Bands – Page 8 – Southern Lord Recordings Europe

Fontanelle

Portland’s FONTANELLE formed in 1998 by guitarist Rex Ritter and keyboardist Andy Brown, after the dissolution of their previous band Jessamine. During the gap of nearly 10 years since their last release, FONTANELLE are prepared to return with a brand new album entitled Vitamin F which will be released on Southern Lord in UK/EU 5 November.

For this brand new recording, FONTANELLE has been trying to transport themselves back in time to 1973 into Patrick Gleeson’s Different Fur Trading Company Studio. Through the studio expertise of Randall Dunn (sunn 0))), Black Mountain, Wolves in the Throne Room), it sounds like they made it!

Rex Ritter’s tour of duty with sunn 0))) during FONTANELLE’s hiatus seems to have irreparably changed his DNA, as well as the entire band’s. Adding an amazing array of horn players, many of whom were heard on the most recent sunn 0))) LP Monoliths & Dimensions, FONTANELLE have fortified their jazz vocabulary and have conjured a burly fusion approach that has been dubbed “White Magus” – a sound sure to appeal to fans of Miles Davis (circa 1969-74), Toritse and Mahavishnu Orchestra.

On Vitamin F – the full FONTANELLE lineup including Rex Ritter, Andy Brown, Mat Morgan, Borg Norm, Brian Foote and Paul Dickow – guest contributions from Gentry Densley (Eagle Twin), Steve Moore (Earth, sunn 0))), Hans Teuber, Eric Walton (Skerik), Jef Brown (Jackie-O MF) and Dave Carter add to the mix of influences culminating in this forty-three minute adventure. The fluidity of these enhanced and intricate arrangements as created by this dynamic force of musicians sounds absolutely effortless.

Vitamin F is a masterpiece of fuzzed out funk, and a tour de force in improvisation.

Excel

Following their 2013 reunion, California hardcore/thrash metal crossover act, EXCEL, has since teamed up with Southern Lord who will now be reissuing their debut album, Split Image, this Summer.

Having their 1984 formation, EXCEL released three studio albums as well as a number of demos and singles. Equally influenced by punk rock and heavy metal in both attitude and delivery, the band’s rabid musical approach and intelligent lyrics set them apart as a genre-defining act of the era. Produced by Randy Burns (Death, Possessed, Megadeth, Kreator, Suicidal Tendencies), Split Image was originally released through Suicidal and Caroline Records in 1987, and has since remained widely regarded as an elemental release as part of the ‘80s crossover explosion.

The upcoming Southern Lord reissue of Split Image will contain bonus material, including the Sonic Decapitation, Personal Onslaught and Refuse To Quit demos, their Welcome To Venice and Thrasher Magazine compilation tracks, plus alternative album cover art and a photo booklet which has never been previously released. It marks the first time the record shall be available on vinyl since it was originally released in 1987. EXCEL will also be releasing a replica of their second demo, Personal Onslaught, as a limited edition preorder item, also including their third demo Refuse To Quit on the b-side.

The current EXCEL lineup — Dan Clements on vocals, Shaun Ross on bass, Mike Cosgrove on drums and Alex Barreto on guitar — will continue this new chapter of the band, and will cross the continent to play an East Coast showcase at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar on Tuesday June 17th. Expect more updates regarding EXCEL in the coming weeks.

“Maybe there is life in Venice, CA, that doesn’t involve the beach; iron pumpers and Suicidal Tendencies, since that’s all you seem to hear about. Yes? Of course, there is always EXCEL! Their demos were major impression sessions and now with the release of their first album Split Image, the direction of EXCEL is officially exposed. Combining a rabble-rousing attack of metal with deep hardcore roots, the outcome is thick and heavy with sudden excursions into the rapids. EXCEL is definitely brick material, hard and sturdy. Not suffering from snare core, they advance with sonic power and creep forth with an awesome fatness.” – Pushead – Thrasher Magazine #2, 1988

