The Heads are Zeros - All the Men I Love Are Dead

Clocking in just short of 8 minutes, this EP is a whirlwind of tech and grind reminiscent of early Daughters and The Sawtooth Grin, with elements of hardcore similar to Converge. However, that description doesn't begin to cover it. This band has such a delightful and eclectic blend of influences, it's hard to tire of "All the Men I Love Are Dead," and you'll soon find it on repeat. Super tight percussion, razor sharp guitars, and the disturbing and visceral prose poetry of vocalist Olivia Henry make this a powerful debut.

thefalls - Expect Nothing

December releases sometimes run the risk of being missed completely, but this cannot be ignored. "Expect Nothing" first punishes you with dissonant sludge riffs before a brief accelerando, which gives way to all out chaos. thefalls have got themselves one helluva debut with "Break the Calm," which clocks in @ nearly an hour. 

You can nab the album via iTunes, but the band's Bandcamp doesn't seem to be in use.

FFO: Black Sheep Wall, Noriega, and Imbroglio

Best of 2014: Leftovers Edition

There were quite a few good releases this year, but due to the fact this blog mostly covers a few niche genres, there were many other releases that I didn't get to cover or simply neglected to mention in my last post. So, I've decided to quickly throw together a couple lists that pretty much cover everything else I've enjoyed listening to in the last year, underground or not.

Further mathcore and grindcore releases (in no particular order):

TEBOTJF - demo

My good friend and former bandmate from Antarctica's newest effort, as seen on The Death of A Modernist's compilation, "The Dissonant Choir Vol. II."

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Izeovasis - Synapse Collective

Although this was recorded in 2013, it was still released back in January, which is good enough for me. Great mathcore/deathcore from the Bay Area.

Favorite track: Hive Construction

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Imbroglio - The Struggle In Persuit

Mathcore/sludge from Ohio. Pairs well with Black Sheep Wall and Secret Cutter.

Favorite track: Approaching

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Cave Moth - The Black Lodge

Short, but very sweet. Techgrind from Florida.

Favorite track: Form: Void

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Gridlink - Longhena

Yeah, pretty much just spaced this one. Their final release.

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Vermin Womb - Permanence

Ethan Lee McCarthy of CTTTOAFF and Primitive Man clearly knows brutal, and this new project is no exception.

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Full of Hell - Full of Hell & Merzbow

Prepare to feel uneasy. 

Super last minute entry (12/29/14):

Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown



Holy shit, I can't believe I spaced something so obvious. What more can I say, this is one of the best bands of our generation. 7 studio albums, each one a masterpiece in it's own right.

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Death metal (in no particular order):

Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain

Only made this list because it's so surprising the band can still remain relevant and put out good music.

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Pyrrhon - Mother of Virtues 

Nausea inducing riffs in the vein of Gorguts and Ulcerate.

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Job For a Cowboy - Sun Eater

Sneer all you want, this band has come so far from Entombment of a Machine. "Genesis" was the last release I truly enjoyed from them, so I'm glad to see they've solidified a new direction.

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Rings of Saturn - Lugal En Ki

I'm perfectly aware of the dubious recording methods this band uses, having many peers and colleagues who know them personally, but all that aside, this is a really fun record. Joel Omans at the very least was capable of playing this stuff, too bad he won't get to perform it live after his explosive resignation/departure from the band.

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Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails

Tech death from the Bay Area, these guys have working at it for a very long time. Tip-top musicianship.

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Baring Teeth - Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins

So many Gorguts and Ulcerate influenced releases this year, but this band has really stood out to me since the release of Atrophy.

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Disentomb - Misery

Hands down the most brutal death metal release of the year, and probably one of the best to date.

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Artificial Brain - Labyrinth Constellation

I originally set out to write this list in a quick fashion, ignoring any kind of ranking, but all things considered this is probably the best death metal release of 2014. Truly a genre bending experience, with tons of musical innovation. Fans of angular riffage a la Gorguts etc will adore this stuff, and I swear to God I heard a Mars Volta riff in there somewhere too (EDIT: see title track).

Best of 2014

Hello, droogs. I know it's been quite some time since I've posted anything (posting via Mathcore Index lately), but since there was so many good releases this year, I thought I'd throw something together. So, without further ado, I give you the first BCM best of list in 3 years. Enjoy.

10. The Divorcee - Heartfucker

If you enjoy spastic noise a la Destroyer Destroyer and Daughters, then you've found the right band. Feel like these guys and I Think I'm Having A Heart Attack should do a split.

Favorite track: Fertile Trash

9. Triumph Over Shipwreck - Forever, Ending

Such a solid debut release, bands like this give me hope for the mathcore genre. Again, sort of a Destroyer Destroyer and Ion Dissonance vibe going on here.

Favorite track: Eternal Sleep

8. Galaga: The Movie - s/t

Two of my favorite humans. A release long awaited by the band's ravenous cult following, and fans of bands like Daughters, Arab On Radar, and Heavy Heavy Low Low will definitely appreciate what they're doing.

Favorite track: Stumptown

7. Save Us From the Archon - Thereafter

Instrumental metal whimsy, and their most technically impressive release to date. These dudes make me feel stuff.

Favorite track: swallowed by waves, unable to sleep when

6. Secret Cutter - self titled

Absolutely crushing. Mathcore and sludge coming together very nicely.

Favorite track: Driftwood

5. Cult Leader - Nothing For Us Here

Gaza's newest manifestation is a force to be reckoned with. Their signing to Deathwish Inc and upcoming Kurt Bullou produced full-length is something I greatly look forward to, as this is very promising.

Favorite track: Skin Crawler

4. Casino - Revealer

So back in 2011 this band, Inside the Beehive, came along and basically had me smitten with their Sawtoothesque (TM) sound. This year, Casino has come along and done very much the same. I really love this band (as well as Triumph Over Shipwreck) for bringing back that OG mathcore and techgrind sound of the last decade. The band has the insanely high vox, crushing grooves, and head spinning rhythms that are characteristic of the genre. Oh, and movie inserts.

Favorite track:  I Am

3. Dysphoria - The Apogee

*moshes in your general direction*

Favorite track: Nemesis Shores

2. Plebeian Grandstand - Lowgazers

Everybody probably saw this coming, but this release is too nasty to ignore. Blackened mathcore? However you're inclined to label it, it's another great addition to Throatruiner's roster.

Favorite track: Thrvst

1. Seizures - The Sanity Universal

A masterpiece. One of the best written albums I've heard in a while, with such a broad array of sounds and brimming with content, as the album clocks in at nearly an hour. This band has successfully picked up where Converge left off, while taking along newer influences, like Gaza/Cult Leader (with whom they recently toured). This album is finally getting them the attention they deserve.

Favorite track: Channeler

Honorable Mentions:

CHON - Woohoo!

Congrats to one of my favorite (formally) underground bands on their signing to Sumerian Records. I have been championing this band since day 1, and needless to say, I definitely heard about them before you and am totally responsible for this signing. Yup.

IDYLLS - Prayers for Terrene

Post/noise/core. Very angry.

Sectioned - Sectioned/Shutter Split

This was only a split, but it's such a strong release. Was inclined to put it on the list just based on the track "Prodigal Scum." If you enjoy grooves a la Danza or Ion Dissonance, Pedram Valiani (also of Frontierer) has some riffs to show you.