The RPM Challenge is over and so we re-cap all of the heavier, punker, and experimentaler releases that came out for Record Production Month 2024.
Released March 30, 2024
All songs belong to the original artists. Podcast recorded by Greg “Akhenaten” Ravengrave.
Tracklist:
01. Elder Caius – “Super Destroyer” 02. Personal Space Invaders – “In Flesh and Blood” 03. Qloi – “Meeting” 04. The Ram Has Touched the Wall – “In the Arms of Death” 05. Corsica – “Waves” 06. Monroe – “Not Working” 07. bodydouble – “Deep Water Ocean” 08. Count Cromulent – “A Brief History of Urban Planning and Civics” 09. Killer 9000 – “My Least Favourite Things” 10. Securitron – “War Never Changes”
Albums Archived – 6000apez – The Consequential Mudhole [Demo / Hardcore Punk] – The Beer Patrice – Dead on the Ship [Live LP / Punk] – Blender – D03s 1t Bl3nd? [Demo / Cybergrind] – Clocked In – Clocked In / Year of the Rat Split [Split / Hardcore] – Coward – King Rat [Demo / Pop Punk] – Coward – Split [Split / Pop Punk] – Evan Watton – RPM 2021 [LP / Progressive Metal] – Kick Gut – Kick Gut / Don’t Split [Split / Garage Punk] – Kick Gut – The Peter Album [LP / Garage Punk] – Kristopher Crane – Piss Drunx Theme [Single / Hard Rock] – Make Mean Everything – Gamma Rays [EP / Progressive Rock] – Make Mean Everything – Make Mean Everything [EP / Progressive Rock] – Moss Heather – Summer Flu [Single / Garage Punk] – Of Wilds – A Ghost at the Strid [EP / Progressive Rock] – Personal Space Invaders – Eat Your Meat [LP / Experimental Rock] – Ratpiss – Four Humors [EP / Powerviolence] – Sarra Cenia – Good News [Single / Stoner Rock] – Solar Tongue – Consideration [EP / Drone Metal] – Sons of an Eastern Moon – Borealis [EP / Folk Metal] – The Strangled – Never Forget [LP / Skate Punk]
St. John’s progressive rock / metal project Elder Caius, the brainchild of instrumentalist and songwriter Evan Watton, has released a brand new single. Recorded as part of the 2024 RPM Challenge, the new single, entitled “Super Destroyer”, was released on March 1st, 2024, and features a much more doomy and blackened sound that the project’s past works.
“Super Destroyer” also features Nathan Cluett on bass, was mixed and mastered by Jacob Cherwick, and features cover art designed by Julie Barter.
You can listen to “Super Destroyer” by Elder Caius through our Bandcamp embed below.
2023 has been over for a little over a month now so I think it’s time we took stock of all the cool stuff and not so cool stuff that happened over the course of the last year. Let’s dive in!
This year was another rough year for businesses as both Bar None and The Abbey were forced to shut down, nixing two venues for live music and other events from the underground music community in St. John’s. Aside from that, things got rougher as members of the music community mourned the loss of Will Hapgood, the owner of The Deck who passed away suddenly earlier in 2023. His loss sent shockwaves throughout the community and resulted in an enormous show happening at the Bowring Park Amphitheater to celebrate his life and memory.
An absurd amount of new music was released throughout the year, perhaps more so than any year prior since I’ve been involved in this scene. A slew of new records from bands like The Skeats and Category VI were joined by a cavalcade of EPs from the continuously exploding hardcore punk crowd that seems to churn out new bands at the same frequency that rabbits reproduce.
There were also a ton of mainlander bands who came through Corner Brook and St. John’s this year, including Montreal black metal bands Akitsa and Infernach, Halifax d-beat warriors Black Dog, long time Newfoundland expats Brutal Youth, Montreal hardcore group Deadbolt, New Brunswick stoner punks Diner Drugs, Montreal death metal power trio Obelisk, Toronto thrashers Ammo and Californian NWOTHM upstarts Night Demon, as well as Halifax deathcore ensemble Pale Ache. For a province that sees precious few touring acts pulling through, this past year was exceptionally great.
