HEAVY HALO - "Damage Me"

HEAVY HALO: NYC duo releases industrialized alt-rock anthem "Damage Me" (feat. Georgi), announces new album Damaged Dream

Heavy Halo has released new single "Damage Me," featuring guest vocals by Georgi.

The track will appear on the band's upcoming new album, Damaged Dream, to be released in 2025 on Silent Pendulum Records.

Stream the official "Damage Me" music video, here: https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-heavy-halos-masochistic-industrial-banger-damage-me/

Pre-order Damaged Dream, here: https://silentpendulumrecords.com/collections/heavy-halo

From New York City, Heavy Halo is the duo of vocalist McKeever and producer Gosteffects. Together, the two conjure an industrialized strain of alt-rock that unites human and machine in highly compelling ways. "A raw human core encased in a exoskeleton of dense layers of futuristic electronics," is McKeever's description of Heavy Halo's approach. "This contrast is what excites us," he declares.

A marriage of industrial-techno rhythms and soaring hooks, Heavy Halo's fusion triggers visions of NYC's clubland heyday, when the walls of The Limelight thrummed with bass and sex into the morning hours. Jagged guitars and raw electronics reference the likes of Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, and The Prodigy, while yearning melodic vocals reflect childhoods spent wallowing in the angst of Smashing Pumpkins and The Cure. 

Despite its reverence for '90s aesthetics, this is music of the future. Heavy Halo lands in the same warehouse as current, forward-thinking artists such as HEALTH and Poppy whose work revels in the intersection of human emotion and cyber power.

A perfectly odd couple, the native New Yorker McKeever is a Columbia University-educated composer and vocalist who spent a decade entrenched in Brooklyn's indie rock scene, while Gosteffects cut his teeth DJ'ing and promoting illegal raves in Oklahoma. The unlikely pair met at a goth party in Brooklyn and instantly put their chemistry to action. "Our collaboration feels natural," says McKeever. "I have more of a singer-songwriter background and Gosteffects has produced electronic music since he was in his early teens, so we are able to meet in the middle and fill in any gaps. We aim to combine the human and the synthetic, the melodic and the noisy, the loud and the quiet, and analog and the digital."

McKeever and Gosteffects' initial collab resulted in Heavy Halo's 2022 self-titled debut album, recorded, mixed and mastered entirely at Gosteffects' studio, Spellsound Studios, where he has also created official remixes for the likes of Duran Duran. The album earned these words from Alternative Press: "With a pounding bassline and adrenaline-inducing vocals... Heavy Halo took the spirit of angst present in the alternative and industrial music scenes and created their own unique sound." A slew of underground luminaries, including Alex Empire of Atari Teenage Riot, Xavier Swafford of 3TEETH, Kontravoid, and Pictureplane, jumped on board to remix tracks.

Signing to Brooklyn-based label Silent Pendulum Records this year, Heavy Halo is now putting the finishing touches on its sophomore album. Titled Damaged Dream, the album will see a 2025 release. "Damaged Dream is what you’re left with when the ideals you hold shatter," states McKeever. "Cruel reality brings the hammer down on the purity of innocence, energy, joy, youth, love, creativity, optimism. But while the dream is damaged, it is not completely destroyed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and you can use the longing spark deep within you as fuel to wage war against the negative forces pulling you down. You can reject nihilism and strive to reclaim your agency and meaning in a chaotic world. The first Heavy Halo album is in hell, mired in the dark murk. Damaged Dream is purgatory. Pushing harder to dig out of that hole. It lashes out like a wounded animal, refusing to go down without a fight. "

Revealing the first taste of the new album to the world, Heavy Halo presents first single, "Damage Me," featuring guest vocals by producer/DJ/chanteuse Georgi. McKeever gives this statement about the song: "'Damage Me' is a song about fucking each other because the world is fucked up. Escaping the guillotine of reality by diving into each other in mutual ecstatic servitude. I had all the lyrics except the hook but then I went to a grimy Bushwick punk show, saw a bunch of beautiful people in spikes and chains, and wanted someone to 'damage me.'"

Inspired by films such as Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Aronofsky's Pi, the "Damage Me" video was created by director Max Nova using circuit-bent vintage analog video equipment.

Damaged Dream tracklist: 

1) Erase Yr Fate 

2) Damage Me (feat. Georgi) 

3) New Blood 

4) Lost in Heaven 

5) Lies 

6) Bloodrush 

7) The Poisoning 

8) Justified 

9) Failure.

10) Final Fall 

Lineup: 

McKeever - vocals, guitar, synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, bass, Ableton 

Gosteffects - synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, Ableton, mixing, mastering

Photo by Michelle Lobianco

SPANAWAY - Songs of Yesteryear

SPANAWAY: post-hardcore crew (member of Fuming Mouth) delivers new alt-rock masterpiece "Songs of Yesteryear"; first single streaming now

From Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Spanaway announces the December 6th release of its debut album, Songs of Yesteryear.

Stream the first single, "Terrible," here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1V5lO9d-6M

Pre-order the album (on cassette) via Burial Whisper Records, here: https://burialwhisper.bigcartel.com/

Recorded and engineered by Zach Weeks at God City and mastered by Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg, Songs of Yesteryear is a perfect album: a series of ten unforgettable tracks, each one transmitting the real, authentic pain of its makers. Songs of Yesteryear's lush, heartbroken songs are likely to hook fans of Failure, Hum, DIIV, and Nothing, but the appeal is broader than any one niche. The yearning vocals of frontman Zack Van Why meld with swirling layers of shoegazing guitars and the rock solid pounding of drummer Keith Goldoni (also a member of death metal/hardcore favorites Fuming Mouth), resulting in timeless laments wherein substance trumps style.

Quite literally a "post-hardcore" band, Spanaway's roots lie in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey hardcore scenes. Guitarist Robby Vena discusses how, for him and his bandmates, Spanaway's gorgeous, haunted sound is the next step after the explosiveness of hardcore: "We all found each other through hardcore and that is certainly our cornerstone sonically. Hardcore manifests as this erratic, dangerous, and transient explosion. But once the dust settles, there's an emotional fallout. Surviving the blast and braving that mental dystopia is where our biggest influences lie. I think Converge succeeded on 'Jane Doe,' American Nightmare on 'We’re Down ’Til We’re Underground,' and Texas Is The Reason on 'Do You Know Who You Are?.'"

Initially banding together under the name Blush, the quartet of Van Why, Goldoni, Vena, and bassist Thomas Geschardt made the decision to move forward under the new name of Spanaway last year, "merely for practical purposes, to avoid confusion and conflict with a myriad of other projects bearing the same name." In its former life, the band received this review from hardcore authority No Echo in 2019: "A totally immersive listening experience... While the crushing guitar atmospherics are certainly hard to ignore, there is always a powerful sense of melodicism at the heart of what Blush is doing." A 2019 article from Revolver Magazine stated: "Much like Cloakroom's recent output and bands like Hum before them, Blush specialize in contrasting the brutal with the beautiful — crushing guitar riffs juxtapose against sadly sweet melody to create the ultimate yin and yang." Five years down the road now, starting its new chapter as Spanaway, the band has delivered a stunning debut album that lives up to all the praise put forth in those reviews.

On Songs of Yesteryear's first single, "Terrible," Van Why purrs: "Hands around my throat / Rings around a rose / I love the lows and lows / All caught up in your memory / Softly whispering me to sleep." Offering a glimpse at the story behind the song, he states: "'Terrible' is about the ending of a significant relationship. Icing over the pain by romanticizing even the worst moments. Growing to accept that those injuries were disproportionate to the fleeting good times."

At its worst, sad music is nothing more than self-pity and self-indulgence. Spanaway's work is the opposite: sad music that exists to connect and uplift humankind. "If nothing else, " states Vena, "we hope these songs can be a comfort to others who are struggling, to know their suffering is not in vain."

Tracklist:
1) Chatterbox
2) Keni's Song
3) Twenty Seven
4) Terrible
5) Bemoaning
6) Poppyseeds
7) Twin Faced Angel
8) Born to Lose
9) Spaceman
10) Walks Through Yetter

Lineup:
Zack Van Why - vocals, guitar
Robby Vena - guitar
Thomas Geschardt - bass
Keith Goldoni - drums

Guests on "Twenty Seven":

Brie Emsee - vocals

Tyler Lyons - piano

Matt Hull - trumpet, trombone

RIYL: Failure, Hum, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, DIIV, Nothing

Photos by Coffin Blossom

Artwork by Dylan Garrett Smith

YELLFIRE - "Escape"

YELLFIRE: metallic noise rockers team with Demian Johnston (Kiss It Goodbye, Great Falls) on new single "Escape"

Seattle pyromaniacs Yellfire release new single “Escape," featuring vocals by Demian Johnston (Kiss It Goodbye, Great Falls).

The song appears on the band's new album Dear Gods, out November 15th on The Ghost Is Clear Records.

