Norway's Diskord have a reasonably old school sound to them, but calling them an old school death metal band would do them a disservice, I believe. Rather than be a clone of whatever classic death metal band they prefer, Diskord have infused themselves with the elements of what made death metal of that era so great. What do I mean by that? I mean that there's a little big of grit, not the immaculately polished sound that's part and parcel of modern death metal. I mean that if I saw Diskord live, I would furiously bang my head rather than stare at the guitarists hands the entire set. I mean that it's interesting and even inventive, rather than treading a path so well worn it's become a ditch. It seems that being inventive in metal music (or music period) these days means combining seemingly disparate influences to create something fresh, if that's the case, than Diskord are surely among the leaders of the pack in that regard. If there was one band to compare them to, it would be Atheist, whose proclivity for the progressive they share. On occasion they ascend to Cynic-esque levels of jazz fusion and Disharmonic Orchestra oddness. But Dystopics isn't all strange chords and timing, Diskord take their time to slog through the muck with a Mental Funeral era Autopsy vibe. Autopsy and Athiest might be on opposite ends of the death metal spectrum, but there are some totally out there moments on this record that remind me more of Iceburn than any death metal band. Yeah, let that one sink in while you're downloading this and adding it to your music library...which you should start doing right now.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Diskord- Dystopics (2012)
Been on a pretty big death metal binge recently, so how about some more totally rad death metal from 2012?
Norway's Diskord have a reasonably old school sound to them, but calling them an old school death metal band would do them a disservice, I believe. Rather than be a clone of whatever classic death metal band they prefer, Diskord have infused themselves with the elements of what made death metal of that era so great. What do I mean by that? I mean that there's a little big of grit, not the immaculately polished sound that's part and parcel of modern death metal. I mean that if I saw Diskord live, I would furiously bang my head rather than stare at the guitarists hands the entire set. I mean that it's interesting and even inventive, rather than treading a path so well worn it's become a ditch. It seems that being inventive in metal music (or music period) these days means combining seemingly disparate influences to create something fresh, if that's the case, than Diskord are surely among the leaders of the pack in that regard. If there was one band to compare them to, it would be Atheist, whose proclivity for the progressive they share. On occasion they ascend to Cynic-esque levels of jazz fusion and Disharmonic Orchestra oddness. But Dystopics isn't all strange chords and timing, Diskord take their time to slog through the muck with a Mental Funeral era Autopsy vibe. Autopsy and Athiest might be on opposite ends of the death metal spectrum, but there are some totally out there moments on this record that remind me more of Iceburn than any death metal band. Yeah, let that one sink in while you're downloading this and adding it to your music library...which you should start doing right now.
Norway's Diskord have a reasonably old school sound to them, but calling them an old school death metal band would do them a disservice, I believe. Rather than be a clone of whatever classic death metal band they prefer, Diskord have infused themselves with the elements of what made death metal of that era so great. What do I mean by that? I mean that there's a little big of grit, not the immaculately polished sound that's part and parcel of modern death metal. I mean that if I saw Diskord live, I would furiously bang my head rather than stare at the guitarists hands the entire set. I mean that it's interesting and even inventive, rather than treading a path so well worn it's become a ditch. It seems that being inventive in metal music (or music period) these days means combining seemingly disparate influences to create something fresh, if that's the case, than Diskord are surely among the leaders of the pack in that regard. If there was one band to compare them to, it would be Atheist, whose proclivity for the progressive they share. On occasion they ascend to Cynic-esque levels of jazz fusion and Disharmonic Orchestra oddness. But Dystopics isn't all strange chords and timing, Diskord take their time to slog through the muck with a Mental Funeral era Autopsy vibe. Autopsy and Athiest might be on opposite ends of the death metal spectrum, but there are some totally out there moments on this record that remind me more of Iceburn than any death metal band. Yeah, let that one sink in while you're downloading this and adding it to your music library...which you should start doing right now.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Organ Donor- Demo (2012)
The "About" section on the Organ Donor Facebook page describes them as "Friends ripping together in the vein of Entombed, Death, Napalm Death, Atheist, Carcass..." I find that sometimes bands aren't necessarily the best at describing their sound, I can think of a few reasons for this. One is that being part of the project, they're unable to give an objective summary of their sound or draw accurate comparisons. Another is that they (falsely) believe themselves to be wholly original and refuse to acknowledge that they wear their influences on their sleeves just like everybody else. Organ Donor are obviously not one of those bands.
