White Lung bring their scalding punk attack to New Haven

There comes a time in any worthwhile band's career when they make an album that will get people to stand up and pay attention. For Vancouver, noise-punkers White Lung, their second album "Sorry", which was released last year on Deranged Records, provided the band with such a moment.

METZ bring their amp destroying sound to Cafe Nine in New Haven

Right now, there seems to be a whole bunch of independent minded musicians, who are turning up their amps and playing with a bloodthirsty glint in their eyes. These new miscreants blend the louder and noisier side of indie rock with punk, hardcore and even metal, to create amp exploding music of great intensity and visceral thrills.

BRAZEN HUSSY

On stage, singer Sara Florek has that same charismatic charm and “I don’t give a shit” swagger as Liam Gallagher. She stares into the abyss with a larger than life attitude through a Brazen Hussy set full of pop, garage, and punk songs that will leave you sweaty, unworthy, and begging for more. 

The Lost Riots take on The Who's hit "Our Generation"

The Lost Riots have a cover of The Who's "Our Generation" on youtube, dig on it here and now!!!

Cerce/William James/Night Owls/Native Wildlife +more @ The Dream Support Network, CT

Saturday looks busy as hell in CT! Here comes another killer show, this time in Rockville, CT's The Dream Support Network featuring CERCE, William James and more!

Howl Brings The Heavy To Milford on November 17

Rhode Island’s Howl, deal in the type of filthy, down tuned riff worship that makes any fan of the loud and noisy stuff, grin from ear to ear. Over the course of one EP, and one critically lauded debut album, “Full Of Hell” (both on Relapse), the band has proven they have what it takes to make interesting and exciting heavy music. After getting the debut out of the way, the band is now getting ready to prep album number two, which according to drummer Timmy St. Amour is a very important one in a band’s career.

“There is definitely pressure because the second record is usually known as a make-or-break record. We’re just excited about the new material and we’re looking to show people how far we’ve progressed as a band. We can’t wait for this to come out,” said drummer Timmy St. Amour.
After playing an exhilarating gig at the first annual, Metalsucks.net, Suck Fest last week in New York City, the band is in writing mode, as they get ready to work on more new material for the record and do a string of headlining live dates.

So far, they have 8 songs ready for the record with about another 7 that need a little work. The plan is to have more songs than they need, so when they enter the studio in February or March of next year, they can pick and choose what works best for them. They plan on having the record out in late spring or early summer.

As far as the new material goes, St. Amour says that the new material is a little more straightforward and faster, belying some black metal and speed metal influences, but it’s still plenty heavy and filthy. It’s still Howl, through and through.

To help them out, new member, guitarist Josh Durocher-Jones, has flown in from his home in Cleveland to partake in the live activities and writing process. He is staying at St. Amour’s house.

While it might seem odd that while the rest the band, including guitarist/vocalist Vincent Hausman and bassist Rob Icaza make their homes in Rhode Island, their new member lives in the Midwest. Durocher-Jones came highly recommended from ex-touring mates (and metal warriors in their own right) Skeletonwitch, and has proved his mettle on the road for the band and will make his recorded debut with the band on the new record. St. Amour said it really is no big deal, because Durocher-Jones just flies in whenever they need him to write, record or tour.
They also recently completed and released a video for the “Full Of Hell” track, “Heavenless”, which is a gory and over the top rendering of the song full of bad table manners, fight scenes and pseudo-Victorian clothing. It’s a fun, yet slightly goofy introduction to the band.

St. Amour said it was fun to do, but next time they will exude a little more creative control and make the video a little more serious.

As noted from higher up in this article, Howl are from Rhode Island and so are a bunch of other great loud and heavy bands. For a state its size it seems to turn out a lot of great bands, almost more than should be expected and Howl are proud to come from such a rich scene.
“It’s a really unique music scene. The foundation was laid down by heavy noise bands like Lightning Bolt and the warehouse scene, but that goes back about 10 years. There is also Dropdead and the whole Armageddon record label and store, too. It’s a mixing pot, where kids from the noise scene will go see metal, and people from other scenes will go to another scene’s show. There are no weird competitions. It’s been breeding outside the box for quite some time,” said St. Amour.

(It will be noted that this writer has heard from several Connecticut residents who go to shows in state, that if they could afford it, they would go to Providence for shows. For me, I wish there was less competition between the scenes and maybe some co-operation, but I know that’s a pipe dream.)

