Rivers of Nihil "Where Owls Know My Name"

CASSETTE - $8.00
STREET DATE: 2/17/23
CAT#: BPR-83
LABEL: Brutal Panda

Forget everything you think you know about Rivers of Nihil. The Reading, PA quintet announced themselves as one of the most promising and forward-thinking metal bands in the world today with their first two releases, The Conscious Seed of Light (2013) and Monarchy (2015). But in 2018, they will shatter all expectations with their third full-length, Where Owls Know My Name.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Cancer / Moonspeak
2. The Silent Life
3. A Home
4. Old Nothing
5. Subtle Change (Including the Forest of Transition and Dissatisfaction Dance)
6. Terrestria III: Wither
7. Hollow
8. Death Is Real
9. Where Owls Know My Name
10. Capricorn / Agoratopia

MARKETING POINTS:

• Rivers of Nihil have sold over 100k records worldwide!
• US Tour with Between the Buried and Me this Summer
• First ever Mexican Tour in Feb
• New Music in 2023
• Full cassette discography available for the first time!
• 85k+ Monthly Listeners on Spotify
• 200k+ Social Media Followers

FOR FANS OF:
Obscura, Death, Morbid Angel, Revocation, Archspire, Beyond Creation, Between the Buried and Me

Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

See You Next Tuesday "Distractions"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00
LP UPC: 860008449252
CD UPC: 860008449238
STREET DATE: 2/17/22
CAT#: GFM102
LABEL: Good Fight Music

When See You Next Tuesday went on hiatus in 2009, their intention of getting back together eventually diminished. With a steadier life outside being on the road, the band members continued on with their separate lives. Fast forward to 2015, the band received a festival offer in their home state of Michigan and decided to take the stage once again. With only playing a few one-off shows over the years, in late 2020, misfortune became the inspiration for guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Drew Slavik, and suddenly he and vocalist Chris Fox were writing another album. The result is Distractions, set for release on February 17, 2023, on the band’s new label home Good Fight Music.

Formed in 2004, See You Next Tuesday made their mark in the world of extreme metal with the release of their albums Parasite (2007) and Intervals (2008), both on Ferret Music. Pushing forth on controlled chaos, the band has been able to evolve since their initial output and Distractions finds them delving into a new, modern grindcore sound. The thirteen songs on the record are full of fast and heavy guitars accompanied by an invigorating vocal performance from Fox. The true standout is in the drum work, provided by Slavik, displaying a maniacally bold use of blast beats that perfectly intertwine with his homemade samples. Distractions was recorded at Slavik’s home studio where he also handled production and mixing, and was mastered by Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, In Hearts Wake).

Expanding on the writing and recording process, Slavik states:
“The writing process was amazing! I wrote in my home studio or in my head and recorded everything as it progressed. Being a mailman, I walk 8 miles a day, and I was able to listen and critique each song, every step of the way, pushing myself as a player, writer, and producer even further than ever before. My main goal musically was to write something different. I never really shot for the 'best' because that is so arbitrary, however, I strived to be unfamiliar in a sense, not just with the music, but the overall sound as well.”

While the music came naturally, writing the lyrics ended up being a more difficult process. Eventually turning into a cathartic experience, the tracks became personal yet still up for interpretation in a broader sense. Much of the material on Distractions focuses on struggles with mental health, while a few songs explore more sensual themes. Leaning into the euphemism of the band name, the opening track “How Sensitive” reclaims what some might deem as offensive and makes it just a word. The lead single “Hey Look, No Crying” fixates on the feeling of slowly moving towards your death, encompassing the sonic energy of descending into the afterlife. Microsongs like “Glad To Be Unhappy” and “Call Me Irresponsible” use synthesizers for more frantic moments, while “Day In The Life Of A Fool” feeds into that more structured mayhem. Following suit of closing with a slower song on the band’s previous releases, the record ends with “Strange Music”, a nearly eight-minute-long track fueled by doom.

Although Distractions started as a literal distraction for See You Next Tuesday, it quickly became what they hope is only the beginning of their next chapter.

