Happy Monday, folks! Not sure how many of you out there are hockey fans — and specifically, fans of North America’s NHL. Maybe some people reading this were in bed by a perfectly reasonable hour last night and got an adequate amount of sleep. Not me; I was far too busy reveling in watching my hometown team capture the league championship for the second consecutive year, and all of the trophy presentation ceremonies and the other assorted festivities that go along with that, until way WAY past my regular bedtime. So it might be fair to say I’ll be slowly easing my way into this week, and mostly using today to get caught up on some stuff. In that spirit, I’ll skip doing any reviews today, but I’ll take the opportunity to pass along some recent news items that just might pique your interest …
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Following last year’s EP All Empires Fall, which we wrote about here, Brooklyn’s Tombs have announced that their upcoming full-length The Grand Annihilation, the band’s first output for their new label Metal Blade, will be released THIS FRIDAY (16 June)!Like their last album, 2014’s Savage Gold, the new record has been produced by Erik Rutan, and it “remains rooted in the blackened, post-metallic sound that the band has become known for since 2007’s self-titled EP, while also being their most experimental record to-date.” Below, you can stream three of the album’s tracks that have been released so far, and then pre-order a copy of The Grand Annihilation here.
Furthermore, here is a list of U.S. tour dates which will see Tombs appearing alongside Fit for an Autopsy and Moon Tooth:
June 16 – Baltimore MD – Ottobar
June 17 – Reading PA – Reverb
June 18 – Richmond VA – Strange Matter
June 19 – Greensboro NC – Blind Tiger
June 20 – Atlanta GA – Drunken Unicorn
June 21 – Tampa FL – Orpheum
June 23 – Austin TX – Grizzly
June 24 – Houston TX – Walters
June 25 – Dallas TX – Curtain Club
June 27 – Mesa AZ – Nile Half Room
June 28 – West Hollywood CA – Roxy
June 29 – San Francisco CA – DNA Lounge
June 30 – Chico CA – Lost on Main
July 1 – Portland OR – Analog
July 2 – Seattle WA – El Corazon
July 4 – Salt Lake City UT – Metro Music Hall
July 5 – Denver CO – Marquis Theatre
July 6 – Omaha NE – Waiting Room
July 7 – Chicago IL – Reggies
July 8 – Cleveland OH – Foundry
July 9 – Brooklyn NY – Knitting Factory
http://www.facebook.com/TombsBklyn
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Also coming out this Friday (16 June) will be the debut album of Arcadea, via Relapse Records. Consisting of members of Mastodon (drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor), Zruda (Core Atoms on keyboards), and Withered (Raheem Amlani on synths), the self-titled record is described as “electronic but not electronica, synthetic but not processed, heavy but not metal.” According to Arcadea, “the album envisions a future 5 billion years from now, where the impending collision of galaxies creates a new order of planets. Where cold, distant moons pledge alliance to new suns and expanding gas giants implode into black holes. Ancient drones, forever adrift, record toxic tales of love between dying stars. Where lifeforms in suspended animation, dream among the ice rings of Saturn and cosmic war wages among gods and planets. It is in this universe that Arcadea reign supreme as the last surviving space wizards since the final extinction.”No idea what any of that actually means, but for now you can preview the track “Gas Giant” in the video below, and pre-order the album right here.
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Later this month (23 June), Relapse will be releasing the eighth album by longtime alums Dying Fetus, whose signature blend of brutality and technicality have become the stuff of legend. Wrong One to Fuck With features the first new material from the Maryland-based troupe in more than five years — and the label has announced that their first pressing of the CD version will include expanded, deluxe packaging and an exclusive bonus track “Induce Terror.”Below, please find the official album trailer, as well as videos for two of the new tracks, “Fixed on Devastation” and “Panic Among the Herd” — and then you can pre-order a copy here.
http://www.facebook.com/DyingFetus
http://twitter.com/DyingFetusBand
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While we’re on the subject of Relapse artists putting out new material, crust-metal multinational conglomerate Tau Cross (featuring members of Amebix, Voivod, Misery, and War//Plague), will be issuing Pillar of Fire on 21 July, following up their excellent 2015 debut which we had discussed here.The band says, Pillar of Fire is the continuation of some of the ideas that were explored on our first album. This time we have managed to share the songwriting more equally and introduce some other textures to the songs. This should help to establish Tau Cross as less of a one-off phenomenon and more of an ongoing musical collective producing our own distinctive sonic environment.”
Check out this video for new song “Deep State” and then the album is available for pre-order over here.
http://www.facebook.com/TauCrossOfficial
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Finally, our last item today concerns the Canadian group known as Grindmother. After she had provided guest vocals on an EP for her son’s band (Corrupt Leaders), which was also titled Grindmother (and which we wrote about right here when it was released two years ago), the eponymous now-68-year-old went on to become the band’s permanent frontwoman. With a name change to match that first release, Grindmother the band has gone on to record more material and tour over two dozen cities, and the transformation from retired social worker to grindcore vocalist is a story that continues to fascinate.Hence, the idea is to produce a documentary tentatively entitled Age of Destruction – A Film About Grindmother, and the group has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a film crew to follow them on their next tour and all of the other expenses related to producing and editing such a film. Rewards for contributors range from digital or physical media, all the way up to the opportunity to have the Grindmother herself record vocals for your very own song! As of this writing, they have raised more than 20% of the goal, with two weeks remaining until the deadline (26 June). The band has added, “We’re really going to need your help if this is going to succeed. We’ve got some big plans, including getting the documentary to NETFLIX so please help us make it happen!”
You can check out the full details of the documentary Kickstarter — including a few video updates and all of the rewards — here.
http://www.facebook.com/thegrindmother
http://twitter.com/thegrindmother
http://www.instagram.com/thegrindmother
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