GCR

FOR FANS OF:
Warzone, Brotherhood, Zero Tolerance

Instagram

Elder "Innate Passage"

2xLP - $26.00 / CD - $10.40
STREET DATE: 3/31/22
CAT#: AS020
LABEL: Armageddon Shop

Innate Passage is the sixth Elder full-length. It finds the mostly-Berlin-based band in the post-pandemic era as veterans at the forefront of a league of progressive and heavy groups working in large part under their influence; a stately presence as reliably forward-thinking as they are unpredictable in sound. They are among the most important acts of their mostly-still-emerging generation. Genuine leaders in style and expressive intention. Innate Passage is further proof why.

In Spring 2020, Elder released their fifth album, Omens, and with it established a claim on their most prog leaning interpretation of sprawling heavy rock and roll. Two years later, Innate Passage builds on many similar concepts, but outdoes its predecessor on every level of performance, weight of its impact, interplay between founder Nick DiSalvo and Mike Risberg’s guitars and keys, the now-settled-in drumming of Georg Edert – who made his debut on Omens – and bassist Jack Donovan’s tonal warmth underscoring the shimmer of DiSalvo’s leads.

Says DiSalvo: “This record channels the surreal world we live in from a fantastical point of view, not super-literally, and how we as humans processed that; everyone on their own passage through time and space and whatever version of reality they chose for themselves. The phrase ‘Innate Passage’ appeared to me when writing the record. Passage and transition are necessary in the human condition and this process is intrinsic to us. All the growth and introspection we underwent in the past few years totally made this apparent to me more so than any other experiences in life so far.”

“Catastasis” begins Innate Passage with a pointedly bright perspective and the most complex vocal harmonies that Elder have ever produced. Alongside DiSalvo, Innate Passage features a guest singer for the first time in Behrang Alavi (Samavayo), who adds his voice to what’s already a career performance for DiSalvo as a singer; his voice is more confident, has more presence, and more reach than ever before. That is but one way in which Innate Passage steps boldly deeper into this new era for Elder.

Whether it’s a shredding lead in the culmination of “Endless Return” or the willfully patient, almost meandering, build into the crescendo and fade of “Merged in Dreams/Ne Plus Ultra,” Elder are poised as never before as they execute this material. In centerpiece “Coalescence,” they offer Opeth-worthy rhythmic intricacy and piano drama offset by crunching heavy guitar and twisting leads, and in “The Purpose,” they craft a wash of melody that is engrossing without sacrificing any clarity of the individual instruments that make it.

As the album ends with soft guitar in an answer to the intro of “Catastasis,” the sense of wholeness that comes through is one more aspect arguing for Elder as singularly crucial. Innate Passage is a culmination of everything they’ve done before, and that’s reason to celebrate, but more, it is that after more than 15 years, they’re still pushing forward to places where neither they nor anyone they’ve influenced have yet gone. – JJ Koczan, Sept. 2022.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Catastasis
  2. Endless Return
  3. Coalescence
  4. Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra
  5. The Purpose

FOR FANS OF:
Sleep, Windhand, Pallbearer

Money "Money"

12"EP - $17.25
STREET DATE: 3/24/23
CAT#: SDR071
LABEL: Sunday Drive

“Money” is the debut self-titled EP from Oklahmona alternative-rock band, Money. Coming from the Oklahoma DIY music scene—currently populated with diverse bands rich in punk/hardcore to shoegaze and alternative rock—Money delivers some of the heaviest straight-forward alternative rock music their town has to offer. Sharing members with the local OK band, Cursetheknife and inspired by late ‘90s bands like Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins and Far, Money’s songs are full of heavy bass, noisy guitars, and echoing vocals, where the band can easily fit on local shoegaze lineup, but slightly more heavy to fit on a punk/hardcore show. From the opener, “Trajector” to the closer, “Slower Hell”, Money does an excellent job in making these songs flow seamlessly while keeping the listener engaged and transfixed with sludgy guitars, clever interludes, and strong hooks on each song.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Fuct
  2. Down4ever
  3. Budd Dwyer
  4. Slower Hell

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Featuring members of Cursetheknife (New Morality Zine)
  • Featuring the track "Fuct"
  • Album has over 400k lifetime streams

FOR FANS OF:
Deftones, Narrow Head, Nothing

Instagram

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

Exude "Cognitive War"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 3617051635579
STREET DATE: 3/17/23
CAT#: PUSHTEEK11
LABEL: PUSHTEEK

After meeting each other for the first time at a No Turning Back show in their hometown of Prague, the members of Exude decided to form a band without even discussing which musical role each member would play.

