I have no interest at all in what CARTEL has done since the release of Chroma, simply because nothing they have written since then has matched the catchiness of “Luckie St.,”  which has one of the best pop-punk oriented choruses you’ll ever hear. Since Lala doesn’t have the version of this song from Chroma (and neither does Amazon MP3 – I wonder what stupid legal/business crap is holding that up!), here it is from the The Ransom EP. Hard to believe this song is almost five years old already…

Dallas, Texas’ DECADES have recorded a new version of their song “Shelter from the Swarm,” and have added it to their MySpace page. The updated version will be on an upcoming 7″ (more details soon). The band will be heading out on tour shortly with their buddies in BEARTRAP.

It’s somewhat ironic that famed music producer (and notorious psychotic) Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison this week while his trademark “Wall of Sound” style was alive and well last night at the Black Cat when ISIS, PELICAN, and TOMBS brought their respective monolithic styles to the District of Columbia. While the lineup felt like a “Dream Team” of  post-metal bands, last night’s show proved that not all bands are created equal.

The dudes in EMERY have been releasing music at a rapid pace since they debuted in 2004 with The Weak’s End. Back then they mostly made a living off decidedly catchy rock songs that balanced really good singing with razor sharp screaming. They continued to subscribe to this formula on 2005′s The Question, although I [...]

From the inbox:

GRAVE MAKER will be taking part in the mid-western and north eastern portion of this Summer’s “Gig Life” tour. Kicking off on July 13th, the tour features headliners SET YOUR GOALS and FOUR YEAR STRONG! Dates are listed after the jump.

Grave Maker will be supporting their debut full length Bury Me At Sea (2008 – Think Fast! Records).

Over the last 5 years or so, the South has proven itself  fertile ground for young, immensely talented, and innovative metal bands. While the styles of metal run the gamut from molasses-thick sludge (Little Rock, AK’s RWAKE) to thunderpop (Miami, FL’s TORCHE), the common thread is that these bands have a very distinctive heavy tone. A few years ago, I had spoken briefly with BARONESS bassist Summer Welch, and when asked about why there were all these amazing heavy bands coming out of the South, Welch had the following to say:

“I think the climate and the scenery of the South have a big impact on bands both consciously and subconsciously. It’s hot and heavy. It’s beautiful and dismal at the same time.”

The beauty and melancholy of the South are indeed apparent in the music of many metal bands from the South, and none moreso than MASTODON and KYLESA. While MASTODON have been exporing realms beyond cosmos for a while now, KYLESA’s roots are still firmly planted in the mossy greens of the South, and these contrasts were evident at the DC stop of their US tour. [More after the jump]

- Not a new video, but worth watching if you haven’t seen it before. Great song.

Via MySpace:

“The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD  five are all alive and well. Our new album, Do Not Resuscitate, is 99.999999% complete. We’re currently busy with the mastering and artwork stages of the project so it won’t be long now. Then again, you’ve waited for four years so a few more months won’t kill you. That said, this will probably be the last time you hear from us until we have a release date to tell you of. Do Not Resuscitate will be 11 or 12 songs brought to you by Trustkill Records once again. We look forward to getting it off our iPods and onto yours.”

On a related note, the mighty INDECISION (MPB’s precursor) are playing the “Black N Blue Bowl” today in Brooklyn with fellow NYHC veterans EARTH CRISIS, MURPHYS LAW, BOLD, CROWN OF THORNZ, KILLING TIME, SUBZERO, and a bunch more.