Like the long lost child of Jardin de la Croix. This Nova Scotia group dial down the metal elements of said group and focus on a much more experimental prog focused affair. At times incredibly busy and complex and other times fairly laid back but no less interesting. There's just not enough quality math prog out their and fewer even yet that can incorporate the metal element so seemlessly. Also would like to add for the record....mentioning Jardin in the first sentence of my little entry is a high honor as I feel they really exemplify the math metal genre to its fullest so highest praise sugar lips. This may not be as fun as blowing on a flaming lollipop but I can guarantee it tastes a whole lot better.
This ones been in the Que for a bit and its time to show some proper love because its just really great stuff. Koala Kamaji are a three piece from Russia that lay down some really wonderful instrumental prog math. Lots of high flying riff magic based in metal town but also the lurking addition of some funk elements via the bass. It sounds a lot better than your probably thinking in your head. Its certainly something to look into on this bright and blustery day.
Nashville sons The Prophet Nathan have thankfully dropped their newest release on us today. It's their first proper full length in a hot minute so it's been one I have been patiently waiting on. Since last time we heard them, they have added a bassist which has helped flesh out some of their songs a bit more. Hoping that this release proves to be the kick that these guys need because they are a pure treat and more people should be aware of their majesty. Alternative metal bent to the side while math rock hangs heavy. What I've always enjoyed was their use of space to either bring focus or to just dial back the speed a bit to focus on the vocals. Speaking of which the vocals are much more present and stronger towards the end of the disc which is certainly welcomed. Highly recommend this release to any man, woman or beast. Been listening to this on repeat all afternoon.
It's difficult for me to put into words the feeling that you get by being constantly blown away by incredibly talented and passionate bands, ones seen before and anticipated; high-fives, hugs, jumping, and dancing were pouring out of the wood work in Ithaca last night.
Buffalo's very own Del Paxton (ex-Beach Parade) opened the proceedings with their precision take on 90's emo with some math rock flirtations. For them being such a new group you'd be hard pressed to tell at all. Great use of vocals and occasional harmonies, which I'm always a sucker for. While not normally my genre of choice, it's a testament to the excellent songwriting and powerfully inspired kit work of these lovely gentleman that have me excited for their bright future. (video from the show)
Vasudeva (NJ) — in some sort of mind reading tactic — played my FAVORITE song of their's off 2011's Roots of the Tree, "Back to the Feeding Ground". It honest-to-christmas-christ took me a full 45 seconds to recover after being blasted by such a lush and full sound in that wonderful basement. Huge amount of energy and tons of fun to watch. If you're not familiar, soundwise we're talking busy instrumental post-math with lots of glorious tapping. Wasn't super familiar with their new material, but just like their last release there are a large amount of melodic leads and impossible tapping passages with powerful drums. (video from the show)
Hailing from Montreal came Gulfer, who have been on my radar since their split with the lovely Fago Sepia. Hugely excited to finally see them in action and there was no disappointment at all — faaaaar from it. Math rock at its finest to be frank. Tight turns were navigated deftly by bass and drums, while the guitar seemed split between clean strumming and knotty tap workouts. It's in the variety of their songwriting that I have always loved Gulfer. They show their strengths well, moving from jazz influence to indie rock to harder breakdowns, but always with a grounding sense that never brings you too far from them. It's technical for sure, but never makes you feel weighted down. (video from the show)
And lastly... Cattle Drums. Third time seeing them, and each and every time I am even more blown away than the last. It is no exaggeration: they are the band to beat in any genre right now. The level of emotional connection they bring is second to none. Why, you may be ask? Well, lyrically there is no comparison. Think spoken word stream of consciousness that is a mix of philosophical musings crossed with bathroom scrawlings that can be profound and anthemic in the same moment (sometimes tragically inane). While this is happening, guitarist Gulab Singh is laying down some of the rawest riffage I can think of in twenty-thirteen. Stopping and starting when needed and holding on to an especially awesome lick for exactly the right amount of time, followed closely by relentlessly busy drumming. A mutant mix of dirty punk, metal, math rock and indie rock. Either aspect by itself would be more than enough for two bands but smashed into one is like watching the opposite of a train wreck. It was a burner of a set for sure. (video from the show)
A large thank you to my good friend Bubba from Ithaca Underground who was instrumental in this coming together as well.
Something must be going on in the water up north because we are seeing a huge influx of Canadian groups these days. Me likey.
Any who this is a Toronto group that play a nice alternative bent instrumental math rock. Side elements are what set these guys apart however. There is this almost 90's sounding noise/metal element in the guitar aesthetic but on the whole there is a lot of interesting noodling for your brain to wrap around. The group description lists "improv" and I suppose in more of a live setting that would be more evident. If they mean theres some guitar solo's....hell yea theres a couple crammed in their and that certainly doesn't slow things down at all. The drums are always a "make it break it" affair for me so it comes as no shock within the first 12 seconds that everything is A-OK. They are just the right amount of complex without getting too heady. Really enjoying this as you should be too.
