Code 415 Podcast - Jan. 19, 2014

Today's music is from:

Lights and the Window - "New Day Sun"

Amesoeurs - "Heurt"

Mogwai - "Travel Is Dangerous"

Fucked Up - "The Other Shoe"

Ghinzu - "Blow"

Code 415 Podcast: 1/19/14 by Code415media on Mixcloud

Top 5 Albums of 2013

5. ALTAR OF PLAGUES - "IN TEETH GLORY & INJURY"

"Mammals" was such a killer album.  It made me a become a fan of this band.  Altar of Plagues are one of the bands that really keep extreme music interesting.  So when "Teethed Glory & Injury" came out, I was looking forward to hearing their new material.  And what an awesome album.   The album has been praised by many music publications.  2013 has been great to these Irishmen.

4. WINDHAND - "SOMA"

After hearing Cough, it's great to hear another Doom band from Virginia.  I heard of Windhand from the split they did with Cough.  Windhand bring in more of a traditional Doom sound, which right now is breathe of fresh air.  If you're a fan of early Doom Metal bands, then "Soma" is your kind of album.

3. DEAFHEAVEN - "SUNBATHER"

If you read my review of this album, then you shouldn't be surprise that it made my Top 5.  I really don't know how much more I can give praise to this album.  Everything I loved about Deafheaven, they did it twice as better on "Sunbather"  Their cross of Post-Rock and Black Metal is really amazing.  Totally pick this up for your New Year's Eve party.

2. GHOST B.C. - "INFESTISSUMAM"

Oh, boy.  This album started my 2013 with a bang.  Of course I've been waiting for this album since I've heard their first single "Circular Haze".  And just like the first album, this album is even more catchier.  Seeing that this band is on a major label, I'm glad they didn't water them down.  And even though they've added the "BC", these Swedes will always be Ghost to me.

1. SUBROSA - "MORE CONSTANT THAN THE GODS"

It was awesome when I heard that SubRosa was putting out a new album in 2013.  "No Help From The Mighty Ones" was one of my favorite Sludge albums.  With "More Constant Than The Gods", everything sound more heavier, more catchier, and just more kick arse.  Since it's release, I can not stop listening to this album.  Violins are the best thing to happen in the Sludge genre.  And if these kids from SLC continue to push themselves, then don't be surprise if their next album is #1 on my list again.

Palms - "Palms" 2013

A couple of years ago, I was super excited when I heard the news that Deftones singer, Chino Moreno was forming a band with three members of ISIS.  Of course I was interested in how they will sound.  Would it sound like ISIS with Chino on vocals?  Or would it be a complete different band?

Well, I will say this; Palms sound like a nice cross between Alternative Metal and Post-Rock.  I can hear a bit of Deftones and ISIS.  But it does have a tropical/dream-like feel.  It really does feel like another band.  But of course Chino's vocals are very recognizable.  Hopefully when you're listening to it, you can get past that.  And I have to mention that it's nice hearing Clifford Meyer doing more guitar.

"Future Warrior" starts off great.  With "Patagonia", I just wanted to close my eyes and pretend I'm flying above the clouds.  And from there on, it's just enjoyable.  I don't think this is going to break any new ground.  But I'm pretty sure Chino has done it with the Deftones.  And Aaron Harris , Cliff Meyer, and Jeff Caxide have did get that whole Post-Metal thing rocking and rolling.  So if you enjoy the work of the Deftones and ISIS, I might recommend this.  This was a good record by very creative people.

2013 Home Stretch.

Well, it's that time of the year when I recount my favorite albums and movies of 2013.  I have to say that this year was really fun.  In 2013, I found a new favorite doom metal band in Windhand.  Edgar Wright once again worked with Simon Peg and Nick Frost in their third feature, "The World's End".  And of course comic geeks got some Iron Man, Man of Steel, and Thor.

