Fans of Opeth

"O hai. My name is Vegard and I've been listening to Ghost Reveries. A lot."

(mp3) Ihsahn - Austere
Available on After (2010)

The Friday MP3 Shuffle #99

This week's mix is fucking genius and well worthy of your worship.

"Journey? Wtf?" you say. Indeed - Journey. There was a Journey before Steve Perry, a Journey that had not yet made abominations such as this or this.

A Journey that was an excellent and most exciting progressive rock band with a bright future ahead of them. Sadly they chose to become an incredibly watered down and mainstream arena rock act.

You know how Genesis turned all gay and pop and radio-friendly and unlistenable after Phil Collins took over the reins? Same thing.

Such a shame.

(zip) MP3 Shuffle #99 (77 mb)

1. Beck, Bogart & Appice - Superstition (Stevie Wonder cover, 1973)
2. Steppenwolf - The pusher (1968)
3. Pentagram - When the screams come (1973)
4. Sir Lord Baltimore - Helium hound (I got a love) (1970)
5. Alice Cooper - Long way to go (1971)
6. Made In Sweden - Pop-poem (1976)
7. Witchcraft - What I am (2004)
8. Black Sabbath - Hand of doom (1971)
9. MC5 - The American ruse (1970)
10. Bigelf - Pain killers (2003)
11. Siena Root - Into the woods (2003)
12. Journey - In my lonely feeling/Conversations (1975)

Pay for your music, slasktratt.

From Slusk Till Dawn

(mp3) Cornelis Vreeswijk - Slusk blues
Available on Ballader Och Grimascher (1965)

Songs That Get My Juices Flowing #100

(mp3) The Wildhearts - Junkenstein
Available on Endless, Namless (1997)

(mp3) Anekdoten - The great unknown
Available on A Time Of Day (2007)

(mp3) Aerosmith - Seasons of wither
Available on Get Your Wings (1974)

(mp3) Street Dogs - Two angry kids
Available on State Of Grace (2008)

(mp3) Nasum - The everlasting shame
Available on Helvete (2003)

So... the new Haunted song then

Two nights ago Gothenburg's The Haunted unveiled No Ghost off their upcoming seventh album Unseen.

I wasn't a fan of the previous album Versus, which against my better judgement I placed on my list of the best albums of 2008, and I'm not entirely convinced about this track either.

It's starts off great, the first 90 seconds are heavy and exhibit pretty darn sweet ass-shaking groove. It actually sounds more like fellow Gothenburgers Transport League (see here and here) than anything The Haunted has done in the past.

Sadly though, after that it just doesn't seem to go anywhere and it stumbles and meanders into a dull, forgettable outro.

But my hopes are still high, as for some reason it's been a trend over the last few years to release the least interesting off a new album as a preview. Not sure why that is, but there you go.

(mp3) The Haunted - No ghost (live)

Do we need 'em?

Karl Pilkington, the genius of geniuses, went on a bit of a crusade back in 2002 and 2003.

On XFM's The Ricky Gervais Show he decided to find out once and for all if some animals that annoyed him were really necessary or if he could get rid of them. Hence the four-part feature Do We Need 'Em? in which he would call up an expert and try to get them to admit these creatures were pointless and wiping off the planet wouldn't hurt anybody.

He seldom succeeded.

(mp3) Karl Pilkington - Do we need jellyfish?
(mp3) Karl Pilkington - Do we need octopuses?
(mp3) Karl Pilkington - Do we need snails?
(mp3) Karl Pilkington - Do we need cockroaches?

By the way, here's a great interview with Karl, Ricky and Stephen Merchent about their show An Idiot Abroad - the reason television was invented.

The Friday MP3 Shuffle #98

Good stuff on this one. Great shit, heavy shit, even heavier shit and very heavy heavier shit.

Quite a few tracks from last year which probably should've been included in my series of the best albums of 2010. But they're here instead.

I just finished next Friday's mix yesterday, it's a real knockout along the lines of this one and this one. I can't wait for you to hear it, I really can't.

