F O U R T H E Y E

hellboy wrote:New track from Aussie prog metal band Mish:

Occasionally, records are released which are an instant game changer: albums so profoundly innovative and compelling in their conception, construction and delivery that they are immediately essential. The Stone House is just such a release. And it was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs and completely improvised, with no music written down or rehearsed

The album features two of today's most original, ingenious and decidedly "risk taking" electric guitar proponents, easily among the instrument's most vital new voices: the UK's Mark Wingfield (Jane Chapman; solo artist, and; one half of the long-running guitar duo, with acoustic maestro, Kevin Kastning), and Germany's Markus Reuter (Stick Men; The Crimson ProjeKct; Centrozoon). Each, in their own unique way, has been stretching the bounds of the tonal and texutral limitations of the instrument, and, in the process, has respectively developed their own individual techniques, stylistic approaches and idiosyncratic vocabularies.

Accompanied by the sure-footed foundational tandem of the Israeli-born UK transplants, bassist Yaron Stavi (David Gilmour, Phil Manzanera, Robert Wyatt, Richard Galliano) and drummer Asaf Sirkis (Tim Garland, Mark Wingfield, Nicolas Meier) - a familiar pair, who by all appearances are more than capable of making most anything groove infectiously, and in perfect cadence - the album incorporates many of the elements which have drawn listeners to progressive music for decades. Not only is the album often a canvas hosting a grand experiment in spontaneous group interaction, but it is also an exploration into the tonal and textural possibilities of all the instruments involved. The resulting picture which takes shape is one where the whole is much greater than the sum of its profound parts, and emotion, above all, emerges victorious.

There is a pervasive sort of "thumb your nose at convention" corporate approach employed by the quartet through every turn, as the music alternately builds, floats suspensefully, resolves violently ... speaking fluently; interjecting, suddenly; setting flight on a whim, with complete abandon. Seldom has recorded music, of any genre, achieved the level of emotional candidness and intimacy with the moment that is captured here. The unit embraces free jazz, ambient, psychedelic, trance, rock, fusion, and more -- producing a music so brilliant, fresh, honest and uniquely original that it truly defies categorization.

With all participants in peak form - at their most unpretentious and uninhibited best - The Stone House ranks as one of the most adventurous, intuitive, high-stakes gambles the genre has ever witnessed. These kind of moments just aren't supposed to happen in the confines of a studio. This is one bet that pays huge dividends ... prepare to be blown away!

Mish Entheogen the Album Launch with supports from Gvrlls and Hawkmoth. 21st of April at the Factory Floor. 105 Victoria Road Marrickville.
After six years, the wait is over. ‘Entheogen,’ the second album from Australian progressive metal giants MISH, will be released on Friday 21 April, supported by a launch at Sydney’s Factory Floor, with support from Gvrlls and Hawmoth.
MISH have poured the hard experiences of the last half decade into one of the most cathartic and passionate records in the Australian underground. From one epic to the next, ‘Red Fortune’ to ‘Artax’ this is a record that leaps off of the precipice of the high water mark set by their debut.
MISH are a mysterious yet beautiful beast, with music as heavy as it is emotional. Their rare yet often-talked-about live shows have seen them earn high profile supports, whilsts also painstakingly producing just two full-length albums in their 11 years of existence.
The six-year development of ‘Entheogen’ follows the 5-year gestation of their debut album ‘The Entrance’ which was released in 2011 to universal critical acclaim through the progressive and metal underground and propelled the band to cult status amongst lovers of raw and energetic progressive metal. The band played in support of international icons such as Russian Circles, Pelican and sleepmakeswaves, earned radio play on triple j and hit the Top 10 on triple j’s Unearthed metal charts for a mammoth 16 weeks with their emotionally-charged track ‘A Fire Inside.’
The 11-year partnership between frontman/guitarist Rowland Hines and drummer Mark Johnstone has fuelled one of Australia’s most memorable live bands. Although rare, their recorded output finally brings one of Sydney’s most loved heavy acts to an international audience. Produced and recorded again with Clayton Segelov of The Brain Studios, the new album’s visceral production process follows the same path tread by their debut. The production of ‘The Entrance’ memorably saw Segelov ordering Rowls to run laps of the inner city studio block until visibly exhausted (chased and pushed by the studio assistant), then running back into the vocal booth to hurl the dogged and desperate howls which rip open the record. Informed by six years of turmoil, relationships and life experiences, ‘Entheogen’ once again finds a band on the cusp of catharsis, hungry for action yet reflective.
The album’s crushing riffs and metal-influenced breakdowns are reminiscent of acts such as Isis, Rosetta and Meshuggah – yet their unique melodicism sets them apart. Technically proficient, yet with masterfully crafted songwriting, make this act a unique and compelling listen for heavy music fans.

hellboy wrote:Another good track from Aussie band Mish: