NEON BASTARD debut out now (+giveaway), new RED SPAROWES and way more!

We're excited to announce that a new Robotic Empire label release is now available, this time from New Zealand beasts NEON BASTARD! Meikhaus is the name of their album and CD is the circular format we've released it on. There's 11 tracks within 22 minutes, so that should say something about the frenzied pace of this maniacal debut. We're talkin furious punk, raging hardcore, stoney riffs, gritty noise rock and blasting powerviolence attacks.

Incidentally this is the second gnarly band from magical the land of kiwis that we've worked with, the first being last year's crushing debut EP from DIAL, whom NEON BASTARD share a guitar player. Incestious yes, but damn good jams of a very different nature are found on Meikhaus. The first 50 brave orderers will also get a free 1" NEON BASTARD button. Also: the first person to accurately guess what band (& release) NEON BASTARD have blatantly plagiarized on their album cover gets a FREE copy of said album!

* This is available now in the Robotic Empire - Online Store
* You can hear two tracks here, or possibly here (if you can find the player)
* Tracks from NEON BASTARD, DIAL and 16 others can be found now on our FREE Robotic Empire Label Sampler 2k10. Lil Jon approved!


Decibel Magazine was kind enough to give Meikhaus a nice little review too, found in the current issue with REFUSED on the cover. The detailed history of their landmark The Shape of Punk to Come album is a pretty good read as well. Pick that up here.

Beyond that overdue new label activity, we've also got a really solid update for the Robotic Empire - Online Store this week. Almost everything new is notable on some level, but standouts include the new PIZZA er... uh TEENS IN TROUBLE cassette (wtf name change / no more slices?!), new RED SPAROWES on both CD and vinyl, TAIGA import LP (Cliff from ISIS/RED SPAROWES/WINDMILLS BY THE OCEAN solo ambient glory), more imports and even more killer imports. Several screamo and doomy restocks as well, here ya go:

NEW ITEMS:
* Ancient VVisdom / Charles Manson - Split - 1-Sided GREY COLOREED VINYL 12" (Withdrawl) $11.99
* Gnaw Their Tongues - L'arrivÈe De La Terne Mort Triomphante CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Hot Cross - Risk Revival - YELLOW COLORED VINYL 12" (Destructure) $16.99
* Knut - Wonder 12" (Conspiracy) $13.99
* Knut - Wonder CD (Conspiracy) $12.99
* Lords - F' All Y'all Motherf'rs - WHITE COLORED VINYL 12" (Destructure) $17.99
* Neon Bastard - Meikhaus CD (Robotic Empire) $5.99
* Reaching Away - Push Away The Moon 12" (McMurtrey) $10.99
* Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer 12" (Conspiracy) $14.99
* Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer CD (Conspiracy) $12.99
* Summer Pledge - You Are You 12" (Self Released) $7.99
* Taiga - Hsheal 12" (Conspiracy) $14.99
* Teens In Trouble [aka Pizza] - Self-Titled Cassette (Self Released) $4.99
* Wolves In The Throne Room - Black Cascade - PICTURE DISC VINYL 2x12" (Conspiracy) $25.99

RESTOCKS:
* A Day In Black And White / Golden Birds - Split 7" (Paranoid) $4.99
* Amanda Woodward - Meurt La Soif - BROWN COLORED VINYL 7" (Paranoid) $4.99
* Geisha - Die Verbrechen Der Liebe CD (Crucial Blast) $5.99
* Geisha - Mondo Dell'Orrore CD (Crucial Blast) $7.99
* Giants - Old Stories - SPLATTER COLORED VINYL 12" (Cavity) $9.99
* Hot Cross - Risk Revival - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 12" (Paranoid) $16.99
* Hot Cross / The Holy Shroud - Split - PICTURE DISC 7" (Paranoid) $5.99
* Kowloon Walled City - Turk Street - RED BLACK HAZE COLORED VINYL 10" (Wordclock) $7.99
* Lords / Karysun - Split - RED COLORED VINYL 10" (Destructure) $16.99
* Monarch - Dead Men Tell No Tales 2xCD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness CD (Crucial Blast) $9.99
* Souvenirs Young America - An Ocean Without Water CD (Crucial Blast) $7.99

Also worth noting is our insane-o blowout sale on some Robo catalog titles (plus a few others recently discounted). Get em while they're cheap!

* A Life Once Lost - Open Your Mouth For The Speechless CD $.99
* A Life Once Lost - The Fourth Plague: Flies CDep $.99
* An Albatross - London: Live! Test Press Version - COLORED VINYL 12" $19.99
* An Albatross - London: Live! - COLORED VINYL 12" $12.99
* A Storm Of Light / Nadja - Primitive North [split] - PHOSPHORESCENCE COLORED VINYL 2x12"+CD $16.99
* Bad Secrets - Self-Titled - 9"+CD ALL VINYL VERSIONS - $9.99
* Big Business - Mind The Drift - BLACK VINYL 12" $19.99
* Black Cross - Sink, Knives and Chrome CDep $4.99
* Black Cross - Severance Pays CD $8.99
* Cannabis Corpse - Tube Of The Resinated 12" *ALL VINYL VERSIONS* $11.99
* Capsule - Self-Titled (Tape + Demo + Tour + More) 12" *ALL VINYL VERSIONS* $10.99
* Clouds - We Are Above You - 2x12"+CD $14.99
* Coliseum - Goddamage CD $5.99
* Ghastly City Sleep - Self-Titled 12" *ALL VINYL VERSIONS* $9.99
* Hewhocorrupts - Midi of Profits USB Bracelet $12.99
* Pelican / These Arms Are Snakes - Split - BLACK VINYL 10" $9.99
* Thou - Baton Rouge, You Have Much To Answer For - BLACK VINYL 12" $10.99
* Tideland - Asleep In The Graveyard 12" ALL VINYL VERSIONS $9.99
* Tideland - Pancake - T-Shirt ALL SIZES $9.99
* Torche - Bear - T-Shirt ALL SIZES $10.99
* Torche - In Return - ''Flies' T-Shirt ALL SIZES $10.99
* Torche - In Return - 10"+CD ALL VINYL VERSIONS $11.99
* Torche - Possessed - T-Shirt ALL SIZES $10.99
* Versoma - Life During Wartime 12" ALL VINYL VERSIONS $4.99


Thanks for checking out this latest update, peace!

