Monkeyclaus» Metal

The Art of Being Heavy: Horsefang

peter — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:54:47 +0000

Horsefang is epic instrumental Metal from Charlottesville, VA. "The 'Fang" recorded their first EP at Monkeyclaus last year. It is a gnarly Metal ripper from start to finish. This past weekend they began to lay down the tracks for their follow up release. The raw tracks from this first session are entirely mammoth and crushing. Drummer Jarrod Hood's new DDrums "Bonham style" acrylic kit makes all the difference. Also the co-engineering of Bruce Falkinburg with studio stalwart Abel Okugawa. The tone crafting of the new Horsefang sound is brilliant. Articulate and monstrous drums meld with bigger bass tones and fiercer guitars, still with an element of warmth and breath. The new songs are more expansive, while still complex, mathy and galloping forward. Horsefang is a sound worth submitting to; a face melting brand of fantasy Metal fit for children and adults. We love it! They will be in the studio, especially on weekends, for the next months. We can't wait to debut their new sounds on our site and sell their new masterpiece. Check out the debut Horsefang album in our digital download store.

The Art of Being Heavy: Horsefang

koblitz — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:35:23 +0000

Blisstrain: Euphoric Eurorail

koblitz — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:31:52 +0000

The Blisstrain is and was a tour concept brought to life by Exile on Mainstream Records founder Andreas "Kanzler" Kohl. The Blisstrain Tour, took place from March 9 to March 16 2008, and featured five Exile on Mainstream bands. A Whisper In The Noise (USA), End of Level Boss (UK), Beehoover (GER), We Insist! (FR), and DŸSE (GER) all hit the road together, performing concerts in Germany, Belguim and the Netherlands. "The idea is to bring some EOM bands together and have a celebration which differs a bit from usual indoor festivals. It involves our currently most active bands, who will share a stage and play own sets as well as some collaborations since all these bands know each other well enough now. Also there will be an exhibition involved by Daniel Secker who does most of our artworks."

Together, the Exile on Mainstream bands and staff, operate much like a huge family of oddballs and kindred spirits. The label is known for releasing "heavy music", much of which is steeped in traditions of Metal or Doom, but the diversity of the catalog is also a trademark of the label. Blisstrain is the perfect evidence of this multi-faceted approach. A Whisper In The Noise constructs beautiful melodies, relying as heavily on voice as orchestral sounds to evoke a somber and mysterious world. End of Level Boss is a shit-kicking riff machine with heavy prog influence, particularly of the Voivod ilk. Beehoover is a duo of bass and drums and vocals, who explore Doom, Jazz, Krautrock, and other Avant Rock modalities within their stripped down configuration. We Insist! is a fascinating and unique French rock unit led by Etienne Gaillochet, as drummer and main vocalist. With a horn section, singing drummer, and odd time changes, We Insist! is completely one of a kind. DŸSE is a two headed monster, a guitar and drum and vocal duo who rage thru their sets with the intensity of Lightning Bolt, with their own East German vibe. The Blisstrain tour featured many onstage collaborations and cross pollinations of these fine bands.

The full Exile On Mainstream catalog will be available thru the Monkeyclaus digital download store. Currently Monkeyclaus has all but a few titles in the store. The rest are somewhere in a cargo plane over the Atlantic? Coming soon. And keep your eyes open for Blisstrain 2009.

text by Matthew Clark

Images of Mass Sabbath

koblitz — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:29:02 +0000

Here is a link to a slideshow of photos taken at the Halloween Mass Sabbath and Horsefang show in Charlottesville, Virginia. Sure was heavy! Thanks to Andrew Shurtleff for the photos!!!!

http://www.andrewshurtleff.com

Wolf Eyes Photos / Crush Your Skull

koblitz — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:16:21 +0000

Wolf Eyes, the most notorious group in the American Underground, remain completely seminal. With a fantastic new full length record on Sub Pop entitled "Human Animal", as well as a recent 12" single on Sub Pop entitled "Driller", Wolf Eyes are unchained again and currently touring through the United States.

John Olson handles electronics, tapes, and horns. Nate Young handles vocals, electronics, and programming. Mike Connelly handles guitar, electronics, metal, and vocals. Wolf Eyes hail from the Detroit, Michigan area.

Wolf Eyes played the Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville, Virginia with John Wiese and with Grand Banks on October 11th, 2006. Included here are live photographs of the Wolf Eyes set. Wolf Eyes then headed out to Monkeyclaus en route to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Wolf Eyes toured the Monkeyclaus Studio and were gracious in agreeing to a rural photo session. Those photographs are presented here as well. Monkeyclaus was super-honored to hang out with Wolf Eyes. Monkeyclaus believes in the power of Wolf Eyes and that they are certainly part of the modern art Zeitgeist of today.

Be sure to catch Wolf Eyes on their current tour and let them crush your skull. You just might learn something valuable.

Wolf Eyes

2006-10-13 Club Downunder Tallahassee FL
2006-10-14 Common Grounds Gainesville FL
2006-10-15 TSI Jacksonville FL
2006-10-16 Social, The Orlando FL
2006-10-17 Bottletree Birmingham AL
2006-10-18 Lamars Restaurant and Lounge Chattanooga TN
2006-10-19 Mecca Lexington KY
2006-10-20 Southgate House Newport KY
2006-10-21 Little Brothers Columbus OH
2006-10-22 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights OH
2006-11-02 Dionysius Dance Club at Oberlin Oberlin OH
2006-11-03 Cactus Bar Milwaukee WI
2006-11-04 7th St Entry Minneapolis MN
2006-11-06 Loft, The Missoula MT
2006-11-08 Pats Pub Vancouver BC, Canada
2006-11-09 Crocodile Cafe Seattle WA
2006-11-10 Rusty Nail (basement of Copeland Hall) Portland OR
2006-11-11 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco CA
2006-11-13 Echo Los Angeles CA
2006-11-14 Casbah, The San Diego CA