Ryan Buege

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Sunday Metal Minute: Mastodon, “Divinations” & Chimaira, “Secrets of the Dead”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags chimaira, mastodon, Metal, spring 2009 on Sunday, March 22, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Woot! Back from my spring leave of absence and ready to assault the web with more writing! For my past few Metalhead Minutes, I’ve been delving into some band’s from the obscure underbelly of some of metal’s rising artists (in my eyes). This week I’ll bring things back a bit closer to the surface; some of the commoners might actually be listening to the choices I’ve selected for this post. These songs come from two albums that will be unavoidable for anyone who even passively associates themselves with metal in the spring of 2009!

First, take a listen to the lead single from Mastodon‘s newest album, Crack the Skye. As a reminder, this album will be in stores everywhere on Tuesday, and “Divinations” is an epic, psych’n’roll metal masterwork that is only an indicator of the direction these Georgian metalheads have decided to take. I’ll have my review of the album posted on Monday, so I won’t get into the specifics now, but just enjoy the preview video for now to tide you over!

Video: Mastodon, “Divinations” (from Crack the Skye, available 03/24)

Maybe this is an unsuspecting choice for anyone who’s followed my tastes on the site, but honestly, Chimaira is a band that has never let me down. Despite the harsh treatment the band has endured from the community in general over the past few years, I’ve always seen them as a band that is thinking outside the box and pushing boundaries rather than being confined by them. Over the years, their attack has continued to be refined and “Secrets of the Dead” indicates another progression. The track comes from their forthcoming album The Infection, an album that will be sure to cement the band a permanent place in the metal history books. Though it still clings tight to the trash and groove metal centerpiece that Chimaira fans will know and love, death metal, epic doom metal, and black metal are all nuanced, as well. Simply put, “Secrets of the Dead” seems to meld my favorite aspects of all things brutal, and I hope the rest of the album is of the same caliber. In theory, a song like this could’ve been a mess, but Chimaira seems to have hit created a legendary sound for their newest evolution. Listen to “Secrets of the Dead” now and see what you’ve been missing!

MP3: Chimaira, “Secrets of the Dead” (from The Infection, available 04/21)

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Gojira schedule debut headlining tour in North America for summer

Posted in Concert Dates with tags carbomb, france, gojira, listenable records, the chariot, tour dates on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Gojira, the peerless French progressive metal with a proactive message, has found a captive audience during the last few years in the United States. After opening some of the best attended small “big” metal package tours to cross the country (with bands such as Lamb of God, Behemoth, Job for a Cowboy, and In Flames), a young audience of fans has been turned on to the ultra-heavy, technical, groovy death metal attack of Gojira. Finally, after releasing the most ambitious and successful album of their career, these veteran Frenchmen have booked their first headlining tour of the continent. For those of us who have followed Gojira’s developing career from afar for the last decade, these full-length shows will be our first chance to see the band bring their complete, complex concert to an American audience. It’s great that the success of The Way of All Flesh has finally afforded them with this opportunity, and fans both old and new will undoubtedly be very excited for these shows.

Although, I’m not sure how well Gojira fans will respond to the chaotic hardcore stylings of The Chariot (fronted by former Norma Jean vox man Josh Scogin) or the grindcore of Car Bomb, it should be an exciting show for open-minded fans. They’ll be at Station 4 in St. Paul on May 11th, but you can keep reading for all of their tour dates… Continue reading →

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Aphex Twin hints at possibility of 2009 album

Posted in Music News with tags 2009, 2010, aphex twin, warp records on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Apparently some new Aphex Twin has been recorded, but there is no release date set yet. In fact, it appears like his record label doesn’t even have any idea about what kind of madness the world is in for. Here’s what Warp Records mainman Steve Beckett said to the BBC about Richard’s newest:

“We’re definitely going to be putting out a new album by him,” he told BBC 6 Music. “Hopefully it will be this year, if I can prise it out of his hands. It’s definitely on its way.”

Beckett added, “I don’t know a single note or anything about it. It will be as much of a surprise to me as anyone else. Basically I find out what it sounds like when we go into the mastering room and he puts it – well how it used to be, he’ll put the DAT player in and there it’ll be – so that’s the first time I’ll hear it. Then I’ll go onto my knees and thank him and then we’ll put it out.”

(via P4K)

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Concert Photo Recap: Krisiun, Destruction @ Station 4

Posted in Concert Reviews with tags brazilian, death metal, destruction, german, krisiun, live, minnesota, photographs, st. paul, thrash metal on Monday, March 16, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Krisiun and Destruction played a show at Station 4 in St. Paul on Friday, a small festival of all things metal. Unfortunately, I missed Mantic Ritual and a whole slew of awesome local thrash, grind and death metal due to a prior engagement, but the show that Krisiun and Destruction put on to close the night made my trip to St. Paul more than worth it. The Brazilian death metal trio of brethren known as Krisiun played their revered brutal death metal to perfection, drawing material mostly from their newest high quality albums. Songs such as “Bloodcraft” & “Combustion Inferno” threw the tight knit crowd into a frenzy that was very deserved, given the massive, spectacular sound coming from the stage. While I admit I’m not as familiar with the German thrash legends in Destruction as I am with many 80s thrash acts, their show was very, very awesome; no frills thrash metal at maximum headbanging velocity. Dates are remaining on this tour, and everyone is in top form; get out to it if you can, because these band’s deserve to be seen. Now, on to my set of photos from both the band’s performances.

(Krisiun)

(Destruction)

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Sunday Metal Minute: Krallice, “Wretched Wisdom”

Posted in Sunday Metalhead Minute with tags a storm of light, black metal, brooklyn, krallice, new york, progressive metal, thrones, tour dates, wolves in the throne room on Sunday, March 15, 2009 by Ryan Buege

I already clued you all in on the fact that we’re having some brilliant black metal tours coming to the Twin Cities this summer, but now things are just getting ridiculous. This week, the announcement was made that the visionary BM minds of Wolves in the Throne Room and Krallice would join together in what is sure to be THE “must-see” underground metal tour to pass through Minneapolis this spring. On May 15th, Wolves in the Throne Room will be playing at the Triple Rock Social Club with Krallice supporting. While I’ve already mentioned the scathing-yet-epic majesty that is WITTR on the site, Krallice is a band that has not gotten enough attention from me so far (besides the one sentence I gave them in my end of 2008 honorable mentions list). Reading descriptions of the band, you might think that their entrancing style of progressive black metal would already have an established predecessor. However, upon hearing Krallice’s fervent, psychedelic, rampaging, technically superior sound, it doesn’t take long to pick up on the freshness of this band’s delivery. Metal has never sounded so simultaneously brutal, ferocious, and atmospheric, which is certainly saying a lot. Krallice is a underground band that is literally pushing the limits of sound. This is a band to watch out for, and the free “Wretched Wisdom” track we have linked below will show you why.

MP3: Krallice, “Wretched Wisdom” (from Krallice, 2008)

Keep reading for all the Krallice and Wolves in the Throne Room spring tour dates (including several shows with A Storm of Light)… Continue reading →

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Northern Outpost airs new episode featuring The Absent Arch

Posted in Video with tags military special, minneapolis, minnesota, northern outpost, owl recording studios, st. paul, the absent arch on Friday, March 13, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Northern Outpost is back with their newest episode, and this week they’re in the studio with The Absent Arch. “The Arch” sits down for a brief interview about their band and their passion for the vibrant and productive local music scene in the Twin Cities, and after a few minutes they dive into a tight live performance of their orchestrated yet organic style of heartfelt folk rock. They only play one soulful new song live for four minutes, but by the time they’re done you can just tell that they’ve got a lot more to sing about. If you haven’t seen The Absent Arch live yet, I recommend that you make it out to their MoreCowbell.net sponsored show at the the Turf Club on April 16th and watch as they execute their craft on stage. For the next episode, Northern Outpost has scheduled an appearance from the praiseworthy MPLS based electro rockers in Military Special who will be hopefully playing some music from their brand new album Civil Union; don’t miss it here, March 27th!

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Jon Stewart and The Daily Show eat Jim Cramer/CNBC alive

Posted in Culture with tags cnbc, comedy central, jim cramer, jon stewart, mad money, the daily show on Friday, March 13, 2009 by Ryan Buege

In an appearance that just begs getting talked about on the “interscape”, The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart invited CNBC Mad Money host Jim Cramer to his show for a one-on-one to air their differences in front of the camera for a full episode last night. Though the lead-in intro was noticeably lighthearted, mocking the nature of their recent “feud”, the interview was one of the hardest hitting and most rewarding that I’ve seen Stewart ever give. The interview opened with a few softball questions, but while it proceeds, Stewart grows more resolute as he realizes Cramer is ducking his questions and giving him answers he can’t stand behind. With an arsenal of stock interview footage at his back, Stewart goes in for the kill. So far, this is the most satisfying commentary on the media that I’ve seen during the financial crisis. Stewart is taking on some great opponents, and he’s taking them to the cleaners.

WATCH: Part 1

Hit read more to watch parts 2 and 3 of this battle royale… Continue reading →

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Krisiun, Destruction, and more scheduled to decimate Station 4 tomorrow

Posted in Concert Dates with tags anal blast, death metal, destruction, hate beast, krisiun, mantic ritual, minnesota, rivet, st. paul, thrash metal, we are legion on Thursday, March 12, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Calling all death metal fans! Calling all thrash metal fans! Tomorrow, Station 4 in St. Paul; it’s on!

