a blow to the cranium

cranium - 'pragmatics'

"This CD showcases Cranium in it's earlier stages of developing a new vision for metal and instumental music in general. Some of the compositions are built much like jazz tunes, using a head-solos-head format, and emphasizing the individual talents of the three members of the band while still creating a strong, tight, and cohesive group sound. The music also borrows melodically and rhythmically from Middle Eastern and world music. Strongly influenced by artists as wide ranging as King Crimson, Rabih-Abou Khalil, John Zorn, Meshuggah, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Screaming Headless Torsos, Dave Holland Quintet, Ornette Coleman, Krysyztof Penderecki, James Brown, Helmet, Napalm Death, and Weather Report, just to name a few.

The overall musical aim is to allow the disparate musical interests of the individual band members to gel together to create a new kind of music while remaining fiercely uncompromising in it's creation and performance." -- cdbaby

features former members of december

riyl: keelhaul, breadwinner, collapsar, icepick revival (sans vox), the fucking champs, don caballero, meshuggah, helmet, loincloth, or any odd-timed jazz-flavored tech metal

pragmatize yer cranium

a very special mothguts christmas

Aggressive Free Jazz Grindcore from NJ.

Birthed on Halloween night 2005, Mothguts is a band. And said band creates music in the style of what one might call “free-grind.” “Free,” as in “free jazz,” and “Grind,” as in “grindcore.”

their music is a combination of jazz, metal, hardcore, and noise with a great deal of improvisation. Their influences would include bands and artists like Painkiller, Last Exit, Anal Cunt, Dillinger Escape Plan, Pantera, Black Sabbath, Naked City, Anthony Braxton, and Arnold Schoenberg to name but a few. Mothguts have self-released three CD’s (2 of original material and a Christmas record.), and have a split 12'' vinyl on Kitchen Dweller records (U.K.)

They're toured much of the east coast and continue to do so. They’ve been known to do silly things like making every CD and t-shirt by hand and playing whole sets of instrumental Sabbath covers.

happy holidays