Over whiskey and riffs four Indy veterans have come together to form Kvlthammer. Kvlthammer is drummer Dustin Boltjes (Skeletonwitch, Demiricous, The Dream is Dead), guitarist/vocalist Nate Olp (Lair of the Minotaur, Demiricous, Deadmen), guitarist/vocalist Carl Byers (Coffinworm, Deadmen, The Dream is Dead), and bassist Bob Peele (Suicide Note, Deadmen, Whiskeytits). The men of Kvlthammer are seasoned musicians and friends bound to forge a collective middle finger salute of sleaze and steel with their music. Anyone familiar with their previous and current bands will know what can be expected of Kvlthammer: detuned fury that pounds, seethes and pulsates while shredding ear canals at top volume. Though they are a young band, Kvlthammer are sure to bring forth a true blaze over the Midwestern sky that bleeds ears and crushes all false hope. Carl Byers recently spoke with The Cracked Skull to introduce Kvlthammer and provide a preview of what's to come.
Kvlthammer... How did you all get together, and how did you come up with the name? Does the band name give the middle finger to elitist sub-sub-genre wankery?
Dustin was the impetus behind the band. In winter of 2011 he talked to Nate and me about doing a project, playing a sleazy mix of early black metal (ala Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost) and keeping a punk/street vibe to it all. Also, we're trying to write songs with as little effort as possible to keep it fun for everyone involved. The three of us got together in December 2011 and wrote our first three songs quickly. We've chugged along after that over short intervals when Dustin is home from Skeletonwitch tours, finishing the writing and then starting the recording of our album. Roy Hayes (Black Goat of the Woods, Boddicker) was playing bass for awhile, but Bob Peele has stepped in to fill that spot now. Major thanks to Roy for playing with us!
The name was a laborious process since every fucking name has been used multiple times over anymore. Same criteria as the songwriting approach; we didn't want anything too serious, but nothing cartoon-ish either. The name Kvlthammer sounds cool and it is kind of a 'fuck you' to elitist sub-genre wankery and the self-importance that it breeds. But, we don't have a stance or whatever. We're just writing music we like.
What can the world expect Kvlthammer to sound like (very bland and obvious I know; I hate to ask it)? Does the music shift back and forth between styles and genres? Did you all have set songs going in or was the writing process more organic within the group?
There's a little variation, but this first group of songs we wrote all have a unifying feel to them: simple structures and riffs shifting between d-beat, down-picked mid-tempo fist-bangers, and some blast beats here and there. We also have a slow song with a creepy ass riff that Nate brought to the first practice. We started writing on the spot, whether that meant Nate or I had a riff or no one had anything beforehand. The idea is to start drinking whiskey and if we spend longer than 30 minutes getting a basic song structure together, we ditch it and move on to something else.
As a newly formed band, what's in the near future for Kvlthammer? Recording? Shows? Blood letting? Slashing and burning of the weak and false?
The recording is almost done, so finishing it is the first priority. It's 8 songs with an instrumental interlude. I'm planning on doing a cassette run on my Clandestine Arts imprint, but ideally I'd like to see this album end up on vinyl and/or CD. Beyond that we'll be booking more shows and writing more songs. Nothing concrete yet, but I'd like to get a few out of town shows setup once the cassettes are in hand.
Your first show is coming up with Windhand. Should we be on the lookout for any surprises?
No big surprises. We're looking forward to finally playing live, and the show with Windhand and Teenage Strange is gonna rule.
Thanks for the interview, Mark!
Kvlthammer's first show is September 10 with Windhand and Teenage Strange at the Melody Inn (Indianapolis, IN).
www.facebook.com/kvlthammerofficial
Follow the link to hear a demo version of an impending Kvlthammer song...
soundcloud.com/clandestine-arts/unnamed-band-track-01-live
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Arising from the shadows...
Let's get serious. Real serious. It's been five years between albums for Bloomington's (IN) Medusa. That's plenty of time to exhale the tar and recharge the band's venom glands. And with Divine Malice, Medusa continue to strike with viper like precision with their brand of stark, riff-centric fury and might. Divine Malice sees Medusa continue where En Raga Sul left off. It's thrashing, bombastic, often furious, and concentrated on each riff leveling the listener. It's efficient while stripping away all pretense. The beast indeed rises again.
