Khanate Review On Pitchfork

the review is pretty good, but the cover image is all wrong... I pieced together a little diagram to un-confuse the folks in need of un-confusing. Of course, none of the aforementioned folks frequent the HH blog, so as usual I'm wasting my time.. thanks for already being in the know... generally... 

<----- Hydra Head CD/LP Cover Image

<----- Cover Image On Pitchfork...

Clean Hands Go Foul, the fourth and likely final full-length from late experimental metal outsiders Khanate, deserves a warning label: "Not recommended for those with mild-to-severe mental disturbances," it could read before countering, "Well, just promise not to hurt anyone, OK?" Its brittle, monstrous tones shake whatever space they enter. Riffs coil, shatter, and splinter into notes that disperse like buckshot. Words trade mythology for purely imagistic hatred. You could imagine Khanate pushing some feeble soul over the edge.

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Tour Press: Torche and Big Business-L.A. Weekly

...their 2008 slab,Meanderthal, was one of last year's best metal records, and one well-stocked with riffs that sound even better while slamming you in the face. These days the two core members of L.A.'s Big Business — bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis — spend much of their time as half of the Melvins. They've hardly left the home office to ruin, though; this year's Mind the Drift (their first with guitarist Toshi Kasai) is a sly post-punk winner.

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Cave In Live Set/Video Teaser from Fuel TV

Fuel TV was there, and they filmed it. And we're grateful. Thanks Fuel TV. Now....enough with the teaser shit and give us the full set!

Jesu-"Infinity" CD available now!

CD Version available for purchase now on Avalanche Recordings. Go to the new and almost complete Avalanche Website here and head to the store. Shipping begins mid next week, July 29th onwards.

GREYMACHINE CD pre-order is UP!

The GREYMACHINE-"Disconnected" CD pre-order is up now on BCD and while supplies last we are giving away a super limited GREYMACHINE-"Vultures Descend" cassingle... (contains the audio from the Vultures Descend 12") with every GREYMACHINE cd Pre-order! 

Also, available is the t-shirt shown above, guaranteed to age well.. 

Recap: Undeniably awesome debut CD+FREE very limited cassingle+A conversation starter, instant classic of a t-shirt for an entirely reasonable price=can't go wrong. 

Chunklet’s Henry Owings Explains Why He’s Always Had a Hard-On For Harvey Milk (The Band)

When Harvey Milk reunited in 2005, I felt it was time to turn back the hands of time and make things right. Finally, the band that I’ve worshipped for years in obscurity would have the chance to win. Harvey Milk are the good guys, not some vapid, flash-in-the-pan, here-today-gone-tomorrow, fashion casualty, trust fund baby art band. These fuckers are lifers. They played when there were 10 people at their shows; they’ll play if there’s 1,000. They mean it and they will never, ever compromise.

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CAVE IN "Planets of Old" Preorder Pint Glass

In honor of the release of Planets of Old, HHR has commissioned these limited-edition CAVE IN pint glasses. These clear glass pint glasses will hold 16 ounces of fun in fluid form, and the artwork wraps around the entire glass, providing visual enjoyment from every angle - there's even a little print on the bottom of the glass. Very nice! Available only while supplies last.

There is also a new smooth CAVE IN shirt available here

Torche-"Healer" Music Video... Watch it! here! now!

Enjoy!

Justin Broadrick talks GREYMACHINE with Noise Creep!

"I am making it an issue of warning people that are fans of Jesu, especially those that only listen to Jesu from my work, to approach with extreme caution," Broadrick sternly told Noisecreep. "I didn't want this project promoted in any way off of the name of Jesu because I'd like people to be informed that if you were into Jesu first, this is a million miles away to be honest. And that was obviously the intention."

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Keelhaul 8/2 @ Public Assembly

Just thought I would post this flier because well... its kinda awesome. Also, go to the show. 

Tour Press: Harvey Milk in New York this Sunday

Life… The Best Game In Town opens with a vocalist growling that he’s Santa Claus before setting off on an eccentric run through sludge-rock conventions that ends in a baffling cover of the Looney Tunes theme

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Cave In Announces Second iTunes Single "Cayman Tongue"!!!

The second digital single from Cave In's upcoming 12" Planets of Old is finally available! 

GET IT HERE!

Chel's List #8- Cave In 12", Harvey Milk Tour LP and Torche 12"+DVD repress

If Chel hasn't sent you an e-mail, send one to him asking for his latest offerings...

Cave In "Planets of Old" 12" Streaming Now!

Stream Cave In's Planets of Old here. 

Cave In "Planets of Old" 12" Giveaway on METAL SUCKS!

The folks at Hydra Head Records have been kind enough to hook us up with 3 limited edition vinyl copies of Planets of Old to give away to ya’ll. Each 12″ is on a color of vinyl called “All Natural Vanilla Pistachio Ice Creams,” a color that’s exclusively available either via this contest or at Vacation Vinyl, the metal record store Hydra Head co-founder Mark Thompson opened this past February. 

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Harvey Milk-"S/T" 2xLP Limited Tour Edition

Harvey Milk "Self Titled" Tour Edition 2xLP (limited to 300) available at Vacation Vinyl now! 

You may know Harvey Milk's "s/t" release as the Bob Weston Sessions, an unreleased full-length that has been floating around the .blogspot world for some time.

This limited Tour Edition is the first time this record has been made available on a physical format and the audio has been re-mastered for a more enjoyable listening experience. 

Tracklisting: 

1. Blueberry Dookie 

2. Plastic Eggs 

3. Merlin is Magic

4. Dating Pressures 

5. My Father's Life's Work 

6. Probölkoc 

7. Smile 

8. Jim's Polish

9. F.T.S.P. 

10 Anthem 

Big Business Plates!

Hydra Head has a few extra Big Business collectable plates from the "Mind the Drift" pre-order laying around... This particular batch is much more special-er than the previous batch because Jared, Cody and or Toshi personally ate dessert food off of each one... Swear it, tell your friends! and if that ain't excitement enough we've the discounted price is $20 even... Contact ChelVanin@hydrahead.com if your interested. 

Clouds' Last Show Until Who Knows When...

Clouds posted some interrupting news on their Myspace page today... It looks like the show date (listed below) might be the band's last... This isn't the kind of news I like delivering, especially when it pertains to a such an excellent group of dudes who continuously nailed it musically. Ok so, if you find yourself standing, sitting, eating or sleeping within a reasonable distance of Cambridge Mass on July 30th you'd be a fool not make the drive... This one counts.

7/30 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs w/ Moving Mountains, Goes Cube

Torche Premiere on Headbangers Ball Tomorrow Night!

Premiere "Healer" Video on Headbangers Ball This Weekend

The superchunky "Grenades," "Healer," and "Across the Shields" thrash out hefty hooks so flawless that Josh Homme just woke up in a cold sweat. - Spin Magazine

As our friends from Florida tour the States with metal legends Harvey Milk, Miami's TORCHE have just announced their phenomenal new video for"Healer" will premiere this Saturday night on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball at 2am EST. We'll be sure to send this around to the masses once we can.

* Stream Torche's most recent full-length record, Meanderthal, here! or Torche's most recent 12" single here

Torche Live!

w/ Harvey Milk!

7/17 Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theatre w/ Young Widows, Ice Nine, Coliseum

7/18 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Young Widows

7/19 Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room 

7/20 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop

7/21 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall 

7/23 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace 

7/24 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa 

7/25 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs w/ Cable

7/26 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Pollution

7/27 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church 

7/28 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Nitroseed

7/30 Charlotte, NC @ Milestone 

7/31 Atlanta, GA @ EARL 

8/1 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club

8/2 Tampa, FL @ Czar w/ House of Lightening and Averkiou **

8/5 Hollywood, CA @Knitting Factory w/ Big Business **

8/22 Henrico, VA @ Hadads Lake (Best Friend's Day) **

* = no Harvey Milk

The Eagle Has Landed!! and it looks a lot like a new Cave In 12"

Cave In-"Planets of Old" 12" is in house. The thing looks and feels phenomenal. The record is housed in a hand assembled high gloss tip-on jacket. Aaron Turner's original illustrations are printed with metallic ink on the exterior of the jacket. So yeah, the thing looks great, have a look for yourself.

Cave In will have stock of every color at their upcoming show in Allston, Mass @ Great Scott's on 07/19. Vacation Vinyl will have an exclusive vinyl color for order any day now, while Chel's List (chelvanin@hydrahead.com) and BCD's availability begins next week post the Cave In show... Otherwise you will see this thing in stores starting July 28th...!

Bergraven: In Depth Interview in AvantGarde Metal

I haven't consciously decided to create a new sound, but I wanted to get away from the common tired attitude of metal riffing, you know chugging the E-string, melodies in fifths. I don't look for the same things in metal as most other listeners do, I think; the power, the force and omnipotence is of course there, but it's not what I'm after. I had this idea to create something that sounded old, eerie, uncanny - these ideas were present on Dödsvisioner as well, but other things got in the way. My idea of the old rural/agrarian society - not focusing on the misery and poverty, but the ghostly and superstitious, without necessarily sounding like a horror movie. Like the early stories by Selma Lagerlöf. I wanted to portray this not only in the lyrics, but in the music and the sound. I had to remove the distortion from the guitars - not clean though, but cracked; the Tubescreamer always sounds ghostlike.

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Mamiffer on Tour!

Almost immediately after closing Isis's Wavering Radiant tour, Mamiffer is back on the road. An unstoppable force I tell you.. And, since we are on the subject, I'm going to let you'll in on a little secret... the band is going to have a very limited Mamiffer live tape on their persons... so it would be wise to show up early if your into that kinda thing... If your not in that kinda thing than you'll probably ask that friend of your friend, the one with an alphabetized terabyte of stolen music on his western digital, to keep an eye out... but then again, he's going to wanna hang out and everything that comes out of his mouth makes your squirm. and that gentlemen, is why the physical medium reigns supreme.

New Tour Dates: 

7/16 Seattle, WA @ The Josephine w/ Hemingway, Sokai Stilhed, Slates, Blowunihilist
7/17 Portland, OR @ Abyssal Behemoth w/ Hemingway, Ocillating Innards, Saltochard
7/18 Eugene, OR @ Epic Space w/ Hemingway, Brown, I Died, Scrolls
7/19 Portland, OR @ Ash Street Saloon w/ Hemingway, Brown
8/14 Seattle, WA @ The Josephine w/ Barn Owl

Calling All Gearheads... Its Time to Meet Your Maker

Ben Verellen, of Harkonen and Helms Alee, has established a first-rate amplifier company called Verellen Amplifiers. All the products are designed and engineered by Ben (hence the title of this post). On the company website, among other things, is a growing list of satisfied customers (many of which are of notable musical background), an impressive product gallery, a video showcasing one of the amps, and a scholarly 25 page thesis outlining, essentially, Ben's genius on the subject... I'm three pages in and confused as all hell... probably due to the math equations... Anyways, if your in the market for an amplifier, I suggest getting in contact with this fella...

Bergraven: New Album Reviewed on Pitchfork

Till Makabert Väsen goes further down this path. Now the melodies are elongated and spidery. Their off-kilter dissonance suggests a quieter Deathspell Omega. Slint playing black metal might sound like this. Gustafsson doesn't forget to step on the distortion pedal, though. After wandering through funhouses of skewed high end, songs return to big, rocking riffs. Fellow Swedes Lifelover similarly mate black metal and pop, though they are more tongue-in-cheek. Katatonia on hallucinogens also comes to mind. Some passages suggest Opeth's ornate prog, though much spicier. Pop music often compresses huge worlds into small structures. Bergraven does the opposite. Song start small, then grow tendrils, teeth, and fur. Five minutes later, they're roaring and hissing. Then the shoots and leaves return to the ground. They leave behind an aroma with many notes: black metal, rock, pop, studio weirdness. The smell is unmistakably Bergraven's.

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Torche & Big Business: FREE SHOW

August 5th @ The Knitting Factory (Hollywood). RSVP and show up early! 

Tour Press: Torche + Harvey Milk in Nashville Scene

There's stoner rock, so why not stoner pop? Instead of slow, sludgy bottom-end (though there is some of that), Miami act Torche douse their lumbering, throbbing gate with melody. It's still hefty and menacing, but hooks peek through often, producing a sturdy foot-tap if not quite a head-nod. Their moody, stratospheric roar is also surprisingly concise, with a majority of the songs from last year’s Meanderthallasting less than two-and-a-half minutes.

