BRAZEN BULL - The Travelling Parasite CD review

BRAZEN BULL - The Travelling Parasite CD

Cretaceous Records

Genre: Tech Death / Grind

I got through twenty seconds of this release's opening cut "Ingesting Houdini's Belt" when I had to stop it abruptly. Well what do you know? BRAZEN BULL are another one of THOSE BANDS. For those of you who might not remember, last year I was inundated by acts whose sole musical purpose in life was to create audio sounds which were equal to being weapons of mass brain cell destruction. It's because of bands like BRAZEN BULL that I've lost at least a month and a half of memories from 2011. But this year I'm prepared. So before I continued listening to this band's debut full length I downed enough tranquillizers which could put down a 2 ton bull elephant and proceeded on. (note to self: Buy More Tranquilizers)



BRAZEN BULL are every bit of the genre description given above as well as having your head run over by a convoy of tractor trailers, a very long convoy of tractor trailers. This four piece act of audio killers hail from Australia and this is their second release overall. The band also has a self titled EP from 2008. Getting back towards this release aside from the somewhat humorous song titles, "An Incident with a Ball Point Pen" or "Alexis went on a Cruise around the World and Married a Sultan" to name just two outta the eight on here. The main musical goal which I can hear is brutality through noise. While guitarist Craig Taylor, bassist Adam Taylor and drummer Simon Goudkamp beat you down mercilessly the vocalist Weldon MacDonald mockingly screams and growls into your face.



BRAZEN BULL are the type of band were the local constabulary places crime scene tape around the venue before they start playing. Seriously Craig Taylor's guitar playing style could be considered like Fripp-tones murder style. Is he using a handsaw as a bow to create some of those guitar sounds or maybe he was born with claws? Whatever the case he's just firing off these sharp shocking notes that would kill the young and old among us. Musically the band plays in that stop/start style delivery which is kinda tough to stay concentrated on. Be that as it may what I might find as abusive others will find enthralling. Out of the eight cuts on here BRAZEN BULL only dare to go further than three minutes on two. Thanks for being considerate. If you're a fan of the genre or waiting for your prescribed lobotomy then I highly recommend this one.

RATING: 5/5

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/brazenbullmusic

Bandcamp: http://brazenbull.bandcamp.com/

LOINCLOTH - Iron Balls Of Steel CD review

LOINCLOTH - Iron Balls Of Steel CD

Southern Lord

Genre: Progressive Metal

Before I even get into this I must remark about the irony that while listening to LOINCLOTH's debut full length I was also starring at a CONFESSOR show flyer when they played a now defunct club called Snookers here in Raleigh, NC many years ago. For those of you who don't know it LOINCLOTH contains CONFESSOR's former rhythm section of bassist Cary Rowells and drummer Steve Shelton. I'll kick aside any revisionist history and just give you my personal perspective on this subject (which is probably closer to the truth anyway) and say that if there was one local Raleigh act who should have followed in the steps of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's path to historic greatness it was CONFESSOR.


Nowadays CONFESSOR gets labeled "technical doom" but back in the day we just called em thrash albeit very technical with eclectic time signatures. They're debut, 1991's Condemned, was rightly acclaimed by critics. If they didn't break-up / have internal band problems they would have been much bigger than history allowed them to be. But since it didn't work out that way then it turned out that a host of other acts the world over stole everything musically from CONFESSOR and called it their own. I had thought that after their reunion in 2011 that something new was in the works for this year. Maybe there is and maybe I'm wrong. Either way here we have one offshoot band from CONFESSOR (anyone remember DRENCH as well?).


LOINCLOTH who along with the previous mentioned CONFESSOR members also contains guitarists Tannon Penland and Pen Rollings who was also in a band I saw a few times back in the day (probably at the Fallout Shelter) called BREADWINNER. Although according to the press release he's not in LOINCLOTH anymore. Well that's gonna put a damper on the live sets. LOINCLOTH originally popped onto the local scene back in the early 2000s also releasing an EP in 2003 but until now have been silent. There are two more things which I also need to get out of the way. The first being I'm not keen on a band named after Tarzan's draws and secondly math rock bores me. Otherwise if you are a musician who's into technical metal or a fan with ADD then this is for you.


