Latest List (09/16/16)-Barishi & Preoccupations

barishi-blood-from-the-lions-mouth-e1467818642629Barishi-Blood from the Lion’s Mouth
Genre: Progressive Metal
FFO: Opeth, Kvelertak, Heaven Shall Burn

Vermont-based Progressive Metal quartet Barishi up the ante with a sophomore LP pushing boundaries further instead of worshipping a past era.

Blood from a Lion’s Mouth is a gritty beast of a record coupled with organic production, hypnotizing psychedelia yet maintains a necessary abrasiveness.

The group’s textured writing style seems heavily inspired by legends such as Led Zeppelin,but their approach is not used to bask in nostalgia. Barishi are on to something here and their undeniable skill is anything but flashy. Even if you are not a “ProgHead”, this is a record suitable for headbangers of all varieties.
a0884917576_10Preoccupations-Self Titled
Genre: Post Punk
FFO: Interpol, Joy Divison, Wire, The National

Canadian Industrial Post Punk outfit Viet Cong experienced a whole lot of backlash and controversary for their poor name choice.

Last fall the group announced a new band name citing their desire to simply just play music and pleaded to their fans their original name was not meant to “cause pain or remind people of past atrocities.”

The group now plays under the moniker Preoccupations but a stylistic change in sound also came with the censored title. The industrial rock vibes are stripped in favor of a more linear Post Punk approach but sometimes less can be more. This sophomore LP is a record far more driven by emotion than gritty mood, and such an approach works in the band’s favor for fitting progression.