Tuesday, September 30, 2008

SLIMS:SFCA 10.31.08






















(((03)))

Monday, September 29, 2008

Live Blast de Crucial

San Francisco's acid-fuzz-post-metal outfit Wildildlife will be touring the West Coast with Mammatus in October. Portland's ultra-sludge machine Trees are on the road now, also on the West Coast, and have shows coming up alongside Thrones, SUNN 0))) and the almighty Corrupted! If you live out that way, get some!!!

Wildildlife w/Mammatus
10/11/2008 IMG - Bainbridge Island, WA w/Emeralds
10/12/2008 *TBA - Olympia, WA
10/14/2008 Funhouse - Seattle, WA w/Emeralds
10/15/2008 Someday Lounge - Portland, OR
10/16/2008 Auntie Mo's - Eureka, CA
10/17/2008 Stork Club - Oakland, CA
10/18/2008 Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA
10/21/2008 The Echo - Los Angeles, CA w/Magic Lantern
10/22/2008 Chasers - San Diego, CA
10/23/2008 Prospector - Long Beach, CA
10/24/2008 some old folkie place... - Big Sur, CA
10/25/2008 Hemlock - San Francisco, CA

Trees
09/26/2008 Hemlock - San Francisco, CA w/Burmese
09/27/2008 *TBA - Santa Cruz/LA, CA w/Thrones, Silentist
09/28/2008 Stork Club - Oakland, CA w/Laudanum
10/12/2008 Berbati's Pan - Portland, OR - Fall Into Darkness Fest w/SUNN 0))), Grails, SubArachnoid Space
11/03/2008 Satyricon - Portland, OR w/Corrupted, Asunder
11/05/2008 Neumos - Seattle, WA w/Corrupted, Asunder

(((03:EarsplitPR)))

Friday, September 26, 2008

Blacksmiths Of The North

Web-Exclusive Darkthrone Interview from Terrorizer Online #60:

While the world is still waiting to hear 'DARK THRONES AND BLACK FLAGS', the fourteenth full-length DARKTHRONE offering, due in October, our correspondent Paul Schwarz got to hear a sneak preview and discovered that the next Darkthrone album is already on the way, all while half-way up a mountain in Oslo with FENRIZ and his hiking-buddy Mikael.

"The first song on our next album - not 'Dark Thrones And Black Flags', that was finished in July - its title is based on a mantra that Gezol of Japan (Sabbat, Metalucifer) has been saying a lot lately, 'Too much black, too little metal.' That's been the problem ever since '93. But you know, people have been taking care of that since the start of the new decade. Since 2000, there's so many youngsters who are really into the barbaric stuff again."

The sloppy sound?

"Yeah, very sloppy. I haven't practised since '93, just to get that sloppy. So whenever I play a song now it's like I'm walking without a compass. Like the song I have been doing now, 70 per cent of it is ready. I've had that much ready now for two months. I mull it over, again and again. Daily, or a day inbetween. I think of the song and I know what kind of tempo the last part will have, I just mull it over and hum along to what I have in my head. At this point, I still haven't picked up a guitar to try to do the stuff, because when I first do that I know I will finish the song."

Fenriz lets that bombshell drop and then reveals that he has a surprise. He is now going to play the first three tracks from 'Dark Thrones And Black Flags' for us and his friend Mikael Ohlsson, Professor of Ecology at the Norwegian Institue Of Life Sciences. We are all ears, especially considering how quiet it is in the near-wilderness of the forests surrounding Oslo. Packing the same pleasingly unclean sort of kick as last year's 'FOAD', opener 'The Winds They Called The Dungeon Shaker' has that same irrestibly catchy, anthemic quality that possessed the excellent 'Raised On Rock' - and has comparably spot-on, speaking-from-personal-experience lyrics, too.

"From the depths of the underground/Through the nurseries of real metal sound," the vocals howl at us. "It's 'cos we are part of the new underground from the 2000s," Fenriz explains, adding with a smile, "Nowadays, I write street lyrics."

It's a style which suits him, as 'FOAD' proved. Indeed, it makes sense of the fact that Norturno Culto and Fenriz now rigidly divide vocal duties, each singing their own songs. As that first track
finishes, Fenriz reflects that the drumming at the end had something of a His Hero Is Gone feel. We nod in agreement and strain our ears: Nocturno Culto's contribution to this mini-listening session is up next.

