(Atlanta, GA) Has it been 10 years of Ravagers already?! Those rabid Baltimore rockers are back with a 10 year anniversary release of their debut EP “Livin In Oblivion”. Originally pressed in 2013 on Virginia’s Cricket Cemetery Records, “Living In Oblivion” has been long out of print and we all agreed it needed to be back out there. No more paying exorbitant discogs prices anymore. Also, this EP has some Ravagers classics, that are also live staples, like “Suicide Bomber” and “Cold Heat”. These tracks set the tone for Ravagers follow up releases “Natural Instinct” (2015) and “Badlands” (2022).
“Livin In Oblivion” was produced in 2013 by longtime friend of the band and guitarist Matt Gabs (Biters/Fishnet Stalkers), who later joins the Ravagers, first appearing on their latest release “Badlands” (2022). The 2023 release comes with original art and insert. It was also remixed and remastered by “Badlands” producer Dan Dixon. The vinyl is available now in the US from Spaghetty Town Records and is available on all major streaming and download outlets.
Strap yourselves in motherfuckers because Graveripper are unleashing Holy Hell and all that is dark, thrashing, and evil upon us. I think I was guided by dark unspeakable forces when writing the review for this OTT slab of metal thrashing madness. Part old school Thrash part Black metal, Whatever it is it’s unashamed Black/thrash all the way from Indianapolis, Indiana, Hell Hole central it would seem.
Back in 2021, Wise Blood turned summer into a nuclear winter when they released “Radiated Remains,” the first EP from GRAVERIPPER. Two summers later, they return with their debut LP of crypt-crushing black thrash, ‘Seasons Dreaming Death’.
“Radiated Remains” (mastered by Toxic Holocaust’s Joel Grind) introduced a band fusing thrash and black metal with evil vocals the thrashing speed and pit-stirring beats would be a speeding violation on any continent let alone their hometown. From the first vicious riff of lead single ‘Into the Grave,’ ‘Seasons Dreaming Death’ launches a bone-crushing, face-melting metallic 33-minute of uncompromising metal assault. Faster. Heavier. Catchier. More moshable despite the emphasis on blackened melody and solos. Graveripper takes no prisoners and compromises for nobody.
“Refined Expansion,” Parks describes. “Double down on what resonates with us, but also introduce some new arrangements, ideas, themes, and influences. With this being a full-length record there was a lot more room to do that. We introduced more Teutonic thrash worship that teeters on the line of death metal. We also took this as an opportunity to prove we can really play some straightforward malicious black metal riffing as well. All while keeping the overall sonic goal of sewing black and thrash together in our own unique ratio.”
Of all things unholy you need this in your blackened collection. Buy steal or borrow (and never return it obviously) this played suitably loud is one Hell of a racket, full of chest-beating, confident, black thrash, and done as well as anyone could imagine. Not to be confused with Hellripper from this side of the pond but equally impressive tunes and the artwork is something else, simply superb.
“[The album title] is my take on Halloween/Samhain,” Parks confirms, “the day of the year where the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest.” Evil fucker I say buy it and at least keep him happy so he doesn’t unleash the horses of the apocalypse upon us. Thrash or die motherfuckers thrash or die!
