Band Of The Week

Band Of The Week: Gladiators Eat Fire

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Don’t let the name fool you, Gladiators Eat Fire are a force to be reckoned with. They mix parts of post-hardcore, stoner rock, and old fashioned rock and roll to form a sound that doesn’t allow you to miss.  Produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword, Botch) their newest EP Avant Garage is quite lethal and unrelenting. This four piece hailing from Seattle is well on it’s way to leaving a mark in the scene. One can tell that these gents put it all out there when performing live, and make sure you remember their name when they are done.

Gladiators Eat Fire- Avant Garage:

 

http://gladiatorseatfire.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gladiatorseatfire

 

Band Of The Week: Matriarchs

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The hardcore genre has undergone a few changes since its inception, but the true spirit of what the genre started as lives on in a few bands still. Last weekend while I was at the Whisky to see Vision Of Disorder, the first band I saw that night left me really excited. Matriarchs delivered the goods and represented hardcore music to the fullest. Their sound incorporates a tinge of metal, yet still rings true to the roots. Their EP Scandalous Jointz, reminds me of old school Hatebreed and Agnostic Front with a little bit of old Throwdown in there. Live, these guys are intense and command the stage. Vocalist Richard Barthel is quite a force. His gutteral vocals and true to life lyrics get the point across clearly. The band also features ex-members of well-known bands like Hoods, Ruckus, and The Faceless, making Matriarchs a band with countless influences to expand upon as time goes on. Check them out if you need to get your fix of well done hardcore.

Deadman:


Judas:

 

Better Off Dead:

 

Slave City:

 

 

 

Band Of The Week: The New Regime

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Ilan Rubin has had quite the career so far. He has played with bands such as Denver Harbor, Lostprophets, Paramore, Angels and Airwaves and most notably Nine Inch Nails. Even through all that, Ilan has still managed to remain quite the artist. In 2007, he released his first album as The New Regime entitled “Coup.” a few years later after Nine Inch Nails took a break for a bit, Ilan readied his next album “Speak Through The White Noise.” By the time it came for a third album, there was enough material that it was divided into two EP’s Exhibit A and Exhibit B. Since the release of those albums, The New Regime has been on tour constantly with some of rock’s greats including, Gang Of Four, Failure, Muse, The Used and so many others. Ilan is a true visionary. He has quite the knack for writing really interesting songs. It’s as though his time working with so many different bands, especially Trent Reznor, rubbed off on him in such a positive way. The New Regime is a band that should be on your radar and in your music library.

We Rise, We Fall:

 

Speak Through The White Noise:

 

https://www.facebook.com/thenewregime

http://www.thenewregime.com/

MEMENTO IS BACK

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A few months back I wrote a piece about the band Memento. since their break up in the mid 2000’s, I had always hoped that they would reform. There was a slight chance of that happening a few years back with a band called Nine Times Bodyweight, but that didn’t really go anywhere. Then something really cool happened to me yesterday. I got an email about a notification of a comment on the post I write about Memento from the bands guitarist Jason “Space” Smith, saying that Memento was back. And just like that I had the biggest smile on my face. I immediately grabbed my Memento CD and put it on and played it quite a few times. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Memento got a raw deal by not being pushed by their label and being lumped into the “Nu Metal” genre. This band is one of the bands that was very underrated and a pleasure to watch live. Now we all get a chance to experience them again. Welcome back Memento!!!

https://www.facebook.com/mementotheband

Here is a video they posted of Justin (Vocals) and Space (guitar) playing “Below” acoustically in the studio recently.

 

Nothing Sacred:

Savior:

Coming:

Figure 8:

Blister:

Abyss:

Shell:

Beginnings:

Reflections:

Below:

Band Of The Week: Here Lies The Hero

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Since last Friday when I saw Socionic, I’ve been listening to the band that opened the evening Here Lies The Hero. Their blend of metal and post hardcore is quite exceptional. The band formed in 2010 in Texas and relocated to Los Angeles in 2013. Since that time the band has really pushed hard to make a name for themselves, playing shows with the likes of Trivium, Norma Jean, Letlive and countless others. Their 2014 EP Adrift, is a very vulnerable yet full of optimism. Musically this band especially the guitars are technical and precise while full of heaviness and melody. Amongst their peers in this genre of music, Here Lies The Hero are quite the band to watch for.  And by the indication of the new songs they played at the show I saw them at, they are moving in the right direction with what they are doing.

Adrift:

 

Ghosts:

 

Follow The Light:

 

Evensong:

 

Uncharted:

 

https://www.facebook.com/Hereliesthehero

http://www.hereliesthehero.com/

Band Of The Week: If These Trees Could Talk

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Since starting Audioeclectica, I’ve developed a more mature appreciation for instrumental bands. In the past I would generally bypass them, unless I were at a festival or needed background music. The great thing about instrumental bands is the journey they take you on, leaving it all open to interpretation and your imagination. This weeks band of the week, If These Trees Could Talk, hooks you in with their gentle sounds, then pulls you in further as the music gets deeper and heavier. The band sites Mogwai, Tool, Red Sparowes, …And you will know us by the trail of dead as their main influences. And you can tell that there are elements of each of those bands in their music. If These Trees Could Talk released 3 albums through The Mylene Sheath before signing to Metal Blade records. Their new album is slated to be released late 2015 or early 2016. Keep track of this band, as I’m sure they will be a band to look out for in the post-metal world.

If These Trees Could Talk- Red Forest:

https://www.facebook.com/treescouldtalk

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Beware Of Safety

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Instrumental bands have the ability to take you different places. The absence of lyrics and vocals allow the imagination to stretch further with no bounds. The weeks band of the week Beware Of Safety adds something a bit different to the instrumental rock landscape. Their new release MABON, is delicate and full of soothing sounds that gets away from the heavier side of things. The use of acoustic instruments and folk influences really helps to separate them from the pack. Since their formation in 2005, Beware Of Safety has released 5 other EP’s/Albums. These guys have the sound that allows listeners and fans of many genres to just sit back and enjoy. MABON is the right step this band. Check them out!

Beware Of Safety- Mabon:

https://www.facebook.com/bewareofsafety

http://www.bewareofsafety.com/

Band Of The Week: The Last Internationale

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Last year I went to a show at the Roxy to see Royal Blood. There was a band that opened the show and set the tone for the entire evening. The Last Internationale was that band and they left quite an impression on me. The moment I heard their album was coming out a few weeks later, I ran out to get it. Gene Simmons has recently said in multiple interviews that “rock is dead.” Well Gene it seems that you are looking in the wrong places, because rock is most certainly alive and kicking. The Last Internationale are part of a resurgence of classic rock n roll that will leave you tapping your foot and spontaneously rocking out. Their debut album, We Will Reign is an exquisite piece of rock music. Singer/bassist Delila Paz has a voice that is reminiscent of a cross between Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane singer Grace Slick. The dirty distorted bass lines she thumps are commanding. Guitarist Edgey Pires plays with a more bluesy soulful approach that is lost amongst most guitarists today. This band is definitely one that you should be looking out for. They play music with passion and belief that bleeds all over their songs. Recently The Last Internationale has been on the road with Robert Plant, The Who and are slaying audiences wherever they go.

The Last Internationale- We Will Reign:

https://www.facebook.com/thelastinternationale

http://www.thelastinternationale.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Back Pocket Memory

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In all my years as a music fan, there are a few things I look for in bands I listen to, one of the biggest thing is melody. You can be the heaviest band in the world, but if there is no sense of melody, it tends to come across as just noise. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed doing this band of the week feature to find great bands that are out there that people may or may not have heard of. This week I present to you Back Pocket Memory. This five piece from the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, California writes music with great melodies and pure passion. The best way to describe the band is if you took Foo Fighters from the era of There’s Nothing Left To Lose and melded it with Incubus. There are heavy moments mixed with great amounts of melody, and softer parts that really show off the dynamics of the band. Their new full length album, Victory and Empire comes out in November and the first single “Rob The Young,” really highlights the growth these guys have shown from their first EP till now. If you like you music with great melodies and a delicate nature of passion and heart, then Back Pocket Memory is the band for you.

Rob The Young:

Catapult:

The Prisonser:

https://www.facebook.com/backpocketmemory

http://www.backpocketmemory.com/

By: Brian Lacy

Album Review: He Whose Ox Is Gored- The Camel, The Lion, The Child

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A while back I wrote a band of the week piece about a band from Washington called He Whose Ox Is Gored. They have fast become a band that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since I found out about them. Their influences of multiple genres have allowed them to experiment to zero in on just what their sound is. I coined them as doom-gaze for their love of doom metal and shoe gaze. Now they have just released their debut full length The Camel, The Lion, The Child. This album is epic by nature and pulls you in with each song. The band has really found their stride especially with songs like “Oathbreaker,” Crusade,” and “Cairo.” There is something aggressive and heavy to the songs, but on a deeper level. Lyrics are scarce yet meaningful, and the band lets the music do the talking, just like how Isis used to do. Another thing that I’ve noticed in the progression of He Whose Ox Is Gored, is that they have really adopted more melody into their songs. Rather than it being a wall of noise, there is a balance between the heaviness and the more delicate nature of some of the parts, especially with the keyboards. The album was mixed by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis) and Randall Dunn (SunnO, Earth) and it really shows. This album is a great leap for this band, and it’s only the beginning of where they can go from here.

scale of 1-10: 9

https://www.facebook.com/hewhoseoxisgoredseattle

http://hwoig.com/

By: Brian Lacy