Alas!!! “Siren Song” the second single from Mutoid Man’s new album, Mutants has arrived. The album will be out on July 28th and it’s shaping up to be quite a fun and killer record. This is also the band’s first album with new bassist Jeff Matz who you might know from High On Fire. One of the things that makes Mutoid Man such a fun band is that they are always mixing different styles like rock, prog-rock, punk, metal, hardcore, even a bit of the sludgy/stoner side of things. I’m personally very excited about this new album and tour. Mutoid Man live is one of the most fun you’ll have a at a show. Pre-Orders for Mutants can be found HERE!
It’s finally here!!! New Mutoid Man!!! Today the band released the first single “Call Of The Void” from their upcoming new album, Mutants which will be out July 28, 2023 via Sargent House! This first single is a total ripper! This album also marks the first album with new bassist Jeff Matz from High On Fire joining Stephen Brodsky and Ben Koller. I’ve been a fan of this band for some time and each album is sublimely divine! The video for “Call Of The Void” was created by the fine folks over at Two Minutes To Late Night and it’s the perfect companion piece not just for this but in general as they have captured the humor that runs rampant throughout the members of the band. July 28 can’t come soon enough!
As they prepare for the release of their collaborative new album— featuring Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm and Stephen Brodsky, Converge have unveiled the second single from Bloodmoon: I, “Coil.” Speaking on the song, Jacob Bannon comments, “’Coil’ turned out to be one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been a part of. There is an infectious slow build that ends up becoming theatrical in tone. Lyrically it was a true collaboration, with all of us expanding on each other’s ideas as they came to be. I believe Chelsea’s vocal was the starting point in that for this one. Kurt really pushed vocal harmonies to a new level as well. Encouraging many of Steve’s ideas while we were in the studio tracking together. This one really has everyone of us firing on all cylinders creatively.” When you hear this song, you’ll get it. It’s such a tremendous track. I personally can’t wait for this album. Ever since they performed at Roadburn I’ve been waiting for this to finally come to fruition. Bloodmoon: I, out November 19th on CD/Digital and on Vinyl June 24th.
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Converge’s astounding album, Jane Doe. This was the bands first album with bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller, as well as the bands first with guitarist Kurt Ballou behind the board. This album not only put Converge on the map it was a commercial breakthrough and received immediate acclaim, with critics praising its poetic lyrics, dynamics, ferocity and production. Through the years this album has gone on to inspire and influence countless bands. The intensity on this album is often copied but you can’t match the original. The title track on the album is quite interesting. Singer Jacob Bannon stated in an interview that many of the songs on Jane Doe came from the side project Supermachiner. That project was claimed to inspire Jane Doe‘s experimental side.The title track “Jane Doe” as well as “Phoenix in Flight” were initially intended for the Supermachiner album Rise of the Great Machine. I personally remember hearing this album for the first time. A friend recommended I check it out. At first I wasn’t too into it but, I opened up the booklet, put on some headphones listened again and read the lyrics as the album played and it all made sense. This album is an absolute modern masterpiece. The title track is epic and ahead of its time! Converge is a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.
Converge- Jane Doe:
Lyrics:
These floods of you are unforgiving Pushing past me spilling through the banks And I fall Faster than light and faster than time That’s how memory works At least in the dark where I’m searching for meaning When I’m just searching for something I want out Out of every awkward day Out of every tongue tied loss I want out Out of the burdening night sweats Out of the rising seas of blood Lost in you like Saturday nights Searching the streets with bedroom eyes Just dying to be saved Run on girl Run on
Back in 2016 at Roadburn festival, Converge teamed up with Cave In/Mutoid Man’s Steven Brodsky along with Chelsea Wolfe and Ben Chisholm for a series of collaborative shows called Blood Moon. Ever since then, this collaborative effort has been beyond anticipated. Now, the wait is over, as Bloodmoon I will be released November 19th via Epitaph Records. The 11 song album is sure to be epic and chock full of all sorts of surprises. The first song released, “Blood Moon” is an astounding 8 minutes of pure bliss. I really don’t want to ruin it for you by describing anything else about it. Just know, this is FUCKING AWESOME!!!
Converge w/ Steven Brodsky, Chelsea Wolfe & Ben Chisholm- Blood Moon:
Melodic hardcore is one of my favorite sub-genres of heavy music. There’s something about mixing the grittiness and heavy riffs with a melodic tinge that really is catching. That being said, I’d like to introduce you to Be Well, a new band with roots that extend far back and then some. Be Well have come out of the gates with a blend of melodic hardcore and post-hardcore to deliver a very emotionally charged sound. The band is made up of a who’s who of familiar faces, on vocals, Brian McTernan (Battery and renowned producer/engineer), Peter Tsouras (Guitar) and Shane Johnson (Drums) from Fairweather, Mike Schleibaum (guitar) of Darkest Hour, and Aaron Dalbec (Bass) of Bane and formerly of Converge. Be Well’s lyrics are extremely personal, relentless and deep courtesy of Brian McTernan chronicling his struggles with depression, fatherhood, loss and then some. There is a sense of hope to it all in the end though. The bands debut album, The Weight And The Cost, arrives on August 21 (via Equal Vision Records) and so far based on the songs released, this album is sure to be a banger. Hopefully too, once all this madness in the world subsides, we can all catch Be Well live get to see these songs really come to life.
A couple weeks back, a new band was unveiled in the form of Umbra Vitae which features Jacob Bannon of Converge, Mike McKenzie of The Red Chord, Sean Martin of Twitching Tongues, ex Hatebreed, Greg Weeks of The Red Chord and Jon Rice of Uncle Acid, ex Job For A Cowboy. The first song they released, “Return To Zero” was one hell of a track out of the gates but, this new one, “Mantra Of Madness,” is a whole other level of killer. The title is quite fitting for the times we live in at the moment too. Their debut album Shadow of Life, comes out May 1st on Deathwish. So, with all that in mind, check this out!!!
Alternate versions are quite fun to dive into. They give you a different experience from the original version. And sometimes, these versions turn out better than what you heard first. Converge have released a new version of their song “Aimless Arrow” entitled “Endless Arrow.” This version was created by the bands guitarist Kurt Ballou and is a 30 minute experimental/ambient version of the song. “Aimless Arrow” originally appeared on the bands 2012 album All We Love We Leave Behind. This new version was created “To keep people entertained in these challenging times.” It’s definitely a different take on the song. Personally, I’d be interested to hear them do this with a few other tracks of theirs and maybe even expand this into their Blood Moon project as well.
I love side projects. Especially when they deviate from the style of music you’ve associated someone with for so long. Wear Your Wounds is one of my favorite side projects I’ve ever heard. Wear Your Wounds was created by Converge founder Jacob Bannon. Initially conceived as a solo project, it evolved into a five-piece band that often works with collaborating musicians. In 2017, the debut self titled double album was released followed closely by the even more experimental Dunedevil, which was also an accompaniment to Bannon’s abstract art book of the same name. Now, Wear Your Wounds, prepare to release their new album Rust on the Gates of Heaven (out July 12 via Deathwish Inc.). The release marks the first time the official lineup of the band; Jacob Bannon (Converge), Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord, Stomach Earth, Unraveller, etc), Adam McGrath (Cave In, Nomad Stones, etc), Sean Martin (Twitching Tongues, ex-Hatebreed, ex-Kid Cudi), and Chris Maggio (ex-Trap Them, ex-Sleigh Bells, etc) have properly written and recorded together. It also features musicians Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe, White Horse) and Gared O’Donnell (Planes Mistaken For Stars, Hawks and Doves) collaborating throughout. Watch and or listen to the music video for the album’s eponymous first single now. Personally I can’t wait for this album to come out. So do yourself a favor and dive in to this great band and their work.
You are about to embark on one hell of a journey with Episode 4 of Audioeclectica Radio. After taking some time off to regroup, I’ve brought back the radio show. As always the show is very eclectic and features different styles and genres you might not normally listen to. This is one of the best playlists I’ve put together so far.
Don’t forget this show is totally interactive. So if you have any requests for certain bands/songs or even topics you’d like for me to elaborate on, send me a message or leave a comment in the comments section.
