Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back to Week two of That's
Not Metal for twenty twenty six. We are here with
another edition of Hyperblast, our weekly news show where we
let you know everything that's been going on in the
world of rock, hardcore, heavy music, heavy metal over the
course of this year. It's still somewhat early days for
the year, but this week we do have a big
flood of new music. Actually that is predominantly what we're
going to be talking about today, but you know the drill,
let's get into it. My name is Pernhish. With me
across from me in week two of this is Sam
Dick Noon, Hey Sam.
Speaker 2: How do I'm good?
Speaker 3: I've spent my week watching mostly f YA videos and
clips from that festival, just like when the Big Hard
Professor kicked off in America, and just seeing hate breed
about barriers has got me like dying for it to
be someone already swag it to have my version of that.
Speaker 2: But yeah, hardcore looks cool.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Occasionally something from FYA, like I primarily think of the
Dying Fetus event from a year or two ago, kind
of breaks containment and goes around viral. I haven't really
seen anything come my way from you know, that end.
But I'm sure that was a grand old time. As
far as I'm concerned. This week has been you know,
it's the week where we have we've both paid a
visit to the Bone Temple. Yep, we've boned down in
the Bone Zone, and you know that is of interest
to us.
Speaker 4: Anyway.
Speaker 1: We have done our horror podcast episode about twenty eight
days later in the series so far before, but I
don't want to actually say any specific details because seeing
how it gets to that point is kind of the
surreal joy of it. But there is certainly something in
there that makes it why TNM not just TNEM does
horror relevant? That has I don't know, dominated my thoughts
for the last couple of days.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well again I'm trying to be as vague as
because I was avoiding all kind of like chatting and
so you say, And then when that scene happened and
I was like.
Speaker 2: Oh my god, this awesome.
Speaker 1: How have we got here as this you know sort
of you know, quite initially very stark, very serious, you know,
zombie post Apocalypse series has reached such a weird, like bizarre,
gonzo kind of point, and I have to say I'm
here for it.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 1: Eventually, some later down the line, we may you know,
go more.
Speaker 4: In depth about it.
Speaker 1: But that was an event of the week. But let
us get into our news for the week. And as
I said, I guess we have reached the point in
sort of mid January where we are having another rush
of kind of new album campaigns and stuff being kicked
off with album announcements and leads and the like. So
we are going to we're on depth talk about a
couple of them, but then there are even more albums
after that to you know, get the news out there
as well. First off, the one that we had most
explicitly been anticipating for quite a while now is.
Speaker 2: What I predicted last week, wasn't it as well?
Speaker 1: Yeah, right on que Is, we have news, concrete news
about Poison the Well's new album, which is to be
their first album since The Tropic Rot in two thousand
and nine, which preceded their initial breakup. So the first
post reunion, proper comeback Poison the Well album. It's called
Peace and Place. It's going to be out on March
to twentieth, and there is a lead single from this
called Thoroughbreds. The first thing that I checked past, you know,
getting a new song itself is I looked at the
track list and unless I am mistaken, trembling level, which
was the comeback poison Well single that we got at
the beginning of you know, Buring this time last year,
the beginning of twenty twenty five, is not on that
track list, and I was curious about that trembling level.
You know, we've had a year of it, listen to
it a good handful of times, seen it live of
course when they played here at the.
Speaker 4: End of last year.
Speaker 1: Really strong, very worthy of the legacy and the name,
I think, come back single. So you know, I was
curious to be on the album. I guess you know,
when when this comes out in March, that track will
have been like, you know, existed for like over a
year prior to that, so you know, I'm not mad
about them not including it on the album, but it
does have a level of like, Okay, what you have
on this album has to live up to, you know,
not just what you've done in the past before, but
also this you know, very strong already lead single that
you'd put out you know, the previous year. So we
do have an album in coming that is all totally
new material to us. We had that one great song
that sounded the claxon of the return, and now we
have more.
Speaker 4: Fresh new music.
Speaker 1: So as the first actual taste of the Poison the
World album, what do you make of Thoroughbreds?
Speaker 3: Well again, so like after Trembling, was like, right, so
it's not going to be they're not doing you know,
poison or like winding the clock back to nineteen ninety nine.
And then that so I was goind of like, Okay,
this is gonna be more in line with where they
left off. And obviously there are two albums you can
look at from that latter period of Poison the World,
and if they're gonna sound like that, you want it
to sound more like versions than don't you like Okay,
Like again, I don't think the Troubrot's a bad but
it is, you know, it's the worst Poison World album.
Speaker 2: But I was gonna expect they're gonna pick U from that.
Speaker 3: And when I am sort of thuds was like I
felt very just immediately confided at the sound of this album,
this track being like this is not like some regressive
like kind of like throw back to early metical sound
that like I love I will lap up and I'm
gonna shout out all the sorts off like that whenever
I can. But it's nicely Poisonoul kind of like pick
up where they kind of left off but refine it
and kind of bring a new strength to it. I
think this song is is really great in that kind
of like western tinge like medical thing they were doing
on like moments on versions.
Speaker 2: I think it's really cool.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because what you were just saying there about you
know poison well, their earlier style has been very much
you know, dejure again in recent years, and you know,
if Poison Wel aren't doing it, there are lots of younger,
small hardcore bands out there who roughly have been doing
you know what early the poison world is. POISONI is
such a legendary name. I'm sure there will be a
lot of eyes, particularly problem with the hardcore community of
course on you know, their comeback album. But how many
of those people are only into the first two or
three Poisonel albums, you know? And I agree when I
put this on it's a little bit in you know,
if you were going to compare it to any music
the poison while I've done.
