Daniel's Forum Replies
I checked out Thin Lizzy's 1971 "New Day" E.P. yesterday but found no metal on there. It's a combination of various rock & folk subgenres really.
Revenant - "Prophecies of a Dying World" (1991)
New Jersey death metallers Revenant & I first crossed paths when I discovered their video clip for "The Unearthly (A Quest)" on a 1992 Nuclear Blast video compilation called "Death Is Just The Beginning" & was immediately blown away. That experience would lead me to chase down Revenant's 1991 debut album "Prophecies of a Dying World" through the tape trading scene, a record that I'd be well impressed by & which has received repeated return visits over the years. I have to say that it's always surprised me that Revenant didn't go onto bigger & better things based on this first-up effort because it shows a hell of a lot of promise. Not to mention the links to John McEntee (Incantation/Mortician) who was their guitarist from 1987-89 which one would have thought might drawn them a little attention too.
Perhaps I was always going to relate to a band like Revenant because they seem to have grown up with the same records that I did (i.e. "Reign in Blood", "Altars of Madness", etc.) & go about their craft in a way that I have the utmost respect for. I'd describe their sound as being thrashy death metal that sits somewhere between the death/thrash of Ripping Corpse & Massacra & the death metal of 1980's Morbid Angel. The production job on "Prophecies of a Dying World" isn't perfect but I feel that the slightly messy feel gives Revenant a little more authenticity & street credibility at the same time in that the record simply "feels" like an underground gem even before you discover that it is one from a quality perspective. Revenant are wonderful exponents of the "riff" too with the song structures being quite complex with a lot of changes but they always leave enough space to give them a touch more accessibility. The vocals work in a similar way with Henry Veggian's delivery being possibly the most intelligible death growl you'll ever find. The lyrics are very mature & sophisticated too so they're well worth hearing while the very capable dual guitar solos go ballistic in a similar fashion to the great Slayer combination of Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman.
There's not a weak track to be found on "Prophecies of a Dying World" with the quality levels ranging from decent to mind-blowing on "The Unearthly (A Quest)" which is still a definite favourite of mine. There's perhaps not enough genuine classics included to be commanding the elite scores but one gets the feeling that Revenant may well have created a few more had they been given the chance. Unfortunately, fate would see them splitting up in 1995 with this being their only release of any note. As it stands though, I'd strongly encourage all members of The Horde to check this sole testament to an underappreciated band out as it's unlikely to disappoint.
4/5
A brilliant Black Sabbath-inspired early stoner metal tune from 1971.
Today's track is "Bottled" which I regard as being blues rock:
Entombed - "Crawl" E.P. (1991)
The Swedish death metal gods continue to show improvement as musicians & song-writers with this this three-song E.P. which acts as somewhat of a stop-gap between Entombed's first two albums. It includes a remake of "Bitter Loss" which featured on 1990's "Left Hand Path" & also a sneak peak at 1991's wonderful "Clandestine" record via an early version of the title track "Crawl". Unfortunately the vocals of Nirvana 2002 front man Orvar Säfström aren't the best & the production is a little lacking too which places a cap on the potential of this record but I still prefer it to "Left Hand Path" if I'm being honest so it's still a fun listen, particularly the title track which was already showing signs that Entombed could be something genuinely special. If you're a Swedish death metal nut that goes crazy for bands like Dismember, Grave & Carnage then you'll probably wanna check out "Crawl" although I doubt it'll make any top ten lists.
3.5/5
Fudge Tunnel - "Hate Songs in E Minor" (1991)
Loved my time revisiting this very strong alternative sludge metal debut album from my youth this week. My old review is still as relevant as it ever was too:
"This full-length debut from UK sludgers Fudge Tunnel is driven by a chunky riff-based sound that sits somewhere between early-Godflesh & Nirvana's "Bleach" album. Alex Newport (who later went on to form Nailbomb with Max Cavalera of Sepultura fame) drives his guitar sound to the dirtiest, fuzziest levels imaginable & there is a real groove to the huge riffs. When the tempo slows down a bit the intensity is sometimes at it's highest level due to the sheer weight of noise coming out of those amplifiers. "Spanish Fly" is particularly massive & is the album highlight. I can only imagine what these tracks would've sounded like in a live environment. The two cover versions that end this release are a little bit disposable & unnecessary in my opinion but they both feature the same sort of powerful riffs as the originals so I can deal with them. "Hate Songs In E Minor" shouldn't be over-analysed. It should be enjoyed for it's simplicity & fun just as my brother & I did as teenagers back in the early 1990s. Some kids never grow up."
4/5
Today's track is "Drugstore Woman" which I feel sits somewhere between hard rock & blues rock:
Today's track is "Hot as a Docker's Armpit" which I've tagged as hard rock:
Also Andi, does nu metal not cover the hip hop/DJ elements with some of these releases given that it allows for these components by its very definition:
“The rhythm section frequently displays elements of Funk Metal, Hip Hop, and various types of metal; it often eschews techniques more prevalent in extreme metal such as double bass drumming in favour of a more groove-oriented sound. Some bands also employ a DJ on turntables as part of their lineup to further emphasize these elements. The genre does have some crossover into other styles. Most notably is the blending with Rap Rock and Rap Metal, as nu metal often has rapped vocals and a similar aggression like the other two.”
You missed my point about death metal. I wasn’t referring to a remix. I was talking about if a death metal band actually had a rapper for a vocalist, would it be labelled as rap metal?
So for the sake of discussion Andi, if you remove the rapped vocals from the equation, would you say that you could still identify rap metal just from the instrumentation? Could you with Rage Against The Machine or would they simply be labelled as Alternative Metal? My suspicion is that it's just about the vocals which doesn't constitute a new subgenre in my opinion. I mean, Hacktivist don't sound anything like Rage Against The Machine for example. If you took a band that was purely death metal from an instrumental point of view & added rap vocals to the whole album, is it then rap metal rather than death metal? And, if so, would it feel right to lump it in with Rage Against The Machine?
And let's be honest, Anthrax only have two rap metal songs & one of them was essentially an existing rap song with thrash riffs added.
Godlfesh - "Cold World" E.P. (1991)
I think it’s fair to say that the first few releases from Birmingham industrial metal godfathers Godflesh blew me away back in the very early 1990’s. My immature teenage mind had simply never encountered music as cold & barren as records like “Godlfesh”, “Streetcleaner” or “Slatestate” before & I found myself absolutely lapping that shit up. By the time 1991’s “Cold World” E.P. hit the shelves I was already well & truly onboard with everything that Justin Broadrick & G.C. Green were dishing out so you can imagine my surprise upon reading the early reviews for “Cold World” which were nothing short of scathing. From the information presented to me, it sounded like Godflesh were steering away from the oppressive noise of their earlier works towards a cleaner, more accessible &… *gulp*… dance music-infused sound. My taste in metal was getting more extreme with every passing minute at the time so I elected not to investigate “Cold World” for fear of tainting my adoration for one of my very favourite artists. My attention would be more than restored through 1992’s classic “Pure” sophomore album shortly afterwards though & I’d subsequently follow each successive release with enthusiasm throughout the 1990’s but strangely I didn’t find myself investigating “Cold World” until my return to metal from a self-imposed, decade-long metal hiatus in 2009 & that experience immediately saw me questioning why I’d hesitated in the first place.
I guess it’s not too hard to see why some critics were put off by “Cold World” for purely stylistic reasons. When you take into account that extreme metal was getting progressively darker, more evil & infinitely more extreme, “Cold World” seemed to be taking Godflesh’s art in the opposite direction. But when you look at it from a creative standpoint you’ll discover that it represented a bold step out into the musical unknown & was very much a turning point for Justin’s creative direction. This becomes clearer when you consider that the next few Godflesh records took the concepts it contains & expanded on them in ways that saw Godlfesh almost transcending the boundaries that the rest of the scene were working with. Were those releases always unanimously successful? Well, no they weren’t but it was always intriguing to see a true artist exploring musical territories that hadn’t been touched on before.
