Band Of The Week

Band Of The Week: Dress The Dead

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One of the coolest things about being a musician is being able to explore different genres and expand your musical palate. For many years now I’ve been a fan of guitarist Craig Locicero. You might recall the bands he’s been a part of from Forbidden, Manmade God and Spiralarms. Not only can Craig rip on guitar, he is also one hell of a songwriter. Which brings me to his latest band, Dress The Dead. This new band has it all, from super heavy riffs and thunderous rhythms but also a great rock voice that reaches the metal heights and soulful elements of blues. Dress The Dead is comprised of Kayla Dixon (voice), Craig Locicero (guitar), Dan Delay (guitar), James Walker (bass) and Mark Hernandez (drums). It’s worth mentioning that the original singer of the band was Peter Dolving from The Haunted. While Peter laid the groundwork for the vocals, Kayla has really stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park (yes I used a baseball reference. It is baseball seasons after all). The best way to describe Dress The Dead is Thrashy Rock N Roll. While it’s “metal” it’s definitely rock through and through. From the songs they have released so far like “Promises & Kisses,” “There Goes The Sun,” and “1969” it’s very apparent that Dress The Dead is going to be one hell of a band.

 

Dress The Dead- Promises & Kisses:

 

Dress The Dead- There Goes The Sun:

 

Dress The Dead- Knives Out (Live):

 

Dress The Dead- 1969 (with Peter Dolving):

 

Band Of The Week: Old Blood

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When art and music come together the results can sometimes vary but, when that right blend is poured out on to a canvas or in this case music, everything just comes together. I’d like to introduce you to Old Blood. Taking influence and inspiration from Classic Rock, Metal, Trip Hop, Desert Rock, Stoner Metal, Doom, Sludge and bits of Jazz, Old Blood have created a style which they call “Acid Doom.” Their debut self titled album is chock full of head bobbing rhythms, charging riffs and vocals that cut like a diamond. They stand out from their peers not just musically but with their artistic stage show, leaving those in attendance with a sense of being a part of something more than just a show. Do yourself a favor and check out what fresh takes Old Blood has to offer.

 

Old Blood:

 

 

Band Of The Week: HIDE

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Over the last few years, as I’ve mentioned before, there is a resurgence of the post-punk sound. Some bands have been able to do it really well like GLAARE and The Black Mare. Those bands and a few others have not only taken that sound to new heights but, have added something else to that sound to make it their own. Which brings me to the band of the week, HIDE. This Chicago based duo led by visual artist/vocalist Heather Gabel and percussionist Seth Sher, has taken elements of post-punk and added a huge industrial twist to their music. HIDE’s debut full length CASTRATION ANXIETY is eerie and dark yet it’s full of the traditional sense of what an industrial band should be. In particular the song “Wildfire” (which is my favorite off the album) is much more than a thunderous industrial song. Lyrically it delves much deeper into psychological ideals. The album as a whole is quite a listen. There is a lot going on that will make you want to dance a little but also smash a wall with a sledgehammer. You can tell listening to HIDE, that in order to fully get what they are all about, you need to see them live. And from their live videos online, that is absolutely true.

 

Hide- Wildfire:

 

Hide- Castration Anxiety:

 

Band Of The Week: The Atlas Moth

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There is something really cool about discovering a band that has been around for a while. As a listener you’ve more than likely discovered the bands latest album and become enthralled by them that you are compelled to go back and check out their other releases. Recently, I heard about a band called The Atlas Moth and when I heard their song “Coma Noir” and I was immediately drawn in. The Atlas Moth released a new album this year entitled Coma Noir and it’s down right epic. The band sites groups like Deftones, Neurosis, Cave In, The Cure and The Flaming Lips among their influences and while listening to the entire album you can hear how all these bands have helped to shape the bands sound. The sheer intensity they emit is very reminiscent of Neurosis,  and Cave In (especially their albums Until Your Heart Stops and Jupiter). The band takes chances too and experiments with different moods and textures just as Deftones, The Flaming Lips and The Cure do. It all comes together to make for a psychedelic metal experience. Songs like “Galactic Brain,” “The Last Transmission From the Late, Great Planet Earth,” “Actual Human Blood,” “Smiling Knife,” “Coma Noir,” and “The Streets of Bombay” will have an effect on you and leave you lost in a bit of a trance. The entire album as a whole will almost hypnotize you. After listening to all The Atlas Moth albums, you can definitely hear the bands evolution into an absolute heavy force to be reckoned with. Do yourself a favor and take some time to get lost in The Atlas Moth.

 

The Atlas Moth- Coma Noir:

 

Coma Noir-Video:

 

 

Band Of The Week: Knaaves

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One of my favorite things about writing and running Audioeclectica is when I get an email from a band that is personalized and asking me to check out their band. Recently I got a message from a band called Knaaves. I was immediately impressed with the message that was sent that I stopped what I was doing to check them out. What I heard was a blistering heavy band that was full of dark riffs and an attitude that compliments the music superbly. Knaaves, based out of Milwauke, is a four piece band featuring Andy Parmann (Vocals), Amanda Daniels (Bass), Jamie Kerwin (Guitar), and Antonio Ninham (Drums) that mixes metal, hardcore, and bits of melody to create a hard charging, groove filled sound. Knaaves isn’t a “metal-core” band, instead they take bits of post hardcore and add it to their already heavy groove. Their 2 song EP JANUARY, featuring the songs “January” and “Nine Lives Lost” will have you banging your head and possibly erupting into a one person mosh pit (which is totally possible). Do yourself a favor and check out Knaaves and let the power of heaviness guide you on your way to where you are headed.