Speaker 4: In the past.
Speaker 1: It's a little bit Letter Thing and songs like that
with that you know, rollicking kind of sort of punk
rock and roll pace. That thing that I think is
really kind of you know, stands out about Poison Well
that they have this quite classic not actually that very
much down tuned guitar. You know, like it's still heavy,
but it's not like low chugging low end. Yeah, you know,
they've actually got a bit of you know again sort
of standard rock and roll stuff going on about them.
This is you know, not as unhinged explosive as something
like Letter Thing. For example, the lead single track from
from the version's album, it does lack that you know,
unpredictable wildness, but a more kind of refined, you know,
update mature sort of version of that sort of rough
mode of Poison The well that is, you know, that's
what they've aged into, rather than being the staccato breakdown
and then drop a spoken word poem and then back
into you know, staccato chugging and stuff like that. Band
that the you know, their their template very much kind
of set out for bands trembling level. Like I said,
we've had a year of that being around great song.
This very very fresh off the cuff, but it does
seem like the you know, the general you know, certainly
from where we are at, the interest in the poison
the well, you know, return continues with this.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, I think it's just good to sort of that
them sound comfortable in themselves, not trying to like force
like a nostalgial thing, and it just it just sounds
like a nice mature update of where they left off,
and people are still going with that. I've sort of
generally seen again a lot of the the younger fans
who got in who you know, Redisco discovered Poisoned Well.
Speaker 2: And in their absence, I like, yeah, this this sound
is really cool.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's it's promising indeed. So when March the
twentieth rolls around, we have the sixth Poison the World
album will of course be one of the ones that
we will be very keen to put in our reviews
bag and really dive into. But yeah, exciting stuff. Around
the same time. One week prior March the thirteenth is
when we will be getting the new Lamb of God album,
the tenth Lamb of God album. It's called Into Oblivion. Obviously,
the news of you know, new Lamb of God and
you know, the first Lamb of God material we're hearing
from this does you know go back into twenty twenty five,
we've now got looking at the you know, the track
list for this album. If you pull it up, we've
got the first three tracks from this Lamb of God
album out now. Was the first single, Sepsis, which we
spoke about as it was in the Shit the Time
sort of standalone thing they did over the Christmas period,
they dropped another one called Parasocial Christ. And now there
is the third single, which I believe is the title
track out now as well. So we have you know,
certainly how it comes straight out of the traps, and
I would say a more rounded view maybe of what
this Lamb of God album might now be having got
you know, the first three tracks off it. Weird Coverer,
I think it's got this weird logo, like I can't
pinpoint exactly what it is, but the font it looks
like some you know, pre rendered font that I'm sure
I've seen somewhere else before. If anyone knows exactly what
that is, then then do pull it up. But it's
not the classical Labor of God logo, and instead, along
with the cover art, they've gone for this kind of
like techno Lamb of Gods We're in the Machine kind
of version of it.
Speaker 3: It looks like a north Plane album cover, is my
initial I was like, or any of those kind of
like genty Medicore bands who have their kind of like
put a shape on there and have some neon colors
and all of that going on.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I mean I wondered obviously with you know,
the name into Oblivion and then a cover that seems
to be leaning more you know, sort of robotic. I
was like, are we talking, you know, are we thinking
about going into AI in the age of the machines
taking over and stuff that thear Factory would have been
singing about in the mid nineties but you know, relevant
in twenty twenty six and all that weird logo. But anyway,
as I said, more of a cross section now of
what the Lamb God album might be. And you know,
we've kind of referenced a little bit in the last
sort of couple of months that there was quite a
bit of excitement about actually this new Lamb of God material.
When Sepsis came out, we spoke about, it's been like, oh,
you know, this is in terms of you know, advanced
tracks from Lamb of God albums, it's one of the
more different ones I suppose that they've done in their history.
The three songs now Parasocial Christ is more of you know,
it's kind of a faster along the lines of those
like thrashy, slightly punky Lamb of God songs that you
can usually expect them to have. This lead single is
the most I would say the mold of Lamb of God.
Speaker 2: It's the group, right, It's the Lamb of God groover.
Speaker 3: It's that kind of like big hulking grooves, like Randy
sounding pissed off, but were like kind of hooks in there.
This to me, like, yeah, this feels like the most
kind of like standard Lamb of God track, But again
it does feel a little bit more like got a
bit more punched to it than I think they've had
on the last two records. I don't know, like I've
accept this is still my favorite of these sort of
songs I've heard of this because again, that is just
like dark and nast in a way that I thought
Lamb of God wouldn't.
Speaker 2: Necessarily go to any more.
Speaker 3: But I think all three of these songs, it just
it just sounds a bit more fired up, and it's
got me kind of more willing to go with this
Lamb of God record.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I you know, I don't want to
be too sort of revisionist history about it, because I
think if we throw our minds back to Omens and
when we review that, I remember us talking about and
I remember, you know, having seen them play some of
those songs live and stuff like that, Omens I felt was,
you know, maybe not a drastic one, but I thought
it was an improvement over the South album, and I
liked that album, you know, quite a good amount already.
So I do not want to just kind of like
lump everything they've done recently together and say that this is,
you know, maybe freshening up. I think Sepsis is, like
I said, the most outlet of them where I can
understand that, like, oh what a Lamb of God is
cooking up here, where it has that kind of slurry
sludge kind of you know, noise almost element to it.
This track, you know, I've listened to it the once
so far I thought it was good, you know, I
did think this sounds like a single that could be
basically roughly in line with what they've done on the
last two albums. And so with that, you know, I'm
looking forward to the Lamb of God album as I
would always do. I think I'm maybe taking a more
realistic position that I you know, I won't be surprised
if this new Lamb of God album is good. I
will not even necessarily be surprised if a lot of
people can come out and say that this is the
best they've done, you know, since Chris Adler left the band.
But I'm also kind of keeping a realisting But I
don't expect it necessarily based on the last couple to
go like dramatically above and beyond what like certainly the
last album was like I'm not going, I'm not sitting
here going I'm expecting the new Lamb of God album
to be like, you know, a wrath level return to
form or something like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's fair.
Speaker 3: I mean, for me, the way I'm looking at is,
I think this maybe is the weakest of the Freesoms
so far, and I would still put this on the
sort of upper level.
Speaker 2: Of some of the songs on shure the last I'm
not like not not not.
Speaker 3: Like Ditch and the almost like the two like real
like bangers off of that album. But yeah, I would
still take this over a lot of that last time.
So that's why I'm kind of a bit more enthusiastic
to it. But I like, yeah, I'm not I don't
expect this to be, you know, a world beating Lamb
of God are the best band in metal again, but
it does just I don't know, it just feels like
there's just a bit.
Speaker 2: More spark or like fire that.
Speaker 3: Makes it feel like least they're they're more engaged, and
I think they're trying to like not fall too far
behind what is going on around them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I'm maybe trying to strike something of
a middle ground about that there. Where As I said,
you know, these are pretty decent, you know, interesting tracks
looking forward to what we what we've got, as said,
March thirteenth is when we're getting the new Lamb of
God album, which is called Into Oblivion, so that again
i'll be alongside of the poison Well one some pretty
good stuff coming certainly in that kind of you know,
March April kind of pipeline at this point. Also, let's
keep it going with the new music just dropped not
long before we start recording. Static Dress have announced that
they are now you know, currently back and in musical
mode as well. They have signed to Sumerian Records, and
they've released a new single called Human Props. Static Dress
are one of those bands who I see in the
kind of you know, let's call it the outbreak world, right,
which is not you know, because they're not strictly a
hardcore band, but that kind of post hardcore leaning into
stuff like that. They're one of those bands much like
someone like Loathe, for example, who of like the newest
guard of like you know, popular bands do seem very well,
you know, kind of almost semi revered to a certain
degree by people who are really kind of you know,
involved in that community. I've always thought Statuic Dress were decent.
You know, I stick them on when we've gone to
review them, and I like them well enough. I can
now say, after you know, about five six years of
them being around, they've never like made anything that's stuck
with me, you know, Like I to be honest that
they had a last album that came out two or
three years ago, and I barely remember that one coming out.
But I was more kind of when it comes to
music that is, you know, harkening to that kind of
post hardcore sound of the early two thousands, that kind
of thing. I was more into, for example, what see
Space Cowboy were doing on their like last album and
that kind of thing than I have ever like really
stuck with something from Static Dress. But I always thought
they were decent in that, you know, With that in mind,
I was more interested in throwing to you, Sam about
what you thought about, you know, kind of this new
track and if you've ever been like, you know, one
of the people who you know puts a put a
lot of stock into stat Ad Dress, I suppose, but
you know, removing what I've just said from the equation,
I started this on and I thought, well, that's a
you know, a pretty strong single from them, where you know,
it sounds kind of slick as they always do, but
still with that spikiness of you know, two thousands post.
Speaker 4: Hardcore and a pretty decent chorus in terms of what
they have done up to this point.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I stat Dressed fellow on this band that they
kind of feel made for me, and I feel like
I should love them, but like you, I always have
a good time when I'm listening to stag Dress. But
the album has like really cool tracks in it, but
none of them have ever really stuck around with me.
And again it's kind of like yep, I like the
sound this when it's on, but it isn't making the
biggest impact. I think this is the kind of like
most immediately kind of like catchy like thing they've done,
where again it is slick and it's got a big
kind of like naughty sort of pop emo chorus, but
with that spiky, harder edge. I think I think that's
where they really found the balance on on this track
is still having that sort of more jagged post hardcore thing.
Speaker 2: Again, it is such a throwback.
Speaker 3: To two thousands kind of like emo and post harder
that's always been their stick, and this is kind of
like dialing up the kind of like the emo pop
on the chorus, but whilst.
Speaker 2: Still not lose whiles not sat down the edges too much.
Speaker 3: I think this is like a really sort of strong
first statement of a new Mirror first actdress that I'm
kind of like, okay, cool throwing a couple more choruses
out on an album and I think you might finally
like here's something that that does make more of a
lasting impact on me rather than kind of like, yeah,
I like this because it's a sound I like, I
don't remember any of these songs really.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that again just from a very first impression from
this single. While I think you know, what they are
is not necessarily as like laser pointed at me as
it is at you for example, that was certainly my
impression that I was like, oh, you know, at least
from one go, there's more of a Again, you could
you could put that chorus on you know, two thousand
and four MTV or whatever, and you can imagine it
kind of you know, hanging in that environment where some
of their stuff has been a little bit more kind
of like slap dash, I suppose. So again, if this
is like a first signing, you know, first single from
a new sign into a label, maybe an album to
follow that kind of thing, then I think if you
are you know, very much into static dress, I think
there is definitely some promise there. And if you are
wanting more pop choruses, then we also have New Sun
that is coming their first you know, proper full length
album in six years. Since twenty nineteen. It is a
self titled album, which is bizarre to be doing when
your son at this stage in the game, but coming
on April the third is their first for subpop. There
is a like ten minute track that you know, has
as many hooks certainly as all these things that we've
we've been talking about. But if you are a big
drone head, then you know the daddies of drone are
very much back. Coming in April. Also in the underground
kind of spotlight, Cryptic Shift have signed to Metal Blade
and they have a new album in February, which is
gonna be their first album since they had you know,
a kind of buzzy album that released in twenty twenty,
but that's, of course, you know, six years ago at
this point. If you don't know Cryptic Shift, they are
from the UK and they're again sort of they had
one album out. It is kind of one of the
buzzier things to come out of that world, a sort
of proggy death metal, think you know, blood Incantation, but
more along the kind of like slightly techy thrash vibes
rather than the full you know, ambient cosmic explorers. But
if they're signing to Metal Blade. I would expect, you know,
some even more eyes coming on them by the time
that record rolls around, and so, you know, curiosity is
certainly there when it comes to what, you know, Cryptic
Shift could be cooking up, because they have released a
you know, a lead single from this which has a
fucking ridiculous title that I'm not even gonna attempt. But
it's like a ten minute long single with you know,
some of those crazy kookie tech thrash prog kind of
vibes in it. So Cryptic Shift coming you know, very
very soon, actually, and the biggest one of the lot
perhaps is certainly objectively the biggest one of the lot
in terms of the gap between albums that we're talking
about here. The Academy Is have announced their first album
in eighteen years now, Sam, I don't even know which one.
The Academy Is are like, what's their song?
Speaker 4: If they have.
Speaker 2: One, you're asking the wrong person.
Speaker 4: No, not even you know.
Speaker 3: I've got a couple of minutes of their like slam
Up Reunion Channel. I was like, I'm guessing this is
their big song. They're closing him.
Speaker 2: I don't know it. So apologies for letting the side down.
Speaker 4: There.
Speaker 1: Okay, if Sam doesn't even fucking know it, then Mark
will definitely know. But if Sam doesn't know it, then
God knows. But the Academy is first album in eighteen years.
Speaker 4: There you go.
Speaker 1: Let us move to the live music announcements and we
start with our first really big festival announcement that has
occurred in twenty twenty six. It is the first round
of bands for twenty twenty six. Is Damnation Festival, one
of the greatest festivals in the country, possibly these greatest
if you are into specifically underground and extreme forms of
heavy music. So you know the deal. We talk about
Damnation every single year, so we're of course interested in
what they always have cooking up. And in terms of
the first round of bands for the festival, they have
said that none of these, let alone you know, the
overall festival headliner, but none of these are even the
stage headliners. So this is a comparatively speaking, a smaller round. Yeah,
it's a smaller round of first bands that you might
sometimes get from a Damnation, But considering the sixteen bands
who make up this announcement, that is a nice little
thing to consider.
Speaker 4: There.
Speaker 1: It is Walls of Jericho. I hate God, Benediction, Go Rotted,
Slow Crush, Holy Forn, Cabal, Wait, Lamp of Murmur, God's Reached, Altha,
The Moth Gatherer, Fan Medula Noctae, Black Sheep, Wall, and
Intercourse sam As a first round.
Speaker 4: Of Damnation bands.
Speaker 1: You know, I think me and you are obviously we
throw in you know, Elliott whoever as well. We will
have different corners maybe that we like to be represented
in the Damnation sphere, but certainly between us two here
right now, there's a good cross section of stuff that
we you know, both have have passion and love for two.
I mean there are individual names on this that in
just a moment I am going to like pudge the
air and.
Speaker 2: Go, yeah, there's that run of band. I'm like, Peren
got that.
Speaker 4: I mean, what do you think I mean?
Speaker 3: I said in the discord, Damnation is on the few
festivals where I think fans can blind buy a ticket
and they all be good. I mean Damnation in terms
of knowing their audience and delivering for it.
Speaker 2: And I think the thing about Damnation is is like.
Speaker 3: As a podcast, I think it is the most representative
of that's not metaling kind of our taste where it
does tap into all of us quite simply because I
was like, fuck yeah, Wolves of Jericho one of like
just the sickest like like for the old head kind
of like metallic hardcoreed melcor that Damnations of brings it. Now,
that's such a great pool. They are fucking brilliant WT Jericho,
and they are great live. And again, if you're gonna
stick in that kind of mid afternoon moshlot on the
main stage of the second stage, that room is going
to be stomping and head banging, the having a great time.
That's sick. I hate God. We have been, you know,
in the swamps for how our mini moms like we
like anytime like a Nola band cups up and arms
like after that special I'm like I would go for
that slow crushing kind of like the sort of more
like Gays.
Speaker 2: So I think they're a great pool.
Speaker 3: And then again I will throw over to you for
the free bands and guessing that made you kind of go.
Speaker 1: Oh my fucking god, yeah yeah yeah. So first I'll
echo some of the things you said. I mean, walls Jericho,
I mean I've never seen water Jericho. I'm guessing you
have proper you have in terms of.
Speaker 3: Like whenever there was these like like Persistence EMP tours,
what it was just a bunch of like exactly as
nice Harker band. So it was like Suicidal Tendencies, Wolves
of Jericho, Agnostic Fund all on a package in a
big venue.
Speaker 2: I saw them on that every other year and they
were always sick.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I should be maybe a little bit more familiar with
their catalog than I am, but like you know, I've
certainly I've got some time for Walls of Jericho and
this is like, oh cool, one of those bands area
and I haven't seen, but do you know in that
bleeding through an unearthed sort of linear to those type
of bands that have appeared at Damnation, they are a
perfect fit. I think, a really nice, cool, good booking there.
I hate God of course. It's actually the first time
they've ever played Damnation. They said they've been trying to
get them for like the you know, the whole twenty
odd years that they've been going around. But Legends of course,
you know, Benediction, old school UK death metal staples. It's
always nice to have something like that on the you know,
the Damnation. Bill Garrotted is one of notes here because
this is a reunion there. Garrotted are a again a
kind of death metal grind call gorgrind whatever kind of
you know, a horrid type band, as you can gather
from the fact they're called gore Rotted and weirdly, we
had a little we were briefly talking about them in
our you know, T and M host group chat not
long ago, where we were talking about there's a very
specific strain I'm sure a lots of people listening will
be familiar with of like weird, slightly off kilter UK
humor in extreme metal bands, and we were thinking about
the kind of some of the grindcore bands who have
existed in that lineage over the years, and we were like,
where did that start?
Speaker 4: Who did that?
Speaker 1: And one of the bands that Elliot brought up is
like a you know, I think they were probably quite
you know, part of that lineage was Garrotted and a
record like Only Tools and Corpses, right, and then right
on Q they turn up for you know, a reunion
show after what must be you know, over ten to
fifteen years or whatever of not being about So if
you are that, if that's your niche, then that's great
obviously for me. The three names on here that really
leap out as total fuckier moments. I mean the biggest one,
because I've not seen seeing them yet, is Wake right Who.
Speaker 4: After album Yeah.
Speaker 1: And all of twenty twenty five, we were just celebrating
that band for not only being a kind of unsung
band in terms of their general lineage in their history. Again,
they came up in that Nola special as a band
who have been kicking around for a long time and
that kind of thing and making interesting records, but specifically
on one of I think the best records of like
certainly the last twelve months of heavy music, if not
the current decade that we're in. And I said on
a number of occasions I was like, please someone get
them over in the UK on this album specifically, I
was thinking either Damnation or if someone was to chuck
them on like the Acid Bath Show for example, But
Damnation getting them is absolutely perfect. That is for me,
that as is the must see of all the things
that are on this perfect to get them on what
is such a strong record, and in terms of representing,
you know, the cool end of black metal, I mean
you could throw a band like all Foot as well.
Who I saw Player at a Fortress Festival, I believe.
But the two bands who often come round together, they
are you know, they are kindred spirits. They have often
done runs and stuff together. Lamp of Murmur and Dods
read together, both Damnation debuts. Both to me, you know,
some of the cutting edge stuff in just the best
bands in I mean, I would say metal overall, considering
the breadth of kind of styles and stuff that both
those bands are able to take on, but certainly the
blackened end of things. Those are two incredible bands. And
you know, if you like your really nasty sludge and stuff,
you know, these are two bands that I am, you know,
not the most familiar with overall, but bands like Intercourse
that is a UK debut that's kind of a noisy
sludge thing, maybe along the lines of Chappile and stuff
like that if you like that. And Black Sheep War
again it's a UK debut, but that bandoul be kicking
around for ages. And I remember, like over ten years
ago now, they had a record called I'm Going to
Kill Myself, which had a really weird, memorable cover art,
and when they got announced for this, I was like,
oh my god, it's that band that I'm going to
kill myself guys. But finally, you know, make an appearance
in the UK. I'm not at all familiar with Medula Noctor,
who are apparently performing an album in full. I believe
that that is one of those if you remember this
and from the UK underground of the nineteen nineties.
Speaker 3: That Damnation gets every year now as kind of like
obscure nineties UK metal band.
Speaker 1: There you go like, yeah, a nostalgia pa along those lines,
which there's nothing wrong with. If that's your thing, then sure,
grand that's you know, that's who they are there on
this Overall, you know, a very strong set of bands,
a handful in particular.
Speaker 4: That I are. You know, they would have been on
my dream.
Speaker 1: Damnation lineup for next year. So overall excellent and as said,
we don't even have any of the overall stage headliners yet,
so for a first batch of bands, bloody great, we
very much. You know, it all rolls around again. We
are again on the road to Damnation. It's a long
way away yet, but you immediately know from that that
it's going to be worth being there. And a few
tour announcements just to follow that up here in the UK,
Speed have announced a UK tour of course, one of
the buzziest, hottest bands in hardcore right now, so I
would expect these have probably when You sold like hotcakes.
But they are hitting up a few venues in the
UK and they're bringing along with them Whispers and Body
Web Sam for you. Is that a good hardcore lineup?
Speaker 3: That's some really good Whispers are really kind of cool
from Thailand. Like there's a lot of buzzer them. They've
kind of played it. They played like the Outbreak Autumn
show and they did that one a couple of years
ago and people went mental for their set.
Speaker 2: Like they're really cool.
Speaker 3: Boiway we've kind of spoken about as one of the
sort of like more like interesting UK bands. Yeah, that's
some really sort of like good bill for Speeds coming
along and it's cool to see them stepping up in
venue size as well.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 1: Over in the US though, Behemoth, who for their you know,
kind of the last sort of year or so of
touring for them for their current album, they've been doing
these tours which are just like legends only like maybe
it'd be nice at some point to see them bring
back you know, some sort of younger opening bands and
stuff again. But you know they did that UK appearance.
