Give Zombies The Vote- Dominions (2012)

I have a bunch of friends, and some of these friends play music; for some they play music as just a hobby, for others because its fun to get together with likeminded friends and make up songs and stories together, and for a lucky few, they play music because they have found a tight group of pals to seriously spend the time to produce the music they love together. Two of my oldest and best friends have been playing together since high school; they were called Teabag back then, and remained together through times of separation and hiatuses. They are a solid core that always worked very well at writing songs with each other. These friends are Shaun and Clayton, singer/guitarist and lead guitarist for Give Zombies The Vote. Although I wasn't very close with their drummer Jim until recently (who has also been a member of the band since its genesis), they have been a trio for as long as I can remember, and they have always had a unique connection in their skills at coming up with super badass metal songs together. Now, its time to celebrate.

Give Zombies The Vote has at last released the proper debut it deserves. Dominions serves as a mix of greatest songwriting accomplishments/ new badassery, showcasing all of their finely tuned melodic death metal skills as a cohesive unit. They are darned tight. I have played a lot of music with Clayton over many years, and this dude is a serious guitarist. He is at his best on this album, kicking out so many tasty licks and tight solos throughout its tracks; I've also played music with Shaun since always; he is a singer and guitarist who is incredibly diverse in a variety of styles of vocals and has the skills to play a tasty groove on guitar while he belts out the lyrics, utilizing melodic harmonies in his verses and choruses; Jim, he is just insane. His powerhouse techniques in solid skill and timing work as a perfect backbone to the madness at hand. In the last year or two they have added a new bassist who I still have yet to meet; I do know that they were very happy to find him, and that he rocks the hell out on this album.

Enough of the history lesson on our personal relationship: meat and potatoes time. After listening to this album a bunch since it was given to me, I feel like they are at their best in the title track, Dominions, which is also one of their most recently written songs. The album kicks off with a bang and doesn't let up; its balls to the wall fist pumping metal. The title track comes in after a string of five songs, including a personal favorite, Corpsicle, which includes the awesome line "this road is made of dudes!"; the song begins typically enough for an album full of nastiness- badass licks, drum lines and vocals- but after a ripping solo finishes up at 2:50, a new taptastic math section begins. This section and the ensuing awesomeness is, to me, a high point in their songwriting together. It is fucking badass. So tight; reminds me of Ebu Gogo and Toe with a giant helping of In Flames and Tool. Check it:



Also, theres this: a video they threw together with the help of Anthony Jarvis as they were recording the album. Its a neat little ditty, and rings in at track 3 on Dominions:

Congratulations guys, this stuff is awesome.

Dominions (bandcamp)

Monomer- Ranger Wars (2011)

I just reunited with a childhood friend who I had lost contact with many years ago; in that time he went to Berklee and learned some fucking tricks. Acey, check this shit immediately; It is so completely your thing, and everyone here at the Swords for that matter; legit videogame soundtrack action. Immediate download.

Ebu Gogo- Worlds (2008)

OK ya'll. This one is a fucking godsend if you are unfamiliar. So, the Swords are renowned for Acerolas fantastic tastes and knowledge of all that is math rock, but so far in our coverage of all that is badass, Ebu Gogo has escaped our radar. And it is easy to forgive: the epic trio of Justin, Gavin and Brendan (all original members of the futurerock band Gruvis Malt), upon reaching a permanent hiatus with the band they formed as teenagers, decided to get together as a trio and write music that went back to their roots. What inspired them as musicians? What did they love to listen to, and what musical themes made practicing a fun exercise, instead of the soul-crushing perfectionism that came with a major labels demands? They found that release in Ebu Gogo, a band dedicated to oldschool videogame soundtracks, 80s movies and classical motifs. The results were staggering. Their two albums, Chase Scenes 1-14, and their follow-up, 2008s Worlds, are epic instrumental albums of insane musicianship, melodically intertwined bass, drums and keyboard that shine in all dimensions.

Chase Scenes was a hell of a debut, but in Worlds, they found a flowing videogame theme that made the album something special. There are recurring themes, such as the four part Waterworld suite that spans across the album; nods to the always appreciated Training Montage from countless 80s classics, and the wonder that is H.U.G.S.

Besides H.U.G.S., nothing says Ebu Gogo better than British Knights in Miami, which has one of the most badass breakdowns of all time. Oh god do i love how the drum and bass respond to Gavins keyboards at about 1:13. That shit is just the tightest breakdown of all time. Enjoy, bitches.

British Knights in Miami by ninko

worlds

metaghostin' Vol. VI - Doxylamine Daze

Doxylamine Daze - ~30'00"
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For the past two weeks I've had this goddamn cold that just won't go away, feeling like a plague-ridden toddler, spreading disease everywhere I go.

Thankfully, we got legal drugs that get you high as shit to help you sleep when your brain is corrupted with mucus and your lungs are just freaking out all the time.

This mix is dedicated to Nyquil Liquigel capsules, giving me dem 9 hours I crave.
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1. Bad Dudes - "Eat Drugs" / Eat Drugs

I wanna do drugs, I wanna do drugs, but I'm afraid of drugs. (Na nana naa naa)

2. Ebu Gogo - "Never Ending Hole" / Chase Scenes 1-13

We done an Ebu Gogo post yet? Y'all know I love deez dudes. Sometimes their awesomeness makes it hard to appreciate similar but less awesome bands. Like that time Acey tried to get me to listen to Adebisi Shank and I was all "FUCK DEEZ DUDES EBU GOGO BE SHITTIN IN DEY MOUF!"

True story.

3. Enslaved - "Giants" / Axioma Ethica Odini

I haven't been a legit metal-loving dude for very long, and metal in its various forms only takes up a marginal part of my library, but these guys were one of the first metal bands that I could really dig. They aren't especially mind-blowing from any perspective, but the production is super slick and they just got dat craft.

4. Jardín de la Croix - "Synaesthesia" / Pomeroy

Acey just dropped a slick post about their most recent jam, Ocean Cosmonauts, that brought these guys to my attention. I thought this was an interesting track because whether they would admit it or not, the King Crimson influence on math/progressive can be witnessed in full force here. Mega-heavy Discipline vibes.

5. Make Believe - "Television Cemetary" / Shock of Being

Kinda surprised we haven't had a Make Believe post yet, but I suppose they're one of the lesser Kinsella bands with a couple very uneven releases. But Sam Zurich was really showing his ass on these riffs and the rest of the band ain't no chumps.

6. Mastodon - "Aqua Dementia" / Leviathan

Acey and I once had a short talk about whether Mastodon is metal or just modern hard rock. Obviously classification doesn't really matter, even though we do it all the time, but sometimes I wonder if a big part of why someone might think Mastodon is "hard rock" is because of how so much of their sound is built from this crazy southern-fried blues framework that just gets hella sped up and crunchy.

7. sunn O))) + Boris - "Akuma no Kuma" / Altar

Sippin' on some sizzurp.