Best of the year 2019

These are the albums that made me jump up and down and want to smash things.
They are not numbered - all deserve to be at the top. Remember kids, I am right
and you are wrong. There will be no descriptions - you will have to participate
and press play and actually listen to them.

I have been a lazy cunt recently - I hope to post more often. Or not.

El Drugstore - The Golden Age of Bad Ideas

El Drugstore describe themselves as "Instrumental Freak

Attack" and with those words, launch into a whirling,

insane barrage of riffs, timings, dizzy note abuse and

powerhouse drumming.

Early Mastodon meet the Cardiacs doing Botch cover numbers

is probably the nearest I can get to a quick description and even

then I am falling short of the mark.

This is head-fuck music of the highest order and I gladly embrace

its almost psychedelic and psychotic aggression gladly.

Technical chops they have in abundance but unlike so many

instrumental metal/hardcore bands, El Drugstore have the vision

and tunes to pull it off. 

Like "On The Corner" by Miles Davis, at first it seems almost too

complex and random to make sense but under the distorted instruments

there is a fucked up groove happening. 

This is the perfect soundtrack for a world full of tension, mistrust,

loners, paranoia and nerves shot to pieces with coffee and hate.

Cloud Rat - Pollinator

Like a rabid dog raping your childhood innocence, Cloud Rat

have unleashed a fucking tempest of punk, hardcore and grind

which will melt your face off.

Manic drums unite with furious buzzsaw guitars that

lay the template from which the frontwoman, Madison, can

unleash a barrage of fearsome shrieks that somehow contain

real emotion and feeling, rather than just some routine throat-

shredding.

What makes this stand out though, are the inserts of clean

vocals, spoken word, keyboards, ghostly chanting

and other superior touches that bring a huge depth of

atmospherics into this bleak masterpiece.

Lightning Bolt - Sonic Citadel

Crazed chaos from this drum / bass duo.


Brutal, fast noise rock - the drummer sounds like he
is playing 2 kits at the same time and fuck knows what
the bass is going through - thick fuzz guitar tones envelop
the tunes, with grunted vocals buried in the mix.


This is like World War 3 going off in your head but much
more fun - it made me jump up and down.

Daughters Of St Crispin - S/T

Madison WI post-punk vets churning out simple,

heavy songs of lament.

Russell Emerson Hall - guitar/voice (ex-Tyranny 

Is Tyranny, ex-United Sons of Toil, ex-Twelves)
Peter Leonard - bass/voice (ex-Droids Attack, 

ex-Rustbelt Sermon, ex-Poorman’s Therapy)

Daughters Of St Crispin bring a dirty amalgamation of
order and chaos - mixing elements of punk, noise and
sludge rock to form compositions that build on their
collective influences, creating a markedly unique sound.
Punk rock goes angular and angry, juddering through 

4 tracks of discordant, rhythmic and punishing slabs 

of excellence. The vocals are yelped but tuneful and 

counter-balance the complex guitar lines but before it 

all begins to sound like random, chaotic bursts of nonsense, 

you realise that they are also rocking like bastards! 

Taking the feel of the Jesus Lizard and the glorious 

feeling of what-the-fuck! song arrangements of These 

Arms Are Snakes, the album also has the added bonus 

of sounding like it was produced by Steve Albini. 

The tracks have real solidity to them - no wasted 

time or filler to the song structures - tension builds 

nicely as the urgent riffs hammer down.

This is the good shit.

Thanks to the band for sending this to me.

Bandcamp

Facebook
 

A Horse Called War - Good For Glue (and nothing else)

APF Records, out of Manchester UK, are fast becoming vanguards

of the UK Sludge scene, boasting a venerable Roster including 

BATTALIONS, BONGCAULDRON, MASTIFF and PIST to 

name a few, have now unleashed another mind-crippler in the 

form of A HORSE CALLED WAR's new release "Good For Glue 

(And Nothing Else)"

An instant knuckle-duster in the face comes at you with the opener,

"Dog Is Dead" - raw, visceral Grind that'll put you on your ass on 

it's way past towards "Old One Eye", a sickening lurch from Doomed 

low-blows to Crusted apoplexy...'Pardon The Pun's bouncing, booming 

rhythms throw you around like a Rottweiler's rag-toy and bury you in 

the litter tray...The creeping death that is 'Don Frye' is a Titan-gripped 

chokehold on the senses...cavernous and infernal. The closer, 'Woodpusher' 

fires off parting blast-rivets of brutal, unflinching Misery and scoffs at 

your burning corpse.....AHCW have nailed a sound that is truly crippling 

and envigorating simultaneously...a credit to their Style, Talent and Intent! 

Unquestionable 5 Stars.

Review by reek of STOOM.

https://ahorsecalledwar.bandcamp.com/

http://facebook.com/ahorsecalledwaruk

Released on Nov 22nd 2019

https://apfrecords.bandcamp.com/

The Lost Tribes - Doomed and Stoned

Another fantastic compilation to get your head nodding.



They have always been there.

Half-myths caught in whispered words, fleeting 

flickers in the corner of the eye, walkers of the Ancient 

Paths...Others. The beacon fires shone not on their lands 

and the call cast far to heed.Yet, slow as the bark grew, 

the bounties came...strange marvels from the strange folk.

The Lost Tribes.

This compilation is meant to be an accompaniment 

to 'Doomed and Stoned in England' (2019). It represents 

the artists who, due to circumstances, were unable to 

appear on it, along with others who were invited. This 

has a distinct "compilation" feel to it...like the ones 

you pulled from the bargain bins at the store, only 

knowing one name on the back, but delighting in the 

joy of that first spin. The Lost Tribes has that vibe.

And because they are good guys it is NYP.

Complied by reek of STOOM

Toadeater - Codex

Here is some blackened crust to make your toes curl.
Raw guitar tones combined with interesting song
compositions push the tunes forward while at the
same time pummel you into submission.

This is the good shit.

https://toadeater.bandcamp.com/album/codex
https://www.facebook.com/ToadeaterHC/

Vicious Bastard - Lost EP

"Formed 10 years ago.

"Post Abortion Lust" Album released 8 years ago.

Last gig 4 years ago.

Here is an E.P recorded in 2012 but never released.

Vicious Bastard never dies, merely sleeps."

Vicious Bastard live up to their name giving
us some savage, short, bile-ridden grindcore.
It's kinda like being pushed down some stairs
naked - and the stairs are covered in sandpaper -
landing in a pile of salt and then some drunken
fuck comes and molests you. Horrible but strangely
thrilling at the same time.
This is the good shit.

Thanks to Luke for sending this to me.
Cheers to Stevie for turning me onto them.

Doomed & Stoned in England.

This is a monster of a compilation.
In the words of it's creator:

England is the Home of Doom. It's tempestuous history 

writhes with it: Plague and Fire, Invasion and Bloodshed, 

Treachery and Treason.

The distilled essence of this horror seeped into the 

very heart of the land: the opening, torrid peals of

 'Black Sabbath' heralding a new Era in Rock and 

finding resonance in an audience all-too-tired of the 

Hippie Lifestyle they couldn't share. England gave 

the Music World a different perspective...a darker, 

macabre one that spread like a canker across the Pop 

spectrum. Over time it has mutated, twisted into myriad 

forms and pseudo-genres, but that essence, that 'Englishness', 

that eerie symbiosis with the Dark remains. This is not 

the return of English Doom, oh no - It never left.

I believe it is an important audio artifact, a chronicle 

capturing the very best of the Underground scene here 

and an essential reference for future Stoners and Doomers alike. 

The very Best is indeed what's on offer here.

My heartfelt Kudos and Respects to all the Artists 

who gave their contributions freely and with overwhelming 

enthusiasm.
This was made by you. I salute you.

Reek of STOOM
England, UK