Tag Archives: Epitaph

Hardcore, Metal, Music, Music Video

FEAR.net Premiers Converge’s “Axe To Fall” Video

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Horror movie website FEAR.net had the honors of premiering a new video off of Converge‘s upcoming Axe To Fall today.  The moment I was told the video was being premiered today, I jumped to the site and checked out the insanely loud and brutal video.  FEAR.net also took a moment to interview lead singer Jacob Bannon asking him questions about the upcoming release as well as the disturbing video.

This video very well may scare some folk so I need to slap a NSFW warning before you click play…

Pretty freaky huh?  The new song is pure insanity to my ears.

If you love to subject yourself to horror movies and have not heard of FEAR.net before you best find your way to their site.  I can guarantee you that you will lose hours and hours of time checking out movies and shows offered on the site, many free of charge.

FEAR.net will be celebrating their third year this Halloween.  If you are looking for a scare I am sure you will find it within their website.

Be sure to also grab the new Converge when it drops later this month.  Axe To Fall is Converge’s seventh album and will be released on October 20th on Epitaph Records.  From what I am hearing so far it is going to be beyond amazing…

Download This!, Folk, Indie, Music, Music Video, New Release, Review, Rock

Frank Turner – Poetry Of The Deed – CD Review

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Folk/punk/rock has never sounded so good thanks to former UK post-hardcore singer Frank Turner who took elements of the genres and self-formed it into something simply wonderful on his latest release.  Not to be considered a solo attempt this round, it is clear throughout the album that he has an amazing backing band that helped him and perhaps even added a little of their own style to it.

Having been in multiple bands over the years and working non-stop while doing so, Frank Turner continues his desire to be an amazing musician.  After what seemingly felt like an eternity since I first heard word of the release, the hardworking Frank Turner has finally dropped Poetry Of The Deed in the US thanks to Epitaph Records.  How hardworking you ask?  This will be his third release in three years.

“Live Fast Die Old” starts of the album full forced with more so of an indie rock that immediately captured my attention.  As if his singing was not an attraction enough, the supporting music from the full band including keyboard and back up harmonies just seemingly invited me into his world and I must say I felt welcomed.  It’s the type of song you tap you foot to and bop your head as well.

“Try This At Home” had a slight upbeat feel that exploded with great, well thought out lyrics about the real DIY musicians in the world who care and work for what they believe in and called out the superficial money hungry performers.  One line in particular that stood out over the rest to me declared that there is “no such thing as rock stars, they’re just people who play music, and some of them are just like us, and some of them are dicks.”  Well said Mr. Turner.

“Dan’s Song” is the type of song I could only wish was written about me.  The reminiscent jam goes from past history to future with sick harmonica playing. “Poetry Of The Deed” to me sounded like a heavy Avett Brothers song with Frank Turner repeatedly bolting out “life is too short, to live without poetry, if you’ve got soul darling, now come on and show it me” at the end of the track.

“The Road” was a sing along favorite of mine on the album.  Heavy on the folk and added country twang made for a catchy and happy listen.  I especially enjoyed the end of the song that almost sounded like and excited Frank Turner was not done recording the track when everyone else was.

“Our Lady Of The Campfire” had some fun percussion backed with strings reminding me of the folk that helped Frank Turner make this album what it is. The song is well thought out lyrically and musically and there was just so much going on but it fit so well.

Some of the songs seemed to slow up towards the conclusion of the CD as compared to the first half but they were still great listens.  The soothing keyboard playing and acoustic strumming were enjoyable especially during “Sunday Nights” and the album ending “Journey Of The Magi”.

I’m serious when I tell you I got a good feeling throughout when hearing this release, the kind of feeling that keeps me going back for more.  I remember the first time I heard bands like the Avett Brothers, Gaslight Anthem, Ben Folds, Joe Strummer, and Wilco (just to name a couple) who I knew instantly I would love and cherish for the rest of my music listening years on this planet because of what they created and how they executed it.  I can now add Frank Turner to that list because his music just had such an amazing effect on me.

I admit, I had never heard of Frank Turner until just before this album was released.  When I started hearing about the hype about him from various musicians and music fans, my curiosity led me to a YouTube video (see below) of him playing an after-party in someone’s house.  Just by seeing that one acoustic jam he played surrounded by singing and screaming fans I understood why so many have been talking him up.  He is that talented and with help from an amazing backing band Poetry Of The Deed was worth all the hype.

I expect big things from Frank Turner in the following months even years to come.  Slated to be touring with the Gaslight Anthem this fall as well as just finished a tour with The Offspring I think it is pretty clear he is starting to make a bigger name for himself here in the US and very quickly at that.