The resulting eight tracks comprising the band’s debut, Cognitive War, are youthful and unpolished, lyrically introspective, and loaded with a dead-serious mid tempo groove reminiscent of the Desperate Fight scene of Umeå, Sweden in the 1990’s.

With members also putting in creative hours at Pushteek (the local label responsible for this release), playing with sXe 90’s revivalists Lifelike, or pursuing academic studies in philosophy, the Desperate Fight parallels don’t just end with a metallic hardcore sound that would turn the heads of any fan of Shield or Abhinanda.

Exude’s songs are a modern take on a sound that will be familiar to some and completely new to others, but the breakdown always comes back around.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Ladder
  2. Magnifying Glass
  3. Reflector
  4. Hacksaw
  5. Palcát
  6. Clock Hands
  7. Lever
  8. 27–30

FOR FANS OF:
Expire, Blacklisted, Leeway, Cro-Mags, Mindforce, Cold World

Instagram | Facebook

Death Engine "Ocean"

LP - $17.50 / CD - $8.75
STREET DATE: 3/17/23
CAT#: THRT088
LABEL: Throatruiner

Formed in Lorient in 2012, DEATH ENGINE have quickly established themselves as a strong underdog of the french scene, affirming their identity from their very first EP "Amen" : a cold, nervous sound reminiscent of the best of noise rock and early post metal scenes, a clean-cut approach to songwriting and visuals, and impulsive live shows played with constant tension. Two albums followed (2015's "Mud" and 2018's "Place Noire") and allowed the band to play all across western Europe, from dive bars to Hellfest.

After a short break and two years of work, the band returns with their new album "Ocean" and a line-up entirely revamped around guitarist / vocalist Mikaël Le Diraison. More personal and introspective, these 40 minutes showcase the band's mastery of their sound, allowing more space to heaviness while opening their sound to new horizons, colder and more melodic.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Hyperion
  2. Leaden Silence
  3. Pulled Down
  4. Lack
  5. Mess
  6. Dying Alone
  7. Empire

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Drums played and recorded by Joris Saïdani (Birds In Row)
  • Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Converge, Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan)

FOR FANS OF:
Breach, Playing Enemy, Amenra

Official Site | Instagram | Facebook

Dad Hats "Spill"

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 4/7/23
CAT#: MOM072
LABEL: Mind Over Matter

Dad Hats is a four-piece rock outfit from Nashville, Tennessee, whose music oozes "indie rock charm mixed with the grit of upbeat pop-punk." Their sophomore release, Spill, comes complete with earworm guitar riffs, locomotor rhythms, and lyrics that are equal parts poignant and self-deprecating. Dad Hats harness the sound of parties you barely remember and embarrassing memories you kinda wish you could forget through the jangly and melodic guitar parts underpinned by the stealthy rhythm section that keeps bringing the pace back to an uptempo bounce. While the overall sound and aesthetic feel reminiscent and familiar, the vocals and lyrical themes avoid the childish histrionics of the genre.

For the physical release of Spill, Mind Over Matter Records presents the usual beautiful color variants packaged inside of a reverse board jacket, each one adorned with a screen printed image unique to the vinyl variant. The album layout was designed with several alternate covers, and they were able to produce limited run versions to accompany the various color options. The DIY canvases affixed to the front covers of the jackets were screen printed by hand at Mind Over Matter Records on high quality French Paper and then put into place one at a time across the entire pressing. It's a fun pop of flair on an incredible DIY release.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Pavlov's Dog, Y'al
  2. Claustrophobia
  3. RWD
  4. Spill
  5. My Favorite Show Is The Weather Channel
  6. The Fastest Man Alive
  7. Brain In A Jar
  8. No Good, Very Bad
  9. Lake Song
  10. Life In The Backseat
  11. Super Bowl Sunday

FOR FANS OF:
The Menzingers, early Fall Out Boy, The Wonder Years

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Judiciary "Flesh + Blood"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00
LP UPC: 196925632355
CD UPC: 197187799367
STREET DATE: 3/10/23
CAT#: CLCR105
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities

Balancing traditionally timeless grit with 21st century gusto, Judiciary hammer out hardcore grooves at breakneck thrash speeds. The Texas quintet—Jake Collinson [vocals], Kyle Calfin [bass], Austin Looney [drums], Jimmy LaDue [guitar], and Israel Garza [guitar]—wield a searing signature style unlike anything in heavy music. With calculated intensity, it bludgeons without compromise, draws back for a breath, and strikes again even harder. Piling up millions of streams and inciting the applause of Stereogum, Revolver, and more, the group perfects this incendiary hybrid of metal and hardcore on their 2023 second full-length LP, Flesh + Blood [Closed Casket Activities].

