From the dark alleys and dead ends of Los Angeles, EXCEL have been delivering maximum crossover since crossover first crossed over. Their classic albums Split Image (1987) and The Joke’s On You (1989) remain linchpins of the genre decades after their release. The band continues to pack venues across the globe and appear at European festivals. On July 19, fans will have a chance to hear EXCEL’s long-lost album.

Originally released in 1995 while grunge dominated airwaves and MTV, Seeking Refuge offers a glimpse at an EXCEL many have never heard before. Out of print for decades, Seeking Refuge will finally get its due, complete with a guest shot from H.R. of Bad Brains (on “Take Your Part Gotta Encourage”) and a video starring Tony Alva for the anthemic single “Unenslaved.” “A lot of people who know EXCEL don’t necessarily know about this record,” bassist Shaun Ross explains. “It’s been out of print since ’95, and it was just kind of forgotten.”

At the time that Seeking Refuge was recorded, Ross was working for Fuct streetwear and living in their warehouse. “One of the owners had a friend who knew H.R. from Bad Brains, and they just dropped him off at the studio,” the bassist recalls. “He ended up living with me for the better part of the year in the Fuct warehouse. It was a crazy time.” (As a result of H.R.’s appearance on Seeking Refuge, Dan and Shaun would soon witness firsthand the reunification of the Bad Brains.)

H.R. makes a guest appearance on “Take Your Part Gotta Encourage” while EXCEL incorporate elements of rock, funk, and grunge on tracks like “Plastic Cracks” and “Drowned Out.” For lead single “Unenslaved,” they hit a hallowed Dogtown landmark to shoot a video starring skate pioneer Tony Alva. They re-emptied the Gonzales Pool, a.k.a. Gonzo Pool, where some of Alva’s most famous moments had been captured in the movie Thrasher.

Watch / share the “Unenslaved” video feat. Tony Alva.

Produced by Ron Champagne, (Jane’s Addiction, Alice In Chains), Seeking Refuge didn’t fit into any of heavy music’s prefab categories circa ’95. “We didn’t get a great response,” Ross recalls. “Between ’90 and ’95, the market for thrash and even punk kinda died with grunge becoming so popular. And we didn’t use our original logo, which in retrospect was a big deal because it didn’t look like an EXCEL record. We fixed that for the reissue.”

In late 2023, Ross and Clements welcomed two new members to the EXCEL family: Greg Cerwonka of Chula Vista thrashers Take Offense will take over on guitar, while Damon DeLaPaz of pop punk vets Fenix TX will handle drums. “We’ve already started writing,” Ross enthuses. “The goal is to record in 2024 and have a new album out by 2025.”

EXCEL’s Seeking Refuge was reissued by Southern Lord for Record Store Day 2024, and sold out. It will be available on red vinyl and on all digital platforms via Southern Lord, Southern Lord EU and Bandcamp.

Seeking Refuge, cover art:

Seeking Refuse, track list:

1. Unenslaved
2. Hair Like Christ
3. Plastic Cracks
4. Take Your Part Gotta Encourage
5. Drowned Out
6. United Naturally in True Youth
7. Riptide
8. Overview
9. Downpressor

About EXCEL:

New Year’s Day, 1985: Venice crossover upstarts Chaotic Noise change their name to EXCEL after vocalist Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel recruit bassist Shaun Ross and drummer Greg Saenz to join the band. Clements is working for Suicidal Tendencies’ merchandising company, Triple M, and Dogtown Skateboards, when ST frontman Mike Muir invites EXCEL to appear on the soon-to-be-legendary Welcome to Venice compilation alongside No Mercy, Beowülf, Los Cycos, and ST themselves.

Welcome to Venice put EXCEL on the map. “The early ’80s bands that were popular in LA were kind of falling off around this time,” Ross says. “We walked into the perfect window of opportunity with punk/metal crossover becoming a thing. The first wave of hardcore bands were already established, and then we stepped in and came up locally pretty quick.”

EXCEL’s early demos, Personal Onslaught (1985) and Refuse to Quit (1986), were, along with an appearance on Thrasher magazine’s Born to Skate (Skate Rock 5) (1987), already circulating among those tapped into the thriving speed metal underground. Pushead reviewed them for Maximum Rock N’ Roll, giving EXCEL instant cred.

Muir went on to release EXCEL’s full-length debut, Split Image, on ST’s own Suicidal Records. Hitting like a fist to the face in ’87, the album was produced by studio overlord Randy Burns, who’d helmed game-changers like Possessed’s Seven Churches, Death’s Scream Bloody Gore, and Suicidal Tendencies’ self-titled debut. “Randy produced a lot of stuff we grew up listening to, so that was a big deal for us,” Ross recalls. “He made us sound good.”

They started writing their next album immediately after Split Image came out. Entitled The Joke’s On You, it added new dimensions to EXCEL’s signature sound. “With The Joke’s On You, we had more influences,” Ross explains. “We were able to hone in on our own thing. We came up with weird time changes without making it fusion-y. We were also influenced by bands like Jane’s Addiction and Faith No More, but we were still coming from the punk/hardcore side. We were also graffiti artists that listened to hip-hop. I think our lifestyle and our influences all came together on that album.”

Released by Caroline Records in 1989, The Joke’s On You put EXCEL on the international stage. They toured the US and Europe with the likes of Megadeth, Overkill, Vio-Lence, and Dark Angel while becoming reliable attendance boosters for major California promoters. “We could play metal shows and punk shows—we were very versatile in that way,” Ross says. “If Goldenvoice wasn’t selling enough tickets for a particular show, they’d just put us on the bill.”

In 1992, Siegel and Saenz left the band. At the same time, Clements’ and Ross’ tastes were evolving. Both changes became evident on Seeking Refuge. “Dan and I had to find a new lineup and write a new album, but the drummer we hired couldn’t play fast so the album ended up being all midtempo,” Ross explains. “At the same time, grunge happened between ’90 and ’92, plus we were hearing bands like Kyuss and Sleep, and we’d been doing hardcore forever. We just kinda wanted to do something different. I think it’s a very ’90s record, but it still sounds like EXCEL.”

EXCEL LIVE DATES:

September 20th C.Y. Fest (L.A.)

EXCEL: FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP | INSTAGRAM

SECT have a lot on their minds. With the forthcoming release of their new LP Plagues Upon Plagues this Friday, SECT explore the intersection of issues which have cascaded over us for the last five years, the “plagues” of the title referring to the literal pandemic, and the metaphorical plague of the political state and the rise of fascism.

Comprised of an international cast of stellar musicians, who cut their teeth in a formative moment of political, cynical, antagonistic extremes, SECT unites Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, Tooth & Claw) & Jimmy Chang (Undying, Catharsis) – guitars, Steve Hart (Day of Suffering, Mania For Conquest) – bass, Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy, Racetraitor) – drums and Chris Colohan (Cursed, Unwell) – vocals. They released No Cure For Death in 2017 and Blood of the Beasts in 2019 and now, their latest for Southern Lord titled Plagues Upon Plagues will be released June 7, 2024 (pre-order via Bandcamp or Southern Lord Europe).

Read a new interview with SECT’s Chris Colohan + stream “The Lovers of Life” via No Echo.

Listen / share “The Lovers of Life” on YouTube.

Plagues Upon Plagues opens with the bereft waves of “No Uncertain Terms”, a side of the band we haven’t seen before. Vocalist Chris Colohan describes this album as “a funeral rather than a trial”, the activism of previous releases fading to sorrow and grief. “Our scene has already been screaming about the threat of an ecological breaking point and the looming threat of recurrent fascism throughout our whole lives,” says Chris. “When both come to pass at the same time and you get the exact world you fought never to see, there are no more alarm bells to ring. You’re just burying your dead. It’s mournful.”