Stream the song, here: https://noecho.net/features/yellfire

Pre-order the album, here: https://theghostisclearrecords.limitedrun.com/products/835336

Mixed by Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Mastodon) and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Birds in Row), Dear Gods is a towering, thunderous piece of work that carries forth the spirit of the Pacific Northwest's greatest earth-shakers. Operating at the nexus of noise rock and hardcore, Yellfire's sound is the fusion of rain-soaked despair and snapped-wire urgency.

No Echo reports: “When your album features guest performances by members of Kiss It Goodbye, Minus the Bear, and Undertow, I’m going to pay attention. But impressive past credentials don’t mean jack if you aren’t—to quote Rob Halford—delivering the goods. I’m happy to report that Yellfire do indeed rock. With a crushing sound that evokes the doomsday-like crush of Today Is the Day and the ominous riff orgies of Deadguy, the Seattle band packs punch.”

Dear Gods was recorded by Jason Sissoyev at The Unknown, a converted church in Anacortes, Washington, co-owned by Mt. Eerie's Phil Elverum. Additional tracking was done with the help of Derek Moree (Pelican, The Sword) at The Boiler Room in Seattle.

Yellfire plays Rat City Recon in Seattle on October 26th, with High on Fire, Sandrider, and more.

Photo by Taylor Jones

COMMON WOUNDS - "All Night Blood"

COMMON WOUNDS: post-hardcore powerhouse releases title track from new album "All Night Blood"; music video streaming now

From Phoenix, Arizona, post-hardcore powerhouse Common Wounds has released new single "All Night Blood." The song is the title track from the band's upcoming debut full-length album, to be released October 18th on Protagonist Music.

Stream the official music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyqVW7gN5qE

Pre-order the album, here: https://allnightblood.com/

On All Night Blood, Common Wounds delivers soul-stirring, bone-rumbling post-hardcore. Bassist Matt Martinez is an ex-member of death metal punks Landmine Marathon, but Common Wounds finds inspiration in the works of bands like Jawbox, Chokebore, and Helmet, operating on the heavy side of post-hardcore and the melodic side of noise rock. In a new article posted this week at Idioteq, Martinez points to some of his most formative influences as he pays tribute to Mesomorph Enduros, the 1992 comp curated by JG Thirlwell of Foetus that showcases a slew of underground greats of that time period: https://idioteq.com/mesomorph-enduros-the-compilation-that-shaped-a-generation/

All Night Blood's title track sees Common Wounds at its heaviest, churning out a mid-tempo crusher that approaches Converge territory. Martinez states: "'All Night Blood' is the title track and truly encompasses the dismay associated with the struggle to combat the systems that seem to be constantly challenging our existence. The music is a dark dirge that is a contrast to our typical songwriting. The music and vocals are a complete expulsion of emotion and pain."

All Night Blood was recorded by Zachary Rippy (Power Trip, Wristmeetrazor), mixed by Scott Evans (Thrice, Samiam), and mastered by Carl Saff (Modern Life Is War, KEN mode).

The "All Night Blood" video was directed, shot, and edited by Zachary Rippy.

An album release party will take place October 18th at a motorcycle garage in Phoenix, followed by more regional shows.

Oct 18 - Phoenix, AZ @ Eleven10 Moto Garage - "All Night Blood" album release party

Nov 16 - Tucson, AZ @ Wooden Tooth Records

Dec 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge

More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/10/common-wounds-all-night-blood.html

Photo by Kindness Photo Co

CKRAFT - Uncommon Grounds

CKRAFT: Paris quintet's sophomore album Uncommon Grounds melds metal, jazz, medieval music; "All You Can Kill" single and music video streaming now

From Paris France, CKRAFT announces the January 17, 2025 release of its sophomore album, Uncommon Grounds.

Pre-order the album, here: https://ckraft.bigcartel.com/product/album-pre-order

Stream the official music video for the first single, "All You Can Kill," here: https://youtu.be/_6dGrsklW_A

Wielding synth-accordion, saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums as their tools, CKRAFT meld metal, jazz, and medieval music into a fiery new sound. Virtuosic and highly unorthodox, the instrumental quintet connects the distant dots between Gojira, John Coltrane, and the Gregorian chants that filled cathedrals of the Middle Ages. While such a stew of influences could easily be misused for gimmickry, CKRAFT's work possesses a seriousness and soulfulness that marks it as true, authentic art. New album Uncommon Grounds exhilarates by way of its technical prowess and sheer freedom of spirit.

Founded in Paris nearly a decade ago, CKRAFT consists of accordionist/composer Charles Kieny, saxophonist Théo Nguyen Duc Long, guitarist Antoine Morisot, bassist Marc Karapetian, and drummer William Bur. The members hail from different corners of the musical spectrum, from metal to jazz to classical, but Kieny's medieval fascinations serve as a uniting force, aligning the five musicians in a hybrid sound that is greater than the sum of its parts.

