Category Archives: New Releases

In Case You Missed It: Vattnet Viskar – Self-Titled EP

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Vattnet Viskar – Vattnet Viskar (15 March 2012, Broken Limbs Recordings)

 
So I decided it was time to reach into my great big pile o’ stuff waiting to be reviewed, to find something to write about today, when the name Vattnet Viskar jumped out at me. Since they released their self-titled EP through Broken Limbs back in March, I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz surrounding this band, culminating in the announcement last week that they had been signed to Century Media Records.

Prior to this recent EP, the band had self-released a demo tape in 2011 in extremely limited quantities (only 30 copies were made, according to my research). But, before you go scouring eBay, don’t dispair: since that time they’ve made that recording available for free download; I’ll hook you up with the details at the end of this post.

Anyway, then the EP came out on 10″ vinyl and CD and within about two months this relatively obscure band from New Hampshire was inking a deal with one of the biggest labels in the metal world. So what’s up with all the hype surrounding this American band with a Swedish name (it translates to “Whispering Water”)? You’re about to find out. And pay close attention, because these guys are about to get huge. No, astronomical. Trust me.

 
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Upcoming Show: Catch The Whiskey Holler for Free at Market Square

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The Whiskey Holler – Hive Songs (6 April 2012, Self-released)

Good morning, readers. If you don’t mind (and actually, even if you do — tough shit, this is my blog), I’m going to step outside the realm of “metal and heavy music” for a second time this week, and talk about another “guilty pleasure”…

My wife and I have developed somewhat of an agreement whenever we’re in the car. We sort of take turns with the driving duties, and consequently we also alternate who will be the passenger. Over time, the job of passenging has evolved to include having control over the radio/CD player. Since there’s very rarely anything worthwhile on the radio, this usually means being responsible for selecting CDs for the duration of us traveling.

Now, we do have a bit of an overlap in our musical tastes, but that isn’t always the case — there are plenty of things I like that she might not have chosen, and vice versa. But after repeated exposure, I’ve discovered that we each have been adapting and expanding our comfort zones a bit, in terms of what we listen to. For example, with her obsession over neo-folk/bluegrass styles, I’ve begun to develop an appreciation for some of this material as well.

So recently when I discovered the the Pittsburgh-area band The Whiskey Holler, they really grabbed my attention.
 
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Get ’em While They’re Hot: Download Batillus Tracks from Recent Split LP for FREE!

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Batillus/Whitehorse – Split LP (20 May 2012, Vendetta Records)

Good afternoon! Here's some exciting news that just came my way recently. I haven’t talked a whole lot about Brooklyn post-doom heavyweights Batillus, although I did name their album Furnace as one of my “Top 11 of 2011.” Nevertheless, ever since I discovered the band sometime in the early part of last year, I’ve been a big fan of their immensely powerful doom’n’gloom soundscapes.

Well, just recently, Vendetta Records has released a 12″ split that also includes Whitehorse from Melbourne, Australia. To be honest, this is my first time hearing of that band, but anything that involves Batillus is guaranteed to catch my attention. The LP is now available for purchase from the Bis Auf’s Messer webstore, or you can pick up a copy directly from the two bands when they head out on tour together next month (see a full list of dates later in this post). The first 100 copies will be on a limited-edition white vinyl; all the rest will be available in standard black.

However, the two tracks from the Batillus side of the record can be downloaded for free (or whatever price you choose to pay) from their Bandcamp page —

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Contest Alert: Win a Copy of the New Dying Fetus CD!

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The new album from death metal gargantuans Dying Fetus, Reign Supreme (their seventh full-length), is scheduled for release on 19 June (US), 22 June (Germany and Benelux), or 25 June (worldwide) through Relapse Records.

However, thanks to Metalhit.com and Metal Maniacs (in cooperation with Relapse), three lucky winners will get a free copy of that CD along with a sticker…

All you need to do is click here, and fill out your name and address!

Good luck!

 
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Dying Fetus: Facebook, Myspace, Youtube
  Pre-order Reign Supreme here!
Relapse Records: website, Facebook
Metal Maniacs: website, Myspace
Metalhit: website, Facebook, Myspace

Contest Alert: Win Municipal Waste Tickets (PLUS Free Downloads!)

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Guess what! After last week’s post about the upcoming Municipal Waste/Toxic Holocaust split (still available for pre-order from Tankcrimes), I got word from Scion A/V that they will be giving away a pair of tickets to each and every date on the current Municipal Waste U.S. tour (with Black Tusk and 3 Inches of Blood)!