TRACK LISTING:

1. How Insensitive
2. What a Funny Girl You Used to Be
3. Hey Look, No Crying
4. Why Can't You Behave
5. Glad to Be Unhappy
6. I'll Never Be the Same
7. I'll Never Smile Again
8. Day in the Life of a Fool
9. Call Me Irresponsible
10. This Happy Madness
11. I Had the Craziest Dream
12. That's What God Looks Like to Me
13. Strange Music

MARKETING POINTS:

• First new music since 2008
• Recorded, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, In Hearts Wake)

FOR FANS OF:
Grind, Death Metal, Mathcore

Instagram | Facebook

Rivers of Nihil “Monarchy”

CASSETTE - $8.00
STREET DATE: 2/17/23
CAT#: BPR-82
LABEL: Brutal Panda

Topping their full-length debut is no elementary task; Terrorizer Magazine declared that Rivers of Nihil 'manage to do something unashamedly modern, and yet make death metal sound twisted and malevolent,' while HeavyBlogisHeavy.com simply noted that it was 'Definitely one of the best debuts to come out this year. ' With Monarchy, Reading, PA's Rivers of Nihil take a huge leap forward songwriting, performance, and production-wise.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Heirless
2. Perpetual Growth Machine
3. Reign of Dreams
4. Sand Baptism
5. Ancestral, I
6. Dehydrate
7. Monarchy
8. Terrestria II: Thrive
9. Circles in the Sky
10. Suntold

MARKETING POINTS:

• Rivers of Nihil have sold over 100k records worldwide!
• US Tour with Between the Buried and Me this Summer
• First ever Mexican Tour in Feb
• New Music in 2023
• Full cassette discography available for the first time!
• 85k+ Monthly Listeners on Spotify
• 200k+ Social Media Followers

FOR FANS OF:
Obscura, Death, Morbid Angel, Revocation, Archspire, Beyond Creation, Between the Buried and Me

Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

River of Nihil "The Work"

CASSETTE - $8.00
STREET DATE: 2/17/23
CAT#: BPR-84
LABEL: Brutal Panda

Reading, Pennsylvania's Rivers of Nihil have never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018's Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work, they have forged further into new territory, delivering an album that is as cerebral as it is visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own.

TRACK LISTING:

1. The Tower (Theme from "The Work")
2. Dreaming Black Clockwork
3. Wait
4. Focus
5. Clean
6. The Void from Which No Sound Escapes
7. MORE?
8. Tower 2
9. Episode
10. Maybe One Day
11. Terrestria IV: Work

MARKETING POINTS:
Obscura, Death, Morbid Angel, Revocation, Archspire, Beyond Creation, Between the Buried and Me

FOR FANS OF:

• Rivers of Nihil have sold over 100k records worldwide!
• US Tour with Between the Buried and Me this Summer
• First ever Mexican Tour in Feb
• New Music in 2023
• Full cassette discography available for the first time!
• 85k+ Monthly Listeners on Spotify
• 200k+ Social Media Followers

Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Rivers of Nihil “The Conscious Seeds of Light”

CASSETTE - $8.00
STREET DATE: 2/17/23
CAT#: BPR-81
LABEL: Brutal Panda

Rivers of Nihil's debut album, 'The Conscious Seed of Light.' The first in their 'Terrestria' suite of four seasonal-themed albums. Produced by Erik Rutan. Album artwork by Dan Seagrave.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Terrestria I: Thaw
2. Rain Eater
3. Birth of the Omnisavior
4. Soil & Seed
5. Central Antheneum
6. Mechanical Trees
7. Place of Serpents
8. Human Adaptation
9. A Fertile Altar
10. Airless

MARKETING POINTS:

• Rivers of Nihil have sold over 100k records worldwide!
• US Tour with Between the Buried and Me this Summer
• First ever Mexican Tour in Feb
• New Music in 2023
• Full cassette discography available for the first time!
• 85k+ Monthly Listeners on Spotify
• 200k+ Social Media Followers

FOR FANS OF:
Obscura, Death, Morbid Angel, Revocation, Archspire, Beyond Creation, Between the Buried and Me

Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

awakebutstillinbed / For Your Health “Hyms For The Scorned”

12"EP - $15.30 / CASSETTE - $7.50
STREET DATE: 2/17/23
CAT#: TGR060
LABEL: Twelve Gauge Records

Hymns For The Scorned is an incredible split of two bands with differing but highly complimentary sounds. This is each band's newest material (at the time of release) and some of the best they've released.

Available for the first time on vinyl across a number of different variants with an etched B-side.

TRACK LISTING:

1. awakebutstillinbed - Fear
2. awakebutstillinbed - Ride
3. for your health - Disarmament
4. for your health - A Word Of Warning For The Phyrr Of Heart

MARKETING POINTS:

• Both bands on tour this year
• For Your Health's In Spite Of first pressing sold in a matter of months
• This split was released digitally and well received and this is the first time its being released on vinyl.
• For Your Health side produced by Chris Teti (TWIABP, Fiddlehead) at Silver Bullet Studios
• awakebutstillinbed's third release and the first since their 2020 EP 'stay who you are'
• Mastered by Jack Shirley (Loma Prieta, Comadre, Deafheaven)

FOR FANS OF:
Armor For Sleep, Pianos Become The Teeth, mewithoutYou, The Hotelier, Adventures, Home Is Where

for your health
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

awakebutstillinbed
Instagram | Facebook

Anxious Arms "Crimes of Despair"

LP - $16.60 / CD - $7.00
STREET DATE: 2/17/23
CAT#: SDR084
LABEL: Sunday Drive

“Crimes of Despair” is the first LP from Sacramento metal/post-hardcore band, Anxious Arms. Over 5 years of being a band, releasing singles and EPs and touring, Anxious Arms has continuously honed in on what their sound is today. Beginning in the early days as an emo band and progressively introducing new sounds from metal and hardcore, the band organically evolved sonically.

Crimes of Despair does a great job displaying this. You can still hear bits of early Anxious Arms throughout the record, but sonically, there are many more layers and dynamics happening. This is quickly introduced on ‘Intro’, where a soundscape of Black Sabbath & Sleep-inspired guitars take over the song with lingering vocals, then loops into the title track—which explodes with heavy bass and shouting from vocalist, Kyle Bolla. Later tracks like ‘Foundation’ do a great job of switching the tempo at perfect points within the record–creating a more driving and urgent feeling.

Lyrically, Bolla is at his best. Emotions of loneliness, anger and doubt are poetically described in a doom-like world. There is an underlying through line of despair that tends to linger throughout the whole record. This theme, paired with the slow and heavy doom metal to post-hardcore dynamic works great. Anxious Arms are able to craft a concise and consistent LP, where a range of influences from Crowbar to Deftones and Cave In makes perfect sense.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Intro
2. Crimes of Despair
3. Catastrophes
4. Foundation
5. Nailed to the Wheel
6. Fall From Grace
7. Ever Changing
8. Memoriam
9. Wasted Days, Wasted Years
10. Faust

MARKETING POINTS:

• Upcoming US tour planned for winter 2023
• Debut LP from Sacramento band, Anxious Arms
• Recorded/Mixed/Mastered at Earthtone Studios (King Woman, 7seconds, Dying for It)

FOR FANS OF:
Crowbar, Black Sabbath, Deftones, Cave In

Instagram | Facebook

Thin "Dusk"

LP - $15.30 / CASSETTE - $7.00
STREET DATE: 2/10/23
CAT#: TG058
LABEL: Twelve Gauge

Thin’s sophomore release, dusk, showcases fourteen relentless tracks of screamo laced mathgrind. The album’s cathartic bursts of manic blasts, uncomfortable grooves, and brooding riffs compliment lyrics about the tangled nature of trauma and nostalgia.

Dusk was tracked and mixed by Colin Marston at Menegroth "The Thousand Caves" in Queens, NY and mastered by Scot Moriarty (NJ, US).

Included with the vinyl copies is a 24"x24" folded poster of the album art alongside the 12" lyric sheet.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Bastard
2. Den
3. Twenty-Three Cats
4. Fond When I Think About It
5. Foliage
6. Liminal
7. Pinellas
8. Casual Racism
9. 40th St South
10. Botulism
11. Diamond St
12. The Strip
13. Rear View
14. Mangrove

MARKETING POINTS:

• 2022 touring included two-week run with labelmates THE WIND IN THE TREES and East Coast dates with HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW
• Album tracked and mixed by Colin Marston at Menegroth at the The Thousand Caves in Queens, NY (Kyodot, Origin, Liturgy)

FOR FANS OF:
Ed Gein, Maruta, and Discordance Axis

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Venamoris "Venamoris"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 783495093275
STREET DATE: 2/10/23
CAT#: 31G135
LABEL: Three One G

Founded in 2021, by what can only be called, astral influence. Married couple Paula and Dave (Slayer, Fantômas, Testament, Mr. Bungle, Misfits, Dead Cross) Lombardo formed Venamoris, as a result of some persistent persuasion on the latter’s part. Dave, who is in charge of drums and production on the record, explains: “Several months after meeting Paula in 2010, she hesitantly shared with me her past decade-long career as the lead back up singer for Wayne Newton. She later played me some of the demos she recorded throughout the years and I was floored by her sonically soothing, rich tone and natural, instinctive ability to harmonize. I was determined to persuade her to return to her creative self. It’s been a deeply gratifying journey witnessing this music come to life.”

