REVENGE SEASON – Eternal Despair

REVENGE SEASON
Eternal Despair
[self released]
Verdict: 10/10
RIYL: Disembodied, Turmoil & Hatebreed

The rise, or rather the resurgence, of the genre defining metallic hardcore sound that absolutely ruled the underground scene in the 90’s, has been a wondrous thing to witness. Young bands showing respect to a genre that was exciting, intense and always energetic. Atlanta’s REVENGE SEASON are among the elite, managing to encapsulate all that was, and still is, right with the genre. Having only formed in 2016, the band have been making huge waves. Relentless self promotion and touring hard, DIY style, have added to the bands already growing, glowing reputation. The passion, the drive and the intensity of a well seasoned band flows through the bands collective bloodstreams, and their live performances showcase this as fact. With only a previous EP and a two song banger under their belts, REVENGE SEASON are moments away from releasing their first fully produced EP, Eternal Despair. It’s 15 minute run-time manages to make the listener air guitar the driving riffs, shout along with the lyrics and mosh anything that is unfortunate enough to be in the way. Eternal Despair also marks the young, hungry band finding a firm foot hold on their metallic hardcore sound. Dirty. Grimy. Nasty…Perfect. Take note: once Eternal Despair is unleashed upon the masses, there just may be no stopping REVENGE SEASON. But, why would you want this relentless assault to stop?   -JH

Recommended listen: It’s 15 minutes…do it all!
Guest appearances: Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid on ‘Scarred’
Production credits: Tracking by Andy Torrey at 168 Studios; Mix/Mastering by Randy LeBoeuf at Graphic Nature Studio; Album art by Meriam Awada
Release date: February 16, 2018

In conclusion…Atlanta’s REVENGE SEASON‘s Eternal Despair is a late 90’s metallic hardcore kids wettest dream. Hard as nails and just as dirty, be prepared to be blown away.

Follow the band and their upcoming tour schedule via these pages:
Twitter
Instagram
Order the new record and find merch 
Also on Spotify and iTunes!

THE ACACIA STRAIN – GRAVEBLOOM

THE ACACIA STRAIN
Gravebloom
[Rise Records]
Verdict: 10/10
RIYL: Fit For An Autopsy, Crowbar & Mindrot

When some names are spoken, they conjure up certain images, thoughts or emotions. When one thinks of, or speaks of THE ACACIA STRAIN, most think of the absolute violence and disgust the bands music vomits up. Most times it’s the utter violence that is usually occurring during one of the bands live performances, both onstage and in the pit. Over the course of the bands career, they have refined and honed their sound from a bludgeoning 3 guitarist beat-down to a dirty, sludgy, doomy, well seasoned band.
The groups newest outing, Gravebloom, showcases this growth beautifully. From start to finish, Gravebloom encompasses everything THE ACACIA STRAIN are known for. The heavy, down tuned, doom laden riffs blast out and grab you, immediately making one wish for a pit to destroy. The Neurosis-like crawl of the more ethereal tracks, allow the band to flex themselves a bit more than they had on previous record, Coma Witch. Still equally as heavy and decidedly more prolific than most of their peers, THE ACACIA STRAIN never fail to keep fans of their downtrodden and absolutely hateful aura strong and soldiering forth into the world. Lyrically, Gravebloom offers up what TAS fans have come to expect: bile filled hatred, mistrust and utter disgust for the human race.
For a band of THE ACACIA STRAINs nature (that being a punishing force of musicianship) to keep pushing themselves and sounding better and better with each record, without losing what made them, them, is a rare feat for any band, especially one well into their 15th year, as a force to be reckoned with. Gravebloom may very well be one of those records that sets new standards into what is considered ‘heavy’.        -JH