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Jesu: Tiny Mix Tapes Interview

I was introduced to Jesu when they released Conqueror in 2007, and I was immediately sucked into the hazy, heavy-but-spacious ambience. The simple melodicism of Justin Broadrick’s vocals set atop gorgeously brutal stoner-metal is surprisingly accessible. Jesu knows how to properly craft an elegant pop hook and launch it into the great beyond with sheer metal destruction and patient, patient songwriting. The actual guitar parts are not overly complicated, and they allow plenty of room for Broadrick’s soft and inviting voice, but the aesthetic and execution are crushing. I can think of several bands that attempt to mesh pop simplicity with the sonics of metal, but very few actually succeed at capturing the essence of both, and none so well as Jesu.

Broadrick continues to plunge into new waters with his recent forays into electronica, and he shows no sign of slowing down. In our interview, he talks about an upcoming split, an upcoming full-length, and his experience at Primavera.

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Cassettes Are The New Vinyl

Hydra Head is now the official distributor of Rotting Chapel Propaganda (also know as Ricky from Torche's cassette label). If the RCP cassette title you are looking for is in print, then the easiest way to get it is on our webstore. 

Currently available titles: 

Shitstorm "Paranoid Existence" 

Wold "Imperator"

Torche "Meanderthal Demos" 

Torche and Harvey Milk Kickoff US Tour!

 

FROM THE HYDRA HEAD RECORDS HEADQUARTERS:

It's safe to say, without appearing any more cocky than we over at Hydra Head generally do, that either one of these bands is capable of flooring any audience on any given day of the week... We're still unsure of what might happen when we get them together, so I (as a qualified representative of Hydra Head Industries) wanted to take this time to relieve the label of any liability therein... ok, lame allegory I made there, but you get it... This lineup (and here comes lame allegory #2) is like heavy and heavier... if the concert were broadcast on Pay Per View, and you were sitting next to the friend in the your group with the laziest/most obvious sense of humor, mid-program he would ask you who you thought was heavy and who was heavier... and you would probably remain silent because: a. obviously no one could possibly know the answer to that and b. you couldn't possibly admit that maybe you were developing a theory on the matter. What's more, as if this bill wasn't amazing enough, the two bands meet up w/ friendsCable, Young Widows, Coliseum and more along the way.

Stream Torche's most recent full-length record, Meanderthal, here! or Torche's most recent 12" single here

Stream: Harvey Milk's most recent full-length record Life... the Best Game in Town here! 

Torche and Harvey Milk Live!
7/11 Miami, FL @ Chruchill's Pub 
7/12 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds 
7/13 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Cafe 
7/14 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe 
7/15 Oxford, MS @ Two Stick *
7/16 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In 
7/17 Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theatre w/ Young Widows, Ice Nine, Coliseum
7/18 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Young Widows
7/19 Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room 
7/20 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
7/21 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf Music Hall 
7/23 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace 
7/24 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa 
7/25 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs w/ Cable
7/26 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Pollution
7/27 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church 
7/28 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Nitroseed
7/30 Charlotte, NC @ Milestone 
7/31 Atlanta, GA @ EARL 
8/1 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
8/2 Tampa, FL @ Czar w/ House of Lightening and Averkiou **
8/5 Hollywood, CA @Knitting Factory w/ Big Business **
8/22 Henrico, VA @ Hadads Lake (Best Friend's Day) **

* = no Torche
** = no Harvey Milk

For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/torche
www.myspace.com/harveymilk
www.hydrahead.com

This Month in Modern Drummer

The August issue of Modern Drummer hit newsstands nationwide yesterday. The significance here is that the issue contains an interview with Larry Herwig (the drummer of Pelican) and also Aaron Harris (the drummer of Isis). Larry's interview is regarding the recording of Pelican's most recent full-length, "City of Echoes." Aaron's interview, aside from the Tre Cool centerfold, is just another reason to pick up the issue. 

You should be able to find more info here.

Its A girl!

On July 1st, 2009 Hydra Head proudly welcomed a new member into the family. Her name is Haley Gallant Foley (most excellent name) and she is the offspring of Jill and Justin Foley (Justin is of Austerity Program fame). 

From Justin: 

"Hazel is 8 lbs even and 20 inches long... Max says Hazel is cute"

I Just Like Listening to Stephen Brodsky Talk.. What About You?

Happened upon some pretty killer Brodsky clips.. if you have the time (if your reading this its safe to assume you do) check them out!

Some More Brodsky Clips:

Stephen Brodsky-"Down the Drain"

Stephen Brodsky & Audrey Ryan-"Tribute to Frank Black"

Tour Press: Harvey Milk in Miami New Times

MP3 of the Day: "Death Goes to the Winner" by Harvey Milk, Playing Churchill's This Saturday

"this sludgy, experimental noise-rock-type act spews forth the kind of weirdness that could only come from Athens, Georgia. Formed in the early 1990s, the fivesome remained mostly a cult act there, the Southern gothic vibe of its hometown seeping into the foggy textures of its many seven-inch singles."

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Cave In Announce "Planets Of Old" 12-inch * Release "Retina Sees Rewind" Digital Single!

Announce "Planets of Old" 12-inch Details * Release "Retina Sees Rewind" Digital Single Available Today Through iTunes!

Few bands are capable of weathering so much change while remaining so consistent. - Pitchfork.com

Here's a band who have changed markedly from album to album and have never once repeated themselves. - MetalSucks.net

CAVE IN, The insurmountable Hydra Head all-star traveling team has... yep, you guessed it... officially un-disbanded! Unless you're the type to follow a band's wikipedia page closely enough to notice an update the moment it occurs, this news is of the breaking variety... and what's more, Hydra Head has got 4 brand newCAVE IN tracks for those of you, who after four years of radio silence, still wear your now rusted-over Jupiter pins with pride... 

The entire 4 song E.P, "Planets of Old," will be made available only as a limited 12," (well... for now anyway) on July 28th. BAD NEWS: this one-hundo-eighty gram specimen is guaranteed to enter the endangered rankings upon inception... GOOD NEWS: the band will have many a twelve inch on their persons at their upcoming performance in Allston, MA (details below)... So you know what they say (or maybe we just overheard some asshole kid who eventually became an intern say this in San Diego) "One for me, one for ebay." I think he thought it rhymed...

* "Retina Sees Rewind," one of four new tracks from the band, has been made available as a digital single TODAY via iTunes, click here to download!

Planets of Old-Tracklisting:
1. Cayman Tongue
2. Retina Sees Rewind
3. The Redtrail 
4. Air Escapes

Cave In Live!
7/19 Allston, MA @ Great Scott's w/ Disappearer, Phantom Glue



For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/cavein
www.hydrahead.com

Keelhaul: New Tour Dates

New Tour Dates: 

August 1st, Richmond VA @ Nara Sushi

July 31st, Washington DC @ the Velvet Lounge

Previously Announced Tour Dates:

8/2 Brooklyn, NY @ Public Assembly w/ Minsk, Stats

8/3 Boston, MA @ Great Scott w/ Doomriders 

9/12 Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn

Pitchfork News: GREYMACHINE

Basic physics: When the frontmen of two of the heaviest bands in the world get together, they are guaranteed to make something extremely fucking heavy.

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GREYMACHINE- "Disconnected," Out August 4th on Hydra Head

Announce Debut Album, "Disconnected," out August 4th on Hydra Head!

GREYMACHINE is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most realized collaborative effort between Justin Broadrick (Jesu, Godflesh, Napalm Death, Final, Techno Animal, Head of David, God, Curse of the Golden Vampire etc..), Dave Cochrane (Head Of David, God, Ice), Diarmuid Dalton (Jesu, Godflesh) and Aaron Turner (ISIS, House of Low Culture, Mamiffer, Jodis, Old Man Gloom, Lotus Eaters, Drawing Voices, The Hollomen, Union Suit etc..) ever! If you're a fan of Godflesh, or have even a fleeting interest in the band, this bud's for you; if you subscribe to The Aural & Visual Art of Aaron Turner this shit's a pool party. 

Disconnected, the album in question, is at once jarring and ethereal.... which is, as you may already know, the kind of combination that results in entire city blocks bobbin' their heads to dis... In summation, GREYMACHINE sounds like a serious case of cyberbullying through the mind of an extremely autistic child living in an ever-shifting hadean landscape thronged with mindless militants, dilapidated cityscapes and ephemeral phantoms... so to summarize the summation, Disconnected is haunting and modern sounding... In a good way.

Disconnected Track Listing
1. Wolf At the Door
2. Vultures Descend 
3. When Attention Just Ain't Enough
4. Wasted 
5. We Are All Fucking Liars 
6. Just Breathing 
7. Sweatshop 
8. Easy Pickings 

For more information, visit:
www.avalancheinc.co.uk/greymachine.html