(zip) MP3 Shuffle #98 (61 mb)

1. Lions of Tsavo - Body drift (2005)
2. Grave - Into the grave (1991)
3. Murder Squad - Twisted high (2001)
4. Mr. Death - Celestial suffering (2010)
5. The Haunted - D.O.A. (2003)
6. Macabre - Burke and Hare (2010)
7. Death - Open casket (1988)
8. Morbid Angel - Rapture (1993)
9. Facebreaker - Reanimating the dead (2010)
10. Bloodbath - Like fire (2002)
11. Obliteration - Dawn of the deluge (2010)

Pay for your music, snorgärs.

Primus galore again

You all did quite well and the first Primus compilation was indeed quite popular, with a significant amount of downloads. Nice job, boys and girls.

As a reward you get the second volume of my favorite Primus songs, taken from Frizzle Fry (1990), Sailing The Seas Of Cheese (1991), Miscellanous Debris (1992), Pork Soda (1993), Tales From The Punch Bowl (1995), Brown Album (1997), Rhinoplasty (1998) and Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People (2003).

Some of you may grumble because there aren't more songs from Tales From The Punch Bowl. Well, to that I say that Wynona's Big Brown Beaver is the only good song off that album, so that's the only one you're getting.

The Primus aficionados out there may also have noticed the complete lack of tracks from 1999's Antipop. Let's just say there's a reason for that.

Let's also say there is a very good reason why most of the tracks on these two compilations are taken from Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, Pork Soda and Brown Album - the almighty troika of the Primus discography. Go get them.

(zip) Metal Bastard's Primus Compilation II (88 mb)

1. Making plans for Nigel (XTC cover, 1992)
2. Fisticuffs (1997)
3. My name is Mud (1993)
4. Wynona's big brown beaver (1995)
5. Pilcher's squad (2003)
6. Sgt. Baker (1991)
7. Too many puppies (1990)
8. Welcome to this world (1993)
9. American life (1991)
10. Amos Moses (1998)
11. Those damned blue collar tweekers (1991)
12. Over the falls (1997)
13. Bob (1993)
14. Frizzle fry (1990)
15. Have a cigar (Pink Floyd cover, 1992)

Buy all things Primus, you silly bunt.

Songs That Get My Juices Flowing #99

(mp3) Andrew WK - We want fun
Available on V/A - Jackass Soundtrack (2002)

(mp3) The Dead Weather - Forever my queen (Pentagram cover)
Live at Bonnaroo 2010

(mp3) Iron Butterfly - Best years of our life
Available on Metamorphosis (1970)

(mp3) Slipknot - Gehenna
Available on All Hope Is Gone (2008)

(mp3) Temple Of The Dog - Four walled world
Available on S/t (1991)

The Friday MP3 Shuffle #97

Right, this week you get a mix featuring two tracks featuring Troy Sanders of Mastodon. Because Troy Sanders rules the land.

Among a ton of other great tracks, you also get Unsilent Death, from the album of the same name, by Nails. One of the best songs I heard last year, it's a killer. Black Breath would've sold all of their Boss Heavy Metals back to Tomas Skogsberg to have written that one.

Speaking of last year, don't miss this series of posts, featuring the very best music released in 2010.

I'd also like to add that for years I thought C Average were called Cave Rage. Why couldn't they've just gone with that name instead? Try to imagine a more badass name for a band than "Cave Rage".

Not easy, is it?

(zip) MP3 Shuffle #97 (60 mb)

1. The Cumshots - Hooch (The Melvins cover, 2005)
2. Årabrot - End of first chant II (2010)
3. Death From Above 1979 - Dead womb (2002)
4. Tragedy - The hunger (2006)
5. C Average - Usurper girl (1998)
6. Teddybears STHLM - Purple rain (Prince cover, 1995)
7. Brainoil - Altered state (2001)
8. His Hero Is Gone - Paranoia sequred (1997)
9. Dozer feat. Troy Sanders - Until man exists no more (2005)
10. Slug - Rubberape (1993)
11. Keelhaul - Pass the lampshade (2009)
12. Nails - Unsilent death (2010)
13. Buffalo - Tormento (2004)
14. Kowloon Walled City - Diabetic feet (2009)
15. Yakuza feat. Troy Sanders - Back to the mountain (2006)

Pay for your music, snorhyvel.

Shit I enjoyed last year (Part 6)

More stuff that wonderful year of 2010 brought us.

