Scenario is out!!!

April 24, 2023 by David Norman

Scenario was just released in full on 200 random silt 12”s!!! This thing shows fantastic growth from their debut EP and is truly an exceptional full length. Fans of Hot Cross, Frail Body, and Armywives rejoice! You can catch them at this year’s ZBR Fest which starts in just under two weeks!

Swallows Nest was the most recent Out Past the Rings victim, with a ton of information regarding the band…cuz CanaDave used to be in it! Tapes long sold out. Listen to/download the tracks here.

You will be seeing a lot of tour posters from bands playing ZBR Fest popping up here in case you are in the path of destruction. Blind Girls arrived in the US last week and have started tearing shit apart. Super stoked to see my friends ruin Chicago at ZBR Fest 2023. Check out their full set that I filmed last summer in Southern Ontario.

Today’s Hiding In the Outpost (aka our last copy of something):

Hundreds Of AU has been making mad waves in the last two years, and with that comes scarcity. This is the last 12” we have and if I’m not mistaken these tracks will show up on a newer release (as a bit of compilation) so I reckon these aren’t getting repressed anytime soon.

now sold out:
Foxmoulder discography cassette (a few No Funeral copies remain!)
Vi Som Alskade + They Sleep We Live split 7”
Euth 12”LP

HUNDREDS OF AU - A Briefing on the Human Condition (12")

CA$30.00

HUNDREDS OF AU ‘A Briefing on the Human Condition‘ 12"EP (ZBR295)

For fans of: Trainwreck, This Ship Will Sink, and Folly

The very prolific HUNDREDS OF AU released this stellar 5-song EP in late 2021 to much acclaim and now it’s arrived on 45rpm eco-mix 12”s out of 200! Co-released with Protagonist Music, the 12” vinyl contains a blazing-yet-controlled metallic hardcore/screamo fusion from members of You And I, Hell Mary, and The Assistant. Although the balance is obvious on all tracks, songs like “Objective Party” and “Afloat” really showcase an incredible ability to sustain melody and progression whilst retaining power and weight. Easily one of the best EPs of 2021.

12”EP /200 on eco-mix vinyl. Includes insert and sticker. 5 songs.

Listen here:
https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-briefing-on-the-human-condition

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: EUX = I played with this French band in Paris back in 2019 and they are incredible. This LP puts that on display and then some.

2022 - 10 - 07 /// Tomb Tree trips out

October 07, 2022 by David Norman

Tomb Tree is going off the rails today. Is it because of Bandcamp Friday? No actually, CanaDave didn’t even realize that was the case until 2 hours before it began. Nonetheless, here’s the breakdown for today’s releases as well as an official/final Of Death reminder for the impending release this Monday October 10th @9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST via Zegema Beach Records and Cliff Parade Records with additional help from Law Of Cycles.

First up? Georgia’s Colacon. They’ve already released two ear-ravaging music videos so without further ado, ‘The Pestilent Sickness’!!!

2 flowers and flowers and flowers swirl.jpg

Next up is the ridiculously prolific To Be Gentle from Portland, Oregon as they’re pulling double-duty today! They released the digital full length ‘Unbroken’ back in August and now we’ve got our very sexy tapes ready to go! Digitals were also released on our Bandcamp today so feel free to jam/grab it today as it’s Bandcamp Friday and you’d be funding more Zegema Beach and Tomb Tree releases! These tapes are shipping now and look awesome!!!

The new album ‘it always hurts and one day it will win‘ released today and we’ve got cassette pre-orders. We’ll hold off on our Bandcamp release until we’ve got the physical tapes in (should be late October, shipping early November). This album is absolutely sensational and our vote for their best work thus far.

TO BE GENTLE - it always hurts and one day it will win (cassette)

from CA$10.00

TO BE GENTLE ‘it always hurts and one day it will win’ cassette LP (TT083)

For fans of: Envy, Daitro, and Gillian Carter.

Arguably the strongest TO BE GENTLE release to date, ‘it always hurts and one day it will win‘ is a truly special collection of 10 songs that deal with honesty, accountability, beauty, loss, and acceptance through the medium of post-hardcore, screamo, post-rock, grind, and metal. The level of emotion, catharsis, and songwriting here is enveloping and caressing, despite being rooted in aggressive music. The gorgeous/epic “greenhug”, the mathy/chuggy “i worship what will kill me”, and the fuzzed-out grunge of “we are all connected and we all love you“ are prime examples of the mastery shown here, but every track provides its own insular and warming experience.

Tapes /66, 34 on primary swirl, 15 on secondary swirl (5 of these are available as a set w/Unbroken), 10 rare swirl, “outta 2” swirl, and 5 test dips, all w/jcard and download code. 10 songs.

Listen here:
https://tobegentle.bandcamp.com/album/it-always-hurts-and-one-day-it-will-win

Colour:

Virgin Mother released physically yesterday and we’ll have it on sale for a few bucks off until the official digital release on October 14th, 2022. We did 113 12”LPs and with the band taking some we’re already half depleted! Features Seb of Meth., Cadence Fox, and a million other things.

VIRGIN MOTHER - Mourning Ritual (12"LP)

CA$35.00

VIRGIN MOTHER ‘Mourning Ritual’ 12”LP (TT078)

For fans of: An Autumn For Crippled Children, New Order, and Meth.

Over two years ago we released a short run of demo tapes titled ‘It Is’, and after much more writing, polishing, and expanding of the VIRGIN MOTHER sound, we are set to drop the brand new debut 12”LP ‘Mourning Ritual’ on Friday October 17th. Drawing cues from industrial, new wave, black metal, noise, screamo, punk, post-punk, and more, this deep, dark look into Seb’s subconscious and it’s subsequent artistic representation is truly a work of art. From the hellish, eerie, almost gothic-sounding intro of “[promised end]“ it becomes obvious that this album is meant to be consumed in full, with spiking adrenaline surges (see “I’d Never Feel Like Anything” and “Fault”), soothing/groovy vibes (“Traffic Stop” and “Black Light On 16th Street“), uncomfortable noise (“Vanity’s Sake“ and “Parasite“) and the epic genre-mashes (“Blossoming Winter” and “Field of Warmth“). Released on Tomb Tree. Ships mid-October.

Vinyl /113 on 180gram Eco-Grime. Includes sticker. 11 songs.

Listen here:
https://tombtreetapes.bandcamp.com/album/mourning-ritual

Quantity:

Softseed Music just released the new Venus Twins album ‘RAXIS’. You might remember their release on Tomb Tree a few years back, incredible bass and drums duo doing a garage/noise rock/sass-punk thing that fans of Death From Above 1979, Big Dick, and Raw Grip will fucking love. I sure do!

A final reminder for those in PERU that today is the last chance to pre-order a copy before shipping goes back up. Wait…what’s this? Well Fiesta Bizarra has a new EP releasing on October 31st via Softseed Music but you can nab a tape now that will ship immediately!

Out Past the Rings 125 Snag and Swallows Nest split cassette. Only 2 left in stock! Nab a yellow below!

SNAG / SWALLOWS NEST - Split (cassette+poster)

Sold out

SNAG / SWALLOWS NEST - Split (cassette+poster)

CA$12.50

SNAG / SWALLOWS NEST - Split cassetteEP + poster (ZBR125)

for fans of: People's Temple Project, Robots Don't Cry, Dangers! and Welcome The Plague Year.

This U.S./New Zealand split came about as the two bands are adamant in their stand with the environment, thus gravitating toward one another from across the globe. SNAG offers up an epic and astounding six-minute masterpiece of late 90/early 2000s driven screamo while SWALLOWS NEST drop two tracks with layered male/female screaming atop dark, screamy post-hardcore. Tapes come in an 11x17 two-sided poster with lyrics and band statements.

200 copies on white tapes with two-sided poster/lyric sheet and download code.

Listen here:
https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/snag-swallows-nest-split

Cassette colour:

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: GILLIAN CARTER = This pillar of modern screamo just released a new record ooooooooo baby!!!

2022 - 07 - 25 /// New Cara Neir song premiere

July 25, 2022 by David Norman

You want a decent taste of Cara Neir’s ‘Phantasmal’? Well hot deeeee-amn just click on this text to head on over to Heavy Blog Is Heavy to jam “Unkindness”, an exclusive premiere of this behemoth of a track. 12”s release July 29th at 9am PST / 11am CST /12pm EST. Remember, only one copy of each variant allowed per order buuuuuuut if you order a Hellfire Rex Swirl you have about a 1 in 10 chance of winning a handmade variant! Hooray for rando insertions to help level the playing field. Here are the variants again :)

Hellfire Rex Swirl /150 (shown below)

Health Points Infinity /100 (shown above)

Save Data Corrupted by Portals Wax Mage /25 (picture imminent)

Ex-Swallows Nest aka Cuck from Dunedin, New Zealand release their self-titled debut tomorrow and it’s full-on cathartic joy disguised as sniped rage. Tapes go up at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST on July 26th.

ZBR Fest Mid-West 2022 videos from the June 11th Day 1 are definitely moving along now. Here are two videos (the 2nd and 3rd bands of the night. Pains was without a doubt the heaviest set of the entire fest. Get fucked.

Next? The Wind In The Trees from Baltimore just ruining the place. I dunno how the hell they write that shit. Also, Dave is hella nice.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: CHARGER PORT = I was shown this last night by the musician who makes it and I shat my pants. Expect this EP to release on tapes via Softseed Music in the near future! FFO: Hella, Ahleuchatistas, Tera Melos, etc.

2022 - 07 - 22 /// 'Phantasmal' variant titles

July 22, 2022 by David Norman

Cara Neir’s ‘Phantasmal’ is coming up very, very, VERY SOON. July 29th to be exact. We’ve got 150 of the primary variant, 100 handmades, and 25 wax mages going up at 9am PST / 11am CST /12pm EST. Only one copy of each variant allowed per order. 16 tracks of hardcore/grind/black-metal/chip-tune/noise/screamo bliss continue the 'Phase Out’ trilogy, this one being horror-themed and ominous as fuck. We’ve got a song premiere happening over the weekend and variant pics coming next week! Until then here are the variant names, which give you a good idea of what the wax might look like :)

Hellfire Rex Swirl /150

Health Points Infinity /100

Save Data Corrupted by Portals Wax Mage /25

And what’s that? Rando insertions? You bet your ass. As we have this entire run we can help out those who can’t score a coveted mage or handmade (the infinity splatter). What the hell am I talking about? Well, rando insertions are our way of evening the playing field and having about 1 in every 10 primary switched out for an infinity or mage variant at no extra cost. So if you miss on drop day, fret not! Your odds of getting one in the “rando insertion” is probably just as high as scoring on the madness known as 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST.

Idioteq.com premiered another Cuck song from their self-titled debut due out June 26th. Check out “Eat Dirt” below or click on this text for the full song premiere post. Unreal powerviolence from ex-members of Swallows Nest.

ZBR Fest Mid-West 2022 videos from the June 11th Day 1 are officially rolling out as of today! First up is opener Scenario who put out a sick 12”EP on Zegema Beach and The Ghost Is Clear last year (which is still in stock and linked to this text) and although it’s a great fuckin’ EP, their live show was next level. That kind of energy is generally reserved for the locals on release night or a big band coming through on tour…not the opener. Those riffs are so fucking yummy.

There’s a really good review of the ‘Ritma’ full length by Piri Reis by the blog Junklist. All the labels sold out in a few days so we’ll be doing a repress as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who bought a copy or even just took time to jam a song. We’ll be seeing this all over the Best Of 2022 lists for sure. Click on this text for the review.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: TERRAFORMER = This previously instru-metal band gained a vocalist then got really fucking heavy and mixed it up a bit with some From A Second Story Window vibes. New music video!

2022 - 07 - 13 /// Euclid C Finder 1st variant reveal!

July 13, 2022 by David Norman

Don’t forget that July 19th is Euclid C Finder day! We were lucky enough to release the cassette of their early work AND the comp track from the Ones & Twos swirl tape, but we’ve been sold out of both for well over a year. Thankfully Heathen Hand Records let us jump on board the discography vinyl release! I just saw all the variants today and my socks caught fire. It was nuts. Euclid C Finder, so good it’ll burn ya feet. Here’s one of the variants!

CanaDave’s baby label Softseed Music just released the ridiculous collaboration titled ‘Amplifier’ by To Be Gentle and Opheliac. Truly amazing stuff that looks pretty sweet too! Jam/download/buy from the bandcamp link below.

Hetta’s ‘Headlights’ releases tomorrow July 14th on our little Tomb Tree label on just 35 tapes. We shat our pants when we first heard it. The Blood Brothers, JR Ewing, and The Fall Of Troy all wrapped in one, sexy, Portuguese package.

ZBR Fest Mid-West 2022 videos are finally starting to show up on youtube. The first band we’ve uploaded is Disperser and they kicked major ass.

Demersal did another sick live video for their Not Just A Phase contribution “Afterparty Depression”. Tapes are sold out but you can still nab those digitals.

Last Friday Operation X-Ray played more sick jams. Included in this show was Piri Reis (releases on Friday!) and Hawak from the Cube 12”.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: CUCK = Ex-Swallows Nest, this grindy powerviolence three-piece has a tape coming on Tomb Tree later this month! Here’s a raw demo of one of the 14 jams!