Knaaves- January EP:

Band Of The Week: Actors

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Post Punk has fast been gaining and growing as one of the most popular genres these days. I’ve seen a lot of people from heavier bands going in this direction as side projects or after they’ve left their bands. There is a band hailing from Vancouver, Canada called ACTORS that have really nailed the post punk/darkwave sound. Actors have taken the classic post-punk sound and added a bit of a modern twist to it without losing the true essence of what the genre is. Their synth drenched scores could easily be found in countless films, all the while the songs have a dance vibe to them that fit in clubs. Led by singer/guitarist Jason Corbett, ACTORS have taken their well studied sound and delivered the goods. Their album It Will Come To You is chock full of dark sounds but with a sense of light underneath the beats.

 

Actors- It Will Come To You:

 

Actors- L’apple Du Vide (Live):

 

Band Of The Week: Fucked and Bound

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When I first heard that members of He Whose Ox Is Gored were involved in a side project my curiosity was perked. Then when I heard that it was going to be a hardcore/punk band, I was ecstatic. Fucked and Bound is the name of the band and it delivers a righteous slab of unrelenting and ferocious hardcore. Their debut album Suffrage (released by Atomic Action Records) is 13 songs of pure heaviness, attitude, and anger. Fronted by Lisa Mungo, she screams her heart out and it’s furious and in your face. Her conviction of the lyrics as she spits them out in the mic are some of the most honest I’ve heard in a long time. The band themselves comprised of Brian McClelland (Guitar), Curtis Parker (Bass) and Matt Chandler (Drums) blast through riffs and beats that pummel and run you over with the right amount of brutality. Fucked and Bound is just what is needed in today’s political and social climate. Do yourselves a favor and throw this album on and unleash the inner beast inside you.

 

Fucked and Bound- Suffrage:

 

Fucked and Bound Tour Dates:

3/17 Seattle, WA @ Black Lodge
3/20 Portland, OR @ Fixin’ To Bar
3/21  Chico, CA @ Naked Lounge
3/22 Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp
3/23 Oakland, CA @ Golden Bull
3/24 Los Angeles, CA @ 3PM MATINEE at Redwood Bar
3/25 San Diego, CA @ Space Bar
3/27 Mesa, Az @ Nile Underground
3/28 Tuscon, AZ @ Flycatcher
3/29 Las Vegas, NV @ The Garth
3/30 Reno, NV @ Jub Jub’s Days of the Loud Fest
By: Brian Lacy

 

Band Of The Week: All Souls

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Los Angeles is still a mecca for great bands. These days though you just have to search them out a little more. I’d like to introduce you to the band All Souls, a melodic, guitar-heavy rock band that is absolutely fantastic. All Souls finally formed in 2015 after many years of trying to get together. The band is made up of Erik Trammell (Black Elk, Brothers Collateral), Tony Tornay (Fatso Jetson), Antonio Aguilar and Meg Castellanos (Totimoshi, Alma Sangre). Their debut album was recently released via Sunyata Records (which is owned by Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, Mad Season and Walking Papers) and it’s stellar. There are hooks galore and constant grooves that don’t get tired or boring throughout the entire album. There is a bit of a desert/stoner vibe to the sound of the band that allows a bit of “space” to sway through the listening experience. After listening to the entire album, you not only want more but you’ll feel compelled to listen to All Souls again.

 

All Souls- Never Know:

 

 

Band Of The Week: Black Mare

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Last year Black Mare released one of my top 25 favorite albums of 2017. The sheer brilliance, beauty and devastation that emits from Sera Timms is astounding. The album Death Magick Mother is draped in gothic sounds, dark poetic lyrics and vocals that draw you into a trance. Black Mare is a side/solo project for Sera, and a bit of a departure from the other bands she is a part of like Ides of Gemini, Black Math Horseman, and Zun. Musically Black Mare will draw you in like a Type O Negative album would. There are subtle nuances to each song that strike a chord while listening which takes your further down the rabbit hole. Songs like “Death By Desire,” “Ingress To Form,” “Babylon’s Fold,” and “Inverted Tower” all posses these qualities and then some. Sera’s songs “traverse hidden realms, fragments of dreams, submerged memories, and mythical imagery” which leaves those who listen completely entrenched in her psyche. Do yourselves a favor and listen to Black Mare and get lost amongst the beauty.

 

Black Mare- Death Magick Mother:

 

Death By Desire Video:

 

 

Band Of The Week: Void Vator

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What do you get when you cross 80’s metal a la Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth and 90’s rock in the vain of Nirvana and Soundgarden? Well I’ll tell you, Void Vator is the end result. This four piece Los Angeles based band, is a melodic heavy rock group that is really starting to leave their mark on the scene. Their debut EP Dehumanized, was produced by Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Pantera, Static X, OneSideZero). The five songs on the EP, especially “Time Has Come” and “No Return,” are chock full of rock, riffs, and melody, which is exactly what this band is all about. Check out Void Vator for all your melodic heavy rock needs.

 

Void Vator- Dehumanized EP:

 

Time Has Come Video:

 

No Return Video: