Hydra Head Records

New Items in the Hydra Head Shop

2012-02-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

New items from CIRCLE, OXBOW, and SPLIT CRANIUM (members of ISIS, CIRCLE).

New RTK Items

2012-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Pyramids/Horseback "A Throne Without a King pt. 2" streaming now on Pitchfork

2012-01-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

The album is in stores on CD/CS/Digital next Tuesday, January 24th, but you can stream pt. 2 of the massive four part collaboration now at Pitchfork.

Old school mailorder types get a jump start...CD/CS (ltd to 300) are available and shipping now through www.hydraheadshop.com

The collaboration is also available digitally through Pyramids' bandcamp.

Tanks you berry mush!

PYRAMIDS - s/t LP Pre-Order

2012-01-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

PYRAMIDS - s/t LP
Release Date: February 21st, 2012
Slate Blue, Clear, or Black vinyl
PRE-ORDER NOW
Also available digitally

Science fiction has evolved out of a human desire to know the hidden possibilities of

our continued existence moving into the dimly lit territories of the future. Using what

they know of our history as a spring board for our speculation, and by examining the

predictive signs of current environment, visionary writers have cast light on our

possible future whereabouts, and in the process given form and direction to that course

through a creative process of divination. In some ways, Pyramids self titled debut has

accomplished the same feat in the realm of musical prognostication. While the album

was certainly built on a knowledge of past musical forms, the combination of that

knowledge with an uncanny ability to twist old energies into entirely new shapes,

they've created a truly predictive and compelling sculpture of sound and aural color.

Now, several years since its initial release, Pyramids first collection of songs resounds

like a communique from a far off galaxy. It could be the music made by Martian

interpreters who somehow intercepted and reconfigured the decaying din emanating

from the charred surface of Planet Earth. The resultant impressions sound like cut up

feverdream tape loops containing snippets of Xasthur, Tangerine Dream and Mazzy

Star layered over, under and through each other. The aural pictures are at once

terrifying and soothing, familiar and wholly alien. What seems like it shouldn't does in

fact work: black metal blasting stitched together with patches of gauzy melody and

angelic warbling. It's one of the most enveloping and simultaneously disorienting

documents to have emerged from the hazy outer territories of the heavy music

underground in years. Despite the numerous musical mutations that have sprung up

around it since its initial release, Pyramids debut still sounds far beyond the horizons

of anything concocted by modern musical scientists. Perhaps through a process of

reversed time flow, Pyramids have brought the sounds of the future into our present

moment, speculative fiction in aural form. It's hard to say whether we should be

reassured or terrified by their findings, but it's safe to say adventurous listeners can't

afford to ignore prophetic visions such as these.

PYRAMIDS T-SHIRT (design by Aaron Turner)
PRE-ORDER NOW

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://pyramids-hhr.bandcamp.com/album/pyramids"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pyramids by Pyramids&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
PYRAMIDS items in the Hydra Head Shop
PYRAMIDS Bandcamp
Pyramids facebook

New RTK Items - OXBOW, TORCHE, PRURIENT + More...

2011-12-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

Sugarbear put in some time and popped a pile of new items and bundles onto RealTomatoKetchup, just in time for there to not be enough time to ship before Christmas. Real (tomato) talk, though, this isn't stuff you want to give someone else, anyway. These presents are for you, gifts to tell yourself, "Hey, good going on sticking it out through the pre-apocalypse. Here's a little something for you, sport."

And so, here is what you have to choose from to reward that special someone on your private "Me" list:

Get on it, though, most of these have single digit quantities in stock.

Also, to check out our actual webstore (not the slipshod one where we sell our office leftovers) head over to www.HydraHeadShop.com

Hydra Head 2012 Calendar

2011-12-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

BUY IT HERE

12-month wall calendar featuring the 2011 Hydra Head Records ads by Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer, Everlovely Lightningheart). Featuring HHR Staff, band members, interns and friends.

Limited to 100.

Buy it on RTK
or get it for FREE automatically with any RealTomatoKetchup.com purchase over $50 (excluding shipping), while supplies last.

BUY IT HERE

WHIPPING BOY vinyl discography on RTK

2011-12-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

Buy it at RealTomatoKetchup.com

Before he was Eugene Robinson of BLACK FACE, or Eugene Robinson who literally wrote the book on ass-kicking, or Eugene Robinson of OXBOW, he was Eugene Robinson of WHIPPING BOY and CFY Records. Catch up on WHIPPING BOY's entire vinyl output with this set of 3 LPs and a 7", from Eugene's very own stash. Includes:

- WHIPPING BOY - 'The Sound of No Hands Clapping' LP
- WHIPPING BOY - 'Mura Mura' LP
- WHIPPING BOY - 'The Third Secret of Fatima' LP
- WHIPPING BOY - 'Crow' 7"

Records are new, but the jackets are not in perfect condition. There are some bent corners, shelf wear, etc. They are from the mid-80s. If you have any complaints, you can tell Eugene. We're sure he will be very sympathetic.

BUY IT AT RealTomatoKetchup.com

Here is Damian Pink Eyes Abraham from FUCKED UP repping WHIPPING BOY and Eugene at Amoeba SF.

Hydra Head Shirt Contest Update

2011-12-05T13:11:00.001-08:00

So, it turns out we are indecisive and unable to come to a consensus on which Hydra Head Shirt Picture Contest entry should be crowned as the best. There were a pile of hilarious choices, some terrible ones, and a few that were both. Each of us here chose a favorite, which make up the Final Five. We are turning to you to help decide who wins.

To participate in the selection of a winner, simply vote for your favorite entry below. The picture with the most votes on Friday, December 9th, 2011 will be crowned the winner, and receive a Hydra Head logo shirt, plus whatever miscellaneous stuff we throw in the box with it.

HOUSE OF LOW CULTURE, NEW CD...NOW...

2011-12-01T08:38:00.001-08:00

This just in from Hydra Head affiliates/employees/alumni:

The CD version of the House of Low Culture album "Poisoned Soil" album is now available for order via the Feral Pig and SIGE webstores. Visit here for further details. A big thanks to Sub Rosa for their support in putting out this record - you can visit their site for more info on the release here. They have some sound clips up, and there's another more extended clip here. Some recent reviews for the album can be found here and here. The 2xLP version on Taiga Records is still in the works with an expected release date of early January.

Hydra Head T-shirt Picture Contest

2011-11-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

In honor of the new Hydra Head Records logo t-shirt, we are announcing the Hydra Head T-Shirt Picture Contest. Basically, we want you to use photoshop (or whatever image manipulation software you prefer) to make a picture of someone or something wearing the Hydra Head logo t-shirt, like this but better:

Whoever we choose as the best (probably most hilarious) submission wins the Hydra Head shirt plus whatever miscellaneous goodies we decide to throw in.

TO ENTER: Email your submission to infoAThydraheadDOTcom with the subject line HYDRA HEAD SHIRT PICTURE CONTEST. Picture should be a jpeg and no larger than 600 pixels in either direction.
Submissions must arrive before we pick the winner on Monday, December 4th. No purchase necessary.

Hydra Head Recs. Logo T-shirt

2011-11-28T10:59:00.001-08:00

So, it's Cyber Monday, we are all wiped out from selling heaps of our Black Friday releases (see previous post) and buying Nerf guns and comic books on our Thanksgiving road trips. That means we are going to keep it simple.

We do that by unveiling the brand-new, straight forward, classic Hydra Head Recs. logo t-shirt.

Just think how good this will look with those jeans you have never washed, and those shoes that kind of hurt your feet. Can you imagine all the attractive eyes and hands this magical garment will draw to you? It is like a tractor beam for good looking people with good taste. This is your new secret fashion weapon.

Record Store Day Black Friday

2011-11-23T11:25:00.001-08:00

This Friday, November 25th, is the slated release date for several Hydra Head titles:

BLACK FACE - I Want to Kill You b/w Monster 7"

HELMS ALEE - Weatherhead Cassette (previously only available from the band on tour)

OLD MAN GLOOM - Christmas Eve I & II + 6 + Live in NYC LP

PYRAMIDS / HORSEBACK - A Throne Without a King LP+7"

Unfortunately due to some delays, some stores will not have received OLD MAN GLOOM or PYRAMIDS / HORSEBACK in time for Record Store Day Black Friday, but check back in the next week or two.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, come by VACATION VINYL on Friday. In addition to all four Hydra Head titles (probably the only store to have PYRAMIDS / HORSEBACK available on Friday) and piles of other RSD releases, we will be giving away free Hydra Head promo CDs, posters, and stickers. Also, we may or may not have a stack of HHR Test Presses for sale.

Also, the first 10 people to buy the BLACK FACE 7" will receive an uncut jacket print.