Unfortunately it was London only, so I'd end up going
to it, but it had like satirical and brought in
grist with it. They've gone around Europe. I think they
are now heading over to North America and their Legends
only lineup features day a side Rotten Christ and Which
with Bohemoth on top. That's four of the Goats, isn't
it in terms of like extreme heavy shit. So that's
fucking grand. And if you are in Canada, of course
one of your you know, your homegrown sons, Cancer Bats
have announced a anniversary tour going all across specifically Canada
right now for Birthing the Giants, the twentieth anniversary I
believe of their debut record, Sam, you are a big
Cancabat's head. What are your opinions on Birthing the Giants
specifically as their first album, because I suppose it is
right before what you would say is their like classic
three album run that followed it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, like Hell Destroyer and be where they like
fully found it, Like I've got a lot of love
Birth from the Giant. I think it's it's a bit scrappier,
but the best songs on it like are ones that
have lived in the Canterbats set from like the very start,
that are always going to be there and stuff like
Pneumonia Hawk and Yeah she Ley Like they're songs that
they will almost always played because they are just like
classic staples.
Speaker 2: So yeah, got a lot of love for that album.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and don't necessary imagine this will be making it
too much further a field. It feels like, you know,
their smallest album for you know, the homegrown Canadian fan base.
You were about to say something there, do you disagree?
Speaker 3: I think, because again this is just an assumption because
they're fond on the slam Dunk poster.
Speaker 2: Is the Birth and the Giant fond and I think they.
Speaker 3: Might have said that they would sort of celebrate the
album at slam Dunk. So I don't know if it's
gonna be in full, but I would imagine maybe again
if you like one a bit more of that album.
Speaker 2: Themis Sam Dunk in the UK's there the time to
see him do it?
Speaker 4: Like?
Speaker 1: Okay, I possibly stand corrected. Then there you go, Birth
and the Giant season It is for a Counterbats. Let's
move on to a couple of questions which we had
our question Secsion last week. These are a couple more
questions that came our way then that we're just gonna
box off here. First of all, John Mann asked, what
is your favorite back to back festival run that you've experienced?
Mine was hell Fest twenty fourteen with Behemoth, Soundguard and Emperor,
Black Sabbath and Turban Negro. That is certainly a big,
heavy evening, sam Uh. I mean, there are some that
we have referenced quite heavily between us that I imagine
will be some first draft picks here. But have you
got any any others maybe from the festival world where
you go. That was a hell of a two three
hour period, whatever it may be.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So, I mean obviously like the two thousand trees
on last year's when I mentioned a lot, Yeah, yeah,
that was fucking outstanding. There was a reading Fest where
it was twenty fifteen on the lock Up stage where
the end of the day was something like Frank Carr
and the rout.
Speaker 2: Snakes Bear to Bury Tomorrow while She Sleeps and Refused,
which for me in twenty fifteen, I was.
Speaker 3: Having I was having the time of my life watching that,
Like I was so so tough to be sort of
like doing that in the.
Speaker 2: Lock up stage. There's been a couple of them where
there's been like.
Speaker 3: A really strong run of bands on that lock up stage.
That's all that really sticks out for me is recently
and obviously like the one we're going to kind of
go for back to it is that Outbreak twenty twenty three, Yeah,
Saturday where the Machine Girl.
Speaker 1: Although it was it was in all it was Soul Glow,
Jesus Piece, Machine Girl, Code, Orange Death Grips, Yeah, which
has five bands on the main stage.
Speaker 3: That was fucking crazy, unbelievable, Like those sets and like
that was like ridiculous. You know, there's been a couple
there's been a couple of good ones at like Outbreak
fests where Yeah, Poison the World two Share More a
Have Heart Basement, Like that's a fucking like ridiculously good time.
Like that's just one of those festivals where they can
just stick a run of bands and I'm just gonna
be like balancing between stages having the grandest time.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think obviously, you know, we were doing the awards
not too long ago for last year and stuff. I think,
you know, in terms of two consecutive bands. Blood Incantation
into Triptic Incineration last year is maybe the one in
terms of longer runs. Certainly that outbreak one lives in
my head as a really crazy experience. I just pulled up,
like you know, particularly like I was looking at Damnations,
because there's always runs at Damnation for me that are great,
and so these are some individual ones. A couple of
you were there for Damnation twenty twenty four when there
was the run of Nail. For me, this is what
I saw, Nails dual bleeding through into armor. I sat
down for about twenty minutes of Russian circles dragged to
some light cradler filth.
Speaker 2: I think I was yeah, and that was yeah mad.
Speaker 1: The year before that, twenty three, the run was Arman
Rah Dead guy Enslaved doing their vecking leg of Veldie
set and now in the thrack Electric Wizard, which for me.
Speaker 4: Is fucking loud. That was ridiculous.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And then I looked back to the first Damnation
I did in twenty fifteen. This one is really special.
Altar of Plagues for the last time they played Sols
to Fear Arman Rah again, High on Fire, Primordial at
the gates and a handful of those bands, which was
my first time seeing them, so that was really something.
The time I went to grass Pop, I was like,
I saw loads of bands. I want a particular run
that stood in my head, but I pulled up like
the time I went to grass Pop and I found
a run from one of these days where I saw
Vallen Fire, I saw it again immediately followed other full
Vallen Fire, I saw Corpa Clarney, which was genuinely for me,
a very fun experience and it is one of the
few times in my life I have crowdsurved. Was that
set Primordial again? I saw about twenty minutes of the
end of Alice Cooper set into the main stage, back
and forth run as you get as European festivals, Corn
playing the self titled in full, Judas Priest slipknot pretty big,
and I do have to say British Summertime Festival when
I only stuck to the main stage and so I
saw him one day, immediately follow each other, Soul Flying Motorhead,
Faith No More, Sam Garden playing super Unknown and the
one time I saw Black Sabbath. So those are all
large events. Maybe in terms of just like again, just
the craziness of like each set being outrageous, that outbreak one,
even though like that's not necessarily my favorite set of
bands compared to some of those, it just felt like
everyone was going, this is a ma ma manic evening.