Organ Donor come from Richmond, VA, which is a veritable primordial soup for metal bands these days. Sometimes I wonder why I left that place. Anyway, Organ Donor will forcibly rip the organs from your body and donate them to science, because they're nice guys like that. They feature current and ex members of Battlemaster, Parasytic, Cannabis Corpse, Bastard Sapling and about a dozen other bands (and this demo was recorded by the guitarist of Windhand). You'll find that the list of bands from their Facebook page as quoted above will give you a pretty good idea of what they sound like. Though, I might add early Morbid Angel to the list. They've got all the necessary ingredients to satisfy that refined old school death metal palate of yours. Groovy riffs that beg, nay, command you to bang your head, a few ripping solos, a hammering rhythm section and one of the best vocalists and wittiest lyricists in death metal today.
Oh, and you can name your own price for it on Bandcamp, so why the hell wouldn't you get this?
Organ Donor come from Richmond, VA, which is a veritable primordial soup for metal bands these days. Sometimes I wonder why I left that place. Anyway, Organ Donor will forcibly rip the organs from your body and donate them to science, because they're nice guys like that. They feature current and ex members of Battlemaster, Parasytic, Cannabis Corpse, Bastard Sapling and about a dozen other bands (and this demo was recorded by the guitarist of Windhand). You'll find that the list of bands from their Facebook page as quoted above will give you a pretty good idea of what they sound like. Though, I might add early Morbid Angel to the list. They've got all the necessary ingredients to satisfy that refined old school death metal palate of yours. Groovy riffs that beg, nay, command you to bang your head, a few ripping solos, a hammering rhythm section and one of the best vocalists and wittiest lyricists in death metal today.
Oh, and you can name your own price for it on Bandcamp, so why the hell wouldn't you get this?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Year End Lists Are For Suckers! 2012 Edition
It happens every year, the dreaded year end lists sprout their ugly little heads in every corner of media. Just waiting to spark heated comments and douchebaggery by those Cheetos caked and Red Bull jacked internet phleebs. They are inescapable. Everyone clamors to let you know how cool, enlightened, or kvlt they are and just how stupid the author is for their choices and omissions. It may sound as if i'm being bitter, not so much. More empathetic than anything. On one hand I give it to the authors. "This is one of, if not the best record I've heard all year, but John Q public probably won't like it, so I wont include it on my list." Said no one ever. It's their choice not yours, get over it. On the other hand it goes to the commenters. They just want their voice to be heard too. Albeit in a rather rude and inarticulate manner. Never the less, they should most certainly have the ability to share their likes and dislikes with others. Where the fuck am I going with all this...I have no idea. I see both sides of the coin here. I'm ranting for the sake of ranting i guess. Bottom line is that I still find it fascinating and strange that matter of opinion, no matter how insignificant the topic may be, sparks such emotions.
So I have been going back and forth with the idea of doing my own top whatever for weeks now and finally decided to suck it up and write it up for you. Before I do that, I want to take a minute to mention a few of the outstanding records that won't be appearing on this list. Torche - Harmonicraft, another slam dunk by Brooke's and company. Neurosis-Honor Through Decay, as always these masters of endtyme music crush the soul. Deftones-Koi No Yokan, easily the best sounding album these lads have ever recorded. I have omitted these fine showings simply for the fact that they dominate year end lists every time they put out a record.(rightfully so!) I felt I wanted to showcase some material that may have not received the same level accolades and deserves too. I have listed my top 15 albums of 2012 below they are not "ranked" so to speak.
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So I have been going back and forth with the idea of doing my own top whatever for weeks now and finally decided to suck it up and write it up for you. Before I do that, I want to take a minute to mention a few of the outstanding records that won't be appearing on this list. Torche - Harmonicraft, another slam dunk by Brooke's and company. Neurosis-Honor Through Decay, as always these masters of endtyme music crush the soul. Deftones-Koi No Yokan, easily the best sounding album these lads have ever recorded. I have omitted these fine showings simply for the fact that they dominate year end lists every time they put out a record.(rightfully so!) I felt I wanted to showcase some material that may have not received the same level accolades and deserves too. I have listed my top 15 albums of 2012 below they are not "ranked" so to speak.
Ajuna-Death in The Shape of Winter
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Dodecahedron-S/T
Stoneburner-Sickness Will Pass
Irata-Vultures
Hell-III
Death Grips-No Love Deep Web
False/Barghest-Split
Royal Thunder-CVI
Deathspell Omega-Drought
Blut Aus Nord- Liber II
Planks-Funeral Mouth
Kowloon Walled City-Container Ships
Chelsea Wolfe-Apokalypsis
No Sir-Holy Land
Cursive-I Am Gemini
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Hell- III (2012)
I spent a bunch of time doing a write up for this record, but then I realized that not only did I not like what I had written, but I was doing III a disservice. III is the closing chapter of the Hell trilogy. This is one of the best bands on the planet right now and their evolution over the course of their three full lengths is something to behold. Get it.
The cassette is already sold out. Vinyl is coming soon from Pesanta.
Monday, December 3, 2012
This Gift Is A Curse - I The Guiltbearer
Having completely shit the bed last month due to the phenomena know as retail hell, posting new music for this sight has become a priority. And since it's December, consider them little electronic presents for your ear holes.
First up is the Swedish outfit This Gift Is A Curse (see what I did there). I've wanted to post these guys for awhile, but for one reason or another they fell through the cracks. Unleashing an amalgam of noise that could best be described as Botch and Knut hangin' with some Norwegian church burners, This Gift Is A Curse is no joke. Bitter, intense, oppressive, and impossibly heavy is the name of the game here. Their interplay between straight up blackened hardcore rage and their more Swans/Godflesh-y moments is really pretty stellar. While all bludgeoning, it's that shift that makes all the dynamics and mood on I The Guiltbearer so compelling. I can see this band making some serious waves on this side of the Atlantic. Get familiar. Do it.
Buy It:
Saturday, December 1, 2012
We're the worst.
It's true, we are. Personally, I started a new job and the added responsibility I've taken on has left me with less free time to listen to new tunes and write blog posts...that and I've been getting far too drunk every opportunity I have. Oops. Not sure what Rob's deal is (other than the fact that he's a butt). Right before our recent break we were actually talking about redoubling our efforts here. We fucked up. Anyway, we'll do our best to get back on it and at least crank out a handful of posts every month.
-1/2 of the NSMYR! Crew
Friday, October 19, 2012
Vinyl Fetish: Flourishing- The Sum of All Fossils LP Pre-order
The Sum of All Fossils was one of my absolute favorites of 2011. It's nearly a year later and I'm still having a ridiculously hard time trying to choose between it and Mitochondrion's Parasignosis to crown with album of the year honors. Regardless, they're both in the top 5 death metal records I've heard in the last decade and I'm jazzed this is finally being released on the only format that matters through Australopithecus Records. 300 copies are being pressed, 50 on 180gm black, 50 on maroon and 200 on white. A limited edition t-shirt to celebrate the vinyl release is also available for pre-order.
TSOAF is a challenging record and not just in terms of technicality (though it is that). It's challenging in that it completely defies pigeonholing and the listener's expectations at every turn. Swirling technical death metal riffs that would sound at home on a Mitochondrion or Portal record butt up against Am Rep style noise rock bits. The Godflesh-esque industrial stomp of the rhythm hammers throughout. The entire record is sprinkeled with ambient parts, grindcore sections and completely triumphal riffs. Even the vocals are hard to pin down, being alternately death metal growls and shouted noise rock fare. I know it sounds like a complete hodgepodge, but what makes this album so great is that Flourishing don't just manage to "pull it off", they make it sound as if combining the influences that make up their sound is completely natural and we were just too blind to see it. Fans of Gorguts, Human Remains, Pyrrhon or even Am Rep style bands with at least a tangential interest in metal should definitely check this out, it's a completely unique record.