But all griping aside, this looks to be fine bill with Howl headlining over a bunch of bands that are all excellent in their own right. Judging by the description on the Manic Productions web site, Worms In Women And Cattle look to bring it, while Sea Of Bones and Red Blade look to represent Connecticut metal in a good way. So why not? It’s a solid bill from top to bottom.


Manic Productions Presents:

Howl
Worms In Women And Cattle
Sea Of Bones
Red Blade

Thursday, November 17
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8pm - $10 – 21+ BUY TICKETS NOW or pick them up at Redscroll Records.

Th' Legendary Shack Shakers: Fine Southern Gentlemen

Photo by Joshua Black Wilkins

There are many bands out there today that merge traditional American roots music such as country, bluegrass and the blues with punk rock, but few do it better than Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers. Over the course of six albums, this Kentucky based band has shown that they stand head and shoulders above all the pretenders out there.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that they manage their musical alchemy with seamlessness, sincerity and authenticity or maybe it’s their high live shows, which has earned frequently shirtless and sweaty front man J.D. Wilkes comparisons to such people as Iggy Pop, and has even been called one of the best front person’s out there by the likes of Jello Biafra and Hank III. They have developed into a force to be reckoned with.

“We’re completely different from when we first started out. Originally we were more of a rockabilly band but since then we have become this Frankenstein that incorporates punk rock and blues into the mix. It’s a crunching sound and one that takes us farther away from the core, but at the same time the music is more in the spirit of what we are aiming for, in getting the rhythm of the train and other rural machinery into our sound,” said Wilkes.

The capturing of these rural industrial rhythms are in full display on the band’s new record, which is appropriately titled “Agri-dustrial”. On this one, the band is joined by Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison and his noisy skronks give the music an extra jolt of electricity. (Just check out his slide work on the album’s first track “Sin Eater,” to show this is a perfect musical marriage.) What would seem like an odd pairing at first to many roots rock purists, works wonderfully. (And, yes, he is touring with the band.)

But don’t think this happened at the spur of the moment. The roots of this album and the partnership with Denison go way back. In fact, when the band first started out, Denison and his wife would go out and check out the band, enjoying what they saw and heard. They eventually became friends, and Wilkes actually lived in a room above the garage in Denison’s house for a while. During this time they came up with the concept for this record.

It was all set to go, but then Mike Patton came calling, and Tomahawk was formed. But they didn’t give up on the idea, and about nine years later they were able to put this collaboration into effect.

“It was nice to see the seed we planted all those years ago come to fruition,” said Wilkes.

While this new album is killer and it could be argued that there are no weak links in the band’s catalog, they are known as a fearsome live act. It’s a high energy spectacle that leaves the band covered in sweat. When a band has such a reputation as this, one can’t help but wonder how they keep the energy up, night after night.
It’s very easy, in fact, according to Wilkes.

“It’s always automatic. There is a switch that gets turned on once the music starts. You just get into it and start to move,” said Wilkes.

Actually what irks Wilkes more is some of the crowd reactions to the band, which also features upright bass player Mark Robertson and drummer Brett Whitacre. He can’t see why people just stand still when faced with such high energy music. After all, good music should connect with the hips and the Shack Shakers play some great hip shaking music, so it should be a no brainer to get up and dance. The spirit will move you at one of their shows.

Upcoming future plans for the band include another full length album for the summer 2012, as well as more touring with Europe in their sights and Wilkes plans to do more videos and documentary film making. He made a critically acclaimed documentary called “Seven Signs”, which is about eccentric southern people and culture that won an award at the Rain Dance Film Festival in England a few years back.

We have an acclaimed band with a great live reputation playing on Friday in Connecticut. Here is another show that you should not miss. I keep saying this about most of these, but seriously this is some good shit. Don’t miss out.

Manic Productions Presents:

Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers
Lushlife
The Proud Flesh

Friday, October 21, 2011
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8:00pm – 21+ - $12 ($10 in advance)

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll.

Landmine Marathon makes perfectly brutal music

The first thing that hits you are the guitars, which are thick, fast and dirty. Then the drums and bass come along, synching in lock step with the guitars, continuing the onslaught. Finally the vocals hit, they are low, guttural and acid flecked. Such are the joys of Landmine Marathon, a death/grind band from Arizona that features some bulldozing music as well as the fierce pipes of Grace Perry.

