After a small delay, we are proud to announce the release of our first sampler! Featuring music from all corners of the Earth, the first ever WWU sampler is sure to have something for everyone who is a fan of Hardcore or Metal. Feel free to stream it below and if you really like it, download it from either the WWU Bandcamp or Mediafire!
By Adam
Cortexiphan is an internet band of tremendous proportions fronted by the ever popular Andrew Patterson, who is a very good friend of mine, on vocals. I have been waiting to give this release a listen since Andrew told me the band had started to record.
Now I am not going to sit here and lie to you guys. I am not very well versed in the technical death metal genre. I can only name a handful of bands. That being said, Cortexiphan took whatever preconceived notions about the genre I had and flipped it on its head.
Right from the very first track, The Big Sleep, this band caught my attention. The track, which starts off acoustic, is very reminiscent (to me at least) of a Between the Buried and me song. That is a very high compliment. There is so much going on in this music that multiple play-throughs will reveal something interesting to pick out each time. One of my favorite things about this band is the presence of the bassist. You don’t hear many bands, especially under the umbrella of death metal, with a prominent bass player. Listening to Cortexiphan, you can hear the bassist thumping away at a furious pace throughout each song. This guy is a mad man on his instrument and absolutely shreds the bass.
Speaking of shredding, let’s talk about the guitar work for a minute here. This has to be one of the most interesting aspects of the band, even more so when you realize one guy wrote both guitar parts. Very rarely will you hear both guitar parts play the same thing. You won’t hear much in the way of harmonious riffing. Instead, both guitar parts successfully function as two “lead guitarists,” both playing equally complicated yet different riffs at the same time. It sounds pretty hectic at times, and I fucking love that, but the parts for both are very intelligently written and meld together to form one big, brutal, cohesive, ripping riff. It is a very interesting phenomena to listen to. In fact, the guitar parts play into each other so well and are so well written that sometimes it is easy to forget that these two guys are playing completely different parts. It’s a beautiful, controlled chaos that works out insanely well in the bands favor.
If you haven’t heard Andrew Patterson’s vocal abilities yet, either from his tutorial “how to” videos or his prolific portfolio of covers he has done, then you must not be paying any attention. This guy loves what he does and has damn near mastered his craft. Andrew sticks out in a sea of unimaginative vocalists that fill this genre. The man’s got some serious range and he uses it to his full extent. His thundering lows have the perfect tinge of “pissed off” that I love and his high screams can shatter glass. Lyrically, Andrew knows what he is doing as well. My favorite lyrics come from the fourth track on the release, Man Made Plague, a prophetic, brutal song that centers around the fall of the earth at the hands of the human race. My favorite verse: “The wind is blown by the panting of our creator, the artist of another kind known as the circle of life. We evolve, birth into the rationalist state of mind, we lose all faith in the natural surroundings now denied.”
Much like most bands that fall in the tech death genre, the drums are an absolute treat to listen to. Like a good amount of internet projects, the drums are programmed to save time to search for a talented enough and willing drummer. The drums for Cortexiphan are fast, clean, and insanely tight. Every groove played, every fill, and every blast beat is placed perfectly and it is easy for the listener to forget that they are listening to programmed drums.
Cortexiphan, while being an internet project AND a fresh band, sound like they have been playing together for years. They are a cohesive unit that knows exactly what they want to play and execute pretty damn perfectly. The insanity of both guitar parts and the bass player doing their own leads all somehow seem to mesh together to make some beautiful melodies and the drums and vocals make sure that the ferocity is not forgotten in the midst of all the melody. I am actually surprised none of these guys’ instruments lit on fire while recording this release, and even more surprised to find out this band consists of only THREE PEOPLE. If you are a fan of tech death, look no further.
BOTTOM LINE: If you were to tell me that Cortexiphan is an internet band that just formed (and I didn’t know any better), I wouldn’t believe you. Everything about this band is done so well and is incredibly polished. The whole entire release is fun as hell to listen to and will keep you tapping your foot and head banging throughout the whole thing. It is hard to NOT listen to this all at once.
STANDOUT TRACK: The opener of the album, The Big Sleep, has to be my favorite track on this. It is so reminiscent of Between the Buried and Me, yet it has a heavier edge to it. It is heavy, it is melodic as fuck, it’s catchy, it has many different elements in it, and most importantly, its just a flat out interesting song to listen to.
I love what I do. I love telling you all about some of the amazing bands I find throughout my days. Today is no different. I have found one hell of a band to write about. Today, I will introduce you guys to a band that has quickly grown into a personal favorite of mine: Swamps from Springfield, Massachusetts.
If you have read any of my other reviews, you know I have a bone to pick with the majority of the bands putting out music. There is little to no variety anymore within the hardcore scene. Instead, we are left with a shit load of bands that have the same sound and try desperately to emulate bands like Code Orange and Turnstile. Nobody wants to take a risk and sound different anymore. Swamps seems to be an exception to this shitty trend.
Swamps latest release “Mentally Imprisoned” is the first I ever heard from this band. I had no idea what to expect on my first listen and holy shit was I pleasantly surprised. Everything about this band, to me, sticks out from the pack. From the vocals to the unique blend of genres, everything about this band is a breathe of fresh air.
I love the vocals on “Mentally Imprisoned.” The dude is so versatile. He switches between the more traditional hardcore yells and beatdown style, thundering growls effortlessly. He always has the right pitch, style, and attitude for whatever the band lays out for him. The lyrics are also beautifully pissed off and touch on some topical, relevant trends in today’s culture (i.e. the track “Money).
Musically, Swamps is damn near unpredictable. Every song has its own feel and atmosphere. I think my favorite thing about this full length release is just this. Whenever a big lead in is being played, you’re never sure what it’s going to be. Could be a slow, chuggy, mean breakdown meant to bring chaos to venues, or catchy two steps that force your head to bob, or just a ridiculously heavy and bouncy riff. No matter what comes after that lead in, you know it will be heavy as fuck.
BOTTOM LINE: Swamps full length release “Mentally Imprisoned” is one hell of a treat to listen to. It is one of those albums that ends way sooner than you would hope, leaving you reaching for the replay button. “Mentally Imprisoned” is an unpredictable set of furious, fast paced songs created from raw sonic energy. Also, they have melodic interludes on this release. When’s the last fucking time you saw that on a hardcore release? I think that’s fucking awesome.
STANDOUT TRACK: I talked a few times about how unexpected and unpredictable “Mentally Imprisoned” is (at least to me). The best example of this is the track “Blood Loss.” This track is heavy as all hell and will never give you a chance to be able to forsee what is coming next. Seriously give this track, fuck it this whole damn release, a listen and thank me later.
LISTEN AND BUY SWAMPS FULL LENGTH HERE
What’s up guys? How’s your night going? I’m really fucking drunk. Thank god for autocorrect :). So I thought it’d be a pretty cool idea to do a monthly thing where i get shit faced and write a review for shit. So yeah. I’m gonna start this shit show with XTOILETFLUSHX. Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to start of the segment.
So I’ve really only listened to the “Fuck You” EP once before tonight in my car. So I’m going to just go track by track and write down my reactions to each song; what I like about it, don’t like, shit like that. Let’s do dis.
1) FUCK YOU: Well damn. This is actually pretty heavy. Kinda better than I was expecting from a band called fucking XTOILETFLUSHX.
2) EXTERMINATE THOTS: oh look, slam riffs. GO DRINK BLEACH YOU FUCKING BITCH. surprisingly the vocals are pretty good. Sooper dooper edgy lyrics. No pig squeels confirmed yet thank fucking gosh. HOW DO PEOPLE TAKES THIS SERIOUS LOL.
3) Deathcore Tough Guy: That hardcore section about kicking people in the face really speaks to my soul. LOL DEATHCORE MERCHSWAP. This song is basically Pure Deathcore in a nutshell.
4) You Aren’t Slam: GOOD. I don’t want to be slam. Fuck. Pig squeels confirmed -____-. Shits pretty fucking groovy doe. Bass player is killing it in this song. Im im Impressed. Pig squeelies suck ass.
5) Denny’s Grand Slam: Oh shit, we changed songs? Didn’t even notice. Ugh more pigs. You’re better than that man. As over the top and trollish as this shit us, it’s pretty good and heavy. Entertaining at least. Aw shit dem slams doe. Hate mosh all day at the end ofnthis.
6) Kop Killer: sigh. Haha WHAT THE FUCK?! This song right here was written to intentionly piss people off. And it seems to have worked. Again, musically this shit is fuckin heavy.l
7) TOILET GANG: YAY no more fucking brees. Shit spoke too soon -____-. Shits got a good groove tho. Bass player killin it again. Ay Toilet gang waddup. The drum work in this has been consistently fucking good so far in this EP.
8) THE FLUSHING: Started this shit with a bang. Well shit this one’s actually pretty sick! 10/10 would crowdkill. LOL those lyrics tho. Aw shit, TOILETFLUSH showing their melodic side! DAT LEAN?#! AW SHIT TURTLE TIME SON. The lead guitar over this breakdown kinda reminds me of The Acacia Strain.
9) ADOLF HITLER HAD THE RIGHT JDEA: Really? We are going there? I’m bleeding from the edge. Musically, heavy as hell. Filled with breakslams (my word I called dibs). I actually enjoy the vocals alot. Yay for satire!
10) FUCK DJENT: I don’t like djent either, man. All that shit sounds the same. Bass player again going H.A.M. I’m still impressed by the sound quality and shit, it sounds great. This is probably.my favorite song on this ep.
BOTTOM LINE: Phew. That was….fun? I drank a whole bottle of whine and a bunch of whisky during that whole experience. Thank fuck for autocorrect. I really enjoyed listening to this. It’s great to listen to a band that doesn’t take itself serious for once. Kept my head bobbin and would make for fun mosh.
The lyrics and vocals are very over the top but that’s pretty much to be expected. This is satire people. Stop getting so butthurt over a band named XTOILETFLUSHX. Take a fucking joke and shut up nerd.
STANDOUT TRACK: Deathcore Tough Guy. Because Pure Deathcore: Community.
GET “FUCK YOU” HERE
WOO I’M DONE LATER NERDS
I spend a good amount of my free time on Bandcamp. I sift through bands’ profiles and try to find some that will catch my eye. Every now and then, I will come across a gem hidden in the sea of music that is BandCamp. Just last week, I stumbled across the metal/hardcore outfit from Maryland Supreme Ritual, and man am I glad I did.
Categorized as metalcore on their bandcamp profile, I was a bit cautious upon checking them out. The good old days of metalcore as we knew it have been long gone. We won’t be hearing bands recreating sounds from bands like Poison the Well, Converge, or Misery Signals. Instead, many bands just play the same basic cookie cutter formula of quick two step beats, trade-offs between clean vocals and screams (usually a mid scream that every metalcore vocalist ever does) and breakdowns heavily reliant on the china cymbal.
Supreme Ritual, thankfully, is not one of those generic metalcore bands. They definitely pull more influence from the hardcore aspect of the genre than metal. From the riffs to the vocalists unique yell, this band sticks out from the crowd. Their introductory release “The Black Hand” proves this point from the second it starts, to the last note. There are no clean vocals to speak of in here and the band keeps a furious pace throughout each song. Just straight up aggression.
The catchy, heavy-as-fuck riffs along with the grooves laid out by the drummer display an interesting fusion of traditional hardcore and metal. The whole feel of Supreme Ritual’s music is dark and heavy. The lyrics match this mood seamlessly. Blunt and to the point, the words being shouted are beautifully pissed off and do not try too hard to be “edgy” or “badass.” The vocals were a huge turn on for me with this band. I am so sick of hearing bands that play this genre with a totally interchangeable vocalist. The vocals laid down here are balls out hardcore yells. There are no gutterals or super high screams, just the excessively aggressive shouting that will always capture my attention. It sounds, to me at least, like a more hardcore take on Unearth’s vocal style.
