(mp3) Atari Teenage Riot - Destroy 2000 years of culture
Available on The Future Of War (1997)
(mp3) Will Haven - Carpe diem
Available on Carpe Diem (2001)
(mp3) Mike Patton - Porno holocaust
Available on Adult Themes For Voice (1996)
(mp3) Shelter - Here we go again
Available on Mantra (1995)
(mp3) Fear Factory - Self immolation
Available on Soul Of A New Machine (1992)
(mp3) Metallica - Hero of the day
Available on Load(1996)
(mp3) Mastodon - Divinations
Buy the highly quality version of Divinations @ iTunes.com.
(mp3) Foo Fighters - Low
Available on One By One (2002)
(mp3) Alice In Chains - Bleed The Freak
Available on Facelift (1990)
(mp3) Metallica - Through the never
Available on S/t (1991)
(mp3) Green Day - Letterbomb
Available on American Idiot (2004)
(mp3) Slipknot - Coleslaw
Available on Crowz (1997)
In 1993, at the height of grunge, it would have been a complete commercial suicide to release an ambitious progressive rock/metal album.
You'd think the last thing in the world people wanted at that point was intricate songs pushing the seven minute mark, but let's not forget the "anger factor". When it comes to dark angst and pent-up frustration, Tool were frequently lumped together with Nine Inch Nails. Not unfairly so, in that regard the band's had much in common.
And although Tool hadn't reached their shoegazing stage show yet, they were just as moody and introverted as any grunge/alternative/whatever band at the time, and needless to say they hit a chord with the young folks.
Blah blah blah. Fuck it, no reads this anyway. Blah blah.
I like wiping back to front to create a thin layer of poo crust on the back of my nuts. I like peeling off the chips and serve them to strangers.
This album has the best bass lines since Peter Hook.
(mp3) Tool - Sober
(mp3) Tool - Crawl away
(mp3) Tool - Disgustipated
Buy Undertow@ Amazon.com.
Sober at Lollapalooza 1994. Or is it '93?
Watch Maynard whip up a storm @ 2:48. You couldn't get him to be that animated today if you paid him a million dollars.
Before the utter masterpieces City and SYL, there was this rampaging slab of industrial-metal madness from the great Devin Townsend. It was here that Devin began to establish himself as metal's answer to Mike Patton, in terms of both vocal prowess and musical diversity. This may be a metal album, but it also shows the early signs of Devin's genre-bending tendencies. Like most great albums, it not only exemplifies its genre but also busts conventions to create something truly unique.
The sound of Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing can best be described as a sort of barely controlled insanity, with equal parts aggression and catchiness combined to form one of the most potent sounds in recent history. The opening one-two punch of S.Y.L. and In The Rainy Season is a perfect summation of Strapping Young Lad's musical mission. Both songs reach a grindcore-esque level of speed and intensity, but if you listen closely enough you can hear melodies emerging from the sonic carnage, making things go down just a bit easier.
From there, the album branches out in some surprising directions, but it manages to remain firmly rooted in metal at the same time. Devin's voice is all over the map here, ranging from ear-piercing shrieks to fearsome death howls to something that actually bears some resemblance to singing. And in the grand tradition of Fear Factory and Ministry, samples and industrial beats are used often enough to make the album interesting, but not so much that they become tiresome or distracting.
Perhaps most importantly, Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing provides convincing evidence of the demented songwriting genius that would only become more apparent on SYL's subsequent albums. Goat slows things way down from the first two songs, but doesn't soften the album up one bit; the slower tempo merely serves to drive the steamrolling heaviness into you even harder.
The Ministry-style Cod Metal King actually shows an admirable grasp of dynamics, moving from mid-tempo and subdued (by Devin's standards, anyway) to all-out headbanging fury without warning. The Filler-Sweet City Jesus has one of the most addictive guitar riffs in history, hands down. Happy Camper (Carpe B.U.M.) and Drizzlehell are quite possibly the most manical compositions in Devin's catalog, propelled by harsh vocals and vicious grooves that make the mirrors in my car vibrate (or maybe I just need new tires).
Metal lovers everywhere definitely owe a debt to Devin Townsend. Along with Meshuggah, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Soilent Green, and a few other bands, Strapping Young Lad are ensuring that the genre stays intriguing as it moves into the new millenium. If you consider yourself any kind of metal fan, you need this album. And if you don't like it, you're lame.
(mp3) Strapping Young Lad - S.Y.L. (highly recommended!)
(mp3) Strapping Young Lad - Happy camper (Carpe B.U.M.)
(mp3) Strapping Young Lad - Satan's ice cream truckBuy Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing @ Amazon.com.
(mp3) Maldoror - The white tears of the maggot
Available on She (1999)
(mp3) Action Reaction - Sinner's algebra
Available on 3 Is The Magic Number (2006)
(mp3) Biohazard - Sellout
Available on Uncivilization (2001)
(mp3) Formicide - Frozen death
Available on S/t (1987)
(mp3) Iowaska - Change
Available on Vine Of Souls (2001)
I would hereby like to offer My Ruin my humble and utmost sincere apologies.
This album clearly belonged on my bestof 2008 list, but to be honest I didn't even know My Ruin was still around.
I first heard of frontwoman Tairrie B in the mid 90s when her rap metal/nu metal band Manhole (later Tura Satana) made waves on MTV Europe's astonishingly shitty metal show Superock (which replaced Headbanger's Ball and was hosted by some German bimbo who most likely only got the job because she was shagging Marilyn Manson).
When that band fell apart, she formed My Ruin with husband-to-be guitarist Mick Murphy. The first album Speak And Destroy came out in 1999, and the last I heard of the band was in 2001 when they released their U.K.-only live-in-the-studio album To Britain with Love... And Bruises. After that either they dropped off the radar or I did. Probably me, because I never heard a word from them again. This was around the same time I broke a decade old habit and stopped reading Metal Hammer once and for all, could that have something to do with it? I seem to recall Metal Hammer (and only Metal Hammer) hyping these guys quite a bit.
Some investigating shows they released albums in both 2003 and 2005. I missed these completely. Yesterday I stumbled upon Throat Full Of Heart which was released in January 2008. Remembering the fond memories of Tairrie B from back in the day (to say I had a wank or two to that woman would be an understatement), I got my hands on the album and immediately had my ass handed to me.
The nu metal stylings of old had been replaced by some seriously fucked up punk metal with plenty of attitude, an organic rattly production and sweet whiskey soaked rawk riffs. Large parts of the album reminds me of Scum, the "supergroup" consisting of members of Amen, Turbonegro, Zyklon and Emperor, which released one album in 2005. And that's as good a sign as any, I loved the shit out of that record. Actually, it sounds quite a bit like early Amen too, now that I think about it. Only much better.
This new direction caught me completely off guard - apart from Tairrie's scorched vocal chords and feminist riot grrl lyrics nothing remains of the My Ruin I knew 8-9 years ago. Something must have happened on those two albums I was unaware of, some sort of transition. This album has intrigued me greatly, I must investigate further. I do not yet know what happened along the way, but there is most certainly nothing even remotely nu metal about this record.
I am on my hands and knees begging you to forgive my ignorance, My Ruin. You should have been on my list. O why did I not discover this album sooner? A fool I am. A fool!
A mere jester at your holy court of rawk and badass-ness.
If I could turn back time I'd place this record on the #8 spot on my Top 25 Of 2008 list, right inbetween Haust and Cult Of Luna, bumping Darkane off the list. Condolences, skånejävlar.
(mp3) My Ruin - Skeleton key
(mp3) My Ruin - Slide you the hour (highly recommended!)
(mp3) My Ruin - Dragon steel
Buy Throat Full Of Heart @ Amazon.com.
(mp3) Psycore - I go solo
Available on Your Problem (1998)
(mp3) Shining - Låt oss ta allt från varandra
Available on V - Halmstad (2007)
(mp3) Noiseface - Chunky stump (Volkspolizei remix)
Available on ??? (????)
(mp3) Dozer feat. Troy Sanders - Until man exists no more
Available on Through The Eyes Of Heathens (2006)
(mp3) Mindrot - Nothing (demo version)
Official studio available on Soul (1998)
Along the edges of crumbled streets
Comes another lightning raid
To grind it all into bits and pieces
A burning sun scorches the surface
The stench of rotting flesh
The stink of rancid puke
Infesting everyone and all
What the fuck is going on?
(chorus)
Shattered concrete
Maimed children
Massacred
The tormented dead
The pungent destruction
All the soldiers are in place
The termination is nigh
Gather the forces of evil
Let's blow it all to hell
Permission to speak freely
I don't give a good goddamn
Right on the money, sir
Now go fuck yourself
(chorus, solo, chorus)
I sucked at writing music, and now I suck at writing about music. O woe is me.
You think the atrocities on the Gaza strip are bad? Ha! You haven't heard our version of Into The Void. Count yourself lucky I can't find the demos we did. Unleashing that onto the world would be crueler than any wars.
Which reminds me of the death metal band I played bass in: Cannibalistic Regurgitation For The Murderous Masses, which existed for two weeks and left a string of classic hits in their wake. Quality numbers such as Glen Benton Only Comes Out At Night, Behold The Glory Of Lucifer And His Newly Shaved Nuts and The Three-Headed Serpent Wanders The Eternal Forest Of Mist And Darkness, all immortalised on the Rehearsal demo tape of 1999.
Only one copy made - on a green Bee Gees cassette on my mom's tape recorder!
Now that's trve fvcking ev0l kvlt necr0.
(mp3) Black Sabbath - Into the void (1971)
(mp3) Soundgarden - Into the void (1992)
(mp3) Kyuss - Into the void (1997)Buy 'em @ Amazon.com.
(mp3) The Flaming Lips - Drug machine in heaven
Available on Telepathic Surgery (1989)
(mp3) D.S.-13 - Lie
Available on Killed By The Kids (2001)
(mp3) Refused - Peek-a-boo
Available on V/A - Still Screaming (compilation, 1998)
(mp3) MoistBoyz - White trash
Available on IV (2005)
(mp3) Mastodon - Iron tusk (live in Stockholm)
Studio version available on Leviathan (2004)
The Melvins + Big Business @ Oyafestivalen August 11th 2007.
The best band on the planet joining forces with the second best band on the planet. Nothing can stop them now, they're more indestructable than Robocop. Plus, Jared Warren is wearing a saucy kimono. What a love hound. If he keeps this up, he'll reach Hank Von Helvete levels of sexy in no time.
Nevermind the lobotomized audience. They're Norwegians, they're not used to seeing such mastery of rock.
1. Lovely Butterflies
2. Lizzy
3. Civilized Worm
4. Oven
5. Set Me Straight/Deserted Cities Oh The Heart
6. Sky Pup
7. Let It All Be
8. Night Goat
9. Blood Witch
10. A History Of Drunks
11. Rat Faced Granny
12. The Hawk/You've Never Been Right
13. A History Of Bad Men
(mp3) The Melvins - Rat Faced Granny/The Hawk/You've Never Been Right
Live at Islington Academy, London, England May 2nd 2007.
Along the edges of crumbled streets
Comes another lightning raid
To grind it all into bits and pieces
A burning sun scorches the surface
The stench of rotting flesh
The stink of rancid puke
Infesting everyone and all
What the fuck is going on?
(chorus)
Shattered concrete
Maimed children
Massacred
The tormented dead
The pungent destruction
All the soldiers are in place
The termination is nigh
Gather the forces of evil
Let's blow it all to hell
Permission to speak freely
I don't give a good goddamn
Right on the money, sir
Now go fuck yourself
(chorus, solo, chorus)
I sucked at writing music, and now I suck at writing about music. O woe is me.
You think the atrocities on the Gaza strip are bad? Ha! You haven't heard our version of Into The Void. Count yourself lucky I can't find the demos we did. Unleashing that onto the world would be crueler than any wars.
Which reminds me of the death metal band I played bass in: Cannibalistic Regurgitation For The Murderous Masses, which existed for two weeks and left a string of classic hits in their wake. Quality numbers such as Glen Benton Only Comes Out At Night, Behold The Glory Of Lucifer And His Newly Shaved Nuts and The Three-Headed Serpent Wanders The Eternal Forest Of Mist And Darkness, all immortalised on the Rehearsal demo tape of 1999.
Only one copy made - on a green Bee Gees cassette on my mom's tape recorder!
Now that's trve fvcking ev0l kvlt necr0.
(mp3) Black Sabbath - Into the void (1971)
(mp3) Soundgarden - Into the void (1992)
(mp3) Kyuss - Into the void (1997)Buy 'em @ Amazon.com.
(mp3) Candywheel - All seems out
(mp3) Candywheel - The kingdom (highly recommended!)
(mp3) Candywheel - Tell you
Buy Eel-O-Rama Drive-In @ ???.
(mp3) Volkspolizei - En pizzaugn gör ingen italienare
Available on The Voice Of A New Microphone (2006)
(mp3) Today Is The Day - The Russian child porn ballet
Available on In The Eyes Of God (1999)
(mp3) Broadzilla - Liqour snatch
Available on Lady Luck (2001)
(mp3) Kyuss - Lick doo
Available on Welcome To Sky Valley (1993)
(mp3) Mustasch - My disorder
Available on Parasite! (ep, 2006)
Ron Asheton, guitarist and founding member of the Stooges, was reportedly found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan this morning. He was 60. Official cause of death has not yet been announced but initial indications suggest Asheton had a heart attack. Police entered Asheton’s home and discovered his body on a couch after his personal assistant was unable to reach the rocker for days. Detective Bill Stanford told Michigan Live it appeared Asheton passed away several days ago.Shit, I don't know what to say...