'Death Of All Oaths' has a dank, dragging feel. Its vocals moan like an evil wind. Though less sparkling, it fits snugly next to 'The Winds They Called the Dungeon Shaker'. "Cosmos watching," the lyrics shriek, and Fenriz quips that this is actually a reference to Cosmo Kramer, from the 'Seinfeld' TV series. Really? No, he was just pulling our leg

"So the first song was mine, and this is of course Ted's," Fenriz confirms. "And then song number three is of course my hit song, 'Hiking Metal Punks'."

After the Kramer gag, we have to ask if he's serious.

"Well, it kicks ass, so it's serious."

He's not wrong. 'Hiking Metal Punks' is another stone-cold, rehearsal room-raised thrash rocker - the kind of thing Darkthrone have got impressively good at delivering of late. Fenriz explains a little of the philosophy behind their deliberately underground sound.

"Things changed around 89/90 and especially in the mid '90s, where everyone could get, like, a pro sound. Our first album, we just paid 1,000 quid for that studio session, and then we had that Entombed sound: that was like being professional. In the '80s, you had underground sound until you 'made it'. That all changed when you could get good sound for very little money. Once that happened, overground and underground became a choice, like you would choose to have underground sound, or you would choose to have overground sound. Then everybody could choose to be underground or overground sound."

That's the beginning of the deliberate underground.

"Yes. We're deliberate underground now. Basically, we just record in the way a demo would have been recorded in the '80s. Our albums now are just 35 or 40 minute long demos."

Other bands took a different route, one for which Fenriz has little to no time.

"A lot of bands chose to think, 'Oh, Transilvanian Hunger! If you play that twice the speed, with synthesisers, and a professional sound, it will be three times as good!' They make Disney version. When I first heard 'In the Nightside Eclipse' I was just like, 'Turn this off!' Everyone else was just like, 'What!? Don't you like this?' And I was just thinking to myself, 'Okay, we're on a different ballpark here.' And I just stick to myself and listen to thrash."

If you like Darkthrone you might enjoy reading about Greek black
metal in Terrorizer #175, out now.

(((03)))

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Eye Rehearsal Pics [09.24.08]

Eye pictures that didn't get erased. Our new songs, live shows, CD and merchandise on the way hopefully.

Tracks:

4: DSCNTN (The Fallen Angel Meets the Rising Ape)+
5: DNL (The Pseudo Rite of Ashkente)+
6: DSLTN (What Can the Harvest Hope for, If Not for the Care of the Reaper Man?)+
Tatooine (Testsuo: The Unauthorized Biography)
Stealing the Cryogenic Heart of Howard Hughes*
Northfield County Downtime
Stabbing Out the Blue Eyes of the Sad Man
Le Grande Narcissist*

+Titles based loosely on ‘Death’ in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
* Lyrics by Morgan (Kill the Client)

(((03)))

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dr. War Diabolus vs. the new Pearl Jam

If you'd like to know why I'm focusing on the negative regarding this little "come back" of Metallica's, just watch that vomit that is Some Kind of Monster again.

From SOMA via Idealogic re: Bitch Magnetic...uh, Death Magnetic

Repost: Metallica is not "good" again, dont believe the hype. Stop fooling yourselves. Listen to 3/4 Had Been Eliminated. 23 09 08

Correspondence regarding my anti-Metallica hype comments:

"Man I just gotta say that I had to endure the new metallica album at work the other day, and all I can really say is that it is the most inorganic compressed piece of 2 million dollar paper weight,coaster bullshit I've ever heard. When Cliff died that was it we all know it! Its such a goddamn joke these days. I saw Metallica open up for Armored Saint and Wasp back in the day and they were the shit! That dipshit Lars and that other guy with the goofy hot topic tattoos Hetfield need to cut Kirk a break and let him go. Then they need to take a look at the rest of their brethren who continue to kick out kick ass albums. People like Testament or Exodus when they are on their game.

Honestly though Motorhead still kicks the shit out of all those bands on a nightly basis! Cheers man and thanks for keeping it interesting!"

—Dr. War Diabolus " hahahah!

(((03))) (photo via: looking like a bunch of pointing, buffoonish jerk offs, Inc.)

