Posts Tagged ‘Graves of Valor’

IODAcast 057

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Featuring Bike for Three!, School of Seven Bells, Bad Brilliance, Liechtenstein, Kermit Ruffins, Graves of Valor.

Listen at IODAcast.com or at iTunes.

268616 72 IODAcast 057Bike for Three!
download icon IODAcast 057 “All There Is to Say About Love” (mp3)
from “More Heart Than Brains”
(anticon)

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IODAcast 057

267262 72 IODAcast 057School Of Seven Bells
download icon IODAcast 057 “Face To Face On High Places (Jesu Remix)” (mp3)
from “My Cabal”
(Ghostly International)

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IODAcast 057

268050 72 IODAcast 057Bad Brilliance
download icon IODAcast 057 “Quack Head” (mp3)
from “Andrew W.K. & B-Roc Present: Damn! the Mixtape Vol. 1″
(Skyscraper Music Maker)

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IODAcast 057

268876 72 IODAcast 057Liechtenstein
download icon IODAcast 057 “All At Once” (mp3)
from “Survival Strategies In A Modern World”
(Slumberland)

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IODAcast 057

263222 72 IODAcast 057Kermit Ruffins
download icon IODAcast 057 “Good Morning New Orleans” (mp3)
from “SIGGRAPH 2009 New Orleans Music Sampler”
(Basin Street)

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(This is an awesome charity compilation for the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp.  Find out more information here.)

IODAcast 057
266777 72 IODAcast 057Graves of Valor
download icon IODAcast 057 “Locusta” (mp3)
from “Salarian Gate”
(Relapse Records)

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IODAcast 057

Graves of Valor – “Locusta”

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

just encoded big Graves of Valor Locusta

By: Oz Okter

266777 72 Graves of Valor LocustaGraves of Valor
download icon Graves of Valor Locusta “Locusta” (mp3)
from “Salarian Gate”
(Relapse Records)

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Graves of Valor Locusta
Genre: Metal : Death Metal
Release Date: 5/26/09
UPC: 781676703821
Territories: World

Rising out of South Carolina, Graves of Valor brings some of the finest American death metal I’ve heard from a new band in quite a while. Relapse doesn’t play around when it comes to quality metal and this is certainly no exception. I will admit I was a bit hesitant when I read that three members were formerly in Through the Eyes of the Dead, but my fears were put rapidly to rest. I’m sure that some will attempt to throw this into the metalcore camp, but I’m not falling for it. This is pure death metal; the kind that used to crawl out of Floridian swamps.

Thankfully, there is nary a clean vocal to be found on the album. No sing-a-long chorus, no tender verses. Growls and screams prevail throughout, but the real highlight is the instrumentation. And man can these lads shred. The dual technical guitar attack is tight, concise and even has space for the occasional face-melting solo. Don’t believe me? Check out the sweep bonanza on “Locusta.” The dual leads pair quite nicely with the double bass assault of Dayton Cantley.

Its not all about brutality however. On Salarian Gate there is plenty of melody hidden underneath the chaos. Towards the end of the album, we find a nice bit of contrast as the grind/pit tuner “The Clever Ape” blends into the acoustic interlude “Diderot,” before bleeding into the technical wizardry of “Locusta.” Relapse was awesome enough to let us pre-release “Locusta” to the masses. Listen to it here and grab it to go above.

Don’t miss Graves of Valor this summer, on tour with German technical death wizards Obscura and grind legends Brutal Truth. The Relapse contamination tour is coming to a town near you and you can’t hide.