Cloud Rat - Moksha

Cloud Rat's second LP, Moksha, is a fierce surge of melodically intertwined grindcore with nods aplenty to various influences. To allocate one particular influence would be futile as Cloud Rat mix everything from His Hero is Gone guitarwork, a tone owing to Sunlight Studios, a breath of shoegaze and even Neil Young with a cover of his "The Needle and the Damage Done." This rich mixture creates a unique buzz of grindcore that's as emotionally charged in its hooks as it is in its deeply personal lyrics and equally vehement performance by their singer Madison.

Opener "Inkblot" lures listeners in with an ethereal intro that's distant and unassuming. This calmness comes again in "Infinity Chasm" which showcases clean group vocals and clips of what sound like school children admist a slow and clean guitar/bass melody that builds up to a shoegazing explosion that really had me taken by surprise in the best way possible. Immediately I wanted to call this "shoegazecore"....but I thought I couldn't be that stupid. But, this is just another strength for the relatively young Michigan three piece; their ability to seamlessly blend influences and styles into an even and well grounded sound that's definitely punk in its heart.

As mentioned earlier, the band chooses to cover Neil Young. This is a bold thing to do for a grindcore band, and I'm going to assume most listeners will like it (because they seem to mix both world well), but it just doesn't do it for me. What does work for me are the fluid mixtures of riffs and sections, brutal and rough, to catchy and hummable, and vocals that will let you join in for a phrase or three. The riffing style, as mentioned earlier, has that momentous charge to it that HHIG skillfully employed yet has a buzzing fervor to it that adds a large dose of aggression.

"Inkblot" is one of those textbook examples of how to open an album, especially with that great refrain that pops up towards the end. "Peer to Peer" follows the same thread and the last song to incorporate vocals, "Vigil," is a punishing and dynamic track with a spoken part and powerful build up that would be a gift to hear live.

An album that I couldn't have anticipated or assumed to sound any which way, Moksha, does in fact feel like a spiritual release; something that few bands in grindcore are even close to doing.

Check out "Inkblot" over here.

Protestant - Reclamation

Milwaukee's hardest working band, Protestant, add another LP to their already expansive catalog of shadowy hardcore. Reclamation might be only 5 songs, but from the varied textures and attacks, it feels like an absolute journey. Songs gallop and blast, hook and swing, slow down to sheets of raging guitars and intertwined melodies and then all back again; this is Protestant in a nutshell.

Protestant, like a good beer or favorite meal, has a familiarity not without some spark here or there that makes you feel like you've discovered something new and great. This couldn't be more true with the album's opener "Home" which reminds me of their other album openers "Revenge" from Judgments and "Disbelief" from The Hate the Hallow yet shifts into new territory with an aggressive break toward the end.. A strong melodic hook bobs in and out of the song admist the voracious vocals and thundering drums serving as a textbook example at how to introduce an album.

Personal as ever, Protestant are one of the few bands that have lyrics worth reading and following as they are impassioned sparks of outrage. Unfortunately, at the time of this review, I have a promo copy without lyrics, but the strained ones that break through, such as in "Home," "Jan Palach," or "Unbecoming" are tectonic sifters and worthy of your best fist pump.

I like this LP a lot, it's got that dark melodic vibe that I'm looking for, but with "Jan Palach," it feels a bit more optimistic than previous releases. There's disgust and angst towards a myriad of issues, but "Jan Palach" differs in that it feels more positive because of its namesake and overall tone. I like this positive driving aspect as it's different kind of emotional tether to the band.

Without fault and full of momentum, Protestant offer up a short, but thorough and fulfilling album that's heavier and more meaty than previous efforts.

Negative Standards - VI​-​XI

Harsh, impassioned, and overall gloomy is how I'd sum up Negative Standards in one sentence. As for their latest effort, VI-XI, it is a brutal slab of Dystopia like gloom with a hardcore approach and nods to black metal and sludge.

There isn't one particular aspect about VI-XI that strikes me as the cornerstone to their sound and success, but rather the delivery of the album as a whole. To point out a riff here, a line of lyrics there, doesn't really do a thing as it's the soul crushing atmosphere of VI-XI that makes me come back for more.

Album opener "VI" illustrates the band perfectly as bits of harsh noise and lost screams give way to a driving d-beat and charnel scraping guitars only to collapse in a titanic down-tempo section that has the meatiest bass drums I've heard in awhile. Where the band really gets things rolling it's with "VIII;" a great snippet and snaking black metal section that leads its way to sludgy outro all in under 2 minutes. The band accomplishes similar feats throughout the album, blending the soul crushing attributes of sludge (I'm talking Moloch sludge here, not Down), the energy and urgency of hardcore and the melodic tendencies of black metal none being a better example than the finale "XI" which is easily the best track on the album.

While I really do enjoy this release, the vocals aren't my cup of tea. That modulated electronic screen has never done it for me. That being said, I guess they do fit and do not subtract much from the band's sound all that much.

This album's a must for people like me who enjoy the harsher and more pessimistic things in life.



2012
Vendetta Records

Protestant/Suffering Mind Split 6"

The long awaited Protestant / Suffering Mind split fails to disappoint as both bands offer 2 short tracks on this nifty orange 6" ep. Proudly boasting 100% DIY effort behind the release, the bands keep things fresh with the quality you'd come to expect from each.

