Month: August 2018

DARKEST HOUR Confirms East Coast November Tour Dates With Damnation A.D., Cemetery Piss, Walk The Plank, And No Man

Posted on: August 30, 2018

Washington, DC-based DARKEST HOUR has booked a run of East Coast tour dates for this November. This succinct but vital trek sees the long-running metal quintet headlining with support from some of their hand-picked favorite hometown scene acts.

Produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge), DARKEST HOUR‘s eleventh LP, Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora, continues to solidify the band’s legacy as a major metal powerhouse. Raw, complex, melodic, yet cutting with razor blade precision, Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora is a fierce album which shows the long-running band as lethal and ravenous as ever. Following its 217 release through Southern Lord, the band has continued to tour regularly throughout North America and Europe.

DARKEST HOUR will kick off this latest mini-tour on their home turf in DC on November 13th, followed by shows in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn through November 16th. On all four shows, the band will be joined by hardcore icons Damnation A.D., blackened punk act Cemetery Piss, hardcore punk outfit Walk The Plank, and new band No Man.

DARKEST HOUR w/ Damnation A.D., Cemetery Piss, Walk The Plank, No Man:
11/13/2018 U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC [tickets]
11/14/2018 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD [tickets]
11/15/2018 Voltage Lounge – Philadelphia, PA [tickets]
11/16/2018 The Kingsland – Brooklyn, NY [tickets]

Stream DARKEST HOUR’s Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora in its entirety HERE and see the official video for the track “Enter Oblivion” HERE.
Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora is available on CD, black vinyl LP, picture disc LP, and all digital platforms via Southern Lord; find ordering options at the label’s webstore HERE, via Bandcamp HERE, and through all digital providers.

The banddeclares on their choices for the tour lineup:

“DARKEST HOUR is excited to announce this short run of dates with some of our most favorite bands and people from the Washington, DC-area scene!

No Man (features ex-Majority Rule members) are old friends with a kickass new sound! Walk The Plank has been making a name for themselves with some serious touring, and they bring their own brand of DC hardcore punk to the bill! Cemetery Piss is one of our new favorite bands from the Baltimore area. We can’t get enough of their black metal/punk-infused sound! Lastly, Damnation A.D. is one our band’s earliest loves! These guys were the first major influence to us as a band. They took us out on our first tour ever, they showed us how to tour, how to be a band, and most of all they made music that we still love and hold deep in our hearts today. We can’t wait to share the stage with them, and we are truly honored that these bands have all chosen to join us on this short but amazingly fun run!

We have some surprises in store on our end so make sure to get pre-sale tickets at the links provided. These venues are small, and these shows will be part of DARKEST HOUR history!”

For tour coverage of DARKEST HOUR, in North America contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and in Europe contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.

http://officialdarkesthour.com
https://www.facebook.com/DarkestHourDudes
https://twitter.com/darkesthourrock
https://www.instagram.com/darkest_hour_official
http://www.southernlord.com
http://southernlord.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/twatterlord
https://www.facebook.com/SLadmin

THE PRIMALS: “Pity City” Premiered At Consequence Of Sound; All Love Is True Love Debut LP Nears Release Through Southern Lord

Posted on: August 30, 2018

“Pity City” is the raging new track from THE PRIMALS — vocalist/guitarist John Henry (vocalist for Darkest Hour), bassist Chad Fjerstad (formerly of Dead To Fall), and drummer Andrew Black (formerly of The Explosion) — and their impending debut LP, All Love Is True Love. Consequence Of Sound is hosting an exclusive premiere of the new track as the LP nears release through Southern Lord.

THE PRIMALS‘ All Love Is True Love features ten infectious tracks produced by John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes). The band’s fuzzy execution is equal slabs ripping guitar heaviness and infectious pop sensibility, concocted by a seasoned group of thrashers with a historical backbone in D.C. punk community. The disintegrated spirit of grunge rises from the ashes, revitalized in a new light. The record is completed with cover art by Laura K. Giron. Fans of Wand, Ty Segall, Nirvana, and The Pixies, tune in.

With the premiere of the “Pity City” single Consequence Of Sound offers, “THE PRIMALS have an impressive pedigree, boasting a lineup consisting of current and former members of Darkest Hour, The Explosion, and Dead To Fall… The band is fronted by John Henry, best known as the vocalist of veteran metal band Darkest Hour. Musically, THE PRIMALS‘ music is a far cry from the melodic death metal stylings of Darkest Hour, but the band still brings some heavy riffing to their infectious brand of rock.”

John Henry explains, “This song originally came from a different project I was working on which was more electronic, using an old Univox drum machine and a bunch of layered synths and guitars. It stood out to me as more of a structured song than the rest from that session, so I decided to see if it would work with THE PRIMALS. Once Andrew added his version of the drumbeat and I heard it with Chad playing the driving bassline I knew it would work. This one is definitely more on the poppy/pretty end of the spectrum of the album, and the only track that features a synth part. Lyrically, this track is a good representation of the album title, All Love Is True Love, as it’s sort of a love song to everyone I’ve ever loved, even the ones who are out of my life. I think the last lines sum up the song fairly well: ‘Me and the ones I adore, I don’t believe there’s an end anymore, and we are nothing’.”

Crank THE PRIMALS’ “Pity City” early only at Consequence Of Sound RIGHT HERE.

Southern Lord will release THE PRIMALS‘ All Love Is True Love on CD, LP, and digital platforms on September 7th. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp where the track “Fortune & Sons” is streaming HERE, at iTunes HERE, and find physical preorder options at the label webshop HERE.

THE PRIMALS will support the release of All Love Is True Love with several record release shows on both the West and East Coasts, including a Los Angeles show September 7th, followed the following week by release shows Washington, DC on September 14th and Brooklyn on September 15th. The band will also join the legendary ’60s garage rock act The Sonics at the newly-announced kickoff party for the return of The Power Of The Riff, November 17th in Los Angeles. Watch for new tour dates to be announced in the weeks ahead.

THE PRIMALS Live:
9/07/2018 Hi-Hat – Los Angeles, CA *record release show w/ Prissy Whip, Death Crux, Fraude, DJ Tuna [info]

9/14/2018 The Pinch – Washington, DC *record release show w/ Despite Despair, Rat Infested [info]
9/15/2018 El Cortez Safari Room – Brooklyn, NY *record release show

11/17/2018 The Echo – Los Angeles, CA @ The Power Of The Riff kickoff party w/ The Sonics [info]

For review copies of All Love Is True Love and interviews with THE PRIMALS in The Americas contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and internationally contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.
https://www.facebook.com/ThePrimalsLA

FRIENDSHIP: Japanese Group Announces European Tour Dates; Hatred LP Out Now Via Southern Lord And Daymare Recordings

