New Release: Converge (Blood Moon)- Coil

As they prepare for the release of their collaborative new album— featuring Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm and Stephen Brodsky, Converge have unveiled the second single from Bloodmoon: I, “Coil.” Speaking on the song, Jacob Bannon comments, “’Coil’ turned out to be one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been a part of. There is an infectious slow build that ends up becoming theatrical in tone. Lyrically it was a true collaboration, with all of us expanding on each other’s ideas as they came to be. I believe Chelsea’s vocal was the starting point in that for this one. Kurt really pushed vocal harmonies to a new level as well. Encouraging many of Steve’s ideas while we were in the studio tracking together. This one really has everyone of us firing on all cylinders creatively.” When you hear this song, you’ll get it. It’s such a tremendous track. I personally can’t wait for this album. Ever since they performed at Roadburn I’ve been waiting for this to finally come to fruition. Bloodmoon: I, out November 19th on CD/Digital and on Vinyl June 24th.

Converge- Coil:

Converge- Blood Moon:

Title Tracks: Converge- Jane Doe

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Converge’s astounding album, Jane Doe. This was the bands first album with bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, as well as the bands first with guitarist Kurt Ballou behind the board. This album not only put Converge on the map it was a commercial breakthrough and received immediate acclaim, with critics praising its poetic lyrics, dynamics, ferocity and production. Through the years this album has gone on to inspire and influence countless bands. The intensity on this album is often copied but you can’t match the original. The title track on the album is quite interesting. Singer Jacob Bannon stated in an interview that many of the songs on Jane Doe came from the side project Supermachiner. That project was claimed to inspire Jane Doe‘s experimental side.The title track “Jane Doe” as well as “Phoenix in Flight” were initially intended for the Supermachiner album Rise of the Great Machine. I personally remember hearing this album for the first time. A friend recommended I check it out. At first I wasn’t too into it but, I opened up the booklet, put on some headphones listened again and read the lyrics as the album played and it all made sense. This album is an absolute modern masterpiece. The title track is epic and ahead of its time! Converge is a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.

Converge- Jane Doe:

Lyrics:

These floods of you are unforgiving
Pushing past me spilling through the banks
And I fall Faster than light and faster than time
That’s how memory works
At least in the dark where I’m searching for meaning
When I’m just searching for something I want out
Out of every awkward day
Out of every tongue tied loss I want out
Out of the burdening night sweats
Out of the rising seas of blood
Lost in you like Saturday nights
Searching the streets with bedroom eyes
Just dying to be saved
Run on girl
Run on

2020 End Of The Year Lists: Best Vocalist

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2020 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Vocalists The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Greg Puciato- Greg Puciato/Killer Be Killed
02) Billy Corgan- The Smashing Pumpkins
03) Lance Black- In Parallel
04) Philip H. Anselmo- En Minor
05) EL-P & Killer Mike- Run The Jewels
06) Kadeem France & Erik Bickerstaffe- Loathe
07) Jacob Bannon- Umbra Vitae
08) Gavin Rossdale- Bush
09) Chelsea Wolfe- Mrs. Piss
10) Anthony Paganelli, Lance Jackman, Jess Gowrie & Lennon Hudson- Horseneck

New Release: Umbra Vitae-Mantra Of Madness

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!!!

Umbra Vitae- Mantra Of Madness:

Return To Zero:

Against The Grain: Umbra Vitae

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)

Umbra Vitae- Return To Zero:

 

 

 

Alternate Versions: Converge- Endless Arrow

Alternate versions are quite fun to dive into. They give you a different experience from the original version. And sometimes, these versions turn out better than what you heard first. Converge have released a new version of their song “Aimless Arrow” entitled “Endless Arrow.” This version was created by the bands guitarist Kurt Ballou and is a 30 minute experimental/ambient version of the song. “Aimless Arrow” originally appeared on the bands 2012 album All We Love We Leave Behind. This new version was created “To keep people entertained in these challenging times.” It’s definitely a different take on the song. Personally, I’d be interested to hear them do this with a few other tracks of theirs and maybe even expand this into their Blood Moon project as well.

Converge- Endless Arrow:

 

Converge- Aimless Arrow:

 

 

2019 End Of The Year List: Best Vocalists

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2019 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Vocalists. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

 

01) John Carbone- Moon Tooth
02) Cameron Miller- Seizures
03) Jonathan Davis- Korn
04) Courtney Swain- Bent Knee
05) Schuylar Croom- He Is Legend
06) Dennis R. Sanders- Spirit In The Room
07) Daron Beck- Pinkish Black
08) Deb Demure- Drab Majesty
09) Jacob Bannon- Wear Your Wounds
10) Itarya Rosenberg- Low Dose

 

Anticipated Albums: Wear Your Wounds- Rust On The Gates Of Heaven

I love side projects. Especially when they deviate from the style of music you’ve associated someone with for so long. Wear Your Wounds is one of my favorite side projects I’ve ever heard. Wear Your Wounds was created by Converge founder Jacob Bannon. Initially conceived as a solo project, it evolved into a five-piece band that often works with collaborating musicians. In 2017, the debut self titled double album was released followed closely by the even more experimental Dunedevil, which was also an accompaniment to Bannon’s abstract art book of the same name. Now, Wear Your Wounds, prepare to release their new album Rust on the Gates of Heaven (out July 12 via Deathwish Inc.).  The release marks the first time the official lineup of the band; Jacob Bannon (Converge), Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord, Stomach Earth, Unraveller, etc), Adam McGrath (Cave In, Nomad Stones, etc), Sean Martin (Twitching Tongues, ex-Hatebreed, ex-Kid Cudi), and Chris Maggio (ex-Trap Them, ex-Sleigh Bells, etc) have properly written and recorded together. It also features musicians Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe, White Horse) and Gared O’Donnell (Planes Mistaken For Stars, Hawks and Doves) collaborating throughout. Watch and or listen to the music video for the album’s eponymous first single now. Personally I can’t wait for this album to come out. So do yourself a favor and dive in to this great band and their work.

Wear Your Wounds- Ruse On The Gates Of Heaven:

 

 

WEAR YOUR WOUNDS, ON TOUR:

May 8  Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar *

May 9  Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *

May 10  Toledo, OH @ Ottawa Tavern *

May 11  Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary *

May 12  Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *

May 14  Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5 *

May 15  Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery *

May 16  Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge *

May 17  Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus *

May 18  Boston, MA @ Sonia *

May 26  Seattle, WA @ Highline ^

May 27  Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge ^

May 28  San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop ^

May 29  Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite ^

May 30  Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room ^

May 31  San Diego, CA @ Casbah ^

June 1  Mesa, AZ @ Underground ^

* w/ Uniform

^ w/ Author & Punisher, Xasthur

Live Show Recap: Caleb Scofield Memorial Show

This is not a review, rather this is a recap of this magical show. Back in March of this year, Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield was tragically killed in a car accident. Since his passing, his peers have come together to raise funds for his family as well as celebrate Caleb’s legacy. This past evening at The Wiltern, the second tribute show to celebrate Caleb happened and it was something special.

End Of The Year List 2017: Best Vocalist

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2017 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Vocalists. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Stephen Brodsky- Mutoid Man
02) Jacob Bannon- Converge/Wear Your Wounds
03) Ben Flanagan- Black Map
04) Josh Breckinridge- With Our Arms To The Sun
05) Brett Campbell- Pallbearer
06) Phil Lewis- L.A. Guns
07) Mlny Parsonz- Royal Thunder
08) Mike Minnick- Less Art
09) Kristina Esfandiari- King Woman
10) Chelsea Wolfe- Chelsea Wolfe