Songwriter, Paula Lombardo, who performs vocals and piano for this project, bursts with vulnerability and intimacy, addressing a broad scope of emotion: anger, healing, pain, hope. It’s evident that Venamoris was founded out of love, passion, communication, respect, and trust. One person thriving in music encouraged the other, who had abandoned music to find their way back. It is the result of many late nights with too much wine, and even more truth laid bare: an aural couple's journaling generously shared with the world.

Venamoris was recorded and produced at Ritmo Studio by Dave Lombardo. Drum Overdubs recorded at Studio 606. Mixed at Ritmo Studio by David A. Lombardo. Mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering. Features guest appearances from Tyler Bates (Jerry Cantrell, Manson), Ra Diaz (Korn, Suicidal Tendencies), Jack Gibson (Exodus), George Pajon (Black Eyed Peas, Cairo Knife Fight), and Tim Stewart (Lady GaGa, Damnage). The album is pressed on two limited vinyl varaints.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Let Me Be
2. We Fall
3. This Is Me
4. Crimson Tears
5. Misguided
6. Drowning Emotion
7. I Love It
8. In My Silence
9. It’s Gone
10. Tell Me How You Know
11. Oceans
12. So Good

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies)
• Limited to 500 copies

FOR FANS OF:
Portishead, Annie Lennox, Halsey, Phoebe Bridgers, Emilíana Torrini, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves

Living Weapon "Paradise"

7"EP - $7.00 / CD - $4.10
STREET DATE: 3/3/23
CAT#: CLCR05272
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities

Debut EP from Boston's Living Weapon. Featuring members of Vein.fm

TRACK LISTING:

1. Beyond Control
2. The Burning Man
3. N.R.F.A.
4. Crazy Eddie

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of Vein.fm

FOR FANS OF:
Burnt By The Sun, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Vein.fm

Negative Blast "Echo Planet"

LP - $15.30
LP UPC: 196626754226
STREET DATE: 2/3/23
CAT#: QP012
LABEL: Quiet Panic

To tap into the present moment while simultaneously avoiding its pitfalls is no easy task, but on their debut LP Echo Planet, San Diego’s Negative Blast make it look easy. Engineered and mixed by the band’s own Alex Jacobelli at Sunsick Studios, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and releasing on Quiet Panic Records, Echo Planet is a fully realized, layered, and expertly crafted slab of hardcore punk that is both unconcerned with convention and deeply reverent of the genre’s roots.

The members’ musical pedigree runs the gamut from 2000s hardcore stalwarts Lewd Acts and Hour of the Wolf to innovative post-punk act [CON•TACT], with the recent addition of Mario Rubalcaba throwing Hot Snakes, Earthless, OFF!, and more into an already impressive list of bona fides. Boasting those qualifications, it’s no surprise that Negative Blast are as precise as they are left of center. With a knack for mid-tempo dirge that evokes My War-era Black Flag or Pissed Jeans and a darkly atmospheric melodic sensibility that calls to mind contemporary acts such as Gel, Negative Blast are at once of the moment and outside of it entirely. Where other bands might eschew melody, Negative Blast employ it as a foil to their naked aggression, resulting in a sonic push and pull that keeps every second of Echo Planet’s sub-20 minute runtime exciting and engaging.

Hardcore is a thing that is perpetually in motion against itself—Steeped in the tradition it seeks to uproot. In less capable hands, that duality can result in either a boring rehash or art for its own sake that loses the plot. But on Echo Planet, Negative Blast have masterfully shaped those contradictions into something that is as happy to make you think as it is to punch you in the teeth, and it excels equally at both.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Boy Blues
2. Trauma Bond
3. Carbon Copy
4. Bad Trip
5. Echo Planet
6. No Trust
7. King of Vancouver
8. Egghead

MARKETING POINTS:

• West Coast tour in October with M.U.T.T.
• Features Mario Rubalcaba (OFF!, Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Earthless, 411, Clikitat Ikatowi, The Sultans) on drums

FOR FANS OF:
The Bronx, Black Flag, Pissed Jeans, Fucked Up

Instagram

Sparing "No Room Left To Grow"

12"EP - $15.30 / CD - $7.00
STREET DATE: 2/3/23
CAT#: SDR077
LABEL: Sunday Drive

Feeling stuck with little direction, and a weight of emotions encapsulates the new EP from Sparing, “No Room Left to Grow”. Following the 2021 EP, “Old Dreams”, songwriter Zach Godwin has re-focused Sparing to be a full solo project. Whereas “Old Dreams” combined 90’s alt-rock and pop punk, Sparing leans heavy on the early 00’s pop-punk/post-hardcore sound, taking influence from bands like Thursday, Allister, The Movielife, Senses Fail, etc.

