Feature / Music
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2011

January 2, 2012

Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2011
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2011

Andrew Nolan (Column of Heaven)

What are your top five albums that were released in 2011? (in order 1-5)
  • Thantifaxath – 2011 tape
  • Hexvessel – Dawnbearer LP
  • Rot in Hell – As Pearls Before Swine LP
  • Blut aus nord – 777 Sects LP
  • Execration – Odes of the Occult LP
What band did you discover in 2011 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

I discovered that Integrity are amazing again. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Dwid found his fire again. Maybe I’m just late to the party though?

I ordered the Detonate VVorlds Plague 12” on a whim and was blown away by it (and the CD of recent stuff thrown in was a nice surprise).

There’s always this irritating “blah blah Melnick brothers is the only real Integrity” peanut gallery that starts crapping on whenever a new Integrity record comes out, and sure, I love those records too, but you can’t just look at Integrity as if it stopped existing in 1997.

Integrity is clearly Dwid’s vehicle and I look at it like there are different movements to it; not just “Melnicks good, everything else bad.” Whoever the new guy is writing all the music is has a really good grip on what makes Integrity Integrity; occasionally I felt that post-1997 line ups just treated it like some boring Victory records mosh garbage with guitar solos and missed the Septic Death and Japanese hardcore influences.

Black Heksen Rise and Let the Night Roar are as vital as anything from Season in the Size of Days

How will you remember 2011 (in terms of music)?

The year that bored ex-hardcore kids in the states started forming terrible Death in June clones thinking they were reinventing the wheel, and more importantly, the year I didn`t get to see Mortuary Drape

And before I forget, it was also the year that I saw Drop Dead play their best show in about 16 years of seeing them in various locations across the western hemisphere. Inspirational.

What can we look forward to from you in 2012?
  • Mission from God 12" (SPHC)
  • split 7" w/ Drainland (Feast of Tentacles/ Diseased Audio)
  • Of Dogs and Wolves 7" (Hemlock 13)
  • repress of Ecstatically Embracing all that we Habitually Suppress cassette on 12" (RSR)
What records are you looking forward to most in 2012?

Morrigan (UK) – demo/ whatever

Unholy Majesty – whatever they end up doing, the demo was great, one to keep an eye on

Purity Control – from Toronto, whatever they finally get around to recording, possibly a 7" on High Anxiety?

Anything Harald Mentor plays on. New Ride for Revenge sounds incredible, but I’m giving it my first lesson as I type this, so I can’t put it in the top five.

Condominium – their Warm Home 12" wasn't in my top five because there's too much filler, but the songs where they put the effort in are amazing, and live they were really good. Hoping for a solid full length with no pissing about on it

Whatever Drainland puts out, even though Jamie will preface anything he sends me with "I hate this"

I’m hoping SFN will finally bother to release something beyond the three demos (with largely the same songs on them) and one 7" they managed to shit out in the five years that I've known them

Pick Your Side 12”, the demo didn’t do much for me, but we played a show with them in October and they were absolutely incredible. One of the best bands I saw live this year

Third in the trilogy from Blut Aus Nord is highly anticipated also

What did you expect to be huge in 2011 which never made it?

I'm not sure, I think the internet has flattened everything out. It only takes two black metal bands to name drop Joy Division and Bauhaus and apparently there's a new wave of post-punk influenced black metal doing the rounds.

I predict that by 2013 heathen hardcore will be a legitimate thing though

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— words by the SPB team • January 2, 2012

Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2011
Pass The Mic: Record Labels and Artists on 2011

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. Aidan Baker (Nadja)
  3. Alex Hughes (Hatred Surge)
  4. Amy Oden (formerly of Hot Mess, producer/director of From the Back of the Room)
  5. Andre (Locrian & Land of Decay)
  6. Andrew Nolan (Column of Heaven)
  7. Andy Nelson (Paint It Black / Ceremony / Puerto Rico Flowers / TV Casualty)
  8. Andy Wounds (Abraxis / Clorox Bong)
  9. Aquatic Son (Midwest Konnect / Sway Heavy Records)
  10. BJ (Ancient Shores)
  11. Bobby Hussy (The Hussy / Kind Turkey Records / Bad Omens)
  12. Brendan Kelly (Lawrence Arms / The Falcon / Brendan Kelly and the Wandering Birds)
  13. Brian Elza (Czar)
  14. Chris (Caulfield)
  15. Chris Brock (Early Graves / The Funeral Pyre)
  16. Chris Matulich (Nothington)
  17. Colin H van Eeckhout (AMENRA / KINGDOM / BLINDTOFAITH / SEMBLERDEAH / CAAN)
  18. Curtis Grimstead (Rorschach Records / Best Friends Day)
  19. Daniel (Vestiges)
  20. Dave Drobach (Grabass Charlestons / No Idea Records Production Manager)
  21. Domenic Romeo (A389 Recordings / Pulling Teeth / Hatewaves)
  22. Eric Solomon (O Pioneers!!! / Black Clouds)
  23. Ethan McCarthy (Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire (CTTTOAFF))
  24. Franz Nicolay
  25. G. Thérèse Lanz (Mares of Thrace)
  26. Give Up (Artist / Horders / Sisster Sounds Records)
  27. Jacob Parmentier (Abernathy Designs)
  28. Jamie (Fist In The Air Records)
  29. Jamie Grimes (Drainland / stressball in chief at Suburban Mayhem Records)
  30. Johannes, Ole and Jonas (Heksed)
  31. Jonathan and Kimmi Ashwell (Flannel Gurl Records)
  32. Josh (Expire)
  33. Justin Smith (Vitriol Records / Graf Orlock / Dangers Ghostlimb)
  34. Kevin Beacham (Social Media Manager / Music Buyer / Rhymesayers / Fifth Element / DJ)
  35. Lasse (Dead Section Records)
  36. Matt Fox (Shai Hulud)
  37. Michael Britten, Music Ruins Lives
  38. Mike (Gehenna / The Lesser Key / Devil / Sangraal / Mother Fucking Titty Suckers, etc)
  39. Mike Riley (Pulling Teeth / Firestarter Records / Toxic Pop Records)
  40. Mustafa Daka (The Brokedowns / Vicelords / Los Muchachos Dos Hombres)
  41. Nate Gangelhoff (Banner Pilot / Gateway District)
  42. Nick Johnson (Banner Pilot)
  43. P.O.I. (Rot In Hell)
  44. Patrick Eaton (Old Problems)
  45. Paul Sunderland (Give Praise Records)
  46. Rennie Resmini (Starkweather)
  47. Roo Pescod (Bangers)
  48. Taylor Young (Twitching Tongues / Nails / Young Bros Recordings)
  49. The Dwarves (Greedy Media)
  50. Thom Wasluck / Planning For Burial / Music Ruins Lives
  51. Tim Browne (Elway)
  52. Tobias Jeg (Red Scare Industries)
  53. Todd Congelliere (Recess Records / Toys That Kill / Underground Railroad to Candyland / Stoned At Heart)
  54. Topon Das (Fuck The Facts)
  55. Vince Conriquez & William Cutts (Low Places)
  56. Vinnie Fiorello (Less Than Jake / Paper + Plastick Records)

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