LP Review: "The Rabbit Hole" by The Great Discord

The Rabbit Hole

A common trope in comedic movies, shows, etc is to have a character deliver bad news in a funny way, because then maybe it won't seem so bad.

In Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Roger Rees's Sheriff of Nottingham delivered the news to Richard Lewis's Prince John that he and his men were defeated by Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

For Prince John, the news was still terrible and the blow was not softened at all.

When it comes to music, the vast majority of music dealing with dark stuff is fairly morose or extreme. Blues is the king of the minor keys. Metal is often so angry that the subject matter, no matter what it is, cannot be broached by a civilian listener. This raises the question, can dark subject matter be dealt with in easier listening music?

Video: "Rabbit Hole" by Sinicle

Honestly, right now your friend and narrator is stressing out about this evening.

In the meantime, you should go down the Rabbit Hole with Sinicle. They're a metal fusion band from somewheresville, California that's not San Francisco.

Get with them about that on Facebook. In the meantime, you can pre-order the album on Bandcamp. Now excuse me, I gotta go stress eat a sheet cake.

Video: "Vengeance" by Rig Time!

On October 20th, Innerstrength Records will be releasing the second album from Wisconsin's Rig Time!.

This is a band who's about as subtle as a blizzard. This one is short and it's just a taste of what's to come. Find out which of the Packers is their favorite on FACEBOOK. If this hors d'oeuvre makes you hungry for more...choose your poison on CD or Digital HERE.

Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Video: "The Painter of Voices" by The Wake

Bi-national Duo, The Wake, have told the world their new record will be entitled Earth's Necropolis. It'll be released by Loud Rage Music sometime during the fall....

In advance of their forthcoming LP, check out the video of The Painter of Voices below. Be sure to ask the band which country is better, Germany or Romania on FACEBOOK.

Preorders for Earth's Necropolis will be forthcoming and be sure to check Loud Rage's BANDCAMP page.

LP Review: "Perfect Patterns" by Dead Stars

Perfect Patterns

Oh my friends. Do you remember High School?

Unfortunately, the median age of the Glacially Musical readers is unknown to me, perhaps some advanced analytics are required...but can even google supply me with that information?

Well, let's all assume that the average reader is at minimum of a junior in high school?

For me, it was hard fitting in until I learned how to be myself. There was a conversation about this earlier today, and it occurred that it was easy for me to like what I liked, because I didn't have many friends anyway and was wildly unpopular.

What every parent tries to teach their children is just that though. Be precisely the person you are inside on the outside and your crowd will find you.

Vinyl Review: "Clean Feeling" by PLAX

Clean Feeling

The Cosmos is testing me. There is simply no other explanation as to why this is happening.

This reviewer is, frankly, a tepid consumer of Punk Rock. That's just the be all end all of it. There are some Punk Rockers out there that shiver me to my very soul, but that list is very short.

You may have noticed the renaissance of punk music here lately. Absolutely Not made it into our vinyl reviews and American Standards did a great interview for us.

Now today, we have Austin, TX based punk band, PLAX courtesy of the Super Secret Records imprint.

My lack of understanding Punk Music probably goes back to the 70's when Punk and Metal refused to co-exist peacefully. Even when punk and metal joined into thrash...there was still strife. So perhaps, my aversion, my personal prejudice, et al is just in my blood....because it goes a long way back.

LP Review: "Kali Yuga" by Maharaja

Kali Yuga

Certainly Mitch Hedberg has been mentioned on these pages before. If not, allow me to pontificate upon the greatest comedian of all time.

Hedberg was big enough to headline theaters and not clubs, but not big enough to star on a sitcom, but no one's really sure if he even wanted to.

He was smart enough to write down his odd views of the world. Like, his great joke: "I'm pretty good at tennis, but I'll never be as good as the wall."

Seriously that's utter genius.

More than just jokes that came out of left field, he strove to perform a different show each evening. He might hide in the curtains while telling jokes, or hang his jacket on the mic stand in order to confuse the spotlight man. He'd kneel down reading jokes out of a notebook.

Video: "Phasmophøbia" by NØMADS

It's impossible for me to not share this with you. NØMADS are on a crusade to release every song on their upcoming album via video ahead of its release. It's hard to not be excited.

Here's their latest which is about fearing ghosts. Their upcoming record is chock full of tracks about all sorts of phobias.

It should do us well really....right?

