Author Archives: valleyofsteel

Two Reviews for the Price of One: Ritalin Attack – James Doesn’t Exist Split + Gutter Bombin’

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Ritalin Attack / James Doesn’t Exist – Split (13 April 2012, Torn Flesh Records)

 

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Ritalin Attack – Gutter Bombin’ (07 May 2012, Torn Flesh Records)

 

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Hey there. I thought it’d never get here, but it’s finally Friday!! And there was much rejoicing. Yay.

So, remember last week when I was talking about music journalists who somehow find the time to also be musicians?

Well, at that time I also started writing this review of the recent split release between Ritalin Attack (the brainchild of Ross Gnarly, of American Aftermath fame) and fellow one-man grind band James Doesn’t Exist, which was intended to be published that same day as kind of a companion piece. But then, as it often does, life got in the way and I didn’t get it finished on-time.

Then, ironically, on Monday I learned that Torn Flesh Records had issued another Ritalin attack release, called Gutter Bombin’. I said ironically, because here I sit, unable to complete one article written on-schedule, and meanwhile an entire album of music (well, more of a mini-EP, to be fair) had been written and recorded AND released.

It’s no wonder Ross manages to write and publish nearly 4,000 articles a week (approximately), and it’s also completely fitting that this artist’s name should refer to Ritalin. Also known as Methylphenidate, Ritalin is a drug often prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — probably a condition with a high rate of occurrence among performers and fans alike in the grindcore scene — despite the fact that the medication itself is a stimulant, and from a chemical standpoint is basically a milder form of cocaine. Of course I’m not a doctor or a scientist or whatever, but I have absolutely no idea why that would help.

Anyway, the point of all this is, I’ve now edited and amended what I originally had begun writing, so that now it covers both releases — including how to download each of them 100% free, from the nice people at Torn Flesh.

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Out Last Month: Author & Punisher – Ursus Americanus

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Author & Punisher – Ursus Americanus (24 April 2012, Seventh Rule Recordings)

Good afternoon, readers. You might remember about two months ago, when I told you about a couple preview tracks from the new Author & Punisher album, Ursus Americanus (as well as an interview with the mechanical engineer Tristan Shone who is the architect of these technological soundscapes).

Well, in case you forgot or you haven’t been paying attention, that album has since been released by Seventh Rule, and is now available for streaming, or to purchase the album download or CD, whichever is your preferred method for experiencing post-apocalyptic harsh industrial nightmares…

 
Do you remember the basic idea behind The Matrix movies? At some point in the future, humans have built machines that developed higher and higher levels of intelligence, until eventually they became self-aware and rebelled against the people who had created them. “The Matrix,” or the reality that we all perceive, is actually just an artificial virtual environment created by those machines to occupy the minds of the human slaves who are kept as sources of energy; meanwhile, the “real world,” or the actual reality outside of the Matrix, is a war-torn, post-apocalyptic hellscape as the result of generations of battles between men and machines.

In that reality, where the machines are the dominant ‘species’ and nearly all of mankind is reduced to the role of subserviant ‘batteries,’ so to speak, one would imagine that there would be plenty of leisure time for those advanced technological creations. Perhaps they get together for parties or go out to a night club. And when they do, this is their soundtrack.
 
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Out Last Month: Dreaming Dead – Midnightmares

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Dreaming Dead – Midnightmares (Self-released, 20 April 2012)

So it’s been about three weeks since Midnightmares, the new Dreaming Dead album was made available. As you may recall, I told you they were giving it away for free on the day it was released. Did you see that post, and did you take advantage of that offer? If you did, feel free to share your opinion in the comments below — I’d love to hear from you. If you missed it, though, I’m sorry — but you should totally consider taking advantage of subscribing to the Valley News email updates or RSS feed (see the relevant links somewhere on this page), or heading over to Facebook and “liking” the Valley of Steel page, because I’m always sharing information about freebies like that when I hear about them, and maybe next time you can be better informed!

In any case, if you haven’t had a chance to check out this lovely slice of progressive death-thrash yet, don’t worry — it might not be available to download for free any more, but you can still catch a stream of the album at the band’s website, and they’re also selling it in download, CD, and LP formats!

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Get ’em While They’re Hot: Grab a Song from Vesperia’s New Demo for Free!

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STOP! You should totally check out THIS POST instead. Vesperia‘s entire The Swordsman demo is now available to download for free; the full details are included there.

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Out Last Month: Pigs – You Ruin Everything

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Pigs – You Ruin Everything (Solar Flare Records, 11 April 2012)

Well, good morning. Another new day, another day closer to the weekend. The real shitty part is, though, I spent about half of yesterday convinced that it was actually Wednesday, which made me real depressed when I realized it wasn’t. Things were looking up as quitting time was approaching, but then when a departing coworker announced “See you all tomorrow – hey, tomorrow’s Wednesday already!” in a way-too-cheerful voice, well that made it about a hundred times worse. I was feeling pretty pissed off, and decided I needed something to listen to that’s equally pissed off, or who knows, I might have ended up breaking something.

So how has your week been so far? If it’s anything like mine has been, maybe you need some angry music too. Here’s what worked for me, I hope this will help you as well.

I’m going to start out by assuming you’re already familiar with Unsane, that groundbreaking blend of classic NYHC and noise rock, which is still going strong after nearly a quarter-century? If you aren’t, I’d suggest you correct that oversight real quick!