What? Destruction, Krisiun, Mantic Ritual, Anal Blast, Rivet, We Are Legion, Hate Beast @ Station 4 in St. Paul, MN on March 13, 2009

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Concert Review: Battlefields, Irepress, Frontier, Vernal Pool @ the Triple Rock Social Club

Posted in Concert Reviews with tags battlefields, boston, concert review, fargo, frontier, irepress, massachusettes, minneapolis, minnesota, north dakota, triple rock social club, vernal pool on Thursday, March 12, 2009 by Ryan Buege

It was Wednesday night, and the turnout was surprisingly good for the show at Triple Rock Social Club featuring a billing Battlefields, Irepress, Frontier, and Vernal Pool. For braving the cold, fans in attendance were treated to a perfectionist display of some visionary one-of-a-kind doom, post, and progressive metal from some bands that the music community is sure to be hearing much more of in the future. Though clearly young bands, both Battlefields and Irepress played like veterans of their craft during their brief appearances, with the former opting for a punishing, unpredictable brute force doom, gloom, and hardcore and the latter playing an impassioned, progressive and riff heavy style of post-rock. The enthusiasm was noticeably high (especially for a doom metal show) even throughout the open sets of slow, plodding doom by Vernal Pool and jagged, riff heavy post-metal from Frontier, as well, and I guarantee that every band playing earned themselves a few new fans that night. The Battlefields and Irepress tour is now headed down to SXSW, and I urge anyone in their path to go see it. For now check out the small set of photos from the Wednesday night show at Triple Rock (ps. unfortunately I could only get a few, as my camera battery died soon after Vernal Pool and I didn’t bring a spare – live and learn).

(Battlefields)

(Irepress)

(Frontier)

(Vernal Pool)

I’ve still got quite a few more photos after the jump.. Keep reading! Continue reading →

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Mind Inversion’s Sound Immersion 03/09 (Vol. 2)

Posted in Mind Inversion Exclusive, Sound Immersion with tags bassnectar, black moth super rainbow, Black Star, burning spear, gravediggaz, Jedi Mind Tricks, jens lekman, lynyrd skynyrd, mogwai, ruby suns, soulfly, Sound Immersion, super furry animals, the mars volta, varano on Thursday, March 12, 2009 by Ryan Buege

Ah yes, my friends, the day is here where we officially christen our Sound Immersion various artists compilation as a monthly feature here on the site. My fellow posters and myself are starting to anticipate these releases greatly, mainly because it’s an easy way to talk about the music we’re listening to without necessarily shoving it down each others throats. We hope you all enjoy the songs that we’re bringing straight to your computer, iPod and stereo speakers each month, as well. From our point of view, these comps are likely to be the most diverse and reliable mixes your bound to get your hands around; music to focus your mind and let the muscles groove loose to the flow.

Last month, our posters introduced themselves with a debut compilation of the most recent modern sounds they’ve been loving; this month we’re continuing our a journey through our collective pasts. On Sound Immersion 03/09 (Vol 2.), we’ve decided to cop the popular Facebook meme and assemble a biographical mix of the two songs that we each consider to be the most influential or important in our life. Some of the contributors looked to the music that defines their modern taste while others selected the songs that signaled a clear turning point in their music listening life when we first heard them. Either way you consider the question, this wound up as a collection of some of the most important songs in our lives. A few of us have chosen to comment on why we decided to include these songs for our “most influential” mix, and others chose to let their song selection speak for itself. Here’s our playlist:

01. Mogwai – “Summer” (contributed by Eddie)
02. Bassnectar – “Zealots Slow Down (Remix)” (contributed by Nick B.)
03. Black Star – “Hater Players” (contributed by Tim)
04. Burning Spear – “Resistance” (contributed by Nick H.)
05. Jens Lekman – “Maple Leaves (7” version)” (contributed by Erik)
06. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Things Goin’ On (original version)” (contributed by Ryan)
07. Super Furry Animals – “Juxtaposed With A U” (contributed by Dan).
08. Black Moth Super Rainbow – “Rollerdisco” (contributed by Eddie)
09. Varano– “Universal Rhythm” (contributed by Nick B.)
10. Jedi Mind Tricks – “I Against I” (contributed by Tim)
11. Soulfly – “The Song Remains Insane” (contributed by Ryan)
12. Ruby Suns – “Palmitos Park” (contributed by Erik)
13. Gravediggaz – “Zig Zag Chamber” (contributed by Nick H.)
14. The Mars Volta – “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)” (contributed by Dan)

The ZIP download of this amazing mix and our thoughts about our choices are waiting for you behind this next link. All that you have to do is click “read more”… Continue reading →

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