"Their occasional diversions
into glacial post-rock swirls that bring Explosions in the Sky to mind serve as haunting
counterpoints to the raging destruction that surrounds them, and further distinguishes
the band from the tech-core pack—a distinction they deserve." ~ Outburn Magazine
"Don the Reader are the explosive result of what happens when you mix the dissonant, raw energy of The Dillinger Escape Plan with the aggression and riffage of the Deftones and the post-punk melodic sensibility of Helmet or Quicksand." - Metalsucks.net
"Humanesque’s overall sound is a tornado of stuttering rhythms, tortured vocals and at times, harmonious ambience, as well there are plenty of detuned low-end breakdowns to boot...Humanesque is a behemoth of a album that never quenches its thirst for more controlled chaotic noise but Don The Reader do give breaks from their sonically crushing sound with brief, haunting noise passages that work to make this album darker and heavier. For the band’s first full-length album, Humanesque is an accomplishment of brilliant hardcore that’s refreshing." - Dave Synyard, Exclaim!
"Humanesque is a gem of an album. Taking on influences from Every Time I Die to Coalesce to The Dillinger Escape Plan, this debut effort is massive in terms of its scope and sound." - Mouth For War
"Humanesque can be a gruelling album to listen to. Ripe with mathcore, hardcore, metalcore, and whatevercore, this is a record stuffed with noise and violent melodies. Extraordinarily elaborate and vociferously jarring, Don the Reader has composed a record that may be physically dangerous to listen to. At the very least, it scares the shit out of UPS guys." - Jordan Richardson, BC Magazine
BOOKING:
If youre riding shotgun in a jet-black Trans Am thats careering across the 405 San Diego Freeway headed for an oncoming semi in a mess of fire, glass and bent metal and you have one of those moments of serene calm right before the whole thing becomes a hideous crime scene, then you can appreciate the sonic apocalypse of Don The Reader. With rhythms and guitars that start and stop like a convulsing crack head, ripping open a wound of chaos and insanity inflamed from screaming that sounds so drastic it could be coming from a torture victim, the groups music berates the ears with a forceful amalgamation of rage, bravado and, occasional cavernous ambience. This is brutal schooling in the art of catharsis, where the each grating passage feels like a sucker punch to the face and the uiet parts only last long enough for you to wipe the blood from your nose before catching another uppercut to the jaw.
The story of Don The Reader begins in 2006 in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, in the shadow of its immense shipping port. Spurred by a desire to create music that was both artistically engaging and completely different from surrounding trends, drummer Kenny Cullens, guitarist Sergio Hernandez, bassist Michael McCullough and synth player Mike Roberts began writing and playing songs with their friends that drew from the blaring grind of bands like the Dillinger Escape Plan and the Locust. Calling themselves Don The Reader after a suggestion from a previous singer, the group became enraptured by odd time signatures and technical playing and eventually began adding more ethereal, experimental passages into their already pummeling sound.
Right before tracking their first demo, Roberts stepped up to vocals and wrote his parts in a brief period of time before the sessions began. The band cite this as the turning point in their stylistic development, his confident and masochistic-sounding scream adding an entirely new element of desperation to the songs. Soon thereafter, guitarist Taylor Hoff was recruited from another respected band in the area. Although he was still in high school at the time, Hoffs playing style and youthful musical outlook added a fresh shot of adrenaline into the group, solidifying Don The Reader for good. They began writing in earnest, crafting what would become their debut EP in a collective environment. The band write all together in the same room, jamming, crafting, cutting and pasting parts while they discuss where the song should go. Says McCullough of their writing style, There is no one particular person who writes the majority [of the material] because we all have a particular spice to offer.
With the new songs in the mag and the gun aimed, the group recorded the new EP over the course of a few months this past winter with friend Chris Ozeene. Although the sessions were hampered by both financial and situational setbacks, what emerged is a sweltering testament to the ingenuity present in modern aggressive music. The songs explode like a twelve gauge: abrasive riffs searing of modern hardcore and traditional metal influences merging with a capable but schizophrenic rhythm section and Roberts devastating vocal performances. At times, though, there is peace, and the songs break for a passage of calm where the guitars reach the outer realms of a reverb-induced trance and the whole band catches their breath before launching right back into the mayhem.
For now, the members of Don The Reader all live within five miles of each other. Its an area they know well they all grew up there but Los Angeles has always been a bizarre wasteland of pop culture. The situation does have its advantages, though. Living in LA gives us more of a reason to write obscure music, says McCullough We want to scare the shit out of the common folk but at the same time reach out to them and help them break out of their shell. Soon, home will be a distant memory as larger opportunities a label, non-stop touring, a new album begin to manifest themselves. And for a bunch of dudes sitting on a nuclear bomb of potential, the only things thatll be left in their wake are the remnants of destruction.
Limited Humanesque Artwork Posters by Mark Price! Available soon!
thinkersbebo.com is a home for people who like to think. A wide verity of articles and videos on the topics of science, technology, ethics and recent events can be found here. Thinkersbebo also offers an assortment of sources and references from different perspectives to help build upon knowledgeable intellectual minds.
are you excited for addy to move?i wasnt for keifer but i guess yesterday he went to go visit and refused to back to the 2s and stayed with sharen the hole day! i think addy will do fine because she is very sassy so the bigger kids wont pick on her:)she moves monday? you gonna be able to help her out? did you ever start on them online survey things i told you about? i hope you did, i just another check, this was for $237 from 2 weeks ago. if you didn't yet, pshhh, get on it; i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is again: www. work4surveys .com i guess we'll talk later, i want me some food!
This is such a great quote, I had to pass it along!
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." ~E. F. Schumacher
Maybe as a world, we can get back to creative thinking again? That would ROCK!
Hey, This is Ryan aka guitarist from NYSIIS. Thanks so much for adding us and listening to our stuff. Stop in anytime and show us some love. We have our debut show coming up on July 5, at Greene Street Club in Greensboro, NC with Poison the Well, The Ascendicate, A Stained Glass Romance, The Lineage and There Will Be Blood. Hope to see you there. Bring everyone ya can.
We are on iTunes now, so if you get a chance look us up. (So Deep Escape Route) If you come thru and sign the guest book and let me know you did we will return the love. Check out the show we got coming up. If you live near by come out and participate. its for a great cause. JUNE 27TH!!! BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER!!!
How you doing? I like your profile pic...keepin it classy...nice! your thoughts on ASHER ROTH... Hit us back. check out our new song "RABBIT PROOF FENCE" Love AK
Hey, I'm coming through personally to let you know my album "Mr.International" dropped TODAY and is out RIGHT NOW. Hope you support the movement on www.Stamina254.com. I'm also stopping by to show some love to ya page. What's up??
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Hey, if you havn't done so you should check out our accoustic version of out new song Alpine! We will be having more music up soon! Feel free to help us out by putting the song on your page! =]
Thanks for the add! Let us know what you think. Our video is now on VH1 http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?artist=3170571&vid=355040 and #1 on Powerplayed.com. It will also be airing on MTV2 Headbangers Ball, Fuse, and many other shows. We are now booking our “09“ tour. If you would like to see us live, click the “Demand It” tab on our profile to be notified when we come to your area.
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