crustcake - METAL BLOG: NEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS, MP3s AND MORE

CRUSTCAKE INTERVIEWS: SUTEKH HEXEN

2012-02-03T12:00:00.001-05:00

by theseseans (NYC) There are bands that I listen to, and there are bands that take me over. Sutekh Hexen, are the latter. As I recently found myself immersed in a world of harsh noise, Sutekh Hexen were a very welcome discovery. Their sound has been highly abrasive, using a substantial amount of raw noise, which as I wrote in my Best of 2011 list, receiving equal mix and attention as the musical

CRUSTCAKE STREAMS: COP PROBLEM - 'MONUMENTS'

2012-02-02T13:00:00.004-05:00

Took us long enough, but we've got our first stream for 2012!Cop Problem are a new ensemble from Philadelphia, and if you're into crusty, d-beat-laden hardcore, they'll be a favorite for you. So far, they've only got a tape to their name, but that will change soon. The group will release a self-titled EP through War Torn Records on March 29, and we've got the first track, "Monuments" for you now.

LIVE REVIEW: GHOST

2012-02-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

GhostWhen: January 28, 2012Where: Marquis Theater, Denver, COWith: Blood Ceremony, Ancient VVisdomBy Andy O'Connor (Denver)Ghost were prepared to make waves in the States as support for Enslaved last year, but even a fervor for the Dark Lord can't make visa problems instantly go away. You mean to tell me that he can make me kill my parents, but can't cross the ocean? Some days, you have to put

CAKE BITES: KOOL KEITH IN CHICAGO

2012-02-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Kool KeithWhen: January 22, 2012Where: Reggie's Rock Club, Chicago, ILBy Carmelo Espanola (CHI)With Cake Bites, we present you with sweet, crusty morsels of our writing in bite-sized form. Think of them as heavy metal petit fours -- all killer, no filler left-hooks to your brain's mouth.It's not often that hip hop artists possess crossover appeal to metal fans. Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan, Ice-T,

CRUSTCAKE INTERVIEWS: YOB

2012-01-04T13:00:00.001-05:00

By Andrew Wilhelm (Denver)Yob reigned supreme over metal in 2011. The Eugene, Ore., trio has always been a cult favorite amongst doom-inclined metalheads, and in the past year, they've ascended to new levels. I put Atma, their most recent effort, as the No. 1 record of 2011, and for good reason. Yob got rawer on that record, which made them heavier even without some of the psychedelic touches

CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: THE CURE - "THE FUNERAL PARTY/M" LIVE IN METZ, FRANCE 1981

2012-01-04T11:00:00.002-05:00

Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com.By Andrew Wilhelm (Denver)Goodbye, 2011. Hello, 2012. This year is going to be just as shitty as the last (unless the apocalypse happens, which will RULE), which means I've been

CHICAGO: GO TO FACE THE STRANGE TONIGHT!

2011-12-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

Wrekmeister HarmoniesAlong with the city's vibrant metal community, one of the things I miss the most about living in Chicago were Tuesdays at the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 East Chicago Ave.). Admission was free, and quite frankly, you couldn't put a price on some of the oddities on display. Goes to show that art is alive and well, depending on your definition of "art."Tonight, as part of

HAPPY HOLIDAZE: A GRINDCORE CHRISTMAS

2011-12-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Does your Christmas need to be wackier? Than we've got just the thing for you - A Grindcore Christmas!Phil Acevedo, a Rio Grande Valley experimental musician who records under A Beautiful Lotus, has assembled a collection of demented carols from a wide swarth of grindcore and noise artists. These aren't your grandfather's Bing Crosby yuletide classics, and better yet, these are surely not your

VAN DAMNED'S BEST OF 2011

2011-12-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

I will not be sorry to see 2011 go. I am, by nature, an optimist, but there are limits on what a man can take and still wake up smiling. And it got pretty close on more than one occasion. To be sure, highlights abounded, but in the win-loss columns of life, I'm leaning towards the latter for this one.I do have high hopes for 2012, however. It's not every day you get to witness the end of the

THE SWIZARD'S BEST OF 2011

2011-12-22T08:00:00.005-05:00

2011 was a weird year for metal. On one hand, any metal band with some sort of “artistic” element was embraced and pumped up by indie rock media, which lead to a lot of deserving bands and labels getting some well-earned garnered acclaim and maybe even some money, but for the rest of us lifers. it kind of felt like a lot of fireworks for not a lot of delivery. As a 31-year-old recovering hardcore

CHASE MACABRE'S BEST OF 2011

2011-12-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ahh, it's that time of year again. One of my favorite times of the year in fact. Christmas lights, rampant consumerism, the approaching NFL playoffs, the sun beginning to set before 5pm which causes depression and sickness, and a chill in the air that feels like it wants to choke you to death. Seriously folks, the thing I actually love the most about this season is all of the fabulous "Best of

ANDREW WILHELM'S BEST OF 2011

2011-12-20T11:00:00.003-05:00

Time to make the noxious cloud of information smog even thicker! At least I'm telling you about awesome music you should be listening to, instead of giving you false empowerment through hackneyed optimistic sayings or trying to co-opt you into a political movement by saying you are JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Or worse yet, using the internet to complain about how metal was better back in the 80s and

THESE SEANS' BEST OF 2011

2011-12-19T19:30:00.004-05:00

Music is an intensely personal form of art - for both those who create and those who take the time to appreciate. Music is often reflective of time periods within life. I feel that this list represents a very significant change in my life within the last year: the disappearance of time. My list last year had records that I enjoyed on a very deep level. I spent a lot of time listening to