For those of you still living in a timewarp, yes they are a death metal band and yes, their vocalist is female. This shouldn’t be a big deal in this day and age because there are tons of women who have contributed to extreme metal over the years, without having to use their gender as a selling point. If it is a big deal to you, respect her, because she kicks ass, pure and simple.

“I have no idea if I am a role model but I do have a lot of girls that tell me I inspire them, which is one of the most flattering things to hear. It's the 2011, not 1950, and if people still think women have to abuse their sexuality in order to be in a successful band they are idiots. Whenever people compare me to other singers it's not to other females, it's to other singers, male, female, you name it. I want to inspire girls to see that although the metal scene is very much male dominated it should never make a difference,” said Perry. “The good thing about this genre of metal is that politically correct bands still exist and draw influence from bands like Napalm Death who have always had higher moral grounds. I carry myself in a way that doesn't attract that type of behavior and now that our fourth record is coming out it's a joke to think anyone would actually believe I can't hold my own,” she added.

She didn’t start out as a metal singer, she was recruited and found out she loved it. You see originally she played in a screamo band whose sole reason was to piss people off and it did, but (bassist) Matt Martinez saw her perform and liked her screams and growls so much, he asked her if she wanted to start a band. It’s been seven years since that encounter and the rest is history.

“Well let's just say if I didn't have my band all that intensity and aggression might just pour out into my everyday life. It's not that I'm an angry person, we just happen to live on an insane planet that should inspire everyone to create an outlet of their own,” said Perry.

This aggression shows itself in her live performances, where she has been described as a she-demon, throwing herself fearlessly into the performances. It’s a go for broke mentality that has won her many admirers and respect, but it’s also been the cause of various injuries, but to Perry that’s all just part of the game.

“Yes I definitely have my share of injuries; a broken nose, more black eyes and bloody lips than I can count and I most recently sliced my head open on a shitty microphone that had wires jutting out,” said Perry.

And for someone who has a very extreme vocal style, you would think she does exercises or take some type of special liquids to keep her vocal chords in top shape, but actually you would be dead wrong, because you see, just like her personality was made for metal, so is her voice.

“People always ask me this and I'm being honest when I say I do nothing. No special teas, cough drops, warming up, just water. When I am recording my voice will start to get weak after a few hours but the next day I'm ready to go all over again. Just lucky I guess,” said Perry.

But before we forget, Landmine Marathon is a band and a really good one, and this skill is on display on their new album “Gallows”, which came out on September 27 on Prosthetic Records. They have trimmed the fat and tightened their sound, delivering a just under 30 minute blast of exhilaration and brutality. It’s dirty, filthy, dark and easily their best album. Perry credits the band’s commitment to deliver their best album and the acquisition of a new member as the reasons to the album’s face ruling-ness.

“Having our new drummer, Andy York, has definitely changed and improved the dynamic of the band. He is a walking metronome and the most talented drummer I have ever worked with. Vocally I focused on singing mainly lower, more guttural vocals which gave the album an even darker feel than previous Landmine records. (Guitarist) Ryan Butler has recorded all of our albums at Arcane Digital and he spent more hours and hard work on “Gallows” than ever before. We are not trying to break new ground in this genre, just write music we love and hopefully everyone else does too,” said Perry.

The new album also deals with the darkness in the folk tales that have been passed down from generation to generation. To some people this might seem like weird subject matter for a death metal record, but after listening to Perry explain it, it is a perfect fit. After all, remember how dark the original Brothers Grimm fairy tales were, and then this lyrical theme doesn’t seem so out of left field.

“Many of these stories have transformed over hundreds of years into the common the fables we grew up with. When I was in college I took many literature classes that explored this and it opened my eyes to something entirely different. During this era they were not the G-rated family friendly stories we know but in fact brutally graphic,demonic, and downright terrifying. The more research I did the more inspiring it became, countless books depicting self mutilation and the constant death of woman and children, along with evil folkloric creatures always devouring humans. From this I wrote some of my darkest and favorite lyrics to date,” said Perry.

So there you have it. Not only is the band, which also features Dylan Thomas on guitar, a must see live act, they have also released the best record of their career. So there really should be no reason why you shouldn’t get down to the Webster Underground early on October 20 and catch their set. After all, seeing, and hearing, is believing.

