Nionde Plagan/The World That Summer - Split 10"

Labels: Dead Punx Records/Dingleberry Records/Laserlife Records/Longrail Records/Pundonor Records/Stack Your Roster/Suspended Soul Tapes And Records/Through Love Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 08 Feb 2017

Tracklist:

1. Nionde Plagan - Föreställningsvärldar

2. Nionde Plagan - Inget Att Förstå

3. The World That Summer - What Is Dead May Never Die

4. The World That Summer - Heat Death Parties Are The Bomb, Man

5. The World That Summer - Moth Volcano

By now both of these bands will (I'm sure) be familiar to you. If not, go and remedy that immediately! Sweden's Nionde Plagan joined forces with Canada's The World That Summer in February of 2017, to release a split on a very underused vinyl format (in my opinion anyway), the 10".  It was a joint release via a whole host of DIY, screamo loving labels. 

As this is the newest review from my ZBR roster review series, I need to acknowledge that my order of reviews goes in tandem with the order of ZBR's releases on bandcamp, from bottom to top and from right to left, going on the basis that the bottom right release is the earliest (obviously, that logic isn't always correct given that this split saw the light of day before the Eight Feet Under Comp, which was my previous review in the series). Either way. with my weird OCD aside, let's go.

Writing and publishing this review means that I’ve personally written more this May than I did last May. A small and personal mental boost, nothing more. Nionde Plagan has two tracks here compared to the three of The World That Summer, purely down to their song lengths. Their screamo/black metal fusion is joyous on opener ‘Föreställningsvärldar’. Spacious and cinematic guitars provide the bulk of the song’s atmosphere alongside the vocals, while the bass and percussion keep everything on an even keel, forever moving forwards. 

Their second and last song ‘Inget Att Förstå’ is more upbeat with punk-like tempos and groove-laden rhythms, if that’s an adequate way of describing it!. The vocals are still harsh, with the Swedish vocals providing something more authoritative. This 10” was their second to last release (at least if Discogs is to be believed) and it underlines how good they were/are. Next up it’s The World That Summer, whose side consists of the aforementioned three songs. ‘What Is Dead May Never Die’ is as atmospheric as Nionde Plagan’s opener at first before it morphs into an angrier, raw screamo song. That being said, it still brings out all the feels for sure.

‘Heat Death Parties Are The Bomb, Man’ is straight up sasscore/mathcore-inspired screamo, kind of in the vein of the obvious comparisons such as Seeyouspacecowboy and maybe even Euclid C Finder! sort of. It’s epic and it changes the mood of the split effortlessly. The World That Summer end on ‘Moth Volcano’, which aside from being a brilliant title, is also a great song that shows just how easy it is for a band to make three songs sound completely different, without being different (if you know what I mean?). 

Whatever my ramblings above represent, this split is ace. It contains the final songs committed to record by The World That Summer (again I’m relying on Discogs for this info, so it may not be accurate) and as mentioned above, was (caveat above) the penultimate release from Nionde Plagan. A very much underrated split on an underrated vinyl format. If you can still find a copy of this, buy buy buy!

For Fans Of: Old Man Gloom, Rinoa, Euclid C Finder!, Oak, Respire and Sadness

Stream and download it below:- 

Nionde Plagan - https://www.facebook.com/NiondePlagan

The World That Summer - https://www.facebook.com/theworldthatsummerband

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

Laserlife Records - http://www.laserliferecords.org/product-category/records/10-records/

Through Love Records - https://shop.throughloverec.com/collections/releases/

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

Dead Punx Records - https://www.facebook.com/deadpunxrecords

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

Laserlife Records - https://www.facebook.com/laserliferecords

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

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

Stack Your Roster - https://www.facebook.com/StackYourRoster

Suspended Soul Tapes And Records - https://www.facebook.com/SuspendedSoulTapesRecords

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

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

V/A - Eight Feet Under Vol.1

Labels: Don't Live Like Me Records/IFB Records/Shove Records/Through Love Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 01 Jun 2017

Tracklist:

1. Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Myket - Du

2. Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Myket - Kaktergalen Och Rosen

