I've Been Taken Out Of Heaven, I've Been Put Upon This World

So how do you spell perfection?

Sleepless Evil

Haven't been spending too much time on the information superhighway lately, which isn't really a bad thing I guess. It just means I'm kind of out of the loop when it comes to internet news and trivia and also, well, I haven't been updating this blog as much as I would have liked to. I'm working on an interview with the incredible Harm's Way though, so that should pop up here soon(ish). In the meantime head to their myspace page to listen to a brandnew song called "Fantasy". Early 90's Earache/death metal vibes if you ask me. This song sounds so fucking heavy and it's real epic... I like epic.

The last couple of months were filled with some touring (Rise And Fall/Trapped Under Ice and Floorpunch/True Colors) and a lot of time off. I'm going to be working again soon so I'm kinda trying to cherish the freedom I have right now to read a bunch of books, see a bunch of movies and hang. Both tours were great, on various levels. Well attended shows and a lot of quality people to talk to and spend time with.

The last show of the Floorpunch/True Colors trip was in Antwerp, Belgium. This day was also marked in calendars as the last Rhythm To The Madness show ever. An understandable goodbye from a band that I feel never really reached their full potential. I love both records but I feel like this band could've have actually gone places instead of fizzling out. Wasn't meant to be I guess. True Colors are breaking up fairly soon too, their last show is on May 22nd so don't miss out. They will be heading to the States for a last US tour next week as well.

In between both tours I also got to see the re-united doom legends we all know as Saint Vitus and that show was off the hook. They opened up with "Living Backwards"/"I Bleed Black"/"Window Pane" (if memory serves me right) and were on a roll for pretty much the rest of their set. Only lost a little momentum when they gave their new drummer some time to shine and well, maybe Dave Chandler could've cut down on the inbetween song feedbacking a little but hey, I'm not really complaining. Wino without a guitar is quite the sight too. He's a giant. In every sense of the word. Great night. I don't think I'll see a lot of better shows this year.

About a week ago I hit the road with fellow bloggers J. Dog and Big Phil (ahum) to see Madball & Terror in Germany and then MF Doom in Brussels the day after. Terror was spot on live, as usual, killing it in front of what must've been a little over 700 people. Solid setlist with choice cuts from every record, starting off with "Out Of My Way" which happens to be a favorite of mine. It definitely did the trick in Germany. I remember first hearing this (then unreleased) song in Arnhem, Holland at the legendary Goudvishal in 2002... It felt like getting hit with a brick. Anyway, Terror are definitely still one of my favorite live bands these days. No new songs though tonight, but I'm more than curious to hear their upcoming "Keepers Of The Faith" album. On to Madball then, who I can't remember to have ever disappointed me live, and what I said about Terror definitely applies to Madball as well. Weird how some people had already left but ya know... If you can't appreciate a dose of Madball I guess I can't help you either. Freddy controlled the stage, controlled the crowd and delivered as always. Newer songs blend in easily with older classics and I enjoyed all of it. Madball seem to have a new album coming this year as well. Sweet.

MF Doom was a slightly different experience. I've been to my share of hip hop shows so I know how those usually turn out kinda disappointing... However in Doom's case, the actual show was definitely solid. Visuals, a real DJ, a lot of onstage activity and energy, with Doom wearing that crazy golden mask, rappin' relentlessly. So far, so good. However, the lack of real bangers/anthems did prevent me from really loving it. Now I know that all of this - his own flow and storytelling skills - set Viktor Vaughn apart from most, plus the lack of singles or catchy choruses and what not, but still. What bothered me the most though was waiting for one hour and a half for the man to hit the stage, in a room that was sold out, packed with idiots and filled with cigarette smoke. The wait really did half ruin the show. I'll forgive the guy. Method Man next sunday better be real good though.

One of the most thrilling shows in recent memory though must've been the first ever Blind To Faith show on March 6th. This show took place at the legendary Pits in Kortrijk, Belgium. A venue the size of your average living room, that has hosted a crazy range of shows, from New Bomd Turks to Gorilla Biscuits to Dead Stop. Rumour has it that when the Crowbar/Eyehategod tour in '92 stopped by, the NOLA dudes thought it was a dressingroom rather than a venue. Anyway - Blind To Faith were an impressive sight. Seasoned scene veterans raging through a set of hateful, ragged and violent punkmetal with a good dose of nihilistic sludge thrown in. The crowd went wild, that buzz of anticipation was definitely in the air and the band delivered. Their next show is in April 11th, in Ghent with... Eyehategod. Yes.

Last of all, Double Cross Blog has been running an incredibly interesting and in depth interview with Matt Henderson, spread out over 5 parts so if you haven't... Check that shit out. See you all soon.

Peace.

Six Questions With Alex Hughes

Alex Hughes is the other half of the Iron Age guitar axis. Texas native and natural born shredder. He also may or may not be involved in eardrum shattering phenomena such as Hatred Surge and Insect Warfare. Some other random fun facts: He once moshed during an entire Das Oath live set. Also, he once made the rest of Iron Age, who were already on stage, wait for 20 minutes because he was walking a dog. Uncle Al...

What was the last record you bought?

Corrupted - "Paso Inferior".

If you could travel back in time and roadie on any tour that ever happened, what tour would that be?

The UK Earache Grind Crusher tour BOLT THROWER, CARCASS, MORBID ANGEL & NAPALM DEATH. Doesn't really get more brutal.

If you could erase one album from the history of music, which one would that be and why?

Gorilla Biscuits - "Start Today" (yuck)

What is your favorite record that never was? Meaning it never got fully written, recorded or released at all but it would have been awesome if it had been...

Obviously the Manpig 10".

What are your musical predictions for 2010?

Business as usual. Hopefully more metal and less messageboard bullshit.

Favorite Some Kind Of Monster quote?

Not a quote but the part where they show the different title ideas for St. Anger....SATANIC CUCKOO CLOCK

Six Questions With Jeffrey Smet

Meet Jeffrey... An international jetsetter, sneakerhead pur sang, hip hop connaisseur and math wizard. If you're feeling unsure about the color combos you're thinking of rocking this weekend, ask Jeffrey for advice before you head out the door looking like rainbow man. As someone with a refined taste in music (I'll let his Lil Wayne fixation slip here for a sec) I knew I had to send these questions to him as well. Jeffrey was kind enough to take some time off from the writing of his book "Urban Wheelchairing In 2010" to answer them promptly.

What was the last record you bought?

The last record I scooped off ebay is Down - "Nola" LP. Had it on CD for years, finally got my hands on some vinyl. The last new music I bought is the latest Clipse record. Unfortunately on CD cause it wasn't released on vinyl. What's up with that?

If you could travel back in time and roadie on any tour that ever happened, what tour would that be?

I guess some early Life Of Agony tour. Rocking out with my all time favorite band day in day out.

If you could erase one album from the history of music, which one would that be and why?

The first thing that comes to mind must definitely be the latest Merauder record. Sad.

What is your favorite record that never was? Meaning it never got fully written, recorded or released at all but it would have been awesome if it had been...

Probably "The Commission" debut LP. The Commission was suposed to be this east coast rap supergroup based around Hova and Biggie. Too bad the latter died way to early.

What are your musical predictions for 2010?

I predict Drake is going to be the next big thing in pop/hiphop/music. "Thank Me Later" is gonna be an awesome record. Juelz Santana is gonna put out a great record and become the most relevant Dipset member of '10. I love the new 90´s RNB inspired stuff Diddy is doing now, think that might blow up as well. Hope to see something sparkling new on the Belgian hardcore scene too.

Favorite Some Kind Of Monster quote?

When Ulrich says he's gonna shove 50 dollars up your ass and James Hetfield continues: "One dollar at a time".

Six Questions With Robert Moss

On May 29th Rob's band Dirty Money will be playing their last show ever. London's where you need to be if you want to catch that. Chances are he'll be wearing his yellow XXL De La Soul shirt for the occasion, while riffing it up on stage. Yeah, Rob's cool like that."Six Questions With..." is kind of a new thing I'm trying to get going here and I figured Rob would be a good first.

What was the last record you bought?

It was actually a Strength For A Reason record I think.

If you could travel back in time and roadie on any tour that ever happened, what tour would that be?

Any Pantera tour. I'd be drowning in black-tooth-grins with ma boy Dime. Watch it go!

If you could erase one album from the history of music, which one would that be and why?

"My Love. My Way" by Modern Life Is War. For inspiring too many people stuck in 2006 to form paint-by-numbers "epic" sounding bands that are just fundamentally boring.

What is your favorite record that never was? Meaning it never got fully written, recorded or released at all but it would have been awesome if it had been...

The Dirty Money LP? Ha! Maybe a full length Merauder record with Eddie Sutton singing. A progression from that demo. That would be interesting to hear. I don't mean I want to hear Sutton singing "Master Killer", I mean something new & specific to that lineup.

What are your musical predictions for 2010?

Within UKHC specifically I imagine things drifting along here with not much change. I'd expect maybe half a dozen really good records worldwide. In the UK there might be one or two interesting things in the planning stages. I imagine I'll start hearing a lot of bands doing watered down Trapped Under Ice riffs and other people getting really excited by that. I think more bands will start to do crossover records between hardcore and other genres and people will say they like them even if the music is bad out of fear of being accused that they 'don't get it'. At the same time I think a handful bands (outside the bands I expect) will do something massively creative and fun.

Favorite Some Kind Of Monster quote?

Lars' Dad - "I would say... delete that. I don't know for you guys, but for me it doesn't cut it..."

This World, I Am Afraid, Was Designed For Crashing Bores

I have devised a bunch of plans in my head to help me survive 30 in 2010. One of them is doing more blogging. I have a few interviews coming up, so keep checking back. I do have some time on my hands now until Rise And Fall embarks on that 10 day Euro tour with Trapped Under Ice late January. So there might be more updates soon.