CELEBRATE WITH THE SHINS CHUTES TOO NARROW 20TH ANNIVERSARY REMASTER, OUT OCT 20th“We’re not the best, but we’re pretty good.” – Sub PopSub Pop, feeling even more self-congratulatory than usual, is pleased to announce the opening of itsMega Mart 2, the brand new, first-ever, almost entirely functional and fully computerised sibling site to the world famous Sub Pop Mega Mart, catering specially to fans and customers who live outside of North America. Warehoused in the UK and stocking an array of Sub Pop goods (vinyl, CDs, and T-shirts), fans on this side of the pond who have long been suffering from outrageous (though totally real) shipping charges can finally rejoice! As if opening Mega Mart 2 wasn’t enough incredible news, Sub Pop is also announcing a 20th Anniversary remastered reissue of The Shins‘ classic 2003album Chutes Too Narrow, featuring new, custom die cut artwork. Chutes Too Narrow, the band’s heavily anticipated follow-up to their debut, Oh, Inverted World, was recorded in James Mercer’s basement home studio, with later mixing assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). And, with 10 songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the record is a brief yet entirely scintillating glimpse at chiming, reflective and perfectly skewed pop innovation. This new, anniversary reissue will be available on limited edition coloured LP (Transparent Sun Yellow), Black LP, CD and DSPs on Oct 20th and is available for pre-order now: https://europe.subpop.com/
Chutes Too Narrow remastered reissue vinyl
Chutes Too Narrow was released to widespread acclaim in 2003, garnering Pitchfork’s Best New Music, four stars from Rolling Stone, and raves from The New York Times, MOJO, The Village Voice, SPIN, and tons more. It subsequently made best-of-the-decade lists from The AV Club, NME, Paste, Pitchfork and Uncut.
Mercer says of Chutes Too Narrow, “I was very aware at the time that I had struck gold with the first record, and it was unlikely to happen again. ‘Sophomore slump’ and all that. The pressure to prove myself as a viable writer had never been so pronounced. Midway through the mixing process, I realized one of the songs would not work, so I stayed up after everyone went to bed and wrote ‘Young Pilgrims.’ And with Ek’s help, it worked! Such a stressful but beautiful experience!”
The Shins circa 2003 (credit: Brian Tamborello)
In other reissue news, on October 6th Sub Pop will be releasing Mudhoney’s seminal Superfuzz Bigmuff vinyl EP AND their ‘Touch Me I’m Sick‘ 7” on limited edition new colour variants (Mustard Yellow for Superfuzz Bigmuff and Neon Orange for ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’) . Both are available to pre-order now from, yes you guessed it, Mega Mart 2: https://europe.subpop.com/
Head over to Mega Mart 2 now to find not only these but all manner of Sub Pop releases old and new, including the “first ever time on vinyl in its original form” reissue of The Vaselines’The Way Of The Vaselines (due Sept 8th), CHAI‘s dazzling s/t fourth album (Sept 22nd), a first-time vinyl pressing of The Postal Service‘s Everything Will Change live album (Sept 8th) and Deeper‘s Sub Pop bow, and third album proper, Careful! (Sept 8th).More about Sub Pop, by Sub Pop:Founded in 1988, Sub Pop Records is a medium-sized independent record label based in Seattle, WA. With early releases by Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and TAD, the label is often associated with something called “the grunge movement.” Exploitation of this association has frequently proven financially fruitful. Later years saw album releases from such moderately-to-somewhat-well-known artists as: Sunny Day Real Estate, The Murder City Devils, The Shins, Iron and Wine, The Postal Service, Band of Horses, Flight of the Conchords, Fleet Foxes, Sleater-Kinney, Beach House, Washed Out, Shabazz Palaces, The Head and the Heart, Weyes Blood, Clipping, Suki Waterhouse and Father John Misty, among many other very talented and deserving artists whose managers will be contacting us shortly about inclusion in the preceding list. At Sub Pop Records, it is our intent to market and sell the recorded music (and related merchandise) of artists whose music some shifting definition of “we” really and truly love. We mean to represent these artists as faithfully and diligently as possible and hold out hope that this is enough for us to remain solvent in the face of the well-documented collapse of the music industry at large. We also enjoy laughter, good times and the company of friends.
Mega Mart 2 Possibly Asked Questions:
Q: What is the Sub Pop Mega Mart 2? A: It’s Sub Pop’s new online store, shipping from a warehouse based in the UK.
Q: Will this be less expensive for me? A: Maybe! Depends on where you live. But, why not check?
Q: Will there be different products available at MM2 vs MM? A: Sometimes, yes!
Q: Where should I shop, MM or MM2? A: Whichever you prefer!
