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Cortez

by Cortez

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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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      $8 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Contains 8 page booklet with lyrics and photos.

    Track Listing:

    1. Johnny
    2. All Hail
    3. Until We Die
    4. Ride On
    5. Wormwood
    6. Beyond the Mountain
    7. Monolith
    8. Nostrum
    9. Satan
    10. Northlander
    11. Nice Try

    Includes unlimited streaming of Cortez via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Limited Edition Gatefold Double LP - 180g Black Vinyl
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    VINYL FACTS

    - limited to 200 copies of black vinyl
    - heavy 180 gram vinyl pressed in Germany
    - 300 gsm glossy gatefold cover
    - hand numbered
    - 77 minutes of playing time
    - artwork and layout by Alexander von Wieding

    ** Shipping within the United States is $4.00
    ** Shipping to Canada is $15.00
    ** Shipping to Europe is $24.00

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

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  • Limited Edition Gatefold Double LP - Yellow vinyl with Green Haze
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    VINYL FACTS

    - limited to 200 copies of yellow w/ green haze
    - heavy 180 gram vinyl pressed in Germany
    - 300 gsm glossy gatefold cover
    - hand numbered
    - 77 minutes of playing time
    - artwork and layout by Alexander von Wieding

    ** Shipping only within the United States
    ** Shipping is $4.00

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

    Sold Out

1.
Johnny 04:25
Johnny met himself a single mother Twice a week, he paid the cover Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me another She may be a dancer, but she ain’t no lover She’ll steal your mind, boy You’ve lost your mind, boy Bills are piling, her man’s no father She says the rent’s due, and Johnny covers Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me another She may be a dancer, but she ain’t no lover She’ll steal your mind, boy You’ve lost your mind, boy John’s in love, there ain’t no other Her man don’t know, she’s got it covered Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me another She may be a dancer, but she ain’t your lover She’ll steal your mind, boy You’ve lost your mind, boy Johnny’s lost without his mother Co-dependence is a motherfucker Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me another She may be a dancer, but she ain’t your lover She’ll steal your mind, boy You’ve lost your mind, boy
2.
All Hail 04:56
Feel the fire surround you Taste the poison inside I can see the forces at work Pulling strings on my bones Illuminating and exposing the fnords The Fear is letting me know I’m just sayin’ Take a good look around you Let it sink in your mind A bunch of motherfuckers tryin’ To distract the Whole Keep us all divided so that nobody knows The Truth is behind the show I’m just sayin’ And a war is nigh, so think it over First against the wall, or first to break one? We can take inside and make it outward Desperate times, they call for measured actions This ain’t a call to arms , but think it over First against the wall, or first to break one? There ain’t no warning signs, won’t be no lifeboats All we’ll have is time and fuckin turncoats And who put them in charge? Think it over! First against the wall, or first to break one?
3.
Until We Die 06:04
We mine the past, digging up old bones Should be no surprise that they’ve turned to oil Our thoughts are plain as your tear-stained face And the oil turns to flame Woman, you need to know I couldn’t let you go Until we die Surrounded by so many shattered bones What you thought such a prize was just painted gold I never claimed to be a perfect man Let me just speak my mind Woman, you need to know I couldn’t let you go, until we die Speak soft Speak slow I know, you know Relax Breathe slow I know, you know We mine the past in search of our lost gold What was once such a find now lies plain and cold The tomes of past are just filled with names Why are we so blind? Woman, you need to know I couldn’t let you go Until we die
4.
Ride On 05:18
Cranking “The Wizard,” bombing through town Just burned a fat sack of trees There ain’t nothing bringin’ us down Cruise to the beach scene, fire’s ablaze Some kegs of cheap beer and some whiskey At a party that’s been going all day Ride on Back in the cheap seats, throwing the horns Power chords bleeding through full stacks As the smoke and singing rise from the floor Blowing out eardrums, and loving the crowd The tubes are on fire and the amps are Really fuckin pushing it loud Ride on Right on, baby. Ride on. We won’t ever forget the good times we had Alone on the highway, shift it to five Push the pedal to the floor, and we ain’t never felt so alive Ride on Right on, baby. Ride on. We won’t ever forget the good times we had
5.
Wormwood 04:53
Peered, my eyes, in faded gray we turned Smokey clouds have filled my lungs with dirt And through it all, sunbeams cut into A hallowed scene, an ancient dream A sky that falls to Earth Our end will be bathed in halos Before we’re robbed of our sight There’s a crazy god aiming for us From the darkest of Night Broken skies, a billion cries are heard Ashen forms, a billion more consumed Surrounding all, darkness sets into A hallowed scene, our broken dream A sky that falls to Earth The skies will be filled with poisons As the planet ignites There’s a crazy god aiming for us now From the darkest of Night Daylight hours flow Still lives, nothing more Sleep child, no one knows Steady as she goes Our end will be bathed in halos Before we're robbed of our sight There’s a crazy god aiming for us now From the darkest of Night
6.
Maybe they came from beyond the mountain Maybe they came from across the sea Bury your heads in sand, escape them Nothing to fear when there’s nothing to see Maybe they came in search of fountains Maybe they came from beyond the sky The first ones among us take no chances Anything that bleeds, can fuckin’ die Maybe they came here to destroy us Maybe they came to block out the sun Wise ones begin to arrange defenses Nowhere to go, when there’s nowhere to run Maybe they came to exploit the children Maybe they came to fulfill the signs Our past returns to stand against us Everything that bleeds can fuckin’ die Here we stand, there they fall To the last, so say we all Make our stand, they will fall They will fall Why did they come from beyond the mountain? Why did they come from across the sea? The riddles of fate provide no answers Can’t open the door, if you don’t have the key Why did they come here to destroy us? Why did they come from beyond the sky? Maybe they came to stand in judgment Everything that bleeds will fuckin’ die Here we stand, there they fall To the last, so say we all Make our stand, they will fall They will fall
7.
Monolith 06:51
I can see through an evergreen ceiling Clouds form in their own way Make a fire, dance around in smoke And it sends me out to home Passenger by the stars, they shine Illuminating my way As we move through pathways Carved in time, it starts to hum It’s time There might not be a tomorrow When you move past the curtain of time Space exists in weird ways We’re alive, but outside our self We know we’re not alone Passengers of the stars, we shine Illuminating all ways Then we cut the pathways From our gods, and start to hum It’s time There might not be a tomorrow I can’t say that I have the answer You can’t save the world with a song The variables are elusive and The constants are constantly wrong I’m leaving it all on the table Most of you aren’t moving on There’s a war for your mind, and a war for your soul And I can’t wait to be gone
8.
Nostrum 03:31
Deep down there’s a feeling Triggered vortex, enveloping We swear there’s a purpose to the motive Honestly Keep waiting for that subtle clue Or light of truth to guide the way The walls have been strengthened with Armaments and efficiency Stalling for a moment It’s torture, pleasantly I’ll bet there’s some proof hidden in portent Just you see Keep waiting for that subtle clue Or light of truth to guide the way The walls have been strengthened with Armaments and efficiency All the heads are speaking Shifting focus, developing A sense of purpose for the motives Faithfully Keep waiting for that subtle clue Or light of truth to guide the way The walls have been strengthened with Armaments and efficiency
9.
Satan 04:23
Betrayed by master and by lords Choose the path, son, ball or sword Wife and mother, we avenge Both now live for her revenge A breeze so cool, it blows through leaves Upon it hangs the smell of thieves Wolf and cub, a sword to sell Together walk the Road to Hell The quarry raised his sword above his head Assassin’s eyes fill him with fear and dread His demon’s blade thirsts for the blood of knaves The slicing wave! Assassin walks with child in tow Demons both Forged in fire, bound by blood The devil’s price, 500 ryo Demons both Forged in fire, bound by blood Forged in fire, bound by blood
10.
Northlander 08:04
Souls of storm and thunder Embark on fated doom In pairs they row, the dragon’s head A mark of woe Fear, they’ve none Hearts are cold, blades are straight and true Sails are full The night, she howls and leads these sons to ruin Souls of storm and thunder Embark on fated doom Gimme blood, gimme gold Biting wind, threshing oar Singing steel guide me on Drive the horde from their home Blood erupts, the battle turns, our side is lost All along, the line erodes, our brothers fall Souls of storm and thunder Arrive at fated doom Gimme blood, gimme gold Biting wind, threshing oar Singing steel guide me on Drive the horde from their home Father, guide your fallen sons To your feasting hall they come Face the Northern skies, our home Father, guide your wayward sons Father, guide your wayward sons
11.
Nice Try 05:29
Don’t talk to me like I didn’t know This ain’t my first fuckin rodeo They planned for this, they planned it all Every single one of them knew the score So don’t talk to me, cuz I’ve heard it all Words are shit, if you can’t back them up And a secret’s just a ruse if you don’t plan to keep it We’re better off left alone They’ve played it safe, they’ve played us all All along the way, we’ve played along They engineered and then built a wall Now we'll do our best to break it So don't talk to me, cuz I've heard it all Words are shit if you don't back them up And your secret's cut in two because you could not keep it So don’t fuck with me. In fact, fuck you all Words are shit when you don’t back them up And the secret’s come unglued because they failed to keep it Nice try Walk that line One in ten, a division of men They’ll deny you nothing

about

There are very few ethics to which I apply universal favor, and strong songwriting is one of them. Cortez make songwriting sound innate, effortless, like the “Helter Skelter”-referential chorus that immediately plasters “Johnny” on the lining of the cerebral cortex like it’s a gig flyer is just what the band does every day after work. As the opener, “Johnny” emphasizes many of the album’s best aspects. It is impeccably constructed, briskly performed and crisply presented, and that remains a thread that runs all the way through to pre-demo closer “Nice Try.” A lyrical narrative of dudely heartbreak is met by undeniable groove, and Harrington’s melodies are infectious alongside O’Dowd’s riffing.
-JJ, The Obelisk.net

Cortez’s eponymously named double vinyl release is a collection of hard-hitting, fuzz-drenched songwriting propelled by the nitro-fueled pistons of an especially heavy-handed drummer. Songs like “Johnny”, “All Hail”, “Northlander” and especially ‘going to a show’ anthem “Ride On” could result in fist-sized dents in the roof of your automobile as you rock along with the Cortez crew. They give their songs just enough standard rock n’ roll sensibilities to keep them from crossing the wire into Heavy Metal territory. Although to the latter point, “Satan” – a stylistic outlier for the band – could be this year’s best Doom Metal song. At least one as translated by a hard-stompin’ Stoner Rock band.
-Chris Barnes, Hellride Music

If you like your rock, mid-tempo, sabbathian, sometimes bluesy, but with many variations so to avoid any chance of boredom setting in; then Cortez are the band for you. The only other album with these kind of tempos that comes close to this is the last Orange Goblin release but holy pope on a rope, I think Cortez has the Goblin beat. I am not comparing them to Orange Goblin either but in the mid-tempo, riff-rock up your ass stakes, this is about as good as it gets right now in 2012. A complete band, a complete album - this is a stunning full length début from Cortez.
9.5/10
-Doommantia.com

Lots of bands out there are playing in a heavily Sabbath influenced realm but Cortez is one of the few to utilize more than just the usual Master/Volume 4 riff rehash. For those of us who have spent decades analyzing the Sabbath family tree know just how much killer shit there is that people tend to overlook. The reason why all those Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple records are so classic is the variety. Cortez understands that and plays the music they want to hear. I wanna hear it ,too and have been playing the hell out of this!
-Woody, The Ripple Effect

Cortez is here to stomp around and scream. They will play dirty and loud. They will shred and lull you into a dark corner of your mind. They play insanely great heavy rock and roll doom that can not, nor will not be denied. This is one of best from 2012.
-The Soda Shop

credits

released May 29, 2012

Cortez is:
Matt Harrington (Vocals)
Scott O'Dowd (Guitar)
Jay Furlo (Bass)
Jeremy Hemond (Drums)

Additional Musicians:
Chris Coughlin plays Hammond Organ on: Beyond the Mountain, Nostrum

Dana Fisher plays Cello on: Wormwood, Nostrum, Northlander

All songs written & produced by Cortez

Recorded and mixed by Ethan Dussault at New Alliance Audio, Cambridge, MA

All tracks mastered by Nick Zampiello & Rob Gonella at New Alliance East, Cambridge, MA

Album artwork & design by Alexander Von Wieding

Photos by Bruce Bettis

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tags

about

Cortez Boston, Massachusetts

Cortez has solidified their place in the world of underground heavy rock, the new material simultaneously swinging and crushing with hooks for days. These aren’t just songs, they are war cries and proclamations, letting the world know that Cortez means business and will not stop until their quest for the perfect riff or catchiest chorus is attained. ... more

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