Bite It 2009!

Sayonara USA

I'll be in Tokyo for the next week. Any orders made while I'm gone will ship on January 4th when I get back. I suggest killing time by watching Real Genius and playing Day of the Tentacle while I'm gone. Jaa, mata ne!

Best Of 2009 Pt. II

I asked some buddies to send over their best of 2009 lists. Craig Robson, Jeremy Saffer, Kamran Haq, Matt Wilson, Nick Gazin, Steve Smeal & Trevor Strnad answered the call so far. Hopefully I'll have a few more of these up next week.


CRAIG ROBSON - artist
(in no particular order)
- The Ghost of a Thousand - 'New Hopes, New Demonstrations'
- Converge - 'Axe To Fall'
- Architects - 'Hollow Crown'
- Every Time I Die - 'New Junk Aesthetic'
- The Black Dahlia Murder - 'Deflorate'
- Kylesa - 'Static Tensions'
- The Mars Volta - 'Ochtahedron'
- Bon Iver - 'Blood Bank'
- Baroness - 'Rlue Record'
- Mariachi El Bronx - 's/t'


JEREMY SAFFER - photographer
1. A Day To Remember - 'Homesick'
2. Earth Crisis - 'To The Death'
3. iwrestledabearonce - 'It's All Happening'
4. Behemoth - 'Evangelion'
5. Immortal - 'All Shall Fall'
6. Gorgoroth - 'Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt'
7. Jeffree Star - 'Beauty Killer'
8. The Black Dahlia Murder - 'Deflorate'
9. Hatebreed - 's/t'
10. Britney Spears - 'Circus'


KAMRAN HAQ - Say It To My Face
1. Cobalt - 'Gin'
2. Ingested - 'Surpassing The Boundaries Of Human Suffering'
3. The Red Chord - 'Fed Through The Teeth Machine'
4. Nile - 'Those Who The Gods Detest'
5. Church of Misery - 'Houses of the Unholy'
6. Goatwhore - 'Carving Out The Eyes of God'
7. Converge - 'Axe To Fall'
8. Altar of Plauges - 'White Tomb'
9. Mumakill - 'Behold the Failure'
10. Iron Age - 'The Sleeping Eye'


MATT WILSON - Set Your Goals
1. The Swellers - 'Ups And Downsizing'
2. Mayer Hawthorne - 'A Strange Arrangement'
3. Polar Bear Club - 'Chasing Hamburg'
4. Mew - 'No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away'
5. Fireworks - 'All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion'
6. Trapped Under Ice - 'Secrets Of The World'
7. Converge - 'Axe To Fall'
8. Animals As Leaders - 's/t'
9. Alice In Chains - 'Black Gives Way To Blue'
10. Katatonia - 'Night Is The New Day'


NICK GAZIN (aka The Toilet Cobra) - artist
Making a top ten list for me would be hard since I didn't like that many records that came out this year. Iron Age gave me their records but I never got around to listening to them and now here we are. It's the end of the year and I forgot to listen to new music again. I've been looking at the other websites best of 2009 lists and not recognizing most of the albums and not liking the ones I recognized. When I get the chance I'm going to listen to Fever Ray and my Iron Age records. I got no interest in Animal Collective or anything with a pretty girl on the cover if she looks intelligent/not drugged out of her face.

Here are five records I liked that came out in 2009:

1. The Spits - Volume 4 AKA School's Out
2. Flight - Flight 10"
3. Mean Jeans - Are You Serious?
4. Death - ...For The Whole World To See
5. Wavves - Wavvves

And here are five records I listened to a lot in 2009:

1. Nobunny - Give It To Me b/w Motorhead With Me 7"
2. Children of Bodom - Children of Bodom
3. Insane Clown Posse - Great Milenko
4. Minor Threat - Discography
5. random mp3s


STEVE SMEAL - Ruiner
(in no particular order)

- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'It's Blitz!'
(I think I listened to this record 400 times in a row when it came out. "Dull Life" is the jam... guitar lines that follow vocal melodies rule all.)

- Band Of Skulls - 'Baby Darling Doll Face Honey'
(U.K. garage rock sweetness. Trios rule. Simultaneous male and female vocals rule.)

- The Dead Weather - 'Horehound'
(I heart Jack White.)

- Blacklisted - 'No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me'
(More bands need to jock Nirvana rather than all this Integrity revival bullshit.)

- Brand New - 'Daisy'
(Every single one of Brand New's records I love and they all sound different. "Vices" sounds like they were trying to write a Fugazi song and feels like it's going to blow your speakers out.)