Here is a partial list of stores who have ordered HHR Black Friday releases:

1-2-3-4 Go! Records
2nd Avenue Records
641 RPM
Albums On The Hill
Amoeba Music Berkeley
Amoeba Music Hollywood
Amoeba Music San Fran
Angelo's CD's & Tapes
Apop Records
Aquarius Records
Bent Crayon
BK Music
Bleecker Street Records
BooBoo Records-San Luis Obispo
Bop Shop Records
Bull Moose Music
Cactus Music
CD Alley Chapel Hill
CD Central
Chaz's Bull City Records
Co-op Records Clinton
Criminal Records
Culture Shock Records
Dave's Records
Dearborn Music
Decatur CD's
Dimple Records
Disc Exchange
Ear Candy
Earshot Music - Laurens
Earshot Music - Winston-Salem
Earwax Records - Brooklyn
Easy Street Records
Electric Fetus One Stop HQ
End of An Ear
Euclid Records
Everybody's Records
Everyday Music
Extreme Noise Records
Flat Black and Circular
Forever Young
Four Thousand Holes
Generation Records
Good Records
Gotham Distributing
Grimey's
Harvest Records
Homer's Records
Horizon
House of Records
Independent Records
Indy CD and Vinyl
J & R Music World
Jack's Music Shoppe
Ka-CHUNK Records
Kim's Video & Music
Landlocked Music
Luna MusicLunchbox
M-Theory
Mad Platter-Riverside
Magnoliathunderpussy
Melody Record Shop Inc.
Monster Music & Movies
Music Millennium
Neat Neat Neat Records and Mus
Newbury Comics HQ
Offbeat Music, Ltd.
Origami (LA)
Other Music
Parasol Records
Park Ave. CD's
Paul's Compact Discs
Phono Select Records
Princeton Record Exchange
Pure Pop Records
Radio-Active Records
Ramalama Records
Rasputin Music HQ
Reckless Records - Loop
Reckless Records- Wicker Park
Reckless Records-Broadway
Record Archive
Record Breakers -Chicago
Record Den
Record Exchange Boise
Repo Records
Rhino Records Claremont
Rockaway Records
Salzer's
Second Hand Tunes
SG Distributing-Gray Whale CD
Shake It
Sig's Lagoon
Size Records
Sonic Boom Records-WA
SOS Music
Sound Fix Records
Sound Garden Baltimore
Spoonful Records
Static Age Records
Steady Sounds Record Store
Stinkweeds-Phoenix
Street Corner Music
Streetlight - Santa Cruz
Strictly Discs
Sweat Records
The Exclusive Co.
Treehouse Records
Twist & Shout
Underground Sounds
Vacation Vinyl
Vintage Vinyl Fords
Vinyl Collective
Waiting Room Records
Waterloo
Wax N' Facts
Wax Trax Main Store HQ
Young Ones
Zia Enterprises, Inc.

Stores, let us know in the comments if you should be on this list.

PYRAMIDS / HORSEBACK - A Throne Without a King LP+7"/CS

2011-11-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

HYH-229

PYRAMIDS / HORSEBACK

A Throne Without a King

LP+7" / CS

November 25th, 2011

(CD - January 24th, 2012)

PRE-ORDER NOW

In our current climate of exponentially expanding micro-genres and sub-sub-niches, we're usually only a few mouse clicks away from finding or assigning a particular tag to any given musical artist. In instances when a group or solo musician seems to have hit upon a sound that hasn't already been neatly classified, it seems there's a whole host of anxious internetters just waiting to cobble together a set of hyphenated words to quickly solidify the identity of the unruly artist. Though both Pyramids and Horseback have existed now for what seems like eons by modern standards (you know, at least three or more years), astonishingly neither has been saddled with a lasting classification for the sounds they make. Whether this is due to their constantly shifting approach to compositional technique with each successive release, their fluctuating membership, or simply the fact that their not borrowing exclusively from any one source, it seems one thing is certain: both have succeeded in making music that is singularly their own, while also possessing a deeply affective humanity, initially alienating though it might appear.

Now that these two entities have combined forces for "A Throne Without a King", a new set of questions is raised in through its realization. Firstly, is it a split or a collaboration? Well, it's both - the album includes one new song from each individual group, as well as a long-form collaborative piece involving all personnel from Horseback and Pyramids playing together. Over the course of the three tracks that comprise the set the music ranges through territories of frenzied blasting, sonorous melody, arrhythmic clattering, frenetic riffing, frozen howls, and uneasy quiet. Horseback offers up the most recognizably structured piece of the three, a scabrous black metal weave, threaded through with a distinctly American twang. On their solo adventure Pyramids force together incongruent bits of hammering drum machine, screeching metallic textures and harmonious snippets of spacious piano into one implausibly seamless whole.

Strong as the preceding pieces are, it is the massive forty five minute collaborative piece that is really the centerpiece of the entire project - a sprawling mass of sonic moss, mud, concrete and galvanic crackle. Incorporating harsh electronics, buzzing swaths of guitar, low pulsing drones, improvised percussion and spectral voices issued from a distant universe, the "song" is a perfect synthesis of the diverse musical personalities involved in its creation. Though it could be inaptly described as any number wildly different types of music, like the parent groups that have channeled its chaotic essence into a tangible living form, it is a beast of unique nature - at once beguiling, terrifying and completely immersive. A more successful pairing of experimental-metal-drone-ambient-krautish-noise-rock collaborators you are unlikely to find, in our reality or any of its parallel relatives.

LP+7” TRACKLISTING _____________________________________________________________________

Pyramids / Horseback

Side A: 7"

1. Pyramids 'Phaedra's Love' : 6:45

Side B: 7"

2. Horseback 'Thee Cult of Henry Flynt' : 7:00

Pyramids + Horseback

Side C: LP

3. 'A Throne Without a King pt 1' : 8:54

4. 'A Throne Without a King pt 2' : 13:06

Side D: LP

5. 'A Throne Without a King pt 3' : 9:47

6. 'A Throne Without a King pt 4' : 13:52

CD/CS TRACKLISTING _____________________________________________________________________

1. Pyramids 'Phaedra's Love' : 6:45

2. Horseback 'Thee Cult of Henry Flynt' : 7:00

3. Pyramids + Horseback 'A Throne Without a King pt 1' : 8:54

4. Pyramids + Horseback 'A Throne Without a King pt 2' : 13:06

5. Pyramids + Horseback 'A Throne Without a King pt 3' : 9:47

6. Pyramids + Horseback 'A Throne Without a King pt 4' : 13:52

PRE-ORDER NOW

OLD MAN GLOOM - Christmas Eve I & II + 6 + Live in NYC

2011-11-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

TR-027-1
OLD MAN GLOOM
Christmas Eve I & II + 6 + Live in NYC
12"
November 25th, 2011

Available in stores on Record Store Day - Black Friday (Webstore Pre-Order Sold Out!)
Pre-Order Exclusive Shirt still available

So, Old Man Gloom is milking old material for another "new" release, that's what you're thinking right? And you're also wondering why you should shell out a portion of your not-so-hard earned cash in exchange for an item manufactured with the sole intent of making more money for an already wealthy group of individuals, yes? You want to know why? Because, whether you realize it or not, Old Man Gloom is the best band on the planet, hands down; and if we shit in a bucket and threw it in the presses at the vinyl manufacturing plant it would still merit purchasing. And you know what else? Even our mossy turds are better than 99.9% of the other "music" that's floating around out there. This is not idle boasting, this is fact, based on sound scientific research conducted by the head technicians at the OMG Institute for Simian Alien Technology. After centuries of forethought and developmental planning, the Institute has produced one ground breaking document after another over the last decade, and humanity has benefitted greatly as a result. Truth be told though, the figures behind OMG have not worked together in the same facility for the past eight and half years, simply because of the collective realization that, even now, so many years after the initial publication of our works, no one outside the interior group has been able to fully comprehend those massive feats of intellect and creative ingenuity (see articles i-v: "meditations in b", "seminars ll & lll" , "christmas eve l & ll + 6" [previous digital 3" compact disc and analog 2x7" vinyl versions], and finally the simply and aptly titled "christmas"). While it seems some recipients of these documents have been able to grasp the general themes addressed therein, many, if not all of the nuances and fastidiously constructed details continue to elude and confound the average (and even above average), intellect of today's global citizen, no matter their background training or level of education. This is a sad truth, only too apparent to we the creators of the aforementioned documents, but despite this, the members of the Institute continue to hold out hope that with enough persistence, educational presentations, and continued dissemination of past documents in various formats and incarnations, that one day humanity will finally be able to grasp the full scope and meaning of our work. Though the OMG team has not been fully assembled in any cohesive form since late 2003, the strength and force of our collective will has only grown in the interim and shows no signs of dissipating. We all have continued to develop new theoretical hypotheses and developmental projects individually, as well as in other cooperative collectives, though the results of such efforts are dwarfed by the formidable shadow cast by the incomparable output of our assembled whole. Be that as it may, we have opted to continue our work separately until such time for reassembly is deemed appropriate. This could be tomorrow, it could be 10 years from now, but whatever the case, rest assured that OMG will always retain the ultimate goal of the betterment of society and the global community at the forefront of their collective consciousness. …

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Christmas Eve Part I

2. A.L.F. Makes Accident, Or The Slow Advance Of The Now Liberated, But Virally Contagious Chimps

3. Skull Of Geronimo

4. Masami's Music Box I

5. Branch Breaker (Live In NYC)

6. Masami's Music Box 2

7. Christmas Eve Part II

8. Gratuitous Bonus Track Made By Sensible Musicians Doing Questionable Things

Side B "Live at Brownies in NYC"

9. Zozobra (excerpt)

10. Skullstorm

11. Branch Breaker

12. Sonic Wave of Bees

13. Rape Athena

14. Flood II

15. Afraid Of....

16. Hot Salvation

17. Jaws of the Lion

1000pcs on Light Blue, Black, or Yellow colored vinyl

Available in stores on Record Store Day - Black Friday (Webstore Pre-Order Sold Out!)

Pre-Order Exclusive Shirt still available

Old Man Gloom: Christmas Eve
Girls T-Shirt Pre-Order

Old Man Gloom: Christmas Eve T-Shirt Pre-Order

BLACK FACE - 'I Want to Kill You b/w Monster' 7"

2011-11-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

HYH-223-1

BLACK FACE

I Want to Kill You b/w Monster

November 25th, 2011

PRE-ORDER NOW

It would be hard to approach the subject of Black Face without first discussing the history of the individuals that comprise the band. The legacy of the players involved and their impact on hardcore and heavy music in general is undeniable - Chuck Dukowski, founding member of Black Flag, founder of SST records, and more; Eugene Robinson, founding member of Oxbow, Whipping Boy, author, professional journalist and fighter; Tom Dobrov, original drummer for Oxbow and The Stiffs; and relative newcomer Milo Gonzalez of contemporary rabble rousers Insects vs. Robots, and The Chuck Dukowski Sextet. Though the stature of all involved is considerable, it is Chuck's tenure in Black Flag and his contributions to the song writing process thereof that relate most directly to the form and content of Black Face itself.