Warbringer
Lazarus AD
Landmine Marathon
Diamond Plate
Prime Evil
Shallow Ground

Thursday, October 20, Webster Underground
31 Webster Street
Hartford, CT, 06114
6:00 pm – All Ages - $12 advance/$14 day of show

400 Blows Brings The Noise....

400 Blows exists in that strange nether realm where punk collides with metal and saddles up with noise rock without really belonging to any of these genres. You can hear traces of each of these aggressive genres in their vicious music which is topped off by the snotty vocals of Skot Alexander, who just happens to sound a little like another infamous punk singer. (But more on that later.)

After a six year absence, the Los Angeles-based band, which features new members Scott Martin, of Big Business and Crom, on guitar, along with drummer Kevin Fitzgerald just released its first new album with this new line-up, “Sickness & Health” earlier this year on Org Music and the band is hitting the road to bring their patented in your face live show to the masses. This tour will take them to Daniel Street in Milford on October 17.

The big question concerning a band that takes this long a hiatus is why it took so long to follow up their last record 2005’s “Angel's Trumpets & Devil’s Trombones” with this year’s album.

“Being prolific has never been a strong point for this band. Most of the previous albums have all come out about 5 years apart. So we are right on schedule. In fact, we already have stuff ready for a new album so it won’t be that long a wait for the next one,” said Alexander.

That’s the short version of the story. The long story deals with two former members leaving the band for various reasons. One was having a baby and wanted to start a family, while other decided to not continue on. So, Alexander, the band’s sole original member and guiding force needed to find new members. He found them in Martin and Fitzgerald.

But the band took their time, writing new material and developing their personality. Alexander said he didn’t want the new version of the band to turn into a cover version of the previous one.

All this waiting paid off because “Sickness & Health” (which by the way fits Alexander’s MO of titling the band’s album with two words that are the complete opposite of each other) is a 34 live wire minute ride through the dark recesses of Alexander’s mind. It is filled with his twisted adult nursery rhymes and totally kills it musically, as Martin and Fitzgerald destroy on their instruments, laying down a dense, energetic racket behind Alexander. The band is in perfect synch on this record making it one of the best loud rock releases of the year.

In fact, Alexander in a way knew it would be good, because he can’t stop singing the praises of his instrumental cohorts.

“They just bring fucking awesomeness to the band. I could just hang out in the audience and watch them play and it would be a great show,” said Alexander adding jokingly, “plus we’ve become a lot more handsome.”

But now back Alexander’s voice. The dude sounds a little like Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra. If you listen to the new album you can hear it. In fact, one critic remarked that it was a “less annoying” version of Jello Biafra’s voice. (Ouch!) You would think this might annoy him but it doesn’t at all.

“There is a big difference between how the Dead Kennedys and 400 Blows sounds, but if you have to compare me to Jello, I don’t mind. I happen to know him. Jello is okay with me,” said Alexander.

But the band really kills it in the live arena. Based on former performances they definitely have the right attitude to deliver the goods live. To paraphrase one of their songs, they kill like champions.

“We don’t do this to suck. We like to leave blood on the stage,” said Alexander. “Not literally, though,” he added.

Based on the above quote you can see that the band is committed to giving awesome performances that are filled with the proverbial blood, sweat and tears that makes great live bands great. So there really is no reason to miss this show if you’re a fan of the loud stuff. After all, it’s only $5 and though it’s on Monday, what better things do you have to do on a Monday in Connecticut?

Nothing. So be there. Here’s another one you’ll be kicking yourself over if you miss.

Manic Productions Presents:

400 Blows
Red Blade

Monday, October 17
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

7pm - $5 – 21+

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll.

Goatcult Presents: Black Twilight Ritual

Goatcult Presents:

Kallathon
Arizmenda
Shataan
The Haunting Prescence
Nachzehrer

Friday, September 30
Cherry Street Station
491 North Cherry Street Extension
Wallingford, CT

8:00 pm - $10 - 21+

D-Beat til you die with Victims

Some would say that punk rock is more relevant today than it has ever been, due to the current crazy state of the world with its economic crisises, wars and rioting. Of course, one has to dig below the current glut of mainstream punk or mall punk that is clogging up the airwaves and head directly for the underground where most of the exciting and edgy music is being made.

