photo by Bill Kaiser
Man vs Earth, the debut LP from New York City hardcore/crossover outfit THE THIRD KIND, is out now. The band independently released the album in June, amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and has since released several visual accompaniments to the record.
THE THIRD KIND unites guitarists Taras Apuzzo (All Out War, Bastard Clan, ex-Strap Hangers) and Mike Gordon (Big Gunz, Shiro And The Raw Dogs), drummer Brian Shonen (Bastard Clan, ex-Awkward Thought, On The Offense, Run Like Hell), and bassist/vocalist Richard Muller (Vise Massacre, Great Planes, The Last Crime). The band’s street thrash oozes with NYC attitude, and their lyrical and thematic content infuses sci-fi analogies where the finger is pointed at humanity itself. The follow-up to their 2018-released eponymous debut EP, Man vs Earth takes their destruction to the next level with eight tracks in under twenty-three minutes, where bulldozing thrash metal assaults and groove-heavy hardcore hooks
Engineered by Apuzzo in the band’s bunker at Otter House Studios in Queens, Man vs Earth was mastered by Dan Emery at Black Matter Mastering (Kool Keith, Krieg, Dwarves), and completed with cover art by Richard Muller and Frankie Accordi and layout/design by Apuzzo.
Surrounding the release of the album, THE THIRD KIND has issued several video assets, including an official video for the LP’s title track, followed by a full livestream set from the band’s bunker at Otter Creek Studios in Queens, and most recently, a live video of “Electronic Moon” captured in Queens just before the New York COVID lockdowns in early March.
See THE THIRD KIND’s “Man Vs Earth” video HERE, the “Electronic Moon” live video HERE, and the archived livestream set HERE.
Man vs Earth is available on black 12″ vinyl LP and all digital platforms. Find merch bundles and stream the entire album at Bandcamp HERE.
THE THIRD KIND is nearing completion on a new EP which will be released in the months ahead. The band will also release new music as part of the 12″ NYC compilation A Piece Of The Beast, alongside the likes of Gospel, Stillsuit, Edgar, Herjaza, Christ Head, Kaiju Daisenso, Free Republic Of Soul, Lytic, Heatmap, Faithless, and Peoples Temple Project, the record to see release in 2021 through Sunken Temple Records and Tokyo Fist Records.
“…it’s a pleasure to report that THE THIRD KIND rule… Man vs Earth is a collection of hard-hitting collection of songs that will scratch any hardcore fan’s itch for audio violence. As you can hear on from the title track, streaming below, the album takes a hardcore shell and metalizes it, adding elements of thrash and death metal to the foundation.” – Decibel Magazine
“…a dizzying barrage of riffs and breakneck tempo changes…” – Metal Injection
“…a kind of crossover thrash that brings to mind the classic era of the style back in the late ’80s.” – No Echo
“Man vs Earth is a slightly noisier, more gristly interpretation of crossover that doesn’t neglect the spirit of the gnarlier, punkier bands… if you’ve ever found yourself hoping for a traditional NYC hardcore beatdown that also happens to collide head-on with the raw-as-dog-balls scrape of early Voivod, THE THIRD KIND is available and willing to throw that brick into your face.” – Last Rites
“…it’s clear these New York hardcore veterans are positively brimming with energy and creativity, packing plenty of great ideas into the album’s runtime. I went in expecting a standard crossover assault but was pleasantly surprised by how many fun twists and turns this record had, not to mention how cohesive and enjoyable the whole thing ended up being.” – Angry Metal Guy
“…THE THIRD KIND are ready to throw down against all comers with their new album Man vs Earth. While some bands look to the stars and get all googly-eyed thinking about little green men, THE THIRD KIND turn their focus inwards to humanity and don’t like what they see.” – Toilet Ov Hell
“The band call their music ‘street thrash’, which is an accurate description when you discern the genuine punk combination on the title track. Imagine if Slayer did a better job on Undisputed Attitude and brought in Cro-Mags to coat it in New York brutality.” – Scream Blast Repeat
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