Friday, October 27, 2017

VITRIOL + Decibel


"Vitriol very well may be the most vicious and explosive death metal band currently hailing from the United States."
–Decibel

"Some of the most pulverizing death metal you can find these days."

–Metal Injection

"Perhaps the most promising and immediately impactful statement by a death metal band this year."

–Heavy Blog Is Heavy

"This band wields the power to split the genre wide open."

–Nine Circles

Decibel has premiered the title track off Vitriol's new EP, Pain Will Define Their Death. 


Listen, here:

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/10/27/track-premiere-vitriol-pain-will-define-death/

Due for release on November 10th, Pain Will Define Their Death sets forth Vitriol's sound in no uncertain terms. Through the EP's three tracks, the Portland, Oregon band lashes out with a style rooted in the turn-of-the-millennium works of Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, and Nile – death metal landmarks like Gateways to Annihilation, King of All Kings, and Black Seeds of Vengeance. Vitriol's three members – guitarist/vocalist Kyle Rasmussen, bassist/vocalist Adam Roethlisberger, and drummer Scott Walker – attack the hallowed genre with a fresh aggression that cannot be faked. Dense, visceral, overwhelming, Vitriol's tornado of sound is familiar but new.


On top of this base, Vitriol adds inspiration from avant-black visionaries like Xasthur and Deathspell Omega. Faint blackened layers open emotional dimensions beyond the scope of brutish death metal. In the words of guitarist/vocalist Rasmussen: "Black metal provides a spiritual and emotional violence, whereas death metal provides the physical violence. I wanted to be able to impart all of these experiences with our music. A full existential attack."


Vitriol's lyrics all serve to advance the band's mission statement, as summed up by Rasmussen: "To expose the weakness, failure, and triviality of man, through passionate violence.”


Pain Will Define Their Death was recorded by the band and Derek Leisy at Audiosiege (Obituary, Full of Hell), and mixed by Taylor Young (Nails, Xibalba). It was mastered by Stephan Hawkes (Red Fang)


Photo by Charlotte Gane

Out today: PLAQUE MARKS - Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship


Plaque Marks' debut EP, Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship, is out today on Learning Curve Records and Reptilian Records.

Listen to the EP in full and buy, here:
http://plaquemarks.bandcamp.com/

The self-proclaimed "stain on the smile of the Philadelphia music scene," Philly noise-rock dream team Plaque Marks comprises members of Creepoid, Fight Amp, Ecstatic Vision, and The Powder Room. Caveman drumming, tooth-rattling bass, painfully distorted guitars, and buried yells are the elements at play, and on Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship they sound like they were recorded with one lone mic, hanging from a noose in a Philly warehouse. 

Plaque Marks will hit the road for a North American tour in November and December, including three weeks with the mighty Unsane.

"Even comparatively barbaric noise rock bands like Unsane sound positively reserved and sophisticated compared to this squall... Cruelly effective."
–Stereogum

"A little Unsane, a little Jesus Lizard, a dash of Big Black – but the more time you spend with it, the more [Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship] begins to take on its own sense of harrowing severity. The whole thing feels like being hit in the chest with a medicine ball full of bacon fat."
–Bandcamp Daily

"Rising Philly noise rock royalty Plaque Marks... Nasty in all the right ways."
–Decibel

"Brimming with crusty swagger, Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship rages like Pissed Jeans at their most shambolic... With machine precision, the three-piece stomp and gnash, lurching propulsively..."
–Exclaim!

"Highly combustible, jam-packed with jagged disharmony and overdriven to the brink of collapse. Plaque Marks sound absolutely filthy here. The distorted crunch that hangs over the entire production has enough character to be an instrument unto itself..." 
–Invisible Oranges

"A Philly band with members of Creepoid, Fight Amp, and Ecstatic Vision. Their sound takes cues from the style Unsane helped define..."
–BrooklynVegan

"This is some of the angriest music you're likely to hear all year... An exhilarating shot of noisy, bellicose punk rock."
–New Noise

"A new musical outfit out of Philly that reminds me of the sonic brainfuck of bands like Hell No, Jesus Lizard, and Glazed Baby."
–No Echo

"A vicious and cacophonous brand of noise rock... An undoubtedly abrasive sound that would make Tom Hazelmyer blush... Ugly, heavy and snarky like a good noise rock record should be."
–Svbterranean