Q: Wait… What is “MM” and “MM2”? A: “MM” is an abbreviation for “Mega Mart,” and “MM2” is an abbreviation for “Mega Mart 2,” both of which are web stores operated by Sub Pop Records.
Q: Don’t you have an actual MM2 FAQ? A: We do! Mega Mart 2 FAQ
Q: What if I have read these dumb “Possibly Asked Questions,” and also the actual MM2 FAQ and I still have questions? A: Try here: https://support.ochre.store/hc/en-us
Formed in 1986, The Hangmen immediately caught the eye of Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris, who began managing the band and produced the demos that landed them a deal with Capitol Records. In 1989 they released their self-titled debut produced by Vic Maile, (Motörhead, The Who “Live at Leeds”) before switching to the newly formed DGC Records whose roster included The Nymphs and Nirvana to name a few. That seemed like the perfect landing spot for the band, but unfortunately the Rob Younger (Radio Birdman) produced album Suicide Doors was never released and the band dissolved into addiction.
Not one to be down for long, a newly sober Small started writing again, the result was 2000’s Metallic I.O.U. released on the Los Angeles-based indie, Acetate Records. The Hangmen found a willing accomplice and partner in crime in label owner Rick Ballard, who produced their follow-up, We’ve Got Blood On The Toes Of Our Boots, a live recording of their OOP Capitol Records debut and 2019’s Cactusville. Tours with longtime fans Social Distortion and the Supersuckers followed. Mike Ness would later produce The Hangmen’s 2007 release In the City.“I totally feel like we’re kindred spirits,” Small says looking back, adding that both bands emphasize “simplicity, and doing what you do and staying true to that.”
In 2010, the popular Finnish record label Hype Records released Lost Rocks, an eighteen-song Hangmen retrospective. Shortly thereafter, former Supersucker Ron Heathmen joined the band for 2012’s critically acclaimed East Of Western. 2019 marked the release of Cactusville as well as a performance on legendary European television show, Rockpalast.
THE HANGMEN EUROPEAN TOUR 2023
13/09 WED PARIS, FR @ LA DAME DE CANTON
14/09 THU RENNES, FR @ LE NOKTAMBÜL
15/09 FRI St. GUILLES CROIX VIE FRI, FR @ ROCK THE SEA
Tyla’s second solo album ‘Libertine’, originally released in 1996, available on vinyl for the first time and strictly limited! Plus 2023 remastered CD with bonus demo tracks from the ‘Libertine’ era. The vinyl includes an exclusive art postcard set and poster signed by Tyla.
As he entered a brave new world post Dogs D’Amour under his own name he followed up the hugely impressive debut with ‘Libertine’ with a supeb set of accomplished tunes. I’m not sure hes ever bettered this album as a solo release and with th ebonus demos this is a must have release.
Dublin dream pop/indie rock quartet KEELEY, fronted by the enigmatic Keeley Moss, undertake their first ever UK tour in September with a short run of dates in support of their debut album “Floating Above Everything Else”.
The album has received amazing accolades in the UK and their native Ireland, and the limited edition Vinyl has sold out in all major indie record outlets since its release on June 30th. Keeley is also enjoying her first taste of US radio promotion with college stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia already spinning her album. She performed a brilliant solo-electric session at the legendary NYC station WFMU on August 9th where she treated listeners to an exclusive rendition of The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale”. https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/130577
The KEELEY live unit is currently Keeley Moss (Guitar, Vocals), Lukey Foxtrot (Bass), ex-Microdisney member Tom Fenner (Drums) and Marty Canavan (Keyboards). On the prospect of undertaking these dates Moss comments…”The prospect of my first extensive UK tour is something I find exhilarating. Being a consummate music fanatic with a very particular affinity with UK indie culture, touring England and Scotland is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. But that’s not even half the reason why this tour means so much to me.