LP Review: "Deranged Pagan Sons" by Cardinals Folly

Deranged Pagan Sons

It's not like me to tell you how the sausage is made, right? Ok, seriously, that's pretty false.

As of this writing, the total solar eclipse is about to happen in St. Louis, MO.

Everything is wrapped around the fact that we are about to see something we have never personally seen in our lifetimes....well those of us who aren't too old.

So, please forgive me for being single minded today. Even the album cover is similar to the eclipse. Total blackness, a circle in the middle, and possible Satanic Possession.

Totally eclipse music right? What the eclipse represents is our willingness to experience something, that in many cases, has never been experienced.

Stream: "Communion" by The Dig

Right now we are living in an age of unrest. It's unfortunate.

Floating House Recordings has recently released Philia Artists Rise Against Islamophobia via Bandcamp on both digital and vinyl formats.

All proceeds from this compilation record will go to Unity Productions Foundation, a non-profit that's committed to battling islamophobia.

Check out The Dig's single below and help out a great cause.

Video: "New Beginning" by Radio Moscow

Radio Moscow is about to drop their latest album, New Beginnings, on Century Media Records.

Check out the first single from that album, which isn't precisely the title track, but kind of is, but it's not, New Beginning.

If this is what the upcoming record has in store for us, it would be hard not to be over the moon with it. New Beginnings drops on September 29th.

Preorder it HERE on Mint Green Vinyl with a CD included.

LP Review: "The Room of Shadows" by Pagan Altar

The Room of Shadows

Everybody loves a story.

Longtime readers may recall my attempts to cast myself as a failed musician, but that's akin to Philip J. Fry being a college dropout....very little effort on my part.

Among the band, which played all originals, had very different ideas about how long it should take to write a song. Free Bird was often cited as the gold standard of how long it could take to make a song.

It took Lynyrd Skynyrd a period of years to finish that tune. So, when my complaining that we'd been working on a song for a couple weeks happened...Freebird would be bandied about.

What is the appropriate time to incubate a song? Or an entire album for that matter? Is it of any consequence to the music if the the entire world has changed in the interim?

Vinyl Review: "II" by Breag Naofa

II

We are in the summer of Breag Naofa even though we are in the first days of school.

It's still a sweatbox and people were asking me today, how was your summer? Long, busy, and it's time to wish for winter.

On a day when your friend and humble narrator was transported to the snowy land of Arendelle by Idina Menzell, a crushing black metal record landed upon his doorstep...along with another that we'll talk about soon enough.

Breag Naofa...they're slightly unusual and heavy boy. They're as heavy as Mitch Hedberg thought Monster Magnet was.

They can cleanse the palette in a way that gets all of the showtunes out of my head. Though Rent is a spectacular piece of art. Sorry...must think metal...

Video: "Shine A Light" by Shabazz Palaces

It's pretty normal for me to give you a bit of a write up on the music and video...but this time Shabazz Palaces gives us a dollop of surreality for our collective viewing and listening pleasure.

Just when I thought I'd unraveled the riddle, another pickle came out. It's a riddle wrapped inside of an enigma.

Tell me what you think this is all about in the comments.

Video: "Enemy" by Ivy Crown

It's been a couple months since we've heard from Ivy Crown, but they're back and getting weird with their the video for Enemy.

They're continuing to be bad ass this time crunching cars and then wearing ultra violet paint. It's refreshing to see, at least somewhat of, a concept video in 2017 instead of the ubiquitous lyric videos.

Ivy Crown's first two singles only make me wonder one thing...where in the world is the album?

Become their BFFs on Facebook.

EP Review: "Sign with Blood" by TERRA INCΩGNITA

Sign with Blood

There's nothing better in this world than that feeling of nostalgia.

Of course that's hyperbole, but as this is the internet, and ACTUALLY!!! is totally thing, just go with me and let's move on.

There's a belief that our personalities are cemented around the age of fourteen or fifteen, who knows if that's actually true, but when I was around that age, Iron Maiden was in free fall.

No Prayer For The Dying led into Fear of the Dark which led to Bruce Dickinson following Adrian Smith exiting the band.

The Mercyful Fate reunion came and went....(Let's face fact it degenerated into King's solo band minus Andy LaRoque plus Hank Shermann. My melodic metal heroes were all falling by the wayside. (Of course King Diamond was still going, but that era of his work...it's not looked back on fondly by me...)

