DOWNLOAD: The Minus Tide - Anakuklosis

Following the release of their debut EP The Rock Autopsy Has Begun, The Minus Tide put out a pair of split releases on vinyl - one with Morgantown's Turn Around Norman and one with Pankration. Before the band went on hiatus in 2005 to pursue other projects, they released this exceptional 10-song album on Action Driver Records.

The album is currently being re-mixed by the band, who are considering options for re-releasing it.

"Weird, scary, heavy, brutal and awesome. If only every other crappy metal/hardcore hybrid band could look toward The Minus Tide for inspiration. " - Punk Planet

"Genre-defining. This sonic monster is merciless." - Bettawreckonize.com

"A monster of a concept album... Anakuklosis is a balls-out testimony of the digital age." - The Emory Wheel

"Complex, brutal and expertly played, Anakuklosis is a solid collection of precision-tuned chaos." - Splendid E-Zine

"A short and sweet romp through the fields of ambitious, challenging metalcore." - Deep Fry Bonanza

"I'm not really sure what Anakuklosis means, but I'm going to guess it's something along the lines of 'if you thought our last record was awesome, prepare to have your face melted.' ...The new standard for bands creating this kind controlled chaos." - Smother.net

Artist: The Minus Tide

Album: Anakuklosis

Year: 2004

For Fans Of: Converge, Botch, Mastodon

DOWNLOAD: The Minus Tide - Anakuklosis

WATCH: The Minus Tide live in Marietta, Ohio, 2004

Yesterday I posted the debut EP from Wheeling sci-fi metallic hardcore band The Minus Tide, one of the finest heavy music acts ever from West Virginia. Looking at the photo above, one may not take them very seriously. But watching the video below of a performance of their song "100% Fatality" from the band's split with Turn Around Norman (link courtesy of Dana White) gives you an decent idea of how powerful their music was. Tomorrow I will be posting the band's full length album Anakuklosis.

DOWNLOAD: The Minus Tide - The Rock Autopsy Has Begun

The Minus Tide has been mentioned plenty on this blog in relation to Killed at Camp, M Iafrate or Drown Culture. They've been mentioned not only because of their relation to great bands from the Wheeling area, but because The Minus Tide still stands as one of West Virginia's finest ever metal/hardcore acts.

Setting itself apart by combining influences of metal, hardcore, emo and rock. Using dueling guitar leads seesawed with heavy, crunchy riffs is nothing new to metalcore. The Minus Tide took it to a new level blending it 16-bit sounding synths adding to the music's menacing, cerebral feel. It is this element combined with throat-melting screamo vocals and conceptual lyrics that created the band's otherworldly sci-fi metal style.

The Rock Autopsy Has Begun, the out-of-print six-track EP released in 2002, is where it all started. It takes thirteen seconds of creepy tension-building synth/guitar sounds before the power of The Minus Tide's songwriting and musical brilliance is apparent. The music is confrontational and abrasive but technical and rhythmic. While some technical metallic hardcore acts such as Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan or Zao may turn away some listeners with seemingly chaotic noise, The Minus Tide is a rock band at heart with mid-'90s emo sensibilities. It is this that setsthe band apart from other metalcore outfits. Their songs, though dramatic and fierce, are listenable, which attributed to the success of their short-lived career. I will continue to post their records over the next week.

Artist: The Minus Tide

Album: The Rock Autopsy Has Begun

Year: 2002

For Fans Of: Converge, Iron Maiden, Zao

DOWNLOAD: The Minus Tide - The Rock Autopsy Has Begun

WATCH: The Minus Tide live in Charleston, S.C.

Formed around 2001, The Minus Tide made an instant splash in West Virginia and the region, which had been overwhelmed with watered-down metalcore acts. Comprised of members of defunct Wheeling bands Killed At Camp and Horns To the Matador, The Minus Tide blended metal, screamo, rock and science fiction thrust into the face of the band's listeners by dualing guitars, synth effects and tormented vocals. In five years, The Minus Tide recorded progressively interesting and challenging records, and developed a strong following on the East Coast, before going on hiatus for the members' personal pursuits.

Here is a 23-minute video (year unkown) of The Minus Tide playing a show in Charleston, South Carolina. Though the quality is sub-par, it gives you an idea of the power and precision of one of West Virginia's most talent and creatively unique bands.