PYRAMIDS main man just can't be stopped. Debut track from new side project!

Pyramids main man, R. Loren, just can't seem to not curate the most unexpected yet totally exhilarating collaborative projects and releases....first he showed up a few years back with Pyramids 's/t', a double album loaded with not only a sound that's becoming increasingly his own, but with a heady mix of unique and out-of-left field collaborators...everyone from Jesu to Birchville Cat Motel to James Plotkin shows up on the remix bonus disc. And then a year or so later R. Loren pops up again (with Plotkin once again, this time mixing and mastering the album) with Pyramids with Nadja...a project that clearly incorporated vision-mates Nadja, but also brought in contributions from members of Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil (Simon Raymonde), Der Blutharsch (Albin Julius), Mineral (Chris Simpson), Dysrhythmia/Behold The Arctopus (Colin Marston) and Mamiffer/Everlovely Lightningheart (Faith Coloccia-Turner)...its a stunning work...layered and thick and sweet and moving...the sort of album you know folks will catch on to slowly but surely over time...much like R. Loren's talent, no doubt. Up next was a Pyramids with Nadja remix 12" featuring two more contributions, both as remixers of the PWN track "Into The Silent Waves", in the form of Ulver and Lustmord. And if that wasn't enough, then pops up yet another Pyramids project....a 5 cassette boxset featring six hours of music and so many contributions we are not even considering listing them here. The point here of all this is that R. Loren has exhibited greater organizational power and creative foresight than most artists so much as brainstorm over the course of longer careers...as Bill Murray's brilliantly portrayed character in 'Quick Change' once proclaimed so memorably..."THE MAN IS AN ANIMAL!". And he just can't be stopped. Or so it'd seem anyway. We hadn't a clue about this new project until he emailed the press release this morning for Sailors with Wax Wings...and boy oh boy are we giddy like we get when new good shit comes through the gates here. And wouldn't you know, the debut has a literal bevy of eclectic musical nutjobs (we mean that in the most respectful of ways!)...the list is sooooo long we are tempted to not spend the time to write it all out... but we know we've got to because it is impressive as all get out. Here goes: J. Leah - vocals, Ted Parsons (Swans, Jesu, Godflesh) - drums, Simon Scott (Slowdive) - electronics, Aidan Baker (Nadja) - guitar, Colin Marston (Krallice) - guitar, Vern Rumsey (Unwound) - bass, Prurient (Dominick Fernow of Hospital Productions, Cold Cave, etc) - noise / electronics, James Blackshaw (Young God Records solo artist, Current 93) - piano, Hildur Gudnadottir (Touch Records) - cello, Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride) - vocals, Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) - vocals, Marissa Nadler (Kemado Records solo artist, appears on Xasthur’s latest record) - vocals
David Tibet (Current 93) - cover art, Faith Coloccia-Turner (Mamiffer) - design, layout, painting, collage. We're waiting to hear the entire album, but so far so good...so check out the first track for yrself here thanks to Stereogum...and while you wait for their album's release on Angel Oven, do yrself a favor and check out what ol' R. Loren's been doing for the last few years....PYRAMIDS!

And since we've got this really wonderful digital download store, we've put the Pyramids stuff up for dirt cheap for the next day or so...enjoy!

JESU Digital Releases on Sale TODAY ONLY (well, maybe tomorrow too)

We're so giddy about the JESU release we having coming out on November 16th (what? you're not sure what we're talking about? We'll spill the beans soon...) that we went and chopped the cost of Jesu's digital catalog! Full lengths are $3.99 and EP's are $1.99. So basically that means you can...guilt free, mind you...get the bulk of ol' JKB's jams for dirt cheap. Today only though. Or maybe also tomorrow if we forget the change the pricing back...hugs 'n kisses!

You can find these Jesu digital release (and sooo many more HHR releases) on our new digital store, or just by looking to the left of your browser screen.

LA GRITONA release and webstore shirt!

La Gritona's discography 2xCD (for those of you who like long titles, its official moniker is Demasiado Tonto Para Los Niños Listos. Demasiado Listo Para Los Niños Tontos) hit the shelves yesterday, and in honor of the event, and because of all the questions, we have launched a very limited La Gritona t-shirt. These shirts were hand screened by Colin, the lovely lead man of La Gritona, and feature his original artwork. They are pretty badass, check it:


As previously stated, these shirts are super limited, so head over to our webstore here to grab one. And pick up a copy of the 2xCD discography cause it is equally kick-ass. Alarm Press placed it on the best albums of the week list and had these gracious worlds to say:

Headquartered in mid-1990s Boston, La Gritona took a definite influence from the Amphetamine Reptile roster, drawing upon elements of Helmet, Unsane, and The Jesus Lizard while channeling the vocal intensity of Henry Rollins.

The material is a dissonant, debauched mix of down-tuned guitars, distorted bass, mid-tempo beats, atonal vocals, and noise. A song such as "+2 Charisma" (bonus points for D&D reference) aptly summarizes the band's raw energy and repetitive power in just 63 seconds, and the collection's live tracks capture La Gritona's on-stage muscle.

Heavy Mondays starts tonight!

La Gritona: Available for Pre-Order Now!!!

