SeeYouSpaceCowboy/Secondgradeknifefight - Split 7"

Labels: Dark Trail Records/Dingleberry Records/Longrail Records/Miss The Stars Records/Pattern Recognition Records/Rakkerpak Records/R.I.P In Peace Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 13 Feb 2018

Tracklist:

1. SeeYouSpaceCowboy - I Am A Trans-Continental Railroad, Please Run A Train On Me

2. SeeYouSpaceCowboy - Stop Calling Us Screamo

3. SeeYouSpaceCowboy - You Don't Understand The Liquor Is Calling The Shots Now Randy Bobandy

4. SeeYouSpaceCowboy - You Can't Get Goose Justice In A Fox Court, Just Spit On The Judge

5. Secondgradeknifefight - Who What When Were Why Did Take My Bug Collection (There's No Trust In This Household)

6. Secondgradeknifefight - Don't Tell Me You Like Monster Energy Drinks Cause I'll Break Your Kneecaps Motherfucker (Tonya Harding Shuffle)

7. Secondgradeknifefight - My Heart Is Broken But I Still Need To Get My Jetta Fixed Asap (No Time For Tom Foolery)

8. Secondgradeknifefight - Glass Vampires Roam These Darkened Woods Fellas (Protek Ya Nek)

9. Secondgradeknifefight - The Devil Is Real And He Tried To Eat My Ass (Goodbye Uncle Fuck)

If you think I'm typing those song titles in full in this review, you're kidding yourself. Anyway, this is my latest Zegema Beach Records roster review, which is a series I started so I could dig deeper into the label's previous releases. There was no other reason for it, apart from because I wanted to. This split was released in 2018 via ZBR and the other superb labels mentioned above. Notably, it features the final SeeYouSpaceCowboy song's before they signed to Pure Noise Records and forms the last Secondgradeknifefight recording to date (if Discogs is to be believed!). 

Featuring four math/sasscore songs from SeeYouSpaceCowboy and five Myspace-grind era songs from Secondgradeknifefight, this split doesn’t surpass ten minutes. SeeYouSpaceCowboy kick it off with ‘I Am A Trans-Continental Railroad…’ and if you’re familiar with their previous 7” Fashion Statements Of The Socially Aware, you’ll know what’s coming. Ridiculously heavy mathcore with grind, breakdowns and rock n roll vibes. ‘Stop Calling Us Screamo’ is an order not a song title! It also shows SYSC’s humour to be on point. Frenetic but also danceable. 

‘You Don’t Understand The Liquor Is Calling…’ is violence at it’s most controlled. I say that because it’s frightening how tight SYSC sound on this split. Over in a flash, it’s top-tier modern day mathcore. I was reminded earlier this week that they’re playing at Slam Dunk festival in the UK this year. They’re worth the price of the ticket alone! Their split closer ‘You Can’t Get Goose Justice…’ blasts through sixty seconds before one last bluesy/off-kilter passage leads to silence.

That silence is well and truly shattered a split-second later by Secondgradeknifefight’s opener ‘Who What When Where Why…’, with it’s siren-like guitar and super-fast grinding madness. ‘Don’t Tell Me You like The Police…’ features a sinister horror-inspired rap sample at the start before crunching, breakdown-filled craziness ensues. 

Urgency is felt even more on Secondgradeknifefight’s side of this split, though ‘My Heart Is Broken But I Still Need To Get My Jetta Fixed…’ is an outlier at first thanks to the honestly angry screams that give way to low-register growls and instrumentation. ‘Glass Vampires Roam These Darkened Woods…’ seems lengthy compared to the songs it’s followed and you might be forgiven for thinking that you’re listening to a blackgaze song initially, before being snapped out of any such trance by yet more violent extremity.

Secondgradeknifefight’s final number ‘The Devil Is Real And He Tried To Eat My Ass…’ rounds out the b-side with one final quick-fire reminder of why Myspace grind is still important and held in such high regard. As a solo project, this band is ultra creative.

