+HIRS+ records came in!

Figured I'd throw this in real quick while I have a minute, but half of my +HIRS+ order came so here's a link to my imgur album of +HIRS+ swag and descriptions.

When I get the rest of my +HIRS+ stuff in I'll updatre the album and this post.

AND GO FUCKING CHECK OUT +HIRS+ IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, YOU'RE MISSING OUT FOOL!

+HIRS+

Magnum Force

    It's been awhile since I have done a post but I have been slammed lately. I'm gonna try and keep the posts at a more regular interval from now on, plus I have a request for an interview out to a band I'm super stoked about so keep en eye out.

    In the meantime...

    ....this band is fucking killing it! I heard of Magnum Force off of the To Live a Lie 2011 sampler tape and the track kicked ass so I ordered the record and guess what? The whole fuckin thing kicks ass! This is the Self Loathing 7" and as far as I can tell this is the bands only physical release, although they did put out a limited run of 100 of these with a different cover, but I found out about them to late to snag one, maybe next time.

    This 7" has turned into one of the most played records in my collection, and is also one of the records I always insist on playing for anyone that comes by my place. This is the perfect sound for me. It's fast, aggressive, and the vocals are absolutely spit out with angry intensity. I try not to get too heavy in the different genres of music but I'm pretty sure this is the the kind of music that caused someone somewhere to coin the term "power violence" since that's exactly how it sounds, violent with massive punk undertones. Definitely check this band out and you can snag Self Loathing from To Live a Lie Records.

Magnum Force MySpace

Chainsaw to the Face one of a kind

     Well, I just got a huge haul of records in this week with some more still on the way so I'll be making several posts over the next week or two at a pretty steady rate whenever I can find the time to. For now though I wanna talk about the Chainsaw to the Face s/t 7" ONE OF A KIND record I got! I saw this on Cowabunga records and apparently this was a mistake. The records were supposed to be black and then some separate ones where going to be a different color, but at the plant somehow red got mixed in with the vinyl. They ended up with a handful of red records and I even beleive a handful of green records, but they only ended up with one of these...

...pretty fuckin sick right?! The guy who runs Cowabunga records, Nick, named it  the "Bloody pool in the void" edition, which I thought was a pretty apt name for it. He even wrote some stuff on the insert for the record and hand numbered it...

     All in all I'm super stoked to own it. I'm a sucker for rare vinyl and you can't really get more rare than this! It doesn't hurt either that Chainsaw to the Face play some pretty brutal grind. This record has a really lo-fi sound to it, but it goes well with the kind of music they put onto it. Definitely death metal influenced, guttural vocals and just an all around dirty sound. You can check out Cowabunga records if your into rare vinyl and Chainsaw to the Face and get you one of the other rare mistakes that was put out during this pressing, there are only a few though so go snag one and help Nick pay his bills!

Cowabunga Records

TRIAC

   One day I might actually get around to making a post that isn't a grind band... but until then you can enjoy the smooth sounds of TRIAC! By smooth I mean crushing , and by sounds I mean pain. This four piece band out of Baltimore Maryland isn't fucking around when it comes to their music, and the title for this EP is aptly named cause their music actually sounds like they are trying to hurt you with it. Relentless blast beats, finger blistering riffs and (my personal favorite) screeched vocals help give TRIAC a very aggressive sound, and isn't that what this music is all about? Check them out on their myspace and after you've regained conciosness, order the 7" or get'cha digital download.

TRIAC Myspace

Buy TRIAC 7"/Digital Download

SUFFERINFUCK

     They have grindcore in Scotland? The answer is yes, and it is fucking awesome. I'm in a hurry so I'll keep this brief, and if you're into grindcore, I'm sure you're into brief. The band is SUFFERINFUCK, the ep is In Boredom and you can go snag it for free off their blog. Go download it and get fucked.

SUFFERINFUCK Blog

Magrudergrind - Crusher

   Grindcore heavyweights Magrudergrind are teaming up with To Live A Lie to release Crusher on vinyl around March. Crusher was originally released for free through Scion and I'm pretty sure you can still find a digital download of the album for free, but why not go ahead and get your hands on a physical copy and help support both an awesome band and DIY label in one fell swoop?

    In case you live under a rock and don't know of Magrudergrind or To Live A Lie, here are some links you desperately need to check out.

Magrudergrind Myspace

To Live A Lie Records

+HIRS+

     Alright! After a long break and what has turned out to be a super slow start I'll be posting much more often now, and no better way to start 2012 than with my favorite discovery of 2011, +HIRS+! These people make some of the sickest grind I have ever heard, and are just plain great at cranking out jams that make you feel like you've just been repeatedly kicked in the head. There is really no way to describe this band and do it the justice it deserves, so just go check out their Band Camp and order everything they have from their website. On top of creating great music, the members in the band seem to sincerely have a love for what they are doing and the message behind it (they give their music away for free, and just check out the energy in their live shows). I contacted +HIRS+ and they found some time in their busy schedule to answer a few questions for me via e-mail:

How long have you been together as a band? I know your website is fairly new and your facebook doesn't go back very far.

I started fucking around and writing a few songs in February 2011 and then showed them to SM, my best friend, and we decided to turn this into a real band and played out first show in June 2011.

You've made a point to give your entire discography away for free download, what's the ideology/thoughts/reasoning behind this decision?

Basically we don't give a shit about making money and only make this music because it's what we love. The fact that some people are into is more than enough reason for them to have it for free online and if someone is into it enough to buy our records then that's awesome too.

What comes first, the sound byte or the song, and how do you go about finding your sound bytes?

The music comes first, then most times the sound byte and then the lyrics. I watch a lot of fucked up movies or just movies dealing with the same topics that I'm writing lyrics about, so that's pretty easy.

I know quite a few people who are interested in drum programming, who does the programming and what program/device do you use?

I do all the drum programming and I use Toontrack's Drumkit From Hell along with Garageband.

Was having an actual person do the drumming/bass ever a thought or did you know from the start that you would use a drum machine?

We had been trying to do a fast thrashy band for a while with a full lineup before +HIRS+ was even an idea but things tended to always fall apart. Then one day I started writing "WORSHIP" just for fun and we realized we had the band we had been trying to start. So yeah, we always knew it was gonna be just us with programmed drums.

I've noticed in the two videos I was able to find of you playing live, the singer/screamer/crazy person (Greg?) was wearing the same shiny floral print tank top and white spandex shorts. This makes me laugh, is it an every show thing or was this just a coincidence?

It is a usual thing but sometimes I don't have the time to get all pretty like I want before a show. I sometimes wear that stuff because 1. I really like to. Not just for +HIRS+, but whenever and 2. because I like destroying the idea of gender mostly because i dont subscribe to one. we also like to stray from looking like or being the tradition hardcore "tuff guys" or whatever. and if dressing the way we want to and singing about the things we want and using weird samples can make someone else question things, then that's pretty cool too. and if it makes people laugh, that's awesome, laughing rules!

Are there any plans to get a tour going that will take +HIRS+ outside of Philly so the rest of us can get a chance to experience the madness? 

We hope so. We're currently working on that stuff right now!


Generic question time, how did you come up with the name +HIRS+? What's the meaning behind it, and what are the significances of the +'s?

It's a gender neutral term that can be used instead of he/she and the +'s are meant to be upside down crosses and who doesn't like those?!

Who is the Dark Lord Dog, and how can we better serve him?

The Dark Lord Dog is better known as Sophie on the days she isn't drinking the blood of first borns. She loves peanut butter kongs and eating cops.

Anything else you would like to add?

no gods / no cops

      Thanks a lot to these guys for taking the time to do this and here's hoping for tons of more stuff from +HIRS+ this year! Go buy their shit now, or at least sacrifice a small animal to the Dark Lord Dog in their honor!

+HIRS+ Official Site
+HIRS+ Band Camp
+HIRS+ Facebook