The Deftones have released the first track from their upcoming seventh album entitled Koi No Yokan, which will be out on November 13th. In a recent Noisecreep interview, Chino said of the album:
"We were coming out of a tough time, obviously, and our goal was to kind of rebuild what we created over all the years. I felt like we had to prove ourselves. We'd taken so much time between records, had some inner turmoil and our records were starting to get pieced together versus really being created together, so for us it was a chance to get back to basics. We didn't have an idea of what sort of style we wanted. We just came in fired up and motivated to do something great. It was all very positive. We had more songs than ever, tons of ideas."
Murder By Death has begun streaming their upcoming album Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, which officially comes out on September 25th. It's a definite step forward for the band, who have really pushed themselves musically on this release. Expect a full review of the album here soon, and be sure to check out my interview with MBD here.
Pig Destroyer have released the first full track from their forthcoming album Book Burner. It's everything we've come to expect from a band whose grindcore assaults can only be spoken of in superlatives. Book Burner is due out October 22nd on Relapse Records. You can preorder it here.
Propagandhi - Failed States Prog rock and punk rock seem on the surface to be poor bedfellows, especially considering that punk rock formed, in part, as a direct response to the bloated musical excess of the Seventies, when prog rock filled the stadiums. But as Propagandhi have shown with their two previous albums and now on their newest release Failed States, the two can indeed be successfully combined. The bands themselves stated about the new album: “Our goal is always to create a no-holds-barred, forward-thinking, tip-of-the-hat to the giants -- Voivod, Rush, NoMean..." Those influences are certainly present on Failed States, and most audibly in the guitar work, which weaves twisted scale runs through the middle of their straight-ahead punk momentum.
The surprising thing is that even though the prog riffing, which began on 2005's Potemkin City Limits and continued on the 2009 follow-up Supporting Caste, keeps getting more complex and ingrained in Propagandhi's sound, the hardcore intensity has not been toned down a bit. In fact, on Failed States the punk rock fury has been ratcheted way up from previous releases; the songs are on average shorter and more direct, with a distinct 80's hardcore vibe. For a band combining two seemingly disparate styles, Propagandhi don't seem to have any multiple personality issues. The songs don't break from straightforward punk rock to a "prog section." The intent is fully realized and it all comes across as one solid, engaging sound. The guitars are bold and loud on the tracks, the bass is nasty and full, and the drums are up front and crisp, and everything comes together well, especially in the lockstep palm-muting used to great effect on several songs. The band has found a strange versatility in their ability to be punk rock messy and prog rock precise at the same time. They've really reached further with their vocal work, too, with everything from melodic singing to serious screams as heard in the track "Rattan Cane." An obvious highlight though is the song "Cognitive Suicide," which tells you everything you need to know about Propagandhi's intentions on this album all compressed into four great minutes.
Lyrically, Propagandhi are, as usual, hacking away at the shallow ideals that the contemporary world is built upon. They've been pegged as a political band, but that seems to miss the point somewhat. Their songs aren't about concrete political matters as much as they are sociocultural critiques. Democratic politics are only as much of a problem as the people allow it to be, and Propagandhi ultimately seem to be lobbying for a more aware, more educated populace to earn for themselves a better political atmosphere. Whatever their specific goals or messages, Propagandhi can't go wrong by releasing strong, smart albums like Failed States. For extra goodness, listen to their last three albums as a trilogy; it's an excellent crash course on what's gone wrong politically and what's gone right musically in this new century.
I recently got to interview Matt Armstrong, bassist for Murder By Death, about their upcoming album Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon for Invisible Vanguard. Here's a preview of what we talked about, and you can read the whole thing HERE.
It's tempting to say that if this were a fair universe, Bloomington, Indiana's Murder By Death would be a household name in American music. But anyone who knows their distinct brand of dark and eclectic music knows that, like Tom Waits' oeuvre, it's just a little too weird for broad public consumption. Like many artists of their stripe though, those who know them tend to know them very well indeed. Their musical ability is unassailable, and in their decade as a band they've shown themselves more than capable of capturing any mood or atmosphere they choose, it's just that what they choose seems to be on the stranger side of things.
Past albums have allowed listeners to meet zombie children, doomed sailors, dangerous women, wanted men, all manner of thieves, brigands, outlaws, and even the devil himself. All the wild things that roam the deserts, mountains, and plains of the American subconscious are there populating their country-tinged rock and roll.
September 25th will mark the release of their sixth LP, entitled Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, and bassist Matt Armstrong graciously took some time out to talk to Invisible Vanguard about their new album, new band member, and the new approach to marketing that Kickstarter has provided.
INVISIBLE VANGUARD: Murder By Death has built their reputation of delivering consistently strong albums that each have a distinct flavor. How will Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon stand apart from your previous efforts? Are there any particular themes that went into this release? MATT ARMSTRONG: Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon will certainly stand out sonically from all of our other releases. I think that's going to be the first thing people will notice when they hear the album. Thematically it isn't really a concept album, but there are some recurring ideas. A lot of it involves the idea of thinking you're in a nice, quiet town, but it turns out there's a seedy underbelly. Think "Twin Peaks" or "Blue Velvet" without the backwards talking and gas-huffing.
This is just a preview; read the full interview over at Invisible Vanguard!
Propagandhi are now streaming their new album! Potemkin City Limits set a new tone for the band in 2005, and the excellent Supporting Caste arrived in 2009 to keep the momentum going, and now Failed States comes out officially on September 4th, but you can hear it now right over HERE.
British black metal band Winterfylleth will be releasing The Threnody of Triumph on September 25. This will be their third LP (following 2010's excellent The Mercian Sphere) and they've debuted the first track from it, entitled "The Swart Raven." It contains everything that Winterfylleth fans have come to expect: intensity, majesty, and quality composition and performance.
