Exclusive Premiere: THUNDER HORSE “Let Them Bleed” Video Off Upcoming ‘Chosen One’
Article By: Leanne Ridgeway
San Antonio, Texas-based band THUNDER HORSE recently announced their signing on with Ripple Music Continue reading
Article: Leanne Ridgeway
STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC is a Fort Worth, Texas-based stoner rock duo best known for (more…)
FOSTERMOTHER Self-Titled Album Review & Stream
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/EditorI recently underwent quite a nice thrill; one related to music, of course, and derived from my introduction to the duo from Houston, Texas and working under the name FOSTERMOTHER. (more…)
STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC 10th Anniversary Commemorative 7″ Coming
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/EditorThe Lone Star State’s experimentally-natured duo of psychedelic metal, STONE MACHINE ELECTRIC, announce the March 27th arrival of a rather special recording. (more…)
RUNESCARRED Debut ‘The Distant Infinite’ Album Due February; Video + Live Dates
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorThe Austin, Texas-based begetters of powerful, progressively shaded, contemporary heavy metal, RUNESCARRED, reveal details of their upcoming début full-length, studio album, ‘The Distant Infinite‘.
SPEEDEALER ‘Blue Days Black Nights’ Album Review; MARYLAND DOOM FEST 2020 Headliner
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorTexas has long been home to some of the most incredible bands to take The Beatles directive of “Come Together” to heart. (more…)
Two entities known for their emission of multifaceted audio abrasion – Plainview, TX’s RED BEARD WALL and Richmond, VA’s THUNDERCHIEF – announce they will join forces.
This aligning will be one of quite sinister proportions and is set to occur on the road throughout October and early November. The pairing are to impart the “Sacrament Of The Ninth Order Tour 2019” upon the public beginning in Dallas, Texas on October 17th.
From there, the unholy trinity of touring musicians – RED BEARD WALL‘s Aaron Wall (guitar, vocals) and George Trujillo (drums), and THUNDERCHIEF‘s sole sonic soul, Rik Surly (guitar, vocals, malevolence) – head east. The 15-date trek will wrap up in the U.S. doom capitol of Frederick, Maryland on November 2nd. The founders and figureheads of both bands were gracious in giving Riff Relevant commentary concerning the tour, each saying:
RED BEARD WALL‘s Aaron Wall:
“Red Beard Wall is beyond honored and privileged, to be joining forces with the mighty THUNDERCHIEF, to spread the Revolution across a big swath of the U.S.! Rik [Surly] and I collaborated marvelously in the planning, and we shall do the same in bringing our separately unique, but when united, extremely cohesive auditory, and visual extravaganza to the people!! Your participation is vital!! See y’all soon! ALL HAIL!!!“
THUNDERCHIEF‘s Rik Surly:
“It’s a great honor to be joining forces with Red Beard Wall… this alliance will bring Sonic Revolution to the people, and Thunderchief couldn’t be more excited to be a part of such an awesome experience.“
As you see, both bands embrace their roles as revolutionaries and agents of aural change, unwilling to play the game of mainstream musical conformity. Yet, ultimately, does not the music speak for itself when it comes to this rebellion? Listen to the recorded output of either and you will be subjected to a wide array of emotionally charged musicality tempered with multifaceted dynamics.
For RED BEARD WALL, the latest rendering of this came by way of their Argonauta Records released sophomore full-length, ‘The Fight Needs Us All‘ in early 2019. Within its eight tracks, a melding of fuzz-enriched grunge, alternative metal, and psych-punk takes place, one that you will not soon forget. Join the battle by checking out the stream of the album provided here.
With THUNDERCHIEF, the discharged sound is one of ambivert elements, the internal creations of Surly externalized. With instrumentation enhanced by electronic apparatuses and off-the-register volatility, this machine is one able to decimate horrid commercial pop. Feel “The Tone Of Sorrow” EP presented here, while word is there will be new music performed on the upcoming tour stops.
You need to be at one, if not a few or even all, of the upcoming shows of the “Sacrament Of The Ninth Order Tour 2019” with RED BEARD WALL and THUNDERCHIEF. Each performance will feature support from bands specific to the region, which only adds to the not-to-be-missed factor of this trek. Find the routing and itinerary listed below.
Oct. 17 – Dallas, TX @ Tradewinds Social Club
Oct. 18 – Austin, TX @ Dozen Street
Oct. 19 – San Antonio, TX @ Faust Tavern
Oct. 20 – Lafayette, LA @ Freetown Boom Boom Room
Oct. 21 – New Orleans, LA @ Poor Boys
Oct. 23 – Birmingham, AL @ Upsidedown Plaza
Oct. 24 – Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
Oct. 25 – Wilmington, NC @ Reggie’s
Oct. 26 – Asheville, NC @ Static Age
Oct. 27 – Nashville, TN @ Betty’s Grill
Oct. 28 – Louisville, KY @ Highlands Tap Room
Oct. 29 – Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
Oct. 30 – Canton, OH @ Buzz Bin
Nov. 1 – Kingston, NY @ The Anchor
Nov. 2 – Frederick, MD @ Guido’s Speakeasy
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorDetails and particulars arriving today about the third annual edition of the HEAVY MASH Festival, set for October 2019 in The Lone Star State. (more…)
DESTROYER OF LIGHT Detail ‘Mors Aeterna’ Album; Lyric Video + EU. Tour w/ HELL OBELISCO
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorDESTROYER OF LIGHT, the Texas-based brandishers of foreboding, ethereal doom, announce their return with the band’s third full-length album, ‘Mors Aeterna‘. (more…)
Retro Riffs: PANTERA ‘Far Beyond Driven’ [25th Anniversary] Album Review & Stream
Article By: Brett Schacht, Staff Writer ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorAs is so often the case in life, you don’t choose metal music, metal chooses you. For many of us, it’s wired in our DNA, lying dormant in us since birth, just waiting for the switch to be flipped. (more…)
DOOMSTRESS Detail Full-Length Debut ‘Sleep Among The Dead’
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorThe Texas-based modern embodiment of traditional, power metal-infused proto-doom and heavy rock, DOOMSTRESS, announce their forthcoming full-length album début. (more…)
New DUEL Album ‘Valley Of Shadows’ Due In May; Fest Appearances
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorAustin, Texas’ incendiary occult rock / stoner metal masters DUEL announce the arrival of their fourth full-length studio album. (more…)
RUNESCARRED Release Official Video For ‘Being God’ Single
Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker, Senior Writer/Journalist ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorIt has been less than one year since Austin, Texas’ RUNESCARRED arrived on the underground metal scene with their independently issued introduction, the three-song ‘We Are‘ EP, in June of last year. (more…)
It is 1993 in El Paso, Texas when a pair of sibling musicians, Eddy and Danny Garcia, seek to form a band that is “loud and aggressive in ferocity, and heavy in punk and metal elements”.
Adopting the name Back Door Cyclops, with Eddy playing guitar and Danny on drums, the pair are soon joined by bassist Mat Lynch and vocalist David “Loco Pelon” McNutt. As the story goes however, after a trip to a brothel in Mexico where McNutt contracts gonorrhea, which he describes feeling as if he were “pissing razors”, the band quickly resettles itself under the inspired name of PISSING RAZORS.
The band are soon playing the local venue circuit in El Paso and the surrounding areas where they hammer it out in the trenches, the proving grounds where bands hone their metal. Around 1995, David McNutt leaves the band and new vocalist Joe Rodriguez comes on board but there are other changes looming for PISSING RAZORS as drummer Danny Garcia decides to move out of Texas altogether. Eddy Garcia takes the opportunity to switch from playing guitar to drums while Mat Lynch, following Eddy’s instrument switching lead, moves from the bass to playing guitar.
These moves allow a former bandmate of Rodriguez’s, guitarist Rick Valles, to join the band in the now open bassist slot (talk about a case of musical chairs). With PISSING RAZORS new line up of Garcia, Lynch, Rodriguez, and Valles in place, the quartet begin working on material that will eventually become the contents of the band’s début album.
It arrives in 1996 when PISSING RAZORS independently release their full-length introduction to the masses, the oh-so appropriately titled ‘Psycho Punko Metal Groove‘. The album captures what the foursome are all about – powerfully delivered, aggressive groove metal with plenty of attitude and unbridled ferocity. Now, with music officially released, the band begins seeking a record label home, sending out the album and other demos to labels all over the place, and in time, they sign with the Germany/U.S.-based Noise Records.
PISSING RAZORS would remain with Noise Records for several years, releasing three more studio albums while there: 1998’s self-titled ‘Pissing Razors‘, 1999’s ‘Cast Down The Plague‘, and 2000’s ‘Fields Of Disbelief‘. Prior to their release of the third album in 2000, after the band’s first major tour, guitarist Mat Lynch decides to exit PISSING RAZORS, citing that the band’s financial situation had not improved since joining the Noise Records roster. Lynch’s then-guitar tech, Cesar “Achmex” Soto, steps into the opening left by Matt’s departure, where he then contributes to the songwriting process for the ‘Fields Of Disbelief‘ album.
Not long after that album’s release, Joe Rodriguez would be the next to leave, also citing financial difficulties. Enter vocalist Jason “Dewey” Bragg (Kill Devil Hill, Smoke Hollow, Years Of Cold) at a point where PISSING RAZORS had grown disillusioned with Noise Records, thus further changes were afoot.
However, those changes would not deter PISSING RAZORS and in 2001, the band delivered the phenomenal ‘Where We Come From‘ album via their new label residence, Spitfire Records. Many consider this to be the group’s “breakthrough” recording, the right album at the right time, if you will, yet the band behind it had more alterations in store. Despite his short time there, Jason “Dewey” Bragg is soon leaving as well, after he and the other band members apparently conflicted with one another while out on tour for this release.
