TRACK PREMIERE: Succumb to the beautiful devastation that is Catapult The Dead

Catapult The Dead is a sextet from Oakland, they have been together for around 5 years, playing the style of music which could be broadly described as atmospheric doom.  Thematically their debut full length, ‘All is Sorrow’ released in 2014, felt very cinematic and is very layered production wise, driven as you’d expect from a massive sounding guitar tone, but what felt quite unique is the use of keyboard.  Indeed it is the use of keys which made the band feel truly unique, giving their music a dynamic appeal. Much like the movie The Matrix, no one can really be told what is, you have to see it for yourself. In fact if you substituted Catapult the Dead for the Matrix in that quote, it quite accurately summarized their debut album

What Catapult the Dead have managed to do in their short tenure, is to produce progressive sounding doom, oppressively heavy but never idle, in the sense that it never seems to repeat singular repetitious phrases of music.  Their music is stylistically cinematic because it feels typical of how films are made, like there is one continuous story to be told, and it is always moving forward, evoking a sense that their music is a narrative to some macabre Lovercraftian tale. I feel Catapult the Deadare innovators and perhaps one of the best bands no one seems to know about, but that is about to change with the release of their  spectacular  new album “A Universal Emptiness”  released on 15 November 2017 via Doom Stew Records, and we’re stoked to be able to premiere a brand new track from the album which you stream in full below.  Preorders of the album are available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Spotlights - "Seismic"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 06/10/2017

Label: Ipecac Recordings

Be it the album’s title, the heft of the cascading guitar riffs, or the thick atmosphere the band creates, this is a serious release that’s here to make a statement.  “Seismic” is an album that’s easy to get lost in, which judging by the depth of sound, is exactly what Spotlights set out to do.

“Seismic” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Seismic

2. Learn to Breathe

3. The Size of the Planet

4. Ghost of a Glowing Forest

5. Under the Earth

6. A Southern Death

7. The Opening

8. What is This? Where Are We?

9. Hollow Bones

10. Hang Us All

11. The Hope of a Storm

The Review:

New York- based, husband and wife duo Spotlights wants nothing less than to be taken seriously on their Ipecac Recordings debut album, “Seismic.” Be it the album’s title, the heft of the cascading guitar riffs, or the thick atmosphere the band creates, this is a serious release that’s here to make a statement. Everything is mapped out; there are no false steps, no room for improvisation, just a hefty slab of post-metal-whatever rock music. And you know what, it’s damn good!

Musically, Spotlights has a few obvious influences – I’m looking at you Deftones and ISIS – but that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the label the band is on. Luckily, Spotlights uses these two bands as just that, influences, and prevents the band coming across as a watered down band confined to a particular time and genre.

It’s the layers that make Spotlightswhat they are. They hit loud and hard at face value and that’s great. The guitar riffs are crunchy and slow and the drums are in your face. Everything is turned up real loud, which is exactly how the album should be listened to. Once the volume is turned up and the listener sits back, that’s when Spotlights really starts to unfold.

Spotlights is able to put all the tools at their disposal to good use. Be it in the way the synthesizers accentuate the tenderness in the fat riffing or how the sound of strummed guitar strings deep in the mix help round things out, “Seismic” becomes a release that’s as tall as it is wide. The hour plus run time might be a touch on the long side of things, but when there’s so much mood and atmosphere, an album’s run time becomes insignificant pretty quickly.

Understanding “Seismic” means understanding the layers. The songs are there and the sound is big. Spotlights make their presence known with these elements. Then the accents are found; the synthesizers are well placed and the vocals provide just that bit of necessary breathing room. “Seismic” is an album that’s easy to get lost in, which judging by the depth of sound, is exactly what Spotlights set out to do.

“Seismic” is available here

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

TRACK PREMIERE: Hundred Year Old Man release crushingly dense debut single "Black Fire"

Hundred Year Old Man a six-piece collective based in Leeds, UK are set to release their debut single “Black Fire” via Gizeh Records this forthcoming Friday August 25^th2017.

Hundred Year Old Man's sound can be distinguished within the parameters of post-metal, doom and crushingly dense heavy music. Formed in 2015, the band have spent the last 12 months touring and playing shows with the likes of Deafheaven, Ohhms, Moloken, Employed To Serve, Conjurer, Fen, Opium Lord, Canvas and Wren as well as a recent performance at the UK’s premiere underground metal festival Bloodstock

“Black Fire” is the perfect introduction to Hundred Year Old Man, indeed this track encompasses everything this crushing conglomerate  is about, 10 minutes of heavy, atmospheric riffs build and descend through the sonic ether and  the listener is ultimately  rewarded in spades. We’ve heard it all before, but this band seems intent on doing things differently.  The abrasive and the aggressive offset by  a kaleidoscope of divine light.  Today “Black Fire “can be stream in its entirety below (order here) and precedes a 12” EP due in January with their debut album to follow later in 2018.

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM PREMIERE: “Vol. II: Organic Emotions,” by A Constant Knowledge of death

A CONSTANT KNOWLEDGE OF DEATH is a collective from both sides of the United States – from sunny Southern California to chilly Boston, Massachusetts. ACKOD was founded by James Goldmann (Vocals, Drums, Bass, Guitars) and Aaron Gutierrez (Guitars) in 2012 as an outlet for their more experimental metal work, but eventually expanded to include Connor McCullough (Guitars, Bass, Engineering, Mixing, Production) and Mark Rivas (Session Drums). The collective is a labor of love between these four that transcends distance and time to create truly astonishing records that cannot be summed up in one genre.

“Vol. I: Enculturation”was released in November of 2015. The album was met with high praise, with reviewers and listeners alike complimenting the diverse song writing, sonic and vocal styles, ranging from driving progressive metal to ambient electronic instrumentals.

“Vol. II: Organic Emotions,”the new album from ACKOD, takes this even further by expanding their influences into the realms of symphonic metal, acoustic post-rock and sweeping landscapes. Produced and mixed in-house by Connor McCullough, Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, The Ocean) provided his mastering services to make the record truly reach its full potential. Between the destructive guitar riffs, unrelenting drums and piercing lyrics, “Vol. II”sets itself apart as one of the most dynamic records of 2016.

“Vol. II: Organic Emotions”will be released digitally on September 30TH, 2016 and available to order here.  You can stream the album in full below

Ban d info: bandcamp || facebook