TSOAF is a challenging record and not just in terms of technicality (though it is that). It's challenging in that it completely defies pigeonholing and the listener's expectations at every turn. Swirling technical death metal riffs that would sound at home on a Mitochondrion or Portal record butt up against Am Rep style noise rock bits. The Godflesh-esque industrial stomp of the rhythm hammers throughout. The entire record is sprinkeled with ambient parts, grindcore sections and completely triumphal riffs. Even the vocals are hard to pin down, being alternately death metal growls and shouted noise rock fare. I know it sounds like a complete hodgepodge, but what makes this album so great is that Flourishing don't just manage to "pull it off", they make it sound as if combining the influences that make up their sound is completely natural and we were just too blind to see it. Fans of Gorguts, Human Remains, Pyrrhon or even Am Rep style bands with at least a tangential interest in metal should definitely check this out, it's a completely unique record.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Death Grips - NO LOVE DEEP WEB (2012)
Death Grips is a bit of a turn for this site, but for those of you who know me, it's right in my wheel house of weird. I was turned on to this crew earlier this year through a review of a live show in which references to Dalek and Oxbow were thrown around. Color me intrigued. Add to that Hella's Zach Hill's involvment, yes please! The Money Store was my first listen and I was not disappointed. Glitchy, claustrophobic, incredibly raw, and beyond confrontational, Death Grips create not so much a piece of music as they do a manifesto at 120-160bpm. With Stefan "MC Ride" Burrnett's delivery, it's easy to see the comparisons to Oxbow's Eugene Robinson and hip hop luminary Saul Williams. Simply unhinged, unencumbered, and potentially dangerous.
So needless to say, I was more than stoked when the band themselves leaked their new album NO LOVE DEEP WEB. "Claiming" that their label, Epic..yeah they're signed to Epic Records, pushed back the release to an undisclosed date, the crew reacted. Blasting it all over the interwebs, posting full streams on youtube and multiple file sharing site, Death Grips made sure everyone knew that zero fucks are given! Whether you choose to believe that this was a defiant act or a well orchestrated campaign to build up their fan base, (Epic has made no statement regarding leak nor have they tried to take down any of their posts) it worked. Having listened to this album several times now, I can say with the utmost certainty, NO LOVE DEEP WEB is no easy listen. It is just as raw, abrasive, and challenging as their previous work. The "recorded in a bedroom" aesthetic makes this knife fight of an album sound almost intimate at the same time. I also love how this band, to me, are like the hip hop equivalent of a black metal band. No concern for the outside world or any particular trend, bucking conformity to capture the purest form of their very specific world view. They are wholly not concerned with what any one thinks.
While I encourage all to experience Death Grips, I don't expect everybody to like this immediately. Admittedly, with each of their releases, it's taken me a few spins to really get into. But once you find yourself in their head space, you'll find it difficult to leave.
No physical copies yet, but go here to buy other Death Grips stuff!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Vinyl Fetish: Stoneburner- Sickness Will Pass Pre-order
Sickness Will Pass is one of my absolute favorites of 2012. You can read me gushing about it here. So I'm ridiculously stoked that it's finally coming out on the preferred format. Unfortunately pre-orders opened on the same day as ticket sales for Maryland Deathfest, so my bank account hates me right now. Two variants are available for pre-order, red and black marble (limited to 100) and a standard weight black unlimited variant. There is also a super reasonably priced pre-order bundle that comes with a red and black marble LP and a shirt (pictured below). Go to Seventh Rule and buy this fucking thing. Right. Fucking. Now.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Vinyl Fetish: Deafheaven/Bosse-de-Nage Split Pre-order
The Flenser is currently taking pre-orders for a 12" split between Bay Area black metal/shoegaze/pos-rockers Deafheaven and Bosse-de-Nage, done in partnership with Deathwish Inc. This is Deafheaven's first release since their strong debut LP on Deathwish last year. For Bosse-de-Nage this split comes right on the heels of their newest full-length, III, one of my personal favorites this year. The Flenser is offering a purple marble with black variant limited to 200 copies exclusive to The Flenser webstore, as well as a standard black. It would appear that the Flenser exclusive variant is already more than half sold out at this point, so grab it quick. Deathwish will also be offering an exclusive variant, details to be announced later.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Ramlord - Split Releases (2011/2012)
I love it when I stumble on to shit like this! A drunken night rummaging through the interwebs looking for something to jam on led me to this little lovely. This right here is prime, grade-a, cellar dwelling fuzzed fucked filth. This sublime cluster fuck of blackend crust doom punk and closet production comes courtesy of New Hampshire trio Ramlord. First off, sweet fucking name fellas! Secondly, sweet fucking riffs! Their din is reminiscent of acts like From Ashes Rise, Tragedy/His Hero Is Gone (especially in the vocal department), Disrupt, Perth Express, Noothgrush and even some Buzzov*en. My first listen was in the form of there new split with Dallas Texas' Cara Neir. A single 10 minute track of sheer disgust and brute force. Starting off with a dire two minute plus doomed out death march, Affliction of Clairvoyance erupts in a ferocious d-beat maelstrom just to bring it back to a crawl. Then amping it up again into a torrential black metal inspired crescendo . It's pretty awesome. Then came the four song 7 minute piss in the eye of their split with Condensed Flesh. Released last year, this side of Ramlord sees them deliver the the good in no frills all thrills fashion. It's crusty as fuck and straight to the point. It too is pretty awesome. The only fault that I can find with these recording lies within Affliction. While I love the grime the production (or lack there of) provides, the drum sound on this track bothers me at times. I gotta say that the snare sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well. Oh well. See what I did there.. Even with that one minor criticism, Ramlord are one hell of a band. I will be watching these guys closely.
H.B.B.R.
Rmbl, Rmbl, Rmbl, Jun, Jun, Skronk-Skronk, Skronk-Skronk, Skronk-Skronk, REE, REE, GGGRRRRRWWWWOOOORRRRRWWWOOOORRRWWWOOOOORRRRRRR!!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor- ALLELUJAH! DON'T BEND! ASCEND! (2012)
The internet went fucking bananas this week when it found out Godspeed You! Black Emperor was selling their first new record in a decade at their Boston show and Constellation confirmed it's existence by opening up pre-orders. I too was among those going bananas on the interhole. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is one of my favorite bands of all time and in the top five bands I've ever seen live. I couldn't fucking wait to hear this record. Luckily we live an an age of instant gratification and I didn't have to wait long. A mere hour after I found out this record existed, a vinyl rip was making its way around the web. In my excitement I almost posted it before even hearing it, but decided to give it a few listens to try and digest it a bit first so I wasn't tossing something up on the blog that I hadn't vetted. In retrospect I'm an idiot for even entertaining the thought that GY!BE might release something less than stellar.
ALLELUJAH! DON'T BEND! ASCEND! features two songs, each of which runs just under 20 minutes and two drones of 6 and 8 minutes respectively. To be honest (and I'm sure this isn't a totally unpopular opinion) GY!BE's drones have never done much for me and these two are no exception. I don't mind some of the field recordings and other things they have done in the past while transitioning into and out of movements, but the standalone drone tracks are somewhat tedious. I get that they're there for atmospheric purposes, but drone has never floated my boat. The two actual songs however? If my ears could ejaculate, they would be doing so right now. Godspeed's approach to songwriting has not changed in the past decade, they still opt for the mood setting -> crescendo -> climax -> diminuendo and/or seemingly random part format. I may be jumping the gun here, but "Mladic" might be one of my new favorite Godspeed songs. After the usual formalities, the song builds into a guitar and drum driven section that reminds me quite a bit of Burning Off Impurities era Grails in it's Sabbath meets the Middle East vibe. It eventually moves into what is quite possibly my favorite section on the record, a classic Efrim weepy guitar line segues into a big swells of shoegazy guitar that will having you rocking back and forth in your chair until the bottom simply drops out. "We Drift Like Worried Fire" is another winner. A pensive opening section builds meticulously under blooms of fuzzy guitar, falls by the wayside and is replaced by volleys of tremolo picking. The song also features what is undeniably the most "poppy" movement in Godspeed You! Black Emperors' history, albeit rather brief.
This album is a complete and very welcome surprise. One of my top records of 2012. Welcome back you magnificent bastards. Now, if you could give the guys in Fugazi a call and get them do a new record this could be the best year for new music ever.
Behexen- By The Blessing Of Satan (2004)
I know I'm in a slump when my queue of albums to listen to balloons to over 300...it's well beyond that right now. Time to get my ass in gear and listen to some new music, but first here's one from the archives.
This album sounds like shit. It's one of the least dynamic albums I've ever heard. Everything is ridiculously loud and pushed to the front of the "mix." It's super abrasive and over the course of it's 47 minutes, this album will fatigue your ears. I think that's one of the reasons why I rank it among the best black metal albums of the 2000's.
