From Soft to Hard

This is going to be a new regular "feature". When I buy an album on vinyl(maybe a CD (less likely) or a cassette) of something I already have digitally I will post it on here and take it off of my iPod. This is significant for me as I'll be able to fully enjoy those songs the way they are intended. I'm also going to post a bunch of stuff I have both vinyl and digital copies of just for fun.

I ordered the Krallice LP three weeks ago and was finally able to pay for and bring home today. If this was a CD I would have probably worn it out at work and in transit to and from. I've already posted a song by these guys and here's another one. It's a way faster song with all kinds of peaks throughout instead of a huge build up at the end like "Forgiveness In Rot". No matter what I'm doing, riding my bike, cleaning the house, or stabbing people in the chest this songs rising and falling crescendos never fails to pump me up. No fan of extreme metal will be able to resist head bobs and/or foot tapping. The vinyl copy of this sounds so raw which sort of clashes with the upbeat, shredding and severely epic songs on it. But this juxtaposition is very pleasing to me, the dichotomy of ugly and beautiful and there are so many happening in this track. The aggressive but melodic guitars; the smooth bass carving out grooves of bestial low end destruction.
On a related note I get to see Dysrhythmia Sunday night. I think I'm going to talk Colin Marston's head off about this band (maybe an interview?) and then I'll try to be that awesome guy to feed the band and let them stay at my house. Regardless, I'm stoked to see that dude doing what he loves with a rad band. I saw him in Behold...the Arctopus with Mouth of the Architect and Intronaut last year, and needless to say, that was sweet.

Krallice also has a new album coming out 11/10. I'm not going to do all the details, the internet press has them already. I'm sure it will be worth all the hype.

"Black as in evil and darkness."

Tuesday Song to Bong Rips To

Edit: I was a little bit TOO high when I wrote this and I will either delete it or re-write it at some point.

I've posted a Krallice song before, and here's another one. This is the second track off their self-titled LP from last year. This is a lot more straight forward than "Forgiveness In Rot". "Cnestorial" is fast. It has tempo shifts and full outright changes all the time. This song is filled with build ups and then peaking with epic, soaring passages. Listen to this first 70 seconds and you'll see what I mean. I could re-write my whole last post about just this song. It's upbeat, there's shredding, the vocals ache out the speakers and into my psyche. It's fast become my favourite song on here. I find it the most upbeat and energetic. I listen to this song every day when I ride my bike because it's perfect for such an activity. You get into a lull of peddling and them BAM you're rotating your legs like there's a pack wild Ettin chasing you down and you have no other choice than to move away as fast as fucking possible before the angry militia of two-headed monsters devours you alive.
So yeah, before I start getting repetitive, just download and enjoy. If it warrants, I'll also post the new song they have for the records coming out in November this year. I can't wait.


The lesser gods have taken their withered placement back from man.

Saturday Song to Do Bong Rips To

Since I have no interest in the either the 4th of July or it's fireworks here's something to actually get excited about.
I am very admittedly not a big fan of black metal. There's not much to it that's appealing beyond the fantastic monikers those guys use. A lot of the nuances that people love about it are the things that agitate my ears. Separately a lot of the single characteristics are things underground music fans strive to keep pure in their respective music selection; hyper fast blastbeats, tremelo picking, harsh or rough production from little to no budget, vast and epic atmosphere, etc. But when combined it makes for an auditory rectal hemorrhage and I just can't get into that. But somehow Krallice seem to pull it all off without being tedious. All the songs on their album are long, averaging ten minutes long, with the last being fifteen and half minutes. The little I know about most black metal tells me these guys should be playing atmospheric/symphonic black metal with copious amounts of samples and keyboards. And there should be like six guys in the band. However Krallice was recorded by the Bloody Panda drummer, and the guys from Orthelm and Behold...the Arctopus/Dysthermia on guitar and bass respectively so you know these guys are not fucking around with some pussy metal. This is soaring, vast, epic black metal with a good amount of old fashioned shredding, moving cymbal crashes and a very strange upbeat rhythm that will keep you moving your head or finger tapping until the music stops. For being a desolate and bleak form of music, this shit is very uplifting. It reminds me of a fast Mouth of the Architect from two states east or a distant cousin of Wolves In the Throne Room despite how many comparisons I see to early Burzum and Ulver. You can hear the New York element permeate from these guys. This isn't super techy/prog instrumental metal that you're used to hearing from these guys, it's the concrete jungle oozing out of wailed vocals and the airy cacophony that is their wall of sound. For every thousand band whose sound is razor thin, these guys have a full, rocking sound.



Solar winds breed laceration.