“Punk rock and hardcore are still relevant as underground entertainment, yes. As long as bands push the boundaries a bit it’s still interesting, I don’t know in what sense it’s relevant? For rebellious teenagers? Probably. I hope so,” said Swedish d-beat heroes Victims guitarist/vocalist Jon Lindqvist.

He does know what he’s talking because Victims have been blowing eardrums and minds since they formed in 1997 and it seems like they are not slowing down for anyone. They’ve just released an excellent new album, “A Dissident” and are in the midst of another North American tour, one that will take them to the Cherry Street Station in Wallingford this Wednesday. These guys are veterans and pros at what they do, and they clearly enjoy what they do.

“I think we all have a common love to play together, or else we'd have quit the band years ago. We also write (to us at least) interesting music,” said Lindqvist
The band play a style of music that is known as d-beat hardcore which usually mixes the ferocity of Discharge (that’s where the “D” in “D-beat” comes from) and the metal leanings of Motorhead. It’s a raucous sound one that definitely takes no prisoners. While some bands would get away from labeling Lindqvist knows what they are and what they do well.

“The similarity is that all records are based on the mighty D-beat, but on every record I think Victims had a BIT of a different take on playing D-beat-hardcore. We definitely became a bit more melodic, but also a bit more focused in our songwriting,” said Lindqvist.

“A Dissident” is a scorching follow up to their “Killers” album. The running time might be double of the last disc, but the band manages to make it a tight and killer 30 minute ride that showcases their ferocity, while letting some hooks sink in along with the odd ripping guitar solo. It will hit the pleasure spots of people who like their punk fast and hard.

The band, which also features Johan Erikkson (vocals/bass), Andy Henriksson (drums) and Gareth Smith, ex-Raging Speedhorn, (guitar) follows in a long line of killer extreme punk and metal bands that hail from Sweden. In fact, it wouldn’t be too far off base to say that Sweden has the most killer bands per capita than any other country in the world. And a lot of these bands are angry and loud, which would seem a little weird, in a country where the populace seems to enjoy a pretty good standard of living. Where does this anger come from?

“I get this question all the time, and it’s such a hard question to answer. I think that much of the reason we've had a good music export since I'd say ABBA, is the convenience with getting state-owned rehearsal spaces. So, blame it on socialism, hahaha,” said Linqvist.

There you have it. Blame Entombed and their ilk on socialism. Just don’t tell any Tea Party members, or Republican punks, because that might not be what they want to hear.

Well, regardless of your political views, it’s worth it to come down to Cherry on Wednesday and witness one the best underground punk bands, doing what they do best, which is lay waste to a club.

Manic Productions and Catamount Productions Presents:
Victims
Northless
Misanthropic Noise
Katahdin
Krakatoa
Wednesday August 17
Cherry Street Station
491 North Cherry Street Ext
Wallingford, CT
7:00 pm - $8 – 21+ Tickets

Deafheaven: Sometimes good music doesn't go unnoticed

Most bands, if they’re any good (and some that aren’t so good), take a while to get their sound down pat and start attracting local attention. This whole process can drag on longer if the band decides to tour and is trying to get signed. It’s a process that sometimes can drag out for years, depending on the band’s situation.

In the case of San Francisco’s Deafheaven, the exact opposite is true, because within a year of them forming, they’ve already released a well received demo, got signed to a decent independent label and have been able to tour nationally. These unexpected twists and turns are quite surprising for a project that just started out as a way to slake its creators thirst for new sounds.

“We were all in a bunch of different bands and they all started to get a little stagnant. We then decided to go full throttle with this project and come up with a more expansive sound,” said vocalist George Clarke, who along with guitarist Kerry McCoy, form the core of Deafheaven.

It started off innocently enough, the duo recorded a demo and sent it out to a bunch of influential blogs, said demo received all types of praise, which eventually lead to the formation of a full on band, which included bassist Derek Prine, guitarist Nick Bassett of shoegaze band Whirr and drummer Trevor Deschryver of funeral doom band Lycus (Bassett isn’t touring with them due his commitments to Whirr. In his place, Gary Bettencourt who fronts a one man crusty/d-beat project called Black Monolith handles second guitar duty.), and them getting signed to Deathwish records, which is the label co-owned by Converge’s Jake Bannon. Add a buzz building set at the SXSW music fest, and the recording of a full length record, “Roads To Judah”, which was released this past April and you have a band that is living at an accelerated rate.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about the band’s sound. Deafheaven merges the savagery of black metal, with some of the lush atmospheres of post rock and shoegaze, while blending in a little screamo into the mix. It’s a genre defying sound, which really doesn’t fall into one easy category. And they want it that way, just as long as you don’t use the dreaded “bm” tag around them.

