From Corners Unknown

Yo, how’s it going residents of the murky void? This time Ryan and I promptly eject ourselves into a hazardous deadly gulch. Yep, we got another brutalizing episode for you all! These dudes from my hometown of Santa Cruz, CA have been making a name for themselves in the hardcore scene. You may know them as Gulch and they have a relatively new (July 2020) album called Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress. It’s gritty, noisy, and downright put your head in a wind turbine destructive. At one point in the episode, I believe I say something about getting ripped to shreds in a gorilla pit? The usual From Corners Unknown nonsense.

One quality of the band that we comment on quite a bit is the well-placed input of “ughs” and “bleghs”. The vocals are shrill and utterly nasty. They pair well with the heavily distorted thrashing guitars, ear attacking feedback squawks, and skull cracking drum beats. Shit, there are moments where you just get hogtied into a groove and can’t help but embrace the oncoming train splattering. This is hardcore you play fucking loud and only loud. There’s a reason why you see everyone comparing this band to brick punching or other pain-inducing experiences. There are moments that make me think death metal, old school hardcore, or thrash but it’s genuinely something greater than the sum of its parts. Get into the gutters of California hardcore and flop around in the gnarly filth. You will not be disappointed. Also, that Siouxsie and the Banshees cover as the final track? Incredibly cool stuff.

Gulch has existed since the year 2016 with members from bands such as Drain (California Cursed is another solid hardcore release from this year) and Spinebreaker. They have released a few EPs such as Demolition Of Human Construct (2017) and Burning Desire to Draw Last Breath (2018). Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress is their first full-length album and it was released on July 24, 2020 through Closed Casket Activities. Now find your nearest amp, shove your head in it, and blast some Gulch!

I hope all is well in your world Smeagols of the void (screw you autocorrect I do not mean seagulls)! This week, Ryan and I once again put on our Constant Disappointment Records fanboy t-shirts and talk about the band STOPLOSS (I have three CDR shirts). As per usual, we are late to the rage fest as we gargle on about the New England hardcore outfit and their May release Wander. Defy. Relent. Decay. I will say that you will not be able to stop the blood loss as you donkey punch your dashboard and get turned into raspberry jello by your explosive airbag when listening to this album. Your sentient gelatinous smear of a corpse will wander outside, defy all odds, and relent to the natural bodily decay as the aggressive music keeps you alive. I’m pretty sure Ryan and I say more strange shit like that in this episode as it’s a banger on all fronts!

One factor that stands out in STOPLOSS is how fucking pissed off and mad about it they sound (they would make Big Daddy Rich proud). Acid scorching vocals and knees-to-gravel grinding instruments reign supreme, yet each track has unique grooves or lasting vocal deliveries that might just get impaled in your dome. I guarantee you will be chanting I HATE MY JOB, I HATE MY FRIENDS, I HATE MY FUCKING LIFE! Lyrical themes cover a broad range of relatable concepts. Dirt filled distortions and feedback infuse with jaw slamming drum mortars. Your muscles will be dying to get up and let loose like that one shirtless coked-out dude that’s always in the pit.

STOPLOSS is a hardcore punk band that crawled out from the crusty earth of Lowell, Massachusetts. They have let out their decimating sound for about a decade with members from bands such as Shipwreck A.D. and The Fake Boys. The nine-track hammer-to-thumb slammer of an album Wander. Defy. Relent. Decay. came out May 22nd, 2020 via Constant Disappointment Records. I hope you enjoy listening to Ryan and I fumble about our discussion of this LP.

You may recall an album review podcast dating a couple of months back where Connor and I endeavored to dissect a rather peculiar electronic record. I use the word “peculiar” as it harbors a unique amalgamation of timbres we seldom come across. It coalesces fissuring electronic beats, wisps of chiptune-flavored synths, twinges of acerbic black metal, and a palpably bleak yet adventurous atmosphere within every track. Moreover, its sequencing impressed upon me a cinematic momentum that one may experience within an 8- or 16-bit platformer from the NES/SNES era, and it’s from this viewpoint where a multitude of questions regarding this work began to stack. The record in question is Unrecoverable Reality, and the mind behind it is Topias Svärd, better known as Insanity Check.

Insanity Check came into existence sometime in 2014, though the moniker would not be created until 2018. In its earliest days, the tunes that would eventually formulate his 2020 debut, Unrecoverable Reality, originally rested in the vein of hip-hop. However, after Topias experimented with lyrics and their delivery, he abandoned them as he found it difficult to communicate his thoughts and ideas without sounding overtly sappy. Some time passed and he would re-envision the record as a metal-heavy piece, though he struck yet another hurdle: he lacked the equipment necessary to execute this concept properly. Thus, he transmuted his metallic ideas into electronic ones, effectively replacing would be traditional instruments with grotty synths to retain a tonal bite and dour edge.