Recommended listen: ‘Worthless’ & ‘Walled City’
Guest appearances: Hiroyuki Kobayashi of Loyal To The Grave on ‘Plague Doctor’; Matt Honeycutt of Kublai Khan on ‘Big Sleep’; Rob Fusco of Most Precious Blood/Recon on ‘Gravebloom’ & Ben Falgoust of Goatwhore on ‘Dark Harvest’.
Production credits: Engineered, mixed and mastered by Will Putney.
Release date: June 30, 2017

In conclusion… Gravebloom is one of those records that not only beats you into submission, but it makes you love it and long for more…

ETHER – THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME HERE

ETHER
There Is Nothing Left For Me Here
[Independent]
Verdict: 10/10
RIYL: Eyehategod, Neurosis & Crowbar

Music, as the art it is intended to be, is and always will be a magical, cathartic voyage. It can easily invoke memories, good or bad. It can quell the raging beast inside us or it can be the perfect outlet to vent frustrations, allowing us to say the the things we may not know how to.
ETHER‘s newest offering, There Is Nothing Left For Us Here, is the product of such emotional torture, like sorrow, aggression and hopelessness. Drawing upon the inner turmoil of one man and encompassing the general down-trodden roller coaster we refer to as Love/Loss and…Life.
There Is Nothing Left… takes the listener on an abysmal, riff filled, crushing and sometimes punishing swirl of doom laden misery. Each song is built upon the unwavering fact that there are zero boundaries when creating art. Blending the beautiful and wretched emotional pull of the banjo, mandolin, violin and yes, even a toy piano (to drive home that there’s such chaos in beauty) with riffs and vocals accentuating the utter desperation and need to exercise any and all personal demons.
Throughout the roughly 54 minute road trip ETHER have crafted with There Is Nothing Left For Me Here, never once are you, the listener, left wanting or needing more. Unless you want to just merely hit play again. -JH

Recommended listening: ‘We Are The Empty Vessel Where Life Used To Grow video‘
Guest artists: Daniel Weyandt of ZAO on ‘No Gods All Masters’ & ‘Ava Maria Of The Lice Of The Snakes Of The Worms’; Shane Nerenberg of xBISHOPx on ‘For Every Nail A Noose’ and David Paul of Fero Lux on ‘For Every Nail A Noose’ & ‘Fleas Of A Rat’.
Production credits: Engineered/mixed/mastered by Daniel “Iceman” Colombo in the Winter of 2016/2017
Release date: July 07, 2017
In Conclusion… There Is Nothing Left Me Here exudes the slow, sludgy desperation of Eyehategod and effortlessly splices it with such crushing, reckless abandon…one can’t help but feel the bile rise up and force itself upon you.

ETHER is:

Daniel Burger: drums
Devin Estep: guitar/vox
Peter Kovalsky: guitar/vox/banjo/toy piano
Joshua Shomburg: bass/vox/gong
George Geanuracos: violin/vox

You can support ETHER by pre-ordering the new record (which is being done by the band themselves) and/or their first ep as well. Ether Coven merch

Metallic hardcore band Purgatory release new music video

Fresh off their run with NYHC legends Merauder, Nebraska Hardcore band PURGATORY have unveiled their video for the devastating track ‘Death Toll’ from their latest release. ‘Gospel Of War’.

The video, directed by Kyle Benecke, captures the spirit of early music video’s like Madball, Pantera and Biohazard. Gritty & grimy settings for the performance pieces and beautifully capturing the raw, unbridled aggression of the bands live show.

You can (and should!) check out the video for ‘Death Toll’ here:

Follow PURGATORY via the bands Facebook & Twitter.
You can also pick up the bands music off their Bandcamp page…
…and pick up some gear HERE!