I apologize to those who live in North Carolina and Georgia, since the shows in those areas have already taken place; also, if you live in Florida, the winners for tonight’s show (29 May) in Orlando and tomorrow’s show (30 May) in Pensacola have already been drawn. Sorry!

But for the rest of the country, take a look at those tour dates (listed in last week’s post), then check out these simple directions:
 

  • Read the official rules here
  • Follow Scion A/V on Twitter here
  • Tweet this message: “@SCIONAV @MWTour [date of show]”

 
And that’s all there is to it. The randomly selected winner for each date will be notified one day before the show.

 
Just in case the chance to see them in concert for free isn’t enough for you, there’s even MORE Municipal Waste news… how about a pair of tracks for you to download ABSOLUTELY FREE?
 
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Coming Soon: The Gates of Slumber – The Awakening (Vinyl Re-issue)

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Well, how about that. Just a few days ago we talked about the epic doom heroes that are The Gates of Slumber (including a full list of their current tour dates – see that post for more details). And now I’ve just learned that Abyss Records has announced plans to re-issue the band’s 2004 debut album …The Awakening!

The cover art (shown above), is not the same painting that was used on the original release (which was taken from Pieter Bruegel’s “The Triumph of Death”), but from what I understand, this new artwork (which was done by Ken Kelly) is also what had been used for the extremely limited 2xLP edition, which has been long out of print. Just like that original vinyl edition, this re-release includes “The Cloaked Figure” (which originally appeared on the band’s third demo recording, also from 2004) as a bonus track.

The record won’t actually be available until the fall of this year, but keep an eye on the band and label (see links below) for any new updates, including when the pre-order process will begin!

 
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The Gates of Slumber: website, Facebook
Abyss Records: website, Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation, Youtube

Get ’em While They’re Hot: The Soda Shop Presents a New Compilation – FREE DOWNLOAD!

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Well, The Soda Shop has done it again — they keep putting together these incredible compilations (and then giving them away for free), full of the same great stoner/fuzz/psychedelic/doom/blues bands they are constantly writing about on their blog.

The third volume has just been released, featuring songs by: The Dead Exs, The Heavy Eyes, The Grand Astoria, Mothership, Fellwoods, Shock Radar, Orcus Chylde, The Big Wheel Stunt Show, Groan, The Heavy Company, Once-ler and Venomin James.

I’ve heard most of these bands before (most of them after being introduced to them via The Soda Shop!), and I look forward to hearing the rest of them as soon as this finishes downloading. See the Bandcamp widget below to grab your own copy…

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Help Dirty Shirt Record Their Next Album!

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Do you remember the Romanian metal band Dirty Shirt?

We first met them a few months back when they were the “Signmeto Roadrunner Records Unsigned Band of the Week,” and then checked in with them earlier this week when I reported about some awards they had won.

Anyway, at the time of that original post, I pointed out that their most recent release was the album Same Shi(r)t Different Day, released in 2010. I told you that that album could be downloaded for free by emailing info@dirty-shirt.com (in a lower-quality 128k version), and that it is also available for sale in a higher quality format from their “Dirty Shop” webstore.

Well, considering that it’s now been two years since that album’s release, it seems the band have decided they want to get back in the studio to work on the next one. And that’s where you come in! Recording, engineering, mixing, mastering, etc. — all that stuff isn’t cheap, and so the guys are trying to raise some of the costs in advance; in exchange for donations now, you can be rewarded with copies of the album once it’s completed — and a whole lot more!

 
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Get ’em While They’re Hot: THIRD New Vesperia Song Now Available 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 Tomorrow: Embers – Shadows (2xLP Vinyl Release)

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Embers – Shadows (Self-released, 29 March 2011 / vinyl by Iconoclast Records, 25 May 2012)

Californian blackened-crust band Embers released their debut LP Shadows to much critical acclaim early last year. At that time, it was made available as a free (or pay what you choose) download, and it’s still available that way (more details later), but the band recently announced that the album is finally being made available in a vinyl format for those fans who had been requesting that…

Tomorrow (Friday, 25 May) Embers will be kicking off a two-week European tour, starting in Bologna (see the end of this post for a list of dates). At the same time, they will be releasing Shadows as a 2xLP vinyl edition via the Bolognese label Iconoclast Records.

 
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