(Taken directly from our email newsletter)
Hello again everyone, this could be considered a bit overdue (and it is) but we have been traveling a lot lately, mostly on tour with thrash-merchants Municipal Waste, so apologies for delays. Enough of that though, let's get down to business because a lot is going on:
* New Releases *
KAYO DOT - Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue CD
This is not available to stores and distros until January 10th, but the band has just completed a 7-week tour with this massive album and we want to make it available to the general public ASAP because this thing is incredible. Five tracks spanning 60 minutes of some of the most interesting, unique and downright powerful music that the intelligent & extreme underground music worlds have seen in years. We always hype things up, yes, but this deserves the praise and much, much more. Click here for more descriptive info, MP3s, and/or to order:
http://www.roboticempire.com/record.php?id=580
PINK RAZORS - Waiting To Wash Up CD
Again, not available to stores and distros until January 10th but we wanted you to have access to this blistering album ASAP! It's 15 tracks of furiously catchy punk rock all in roughly 22 minutes, so as you can tell, not a single song breaks the two-minute mark. Incredible songwriting, incredible hooks, incredible lyrics... you might go as far as calling this debut album "incredible". But don't just take our word for it, click here to listen to MP3s, read our snazzy description and/or order this badass jam:
http://www.roboticempire.com/record.php?id=596
PAGENINETYNINE - Document #8 (reissue) CD and limited LP
The coffin is still firmly nailed shut, but that didn't stop us, or the band, or engineer Kurt Ballou (from some little band called Convey or something) from diving head-first back into the original reels and fully re-mix and re-master this baby from the ground up. The drums sound way better, the basses can actually be heard instead of just felt and other elements have been toned up as well. However, this wasn't done for people who already own the album... honestly, it doesn't sound THAT different (just, better) but it was done for all those who don't yet have this essential album... considered by many to be the band's best release. We went all out on this one too, the CD version is housed in a beautiful deluxe digipak with expanded 16-page booklet, and the LP version comes in a hand-screened cover with a variety of limited colors available. A more formal description, MP3 and ordering info can be found here:
http://www.roboticempire.com/record.php?id=591
(The PG.99 vinyl will probably go pretty dern fast, but we will have vinyl versions of the KAYO DOT and PINK RAZORS albums in the coming months as well)
* Online Store Updates*
Well being on tour didn't stop us from trading for a TON of awesome new releases and restocks from some of today's raddest independent labels. We also hunted down the somewhat infamous tech/chaos band THE SAWTOOTH GRIN and extracted all remaining copies of their pummeling "Cuddlemonster" CD (yep, we're the only distro now that has any copies at all) as well as about a million other rad items, including but not limited to:
A Day In Black And White / Navies - "Split" 10" (Level Plane) - $8.00
A Life Once Lost - "Open Your Mouth For The Speechless" CD (Robotic Empire) - $10.00
Arsis - "A Diamond For Disease" CDep (Willowtip) - $8.00
Bionic - "Deliverance" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
Brain Failure - "American Dreamer" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
Circle of Dead Children - "Exotic Sense Decay" CDep (Willowtip) - $8.00
Coliseum / Doomriders - "Split" CDep (Level Plane) - $7.00
Constellations - "Sistering" CDep (CNP) - $10.00
Converge - "Unloved and Weeded Out" CD (Deathwish) - $10.00
Crotchduster - "Big Fat Box of Shit" CD (Willowtip) - $9.00
Crowpath - "Son of Sulfer" CD (Willowtip) - $9.00
Dispensing of False Halos - "Growing Up, Giving In" CD (Init) - $9.00
Dispensing of False Halos - "With Prayers and a Scalpel" CD (Init) - $9.00
DJ Renaldo / Partyman - "Split" CD-R (CNP) - $4.00
Doomriders - "Black Thunder" CD (Deathwish) - $10.00
Ducky Boys, The - "Three Chords and the Truth" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
Fordirelifesake - "Breathing Is Only Half The Function" CD (Forge Again) - $8.00
Fordirelifesake - "Breathing Is Only Half The Function" 12" (Forge Again) - $8.00
Fordirelifesake - "Dance.Pretend.Forget.Defend" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
Funeral Diner - "The Underdark" CD (Alone) - $9.00
Gospel - "The Moon Is A Dead World" CD (Level Plane) - $9.00
Gospel - "The Moon Is A Dead World" 12" (Level Plane) - $9.00 (colored vinyl)
Holy Bible - "Self-Titled" Cassette (Fuckittapes) - $6.00
Kayo Dot - "Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue" Poster (Robotic Empire) - $1.00
Kill The Client - "Escalation of Hostility" CD (Willowtip) - $9.00