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"punishing heavy riffage" (aka, more DIAL press content & band update!)

"Tali Williams scorched-earth vocals - grips you by the collar and shakes... a math-rock dirge with punishing heavy riffage."

Yet another posi DIAL review (read the whole thing here). This New Zealand outfit's near-unanimous praise amongst audio-heathens only fuels the excitement about what they're cooking up next. Quote the band themselves:

"In terms of playing - we were always a band that cared more about getting material together we were happy with than maintaining a live presence. This coupled with no solid practice space, wanting to learn how to record our own material and refreshing and re-formatting to a non-rock format that doesn't require a drummer (and all the upskilling that requires while being very busy people) has meant that it has taken a while, yes, but we are all stronger musicians because of it and the depth of the music has increased as a result. We are hoping for a return towards the end of the year and another release shortly after."

There you have it, DIAL is definitely working on more material, and we can't wait to hear what they've got in store! In the meantime, please consider picking up their debut EP in our Online Store. Its only 5 bucks and has been getting glowing reviews galore (click here for proof). Still haven't heard them? Two tracks from the EP are streamable here. Thanks.

UPDATE 09/11/09:
Just found another killer review, this time a somewhat profane one from our old brethren of Crucial Blast...

"Not to be confused with the avant-rock band Dial that arose from the ashes of Jacqui Ham's influential no-wave group UT, this Dial is from New Zealand and carries a way bigger stick, weilding their grinding, midpaced metallic noise rock like a studded club smashing through skulls and pulping brains and leaving me altogether kinda winded after this disc's nineteen minutes are up. Damn! These guys first released this five song EP as a demo a while back, but it's now reissued on disc for the rest of the world thanks to those fine folks at Robotic Empire. Dig Am Rep? Drool over the neo-pigfuck/noise rock sound of bands like Hex Machine and Black Elk and the like as hard as I do? Well then, yer going to fucking LOVE THIS. Each one of these jams takes some old school hardcore riffage and pares it down to a ultra-distorted, hypnotic block of super-distorted punishment and proceeds to bulldoze yer face with it for a good three-to-five minutes. The drumming is so goddamn heavy it shakes the speakers, a massive, bludgeoning industrial Swans-style grind, the drummer hammering the skins in controlled slow motion precision, while vocalist Natalia Williams goes completely nuts, her high pitched snarl sounding like she's ready to slit your fucking throat and leave you to drain out in the gutter, you motherfucker, while angular crush and darkly poetic lyrics rain down and the onward machine pound of Dial's music just hammers you deeper into the filth. One of the most ferocious debuts I've heard, like some hyperheavy fusion of Rusted Shut and Unsane and Filth-era Swans, which means ultra recommended."

Cool!

"an incredibly intense sonic experience" (aka, more DIAL press content)

"this is crazy chaotic female fronted math grind metal craziness that RULES" - Aquarius

Aquarius Records didn't say much more, but they pretty much hit the nail on the head. We've scoured the world wide interhole and came across a few more positive DIAL mentions this week:

"regardless of who exactly they sound like, what they sound like is pretty damn good indeed" - the UK's Collective Zine (click to read the whole thing)

"From the get–go, this EP is a punishing affair. Heavily distorted guitars, anguished vocals and powerful rhythms combine to create an incredibly intense sonic experience. The soundscapes draw from hardcore and metal but to label this as metalcore would be unfair. This EP represents something more powerful than either." - DIAL's native New Zealand Punk As website (click to read the whole thing)

Still skeptical? Don't believe the hype? Preview two tracks from the EP on DIAL's myspace page.

In celebration of these favorable reviews (and just for the hell of it) we've knocked a buck off this ferocious DIAL debut for the next 2 days only. Get it for $3.99 (instead of $4.99) now in our Online Store. Thanks!

"an excitingly intense debut - hopefully just the tip of the iceberg from these ear-splitting juggernauts" (aka, DIAL press content)

The first-ever New Zealand review of one of our releases (that we know of) is thankfully positive, and we gotta hand it to DIAL themselves for hooking this one up:

Big ups to Real Groove Magazine for the kind words.

We've been hollering about the beast known only as DIAL for the last few months now... but if you still haven't checked out this kiwi monster, please do us a favor and jam a couple of tracks here.

We're selling their debut CDep for only five bucks, and its available now in our Online Store.

BAD SECRETS - Self-Titled 9"+CD now available (member of YOUNG WIDOWS), "coaster pack" giveaways and Online Store updates!

Only two months late... not too shabby! In reality though, this BAD SECRETS 9"+CD release has seen several major delays and seemed almost cursed at times. Throughout three breakups of people involved in this project (including two divorces) this little beast has somehow pushed through, so we're very relieved to finally have this release in our hands... and for camp Robo to have survived unscathed (sorry guys).

Beyond finally shedding this bad juju, BAD SECRETS debut 9"+CD release turned out pretty awesome. Two-color silk-screened covers, custom 9" records, ridiculous color vinyl, CD of the same jams included, etc, etc. Musically it's a cross between pinnacle shoegazer stuff and lo-fi, psyched out blues... brought to you by folks from YOUNG WIDOWS / BREATHER RESIST and KODAN ARMADA.

All in all we're very happy with how this turned out in the end, and have posted the first track off this sumnabitch on our myspace page.

PRESSING INFO:
* 200 copies of "evil eye" (red / white mix with 1 black "planet" insert)
* 200 copies of "pie chart" (tri-blend split of three different pinks)
* 600 copies of "metallic red" (custom "metallic" pinkish-red color)

Please check out this release (and way more) in our Robotic Empire - Online Store


During these stupid economic times we've been trying to get creative with sales and deals and that kinda thing, to keep things interesting at least. Well this month our shtick is free "coaster packs" for all orders of $30 and more.

Pirates Press was kind enough to send us a small pile of "coasters" made out of some error/damaged vinyl that can result during production. These cut-down vinyl "coasters" are made out of the center label artwork, and a small amount of surrounding vinyl. A variety of different coasters are included in each pack from TORCHE, BAD SECRETS, A STORM OF LIGHT and NADJA. We'll be including these coaster packs with all Online Store orders over $30 until we run out of them. Perfect for your favorite beverage of varying alcohol percentage, or otherwise!


Hot on the heels of the badass ENEMY SOIL review that Decibel Magazine juiced us up with... a killer review of the new DIAL EP! Decibel has been hooking it up for years, but we're especially pumped that they gave this DIAL release a 9 / 10 review! The whole thing can be read here.

We're particularly stoked about this DIAL CDep and are really happy with the nearly unanimous positive press it's received thus far. If you haven't heard this New Zealand monster yet, you can listen to a few tracks on their myspace page, and pick up the release for just 5 bucks in our Online Store.

Beyond all this Robotic Empire-related activity, we've had a pretty killer slew of new releases & restocks hit our mailorder operation this week. Richmond brethren The Perpetual Motion Machine hooked us up with color vinyl copies of their new releases (ANCIENT SKY, THE CATALYST, LITANY FOR THE WHALE, etc) and it looks like we're the only distro besides them that got these stellar releases on colored wax. Also some rad new stuff from ACROSS TUNDRAS, Square Of Opposition/Dead Format Cassettes (including a vinyl release of the LICKGOLDENSKY demo - w t f?), HUMMINGBIRD OF DEATH, a few screamo restocks and more...

NEW ITEMS:
* Across Tundras - Lonesome Wails From The Weeping Willow CD (Forgotten Empire) $7.99
* Across Tundras - Western Sky Ride CD (Saw Her Ghost) $7.99
* Ancient Sky - Self-Titled - BLACK VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $10.99
* Ancient Sky - Self-Titled - CLEAR WITH PINK HAZE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $10.99
* Ancient Sky - Self-Titled - WHITE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $10.99
* Auryn / Bosque - Split 7" (Square Of Opposition) $4.99
* Bad Secrets - Self-Titled - EVIL EYE COLORED VINYL 9"+CD (Robotic Empire $13.99
* Bad Secrets - Self-Titled - METALLIC RED COLORED VINYL 9"+CD (Robotic Empire $13.99
* Bad Secrets - Self-Titled - PIE CHART COLORED VINYL 9"+CD (Robotic Empire $13.99
* Brown Recluse Sings - Selected Hymns Of The Evening Tapestry Cassette (Dead Format) $4.99
* Catalyst, The - Swallow Your Teeth CD (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $7.99
* Catalyst, The - Swallow Your Teeth - BLACK VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $10.99
* Catalyst, The - Swallow Your Teeth - GRIMACE PURPLE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $10.99
* Catalyst, The - Swallow Your Teeth - RED BLACK COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $10.99
* Comadre - A Wolf Ticket CD (Blood Town) $7.99
* Frog Eyes - The Golden River - WHITE COLORED VINYL 12" (Happy Home) $7.99
* Hummingbird of Death - Show Us The Meaning Of Haste CD (To Live A Lie) $8.99
* Lickgoldensky - Demo - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 7" (Square Of Opposition) $6.99
* Lickgoldensky - Demo - PINK COLORED VINYL 7" (Square Of Opposition) $6.99
* Litany For The Whale - Dolores - COKE BOTTLE CLEAR WITH BLACK HAZE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99
* Litany For The Whale - Dolores - RED WITH BLACK HAZE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99
* Litany For The Whale - Dolores - WHITE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99
* Masato Tanaka / Pocket Gallows - Split 12" (Square Of Opposition) $9.99
* Mischief Brew - Boiling Breakfast Early Cassette (Dead Format) $4.99
* Oktober Skyline / Get To The Chopper - Split 7" (Square Of Opposition) $4.99
* Paramedic - Demo 2008 Cassette (Dead Format) $4.99
* Souvenir's Young America / City Of Ships - Split - AMBER MARBLE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99
* Souvenir's Young America / City Of Ships - Split - BLACK BROWN COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99
* Souvenir's Young America / City Of Ships - Split - DARK RED MARBLE COLORED VINYL 12" (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99
* Yo Man Go - Life Lessons 7" (Square Of Opposition) $4.99

RESTOCKS:
* Alcest - Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde - BROWN COLORED VINYL 12" (Hyperrealist) $14.99
* Comadre - The Youth CD (Blood Town) $7.99
* Gods & Queens - Untitled CASSETTE (Dead Format) $4.99
* Snack Truck - Harpoon CD (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $7.99
* South, The / Hypatia - Split 12" *VINYL* (Square of Opposition) $7.99
* Sparrows Swarm And Sing - Untitled #2 CD (The Perpetual Motion Machine) $9.99

ITEMS NEWLY ON SALE:
* Blues - Snakepit - BLACK BEER COLORED VINYL 12" (1912) $14.99
* Blues - Snakepit - OPAQUE BROWN BEER COLORED VINYL 12" (1912) $14.99

Phew! Pretty substantial update this time, and really excited to finally have a NEW VINYL RELEASE available as well after so many re-presses and re-issues. Everyone please give the BAD SECRETS 9"+CD a chance, as its a crazy release to say the least! Peace.

