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
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
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
MAMMOTH DIARIES PART 1
I was reading a Shaun White interview about the music he listened to during his Olympic gold medal runs. He talks about Darkness (A Thing Called Love), AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses as all part of his pump-up/letsassrapetheotherboardersintheass routine. What strikes me as interesting is his music choices. Skateboarding and punk have always gone together. A many of early hardcore and noise rock bands early followers were skaters, as were the bands. An easy example is the video above. After Unsane released Scattered, Smothered, and Covered, they went out and recorded Scrape for a mere 200 bones.
Does snowboarding draw a different sort of music crowd or does Shaun White just represent a different generation of boarders? Many snowboarders are skateboarders and visa versa. I remember when Shaun White would skate half pipes with Tony Hawk. In my experience, even though I was never much of a skater, music is completely different in the skate and snowboard worlds. But why????? Is it because skateboarding is an urban event- near where venues and bands are blasting out new material? Could it be because snowboarding is typically a wealthier sport? Or because many snowboarders are from mountains, isolated from urban environments?
Generally, I despise the music I hear on snowboarding slopes. It makes me think of Trapt and 311. Shaun White’s playlist is pretty shitty too, but I don’t hate AC/DC. One of the reasons I brought this topic up is because I’m going to Mammoth Mountain tonight. Mammoth Mountain remains a place deeply seated in my past skiing and snowboarding experiences. Mammoth is the first place I skied, before I learned to snowboard. Mammoth is where I got decent at snowboarding. Mammoth probably is the ski resort I’ve visited the most in my lifetime and mammoth is one of my favorite resorts.
Good Night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite.
-Austin, will be posting is exploits next week
WE ARE PLANNING A FAN VIDEO TRIBUTE TO HIGH ON FIRE’S BASTARD SAMURAI
Driftinginthefog so eloquently reminded me that Henry Rollins will always rule. Liar happens to be one of my favorite music videos of all time. Dead simple, funny, and red paint can never go wrong in book of Rollins-inspired text.
On the other hand, a few buddies and I are planning an early tribute music video for High on Fire’s Bastard Samurai, which comes off their fifth album, Snakes of the Divine. Why are we doing this?
Simple; we like fake blood, samurai swords; and disfigured bodies (hint hint). Secondly, we think that making a lofi music video is a great way to promote our blog and express some of our creativity.
When will this be done?
Planning process starts soon (in around two weeks) and hopefully we can do the whole thing and put it out on the jewtube within three months.
LOOK FORWARD MY FRIENDS.
-AUSTIN
At Hell’s Kitchen, Hitler is suffering another bout of depression. Twenty games into poker and Hitler had yet to win a hand. Just when things seemed to have been turning around, Winston Churchill delivered a one-two punch with a full house. This is the vivid account of one of Churchill’s lost pick-me-up speeches.
When you put yourself up on that pedestal,
your eyes become too high and too far for you to see the tidal wrath of the Leviathan.
You will drown in the sea of Herculeans, lost in the abysmal depth of good habits and better looks.
The small shore of defeat is a better home than that of Euclidean ideals.
Go, build your house there.
Erect your walls riddled with strategy, carefulness, and carelessness.
Fill it with shapes and sizes of technology anew. Then get back up onto your pedestal with a renewed vigor for battle.
I will attack you then without reservation!
-Austin
(1812 overture seemed like a fitting accompanying piece)
ARTWORK
I’ve always been a huge fan of quality band artwork.
Here are few that I’ve really enjoyed the past few years:
-Austin
GOALS, DAMN THEM!
Sorry for my lack of post yesterday. We like to keep this a five-days-a-week type of deal. Unfortunately, there are only two of us right now and I was thoroughly enjoying spending time with my girlfriend yesterday. Despite that, I spent a significant portion working on goals, new column ideas, and other stuff. I am excited to tell you that some of these ideas are coming closer to fruition and will probably, most likely, bring you new thoughts and kick-ass music. So keep with us and watch us grow. We are not going to stop till we are a solid bastion of the music blogging interweb!
For your information, while i sorted out my ideas and goals on paper, I listened to:
Emperor- In The Nightside Eclipse
Herbert Von Karajan performing Beethoven symphony no. 9
Angel Hair- Pregnant With The Senior Class
-Austin
For many people (including fellow writer Chance), Snooki, of Jersey Shore fame, combined with The Beatles’ St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the best of reality TV and music. Now we know the real reason for St. Pepper’s success; SNOOKI!!!!!!!
SHE MAY BE THE MISSING GODDESS WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
-Austin, two feet taller than Snooki since he was born.
