Thursday, December 18, 2008

Pitchfork Names Torche and Harvey Milk Best of 2008!

huge thanks to the entire Pitchfork staff for their support!



Torche
Meanderthal
[Hydra Head]




Torche used to consider themselves "thunder rock," but given what's going on in Meanderthal, maybe they should start calling themselves "new pop metal." On their second album (and first for Hydra Head Records), they don't disregard the bombastic sludge that they're best known for; instead, they cut their tar with all sorts of non-metallic things. For those that don't mind unforgiving leaden slabs like "Amnesian" and the epic title track sharing space with tracks that have melodies reminiscent of the work of folks like Josh Homme and Dave Grohl, it just means there'll be fewer assholes in the mosh pit. -- David Raposa



Harvey Milk
Life...The Best Game in Town
[Hydra Head]




Though Life…The Best Game in Town is the sixth album from Georgia's Harvey Milk in 16 years, it's the band's first output with former Earth/High on Fire/Melvins free agent Joe Preston alternating between bass and guitar. It's also the legendary unit's most cohesive statement to date, a dynamic exploration and distillation of the versatility that's long been Harvey Milk's touchstone. Thick-tongued, staggering Southern stoner metal ("Decades") sidles up to a sprawling art-metal ("Death Goes to the Winner"); a streamlined heavy pop number ("Motown") rides a glorious riff next to a beefy Fear cover; there's a ballad that re-breaks the blues and your feelings ("Roses") and a rocker that uses Preston's bass like an electric sledgehammer ("Skull Socks & Rope Shoes"). Life can be as playful as it can be punishing, as large as it can be lean, changing moods and modes at a moment's notice. It's the work of a band seasoned enough to get it right but smart enough to try and fuck it up again. -- Grayson Currin

Clutch Announce US Tour w/ The Bakerton Group and Red Fang!

this will rule:




Clutch Live!

w/ Russian Circles and Viking Skull!
Dec 27 2008 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
Dec 28 2008 Webster Theater Hartford, CT
Dec 29 2008 930 Club Washington DC
Dec 30 2008 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
Dec 31 2008 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, MI

w/ The Bakerton Group, Willem Maker, Red Fang!
Feb 11 2009 V Club Huntington, WV
Feb 12 2009 Headliners Louisville, KY
Feb 13 2009 The Village Little Rock, AR
Feb 14 2009 Remmigtons Springfield, MO
Feb-15 Canopy Club Urbana, IL

* Full list of tour-dates coming soon!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Headbangers Blog Names Torche, 5ive, TAAS "Top 10 Metal Records of 2008 You Might Not Have Heard"

huge thanks to the Headbangers Ball Blog for their amazing support in 2008!



...you’ve seen all those top ten rock and metal lists featuring Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC... here’s a list of ten slightly more indie acts that might not be on your radar yet:



10. Arsis - We Are the Nightmare (Nuclear Blast)

9. These Arms Are Snakes - Tail Swallower and Dove (Suicide Squeeze)
Post-hardcore insanity merges with strong songwriting on this Seattle band’s third full album. Direct and uncompromising, TS&D blasts through challenging math rock progressions, battering ram rhythms and bizarre grooves that’ll remind you equally of Fugazi and Blood Brothers. But what else would you expect from former members of Botch and Kill Sadie?

8. Abigail Williams - In The Shadow of a Thousand Suns (Candlelight)

7. The Faceless - Planetary Duality (Sumerian)

6. Protest the Hero - Fortress (Vagrant)


5. 5ive - Hesperus (Hydrahead)
Droning, delirious and devastating, this Boston experimental instrumental metal band combines blaring distortion and ambient buzzing all at the same time to create repetitive tidal waves of sound. Their first new album in six years should be a welcome offering for anyone who ritually kills brain cells to the tunes of Neurosis, Earth, Isis and Pelican.