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"This is a capable band, confident beyond its years. Most demos don't display this level of power." (aka, more press love for DIAL)

The press response for DIAL's debut EP has been overwhelmingly positive so far. A couple more reviews just came in...

From INVISIBLE ORANGES:
The members of New Zealand's Dial probably grew up during the peak of AmRep. ... True to the form, Dial don't integrate much variety into songs. The rhythm section anchors throbbing tempos. Guitars grind along with shrieked vocals. The lockstep, stuttering opener "If You're Not Battling, You're Dead" sets the tone with machine-like pounding that sounds like it was wound in barbed wire. ... This is a capable band, confident beyond its years. Most demos don't display this level of power.
Read the whole INVISIBLE ORANGES review here

From LAMBGOAT:
Dial's demo-turned-debut-EP is an excellent start. It's heavy, pissed off, and noisy in some of the best ways possible. ... Dial is Unsane heavier, The Jesus Lizard with less guitar lines and more riffs, and the Melvins more pissed off all rolled into one. Few new bands have this much potential, so I want more. A lot more.
Read the whole LAMBGOAT review here

Decibel Magazine review in the next issue too! Stoked to see what they have to say.

To anyone who's now convinced DIAL is worth checking out, we've got this debut EP available for just $4.20 until the end of the month. Please pick up a copy in our Online Store. Haven't heard them yet? Jam a couple tracks on our myspace page.

John Peel's son likes DIAL, plays a couple tracks on the BBC!

The legendary and influential British radio DJ John Peel has a son, Tom Ravenscroft, who filled in for someone else at the BBC6 over the weekend... and he played two tracks from DIAL's debut EP:

Friday: 0:37.33 = "Sweating"

Saturday: 0:32.59 = "If You're Not Battling, You're Dead"

Quote the man himself: "very very good, indeed" and we couldn't really agree more! He also called Robotic Empire a "lovely" label. Too cool.

The DIAL debut CDep is on sale for $4.20 until the end of the month. Please check it out in our Online Store!

"do you prefer to drill epileptic blows the mind?"

Google Translator rules... turned this DIAL review into this:

-Dial "Dial"

I must admit that my only prior experience with New Zealand music (at least to remember at this time) is through the brilliant Shiha, a large banda totally recommended for those who enjoy the quality of Grunge. The Dial (even if the connections are obvious nineties) passes the other. This debut ep is just the demo of the trio now reissued by Robotic Empire, and it will find the five most sick, violent and oppressive Noise-Rock. And, while maintaining this level for me to continue. So, do you want to leak distorted guitar riffs and vomit as thick as dissonant? Do seek the dizzying pace of Shellac? Or do you prefer to drill epileptic blows the mind? Are they wet just thinking about bombacha of pure feedback thrown ball with the precision timing of a machine gun? Are you looking for a female voice completely deranged, broken and hysterical? And prefer accompanied by male chorus in the form of wild screams? And what they tell me that under inducing diarrhea each immediate intervention? Ok, we have references, as appropriate. Unsane, The Jesus Lizard, Shellac mentioned, Helmet, Silvefish (the indispensable reference for any of the banda genre with a girl in front), as crude Neurosis and even some of the unrestrained violence of gangs or Deadguy such as Rorschach, pioneers in So bring on the Noise-Rock Hardcore heavier. But none of those names achieves promising obscure the personality of the group. And certainly the fact that the songs are similar in intensity and exhibits psychosis desencajada helps. Check (one more time. ... Are) the heaviest and most extreme music this is not Metal.
--------------
Not too shabby (we think). To celebrate, all $4.99 items in our Online Store (including the DIAL CDep... and almost every 7" & cassette tape we carry) are now discounted to $4.20 until the end of the month. ¡Olé!

Badass DIAL review in Rock Sound magazine

United Kingdom's Rock Sound magazine was rad enough to do a small preview and review of the DIAL CDep... here's what they had to say:



Not too shabby! To anyone who hasn't checked out this crucial debut just yet, we've got it available in the Robotic Empire - Online Store for only 5 bucks. This EP is also available for FREE with our "buy 1 get 1 free" CD offer that we've got running until the end of the month. More details for that can also be found at our Online Store. Thanks!

another favorable DIAL review... plus three more!

Eric Loranger @ absolutepunk.net was kind enough to review 4 releases of ours, and here's a segment of the DIAL review:

"...chords you’ve never heard of and a steady drone that never really goes away. The slow stomp of tracks like “Silent Holy War” can best be summarized as 'evil'. There are mathy elements all over the place, but the main focus is the mood and the power of a well-executed discord or two. Really good stuff. Simple, yes, but totally uncompromising."

Totally uncompromising! We'd definitely describe the debut DIAL recordings the same way, and are really happy with people's overall reaction to the band thus far. The CDep is available now too, so please pick it up if you have 5 bucks to spare!

