Orphaned Land has been a hit or miss band for me. My first impression of the group was with their 2004 breakthrough album, Mabool - The Story of the Three Sons of Seven. I truly found that album to be rewarding on several levels but felt that the harsh elements weren't totally congruous with the Middle Eastern sentiments. I had largely forgotten about the band by the time their next album, The Neverending way of ORwarriOR was released in 2010. I was not impressed by that album at the time, nor do I retain any kind of overwhelming emotion to it now. Thus, predictably, the band drifted off my radar. Somewhere within the past two or three years, I encountered the band's sophomore album, El Norra Alila at a garage sale or flea market somewhere for a few bucks and picked it up for the sole reason of finally hearing some of the songs which I had only previously heard on the live bonus disc which accompanied Mabool. Having not heard the band's recent albums, I still feel confident proclaiming that Orphaned Land's second album is their best record. To my ears and judgement,El Norra Alila should be considered a transportive album, carrying the listener to a truly new landscape of sounds.
While there are several key tracks on the album, the album opener, "Find Yourself, Discover God" epitomizes what makesEl Norra Alila special. The weaving guitar lines are nuanced and enlightened by a native honesty. While Western artists have often opted to lift middle eastern themes for placement into songs - the iconic acoustic fill in Megadeth's "Holy Wars, The Punishment Due" comes to mind quickly as one example - guitarist Yossi Sassi seems to mindlessly play through endless variations of traditional phrasings which I find breathtaking. Kobi Farhi's vocals are another unique element which instantly give a grandeur to the track. Deep spoken word sections and hymnal-esque segments are interrupted with occasional black-metal rasps to form a deeply religious and spiritual atmosphere. At all times, this is complemented by Sassi's lead guitars. Other times the vocals follow the rhythm guitars by Matti Svatizki building deep harmonious combinations. As if all this wasn't enough, Orphaned felt inclined to elicit the help of a number of guest musicians to add numerous folk and traditional instruments to the mix. As an opening track, it doesn't draw you into the album as much as it pushes you off a cliff into Orphaned Land's musical universe.
Another key track - or tracks - is the combination of "The Path Ahead" and it's tail "A Neverending Way," the latter of which was one of my favorite tracks on the Mabool live bonus disc. The track there is a mostly a cappella rendition and always spine-tingling. Here, the original version is no less incredible but we are given the full context of the song. As "The Path Ahead" treks forth through memorable leads and elegant sections, it also moves through some darker moments. I think in this song more than any other, the influences of classical composition is apparent. The song flows with little repetition, giving Farhi room to explore vocal usages and invoke imagery. Split by a highly emphasized overdriven vocal moment, the song slowly morphs into the violin opening moments of "A Neverending Way", the song hearkening back to it's preamble track lyrically. It's easy to hear why the track is a fan favorite on the Mabool bonus tracks. It's big chugging verse moments, long vocal lines, poetic lyrics, and clear concise ending are indicative of the band's confidence in their craft.
Lyrically, the album is beautifully jammed with what I could call a treatise on spirituality in poetic verse. While it's possible to, of course, look at the lyrics in an interpretive manner and not literally, I believe that Orphaned Land is fairly clear in their content and it's not surprising given the cultural surroundings. "I'm down on my knees, I worship you with awe, I'm down on my knees, my belief forever strong, And I call out to you my lord of light, Watch my faith how it glows (Flawless Belief)" or "Find your self, discover God... You are his begotten son (Find Your Self, Discover God)". Much of the album's lyrical content is a call to find solace and love and one's relationship with God. There isn't a set denominational statement and the lyrical content is less proselytizing than your average Satanic black metal album, giving the listener a breath of ideological space. Nevertheless, one of the drawbacks on this album for me is the lack of diversity of thought to match the diversity of musical influences. I wanted to see some form of conflict, of hesitance, of intellectual battle, but it is quite dry in that regard.
Other noteworthy tracks for me are "Flawless Belief" with it's truncated rhythmic syncopations and impressive structural scale emphasizing the rhythm section of the band comprised of drummer Sami Bachar and bassist Uri Zelcha. Also "Like Fire to Water" and "El Meod Na'Ala", one of two songs sung in beautiful Hebrew. My main concerns with the album are relatively few. I find El Norra Alila to be more cohesive than it's follow up Mabool and a big step up from debut Sahara in maturity and vision. There are moments where I am not entirely satisfied, particularly towards the end of the album where there are some filler tracks such as "Of Temptation Born" and "The Evil Urge". The album is long, a blemish which I can overlook in this instance, but does detract from my likelihood of listening to the album more than once in a while, even for as good as it is. I'm not sure the hidden track warrants the additional ten minutes of blank time to hide it at the end of "The Evil Urge". The production overall elicits a feeling of dryness, especially the harsh sandy guitar tone which is ideal for the atmosphere yet after an hour of music, could be found to be grating.
El Norra Alila considered within the appropriate context of it's creation makes it a quite astounding album for something created in not only a non-traditional metal market but in an area of the world where just several miles away in a different country, such an album could cost the musicians their life. Released in 1996, it is one of the earliest examples of metal to appear in Israel, and the Middle East as a whole, which would reach audiences beyond. It also makes no attempt not to remove the regional and traditional elements and mimic western archetypes. It is unabashedly local. Compare this to other material of it's time and there is a significant change in how these elements are portrayed. Melechesh - who are trumpeted as being purveyors of Middle Eastern cultural motifs on their albums - on their 1996 album, As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar, do not incorporate such clearly defined folk influences.
Also of interest is the usage of harsh and clean vocals as a singularly atmospheric element - a combination which, to my knowledge, was at this point in time still rare and obscure to find. Orphaned Land, two years prior, on Sahara, were also mixing vocal styles and patterns however on El Norra Alila they have truly specialized into using the technique to convey atmosphere. Opeth used the mixture of clean vocals and death metal vocals as an atmospheric element similarly on their albums - at least through Deliverance - and Orphaned Land predated them on both their debut and El Norra Alila. In the Sahara insert, Holy Records defines the band as Oriental Doom Death. It's actually quite accurate but nowhere near as comprehensive as it should be. El Norra Alila is a true progressive gem, advancing Metal in a unique way.
Mike finally got tired of facebook so all Sacrificial Blood news can be found on his new blog which will have the most up to date information on the band as well as what I am sure will be an exceptionally entertaining laundry list of opinions and thoughts.
Recent band news... the album is in mixing. Artwork has been revealed and looks awesome. We have shows coming up. More details in the link on those. Artwork below for the new album.
Those looking for copies of the sold out Okketaehm - Stones, Maximum Oversatan - Too Evil For Hell, or Diseased Oblivion - Portals of Past and Present can find some copies at Mandarangan Records. I have long been sold out of the Okketaehm and Maximum Oversatan tapes and occasionally get requests for them.
I collected this Eastern Red Cedar from my Lawn of all places in February of 2019. I did some basic root pruning and planted into a plastic container with Napa 8822 as a growing medium. The almost-purple foliage is common on this species in the winter. As the tree enters dormancy, the foliage "bronzes" to this color. Junipers of all species as well as pines go through this process.
I had no special plans for this tree other than to save it from being digested into my lawnmower. I was actually surprised to find the tree at all in the lawn. There are some nice examples of Eastern Red Cedar bonsai online. I am planning on styling this tree similarly to this one by Vance Hanna. His was collected older and already grown but shows the kind of quality that proper care of the species can produce.
I fertilized throughout this past summer and was able to get a significant amount of growth on the tree. I was not expecting such a strong flush of growth. As color returned to the juvenile foliage the tips of new growth turned a light green and started to expand (left). By middle of summer, the growth had mostly subsided as the tree entered summer dormancy in August.
By September, the tree had roughly tripled in size and was growing very healthily. I even did some minor pruning on branches mid-way up the trunk to get the tree into a roughly conical shape. I remove downward growing branches as well, leaving new growth at the ends of the branches and the upwards growth. My intent for leaving upwards growth is that when wiring branches downward, the new upward growth would now be facing outward, providing a possible point to cut back to in the future.
In November, at our monthly bonsai club meeting, I spent time wiring the tree into a shape and putting some movement in the low branches. These low branches are the most important at the moment because they will likely be the branches left on the tree long term as the top gets repeatedly cut back and rebuilt. The tree at the beginning of the winter and end of the year left me with a real strong feeling about the progress of the tree. I recently pulled the tree from it's wintering quarters and removed the wire. The branches had all set. Plans for this year are a new pot, and strong growth.
Impressed by Enthroned Serpent's debut demo, Ancient Witchcraft, and their new EP, Towards the Unknown, I was pleased to contact the band and gather additional information for my readers. Thank you Enthroned Serpent for providing some enlightenment!
Enthroned Serpent: Greetings from Athens, Greece. Thanks again for taking an interest in our music regarding our latest release Towards the Unknown.
Contaminated Tones:Can you give a quick rundown on how “Enthroned Serpent” was formed? How did the current lineup manifest?
ES: We took our first steps as a tribute band just for the fun of it. A few musicians with similar music taste, gathered in the studio to enjoy their selves. Of course back then we went by the name “Ancient Witchcraft” which later became the title for our first Demo. At that time, we performed a couple of live gigs and composed a few songs, but due to several personal reasons the band came on hiatus. It took years to find the right line up to create the band which exists to this day as “Enthroned Serpent”, a name that was conceived by the current line-up.
CT: Enthroned Serpent, to me, sounds like a veteran band, both on the Ancient Witchcraft demo, as well as on your new EP, Towards the Unknown. What do you believe gives Enthroned Serpent this confidence and sound? As far as I can discover, none of you have been in previous bands.
ES: True, we haven’t been in previous bands not something worth mentioning anyway regarding the extreme metal sound, except of our new vocalist Rex Sanguis who is also the vocalist for Tartarus Depth. Therefore, we cannot be described as a veteran band but you could say we have a veteran sound that resembles the influences we have and the things we like in music all these years.
CT: I hear bands like Sear Bliss, Dissection, Varathron, and Mortuary Drape in your music. What bands would you say have an influence on Enthroned Serpent?
ES: Where to start on this one? We are mostly influenced by the 90’s sound of Black & Death Metal with a hint of Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal as well. It’s a long list that combines all the bands we like individually but the strongest influences are Dissection, Immortal, Mayhem, Slayer etc.
CT: When I first heard Ancient Witchcraft, I was impressed by how captivating the melodic sensibilities of the songs were. There was never a glimpse of anything other than darkness and melancholy throughout. What do you look for in the melodic movements of your songs? What bands inspire you in this realm?
ES: In our songs we explore the nature of human emotions in the concept they describe, these melodic movements for us is the way to go, in order to achieve that. Such melodies are quite common in the Greek Black Metal scene for example another influence we have is Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh etc.
CT: Your music is not predictable, and you do not shy away from an even cinematic quality at times. What kind of imagery does Enthroned Serpent hope to invoke?
ES: What we want to invoke is the reaction which is caused by the extreme metal genre in being different by expressing the spirituality, darkness and evil which exists to this day in a metaphoric sense.
CT: Tell me about your most recent release, Towards The Unknown. It's not a Helstar reference, which would normally depress me but doesn't at all here. Your EP is such a strong continuation of your demo. Did you have anything you specifically wanted to improve upon from Ancient Witchcraft?
ES: Actually yes, we wanted some improvements to take place after the demo version of the songs in Ancient Witchcraft, for they would better represent what we’re trying to achieve. Towards The Unknown is our first release that put us to the test of making something more out of our music, some solid work that gave us experience and helped us reach the strong result you listen.
CT: As mentioned earlier, you picked up a new vocalist, Rex Sanguis, who replaces Angelus Tenebrae. What does Rex bring to the band vocally? How involved has he been, if at all, in the creation of the new material on the EP?
ES: Rex was one of the many trials in vocals who made a difference. He can do a lot with his voice and he experiments a lot in rehearsals in order to intensify the feeling of the songs. His inspiration is not only vocal but in the lyrics as well, as he was a big help in configuring, orchestrating and writing lyrics. Everyone had a role to play in the making of Towards The Unknown as did Rex.
CT: You had a couple higher profile guest appearances by Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis and Order of the Ebon Hand's Merkaal appear on the EP. How did these partnerships come about and what was it like having them appear on the EP?
ES: At first I ‘d like to say that it is an honor for us to have Sakis Tolis and Merkaal join us in our musical journey for they gave our songs a dynamic we couldn’t anticipate. These partnerships came from good friends that share our love for this genre. I’d also like to point out that working with Sakis and Orestis (Merkaal) means a lot to us cause this is a great support to the underground music by people that made quite an impact in black metal, and their support is of utmost importance!!! Thank you guys, words can’t express our gratitude.
CT: Is it fair to say that "Towards the Unknown" is the most intense track you've released thus far? Other than a short melodic breakdown, it is relentless.
ES: As the title track of the EP it should be. The truth is that a lot of effort has been made for "Towards The Unknown" to reach its state, and we are happy with the result. So far yes, it is the most intense track we have released but there is more to come in our full length album that is in the making.
CT: "Ghost" is a memorable track for the perfectly written guitar solo that splits the song in two. I didn't notice how well done it was on the demo, but it really stood out to me on Towards the Unknown. Is there any kind of history or story behind this track?
ES: "Ghost" is in fact the first song that was complete and ready for recording. It is a typical occult story in which we find our selves fascinated by in general and that’s the reason we wanted to “transform” it from the previous demo version.
CT: "Elixir of Existence" is your best song, in my opinion. It is blistering and aggressive then, on Ancient Witchcraft, It had a beautiful clean vocal section over acoustic guitar halfway through that really struck me when listening to it from a songwriting and atmosphere standpoint. It reminds me a lot of Primordial at their best, such as on The Gathering Wilderness or To The Nameless Dead. But on this EP you removed the clean vocal section! Was there a particular reason for doing this?
ES: There's no particular reason, other than the Vocalists point of view for the specific section, as he believed that this way has a better impact regarding the essence of the song created by the lyrics and the rest of us agreed, so it was established.
CT: I had seen while skimming social media, that you have been working on a full-length album? How is that coming along? Will any of the tracks from the Ancient Witchcraft demo and Towards the Unknown EP appear on this full length and how many new songs are planned?
ES: That is correct, we are working on new material for the full length album and it’s coming along great, the only factor that stands in our way is the every day struggle with responsibilities outside the band, but little by little, the full length album is taking its form. To answer your final question, The Channeling, song from our Demo, will be in the setlist of the new album that consists of eight songs in total.
CT: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! If you have any last things you'd like to say...
ES: Thank you all for the support and for listening to our music. For all the metalheads out there, keep the underground flame alive!
This Finnish quintet produce solid Judas Priest inspired heavy metal. Though this demo is short, with three songs metering under fourteen minutes, as an interest-garnering device, the tape is very well done. Opener "Firewings" is a strong mid-paced opening track that easily captures the style Coronary is aiming for with memorable riffs and traditional song structures. Vocalist Olli "The True Herman" Karki reminds me of Mark Tornillo from TT Quick / Accept. This becomes even more apparent on second track, "Bullet Train," a more mid paced song with less overall impact for me. The rhythm section of drummer Pate "Batvik" Vuorio and bassist Jarkko "Skip Intro" Aaltonen is given space under the guitar lead section to leave a lasting impression yet settle to simply maintain their steady speed. Third track, "Mestengo" is finishes the demo off. It's an interesting choice as a closer. Subdued verses lead into a chorus which alternates between Olli's emotive performance and backing gang vocals. The song is set in a predictable D-minor progression, carried through the entire song which is not expanded on, but is well executed nevertheless. Guitarists Jukka "Doktor" Holm and Aku "Herr Lederwurst" Kytola present well with the former's noticeably rehearsed and composed solos being one of the best compositional elements of Coronary's demo. I'd like some faster material and see the band, especially the rhythm section, highlighted more individually. A lot of the material here chugs along without much to interest me. Olli's vocals are passionate and present the cliche but well-written lyrics admirably which receives my vote as the best single part of this demo.
Devo - Freedom Of Choice (1980)
Aside from the famous "Whip It," Devo get little attention, but while Freedom of Choice could be considered a break-out album for the art-rock / new-wave, I doubt anyone hazards to show off their deep-cut of the band at dinner parties. The meat and potatoes of the band is their uniquely synthetic sound which is immediately recognizable. Each instrument is stripped down to it's blips and bleeps and singularity, electronically and pseudodigitally processed, and spit out over what is incredibly not a cheap electronic drum kit. With two sets of brothers, The Casales and the Mothersbaughs, at the helm, this is a Lego ship thinking it can get away with masquerading as twenty-first century CGI. It's nevertheless an excellently captained ship with Alan Myers' drumming really having a massive impact simply for being so mechanical and metered. Songs have a 'bop' that is undeniably addictive and almost Western. For me, the title track, "Freedom Of Choice", is my favorite. It retains the rubbery guitars and tight drum bop, while injecting just enough rock-and-roll to elevate it's intensity beyond the otherwise robotic demeanor the album carries. "Gates of Steel" is also a highlight, sounding like assembly-line automatons reproducing Joan Jett, once again drawing on the rock influences. It's subtly anthemic in a sense. In a strange way, I can't tell if Freedom of Choice has not aged well or Devo were still ahead of our time way back in the Carter era. Devo should still be on the watchlist for those interested in the evolution and aesthetics of electronic music, and for that, I appreciate their funkery.
Eerie - Amplifier Theosophy (2011)
I mentioned Matt Gittings last month, and his involvement with recording New Hampshire locals At Night. Eerie is Gittings' project, at this point in their progression sounding very much in line with what Earth was focusing in on stylistically around this point. The slow crawling songs, drawn out twangy chords, and repetitive and meditative structures flow smoothly from Eerie's tools in hand. This demo material is essentially a snapshot of the band at this point. Recorded live in five hours, the thirty four minute demo must have taken several takes to get the feel just right. Where an album such as Earth's Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method contained a dry, midwestern flair, Eerie's Amplifier Theosophy is fuller, humid, and wooden. To me, a song like "Sun Ring Broken" captures the pace of the New England mountain towns in action - or lack of action. My personal favorite however has remained second track, "And Graciously, The Maw Opens Accepting The Eleventh Sacrifice." A cinematic instrumental highlighted by big bombastic chords, it nevertheless persists as the drumming kicks in midway through with a subtle beat to accentuate the track's melancholy underpinnings. Gittins' harmony motif is as memorable as you can find in this instrumental doom genre. Larry Vollor, handling the deeper guitar tones, is keen to allow his chords to ring into subtle nuanced hums and resonances. I've had this demo for a while, and I come back to it quite often and Volumetric Addiction as well. Both are strong examples of the stoner sludge genre being deeper than weed and dope. While not perfect - the demo could have taken one step further to differentiate each song melodically - it's a fine release.
Eerie - Ostensoric Night Dream (2014)
Eerie's final release, Ostensoric Night Dream, is unique within in their discography. It is the only release to contain vocals. It also is less Earth-y, with more elements of stoner doom and sludge peeking through. Most importantly, Matt Gittings retains the atmosphere of lazy New England mountain towns, soggy Appalachia, and terrestrial scents which I felt was of such importance in their previous releases. Though I felt there was still a lot of unique elements and moments in the previous Eerie releases, Ostensoric Night Dream shows a move towards something more identifiable and individual. It's the softness of the guitar tone and swooshing riffs which remind me of winter drives watching forests and rivers pass by driving up through Vermont and New Hampshire. The vocals are a mix of gruff death metal-esque growls and folkish chants and singing - a unique combination of elements - which works well in the Eerie setting. "House of Chains" is my favorite on this release. For me, I imagine myself as a spirit gliding through mountain logging roads passing set-back shanties with overall and flannel clothed bearded men knocking back moonshine and smoking their pipes behind gray unruly beards as they sharpen their axes and move their checkers. Eerie pose a different atmosphere intense in historical depth with songs that are rich in rehearsing and wealthy in perfectly rung out feedback. As Gittings' nears the song's dusk-mark his drumming turns into rolling waves of tom fills, mimicking the endless undulating low hills and valleys which the 1.2 billion year old mountains are known for. Ostensoric Night Dream is a masterful accumulation of subtle insights set among bold melodic riffs. A wonderful expose of originality.
Traumasphere - Voidcall (2001 / 2018)
Originally released independently almost two decades ago, Traumasphere's Voidcall is a revitalizing reminder that while the early 2000's are not normally regarded as a bastion of quality extreme metal, there are nevertheless hidden gems to dig up. This French death metal duo is worth seeking out as a study in harsh uncomfortable melodies. Opener "Eradicated" is a good example of how an atonal melodic movement over what could be construed to be 'jovial' rhythms can create a tense and awkward feeling in the listener. It's the imagery of a clown car highway crash. This is continued in "Awaken in Chaosphere" as well. At times, transitions, sections, and phrases can be viewed as collected parts rigged together, and not as components intended to be fit according to plan. So these songs are less engineered machines with purpose and more the functional creations one would find in Junkyard Wars episodes. Traumasphere's usage in this manner is not as effective as, for example, Voivod or Pestilence but bears fruit in the form of momentary glimpses of genius. "Civilization?" is clearly the most well rounded example of Voidcall's elements. Ivan, on string tools and vocals is impressive here, backed by Guillaume on percussion; it is clearly not a stylistic prototype, but a conscious creation. Ivan's vocals are often multitudes of rasps, growls, and screeches. The mixture of vocal effects helps Traumasphere's haphazard songwriting approach by matching the inconsistency in structure with an inconsistency in vocal texture. There are some odd creative and textural moments as well. "Orbital Grave" reminds me of the previously mentioned Pestilence but, in this case, specifically the interludes on Testimony of the Ancients. It shows Guillaume's synth ability and I wonder why there wasn't an effort to incorporate more of it into the songs. This is a worthwhile listen made available again through Visceral Circuitry Records.
I let my music collection stay on shuffle while reading and relaxing in my office at night. This lends an aspect of spontaneity to my listening. I relinquish control of my predispositions and biases and hope that what comes on next is not something god-awful. More often than not, I'm pleasantly surprised, such as when a few nights ago I was served Paul Chain and Billy Joel in a row. Sometimes I'm not as lucky. In some ways, you recognize interesting things about records this way; things which don't appear as easily when you pick out and know what is coming on next.
I've been reading Patrick Rothmus' Name of the Wind on a recommendation. I was about thirty pages in last night when unexpectedly -
"GIVE ME FUEL GIVE ME FIRE GIVE ME JABABABABA."
Never had I realized that Metallica's lowest moment so jarringly rolls into the soundsphere. It's like being punched in the back of the head while walking. Somehow I imagined James Hetfield transmogrifying out of thin air into a depressed physical manifestation of his own inner demons - which have been on full display recently - and flailing around the room like a disgruntled Nascar driver around a track. It ruined my night. I closed my book calmly, being careful not to get too close as to startle James as he jumped back and forth from the top of my floor speakers 'Hetfielding' in the corner. I turned off the music with a gentle click and went to bed, thankful that I made it out alive.
So now, having readied myself over the past few hours, I decided to actually listen to Reload start to finish. Moments of torture I had forgotten about arose such as the goat noises in "The Memory Remains" and I did come to some new revelations which I am sure will never come up in conversations with other metal fans... such as how did the band not get called out for the "Enter Sandman" ripoff main riff in "Slither"? I guess it has something to do with the fact that no one has ever actively listened to Reload. But that moment of James blinking into existence around me without warning never occurred again - and the album was less for it. Without startling me, Reload is a monument to the band's crawl towards the gutter; when randomly encountered, it's a terrifying edifice existing within the darkness of my hard drive ready to pounce when I least expect it.
Arcane Malevolence - Wicked Turn Of The Vine (2010)
In 2007, Arcane Malevolence, from Connecticut, released a demo called Of Biblical Proportions. It was a mostly generic mix of black metal-this and deathcore-that which, while not unpleasant, did little to interest me. A Self Titled 2009 demo followed. Somehow I came into possession of the full length, Wicked Turn Of The Vine. I wish I could send it back to where it came from. Aside from offering only three new tracks - four of the seven could be found on their previous releases - the original versions were much better. Though the production is subpar and the songs are only mediocre, the biggest reason for this falls squarely on the shoulders of vocalist Chris Baldwin. Baldwin's vocal performance, though expressive, is irksome and thespian. If Garm's vocals on the seminal Arcturus albums were on a level comparable to Shakespeare, then Baldwin's vocals on Wicked Turn of the Vine would be the equivalent of a Troma bowel movement; as if they belonged to the lead singer of a System of a Down cover band who has Turret's Syndrome; so mismatched that if his vocals were left off the album to simmer in the depths of a harddrive, eventually the computer enclosure would suddenly be wearing Juggalo makeup. As mediocre and indifferent I am to the rest of the poorly produced music on this record, the vocal situation is a definitive deal breaker that drag this album so far into the mud that Les Claypool is concerned they're going to ruin the only mainstream hit anyone remembers Primus for other than the South Park theme song. The band did a decent job with the packaging but I'm glad this is off my desk now. I've vacuum sealed it into heavy duty As-Seen-On-Tv pouches and wrapped it in electrician's tape so it doesn't leak onto other music in my long-term storage bin.
At Night - At Night Demo (2009)
Dug this out of a box of random old tapes and CDrs. Not sure where / when I got it however it is somehow connected to Matt Gittings of Eerie up in New Hampshire. I believe it was recorded at his studio or something. At Night offer eight tracks of early 90's style grindcore which reminds me of a mix between Napalm Death and certain moments of Bolt Thrower. The Foursome's goal of violence and aggression is furthered by the inclusion of samples of gunshots, one of which cues the first track nicely, and the rest of which are jumbled into the last instrumental outro track which don't seem to coordinate with the underlying rhythm tracks. When the last track first played, I thought something came apart in my back passenger side brake compartment, banging around the drum and giving off all sorts of sudden noises. The main men here are Marble, on drums, and Mavrogeorge on guitar. Bass and vocals are both session musicians. The drumming and guitars are impressively performed. The tone of drums focuses on the metallic essence of the cymbals and adds a sharp attitude to the overall tracks. The songs, all unnumbered, have well placed melodic shifts, momentary breakdowns, catchy transitions, and occasionally even draw from an almost hidden black metal sentiment, while remaining entirely in the grind and even crust vibe. The vocals, provided by 'Ian' are scratchy and raw with a hint of cadence; they fit well though don't necessarily stand out or add a huge amount to the release. Persistent and driving, I could see this appealing to many fans on the extreme end of punk, grindcore, and crust. Having no additional information on the band, no lyrics, no idea of song titles, it's difficult to point to what actually might be contextually relevant beyond the quality of the music. Some additional effort into the package would have helped this otherwise acceptable DIY release.
Botonist - Ecosystem (2019)
This is my first foray into Botanist, being drawn into Otrebor's world, The Verdant Realm, through an interest in the overall concept first, and the music second. Musically, Ecosystem is difficult to describe overall and it doesn't seem to fit into any simple categorization. Botanist, here, is a collaborative group with Otrebor and a swarm of live musicians. Think of it as extreme metal drumming played over black metal instrumentals provided by bass, dulcimer, and a shadowy guitar (or something). Vocals are wailed screams in the vein of European depressive black metal bands like Eindig or Laster with heavy use of clean vocal harmonies as atmospheric effects. The songs are not done a disservice through this arrangement. Quite opposite in fact. The dulcimer is an aggressive tone which adds a lot of spit and snarl to even uplifting moments. The bass is also of significance, with all the other instruments taking up a certain space on the treble end of the spectrum, the sleek low end provided fills in and cues some of the album's most intense moments in songs like "Harvestman." The rich textures, exceptional playing, and dynamic compositions across the album offer a lot to return to across repeat listens. Regarding Ecosystem's concept described is similarly vivid and unique. As described by the band, the album deals with the the ecosystems of redwood forests and "with mankind's impact on those forests, particularly calling into question whether humanity has an operating 'ecosystem' of its own." This philosophical approach to understand humans in terms of the world we are creating around us as opposed to the world within us is intriguing. It recalls the earliest periods of philosophy and it's attempt to understand existence through observation of the physical world, explaining man as elements viewed in nature. The album single, "Red Crown," is not the strongest moment on the album for me. It's cheerful melody, almost impatient dulcimer usage, and the harmonious and beautiful vocals may be impressive, however I'm partial to the darker moments. I will be checking out some more of the Botanist material from this, especially the other collaborative material where Otrebor's live musicians were also involved. For me, the music here lives up to the concept for me.
Glaukom Synod - Macabre Remixes (2017)
Glaukom Synod, the French noise/grind/electronic project, just seems to have endless amounts of material floating around. This set of remixes is a compilation of a 2008 tape release and tracks from a Split with The Processus, similarly harsh and electronic, with some interesting background ambience which, if you have a neighbor like me, would be easy to imagine coming from their backyard as they do latin dances. So Glaukon Synod's material here is nothing different from their other releases which I've reviewed: Harsh Electronic Noise with hyperspeed industrial flourishes, like a murder factory on a speed it doesn't normally operate on. It's like listening to a lot of glitchy computer software running at the same time. I've always been enamored with the quirky rhythmic sensibilities which G.S. comes up with in these songs such as in "Transluminescence To The Cube II (Nail Hurt)" or "Le Traitement De Grace (Insane Crypt Inseminator Mix)". The Abba cover threw me off at first and is an interesting inclusion. I prefer the second version of "Gangrene Control" on this compilation, due to the subtle addition of spoken vocals and I like the opening track rendition of "Subterranean Nuttgrabber" better than the version further down the tracklisting which is overly complicated; compositional space is in short supply throughout here, and there is always something going on allowing minimalist elements and simpler passages to stand out. If you enjoyed the other Glaukom Synod material, you'll like this as well.
Käärmekristus - Spiritual War Alchemy (2018)
The first CD release and first release which is mostly communicated in English from Ophiuchus and his main artistic expression, Käärmekristus, Spiritual War Alchemy proves to be yet another strong release from this enigmatic force. Deeply personal and spiritual, the lyrical content here shows it's creator exploring the esoteric quandaries of elemental magic, cosmology, and individualism. But at the heart of Spiritual War Alchemy is a grouping of tracks which nearly rivals what is still my favorite of his releases, Venite Ad Me Satanas. Starting with a long ambient intro which is the album's weakest moment, we are ushered into "Growing Madness" which sets the tone for the album: repetitive yet endlessly evocative melodies and hypnotic drumming woven into excellently paced songs. Ophiuchus' vocals are a highlight for me. At times a grumbling mournful spit, other times spoken with a deep resonant masculinity, and of course you have the standard gnashing throaty screeches. The strongest tracks here start with the truly excellent "Ride To The Emerald Halls" and ends two tracks later with "Poisonous Black Iron". "Ride To The Emerald Halls" is a perfect black metal instrumental - grandiose, majestic, and image forming. Use of elements such as bells, chimes, and other percussion gives it a gallant weight. It would be fair to say this album is worth picking up for that track alone however the following "Magical Chant Of The Dark And Mystical Forest" is the perfect contrasting follow up track. The fastest and most intense track offered is dreary, unsettling, vampyric, and - momentarily - sweet and airy. Ophiuchus eschews his standard format and displays a mastery of painting with melody as he hovers over the uplifting climax with a slow guitar solo. The booklet and package is resolutely DIY but done well. Nuanced personality such as tertiary "Shifting Shapes of Reality" being called "Twisting Shapes of Reality" in the booklet show an artist in the process of forming and crafting his art. The raw yet powerful production makes Spiritual War Alchemy Käärmekristus' most accessible release, even though it's limited to only eighty-one copies. Ophiuchus is keeping a tight reign on this project, allowing it to be what he wants it to be and go where he wants it to go. I'm fine with it as long as it ends up in my lap because he is creating some incredible music.
Earlier
this year I managed to have rekindled an interest in Kaarmekristus. I
was unaware that Kaarmekristus had released new material because in the
past Ophiuchus would simply mail me copies of his releases when he made
them. While getting down to business and finally reviewing Kuolen Kusta Virta which
he had sent me, I stumbled upon the new releases through the label he
is now operating: Death Monument. Having followed the band since the
first Demo, I didn't have to think twice about purchasing. I went ahead
and bought the two new releases from Ophiuchus which I had not heard:
Venite Ad Me Satanas and Spiritual War Alchemy. My concern going into
the two releases is that it would show stagnation. Previous releases
showed little progression of any sort. The raw, lo-fi black metal he had
been pressing to tape was full of the stuff of black metal demos of
past. The production was crumbly, the tape layouts simple, and the lack
of connection to digital outlets refreshing and pure.
Venite
Ad Me Satanas is the progression and shift I was waiting for. The
release comes wrapped in a cloth bag, which spills out it's black metal
contents - a lyric sheet, tape case with glued on labels, patch, and
tape also with glued on labels (all DIY made) - in the manner a
downtrodden artist who has reawakened dumps out his brushes frantically
to capture some immediate revelation. For me, the feeling can be
described as similar to being given an individualized gift on your
birthday. The material on this tape is supreme black metal. Ophiuchus
has achieved here what I have been laying in wait to experience from
him. While the lo-fi qualities of the past have not slipped away into
the past, the clarity and production emphasizes this homeliness into an
atmosphere more than what it would present as simple
tape-hiss-demo-feel. And yet, musically, much of this rekindles memories
of previous releases.
The tape opens up with a long
introductory track, much the same as Ajan Lopun Alku. An acoustic guitar
strums a somber melody, supported with marching drums and drawn out
distorted chords before sweeping quickly into "Pieyden Syuyyksiin", an
immediate track that alters back and forth between a cold and dank hook
melody in same fashion and feel as "Transylvanian Hunger." Ophiuchus'
vocals are a combination of deep mournful bellows and scratchy throat
scrapes in a high register. Unfortunately the lyrics are in Finnish and I
can not translate but they are one of two songs whose lyrics are
provided in the fold out. It is quick and decisive. An excellent opening
track. It leads into "Portaat", the other track which has lyrics
provided in the booklet. The track doesn't actually contain vocals.
Slower, more reliant on the beating monotony of the kick drum, a
hypnosis can be found in it's short length none-the-less.
Thus
ends the first side of the tape or, what I think of as, the traditional
side. The second side contains two official tracks and an untitled
track which may actually be a cover. These tracks are brazen, touch upon
some elements which Ophiuhcus never previously utilized. "Valon
Kirkaauteen" opens in much the same style as the two tracks on side A,
however mid-way through breaks into a more open, Cascadian theme. A
shimmering guitar melody is included over the slower peaceful phrasing
that drags out until the end of the track. It shows a melodic and
emotional depth of writing which Ophiuchus had not previously touched
upon. "Dvi" opens with terse acoustic chords before riding out the
pastoral theme to the end of the song with distorted guitar chords
accentuating underneath. The whole manner in which these last two songs
shift into this more melodic and content emotional plane is something
unique. To me, it sounds like the influence of an artist such as
Empyrium, which is evidence of a higher plane of composition.
The
final song offered on my tape starts out with a rumbling bass line and
bursts into a combination of the two styles offered on the previous
tracks. I originally thought it might be a demo track, or something unfinished, but it is my
favorite song on the tape after the opening "Pieyden Syuyyksiin" and I now know it to be a version of "Poisonous Black Iron", a song from Spiritual War Alchemy. I honestly can't tell if it's the same version on tape or if it's a different version - the mix sounds a bit different to me, especially the vocals. It is
also the longest track here at six minutes long. The final two minutes
are more or less ringing of notes and strings with some subtle feedback
at play and some cymbals being brushed or played with. I feel as though
this track could have been something beyond what it was. Tightening up
the opening, imbuing some minute structure to the song with the feedback
and noise section opening back into the track somehow... I love it for
what it could be, and not what it is. The tapes ends drifting in this
ethereal noise, leaving one alone. This is the best release in
Kaarmekristus' discography up to this point. Powerful emotive and cold
lo-fi black metal in the Scandinavian Style with some nuance but a lot
of tradition.
Boom Lake Trailhead. Before climbing in
altitude, the trail crosses Boom Creek, Boom
Lake's runoff, by this wooden bridge. The
trail before climbing also hosts species of
Mountain Laurel, Alder, and wildflowers.
This past week my wife and I took a trip to Jasper and Banff National Parks in Alberta, Canada. The trip predominantly focused on hiking some of the more known and trafficked trails in the two large parks such as the Sulfur Skyline, Larch Valley, Maligne Canyon, Valley of Five Lakes, and Plain of Six Glaciers. We found ourselves with an empty morning, however, one of the days we were near Banff, and took a gamble on a trail that didn't have as much notoriety: Boom Lake. This trail is not along the Icefields Parkway, the main road going between Banff and Jasper, instead off the highway which connects Banff and Kootenay National Park. The lesser awareness of this trail was evident from the rather empty parking lot at the trailhead. While other parking lots had at least ten vehicles or campers parked in the narrow spots, Boom Lake had a single truck parked.
After picking up some lunches at Storm Mountain Lodge on a whim - a very good whim - we pulled into the lot. The trail is a subalpine trail dominated by mountain trees such as Black Spruce, White Spruce, Douglass Fir, and Englemann Spruce. The occasional Lodgepole Pine also made itself known, throwing it's tightly bound cones across the trail. Lodgepole Pine is one of a handful of Pine species which require forest fire to open the cones and cause seed dispersal, similar to the eastern Pitch Pine species. Collecting Seeds from this species requires collected cones be dry-cooked on a stove top so that the cones will open and the seeds can be removed. In a natural setting, forest fires melt the outside of the cones, and the seeds get carried by ashen winds to the nutrient rich soil. The spruce and firs gave the majority of the trail a wintry Christmas-candle scented perfume.
The trail's vista is normally sub-alpine forest. Thick spruce trees offer shade and a wind - break. It's a comfortable hike.
This trail is approximately three miles to the lake, then three miles back over the same trail - known as an "out and back" trail. Boom Lake is, like most of the other lakes in the area, a glacial lake, formed as glaciers carved out the mountain and then receded, leaving a hole which was filled by the runoff from the melting mountain snow and glacier. The sediment in this runoff gives the lakes in Banff and Jasper particularly brilliant hues. Peyto Lake, Lake Louise, and Moraine Lake are some of the brightest blues. Moraine Lake, while we were there, looked close to the color of a sapphire. Lake Louise and Peyto Lake were the color of turquoise. Boom Lake, though not quite as stunning as it's more famous neighbors still holds it's own luminescence; Boom Mountain in the background an impressive backdrop.
After an hour and a half hike, the shores of the lake appear without notice. The rocky shore is littered with large stones which offer plenty of spots to sit and relax while taking in the view. I took time to explore the old, alpine firs that had managed to grow in the rocky terrain. Stunted and twisted, they were often no more than four or five feet tall yet, since bearing cones, clearly over thirty to forty years old. The cones on firs are noteworthy for standing upright on the branches and disintegrating as they ripen to seed-bearing age. As they disintegrate, the seeds are spread. Upright central cone stalks left after cones had blown off were visible on many of the trees. We spent a solid hour and a half here, eating our delicious lodge-sandwiches. My wife spent time taking pictures and then napping somehow after finding two rocks that together formed a comfortable bench.
Alpine Fir Cone. Boom Lake in Background.
This tree was growing with several others on
top of a large flat slab of stone. It's roots ran
over and down below the rock impressively.
We walked back to the car in about an hour. The ascent to the lake was only about seven-hundred feet. Compared to hikes of two-thousand feet for the Larch Valley, and at nineteen hundred feet for Sulfur Skyline, this was barely difficult. Most of the steep hiking was frontloaded on the early sections of trail, which then maintained a mostly flat course the second half. The ground was mostly frozen, with little ice, so we didn't feel it necessary to wear any additional footwear other than hiking boots. For Plain of Six Glaciers and Larch Valley we wore microspikes. We hadn't purchased them for Sulfur Skyline, however we probably should have. While we made it down that icy and slick trail with no issues, another hiker wearing improper shoes - sneakers - took a bad tumble and clearly injured his shoulder. We learned later on that three hikers had to be air-lifted off Plain of Six Glaciers trail.
This is a very nice moderate difficulty trail and for a family or those getting into hiking and outdoor recreation. Other than the steep ascent early on, there is little to cause worry. The trail is clearly marked, maintained, and has bathrooms at the trailhead. I read that this trail can be muddy after rain and in spring, but can not verify this. I would recommend bringing waterproof shoes during this season. The fact that there aren't many people using this trail is nice for those looking to get out into a less touristy area in Banff than Lake Louise or Moraine Lake which can get very busy. Though we didn't see any large animals on the trail, we did see some squirrels, birds, and various tracks. We still carried bear spray, as we did on every trail, as black bear and grizzly bears are common throughout the park.
A lot has been said regarding the revelation that the
Dayton Ohio shooter fronted a pornogrind band. What stood out to me was
how most of the coverage I read online in articles surrounded trying to
explain to everyday people what something called 'pornogrind' is in a way which doesn't attack the genreor make pornogrind sound abominable.
It is folly to think that in 2019 we are trying to talk nice and matter
of factually about bands like Cock and Ball Torture while in 1985
Tipper Gore and the US Senate was chasing Dee Snider around for writing "We're Not Gonna
Take It" claiming it would cause violence and anarchy. At least there are still some holdouts
with this mindset out there to do the bidding of what was once the
mission of pastors, priests, and clergy the world round. These
holy men and women retain an interest in engaging their enemy, the Dark Lord, wherever he appears - in our case: extreme music. Oddly
enough, while everyone that loves extreme music does their best to
defend it by downplaying it's extremity, this contingent of the conservative right furthers the cause of extreme music by maintaining that extreme
metal is in fact... well... extreme.
As critics of extreme music attempt to portray exactly how extreme it is -
in both sound and content by honing in on specific cases - fans and supporters of the art are quick to dismiss outlier cases and examples. Compare this to the way in which 'journalism' often operates: news cycles latch onto and leech dry specific events that are not representative of the whole to push whatever agenda is in mind. If this is the professional norm, shouldn't we want this methodology to apply to metal as well? Now that I think about it, maybe I'm actually pointing out the problem with the current methodology of professional journalists here. Either way, shouldn't the agenda of extreme metal and extreme music be one of maintaining and pushing extremity, instead of accessibility? Please, don't confuse this with your perspectives on inclusion: extremity is not in conflict with but a proponent of the much heralded virtue of inclusion.
I can't help but feel it is all
disingenuous. Why is it necessary to defend this extremity in a way that
softens the genre as a whole? If extreme metal - and extreme music in
general - is to exist on a plane which remains extreme it must be
supported in a way that does not normalize it. Has anyone else noticed
the preponderance of reaction videos on youtube to metal music videos
and live footage where a reviewer not normally involved or knowledgeable
with the genre does their best to raise their own credibility by
critiquing 'obscure' metal bands? The underground is seeping forth into
all avenues; the sewer has now become the one-foot section of road by the curb where runoff and wastewater is in full view of everyone. My mother asked me the other day, out of the blue, "Are
there really white supremacist metal bands? I am reading a book and the
character becomes involved in the white supremacist underground." It was interesting to have to explain
that there are still places where dangerous viewpoints are openly
harbored if not welcomed, but it was unnerving that a book-club book chosen by middle-aged women would be shining light on the dirty underbelly of something which shouldn't have light shown on it. My
response, after a quick explanation of the pagan and nationalistic
tendencies that simmer in the Eastern European Black Metal scene,
amounted to "within Metal there are all the extreme viewpoints expressed
globally as a whole, as the content is often a representation of the
existing most extreme positions."
While Pop-culture leeches, youtube stars, mainstream authors, and Antifa and their
black-scarved doppleganger groups do their best to raise a ruckus,
they're systematically proving that Heavy Metal is truly one of the few
holdouts of open dialogue and spread of ideas - of all types - there is. By my
reasoning, this is now the most extreme aspect of the genre; there has
not been a major stylistic increase in extremity in decades. As an
example of just how extreme the content can be, even in metal there is a
contingent of metal fans that feel that there must be some universally
acknowledged rule set which governs what is acceptable to sing about or
write about or base a band around. There are those fearful of other
people intellectually confronting and engaging with controversial,
racist, or taboo content which is already available to be digested and
investigated at large. Who are they protecting anyway? And how?
The attempt to boycott bands, the attempt to drive promoters hosting
bands into hiding, the attempt to cause financial harm to clubs is the
manner in which mainstreamers are actually normalizing extreme music.
These tactics serve only those whose music is superficially extreme and thus removes one of the few defining extreme elements
which separates underground extreme metal from mainstream rock groups.
In a short while, we will only be able to go see bands who sing love
songs. It'll be like the 1950's except with blastbeats and HM2 pedals. How extreme would a bunch of bands singing love songs over death
metal music be? I want to be able to go to a controversial show,
experience the band, and then determine my perspective on what I am
hearing. I grow stronger with intellectual conflict and do not want a
filter on information.
What happens when the accepted
conventions of thought swing the other way and it is now unspeakable to
defend those of the LGBTQ community, or promote the importance of
climate change science, or civil and human rights for minorities across
the globe? Extremity goes both ways, whether you are Napalm Death
singing about the monstrosity of corporate greed and other generally
left-leaning perspectives or Iced Earth imbuing albums with a decisively
patriotic and conservative flair. Listening to Orphaned Land recently, I
can't help but think that they are a perfect example of a band which
exemplifies the importance of free flow of thought in the genre; an
Israeli band tackling a number of religious and spiritual topics,
playing metal in a region not accepting of it, and espousing opinions on
the political quagmire that is the Israeli and Palestinian conflict.
The extreme stances held in situations like this foster discussion and,
potentially, resolutions between peoples and the self.
I
for one would rather have an open market for the trade of
perspectives, theories, and ideas. I am capable to confront ideas myself
and take responsibility for my viewpoints on them. The intellectually
capable should not remain passive about relying on someone else to
determine what information they can receive. Perhaps an argument can be
made that there are people out there who can't decide for themselves how
to interpret information. This is true and there are those who aren't
intellectually strong enough to deal with sensitive topics - we have all
heard of someone being 'triggered' by something, haven't we? I can't
help but find it ironic, though. Imagine an army of anemic unhealthy
individuals regulating how much weight
bodybuilders, weightlifters, athletes, and our soldiers across the
country could exercise with because they were 'triggered' by the
physique of these powerful men and women.
Ultimately, this would reduce the overall strength and health of the
population, would it not? Isn't the same true of content? We must
exercise our morality, intellect, and reason by coming into
confrontation with information and concepts which force us to exercise
our minds.
Extreme metal is a 'benchpress' for the mind, if you are looking for an
analogy. The people that can't rationally deal with information
interpretation on a personal level shouldn't be the ones to determine
what content can be disseminated on a societal scale. The lowest common denominator will only ever dip lower and lower under these circumstances.
And
so we must continue to defend extreme Metal and extreme music in a way
which does not water down the content which exists - even the most reprehensible, vulgar, and morally unacceptable. We must protect the
creative opportunities for terrible people to create terrible content so
that we, the intellectually stable, astute, and capable, can feed on
this conflicting material and grow stronger in our defense of what is
right. I am fearful of what I am seeing on a daily basis on the
internet: watered down articles and click bait leading to desensitization
towards extreme content and an apparent defense of extremity via
explaining how something isn't really extreme. I think a lot of this was
already a sketch deep in my brain somewhere, lines and shapes formed
from an increasing concern and dissatisfaction with the direction technology is
taking society, and I couldn't quite get the right proportions. Sometimes it takes a
mass shooting and a killer who played guitar in a pornogrind band to act as paintbrush.
This summer was life in fast forward for me. It's hard to find time to write reviews when so much has been going on. Intake of the artistic elements is superseded by an almost white-noise-in-the-background quality - or lack thereof - of attention. This isn't to say I have been absent from my passion. On the contrary, I've revisited a lot of material and aspects of Metal which fall by the wayside, finished recording a new Sacrificial Blood album, as well as some other projects. Sometimes it simply takes a few months to recharge the critical ear; to advance outward in perspective; to give life and experience itself time to ferment new concepts and theories on what it is that draws us into this music. This noise clearly has deeper meaning than svper br00tal gory album covers!
I recently read an article by Steve Knopper - an author of several biographies and writer for Rolling Stone, etc, - writing for the Chicago Tribune titled "Everything about Babymetal is Metal" which spoke volumes about the general ignorance regarding the perception of metal in the mainstream music / journalism world. Without nit picking every line, the general gist was how Babymetal was born out of the pop world with singers who knew nothing about metal and were thrust into this stage act. "Yet until 2010, Suzuka Nakamoto and Moa Kikuchi had never heard the genre and found it “scary"... Back then, a talent agency, Amuse, put the young Japanese singers together and fused a musical concept that, somehow, nobody had ever thought to try..." Though commonplace in the pop world, manufactured groups are hardly the norm and rarely born out of talent agencies within Metal as a whole. I can't easily point out a metal supergroup which hasn't been assembled through the work of a label who gathers previously well known and credible musicians for the one off project. Credibility has already been achieved through years of toiling in dingy clubs, demo creation, moving through the ranks of independent labels, and supporting the heavy metal underground at large.
Speaking of credibility: "...2016′s “Metal Resistance,” played down the pop and emphasized the metal. The album contains no sprightly “Gimme Chocolate!!” novelty and skews downcast and sludgy, perhaps to build credibility with metal loyalists who saw the band open for Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. Babymetal studies its fans carefully and makes an effort to please both the metal and Japanese-pop side of its base." Aside from Knopper's apparent lack of knowledge of the actual Sludge genre - Metal Resistance is not three Japanese pop stars singing over Take As Needed For Pain - putting out an album styled specifically to 'build credibility' has never been an allowable method to 'build credibility' within the metal genre... ever... at anytime. Credibility is either had or it isn't. It is not something that is focus grouped and worked into a marketing plan. Brands have been built through endless refinement and perseverance and infinite tweaks and shifts yet never through fabrication. Additionally, I tried to get through four tracks on this album and if "Yava!" isn't some form, type, or subcategory of 'sprightly' I need four new dictionaries.
Among other things mentioned that are sure to make the old guard contingent shake their head and clamor for the end to this hell in which we've found ourselves, a total disregard for the Natural, is at play. "Babymetal put together early singles like “Doki Doki Morning,” which opens with a few seconds of cutesy, Auto-Tuned pop vocals, then plunges into Metallica-style guitars." Also, "The band’s live show is carefully choreographed: The singers perform in samurai-warrior costumes, often black, as a masked, nameless band provides the Slipknot-like oomph." My skin is not malleable or flexible enough to handle all this cringing! At the heart of this issue is a lack of honesty and integrity to the music created. Autotuned vocals may be cruise control for music made for 12 year olds with no standards for musicianship, but in a genre which is built around a foundation of musical competence, capturing live sounds, and as little post-production trickery as possible, this sort of falsity will never pass muster. Any time I hear the word 'choreographed' in reference to a live show, and it's anything other than Rock ' n' Rolf and Majk Moti hip hugging in unison in the Death Or Glory live video during "Raw Ride," there's a 99.6% chance it's not metal.
I originally tried to feel sorry for the women who have been dragged into this group by a talent agency but I felt it increasingly difficult as I considered that they are somehow being viewed with the same respect and acceptance as talented underground artists, some who have slaved away for decades with little to show for it other than a rabid base of die-hard fans and incredible musical acumen. In my opinion, Babymetal is in fact the logical result of the Metalocalypse generation - a generation where Metal's gateway was not metal music but metal as a aesthetic device. "But they are fun and put on a great live show!" The same could be said about a donkey show. I'm not buying the argument as it relates to Metal. 'Fun' can be an attribute of having a good live show, but it is not the sole gem in the metal treasure chest. I imagine seeing a lot of Babymetal in the second hand stores in about ten years. Ultimately, something which Knopper didn't catch here, is that when you set the music aside, in fact nothing about Babymetal is Metal.
Atomic Cretins - Spiritual Cancer (2019)
My first engagement with their attack was at a show down in DC at The Pinch. Sacrificial Blood was also on the bill so, as is often the case with more local acts, I saw them first in the flesh. I was very impressed with their live performance; recognizable riffs, tight musicianship, and an undeniably Philadelphian attitude - the city seems to have it's own patented posture - captured my attention. I was pretty excited when this EP landed in my inbox. Having not heard the now sold out previous tape, We Worship Death, or the also sold out debut tape, Too Stoned To Die, I previewed those on bandcamp; Too Stoned To Die was a 50-50 mix of crossover and hardcore punk with We Worship Death losing some of the punk influence and leaning towards some speed metal elements mixed with the crossover. Spiritual Cancer finds Atomic Cretins continuing this trend of eliminating the punk elements from their sound and going full speed metal / thrash. In fact, this EP has the band sounding more in line with the contemporary speed metal movement. Bands like Hellripper and Midnight come to mind however Atomic Cretins are not as sleazy as Midnight and not as black metal slanted as Hellripper. Speedwolf also draws a comparison however AJ Defeo preferred the raspy to Reed's Motorheadesque tobacco infused throaty howls. Jay Mazillo's bass playing is a big part of the EP, opening single, "Satan's Hound's" with a gravely low bass riff as well as "Dig Your Own Grave." The guitarist duo of AJ and Hit Cunningham offer some nice lead work but I their guitar tone is a bit thin for my tastes. The production is one of the aspects which could be improved. The EP doesn't have a 'powerful' effect on me and is something which they benefited from in the live setting. Even though I'm not entirely a fan of the tremolo picking riff, I think the best song here is "Out Of The Coffin". Atomic Cretins seem to still be finding that mix they want to play, but this EP is a major step forward for the band, even if it isn't on par with the best of this style. Spiritual Cancer is not a bad EP if the speed metal / punk / crossover thing really appeals to you.
Cadaver In Drag - People Meant To Die (2003)
A Husk Records release, I picked this up when ordering the other Husk Records material. I gave it a handful of spins in the car - like eight total since the sixteen minute playtime was enough for four plays a commute each day - and nothing in particular stuck with me, relegating People Meant To Die to the 'burn pile'. This is one of the first Cadaver In Drag releases, finding the band exploring not much beyond grindcore and noise - a combination which does not normally whet my salivary glands. The quartet rips through the nine songs in a frantic blaze of riffs, screams, clatters and crashes. It's difficult to normally tell what is going on or if the band is doing something determinate. There are only a few tracks in which a combination of mayhem and control appears: "Tackhammer", "Hermaphroditehandjob", and "Sorority Whore". Otherwise I find it difficult to find purposeful moments of arrangement and decision making. Back in high school, a friend I knew who I used to hang out with would make music like this in a shed we built from stolen lumber from local construction sites. We thought the songs were cool but in reality, it was spurts of riffs written on a whim and pieced together haphazardly with no attention for what constituted a song. Even in grindcore and noisecore, a song can have structure and sound focused. Often, short songs done well sound incredibly purposeful. An example where this is done here is "Sorority Whore," a thirty-second blitz of atonality with a recurring guitar phrase that gives the track focus. Final track "Baptized In Embalming Fluid," a weird synth experiment, runs a torturous seven minutes long... six minutes and forty seconds longer than worthwhile by my call.
Enthroned Serpent - Ancient Witchcraft (2016)
Enthroned Serpent is a newer project out of Athens, Greece. Ancient Witchcraft, thus, carries the trademark brand of their countrymen. A melodic sensibility is utilized to great effect to propel songs forward and is the band's strongest point here, molding captivating melodic elements and phrases together. While Rotting Christ and Varathron are sure to be invoked, other non-Hellenic Black Metal bands that might draw comparisons are Seer Bliss or Dissection. The members themselves are not known names which, considering the level of playing on Ancient Witchcraft, is surprising. The weakest track, "Ghost," though less melodic, and is more comparable to the standard second wave black metal bands, still contains a nice helping of what makes Enthroned Serpent tick. The weakness here then is mostly due to the vocal performance. It's this song which vocalist Rex Sanguis is least effective on, as his screechy style does not offer much dynamic interest. Compare this to the vocals on a track such as "Condamned" where his vocals are dynamic, powerful, forceful, and at times draw on deeper vocal techniques to incorporate authoritative tonality into the album highlight. "Condamned" is the best track for me, hearkening back to other early 90's Mediterranean bands such as Mortuary Drape. It is propelled by the intricate guitar leads of Kallidor and Nazgûl. Ancient Witchcraft's longest track, "The Channeling" is quite complex, with all sorts of sections including a quiet murky section that drips along at the midpoint. This is a promising initial offering from Enthroned Serpent. I'm not thinking twice about keeping my eye on the band.
Heavy Load - Death or Glory (1982)
Following the passionate and honest yet slightly amateur sounding Full Speed at High Level, Sweden's Heavy Load offered Death or Glory. It's easy to see why Heavy Load are so popular in Europe - well-written and ballsy no frills Heavy Metal courtesy of Ragne Wahlquist on guitars and his brother, Styrbjörn, on drums. Since the band's inception, the two form a natural songwriting duo. Vocals on the album are split three ways between Ragne, Styrbjörn, and second guitarist Eddy Malm and yet, it's difficult to feel like there are three singers. The trio of singers is an interesting arrangement. A close listen reveals Styrbjörn seems to have a slightly deeper, aggressive tone compared to Ragne but even listening closely is difficult to pick out individual singers. The production is well done, giving space to each instrument naturally. The drums stand out tonally for the big natural kick easily noticeable throughout the record and especially on stand out tracks like "The Guitar Is My Sword," where Styrbjörn's drums drive the song forward. A lot of the tracks are firmly in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal style; there are moments of less aggressive melodies such as the choruses and chord progressions in "Still There Is Time" mixed in with ballsier riffs. Early Accept and Blitzkrieg come to mind throughout the album. Favorite tracks for me are either the anthemic opener "Heavy Metal Angels" or closer "Daybreak Ecstacy", where Heavy Load tout their strongest songwriting and most adventurous melodic usage in a weaving dark tale with evocative lyrics focused on finding guidance and light in a world of darkness. Death Or Glory is worth the time for fans of older Heavy Metal and NWOBHM styled bands.
Narrow House - Thanathonaut (2014)
I was generally really impressed with the Ukrainian's first album, A Key To Pangrieb, however after a host of listens over the course of several years since it's release, I have several mixed feelings on Thanathonaut. I decided to pull out this one again a few weeks ago after it fell out of a box after moving stuff around in the house I hadn't touched in a while. In one sense the album is still unique and expressive with a progressive cinematic streak. On the other hand, the album can be overthought, segmented, and hollow. The guitar tone is one of those love - hate moments, ringing out across songs with a mechanical and futuristic timbre that contrasts the classical elements in an unwelcome clash and clatter. For example, "The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life" culminates in a section with brass instruments, piano, strings and synths with the guitars churning underneath. Cutting the digitized tone would have created a truly beautiful organic and natural feel in an epic soundscape. Contrast this with the next song, "Furious Thoughts Of Tranquility" which has a chugging industrial mechanized feel that ends abruptly; the tonality fits well here but the song feels like it's a segment of a larger entity which never materializes. This epic and grand scope is something I miss from their debut. The only song over the five minute mark is the final track, "Возрождение", an at times incomplete sounding cover of Virgin Black's sombre "Renaissance." Many of the other songs simply don't sound fully realized to me, which is a shame because of all the great ideas floating around and melodic movements the band has developed. Thanathonaut is bulbish - large and swollen with ideas that fill up space that are only partially palatable. I don't know how much internal pressure Narrow House put on themselves to finish the record, but it just feels like it needed some more time. Not sure what will happen with the group, as they've been in hibernation since this album's release in 2014. I'd be curious to know what the band is doing now.
Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound (1981)
As it would be for any lover of good, classic New Wave of British Heavy Metal, it is inevitable to find yourself confronted with either of the first two Tygers of Pan Tang albums. Spellbound, the sophomore album is more to my liking. It's more hard hitting, varied, and interesting. There is an edge to the guitar riffs which was only partially found on Wildcat in songs like "Killers". Spellbound contains some rather well-known tracks. The record's arguably heaviest track "Hellbound" was covered by several bands including Heathen and Destruction but in my eyes the album's hardest track might go to the rough-nosed "Blackjack." My version of the record (1981-MCA-5235) has this switched with the position of "Tyger Bay" from the original run order. I'm not sure it is much of a benefit or a hindrance, as "Tyger Bay" in the nine-spot follows the light-hearted rocker "The Story So Far" with a similar level of speed and contrast. Opener "Gangland" is a favorite for me... must be something about NWOBHM bands and songs called "Gangland" being awesome. John Deverill gets a lot of credit from me for making this record so enjoyable. His crooning, powerful, and - at the right times - emotive vocal performance draws comparisons more towards Robert Plant or Rod Evans' performance on Deep Purple. The record would have been served well by a grittier and hungrier guitar tone. Drummer Brian 'Big' Dick - I laughed like Butthead when I first read the liner notes on this record - is adequate but gets lost behind Deverill's performance as well as that of guitarists Robb Weir and John Sykes. Deeper cuts from this record worth attention include "Silver and Gold" and "Don't Stop By", a solid punctuation mark on the end of what would be the band's peak record.
Vicious Rumors - Vicious Rumors (1990)
Though their cult-classic Digital Dictator gets the majority of the attention, Vicious Rumor's self titled record is, in my opinion, as essential and potentially an all around stronger album. I'll put it this way: if Digital Dictator is Vicious Rumors' Crystal Logic then their self titled is Open The Gates. Yes, we still get incredible guitar solos and lead work courtesy of Geoff Thorpe and his ideal complement Mark McGee, Carl Albert's vocals are as powerful and as emotive as ever, Larry Howe's bashes and pounds away with his typical level of precision, and Dave Starr's bass playing is just as key to holding all the guitar riffs together. To my ears though, there is less reckless abandon and a greater amount of purposeful mature songwriting on Vicious Rumors. This is evident in tracks such as Ship of Fools or Down To The Temple. Don't Wait For Me and Hellraiser imbue the album with enough bricks and mortar metallic might to offset some of the 80's glam metal elements which have always shown up in Vicious Rumors' music. A song like Axe and Smash at times appears to head in a Crimson Glory Transcendence trajectory only to instead end up somewhere totally different. As a album closer, Digital Dictator has the definite winner with Out of the Shadows. I have found myself liking a different song more every time I've listened to this album. Initially it was Ship of Fools that clicked, then Down To The Temple, then Don't Wait For Me, and by that point, I was able to listen to World Church and raise my fist instead of smirk. Production-wise the album is punchy, balanced, and spacious with clarity for every instrument to shine. It's a better production job than even the stellar Digital Dictator. Though I have the cassette version of the album, after digitizing it I was still impressed. This should be in every US Power Metal fan's treasure chest right along with the other required gems like Master Control, Transcendence, Awaken the Guardian, The Warning, and all the Manilla Road albums between 1980 and 1988.
Wömit Angel - Under Sadistic Pressure (2019)
Necessarily barbaric for the punk-infused black thrash that they play, yet never truly attaining the over-the-top viciousness which would make them truly cold-blood black metal miscreants, Wömit Angel's Under Sadistic Pressure comes across as run-of-the mill. Plenty of blasting provides only an adequate contrast for the album's better rhythmic moments, those being the polite punk blips, such as in "Sadocommand" or the drumming during "Religion Latex Suffocate's" chorus where riffs and rhythms give brief insight into the trio's foundational influences. It's these punk elements and the thrashier moments that give Wömit Angel an identity beyond their blackened peers yet the rather paltry inclusion of these moments all ends up being inconsequential in totality. One of the album's weakest components is the vocals of W. Horsepreacher. A hoarse bark in which the listener can hear the pain - pain as in W. H. likely had a hard time swallowing for a day or two following recording - with which the performance is delivered is unfortunately not dynamic enough across the blitz of ten tracks to give enough variety to the band's stream of riffing. The short songs give little room for complexity however some highlights in songwriting peek through in the form of momentary melodic movements in "Under Sadistic Pressure" and tempo breaks in "Slaughterbuster." Guitar solos - not standard equipment for these warriors - are only made use of when it works for the songs which hints at some compositional acumen. Wömit Angel aren't breaking any rules here, though, and it's hard to fault them for anything other than being generally uninteresting.
