Column Of Heaven - "Failures" Cassette

No strangers to breaking the barriers of powerviolence, grind, and heavy music in general, you wouldn't really be blamed for thinking Column Of Heaven were trying to distance themselves as far away from their grindcore labels as possible. I'd say twas not the case, given the key members staggering creative ambitions and opinions (read their blog and learn some stuff). Along with their most recent release, the "Holy Things For The Holy" 7" on Iron Lung Records, which is a two-part sludgy noise-scape, the first born brother release was this cassette, entitled "Failures". Something I haven't seen talked about very much so I'd figure I'd break the ice.

These are my own photo's of my own copy. Its a very nice looking tape, made by the band themselves. As far as I know, this won't be coming out on any other format, and I'm sure there were less at least 100 made. This tape, from what I recall,  is a collection of various bits and pieces of recordings done between a period of a couple years. Strung together into a collage, or little vignette's of sound. There's moments of conventional musicianship, occasionally, but most of "Failures" consists of found sounds, field recordings, industrial clangs, and straight abstract noise. Powerviolence gone music concrete. It's an interesting release, more of a document then anything else, and it kept me captivated. 

Check discogs and eBay for people selling this for 25+ dollars. I guess they have a split with Suffering Luna, Gas Chamber and another 12" in the works. Big stuff!

~VII

Chainsaw Squid/Ether Binger - Split Review

If you're like me, and you hear about a band called Chainsaw Squid, chances are you're going to not give much thought to them. No matter what band they do a split with, or if their from the West Coast. Names like that usually sounds like the band is just taking a piss and recordings it for the sake of being goofy.
You should also be telling yourself to stop going on first impressions a lot, cause sometimes you're left with your proverbial foot in your mouth. So here we have the Chainsaw Squid/Ether Binge split cassette, put out on Opaqus Records, it fucking rules. SO not down with the fact that I got wise to these guys later rather then sooner. I first heard the Ether Binge side on youtube a little while back, and I can't believe I haven't checked them out sooner. They're a 3-piece that shares members with Fissure and Bridge, and it's some of the gnarliest, craziest grind I've heard all year! These guys rip everything to shreds with incredible precision, and a recording that will savagely assault your eardrums in the best way. The most notable thing about this band though: the guitar. For a while, I thought it was a bass, it sounds unlike anything I've heard in a grind band of this style. Weird, clean, almost jazzy guitar lines are all over the place. It literally sounds like a slapped bass, until it kicks into a way of shrill distortion. Insane stuff, and the totally ignant powerviolence vocals are top notch. Really hoping they record more stuff. Now on the flipside we have Chainsaw Squid, and yeah they have a dumb name, and their song titles are goofy, and I remember first hearing about them because they made a diss track about ACxDC, and they fucking kill!!!!! I can't say one bad thing about their side either, it's blown-out, lo-fi, fast as shit grindviolence, and I loved every second of it. Their recording is a bit more bottom heavy then EB's, and they definitely keep more of the Crossed Out/Charles Bronson influence firmly planted in their sound, with some modern fastcore mixed in. I barely notice the slower parts though, honestly. I'm just so captivated by how fast they are a a whole unit. I get a kick out of their samples too, really wondering where the opening one came from (you'll just have to listen for yourself). These guys seem to be pretty active, and have a few more splits out. Check this split out, and if any of the dudes in these bands are reading, I would love to get tracks for the West Coast comp ;)


Rating: 9/10

~VII

Listen To Caged Grave!

I gotta thank my Aussie buddy Sean and his fantastic record nerd blog Skullfucked, a personally trusted source for awesome new bands from the country, for turning me on to these Melbourne rippers. Caged Grave is to my knowledge a fairly new band, and they're by far one of the best new Australian bands I've heard in a while. Their recently released demo tape/CD-r is an 8 track, barely 7 minute asteroid hit of blast beat ridden fast hardcore. Imagine Vaccine, but influenced a little more by sludgy hardcore and maybe throw a little Harm's Way in the mix. Fantastically recorded, perfectly compliments the intensity I'm sure the band was trying to go for. I've played it 4 times already just righting this post, replay worthy material and I can't wait to hear their next recordings. Check out the demo below, give them a like on facebook, and if you can spare the scratch, pick up one of their tapes. 

~VII

New Six Brew Bantha Track

Canada Canada Canada Canada. Always dishing out the goods (I was listening to Shooting Spree before posting this, check them please, one of Canada's best). Six Brew Bantha are one of the many bands to join the "Done A Split With Suffering Mind" club, and their already fantastic 7" is just on the brink of release on Halo Of Flies Records. Digging the über metal cover art, heavily. Suffering Mind's side was put up a couple months ago, and it rips, as you should expect (check it here), and a little while ago Six Brew Bantha put up a track from theirs. Definitely the cleanest and most metallically sharp the band has sounded, cutthroat recording. And still blasting as fast as ever, seemingly playing 6 songs all in one. Check the new track, "Excesscrement" (try saying that 5 times fast) below, and lurk around Halo Of Flies Records for any sign of a release date.

~VII

xBrainiax Call It Quits, Officially. Endless Bummer.

Well shit. Shit shit shit. I'm sitting here on my bed, listening to the sadly now defunct lords of fastcore, xBrainiax, and the sad reality just stings even more. After a long period of stagnant inactivity in the wake of losing their guitarist who I believe went to join Lotus Fucker (blech), the band has officially called it quits. Really pretty bummed to see this band go. They were the first fastcore band I really fell in love with. I'd credit them with getting me in to genre actually, and it's an interest that hasn't diminished since. I always held some optimism that these guys would get back in gear and crank out a bazillion more retardedly spazzed out jams. Their two more well known "upcomings" were some of my most anticipated; a split LP with Sidetracked and a split 4-fucking-inch with Hummingbird of Death. Oooooo, it stings that these will never get put out!!!! Their speed and technical songwriting might have come off as gimmicky to some people at times, but I was always blown away by this bands abilities. I still have trouble with keeping up with some of their records to this day! Well, they definitely left an impact, and I hope the members go on to make more projects! Jam on this, one of my favorite XBX records, their first 7", "Disgrace to The Corpse Of Eric Wood". RIP.

~VII