Nov 302009
 

Dawn in Portland

No, I’m not talking about the weather.  This time of year it blows just as hard in Portland as it does here in Seattle.  I’m talking about recent releases from two passionate Portland bands that are most definitely worth checking out:  Siberian Nightmare Machine from American Me and An Awakening from Those Who Lie Beneath. Both bands are signed to Rise Records, both are hot shit, and both are playing at Portland’s Club Satyricon on Dec 2.  Today we’ll talk about American Me and tomorrow we’ll cover Those Who Lie Beneath. Continue reading »

Nov 292009
 

I+Declare+War

Seattle upstarts I Declare War entered the studio on Friday (Nov 27) to begin tracking their second CD. They’re recording at the Red Room in Seattle with Chris Common, who plays drums with These Arms Are Snakes and co-owns the studio with Matt Bayles.  IDW guitarist Evan Hughes is writing a studio blog about the process, complete with photos and promises of video material to come. Unlike a lot of similar blogs by other bands, this one is well-written and very interesting.  So check it out here.

IDW’s first offering, Amidst the Bloodshed, was a promising start — brutal, punishing deathcore, played with passion and high energy. A new track (“New Age Holocaust”) now up on the band’s MySpace page makes us anxious to hear the new CD when it’s done. The guys practice what they preach. As advertised on one of their killer shirts: “If it ain’t broke, blast beat the fuck out of it.” IDW’s still unsigned, but we’re hoping for good news about a label soon. They’re totally committed to their music, they deliver the goods, and they deserve more exposure.

They also put on a sweet live show. In fact, if you’re in the Seattle area on January 16 and in the mood to bang and mosh, get yourselves over to Studio Seven for an IDW performance and video shoot.

And in the meantime, here’s the band’s last official video. (No creepy stalkers at the shoot on 1/16 we hope.)

Nov 272009
 

Dark Tranquillity

Blabbermouth reports today that Dark Tranquillity have chosen “We Are the Void” as the title of their ninth album, due for release in Europe on March 10, 2010 on Century Media Records.  The album is being mixed by Tue Madsen, who has handled similar duties for Behemoth, Kataklysm, and The Haunted, among others.

Honestly, your Authors don’t really think announcement of an album title qualifies as news.  But we’re all Dark Tranquillity fiends, we had the pleasure of seeing them play a riveting set when they passed through Seattle last year, and frankly, anything related to a new CD from one of the architects of Swedish melodic death metal is going to draw attention on this site.  Until that release, we’ll have to content ourselves with the performance DVD they released in the U.S. about 10 days ago (“Where Death Is Most Alive”).

For a recent interview with vocalist Mikael Stanne, who talks about the DVD, the forthcoming CD, and other DT topics, go here.  In that interview, Stanne says they’re working on a headline tour of the U.S. to begin after the new album drops.  Here’s hoping it includes a stop in the Emerald City . . . .

And yeah, that’s them in the photo along with a couple guys from The Haunted about to play in a soccer tournament last spring.