Robotic Obscurities

HASSAN I SABBAH 7" and more stuff now available elsewhere...

2011-10-26T03:00:00.004-04:00

Whoa over a year and no posts... that's pretty bad! What can I say? Been busy...

But as of late been digging up some old (and new) stuff and chucking it on ye olde Robotic Empire Bandcamp page. So far it's got a few newer releases and some older stuff, but more stuff is likely to wind up there than here (for now at least).

In the meantime here's the first "old gem" we posted:

Just came across the master WAV files for the oldass HASSAN I SABBAH 7". This shit rules, so its now available as a pay-whatever-ya-want highquality download!

* Robotic Empire bandcamp

That's pretty much it for now. Check out the Bandcamp page for future stuff... enjoy!

Robotic Empire & Mirror Universe - Free Sampler 2k10 - INFO N' JUNX

2010-08-05T16:20:00.002-04:00

OK here's a little more info on all the songs you're about to download. We've slapped together 18 tracks from a bunch of different releases we've been a part of over the past year or so, along with a few our partner label Mirror Universe has busted out, as well as a few sneak preview cuts for all the diehards.

Thanks for checking this out, we hope you enjoy something here! -Team Robo

* Download Robotic Empire + Mirror Universe - Free Sampler 2k10 via MediaFire
* Download Robotic Empire + Mirror Universe - Free Sampler 2k10 via RapidShare
* Download Robotic Empire + Mirror Universe - Free Sampler 2k10 via SendSpace

1.) BAD SECRETS - Go and Leave
Originally from Robo 087, Self-Titled 9"+CD. Currently available both in physical format and digital download:
BAD SECRETS in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
BAD SECRETS on iTunes

2.) NEON BASTARD - Steven Tyler
Opening track on Robo 090, Meikhaus CD. Available September 7th, 2010 in physical format & digital download:
NEON BASTARD in the Robotic Empire - Online Store (link won't actually yield results until early September)
(search iTunes, emusic, amazonMP3 or whatever around early September)

3.) FLOOR - Downed Star
From Robo 084, Below & Beyond Deluxe Box Set or 8xCD set. Deluxe edition & digital downloads still available:
FLOOR in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
FLOOR on iTunes

4.) VANESSA VAN BASTEN - Fuck the Best, Take the Rest (teaser)
Teaser segment of a 9 minute song. Closer to the Small/Dark/Door available October 5th, 2010 as CD & digital:
VANESSA VAN BASTEN in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
VANESSA VAN BASTEN on iTunes

5.) TIDELAND - Braindead on the Interstate
Opening track from Robo 095, Asleep In The Graveyard 12". Still available from us on LP. Digital available too:
TIDELAND in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
TIDELAND on iTunes

6.) YOUNG WIDOWS - Lucky and Hardheaded (live)
Originally from Robo 97, Live Radio Performance April 6, 2009. Currently available on vinyl and digital download:
YOUNG WIDOWS in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
YOUNG WIDOWS on iTunes

7.) CAPSULE - Just Three Lines
Originally from a tour-only CD, then from a digital-only release, now also from Robo 094, Self-Titled (aka, Tape + Demo + Tour + More) which is currently available as a 12" LP and/or digital download:
CAPSULE in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
CAPSULE on iTunes

8.) DIAL - Sweating
Originally from Robo 088, Self-Titled CDep. Currently available as either physical CD and/or digital download:
DIAL in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
DIAL on iTunes

9.) HEWHOCORRUPTS - Sell em All (MIDI)
From Robo 076, Midi of Profits USB Bracelet (easily one of the wackiest releases we've done). Available here:
HEWHOCORRUPTS in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

10.) THOU - By Every Hand Betrayed
From Robo 089, Baton Rouge, You Have Much To Answer For 12" and cassette. Both currently available here:
THOU in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
THOU free downloads galore

11.) BATTLEMASTER - Death is a Warm Cube
From Universe #2, split 7" with INTER ARMA. Partner label Mirror Universe release, currently available here:
BATTLEMASTER in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

12.) MEDUSA - Mediatrix
From RoboTape05, En Raga Sul Cassette. Totally killer album, still available on tape and other formats here:
MEDUSA in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
MEDUSA on iTunes

13.) EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE - Nil or the Nile
Originally from Robo 008, sic[sic] CD, now from forthcoming Robo 048, Discography 12". Available soonish here:
EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE in the Robotic Empire - Online Store (link won't yield much until the 12" is actually done in a month or two)

14.) FLOOR - On the Money
Late-era demo from Robo 084, Below & Beyond Deluxe Box Set or 8xCD set. Deluxe edition & digital available:
FLOOR in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
FLOOR on iTunes

15.) ENEMY SOIL - My Religion
Originally from Fractured Theology 3" miniCD on Profane Existence, then from the Smashes The State discography 2xCD on Bones Brigade, now currently available from us as a digital download release:
ENEMY SOIL in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
ENEMY SOIL on iTunes

16.) INTER ARMA - 2000 Years
From Universe #3, Sundown 12". Partner label Mirror Universe release (split with Forcefield). LP available here:
INTER ARMA in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

17.) TIDELAND - Crash
Saddest track from Robo 095, Asleep In The Graveyard 12". Still available from us on LP. Digital available too:
TIDELAND in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
TIDELAND on iTunes

18.) VANESSA VAN BASTEN - Domio '95
From forthcoming Robo 078, Closer to the Small/Dark/Door. Available October 5th, 2010 as CD & digital DL:
VANESSA VAN BASTEN in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
VANESSA VAN BASTEN on iTunes

That's pretty much it. 18 random tracks from across the board. Most of this stuff is currently available, but some will be out real soon. Please check out our Online Store and/or blog though as that's where all the news and records wind up. Thanks!

-Robotic Empire
http://www.roboticempire.com/store
http://roboticempirenews.blogspot.com

Oh yeah, if you're into the whole "social networking" crap we wrangle some of that stuff too:

http://www.facebook.com/roboticempire
http://www.twitter.com/roboticempire

CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION - Antenna Builder (unreleased / final recordings)

2010-07-10T16:20:00.004-04:00

Just found this lurking in the archives, the unreleased CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION "Antenna Builder" tracks. Originally intended for release across 2 splits (with PG.99 and PIG DESTROYER) that never actually happened, both the band and label hemmed and hawed about how to exactly release this material after they disbanded... until finally, nothing ever happened. We've talked about a proper release of this on and off for years, and I'm not saying it'll never happen, but in case it doesn't here the tracks are for free anyway.

There's so much to say about CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION that it could easily be as long as this blog's entire previous content, so I'll skip the general windbaggery overall. I will simply say that this band had a very lasting impression on a small group of people who seemed to actually "get it" as they were way beyond what a typical band usually is/does... CIC being actively subversive with graffiti writing robots, reverse-engineering video games (providing instructions in several languages explaining how to do so), WalMart-legal-team-inducing barcode swapping databases and generators, technical metalcore before most had even heard of the genre(s), and lots of other equally awesome and nerdy things.

Another blog (Blue Skies Above Us) has kindly provided much of the rest of the CIC catalog. Another experience of the band and a good read in general, you should probably check that out here if you aren't familiar with their back-catalog, as I don't necessarily feel that "Antenna Builder" is the best place to start. Although probably their highest-fidelity recording (captured in a European studio in the middle of touring there), while still solid, "Antenna Builder" doesn't exactly capture the raw energy and intensity of their two 12" releases, In_Silico and Automata.

There was some form of this material publicly available online years ago, which seems to be generally lost to time. These MP3s were just ripped from the original WAVs so they should be pretty solid quality-wise.

"Part 1" is buffered by a few minutes of noise, but is the last recorded "song" know of by CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION. "Part 2" is the ANTENNACLE remix version, constructed in part by folks also responsible for the mayhem known as BASTARD NOISE.

* download CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION - Antenna Builder (via MediaFire)
* download CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION - Antenna Builder (via RapidShare)
* download CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION - Antenna Builder (via SendSpace)
* download CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION - a bunch of other stuff (via Blue Skies Above Us)

RELATED LINKS:
* old CIC website (via archive.org) - still has most of the lyrics and other info on the band
* Deep Local - IT/tech project that vocalist Nathan Martin now helms
* ANTENNACLE on myspace
* CREATION IS CRUCIFIXION (and related) items in the Robotic Empire Online Store

BREATHER RESIST - Non-Album Tracks (Singles and Splits +demos)

2010-07-07T16:20:00.002-04:00

This can't be every non-album thing that BREATHER RESIST recorded, but this is everything I have/could find.

I first met these guys under somewhat tumultuous conditions in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. One of the guitarists of DAUGHTERS, who I was touring with at the time, had issue with a guy in Louisville for knocking up his girlfriend's sister and generally being a deadbeat dad about it. Coming from a somewhat broken home situation, the DAUGHTERS vocalist announced every song they played that night with alternate song titles:

"Normally this song is called 'Pants, Meet Shit', but tonight its called 'Crowd, Meet Piece of Shit Deadbeat Dad'", etc.

While DAUGHTERS was performing, I could see members of the crowd getting visibly agitated. Here were these surly guys from Providence, Rhode Island basically spitting in the face of one of the locals... who was definitely there at the show and very upset, gathering up the biggest dudes he could find. I watched this unfold from a vantage point behind the merch table, fully expecting an ugly brawl to erupt at any time.

