We're excited to announce that we will be doing a series of picture disc releases exclusively available at the prize counter of Chuck E. Cheese's for just 20,000 tickets! Ltd to 412,015 each!

Currently scheduled:
Agoraphobic Nosebleed​ - PizzaP Torpedo (CEC Ltd. Picture Disc)
GridLink​ - Orphan (CEC Ltd. Picture Disc)
OXBOW​ - Fuckfest (CEC Ltd. Picture Disc)
Pyramids​ / Munch's Make Believe Band​ - A Token without a Kid (CEC Ltd. Picture Disc)
Xasthur​ - Subliminal Genocide (CEC Ltd. Picture Disc)

Discordance Axis - Original Sound Version 1992-1995 2xLP+7"

Original Sound Version is the beyond-complete retrospective of Discordance Axis' early years. It contains their debut album, Ulterior, along with the contents of their out of print split releases with Capitalist Casualties, Cosmic Curse, and Hellchild, plus demos, live recordings, and unreleased studio tracks. There are 69 tracks in all; however, one of those is a live recording that actually contains 16 separate songs, bumping the total number of songs up into the mid-eighties. 

Remastered for vinyl by James Plotkin.
In stores January 14, 2014

Order now at
http://hydrahead.merchtable.com/

"I wanted to eclipse what NAPALM DEATH had done for me at that point. Not to make From Enslavement to Obliteration, but to make the record they would have made after. That was Ulterior for me." 

Jon Chang doesn't set small goals. From day one, he was determined to make DISCORDANCE AXIS more than another pack of weekend warrior grinders content with emulating their favorite records. He understood the songwriting and performing prowess lurking in collaborators drummer Dave Witte and Rob Marton and he brought it out by every dictatorial means necessary. 

The result was 1995's Ulterior, DISCORDANCE AXIS' first full length album. It was an album that maybe owed too obvious a debt to their influences, particularly the NAPALM DEATH records Chang was determined to top, but Ulterior hinted at the musical and lyrical themes that DISCORDANCE AXIS would perfect on their subsequent two albums, Jouhou and apotheosis The Inalienable Dreamless. 

DISCORDANCE AXIS were finding their footing with Ulterior, repurposing grindcore's tropes and updating its lexicon to fit the 21st Century. Band visionary Chang jolted grindcore's stale infatuation with the politics of opposition with his fascination for science fiction and manga. DISCORDANCE AXIS would also make Witte's bones as the most in-demand drummer of the last two decades as he blasted and thrashed his way into fastest man alive contention. But the secret weapon in DISCORDANCE AXIS' arsenal has always been Marton. Unlike his more gregarious bandmates, Marton just quietly went about his business of redefining grindcore guitar playing. Rather than speeding up '80s hardcore, Marton wrote riffs that actually stood up on their own. His technically adept performance owes as much to jazz and VOIVOD as it does Scum and Horrified. DISCORDANCE AXIS distinguished themselves from the grindcore pack by having actual songs. Ulterior hinted at his prodigious talent, but Marton would stake his case for grind guitar godhood on the strength of Jouhou and The Inalienable Dreamless.

The story behind "The Inalienable Dreamless", Discordance Axis' final 23 minute run for the sea recorded to tape in 1999 and apparently still of vague interest to collectors of obscure failed grindcore bands from NJ. Andrew Childers, writer and editor at Grind And Punishment, covers the making of the last Discordance Axis album through interviews with the entire band, engineer John Du'va, Aaron Turner at Hydrahead and a variety of artists who were impacted by the record.

This was a non-profit project with all money made sent to Japan Red Cross for Tsunami recovery.

It is on sale until July 30. It goes out of print forever after that because the last day to make donations to Red Cross Japan is in September and royalties are 1 month behind on these books.

Order on Amazon

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.

The GRIDLINK - "Orphan" Karaoke video contest submission deadline is TOMORROW! Upload your video and post the link in the comments on the original contest blog post. There's an Orphan/Amber Grey LP test press (and more!) in it for the winner (chosen by Jon Chang himself!).

GRIDLINK have premiered the full version of their song "Orphan" from their upcoming album of the same name on Noisecreep.com. Enjoy!



Perhaps Jon Chang's vocals will inspire your entry for the Karaoke Video Contest? Submissions must be in by March 22nd.

Pre-order the Orphan CD and limited shirt from the Hydra Head Shop. The LP pre-order already sold out(!) but your local store can still order it from Redeye Distribution. Please go tell them to.