We also held the very first edition of the Heavy NFLD Fest this past year! This was something that was a long time coming, and has always been my ultimate goal for this project, so finally seeing it come to fruition was a triumph. We’re hoping to do it again this year so stay tuned for Heavy NFLD Fest Vol. II!
Here’s hoping that this year brings with it more good news and less of the bad. Here’s to a kickass 2024.
Biggest Stories – Bar None Closes Its Doors – Big Space Win Jazz Recording of the Year at the ECMAs – Da Slyme Wins Music NL ‘Loud Artist of the Year’ Award – The Deck Renamed to Pavlov’s Electric Verandah – Friends Hold Raffle for Sheavy Frontman Steve Hennessey’s Recovery Following Cancer Diagnosis – Grenadier Release Trumpets Blare in Blazing Glory on Vinyl – Heavy NFLD Fest Vol. I – Ken Power Tattoo Company Reopens at New Location – Lawnya Vawnya 13 Announces Lineup – Madison Strip Calls it Quits – Memorial Show for Will Hapgood to Happen at Bowring Park Amphitheater July 9th – Precious Blood Announce 2023 Maritimes Tour – Precious Blood and Da Slyme Nominated for Music NL Loud Artist of the Year – R.I.P. Will Hapgood – Stanley’s Pub Now Hosting Heavy Metal Karaoke Nights – Triskelyon Signs to Moribund Records – Triskelyon Resigns to Moribund Records in Two-Album Deal – Yes, Officer Signs to Scilly Cove Records
Come from Aways – Akitsa and Ifernach to Perform at The Rockhouse in September with Grole and Grenadier – Black Dog (HFX) to Play at First Light CPAC on July 15th – Brutal Youth to Return to the Rock for Two Shows in August – Deadbolt to Play The Rockhouse & First Light CPAC on September 8th and 9th – Diner Drugs to Play The Deck and The Abbey on May 12th and 13th – Mistwalker and Øbelisk Announce 2023 Tour with Shows in St. John’s, Corner Brook, and Glovertown – Night Demon and Ammo to Perform at the Bella Vista Events Venue on August 25th – Pale Ache Announce Fall Tour Including Multiple Dates in Corner Brook and St. John’s – Slaughter, Quiet Riot, and Great White to Perform at Iceberg Alley Performance Tent 2023
New LPs Released – 6000apez – January 12 – Beereaucracy – Beereaucracy – Beereaucracy / Catshit – Split – Brutal Youth – Rebuilding Year – C.A.R.E. – Creating a Righteous Energy – Category VI – Firecry – Chris McGee – The Strange Ritual of the Golden-Faced Man – Count Cromulent – Thrillhouse – Desperta – Desperta – Falter – Salt in the Soil – First Frost – It’s Dangerous to Go Alone – Lithops – ((BendeR)) – Mike Fisher – Diary of a Psychic Vampire – Mistwalker – Oceanic Heritage – Mistwalker – Under the Fallen Sky: 10 Years in the Mist – Needle Crafts – Frow’d Up – Neko Suicide – Bound by Chains and Ripped in Half – Neko Suicide – Midtown – Neko Suicide – St. Georges, Hell 3:00 AM – Nfrared – Under the Stairs – The Skeats – The Skeats IV – Triskelyon – Artificial Insanity – WXO – Waxsongs – Zack St. John’s – Prince of Fogtown – Zackary Anderson – Graveyard Filled with Snow