“We don’t consider ourselves a black metal band because we have a lot more going on to be considered just that,” said Clarke.

This expansive sound is on full display on their debut “Roads To Judah” which was released this past April. Though there might be a little confusion as to whether this is a spiritual record, the Judah mentioned in the title is a reference for to N Judah line which ran by the duo’s house in San Francisco. Clarke said he would come up with a lot of ideas for the band while riding this train into work. Thematically, the record deals with personal themes that were affecting its creator at the time of writing. It must have been a hellacious time, because the music actually burns with a cleansing fire, like he is purging these things from his life.

While there are passages of shoegaze like atmosphere, the album's four tracks are mostly dominated by a savage black metal-influenced assault. There are the atmospheric parts, which reference shoegaze and post-metal, but they add depth to the sound, instead of overwhelming it. This is one angry, blasting record. They’re like an angry urban version of Wolves In The Throne Room, who deal less in nature worship issues, than with the pitfalls of living in a major city and the stress that goes along with that.

“We wanted to utilize all our backgrounds to create emotion on a large scale. This means using sounds that are not just metal,” Clarke said.

For now, the band is thrilled to be touring behind the new record and has plans to tour for it throughout the year. But it might be a while before you anymore new Deafheaven material. Different members of the band are involved with other projects. In fact, Clarke said that Deafhaven is just one of the many things the guys in the band are involved with.

For example, Bassett is busy getting ready the Whirr debut disc for Tee Pee Records. Deschryver has the Lycus project to work on and Bettencourt has Black Monolith. But that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy their time with Deafheaven.

“We are definitely happy with the way the record has been received. We were not expecting it at all. Right now we’re just enjoying the tour and all that is coming to us because of it,” Clarke said.

Exit:Denied by deafheaven

Manic Productions Presents:

Deafheaven
Brass Caskets
Gowl
Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Saturday, June 18
Lilly’s Pad (Toad’s Place Upstairs)
300 York Street
New Haven, CT
7:00 pm – All Ages - $10

Tour Dates

06/17: New York, NY @ The Cake Shop
06/18: New Haven, CT @ Lillys Pad
06/19: Boston, MA @ O' Briens
06/21: Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class
06/22: Chicago, IL @ The Albion House
06/24: Cheyenne, WY @ The Crawlspace
06/25: Denver, CO @ Blast-O-Mat
06/26: Las Vegas, NV @ Meatheads
06/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Vacation Vinyl - FREE In store
06/28: Garden Grove, CA @ The Cabin

Metal Dudes Just Want To Have Fun: Introducing Red Blade

photos: Phil Hovey

When you come right down to it, music should hit you in the pleasure spots in your brain. There should be some sense of fun to it and you should not always be so concerned about how uber-technical or torturously heavy one can play. While there is always room for bands that push the envelope, there is something to be said for a band that just hits you on a visceral level and makes you want to get up and move, whether that be dancing or headbanging, depends on your choice of music.

In metal, the quest for the next extreme sound sometimes sacrifices fun and pleasure for technicality, heaviness or just plain noise. Sometimes the fact that music should be fun and that good songwriting trumps all, gets lost in the shuffle.

Ben Erickson, guitarist for Milford based punk/metal band Red Blade, came to this epiphany after going to multiple metal shows in the past few months.

“We were going to a lot of shows and there were bands that were playing ultra-technical, or really heavy and it seemed like they were playing to the other musicians in the audience. It just wasn’t doing it for us. We wanted to do something more straightforward, be melodic, yet heavy and retain the hook,” said Erickson.
So he recruited his friend, bassist Jon Conine, who he had played with in experimental punk band Electric Bucket, Vulures drummer Dave Parmelee and vocalist Jacob Royer of Horsefeathers and the band was formed earlier this year. They played their first show on March 27 and already have an excellent four song demo making the rounds.

