If you’re immediately struck by MonstrO’s musical resemblance to Torche, don’t be: that’s ex-Torche guitarist Juan Montoya’s electro-fried “stoner pop” tones you’re hearing in the Atlanta quartet’s debut song “Anchors Up!”

And it sounds damn good, doesn’t it? I wasn’t among the Torche fanboys that endlessly bemoaned Montoya’s exit from the group in 2008, but there’s no question that Montoya was integral to Torche’s sound and the band hasn’t been the same since. Good news, then, that he’s formed a new band as his musical outlet with an equally compelling cast of characters: bassist Kyle Sanders (Skrew, Bloodsimple, brother of Mastodon’s Troy Sanders), drummer Bevan Davies (Danzig, Comes With the Fall), and vocalist and guitarist Charlie Suarez (Sunday Driver, no relation to Gary).

MonstrO have already recorded their self-titled debut with producer and Alice in Chains vocalist William DuVall, who was Bevan Davies’ bandmate in Madfly and Comes With the Fall. Expect it on September 6th via Vagrant Records.

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But that’s the name of the band’s new song — “The Conqueror.” It’s now streaming on Fit for an Autopsy’s Facebook page, assuming you’re willing to click the “like” button, which you should be, ’cause this band is br00tal, and you like br00tal things.

In case you didn’t read about Fit for an Autopsy the last time I wrote about them, they’re a new band that features former Through the Eyes of the Dead vocalist Nate Johnson, as well as guitarist Will Putney, who has already produced such killer records as The Human Abstract’s Digital Veil. Their debut album, The Process of Human Extermination (cover art above) is coming out June 21 on Black Market Activities, and features guest appearances from The Red Chord’s Guy Kozowyk, Tim Williams of Vision of Disorder/Bloodsimple fame, Full Blown Chaos’ Ray Mazzola, and The Human Abstract’s Travis Richter.

In other words, this is a record to which attention must be paid.

So headbang here, then come back and let us know what you think. My guess is that about half of you will accuse the band of playing generic deathcore, and the other half of you have ears.

-AR

This past December we gave you the heads up that Guy Kozowyk’s Black Market Activities had signed Fit for an Autopsy, the actually good deathcore band that features fromer Through the Eyes of the Dead vocalist Nate Johnson and guitarist Will Putney, who has already produced such killer records as The Human Abstract’s Digital Veil. Now The PRP tells us that the band’s debut album, The Process of Human Extermination, is complete and ready for release. It comes out June 21.

But wait! There’s more! As if the Johnson-Putney-Kozowyk connection wasn’t already enough to get you interested, the band has also enlisted some pretty excellent guests to appear on the record as well: besides Kozowyk himself (like you didn’t see that coming), Tim Williams of Vision of Disorder/Bloodsimple fame, Full Blown Chaos’ Ray Mazzola, and The Human Abstract’s Travis Richter all contributed vocals. So that sounds pretty enticing, to put it mildly.

Alas, there are no samples of Extermination available just yet — I mean, there’s a couple of songs on the band’s MySpace page, but I have no idea if those will appear on the album or not. In any case, I’m feeling really optimistic about this record… hopefully we’ll get to hear more soon.

-AR

As some of you know, I cut my teeth in the 90s hardcore scene. If you lived through it like I did, you know what 90s hardcore was all about: XXL basketball jerseys, cargo pants, AOL hardcore chat, bleach-blonde dreadlocks, and kicking it with your bros after moshing it up at the show. Oh, and fucking VOD!! Were they hardcore? Were they nu-metal?? Hard rock?? Who knows!

When it comes to 90s hardcore bands who were years (if not a decade) ahead of the curve, predating a whole generation of bands who took their style and ran with it, and never got the credit they deserved for it, VOD is right up there with 18 Visions, and it’s a damn shame. Blurring the lines between hardcore, nu-metal and hard rock, there are few bands from that era whose work still holds up today.

In this post, I will do my best to cover VOD’s career and give you my two cents on why they were so fucking sweet. I know there’s been a VOD comeback in the works for a while (see UGO’s coverage here), although I’m not sure what’s going on with that. Hopefully someone can shed some light in the comments– either way, here’s a trip down memory lane for old fans, and an introduction for anyone new!

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Say what you will about Ekotren’s music — as Axl did — but the band’s latest video for “Chupacabra” is pretty fucking cool. The song ain’t bad either, definitely as heavy as this band gets — kind of remains me of Bloodsimple’s first record mixed with Machine Head.

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Remember how Bloodsimple hate me because I said some not so bad things about them and was then invited by their unknowing management to attend a video shoot? Well, that video for the song “Out to Get You” finally came out and you can watch it over at Metal Hammer.

And you know what? The video kind of sucks, despite some cool footage from Night of the Living Dead. Good song, shit video. I’m sure their particularly grumpy bass player will get his panties all up in a bunch over this one even though I said the song is pretty good. Anything less than “OMG THIS SHIT IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE” is an insult, right?

-VN

Drummer Will Hunt of Dark New Day has issued a rather hilarious update, a kid-in-a-candy-store style recap of his various exploits in 2007. Last year his talents were called upon for tours with Evanescence, Vince Neil, and Bloodsimple, all in between writing and recording the next Dark New Day record. He even got a last-minute fill-in gig for Motley Crue:

“We played our set at Donington the next day, went back to our hotel in London where the next day we (the EV band) were going to fly to Amsterdam for four days of rest and more matters to smoke on! Amy was off to somewhere in Europe to film the video for ‘Good Enough’. The morning we were to leave for Amsterdam, I get a call from a frantic Tommy Lee. Seems he rocked the Donington show a little too hard and his shoulder was fucked up beyond him being able to play and where was I and could I fill in for the London and Manchester shows. I was in London about to head to the airport, had four days off, and again, BAM!!!!! I’m on stage with Motley-fucking-Crue with bombs and fire going off all around me, Nikki on the drum riser rockin’ with me, Mick just absolutely shredding (he is by far the LOUDEST guitar player on earth — God bless Mick Mars!!!!), and Vince screaming his head off!!!!!! HOLY SHIT is all I can say. I couldn’t have dreamt it in my wildest dreams!!

Hunt then offered a Dark New Day update, saying the band had whittled 83 demos down to 13 songs to record (plus 3 more written in the studio). He also revealed what I’d long speculated (and Clint Lowery chose not to address), that part of the lenthy delay between DND albums was due to a label shakeup; they lost their A&R guy, a detrimental blow to any band. Especially when that band’s first record didn’t do so well. Can you say “slipping through the cracks”? In any case I’m glad DND have been given the opportunity to record another disc — hopefully it’ll come out soon.

-VN

Apparently Bloodsimple hate me. It’s a pretty funny story. I wrote an article when the band released three new songs for streaming this past September, and then by a weird coincidence had a meeting with their manager about something unrelated the very next day — on the set of their video shoot! After being introduced to the band, I was asked by someone on their management team if I was indeed the revered Vince Neilstein, to which I stupidly replied that yes, in fact I was. I then stood around awkwardly waiting for the manager to be freed up, minding my own business while the band members gave me the cold shoulder. Later on I found out that they were PISSED with a big capital P that I was even there at all.

Apparently they were offended that, as I wrote, “I enjoyed Bloodsimple’s first album,” and that the new stuff had “some cool riffs.” Terrible words, I know. All in all, the article was admittedly a pretty mediocre review, but I certainly didn’t slam the band (have you SEEN some of the ways we’ve slammed bands on here??) and presented everything as my personal opinion. I also mentioned that their MySpace page was clogged with a bazillion annoying widgets (it was) and that it didn’t even list the names of the band members (it didn’t); apparently they took my advice, cause their new MySpace looks awesome AND it lists the band members! How ’bout that.

So, Bloodsimple, how’s this: I’m enjoying your new stuff. There are some sick riffs. “Dead Man Walking” is possibly the best song you’ve written — good shit. “Out To Get You” is pretty good too. Actually, there’s some damn good playing throughout this record, but at the end of the day Bloodsimple ain’t the second coming of Metallica. And, as I stated in my prior article, their stuff sometimes veers a bit close to nu metal for my personal taste. And that’s that. Can we please kiss and make up now?

Oh yeah; Bloodsimple’s new album is available for streaming in its entirety, after the jump:

-VN

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