Dear Eminem—
You survived a stint in rehab and some serious weight gain, only to rebound with a hit record in an era where they simply don’t exist anymore.
Lighten up. And if all of this was staged, then you truly are an unparalleled master of self-promotion. (Yep, it was; man, we’re gullible. Oh well.)
We get a lot of crap CDs at the self-titled offices. But once in a while, a pleasant surprise slips into our promo stack. Here’s a recent delivery that knocked the S/T staff on its collective ass.
Continue reading »
Nick McMaster will destroy you at "(Bass) Guitar Hero" any day.
[Text/Photos by Andrew Parks]
While we certainly expected a LOUD supporting slot set from Krallice on Tuesday night, self-titled didn’t think the Dysrhythmia/Byla/Gorguts/Behold… The Arctopus/Mick Barr-related project would blow our eardrums out by their second song. Sticking to a largely-instrumental downward spiral of unfiltered shredding (guitar pedals? who needs ‘em!) and dueling from-the-depths-of-hell vocals (Barr and bassist Nick McCaster, a leaning tower of pure fret-climbing power), the quartet blew away any naysayers and even nailed “Forgiveness In Rot,” the ravenous 15-minute closer of Krallice’s self-titled debut.
No wonder why these frenzied fools made our best-of list last year. And with a new Dysrhythmia disc on the way soon, we’ll likely be praising at least one of Krallice’s members later this summer. Now for some photos and a free MP3…
Continue reading »
[Text/Photos by Andrew Parks]
When it comes to Wolves in the Throne Room, we could care less about how ‘true’ the band is to black metal’s 101 Unholy Commandments. (Our personal favorites: [58] When referring to sex with a Metal Chick use only the terminology “sticking my clouded frost-spire into her gates of attrition”and [101] You mean to tell me you read this whole thing when you could have been prancing about in the forest with an axe? For shame! For shaaaaame!)
Let’s be real here: the BM scene’s collective corpsepainted head is stuck so far up its own ass it makes aging hardcore addicts—guys who still get excited about new Madball albums—look civil. Thankfully for us, the Brothers Weaver (drummer Aaron and frontman Nathan, as backed by guitarist Will Lindsay and bassist Ross Sewage) have always distanced themselves from gross assumptions and unfair expectations in interviews and on record, including the poignant one-two punch of this year’s Malevolent Grain EP and the recently-released/wholly recommended Black Cascade.
Continue reading »
by Arye Dworken
Yes, we’re fully aware that Matt and Kim’s sophomore album, Grand, came out months ago, but there’s no denying how the duo’s hit their stride as of late. We can’t help but think that it has something to do with self-titled’s appearance with them on MTV, but it’s probably a result of the couple’s tireless touring, R-rated run through Times Square, and that one Bacardi commercial.
And like the repeated refrain of their song “Don’t Slow Down,” Matt and Kim are heading into the studio in the near future to record Album No. 3. Here’s what Matt had to say about all of the above and much more…
Continue reading »
[Polaroid shot by Alexander Wagner; rest of photos by Jon Kristiansen & Giselle Vienne]
Interview by Andrew Parks
We usually skip listening sessions because they’re awkward, forced and rushed. With that in mind, the one for Sunn O)))’s seventh studio album, the aptly-titled Monoliths & Dimensions, was a welcome diversion from everyday office affairs because it involved free beer and a studio grade stereo Jann Wenner couldn’t even afford. Not to mention a low profile appearance by a cooler-than-thou Jim Jarmusch, who hand-selected Sunn O))) and Boris for The Limits of Control soundtrack.
The verdict: best…listening session…ever, as the album’s four expansive acoustic v. electric battles washed over our eyes and ears, leaving us grasping for adjectives that’d describe a disc that channels everything from Alice Coltrane to death-metal and features such curveballs as a madcap conductor (the incomparable Eyvind Kang, who’s also worked with Animal Collective and Mr. Bungle), an otherworldly Viennese choir, and a trio of conch players. The following is from an s/t interview in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen area (how appropriate, right?) with Sunn’s core members, guitarists Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson. Expect a full-on feature with the pair, complete with streaming songs and a Sunn-invades-NY photo shoot, in our next digital issue, which drops in June…
Continue reading »
[Slideshow shots by Abbey Braden; other photos/video by Andrew Parks]
Thanks to all the artists and attendees at OSCILLATIONS last Thursday. For those of you who missed the festivities, here are some honorary awards from the night:
Time for some photos and a video of Zombie Zombie killing it, sunglasses at night style…
Continue reading »
[Photo by Geoff Johnson]
By Austin L. Ray
Quick: Name a state that’s more responsible for today’s finest metal than Georgia. Just try; although your answer’s gonna be wrong no matter what. Shall we count the reasons why? Mastodon. Harvey Milk. Baroness. Torche (in part). Zoroaster. Withered. The list goes on, but it wouldn’t be complete without Savannah’s Kylesa. Purveyors of one of 2009’s finest records, metal or otherwise—the monstrous Static Tensions—these four fellas (and one teeth-gnashing gal) have made quite a name for themselves over the past eight years.
Guitarist/vocalist Phillip Cope took a few moments away from the band’s relentless touring schedule—which passes through the indie-centric environs of Cake Shop (!) next Saturday—to dig into a few cuts for self-titled.
Continue reading »
[Photo by Alexander Wagner]
Yes we realize it’s almost June. That said, we uncovered yet another set of SXSW-related video clips this week—clips we’re going to share throughout the holiday weekend because self-titled doesn’t know the meaning of ‘vacation.’ First up: an interview and pair of special acoustic performances from We Were Promised Jetpacks. Aside from possessing the most brilliant band name of 2009—not including Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, of course—the quartet is our favorite Scottish band since their Fatcat labelmates, The Twilight Sad.
Find out why before their debut, These Four Walls, drops in early July…
Continue reading »
We get a lot of crap CDs at the self-titled offices. But once in a while, a pleasant surprise slips into our promo stack. Here’s a recent delivery that knocked the S/T staff on its collective ass.
Continue reading »
© 2012 Pop Mart Media | Find us on Twitter & Facebook Site Built by PAPER TIGER