Good afternoon! For those who will be in or around the local area this weekend, the Valley of Steel blog is proud to present you with: What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend!
Once again, there is a TON of stuff going on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and I’ve collected as many events here as I could! (But once again, I’m only human, and if you know about anything else that’s happening, either this week or anytime in the future, please be sure to let me know!)
Maybe it’s because of when I was born (after Star Wars but before The Empire Strikes Back) — I just barely missed out on the original genesis of both the punk and heavy metal movements; I was too young to get much exposure to either genre until the late 80s, and when I did start listening to some of the stuff in my pre-teen years and beyond, I didn’t really have any sense of the history behind either scene or the animosity that existed between them…
I don’t know what the explanation is, exactly, but I do know I’ve always had one foot on each side of the line, not really caring about definitions or labels or exactly what separates “punk” from “metal” — and in fact, I tend to gravitate towards stuff that has a little of both flavors (and attitudes) mixed in. I’ve never understood the mindset of people who seem to think they have to pick a side, and refuse to acknowledge anything that the other team has done. To me, if it sounds good, it sounds good — it doesn’t matter what you call it.
That’s why I don’t really get the attitude of the folks who maintain the Encyclopædia Metallum, who (from what I’ve heard) are very particular about genre classifications, and extremely selective about which bands they approve for inclusion in their archives. Almost entirely absent from that compendium of musical knowledge: anyone who would be considered more closely associated with the realms of hardcore or punk (including grindcore or crust) than what they consider “real” metal. Where exactly the line is drawn, though, isn’t always completely clear. For example, it seems Napalm Death qualified as exceptions to the rule, as did Motörhead, yet the Misfits seem to have been overlooked — despite being no less influential in the metal world than either of the others.
Anyway, I could go on rambling about this for the rest of the day (and I’d be glad to hear YOUR thoughts on the subject — just visit the comments section below, or hit the VoS Facebook page, whatever works for you), but I really came here just to share some new music with you. That would be the new EP by Strong Intention, Razorback Express — now available on 7″ vinyl through Patac Records!
Hello out there on the other side of the computer screen! How are things where you are? Here, it was a pretty typical Monday. Back to work, feeling half-asleep all day long, struggling to do simple things like remember my network password…
Sounds like lots of fun, doesn’t it? Yeah, not so much. Times like this, it’s pretty tough to stay focused on anything for very long. So just to warn you, this will end up being a pretty disjointed post! I’ve been hearing about upcoming new music from a bunch of different places over the past few days, so basically I’ve assembled a collection of previews for you — some you can listen to, some you can watch, and some you can download.
There’s a pretty wide variety in this assortment of songs, so chances are, you’ll find something here that appeals to you. If you see/hear something you find interesting, let me know! It’s always nice to know what resonates with you, the reader, so I can be sure to put more effort into stuff like that. And if you don’t find anything you like here, then definitely let me know, and I’ll try harder next time!
Anyway, here we go…
Hey there, folks. How’s it going? (For the record, that question isn’t always rhetorical — if the mood ever strikes you, you can feel free to hit me with some feedback using the comments section at the bottom of each post!)
It’s Saturday, and I’m in sort of a mellow mood, myself. It’s been a long week, and we especially tend to get pretty busy at work as we get closer to the end of the month — hooray for accounting — with the peak usually coming about a week before month-end, so in other words, approximately yesterday. I wouldn’t say that what I do is particularly difficult or strenuous, but sometimes it can be very mentally taxing or feel overwhelming at times. So like I said, I’m basically in the mood for relaxing this weekend.
I’ve mentioned before about how sometimes I need to step outside of the “metal music” box, and treat my ears to something a little different. I’d wager that’s true about everybody: it’s hard to listen to nothing but amps turned up to eleven, pounding drums, and screaming vocals all day every day. Sometimes you need some variety in your life, and for me, today is one of those days.
So I’ve got some mellow bluesy rock to share with you today — but of course I don’t expect all of you readers to be feeling exactly the same way I am when I write these posts! That’s why there’s a whole archive of stuff out there for you to check out (about 193 articles not including this one); surely there’s something there that’ll tickle your fancy. And then the next time you’re feeling like you’re in the mood for some mellow bluesy rock, you can come back to this one. Or even better — I’ll give you the chance to download this EP for free, and then you can hang on to it to listen to anytime you choose!
Happy Friday, readers! Just a few more hours left ’til quitting time, which means no more work until next week… You have no idea how nice it feels to say that. I think I’ll say it again: HAPPY FRIDAY!!
It has turned out to be kind of a dreary day, and of course it’s made all the more dreary simply from being at work. Feels like it’s about time for something to lighten the mood a bit, and I’ve found something perfect for that! If you’re as big of a Monty Python fan as I am, or if you’re as big of a thrash metal fan, or especially, if you’re heavily into both, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to this…
One of the most famous Monty Python’s Flying Circus segments of all time was the wildly popular “Ministry of Silly Walks” sketch. It seems this is exactly what came to mind when guitarists Spencer Le Von and Eytan Gordon of Canadian thrash quartet Fatality were really bored one night and tried to think of a way to amuse themselves. As Spencer (who is also the band’s vocalist, and writer of the band’s official blog) wrote in a blog post earlier this month:
…It took a while for me to realize how astonishingly important killing time is as a musician. It is a vital component of what we do. Whether it is mind bending travel time to a gig or waiting to perform, metal musicians have killing time down to a delicate science, and a band that laughs together stays together.
To better illustrate this point we have devised a CONTEST based on our latest “weekly challenge” video. The video involves Eytan and I acting like complete assholes in public, because that is what makes us laugh and that’s what we find funny.
For this video we decided to pay tribute to Monty Python and the Ministry of Silly Walks. In this clip you can see me and Eytan going for a swift jaunt in our local Metro to purchase some late night munchies.
For their contest, the band want you to take a video of the silliest walk you can come up with, and then submit the video to their Facebook page.
The person who submits the silliest video (as judged by the band themselves) will win a cool prize pack including the following:
This contest was first announced about two weeks ago — there was an update on the band’s Facebook page earlier this week stating that they’re still looking for submissions, but I haven’t heard any official word about a deadline. It seems like the contest is pretty informal, but you won’t want to miss out on these great prizes so you’d better get stepping… as silly as you can!
Oh, and just in case you aren’t already familiar with Fatality’s material, and you want to get a better idea of what you’d be winning, I’ve got some stuff here for you to hear — including several tracks you can download for FREE…
So the Warriors of Metal Open Air Festival V is all set for next weekend (29-30 June)! I wrote a post about the festival way back in April, and if you haven’t seen it recently (or if you haven’t seen it at all), you should definitely look at it again, because there have been several changes to the line-up since it was originally published!
I also noted in that earlier post that there would also be a third day of activities: a pre-festival show on Thursday night (28 June) with details to be announced later. Well… now it’s later.
Hey, look — it’s Thursday already, so there’s just one more day until the weekend! This week hasn’t been so bad, unless you take into account the HORRIBLE FUCKING OPPRESSIVE HEAT we’ve been having.
Anyway, I hear the weather’s supposed to chill out just a little over the next couple days, at least to be a bit more bearable and closer to normal for this time of year. Of course, anyone who’s spent any amount of time in or around Pittsburgh would know that there’s really no such thing as “normal” here!
In any case, all the Pittsburgh-area readers will certainly be glad, not having to contend with such hellish levels of heat and humidity this weekend, especially once you get packed into a bar or club with a few hundred other sweaty drunk people!
And I’m sure you’re going to want to do that; the only problem will be deciding which show you want to go to, because there are a LOT taking place over the next couple days! I’ve got a bunch listed here for you (but as always, I’m only human, and I’m sure I’ve missed sharing something — if you know about anything else that’s happening, either this week or anytime in the future, don’t forget to let me know!)
So the fifth album by Cleopatra Records recording artists (and Pittsburghers) Icarus Witch is coming out in two weeks!
Here is a video teaser for Rise, to be released on the 3rd of July:
You can also listen to the album’s title track here.
Furthermore, the band has filmed a video for the track “The End,” which they hope to be able to get edited and released prior to the release of the album… which is where you come in!
Stormspell Records have built quite a reputation for themselves with their devotion to underground thrash and power metal re-issues from the 80s, as well as newer releases that follow a similar aesthetic.
I’ve found several old treasures through their webstore, that simply aren’t available anywhere else, and I’m sure you will too! But now, through the end of the month, it’s even easier to build up your collection of awesome classic metal sounds, because all of the label’s own releases are discounted to only $5! (Boxed sets and distro titles are discounted, as well.)
There are way too many for me to list them all here, but I’ve especially got my eyes on those two Dantesco CDs (the original release of their 2011 album Seven Years of Battle, as well as the re-issue of their self-titled 2004 demo)! Other highlights include The Horde, Lich King, Morbid Sin, Diamond Plate, Sacrilegio, Ancient Cross, and TONS more!
Here are the links to the sale items: Stormspell CDs A-J and Stormspell Releases K-Z.
Sale lasts until 30 June 2012, but hurry, because quantities of some of these are already starting to get low!
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Stormspell Records: label website, webstore, Facebook
Good morning! It’s early as hell — I haven’t even had any coffee yet and I can’t quite see straight — but this news is too big to wait around before sharing. Sometime in the middle of the night, I got an email from Scotty at Tankcrimes Records saying that there is now a second pressing available of the Municipal Waste / Toxic Holocaust Toxic Waste split!
You can read all about this split 12″ release at this earlier post, if somehow you missed the news the first time around — including the track listing, a brief history of each band, summer tour dates, etc.
(And don’t forget — there’s also more free Municipal Waste tracks available to download for free here!)
But the big news right now is that 1000 more copies of this record are NOW AVAILABLE to buy (ORDER HERE), since the first ones flew off the shelves almost immediately. Pictured above, the new versions include:
200 – Striped (Green/Yellow/Blue)
350 – “Toxic Spill”
450 – Highlighter Yellow
And that’s not all — Tankcrimes has also released all four tracks from the split for FREE DOWNLOAD grab it here…
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Municipal Waste: website, Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation
Toxic Holocaust: Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation, Bandcamp
Tankcrimes: website, Facebook, Myspace, Bandcamp
Valley of Steel 