New Band To Burn One To: In Your Long Arms

Now this is interesting! It’s not often that there comes along much to shake up the musical genres that we talk about day in day out, not that we always want there to be, but when bonafide original concepts come along, they deserve the plaudits for the work they’ve done, if it’s good of course. May we present to you the sound of Brownsville, Texas’, In Your Long Arms, and their new record RUINR, seven songs of spellbinding shoe-gazing sludge!

The aggression of sludge, and the dreary atmospherics of shoe-gaze are possibly at the furthest ends of the musical scale, but somehow these Texans have made it work. They’ve slowed down the sludge so that the rawness becomes a droning overture to Xavier’s primal vocals as the songs fight their way through thick swathes of riff filled gloomy emotions, channelling a new style of death music, a sense of impending doom that is all encompassing.

RUINR is record which needs to be experienced in full, an album’s album, where no individual songs outweigh the others. The tracks work like a blanket, smothering its victim until you pull your way to the other side. It’s not music for the faint-hearted, but it’s a worthwhile ride for those brave enough to let the gloom take them on. In Your Long Arms have created something special here.

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EP Review "Purist" by Purist

 

Purist are 4 piece from Memphis who recently released their 3 track self titled debut EP of psychedelic shoegaze doom and for a first release it's a powerful piece of work.

From the airy and drifting atmospherics that open first track "Feral Eyes" Purist launch into a sloth paced behemoth of triumphant doom full of crushing pressure and made with a sound so huge that it grabs your attention immediately and holds it for the duration of the EP. Did I say this is powerful music? It really is.

Track 2 "Rex" opens with a heart wrenching wall of riff that develops into almost uplifting doom with a riff and vocals that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. A soaring guitar lick gives "Rex" a touch of the post metal but with the light and dark play of riffs on display here the contrast between scary doom and encouraging post metal makes this track bittersweet to the ears. It is however anthemic in its dazzling glory and its sheer sonic power is enough to rend galaxies and create black holes. This track is now the soundtrack to my winter.

Lastly there is "Exodus" that opens with a cold but psychedelic breeze of guitars that soar and build tension towards the eventual collapse of body flattening riffs and desperately grr-howled vocals. After the outpouring of sorrowful doom comes a wintery pause of chilly psychedelia again that proceeds to increase the doom pressure to a psychedelic point of popping before a gradual fading of feedback and frosty guitar to lonely silence.

Purist have debuted with a solid EP of 3 powerful tracks that kept me interested throughout and with a standard as high as this already I am certain Purist's future releases will be mind blowing.

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Zac's "Double Dose": Cavern / Vintage Cucumber

 

Cavern: Cavern S/T 

Can you recall the sound of authenticity? For example, the first time you listened to a cassette recording of an early thrash metal band. That raw, very real life sensation that overcame you? Or, for those more contemporary listeners, the initial feeling induced by the grimey sludge growing in Georgia in the early 2000's. That strange progressive combination of swampy grooves and violent thrashing? Well, if you can't then today is going to be a good day for you, because you get another chance to relive that rare moment. This is were we find the beauty of music and its ever evolving, progressing nature which the sonic being cycles, and finally what keeps us coming back for more. What we have here is a Maryland based trio that have hybridized punk, sludge and thrash metal. The band call themselves Cavern and have released their self-titled debut record on February 26th, via Grimoire Records. The opening thunder of the bass and drums on Far Beyond Fields and Evergreens will leave your senses unprepared from the RIFF lashing you are about to endure. Yes, Cavern's RIFFING here is just plain vulgar. If this doesn't remind you of that 1980's thrash vitality, you may very well be hopeless. But then, if you're hopeless this may be the record for you. Now that Cavern has dragged you through their coarse and gritty dirt and your skin is a little tougher, you are weathered and prepared for the storm, and believe me these tracks truly storm the senses. The record is full of relentless RIFFING, a mix of witty percussion and ravaging drum lines, and a three-fold vocal attack. The vocal approach of Cavern is a characteristic worth praising. By employing all three voices, either at the same time or separate times, the songs have an energized and original sound. I really enjoy the muted and buried sound of the vocals in the production, as if the voice is shouting for life through the walls of a sealed room a few doors down. There's a lot to experience here on Cavern's self-titled debut. So, don't be surprised if this one stands the test of time and rears its ugly head come the closing of 2013.

**CDs are available for a limited time at Grimoire Records bandcamp page.**

Members: 

Nick - Bass // Vocals 

Steve - Drums // Vocals 

Zach - Guitar // Vocals

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Vintage Cucumber: Jup's Chillout Lounge Style 

Guten Morgen... or Good Morning. I think it's time to change the pace here at the Double Dose. So, lets cut the head banging, stretch out and forget we have limbs. This second shot is a sole-devised sonic experiment full of fuzzy and warm psychedelia sure enough to leave you levitating. Our maestro and master of ceremonies is Johannes Schulz, the lone mind that conveys the Vintage Cucumber cosmic orchestra. This one man extravaganza has released a handful of albums within the past year, but today we are going to focus on one particular release entitled Jup's Chillout Lounge Style. So remember, this half of the 'Dose is for quiet and peaceful reflection. Let's lose track of time. Jup's... begins with a with a repetitive female spoken line wishing us all a Good Morning in German. The track flows into an elegantly strummed Eastern sounding instrumental, similar to a sitar, while a crash of a gong is buried deep in the back of the mix. This sounds as though it would cause chaos, but in actuality the depth that the sound is buried makes for a comforting heart-beat. If you're looking for a good way to zone out, Guten Morgen is the ideal way to start. The albums sways in and out of a this shoegaze style of drone and psychedelia for approximately fifty minutes. Here and there you will find snippets of vocal passages or laughter, but for the most part Vintage Cucumber's music will obscure you in a warm haze. Sound like a trip you're interested in taking? Great! Just head over to the Vintage Cucumber bandcamp page for Jup's Chillout Lounge Style along with a plethora of other releases.

Members: 

Johannes Schulz - Guitar // Bass // Drums // Synth // Fiddle // Effects

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Sunday Sludge: MAKE - "Axis"

Sometimes the terms "LP" and "EP" are misleading, primarily because they're so heavily misused. The UK's Official Charts Company actually has rules on the terms, but most listeners (and likely many bands) don't give a shit what you call it so long as it's worth the money. Whether serving as a preview of what comes next or an extension of what you've already enjoyed (or dismissed), EP's have grown far beyond the punk/indie/DIY purists' elitism and now litter the catalogs of every genre.

Earlier this year, Heavy Planet featured Chapel Hill's MAKE with their full-length Trephine, an atmospheric sludge stunner that immediately cemented itself on more than a few best-of leanings. It didn't take long for the band to quickly begin work on a follow-up LP, but guitarist Scott Endres felt an EP was a natural layover:

"It's not necessarily meant to be a cohesive statement but rather ideas we had which didn't necessarily fit in with the material we've been preparing for the next LP. I suppose we could have added a few more minutes to this and called it a short LP but this isn't the statement we're looking to make in following Trephine."

The explanation alone entitles MAKE to call Axis whatever they'd like. Thirty-plus minutes spread over (or delicately spanning) three tracks had better deliver, regardless of classification. Having no clear glimpse of what a future full-length could truly hold, we can look back and see Axis as neither a departure nor a shift to neutral, though MAKE's signature is clear. Using solitude and isolation to somehow, amazingly, craft comfort and warmth in a sea of drone progressions and sludge kicks, MAKE compose Axis as a statement independent of anything they've previously accomplished.

The seventeen-minute opening title track is ominous without alarms, slow and patient without being a drag. Endres' evolution from guitar drone to gentle screeches accompanies Spencer Lee's buoyant thumbings, cutting and pasting with calculated precision. Without the use of vocals, the tiered delivery remains grounded enough to spin a sonic story, gorgeously littering a barren tundra with somber plucks. Axis is haunting, all-encompassing, and wholly welcoming, despite its jagged claims to the contrary. With a little help from some awesome grinding riffs, the track steadily evolves, rhythmically rising and buzzing with a disregard for every surrounding attack. The whitewash funnel of ultimate acceptance and undeniable gravity returns the drone, but there's enough going on here to plunk any listener for a second helping.

The more immediate Chimera revs and rolls by comparison. Lee's vocals are as percussive as they are narrative, with pleas morphing toward growls. Rhythmic underlayment burns and chugs with repetitive schlepp while drummer Matt Stevenson encircles every sailing lick and bass thread. The chaotic swirls of guitar clutch tempos and carry out this spinning beast, leading directly into The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.

The awesome drone re-emerges as footstep drum-taps fade in. Tagged with shrouded, hazy atmospherics, Sleep operates on the ideal that restraint, when delivered so delicately, commands attention. We know this about MAKE, but on this progressive drift into nothing and everything, it becomes more clear than ever that the soft rain of elemental marriages is no less riveting than the band's crushing devastation. They don't need to provide balance, but it's worth noting that MAKE's comprehensive sound demonstrates unmatched depth and range. Hell, they even throw in piano, effectively closing this "EP" on a wing of cracked hope.

If Trephine was Point A and Point B remains just ahead, stopping for the night with Axis as the perfect roadside attraction is a worth every moment. As expansive and complex as these songs can be, MAKE remain committed to their audience by alienating them. They're never gonna insult your intelligence, they're gonna let you figure out things on your own. That alienation develops into self-realization, acceptance, and embrace. We can't wait to hear that forthcoming LP, but in the meantime, Axis stands on its own as a triumph in cold-crafted comfort. Sounds strange, doesn't it?

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Sunday Sludge: Vultures At Arms Reach - "дикари"

Does post-metal really exist? The sea of labels for metal bands has become as vast as the landscape of metal itself. Styles marry and there you have it: a new label. A new genre. The labels are helpful, sure. But when a band BECOMES that label, that band's in trouble. On the other hand, shedding that tag is gonna require evolution without departure. So now you're really in a sticky spot, Ponch. A sophomore offering could be called the most important in an artist's catalog. It can't be the same nine songs we heard eighteen months ago, but it had better not be a total bust-up sellout.

Santa Cruz's Vultures At Arms Reach first caught our attention last summer with +)))((()))((()))((()))-, a heady, surprisingly forward-thinking three-track introduction to a band that hit the heavy from every angle. It was futile to seek a flaw within those 25 minutes, which now places the band under the added pressure of delivering another seamless effort with дикари, their second three-track release in just fifteen months. While adhering to dark atmospheres and post-metal sludge middle-fingers to conventions, the album also showcases a band evolving and sharpening the foundation they've already established.

дикари is less noise than its predecessor, and I can't write this sentence without making "noise" sound like a four-letter word (I love the noise). There's still an ominous grumble, a thought-provoking spook; but there's a confident aggression in these songs that you can't practice. The shoe-gaze has become a steel-toed boot-stare, and the melancholic death rattle of Tsar Bomba, the album's opening track, is juxtaposed with the grinding stop/start skull crush of Savages' choppy, stuttered closing.

That's not to trivialize what lies between those moments. Tsar Bomba buzzes with echo and swirling chants as Brian Rucker's drums circle with ravenous lure. The eerie, pinpoint sadness melts into a broader sound, picking up nicely where +)))((()))((()))((()))- left off and could likely have progressed. Still thick without being abrasive, VAAR have maintained that ability to snag inside your mind and set up camp for days, relishing the haunt. As a self-injuring cutter would argue, the pain of these cuts is what allows relief. Sounds strange, sure; but Travis Howe's guitar takes the blame here, slicing or buzzing or doing whatever the fuck he commands.

Thicker and murkier is The Lions Den, though Howe's guitars still can't stop their racing thoughts. Growing shrill and countering the dirge amazingly, a tin-drum pounding tags along to maintain an even parity. Gabe House's keys are neither too big nor small, filling a gap that listeners didn't even know existed. Listeners can enjoy a stroll through brilliant pacing under a structure that is EXACTLY why this band sounds as amazing as they do. The buzzing grind may mask the songwriting, but the need for traditional composure is still non-existent. If only every listener could exercise the patience and non-presumptuousness a band like VAAR requires...

Savages won't let VAAR be mistakenly labeled "inaccessible" or "pretentious," however. The low drag and slow plod seem to observe without interfering, and there's a detectable pattern carried out through Nate Kotila's sludge-bass patience. Howe sputters and coos on guitar, those blanketed atmospheres are drilled and sprayed with drum assaults, and the robot-clone vocal leads straight into grind. Luckily for all of us, there's no shaking the pensive, troubled ambiance. Is that their bread and butter? Well, that's difficult to say. With this many arrows in their quiver, you could argue the band pull equally from all emotions.

дикари stands on its own as an incredible step forward for a band that had already found not only their balls but also themselves. Their not stepping out of their realm, they're expanding it. And why would we expect anything else? Every track they've recorded has expanded, whether we're talking about expanding depths of sonic haze or simply one listener's own expanding interest. Vultures At Arms Reach are swimming upstream against a current that so often only wants a sea of automatons on either side of the stereo. They're earning their stripes by not only thinking, but by expecting the same from audiences. They're not gonna insult your intelligence by playing something you've already heard. But they're not gonna leave you holding your dick, either.

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New Band To Burn One To-Aim Low

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is Aim Low.

Bio:

"What started out as an afternoon of playing music and messing around with effects pedals to jokingly create "pretentious drone music", seemingly ended up having potential. With the mantra of "if this actually has the potential to be good, we should make it good", Montreal's Aim Low did just the opposite of their moniker.

Mining common threads from acts like My Bloody Valentine, Brian Eno, Nadja, Sunn0))), Southpacific, Jesu and the like, Aim Low attempts to create a fine balance between drone soundscapes, shoegaze, noise pop, and music that can be at times both ambiently beautiful, and sonically crushing."

A wonderfully crafted two-song slab of dreamy shoegazing drone. The monumentous buildup up is well worth the wait as the guitars buzz and screech as this huge wave of sound smacks you in the face. The noises that the band creates are chilling, as if you are setting out to sea on some intergalactic space ship. To hear what I am so desperately trying to explain, head over to the band's Bandcamp page to hear their EP. As the band states "music for paranoid insomniacs", indeed.

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