Descriptive Text:

It was the live show that did it for me. Imagine massive slabs of discordance at earsplitting volume and a terrifyingly intense, tattooed madman working out his personal demons while wearing a too-small Sonic the Hedgehog tee shirt and that gives you a good idea of what La Gritona were like in the live setting. At the time most bands in Boston were recycling Sabbath riffs or ripping off Helmet but La Gritona were tapping into something darker and heavier. There was the obvious Black Flag intensity but concurrently The Birthday Party, Voivod and Swans were subtly being referenced and the result put most people outside of their comfort zone. It was raw, sublime, artsy and barbaric all at once. It was like watching The Lost Highway after being awake for 24 hours; you couldn’t quite follow the narrative but you knew you were witnessing something that was just outside of your grasp and the truth lie just beyond the comforting glow of the campfire deep beyond the treeline.

The role of innovator can be a lonely path. William Blake was largely unrecognized during his lifetime but is now thought of a seminal figure in the art world but I hesitate to use the word “art” to describe La Gritona. They were a band that created ugly, brutal and emotionally intense music that was criminally under- appreciated when they were around. Luckily the material has been rescued from obscurity by the good people at Tortuga and assembled in this document, giving you an audio snapshot of the shot, intense career of La Gritona, a band “too dumb for the smart kids and too smart for the dumb kids.”

Pre-Order La Gritona Demasiado Tonto Para Los Niños Listos. Demasiado Listo Para Los Niños Tontos 2XCD HERE!!!

Torche / Boris Split 10" and Melvins / ISIS Split 12" In Stores.... Yesterday!!!

So... we know some of you guys are a little mad at us because these two dime-pieces sold out almost overnight at the Hydra Head webstore... and for that we are sorry...

However, If you, or someone you know intimately, fall(s) into the aforementioned category or if you prefer to do your vinyl shopping in the physical world, hope is not lost! Stock of these splits are waiting patiently at a record store near you! Unless your reading this from a computer/mobile device in the southern hemisphere... that gets a little dicey... online retailers are probably your best bet. Good hunting!

Purchase Torche/Boris digitally HERE!

Torche/Boris Split 10" + Melvins/Isis Split 12" Listening Party Tonight!

Listening party for Melvins/ISIS & Torche/Boris split EP's @ the Verdugo Bar (address below) from 10pm - 2am tonight!

The event is hosted by Vacation Vinyl with DJ's Mayes & Majors & guest DJ sets from members of ISIS.

Limited quantities of both splits will be available for purchase at the Event.

Verdugo Bar Address:

3408 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065

Enjoy!!!

Knut: Feature @ Metalsucks.

The kind of mind-fuckery that Knut traffic in used to be called math-core, but when was the last time you even saw that expression bandied about? For now, let’s just call them awesome...

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Cave In: New Song (Live)

This popped up on Metal Sucks this morning... Pretty nifty if you ask me!

Torche: Celebrate Buzzgrinder!

Torche: Announce New Album, "SONGS FOR SINGLES"

Ok, so let me start this off by making clear that the unreleased Torche track that came with the recently discussed HHR digital sampler is, in fact, a humor-joke (whether or not said joke is funny, is not up for debate at the moment), and not the actual version of the track "U.F.O." off of the upcoming LP Songs For Singles. After making my usual internet rounds this morning, it dawned on me that-that whole thing could use some clearing up... so that's what I'm doin'... Clearing it up...

Oh yea, and one more thing worth mentioning... what's slick about the cover of this thing (referring to the image below) is that it is and isn't the actual cover... It is text printed on a sealed envelope enveloping the rest of the package... Should be the same way for the vinyl version as well... nice!

Songs for Singles, Torche's upcoming addition to a six year stretch of well deserved lionization within the world of progressive metal (not the genre), is basically a super solid collection of singles (though I'm pretty sure the title actually refers to one's legal interpersonal status) written by, and therefore in, the instantly appealing songwriting style developed by the band...

Now, if you are unfamiliar with the Torche because, perhaps you've been time travelin' or sliding in and out of polar universes since the early 2000's, critics commonly refer to the aforementioned songwriting approach as doom and or sludge pop, but I/we generally choose to refrain from using such terminology when commenting on the group in question because if a sub-genre exists surrounding the sound thatTorche has pioneered, I/we would prefer to give honest credit where it is due... ya dig?

So, Torche and every bit of music they produce sounds like Torche, and the bands that have followed suit... well they also sound like Torche... A bit bold and maybe a little arrogant for us to point out, but why beat around the bush... Semantics etcetera aside... You, just like me, have probably been waiting patiently for some new material since Meanderthal! If so, I'm honored to be the one to publicly confirm that new material is on its way! If you are one of those in need of an education on the subject, Songs For Singles will still find a way into your day to day... reason being... everyone's Summer needs a jam (debate it) andS.F.S. will be hitting shelves just in the nick of time!

Songs For Singles Track List:

1. U.F.O.

2. Lay Low

3. Hideaway

4. Arrowhead

5. Shine On My Old Ways

6. Cast Into Unknown

7. Face The Wall

8. Out Again

Torche Live

7/17 West Palm Beach, FL @ Respectable Street Cafe

7/28 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In w/ Beings

7/29 Louisville, KY @ Skull Alley w/ Beings

7/30 Indianapolis, IN @ Vollrath Tavern w/ Beings

7/31 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Baroness

8/01 Chicago, IL @ Wicker Park Festival

8/03 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar w/ Beings

8/05 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree w/ Beings

8/06 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Boris, Russian Circles

8/07 Tampa, FL @ Orpheum w/ Beings

8/09 Tallahassee, FL @ Big Daddy’s w/ Beings

8/11 Miami, FL @ Churchill's w/ Beings

10/29 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds (THE FEST 9)