Two tracks from this EP are still streaming at our myspace page (and another one at the band's myspace page), and if you like what you hear, its available now in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

OTHER CRAP:
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Robotic Empire's news blog/archive
Robotic Obscurities free audio archive
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Robotic Empire Wholesale
Robotic Empire's main website

another #1 spot for TORCHE...

Half a year after landing Decibel magazine's #1 spot for album of the year, TORCHE is back with a new #1 position...


HOLY SMOKES! Out of over 3000 different projects and 2 million+ records made, Pirates Press head honcho (and good dawg of ours) Eric Mueller has picked TORCHE's In Return 10"+CD as the #1 most essential release that they've pressed! This is an incredible honor to us, and we're beyond stoked as this is another way to celebrate the recent 4th (!) pressing of TORCHE's In Return 10"+CD, which is now available in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

The image above is a segment of the new Alternative Press feature on Pirates Press, and you can read the whole thing here. Whether you love or hate them, there's no denying that Pirates Press came out of nowhere and completely changed the world of vinyl... for both underground and mainstream collectors and fans. We're really happy to have been able to work with Eric and the Pirates for over four years now, and are honored that they picked In Return as the #1 most essential release that they've pressed! Thank you!!

Another label release has been getting press attention too: the new DIAL self titled EP has been showing up in reviewers mail boxes, and we're pretty psyched on this Hex review that just surfaced:

"One of the only words I can use to describe this is ‘suffocating’. Everything sounds so dense and evil all at once, and carries through the entirety of this five song EP. Mish-mashing stop-go noise rock with almost tribal, repetitive and trance-like drumming Dial can ride a single riff for a whole song, but tastefully keep most of them reigned in at the three minute mark. Therefore, the sonic pounding lasts just long enough to keep you wanting more, yet breaks you down the same way a drone band would... minus the boring part. It’s a sonic, primal beating from out of nowhere and I feel like I ought to join an end of the world cult after hearing this..."

Two tracks from this EP are still streaming at our myspace page (and another one at the band's myspace page), and if you like what you hear we're only asking 5 bucks for this CDep. It is available now in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

Thanks!

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New releases from DIAL, TORCHE, huge store updates, etc!

Our first standalone-CD release in a long time is officially coming out next week... and since our distributor Revolver is shipping the debut DIAL release to stores and distros now, we're ready to announce this killer CDep is available now direct through Robotic Empire's Online Store.

This 5-song EP was originally recorded as the New Zealand band's demo, but once we heard it last year it was apparent that more people needed to know about DIAL. Absolutely crushing without being overtly "metal" or "hardcore", maybe more reminiscent of the "math rock" heyday... but WAY heavier. 2 of the 5 tracks are available to check out on the band's myspace page and through the week we will post a different streaming song on our own myspace page. Here's the planned schedule and EP track listing:

1. If You're Not Battling You're Dead = streaming TODAY (Monday)
2. Holy Silent Ruin = Tuesday
3. Always at the Border = Wednesday (also streaming now on the band's myspace page)
4. Sweating = Thursday
5. Permanent Opium War = Friday (also streaming now on the band's myspace page)

We definitely wish it was a bit longer than 20 minutes, but regardless of its relatively short length this is a phenomenal debut recording and we're proud to present it to you. We're only asking $4.99 for this fully packaged CDep, so if you like what you hear please check it out in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

Although the BAD SECRETS debut 9"+CD was supposed to drop at the same time, some delays with the screen printed covers has pushed this back a month. It'll be worth the wait though, and should be available on July 6th.


In other new/old release news, we've just received the beautiful 4th pressing (!) of the landmark TORCHE In Return 10"+CD release. It's amazing to think that this record almost didn't happen, and that in the end it turned out the way that it did. Personally this is one of our favorite Robo releases, both in music and packaging, and are very happy to have it available again. Of course we pressed it on ridiculous colored vinyl (duh), and here's the pressing info for this 4th press:

* 200 of POLLEN (translucent yellow & orangey mix with weird spots)
* 200 of WING SHADOW (clear w/ black winged blob insert)
* 400 of AMOEBA SEA (half cokebottle blue, half cokebottle green with faint spots)
* 400 of CREEPING MOON (light yellow w/ one random "planet" insert - looks nuts!)
* 400 of POMEGRANATE (semi-translucent maroon)
* 400 of PULP (swirly translucent pink with red spots)

That "wing shadow" was supposed to be a laser cut "bee" insert but it turned out a little differently than we anticipated. Regardless, this whole pressing is pretty badass and the photo above doesn't really do any of the colors justice. Some more up-close photos can be found on the items individual pages in the Robotic Empire - Online Store.

While that's the main new label-related activity for this update, we'd also like to highlight the new CANNABIS CORPSE t-shirts we recently pressed:

In addition to the older "Skullbong" and "Bud Monsters" designs that we just re-printed, this gnarly new "Cop Chiller" design is the first full-color t-shirt we've ever printed! Barf Callahan (check out his new skate magazine) delivered again with this amazing design of the infamous budmonster smoking out of a severed-cop-head-bong! W T F it doesn't get much more ridiculous than that! These are available now in a variety of sizes (XXL down through YL/XS) so check it out!

