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Unrelaxed

by Tommy Concrete

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 13 Tommy Concrete releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Angry Dead, Government Slaves, Hexenzirkel, Orc Mage, Unrelaxed 2, Trauma, Unrelaxed, Emperor of the Moon, and 5 more. , and , .

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  • Limited Edition Digi-Pack CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    **Albums will be posted 'signed for' delivery in the UK, 'international tracked & signed' for overseas, hence shipping charges.**

    Digi-Pack CD limited to 100 of part one of the double album set Unrelaxed, comes as a six panel fold out digi pack with superb art by Victory-Art.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Unrelaxed via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
SIMULATING YOUR OWN DEMISE Battle clears the psyche See how long you can last Yield or embrace the dark Create bonds so unique Cannot breath cannot move We are here to improve Egos croak all the time Show respect earn your life Simulating your own demise Testing the strength of intention Simulating your own demise Great revelations come with pain In the core of the storm We will learn who we are Push yourself help your foe Lose the hate learn to flow Existing on the verge Welcome to the judgement Everyone's equal here Bestowed your lineage Simulating your own demise Testing the strength of intention Simulating your own demise Great revelations come with pain
2.
SATANIC ENCOURAGEMENT Somewhere in sin the heart delights The church has failed, madness prevails Violent princess, her cuts have healed Lonely fools suppress thriving lust Jesus wasn't answering you All you had left was the devil There was no god looking out for you Satan taught you how to survive Satanic encouragement The only one there when you wanted to die Had a cloven hoof in the gleam of his soul Torn from the brink, the smiles are rare Miserys feast, demons beware Lucifers muse provides you love Secret addict unlocks the cell Jesus wasn't answering you All you had left was the devil There was no god looking out for you Satan taught you how to survive Satanic encouragement The only one there when you wanted to die Had a cloven hoof in the gleam of his soul
3.
WITNESS TO SAMSARA Eighteen aeons gone since you Completed suicide I've swam through the fear Survived torture for years Seen the things you never knew Been to hell, I didn't see you Tore the noose from the throats Pulled them out of the road Confiscated the blades Witness to samsara At midnight I hail you As dank destiny drowns
4.
GUARDED BY MY FAMILIARS A scorching light burns me as the ants scream Locked in a room filled with false connections Irrelevant images distract me from my focus I oscillate to escape pandemonium Shut down my mind I need to sleep Guarded by my familiars Shut down my mind I need to sleep Guarded by my familiars My breath is hard as I watch the clock turn backwards I am not sure if I'm really here or not No unity for me and the termite mound The collective does not feel the intensity Shut down my mind I need to sleep Guarded by my familiars Shut down my mind I need to sleep Guarded by my familiars
5.
Liger Master 01:47
LIGER MASTER Liger master In the night Lurking in the gloom, prowling round the zone Liger master In the night Teeth sink in your arms, claws scratch at your skull Liger master In the night In the night In the night In the night Her tongue scrapes your eyes, before the sunrise Liger master In the night Offerings are made, to keep the beasts at bay Liger master In the night In the night In the night In the night Liger master
6.
FLESH CONTROLLED BY WILL Trapped within the city of lies Surviving harrowing twilight The stranger in the mirror expires Consumed by an insincere blight All we are Is flesh Controlled By will Insanity supplies the zeal Bloodlust ensures mortality Desensitised to the unreal Our blizzard rages silently All we are Is flesh Controlled By will
7.
NEURO TYPICAL ENERGY FIELD I'm surrounded by confusion Neuro typical energy field Herd mentality depressing me Neuro typical energy field Disinformation vague and unclear Falling deeper into the maelstrom Neuro typical energy field Huddling together like shoals of fish Neuro typical energy field Fatal malfunction in the hive brain Neuro typical energy field Conformity droids subjugate me Neuro typical energy field They dread when we can self determine Overloaded by fake faces Neuro typical energy field Neuro typical energy field Neuro typical energy field Neuro typical energy field
8.
ROBUST ENDEAVOUR Collector of scrolls Coded language unfold Translator of mortals Archives of the bold Robust endeavour to build up morale Learning fighting to instil good values Looking for the link That unites the styles What defines the art And how it is learnt Robust endeavour to build up morale Learning fighting to instil good values I have travelled far To study kata Insights to the past Maps of the future Robust endeavour to build up morale Learning fighting to instil good values
9.
CHEMICAL RESTRAINT You will submit to Chemical restraint No one can resist Chemical restraint De escalation Is priority Fierce outbursts cannot be contained Equilibrium is paramount You will submit to Chemical restraint No one can resist Chemical restraint I administer Chemical restraint Lying on the floor Drugged yet still manic Totally discombobulated The paperwork says you are happy You will submit to Chemical restraint No one can resist Chemical restraint
10.
LEITH PUNK FLAT Starvation is easier when on amphetamines Violence is inevitable When you're full of shit Fucking feeling it Alright Living the dream In a Leith punk flat Since the eighties and beyond Living the dream In a Leith punk flat Poverty's cooler when in a punk band Violence is inevitable When you're full of shit Fucking feeling it Alright Living the dream In a Leith punk flat Since the eighties and beyond Living the dream In a Leith punk flat
11.
BENEFIT OF STASIS Do not underestimate the benefit of stasis Keep the body still Banish thoughts of toil Do not underestimate the benefit of stasis Dwell not on serpents Remove the mouldy stench Do not underestimate the benefit of stasis Block out the senses Calculate the void
12.
NOT READY FOR SOCIETY I'm not ready for society Send me back to jail Away from the world This freedom's a sham You can't keep me safe I'm not ready for society Despite your bullshit The monsters are real I'll stab you to death Until I'm secured

about

"It is metal, it is punk, it is melodic, it is operatic and bits of it are frankly scary. It is also frenetic, brutal and challenging" 7/10 - Powerplay Magazine

"Embark on this mind-blowing and unashamed but extremely valuable journey and prove that just as the name of the album is perfect for the job, "Concrete" is a great codename to adjectivize Tommy's career that is solid, consistent, and incredibly heavy!" 8/10 - Metal Na Lata

"Unrelaxed, is already his fifth record and represents all that Concrete is in reality: an unceasing quest for the coherent and strong consolidation of his diverse musical vision. Faced with this, do not be surprised if they come across such disparate sounds as trip-hop, prog metal, proto-metal, stoner, doom and psychedelic." 71% - Via Nocturna

"Tommy Concrete‘s Unrelaxed is one of the highlight albums of the year for me, just a stunning piece of work from a man who really shines on this album." - Moshville Times

"Highly recommended for fans of Devin Townsend and Killing Joke." - Overdrive Music Magazine

"Drawing influence from thrash metal, NWOBHM, and countless other styles from across the extreme music spectrum, Unrelaxed is a modern metal epic that will appease fans of Devin Townsend and the like. In addition to its sound, Unrelaxed offers a refreshing take on the topics of mental health." - Svbeterranean

"This some truly bizarre homebrew material that veers without any warning or turn signal from drum machine-driven electronic nonsense (“not ready for society”) to crunchy guitar-based metal, from stoner to NWOBHM style material (“simulating your own demise”) to busy European power metal (“satanic encouragement”)" - Third Eye Cinema

"The album deals with the stories and issues that he has heard and dealt with whilst working in secure residential care for young people with complex needs" - The Punk Site

"And that’s not to mention his solo works which wildly pole vault across genres inside and outside of metal and punk but have always been forward thinking and diverse in approach... His upcoming album Unrelaxed (first of two halves) is no exception and dives deep into into the highly personal topic of mental illness." - Nine Circles

"But at its core, Unrelaxed is a diverse mix of progressive metal, stoner doom and psych... All-in-all, Unrelaxed is a truly unique and heartfelt listening experience" - Indy Metal Vault

"So be prepared for an adventure if you want to try this." - Hard Rock Info

"Unrelaxed, is due to be released through Howling Invocations on October 19th, and it consolidates a variety of metal influences to address sterotypes surrounding autism, disability and mental health." - Catherine Fearns Blog

Tommy Concrete is a name that resonates within the metal and punk scene, both within his native Scotland and further afield. His resume is eclectic, from his time in legendary punks The Exploited to fronting Man of the Hour, playing with Jackal-Headed Guard of the Dead, publishing a horror novel based on extreme metal tape trading, and his own diverse solo work. It is in this last bracket that we turn our attention to, as his fifth album Unrelaxed is just around the corner - with a potent narrative driving it.
Unrelaxed comes as the first of two halves, and in Tommy’s own words, they “seek to consolidate my often wildly varied solo music into a strong cohesive vision.” The aforementioned variety has previously taken Mr. Concrete into the realms of industrial trip-hop influenced progressive metal, 70s proto-metal / stoner doom, and psychedelic heavy metal. Top this off with Tommy’s vocals often being compared to Rob Halford and Devin Townsend - though perhaps not the guttural growls - and you never know what to expect with a Tommy Concrete project.
This time is no exception in its unpredictability - doom-laden riffs morph into heavy metal thunder around industrial bloops and pulses, and more than a hint of that punk attitude that drives him in his personal life. The vocals and instrumentation are utterly remarkable, even more so when considering he constructed the entire album himself from the ground up, only enlisting some help on production and drum programming from Bryan Ramage (Ramage Inc., Cilice).
This is also an intensely personal album: “Unrelaxed deals with the stories and issues that I have heard/dealt with whilst working in secure residential care for young people with complex needs, all juxtaposed with my own recent diagnosis as high functioning autism”. This makes for potent material, as Tommy confronts the issues that ultimately drove him away from that profession: “'Not Ready For Society', for example, is about when young people re-offend so as to keep themselves incarcerated and safe from the society that abused them. 'Chemical Restraint' is about doping kids up who are deemed unmanageable.” On songs like, “Guarded By My Familiars”, however, he turns the spotlight on his own experiences of autistic meltdown, which makes for an emotionally charged listen.
Ultimately, Unrelaxed is a refreshing take both on metal and the topic of mental health, enveloped in an engaging listen. “Personally,” says Tommy, “I would like to see this album challenge the stereotype of autism/disability and to create positive discourse about the subject.” If you can keep up with the heady mixture of genres Tommy Concrete throws at you, Unrelaxed is well worth the thrill ride.
Unrelaxed will be released via Howling Invocations, on digital platforms, and a run of 100 limited edition numbered digipack

credits

released October 19, 2018

All instruments and vocals performed by Tommy Concrete
All lyrics and music by Tommy Concrete
Produced by Bryan Ramage

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about

Tommy Concrete Edinburgh, UK

Tommy Concrete is a metal musician based in Edinburgh Scotland.
Blending multiple genres to create shifting styles.
Challenging, progressive, avant-garde but sometimes just straight up Motorhead.
Often compared to Devin Townsend but
Influenced by Hawkwind, Amorphis, Enslaved and Opeth..
Tommy has been a part of the UK underground for 30 odd years and has played in a million bands.
... more

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