3. Via Fondo - Hurts Just A Little Bit

4. Via Fondo - Out Of Silence...A Sough

5. Nous Etions - Le Jour Ou La Chevalerie Est Morte

6. Nous Etions - La Dernière Voltige

7. Nous Etions - Heretique

8. The World That Summer - The Standard Gravity Of Impending Doom

9. The World That Summer - Interlude

10. The World That Summer - No Hugs For Lucas

11. Sleeper Wave - Endless Elegies

12. Sleeper Wave - Glacial

13. Sleeper Wave - Counter-Friction

14. Sleeper Wave - Welcome To My Life, This Is Me

15. Youth Novel - VII

16. Youth Novel - VIII

17. Youth Novel - IX

18. Youth Novel - X

19. Lamantide - In Absentia I

20. Lamantide - In Absentia II

21. Pastel - Woodpecker

22. Pastel - Tucano

I'm a little bit out of sync but I knew this review was gonna be a big one so I'm not too worried. As compilations go Eight Feet Under Vol.1 is pretty special, not just as a moment in time but also due to the sheer amount of work that went into it. Twenty two new/unreleased songs from eight bands, from four countries across two LPs; Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket and Via Fondo (Sweden), Nous Etions and The World That Summer (Canada), Sleeper Wave and Youth Novel (USA), Lamantide and Pastel (Italy). Five labels collaborated to release it on five hundred copies of double black vinyl back in 2017. To me this is a snapshot in time of where ZBR was and where it was heading as a label (yes this is a ZBR roster review).

I think the writing of this review is going to be spread across a few nights. I’m not used to writing about this many songs in one sitting, but lets see how it goes. By now, all of these bands should be familiar to you if you’ve been keeping track of my Zegema Beach Record roster review series or indeed of ZBR’s releases in general. 

Starting with an old faithful in the form of Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket and their duo of ‘Du’ and ‘Naktergalen Och Rosen’. ‘Du’ is as dramatic as screamo gets. The instrumentation is at first slightly deeper in the mix with the vocals on top. After the midway-point, the roles reverse and the instumentation takes the lead with the vocals relinquishing their position, as Vi Som’s majesty is opened up. ‘Naktergalen Och Rosen’ is a loverly off-kilter/semi-experimental piece of raw and emotive screamo, coupled with lovely melody. It’s a style that Sweden does really well and Vi Som are probably the main proponents of it.

Next up are two songs from fellow Swedes Via Fondo. Their sound is a lot heavier and ‘Out Of Silence…A Sough’ contains a great deal more urgency. The percussion and guitars initially create a huge soundscape before settling down and allowing the semi-spoken/shouted vocals to take their place. Definitely more emo-centred yet still retaining a sense of anxiousness and aggression. Their second song ‘Hurts Just A Little Bit’ is equally as intense, heralding a more blackened sound in places, while being more succinct. I’m blown away so far.

Because this is a double LP release, some bands contribute more songs than others due to their playing time. Canadians Nous Etions have three and true to form, they’re a bit more to the point. ‘Le Jour Ou La Chevalerie Est Morte’ isn’t the emoviolence blast you might have expected. Instead it’s much more introspective and cinematic. ‘Le Derniere Voltige’ follows on in a slightly more violent form, due to its shorter playing time. Still, Nous Etions do well to keep it musical as opposed to just chaotic. Their final song ‘Heretique’ is probably their most beautiful piece on Eight Feet Under. Don’t think anything else needs to be said about it.

The second Canadian band on this comp is The World That Summer. Given the band’s affiliation with ZBR, they’re an obvious choice. They contribute three songs to it starting with ‘The Standard Gravity Of Impeding Doom’, which begins in almost reserved fashion before exploding into something much more visceral. Heavy screamo with elements of emoviolence and multi-vocals for good measure. ‘Interlude’ is kind of exactly that. Spoken word samples sitting on top of a lowly single guitar melody. It’s quite unnerving actually. Their final song ‘No Hugs For Lucas’ is a gorgeously played melodic/post-hardcore number. As with all of the songs on this comp, it’s a snapshot in time but goddamn it’s a good one.

