The No Sleep Roundup: Nirvana, Deer Tick, Migos, Pantera, etc.

By Robert Dean

Howdy folks, 

What’s good with your life? The kids ok? Your mother in law still bugging you? She’ll get over it. They all do. We’ve all got some stuff to get through, and sometimes blasting some jammers is the only thing keeping you sane, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. 

First up is, ho-lee crap did you see the videos of the dude from Deer Tick fronting Nirvana? That was awesome. Look, he ain’t Kurt. No one is Kurt Cobain, ok? But, that said, he did a fantastic job capturing the presence of an icon via “Scentless Apprentice” and “Serve The Servants”, which some dickhead audiophile blog referred to as “deep cuts.” 

I guess if you only know “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, those are deep cuts, but to anyone who actually likes Nirvana, those are as well known as anything. Joan Jett did a few tunes with the dudes, too, but ultimately they didn’t have the oomph that John Macaulay had. Either way, I’d cut off a hand to see anyone play Nirvana songs and give me a chance to holler at the top of my lungs. Do it for the kids, Krist and Dave. I’d say cash in, but neither of you needs the money, so do it for us. 

The American Music Awards happened and Migos, some mumble rap bullshit won for best pop/rock group. So, that’s where we are on the national landscape, huh? Corey Taylor, a man of many opinions dropped his .02 about the subject, and ultimately, I agree: you can’t sell Pepsi to rock and metal. We’re too dangerous, and you know what? When Migos is winning awards meant for rock and roll, all I can say is 'good.' Let the music fester in the clubs, and when the next wave comes, hopefully, the music business is even deeper in the lurch. 

Vision of Disorder is doing a show in Brooklyn, and I’m mad I can’t go. 

Speaking of former band dudes doing classic tracks, Philip Anselmo and The Illegals are randomly ripping out Pantera tunes along the tour, and damn, they sound scary good. They should consider doing a “night of Pantera” or something of the like because that band is as tight as Pantera circa Far Beyond Driven. 

I’m seeing Paul McCartney Friday night. I’d write the show up, but really, do you think it’s going to suck? Extremely doubtful. I’ll save you the trouble with a prediction: it was awesome. 

That’s all I got. Stay weird. 

Snapping Necks with New York's Incendiary

by Robert Dean

The world needs more honest hardcore bands. There's too much fluff and mixing of genres these days. When you say “hardcore band” it shouldn’t include happy riffs, any ironic country shit or singing these monolithic, pop punk inspired hooks – hardcore should be a fast, chugging band with a social message. That’s the essential DNA of the genre: the music needs to be fast and pissed.

I ain’t saying there’s not room for bands with all of the stuff I mentioned. I love Candiria or Poison The Well as much as the next guy. But, when it comes strict hardcore, let’s respect the blueprint, and save the other bands for some sub-genre label.

Incendiary is a New York band who are keeping the flame lit and doing it right. On their new record, Thousand Mile Stare, Incendiary don’t hold back on providing that early to mid 90’s hardcore sound so prevalent in New York. Fast, under three minutes and crushing – the exact mix of elements what we want. (Side note: I want to say hardcore kids because it’s the genre term. But, I’m 35, and I have children. I still relate to the term, but it feels slightly odd. Maybe kid at heart? I dunno. Please comment.)

Think Snapcase meets Vision of Disorder. Earth Crisis meets Sick of It All. You get the picture. Thousand Mile Stare is a straight ahead hardcore record that will hopefully turn some heads and get kids at shows and reignite those fires from back in my day. Hardcore used to be about community, a sense of purpose, and finding a voice. As long as bands like Incendiary keep putting out records like Thousand Mile Stare, it brings all of that pre-internet cultural reliance back.

Hardcore was built on idealism. As bands realize the music is about a tactile, community-driven experience, the music should replenish itself with the ethos of the feeling of a flyer in hand mentality again. If you’re a student of hardcore’s history, a lot of the anger stems of the political machine’s gears chewing up the population, and now with the Cheeto in office, we’re going to get a lot of politically-driven records.

If Incendiary is any indication of the precise quality and craftsmanship of the next wave of bands, my old ass cannot wait to be pit boss again.

Stand out tracks on Thousand Mile Stare:
The Product is You
Fact or Fiction

Album Review: Vision of Disorder - Razed to the Ground

Vision of Disorder - Razed to the Ground

A Review by Robert Dean

This review is months late, but in the spirit of “better late than never” – I’d like to extend a sincere HOLY MOTHER FUCKING SHIT to the bros in Vision of Disorder. On their new record, Razed to The Ground, VOD have finally delivered the record their fans wanted: a logical continuation of their seminal record Imprint that all but left the late 90’s in its wake. 

While VOD went through a couple of phases and eventually broke up, their fans remained loyal to the past and still clinging to those old records that dropped on Roadrunner years ago. But, all of this plays into the greater Vision of Disorder story: it’s always felt like they were a move ahead of the curve, or just behind whatever trend was gripping metal at the time. 

VOD were never big enough to get those big score tours or albums, and that’s always been what their fans wear as a badge of honor because to get and understand Vision of Disorder isn’t for everyone and that’s what makes them honest. 

Vision of Disorder is a workingman’s hardcore band. They evolved, took risks and tried their hands at making music that means something, but they never did without the “all or nothing” mentality. If they believed in safety nets, they’d have never released From Bliss to Devastation, which if you follow musical trends, they were WAY ahead, on the whole, stoner/Clutch thing but the problem was that sound didn’t gel with their legacy as brutal hardcore dudes. 

From Bliss to Devastation isn’t a bad record, it’s just a jarring when put in comparison to other legacies, just as Cave In who went from defining Boston hardcore to sounding like the Foo Fighters, and then back to hardcore again. In metal, people don’t like reinvention unless it’s been explicit in your musical DNA since the jump. VOD wasn’t one of those bands, and people freaked the fuck out because they went from pile on’s and ESP guitars to Stratocasters and Sabbath riffs. 

So, that decision to buck the musical trends didn’t pan out. Oh well. 

Had Razed to The Ground dropped about fifteen years ago, it would be a wooly mammoth sized deal, but, unfortunately, a lot of the dudes who used to head walk and finger point at VOD shows across the country, are like dads and have 401K’s now. So, getting asses into clubs and record stores is a challenge. And when you’re dealing with the kids of today, all they understand is super slow breakdowns and ripping off Meshuggah, like they did a decade prior with At The Gates. 

Somehow, though, VOD falls within the cracks. Razed to The Ground is a fantastic metalcore record with lightning fast riffs and just enough fuck you that old dudes might consider punching one of their iPhone screens over. This is the record Vision of Disorder fans always wanted. 

Sonically, Razed To The Ground is like a baseball bat dipped in gasoline, covered in nails and then brought down directly on an unsuspecting skull. It’s like drinking a case of beer and pissing in an enemy’s wounds. It’s angry, sincere and pulls absolutely no punches. There’s little doubt this record deserves the acclaim of their earlier work. The classic VOD time signatures are there, as along with the bubbling hatred for mankind that marks every track. 

It’s a real shame VOD aren’t touring like they used to, but we should be so happy to get such a fantastic record that erases all pretext, and frankly fucking exists at all. The portrait of what VOD has become has scars, burns and bruises, but what’s left is tragic and beautiful at the same time. There’s little room for anything other than a hoisting of a beer in salute to the madness that is Vision of Disorder and from this fat, old dude – it feels great to say “Welcome back fellas. We’ve missed you.”

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Razed to the Ground is available on iTunes and Amazon.