As the guitarist for the Stooges, Asheton crafted some of rock’s most memorable riffs, including “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “No Fun” and “TV Eye.” Guitarist Asheton, along with his brother Scott, Iggy Pop and original bassist Dave Alexander formed the Stooges in Detroit in 1967. The original lineup released two albums, The Stooges and Fun House, before Ron Asheton shifted over to bass guitar for 1973’s Raw Power. All three LPs made Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, ranking at Number 185, 191 and 125 respectively. Asheton was also Number 29 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
After the Stooges initially split, Asheton went on to play with the New Order (not the U.K. one), Destroy All Monsters, New Race and the Wylde Ratttz, a supergroup featuring Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis and Mike Watt, who would eventually become Asheton’s bandmate when the Stooges reunited in 2003. For the band’s comeback album, 2007’s The Weirdness, Asheton was once again in his rightful place onstage as the Stooges’ guitarist as Watt picked up bass duties. Last year the Stooges played as Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; this year, the band was nominated for their own induction. Check back later in the day for more on Asheton’s death and his immeasurable impact on rock music.
(mp3) The Stooges - Down on the street
(mp3) The Stooges - Lost in the future (highly recommended!)
(mp3) The Stooges - Slide (slidin' the blues)
Buy Fun House (2 Disc Reissue) @ Amazon.com.
In 1999 he released his first solo album in eight years, Det Är Ni Som E Dom Konstiga, Det Är Jag Som E Normal. It was a slight return to his rock 'n' roll roots, and with more accessible songs and once again singing in Swedish, the album was a solid hit with everyone. Rightfully so, it's a very good album.
But the follow up, Mannen Som Blev En Gris from 2002, is where it's at. Much darker and dirtier than its predecessor, and some of the industrial elements were back. Roughly half of the album's ten songs are heavy, throbbing rock songs (sometimes pure old school punk), the other half is more sombre and weird, more industrial and experimental. Släpp Aldrig In Dom and Höghus-sång being an example of the former and Sån examples of the latter.
(mp3) Thåström - Släpp aldrig in dom
(mp3) Thåström - Höghus-sång (highly recommended!)
(mp3) Thåström - Sån
The video for Höghus-sång:
Buy Mannen Som Blev En Gris @ Amazon.com.
(mp3) Terroristerna - JVK
Available on V/A - Levande Flådd (compilation, 1994)
(mp3) Psycore - Chocolate milkshake
Available on Your Problem (1998)
(mp3) Entombed - Clauses (live)
Official studio version available on Same Difference (1998)
(mp3) Life Of Agony - Tangerine (Led Zeppelin cover)
Available on Soul Searching Sun (digipak version, 1997)
(mp3) Converge - Conduit
Available on When Forever Comes Crashing (1998)
Opeth is, or at least was, nothing but prolific.
Sweden's progressive death metal heroes may have released "only" two albums in the last five years, which might be a lot if you're Metallica or Tool, but for Opeth (who released five full length studio albums and a dvd between 1998 and 2003) these are eonic gaps.
Blackwater Park, arguably their best album yet, was released in early 2001 and a mere a 18 months later the band had recored two more albums. Two albums that in many ways polarized their two extremes - mercyless Tampa/Stockholm style death metal and 1970s prog rock.
The mellow Damnation was released in 2003 and was preceeded by Deliverance in 2002, perhaps Opeth's most extreme album to date. Where as Damnation was softer than a truckload of tie-dye pillows, Deliverance focused the edgier, harsher, Morbid Angel-worshipping side of the band.
At least that's what was proclaimed by the band ahead of time, but there's still some serene, beautiful moments on Deliverance - A Fair Judgement, for example, wouldn't have sounded out of place next to Harvest of Blackwater Park. Just listen to the folksy minstrel part that begins at 3:45. That's straight of the 1700's and pure class, people.
These two albums were quite a hassle to record. I won't go into it because I'm too lazy, but I'll refer you to the Lamentations dvd from 2003, which includes a fantastic hour long documentary about the recording of the two albums (which were recorded simultaneously) as well as a bit of a history lesson for those not too familiar with the band.
There's also a concert taped at the legendary Shepherd's Bush in 2003. Fans of the band gave the dvd a bit of a rough birth, since the concert only included tracks from the then most-recent three albums: Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation. Hence, no Demon Of The Fall, no The Night And The Silent Water, nothing at all from the band's first four albums. All due to record company bullshit.
A bit pesky, but whaddaya gonna do? Opeth released the Roundhouse Tapes dvd not long ago for those interested in hearing earlier material performed live.
Lamentations also fills the purpose of being the last official live recording of the band's classic Åkerfeldt/Lindberg/Lopez/Mendez line-up. So go get the Lamentations dvd, kids. It's teh tits.
But first, download these tracks, click the Amazon.com link and buy Deliverance (and buy all the other Opeth albums too while you're at it), and get going with worshipping the greatest band on the planet.
(mp3) Opeth - A fair judgement (highly recommended!)
(mp3) Opeth - Master's apprentices (highly recommended!)
Buy Deliverance @ Amazon.com.
