New Weekend Nachos Album and Tracks

I have such a power slam hard on for this new Weekend Nachos album, dead ass. The initial announcement for it was a few weeks ago, but today all these juicy details have been released so nows the time to get hyping! Their 4th album, entitled "Still",  will be coming out in November on Relapse Records and Deep Six (I believe DS is handling the vinyl duties). Today the band has put up two new tracks from the album for free download! "S.C.A.B." and "Satan Sucker" are excellent songs, I mean, Weekend Nachos just know how to write great, solid, beat down brutality. "S.C.A.B." in particular, while being an excellent classic hardcore influenced song, delighted me to know end with the lyrics during the breakdown (please listen for yourself), and the "BUST IN!" at the end. Fucking brilliant. Head on over to their Facebook page to download the new tracks.

~VII

Rotten Sound - "Species At War" Review

Hard to think of better ways to close out the first month of 2013 than a new EP from Finnish lords of the blast, Rotten Sound. A band that you can pretty much be guaranteed will deliver the goods with each new release. This new 6 track EP, entitled "Species At War", is the excellent follow up to their 2011 full length, "Cursed". A record that I am still a huge fan of, and that I feel has gotten pretty under appreciated in their discography. "Species At War" continues the "blast then groove" style of grindcore that RS have perfected over their last few releases, and stands out as one of their least subtle releases since the "Napalm" EP. From the almost crude looking cover art, to the EP's lyrical concept (*hint*, they wrote a bit about war*). Right away, this EP blares out of your speakers with "Cause", an absolutely unrelenting opening track that pounds and bombards like machine gun punches to the face. But I wouldn't call this EP, as a whole, unrelenting. At least in how it impacted me. The songs here are pretty typical for Rotten Sound at this point, and very little (okay, nothing), stands out as anything new or really all that exciting for the band, and there a couple things that keep this EP from being 100% solid. Such as the 2nd track; which is an under one-minute slower jam, which just sounds like the breakdown to a full song, but they just decided to scrap the fast part. It just sounds incomplete, which is one of the few gripes I had with "Cursed"; the slower tracks lacked substance, or any real need to be included. This is a record that seems like it's made to tide people over before something much larger. I'd be very surprised if the band wasn't working on a new full-length right now. But hey, if you've liked anything that this band has done in the last few years, and you want some good, quick grindcore songs, it's hard to go wrong with this.

Rating: 7/10

~VII

Updates On The New Rotten Sound EP

Remember earlier this year when Rotten Sound just threw the new's out there that they had a new EP coming out? Well, after not many updates (kinda forgot about the whole thing, honestly), a whole bundle of details have been announced regarding the new release, entitled, "Species At War".

This new 6-track EP will be released on CD and a single-sided 12" with a B-side etching. From the sound of it, this whole EP was apparently recorded, mixed and mastered by the band. Interesting to see how this DIY approach will sound, maybe a rawer attack from the band this time around? In addition to that, this will be the first release the band puts out since signing on with Season Of Mist for exclusive European distribution, with Relapse Records handling the rest of the world. The EP is actually available for pre-order right now, here, and will be officially released on January 22nd. I expect a few tours in support of this, and hopefully a new full-length isn't far away. Can't wait to go ape shit to these guys at MDF!

~VII

Pig Destroyer Debut New Lyric Video For "Burning Palm"

The wait for the new Pig Destroyer full-length, "Book Burner", is almost unbearable. I used to be stoked for October just because of Halloween, but now I have a (hopefully) incredible album to celebrate as well! Little by little we've been getting sneak peaks of the new album, but now, Relapse Records has debuted a full on entire track called "Burning Palms" for a new lyric video. Unsurprisingly, the song is a ripper. Scott really pulled out some weird riffs for this one, harmonics and high notes are all over the place, and the drums are on constant blast-grind mode. Honestly though, I am a bit disappointed about the vocals. JR really seems tired on here, and not all that aggressive. He's always been one of the most intense and desperate sounding grindcore vocalists, in my opinion, so to hear him be pulled back a bit is a little surprising. Fingers crossed that it's just for this track though. Pre-order "Book Burner" now at the Relapse webstore, or pick it up on October 22nd.

~VII

Interview: Pig Destroyer

Pig Destroyer have been pumping out some of the some of the most brutal grindcore since their creation in 1997. The band has just put the finishing touches on “Book Burner”, their newest record which drops October 23, 2012 on Relapse Records. I’m sitting in the control room of Visceral Sound in Maryland where I have in front of me vocalist JR Hayes, guitarist Scott Hull and sampler Blake Harrison. While newly-appointed drummer Adam Jarvis, also of Misery Index, shoots drum endorsement videos in the next room, we get to talking about the new record, studio, drummer and more. 
                               