LIVE REVIEWS: RITES OF DARKNESS III

2011-12-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

All photos by Van Damned.By Andrew Wilhelm (Denver) and Van Damned (SATX)The most amazing thing about last weekend's Rites of Darkness III festival in San Antonio was that it actually happened. The venue opened its doors, people showed up and bands played. "No shit, y'all, bands are supposed to show up and people are supposed to come." You're right, but the prognosis wasn't looking healthy for

FRESHLY BAKED: CROOKED NECKS

2011-12-14T09:00:00.003-05:00

In "Freshly Baked," we feature promising young bands or bands that are otherwise lacking the attention we think they deserve.By Andrew Wilhelm (Denver)Post-punk and '90s alternative influences in metal are nothing new. What happens, though, when a large part of metal is erased from the equation?The end result is Crooked Necks. The duo's recent release, Alright Is Exactly What It Isn't, is one of

CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: RITES OF DARKNESS III EDITION

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com. This weekend, Andy and Van will be perverting churches and nuking crosses at the third (and likely final) Rites of Darkness festival. By now, you might have caught ill wind of

EARTH ANNOUNCE ANGELS OF DARKNESS, DEMONS OF LIGHT II

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

The second half of drone doom legends Earth's ponderous study in glacial folk and chamber doom, Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, has been announced for a February 2012 release date. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (duh) was recorded in the same two-week session as its predecessor but will have a slightly different feel than the stately, austere I. "The second part is more stuff like

CHROME WAVES, FEATURING WOLVHAMMER AND ATLAS MOTH DUDES, POSTS TRACK

2011-12-05T09:00:00.002-05:00

Do you need even more new music in your life? Don't you already have enough to listen to?Chrome Waves says you don't. And with a lineup that features Stavros Giannopoulos (The Atlas Moth, Twilight), Jeff Wilson (Wolvhammer, ex-Nachtmystium), and Bob Fouts (Apostle of Solitude, ex-The Gates of Slumber), you're in no position but to agree.The trio has just released a song called "Height of the

CRUSTCAKE INTERVIEWS: ACEPHALIX

2011-12-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

By Andrew Wilhelm (Denver)San Francisco's Acephalix have used both crust and death as weapons since they first formed in 2007. And even with that accomplishment, they have turned into a full-on death metal beast. Earlier this year, Southern Lord released Interminable Night, a collection of the band's Flesh Torn in Twilight and Interminable Night. Even if it's technically a compilation, it's

CRUSTCAKE PICKS - NEW CAKE IN THE OVEN: ANNE - DREAM PUNX

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

by The Swizard (ATX) A389 Recordings is running their label the right way: they put out bands they love. The proof is in their roster. Established hardcore legends like Ringworm and Integrity? Check. Metal bands taking things to unique places, like Pale Creation and Mindsnare? Affirmative. Youthful chaos of varying degrees in Children Of God, The Love Below, Seven Sisters Of Sleep, and Low

HAPPY HOLIDAZE: THANKSGIVING

2011-11-24T11:57:00.001-05:00

Face front, True Believers! It's time for another round of all-day football/parade marathons on TV, Tryptophan-induced comas and beer-fueled arguments with your brother-in-law. In short, Thanksgiving is once again upon us. Unbuckle your belt, gird up your loins and break out the backhoe, it's time to eat! Make the jump for a few of our favorite Thanksgiving Day-related metal tunes and be sure

NOT A CRUSTY CLIP: HEXVESSEL RELEASE JUSTIN OAKEY-DIRECTED VIDEO FOR 'I AM THE RITUAL'

2011-11-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

We're big fans for Justin Oakey's video work. In the past, we've featured his work filming Column of Heaven and Slaughter Strike, but he doesn't just work with Endless Blockade-related bands. He's just release his video for Finnish (by way of the UK) psych-folkers Hexvessel's "I Am the Ritual." The track comes from the ex-Code/Dødheimsgard conspirator Kvohst-led band's release from this year,

CRUSTY CLIP OF THE WEEK: XIBALBA - 'COLD'

2011-11-23T11:41:00.003-05:00

Every single Wednesday without fail, your hosts post a suitably stale video clip that we think needs to be revisited. Click here for more Crusty Clips. Got a clip you think we should post? Send it to crustcake@gmail.com.By The Swizard (ATX)Music videos are fucking awesome. Who doesn’t have a fond memory of seeing their first music video on MTV, then getting a hairbrush out of the bathroom and

CAKE BITES: KEN MODE - LIVE

2011-11-22T00:09:00.001-05:00

With Cake Bites, we present you with sweet, crusty morsels of our writing in bite-sized form. Think of them as heavy metal petit fours -- all killer, no filler left-hooks to your brain's mouth. Photo by Scott Stewart KEN mode When: Oct. 13, 2011 Where: The Korova, San Antonio I usually hate resorting to referencing tropes like glaciers cracking or mountains heaving, but KEN mode really are

CRUSTCAKE STREAMS: ANAL CUNT - THE OLD TESTAMENT

2011-11-21T10:30:00.004-05:00

Anal Cunt were never sycophants to good taste - a simple Google search of their song titles will say a lot more than we can. But if you think they were offensive in their heyday, you should hear them when they first started in the late 80s. The late Seth Putnam and his band of musical anarchists weren't relying on provocative titles to make themselves the most hated band in America. Instead, they