Killing The Dream - "In Place, Apart" CD (Deathwish) - $10.00
Kojak - "Crash Motherfucker" CD (CNP) - $10.00
Meneguar - "I Was Born At Night 2" Cassette (Fuckittapes) - $6.00
Meth & Goats - "Attack From Meth & Goats Mountain" CD (Electric Human Proj.) - $8.00
Meth & Goats - "Attack From Meth & Goats Mountain" 12" (Electric Human Proj.) - $8.00
Municipal Waste - "Hazardous Mutation" CD (Earache) - $10.00
Neil Perry - "Lineage Situation" 2xCD (Level Plane) - $12.00
Neurosis - "Souls At Zero" CD (Neurot) - $10.00
New Breed, The - "Off The Beaten Path" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
One AM Radio, The - "On The Shore Of The Wide World" 12" (Level Plane) - $8.00 (color)
Otesanek - "Self-Titled" CD (Electric Human Proj.) - $8.00
Phoenix Bodies / Enkephalin - "Split" CD (Init) - $9.00
Phoenix Bodies / Enkephalin - "Split" 12" (Slave Union) - $8.00
Pig Destroyer - "Painter Of Dead Girls" 12" (Robotic Empire) - $5.00 (cover damage discount)
Premonitions of War / Benumb - "Split" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
Rats Into Robots - "A Column Of Smoke By Day" CD (Slave Union) - $8.00
Rats Into Robots - "A Column Of Smoke By Day" 12" (Slave Union) - $8.00
Saddest Landscape, The - "A Promise Was Made" 10" (Alone) - $8.00
Sail - "Self-Titled" Cassette (Fuckittapes) - $6.00
Saviours - "Warship" CDep (Level Plane) - $6.00
Saviours - "Warship" 12" (Level Plane) - $8.00
Sawtooth Grin, The - "Cuddlemonster" CD (Self Released) - $9.00
Sawtooth Grin, The - "Logo" Sticker (Self Released) - $0.50
Shikari / Louise Cyphre - "Split" 9" (Level Plane) - $9.00
Silver Ninjas - "Night Wars" CD-R (CNP) - $4.00
Snack Truck - "Harpoon" CD (Perpetual Motion) - $8.00
Spirit of Versailles - "Discography" 2xCD (Init) - $14.00
Suppression - "Release The Pirana" CD (Underadar) - $8.00
Torche - "Self-Titled" Poster (Robotic Empire) - $1.00
Torche - "Tour w/ Kylesa, Coliseum" Poster (Robotic Empire) - $1.00
Transistor Transistor / Light The Fuse And Run - "Split" CD (Level Plane) - $8.00
United States - "Self-Titled" Cassette (Fuckittapes) - $6.00
Vulgar Pigeons - "Burning Episode" CD (Deep Send) - $9.00
Vulgar Pigeons - "Imperialism" CD (Willowtip) - $9.00
Wednesdays, The - "Invisible Youth" CD (Thorp) - $8.00
Yes Sirs, The - "2-Man Rhythm Disaster" CD-R (CNP) - $3.00
Various Artists - "Anti-Social Hurt Yourself Jams" CD-R (CNP) - $4.00
Various Artists - "Robotic Empire - Sampler 1" CD (Robotic Empire) - $4.00
Various Artists - "Supersonic Sounds From The Fuck You Movement" CD (CNP) - $10.00
As you might've noticed, some of our older releases are in there as well. Well we just cleaned our office and found a few copies of some random stuff (Robotic Empire Sampler #1, A Life Once Lost - Open Your Mouth For The Speechless CD reissue) so if you want them and/or any of the rest of this burly music, we highly implore you to head on over to our Online Store and order away... because the holidays are coming and we're going to stop processing orders on the 20th (or so) so we can go visit family and all that. So that gives you roughly two weeks to stock up on obscure independent music to blast in front of the 'rents, thus ruining Christmas. Or not, we don't know what holidays our customers may or may not celebrate. We don't think much about demographics and don't even really consider you "customers" anyway... more like rabid music fans like us, and that's why we try to keep our prices cheap (remember, all those prices listed above are US Media Mail postage paid [by us! ]). But look, now Robotic Empire is rambling and it's more important that we not waste any more of your time. That being said, you can also un-subscribe to this list (or order killer music) on the front page of our Online Store:
http://www.roboticempire.com/store_index.php
* Tours *
But wait, there's more! TORCHE is back on the road again after just catching their breath following their full US tour with the massive groups KYLESA and COLISEUM. These guys just don't know how to slow down, already having recorded the better half of a brand new album! That's right folks, start salivating now because come Spring or Summer we are going to have TORCHE's next record in your hands. And don't it beat all, but the new material is simply INCREDIBLE! Spring or Summer... that sure sounds great right about now... but until then the only way you can hear these unbelievably awesome new jams is to catch them live:
December 4 - Charlotte, NC @ Milestone - w/ Horse Thief
December 5 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Wetlands
December 6 - Richmond, VA @ Nanci Raygun - w/ Municipal Waste, Misery Index
December 7 - Washington, DC @ Warehouse Nextdoor - w/ Pygmy Lush, Flowers in The Attic
December 8 - Baltimore, MD @ Charm City Artspace
December 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church - w/ Strike Anywhere, Paint It Black
December 10 - Boston, MA @ Mass Art - w/ Backstabbers Inc.