The best way to describe their music is that draws on the best parts of punk and metal and makes it their own. There are tracing of traditional metal bands such as Iron Maiden in the galloping rhythms, along with fuzzed out punkish riffs, the occasional ripping solo as well as catchy hooks and memorable choruses. In a way, they are like Nate Newton of Converge’s other band Doomriders, albeit more New-Wave-Of-British-Heavy-Metal inspired creation. The intent is the same though. They both want to create music people can have fun and headbang to, in the most simplest of ways. It’s just catchy riffs, great vocals and ripping solos. It’s a celebration of metal.

Erickson said when he was writing the music for the demo he was heavily influenced by Iron Maiden, old-school Metallica and Slayer. It shows in the music, because if anything, the demo is an excellent introduction to what this band is all about.

“Cronos” starts off with a horns-worthy riff before breaking out into galloping rhythm with some slightly psychedelic solo accents and some great singing from Royer. “Reconile” is a speedier number, with a more thrash metal influence, while “The End Of Immortal” starts off all doomy before breaking into more of the galloping pace, throwing in a slightly atmospheric breakdown before it finishes with a headbanging riff. “Violent Child” mines a more straight forward hard rock/metal feel and features a wicked solo from Erickson.

The band’s old school ethos will continue when it comes time to record a full length to follow up the demo. In fact, they have plans to keep it very old school when it comes to its production.

“We are going to use no computers on it,” said Conine. “We’re going to do it to analog tape and get the sound of the band playing in a room together. It will be all killer, no filler,” he said.

With their old school approach, and heart in the right places, along with some killer songs the band looks to make an impact on the already burgeoning Connecticut metal scene. In the past few years, it looks like metal has made somewhat of a slight comeback with bands like Ipsissimus, Night Bitch and Pristina making waves inside and outside of the state. If Red Blade continues on the trajectory promised on their demo, it looks like you will be hearing about them soon. They have a lot of potential to be another awesome band from the 203 area code, which bodes well for a band that has one simple mission.

“We want it to be like you see it on stage, and BOOM it hits you, and you get into it and have a good time,” said Erickson. “We are definitely for fans of old school metal.”

Catch them Monday, April 18 2011 at:
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8:00pm - 21+ - $8 (Buy tickets now)

With (bios from Manic):
Jucifer, founded in Georgia in 1993, are pioneers of the sludge/doom metal two piece. They are notorious for their use of massive amplification, and for their entirely nomadic lifestyle since moving into their tour vehicle a decade ago. Early on, Jucifer shared stages with many underground legends, including Lubricated Goat, Bloodloss (Mark Arm/Mudhoney), Melt Banana, Melvins and Eyehategod. Years based in Athens, Georgia from 1991 until 2001 were pivotal both for Jucifer and the Southern scene itself, which has evolved to strongly reflect bands such as Jucifer and contemporaries Harvey Milk.

and

CT's own Clearlight Industries blends a huge array of disparate influences into its own eclectic style. Straight ahead rock styles mix with progressive tendencies,doom-influenced rock segues into improvisational space jams.....all brought about with heavy use of electronics and synthesizers giving you an interesting fusion of sounds that is as cohesive as it is bipolar.

