Vianova: A New Road, With A LOT of Whiplash

With such a strange concept for music, one might question the if the sound could possibly be as good live. Turns out it's possible. The first time I saw the band, I remember somebody leaning over and telling me that Vianova was going to be "the best band of the night." He was completely right. The first song had the mosh pit going the hardest it went all night and the performance only got better. At two completely different points, the entire pit became a ballroom, people swaying and swinging each other around. Then an abrupt but welcome transition back to the fury of distortion pedals and screams. Absolute insanity. If you (for some inexplicable reason) still doubt that Vianova is incredible, go and listen to the EP and check out the live video for "No Sol in Solitude". I suggest you listen alone or blast it through a speaker, because you will begin moshing uncontrollably.

The phrase "via nova" is Latin for "a new road" or "a new way", which is an incredibly appropriate label for this band. One of the most innovative groups in Berlin's current metal scene, their EP "A Place I Want to Live in but I Don't Want to Die For" is relentless. To the delight of metal fans, the production quality is fantastic while maintaining an absolutely devastating tone. To the delight of talented guitarists, I'm pretty sure every single string on every single guitar is used on every single song, which doesn't always happen in the ever growing realm of metalcore. To the delight of every single music lover on the planet, the band is constantly experimenting with new sounds, hence the name Vianova. Every song is an individual work of art with a twist never seen coming, and I really mean that you won't see it coming. A Latin style dance section, a part shouted in Polish, and a violin solo that speeds up until it transforms into something that sounds like black metal.

Vianova's next performance will be at Metal Live Zone on November 23rd and I can't wait to see them in concert again. If you're booked that night or can't make it to Berlin, I suggest you buy their merch and imagine yourself in the mosh pit while you listen.

BUY THEIR SHIT! FOLLOW THEM!
https://www.facebook.com/vianovaBerlin/
https://vianova-berlin.bandcamp.com/

Mrs Goat: The New Punk Rock on the Block

I had the absolute pleasure back in September of seeing Mrs Goat at Opossum Fest. The whole thing was a sight to behold, all eight bands and the event itself are worthy of blog posts, but one thing at a time. I was one of the first people at Opossum Fest, and with some time to kill before the first band, I decided to walk around the merch stands and talk to some of the artists. It wasn't long until I ran in to Gerrit, Mrs Goat's singer. We got on the topic of what an American is doing at an underground German concert, then the topic of Trump, and then the topic nationalism's dangerous worldwide rise. Right before I left to see the first act, he gave me two stickers. I was surprised, thinking I was going to get some Mrs Goat band stickers, but instead getting political stickers that I wish I could slap on nearly every politicians mouth to shut them up. The first was the RUN DMC logo, except it said "FCK AFD". The other said in large orange stencil letters "REFUGEES WELCOME" and in the middle "BRING YOUR FAMILIES".

Mrs Goat is, in my opinion, the modern incarnation of punk. We could argue and go around in circles for hours about what punk sounds like and how it's evolved, or what is and isn't punk or DIY enough. Regardless of any elitism or purism within the punk subculture, Mrs Goat doesn't try to be anything but itself and stands up against a flawed system. That, quite frankly, is the essence of punk. As for the band's musical style, it feels a lot like if the members of Downplay and Breaking Benjamin grew up listening to Rise Against and Silverstein. The song, "Against This" is especially indicative of this combination. Once you listen to their two song EP, "Mrs Goat", you'll be dying for more as you feel the need to kick down the door to an AfD meeting and say, "You Neo-Nazis can all burn in hell, ya got that?!" At the moment, only the EP exists, but fear not! This past weekend I saw Gerrit at Polar Fest III and asked him about what was going on with the band (as did probably one million other people). He said that the reason that they haven't played since Opossum Fest was that an EP is being made, possibly as well as some music videos! He said to look for it maybe around January or February, and I couldn't be more excited.

BUY THEIR SHIT! FOLLOW THEM!

https://mrsgoatband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MrsGoat.Band

Actor|Observer: Heartfelt Hardcore from Boston

I went to see local bands Downhaul and House & Home at Space Litter Records, a small Richmond venue I plan to cover later, and the headliner of the night was Actor|Observer, a post-hardcore band from Boston, touring for their new album "Pareidolia". Downhaul is very much a not in-your-face band and House & Home is pop punk, so Actor|Observer's extremely loud and intense sound set them apart. Not in a bad way of course. Space Litter Records is an extremely small and intimate venue, so the four people (myself included) who really got into the performance were able to effectively turn the room into a mosh pit! The show was memorable to say the least.
Although Actor|Observer was just signed by No Sleep Records and is relatively unknown outside of Boston, they have been around at leaast since their 2011 debut EP, "The Carbon Date" and Google says active since 2009 (I couldn't find an Actor|Observer page that actually said that though). Their self-released EPs, the second called "Circular Mill", are a bit hard to find, and I consider myself lucky to have copies of both. They have always been a force to be reckoned with. The finale on "Circular Mill", "Golden Torch", speaks for itself with powerful lyrics and a steadfast determination to make it through to the end of a gut-wrenching song about loss and consolation.
Since seeing them in the Summer of 2019, I've listened to their latest album several times over, loving it more and more with every experience. Yes, I said experience. Because listening to and seeing Actor|Observer isn't just listening, it's 100% an experience. According to their Facebook page (I love this quote so goddamn much), "[Our performance and music] is not just some TV show; there is no fourth wall. You’re a part of this too." I talked to the vocalist, Greg, after the show and found out just how personal the music is to the band. It comes from a place of pain and despair, but also from a path that leads to hope, healing, and health. The final song they played that night was the title track for "Pareidolia" and Greg begins the number by coming out to the middle of the audience and exploding into the first verse, almost as if he explains this story and consequential train of thought to the audience.
I would go in depth about my personal connection to the music and how it's affected me personally, but I want you to understand it for yourself. Stream their new album, "Pareidolia" now! Or better yet, buy the CD and/or vinyl! (I have both)

BUY THEIR SHIT! FOLLOW THEM!
https://www.facebook.com/actorobserver/
https://actorobserver.bandcamp.com/
https://nosleeprecords.com/collections/actor-observer

Downhaul: Kings of the Richmond Scene

My family moved to Richmond in the Summer of 2018 and I promptly started college at New York University, not giving a damn about the capitol of Richmond. When I came back after my freshman year, I saw that Remo Drive was playing at the Broadberry and I hopped on the chance to see them live. Of course, Remo absolutely killed it, but I discovered a new band while I was there: Downhaul. I was immediately captivated by what I saw. A clean, but intense guitar tone with a slight southern drawl at the microphone while the bassist jumped up and down relentlessly and the sixteen people up near the stage where screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. After a shouted "And that's something I've got to live with!" at the end of Grace Days, came the kicker. "Hey," said Pat, the bassist who had forgotten his bass strap. "We're Downhaul, and we're from... here, Richmond." I went to the merch stand after Downhaul's set and started bubbling to Pat about how much I loved their set and how I wanted to see them whenever I could. He immediately let me know when the next show was. It was the first step I ever took to underground music.

If I had to call Downhaul a genre, I would say Southern Emo (yes, I made it up). The elements of indie and math rock converge very similarly to Midwestern Emo, but there are quite a few things that are very distinct. For example, it's slight, but you can hear a slight southern twang in Gordon's voice. Sometimes the strum patterns feel like they could fit in with a folk ensemble. But it's still a driving, emotional delivery that the fans lose their minds to, screaming the lyrics and moshing out of control. The mathy emotional goodness of Tiny Moving Parts with the subtlety of The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die.

BUY THEIR SHIT! FOLLOW THEM!
https://www.facebook.com/downhaul/
https://downhaul.bandcamp.com/