This band can keep a crowd moshing during their entire set with zero breaks. This music was meant to lose your damn mind too. When Supreme Ritual throws a breakdown into the mix, it hits hard and almost without warning. The drummers off time rim shots and fills really make the heavy parts in this EP much heavier. It almost sounds like the band makes a complete 180 from the fast pace of their hardcore influences into breakdowns that make beatdown bands sound light in comparison.
BOTTOM LINE: Every once in a while, I will stumble across a hidden gem on BandCamp. Supreme Ritual is definitely one of those gems. There is so much I like about this release, from the excessively aggressive vocal style to the groovy and unique drum work, to the stupid heavy and almost surprising breakdowns, I can’t really think of anything bad to say about this band.
STANDOUT TRACK: “Violence” is probably my favorite track from “The Black Hand.” It is relatively short, very fast and to the point. The end of this song is hands down my favorite part of this song. I said it before and I will say it again, these guys know how to write a fucking breakdown, and this fact proves true at the end of this song.
DOWNLOAD THE BLACK HAND HERE
Finally, I get to talk about Mercy Blow. I have been listening to the Pennsylvania beatdown band’s debut ep Second Hand Suffering since its release, terrorizing my friends and assaulting anybody who is within earshot. This EP is the musical embodiment of hate.
Beatdown is a touchy genre for me.
There are a good amount of really great bands within the genre, but many others tend to bore me, and with the surge in popularity of the genre, there are seemingly countless bands out now. After a while, slow tempos and chugs get a little played out. Mercy Blow, to me, is a breath of fresh air in a genre that desperately needs it.
Mercy Blow has created a mix of sounds that makes them stick out from the pack of new beatdown bands flooding the genre. They seem to pull from two opposite ends of the spectrum: heavy, crushing slam and aggressive, pissed off hardcore music. This actually works in their favor, allowing them to be versatile and play slam shows as well as hardcore and beatdown shows in the area. Add in a helping of sludgy riffs and you have the sonic whirlwind that is Mercy Blow.
So, let’s take a look at the music. Secondhand Suffering is filled to the brim with the slow, punishing chugs you would expect from a beatdown band. The vocalist has a style reminiscent of No Zodiac when Connor fronted the band. The riffs laid out by the guitarists on this EP are great. I always catch myself humming guitar parts to myself for hours after listening to this release. The drummer compliments the band well. One of my favorite things to hear in bands like this are the ride cymbal grooves and apparently this guy loves them too. It adds more to the hardcore influences incorporated in Mercy Blow’s sound.
The breakdowns are almost a hybrid of slams and more traditional breakdowns. A handful of them are kicked off by some of the most ferocious callouts that could hype up any crowd and ensure a wild mosh pit, especially the Gunishment callout (because shit talking).
BOTTOM LINE: Mercy Blow manages to find a way to stand out in a sea of new beatdown bands. With creative riffs, unexpected two step rhythms and pulverizing breakdowns, they are one of the few bands in this genre that you don’t “have to see live” to enjoy. A lot of these bands’ music does not translate well from live performance to recording, the music tends to fall a little flat (with a big handful of exceptions). Everybody in the band is incredibly talented at what they do and work well with each other. If the goal was to make as angry of an EP as possible, Mercy Blow accomplished just that.
STANDOUT TRACK: This one is kind of a toss-up for me. There is not a single bad song on this EP in my opinion. That being said, if I had to pick a track to introduce Mercy Blow to somebody that has never heard the band before, I would put “Purge” on full blast. The opening ring out breakdown is mean as hell and will open up a pit in seconds. I am also a sucker for two step beats, and this song has a great two step moment that is almost unexpected.
