And On and On...

Despise You

Agoraphobic Nosebleed

Label: Relapse

Released: April 2011

Release Type: Split 12" or CD

Genre: Power Violence/ Grindcore

West Coast power violence purveyors Despise You team up with East Coast grind freaks Agoraphobic Nosebleed for what seems to be the split of the year.

Thankfully, after all these years Despise You has stuck with what they do best, but as one would expect and hope, they've added here and there and really tried to trim the fat. "Roll Call" alone makes the split worth it as it shifts from blistering blast beats to d-beats until we get a slew of fuck yous, gang shouts, and the much loved female contributing vocals. It's not only the curb stomping vehemence of the vocals that propel this band, but also the band's dominance of rhythm and song structure that really make it enjoyable. Before there was melody, there was rhythm and Despise You have rooted themselves deep into that heritage. This isn't to say there aren't good riffs, quite the contrary, there's plenty, but those riffs duel it out with the uncompromising drums and vocals to merge each aspect into one pulsating body.

"Roll Call"

The production this time around is much cleaner, guitars cut off on the drop of a dime and the bass drum threatens to jump out of your speakers and throw a haymaker. Where they retain much of what's made them one of the best power violence bands out there, "Fear's Song" keeps in line with their attitude but plays out like an old school punk song with the simple punk chord progression and drum beat. The proof is in the punk pudding when "All the Regimes You Hold Most Dear" ties together every aspect of the band into one 34 second song. The only thing I could ask for more of would be break downs... but I'm happy where this one leaves it. I can only look forward to what's next. To quote the laconic machine-gunning genius "they drew first blood:" up the ante Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

I've never been much of a fan of Scott Hull's side project, but here I am listening, head-banging and looking for more. A nice aspect of the split is the similar production between the bands, this creates a nice listening experience (although it is a bit too clean for me, particularly the drums). "Half Dead" starts things off perfectly only to be followed by "As Bad As It Is" with its Slayereque dive-bombing and a slew of drums, riffs, and vocals flying around like shrapnel. Agoraphobic Nosebleed play a super thrashy style of schizophrenic grindcore that's familiar enough but at the same time jarring and bone shattering. The varied vocals, every shifting drums and riffs are overwhelming in the best kind of way. "Ungratful" and "Burlap Sack" stand out as the best tracks, the former being a knotty grind explosion where as "Burlap Sack"

crawls along fittingly featuring Kat's vocals front and center (as she sings for the sludge band Salome). A varied whirlwind of tracks from Scott Hull's mysterious bag of tricks.

So far one of the best things I've listened to this year. Well worth picking up.

-F

Record Radar

Here's just a little update for all of you fan, collectors, enthusiasts, consumers, and what else have you. What we've got here is Gridlink's Orphan due out soon, Weekend Nachos's new Black Earth e.p., and Agoraphobic Nosebleed's split with Despise You.

Soon to be out is Gridlink's sophomore effort Orphan. Available for pre-order over at Hydra Head. There's a CD and a limited vinyl version in either blood red or black. In addition, both versions contain downloads and karaoke versions of the Orphan tracks. Furthermore, the vinyl is heavy weight 45rpm with the A side being Orphan and the B side being a remastered Amber Gray (I believe this means there's a bass and a second guitar on this recording). And to top it all off, there's a karaoke contest....

" Sugarbear (aka Andrew Cox) assembled this karaoke video for the title track so you can shred your vocal cords at home!

To enter the contest, make a video of yourself (or whoever) performing "Orphan" Karaoke, upload it to youtube, and post the link in the comments for the contest blog post (http://mrch.me/r). The deadline is March 22nd, 2011.

The winner(s) will be chosen by Jon Chang (Gridlink, Hayaino Daisuki, Discordance Axis), and will receive a test press of the Orphan / Amber Grey LP, plus whatever else we decide to throw in the package.

No purchase necessary."

This is all great news, as I've been excited for this since it was announced a year and change ago. I myself have only listened to the Myspace stuff and loved it, not to mention heard them play it live at MDF last year which was amazing. Definitely going to be a bright spot for the year. The Black vinyl seems to be all out, so get it while you can.


Weekend Nachos's Black Earth coming out on A389 records sometime soon. This 4 track e.p. features two tracks from their upcoming l.p. that'll be out on Relapse/Deep Six sometime this year. There's a much stronger power violence vibe this time around, which is a welcomed attribute as Bleed was a bit one dimensional in its lack of rhythmic diversity and song structure. This is what's on their Myspace...

"[T]his will feature 3 brand new songs, 2 off of our upcoming LP on Deep Six, and 1 exclusive B-side. in addition to those 3 new songs, the 4th song will be a re-recorded classic that we play at every single show but has still not been seen on an actual W.N. release until now. true Nacho enthusiasts can probably figure out which jam we're talking about. We really wanted to produce a heavier, updated version of the song and make it more recognizable for future live shows by putting it on an actual 7"....so there it shall be. Stoked."

Simple black vinyl with a download code, for the cost of 2 tacos and a coke I think it's worth the bread; buy it!


Probably what I'm most excited for is the Agoraphobic Nosebleed split with Despise You. Already set for pre-order at Relapse in a nice CD t-shirt package; expect it by the end of April. The shirt itself isn't my favorite, but it's worth getting amped about. Info on the vinyl is sparse, but on their Facebook the guys acknowledge that it will be done.

If the tracks from This Comp Kills Fascists 2 are any indicator, than this is gonna fucking kick dick. I've never been a fan of AxNxB, but I'm always open to new things, especially if it involves Despise You.

So there's an update, keep your eyes peeled for all this great stuff, as well as the stuff due out on Gilead. I'm sure there's things I've missed, but these are three things I'm looking forward to the most.

-F