LAE: Debut Album By Montreal Psychedelic Post-Rock Troupe Featuring Steve Austin From Today Is The Day Streaming At The Quietus Break The Clasp Out Now Via The Compound/Battleground Records

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The official debut recordings from Montreal-based LAE are out this week in the form of the collective’s Break The Clasp full-length — a monumentally dejected yet inspiring nearly hour-long psychedelic journey through thirteen dynamic movements — and the entire record is now playing at prevalent online magazine, The Quietus.

LAE’s Break The Clasp was recorded in full analog in main songwriter Marc Lucas Ablasou’s woodshop in Montreal by Steve Austin of Today Is The Day and Austin Enterprises, who coincidentally ended up providing lead vocals to the entire album, bringing out some of the most heartfelt and non-violent verbal deliveries from the infamous frontman to date, making him a full-time member of the outfit, completed by Ronald Jean-Gilles, Serge Nakauchi Pelletier, Stephane Desgroseilliers. This crew of multi-instrumentalists envisioned the band’s original anthems, penned under initial moniker LAE-TSEU in the mid-late 1990s, and recreated them fully live on vintage equipment, utilizing a range of guitars, basses, drums, accordion, trumpet, saws, organs, pianos, electronics and a multitude of vocal styles into a four-part storyline of life, love, hope and death. Completed through several overdub sessions at Austin Enterprises where the final product was mixed and mastered, and embodied with uncanny artwork by Sonny Kay (The VSS, Angel Hair, Gold Standard Laboratories label), Break The Clasp closes 2014 with an incredibly transcendentally gloomy yet beautifully delivered opus.

In honor of its release, UK-based online magazine, The Quietus, was pleased to host this exclusive stream of LAE’s long-awaited and hard-earned debut release. The site’s account of Break The Clasp breaks it down, including, “The resultant record is a fragmentary, shifting record, switching between Slint-like passages of angular guitar and sung-spoken vocals and abrasive assaults (witness the caustic fuzz at the core of ‘Sister’), punctuated by acoustic sketches in the shape of ‘Broken Knee’, ‘Let Me Die In The Memory Of Her Arms’ and ‘Space Travel’, and we’re hugely pleased to be able to host a full stream…”

Listen to all of Break The Clasp now at THIS LOCATION.

A new gear feature on LAE’s Marc Lucas Ablasou’s main guitar setup is live at PureGrainAudio now RIGHT HERE, and an Albums We Like feature on drummer Serge Nakauchi Pelletier’s infatuation with the Bad Brains is live at No Echo HERE.

Break The Clasp is out this week through a collaborative effort between The Compound and Battleground Records. The six-panel, spot-varnished, eco-friendly digipak can be ordered HERE, and digitally via BandCamp, iTunes , Google Play and more. A gatefold 180-gram 2xLP is coming from the same union in early 2015 as LAE begins touring the East Coast of North America and beyond in support of the album.

“…the heart-on-sleeve frontman that Austin occasionally embodies is on full display here, with only snippets of backwoods dementia seeping through. And the band has created an ideal atmosphere, borrowing liberally from the likes of Slint and Tortoise with mesmeric rhythms and askew harmonies, while adding dollops of psych and the occasional metallic bombast that’s actually reminiscent of early TITD. 8/10” – Decibel Magazine

“…echoes psychedelic progressive rock and post-rock but the overall picture is far more expansive… wholly unique and escapes categorization.” – American Aftermath

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LAE: Decibel Magazine Premieres Title Track To Debut LP From Montreal Psychedelic Post-Hardcore Outfit Featuring Steve Austin From Today Is The Day

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Decibel Magazine’s high-traffic online body, The Deciblog, has exclusively premiered the title track to the debut record from Montreal, Quebec-based LAE, as the album nears its public street date, now less than two weeks away.

Over thirteen movements verging on an entire hour of superb, dynamic material encompasses LAE’s Break The Clasp LP, which was recorded in full analog in a woodshop in Montreal by Today Is The Day and Austin Enterprises founder, Steve Austin, who became enveloped by the songs as he produced them, which led to his permanent involvement in the band as the main vocalist. With one of the most disheartened but beautiful displays of psychedelic, post-hardcore/rock possibly ever captured to tape, Austin’s gritty, visionary vocal delivery and final mastering incredibly fits the structures created by creators Ronald Jean-Gilles, Serge Nakauchi Pelletier, Stephane Desgroseilliers and Marc Lucas Ablasou as if they were incepted with this purpose in mind, resulting in a true masterpiece of whatever genre one may attempt to categorize the songs into. The unearthly, heartbreaking artistry will attract fans of Three Mile Pilot, Swans, Sonic Youth, Unwound, Slint, Shellac and more, yet Break The Clasp remains an unfathomably original album unlike anything currently out there.

Decibel today releases “Break The Clasp” to the planet. The second track on the album of the same name showcases LAE’s varied nature, integrating electronics and guest backup vocals courtesy of the band’s friend, Christina Frances Musacchio into the layered song. The exclusive premiere of the song is joined by a detailed account of its origin from the band, and a stellar write-up of the track by the trusted scribe who took on the premiere, who issues, “Sit back, y’all. Steve Austin-affiliated psychedelic post-rockers LAE are about to take you to another plane of existence via the title track of the album Break the Clasp…”

“Break The Clasp” and unleash the song through the Deciblog portal now at THIS LOCATION.

Additionally, American Aftermath leaked the album’s “Sister” alongside an interview with band architect Marc Lucas Ablasou, RIGHT HERE, and a trailer for the album is playing HERE.

Break The Clasp will see release through The Compound and Battleground Records in a collaborative effort, with the initial CD and digital release set for November 25th. Preorders for the six-panel, spot-varnish adorned, eco-friendly digipak are live HERE, and preorders for the digital download — which includes an instant download of “Break The Clasp” are now live HERE. A deluxe, gatefold 180-gram double 12” LP is coming in early 2015 as LAE begins touring North America in support of the album.

Performing under LAE-TSEU, their original moniker, LAE impacted their local scene in the mid 1990s, yet life’s plan impeded them from taking off until now. In mid-2013, the band went through a rebirth, re-envisioning their original songs with new life knowledge and a ravenous hunger to make them better than ever. The band invited Steve Austin (Today Is The Day) to record in Ablasou’s wood shop, utilizing accordion, trumpet, saws, organs, pianos, electronics and more to capture their long-awaited full-length on vintage analog equipment. During the recording process, Austin ended up performing lead vocals to the album in addition to other musical contributions, becoming a full-fledged member of the band. Mastered at Austin Enterprises, the album features otherworldly artwork by Sonny Kay (The VSS, Angel Hair, Gold Standard Laboratories label) and a layout by Kay and Dave Brenner.

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THE COMPOUND New Label Releases & EARSPLIT DISTRO Stock Update: LAE, GODHUNTER/SECRETS OF THE SKY, DIE CHOKING, UFOMAMMUT, SECRET CUTTER, THE BODY & THOU, GRIDLINK, PISS VORTEX, and tons more

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It’s been a rotten dog’s age since our last label bulletin from THE COMPOUND and stock update from EARSPLIT DISTRO, so please grab provisions and party supplies and get ready for a nauseatingly awesome heap of physical product additions to our bunker.

New titles in stock from THE COMPOUND include the expansive split LP from doom metal boundary destroyers, GODHUNTER and SECRETS OF THE SKY, and the second blazing 7” from DIE CHOKING, as well as CD preorders for our most ambitious release yet, with the upcoming debut album from incredibly diverse post-rock quintet, LAE — featuring Steve Austin from Today Is The Day on lead vocals/production — with preorders for the digital and massive 2xLP version and other new label titles coming soon.

Newly added to the EARSPLIT DISTRO arsenal we have titles imported from Poland’s Selfmadegod Records — for which we are the official US mailorder distro outlet — including new albums from ENCOFFINATION, GRIDLINK, BRUTAL BLUES, CALM HATCHERY, PYRRHON, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE and the ANTIGAMA / THE KILL / NOISEAR 3-Way Split.

A massive resupply of UFOMAMMUT titles imported from Italy courtesy of the band’s label, Supernatural Cat were painstakingly bartered for, including the band’s brand new XV DVD, their second album, Snailking on CD, their third album, Lucifer Songs, on LP as well as CD/DVD combo, LP versions of the band’s recent double album ORO – Opus Primum & Opus Alter, as well as vinyl restocks of Eve LP and Idolum 2xLP.

Also just in, THE BODY & THOU’s Released From Love harrowing collaborative vinyl-only collaborative album, DRUNK DAD’s disgusting Ripper Killer debut LP, GREY SKIES FALLEN’s ominous The Many Sides Of Truth on CD and LP, PISS VORTEX’s grinding, demoralizing self-titled debut LP, SECRET CUTTER’s feedback/sludge-drenched debut LP and more.

Hundreds of other titles are available in the distro, and we’ll continue to amass a larger arsenal over the coming months. Stand by. Get dirty. Order. Free stickers, pins mags or other random swag included in every single order.

