Against The Grain

AGAINST THE GRAIN: ORTHODOX

I’m sure this happens to a lot of you. You are looking for something to listen to and out of nowhere you hear something and it immediately hits you. That was the case this morning as I was searching for something to kick start my day. While checking my email I clicked on on particular email and clicked on the video and the absolute bludgeoning really started my day. Allow me to introduce you to Orthodox. This heavy hitting 5 piece band hails from Nashville and they are surely leaving their mark on heavy music. Their upcoming fourth album, A Door Left Open (out 06.06.25 via Century Media), is an all out assault sonically and internally. The album’s barrage of riffs, shredding solos =and countless breakdowns provide the pummeling while the crushing chugs, accentuated by intricate rhythms , ensures that the head banging whiplash-laden listen never gets comfortable. This is the type of album and band that will for sure kick your teeth in and I welcome more of it! I can tell that Orthodox are going for the jugular with this album. This is as brute force as a record that I’ve heard in a long time.

Pre Order A Door Left Open HERE

Orthodox- Keep Your Blessings:

Orthodox- Sacred Place:

Orthodox- Searching For A Pulse:

Against The Grain: Stress Positions

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been in quite the heavy music mood. I’ve been on the look out for bands that really strike a nerve and low and behold I got an email to check out a band and I’m glad I did. Recently I was introduced to Chicago based Stress Positions and it’s just what I was looking for. Their hardcore punk is infectious and blistering. Their new album, Harsh Reality is 9 songs of no holds barred hardcore punk with an attitude that can hammer nails in. When you listen to the album, not only do you get that classic hardcore punk feel, there are other little twists and turns and surprises to find throughout, which makes it quite the fun listen. Stress Positions new album, Harsh Reality, is set to be released THIS FRIDAY, December 8th on Three One G Records.

Stress Positions- Harsh Reality:

Flaming Swords:

How To Get Ahead:

Against The Grain- Agriculture

Extreme music is extreme for a reason. When you listen to a band within this genre, there always seems to be a bit more of an expression whether it’s in the heaviness of the music, lyrical content, all around delivery or even melding of other sub-genres to make something that is a bit unsettling while at the same time strikes a chord with an audience. Recently I was introduced to a band that encapsulates all that into their debut album and it absolutely takes zero prisoners. Allow me to get you acquainted with Agriculture. This Los Angeles based 4 piece combined their collective influences to create what they like to call “Ecstatic Black Metal.” Not only is Black Metal a strong constant throughout their music the more you listen, you pick up on all sorts of different artistic elements. The use of improvisational experimentation and a sense of catharsis makes for quite the listening experience.

Agriculture’s self titled debut full length is a sonic assault that sets you on quite the start to finish path. Through the use of heavy music in an extreme fashion, there is a sense of urgency found throughout the album. The well crafted intense guitars and harmonies, along with passionate vocals, atmospheric pathways and intriguing experiments, makes Agriculture’s album one that blooms with grace and a punch to the face. Agriculture’s album will arrive on July 21st via The Flesner and on that day, the fruits of their labor be a statement to both the esoteric and physical world.

Relier:

The Glory Of The Ocean:

Look Part 1:

Find Agriculture Online:

INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP



Against The Grain: Gillian Carter

I really dig on bands that push boundaries and combine genres that on paper you’d think would conflict but, once it’s all put together, it makes magical sense. Recently I was introduced to a band that has combined post-hardcore, blackened noise, punk, metal, and screamo into an onslaught of awesomeness. Allow me to introduce you to Gillian Carter. This band is the brainchild of vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Logan Rivera. Logan is accompanied by Bob Caruso [bass] and Tony Oriza [drums] to complete the lineup. Their new album Salvation Through Misery is and in your face barrage emotions that push an intensity that feels natural and passionate. All of this put together turns the darkness into a wave of empathy that is very relatable and true. Being able to shift from genres within the songs is not an easy task and Gillian Carter does it seamlessly. There is not one song of the 12 on the album that isn’t an explosive catharsis the needs to be purged from the system. If you are looking for an extreme band that you can sink your teeth into, I highly suggest Salvation Through Misery by Gillian Carter. It’s one of the most surprising albums I’ve heard in 2022.

Gillian Carter- Salvation Through Misery:

Against The Grain: SNAFU

Detroit, Michigan is home to some very rich music history. The origins of Motown, early Punk Rock, and even Techno can be traced back to Detroit. Throughout the years, Detroit has still remained an epicenter of music. With that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to SNAFU from Detroit who have been ripping up stages and decimating crowds for a number of years now. Their most recent album, Exile//Banishment is one hell of an album. It’s heavy metal roots are very present with bits of hardcore, punk, thrash and even a tinge of black metal mixed in. When you listen to Exile//Banishment, you can hear the evolution of the band and the progression to make this album their heaviest, darkest, and angriest affair yet focusing on personal frustrations and the hopeless future of humanity. Take those themes and add the right amount of heavy with the music and you’ve got a recipe for a killer band. It’s very refreshing to hear a band like SNAFU. In particularly, the rawness of their sound is unapologetic and ruthless. The razor sharp riffs and rhythms are impactful and direct with the vocals adding an element of aggression to make everything come together in a way that will have you headbanging and contemplating moshing (even if you are by yourself). SNAFU is the real deal and I can’t wait to see where they are headed and what they do next!

SNAFU- Exile//Banishment:

Against The Grain: Mass Worship

Sweden is one of the worlds best exporters of heavy music. There is absolutely no denying the impact that Sweden has had on metal, hard rock and even pop music (ABBA). One band that has recently been brought to my attention that has really taken the Swedish sound by storm is Mass Worship. Taking cues from the likes of At The Gates and Meshuggah with bits of Mastodon and Discharge, Mass Worship is making one hell of a name for themselves. Their punishing and crushing riffs and rhythms mixed with bits of Swedish death metal and dbeat crust punk, it’s no wonder I’m digging this band. Their second album Portal Tombs is out February 4, 2022. The first song released from the album is “Revel In Fear” and features Napalm Death’s Mark “Barney” Greenway on guest vocals. Personally, I can’t wait to hear more from Mass Worship.


Mass Worship- Revel In Fear feat. Barney of Napalm Death:

Against The Grain: END

There really is something intriguing about extreme music and the heavier side of rock music. I’ve always been drawn to it in bits and pieces but, as I’ve gotten older, I’m starting to realize the technicality that comes with it. Which brings me to the band END. What began as a fun passion project for guitarist (and producer) Will Putney, quickly became something else as the band became more recognized for their aggressive and volatile music. END features a collection of musicians from various sub-genres of extreme music, including current and former members of Counterparts, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fit For An Autopsy, Misery Signals, Shai Hulud, and Reign Supreme. And all those pieces have made for quite a reputation. The debut EP From The Unforgiving Arms Of God, released in fall 2017 via Good Fight Music, was met with critical praise and fan response was definitely there as well. This summer will see the release of their debut full-length, Splinters From An Ever-Changing Face. The two songs released from it so far, really are quite a glimpse into their in your face approach to heavy music. END is more than just a run of the mill heavy/extreme band. When you take the time to listen, you can hear a plethora of inspiration and influences, which in turn, makes for quite a listening journey.

END- Pariah:

 

 
END- Covet Not:

 

 

 

END- From The Unforgiving Arms Of God:

Against The Grain: Umbra Vitae

umbravitae.jpg

As a musician and artist, when you have the chance to tap back into a genre that you’ve been away from for a long while, the end result is something that often times feels refreshing and reinvigorating. That being said, while in rehearsals for Wear Your Wounds, Jacob Bannon, Sean Martin and Mike McKenzie, began messing around with some heavy riffs. After realizing what they had, the three of them recruited Greg Weeks (The Red Chord, Labor Hex) and Jon Rice (Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Job For A Cowboy) for the rhythm section to back their aggressive riffs and thus Umbra Vitae was conceived.  Taking their name from a poem by Georg Heym, The music and and words are as haunting as it’s namesake. Their debut album, Shadow of Life (out May 1st via Deathwish Inc.), was recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou. The album one that will pummel the listener with unrelenting force and unpredictability. As well as providing self affirming mantras to give it even more of an edge.

Vocalist Jacob Bannon has gone on to say about Umbra Vitae “After reading the piece from Heym, I immediately felt connected to it. Later, while working on the previous Wear Your Wounds album, my love for Death Metal was rekindled. This was likely a reaction to working on non-aggressive music for such a concentrated period. As these songs started to form, the ominous nature of that original poem came to mind.”  He continues, “In many ways it embodied the character of what we were all creating together. For me, Umbra Vitae is darkly confrontational and my own internal struggles are nested within each song. At this point in my life it is of the utmost importance to use this art and music as the vehicle for a healthy purge of emotion. By design, even in something this intense, there is righteous intent to be a better human through the process of creating it.” Umbra Vitae definitely is a band to look out for and hopefully will continue as time goes on.

 

Umbra Vitae is:
Jacob Bannon: Vocals, Lyrics (Converge, Wear Your Wounds, Blood From the Soul)
Mike McKenzie: Guitars, Vocals (The Red Chord, Wear Your Wounds, Stomach Earth)
Sean Martin: Guitars, Vocals (ex-Hatebreed, Wear Your Wounds, Twitching Tongues)
Greg Weeks: Bass (The Red Chord, Labor Hex, etc)
Jon Rice: Drums (ex-Job for a Cowboy, Uncle Acid, etc)

Umbra Vitae- Return To Zero:

 

 

 

Against The Grain: Ether Coven

76616510_2526103407425307_4468767309455949824_o.jpg

The many sub-genres of rock and heavy music have given us some pretty awesome bands over the years. When a band begins to draw from different areas of influence and inspiration, the end results can often be refreshing. A couple weeks ago, my attention was drawn to a band that has combined bits and pieces of bands like Neurosis and Swans along with a bit of a Type O Negative vibe and that band is called Ether Coven. The bands new album, Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering, is one hell of a way to start off 2020. It’s got all the elements of the bands I mentioned above along with some other surprises thrown in making it quite a very interesting and thought provoking listening experience. Ether Coven is the type of band that can make those “epic” style songs, along with some straight up heavy and doom laden material, which helps to create a sonic diversity in what they do. Plus having their album being produced by Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and so many more) has really packed quite a punch to make sure the end result is pristine. So, break out of your norm, and check out Ether Coven!

 

Ether Coven- Everything Is Temporart Except Suffering:

 

 

 

 

 

Against The Grain: Vitriol

16797824_1296534693802289_9071368802872985689_o.jpg

Death metal is a very interesting sub-genre. It’s never easy to get into but, when you really sit and listen to some of the bands from that genre, you can hear some pretty amazing things. There is a real technical aspect to playing like that be it guitar, bass, drums or even “singing.” There is a band that is about to release their debut album that has really made me pay attention to the genre. I’d like to introduce you to Vitriol. This trio based out of Portland, Oregon, have made a record that is as explosive and ferocious as something that a band like Morbid Angel might release. The technical veracity that this band plays with along with the neck breaking savagery that is emitted while listening will have you wanting to listen again for the little things that you might have missed. The band which features Kyle Rasmussen (vocals/guitars), Adam Roethlisberger (vocals/bass) and Scott Walker (drums) proved on their 2017 EP “Pain Will Define Their Death” that they are not a band to miss. Their debit album “To Bathe from the Throat of Cowardice” (out Sept 6) is one of the most brutal and heaviest albums I’ve heard all year. I have a feeling that Vitriol will be a name many in the extreme metal circles will be talking about for a long time.

Vitriol- Crowned In Retaliation:

 

Vitriol- Pain Will Define Their Death: