Deathwish RecordsBig needle + murder of crows = Seattle is still hardcore.If the artwork on the Heiress page of the Deathwish Records site (see above) is any indication, the band’s new album should be a shout back to the old days of Seattle hardcore, when monsters in flannel made loud, grimy music that sounded as dark and dreary as the area felt. The band is made up of journeyman rockers from groups like Himsa, Undertow, Harbinger, and Born Anchors, and the session was presided over and mixed by local rock recording legend Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney), but the new material also shows enough progression to feel distinctly 2011.The CD that Heiress drummer Justin Martinez handed me last night at the Lock and Keel contains 17 mixed and mastered tracks recorded with Endino at Soundhouse Studios, and two remixed (by Endino) tracks the band had previously recorded. Martinez told me that the final version of the LP (entitled Early Frost) will probably contain about 10 of these songs, and two will be placed on a 7″, which Deathwish (the East Coast metal label/Ultimate Fighting Championship backer operated by pivotal metal group Converge) will make available prior to the full-length’s release. The band is hoping for a late September-early October release for both.Most of the 19 tracks were outstanding, packed with brute riffs, change-ups, and gruff yelling from lead screamer John Pettibone that goes between challenging you to a fight and shoving you back into the pit (he does run security at El Corazon). The band is extremely sound technically, and Endino has done an amazing job of balancing their tough aesthetic with clear recording, though a certain vintage quality has been retained, since they were recorded to tape as opposed to digitally.You can catch Heiress August 3 at the Highline w/ Griever, and August 19 at El Corazon w/ Rorschach and Great Falls.Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.