Let's Talk About Noisecore

Noisecore is like a less refined (in a good way) version of tech metal and also similar to metalcore, but without any of the breakdowns or singing choruses (soooo, early metalcore).  The first noisecore record I had ever heard was Deadguy's Screamin' with the Deadguy Quintet.  After the departure of Tim Singer and Keith Huckins, Deadguy's sound took on a faster more dissonant off-beat direction (perhaps because of the addition of Jim Baglino from Human Remains) and also Pops' vocals were far more screechy and less intelligible than Tim Singer's angry yells.  Though, I'm sure there were some really good noisecore records before this, Screamin'... is a good barometer to measure current noisy bands against.  Some other noisier bands from the late 90's early 00's included Burnt by the Sun (also boasting Human Remains alumn), Anodyne, and Playing Enemy.  It was about that time that Calculating Infinity really took off and As the Sun Sets second album that featured shorter grindier songs came out.  As a result, bands that may have headed in the noisecore direction gravitated more towards tech metal or pseudo-grind.  I bring this up because in the past year or so I have heard of a few newer bands that tackle the noisecore sound with the caustic nostalgia of the turn of the century.

Kiss the Sky Goodbye
I've heard rumors that Baltimore, Maryland is grimy and dirty and kind of dangerous.  If that's true then Kiss the Sky Goodbye embodies the nature of their hometown as they tear through 5 tracks on their 2009 Ignite Records debut EP Fuck.  KTSG only slow down to produce the somber outro on the final track, but by then their noisecore cyclone has already shredded your ears.

Panic Candy
I guess I heard this band on one of the many Mecha Organa compilations, but just overlooked it.  When I finally noticed this band is on bandcamp while doing a search for bands that sound like Converge.  It's somewhat of an accurate comparison, but Panic Candy, from the suburbs of Boston, is a little more unhinged and chaotic and bring about far more shifts in their music per song.  Vocals similar to the above Kiss the Sky Goodbye, that overdriven screech, though not as high pitched.  Panic Candy also uses a bit more double bass, yet also a little (only slightly) less breakneck speed.  Their debut self titled EP came out at the end of last year.

Meek is Murder
The only full length of the bunch, Meek is Murder definitely uses their time to explore aspects of noisecore other than just going fast and seeing how many changes they can legitimately slam into a song in under 2 minutes (though there is plenty of that, too).  Meek... shares some similarities with Inevitable End and the vocals kind of have that Chris Colohan of Cursed if he were really paranoid vibe.

Featured Band: Loss for Words

Loss for Words - The Escapist by scrapescatter

Loss for Words - Orlando tech metal.  This is some really clever technical music.  Truly original and even when the tech genre became over saturated, LFW managed to stand out because of their ability to avoid the trite formulas of the genre.  Definitely Dillinger-esque with some of the noisy elements of the last Deadguy EP.  Vocals range from Zao type screams to clean vocals that are sung with a nervous waver which add an eerie element never allowing the listener to get comfortable in the lighter moments, which is a good thing.  Scott Angelecos of Bloodlet even makes a guest appearance on a song, and LFW’s drummer ended up becoming the drummer for Scott’s other band, Hope and Suicide.

Scrape and Scatter doesn’t really sign bands, but this is kind of as close as it gets and we couldn’t be more excited.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loss-for-Words/165218423558378?sk=app_178091127385

http://www.facebook.com/scrapescattermedia

Featured Band: And the Sky Went Black

And the Sky Went Black - Scared Citizens are Good Citizens by scrapescatter

And the Sky Went Black - mathy hardcore from West Palm, Florida.  Members of ATSWB came from bands that were quite soulless so they came together to create something that was sincere and honest.  Sometimes sincerity comes out in a crushing wave of pounding metal while the honesty pours out through merciless screams.  A lot of Botch and Coalesce influence here.

Just recently added so if you like it, “Like” it
http://www.facebook.com/pages/And-the-Sky-Went-Black/190079347727433

http://www.facebook.com/scrapescattermedia

Not only is vocalist, Mike, a good guy, but he also loves beer. http://www.mikelovesbeer.com/

 

Featured Band: The Glasses Otter

The Glasses Otter - The Greek Mythology of John V by scrapescatter

The Glasses Otter - Best described by Kerrang! as “alternative noisecore” the Otter has every finger and every toe in a separate pool of aggressive abrasive music.  Guitars have the alternative rock feel, a little Glassjaw post-hardcore with the tight heaviness of The Minor Times, and the timing precision of The Dillinger Escape Plan.  The drumming is a non-stop onslaught that hints towards a Ben Koller of Converge influence and the unhinged vocals spiral through every level of a manic depressive asylum patient.  Check the facebook page for a completely mutilated Thrice cover.

www.facebook.com/theglassesotter

www.facebook.com/pages/Scrape-and-Scatter-Media

Fun fact: This was my band.