We did 3 shows with Hope Con a while back and it was a pleasure to see those dudes again, on and off stage. They raged through an epic setlist every night, playing as much as 16, 17 or 18 songs and lovin' it. I know I could not physically pull that off, despite being a few years younger than some of those guys, so hats off to them. Granted, it might seem a bit long considering how all our attention spans have been reduced to next to nothing thanks to the wonders of television and the internet but I actually enjoyed hearing such a wide variety of their songs, from real old to brand new. I love how that band works, they do what they do and when they want to. I have yet to acquire a physical copy of "True Nihilist" but I'm sure it'll come as no surprise when I tell you that record is really, really good.

Went to see a couple of shows last week, the first being the legendary Ian Brown playing one of Belgium's finest venues, the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. Now, I am not very familiar with Ian Brown's solo records so I will not claim to be an expert but I have to say most songs he played didn't make much of an impression on me. That's alright though, as I mainly just wanted to see the man on stage. You never know, it might've have secretly been his last tour or something. I mean Jay Reatard died last week and he was only 29. "Fool's Gold" was the only Stone Roses song we were treated to, I was hoping for more but I do respect the man just doing his own thing. My favourite parts of the show were the ones in between songs where he'd just stroll around stage and say cool shit. Best quote: "Could you stop texting please?" to some random idiot in the crowd. Glad I went.

Then on Saturday I was back in Brussels, this time in the newly relocated Magasin 4. The old location was the spot in late 90's and early 00's for wild shows and the new building is definitely cool. Good location, roomy but not huge. Just a little chilly in the winter I guess. Main attraction here was Kickback, supported by Length Of Time and a few more bands. Length Of Time did well in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd, the sound was good too. No new songs though although I know they've been working on some. Kirby held it down perfectly as the sole guitarist. Their set might've been a little long for my tastes but whatever.
On to Kickback, who throughout the years still have maintained enough mystique, charisma and popularity to draw a rather large crowd, especially in Belgium I'd say. Though I feel like a lot of people come to see the circus rather than Kickback the band, which I can understand, I've always thought they were a genuinely great band. Less of the provocative stage rants by Stephen this time around, I didn't really hear him call the crowd a bunch of f-bombs or whatever so that was a nice change. The music did all the talking and as far as Kickback shows go, this one was really good. An uncomfortable vibe dominated the room (in no small part thanks to the projections they have going on now, Neurosis style, showing the vilest shit you can imagine), a band possessed and a sound that was good but raw and aggressive enough to make it work. A lot of songs off their latest "No Surrender" album and obviously a bunch of tracks off "Forever War" and "Les 150 Passions Meurtrières". A good night.

Last of all, I'd recommend anyone to go see or rent "It Might Get Loud", a documentary on rock guitarists (I guess?) featuring Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge. This is one of the coolest music films I've ever seen. Seeing Jimmy Page play guitar, talk about guitars and school the young 'uns just brought the biggest smile to my face. Basically these 3 men get together with a bunch of guitars and a bunch of old records and talk about what they love most. Great concept. Lots of good music passes through. Afterwards I was thinking how brilliantly these 3 men reflect 3 generations of musicians. Seeing how U2 started out nearly as a punkrock band (The Edge gives props to The Jam and The Buzzcocks amongst others for inspiration), as a reaction to the old "rock dinosaurs" who were past their peak and would indulge in 15 minute guitar solos etc. they are defintely part of the generation that came after Led Zeppelin. In turn The White Stripes were very much a reaction as well to that generation. Back to basics, stripped down blues worship as a response to bands like U2 where the guitar didn't even sound like a guitar anymore, sounding too tame and too diluted for a wild cat like Jack White. "It Might Get Loud" is a job well done, above all, it was done with love and tremendous respect and that shines through. Don't miss out.

Peace.

2009

Part of being a nerd entails that you love lists. So obviously I do too. I was planning on having a bunch of people send me theirs but there's a whole bunch of other blogs and sites out there that are doing that already so peep those. Deathwish Inc, Complex man, Trumbull Island, etcetera. You know where to go. Here's my Top 10 Albums of this year in some random order. As with any list, I'll probably regret a few choices in a week from now and I probably forgot a bunch of great records too but that's life. Here goes...

IRON AGE - "The Sleeping Eye"

All the riffs you wish you wrote. Or the ones you wish Hetfield and Hammett were still writing. If you have a short attention span, you might not dig this. If you love good music, you probably will.

DINOSAUR JR. - "Farm"

Fuck it, this record probably has the coolest cover art of '09. Not a lot of records have me running into record stores a few days before the official release date hoping to dig this one out of a crate. If you thought "Beyond" was quite the return to form (and it was) then you're in for a treat.

DAN AUERBACH - "Keep It Hid"

The Black Keys' axeman goes solo, as if he hasn't written enough killer blues rock already. I know blues rock is the worst term but whatever. Doesn't stray too far from the path The Black Keys have paved, but if the path's this brilliant, who cares?

MORRISSEY - "Years Of Refusal"

Yeah you like The Smiths better. Yadda yadda. How can you be Morrissey's age and still be so cool? This relevant? And rock harder than you ever have? Beats me. But the man delivers again.

SHRINEBULDER - "s/t"

Fuck Them Crooked Vultures. This is THE supergroup of 2009. Bow to the altar of Wino, Scott Kelly, Cisneros and Crover.

CONVERGE - "Axe To Fall"

One only expects greatness from Converge and that's all they deliver. A touch more metal and at the same time a touch more "accessible" than their last few records. So good.

TRAPPED UNDER ICE - "Secrets Of The World"

Some people have refused to call this the record of the year because too many other people have. Weird huh? This record makes you love hardcore more.

RAEKWON - "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II"

The chef is back. Swinging knives and wrecking kettles. Everyone else, get out of the fuckin' kitchen.

KICKBACK - "No Surrender"

This is an ugly, hateful, vicious record. You cannot possibly explain to your mom why you like it, but you do like it. A lot. In fact, you don't want your mom to know you're into this because somehow it makes you a freak.

BLAKROC - "s/t"

Does everything The Black Keys touch turn into gold? It sure does seem so. Hip Hop and rock collabs have everything against them, but somehow these boys and some of Hip Hop's finest make it work. It sounds so natural and right you wonder if you should maybe give that Judgment Night soundtrack another shot.

Everything You Might Need For Day To Day Survival

Just in case anyone out there hasn't seen this yet. Here you go. Thank me later.

I'll Be Hangin' Where Eventually You'll Have To Be

Got home yesterday after what looks a hell of a lot like 3 months of straight touring. Feels weird being back home, but it ain't all that bad. It'll be cool to just chill on my own for a while and coming back to a snow covered and icy cold Belgium does have its charms.

Australia was the last tour we did in 2009 and I'm pretty sure I'll forever remember Australia as the coolest place I've ever been too. I don't know how to explain this exactly... If you've been there, then you know because most people I've met who have been there have all wanted to just stay there. Australia seemed to be the perfect mishmash of English, European and American influences, with a vibe that is all their own, plus a ton of amazing beaches, the ocean, overwhelming landscapes and cool cities. Looking across the ocean is like looking at the end of the world. I couldn't help but imagine that at the horizon the world just stopped, as if the earth was flat. We toured with an awesome band called Blkout, who we'd met only once, when their tour and ours joined up for a show in Berlin last summer. Dudes turned out be cool as hell and they are a great band to watch too. They have a record called "Total Depravity" out on Resist Records, if you dig post "Age Of Quarrell" Cro-Mags, The Icemen and let's say, True Blue then chances are you'll dig them. Other Australian highlights included cuddling with koalas, swimming rockpools, jumping off shit, picking up a pair of Alifes in the sales, having Marty, Josh and Jimmy take care of us and wandering around Melbourne in the morning, scoring breakfast and a bunch of second hand books.

The month of October seems like ancient history already, but that was when we toured the States. As usual it was a tour that had its ups and downs and as usual it was all around awesome experience. We got to play with a bunch of great bands (Bracewar, Bitter End, Ceremony, Trapped Under Ice, etc.) and we got to meet and play for about a week with Chicago's hardest, Harm's Way. For some reason I'd never seen this band live or met any of the dudes in the band, but turns out Harm's Way are some of the coolest dudes I've met in quite a while. Their LP "Reality Approaches" is cool but live they really shred hard. A lethal force if you will. When I get back into blogging more than I have been you can expect more on this band. A lot of shoe/clothes/record shopping was done on this tour, I can't seem to help it... So much good shit out there in the States. And that dollar is still so low too, it's like someone's forcing my hand.

November was spent touring throughout Europe with our friends in Iron Age. This was one of the best tours we have ever done, in terms of turnouts, being able to sell the new album and playing a lot of cool shows. Lots of fun, lots of riffing and lots of weed. Needless to say that seeing Iron Age every night was quite the trip. I got the impression that they go over some people's heads sometimes, which is a damn shame because I think they've never been this good and this tight live. They have the songs to back it all up too. I figure that right now, they are the band they have always aspired to be. "The Sleeping Eye" might just be my favourite heavy (or hardcore related) release of 2009. If you haven't yet, pick it up. The tour ended in Ghent, our first hometown show since early 2008 and it also served as the official record release. Despite me stressing out it all went real well and the show was a success. Perfect way to end a great tour.

Thinking of "The Sleeping Eye" brings me to the much feared end of the year lists. I'll take a shot at an Album Top 10 or Top 20 in the near future, I'm trying to figure it all out in my head first. I know my man Klaas is planning on doing a whole bunch of them on his blog (www.complex-man.com) so check that out. Klaas dove headfirst into blogging, bringing quality and quantity. Definitely one of my favourite blogs going right now.

Since I last posted here, that Blakroc album has come out and I've only gotten round to listening to it 4/5 times but I'm loving it. Definitely delivers. More on that and other records soon, I've been buying a lot of vinyl in the last couple of months. It feels good. Peace.