New album Uncommon Grounds solidifies the eccentric style the band first offered up on its 2022 debut, Epic Discordant Vision. On Uncommon Grounds, CKRAFT continue to challenge conformity and push the boundaries of what is headbangable. On tracks such as the first single, "All You Can Kill," flurries of mesmerizing, off-kilter grooves provide the foundation, with serpentine riffs calling to mind the progressive pummeling of bands such as Meshuggah, Gojira, and Car Bomb. Meanwhile, saxophone and synth-accordion dance atop the metallic base, pushing and pulling against the rhythm section and exploding in bursts of color. Inspiration comes from across the history of jazz, from the feverish free jazz of Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, to the futuristic fusion of Chick Corea and Allan Holdsworth. (In addition to his role in CKRAFT, bassist Marc Karapetian tours and records with world-renowned jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan.)

An enthusiast of medieval music, Kieny based six of Uncommon Grounds' eight tracks on pieces of music from those dark centuries. "All You Can Kill," for example, was inspired by the melody and apocalyptic lyrics of Gregorian chant "Dies Irae." Kieny explains his obsession: "I’ve always been into medieval architecture and craftsmanship but I really fell into the rabbit hole at university. I was studying the history of early music and the lecturer showed us a Gregorian chant. It was 'Victimae Paschali Laudes' and it was the first time I ever heard an actual melody from the Middle Ages. I didn’t know that it would haunt me for years. I later took Gregorian choir classes and medieval counterpoint classes, and became obsessed with these themes."

Living in France, Kieny's passions do not lie merely in the realm of academic fantasy; actual remnants of the medieval world abound. Kieny states: "A huge source of inspiration in this part of the world is the thousand-year-old architecture. I’ve always been baffled by the magnificence of cathedrals here. Notre Dame de Paris is but one of them, amongst many. I’m particularly fond of the one in Metz, a city in eastern France where I lived for a couple years. The epic stonework, the medieval gargoyles staring down at you, and the huge stained glass windows... The feelings I get from the architecture and craftsmanship are exhilarating and, along with the inevitable thoughts of Europe’s dark medieval past, really put me in the mood to write cathartic and mystical pieces of music."

Like these cathedrals, CKRAFT itself stands as a marvel of human effort – an example of people aspiring to build upon the great works that came before them in order to reach new heights. CKRAFT's lofty ambitions are stated right there in its name, a fusion of the English word “craft,” as in "craftsmanship," and the German word “Kraft," meaning "power."

Uncommon Grounds was recorded at Subversive Soul Studio by Corentin Anis and at Amper Studio by Jean-Pascal Boffo. The album was mixed by Marc Karapetian and mastered by Thibault Chaumont. All songs on the album were composed and arranged by Charles Kieny with the exception the self-titled "Uncommon Grounds," composed collaboratively by the band. Everything heard on the album was performed by the musicians, without sampling or programming of any kind. The album artwork was created by illustrator Olivier Laude.

With recent shows played with the likes of Shining (Norway) and Hypno5e, CKRAFT will return to the stage in 2025. 

Tracklist:
1) All You Can Kill
2) Bring Forth the Imperial Ghost
3) Steadfast (in the Face of Tribulations)
4) Misconstruction of the Universe
5) Uncommon Grounds
6) Pageantrivia
7) Swallowed by the Storm
8) Nostre

Lineup:
Charles Kieny - synth-accordion

Théo Nguyen Duc Long - saxophone
Antoine Morisot - guitar
Marc Karapetian - bass
William Bur - drums

Photo by Manuel Braun

Out today: TOWN OF LAKE - Lilac

Lilac, the debut album by Town of Lake, is out today on Peach Bandana Records.

Town of Lake is the solo project of Mike Hranica, vocalist of The Devil Wears Prada. A radical departure from TDWP, Town of Lake melds ominous instrumentation and Hranica’s spoken-word baritone in songs that bear traces of Nick Cave, Sunn O))), William S. Burroughs, and more. Moody and mercurial, the songs would fit nicely in any David Lynch film. The album was created in collaboration with producer Andy Nelson (Full of Hell, Pain of Truth) at Bricktop Recording in Chicago. Meanwhile, TDWP plays Furnace Fest this weekend, followed by a US tour.