LOINCLOTH are instrumental metal, aka: no vocals, which means you can blast this while playing on your Xbox or at your clerk job at the record store. Unlike many other instro / math rock acts I've heard in the past (actually too fuckin many) LOINCLOTH don't waste time meandering along. Most of the cuts on here are less than three minutes in length. In fact the whole album flies right by under forty minutes in length. Although some will concentrate on the riffs being pounded out I couldn't help but respect the jazz drumming skill of Steve Shelton who is LOINCLOTH's secret weapon on Iron Balls Of Steel. The precision of this man's abilities are the driving force behind most of the cuts on here. Math rock is a complex beast which is why I say LOINCLOTH is truly a technical musician's type of band. Judging this band's fifteen cuts any other way would be a disservice to the band and bias on my part. If you're into it then this release is probably one of the better ones you'll hear in 2012.

RATING: 5/5


Label: http://www.southernlord.com

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/fuckfalsemetal

SORRY NOTHING NEW AS FAR AS A VIDEO FOR THIS RELEASE SO HERE'S A SONG OFF THEIR 2003 EP

SHOWSTRIPSILENCE - Thirteen Tales of Love and Death CD review

SHOWSTRIPSILENCE - Thirteen Tales of Love and Death CD

Sleaszy Rider Records

Genre: Punk / Metal / Rock n Fuckin Roll


Don't let the horror core cover art fool you into thinking this is another MISFITS influenced punk band with a splatter / zombie movie fixation. Italy's latest export are a throwback to times past, at least for me, but they were some good times. Back in the late 90's when Scumfeast was still a print zine I was writing about the greatness of all of these punk fuckin rock n roll acts coming out of the woodwork and just cranking out huge amounts of volume to knock audiences on their asses. I'm talking about bands like the HELLACOPTERS, the PLEASURE FUCKERS, ONYA and SHAKE APPEAL. These were acts who had no problem fusing punk and metal together then dosing it with plenty of rock n roll swagger. This Italian band brings that greatness back for another round.


Thirteen Tales of Love and Death is the second full length from this four piece act. I'm kinda curious now on what their debut sounds like. Although for right now I'm gonna concentrate on this high volume dealing platter. SHOWSTRIPSILENCE are a classic four piece act consisting of Gento on lead vocals & guitar, Lizzy delivering the fiery lead guitar work, with bass player Wallace and drummer Kick supplying the pounding rhythm section highlights. The latter three band members also supply backing vocals to Gento's amazing lead vox as well as gutsy screams. He kinda has that Robin Zander of CHEAP TRICK meets Nicky Anderson of the HELLACOPTERS vocal style. Like I said it's the classic line-up which you know looks exciting on stage and these guys probably have torn up some stages in their career.


I'm not gonna go into this song by song. As the album title says it's thirteen bad luck blasts and not one sleeper in the bunch. This is head banging, raise your fist in the air and scream along to the type of scum fuckin rock n roll that just sends electrical shocks running through your body's nerves. I'm talking about excitement city here folks unless you're jaded or dead which is the same thing to me. Bands like SHOWSTRIPSILENCE are a rarity these days in that their music defines fun. Like the old song title asks, "Whatever Happened to Fun"? Here's the answer.


RATING: 5/5


Label: http://www.sleaszyrider.com

Official: http://www.showstripsilence.com

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/showstripsilence

THE COMPANY CORVETTE - The End of Summers CD review

THE COMPANY CORVETTE - The End of Summers CD

Self Released

Genre: Stoner Rock


Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, which everyone knows I like to call Hostile City, USA, comes this stoner rock trio who drive home the "rock" structure more than the "do bongs" mentality. Seriously it's 2012, the supposed end of days according to the Mayans (who are dead you know but at least left behind some cool swimsuit calenders) so who really wants to be all wasted? Not me because if the end is near then I wanna rock the fuck out. That's what is in store for you on The End of Summers. (aptly titled ain't it?) Also THE COMPANY CORVETTE answers the question that has boggled minds of many people in the underground music scene for two decades now. That question being, what would SOCIAL DISTORTION sound like if they played stoner rock?