II I haven’t already mentioned it; this is gonna be a long one! It’s now time for some American screamo in the form of Sleeper Wave and Youth Novel, who between them fit the most songs onto their portion of the split. Sleeper Wave’s up first with ‘Endless Elegies’ and it’s wonderfully arty take on the genre. I only call it arty because of those twinkly, off-kilter riffs. The rest ain’t bad either. The feedback that ends ‘Endless Elegies’ leads you into ‘Glacial’, which is slightly more straightforward song (maybe?). ‘Counter-Friction’  is fantastic in it’s delivery. Abrasive yet melodic and wholesome stuff for sure. It leads into their closing song ‘Welcome To My Life, This Is Me’, which is also their shortest. I’m still completely in love with Sleeper Wave’s guitar work and this is a fine way for them to end their contribution.

Things get a bit crazy when Youth Novel take over, but did you expect anything less? Their four songs are the most emoviolent here. ‘VII’ starts off gently but after a pause it changes into a fast and chaotic best, with an added layer of intensity spread across both the vocals and the music itself. ‘VIII’ is their fastest song but aside from that pace, it’s also got plenty of post-hardcore tendencies including some really heartfelt singing. A real standout for me. There’s a level of complexity to Youth Novel’s music and not in a technical sense, but in an emotional one (if that makes sense) on ‘IX’. Maybe it’s just the feeling I get but it’s feels different somehow. Their closer ‘X’ is a much lengthier player. It leans more towards the instrumental end of the spectrum and with the added rock n roll flair injected by the lead guitar work, it’s a bit of a surprise. 

It’s back to Europe again for the comp’s final quarter. Italy’s Lamantide and Pastel get the honour of closing it out. Lamantide’s two song are adjacent in title with ‘In Absentia I’ being very broody and slow to start, building to a thicker post-metal/hardcore sound that’s pretty dark. The riffs are the main focal point and the sound is more blackened, leaning much more towards metal to these ears. ‘In Absentia II’ has the same grim ambience as it’s predecessor did at the beginning and it follows on in the same vein throughout. Lamantide’s sound is very infectious yet authoritative. 

Fellow Italians Pastel are known for their instrumental and experimental music, and they show it off to great lengths on ‘Woodpecker’. It’s not all instrumental though as they do add some gang-like vocals into it, but the band’s skill is clear for all to hear. Comp closer ‘Tucano’ is the perfect finisher. Relaxing compared to what came before Pastel, but that’s not taking anything away from the others at all. It just whisks you off to a dreamier place for a little while, at least.

To summarise this release should be simple, but it’s not. Hats off to all of the labels involved in it though, it must have been a hell of a task to put it all together. All eight bands brought their own spark and sound to it and that’s what makes it special.

For Fans of: Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket, Via Fondo, Nous Etions, The World That Summer, Sleeper Wave, Youth Novel, Lamantide and Pastel

You can stream and purchase it digitally here:-

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

Vio Fondo - https://www.facebook.com/viafondo

Nouse Etions - https://www.facebook.com/nousetions

The World That Summer - https://www.facebook.com/theworldthatsummerband

Sleeper Wave - https://www.facebook.com/sleeperwave

Youth Novel - https://youthnovel.bandcamp.com/album/youth-novel

Lamantide - https://www.facebook.com/lamantidehc

Pastel - https://www.facebook.com/pastelbanda

Physical copies of the comp can still be purchased from the below links:-

Shove Records - https://shoverec.bandcamp.com/album/8-feet-under-vol-1

Through Love Records - https://shop.throughloverec.com/collections/releases/products/va-eight-feet-under-12-dlp

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

Don't Live Like Me Records - https://www.facebook.com/dontlivelikeme

IFB Records - http://www.ifbrecords.com

Shove Records - https://www.facebook.com/SHOVE-records

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

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

The World That Summer/Apostles Of Eris - Split

Labels: Dingleberry Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 29 Apr 2016

Tracklist:

1. The World That Summer - Some Guy Named Gabbo

2. The World That Summer - Swine Dialect Incantation

3. The World That Summer - Sad Boise State

4. Apostles Of Eris - So Far To Go

5. Apostles Of Eris - A Growing Emptiness With A Sense Of Completion

6. Apostles Of Eris - B.S.

7. Apostles Of Eris - Putting Faith Into Fantasy

This evening's review features two bands that seem to be intrinsically linked to Zegema Beach Records. Firstly, The World That Summer features one half of ZBR's duo, Mr Norman, while Apostles Of Eris and it's sole member Jesse has had music released by ZBR while in various bands over the years. It made perfect sense then for them to come together for this split tape, which saw the light of day in 2016, with help from Dingleberry Records too. It was limited to 75 gold coloured tapes, of which I'm a proud owner of one such copy. 

Now, how do you store your split releases? Do you store them in order of artist (alphabetically) or by who's on the A-Side? Seriously, I'd love to know because I found my copy amongst the A's even though The World That Summer is on the A-side.

I was naive in thinking that hassle only existed on working days. Apparently, it also exists on non-working days, when living in a block of flats. Escapism is only a finger tip away though and for a brief moment, it comes in the form of this split between The World That Summer and Apostles Of Eris. Canadian band The World That Summer’s discography is small and the band is currently on a sort of hiatus thing. They contribute three songs to this split and their first is one with a nod to The Simpsons. ‘Some Guy Named Gabbo’ is musically atmospheric and sometimes moody, while the vocals go from a spoken-word sort of tone to heart-wrenchingly harsh. It’s hard to make comparisons to this, but I here Time In Malta crossed with Times Of Grace (at least in this song anyway). That’s probably so way off, but I hear what I hear!

Comparisons are lazy though and The World That Summer are worthy of much more attention on their own. On ‘Swine Dialect Incantation’ they exhibit what makes Canadian post-hardcore/screamo so recognisable and great, while also sounding so much more old-school. The clean singing does it for me, as well as the sheer expansiveness. Properly infectious. TWTS’s final song ‘Sad Boise State’ takes on elements of countrymen Alexisonfire but moulds them into something all of their own. Off-kilter, mathy, dreamo-y and abrasive all in one. Despite owning the tape and spinning it countless times before, trying to describe it is difficult in the word sense, but please stick with me.

US band Apostles Of Eris make up the second side of this split with four tracks. You’d never know that this is (or at least was on this split) a solo project. It’s noisy and instantly more caustic on opener ‘So Far To Go’. The instrumental tones are somewhat darker here and the vocals are delivered with a kind of raspy, garage-like harshness. It’s violent but without being emo-violence, if you know what I mean. ‘A Growing Emptiness With A Sense Of Completion’ isn’t just a great song title. It also comprises a chaotically intense cacophony of noise and screams that end far too quickly, subtle metallic-isms and all.

‘B.S’ is the aural equivalent of ignoring the very phrase that it’s the abbreviation of (though I get the impression that the abbreviation relates to belief systems and not bullshit, as I was expecting!). It’s a calming and melodic instrumental song with a slightly rambling (in a good way) spoken-work sample that refers to US Presidents, so it could really be a reference to either! AOE’s closing song ‘Putting Faith Into Fantasy’ packages up everything that’s great about the band’s lo-fi (and honest) sound. It’s so emotive and real, teeming with life throughout. For a song that’s high in tempo and that nearly reaches the five-minute mark, it gives the impression that it lasts way longer. That’s totally cool though, as it closes out the split in powerful fashion.

I honestly didn’t think this review would end up being as long as it’s turned out, but I guess sometimes music breeds inspiration. This split release is just plain awesome. Both The World That Summer and Apostles Of Eris are perfect together, making post-hardcore/screamo that’s beyond epic. If for whatever reason you’ve slept on this, there’s still a chance to repent and make good with the modern-day god tier overlords that gave brith to this release.

You can stream the release and acquire it as a name-your-price download below:-

Tape copies of the split are long sold out.

The World That Summer - https://www.facebook.com/theworldthatsummerband

Apostles Of Eris - https://www.facebook.com/thegoddessprevails

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

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