SENTINELS – World Divide EP

SENTINELS
World Divide EP
[Independant]
Verdict: 8/10
RIYL: After The Burial, The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza (RIP), Reflections & Currents

It’s always refreshing when I receive music from a young band that still has a spark of hunger inside their veins. SENTINELS are a band that seemingly has come out of nowhere and is still thriving and laying waste to the musical climate, putting to shame many of the more established and (falsely hyped) bands currently running amok. The World Divide EP shows a more furious and mature band, as they flex their chops musically and vocally. Every track is an exercise in sheer brutality and insanity. The frantic Dillinger Escape Plan meets Tony Danza aural assault lays a firm groundwork for the solid songwriting and musicianship that keeps this EP running strong. Over the course of World Divide‘s 7 songs, never once does the band allow the listener to become bored or lost in the usual melancholy repetitiveness that is typical among many bands in this genre. SENTINELS may have just dropped the next ‘big thing’ with the release of World Divide. Why not jump aboard now and enjoy the ride?      – Jon Hole

Recommended listening: ‘Extinct By Instinct’ & ‘Consequent Aversion’
Guest artists: Joe Benducci of Reborn Divided on ‘Decadence’; Brian Wille of Currents on ‘Polar’ & Jake Wolfe of Reflections on ‘Consequent Aversion’.
Production credits: Recorded and mixed by Aaron Chaparian at Chap Studios
Mastered by Troy Glessner at SPECTRE Studios.
Release date: September 16, 2016
In conclusion…the World Divide EP is essentially the blueprint for how every band should put together a solid release. Mature. Aggressive. Consistent.

SENTINELS is:
Robert Petrusky – Vocals
Thomas Cardone – Guitar
Chris Dombrowski – Guitar
Danny Cruz Jr. – Bass
Dave Rucki – Drums

Check out the bands music HERE
Follow SENTINELS on Facebook
Support the band and pick up some merch HERE

FORTY WINTERS -Rotting Empire

FORTY WINTERS
Rotting Empire
[Dead Truth Recordings]
VERDICT: 10/10
RIYL: Dark Sermon, Seeker & Fit For An Autopsy

In the 5 years since the release of Reflection, South Florida’s FORTY WINTERS have matured from an angry metalcore band into a full on destructive metal beast. The 2013, Isolation EP, showcased a fiercer band, still struggling at finding themselves, fighting to gain ground among the hordes of bands over saturating the metal scene, but they still managed to out class most in their path. With Rotting Empire, the band are just flexing now. Integrating stronger songwriting and incorporating a multitude of heavy genres into one cohesive and aurally assaulting slab of music, without sounding like anyone else. The riffs are more than crushing, they are downright destructive, the drums and bass thunder with with reckless abandon and the vocals are the strongest and the most confidently fierce they have ever been. Rotting Empire is the culmination of frustration and disgust in the world around them, and ultimately us as well. It is a dark and twisted record, it’s the best of modern metal, with punishing breakdowns and dark passages the remind the metal head in all of us why we enjoy this type of music. FORTY WINTERS have finally managed to contain all their beasts and assembled them into one of the most brutal and disturbing records of the year, without losing what makes them unique. -JH

Recommended listening: ‘Human Sacrifice’ & ‘Looming Serpent’
Guest artists: Chad Ruhlig of For The Fallen Dreams/LGND on ‘Choke’ & Adam Warren of Oceano on ‘Looming Serpent’
Production credits: Recorded by Jesse Kirkbride (Black Tongue, Aversions Crown, Enterprise Earth) at Kirkbride Recordings in Cape Coral, Fla.
Release date: July 22, 2016
In conclusion… Florida has a new beast rising from it’s belly, and it’s name is FORTY WINTERS. Rotting Empire is their weapon of choice, and it’s ferociously frightening.

IT. IS. TIME.

I have been sitting idle and procrastinating for too long about writting reviews. It isn’t due to a lack of good music by any means. I just, honestly, haven’t felt like doing any!

BUT today this changes…

Be prepared….

 

-JH

STRAY FROM THE PATH release tribute song for THE GHOST INSIDE

Earlier today, STRAY FROM THE PATH released a new song written for their friends in THE GHOST INSIDE. By now, everyone should know the story of how two lives were lost in a terrible and horrifying head-on collision, that miraculously, all the members and crew of TGI survived.