Having been a crucial component of what is arguably the most vital period of Black Flag's existence (from inception, to the classic Damaged album, and up through the prototypical noise-metal landmark My War for which he penned the title track), Chuck is a veritable forefather in the history of American hardcore. Though responsible for many key tracks in their catalog, the aforementioned "My War", along with classics like "Spraypaint", "What I See", and "Padded Cell"; there is an additional angle of Chuck's time in Black Flag which relates directly to the musical content of Black Face. Aside from tunes written for and recorded by Black Flag, Dukowski also wrote a number of songs during the same era which never made it to tape. These songs have since lingered on in notebooks and memory waiting for the right vehicle to give them form - and now 20+ years later they have finally been brought to life with the requisite energy and gut punching emotion that drove home the finely honed point of early Black Flag.

As an introduction to the band the lead off track on the debut single, "I Want to Kill You" serves as an appropriately violent first round. Comprised of cascading shards of angular guitars, stuttering figures of bass/drum interplay, topped off with Robinson's insistently murderous diatribe, the track feels at once vintage and refreshingly present. Though many have imitated this approach to songcraft in the decades since it first ripped forth from the ether, it's clear from the first dour notes of the song that none have surpassed the progenitors in their singular intensity. Following the A side's introductory battery is a sprawling beast aptly titled "Monster", a potentially polarizing track not unlike Black Flag's early forays into the realms of abstract and obtuse psychedelic punk. Though more subdued in pace and tone, the track proves no less menacing than its predecessor - a not-so-welcoming doorway into a dimly lit world of treachery and unrelenting pain. There is no overtly obvious catharsis in these tracks, no glorious climax, only sustained tension and the promise of greater horrors waiting at every further turn into the darkness. If this is a re-beginning for Dukowski and co, it sounds like a grisly end for the rest of us.

TOM DOBROV: drums

CHUCK DUKOWSKI: bass

MILO GONZALEZ: guitar

EUGENE S. ROBINSON: voice

2000 pcs on Black, Grey, White, and Mystery colored vinyl

PRE-ORDER NOW

Black Face: Kill You
T-Shirt Pre-Order

Black Face: Kill You
Pullover Hoodie Pre-Order

Black Face: White Line
T-Shirt Pre-Order

Black Face: White Line
Pullover Hoodie Pre-Order

Pitchfork names PRURIENT - "Time's Arrow" Best New Music

2011-11-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork named the title track off of PRURIENT - Time's Arrow a Best New Track. You can read the review and stream it over at Pitchfork.

Time's Arrow is in stores now on 12" and Cassette (CD Maxi-single coming soon), and available digitally at the new PRURIENT Bandcamp page (administered by Hydra Head).

Interns Wanted

2011-10-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again, when our previous interns (who have raised the bar in killing it for the past few months) have moved on to paying gigs recording chart-topping recording artists (seriously, Navon has had production credits on multiple iTunes top 10 sellers at the same time!). So, for the proud women and men who would like to be bossed around for free, here is your chance.

Do you want to intern here at Hydra Head? Do you like doing menial tasks for school credit, free records, and free lunch? If you live in the Los Angeles area and want to see first hand why a career in the music industry is a bad idea, send an email to sugarbear AT hydrahead.com

Let him know why you are interested, when you're available, what pertinent skills you might have, and why we should pick you.

A beard is not required.

This is who you will be reporting to.

New Releases - PRURIENT, JESU, BOTCH

2011-10-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

We've got three titles on five formats hitting stores tomorrow. They all make pretty good soundtracks for scaring the candy corn out of visitors on Halloween. Just imagine the faces of trick or treaters greeted with a wall of speakers blasting one of these thrashers.

New Hydra Head releases for October 25th, 2011:

PRURIENT - Time's Arrow 12"/CS/Digital (MCD delayed until early November due to manufacturing error)

More info...

JESU - s/t 2xLP (black, brown, or clear gold vinyl, repress)

More info...

BOTCH - We Are the Romans 2xLP (Orange+Blue vinyl, or White/Orange/Blue haze+Black/Orange/Blue haze vinyl)

More info...

Botch 2xLPs shipped to these stores (Happy Hunting!):

Amoeba Music - Hollywood
Amoeba Music - San Francisco
Anthems of The Undesirable
Armageddon Shop
BooBoo Records-San Luis Obispo
Carrot Top
Criminal Records
Dimple Records
Disc Exchange
Ear Candy
End of An Ear
Everyday Music
Forever Young
Good Records
In Vinyl We Trust
Independent Records
Indy CD and Vinyl
Insound
Landlocked Music
Lunchbox
Melody Record Shop Inc.
Music Millennium
Neat Neat Neat Records and Mus
Park Ave. CD's
Porchlight Coffee & Records
Princeton Record Exchange
Reckless Records - Loop
Reckless Records- Wicker Park
Reckless Records-Broadway
Rhino Records Claremont
Gray Whale CD
Silver Platters
Sonic Boom Records-WA
Sound Garden Baltimore
Sound Garden Syracuse
Steady Sounds Record Store
Strictly Discs
Sweat Records
The Exclusive Co.
Twist & Shout
Underground Sounds
Waterloo

Stream PRURIENT - "Time's Arrow" via Pitchfork

2011-10-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork just premiered the new, eponymous track from PRURIENT - Time's Arrow EP (12"/MCD/CS/Digital out on October 11th).

Stream "Time's Arrow" courtesy of Pitchfork.

Pre-order PRURIENT - Time's Arrow 12"/MCD/CS

DISCORDANCE AXIS - The Inalienable Dreamless LP

2011-10-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

We released a super limited run of DISCORDANCE AXIS - The Inalienable Dreamless LP for Record Store Day 2011, which sold out immediately. We now have some leftover copies available (on both blue and black vinyl) over at RealTomatoKetchup, while supplies last.

If you missed out in April, here is your second chance.

Vinyl includes download code.
Decibel Magazine's #12 'Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade'! First time on vinyl since 2000! The Inalienable Dreamless is their defining and final album . . .and easy contender for Greatest Grindcore Album of Forever ;) Members went on to Gridlink, Hayaino Daisuki and Municipal Waste.

Track Listing:
1. Castration Rite
2. The Inalienable Dreamless
3. Sound Out The Braille
4. Oratorio In Grey
5. Vacuum Sleeve
6. Angel Present
7. The Necropolitan
8. Pattern Blue
9. The End Of Rebirth
10. Loveless
11. Radiant Arkham
12. Use Of Weapons
13. Compiling Autumn
14. Jigsaw
15. The Third Children
16. A Leaden Stride To Nowhere
17. Drowned

Band website: http://www.studio-gray.com/da/

BOTCH - We Are The Romans 2xLP SOLD OUT

2011-09-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly! Botch - 'We Are the Romans' 2xLP sold out in the Hydra Head Shop in less than 20 minutes.

To those who were unable to secure a copy this morning, there will be limited numbers going to local record stores, so get in touch and be extra nice. VACATION VINYL will definitely have some copies.

The pressing was limited by the number of jackets we had (We don't currently have art files to print them, as they are 11 years old at this point and probably were in Quark on a PC that has been non-operational since Aaron smashed it. We are working on it though).

The overwhelming demand confirms that BOTCH represses are a priority for 2012.

HARKONEN - Shake Harder Boy LP, Mega Pack

2011-09-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

Shake Harder Boy, the rock and roll / hard-core masterpiece by HARKONEN (Ben Verellen of HELMS ALEE, Casey Hardy, and Matt Howard), is now available on vinyl for the first time ever! This criminally underrated album, recorded in 2002 by Matt Bayles (MASTODON, BOTCH), has been mastered for vinyl at world-renowned MasterDisk studios to give the LP the best sound possible. Very limited pressing; includes an 11x11 full color insert. Pressed under license by Brutal Panda Records.

Limited to 300 copies! -200 Ocean Blue -100 Clear

We put together a limited number of Harkonen Mega Packs, available at RealTomatoKetchup.
They include:

HARKONEN - Shake Harder Boy LP (Blue vinyl)
HARKONEN - Shake Harder Boy CD
HARKONEN - The Grizz 7"
HARKONEN - The Grizz CDep
HARKONEN - The Grizz postcard
HARKONEN / THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES - Like A Virgin split CDep
HARKONEN / THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES - Like A Virgin poster

List price for all of this is over $43
You save over 35%

Also, there is now an official HARKONEN Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harkonen/175154022564412

PRURIENT - 'Time's Arrow' 12"/MCD/CS/Digital

2011-09-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

HYH-231
PRURIENT - Time's Arrow
12"/MCD/CS/Digital
Release Date: October 25th, 2011
Pre-Order starting September 21st

Vinyl 12" - 1000 pcs on purple, clear orange, or black vinyl.
Cassette - limited to 400.

For many artists who have careers that span more than an album or two, there are often various lines visible in their work - a line from origin to current form, lines between different paradigms of sound, lines across which fans of different manifestations of the artist will not cross. Prurient in 2011 is drawing just such lines, and Time's Arrow proves this point explicitly. Here we bear witness to Dominick Fernow's long running project once again evolving, unfolding, permutating. Taking a bold step away from the sounds which drew attention his way in the formative years, he is clearly moving towards something new, something still taking form in the present moment. Unsettling perhaps for followers of Prurient's former incarnations, but extremely important for the longevity and vitality of a determinedly restless and inventive musician as Fernow has consistently proved himself to be.