Nov 10 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia
Nov 12 – Harrisonburg, VA @ Golden Pony
Nov 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship release show)
Nov 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus w/ Unsane
Nov 18 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 
w/ Unsane
Nov 19 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter 
w/ Unsane
Nov 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl 
w/ Unsane
Nov 21 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa 
w/ Unsane
Nov 25 – Austin, TX @ Lost Well 
w/ Unsane
Nov 26 – Fort Worth, TX @ Ridglea Lounge w/ Unsane
Nov 28 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress 
w/ Unsane
Nov 29 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar 
w/ Unsane
Dec 1 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill 
w/ Unsane
Dec 3 – Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp 
w/ Unsane
Dec 4 – Eugene, OR @ Old Nick’s 
w/ Unsane
Dec 5 – Seattle, WA @ Highline 
w/ Unsane
Dec 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Cobalt 
w/ Unsane
Dec 7 – Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge 
w/ Unsane
Dec 8 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux 
w/ Unsane
Dec 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records 
w/ Unsane
Dec 10 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 
w/ Unsane
Dec 11 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Flux Capacitor
Dec 12 – Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
Dec 13 – Omaha, NE @ O’Leavers
Dec 14 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville
Dec 15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Eagles #34
Dec 16 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Dec 17 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class

Photo by Dante Torrieri



Thursday, October 26, 2017

CHAINLINKS: October 2017

Welcome to the new installment of Chainlinks! At the end of each month, we at The Chain reach out to friends and colleagues to find out what's been inspiring them. This time around we have some horror and Halloween-themed recommendations from Dylan Scharf of The Creepy Creeps, Mike McGinnis of Plaque Marks, Matt Kepler of Cult of Hades, and Carlos Cardenas, graphic designer/singer/producer of Precious Death.

Carlos Cardenas - Graphic Designer / Singer / Producer of Precious Death
1. Album: Misfits - Famous Monsters (1999)
This album right here fits the season so well. It has songs about monsters and horror stories and often written in such a cartoony way that embodies everything there is to love about the Halloween season. 
Key Song: Pumpkin Head
2. Album: King Diamond - Abigail (1987)
King Diamond writes perfect Horrific suspenseful concept albums, Abigail being my favorite record. Every song on this record paints a picture of the tale. When I was 12 I used to sit in front of a CD player and read the lyrics along with the album and I felt it put me right into the story. 
Key Song: Abigail
3. Movie: The Void (2016)
This movie is a newer Horror film I saw recently that I fell in love with. The Void has an nostalgic feel to it that reminds me of 80's B films. There's so much gore and so many twists in this movie, you never really know what's going to happen next. I can't recommend this movie enough.

Matt Kepler of Cult of Hades
Matt Kepler is a multi-talented artist and craftsman in New York City. Under the name Cult of Hades, he specializes in handmade leatherwork, from wallets to guitar straps, and puts priority on the humane treatment of animals and sustainable processing methods. Some of the artists currently rocking his guitar straps include Chelsea Wolfe and members of KMFDM, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Mutoid Man.

1) Cocteau Twins
I love the season, getting dark & cold. Anytime Fall rolls around Cocteau Twins are always on my list for embodying the vibe I feel. Their sound is like a pale, cold sky.
2) Jan Van Oost
Really love Jan Van Oost's shadowy figures.
3) The Haunting
For Halloween movies, of course the original Halloween is my favorite, but I also dig the 1963 The Haunting.

Mike McGinnis of Plaque Marks
(Photo by Francois Carl Duguay)
Mike is the guitarist/vocalist of Plaque Marks and formerly Fight Amp. Plaque Marks' debut EP Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship comes out today, October 27th, on Learning Curve Records and Reptilian Records. The band tours the US this fall with Unsane.

Since I recently wrote about a few of my favorite horror movies and went with some obvious choices - https://svbterranean.net/2017/10/10/svb-halloween-theater-plaque-marks-and-vitriol/ - I thought I'd list a few more random and campy Halloween themed things I'm currently into. I'm pretty much always consuming some form of sci fi or horror, so this is just what I've been digging into the last couple weeks.

1. Tales From The Crypt (whole HBO series)
I used to love this show when it was current. I recently went back to the top and started rewatching. Most of it really holds up and a lot of the episodes have a surprisingly awesome cast. The comic book style horror is spot on.
2. Cinemassacre's 'Monster Madness'
Fans of James Rolfe, or "The Angry Video Game Nerd", may be familiar with this. Pretty much a month long YouTube series every October revisiting and reviewing horror across multiple time periods and sub genres. It's a relatable take for me since he grew up in my area and we're roughly the same age.
3. HP Lovecraft's 'The Call of Cthulhu'
A lot different from those first two, but it just so happens to be what I'm reading right now. I love cosmic horror and somehow never read this in its entirety. I just started, so far so good. 

Dylan Scharf of The Creepy Creeps (ex-Locust, Struggle)

1. Ghost
I had never even heard of this band, but happened to get to see them when they opened for Iron Maiden this year. They are far more melodic than the metal I usually listen to but they were so tight and put on such an amazing show, one that was evocative of a Satanic church ceremony (not that I have ever been to one, all religion is pretty ridiculous in my opinion). Not usually the kind of thing I am into but I was blown away by all aspects of the one and only “Ghost”!
2. Hymn
Another band I just happened to come across is the almighty “Hymn” from Sweden. This is a two piece band that is reminiscent to me of some early Neurosis, especially the vocals. The song I am attaching here is called “Serpent” and will not disappoint. Listen to it all the way through and as loud as possible. Certainly one of the heaviest bands I have heard recently!
3. George A. Romero
I do not know where to start as far as movies are concerned, especially since it is nearing the best time of year, when the veil between worlds begins to thin. That being said, I have been a long time fan of George Romero, being introduced to his first film and college thesis “Night of the Living Dead” by my father at the age of 8. His next two movies “Dawn of the Dead” and “Day of the Dead” definitely helped to create a legacy of horror that would continue to go unmatched until his unfortunate death last year. If you have not watched all three I highly recommend that you do, and if you only want to watch one of them I would have to suggest “Day of the Dead” (1985).

AXIS + Exclaim!


"Sprawling sound... AXIS have joined labelmates Hollow Earth in their increasingly atmospheric yet metallic ambitions."
–Exclaim!

"Axis have now officially joined the ranks of cutting-edge metallic-hardcore bands in the grand tradition of Converge... Their sound is white-hot fire and seething vitriol and everything great about extreme music."

–MetalSucks

"A heavy hit of raging hardcore."
–Cvlt Nation

Axis has revealed new single "The Altruist," off sophomore album Shift. 

Listen, here:

http://exclaim.ca/music/article/axis-the_altruist

Out November 10th on Good Fight Music, Shift sees Axis in a state of transformation: stripped down from a 5-piece band to a quartet, its metallic attack is broadening into something more dynamic and cathartic, thanks to new inspiration found in bands like Harkonen, Cult of Luna, and Shellac. Shift is an exciting progression from one of the most compelling of the young, heavy hardcore bands out today.


Before Shift, there was Axis' 2015 debut full-length, Show Your Greedwhich inspired Stereogum to describe the band as rightful heirs to '90s heroes Botch and Kiss It Goodbye. An all-out assault, Show Your Greed pummeled and bruised, and Axis took its show on the road with bands like Old Wounds and Homewrecker.


Rather than trying to top the tooth-gnashing of Show Your Greed, Axis then took a left-turn in 2016 and teamed up with adventurous Memphis trio Seraph/The Light to create a collaborative EP which saw the two bands merge into one unholy mega-church, pounding out a slower, crushing vibe inspired by Neurosis and Cult of Luna.


Upcoming new album Shift is the culmination of all this recent history, taking the bark and bite of Show Your Greed and boosting it with lessons learned from the Seraph/The Light experiment – namely, a thicker, more massive sound, and a masterful wielding of tension via the interplay of guitarists Dylan Downey and Patrick Chumley. 


Shift also marks the departure of frontman Rafael Morales, with guitarist Downey taking on vocals in addition to guitar. Drummer Thomas Cantwell and bassist Tyler Forsythe (also both members of Gouge Away, currently on tour with Touche Amore) have beefed up their attack into an all-powerful wallop.


Shift was recorded and mixed by Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos, Harm's Way), with additional recording by Ethan Murphy (Blistered) at Back Forty Recording. The album was mastered by Brad Boatright (Nails, Full of Hell).


Photo by Mike Moynihan

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

ZEUS + Noisey

“...distorted bass, impossibly complex drumming, and music that's calculatedly chaotic without the need for electric guitar.”
-Noisey


Check out ZEUS’ "nine-minute onslaught of fuzzy bass and ludicrous drumming,” via Noisey, here.


Luca Cavina and Paolo Mongardi’s distorted bass, meticulous drumming, and volcanic screams erupted in the form of MOTOMONOTONO, the duo’s third release. The pair make music that is both staccato within itself and yet fluid on a grander scale, morphing and melding genres countless times. This is all present in the live recording put together at Numeronove Studio, in Italy, capturing in black and white the precise, impressive “metal in opposition” approach the two take towards music. Numeronove  is a collaboration project, conceived in 2017, between Luigi Pianezzola and video maker Jacopo Dall’Agnol. Numeronove  is a cottage in the countryside of Bassano del Grappa, Italy, open to international artists and musicians offering them the opportunity to perform in the intimacy of a country-home atmosphere. It is a music lab that captures live exhibitions by artists in a close-up and personal setting.

Monday, October 23, 2017

PLAQUE MARKS + Invisible Oranges


"Highly combustible, jam-packed with jagged disharmony and overdriven to the brink of collapse. Plaque Marks sound absolutely filthy here. The distorted crunch that hangs over the entire production has enough character to be an instrument unto itself..." 
–Invisible Oranges

"Even comparatively barbaric noise rock bands like Unsane sound positively reserved and sophisticated compared to this squall... Cruelly effective."
–Stereogum

"Rising Philly noise rock royalty Plaque Marks... Nasty in all the right ways."
–Decibel

"Brimming with crusty swagger, Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship rages like Pissed Jeans at their most shambolic... With machine precision, the three-piece stomp and gnash, lurching propulsively..."
–Exclaim!

"A new musical outfit out of Philly that reminds me of the sonic brainfuck of bands like Hell No, Jesus Lizard, and Glazed Baby."
–No Echo

"A Philly band with members of Creepoid, Fight Amp, and Ecstatic Vision. Their sound takes cues from the style Unsane helped define..."
–BrooklynVegan

The self-proclaimed "stain on the smile of the Philadelphia music scene," Philly noise-rockers Plaque Marks have unveiled new song "Urban Blighters."

"Urban Blighters" appears on debut EP Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship, due for release this Friday, October 27th, on Learning Curve Records. and Reptilian Records.

Listen, here:
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/plaque-marks-urban-blighters/

Plaque Marks comprises members of Creepoid, Fight Amp, Ecstatic Vision, and The Powder Room. Caveman drumming, tooth-rattling bass, painfully distorted guitars, and buried yells are the elements at play, and on Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship they sound like they were recorded with one lone mic, hanging from a noose in a Philly warehouse. As Invisible Oranges editor Ian Cory puts it, "Highly combustible, jam-packed with jagged disharmony and overdriven to the brink of collapse. Plaque Marks sound absolutely filthy here. The distorted crunch that hangs over the entire production has enough character to be an instrument unto itself..." 

Pre-order Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship, digital:

http://plaquemarks.com

Pre-order Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship, vinyl:
https://learningcurverecords.bandcamp.com/album/anxiety-driven-nervous-worship

Pre-order Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship, CD:

Plaque Marks will bring their noise across North America in November and December, including three weeks with the mighty Unsane.

Nov 10 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia
Nov 12 – Harrisonburg, VA @ Golden Pony
Nov 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (Anxiety Driven Nervous Worship release show)
Nov 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus w/ Unsane
Nov 18 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 
w/ Unsane
Nov 19 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter 
w/ Unsane
Nov 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl 
w/ Unsane
Nov 21 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa 
w/ Unsane
Nov 25 – Austin, TX @ Lost Well 
w/ Unsane
Nov 26 – Fort Worth, TX @ Ridglea Lounge w/ Unsane
Nov 28 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress 
w/ Unsane
Nov 29 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar 
w/ Unsane
Dec 1 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill 
w/ Unsane
Dec 3 – Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp 
w/ Unsane
Dec 4 – Eugene, OR @ Old Nick’s 
w/ Unsane
Dec 5 – Seattle, WA @ Highline 
w/ Unsane
Dec 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Cobalt 
w/ Unsane
Dec 7 – Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge 
w/ Unsane
Dec 8 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux 
w/ Unsane
Dec 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records 
w/ Unsane
Dec 10 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 
w/ Unsane
Dec 11 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Flux Capacitor
Dec 12 – Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
Dec 13 – Omaha, NE @ O’Leavers
Dec 14 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville
Dec 15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Eagles #34
Dec 16 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Dec 17 – Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class

Photo by Dante Torrieri

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Out today: Quiet - Infinite Regress


Quiet's debut album, Infinite Regress, is out today, and is available for streaming through Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.

Listen here, 
http://newnoisemagazine.com/stream-quiet-infinite-regress/

Buy here,
https://quietband.bandcamp.com/album/infinite-regress

The lead off single, "Empty", is also featured via Alternative Press' 10 Songs You Need to Hear this Week: https://www.altpress.com/features/entry/10_new_songs_you_have_to_hear_this_week

As well as their Spotify Weekly Discover Playlist:  https://open.spotify.com/user/altpress.com/playlist/2Pxd813nZUVW4E0JyrozSI

"...Combining a multitude of influences (and emotions) and blending them into an almost six-minute Brand New-meets-Citizen cocktail, Quiet’s steady build throughout their new single will without a doubt send shivers down your spine." - The Noise


The Orange County based quartet, Quiet, follow up their summer full US tour with a brand new LP, Infinite Regress. A sleek balance of fuzzed-out guitars, driving beats, and eery delayed riffs matched with Cobia Goddard’s soothing tone, script the ebbs and flow of Infinite Regress. The wide juxtaposition of the sonic spectrum on this album is evident, which is reminiscent of both Brand New and Modest Mouse. At times the record will break, letting time and space bleed through the dark post rock tones graciously touched by Jack Shirley’s production, comparable to This Will Destroy You and Godspeed You Black Emperor. Lyrically, Infinite Regress is about the process of denouncing faith and the anxieties that come with indoctrination faced as a child.

Coming off a full US tour, the band will begin a residency at The Wayfarer in Costa Mesa starting October 2nd, and will also appear at Modern Color’s album release show October 27th in Fullerton.

Infinite Regress will be self released, and will see a release date of October 20th, 2017. The effort was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jack Shirley (ComadreDeafheavenLoma Prieta) at The Atomic Garden Studio in East Palo Alto, CA.

Follow:
@quietband

Friday, October 20, 2017

Out today: GOD MOTHER - Vilseledd


God Mother's sophomore album Vilseledd is out today on Party Smasher Inc.

Listen, here:
http://www.metalinjection.net/av/stream-the-abrasive-new-god-mother-album-vilseledd-in-its-entirety-right-now

Buy, here:
http://partysmasherinc.limitedrun.com/

"After 20 years of touring the world and playing thousands of shows with thousands of bands, it is hard to impress me. But Sweden has done it again. God Mother is an undeniable 'force majeure' that demands attention like bands did in the old days, by just being that fucking good. Torch, officially passed!"
–Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan


"They toggle between bone-crushing barnstormers and slow-churned stoner metal with remarkable technical proficiency. That Ben Weinman, Dillinger Escape Plan’s soon-to-be-former guitarist, signed them to his Party Smasher Inc. label is fitting considering the two groups’ mutual, attention-challenged mindsets... The quartet are miles ahead of their peers..."
–Pitchfork

"Party Smasher Inc. has set its sights on a new Swedish heavy metal band, God Mother... When God Mother opened for The Dillinger Escape Plan in February, [guitarist Ben] Weinman was so thoroughly impressed with their sound and commitment that he declared 'Torch officially passed!'"
–Psychology Today

"Listen to Dillinger Escape Plan-approved spazzcore group God Mother."
–Revolver


"God Mother, the Swedish powerhouse signed to Party Smasher Inc, escape easy classification. Their blend of sludge, hardcore, punk and grindcore is blistering."
–Decibel

"A pummeling rapture of audio violence."
–Loudwire

"We've been endorsing Sweden's God Mother as far back as 2015, with their abrasive but crafty sounds that tie the metal and hardcore worlds together in a refreshing way."
–Metal Injection

"An utterly relentless burst of skittish Swedish metal... God Mother have basically taken spazzy, Melvinsy, HM-2-y mathcore to Pluto."
–Gear Gods


"Vilseledd is one crucial piece of chaotic, noisy hardcore... One of the best loud rock albums of the year."
–New Noise

"A focused blitzkrieg of hardcore, crust, and noise rock, with dizzying tempo shifts that create an almost nervous tension to the listening experience."
–No Echo

"A brutal version of hardcore, tempered with flavors of grind, death metal and sludge... A thoroughly entertaining blast of noise that tosses the listener around in its wake."
–Echoes and Dust

"Sweden has produced many of metal’s outstanding acts over the years and this tradition continues with God Mother. The band’s combination of grind, sludge and hardcore defies easy one word genre classification and is as much at home during spastic flurries of angular dissonance as it is with noisy experimentation."
–Nine Circles


"A violent collision between elements of mathcore, grind and hardcore, resulting in a truly spastic and battering brand of metallic madness."
–Svbterranean

"Stoutly produced and impeccably executed, it’s a coiled mass of venomous snakes, writhing and lashing out; it’s a bomb caught in the split-second of explosion; it’s nerve-tearing destruction in twenty-nine minutes. If noisy, gnarly, tar-caked hardcore is to your taste, then God Mother delivers in spades."
–Last Rites

Further info:
http://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2017/07/god-mother-vilseledd.html

Photo by Stephen Odom


Monday, October 16, 2017

MONOTROPE + Culture Creature


"Instrumental rock innovators Monotrope... The complex beginning of ‘XLIII’ invites the listener to listen closely; later in the song, Monotrope charges head-on into passages that simply rock. It’s a composition that brings an arresting sense of dissonance to an ambitious pattern of overlapping rhythms." 
–Culture Creature

"An excellent instrumental rock/metal outfit... Music for people raised on Shellac, Don Caballero, and Unwound."
–No Echo

Monotrope have revealed "XLIII," the opening track off upcoming debut album Unifying Receiver. 


Listen, here, and read an interview with the band:

https://www.culturecreature.com/monotrope-band-interview-premiere/

Unifying Receiver will be released November 10th on New Atlantis Records and Sleeping Giant Glossolalia.


A brand new collaboration, Monotrope exists in a realm of instrumental rock that is progressive in its musicality but punk at its core. In a space between the twists and turns of Don Caballero, and the raw, heartbreaking power of Slint or Rodan, Monotrope's compositions drive forward, equal parts complexity and grit. Guitars intertwine in dissonant, polyrhythmic webs, while the rhythm section forges ahead on a straighter, unrelenting path. Abstract and intricate when viewed closely, Unifying Receiver rocks hard from the bird's eye view; its six songs are emotive, guitar-driven tales of struggle and catharsis, travel and arrival, tension and release.


Tracked in a DIY fashion at four locations across the nation, and mixed by Tim Green (Melvins, Sleater-Kinney), the recording is as live and natural as can be – straight from the creators' hands to your ears – yet the sound is rich and full, and a joy to get lost in. The album was mastered by Carl Saff (Unsane, Big Business).


A truly bicoastal bunch, the Monotrope members are spread wide across the USA, representing California, Texas, Ohio, and Maryland. Guitarist Edward Ricart, known from bands such as Hyrrokkin and Matta Gawa, is owner of New Atlantis Records, the label handling the Unifying Receiver release, whose catalog boasts an awesome range of acts from the experimental fringes of jazz, rock, and noise. Bassist Matthew Taylor is a member of Bellini, alongside Girls Against Boys drummer Alexis Fleisig, and worked for years as art director for Touch & Go Records, designing iconic album layouts for the label's revered roster of bands.


Ricart and Taylor are flanked by guitarist Dan Wilson (ex-Hurl) and drummer Joe Barker (Unraze)Between the four of them, these men have collaborated in one way or another with a phonebook's worth of eminent musicians: from avant icons like Glenn Branca and Merzbowto members of hardcore and indie-rock royalty like Black Flag, Fugazi, Brainiac, and Tortoise. 


On Unifying Receiver these vets channel their vast experience into a sound which reflects their next-level musicianship and love for the avant, but which, above all else, bursts with feeling and takes us on a ride. Without words, this album says a lot. 


Monotrope, live:
Nov 2 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Gooski's
Nov 3 - Brooklyn, NY @ Park Church Co-op

Photo by Jay Divinigracia