 

Featured Band: Bear

Bear - Invalids and Amputees by scrapescatter

Bear - Bizarre, erratic, carnival-esque metal from Asheville, NC.  They have that similar eerie amusement park feel as Radiation4, with some of the technical aspects of The Dillinger Escape Plan, and when it’s straightened out for the heavy head nodding trudges, the slower parts of Some Girls and Botch come to mind.  The schizophrenia of it all is reminiscent of The Sawtooth Grin.  Vocals are a combination of SG’s Wes Eisold and the first DEP singer, Dimitri.  Scrape and Scatter is currently working with Bear to get a couple of demos and an unreleased EP recorded at Jamie King’s Basement Studio (Between the Buried and Me) out to the public. 

Featured Band: The Franklin Cover Up

The Franklin Cover Up - Party Like It's 1989 by scrapescatter

The Franklin Cover Up - Boise, ID Sociopolitical punk/metal band taking their name from a non-fiction book of the same name divulging a child prostitution ring that is said to have involved many higher-ups in Washington.  Expect lyrics that cover that very subject, as well as topical lyrics about other issues plaguing our nation.  Expect the tunes to sound similar to Refused, Botch, and Every Time I Die.  The new EP was released today and is available for free at http://thefranklincoverup.bandcamp.com/
Members have gone on to be in other Boise heavyweights Bone Dance and BLACKCLOUD

www.facebook.com/thefranklincoverup

www.facebook.com/pages/Scrape-and-Scatter-Media

 

Band of the Week - Gaza

Unholy.  Godless.  Unforgiving.  Who would be better experts than 4 guys from Utah?  Back in the mid-90's Victory Records released albums by a band called Bloodlet.  In a time when metal and hardcore were being fused, reviewers were quick to combine just about anything with the "-core" suffix and create a new genre like other bands were soon to follow.  Using smart dark lyrics laced with biblical references and a new brooding take on metallic hardcore Bloodlet got tagged with "evilcore."  Some 10+ years later a worthy disciple has finally come along to carry on the moniker.

OK, before things get too serious, I don't really think "evilcore" is a legitimate genre, nor would I say Gaza or its members are evil. However, Gaza does have a dark and astute take on religion, life, death, and politics.  With album titles like I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die and He Is Never Coming Back (it's a reference to Jesus, get it?) you really don't have to delve into the music to know where these guys are going with their beliefs.  You should want to, though, because, like I said, it's been almost 15 years since a band has been accomplishing this brand of dark ugly metal with such a cultivated clever rationale.  Gaza play sludgy metal/hardcore with elements of doom and grind.  It's grimy, it's dirty, it's caustic, and it's really good.

Similar to Bloodlet's mid-paced style, Gaza have that off beat drumming that I had never heard until picking up my first Bloodlet record, but it's very similar to Coalesce's James Dewees' never-stop-moving-your-arms-no-matter-what-the-pace-of-the-song method.  However, drummer Casey Hensen is far more innovative and wildly unpredictable. Even if guitarist Mike Mason and bassist Tino Lucero are playing the same droney riff for 3+ minutes (the end of "Hospital Fat Bags") Casey will never play the same fills.  The guitars aren't all drone, though.  Gaza use quite a bit of finger-tapping, but contrary to how most bands use finger-tapping for neat sounding solos, Gaza's uses of it are generally for the more groove oriented parts of the songs.  Lastly is Jon Parkin's roar as he cuts through the rest of the band's earth shaking heaviness with the more tongue-in-cheek lyrics from IDCWIGWID ("They used you to clean up tears after a Thrice show.") to the more straight forward bellows on HINCB ("He is never coming back.  Armies of the half dead with their arms to the sky").  Add in that, unless you're a pro-basketball player, Parkin will tower over you as his snarl tears holes through your entire belief system and it's a pretty intimidating experience. His screams sound slightly similar to The Chariot's Josh Scoggin, but exceedingly more ferocious.  Ironic considering their complete opposite views.  Both bands do have some similarities actually, but much like how Gabriel and Lucifer were both Archangels.


www.facebook.com/GAZAMUSIC

Where they started: 2004's East EP

Where you should start: I Don't Care Where I Go When I Die is the more structured and better produced release.  It has a lot more groove and the lyrics contain an air of humor.  He Is Never Coming Back is grimier and the lyrics are not only shorter and more to the point, but angrier and have a lot more bite.

Essential Song:



Essential Live Video:

Band of the Week - Inevitable End

When I was growing up, and even in my earlier adult years, I was accused of listening to the music that I like simply because it pissed off my parents (specifically, my poor mother).  While I often scoffed at the idea, maybe subconsciously it was true.  Maybe.  At my age now that would be ridiculous.  No, today it seems my subconscious has chosen a new enemy: a former band member.  Every time I show him what I've been listening to lately, in the metal world, I can feel his anger, an otherwise fairly calm individual, in his messages back to me "That's not even talent.  They're just trying to be as noisy as possible."  Because it's my subconscious that's trying to piss him off and not my lucid being, I don't even want to show him Inevitable End.

