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!
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:
Free Fatality T-Shirt
Free CD
Free patch, beer cozie or 3 pins
2 free tickets to our next local show (if applicable)
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!
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 HolocaustToxic 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:
Svartby – Elemental Tales (17 February 2012, Trollzorn Records)
Svartby are an extreme folk metal band from Saint Petersburg, Russia, which was formed back in 2003 by a keyboardist/composer/lyricist named Giftsvamp. Actually, “extreme folk metal” is a phrase they sometimes use to describe themselves, but they actually prefer the term “Svartcore” because the unique sound they create just doesn’t quite fit with what you’d normally consider “folk” music, or “extreme metal” or even “metal” music. They blend elements of all of these, but essentially “Svartcore” is centered around the band leader’s orchestral creations, which are then augmented by heavy metal guitars, drums, and death-metal-style vocals.
“Svartby” itself is the name of a fictional “black village” which is inhabited by mythical creatures — mostly either mischevious or malevolent ones (such as witches, gnomes, and imps) — and these form the main basis for the band’s lyrical content. Despite the band’s Russian origin, at first their lyrics were written entirely in Swedish, although over time, they began adding many songs in English as well.
The latest of these releases, Elemental Tales, first saw the light of day in February of this year, on CD via German label Trollzorn Records. However, the band is of the opinion that music ought to be freely available to all listeners: they have been quietly encouraging the album to be shared on the internet since the time of its release, and now they have established a Bandcamp page for themselves, where all their albums can officially and legitimately be downloaded for free. Bear in mind, though, you also have the opportunity to pay any price you choose — which would be highly appreciated by the musicians, who say they had never earned any money from their own music before now (explaining that, instead, everything has always gone to the record labels to offset expenses). (Read more about the band’s decision to give their music away for free here.)
So without any further ado, let’s discuss this recent album, and then I’ll give you the opportunity to listen to it and grab a copy of it…
Recently Emily White, an intern at NPRAll Songs Considered and GM of what appears to be her college radio station, wrote a post on the NPR blog in which she acknowledged that while she had 11,000 songs in her music library, she’s only paid for 15 CDs in her life. Our intention is not to embarrass or shame her. We believe young people like Emily White who are fully engaged in the music scene are the artist’s biggest allies. We also believe–for reasons we’ll get into–that she has been been badly misinformed by the Free Culture movement. We only ask the opportunity to present a countervailing viewpoint.
…continue reading this poignant and informative letter (written by David Lowery of Camper van Beethoven and Cracker fame) about the myths and realities of artist (and record label) compensation in regards to illegal file sharing at The Trichordist.
Valley of Steel 