If noise music, the genre to which Prurient has most often been assigned, is about confrontation, exploration and defying expectations, this release measures up on all counts. Yet, much of what made past work identifiable as noise music - harsh textures, screams washed in seas of static, clanging unidentified percussion - is now gone. Those elements which formerly provided a valuable counterpoint to the harsh din of Prurient's core sound - buried melodies, passages of relative serenity, and occasional spoken word bits - have come to the fore. A sense of naked clarity and uncomfortable intimacy now brings the listener closer to the world as described the music, rather than pushing away the would be voyeuristic observer. This is best illustrated on the title track of the EP, "Times Arrow", where a glistening synth melody lays atop an undeniably dancey beat, over which a fragmented, but clearly discernible narrative is intoned. Sinister in character to be sure, but also clearly without any element that could be described as overtly aggressive.

Though a newly formed voice of Prurient is clearly prominent on this release, a line drawn from the past to the present is visible throughout. As the EP progresses echoes of Fernow's assaultive past explosions creep steadily to the forefront, culminating in the furious blizzard of the closing instrumental version of "Slavery in the Bahamas". This is not a calculated reassurance for fans of old that Fernow is still capable of his former feats of unbridled harshness, but rather a reminder that no one can fully escape the past, no matter however continual the process of regeneration and renewal might be - the line of time connects the then to now and onwards.

"Bold, original and astonishingly well-produced throughout, Bermuda Drain really is a new peak in Prurient's prolific career" - Boomkat / Album of the Week

"After a decade of forging the most jagged, invasive noise imaginable, Fernow has moved ahead, tempering his menace with a broader range of texture and tone. And yes, even melody. The result is Prurient’s strongest statement to date, and its best album." - The A.V. Club

"Bermuda Drain is full of distortion-free keyboard, perverse disco beats, moments of beauty, even hooks... Fernow wants to shake you up, unnerve you, make you understand just how fragile "beautiful" music is." - Pitchfork

Track List:

1. TIME'S ARROW

2. TIME'S ARROW (UNSOLVED)

3. LET'S MAKE A SLAVE (DE-SHELLED)

4. MASKLESS FACE

5. SLAVERY IN THE BAHAMAS (INSTRUMENTAL)

Pre-Order Time's Arrow

PRURIENT items in the Hydra Head Shop

PRURIENT titles in the Hydra Head Download Store

Time's Arrow cassette cover

Select Live Appearances:

October 8, MAGA Museum, live collaboration with Nico Vascellari, Gallarate, Italy

October 9 Odalunga, with Bus de la Lum, Vittorio Veneto, Italy

October 15, De Kreun, Conservatoriumplein 1, Kortrijk, Belgium

JESU - s/t 2xLP

2011-09-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

HYH-079-1
JESU - s/t
2xLP
Release Date: October 25th, 2011
Pre-Order starting September 28th

1000 pcs on black, brown, or clear gold vinyl. Repress.

Few albums represent an individual and genre defining milestone as does the self titled debut from Justin Broadrick's Jesu. Combining the considerable sonic weight of Godflesh with brittle melancholy melodies in hypnotic long-form structures, it provided ample evidence of Broadrick's myriad capabilities as a song writer and ceaselessly creative musical innovator. While the eight tracks that comprise the album truly sound like no one else, they also hinted at previously unexplored areas of tenderness and subtlety. Though Jesu went on to mine those more harmonious aspects of its sound on subsequent releases to great effect, none rivaled the debut in its perfectly crafted mixture of beauty, heaviness, hope and despair. Much has happened since the arrival of this album, both for Broadrick as well as the musical world(s) he inhabits, but nothing has diminished the gleaming radiance of this darkened gem.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Your Path To Divinity (9:14)

2. Friends Are Evil (9:43)

Side B

3. Tired Of Me (9:31)

4. We All Faulter (6:56)

Side C

5. Walk On Water (11:23)

6. Sun Day (10:03)

Side D

7. Man/Woman (9:29)

8. Guardian Angel (8:06)

Pre-Order starting September 28th

JESU items in the Hydra Head Shop

JESU titles in the Hydra Head Download Store

BOTCH - We Are the Romans 2xLP repress

2011-09-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

HYH-041-1
BOTCH - We Are the Romans
2xLP+2xCD
Release Date: October 25th, 2011
Pre-Order starting September 28th

We found about 450 empty jackets and inserts from the original pressing in our storage unit. We used the original plates to press vinyl for them. Available on Orange A/B + Blue C/D vinyl, and White/orange/blue haze A/B + Black/orange/blue C/D vinyl.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock that’s underneath another even bigger rock in a

cave in the middle of nowhere, you probably already know what’s up with this

milestone/motherfucker of an album. Initially released in the year two grand, Botch’s final

full-length was/is the kind of devastating metallic hardcore explosion that the term “metallic

hardcore” could/can only aspire to. In fact, these dudes nailed it so hard that the bands

that came afterward had to start calling themselves “metalcore” out of respect. And today,

it’s actually even worse: Ever since Botch went belly up back in 2002, there’s been a steady,

obnoxious stream of MTV2-jocking carpetbaggers that have ripped off our Sea-Tac boys

(currently and formerly members of esteemed rock outfits like Minus The Bear, These Arms

Are Snakes, Roy, Narrows and Russian Circles) riff for riff. We’d name names, but why

mess around with pretenders to the throne when you’re already in bed with the kings? Its

on 180g double vinyl for the first time since the album's initial release in y2k, and now also

includes the totally sweet double-compact disc edition from 2007 featuring the original

recording remastered plus bonus live tracks and the entire album in its hi-fidelity demo

version. We Are The Romans is bigger, better, and more Roman than ever.

“Selling Points”:

- This is it, the big one! Overstatement or hyperbole isn’t possible when describing how

critical this full length was to the progress of metallic hardcore. Along with pretty much

every band we have worked with in the past 10 years (you know what we are talking about...

Cave In, Converge, Coalesce, Knut), Botch took hardcore to unexplored realms.

- Presented here in its original 2xLP packaging and pressed from the original vinyl plates,

this repressing includes the 2007 remastered deluxe edition 2xCD as an added bonus. CD 1

features the remastered original record, while CD 2 contains several live tracks and nearly

every track from Romans in their never-before-heard live-in-the-studio demo-form. The

point we are trying to make is this thing is freakin’ awesome...

“Choice” Press Quotes:

“Some of the most impressive heavy music from the past 10 years.... no one has come close

to topping their dedication, adventurousness or personality. Botch were dead serious about

one thing: fucking ruling.” - DECIBEL

“One of the most revered hardcore bands of the last decade, Botch pioneered the

mathmetal school of rock with song structures so complex and musicianship so virtuosic

the Seattle quartet might as well have played classical music.” - REVOLVER

“If you’re a fan of metal, hardcore or any of either category’s attendant subgenres and still

aren’t worshiping the ground Botch stomped on, we don’t have any hope for you.”

- ALTERNATIVE PRESS

2xLP Track Listing:

Side A

1. To Our Friends In The Great White North (5:10)

2. Mondrian Was A Liar (2:41)

3. Transitions From Persona To Object (6:04)

4. Swimming The Channel Vs. Driving The Chunnel (4:31)

Side B

5. C. Thomas Howell As The "Soul Man" (4:44)

6. Saint Matthew Returns To The Womb (3:05)

7. Frequency Ass Bandit (4:27)

8. I Wanna Be A Sex Symbol On My Own Terms (3:35)

Side C

9. Man The Ramparts (10:51)

Side D

10. We Are the Romans (7:27)

Bonus Compact Disc Tracklisting

1. To Our Friends In the Great White North - Demo (5:17)

2. I Wanna be a Sex Symbol On My Own Terms - Demo (3:41)

3. Transitions From Persona To Object - Demo (6:34)

4. Mondrian Was A Liar - Demo (3:02)

5. Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb - Demo (3:21)

6. C. Thomas Howell as the “Soul Man” - Demo (4:25)

7. Man The Ramparts - Demo (6:31)

8. Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb - Live (4:19)

9. Vietmam - Live (3:11)

10. Transitions From Persona To Object - Live (6:01)

11. Hutton’s Great Heat Engine - Live (6:19)

Pre-Order starting September 28th

BOTCH items in the Hydra Head Shop

BOTCH titles in the Hydra Head Download Store

New Prurient shirt!

2011-09-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

There is new Prurient shirt available for order now in our webstore. The shirt will be shipping in 2-3 weeks. Check it out above. The shirt can be order here. And be on the look out for some more Prurient in the coming weeks.

KAYO DOT - Stained Glass vinyl

2011-09-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

‎Kayo Dot - Stained Glass vinyl is now available in the Hydra Head Shop. Limited to 500 pieces (200 each on purple and teal, and 100 hand numbered black), pressed under license by the good folks at Antithetic Records.

Kayo Dot's Stained Glass. 20 minutes of beautiful, synth heavy avant experimentalism. Here's a description from the label:

Scenes of rapture, agony, and consecration are arrayed as windows in this latest EP by the avant-rock maestros. With a large ensemble of glimmering malleted percussion, shrieking distorted organs, crystalline guitars, and sighing horns, violins, and vocals, Stained Glass' translucent passages of unearthly beauty set a new standard in soothing terror. Stained Glass features the return of original Kayo Dot lyricist Jason Byron, as well as a guest appearance by electric guitar genius Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle)

500 copies on 180 gram vinyl
Full color jacket printed on reverse board
Insert on uncoated stock w/ lyrics and album details
11" x 17" full color poster on 100# uncoated text with additional artwork by Toby Driver exclusive to this release.
B side contains a stripped down "de-mix" featuring the track as it was originally composed, as a rhodes-vibes-guitar trio. Remix is exclusive to this release.

Pressing Info:

200 Purple
200 Teal
100 Black - Hand Numbered

Pressed by Antithetic Records under license from Hydra Head.

Also available:

KAYO DOT - Stained Glass CDep, Digital Download

KAYO DOT - Coyote CD, Digital, LP

KAYO DOT - Blue Lambency Downward
LP, CD, Digital

Kayo Dot: Blue Lambency Downward T-Shirt
$15.00

Kayo Dot: Blue Lambency Downward Triptych Art Prints
$60.00

Big Business - Here Come the Waterworks LP

2011-08-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

So basically we had a stack of Here Come the Waterworks LPs from the original pressing sitting around because they were white labels and didn't have inner sleeves (although they do have jackets). We finally cranked out some photocopied inserts, and now you can finally get the album you should have had on vinyl all along in a limited (we're talking double digits), slightly lower-fi print version. Vinyl and jacket are both first press.
Order at RealTomatoKechup.com

Tour Dates:
8/05 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre w/ Torche, Thrones (Venue Link)
8/06 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s w/ Torche, Thrones (Venue Link)
8/07 West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour w/ Torche, Thrones (Buy Tickets)
8/08 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah w/ Torche, Thrones (Venue Link)
8/09 Scottsdale, AZ @ Martini Ranch w/ Torche, Thrones (Venue Link)
8/10 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad w/ Torche, Thrones (Venue Link)
8/12 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada w/ Torche, Thrones (Buy Tickets)
8/13 San Antonio, TX @ Korova w/ Torche, Thrones (Buy Tickets)
8/14 Austin, TX @ Red 7 w/ Torche, Thrones (Venue Link)
8/16 Tuscon, AZ @ Club Congress

Helms Alee - "8/16" music video

2011-08-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

You've got about 7 hours left to pledge if you want to get any of the rewards from the Helms Alee music video kickstarter campaign.

Good news is they hit their minimum, so the video is definitely a go. Sugarbear is plotting furiously now.

CHUCK DUKOWSKI FROM BLACK FLAG HAS A NEW BAND WITH EUGENE ROBINSON

2011-08-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Read the rest at Vice Magazine

PRURIENT live footage

2011-08-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Greh from Vacation Vinyl got some footage of PRURIENT's entire set last week at the Ukrainian Culture Center in Los Angeles. The show was with Austra and Cold Cave and put on by FYF Fest. Crank this.

Jesuit - Discography LP+7" / CD

2011-08-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

We've got copies of the JESUIT discography either on CD or LP+7" in the Hydra Head Shop (courtesy of Magic Bullet Records). Here is some info from them:

JESUIT were an unrelenting, noisy hardcore band from Virginia Beach, VA. They existed from the mid-90′s up until the changing of the century. In their wake, they left a rather nice-sized dent in the intensely-PC witch-hunt/”safe space” era of DIY hardcore. Whereas events attributed to Charles Manson are often credited with bringing a savage and brutal end to the peace, love, and drug culture of the 60′s, events surrounding bands like JESUIT and GEHENNA not only elicited controversy at every tour stop, but pushed a movement toward hardcore finding its more violent, unpredictable, and entirely irreverent roots as the “Portlandia” cult of 90′s hardcore crashed to a halt.

Comprised of childhood friends Nate Newton (who went on to CONVERGE, OLD MAN GLOOM, and DOOMRIDERS), Brian Benoit (who went on to THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Brett Matthews, Kelly Posadas, and J. How, JESUIT managed to crank out twelve scathing blasts of fury and anguish in their time.

Discography features all twelve in reverse chronological order from the final 7″ on Hydra Head all the way back to the demo tape. All twelve tracks have been meticulously restored and remixed by Kurt Ballou at God City before being remastered by Bob Lipton at Peerless. The result is a behemoth of an album that sounds and feels more relevant than anything being marketed as “hardcore for the hardcore” today.

Discography also features completely revamped artwork from Florian Bertmer and Brent Eyestone. Both the LP+7″ and the CD versions are housed in lush gatefolds featuring a brand new illustration from Florian. Inside, listeners will be bombarded with inserts and extras galore. For the vinyl version, Eyestone has reworked and re-interpretated the original demo tape art into a stand-alone 7″ piece and built a massive collage comprised of hundreds of photos from the band’s archive and contributors like Dave Mandel and Jason Hellman. Both versions feature complete lyrics and a booklet containing essays and even more photos from friends and peers who experienced JESUIT first-hand. Great accounts from Brian Cook (BOTCH, RUSSIAN CIRCLES), Mike “Phyte” Mowery, Jason Hamacher (FRODUS), and more leave the reader in stitches as story after story paints a larger image of the pure chaos and absurdity that defined JESUIT to a T.

Mp3: “Car Crash Lullaby”

Buy the CD
Buy the LP+7"

Tracklist:
• Car Crash Lullaby
• Your Sharp Teeth
• Cop Glasses
• Hole in the Sky
• Servitude
• The Malady
• Suicide King
• Tranzor Z
• The Smooth Talking Son of a Bitch
• Trigger
• Canonize
• Expatriate

"Blood, Sweat + Vinyl: DIY in the 21st Century" Playing at the NW Film Forum Theatre in Seattle

2011-08-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

"Blood, Sweat + Vinyl: DIY in the 21st Century," a music documentary featuring Hydra Head, Neurot, and Constellation bands, is playing at the NW Film Forum Theatre in Seattle - on Sunday, August 7, at 3:30pm. The film was produced and directed by Kenneth Thomas.

This captivating documentary is the product of five years of obsessive filming of live concert footage, exclusive interviews, and historic documentation focusing on three fiercely independent music labels and their bands.

Featuring Neurosis, Isis, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Pelican, Oxbow, Evangelista, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Cave In, and many others whose music and art found ideal homes in the artist-run record labels of Hydra Head, Neurot, and Constellation.

These labels combine hard-to-define, heavy music with a visual aesthetic that has enraptured worldwide fans, without the need for radio or corporate media outlets. They uphold the legacy of treating music as an art form, not as a product.

This film is an answer to those who question where the spirit of punk rock is today.

Over 20 bands and visual artists.

3 record labels.

1 philosophy.

Check out the Trailer below:

Blood, Sweat & Vinyl: DIY in the 21st Century (Trailer) from kenneth thomas on Vimeo.

The Northwest Film Forum

www.nwfilmforum.org

Sunday - August 7, 2011 - 3:30pm

Tickets $7

1515 12th Ave

Seattle, WA 98122

"Blood, Sweat & Vinyl provides a keen glimpse into crucial corners of the modern music universe where corporate concerns are disregarded and the artists are given (and receive) the respect they deserve."

- J. Bennett, Decibel Magazine

www.bloodsweatvinyl.com

Two Upcoming GRIDLINK Shows!!!

2011-07-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

GRIDLINK play a show once in a blue moon, so we are super stoked to let you in on the fact that they are playing two upcoming Scion shows. We are double stoked they are playing Los Angeles, which means we get to chat up Jon Chang about video games and obscure anime over breakfast burritos.

Go to www.scion.com/metalshow and RSVP.

New Exclusive Deal w/ TYMS GUITARS [Brisbane, Australia]

2011-07-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our new Australian homie Tom Hall (aka AXXONN) and his heavy negotiation tactics we have been able to bridge the very large gap between us and the great land of Australia, all the way down under.

We've struck up a great friendship with Australia's leading indy guitar/record/fx shop TYMS GUITARS in Brisbane. Tim lays host to some of the finest guitars known to earth, he builds insane custom FX pedals and Amps for many great bands and NOW has in stock RIGHT NOW some of our finest wax.

Get into Tyms quick and pick up the latest titles from PRURIENT, HELMS ALEE, TORCHE, OXBOW, CAVE IN and a host of other greats....

We totally have the best ads.

2011-07-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

PRURIENT - 'Bermuda Drain' IN STORES NOW / Streaming at A.V. CLUB

2011-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

PRURIENT - Bermuda Drain LP/CD

PRURIENT - Bermuda Drain CS

The new album from Prurient - Bermuda Drain is in stores today on Cassette, Vinyl LP (w/download code), CD, and Digital.

Stream the album in its entirety at A.V. Club

PRESS QUOTES:

"...sonic variety, clear knowledge of his sources, and sheer force of personality. Even when he skirts close to Ministry and Nine Inch Nails on “There Are Still Secrets”, or New Age Ambience on “Let’s Make A Slave”, his glare shoots through the sonic clouds like a laser."
- The Wire

"...Bermuda Drain‘s my favorite Prurient album (or cassette, or limited-edition whatever) to date: Its nine songs construct an even darker, deeper, violent, emotionally charged edifice to love, lust, and wanting to rip someone apart."
- Stereogum

"Standing up front, I caught all of Dominick Fernow's violent and fantastic 15 minute set that included his Cold-Cave bandmate Wes Eisold adding another layer of electronic noise. Dominick screamed and thrashed violently (ultimately knocking over his rig) into two microphones while an icy mix of darkwave synths, black metal, and noise blasted through the PA. Incredible set."
- BrooklynVegan

"...as if Whitehouse decided to work on a record with Depeche Mode or any of the artists on Veronica Vasicka’s Minimal Wave imprint. None of which appears premeditated or unpure. If anything, Prurient sounds, and looks, as frightening as ever onstage, silencing anyone who still doesn’t understand why he’s been making deviant pop music with Cold Cave the past few years."
- Self-Titled

"Bold, original and astonishingly well-produced throughout, Bermuda Drain really is a new peak in Prurient's prolific career"
- Boomkat / Album of the Week

"Bermuda Drain is surely one of the most remarkable attempts in recent years to propel noise into fresh territories."
- Dusted

TOUR DATES

Prurient has just announced West Coast tour dates supporting Prurient member Dominick Fernow's other full-time musical endeavor, celebrated Matador Records band Cold Cave, kicking off next week in San Francisco.