When The Lyrics Leave The Mouth They Look Like Light Beams

A few things. Like any other sane person out there I sometimes ask myself what the use of the internet actually is. I mean, it does kinda suck sometimes, right? But the ever overcrowded information superhighway has its ways to show us that we're wrong. That's how I felt when I read about Blakroc. Blakroc basically is The Black Keys collaborating with a bunch of awesome rappers. Their album is due to drop late November, but I would advise you to check out the song "Hoochie Choo" right about now. http://www.prefixmag.com/media/the-black-keys/hoochie-coo-ft-jim-jones-and-mos-def-stream/32667/
This song features the the unlikely combo of Jim Jones and Mos Def and well, it's awesome. Rumoured further collaboration partners include the RZA, Q-Tip and more. Shit's hot.

While we're on the subject of hip-hop I might as well tell you how excited I am about that new Raekwon album, the eagerly anticipated "Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx Pt. II". This album hasn't been getting a lot of love from most of my friends and that's kinda weird 'cause I love it. Or maybe not. I will not claim to be schooled up enough on hip-hop to write a full blown review here, but I'm a dude and I like what I like. So with that been said, I think Raekwon's rhymes and lyricism are still razor sharp, and with Ghostface appearing on so many tracks you could easily see why I'm diggin' this. Production by a bunch of top dudes: obviously the RZA did his thing (he is also credited as the executive producer together with Raekwon), Dr. Dre delivered 2 songs and some of the other contributors are J Dilla, The Alchemist, Pete Rock, amongst others. Most of the other Wu member appear on one or more songs... Inspecktah Deck, Method Man, GZA, Masta Killa etc. Despite the slew of producers and guest rappers "Only Built 4 Cuban Lynx Pt. II" still sounds solid and coherent... There's an eerie, dark and rough vibe that dominates this record and it fits Raekwon's flow and lyrics well. I'm into it.

In other news, Rise And Fall will be embarking on a four week US tour, starting October 2nd. We'll come bearing riffs, waffles, a new album and health care propaganda. Here's the dates, come hang...

10/02: Haverhill, MA @ Anchors Up w/ Guns Up, Bracewar
10/03: Edison, NJ @ Stelton Church w/ Guns Up, Bracewar, Creatures, Disaster
10/04: Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary w/ Guns Up, Bracewar, Title Fight, Creatures
10/05: Baltimore, MD @ Sidebar w/ Bracewar, Creatures
10/06: Richmond, VA @ Alley Katz w/ Bracewar, Trapped Under Ice, Heathens, Creatures
10/07: Raleigh, NC @ Brewery w/ Bracewar, Creatures
10/08: Lexington, SC @ Round Hill Community Club w/ Bracewar, Creatures
10/09: Atlanta, GA @ PS Warehouse w/ Bracewar, Creatures
10/10: Birmingham, AL @ Green Cup w/ Bracewar, Creatures
10/11: Little Rock, AR @ Vinos w/ Bracewar, Creatures
10/12: Dallas, TX @ 1919 Hemphill w/ Bitter End, Mammoth Grinder, Creatures
10/13: Austin, TX @ Emo's w/ Bitter End, Mammoth Grinder, Creatures
10/14: San Antonio, TX @ Ten Eleven w/ Bitter End, Mammoth Grinder, Forfeit, Backtrack, Creatures
10/15: Tucson, AZ @ Living Room w/ Creatures
10/16: San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe w/ Ceremony, Lewd Acts, Black Breath
10/17: Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction w/ Ceremony, Lewd Acts, Black Breath
10/18: Salinas, CA @ Building E w/ Ceremony, Lewd Acts, Black Breath
10/19: Las Vegas, NV @ Eastside Joes w/ Creatures
10/20: Albuqeurque, NM @ Peace And Justice Center w/ Creatures
10/21: Denver, CO @ Blast O Mat w/ Creatures
10/22: Kansas City, MO @ Mission Theatre w/ Creatures
10/23: St Louis, MO @ Fubar w/ Harms Way, Creatures
10/24: Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen w/ Harms Way, Creatures
10/25: Indianapolis, IN @ Murphy Building w/ Harms Way, Creatures
10/26: Cincinnati, OH @ Warsaw Arena w/ Harms Way, Creatures
10/27: Romeo, MI @ Static Age w/ Harms Way, Creatures
10/28: Cleveland, OH @ Nows Thats Class w/ Harms Way, Creatures
10/29: Lemoyne, PA @ Championship w/ Cold World, Creatures
10/30: Somerset, NJ @ Warehouse w/ Cold World, Creatures, Gypsy
10/31: Albany, NY @ Valentines w/ Cold World, Creatures, Title Fight, Cruel Hand, Mother Of Mercy
11/01: Holyoke, MA @ Waterfront Tavern w/ Cold World, Death Before Dishonor, Creatures

Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don't

Let me start this one with some shameless self promotion: There's two new Rise And Fall songs online off our upcoming record called "Our Circle Is Vicious", which will be out on October 27th. Deathwish Records. Peep the Rise And Fall myspace (www.myspace.com/riseandfall13) if you wanna hear them. I'm stoked on the album finally coming out and the touring that comes with it.

We played Tessenderlo (Belgium) with Cloak/Dagger on saturday, after which I rolled with the Daggers for a couple of days and had a great ol' time. They have a new record out on Jade Tree called "Lost Art" and it's a good one. Expect a review to pop up here soon. Technically I think their record will be out for real in November but they do have a limited pressing of 200 with them on this Euro tour so pick that shit up. New songs translate well in a live setting and provide some more variety as well, which is obviously good. Jason's moves have become quite spectacular. His milkshake definitely brings the boys to the yard. All kidding aside, all 3 Cloak/Dagger shows were sweet, with my favourite being Utrecht. Seeing a bunch of old friends again definitely helped too, but the vibe was good, the sound was perfect and the Daggers were merciless. Union Town also played this show and I hadn't seem them in over a year I think... They blew me off my socks. This band defintely needs more recognition. They played a couple of new songs of which the more epic, slower one called "Blinding Lights" impressed me the most. Hung out in Utrecht for a couple of hours the next day. What a lovely city... Copped a sweet jacket at this cool ass thrift store for 30 E's, I was stoked. After Utrecht, Gent was up next so I had the pleasure to show Jason, Andrew and Matt around (Colin got stuck record shopping) and they dug what they saw. We ate some of the best ice cream ever so needless to say it was a good day. Good sets by them and Vogue that night.

About a month ago Madball played Belgium and I went to see them with Filip (peep his Crunkswagger blog). Kind of a last minute plan, but definitely one of the better plans in recent memory. So good seeing Madball again, and especially seeing them tear it up like that. Over half the set consisted of classic "Set It Off" and "Demonstrating My Style" material. They also played a bunch of "Look My Way" and "Hold It Down" songs obviously and a couple of newer ones were thrown in for good measure. Note to self: Pick up "Infiltrate The System" some time. Their new drummer was so stoked on being in Madball he started moshing behind his kit. Can you blame him? Freddy still is one of the illest frontmen out there and it brought a smile to my face to see that many kids (weirdos and p.m.f.'s included) go off for them.

Jeffrey hooked me up with the new Raekwon record and I've been listening to that one a lot. A little bummed on missing Raekwon when he plays Belgium on October 10th but you can't have it all, right?

More soon.

Trapped Under Ice - "Secrets Of The World"

Those of you that have checked this blog before know I'm into Trapped Under Ice. "Stay Cold" was an ill EP that definitely did real well for them. Heavy rotation on the Pod and on the turntable. However, writing an awesome EP is definitely easier than writing an awesome LP, anyone that's been in a band knows that. Plus, let us not forget the nature of many a harcore kid: we tend to romanticize the past, even if that past was only a year ago, so obviously there'll be a lot of the "the demo was better" type of rhetoric. Also, and this has bothered me forever, it seems like a lot of the time when the new "cool" band gets bigger and does better and all the "uncool" kids get into them, people seem to move to whatever's next and whatever's newer and fresher. So how do you keep those kids hooked and still get new kids into you? I guess that the only thing Trapped Under Ice could do at this point was to come up with a killer album... Not that they should care too much about all of the above, but still. So have they?

An awesome album needs a good opener. You don't want your best song there, but you want a song that'll grab the attention, a short rager to stir shit up... and that's exactly what "See God" does. Immediately hitting us with some of the best lyrics of the record: "If you see God tell him that I'm still alive, gave up on all those prayers 'cause they couldn't provide". According to the same tradition that is a tradition for good reasons, your second song should be a hit. And "Believe" definitely is a hit. It will probably sound familiar to kids with good ears, 'cause Trapped Under Ice has been playing this song live on tours for a while. It's got the catchy chorus and the ignorant finale, featuring Tad (Stout) on guest vocals, definitely a change of pace but it works well and is bound to become a staple in their live sets. The "Hairspray" sample fits in with the song's Baltimore theme nicely. What else is there on Side A? More good stuff. "TUI" might seem a little simplistic but it works as a band anthem. I dig it. The re-recorded version of "Gemini" sounds cool and the song definitely adds something different to the first side of "Secrets Of The World". The gang vocals sound so Biohazard that it hurts. What I like about "Gemini" is that it doesn't stop when you think it will. Twice. This song and "Too True" also perfectly show why I think this band is so good. They work on different levels. Surely they have based their sound and style on a lot of classic NYHC, the most obvious names that come to mind are Crown Of Thornz, Merauder, Breakdown and Biohazard. They're not unafraid to wear their influences on their sleeve (the Merauder riff in "Too True", the Crown Of Thornz vibes in "From Birth" etc.) but at the same time they manage to create a sound and a dynamic that is all their own and sounds current. So next to those of us that have developed a weird obsession with classic NYHC, they'll also appeal to that young kid at the Terror show because of the sheer energy and solid songwriting they have. There's enough ignorant parts to please the hardmen among us but then again they have a refined and intelligent approach to song and lyric writing, which is something I value greatly.