THE COMPANY CORVETTE are definitely not burning a new path through the stoner rock swamp of mud stuck artists. Their sound is basically blues based 70's rock with enough added psych damage and metallic k.o. clout to keep it dangerous. What stands out, for me at least, is that it does have a fresh exciting sound going for it that the underground should not be able to contain. In other words these songs are what you should be hearing blared out on car stereos as the drivers cruise down main street in every city or burg in the good ole USA. I'm talking about heavy groove laden sounds with enough guitar distortion and wah wah peddle overkill to shake dead hippie musicians from the late 60's out of their graves. Songs like "Something New", "One Over", "Bear In Mind" and the epic yet laid back closer "Third I" are not just cool tunes but they grab hold of ya like an invitation to a great party.


Look if you've got around forty five minutes to fuck around with then you can find a spot in your mundane life to inject this coolness into. I got this release from the band over a week ago. At first I thought it was cool then after repeated plays of these eight cuts I was sold on how much this sticks with you afterwards. If these guys weren't playing cool music then they would be the people you would wanna hang out with at a bar. Getting back to something I mentioned earlier, the stoner rock swamp of mud stuck artists. It exists and it's full because of what has gone on for the past few years with people still humping the corpse of SABBATH thinking they're getting off because they're dicking a leg bone. THE COMPANY CORVETTE break away from the same old sound / different city recycle of stoner boredom. I'm sure some other people can name drop similar sounding acts who have tread before this Philly trio decided to embark on this venture. I probably could as well but I won't because at this point in the game why bother. Secondly it would be a disservice to their great work let alone the infectious vibe this release brings about naturally.

RATING: 5/5


Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thecompanycorvette

THUNDERKRAFT - Totentanz CD

THUNDERKRAFT - Totentanz CD
Svarga Music
Genre: Industrial Folk Death Metal


If you looked at this band's genre description and thought to yourself "whatafuck", yeah well don't blame me because that's keeping things simple. If you really want your mind to explode, I mean really explode with blood and brain matter covering the walls like abstract art, then you need to listen to Totentanz. After my first listen to this I ran outside into the pouring rain and screamed. Seriously there's only so much a human being can take and I'm on vacation damm it. All of this comes from the mind of band main man Master Alafern (who's responsible for the guitars, vocals and violin). Around a decade ago Alafern had this idea to start a band combining his love of Death Metal and Ukrainian folklore. Crazy ain't it? (that's a joke) In 2005 he and a few cohorts resembling a band released their debut full length, The Banner Of Victory. Unfortunately it was a bitter one since that was the last the band was heard from until now.


Fast forward to the now with Totentanz the band's long awaited
sophomore effort . If you were a fan of their debut, and frankly who wasn't, then be ready for a surprise. The death and folk aspects have been blackened with some more of a symphonic edge courtesy of keyboardist Anna Merkulova. The opener, "Настане Час" aka: "A Time Will Come" is an epic blast of all of these elements. This is not to be confused with pagan folk metal or any similar genre variety. THUNDERKRAFT are an entirely new breed as far as what my ears have heard over the years. Next is the added industrial structures being added with factory precision. Further along or actually by the third cut which is also the title cut "Totentanz" aka: "Dance of The Dead", is when the band introduces the electronica elements. All that's missing from this is the lights and the drugs.


While I kinda find some of this a little too far gone into the industrial heap I must say that THUNDERKRAFT has joined the ranks of many past greats who have added a new dimension onto a sacred metal genre cow. Although I'dhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif say some people don't even consider folk metal to be a genre. Whatever the case, unorthodox seems to fit the bill when it comes to this band. Welcome all who dare to the world of post folk metal.

RATING: 4/5


Label: http://www.svarga.eu

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thunderkraft

77 - High Decibels CD review

77 - High Decibels CD

Listenable Records

Genre: Hard Rock



A few years ago I got a CD from a band called 1976. Their shtick was to sound exactly like early KISS and now I'm thinking maybe they should hook up with this Spanish act for a tour since 77 sounds exactly like Bon Scott era AC/DC. Now just for the record I saw AC/DC on their Powerage tour (with UFO as the opening act) back in the day. More so I grew up listening to all of those Bon Scott fronted AC/DC records. To say I'm a fan of that band's era in rock music is an understatement. Since the mid-90's I've heard plenty of bands, from the Punk and Metal scenes, who not only claimed influence but in some cases totally aped the AC/DC sound. I never really cared for any of those acts who tried to copy AC/DC's true sound and style, until now. As the third cut on here clearly states, "Are You Ready For Rock n Roll".