Perhaps most fascinating, beyond the distinct synthesis of virulent electronic textures, are the personal experiences underpinning Unrecoverable Reality. Much of its production occurred during a span of several years where alcohol was imbibed daily and Topias was in and out of mental health institutions regularly. This renders his memory of the record’s construction rather hazy as so much personal strife transpired throughout that period, though he does not shy away from detailing the raw ordeals he underwent as his creative process unfurled all those years ago.

Much of this conversation focuses on the creation of Unrecoverable Reality. Before descending into that rabbit hole, however, we spend a chunk of time discussing Topias’s musical upbringing, his interest in Finnish hip-hop, as well as his love for old-school videogames. He also illuminates some of the timbres we can expect to hear on his sophomore record (release date TBD), which he notes will be brighter and more hopeful than what is heard on his debut. There is much more to unpack in this exchange and I sincerely hope you enjoy the various turns it takes. Thank you so much for tuning in.

Greetings my woodland void critters! This week Ryan and I take a wonderful musical hike with another Osi and The Jupiter release. The folk geniuses drop us right in the heart of the Appalachian mountain range. In contrast to their previous release, which was inspired more by Norse regions, I found this album to be quite relatable and personal (being that the band is from that region). Appalachia is full of cello infused beauty and enchanting acoustic guitar work. The vocals have this morose folktale delivery that makes you feel like the spirit of the forest is speaking directly to you. The emotions released within the composition of the various stringed instruments always leave me in awe and the added ambient textures only draw me deeper into its immersive landscape. All three tracks in this release have an unbelievable sound to them that just makes me get lost in mindful creativity. The Binding Will of Mountains is an absolute masterpiece of a song.

The one consistent thing this pandemic has made me do more is hike. I’ve hiked the majority of county/state parks and open space preserves in the California Bay Area since March. It has become a saving grace when I feel like everything else in life is uncertain for many. So hearing the compassion and devotion to nature in this album just adds to my positive thoughts. Hell, I even embrace my inner hippie and open this episode up forcing Ryan to talk about his favorite trees. I recommend listening to Appalachia while on an earthly stroll as it’s the best soundtrack you can find for it. Strap on your boots, put on your sunscreen (if you are as pasty as me), and set off on a cleansing trek.

Osi and The Jupiter are a pagan folk band that resides in Kent, Ohio. The founder Sean Kratz does the instrumentals, vocals, and arrangements, while Kakophonix is the cello master. They have released a handful of other albums since 2017. Appalachia was released on July 31st, 2020. They are currently on the label Eisenwald where you can many other quality pagan folk acts. It’s nice to always note that the band got its name from Sean’s two German Shepherds!

Back in 2013, ZILF was founded as a bedroom project by its then sole member, Joe. It served not only as an outlet for him to tinker with his burgeoning interest in guitar but as a means to broach and broaden his compositional capabilities previously limited by his drumming background. He aspired—and still does—to assemble ZILF into a full-fledged quintet so that the troupe could eventually tour and execute their madcap tunes in a live setting; however, locating members with an unwavering passion for eccentric, and at times, batshit musical ideas proved to be a trying task.

Then in 2014 there transpired a paradigm shift. Bret, ZILF’s soon to be second guitarist and vocalist, pieced together a vocal cover for an old ZILF track entitled “She’s Already Dead”. Immediately Joe took notice of Bret’s zeal for the project’s outlandish riff mosaics and after some digital correspondence, the two convened. Soon thereafter they would begin their riff forging process and within a matter of weeks, their debut EP, PrEPare YourZILF, would wrap recording and debut to the web in May of 2016.

Self-described as “pure pop-sludge anthems”, ZILF’s brand of extreme metal is a curious concoction of djent, mathcore, metalcore, deathcore, nu-metal, and a sundry of other disparate timbres. The “anthem” label, while partially in jest—especially its “pop-sludge” modifier—, is actually a rather fitting descriptor of ZILF’s bizarre style despite the persistent onslaught of extreme frequencies that permeate their songs. This is not to say every composition of theirs harbors a soaring melody paired with blissful crooning or a cudgel laden in bombastic hooks, but many feature catchy and singable choruses; their debut LP, The Album, is rife with these glistening passages. If you have yet to listen to their work, my summarization of their sound may read like a UFO cratering into Earth, but their unique approach to song production, as well as their often humorous vocal patterning, is worth experiencing at least once in your feeble lifespan.

