Wolves Like Us - Secret Handshakes

 

 

Oh.
Alright.
You've entered the second post in a suite that comes from the Swedish Darkness, the month that we call... November. It is number two in a short series that is written by guest writer Chief Rebel Angel (normallu at the swedish blog Metal!) here at Tune Of The Day, and the idea is to present music that is fitting and well in line with the month in focus.
First out was the aptly named NOVEMBERS DOOM, but as number two in the series I thought we'd have something that is perfect autumn music...without being especially hard.
It is a very long way from black, doom or sludge metal, something that would otherwise be easy to connect with cold and dark weather.
This, my friends, is one of the really fun things that keeps me coming back to the tradition of making all the "Tip Of The Week" in november as a bit special with focus on such music - and trying to find such music without just repeating the same kind of extreme metal subgenre every week.

So today we are going to Norway, and we are gonig to play music that feels... wet. Not the dark, gloomy, utter hopelessness wet that can be manifested in black metal, but more of a rain-against-the-cost-while-seawater smashes against the cliffs kind of wet.
Steel gray skies.
Naked tree branches against these skies.
Damp air, rain that falls lightly but without an end.
In my imagination WOLVES LIKE US have placed the recording studio in a small wooden house placed at the tip of a cliff jutting out into the stormy ocean, and isolatedf themselves in that hut to record "Late Love", an album that is brimful of emotional rock'n'roll with really high quality.
It is a good soundtrack to the month of november, but even so it is a bit lighter and more easygoing that most of the music I listen to during this month.
Todays tune is of the kind that eats in to your head and stays there.
I would'nt be surpriced if you - after listening to the song - keep humming and singing along to it.
It is the best track off the album, I think, even though the album is quite strong overall.

WOLVES LIKE US "Secret Handshakes"!



Admit it, the music sounds more or less like the cover (made by Justin Bartlett) looks like, and it is a worthy part of a november music series.
The members of the group are:

• Espen Helvig - guitar
• Toy Kjeldaas - bass
• Larsh Kristensen - vocals/guitar
• Jonas Thire - drums

...and I am especially found of the undertow of panic that can be heard in Larsh's voice. It gives the music a special nerve, and somehow makes me think of... KHOMA.

...to conclude.
WOLVES LIKE US "Late Love" is a good record, released in 2011, and for those of you who read Swedish and want to read a review - Werock.se is the site to look at.
It is a record fitting to the november darkness, but with a bit more light to it than last week.
I'd say it promises.. hope. Hope of a mild winter to come, and a spring afterwards.
Next week we will kill that hope...

More info @

The Rebel Angel Ramblings Blog
Official Wolves Like Us Facebook

Listen to ”Wolves Like Us - Secret Handshakes " on Spotify here!

Follow tuneoftheday.blogspot.com on Spotify here!

Toxic Holocaust - Agony of The Damned

Last Saturday it was time for a real rock packages at Strand in Stockholm. Bands such as the heavy "The Secret", The Shredding "Toxic Holocaust", the doomish "Doom Riders" and the almighty "Kvelertak".

It was intended that "Trap Them" would be traveled in this tour, due to severe physical health issues "Trap Them" are forced to cancel their European tour with "Kvelertak". "Trap Them" was replaced by "The Secret".

I arrived this time as a private individual to the venue, stepped into the end of The Secret's set. Sounded hard, dark but I heard insufficient to form an impression of them Italians.

Once it was time for Toxic Holocaust, it became pace in the house, seemed to be more than I that was curious to hear them live, and damn what it went away, simple with powerful riffs in a fast and very comfortable Speed. A very well made ​​gig, nice gang to see live.

Toxic Holocaust are a thrash metal band from Portland, Oregon. Influenced by punk rock and heavy metal bands of the 1980s such as Slayer, Exodus, Black Flag, Discharge among others. Joel Grind founded Toxic Holocaust in 1999. He originally wrote and recorded all of the band's music himself, and after a couple demo releases (Radiation Sickness, 1999; Critical Mass, 2002), he made his official full-length album debut as Toxic Holocaust with Evil Never Dies (2003). Two years later, after some touring with a hired backing band, Grind released the second Toxic Holocaust album, Hell on Earth (2005), which once again he wrote and recorded by himself. The album notably features cover art by Ed Repka, known for having created iconic covers for albums by Megadeth, Death and others. Extensive touring followed, along with a recording contract with Relapse Records. In addition to releasing the third Toxic Holocaust album, An Overdose of Death... (2008), Relapse reissued Evil Never Dies and Hell on Earth.
Conjure and Command is the fourth and latest album, released on July 19, 2011. This will be the first release featuring a full band in the studio instead of Joel Grind performing all instruments and vocals himself.

Here are some photos from the gig:

Todays tune "Agony of The Damned" is taken from thier latest album "Conjure and Command"



Agony of the Damned - Live @ Phila, PA 8/17/11



Tour Dates:
Kvelertak, Toxic Holocaust, The Secret, Doomriders (^)
Kvelertak, Toxic Holocaust, The Secret, Wolves Like Us (*)

Nov 17 Sweden, Gothenburg @ Brew House (^)
Nov 18 Germany, Hamburg @ Logo (^) - SOLD OUT
Nov 19 Germany, Köln @ Underground (*) - SOLD OUT
Nov 20 Holland, Nijmegen @ Doornroosje (*)
Nov 21 UK, Oxford @ O2 Academy 2 (*)
Nov 22 UK, Birmingham @ O2 Academy 3 (*)
Nov 23 North Ireland, Belfast @ The Speakeasy at Queens (*)
Nov 24 UK, Glasgow @ O2 ABC (*)
Nov 25 UK, Manchester @ Roadhouse (*)
Nov 26 UK, London @ Underworld (*) - SOLD OUT
Nov 27 Belgium, Hasselt @ Muziekodroom (*)
Nov 28 France, Nantes @ Le Ferraileur (*)
Nov 29 France, Paris @ Nouveau Casino (*)
Nov 30 Germany, Karlsruhe @ Substage (*)
Dec 01 Switzerland, Zürich @ Abart (*)
Dec 02 Italy, Roncade @ New Age Club (*)
Dec 03 Austria, Wien @ Szene (*)
Dec 04 Germany, Leipzig @ Conne Island (*)
Dec 05 Czech Rep, Prague @ Matrix (*)
Dec 06 Germany, Berlin @ Festsaal Xberg (*)
Dec 07 Germany, Aschaffenburg @ Colos Saal (*)
Dec 08 Germany, München @ Backstage (*)
Dec 09 Germany, Nürnberg @ Hirsch (*)
Dec 10 Germany, Münster @ Sputnikhalle (*)
Dec 11 Denmark, Aarhus @ Voxhall (*)
Dec 12 Denmark, Copenhagen @ Vega (*)
Dec 13 Sweden, Malmo @ Kulturbolaget (*)

More info @

Official Toxic Holocaust Web
Official Toxic Holocaust MySpace

Listen to ”Toxic Holocaust - Agony of The Damned" on Spotify here!

Follow tuneoftheday.blogspot.com on Spotify here!