If you do know the band, you’ll be glad to hear that not only did they put out a new album earlier this year, but bassist Dave Curran (who’s been with the band since 1994) has a new side-project called Pigs, who also just released a new album. And, you’ll be even gladder to know that it sounds awesome!

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Upcoming Shows: What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (12 May 2012)

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Hi there.  It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done one of these “What To Do In Pittsburgh” features, but there are a couple interesting events coming up this Saturday (12 May) that I’d like to bring to your attention.  For the record, if you work for a local promotion company, a venue, or a band, I can only write about the shows that I know about!  So get in touch with me if you’ve got something you want to share.

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The “Signmeto” Unsigned Band of the Week: Patron Saint of Plagues

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Hello there, readers!  Hope your day is going well — or at least, as well as a Monday can be expected. Even though I’m at work, I’m not in a terrible mood, which is pretty unusual for me. Maybe because I feel like I actually got some stuff accomplished over the weekend. More likely, I’m just (still) not awake enough to really feel anything yet. Well anyway, I don’t know about you, but I need some music while I work. Today (just like I do every Monday) I’m heading over to the “Sign Me to Roadrunner Records” website to look for something good, and then I’ll share whatever I find with you!

A short while ago, I got a message from a Canadian band called Patron Saint of Plagues, who describe themselves as “a twisted concoction of ominous tones and eerie melodies melded into dark story-tale like songwriting that touches on the very essence of the darkside of humanity and the terrifying thoughts that plague the mind of a psychopath.”

That, coupled with the photos of the quartet (guitarist Dead Boy, bassist Robbie Graves, drummer Bonez, and founder/frontman/vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Opi Saint) looking like a cross between The Spooky Kids and The Misfits on Halloween, definitely let me know that we’re in for a fun ride today.

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Get ’em While They’re Hot: Free Compilation from Domestic Genocide Records!

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According to the label’s official bio,

Domestic Genocide Records is an independent, donation-run record label, focusing on musicians who have been oppressed, who have not been given the opportunity to deliver their message of creativity through music. We are 100% online-based, located in various parts of the USA. Our name reflects some of the harshest realities our artists and staff have had to endure throughout their lives.

If you ask me — and technically, since you’ve come here to read what I have written, you kind of are implicitly asking me — that’s pretty awesome. Since I’ve started writing this blog, and even before that, I’ve always gravitated toward the bands and music coming from some of the more, shall we say, non-traditional parts of the world. By “non-traditional,” I mean countries that aren’t traditionally associated with heavy metal music. And, I’ve quite often been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve heard.

In places that have been under the most oppressive of conditions for so long, you might not expect most of the people living there to even have the opportunity to know about heavy metal. But some do manage to hear it and love it — and some of those people go on to create music of their own. And as I was saying, a lot of the stuff I’ve heard has been pretty incredible.

So, for Domestic Genocide to work so hard to give those artists an outlet to get their work heard across the world is totally cool and deserving of your attention and support.

Earlier today, I learned that the label has just released a compilation of songs – called Death Zone, Volume 1 – from several different artists across the world. The comp is available to download for free if you choose, so the artists (and the label) can get as much exposure as possible, or for whatever price you decide to pay, if you like what you hear or if you want to help out their mission to give people a voice.

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In Case You Missed It: Fire in the Cave – Self-Titled

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Fire in the Cave – Fire in the Cave (28 February 2012)

 
Happy Friday!! I’m so ready for the week to be over so I can get my ass home! No more school for a few months, no more work for a few days, nothing to do but kick back and… do all the shit I need to take care of around the house, that I’m unable to do during the week. Sometimes it feels like I barely get a single minute to myself, to relax or whatever. I’ll be honest with you — I’m always amazed (and, I’ll admit, sometimes a little jealous) when I hear about one of my colleagues in the music-writing world being in a band, on top of the writing and also having a “real” job and whatever else they’ve got going on. I hardly find the time to go to shows as often as I’d like, let alone to be able to rehearse beforehand, or even to put in the effort to recruit a bunch of people to even get started in the first place! But like I said, there are some people out there that manage to do it all, and I definitely respect that.

Case in point is Jarad Oates, editor/writer for Orlandooom!, plus an occasional guest columnist for … well, as far as I can tell, pretty much every other Florida-based music-related publication in existence. In addition to all of that, he’s also a member of Orlando swamp-metal warlords Fire in the Cave, for whom he contributes caveman-esque (no pun intended) bellowed vocals. A couple of months ago, that band self-released a self-titled EP, and I’d like to share that with you now.

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Breaking Up is Easy to Do: Averse Sefira Have Officially Disbanded

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So you know that thing when you’re watching the news, and you hear that some famous person died — an actor or comedian or somebody — who was pretty old and whom you hadn’t heard anything about in years?  And you don’t want to be rude or anything, but your immediate reaction is to think, “Oh, I didn’t even realize he was still alive”?  Yeah, just like that.

Long-running Texan black metal band Averse Sefira have officially announced that after more than fifteen years, numerous tours across Europe and America, and four highly acclaimed albums (most recently, 2008’s Advent Parallax), they’ve decided to disband. 

The two remaining founding members of the band, vocalist/guitarist Sanguine Mapsama and bassist Wrath Sathariel Diabolus have both issued a formal farewell message on the band’s blog.

Their most recent two albums, the aforementioned as well as 2005’s Tetragrammatical Astygmata are both available for purchase as digital downloads, on CD, and (for Advent Parallax, on LP) from their Bandcamp page.

The official Averse Sefira website is here.