DAS VILLAIN
Another great recommendation from Neurot Recordings and this band is in my home adopted town of Seattle!
(I've been living in Seattle since 1994 when I was in my early 20's, at that time. 😊)
Yet, ironically, I haven't heard of Great Falls until yesterday! Their sound is powerful, sludgy, and pulverizing!
Favorite track: Born As An Argument.
Roland Zwaga
Lol, when I heard the first minute of this album, my first thought was: Well, this certainly sounds like something Scott Evans was involved with. Then I looked at the credits, haha.
This shit is fucking crushing, downright filthy. Well done, gentlemen.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
$8USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Double silver or dark red standard weight vinyl in a gatefold jacket
Track Listing:
1. Dragged Home Alive
2. Trap Feeding
3. Born As An Argument
4. Old Words Worn Thin
5. Spill Into The Aisle
6. Ceilings Inch Closer
7. The Starveling
8. Thrown Against The Waves
Read any article or comment thread about the Seattle noise-rock outfit GREAT FALLS and you're likely to see descriptors like cathartic, heavy, crushing, and unhinged. Maybe even psychotic. And sure, those are all apt: For over a decade, vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston and bassist Shane Mehling (who also played together in the early-2000s noisecore band PLAYING ENEMY and the experimental duo HEMINGWAY) have honed their sludgy, overwhelmingly intense brand of heaviness, punctuated by delectably discordant riffs, terrifyingly low, thwacking bass lines, and mesmerizingly tight percussion. In the live setting, too, they’re notorious for a stage presence that is so aggressively confrontational and menacing that Mehling once broke his own arm mid-set.
But the most striking aspect of GREAT FALLS, setting them apart from the murky sea of sludge metal and AmRep-inspired noise-rock bands, is their ability to paint a deeply, utterly human story through an all-out assault on the senses: an art the band has perfected on their fourth full-length album OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN, out September 15 via NEUROT RECORDINGS. The album is not only their NEUROT debut, but also the first LP featuring drummer Nickolis Parks (GAYTHEIST, BASTARD FEAST), who joined the band prior to the release of their exhilarating, cacophonous 2023 EP, FUNNY WHAT SURVIVES.
OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN takes us on a bleak, purgative journey through a separation – a snapshot of the turmoil and indecision that occurs after the initial realization of someone's misery, and before the ultimate decision to end a decades-long partnership. From the foreboding intro riffs of “DRAGGED HOME ALIVE” to the end of the 13-minute closer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES,” its eight tracks explore the thoughts that come up when a person is staring down the barrel of blowing up their life: How did this happen? Is it too late for a new life? Will the kid be OK? What will make me happier: familiar torment or unknown freedom?
On “TRAP FEEDING,” we see the main character indulging in “dreams of alone” by scrolling apartment listings in secret. "Alone” is exciting in theory: He can be free to be himself in a new space, finding solace in records, comic books, and video games. But when faced with the reality of filling out forms and credit checks, “alone” shapeshifts into a terrifying concept signaling imminent heartache and unendurable loneliness. He finds himself paralyzed, unable to stomach the decision. “OLD WORDS WORN THIN” considers the logistics of how a move would play out, how they would divide their belongings, what memories each object would trigger. Who gets the records? Who gets the friends, for that matter? In a rare moment of comic relief amid the emotional turmoil and discordant riffs, Johnston screams, “I know I did not make the cut / but I can drive the truck.”
The tale ends with the 13-minute existential pulverizer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES." While the other songs mostly explore the impending turmoil of a future separation, the closer looks back on the destruction after the split of two people who became “sad shelters” to one another rather than loving partners. In a particularly dramatic moment, there’s a returns to the former home one last time: "I slide the key under the door / I don’t want the weight," Johnston shrieks in anguish, anxiously underscored by Mehling's frenzied rumbling and Parks' intuitively precise pummeling. Suddenly, everything goes silent for a few seconds, allowing time to process before launching into an agonizing rollercoaster of palpable grief and release. The song brings the album to a close with an emotionally crushing barrage of riffs -- giving a glimpse of what the trio is capable of in the live setting.
Includes unlimited streaming of Objects Without Pain
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
...more
ships out within 4 days
Purchasable with gift card
$37.08USDor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Track Listing:
1. Dragged Home Alive
2. Trap Feeding
3. Born As An Argument
4. Old Words Worn Thin
5. Spill Into The Aisle
6. Ceilings Inch Closer
7. The Starveling
8. Thrown Against The Waves
Read any article or comment thread about the Seattle noise-rock outfit GREAT FALLS and you're likely to see descriptors like cathartic, heavy, crushing, and unhinged. Maybe even psychotic. And sure, those are all apt: For over a decade, vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston and bassist Shane Mehling (who also played together in the early-2000s noisecore band PLAYING ENEMY and the experimental duo HEMINGWAY) have honed their sludgy, overwhelmingly intense brand of heaviness, punctuated by delectably discordant riffs, terrifyingly low, thwacking bass lines, and mesmerizingly tight percussion. In the live setting, too, they’re notorious for a stage presence that is so aggressively confrontational and menacing that Mehling once broke his own arm mid-set.
But the most striking aspect of GREAT FALLS, setting them apart from the murky sea of sludge metal and AmRep-inspired noise-rock bands, is their ability to paint a deeply, utterly human story through an all-out assault on the senses: an art the band has perfected on their fourth full-length album OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN, out September 15 via NEUROT RECORDINGS. The album is not only their NEUROT debut, but also the first LP featuring drummer Nickolis Parks (GAYTHEIST, BASTARD FEAST), who joined the band prior to the release of their exhilarating, cacophonous 2023 EP, FUNNY WHAT SURVIVES.
OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN takes us on a bleak, purgative journey through a separation – a snapshot of the turmoil and indecision that occurs after the initial realization of someone's misery, and before the ultimate decision to end a decades-long partnership. From the foreboding intro riffs of “DRAGGED HOME ALIVE” to the end of the 13-minute closer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES,” its eight tracks explore the thoughts that come up when a person is staring down the barrel of blowing up their life: How did this happen? Is it too late for a new life? Will the kid be OK? What will make me happier: familiar torment or unknown freedom?
On “TRAP FEEDING,” we see the main character indulging in “dreams of alone” by scrolling apartment listings in secret. "Alone” is exciting in theory: He can be free to be himself in a new space, finding solace in records, comic books, and video games. But when faced with the reality of filling out forms and credit checks, “alone” shapeshifts into a terrifying concept signaling imminent heartache and unendurable loneliness. He finds himself paralyzed, unable to stomach the decision. “OLD WORDS WORN THIN” considers the logistics of how a move would play out, how they would divide their belongings, what memories each object would trigger. Who gets the records? Who gets the friends, for that matter? In a rare moment of comic relief amid the emotional turmoil and discordant riffs, Johnston screams, “I know I did not make the cut / but I can drive the truck.”
The tale ends with the 13-minute existential pulverizer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES." While the other songs mostly explore the impending turmoil of a future separation, the closer looks back on the destruction after the split of two people who became “sad shelters” to one another rather than loving partners. In a particularly dramatic moment, there’s a returns to the former home one last time: "I slide the key under the door / I don’t want the weight," Johnston shrieks in anguish, anxiously underscored by Mehling's frenzied rumbling and Parks' intuitively precise pummeling. Suddenly, everything goes silent for a few seconds, allowing time to process before launching into an agonizing rollercoaster of palpable grief and release. The song brings the album to a close with an emotionally crushing barrage of riffs -- giving a glimpse of what the trio is capable of in the live setting.
PRE-ORDER CUSTOMERS: Orders are expected to begin shipping the week of September 15, 2023. Any items purchased with this pre-order will not ship until the week of September 15, 2023 as well. All items are mockups and final product may vary slightly.
Includes unlimited streaming of Objects Without Pain
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
...more
ships out within 4 days
5 remaining
Purchasable with gift card
$16.41USDor more
Cassette + Digital Album
Comes on a trans red casette with red pad print, housed in a norelco case with trans red back. Features multi panel booklet.
Includes unlimited streaming of Objects Without Pain
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
The last few years
Waiting here
Just hoping for
A sign
And just a bit
These past months
I swore I saw
Our out
There is no escape from this place
This is no mistake
Why we are here
Has more to
Do with what I’d lose
Why we are here
Isn’t our
Fault but still
We take
That out
On everyone
But still
You gotta love
These
Books
This
View
The perfect walk to work
Keeps me right here
A free parking spot
Keeps me right here
But it’s
No way to live
Fresh excuses
To avoid my fear
This is a
Fine place
It’s okay
Right now
This is a
Fine home
Sealed tight
Inside
I spend my day
Searching homes
And I can be
Alone for real
I spend my day
Searching towns
And I can be
Searching alone
I can’t do this
Forms and credit checks
It’s fine
No need to touch me
No need to smile
No need to talk
I’m fine
Dreams of alone
I have
Video games
Comic books
Patrick Walker
Dreams of
Our new lives
Now that I’m gone
How’s the new life?
Look at that view
You woke up filled
With hopes and chores
Now feeding the pets
Now hanging our art
Kid’s doing homework
Top of the class
Grab my ashes
Walk to the trees
Scatter them out
Where I’d never
Go
Were these our plans
Maybe I’d be here
Had we agreed
We would have made it
Had we been strong
We’d have seen this through
Rest well
Later this fall
Maybe
You’ll miss me
We found a place
Where we
Can call home
Bring out a chair
Be still
Be quiet
I hate these
Moving days
Taking stock
Of what comes
With
I know I
Did not
Make the cut
But I
Can drive the
Truck
Keeping score
Yours and mine
This was in our
Kitchen
This was from our
Bedroom
Remember this?
I made a mess of my house
Of us
Do I have everything?
Okay
One last trip
Where can I live?
Where can my
Records go?
Decide
No help
This time
Is this what I wanted
My shoes
My coat
Set by the door
No one
Alone
I got what I wanted
I moved
Alone
Sit by the door
Wait for
Company
I must remember
I lost most friends
I made the choice
I set the table
I sit and wait
For you to notice
No
I sleep facing the wall
Not disturbing
You or
The kid
Or all the dogs
I’m in my head
I don’t mind
I’m not me
I see this
A man
A father
Looks back
And chews his tongue
Again
He knows
This house
Won’t stay full
By spring
Moving truck
On the curb
Even
In the dark
Facing the wall
In this small home
His thoughts
Carry
He dragged
His words out
They left ruts
In the
Lawn
Let me sit down and
catch my breath
I’m not well
That I’m sure of
It's my own
Fault
Let me sit here and
Overthink
I’m not well
Yeah well that’s clear
Is it my
Heart?
Maybe but
Could it be my
Family
I can’t face that
It’s not fair
To think I
Have to face this
On my own
That my choices
Fed this
I’m
Kept
Here
I’ve kept us here
I locked these doors
Swallowed the key
Holding onto your
Childhood
Holding onto our kid
Are you okay?
We never learned this
We could just drink
And smoke
And hope
This was how we
Were taught
This and
TV
Fingers crossed
Right?
Listen
We have no plan
For you to be okay
So I scream my worries
To strangers
What passing comment will
Haunt you
This is the mom
And dad
You were dealt and
You’re still breathing
Before it fell apart
This meant something to me
We had these plans
Before it fell apart
This meant something to us
We shared our dreams
Failure
A life
Well-wasted
Failures
And worst of all
We didn't become friends
Just sad shelters
In the
Cold
Was it one choice I made?
To ruin that life
Was it a choice we made?
As a team
I slide the key
Under the door
I don’t want the weight
You get back
In the morning
I’ll be gone
After lunch
You get back
In the morning
I’ve been gone
For years
I come back
You are waiting
Drop my keys
At the door
I come back
You are waiting
And our bed’s
Still warm
Of course
I lost this
Of course
I lost
It can hurt
Being happy
Why did we let it happen?