“Cold World” is a four track E.P. that is a pretty solid representation of what the E.P. format was originally intended for. It was recorded as a part of the sessions for the “Pure” album & includes two brand new songs (the title track & “Nihil”) as well as two remixes of “Nihil”. “Cold World” is easily the most traditional & familiar of the four tracks although the production is noticeably cleaner & it’s more riff-based than we’d come to expect from Godflesh. Justin’s vocals are also a bit cleaner than the ugly hardcore bark he’d championed previously & one gets the feeling that “Cold World” could easily have been included on “Pure” without sounding out of place. I really like it too but wouldn’t say that it’s one of the band’s many classics. “Nihil”, on the other hand, manages to reach greater heights in my opinion. The guitar work is noisier & the instrumentation is a lot more infused with the electronic & dance music influences I mentioned. The hooks require a few listens to dig their teeth in but, once they do, you’ll find it hard to pull yourself free so I find “Nihil” to be a bold statement from Justin that warns the listener of the creative barriers he was intending on smashing down in the coming years. It’s a masterstroke from a true musical genius & is one of the most overlooked tracks of Godflesh’s career.
The two remixes aren’t quite as compelling but both are very solid inclusions nonetheless. Despite what some websites will have you believe, these reworkings don’t have much to do with metal at all & perhaps that’s been one of the stumbling blocks people have found when trying to appreciate “Cold World” as an holistic piece of art. The two tracks sound relatively similar too which probably doesn’t help the majority of listeners who don’t have the background in techno that I do. You really need to treat each track as an isolated piece in order to fully appreciate their cold, dark electro-industrial soundscapes as they don’t really work all that well when viewing “Cold World” as a collective release. For that reason, it’s easier to think of it as a single containing multiple tracks that are intended to be played in isolation, perhaps in a DJ set which is something I can relate to given that I was a club techno DJ during most of the 2000’s.
Despite the troubles some may experience with getting their heads around the E.P. format, the material on “Cold World” is all of a very high quality with the release showcasing a consistency that only elite performers can provide. Yes, it may have been Godflesh’s weakest release to the time but I’d suggest only by a small margin & this fact really only goes to prove what a special act Godflesh were. Everything they’d touched had turned to gold & people were starting to push their expectations higher into the stratosphere which made it increasingly more difficult to satisfy them. Somehow I suspect that Justin didn’t give a fuck though & “Cold World” goes a long way to proving that. It should be essential listening for fans of the band or anyone with a penchant for industrial metal artists like Fall of Because, Pitchshifter or Ministry.
4/5
Today's track is "Make Me Happy" which I once again tagged as folk pop.
This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement.
This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement Andi.
This nomination has just been posted in the Hall of Judgement Andi.
This Hall of Judgement poll has now been deleted Andi.
Benediction - "The Grand Leveller" (1991)
I first encountered Birmingham death metallers Benediction through their 1990 debut album “Subconscious Terror” through late-night underground metal radio programming back in the very early 1990’s. I’d find myself exploring the full album shortly afterwards & didn’t mind it to be fair but I can’t say that it left a lasting enough impression to see me returning to it too often in the future. It did however peak my interest enough to see me purchasing Benediction’s 1991 sophomore album “The Grand Leveller” on cassette shortly after it was released & I found it to be a slightly stronger effort. “The Grand Leveller” received a fair few listens in my Walkman around that time & I can even pick up its influence on the first Neuropath demo tape “Nefarious Vivisection” which I wrote in 1993/94. I can’t say that I’ve revisited Benediction’s second album in decades now though so I thought I’d see how it’s aged.
Make no mistake about it, Benediction are amongst the purest old-school, meat-&-potatoes death metal bands you’ll find. They very rarely break the mould even for a few seconds & you shouldn’t expect dazzling displays of technicality either. That’s hardly the point of this sort of music though, is it? It’s all about creating that classic graveyard atmosphere & Benediction do a pretty reasonable job at replicating that feel too it has to be said. The vocals of future Bolt Thrower front man Dave Ingram are the clear focal point & he does a more than decent job at replacing the legendary Mark “Barney” Greenway after his departure to Napalm Death. In fact, the two bands I mentioned are probably a pretty reasonable place to start when attempting to describe the Benediction sound actually because they share similar characteristics. You’ll definitely recognize the classic tremolo-picked death metal riffs that Bolt Thrower built their sound on here although you’ll rarely be captured by Benediction’s melodic sensibilities in the same way as they’re simply not as professional or capable as either song-writers or musicians. Despite the clear lack of blast-beats, you’ll also pick up a few references to 1990’s Napalm Death in some of the more simplistic hardcore beats too. It’s the slower & more crushing doom/death riffs that see Benediction at their most potent though as they summon corpses to rise from their graves with Obituary being the closest point of comparison.
There’s a fair bit to like about “The Grand Leveller” but it’s also pretty obvious that Benediction aren’t a tier one death metal player & aren’t ever likely to be either. They’re simply too limited in their scope & potential. The guitar solos are a good representation of this as the performances showcase an instrumentalist that is clearly struggling with the idea of writing & executing a memorable & high quality accompaniment for the song-writing. Thankfully though, there aren’t any genuinely weak songs included with all ten of them possessing at least a few really solid riffs to keep me entertained. The clear highlight is the chunky “Jumping At Shadows” which stands out amongst the tracklisting as the only competitor for the tier two competition. The rest of the album sits at a consistent tier three death metal standard & finishes up with a more than acceptable cover version of Swiss thrash legends Celtic Frost’s classic 1994 anthem “Return To The Eve” which clearly showcases the influence that Frost had on the band as it suits the Benediction sound very well.
I’ve certainly enjoyed my walk down memory lane with “The Grand Leveller” but it’s also clear as to why I haven’t returned to it earlier as it struggles to stand out from the pack so I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t cross paths again. There’s no doubt that it’s a stronger record than “Subconscious Terror” but I feel that Benediction’s best work was still to come as I remember their next couple of releases offering a bit more appeal than their sophomore record does.
3.5/5
Today's track is "Rolling Home Again" which I regard as being folk pop.
Also, I checked out Bang's 1972 sophomore album "Mother/Bow to the King" yesterday & didn't find even a second of metal. It's purely a hard rock record.
Suit yourself mate. Looks like it'll be decided in the Hall of Judgement then.
Today's track is "Rocking Man" which I regard as being hard rock.
Samael - "Worship Him" (1991)
Ben & I got onboard with Samael pretty early on in their recording career & always had their 1990's releases floating around our bedrooms as youngsters. 1994's classic "Ceremony of Opposites" album was the biggest player but I've always felt that their earlier works are far too often overlooked, particularly their 1991 debut album "Worship Him" which was recorded as early as March 1990 but presents a sound that is not too dissimilar to the one the Norwegians used to change the metal world a couple of years later. In fact, I'd be very surprised if a young Fenriz was not all over "Worship Him" as Samael had already presented most of the concepts we'd fall in love with on Darkthrone's "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" here, although they're admittedly not executed quite as well as the more classic second wave releases.
"Worship Him" sees Samael combining the influences of "In The Sign Of The Black Mark"-era Bathory with the first couple of Celtic Frost records for a highly compelling result that is the very epitome of early black metal. The riff structures are intentionally kept very simple with the tempos largely sitting in the slow-to-mid range which allows Samael to maximize the impact of some pretty catchy song-writing. The tracklisting is very consistent with no weak tracks included while the lengthier, doomier tracks like the title track & "Into The Pentagram" showcase Samael's early sound best. The short "Rite of Cthulhu", neoclassical darkwave piece "Last Benediction" & closing instrumental "The Dark" are also very solid inclusions but there aren't really any total classics here which is no doubt why we're don't see Samael being spoken of in similar terms to the Darkthrone's or Burzum's. There's more than enough depth & atmosphere to make "Worship Him" an essential purchase for early black metal fans though in my opinion. It reminds me a fair bit of the early Greek bands (see Rotting Christ, Varathron) in its uncomplicated, uncluttered approach actually & I love the grim vocals of guitarist Vorphalack. "Worship Him" comes highly recommended from this old extreme metalhead.
4/5
Earth - "Extra-Capsular Extraction" E.P. (1991)
The debut release from Washington's Earth was my introduction to the drone metal sound & it came about upon my return to metal back in 2009. I'd decided to explore all of the subgenres that had become popular since my exodus had begun with drone metal being one of those that I found the most appeal in. "Extra-Capsular Extraction" is also one of those unique releases where a ground-breaking artist not only comes up with an entirely original take on metal but also absolutely nails it on the first attempt so it's no surprise that Earth's early works are spoken of in such high regard even today.