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Respekt: Jean-Yves Thériault, Deux Mille Huit






















Thank you Brian!

(((03)))

Pallor mortis






















(((03)))

Friday, September 19, 2008

Absu [Quoth the Elite, Evermore]


"TorqueZine has been so quiet..." the e-mails say, "...is everything alright?" My friends, I'm not joking when I say that the reason is this, I heard the new Absu, soon to be released on Candlelight Records and well, it pretty much took this long to soak in entirely. This album is preterhuman in it's accomplishment and is of monumental stature. Once fully absorbed and comprehended, it will certainly be regarded as one of the finest examples of superiority within it's genre and certainly within other sub-genres.

Fans of the new age of Black and Avant-garde Metal will relish this opus along with other such masterpieces like Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and Kénôse, Ordo Ad Chao, Ô Laudate Dominvs and Massive Conspiracy Against All Life. And those are just references as this new Absu, titled Absu stands on it's own and is nothing short of deserving as well as defining the one moniker: Mythological Occult Metal!

I have been a fan of Absu almost since their inception and I have to admit to being a die-hard fan. Even TorqueZine itself is so named for my favorite Absu song, "The Gold Torques of Uláid" so believe me when I tell you, this album is in keeping with the Absu legacy while also pushing and completely re-defining it's parameters.

No official street date as of yet for this album, but it is completed and rest assured, when it's unleashed, you will know it. NO ONE will NOT be talking about this album.

"Our stratosphere turned dark; however, the Western winds never stopped blowing. All deceiving religions fall, we'll close our hands, and make our own way..."

- "The Winter Zephyr (...within Kingdoms Of Mist)"
The Third Storm Of Cythraul, 1997

(((03)))

Burning Black Coals and Dark Memories

Every now and again the rare occasion arises that you come across a record clearly created by fanatics that simply can't help but stand apart from the crowd. Fanatics that have deep roots in nothing else but bashing out the most grim yet beautiful sounding doom... doom isn't the genre here, doom is the atmosphere. Eyes peer beyond shadows and blood flows beneath footprints. The world is not as vast as the mind. Reality suffers the consequence and we are it's slaves. Peasant is Thou's 2nd full length after their debut LP Tyrant and both LPs were summoned in their hometown of Baton Rouge, LA which many here in the states consider the home state of that true soulful doom vibe somewhat akin to Motown via Detroit. Unlike many bands of the ilk, Thou doesn't just simply plow over you with riff after unbearably crushing riff over the duration of the album but choose to riff over your soul track by track with more venom per ounce than is likely healthy by any standard. Needless pain and suffering are all around you, Thou are not the answer... they are the alternative. No true pleasure can ever be experienced without a healthy dose of pain. Look no further.

Thou live:

09/21/2008 Howlin Wolf - New Orleans, LA
10/07/2008 Hi Ho Lounge - New Orleans, LA
10/08/2008 One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, LA
10/15/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY w/SunnO))
10/16/2008 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA w/SunnO))
10/17/2008 Girl Cave DC - Washington, DC
10/18/2008 ABC No Rio - New York, NY [matinee]
10/18/2008 Supreme Trading - Brooklyn, NY [night]
10/24/2008 Fletcher’s House - New Orleans, LA

(((03:EarsplitPR)))

Playlist 09.19.08 [How great Thou art Edition]




















THOU - Peasant and Tyrant
DARKTHRONE - Frostland Tapes*
EYEHATEGOD - Confederacy of Ruined Lives, Southern Discomfort and Take as Needed for Pain
MY DYING BRIDE - Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium
BLACK SABBATH - Live Evil* and Heaven and Hell*
CORRUPTED - Paso Inferior
NADJA - Skin Turns to Glass*
MADE OUT OF BABIES - The Ruiner*

Literature:
Decibel
"The Call of Cthulhu" (1926) H.P. Lovecraft

"Right On" Visual Aggression:
Blade Runner: Final Cut
Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner
Planet Terror
Revolver

Léon: The Professional (Deluxe Edition)
The Last King of Scotland
The Last Temptation of Christ
Crank
In Plain Sight
Burn Notice
and Generation Kill

*
special thanks to Russ Givens for these titles.

(((03)))

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Manifesting Glorior Belli

I am a huge fan of this band as many of you know and have read about on here so anytime I can help/promote them, I shall. Even though I own an original copy of Ô Laudate Dominvs, I am still going to get the Candlelight version as well. Check out Glorior Belli, buy their merch, add their Myspace page. Experience the darkenss!