“It’s a mashup of old school heavy metal with contemporary energy,” says Kyle. “We didn’t just change anything for the sake of change—we’ve elevated everything in every way.”

Grinding full force since 2013, the band unleashed the EP The Axis of Equality in 2016, a split EP with Mortality Rate in 2017, and finally, their first full-length record Surface Noise with Closed Casket Actitives in 2019. Of the latter, Revolver exclaimed, “More so than many other bands in their orbit, the quintet excels at writing riffs that hang on through any one track without faltering,” while Stereogum raved, “It fucking rips.” Beyond highlights such as “Stronger Than Though” [feat. Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose] and “Temple” [feat. Brody King of God’s Hate], their standout single “Social Crusade” signaled success for what the band had set out to accomplish with their first LP. Along the way, they also shared stages with a wide variety of bands, including Vein, Power Trip, The Acacia Strain, Exhumed, and Gatecreeper, to name a few.

Citing influences such as Slayer’s God Hates Us All and Chimaira’s The Impossibility of Reason as well as “a ton of Machine Head,” their vision crystallized in 2021. They recorded what would become Flesh + Blood with producer Arthur Rizk [Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy] in August of 2021 before Will Putney [Body Count, Vein] handled mixing and mastering.

The collaboration with Arthur proved significant on multiple levels. “Riley Gale [Power Trip] was a huge advocate of us doing a full record with Arthur, so finally being able to do so was an important full-circle moment for us all,” says Kyle. “Arthur really understands heavy music and writes in a way for his bands [Sumerlands, Cold World, etc.] that we all respect. Will makes everything sound massive in every record he works on. We’re super excited for everyone to hear what happens when you combine the two.”

The record snaps into high gear with the one-two punch of “Flesh” and “Blood.” This back-to-back assault evokes the power of their metallic alchemy. “The pairing of ‘Flesh’ and ‘Blood’ really defines every element of the record,” he goes on. “There’s a dystopian feeling, which bottoms out immediately on the first guitar riff of ‘Flesh’. Then it goes straight into the ass beater ‘Blood’.”

The first single “Engulfed” explodes with the squeal of pinch harmonics above a double bass barrage. The gut-punch gives way to a head-spinning solo as the chant, “Shattered glass sound,” rings out. “It’s a super fun song with cool guitar leads,” notes Kyle. “It came a long way, and it’s one of the most cohesive tracks now.”

On “Paradigm Piercer,” clean guitar cuts through a hazy hum only to lose ground to a trudging wall of distortion in a powerful push-and-pull. Everything culminates with “Eschatos Hemera,” which translates to “last days.” The track’s ominous guitars soundtrack a cathartic finale tailormade for the end of existence as unexpected clean vocals wail. “We pushed it further and turned everything up even more extreme with this one,” he elaborates. “Some version of the name ‘Eschatos Hemera’ is all over religious texts and essentially refers to the apocalypse. With this record, we wanted to create our own apocalyptic world. ‘Eschatos Hemera’ is the climax of that apocalypse.”

In the end, Judiciary rule a world of their own now and forever. “We want this music to take you to the world that we’ve built with it,” Kyle leaves off. “To feel it, visualize it, see it how we see it—to us, there would be nothing better.”

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Flesh
  2. Bone
  3. Engulfed
  4. Paradigm Piercer
  5. Knife in the Dirt
  6. Stare Into The Sun
  7. Cobalt
  8. Steel Hand God
  9. Obsidian
  10. Eschatos Hemera

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Engineered and produced by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy)
  • Mixed and Mastered by Will Putney (Vein, Knocked Loose, Harms Way)
  • As seen on tour with acts such as Gatecreeper, Knocked Loose, Vein, and Exhumed

FOR FANS OF:
Power Trip, Hatebreed, Harm's Way and Terror

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

Zozobra "Savage Masters"

LP - $15.95
STREET DATE: 3/10/23
CAT#: BPR-18
LABEL: Brutal Panda

The brainchild of Caleb Scofield (Cave In, Old Man Gloom), ZOZOBRA formed in 2006 and quickly released two crushing full-lengths of atmospheric sludge metal, Harmonic Tremors (2007) and Bird of Prey (2008). Now five years later, the band has re-emerged with Savage Masters, their most aggressive and straightforward release to date. Bursting out the gate with a bold, determined purpose, Savage Masters is an unrelenting fury of post-hardcore ferocity and sludge-tinged amplifier crunch. This release, featuring long-time Cave In bandmates Adam McGrath (guitars) and J.R. Conners (drums), proves once and for all that ZOZOBRA are a veritable force to be reckoned with. Savage Masters was produced and recorded by Andrew Schneider (Unsane, Pelican) and contains stunning artwork by English alchemist Glyn Smyth (Unearthly Trance, Wolves in the Throne Room, Cough).