4. Earthless - Live at Roadburn (Tee Pee)

3. Genghis Tron - Board Up the House (Relapse)


2. Torche - Meanderthal (Hydrahead)
Remember when Queens of the Stone Age did “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” on the album R — the ass-kicking, catchy-as-hell song that proclaimed the virtues of “nicotine, Valium, Vicodin and marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol”? Well, if the rest of the album had lived up to the propulsive charge of the track, it would have been a lot like Torche’s Meanderthal, which blends the harmonies and hooks of Jimmy Eat World with the lumbering thud of a herd of wooly mammoths.

1. Psycroptic - Ob(Servant) (Nuclear Blast)

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Roadburn Tickets Sold Out * More Bands and Schedule Announced!



Roadburn Tickets Sell Out in 45 Minutes * More Bands and Schedule Announced!

Roadburn, Europe's pre-eminent festival for stoner, doom, psychedelic and other coloured metal, sold out in just 45 minutes when the tickets went on sale this past Saturday, December 13th.

Walter Hoeijmakers / Roadburn comments: "We still can't believe that the 2009 festival sold out so quickly. It was utter mayhem when the tickets went on sale last Saturday. Many of the tickets were gone before the regular Roadburn attendees realized that sales had even started. Unfortunately, about 150 to 200 tickets are currently being sold through secondary ticket outlets for prices up to $350. We feel very badly that Roadburn can't prevent this from happening. Please be very aware that some of these scalpers may sell fake tickets."

Roadburn Festival 2009, including the inaugural European version of Neurosis' acclaimed Beyond The Pale festival (sponsored by Terrorizer Magazine), is set to be held April 23 - 25 @ the 013 venue, Tilburg, Holland. There is also an additional Afterburner event scheduled for Sunday, April 26th.



The lineup for Roadburn 2009 is as follows:

Thursday, April 23, 2009
MAINSTAGE:

AMON DÜÜL II
Baroness
Motorpsycho
Orange Goblin
Ufomammut

GREEN ROOM & BATCAVE:
Black Sun
Church of Misery
The Devil's Blood
Farflung
Gomer Pyle
Minsk
Radio Moscow
Alexander Tucker
White Hills
Wolves in the Throne Room
Rose Kemp

V39 Burial Hex & Gnaw Their Tongues presents "Aderlating"

Friday, April 24, 2009
MAINSTAGE:

Angel Witch
Bohren & der Club of Gore
Colour Haze
Cathedral
Mono [Japan]
Saint Vitus

GREEN ROOM & BAT CAVE:
ASVA
The Atomic Bitchwax
Dragontears
Scott Kelly
Negurã Bunget
Omega Massif
The Outskirts Of Infinity
Roadsaw
Saviours
Shora
Steve Von Till
The Winchester Club
+1 more band

V39 seven that spells

BEYOND THE PALE
Saturday, April 25

Akimbo
Guapo
OM
Six Organs of Admittance
Skullflower
A Storm of Light
U.S. Christmas
The Young Gods
Neurosis
+ 7 more band TBA

The Afterburner
Sunday, April 26

Wino
Solace
Dyse
Firebird
Dead man





For more information, visit:
www.roadburn.com
www.neurotrecordings.com


Friday, December 12, 2008

MetalSucks and BrooklynVegan Leak New Bakerton Group Music!

huge thanks to our friends @ MetalSucks and BrooklynVegan for their support!

Click links below to hear the Bakerton Group songs recorded by J Robbins, and appearing on the band's debut full-length, "El Rojo" c/o Weathermaker Music:



Tracklist for El Rojo
1. Time Horizon
2. Chancellor
3. Peruvian Airspace * listen @ BrooklynVegan.com!
4. Bien Classico * listen @ MetalSucks.net!

5. Life on Lars
6. M(f)HS
7. The Gigantomakhia
8. Work 'em
9. Last Orbit
10. Bill Proger's Galaxy

Clutch Live!

w/ Russian Circles and Viking Skull!
Dec 27 2008 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, New Jersey
Dec 28 2008 Webster Theater Hartford, Connecticut
Dec 29 2008 930 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
Dec 30 2008 Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
Dec 31 2008 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, Michigan

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Blender Magazine Reviews The Giraffes' "Prime Motivator!"

huge thanks to Chriss Norris and the entire Blender staff!