Tracked over a few weekends in the spring of 2022 in North Carolina, Zach painstakingly performed nearly all instruments and vocals, with the help of Jonathan Owens (Dull Mourning) on drums and Brooke Nicole who is featured on the title track. “No Room Left to Grow” is full of guitar melodies, breakdowns, sing-along choruses and more, making this a perfect album to get stuck on repeat in the car all summer.

TRACK LISTING:

1. I Couldn't Agree Less
2. Call Me Out
3. Always October
4. No Room Left to Grow
5. Slip Away

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring Jonathan Owens of Dull Mourning on drums
• Previous EP sold out
• Featured on Spotify's "All New Rock"

FOR FANS OF:
Senses Fail, The Movielife, Allister

Instagram | Twitter

Various Artists "The Extermination Vol.4 Compilation"

LP - $17.25
STREET DATE: 1/27/23
CAT#: FSR65
LABEL: Flatspot

“No borders, no boundaries, we just love hardcore.” That’s the attitude owners Che Figueroa and Ricky Singh push forward when talking about their long-standing record label, Flatspot Records. Started in 2004, Flatspot has consistently been a vital source of what’s new and next in the world of hardcore and heavy music. The label spans a vast catalog; with early releases from heavyweights like Trapped Under Ice, Backtrack, and Angel Du$t, to the forefront of this decade’s new crop of breakout bands like Scowl, Zulu, and Section H8. Flatspot has also boosted itself as a platform for rising and established bands alike through the release of The Extermination Compilation series, featuring exclusive track contributions. The dedication Figueroa and Singh have in keeping their ear to the scene has allowed the bands on their roster to form a sense of community, often touring and playing festivals together. The community aspect expands to the label’s worldwide fanbase and presence as well, having collaborated with international labels and record stores to meet the ongoing demand for Flatspot releases. After almost 20 years as a label, Flatspot Records are setting their sights big in 2023 - bringing more bands to their roster and releasing Volume 4 of The Extermination Compilation. Having no intentions of slowing down, Figueroa and Singh are only adding fuel to the fire that is Flatspot Records.

This Compilation was started to provide a snapshot of the current state of hardcore. Every song is exclusive to the series, and we love to see bands take pride in giving us some of their best songs for this compilation. Looking back, The Extermination has released exclusive tracks from Power Trip, Angel Du$t, Turnstile, Terror, King Nine, Backtrack, Soul Search, Piece By Piece, Take Offense, and the list goes on. With Volume 4, we present the next wave of Hardcore from our perspective. For this volume, every single band gave 110% of raw power & pure energy. This is a true representation of Hardcore in it’s purest form.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Speed - One Blood We Bleed
2. The Chisel - Punisher
3. Buggin - Attitude
4. Section H8 - Unhinged
5. Raw Brigade - Keep On Running (Crux Cover)
6. Jivebomb - American Rule
7. End It - Familia Finito
8. Spy - Mob
9. Law Of Power - Nothing To Show
10. M.A.D. - The Axeman’s Letter
11. Choice To Make - Tryin’

MARKETING POINTS:

• The Extermination Vol. 4 Compilation features some of the biggest heavy-hitters in the hardcore genre
• Can appeal to not only the Hardcore crowd but also Punk and Metal demographics too
• All songs are exclusive to this compilation and will not be found anywhere else!
• A perfect hardcore release that will stand the test of time!
• Past compilations have included: Turnstile, Power Trip, Angel Du$t, Backtrack, and More!
• Pressed on Colored Vinyl
• Artwork by renowned Tattoo Artist Marina Inoue
• 28 Page Zine included in the packaging
• Music Videos have been shot for these exclusive tracks and will be premiered during the rollout from SPEED, BUGGIN, and END IT

FOR FANS OF:
Speed, The Chisel, End It, Section H8, Law Of Power, Buggin, Spy, Choice To Make, M.A.D., Raw Brigade

Chepang / Racetraitor “Split”

7"EP - $7.00
STREET DATE: 1/27/23
CAT#: TG061
LABEL: Twelve Gauge

This split brings together two powerhouses -- Nepalese immigrindcore outfit CHEPANG and the legendary anti-racist political hardcore band RACETRAITOR. This split features tracks that were recorded years ago that have never seen the light of day. Four tracks, two from each band, pressed on a two-sided 7" with a folder jacket with lyrics.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Chepang - Chala Ko Rung
2. Chepang - Gairkanuni
3. Racetraitor - Zoropsidae
4. Racetraitor - The Externals

MARKETING POINTS:

• Limited vinyl pressing bringing two pioneers of their own sound and message.
• Racetraitor is a hardcore band from the 90s that reunited in the last 5 or so years releasing a few split ahead of a rumored last LP record. The band is well known for their anti-racist and political message and has released records on Uprising, Trustkill, Organized Crime and Good Fight Music.
• Chepang songs were recorded and mixed by COLIN MARSTON at MENEGROTH THE THOUSAND CAVES .
• Chepang track features additional vocals on Chala ko Rung by VISHAL RAI (JUGAA, NECK DEEP IN FILTH)
• Racetraitor drums, guitars, and bass recorded at Electrical Audio and Studio with Greg Studios and vocals recorded at Found Soundation Recording Studios by Jesse Cannon. Mixed by Greg Norman.

FOR FANS OF:
Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Day of Suffering

Chepang
Instagram | Facebook

Racetraitor
Instagram | Facebook

END / Cult Leader "Gather & Mourn"

12"EP - $14.00 / CDEP - $7.00 / CASSETTE - $7.00
12"EP UPC: 791689665542
INDIE 12"EP UPC: 196925263382
CDEP UPC: 196925272032
CASSETTE UPC: 196925330930
CD/CASSETTE STREET DATE: 9/9/22
12"EP STREET DATE: 1/27/23
CAT#:CCA180 / DW241
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities / Deathwish Inc.

What happens when two of underground music’s most undeniable and unpredictable forces of nature collide? Well, the union of END & Cult Leader resulted in the 2022 split EP, Gather & Mourn [Closed Casket Activities & Deathwish Inc.].

This four track-collection finds each of these each of luminaries firing at full blast with the kind of heavy music that simultaneously repulses as it enraptures, fusing grind, hardcore, and death metal with an ominous intensity befitting of a world on fire.

The project itself represents the strength of the underground community, marking an important joint release between arbiters of integrity Closed Casket Activities and Deathwish Inc. Converge guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou [Code Orange, High On Fire, KVELERTAK] notably mixed Cult Leader’s two tracks, while GRAMMY® Award-nominated super producer and END guitarist Will Putney recorded, mixed, and mastered END in addition to mastering Cult Leader. Deathwish Inc. founder and Converge frontman Jacob Bannon also personally created the artwork and layout.

Both heads of this vicious sonic hydra have built an unshakable foundation, leaving fans and press in awe. Among widespread acclaim from Brooklyn Vegan, Invisible Oranges, and more, END’s 2020 full-length, Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face, earned a rare “5-out-of-5” star review from KERRANG! followed by “4-out-of-5” from Metal Hammer.

However, END roar back with their first release since 2020 now. With an unimpeachable pedigree, the group consists of Will Putney (Graphic Nature Audio, Fit For An Autopsy) [guitar], Brendan Murphy (Counterparts) [vocals], Gregory Thomas (Ex-Misery Signales) [guitar], Jay Pepito (Reign Supreme, Ex-Blacklisted) [bass], and Billy Rymer [Drums] (ex-Dillinger Escape Plan). Drawing on the chemistry between these seasoned musicians, their first single from the split, “Eden Will Drown,” steamrolls forward at full speed fueled by bludgeoning rhythms, smart bomb-precise guitars, and a foreboding roar.

Meanwhile, Cult Leader continues to fixate listeners with a different breed of darkness. Gather & Mourn picks up where they left on 2018’s A Patient Man. The latter landed highly coveted year-end spots on Consequence’s top 25 Metal and Hard Rock Albums (#19), Revolver’s Best Albums (#11) and more; it also generated millions of streams, highlighted by “to:Achlys” and “I am Healed.” Cult Leader unleash their first new music in four years now with the single “Ataraxis.” Clocking in at just under two minutes, it hinges on guttural growls, pummeling percussion, and chaotic guitars, speaking to the band’s mastery of cataclysmic intensity.

Gather & Mourn heralds a next era of heavy music, translating the pulse of the underground into an unshakable sonic storm.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Eden Will Drown (END)
2. The Host Will Soon Decay (END)
3. Ataraxis (Cult Leader)
4. Long Shadows (Cult Leader)

MARKETING POINTS:

• END features current/former members of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Counterparts, Fit For An Autopsy, Misery Signals and Reign Supreme
• END on tour all summer
• Artwork by J. Bannon
• Mastered by Will Putney

FOR FANS OF:
Trap Them, Full Of Hell, Converge

END:
Instagram | Facebook

Cult Leader:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Broken Head "A Wishful Thing"

12"EP - $15.30
STREET DATE: 1/20/23
CAT#: SDR076
LABEL: Sunday Drive

On “A Wishful Thing”, Broken Head is joined by new team members: drummer Evan White and studio producer, Trevor Reilly. The two help to bring out even more rhythm and dynamic from Broken Head’s already infectious choruses and melodies. On “A Wishful Thing”, Broken Head continue to shine in their ’90s alternative-rock sonic influences from Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver, etc. Rob and Alessio’s dual vocals continue to harmonize through the tracks, backed by their well-studied guitar tones, creating the perfect rhythms to get stuck in your head.

Producer Trevor Reilly allows the band to perform their sound well, tracking a more pristine and less polished recording. And while only four tracks, “A Wishful Thing” comes in at nearly 20 minutes. Broken Head is confident and comfortable in these songs, and as a listener, these minutes easily pass by and instantly begin to repeat.

TRACK LISTING:

1. So Hollow
2. Runnin' In The Bay
3. Sugar
4. Tumbleweed

MARKETING POINTS:

• Featuring members of Caught in a Crowd, Holy Hands

FOR FANS OF:
Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver

Instagram

Take It To Heart "Hymns For The Hopeless"

12"EP - $12.70
STREET DATE: 1/20/23
CAT#: SIR031
LABEL: Safe Inside

Forming in the summer of 2019, Take It To Heart is among a new wave of socal hardcore proudly carrying the Orange County banner. Drawing from bands like Bane, Comeback Kid, and Killing The Dream, the band brings the emotive fury of the early 2000’s into the modern era. In early 2020, they appeared on the local scene with their debut EP The Brighter Side, joining the ranks of Safe Inside Records shortly after. 2021 saw Take It To Heart return to live shows post-pandemic with the rest of hardcore, cutting their teeth opening for acts such as Dare, Berthold City, and the UK’s own Higher Power.

During this time, the band also wrote and recorded their upcoming sophomore effort Hymns For The Hopeless. Expanding on their previous work, it delivers a fusion of melancholy melody and unrelenting pace in a neat but dynamic 6-track package. Hymns runs the sonic gamut of the era it reflects - from emotional stage-dive anthems to dissonant metallic precision. The record is slated to drop digitally through Safe Inside mid-August, physical formats to be made available later on in the year.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Ghostwriting A Catharsis
2. Letting Go
3. No Love No Trust
4. So Long Partner
5. As Flowers Wilt
6. Suicide Pact

MARKETING POINTS:

• Full US tour with Broken Vow in Summer 2022 (August 3rd to September 3rd)
• European Tour in early 2023

FOR FANS OF:
Killing The Dream, Bane, Modern Life Is War

Instagram | Twitter

Eternal Sleep "Desperate Prayer Blues"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 196626588074
STREET DATE: 1/13/23
CAT#: CLCR082
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities

The anticipated second full-length album from Pittsburgh, PA’s own Eternal Sleep. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk, Desperate Prayer Blues features 12 new songs of evolving metallic hardcore. Vinyl comes packaged in a gatefold LP jacket complete with UV spot varnish.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Desperate Prayer Blues I
2. Standard Virgin Birth
3. Against A Wall
4. A Place Like Home
5. An Honorable Death
6. Speak / Not Speak
7. Desperate Prayer Blues II
8. Real Shame
9. There Above
10. Stock Answer
11. Meaningless Scars
12. So-Called Rapture

MARKETING POINTS:

• Vinyl limited to 500 copies

FOR FANS OF:
Harm's Way, God's Hate, Melvins, Alice In Chains

Soul Glo "Diaspora Problems"

LP - $14.00
LP UPC: 723314784076
INDIE LP UPC: 723314784144
STREET DATE: 1/13/23
CAT #: SV21
LABEL: Epitaph / Secret Voice

Late December 2020 found Soul Glo holed away in an unfinished warehouse, beginning to find drum tones for their upcoming full length, Diaspora Problems. They had just begun to accept that they would be in talks with Epitaph Records, and that it was likely they were going to go with the label as they hadn’t even begun to reach a place where they could consider shopping it to other record labels. Working with Epitaph was far and away the best case scenario that the band could’ve hoped for, but they simultaneously wondered if the label had any understanding of what they were getting into.

From 2016 to 2021, Soul Glo conceptualized and produced Diaspora Problems nearly completely alone. The demo and tracking process was handled exclusively by the band’s bassist GG and engineer/close friend Evan Bernard. The final tracks were recorded in that same unfinished warehouse and the band’s practice space during the hottest parts of summer 2021.

Thematically, Diaspora Problems is a simple analysis of where Soul Glo currently finds themselves: poised to leap into their future, for better or worse, with nothing but their life experience and lessons learned to communicate, and only each other to rely on. Lyrically, the album deals with analyses of the music industry as it exists through the eyes of people who are experiencing it for the first time. Aside from that, the concepts explored include an artist and individuals’ self-doubt and self-hate, past traumas that can only be worked out in adulthood, financial instability and how it affects an artist, the effects of institutional and state violence, and the power of community that delivered Soul Glo through each struggle the band has endured from their inception and before.

Diaspora Problems is only the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a bright future for Soul Glo, as well as a forecast for what the band is capable of musically. Hardcore punk is at the precipice of a sonic revolution as a higher variance of people find room for themselves and the expression of their lived experience within the genre. More and more people will be injecting a cultural identity and offering a narrative previously unheard and/or underappreciated by punk rockers and kindred spirits the world over. Diaspora Problems is not aiming to be the only album like it that exists, but instead one of many entries in a new dawn for rock music.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)
2. Coming Correct Is Cheaper
3. Thumbsucker
4. Fucked Up If True
5. Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!)((by the future))
6. Driponomics (ft. Mother Maryrose)
7. (Five Years And) My Family
8. The Thangs I Carry (ft. Bearcat)
9. We Wants Revenge
10. John J (ft. Kathryn Edwards and Zula Wildheart)
11. GODBLESSYALLREALGOOD
12. Spiritual Level Of Gang Shit (ft. Mckinley Dixon and Lojii)

MARKETING POINTS:

• CD/Digital on Epitaph, Vinyl on Secret Voice
• Mixed and Mastered by Will Yip (Turnstile, Angel Du$t, Code Orange

FOR FANS OF:
Denzel Curry, Jeromes Dream, Gulch

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Scalp "Black Tar"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 196925610575
STREET DATE: 1/13/23
CAT#: CLCR111
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities

SCALP carved their way into the underground consciousness with Domestic Extremity (Creator Destructor) during 2020. CVLT NATION christened it “one of the most exciting and explosive heavy albums of the year,” while NO ECHO raved, “The Southern California outfit absolutely slays, spewing forth elements of power violence, death metal, hardcore, and sludge in a truly terrifying way.” During 2022, they hit the studio with producer Taylor Young [Deadbody, Twitching Tongues] of The Pit Recording Studio to cut Black Tar. The musicians only pushed harder than ever to match the intensity of the subject matter.

“Black Tar is a very negative outlook on my past life experiences: trauma, addiction, psychosis, losing family members to overdose, personal opinions with religion, and blasphemy,” notes guitarist Devan Fuentes. “I saw a side of humanity that was pretty disturbing to accept. It’s seeing people’s houses, seeing how they let themselves rot away, and seeing individuals who shouldn’t be alive kept alive just to live in suffering rather than die. The story isn’t about redemption or recovery. It’s very unfiltered judgement, and I wanted to replicate those experiences in the most disturbing way.”

This album comes packaged in a gatefold LP jacket, complimented with artwork by Sawwarwarsaw and is available on four different Smoke variants. Engineered & Mixed by Taylor Young and mastered by Brad Boatright.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Yin
2. Jesus Is God
3. Endless Relapse
4. Diabetic Necrosis
5. Black Tar
6. Consumer Ethics
7. Pollute
8. Broken Vein

MARKETING POINTS:

• Olive Green with Black Smoke vinyl limited to 500 copies
• Engineered & Mixed by Taylor Young and mastered by Brad Boatright

FOR FANS OF:
Nails, Gulch, Regional Justice Center, END