Currently occupying the top of the heap (by default) in the Gridlink Karaoke Contest is Dillon Ashcroft (with some help from Tim Iweerks). Watch his entry below then get cracking on your own. We need grindcore related entertainment around the office. Otherwise Mark starts watching Willow Smith on Oprah.





Also, check out his music as Machinoir
http://www.myspace.com/machinoir


You can order/preorder Gridlink stuff in the Hydra Head Shop.

GRIDLINK (the greatest grindcore band in the world as crowned by Grind and Punishment) are set to release their new record Orphan on March 29th 2011 on LP/CD/Digital. Preorder it here.

Dear current and future Gridlink fans,
The Hydra Head Shop pre-order for Gridlink's new record, Orphan has begun today, Monday the 14th of February.
You can find the pre-order pages HERE once they are live.


- Gridlink - Orphan / Amber Grey LP + download
Includes both Gridlink records on one LP (one record per side) plus a download code for both, including karaoke versions of all songs. Extremely limited to 500 pieces total. Available on Black vinyl and Blood Red vinyl.



-Gridlink - Orphan CD
The new Gridlink record on an enhanced CD that contains karaoke versions of the songs, accessible using your computer's CD drive.


- Gridlink - Limited Edition Shirt
Coinciding with the presale of Orphan, this limited edition shirt will only be printed once!

Jon Chang allowed Gridlink's new one, Orphan to be heard by the folks over at the prestigious grind blog Grind and Punishment. Peep their review/interview with Chang over there. It's a good one!

"Defective Epitaph terminates with the ambient dirge “Unblessed Be.” It is mid-way into this track that you’ll be struck with the surreal, sinking feeling that Xasthur has slowly led you down a long, dark corridor towards an unknown room (the room with the noose from his press photograph?). Defective Epitaph is the suffocating sound of that descent into darkness. Bang your head metal? This is bag your head metal."- Metal Kult

"On Defective Epitaph, Xasthur's sonic palette adds acoustic drums and cello. Conner's drumming ranges from wobbly to functional, but the sound is more important. The room ambience of live drums adds depth; the booming reverb on "Oration of Ruin" brings to mind a severely hungover John Bonham. The drum machine on previous recordings had its own tinny, futile charm, but the human element much better suits Xasthur's mission. A minute and a half into "Malignant Prophecy," the drums adopt a double bass tattoo, but it's buried in the mix, a weakly crepitating heartbeat. This is the antithesis of metal's typical hypermasculinity; for all the breast-beating about death, the other side turns out to be a lonely, miserable place. "-Stylus

"Further exposing these arrangements as ambient dream-pop, where texture and mood are favoured to structure, the alternates fade out with little heartbeat at all. With the funereal pulse and cool synths to guide your trance-like state, Why Are We Not Perfect is a half-hour of chilly electro-touched rock that prepares us for winter." - SCQ Reviews

"Grindcore is dead. At least that's what you'd believe from looking at the garbage that passes for it these days. The Locust are a joke, Pig Destroyer is essentially a death metal band now. Who does that leave us with? Daughters? Kill me now. But, there is hope. From the ashes of greatness comes something with the speed and complexity of early '90s grind acts."- two one five

"With drummer Rick Smith and bassist Jonathan Nuñez, they've created the triumphant Meanderthal. The album is--thanks to an uncanny melding of Helmet and the Melvins--quite simply one of the most refreshing and satisfying metal releases of the year. Riffs of gorgeous sludge are layered upon each other to create a lush, hypnotic and almost pop-catchy monument of heavy rock."- Tucson Weekly
"Cave In are turning into the Wu-Tang Clan of indie rock: The amount of solo, side and affiliated projects on top of their already prolific main project has started to reach epic levels. What's noteworthy about this isn't necessarily the quantity of the output so much as how good everything is. Steve Brodsky has released several solo records in the past, all encompassing different moods. On The Black Ribbon Award, Brodsky may have obscured his name because this sounds like his last solo record on drugs (and definitely not uppers). The lo-fi recording combined with long spells of guitar effects make for an eerie atmosphere encasing otherwise rather poppy, Kinks-aping jams into a dark and mysterious mood that sounds more like some of Tom Waits' more esoteric efforts. The thing is, it works. The album demands beginning-to-end playing, and the recording simulates the warmness of an old turntable. The only thing that might help this record is a chorus of howling coyotes"- Alternative Press

