I guess every day you learn something new. Apparently, the onomatopoeic term "djent" (referring to the high gain, trebly guitar tone popularized by Meshuggah) has come to represent a fast-rising subgenre of metal built on titanium 8-string grooves and calculating time signature manipulation. The Swedes in Vildhjarta forge their self-described "ambidjent" sound by throwing the double vocalist schizophrenia of SikTh and the glacial cleans of post-rock into the mix. Someone needs to sign these guys immediately.
The veteran post-rockers of Mogwai have returned with a beautiful new cut off of the upcoming, hilariously titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Check out this amazingly shot video for "How to Be a Werewolf" (I'm praying that that's not a Twilight reference). Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will drops January 18th.
Alas, Burstwere an awesome metal band. These Swedes broke up in 2009, but not before releasing their pummeling swan song Lazarus Bird. The best way to describe these guys: take the inventive time signatures of prog-rock, the intensity of death metal, and some post-rock shimmer, blend it up, and add some jazz sax, flamenco handclaps, and a lead vocalist who sounds like a 500 pound silverback gorilla being nettled with arrows.
Opener "I Hold Vertigo" is one of the standout tracks on Lazarus Bird, and it makes sure the band comes swinging out of the gate. A super catchy, one-chord riff that simply bounces anchors the track--there's no way you can restrain yourself from even nodding your head to the chug. Ambient clean sections in between only make it more glorious when Burst put the guitars back in high gear. Burst - "I Hold Vertigo"
Japanese experimental power trio Boris are bringing their in-the-red audio assault to North America on a rare headlining tour this summer with support from two noteworthy post-rock bands. Russian Circles will bring their dark, swirling maelstroms of guitar tapping and distorted bass to the east coast and midwest dates, and Red Sparowes open on the west coast and in Canada (read more about Red Sparowes at one of my previous posts). These are shows you don't want to miss; Boris puts on extremely intense live shows that cover everything from drone to noisy garage rock to shoegaze to stoner metal, and the openers are some of the biggest names in post-rock. See the full list of tour dates here and here.
Here's the video for "Statement," off of Boris's latest album, 2008's "Smile." I don't know why, but it's one of my favorite music videos ever. The whole thing is tinted orange, perhaps as an homage to the band's preferred Orange amps. Atsuo goes crazy on the drums, Wata shreds stoically, and frontman Takeshi just looks oh-so-cool with his doubleneck guitar/bass. Enjoy.
Post-rock outfit Red Sparowes are quite busy at the moment. Last week they released their third full-length album, "The Fear is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer." Though the Sparowes are no longer writing songs with titles of epic run-on proportions (see tracks like "a message of avarice rained down and carried us away into false dreams of endless riches"), these cuts are still filled with dramatic buildups and intertwining guitar lines. The streamlined song lengths also make this the most accessible Red Sparowes album yet. Check out "A Hail of Bombs" below.
For anyone in the Boston area, the Sparowes are hitting up The Middle East this Thursday. Support is provided by metal group Doomriders and rising indie-prog band Fang Island. It should be a varied auditory explosion of all-around awesomeness. For more Red Sparowes tour dates, check out their site.
Canadian post-rock OGs Godspeed You! Black Emperor have announced that they will be reuniting this year after seven years of hiatus and various side-projects. The band has lined up some European dates and is hitting up several undisclosed cities in the U.S. Hope that they bring their apocalyptic, swelling sounds to a town near you. I wouldn't miss a performance by the group that helped create an entire genre, influencing bands from Explosions in the Sky to Sigur Ros.
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I guess every day you learn something new. Apparently, the onomatopoeic term "djent" (referring to the high gain, trebly guitar tone popularized by Meshuggah) has come to represent a fast-rising subgenre of metal built on titanium 8-string grooves and calculating time signature manipulation. The Swedes in Vildhjarta forge their self-described "ambidjent" sound by throwing the double vocalist schizophrenia of SikTh and the glacial cleans of post-rock into the mix. Someone needs to sign these guys immediately.
