Fly Philly Eagles Fly + New Tunes

Philly Hiss. MSPAINT. Black metal. What’s going on ? Writing for this batch takes place before the Superbowl. Just can’t seem to flow. I feel that it is best to post this regardless of how long it takes. So Although I don’t give a toss about football. I love Philadelphia. If your team lost, sorry. Let’s consider positivity and the the rich history of Philly. Former capital of colonies. Medical breakthroughs by Doctor Physick. Cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. Parades.

Good bad or indifferent PHL is unique.

That being said, as of late I have been struggling with lack of support. This lack is not from average reader. It’s from within. People who reach out and ask me to cover their music. Then they fail to share my post which contains their own music. This is making it harder for me to review the artists who do share my posts. It’s not cool. So without further belly aching here’s some bands.

Apologies to the artists who want me to review some tracks and I did not get to it until now.

Bedridden – Amateur Heartthrob EP – Fantastic shoegazey stuff. High. or High As Fuck’s newest single. I’ll be watching for your new material and when funds allow, I can support your music.

We got Purling Hiss and Drill Sergeant both from Philadelphia. Also (article link below is late 2022)

Just off of tour is MSPAINT. Juan Meat writes of said tour here. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/mspaint-live-direct-best-show-hattiesburg/

MSPAINT – Delete It + Titan Of Hope – Convulse Records

Hattiesburg MS represent. MSPAINT are fixin to release an LP for March 2023 release.

This is the first song from forthcoming Post American album. Featuring guest vocals by Ian from Militarie Gun. Delete It contains satisfying synth stomp. Duelling vocals. Dee Dee’s ” I, I, I, just want to feel it ” mixed with Ian’s ” I’s ” is like peas and carrots, chocolate and peanut butter. You catch the drift; I hope. If you never listened to MSPAINT start here , then go back. This single and tracks they have already released sound fresh and percussive. It is my belief that MSPAINT and the Hattiesburg cohorts are onto something. They hold the keys to the future.

Titan Of Hope feels like a buzzsaw of synth and 4 string bass guitar with lyrical stylings akin to hip hop and hardcore. When the synth is not humming and cutting it almost trickles with a xylophone quality. Very clever juxtposition.

No 6 string guitar ? Not a problem. MSPAINT still groove and kick your ass, but they do it with love.

I promise. Pre – order and or buy here https://convulserecords.bandcamp.com/album/post-american

Drill Sergeant – Grim New War EP

You get to hear 2 or 4 songs. It’s possible that one song is tracked as two or one is tracked and both flow into the next. Either way you will get it immediatlely ; or not, upon first listen.

Hard, fast and if we must label. Yes, Drill Sergeant are hardcore.

Above basic guitar skills. Chugging riffs meets squeals and solos that breeze right through. Like a bullet parting your hairline. Sure its grim, gloom and doom subject matter. However its good for getting the blood pressure up. Philly represent. More seems to coming down the pike from this band so stay tuned. Go here if you want some aggressive music to mosh around your homestead. https://drillsergeant.bandcamp.com/album/grim-new-war

Purling Hiss – Yer All In My Dreams + Baby – Drag City Records

Purling Hiss is back. I live vicariously in Philadelphia thanks to bands like Purling Hiss. Yer All In My Dreams is the first single from Drag On Girard. Drag being Purling Hiss’s new forthcoming album slated for late March.

Second is Baby. Same sonic quality I come to love from this band. 

Although I have only scratched the surface of Mike Polizze’s and Ben Leaphart’s work I think I’ve heard enough to say two things.

I’m a fan, forst and foremost. Secondly, to me they lead the charge on American rock and roll that is born from Philly basement jams. It’s always played well but still gritty to keep the band and listener firmly planted on Philly cement and blacktop.

So first let’s talk about Baby. A mere two minutes and change of far away sounding vocals with a descending guitar motif. Not a fan of the term lo fi’s pretentiousness but it could be lo fi without the presupposed pretense.

It’s as if you are falling into a choral abyss with six string chime and pre classic rock stomps.

Second is Yer All In My Dreams. Actually this number is out before Baby. Yer All In My Dreams is gritty, hard hitting, but with underlying satisfied grin. Smiling throughout. The rhythm is a solid and fun thump. Mike stretches the nimbleness of his fingers on the frets. Similar to the way he does on High Bias, the last full length. The sound is fuzzy and raw but not underproduced. This is going to be one hell of an LP if the rest of the tracks contain the quality of these two. The world will know on and after March 24, 2023. Until then you can go here to checkout the rest of the Purling Hiss catalog. https://purlinghiss.bandcamp.com/album/drag-on-girard

Syn – Wilk

John Meat does not usually cover metal per se. I don’t want to divulge the reasons right now. Always going to be one or two exceptions. Syn is an exception. Thus check out the frequencies while you can. Or be sorry later. This is black metal. Brought to you by Regimental Records and friends. This label releases the mighty Vinterriket and hosts of other pure black metal.

