Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bandcamp Picks: Calabrese, Old Man Gloom, 16, Coffinworm, and Nebulous

You'd think a DIY band like Calabrese, who've released all their music through their own label, would embrace Bandcamp; but for some reason these horror punk kids are reticent in putting up more than a couple songs from each of their albums. Still, the three tracks from their upcoming Dayglo Necros shows what to expect from their Misfits/Damned worship.  Very little punk holds my interest these days, so the fact that their last album III: They Call Us Death is still in my regular rotation should say something about the quality of their songwriting.

With Isis put to rest, Converge taking a break and Cave In doing whatever it is they've been doing for the last decade, I guess it was only a matter of time til doomcore supergroup Old Man Gloom got back together.  Claiming that they returned "just in time for the collapse of the global economy" doesn't explain why they offer their new album NO in so many formats, including cassettes.  Those who don't want to pay $9 for Walkman nostalgia and message board cred should settle for a $7 digital download of OMG's apocalyptic post-doom/noisecore.  You know, with the economy and all.


16, like their peers Buzz*oven, had a long history of great releases hampered by lineup shuffling and substance abuse, but seem to be back on track since their 2009 reunion.  Deep Cuts from Dark Clouds, their newest release on Relapse, shows just how much of a debt bands like Kylesa and Black Tusk owe to 16.  Smarter than most sludge bands, these veterans wisely vary their pace so that they don't outstay their welcome.

Along the same lines are Coffinworm from Indianapolis.  I saw them open up for Disma last year, and was impressed by their take on noisy sludge/doom.  Great Bringer of Night, the newly remastered version of their 2009 debut, will please Eyehategod and Grief fans looking to fill that particular void, or at least kill time while waiting in line at the methadone clinic.

Nebulous, a two-piece from the death metal hotbed of Birmingham, AL cite Meshuggah, Decrepit Birth and Spawn of Possession as influences, but they're much, much more interesting than that.  In fact, I'd go as far as to compare their hook-heavy technical attack to the gods of modern death, Origin.  Their Into Infinite Spectrums EP is available as a free download from their Bandcamp page, but it's been pared down to two songs from the original four I downloaded months ago.  Not sure what that's about, but take it as a sign you should jump on this before it disappears completely.