Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Mid-winter's Face Melt...

What makes the snow and cold of January more enjoyable? How about the ripping hardcore of Chaotic Neutral? This Indianapolis band is everything enjoyable in a hardcore band: no pretense, fast, angry, deliberate, and aggressive. There is enough hate and self-loathing infused in their music to load anyone with the revved up fury and energy of a possessed badger. Having seen them live, The Cracked Skull can vouched for the energy and emotional exchange the band exhibits in a live setting. They give the energy out freely like warm blood flowing from noses and facial lacerations after a hardy boot stomp. Care to hate them, it probably won't end in a pretty manner. Their two song demo courtesy of their Bandcamp site, showcases the band's speed and venom. Strangers is an immediate dousing of fire, syncapated and fast, with gnashing vocals. According To Plan opens up with a distorted bass as the gnarled vocals and drums soon enter the fray only to give way to the guitar assault at the twenty second mark. According To Plan (aptly titled) follows a similar song structure as Strangers and continues to demonstrate Chaotic Neutral's flame-thrower--all guns blazing style. Chaotic Neutral is not rewriting the hardcore song book, but they produce a racket that is true to riding a knife's edge down a toboggan run and not giving fuck while sliding painfully down.

http://chaoticneutral.bandcamp.com/

Chaotic Neutral's upcoming shows:
1/21 @ Ghost House in Bloomington with In The Face of War, Full Rainbow, Vernal Pike
2/6 @ The Dojo with Cloudrat, Disconnected, Rat Storm
2/17 @ Rock Lobster with Downtown Struts and Brothers Gross
2/26 @ The Vollrath with The Dockers, Radiation Sickness, Kata Sarka

Friday, January 7, 2011

A Promising Find...

Hailing from Ft. Wayne Indiana, Coffin Maker deliver a very cold and bleak reverb drenched blizzard of black metal. And in true fashion, their very limited EP is only available with the first fifty copies of Esoterica by Dusty Neal released on Sistine Press. The book's sole focus is a black and white photographic exploration of the occult, religion, and esotericism. The song, Possession, is the perfect backdrop and soundtrack for a snow filled day while exploring the power captured in the images of Neal's work. Possession is the lone instrumental track made available on the Coffin Maker's Bandcamp site, and the three minutes of music are expansive, droning, and swimming in ether. Hopefully, Coffin Maker will decide to continue releasing further material outside of this highly limited EP. As it stands, Possession is quite promising, and it is always a positive thing to see like minded artists collaborating in different mediums.

Coffin Maker:
http://coffinmaker.bandcamp.com/

Esoterica (Sistine Press) by Dusty Neal:
http://sistinepress2.bigcartel.com/product/esoterica-no-love-could-exist-here