♫♪  ENDON - “Pray For Me”

If you haven’t heard of ENDON yet, Hydra Head Records are readying their self-described “catastrophic noise metal” onto a gaping audience with the first-ever vinyl pressing of MAMA. Originally released last year on CD through famed Japanese noise outlet Daymare Recordings, the brutal sophomore album will be released on wax sometime in October. Until then, the all-engrossing black metal, grindcore, hardcore, harsh noise bloodbath that is MAMA can be heard digitally through Hydra Head’s Bandcamp as early as August 4.

The birth of MAMA comes to life in Tadashi Hamada’s brief interview with The Japan Times, where the Daymare Recordings manager compared their local noise scene to a premiere league, saying “there are people who like aggressive music the way they like sports, but I think ‘hardcore’ is about being self-aware of what you’re doing, about how to create your own space.” So in a sense, ENDON is both an underdog and seasoned champion beat into one. Their oscillating blasts of chaos and fallout rot aren’t new per se, but the size and power behind their music are both a new breed and a Brother’s Grimm-classic folklore of noise. With Taichi Nagura on vocals, Koki Miyabe on guitars, Shin Yokota on drums, the pinnacle of ENDON is their two strictly-noise creators Etsuo Nagura and Taro Aiko (who manufacturers guitar pedals as M.A.S.F.).

As for ENDON’s primality, the absolute pinnacle comes in “Play For Me.” After three songs and 26 minutes, silence. Soon overcome by drooling grunts and manic screams. A calm-before-the-storm cover – a predictive peace as an avalanche you’d rather let crush you slams through the flooring. The sheer force belted through any speaker fought by the destructo-quintet. Give up all y’all’s earthly capabilities and bow to the new noise gods. The older Japanoise/-rock regime of Boredoms, Merzbow, and Melt-Banana is present and honored, but it exists as extremities to ENDON’s extremes. Hooooly shit, ENDON: take over this world.

The brutality of MAMA is out digitally from Hydra Head Records on August 4 and on a limited 800-vinyl run in October. Prepare thy Paypal and stay tuned for news on an ENDON 2016 US tour!

• ENDON: https://www.facebook.com/tokyodionysos
• Hydra Head: www.hydrahead.com

Chocolate Grinder

CHOCOLATE GRINDER is our audio/visual section, with an emphasis on the lesser heard and lesser known. We aim to dig deep, but we’ll post any song or video we find interesting, big or small.

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