GET SECONHAND SUFFERING HERE
What a great way to kick off my time writing for Worldwide Underground than to review a band like Reality Grip. The boys in Reality Grip are a fresh hardcore band from Salina, Kansas. With the release of their EP Mind Strife, they plan to establish their place within the hardcore scene. Creating an agressive mix of traditional hardcore and more modern beatdown elements, the band seems to do just that very well.
As a self-proclaimed “mosh pit warrior,” I immensely enjoyed this release. There is not a single second in this EP that is not moshable. With riffs that will force you to nod your head, two steps that will get anyone and everyone moving, and breakdowns that have the potential to tear venues apart, these guys must put on one hell of a live performance. They do a great job at mixing the more traditional hardcore elements like stomp beats and quick, catchy two steps and more modern beatdown elements heard in their breakdowns. I am not really a fan of bands that rely on chugs to be heavy or, in this case, hard. Thankfully, Reality Grip doesn’t rely on chugs. There a few moments in this release where they do the typical telegraphing of when their breakdowns are about to hit. They will just drop it right on their head directly after shredding through a catchy riff. It is great.
The band is really tight. Usually, with a band’s first release, i expect it to be somewhat sloppy. This is not the case with Reality Grip. The band sounds like they are in complete agreement with what they want to sound like. The furious, pounding drums compliment the aggressive-as-all-hell riffs being played. The vocal style, which I can’t help but hear influences from bands like Death Before Dishonor, match the style of the band perfectly. His vocals are beautifully pissed off and are crisp and clear and easier to understand than most, successfully pushing their messages within each song.
BOTTOM LINE: Reality Grip put out an absolute banger as their introduction to the scene. From start to finish, this EP is relentless. The riffs are catchy enough to keep your head bobbing throughout each track and the breakdowns can incite riots. The vocalist adds more to the traditional hardcore feel to the band, lyrically and style-wise. They play the style they aimed for with precision and expertise. I can’t wait to hear more from these guys and they need to come to New Jersey so I can punch people in the head during their set.
STANDOUT TRACK: This is a tough one for me. The EP’s title track is a fast and aggressive track with some heavy as FUCK parts that will make even the most timid attendee at their show mosh their ass off. For me, however, the track that stood out the most is the last song on the EP, “Reaper” (featuring Bret Miller). The song follows the same basic formula as their other songs, but the end gave me chills. There is no better way to end an EP than with your heaviest breakdown. Seriously, go check the song out, the end is absolutely crushing
GET THE EP HERE
Check out Reality Grip on Facebook
The fine folks over at Demons Run Amok Entertainment have decided to team up with us over here at WWU to do an exclusive stream of Still Ill’s newest album! Give it a listen below and be sure to pick it up from their webstore.
Coming from the press release from the label “The record “Building The Beast” is a concept record being about how society and people are turning into things they once fought. The metaphorical beast is built by each and every one of us, guided by greed, malice and anger. Most of the songs are about some specific topics which are in our point of view main problems of the modern world. Misguiding media, [abuse] of power, racism and fascism, people caught in despair and being without hope. In some songs and somewhere between the lines there is still a glance of hope and some points where we could still turn those things around – if we act before it is too late.
The title track is an introduction to the whole idea of the record. The video displays images of disturbing things happening day after day on our planet, trying to catch several aspects of what we feel is wrong: police violence, oppression, terrorism, and animal [abuse]. It’s a non specific wake up call about the current state of the world. “
PRE ORDER THE ALBUM HERE AND CHECK OUT STILL ILL ON FACEBOOK
I’m not sure what they put in the water out in the Midwest but it sure seems to be the current hotbed for up and coming Hardcore bands. The second EP that Worldwide Underground is debuting is from a little band that literally fell in my lap called Delinquents and my God are they something special. I’m sure everyone can relate to this: you’re up at night listening to a band for the first time and for some reason, it feels different. You instantly click with the lyrics and the music gives you chills and you feel goosebumps on your arms and the hair on your neck stand up.
