Philip H. Anselmo is quite a talented guy. Throughout the years whether it’s been Pantera, Down, Superjoint, Scour, etc it goes to show how versatile he is as a vocalist and lyricist, not to mention frontman. Last year, we got the first taste of a band he’s talked about for years, En Minor. The two songs released were quite stunning and a complete left turn from anything you’ve ever heard from Philip before. Now, the full length, When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out, is finally coming out September 4th. The first single “Blue” is absolutely beautiful and haunting. This track features the full arsenal of all the members involved with En Minor and it shows the versatility of all the players. Personally, I really look forward to this album. I also hope when the world gets back to some sort of normalcy, En Minor will get to tour and show off how good these songs are.
Well, we are definitely getting closer to the day that Greg Puciato’s debut solo album, Child Soldier: Creator Of God is released this summer. So far two songs have been released. The first being “Fire For Water” and now “Deep Set.” Both songs are different from each other but, still pack one hell of a punch. I’m very intrigued by these two songs and am highly anticipating this album. Even the cover art for the “Deep Set” single is great, as it pays homage to Soundgarden’s Louder Than Love. Also worth noting is that the drums on “Deep Set” were played by Chris Hornbrook (Poison The Well, Dhani Harrison, etc) and he absolutely rips it up on the skins! Do yourself a favor and play this song multiple times today.
There really is something intriguing about extreme music and the heavier side of rock music. I’ve always been drawn to it in bits and pieces but, as I’ve gotten older, I’m starting to realize the technicality that comes with it. Which brings me to the band END. What began as a fun passion project for guitarist (and producer) Will Putney, quickly became something else as the band became more recognized for their aggressive and volatile music. END features a collection of musicians from various sub-genres of extreme music, including current and former members of Counterparts, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fit For An Autopsy, Misery Signals, Shai Hulud, and Reign Supreme. And all those pieces have made for quite a reputation. The debut EP FromThe Unforgiving Arms Of God, released in fall 2017 via Good Fight Music, was met with critical praise and fan response was definitely there as well. This summer will see the release of their debut full-length, Splinters From An Ever-Changing Face. The two songs released from it so far, really are quite a glimpse into their in your face approach to heavy music. END is more than just a run of the mill heavy/extreme band. When you take the time to listen, you can hear a plethora of inspiration and influences, which in turn, makes for quite a listening journey.
I will admit, it wasn’t until The Ghost Inside released their album, 2014’s Dear Youth, that I started to come around to them. Not long after that, the band was involved in quite a bus accident that left the future of the band up in the air. Now after a very lengthy hiatus and tons of physical therapy, The Ghost Inside have released their first new song “Aftermath.” This song is pretty damn killer. It’s good to see them back out there and picking up where they left off.
A couple weeks back, the very great O’Brother released a new track called “Killing Spree” off their upcoming and very anticipated album, You and I. Well, now they’ve released another new song “Halogen Eye” and this one is quite the killer track as well. This track also features Biffy Clyro vocalist and guitarist Simon Neil. “Halogen Eye” is definitely an O’Brother song but, this one has a little something extra to it. You and I is definitely going to be a diverse album from what I can tell and that has me excited. O’Brother has always been a band to push themselves to make the best music possible. Their previous album, 2016’s Endless Light proved that and this one is carrying that on.
A couple weeks back, a new band was unveiled in the form of Umbra Vitae which features Jacob Bannon of Converge, Mike McKenzie of The Red Chord, Sean Martin of Twitching Tongues, ex Hatebreed, Greg Weeks of The Red Chord and Jon Rice of Uncle Acid, ex Job For A Cowboy. The first song they released, “Return To Zero” was one hell of a track out of the gates but, this new one, “Mantra Of Madness,” is a whole other level of killer. The title is quite fitting for the times we live in at the moment too. Their debut album Shadow of Life, comes out May 1st on Deathwish. So, with all that in mind, check this out!!!
It’s always exciting when bands you really enjoy but, haven’t heard from in a while release new music. Especially when the new music that is released is THIS good. Glaare have released “Mirrors” the first song and video from their very anticipated forthcoming album, Your Hellbound Heart. This darkwave, dream pop and goth-rock band from Los Angeles has been leaving quite a mark since their inception and their 2017 album, To Deaf and Day, is one of the best albums in the genre in the last decade. So, it comes as no surprise here that, on this new track, Glaare picks up where they left off but have added more compelling elements to really drive home their style and sound.
After 4 long years, Youth Code have finally released a new track in the form of “Puzzle.” This hard charging banger of a song is one they’ve played live on their last couple tours. This track is everything you’d expect from Youth Code. If this is any indication as to what their upcoming new album will be like, we are definitely in for one hell of a beast.
O’Brother has released a brand new song entitled “Killing Spree” from their forthcoming new album You and I. The band had this to say about this song and their upcoming album. ““Killing Spree” wasn’t our initial choice for a first release, we had originally opted for a song with a more immediate approach, but we feel this is the most relevant choice considering current world events. Life rarely happens according to plan and the spirit of “Killing Spree” is in keeping with that. We truly hope this song brings you some level of calm amidst the chaos. ‘You and I’ will be our first independent full-length release and we couldn’t have pulled this off without the help of our friends.” This song has a really delicate and subtle way about it. It’s deep and seductive and feels right in the O’Brother catalog.
As a musician and artist, when you have the chance to tap back into a genre that you’ve been away from for a long while, the end result is something that often times feels refreshing and reinvigorating. That being said, while in rehearsals for Wear Your Wounds, Jacob Bannon, Sean Martin and Mike McKenzie, began messing around with some heavy riffs. After realizing what they had, the three of them recruited Greg Weeks (The Red Chord, Labor Hex) and Jon Rice (Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Job For A Cowboy) for the rhythm section to back their aggressive riffs and thus Umbra Vitae was conceived. Taking their name from a poem by Georg Heym, The music and and words are as haunting as it’s namesake. Their debut album, Shadow of Life (out May 1st via Deathwish Inc.), was recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou. The album one that will pummel the listener with unrelenting force and unpredictability. As well as providing self affirming mantras to give it even more of an edge.
Vocalist Jacob Bannon has gone on to say about Umbra Vitae “After reading the piece from Heym, I immediately felt connected to it. Later, while working on the previous Wear Your Wounds album, my love for Death Metal was rekindled. This was likely a reaction to working on non-aggressive music for such a concentrated period. As these songs started to form, the ominous nature of that original poem came to mind.” He continues, “In many ways it embodied the character of what we were all creating together. For me, Umbra Vitae is darkly confrontational and my own internal struggles are nested within each song. At this point in my life it is of the utmost importance to use this art and music as the vehicle for a healthy purge of emotion. By design, even in something this intense, there is righteous intent to be a better human through the process of creating it.” Umbra Vitae definitely is a band to look out for and hopefully will continue as time goes on.
Umbra Vitae is:
Jacob Bannon: Vocals, Lyrics (Converge, Wear Your Wounds, Blood From the Soul)
Mike McKenzie: Guitars, Vocals (The Red Chord, Wear Your Wounds, Stomach Earth)
Sean Martin: Guitars, Vocals (ex-Hatebreed, Wear Your Wounds, Twitching Tongues)
Greg Weeks: Bass (The Red Chord, Labor Hex, etc)
Jon Rice: Drums (ex-Job for a Cowboy, Uncle Acid, etc)
