Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Systems - Ghost Medicine



Systems are a hardcore/skramz/post-punk group from North Carolina.  To date, they've only released one album, 2011's 'Ghost Medicine'.  I noticed they played some shows with Circle Takes the Square, and perhaps some similarities run between the two aesthetically; vocals are often quick and enunciated, blurred in a cacophony of screams and sings.  They also have a very strong ambient lining throughout their song writing, though to the former perhaps venture even further from the heart of their sound.

Really cool stuff, definitely spring for the vinyl if available (a few weeks ago they posted on their Facebook that 30 copies remain), definitely worth it for the meticulous artwork alone.
The band is still active, so hopefully their 2nd release isn't far behind.











Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Gatherer - So Be It



New Zealand's Gatherer (based in Melbourne, Australia) were formerly the hardcore trio This City Sunrise.  They changed names and brought on a member's younger brother to venture into a more experimental direction, while still incorporating their gang vocals and bombastic song-writing that made This City Sunrise stand out. 

'So Be It' was their first full length in 2012, paving the way for their soon to be released second album.  Fans of old will feel right at home with tracks like "Elvis Horizon", and anyone else will get a refined introduction to one of music's more unique takes on experimental hardcore.