Now available:

Manifesting The Raging Beast:


Sizes : S - M - L - XL

Price: 20 Euros (INCLUDING POSTAGE WORLDWIDE)

Ô Lavdate Dominvs:


Sizes : S - M - L - XL

Price: 20 Euros (INCLUDING POSTAGE WORLDWIDE)

CD - Ô Lavdate Dominvs (2008 Candlelight reissue - New Layout/Remastered)



Price: 15 Euros (INCLUDING POSTAGE WORLDWIDE)
Paypal, Cash concealed in letters (at your own risk!), as well as Cheques (French people only) are accepted.
To place an order, get in touch: infestuus@hotmail.com - or via myspace.

(((03)))

Friday, September 12, 2008

What Magnetic?


I've been asked about a million times what my opinion is about Metallica/Death Magnetic/New vs. Old Metallica and a host of "Metallica" related questions and supposed conversations starters revolving around this once mighty band who saw fit to disgust us all with a decade or more of horrible crap and who is now trying to sneak back into the consciousness of "metal heads" with Death Magnetic.

I'm gonna state my opinion and then it's all I'll say regarding the subject as I really didn't think that I'd ever have to discuss this band again except to say "I remember when" or "what the fuck were they thinking" or the ever popular "what if it would have been Lars and not Cliff?".

My opinion is this... I should have no opinion. Sure they're trying, sure to some it's a valiant if not awesome effort on their part. Sure Lars is going to be able to afford some more 6 million dollar paintings because you wanna re-live a by-gone era of has-been music with a bunch of baby's who have life issues and a knack for building up only to break down.

Death Magnetic
has already been run straight into the fucking ground. Almost as much as that little picture of Robert and James with the Armani bag. What's funny about that? It's sad is what it is. This band is sad, and all the DM fans, most of which (not all) are the SAME people that have talked the loudest shit about how bad they ended up sucking. Now you're going to promote them into 4 more houses each, stocks in off-shore investments, spoiled wives and ego-centric therapists and life-healers.

With so much other good music in the world, past, present and future, there really is no need for this album. It serves no real purpose other than as a way for the people buying and supporting it to say, "hey, it's ok that you've sucked while along the way laughing and spitting in your fans faces. It's ok to try to re-live the distant past in order to try and erase the recent. It's ok to have built a career on tape trading only to sue your "fans" for doing nothing more than the equivalent in a different format." But that's another and even more run into the ground story.

Have another painting Lars, buy another car James...hire another therapist Metallica, it's on your fans.

(((03)))

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Jesu



Click either pic to hear the entire CDEP, Why Are We Not Perfect.

(((03)))

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

JSTN vs. Catalyst


Some of my (and everyone's) favorite artists assembled at the "Catalyst" group show at Fifty24SF Gallery. Brett Aronson (curator), Florian Bertmer, Aaron Turner, Justin Bartlett, Seldon Hunt, and Stephen Kasner. Click the pick to check out the rest of Justin's photos. Thanks Justin...unholy black and winterborn hailz!

(((03)))

These Items are for Pre-order


The new These Arms Are Snakes album is available for pre-order.
Here are all the details....

LP comes as pink vinyl and white vinyl with pink splatter, along with MP3 coupon for free digital download of the entire album!

ALL PRE-ORDER CUSTOMERS WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN AN
AUTOGRAPHED TEST PRESSING*

FIRST 150 PRE-ORDERS RECEIVE:

+ These Arms Are Snakes Sticker
+ These Arms Are Snakes Button Set
+ Autographed 18 X 24 These Arms Are Snakes Poster*

ALL PRE-ORDERS INCLUDE:

+ These Arms Are Snakes Sticker
+ These Arms Are Snakes Button Set

Pre-Orders ship on October 2, 2008!

CD Price - $12.00
LP Price - $14.00

*items may not be so much as autographed as adorned with various political slogans, crude drawings, in-jokes, obscenities, and the occasional john hancock.

(((03)))

Monday, September 08, 2008

Melvins, (A) Senile 4xLP

From Hydra Head:

The mountain of boxes containing the highly anticipated Melvins' A Senile Animal 4xLP have finally arrived at the Hydra Headquarters and the painstaking assembly has begun.... These gems wont be available for purchase for another week or three, but in the meantime here's a few snapshots to prove they really truly are here...stay tuned for the ltd. boxed set version to show up at one or two LA area shops as early as next weekend...





I don't know about you, but I will MOST DEFINITELY be getting this little gem! I know Patchie and Proscriptor will want a copy as well!!! Can we get our hands on it soon enough? And just how much does a 4xLP go for? Will we be needing to mortgage the house? Sell kidneys? Rob banks? Time will tell? As for me, I do still need to get Nude with Boots. What's my problem?!?!

(((03:HH)))

Playlist 09.08.08 [over 6 tons of pressure]

TorqueZine hit 11,000 hits! Thanks to everyone who stops by and helps spread the word! Proscriptor, Patchie and Thee Claw crew, Arik Roper, my band mates in Eye (Ybanez, Stumpy and Trip) Burris and Protest, PT (Lngtché) and JSTN.

Audio:
SikTh - Death of a Dead Day
ASBESTOSCAPE - Asbestoscape
VOIVOD - Dimension Hatröss
KILLING JOKE - RMXD
OINGO BOINGO - Skeletons in the Closet
BLACK SABBATH - Mob Rules

Visual:
Dallas 362, Burn Notice, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Literature:
Wired Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft, Cereal Boxes and Warning Signs

"Bland Street Bloom" by SikTh

(((03)))

Friday, September 05, 2008

CoS 2008


Hydra Head Records is pleased to announce their second ever Champions of Sound US Tour. Originally conceived in 2003 and also featuring label staples and instrumental metal masters, Pelican, this year's trek sees avant-metal pioneers Kayo Dot, supporting their latest "Blue Lambency Downward," and Cave-In frontman Stephen Brodsky (aka Stove Bredsky), support his psychedelic rock masterpiece that is "The Black Ribbon Award." Joining the bill in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, are the almighty Zozobra, whose latest, "Bird of Prey," has been pummeling our eardrums for the past month.

Full tourdates below, if you're lucky enough to live in these cities, do not miss your chance to see one of the best tours to come through town in quite some time.

Champions of Sound 2008
featuring Pelican, Kayo Dot and Steve Brodsky

10/28 Mt Clemens, MI @ Hayloft
10/29 Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room
10/30 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall
11/1 Allston, MA @ Harper's Ferry w/ Zozobra
11/2 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Zozobra
11/3 Milford, CT @ Daniel Street w/ Zozobra
11/4 Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar w/ Zozobra
11/5 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
11/7 Charlottesville, VA @ Outback Lodge
11/8 Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery
11/9 Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
11/10 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
11/11 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds
11/13 Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
11/14 Orlando, FL @ The Social
11/16 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
11/18 Louisville, KY @ Uncle Pleasants
11/19 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean

(((03)))

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Respekt



"
I got my first guitar at age of 7 and never laid it down. Momma taught me G,C, and D. I was off to the races son! "

- Jerry Reed Hubbard
(03.20.37 - 09.01.08)

(((03)))

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

A Return to REAL Corrosion

This is a re-post of one that Brian Walsby did and since I've been DYING for a re-visited Corrosion back catalog and because I'm such a nice mother fucker, I'm re-posting it. Please spread the word so we, the world's fans of the great (old) works by Corrosion of Conformity can see these released as soon as possible.

COC is currently talking with Metal Blade Records about a re-release of the band's hardcore-era recordings: Eye for an Eye, Animosity, Technocracy and Six Songs With Mike Singing.

Preliminary plans are for a package with two CDs (including previously unreleased tracks); a DVD with interviews and concert footage; and a booklet with more interviews, stories, art, and photographs.


The band already has some awesome archival material from its own and friends' collections. But to make this package as kick-ass as possible, COC needs the help of hardcore fans everywhere.

Do you have hardcore-era COC stuff you can share with the band?

COC is interested in just about anything and everything from the 1980s: live recordings or videos, concert posters, photos, zines, artwork, etc. It's also looking for photographs of fans' spiked-skull tattoos for a related art project.

If you have something you'd like to share, please e-mail cocarchive@gmail.com with details, and we'll figure out how to proceed from there.

Please help us spread the word! Thank you!
(((03))) (thank you Brian)