New EPs Released – 6000apez – Farmlife – 6000apez – Glauchoma! – 6000apez – Mule Touch – Adam Sharr – To the Woods – A Body Without Organs – Broken Terminal III: Milk Blood – Bog Rot – Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll – Canvas – Down Horrendous – Carnage – Free at Last – Cerebral Palsy – Seas of Bloody Mist – Chimp Apparatus – Sober – compareyourself – Mary and the Misanthropic Buzzard – Cortex Strikes Back – Cortex Strikes Back – The Crevice – 11th Hour / Valley of Flies – Foundation Chain – Sanrio-core – Fucked to Death – The Penile Code – Glitterglue – Friends Club – Jaded Truth – Bitter – Knarl – Bad Luck – Lil Dirtbag – It’s Been Too Real – Love Letters to Lewis – Letter One: Vemödalen – Mistwalker – Pumpkinsmasher – Mistwalker – War on Christmas – Neko Suicide – Cross – Ninth Quarter – Below Knee – Nuclear Casket – Irascible – Of Wilds – A Ghost at the Strid – The Order of the Precious Blood – I No Longer Wish for Salvation – Pouch Dweller – Goes to the Movies – Ratpiss – Misanthropy Now! – Roach Smoking Buddies – Roach Smoking Christmas – Sex Hole – Kill or Be Killed – Shit Dildo – Odes to the Fecal Phallus – Skreeched In – Skreeched In – Smoke Signals – Send Me Flowers While I’m Still Here – Sons of an Eastern Moon – Borealis – Winterhearth – Beyond the Frosted Graves – Winterhearth – Rape of Eden – Wiremouth – EP2 – WXO – Albert Rolling Down the Magical Infinite Hill
New Singles Released – Amer Ali – “Face in the Clouds” – Amer Ali – “Forever” – Amer Ali – “Never Say I Don’t Care” – Artach – “Black Metal Drummer Boy” – Artach – “Hell on Halloween” – Bonewing – Assorted Singles – Category VI – “Firecry” – Cerebral Palsy – Assorted Singles – Chimp Apparatus – “Garfield” – Choplicker – “Brigandine” – Choplicker – “Heliouroboros” – CR – “Last Address” – Dendron – “The Glass Spire Redux” – Disposition – “Decomposed” – Disposition – “Slow Haze” – Drop Your Trust – “Hacked” – Drop Your Trust – “Think for Yourself” – Elder Caius – “Alien Space Bats” / “From Below” – Elder Caius – “Kailash, When It Rises” – Everose – “Flourish” – Ex Press – “The Island” – Guntmold – “Menstrual Shark” – Guntmold – “Munging” – Guntmold – “You Suffer” [Napalm Death Cover] – Homesick N’ Wanderlust – “When I Grow Up” – Jaded Truth – “Bottom of the Bottle” – Jaded Truth – “Samsquanch” – Jaded Truth – “The Shake-Up” – Last Cigar – “Pitchforks” – Love Letters to Lewis – “I, the End” – Needle Crafts – “Worried Sick” – Neko Suicide – “2015” – Nemophilist – “Aurora” – Nemophilist – “Failure, Goodbyes. Isolation” – Nemophilist – “Put Me on a Ship That is Sinking” – Nemophilist – “Tragedy and Loss Never Known” – Nerve Shack – “Ash” – Nerve Shack – “Forever in Your Lie” – Nerve Shack – “Yellow Teeth” – Nfrared – “Betrayed for the Better” – Nfrared – “Innocent Criminal” – Nfrared – “Piece of Mind” – The Order of the Precious Blood – “Suffer and Die” – Qyn – “Ideologue” – Rot – “Rupture” / “Delight” – Sex Hole – “Stay Out of My Way” – The Skeats – “Fine Wine” – The Skeats – “Torch” – The Skeats – “Twitch” – So Violento – “Elegia Moderna” – Sought – “Samqwan” – Sought – “Valorous Asinus” – This Day – “Euphoric State” – Triskelyon – “Visionaires” – Vertebraeker – “Buried Again” – Winterhearth – “Winter Punks” – WXO – “A.I. Instincts”
New Demos Released – 6000apez – The Consequential Mudhole – Bazooka – Demo 2022 – Beereaucracy – Vote for Us – Blender – D03s 1t Bl3nd? – Choplicker – Rollercrisis – Disciplinary Action – Floor Demo 2023 – Doberman – Shed Demo ’23 – Glitterglue – Shed Demo ’23 – Guntmold – Guntmold – Kicker – Kicker Demo – Kris Butt – Old Path Demos – Life Jolt – Floor Demo ’23 – Malpractice – We Don’t Go to Church – Nerve Shack – Sheep Kill – Paranoia – Paranoia – Vehement Slaughter – Demo – Vomit Denial – Demo ’23 – Wannabe Erudite – Remembered Demos – Winterhearth – The Rehearsal Session
New Compilations Released – Aeria – The Deadman Collection
New Live Albums Released – Defense Force – Live Like Death – Killer9000 – Live at The Deck 02/11/23 – Malpractice – Live June ’89 – Smoke Signals – Live at The Rockhouse 01/28/23
New Music Videos Released – Artach – “Hell on Halloween” – Beereaucracy – “Beerboarded” – Category VI – “Coven” – Category VI – “Valkyrie” – Hakapik – “Don’t Make Me Laugh” – Jaded Truth – “Bottom of the Bottle” – Jaded Truth – “Riders” – Jaded Truth – “The Shake-Up” – Jaded Truth – “Worthless Meek” – Nerve Shack – “Forever in Your Lie” – Nerve Shack – “Yellow Teeth” – The Order of the Precious Blood – “Bastard! Rejoice!” [Live] – The Order of the Precious Blood – “X You Out”
Album Announcements – Artach – Untitled New LP – Bog Rot – Untitled New EP – Da Slyme – If There’s No Rubble, You Haven’t Played! – Grole – Untitled New LP – Guntmold – Blackened Infection – The Hellfire Club – Volume III – Jaded Truth – Bitter – Mistwalker – Oceanic Heritage – Nocturnal Prayer / Funeral Fullmoon – Disciples of the Moonlight Worship – The Order of the Precious Blood – I No Longer Wish for Salvation – Qyn – Untitled New Release – Riproar – Untitled New Release – The Skeats – The Skeats IV – Smoke Signals – Send Me Flowers While I’m Still Here – Triskelyon – Artificial Insanity – Wendigo – Untitled New Release – Winterhearth – Rape of Eden – Yes, Officer – Untitled New LP
Live Sets Filmed – Bazooka – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022 – Defense Force – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023 – Dendron – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023 – Everose – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 18th, 2023 – InfectDead – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 18th, 2023 – Jaded Truth – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023 – Kaspam Cult – Live Set @ Gower Street United Church – August 19th, 2023 – The Mill – Live Set @ The Corner Pocket – August 16th, 2023 – Mistwalker – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023 – Mistwalker – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 18th, 2023 – Mistwalker – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023 – Needle Crafts – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022 – Obelisk – Live Set @ The Corner Pocket – August 16th, 2023 – October Wasp – Live Set @ The Corner Pocket – August 16th, 2023 – Shit Dildo – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023 – Sick Puppy – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022 – The Skeats – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023 – Tunnel Vision – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022 – Wretched Fiend – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023
New Merch Drops – Artach Reveal New T-Shirts – Everose Reveal New Patches – Fog Coffin Reveals New Pins – Fog Coffin Reveals New Stickers – Grole Reveals New Hoodies – Grole Reveals New T-Shirts – Guntmold Reveals New Stickers – Heavy Metal Karaoke Reveals New Stickers and Pins – Metaphora Reveal New T-Shirts + Other Merch – Mir Reveals New T-Shirts – The Order of the Precious Blood Reveal New T-Shirts – Ratpiss Reveal New Black on White Patches – Ratpiss Reveal New White on Black Patches – Sea Shanty Studios Now Offering Patch Services – The Skeats Reveal New Hats – Skreeched In Reveal New Patches – Smoke Signals Reveal New Circular Patches – Winterhearth Reveal New Diamond Patches
Album Reviews – Category VI – Firecry [by Akhenaten] – Count Cromulent – Thrillhouse [by Akhenaten] – Dead Inner Youth – Dead Inner Youth [by Stephen] – Jaded Truth – Take a Seat [by Akhenaten] – Triskelyon – Triskelyon [by Akhenaten] – Vertebraeker – Spinal Sword [by Akhenaten]
EP Reviews – Bog Rot – Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll [by Akhenaten] – Chimp Apparatus – Sober [by Akhenaten] – The Crevice – 11th Hour / Valley of Flies [by Akhenaten] – Glitterglue – Friends Club [by Akhenaten] – Foundation Chain – Sanrio-core [by Akhenaten] – The Order of the Precious Blood – I No Longer Wish for Salvation [by Akhenaten] – Ratpiss – Misanthropy Now! [by James Titford] – Ratpiss – Vermin Urine [by James Titford] – Sick Puppy – Haunt the Hill [by Stephen] – Skreeched In – Skreeched In [by Akhenaten] – Sons of an Eastern Moon – Borealis [by Akhenaten] – Winterhearth – Rape of Eden [by Akhenaten]
We also released twelve new episodes of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast this past year. We did our typical installments such as the RPM Re-Cap in March, Heavy Halloween in October, and Merry Fucking Solstice in December, but we also had genre-specific episodes focusing on grindcore, hard rock, hardcore, and grunge. Other episode topics included focuses on metal and punk from Prince Edward Island, a smattering of new metal and punk released in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past year, bands who have come to Newfoundland from elsewhere in recent years, a re-cap of artists that my own band played with during the Atlantic Annihilation Tour, and a re-cap of the bands who played this past year’s installment of Heavy NFLD Fest. You can listen to all these and more on the Heavy NFLD Bandcamp which will be linked down below.
We also released our 61st episode of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast, which is the fourth installment of our holiday-themed Merry Fucking Solstice series. Listen to it at the Bandcamp link below!
Albums Archived – Amer Ali – Pathogen [Remastered] [Single / Hard Rock] – Ashen – Demo [Demo / Black Metal] – The Crevice – 11th Hour / Valley of Flies [EP / Stoner Metal] – Elder Caius – Alien Space Bats / From Below [Single / Progressive Rock] – Elder Caius – Kailash, When It Rises [Single / Progressive Rock] – Mistwalker – War on Christmas [EP / Black N’ Roll] – Ninth Quarter – Below Knee [EP / Metalcore] – Pouch Dweller – Goes to the Movies [EP / Dungeon Synth] – Phil Gallant – Demos [Demo / Sludge Metal] – The Skeats – Torch [Single / Hard Rock] – Sought – Samqwan [Single / Black Metal] – Triskelyon – Artificial Insanity [LP / Power Metal] – Vomit Denial – Demo ’23 [Demo / Hardcore] – Vomit Denial – Vein! [Demo / Hardcore] – Winterhearth – Winter Punks [Single / Blackened Death Metal]
As usual life has gotten the best of me, and keeping up with these month in review segments has proven to be difficult. Yet, we maintain the structure. Here’s all the cool stuff that happened in September 2023. October and November review segments will follow suit throughout the week.
We also released the 58th episode of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast in which we recapped all the bands that played at the very first installment of Heavy NFLD Fest. This episode was released on September 30th and features cover art created by Airline Bourbon. You can listen to this episode on Bandcamp and YouTube.
