Isn’t five minutes long enough to get your post-metal fix? Do you really need to sit through eighteen minutes of delay to feel the rush of that four-chord climax? Sometimes you just want your sludgy satisfaction; the quicker, the better.

And… that’s okay! The Mire is there for you. Brighton UK’s dour four-piece plays post-metal that ADD-sufferers and ants-in-the-pants-ers alike can savor in five to six minute increments.

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If you’ve completed high school history, chances are you’ve heard some talk about “progressive politics” (Bull-Moose, if you know what I mean). Most of us have probably heard of so-called “progressive politicians,” but when it comes to the pivotal issues, the things that really matter, like which bands they listened to in high school, many of them seem just as uninspired as their more conservative competition.

Isn’t it about time America had a truly progressive presidential candidate? Recent Utah governor Jon Huntsman seems to think so. After resigning in February from his Obama-appointed post of foreign ambassador to China, rumors of his presidential candidacy began to surge like a black mage’s whirlwind spell. Even more than that, bits about Huntsman’s “epic” past began to surface, and that soft-spoken politician began to appear all the more mystical.

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Within the last year, djent has picked up followers by the truckload, replacing the tedium of deathcore with some long awaited inspiration and… also some more tedium. Low tunings and monotone vocals an interesting band do not make. So why should you bother with another 8-string-aping sound-alike? Because France’s Om Mani doesn’t really sound like Meshuggah, and they sure don’t sound like Periphery, either.

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Max Cavalera is a name you’ve probably heard recently. His band, Cavalera Conspiracy, has been making waves in the metal world with their latest release, Blunt Force Trauma, and are currently on tour in the U.S. But here’s something you might not have known: he’s been at this for decades.

Max, along with his esteemed colleague and brother, Igor, made some of the most beastly and innovative thrash in the mid 80’s and 90’s in the highly influential, underground metal outlet, Sepultura (Portuguese for “grave”). Unfortunately personal differences in ’96 drew him away from the band. Upon relocating to the States, he focused his talents on a new project, the still-running Soulfly (English for “Mighty-Spirit-Mosquito”).

For years Max worked tirelessly with the group, releasing seven studio album’s and gradually building a cult following in the process. Now with a new band and his brother back at his side, the world is finally taking notice.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with the bearded bellower to get the skinny on the new album and see what he makes of his recent success.

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Photos by Robert Bejil

It’s weird. Mention Periphery to any person on the street and they’ll think nothing of it. But speak their name to those who know, and it’s like you just dropped “Jeezy” at an As I Lay Dying concert. Periphery have become a huge band in the warped little snow globe of the metal landscape.

As a person who’s listened as the sextet has grown and evolved, and go through singers like cheez balls, seeing them live was an experience that I was far overdue to have. I had my chance about a week ago when the group ventured over to Hartford Connecticut’s Webster Theater supporting Fair to Midland along with Scale the Summit [Alas, they have since dropped off the tour. -Ed.]. The evening turned out to be a proggy feast I won’t soon forget.

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A couple of things might come to mind upon hearing a name like Nether Regions: a hot, hellish abyss, or, maybe, an area you’d be well advised not to scratch in public. Life is full of tough decisions, but fortunately, with the debut album by the Portland, Oregon foursome, you don’t have to choose — you get an even helping of both. These Northwestern shamans of sludge play a hot, sweaty, and very hairy style of stoner metal that rocks just as hard as it itches.

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Band Name: Until Your Heart Stops
Album Cover: Scenic, reflective stuff
Runtime: 19 minutes

If that doesn’t sound hardcore, then pork rinds aren’t greasy. It has to be rough for a band of this trade to release their debut EP — err … album — within the same month as Defeater’s latest ear-ringer. Fortunately for the Bay Area five-piece, they happen to be a little whacked. “How whacked?” Well, consider this: At the Drive-In reform for a twenty-minute-only concert and ten seconds in, some hardcore kid windmill kicks his way on stage and sends Zavala flying.

These guys may just be nutty enough to catch on.

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