Mixtape 63 - High Command

Here is the 63rd installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Worcester thrashers High Command.

Bandcamp Picks - Convulsing, Imperial Triumphant, Mutilation Rites, Churchburn

Australian solo act Convulsing is one of the most interesting acts in death metal right now. Atonal, atmospheric, and dynamic, sophomore album Grievous never gets stuck in one style or one tempo, taking the listener on a claustrophobic voyage through everything the genre was and could be. Ending the album with a moody re-imagining of Porcupine Tree's "The Sleep of No Dreaming" is perhaps the most indicative window to the man behind the project. This is a death metal meisterwork that deserves to be counted among the best of the year - and since it's available as a "name your price" download, there's no reason not to get it right now.


New York's Imperial Triumphant have been chipping away at the boundaries of death metal from day one, but their latest album takes their ambition to a whole new level. Vile Luxury combines the dissonant, skronking style of past releases and expands it to include a horn section and choir, combining death metal and hard bop in a way that recalls both John Coltrane and Immolation. An Ascension of death metal. [$9.99]


Fellow New Yorkers Mutilation Rites keep their death metal relatively straight-forward and brutal. But Chasm has just enough progressive and and punk rock digressions to its blasting fervor that these six songs never get tedious. And the production (recorded, among other places, at Brooklyn's infamous Saint Vitus Bar) brings the most out of the band's onslaught. Death done right. [$6]

Revolving around Vital Remains co-founder Dave Suzuki of and one-time Grief sticksman Ray McCaffrey, Churchburn sounds pretty much like what you'd expect. On their debut full-length None Shall Live... The Hymns of Misery, the quasi-black metal riffs of early VR are dragged to the depths and slowed to a crawl, resulting in one of the most evil death doom albums of recent years. As grim as a New England Winter. [$8]

Mixtape 33 - Weekend Nachos

Here is the 33rd installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Drew Brown of Weekend Nachos. Enjoy.

Mixtape 32 - Mitochondrion

Here is the 32nd installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Shawn Haché of Mitochondrion.

Mixtape 31 - Nights at Saint Vitus with Black Fast, Artificial Brain, and Sanitys Dawn

Here is the 31st installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring interviews with Black Fast's Aaron Akin, Artificial Brain's William Smith, and Topsy and Holm of Sanitys Dawn. These were recorded over three different nights during three different shows at Saint Vitus Bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Hate Eternal, Vital Remains, Black Fast, Inanimate Existence @ Saint Vitus

Pure death metal shows have become a rarity for me - what with living in a clueless theocracy and all. And so even with Deathfest looming, I couldn't turn down a whole night full of the heaviest of heavy metals.

The Obsessed, Karma To Burn, and The Atomic Bitchwax @ Saint Vitus Bar

Apparently if you're a bald guy of a certain build and you stand in front of a club with your hands in your pockets, people will just assume you're the doorman. If there was some advantage to kids warily pulling out their IDs for me and punks-turned-yuppies condescendingly telling me they're "on the list", I'd have some fun with this newfound knowledge; alas, all I gained was sympathy for the people who have to to this for real. (Fun fact: a lot of door men in NYC are actually off-duty cops. Antagonize them at your own peril.)

Dylan Carlson, Stephen Brodsky, and Kevin Hufnagel @ Saint Vitus

A trio of guitarists playing solo sets was an unlikely choice for my first show back in NY, but the guitarists in question - Earth's Dylan Carlson, Cave In's Stephen Brodsky, and Gorguts' Kevin Hufnagel - are as metal as all get out. Plus, a night where a group of musicians stripped their musical identities down to the bare essentials was appealing to me since I believe that art should be separated from artifice, and that too many metalheads confuse the presentation with the actual music. And hell, now that all my friends are responsible adults with wives and kids, what else could I do on a Sunday night except hang out with all the other aging heshers unmoored by family obligations?

Unkured Interview

Sometime in the middle of my recent NY trip, I decided to walk across the Williamsburg Bridge, and came across a trio of young heshers. I flashed them the horns, as required by law. Imagine my surprise when I saw those same young heshers play a set at Saint Vitus Bar that night. And that's how I discovered Unkured; I was blown away by their chops and after the set asked if they wanted to do an interview. The result is as follows:

Mixtape 10: Saint Vitus Detritus

Mixtape 10: Saint Vitus Detritus by Dreams Of Consciousness on Mixcloud

Here is the tenth installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring a few interviews I did with bands I saw at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn this past May.

Ulcerate, Inter Arma @ Saint Vitus, 05.10.2014

It's a rare and heartless city that makes you choose between death metal shows on a Saturday night. At the same time Ulcerate were playing Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, hometown heroes Suffocation were doing a show at Blackthorn 51 in Queens. Not that it was a hard choice for me: Though I love classic Suffocation, their last album was a dog and Ulcerate's Vermis was one of the most important records of 2013. Why wallow in lazy nostalgia for death's past when given a chance to see a glimpse of the genre as it's yet to be?

The Body, Whitehorse, Gnaw, and Theologian @ Saint Vitus, 05.08.2014

I turned 35 on this 8th of May, 2014. Most of my afternoon was spent standing in front of The Colbert Report studios hoping for stand by tickets. I ended up not getting in, but those three hours I spent waiting were in the greatest city in the world, talking to interesting people. And there was a metal gig for me to go to right after. It could have been worse. I could have spent my birthday in Malaysia.

Floor, Darsombra, Hot Victory @ Saint Vitus, 5.5.14

Floor wasn't particularly high on the list of bands I wanted to see while in New York - I'd heard a total of one song prior to seeing them, and aren't particularly a fan of Steve Brooks' other band Torche. But the show afforded me an opportunity to see Darsombra, who I'd only ever seen once back in 2008. (It also afforded me the first trip back to my old neighbourhood of Greenpoint, and an excuse to visit my old BJJ gym and grab something at my usual Chinese take out, as well as pine for the days when my training, banking, and metal gigs were all within a 15 minute walk). Plus, I'm going to be spending a lot of time at Saint Vitus this month - I might as well break the ice.

Mighty Origin Found Your Keys (and 9 other reasons why they rule)

At the end of last year, Origin braved the cold to open up for Gorguts on a two week tour, their last one supporting Entity. I'm sure the whole tour was mindblowing, but their gig at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn was a rundown of reasons why Origin is the greatest death metal band around right now, as seen in the video above (time codes provided for easy scanning).

1 - Breaking the ice with stagedives (9:06)

Upon realizing that the epic "Wrath of Vishnu" wasn't getting the response it deserved, vocalist Jason Keyser knocks the audience out of its somnolent state by hand selecting an "icebreaker" - and chose possibly the least qualified person in attendance to stagedive. To the dude's credit, he went for it. When mighty Origin calls, you accept the charges.

2 - Mighty Origin found your keys (19:53)

Of course, jumping on and off stage and unto complete strangers does come with risks. Halfway into the set, Keyser holds up a set of keys that someone lost in the mayhem, and gives them back to their owner without missing a word. When did David "Hiphugger" Vincent ever do that? One expensive visit from the locksmith avoided, thanks to mighty Origin.

3 - Behold, the Silent Wall of Death (29:50)

Not for mighty Origin the usual moshpit shenanigans; when I saw them in 2011, they organized possibly the biggest headbang circle I've ever seen. This time, they introduced the "Silent Wall of Death" (taking some well deserved shots at Emmure and Winds of Plague in the process), and only started the madness of "Swarm" after the kids had already charged headlong into each other.

4 - They're playing in front of my old apartment

Anyone who knows me knows I fucking hate living in Malaysia. But I've never hated this godforsaken shithole more than while I was watching this concert - which took place in my old neighbourhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, less than 5 minutes from where I used to live. I could have put on my shoes, walked to Saint Vitus, watched Origin, returned home to make myself a sandwich, and been back to the club in time to see Gorguts' full set.

Seriously: Fuck this place.

5 - Their singer is hesher Tim Robbins

Remember the crazy European metalhead Tim Robbins played in Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny? Take away that guy's bad teeth and European accent but keep the slapstick and deft one-liners, and you've got Origin's new frontman, Jason. And really, who wouldn't want metal Tim Robbins singing for their band? I don't recall any major outcry when James Lee was ousted; I liked Lee's vocals (and his looming stage presence) but the addition of Keyser has made Origin one of the most enjoyable live acts around.

6 - Guitarist Paul Ryan holds that shit down

Now the sole guitarist (and lead songwriter) of Origin, Ryan's sick riffage and flawless shredding holds the band together. AND he provides backing vocals. With imitators creeping out of the woods in recent years, Ryan may turn out to be the most influential death metal guitarist since Terrance Hobbs first introduced slow chunky breakdowns to the genre.

7 - Bassist Mike Flores is a good looking man

But maybe I'm biased.

8 - Holy fuck, John Longstreth

I mean seriously. Look at that guy play. He's beating that kit like it owes him money, and he's barely breaking a sweat. Keep in mind, this was only his first set of the night; he played a full hour with Gorguts right after this. Best death metal drummer around right now, with few challengers to that title.

9 - They're making death metal "Omnipresent" in 2014

2013 sucked hairy balls for quality death metal; it was only in the fall when Gorguts and Ulcerate dropped their albums that things started to turn around. Origin already announced their new album will be out by this spring, ensuring that 2014 isn't going the same way. With Behemoth and Vader also releasing new albums soon, this year is already looking like it's going to kick its predecessor's ass. Hail to the blast.

10 - They may be paying me a visit

A little birdie told me that plans are in the works to get Origin down to play Singapore and possibly Kuala Lumpur. I'll believe it when I see it - after all, nothing good ever happens here - but I'm fucking ready. I knew I packed my Origin hoodie three years ago for a reason.

[Thanks to Frank Huang for filming and uploading this video - more from him here and here.]

Gorod @ Saint Vitus, 5.19.2013

If Chuck Schuldiner had survived, he would have turned 46 this May. As luck would have it, Gorod and a handful of other tech/death bands on the "Bloodletting North America Tour" played Saint Vitus the week of his birthday. Schuldiner was most responsible for taking death metal from its primitive origins and twisting it into its more progressive and technical forms; it would have been interesting to know his thoughts on the seemingly irreconcilable divide between the current old school revival and prog/tech death. Would "Evil Chuck" side with the kids slavishly devoted to the one-dimensional bludgeon of Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy? Or would Schuldiner the fearless innovator find kinship with those that use his work from Human onwards as a jumping off point to push the style to dizzying new heights?