Now unlike the Aussie act, 77 is a four piece instead of a five but that's the only difference between them and the legend. There were three major factors to AC/DC's greatness which 77 has mastered, those being riffs, vocals and soloing. On this the band's second full length it's the blues/hard rock riffs done to pure perfection by guitarists Armand Valeta and LG Valeta which makes this worthwhile. 77 don't try to hide or even deviate from the program. The same goes for the vocals since Armand Valeta's voice is reminiscent of Scott's. LG Valeta is also responsible for the lead work aka: playing Angus Young. Check out the opening title track or "Gotta Hit the Road" for some full on FM radio styled blasts from the past.


Of course not everything is all high voltage rock n roll. "Gimme A Dollar" adds some rockabilly to the line-up and "Promised Land" is a rocker that also sits out of character to the AC/DC program cannon. Otherwise the rest of this is pure tribute that works great some of the time. With all of the attention to authenticity someone forgot how ironic it was to have Nicke Andersson (former NIHILIST, ENTOMBED and HELLACOPTERS) involved with this project as it's producer. Having this recorded at Gutterview Recorders in Stockholm, Sweden is not part of the irony but knowing that for the past few years a slew of Swedish bands have been aping the whole NIHILIST and ENTOMBED death metal style is. Be that as it may this release has it's merits at fun.



RATING: 3/5


Label: http://www.listenable.net/

ONSLAUGHT: First Ever North American Tour Confirmed

Wake up North America... after three decades of waiting, British thrash masters ONSLAUGHT will cross the Atlantic for their first ever tour of the continent in March and April!



The 20-date trek gets underway in Seattle on March 19th and tramples its way across the continent ending in Brooklyn on April 7th. The band's exclusive set for the tour spans their full back catalog, including Power from Hell, The Force, In Search of Sanity, Killing Peace and their lauded 2011 release Sounds of Violence. ONSLAUGHT will have direct support from all ex-Venom supergroup M-pire Of Evil for the entire tour, as well as Evil Dead on a slew of the West Coast dates.



Stated founding ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett on the upcoming invasion: "Good Morning America... Here we are at very long last! ONSLAUGHT are super fucking stoked to announce our début tour of the mighty USofA and Canada. It's been one hell of a long time coming, but we are now finally bringing the Scream For Violence tour to North America for 20 shows in March and April 2012.Just as we did in Europe, the UK and South America, we'll be thrashing it up with a brutal 90-minute set featuring tracks off all five ONSLAUGHT studio albums. We can't fucking wait..."





ONSLAUGHT Scream For Violence North American Tour 2012:

3/19/2012 Studio 7 - Seattle, WA

3/20/2012 Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR

3/21/2012 The Pound - Oakland, CA

3/22/2012 Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA

3/23/2012 Jumping Turtle - San Diego, CA

3/24/2012 910 Live - Tempe, AZ

3/26/2012 The Korova - San Antonio, TX

3/27/2012 *TBA - Laredo, TX

3/29/2012 Fubar - St. Louis, MO

3/30/2012 Reggie's - Chicago, IL

3/31/2012 House of Rock - Dayton, OH

4/01/2012 Blondies - Detroit, MI

4/03/2012 Wreck Room - Toronto, ON

4/04/2012 The Katacombs - Montreal, QC

4/06/2012 Montage Music Hall - Rochester, NY

4/07/2012 Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY



ONSLAUGHT's critically-acclaimed fifth studio album Sounds Of Violence was released in North America in February 2011 via AFM Records. Recorded and produced in the renowned Hansen-Studios (Destruction, Heathen, Mercenary), the blazing record boasts ten brand new original tracks, as well as a cover of Motörhead's classic "Bomber," featuring guest appearances by Phil Campbell (Motörhead) and Tom Angelripper (Sodom).







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http://www.afm-records.de

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