This is one act fans of music need to at least extend an ear out to even if punk or folk is not your thing.  It is that damn good.

DOWNLOAD THIS! – Frank Turner – “The Road”

Hardcore, Metal, Music, Music News, New Release, Punk

Converge Posts A New Track From Their Upcoming Release!

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Are you in the mood to listen to something that very well may damage your eardrums in the best way possible?

If so you should head over to Converge‘s MySpace page and check out their first track titled “Dark Horse” off of their upcoming album Axe To Fall that is scheduled to be released on October 20th on Epitaph Records.

I can not even tell you how pumped I am to see that they are dropping a new album.  After all it’s been about three years since their last studio album.  I am sure this will be just as amazing as the previous. 

I’m feeling a little old here too realizing that the band has almost been together now for 20 years.  That is impressive and it really looks as if this band has no intention at all of slowing down. 

As an added bonus Converge will be going on tour in support of the album as well as will be opening for Mastodon and Dethklok for their [adult swim] tour.  That tour is going to be insane. 

Converge will be making a stop in Cleveland with High On Fire, but they will be without Mastodon and Dethklok.  The good thing about this is that the stage will be all theirs providing for a longer and more intimate set.  The bad news is the obvious.  If you want to see that amazing freaking [adult swim] tour with Mastodon and Dethklok headlining you will have to venture to another city.  Click the picture below for more info on that.

The following comes from a press release from the good folk over at Epitaph Records:

CONVERGE’S AXE TO FALL ON OCTOBER 20

Essential Hardcore Outfit Announces New Album and Fall Tour

August 18, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA. – Groundbreaking hardcore-metal band Converge will release their long anticipated new studio album, Axe To Fall, on October 20 via Epitaph (vinyl on Deathwish). Considered one of the most intense, important, and influential metal/hardcore bands ever, Converge continue their uncompromising evolution, experimenting and manipulating the fiercest form of music with the most aggressive album of the year, Axe To Fall.

Fitting like a puzzle piece in their all but flawless catalog, Axe To Fall is an undeniable progression in the band’s canon of cacophonous sound, dexterous skill and ingenious art, as thirteen of the most viciously powerful songs Converge has ever written reign down on listeners in a surge of sonic fury. True to their meticulous DIY style, guitarist Kurt Ballou helmed production duties once again from his infamous GodCity studios in Salem, MA.

Without warning, Converge lets their metal flag fly on Axe To Fall when drummer Ben Koller’s galloping beats meet Ballou’s lightning fast riffs as bassist Nate Newton provides a pummeling backbone and vocalist Jacob Bannon takes command with menacing growls on the album’s shattering opener “Dark Horse.” Perhaps Converge’s heaviest music they’ve ever recorded, the foursome invited a slew friends to contribute to the album, and the result was a wall of metal-infused hardcore on a level that’s never been heard before.

Songs like the hardcore pit-swirling “Effigy” (feat. Steve Brodsky/Lead guitar, Adam McGrath/Guitar, J.R. Connors/Drums), the furiously relentless neck-breaker “Wishing Well” (feat. Ulf Cederlund/Lead guitar/backing vocals) and the blazing thrash-track “Cutter” (feat. John Pettibone/backing vocals) keep the album moving with power and energy. As defiant as ever, Bannonroars through songs about despair and self-indulgent choices warning that “we’ll show the demons for what they are.” As the album comes to a close it takes a doom-ridden turn as Neurosis’ Steve Von Till shares vocal duties with Bannon on the brooding track “Cruel Bloom” and Genghis Tron’s Mookie Singerman providing lead vocals on the beautifully dark post-metal album closer “Wretched World.”

After 19 years as a band, Converge still maintain the steadfast individuality and uncompromising artistic vision they had when they formed. The band has been credited with giving rise to a genre of music and influencing bands worldwide, yet by never wavering have created a sound that is entirely their own.

Withthe release of Axe To Fall on the horizon, Converge are readying an arsenal of music from their storied catalog to unleash on audiences across the US when they tour with Mastodon, Dethklok and High On Fire in October.

Prepare yourself for the year’s most vicious album, Axe To Fall.