- Morrisey - 'Years Of Refusal'
(Can Mozz do any wrong? "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" as the first single?!? Are you kidding me?!? That song rages so hard there was no doubt I was gonna grab that record up as soon as it come out (or leaked).)

- David Bazan - 'Curse Your Branches'
(A man questions his faith and values... don't we all? Such an amazing song writer... Pedro The Lion, Headphones, Solo, it doesn't matter. I hate people that won't listen to this because he has "Christian" attached to himself. Good music is good music and this record is gold.)

- Bon Iver - 'Blood Bank'
(I wish "For Emma, Forever Ago" would have came out this year but it was last year so this makes the list. Falsetto vocals, acoustic guitars, and sad songs about girls?!? Sign me up!)

- William Elliott Whitmore - 'Animals In The Dark'
(One of the best things to ever come out of Iowa (others include MLIW and corn). Do yourself a favor and pick up all his records.)

- Shook Ones - 'The Unquotable A.M.H.'
(These dudes always write fucking great records and then never tours on them. I hate you guys... especially Funds...)



TREVOR STRNAD - The Black Dahlia Murder
(in no particular order)
- The Swellers – 'Ups And Downsizing'
- Suffocation – 'Blood Oath'
- Code - 'Resplendent Grotesque'
- Secrets Of The Moon - 'Privilegivm'
- Tribulation – 'The Horror'
- Cobalt – 'Gin'
- Funebrarum – 'The Sleep Of Morbid Dreams'
- Infected Disarray – 'Disseminating Obscenity'
- Amesoeurs – 's/t'
- Gorod – 'Process Of A New Decline'

Merry Christmas

What My Nightmares Look Like

Does this really freak anyone else out?

Problems - Demo 2009

Thrashy hardcore from Oslo featuring members of Death Is Not Glamorous. This demo totally reminds me of Tear It Up, Scholastic Deth, Cut The Shit and half the other bands Deadalive, Gloom and 625 put out the first quarter of this decade. Supposedly they have a 7" coming out soon. I'll have to order it since I doubt I'll be traveling to Oslo to see them anytime soon.

DOWNLOAD DEMO
MYSPACE

Mishima

Biscuits By Von

Rowdy Roddy

Hell Comes To Frogtown (1988)


They Live (1988)


Jungleground (1995)

Does Roddy Piper have an Oscar or lifetime achievement award of some sort yet?

Best Of 2009

1. Fever Ray - 's/t'
Karin Dreijer Andersson. To be fair, she could have done a record of bird calls and it would have been my favorite album of the year.



2. Doomriders - 'Darkness Comes Alive'
This record has the hugest balls of the year, every other record's balls pale in comparison.



3. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - 's/t'
Oh hey someone found some lost My Bloody Valentine demos. No? Close enough.



4. Iron Age - 'The Sleeping Eye'
The best hardcore band of 2006 grew their hair out and became the best crossover band of 2009.



5. The Maccabees - 'Wall Of Arms'
I don't really know anything about this band. I assume they're from the UK and not Jewish. I'd prefer not to learn anything about them and ruin it for myself.



6. Strike Anywhere - 'Iron Front'
Did anyone honestly expect this record to be good? I feel like a fucking asshole for doubting it.



7. Napalm Death - 'Time Waits For No Slave'
I was lucky enough to go out with these guys on their North American tour for this record and all I can say is, you fools who missed it fucking failed.



8. Big Business - 'Mind The Drift'
I love that these dudes are in The Melvins now. It's like I have twice the odds of hearing the US's best rhythm section lay it down every year.



9. Khanate - 'Clean Hands Go Foul'
I saw these guys play a midnight show in Columbus, OH in 2005 and was so genuinely freaked out at the idea of walking back to the place I was staying after. A fitting final nail in the coffin for NYC's scariest band.



10. Harm's Way - 'Reality Approaches'
Chicago kills it again. Records like this make me proud to be straight edge and embarrassed not to be ripped like Adonis.

Yub Nub

Apparently the Ewoks have updated their dance moves since that party at the end of Return Of The Jedi.

Save Me From Ordinary

Yeah... I got no words for this one.

Toss 'Em

Bands throwing fans? Approved.


Akon - 1:15 (second angle)


Maynard of Tool - 0:18


Mortuus of Marduk - 1:16

In Control

So bummed I missed this show! If anyone has a link to a video where the sound doesn't cut out halfway through hit me up. Last time I saw them was the last Kill Your Idols show in Chicago, would love video of that show too.

South American Playlist

Put The Bitch On

I really need to clear up some room on my iPod, but I can't bring myself to to erase Ghost Dad off it. I have about 35 hours of flights over the next two weeks and I there's no telling if I'll regret not being able to watch Bill Cosby choke a dude out the plane just so I can check out the new Hatebreed. No one ever said life was easy.

Cyber Monday

The sale still continues. Everything will end at midnight EST tonight. Head over to nlslkvlt.bigcartel.com before it's too late.

Farewell Tour

I'll be heading out for my last tour with The Black Dahlia Murder in a couple days. Thanks to the dudes for the past 3 and a half years and thanks to all the other bands, crew, ect that I've worked with over the past 7 years. I'll be starting a new job at home early next year.

The Black Dahlia Murder
12/02 : Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (FREE Scion Metal Show w/ Revocation)
12/03 : Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy (FREE Scion Metal Show w/ Revocation)
12/04 : Caracas, Venuzuela @ Moulin Rouge
12/05 : Bogota, Columbia @ Teatro La Mama
12/06 : Quito, Ecuador @ El Aguijon
12/07 : OFF
12/08 : Santiago, Chile @ Galpon Victor Jara
12/09 : Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Asbury Rock
12/10 : Rosario, Argentina @ El Sotano
12/11 : OFF
12/12 : Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Inferno Club
12/13 : OFF

The Atlanta & LA shows are free. Head over to www.scion.com/metalshow to register for your tickets.

Trap 'Em

Sale Sale Sale

T.I.B.M.

This Is Black Metal

S - M - L - XL
$25ppd US/CA / $30ppd EU/AU
(photo by Jeremy Saffer)

I needed a photo of a naked girl in corpse paint and knew Jeremy Saffer was the type of guy who could wrangle that up for me. He got his lovely model Lydia painted up and took some shots for an alternate version of Pulp’s This Is Hardcore cover. The R-rated outtakes from this shoot are wild.

I never thought people would be so opinionated about this spoof. It seems like some people get the tribute and some people see it as very "untrve" (or would that be vntvre?). I guess you can’t please everyone.

Ritual

Ritual

S - M - L - XL
$25ppd US/CA / $30ppd EU/AU
(art by Craig Robson)

Craig Robson is a newer artist from the UK. With this and commissioning designs for bands in the past I always told myself I wouldn't buy any art that wasn't specifically made for me. I had to eat my own words when I saw this piece online. It fit right in with what I wanted to do with the evil vibe countered by the bright color scheme. I hit Craig up and with a little tweaking and a custom logo the ritual was complete.

Every time I look at this shirt I get reminded about the time my friends watched Day Of The Beast and decided it was a good idea to try to summon Satan by lighting a candle on a copy of Number Of The Beast while listening to the first Black Sabbath album. We didn't succeed, but our friend Cory got a wicked rash the next day that we thought was God's punishment for messing with forces we didn't understand. It turned out to be scabies. High school was awesome.

Halloween

(Everyday Is) Halloween

S - M - L - XL

$25ppd US/CA / $30ppd EU/AU

(art by Nick Gazin)

This design was done by my buddy Nick Gazin (aka: the artist formerly known as The Toilet Cobra). He has a tendency to put himself in his designs. Your guess at which one he is. The quote is from Ministry’s "(Everyday Is) Halloween". Does anyone else remember discovering Ministry’s synth-pop years? With any luck you only stumbled on Twelve Inch Singles and not the With Sympathy album. Lets just pretend that this was the only song hidden in the closet before Land Of Rape And Honey came out.

Logo

NLSL KVLT Logo

S - M - L - XL
$20ppd US/CA / $25ppd EU/AU
(logo by karim NLSL)

Logo tees are about as classic as it gets. I was originally just making this logo to go along with the T.I.B.M. tee, but liked the end result so much I decided to make it permanent. A lot of people have been asking about what the name means, here's how I explained it to an awesome customer :

The short answer is that NLSL stands for No Lord Shall Live.

The longer version is that it’s a Behead The Prophet, N.L.S.L. / Deicide reference. Deicide had a song called "Behead The Prophet (No Lord Shall Live)" and later on a band from Washington named themselves after the song and shortened it down to Behead The Prophet, N.L.S.L. (check out their record I Am That Great And Firey Force if you like weird, screamy 90's hardcore/punk). I used it to pay tribute to my loves for heavy metal and 90's hardcore. I also thought it was a funny juxtaposition that Behead The Prophet was as vocal about being a queer band as Deicide/Glen Benton was about being satanic.

Mixing that and the word kvlt (ridiculous black metal terminology) was just a little tongue-in-cheek jab at people who take their music and themselves a little too seriously.

Enjoy.