Something Stirs...

     Well hey there gang, long time no type! How've you been? Me, I've been good -- busy, but good. And that's kinda why I'm here. Now, before you go getting your hopes hoisted high or anything, no, I'm not back in the proverbial blogging saddle, or at least not yet anyways. As I've said before, I'd love to get back to writing about music on a regular basis, but that's all still sitting on one of life's back burners, bubbling away merrily, perhaps until I can find someone to put their money where my mouth is.
     So what have I been up to for the last couple of years? A bunch of things, as it happens, and I'm busy getting up to a few more as we speak -- not necessarily music-related, and not necessarily the jam of the kind of audience who might have enjoyed what I did over here at Loud Noises, but still things that might be of interest to some of you out there. And who knows, maybe you've just missed my cutting wit and tasteful insights, and would be interested in whatever I might be up to, regardless of format or subject matter.
     To that end, while you're waiting for the band to come back out for the Loud Noises encore, you can check me out on Twitter, because I'm over there now, @TheBeardedPen, to stay in The Know about the latest and greatest coming down the pipe from yours truly. If and when things start back up here, you'll hear about it there first, and in the meantime you just might find something else to tickle your fancy. Happy reading!

Loud Noises Indefinite Hiatus (Frowny Face)

     Oh hey there. Haven't seen you in a while -- through no fault of yours, of course. That's actually what I'm here to talk about today. It is with a proverbial heavy heart (and a literal heavy beard) that I follow in the footsteps of some of our favourite bands and announce that Loud Noises is going (or has already gone) on indefinite hiatus.
     Any of you regular readers that I'm always jokingly referring to (if indeed there are any of you) will no doubt have noticed that the frequency of posts here at the blog has really dropped off, and indeed dried up completely, over the last several months. Fortunately for me, this hasn't been because of some huge, earthshaking event in my life (those tend to be a tad on the negative side) but rather just the steady accumulation of little stuff. My search for steady employment anywhere near my field (which is ancient history -- good luck with that, right?), my quest to get some of my other, non-metal-blog-related writing published, even my recovery from a couple of cold-and/or-flu-related mucus fests over the winter -- I could bore you with a laundry list of excuses, of shit that keeps pushing other things further and further back in the queue.
     But the bottom line is that I feel like I'm perhaps spreading myself a little too thin, and as the saying goes, 'jack of all trades, master of none'. As much as I've tried to produce good content for any of you out there interested in reading it, the fact that this blog is just a hobby for me, more or less, has put a pretty hard cap on the amount of time I can dedicate to it. In the four years since I started Loud Noises that sliver of time has slowly and steadily eroded away, to the point that I have been struggling to muster the time and energy required to write the kind of stuff for Loud Noises that I want to write. That's not really fair to any of us, and it's a situation that's got to change. To paraphrase that "jack of all trades" things, I've been trying to half-ass a number of things for too long, and it's time to throw my whole ass into something.
     So, what does this mean for you, dear reader? Well, in the short term, virtually nothing, as I've haven't been posting on here for a while now, and that's not going to change any time soon. The outlook long-term is a little murkier; in a perfect world, I'd love to come back to Loud Noises and pick up where I'm leaving off, and maybe even implement some of the ideas I've had over the years that I've just never had the time or momentum to try out. But that perfect world would have to include a good deal more financial and schedule stability, as well as a healthy dose of disposable free time, so the stars may unfortunately never quite align.
     For the time being at least, then, this is a fond farewell. Thanks for stopping by once in a while to check out my two cents on the wide world of music, and the crazy corner of that world that we call metal. Now's your chance to catch up on all the reading you might have missed -- more than 1300 posts worth over the last four years. Better get started.

Sunday the 21st (of February): Thrice - Blood on the Sand

     In the vein of new music, I'm very excited to be able to write a post featuring new music from this band. I've been a fan of Thrice for longer than I've know most of my current group of friends; they're one of those bands that's been with me through a lot, so I was disheartened, to say the least, when I read about the band's hiatus back in 2012.

     Even though the band was clear about this not being the end of Thrice, we've all heard that one before. So last year's rumblings of new material from Thrice camp delighted me, and this year's news of title, release date, and first single have me just tickled. "Blood on the Sand", the first single from the forthcoming To Be Everywhere is To Be Nowhere, is a short, sharp slice of relatively straightforward post-rock that will likely once again polarize Thrice fans somewhat. Fans looking for a return to the band's older, heavier sound will continue to be disappointed here, but fans who've been willing participants in the band's experimental evolution should enjoy the new-but-familiar direction that the band seems headed in next. Have a listen and see what you think.

Saturday the 20th (of February): Circles - Sand and Wind

     Just because I'm super far behind doesn't mean I don't still get to feature the latest and greatest from some great bands. Imagine if I limited myself to stuff I'd heard by the supposed date of these posts? I'd be even worse off, no doubt.

     I am, however, definitely better off for hearing the newest track from the Australian prog djentlemen in Circles. No solid word yet on when their next disc will be out (other than a general "this year" posted in response to a question on Facebook), but if the band's latest single is any indication, it should be a fitting follow-up to the band's debut LP Infinitas. "Sand and Wind" is an expertly-balanced showing of melodic and groovy djent-prog. Album number two could be a big one for Circles; they just need to write a bunch more rockers like this one.

Friday the 19th (of February...): Sumac - Rigid Man

     Time for a big ol' Easter slab of crushingly heavy blackened post metal courtesy of supergroup-of-sorts Sumac (even though, yes, this is supposed to be a post for near the end of February instead of near the end of March...)

      Featuring members of Baptists, Russian Circles, and Isis, Sumac might just be the most super supergroup you've never heard of. Their bands of origin should give listeners a clue as to the talent at work in Sumac, but the best part of the whole thing might be that they sound here like their own own heavy-ass beast. Their sophomore disc What One Becomes drops in June, but massive first single "Rigid Man" can bludgeon you into submission right this minute. Of particular note is the big riff that brings things back from the breakdown late in the song -- tasty!

Thursday the 18th (of February): The Contortionist - Cortical

     I'm only going back a couple of years for this Throwback Thursday post, but that doesn't make it any less of a corker. Yes, I just said corker. I'm old. And apparently British inside. Any road, we're headed back to 2012 for a track from The Contortionist's sophomore LP Intrinsic.

     "Cortical" is a great example of the kind of progressive metal blend happening on Intrinsic -- soft synthwaves lapping up against angular space djent beaches. This song finds itself in a weird little groove by the end of it, with a sort of jazzy, down-tempo lead going over it, and it's all these disparate influences that seem to make a Contortionist record, cropping up here and there. Intrinsic is a different beast than 2010's Exoplanet, and different still from 2014's Language, so what new material from these guys would sound like is anyone's guess. But hey, that's a two-year album cycle right there, so maybe 2016 will see some new stuff, and a new twist, from The Contortionist.

Wednesday the 17th (of February): Wintergatan - Marble Machine

     There's a decent chance you've already seen my next pick for you, given that it's been making the internet rounds lately, even gracing "mainstream" news sites and Facebook feeds for a couple of days. But this piece of music is the product of such a feat of design and engineering that I can't help but point you at it again. And hey, this is a Wednesday post, so it's alliterative too!

     I've posted about eclectic Swedish indie band Wintergatan before (back when I discovered their beautiful piece of vaguely chiptuney instrumental electro-sounding pop "Sommarfagel") but the latest development from this creative group of Swedes is, if possible, more mesmerizing. "Marble Machine" (I don't know if this song of sorts has any other title than that) is a weirdly infectious track, a bass-and-vibraphone driven piece of lullaby-pop-funk. And if that weren't enough, the whole thing is produced by a hand-cranked Rube Goldberg-ian monster that took more than a year to design and build.

     This is one that you're really going to have to watch as well as listen to in order to get the full effect, but goddamn if it isn't awesome in the most legitimate sense of the word. If your crusty metal heart isn't moved to fall into the head-bopping groove of this one, well, I'm afraid I've done about all I can for you.

Tuesday the 16th (of February): Latitudes - Ordalian

     Any Loud Noises reader who's been doing their homework should know by now that I'm a fan of instrumental metal, which means that I'm always excited to find new instrumental bands who're doing something cool other than just eschewing vocals. And while the Brits in Latitudes aren't necessarily blowing the doors off the instrumental genre (hell, their latest release Old Sunlight blasphemes with some singing) they certainly have brewed up a cocktail that's right up my alley.

     Old Sunlight is a semi-instrumental slice of post-metal that's got all kinds of other genres and sub-genres mixed in -- there's some blackened bits, some cinematic swells, some gloomy sludge, and a whole host of other touches that combine into something balanced between heavy and beautiful. This album definitely benefits from being heard as one sprawling musical journey, so I'm going to let Latitudes do the convincing and just start you off with Old Sunlight's first epic track, "Ordalian". Enjoy.

Monday the 15th (of February): Valleys - Choices

     Unsurprisingly, my alliterative attack continues with a little Metalcore Monday for you, featuring a young North Carolina band called Valleys that happen to have picked an ambitious concept for their first LP. Experiment One: Asylum, out last month, is a fictionalized account of the Multiple Personality Disorder of it's main character Asylum. High-brow concept meets tasty metalcore? Colour me interested!

     The record itself is still in my listening queue, but first single "Choices" certainly entices and intrigues with its very modern-sounding brand of techy, djenty metalcore. The intensity of its riffing and its relatively short running time (less than four minutes) combine to give "Choices" a nice dose of energy and urgency. Throw in some added poignancy from the sudden death of one of the band's vocalists in a car accident shortly before the album's release and you've got a recipe for some emotionally charged listening. Check these guys out on tour in April if you get the chance.

Sunday the 14th (of February): Scale the Summit - Balkan

     I don't have a love song in mind for your much-belated February the 14th post, so I'll default to my typical trope of alliteration for a bit of instrumental romance in the form of some Sunday Scale the Summit.

     Scale the Summit have released a couple of albums since 2011's The Collective, and they've been pretty good, but if I had to pick I think The Collective is still my favourite. One of the many reasons why is late-album number "Balkan", a demonstration of Scale the Summit's ability to go on soaring musical journeys that morphs partway through into ending section dominated by a cyclical, slightly off-kilter tapped riff complete with phat accompanying bass. If you're familiar with Scale the Summit, it'll probably make you go "yeah, that sounds about right", but if you're new to this instrumental party, maybe this'll set this hook in your wee little earhole.

Saturday the 13th (of February): Visions - Delete the Sky

     The vagaries of fate, combined with my own procrastinatory predilections, make my catching up on Songs of the Day for you guys seem next to impossible. But am I going to let that stop me from fighting the good fight, from raging against the dying of the proverbial light? Fuck no. The struggle to overcome impossible odds is what makes any hero's journey compelling in the first place, so when the odds around here get impossible, my only real option is to get awesome. Eat your heart out, Joseph Campbell.

     First up in my quest for new Loud Noises material is a song from a band that's on a quest for new material of its own (fuck off, it's either really late or really early at the time of writing, depending on how you slice it). British techcore types Visions have, if Facebook be trusted, finally finished their second LP, and are apparently preparing a new video to coincide with the announcement or release or what have you.We still haven't heard any of this new material, however, so while we await that first single and accompanying video, we'll just have to revisit 2011's Home for something to hold us over.

     To that end, have a go at "Delete the Sky", a slice of techy, angular metalcore that gives way to sparse ambience at its end as a lead-in to the following track on Home. If you're a metalcore fan like me, I think you'll find this record has held up pretty well, and hopefully serves as a decent appetizer for the new meal to come. (The link you're getting is to the album audio, not the music video, since the video understandably cuts out the ending interstitial stuff.)

Friday the 12th: Fallujah - The Void Alone

     As with your Wednesday post a couple of days ago, lucky me doesn't have to stretch to hard to get all alliterative on you for your Friday post today. Somebody or something somewhere must be smiling down on and/or up at me, because we've all recently been treated to some brand new Fallujah.

     In case you need it spelled out: this is cause for excitement, since Fallujah's last record, 2014's The Flesh Prevails, graced many an end of year "best of" list (mine included). Those are, then, some big shoes in need of filling, but the strength of new single "The Void Alone" strongly hints that the upcoming Dreamless will be up to the challenge. Fallujah's dense and technical breed of post-death metal (is that a thing? that's a thing.) is augmented here with some ethereal female vocals and a spacey melodic sensibility that could well make Dreamless as a whole a very interesting and engrossing listen indeed. I'm going to do my best Kreskin impression here and say that this one already sounds like a "best of 2016" candidate. Get on board or get left alone in the void.

Thursday the 11th: The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats

     If, like me, you need a bit of a 'pick-me-up' on this Sunday afternoon in late February, then why not pretend it's a Thursday in mid-February so that we can rock the block together with your Throwback Thursday post for today.

     Now, before you die-hard metalheads get your leathers in a twist about my choice of decidedly un-metal song today, I refer you again to my mandate to hit you with good music of any and every stripe -- metal or otherwise. And I defy any of you, especially those of a similar vintage to myself, to jam The Chemical Brothers' "Block Rockin' Beats" at volume and come away with anything other than the sense that yes, those beats could incite rocking in the entire block. Whether you're a fan of electronic music or not, this one's just a fun classic that I'm willing to be will elicit some smiles and knowing nods from at least some in your group of hardened old heshers. Feel free to come back let me know if it doesn't.

Wednesday the 10th: Walls of Jericho - Relentless

     It's not always the easiest thing to find something suitably alliterative for a Wednesday post (assuming of course I don't want to just take my usual easy way out and call it Weird). But a blast from my musical past is back with some new jams to save me from my usual ruts. It's Walls of Jericho Wednesday, kids!

     It's apparently been nearly a decade since Walls of Jericho put out new material, and it's been even longer than that since I was really into 2004's All Hail the Dead, but Candace and the guys have a new record coming out towards the end of March and a new single out right now. "Relentless" sounds just like the Walls of Jericho I remember -- tight, chunky, vaguely thrashy hardcore/metalcore riffing with Candace's acerbic growl spread liberally over top, and some shouted gang vocals for good hardcore measure. I'm not exactly losing sleep with excitement over this one, but it's definitely good to see this band back in action.

Tuesday the 9th: Wormed - Pseudo-Horizon

     It's time again for a Tech Tuesday post, so I hope you're ready for a short, sharp burst of blasty fury courtesy of Spanish space metallers Wormed.

     Wormed's latest record Krighsu is due out in a couple of weeks, and they've been gracious (read: badass) enough to provide us with a number of appetite-whetting tracks so far. The meatiest of these has got to be "Pseudo-Horizon" a punishing three-minute combination of grinding and grooving that should leave any tech death fan ready to hit repeat. Based on this track, and the couple others that have been released off of Krighsu so far, Wormed are set to assault our collective senses when this one drops in mid-March. Prepare yourself.

Monday the 8th: Spires of the Lunar Sphere - Pangaea Ultima

     Today's horribly out-of-date Metal Monday post for February the 8th should almost be titled a "Metal" Monday post; while your slice of madness from Daytona's Spires of the Lunar Sphere has got plenty of heavy, it's also got plenty of a whole slew of other shit too.

     Experimental metal, or something similarly broad, might be the best way to try and encapsulate Spires of the Lunar Sphere and their debut EP, last September's Pangaea Ultima. Synths, horns, and other instrumentation odds and ends combine with the usual guitars, bass, and drums to shred out a frenetic brand of metal that's noisey, techy, proggy, groovy... usually all in the same song. I could probably go on for a while trying to sketch you a picture of Spires' sound, but it would probably be quicker for you to just take in final track "Pangaea Ultima" for a cross section of what Spires of the Lunar Sphere is all about.

Sunday the 7th: Killswitch Engage - Cut Me Loose

     Last month we got our first taste of the upcoming new record from metalcore veterans Killswitch Engage. Now we've got sample number two of Incarnate, and it's a bit of a shift of gears for the guys. Will it be your cup of tea? Read on to find out.

     First Incarnate single "Hate By Design" was more in line with your standard Killswitch single -- riffy, energetic, and ready for radio, assuming your local radio station plays anything approaching metal -- but second single "Cut Me Loose" is a bit slower, equally catchy in the choruses but a bit more of a grindy crusher in the verses. Killswitch are the reigning metalcore kings, though, so there's a couple of breakdowns/change-it-up-for-a-second sections in there too. It's still most definitely patented Killswitch Engage, just think "The Return" or "The Arms of Sorrow" rather than "In Due Time or "Never Again" and you'll be plenty prepared to see how you like the latest from Killswitch Engage.

Saturday the 6th: Cyborg Octopus - Data_M1nefield

     Cast your minds into the before time: remember way back when I posted a tasty little number called "Pukefeast Inc." by proggy California deathcore outfit Cyborg Octopus? Well the boys are finally ready to drop an LP on us, and now we've got our first shot at the sweet new material.

     "Data_M1nefield" is a seven-minute epic of genre sampling: progressive deathcore is still the general name of the game, but a variety of influences are once again on offer, from synthy keyboards to flashes of tech death to the rad melo-shred solo that provides the track's climax (and kills the video's bad guys to boot). I liked the older Cyborg Octopus stuff when I heard it, and if the step forward in songwriting and musicianship that's on display in "Data_M1nefield" is any indication of the level of quality of the rest of Learning to Breathe, I'm going to be one happy camper. Give this one a spin or two and discover these guys before the rest of the kids on your block do.

Friday the 5th: Polyphia - Euphoria

     It never fails, does it? I'm starting to get close to caught up, then comes the combination of a busy long weekend last week and then a good old dose of Canadian winter this past Tuesday that required some digging out, and suddenly I'm back behind several eight balls again, blog-wise. Oh well. Onward and upward, shall we? Starting with a post for a couple of Fridays ago.

     So how do you feel about Polyphia? Do they make you feel decidedly old and un-hipsterish? Jokes aside, do you dig their techy, shreddy instrumental, or are you among those who feel it lacks some soul? The band's latest "Euphoria", from their forthcoming LP Renaissance, might go a ways towards converting you from the latter for the former. The sheer noodliness is dialed back a little here, with melodic lines taking centre stage. Think a little along the lines of Intervals, or something similar -- leads are there, buttery smooth as usual, but things are more in service of the song now. Check it out.

Thursday the 4th: Rage Against the Machine - Ashes in the Fall

     It's Throwback Thursday time once again, and this week ("last week", for all you "time is linear" types) I'm going with another perennial throwback favourite of mine. This year will see At the Drive-In back together, if only for some live shows, so why can't 2016 also see the return of the Rage?

     Your Rage Against the Machine song this time around is "Ashes in the Fall" from 1999's The Battle of Los Angeles, an album that I'm digging more and more the older I get. I think Evil Empire is still my favourite Rage album, but no longer do I rank Los Angeles number three out of hand. From its dentist drill guitar intro through its bass-driven, space guitar verses, "Ashes in the Fall" is a kind of a microcosm for the variety and willingness to experiment that marks The Battle of Los Angeles as a forward-thinking record that's held up very well indeed. Have a listen and get your rage on.