Black Breath- Slaves Beyond Death

Artist: Black Breath

Album: Slaves Beyond Death

Record Label: Southern Lord

Release Date: 24/9/2015

Masterful Seattle crossover quintet strike a deathly blow once again with their longest, darkest album to date

When Black Breath released their second album 'Sentenced To Life' in 2012, the metal community seemed to find it's new favourite to perpetuate the crusty, filthy thrash/hardcore hybrid that Southern Lord have been particularly prolific in pushing in recent times. One of the gnarliest, grooviest heavy records of the last few years, 'Sentenced...' was a no holds barred 35-minute spasm that put even the likes of later-era Slayer to shame. 

Which may be why 'Slaves Beyond Death' has received a somewhat reserved reception by comparison. Their longest and grimmest album to date, the Seattle quintet replace 3-minute ragers with 5 or 6 minute bull-dozers, atmospherics and more sludgy, mid-paced heavyweights. Having said that, this album contains the most cohesive song-writing of any Black Breath album to date and is actually a rather masterful piece of art for it. 

The extended, hulking riff-o-rama that kicks off 'Pleasure, Pain, Disease' finds them in characteristically filthy form, and the infectious BM tremolo picking-meets D-Beat crust crossover immediately adds another string to their bow. The blood-pumpingly triumphant 'Reaping Flesh' near perfectly marries death 'n'roll with darkly anthemic sludge. Rarely do the longer form tracks out-stay their welcome, particularly via the bleak savagery of 'Arc of Violence' and the epic story-telling on 'A Place of Insane Cruelty'. 

With only penultimate track 'Burning Hate' failing to add much diversity in to the equation, Black Breath have produced a macabre sentinel that strays just far enough from their favoured blue-print to expand their song-writing and stay refreshing, but remains close enough to home to include all the electrifying, primal ingredients. That's a hat-trick for them and a hat-trick for heavy metal consistency. 

8/10

Key Tracks: Reaping Flesh, Arc of Violence, A Place of Insane Cruelty

For Fans of: Dismember, Trap Them, High On Fire

HEAR NOW: Kendrick Lamar/ J.Cole- Black Friday

Image Credit: laurent.breillat flickr

In accordance with this year's Black Friday event, MC's Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole decided to do a switch up and write a rap/free-style for a beat selected from each other's back catalogue. Lamar chose J.Cole's eerie 'A Tale of 2 Cities' beat, produced by Vinyls on his 2014 album '2014 Forest Hills Drive'. Cole chose Kendrick's trap/jazz fusion track 'Alright' for his version, produced by Williams & Sounwave for Lamar's celebrated 'To Pimp A Butterfly', which dropped earlier this year. 

In the vain of previous singles like 'King Kunte' and 'Backseat Freestyle', 'Black Friday' finds Lamar in less introspective and slightly more braggadocious, shallow guise as he raps lyrics like "I'm yelling vote Kanye West for president, he'll probably let me get some head in the residence". Just like those previous singles however, there are hints splattered here and there with the literary genius that his full-lengths expose in abundance. It's almost exactly what one would expect from Lamar, complete with super-fast flows and ability. 

Image Credit: DeShaun Craddock flickr 

J.Cole's variation of 'Black Friday' sees him rapping with slightly more energy and fire than has previously been expected. He sounds disenfranchised as he spits "Fuck you know about my pain?" and more direct jibes like "no snakes in the grass 'cause I mowed it N*gga". He ends the track tentatively indeed, as he rasps "This February shit gon' get scary when I drop-" before he's cut out by a long, high pitched bleep. If there is a new J.Cole project arriving shortly then here's to hoping we see more of this vitriol within the tracklisting.

You can hear both Kendrick and J. Cole's versions of 'Black Friday' below.

HEAR NOW: Foals- Give It All (Clint Mansell Remix)

'Give It All' is the latest song from Foals' excellent album 'What Went Down' (released earlier this year) to be released as a single, and this week a stunning treat emerged from the Foals camp after legendary composer Clint Mansell gave it the re-work treatment. Extending the track into an 8 minute ambient soundscape, Mansell's renowned understanding of dynamics and scope is at full strength here even without the backing of an orchestra. Stripping away almost all of the vocals, Mansell leaves in their wake washes of synth, distant bleeps and mournful, glacial one-fingered piano melodies. This is the sound of the world being washed away, unstoppable in its motion and all the more beautiful for it. 

You can listen to the gorgeous adaptation via The Fader here.