As splits go, this was a glimpse in time for one band about to make their next step and one that was about to fall silent. Both SeeYouSpaceCowboy and Secondgradeknifefight helped to rebuild a sound and a community that’s flourishing now. They should be revered and enjoyed in equal measure.

Stream and purchase the split as a digital download below:-

SeeYouSpaceCowboy - https://www.facebook.com/seeyouspacecowboyca

Secondgradeknifefight - https://www.facebook.com/Secondgradeknifefight

You can hear much more about the history of this release from CanaDave's Out Past The Rings video here:-

Physical copies of this split are almost sold out and it will not be pressed again. A small number of copies are still available from the R.I.P In Peace Records below:-

R.I.P In Peace Records - https://ripinpeacerecords.storenvy.com/seeyouspacecowboy-secondgradeknifefight-split

Dark Trail Records - https://www.facebook.com/darktrailrecords

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/DingleberryRecords

Longrail Records - https://www.facebook.com/longrailrecords

Miss The Stars Records - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsrecords

Pattern Recognition Records - https://www.facebook.com/PatternRecognitionRecords

Rakkerpak Records - https://www.facebook.com/rakkerpakrecords

R.I.P In Peace Records - https://www.facebook.com/r.i.p.inpeacerecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Coma Regalia/Drei Affen - Split 7"

Labels: Adorno Records/Dasein Records/Dingleberry Records/Discos Finu/Krimskramz/Middle-Man Records/Muerte Matar Records/Pifia Records/Producciones Tudancas/TimTam Records/(We Built The World And) Miss The Stars Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 13 Feb 2018

Tracklist:

1. Coma Regalia - The End Result

2. Coma Regalia - Ever More Over

3. Coma Regalia - Cease Seeking Closure

4. Drei Affen - Dejadme Sonar Despierto

5. Drei Affen - Lluvia

I can't promise a lot this week in writing terms (there's a lot going on and not much time) but it's much better to focus on the time I do have. I think this is my tenth review to feature US screamo band Coma Regalia, which is pretty mad and testament to their productivity. It's the second time I've featured Spain's Drei Affen, whose discography is somewhat smaller than their split-mates, but of the best quality. This 7" was released five years ago next week though a collaboration of twelve DIY labels.

Coma Regalia’s music is known for (more often than not) being on the faster, more violent side of screamo, while still being melodic and their opener ‘The End Result’ exhibits that description perfectly with all of the right elements. Piercingly energetic screams, riffs full of urgency and percussion that’s often on the ragged edge. ’Ever More Over’ begins with a more pensive approach of clean-ish singing and mid-paced instrumentation, before launching back into more familiar territory thanks to the harsher vocals. The instrumentation remains more restrained through to the end, where it pauses and draws you into their final song ‘Cease Seeking Closure’, which is very much a mix of the previous songs. The thing that strikes you here is the preciseness of the guitar melodies and the impact they bestow on Coma Regalia’s music.

Drei Affen contribute two songs to this split and their opener ‘Dejadme Sonar Despierto’ is a powerfully seething hardcore song filled with higher-pitched screams and all-encompassing instrumental work that doesn’t let up, even when they slow the pace down. Split closer ‘Lluvia’ goes even harder, pushing Drei Affen’s intensity deeper into your synapse. The short playing time afforded to this format is actually beneficial here, as the split’s impact is much greater due to the immediacy of both bands. 100% would recommend!

