Hivesmasher

Hell didn’t want them.

Grindcore darlings HIVESMASHER were laid to rest in the summer of 2015 after a decade of sweaty van tours and filthy basement shows. Or so we thought. The Boston-based heavy metal group notorious for delivering highly-concentrated controlled chaos via fast, technical riffs, a powerful, driving rhythm section, and ferocious vocals is back. The band’s official resurrection takes place on August 18th supporting grindcore pioneers Enemy Soil at Brooklyn Bazaar. If that isn’t enough to excite their die-hard fans, they are also writing a new record, the follow up to 2012’s critically-acclaimed Gutter Choir.

The “angriest band ever” according to Guy Kozowyk (The Red Chord), Hivesmasher began as an angry side project by members of Boston bands Trinity Test and Entropy quite simply because “they enjoyed playing fast music.” The band really developed their sound when they brought in Tim Brault, a predominately punk drummer. Metal riffs combined with a punk and hardcore mentality solidified their signature sound. Though the band has seen its share of lineup changes, most of the original members remain intact. The current team includes Tyler Kingsland (guitar), Tim Brault (drums), Jim Silvio (guitar), Ali Ghorashi (bass), Dan Bolton (keyboards) and of course Aaron Heinold on vocals.

The return of Hivesmasher after several years was not a premeditated move, according to the band. Dozens of offers to reunite have been proposed, and all have been rejected. However, the notion wasn’t entirely beyond the realm of plausibility. Aaron Heinold says “we constantly joked about the possibility. But it wasn’t until close friend Andrew Meltzer of Scenic Presents proposed a show with Enemy Soil in Brooklyn that we even considered a return. Upon examining the state of aggressive music - drowning in a sea of bands that emulate each other - we began to feel strongly that something different needed to be contributed.”

“A fucking hurricane of shrapnel that makes you run for your fucking life” (Needs More Noise Gate), Hivesmasher is infamous for intense, raucous, unpredictable live shows. They have shared stages with countless heavy music luminaries including The Dillinger Escape Plan, Daughters, Pig Destroyer, and Converge. Their powerful live performances and pummeling records have commanded the attention of critics as well as garnered the respect of their peers. “Hivesmasher rules!” laudes Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer), and the late Seth Putnam of Anal Cunt once declared “I don’t mind them.”

In addition to performing with their idols in the scene and receiving high praise from industry tastemakers and critics, the band earned an award for Gutter Choir: Second Best Grindcore Record of 2012 - Exclaime.Ca (Pig Destroyer knocked them out of first place).

Fans of brutal music have plenty to look forward to between upcoming tour dates, a highly-anticipated new album projected to arrive mid-2019, and maybe a few more surprises from the music scene zombies. Get tickets for August 18th’s "nasty blaze of sweaty, drunken misery and confusion” (Metalsucks).

The worms’ feast is over. Long live Hivesmasher