The Giraffes
Prime Motivator
(Crustacean)




Dirty, sexy, death-defying metal from the free-range ruminants of New York.


With five records, one gunshot wound and three heart attacks to their credit, this plucky Brooklyn band has earned its right to party like it’s 1983—the year Black Flag, Angry Samoans and other thrashy, proggy, so-called “hardcore bands” roamed the Earth, heedless of genre rules or their own well-being. That hard-living esprit finds a sexy flourish on these 13 tracks (given bong-resinous glow by Queens of the Stone Age producer Dave Catching), as guitarist Damien Paris wends swaggering, ’70s-metal come-ons through infectious black comedies (“The Power of Fatherhood,” “Allergic to Magnets”) whose abiding concerns include ambulances, ICUs and the various routes to same. For a new definition of hardcore, consider the fact that the title song refers to the implanted defibrillator that keeps singer Aaron Lazar alive.

Fuse TV Leaks Let Me Run's "Like A Fish!"

huge thanks to the Fuse TV staff for their support! Click to download!



Downloads: "Like A Fish" by Let Me Run



Formed in the summer of 2007, Let Me Run has captured a sound and a feeling that has struck a chord with a large audience in a short amount of time. Hailing from New Brunswick, NJ, members Travis, Corey, Louis, and Trevor make up a hard-working, hard-rocking band who keep it simple. Drawing influences from bands such as Hot Water Music and Jawbreaker, Let Me Run has a lot on their plate but show no signs of backing down. The band built a solid relationship with XOXO Records and entered the studio for their debut release, Meet Me At The Bottom, a collection of honest, eclectic sounds that stays true to their punk rock roots. With a love for rock and roll, this group offers a fresh sound to anxious listeners. Chances are you'll be seeing these boys for yourself sooner or later.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Clutch's Bakerton Group Announce New Album!


The Bakerton Group
(featuring the members of Clutch)
Announce New Album, "El Rojo," Out February 17th on Weathermaker (featuring Special Guest Per Wiberg of Opeth!) * Weathermaker Inks Distro Deal w/ RED!



“Clutch have so many fans here at RED, and we couldn’t be happier they chose us to be their distribution partner... Helping the band build their new label will make 2009 an even better year at RED.” - RED Senior Vice President of Product Development Alan Becker.

"We're so amped about our deal with RED. I'm convinced their team is as hungry as we are to take The Bakerton Group, Clutch and Weathermaker Music to the next level." - Weathermaker Label Manager Jon Nardachone.


Weathermaker Music, the label owned by touring juggernauts Clutch, has inked a multi-year, multiple release North American deal with Sony/BMG owned RED Distribution. First on deck, slated for a February 17th release through the formidable alliance, is the new BAKERTON GROUP release entitled "El Rojo!"

Produced by Clutch and J. Robbins at Magpie Cage Studios in Baltimore, MD, "El Rojo" will be the first full tilt release from THE BAKERTON GROUP, the psychedelic instrumental jazz-laden alter ego of Clutch (all 4 original Clutch members make up The Bakerton Group). In addition, Per Wiberg from Opeth was brought in to handle all piano, synth and keyboard duties on all 10 of "El Rojo's" tracks.

In other Clutch related news, some of the incredible footage from the band's first ever live DVD/CD, "Full Fathom Five," will be featured on Comcast Cable's On Demand "Concert TV" channel starting December 15th, along with classic rock icons Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Black Crowes, Deep Purple, Santana, U2 & Motorhead. The band has also just returned from the UK's Hard Rock Hell Festival, a set that inspired Metal Hammer to report, "Once again, Clutch go about staking their claims to be one of the greatest bands in existence."

* Clutch will end 2008 the same way they began it, on the road. In late December, they will headline a short run with Viking Skull and Russian Circles as support. As reported by HeadbangersBlog.com and confirmed from the band, starting Feb 11th to March 3rd, both Clutch and The Bakerton Group will simultaneously tour the the United States, before heading to the studio to record the new Clutch CD.