Image Credit: Alyse & Remi Flickr

 

Idles- Meat EP

Artist: Idles

Album: Meat EP

Record Label: Self- released

Release Date: 30/10/2015

Bristol post-punkers Idles marry occasionally brilliant song-writing with pure and honest authenticity on their debut EP

As with most genre revivals, authenticity is usually one of the highest-scoring cards played by naysayers. In the case of the resurfacing of post-punk in recent years, it's been almost too easy to join that chorus, but bands like Crystal Stilts and more recently Spectres certainly seem to have an elemental understanding of what they're creating in relation to their predecessors. Bristol-based band Idles safely fall in to that category as well; 'Meat', their debut four track EP, both sounds like it was recorded by disenfranchised youth in a garage on a slow summer's day and wears a deep love of its music on its sleeve. 

Diversity isn't always imperative if an artist is good at what they do, and sometimes Idles' song-writing is so well crafted here that it matters next to nothing that you can easily pin-point their influences. Opener 'Queens' straddles the line between blood-pumping '70s UK punk and grinding shoegaze, complete with Rage Against the Machine references and dark, Nick Cave-esque thoughts like "I dream of burying you in a forest". 'Romantic Gestures' brings in dense guitar harmonics that recall a more clean-cut My Bloody Valentine at their most stratospheric. Closer 'Nice Man' is perhaps the most bitter moment here, propelled by dark, grimy countenance and bleak wit; "Is that what you'll tell your kids? That he's only violent when he's wasted?"

The real winning thing about 'Meat' is that not only does it sound pure and honest but it feels like there's a deeply set vision within the band. There's a sense that although their aesthetic is nothing new, there's plenty more scope and ideas for a full-length simmering. These days, that's just about all you can ask for from a young guitar band. 

7/10

Key Tracks: Queens, Nice Man

For Fans Of: Wire, The Buzzcocks

HEAR NOW: NEVERMEN- Mr. Mistake

NEVERMEN, the super-group comprised of TV on the Radio's Tunde Adepimbe, Faith No More's Mike Patton and rapper Doseone, have dropped a new track entitled 'Mr. Mistake'. It's a rather absurd, acid-drenched skronk a la Animal Collective that also manages to be pleasantly tuneful, gibing an insight into the slightly visionary grasp all of these musicians have on song-writing. There's also perhaps a political undercurrent beneath the outlandish-ness between lyrics like "if it's between give and take, you take take take..." and ruminations of a "nuclear winter". You can stream the track via Youtube here.

The band have also announced their self-titled debut full-length LP, which is due to hit shelves on January 29th via Ipecac Recordings. This track follows on from the lead-off single released earlier this year, 'Tough Towns'.

Image Credit: Peter Hinson via Stereogum.

HEAR NOW: Glassjaw- New White Extremity

Post-Hardcore heroes Glassjaw have returned with what looks to be the first airing of material from their first studio album since 2002's celebrated 'Worship & Tribute'. Since that album, Glassjaw have released a random splattering of EPs every now and again, but in 2012 front man Daryl Palumbo told Kerrang! that full-length records and the album/tour cycle were "becoming irrelevant". However, when NPR premiered the new track, 'New White Extremity', on December 1st it was accompanied by a statement that promised "a new, as-yet-untitled record, with no release date, no label information and no band line-up other than founding guitarist Justin Beck". While the band are (perhaps intentionally) keeping a barrier of ambiguity between fans and any actual information about new material, Palumbo did say of the new track that it was "The sound of walking out your front door". 

And what a sound that is. 'New White Extremity' is powerful not just because it's a furious, noisy, groove-ridden and bitter sounding sucker punch to the gut, but it SOUNDS like old-school Glassjaw. What is perhaps even more promising is that it sounds like Glassjaw not in a nostalgic sense, but as a refreshing, revitalised and polished unit in 2015. In a world where comebacks are more opinion splitting than perhaps they ever have been, to hear Glassjaw return without even a whiff of insecurity is a beautiful thing. It contains all the melody, cohesion and yet spazzy abandon that their two full-lengths had in spades. 

You can stream the track via Soundcloud by clicking on the link below. 

https://soundcloud.com/officialglassjaw/newwhiteextremity-1

HEAR NOW: Turbonegro- Hot For Nietzsche

Oslo party-starting rockers Turbonegro have always been the purist of rock stars. Never ones to be thrust into the mainstream rock limelight (probably due to, you know, THAT name choice), their cult following has been built on a basis of fist-pumping anthems and an excess-centric aesthetic that almost anybody with a passion for rock music and drinking can relate to. 

It will come as no surprise to the aforementioned senechaux that 'Hot For Nietzsche', their new single, panders to that aesthetic in beautiful fashion. It's full to the brim with shit-grinning cheesily catchy AC/DC-esque riffing and lyrics like "if this weekend doesn't kill me it'll only make me stronger" and a chorus that sounds sort of like Elvis Costello covering 'Bohemian Like You' by The Dandy Warhols. 

Watch the video for 'Hot For Nietzsche' via the link below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_GQK_eCNf8