Zelliack - Noir Tone (2012)

Artist: Zelliack
Album: Noir Tone
Genre: R&B, Jazz, Progressive Rock
Country: USA
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	1.	Autumn In Analog 04:14
	2.	Hargrove 04:44
	3.	Without A Doubt 03:33
	4.	These Hands 05:10
	5.	Call Me Old Fashioned 04:16

Only a fackin dolla

Skull Incision - Split wth Noah Sias (2012)

Artist: Skull Incision
Album: Split with Noah Sias
Genre: Deathcore- and Grindcore-influenced Metal
Country: CA, USA
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1. Who the Fuck Cares About Casey Anthony
2. Insanity for Sanity
3. /\
4. Sky Tower
5. Coffin
6. |
7. Filth

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Noah Sias - Split EP with Skull Incision (2012)

Artist: Noah Sias
Album: Split EP with Skull Incision - The Layman's Guide To Anti-Intellectual Terrorism: The Lost Pages
Genre: Deathcore, Djent
Country: MI, USA
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	1.	Retrospect
	2.	Hate Is Where The Heart Is
	3.	Never Trust A Pair Of Legs That Talk Back
	4.	I Have A Black Belt In Law

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Octaves - Press Release Thing

Artist: Octaves
Genre: Hardcore, Mathcore
Country: MD, USA
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"Octaves from Baltimore, MD has been putting their efforts into an as-yet untitled full length since late 2011 into 2012. Since the release of their first effort "Greener Pastures" the band has been pushing their musical boundaries to write a much darker, lasting and meaningful batch of music this time around. Demos were recently done with Mike York of Up in the Guts recordings (Pianos Become the Teeth, The Saddest Landscape, We Were Skeletons, Holy Tongues) and a recent video of that can be viewed here on YouTube. Octaves plans to tour the US extensively this year to support their next release as well as Europe, Australia and Canada into 2012 and beyond. Thanks to all of our friends who have stuck with us and supported us in the past and those who are looking forward to our next release. Updates can be found on our Facebook or twitter page at www.facebook.com/Octavesmd and www.twitter.com/Octavesmd"
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Gadget Hackwrench Fetish Club - THE INTERVIEW, BITCHES

Hey you guys. So here's something a little different. A while back I posted about a project under the name of Gadget Hackwrench Fetish Club. I love this project, and I frequently blast the only album from said project, "<3 Online". I love it so much, I contacted the mastermind behind the project, and asked for an interview. He has some pretty neat and interesting things to say about live shows, motivation, dealing with labels, and all manner of things. So I present to you guys my interview with Vlad of GHFC.

Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


First off, is this a solo project, or is there a full band involved
with GHFC?

It shud be a band. Like at least 2 ppl. and when i played gigs in
Moscow i had a guitarist, we had a lot of rehearsals, like more than a
year and played together but now i just moved to another country, so,
i play tracks along on my sets. However, i think if everything will be
fine i'll find a new guitarist for gigs.

There's an obvious element of MIDI and computer controlled events
and instruments in your music. How much of the music is electronic?

Hm, GHFC supposed to be an instrumental project. So, we have live
guitars and vocals. All other instruments are electronic and
programmed. Like drumz and synths and effects. Yeah, some ppl 'd say
that it's not super 'tru' thing to use a drum machine but i can tell a
lot about it. First of all, i moved a lot in my life from place to
place and i know how difficult to find a drummer sometimes. Plus u
have to have rehearsals and if u go on gig everyone shud be ok. A real
drummer is a big plus and big minus in the same time. So, it's not
good or bad. It's just how it is. We use drum machine. And this is our
advantage. Now some ppl think that u can just "play drumz from
winamp". Fuck 'em. When drum machines appeared it was a whole
revolution. I made my own samples which sounds like real drumz but
which are really punchy when u play them live on a big sound on a
stage. Sound design is an interesting science and in future albums
drumz samples will be even better.

You mentioned performing the material live. Given the electronic
components in the music, how is it performed, and what kind of
reaction does it get?

Super simple. We play tracks from a sampler (in my case it's my PSP
with broken screen lol). And i do vocals like screaming and singing
sometimes. Guitarist play his guitar. I use some effects on vocals
when i play live, like a megaphone and some glitch effects. We wear
some weird masks and costumes sometimes.
Reaction. That's really strange but i think we have the same feedback
from ppl as a normal hardcore/mathcore band. Cuz it's the same except
drumz but we have some nice electronics, so, i think everything is
fine.

Who are some of your influences? It seems like it'd be hard to find
inspiration for a project that combines so many different genres and
styles. Also, who are some other bands you enjoy listening to?

Good question. I don't listen to much music. Usually i produce
something more than just listen to something. My favorite band is
Horse The Band. 2nd is Duck, Duck, Goose. Some others. Also i always
was between electronic and instrumental scenes and played with
electronic producers and instrumental bands a lot. In general, i just
like 'core' music with some emotions. I just tried to mix different
genres and sounds together. I spent like 6 years trying different
things before GHFC. It wasn't that new for me. I mean material. It was
just a 1st big work.

" [♥] Online" is produced wonderfully. What is your background in production?

Thank you :3 It's not perfect but I did my best. I made music for 8
years. I know a lot about mixing and i have some gears. So i decided
to do everything by myself. Sometimes it's not a best idea but it's
kool for the beginning. I only recorded vocals on a studio. Lol, btw,
that was funny. I went to some random recording studio for rappers in
prague and said like "sup i want to record some vocals". Haha, poor
rappers) But they had really good mics and preamps, so, i didn't mix
vocals much.


How would you describe the extreme music scene at the moment? Good,
bad, etc.?

Dunno dude, tbh, it's too much things all the time. I don't have time
to watch for all the changes in electronic and instrumental stage. I
always liked mathcore and hardcore. Last 2 years it's more about
post-metal, post-rock,... I'm not that much into it. I think there are
a lot good bands now. Now i'm listening War from a harlots mouth,
letlive, and a lot of random bands. So, what can i say, i'm not a
musician, not a researcher, i dunno lol)

It would seem that you haven't attempted to market this album very
much, and finding info on the band is very difficult. Any reason why?
What media outlets have you used regarding GHFC(ex. Soundcloud,
Bandcamp, etc.)?

Yea dude that's the best question. You know, i spent almost 2 years
with all the shit to make the album. And this is the story. I wanted
to release it in states cuz almost all hardcore/mathcore bands are
there (at least which i like). So, i found that label and they said
like "Dude we will print cds" and i was like "Hooray". Cuz a year ago
i worried about such stuff. So, i sent everything to the label and
deleted the album from the internets. half a year gone. No cds.
Nothing. Dude, it's always the same in underground. No responsibility.
What i think now. Fuck money and everything. I did it and i can do
whatever i want. I'm planning to share it soon. I want to make a
discography for my main project Airborne Drumz and put the album on
it. I made it for ppl and fuck everything else.

Is there going to be any new material any time soon from GHFC?

Hm, now i'm experiencing tuff times. Moving to Berlin. Everything is
unpredictable. But what i can say is that GHFC is a project which i
went to many years. So, i'm not gonna give up. It's just a question of
time. I found a guitarist now and i work on new project called Knife
Of Life. I'm not sure that it's a next step for GHFC. but who knows.
Maybe if everything will go kool in Berlin and i'll find a guitarist
there, maybe i'll write a new material for GHFC. Atm, i have a lot
things to do in my life but GHFC is my child and i'm not gonna leave
it. At least there will be a video clip i hope in a couple of months.
We filmed everything in July but, you know how it usually happen, i
can't do everything by myself lol.

What's your life outside of music like? You seem to live quite
extremely, in that you're constantly moving around and in some weird
situations.

Yea my life is fucked up cuz i born in Russia. 3rd world country. This
is how it is. Last 4 years i gave 60+ gigs in more 20 cities and 5
countries. Life of an underground musician lolz. I have to work full
time cuz i'm not a rich kid and i always had problems with visa and
shit cuz i born in wrong country but i'm fighting every single day. I
don't need any motivation or inspiration to make music. I have a lot
of ideas from my life. Maybe i'll make a movie about it one day haha.
And after all these years i still don't do drugs. That's even kinda
weird i'm not a straightedger or anything. So, yea my life is fucked
up but i keep up making music.

Any other thoughts or things you'd like to say?

Hm, yea. Gadget Hackwrench. You know this is a character from Disney
cartoon Rescue Rangers. Was quite popular in Russia when i was a kid.
I had my first sexual fantasies about her lolz and then i asked artist
to make a poster where she shoots heroin in to her leg. Like, you
know, real life Gadget. And that guy from a label asked Disney "cud we
use this poster". ahah, I never thought that it will go that far. Yea,
dude, I play some of the songs on each gig on my main project.
Sometimes i'm thinking that GHFC is f`ing awesome. So, i don't wanna
predict anything but we will see, maybe i'll make new songs laters.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


There you have it guys. Vlad's a struggling musician, and has some pretty interesting things to say, as well as some fucking awesome music to make.


I implore anyone reading this to check out GHFC, and to at least like him on Facebook.


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ghfcband

Treeman - "Summer Substance"

Artist: Treeman
Album: Summer Substance
Genre: Indie Kind of i guess
Country: IL, USA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Treemantunes

1. Saiorse
2. WEE
3. Don't Stay Away
4. Burning Away
5. Oh No
6. Untitled
7. It's Okay

Treeman is actually a project of a friend of mine, but I'm still gonna write about it anyways.

Treeman is certainly unique. Then again, I don't listen to a whole lot of indie folkish music. Maybe every album ever produced in the genre sounds like this, although that would just be silly. Blending together jammy-kind-of-trippy guitar parts and melodies with a haunting vocal approach, and a production style that really sets an atmosphere, Treeman really gets the listener into a sense of sorts. Some could call it unease. Some could call it relaxedness. Any way you look at it, however, this guy is really quite talented in that he knows just how to put together guitars, and what they have to sound like in order to make an atmosphere of general awe.

On the lighter side, most of this album is done on an acoustic guitar, with some airy electric guitar melodies over certain passages. What's really striking about the use of the acoustic guitar on this album, however, is the production that accompanies it. Treeman makes amazing use of certain effects, and employs little miscellaneous-sounding production tools that truly craft a sense of... otherworldliness. Shit, I don't know, man.

Overall, it's hard to describe this album(or project) in words so much. The music to me really just emits a feel of sorts that I don't think can be described. As I said before, it could be interpreted as many different things. To take the safe route, you could classify the album as "trippy" and leave it at that, but that name wouldn't do it justice. This is truly an album that speaks to the listener, and is open to interpretation. That's the way I see it at least. Maybe I'm completely wrong, but the songs on this album really put me into a kind of stupor, in that I don't really know what to think of them, while knowing that I like them a lot.

Download all of Treeman's works on his Bandcamp for free. Do it. Now.

Bandcamp: http://treeman.bandcamp.com/album/summer-substance

Of Reverie - Your Meaning - Single (2012)

Artist: Of Reverie
Album: Your Meaning - Single
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Metalcore
Country: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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1. Your Meaning

Band Submission

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The Dirtball - Hustlin' Dubstep Remix (2012)

Artist: The Dirtball
Album: Hustlin' Dubstep Remix
Genre: Rapstep
Country: OR, USA
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1. Hustlin' (Dubstep Remix)

Artist Submission

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What Once Was - Something Personal (2012)

Artist: What Once Was
Album: Something Personal
Genre: Hardcore/Deathcore
Country: IN, USA
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Intro
Something Personal
Scars Don't Sweat
Lines
Write Your Life

Band Submission

Preview

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Impurity Of Mriya - "The Fourth Reich"

Artist: Impurity Of Mriya
Album: The Fourth Reich
Genre: Progressive Deathcore
Country: NV, USA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Impurityofmriya

1. Der Riese
2. Collisions
3. Paradigm Of Machine
4. Illumination
5. The Fourth Reich
6. The Malevolent
7. Entropy

I've had IOM's first demo for a while now. Pretty much ever since it came out, and I remember when they had like 800 fans on their Facebook page. It's nice to see a good band gain some popularity. And while their demo was certainly good, with their first(I believe. Unless I'm wrong on that.) EP, they bring themselves to a new level. On their demo, IOM crafted some pretty good, but fairly generic deathcore. With this EP, the band has defined more of a sound for themselves, and show off some skill as a band that can offer something fairly unique to the deathcore genre.