Being a concept artist, the driving inspiration behind every song I write – murder victim Inga Maria Hauser – is central to my work. Undertaking this tour will enable me to connect with Inga’s inspiration in new ways, and in particular performing songs about her in three of the places she visited on the ill-fated backpacking trip (London, Bristol and Glasgow) that culminated in her brutal murder in Northern Ireland in 1988 is sure to be a profound and immersive experience, infusing the songs with an even deeper resonance. Furthermore, getting to perform in Manchester, the birthplace of many of my favourite bands, and Leeds, in the heart of West Yorkshire, my single favourite region in the UK, fills me with relish. This is more than a tour – it is the continuation and escalation of a singular sonic odyssey”.
“Moss’s love of 1980s and 1990s jangle and fuzz-pop (from the Smiths and The Stone Roses to Lush and Ride) is audible on standout ‘Seeing Everything’ and ‘Arrive Alive’, while ‘The Glitter and the Glue’ and ‘Forever’s Where You Are’ implant vim and bounce into the album’s prevailing pensive tone.”
The Irish Times
“Floating Above Everything Else’ is a gloriously captivating listen. The melodies are decisive. They pull you in and wrap you up in a gossamer blanket. Keeley Moss’ vocals are haunting but not sad; there is hope to them”
Sydney Northern Beaches’ very own hard-biting rockers C.O.F.F.I.N have announced their fifth full-length entitled ‘Australia Stops’, the highly anticipated follow-up to their monumental ‘Children In Finland Fighting In Norway’ album from 2020. Due for release this coming September 15th via Bad Vibrations in Europe, the new album comes off the back of the band’s tour with Amyl and the Sniffers in 2022, and their recent UK tour dates in May.
To come down from down under and C.O.F.F.I.N. how about some Glam stomping Rock n Roll from the Clone Band.
Vancouver’s CLONE have just announced the release of their latest single on ZeroTrophy Records with an accompanying video for the song “Queen.” CLONE is a lush rock ’n’ roll collage that fuses the sequined swagger of 70’s glam with the DIY gut punch of early punk and polishes it all off with the audacious vocals of contemporary pop. Familiar yet totally unique, CLONE revitalizes the glory days, reminding us what rock and roll is all about. Their new single “Queen” was inspired by Catherine the Great as well as many other powerful women of history. Written during the pandemic, the band binge watched shows like Game of Thrones and The Crown as well as documentaries about Catherine the Great for inspiration. Lead singer Juniper Watters explained, “This was my way of honoring those daring women who fought and won in a world dominated by men.” Watters says she is extremely inspired by drag culture and is a huge supporter of the drag community. She identifies as a bio queen and the single “Queen” is also a celebration of her drag character, “Rocket Science.”
The video for “Queen” was directed and edited by guitarist Kelly Zombor and lead singer Juniper Watters. The video focuses on the band performing in a featureless white environment with each member dressed in white while playing white instruments. This limited palate is juxtaposed against wildly colorful scenes of Rocket Science playing two different Queens: the Virgin Mary and the Red Queen. Zombor says of the process, “We are a DIY band. We built the main set in our garage at our home in Vancouver and based the entire video around it.” It was photographed by Zombor, with production, design and costumes all being created and handcrafted by Watters. The entire video took 4 months to finish and the band has been documenting the process from beginning to end with BTS Time lapse footage that they plan to release to show their process in making the video. “Queen” was recorded at The Warehouse Studios in Vancouver over 3 days, engineered by Eric Mosher and mixed by Kelly Zombor in March 2023.
MISFITS & MISTAKES: SINGLES, B-SIDES & STRAYS 2007-2023, OUT OCT 27th ON MERGE RECORDS
Superchunk announce Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-sides & Strays 2007–2023, their fourth singles compilation, a massive 4-LP or 2-CD collection covering their triumphant return from hiatus up to present day – it sees release Oct 27th via Merge Records. The amount of ground covered within its gorgeous packaging is staggering: 50 songs (16 of which are on physical media for the first time) sourced from out-of-print releases, digital singles, compilations, and more – a vital piece of the Superchunk canon. Accompanying the announcement is ‘Sunny Brixton‘, the b-side of UK-only 7-inch ‘Learned to Surf‘, originally released in 2011 by One Four Seven Records.
Of Misfits & Mistakes, Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan writes:
“This collection covers a lot of ground, from heavy touring years to a pandemic where we made singles and an album at home. One difference between this comp and our first three is that this time span completely falls in the digital age; the distance from a final mix to everyone hearing it is shorter than ever. I’ve always liked artists who are prolific—throwing out singles in between albums when you least expect it. A surprise release from your favorite band is one of the few things that can still bring a little excitement to what can seem like an endless deluge of “content” (puke). Hopefully the wild swings between lo & hi fi and originals and covers on this comp still allow for some coherence and, more importantly, convey what’s FUN about this punk rock thing.
“‘Sunny Brixton’ was about staying with our friend and soundman Joe Hickey when he lived in a group house in Brixton in the ‘90s; it’s all true.”
In the tradition of Superchunk singles compilations, Misfits & Mistakes houses non-album tracks, demos, and cover songs sourced from 7-inches, compilations, and previously internet-exclusive artifacts. Featuring extensive liner notes by McCaughan (with additional notes from Laura Ballance), the collection tells the story of each release, from why they chose to cover songs by The Misfits, The Cure, Destiny’s Child and Bananarama, to working with collaborators like Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go’s), Eleanor Friedberger, Damian Abraham (Fucked Up), Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley (Teenage Fanclub), and more!
Superchunk return to the road this autumn, touring the United States with Australian garage punk stalwarts Cable Ties before visiting the UK and EU for the first time since 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of On the Mouth.
UK/EU tour dates:
Nov 2nd | Berlin, DE – Lido Nov 3rd | Bielefeld, DE – Forum Nov 4th | Schorndorf, DE – Manufaktur Nov 5th | Bologna, IT – TPO Nov 6th | Zurich, CH – El Loka Nov 7th | Karlsruhe, DE – Jubez Nov 9th | London, UK – Bush Hall Nov 10th | Bristol, UK – Strange Brew Nov 11th | Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club Nov 12th | Manchester, UK – Night & Day Nov 13th | Brighton, UK – Concorde 2 Nov 15th | Haarlem, NL – Patronaat
Canadian sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD are celebrating 40 eventful years of existence in 2023 with a special Anniversary studio album entitled Morgöth Tales, released worldwide now via Century Media Records.
Upon release this week, Morgöth Tales has entered the official album sales charts in Germany at # 36 and in Switzerland at # 94. Congratulations!
To further support the album’s release and their 40th Anniversary, VOIVOD are now launching a new live video of the song “Thrashing Rage” recorded by the Rockpalast / WDR team at the band’s recent appearance at Germany’s Rock Hard Festival
VOIVOD drummer Michel “Away” Langevin checked in with the following comment about the clip: “At the end of the last USA tour in May, Rock Hard Festival asked Voïvod to fill in last minute for Discharge, who could not make it. We last played there in 2015 and love the outdoor amphitheater as well as the metal family atmosphere on the site and backstage. One of the highlights for me was watching Brian Downey’s Alive and Dangerous from the side of the stage. Here’s “Thrashing Rage”, a cut from our May 27th, 2023 Rock Hard Festival show, filmed by the legendary Rockpalast during our “Morgöth Tales” tour, which is not over yet! See you on the road soon…”
Italian punks SMALLTOWN TIGERS prowl into the UK next month for a handful of dates.
This will be the Rimini lasses first trip over here since they were invited to open The Damned’s ’76 reunion shows last Autumn. Since then they’ve supported the current Damned line-up on a European tour as well as recording their first full-length debut album due for release in February through Area Pirata. It follows on from their 8-track mini-album Five Things, which came out in 2020.
Recent Comments