Santa Sangre - SA Mob Demo

This was requested a few weeks back and I finally got around to upping it. Sorry for the wait. Earlier this year, I upped the demo that Santa Sangre cut for Eulogy...check that out here. Heres the demo that was released on Surprise Attack Records and quickly sold out. Featuring members of Another Victim, Unholy, All Hell Breaks Loose, Terror, Path of Resistance, and (sometimes member) Earth Crisis

Santa Sangre - Demo

Santa Sangre - Eulogy Demo 2000

The big misconception about Santa Sangre was that they were a straight edge band. They were not just to clarify. This is the demo they recorded for Eulogy Recordings in 2000.

Santa Sangre - Eulogy Demo

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BECTSEA0

Distressed - Demo 2009 review

Let me preface this by saying I'm sorry to Distressed for taking so long to get this review written. The last few months have been quite hectic for me and Im trying to make up for all the people who have requested anything for the blog.
That said, let's get down to business. Distressed from Santa Cruz, CA. are a relatively new band who play hardcore in that 90s Chokehold/Unbroken vein that I love so much. The recent influx of bands who are influenced by bands like Chokehold and Unbroken are becoming more and more recognizable and I think its just a matter of time before this style really breaks through into the major hardcore circles. At just 5 songs, I feel cheated because I want to hear more from them. The recording of the demo is excellent, nice and crisp. All the instruments can be distinguished from each other, the guitars are nice and loud but not overpowering. The bass...as a guitar player, bass is not something I pick up right away. Its just not, I tend to notice the gutar sound first. But the bass sound and tone on the demo is HUGE. Nice and loud, thick and distorted. Its kind of up there with the bass sound that Buske had on the Santa Sangre full length (seriously one of my favorites). Having been a part of the hardcore scene for so many years now, I've gotten to a point where if the vocalist of a band does nothing for me, then I just won't be able to get into the band. Does that make me an elitist? I don't think it does, just picky. That said, I really like the vocals. Harsh screaming vocals with the occasional spoken word part. Definitely into it.
The layout is one of my favorite parts of any musical format be it CD, tape, or vinyl. Generally you can tell what kind of effort a band put into their release (or demo in this case) by perusing through the layout. While it is a demo, I don't expect a band to have a full color layout (it is nice to see though) or the disc to be factory pressed but in the case of Distressed, they went back to the 90s for a little influence. Silk screening both the cover and the disc was a nice idea but the lyric sheet is what really got my attention. A booklet hand tied with twine to hold the pages together. If you have seen the Morning Again "My Statement Of Life In A Dying World" 7 inch layout we posted, you'll have an idea of what I mean. Lyrically, the band deals mainly with animal rights and liberation. Each song is printed on one side of the page and the other is an explanation of what the song is about. I like to make my own interpretations of what the lyricist is writing about but I like even more to see what they really meant with the explanation included.
Overall, I'm expecting big things from this band. They have a 5 week tour booked with Contend as well as a 10 inch in the works. Oh did I mention that the demo has a Chokehold cover? Well now you know. Don't sleep on this band, I'm expecting big things from these guys. The band also included a link to download the 5 song demo so do yourself a favor and do so.

Distressed Demo Download

Check their blog for tour dates

When Tigers Fight Stream New Album

My buddy JD hit me up earlier this and I'm just getting around to getting it posted (sorry buddy) buthe new When Tigers Fight record is now up and availale for streaming via MetalSucks. Here's the info:

With the release of their anthem-strewn sophomore LP Death Songs just one week from its official street date, today WHEN TIGERS FIGHT are streaming the entire album via MetalSucks. Get in the pit RIGHT HERE.

Combining elements of melodic post-youth crew anthems with irate, metallic riffs, East Coast hardcore unit WHEN TIGERS FIGHT was founded by Mike McTernan of Damnation A.D. and Jonathan Dennison of Another Victim, Unholy, Santa Sangre, The Path Of Resistance and The Promise. Death Songs was recorded with Jocko at More Sound Studios in Syracuse, and bears cover art by Jon MacNair, known for his work on labelmates Harm's Way's last full length, Isolation.

Death Songs will see release on May 1st via Closed Casket Activities, the label responsible for previously co-released the vinyl version of the band's debut LP Ghost Story through Indecision Records. Preorders are available HERE.

Promos of Death Songs and interviews with WHEN TIGERS FIGHT are available worldwide via Earsplit  right now. Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks ahead.

https://www.facebook.com/whentigersfight

http://www.myspace.com/whentigersfight

http://www.closedcasketactivities.com

http://www.facebook.com/closedcasketactivities

Record Review: Abandon "The Death Of Urgency"

When I first heard of Abandon, Justin told me there was a video of them covering Morning Again's "Stones". Obviously, I was extremely excited. I watched the video and was impressed. I later found out the band was relatively young (their ages) and that they could actually play their instruments. It was refreshing to hear a group of young people who fell in love with the 90s hardcore sound and were able to put a fresh take on it. I ordered the demo directly from the band which took some time to show but it was worth it.I messaged the band to tell them that I was into it and that I would do a review for it. Fast forward 7-8 months and I received an email from Francisco asking if I'd like to review the full length. Of course, I said yes.
The record opens with "Walls" which has some serious Unbroken worship (Life.Love.Regret era) with its chugging riffs as well as some Seven Generations influence. I like that bands draw influence from their contemporaries and 7 Gen had a big influence on the current scene. "To Defy" opens with a choral march. It sounds like something you would have heard during WWII...is it? Possibly but I dont have the liner notes. The chorus is swallowed up by a tribal beat and chugging riff followed by a slower, half time feel. When the band does play fast, Im glad the drummer knows how the play the fast beat correctly. To me, there is a right way and a wrong way and he pulls it off quite well.
2 of the songs are re-recorded from their demo and they greatly benefit from the top notch production. Everything is leveled perfectly and nothing seems to overpower. Being a guitar player, I have always noticed guitar tone (and the tone on this record is great) but the bass tone is what gets me. SO HEAVY. It reminds me a lot of how Buske's tone on the Santa Sangre record sounds. Lyrically, I was given a copy of the lyric sheet but to be honest, as Im getting older, Im finding it harder and harder to pick up the subtleties and hidden meanings in songs. The lyrics are well written and thought out though dealing with personal issues as well as straight edge and veganism.
Overall, Im extremely happy with the record. I preordered it through Catalyst Records and am anxiously awaiting it to come in the mail. Pick this and go see this band if they play near you. One to watch in 2010.