NAILS- UNSILENT DEATH
Entombed, D-beat infested grindcore. Shit like this is too good to pass up. Gaurenteed that its going to make you want to blast your head through your car window/wall/etc.
CHECK IT OUT:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jw2zmnyizvd
-Austin
Metal’s old/new flavor of the month: Power Violence
Calling recent Power-Violence bands revivalists is kinda/pretty/absurdly far from the truth. Firstly, I can’t think of a single one that doesn’t borrow heavily from their grindcore brethren. Secondly, the Power-violence sound is changing. Bits of sludge, metal, and electronics are seeping in like a bubbly cyst. Nonetheless, PV and PV influenced bands having been popping up all over the place. Recently, a few bands have been catching my attention.
Extortion hails from Perth, Aussieland. I’ve only had the privilege of checking out two their records (Degenerate and Loose Screws), but both have been amazing. Formed in 2004, Degenerate (2006) gives one a good idea of what kind of potential Extortion held, while Loose Screws shows off what kind of band they’ve become.
Degenerate shows off a young Extortion who brings out all the stops in familiar grindcore and power-violence sounds. Its almost a comfort food record- nothing new, nothing gained, but one hell of a fun trip. Things get really exciting with Loose Screws, where Extortion amps up their own brand of PV/Grindcore/hardcore. Riffs have been distilled down to a stop-go, blistering fast, chuggachugga formula. Vocals are distorted, often, and thrown right into the mix. All in all, Loose Screws could very well be one of the best records of 2010.
The first time I heard about these folks was after Dudefest 2009. Several people I know came back with accounts of being absolutely floored by the relatively unknown Hatred Surge. Later on, I found out that Hatred Surge started off as the bassist’s side project of the now-defunct Insect Warfare. Their only full-length, Deconstruct, lays out a path of mud-soaked riffs followed by passages of duel male/female vocals.
In retarded metal writer logic, that means an upfront, lofi mix, with tons of blastbeats and sludge riffs. Sounds cool as shit, right? Go get the damn record all ready.
Bastard Noise/The Endless Blockade
I’m putting these two together because I’m specifically talking about their 2010 split, The Red List. Unless you are completely unfamiliar with PV, then Bastard Noise is a familiar name (cough Man is the Bastard cough cough). Both Endless Blockade and Bastard Noise extensively use electronics, the difference is that Bastard Noise actually decided to use real instruments this time as well. I guess you could call it a return to form of sorts?
Bass and drums are blasting like they were in MITB, but with electronics they seemed to have mastered over the last decade. The Endless Blockade half is really only one song and two remixes. Both remixes suck; one is too choppy and metally, going riff after riff without a cohesive flow, while the other is 15 minutes of straight noise without a single note of variation. Fortunately, Endless Blockade’s single new track, Deuteronomy, is 14 minutes of pure sludge/electronic infested PV.
-Austin
More Great Bands from the Golden State
Sunny San Diego was at one point a breeding ground for good ol’ fashioned hardcore punk and the (legitimate) emo/screamo movement. Labels like Gravity Records and Three One G keep San Diego a center for braincurdling punk loveliness. Here are a few of the standout bands of said scene:
Antioch Arrow
Members of both Gravity and Three One G, Antioch Arrow create chaotic yet melodic punk that just feels gratifying when listened to. You may not really understand what’s going on, but you know it sounds right.
The Locust
Justin Pearson has deep roots in San Diego punk. He is a founding member of Holy Molar, Some Girls, and the legendary Swing Kids. The Locust do grindcore the way I wish it would be done by most of the other acts doing it today. I love bizarre music and I especially love bizarre music mixed with aggressive mindfuckery.
Heroin
Along with Antioch Arrow, Heroin was a pivotal and influential band in the 90’s emo movement. Heroin created everything good about the genre and unfortunately inspired a good many awful bands in doing so.
-Chance
Austin’s Sweet-Ass Album of the Month: Triptykon- Eparistera Daimones
Once a month, I, holy lord editor, Austin will post a new album that I find compelling and worth checking out.
I am not some ol’ fogy who was around when Celtic Frost or Hellhammer were first making waves. Honestly, I really didn’t care about Tommy G. till a few years after Monotheist came out. But now I am a Tom G. Warrior convert. What I had heard of Celtic Frost pre-Monotheist did not prepare me for the beast of an album that Monotheist is. It left my jaw on the floor and my head buried in some dirty alley. I did not, however, think it was nearly as good as certain publications made it out to be. Monotheist was great, but I felt that something was missing- the fabled difference between a great album and a holyhitgoddamnthisisthebestthingI’veeverheard album.
Triptykon is Tom G’s newest band and Eparistera Daimones is their much hyped debut. Wow! What an album!
Few artists manage to do as much justice to the hype around them as Tom G. and Co. The album’s first track, Goetia, sets a high bar for the rest of the album to follow. Fortunately, the rest does not disappoint. Riffs are undressed down to the bare essentials, while the structure takes subtle twists and turns. Except for two instances, even the solos bring out a raw, simple intensity that I’ve only associated with legendary musicians of yesteryear.
All these things are great compliments to Triptykon, but what I like most about Eparistera Daimones is that it sounds like itself-the structure and tones are uniquely its own. Tom G. did not create a doom record, a black metal record, or anything else. He created Triptykon- Eparistera Daimones, which I believe will become one of the most important albums of this decade.
Only time will tell,
Austin
Incongruities Concerning “Norwegian Wolf (This Bird has Flown.)”
AKA…I’m a Wolf, No I’m a bird, No Wait a WOLF!: The Crazy Rantings and Reflections of Varg “Snoopy” Vikernes.
We at 120,000 ft. have been lucky enough to get a hold of an excerpt from Varg Vikernes’s new book “Norwegian Wolf”. After careful examination and impeccable detective work this much can be said… Our buddy either smokes way too much angel dust or he’s crazier than a shit house rat.
So here it is, an excerpt from Norwegian Wolf (This Bird Has Flown.):
“While I spoke I took a step forward, Which must have seemed very threatening to Oytsein. He must have been panicked, because he kicked me in the chest, but struck the breast bone so that the blow had no effect. I pulled in his foot and threw him to the ground, he looked toward the kitchen. I had been in his apartment earlier and knew he had a kitchen knife there, and I saw that it was what he was going for. He got up suddenly as soon as he could and ran toward the open kitchen door. At the same time I jumped up in front of him. I pulled out a small knife I had in my pocket, It was a boot knife, with a blade that was about ten centimeters long. The knife was not sharp, but fairly pointed, and I struck him in the face. It was the first time I struck anyone with a knife, and it gave me half a heart attack. It felt very unnatural and wrong to stab another man with a knife.”
What can we say? This thing is going to read like a miss match of Mein Kampf, a tattle-tale confessional and a parole board appeal letter, both confusing and predictable, The man barely tries to hide his grin when he whispers sweetened versions of his old victim/predator shtick.
The dirt: Will Varg finally sit us down and tell us exactly what went on in that apartment?
Probably not.
Will he tell us a fancified version of what MAY have transpired?
Oh hell yes, and this is why we will read it. This is why we will sit here on baited breath waiting for Old Daddy Whiskers to tell us that, in reality, he is SUPERMAN and that his impeccable breeding endowed him with special powers. (You might not know this but Varg knows where YOUR kitchen cutlery is too and shit, he hasn’t even been to your house.)
So hide your kitchen knives, pop up a bag of Jiffy Pop and curl up on the couch with a copy of Norwegian Wolf. Just don’t get to comfy because one never knows when Varg, boot knife and all might stop by and ask what you thought about it.
Joel
Recently MGMT decided to stream their new album Congratulations in its entirety. I had heard “Flash Delirium” which was released before the rest of the album and, not knowing who it was at first, I was pretty impressed. I have to admit that I liked “Kids” and “Time to Pretend” from Oracular Spectacular, but they weren’t really anything to write home about. Not to mention that “Electric Feel” kinda sucks and after watching a few interviews with the band I had gained the impression that MGMT were just a pair of drug addled idiots. Much to my surprise and delight, however, Congratulations is a bold leap in a new direction. It really came out of left field. This album throws in the best aspects of 60’s psychedelia, a little dab of 70’s prog rock, a few Bowie-esque hooks, and blends them all together really well. It’s not exactly catchy, but none of the best albums are. Now, I’m not saying this is one of the best albums of the year, however, it is a really great stepping stone for MGMT to become somewhat of a musical staple. I’m excited to see where they go from here. It’s also really awesome that they are pissing off a lot of their fans by releasing this record. It’s always nice to see musicians do what they like at the expense of popularity. Long live integrity!
-Chance
More things are changing around here….again.
Instead of just two writers, there will be four of us writing once a week. The move is shifted towards this for two reasons: 1. Quality over quantity. 2. School. School is in full swing for Chance and I, so its difficult for either one of us to spend time working on the blog. The move from writing 5 to 4 days a week frees up more time and allows for me to step back and focus on how to make this blog better, thus making this site a whole hell of a lot more enjoyable for you, the reader.
Cheers,
Austin
Great Bands from the Golden State
I was born and raised in California and I can’t really imagine living anywhere else. I haven’t been everywhere in the world, but it’s hard for me to imagine a better place to live. The beach and the mountains are both just mere hours away and the weather here in San Diego just can’t be beat. Also, barring Mexico, we have the best Mexican food anywhere. The culture is so diverse and interesting and as you can probably guess there are some really amazing musicians on the west coast. Here are a few of my personal favorites.
Drive Like Jehu
Like so many of my favorite bands I got into these guys only after they broke up and I am sincerely disappointed about that. Adding insult to injury, they were local heroes from San Diego and I wish that I could have been here while they were still around. As a guitarist I love bands with really distinct, driving guitar riffs and Drive Like Jehu deliver the goods in that department.
No Age
No Age is an LA band that combines punk rock with a sort of ambient pop weirdness to great effect. Nouns is a truly fascinating album with some very memorable and catchy songs.
Mothers of Gut and Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound
These two acts are a couple of local bands from Riverside, which seems to be developing a unique and original music scene. I am personally looking forward to the upcoming full length that Mothers of Gut will be releasing in April.
-Chance
A recommendation for music before you sleep
I can not sleep unless I am listening to music and to me the best sleepytime music is the kind that is spacey or creepy. I am not as familiar with the second half of Slint’s masterpiece, Spiderland, as I am with the first half, because just about anytime I listen to that record I am getting ready to fall asleep. Recently, I have been enjoying Do Make Say Think’s most recent album, The Other Truths. Of the four tracks on the album, I only feel comfortable talking about the first two, because in all honesty, those are the only two tracks that I have listened to in full consciousness. However, I can say that those two tracks are balls to the wall delicious. DMST are typically a more jazzy incarnation of their Constellation colleagues, but on The Other Truths they have moved into a more straight up rock direction. The typical twangy guitar riffs we have all come to love from DMST are still there, but they are more defined and methodical. There is also a lovely layer of fuzz on the album that immediately qualifies it for your voyage to dreamland.
-Chance
therecipe asked: you know what i meant....120,000....
yeah, I know, no worries.