Pretty soon, I'm going to go through my favorites of this year, and hope I can make a Top 5.  A lot of contenders, so it should be interesting.  Please check back soon as I will post my Top 5 Albums and Films of 2013.  Until then, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Toodles.

What to watch and listen on Halloween.

Well, tomorrow is Halloween.  And I like to recommend three films and three albums to enjoy with your family and friends.

FILMS

INSIDE

This French film is not for the squeamish.  It involves a pregnant woman who is being terrorize by a woman who's on a mission.  Lot's of blood.  A very creepy atmosphere.  And a great soundtrack.  There's one scene that makes no sense, but it won't ruin the film that much.

 [REC] 2

If you've seen Quarantine, do yourself a favor and watch the original Spanish version, [REC].  After that, watch it's awesome sequel, [REC] 2.  There are two scenes where we see the POV shots of two of the SWAT team members.  And they're awesome. 

MONSTER SQUAD

Some kids wanted to be Goonies.  I wanted to be a Monster Squad.  This is more fun than horror.  If you're a fan of the Universal Monsters, then you'll dig this flick.  It's really cute and awesome.  The dialogue can be cheesy, but of course this was from the 80's.  That's not a bad thing.

MUSIC

FANTOMAS - "THE DIRECTOR'S CUT"

Most of the songs on this albums are covers of film soundtracks.  My top 3 tracks are "Rosemary's Baby", "The Omen", and "Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer".

ABRUPTUM - "EVIL GENIUS"

Last year when I was passing out candy to fellow trick or treaters, I played this album for background music.  The horror in people's faces when they were walking up the door.  And the fact that the singer is a dwarf really makes it scary.

MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE - "HALLOWEEN MUSIC COLLECTION"

Honestly, any Midnight Syndicate album will do.  But because this album was made for this special occasion, why not?  If you enjoy original horror soundtracks, then you'll love this album. 

Upcoming Diclonius and Culpa music.

For those who don't know, I am a musician. So I decided to dedicate a post to my projects.  I've been trying to work on new music for my noise doom/post-black metal project, Diclonius and my ambient-noise pop project, Culpa.  Hopefully I can get it done by the end of the year.  I at least want to release 3 demos.  A three song Culpa demo, Vectors re-recorded, and another Diclonius demo.
This year I got my video projector and projection screen.  So hopefully by next year, I'll start doing shows.  I've been working on visual effects and hope they won't cause a problem at whatever venue I play.  I just need to get a new amp.  As soon as I'm done with the demos, hopefully I can get a gig and build my fanbase.
In early 2014, I'm gonna start working on a future ep called "Tales of the House of Murphy".  It's based on characters from the film "I Sell The Dead".  I'm pretty sure I can come up with some awesome songs influenced by them.

Be sure to check out

https://www.facebook.com/dicloniusdoom

and

https://www.facebook.com/culpanoise

-Mikey O)))-

Deafheaven - "Sunbather" (2013)

In the past decade, there have been bands who take a lot of influence from Death Metal.  And you can hear it through bands like Earth Crisis, Lamb of God, and countless others.  But lately I've been hearing some bands who have a Black Metal influence.  Of course you wouldn't call these bands "Black Metal", but you can't deny that Black Metal has a impact on their sound.

Deafheaven are one of those bands who have a Black Metal sound, but you wouldn't call them Black Metal.  They also throw in some post-rock, shoegaze, noise, and audio sample.  Very hard to put them in a box.  Especially since there are a lot of bands who also experiment with this sound.

Sunbather is Deafheaven's 2nd album.  The vocals are awesome and grim.  Similar to Ihsahn.  The guitar are a cross between post-rock, post-hardcore, and black metal.  And the drums can be very punishing.  The ambient stuff are amazing.  And there's also a track that has a Godspeed You Black Emperor influence.  

Sunbather" is a great album.  For sure it's a top contender for album of the year.  Deafheaven sure got something unique that I can get behind.  Really looking forward to their next album.  I'm sure it will have a huge impact on the extreme music scene.  I will totally say keep an eye on this band.