“New Low” follows with the advent of marching drums, a funereal procession for the world we hoped to build. There’s frantic horror on the album too, with the track “Drowning in Sorrows” taking a look at the ways in which we numb ourselves as a society. “#ForeverHome” is a bitterly angry track about how people used animals for both narcissistic virtue signalling and one-way comfort in the pandemic, and abandoned them en masse just as selfishly when social life came back. Speaking to their straight-edge principles and how that continues to feed into their songwriting, Chris says, “the only kind of straight edge songs I’m interested in writing are dynamic ones that address human realities that you don’t have to be straight edge to engage with.”

Chris speaks more specifically about the collective behaviors which he observed society defaulting to in the thick of uncertainty – opportunism, profiteering, denial, accelerationism, sabotage. “The first five weeks of the pandemic told me more about where we’re at and where we’re headed than five decades of life, and it rendered most idealism irrelevant, regardless of how selectively we remember it in retrospect.”

The outlook is bleak, but music helps. “We’re barreling towards the next mass atrocity just as the last century’s fade into the past,” says Chris. “I’ve definitely had to let go of the ideal of survival in the wake of the last few years. Wasn’t the world we wanted to see but with all the checks and balances this thoroughly defeated, it’s going to play out however it does from here. Changing any minds at this point is kind of irrelevant – that’s largely the point of this album and the challenges we had writing it.”

Drums for the album were tracked with engineer Justin Phelps in Portland, OR at The Hallowed Halls. Guitars and bass were tracked at Scott’s home studio and Chris’ vocals were recorded at the old Holy Mountain Printing warehouse in Raleigh, NC – a makeshift vocal booth was set up in an aisle of shirts. Kurt Ballou at God City mixed the record.

On Plagues Upon Plagues, SECT pierce through the veil of complacency, forcing listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about the fragility of our world. The band wields their sonic arsenal like a prophetic warning and with raw vocals and uncompromising lyrics, they confront the harsh realities of existence in these tumultuous times. As society teeters on the brink of chaos, SECT’s cold hard statement resonates with an urgency that cannot be ignored.

Plagues Upon Plagues, cover art:

Plagues Upon Plagues, track list:

1. No Uncertain Terms
2. New Low
3. Drowning in Sorrows
4. Zerzan Wept
5. #Foreverhome
6. The Lovers of Life
7. Inventory
8. Six Black Lines (Plagues Upon Plagues)

For more on SECT:

BANDCAMP | INSTAGRAM

Sect have a lot on their minds. With the release of their brand new single, “New Low” and the promise of Plagues Upon Plagues, the follow up full-length to 2019’s Blood of the Beasts, Sect explore the intersection of issues which have cascaded over us for the last five years, the “plagues” of the title referring to the literal pandemic, and the metaphorical plague of the political state and the rise of fascism.

Comprised of an international cast of stellar musicians, who cut their teeth in a formative moment of political, cynical, antagonistic extremes, Sect unites Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, Tooth & Claw) & Jimmy Chang (Undying, Catharsis) – guitars, Steve Hart (Day of Suffering, Mania For Conquest) – bass, Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy, Racetraitor) – drums and Chris Colohan (Cursed, Unwell) – vocals. They released No Cure For Death in 2017 and Blood of the Beasts in 2019 and now, their latest for Southern Lord titled Plagues Upon Plagues will be released June 7, 2024 (pre-order via Bandcamp or Southern Lord Europe).

Watch / share “New Low” on YouTube.

Plagues Upon Plagues opens with the bereft waves of “No Uncertain Terms”, a side of the band we haven’t seen before. Vocalist Chris Colohan describes this album as “a funeral rather than a trial”, the activism of previous releases fading to sorrow and grief. “Our scene has already been screaming about the threat of an ecological breaking point and the looming threat of recurrent fascism throughout our whole lives,” says Chris. “When both come to pass at the same time and you get the exact world you fought never to see, there are no more alarm bells to ring. You’re just burying your dead. It’s mournful.”

Lead single “New Low” follows with the advent of marching drums, a funereal procession for the world we hoped to build. There’s frantic horror on the album too, with the track “Drowning in Sorrows” taking a look at the ways in which we numb ourselves as a society. “#ForeverHome” is a bitterly angry track about how people used animals for both narcissistic virtue signalling and one-way comfort in the pandemic, and abandoned them en masse just as selfishly when social life came back. Speaking to their straight-edge principles and how that continues to feed into their songwriting, Chris says, “the only kind of straight edge songs I’m interested in writing are dynamic ones that address human realities that you don’t have to be straight edge to engage with.”

Chris speaks more specifically about the collective behaviors which he observed society defaulting to in the thick of uncertainty – opportunism, profiteering, denial, accelerationism, sabotage. “The first five weeks of the pandemic told me more about where we’re at and where we’re headed than five decades of life, and it rendered most idealism irrelevant, regardless of how selectively we remember it in retrospect.”

The outlook is bleak, but music helps. “We’re barreling towards the next mass atrocity just as the last century’s fade into the past,” says Chris. “I’ve definitely had to let go of the ideal of survival in the wake of the last few years. Wasn’t the world we wanted to see but with all the checks and balances this thoroughly defeated, it’s going to play out however it does from here. Changing any minds at this point is kind of irrelevant – that’s largely the point of this album and the challenges we had writing it.”

Drums for the album were tracked with engineer Justin Phelps in Portland, OR at The Hallowed Halls. Guitars and bass were tracked at Scott’s home studio and Chris’ vocals were recorded at the old Holy Mountain Printing warehouse in Raleigh, NC – a makeshift vocal booth was set up in an aisle of shirts. Kurt Ballou at God City mixed the record.

On Plagues Upon Plagues, Sect pierce through the veil of complacency, forcing listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about the fragility of our world. The band wields their sonic arsenal like a prophetic warning and with raw vocals and uncompromising lyrics, they confront the harsh realities of existence in these tumultuous times. As society teeters on the brink of chaos, Sect’s cold hard statement resonates with an urgency that cannot be ignored.

Plagues Upon Plagues, cover art:

Plagues Upon Plagues, track list:

1. No Uncertain Terms
2. New Low
3. Drowning in Sorrows
4. Zerzan Wept
5. #Foreverhome
6. The Lovers of Life
7. Inventory
8. Six Black Lines (Plagues Upon Plagues)

The first release on new Southern Lord label subdivision, The Lord Recordings, will be out this May-June. // Pre-order now.

Having released two-full lengths of emotive, atmospheric instrumental and/or wordless music throughout 2022, Greg Anderson returns as The Lord with Worship: Bernard Herrmann Tribute, an album consisting of 9 new pieces of suspenseful and evocative guitar music, inspired by the film compositions of Bernard Herrmann.

Two tracks from the album are available to listen to today; “Psycho: Marion & Sam” and “Farenheit 451: The Reading.”

Listen / share on Bandcamp.

Anderson has been working on these compositions since 2021, his solo output having been greatly influenced by Herrmann. Southern Lord & The Lord Recordings present this limited edition 12” and Bandcamp exclusive digital release in May-June 2024. Pre order via Bandcamp and via the Southern Lord store.

Bernard Herrmann is an Academy Award-winning composer, most notable for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, including for films Vertigo, North By Northwest and Psycho. He also composed for films Cape Fear, The Bride Wore Black, Fahrenheit 451 and Citizen Kane, all of which receive a nod on this album. Anderson’s compositions take cues from the dramatic tension which Herrmann excelled at, and create a noir-esque atmosphere of expectancy through repetition and introspection.

Greg Anderson began making music in the mid-eighties with hardcore bands False Liberty and Brotherhood before refining his musicality during the nineties with the post-hardcore collective Engine Kid. From that point on, the musical direction started shifting, channelling his love of tone, riffs and repetitive sound, vital elements that feed into the meditative cosmos of the band he co-founded: SUNN O))), and the ‘low and slow’ sounds of Goatsnake, both of whom find different ways to move beyond confines and tropes of their respective sound worlds.

Unintentionally moving in a different direction from those bands within which he found his feet, Anderson was able to take on the mantle of The Lord in a new, pictorial approach to heavy music. Through this process, he has found himself moved to collaborate with vocalists/musicians he admires which to date includes; Robin Wattie (BIG|BRAVE), William Duvall, Petra Haden, David Pajo, Daniel Kubinski and most recently, Marthe.

The record begun in the Lord’s Cave throughout 2021-2024, finished in 2024 at Sea Grass Studios, Valley Village by engineer Brad Wood. Production was overseen by Greg Anderson and Brad Wood, and mixing and mastering was completed by Brad Wood. The design of the album is by Laura Pleasants.

Headbangers, the gates of hell have opened, and the demons of Southern Lord Europe have unleashed their annual SALE! Slash through prices on vinyl, CDs, and merch that’ll have you headbanging all the way to checkout.

MASSIVE discounts: We’re talking prices so low, you’ll think the devil himself made a deal. Vinyl and CDs at a fraction of their usual cost, ready to rip your ears right off with sonic fury.

Exclusive treasures: Limited editions, out of press items, and rare gems are lurking in the shadows, waiting to be claimed by the fastest headbangers. Don’t miss your chance to add these unholy relics to your collection before they disappear faster than a banshee’s scream.

Battle scars, pristine music: Got a soft spot for the slightly imperfect? Score cosmetically damaged items (sleeves & jewel cases may be damaged, but the media is minty-fresh) at jaw-dropping prices.

SALE STARTS FRIDAY FEB 16 & ENDS FEB 23, 2024

This is your moment to:

• Dominate your collection: Fill your shelves with iconic releases without sacrificing your firstborn (or maybe just a few sacrifices, we won’t judge).
• Unearth hidden gems: Delve into the darkest corners of the scene and discover bands that’ll melt your face off.
• Gift the chaos: Unleash the beast on your fellow headbangers (or hoard the loot for yourself, no shame in that).

But beware, this sonic onslaught won’t last forever! Headbang your way to the Southern Lord Europe Webstore and unleash the beast within your wallet before it’s too late.

P.S. Share the chaos with your fellow music maniacs! Spread the word and prepare for an epic sonic feast together.

Eternally shrouded in complete mystery and anonymity, the entity calling themselves Toadliquor has returned with its first recorded offerings in over 25 years. Back In The Hole will be released by Southern Lord on February 23, 2024.

Violently bleeding out into the early-90s with their lone LP Feel My Hate – The Power Is The Weight – R.I.P. Cain, Toadliquor followed that with a few comp tracks and a single before completely disappearing into the ether.

Southern Lord compiled most known recordings in 2003 on the Hortators Lament compact disc. Then, on the occasion of the label’s 20th anniversary in 2018, Southern Lord released these recordings plus one newly-received cryptic distress signal from deep space on the limited edition 2xLP set Cease & Decease.

Now, in 2024, Toadliquor return to continue their decades-long onslaught of desolation, despair and damaged vocal cords with Back in the Hole. Seven prize picks for the communal trough. Strap in and feed.

Listen / share “First Crush” on Bandcamp.

Look for Back in the Hole to be available on LP and digital formats only on February 23, 2024 (pre-order on Bandcamp here or from Southern Lord Europe here). For fans with a penchant for pain, misery, and destruction!

Back in the Hole, track listing:

1. First Crush
2. Recained
3. Entry Level Position
4. In Gold
5. Basement
6. Open Through Funeral
7. Back in the Hole

SUNN O))) will play a series of live dates in Spring 2024 as part of their Shoshin (初心) Duo tour.

See the Sunn O))) Shoshin (初心) Duo in its original, raw form. Anderson and O’Malley will perform as a pair, immersed in profound valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion, and volume. Pure and primeval riffs of temporality, massively heavy structures of sound pressure.  

Support will come from Jesse Sykes with Phil Wandscher & Bill Herzog (Except Nantes and Den Haag).

SUNN O))) Shoshin (初心) Duo tour dates:

25th March 2024 – Dublin, IE, National Concert Hall – tickets

26th March 2024 – Glasgow, UK, SWG3 – tickets

27th March 2024 – Newcastle, UK, Boiler Shop – tickets

28th March 2024 – Manchester, UK, New Century Hall – tickets

30th March 2024 – Bexhill On Sea, UK, De La Warr Pavillion – tickets

31st March 2024 – Bristol, UK, Marble Factory – tickets

1st April 2024 – London, UK, Barbican – tickets

2nd April 2024 – Coventry, UK, Empire – tickets

4th April 2024 – Nantes, FR, Festival Variations – Le Lieu Unique – tickets

5th April 2024 – Lorient, FR, Hydrophone – tickets

6th April 2024 – Paris, FR, Elysee Montmartre – tickets

7th April 2024 – Den Haag, NL, Rewire Festival – tickets

Tickets are also on sale now via SunnOfficial – except for London when the general on-sale date is Friday 22nd December at 10am GMT. 

25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo – the limited edition LP will be available to purchase at these shows

On these dates, fans will also be able to purchase an exclusive split release from Southern Lord and Ideologic Organ, the 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP, available on tour only. 
This limited edition LP is machine numbered to 2,000 copies in two pressings, one US and one EU, featuring a debossed cover and silver metallic and blank ink, and with two tracks “Wyoming Big Sky” and “Acres of Calms.”  The 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP was recorded with Brad Wood earlier this year, during the same period he mixed the songs for the Sunn O))) / Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 release.

SUNN O))) 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP

A: Wyoming Big Sky 18:53

B: Acres of Calms 20:00

For more on SUNN O))), visit:

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY | OFFICIAL STORE

“The Eye of Destiny” and “Wisps of the Black Serpent” are available now via Bandcamp.

Following on from Marthe‘s incendiary debut Southern Lord full-length Further In Evil, released this October, she now teams up with †The Lord† (Greg Anderson) to release two brand new collaborative tracks, “The Eye Of Destiny” and “Wisps of the Black Serpent.”

Marzia comments on this collaboration:

“Collaborating with The Lord was an exciting challenge, and something new, and stimulating to me. I don’t usually deal with such soundscapes and when Greg asked me to add vocals and drums to “The Eye of Destiny”, I accepted. The track was intended by Greg to be a tribute to Quorthon (Bathory), an artist who has been a huge influence on my moods. I had started to add in battle-drum beats, but soon faced the hard task of using words to describe what (to me) is the most talented artist of all time. How to contribute in words what I can’t even process in emotions?

There’s the person behind it, and along with the talent there’s the reality of the loss, since he’s not here anymore to witness the legacy of his sound. What’s left of his feelings on his blog, his emotions, his development as an artist and as a person and that spark in his eyes. The eyes are the mirror of the soul, we say. And I was reading some notes he left on a letter and it went something like “may the eye of destiny be wild with you and show you the right way through life”. “The Eye of destiny” was an evocative image to me, to picture in my mind the aura of his memory, as a human being and a musical genius. As words are dominant in a tribute, it was impossible, in the most humble way, to find words for him. So, I took his own words: checked all the lyrics and made a caviardage of words that in the end composed a tribute in what I considered the most honorable way possible. I love the final result, it’s my small tribute to a musical giant.

For the second song, “Wisps of the Black Serpent”, I wanted to incorporate more synths, since lately I’ve been getting into soundtracks and especially horror music composition (following from my love of horror movies, especially Gothic Italian classics). The vocals here are an improvisation. I wanted to let out some negative energies, so I imagined a shamanic exorcism to get rid of the weight I was feeling that night. I love when songs sound more like a lament than actual songs, because I can remember the exact moment something unplanned came out, which fuels the next one and the next and so on. It’s similar to freestyle hip hop, it gets you excited while doing it!”

Sacrilege B.C.’s Party With God and Virulence’s If This Isn’t A Dream… are both out today.

Southern Lord is proud to announce two essential 80s hardcore/metal/punk reissues arriving as part of RSD/Black Friday; the debut album from the ultra-cult 80s’ Bay Area Thrash band: Sacrilege B.C. and the debut from the Southern California hardcore punk band Virulence. Both records were originally released by the legendary Alchemy Records label. (RIP Victor Hayden).

Southern Lord present a limited edition vinyl version of the debut album from the ultra-cult 80s’ Bay Area Thrash band: Sacrilege B.C., containing the 1985 demo pressed on vinyl for the first time.

This RSD exclusive Black + White Vinyl version will be released as a double LP with a silk-screen etching printed on side D. Liner notes are written by Ron Quintana, also including an eight-page comic book/liner notes.

Arguably one of the best ever thrash albums to ever come out of the Bay Area, the album was produced by Mark Deutrom (Melvins, Clown Alley) and is perfect for fiends of: Exodus, Metallica, Possessed, Vio-lence.

Find out more and order here.

Party With God, track listing:

Side A

1. Azmeroth
2. Crucified
3. Fun With Napalm
4. Born Of Hell
5. Time To Die

Side B

6. Skinned Alive
7. Cancer
8. Judge Death
9. Death Toll
10. Words Of God
11. Final Rites
12. Slaughterhouse
13. Victimized

Side C
1985 Demo

14. Azmeroth
15. Skinned Alive
16. Crucified
17. Heed No Warning

Side D: ETCHING

Southern California hardcore punk band Virulence was originally formed in 1985, heavily influenced by Black Flag, the Melvins, & BL’AST!. After the bands demise in 1990 the members reformed under the familiar moniker: FU MANCHU.

The debut and sole release by Virulence If This Isn’t A Dream… is an exercise in slow, crushing minimalism and is a very worthy induction into the chapter of early heavy music recordings.

For RSD Southern Lord present an exclusive White Vinyl version. Order here.

Find more info and a participating indie record store near you at recordstoreday.com.

If This Isn’t A Dream…, track listing:

1 – Dead Weight
2 – Wrapped Up
3 – Worse than Misery
4 – Spilling it Out
5 – Blank Stare
6 – Kindergarten
7 – Sleep
8 – The Curse

FOR MORE ON SOUTHERN LORD:

BANDCAMP | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

See them on the road now and pick up the limited edition LP— available only at the forthcoming performances in Seattle, L.A., Austin, Asheville and more.

Sunn O))) core members Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson have embarked on their Shoshin (初心) Duo tour— a live experience of physical sound and glacial maximalism like no other. The duo have also announced an exclusive split release from Southern Lord and Ideologic Organ, the 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP, available only along the tour routing (dates listed below). This limited edition LP is machine numbered to 1,000 copies, features a debossed cover and silver metallic and blank ink, and boasts two tracks “Wyoming Big Sky” and “Acres of Calms.” The 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP was recorded with Brad Wood earlier this year, during the same period he mixed the songs for the Sunn O))) / Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 release.

Sunn O))) 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP

A: Wyoming Big Sky 18:53

B: Acres of Calms 20:00

From November 22 to December 6, see the Sunn O))) Shoshin (初心) Duo in its original, raw form. Anderson and O’Malley will perform as a pair, immersed in profound valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion, and volume. Pure and primeval riffs of temporality, massively heavy structures of sound pressure.

See the Shoshin (初心) Duo tonight in Seattle (sharing the bill with Earth’s performance of Earth 2), followed by performances in Monterey, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Asheville, Athens, Knoxville and Birmingham. Tickets are on sale now via SunnOfficial and linked below. Stay tuned for more tour news from Sunn O))) in the coming weeks.

Sunn O))) Shoshin (初心) Duo tour dates:

November 22 Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theater ^ [tickets]
November 25 Monterey, CA @ The Golden State Theatre * [tickets]
November 26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco * [tickets]
November 29 Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre * [tickets]
November 30 Dallas, TX @ The Texas Theatre * [tickets]
December 1 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall * [tickets]
December 3 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * [tickets]
December 4 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre * [tickets]
December 5 Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre * [tickets]
December 6 Birmingham, AL @ The Saturn * [tickets]

^ w/ Earth (playing Earth 2), Jesse Sykes with Phil Wandscher
w/ Jesse Sykes with Phil Wandscher

For more on Sunn O))), visit:

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY | OFFICIAL STORE