Getting some of the lesser details out of the way, the production sounds great on this album, the technical skill of all the band members is definitely apparent, and Impurity Of Mriya is pretty damn heavy.
All of this aside, what really separates IOM from other bands in this genre? I've said this before, and I still stand by it. One of the greatest things a band can have is just an idea of how songs should flow together and be laid out. You can play shitty hardcore chugs nonstop and make it sound good if you can organize them in a fun and engaging way. Emmure, for example, rarely strays from their breakdowns and chugs, but manages to sound fun and entertaining because they have great awareness of how to arrange their songs.

What does this have to do with IOM? In a genre often plagued with mediocre song writing, IOM really shines. IOM has solid riffs, solid musicianship, and they're able to wrap it all together in a neat little package that demands attention. Every song on this EP has a unique and steady flow that really keep a listener engaged. Riffs have wonderful transitions, and the music is never boring. IOM have sound a good algorithm for writing songs, and wave that thing around like it's nobody's business.

And the actual content of these songs is pretty damn nifty as well. Melodic passages and interludes blend perfectly with crushing breakdowns, and faster riffs that just scream "CIRCLE PIT".
There's not much I can say in this regard other than "Solid work." Every part of every song sounds great, whether they're busting out the prog, or sticking to a pure bone-crushing heaviness.

Overall, IOM is just interesting in a genre where every other band sounds exactly the same. Songs are tight, and are fun to listen to while maintaining a serious tone. Brutality and melody are one with these guys. This EP is really just a fantastic entry into the deathcore genre, and I can't wait to see what these guys come up with next.

Bandcamp: http://impurityofmriya7.bandcamp.com/

THE DRIP - "THE DRIP"

Artist: THE DRIP
Album: THE DRIP
Genre: Grindcore
Country: WA, USA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thedripgrind

1. Intro
2. Pound It...
3. Fuck Yuppie Scum
4. No Mercy
5. GENOCIDAL TENDENCIES
6. They Flood
7. Tempest

Shit, just forget it. This is grind that's going to destroy your fucking face. Simple as that. Heavy, fast, and insane as fuck. Fuck. FUUUUUCKK.

I mean, after listening to this album all the way through, all I can really testify to is the amount of sheer crazy grind that this album emits.

I mean, fuck.

Bandcamp: http://thedrip.bandcamp.com/

Brandon Bristow (2007)

Artist: Brandon Bristow
Genre: Rock, Folk, Indie
Country: CA, USA
Website
Reverbnation




This is my stepdad. He is a gigantic influence in my life especially when it comes to independently recording music. Great surf tunes or campfire tunes with a few funny songs here and there. He does what he wants! I am only posting him now because he isn't on the internet very much but I got tired of waiting for a more convenient way to post his music. CDs are for sale at his website and nearly all his songs are up for free download at his REVERBNATION. I keep trying to talk him into making a Bandcamp so we will see about that!
You won't regret checking out these songs.

IVEBEENSHOT - Stay Classy (2006)

Artist: IVEBEENSHOT
Album: Stay Classy
Genre: Deathgrind
Country: CA, USA
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	1.	Gloryhole 01:48
	2.	SLUTASSBITCH 02:00
	3.	A. Scat Whore 01:16
	4.	Bark Twice if You're in Milwaukee 01:01

Oh my god, fucking NOSTALGIA! I listened to this all the time in high school when I downloaded it from Myspace. They have a lot of other tunes on their bandcamp for free so go raid it!

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Free The Robots - "Ctrl Alt Delete"

Artist: Free The Robots
Album: Ctrl Alt Delete
Genre: Electronic
Country: CA, USA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/freetherobots

1. Sci-Fidelity
2. Turbulence
3. Jupiter
4. Orion's Belt Buckle
5. Wandering Gypsy
6. Select / Start
7. Voices
8. Granite Rock
9. Mental Universe
10. Global Warning
11. The Eye
12. Turkish Voodoo
13. Inter Arma

Never have I been so struck by an album or artist of electronic music. I discovered Free The Robots a couple years ago when his first EP was released, and it looks like he's gaining a lot of popularity, which is amazing, because I can think of few artists who deserve it more than him.

This album is just beautiful. I can barely describe it. Combining elements of jazz, hip hop, and glitchy techno, all in a shell of general electro, Free The Robots has made a genre of music that is unlike anything you've heard before. This man is truly a master of production and song-writing.
Unlike most modern electronic music, this is an album of songs. Well thought out and amazingly executed songs. You'll be listening to an 8-bit hip hop jam, and then be thrust into a jazz composition. There are no drops. There's no side chaining. But the experience of listening to this album should be enough to put anyone in a stupor.

There's not much I can say about this album without going into weird detail with each song. Basically, Free The Robots is amazing. He has crafted an album of songs that really show the emotion that should go into writing good music. Albums like this do not see the light of day very often.

FTR has two more EPs out. An older EP, and a new one which I have yet to listen to (EDIT: I am listening to the new EP now. It's interesting. Much more experimental and glitchy than most of his other songs. Still very good, but also very different.). I highly recommend listening to them, and if you can, to buy them and support this incredible artist.

Mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/?gncncm5v50wvbx7
Buy it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ctrl-alt-delete/id362412904

Gadget Hackwrench Fetish Club - "Heart Online"

Artist: Gadget Hackwrench Fetish Club
Album: "Heart Online"
Genre: Cybergrind
Country: Can't find it.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ghfcband

1. The Seconds
2. Mermaid
3. Pink Unicorn
4. Back To The Earth
5. Pixels On The Screen
6. Digital Heart
7. July

EDIT: I talked to a member of the band over Facebook, and he said that the album should be put up online in mp3 format for download sometime soon.
I'mma see if I can't get an interview with him for the blog, because it sounds like he has a really interesting story about how the album was made, and the band in general.

These guys need to market their band together. Fifteen minutes of searching really brought up next to nothing on these guys, and despite being one of the most kickass cybergrind bands of all time, they have like 50 likes on their Facebook page.

First of all, if you like melodies, and song structures, you might want to go somewhere else. Not entirely fair, as some of the songs on this album rely pretty heavily on pretty melodies, but these guys are obvious subscribers to "FUCK YOU AND YOUR FACE" magazine. Just the way I like it.

The production is amazing for a band of this genre. Seriously, I can't think of a band out of any genre that has production like this(Except for maybe some of the bigger metal titans, but seriously). Lots of awesome little audio-candies are in the songs as well. 8-bit keys, awesome use of a drum machine, the vocal presentation, this album is a masterpiece of production.

The actual music? Forget it and go home. These guys are just too good. Every riff of theirs seems to be the craziest, heaviest guitar part I've ever heard. The vocals? My favorite. A desperate kind of screeching that can be interpreted as super serious, or super nonsensical.
Songs drift between absolute spazz-grind and epic funky breakdowns, in perfect balance. If you want to make a cybercorenintendogrindwhatever album, listen to this album to hear what your song structure should be like. These guys just knock it out of the park.

Basically? I could go on for a while on these guys. At the end of the day, they're amazing, and one of my favorite bands. They really need to step up the way they're promoting themselves however. I expect great things from these guys.

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/3-online/id463392487
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/ghfcband
I know there are other download links out there somewhere, as I have this album, and it's not in the iTunes purchased music format, whatever that is. I can't find anything besides the iTunes link though. At least listen to the Soundcloud, you guys.

Grow - Leave. (2011)

Artist: Grow
Album: Leave.
Genre: Screamo, Punk, Hardcore
Country: CA, USA

	1.	Say Nothing 02:25
	2.	Because pictures aren't enough 02:15
	3.	Thicker than Bricks 01:11
	4.	What's the Po int? 01:41
	5.	Merciless Moon 01:30
	6.	Giving up is so much easier 00:50

Such good songwriting. I love the passion in this band. Their live show is insane, their singer's presence is incredible. Listen to it!