Enough of that, on to Side B. Let me start off with a bit of criticism first: it seems like the band placed most of the longer, slightly weirder songs on Side B, which is not a bad thing per se, but I guess I would've preferred it if they were a little more spread out through the album. "Vortex" is an instrumental jam, it's hard and pretty diverse and goes into "Eye Hand", one of my favourites on this record. A brooding, dark song with a spirirtual twist to it, and a little "I and I" thrown in for good measure. Crown Of Thornz being a big influence on this band ain't no secret at all, and I guess that shines through most (as mentioned before) in "From Birth"... The double vocals, with that little bit of melody to them, Lord Ezec style, work well. Lyrically hard and brutally honest ("23 years of being told I will never be nothing, I can never have nothing"), musically haunting and intense, this song's a gem. Neglect reference in the lyrics... rare. "Titus" and "Against The Wall" are songs in that classic Trapped Under Ice style, "Against The Wall" stands out thanks to the super catchy chorus and that rippin' solo at the end. There's one more track and it's another personal favourite of mine, I just wish it was longer... "World I Hate". Great bass, great groove, this song hits home. What else is there to be said? I'm into the cover art. It looks ancient and mysterious and stands out. The sound is solid throughout the whole album, I like how the vocals don't sound too polished, too many records have vocals that have been smothered out of any emotion. Quality work by Dean Baltounis.

So the answer to my initial question is "yes". "Secrets Of The World" is a great record. That plus the constant touring and Reaper becoming one of the bigger names as far as real hardcore labels go should really propel Trapped Under Ice to higher levels, to become the kind of band that will draw kids into hardcore. I'm looking forward to that for sure.
"Coming at you like a stray bullet from gangland territory" ... Baltimore's TUI.

Jim Connolly: Small Man, Big Riff

Around October last year I exchanged a bunch of emails with a bearded riffer known to the world as Jim Connolly, guitarist in Soul Control and an expert in the field of the full body headbang. I'll admit that some of these questions are a little outdated by now, as Soul Control is about to unleash "Cycles", their first proper full length album and the band has put out numerous 7" singles since we conducted this interview. They've also changed drummers. However, I do still think this will make for a good read. Jim's quite the entertainer. As you'll notice, there's no pictures to go along with this, simply because I can't quite figure out how to work this Mac. So it's back to basics for now, a blog for people that still know how to read. Please do go see Soul Control on tour and enjoy reading.

Soul Control recently played with the legendary Boston Devilcore act Overcast... How was that?

Overcast was great. Set was a little too long, about 14 songs but with a lot of breaks, but that's how their shows always were back in the day. I went to 5 of the 6 reunions they did in '05 as well. They still sound sick live, so heavy yet not downtuned at all. I accidentally headbutted someone during a full body headbang, had quite a bruise the next day. Have you picked up the CD they just out out? It's called "Reborn To Kill Again" and its just re-recordings of old songs but they sound really good.

Two fun facts about Overcast: 1) the first time Jim Connolly ever moshed was to Overcast at the release party for the split they did with Arise and 2) although they went by the moniker "Boston Devilcore" none of the members were actually from Boston, they were all from Milford, a suburb of Worcester about 40 minutes from Boston. This has become a tradition carried on by many "Boston Hardcore" bands of today. Cough have heartandshipwreck cough. Haha.

Describe how you exactly you "moshed" to Overcast in your first ever moshing experience. How hard were you?

It more than likely looked super lame. I think there was a lot of arm flailing and maybe a kick or two. Def not hard. I think the only time I moshed “hard” was at the Madball show in CT right after Freddy got out of jail. He came out in a prison jumpsuit…THAT is hard.

Growing up around Boston and going to shows there in the early 90's you must have seen a ton of cool shows. Please share with me some of your favourite shows and tell me what your favourite bands to see were at the time and why.

Favorite shows? My 2nd show ever was Madball at the historic Club Babyhead in Providence in 1994, that show changed my life. I’d say Agnostic Front, 454 Big Block and 25 ta Life at the Mid East in Boston in 96, one of the scariest shows I was ever at. Earth Crisis, Downset, Vision of Disorder and Bane at the Gym in Clinton. I’ll go on record and say I HATE Earth Crisis, they just happened to be on the show unfortunately. Any Bane show, especially at the space. Biohazard at the tiny Espresso Bar in Worcester. The last Trouble show at the Greek hall in Cambridge. I got to see Aaron Bedard's old band Backbone when they played a reunion show with Dive. That was actually the show where Dalbec ended up asking him if he was interested in singing for his new hardcore band. So many shows.

As far as bands, pretty much any listed in those shows. V.O.D. I’d go see whenever they came close. Any of the NYHC bands that would play somewhat close by, Madball, S.O.I.A., H2O, No Redeeming Social Value. If In Effect Zine wrote about them, I’d get into them and go see them. Local bands I’d always go see: Bane, Blood For Blood, Reach The Sky, Get High, Cave In, Cast Iron Hike…the list goes on and on.

Fast forwarding to today, what are some of your favourite bands to full body headbang to? I know Torche is one of them, please elaborate.

Torche for sure. Theres actually a funny vid on youtube of me at a Torche show at CBGB’s. Here it is: http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=hix_0WULjRw, I have no idea who that other dude is. At one point I fall down. There’s an awesome band from Providence called The Body, you have no choice but to headbang, it’s so loud you fall to your knees anyway. Also, I really love OM. One of the best sets I’ve seen was OM in a warehouse in Queens. I’ll actually be seeing Om this week when they open for Dinosaur Jr, I know this makes you jealous. Bands I haven’t seen but headbang to in spirit are Electric Wizard, Iron Monkey and of course Sleep.

I've never been to Worcester, pretty much all I know about the place is that Bane is from there, the Palladium is there and Jim Connolly is from there as well. What's Worcester like?

I think you have to be from Worcester to love Worcester. Its really big but there’s not much to do. The one thing Worcester has though is the best pizza in the world in my opinion. Not just one specific place, pretty much all pizza in Worcester is great. In the mid 90’s Worcester had two of the greatest spots for shows, The Space and the Espresso Bar. Local shows seemingly every night, touring bands always came through, it was a truly great time. After those clubs got shut down the Worcester hardcore scene kind of got shut down with it. It's starting to rise from the ashes though thanks to a new group of awesome younger kids starting bands and doing shows. I’ve been in Providence for 6 years now, but I’ll always be a Worcester kid.

You love Bane and I'm sure Bane loves you (how could they not?), since I'm quite the Baniac myself and I would love to hear your top 3 Bane releases.

This is hard because it’s one of those lists that can change from day to day depending on my mindset. Today I’ll say:

1) Free to Think, Free to Be 7”. Superhero is THE Bane song for me. Way before Can We Start Again, Superhero was the sing along. Check this video from one of the best shows I’ve been to, Back to School Jam 1999. Worcester Palladium, Upstairs, Biggest singalong I’ve ever heard. http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=1v1gr0-yM1A

2) It All Comes Down To This. Of the 3 LP’s, this is my favorite. The production is horrible and they’ll tell you the same thing. I can get past that though and these are some of my favorite songs they’ve ever done. Struck Down By Me has the best Bane mosh part. Live sets during this time were frenzied, emotional and very experimental. Sets would typical end in noisy “jams” that would mainly showcase how insane a drummer Nick was. I have a lot of shows from that time on DVD that a friend transferred from VHS for me, I’ll let you borrow them sometime. It’s a shame that only Can We and What Makes Us are pretty much the only 2 songs for this record that still get played live.

3) OK, this is one isn’t really #3 but I just want to give it some love. The Bane side of the split with Adamantium. They never really went over too well live and didn’t last very long in the set. I think kids just didn’t want anything to do with an Adamantium 7” haha. You wrote this song for me is such a good song and it led to a pretty decent shirt/hoodie design. “and you wonder why I’m so obsessed with guns…”

Prior to Soul Control you were in What Feeds The Fire, a band that at the time was well known but didn't seem to do all that much... Would you agree? Why was that? Did you guys release anything other than "Set Me Free"?

Yea I agree with that. The original lineup lasted less then a year, then the lineup I was part of lasted just about a year, so it was a pretty short lived band. They did one 2 week tour before the mass quitting of members and then our lineup did 2 tours and a lot of weekends. Set Me Free was just the demo and 4 new songs, all recorded by the og lineup. After everyone quit Sean and Mark went in and recorded a song for a Martyr Records comp 7”, Sean played guitars, drums and sang and Mark played bass. The final lineup wrote an LP but only got as far as demoing drum tracks.

What happened to What Feeds The Fire? I know you guys did that one big tour (with Hatebreed and Evergreen Terrace, right?), did the band just implode after that?

The big tour was with Hatebreed, Poison The Well and Bane. It was a month long and it went surprisingly well. After that we did a bunch of weekends with Champion amongst others. That summer we did Posi Numbers, 4:20 Fest and Hellfest which all went very very well. We were rising quickly and we were ready to write a record. Then the implosion started. Hatebreed was now on a major and touring non stop and we figured Jamey would be too busy to put out the record. Deathwish was a new label and wanted to put out the record. There was a meeting with us, Jamey and Jake on Hatebreed’s tourbus which ended with Jamey agreeing that we should join DW rather than end up “on Victory or Trustkill or something.” Leaving Stillborn as a label also meant we lost Jamey as our booking agent. The shows got HORRIBLE. The fighting began. We were doing all these shows and weekends and losing a ton of money. Rich and Myself started quitting on a weekly basis. We got offered a west coast tour with the Cro-Mags but a week before it started there were still no venues so we cancelled off it. Then I quit my marketing job for the “How’s Your Edge Tour” with Impact (became Stand & Fight), The First Step and appearances by Count Me Out and other edge bands. It was supposed to be like 10 days long, most shows got cancelled, I think we played 3 shows. Lost more money. So we decided to stop doing shows for a bit and finish the record, which we did. We wrote an 11 song album I think. We went to demo it with Larry from The Dedication and we recorded all the drums but when we tried to overdub guitars we realized the songs were all way too fast so we had to scrap the night work and reschedule. The next week we played a horrible CT show and Rich had enough and quit for real. We all talked til 3 am, once again convinced him to stay by agreeing to a 2 month hiatus and we’d all talk again after xmas. During that hiatus Sean started playing drums in a new band which ended up becoming Verse after he switched from drums to vocals. I called him after xmas to see if we were going to continue WFTF as planned and he said no, he wanted to Verse and that was it. We did a last show about a year later after all the fighting had stopped at a benefit for Steve Neale. People will tell you it was crazy, but I think it sucked. So does Sean. Bad way to end the band, ah well.

Did your time in What Feeds The Fire influence the way you wanted to handle Soul Control? It seems like Soul Control got to be a well known and respected band in a short amount of time, with your demo being incredibly well received and "Involution" following shortly after... How did all that come together?

Not really, because SC wasn’t supposed to be a “real” band. We were just friends messing around in my basement for fun. After we wrote Dive we got kind of stoked and decided to do a demo and MAYBE play a couple shows. We ended up playing Dive during a Verse set, we had no other songs written yet and Earth Tones had only been playing bass for I’d say 2 hours. Then we wrote some more songs and did the demo and like you said it was well received, which was totally unexpected. Literally a day after we put the songs on myspace we were getting calls from labels. I think we agreed to sign to Rivalry about 5-6 days after we had made physical demos. Once we signed we knew we were going to be doing a lot more than we planned so we just threw caution to the wind and rode the wave. There wasn’t much planning or handling that needed to be done. We got offered the Have Heart tour, said yes. Verse tour? Sure. Hey want to come to Europe with Blacklisted and Shipwreck? Yea, lets do it. It was a crazy first year to say the least.

It still blows my mind that Anthony (original Soul Control drummer) was in Temperance for a while. Did you ever see Temperance with him on drums? How long have you actually known Anthony and Earth Tones? How did you meet?

No, I never saw him play with Temperance. I can’t stand Temperance but I think you had to be from Rhode Island or Europe to have liked them haha. I met Triple-OG Anthony at our first practice for WFTF. So I’ve known him for about 7 years now. After WFTF and before Soul Control we still played music together and remained real close, mainly because of poker. Earth Tones and I met about 3 years ago, it’s really weird that we hadn’t met before that because he has been close with some of my friends, like Triple-O, since like 1994. I’ve known his brother Adam for 6-7 years but I somehow (thankfully?) avoided knowing Earth Tones. We met when he came to film a show my band before Soul Control was playing and we hung out a bit that night. Then randomly he started showing up at my place and now we’re in a band together. Basically he’s in my life out of necessity. I’m half joking.

When Matt decided to quit the band, breaking up must've occured to you, or did that thought not occur to you at all? What made you decide to carry on and take the risk?

Breaking up was the first thought we all had and I think we did actually break up for a few days. Matt really wanted us to keep going, he loved and still loves Soul Control, it’s the band he had always wanted to do but he just couldn’t do it anymore. So me, Tones and Triple-O went out for pancakes and had a long discussion and decided to keep going. Then after 2 weeks we couldn’t think of a new guy so we almost broke up again and then had another meeting on a bench next to a river and decided to keep looking. At this point only a handful of people knew Matt had quit even though he had quit almost a month prior. I finally told Sean Murphy and instantly he was like “Yo, you should get my boy Rory.” I met him, gave him a CD and he texted me a few days later and said he was down to give it a go. We set up a jam, he did “On Survival” once and that was it, he was in. He actually put words to a new song that first time we ever played together, instant chemistry. We dropped the song though haha. We scrapped pretty much a whole LP worth of music.

Concerning that new song "Flux" you guys have been playing for a while now... That riff is so fucking hard, I imagine you locking yourself in your basement with only the Burn "New Morality" recordings and your guitar for a week, growing a huge beard and resurfacing again while full body headbanging to the sound of that song playing in your head. Is that how it went?

Yes.

That series of 4 one song 7" records is a nifty idea. What are the benefits of doing things this way as opposed to let's say a new 4 song 7" or 12"? The first one is due out soon, what can you tell me about the song on that one?

Well, we’re not on Rivalry anymore so we were like OK, let's do something that we wanna do, cuz we can literally do anything. I had been talking to Rory about doing a series of 1 song singles for a while and then when we were on tour with Lie And Wait (awesome band, by the way) their drummer Josh Huskin came up with the idea to make all the covers form one bigger picture. So blame him haha. The benefits are just that it makes US happy, its what we wanted to do so we did it. We picked the labels, they’ve been awesome and are doing a great job, everyone’s stoked. We’ll put out another normal 7” before the winter tour.
“Playing Coward” is the first one to come out, it can be ordered now. Its selling faster than expected which is surprising, we didn’t think people would buy into the idea and that they’d sell more on tour, but I guess not. As of right now, it’s my favorite song we have. I like quiet guitar intros that escalate in volume, so I did one of those. Its got a cool bounce/groove part that I dig too. I like all the new songs, now I guess I gotta hope that others like them to?

Will all those songs be vinyl exclusives or will some of them appear on the new album next year?

Vinyl exclusives. Whatever we do from now on will have new stuff only. We’ll continue with our formula of not releasing any 2 records that sound the same.

Soul Control is one of the few newer bands that seems do well with young kids and old heads alike, it is especially interesting to see how you guys get asked to play Snapcase, Unbroken, Overcast, Disembodied etc. reunion shows... Why do you think that is, besides your old age?

Well, the Snapcase/Anti-Matter Show was all because of Rob Fish. 108 has been real cool to us from the beginning and Rob really went to bat for us to get us on that show. Norm decided to add 1 more band to the lineup and Rob told him to check us out. He liked it a lot and called me and asked us to play. After the 2 shows Norm said a lot of cool things about us like how even though we’re a modern band we capture the spirit and vibe of “that” time, stuff like that. It’s all in the blog on the Anti-Matter myspace. Old heads, and I mean that as a positive term, seem to dig us for that reason, at least that’s what we hear the most, that we manage to capture that time/sound/vibe and they like it. Same thing with the Burning Fight release show in April, we were asked for those reasons. We might not have been a band in the mid 90’s but that’s the time when we all were most active in the scene and I guess it still shines through when we play. We’re not faking it, this is what comes out of us, it’s real and I think people can tell.

If the 16 year old Jim C. would meet the 30 year old Jim C. do you think they'd become friends?

Yea probably, we’d both be into Madball and that’s a good way to start a friendship.

You have a pretty awesome stage thing going, I dig the bouncing while spinning around move... What are some of your favourite guitarists to watch live?

I’m not really into super active guitarists actually but I do love watching dudes shred. Like Cedric. Dude shreds. When those bends hit in the breakdown of Forked Tongues and he kind of leans back with the bend…that is sweet. Juan Montoya and Steve Brooks from Torche. They know exactly how heavy they are and they are stoked about it. Obviously J. Mascis. Saw him last night, stood about 4 feet from his amps, needless to say I couldn’t hear very well this morning.

Soul Control has a huge full U.S. tour planned for next year, among other tours, a new album etc. How hard is it to keep living that kind of band lifestyle while you are at an age where most have long giving up on hardcore? What keeps you inspired to do you what you do?

Basically, I don’t want to grow up just yet. So I’ll tour and work lame retail jobs in between just to avoid getting a real job. I have a marketing degree that I’ve been wasting since 2000, I could go get a decent job if I wanted to, but it’s not time for that. All I can really focus on is music right now, I gotta get it out of my system before I settle down. Luckily I have cheap rent and very VERY understanding girlfriend.

You were supposed to tour Europe again last August but that got cancelled, when do you expect to be back over? What are some of your fondest memories of that first European tour you did with Blacklisted and Shipwreck?

We plan on coming back to Europe next summer with a certain Belgian Devilcore Act called Rise And Fall, maybe you’ve heard of them. See what I did there? Now it has to happen, once it’s on the internet it’s real.

Fond memories include: sitting in that club on the 18 hour ferry to Finland watching Dubs kick game to 16 year old Russian girls, walking around in Prague which was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, Dance party after the show in Warsaw, pulling up to the Lintfabriek and seeing that massive crowd outside, being woken up at 4am by George who needed to tell the room that a certain member of one of the bands on the tour that wasn’t Blacklisted or Soul Control was upstairs making out with a dude. I really wish I didn’t let the money situation bring me down so much, I got pretty depressed at times but looking back, that was a great tour.

Ride - "Nowhere". Briefly explain why this is your favourite record ever.

I’ve been thinking about this question for days and I can’t come up with anything brief so I’ll just sum it up in one sentence: It is a perfect record.

Brief side story, I saw Mark Gardner do a solo show in Boston in 2005 and it was a tiny crowd due to Dinosaur Jr playing down the street. Mark bummed a cigarette off my girlfriend and we talked for a few minutes. Then he dedicated Dreams Burn Down (my fav Ride song) to me, which was probably the coolest thing happened in my life thus far.

Thanks Jim!
No problem. See you on that tour, I’ll help you get into OM.

Mind Over Matter, Soul Before Flesh

That's the motto, still. Not that it is an easy one to live by, but all you can do is try, right? Right. So it's past midnight, I'm typing and I'm kind of excited because I haven't actually blogged since October. I guess the bug bit me again or something. Actually, after October last year I didn't have any internet access for a couple of months. After those couple of months, I just shunned the net for another couple of months and it felt good. It was kind of an experiment. I felt like a caveman, but in a good way. But as Full Court Press once told us, "good things never last", so I found my way back to the internet machine sometime in March or so. Felt like updating the blog once in a while but nothing happened, I guess I was just focusing on other things, such as the writing and recording process of the new Rise And Fall record. We recorded back in March and the damn thing should be out in October. I'm pretty stoked on that. We also just got back from a 4 week tour throughout Europe with our dawgs in Have Heart and Shipwreck. I have to admit, I have missed touring. I've been living a somewhat more regular life over the last few years and while that's not the worst thing in the world, touring is definitely a lot cooler. Rise And Fall hadn't done any extensive touring since the summer of '09 so we were all pretty amped to get out there and play hard every night. It was fun. Plus we could hang with and see the Hearts and the Wrecks every day, it don't get much better than that. Anyway. On tour I had a bunch of people ask me what was going on with the blog and that definitely helped me get back into it. It's cool to hear some people out there really dig it. See, I won't lie, I'm pretty far from being Lars Ulrich but every ego loves to be flattered now and then. So here I am, back at it. Mind Over Matter '09.

This is going to be pretty damn random so please bear with me. Two of my favourite bands out there both have new albums out, both of them leaked prior to their release date, but what are you gonna do? You can't rage against the internet machine.

Iron Age "The Sleeping Eye". If you asked me for two words to describe this one, I'd say "EPIC RIFFING". Not everyone is going to dig this, because not everyone can stomach 7 minute songs and an overdose of riffs, but I sure can. Granted, it's a bit much too listen to in one take, but fuck it... This album is ridiculously good. It sounds crisp and clear and heavy as fuck. Huge sound. Think Clash Of The Titans Tour, 20000 maniacs headbanging. I was too slow to get the double vinyl released by the band themselves, but I'll pick up the Tee Pee version as soon as it crosses my path.

Another killer is the new Trapped Under Ice album called "Secrets Of The World". No surprise here as their demo, "Stay Cold" EP and live shows already showed what greatness this band is capable of. I've heard it a bunch of times now on other's people's Ipods, I got close to destroying the roof of our van when I started a one man moshpit up in the loft. I can't wait to get the real thing. Reaper Records is going strong, no doubt.

Soul Control's new album called "Cycles" should be out soon too, I haven't heard that one yet but I'm definitely curious to hear what kind of wizardry Jim C. and co. have come up with. Speaking of Jim C., I have an awesome interview with him somewhere in my mailbox, I will try to get that thing online soon, 'cause Soul Control's European tour starts in a few days from now.

What's your favourite Bane album? Chances are it's "Give Blood". Defibitely a good answer. It's probably my favourite one too. But how about "The Note"? Definitely an underappreciated record. I was way into that one. I have a feeling i'm going to dig the new EP as well 'cause that new song they put online last week rules. Peep it at banecentral.com and keep an eye out for that record to drop on Hurry Up Records in Europe (Matteo, cojone) and Triple B in the States.

Doomriders have a new album coming too. "Darkness Come Alive". I've heard it and it does shred. Hard. A little darker, more serious (less of a spur of the moment thing I guess) than "Black Thunder". Check the Deathwish site for a 3 song media player.

Guess who else put out a new album? That's right, Dinosaur Jr. It fucking rules. Album of the year*? Possibly. There's a bunch of walking trees on the cover. Those trees don't give a fuck. Because they're cool.

I gotta get some sleep. More soon.

Peace.

* In the non-hardcore category.

Focus On The Light: True Colors U.S. Tour

In a matter of days a bunch of Belgians will land on U.S. soil to play a bunch of anthemic, high energy hardcore songs of the straight edge variety. True Colors is the name of their band and I suggest you go see them if you have the chance. They zill be touring with none other than Cruel Hand. Here are their tourdates:

10/03 : Lemoyne, PA @ Championship
10/04 : Lakewood, OH @ Hi Fi
10/05 : Romeo, MI @ Static Age
10/06 : Toronto, ONT @ Studio BLR
10/07 : Montreal, QC @ INFO COMING SOON!!
10/08 : Chicotimi, QC @ La Marina
10/09 : Haverhill, MA @ Anchors Up
10/10 : Brooklyn, NY @ Stolen Sleeves
10/11 : Edison, NJ @ Stelton Church

Due to logistic reasons I can't spice this up with a sweet live pic but let the words do the talking here. I asked my friend Wim "Hingie" De Backer a couple of questions. He plays bass in True Colors. BUST!

In a couple of days from now, True Colors will be in the United States. How did this happen? Who made it happen? How excited are you?

We've been talking about touring the US for a while now, but I don't think any of us really believed that it would ever happen. We all kinda knew that we were capable of doing it if we would just get to it, but the idea of True Colors touring in America was always quite absurd to us... I don't even know how it all finally happened, but I assume our drummer Peers just got in touch with Andy Rice from Deathwish (probably through Dave Sausage), and he just booked our tour. And I am pretty excited about it! See next question...


None of you have ever been there, so how wild do you expect the U.S. to be? Do you think the female population over there is ready for the coming of L.L. Cool P. (Ladies Love Cool Peers)?

I try to have no expections at all, but I'm sure everything is going to be mega exciting! I cannot wait for the moment we're walking out of the airport, all in America for the first time, on tour with our band, figuring out what we'll be doing first and how exactly. And it all looks like we don't have too many really long drives and we're going to be able to hang out in some cool cities, so that's just perfect. Far out, far fucking out as the dude would say...
And I personally believe that no female population anywhere can ever be ready for the coming of Peers. Mothers, lock up your daughters! I'm not even joking...

Please give me a list of 10 things you absolutely want to do while you are on tour there...


One thing I learned playing in a touring band is never plan too much stuff in advance, cause I always get a little bummed out if things don't work out the way I want them to, wich is pretty often. BUT, 10 things I definitly want to do this time around include:
Play at least one good show
Get into Canada
Hang out with Spoiler08
Eat non vegan things with Spoiler08
Eat donuts daily
Get a strawberry/banana smoothie (yo Stief!)
Try all the Ben&Jerrys flavours that arent available in Europe
Buy a new iPod (cheap)
Buy lots of other stuff (cheap)
Hang out in New York City

True Colors has been known to bust some Youth Of Today covers on the regular... What Youth Of Today songs have you covered so far and do you have any others planned for the future?

So far we did Honesty, Break Down The Walls, I Have Faith, Slow Down, Put It Aside, A Time We'll Remember and Wake Up And Live. We did Disengage at rehearsals but we were not quite ready for that song yet. We're not really sure what our next Youth Of Today cover will be, but I definitly still want to do the following: Positive Outlook, Youth Of Today, Disengage, Together, Understand and a bunch more...

Please explain your fixation on this seminal Straight Edge Band. If you could go back in time and be in Youth Of Today playing bass, what era of Youth Of Today would you go back to?

Youth Of Today just makes perfect sense to me, in every possible way... to me, they hit home like no other band does. Their songs are fast and super aggresive, their lyrics inspiring yet simple, their live shows energetic and impressive, their records and their layouts completly flawless... Just exaclty what I was looking for when I discovered them at age 17. I was still a fattie back then, and looking at the pictures of Ray and Porcell always made me want to work out and get in shape. They definitely had a big influence on me growing up...
I wouldn't even dare to think of me replacing Walter Schreifels or Craig Setari as a bassplayer in Youth Of Today, so I'd go back to 1985 and play in YOT in their Can't Close My Eyes days if I had to. I love every Youth Of Today record and all eras so it's all good anyway. Though my absolute favourite one is the We're Not In This Alone era, that record, most energy captured on a record ever! And best hardcore record of all time, hands down...
This question made me listen to all four Youth Of Today releases in a row this morning, it made my day.

Favourite Geert Hollanders quote?


"I think I'm going to get some dessert..."

God Can't Touch Us Now, We're Out Of His Jurisdiction

The Melvins and Big Business played Ghent last Friday. I watched the Melvins from up on the balcony, something I had to do to preserve my sanity. I wanted to see Big Business from up close but found myself surrounded by idiots. Out of the 10 people around me, 11 were either yelling in their dumb friends ears trying make conversation, or poking me in the back while bringing their dumb friends some more beer. Regardless though, Big Business were good, the only bummer is that it's almost as if they're not a real band when supporting the Melvins. What I mean is that it would be cool if they would have their own set up, with both Jared and Coady frontstage in the spotlights, shredding. On to the Melvins. While they were playing I thought of the following way to describe their set: Perfection Through Precision. Holy shit. So fucking heavy. Super tight set, with an emphasis on material off their last two albums and a few old ragers and surprises thrown in there. Apparently they covered The Who's "My Generation", but I didn't recognize that one. I did catch the a-capella version of "The Star Spangled Banner"! It is mind boggling how a band with two drummers can be this tight. It was also awesome to see how into it King Buzzo still is, rocking that weirdo robe and the grey afro. The man's a legend. You won't find me filming bands with my cellphone so you'll have to make do with this footage of Beavis & Butthead watching "Hooch"...



On a totally unrelated note, I was made aware of some awesome live footage of Hateverge. So bummed I didn't get to see this when it happened, because come on, how awesome is the idea of seeing Converge bang out classic Hatebreed tracks with Jamey singing? As Vince accurately put it a few days ago... "Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire" is to hardcore what "Nevermind" is to grunge/alt rock/whatever. Nothing but hits on that album. I can still remember the excitement that was in the air when Hatebreed first played Europe, they'd cancelled a few tours here in the late 90's, rumor had it that Jamey had a severe case of B.A. Baracus (flying anxiety) and that Hatebreed would never make it out here. But obviously, the non-believers were proven wrong in 2001. They toured Europe with Sepultura and did a few headline shows of their own, I went and saw a few and they were wild, to say the least. Anyway, check out the Hateverge footage below, it is what I would show someone when trying to explain the meaning of "sheer insanity". Some sick diving going on during "Before Dishonor". What's up Lord Ezec, just chillin' on stage rocking a sleeveless lambskin coat?



Possibly even more unrelated to the Melvins, but a little more Hatebreed related is the next YouTube gem. Hand me that late pass if you want, but I was unaware of the existence of this video until a few weeks ago. Thank you Jeffrey. I was never quite sure what to make of Fury Of Five, I was into their first 7" and remember digging their first album but afterwards they kinda disappeared off my radar. I don't think I ever saw them live either. I definitely wasn't at the legendary Belgian show where James Ismean kindly asked the P.A. dude if he "knew how to spell beatdown?", which is a bummer. But anyway, check out this video for "Do Or Die", it's pretty hard. The highlight defintely is James Ismean stickmanning , starting at 1:37. I'm into the added commentary too.



I have been listening to the new Have Heart album excessively during the last few weeks. Definitely one of my favourite records to come out this year, everything about it makes a lot of sense to me. If you're old fashioned like me and still value good lyrics, check the ones Pat Flynn wrote for this album. Some of that stuff blew my mind. I'll probably review the whole record up here soon. In the meantime, here's some more YouTube footage... Have Heart at Ieper Fest in Belgium. See me doing a sweet dive at 0:09 and get crushed a few seconds later. I'm a survivor though.



