DOWNLOAD: PHILM - Held In Light
(Photo: Cammy Kinney)
You may not be familiar with PHILM, but you certainly should know its members. The LA power trio recently formed with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, WAR bassist Pancho Tomaselli and Civil Defiance guitarist/singer Gerry Nestler, which means you may have a general sense of what the music sounds like. But PHILM, which will release its debut Harmonic on May 15 via Ipecac Recordings, is more dark-rock than metal, combining aggressive elements with prog and psych-rock to create a strangely interesting landscape of heavy sound.
STREAM: mewithoutYou - February, 1878
mewithoutYou will release its fifth album, Ten Stories, on May 15. The group recently revealed the record’s first track, “February, 1878,” which is a gritty post-hardcore number that pays homage to the band’s 2004 song “February, 1979” off Catch For Us The Foxes. The moody number is driven by squirming electric guitars, throbbing drums and singer Aaron Weiss’ signature vocal growl. It’s good to hear from this band again, especially in a way that recalls their earlier work.
DOWNLOAD: Marriages - Ride In My Place
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Marriages, a new group that features three members from Red Sparowes, recently recorded a six-song debut entitled Kitsune. The dark, moody effort, recorded with Toshi Kasai, is hypnotic and occasionally experimental, employing vocals against heavy backdrops in a way that's a big left-hand turn from their other band. “Ride In My Place,” an early listen from the album, which will be released May 1 via Sargent House, is gloomy number that pairs psychedelic and hard rock to create a melodic soundscape.
STREAM: Orthrelm - 20012 EP
Oh, wow! My favorite neoclassical minimalist metal shredders, Orthrelm, have come down off the mountain with their first recording since 2005's OV. Seemingly out of the blue, a two-track EP entitled 20012 appeared on their new Bandcamp and it goes straight to the jugular with Mick Barr's hyperspeed shredding, complex mathy rhythms and so many notes that it's like being trapped in a guitar fountain with no way out.
DOWNLOAD: Torche - Kicking
Torche, formed in 2004 after the breakup of the members’ previous band Floor, will release its third album, Harmonicraft, on April 24 via Volcom Entertainment. The album is the Florida hard-rock band’s follow-up to 2008’s Meanderthal and it’s worth the wait. “Kicking” is an early taste of the new effort – a sludgy heavy-rock number filled with explosive guitar riffs and pounding drums. For fans of Mastodon, Helmet and basically any music made with huge electric guitars.
DOWNLOAD: Red Fang - Number Thirteen
Portland metal band Red Fang’s most recent effort, Murder The Mountains, came out earlier this year via Relapse and followed the group’s 2009 self-titled debut. The album offers heavy yet accessible songs that fit well with the band's current tour mates Mastodon, pairing moments of guttural sludge with rousing metallic riffs. “Number Thirteen” is an epic album cut, bordering between fiery aggression and catchy heavy rock.
DOWNLOAD: MonstrO - Stallone
Atlanta band MonstrO, formed in 2009, is a collaboration between several musicians you may know from other groups. The partnership of bassist Kyle Sanders (Bloodsimple), drummer Bevan Davies (Bloodsimple, Danzig), guitarist Juan Montoya (Torche) and guitarist/vocalist Carlos Suarez (Sunday Driver) is in the practice of hard rock numbers that find a balance between aggression and introspection. “Stallone,” from their self-titled debut, which is out now via Vagrant Records, marries an alt-rock melody with metallic riffs and a heavy breakdown.
DOWNLOAD: Earl Greyhound - I'm The One
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The New York-based Earl Greyhound first grabbed my attention when they rocked me out of my seat during CMJ last fall. I was buying time between beer sips and London's The Noisettes when they pounced on stage - loud, ribald & beastly. Matt Whyte railed electric riffs while slurring out lyrics, Kamara Thomas followed up sticking her tongue out on the reverb, and Ricc Sheridan bolstered it all with crashing cymbals & mad bass drum beats. (see proof here).
So while reminding you of their Spring/Summer tour, starting May 28th in Baltimore, we kick off with "I'm The One" - which is hard rock at its crawling-on-shag-carpet sexiest. It's also a great example of their Zeppelin likeness; asides from the obvious hark rock tonality, they too monopolize the space between each chord and expertly build a slower tempo bridge towards a bombastic end.
SOUNDS LIKE : Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath
