Oh shit, I forgot it's Cinco de Mayo

Here's a picture of a cool looking bottle of tequila.

I didn't know what else to say, sorry. Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone.

-BK

Evile (finally) announce details on new album

Alright kiddies, after months of waiting, the British modern thrash champions Evile have finally released the skinny on their newest full length. The album will be called The Five Serpents' Teeth, and is set to drop on August 29th via Earache Records. Guitarists Matt and Ol Drake both seem very excited about the new album, saying "The past two years of hard work, and the work put in in the studio, have really paid off.  The few people who've heard the album so far have praised it highly, making me, and us, very proud.  The album has such a unique production sound which surprised me; Russ' (Russel, producer) skills have really shined on this record.  It has an old classic sound, while staying huge and menacing". Sounds good enough for me, but if it's not for you Matt also recorded a video where he explains the new album and its concepts, which can be seen over yonder. If The Five Serpents' Teeth is anything like Evile's last two albums, then you'll definitely want to pick this one up, because this band really is at the forefront of the modern thrash movement. Expect lots of windmill-induced headaches and whiplash at the end of August, my friends. Stay tuned and stay brutal.


-BK

So I guess Within the Ruins are playing Summer Slaughter too

Well, shit. I was really hoping for something better than this, but at least now we finally know the full lineup for this year's Summer Slaughter. Earlier today, Metal Injection announced that the Sumeriancore posterboys Within the Ruins somehow won the poll for the opening slot of the Summer Slaughter Tour, alongside The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Six Feet Under, Dying Fetus, Fleshgod Apocalypse and more. Don't get me wrong, Within the Ruins are talented and all, but they get old fast, and you know as well as I do that they ain't shit compared to all the other not-boring bands that I just mentioned. It just goes to show ya, metal these days is pretty much just a popularity contest, but at least there are plenty of other badass bands on the bill to counter the breakdowns. Check out the tour dates here, and be prepared to deal with a lot of douchebags for short periods of time at the shows, because I can already tell that's what's going to happen, just like last year. And the year before that... and the year before that. Oh well, I'm sure you can handle yourself. Take care everyone.

-BK

Album Review: Short Bus Pile Up - Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery

For the love of all that is brutal this album is good. I had heard from a friend or two that is was one of the best releases of last year, and after listening through it multiple times I wouldn't say they were incorrect, because this is in fact a fantastic album. Hailing from Fredericksburg, VA, Short Bus Pile Up play a mix of brutal death metal and slam, and they blend the genres with shocking fluidity. One moment it'll sound like I'm listening to some new Cannibal Corpse, then the next minute I feel like I'm listening to Abominable Putridity. This isn't a bad thing, however, because as previously mentioned, the blending of the styles is very smooth and nothing ever feels tacked on.

Then there are the instruments, all of which do a great job for the most part. As is to be expected, the bass is nearly inaudible, but I'm pretty much used to that being the case with most heavy music. I would have really liked more of an emphasis on the bass, because if used correctly it can make a slam band sound much heavier than it would be without, but what can ya do? The guitars play brilliantly placed chromatic riffs that sound unbelievably heavy at points and never let up. The drums however are the prized jewel of the band. Some drum parts are ridiculously fast and intricate, like the blast beats in "Urethral Myaisis," while some parts are slow, yet brutal enough to keep the slams nice and heavy.

And the slams, oh the slams. I haven't heard a band that uses slams so intelligently since Abominable Putridity. It never feels like the songs revolve around them, but there are plenty to go around to keep you headbanging. It is easy to lose track of which song you're listening to however, which is my other problem with the album. A lot of the tracks sound eerily similar to each other on the surface, and unless one is listening very closely it's easy to get lost.

The two qualms I have with this album shouldn't be an invitation to ignore it however. Repulsive Display of Human Upholstery is an extremely solid release from an up-and-coming band that you need to keep an eye out for. Definitely one of the top releases of 2010.

8/10

Last but not least, new album & song from The Black Dahlia Murder

Alright guys, before you head off to enjoy your weekend, we have one more piece of news to get through. Earlier today, the Detroit death metal stars The Black Dahlia Murder finally lifted the veil on their newest full length, simply titled Ritual. The album, mixed by none other than Jason Suecof, seems to focus heavily on occult imagery and (you guessed it) rituals, so at least concept-wise this is set to be TBDM's creepiest album yet. Ritual will hit shelves on June 21st via Metal Blade Records, but luckily the band saw fit to give us a taste of the new tunes to keep us happy until then, in the form of a new song called "Moonlight Equilibrium". Check it out below.

http://www.metalblade.com/bdm/
Their frontman (and one of my personal heroes) Trevor Strnad describes the music as similar to what they did with 2009's Deflorate, but with a more organic production value and more input from their newest member, lead guitarist Ryan Knight. And I must say, after listening to it I have to agree. It has all the atmosphere and catchiness of their last album, but with a somewhat more simplistic production approach, like Unhallowed and Miasma. I still think it sounds a bit thin, but this is also just my first impression of one brand new song on an album of twelve, so I'll reserve my final judgment for when the album comes out. I'm still giddy as a schoolgirl regardless, and I hope to hear them play this and more new songs on this year's Summer Slaughter.

Right-o, that's all for today, have a great weekend everybody. Stay safe, and stay brutal.
-BK

New Origin song

I don't think this has anything to do with the new album, but look how fucking cool it is!

Holy shit-fuck Batman, there's no way it's already Friday again. Seriously, I feel like I just wrapped up last week's Friday post, then took a weed nap and woke up to do this one. But regardless, it is indeed Friday, but before we go we have a couple juicy little tidbits to help you start your weekend off right. First up is a brand new song from the highly anticipated upcoming album from Origin, called "Explosion of Fury". And in case you didn't guess, it's just as crazy fast and sweet as any other song the band has put forth; basically the title describes it perfectly. I'll be honest, I think it lacks some of the beefiness of their last album, but there's more actual soloing going on, and their new vocalist Jason Keyser (Mucopus, ex-Skinless) is much more diverse than James Lee, so it all balances out nicely. I mean come on, it's fucking Origin, they don't know how to be not good. Head on over to their Facebook page to check out the new song, as well as their tour dates with Hate Eternal, Vital Remains and Abysmal Dawn this summer. The new album Entity will be available on June 7th via Nuclear Blast Records, and if the rest of the songs are like this (or better, you never know with these dudes) then it will definitely be worth our while to say the least. Stay tuned, there's more to come.

-BK

Underground Band of the Day: Bitterness Exhumed

So we received an email from a friend of a member of Massacre the Wasteland pointing us in the direction of his band, Bitterness Exhumed. Now, I'm not as much of a fan of this band as I am of Massacre the Wasteland, but they definitely are worth a listen. One thing that might be a deterrent for a lot of people is the hardcore style the band takes. Just take a listen for yourself on the band's Bandcamp page. The vocal style is distinctly hardcore, but it's not too "tough guy" to make it unlistenable. Also, I'm really digging the song structure and production, both of which are top notch. The only real problems I have are the gang chants that are scattered throughout the songs, the effects on the vocals here and there, and the presence of of breakdowns. Now, breakdowns aren't all that bad if used in moderation, and since there's only one in the first song it's done pretty tastily, so I can't really complain.

All in all, Bitterness Exhumed is pretty rad band. Their debut should be coming out in the coming months on Ecocentric records, and I advise you check it out. It also wouldn't hurt to support the band on facebook, where you can listen to three of their songs as well... I know I will.