THE COMPOUND
+ Label Updates +

GODHUNTER / SECRETS OF THE SKY – GH/0ST:S [LP] – On their 2014 Southwest US tour together, Tucson-based sludge metal bandits, GODHUNTER and Oakland’s cinematic doom outfit, SECRETS OF THE SKY, were selling a limited edition cassette version of a new split release entitled GH/0ST:S. On this combined effort, both bands showcase even further experimentation into each of their respective crafts, with forty minutes of material, including a crushing new opus from each band, as well as a haunting, thematic accompaniment bearing the “ghosts” theme. Through a joint effort between GODHUNTER’s Battleground Records and EARSPLIT’s label division, THE COMPOUND, GH/0ST:S is now available digitally as well as on a killer 180-gram black/white vinyl swirl LP including a download card, limited to three-hundred copies. [The Compound/Battleground] – $16 – ORDER

DIE CHOKING – II [7”] – Philadelphia’s demolition trio, DIE CHOKING, shoved their second EP of hyperactive, earthmoving grind/thrash down the world’s collective throat, with II. Comprised of members previously/currently hailing from other acts Total Fucking Destruction, Cop Problem, Burden and more, the band follows up their self-titled debut EP with another five tracks in less than six minutes, the material swarming with even more enraged and psychotic songwriting, and more of an ominous powerviolence approach, while stepping things up in the songwriting department and delivery on all levels. II was recorded and mixed at Mark It Zero Studios with Dan O’Hare (Brutal Truth) and mastered by Brad Boatright (Tragedy, Baptists, Code Orange Kids) at AudioSiege. The first pressing limited to 300 copies on vibrant red 7” vinyl, enclosed in the 7” is a document that function’s as a real, personal living will, in the theme of the closing track, “Tonsil.” THE COMPOUND has a special mailorder edition of the EP limited to 30 copies with the will printed on paper bag brown. [The Compound] – $7 – ORDER

LAE – Break The Clasp [CD PREORDER — RELEASE DATE 11/25] – Performing under their original moniker, LAE-TSEU, the outfit now known as LAE impacted the Quebec art and post-hardcore/emo/indie circuits in the apocalypse-ready Y2K era of the mid 1990s. In mid-2013, the band went through an incredible rebirth, completely re-envisioning their original songs with new life knowledge and a ravenous hunger to make them better than ever. To capture this soundtrack, the band contracted Steve Austin (Today Is The Day), flying him and an arsenal of gear from his Austin Enterprises from Maine to record in Ablasou’s wood shop, utilizing acoustic and electric guitars, trumpet, saws, multiple electric organs and pianos and more to capture their long-awaited full-length, fully recorded on an arsenal of vintage analog equipment. However, during the recording process, Austin ended up performing lead vocals to the entire album in addition to other musical contributions. Mastered at Austin Enterprises and enshrouded with artwork by Sonny Kay (The VSS, Angel Hair, Gold Standard Laboratories label), LAE’s Break The Clasp will finally see release. Encompassing nearly fifty-three minutes of unearthly, heartbreaking, psychedelic audio artistry, while fans of Three Mile Pilot, Swans, Sonic Youth, Unwound, Slint, Shellac and more will be instantly hooked by these tales of love, devotion and loss, Break The Clasp is an incredible experience, the record unfathomably original and unlike anything you’ll experience this year. Preorders for the eco-friendly, 6-panel spot-varnish digipak CD are now live, and preorders for the massive 180-gram gatefold 2xLP (coming in February) digital as well as digital versions will be available any day. [The Compound/Battleground] – [CD – $11] – PREORDER

View and order physical copies of our entire label roster including additional titles not listed here, including ENABLER, GODHUNTER, COP PROBLEM, DIE CHOKING, VISE MASSACRE and more RIGHT HERE.

EARSPLIT DISTRO
+ Stock Updates +

ANTIGAMA / THE KILL / NOISEAR 3-Way Split [CD] – The spectacular 3-way split between ANTIGAMA (Poland), THE KILL (Australia) and NOISEAR (USA) is here to feed the grind masses yearning for outrageous noise! With 17 blistering songs clocking in around 25 minutes, this is a maximum dose of unadulterated grindcore. [Selfmadegod] – $10 – ORDER

THE BODY & THOU – Released From Love [LP] – A collaborative effort between apocalyptic/experimental doom duo, THE BODY, and Baton Rouge’s noise-soaked doom/sludge quintet, THOU, with three original tracks and a cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “Coward.” A vinyl-only release, pressed on 180-gram black vinyl with heavyweight covers and letter-pressed inserts; first pressing. [Vinyl Rites] – $13 – ORDER

BRUTAL BLUES – Brutal Blues [CD] – This Norwegian duo delivers blisteringly fast, raw, cutting-edge grindcore devastation. Fans of Discordance Axis, Antigama and other boundary-pushing tech/grind metal need to be in the know on this one. [Selfmadegod] – $8 – ORDER

CALM HATCHERY – Fading Reliefs [CD] – The third album from Polish death metal quintet. Forty minutes of utterly destructive new material, recorded, mixed and mastered at famous Hertz Studio (Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated). Fans of Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, Nile and Immolation, GET THIS. Imported from Poland. [Selfmadegod] – $10 – ORDER