In this podcast interview, I speak with Joe and Bret about the history of ZILF and the outfit’s progression to present day. They detail, in part, their riff writing approach, as well as their propensity to blend the aforementioned choruses with their extraterrestrial alloy of bewildering extreme metal. Additionally, we spend a good deal of time discussing the long production process of The Album, the eccentric vocal deliveries pocking its duration, various themes underlying its tracks, as well as the addition of their new member Pete, bass-slinger extraordinaire. Thank you so much for tuning in.

What’s up yah reckless bunch of void worms? Ryan, Derek, and I once again get a bit chaotic in our track review word droppings. We got a variety of genres that includes clowns and an evil muse. Expect the typical conversation derailment involving our own personal stories and random thoughts. The bonus track at the end gets a bit country, so brace for some cornbread force-feeding!

First up is the Switzerland-based experimental metal group Convulsif. They give us two wild tracks off of their upcoming LP entitled Extinct. The band is comprised of bass, drums, violin, and saxophone, which gives us a haywire mix of sound. The pounding destructive grooves mesh perfectly with a delightful mess of higher distorted sax/violin noise. There’s even an awesome stop motion music video to check out for “Torn From the Stone”. We are very much looking forward to the rest of this release.

I then found us the perfectly rambunctious Aussie punk band Rattleback and their debut record Weeding the Garden State. It was one of those late-night finds that have ended up becoming one of my favorite releases for this year. We all fell in love with the exciting riffs and at times hilarious lyrics/vocal deliveries. This is a lively album full of comical spunk that even turns and gets into some serious topics. Pond scum knocking at the window! I’ll be blasting this one for a while (tantrum).

The American black metal project Akhlys conjures up the massive track “Pnigalion” (strangler), which is off of their upcoming third LP, Melinoë (man does Ryan have a knack for finding the long ones). The track is embalmed with an ancient feel as the crooning Orphic Goddess lashes outward. Blast beats burst out from melodic seams that keep the track moving. Dissonant riffs trade with beautiful melodies to create dynamic corrosion. In the conversation Derek gets a bit riled up by the black metal world. Let’s just say he isn’t fond of the stage names (we love you, Derek).

We then drift into the shoegaze/post-punk beauty of Soft Kill. The Portland, Oregon band gives us “Roses All Around”, the opening track from their latest effort, Dead Kids, R.I.P. City. The dreamy, synth-filled melodies are what first stood out to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia that gave me all the melancholic feels. Tobias’ voice and the delay put upon it soothes with this soft-spoken delivery that I instantly fell in love with. Derek has a personal connection with the band so that helps Ryan and I from flopping around aimlessly trying to describe the music. Honestly, I didn’t speak much during this part of the podcast but I have a new interest in this genre.

Who would’ve known that we would have fallen in love with a bunch of clowns creating noise in a van. Actually shit, what am I saying… this is From Corners Unknown. The toilet spelunkers of clown core literally recorded chaos within the confines of a moving minivan. I’d describe the music as some sort of metal crack clown electronic moldy funk (or, splatter-jazz). Seemingly random drum beats clash with moments of jazzy honks and hellish vocals. Warped out drilling noises will burst with energy and eject you from the shit-stained car seat. There are some solid distorted electronic dance grooves in this that will make you want to donkey punch your airbag until it bursts. Next time you are on a road trip put the album van on a never-ending loop, buy yourself some chili cheese dogs, and just fucking go. Hell, maybe even fish out those stale mummified fries between your seats for some good snacking.

In the final track (besides the bonus maize at the very end of the episode), we delve into “Pleine Noirceur” by Fuck the Facts, the title track of their new record. It is some Canadian bastardized grindcore filled with berserk vitality. We were all surprised to hear the track start off with such an alluring progressive post-hardcore-like sound. Beautiful guitar melodies drift over the beating drums but...

“So run away from me, Demon in the shade,” sings Cory in “The Way the World Looked at Me”, the final cut on his latest ZOMBIESHARK! LP, I Will Destroy You, Myself, and Everything I’ve Ever Loved. A reference to the “Blue Devil”, this demon is the abstract manifestation of every creative passion Cory harbors. Its reptilian eyes, awash in a digitized azure, forever lurk from computer screens beyond. Watching. Waiting. Ever-present. However, its omnipresent gaze embodies a most poignant self-reflection that Cory’s artistic undertakings, while expanding, metamorphosizing, and forever converging toward a scalpel-refined edge, will ultimately spell his end.

This realization, particularly the “You” in the album’s title being a reference to the Blue Devil, did not begin to cross my mind until a day before this in-depth chat with Cory transpired, and it is through our conversation that he expounds further upon this ghoulish specter.