Bragg was quickly replaced by Andre Acosta, a local vocalist from El Paso who had not worked with any signed, professional bands nor had any touring experience. Outsiders questioned the move as PISSING RAZORS had become a recognized, established act at that point and could easily attract talent on the same level as themselves. Either way, the band would theoretically “test” Acosta, trying him out by means of a faux “live” recording of their material that arrived as 2002’s Spitfire Records release, ‘Live In The Devil’s Triangle‘. Its’ title inspired by the nickname for the area where Eddy Garcia grew up, the album was actually recorded in the same studio that the band’s first, unsigned release was recorded in, with a few close friends providing the “live crowd” sounds.
It was not long before, once again, a member abruptly quit the band citing financial difficulties, as Cesar “Achmex” Soto was the next to leave. Eddy and Rick were able to recruit guitarist Matt Difabio as Soto’s replacement while the band continued to work on material for their next studio album, all while financial issues continued to plague the musicians. Each of them was working part-time or seasonal jobs when not on tour, but managed to pull things together for a fourth full-length studio record.
‘Evolution‘ was released through Spitfire in 2003, and contained songwriting contributions from Difabio and Acosta both. That year also marked PISSING RAZORS‘ ten year anniversary as a band so, following the album release, they scheduled a short touring run to celebrate both events. Unfortunately, shows at each stop on the tour sold only a fraction of the tickets available, reflecting a drastic drop in attendance for the band. This would be the final straw for PISSING RAZORS who quietly disbanded in 2004.
Over the next decade, various members from differing incarnations of PISSING RAZORS would pursue other band endeavors including Ministry, Snail, Single Bullet Theory, 3 Headed Snake, and Kill Devil Hill, to name a few. In that time, the legacy of PISSING RAZORS only grew as new fans discovered the then-defunct band and old fans pined for their return.
Fast forward to 2014 when founding members Eddy Garcia and Mat Lynch, along with vocalist Joe Rodriguez, began discussing plans to reunite. However, none of the previous bassists for PISSING RAZORS could participate so new blood was brought in, Geo Gomez. Despite social media announcements of the band’s reactivation, not much else occurred… at that time, anyway. But, just this past week, like a bolt out of the blue, PISSING RAZORS declared their return was indeed solid, and they shared new music to substantiate this.
PISSING RAZORS have signed with Art Is War Records (AIW) and will return with a new studio album in 2019. To properly tease this fact, the band have unleashed a brand new single, “Crushing Grip“, accompanied by a lyric video. The song was engineered by Eddy Garcia and PISSING RAZORS, while mixed and mastered by Chris Collier.
Yes, make no mistake… PISSING RAZORS have returned and they are just as aggressive and fiercely caustic as ever before!
Guitarist Mat Lynch and drummer Eddy Garcia jointly released the following statement:
“Pissing Razors is very excited to officially be joining the ranks of the Art Is War Records. We look forward to a long and prosperous musical journey together. AIW is the perfect choice for us to work with in releasing our long awaited new material. The world will see a return to our early heavy groove, punk infused metal roots people know us best for.“
With that, Art Is War Records CEO Lucas Joyner adds:
“Having [Pissing] Razors join the label has been in the works since the start, myself and Steev from Skinlab worked hard to make sure a home for the El Paso, Texas legends was here and nowhere else then at Art is War Records! We will be ready to unleash the beast in 2019.”
Needless to say, excitement about the return of these monstrous groove metal generators is building and Riff Relevant will bring you all further developments as they happen. Here’s to the next phase of these mighty metallic warriors, the unbeatable PISSING RAZORS!
In closing, PISSING RAZORS have confirmed two live shows set for February including a signing event for the new single. These shows are:
Sat. February 2nd @ Bond’s Rock Bar, San Antonio, TX [info]
Sat. February 23rd @ Rockhouse Bar & Grill, El Paso, TX – Release/Signing Show [info]
SWITCHBLADE JESUS Share Full-Set Live Video, Tour Dates & Tease On New Album
Article By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Chief EditorThem ornery Texas boys are back, hoo-whee. Corpus Christi’s trio of loud, SWITCHBLADE JESUS has shared with us some teasing talk about their (as yet untitled) upcoming release, as well as a live, full-set video from their 2018 set in support of Behemoth. (more…)
churchofsatannews
My friend Jim Forrester, affectionately known by the name Rev. Jim, was murdered by strangers while talking on the phone with his wife outside of his work at The Tattoo Museum in Baltimore City. Jim was former bassist for Sixty Watt Shaman, currently of Foghound and Serpents of Secrecy.
Video of the suspected killers has been released: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/12/22/fells-point-murder-video/
He leaves behind a wife and two children. A GoFundMe was set up to help with the financial burden this loss brings: https://www.gofundme.com/funds-for-forrester
There is also a benefit show tonight at Cafe 611 & Guido’s Speakeasy, located on N Market St, Frederick, Maryland. This event will feature 13 bands on 2 separate stages. All proceeds go to his family.
Show time is 6pm-12:30 pm Friday Dec 29th.
https://www.facebook.com/events/180510659201090/
There is a significant and growing reward for information leading to the arrest of his killers. The Church of Satan’s philosophy advocates Lex Talionis, the law of retribution. Justice will be served when his killers are punished to the full extent of the law.
Magister Kevin I. Slaughter