"This past March Clouds hit SXSW promoting the release of their album "We Are Above You" on Hydra Head Records. As always, the four day music fest an onslaught of music from around the worlds, as well as a showcase of fans' willingness to flock to Texas to see their favorite, or soon to be favorite bands. SXSW may swell the population of Austin by about ten times, but according to Jim, the vibe is really the same that weekend as on any given Monday night."- Gapers Block

"Before anyone scoffs: I don’t require radio singles, from this band or any other, but Night Terror suffers a bit from "one giant song" syndrome, which is another way of saying, "This song is good, but gets a bit old after thirty minutes and ninety different sections, only about twelve of which stand out." Only the intro track, the busy riffing of "Big Spider," and the devastating fuzz-bass in "Paraphrase" really reach out and grab me, and all three of those are arguably the most "riffy" moments of anything on hand. (In its best moments, "Paraphrase" is especially powerful)"- Metal Review

"Vocalist/guitarist Ben Verellen holds down the role of showing you the ugliness of the chaos within the sludgy guitars and razor-sharp lyrics. Conversely, co-vocalist and bassist Dana James bring in the comfort and solace needed after the beating. Some bands that use two singers taking turns at the mic don't gel for the most part with the listener. Not with Helms Alee. The two vocalists and their respective places in each song, bring a balance to the music which make it both grotesque and beautiful at the same time."-Mammoth Press


Stumble across any good (or bad!) reviews of our new releases?! Send them to us! info@hydrahead.com
subject: Band Name Review

"As great as it is, it took a while to grow on me, but there's at least one part in pretty much every song that makes me shake my head at how nice it is. Guitar, guy/girl vox, pounding drums, fuzzed out bass playing solid, heavy and clear rock music. All interspersed by these moments of amazing stuff."- Electrical Audio


"The strangeness that is Torche has returned to my speakers once again and I could not be happier. This album is in and out like the wind with thirteen songs in thirty-six minutes. They have often been described as a stoner-metal equivalent to The Foo Fighters and I don’t think that’s an off base comparison to be honest. Admission of guilt, I actually like The Foo Fighters."- Teeth of the Devine

"Just listen to Meanderthal, the Miami band's newest album, and you have to agree: Torche are onto something. Something big. And big is the operative word here."- Vanguard

"They've been classified in a number of ways - stoner metal, sludge metal or heavy metal - all of which are accurate to some extent. But none of those monikers truly apply to the members of Torche, scheduled to perform Friday at Caledonia Lounge."- Red and Black

"The vocals are melodic in the vein of punkish yell-singing, but filled with intelligent hooks and often layered with harmonies."- Jon's World of Delusion

"As evident on tracks like "Godeater," a 22-minute behemoth that sits like a pound of severed human flesh slowly dripping blood in the middle of a banquet dinner, Williams doesn’t go for much theatrics."- Tiny Mix Tapes


"The ep’s opening tune “Farewell” sees Broadricks’ vocals centered just below the surface within the mix amongst growing atmospherics, a tinkling keyboard, coupled with backmasked drums and a lulling vibraphone"- Cyclic Defrost

"Much has been made of Jesu’s previous work in the music nerd circles I so stylishly attempt to frequent. The self-titled full-length from 2004 achieved critical acclaim for its attention to thick sludge details. It was Conqueror from 2007, however, that really sealed the deal for most fans. Broadrick and his band achieved the sound of “indie metal,” pulling encrusted drone and ambient effects along for the ride on a surprisingly melodic album."- BlogCritics

"The one general consensus concerning Stephen Brodsky is that while his sonic palate might not be the most vast in musical history, it is nonetheless one that can take a variety of distortions, tunings, atmospheres and song structures as if sound were a three-flavored Neapolitan ice cream expanded rigorously into, like, nine or 12."- Treble


"Amber Grey clocks in at less than 12 minutes long, with 11 songs, the shortest of which is just over half a minute, the longest just under a minute and a half. Chang, whose high-pitched rape whistle vocal style makes even the listener's throat go crimson, leads the project with three other musicians, which includes bass this time."- Treble

Since I slacked on posting some of these up last week I thought Id start this week off with a banger.