So those are someones that jump out and Jack Coker asked,
have you seen the lineup for Cruel and Unusual Festival
in Camden in March? Any pointers for bands we might
not know on the lineup there? So yeah, this is
just a very you know, just a regional shout out.
I suppose if you are in the area of you know,
London in March, I will say that you know that
that the event itself will just get an immediate endorsement
for me because the kind of the promotion agency that
is putting on involves a former T and M host,
so I know that you know, there's there's legit, you
know there's good people involved with this. So fair enough
they're always putting on stuff in again the London area
for upcoming stuff. In terms of the lineup, a lot
of these bands are bands I'm not too familiar with, primarily,
I think because a lot of them are like regulars
in the you know, regional kind of London Southeast if
you like, you know, heavy noisy scene, which is not
where I live anymore, so I don't see these bands,
but it seems to be very much leaning on, you know,
kind of noisy, nastier hardcore. I suppose You've got a
couple of bands up Top of the Sun's Journey through
the Night, who are more of a black metal band
who we've reviewed in the past, but again they are
you know that they've been on labels like Church Road
and stuff like that, so they're kind of adjacent to it.
Speaker 4: An Oryx, who I believe.
Speaker 1: They played Damnation. If it wasn't last year, then it
was the year before, and I don't think I saw them,
but I remember listening to them in the run up
and thinking, yeah, this is decent, like really heavy, kind
of you know, agressive in scope, but very heavy, doomy
type metals. If those are your things, then obviously those two,
but otherwise it seems like a lot of again noisy
hardcore bands. You've got Pariah, who are more on the
kind of noisy, crust edge. Host Body are more kind
of like a noisy mathcore type thing. As a band
on there called sun Swarm, who lean more towards the
sort of the god fleshy industrial kind of size. Again,
I was just kind of scoping some of these bands myself.
They'm not too familiar, but this seems to be the vibe.
The band whose name did jump out with me as
like a band I have seen before, and I'm familiar
with his Death Goals who Sam, are you a probab?
You've probably crossed path with Death Goals.
Speaker 3: To live yet A big fan of their music, just
like very kind of like angry, sort of frantic hardcore,
but with a very kind of like queer identity to it.
Speaker 2: I think they're really cool.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So I would just say, you know, if you
are in the area and you like incredibly noisy stuff and.
Speaker 4: You're considering, then go for it. Why not?
Speaker 1: So those are a couple of questions for you if
you've ever asked anything else, and again we'll we'll pepper
them out over the following weeks. We are now going
to to give you a little bit of an insight
on what has been going on and what we have
been cooking for the specials for that star medal, which
of course it's a new year we want to get
into those as soon as we can deliver something for
all you people who are kind enough to support us
on Patreon, which is again I always say, it's what
keeps this podcast alive. It's the reason we are still
now here in our tenth year. So what we have
got going on right now that we are going to
start twenty twenty six as specials with is we a
little while ago. It was a bit over a year ago.
At the end of twenty twenty four we brought back
the that' Star Metal Year in Review specials. You may
remember we did our twenty and fourteen special where we
cast our minds back ten years ago to that point,
and boy did we cover so much ground in it.
There was so much to take in with a year
like that, and we it was a great success of
a show like that, was a lot of fun. Let's
keep along those kind of lines. We didn't fit one
into last year because at the end of you know,
last year, when we were doing the one before it,
we were deep in the swamps, right we were doing
our Nola Scene special also reviving that. But we did
have it on our minds of course that we were
going to bring back the Year Special again at some point,
and so that is what we're going to be kicking
twenty twenty six off with. And we have said that
when we have done these Year specials, in terms of
our follow up one to it, we want to jump
to an era that is totally like disconnected. We'll not
have much crossover at all with the general layer of
the land as the one that we were just doing.
So moving from twenty fourteen as we as we were
the Heights of Empericorn and all of this type stuff
and you know all what was going on in you know,
the extreme metal underground and in the Emo revival and
all those things that were happening in twenty fourteen. Our
next Year Special is the year nineteen ninety seven. I'm
sure some of you out there will have memories of
what you were doing musically in nineteen ninety seven. It
is going to be a different one for us because
we weren't so boots on the ground so to speak
in ninety seven as we were in twenty fourteen. But
in terms of jumping to again a different era, totally disconnected,
but one with a really fascinating and fruitful and already
just put in the list of stuff together, so many
cracking albums and you know, interesting phenomenons and stuff like
that that were happening in nineteen ninety seven. That is
where we're going, right, We are going to split that
into parts. Of course, our first part we are hoping
to get into over the next week or so. It is,
of course, as it kind of was before starting off
looking at kind of the upper ends of what was
going on in Heavy right and nineteen ninety seven. You
have things that have come to mind for you there
as to what the zeitgeist is there, and yes they
are included, but also other things that you might not
be thinking about. And then from there in the following part,
we are going to again really spread our wings and
cover all the gamut of what was going on in
Night seven. It's been a lot of fun. I gave
my weekend listening coming Heady is just going to be
I'm going to be fully in nineteen seven town listening
to so much stuff, and that is going to be
coming very very soon too. The that's not a Patreon
following that special, when we wrapped all that stuff up,
we're of course going to cast our minds over band
specials and album roulettes and stuff like that, as we
always do. But first up on the docket for twenty
twenty six, entering the new year, we're jumping back to
a different year, nineteen ninety seven. I hope that has
people involved and excited for the stuff that might be
coming up in that. So if you want to hear
that then Patreon dot com slash That's not matter as
the place to do so. As said, it is where
really the lifeblood of this podcast comes from. So thank
you to everybody who is involved over there. Let us
wrap up this hyperblast with the releases for this week
of January the sixteenth, and if you know we were
slowly getting started, there are actually some pretty sizable releases
this week. For me at least, there's one album that
this week is all about, starting off Creators new album,
Crushers of the World with a k thrash Titans, the
Kings of German Thrash, one of, if not the best
eightieth thrash band in the twenty first century, so of
course there's fun stuff to be getting into with that
new Creator record. Elsewhere, Kid Kappechee, the you know political
UK sort of alternative punks whichever genre you might want
to call them, how are you and kid Coppeechee Sam.