I'm guessing that since the late, great Chuck Shuldiner had already established a seminal metal band with the name Death these Swedes had to settle on the name Inevitable End.  After a few demos and multiple member changes, they released their first full length on Relapse Records.  It certainly has the Death influence, or at least influenced by other bands who were influenced by Death.  Drawing comparisons to Origin or Kill-era Cannibal Corpse, the constant blast beats and deep bellows perpetuating across The Severed Inception were accomplished with competency, but with very little originality to separate themselves from the aforementioned acts.  There are some interesting noisy and discordant riffs hidden in the few slowed down parts or even the strangely placed, but curiously engaging melodic part towards the end of the title track.

Though not abandoning the grindcore aspect of their sound, Inevitable End takes more from the technical aspects of metal than on the previous effort.  However, I've read reviews quick to compare them to Gorguts, Cynic, and The Dillinger Escape Plan.  While those aren't inaccurate inclusions, where Inevitable End make their latest release more distinct is the use of metallic hardcore elements like those of His Hero is Gone and Cursed.  Even the vocals rely less on the low growls and take on a higher pitched version of HHIG screams.  Rather than the relentless grind of the previous record, Inevitable End hollows out some of the blast beat parts of their songs allowing for the heavier sections to have a lot more punch.  Although the dissonance and hardcore influence alter the attack of Inevitable End, it's always moments like the last track that are almost a complete departure from their normal break-neck speed that capture me.  "Of Sublime Dimensions" closes the album with the same chaotic noise that drenches the rest of The Oculus, but at the slowest pace the band has ever achieved.  When the song is sped up it's done with lightly placed, twangy slide guitars over blast beats. Inevitable End have done an excellent job in creating a record for anyone who likes blisteringly fast paced music.  Lovers of death metal, grindcore, tech metal, and straight up metallic hardcore will all be pleased.

www.inevitable-end.com/
www.facebook.com/InevitableEnd

Where they started: 2004's Self Titled Demo

Where you should start: The Oculus was very recently released and is the band's most original output and I think surpasses any previous release (2 demos and one other full length).  I mean if you like that Origin or Cannibal Corpse post-Barnes sound then by all means start with The Severed Inception, but make sure you graduate to The Oculus.

Essential Song(s):

Of Sublime Dimensions by RelapseRecords

Band of the Week - Duck Duck Goose

All too often with the music I have come to adore (because I have the musical integrity of a high school brat) there is the unfortunate occurrence that I may introduce a band that has met an untimely demise before you get your waxy, grimy little ears on them.  More likely, I'll drop the ball and not accidentally stumble across a band like Barstow CA's Duck Duck Goose until it's too late to enjoy them while they're still producing music and silly antics.  Now, I'm sure I'm like you. I see a daffy name like Duck Duck Goose (get it?) and completely over look a band who toured with the likes of Poison the Well until the day it's played through the speakers without me being able to see the name first.  Then it becomes clear why they would brand themselves with such a moniker: it's just fun, frenetic, fast and once you get past a certain age you should feel ridiculous for still liking it, but you kind of don't care.

It's apparent that these kids have mastered describing themselves as simply as possible when they name their first EP Noise, Noise, and More Noise.  I refuse to be that guy who promotes a band for something as inane as breakdowns in this genre because that's not a "guy." That's a kid.  I think it's over done and, quite frankly, a cheap ploy to lure in simpletons.  Consider me baited.  With tons of overdrive effects, Duck Duck Goose race through their dissonant crashes that bring to mind March on Electric Children-era The Blood Brothers with Last Night in Town-era Every Time I Die (you know, before ETID got raped by Lynyrd Skynyrd and started producing southern fried hardcore), but more fun.

There's rarely a sign of any formulaic song structure, which, of course, is pretty common for chaotic metal/hardcore. Few discernible verses, no choruses, and lots of off time starts and stops mixed with goofy riffs. When DDG throw their hair back and assume the crab position to go for the half-time head nods that often plague this genre? Yeah, they don't reach for the chug-squeee pit fall. Nope, their breakdowns sound less like Opposite of December and more reminiscent of Me and Him Call It Us. You know, like they're raising every appliance in the kitchen above their heads and slamming it on to a concrete floor? The recording certainly captures this onslaught well. As soon as the shrapnel starts to spray, vocalist Davey Ribera screeches (not unlike an aforementioned Buckley/Whitney combo) "PANIC FUELS THE CROWD" and you can tell he really hopes so.  Of course, the staying power of a borderline joke band performing in a genre that's already kind of a borderline joke is very hindered, but Duck Duck Goose made it enjoyable.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duck-Duck-Goose/133599036659691

Where they started: 2008's Noise, Noise, and More Noise EP


Where you should start: Sporting just an EP and one full length, might as well check out both.  Noise... is the more breakdown heavy of the 2 and has the better production value as well as being the chunkier release.  However, Off Yourself does show the band maturing a little (as mature as a band like this can be, anyway) and throws in some clean vocals which certainly adds another layer to the chaos.

Essential Song:



Essential Live Video:



Some other stuff: