Somehow I missed this band in 2009, but I’m glad I’m caught up now. Doylestown, PA’s MOTHER OF MERCY play bulky, buzzing metallic hardcore with some post-hardcore influences. The band released a full-length titled III this year on Six Feet Under, and will be cruising the roads in January and February with CRUEL HAND and BRACEWAR on a four week tour. Several songs from the band are currently punching holes through their MySpace page.

Alex and I generally do not agree on much with music, and his disdain of my appreciation of anything related to  THRICE, and relative indifference towards SET YOUR GOALS or THURSDAY, runs deep, but we both have come to appreciate NILE’s new full-length, Those Whom The Gods Detest, as one of the most awesome pieces of metal to come out this year. As these guys are on the older side of things (40 years plus), they have little in common with the image of many bands half their age, which properly puts the emphasis solely on their music. Check out a stream of Gods Detest below if you haven’t been privy to its abundant shreddery.

Alex: I had to take issue with a few characterizations of my opinions of certain bands in Jordan’s post, which I have addressed through some careful editing of the aforementioned post. Disdain towards THRICE is correct – they have disappointed me beyond words since Vheissu and I will not hesitate to opine that I believe their days are numbered. However, I am indifferent towards the works of SET YOUR GOALS (never listened) and THURSDAY (the split EP with ENVY was good, but not enough to sustain interest in the new LP).

However, he is absolutely correct regarding our mutual appreciation of NILE’s newest album. This record is an absolute monster and like any great album, it evokes incredible imagery in the imagination of the listener through tone, melody, and lyrics. While listening to Those Whom The Gods Detest, it is very easy to find yourself transported to Giza, watching thousands of men work to construct grandiose monuments to their pharaohs. Jordan and I will not hesitate to give this album an unqualified thumbs-up.

Michigan indie/post-rock band THE REPTILIAN have made plans to record some new material for a four-way split with bands EMPIRE! EMPIRE! (I WAS A LONELY ESTATE), ANNABEL, and JOIE DE VIVRE. The release is planned for Count Your Lucky Stars, who earlier this year put out the band’s EP Boys’ Life. The group will be on the road for most of January, and some help is need on particular days. Tour dates and other details are after the jump.

Germany’s GO AHEAD play old-school hardcore with youth-crew influences with similarities to GO IT ALONE, VERSE, and CARPATHIAN. The band released a six song EP this year titled Reflections via Our Best Day Records. The band has made the release available for free download through Rapidshare.

James and Alex’s 2009 year end lists have now been added to our Best of 2009 feature. You can check them out here and here respectively, or see all three lists in our super-fun-scrolling-time feature.

Considering all of the quality colleges located in North Carolina, it’s a wonder this Charlotte-based quintet went with the band name HARVARD. Why not WAKE FOREST, DUKE, or CHAPEL HILL? I guess they were going for the best of the best, and surely “Harvard” would indicate such. Well, if Harvard University were to exist as [...]

Asian Man Records snuck NOISE BY NUMBERS’ debut, Yeah, Whatever… into its late 2009 release schedule, but this band, lead by the immutable Dan Schafer (aka, Vapid — that fella from SCREECHING WEASEL, THE RIVERDALES, etc.), shouldn’t get lost among all of the end-of-the-year hoopla. Featuring an unmistakable Chicago pop-punk sound, NOISE BY NUMBERS has [...]

Vermont hardcore band CRUCIAL TIMES has added their new song, “Watching Friends Fade” to their MySpace page. The tune is from the band’s current demo, and plans have been made for the group to record a debut EP in January.

- The influences and aesthetic are laid on a bit thick, no? Still diggin’ it.