The other reason why I rank it so highly is that it's an absolute blasterpiece and a total riff-fest. The production perfectly compliments the music in this case, it's slightly over three quarters of an hour of unchecked aggression and this aggression will stand, man. It's got tremolo picked riffs and blastbeats until the cows come home and gnarly high pitched wails abound. Behexen aren't really interested subtlety or mood-setting on this record. No, they're more interested in grabbing you by the hair and holding your face to a belt sander whirring at 3400 rotations per minute until the air is filled with a fine mist of blood and bone dust. If that sounds like the type of thing you would enjoy, you should definitely check this record out (I'm looking at you, James).
Oh, and bonus points for one of the best black metal album covers ever.
This album sounds like shit. It's one of the least dynamic albums I've ever heard. Everything is ridiculously loud and pushed to the front of the "mix." It's super abrasive and over the course of it's 47 minutes, this album will fatigue your ears. I think that's one of the reasons why I rank it among the best black metal albums of the 2000's.
The other reason why I rank it so highly is that it's an absolute blasterpiece and a total riff-fest. The production perfectly compliments the music in this case, it's slightly over three quarters of an hour of unchecked aggression and this aggression will stand, man. It's got tremolo picked riffs and blastbeats until the cows come home and gnarly high pitched wails abound. Behexen aren't really interested subtlety or mood-setting on this record. No, they're more interested in grabbing you by the hair and holding your face to a belt sander whirring at 3400 rotations per minute until the air is filled with a fine mist of blood and bone dust. If that sounds like the type of thing you would enjoy, you should definitely check this record out (I'm looking at you, James).
Oh, and bonus points for one of the best black metal album covers ever.
This album is out of print, but you can pick up a copies from Discogs:
Monday, October 1, 2012
Column Of Heaven - Mission From God (2012)
Column Of Heaven's intent is clear. Violence. Comprised of member of the defunct The Endless Blockade, C.O.H picks up right were the latter left off. An unhinged power violence assault, unfettered by any need for extraneous song structures. It's just ball out. Mission From God is the musical equivalent of a deadly weapon. Razor sharp in execution and hits as hard as blunt force trauma. And while all the bash and stab is happening,C.O.H. keep their listeners even more disorientated and unsettled with the addition of noise and electronics. It's a familiar element that Endless used to great but much more sparing effect. This 17 minute, 11 track slab of vitriol is not to be missed. Like this album, I'm keeping this review short and sweet. The end.
Buy It:
Sunday, September 23, 2012
OLD - Lo Flux Tube (1991)
Every once in a while I feel the need to delve deep into the past. Mainly to see if records I used to love still hold up today. My latest foray led me back to this gem. I'm not sure if I really grasped OLD when I was initially introduced to them back in the day, but I knew I liked it a lot. And by god it is still way ahead of the curve! For the uninitiated, OLD aka Old Lady Drivers was the brainchild of James Plotkin. You may know him from such musical mastery's as Khlyst, Jodis, Phantomsmasher, remix and mastering maestro, oh and KHANATE! James formed OLD out of the ashes of his original grindcore act Regurgitate (yep, them too!) in 1987. Having a desire to move in a more experimental direction Mr. Plotkin recruited Alan Dubin (yep, that one!) and OLD was born. With Alan on vocals and James on guitar and programming they released Old Lady Drivers in 1988. Their tongue in cheek proto-digi-grind wasn't too far from what Regurgitate had been doing. It wasn't until the release of their second album Lo Flux Tube that OLD took a big left turn on to the"avant" highway. Did I mention John Zorn plays sax on this album? Infusing way more electronics than it's predecessor, Lo Flux Tube was a quantum leap forward. To describe the sound produced by these guys would be an exercise in futility. Complex, challenging, grinding, and unsettling , are just few choice words that come to mind upon listening. One thing is sure, Lo Flux is superbly weird. Like the Melvins, OLD were years ahead of the curve. While tonally its a wee bit dated, Compositionally this album sounds as fresh and forward think as anything out there now.