Scars To Prove It: Pristina Makes Brutal Art Out of Life's Hard Times

Pristina's music plumbs the dark side of the human psyche. Since forming in 2003 the band has a waged a war against generic trends in heavy music forming their own sound, that is equal parts hardcore and metal, while mixing in vertigo inducing samples, and a noisy aggressive streak that would make them the perfect match for the Amphetamine Reptile record label of the mid 1990's. It is aggro as hell, and takes no prisoners.
According to bassist/vocalist Brendan K Duff the band formed with very simple goals.
"We formed as a reaction to what the trends were at the time. All these bands were out trying desperately to be the next Killswitch Engage or Atreyu or bands like that. The scene was getting really lame. We were trying to be the complete opposite of whatever was popular," said Duff.
But their arrival at their sound, didn't happen overnight and it took a lot of trial and error.
"To be honest, in the beginning we were a mess. Very obnoxious music for the sake of being obnoxious. It took a couple of years in the practice room and playing out to find ourselves and our sound. We really just stopped caring what was going on outside of our own band and started to evolve into what we are now. I know we aren't and probably never will be for everyone. However, I think we are truly doing something pretty unique in the sense that are no bands out there who sound like us," said Duff.
This evolution of sound is most apparent on the band's newest record, "The Drought (Ov Salt and Sorrow)", released late last year on Trendkill Records, it features the best parts of hardcore and metal combined into a living breathing beast of a record, that culminates in the epic 23 minute album closing title track.
In a world where singles rule, the band, which also features JP Fernandes and Mike Ratboy on guitar, as well Michael Banfield on drums, shows its dedication to its art, by crafting this monstrous epic. Combining fuzzed out hardcore and metal riffs, creepy spoken word samples, raw throated vocals, a freaking drum solo in the middle as well as a clean sung coda. It's controlled chaos at it's best and shows the band at the height of their creative powers.
"The concept of a 23 minute song was born out of a desire to write something challenging and different from anything any of us had ever done. I honestly feel that these days music is losing itself and many people seem to forget this is an art form. Even heavy music. The industry is so concerned with "units" and singles and above all profit. I personally find that more often than not, what's out there is really just disposable media. In all genres. We really just wanted to do something completely different. I mean, bands writing really long songs has been done before, but as I said, in the end we simply wanted to challenge ourselves and make some real art. The song means a lot to us. We honestly spent almost an entire year writing it, " said Duff.
But just because they had a kick ass sound and a swirling monster of a song, it didn't actually translate into interest from the get go. It took a while for labels to get interested and realize they had an excellent record on their hands. It was a struggle.
"Oh man, there were problems from jump street. Very long story short. As I said, it took almost a year just to write the thing. We had no real label interest at the time so we had to save up the money to record ourselves. When the title track was done, we shopped it everywhere and no one was interested. They basically all said that they liked us and what we were going for but they weren't interested in releasing a 23 minute, single song EP. The title track was originally meant to be a stand alone piece. In that time, we just decided to record more music we had written. By coincidence all of them together sounded cohesive and decided putting them all together would be a really strong LP with the 23 minute song as the coup de grace. After shopping the LP version, we found labels to release both the CD and vinyl versions. Unfortunately from there, there were more problems with delays and all other kinds of bullshit. At least it finally came out, but from conception to completion it was a four year ordeal, " said Duff.
This shows that sticking you guns does pay off in the long run for a band. But as much as this was a success, Duff faced other challenges in the form of an addiction to heroin, it started out slowly, but soon he became a full blown addict. And he learned a hard fought lesson.
"It's not that it was a secret at all, but I only started opening up about it in public very recently. I figure that maybe somehow it can possibly stop some kid out there from following that path because it's a bad scene and never ends well. Ever. It changes you. It really changes you," said Duff.
It started simply enough.
"Basically I fell into the trap that a lot of people who use heroin do. In 2002, I blew out my back really bad and became addicted to pain killers. I was abusing them so heavily that in order to get enough I would have to lie to doctors about losing them. Filing false police reports all over the country saying my bag was stolen that had the pills in them. At one time I was seeing three separate doctors who were all prescribing me pills. Eventually I couldn't bullshit them anymore and found I could get heroin cheaper and easier. From there I started to spiral down," said Duff.
From there he became a full blown addict. His whole life revolved around finding enough money to get his daily fix before he would get dopesick. Everything else became secondary at that point, including family, friends, love, sex, passion and music. His health started to decline giving him liver problems that he has to this day. His skin and eyes turned yellow and he had bruises and stretch marks all over him. He spent most of his life drooling, sleeping and puking. It took his life completely over, but he eventually did have enough.
"Every bad thing you've heard is true. At some point I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself anymore. I had to make a change or die. So I entered recovery in 2007 and have been clean since. Aside from falling off a few times in the beginning, I've been clean since. I'm on a drug called suboxone and couldn't have made it without it. Also my wife and my band helped greatly," said Duff.
The band and it's front man have fought various battles and have come out on top, or at the very least with a kick ass new record and a senses frying live show. So come down to Cherry Street this Friday and witness a band that wears it's scars proudly, yet uses the experience gained from those scars as the impetus for some kick ass music. You will be glad you did.

Manic Productions In Association with Goatcult presents:
Revocation, Pristina, Scaphism, Katahdin
Friday, February 18
Cherry Street Station
491 N. Cherry Street Extension
Wallingford, CT
8:00 pm - 21+ - $8