ZOMBIESHARK! sprouted from the digital oasis of Myspace-era deathcore, cybergrind, and Nintendocore—the second and third genres of which, when melded together, form a new style known as “cyber-death”. An illustrative and graphic design artist first and foremost, Cory’s interest in bands from this vein began to blossom as he became obsessed with their vibrant artwork and its contrast against their often violent and grotesque—and sometimes experimental—auditory onslaughts. What graced the deepest nerve of intrigue in him, however, were the solo and duo projects of this caliber that concocted cerebrum-cudgeling tunes and performed them live to backing tracks. Though Cory admits that he had no clue how to compose songs of this flavor at the time, his flourishing fascination with the scene in its heyday did not impede upon his desire to take a stab at expressing himself through this medium.

What started off as primitive as creating blast beats by mashing keys on his keyboard as rapid as possible in Garage Band, ZOMBIESHARK! became more well-produced as a close friend of Cory’s, Jeff Brown (A Scent Like Wolves), showed him sharper audio and bedroom production techniques a few years into his project’s then relatively nascent existence. This transformation in mixing, audio fidelity, and song-writing are most apparent when comparing his quintessential releases A Sinking Ship (2012), Bridge Burner (2013), and the Self-Titled EP (2014) to The Digital Sea (EP, 2017) and I Will Destroy You (LP, 2020). Marked by more subdued Nintendocore influences (e.g., sprite-laden eruptions akin to Mario getting murked by a Goomba), there began to permeate a palpably retro-futuristic ambient haze that conjured heady vistas of a destitute world in The Digital Sea. During this period too Jeff assisted not only in The Digital Sea‘s production, but he also contributed riffs, drum programming, and song ideas. However, with the ascent in quality exhibited within The Digital Sea there came a reciprocal decline as shortly after its production Jeff departed from song-writing duties in ZOMBIESHARK!.

Cory then found himself at a creative impasse. Fueled in part by the stratospheric rise in audio quality and his crisper approach to constructing songs, Jeff’s exit left Cory feeling that it would be nigh impossible to achieve a comparable level of polish attained in The Digital Sea. ZOMBIESHARK!’s fate verged on collapse for a span of time, but in the months following its production, Cory recruited Sam Carlen to beef up his riff ideas and imbue his tracks with electronica-tinged auras, of which both share a common love. Then in 2018, Cory commenced an arduous two-year undertaking to mutate I Will Destroy You from concept to reality.

Without spoiling too much of the conversation that lies ahead, Cory ports us from ZOMBIESHARK!’s days of yore to the present. The writing and piecing together of I Will Destroy You is a large focus of this interview, however, he spends a good deal of time chatting about some of his...

How’s it going spud buddies? This week Ryan and I salivate out words on Shifting’s debut full-length album, It Was Good. You know, I can’t help but say that it was indeed good. This release is a flavor of noise rock that we have yet to experience in our music journey. I found myself enjoying it within the late hours of the night, especially with the slow jams “Big Bottle” and “Gibberish” (hey look, a song for every noise that leaves my mouth). This album also contains noisy fun with droning distortions and slurred gravely vocal deliveries. Dipped in oil! Dipped in oil!

Ryan and I describe the imagery the album inspired as usual. For example, the track “Polo Neck Dream” made me think of a gaggle of Ned Flanders looking dudes kidnapping me. They waterboard me and attempt to force out the passwords to this website, in which they then delete everything we have ever released (which honestly might be doing the world justice). The combination of relaxed melodies, quality bass, and dirty instrumentals also conjured a grim tale of singing human paintbrushes (“Pompadour”) used by an artist giant named Big Ed. The lyrics in the tracks certainly paint a more uh… poetic and intelligent picture. And man oh man, when these dudes get heavy it’s pure fatty gold. Each track too harbors its own distinct vibe that keeps the album incredibly engaging.

Shifting is a quirky, droning three-piece band from Dublin, Ireland that formed in 2016. In 2017 they released a split with Gummidge containing the song “Spudgasm“, which is the opening track on It Was Good. Speaking of which, this album was released through our pal Adam of Constant Disappointment Records! It came out on August 24th, 2020. The sky is falling in, the sky is yah ha ha!

Well, hidey-ho void neighbors! This week Ryan and I change into digital dumpsters to listen to the experimentally chaotic cyber-grind project ZOMBIESHARK! We once again feast upon a genre we aren’t well listened in. The mouthful of an album I Will Destroy You, Myself, and Everything I’ve Ever Loved delivers a rich variety of electronic and blustering metal elements. A diverse plate of vocals and tempo’s are also shoveled into our ears. We both fell in love with the atmospheric qualities and the electronic quirks/tones over the beefy deathcore beatdowns.