Besides all the record label activity we've had a small mountain of awesome stuff come in for the Robotic Empire - Online Store over the past few weeks. Here's the latest in crucial vinyl, CDs, tapes, etc:

NEW ITEMS:
* A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag - RED WITH BLACK SPLATTER COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $14.99
* Annihilation Time - III: Tales of the Ancient Age 12" (Tee Pee) $13.99
* Atomic Bitchwax, The - 4 - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 12" (Tee Pee) $13.99
* Austin Lucas - Somebody Loves You - GOLD COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $14.99
* Avail - 4AM Friday - GREY COLORED VINYL 2x12" (Suburban Home) $15.99
* Avail - Dixie - CLEAR COLORED VINYL 2x12" (Suburban Home) $15.99
* Avail - Over The James - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $14.99
* Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity - 1984 (ETERNAL) CD (Gilead Media) $7.99
* Black Pyramid - Self-Titled 7" (Electric Earth) $7.99
* Black Pyramid - Self-Titled CD (Meteor City) $9.99
* Black September - Hordes Of Flesh & Bone CD (Self Released) $6.99
* Black September - The Sermon Of Vengeance 7" (Self Released) $5.50
* Boulder - Reaped in Half Act 1 and Act 2 12" (Tee Pee) $11.99
* Boulder - Ravage and Savage 12" (Tee Pee) $11.99
* Burmese - Colony Collapse Disorder - PICTURE DISC 10" (Rock is Hell) $17.99
* Corrupted - Nadie 12" (Throne) $23.99
* Dead Letter Auction - Cancer If Times CD (Excursions Into The Abyss) $7.99
* Dial - Self-Titled CD (Robotic Empire) $4.99
* Elder - Self-Titled 12" (Electric Earth) $22.99
* Elder - Self-Titled Delux CD (Meteor City) $9.99
* Ehnahre - The Man Closing Up CD (Sound Devastation) $9.99
* Eternal Elysium - Spiritualized CD (Meteor City) $8.99
* Every Time I Die - Gutter Phenomenon - RED COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $13.99
* Every Time I Die - Hot Damn - HALF BLACK HALF GREY COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $13.99
* Every Time I Die - Last Night In Town - WHITE RED ORANGE COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $13.99
* Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty - PURPLE WITH BLACK SPLATTER COLORED VINYL 12" (Suburban Home) $13.99
* Fistf#%k - Rock'n'Roll Nightmare CD (D7I) $8.99
* Hewhocorrupts / Phoenix Bodies - Split - PINK COLORED VINYL 10"+Calendar (Gilead Media) $19.99
* Hewhocorrupts / Phoenix Bodies - Split - BLUE COLORED VINYL 10"+Calendar (Gilead Media) $19.99
* Krallice - Self-Titled - BLACK VINYL 2x12" (Gilead Media) $17.99
* Krallice - Self-Titled - GREEN COLORED VINYL 2x12" (Gilead Media) $17.99
* Maladie - Self-Titled 7" (Nuestra Lengua) $4.99
* Maladie - Self-Titled CD (Nuestra Lengua) $7.99
* Morrow - Self-Titled CD (Excursions Into The Abyss) $9.99
* Obsessed, The - Lunar Womb CD (Meteor City) $7.99
* Raw Radar War / Deer Creek - Split 12" (Game Two) $12.99
* Spirit Caravan - Dreamwheel CD (Meteor City) $8.99
* Spirit Caravan - The Last Embrace 2xCD (Meteor City) $8.99
* These Arms Are Snakes / Tropics - Split - WHITE COLORED VINYL 7" (We Be) $5.99
* Twenty Two Days - Demo 10" (Communique) $9.99
* Torche - In Return - AMOEBA SEA COLORED VINYL 10"+CD (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Torche - In Return - CREEPING MOON COLORED VINYL 10"+CD (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Torche - In Return - POLLEN COLORED VINYL 10"+CD (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Torche - In Return - POMEGRANATE COLORED VINYL 10"+CD (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Torche - In Return - PULP COLORED VINYL 10"+CD (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Torche - In Return - WING SHADOW COLORED VINYL 10"+CD (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Wolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain 12" (Southern Lord) $13.99

RESTOCKS:
* Boris - Smile [Japanese Import Version] CD (Daymare) $29.99
* Cattle Decapitation / Caninus - Split 7" *BROWN VINYL* (Wartorn) $6.99
* Cattle Decapitation / Caninus - Split 7" *RED VINYL* (Wartorn) $6.99
* Crowpath / Submerge - Split 7" (Abstraction) $7.99
* Graf Orlock - Destination Time Cassette (Utarid) $6.99
* Kayo Dot / Bloody Panda - Split 12" *COLORED VINYL* (Holy Roar) $14.99
* Minus The Bear - Planet of Ice 2x12" *PINK COLORED VINYL* (Suburban Home) $14.99
* Mouth of the Architect / Kenoma - Split 12" *PURPLE COLORED VINYL* (Gilead Media) $12.99
* Murder By Death - Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing 12"+7" *CREAM COLORED VINYL* (Eyeball) $13.99
* Murder By Death - Red of Tooth and Claw 12" *180 GRAM MAROON COLORED VINYL* (Self Released) $14.99
* Murder By Death - Who Will Survive 2x10"+7" *GREY COLORED VINYL* (Self Released) $19.99
* Phoenix Bodies - Raise The Bullsh!t Flag Cassette (Utarid) $6.99
* Russian Circles - Station 12" *GOLD COLORED VINYL* (Suicide Squeeze) $16.99
* Total Shutdown / XBXRX - Split 2x5" (Rock is Hell) $10.99
* Trifle Tower / Killeur Calculateur - Split 7" *VInYL* (Communique) $4.99
* Tristan Tzara - Da Ne Zaboravis 7" *RED SPLATTER COLORED VINYL* (Medical Abuse) $4.99
* Zach Hill & Mick Barr - Vol. 2 12" (Rock is Hell) $19.99

ITEMS NEWLY ON SALE: (click here for all sale items)
* A Perfect Murder - Rehearsal CDep (Cyclop Media) $4.99 - save 29%
* Cobra Noir - Adobe of the Dead CD (Cyclop Media) $4.99 - save 44%
* Commando - Talk of The Town CD (Cyclop Media) $4.99 - save 44%
* Constants - The Murder of Tom Fitzgerril - BLUE 180 GRAM COLORED VINYL 12" (Vega Vinyl) $12.99 - save 13%
* Kayo Dot / Bloody Panda - Split - MARBLE COLORED VINYL 12" (Holy Roar) $14.99 - save 17%
* Mi Amore - The Lamb CD (Cyclop Media) $4.99 - save 44%
* Nadja - Guilted By the Sun CD (Elevation) $7.99 - save 20%

Phew! Pretty massive update now that the Olympia portion of our operation is fully set up and 100% in motion. Please keep sending us those orders as we highly prefer being busy than bored!

Also: definitely want to throw out the reminder to stores/distros/etc that we've opened up our entire distro catalog of non-Robo stuff to wholesale ordering... so if you are interested in placing a wholesale order, please get in touch.

Thank you, peace!
Robotic Empire - Online Store

OTHER CRAP:
Robotic Empire's Twitter
Robotic Empire's email list
Robotic Empire on Myspace
Robotic Empire's news blog/archive
Robotic Obscurities free audio archive
Robotic Empire's youtube channel
Robotic Empire's main website

Brooklyn Vegan likes DIAL, posts downloadable MP3

Big ups to Brooklyn Vegan for being the first place to give DIAL some "formal press attention". We've been trying to convince our press buddies to check out this menacing New Zealand outfit, and our dawg Fred/BBG was the early bird on this one.

Check out what he has to say, and download "Always At The Border" exclusively at Brooklyn Vegan.

DIAL's debut EP will be released on CD and digitally by Robotic Empire on June 9th, and we're pumped to finally share this unholy beast of a "demo" with the rest of the world!

ROBOTIC EMPIRE - Massive update! (New bands, Online Store stuff, etc!)

Hello again, it's been a while. A lot has happened at Robotic Empire over the past month or so... in fact, the label/mailorder is now split into two camps on opposite ends of the country. This massive move was a huge undertaking for us, but better for everyone in the end as it will mean a more organized setup for our Online Store operation (now located in Olympia, Washington), and some much needed change for the Virginia setup.

We want to thank everyone who ordered from us in any of our our pre-move sales, and also thank those who have been patient while we've gotten everything for the Online Store re-established out in Olympia. Things are fully operational again, and better than ever! So we are very pleased to present you a somewhat meaty update here, with lots of happenings both for the label and Online Store aspects of Robotic Empire...

First up, we're releasing some new records in June. It's been a slow first part of the year for the label (intentionally) but we've got a lot going on in the second half of the year. Kicking things off on June 9th will be the debut releases from New Zealand's DIAL and Louisville, Kentucky's BAD SECRETS.


DIAL is the first band from the southern hemisphere that we've ever worked with, and couldn't be much happier about this pairing. Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand... DIAL self-released a demo a couple of years ago that we recently got to hear on a trip to NZ last fall. Intensely powerful stuff is contained within this little five-song EP, so much that we asked the band if we could re-release and thankfully they agreed.

To quote our official hype sheet for this: "The material contained within is leaps and bounds beyond what most bands accomplish even at their best. DIAL successfully channels the darkest corners of the AmRep catalog, the raw ferocity of classic hardcore, offtime kilter of math-rock, and the whole concept that music can actually be dangerous. The air-tight composure of DIAL's debut recording is striking; focusing more on space and dissonance than technical shreddery. Obscenely heavy guitars collide with bludgeoning percussion and intense, vicious and scathing female vocals... turning the whole thing into a downright terrifying experience. Add an incredibly crisp recording, and this makes DIAL's debut EP one of the most impressive demos we've heard in years, let alone had the privilege to re-release."

We are really stoked about this release and it'll be available on CD and digitally come June 9th. To give you a little preview, we just posted a track from it on our myspace page:

* Listen to DIAL @ Robotic Empire's myspace
* Listen do DIAL @ their myspace page


Louisville, Kentucky's BAD SECRETS was born out of improv jam sessions between YOUNG WIDOWS' Evan Patterson and KODAN ARMADA's Dan Davis. They recorded three weekends of jamming together, whittled it down to seven songs and thus, their debut release is born. We went for the super conventional 9"+CD format for this one, since it's such a normal release and all. Hah!

In all seriousness though, we're really psyched to finally work with Mr. Patterson after knowing this righteous dude and his kin for years. Who knows, maybe we've got another release with him up our sleeves...

Until then, the self-titled debut 9"+CD from BAD SECRETS should hit the world on June 9th (if we can get the band to screen the covers in time) and we're very pumped on the ridiculous color vinyl we've got in store for it too. More info on this release forthcoming.


This is probably also a good time to announce that we'll be releasing the debut album from northern Virginia's TIDELAND! Mostly comprised of dudes we've known for years, upon hearing their killer full length that they recorded @ Godcity studios... deciding to release this was kind of a no-brainer. We'll be teaming up with our Italian brethren Sons Of Vesta to co-release this on both CD and 12", sometime later in the summer (most likely July or August).

We'll post up a track from this release sometime soon, but in the meantime several demos can be found on the band's myspace page. We should note: the album blows away everything they've recorded before.

