Sep 242012
 

This is another daily collection of things I saw and heard this morning that I thought were worth sharing. It’s heavy on the death metal, because the death metal is heavy on me.

GOATWHORE

This is a big Goatwhore day. First, I saw the news that Goatwhore will be touring the U.S. and Canada with High On Fire and Lo-Pan. The tour begins on Nov. 15 in Austin and concludes on Dec. 22 in San Francisco. On selected stops, Primate (featuring Brutal Truth vocalist Kevin Sharp) and Corrosion of Conformity will also be performing.

This should be an ass-mauling, face-lacerating show. I’m happy that it’s stopping in Seattle, because it’s important to be happy for yourself in order to be happy for other people, or so I tell myself whenever I see stupendous tours that stop in Seattle but may not stop where you live. The full schedule is after the jump.

I also saw that Goatwhore have today premiered a new official lyric video for “Death To the Architects of Heaven”, a killer song from their 2012 album, Blood For the Master. You can watch that after the jump, too. Continue reading »

Jan 172011
 

Our UK contributor Andy Synn returns with another edition of The Synn Report.

Hello everyone. For those of you who enjoyed my last column, I’m back again with another band recommended and dissected – this time it’s the turn of THE GREAT DECEIVER.

The band have been active since the late 1990’s and feature in their ranks two particularly famous men from the Swedish metal scene. Whilst you may well recognise the name Tomas Lindberg (vocals) quite easily, you may not be aware that guitarist Kristian Wåhlin is also known by the name “Necrolord” and has famously produced cover art for many of metal’s elite, from Dissection, At The Gates and Emperor, to newer bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder and Becoming The Archetype.

With a musical foundation in both the Swedish hardcore and melodic death metal scenes, coupled with an intense fascination for the moody post-punk atmospheres of Joy Division (of whom vocalist Tomas Lindberg has claimed to be an avowed fan), the sound of The Great Deceiver is difficult to precisely pigeon-hole.

Whilst the guitars have a distinctly metal edge to them, the song structures and tempos lend themselves more towards the hardcore-leaning listener, albeit coupled with a distinctly odd use of twisted melody. The use of heavy tremolo-pedal distortion on the guitar leads and ringing chords is perhaps the most distinctive and consistent motif throughout the band’s work, on a par with the distinctive vocal delivery of Mr Tomas Lindberg himself. (more after the jump, including sample tracks from the band’s discography) Continue reading »