6/10/11

       And For the Melvins Fans, There Was Much Rejoicing

     Truly, it is the Spring of Melvins-mania.  My personal "only band that matters" (and for many others as well) is LIVE everywhere you look this month.  Firstly, I just listened to their brand new live cd released this last tuesday (Sugar Daddy Live on Ipecac) and it meets their (and my) usual high standards.  The set list is heavy on recent material (nothing wrong with that) and features a nice clean and punchy recording that does their always crushing live show justice.  Some weirdness/whimsy is in evidence in the form of a goofy cover of The Star Spangled Banner and in an especially whacked-out version of the classic Boris with utterly deranged vocals from what sounds like all four members contributing.  They have been touring for a quarter century and are very very comfortable and professional on stage and this cd conveys that effectively.  Even better, the "real" live Melvins experience is at hand for we die-hards: TWO shows in a row, with TWO sets each at Grumpys downtown on Monday and Tuesday nights!!  This is the final stint of the so-called "Residency" tour, where it is two sets/two shows for each stop all tour--I just heard from my buddy in Boston regarding the second of the two shows there that he caught and he described it as a chaotic, rabid free-for-all that utterly killed his face.  SWEET.  The set lists on this tour are a remarkable treat for long-term fans--entire old and mid-period albums played in their entirety!  Mon=Lysol and Eggnog followed by a set consisting of Houdini; then on Tues we get Bullhead followed by set 2 of Stoner Witch...sweet merciful crap, my cup truly runneth over.  I don't know if my wallet, liver and ear-holes can withstand being force-fed so much insanely heavy and creative rock in so short a span, but I am going to find out...!

5/20/11

                         We Got A Real Live One Here

     On Monday I checked out post-rock maestros (from Louisville, Kentucky) Young Widows at the Triple Rock and they did not disappoint--half of them used to be in one of my favorite bands, the maniacal Breather Resist, but Y.W. is a different animal altogether.  Where B.R. were crazed and unhinged sounding mathed-out hardcoremetal, Young Widows have evolved over three releases into a spooky, atmospherics-drenched outfit with a hard to describe or quantify approach...the music is heavy, at times, but highly layered and detailed, with unconventional riffs and a dark, arty feel present at all times/levels.  The live show certainly kicked up the intensity level versus the recordings, but without histrionics or excessive aggression, just a satisfyingly ominous slow burn...it was cool.  It certainly didn't hurt that the band was rocking some crazy custom amps that contained a row of sinister yellow/orange lights that added to the drama and malevolence of the music--it could have been cheesy but in practice it wasn't at all, simply another well-considered piece of the Young Widows' overall aesthetic structure.  Their latest,  In and Out of Youth and Lightness (Temporary Residence) is available at Cheapo, of course.

5/13/11

                                                           Three on a Match

Some new releases have come down the line lately that are worth commenting on...in no particular order, here they are: 1. The new split release from west coast grind stalwarts Despise You and east coast super-weirdos Agoraphobic Nosebleed (on Relapse) is very very good...each band actually sounds surprisingly "conventional" in their approach and the results are a little more user-friendly than one might expect.  The real treat for me was the uncharacteristic use (by both bands) of slower, heavy breakdown parts that really rock out...coolness!  2. Erik Rutan has let it be known that he is very proud of his band, Hate Eternals' latest recording, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes (Metal Blade)...it is super-solid, competent death metal and features superb production, but it just didn't put its hooks into me, I felt I had heard all this before one too many times...to really slam it more than I mean to I will point out that it sounds ALOT like Nile...sorry, Erik.  Lastly 3. comes Pittsburgh-based instrumental/electronic duo Zombi with their brand spankin' (haha check the cover) new release entitled Escape Velocity (Ralapse). As expected, it totally rules. Buy it now, I command you.

4/15/11

                                                        Vi-nil

     Before cds there were records. Before "metalcore" there was crossover.  In honor of National Record Store Day (tomorrow) lets take a trip in the way-back machine to the heady days of the mid-to-late 1980's, where a young lad (me) became increasingly smitten with/obsessed by the beginnings of the fusion of the (underground) punk and metal scenes into a fierce and durable hybrid called CROSSOVER (D.R.I. even titled a seminal recording from this era precisely that).  One of my favorite bands in this style and from that era were Sacrilege (from the Bay Area, not the highly inferior and later British band of the same name).  They put out a mere two records (yes only records no cds of this band exist) both on Cali label Alchemy Records--the first was called "Party with God" (nice!) and the second was entitled "Too Cool to Pray" and they both rock.  Despite somewhat one-dimensional (if determined) drumming, these are incredibly great examples of crossover; metal, punk, hardcore and straight-up rock music all commingled to the benefit of all and the detriment of none,especially on the first album which just has riffs riffs RIFFS everywhere and features an awesome "band photo" on the back cover consisting only of a photo of the groups' feet and shoes...Living Color this ain't.  The second LP did feature a cleaner production and solid songwriting but the intensity level fell off slightly--still a great listen and highly indicative of the time and place it was created.  Uh...good luck finding either and no, you can't borrow mine.  Happy record shopping, fellow geeks!

4/1/11

                       Best/Funniest Band Name EVER

I just stumbled across a Metallica "tribute"/cover band out of Colorado with the most hilarious and awesome band name I think I have ever heard of...wait for it...they are called It Should Have Been Lars.  (Rim shot!)  Man, that is funny and transgressive in the best possible way.  They have no label (you can hear them on myface) so I can't point you toward any recordings...Hell, I don't even know if they are any good.  It doesn't matter--with a moniker like that their place in metal history is sealed.  Genius!

3/17/11

                                                                  Green Hell

                    I write a metal/punk blog
                    sometimes a bit of a slog

                          It's fun to get paid
                     for nonsense I've sprayed

                  I don't know much about prog!

3/11/11

                         DEI-KU

                  Two new Dei-dudes
              doth not a good cd make;
                   sorry, Glen Benton.

2/4/11

                      Six Degrees of Grinderation

     ...links in a chain, man, we're like, all connected.  It went like this--Nick Sakes of local bands Sicbay and Colossamite and former member of Chi-town legends Dazzling Killmen, sends a link for a band called Defeatist to my good friend Mario who plays bass in local scene stalwarts Command Module.  Mario is impressed by these N.Y.C. grindcrushers and promptly sends me the link--I am blown away by the furious violence erupting out of my crappy little built-in computer speakers immediately and thank Mario and Nick for smacking me up with such grindy goodness, before breakfast even!  I promptly obtain the two existing Defeatist cds, 2009s' Sixth Extinction (on Pennsylvania label Willowtip) and an aggregate of earlier vinyl eps jammed onto one recent cd (also on Willowtip) called Sharp Blade Sinks Deep Into Dull Minds.  I haven't had a chance to plow through them yet (or have them plow through me, perhaps?) but the one song I heard online inspires confidence that this is yet still more amazing, "undiscovered" (by me at least) super-sincere state-of-the-art grindcore, which seems to be enjoying a surprisingly widespread renaissance of sorts right now.  I was relieved that the band was NOT from Texas; way to represent, New York (the state of my birth, actually, for those keeping score at home).  Speaking of New York...so of course I have already poured over the liner notes of both Defeatist cds and lo and behold Sixth Extinction was recorded by none other than Colin Marston at his Menegroth studio in Queens!  Mr. Marston has come up in this blog before--he is in many excellent bands including but not limited to Dysrhythmia, Krallice, Behold...the Arctopus and the re-formed Gorguts.  So that little factoid delights me and brings this all full circle in our tight-knit (incestuous even) weirdo grind scene.  By the way, Menegroth is high-elvish (!) and translates to "thousand caves"...yeah Tolkien elvish...and I don't know which is worse, that Colin named his studio that or that I recognized the ultra ultra nerdy reference instantly...!  So even an innocent bystander like J.R.R. Tolkien gets dragged into this series of connections; I like it when the universe allows/compels? cool things, however superficially dissimilar, to cohere together,  driven by an awesomeness that operates much like gravity on scattered matter...

1/28/11

                                                    Decibel

     I came away from a recent reading of the current issue of Decibel magazine much impressed--the magazine has really significantly improved in the last five or six years since I last checked it out.  It manages, in a very orderly and coherent way, to weave together all the myriad different strands, strains, factions and sub-factions that now comprise the extremely complex and multi-faceted universe that is "underground" or "extreme" metal music.  This endless and still occurring fragmentation and sub-division of the "scene" can make it easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available concerning bands, recordings, tours and just what for lack of a better term might be described as metal "culture"--there is so much going on it is hard to keep track of and Decibel seems to be doing a good job of keeping its' readership abreast of useful, interesting and often amusing facts and opinions relevant to this strange musical subculture.  I learned, for example, that Pig Destroyer FINALLY have a new album on the way, due out this summer (as yet untitled), as do Brutal Truth--both bands having been discussed in this blog numerous times.  I also gleaned that Brutal Truths' Kevin Sharp is chummy with Mastodons' Bill Kelliher and that they engage in projects together like putting up sheetrock and drywall to build a shared studio space! They also had an amazing interview with Shane Embury's (of Napalm Death) MOM--and she was a hoot!  Fascinating.  If you haven't read an issue in a while, check one out--it is a fun read and it will definitely make you want to buy a bunch of music and make you feel more involved and "in the know" regarding our beloved crazy music scene.  Cheers!  (Thanks to Chris T. for allowing me to mooch off his copy.)

1/21/11

             Insect Warfare Destroys Texas

     ...and speaking of ornery Texans--(nice link from my last entry, eh? eh?)--what the hell is going on down there?!  After Kill the Client caught me so off guard, later in that same listening session I had my brain flensed by yet another crazed Texas outfit of horrible misanthropic freaks...Insect Warfare!!  They have only one full length, 2007s' World Extermination (Earache) which is as "pure" an artifact of straight-up grind as can be imagined.  Everything about this recording is pre-meditated and fine-tuned for maximum grindcore authenticity and withering sonic violence.  The instrument sounds are ratty, dirty, rough and raw--but the placement of each instrument within the soundfield is well-thought out and executed (!) with care, and the end result is a fascinatingly claustrophobic effect that sounds both "modern" and sufficiently clear but also old-school "crusty" and implosive.  The drums and guitar in particular interact both sonically and structurally in a manner that fleshes the deliberately spare aesthetic of the band out in a satisfying way; and as harsh as the recording and material are, the album is not fatiguing to listen to (though this is perhaps helped by the fact that the whole cd is about 20 minutes long, in proper grindcore fashion) primarily due to well-timed and distributed bursts of "user-friendly" riffs by the guitar and killer-sounding mid-tempo "cruising mode" breakdowns by the drums, much the same technique developed and utilized so successfully by Napalm Death long ago.  Combined with the buzzing, absolutely irate-sounding blast parts, the whole experience becomes surprisingly integrated and cohesive to listen to...if you like this sort of thing.  To the timid or untrained ear,  the band sounds like, well, furious insects devouring your skull...from the inside out.  Ouch.

1/7/11

            Happy New Grinds!/Kill the Client

    Kill the Client (nice name!) are a Relapse-distributed band hailing from Dallas Texas.  They play a ferocious and up-to-date style of death metal and grindcore that, to my ear, nicely balances two somewhat disparate approaches--they meld the relentless, sort of militaristic "precision rampage" style favored by bands like Misery Index with a more chaotic "weasel-in-a-food-processor" wildness perfected by artists like Brutal Truth, who are clearly an influence.  They have put out only a handful of full length releases--the latest is Set for Extinction from last year, but I have (so far) only listened to 2008s' Cleptocracy (on Willowtip) and I thought it was great.  Kind of thin-sounding, but I think somewhat deliberately so, and plenty mean and convincing/committed.  Killer old-school grind cover art never hurts any, either.  Check these ornery Texans out!  End communication.

12/17/10

     While researching  U.S. grind-legends Phobia (CA), I stumbled across several other related (member-sharing) groups who clearly required further investigation...and I came upon the unbelievable GRIDLINK.  Wow...this New Jersey/Japanese "twitch grind" band is absolutely astonishing in their commitment to and mastery of the form.  This is ultra pure, uncut grindcore, presented with dazzling and dizzying ferocity, precision and unhinged insanity.  It is, utterly, the state of the art.  Gridlink is composed of members of avant/grind/jazz weirdos Discordance Axis, Burnt By the Sun, Phobia and Kill the Client (about whom more next time), among others.  This illustrious pedigree is immediately apparent upon ones' first startling and exhilarating listen to these frighteningly focused and talented lunatics.  The cd came packaged with a promotional sticker affixed to it that contained two statements/desciptions (warnings?) about its contents, and I would like to share them with everyone because they are so awesome and awesomely apt.   Firstly, a Mr. Tanaka Tsuchida, writing for an obscure zine called Satanic Death Repulsionizer (!) has this to say regarding Gridlinks' rank in the grind heap:

 "I bet you thought that new over produced multi-track trigger laden piece of
sh@t in your car stereo was brutal.              Guess what? It's not."

OMG.  I think I want that tattooed on my FOREHEAD.  Next, the label (Hydra Head--catalog #666!) offers this useful and hilarious snippet:

"Twitch grind core.  One take.  No scratch tracks.  No punching in. No slow sh@t.  F#ck you."

Dude.  I think I want that engraved on my tombstone!

Happy Holidays!

12/3/10

                                                    Blind Illusion

     Before Primus...(but after Possessed, at least in Mr. Lalondes' case) there was Blind Illusion.  This strange band were active in the the Bay Area from the late 70's through much of the 80's, and are notable mainly due to the fact that both bass superstar/weirdo-in-residence Les Claypool and guitarist Larry Lalonde, who of course would go on to form the inimitable Primus, were in the band.  Blind Illusion only had one very hard to find/collectible "proper" release entitled The Sane Asylum which has just been re-issued and re-mastered by Polish metal label Metal Mind.  The packaging and sound are up to that labels' usual high standard (admit it, you know you love the numbered editions, fan-boy) and the material more or less merits it...it is an uneven record, featuring some really good songs and playing that is surprisingly clunky-sounding, even though it is complex in terms of writing and even arranging.  It is the sound of talented musicians during early days sort of finding their way to their own more distinctive and coherent sounds.  Frankly at the end (beginning?) of the day it sounds like two-thirds of Primus playing sort of mediocre thrash, with slightly more ambitious-than-usual compositional complexity.  If that sounds appealing, or if you are just a massive Primus/Claypool head who has to have everything associated with those entities, by all means pick it up.  (You can spot Les on the back cover due to his ridiculously out-of-place/non-metal guy hat he is sporting--impressively non-conformist if you ask me even if not very "cool", that was and is Mr. Claypools' idiom after all.)

11/19/10

                Animals as Leaders

Today I want to bring to your attention the work of an intriguing guitarist/artist named Tosin Abasi.  (Thanks to Patrick @ the Blaine store for turning me on to him!)  He used to play in a fairly mediocre by-the-numbers death metal outfit (now defunct) called Reflux out of Virginia...but it is the project after that that is worth mentioning and investigating.  Essentially a solo act/release, Mr. Abasi was retained by Prosthetic Records after Reflux and they put out the self-titled disc Animals as Leaders and it is definitely, well, a very different animal altogether (sorry).  Featuring very high-level progged-out guitar everywhere, this disc is a compelling listen.  The instrument sounds are (mostly) clean and layered--the drums are programmed and there is no singing...it is hard to describe, but imagine Robert Fripp jamming with any talented, spacy-sounding new age (!) or jazzbo guitarist/chops-meister of your choice (Chaquico? McLaughlin--Billy OR John?) all mixed up with a dash of Dysrhythmia-style wanking out and you're close.  There are moments when things get a little metal, but mostly the recording is an extended exercise in ultra-technical guitar wizardry, with appealing and often mellow electronic/electronica elements which, when combined with a vague death metal sensibility all becomes somewhat new and different sounding, at least to my ears.  Well done and recommended.  It will make you want to practice

11/12/10

HELMKU

                                                            "Mosquito Control"
                                                       e.p from instru-metal
                                                           nerds Isis, is great.

11/5/10

                       Short and Sweet Follow-Up

     The results are in.  1. Darryl Jenifer-"In Search of Black Judas"--he is 25% of the Bad Brains...and this cd is about 25% as good as any given Bad Brains album.
                                 2. Daath--(self-titled)--not bad at all, very expensive/expansive-sounding production, just super polished and has solid writing and playing...but kind of peters out midway through.  Needs more/fresher ideas, sez I.
                                 3. Dag Nasty--"Dag with Shawn"--VERY interesting, historically, to hear such a seminal album ("Can I Say" was the title when later re-recorded with Dave Smalley as the singer) in such a different form--Mr. Brown shout-sings a lot and has a much less refined (or tuneful or melodic) approach than did his replacement Mr. Smalley...I think I prefer Dave as a vocalist, his proto-"emo" style just suits the material much better.  Sonically this re-issue is wonderful, with an excellent re-master that fully fleshes out the instrument sounds and adds space and impact.  For serious D.C. or dag heads, well worth a spin.  Sorry, didn't get to the new Halford yet...maybe next week.

10/22/10

                                                                          Short and Sweet

     Here are three newly released cds I am "working on" finding time to listen to and subsequently review: 1. Dag Nasty--"Dag With Shawn";  2.Darryl Jenifer (Bad Brains bassist!)--"In Search of Black Judas"; and 3. Daath--(self titled, follow up to "The Hinderers").  So you will hear about these soon..PLUS the new Halford record as soon as I nab a used one...AND finally I will actually "review" the latest Malevolent Creation cd "Invidious Dominion" (Nuclear Blast) right now--it isn't very good.  Sigh.  That pains me to say, because I go WAY back with that band and have like 30 albums by them and they have been nothing if not consistent...but this cd alas does sound stale, rote, by-the-numbers, phoned-in etc.  The lyrics also are particularly dumb, despite the in-theory welcome return of former frontman Bret Hoffman--too many simple-minded "modern" military themes/ideas (i.e. "Target Rich Environment") for my taste--sorry boys, the whole thing was kind of a let down.  Until next week, then.

10/22/10

 Slayer Unjustly Accused of Nazism... By Me!

     Ha ha ha want to hear about me being an idiot?  Of course you do.  So...legendary metal band Slayer has just re-issued much of their seminal early/mid-period output on a big, fancy, expensive and by all accounts excellent-sounding vinyl box set (Which, by the way, we definitely have for sale at Cheapo Records).  Somehow, I got it into my pointy little head that the title of this set was "The Vinyl Solution" (!)--a very offensive and disturbing title to be sure, especially for a band that has absorbed and courted controversy many times over the years by showcasing/describing/evoking images of evil from World War II in general and sometimes National Socialism in particular.  So I thought "The Vinyl Solution" was the bands' attempt to be "defiant" and "edgy" in a cynical way to sell more records, and to put a thumb in the eye of their many critics/detractors.  (To be fair, in my opinion the band has never crossed the line lyrically in terms of actually endorsing or celebrating Nazis, though I might say they have come dangerously close to it on a few songs...as have many bands, unfortunately, trying to one-up each other for evil/scary things to write about.)  Then my co-worker calls me from the Record store across the street (after hearing me gripe about how offended I was) and informs me (drolly) "Uh, dude, that Slayer set is called 'The Vinyl Conflict', not 'The Vinyl Solution'."  Oh.  Uh...well,  that's completely different, and also perfectly appropriate.  So to paraphrase the Italian chef on the Simpsons,  "Now you see how you are an idiot."  Yikes.

10/7/10

          Corrections/All Apologies

     Greetings.  I have several corrections/adjustments to make regarding prior posts to this blog.  In no particular order, here goes: 1. Trash Talk is from California, NOT New Jersey.  2. The Beaver ep I was ranting about recently is NOT self-titled, it is in fact called "Lodge" (ha ha).  Finally, 3. The new Helmet cd is, I have determined upon more thorough research, actually pretty good, NOT "underwhelming" as I initially stated.  I regret all these errors--my fact checking staff have all been summarily fired, good luck to them in their future endeavors.  So humbly, until next time, bye.

10/7/10

                                                         BEAVER

     Get you mind outta the gutter--this refers not to the critter (you know, fond of dams, toothsome, swimmy) or to the ah, somewhat old-school slang, but rather to the long-defunct and nearly forgotten Dutch stoner-rock band.  They were mysterious and ultra low profile (at least here, can't speak for the european scene in the 90's when they were active) and only put out a handful of recordings, mostly ep's and split offerings with other bands (like the like-minded Queens of the Stone Age).  Even on Amazon, their stuff is ultra-seldom seen.  Most importantly, they really rocked and were highly unique--standing out in the then-burgeoning stoner rock scene was not easy but BEAVER just had a hard to quantify but genuinely novel approach.  They were on the Mans Ruin label.  Why are they on my mind?  Well, sometimes working in a cd store pays off in terms of uncovering old gems you don't have or didn't even know you wanted--I scored a fantastically packaged self-titled ep from BEAVER the other day that drifted through the store at random--after nabbing it (YOINK!) I promptly spun it up at home and had one of those WOW HOLY SH#% moments as I sat and listened.  This is to say it is incredibly awesome.  Sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good!

9/27/10

                                              HELMKU

                                                            New Helmet Cd
                                                       Entitled "Seeing Eye Dog"
                                                           is underwhelming.