* TIDELAND on myspace


Semi-related, TIDELAND will be playing the two upcoming MANNEQUIN reunion shows. Yep, our ol' brothers in grunge finally decided it was time to return to form! There's surely several reasons for this happening, one favorite being that Ian Widman wanted to drum for MANNEQUIN as his graduation present. We gotta give a hearty "congrats" to him for making this happen! If you live in Virginia (or anywhere relatively close) and want to check out these killer shows, they'll both be happening the weekend of May 9th/10th and the details for the shows can be found on TIDELAND's myspace page.

* An unmastered tour-only MANNEQUIN EP that had two released & two unreleased songs on it (and their name spelled wrong on the cover) can be found here: download "Yr Aching Tooth!!!"


Semi-related to that is that we've now got new t-shirts in our Online Store from both PYGMY LUSH and PG.99. Resurrecting the old "goth girl" design sourced from the PAGENINETYNINE / CITY OF CATERPILLAR split 7", we're psyched to have this one back in print. Along with that are two new designs from PYGMY LUSH, designed for their last tour. Totally classic, and available now in our Online Store.


Completely unrelated to everything above but equally exciting to us is the re-press of the A STORM OF LIGHT / NADJA - Primitive North 2x12"+CD split. The first press for this thing was a total blowout, so we've re-pressed it with the quickness in attempts to keep it available. Two new color vinyl combinations are available for this beast of a release, this time as "Aurora Forge" and "Phosphorescence". Maybe corny names (?) but it compliments the weird colored vinyl well, and we're equally pleased with how the re-press turned out as we are with the first press. This comes with a CD of the same jams, and is housed in some pretty fancypants packaging.

Related to that is the fact that we got some super rare CDs direct from Josh Graham of A STORM OF LIGHT and formerly of RED SPAROWES. This includes the self-released very first RED SPAROWES demo CD-R, and their limited live CD that Neurot released. Along with those (which WILL go fast) is the hard-to-find (FALLEN) BLACK DEER Latitudes CD release that Southern organized a couple years back. Hardly any distros got that thing and we scored some copies direct from the band.

Along with all that crazyness above, we've also received a healthy amount of new and re-stocked items for this massive first Online Store update from our bi-coastal locations! GO!

NEW ITEMS:
* (Fallen) Black Deer, The - Requiem CD (Latitudes) $12.99
* A Storm Of Light / Nadja - Primitive North [split] - AURORA FORGE COLORED VINYL 2x12"+CD (Robotic Empire) $19.99
* A Storm Of Light / Nadja - Primitive North [split] - PHOSPHORESCENCE COLORED VINYL 2x12"+CD (Robotic Empire) $19.99
* Chronic Youth - Das Chillin Cassette (Vinyl Rites) $4.99
* Drowning With Our Anchors - Breathing Lessons 7" (Commodity Fetish) $4.99
* Grief - Come To Grief - BLACK VINYL 2x12" (Throne) $24.99
* Grief - Come To Grief - BLUE SPLATTER COLORED VINYL 2x12" (Throne) $24.99
* Grief - Come To Grief - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 2x12" (Throne) $24.99
* Hex Machine - Omen Mas CD (Minimum Underdrive) $9.99
* My Disco - Paradise 12" (Fruits & Vegetables) $12.99
* Nadja - Corrasion 2x12" (Basses Frequences) $26.99
* Neil On Impression - L'Oceano Delle Onde Che Restano Onde Per Sempre 2x12" (Denovali) $22.99
* Pageninetynine - Goth Girl - Size: DOUBLE EXTRA LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $15.99
* Pageninetynine - Goth Girl - Size: EXTRA LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Pageninetynine - Goth Girl - Size: LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Pageninetynine - Goth Girl - Size: MEDIUM T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Pageninetynine - Goth Girl - Size: SMALL T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Pageninetynine - Goth Girl - Size: YOUTH LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $14.99
* Pirates Press - Vinyl Collage Puzzle (Pirates Press) $25.99
* Pygmy Lush - Donkey - Size: DOUBLE EXTRA LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $13.99
* Pygmy Lush - Donkey - Size: EXTRA LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Donkey - Size: LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Donkey - Size: MEDIUM T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Donkey - Size: SMALL T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Donkey - Size: YOUTH LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Man On The Moon - Size: DOUBLE EXTRA LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $13.99
* Pygmy Lush - Man On The Moon - Size: EXTRA LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Man On The Moon - Size: LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Man On The Moon - Size: MEDIUM T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Man On The Moon - Size: SMALL T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Pygmy Lush - Man On The Moon - Size: YOUTH LARGE T-Shirt (Robotic Empire) $12.99
* Red Sparowes - Demo 03.12.2004 CD-R (Self Released) $29.99
* Red Sparowes - Oh Lord, God of Vengeance, Show Yourself! CD (Neurot) $14.99
* Winters In Osaka - Molded To Crawl CD (Haunted Hotel) $9.99

RESTOCKS:
* Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind Of Cadwallader CD (Be Happy) - $7.99
* Burst - In Coveting Ways - ORANGE COLORED VINYL 10" (Throne) - $13.99
* Dystopia - The Aftermath CD (Life is Abuse) - $9.99
* Monarch / Grey Daturas - Split 12" (Throne) - $15.99
* Noothgrush - Erode The Person CD (Throne) - $11.99

Phew! Wow OK so that's enough to keep us busy for a while right? There's plenty more on deck so this year's just gonna get crazier and crazier for us. We like it this way, so please get those orders in and we'll crank them out as quickly as possible. THANK YOU!

Robotic Empire
Richmond & Olympia chapters

Robotic Empire - Online Store

p.s. almost forgot, we caved in and signed up for stupid Twitter... so if you're into that, check out our micro-bloggin's here.