Upon opening the limited addition 12 inch EP version, one is greeted by a one sided, six song smokey black and grey picture disc. Auris Apothecary, once again, shines as the label's effort, skill, and dedication are on display with Divine Malice. The b side is embossed with a limited edition silk screened illustration by Colin McClain (check out his tattoo work: colinmcclain.com/home). The LP comes with an eight page lyric booklet and a download card with two bonus songs. As this is a limited edition release, it would be wise to jump on this before they are gone.
Now for the meat... Divine Malice is a fifteen minute excursion in hammered horror. After the initial sample on Bleeding Ocean, Scott Vanburen's vocals wail and screech in an octave or two higher than those of En Raga Sul making the aural derangement instant. His ever present wail remains a possessed conjuration over the course of the six songs, as the rest of the band begin chugging forth their brand of black bile. The guitars are laden with detuned sludge and heavy with viscous shards of malign acrimony. The bass is the thunderer to the drums pounding incantations. The longest song stretching a mere three minutes and fourteen seconds means there is little fat on Divine Malice. Medusa get down to business and bellow riff after riff. Medusa excel at stripping away filler and gristle, leaving only space for their plundering heft. Nothing exhibits this better than song five: Come Alive. Sample, wail, boom... The repetition in the opening riffs enforces the quick crescendo's ability to snap necks back. As is the case with bands that share members from previous or current bands, Divine Malice has a distinct Racebannon influence that occurs throughout the EP. It's most noticeable on Ashes & Glass, as it's a song that would not be out of place on the later Racebannon releases. With that said, a little Racebannon leaking in is never a bad thing. As a whole, Divine Malice is a swaggering collection of charred and damaged songs. As good as the illustration is on the b side, it would have been a whirlwind of devastation to have an entire LP's worth of music. The brevity and pace of the exposed riffs and rhythms combined with the wailing vocals on Divine Malice are an uncomplicated amalgam of craft and sorcery. Buy the limited edition version from Auris Apothecary if you want to hear the bonus tracks.
medusarules.bandcamp.com
aurisapothecary.org/AAX-095
aurisapothecary.bandcamp.com/album/aax-095-divine-malice
Upon opening the limited addition 12 inch EP version, one is greeted by a one sided, six song smokey black and grey picture disc. Auris Apothecary, once again, shines as the label's effort, skill, and dedication are on display with Divine Malice. The b side is embossed with a limited edition silk screened illustration by Colin McClain (check out his tattoo work: colinmcclain.com/home). The LP comes with an eight page lyric booklet and a download card with two bonus songs. As this is a limited edition release, it would be wise to jump on this before they are gone.
Now for the meat... Divine Malice is a fifteen minute excursion in hammered horror. After the initial sample on Bleeding Ocean, Scott Vanburen's vocals wail and screech in an octave or two higher than those of En Raga Sul making the aural derangement instant. His ever present wail remains a possessed conjuration over the course of the six songs, as the rest of the band begin chugging forth their brand of black bile. The guitars are laden with detuned sludge and heavy with viscous shards of malign acrimony. The bass is the thunderer to the drums pounding incantations. The longest song stretching a mere three minutes and fourteen seconds means there is little fat on Divine Malice. Medusa get down to business and bellow riff after riff. Medusa excel at stripping away filler and gristle, leaving only space for their plundering heft. Nothing exhibits this better than song five: Come Alive. Sample, wail, boom... The repetition in the opening riffs enforces the quick crescendo's ability to snap necks back. As is the case with bands that share members from previous or current bands, Divine Malice has a distinct Racebannon influence that occurs throughout the EP. It's most noticeable on Ashes & Glass, as it's a song that would not be out of place on the later Racebannon releases. With that said, a little Racebannon leaking in is never a bad thing. As a whole, Divine Malice is a swaggering collection of charred and damaged songs. As good as the illustration is on the b side, it would have been a whirlwind of devastation to have an entire LP's worth of music. The brevity and pace of the exposed riffs and rhythms combined with the wailing vocals on Divine Malice are an uncomplicated amalgam of craft and sorcery. Buy the limited edition version from Auris Apothecary if you want to hear the bonus tracks.
medusarules.bandcamp.com
aurisapothecary.org/AAX-095
aurisapothecary.bandcamp.com/album/aax-095-divine-malice
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