Saturday 31 December 2011

The Stooges - Ungano's 1970



More rare than a message in the comments box,
Stooges recordings from the '69-'70 era seem to
be non-existent or just snippets of songs. This is
the best you are gonna ever get, the Funhouse
album being played in its full glory, feel the
savagery and power as God intended.

While the sound quality is hardly "The Song Remains
The Same", anyone who has any live Stooge stuff
knows how shit most of it sounds and will be mightly
relived to know that although recorded by Danny
Fields on his portable recorder, it still pisses over the
turgid levels of "Metallic KO"!

Happy New Year fuckers.

Sunday 25 December 2011

Primal Scream - Sreamadelica



So it is Christmas Day - all the emotions are on
display - greed, happiness, loneliness, envy, gluttony,
family and suicide.

Chill out with this classic album from the Scream.

Oh, please do not think I spent today posting this
for you, I set it up weeks ago!

Friday 23 December 2011

Killing Joke - Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions (1990)



After the relatively mellow "Brighter Than A Thousand
Suns" and "Outside The Gates", Killing Joke returned
with this monster of an album.

Brutal industrial rhythms, distorted guitars banging
out relentless riffs, Coleman on fine form ranting so
much, you can almost feel the spittle coming out of
the speakers, this marked the beginning of the rich
form that would produce many more albums with
the aggression that many people thought had drifted away.

With the exception of two scheduled posts, this is it until
next year.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Cathedral- The Carnival Bizarre (1995)



This is the third album from Cathedral - even though
it is considered as not being as "important" as the
previous releases (forefathers of the doom resurgence etc)
for me, it has much better production, which means they
actually sound more powerful than before + it is the first
thing I heard by them which always seems to lodge into
the brain.

It is not just crushing doom, though - the vocals are varied
and you can hear metal and prog playing a part in the song
writing, making this a more varied, and ultimately more
satisfying experience.

Monday 19 December 2011

The Reptilians - The Mentalist (2011)



Band request from Idaho, USA.

The Reptilians have released a 27 minute epic track
and if you want to know how to put together a concept
album with no waffle or lack of focus, look no further.

Soft tones and ambient drones start off with comedian
Doug Stanhope ripping into religion - a piano riff slowly
drifts in with picked guitar. This builds up very slowly
to clean vocals until thing start to get very heavy and
we are now into Isis post-metal power. More complex
riffs and rhythms unfold and now powerful guitar solos
are unleashed as the structure shifts into Mastodon
"Crack the Skye" aggression - I know that not everyone
was a fan of that album but I loved it, so me is happy -
shouted vocals are roaring and the climax is bone-shaking.

The production is crisp and clean and all the instruments
are mixed how I like 'em - in your face but without being
too muddy.

Genres are kicked into touch here - metal/prog/sludge?
suffice to say, it is a very accomplished release and I think
that as one of my last posts of this year, you should give it
a listen.

Free download with a bonus track and a very spectacular Artbook
Pdf as well - Here

Friday 16 December 2011

My Album Of The Year - Rational Animals (2011)


This has only been out for two months but "Bock Rock Parade"
by Rational Animals is such a killer release, it is my album of
the year.

With a hardcore sound that is influenced by the later Black Flag
sound and Greg Ginn guitar freakouts in particular, they also
avoid the standard verse/chorus by using AmRep type noise rock
song writing and melodic structures - all of which gets my head
pouding with excitement - it is not rooted in the past though, it
sounds fresh and aggressive and with a clarity that ensures that
every note and yelped vocal can be heard to great effect.

I cannot stop fucking playing it and would recommend you all
to do the same!

Thursday 8 December 2011

Rage Against The Machine - S/T (1992)



Just some guys who combined Zepp type metal
riffs with some shouty rap - people had tried before
and why should this of been any different?

You know the score - this album ripped up the
rule book and burned a new sound in music, this
still sounds fucking fantastic today - when was the
last time you played it?

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Breach - It's Me God (1997)



Breach came from Sweden and started off as a hardcore
band with plenty of metal influence and as a result sounded
pretty generic.

But with this album they found their own identity, taking a
step away from the metal edge and producing a much more,
refined hardcore sound, a more organic song structure and
by slightly slowing things down, bringing a more brooding
menace to things whilst still keeping the aggression.

For fans of Shellac crossed with Unsane - although next year,
Refused would steal the crown with their ground breaking
"The Shape of Punk To Come", this definitely needs to be
listened to.

Monday 5 December 2011

Cara Neir - Stagnant Perceptions (2011)



Band request from Dallas, TX.

Cara Neir are a two-man project which is primarily
Black Metal, a genre I know very little about but this
seems to step beyond it's limitations and I can hear
Crust, Hardcore with lashings of heavy Sludge and
I can dig the almighty noise this delivers.

The guitars are gloriously distorted and totally mesh
with the vocals, which would not sound out of place
on a grindcore album.

There are some atmospheric passages which do not
diminish the power but add to the feeling of unease.
The faster tracks mix an epic feel with brutality and
as the sheer aggression washes over your senses, you
are suddenly aware of the fucking great guitar riffs
that are lurching out of the speakers.

If my limited knowledge in any way makes you feel
like checking them out, listen below.

They are also cool guys and have a pay-what-ya-want at Bandcamp

Thursday 1 December 2011

Cosmonauts Day - Paths Of The Restless (2011)



Band request from Moscow.

I reviewed the Cosmonauts Day demo earlier in
the year and was impressed by the level of post-metal/
progressive sludge they had to offer but with this first
full length album, they have gone on to a whole different level.

In a genre that is in danger of becoming saturated with
sound-alike clones, this band - along with "Awake in Sleep"
and "Alaskan" - have forged their own identity and produced
a stunning album.

Hugely powerful post-metal riffs which have a throbbing sludge
feel to them assault your ears, while the atmospheric ambient
passages trick your brain into relaxing, making the thunderous
return to sonic heaviness really explode from the speakers.

Excellent production means that everything can be heard with
maximum impact - this is highly recommended.

And because they are good guys, you can pay what you like from Bandcamp