You can stream and purchase the split digitally below (as well as from Drei Affen via their bandcamp page):-

Coma Regalia - https://www.facebook.com/comaregalia

Drei Affen - https://www.facebook.com/dreiaffenband

Physical copies can still be purchased from the labels below:-

Adorno Records - https://adornorecords.bandcamp.com/album/split-2

Dingleberry Records - https://www.discogs.com/seller/dingleberryrecords

Discos Finu - https://discosfinu.bandcamp.com/album/drei-affen-i-coma-regalia-split

Krimskramz - https://krimskramz.com/produkt/025-drei-affen-coma-regalia-split-7/

Dasein Records - https://www.facebook.com/SadReactRecords

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/DingleberryRecords

Discos Finu - https://www.facebook.com/discosfinu

Krimskramz - https://www.facebook.com/krimskramzstuff

Middle-Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords

Muerte Matar Records - https://www.facebook.com/MuerteMatarRecords

Pifia Records - https://www.facebook.com/pifiarecords

Producciones Tudancas - https://www.facebook.com/ProduccionesTudancas

(We Built The World And) Miss The Stars Records - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsrecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

PremieRing #2: Letterbombs - Mansuit (from the up-coming Demersal/Piet Onthel/Letterbombs/Vientre Split Tape)

About four years ago I was asked to participate in a four blog premiere, where each blog shared a song from a four-way split LP that featured Massa Nera, Thisismenotthinkingofyou, Yo Sbraito and Ef'il (released via ZBR amongst other labels). It was called the PremieRing. Now I'm super happy to be involved in PremieRing #2, alongside Miss The Stars, Idioteq and Open Mind Saturated Brain.

Once again, we're promoting a four-way split (this time on tape) that's being released by ZBR's sister label Tomb Tree, alongside UK label Witch Elm Records. As with previous splits, it contains bands from different corners of the globe in the form of Demersal (Denmark), Piet Onthel (Malaysia), Letterbombs (Finland) and Vientre (Colombia). It is my great pleasure to be able to share the song 'Mansuit' by Letterbombs. Here's a quick snippet of what they had to say about this one:-

'Lyrically the track is mostly quotes from Donnie Darko (2001). Musically we wanted to try something a bit different. Something more straight forward with some twist and turns here and there.'

(Photo Credit: Ville Luosa)

All four of the bands involved in this split have been super active recently, but if you've missed any of their previous releases for any reason then this one is the perfect place to start! If you love screamo and emo-violence, you'll love this.

Demersal - https://www.facebook.com/DemersalOfficial

Piet Onthel - https://www.facebook.com/pietonthelpunx

Letterbombs - https://www.facebook.com/sendmeletterbombs

Vientre - https://www.facebook.com/vientre7

The tapes are with Tomb Tree already so it won't be long before they're available from them and Witch Elm Records. Here's a peak at the variants, including pictures (minus the test dips though):-

46x clear/blue/purple swirl

20x multi-color swirl

5x red/black swirl

5x test dip w/matching swirl case

Links to their stores and social media pages are below:-

Tomb Tree - 

http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/tomb-tree-tapes / https://www.facebook.com/tombtreetapes

Witch Elm Record -

https://witchelmrecords.bandcamp.com / https://www.facebook.com/WITCH-ELM-records

To hear Demersal's track 'No Need For Stories Where We Never Come Alive', make sure you head over to Idioteq's PremieRing article here - https://idioteq.com/premiering-danish-emoviolent-screamo-act-demersal-unveil-new-uncompromising-track-4-way-split-premiering-now.

Also, to hear tracks from Piet Onthel and Vientre, head over to https://www.missthestars.com and https://openmindsaturatedbrain.blogspot.com respectively.

Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket/They Sleep We Live - Split 7"

Labels: Blood Of The Young Records/Dingleberry Records & Distribution/(We Built The World And) Miss The Stars Records/Pike Records/Tief In Marcellos Schuld Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 06 Apr 2016

Tracklist: 

1. Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket - Alla Vågar Leder Både Bort Och Hem

2. Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket - Jag Vet Att Det Gör Ont, Men Varför Gör Det Sa Javla Ont?

3. They Sleep We Live - And The Curtain Falls

Here goes another ZBR roster review. I've hit a little seam of 7" releases, so I'm going to fire them out over the next seven days or so in a bid to catch up (a bit). This one features a split release that includes Sweden's Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket and Germany's They Sleep We Live; both of whom may be familiar to you if you've been following this little series. Right now, it's a retrospective look at ZBR's releases. This 7" was released in April 2016 via a whole host of like-minded labels (all listed above) and was pressed on 500 copies of orange wax.