It's an interesting pairing as Milwaukee's Protestant play a metallic infused style of hardcore that can jump from melodic, to aggressive, and everywhere in between whereas split mates Suffering Mind are probably the finest purveyors of straight ahead grindcore at this time. Obviously Protestant had this in mind as "Sheep in Wolves Clothing (Everyone with Dreadlocks is Stupid)*" clocks in at 35 seconds and is probably the grindist thing the band's done yet.  "No Peace" on the other hand fits right in with expectations as it's a driving freight train with a catchy refrain and awesome blastbeat jumps.

Suffering Mind seems to do their best to draw songs out as both slim out into a slower tempo rumble and the vocals completely take over. Those who've yet to listen to the band should pay keen attention to the dynamic delivery between both vocalists and the band's penchant for satisfying rhythms. Both bands incorporate a similar bare bones production that doesn't harm anything, and gives an old school vibe to both sides.

A great catalyst for those familiar with one, but not the other (Andrew I'm looking at you) or someone foreign to both. Limited to 666 as all cool things are.

Halo of Flies

2011

*A point of difference is the ep jacket doesn't include the knock on our dreaded friends, whereas the mp3s with the  download code provided does; I wonder what this is all about.

Protestant Preview

Milwaukee's Protestant power strong as they stay true to their name with a similar work ethic and a slew of upcomming releases. First, and almost ready, we have the Stalemate 10" loaded with 6 songs of metallic hardcore that shouldn't surprise followers of the band. In the not-so-far future we're promised a split with Poland's most important act Suffering Mind (prove me wrong) and another split with Maritime (I'm unsure as to which Maritime we're talking about... that'll become more clear the closer we are).

Cory, head of Halo of Flies, as well as guitarist/vocalist for the band was nice enough to send me a preview of the up coming 10". While I think The Antagonist and The Hate/The Hollow might be my favorite offerings from the band, the new material is nothing to scoff at. "Nothing Left" starts off with a battery of drums that quickly jumps into the cathartic flow of d-beats which set the back drop for the rest of the ep. The second half of the ep showcases my three favorite songs as well as a shift to a more melodic and driven sound. "Corners" and "Swindle" quickly became my two favorite songs as their reliance on simple melodic hooks intertwined in the thundering drums and bulldozer bass is right up my ally. The melodic hook amongst the sea of cymbal crashes and throaty growls that end "Corners" was the first thing that really struck me about the EP and made me replay it. "Swindle" ends a powerful strive of post-rockish gutiars strumming endlessly as some of the best/most fitting lyrics the band has put together come out.

lest we forget what we had

what we thought they did

lest we forget who'll we'll be

when we're sitting broken with all the rest

Maybe a thematic tie to one of my favorite songs off of Judgements, "Revenge," Protestant are at their best here. Beyond the simple, important fact that the songs are damn good, the production sounds amazing. This is the fullest, warmest, and most well rounded I've heard the band yet. Needless to say I'm very excited about all of this.

Worth it's weight in salt, gold, cash, or blood, Protestant thankfully show no signs of letting up. While I have no inkling as to what the two upcoming splits have in store, I can only hope that maybe a little Polish influence can be instilled on these vehement hardcore dudes.

Catch them on a brief  run over the West Coast that can be looked up here when details become announced.


Protestant at The Borg Ward (1/13/11) from Bullart. on Vimeo.

Battles in the NORTHLESS

Beer capital doomernuaghts Northless set off on a anti-confederacy tour beginning this Saturday in Indianapolis, and moving its way through Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, and  ending with two shows in Illinois on the 20th. I hoep to catch at least one of the shows in NYC (and I'll be sure to post some dribble here).




If you haven't checked out their most recent release, a slickly produced titan of a record released through our friends at Gilead Media, Clandestine Abuse, you're missing out. Having found itself featured in Maximum Rock and Roll, Metal Sucks, Decibel Magazine, A.V. Club Milwaukee, Northless seem to have gotten around quite well (and rightfully so). More important than any reviews, hype or anything else worthless; they got a burger named after themselves. Take that!

Look forward to a CD release of Clandestine Abuse soon from Siege of Power, especially if that heavy DLP was just too much for your non-burger eating arms. And if it wasn't, Halo of Flies is repressing that fatty for you.

Here are the dates

Saturday Aug 13 - 9:00pm

Indianapolis, IN - The Dojo

Sunday Aug 14 - 7:00pm

Philadelphia, PA - The Olive Garden - w/ Bubonic Bear, Callous and Mollusk

Monday Aug 15 - 8:30pm

NYC - Lit Lounge - w/ Mortals, Demilitia

Tuesday Aug 16 - 9:00pm

Brooklyn, NY - The Charleston - w/ TBA

Wednesday Aug 17 - 9:00pm

Wallingford, CT - Cherry St. Station - w/ Victims (SWE), Misanthropic Noise, Katahdin and Krakatoa

Thursday Aug 18 - 9:00pm

Albany, NY - Valentine's - w/ Planet Eater and Maggot Brain

Friday Aug 19 - 9:00pm

Columbus, OH - The Ravari Room - w/ Before The Eyewall

Saturday Aug 20 - 4:00pm

Chicago, IL - Reckless Records Instore

Saturday Aug 20 - 9:00pm

Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge - w/ Hunters, Coffinworm

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