Intestine Baalism- Ultimate Instinct

I just saw this band last night at Koiwa Death Fest. I'd been waiting this whole year living in Tokyo for a chance to catch them live and they did not disappoint. Intestine Baalism are a melodic death metal band from Tokyo. I've been following them for some years now and even though they are pretty obscure, I came across them long before other better known Japanese bands like Gauze or Disclose. Melodic death metal is a hard sell to most, and to be honest my first impression of them was death metal meets DanceDance Revolution. But that's just what happens when you have such an original amalgamation of sound- you struggle to equate it to something familiar which it is not. On the other hand, they're not the typical weird for weird's sake Japanese band.

Although they didn't have shirts or patches at the merch table, I got my hands on a limited press (300 copies) LP of Ultimate Instinct. "Banquet In The Darkness" was the first album I heard from them and it was a favorite for a long time, but I have to say they really perfected their craft on this release. The album shreds from start to finish- the riffs are very memorable and overall the songwriting is really solid. I got to meet the brains behind the madness, Seiji Kakuzaki after the show. Speaking with him gave me a sense for why this band is so hard to see or get information. He was very modest and reserved. The slow output and obscurity has nothing to do with elitism or trying to be cool and underground, but everything to do with his humble sensibilities. Anyways, check out the album, and try to see them or support them however you can.

Click image for DL

Autistic Youth

Sometimes you want to listen to melodic downbeat punk. Not cause you're necessarily bummed out, but sometimes you just want to fulfill your uppage of punx quota of the day.

Yeah, that was fucking awful.

Anyway, this is Autistic Youth. My friend Lisa told me about them when we were hanging out in Austin for Chaos over the summer. She said they were great and I should totally check them out. I'm really glad I did. I'm also really glad that I had the good sense not to pee on Lisa when she passed out in our hotel bathroom, sitting on the toliet with her head resting in the shower curtain. Fuck, people from Portland know how to goddamn party.

AY are doing the throwback to early 80s punk like the Adolescents or their hometown dudes, the Wipers. Check it:

The Secret - Solve Et Coagula

The Secret - Solve Et Coagula

I know Jack might hate it, but fuck it. This is a great record. Has a black metal vibe with notes of Trap Them and Converge. Dark, dirty and fast. Perfect.

How I'm Feeling Today

The Batallion - Head Up High

It's been a minute since this album dropped, but believe you me that I was trollin the nets for a leak. I can't tell you how stoked on this band I am. But like any good band, a few listens wouldn't do and I needed time to mull it over.

First off, how is it that everyone and their mother has heard of similar sounding bands like Inepsy (I mean Canada, really?), but every time I mention The Batallion I'm met with blank stares? Here's a Norwegian band that despite their credentials, seem to slide in under the radar and get almost no attention. You got guys from Old Funeral (!), Taake, and Borknagar among others. Now if you haven't heard all those bands, you need to go back to school and do your homework! This is a real super group if there ever was one. Born and bred black metalers, they've totally abandoned the scene (which gets stale by the minute) and traded in their chips for a more pure heavy metal Motorhead-worshipping sound. There are few bands who are able to recapture this sound without sounding like a cheesy caricature or totally disposable and redundant.

The thing you gotta love about super groups is their propensity to not give a fuck-all about what anyone thinks. They've been through the mill and have seen some shit. The fact that these veterans are still standing is a thing in of itself and a good super group knows not to devolve into a wank-fest circle jerk. Enter Head Up High's first track "Watch My Step"- the official middle finger in your face. It sets the tone for the whole album with a "Bang your head or get the fuck outta the way!" They know it's a sophomore album and people usually sweat that kinda thing, but they seem to not give a fuck about what anyone thinks. I like that in a band. I can't say this album's as good as their instant classic of a debut Stronghold Of Men, but it's definitely up there and there's something new I hear on each listen so far. Check them both out and decide for yourself.

Click Image for DL.

Nails - Unsilent Death

Nails - Unsilent Death

I know a lot of people are cumming all over the place over this band, but they're right. It's fucking great. Pissed loud and heavy.

Danava - Unonou 2008

Danava - Unonou

I saw Danava years ago in LA with Glass Candy. Their live show completely blew me away. Loud, riffy, spacey and weird. Weird is an understatement. At the time they didn't have much recorded, so I grabbed an LP of their previous endevour called Princess Sweepstakes. So when a rip of Danava's full length started rotating the nets, I had to put it up.

In short, it's proggy stoner metal. The kinda shit you wanna listen to while driving a T-Bird through the desert.

Kvelertak - S/T 2010

Kvelertak - S/T

Blackened Rock n Roll from Norway.

When Crust Punk Goes Baaaaaad.....

Kingdom

This is Kingdom with a song from their new record Hemeltraan. Someone should help me pronounce that. The record is decent from start to finish. Slow, droney metal that seems to be the talk of the town these days. I usually listen to this type of music while reading. It provides the atmosphere of a really, really, slow day and all you want to do is relax...

This video is weird.