Tracklist for El Rojo
1. Time Horizon
2. Chancellor
3. Peruvian Airspace
4. Bien Classico
5. Life on Lars
6. M(f)HS
7. The Gigantowakhia
8. Work 'em
9. Last Orbit
10. Bill Proger's Galaxy


Clutch Live!

w/ Russian Circles and Viking Skull!
Dec 27 2008 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, New Jersey
Dec 28 2008 Webster Theater Hartford, Connecticut
Dec 29 2008 930 Club Washington DC, Washington DC
Dec 30 2008 Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
Dec 31 2008 Orbit Room Grand Rapids, Michigan



For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/thebakertongroup
www.weathermakermusic.com
www.pro-rock.com


Around The Web w/ Metal Injection, The Seattle Times, Decoymusic and More!

this week has proven to be pretty a good one for Solid PR bands, and it's only Tuesday! here's a look at some recent love for our bands. Huge thanks to everyone for their support!



* Metal Injection reviews the new Giraffes album "Prime Motivator!"

* The Seattle Times interviews Helms Alee and Mammoth Press gives their new "Night Terror" album a 10/10!

* Decoy and PlugInMusic review the new Akimbo album "Jersey Shores!"

* ScenePointBlank and DeafSparrow review Zozobra's "Bird of Prey!"

* Way Too Loud reviews Medusa's "En Raga Sul!"

Monday, December 8, 2008

In Memorium: Adrian Bromley



Today we remember a great and important part of the heavy metal community, Adrian Bromley. Adrian ran Unrestrained! Magazine and supported a ton of our bands. Adrian was a great friend to many and will be very missed. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.



Toronto's Eye Weekly reports:

The Toronto metal community is in mourning today after one of its most active and vocal supporters passed away Sunday morning. Adrian Bromley was a long-time music journalist whose writing appeared regularly in Chart, M.E.A.T. and Unrestrained! magazines, and online at Chronicles of Chaos and Canoe.ca, and more recently he worked as a publicist for heavy-music hotbed The End Records, among many other metal-advocacy initiatives. According to a Facebook post from his brother, Bromley died from a lingering bout of pneumonia. He had just turned 37 last week. Our condolences go out to his friends, family and fellow headbangers all over the city.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Torche Heads to All Tomorrow's Parties * UK Dates w/ Isis and More!




Plays All Tomorrow's Parties * UK Dates w/ Isis and More!



Torche are a band who don't write songs like anyone else... it won't be surprising if in 15 years some young band on stage starts playing a riff from Meanderthal and the crowd goes nuts. - Decibel Magazine

What more can be said about one of the most intriguing bands of 2008 that hasn't been said by just about everyone already?

America's doom-pop masters, in addition to being heralded the world over for having released one of the year's best album's (huge thanks to Decibel, Paste, Terrorizer, Mojo, Pitchfork, MetalSucks, Crustcake, and the rest, you know who you are, we're just not allowed to put your name here yet), TORCHE has also been tapped by none other than Mike Patton and The Melvins, to head to the UK this weekend and perform at All Tomorrow's Parties' Nightmare Before Christmas.

This event serves as a particularly special one, as it will mark the last time guitarist Juan Montoya will join the rest of the band on stage. Perhaps you've heard the rumors... all of them justifiably juicy, no doubt... but now it's official, TORCHE has parted ways with their guitarist of many years. In a statement prepared by Montoya, he had this to say:

"The ATP / A Nightmare Before Christmas show on December 5, 2008, will be my final show with TORCHE. I'm very proud of the music we have created together over the past 4 years. I have been blessed to tour the world and meet amazing people and will be seeing you all soon enough. I am very inspired and will be collaberating with many of the talented friends I have met in my travels. Look out for new material early next year and a tour to follow. I wish TORCHE all the best and I thank all the fans for listening and being a part of this amazing experience."

