Weekend Nachos- Black Earth

Official Myspace
Label: A389 Records
Release Date: March 2011
Release Type: 7" EP
Genre: Power Violence


Striving for the balance they found on 2009's Unforgivable, Weekend Nachos bounce back from the lackluster Bleed e.p. and hit home with this one.

Black Earth is a short, jam packed e.p. totaling 4 songs just over 5 minutes.As mentioned earlier, I found Bleed to be a let down as it had the animosity and heaviness I loved of Unforgivable but lacked speed and variation, making it overall a bit boring. This time around they band keeps it's focus on unbelievably heavy guitars and beat down sections but thankfully intersperses plenty of faster and more typical power violence outbursts. Flurries of blast beats lead into intense mosh sections introduced with harsh feedback and cascades of cymbals. As far as song writing goes I'm sold with this one.

And while the band regains the form that they do best, the singer still seems to be struggling with his voice as it sounds artificially distorted and quite different from the last two releases. This is a sore point as the vocals hamper the release overall and are not up my ally. To go further, it's a sorer point if this is studio magic as the vocals dramatically shift throughout the band's whole discography; the tough guy barks from Unforgivable are gone (which was a huge part of my enjoyment). Seriously listen to the band's discography and the vocals will be recognizable but drastically different each time.

Worth a buy for sure, but I have my axe to grind with those vocals. Their next full length promises to showcase both "Black Earth" and "Friendship," while "Priorities" is a redo from This Comp Kills Fascists Vol. I and the last track, "No Saints" is an unrecorded oldie.

Pick it up from A389's site.


-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

Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed

Official Myspace
Label: Relapse
Released: 2010
Release Type: Vinyl 12" 105 White, 105 Clear (not released to public), 556 Black
Genre: Hardcore/Sludge

I've been pretty busy, and I can assume the same for the rest of the GJ crew. I'd love to see 206 drop in and give some of his grindly insight into the goings on of today, because frankly I'm out of the loop. That being said one of the only recent non-Thou things I've gotten is Weekend Nachos's new ep Bleed, something I had been waiting for since last year when Unforgivable stopped spinning its first time on my turntable.

If you've dipped into our back catalog of reviews and commentary, or if you're a faithful follower you should know how I feel about Weekend Nachos. Their second full length, and reinvention that is Unforgivable made me forever a fan. Bleed is odd in terms of its direction not just because it sounds nothing like their older material, but because it's a strangely logical continuation of Unforgivable.

The band's affinity for heaviness and brutality is what's on the mantel here. Bleed is 14 minutes of leisure time hardcore. The thing starts off at a crawl, resembling some of the beatdown parts of Unforgivable but ultimately sounding more like a sludge band than anything else. John's vocals are as tough as ever, bludgeoning the listener with very bark. It's not so far fetched coming from this band, but it feels like unnatural ground for them as John's vocals lack variation this time around (no background shouts either) not to mention the guitars play what seems like the same handful of riffs throughout both sides of this LP and there's only one mid/up tempo section.

I like it, but I think I expected something more. Bleed comes off very underwhelming in comparison to last year's best album. Further from that, if this ep was from another band I can't say I'd give it too much attention. What I said about uncertain ground really comes out in the second track "Observer" as it's about 7 minutes of the same refrain broken up by some crashing noises that remind me of the beginning of Dopesick (maybe that's the point?) and slight shifts. It's an attempt at being heavy that falls flat.

Overall I'd say it's worth the purchase if you're a big Weekend Nachos fan, if you're on the fence then I'd save your money for when they visit your town or their next offering which will hopefully be a bit more developed.

Here's a DL thanks to Harsh Distractions. And of course, if you like it buy it here.

-F

p.s. Oh, and Maryland Death was awesome. Here's a late and quick summery.

The Good:Gorguts, Aspyhx, Impaled, Capitalist Casualties, Portal, Converge, Malignancy, Magrudergrind, DRI, PLF (the whole prefest was awesome).

The Bad: Entombed played a lot of dad rock, I think only two tracks from Left Hand Path, not to mention only one guitar. Trap Them/Sodom/Stormcrow and others didn't make it. Expencive beer/food, things I wanted sold out too quickly, some bands must have forgotten their merch (Gridlink I'm looking at you). Waitan, boring on cd and somehow more boring live. Missed most of Obituary to see Converge, I was too far back and they were a bit underwhelming.

The great: Coffins, then after show with Coffins and Massgrave playing till sunrise. Incantation, Wolfbrigade, Repulsion (awesome pit, lots of cuts and brusies from that one alone), From Ashes Rise,Gridlink, Eyehategod (although the setlist was a bit lacking) Autopsy!! and I'm sure there's something else I'm forgetting. Being told Jeff couldn't make it for Possessed, then hearing Sadistic Intent playing Burning in Hell and seeing ol' Jeff wheelin' around- awesome. Jesus Crost we're a great surprise, and super nice guys too. Awesome way to blow 200bucks, hopefully I can go next year.

To Live a Lie

So yeah, we've got a spanking new review from the stalwart of grindademics, 206, the return of Axel with a brutaler than thou review and me, with a useless post.

I looked into Insidious Torture's Lust and Decay but I couldn't see the point in reviewing it as it's decent brutal deathmetal that is more grinding than churning; but nothing worthy of a review. Instead I'm turning back to a gem of 2007, In Disgust's Reality Choke.

Only putting out a comp of all their material in 2009, In Disgust have been slacking. Hopefully the Sharks's(my western conference fav and pick for the cup) success will goad them to releasing something soon. They have 5 releases pending, one of which is a split with PLF, which should be awesome.

Reality Choke itself, is 15 songs clocking in just over 11minutes of low gurgles, ear-piercing shrieks, thick guitars, and relentless blasting. Treading a fine line between power-violence and death metal, In Disgust implore excellent build ups that pay off in beautiful furies of blast beats and endless shrieks. Similar to Insect Warfare in song writing and riffs, In Disgust carry a more heavy and urban vibe, relying heavily on shifts in rhythm to really bludgeon you.

Pacing, riffs, moments of feedback and no remorse make Reality Choke one of my favorite "fast" eps, and by that I mean anytime I want something with energy, animosity, or anger I turn to Reality Choke. "Cali Smile" is a brutal build up of a song that pays off in "Shoulda Known," a furious, fast track.

If there was ever a recording to listen to whilst walking up and down the street smashing everything and everyone with a sledge hammer it'd be Reality Choke. The cover says it all, life is fucking filthy.

Band's Site
Reality Choke

Oh, and a bonus while I'm talking about bands that thrive off my inner tough guy and seething anger, here's a little diddy from Weekend Nachos who have a song off their upcomming ep on their myspace. The new track's okay, much slower and more mosh oriented. I don't know what John's really saying, if it's a joke, or if it's real or whatever, but i find it amusing.





-F

Weekend Nachos- Unforgivable

Site: Myspace
Release: 2009
Type: Cd, Lp, Full Length
Label: Relapse
Genre: Power Violence/ Hardcore

From my experiences power violence can be a fickle genre. Many of the big names of the genre encompass completely different attitudes, sounds, and styles and yet still fly under the banner of a pretty specific genre. Bands like Charles Bronson and Hatred Surge are labeled as power violence, yet showcase two completely different styles, the former being quite humorous and heavily flirting with lighter fair like skate punk and what have you where the latter delves in to the more extreme and punishing metal side of power violence. Regardless of the specifics there's the key traits of energy, passion, and disdain to some degree or another; and it is with the later of the three that Weekend Nachos finds themselves.

With a name more akin to those of bands who like to exploit the humor in their music and carry a party atmosphere, Weekend Nachos drastically deviate when their sound comes into comparison with those said bands. Originally off put by their name, i was completely flabbergasted when i heard some of the most poignant/vehement hardcore i've ever heard. What really attracted me to Weekend Nachos' sound is their emphasis on the violence in power violence.

Drifting away from the thin and punky sound of many hardcore/pv acts, Weekend Nachos employs a very bottom heavy sound (nothing like MITB) but more like a metal band, or one of those horrid xXthugcoreXx bands. This immediately caught my attention and made me motivated to thrash through this short LP. Showing a great apperciation for sludge, Weekend Nachos masterfully pulls off many breakdowns which heighten the energy so much on this LP and really encapsulate the violence and misanthropy they're trying to evoke. The slower sections on this album are all my favorites.

2009 starts the album off with some gloomy sample and delves headlong straight into the hardcore frenzy only to slow back down in Elevated Tracks which evokes a dark and brooding atmosphere with some kind of sample in the back; this is one of the highlights of the album. The fluidity of the album is phenomenal; the band segways from thrashing d-beats and power chords to lighting fast blast sections to midpaced stomps and quarter note breakdowns. The energy and flow is perfect and never lets up.

If you like your music dark, violent, and angry then Weekend Nachos is for you, resembling an Eyehategod of sorts for power violence, Weekend Nachos' keep the staples of the genre and blend in personal influences and a sense of misanthropy above all. More tough than any Hatebreed clone, Weekend Nachos stray far from their silly name and evoke a sense of dismal violence that one would assume to be plenty painful live.

While the production job doesn't sound DIY, a seemingly large staple of the pv community, it works in spades. It's heavy, unrelenting and completely obliterating. The vocals are deep and angry bellows offset by the occasional higher pitch yells. Along with the tone, many of the lyrics come through as sing along beatdown choruses which are evisceratingly brutal. The mosh parts in Shot in the Head and Reason to Die rank amongst the best that the album has to offer.

While I can't comment on previous works I can say that this album has made me a definite fan. Surely to be a favorite of the year for me, Unforgivable showcases a level of misanthropy I've been unable to find in power violence, and it makes me happy.

Buy the cd here for cheap (as well a t-shirt/cd combo) or buy vinyl, as well as other releases here.