Stream the "No Gloss" video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rijo8pKpJ54

Stream the "Where At?" video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rijo8pKpJ54

Buy the album, here: https://mikehranica.com/

More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/08/town-of-lake-lilac.html

"Marking a stark departure from The Devil Wears Prada's metalcore sound, Hranica follows a new and different artistic path with Town of Lake. Partnering with Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recording (Full of Hell, 200 Stab Wounds, Pain of Truth), the project blends eerie instrumentals with Hranica's deep, spoken word vocals, lifting inspiration from a range of artists like Nick Cave, Sunn O))), and William S. Burroughs... A refreshing expression of artistic freedom, demonstrating that stepping outside conventional labels and genres can greatly benefit the creative journey of any forward-thinking artist."
–Destroy//Exist

"Sometimes the most fascinating art comes from unexpected places. Although Mike Hranica’s day job as frontman of metalcore heavyweights The Devil Wears Prada has earned him plenty of accolades and countless fans around the world the band’s output could hardly be called challenging. Enter Town of Lake, Hranica’s droning noise solo project which flips everything you know about the singer on its head with far more in common with oddballs like Swans or Chat Pile, with spoken-word vocals and uncompromising, borderless soundscapes replacing his main project’s sing-along angst."

–Distorted Sound

"Featuring the kind of literary playfulness I’d expect more from Haruki Murakami or Victor LaValle than Lauren Weisberger, shades of magical realism and surrealism work their way into an album that feels like an anthology of short stories destined for the HBO limited series treatment. Musically, 'Lilac' is somehow both all over the damn place and tonally consistent: think folk, noise rock, ambient, Americana, and post-rock."
–New Noise

"The Devil Wears Prada frontman Mike Hranica already has a busy fall ahead of him, with the longtime metalcore unit heading out on the road. And while that band have explored some experimental, synth-styled tangents through recent singles, Hranica’s apparently getting even wilder through a new solo project he’s also got on the go called Town of Lake... The project was inspired by anything from Swans and Jesus Lizard, to Nick Cave and Iggy Pop, to the writings of Vladimir Nabokov."
–Revolver

"A new direction from vocalist of The Devil Wears Prada... The new experimental project's debut album is titled 'Lilac.' The new record is a noisy affair, with the first single, 'No Gloss,' using a minimal beat, drone meets doom, and unique instrumentation."
–Scene Point Blank

"Such a unique record. It is fantastic to hear music from someone's more creative side."
–V13

Photo by Ariel Kassulke

TOWN OF LAKE - "Where At?"

TOWN OF LAKE: The Devil Wears Prada vocalist Mike Hranica reveals new single "Where At?" from experimental new solo album

The Devil Wears Prada vocalist Mike Hranica has revealed "Where At?," the third single from his new solo project, Town of Lake. Debut album Lilac will be released October 4th via Hranica’s own Peach Bandana Records.

Stream the official music video for "Where At?," here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s21xNbRqCro

Pre-order Town of Lake's debut LP, Lilac, here: https://mikehranica.com/

In a radical departure from The Devil Wears Prada's metalcore sound, Hranica explores new artistic terrain with Town of Lake. Created in collaboration with Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recording (Full of Hell, 200 Stab Wounds, Pain of Truth), the project melds ominous instrumentation and Hranica’s spoken word baritone in songs that bear traces of Nick Cave, Sunn O))), William S. Burroughs, and more. Moody and mercurial, the songs would fit nicely in any David Lynch film.

"You could have had it but you took it anyway," repeats Hranica in "Where At?." It is the closest thing to a "chorus" to be found on Lilac, an album that follows no rules at all. A pure expression of Hranica's creative ambitions, Town of Lake is an inspiring slab of giddy artistic freedom.

Hranica has offered this quote, giving a glimpse at the influences fueling the project: "Hearing [Big Black's] Songs About Fucking for the first time. Hearing [Swans'] Filth for the first time. Hearing [The Jesus Lizard's] Goat for the first time. First time reading [Jean-Paul Sartre's] Nausea. First time reading [Vladimir Nabokov's] Lolita. These experiences are monumental in guiding what I create."

Meanwhile, The Devil Wears Prada continues to thrive. In a career spanning two decades and counting, the band has toured the world with the biggest names in metal (Anthrax, Slayer, A Day to Remember, Killswitch Engage, and Beartooth, to name a few) and they've seen their albums debut at #1 on Billboard charts. Following appearances at Furnace Fest and When We Were Young, a US tour kicks off in late October.

Check out V13's new interview with Hranica, here: https://v13.net/2024/09/interview-with-town-of-lakes-mike-hranica-creation-of-new-music-removed-from-his-metalcore-roots/

More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/08/town-of-lake-lilac.html

Photo by Ariel Kassulke