I remember hearing ”While We Sleep” for the first time and thinking to myself ”How can this be so beautiful?”. I had never been into the genre let alone into Insomnium but instantly it touched something I had no clue was even there. Their music has a healing power like no one else and that includes brand new track ”Heart Like A Grave”!
Underground, Inc.
13 September 2019
Written, directed and produced by:
Shaun Katz
Life is a short span of time for each of us. Things go up and things come down. There are moments of strife that we can’t seem to see the end of and times of pure joy that we hope will never end. There are tragic times that we can never forget like the assassination of J.F.K, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, 9/11 and the like; and quiet, personal times like getting married, the birth of a child and loss of someone close to us that shake and shape who we are and what we become. For many of us, music has been our catharsis through the thick and thin of life. The one thing that can raise our spirits or give us something to relate to. Something that makes us know that we are not the only ones experiencing what life throws our way. To us, music is heart-felt and soul mining.
Swing Low are a 4 piece Hardcore band from Fargo, North Dakota. These guys would make any old school hardcore fan proud with the music they have created. They include the basic elements of hardcore, but they also include their own spin and a modern take as well making them more unique than your average hardcore band. Fargo is one lucky city to have these guys playing shows around that area. Swing Low released their debut EP ‘MMXIV’ on September 21, 2014. The album was recorded at Howl Street Recordings by Shane Hochstetler (Satan’s Dealer, Corpse Donor, Speed Freaks). They followed that up with another EP titled ‘Learned Ignorace’ which released January 25, 2016. This time the band recorded with Aric Ficek at Winterland Studios. The next release by the band came on July 10, 2017 in the form of a split with the band War Prayer. Swing Low contributed two songs to the split including “Malice” and “Regression.” When the band was in the studio recording for the split they also recorded an additional track which they held onto for 6 months and released on January 6, 2018. The single was a cover of Disembodied’s “Gone.” Disembodied is a hardcore punk band that formed in 1995 in Minnesota. They reunited in 2008 and 2 of the founding members also formed Martyr A.D. when the band originally broke up. Last May Swing Low released 2 tracks on what they called the ‘Summer Promo.’ The two tracks include “Death Tax” and “Built From Shame” and is the most recent release from the band. One thing to note is that the band has recorded every release in a different studio and producer/mixer. I believe this has aided in keeping their music fresh and allows them to let their music progress. Continue reading
Cattle Decapitation is back and greater than ever before! After having released 6 mind blowing and most of all brutal musical pieces they decided to add another one to their collection this year. ‘Death Atlas’ is set to release on the 29th of November and is looking really solid so far. With only 1 track ”One Day Closer To The End Of The World” they managed to gain their fans excited again for more Cattle Decapitation and I am one of those people!
Ben Sollee will be one of the upcoming acts at this year’s Bourbon & Beyond festival. Bourbon & Beyond has a new home. It is still in Louisville, Kentucky of course, but will call a new festival grounds home. This year, Bourbon & Beyond will take place at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo. The previous location, Champions Park, had a terrible flood last year and day 2 of Bourbon & Beyond was cancelled. However, to make up for that, Bourbon and Beyond is now a 3-day festival. This means an additional day of bands, bourbon and best friends! How awesome is that? This will be Ben Sollee’s debut at the Bourbon & Beyond Festival. If you have never heard this band before, prepared to be amazed! With that said, let’s discuss Ben Sollee. Continue reading
Chris Dudley is most known for being the keyboardist and sampler for Florida’s seminal genre bending outfit Underoath. After the band went on a self imposed hiatus in 2013, Dudley ended up getting a job working for the government until the band reformed in 2015. Since Underoath’s reformation they’ve put out 2018’s ‘Erase Me’ and have been touring in support of it since. Chris has also kept busy scoring films and video games, one of which, Whelm, saw Chris handle the scoring duties entirely on his own. Continue reading
I love Finland’s SONATA ARCTICA. There, I’ve said it. Do not expect an unbiased review of their tenth studio album, ‘Talviyö’. However, do expect a mind-blown exercise in foaming at the mouth excitement.
It is always an event when SA release a new record. Their 2016 release (‘The Ninth Hour’) was my favorite album of that year and ‘Talviyö’ is reaching out to me with those neverending harmonies that take the band above the average power metal combo.
Chris Dudley, samples and keyboardist for Underoath is the 200th guest on this milestone episode of the BREWtally Speaking Podcast!! Continue reading
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every week from the featured state. This month’s state is North Dakota.*
Originally formed in 2009 within the dark, icy realms of where thrash and black metal collide emerges Frosthelm. Contributing in no small part to their sound is the extreme cold and bleak environment experienced by band members Dakota Irwin (guitar), Billy Zahn (guitar), Brian Helm (drums), Tyler Pfliger (vocals), and Jimmy Cherry (bass), hailing from the frozen plains of Bismarck, North Dakota. Drawing much inspiration from their surroundings, in 2015 the band released their full-length debut, ‘The Endless Winter,’ which Irwin aptly describes as “bitter, dark, angry, and disgusted.” The LP was critically-acclaimed, landing on numerous “best of 2015” lists, and receiving multiple glowing reviews by respected metal publications. Seeking to top their monumental debut, Frosthelm has just released their second album ‘Pyrrhic’ in March of this year. ‘Pyrrhic,’ defined as “(of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor,” illustrates its bleak theme powerfully through punishing riffage and horrifying vocal imagery. Continue reading
The original Static-X line-up from the 1999 platinum-selling debut full-length album, Wisconsin Death Trip – bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay – are putting the finishing touches on their seventh studio album, entitled ‘Project Regeneration’ which is set to release sometime in November. The album will feature 12 brand new Static-X tracks and contains several vocal performances and musical compositions by the late great Wayne Static who passed away on November 1, 2014. Along with the help of Static-X’s long-time producer Ulrich Wild, the band is in the process of completing the album now. Continue reading