Albums Archived – Dirt Stache – Bitter IV: Smoke Break [Single / Post Hardcore] – Dirt Stache – Indecisive [Single / Post Hardcore] – Dirt Stache – Playing God [Single / Post Hardcore] – Dirt Stache – Salutations [Single / Post Hardcore] – Dirt Stache – Twelve Days of Xmas: As Told by Dirt Stache [Single / Post Hardcore]
St. John’s progressive rock / psychedelic / space rock project Elder Caius, which is the new project of multi-instrumentalist Evan Watton, has come out with a brand new single. These new tracks, entitled “Alien Space Bats” and “From Below”, are the project’s second release, following their debut single, “Kailash, When It Rises”, which released in March of 2023. These new songs were released through Bandcamp and streaming services on September 14th, 2023. The track was mastered by Dan Swanö of Edge of Sanity and Unisound fame, and was also released with a visualizer video on YouTube.
You can listen to “Alien Space Bats” and “From Below” through our YouTube embed below.
We also released episode 52 of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast where we recapped all of the heavy music that was released during the RPM Challenge in 2023.
Albums Archived – 6000apez – Waterkode and Friends [EP / Hardcore Punk] – Artach – Hoarfrost [Single / Black Metal] – Cemetery Hill – Such Lovely Wounds [LP / Goth Rock] – Chimp Apparatus – Garfield [Single / Hardcore Punk] – Choplicker – Rollercrisis [Demo / Progressive Metal] – Choplicker – Smilebringer Bootcamp [Demo / Progressive Metal] – Count Cromulent – Emergence [LP / Progressive Rock] – Darren Soda – Five Hits from Hell [EP / Punk Rock] – Darren Soda – The Dead of Winter [Demo / Punk Rock] – Disposition – Dissent [LP / Nu Metal] – Everose – Flourish [Single / Alternative Metal] – Jim Jones and the Kool-Aid Jammers – Supercalifragilisticdruginducedpsychosis [Single / Surf Punk] – Laxidaisy – A Ballad of Ships and Wolves [Single / Emo] – Most Likely Forever and Decay – Without Me [Single / Nu Metal] – Needle Crafts – Grad School Twitter [EP / Emo] – Neko Suicide – Bound by Chains and Ripped in Half [LP / Harsh Noise] – Nemophilist – Aurora [Single / Dark Ambient] – Roach Smoking Buddies – Roach Smoking Christmas [EP / Powerviolence] – Skreeched In – Skreeched In [EP / Hardcore] – Swam – Swam [EP / Hardcore] – This Day – Euphoric State [Single / Alternative Rock] – Tunnel Vision – Tunnel Vision [EP / Hardcore] – Wannabe Erudite – Educational Demos [Demo / Noise Rock] – Yes, Officer – Pace Yourself [Single / Post Hardcore] – Yes, Officer – Slow News Day [Single / Post Hardcore]
Welcome to the 52nd episode of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast. On this episode we re-cap all the heavy music released for the RPM Challenge in the year of 2023!
All songs belong to the original artists. Podcast recorded by Greg “Akhenaten” Ravengrave.
Tracklist:
01. The Crevice – “Valley of Flies” 02. Pouch Dweller – “Laserblast’s Last Stand” 03. Chris McGee – “Sudden Shock” 04. Cemetery Hill – “Doomed Generation” 05. Ninth Quarter – “Crustborne” ~News Break~ 06. Elder Caius – “Kailash, When It Rises” 07. Count Cromulent – “Thunder Reigns” 08. Wannabe Erudite – “Pester” 09. Canvas – “Permanent Holiday” 10. Personal Space Invaders – “Solid Ground”
Elder Caius is a brand new progressive / psychedelic rock project from St. John’s, NL. Borne out of the RPM Challenge of 2023, the project has released a single track so far, their debut single, entitled “Kailash, When It Rises”. The track is nearly 9 minutes in length and twists and turns into all sorts of unexpected directions. “Kailash, When It Rises” was released on March 1st, 2023 through Bandcamp.
You can listen to the track through our Bandcamp embed below.
HeavyNFLD 