A promising French duo that doesn't fall into the typical pit falls of hard rock duo's. Metal, Math, Punk and good old fashioned RockNRoll blenderized for your listening pleasure.
There is just something so beautiful to me about the mix of post-hardcore with math rock. Consider adding in the mix some POP hooks and strong vocals...and...well you've got a group ready for just about anything.
Couteaux seem perfectly at home melting these riff heavy gems around a metal and post rock center. But talk is talk folks and the proof is certainly in this pudding. If its sounding great to you on paper I can assure you that you wont be let down by these guys in the least.
Three piece Megason hail from Tel Aviv, Israel and offer a pretty interesting math blend that everyone should be able to appreciate.
At the core this is some balls to the wall metal level biz with some old school grunge.
Dirty Math?
From the metal stand point you can be positive that there are atomic level guitar riffs being layed out thick. Math heads shouldn't worry too much as the twists completed by the drum and bass should be enough to stop you from dancing in 4/4...at least for too long :)
Vox are pretty front and center also which tend to air on the side of 90's. Not a bad thing as the amount of old and new school flavors mix very well with each other.
Side note: I miss that guitar tone. anyone else with me on that?
Curve ball coming right to your faces peeps. Ilya is a japanese group that plays a very singular style of music. Truthfully very little of it has to do with math rock... sue me. That does not mean it lacks in pure musical excellence. This stuff is a mix of classical music styled instrumentation, post-rock, metal and progressive math. The way these pieces fit together is the true star here because under less capable hands this could be an ugly ugly mess. HIGH REC's.
Ni! Its a two letter combo that must be yelled when you read it....and does a good job of describing these cats from France. This is math rock with a certain air of early prog keeping those edges nice and sharp. Speaking of sharp everything about these guys are blurted out or played in a staccato fashion yet still ultra groove tastic and able to turn on spare change. The chord choices deff. remind me of early 70's heyday prog rock but with a very metal attitude. As with everything I deem good enough to write about you cant really skip this one :)
Also would like to give a welcome to two of our newest:
Antonio - has been filling my ears with tasty math for awhile on our facebook page (which always has extra musical goodness btw) so we are treated to a more direct line to the awesome now that our Italian math rock correspondent is on the case!
Mother - Is another very active member of our facebook arm who also just so happens to be in a very delightful math rock group. Mother Night is certainly a group you folks should become familiar with, excellent stuff.
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)
Pure unfiltered full flavored....ugh..math rock yes math rock is what we have on tap this evening. After Franklinton DC's previous post of the excellent Arc and Sender it got me thinking:
Dark, Thoughtful, Exciting maybe something new as well... and then I remembered stumbling on L'viv.
See L'viv feature on guitar a previously posted fellow, Alexander Litinsk (A.M Overcast) Impressive considering that he easily shifts into a completely different ilk of math mayhem without nary a stumble.
These Canadians lay it on thick and heavy. You need not worry about fret tapping mumbo flumbo. This is some straight dish Math Metal riffage with some razor edges and dime dropping time shifts. The best I've heard in a good long time. Tempo is slow to mid range, which for modern math rock is a bit of a black sheep these days. This is not a negative however. The melodies are strong enough and the drums interesting enough to carry along the songs. Fantastic guitar tones also.
What this automatically reminded me of was some 90's type shizz in a great way. No vox by the way, you won't find yourself missing them either. This is a must have for everyone, in case you didn't catch that by the above nonsensical writing.
Why aren't you listening to this right this instant? Well I'd like to give the always mighty and powerful Siren Sound large ups on this one. Completely blind sided by this one. At its core this is some hammers to the floor big post-rock. What will hit you first is everything is loud and trying to kill you. math rock, progressive rock and metal abound as well as some nice ambient textures thrown in. Technical without having noses high in the air. Rock Solid
To say that I don't get out much to shows like I used to is a vast understatement so when I do it has to be something worthy of the scheduling shifting and lack of sleep it involves. Hi Donna Here was the only group I was unfamiliar with playing a rather short set of hard rock inspired instrumentals that were pretty easy going. Headliners Racebannon very much brought their A-game and showed us the many sides of their wierdo metal alt noise jams with Mike Anderson screaming like a crazed demon (thats a good thing)
Now onto Cattle Drums (commence gushing) Last time I saw these guys they were a 5 piece and playing songs from their deput ep "the boykisser sessions" and while i was impressed they seemed to still be trying to find a foothold in something concrete. They currently play with one less member these days and gained a new drummer. The results of which has seemingly allowed guitarist Gulab Singh to unleash his inner guitar god and lay down some seriously inspired riffs. math-rock meets alt punk with some delightful finger picking as well. Lets of course not forget about Sam Judd (vocals) as the rock is being layed down behind him he easily careens through poetic ramblings that have just the right amount of emotion and word play with the screams.
