Wailin’ Storms

By: Nick Ventrudo

This winter here in New York City has been nothing short of brutal. On top of my lady leaving me; the cold, unforgiving streets of this urban tundra offer no sanctuary for a bitter, broken, little, man like myself. As a result, I seek comfort in the saddest, most miserable and depressing music conceivable. Maybe I find resolution under the veil of others’ miseries; or maybe I just listened to one too many Elliot Smith albums growing up. Whatever it may be, there’s something all to soothing about the drone of someone else’s pain and misfortune. With this in mind, I’ve found a form of succor in a recent submission. Wailin’ Storms, previously classified as “Texas Doom Country Blues”, offer a sad bastard collection of country riddled blues. The lo-fi recordings present a soul-defining sense of melancholy, stimulating a thunderstorm of emotion within the gut of its audience. Originally howlin’ from southern Texas, Justin Storms’ approach to blues is gritty, twangy, and conveys an overwhelming feeling of isolation that will seriously depress the fuck out of you. He draws his inspiration from the raw blues of the 50’s, heavily influenced by the legends such as Johnny Paycheck and Screaming Jay Hawkins. His broken-hearted, lonesome, and gloomy lyrics could bum-out even the most jubilant and content listeners. Wailin’ Storms’ seven song demo is a perpetual rain cloud that follows your parade everywhere (I mean that in the best way possible).

Your Highness

By: Nick Ventrudo

I’m a sucker for anything sounding remotely classifiable as “party metal”. For those of you unfamiliar with the genre, “party metal”, it has absolutely nothing to do with Andrew W.K. It’s simply a genre that makes you want to shotgun 100 beers and go climb something epic, maybe while beating the shit out of someone. It encompasses thick driving riffs, relentless energy, and just enough of a “tough-guy” element bleeding through to really get your testosterone amped. Done right, “party metal” is a wrecking ball of pure head banging bliss. Belgium’s Your Highness is the epitome of party metal excellence. Channeling a repertoire of ballsy blues riffs and power chugs, Your Highness deliver a powerhouse of thrash ‘n’ roll. Their bludgeoning sound has the energy and brawn of Doomriders met with the behemoth, Sabbathian riffs of The Sword. Song for song, their three track demo possesses an abrasive, non stop, kick in the groin dynamic that will leave you pounding your fist and wishing you had a really rad motorcycle. There’s a hint of an American “hipster metal” vibe lingering, which renders it no surprise that Your Highness has carried their weight alongside an agglomeration of legendary US acts including Saviours, Lords, Weedeater, and Black Cobra.

Jethrine

By: Nick Ventrudo

Noise rock will never get old in my book. In my opinion, the late 80’s/early 90’s noise scene was undoubtedly as good as indie rock will ever get. With legendary bands like The Jesus Lizard and Shellac writing songs that people couldn’t even comprehend, some of the most influential sounds came out of this era. The genre which abandoned conventional rock, was forged by experimental time signatures, dissonant chords, and punk rock ethics. The ideals and sounds conveyed in this movement changed the face of subterranean rock forever. Well, just when you assumed tunes like this were extinct, bands like Portlanders Jethrine step up to the plate. With an inherent sound nostalgic of 90’s Touch and Go acts, Jethrine present a dizzying concoction of punk influenced noise rock.