Members of STRAY FROM THE PATH recorded the new track in private, with producer Will Putney, and with the full support of Sumerian Records.

ALL proceeds from the new song will go directly towards THE GHOST INSIDE. The song, titled ‘Talking Tragedy’, can be found at the link below, as well as the emotional lyrics for this killer track.

STRAY FROM THE PATH has toured the world with the TGI boys countless times, so it hit home when they received word their friends were involved in such a horrible accident. An accident that proved to the world that being genuinely nice people, gets you the most respect. Immediately after the accident a GoFundMe page was set up, and is still collecting money for the band. Friends, fans, fellow band members and complete strangers all reached out and donated, and as of this posting, 3,510 people have donated $157,765 to the band.

You too, can contribute by purchasing the new STRAY FROM THE PATH track via the bands bandcamp page: http://strayfromthepath.bandcamp.com

You can still donate to the GoFundMe page as well, here: https://www.gofundme.com/aqb5umd8

And a killer shirt can be purchased here: http://www.revoltappdes.com/ (Proceeds will also go to THE GHOST INSIDE from the sale of these shirts.)

THE OUTCAST NATION IS NOT DEAD….YET

There comes a time in life, when the weight of the world strains you to the point of collapse and certain things that seemed like priorities at one time, no longer seem that way.

With everything that has been going on in my life, it has become painfully clear to me that writing music reviews has taken a ‘backseat’, if not been put in a dilapidated box and shoved into the trunk. It’s not that I haven’t heard any great new music or don’t have any interest in sharing my opinions on these releases, it’s more, I can’t find the time to properly sit down and pour my thoughts and emotions into a review worth reading.

So for now, THE OUTCAST NATION will sit dormant. Awaiting my return. Hopefully the spark will return and I’ll feel the need to write again. Maybe not. Who knows?

Until then, don’t stop looking and listening. You find a band or artist that blows your mind, share it with your friends. Link the video on your Facebook. let the music be heard!!

-Jon Hole

FAITH NO MORE – Sol Invictus

FAITH NO MORE
Sol Invictus
[Reclamation Recordings]
VERDICT: 10/10

In recent years it has become painfully apparent that resurrected bands from the past mean one of two things: The band is broke and in need of the big pay off from their old moniker, like too many have been, thus making their return a useless and forgettable affair. OR, in the case of FAITH NO MORE, the time was just right. The 10 new songs that make up Sol Invictus all march in familiar FNM territory. Mike Patton’s intense yet beautifully haunting vocals are in full swing as he croons the listener one minute, story telling like only he can, then in the blink of an eye, the full on mental instability of his screams and harmonious vocals shred their way into the brain, assaulting like no other vocalist has ever been able to accomplish. Musically, FAITH NO MORE are the masters of creating a soundscape overflowing with jazz, psycho surf and funk metal, like a psychopaths soundtrack, that to this day, still amazes. The songs on Sol Invictus are more of a bi polar mood swing from track to track, so much so that,if the listener is unprepared for or unaware of what FAITH NO MORE are capable of, will send them running, kicking and screaming, to the loony bin. Fans will rejoice as Sol Invictus incorporates bits and pieces of everything from Angel Dust to Album Of The Year, yet they never lose themselves as this is without a doubt the FAITH NO MORE record fans have longed for these past 17 years. Sol Invictus is a firm and glorious return to the fold for a band that has been heralded as legends.     -Jon Hole

Recommended listening: “Motherfucker” & “Matador”
Production credits: Produced by Billy Gould. Mixed by Matt Wallace & mastered by Maor Appelbaum.
Release date; May 19, 2015

In conclusion…The return of FAITH NO MORE is a big beautiful thing and nothing short of amazing. The new record, Sol Invictus, Latin for Unconquered Sun, presents itself as a unique step into a demented and twisted world where all musical boundaries are limitless and attainable. To tread in these waters, one must be prepared for the barrage and onslaught of musical greatness.