In this world of being isolated, I decided to revisit the TLAL Vault that I put together five years ago. I was missing a lot of tracks and split sides of records so I put in the time and obsessively tagged MP3s. I split the first 100 into two so that Volume I is TLAL001-TLAL050, Vol II is TLAL051-100, and made a new volume of 101-150. All are free to download. Please share on all P2P media and to anyone you like.
As so many of us are being kept apart in this era of social distancing, Neckbeard Deathcamp (IL), Racetraitor (IL, NY, OR), Closet Witch (IA), and Haggathorn (IL) come together for a scorching 11-song four-way split EP.
The release will be available for pre-order and digital sales on April 22, 2020. The double EP with gatefold cover will be pressed on vinyl and distributed through To Live a Lie Records (US), Moment of Collapse Records (DE), Ugly and Proud Records (BG), and Circus of the Macabre Records (UK).
“I’ve always loved splits,” said Mani Mostofi, vocalist of Racetraitor. “Splits seem to be a unique oddity of the punk, hardcore, and metal scenes and I think that is because of the collective underpinning of those scenes.”
“We wanted this project to be a community building exercise in which like-minded bands each offer their take on life, politics, and brutality in a shared space. We are pretty pleased by the outcome,” Mostofi added.
Neckbeard Deathcamp is a mysterious and vehemently antifascist activist group on Prosthetic Records. Their unique mix of black metal, crust, and sarcasm has been bringing them notoriety across scenes and social media platforms alike.
Closet Witch is a much beloved powerviolence/grind act that has been wowing audiences with their emotionally raw live performances. They have a full length originally released by Halo of Flies Records and their full discography is available on Moment of Collapse Records.
Racetraitor is a legacy left-wing metal/hardcore band born in 1996 and reformed in 2016. Their second full length “2042” released on Good Fight Music, was a fiery refutation of the Trump era and American white supremacy. The band includes members of Fall Out Boy, Sect, and the fourth band on this release, Haggathorn.
Haggathorn is an anarchist black metal band that hit the scene last year with another split EP with Neckbeard.
The split’s various tracks were recorded at Flat Black Studios in Lone Tree, IA; Found Soundation Recording Studios, in Brooklyn, NY; and Electrical Audio, Studio Greg Studios, Write Carroll, and other undisclosed locations in Chicago, IL.
Occasionally in life you run across something that tugs on your heart strings. You feel smitten and smile all the time and feel lifted from this awful world. I hate to break it to you but No Light Below pulls on your heart, it firmly grasps and rips each ventricle one by one popping and sputtering until your blackened hard is encased in the mire which is this world. Vindictive, nihilistic, spiteful, and completely vitriolic is how you’d best explain Joy. The band has risen from their crushing first EP and produced a masterful freshman full length that oozes hatred. Those unfamiliar with the band will be greeted with bile and blackened hardcore that can only be broiled out of the oppressive North Carolina sunshine. Breakdowns, blastbeats, BOTCH-esque brutality. In this modern day where nothing makes sense, JOY bash and beat you back to reality.
Release date: 10/11/2019 Pressing:400 black vinyl 100 black and white in clear splatter vinyl 100 glow in the dark vinyl (Holy Mountain exclusive) 100 cassettes
It’s been a bit since you’ve heard from me on here has’t it? Since we last talked I’ve been to Damaged City, played a dozen shows with Tired Of Everything, and just worked a lot. Worked a lot with bands and releases too and have some things I’m keeping under wraps for now, so check back for some exciting announcement but until then I have a few tapes, an EP, and three LPs to get you hyped on, here are the summer offerings at TLAL.
Ugly – Betryal LP
Most people at this point expect a certain sound from the label but I have turned expectations on it’s side with releases from Suffering Luna, Sissy Spacek, and Fistula in the past. 2019 is no exception and y’all are going to be pleasantly surprised with the Calques CS (which I’ll mention later) and the Ugly LP. I hate directly comparing bands but Ugly is comprised on members of Endorphins Lost and Landmine Marathon and their LP reminds me a lot of Bastard Noise’s Skulldozer with some major differences – Ugly has created a super anxiety inducing soundscape of noise, keyboards, and sludge that weave in and out and loop together. Their EP two years ago was a nice bit to chew on but this LP is a big bite of a noisescape and almost feels like an aural version of a David Lynch film with high points, confusion, and a ton of emotion. Test presses are about to be approved and this is a month and a half off.
Sidetracked – Hollowed Out LP
If you’re familiar with my label you’ve probably heard and enjoyed Sidetracked before. Their EP Uniform I did the artwork/layout for when I was less good at Photoshop but to this date that is one of my favorite releases. This is the band’s first LP and it is a crucial piece of fastcore. If you liked the Hummingbird Of Death LP last year or even further back the XBRAINIAX LP, this sits in line with them as the fastcore triumvirate.
Pig City – Terminal Decline LP
So secret that I don’t have any audio or artwork. Artwork is being hammered out by Dan who did the Rhino Charge artwork forever ago. This LP sounds a lot like the faster parts of the Fistula LP I put out and not much unlike the Torch Runner LP. The band considers themselves crust punk but there aren’t a whole lot of d-beats on here, lots of punk and blast beats to get you pissed. I think a lot of different bands get labeled as blackened hardcore but that is my best description for this and when you hear this you’re going to flip out. Split release with King Of The Monsters.
Glue Traps – Future Shocks EP
Future Shocks came through and really impressed me. They play snotty punk ala E.T.A. that is fast and just grabs ya. Tony has been an important facet of punk running Celebrated Summer Records in Baltimore and being in Deep Sleep, No Friends, and more recently singing in WarxGames. If you grew up on nerdy snotty punk and don’t know where to turn now, here is your place
Calques – Old Man CS
Weave together noise, lo-fi black metal, and a smattering of grindcore blastbeats and you have Calques. This many-headed hydra of musicians hail from the deep south in Montgomery, Alabama and Old Man will truly melt your face. Imagine fusing together Sissy Spacek with Bastard Noise. Song titles make you anxiously hope they are okay. You might find this out of place in the To Live A Lie discography but that is why it’s right in place, miscreants playing as angrily as they can.
Needle – Self Titled CS
Remember being bullied in high school? You’d get angry, you’d go skateboarding, you’d snap your deck, you’d be even more angry. Imagine you focused that anger into a drumset, or a guitar, or you just yelled your brains out. I think Needle currently does that. Needle is a young pack of grindcore hoodlums who break the mold. When I was sixteen I was in a band that had ska parts, when they were 18 they are in a band that annihilates DIY venues. Hailing from DC you can imagine them being similar to D.O.C. or Magrudergrind, but they definitely have their own crushing sound honed in.
BrainxToilet – Pain Maker CS
While the name may harken some silly goregrind music, BxT is far from silly. Hailing from Greensboro NC and fronted by Jordan Noe of Priapus, BrainxToilet rip through seven anxiety-producing heavy grindcore tracks. Heavily riff laden but still brutal and blasting. Pinch harmonics, noise, and samples interspersed at choice times to keep you on your toes. This is a must have for grindcore fans. If you like past releases like The Kill, Nashgul, or Sixbrewbantha from the label, you will want to add this to your cart immediately.
Crypthammer – Demo CS
Featuring Ian from WVRM on vocals, this is a ripping death metal demo that speaks for itself. Listen with the link above.