"Extra-Capsular Extraction" is a three-track, 32 minute effort that includes just the two ideas. The first ("A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge") is broken into two parts which, when combined, amount to a fourteen-minute dirge that reminds me of early Godflesh with its minimalistic (& presumably programmed) drums only being used to colour & keep time while the guitars of band leader Dylan Carlson lure you into a trance-inducing darkness through sheer patience & repetition. The bass guitar is simply there to create a continuous bottom end hum for Dylan to work over. I have no doubt that the early Celtic Frost releases were an influence here as you can easily pick up elements of Tom G. Warrior's tone in the simplicity of the very few riffs employed, each stretched out for what seems like an eternity. It was certainly a solid way to start to Earth's recording career but the real gold here is the 18-minute "Ouroboros Is Broken" which is quite simply one of the most devastating pieces of music I've ever experienced. And I do say "experienced" because it's not the sort of thing you just "listen" to. It lures you in, changes your entire physical being & completely engulfs you in what would have to be one of the most powerful, triumphant & genuinely evil atmospheres I've ever been so lucky to stumble across. The subtle use of keyboards is perfectly executed to ensure that the listener's attention remains resolute, even at the most extreme end of repetitive self-indulgence. It's the ever-changing effect of a super-loud distorted guitar playing a wonderfully Black Sabbathian riff & milking it for all it's worth while it's tone is continuously feeding back & degrading naturally that appeals to this old axeslinger. It represents the purest example of guitar worship you'll ever encounter & it's this piece that essentially summarizes what every drone metal band that's existed since has been so desperately trying to emulate. I can't say that too many have achieved it either in all honesty.
"Ouroboros Is Broken" was a total game-changer for me personally & saw me very quickly exploring the remainder of Earth's back catalogue. There's definitely some gold there too but I don't think I've found anything to match this initial assault on the senses so "Extra-Capsular Extraction" should be essential listening for any Sunn O))), Boris or Melvins disciple. You even get Nirvana mastermind Kurt Cobain (Dylan's best mate & drug buddy) contributing some vocals for good measure which only adds to the novelty.
4.5/5
Here's my adjusted Top Ten Drone Metal Releases of All Time list with "Extra-Capsular Extraction" moving up five places to number five:
01. Sunn O))) – “Black One” (2005)
02. Boris – “Boris At Last -Feedbacker-“ (2003)
03. Jesu – “Jesu” (2004)
04. Monarch! – “Omen” (2012)
05. Earth – “Extra-Capsular Extraction” E.P. (1991)
06. Neptunian Maximalism – “Eons” (2020)
07. Boris with Merzbow – “Rock Dream” (2007)
08. Earth - "Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version" (1993)
09. Sunn O))) - "Monoliths & Dimensions" (2009)
10. Corrupted – “Llenandose de gusanos” (1999)
https://metal.academy/lists/single/137
We're kicking off an new album today in Budgie's 1972 sophomore record "Squawk" with the first track being "Whiskey River" which I regard as being hard rock.
That one seems to me to be hard rock/heavy metal, not just a hard rock song.
That puts me at 3 out of 8, which I guess is ambiguous enough to go either way.
I believe it was "Lions, Christians", "Future Shock" & "Redman" that you thought were metal, was it not Morpheus? If so then that accounts for 39% of the total run time. By the 40% minimum requirement I laid out at the start of this exercise that would see "Bang" not qualifying as metal.
Here's my brand new Top Ten Funk Metal Releases of All Time list. As usual, I'm using the Metal Academy genre tags to judge qualification.
01. Faith No More - "The Real Thing" (1989)
02. Primus - "Frizzle Fry" (1990)
03. Faith No More - "Introduce Yourself" (1987)
04. Primus - "Sailing The Seas Of Cheese" (1991)
05. Scatterbrain - "Here Comes Trouble" (1990)
06. Living Colour - "Time's Up" (1990)
07. Mordred - "In This Life" (1991)
08. Infectious Grooves - "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move... It's the Infectious Grooves" (1991)
09. Living Colour - "Vivid" (1988)
10. Ugly Kid Joe - "As Ugly As You Wanna Be" E.P. (1991)
The Guardians members, I encourage you to submit your vote on the legitimacy of Bang’s metal claims at the below-linked Hall of Judgement entry:
Much appreciated Sonny. Feeling very honored that you would invest your hard-earned money in our little release. Wait till you see the band photos on the inside cover. :)
Cancer - "Death Shall Rise" (1991)
I picked this English death metal record up through a mate shortly after release & gave it a fair bit of attention over the next couple of years, likely due to the involvement of one of my favourite guitarists in James Murphy (Death/Hallows Eve/Disincarnate/Konkhra/Obituary/Testament). Cancer's sophomore record offers a very simple, mid-paced, meat-&-potatoes brand of old-school death metal that seems purposely built around the Florida mould with Massacre, Obituary & particularly "Leprosy"-era Death all being decent comparisons. It was even recorded at Morrisound Studios with Scott Burns but it's not as engaging as the classic works of its clear influences. Despite not containing any weak tracks per se, "Death Shall Rise" does tend to sound a little lethargic at times, particularly during the B side after the A side got my hopes up by kicking off with the three clear album highlights. Some of that may be due to the limited capabilities of drummer Carl Stokes (Unseen Terror/Venomous Contempt) who struggles to create consistent energy but even Murphy's lead solos sound a little repetitive & lacking in ambition at times. There are some great riffs included, even if they are a little basic. I also really enjoy the highly intelligible vocal delivery of front man John Walker so "Death Shall Rise" isn't a bad record but it's not one that I've found myself returning to all that often over the years either. I'd suggest that it was probably as good as Cancer got though.
3.5/5
Yep. They'll be kicking off in January as usual.
The final track from "Bang" is "Redman" which I regard as being hard rock:
So, my ultimate result for "Bang" is that there's not enough metal included to qualify as a genuine metal release with only "Lions, Christians" & "Future Shock" making the cut. It's a hard rock record with metal influences in my opinion.
Still feel differently Shezma?
Tomorrow we'll be starting on Budgie's 1972 "Squawk" sophomore record.
Infectious Grooves - "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move... It's the Infectious Grooves" (1991)
Ben & I had a bit of fun with this funk metal super-band project that included past & future members of Suicidal Tendencies, Cyco Miko, No Mercy, Metallica, Jerry Cantrell, Ozzy Osbourne, Excel, Jane's Addiction & Porno For Pyros. In fact, I'd suggest that I enjoy it a touch more than anything Mike Muir had done with Suicidal Tendencies up to that point these days. It's probably the most pure funk metal record I can remember experiencing actually & the sketch comedy parts that are scattered across the tracklisting are pretty hilarious too. Think Faith No More, Mordred & Scatterbrain & you won't be far from the mark.
3.5/5
I've got hard rock for "Questions":
Yeah, it certainly does make me proud Sonny but it's also hard to know what to make of a review like that as I struggle to connect those sort of comments with the "Nefarious Vivisection" demo which quite literally contains the first death metal songs I ever wrote when I was only 17 years old. Perhaps it's understandable that I struggle to separate myself & look from the outside but I hear something very different to what the reviewer is hearing when I listen to that stuff. It's worth noting that the rest of the band was still only 15-17 years old when "Nefarious Vivisection" was recorded though & I was only 19 myself. I come much closer to understanding the praise for "Desert of Excruciation" which I consider to be infinitely better. I'm often amazed by how far we came in just ten months.
I'll speak to the label & see if there's anything that can be done as those sorts of postage numbers are scary. I just did a quick Google on what it would cost me to send you a copy myself & it wasn't in any way affordable.
Anthrax - "Attack of the Killer B's" (1991)
Despite the fact that my attention had well & truly been drawn more towards more extreme forms of metal by 1991, I still maintained my interest in the thrash metal that had played such a huge role in my musical development. For that reason, I was still picking up every Anthrax record immediately upon release with their “Attack of the Killer B’s” compilation being one of the last to receive that privilege. I recall quite enjoying my CD copy too, it has to be said. It’s been decades since we crossed paths though so I thought it’d be interesting to see if my feelings have changed over the years.
“Attack of the Killer B’s” is a compilation that draws together a collection of B-sides, cover versions & live recordings &, as I’ve recently discovered, with fairly mixed results too it has to be said. There’s no doubt that Anthrax were a class act at that point in their evolution but there are some misguided decisions on show here. The tracklisting kicks off in really strong style with cover version of S.O.D.’s crossover thrash classic “Milk (Ode To Billy)”, the rap metal collaboration with Public Enemy “Bring The Noise” & an acceptable live version of “Keep It In The Family” (one of the highlights from Anthrax’s last album “Persistence Of Time”) all being very strong inclusions. Things start to get noticeably hit & miss from that point on though & I find that the misses generally align with Anthrax’s notorious sense of humor which won't be a huge surprise for anyone that knows me as I’ve never been a fan of silly novelty tracks like “Startin’ Up A Posse”, “Pipeline” or “N.F.B. (Dallabnikufesin)”. These missteps are offset by some high-quality efforts like Discharge cover version “Protest & Survive” (my personal favourite), S.O.D. rehash “Chromatic Death” & a speed metal reenactment of Trust’s “Sects”. Even though both are excellent songs in their own right, the two live cuts are both a little disappointing as the production is simply inadequate.
I have to admit that I was expecting a little more from “Attack of the Killer B’s” as I remembered it being more consistently great than this. Still… there’s some good shit to be found here if you’re patient enough to sit through the filler. There’s also a lot more to this release than just Anthrax’s signature thrash metal sound too with crossover thrash, rap metal, heavy metal & comedy rock all playing important bit parts in the outcome so it may have some crossover potential for a wide range of fans. I doubt that it'll make too many best-of lists though.
3.5/5
"At Damnation's Core" received a pretty amazing review from a rival metal website this week:
https://hessianfirm.com/neuropath-at-damnations-core2023/
Also, featured on this popular Aussie YouTube channel episode after the Cruciamentum review:
I've got traditional doom metal for this one:
Marduk - "Fuck Me Jesus" demo (1991)
I wasn't a fan of Swedish black metallers Marduk's 1992 debut album "Dark Endless". I always found it to be a little flat to be honest but the band's 1991 demo tape was much better in my opinion, despite being made up entirely of material that would be re-recorded for "Dark Endless". It has a cooler atmosphere that I quite like. As with the album though, this is still essentially a Swedish death metal release from an instrumental point of view with only the vocals of front man Andreas Axelsson hinting at the black metal of the band's future. In fact, "Fuck Me Jesus" reminds a fair bit of Darkthrone's early death metal efforts actually. It's definitely worth a listen for fans of Swedish extreme metal.
3.5/5
Mordred - "In This Life" (1991)
The late 80’s saw the metal world starting to experiment a little more than they had previously which was perhaps inevitable after the two most senior genres (i.e heavy metal & thrash metal) had already peaked. The incorporation of external influences was becoming quite common with artists repping everything from rap to classical to folk to surf rock. One of the more popular styles to dabble in was funk though with a number of acts reaching some level of commercial success sporting a funk-infused metal sound (Faith No More, Living Colour, Primus. etc.). None of those bands had taken things as far in terms of extremity as San Francisco’s Mordred did with the funk-driven thrash metal sound of their 1991 sophomore album “In This Life” though.
My earliest experiences with Mordred came through older school mates who supplied me with their 1989 debut full-length “Fool’s Game” which I quite liked. A dubbed copy of “In This Life” would enter my tape deck shortly afterwards & I found it’s stronger focus on the funk elements that had been hinted at on the debut to give it a slight edge. The production job is pretty weak with the guitars sounding noticeably thin but there’s enough creativity on offer to allow me to look past that obvious flaw. You see, this record really does achieve what it says on the tin in that it’s the perfect amalgamation of funk & thrash metal. It kinda sounds like a combination of the funk metal of Faith No More & Infectious Grooves & the Bay Area thrash of Death Angel & particularly Testament which is a prospect that certainly sounds interesting on paper, even if I do tend to like my thrash a little more on the pure side. There's some great musicianship on show on "In This Life" too. Front man Scott Holderby has an unusual voice for a thrash metal artist but I'm not sure he always nails it. He certainly tries to be as versatile as possible though.