Video: "Here We Go Again" by Six Feet Deeper

Let's introduce a group of Swedes from the town of Stockholm. I think we all know what happens in Stockholm.

After the first two minutes, this video's going to hold you captive, and before the fourth minute you're going to be empathetic to their plight.

All serious jokes aside, this band is from Sweden and they're not metal. Addendum, they do not appear to kill wolves.

Check out their single below and ask them about rail travel on Facebook.

Interview: Brandon Kellum of American Standards

American Standards

One of the kinds of music that leaves me wanting is Hardcore.

It's not something I blame on the bands, but squarely on myself.

When it comes to music that's off the beaten path, like Punk Rock and all of it's many offshoots, it requires a spirit guide to help you hear it and know what it is.

I've never had that spirit guide, so I use my time and my webspace to learn more about it from the practitioners themselves.

Brandon Kellum of American Standards stopped by the Glacially Musical Railway Loan Office, Platform 9-3/4's to answer non-standard questions...

Interview: Severin Allgood of Namazu

Here's our latest get to know you feature on Severin Allgood of Namazu.

Namazu's a new band made up of veteran fellows from the metal scene of Memphis, TN. It's not often that we get into music from Tennessee really.

What struck me about their press release is that they hate my banjo. If I owned a banjo and was totally metal, I think that might possibly cause me to write a dis track.

In the meantime, it's all good.

GM: What made you want to become a musician?

LP Review: "Excerpts From A Future Past" by Hällas

Excerpts From a Future Past

He may have been spoken of before on these very pages, but his name shall never be forgotten and his legacy will be forever affirmed.

There was once a man whose eyes we've never seen. A man who stood behind curtains on stage as to confuse the spotlight operator.

This giant, also placed his leather coat on the mic stand while stalking the areas of the stage no man of woman born should ever trod.

His name you ask?

He was Mitch Hedberg. Where is he now? He has gone to join his ancestors on the other side or the veil. He was thrown off of the horse. What did he do?

Video: "Echolocation" by Gone Is Gone

Let's get something quite crystal clear...as a music listener, neither Mastodon nor Queens Of The Stone Age do anything for me. However, similarly to Dinosaur Jr. doing nothing for me, both Lou Barlow and J Mascis have released spectacular solo records.

With that in mind, here's a video from Gone Is Gone, featuring members of both Mastodon and Queens of the Stone Age. The video is creepy which harkens back to a time of circus side shows.

Perhaps it's the current affairs news lens I'm seeing this in, but there seems to be a bit about exploitation and empathy here too...

If you dig this, pick up the record HERE and ask them all about the show on Facebook.

Video: "Revontulet" by Noituma

Finnish Folk Metallers, Noituma, have released a lyric video for their latest single, Revntulet.

In what's one of the best jokes on Americans who do not listen to extreme metal, the lyrics are completely in Finnish. Even with the words on the screen, it's completely indecipherable.

That's of course ignoring one simple fact: Music is a universal language.

The strings, the drums, and the guitars tell the story as much as do the growled, Finnish lyrics.

Check out the tune below and ask them about Kaalikääryleet on Facebook. You could always go one better and get the album on Bandcamp (name your own price).

EP Review: "Cerebra" by Project Renegade

Cerebra

The world is very skewed again.

When this happens it's best to attempt to find something to distract oneself from the turmoil surrounding us.

There's a constant onslaught of absolute insanity happening in the United States.

It's important that we not bury our heads, but find time in order to stick our heads in the sand, at least for a short while.

As the charismatic, iconic, and beautiful man, Randal Graves put it, down time is very important to me.

Without that downtime, we know what Graves was going to do with the deep fryer. It's best that he and Dante Hickes re-opened the Quick Stop if you think about it.

Vinyl Review: "Errors" by Absolutely Not

Errors

After many more "you're going to remember where you were when this happened" moments in the past eight months that anyone has ever thought possible, the fact that there's still emotion in my soul is kind of a wonderful thing right now.

As this is being written, it's 1:08 PM CST in my sitting room in St. Louis, MO on August13th.

Yes, Charlottesville, VA happened over the past couple days and I'm raw. Music and politics will be and have been inextricably linked for the following and preceding millenniums.

As there was a KKK/Nazi Rally in the United States, that President Trump didn't disavow or denounce, it seems serendipitous that on my turntable is a raging, punk record by an LGTBQ group.

It's still infuriating that their not being straight white males is relevant in 2017, but here we are.

Video: "Demon" by M.A.G.S.

So, this email says something about a fuzzrock band from Buffalo, NY. In a previous life, I was an infrequent visitor to that delicious Rustbelt City. Seeing the broken down factories as we drove to the football stadium, well it hurt.

And let's not forget all the commercials on Buffalo Sabres games for the Buffalo Center for excessive sweating. Or the Stinger Pizza, which I've not been able to replicate in St. Louis.

Also, Fuzzrock too I guess....in the meantime check out this surrealistic video featuring a neanderthal skull made of cookie dough.

Also, ask them about that dough on Facebook.

Single Review: "He Tried To Kill Me With A Forklift" by Valence

He Tried To Kill Me With A Forklift

Normally we don't do reviews of singles at Glacially Musical, but frankly, the title interested me.

As someone who's logged about 200 hours driving a forklift, this caught my eye.

Thinking back to all of my forklift experiences, the races, the stacking of boxes on the docks at my part time job... All of those months on the forklift.

It was to earn money to get to Hong Kong. There was a man who caused great suffering in my family when he murdered my father. This sort of heinous act cannot stand.

Lan Di will feel the heat of my fists as I seek my revenge....

Wait...that wasn't my life, that was Shenmue.

Video: "Rat In My House" by The By Gods

You might remember my personal ranting and raving over the quality on which The By Gods seem to have the market cornered.

They have a new record coming out on October 20, Move On and like Palpatine with Anakin, I'll be watching for that with great interest.

The band will be doing a run of dates in the US and some spots in the UK. Keep an eye open for the dates soon!

In the meantime quiz the band about their unrivaled collection of fuzz pedals on Facebook.

Video: "Solomon's Key" by Mausoleum Gate

There's apparently a revival happening in the realm of Finnish metal. Personally, I had no idea, Scandinavian metal, of all varieties, to me is alive and well.

Supposed revivalists, Mausoleum Gate, have dropped a lyric video to their latest single, Solomon's Key.

This track blends elements of power metal, doom metal, folk metal, and the good old B5 Hammond Organ in order to create a fun filled world of gloom.

Ask them how they keep their hair so pretty on Facebook and if this track moves you, preorder the whole enchilada from Cruz Del Sur.

LP Review: "Cosmic Reawakening" by Crafteon

Cosmic Reawakening

Speaking of the terrible tings....

This is something that's on my mind and it makes no sense as to why it is. The why is meaningless and the how is what's critical.

Ergo: You're going to hear about it right now for some damned reason.

It's time to let go of the idea that metal is dumb, as in ignorant. The term Heavy Metal was coined to denigrate musicians as dumb neanderthals. Heavy Metal god, Tony Iommi, hated the moniker at first.

On these very pages, death metal, progressive metal, extreme metal, black metal, etc are very much celebrated, but did you know that things like Dune, Dante's Inferno, and now (well wait again) the Ctulu Mythos will also be celebrated?

Video: "Dead Ringer" by The Whiskey Gentry

Perhaps you'll recall the country/folk/rock band, The Whiskey Gentry and their latest album.

Well, they've dropped the video from their title track (see below). This fun album is available on the all the best formats: vinyl, CD, and digital. Pick up your copy HERE.

They're also headed out on tour, check the dates below the vid.

THE WHISKEY GENTRY TOUR DATES:

 August 9 SILVER DOLLAR BAR, CODY, WY 

August 10 MUSIC ON MAIN, BOZEMAN, MT 

August 11 BABCOCK THEATRE, BILLINGS, MT 

August 12 THE OLD SALOON , EMIGRANT, MT 

August 16 THE GOOSETOWN TAVERN, DENVER, CO 

August 17 ROCKABILLIES, ARVADA, CO 

August 19 MUSIC IN THE MEADOW, BRENTWOOD, TN 

September 2 SOUTHERN GROWN FESTIVAL, SEA ISLAND, GA 

September 9 WOODSTOCK SUMMER CONCERT SERIES, WOODSTOCK, GA 

September 16 & 17 BRISTOL RHYTHM & REUNION , BRISTOL, TN 

September 22 40 WATT, ATHENS, GA

LP Review: "Earthquake" by Canker

Earthquake

There are a great many things that have left a mark on my very soul.