Electric Funeral

Earth

“This isn’t a radical reinvention as much as it’s a refinement; the backing band and its leader have never been better. You’ll rarely hear four players with as much quiet command.”
– www.pitchfork.com

Recorded in the same two week session as AODDOL I by Stuart Hallerman at Avast and mastered by Mell Detmer, Earth’s Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II carries on in the freely improvised, folkloric vein of the title track from their last release. Tape was rolled and spontaneous composition occurred.
Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II is striking in many ways, not least, in the wildly improvised nature of this particular recording. Earth’s songs, Sigil of Brass and The Corascene Dog, perfectly emphasize how the interplay between the foursome becomes even more accomplished as the recording evolves, a testament to the dynamism of this particular line up. Meanwhile, the track, His Teeth Did Brightly Shine, veers further into an entirely other direction, recalling sounds of the great British Acid Folk generation. This new Earth material brings forth some highly original and deeply mesmerizing tones throughout, at times more hopeful and less dark and death oriented than previous work.

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II is ultimately a new, completely unanticipated direction for Earth, and a very welcome one at that.
The Earth line-up, again, consists of Dylan R. Carlson on guitar and devices (including bass on the track, The Rakehell), Adrienne Davies on drums and percussion (on this release, there is more percussion of all sorts), Lori Goldston (Nirvana, David Byrne, Black Cat Orchestra, Laura Veirs) returns on cello, and Karl Blau (K Records, Laura Veirs, Microphones) plays bass. As with the first part, it again has truly amazing artwork by Stacey Rozich.

Eagle Twin

“Eagle Twin is two beasts, operating in a spectrum of duality. Eagle Twin is ﬁnesse and power. Eagle Twin combines the power of the riff with the freeness of jazz. Eagle Twin is the serpent and the crow. Eagle Twin is Gentry Densley and Tyler Smith.” – Slug Mag

A two headed eagle with octopus tentacles. 2 men sound as 20. Tyler Smith has become very good at hitting things really hard. Gentry Densley multitasks, playing stringed instruments he builds into something not quite guitar or bass but all through a wall massive tube amps. The two men sound as one as they come together with a love of all things heavy. Its doom blues roots rock backing a new mythology of epic old testament proportions. Born from crow, eagle twin says, “I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls” Job 30:29

“One of the most striking aspects of Eagle Twin’s debut was the lyrical content, rife with symbolism and largely inspired by poet Ted Hughes’ Crow. On the album’s ﬁnal track, Densley’s throat delivers the tale of crows ﬂying into the sun, being burnt and falling to the ground as snakes. This is where The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale picks up, focusing on the mythological and symbolic incarnations of the snake.”

As the snake circles in on itself and grows horns, Eagle Twin has set the scene for their third album. Something to look forward to indeed.

Dead In The Dirt

Atlanta’s ultimate killing machine DEAD IN THE DIRT has completed work on The Blind Hole, the faction’s debut full-length recording, and will unload it upon the masses this Summer via Southern Lord.

As witnessed on the trio’s previous works, 2010’s Vold EP and first release for Southern Lord, 2011’s Fear 7”, as well through their vicious on-stage presence, DEAD IN THE DIRT crushes everything in their path with a vehement and volatile crust/hardcore attack. Inspired by the scriptures of His Hero Is Gone, Left For Dead, Infest and DropDead, the faction creates some of the most morose and tonally oppressive music conceivable, all fueled with enraged socio-political lyrical content and straightedge/Vegan ethics.

Now locked for release on August 5th in the UK/EU, The Blind Hole surges with twenty-two tracks in less than twenty-four minutes, their downtuned, caustic riffs packed into the melee creating the most destructive blasting DEAD IN THE DIRT material yet. Though surging with crushing distortion, the album boasts incredibly clear production values, recorded at Bricktop Recording Studio with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos) in Chicago this April, and mastered by Brad Boatright (Nails, All Pigs Must Die, Baptists, Sleep). The cover was illustrated by Bo Orr as with the band’s Fear EP.

Following their heavy-touring ethos, including participation in multiple Southern Lord and The Power Of The Riff events over the past two years, DEAD IN THE DIRT will inundate humanity with a full tour in the UK/EU later this year. Tour dates will be announced soon.

Darkest Hour

A bastard child born of the mid 90s punk/metal/hardcore movement, Washington, DC’s DARKEST HOUR combine the passion, energy, and soul of punk/hardcore with the style, speed, vengeance and fury of melodic speed/thrash/death metal.

DARKEST HOUR have helped defined the entire New Wave of American Metal sound as one of the pioneers of modern metal/core. A sound that gave the metal and hardcore/punk world the revitalization it surely needed. This style blended the raw, hardcore punk of the 80s, with the Scandinavian death metal of the 90s and forged a sound that would later become the template for modern metal.

Since their inception 21 years ago, Darkest Hour has released 8 studio full lengths (via 11 different record labels), appeared in major motion pictures and US television shows, video games, and have toured the world extensively covering 6 of the 7 continents.

While many of their contemporaries have decided to hang it up, Darkest Hour is still charging ahead with invigorated spirit. In 2016, the same rabid fan base that helped propel the band into the national spotlight helped push them to reach another milestone by crowd funding the album.

The band then partnered with California based Southern Lord Records to help complete the release and distribution of this fan fueled release!

2017 will see the release of said album, and the world tour that will follow. This 9th studio album produced by underground legend Kurt Ballou (Coverge), at his Godcity complex, is destined to be a Metal classic.

Drawing from the bands 21 years’ experience, this album is set to solidify Darkest Hour’s legacy as a metal power house. Raw as all hell, musically complex, melodic, yet cutting with razor blade precision, Darkest Hour’s 9th full length record, Godless Prophets and the Migrant Flora is fierce and hungry for blood.

Crypt Rot

Crypt Rot was born in early 2016 in Ashtabula, Ohio. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Ryan Sposito (former frontman of Homewrecker), drummer and vocalist Matt Izzi (Homewrecker, Scorched), guitarist Joe DeDedomenic, bassist Aaron Schwarz and occasional vocals from Allie Dioneff.

Circle

Searing platter of krautrock with scorching doses of The Stooges & Judas Priest. Another ripper from this legendary Finnish horde!

Circle are the very definition of genre-defying, a rare feat for any band, but effortlessly achieved by this prolific Finnish collective. Circle’s latest album Terminal is pure hedonistic pleasure.

Never content on staying the same, they have created an idiosyncratic cocktail of sonic fusions, conjuring an impulsive, dizzying energy that stirs a spirit of curiosity within the listener, and has the ability to possess all who encounter them. Whilst many would run out of creative steam (certainly after 30+ albums), Circle continue to boldly explore sonic soundscapes, venturing curiously into terrains of Stooges-esque swagger, trance-inducing kraut rock mantras, beautiful electronic ambience, psychedelic rock noodling, arena storming AOR weirdness, 70s prog rock extravagance, glam pop pomp, and of course their core sound, heavy metal, not to mention other peculiar and daring sounds that simply cannot be pigeon-holed.

Terminal is gloriously fruitful in tones, shapes, colours and sounds. Eccentric, accessible, delightful and thrilling.

Centuries

Ferocious Florida hardcore unit Centuries explode into our consciousness and attack our senses this August with their Southern Lord debut full length, Taedium Vitae.

Recorded just a few short months ago with Kris Hillbert at Legitimate Business in Greensboro, the resulting album is a relentless barrage of abrasive, blackened, emotive hardcore played with utmost intensity and a strong sense of urgency.
On Taedium Vitae, Centuries take their potent brew of dark hardcore, tragic melodies, volatile d-beat leanings and emotive angst-ridden vocal assault to extreme new levels.

They might be young, but they have already gained great reputation in their home state for being one of the most sincere, intense and hardworking bands, what’s more, on Taedium Vitae, they have carved a bold and assured sound which would lead anyone to believe they have been cutting their teeth for decades already.

Having toured Europe in late 2012 with Poland’s Drip Of Lies, we cross our fingers and hope that they can make it over again in support of this feral new record.