“If Blade Runner is ever remade as a J-Horror film, this could very well ooze out of the woodwork as the soundtrack.”- DSD Music


“The group is slowly moving away from the My Bloody Valentine crunch that has outlined most of the Jesu brand, as Broadrick explores the space where Sunn drone meets Ride Robitussin laced hooks.”- HedEx

“As Justin Broadrick continues forward with Jesu, it's getting harder and harder to resist comparing the band to a force of nature: He's a master of implied power, the power of churning thunderheads on the horizon, of rumbling tectonic plates and tsunami-like swells.”- Aversion

“We are certainly seeing more of the blissful side of Jesu here, as the omnipresent sludge of "Friends are Evil" or "Old Year" is no where to found on this disc.”- The Rock Blogger

“Life...The Best Game in Town, the best executed Harvey Milk album to date, and one of the most accomplished metal records you'll hear this year.”- Pitchfork


“On their debut album, Night Terror, Seattle three-piece Helms Alee stands in stark contrast to the “folksy, sensitive guy with beard” brand “of music that has dominated the Pacific Northwest’s music scene in recent years."- FuzzRock


“..the guitar work is almost entrancing, even if the vocalist sounds a lot more like Anal Cunt’s Seth Putnam than he needs to."- Absolute Punk

“Bird of Prey captures the sparse heavy moments found on the band's previous effort and flawlessly reproduces a more intensified, prolonged version of what essentially is audible devastation.”-Decoy

Check them out at Return to the Pit

The Gridlink / Hayaino Daisuki show tonight in Brooklyn has been moved to the Wreck Room at 940 Flushing Ave. See you there.

CLICK HERE to order

Apparently, destroying our faces once this year just wasn’t enough. After thrashing and shredding us with the Hayaino Daisuki EP just a few months back, former Discordance Axis vocalist Jon Chang comes shrieking out of Hoboken to smash us in the man-tits with Gridlink. Pissing through 11 songs in under 13 minutes, Chang and his boys Matsubara(guitar) and Fajardo (drums) whip up the kind of insanely technical grind blur that kills grandmothers instantly and makes the dudes from Napalm Death feel even older than they really are. Best of all, you can play the entire album twice in less time that it takes to listen to Reign In Blood, which is perfect for all you ADD-types out there who stopped reading this halfway through the first sentence so you could IM your coworker about the… hey, is that a real iguana? What’s on TV tonight? Where are my keys?

Hydra Head is printing up a very few snazzy, super limited-edition Gridlink t-shirts. These Digital (direct to garment) printed shirts are being made as we speak, and will ship out to you along with your "Amber Gray" CD in about two weeks. These suckers are two-sided, partial all-over print shirts and are only going to be made this ONE time so get your shirt in a bundle with "Amber Gray" today, or good luck finding one on Ebay later.

Track Listing:

1. Amber Gray (1:07)
2. 3 Miles Below Sea Level (0:51)
3. The Jenova (1:11)
4. Crash Logs (0:59)
5. Black (1:07)
6. Pattern Recognition (1:06)
7. Antitheist (1:18)
8. Stake Knife (1:13)
9. Asuka (0:34)
10. Burning Tiamat (1:04)
11. Severance Package (1:20)

He's been teasing us for YEARS that he's got new projects in the works. As singer of Discordance Axis throughout the 90's Jon Chang made a name for himself by fronting (and, notably, designing everything for) one of the undergrounds leading, and most enigmatic, grindcore outfits. Their final full length, 1999's "The Inalienable Dreamless", simply owned...and still does after 8 years. The 8 years thing is where the problem lies for DA's and Chang's die hard fan base...they've waited that long for something new from him. In 2005 he gave 'em all a taste , if only a small yet very satisfying one, with one track from Gridlink, his internationally assembled project with members of Japanese outfits Mortalized and Disconformity. And then nothing more was offered...there were sporadic updates through his production and animation company, Studio Grey, but it seemed most of his time had been regularly devoted to his plethora of animation (Scratch Trigger Era) and gaming design (Black Powder Earth) interests. That is until he unexpectedly introduced yet another new band, Hayaino Daisuki, earlier this year...where Gridlink is in many ways an extension of his work with DA, Hayaino Daisuki is an extension of what presumably drew him to his genre in the first place. Much to our disbelief and content, Gridlink and Hayaino Daisuki both entered the studio last month and, in punk rock style, completed two new records in a matter of days. Needless to say, we are pleased to announce the debut releases from both bands in early 2008...Hayaino Daisuki will likely come first...the tracklistings, artwork, and all the gory details for both releases will be announced as they are confirmed. Stay tuned.