State Of The Art: Fargo’s SWING LOW [Album Streams]

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

Review: DOWNTREND – ‘4’ EP [Lyric Video]

Downtrend formed in 2004 and has went through a few lineup changes since then. The band retains founding members Josh Crum and Jeremy Chaney. Long time member drummer J.D. Hall takes his seat behind the drum kit adding his style and showmanship to the band. Hall and Chaney were also formerly bandmates in the crushingly heavy group Voices Of Aggression. The chemistry among these three gents is amazing, which can be heard in their music and seen live when they take the stage. Mike Jackson has been the voice of the band for over a decade, after a brief departure from the band he has returned to his home behind the microphone. In the bands 10+ years their sound has changed and progressed but the biggest thing about the band is the heart and passion they have for music. Continue reading

Beloved Kentucky Band P.Y.L.O.T. Releases Discography On Streaming Services!

P.Y.L.O.T. was a staple in the South Central Kentucky music scene during the early to mid 2000’s. They have just announced for the first time they are making their entire discography available for online streaming services everywhere. For those unfamiliar with P.Y.L.O.T. they formed in 2000 in Glasgow, Kentucky by founding members Wes Buchanan- Guitar & Programming, Tony Oswald- Vocals, Cody Meek- Guitar and “Shep” aka Matt Shepherd- Bass, while they were still attending Glasgow High School. The had a proggressive sound with some elements of industrial metal. P.Y.L.O.T. featured both beautiful melodic vocals as well as intense aggressive screams. The quartet jammed for a few years with a drum machine providing the beats. Wade Tucker joined the band in 2002 as P.Y.L.O.T.’s  first drummer, although they still implemented the drum machine in most all their songs. In 2004 Wade Tucked exited the band making way for drummer Matt Devore to join the founding members of the band and remained with them until their final show in May of 2008. Continue reading