7/25 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall w/ Cold Cave, Austra (Buy Tickets)
7/26 San Diego, CA @ Casbah w/ Cold Cave, Austra (Buy Tickets)
7/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Los Angeles Ukrainian Center w/ Cold Cave, Soft Moon, Austra (Buy Tickets)

Last minute The Austerity Program show this Wednesday...opening for a special guest.

2011-07-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

We receive this cipher from Justin Foley this morning:

Hello friends,

Enjoying your summer?

Let's hope so.

Many apologies for the broadcast email.

Surely you'll forgive the intrusion.

Albeit so, we just wanted to give you a heads up about the show we're playing this week.

Late though it is, we'll be starting near 12:00 on Wednesday night.

Earplugs are recommended.

E're you worry that we're not telling you what's what, you can find the answer to the mystery in what we've already written.

THE AUSTERITY PROGRAM OPENING FOR (see above)

LATE SHOW, BABY ->>> 11:59 ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

THE CHARLESTON, 174 BEDFORD AVE, BROOKLYN (Like 1/2 block from the 7 train, if that.)

11:59PM (Like I said. Duh.)

5 or 7 bucks. I don't know. Cheap. It's all going to the second band.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE US TEAR IT UP WITH ANOTHER INCREDIBLE BAND, ALL OF US FLEXING IT IN OUR PRIME, THEN GET THE HELL OUT TO THIS SHOW.

If now, please send an email that says 'unsubscribe' and let's both stop kidding ourselves.

New RTK items - Shirts and Vinyl

2011-07-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

14 new items on www.RealTomatoKetchup.com today. Shirts and vinyl from Cave In, Lustmord, Harvey Milk, Big Business, Xasthur, Kayo Dot, The Gersch, Scissorfight, Oxbow, and Daughters.

PRURIENT's "Bermuda Drain" LP/CD is now available for preorder!

2011-07-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

Bermuda Drain, the newest full length from Prurient (and first for HHR), has been playing none stop at our office for months, to the point where we get confused when the outside world hasn't memorized all the lyrics like we have. But now that can change cause the preorder for this milestone is now available. Head over to our webstore here to check it out.

For this preorder, we got an exclusive shirt in longsleeve and regular sleeve. The shirt is only going to be available throughout all of July and after that it is gone forever. Check out the sick 4-sided design for the longsleeve below:

You can preorder the LP here, with your choice of 3 different colors (Blue, Plantain Green and Black). And/or, for those of you that love car stereos, you can get the CD in all its jewelcase glory here.

A second pressing for the Bermuda Drain cassette is in production now and we will let you know when that becomes available again.

Prurient has a few shows coming up with Cold Cave and Austra, be sure to check them out:

20% OFF SUMMER SALE!

2011-07-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

Want 20% off of everything in the Hydra Head Shop (and throughout Blue Collar Distro)? Use the coupon code SUMMER20 (good through July 11th).

Nab that LP you've been eyeing, or the shirt that you didn't get for graduation, or the CD that you scratched a while ago and have been meaning to replace. Then go to the water park while you wait for it to arrive, because this summer is hot right now.

The code expires July 11th, 2011.

New RTK items - Jesu Poster Pack, Melvins Box Set, Neurosis LP (dinged jackets)

2011-06-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

We have some new items up on www.RealTomatoKetchup.com including:
-Jesu poster pack (4 posters - s/t, Silver, Lifeline, and Conqueror)
- Melvins A Senile Animal Box Set (4xLP, belt buckle, and comic in a silk-screened box. Only 1!)
- Neurosis Sovereign LP (clear vinyl, dinged jacket - vinyl tore through edge during shipping)
- Torche Meanderthal LP repress (simplified standard gatefold jacket)
- Pelican poster pack
plus a bunch of other stuff. Have a look, and check back regularly. There are always new items that we have limited quantities of.

New CAVITY shirt and original art by Dan Gorostiaga

2011-06-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Available right now on our webstore is a brand new Cavity t-shirt, designed by bassist Dan Gorostiaga. You can check out the shirt design above. As an added super bonus, when you order the shirt you will also receive a limited edition collage AND a black and white print, both done by Dan and ONLY available with this t-shirt (while supplies last). Each collage and print are custom done, signed and numbered, and each collage is different.

And if that wasn't enough, Dan has been gracious enough to provide us with even more free artwork. If you buy the Cavity "On The Lam" picture disc, you will receive a signed and numbered silver gelatin photographic print made by Dan. If you buy a copy of Dan's Postcard Set or 11x14 Lambda Print, you'll receive a custom, signed and numbered black and white photograph made by Dan. All photos are silver gelatin prints made in a darkroom using traditional photographic processes. Not all images are the same, all images signed and numbered by artist. Images measure either 8"x10" or 7"x9.5" for the Postcard Set and 8"x10" for the Lambda Print.

Check it out here. Everything is "while supplies last", so act fast. Also, for a limited time, all Cavity CD's are 15% off with the coupon code "CAVITY" (this code is case specific). The coupon will only run for a month.

The (laser) cat's outta the bag! HELMS ALEE 'Weatherhead' streaming in full on Brooklyn Vegan!

2011-06-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Its days like this where we just can't help but get mega giddy about what we do! This album has been rocking our iPhone's, turntables and CD players for months, and today we get to share it with the rest of ya'll! Brooklyn Vegan is streaming the Matt Bayles produced 'Weatherhead' now. It is in stores worldwide tomorrow (June 21st) on 2xLP/CD/Digital. Nice!

Get the full experience and read more at Brooklyn Vegan now!

PRURIENT 'A Meal Can Be Made' track premiere/download on Stereogum

2011-06-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

From Stereogum.com:

Prurient‘s Bermuda Drain finds Dominick Fernow, now a full-time Cold Cave member, taking his longtime noise project into new territories. A few purists will probably get antsy, but if you’ve paid attention, he’s always been willing to shift his project’s sounds and the experiences they offer. Sure, I think of Dennis Cooper’s books as romantic, and am moved by Peter Sotos, but I’ve always considered 2006′s Pleasure Ground standout “Apple Tree Victim” an especially affective love song. One of the biggies. Which is maybe why Bermuda Drain‘s my favorite Prurient album (or cassette, or limited-edition whatever) to date: Its nine songs construct an even darker, deeper, violent, emotionally charged edifice to love, lust, and wanting to rip someone apart. (Or to “give life to those who hate you / ask death for yourself…”) You’ve heard non-album versions of opener “Many Jewels Surround The Crown.” Here’s “A Meal Can Be Made,” the blistering, unhinged, super precise dance track that follows it. (In some ways it’s the album’s curve ball, but just one of many.) Prurient’s suggestion for experiencingBermuda: “Listen on headphones at night while driving through tunnels in Europe.” From experience, it also works through tunnels in NYC.

Read more and download the track "A Meal Can Be Made" at Stereogum

Pelican Announce West Coast Tour Dates

2011-06-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

PELICAN ANNOUNCE WEST COAST TOUR DATES

CHICAGO QUARTET JOINING THE POWER OF THE RIFF & BOOMSLANG FESTIVAL LINEUPS

Chicago instrumental quartet Pelican have announced a string of west coast engagements this summer, ending a period of dormancy that has seen the band receding from stages to work on new material and a growing number of side-projects. Joining forward-thinking metal label Southern Lord’s multi-city The Power of the Riff Festival, which sports a lineup including luminaries Pentagram, Winter, Noothgrush, among several others, Pelican will play installments in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle in addition to their own headlining dates in San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, and Portland. The following month Pelican will make a select appearance at Kentucky’s Boomslang Festival alongside Swans, Secret Chiefs 3, Horseback, and many more (full tour dates below).

Since 2001 Pelican has presented a distinct brand of rock that draws on varied, occasionally contradictory, traditions of post-rock, stoner metal, and innumerable other styles, synthesizing a heady amalgam of soaring melody and dizzying distortion. As best experienced on their 2009 full length What We All Come to Need, the seemingly operatic compositions take on a life of their own, unfolding melodically and conceptually, as the four men are lost in performance, heads banging and feet stomping.

TOUR DATES

(all August dates with ÆGES)

8/12 San Diego, CA The Casbah

8/13 Los Angeles, CA The Echoplex (Power of The Riff Festival w/ Pentagram, Winter, Trap Them)

8/14 San Luis Obispo, CA SLO Brewing Company

8/15 Fresno, CA Audie’s Olympic

8/16 San Francisco, CA The Mezzanine (Power of The Riff Festival w/ Pentagram, Alpinist)

8/17 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre

8/18 Seattle, WA Neumo’s (Power of The Riff Festival w/ Winter, Noothgrush)

9/24 Lexington, KY Buster’s (Boomslang Festival w/ Swans, Secret Chiefs 3, Horseback)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PELICAN:

http://www.facebook.com/pelicansong

FOR PELICAN MERCH FROM HYDRA HEAD:

Hydra Head Shop - Pelican items

East Village Radio Asks Prurient a.k.a Dominick Fernow : What Are You Listening To?

2011-06-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Dominick Fernow is one of the most vital names working along the peripheries of modern music. Thanks to his creative restlessness and idiosyncratic methodologies, Fernow's work has traversed the spectrum of underground music, touching upon just about every sub-division of the electric sidestream through his solo project, Prurient, and numerous collaborations. Most often associated with the noise scene, Fernow also wades in the blackened waters as a member of Ash Pool, a metal unit that remains strictly a studio concern, and also currently plays in the dark synth-pop group, Cold Cave. Check out the list at East Village Radio

New HELMS ALEE song '8/16' exclusively streaming now at Decibel!