DRUNK DAD – Ripper Killer [LP] – Want to hear what Kurt Cobain throwing the Butthole Surfers and Melvins in a wood chipper sounds like? Behold the debut LP from Portland-based fuck-you-all-wave scuzz concocters, including harsh noise specialist Redneck. 180-gram LP including a 12” x 24” poster/insert and digital download code. [Eolian Empire] – $15 – ORDER

ENCOFFINATION – III: Hear Me, O’ Death. (Sing Thou Wretched Choirs) [CD] – The third album from US death/doom duo takes their seismic, claustrophobic hell to new levels of levels, adding vocal choirs, organs and other harrowing elements. Members of (Black Pentagram Cult, Father Befouled, Festered, Scaremaker, Vomitchapel, more). Imported from Poland. [Selfmadegod] – $10 – ORDER

GREY SKIES FALLEN – The Many Sides Of Truth [CD / LP] – The sixth release from from NYC’s epic death/doom quintet, a brooding and scathing blend of black, death and doom metal, here packing a wealth of crushing cross-genre dynamics into a thirty-eight minute, zero-filler album. Available on both digipak CD and black 12” vinyl with alternate cover art. [Xanthos Music] – [CD – $8] ORDER | [LP – $15] ORDER

GRIDLINK – Longhena [CD] – The swansong album from futurist grindcore outfit featuring members of Discordance Axis, Human Remains, Phobia, Noisear, Burnt By The Sun, PLF and more. Awe-inspiring, over-the-top, incredibly fast and diverse grind; features guest vocals from Paul Pavlovich of Assück. Mastered by James Plotkin (Khanate). Ecopak CD imported from Germany; not many of these stateside… [Selfmadegod] – $12 – ORDER

PISS VORTEX – Piss Vortex [LP] – A DISTRO EXCLUSIVE; this is the only place to get it in the US. The Copenhagen-based grinders unload debilitating, majestic filth; an abrasive amalgamation of the blastbeat-driven fury of old-school grindcore, the filthy twang of noise rock and the mind-bending intricacy of early-00’s chaotic hardcore. 12” black vinyl LP limited to 350 copies; [Indisciplinarian] – $16 – ORDER

PYRRHON – An Excellent Servant But a Terrible Master [CD] – The debut album from current Relapse Records recording artist, NYC-based experimental/tech metal outfit, PYRRHON, a nightmarish blend of clanging death metal with surreal psychedelic elements, jazz rhythms, and delirious storytelling. [Selfmadegod] – $10 – ORDER

SECRET CUTTER – Self Titled [LP] – Ten tracks of ravenous Deadguy/Converge/Godflesh-inspired metalcore/sludge delivered in a corrosive, feedback-soaked Eyehategod/Khanate-inspired wall of overamplification. Black 12” LP limited to 250 copies; includes digital download. [Bethlehem Rust] – $15 – ORDER

THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE – Piling Up [CD] – The fourth album from this project of Swedish death metal madman, Roger “Rogga” Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Putrevore, Revolting, Down Among The Dead Men, Megascavenger, Bone Gnawer, etc.) and Dennis Blomberg (Down Among The Dead Men, Paganizer). Ten songs of powerful, sinister death metal for fans of Hypocrisy, Malevolent Creation and Grave. [Selfmadegod] – $10 – ORDER

UFOMAMMUT – XV [DVD], ORO – Opus Primum [LP], ORO – Opus Alter [LP], Idolum [2xLP], Eve [LP], Lucifer Songs [CD/DVD, LP], Snailking [CD] – We got a SICK resupply of UFOMAMMUT titles imported from Italy courtesy of the band’s label, Supernatural Cat. The packages included UFOMAMMUT’s brand new XV DVD with more than three hours of live footage, interviews and more, documenting their fifteenth year in existence. Also just in are copies of the band’s second album, Snailking on CD, their third album, Lucifer Songs, on LP as well as CD/DVD combo, LP versions of the band’s recent double album ORO – Opus Primum & Opus Alter, as well as vinyl restocks of Eve LP and Idolum 2xLP. [Supernatural Cat] – [XV DVD – $20] ORDER | [OROOpus Primum LP – $20] ORDER – [OROOpus Alter LP – $20] ORDER | [Eve LP – $20] ORDER | Eve CD – $14] ORDER | [Idolum 2xLP – $30] ORDER |[Lucifer Songs CD/DVD – $16] ORDER | [Lucifer Songs LP – $20] ORDER | [Snailking CD – $14] ORDER

For all distro, label or PR inquiries contact dave@earsplitcompound.com.

THE EARSPLIT COMPOUND

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