Posted in Whathaveyou on January 6th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Always nice to go someplace new, and Stockport, UK, shenanigans-laced heavy progressive rockers Under will make their way to five new stops on next month’s run alongside Somaesthesia from Edinburgh, including that band’s hometown. For Under the occasion remains 2018’s sophomore LP, Stop Being Naive (review here), which was released through APF Records, as well as a split with Kurokuma that came out this past November. They worked reasonably quickly coming off their debut to the second record, so it doesn’t seem unlikely they might have more new material in the works as they tread the yet-untrod-by-them ground of this tour, but whether they do or don’t, if you happen to be in town, they seem like they’d be a wild one to catch. Bring forth the wackiness. Also make it heavy. Fun ensues.
Dates from the PR wire:
Under February 2020 Tour
One of the UK’s best kept secrets, Under head out on a 5-date tour charting parts of the north of England and Scotland in February. A band that regularly leaves audiences in open-mouthed amazement/disgust. Upon a base of gigantic doom and sludge riffs à la Swans and Melvins, Under build a mesmeric house with bricks forged by Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Each of these cities is a first-time play for the trio and they’ll be supported by post-metal doomers, Somaesthesia from Edinburgh.
Under are still riding a surge of underground attention and success since 2018’s Stop Being Naive, released on APF Records. Before that came Slick in 2017. Most recently they released a split 7” with Kurokuma on Astral Noize Records.
Muscular musical talent, a twisted sense of humour and three-part harmonies combine in a way never seen before – don’t miss this.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 10th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
The UK sludge boom continues unabated, and APF Records is very quickly becoming the go-to outlet for the particular style of bastardry one finds around England these days, which is as likely to pull influence from Nails as Orange Goblin, Down and Eyehategod as much as Electric Wizard. It’s a new generation of disaffected dudes. And what’s changed? Hell, Voidlurker are from frickin’ Birmingham. You’d have a hard time arguing that fuckall doesn’t run across decades when it comes to an act coming from the same place that gave the universe Black Sabbath. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the working class play loud. So do the middle class, but probably on nicer gear. Or at very least, when it gets stolen on tour they can replace it easier.
You get the fucking picture.
Voidlurker tick the boxes sonically — riffs: check, shouts: check, nod: check, aggro: check — and are recording their debut EP with Chris Fielding at Foel Studio, so one would not expect that to sound anything but more punishing than their 2018 demo, which you can stream below. It’s two songs, so not a huge ask even if you’re busy, but again, I’d expect the EP to cover some more ground style-wise when it lands, reportedly early next year.
Here’s what APF has to say about it. Merry sludgin’ Xmas:
Voidlurker sign to APF Records
Birmingham-based doom / sludge trio Voidlurker are the latest addition to our filthy and expanding APF Records family.
Following on from their devastating performance at this year’s Bloodstock Festival, and fresh off a killer set last weekend in support of Raging Speedhorn, APF will be releasing their debut EP in early 2020.
Recorded by Chris Fielding at Foel Studio it’s chock full of crushing guitars, bass fuzz, and groove to snap your neck to. You’re in for a treat.
Merry fucking Christmas.
Voidlurker is: Brad Thomas – Guitar and vocals Andrew Rennie – Bass Jack Bourne – Drums
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 20th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
I’m all for an early heads up, and I know that in a crowded promotional atmosphere, the sooner you can get word out about a thing happening, the better. Still, an album announcement upward of five months ahead of the actual release is a long time. I suspect part of the quirk of timing on the part of London sludge extremists Beggar — who should scratch the itch of anyone who found moral opposition to the Iron Monkey “reunion” too much to overcome — play the Sophie Fest this weekend and they wanted to get their new video for “Nine Atmospheres” out and give a promo push before that. I can’t argue with the logic, frankly. “Nine Atmospheres” is ridiculous in the heaviest way possible, and it promises an onslaught across their debut LP, Compelled to Repeat, that could position Beggar among the heavier end of the spectrum for APF Records.
And if you know the label, you know that’s saying something.
I have the distinct feeling we’ll be hearing about Beggar again in the next few months. There’s plenty of time until the release, and they would seem to have plenty of broken-bottle-against-the-neck sludge to fill it.
Dig:
Monolithic Post Metallers BEGGAR Release New Track; Announce Debut Album Compelled to Repeat to be released via APF Records April 2020
Emerging from the nihilistic quagmire of London, four-piece BEGGAR propound a kind of sludge-meets-extreme-metal carnival of tar thick riffs, blasts, emotional discharge and anguish.
Today the band have released standalone track and video ‘Nine Atmospheres’ which showcases the band at their most raw and misanthropic point. Recorded with Wayne Adams (responsible for recent works by Green Lung, 11Paranoias and Terminal Cheesecake) at Bear Bites Horse, London and mastered by the master of noise himself, James Plotkin (Sunn O))), ISIS, Pelican and Earth), the track comes ahead of their debut album Compelled To Repeat which is scheduled for release in April 2020 via APF Records.
Commenting on the track vocalist Charlie Davis says: “The track ‘Nine Atmospheres’ is about pressure, anxiety, the corporate world and the environment. It’s about the banality and the aggression of the contemporary world and the struggle to reconcile yourself to social and economic norms and to the destruction of nature. However, in a larger way, it’s also about the moments in which you can see straight through that world to something a bit older and darker (‘liquid magma lakes’, blistering lava’, etc.) The title ‘Nine Atmospheres’ refers to the amount of pressure measured in atmospheres that the human body can withstand underwater before it begins to rupture (like the track begins to rupture towards the end).”
Originally founded in Bristol in 2011 as a means of melding big stoner grooves with a blackened outlook and mode of expression, BEGGAR have honed their bubbling hatred over a series of EPs (culminating in 2017’s Chainscraper EP) into something that might defy categorisation altogether.
Impossible to fit within the stoner bracket, their sound nonetheless nods to the huge monoliths of tone that such a tag implies. More multi-faceted than the death metal or hardcore genres would allow, BEGGAR still use the sheer brutality and visceral dynamics of those styles as their primary means of propulsion.
Comprised of Charlie Davis (vocals/bass), Abraham Whitworth (guitars), Jake Leyland (guitars/vocals) and Bertrand Sautier (drums, formerly of French deathgrind outfit Sedative), BEGGAR have shared stages with the likes of Eyehategod, Slabdragger, Elephant Tree and The Obsessed.
Catch the band live at The Dev, London on 21st November and then at The Sophie Lancaster Festival (Sophie Fest) in Manchester on 23rd November.
Beggar are: Charlie Davis (vocals/bass) Abraham Whitworth (guitars) Jake Leyland (guitars/vocals) Bertrand Sautier (drums)
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 24th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Warms the heart, this one does. Specifically, The Black Heart, most likely, which is where I’d imagine Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight would end up doing the release show for what will be their first outing through APF Records. Earlier this year, the kinda-reunited-but-we-never-really-broke-up-but-everybody’s-been-really-busy-with-life-and-stuff-and-you-know-how-it-is-and-also-Pete‘s-in-Elephant–Tree-and-Chris-has-like-50-projects-and-Dicky-can’t-really-tour heavy rockers began issuing digitally a series of singles recorded a decade ago as a way of honoring the 10th anniversary of the sessions for their 2009 debut full-length, Movin’ On (review here). Speaking as someone who still thinks of that record fondly, it was a fun way to relive it without doing the standard reissue thing and getting something previously unheard from the band, if not something actually new.
Well, because every now and then the universe bends its will to my druthers, APF Records has picked up the series for what will be aptly-titled Movin’ On Singles as a compilation and released on Oct. 30, which also just happens to be the same day Movin’ On came out those 10 years ago. Like I said, warms the heart.
Trippy Wicked have a couple shows lined up, including — now that I look — The Black Heart in Camden Town on Oct. 25, and Sophie Fest in Manchester on Nov. 23. They also just played this past weekend at Ripple Music‘s London Ripplefest along with Stubb, War Cloud and a host of other cool bands.
Here’s APF‘s announcement of the signing:
APF Records – Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight
I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled I am to confirm that Trippy Wicked have signed to APF Records.
Their first APF release will be a limited edition digipak CD of their “Moving On Singles” on 30th October – which is the 10th anniversary of the release of the Moving On album. More info coming soon.
Chris, Pete, Dicky – a warm welcome to the APF family.
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 5th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Though I can’t see their moniker and not hear the words in my head in the oh-so-imitable yarl of Zakk Wydle, the post-Iron Monkey filth proffered by UK four-piece A Horse Called War actually has little to do with pride, glory or any other kind of self-actualization. It’s been 12 years since they put out their Stumble at Every Hurdle EP, but at least as of 2007 the dudes were nasty as hell and proffered a scathing take on raw sludge that was more interested in peeling flesh than shining on. They’ve been a band, they’ve not been a band, they’ve been a band again minus a guitarist, and on Nov. 22, APF Records — arguably Britain’s finest purveyor of sludgy aural pummeling — will issue their new EP, Good for Glue (And Nothing Else). Time would not seem to have dulled their perspective in the slightest. Hey guys, how about a little bit of kind self-talk?
Doesn’t seem likely.
Back on the horse? You’re welcome to the gods of terrible puns.
Here’s the info:
UK sludge band A HORSE CALLED WAR sign to APF Records
Good For Glue (and nothing else) EP out November 22nd 2019
First new music to be released in 12 years.
“It’s a nasty little fucker. 5 tracks of unrelenting, groove-laden sludge bile and bludgeon. It’s gonna melt the skin off your face.” – APF Records
A Horse Called War was originally formed in November 2005 by five mates from the small, grimy English town in the heart of East Anglia known as Thetford.
Many shows were played up and down the country, including two appearances at London’s legendary Underworld and the band soon gained a strong reputation for powerful and energetic live performances.
In 2010 A Horse Called war unfortunately split, due to the strain of ever increasing work and family commitments. During that time, the band self-released the demo “We Ain’t Proud Of This” followed by the EP “Stumble At Every Hurdle” on Calculon Records (who released various 7”s from bands such as Sourvein, Church of Misery, Lazarus Blackstar and Charger).
Five years on from the split and 10 years from its original conception, A Horse Called War was reborn! The band immediately hit the road delivering chaotic and action packed live performances to old and new fans alike, proving that the band hadn’t lost any of their spark in the years away.
After a couple of successful years tearing up the live circuit, playing some brilliant shows, including some at memorable all-dayers such as Riff Fest and Doomlines, the same old problems that had plagued so much of the bands past were beginning to resurface. Things had to slow down for the band, at one point it looked like they might never release any new material. During this time, Ryan (guitars) decided to leave the band due to personal reasons. Losing Ryan was a great loss but the remaining four agreed to carry on without him, not seeking a replacement.
Finally, four years after getting back together and after some turbulent times, light began to appear through the cracks and things looked positive for the horse once again. A new EP was written and recorded (by guitarist Dave). The band managed to strike a deal with the mighty APF Records (BongCauldron, Desert Storm, Mastiff) for a November 22nd release date. The horse couldn’t be happier with its new home at APF Records and to be amongst the great family of APF bands.
The band currently booking live shows to promote the release of the new EP and writing for an new album is already underway, with studio time booked for early next year. 2020 is the year of the horse!
A Horse Called War are: Dave – Guitar Shane – Vocals Cooper – Drums Haydn – Bass
It is one of the oldest stories in rock and roll: players from two bands get together; new band is made. So it is that Dave-O and Rob Glenn of Mother Corona and Elliot and Ryan Cole of Desert Storm have joined forces under the banner of APF Records as The Grand Mal. Their self-titled debut is a 52-minute 10-tracker that the Oxford-based unit will release on Oct. 18 ahead of appearances at Manchester’s Sophie Lancaster Festival and APF‘s own all-dayer, which I hear is quite the party. All the better, as one could say the same of the record itself, with the band dipping into grassroots heavy rock groove and brash delivery, not shy about grit in cuts like “No Man’s Land” or the swinging fuzzo-stomper “Liquid Death,” but at the same time shooting for more than party rock vibes. On vocals, Dave-O is a metal-rooted John Garcia, while the band behind him makes an aesthetic of their rawness, with the later slower roll in “Eschaton” coming across extra thick ahead of the driving rocker “Black Spiral” and more out-there closer “Significant.”
Yeah, it’s a first record, but The Grand Mal aren’t exactly taking tentative baby-steps here so much as honing classic rocking sneer with a modern weight behind it. It’s a combo that brooks little argument, and fun as it is, as the album plays through, it only seems to build on the early rocking start of “Explode,” “No Man’s Land” and “Burning Truth,” the last of which you can stream as a track premiere at the bottom of this post, because the proof, ultimately, is in the riffing.
Preorders are up from APF. Have at it:
APF Records is thrilled to announce the signing of Oxford-based heavy hitters The Grand Mal, and with it the release of their self-titled debut album this October.
Featuring twin brothers Ryan and Elliot Cole from rising stoner metal behemoths Desert Storm, the decision to back this promising new project was a “no-brainer” according to Andrew Field; peddler of some of the UK’s finest rock/metal underground albums in recent memory on his Manchester-based label.
“I’ve been Desert Storm’s biggest fan since I discovered their music six years ago, which is why I signed them in 2017,” he explains. “Elliot and Ryan approached me about releasing The Grand Mal’s debut and I jumped on it. It’s a joy to continue my relationship with them and I’m excited that APF Records is putting out this stunning release.”
Complimenting the Cole brothers in The Grand Mal are Mother Corona vocalist Dave-O and bassist Rob Glenn. Their first single – ‘Burning Truth’ – is both indebted and in line with the colossal riffs and big grooves of the quartet’s collective influences. Inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Soundgarden and Royal Blood, as Butthole Surfers’ JD Pinkus put it best. “The Grand Mal is like Queens of the Stone Age mixed with 80’s Ozzy.”
The Grand Mal’s self-titled debut album is released on Friday, 18th October through APF Records and can be pre-ordered here https://apfrecords.bigcartel.com/.
LIVE: 6/9/19 – The Facebar – Reading, UK 28/9/19 – O2 Academy2 (w. Evil Scarecrow) – Oxford, UK 26/10/19 – The Underground (w. Desert Storm) – Bradford, UK 22/11/19 – The Port Mahon (w. Gnome) – Oxford, UK 23/11/19 – Rebellion (Sophie Lancaster Festival) – Manchester, UK 2/02/20 – The Bread Shed (APF All-Dayer) – Manchester, UK
TRACK LISTING: 1. Explode 2. No Man’s Land 3. Burning Truth 4. Synapse Transmission 5. Liquid & Dust 6. Glitch 7. Pig In The Python 8. Eschaton 9. Black Spiral 10. Significant
THE GRAND MAL: Dave-O (Vocals), Ryan Cole (Guitar), Elliot Cole (Drums), Rob Glenn (Bass)
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 29th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
Gandalf the Green sound like somebody hit their riffs over the head with the ugly-stick. Filthy, doomed stoner-sludge is stock and trade for the UK at this point — it’s why they’ll be fine after crashing out of the EU — but the lumber the Huddersfield three-piece bring to the end of their new 13-minute single “A Billion Faces” is a feedback-drenched nightmare just the same, and by that I mean it’s damn good fun. They’ve got live dates coming up, including at Riffolution Festival tomorrow night, and that’s all well and good, but the single is out now through APF Records and you can get it on Bandcamp if you so please or Spotify or whatever outlet it is you choose to peruse. The song, naturally, is about parallel existences of the self in alternate universes. Duh.
Dig it:
APF Records Presents GANDALF THE GREEN – “A Billion Faces”
RELEASE DATE: 28th March 2019
Taking influence from bands like Conan, Sleep and Yob, GANDALF THE GREEN’s aim is to make slow music that is as heavy as they can possibly make it – dropping into spacey ambience and then back to crushing riffs again. The trio wanted to take a less dark and evil approach to Stoner/Doom Metal in favour of something a bit more colourful, weird and psychedelic. Music which uplifts rather than bring the mood down. Lyrical themes include Lord of the Rings, time, consciousness, and not being very sober. Someone once put it eloquently as ‘The brutality of Mordor with the serenity of the Shire.’
Gandalf The Green started in guitarist / vocalist Andy Flint’s bedroom in 2015 when the guys were all just 16 years old. “We’d previously been in a deathcore band together and knew we all liked slow and heavy music, so got together and started rehearsing with ghetto equipment in Andy’s bedroom in Huddersfield (UK). The band name came from a friend who’d just bought a Gandalf-style pipe and we found the pun hilarious for a Stoner Doom band, so we used it”.
Gandalf The Green released their debut EP ‘King of the Ashes’ in September 2016 as a 4-piece band with two guitarists, though soon after they split with their drummer and put Jack Walker behind the kit as a trio. After that things began moving properly. Since then, the three lads have been gigging more, collecting more equipment, and worsening their tinnitus by turning everything up even louder.
Gandalf The Green recently signed with APF Records, with their first release as a partnership being 13-minute stoner / doom epic “A Billion Faces”. Andy Flint’s notes on the track:
“It was the first track I wrote after we tuned down to drop F and bought a bunch of new effects, so I was really playing with all the new toys and trying to make something with a big dynamic change from the gentle intro to when it kicks in. We’ve been performing it live for a while, so the song’s evolved over time to include the sexy wah solo and, because Jack and Danny (Wrigley, bass) love noise music, we added the noise/screaming section in the outro. The original demo was only 9 minutes compared to the final 13!
We were approached by a friend of a friend who needed a band to record for his University coursework, it seemed mutually beneficial, and we’d get to record in the gorgeous Phipps Hall and borrow a bunch of Huddersfield University’s Matamp equipment for free to use with ours, so we took him up on it. We live recorded the track in December 2018 and mixed and mastered the track ourselves, so got away with recording this track for nothing. It sounded lovely in the room, but we really didn’t expect the final product to sound quite as good as it did.
Lyrically, the track is about parallel universes and how, if they exist, every different possible version of you exists somewhere in a big infinite tree of possible “yous”, experiencing the best and worst things all at once. I was wondering where I’d be if I’d taken a different turn in life and moved to a different city, and I realised that there’d be a version of me in a parallel universe where I did move there, wondering right now where he’d be if he took the turns I did. We’re both thinking about each other amongst a billion different versions of ourselves, but unable to know who the other is and what their life is like.”
“A Billion Faces” is out on APF Records on 28th March across all digital platforms, with the video for the track premiering on YouTube and Facebook. The band have a solid itinerary of gigs and tours for the rest of 2019, including appearances at Riffolution Festival on 30th March (supporting BelzebonG) and High Priestess and Cities of Mars in May.
Gandalf the Green is: Andrew Flint – Vocals/Guitar Jack Walker – Vocals/Drums Danny Wrigley – Bass
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 7th, 2019 by JJ Koczan
UK sludgedealer APF Records has announced the lineup for its second label showcase in Manchester, and well, it’s got almost everybody. It’s 13 of the 16 active bands on the roster, piled onto a single bill. Do you have any idea how hard that must be to make happen? The coordination involved? Imagine trying to plan lunch with a specific friend. You have to find a day, a time, a place that works. Now imagine doing what with upwards of 50 friends. It’s not just planning a party and saying “be here at this time.” There’s so much involved in making it happen, it’s a pretty clear indication of a mission at play. Kudos to APF for making it happen at all, let alone once.
The label has a busy 2019 planned to follow what was a busy 2018, and that’s fair enough. I myself have been enjoying the new Mastiff record, which will be out soon, and I’m dying to hear something new from the timely Tronald, though there’s been no confirmation of one in the works. Still, I’ve got my fingers crossed, and it seems like there’s plenty to come in the meantime as APF continues to provide the UK’s fervent and varied sludge scene the home it deserves.
Showcase announcement and links follow from the PR wire::
APF RECORDS SHOWCASE ALL-DAYER
Manchester, UK – 2nd February 2019
13 APF Records bands play a special one-off gig
APF Records is hosting a special one-off gig at The Bread Shed in Manchester UK on 2nd February, featuring all 13 of its current active signed bands playing across two stages.
Founded by Andrew Field in March 2017 APF Records has released albums, EPs and singles by Under, Diesel King, Blind Haze, Mastiff, The Wizards Of Delight, Tronald, The Hyena Kill, RedEye Revival, Ba’al, BongCauldron, Nomad, Desert Storm, Battalions and Barbarian Hermit during its first 18 months.
The label already has releases lined up for 2019 by Widows, Pist and Possessor as well as further releases from the bands mentioned above.
Due to the logistical challenges of getting so many APF bands in one place at once this is likely to be the last time so many of the APF Records roster will play in one place on one day. Thus advance tickets have been moving fast and the event (at the 400-capacity Bread Shed venue) is predicted to be a sell-out.
Doors open at 2pm with the first band performing at 2.30pm. The event will finish 9 hours later when BongCauldron headline the main stage.
Appearing at the APF Records Showcase:
Battalions Barbarian Hermit BongCauldron Diesel King Mastiff Nomad Pist RedEye Revival The Hyena Kill Trevor’s Head Tronald Under Widows
APF Records and Stonebaked Promotions presents: The APF Records Showcase All-Dayer Venue: The Bread Shed, Manchester UK Date: 2nd February 2018 Doors Open: 2pm Tickets: £12.50 adv / £20 otd
