I Exist debut LP ‘I: A Turn for the Worse’, out May 7 on Common Bond Records

Punched out over a long weekend with engineer/mixer Jason PC of grind loons Blood Duster, the record builds on the template established with their 7” ‘Three Nails and a Book of Flaws’. While the group remains grounded in hardcore, here, their stoner, sludge and doom influences really come to the fore: the monolithic riffage on show echoes the likes of Electric Wizard, Eyehategod and Sleep.

The album is still heavily geared towards the furious sub-two minute blasts the band is known for, but I Exist take full advantage of the LP format with a couple of extended tracks. The record's centerpiece is undoubtedly ‘A-Bomb Blues’, an unfettered nine minute guitar workout colored by that staple of any rock record worth its salt: the Hammond.

It's rare for a band to emerge, on their debut, as the finished article, but ‘I: A Turn for the Worse’ is a remarkably assured record: drawing influence from a range of styles but beholden to none of them. And, as the title suggests, this is merely the first installment.

The band will be on tour this May with Shai Hulud.

Thursday 13 May – Hot Damn, Sydney NSW 18
Friday 14 May – The Fitz, St Ives NSW AA
Saturday 15 May (Arvo) - The Fort, Brisbane QLD AA
Saturday 15 May (Night) – Thriller Nightclub, Brisbane QLD 18
Sunday 16 May - Shed 5, Gold Coast QLD AA
Tuesday 18 May – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW 18
Wednesday 19 May – The Warehouse, Canberra ACT AA
Friday 21 May – Enigma Bar, Adelaide SA 18
Saturday 22 May – The Arthouse, Melbourne VIC 18
Sunday 23 May – Seaford Community Centre, Melbourne VIC AA



I Exist ‘I: A Turn for the Worse’ CD out May 7 on Common Bond / Shock