The Mechanics of Failure

First up, I know, it has been a long time since I posted on this blog. It kind of slipped my mind for a minute there, mostly because life has been pretty good! Lots of new changes and different shifts in my life. Good excuses as to why I haven't paid attention to my vinyl/cassette review blog. However, I have gathered quite a lot of new releases over the months that I would like to talk about. Some were gifted to me, and I really need to get on those. So let's not waste time and get down to chewing the meat. I have here a brand new release. from a brand new label, Cult of Nine Records based out of Syracuse, NY. Their first release is this split/Vs. CD from two incredible bands in the USA underground. Fed Ash, also from Syracuse, and Landfill, who's main members mostly reside in the midwest. Digipack CD, actually this is the first CD review I've ever done on here!

If you're familiar with either of these bands, you know what you should be expecting. Two words: Sheer Brutality. I was so excited when I heard these two were doing a split together. I've known members of each band for a while, and hearing that there was going to be another union of Upstate NY and midwest bands was tremendous. Each band here is a fantastic representation of their to different styles of fast, heavy music. Landfill going for the straight up, blast beat infested, skeleton disintegrating grindcore. No flashes or extra splashes of technical prowess here, just in your face, relentless blasts, with the right kind of punky grooves and gory vocals too boot, stirring up the pot a bit and helping make their songs diverse. They get three to four song chunks per section, and they just shred!!

I've seen Fed Ash fine tune, and expand their sound and delivery quite a lot the past year. Nowadays they perform with three guitar players, and it's absolutely insane. They play a style of grindcore that takes influences from a swath of different genres. From sludge and doom metal, pure electronic noise, good 2000's metalcore (trust me it makes sense), and maybe even black metal. The sound they are able to conjure is something altogether sinister and crushing. The pure pain and misery of existence composed into music. This is some of their best recorded material.

The Vs. style formatting of this split works really well in my opinion. Landfill's songs go by lightning fast, completely bonkers. Fed Ash adding the finishing moves and more pain right after, it's a pretty intense listen actually.

This is the first release on Cult of Nine Records, please pick this up. I think these are two of the most promising bands around at the moment and I'm very pleased with this release.

~VII

Auditioning Gods

Fed Ash are from Syracuse, NY. Members have played in bands in the area for some time and when I heard my friend Matt who plays bass was starting a new project I was excited, but I had no idea what kind of sound this project would have. Grief as a Prison takes many forms and with its twists keeps you engaged, wondering what will come next. Its 8 songs go through the painstaking process of loss, and the emotions and feelings that accompany it.                                            

The production is murky but you can hear most of the elements in the recordings clearly enough. The quality could be better but for what the band is trying to convey it fits perfectly. The best way to describe the songs is a combination of grind and sludge-y hardcore with tinges of black metal tossed in occasionally. The songs vary in sound from track to track though, with songs like Disconnect, Anger, and Depression focus more on a sludge sound than grind, but songs like Bargaining and Denial have a more grindcore song structure. The vocals are screamed but in a sludge sense, not high pitched but not rough-and-tough sounding. The drumming is solid as well, the blasts are fast and never lose intensity.

Between the music there is samples that are undecipherable as to what is being said as well as some harsh noise. It creates an eerie mood as the sounds are unsettling and they fit very well with the production the tracks have. The only issue with the whole release is that sometimes the transitions can sound a bit sloppy. Everything else matches up well and creates a unique sound that can’t be pinpointed to being one influence, yet it doesn’t sound like a bunch of mismatching riffs just thrown together. This is a fantastic first release from the band and I am excited for what is going to come next from them. The EP is available on tape from the band via bandcamp, its a beautiful gray/black spread and fits the release. You can purchase and stream the release here.

~Tyler Hammer

Ludicrous Speed

Upstate New York, my home turf, has been a dry and sad place for intense music for the majority of my life time. I could probably count the number of bands I regularly listen too from here on one hand. Which is why when a record like this comes out, I just get a big 'ol smile on my face. "Ludicrous Speed" is the debut 7" from Dialysis, a ripping guitar/drums/vocals trio out of Syracuse. It came out on veteran Syracuse hardcore label Hex Records. Which is actually owned and operated by frontman Ryan Canavan. No idea how many are on pink vinyl, 45 RPM.

Dialysis are an unusual hybrid of sorts, one that I haven't heard many other bands too. Imagine if a youth-crew band started listening to a lot Exodus and Assück. The songs here transition through major-chord hardcore riffs to 100% thrashy grindcore and tremolo chugs seamlessly. The mid-range, shouted vocals being the only consistent "hawdcore" element. Jessika from Inerds even makes a brief vocal cameo on the third track! It's really fun stuff, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I'm not sold by a "Spaceballs" reference. 

This whole package came out really well. I'm glad that these guys were able to put out a record that looks this good. I've seen this whole thing played live a few times, and they translate great, if not better on on wax. Pretty sure I recognize a few of the shows that some of the inner photo's were taken at too.

Pick up a copy at Hex Records: HERE

~VII

Silver Year

I'm very tuckered out, so here's a quick post. A bit of a different type of record for this blog. Not hardcore, nor is it grindcore. This is Shoppers - "Silver Year", which is a release that I've become very attracted to recently. 12" on black vinyl, 33 RPM.

Shoppers is a band Syracuse, NY who play a really blown-out style of noise rock. Everything just sounds huge and covered in distortion, and the vocals really remind me of Bikini Kill. There's also some melodic riffs and I get some strong garage rock influence and maybe a little pop-punk. Kinda hard to describe, all I know is that I dig it. A lot.

My band is gonna be playing a show with these guys real soon, I'm pretty stoked. I'm gonna probably post some footage from that show here. 

~VII