Photo by: Nick Martin

Cha: We had short straight grind on "Prowler in the Yard" and "Terrifyer", slightly longer songs on "Phantom Limb", straight up ambient doom on "Natasha". What can we expect from "Book Burner"?

Scott: Shorter grind. It’s a mix of a lot of different things but definitely a lot more shorter grind on "Book Burner" then there was on "Phantom Limb".

Blake: When Scott was starting to write and get some ideas, he asked JR and me what we wanted and we were like “lean, mean and stripped down”. Let’s just make it raw. I think the longest song clocks in at 4 minutes. The rest are about a minute long.

Scott: We got some new blood in the band and that blood wants to grind a little more so we’re trying to play to that strength.

Cha: Speaking of which, this new record is your first with Adam Jarvis on drums. Can you discuss the events surrounding the exit of Brian Harvey, the brief involvement of Dave Witte and any other drummers you had in mind, to Jarvis being a full time member?

Blake: Brian left. Let’s just leave it at that.

Scott: He had other issues in his life that sort of diverted his focus. He was our brother for 13 or so years, but I think the effects of the bad economy and his home life and work life kind of prevented him from being able to push forward with the band and we sort of let that situation dangle. 

JR: There was a little while where we thought we could work it out like we have in the past but it just got to a breaking point and we had to move on.

Cha: Ok, so Harvey is out. Where do you go?

Murder Construct - "Results" Review

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Relaspse Records

Those of you expecting a mediocre album by another supergroup will immediately think otherwise with this record from California’s Murder Construct. "Results", the band’s first full length, delivers exactly what the title offers. The band features great names such as Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Leon del Muerte (Exhumed, ex-Phobia), Kevin Fetus (Watch Me Burn), Caleb Schneider (Bad Acid Trip) and Danny Walker (Intronaut, Exhumed).
As a longtime listener of Cattle Decapitation, I must say this is easily one of the best recordings done by frontman Travis Ryan in addition to the newest Cattle Decap album that dropped only four months before the release of "Results". Though the lyrical content isn’t as gore-concentrated as Ryan’s previous work, his vocal tones and patterns have only progressed thus far especially on tracks like “Mercy Mercy” and “Compelled by Mediocrity”. 2012 may as well be the year of Travis Ryan.
When Danny Walker isn’t unleashing blast beats to the listener, there are moments where the changeups will truly catch the listener off guard. On “Malicious Guilt”, the band keeps switching between mid-tempo death metal and straight up grindcore more often then I can count. “Feign Ignorance” does the same, but adds some tech-death fills into the mix. For a project like this, the drumming has a very high bar to hit. Walker nailed that bar and then some.
All in all, this is some ridiculously good deathgrind definitely worth picking up. It’s a shame the members are too involved in their other bands to really give this record the touring cycle it deserves. Easily in 2012’s top ten.

~Cha

The Best News Ever!!!

We’ve heard unofficially through the grape vine that the new PIG DESTROYER album is just about completed, with only mastering and artwork left to be finished. Word also came with the news that a split with ROTTEN SOUND is still in the works. This new album, which very well may surface this summer through Relapse Records, is the first in roughly 5 years. PIG DESTROYER released Phantom Limb in 2007 through Relapse.” - taken from Nefarious Realm


HOLY FUCKING SHIT PISSING ASS LICKING SUPER EXTRA MEATY BIG FUCKING SHIT CUNT FUCKING FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKING SHIT!!!!!!!!!

~VII

New Cripple Bastards Song, Still Hateful!

This month will see the release of a brand new 7" EP from the legendary Italian hate-grind band, Cripple Bastards. This is new's that I'm sure a lot of you will be overjoyed about, since we haven't gotten a CB release of new material since their 2008 full-length, "Variante Alla Morte". Relapse Records has just debuted a new song from the EP (which you can listen to below) called "Agony Of A Reformed Band", and I think it shows a lot of promise for this release. Honestly, Cripple bastards are a bit hit-or-miss with me; their previously mentioned 2008 album had a lot of pot holes and dull moments for me to get fully into it, but when it was good, it was really fucking good. This new song displays the things I like about the Bastards; fast drumming, some interesting riffing, varied vocals, it definitely pleases my ears. But who am I to say what's good, listen and judge for yourself. The 7", entitled "Senza Impronte" will be released by Relapse Records on April 26th, in what looks like a very nice gatefold sleeve. You can pre-order it now.

~VII