Many times it's something silly that really shouldn't be remembered, but cannot be forgotten.

Today's case in point is the movie Amadeus.

Frankly, it's unclear how much of that movie is remotely accurate and made up of so much spun yarn, but that's not the point.

Though it did get me through nearly a week of Music class in 8th Grade, i.e. the last time I saw this movie.

For some reason, the harpsichord features prominently in this particular film. That's not an instrument one hears very often. My introduction was in The Addams Family which gave it a particularly creepy vibe.

Video: "Medusa" by Atlases

New Pest Records signees, Atlases, have released their first single.

Atlases have risen from the ashes of Oceanwake. Their debut EP will be out later this autumn.

Check out their brand of atmospheric post metal below. Ask them about their collection of Scandinavian credit cards over there on Facebook.

LP Review: "Breaking News" by Grande Royale

Breaking News

It's my personal opinion that many people in this world hear music, especially popular rock music, with their eyes and not their ears.

Let's explore this concept a little bit.

There's a rock band on tour right now that made their name playing blues based arena rock with a side of hippy rock. The singer is a little left of center, but in the end, they were labeled heavy metal.

There's another band, who's famous for their outlandish stage get ups, make up designs, and pioneering the modern rock stage show.

This band though, sprouted out from a complete hippy rock band. Both of these bands wrote their first songs on acoustic guitars. The thing is, both of these bands are labeled heavy metal, but it's not like Ride The Lightning or Number of the Beast were written on Guild Acoustics....

Video: "Pressure" by Quiet Hollers

There are just a few things in this world that will always make this blogger happy and one of them just happens to be Quiet Hollers. Their infectious music and humor never fails to put me in a good mood, or make me cry.

Like you know, whatever?

Also, professional wrestling is something that'll never fully leave my soul. So, in the meantime, watch Quiet Hollers get in the ring.

You can also ask them on Facebook where the vinyl is?

300 Seconds with Breag Naofa

In who's quickly going to become the most written about artist of 2017 on Glacially Musical, it's time to meet Seattle's Breag Noafa.

Starting off, there's an LP coming via Halo of Flies in mid August and then in September, there'll be another release, an EP released independently.

Preorder the LP HERE and the EP HERE.

Please be sure to check back on those reviews in the coming weeks.

We'll have them both and of course get with Breag Naofa so you can tell them you already knew the translation of their Gaelic name on Facebook.

In the meantime as we wait for their records to come out, we took some time to get to know the band and find what we could. Check it out below...

Video: "Sentence Day" by Obituary

Every so often, we must all as members of a tribe bow and light a stick of incense to those who came before us.

In 2017, it's easy to forget that death metal, though as ubiquitous as it is now, was once new.

In that spirit, check out the new video from Obituary, Sentence day and let your hair whip around. See if you can keep it from getting stuck in the tuning pegs.

LP Review: "Mountain Legacy" by Deadsmoke

Mountain Legacy

There is a certain kind of person in the world, which I'm not, that's slow to anger. As a people, we should be prizing and teaching this quality.

This guy, me, isn't. Emotions are worn on my sleeve. There are times when my nerves are raw and then my moods can change on a dime.

This isn't good.

Again, my personal training has restarted to return myself back to when holding it was within my powers.

 Those days though, there would come a time when taking it with a smile couldn't be done anymore and the explosion would start.  Think about that. Those were actually darker days, my friends. Here in the now, in the bright days, abilities have been lost.

Short Interview: Zackery of Toro

Toro

This year Toro released an EP, Departure, DIY, naturally.

Zackery Hembree took a few minutes of his time to visit the Studio Ghibli Wing of the Glacially Musical Headquarters. After we finished viewing Totoro, we were able to speak about Toro.

GM: What made you want to become a musician?

Zackery- Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

Well, there is no singular way to answer this question. From early memory, I'd have to say my musical interest developed from around age 5. I come from a musical and artistic family and being born into that type of environment definitely cultivated my love for music.

Stream: "MEGALOPHØBIA" by NØMADS

Our favorite post punk bass guitar duo, NØMADS, is back with their monthly single, MEGALOPHØBIA, off of the upcoming album Phøbiac.

Be sure to get the latest music into your ears below and ask them about the lack of lead guitars on Facebook. 

It's also a good time to mention that their previous release, Free My Animal, is STILL available for $4 (SHIPPED) on clear red vinyl on Bandcamp.