50% of all proceeds will benefit the family of Caleb Scofield

R.I.P. Caleb Scofield

TRACK LISTING:

  1. The Cruelest Cut
  2. Venom Hell
  3. Deathless
  4. Black Holes
  5. A Chorus Of War
  6. Born In A Blaze

MARKETING POINTS:

  • 10th Anniversary edition of ZOZOBRA's final album
  • Vinyl has been out of print for 10+ years
  • 50% of all proceeds will benefit the family of Caleb Scofield
  • Features members of Cave In, Nomad Stones, Old Man Gloom, etc.
  • Artwork by English alchemist Glyn Smyth (Unearthly Trance, Wolves in the Throne Room, Cough).
  • Part of Brutal Panda Records' 15 Year Annivesary Reissue Campaign

FOR FANS OF:
Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Helms Alee, Nails, Full of Hell

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Full of Hell & Primitive Man "Suffocating Hallucination"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00
LP UPC: 197187736119
CD UPC: 197187725588
STREET DATE: 3/3/23
CAT#: CLCR106
LABEL:Closed Casket Activities

Full of Hell pack nihilism, devastation, and overwhelming fury into every outpouring. Primitive Man blends existential dread and postmodern terror with hostile sludge and doom. It was inevitable that the pair of acclaimed hellraisers, coveted by devoted adherents, would collaborate.

Primitive Man brings their grimy, misery-driven heaviness together with Full Of Hell’s iconoclastic genre-busting grindcore into a singularly powerful dual artistic statement. Produced by Andrew Nelson (Harms Way, Weekend Nachos, LURK), SUFFOCATING HALLUCINATION unites them in a blisteringly blissful sonic celebration of disillusionment and chaos. Issued by Closed Casket Activities, the record arrives just in time for a US tour with The Acacia Strain and Fit For An Autopsy.

Neither group is a stranger to splits and collaborations. The Primitive Man discography, which boasts the unstoppable Immersion (2020) and the Insurmountable EP (2022), among other gems, includes split EPs with a number of like-minded bands, including Hell, Unearthly Trance, and Hexis.

Full Of Hell straight-up merged with Japanese noise masters Merzbow for a collaborative album, followed by a pair of records with experimental metal duo The Body. Those are in addition to a long history of split EPs, with the likes of Nails, Psywarfare, and Code Orange, to name just a few.

The combination of Full Of Hell’s furious blast furnace speed and Primitive Man’s immersive glacial doom was born first from friendship and second from the idea that they had something to say in unison. Full Of Hell guitarist Spencer Hazard suggested it. Soon, he and his bandmates – Dylan Walker (vocals), Dave Bland (drums), and Sam DiGristine (bass) – were in a room with Primitive Man’s Ethan Lee McCarthy (vocals, guitars), Jonathan Campos (bass), and Joe Linden (drums).

“It’s kind of like making a new hybrid band,” Walker explains. “It’s a really special marker of the friendship between us. We approach each collaboration differently, depending on the personalities in the room. With Primitive Man, we wrote everything in the studio. Each collaborative record is a cornerstone in our discography, as important as our own full-lengths.”

Full Of Hell’s earliest full-length outbursts, Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home (2011), and Rudiments of Mutilation (2013), began a sonic conversation of sorts with the band’s audience. That creative discourse continued in earnest with the captivating Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017) and Weeping Choir (2019). Both appeared on Best Of The Year lists from extreme metal tastemakers like Revolver and Decibel. As Pitchfork wrote upon the release of Weeping Choir, “Grindcore, hardcore, and death metal meet within their music to produce something feral and unknowable.”

Primitive Man are no less acclaimed. “There is no band heavier than doom torturers Primitive Man,” wrote Spin, who counted the Denver trio among the 50 Best Rock Bands Right Now. Primitive Man celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2022. Support on several shows came from Jarhead Fertilizer, who hails from one of Full Of Hell’s two home states, Maryland (the other is Pennsylvania), and features Full Of Hell’s Bland and ex-bandmate Brandon Brown.

Vinyl comes package in four different jackets, each featuring different artwork printed on a silver foil card stock and a gatefold insert.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Trepanation for Future Joys
  2. Rubble Home
  3. Bludgeon
  4. Dwindling Will
  5. Tunnels to God

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Packages in one of four different silver foil card stock lp jackets
  • First collaboration LP between Full of Hell and Primitive Man

FOR FANS OF: Khanate, Earth, Neurosis and Swans