That is exactly what Delinquents did for me with their newest EP Face of Evil. I literally jumped at the chance to premiere their new release here on my channel. If there’s one band that you need to check out this year, it’s Delinquents.
When I asked their guitarist, Dan, about the new EP he had this to say:
“6 vicious tracks with messages that we are very eager to share with the world. 5 of the 6 songs call out something that I felt needed to be brought to light, while Cut Ties is more so a song of empowerment from past struggles. I want people to be able to interpret them how they want though and be able to apply the lyrics to whatever they feel.
It’s definitely our most powerful release yet and that’s exactly how we wanted it to be. The songs themselves are thunderous but the lyrical themes are what speak volumes to me and I hope the listeners will connect with that rather than just listening for “mosh parts”.”
Check out the new EP and be sure to check them out on Facebook and Bandcamp!
Kansas heavy hitters Mammoth have decided to team up with us over here at Worldwide Underground to release their brand new EP No Love Lost! Check it out above and be sure to let them know what you think about it!
My personal thoughts? I think the new release shows a steady growth in the band. From the slappy and crunchy intro to a track filled with an almost hip hop-esque vibe (ITUE) to the heavy and palm muted end of the last track, Pillpusher, Mammoth have really stepped up their game with this newest release. Give these up and coming kids a chance if you haven’t already.
CHECK OUT MAMMOTH ON FACEBOOK
It’s the end of the year and you know what that means, every little music site out there is putting out a “Best of” list and I figured I would jump in on this, too.
I feel like I have made a terrible mistake. Not only was this INCREDIBLY difficult to do, I feel like if you were to ask me 10 minutes after I post this if I feel the same way about the order, I would probably say no and completely redo the list for the millionth time.
I figured the best thing for me to do, since here at WWU we are very focused on Underground and Unsigned acts, would be to have an Unsigned List and a Signed List. Each list has one or two honorable mentions and by no means are these honorable mentions bad or even worse then the bands that were numbered (truth be told, I don’t think I had a single bad release sent to me this year), I just had to find a way to trim down my lists to something that was a lot more manageable since no one wants to read a single list with 100 albums on it. Well.. I know I would but I’m weird sooo..
Here it is, Chris WWU Best of List for 2015. If this is how 2015 has been, I can not wait for 2016.
EP: Unsigned Acts
10. Rig Time – Devout
9. Meth Mouth – Death Rattle
8. Circle Back – Devour The Negative
7. Wicked World – As I Decay
6. Eyes of Society – Demo 2015
5. Guttersnipe – Pain From The Pines
4. Incited – Death Has Forgotten Me
3. Hand of Zeus – Falling Down
2. Divebomb – Rhythm and Style
1. Dishonored – Defect
Honorable Mentions: Old Scratch – A Light Shining in Darkness and All Out Mutiny – Cures: In Case of Witches
EP: Signed Acts
5. Earth Crisis – The Discipline
4. Eternal Sleep – Belief in the Truth Of Nothing
3. Cockpunch! – The Rebirth of Cool
2. All Out War – Dying Gods
1. Purgatory – Gospel of War
Honorable Mention: It’s technically not out till February so I couldn’t really add it, but the new Shai Hulud EP fucking rips and you’re a poser if you overlook it.
LP: Signed Acts
10. Dark Sermon – The Oracle
9. Nasty – Shokka
8. xBishopx – Everything In Vein
7. Lifeless – Dream
6. Malfunction – Fear of Failure
5. Steel Nation – The Harder They Fall
4. Culture Killer – Throes of Mankind
3. Wisdom in Chains – God Rhythm
2. Bitter End – Illusions of Dominance
1. Old Wounds – The Suffering Spirit
Honorable Mention: Cold Reign – The Noose
Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Are you upset you’re band didn’t make the list? Comment below or let me know on our Facebook or Twitter page!
See you all in 2016!
Worldwide Underground 