TORCHE singer/guitarist Steve Brooks had this to say about the split:

"He's no longer with us due to ongoing personal reasons."

Just as they did for the final dates of their month long stint with label mates Clouds, Steve, along with drummer Rick Smith and bassist Jonathan Nunez will continue as a three piece moving forward, including their support dates with Isis in the UK. The band will be writing and demoing after the holidays and throughout January for their upcoming third full length.

Before the band's recent line up change, they finished recording two new bonus tracks for an upcoming 12" on Hydra Head. The 12" for the Meanderthal tracks "Healer" and "Across the Shields," will coincide with the debut of videos for both.... but more on that in January.

Around All Tomorrow's Parties, TORCHE will also be performing a handful of dates in the UK supporting Isis, full tourdates below.

* Look out for a new TORCHE 12" and two new videos for tracks off Meanderthal coming soon!

Torche Live!
12/4 London, UK @ Scala w/ ISIS
12/5 Minehead, UK @ All Tomorrows Parties Festival w/ Melvins, Fantomas, Isis, Mastodon, Big Business, and more!
12/7 Sheffield, UK @ Corporation w/ ISIS
12/8 Oxford, UK @ The Regal w/ ISIS



Stream "Meanderthal" here!





For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/torche
www.hydrahead.com


Poison The Well Blog: Studio Update #1!

ha!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Takka Takka on Daytrotter!

huge thanks to Sean Moeller and all the folks at Daytrotter for their support!



Takka Takka: A Den Of Catastrophic People With Death To Battle



Words by Sean Moeller // Illustration by Johnnie Cluney // Sound engineering by Patrick Stolley


Something smells as if it were burning right out of this roof, right out of this sweater. It’s as if a simple stroll of these shoes would leave a charred black trail of soot and ash a mile long if a decision to stand was to be made. Moving these bones into another room – if there are any rooms left, oh, we’re monstrously afraid to look out of the door – would made this crumbling down and apocalyptic scorching a reality confirmed by the senses. … [click to read full entry and listen to Takka Takka Live on Daytrotter!]

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Brooklynvegan and Punknews Leak New Medusa Album!

huge thanks to the entire Punknews and BrooklynVegan staff for their support!



Medusa (Racebannon) - album out now, streaming, free MP3s (by Black Bubblegum)

DOWNLOAD: Medusa - "Transform" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Medusa - "En Raga Sul" (MP3)




Meet Medusa from Bloomington, Indiana. They may not be quite as frightening as the mythical snake-haired devil-woman responsible for turning men into stone, but damn they (tunes) be ugly!

Medusa combines the noise rock asthetic that could only come from 3/4 of Racebannon (or possibly Jesus Lizard), along with an angry pre-Big Business-era Melvins thunder. Medusa's debut record En Raga Sul is out today on Hawthorne Street Records and streaming in it's entirety at Punknews. The band also hooked us up with a little gratis action in the form of the very Stoner Witch-y title track, and "Transform", both of which are available for download above.

* Racebannon dropped Acid or Blood earlier this year and toured with Light Yourself on Fire. The Jesus Lizard is getting back together.

These Arms Are Snakes Debut Video for "Red Line Season!"

huge thanks to the Tripwire for their support!

Monday, December 1, 2008

bygones (feat Zach Hill and Nick Reinhart) Announce Debut Album Out Early 2009 on Sargent House!


bygones
(feat Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos and Zach Hill)
Announce Debut Album "by-" Out Early 2009 on Sargent House!




The dynamic duo of Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos and Zach Hill of Hella have finally announced their new band, bygones. Formulated for some time but shrouded in secrecy, the two have finally decided to share a few of the new tracks.

bygones' debut full-length, entitled "by-" will see the light of day in Early 2009 on Sargent House, but for now, you can check out two new songs here!


Nick Reinhart talks about the new project here!

* More information, including tracklist, album art, and live dates coming soon!



For more information, visit
www.myspace.com/bygonesmusic
www.myspace.com/zachhillmusic
www.myspace.com/teramelos
www.sargenthouse.com