From the inbox:

On December 6th, Portland, Oregon extreme metal trio CHASMA will release the vinyl version of their debut full-length album Declarations of the Grand Artificer on The Mylene Sheath (CD and digital available November 22nd on Moribund Records). With three songs clocking in at nearly 33 minutes, CHASMA’s debut is a bewildering, but above all transcendent record, an epic recasting of classic black metal into otherworldly shapes and a plausibly modern contour.

Formed in 2008 by members of Nanda Devi and Alter of Earth, CHASMA began as a side-project to experiment with yet another form of extreme metal. After writing and recording three songs, CHASMA released a demo tape with the French black metal label Aural Offerings and began performing live. After encouragement from Aural Offerings and the local Northwest metal scene, CHASMA made another recording that was released by Aural Offerings on cassette and CD. After performing two years of shows with the likes of Wolves in the Throne Room, Bloody Panda, Trees, Thou, Nux Vomica, and Fell Voices, CHASMA guitarist Tony Komforty departed the project and was replaced by Klaus Maza of the LA crust band Sheeeeeeeep.

“Musically, we are influenced by new millenium-era French black metal and DC screamo,” says the band, “and bands like Weakling, Joyless, Ameseours, and Majority Rule. We are influenced by the intensity and passion of our brotherhood as musicians and try to express that passion through dimension bending riffs. We don’t really fit the black metal label; we consider ourselves either noir nouveau ['new black'] or bright metal.”

- It was the MAJORITY RULE reference in the press release that stoked my interest. You can get a taste of the band’s ‘extended’ songwriting on their Facebook page.

- From the upcoming full-length Universal Laws, out in November on Underground Communique.

From the inbox:

THE STEVE ADAMYK BAND are a bunch of obnoxious, rowdy, “kids” from Ottawa, Ontario. While the name would automatically draw comparison to a blues, jazz or rock band given the layout, make no mistake; the Steve Adamyk Band are a punk band.

The SAB play trash-pop inspired by seventies punk, the skinny tie bands of the eighties and nineties garage rock. From the ashes of MILLION DOLLAR MARXISTS (Gearhead Records) and SEDATIVES (Deranged Records), the group was born out of necessity – a whack load of orphan songs with no band to call home. Frustrated playing in bands the would eventually call it quits, Adamyk formed a band that could have an endless timeline, even if the name is outside of the standard band name zone.

Releasing two European singles before their first live performance, the SAB would go on to unload 4 seven inch singles and an LP in 2010. The self-titled LP in question sold out its initial pressing in three months and received rave reviews, including being hailed as Ben Weasel’s favourite album of 2010. The following year, the Steve Adamyk Band toured Europe, performed at SXSW and recorded their sophomore LP Forever Won’t Wait to be unleashed by Portland, OR’s Dirtnap Records closing in on the end of the year. You can check out the first single from the album, “Landslide” here.

Bedouin Soundclash – Light the Horizon by RUDE RECORDS

• SEBASTIAN BACH – Kicking and Screaming
• ZEBRAHEAD – Get Nice!
• MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER – IV
• KASABIAN – Velociraptor!
• TYLER RAMSEY – The Valley Wind

- Might be pushing the envelope of “notable” this week, with the exception of the MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER release…

Into It. Over It. – Proper by Consequence of Sound

- The JESUS AND MARY CHAIN cover will be an upcoming split 7″ with CHEAP GIRLS, as part of Suburban Home’s “Under The Influence” series.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be a full-time teleworker for more than two years now. It has been huge plus, particularly now with two small children. Before I started working from home, our then infant/toddler son was prone to ear infections (and an assorted other rubric of common childhood ailments), and there would be a frequent debate between myself and my wife on who had the ‘easier’ task of getting from the city to our suburban town where my son’s daycare is to pick up the lil’ fighter. Being home during the work week changes everything. So for those who may find themselves in a teleworking position in the future, I submit these five suggestions:

1) If you drink coffee, buy a Keurig. Got a rough 3 hour conference call coming up? Boom! Instant hot coffee action. Sure, the sealed-by-nitrogen-gas cups have a bit of an aftertaste, but it sure beats slumping over and drooling on the phone handset.

2) Be prepared to make quick, short meals, if you plan to eat at home. If your food requires leaving your oven or stove on while you’re continuing to work, make sure that your smoke detector isn’t your first-line warning of readiness. Nothing says “awesomely productive day” like having to tend to a kitchen fire…

3) It’s perfectly acceptable to work at home wearing pajamas… unless you’re doing training via video conference.

4) If possible, work in a room with windows. I used to work in a windowless office, and would sometimes close the door. I’d emerge several hours into the workday, look up and down the hallway, and double-check my surroundings to make sure I hadn’t missed anything apocalyptic while hidden away from the rest of society. This does not apply if your line of work involves the wearing of corpse paint.

5) For those days when you’re on the phone with your office’s tech-support department because your lifeline, the VPN is down, make sure a hefty tome is handy. I recommend this 1400 page book on the history of New York City. And if by some chance you can’t take the phone into the bathroom and you simply cannot disconnect from your support call, one of these is handy too.