Metal Riot

Happy Friday, weirdos. I am still laughing from all the people on Twitter who thought that Pat Smear during the Foo Fighters inauguration performance was actually Obama. Can you imagine how crazy that must’ve seemed to them? Imagine the past four years he was just quietly biding his time and learning to shred on “Times Like These” to troll Trump with a superior inauguration for his pal Biden.

Anyway, here we are in the great big aftermath or messy diaper left behind from the Trump fiasco. Seems like a great time to get excited about some new music.

Tomahawk — the rock band featuring Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard, Unsemble), Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas), Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc.) and John Stanier (ex-Helmet, Battles) — are back with their first full-length album in eight years, titled Tonic Immobility and set to arrive on March 26 through Ipecac Recordings.

I had just recently busted out their debut and have been driving around frequently listening to that or Belly’s Star at like 6am as a good indicator of my daily mood, lol. So glad I have actually seen them live a few times and that the project isn’t dead in the water. The new Bungle line-up is certainly a supergroup but this one maybe even more so for snobs like me, haha. Stanier!!!

“Tonic Immobility could just be something in the air we’re feeling,” says Denison. “It’s been a rough year between the pandemic and everything else. A lot of people feel somewhat powerless and stuck as they’re not able to make a move without second guessing themselves or worrying about the outcomes. For as much as the record possibly reflects that, it’s also an escape from the realities of the world. We’re not wallowing in negativity or getting political. For me, rock has always been an alternate reality to everything else. I feel like this is yet another example.”

Interesting. Perhaps a strange, psychic cousin to DEP’s Option Paralysis?

The lead single can be heard below now and sounds as them as you’d expect.

Mario Quintero of NY’s Spotlights is our latest proud addition to Metal Riot’s interviews. The alternative rock influenced band have been making waves for several releases now, but their newest Ipecac opus Love & Decay is next level phenomenal. This is a big scopealbum with numerous standout tracks (the chill slow burn build of closer “The Beauty Of Forgetting” comes to mind right away), but which can easily consume your full attention all the way through. It sparks a deep dive into your imagination and often feels like it could soundtrack a space exploration video of massive bodies floating in the void. Certainly on the short list of best musical releases of 2019 for me thus far, I know I am going to spend a lot of time with this pensive, personal and powerfully moving album probably for many years. It has that special energy in the performances, vibes, melody and songwriting that makes you circle back to it…and did I mention big ass juicy riffs as well?!

Read more BELOW.

Temples Festival have announced grunge godfathers The Melvins as the Saturday night headliner. The fest line up this year is pretty damn forceable, featuring Jucifer, Acid King, All Pigs Must Die and many more great bands.

Statement:

While we are all bummed out about Malcolm Young retiring, let’s be thankful that we at least know the Melvins will probably never, ever hang it up.

The Quietus has premiered a new Butthole/Melvins jaunt entitled “Sesame Street Meat”. I don’t know if that is a nod to the whole “please don’t tickle me, Elmo” controversy awhile ago but it is a solid jam full of heavy ass Eggnog-worthy low end and some of the quirky textural detours their major label years or even under-appreciated gem Hostile Ambient Takeover afforded listeners. But all in all it is more early grunge sounding than most of what they have done between now and, say, A Senile Animal. Great stuff. Click HERE to get blessened.

Paul Leary and JD Pinkus join the band on new album Hold It In, out October 14th. Pre-order HERE.

Buzz pic by Rei Weiss

June 25, 2014, Los Angeles – Palms, the Los Angeles-based band featuring three former members of the post-metal band ISIS with Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno, return to the road for a southwestern tour in September.

The band released their self-titled debut album in 2013 with Spin describing Palms as “the slow-orbiting-rocket float of Oceanic-era ISIS painted in soft colors, now with the gushing, soaring melodies that would work on an older sibling’s mixtape next to Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, US, or Depeche Mode” and Revolver proclaiming the album a “dreamy, swooning… masterpiece.”

I just thought it was wicked dope and put it on my end of year top 5 last year.

Click here for the new tour dates, you future warriors and warrior princesses.

May 14, 2014, Torrance, Calif. – Scion Audio Visual is offering a free download of a new Buzz Osborne song titled “The Hesitation Twist” via Scion AV’s Soundcloud page HERE.

 Osborne, the legendary Melvins‘ front man, played his debut solo, acoustic show at Scion AV’s February Rock Show and will also perform this Saturday at Scion AV’s annual Scion Rock Fest. The 2014 installment of Scion Rock Fest features twenty-six of the biggest names in hard rock and metal including Machine Head, High on Fire, Red Fang and Orchid. The festival, which has been held in Atlanta, Columbus, Tampa and Memphis, returns to Southern California with four stages spread across The Glasshouse and The Fox Theatre in Pomona, Calif.

The Scion Rock Show, a free monthly concert series at The Satellite in Los Angeles, debuted last summer. The monthly outings offers music fans the chance to see both the next wave of bands in hard rock and metal as well as the rare opportunity to see more established artists in an intimate setting. Past participants include Weedeater, ASG, Fu Manchu and Indian Handcrafts. A limited edition 7-inch featuring music from past performers is available at each installment of the Scion Rock Show.

 About Scion Audio Visual:

 Scion Audio Visual (AV for short) is a creative enterprise of Scion devoted to the discovery, nurture, funding and distribution of compelling music and arts programming. Scion AV has created and championed projects for over 100 underground musical artists, supported tours and special events, created film documentaries, curated art installations, and produced a collection of ‘zines. In addition, Scion AV executes the annual Scion Music(less) Music Conference and operates 7 broadband radio stations via Scion Streaming Radio. For more information, visit ScionAV.com

Following last year’s reissue of ISIS’ debut album, Celestial, a re-mastered version of the seminal band’s third album, Panopticon, is slated for an April 29 release via Ipecac Recordings (CD/digital).