Another record I have been really into as of late is Paint It Black's "New Lexicon". After seeing them play one of the most inspiring and energetic sets at this year's Sound And Fury, I have been listening to this album a whole lot more and it's awesome. They are currently touring Europe with Trash Talk so go see them if you can. These are the tour dates:

Sep 15 2008: Cassiopeia/Skatehalle / Berlin, Germany
Sep 16 2008: 007 / Prague, Czech Republic
Sep 17 2008: Arena / Vienna, Austria
Sep 18 2008: Exhaus / Trier, Germany
Sep 19 2008: Juha West / Stuttgart, Germany
Sep 20 2008: Parkhaus Meiderich / Duisburg, Germany
Sep 20 2008: ZXZW Festival / Tilburg, Holland
Sep 21 2008: Le Klub / Paris, France
Sep 22 2008: The Fighting Cocks / London, U.K.
Sep 23 2008: Le Pub / Newport, U.K.
Sep 24 2008: Star & Garter / Manchester, U.K.
Sep 25 2008: Trash / Leeds, U.K.
Sep 26 2008: The Engine Room / Brighton, U.K.
Sep 27 2008: Ill Blood Fest / Izegem, Belgium

My good friends in Blacklisted and Rhythm To The Madness are also still on tour through Europe, make sure you don't miss out on that either. Both bands played a blazing set at Rhythm To The Madness' record release show. More on "Weltschmerz" later on.

09/15: Mannheim, Germany @ JUZ
09/15: Karlsruhe, Germany @ Jubez
09/16: Munster, Germany @ Sputnik Cafe
09/17: Paris, France @ Le Klub
09/18: Trier, Germany @ Exhaus
09/19: Tilburg, Holland @ ZXZW
09/20: Duisburg, Germany @ Parkhaus Duisburg-Meiderich
09/21: Genk, Belgium @ JH Rondpunt

More interviews, reviews and what not coming soon. Peace.

Bang The Drum Slowly: Part II

The cool thing about interviewing drummers is how fast most of 'em would reply to my emails. I guess drummers don't get interviewed all that often. I've had the following two interviews in my inbox for a while, I wanted to wait until I got some more answers in but I guess the closer you live to people, the longer it takes them to answer. It's all good though. Here's Bang The Drum Slowly Part II featuring two drummers that I love watching and listening to... Reed DeAngelis and Nick Woj.













I first met Reed when Iron Age first toured Europe. We didn't actually hang until Rise And Fall toured the U.S. with Iron Age in March/April '07 though. Reed rode with us for most of the tour, didn't talk all that much but seemed happy enough listening to a bunch of Belgians talk shit in a language he didn't understand. If you've seen Reed at work then you know what his deal is: small dude, hard hitter, good style. Check out his new band FEED while you're at it.

Please give me your name and age, list the bands you've drummed for and tell me how long you have been doing that thing you do...
Reed DeAngelis - 21 years of age. I have drummed for Iron Age, Bitter End, and a million other random Texas Hardcore/Punk bands but am currently drumming for FEED and Antic Hay. I've been officially drumming since the ripe age of 11 years.

What made you decide to become a drummer? Was there one particular drummer that inspired you to pick up those sticks?
Randomly, Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac was the one who inspired me to drum. I remember watching a live performance of them on TV with my mom when I was around 8 and started drumming on pillows along with their set. Him and Tre Cool of Green Day!

What was your first drumset? When did you get it? How did you pay for it?
Technically, my first drumset was bought for me when I was 3 years old. It was a toy Mickey Mouse drumkit and I couldn't get enough of that piece of shit. But when I turned 11 and took my first drum lesson, my mom took me out to a local music shop and bought me a Yamaha DP series drumset for $400 (I don't think they make them anymore, they suck). I had that kit for about 5 years until I 'upgraded' to a Tama Rockstar ($800) and then finally, a couple years ago I got a 1979-81(?) Rogers kit for about $350.

As a drummer, how big do you think your influence is on the sound of a band? When you write songs with your band(s), is your role limited to providing the beat or do you also hum riffs or base songs around drum patterns/beats?
I'm a firm believer in selfless drumming. Do what's best for the song and know when to shut the fuck up. I hate watching drummers who think it's necessary to throw in a million cymbal 'accents' and conclude every 4 measures of a beat with a ridiculous fill. Also, I HATE unneccessary double-bass. In fact, I'm not much of a fan of double bass at all - I believe it should've been kept in Jazz where it's actually used with some class. As far as riff-writing, I definitely give my 2 cents... I like to take riffs that my guitarists write and change the time signatures and accents to kinda spice it up a little more. I think that's a big part of how a drummer should contribute to his band.

Do you feel like people often forget how crucial a good drummer is to a good band? I know a drummer that told me that no matter how good you are, you'll always be overshadowed by the guitarist and the singer... Is that so according to you?
The drummer is like the goalie. The entire team (as well as the crowd) knows that without him the entire game would fall apart, but unfortunately he doesn't get as much recognition as the power forwards because they're the ones on the frontline scoring all the points.

Out of all the records you've drummed on, which one are you most proud of? Why? Does that also make it the best record you're on, or not?
Hmmm...well, Iron Age's 'Constant Struggle' was definitely a milestone for me as it was my first full-length record. But I have a much stronger sense of pride for the FEED demos because obviously not only did we write all the music but we were also responsible for the recording and pressing of the demos. It feels much better to do the entire thing yourself.

What makes a gig awesome for a drummer? Is it playing tight as fuck and not missing a beat? Is it the overall vibe? Is it crowd response and energy?
Great question. Yo, I HATE mosh. I think it looks absolutely absurd. I would much rather have everyone headbang and/or sing along. For me, playing tight as hell is the most rewarding aspect of a live show. Nothing beats getting off the stage knowing that you nailed your songs. It boils down to the following question: are you playing your songs for yourself or for the crowd?

What are some of your favourite drummers ever? What sets those dudes apart from everyone else out there? How about current drummers, who's good? Who's got the chops?
The first solo drummer I ever got into was Billy Cobham. I would recommend him to any drummer I know... he is phenomenal. Also, the drummer for the Spin Doctors has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember. Good drummers nowadays - the drummer for Vedera (I forgot his name), Champ of Foundation, JP of Rise And Fall fame, Ely of Bitter End, that new jack drummer of Bad Religion is insane, so on and so forth.

We all know guitarists sometimes "borrow" riffs from other bands... Do drummers sometimes "borrow" drumbeats or drumfills? Have you? What exactly did you "borrow" and where can we hear the result?
Listen to the drum intro of 'Butcher's Bill' on Iron Age's "Constant Struggle". Now, listen to the drum break in 'Don't Look Back' by Boston.

That's it. Thank you. Any closing comments or shout outs?
For all touring and recording drummers - don't be zealots! Do what's best for your band and stop trying to put yourself in the spotlight.












Although you probably won't see Nick behind the kit for most of Cold World's shows nowadays, he still is the silent mastermind behind the band. From artwork, to lyrics, to vocal patterns, to riffs, Nick's input is huge. When I first met him he was wearing a Darkthrone shirt. Check out Cold World's awesome new album called "Dedicated To Babies Who Came Feet First". It rules.

Please give me your name and age, list the bands you've drummed for and tell me how long you have been doing that thing you do...
Nick Woj, I just turned 27. Like anybody I did a couple early bands that were mostly just messin' around but my first real band was called Magnus. Alex and Dan from Cold world were also in it. it was like a youth crew band. I was also in a 90's style screamo type band called Our Time with Posi-Fest creator Bobb Mac. I had a little stint in Horror Show and was supposed to be in Blacklisted but I couldn't commit to their rigorous tour schedule at the time. I did play a show with them though. I've been drumming in bands since i was like 14.

What made you decide to become a drummer? Was there one particular drummer that inspired you to pick up those sticks?
I started drums because my uncle Jason played and I was always around him so I'd get behind his kit. So I guess he was the drummer who inspired me first. After that, my drum idol became Lars Ulrich.

What was your first drumset? When did you get it? How did you pay for it?
I was eventually handed down my uncle's set. It was one of those clear (blue) Ludwig sets. I wish I still had it! It was pretty beat up though. After that I had a couple okay sets and then my grandfather bought me a Tama rockstar set which I believe is in my friend Phil Leone's garage right now.

As a drummer, how big do you think your influence is on the sound of a band? When you write songs with your band(s), is your role limited to providing the beat or do you also hum riffs or base songs around drum patterns/beats?
I've been one of the major song-witers in every band I've been in. I can play guitar a little bit so I usually get down the basic chords for a song or riff and if there's something more complicated I hum it out to the guitar player.

Do you feel like people often forget how crucial a good drummer is to a good band? I know a drummer that told me that no matter how good you are, you'll always be overshadowed by the guitarist and the singer... Is that so according to you?
I think sometimes it depends on the style of music, but I think the person that told you that is mostly right. With hardcore, I always noticed that the bands with the crazy-good drummers usually suck. Or at least I don't like them. I feel like someone's technical ability shouldn't be the focus in a popular form of music, it should be the songs. You can have an amazing drummer in a mediocre band, but the only people who are going to appreciate the drummer are the musicians and that's not good for the band. Drummers of my favorite bands just play the right things at the right time with a bit of style.

Out of all the records you've drummed on, which one are you most proud of? Why? Does that also make it the best record you're on, or not?
Probably Cold World's "Ice Grillz". That was the second record we did with Don Fury and I know he wasn't happy with the outcome of the first time, so he really had us dial the parts in. I think it is probably the best record I've played on but not because of the drumming. I just think it's a solid EP.

What makes a gig awesome for a drummer? Is it playing tight as fuck and not missing a beat? Is it the overall vibe? Is it crowd response and energy?
It really depends on how you feel at the time. Some gigs I would have so much fun because me and Alex would just be feeling it and play really well together, even if it's not a packed gig. Especially if the place has a nice sound system. But there's been gigs that we didn't play particularly tight but everybody was going off and it felt great so it made up for it. I know it's cliche to say, but it's particularly true in a hardcore band, that you feed off the crowd's energy. If you're in a metal or rock band, I'm sure you can tell if the crowd's feeling it or not but it's not as interactive as kids killing each other and getting on stage to mosh, dive or sing along. Personally though, I usually feel the best if I play well. If there's at least a moderate amount of crowd participation and I played well, I'm the most happy with the gig.