This split comprises of two songs from Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket and one from They Sleep We Live. Vi Som.. begins with ‘Alla Vågar Leder Både Bort Och Hem’, which is delivered in their typical melodic yet intense style with guitars that tower over the recording, while the vocals are screamed with such emotive force. The bass and percussion provide direction and authority too, in a song that barely lasts over two minutes. There’s nothing about it that could be considered emoviolence (it probably wasn’t intended to be such) but there’s still so much energy here. Second song ‘Jag Vet Att Det Gör Ont, Men Varför Gör Det Sa Javla Ont?’ Is more majestic thanks to a slightly more mid-paced, stripped down approach during the verses (I guess?), though they’re followed by sections of both grandeur and introspection. Vi Som… certainly craft an atmosphere that’s worth getting lost in.

The other side of the split is kept solely for They Sleep We Live and their song ‘And The Curtain Falls’. It’s a very apt title as organ joins guitar for a very dramatic intro, before the band’s fast screamo takes over. Their ability to write songs that are so engaging never fails to impress, given their lengths and they still remind me of the best genre exports to come from Japan. Germany has always been a country of interest when it comes to screamo/hardcore, in-spite of it’s more commonly known love of cheesy power metal or industrial and They Sleep We Live prove why that is here.

I find that screamo/post-hardcore bands are always really adept at writing and performing songs that seem to outrun their playing time (in the best possible way). The 7” format is one that doesn’t lend itself to longer songs yet both Vi Som… and They Sleep We Live manage to give much more bang for the buck. I’d recommend that you track this release down if it’s still available.

You can stream and purchase the split digitally below:-

Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket - https://www.facebook.com/visomalskade

They Sleep We Live - https://www.facebook.com/theysleepwelive

Physical copies are still available from the labels below:-

Miss The Stars Records - https://missthestars.com/collections/vinyl/products/vi-som-alskade-varandra-sa-mycket-they-sleep-we-live-split-7

Pike Records - https://www.pikerecords.com/releases/

Zegema Beach Records (CAN/INTL) - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/vi-som-alskade-varandra-sa-mycket-they-sleep-we-live-split-7

Zegema Beach Records (USA) - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/vi-som-alskade-varandra-sa-mycket-they-sleep-we-live-split-7

Blood Of The Young Records & Press - https://www.facebook.com/BloodOfTheYoungRecordsPress/

Dingleberry Records & Distribution - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

Miss The Stars Records - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsrecords

Pike Records - https://www.facebook.com/pikercrds/

Tief In Marcellos Schuld Records - https://www.facebook.com/marcellosschuld/

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Chuck Bass/Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket - Split 7"

Labels: Zegema Beach RecordsMiss The Stars Records/Chloromethane Records/Tief In Marcellos Schuld Records/Muttis Tapes

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 23 Apr 2014

Tracklist: 

1. Chuck Bass - Alba Varden Is A Ship

2. Chuck Bass - Range Of Motion

3. Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket - Ryggarna Mot Varandra Och Vi Fortsatter Ga

I'm back with another ZBR discography review, this time featuring the 2014 split 7" between German screamo band Chuck Bass and their Swedish genre-mates Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket. Chuck Bass formed in 2012 and called it a day in 2016. They released two full-lengths and a split tape, alongside this 7". VSAVSM (the abbreviation I'll be using for the rest of this review) are still very much alive, having also started releasing music in 2012. They have one full-length, four splits/comps and a digital EP to their name so far, though they are in process of recording a new full-length. I can't seem to find how many copies of this split were pressed, but it was a collaborative release by the five labels above.

Chuck Bass has two songs on here, with their opener Alba Varden Is A Ship being heavy in the vocal department but melodic in the instrumental one. There are moments of introspection as well as the odd crescendo of volume, making this screamo very much in line with early protagonists in the genre. Range Of Motion is a more urgent beast, which is no surprise given it’s shorter length. Chuck Bass still manages to put a lot into it and the dramatic song-writing adds so much to their sound. 