Syn offers no hybrid emo bullshit djent. Simply hatred and speed.

Be advised there are versions of this that differ and if you are a collector of black metal then it is essential you stop by here. https://synusbm.bandcamp.com/album/wilk Can’t say what is left in stock as I am trying to be more minimalist in what I own, but collectors, show your demand for the supply.

Wilk (Permafrost) is cold, fast, and tortured blending into a moshy breakdown. This slows down and leads you out of the song. High and low vocals duel it out. The low vocal succumbing to growling agony.

Monocle is guttural with squealing guitar – monics. What is guttural in vocals goes back and forth from theatrical to tortured and back to guttural. Think a touch of King Diamond meets the greats of black metal. It is not as operatic as King Diamond though.

Thankfully the guitars are not too treble soaked which for me is another bonus. Often in the black metal I used to listen to it was a thing to turn the treble way up. It is also as if sounding like the band is in a tunnel was favorable.

Contrarily, Syn have the tones dialed in. It’s raw, brutal, and produced just enough to give it cred from a studio engineer stand point. A fine line like lupine strand of fur.

Layers / Void features some great bass playing. Antagonistic sounding with the dual high low vocals makes for a dramatic backdrop.

Storm is another highlight. Opening with a slight thunder rumble. Transmuting to ominous and fast dark sky music. I get a similar feeling when I hear the classic ” In The Nightside Eclipse” from Emperor. Brooding, foreboding, pre thunderstorm music.

If I were to choose a recent release to go to the dark side, this would be my go to pick.

High. – Bomber

Meatsheet is covering this a little late, however, it’s worthy of listens. Even more so if you are a fan of shoegaze. If you go back in time here is vlog coverage containing High. from October ish 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw-dYJKpyDU&list=PLp9aKx_tzSczIlvleTtwytuDxn9mkMftK&index=4

The latest song to release is called Bomber . Please find it embedded below.

Wonderfully dreary and a bit mournful but not without hope. Just enough to tug on your heartstrings.

Definitely dreamy. Enough as much that you can get lost in the arpeggios that transform to washes of sound.

If you love the 90’s shoegaze sound then acquire any and all you can from High. I may mention 90’s but of course if you are not nearly as old as me, you may hear some post 90’s influence too. No matter.

If High. were locals I’d make it a firm point to caffeinate myself appropriately and pull my inertia soaked butt cheeks from the couch to go see them play this and other numbers.

They are top in their class. Boonton NJ shoegaze represent.

Bedridden – Amateur Heartthrob EP

More loveliness for the fans of dreampop and shoegaze. First to roll out of the Amateur Heartthrob EP is a song Logger. Obvious My Bloody Valentine influence. Not in a bad way. Fuzz guitar entwined with out of phase whammied distortion.

Second is Clara’s Mouth. A song that could easily cite The Lily’s “There’s No Such Thing As Black Orchids” as an inspiration. Additionally a few more songs from the same In The Presence Of Nothing LP by The Lily’s saunter into my subconscious when hearing Clara’s Mouth.

Cue Sports may be a culmination of the MBV and Lily’s sound. The way the bass thumps and guitar slides into higher expressive sighs.

If you love Curve’s guitar sound (particularly Horror Head I’m honing in on ) and just a touch of feedback in your songs the s/t track Bedridden will do the trick very nicely. Percussive enough for the boppers and dreamy enough for the gazers.

Next, Track 5 is Peanut. This song is the darkest in tone. Possibly the haviest or second heaviest of the six songs. The creeping rolling bass and foreboding lyrics stand out in the beginning of the track.

Lastly, track 6 Soft Soap opens with a sped up drum beat that instantly brings the opening beat of We’re Not Gonna Take It to mind. Yes, old school Twisted Sister. But, its only a drum beat. Is it exact in rhythm? Probably not identical. As a former NJ metal head , that beat is burned indelibly into my psyche.

Soft Soap is high energy dream pop. It crosses the line unapologetically from soft over to driving and hard.

It’s also just fun to listen to. The case can be made that these songs are too much like the music that has already been done. To that I say ” So?” What will be the true test is how these hold up in time and what Bedridden achieve next. Sometimes you have to emulate your influences and then upon that you have a breakthrough. Bedridden’s future is wide open. I love the start they are off to.

February is nearly done and the blog and you tube vlog is still not growing. Its as if there’s a layer of frost or ice on it. Again, due to various reasons Meatsheet Fanzine is not accepting music to review at this time. Bluntly, you ghost me, I put my energy elsewhere. Here’s to all the bands that are releasing stuff this March and soon. Stay tuned