photo by D. Randall Blythe
Multi-state avant-garde/jazz/metal trio BRAIN TENTACLES, who are currently in the final stages of their successful North American journey with Gorguts and Intronaut, will highjack MetalSucks’ Instagram account this Saturday, October 29th, 2016. Follow a day of BRAIN TENTCLES tour shenanigans using the hashtag #TentaclesTakeover.
BRAIN TENTACLES w/ Gorguts, Intronaut [remaining dates]:
10/28/2016 Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD
10/29/2016 Voltage Lounge – Philadelphia, PA
10/30/2016 Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
BRAIN TENTACLES released their self-titled debut full-length via Relapse Records late last month. A journey in improvised and structured experimental sound from three venerable scene veterans, the band features the trio of Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Bloodiest, Corrections House etc.) on horns, voice, electric piano, and synth, Dave Witte (Discordance Axis, Municipal Waste, Deny The Cross etc.) on drums, and Aaron Dallison (Keelhaul) on bass. Together the three-piece weaves their way through twisted, seizure-inducing compositions that call to mind the insanity of John Zorn’s storied project Naked City and Mike Patton’s most erratic experiments.
The BRAIN TENTACLES collective are masters of tension with the album moving unpredictably from mathy chaos to ponderous, juddering grooves that warp time in their wake, darting from one extreme to the other via insane rhythms and truly progressive, expansive songwriting. Occasional vocals (including a guest appearance from Oxbow’s Eugene Robinson) lend an even sharper edge to the album, which is sure to blow away fans of instrumental and vocal-driven music alike. The record was produced by Sanford Parker (Minsk, Yob, etc.) and features artwork by Jef Whitehead of Leviathan!
Hear for yourself below:
Additionally, BRAIN TENTACLES recently premiered a music video for their track “Fruitcake” view-able below:
Brain Tentacles is our now on CD, LP, and digitally via Relapse Records. Physical and digital preorders are available at THIS LOCATION.
Clrvynt issues, “This collaboration between Bruce Lamont, Dave Witte, and Aaron Dallison makes music that veers from sinewy and crushingly loud to surreal and carnival-esque and back again at breathtaking speeds. Given its members’ musical reach, though, the expansive sound heard on their self-titled debut comes as no surprise.” Stereogum observes, “Historically, most bands from this outré corner project a lot of chaos – playing crazy fast, employing gruesome free improvisation, or switching genres wholesale multiple times a song. BRAIN TENTACLES don’t do any of that; their music is largely structured, and Witte cradles the band in his mile-deep pocket instead of blasting away. Instead of raving and gibbering, they spend much of their time playing straight-ahead metal parts…with saxes instead of guitars…and a lot of psych-rock overtones.” Metal Injection hails a, “crazy, jazzy, truly experimental stab at metal that works in the most insane way.” Two Guys Metal Reviews commends a, “cosmic journey – a journey where wrong is right and vice versa and where the rules of music break down,” adding, “Everything shatters under this band’s demented and bizarre aura. BRAIN TENTACLES have the potential to be one of the great space rock bands of their generation.” While Nine Circles champions, “a cacophony of sounds that on paper shouldn’t work but the results are exemplary. The warm sound of Sanford Parker’s production gives this album the feel of three old friends getting together for an extended jam session. Even at the album’s harshest the fun factor never wanes and really what more could you ask for in an album that exists far off the beaten path of standard fare metal. This is an impressive debut from an impressive trio of musicians.”
http://www.facebook.com/thebraintentacles
http://www.braintentacles.bandcamp.com
http://www.relapse.com
http://www.facebook.com/relapserecords