The music led us to talk about dark technology inspired concepts, such as getting virtually woodchipped by your floppy drive as the AOL voice narrates the situation. Of course, a lot of video games are brought up in this conversation due to the album’s Nintendocore elements. Hell, I even come up with some bizarre combination of Sonic the Hedgehog meets the Saw movie series… note the cringe “Sawnic”. Lyrically speaking the album delves into some serious territory and gets rather grim, so don’t take my rant about the Pornhub logo sprouting legs and beating me up as an album descriptor seriously, please (I even open this episode up talking about going on a road trip with Sméagol or Nicolas Cage).

ZOMBIESHARK! is a Philadelphia-based two-piece. Its members consist of Cory Swope (vocals, electronics, drum programming) and Sam Carlen (guitars, bass, electronics). The project has been around since 2012 with several EP and short LP releases. The combination of tastefully done electronics infused with metal makes this a worthwhile listen! The album of topic was released on July 10, 2020. It was mixed and mastered by Sam Carlen himself!

Another track reviews episode has arrived right at your doorstep! Embrace the voices of Ryan, Derek, and I spewing words from our mouths. This time we delve into a nice variety of post-metal, hardcore, and punk. There’s even an absolutely fantastic bonus track at the end—one that Ryan will always disturbingly cherish!

The Polish project MuN enchants us with progressive crystalline sand dunes. Monolithic post-metal buttes jut out from the desert with flaky layers of doom metal. A voice worthy of an ancient wizard calls out from a windswept tower. A dark white-capped sea meets the desert as the music twist and turns into a transforming adventure. You can’t help but conjure thoughts of fantastical greatness. The full album Presomnia is available now!

Next, we ride the icebergs of the northern Atlantic and Arctic ocean! The epic Icelandic metal greats known as Sólstafir give us “Drýsill”. Translating to “demon”, the track goes right into the concept of fighting the inner evils that hold you back. Despite knowing maybe two words in Icelandic we found the vocals to be rather beautiful. The progressive rocking instrumentals truly take on a saga of their own. Like the green-hued wavering ribbons of the aurora borealis the music whips about like an enchanting dance. We look forward to the release of Endless Twilight of Codependent Love coming in November.

Prepare your ears for a full-on assault. Boundaries knocks us on our asses as their new track “Carve” annihilates our senses. Rolling in like a flash-bang grenade, the Connecticut hardcore outfit delivers the always welcomed pissed off heaviness. Pounding guitar riffs constantly mutate and barrage you from every angle. The barking vocals glisten with dark crimson blood as lyrics of personal (yet relatable) traumas let loose. I’m for sure ready to dissolve my boundaries and let their upcoming album Your Receding Warmth leave me in a happy little meat heap.

The black metal infused post-hardcore outfit Glassing surprises us with a mind-expanding track named “Twin Dreams”. The Austin, Texas band skillfully combines the harsh bleakness of black metal with dreamy shoegaze tinged post-hardcore. The three of us marveled at the calming effects the music brought us. The raw yet meditative movements of instrumentals left us in thought-provoking awe. Ryan and Derek definitely describe these feelings much more efficiently as I just simply take it in like a pink sunset ending a stressful day. I personally haven’t heard this sound done so well and, once again, I’m looking forward to the full release from which this track comes.

We then hobble over to Britain’s very own Anaal Nathrakh, and their new track “The Age of Starlight Ends”. They effortlessly capture a hellish, apocalyptic soundscape of melodies over pummeling black metal drum beats. Derek and I are pretty unfamiliar with their discography and found the In Flames-like dramatic singing vocals a bit… uh, different. Yet my history with Scandinavian sounding melodic death metal gives me an appreciation for the track overall. It’s a sweltering fun track that tackles the current global political landscape in regards to Covid-19 and the likes. Plus… a thousand cocks begin to crow!

Lastly (besides that burning sting of a bonus track) we get to the Catsick/Conflicted Split. Having covered the sloppy good time Catsick brings, we decided to jump into their music once more. This time around, the New Zealand crazies teamed up with the Russian punk band Conflicted. We seriously want to know how the two bands even got in contact with each other. Catsick delivers the chaotic randomness in the punk genre while the female-fronted Conflicted brings the raw in sync bad-assery. My favorite part of Catsick is the random spur of the moment noises and insane lyrics they barf out (yeeee boy). Conflicted gives us vocals all in Russian but the minute-long incinerating tracks they give us are fucking tasty.