IDYLLS' new album, optimistically titled 'Farewell All Joy', is available now through Monolith and Tenzenmen.

When you pre-order the 12" you get an IMMEDIATE download of the album. It's fucking loose. They've got some cool shirts too. Check it out if you're into Agents of Abhorrence, early Converge or Discordance Axis (and maybe Daughters or The Locust?).

Press thing says this:

‘Farewell All Joy’ is an intense journey that brings to ferocious light the uglier sides of human experience. Brisbane’s IDYLLS balance astounding technical precision and an unbridled punishment across all instruments with a gnashing, multi-faceted vocal input. The 10 harrowing tracks warp 20 minutes through an insurmountable passage of time, with absolutely maniacal arrangements, grinding intensity, and sudden yet progressive drops in mood as key components.

Go listen / buy / download.

Oh yeah, and they're playing 30 June at Black Wire Records with Serious Beak. More on that later.

Is this the future of grind?

Perhaps I should be more accurate. Is this the future of intense, chaotic music? Whereas so many bands that define themselves are 'grindcore' in a pure sense seem doomed to rehash the same tired old influences*, it feels like this crazy little band out of Brisbane spend their time pushing far more interesting ideas - not only in terms of riffs, rhythms and structures, but also sonically; their overall choice in tones and sounds.

On IDYLLS 'Farewell All Joy' the guitars crackle and squeek and scream and sparkle in the most bizarre way. Instead of creating clear, thick riffing, the guitars seem to attack with frantic metallic stabs - and effect is unique as it is discomforting. Lord knows what fucking absurd riffs they're playing half the time.

Disjointed sections, convoluted rhythms and dissonance rule in IDYLLS world - and this is matched by an overall production aethetic that is dry, trashy, and metallic. The result is pure cacophanous mayhem. It's like IDYLLS are digging into the very essence of sonic discomfort and chaos, and the effect is a very convincing one.

Unexpectedly, the final track 'Susy' departs into errie of reverb-drenched tremolo drone and feedback - almost referencing something that Earth might write. It's an interesting way to end the album after 9 songs of largely swirrling chaos (the exception being the more mid-paced breakdown of 'Amps For God / Plague Hell'). Or maybe I should rephrase that - it's an interesting dynamic to introduce in opposition to everything else on 'Farewell All Joy', but as an album bookend it just seem too typical and too contextless. I really like the concept and the idea, but I hope these more moody or dynamically dissimilar ideas are explored a little more within the actual body of the album in the future, rather than slapped on as an outro. It just seems too cheap.

But I digress. Overall "Farewell All Joy" is an intense, interesting and worthwhile take on modern hardcore. It's satisfyingly chaotic, and really leaves me wanting to catch these guys live, and  curious as to where they will take their sound with future releases.

Definitely check it out if you're a fan of early-Converge, Agents of Abhorrence, Daughters, and Discordance Axis.

Go get it.

* If you hold a dissenting opinion, please provide reference to grind brands doing new and interesting things. I would love to hear some new fucking grindcore that doesn't bore me into a predictable death.

This is the best thing to happen ever. Thanks to Rob MacManus and Heathen Skulls, Earth are touring Australia for the first time ever this September.

Earth formed in 1990 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson. Mostly instrumental, their early work grew out of the Seattle area grunge scene and is recognized as pioneering the genre of drone doom — an experimental offshoot of doom metal, characterised by droning, minimalist, lengthy and repetitive structures.

Their early albums could be seen as a variation of the experimental doom-influenced metal of The Melvins. They now feature a markedly different sound, slow-paced and lengthy featuring strong elements of country music and jazz and the addition of a drummer.

Released earlier this year, “Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light II” is ultimately a completely unanticipated direction for Earth, and a very welcome one at that. Well respected by their musical peers, Earth were invited by Portishead to be apart of their curated ATP festival in 2011 and were subsequently asked to perform at ATP 2012, curated by Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel).

Earth are heartfelt, haunting and deliver slow moving music that stretches into other worlds. Don’t miss your chance to see them in their first Australian tour this September. Special guests to be announced.

TOUR DATES:

Saturday 8^th Sept – The Kings Arms, Auckland www.kingsarms.co.nz

Sunday 9^th Sept – The Zoo, Brisbane www.thezoo.com.au

Wednesday 12^th Sept – The Toff In Town, Melbourne www.thetoffintown.com

Thursday 13^th Sept – Hi Fi, Sydney www.thehifi.com.au

Friday 14^th Sept – Fowlers Live, Adelaide www.fowlerslive.com.au

Saturday 15^th Sept – The Rosemount Hotel, Perth www.roseounthotel.com.au

Sunday 16^th Sept – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne www.cornerhotel.com

Tickets on sale 1 June 2012.

Saturday May 26th
The Prague Venue
911 High St, Thornbury, Australia 3071

THE KILL - Single pedal metal
DEBACLE - D beat crust
MICHAEL CRAFTER- Grindcore (SYDNEY)
COUNTER ATTACK - Fastcore
INEBRIATOR - Old School Thrash

I feel as there is no need for further explanation as to why this show will rip your face off.

https://www.facebook.com/events/199969920118155/

Dudes split their songs for a release, Melbourne math metal band Vendors Rich and Shut In (Diploid, World at a Glance and Idle Minds). For free download now on the good ol' trustworthy bandcamp. Two very different approached to music, Shut In offers more soundscapey songs, as well as layering some lo-fi brutal downtrodden noises and d-beat, contrasting with Vendors Rich energetic metal/thrash. Never let genres get in the way of a good friendship I say.

http://vendorsrich.bandcamp.com/album/vr-si-split

For those of you who aren't worshipping the skyscrapers/gravestones of Sydney, here's something to look forward to:

All Red, All At The Hamilton Station Hotel