Axe To Fall Tracklisting:
1. Dark Horse
2. Reap What You Sow
3. Axe To Fall
4. Effigy
5. Worms Will Feed
6. Wishing Well
7. Damages
8. Losing Battle
9. Dead Beat
10. Cutter
11. Slave Driver
12. Cruel Bloom
13. Wretched World

Converge Tour Dates:
09/05: Los Angeles, CA @ F Yeah Fest w/ F*cked Up, Cold Cave, and more
09/24: Durham, NH @ UNH w/ TBA
09/28: Iowa City, IA @ The Picador w/ TBA
09/29: Gillette, WY @ Knights Of Columbus w/ TBA
10/02: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/03: Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/04: Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/06: Calgary, AB @ Big Four Building w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/07: Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Center w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/09: Salt Lake City, UT @ Great Saltair w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/10: Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/12: Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire 10/13: St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/14: Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/15: Nutty’s North @ Sioux Falls, SD w/ High On Fire
10/16: St. Paul, MN @ Myth w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/17: Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/18: Milwaukee, WI @ Eagle’s Auditorium w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/19: Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop w/ High On Fire
10/20: Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/21: Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/23: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/24: Buffalo, NY @ The Fairgrounds w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/25: Albany, NY @ Armory w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/27: Boston, MA @ House Of Blues w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/30: New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
10/31: Washington, DC @ Patriot Center w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/01: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/05: Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/06: Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire 11/07: Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/08: Pompano Beach, FL @ Pompano Beach Amphit w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/11: Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/12: Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/13: Austin, TX @ Austin City Music Hall w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/14: Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/16: Las Cruces, NM @ Pan American Center w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/17: Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Ampitheater w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/18: Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
11/19: Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium w/ Mastodon, Dethklok, High On Fire
05/28: Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest w/ Entombed, Obituary, 16, and more
05/29: Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest w/ Entombed, Obituary, 16, and more
05/30: Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest w/ Entombed, Obituary, 16, and more

Metal, Music, Music Video, Post-Hardcore, Rock

Escape The Fate NSFW Video Premieres On Playboy.Com

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Las Vegas post-hardcore act Escape The Fate have made it to the mile high club in their recent video “10 Miles Wide”.  I am not going to be posting the video on the site here as it is NSFW at all.  The video actually has premiered on Playboy.com and shows a lot of…well…unclothed womens.

The uncensored version is actually a pretty entertaining video if you like metal, screaming, and skin…

To risk having any of my younger readers being exposed to that kind of filth (haha, I kill me) I am not going to post the link on my site for the uncensored version but I am pretty sure if you head over to Google and type in “10 Miles Wide uncensored” a link will pop up for your viewing pleasure…

The video features Josh Todd of Buckcherry stepping in for some vocals as well as cameos by Good Charlotte‘s Benji Madden, Ron Jeremy, as well as a whole array of adult movie stars.

Escape The Fate will be performing all summer long on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour.  For more info on one of rock’s biggest new bands visit the band’s MySpace page.

Emo, Music, Music Video, Post-Hardcore, Review, Rock

The Blackout – The Best In Town – CD Review

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Post-Hardcore rockers The Blackout may have already turned some heads overseas previously in the U.K. but that was not good enough for them. The band recently recorded their second full length appropriately titled The Best In Town, signed to Epitaph Records, and now plan on invading the U.S. with their infectious music. The Blackout should have no problem doing so with a pretty intense album full of hard rock riffs and dual vocals that are sure to attract a much wider audience in due time.

Track opener “ShutTheF*ckUppercut” immediately has The Blackout declaring they desire attention with sick guitar playing, gut wrenching vocals, and even harmonious signing layered with piano. If the title of the song alone did not capture attention, the song itself surely would. Think hard rock mixed with post-hardcore and even some glam.

“Saves Our Selves (The Warning)” takes more of an emo Taking Back Sunday approach with a good rock feel. With no intentions of boring their listeners, The Blackout keep their first single off the album very interesting throughout proving the band really wants the spotlight fame they crave.

“Top Of The World” continues with a more rock song that many fans, old and new, will be singing along to instantly. “Children Of The Night”, the albums second single, carries on with a harder rock playing and multiple vocals including haunting children signing that could easily could accompany a modern day Lost Boys soundtrack.

“Silent (When We Speak)” slows down things for a moment and begs for lighters to be raised in the air and ignited with this ballad of sorts complete with your trademark guitar solo sure to set the mood right.

Dual vocal battle track “I Love Myself and I Wanna Live” mixed up aggressive rock with more emo type jams for a highly addicting track. Album closer “We’re Going To Hell… So Bring The Sunblock” not only had another hilarious title for a song but also escalated the energy of the band once again for a damn good finish to an album.

When Epitaph Records signs a band to their label there usually has to be a good vibe about that act. The Blackout are full of energy and musical abilities that will easily grab the attention of many and prove that Epitaph was right in adding them to their roster. Fans of post-hardcore bands and emo acts should check out The Best In Town as it is an album that will not disappoint.

Catch The Blackout at this year’s Van’s Warped Tour at a city near you.

“Children Of The Night” video: