Connecticut’s Curse the Son released their new album, Excruciation (review here), through Ripple Music, and their posting of the video below for opening track “Suicide by Drummer” at the end of the week is a bit of late promotional push that the record well earns. In a time where so much struggle is focused on outward factors, sociopolitical or otherwise, Excruciation focuses on inner and personal experience, drawing the listener into a tumult and turmoil that is at times exemplified by the riffs that seem to roll out of the speakers one after the other.
I could go on about the record, how it blows the roof off what Curse the Son have done before, the writing collaboration between guitarist/vocalist/founder Ron Vanacore and bassist/vocalist Brendan Keefe bringing new complexity and melodic reach in collaboration with producer Eric Lichter (who also participated instrumentally and on vocals), drummer Robert Ives, and guest vocalist/guitarist Joetown (who takes lead in both regards on CD bonus closer “Phoenix Rising”). I could, but hell, I already reviewed the album, and you can hear the whole thing for yourself with the Bandcamp stream at the bottom of this post, so don’t let me spoil it. Suffice it to say that Excruciation stands among 2020’s most welcome arrivals. See you at list time, boys.
Enjoy the video below, followed by more from the PR wire and that album stream:
Curse the Son, “Suicide by Drummer” official video
From the album ‘Excruciation’ Ripple Music Release date: June 12, 2020
Produced and Edited by : Todd Rawiszer Live footage : Steve Wytas & Brandon J. Rashan
New Haven’s doom rock warriors CURSE THE SON unleash a second video taken from their dark and genre-defying fourth album ‘Excruciation’, available Friday 12th June on Ripple Music.
Marking their great return, their 2020 full-length ‘Excruciation’ was recorded at Dirt Floor studios in August 2019, produced by Eric Lichter.
CURSE THE SON are: Ron Vanacore – Guitars & Vocals Brendan Keefe – Bass & Vocals Robert Ives – Drums
Curse the Son records do not happen every day, and for those who have or those who haven’t followed the trajectory of the Connecticut-based outfit over the years as founding guitarist/vocalist Ron Vanacore has seen lineups come and go and years pass at an ever-increasing pace, their catalog only really tells part of the tell of everything they’ve been through. That’s especially the case with Excruciation, which is the band’s second offering through Ripple Music behind 2016’s Isolator (review here), and fourth overall, with their prior two long-players being 2012’s Psychache (review here) and 2011’s Klonopain (review here).
If you notice there a decreasing rate of releases, from one year between the first two records to four between each the second and the third and the third and the fourth, lineup shifts account for part of it. Vanacore brought in bassist Brendan Keefe on Isolator and Keefe returns on the nine-song/49-minute Excruciation with an even deeper level of contribution to the songwriting — even going so far as to take on vocal and guitar duties apart from those already fulfilled by Vanacore in addition to handling the low end.
Songs like “Novembre,” the twang-inflected blues blowout that is the penultimate “Devil Doctor Blues,” and the call and response that emerges in the standout chorus of “Worry Garden” would seem to be examples of the greater level of musical conversation particularly between the two players, and many of Excruciation‘s overarching themes — almost universally based around various turmoils and distraught/despairing feelings; it’s by no means a “happy” record on its face (or lack of a face, if you’re looking at the cover art) — are reportedly derived from Keefe‘s experience being involved in and eventually recovering from the trauma of a motorcycle accident in late-2018. Though the album ends on a hopeful note with the classic metal-tinged wailing vocals of and uptempo groove of “Phoenix Risin’,” the message of going through hell to get to that point isn’t at all lost on the listener. Tough times meeting with heavy riffs; this is the stuff upon which doom is made, and Curse the Son are well in their element in this sphere.
At the same time, as they also welcome drummer Robert Ives for his first studio appearance with them, Curse the Son also use the increased amount of collaboration as a means to expand the parameters of their sound. Rest assured, the foundation of Excruciation is still in the depth of tone and the manner in which the riffs lead the way through the songs, but the key difference between this album and what the three-piece brought to their earlier outings is that the balance between “riff” and “song” has changed, and it’s the former serving the latter to a greater degree than they’ve ever put to record before.
Their melodies, especially on vocals, are richer, their progressions are more varied, and there’s more atmosphere throughout Excruciation that ties the material together in exciting and dynamic ways. Vanacore and Curse the Son have never had a problem busting out memorable hooks — Isolator, Psychache and Klonopain were full of them — and so is this album. The uptempo circa-’75 Sabbathian jumper that is opener “Suicide by Drummer” makes its presence felt first with a key change in the vocals in the first verse and thereby signals the greater range through which the band will work across the record that follows.
Ives brings suitable swing there and adds to the downward-moving march of the subsequent “Disaster in Denial,” the later harmonies of which payoff a potential Curse the Son seemed to tease on Isolator as the first effort with Keefe backing Vanacore on vocals, but there’s no question Curse the Son are a stronger band for what the bassist(-plus) brings to the proceedings throughout these tracks. Playing off Vanacore‘s familiar rolling riffs and echoing verses, a song like the sprawling “Novembre” touches ground that wouldn’t have even seemed possible for Curse the Son four years ago, hitting on notions of layering and melody-construction that are surprising and thrilling in like measure.
And though “Novembre” arguably pushes farthest in that regard, it’s by means the only instance. “Worry Garden”‘s backing vocals, the grunge-style brooding of the title-track, the pure Alice in Chains-style showing in “Infinite Regression” and the kick-into-payoff of “Black Box Warning” — all of this and more feeds into the notion of Curse the Son as a more dynamic and aesthetically broad unit than they’ve ever been.
The big irony of Excruciation, then, is that as much misery as it’s conveying, the record itself is a complete victory. Even as it rounds out with “Devil Doctor Blues,” drawing to mind some of Geezer‘s earlier slide work, and “Phoenix Risin'” showing off a fist-up-heavy-metal vocal soar that’s a kind of who-knew-they-had-it-in-’em? moment in itself — those verse lines get a little repetitive, but hell’s bell’s, repetition is the point — Excruciation sees Curse the Son pursuing new avenues of expression, and though by modern standards, the album is on the longer end of a single LP at 49 minutes, the songwriting around which it’s based and the riffs from which these songs take their shape more than justify the journey the listener undertakes from front end to back, emotionally grueling as that might be at times.
Tracked over a period of months beginning in August 2019 and culminating in a mix completed in January 2020, Excruciation is the second record Curse the Son have put together at Dirt Floor Studios in Haddam, CT, working with producer Eric Lichter, and the band themselves have noted giving Lichter a larger role in the presentation of the songs and the way in which the material was finalized and arranged. If the result of that is some of the lengthening of Curse the Son‘s sonic reach as can be heard throughout their fourth album, then clearly they’ve found the right pair of ears to help them make the most of what they’ve been doing all along — all the more because it’s in no way overproduced.
For those seeking pure riff-based heavy, Curse the Son will satisfy no less than they ever have, but that’s only a piece of what Excruciation has to offer, and if the experiences that inspired it were difficult, then at very least it wasn’t all for nothing. A work like this is the kind of thing bands dream of realizing.
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 5th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Well, the track is raw and that would seem to suit Buzzard Canyon just fine. The Connecticut-based heavy rockers bid farewell to bassist Randall Dumas and a howdy-ho to Rob Birkbeck, who takes on the role even as progress continues on the band’s forthcoming second album. Obviously there’s work to be done, mixing, mastering, but hell, listening to the version of “Ashes” that comes with the new video of compiled studio footage, the song sounds pretty close, and certainly suits the name of the to-be-realized LP, Drunken Tales of an Underachiever: The Saga Continues…, which, while it may be cumbersome, definitely gets its point across in terms of the vibe the band are going for.
With intertwining vocal lines and choice driving riffery at their disposal, Buzzard Canyon give their new record an enticing tease here, and if it’s something they put together because they’re on lockdown and bored and/or antsy to do something, anything, well hell, I’ll take that.
Rock and roll:
New Buzzard Canyon Member Announced and New Video
Hey folks, as you may or may not know, Buzzard Canyon has been hard at work on our follow-up record to Hellfire and Whiskey over the past…. while now. We are excited to say that it is near completion! The amazing Bill Kole is currently working on the art, we are in the final stages of mixing and we’ll be sending it off to mastering once that is done. It’s a 10 track journey of fast paced, hip swinging rock and roll, filled with whiskey flavored riffs, psychedelic nuances, and drunken tales of woe… You will not be disappointed.
We have also had a lineup change to announce. Randall Dumas was a member of Buzzard Canyon for many years, and we have mutually agreed to part ways. We wish him well and thank him for his time with us!