Do you singalong a lot while playing live? What's your favourite song to sing along to?
Nah. Maybe a little, but that's not really my style. I remember in the 90's when I first got into hardcore and bands were all emotional and shit, I thought that was cool but not really now.

What are some of your favourite drummers ever? What sets those dudes apart from everyone else out there? How about current drummers, who's good? Who's got the chops?
My favorite hardcore drummers are Mackie (the obvious choice, everybody says him but c'mon... u gotta), Sammy (I feel like everybody overlooks this dude. Listen to the last Youth Of Today EP and tell me you would've thought to play those songs the way he did), and Rene Natzel from World Collapse and True Blue. People probably think that's a weird answer but his drum style and sound is ridiculous and he's a great song-writer. Kingshot from Floorpunch's drums made a big impression on me too. Non-hardcore standouts are Reni of Stone Roses, Lars Ulrich, ?uestlove, and a few others. I think that drummers of my favorite bands just kind of play the right thing, and that really makes me appreciate them. Like Mike Joyce of The Smiths and Colm of My Bloody Valentine. And last but not least FENRIZ OF DARKTHRONE!!!

We all know guitarists sometimes "borrow" riffs from other bands... Do drummers sometimes "borrow" drumbeats or drumfills? Have you? What exactly did you "borrow" and where can we hear the result?
Oh man, I borrow shit all day. Most of it's subconciously from hip-hop but I think if you listen to our new album when it comes out you can pick up a lot of influence from Goat of Merauder. Especially the "5 Deadly Venoms"-era.

That's it. Thank you. Any closing comments or shout outs?
What's up to all the drummers that I love giggin' with. Shawn Foley, DFJ, Mook, Riffset, etc. You know who you are. Thanks to the following for enough instrumental inspiration to last a life time - Showbiz, Buckwild, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Q Tip & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Madlib, Oh No, J Dilla, Paul C, Marley Marl, Biz Markie, Scott La Rock, The Bomb Squad, Eric Sermon, Prince Paul and the RZA.

Don't Be Surprised About The Life That She Breeds

Why not treat ourselves to a wonderful gem? You may have seen this before but I sure hadn't. Here's a video Leeway once did for "Foot The Bill", the opening track of their 1995 album "Open Mouth Kiss". I love Leeway and I love that record. Often overlooked because obviously it ain't no "Born To Expire" or "Desperate Measures" (I don't even need to - or feel like I can begin to - explain how brilliant those albums are), but in my opinion that's what makes it such a great record. It's insane how talented Leeway was (and still is), seeing how they could pull off albums like those and then come up with something as different and mind blowing as "Open Mouth Kiss". Post hardcore in the true sense of the word, 'cause in my book you can do only do post hardcore right if you've really done hardcore right as well. The video is a little blurry, hazy and artsy at times but you gotta love Eddie's outfit.

A couple of days ago I drove down to CCR Studios, where Rhythm To The Madness was busy recording "Weltschmerz". Going down there is always fun, Rise And Fall has recorded nearly everything we've done there so seeing Kris again always is a good time. Getting a chance to hear what Stief, Klaas, Daan and Cedric have been cooking up is obviously exciting too and that ofcourse was why I dropped by anyway. Rhythm To The Madness definitely still is a band for fans of solos, "Best Wishes", "Alpha - Omega", wild ideas, harsh riffs and insightful lyrics. That much I can tell you. Look out for the album to drop on September 6th, the release show in Berchem (Belgium) will be one of the first shows of their European tour with Blacklisted.













Last weekend I saw Dinosaur Jr for the second time in my life. Besides the fact that they were awesome, loud and up there playing some of the best indie/guitar rock ever I was really fascinated by J. Mascis outfit. I know that's weird but what can I say? I guess I'm weird too. He was wearing a pair of Levi's jeans, I was a little too far to be able to tell if they were 505's or 501's (yo, it's crazy what a job will do to you) but they were definitely cool and an Adidas running jacket. Plus you know the dude loves old hardcore so you could say we have a lot in common? I dunno. I wish I could see Dinosaur Jr every weekend.

If anyone out there is kind of a nerd like me and has wondered about whatever happened to Jimmy Yu, of Judge and Death Before Dishonor fame, definitely check out the Double Cross Blog/Zine. Those dudes managed to track the man down and did an extensive interview with him, of which part 4 is online now. It's a great read, with plenty of good stories and anecdotes by one of the more mysterious characters of the late 80's New York Hardcore scene. Double Cross is linked in the "Recommended Reading" section on the right. You'll find plenty more to read up there as well, Tim and his posse post updates nearly everyday. It may not always be my cup of tea but I've definitely read and seen some awesome things there.

Last of all, Rise And Fall will be heading to the States next week to play Sound And Fury and do some touring up and down the West Coast. If anyone wants to chill, come find me at the nearest In-N-Out Burger. Here are the tourdates...

07/25: Santa Barbara, CA @ Earl Warren Showgrounds SOUND AND FURY
07/26: Santa Barbara, CA @ Earl Warren Showgrounds SOUND AND FURY
07/27: Santa Barbara, CA @ Earl Warren Showgrounds SOUND AND FURY
07/28: Newhall, CA @ American Legion Hall w/ Blacklisted, Shipwreck, Alpha And Omega
07/29: Orangevale, CA @ Orangevale VFW w/ Blacklisted, Shipwreck, Alpha And Omega
07/30: Portland, OR @ Backspace w/ Alpha And Omega, Black Breath
07/31: Tacoma, WA @ Viaduct w/ Alpha And Omega, Black Breath
08/01: San Francisco, CA @ Balazo Gallery w/ Alpha And Omega, Black Breath, Skin Like Iron
08/02: San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe w/ Alpha And Omega, Black Breath, Skin Like Iron
08/03: Riverside, CA @ Pharos Den w/ Alpha And Omega, Black Breath, Skin Like Iron

Union Town: Self Titled / Review

I guess sometimes things just click. When I first heard about Union Town and the individuals that made up the band, it seemed like an odd mix of people, but an interesting one at least. Bassist Miriam was in Malkovich for a long time, a band I never really quite understood, but still she provided them with some style and grace so that's cool. Drummer Dorus was in No Turning Back around the time they put out "Rise From The Ashes", yet it never really seemed like that band was his "thing". Then there was Johan Vogels, their guitarist who (to Vince and me) will forever and always be the dude that appeared to know every word to every One Life Crew song off "Crime Ridden Society" in a discussion whether or not that band was acceptable or not. That was back in '98 though so I guess I'm drifting off here. When the band found the perfect singer in Hein (who for a really short time played bass in Justice and put out a bunch of awesome demos on his tape label The Decline) and recorded their demo, things definitely must've clicked. When I heard it, I was floored, almost instantly. Obviously I wasn't the only one and despite the fact that Union Town hadn't really played much outside the Holland/Belgium area, the demo did real well and got pressed onto vinyl by Powered Records.

Where the demo mainly was an up tempo deal, with well written songs that carried a huge mid to late 80's DC vibe (Rites Of Spring, Embrace, Dag Nasty), this self titled debut album is a much more varied record. The bands that influenced Union Town when they wrote their demo are still an influence now, but as it goes when bands find their own sound, the influence is less obvious. Yet, their sound is still firmly rooted in the same soil, if that makes any sense? The variety in their songs, the maturity in their songwriting (you can really tell that you are dealing with experienced songwriters here) and most of all, the soul and spirit in their songs make it so that Union Town sounds like Union Town. There's room for experiment, slower parts and a few new things and ofcourse that can only be applauded. Some examples would be the guitar work in "The Observer" (the 5th song on the album) that has a weird Wipers vibe to it or even something as simple as the additional vocals by Miriam on the album's opening track "Regenerated". I'm a huge fan of those. That only goes to show Union Town has grown as a band.













One of the demo songs got re-recorded ("Resentment") and I guess one could always criticise that, but I don't think it's a song that's out of place on this album. The other 8 songs are all brand new and pretty much all of them rock. Rhythmically, I feel like they all have a good flow to them, with little details, breaks, drum fills and stop-start parts to keep things interesting. There are two things I'm particularly impressed by: the first is how warm and soulful this record sounds. As dumb as it may sound, you can hear the love and care that went into these songs. The second thing is Hein's vocals and lyrics. He sounds more confident than ever, with hardly any trace of an accent (well, if you ask me.. I am a Euro though) and I've gotta say that he has a voice that really carries the songs, both by the way he sings and obviously also by what he's singing. Which brings me to the lyrics... I would advise you to read them yourself actually. I found them to be real well written, spiritful and recognisable as well. Maybe it's because I'm only a few years older than Hein, but I could relate to a lot of the words I read. "Building a future from despair of the past, 'cause all is gone when you thought it would last". Especially that part. Such a great line.

Some of my favorite tracks here are, as mentioned before, the opening track "Regenerated" and "The Observer". The latter is an angrier, rougher song with a lot of drive. The song just before it, "Halfway There", is another winner, it starts off kinda like a Billy Idol song (this could very well be my imagination though) and then quickly takes a turn onto Fugazi territory. The melancholic guitars and vocals work real well together here. Other favourites are "Don't Give Up" and "Punch And Bleed". "Don't Give Up" was the first MP3 that was released off this record so I'm guessing it's one of the band's favourites too. "Punch And Bleed" is a perfect closer, as it builds up and then climaxes to its "But punch us, we will bleed" mantra.

I guess a lot of you have probably not seen or heard much about this band, but it would be a shame to miss out on an album this good, or to miss out on Union Town live, which in my case has always been a great experience. Anyone with a love for hardcore that is somewhat more melodic and soulful, that digs the bands mentioned before and/or can hang with bands like Husker Du, The Replacements and Hot Water Music should look into this. Another great record courtesy of my boys at Powered HQ.

www.myspace.com/uniontownband
www.poweredrecords.com
www.myspace.com/poweredrecords