Buy It:
Sadly it is out of print, but you can find a few physical copies here:
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Planks - Funeral Mouth (2012)
I had an incredibly difficult time trying to figure out how to express my thoughts on Planks. After giving Funeral Mouth (their third and most recent offering) a couple of spins, I was sure that this record was something special. The only problem is how do I describe a band like this and do them justice. Well, I'm just gonna go for it. Planks' sound, on the surface, is steeped in familiar territory. The post-metal/post-whatever tag immediately jumps out, but there's so much more. Hailing from Germany, Planks have been refining their assault on listeners for a while now. Rooted in D-beat hardcore initially, Funeral Mouth finds them incorporating a more sinister aesthetic in to their already somber songcraft, which ain't a bad thing. Their Facebook page states " if Darkthrone jammed together with Isis covering Cure songs". That's not a bad description, but not all encompassing or fair to the band. First off, unlike Isis, Planks knows how to write a riff. Secondly, they do not over stay their welcome with any one particular part. Everything sounds exactly as long as it should be. Thirdly, Darkthrone, while they have my utmost respect, cant touch these guys! I have no complaints about the Cure comparison. There is, overall, a real sense of urgency and threat in this music as well as beauty. And just when you think you got 'em pegged, the crusty comes roaring back, over a strait up black metal part no less. I cant find anything that confirms it, but I swear that's Dwid from Integrity singing on "Weak and Shapeless". All of this together make for a truly awesome listening experience. What makes Planks stand apart is, they have managed to take the familiar and craft it in to something wholly original. Year end contender here.
Buy It
Eagle Twin- The Feather Tipped The Serpent's Scale (2012)
Many years ago Rob introduced me to a band out of Salt Lake City, Utah called Iceburn. Iceburn (later known as the Iceburn Collective) began as a hardcore band with progressive rock, metallic, jazz and even some classical elements. Iceburn's music constantly evolved throughout their career. Much of their later output had more in common with Ornette Coleman than it did with their Revelation Records peers. Iceburn went through approximately a billion lineup changes, but the driving force and sole constant member was guitarist/vocalist Gentry Densley. You may also be familiar with that name from Ascend, Densley's doom project with Greg Anderson. In 2007 Densley founded Eagle Twin with drummer Tyler Smith. Eagle Twin flew under my radar until last year when I finally heard The Unkindness of Crows. It's a fine album, but holy shitballs, The Feather Tipped The Serpent's Scale is like a Gatling gun turning those unkind crows into chunks of carrion and blood mist. Densley's tone is pretty much unrivaled in doom metal these days. His riffs and the grooves he creates with Smith could go toe-to-to with Sleep, Goatsnake and Yob at their absolute best. I will say I've never been big on this style of vocals in doom, but everything else is so goddamn righteous I'm more than willing to give them a pass. Strong contender for album of the year.
Serpentine Path - S/T (2012)
Defying all of Pat's expectations, I have returned! To the two people who actually read this blog regularly, you have my most sincere apologies. It seems I was stricken with a severe case of apathecrastination. I nearly lost the battle folks. As the mountain of releases piled higher, my resolve sunk even lower. Alas I was able to break free from my self imposed exile and string enough words together to form somewhat coherent sentences. So on with the show.
I've been a fan of Ryan Lipynsky for quite some time. Having had the pleasure of working at Tower records for a considerable amount of time, I was inundated with with promos regularly. Unearthly Trance was one that slid across my desk and it floored me. Ever since I've followed Mr. Lipynsky's career closely. He doesn't make bad records. From Unearthly's off kilter doom to The Howling Wind's maniacal black metal, and Pollution's experimental take on hardcore, Ryan has proven himself a indispensable part of the extreme music community. Following the demise of Unearthly Trance earlier this year, we were all left wondering if there would be another to fill the void. Well we have an answer. Serpentine Path. Not only is all of Unearthly Trance in it, but so is Tim Bagshaw, founding member of Electric Wizard and Ramesses! Update: Stephen Flam of Winter has now been added as their second guitarist! That's a whole lot of awesome. Serpentine Path deliver the goods. This is straight-a-head death doom at its max. Tim Bagshaw's monolithic riffs repeat in hypnotic fashion creating their own gravitational field while Ryan's vocals drag you to the depths of the abyss, crushing song after crushing song. This is an all meat and potatoes release, nothing wasted on frilly little garnishes, just the fucking heavy thank you. Listen loud. Listen now.
Buy It
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