With all of that said, we would like to take this moment to welcome the very talented Rob Birkbeck on bass. With the departure of Dumas, Rob stepped up and leaned the songs in a very short time, and recorded his tracks from home during this current lockdown.
We would like to present the following video for “Ashes” off of the new album titled: “Drunken Tales of an Underachiever: The Saga Continues….”
This version of the song is mostly mixed and not mastered.
We look forward to getting back out there with you all and making memories that will be forgotten in a drunken haze the next morning.
Enjoy the video, stay tuned, drop out, and stay safe.
[Click play above to stream Lord Fowl’s Glorious Babylon in full. Album is out this Friday, April 24, on Small Stone Records.]
Connecticut-based four-piece Lord Fowl were already well underrated in 2012 when they released their second album, Moon Queen (review here), as their debut on Small Stone Records. They played regionally throughout the Northeast to support it and did label showcases and heavy fests hither and yon, but it’s been eight years since that record came out and their third offering, Glorious Babylon, inevitably finds them in different circumstances as a unit. Recorded as ever by bassist/some-guitar-ist Jon Conine at BirdsEye Studios in West Haven, CT, with Steve Hill assisting, the 10-track/37-minute full-length almost can’t help but reflect the times in which it has been made. There is an undercurrent of cynicism or perhaps just warning in the early-arriving title-track that is very much in Lord Fowl‘s wheelhouse, and even as side A moves beyond its opening salvo of “Fire Discipline,” “Glorious Babylon” and “Get Lost” into the slower and moodier “Deep Empty” and “The Wraith,” their sense of having a party like it’s 1977 comes tinged with this aspect. We all know how it worked out for Babylon, right? It fell. Hard.
Driven by the dual guitars and lead-vocal tradeoffs between Vechel Jaynes and Mike Pellegrino and with Michael Petrucci on drums — since out of the band to, as legend has it, wander the earth as a journeyman percussive wizard, spreading rhythmic joy wherever he goes; Van Hartley has taken up the position — Lord Fowl traffic between classic heavy rock and nascent NWOBHM-ism, but their sound is never overly aggressive, even in the sharper turns of a cut like “The Gramercy Riffs,” and their craft lends itself to standout hooks and a ’70s vibe, but Conine‘s production is never anything but modern. This was a turn Lord Fowl were ahead of the curve in making circa Moon Queen, predicting that the retroism that was so prevalent throughout the early part of the last decade (and of which there’s still plenty around today) would soon enough have to go somewhere and the only place to go was the forward in time. It continues to suit them on Glorious Babylon, the studio presentation of the band working toward capturing the energy they bring to the stage and the clarity of their songwriting generally. Glorious Babylon is a record rife with fascinating contradictions, but just as its take-then-and-make-it-now ethic finds them spanning decades with ease, so too do their songs come together with a full LP flow despite their seeming contrasts.
To wit, Glorious Babylon brings some of the rawest and most immediate moments of heavy rock that Lord Fowl have honed since their 2008 debut, Endless Dynamite, and in songs like “Fire Discipline” — I’m not sure what it means to “walk a hot wire,” but the instruction to do so is delivered with authority — “Glorious Babylon” itself, side B’s fuzzy leadoff “In Search Of” and the bounce-via-Thin–Lizzy penultimate track “Epitaph,” they give a look not only at the prevalence of their own dynamic in what they do in terms of the fluidity of rhythm between Conine‘s bass, the two guitars and Petrucci‘s drumming, but also the sheer effectiveness of verses and choruses when so well composed. Of course the chemistry between Jaynes and Pellegrino — who seem to come together throughout as much as they pull apart at times, broadening the scope of the band’s material overall — plays a central role in defining the personality of Glorious Babylon to the extent that it’s willing to be defined, and while that plays out over the more barebones structures, it’s also to be found in the more expansive songs as well, the scope of cuts like “The Wraith” and even the mini-freakout in “Red Cloud” or the if-Bowie-went-psych finale “Space Jockey” push to places Lord Fowl haven’t been before.
All the while, this blend of immediacy and patience plays out across songs that, in themselves, play up and down in mood and atmosphere across the record’s still-relatively-brief span. This is something perhaps best given emphasis in the title-track itself. “Glorious Babylon” is a fun song about impending tragedy. Lord Fowl wouldn’t be the first to compare present-America to the ancient Babylonian empire, and likewise, it’s not the first time they’ve injected a subtle political edge into their material. Frankly, it’s something one wishes they did more of — though one also wishes for more from them generally, so take that as you will — but as much “Fire Discipline” and “Epitaph” swagger, so too does “Deep Empty” roll through its chorus following the spoken intro en route to the culminating solo, and “Red Cloud” makes its way to its noisy finish with the most insistent shove the band has on offer throughout, furthering the spread between basic stage-style energy and more meditative themes and tempos.
What the hell does it all mean?
It means Lord Fowl are a more complex band than they were eight years ago. They’re a band who do more than one thing with their songs, a band who sound like they’re bringing together the work of multiple songwriters, and a band who nonetheless emerge with a cohesive album flow despite — and in some ways because — of that. While Glorious Babylon is bound to win nods among the heavy rock converted with its forward hooks and more upbeat material, the record also invites further digging as each of its two intended sides develops its own progression, with side B returning to ground in “Epitaph” before “Space Jockey” further transcends genre boundaries. As a result of its multifaceted nature and the fact that it has more than just those forward hooks to take on, it may be a few listens before Glorious Babylon completely unfolds itself to a given listener, but again, that invitation is there, and Lord Fowl provide sure guidance for their audience making its way through. They were underrated eight years ago. Well, they’re still underrated. Whatever the future might hold for the band, in style and substance, they are a well kept secret of the Northeastern heavy rock underground, and whether you’re taking them on for the boogie and fuzz or the broader territories their songs can reach, Babylon’s glories are there for the getting while the getting’s good.
If you’re here, the song is probably why. I won’t keep you. It’s at the bottom of this post and should be heard as soon as possible. The relevant details, which follow, will still be here when you scroll back up. Now then…
Connecticut trio Curse the Son have had a hell of a few years, and they put their (largely negative, it would seem) experience to work for them on their impending fourth album, Excruciation. As floated here last month, the record has a June release — it’s June 12, specifically — and today, in addition to that specificity, the album art, more details behind its making and the tracklisting, we’re also getting the first audio from the outing in the form of leadoff track “Suicide by Drummer.”
All told, Excruciation‘s nine tracks run a vinyl-challenging 49 minutes, but they’re filled with substance like the band has never produced before. I don’t want to spoil it — not the least because I’ll review the thing some point between now and June — but Curse the Son‘s shift in their songwriting process and newly-honed chemistry has resulted in a broader scope than they’ve ever had, and with guitarist Ron Vanacore‘s tone and vocals as a foundation to work from, they’re free to explore this new ground with confidence. And they do. I’ll say this. I’ve been a fan of Curse the Son for nearly a decade at this point, and this is their best work, no question. You’re gonna dig it. And “Suicide by Drummer” is just the start, figuratively and literally, of what they have on offer throughout.
The past few years have certainly been extremely difficult for Curse the Son. Between what appeared to be endless drummer changes, individual tragedies, and of course, Brendan’s very serious motorcycle accident… The band had been put to the test. We are very proud to say that we rose above all of that to create what is possibly our heaviest and certainly our most diverse and creative record to date.
The record is titled Excruciation and offers a glimpse into our lives (particularly Brendan’s) from November 2017-2018.
Ron wrote songs, Brendan wrote songs and the band collaborated on a few. Pushing the creative boundaries even further, Brendan sings lead on a couple songs as well as playing lead and rhythm guitar on some tracks.
Recording began at Dirt Floor studios in August 2019. We completed mixing in January 2020. We chose to really utilize everything the studio had to offer us as well as giving Eric Lichter a much larger role as producer and songsmith. Eric contributed backing vocals as well as playing a vast array of instruments to add to the musical landscape. With “Excruciation” the band really wanted to push the envelope and boundaries of the genre.
“Suicide By Drummer” was written almost two years ago. It can be viewed as strangely prophetic with its apocalyptic theme that currently resonates very strongly in these uncertain times we find ourselves in.”
Watch for the video to be released soon!
Curse the Son toured regionally in support of the “Isolator” record throughout 2017 and continued to garner growing attention and fans along the way. Unfortunately long time drummer Michael Petrucci was no longer able to continue with the band and a replacement was needed. Robert Ives (Drums) joined the group in April of 2018 and Curse the Son hit the road again performing at many high profile festivals such as The Maryland Doom Fest, Descendants of Crom and the New England Stoner/Doom festival amongst others. Writing began in Summer of 2018, but was put on hold after bassist Brendan Keefe suffered extensive injuries in a devastating motorcycle accident in November of 2018.
Curse the Son’s new release “Excruciation” (Ripple Music) is a defining moment for a band who has dealt with multiple challenges since the release of “Isolator”, and responded in full with their most diverse, ambitious, and genre shattering record to date! Keefe developed a much larger role in the writing and performance aspect on the record. Vanacore was fueled by the extremely trying times the band had endured as a whole and individually. “Excruciation” is shaded heavy and light. “Excruciation” is beautiful and disfigured. “Excruciation” is depressingly sad but strangely uplifting at the same time. It is a record that defies genres, defies limitations and generalizations. A true musical experience for one and all who love their music HEAVY!
TRACK LISTING: 1. Suicide By Drummer 2. Disaster In Denial 3. Novembre 4. Worry Garden 5. Excruciation 6. Infinite Regression 7. Black Box Warning 8. Devil Doctor Blues 9. Phoenix Risin’
Curse the Son are: Ron Vanacore – Guitars & Vocals Brendan Keefe – Bass & Vocals Robert Ives – Drums
Posted in Features on April 6th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.
Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.
Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan
Days of Rona: Scott Harrington of Salt of the Earth Records (Colchester, Connecticut)
—
How are you dealing with this crisis? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?
I own Salt Of The Earth Records & 313 INC Artist Management, and I am a co-conspirator of The New England Stoner and Doom Festival.
The label side of things we have been busy because we do a good amount of mailorder, and people have been buying music and other things to help entertain themselves while staying in… We just had the new Thunderbird Divine EP, The Hand of Man, come out this week, and we have been using our YouTube channel to promote the release and hopefully give fans an entertaining look behind the scenes. Something visual to go along with the music side.
As far as the crisis having an impact on plans, it definitely has. Today we had to announce that New England Stoner and Doom Festival is being postponed till next year (May 14-16, 2021). The good news is that it appears all of the bands are on board.
We also had a really big European tour that was going to be announced this week, that we have postponed till next February. As well as we had a huge concert event “Friday The 313th Oddities Bazaar” scheduled for March 13, that we canceled to be on the safe side. It was before the quarantine and at the moment when we canceled it, we wondered if we were going overboard, but in hindsight I feel we 100 percent did the right thing.
People need to stay home.
What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?
We are based in Colchester Connecticut, a suburb of Hartford. So we are kind of in the middle of CT.
Our town and surrounding towns are quarantined except for essential workers.
My family has been in self-quarantine since March 12. We are taking this extremely seriously.
My son-in-law works for UPS as a driver. He is an essential worker, and I am proud as all hell of him. He is a major part of bringing some sort of normalcy to a lot of people. And he is extremely careful. Who would have thought a month ago that an Amazon order containing cereal, toothpaste and peanut butter would have made me happier then even a package with some killer records in it? It’s crazy times no doubt.
How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?
The virus’s effect has been monumentally huge on my local community as well as our global music community. There are so many tattoo shops, record stores, recording studios, venues, bars, merchandise printers, vinyl and CD manufacturers that have been forced to close for who knows how long. It’s a huge petrifying sacrifice on their parts. And I truly thank them with my all of my heart For doing the right thing, even though it’s not easy at all.
I feel like the music community has really come together to support each other and others around us. I see lots of people buying bands music and merch online… PLEASE KEEP DOING THIS! Every single sale can make a big difference.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?
I want each and every person reading this to know all hope is not lost. We are being forced to show our resiliency and we are being reminded of the things that are really important. Family, friends and our health. I’m going to sound like a hippie here, but in my family we have raised (and are still raising) our kids by a simple creed: Be a good human.
If someone needs help, and you can help them… do it.
And Even through this chaos I count myself lucky. I have my wife and my kids and this huge global metal family that I am part of. I really appreciate all of the artists that we have the honor of working with. As well as all of the awesome metal fans we get to bring the heavy to.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 12th, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Thus a good bill gets better. Having Earthride headline will do that for a doom fest — just ask the one in the band’s native Frederick, Maryland — but bringing aboard Solace and Horehound as well as the Salt of the Earth Records-affiliated Thunderbird Divine and Via Vengeance, plus Connecticut‘s own Arduini/Balich (well, Connecticut and Pittsburgh, anyhow; Butch can travel east with Horehound) and Knoxxville, which features JB Matson, who organizes the prior-alluded-to Maryland Doom Fest, on drums, certainly doesn’t hurt either. New England Stoner & Doom Fest 3 has done precisely this and unveiled its daily lineups as well, and it’s a doozy. I don’t know if the fest is done or if more bands will be added, but seriously guys, this is plenty. Let’s call it a fest and run with it. It doesn’t exactly feel like anything’s missing, if you know what I mean.
I mean it’s frickin’ packed.
Will I tourist my ass to Jewett City (never been there, much to my chagrin) to the festival? I hope so. I had every intention of being there last year and had to pull the plug not literally at the last minute, but literally about an hour before I’d have headed out, so with the residual sting of that, I can only stare at the lineup, pre-fest included, and think it looks like an awfully fun time. A lot of an awfully fun time.
Dig:
NEW ENGLAND STONER & DOOM FEST 3 ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
Earthride confirmed as Friday night Headliner, Arduini/Balich, Solace, Horehound, Via Vengeance, Thunderbird Divine, and Knoxville added.
Nomad Cabinets will be providing an excellent backline of Cabs and ListenToNewEngland.com added as sponsor as well.
Friday Lineup: Earthride Worshipper Solace Yatra Bone Church High Reeper Red Stone Chapel Arduini/Balich Heavy Temple Buzzard Canyon Problem with Dragons O’k and the Nightcrew
all ages doors 6pm
Saturday Lineup: Tyrant (Rob Lowe Ex-Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus on vocals) Playing new album “Hereafter” in entirety plus a classic Tyrant set Churchburn Wolftooth Orodruin Summoner Shadow Witch (Blacklight Encore show) Entierro Horehound Lotek Cruiser Mourn the Light Gorge Black Horse Rebellion Black North Coma Hole
all ages doors 5pm
Sunday Lineup: Warrior Soul (Last Decade Dead Century 30th Anniversary) Curse the Son Kingsnake Barishi Red Mesa Grey Skies Fallen Clamfight Thunderbird Divine When the Deadbolt Breaks Via Vengeance Knoxville Afghan Haze Sentinel Hill
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 2nd, 2020 by JJ Koczan
Hamden, Connecticut, tonal weightlifters Curse the Son aren’t kidding when they talk about branching out in terms of sound on their new album, Excruciation. Though the intervening years since 2016’s Isolator (review here) have seen them part ways with drummer Michael Petrucci, it’s clear that guitarist/vocalist Ron Vanacore and bassist/vocalist Brendan Keefe have solidified as a more dynamic team in terms of writing, with the latter picking up more duties in terms of joining creative vocal arrangements calling to mind Dirt-era Alice in Chains in call-and-response fashion, while Robert Ives, making his first appearance with the band, seems to immediately find his place holding the groove that has been at the core of the band since Vanacore founded it now some obscure number of years ago.
I haven’t heard the full record yet, I’m sad to say, but what I’ve had the chance to dig into finds Curse the Son a richer, more complex band who haven’t at all let go of the heft in their sound. Look out for “Worry Garden” and “Novembre.”
Vanacore was kind enough to give some comment on finishing work on the album below. It’s out in June on Ripple Music:
Ron Vanacore on Excruciation:
“The past few years have certainly been extremely difficult for our band. Between what appeared to be endless drummer changes, individual tragedies, and of course, Brendan‘s very serious motorcycle accident… We had been put to the test.
I am proud to say that we rose above all of that to create what is possibly our heaviest and certainly our most diverse and creative record to date.
The record is titled Excruciation and offers a glimpse into our lives (particularly Brendan’s) from November 2017-2018.
I wrote songs, Brendan wrote songs and we also collaborated on a few. Brendan sings lead on a song as well as playing some lead guitar!
Recording began at Dirt Floor studios in August 2019. We completed mixing in January 2020. We chose to really utilize everything the studio had to offer us as well as giving Eric Lichter a much larger role as producer. We really wanted to push the envelope and boundaries of the genre.
The record will be released in early June on Ripple Music. (Vinyl, CD, Digital) followed by as many shows as we can play!”
Curse the Son are: Ron Vanacore – Guitars & Vocals Brendan Keefe – Bass & Vocals Robert Ives – Drums
