1. Backline (3:16)Y = Young Ginns. Featuring members of Nation of Ulysses, Unwound and the Fucking Champs, the Young Ginns rocked the fuck out, Dischord style. A tribute of sorts to the Black Flag guitar god, the band had a discernable influence in the latter day My War-era BF, but NoU, early Sonic Youth, Embrace and Fugazi can be heard. This particular track was culled off of another YoYo compilation, Julep.
Entertainment:
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1. Lunar Triumphator of Evil (9:59)W = Woods of Belial. Double points for the rediculous album title. Triple double super extra ultra points for the top shelf blackened doom trapped inside this criminally overlooked demo from 1997. Black metal shrieks and atmosphere? Check. Ten minute long songs? Check. Riffs so slow and heavy they make Burning Witch look like the Great Kat? Check. The production values one can only find on a cassette release? Check. There is also a conscious noise/industrial influence present, mostly taking a back seat to the knuckle-dragging guitarring and disturbed wails, taking this demo into territory mostly uncharted at the time of recording.
You know what? It just hit me now... I'll bet that 99% of the world's population wouldn't voluntarily sit through the first five minutes of this. That goes for just about everything that falls into the "funeral doom" or "black metal" umbrellas, but this is a particularly fetid example. I'll also bet that the same folks (as in, damn near EVERYBODY) would think you were a pretty fucked up and strange individual for being able to tolerate this shit, let alone listen to it by your own volition. A third bet I'm willing to make is that you're going to fucking love this, because you're one of those pretty fucked up and strange individuals who enjoys this shit.
Make:
1. 1V = Velvet Cacoon. I'm not sure about the circulating rumors regarding the members of this duo's drug intake, but whatever they're taking (and in whatever amounts) has been gelled into every second of their second true full length. Imagine Jesu on barbiturates, then attempting Xasthur covers. It's got that kind of atmosphere. The kind that screams "soundtrack for a bad trip". In black metal terms, this is pretty progressive, "out there" stuff, definitely putting itself in it's own category. The controversy surrounding the band (they had stolen another artists songs and artwork and reappropriated it as their own... brilliant) is mostly hype, especially after having a listen. If you dig on Jesu's Silver EP, you're gonna shit your pants with this one.
Ache:
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1. Goat Craft TormentU = Urgehal. Sometimes there's no need for innovation when you're able to do something extremely well. Why progress when there's no room for improvement on what you're already doing? Following in the footsteps of Bolt Thrower, AC/DC and Motorhead, Urgehal have managed to make the same full length record five times (Goat Craft Torment making the fifth). If it ain't broke, why fix it, right? Urgehal have the mid-90's Darkthrone sound down so well, it should probably be known as the Urgehal sound from now on. One thing I do have to mention is the production quality, which is decidedly un-kvlt... the bass is audible, and the drums don't sound like they were recorded at the bottom of a well with a My First Sony. The mix is great, the production clear and sharp and there are guitar solos all over this motherfucker... this is ass kicking, face melting black metal.
Maps:
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1. With Brass Songs They'll DescendT = To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie. This is a track from the forthcoming full length on Kranky Records, The Patron. TKAPB is the core duo of Makr (electronics) and Jehna (guitar and vocals), fabricating the soundtrack to a vivid nightmare you've never had right before you wake up. Jehna's ethereal vocals remind me simultaneously of the Cocteau Twins, Portishead and Blonde Redhead. The soundscapes are sublimely harsh, often giving way to a blissful dissonance deep inside the abandoned strip mine of your consciousness. Totalitarian tales of an isolated city and the isolated denizens. This record will be released next month, but in the meantime, scam this and absorb.
Tsnasty:
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1. Intro
1. You YesYesYesR = The Residents. The Residents really don't get the recognition they deserve as being the weirdest motherfuckers to record music, or "music". Maybe it's the fact that some artists don't feel like they will be taken seriously when they mention the Residents as being an influence... but I think that's a misconception. The Residents were VERY serious about their craft. Just about every weird/off beat band or artist of the last thirty years owes a decent deal to these guys, and they probably know it. It's just a shame that their legacy has largely been swept under the rug. Yeah, it's not the most easily digestable material, but if you're reading this blog, why would that stop you from grabbing this fucking record already?!?
Peace:
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1. Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...)BEST.
ALBUM.
EVER.
Yourself:
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1. Hail to Those Born In a Lost AgeP = Peordh. Existential black metal hailing from the icy lands of Newport News, Virginia. An Obscure Forgotten Path manages to be extremely alienating, yet drawing the listener further inside the emanating desperation and social solitude. Once the production is accounted for and the atmosphere is set, Dreogan builds an isolationist black metal masterpiece from the lo-fi drones, minimalist riffs developing internal transportation to one's center. This was released late last year, giving this country hope for more outstanding domestic black metal. Oh, dude also released a demo in 2005 under the name Bergelmir.
Orchestra:
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1. If Light Has No Age, Time Has No Shadow (14:22)O = Original Silence. What's this? An improv record by Thurston Moore, Jim O'Rourke (electronics), Mats Gustafsson (sax) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) of the Thing, Terrie Ex (guitar) of the Ex, and Massimo Pupillo (bass) of Zu? Sign me up for that. As a person who normally doesn't get down with the saxophone, I have to say that I really do enjoy Gustafsson's playing, which encroaches on a rude, gutteral place. Thurston provides his trademark hurricane of guitar noyse, which is to be expected. "If Light Has No Age..." emits a no-wave feel colliding with an AmRep sensibility. The second sprawling track is a little more "relaxed", with each musician providing their part without stepping on the toes of the others, which is no small feat for an improv group. They know their place in these pieces and work to a cohesive whole rather than giving individual performances. Suprisingly great record.
Reverse:
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1. Divine IntentN = Nile. If you're not quite sure how the greatest death metal band aside from Morbid Angel got as great as they did, look no further than In the Beginning. If you're not familiar with Nile, they are an extremely creative and wickedly talented brutal death metal unit hailing from South Carolina with strong ancient Egyptian and Lovecraftian influences. The Azagthoth and Vincent influence is a little stronger on this early material (the disc is a comp of the band's early pre-Relapse releases), but the trademark Nile sound is absolutely intact. Karl Sanders' genius is on magnificent display early on, as several of the tracks were later rerecorded and included as part of the debut full length Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka. Elements of the Nile sound make their initial appearances, from the lush eastern acoustic interludes and intros to the near ten minute epics of "Extinct" and "Wrought". The line up featured on the releases contained within is the original trio of Sanders (guitar, vocals), Chief Spires (bass, vocals) and longtime drummer Pete Hammoura, who sadly is unable to drum with the intensity he used to due to, literally, drumming too hard.
Excellent release from the current greatest death metal band, hands down.
League:
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8 untitled tracks.M = Merzbow. Japanese god of noise, blah blah... This record is gold. I can't say I'm a Merzbow expert (anybody who is is probably pretty fucking strange), but I haven't heard any of his work that comes close to matching Rainbow Electronics in it's sheer intensity. Not necessarily in that in-your-face kind of way, but there's a sense of tension permeating this work that gives an unsettling feeling that you should really be paying attention to what's entering those eardrums. It's been said that all Merzbow records sound the same... and to a point, they do... in the way that all Mozart's pieces resemble one another. I'm not going to pose as a noise connoisseur, so I will not make any claims other than a personal recommendation to anyone who has an iron stomach for ears.
Constant:
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1. Summoning LupineL = Leviathan. That voice. Truly one of the most talented screamers in the biz, Wrest (who comprises the whole of Leviathan) is defined by his ability to vomit shrieks and howls beyond the reach of mortal man, as well as the uncanny talent affording this sphere his brand of black metal. Howl Mockery At the Cross is a collection of blackened to the core demos and unreleased tracks. "Lycanthropus Rex" brilliantly melts faces in true Leviathan fashion... and at times over the course of the record, as a big "fuck you" to black metallers everywhere, the bass is audible in the mix! True fucking darkness.
Lips:
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1. Kayo Dot - Don't Touch Dead Animals (11:08)K = Kayo Dot, even though that's not the reason you're seeing this. While the Kayo Dot side of this split isn't quite doing it for me (their other releases hadn't either, so this wasn't much of a disappointment), Bloody Panda fucking kills it. What's that you say? You're sick of all the bands of nerdy looking white dudes fronted by a japanese woman? This is a far cry from Deerhoof, pal. Funeral doom on the order of Khanate meets Gallhammer is dished up in dirty paper plates and set alight. Another online review made mention of the fact that if you're listening to Bloody Panda, you've probably reached the point of no return in regards to fucked up doom, and it will satisfy you completely. I couldn't agree more.
Chapters:
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J = Judas Iscariot. The first truly great and prolific black metal act from the United States, Judas Iscariot is essentially one man from Dekalb, IL, Akhenaten. To Embrace... is his sixth full length album, and marks a shift from the earlier material which displayed a heavy Burzum influence. The riffs are more repetitive and depressive than past efforts, and the record has a more aggressive/antagonistic quality. It's too bad Judas Iscariot was discontinued after this release, because this is their/his greatest work. The opener, "I Awoke To A Night of Pain and Carnage", starts off with the sound of driving rain and from there it doesn't let up until the final drops of the closing track have fallen.
Highly Recommended!
Today:
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1. Harbingers of a New EraI = Impious Havoc. More finnish filth! It doesn't get a lot dirtier than this, kids. This is the latest offering from Impious Havoc, featuring the ex-guitarist of Uncreation's Dawn. Throat shredding howls, guitars that'll put a permanent ring around your bathtub, punk-ish drumming and that lo-fi "atmosphere". This is how it's done.
About:
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1. SanctuaryH = Hanadensha. Boredoms side project in full effect. Supposedly the name translates to something like "Electric Flower Car". Anyway, this is the side band of Hira, the Boredoms' bassist and happens to be one of the trippiest psych records I've had the pleasure of hearing. Bubbling and percussive tracks give way to droning psych jams give way to lysergic lounge music. "Sugar" is my new summer jam.
Company:
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1. Reasonably Miserable (9:24)G = Ginnungagap. Yet another in the never-ending plethora of Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Aethenor, KTL, Burning Witch, etc.) side projects. This one in particular is an outlet for his improvised and collaborative works. 1000% Downer features the vocals of Dawn Smithson of Jessamine, along with the drones of Steve Pittis and Fritz Welch. Originally released in 2004 on 3" CD format, limited to 150 copies. Later reissued on blue 12" vinyl that same year. Collector scum gold uncovered!
Bars:
1. Sikkerhed
1. Mogwai - Teeth of Lions Rule the DivineE = Earth. Or an Earth tribute/remix record, anyway. Most of these tribute happenings happen to suck ass with a straw, but I've ended up liking this one quite a bit. The end result of a tribute record usually has quite a lot to do with a) the subject being given tribute and b) the talents giving tribute. Looking at this roster, there's no way they could fuck this one up. The Sunn track is interesting because it is a departure from the black metal-tinged dirges they've been divining from beyond as of late, but Justin Broadrick (Jesu, Godflesh) steals the show with what could be an unreleased track from the gorgeous Silver. This one's for you, Dylan.
Dude:
1. AloneLeave it up to the Finns to come up with the perfect entry for "D". Depressed Mode are yet another band who are quite good, but was Depressed Mode the best name they could think of? Sure, it makes you smirk the first time around, but choosing that as your moniker for your band's career? Questionable. At any rate, this is first class Finnish doom with a strong Paradise Lost influence (although DM's vocalist's growl is in a lower register).
Writing:
1. Endless Mist (intro)
1. Amur (33:52)
1. The Curse of EdenThere are certain parts of the world that are hotbeds of activity in the realm of black metal. The most obvious, of course, are Norway, Sweden and Finland, and recently, the United States. There are also locales across the globe that seem to generate more than their fair share of talent, and Greece is damn near the top of the list. Acrimonious hail from Athens, a two man hellride with a penchant for thrashing black metal. So far they've only released a demo and two EPs since their 2003 formation. Fans of Darkthrone and Immortal should check this out.
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