Wednesday, March 20, 2019

POUND - ••


POUND: SEATTLE DUO RETURNS WITH SOPHOMORE ALBUM "••"; NEW VIDEO DEBUTED, PRE-ORDER LAUNCHED, SPRING TOUR ANNOUNCED

Seattle duo Pound returns with its sophomore album, ••, to be released May 31st in vinyl and digital formats on Silent Pendulum Records. 

Titled simply with two dots, Pound's upcoming second album is a tour-de-force that makes entirely new magic out of the formulas put forth on 2018's self-titled debut. Pound's debut wowed with its exuberant mix of chaos and groove, but on •• the songs power forward with new, unshakable strength and efficiency. 

Today, MetalSucks presents the premiere of the first music video off the album: a medley of tracks 5 and 6, "xx_.+-x_ _" and "x..^..x-x..^..x-x..^..x-x..^..x-"

Stream the video, here:
http://www.metalsucks.net/2019/03/20/video-premiere-pound-get-skronky-and-groovy-in-xx_-x_-_-and-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-double-feature/

Pound consists of guitarist Ryan Schutte and drummer David Stickney. In Schutte's words, the pair are driven by "the same mission as always – to get better at our instruments and push ourselves as musicians." New album •• is a stunning document of that mission in action.

The new video serves as a perfect introduction: what begins like a dirge from the bottom of the ocean, erupts into blast-rich chaos, then resolves in a deliciously driving groove. Overwhelming in its twists and turns, it thrills and hypnotizes.

Pound's gear is as unique as its sound: Schutte plays a baritone 9-string guitar and Stickney plays two drumkits, positioned at a 90-degree angle. In the absence of other instruments, the listener can fully absorb every detail of the duo's playing. Both musicians play as though their instruments are literally their voices.

From hyper-caffeinated odd-time riffing, to horrifically heavy grooves that lurch and boom like actual earthquakes, Schutte milks so much color out of his instrument, his guitar is a storyteller and vocals are never missed. Stickney blasts with the wild attack of Gabe Serbian, but pounds away grooves with Tomas Haake-level authority. When Stickney swivels around and switches from his main kit to his lower-tuned drumkit in the middle of a song, it is nothing short of a revelatory moment.

•• was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage) at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado.

Continuing the titling format begun on their debut, song titles are each a series of symbols which map out a rhythm in the song.

Pre-order includes bundles containing some truly unique items – among other things, a very limited, screen-printed "Pound" bottle filled with fero fluid, a metallic liquid that reacts to magnets!

Pre-order from the band: https://pound.bandcamp.com
Pre-order from the label: https://silentpendulumrecords.bandcamp.com/

Pound will embark on a US tour in May.

May 1 - Salem, OR @ Shotski's Eats
May 2 - Medford, OR @ King Wah's
May 3 - Sacramento, CA @ The Blue Lamp
May 4 - San Jose, CA @ O'Malley's
May 5 - Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse Saloon
May 6 - Los Angeles, CA @ Blvd
May 7 - Flagstaff, AZ @ The Green Room
May 8 - Tucson, AZ @ House of Bards
May 9 - Tempe, AZ @ Time Out Lounge
May 11 - Denver, CO @ 7th Circle Music Collective
May 12 - Ogden, UT @ Funk n' Dive
May 13 - Boise, ID @ Killer Pussy Studios

Tracklist:
1) x-.+.+.x-.+.x-.x-.+
2) x-_-x-_.+._-
3) x-xx-x---x-x---x-x---
4) --x--xxx--xx--x--xxx--xxx
5) xx_.+-x_ _
6) x..^..x-x..^..x-x..^..x-x..^..x-
7) x-_x-_x-x-x-_x-_x-_x-x_x-x-
8) x_--_+_--_x_--.+_--_x_--+_--

Cover art by Jeff Grimal

Band photo by Neil Lim Sang


Music video by Michael Kane and Ryan Abrahamson at Counting Coup Media

RIYL: Car Bomb, Frontierer, The Locust, Discordance Axis, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Maruta, Meshuggah



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