VSAVSM’s screamo follows in the same vein on Ryggarna Mot Varandra Och Vi Fortsatter Ga. The native lyrics give the song a more caustic feel and it’s an unmistakable piece of Swedish post-hardcore. The acoustic guitar mid-way through is a surprisingly nice touch, as it sits alongside the screams during a passage that starts out as minimalistic and slowly builds in layers. Musically this is more calming, at least until the final few bars when a short burst of controlled violence calls an end to the split.

This split is only three tracks but it gives you a great idea of what both Chuck Bass and VSAVSM were/are like musically and that music is pretty damn fantastic. You can still pick up physical copies of this, so I’d recommend that you do. Stream and download it (name-your-price) below:-

Chuck Bass - https://www.facebook.com/chuckbasspunk/
Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket - https://www.facebook.com/visomalskade/

As I mentioned, there are still physical copies of this split available from Zegema Beach Records below (as ZBR is the only releasing label currently active/or with an active web store):-

Zegema Beach Records - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords/
Miss The Stars Records - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsrecords/
Tief In Marcellos Schuld Records- https://www.facebook.com/marcellosschuld/

Young Mountain - Lost Tree

Labels: Dasein Records/Hardcore For The Losers/Miss The Stars Records/Pundonor Records/Through Love Records/Zegema Beach Records/Blade Records/Cactus Tapes/No Funeral Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 05 Sep 2018

Tracklist:

1. Asunder, To Eye Each Other

2. The Sun Is Away

3. ////////////////

4. Misery

5. Juni

6. Vacant Eyes

7. Lost Tree

8. I Flew Above Your House Last Night

I love this part of the week and thankfully I only have one more full week of work before a much needed break. To let loose I've decided to blast some good old Swedish hardcore in the form of Young Mountain and their September 2018 full-length "Lost Tree. It was released by a whole host of collaborating record labels and even though it's been out a little while at this point, a bit more column space wont't hurt! 

It’s so nice to sink into the familiar sounds of emotive and atmospheric Swedish hardcore once again. The Swede’s have crafted their own sound over recent years and Young Mountain are faithful practitioners of it. Opening with Asunder, To Eye Each Other you’re greeted with cinematic and slow instrumentation, with jarring but heartfelt screams and subtle melody. Just to prevent any chance of the listener settling into a groove, Young Mountain go in a more grunge/emo direction on The Sun Is Away. It shows a sensitive side that’s removed from the heaviness, even if that heaviness is affirming in it’s own right.

The mysteriously titled //////////////// sees YM going back to their hardcore sound, but this time adding in introspective guitar passages and moments of loving calm. Those moments of calm make the abrasive sections even more epic in my opinion. Misery isn’t necessarily a miserable song, instead it’s stripped down and soothing. This record has many twists and turns but they seem to flow together effortlessly, which is another selling point for both YM and “Lost Tree”. YM’s screamo influence is greater during Juni and the longer playing time allows the band to spread themselves out a bit more musically. The atmosphere within their song-writing and performance is clearer to see and hear for sure. Just when you thought the record couldn’t vary itself anymore, Vacant Eyes is delivered amidst raging black metal-style vocals and off-kilter guitar work with a hint of blues. It’s fucking great.

The title-track is a beautifully crafted song with layers of instrumentation that give you a short time for rest and reflection. It does seems as though there could be a crescendo of dissonant riffs at any time but YM restrains themselves for a few moments at least. More ambient than an assault, with softer vocals before it builds in volume and feedback to something that you could shout along too, involuntarily from the top of your lungs. As if that song wasn’t enough, album closer I Flew Above Your House Last Night does it all over again. This time with one last massive blast of distant hardcore. While my reference point for this sound will always be Totem Skin; since their demise, there’s definitely room for another and Young Mountain may not be as caustic initially, but they’re just as real and just as damn good!