Speaker 4: I mean they are right.
Speaker 2: I think they've got a couple of like really good tracks.
I've never been like completely wild by them, but they
don't bother me. I'm just like, yeah, cool, I like
see them live. Have they been decent?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's sort of roughly my kind of feelings
as well. But they have got their new albums called
Fearless Nature. Then there's another there's a name that was
like a blaff in the past, but the band Gray
Wind have released that album called Severed Heart City, and
I think this is their like their second album, and
the first one was about eight or nine years ago,
and I was like, oh my god, these guys are back.
But Irish, I believe sort of you know, alternative rock
or email whatever you might want to say. Then we
slipped over to death Corp. And one of though, one
of the names that you might have seen in the
kind of contemporary popular death sphere is a band called
of Sulfur and you know, along the kind of blackened,
slightly symphonic, kind of edge of death cores. They've got
an album called Endless. If you are into your shoegaze.
Then you may know the name Blanket, who have got
an album called True Blue that is out today, the
return of avant garde Dissonant Nightmare, sort of black metal band,
Serpent Column. I've got a record called Aon of Strife,
and we also have a gauntlet here of punk and
hardcore album. Some of these came out last week when
maybe you know, we kind of popping them now onto
the list here. Some of them are upcoming today. Between
myself and Sam here, there are a few names that
we can throw out. First of all, there is Rifle,
who have got an album that is a self titled
album that is again another sort of UK punk band
along the lines of if you're a fan of things
like the Chisel and so on, in the Trees fun Okay, well,
Rifle are part of that, and we have some things
that you know, Sam were thrown onto it.
Speaker 4: So first of all, there's a.
Speaker 1: Band called Push who put an album called Plowing Ahead.
Speaker 4: What is the with Push?
Speaker 3: Are there a Portuguese can like crossover hardcore band.
Speaker 2: Discover them because of the.
Speaker 3: Band where I've really intro recently, Calcine. They have a
guest on this on this album and I was like,
oh cool sture the album. But yeah, if you're like
you're kind of like hardcore a bit of like frashy
riffing and that course of thing, this is just that
that kind of good stuff like yep.
Speaker 1: Then there is Crush Your Soul with Ice Water, same question.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is one. This dropped today as we're recording.
Speaker 3: This is just pure like demonstrate your mosh style to
this or music. It's eighteen minutes. Is all just kind
of attitude and I think they're a New York cargo band.
Like again, does all style on this one?
Speaker 4: Yep.
Speaker 1: Then there is an EP from a band called I
Promised the World. I believe this is that on like
Rise Records, and this is very much your early two
thousand's post hardcore. Again, if you are a static dress fan,
for example, then I Promised the World might be a
name that you could be familiar with. More again, more
on the EP's front here lights out Fall on.
Speaker 2: Your Sword, Uh Glasgow. I believe that from Scotland.
Speaker 3: I could be wrong on that one, but they're like
UK based hardcore band, just like loads of attitude, like
like in your face kind of shouty hardcore.
Speaker 2: Really cool. It will you fee this?
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 1: One the ither on the list is a band called
Guilt spelled g y Lt with an EP called in
one thousand Agonies I Exist. And this is kind of
maybe more the sort of crossover end of hardcore, like
really nasty, vicious kind of vibes going off from that one,
So check that out if that's your thing. And finally
we have the demo two simply titled that from a
man called Sin Against Sin, and this is one that
we had both kind of thrown into the mix. And
this is like big I would say, marauder and God's
hate vibes, like big, massive, dragging your fists along hardcore.
Speaker 3: I saw someone described this as musical people who can
spinkick above their jaw line, and I was like, I
like that description, like high spin kicks, cartwheels, swing your fist.
The this is nasty, kind like violent marsh music.
Speaker 2: There.
Speaker 3: Again, there's a whole call bands on this right now,
but Sin Against and they opened Fyafest right and the
crowd will going fucking mental for them. So that's the
kind of like sort of excitement around them right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the the scenes that never stop are hardcore and
black metal.
Speaker 4: There is always something coming up from Boise Worlds.
Speaker 2: Only is there's always an EP at this point.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and last week we threw out some of the
early year, you know, leaking out black metal releases. This
week seems to be a lot more of the hardcore stuff.
Speaker 4: But there you go.
Speaker 1: Those are releases for today. Thank you very much for listening.
We will return next week. I'm not entirely sure exactly
like when the podcast will go out next week or
some scheduling to do, but you know we will left
rest assured we will be back next week, and we
will of course be back you know, some point soon
for reviews in January as well, when certainly some of
those names, along with last week and coming up as well,
will find their way into our first.
Speaker 4: Reviews bag of the year.
Speaker 1: More immediately than that, look to the Patreon when we
will be starting our nineteen ninety seven year in review special.
Promises to be a lot of fun and we'll see
you wherever you choose to be there. So thanks everybody,
Bye bye,