The "biggest dudes he could find" mentioned above, turned out to be part of COLISEUM and the bulk of BREATHER RESIST, who were also set to play after DAUGHTERS that night. Fortunately these guys actually had level heads, and didn't recklessly defend their friend (who, in the end, was clearly the one in the wrong). Long story short: the tension was high the whole night, and their set sort of suffered as a result. The whole show did really, but it ended on a lighter note when some young attendee completely unrelated to all parties involved tried to start a drunken argument with the DAUGHTERS guys over it.

"Why u comin to my town n' talkin shit?" again and again was all this belligerent fool could muster, and in the end with barely a retort from any of us, this kid was bawling his eyes out. He essentially ran away crying, which made NO sense but was pretty hilarious and shifted the mood a bit. Maybe off topic, but the point of all that is that my first impression of BREATHER RESIST was badly skewed, and it wasn't until I formally met them a month or so later that I realized what they truly had going on.

I'd jumped in the van with STOP IT!! for a weekend of shows (another story for another day?) which including a loose festival in North Carolina. BREATHER RESIST were also on the bill, and before they played I got a chance to talk to them about the DAUGHTERS/Louisville fiasco a bit. Lo and behold, these big scary looking dudes were totally friendly, approachable and generally very warm people. I hit it off with them right away with some mutual friends and interests, and was thoroughly blown away when they played. Almost like a bastard cousin of BOTCH, but with roots in the old Washington, DC scenes instead of those in Washington state.

An enormous amount of equipment was lugged in and set up by these guys. Four longhaired n' lumbering, barrel-chested beasts dressed entirely in black loaded in a sheer mountain of music gear, nearly a WALL of amps, creating an absolutely daunting image. Then the tunes kicked in: the lights hidden in some of the speaker cabinets blaring unexpectedly & directly at the crowd while these heathens furiously headbanged to the offkilter jams. The volume was incredible and the impact intense. I left with my jaw dropped, and the rest of STOP IT!! were equally impressed, despite their very different sound and varied musical tastes.

That's the memory of BREATHER RESIST that sticks out to me the most: the impact and fury of that first proper performance I witnessed that day. They became friends, stayed at my house over the years, turned into YOUNG WIDOWS and PUSHER, and continue to remain people I respect and admire today. YOUNG WIDOWS is still one of my favorite "heavy" bands going, and I feel somewhat privileged to have witnessed their progression.

What's included in this download is everything I could find by BREATHER RESIST that isn't on their two most widespread/album releases Only In The Morning and Charmer. I doubt it's everything non-album that they recorded, but its everything that I have or could find.

They released a handful of splits (w/ HARKONEN and SUICIDE NOTE), three additional singles ("Patent Cruciform Casket", "The Second Half" and "Full Of Tongues") and some additional tracks are included here as well, including demos/early versions of a couple songs that ended up reworked for YOUNG WIDOWS' debut album, Settle Down City. 17 tracks in total here, some of which have been available on blogs elsewhere, but most weren't ripped at a very good quality. I got as much of this direct from source as possible, and added in a few extra things that I've squirreled away over the years.

* download BREATHER RESIST - Non-Album Tracks (via MediaFire)
* download BREATHER RESIST - Non-Album Tracks (via RapidShare)
* download BREATHER RESIST - Non-Album Tracks (via SendSpace)

It should be noted that three tracks found in the download above are still in print on the split with SUICIDE NOTE, which is still available from Hawthorne Street. They had 15 copies left of this 2xCDep as of the blog posting, so please pick it up if you like those jams ("Rock N' Mass", "Bad With Dates" and "Working Title"). The two tracks from the "Patent Cruciform Casket" casket-shaped vinyl picture disc are also still available (see below).

We do our best to stock available BREATHER RESIST releases and their subsequent "members of" bands (PUSHER, YOUNG WIDOWS, BRAIN BANGER, BLACK CROSS, BAD SECRETS, etc) in our Online Store, so definitely check out some of this stuff if you like what you hear:

* BREATHER RESIST (and related) in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

Enjoy!

Italian Obscurities (?) + more stupid GODS & QUEENS shit

2010-07-04T01:01:00.001-04:00

Our dawgs at Sons of Vesta records have made a section of their website full of free downloads that kinda mirrors this here blog: Lost & Found is what they're calling it.

Semi-related to Robotic Empire are the live ANCIENT SKY and PIZZA recordings from Richmond that are posted there, and fully-related to us is the GODS & QUEENS full EP they posted in full (with bonus QUICKSAND cover included)! That stuff and the other European jams they've posted are completely free and definitely worth checking out.

On that note, its worth mentioning that the GODS & QUEENS blog has been pretty hilarious (and insulting) lately. Plus, this old video they made never really got seen by anyone so its worth posting here too. Its from the 2nd track on the LP we released (just a few copies of that left):

So last but not least, we've got these fools' crap for sale:

* GODS & QUEENS in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

That includes the last of the debut LP we released (co-released w/ Adagio 830) and the physical 12" version of their newly imported EP, of which it seems we are the exclusive US distributor for? Pretty crazy!

LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE - new songs + INSIDE OUT (!) cover

2010-05-29T02:41:00.004-04:00

Just posted this on our twitter account but figured it was appropriate here too:

LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE (who we released a tape for a few years back) have posted 3 new songs online for free download, plus an INSIDE OUT (!) cover if you scroll down a bit:

http://lightyourselfonfire.blogspot.com

Also semi-related is the old OMEGA MAN discography we posted a while back that LYOF features members of. Words.

MALADY - Demos

2010-05-21T01:21:00.002-04:00

We were supposed to release the second MALADY album, but mid-way through the writing process Chris Taylor quit since he felt the band hadn't considered his vocals when writing the new songs. Not long after, the remaining members kicked out Johnny Ward since his drinking was getting in the way of his drumming (and general life functionality). I don't really know the full story, so definitely take all that with a grain of salt... that's just what I was told at the time.

What I do know is that what was supposed to become the sophomore MALADY album shapeshifted into the VERSE EN COMA ep, which ended up being a financial disaster since we spent a ton on the recording and it was only really 5 songs that just didn't sell all that well. The band never performed live under that name or lineup, and I don't even know if VERSE EN COMA vocalist Brian Markham (who went on to form ANCIENT SKY) ever even met everyone in the band... kind of a weird situation. Oh well.

What I'm posting here are two sets of MALADY demos. The first of which is a *super* early practice tape that I dubbed off Nathan from CRESTFALLEN when Chris Taylor played it for both of us on Nathan's boombox in Richmond one afternoon. I dunno that anyone really knew I was copying it, but if I hadn't this probably wouldn't now publicly exist since this was just for the band members to learn/rehearse the songs to. You can tell Chris' vocals are kinda temporary in a few spots, so take all that for what it's worth. Three songs (that all ended up on the album in the end) all on one MP3 file, since that's how I ripped it a million years ago.

The second set of demos is kinda late-MALADY, proto-VERSE EN COMA era. I think this is the stuff they gave to Chris which he wasn't too happy with. I'm not sure, but there's no vocals on these. I think these all have Johnny on drums still, sounding a little rough. Cool to hear, but yeah you can tell the band is sorta unraveling with this stuff. Best to jam the "self titled" MALADY album and the VERSE EN COMA "Rialto" EP, which coincidentally we still have a pile of.

* download MALADY - Demos (via MediaFire)
* download MALADY - Demos (via RapidShare)
* download MALADY - Demos (via SendSpace)

Again, raw/rough demos so don't expect studio-quality stuff exactly. A lot of what these guys have released over the years is now out of print, but if you want some physical products that these guys have put out, try the following:

* PG.99 stuff in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* PYGMY LUSH stuff in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* VERSE EN COMA stuff in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

Three obscurities (download) posts of Virginia bands in a row, with plenty more for down the road at some point. Lots to compile from all different eras of these dudes bands, so while it'll probably be a while, hopefully they'll be worth the wait.

GODS & QUEENS - New EP streaming + lyrics posted

2010-05-07T16:20:00.001-04:00

Jamie Getz has unfortunately been a part of my life for years, not only as a smartass friend, but also providing the soundtrack for many workdays. Robotic Empire's stupidly done two releases with him, the shortlived trainwreck known as VERSOMA and the somehow-functional mess known as GODS & QUEENS.

With too many personal changes going on and the label really busy as of late, GODS & QUEENS found another home for their latest recordings, fortunately in the hands of our Italian friends Sons of Vesta... who got duped into releasing G&Q's latest 5-song EP. I personally love this release, been addicted to it since hearing the rough mixes and want everyone to check out the record streaming in its entirety for free right here.

In a classic fashion (like last time), Jamie emailed me the lyrics for the release in one large sloppy mess of a paragraph. It was almost indecipherable, so I chopped it up by song the best I could. For documentation purposes, here they are:

5 years ago and i'm still left guessing what would have happened if i wasn't depressed, and would you still be obsessing about all the bad things you've done? i've heard all about the weight you can't lift. i've heard all about how you're getting thin. i still remember the first time we met, the alcoholism, and your drug addled mess. but before we go and cut this off again...

i'm sorry that your family died. you expected this would take some time. you can't get yourself out of bed with all these childhood thoughts stuck in your head. so, i don't wanna know how you're doing, and i don't wanna hear about how you've been. you didn't know that her heart keeps beating, because machines kept her breathing.
i just wanna know how you're doing, i just wanna hear about how you've been. are you scared, and sick of being told that "it's alright", and "it's ok".

pacing around the house, hoping to find something new. turned the heat on, turned the heat off, even double checked the phone. it's like everything is happening someplace else. up and down the same 5 steps... there's nothing new. doesn't everything sound great when you're falling apart?

you said "you caught me, and it's a bad time", well, when do you thinks the best time i can call you back?

did you know i was married once just for fun? or that i almost died once? it was from drugs. please stop trying to reach me, please just leave me alone. you've been talking for hours, on your own. please stop trying to reach me, please just leave me alone.

That's it. Buy the EP from Sons of Vesta, or buy GODS & QUEENS crap from us too. :)

PYGMY LUSH - 4 unreleased live songs

2010-04-24T16:20:00.003-04:00

Over the years I've associated many changes to the record label with a certain group of musicians from Sterling, Virginia, specifically the Taylor brothers Mike & Chris and their surrounding friends. In the formative stages the first Robodog Records release was with pg.99 (split with my highschool band, Reactor No. 7), and even before then the first ever punk rock show I went to was in a basement to see the guys previous band, Nit Pic.

Years later when I "got serious" with the label and decided to change the name to Robotic Empire, a pg.99 7" release was again the (re)starting point. Throughout the years the label has evolved, and so have these musicians. Mannequin and then Pygmy Lush are just a couple of the bands the core dudes here formed that we went on to release records for... and I've only enjoyed their newest material more and more as the times go by.

Its no major surprise that I've associated another big life transition with some songs these guys have created. Pygmy Lush played in Richmond on October 24th, 2009 and it was easily one of my favorite sets seeing them play. They opened it up with a joint-set with Des Ark (playing songs they'd all written together in the weeks prior) and followed that with a set of a few oldies and 4 new goodies. Those 4 unreleased songs are what I'm posting here:

* download PYGMY LUSH - In a Hole (via MediaFire)
* download PYGMY LUSH - In a Hole (via RapidShare)
* download PYGMY LUSH - In a Hole (via SendSpace)

Brother JK "Jeeb" thankfully captured these songs via various microphones, and I am largely indebted to him as well as the band for giving me the soundtrack to some glorious yet difficult times. Songs can have different meanings from what you may take from the lyrics, but if anyone else out there gets even an instance of what I got from this stuff, I'm beyond satisfied. It can be a crazy world, and having a little audio help to get through it all can make a huge difference.

These were all recorded live so please keep that in mind when listening, and also that I have no idea what I'm doing with "mastering" so all I was able to do was make the recordings a bit louder... and thus, song to song the volume fluctuates a good bit. Jah willing these guys will actually get into a studio sooner than later to properly document these, and all the others that they're already cooking up. I can't wait to hear what they've got for us next, as they'll surely become the new soundtrack to an ever changing existence. Godspeed & peace out!!!

DRUGS OF FAITH - Collection (2002 Demo, 2004 Promo, 2008 Demo, Terrorized comp track)

2010-04-07T04:20:00.005-04:00

This blog is something I wanted to make somewhat personal and give the backstory to all the music posted here, but the reality is "extra" time just isn't something that's likely to be in my sphere in the foreseeable future. So I'm just gonna post things here with the super down n' dirty, realquick explanation. Hope you dig the jams, that's what matters anyway.

DRUGS OF FAITH:
I think this is all their demo/promo stuff but the Questions demo (which I've never actually seen or heard - if anyone has that plz post a link in the "comments"). Total grind n' roll from Richard "The Grindfather" Johnson, infamously of the longrunning and generally underappreciated ENEMY SOIL, and later INDEX and AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED. The "mastering" is sort of hit and miss throughout these, but I normalized the volume the best I could for everything. Most of the pre-2008 songs ended up re-recorded for their debut "mini LP" on Selfmadegod Records. The 2008 demo has drummer extraordinaire Jake Cregger (TRIAC, HISSING CHOIR, JESUS OF NAZARETH, etc) and totally smokes! While he's not in the band anymore, it still sort of shows where DRUGS OF FAITH may be going, as they just announced a forthcoming sophomore album (yet again for release on Selfmadegod). Grindfather, hail!

* download DRUGS OF FAITH - 2002 Demo, 2004 Promo, 2008 Demo & Terrorized comp track - via MediaFire
* download DRUGS OF FAITH - 2002 Demo, 2004 Promo, 2008 Demo & Terrorized comp track - via RapidShare
* download DRUGS OF FAITH - 2002 Demo, 2004 Promo, 2008 Demo & Terrorized comp track - via SendSpace

BAND WEBSITES:
* http://www.drugsoffaith.com
* http://www.myspace.com/drugsoffaith
* http://www.disposableunderground.com (Rich's longrunning & awesome free zine)

RELATED ITEMS IN THE ROBOTIC EMPIRE - ONLINE STORE:
* AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED
* DRUGS OF FAITH
* ENEMY SOIL
* JESUS OF NAZARETH
* TRIAC

Reader Submission: THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - Final Piece of the Puzzle

2010-01-24T16:20:00.002-05:00

Big ups to Rik from Midnight Manhunt for sending over a THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB session not covered in our (er, How They Intend To Heal's) previous "discography" post about the band. He pretty much spells out everything there is to say, so... without further blathering:

Subject: robotic obscurities: the abandoned hearts club
hi there Robotic!
i read the blog post about The Abandoned Hearts Club and may have something for you.
right when the band self-released their own CD (before it was re-released by Init), i ordered their CD and got a free CD-r with it. The CD-r (with artwork and liner notes) contains 2 songs recorded live for a radio session.

maybe it would be something for your obscurities blog?

here's the download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?b3nmttejjoh
some more info: This was recorded live in Studio 3 for re-broadcast on CIUT's "Equalizing-X-Distort". The Abandoned Hearts Club played on Sunday April 7, 2002 at 10:30 pm. The band played 5 songs, but due to technical difficulties we were only able to capture 2 songs. The CD-R which this was released on was limited to 20 copies.

i added the front and back from the CD-R as well here.

cheers,

rik
www.midnightmanhunt.com
www.millionsofthem.be

Thanks again Rik, if anyone else has "reader submissions" to send in, please go fer it!

THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS - Discography (99 tracks!)

2009-11-12T04:20:00.004-05:00

THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS. Love em or hate em, they had a pretty unique thing going: WRESTLING-THEMED HARDCORE. From the littleass town of Nazareth, Pennsylvania THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS sort of existed in a cocoon, and as a result were pretty prolific, releasing around a dozen records over their existence. From their humble beginnings as a sloppy youth-crew hardcore sounding band, to eventually becoming a fierce grindcore / powerviolence outfit, THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS only got better with age.

We released two split 7"s with these guys (w/ DAYBREAK and w/ KUNGFU RICK) and were supposed to release this massive collection as a discography CD release probably 5 (?) years ago... but general lazyness on both the band & label's part sort of fizzled out the project. The idea recently came up to throw it all up on iTunes as a legit digital download (much like the $11.99, 72-track ENEMY SOIL discography), but figuring out the correct track listing (even with the help of the band) was pretty daunting so... here it is for free instead:

* download THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS - Discography (via MediaFire)
* download THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS - Discography (via RapidShare)
* download THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS - Discography (via SendSpace)

Its worth mentioning that about 20 of the 99 tracks here don't have song titles, and some that do just might not be correct. This may also not be 100% complete, but its probably as close as anyone's gonna get. Sorting all this out was really confusing, but hey, it's free so what can ya do? We received a substantial "discography" CD-R (with a dick drawn on it) direct from the band years and years ago, so most (if not all) of this stuff is the highest fidelity that anyone has heard yet. No more crappy 7" rips, this is straight from the source! We also compiled our label's split 7" tracks from the masters with a rip of the demo too... so I *think* this is everything.

Notorious for outlandish and/or dangerous live shows, some members of the UWs eventually went on to play in THE GATECRASHERS, PEARLS AND BRASS, TORCHBEARER and 3/4ths of them now play in PISSED JEANS. More notably perhaps, a couple guys who did time in the band also turned into semi-pro wrestlers, thus cementing the fact that their whole "gimmick" wasn't fake. A pretty awesome bio/breakdown of the band can be read here and info on the bulk of their vinyl discography can be read here.

As of posting this too, White Denim (the killer label run by UW/PISSED JEANS frontman Matt K.) currently has some copies of THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS' fantastic Our Gimmick Is Wrestling 12" along with THE GATE CRASHERS split 7". Definitely worth checking out here while you can, as both have been out of print for a while now. From time to time the Robotic Empire - Online Store is able to stock THE ULTIMATE WARRIORS and/or related stuff, so it's worth checking out that link as well.

Last and least, the first time I got to hang out with these guys they played an awesome show in Baltimore with DAYBREAK and KUNG FU RICK... some crappy footage of that was shot and one 22-second video clip got digitized, all in the late-90's sometime. I haven't seen any other video footage of these guys online so, if you've got some please post it in the "comments" section and I'll add it to the ol' blog here.

A couple of songs from DAYBREAK and one from KUNGFU RICK from the same show can also be viewed here. Alright that's it, enjoy!

ACROSS TUNDRAS joins the label, "Herds of the Fathomless Valleys" available for free download!

2009-10-26T04:20:00.006-04:00

UPDATE: We are not working with the band anymore, but enjoy this free album anyway!

~~Double~~ whammy: we've ~~teamed up with a new band AND~~ posted their latest release in its entirety for free download! Nashville, Tennessee (by way of Denver, Colorado) is home to ACROSS TUNDRAS and ~~we're very excited to be working with them on their next album, Old World Wanderer (read more here). To give you a rough idea of what you're in store for,~~ we've posted Herds of the Fathomless Valleys an ACROSS TUNDRAS CD-R that they self-released earlier this year.

Comprised of a couple demos of songs slated for Old World Wanderer , one PINK FLOYD cover, some exclusive material and three old classics recorded live at their first and only appearance on the Grand Ol' Opry (prior to being banned for refusing to "turn the hell down")! These DIY recordings paint a raw but accurate picture of the vibe ACROSS TUNDRAS conveys, and are now available for free download here:

* download ACROSS TUNDRAS - Herds of the Fathomless Valleys (via MediaFire)
* download ACROSS TUNDRAS - Herds of the Fathomless Valleys (via RapidShare)
* download ACROSS TUNDRAS - Herds of the Fathomless Valleys (via SendSpace)

TRACK LISTING:
1. Weary Travelers Rest
2. Tectonic Shifts
3. Death Dealing Man
4. Badlands Blues (Live @ Grand Ol' Opry) - original found on Western Sky Ride
5. Cold Ride
6. Julia Dream (PINK FLOYD cover)
7. Blackbird Bloodred Sky (Live @ Grand Ol' Opry) - original found on Lonesome Wails from the Weeping Willow
8. Old Blind John's Song
9. Lake Bottom Blues
10. Ramblin' In The Shadows (Live @ Grand Ol' Opry) - original found on Dark Songs of the Prairie

We have a handful of copies of this limited release (and some other ACROSS TUNDRAS catalog titles) available in our Online Store. These releases can also be purchased direct from the band.

UPDATE: We are not working with the band anymore, but enjoy this free album anyway!

Brief update and THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB - Discography (re-post)

2009-10-21T04:20:00.011-04:00

It's been an absolutely insane year, so that’s why there hasn't been much for posts here. I hope to remedy this in the future, which may result in shorter (less descriptive) posts since I still have a ton of weird archived stuff, but just no time to really write about it all as extensively as I'd like to.

Fortunately somebody else has scratched one off the ol' checklist for me and posted the entire THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB discography. I could say a lot about this (mostly good things, a couple bad) but Alex over at How Can They Intend To Heal kinda spelled out pretty well. The entire THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB recorded discography can be found in his lengthy post about the band. This blog is pretty thorough too, with a bunch of other rad and/or obscure Canadian hardcore/etc (do yourself a solid and check out ACRID).

THE ABANDONED HEARTS CLUB was cool to work with despite not knowing them terribly well. Definitely an underrated band that had a lot of potential to create something truly great, but kinda dissolved before the fabled full-length ever made fruition. RIYL: THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SPREAD THE DISEASE, BOTCH, other good/obscure "old man mathcore".

p.s. their The Initial Confessions Of... 7" and Mutation CD comp are both available for pretty cheap here. Init also has the CDep version of The Initial Confessions Of... for like 2 bucks, so if you dig this stuff please support that over here.

01/24/10 UPDATE: posted two more "lost" tracks of theirs! posted separately, read/download here.

Underground Richmond Metal

2009-02-14T16:20:00.007-05:00

Richmond's had a rich history as an amazing host for metal music long before my move here. Household names like GWAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR and more have been going for many years now, and there's no sign of things slowing down. The Richmond underground however, is also overflowing with incredible bands that just don't have quite as much exposure.

The main point of this particular blog post is to attract a bit more attention to a few of the current high-caliber metal bands who are playing live just off of demos. I honestly feel privileged to get to see bands with this level of intensity perform live on a regular basis. There are a ton of DIY/underground bands going, but I'm just highlighting a few with this post that I'm particularly fond of... and who are unabashedly METAL. Without further blubbering about how much I love this town, here are the bands:

INTER ARMA has been together for a few years but really turned things up a notch within the last year or so. I distinctly remember one house show they played where I thought to myself "damn, these guys got GOOD" and I've been a devotee ever since. They're hard to beat live, with an octopus/caveman/human-hybrid for a drummer and four other outstanding musicians on board. What's best about INTER ARMA is their ability to play almost any style of metal and do it justice.

There are a lot of bands that blend genres and it can get so undefined that it's almost too much. INTER ARMA do the genres justice by marrying doom, grindcore, punk, technical, black and death metal all with ease. They tastefully don't try to cram TOO much into one song though, and refreshingly switch it up amongst tracks.

This demo that I'm posting is already over a year old in recording, and was partially intended for an ill-fated split with CELEBRITY MURDERS. The newer material they're writing blows this stuff out of the water... but I still wanted to post the one demo I have of theirs as they're probably my favorite local band playing right now.

* download INTER ARMA - 2008 Demo (via MediaFire)
* download INTER ARMA - 2008 Demo (via RapidShare)
* visit INTER ARMA on myspace (and buy a t-shirt!)

Plus a couple of recent videos shot on November 30, 2008:

"The Calm Before The Shitstorm":

external link to video (then click the "high quality" link)

Untitled (newer song, played abnormally fast):

external link to video (then click the "high quality" link)

PERSONNEL ON THIS RECORDING:
* Mike - vocals
* Joe - guitar
* Shredder Steve - guitar
* Tommy - bass
* TJ - drums

Another band that abruptly shifted from "decent" to "gnarly" is BATTLEMASTER. They had a somewhat hit-and-miss demo called Cosmic Neutrality that showed they had potential, but weren't quite living up to it yet. Their next recording, Warthirsting & Winterbound completely blew me away and became one of my favorite metal albums of 2007. An insanely fast assault of blackened technical death metal!

Since then the band's had a bassist change, gone on a few tours and written a bunch of new jams. They're releasing a two-song 7" soon and have some killer new songs recorded for that, but what I've uploaded here is a post-Warthirsting demo that was originally intended for inclusion on the Best Friends Day comp. I believe this is the last recording bassist Leland Hoth appears on. Not exactly sure why this didn't make it on the BFD comp as it totally rips, and I don't think this version was even properly mastered. Regardless here it is for ya, the only unreleased (and fully completed) BATTLEMASTER track available:

* download BATTLEMASTER - "Ceremonial Dragon Mutilation" (via MediaFire)
* download BATTLEMASTER - "Ceremonial Dragon Mutilation" (via RapidShare)
* visit BATTLEMASTER on myspace (and buy a t-shirt!)

PERSONNEL ON THIS RECORDING:
* Andy Horn - vocals
* Alex Psitos - guitar
* Vic Anti - guitar
* Leiland Hoth - bass
* Alex Tomlin - drums

UPDATE: BATTLEMASTER's just posted the two tracks from their upcoming 7" release on their myspace page

"Coincidentally" named after a badass HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE song, BASTARD SAPLING share a vocalist and guitarist from INTER ARMA but have a definitively more black metal style. Helmed by guitarist Drew and drummer Elway (formerly of C.R., MURDOCK and currently in CELEBRITY MURDERS), the same two dudes responsible for Richmond's awesome Heart Of Winter festival.

They have recently been joined by Pete from BATTLEMASTER on bass... although he doesn't perform on the demo below. This demo is only 2 songs that they released on an insanely limited CD-R for the Heart Of Winter fest, although I've heard that the whole thing is being re-mixed soon (possibly with bass?). If/when any of that happens I'll try to re-post it. Regardless, it's blistering and raw as fuck just like it should be.

* download BASTARD SAPLING - Raw Rehearsal Demo (via MediaFire)
* download BASTARD SAPLING - Raw Rehearsal Demo (via RapidShare)
* watch a song from BASTARD SAPLING's first live show (via YouTube)
* visit BASTARD SAPLING on myspace (and check out a newly re-mixed track that doesn't appear on the 2-song demo)

PERSONNEL ON THIS RECORDING:
* Mike - vocals
* Drew - guitar
* Shredder Steve - guitar
* Elway - drums

Although this demo sorta sounds the roughest of the bunch, NECKBRACE rules so much live that I figured I'd post this anyway. Formed by two of the BATTLEMASTER dudes and a few other local metalheads, these guys are jamming a black n' roll kind of thing, which completely shreds live. Hopefully they get a more substantial recording at some point.

* download NECKBRACE - Demo (via MediaFire)
* download NECKBRACE - Demo (via RapidShare)
* visit NECKBRACE on myspace

PERSONNEL ON THIS RECORDING:
* Alex Psitos - guitar/vocals
* Alex Tomlin - bass/vocals
* Frank Rourk - guitar/vocals
* Brandon Whittaker - drums

And last but not least, CANNABIS CORPSE is the band I'm utilizing to tie this all into the label, since Robotic Empire really hasn't worked with too many local metal bands. These weedian death metal disciples rose from the depths of the Oregon Hill neighborhood and recorded their first album Blunted At Birth in a house there. After Blunted At Birth got a surprisingly awesome amount of attention, CANNABIS CORPSE decided to up the ante a bit for followup Tube Of The Resinated, and recorded demos of the entire album themselves before eventually hitting a studio for a more "proper" recording.

I think the original demos turned out pretty damn sweet and the band probably could've gotten away with recording the whole thing themselves... but whatever, the finished album turned out awesome sounding in the end.

In the studio however, for whatever reason they only tracked 9 of the 10 songs that they had demoed out... and "Covered With Seeds" was left to collect resin. LandPhil and the dudes were chill enough to let us post this unreleased instrumental track here, and it's a ripper. I wish this demo had received vocal treatment, and Weedgrinder says it still might someday... but either way, the song is a total tech shredder. Here ya go:

* download CANNABIS CORPSE - "Covered With Seeds" (via MediaFire)
* download CANNABIS CORPSE - "Covered With Seeds" (via RapidShare)
* visit CANNABIS CORPSE on myspace

PERSONNEL ON THIS RECORDING:
* Weedgrinder - no vocals
* LandPhil - bass/guitar
* HallHammer - drums

Richmond Metal of Honorable Mention:
* Alabama Thunderpussy
* Antietam 1862
* Balaclava
* Birds Of Prey
* Cough
* Hail Hornet
* Human Smoke
* Jefferson Plane Crash
* Juice Tyme
* Lord By Fire
* Parasytic
* RPG
* Suzukiton
* War Graves

No disrespect intended to any bands I forgot or don't know about yet... I'm sure there's a bunch of other awesome metal bands coming up or existing that I simply don't know of. I also omitted the incredible plethora of punk & hardcore bands there are here, only because the lines have blurred between metal, punk and hardcore... and this post is solely focusing on overtly metal bands.

Richmond is definitely a hardcore haven at the moment too, and this town has an intense amount of creative energy flowing through it in general. At any given time there's probably bands starting up that will eventually be well known across the country, and I'm majorly thankful to get to witness some of them before the masses.

* RICHMOND band's items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store (metal and otherwise)

MEDIA CREDITS:
* INTER ARMA photo by Tony Lynch
* INTER ARMA videos by Luna
* BATTLEMASTER photo by Joh Moreno
* BASTARD SAPLING photo by Marge
* NECKBRACE photo by unknown
* CANNABIS CORPSE photo by David Kenedy

THOU - complete released discography (plus some updates)

2008-12-29T04:20:00.008-05:00

Running a record label means you meet a million dudes in bands, and sometimes those dudes are a bit more memorable than their bands are. I was able to tag along on a few PG.99 tours in the early 00's and met a lot of awesome folks all across the country. Louisiana's sons were immediately warm and welcoming to us, and Bryan Funck is one of the most blatantly dedicated, down-to-earth people I met on those tours.

I don't know if he was in RAT IN A BUCKET or EAT A BAG OF DICKS (or both), as the memories of the few shows PG.99 played with these two NOLA-area bands all blur together. I can't even remember what RAT IN A BUCKET sounded like, but EAT A BAG OF DICKS was just absurd. This band had somewhere between 10 and 20 members, most of them vocalists, and all-in-all the band was just kinda... bad. I don't know if they were trying to be a joke or serious or what, but the band had WAY too many people for it to even be remotely reasonable. This didn't hinder this massive army of dudes and ladies from being totally awesome people, but despite a mildly entertaining live performance, it bummed me out their music wasn't more enjoyable.

Fast-forward many years and Bryan hits me up saying he's got a new doom/sludge band going. I didn't have high hopes for it being exceptional given my underwhelmed reaction to his previous bands... but when I played THOU's original 3-song demo it was like a strong, long-overdue slap to the face. An absolutely intense mixture of desperation, melody and crushing, down-tuned riffage... and this was just the band's demo! This not only blew me away, it also made me really happy as I'd always liked Bryan but wasn't particularly moved by his previous bands. Not long after sending the demo, they re-recorded the vocals for these songs and finished the few remaining tracks that were initially recorded before a vocalist was even in the band. Bryan and the rest of THOU found each other somehow and his raging, scathing voice perfectly compliments the band's fresh take on genres that typically repeat history more often than looking forward.

I couldn't stop listening to THOU's self-released Tyrant LP, absolutely enthralled, fighting and fighting urges to ask them to release an album with Robotic Empire. I've reached this point with the label many times over the years, where the workload/stress becomes too intense to build on top of, and I hold off from lining up new releases for a while so we can just concentrate on the already full plate of pending stuff. During these times I've try to scratch that "need to work with this band!" itch by peddling said band to friends' labels. For better or for worse, this is how MARE ended up on Hydra Head, WILDILDLIFE ended up on Crucial Blast, and THOU ended up releasing their debut as a CD on Gilead Media (and eventually a vinyl re-release on Southern Lord).

I think THOU were the one I regretted not working with the most, as I still listened/listen to them constantly. It may sound hokey, but there aren't too many bands that give me goosebumps with their recordings... and THOU consistency succeeds in doing so. This band also has an approach to things that completely jives with my love for the underground, and as time went on and the idea for a PYGMY LUSH split was brought up... there was no way I could say "no" again.

Although the split 12"+CD with PYGMY LUSH is still quite a ways away (neither band has recorded yet), THOU have posted every song they've released on their own website. They make their entire released catalog available for free download, and I love how progressive and generous this is of them. As of posting this, THOU's two full-lengths, Tyrant and Peasant, and a pile of songs from splits are available in the following location:

* THOU - released audio (to date)

Their website also has the lyrics for every song they have (released and unreleased), and boatloads of content related to the band. This is how Bryan has always done things for his bands and I think the sheer massive amount of freely available content indicates how forward-thinking this band is.

Although the split with PYGMY LUSH probably won't be available until late 2009, we will also be working with THOU in the immediate future on a handful of projects. First off is the re-printing of most of their t-shirt designs, all on sweatshop-free American Apparel shirts, and available for as cheap as we can make them while still compensating the printer, band and ourselves a bit for the work. These will be available from us within the coming weeks, and following shortly after the shirts will be the "Baton Rouge" EP. Most likely a 12", this will contain an incredible (and crushing) NIRVANA cover and a few new songs the band's just recorded. More info on this release will be posted on our Robotic Empire news blog when it becomes available. In the meantime, feel free to check out the records and apparel we have currently available from THOU:

* THOU items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

GODS & QUEENS lyrics posted for "untitled" 12"+CD

2008-12-28T04:20:00.000-05:00

Although this isn't audio or video, I don't really know where else to post it. Direct from Jamie Getz earlier today:

do with these whatever you want. and no i'm not breaking them up song by song, or whatever. i'm pretty easily laid out.

tonights the night i'm gonna over dose on pills. get these blinds off my eyes. the camera sees everything, damn camera see it's all. that's not ours. i said that's not ours, now put it back. i'm almost over this depressed mess, when are you coming home? late nights and deep breaths are all that you'll ever know. it's straight lookin'. what do we have to buy? if i can't swallow i'll be alright. this is the last time, you said that last time. i've said it 5 years before. move the furniture in my room, and you'll find those hidden spoons. so we fake our smiles, and pretened that no one knows. pictures leave the words alone. just act like no one knows. just calm down. relax it's all ok. this is now, this is for today. i guess this makes you sick? the same clothes for days. thank yourself, this time has almost passed. such simple words are what i need when i wake up...i want to sleep. whisper words alone. no bags no clothes, the other side of this bed is gonna stay cold. this never sounds right, on paper with pen, it never reads right. hello friends, it's me again. we'll stay awake for days with the curtains drawn. stick a hose into the tail pipe. make sure the widows are up and air tight. i needed to meet you, yeah what's your name? a bottle of sleeping pills, and a cheap bottle of wine. i'm having thoughts about suicide. hey blake, not much has changed. their faces are younger, the problems still the same. the price is negotiable but you've already resigned that you're willing to do it. remove the basic hygiene. i needed to meet you, yeah, what's your name? i'm gonna use the same veins again and again and again. i'm gonna make you regret the tattoos, and the rest. this will be the last time, this will be the end. my bed is soaking with sweat, and i'm crawling. words lose their meaning when you repeate them. memories will make amends, this time we'll pretend. god damn i live this way? i hear you. recut open scars today? feel alive i hear your name? i see you. dissapointed myself again, you see the eyes, and the shape i'm in? 7 bags on the floor. i hear you...and if they call, we're gonna lie. we'll lie to them. it's almost the same thing we started from, it's almost done. dehydrated dry skin, i scratched myself into a mess...i'm over this. the last time, so bittersweet, at 11:00 a.m., i'm sick from this, and what's ahead. cover up the mirrors so i can't see the failures from the night before, curled behind the shower door. i don't want to lie, i've been awake for days but, when i do, i do to you. if you don't know it's all the same. there are holes in everything i own. sew my life together. deep breahts, chapped lips, rapid heart beats. it's say my friends are just like me. reflux, throw up, i give up, i've had enough. there's never any way to stop here. is there another way for us to communicate? even when you wait, sometimes things won't be the same. who's gonna copywrite all the good lines, like "there's no where to run, and there's no where to hide"? take drugs to come up, drug to come down, level me out. how pathetic's that sound? sometimes, i feel like i'm the only one.

There you have it, a window into the drug-recovered mind of Jamie Getz. I don't know why he refused to include these in the actual packaging of the 12"+CD in the first place, but whatever here they are now.

RELATED ITEMS IN THE ROBOTIC EMPIRE - ONLINE STORE
* GODS & QUEENS items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* VERSOMA items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

TRACK OF MONARCHS - live recordings

2008-12-19T16:20:00.002-05:00

TRACK OF MONARCHS was a short-lived project that some of the NEIL PERRY / THE NOW / WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR guys were a part of directly after the demise of WTPY. Quote the band:
track of monarchs is a band from philadelphia. we started playing as a three piece in december of 2005 and played our first shows in june of 2006. we played our last shows in august 2006.

These dudes always liked PORTRAITS OF PAST and GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR, and TRACK OF MONARCHS sort of sounds like they were trying to find common ground between the two... but as a three piece instead of a five or eight piece. Atmospheric screamo? I dunno.

Mike Haley from The Electric Human Project label (and a million other projects) recorded every night of their sole tour, in hopes of duplicating and selling cassette tapes of the set the audience had just watched. Although a pretty cool idea in theory, I think logistically something went wrong and little to no tapes were actually made. Regardless, some recordings did survive and Mike sent them to me for ya'll to enjoy:

* download TRACK OF MONARCHS - live tracks (via MediaFire)
* download TRACK OF MONARCHS - live tracks (via RapidShare)

I don't know if the songs ever had formal titles; instead here are the locations and dates of the five tracks enclosed:

1. Pittsburgh, PA (06/28/06)
2. Kent, OH (06/29/06)
3. Kent, OH (06/29/06)
4. Detroit, MI (06/30/06)
5. Fort Wayne, IN (07/01/06)

PERSONAL:
Larry Everett - drums (formerly vocalist of JOSHUA FIT FOR BATTLE and WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR, now drummer of KICK ROCKS)
Jon Marinari - bass/vocals (YOU AND I, NEIL PERRY, WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR)
Chris Smith - guitar/vocals (NEIL PERRY, THE NOW, GET FUCKED, WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR)

RELATED ITEMS IN THE ROBOTIC EMPIRE - ONLINE STORE:
* KICK ROCKS items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* NEIL PERRY items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

OMEGAMAN - discography + more GARUDA stuff (unreleased demos, etc)

2008-12-17T16:20:00.005-05:00

CD cover at left (sticker below)
OMEGAMAN were a classic 1990's underground band: straight-edge, hardcore, and introduced almost every song with a movie sample. The thing that set this band apart, and the reason why they always stuck out to me, was their decidedly metal approach to hardcore. In the mid-90's metal and hardcore were almost completely different worlds, and the term "metalcore" didn't even exist yet. There were definitely other bands mixing metal and hardcore, and had been for years, but before OMEGAMAN I hadn't heard anything quite like this.

Being a rabid REVERSAL OF MAN fan, I got the 403 Chaos CD comp they were on, and was introduced to ASSUCK, CAVITY, COMBATWOUNDEDVETERAN, OMEGAMAN and some other killer Florida bands this way. All my summer jobs' money got spent with the mailorder distros Bottlenekk, Vacuum and Very, and the OMEGAMAN CD surely came from one of them.

Listening to this again over a decade later, it does sound a bit dated... but it's also still brutal and fairly ahead of its time. I'm throwing in all the compilation tracks that I could find, so here's the OMEGAMAN discography as best I could assemble it:

* download OMEGAMAN - discography (via MediaFire)
* download OMEGAMAN - discography (via RapidShare)

Also dug up this ancient description from No! Records, the label that released OMEGAMAN, by searching the Internet Archive Wayback Machine:
"Crawling from the ashes of Scrog came OMEGA MAN. A biting blend of Protestant - era Rorschach and the Accused's intense thrash punk, they released 2 songs on compilations and 1 self titled CD EP. The first 1000 copies of this EP were released by the band in 1997 and quickly went out of print with no airplay or distribution, only playing local Tampa Bay area shows with bands like Scrotum Grinder, Reversal of Man & Assuck. No Records repressed this record shortly after with a full color sleeve designed by graphic arts master John Yates (formerly of Allied Records), depicted pictures from the 1971 Sci-Fi flick, Omega Man. This repressed version is still available for $4.00 ppd in the USA, or $6.00 ppd anywhere else. Comes with a lyric sheet and Omega Man sticker."

Finding the dude from No! Records online, he gave me the thumbs-up to post this stuff. Everything included here is out of print, except for the song "Definition" that only a 30-second clip of is included. That song can be found on The Emo Phillips Diaries: From Tampa to Eternity CD comp which is available for just $4 here.

Dudes from OMEGA MAN came from the ashes of SCROG, who's discography can be found for $5 here. A couple of the OMEGA MAN guys are now playing in LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE, along with the vocalist of REVERSAL OF MAN. We released a cassette tape for LYOF which is now sold out, but some other items of theirs can still be found in our Online Store:

* LIGHT YOURSELF ON FIRE items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

BONUS: just found some more GARUDA stuff! (see below or click here for the first post about this band)

The original GARUDA demo was also unearthed in the bottom of a closet, which has four tracks recorded live (a bit more info can be found on the "press sheet" that they included with the demo). Three of these songs got re-recorded for Cold Wired Sentiment, but the last one remains exclusive to this demo. Also found in the same CD case was the other then-new studio tracks they sent us along with their contribution for the Mutation comp. Their track for the comp was called "Thirteen" and the CD-R of new songs was only labeled "12, 14, 5" which makes me guess those were the song titles. Anyway, the original CD-R hasn't survived too well over the years, so apologies for the small amounts of digital clipping that occur once or twice throughout these tracks. Pretty certain these never saw the light of day elsewhere, so enjoy these "new" GARUDA songs!

* download GARUDA - original and unreleased demos (via MediaFire)
* download GARUDA - original and unreleased demos (via RapidShare)

If you like these jams please consider picking up the Mutation CD comp that we released. GARUDA kicks things off on it, and we're asking less than 5 bucks for it. You can find it in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

THE NOW - Self Titled CDep, NEIL PERRY - Jams and CANEPHORA - "Discography"

2008-12-15T16:20:00.004-05:00

Please bear with me here, this one is longwinded.

Long disbanded mainly due to scheduling conflicts (every member was in a different band, some very active ones), THE NOW existed for a few years in Freehold, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. Robotic Empire was based out of Jersey at the time and I lived with their guitarist Josh, so I got to be around for the majority of the band's activity.

THE NOW originally started during a slow period for NEIL PERRY, with whom THE NOW shared 3 of the 4 members. I think some of the guys were looking to stretch their songwriting into a more aggressive ADD-friendly territory, and thus THE NOW was formed. A very boiled-down description could be: "techy metalcore with decent breakdowns and excellent sludge riffs, all in super-condensed songs with almost no repeating parts".

They originally had two vocalists, and played their initial shows this way. It all sounded awesome and the two complimented each other well, but when it came time to hit the studio, one of the vocalists blew out his voice almost immediately. It resulted in a very awkward day in the studio for everyone, as by the end of it all only one vocalist's tracks made the cut. That's mainly due to the whole EP being recorded and mixed in just one day. This was just how things were done with the shoestring budget we had back then. I think the EP still turned out sounding pretty damn good for being tracked and mixed in just a single day, but it's definitely a bummer that Derek's vocals got cut and were never able to be re-tracked.

Things were sort of shaky within the band after the weirdness of the studio experience; I think Derek felt pretty rejected and just sort of kept himself out of the picture. Not too long after recording the band was set to go on a brief tour with NEIL PERRY, but Kevin didn't go for reasons I never fully understood. The guitarists Chris & Josh handled vocal duties on this sole tour, and after returning home went into hibernation while NEIL PERRY's activity picked up again.

Regardless of the lineup changes, people still seemed really pumped about this band and we ended up doing a few different pressings of the CD. Above are images of the covers for the original pressing (left) and re-presses (right). One of the later pressings had a laser-etching underneath the bottom of the disc itself, which was stupid expensive and probably nobody even noticed it. If anyone has a scan or photo of this etching, please send it over as it's unfortunately not been saved in our archives. update: thanks to Joe Birone for the scan of the CD etching! (see below)

A vinyl edition was eventually pressed as a one-sided clear LP with no center labels, and Chris Smith from the band silk-screened 4 colors of ink on the side without music. This created a very cool pseudo-picture disc, but due to less than sterile work conditions, more than a few copies had some ink on the playable side of the record. I believe three different Gary's were used in the artwork, and roughly 110 of each Gary were used across 330 LPs total. To date, this is the smallest single pressing we have done of any vinyl release.

At some point things slowed down again for NEIL PERRY and a lengthy search for THE NOW's replacement vocalist eventually lead them to an old friend of mine from Virginia named Shawn Lindsey. Shawn had previously handled vocals in the freakishly-ahead-of-their-time Virginia Beach metalcore outfit CANEPHORA. Most of THE NOW dudes were total CANEPHORA fanboys so when he came up to hang out, it was a relief that everyone hit it off well. I think another relief was for the bassist Dave finally having another drug-free ally in the band, as everyone else was blazing constantly and it was pretty much impossible not to absorb a contact high at their practices.

They tried to keep things going for a while after Shawn joined the band, writing a couple of new songs and playing a handful of shows, but in the end I think the heavy activity of A LIFE ONCE LOST and HOT CROSS became too overwhelming to continue THE NOW, and they eventually just faded away without ever properly recording the new songs.

So I'm posting here everything I have from THE NOW. This is the six-song EP, plus two rough, incomplete practice demos of the new songs. These are probably just guitar and drums, and don't even get all the way through the songs... which eventually turned out to be pretty awesome. This is all I've got though so here it is:

* download THE NOW - Self-Titled EP +practice demos (via MediaFire)
* download THE NOW - Self-Titled EP +practice demos (via RapidShare)

THE NOW PERSONAL:
* Kevin Hardy - Original Vocalist (also drummer of JOSHUA FIT FOR BATTLE and WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR)
* Derek Luchenbach - Original Vocalist (original NEIL PERRY drummer)
* Shawn Lindsey - Later Vocalist (CANEPHORA)
* Josh Jakubowski - Guitar (NEIL PERRY, HOT CROSS, SUPERSTITIONS OF THE SKY, JOSHUA FIT FOR BATTLE)
* Chris Smith - Guitar (NEIL PERRY, WELCOME THE PLAGUE YEAR, TRACK OF MONARCHS, GET FUCKED)
* Dave Turtzo - Bass (GET FUCKED, TORNADO OF KNIVES)
* Justin Graves - Drums (NEIL PERRY, A LIFE ONCE LOST)

Closely related was NEIL PERRY, who were maybe a bit more traditionally "screamo" vs. THE NOW, but still had plenty of heavy/hardcore/metal elements to help them remain atypical. One of the more left-field things they did was "jam" a lot. These songs were definitively mellow, and this was almost surely due to the impressive amounts of weed consumed before practicing, performing, recording... just about everything. A couple of the better "jams" were recorded and released on splits, but for unclear reasons didn't make their way to the Lineage Situation discography 2xCD that Level Plane released. These, plus one more jam I captured live on an old minidisc recorder can be found below:

* download NEIL PERRY - Jam Songs (via MediaFire)
* download NEIL PERRY - Jam Songs (via RapidShare)

And last but not least, the CANEPHORA "discography". Several different times we attempted to release this material (and re-mixed material) as a proper discography... but the delusions of bassist/engineer Jarred Pritchard pretty much repeatedly sank that ship. I know an entirely re-mixed, cleaned up and really good sounding version of this material does exist, but I'm not holding my breath on it ever actually seeing the light of day. Instead, here's the original, probably un-mastered, rawer version of CANEPHORA's released material. As far as I can remember, two or three songs here are from the At A Loss For Words 7" released by Moo Cow, one is from The Caligula Effect compilation released by Catechism and the other(s) is/are otherwise unreleased:

* download CANEPHORA - Discography (via MediaFire)
* download CANEPHORA - Discography (via RapidShare)

I know CANEPHORA also had a demo tape that was from a different recording session, but I don't have it. If anyone has this and wants to upload it, please let me know and I'll post it here. Dudes from CANEPHORA ended up going on to join THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, JESUIT, CONVERGE and of course, THE NOW.

"MEMBERS OF" ITEMS IN THE ROBOTIC EMPIRE - ONLINE STORE:
* A LIFE ONC LOST items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* CONVERGE items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* HOT CROSS items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* NEIL PERRY items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store

PIG DESTROYER - full live set from 1999 + other obscure videos & tracks

2008-12-12T16:20:00.005-05:00

PIG DESTROYER is one of the handful of grindcore bands that always manage to keep it interesting. It can be a very "meat and potatoes" genre overall, but this trio's level of intensity transcends far beyond any semblance of "normal" one could find in extreme metal. I've had the privilege of seeing this band live more than most, as they almost never tour and rarely play live shows at all. One of the few perks of many years living outside of Washington, DC in Northern Virginia. For everyone else, I've uploaded a video of a full-length live set recorded nearly 10 years ago:

* download/stream - PIG DESTROYER - live in Baltimore 7/15/99 (via Internet Archive)
* download/stream - PIG DESTROYER - live in Baltimore 7/15/99 (via Google Video)

I'm not certain where the original video file even came from (possibly found on Soulseek or Napster) but whoever recorded this digitized it unedited. This is from July 15th, 1999 at what was still the Ottobar back then (before they moved locations) and I believe the entire set is captured here. They're playing material mostly off of then-Explosions In Ward 6, now 38 Counts Of Battery along with songs that would wind up on Robotic Empire's Painter Of Dead Girls release.

To me, PIG DESTROYER have always been in a league of their own, and I still somewhat marvel at the fact that we've done releases with them. Painter Of Dead Girls collects the two split CDs we did with them, GNOB and BENUMB. We still have Painter available in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

Many hunters of videos online have already seen the now-classic footage of PIG DESTROYER playing at the legendary CBGB's club. However, when digging up the lengthy above video, I also found two late-90's PxDx-related clips:

This is one song from of the earliest PIG DESTROYER shows, I believe at the Admiral's Inn in Arlington(?) Virginia. Somewhere in Northern Virginia where the local bumpkins let kids book shows in the back of their busted restaurant/bar. It was weird to say the least, but beggars couldn't be choosers and here PIG DESTROYER played one of their first shows. This song is "Delusional Supremacy", which PxDx ended up recording 3 separate times. It's hard to tell for certain, but I'm pretty sure this video shows the band playing with their original drummer John Evans.

This little blast from the past is TREBLINKA, the band that existed just prior to PIG DESTROYER. I think this is the first teamup of Scott Hull and JR Hayes, joined by the Kane brothers on bass and drums, and R. Mason on second guitar. Quote drummer Eric Kane, "This was at Club Soda in DC... and was with Assuck and Kwizats Hederach (or however you spell it). it was Me, Jeff, JR, Scott and Mason. This was the one and only show we played.... Mason quit right after this show.. and Pig Destroyer soon was born." There you have it folks!

And last but not least, as mentioned above "Delusional Supremacy" was recorded 3 times... the first 2 versions can be found on the collection CD release 38 Counts Of Battery, but the 3rd version was seldom heard. Lifted from Relapse's Contamination 3.0 sampler CD, "Delusional Supremacy 2K" was recorded during the same session as the BENUMB split, but only heard by whoever snagged that comp CD years ago.

Along with this, I'm including the first/demo edition of the song "Terrifyer", which was only found on Relapse's Contamination 6.0 sampler CD. Hopefully Relapse doesn't get peeved and ask us to take these down (thanks in advance dudes!)...

* download PIG DESTROYER - Contaminated Tracks (via MediaFire)
* download PIG DESTROYER - Contaminated Tracks (via RapidShare)

RELEVANT LINKS:
* PIG DESTROYER on myspace
* PIG DESTROYER items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* PIG DESTROYER items from Relapse

Unreleased/early GODS & QUEENS songs + VERSOMA demos

2008-12-12T04:20:00.007-05:00

Jamie Getz is a smarmy bastard. I don't even remember meeting this guy, but I do clearly recall seeing him and Alexander T near-fighting each other on stage, mid-LICKGOLDENSKY-set at some poorly attended festival in Cleveland years ago. Alexander was clearly mad and just trying to do his frontman thing, but Jamie had a huge grin on his face while he's playing guitar and simultaneously throwing chairs and water jugs at the vocalist of his band. I think Getz gets away with a lot because he's a badass songwriter, and an all around hilarious motherfucker. Dysfunctional to say the least but the guy's got a heart of gold, and thus we've been suckered into releasing several things by this maniac now.

The first, a trainwreck known as VERSOMA, is probably one of the most underrated Robotic Empire releases sonically, but logistically was a total nightmare. Most of the band didn't really get along too well, and all I wanted to do was release a simple record that ended up turning into a total mess.

Directly after the disastrous dissolvement of LICKGOLDENSKY, but with a full US tour already booked, I witnessed Jamie and hyperactive drummer Eric McManus throw together an incredible near-improv live set under the moniker GODS & QUEENS. They knocked out 4 or 5 songs in as many days prior to the lengthy tour with HOT CROSS and wouldn't you know it, the songs were awesome. I asked Jamie to do a simple, two-man record after hearing a demo he'd done with another drummer and he agreed. Fast-forward a few months and he's gone and assembled a full band, with members spread across 4 different states. GREAT.

Although VERSOMA didn't make it in the long run, they did manage to nearly steal another band on our label's already existing name... and knock out one killer EP in the process. Life During Wartime was the result, 6 tracks of all kinds of weird shit on the outer crests of the "hardcore" realm... that make perfect sense in hindsight after hearing what the members went on to re-create separately in the forms of TOMBS and GODS & QUEENS... round two.

I'm posting the original demo material of VERSOMA's Life During Wartime. It's 5 of the 6 songs from the EP, 1 song missing vocals and 1 on there twice (with and without vocals). I feel like this band could've been really popular had they managed to overcome trivial personal squabbles, but in the end with Mike Hill going the direction he has with TOMBS and Jamie Getz going the direction he has with GODS & QUEENS, I'm just happy the two VERSOMA guitarist/vocalists are still making good jams... even if not together. Both of those dudes are total lifers.

* download VERSOMA - Life During Wartime demos (via MediaFire)
* download VERSOMA - Life During Wartime demos (via RapidShare)

It should be noted that these are raw demos and probably not even fully mixed, so if you're into what you hear here... the proper release of Life During Wartime is still available from us on both CD and vinyl, and probably will be for ages as we pressed way too many and the band broke up DIRECTLY after it came out (thanks guys).

Anyway the CD is less than 5 bucks and the vinyl is under 8. Our stuff doesn't get much cheaper than that, and you can find Life During Wartime here in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

The two-man demo track mentioned above was eventually released by Level Plane on their "80 Records and We're Still Not Broke (Yet)" 2xCD sampler/compilation (still available here) under the moniker GODS & QUEENS. This eventually got scavenged by VERSOMA, but I still think this song rips... and honestly sort of wish everything else turned out sounding similar. Whatever, the end results of everything still sound cool, but this should at least give you an idea of why Robotic Empire foolishly got involved with Jamie Getz in the first place:

* download GODS & QUEENS - Song #1 (via MediaFire)
* download GODS & QUEENS - Song #1 (via RapidShare)

Also closely related to all of this is Getz' resurrection of the original name and idea: GODS & QUEENS, who as a relatively new band have somehow managed to stay together more than a few months past the release of their debut, untitled, which we've made as a CD and 12" vinyl packaged together. This is currently available in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

Although I hesitate to say anything in fear of jinxing it, my fingers are crossed for these guys to stay together for a while as I (and others) really like them, and they're a pretty solid trio of dudes too. Anyway, they recorded a whole separate (possibly better sounding) version of untitled prior to pissing off the original engineer and the whole thing getting scrapped. One song wasn't re-recorded when they hit the studio in Brooklyn, and with the band's approval we're posting it here:

* download GODS & QUEENS - untitled (8?) (via MediaFire)
* download GODS & QUEENS - untitled (8?) (via RapidShare)

So while Jamie may be a surly sonuvabitch, I imagine we'll continue to end up working with this fool for ages.

RELEVANT LINKS:
* ANODYNE items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store (Mike Hill's band pre-VERSOMA and TOMBS)

* GODS & QUEENS items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* GODS & QUEENS on myspace

* VERSOMA items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* VERSOMA on myspace

* TOMBS items in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* TOMBS on myspace

GARUDA - Cold Wired Sentiment

2008-12-11T20:47:00.005-05:00

2002 release of GARUDA's sole non-robo output, Cold Wired Sentiment. We had these guys open up our Mutation compilation as their track ripped the hardest, and the material found on this debut EP is equally powerful. They mix the perfect amount of death metal, grindcore, melody and sludge as only sons of Texas could produce.

Got to see these dudes live once in Richmond and they absolutely devastated. Had they stayed together I truly think they could've been a household name (in the metal underground world, of course).

* download GARUDA - Cold Wired Sentiment (via MediaFire)
* download GARUDA - Cold Wired Sentiment (via RapidShare)

Pretty much punk-ish grinding death metal with memorable riffs galore. Don't know anything else about this band, what the dudes did after GARUDA broke up, etc. What I do know is that this EP totally shreds, is probably long unavailable (released by the obscure "So, Why Worry?" label/zine) and the only other thing available by these dudes is Robotic Empire's Mutation compilation CD release.

We're selling Mutation for only 5 bucks so if you like what you hear on Cold Wired Sentiment, please consider checking out Mutation!

UPDATE: be sure to also check out this post for additional demos and a few final, unreleased songs from GARUDA!

HISSING CHOIR - First Show (live, 3 songs) +videos

2008-12-11T16:20:00.013-05:00

Figured I'd kick this project off with the recordings that put this whole idea in my head in the first place. Cleaning up the office a few months ago I came across some old minidiscs, and this brief little monster in music history was buried within.

This is a (rough) recording of the first ever HISSING CHOIR show. They were a short lived (but never truly "broken up") band comprised of members of PG99, CRESTFALLEN, PIG DESTROYER and TRIAC... essentially trying their hardest to sound like SWANS but still being fairly unique. These are three songs from their first show, so it's sorta rough around the edges, but still pretty intense for a FIRST SHOW. Not sure if these guys will ever actually release anything so I decided to finally upload this. I think the mic got dropped during the first song while I handed Mike a beer bottle to use as a slide, so that may explain the partial dropout about halfway in the first song there. Not positive, but I think the show was sometime in October of 2003 at the Talking Head in Baltimore, MD (it may have still been the "old" Ottobar back then?). It was recorded with a cheapo Sharp brand MD-MT15 portable minidisc recorder and a tiny clip-on interview mic, which sorta explains why it doesn't sound amazing. Better than nothing though, hope you enjoy this!

* download HISSING CHOIR - First Show (live, 3 songs) (via Internet Archive)

Also relevant to this posting are the only (known) video recordings of HISSING CHOIR, shot at the Banks St. Warehouse in New Orleans, LA. This was filmed by Anderson Cook, probably also in late 2003. The first link below is the original file of "part 1" of this live video, with little-to-zero quality loss from the original upload. The "mirror" link of that is the smaller, compressed version hosted on YouTube. I couldn't find the original, uncompressed file for "part 2" of the show, so YouTube is all there is of that.

* watch HISSING CHOIR - Live part 1 (via Internet Archive - original file, high quality)

* watch HISSING CHOIR - Live part 1 "mirror link" (via YouTube - lower quality, faster loading)

* watch HISSING CHOIR - Live part 2 (via YouTube - *if anyone has the original file for this please contact me*)

And last but not least, HISSING CHOIR did sort of sneak one officially release out there under nearly everyone's noses. Chrome Peeler Records did a compilation CD called You've Got You Orders - Volume One for their very first release that features a bunch of bands & artists recording material based on existing song titles provided by the label.

Chris Taylor was asked to contribute, so he sent in a song from HISSING CHOIR practice session recorded live in the band's rehearsal space. Unfortunately no vocals were recorded, and this is an even earlier version of the same song viewed above in part 1 of the live videos... but it is a bit more audible than the other available HISSING CHOIR recordings.

* download HISSING CHOIR - Practice Session (1 song) (via MediaFire)

PLEASE NOTE: The You've Got You Orders - Volume One compilation CD (and it's stellar followup) is still available from Chrome Peeler Records for a very reasonable price. If you like this song, we highly encourage you to pick up the compilation CD(s) as they both have a lot of killer artists contributing some pretty unique songs.

HISSING CHOIR LINEUP:
Vocals - JR Hayes (Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Enemy Soil, etc.)
Guitar - Mike Taylor (Pageninetynine, Pygmy Lush, Mannequin, Majority Rule, Haram, etc.)
Guitar - Nathan Grice (Crestfallen, Heavens, Dead To Me, etc.)
Bass - Chris Taylor (Pageninetynine, Pygmy Lush, Mannequin, Malady, etc.)
Drums - Jake Creggar (Triac, Drugs of Faith, Jesus of Nazareth, etc.)

Also, the above photo by Richard "The Grindfather" Johnson, from his ancient and impressive (and now online) zine Disposable Underground.

* HISSING CHOIR - Myspace Page (with an interview and some more information)

mission

2008-12-11T04:20:00.001-05:00

OK so this is where we're going to post LEGAL mp3 and video downloads of all kinds of unreleased crap, demos, live stuff, obscure stuff, OOP stuff, and whatever else we have lurking on dusty old hard drives... mostly but not 100% related to Robotic Empire and the bands/musicians we've worked or currently work with.

This is a work in progress, and likely to be a SLOW one.

EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE - Discography (sic[sic] + Mother Spain & The Wayfaring Myth)

2001-04-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

It's pretty crazy to think that as of late September, 2010... we're only about 6 months away from the 10-year anniversary of EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE's debut full-length (and final recording) sic[sic]... which was catalog# ROBO 008 (still Robodog Records back then). I remember mailing a written letter to the Texas address inside their first 7" introducing myself and blindly offering to release whatever they cooked up next. Thankfully the band responded and we slowly got to know each other up through the album's completion.

We've been wanting to finish this for many years now, even having the audio professionally and carefully remastered back in 2006 (!) but the discography release has only just now seen the light of day. Chalk it up to a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest ones is that active, touring bands typically get priority over long disbanded, somewhat obscure ones. There's more to it than that (including a lot of artwork complications) but long story short... its finally done!

So here it is, your "free digital download", hopefully to accompany the LP you recently bought. We didn't want to spend extra on digital download cards for such a limited release, so consider this our DIY version.... poorly "hidden" as a post under the original sic[sic] CD release date. Enjoy!

* download EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE - Discography (via MediaFire)
* download EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE - Discography (via SendSpace)
* download EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE - Discography (via RapidShare)

Oh yeah, in the chance that you found this page but didn't actually order the physical discography LP, please pick it up here. Thanks!