The members of New Zealand's Dial probably grew up during the peak of AmRep. Their debut EP (Robotic Empire, 2009), a stateside re-release of their demo, demonstrates the hallmarks of the style: cavernous drums; downtuned, ragged guitars; bass as thick as cement; vocals like ipecac-induced vomiting; and lyrics trawling the muck of human existence
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Recently one of my family members was diagnosed with cirrhosis. The disease is generally irreversible, but with early stage diagnosis, as was the case here, its progress can be slowed or stopped. Still, the news hit me hard. Mortality has never affected anyone this close to me
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