You can stream and purchase "Lost Tree" digitally from Young Mountain below:-

Young Mountain - https://www.facebook.com/youngmountainSWE/

You can grab physical copies from the below labels:-

Dasein Records - https://daseinrecords.bandcamp.com

Hardcore For The Losers - http://hc4lzs.blogspot.com/

Pundonor Records - https://pundonorrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Through Love Records - http://throughloverec.tictail.com

Zegema Beach - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/

Blade Records - http://bladerecords.storenvy.com

Cactus Tapes - http://cactustapes.tictail.com

No Funeral Records - http://nofuneral.storenvy.com

Dasein Records - https://www.facebook.com/Daseinrecs/

Hardcore For The Losers - https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreForTheLosers/

Miss The Stars Records - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsblog

Pundonor Records - https://www.facebook.com/pundonorecords/

Through Love Records - https://www.facebook.com/ThroughLoveRec/

Zegema Beach - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Blade Records - https://www.facebook.com/bladerecs/

Cactus Tapes - https://www.facebook.com/cactustapes/

No Funeral Records - https://www.facebook.com/nofuneral8/

Recollection: Alex (Miss The Stars Blog/Records/Fest)

I'm so happy to be able to bring you the second instalment of "Recollection" so soon after the first. I've been blown a way by how positively it's been received and am already sorting a third. I really want to keep this going. Today's instalment comes from Alex, who's behind the (We Built The World And) Miss The Stars blog as well as Miss The Stars Records and Miss The Stars Fest in Berlin. He's written about his ten favourite records below:-

Danse Macabre - 'die Kritik ist keine Leidenschaft des Kopfes"

A record that changed my life and it's still my favourite screamo record of all time. DM killed it in every single way.

Antitainment – "Nach der Kippe Pogo?!"

11 songs of weird, fast, well-written and arranged Nintendo-hardcore-Casio-metal-punk. A hybrid that will leave you speechless.

The Get Up Kids - "Four Minute Mile"

Second wave screamo at its best – every damn song is a hit. What more could you want, what more could you ask for?“

Captain Planet – "Wasser kommt. Wasser geht."

Probably the record I've listened the most. Moving and intense punk rock from Germany.

Fall of Efrafa – "Inle"

Everything FOE related (Light Bearer, Archivist…) sounds amazing. “Inle” is my personal quintessence of post-metal. Republic Of Heaven , Woundwort are such crushing songs – just stunning.

Infest - "No Man's Slave"

I love Totalitär, Dropdead, Charles Bronson, Spazz and so on from the bottom of my heart but nothing beats this record - It's absolute flawless. Fast, raw and heavy as hell.

Jet Black – "The Dead End"

The reason why I've named my blog/records/fest “We built the world and miss the stars” - it's a quote from a song called 48h. This record is full of screamo-classics. Forever in my heart.

Converge – "Jane Doe"

Classic hardcore record that probably everyone knows haha. It's a hit-record from front to back – with highly emotional lyrics and pissed off tunes/vocals. Legendary.

Protest The Hero – "Kezia"

"Kezia" is somehow special to me – got a kinda indescribable love for this record. It's super catchy, highly melodic and all in all a great concept record.

A Fire Inside - "The Art of Drowning"

The Lost Souls, Ever and a Day, Morningstar - it's just a perfect punk record and AFI in general will always have a place in my heart.

I just want to say thanks to Alex for taking the time to write about his favourite albums. I've put links below so you can check out his blog, label and the festival he's involved with (which, looks amazing!):-

Miss The Stars Blog - http://www.missthestars.com

Miss The Stars Records - http://www.missthestars-records.com

Miss The Stars Bandcamp - https://missthestars.bandcamp.com

Miss The Stars Fest - http://www.missthestars-fest.com

Miss The Stars Blog Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsblog

Miss The Stars Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsrecords

Miss The Stars Fest Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/missthestarsfest