Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genres: Deathcore, Hardcore, Metalcore
Label: Independent
Format: CD (Physical Promo)

Marry Me, Murder are a local band, who some will remember were one of the bands at the first Funeral Rain Records show. They have since gone on to press some merch and record themselves an ep proper. Five tracks of MMM’s brand of death influenced hardcore is something I’ve been hoping to hear ever since I saw them live. I wondered if they would be able to pull off their show in a studio, and it would seem that they did.
The heavy Killswitch Engage/Sepultura/Alexisonfire style riffage that I loved from these guys is in full force. Vocals are pretty varied, from death growls to clean singing. I just wish I could remember which dude is Dion and which is Rick! Drums and bass are solid, with some gorgeous snap on the snare, but I would have personally brought the bass up just a bit in the mix, or even just turned the mids up a bit more on the amp.
In all, this is a great first EP. Now if only the band credits were present on it…
7.5 out of 10.

Victimology Tracklisting:
1. Cold Blooded Calibers for Cold Hearted Men
2. Ernie Doesn’t Like the Monsters
3. Crepitus
4. Chivalry is Dead
5. Giant Killer Space Bees Vs. Flying Sharks

Victimology Personnel:
Jaydon Bunney: Drums
Jessey Bunney: Guitar
Dion Amphlett: Vocals
Jake Leggo: Bass
Rick Holmberg: Vocals
Matt Reimer: Guitar

Marry Me, Murder on Facebook.

Where: Edmonton Event Centre
When: November 4, 2011

When I found out that GWAR were coming back to Edmonton for the second time in (barely) less than a year I was stoked. Blood was going to flow once more. And this time around they were bringing Every Time I Die and Ghoul! ETID have been a band I’ve only heard bits and pieces of, and liked what I’ve heard. And I’ve only heard Ghoul through the other band of two of its members, Impaled. So it was exciting.
Ghoul came onto the stage to lots of people shouting for them, which is pretty rare. An opener getting cheered by name from the crowd? Must be an Edmonton show. The band themselves were really good, high energy punk/thrash hybrid full of pit-inducing gory lyrics. They even brought up a stage show, spraying blood onto the crowd with a decapitated chicken as well as Killbot and Goreboar’s battle. Fucking awesome, and I hope they make it back to Canada again.
Every Time I Die were great, full of the acrobatics that many of their members have been known for. The crowd really got into them, moshing like crazy for breakdowns and crowdsurfing all over the place. I honestly didn’t know these guys were that big. I’ve seen them in tons of magazines and the like, but never figured they have this strong of a following. The music was loud, fast, and punk as fuck, with tons of hardcore breakdowns. If you get the chance to see these guys, do it, you won’t regret it. Even if the music isn’t for you, the show should be good.
At the end of the night though, this whole show was about one band and only one band. GWAR. Their stage was unveiled, and Corey’s guitar was brought out, placed on a stand with a light on it, and the tech that brought it took a knee before it. I can’t explain how moving that in itself was. For those that don’t know, Corey Smoot played the part of Flattus Maximus, and he had passed away in the tour bus the morning before, and GWAR still decided to finish the tour, the way Corey would want. The crowd, of course, loved it. Cheers were heard all over the EEC.
The band then came out and we let them slay as per their usual. But it wasn’t usual. A very palpable sense of sadness, mixed with anger and anticipation was coming from Oderus, Balsac, Beefcake and Jizmac, and I think it brought them to a closer level to the fans, who were also feeling the same. The set was very much emotionally charged, with Oderus frequently asking Flattus why he went to Planet Home, leaving them all behind. There was even one moment where it truly looked like Beefcake was genuinely choking down tears.
The blood and sweat and goo were all present, and Edmonton was well soaked by the end of the night, turned out into the cold November air. Everyone I saw was elated, full of the GWAR experience, but there was still some melancholy at the end of the amazing night.
Thank you GWAR for sharing your grief with us, and thank you Ghoul and Every Time I Die for joining them. Rest in Peace Corey, and have fun Flattus Maximus on Planet Home. Oderus says you’ll be killing shit and fucking it. I hope so.

Photos from the show are available for your viewing pleasure at the FRPC Facebook page.

Wisconsin’s given birth to a potent and proud young metal beast which answers to the name ORWELL. Escaping current “for the moment” musical trends, this five-piece attack squad execute massive hooks with extremely professional precision and prowess on their self-released debut full-length Endeavors.

While somewhat reshaping melodic Swedish death metal as mastered by In Flames and Soilwork into a more American style in the vein of Black Dahlia Murder or All That Remains, moments of Endeavors also bleed with a bit of stoner metal one might attribute to Corrosion of Conformity or Down. Scorching solos and lead guitar tracks flow into epic buildups while going head-to-head with destructive death metal and mosh-driven thrash elements, all developing the energetic and empowering flow for the ten tracks of the band’s impressive debut. The entire Endeavors album is available for free streaming here.

Orwell are also one of the 20 contenders in the Metal Insider “No Labels Needed” Contest, where bands are competing for a chance to record an EP with Machine (Lamb of God, Every Time I Die, etc).

After regionally touring throughout the Midwest and sharing the stage with Dead To Fall, Misery Index, Obituary, Intronaut, Napalm Death and countless other nationally touring acts along the way, Orwell are taking to the road heavily in 2010, with regional shows constantly going down, and several months of nationwide touring in the planning stages now.

ORWELL’s upcoming shows:
3/12/2010 The House of Rock – Eau Claire, WI
3/13/2010 The Reptile Palace – Oshkosh, WI w/ Wing Attack
3/26/2010 Lancaster Youth and Ag Building – Lancaster, WI w/Alice 13th, Men Among Giants
3/27/2010 The AfterDark – Steven’s Point, WI W/ No Wings, Heartseeker
4/09/2010 The Red Raven – Fargo, ND w/ The Suit
4/10/2010 World War Scene @ The Eagles Club – Mandan, ND

With this massive album, plenty of tour action, a professionally sculpted video and an overall hard-working band ethos, Orwell are well on their way to becoming a well-known act in the metal world.