Posted on: August 24, 2018
Mysterious Japanese group FRIENDSHIP, known for their incredibly loud live shows, announces a full European tour this September in support of their most recent release Hatred, a collaboration between Southern Lord and Daymare Recordings.
While FRIENDSHIP‘s identity remains an enigma, those who have encountered their antagonistic, loud, and murky sonic world, can testify to the sheer power of the auditory torture the band creates. FRIENDSHIP has previously self-released two CD EPs which sold out in a month since reissued as I & II vinyl and cassette version through Sentient Ruin. For their Hatred LP, the band delivers twelve caustic tracks in just over twenty-five minutes, the album recorded in their home city of Tokyo, the album then mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Blackened, ominous, and intense, fans of prior Southern Lord releases by Nails, Heartless, Dead In The Dirt, Gust, and similarly devastating acts should not ignore this.
Originally released by Daymare Recordings on CD and digital formats, Southern Lord subsequently issued FRIENDSHIP‘s Hatred on LP in October 2017. Blackened, dark, loud, fast, and intense, fans of prior Southern Lord releases by Nails, Heartless, Dead In The Dirt, Gust, and other brutal, grinding devastation should take heed.
FRIENDSHIP will now be touring Europe and the UK in September supporting Palm. Find the confirmed routing below and watch for updates in the days ahead.
Stream FRIENDSHIP’s entire Hatred LP HERE.
Place digital orders for Hatred HERE and order physical product HERE.
FRIENDSHIP Europe/UK Tour w/ Palm:
9/14/2018 Bloodshed Fest – Effenaar – Eindhoven, NL
9/15/2018 T Chances – London, UK
9/16/2018 Rebellion – Manchester, UK
9/17/2018 The Harley – Sheffield, UK
9/18/2018 Gorilla Studios – Hull, UK
9/18/2018 Banshee Labyrinth – Edinburgh, UK
9/20/2018 Stuck On A Name – Nottingham, UK
9/21/2018 Temple Of Boom – Leeds, UK
9/22/2018 TBA
9/23/2018 La Scene Michelet – Nantes, FR
9/25/2018 TBA
9/26/2018 TBA
9/27/2018 ZXRX – Leipzig, DE
9/28/2018 TBA – Berlin, DE
9/29/2018 TBA – Cologne, DE
9/30/2018 Het Bos – Antwerp, BE
Stereogum declares of Hatred‘s vile attack, “tracks like ‘Life Sentence’ also showcase a riff dexterity and subtle multi-section mastery that evades a lot of genre-adjacent HM-2 steppers… Other bands would labor over a way to get the listener from Point A to Point B. FRIENDSHIP realizes that you don’t need much connective tissue if Point A and Point B both kick ass. And that’s the takeaway: While fast/slow, particularly punk-fast and sludge-slow, is one of the dustier tropes, to be a legitimate two-tool threat is still rare.” Svbterranean’s review includes, “From start-to-finish, FRIENDSHIP make quite the name for themselves on this monstrous, unforgivably heavy debut. Despite their name, FRIENDSHIP‘s music is the furthest thing from friendly.” Metal Trenches warns, “Hatred, as the name suggests, is a no frills, no bullshit slice of bitter hardcore and grind with no regard for your eardrums or well-being… Listening to this album conjures images of concrete slabs and dried bloodstains.”
For review copies of Hatred in North America contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and internationally contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.

THE PRIMALS: All Love Is True Love Studio Clip Featured At No Echo; Trio Features Darkest Hour, The Explosion, Dead To Fall Alumni + Debut LP Nears Release Through Southern Lord

Posted on: August 24, 2018
A new studio video of THE PRIMALS – the Los Angeles-based rock trio founded by current and former members of Darkest Hour, The Explosion, Dead To Fall, and more – has been featured at No Echo. All Love Is True Love, THE PRIMALS‘ debut album, features ten infectious tracks produced by John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes), and is nearing release through Southern Lord in early September.
 
THE PRIMALS is comprised of vocalist/guitarist John Henry (vocalist for Darkest Hour), bassist Chad Fjerstad (formerly of Dead To Fall), and drummer Andrew Black (formerly of The Explosion). The band’s fuzzy execution is equal slabs ripping guitar heaviness and infectious pop sensibility. Concocted by a seasoned group of thrashers with a historical backbone in D.C. punk community. The disintegrated spirit of grunge rises from the ashes, revitalized in a new light. The record is completed with cover art by Laura K. Giron. Fans of Wand, Ty Segall, Nirvana, and The Pixies must check this band out.
 
The short new video clip debuted by No Echo shows the band recording their All Love Is True Love LP with John Reis and is joined by an interview with all three members of THE PRIMALS, the zine offering about their debut album, “the record is a fuzzed-out riff fiesta with quirky yet pleasing hooks finding their way throughout the whole affair.”
 
Check out more on THE PRIMALS at No Echo RIGHT HERE.
 
Southern Lord will release THE PRIMALS‘ All Love Is True Love on CD, LP, and digital platforms on September 7th. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp where the track “Fortune & Sons” is streaming HERE, at iTunes HERE, and find physical preorder options at the label webshop HERE.
 
THE PRIMALS continues to announce live performances supporting the release of All Love Is True Love, including a Los Angeles record release show September 7th, followed the following week by release shows Washington, DC on September 14th and Brooklyn on September 15th. The band will also join the legendary ’60s garage rock act The Sonics at the newly-announced kickoff party for the return of The Power Of The Riff, November 17th in Los Angeles. Watch for new tour dates to be announced in the weeks ahead.
 
THE PRIMALS Live:
9/07/2018 Hi-Hat – Los Angeles, CA *record release show w/ Prissy Whip, Death Crux, Fraude, DJ Tuna [info]
9/14/2018 The Pinch – Washington, DC *record release show w/ Despite Despair, Rat Infested [info]
9/15/2018 El Cortez Safari Room – Brooklyn, NY *record release show
11/17/2018 The Echo – Los Angeles, CA @ The Power Of The Riff kickoff party w/ The Sonics [info]
 
For review copies of All Love Is True Love and interviews with THE PRIMALS in The Americas contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and internationally contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.
 

THE SECRET: Lux Tenebris EP Streaming At Invisible Oranges; EP Out Next Week Through Southern Lord

Posted on: August 23, 2018
Lux Tenebris, the first new material from Italy’s THE SECRET in six years, will see release next week through Southern Lord, and Invisible Oranges is now streaming the scathing EP in its entirety
THE SECRETends the extensive period of decay since their 2012-released Agnus Dei LP with Lux Tenebris, the EP delivering the most oppressive, blackened scourge from the band yet. Following three years without communication between members, the band regrouped under the same roof for the first time since 2015 to record this three-song act in sonic exploration of the theme of the sepulchre.
With their advance stream of the EP, Invisible Oranges offers in part, “The three songs on Lux Tenebrisare the first from the band since 2012’s Agnus Dei and as such they serve as more of a reintroduction to THE SECRET than a continuation of their previous releases… THE SECRET are a more patient band in 2018, but only in their willingness to let parts develop at a steadier pace. If anything, their raw speed has increased.”
Stream THE SECRET’s Lux Tenebris EP at Invisible Oranges RIGHT HERE.
Southern Lord will issue THE SECRET‘s Lux Tenebris as part of the label’s special twentieth anniversary subscription series on August 31st with a small portion of the pressing to be available via label direct mailorder. The 12″ vinyl pressing bears the three tracks on the A-side, with a silkscreened B-side; the EP will also be released on all digital platforms. Find preorders at the label webstore HERE, European store HERE, and Bandcamp HERE.
The twenty-minute Lux Tenebris EP sees THE SECRET abandoning the minimalistic approach of the previous two albums, the band expanding its sound by adding more layered and textural guitar work to the primordial destructive aggression that distinguished the Solve Et Coagula and Agnus Dei LPs. While still physical and confrontational, these songs show no concern for mortality and forget time and deterioration, creating new room for resonation and atmosphere. Lux Tenebris is an ode to the eternal night suspended beyond life and death. The signature sound of the band is pushed to its extreme by further developing the black metal and doom influences reminiscent of Southern Lord mid-2000s catalog, showcasing THE SECRET as one of Italy’s undeniably darkest bands in existence once again. Lux Tenebris was recorded by Steve Scanu and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege and completed with a cover illustration and layout by View From The Coffin.
For review copies of Lux Tenebris and coverage of THE SECRET in The Americas contact dave@earsplitcompound.com, in Italy contact luca.pessina@anubipress.com, all others contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.

JESUS PIECE: Revolver Magazine Streams Only Self Debut LP By Philadelphia Metallic Hardcore Quintet; Album Out Friday Through Southern Lord

Posted on: August 22, 2018

Just days ahead of the Southern Lord release of Only Self, the anxiously awaited debut LP from Philadelphia’s metallic hardcore outfit, JESUS PIECE, Revolver Magazine is hosting an exclusive early stream of the entire album.

JESUS PIECE is quickly developing a reputation as one of the heaviest, most uncompromising acts both on record and on the stage. With the brutalizing grooves of Disembodied, Turmoil, Harm’s Way, and labelmates Xibalba, the band incorporates elements of noise, ominous tones, and haunting atmospheres into their dynamic songwriting. With crushing, modern production, the eleven new tracks on their Only Self debut LP place JESUS PIECE among the scene’s darkest and heaviest acts and delivers one of the most anxiously-awaited albums of the hardcore/metal underground this year with Only Self, a record which proves itself as one of the year’s most vicious releases.
Only Self was recorded in Chicago at Bricktop Recording Studio with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos, Like Rats, Dead In The Dirt) mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Nails, Xibalba), and completed with artwork by Dom Pabon.
Revolver notes of Only Self, “Through clenched teeth, vocalist Aaron Heard sounds like an unhinged animal, ferociously tearing through drop tuning, d-beats, blasts and exaggerated breakdowns to create the ideal pied piper to lead us all down this path of hate and frustration.
Musically, JESUS PIECEborrows from a thousand different sources in their approach, avoiding many of the modern tropes and sticking to influences like Buried Alive, Disembodied, Craft, Nasum, Cursed, doom metal, and more in their hateful approach to the genre.”
Hear JESUS PIECE tear a hole in the sky; stream Only Self at Revolver Magazine RIGHT HERE.
Southern Lord will release Only Self on CD, LP, and digital formats this Friday, August 24th. Find physical preorder options at the label shop HERE and digital at Bandcamp HERE, iTunes HERE, and through all other digital providers.
JESUS PIECE has toured mercilessly alongside Darkest Hour, Comeback Kid, Burn, Knocked Loose, Terror, Vein, Year Of The Knife, and many more across North America and Europe over the past year, and just made their vicious return to This Is Hardcore. The band has confirmed a hometown release show for the LP, this Sunday, August 26th with Horror Show and more. Watch for new tour dates forJESUS PIECE to continually to be announced throughout the year in support of Only Self.
JESUS PIECE:
8/30/2018 Ortlieb’s – Philadelphia, PA *Only Self release show w/ Horror Show, Raw Force [info]
A band which works tirelessly to play to everyone they can, the anthems of JESUS PIECE tackle topics of personal struggle and loss, to socio-political matters including racism, police brutality, and other injustices. The band formed in 2015 and self-released their first demo/EP in the same year, followed by a self-released EP in the Summer of 2016. Bridge Nine Records released a split 7″ between JESUS PIECE and Malice At The Palace in early 2017. The band has paved their own way into the national scene by booking multiple headlining coast-to-coast tours among many bouts of regional touring and performances at notable festivals including This Is Hardcore, Nature World Fest, Sound And Fury, FYA Fest, and others.
For review copies of Only Self and interviews/coverage of JESUS PIECE in The Americas contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and internationally contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.

EAGLE TWIN Announces European Tour Dates In Support Of The Thundering Heard

Posted on: August 16, 2018
Salt Lake City-based duo EAGLE TWIN has announced a European tour this Autumn in support of their third album, The Thundering Heard (Songs Of Hoof And Horn), out now via Southern Lord. The tour begins in Utrecht, Netherlands October 4th and runs through October 14th, ending at Antwerp Desert Fest in Antwerp, Belgium.

 

EAGLE TWIN‘s commanding sound delivers like a tectonic force, where doom and blues collide. Gentry Densley’s dominating low-end vocal tone is like an instrument in itself, rumbling alongside towering riffs, and Tyler Smith’s powerful rhythmic propulsion. It is a compelling combination, particularly when you add melodious bluesy romp to the equation. Equally prevailing are the stories that shape EAGLE TWIN‘s musical output, drawing upon folklore, and strongly informed by recent happenings in the world. Observing our relationship to nature, and the band’s own surroundings in the dead salt seas of Utah are themes that feature frequently across their musical canon. The Thundering Heard continues where the previous album, The Feather Tipped The Serpent’s Scale ended.
 
The Thundering Heard is available on LP, CD, and digital formats through Southern Lord; find physical order options HERE and digital at Bandcamp HERE.
 
EAGLE TWIN European Tour Dates [event page]:
10/04/2018 dB’s – Utrecht, NL
10/05/2018 Høstsabbat Festival – Oslo, NO
10/06/2018 Hot Alte Bude – Madgeburg, DE
10/07/2018 Hühnermanhattan – Halle, DE
10/08/2018 Klub 007 Strahov – Prague, CZ
10/09/2018 Channel Zero – Lubjiana, SI
10/10/2018 Circolo Kroen – Verona, IT
10/11/2018 Kraken – Milano, IT
10/12/2018 Le Bal Doom Doom 3 – Lyon, FR
10/13/2018 Olympic Cafè – Paris, FR
10/14/2018 Antwerp Desert Fest – Antwerp, BE
 
“Gentry Densley sings in a squelchy growl like he’s doubled over clutching his gut, and his riffs project a similar kind of nausea. Along with Tyler Smith’s expansive, often cinematic percussion, Densley spins myths of the terrifying inhabitants of the (super)natural world: birds that seem prehistoric, wolves whose very presence feel like an omen, snakes that morph into antlers.” – Pitchfork
 
“the music is viscerally accessible, and deeply cathartic. It’s tempting to associate the record with the chaotic present day, but the record had essentially already been recorded as long as two years ago.” – Noisey
 
“They take the best of blues and doom and combine them into something that is slow, epic, focused and downright unique. Their most recent offering, A Thundering Heard, builds on the awesome sound they already established and takes things to the next level. 5/5” – New Noise Magazine
 
“Absolutely mesmerising…Continues their fantastical animalistic folkloric/mythic/poetic narrative with a noted switch in elemental milieu: the celestial, although still present to a degree, has been replaced by the terrestrial…Eagle Twin has carved out their own rift canyon dreams, and proves once again to be one of the most unique acts in the extreme music pantheon.” – Zero Tolerance
 
“Balancing heaviness, melody and expansiveness in order to take the listener on a journey.” – Louder Than War
 
“The Utah duo’s aggregate of dustbowl Americana, Tom Waits blues clank and Sleep/Melvins-level doom riffs felt heavy as shit and twice as fresh…unrelenting triumphant doom which feels implausible coming from a two-piece… arguably the fantastical visions this music inspired speak volumes about its vastness.” – The Wire
 
“Comprised of labyrinthine movements and buck harder than a spooked Clydesdale…This album’s balance of heft and hooks makes for a great entry point for those unfamiliar, while longtime devotees will undoubtedly find themselves kneeling at this duo’s antler-festooned altar of doom once again.” – Metal Hammer
 
For review copies of The Thundering Heard and interviews with EAGLE TWIN in the Americas contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and in Europe/UK contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.
 

HIGH COMMAND: Massachusetts Crossover Crew Begins Summer Annihilation MMXVIII Eastern US/Canada Tour; Debut LP To See Release Via Southern Lord

Posted on: August 10, 2018
Worcester, Massachusetts crossover outfit HIGH COMMAND is out on the Summer Annihilation MMXVIII Tour across the Eastern US and Canada this week. The band is working on their debut LP which is set for release through Southern Lord upon its completion.
 
Surging with the strength of the early US thrash and crossover scene, HIGH COMMAND projects a scathing display of scorched earth vocals and spiraling divebomb riffs, soaked in napalm leads, and percussive devastation. With competitive and fantasy-inspired lyrical scourge, the band drives their message forth with might and conviction. The raw barbarity of HIGH COMMAND‘s crushing early recordings caught the ear of Southern Lord who hunted the band down and now has them locked and loaded for the release of their debut LP. Writing for the new record commenced in the autumn of 2017, and the album will be completed in the coming months and released by early 2019. Stand by for further missives on the band’s impending aural assault.
 
HIGH COMMAND is storming across the North American continent on the Summer Annihilation MMXVIII, with two shows in Ontario this week before they cross back into the Midwest US and crush south into the Southeastern states and back up the East Coast, the final show hitting Brooklyn on August 26th.
 
Watch for additional tour dates and more info on their debut album to be issued over the months ahead.
 
HIGH COMMAND Summer Annihilation MMXVIII:
8/10/2018 The Dom – Ottawa, ON
8/11/2018 Coalition – Toronto, ON
8/12/2018 The Fireside Inn, Detroit MI
8/13/2018 Chi Town Futbol – Chicago, IL
8/14/2018 Spacebar – Columbus, OH
8/15/2018 Best Friends Bar – Lexington, KY
8/17/2018 Radio Café – Nashville, TN
8/18/2018 Rock House Live – Memphis, TN
8/19/2018 Santos Bar – New Orleans, LA
8/20/2018 Firehouse – Birmingham, AL
8/21/2018 529 Bar – Atlanta, GA
8/23/2018 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
8/24/2018 The Pinch – Washington, DC
8/25/2018 Lava Space – Philadelphia, PA
8/26/2018 St Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY
 
The brainchild of guitarist Ryan McArdle and vocalist Kevin Fitzgerald, HIGH COMMAND began in rebellion to the brutal winter months, yet quickly spiraled into a full-bore killing machine, initiating the recruitment of like-minded area friends, the lineup fleshed-out by guitarist Mike Bonetti, bassist Chris Berg, and drummer Ryan Pitz. The bandrecorded The Secartha Demos at The Paincave with Chris Corey (Mind Eraser, Magic Circle, No Tolerance, Innumerable Forms) and had it mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (From Ashes Rise, Integrity, Obituary) after which it saw release through Haftvad Records, the label issuing, “With razor-sharp metallic riffs, pure punk adrenaline, and an original Sword and Sorcery theme, HIGH COMMAND delivers a demo of skull crushing fantasy violence and aggressive atmosphere. If the brutal literary worlds of Robert E. Howard and Karl Edward Wagner manifested in the musical form of Sodom, Mercyful Fate, Integrity, and Cro-Mags, The Secartha Demos would likely be the result. For those who live for the lust of battle and music that bludgeons with the fury of a spiked-mace.” The label then issued the two-song The Primordial Void 7″ shortly after.
 
Decibel Magazine called the band, “A brawny and narrative-driven kind of crossover, draped in outlandish lore, taking zero prisoners,” and No Clean Singing offered, “It’s a powerhouse dose of crossover thrash that’s thoroughly galvanizing when the pedal is to the metal, and hits hard enough to rupture organs in the mercilessly grim slower sections.”
 
For coverage of HIGH COMMAND in The Americas contact dave@earsplitcompoud.com and elsewhere contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.
 

JESUS PIECE Issues “Punish” At Cvlt Nation; Only Self Debut LP Nears Release Through Southern Lord

Posted on: August 10, 2018
Philadelphia’s JESUS PIECE premieres their new single “Punish” through Cvlt Nation, as the band’s Only Self debut LP nears release later this month via Southern Lord.
Only Self was recorded in Chicago at Bricktop Recording Studio with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos, Like Rats, Dead In The Dirt) mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Nails, Xibalba), and completed with artwork by Dom Pabon.
With the premiere of “Punish,” Cvlt Nation declares, “It was a long wait for a full length from JESUSPIECE. This record was absolutely worth the wait. Only Self is hardcore music at its finest. The songwriting, the metallic production, the lyrical content – it’s all so cohesive. When I first learned who JP was, I was glued to the internet for a few weeks watching live videos of a band that is uncompromisingly heavy. It’s a beautiful thing when a band’s live reputation stacks up to their album. This release is the next chapter in what will hopefully be a reign of unending terror for years to come.”
JESUS PIECE vocalist Aaron Heard simply offers, “‘Punish’ is aggression.”
Stream “Punish” from JESUS PIECE at THIS LOCATION.
Southern Lord will release Only Self on CD, LP, and digital formats on Friday, August 24th. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp where “Curse Of The Serpent” and “Neuroprison” are streaming HERE, and find physical preorder options HERE.
A band which works tirelessly to play to everyone they can, the anthems of JESUS PIECE tackle topics of personal struggle and loss, to socio-political matters including racism, police brutality, and other injustices. The band formed in 2015 and self-released their first demo/EP in the same year, followed by a self-released EP in the Summer of 2016. Bridge Nine Records released a split 7″ between JESUS PIECE and Malice At The Palace in early 2017. The band has paved their own way into the national scene by booking multiple headlining coast-to-coast tours among many bouts of regional touring and performances at notable festivals including This Is Hardcore, Nature World Fest, Sound And Fury, FYA Fest, and others.
JESUS PIECE is quickly developing a reputation as one of the heaviest, most uncompromising acts both on record and on the stage. With the brutalizing grooves of Disembodied, Turmoil, Harm’s Way, and labelmates Xibalba, the band incorporates elements of noise, ominous tones, and haunting atmospheres into their dynamic songwriting. With crushing, modern production, the eleven new tracks on their Only Self debut LP place JESUS PIECE among the scene’s darkest and heaviest acts and delivers one of the most anxiously-awaited albums of the hardcore/metal underground this year with Only Self, a record which proves itself as one of the year’s most vicious releases.
JESUS PIECE has toured mercilessly alongside Darkest Hour, Comeback Kid, Burn, Knocked Loose, Terror, Vein, Year Of The Knife, and many more across North America and Europe over the past year, and just made their vicious return to This Is Hardcore. Watch for new tour dates for JESUS PIECE to continually to be announced throughout the year in support of Only Self.
For review copies of Only Self and interviews/coverage of JESUS PIECE in The Americas contact dave@earsplitcompound.com and internationally contact lauren@rarelyunable.com.