carcass

Episode 134: Time to Get High and Eat Chocolate

Happy Easter! Or Happy 420, if that is your thing. Whether you are listening to this while getting high on sugar or some other substance (or both), we have four new albums this week that you should find (overall) more enjoyable than last week’s selections.  We did! For good measure, we have a live review of a tour that you probably should have gone too.  If you missed it, you are SOL now, but I am sure you’ll be able to see the bands again soon.

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Reviews: Ancient Ascendant – Echoes and Cinder (Candlelight); The Drip – A Presentation of Gruesome Poetics (Relapse); Shores of Null – Quiescence (Candlelight); Skinfather – None Will Mourn (Streetcleaner)

Live Review: “The Decibel Magazine Tour 2014” feat. Carcass, The Black Dahlia Murder, Gorguts, Noisem @ Best Buy Theater, New York, NY on April 11, 2014

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Episode 118: The End of the End (of the Year)

It’s that time! Time for Brian and Nick to share their top albums for 2013!  And this year, there are more than ever!  After individually making lists of more than 20 albums (beyond 20 was largely undecided when they worked on the collective list), the combined lists brought a Top 25!! There were so many great albums this year, it was hard not make a list this long.  Realistically, it should be even longer because there are even more great albums that didn’t make the cut because of math, but there was just not enough time (and energy) to go further.

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So, without further delay, here is The Sideshow Podcast’s Top 25 Albums of 2013!  Feel free to discuss and debate (and leave your own lists) in the comments.

  1. Nails – Abandon All Life (Southern Lord)
  2. Byzantine – Byzantine (independent)
  3. Norma Jean – Wrongdoers (Razor & Tie)
  4. Nero Di Marte – Nero Di Marte (Prosthetic)
  5. Amorphis – Circle (Nuclear Blast)
  6. Dead Letter Circus – The Catalyst Fire (The End)
  7. The Ocean – Pelagial (Metal Blade)
  8. Skeletonwitch – Serpents Unleashed (Prosthetic)
  9. Carcass – Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast)
  10. TesseracT – Altered State (Century Media)
  11. Dark Tranquility – Construct (Century Media)
  12. Protest The Hero – Volition (Razor & Tie)
  13. Disperse – Living Mirrors (Season of Mist)
  14. Bring Me the Horizon – Sempiternal (Epitaph)
  15. Unhuman – Unhuman (independent)
  16. Soilwork – The Living Infinite (Nuclear Blast)
  17. Anciients – Heart of Oak (Season of Mist)
  18. Audrey Horne – Youngblood (Napalm)
  19. The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us is the Killer (Party Smasher/Sumerian)
  20. Lunarsea – Hundred Light Years (Punishment 18)
  21. Enshine – Origin (Rain Without End)
  22. Man Must Die – Peace Was Never an Option (Lifeforce)
  23. Weekend Nachos – Still (Relapse)
  24. DevilDriver – Winter Kills (Napalm)
  25. Old Gods – Stylized Violence (Forge Again)

Episode 105: Long, Busy Week = Long, Busy Episode

Don’t be fooled by the fact there are only two album reviews this week…we give you more than your (hypothetical) money’s worth. Around these two album reviews, Brian and Nick have live reviews for concerts from those bands.  As you can also see, we brought back First Impressions with a respectable eight cuts.  What you cannot see, though, is there are six new tracks that we shove in your earhole. So grab a drink, sit back, and soak it all in.  Or leave comments right here as you listen to the show and join the conversation. Whatever works for you.

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Reviews: Carcass – Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast); Katatonia – Dethroned & Uncrowned (Kscope)

Live Reviews: Carcass w/ Immolation @ Gramercy Theater, New York, NY on 9/26/13;  Katatonia and  Cult of Luna w/ TesseracT and Intronaut @ Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA on 9/23/13 and @ Irving Plaza, New York, NY on 9/24/13

First Impressions:

Death Angel – “The Dream Calls for Blood” from The Dream Calls for Blood out October 15 via Nuclear Blast
Mutoid Man – “Scrape the Walls” from Helium Head out November 29 via Magic Bullet
Insomnium – “Ephemeral” from forthcoming album out in 2014 via Century Media
Rivers of Nihil – “Soil & Seed” from The Conscious Seed of Light out October 15 via Metal Blade
Toxic Holocaust – “Out of the Fire” from Chemistry of Consciousness out October 29 via Relapse
Obliteration – “Goat Skull Crown” from Black Death Horizon out November 12 via Relapse
Katakylsm – “Like Animals” from Waiting for the End to Come out October 29 via Nuclear Blast
Red Fang – “Blood Like Cream” from Whales and Leeches out October 15 via Relapse

Episode 94: Cool Down to Some Smooth Jams

Over this past week, the most of the US was melting like a snowball in Hell. Most of us didn’t find it very pleasant, especially sweating our balls off just going to and from work.  So, today, to celebrate returning to normal summer temperatures (at least here in the Northeast), we bring you another jam packed episode with a whole bunch of new tunes for your aural enjoyment.  Ok, fine…this episode would have happened even if this pass week was nothing special, but whatever. Enjoy it anyway.

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Reviews: Battlecross – War of Will (Metal Blade); Mercenary  – Through Our Darkest Days (Prosthetic); Misery Signals – Absent Light (Independent); Sofy Major -Idolize (Solar Flare)

(Side)Showcase: Mahogany Head Grenade

First Impressions:
Carcass – “Captive Bolt Pistol” from Surgical Steel out September 17 via Nuclear Blast
Avenged Sevenfold – “Hail to the King” from Hail to the King out August 27 via Warner Bros.
Hibria – “Silent Revenge” from Silent Revenge out August 20 via AFM
Turisas – “Into the Free” from Turisas2013 out September 23 via Century Media
The More I See – “The Eye that Offends” from The Disappearing Humans out October 1 via Century Media/Earache Records
Asking Alexandria – “Killing You” from From Death to Destiny out August 6 via Sumerian

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We Shall Find Our Roots Bloody Roots

In past episodes, we have briefly touched upon the fact that is important to know where your music is coming from, and in Episode 22, I (Brian) mentioned a book called Choosing Death. This is just one of a few books that I think should be required reading for metal-head, despite what styles you are into.  We all know Black Sabbath started it all, and we are all aware of classic bands like Metallica, Maiden, and Priest as well as other “classics” like Napalm Death, Carcass and Death…or Mayhem, Bathory and Immortal, if you are into Black Metal.  But how did it all come about?  How did one thing lead to another?  Well, luckily some people already did the research for us and presented these non-fiction tales into interesting reads.

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