As I forecast, today I’m starting a two-week stretch when I probably won’t be able to write a new post every day. I have some longer posts about new music in the works that I haven’t been able to get done yet, though I hope I can finish some of them soon. But, because I’m running out of time, today’s post will be pretty random. I also hope you’ll find some fun in it.
I should have a few of my own posts to run here and there over the next two weeks, but you can expect lots of guest posts, too — because I’m fucking delighted to say that people have responded enthusiastically to my open appeal for help. Â I’ve already received a half-dozen, I know more are coming from people who’ve e-mailed me, and I bet still more will arrive over the next two weeks that I’m not even expecting yet. If you want to do this, there’s still time. Just check out some “rules” here.
Now, for today: I’ve got something that could have fit quite nicely in a THAT’S METAL! post, but I haven’t yet collected enough other items to fill one out — so I’m using it today. But I also wanted to include some new metal, so this turned into just a random mishmash of unconnected stuff — a video about the latest dance/fashion craze from Matehuala, Mexico that you won’t fucking believe, and a brand new song from Scar Symmetry. Check it after the jump . . .
SKINNY JEANS AND POINTY BOOTS
Fans of lots of musical genres have their own “uniforms”. By that I mean a recognizable style of dress that tells other fans, “I’m one of you”, and tells the rest of the world, “I ain’t like you and if you don’t like it, fuck off.”
In the world of extreme metal, as you well know, the basic “uniform” is a black band shirt and either calf-length shorts or some kind of jeans. Of course, you can accessorize with all sorts of other shit, but those are the basics.
There’s a style of music in parts of Mexico and apparently parts of Texas called “tribal”, which combines pre-Hispanic and African music with cumbia and some other styles. It’s a kind of dance music perpetrated by DJs. But the point of this first feature isn’t the music itself — it’s what the dudes wear who dance to this music.
This “uniform” originated in Matehuala, Mexico, and it seems to be spreading. I’m not going to try to describe it. You gotta see for yourself. This video is about 9 minutes long, but it moves fast, it’s got lots of tribal mixes in it, and it’s funny as shit. It’s also metal.
Rad, huh? I grew up wearing cowboy boots in Texas and still wear ’em, but I got nothing like the ones in this video. And probably never will. 🙂
SCAR SYMMETRY
Sweden’s Scar Symmetry is one of those bands that falls into our Exception to the Rule here at NCS, because about 50% of the singing is clean, and that format hasn’t changed despite the departure of Christian Älvestam in 2008. He could do the clean’s and the unclean’s by himself, and now the band has two vocalists, one for each style: Roberth Karlsson (lead growl vocals and backing clean vocals) and Lars Palmqvist (lead clean vocals and backing growl vocals).
Scar Symmetry has a new album in the works called The Unseen Empire, which will be released on April 15 in Europe and May 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. Within the last 24 hours, the band have put up a new song from the album for streaming. It’s called “Extinction Mantra”. I would have been really happy with the song if there had been no clean singing in it at all, because the parts that aren’t clean are kick-ass. I don’t think the clean vocals and accompanying music are terrible, I just would have been happier without them. But form your own opinion:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/13215060″]
Shit, I might as well add another song from the album that was previously released for streaming. It’s called “Illuminoid Dream Sequence”. Here ya go:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/11594179″]
That’s all for today . . . probably.
Adios motherfuckers.
37 Responses to “THIS AND THAT”
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I live in the middle of Buttfuck, Nowhere Kansas and I’ve heard some mexican co-workers talk about guys who wear those to the bars. One even showed me picture on her cell phone. Crazy shit, could you imagine getting kicked in the ass by those things? You’d have to look like an idiot trying to walk through a self-closing door at a bar, “DON’T BEND MY POINTS, BRO!”
Much gratitude for the Scar Symmetry songs. Good stuff. Sounds like they’ve progressed a bit since the last album I’ve heard (Pitch Black Progress).
No shit? In Kansas? This crazy thing is clearly going viral. But come to think of it, the boots do sort of look like what some of the Munchkins were wearing in that alternate-universe Kansas called Oz.
While I support the tribal guys for not giving a shit about what people think of their fashionable boots, I’m pretty sure wearing them would get you killed in a mosh.
That new Death Jovi song is pretty good too 😉
Now you’ve done it. I will never again see the name “Scar Symmetry” without thinking “Death Jovi.” Awesome.
I must give credit to MetalSucks for the Death Jovi crack, I can’t remember who, maybe Vince, but yeah, permanent word association now.
Death Jovi! Hah!!!
I hope they’re just throwing out the catchy songs first to get a broader interest. Scar Symmetry is still one of my all time favorites, though I have to say they’re getting overly catchy lately.
My opinion too. They need to eat more raw meat!
I’m pretty confident that would help!
When did Roberth Karlsson of Facebreaker start doing lead growls for Scar Symmetry?
Since October 2008 — which is why these songs, in their harsh parts, sound so fucking awesome. Kudos to you for recognizing the Facebreaker connection!
I can’t believe I haven’t heard that .he is doing double duty. Massive fail on my part. His vocals are very good. I agree with you 100% about the clean vocals. The songs would be so much better if they were limited a lot more.
You were the dude who introduced me to Facebreaker. You’ve probably forgotten this post from May 2010:
https://www.nocleansinging.com/2010/05/17/monday-morning-montage-of-mayhem/
The problem with that is I have slept since then. That has a bad habit of wiping the old memory banks.
Facebreaker? Hmm, new to me. Just ordered their latest album. Seems to be a kick-fuckin’-ass band!
I think you’ll like what you hear. Killer stuff, in the brutal end of the spectrum.
I respect them for doing what they love, but it’s certainly not my style.
I prefer combat/work boots.
dude, I haven’t worn work boots in ages. Makes me want to get a pair now. Damn it. Chucks have been my shoes of choice for years. Mostly because they go with damn near everything. Metal guys can be fashionable! Hell, one could argue that the style is becoming more “modern” and “cool”.
I used to wear Chucks, but the soles were way to damn thin for me. Work boots are not only fashionable (in my opinion), but really goddamn comfortable. And great for walking.
Basically, they have utility in spades and are damn sexy.
I prefer workboots too. Of course, I’ve worked in construction for 18 years…..
Huh. Work boots used for working. who’d a thunk it?
Everyone, stop what your doing and go here right now!
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/134822512/agalloch-in-concert
Agalloch’s live stream of their concert in NY.
We featured a 20-minute clip (two songs) on March 25 from this same show, which we also found on NPR. Is this the whole set? (I’m not able to check it at the moment.) I sure as hell hope it is.
Yeah it’s the whole 1:35:05 shebang. I’m just mellowing out to it right now. If I close my eyes I can pretend that I’m there. Since, y’know, No one EVER comes through Kansas.
Seriously…I have to drive 3+ hours for ANY kind of concert.
Man, I wish I could do exactly what you’re doing right now. I’ll have to wait — but I sure have something worth waiting for.
We need more black metal long boots with evil versions of “Follow The Yellow Brick Road”. Brutal.
And green skin. And winged monkeys playing tremolo guitar. While hovering above the stage.
Actually…that’s starting to sound like a damn good show…
And we need a black-metal version of the chant sung by the witches’ guards near the end of the movie. I found this interesting answer on the net to a question I’ve had for ages, which is, “what the fuck are they saying?”
“There are many alleged lyrics to the ‘Winkie Chant’ performed by the Witch’s guards, including ‘All we own, we owe her’, ‘Oh we love the old one’, and ‘Oh we loathe the old one’. However, the correct version, seen in the film’s screenplay, is ‘O-Ee-Yah! Eoh-Ah!'”
you mean you guys don’t have that? hmmm, must just be a Kansas thing…
😀
Hey, at least I’ll get the least of that radiation blowing in from the west…or would it be east? Either way, you know what I mean.
And when the apocalypse hits (no I don’t believe the 2012 bullshit, but I can dream!) my friends have a pretty damn good advantage being out here.
Makes me glad I have a couple of hick friends, who own a ton of guns and ammo. And also know how to hunt and farm and survive.
I like to think I could do that stuff, and I probably could, but it’ll be a ton of help to have those guys (and gals) around.
I gotta give those dudes respect for wearing those things, but goddamn they look ridiculous and are ugly as hell. The remind me of really bad jester shoes or shit an Oompa Loompa would wear. I want to know what the fuck the guy was smoking when he invented those. Whatever it was, I want some in mass quantities.
Seriously. You never know where ideas like this come from, and you sure as hell don’t know when or why they’re going to take off. But I like this for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that it’s got the same attitude toward the rest of the world as metal does — or at least I see it that way.
I agree about the attitude. But watching that video just makes me shake my head in disbelief. I still can’t believe that these things have made it all the way up to Dallas and people in the mid west know about this. Amazing.
The clean vocals in Scar Symmetry don’t seem strong enough this time around. The growls are better than Christian’s old ones in my opinion now.