I feared that I might
Dig out my heart
My eyes
My grave
Take care
Hear me
Take Care
Are you listening?
Or too far away?
Take Care
I sing this
With love
With love
about
Read any article or comment thread about the Seattle noise-rock outfit GREAT FALLS and you're likely to see descriptors like cathartic, heavy, crushing, and unhinged. Maybe even psychotic. And sure, those are all apt: For over a decade, vocalist/guitarist Demian Johnston and bassist Shane Mehling (who also played together in the early-2000s noisecore band PLAYING ENEMY and the experimental duo HEMINGWAY) have honed their sludgy, overwhelmingly intense brand of heaviness, punctuated by delectably discordant riffs, terrifyingly low, thwacking bass lines, and mesmerizingly tight percussion. In the live setting, too, they’re notorious for a stage presence that is so aggressively confrontational and menacing that Mehling once broke his own arm mid-set.
But the most striking aspect of GREAT FALLS, setting them apart from the murky sea of sludge metal and AmRep-inspired noise-rock bands, is their ability to paint a deeply, utterly human story through an all-out assault on the senses: an art the band has perfected on their fourth full-length album OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN, out September 15 via NEUROT RECORDINGS. The album is not only their NEUROT debut, but also the first LP featuring drummer Nickolis Parks (GAYTHEIST, BASTARD FEAST), who joined the band prior to the release of their exhilarating, cacophonous 2023 EP, FUNNY WHAT SURVIVES.
OBJECTS WITHOUT PAIN takes us on a bleak, purgative journey through a separation – a snapshot of the turmoil and indecision that occurs after the initial realization of someone's misery, and before the ultimate decision to end a decades-long partnership. From the foreboding intro riffs of “DRAGGED HOME ALIVE” to the end of the 13-minute closer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES,” its eight tracks explore the thoughts that come up when a person is staring down the barrel of blowing up their life: How did this happen? Is it too late for a new life? Will the kid be OK? What will make me happier: familiar torment or unknown freedom?
On “TRAP FEEDING,” we see the main character indulging in “dreams of alone” by scrolling apartment listings in secret. "Alone” is exciting in theory: He can be free to be himself in a new space, finding solace in records, comic books, and video games. But when faced with the reality of filling out forms and credit checks, “alone” shapeshifts into a terrifying concept signaling imminent heartache and unendurable loneliness. He finds himself paralyzed, unable to stomach the decision. “OLD WORDS WORN THIN” considers the logistics of how a move would play out, how they would divide their belongings, what memories each object would trigger. Who gets the records? Who gets the friends, for that matter? In a rare moment of comic relief amid the emotional turmoil and discordant riffs, Johnston screams, “I know I did not make the cut / but I can drive the truck.”
The tale ends with the 13-minute existential pulverizer “THROWN AGAINST THE WAVES." While the other songs mostly explore the impending turmoil of a future separation, the closer looks back on the destruction after the split of two people who became “sad shelters” to one another rather than loving partners. In a particularly dramatic moment, there’s a returns to the former home one last time: "I slide the key under the door / I don’t want the weight," Johnston shrieks in anguish, anxiously underscored by Mehling's frenzied rumbling and Parks' intuitively precise pummeling. Suddenly, everything goes silent for a few seconds, allowing time to process before launching into an agonizing rollercoaster of palpable grief and release. The song brings the album to a close with an emotionally crushing barrage of riffs -- giving a glimpse of what the trio is capable of in the live setting.
credits
released September 15, 2023
Engineered and Mixed by Scott Evans
Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege
Additional Instrumentation by John Schork
Additional Vocals by Lillian Albazi
Photography by Soren Hixenbaugh
supported by 96 fans who also own “Objects Without Pain”
I love the light and shade between Bryan's dirty and Emma's forlorn vocals. There are so many layers to this recording that are driven home through contrast. Plus the riffs are brilliant and get me moving. I can't stop listening to Thou and Emma in general lately. spaceman2250