I'd especially recommend Khoma, Interment, Nachtmystium and Cathedral. Right then, off you go.

(mp3) Cathedral - Funeral of dreams
Available on The Guessing Game

(mp3) Mondo Generator - Dog food
Available on Dog Food

(mp3) Intronaut - Above
Available on Valley Of Smoke

(mp3) Mike Patton - Che notte!
Available on Mondo Cane

(mp3) Flagellant - The unseeing eye
Available on Monuments

(mp3) Interment - Dreaming in dead
Available on Into The Crypts Of Blasphemy

(mp3) Brian Posehn - Valet in the valley
Available on Fart And Wiener Jokes

(mp3) Khoma - Osiris
Available on A Final Storm

(mp3) Autopsy - Charred remains
Available on Awakened By Gore

(mp3) Nachtmystium - Addicts
Available on Addicts: Black Meddle Pt II

Primus galore

Not sure how to categorise Primus, one of the most awesomely confusing bands of all time, so "fucked up, funky, experimental hybrid rock" will have to do.

Today you get my favorite Primus tracks all on one neat, handy little compilation. They're taken from Suck On This (1989), Frizzle Fry (1990), Sailing The Seas Of Cheese (1991), Miscellaneous Debris (1992), Pork Soda (1993), Brown Album (1997) and Rhinoplasty (1998).

What's that you say? Several essential Primus classics are missing? No need to worry, as there will be a second volume posted with another fifteen tracks on it. When? I have no idea.

One day when the planets align and I feel like it. Depends on how well-received this one will be. The more people dig it, the sooner volume two will appear.

(zip) Metal Bastard's Primus Compilation (80 mb)

1. Intruder (Peter Gabriel cover, 1992)
2. Jerry was a race car driver (1991)
3. Shake hands with beef (1997)
4. DMV (1993)
5. John the fisherman (1990)
6. Is it luck? (1991)
7. The thing that should not be (Metallica cover, 1998)
8. Tommy the cat (featuring Tom Waits, 1991)
9. Bob's party time lounge (1997)
10. Sathington Willoby (1990)
11. Mr. Krinkle (1993)
12. Coddington (1997)
13. Jellikit (1989)
14. Kalamazoo (1997)

Buy all things Primus, fool.

That new Project Hate MCMXCIX song

The Project Hate MCMXCIX's new album with a new line-up and a cumbersome title will hit stores on February 14th.

Just from hearing this one sample track I already like it even more than 2009's The Lustrate Process. Guitarist, song writer and ringleader Lord K Philipson (pictured above) has really outdone himself this time.

Me rikey. Snusgrop approves.

(mp3) The Project Hate MCMXCIX - Summoning majestic war
Soon available on Bleeding The New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis In Manibus Armis) (2011)

The Friday MP3 Shuffle #96

Nosferatuuuuu!!!

Inside of youuuuuuuuuuu!!!

And meeeeeeeeee!!!

(zip) MP3 Shuffle #96 (72 mb)

1. Repugnant - Hungry are the damned (2006)
2. Torture Division - Bring on the corpses (2010)
3. Daemon - Lust (1996)
4. Cannibal Corpse - Bent backwards and broken (2004)
5. Black Breath - Escape from death (2010)
6. Edge of Sanity - On the other side (1993)
7. Bastard Priest - Evil pain (2010)
8. Sodom - Iron fist (1987)
9. Kreator - Pleasure to kill (1986)
10. Darkthrone - Man tenker sitt (2004)
11. Carpathian Forest - Shut up, there is no excuse to live (2006)
12. Withered - The fear and pain that cripples me (2005)
13. Nile - 4th Arra of Dagon (2009)

Pay for your music.

Songs That Get My Juices Flowing #98

(mp3) Body Count - Cop killer
Available on S/t (1992)

(mp3) Eleven feat. Josh Homme - Stone cold crazy
Available on V/A - Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen (2005)

(mp3) Days Of The New - Whimsical
Available on S/t (1997)

(mp3) Samiam - Sunshine
Available on Astray (2000)

(mp3) Anvil - Heatsink
Available on Metal On Metal (1982)

Shit I enjoyed last year (Part 5)

Ten more great tracks from great records by great bands. 2010 ftw.

Pay extra attention to Bastard Priest (the best death metal record of the year), The Melvins (the most vicious album they've done in almost a decade), the criminally overlooked and masterful Daughters, the excellent Watain who almost topped their last album Sworn To The Dark, and the death metal all-stars project Necronaut.

The previous installments:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

(mp3) Fatso Jetson - Jet black boogie
Available on Archaic Volumes

(mp3) The Melvins - Evil new war god
Available on The Bride Screamed Murder

(mp3) Astrohenge - Toil in hell
Available on S/t

(mp3) Daughters - The hit
Available on S/t

(mp3) Bastard Priest - Total mutilation
Available on Under The Hammer Of Destruction

(mp3) Brant Bjork - Porto
Available on Gods & Goddesses

(mp3) Necronaut - Returning to kill the light
Available on S/t

(mp3) Motörhead - Bye bye bitch bye bye
Available on The Wörld Is Yours

(mp3) Watain - Waters of Ain
Available on Lawless Darkness

(mp3) Unearthly Trance - Into a chasm
Available on V

Street Dogs galore

Good day, children. Today you get a crash course in Street Dogs.

This year the Bostoners released their self-titled fifth album, their best yet. This is the band singer Mike McColgan formed after he left Dropkick Murphys in 1998 (to be replaced by Al Barr of The Bruisers). He left the band to become a firefighter, but the desire to play music didn't keep him away from the stage for long.

Just like Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs combine rousing punk rock with Irish folk influences, though unlike the Murphys this band tends to focus predominantly on the former component, and less on the latter. You'll find few bagpipes and tin whistles here. Though you might get the occasional accordion.

They sing about a lot of the same themes too: working class pride, hardships and triumphs, sports, fighting in wars (which McColgan himself did during the first Gulf war), drinking, raising hell, and a forlorn love song or two.

I collected my favorite tracks from all of their five albums - Savin Hill (2003), Back To The World (2005), Fading American Dream (2006), State Of Grace (2008) and Street Dogs (2010). All in all 53 minutes of catchy, fist-pumping, beer-swigging, singalong-y party punk.

If you have any form of appreciation for Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues, The Gaslight Anthem, Social Distortion, The Ducky Boys, Flogging Molly or just good times in general, you oughta be all over this.

(zip) Metal Bastard's Street Dogs Compilation (80 mb)

1. Mean fist
2. You alone
3. Punk rock and roll
4. The shape of other men
5. Tales of mass deception
6. Elizabeth
7. Drink tonight
8. Rights to your soul
9. Too much info
10. Don't preach to me
11. Hard luck kid
12. 2 bottles
13. Pull the pin
14. Ghosts
15. Free
16. Harpo
17. Final transmission
18. 10 Wood Rd.
19. Borstal breakout (Boston version)
20. Poor poor Jimmy

Buy the albums, fool.

Shit I enjoyed last year (Part 4)

Okay, another batch:

Per "My Moustache Owns You" Wiberg's sideproject Mojobone was confusing but rewarding, Suma is the Kongh of 2010, Marnie Stern continued to make no sense in her signature wonderful way, Deftones made their best album in ten years (it might even be the best of their career), Conan is possibly also the Kongh of 2010, Arson Anthem made the best hardcore album of the year, Bloody Sign showed us frog-munchers are just as good at death metal as they are black metal, Burzum was the #1 guilty pleasure as always, and Worm Ouroboros made up for the lack a new Giant Squid or Amber Asylum record.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

(mp3) Mojobone - Over the hill
Available on Cowboy Mode

(mp3) Suma - Headwound
Available on Ashes

(mp3) Bloody Sign - Chord temple
Available on Chaos Echoes

(mp3) Conan - Satsumo
Available on Horseback Battle Hammer

(mp3) Marnie Stern - Nothing left
Available on S/t

(mp3) High On Fire - Bastard samurai
Available on Snakes For The Divine

(mp3) Burzum - Kaimadalthas' nedstigning
Available on Belus

(mp3) Deftones - You've seen the butcher
Available on Diamond Eyes

(mp3) Worm Ouroboros - Riverbed
Available on S/t

(mp3) Arson Anthem - Initial prick
Available on Insecurity Notoriety