2011-06-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

If you were expecting the same old tidy power rock from Seattle’s Helms Alee, they have a whole lot of mindfuckery in store on their second album Weatherhead. A bold and experimental epic, the trio cracks time signatures in half, wades through indie harmonies and steers in bulldozers full of triumphant, psychedelic riffs...read more at Decibel

HELMS ALEE "Weatherhead" Preorder is now live!

2011-06-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

June 21st sees the official release of Helms Alee's sophomore album, Weatherhead, but you can order it now and grab a kick ass exclusive shirt while you are at it. As the proper follow-up to Night Terror, this album is amazing in its craftsmanship. You can catch the lead off jammer, "Elbow Grease", here.

The 2xLP comes in three different vinyl colors. Click here to order. The CD is available here.

As part of the preorder, we have made available a full color version of the already classic "beavis & butthead" shirt design, brought to you by our very own Sugarbear (A.C.) . The print is on a heather grey shirt and wont be available after the preorder passes. Get that ish here.

Helms Alee will be hitting the road this summer with Torche and Big Business. Dates are below.

6/07 Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern w/ Young Widows
6/29 Seattle, WA @ Neumos w/ Akimbo, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Norska
7/6 Austin, TX @ Red 7 w/ Migas
7/07 Houston, TX @ Walter’s on Washington w/ Torche, Big Business(Venue Link)
7/08 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moonw/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/09 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Cafew/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/11 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/12 Miami, FL @ Churchill's w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/13 Orlando, FL @ The Social w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/14 Atlanta, GA @ EARL w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/15 Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Club w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/16 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/17 Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/19 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/20 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Torche, Big Business(Venue Link)
7/21 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/22 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/23 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shopw/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/24 Newport, KY @ The Historic Southgate House w/ Torche, Big Business(Buy Tickets)
7/25 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link )
7/26 Detriot, MI @ Magic Stick w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/27 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hoosier Dome w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/28 Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Loungew/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/29 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
7/30 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
7/31 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)
8/02 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
8/03 Boise, ID @ Neurolux w/ Torche, Big Business (Venue Link)
8/04 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s w/ Torche, Big Business (Buy Tickets)

Digital Download Store Closing Tomorrow. ONE DAY DIGITAL SALE.

2011-05-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

So, the Hydra Head Digital Download store is going offline TOMORROW, June 1st 2011. Its a long story that is entirely out of our control. We are totally not psyched even one little bit. Mega bumout on many levels...

Since the ship is already going down, we've decided to set it aflame with a last ditch fire sale. ALL ALBUMS ARE $3.99 OR LESS UNTIL THE STORE CLOSES!

So go grab all those records that you have been meaning to listen to, or only have on an unlistenable scratched CD, or have never even heard of before in your life!

We are working on a way to make downloads available directly again, but at this point it is hard to say how long it will be before we have it up and running.

HELMS ALEE 'Weatherhead' LP/CD/Digital out June 21st!

2011-05-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Announce New Album "Weatherhead" Out June 21st on Hydra Head
Local Dates w/ Young Widows and Akimbo, US Tour w/ Big Business and Torche This Summer!

"Whether they are unleashing torrents of churning riffs, hypnotic waves of distortion or gruff or lilting calls into vast spaces, Helms Alee do so in limpid, atmospheric and unique fashion. No doubt, the crisp and cavernous production from Matt Bayles serves them well as tremolo-picked guitars gush like waterfalls, drums rattle timbers and the Pixies-esque male-female vocals sound like they’ve traversed continents." - PopMatters

"Helms Alee featuring Ben Verellen of ex-(current?) Harkonen seemed to be the clear winner of the "OMG-I-didn't-know-they-ruled-so-hard" award." - BrooklynVegan

"...part metal, part post-punk, part melody-driven rock, and all abandon... Think of Neurosis joining up with The Breeders for a quick outing into the wilderness." - Alarm Press

"The overall hype and general praise of Night Terror has sparked the curiosity of many fans who’ve wondered when a follow up might see the light of day." - The Synthesis

"Helms Alee are known for one thing: stoned freak-outs of the heavy, slow variety." - The Stranger

"...a noisy, nasty yang to Seattle's beardy, folky yin. Pastoral metal is a necessary thing." - Seattle Times

Helms Alee’s sophomore album, Weatherhead, could turn any cultural critic into a histori- cal revisionist. Let’s pull the buckshot back through the maw of a 20th century icon. Let’s reassemble the bloody mess and set a disenfranchised young man on a different trajec- tory, one devoid of celebrity and tragedy. Let’s re-envision the last twenty years. The other crucial variables can remain in place - hair metal still choked on its own excess, the beguiling mixed-gender vocal harmonies and alternating jangle and clang of The Pixies still seduced college radio, the antagonistic sludge of The Melvins continued to rumble across the globe, and the orchestrated discord of Sonic Youth still proved noise could hold artistic merit. But punk never broke, never became a cliche. Do you buy into Tolstoy’s belief that the individual is a mere pawn in history’s master plan? Would the lineage of rock music have found another reluctant voice of a generation?

Much as Tolstoy suspected that a stillborn Napoleon would not have prevented another hegemonic ruler from sweeping across Europe, the tastes and tides of public demand would’ve most likely elevated another unglamorous tortured artist into the limelight. But it’s still tempting to think of a parallel universe where the idiosyncratic marriage of wounded pop music and wrathful dissonant rock never found a footing in the mainstream world. It’s a dream not born out of a disdain for the pairing of the opposing musical tactics of brawn and sophistication, but the disappointment that the balancing act is so commonly butchered by popular artists. These men, lacking vision, have turned it into a cheap formula. In the alternate reality, a band like Helms Alee reigns above all. Here, no one seeks to tame guitar squall to fit in a radio format or, inversely, needlessly dirty up a good hook to provide an air of authenticity. Here, Helms Alee’sbalance is the archetype - masterful and enthralling.

Given the history of the last two decades and the deepening sense that melody and muscle compromise one another, Weatherhead becomes heroic. It’s not just gallant in intent, but in sound. Granted, heroism is subjective; listeners are bound to have their own preferred reverberations to conjure an inspired rallying cry. But Helms Alee’s gamut of timbres--from the most guttural blown-out roar to the most graceful lilting melody- -summon a sense of triumph, empowerment, and conquest. The relentless chugging fuzz and vocal harmonies of “Elbow Grease”, the concrete thrust of the central riff of “8/16”, the thunderstruck arpeggio of “Pretty As Pie”, the siren song of “Pig Pile”, the unbridled scuzz of “Ripper No Lube”, and the alternating agit-punk and anthemic approach of the title track all reinforces Helms Alee’s position as masters of diametrically opposed tactics. They are the true heroes and heroines of the loud-quiet-loud.

Weatherhead was recorded by Matt Bayles at Studio Litho and Red Room Studios in the Winter of 2010-2011. It’s set for release via Hydra Head Records on June 21st, 2011. Helms Aleeare currently scheduled to hit the road with label mates Torche and Big Business in June 2011. Bear witnesses to the path that never saw fame and fortune taint the beguiling rumble and bow to the throne of Helms Alee. -- Brian Cook

"Weatherhead" Track List
1. *
2. Elbow Grease
3. 8/16
4. Music Box
5. Pretty as Pie
6. Anemone of the Wound
7. Mad Mouth
8. Epic Adventure Through the Wood
9. Speed Sk8r
10. Pig Pile
11. Revel!
12. Ripper No Lube
13. Born in Fiberglass
14. Weatherhead

Eugene S. Robinson of Oxbow: Life Changing Albums

2011-05-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Eugene S. Robinson not only fronts one of our favorite bands, but he also has a wealth of knowledge and historical perspective on a musical community that he has called home looooong before we ever did. For Noisecreep he drops a bit of insight into what lead him to do what he does now. We're loving this, and can't wait to get the albums that he considers life changing.

PS: Oxbow are on tour right now in Europe. Go see them or you are in trouble with us. 9 dates left!

5/26 Lille, France @ Aeronef

5/27 Lyon, France @ Epicerie Monderne

5/28 St. Nazaire, France @ VIP

5/29 Paris, France @ Vilette Sonique Festival

5/30 Bordeaux, France @ Heretic

5/31 Pau, France @ La Route Du Son

6/01 Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick

6/03 Angouleme, France @ La Nef

6/04 London, UK @ Buffalo Bar (Venue Link)

New CAVE IN track 'Heartbreaks, Earthquakes' streaming now on Self-Titled

2011-05-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already picked up the new album, here's a chance to check out another track from White Silence. Self-Titled is streaming the previously available 'Sing My Loves' and now also premiering the previously unavailable 'Heartbreaks, Earthquakes'. The sonic journey continues!

Cave In - Full Krazy Fest set video

2011-05-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

For all you poor souls (like us) who are too far away to make it to one of Cave In's tour stops, here is a bittersweet consolation prize: their full set from Krazy Fest.

White Silence LP/CD/Digital is in stores now, and judging from the response, people really like it.

Andrew James Cox (aka Sugarbear)'s Comic - Pocket Book 4

2011-05-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Our very own Sugarbear aka Andrew James Cox makes small comics when he is not busy packing RTK orders and photographing delinquent amplifiers. They are collections of funny drawings and stories that he calls Pocket Book.

He just posted a bunch of pages from the latest one on his site: andrewjamescox.com, a couple of which you can see below. You can order Pocket Books 1-4 from his webstore.

Pocket Book 4 - front cover

CAVE IN (aka @SonicDeathwall) mini-tour starts today!

2011-05-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Cave In head out for a quick string of dates today (including KrazyFest on Saturday!) in support of their new headbanger, White Silence. The album comes out on Monday worldwide (yes, Monday) on CD/LP/Digital, but if you see the band on tour then you are amongst the lucky few that can find it on one more format as well (but more on that in the next post...)

And just in case yr the twitterin' type, you can track the bands every move now that they've joined The Twitter via their handle @SonicDeathwall

5/19 New York NY @ Santos Party House (Buy Tickets)
5/20 Pittsburgh @ The Altar Bar w/ LA Dispute, Defeater, Native (Buy Tickets)
5/21 Louisville, KY @ Expo 5 (Krazy Fest) (Buy Tickets)
5/22 Washington, DC @ The Black Cat w/ Pianos Become The Teeth, The Regents (Buy Tickets)

THE AUSTERITY PROGRAM on tour. REALLY.

2011-05-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Our memory is pretty baaaaaad these days, but we're fairly certain this is the first string of five The Austerity Program dates in possibly forever. None of us in the office can recall them playing five shows in a row on consecutive days. We think that maybe they did this with Daughters several years ago, and possibly with the 5ive nearly a decade ago (Justin was VERY sweaty and caffeinated at the Allston, MA show. It was funny), and perhaps a they did this in 2003 on the Champions of Sound super tour with Pelican, Scissorfight and Harkonen, but we're too busy moving units right about now to ask all knowing The Google if its true or not. What is true is that they are playing tonight, tomorrow, the day after that and then the day after that! Git to it if you know what's good for ye. Tell Drum Machine we said hi.

5/15 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool w/ Coliseum, The Year is One (Buy Tickets)
5/16 Bethlehem, PA @ Secret Art Space w/ Coliseum, Gods and Queens
5/17 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Neck Tie w/ Coliseum, Gods and Queens (Buy Tickets)
5/18 Boston, MA @ Great Scott w/ Coliseum, Gods and Queens (Buy Tickets)
5/19 Providence, RI @ AS220 w/ Coliseum, Gods and Queens (Buy Tickets)

Last minute Czech Republic KEELHAUL shows announced

2011-05-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

We just received word from KEELHAUL that they've got two last minute Czech Republic shows. C'mon you Czechs, snap to it!

Monday May 16, 2011
Olomouc, Czech Republic
at Lafayettova 9
with Bruce Lamont, René Binamé

Tuesday May 17, 2011
Brno, Czech Republic
at Club Boro
with Bruce Lamont

Cave In 'Heartbreaks, Earthquakes/Reanimation' live clip

2011-05-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

Cave In Satellite TV have posted another clip from their February 2011 show at Great Scott in Allston, MA. And if that weren't cool enough, the clip is of live versions of two tracks from the band's upcoming album 'White Silence'. Dig it!

Jesu / Justin Broadrick amp for sale

2011-05-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

In 2007 Hydra Head bought some equipment for Jesu to use on their 2007 US Lifeline tour. This Marshall JCM 800 has been sitting in the hallway of Hydra Headquarters since Jesu dropped it off (along with a quarter-full tequila bottle, a beer, and a cardboard sign that read "Jesu needs weed, will trade for merch").

JKB and JCM at CMJ 2007

JCM making a grilled cheese.

JCM drinking JESU's leftover tequila (and peppers).

JCM passed out because it's a lightweight (you try drinking 4 ounces of the spiciest tequila ever tasted when you only weigh 41 pounds)

JCM reading on the john

JCM signing Lifeline posters (clinging on to the glory days)

JCM skating out front of HHQ.

JCM busting a sick kickflip.

The amp is fun to have around, making grilled cheeses, getting tanked, and skating out front, but it is time for it to get out in the world and back to work. It has been coasting on having been on tour with Jesu for almost 4 years now.

If you want to give it a good home, check out the ebay page here.

Cave In Satellite TV!

2011-04-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Cave In have begun to assemble their own youtube channel (aka Cave In Satellite TV) complete with random gems from over the years. Our current favorite is the Seafrost/Moral Eclipse live clip from Pukkelpop in 2003 (Steve is a crooning hot slice of human billboard for old school Boston friends Converge and The Explosion!), but something tells us the universally deemed must-see clip will be the 1998 NJ Fest clip of 'Flypaper'. TOOOO awesome. They posted the above clip from February's Great Scott show today. We're already doing the begging for more...

CAVE IN 'Sing My Loves' video review: Why are there not more of these?

2011-04-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

PRURIENT 7": Stereogum premiere

2011-04-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Prurient 'Many Jewels Surround The Crown' 7" is streaming now on Stereogum.

-Ltd. 7" available now at www.hydraheadshop.com and in record stores worldwide (if they didn't already blow throw their RSD copies).
-Digital version available tomorrow.

Cave In - White Silence LP/CD Pre-Order!

2011-04-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

You can now pre-order CAVE IN - White Silence in the BCD Hydra Head Shop. They sold through their initial allotment of LPs in 2 1/2 hours, but we are working on getting them more. CDs and shirts are still available.

You should also be able to find the LP at your favorite vinyl store come May 24th, just ask them to order it beforehand from Redeye Distribution.

Also, you can stream the White Silence track "Sing My Loves" on the CD and LP product pages.

Oxbow: European Tour May 2011

2011-04-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Oxbow have announced a stretch of 15 European tour dates starting in Italy on May 20th. We're not entirely sure what you Europeans do to these guys, but they seem to like you A LOT. We might be mistaken but this feels like the the 200th time they've been over to see you all without actually touring for us all. We even live in the same state and we only get to seem them once a year at this point. We'll cut them a break, though, since they are the only band we know that has been doing this longer than some of their fans are old. In fact, they'll be out on tour in May in support of the upcoming Hydra Head released reissue of their 1991 sophomore full length 'King Of The Jews'. The album is the second in our ongoing series of restoring their catalog to the status it deserves. KOTJ has been remastered, and now includes bonus tracks from the session/era (bonus tracks on download only on the LP edition). The album is out May 10th worldwide, and available for pre-order on LP only right now at www.hydraheadshop.com. The band will have the new album on CD and LP when their tour start on May 20th. You just ain't lived until you've seen Oxbow perform live. Don't you dare say we didn't tell you.

OXBOW: European Tour May 2011

05/20 Vicenza, Italy @ Centrostabile

05/21 Linz, Austria @ Stadtwerkstatt

05/22 Vienna, Austria @ Arena

05/23 Graz, Austria @ Postgarage

05/24 Berlin, Germany @ Veneklasen Werner Gallery

05/25 Stargard Szczecinski, Poland @ Katakumba

05/26 Lille, France @ Aeronef

05/27 Lyon, France @ Epicerie Monderne

05/28 St. Nazaire, France @ VIP

05/29 Paris, France @ Vilette Sonique Festival

05/30 Bordeaux, France @ Heretic

05/31 Pau, France @ La Route Du Son

06/01 Madrid, Spain @ Moby Dick

06/03 Angouleme, France @ La Nef

06/04 London, UK @ Buffalo Bar www.buffalobar.co.uk

New Hydra Head Digital Sampler (FREE!)

2011-04-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Metalsucks premiered our new, FREE, Digital Sampler entitled For To Listening. It's got a bunch of jams you probably haven't heard before, and if you have then congratulations.

Track List

HELMS ALEE - Elbow Grease (1:50)
GRIDLINK - Orphan (1:27)
OXBOW - Daughter Bent & Floating (4:19)
NEUROSIS - Prayer (7:25)
BUZZOV-EN - Drying Out (2:33)
DISCORDANCE AXIS - Oratorio In Grey (0:54)
CLOUDS - Secret Potion (3:19)
CAVE IN - N.I.B. (4:17)
GRIDLINK - 3 Miles Below Sea Level (0:51)
JESU - Annul (7:16)
PYRAMIDS - Monks (Justin Foley Remix) (10:16)

The Best Summer Tour Ever: Torche, Big Business with Helms Alee/Thrones.

2011-04-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Big 4 Fest ain't got nothing on us;)

TORCHE/BIG BUSINESS Summer Tour with HELMS ALEE and THRONES:

7/07 Houston, TX @ Walter’s on Washington w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/08 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/09 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Cafe w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/11 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/12 Miami, FL @ Chuchill’s w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/13 Orlando, FL @ The Social w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/14 Atlanta, GA @ EARL w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/15 Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Club w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/16 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/17 Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar w/ Big Business, Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/19 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/20 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/21 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/22 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/23 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/24 Newport, KY @ The Historic Southgate House w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/26 Detriot, MI @ Magic Stick w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/27 Indianapolis, IN @ The Hoosier Dome w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/28 Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/29 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

7/30 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room w/Helms Alee (Venue Link)

7/31 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater w/Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

8/02 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas w/ Helms Alee (Venue Link)

8/03 Boise, ID @ Neurolux w/ Helms Alee (Venue Link)

8/04 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s w/ Helms Alee (Buy Tickets)

8/05 Portland, OR @ Hawthrone Theatre w/Thrones (Venue Link)

8/06 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s w/Thrones (Venue Link)

8/07 West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour w/Thrones (Buy Tickets)

8/08 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah w/Thrones (Venue Link)

8/09 Scottsdale, AZ @ Martini Ranch w/Thrones (Venue Link)

8/10 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad w/Thrones (Venue Link)

8/12 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada w/Thrones (Buy Tickets)

8/13 San Antonio, TX @ Korova w/Thrones (Buy Tickets)

8/14 Austin, TX @ Red 7 w/Thrones (Venue Link)

Prurient: Exclusive Interview with Noisecreep

2011-04-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Noisecreep has posted today an exclusive interview with Dominick Fernow aka Prurient. In comes just in time for tomorrow's release of the band's debut 7" release for Hydra Head, 'Many Jewels Surround The Crown'. The 7" features two early alternate versions of the lead track from Prurient's upcoming full length album, Bermuda Drain, due out this July.

Our favorite part of the interview?

"Noisecreep: How did you get involved with Hydra Head Records?
Fernow: Mutual worship of 90's alternative mainstream rock."

Read more at Noisecreep.