It should be noted as well that after their set Sam and Gulab completely at random layed down a nasty instrument cover of Converges "Cutter" As shown in the picture above. If that sounds completely out of place it honest to god wasn't at all. It's this kind of evolution and unpredictability that have me chomping at the bit for a full length...like yesterday.
Thanks to Bubba from Ithaca Underground for putting this on BTW :)
Our over sea's riff barons are back with their brand new math rock release Medium Bastard. It has everything you've come to expect larger than life riffs, face bending time changes, excellent production and what has always made them a favorite the "fun" factor. This time out there seems seems to be a larger division between the meaty metal influenced chaos and the more intricate fair which sometimes works in their favor. I still love the juxtaposition of the two going back and forth and on some they do just that. It feels like it has been forever since "critical meat" and its clear they have crafted a more involved song writing style. Thankfully as well you wont find any recycled riffs here. What I felt like with the last release was that only time would tell if these riffs would truly stick and I'm getting a good feeling that they will.
Following up on last month's Maudlin of the Well post, we've got the sudden release of Kayo Dot's latest full length, a partially live record of all new material that was recorded this past fall. Book-ended by a pair of beautiful "ballads", Gamma Knife contains some of the most blisteringly brutal fuck-your-face outer thought broadcasts that Kayo Dot's put to tape, full of raucous bass and guitar counterpoint punctuated by brass stabs and guttural screams. Fuck if I know what an "Ocellated God" is, but these jams are fierce and endearing.
The live material is a bit muddy, with the vocals buried amidst the madness, but the performance is great and they managed to achieve a fair bit of separation in the mix. When horns blaze high and mighty, you won't be thinking about what the man's singing anyway.
If you're gonna download it illegally anyway, just email me and I'll send you a download code so you can get the authorized version instead of having to go through some other asshole who uploaded it. In return, I get to put you on my mailinglist and also get to put your name on my voodoo list.
As is often the case, I don't know too much about these guys, but I first heard some of their tracks via Travis Orbin who had posted some videos of him recording drums to a couple tracks off this record. The band itself appears to primarily be a studio project for Hayato Imanishi, as he composes the material independently and then gathers various musicians to perform whatever instrumentation he doesn't feel like performing. Overall, the sound encompasses elements of post-hardcore, metal, and math-rock in a very polished form, with plenty of technical flourishes and half-time breakdowns, reminding me at times of equal parts Envy and Meshuggah. Definitely worth a listen if you enjoy harsh screams, chuggity-chugs, and twisting polyrhythms.
You can explore their entire catalog at their Bandcamp: Cyclamen
Brontide (definition)- A sound like distant thunder
This hotly anticipated outing by relative newcomers Brontide seems to be living up to expectations. An English trio dishing out an instrumental math rock sound that can be likened to a more energetic Russian Circles with a bit of Battles thrown in (think early Ep's). Theirs is a varied post rock approach set up in such a way that no songs become stale. The Obvious metal influences surface when the distortion is kicked on and it gets the job done pretty competently. What I believe to be the star lion tamer going on here though is when they actually buckle down with some looped guitars and up the melody factor. It allows the group more rhythmic freedom which they have a strong grasp of when they are in that mode. the Production is crystal clear which I am always thankful for. A small gripe is that it appears they never quite try to break the mold but it's seriously such a consistent and enjoyable album I can bet you twenty bones you'll never even notice.
Norwegian avant prog metal. Yes your right that could make it sound like anything really so here is the skinny. Heavy use of keyboards along side the guitars give it a more approachable nature but still guitars are heavy and everywhere. Vocals are varied and move from hushed creep outs to the typical metal screams. If you want to talk structure as this is progressive metal we are talking about here take out the metal elements and add a mess of horns (sax also crops up in this release) and youve got yourself a damn fine jazz record. I guess it shouldn't be surprising to know then that these gents used to be an acoustic jazz group. Oh and one last thing there's a pretty flipping awesome cover of King Crimsons "21st Century Schizoid Man" that is absolutely crushing.
Switching gears for a moment, Poughkeepsie, NY's "cybergrind" trio has certainly been a band to watch for awhile now. Melding elements of Metal, grindcore, electronic drums and ambient atmospherics its a unique group that knows how to mix the harsh with the strange industrial calm. Technical guitar with plenty of odd time changes thrown in. Lots of sampling but enough live instrumentation to augment this. Vocals run to the hardcore screaming variety but it fits the music well. Any fan of metal should check this out.
Like the long lost child of Jardin de la Croix. This Nova Scotia group dial down the metal elements of said group and focus on a much more experimental prog focused affair. At times incredibly busy and complex and other times fairly laid back but no less interesting. There's just not enough quality math prog out their and fewer even yet that can incorporate the metal element so seemlessly. Also would like to add for the record....mentioning Jardin in the first sentence of my little entry is a high honor as I feel they really exemplify the math metal genre to its fullest so highest praise sugar lips. This may not be as fun as blowing on a flaming lollipop but I can guarantee it tastes a whole lot better.