The tracklisting is pretty consistent with only the flat funk metal excursion “Esse Quam Videri” not reaching an acceptable level of quality. There’s a really strong stretch during the middle of the record that includes a quality acoustic interlude (i.e. “A Beginning”) followed by the two album highlights (alternative US power metal number “Falling Away” & funk thrasher “Killing Time”) but there aren’t really any classics here & the production issues do kinda limit the potential for me to consider my higher ratings too. Still… Mordred are a bit of an enigma in the thrash scene & should be respected for their ambition & creativity in a thrash scene that’s dominated by copy-cats.
3.5/5
You'll find that a lot of the remastered releases tend to simply make the music louder & more in-your-face by compressing the dynamic range which is a bit of a turn-off for a lot of metalheads (myself included), particularly with the modern obsession with retro, vinyl & cassettes. One of the rare ones that's generally thought to have been improved significantly through modern technology is Megadeth's 1985 debut album "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!".
This morning's track is "Our Home" which I consider to be hard rock:
Ben, please add Marduk's "Fuck Me Jesus" E.P. from 1995. It was obviously a re-release of their 1991 demo tape but should qualify for the Academy nonetheless as it was released on CD as an E.P.
Today's track is "Come With Me" which I tagged as being hard rock.
I'd say it's alternative metal personally but feel free not to include it if you don't agree. Perhaps replace it with Suicidal Tendencies' "Send Me Your Money" from "Lights Camera Revolution" which I've also tagged as alternative metal?
Early heavy metal taken from an obscure Aussie single that first saw the light of day as far back as 1971. Melbourne band Ash only got the chance to release two singles, the first having nothing to do with metal. Both sides of "MIdnight Witch/Warrant" comfortably qualify though in my opinion.
Melbourne band Ash seem to have had a very strong taste for Black Sabbath, so much so that they completely ripped off one of the riffs from "War Pigs" less than twelve months after it's release on this early stoner metal tune. Check out the verse riff from the Ash track that first comes in at 0:13 & compare it to the riff 2:38 at in "War Pigs".
diSEMBOWELMENT - "Deep Sensory Procession Into Aural Fate" demo (1991)
The Melbourne doom/death legends' second & final demo tape was an absolute masterstroke, seeing them now discovering the sound that would ultimately take them to the pinnacle of the genre a couple of years later. The grindcore influence that was so evident on 1990's "Mourning September" demo has now been toned back with the death metal one still being quite visible but there is a stronger focus on atmospherics & building obscure yet thoroughly captivating soundscapes that take the listener to the very edge of an early funeral death metal sound. Opener "My Divine Punishment" is utterly devastating & leaves me questioning why this track wasn't further developed for inclusion on either of diSEMBOWELMENT's proper releases. The two well-known tracks "The Tree of Life & Death" & "Burial At Ornans" are perhaps a step down from their ultimate formations (particularly the latter) but we shouldn't let that shouldn't tarnish what are some true historical landmarks in extreme music. "Deep Sensory Procession Into Aural Fate" is the very definition of the undiscovered gem for collectors & fans alike.
4.5/5
Today's track is "Last Will & Testament" which I've tagged as psychedelic rock.
Mortician - "Mortal Massacre" single (1991)
An old single I picked up through tape trading back in the day & a pretty decent one too. These were the days when the New York brutal death metal stalwarts still had a real drummer & were playing a more conventional (if still seriously dark) brand of death metal similar to Sanguisugabogg, Necrophagia & Incantation with the super-deep & ultra-gutteral vocals of former Incantation front man Will Rahmer being the clear highlight. I also like the well-executed blast beats of drummer Matt Sicher & the prominent incorporation of samples from horror films such as "NIght of the Living Dead" & "The Shining" (although they could have cut the length down a touch with the samples playing out for similar durations to the songs themselves). At just twelve minutes, this record flies past in quick time but I don't feel that I need a lot more of this sloppy, fuzzy, filth-caked death metal to scratch my itch to be honest as I didn't go into it expecting a life-changing, emotionally-engaging tear-jerker after all. Mortician simply serve their purpose pretty well without achieving a record that I'd say is essential listening.
3.5/5