December 11 - Providence, RI @ Living Room - w/ Unearth
December 12 - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
December 13 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks
December 14 - Columbus, OH @ High Five Bar
December 15 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
December 16 - Detroit, MI @ Alvin's
December 17 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen - w/ Sweet Cobra
December 18 - Indianapolis, IN @ Secret Location
December 19 - Nashville, TN @ The End - w/ Cave In, Doomriders
December 20 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
December 21 - Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9
December 23 - Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic
OK so now this is getting ridiculous and we refuse to clog up your inbox any further. In the next few days we hope to get the main page of our website updated so you can know all the haps with all our bands, as well as the updated info on upcoming releases from GRAILS, RED SPAROWES, CAPSULE, ULTRA DOLPHINS and more. Keep an eye out on www.roboticempire.com but in the meantime definitely hit up our Online Store for all the latest in our new releases:
http://www.roboticempire.com/store_index.php
Thank you for reading all of this! -Robotic Empire
December 5, 2005
October 4, 2005
September 22, 2005
KAYO DOT Complete New Album, Launch Full US Tour
Boston, Massachusetts' eight-man (and woman) avant-metal group KAYO DOT have completed their new album, Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue, their first for Robotic Empire and followup to 2003's debut Choirs of the Eye on Tzadik. This beast of an album spans 60 minutes and will be available everywhere on January 10th, 2006. Several clips have been posted in the following locations:
* Kayo Dot's hxcmp3 page: http://www.hxcmp3.com/Kayo Dot (3 clips)
* Kayo Dot's homepage: http://www.kayodot.net (5 different clips)
* Kayo Dot's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/KayoDot (2 clips)
The album will be available in advance from the band on their upcoming seven-week full-US tour, which launches October 1st:
10/01 Purchase, NY @ SUNY Purchase College w/ Time of Orchids, Kiss Kiss, Casket Architects
10/02 New York, NY @ Cake Shop w / Time of Orchids, The Tremula
10/03 Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery w / Time of Orchids
10/04 Burlington, VT @ 242 Main w / Mantits, Time of Orchids
10/05 Syracuse, NY
10/06 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
10/07 Columbus, OH @ High Five Bar w/ Silencio, Mouth of the Architect
10/08 Detroit, MI @ The Labyrinth
10/09 Cleveland, OH @ The Tower of Treason w/ 9-Volt Haunted House
10/10 Wheeling, IL @ Hang Out's w/ Unfortunaut, Clad in Darkness
10/11 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/12 Madison, WI @ The High Noon Saloon
10/13 Minneapolis, MN @ The Nomad w/ Mel Gibson and the Pants, Lazaretto
10/14 Sioux Falls, SD @ The Urban Hermit
10/15 Omaha, NE @ Fort House (5125 N. 49th St.) w/ Shinyville, Father
10/16 Denver, CO @ Monkey Mania w/ The Autokinoton
10/17 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court w/ Gaza
10/18 Boise, ID @ 1018 W. Hays St. w/ Gaza
10/19 Seattle, WA @ The Sunset Tavern w/ Phobophobe
10/20 Portland, OR @ Berbati's Pan w/ Master Musicians of Bukkake
10/21 Eugene, OR @ The Samurai Duck w/ I/O
10/22 Oroville, CA @ NorCal Ramp w/ Gaza, Way Beyond Blue
10/23 San Jose, CA @ The Cave
10/24 Oakland, CA @ 21 Grand Arts Space w/ Gaza
10/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern
10/26 Santa Cruz @ The Aptos Club w/ Shamelady, The Abominable Iron Sloth
10/27 Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory (Alterknit Lounge) w/ The Wayward
10/28 Phoenix, AZ @ The Counter Culture Café
10/29 Tucson, AZ @ Skrappy's
10/30 Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad
10/31 DAY OFF
11/01 DAY OFF
11/02 Austin, TX @ The Back Room w/ Great Tyrant, The Wayward
11/03 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves w/ Man is Mostly Water, Great Tyrant, Trifle Tower
11/04 Beaumont, TX @ The Vortex w/ The Wayward
11/05 New Orleans, LA @ The Howlin' Wolf
11/06 Hattiesburg, MS @ The Green Room w/ That Yellow Bastard
11/07 Tallahassee, FL @ Kleman Plaza
11/08 Orlando, FL
11/09 Miami, FL @ The Alley w/ xbxrx, The Laundry Room Squelchers, Vaster Than Empires
11/10 Tampa, FL
11/11 Gainesville, FL or Savannah, GA
11/12 Atlanta, GA @ Lenny's
11/13 Nashville, TN @ The Muse w/ Hillbilly Casino, Life in the Sky
11/14 Asheville, NC @ Static Age Records w/ Ahleuchatistas, Pomme de Terre
11/15 Wilmington, NC @ The Soapbox Laundro-Lounge w/ Gregor Samsa
11/16 Richmond, VA @ Nanci Raygun w/ Gregor Samsa, Planar, Souvenir's Young America
11/17 Washington DC @ The Warehouse Next Door w/ Gregor Samsa
11/18 Philadelphia, PA @ The Khyber w/ Gregor Samsa, Starkweather, Bad Vibes
11/19 Brooklyn, NY @ North Six w/ Time of Orchids, Shinyville
11/20 Boston, MA @ TT the Bear's
More information, up-to-date tour dates and more can be found at the main Robotic Empire website.
September 11, 2005
Welcome Two New Bands To Robotic Empire: CAPSULE and ULTRA DOLPHINS
Miami, Florida commands a lot of respect in the heart of Robotic Empire with several of its offspring joining our roster over the years (Tyranny of Shaw, Torche and now Shitstorm as well). We are proud to welcome its young sons known only as CAPSULE. This trio plays furious and interesting tunes of blistering proportions, combining everything from super thick riffs with frantic blasts to mellow melodic guitars that meander into jazzy interludes or suddenly collapse into thunderous maelstroms.
These comrades have served time in both Tunes For Bears and Tyranny of Shaw, but the new sounds they've created are unlike anything we've heard before. It is almost reminiscent to a few heavy screamo bands of the past in the technical/off-kilterness of Jeromes Dream or Love Lost But Not Forgotten, but taking it WAY up a notch without piercing vocals, instead opting for an innovative unison-sung triple-vocal assault that is somehow both quite grabbing and simultaneously haunting.
We are absolutely thrilled to be working with CAPSULE as their demo has more or less completely blown us away, and will be releasing a full-length CD with them early next year. In the meantime, we highly encourage you to check them out as a demo MP3 can be found here.
Having known these dudes for many, many years now (ten for one member!), we couldn't really be much happier to be working with our longtime pals, the ULTRA DOLPHINS! Another mighty power-trio to add to the fold, these Philly/NY/Richmond dudes are an absolute clobberhouse that somehow channels an incredible amount of styles to create a very passionate, noisy and unforgiving blend of post-hardcore, punk, indie, rock and way more. We're talking Jesus Lizard, Fugazi, Led Zeppelin, Frodus, Shellac, Hella, Snack Truck (with whom they share members) and just plain ol' pummeling rock in general. The live energy this band exhumes is completely uncontrollable and we are way beyond stoked to have them on board!
Ultra Dolphins are joining the label with a bang, in the form of TWO full-length releases right off the bat! Coming out early next year, one will be a collection of their Self-Titled EPs that have been wondrously remastered at Silver Sonya (the place Dischord remastered the bulk of their catalog).
The other will be a brand new full-length recorded by Laferrera (Gregor Samsa, Stop It!!, VCR) and promises to be an absolute scorcher. In the meantime, you can hear two (unmastered) MP3s from the EPs right here.
August 1, 2005
July 26, 2005
TORCHE - Self-Titled 12" LP and new T-Shirt now available! +new Robotic Empire T-Shirts
We are stoked to let you know that TORCHE's phenomenal Self-Titled album is now available on vinyl! We pressed 1200 copies of this badass debut: 130 of which are on "starburst" (orange w/ yellow streaks), 170 on opaque orange, and 900 copies on solid black.
For those who haven't heard the glorious TORCHE just yet, they are a massively heavy band with gigantic, monolithic riffs accompanied by soaring, harmonized vocals. Simultaneously catchy and pummeling, these guys are truly a unique band in this overflowing world of independent heavy music. You can hear MP3s here or here too. Here are some photos of the colored vinyl:
..."starburst" 
...orangeWe also just received the second in our series of awesome t-shirt designs from BARONESS guitarist/vocalist John Baizley, this time for TORCHE:
Forgive the crappyness of our digital camera, this thing is indeed beautiful in reality. You can check out a more detailed graphic of the artwork here. But yeah, as we said this is the second in the Baizley series and like his design for the Robotic Empire shirt, this is red and white ink on black 50/50 shirts (Fruit of the Loom this time) and the print is again MASSIVE. 15" tall by 10" wide of amazingly detailed artwork, and we can't wait to see what he comes up with for the Magrudergrind/Shitstorm split CD/LP artwork (to be released this fall).
We're on a roll with new t-shirts, and got another label design printed up too:
This Love Virginia design is also printed on 50/50 Fruit of the Loom T-Shirts, available in two color schemes: yellow on "kelly" green, and red on "chocolate" brown. Check out the detail of the green version, and the brown version.
And finally, the new reissue of A LIFE ONCE LOST's breakthrough CDep The Fourth Plague: Flies is now available directly from us, two weeks prior to it's official street date of August 9th. This is basically the same thing as the original, but with some really intricate and awesome new artwork from ISIS's Aaron Turner and some mastering tweaks from PIG DESTROYER's Scott Hull. For those who have never heard this release, but may already be familiar with the band, it's an almost entirely different style and era of their existence, playing a pioneering blend of metal, hardcore and grind. Less math-metal than their new HUNTER album, this EP really helped put this Philly band on the map and they've worked hard to get where they are today (Ferret, SOTU, etc). We're proud to have helped with the release this pivotal EP and highly encourage you to check it out if you haven't already.
Besides all of this awesome stuff, there have been some recent new additions and restocks from Gregor Samsa, Stop It!! and many non-Virginian bands as well. We have a LOT going on over the course of the next year so any and all orders are totally appreciated. Please check out our Online Store for all of the pricing and ordering info, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
July 14, 2005
ROBOTIC EMPIRE - First Label T-Shirt
We are proud to unleash Robotic Empire's first label t-shirt!! Designed by the mighty John Baizley of Baroness, this two color shirt is so insanely detailed we can hardly believe how awesome it turned out. The print is huge too, 15" tall by 10" wide, and all in all this thing is just AWESOME looking. These are printed on 50/50 Jerzees shirts and this is the first in a series of designs Mr. Baizley is doing for Robotic Empire!
This shirt costs $12.00 postage paid (in the US) and can be ordered through our Online Store. Sizes available are YL, S, M, L and XL. Also, you can click here for a closer detail of the artwork. Up next in the series: TORCHE
May 30, 2005
April 22, 2005
TORCHE - Self-Titled debut CD now available!
Today is a fine day. Miami, Florida's TORCHE now have their debut Self-Titled album for sale through Robotic Empire. This is the CD version of this amazing album, which will be released in stores across the country Tuesday, May 10th. The LP version will enter manufacturing as soon as the artwork is completed, but until then this CD version will suffice in all of its digipak'd glory.Ten songs in just under thirty minutes, TORCHE debuts here with a phenomenal album and we couldn't possibly be more thrilled to be the label that's released it. This looks and sounds absolutely awesome, and we implore you to check it out. Two MP3 samples have been made available here and here.
If you like what you hear (and we hope you do), please head over to Robotic Empire's Online Store to order this beast. This is the only way you can hear this masterful album, as we thank the good lord for not leaking this fucker on SoulSeek just yet. Enjoy!
April 5, 2005
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