Free Bandcamp Download

Gridlink - "Orphan"

Artist: Gridlink
Album: Orphan
Genre: Grindcore
Country: NJ, USA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GridLink512

1. Dar Al-Harb
2. Orphan
3. Deliverables
4. Scopedog
5. Red Eye
6. Cargo 200
7. Thorn Farmer
8. Embers, Blood, and Treasure
9. I Accept Your Last Wish
10. Hearts
11. Flatworlder
12. The Last Red Shoulder

Alright. So Gridlink has been a huge influence on my band, James Doesn't Exist, and I think I should write a review of their latest album. These guys aren't as big as they should be, and it really shocks me when I go to their Facebook and only see about 1800 likes. So this review is going to be about why you should listen to Gridlink.

First off, the amount of technical chops on this album are just insane. These guys are just shredding their guitars and drums to ashes. Yeah, shredding to ashes.  And with the piercing shriek vocals, everything must comes together so well in a giant cacophony of technicality and craziness.

Which brings me here, to my biggest point. The real reason I ever listen to grindcore, and the reason I'm sure most other people listen to grindcore.
This album will fuck your face off.
It won't be apologetic either. It will just grab your face and force itself into your mouth with it's utter bats hit sewer storm of crazy.
I mean, I don't know how these guys pull it off. Maybe it's the production or whatever, but Gridlink makes such an atmosphere of complete chaos, while still having actual listenable songs with an actual order that's almost cohesive.
So while I could go on about the talent in this band, or the sick ass drum parts, or vocals, or whatever, the real truth is that these guys are some of the craziest motherfuckers in a genre that's essentially a crazy motherfucker contest.

The only downside to this album, just because I have to pick one, is that all the songs blend together. But c'mon. If you're listening to grindcore, you're not really worried about that. All the songs are fucking awesome, and while they do all tend to blend together into a giant chaotic mess, that's exactly the way I like it.
Basically, if you're looking for a lot of song diversity, this probably isn't your best choice of an album.
But God damn, is this album good.

Having seen Gridlink live, I can also say that they are equally crazy onstage. Seriously, these guys are super talented and awesome and deserve more recognition as the awesome artists they are. They will always remain a huge influence to my band, and I can't wait until they finish their third album.

Mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/?zq96xpbb528en23
iTunes(BUY THIS ALBUM): http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/orphan/id419114726

Eraserhead - "A Suicide, Part One"

Artist: Eraserhead
Album: A Suicide, Part One
Genre: Sludge Metal
Country: IL, USA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Eraserheadsludge

1. Longing
2. Despondent
3. Rumination
4. Cessation
5. The Drift

Some heavy and depressing sludgy metal from myself.

Sorry for all the shameless self-promotion.

Coming up next, an actual review.

Bandcamp: http://eraserheadsludge.bandcamp.com/album/a-suicide-part-one

Tiger Lily - Annabeth EP (2012)

Artist: Tiger Lily
Album: Annabeth EP
Genre: Sludge Hardcore
Country: CA, USA
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	1.	Heaven/Plagues
	2.	Gold Tongue II
	3.	The Devil

My favorite local band recorded an album that is just about as heavy as their live show. It's free so you need to download and listen to it.

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HELP - SAVE THE BELTOWER

My favorite local venue is unofficially shut down and at risk for a worse fate. Help keep the Fresno music world alive and healthy by keeping one of its most loved venues open. This is a DIY venue run by real people who have worked endlessly for people to hear great music and bands to have the opportunity to play. This place needs to stay open. Please sign the petition and if you can donate some money so they can pay for the permits required to operate.

Petition

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Videos from the Beltower

Burdens - Blind World. Savage Death. (2012)

Artist: Burdens
Album: Blind World. Savage Death.
Genre: Hardcore
Country: PA, USA
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	1.	Silver Tongue 01:23
	2.	Tape Worm 02:25
	3.	Death Rattle 01:49
	4.	Soothsayer 01:44
	5.	In Exile 01:52
	6.	Blind World 03:47

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