Aphex Twin - Drukqs [2001]

On it's tenth anniversary, Aphex Twin's last studio album remains a significant cornerstone of modern electronic music. Drukqs shows Richard D James forming a distinctive collage of the styles acquired through his past albums. It's contents show inspiration ranging from the abrasive acid techno of his notorious Richard D James Album to the cold drones of James' early ambient work.  What you also get are 13 solo piano compositions, making up almost half the album, a decisive turn of direction for a musician more prominently known for testing the sonic boundaries of electronic equipment. The album's ambition admittedly overweighs it's quality (spanning 2 discs and a meaty 100 minute running time, it's way too long!) but Drukqs is certainly one to check out if you want an introduction to Aphex Twin's vast musical output.

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Heaven And Hell - The Devil You Know [2009]

I'm adding the tag of 'Black Sabbath' to this one, for one reason - this essentially is Black Sabbath. Evidently not wanting to get caught up in legal wrangling upon the reunion of the other classic Sabbath line-up, this doesn't quite stand up to the level of Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules, but as modern heavy metal goes, it does a damn fine job. It was also, I believe, Ronnie James Dio's last studio output before his untimely demise, and a damn fine performance it is too.

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Weekly album analysis, week 5

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Jesu - Silver EP [2006]

Justin Broadrick. The man just about defines 'eclectic'. This is his drone/shoegaze project Jesu, which, as usual for Broadrick, manages to sound like nothing produced in any of the above genres. This release is short, being an EP, and actually somewhat poppy, with some vocal moments that almost remind of the pop-punk of Blink 182 (but not to too great an extent). A very good EP, and a perfect introduction to the music of Jesu.

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Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion [2006]

Just this post, and I promise I'll stop posting metal with a romantic feeling for a while. Daylight Dies aren't your average Paradise Lost clone, however - in fact, they sound little like the Yorkshire band. However, they still manage to evoke the same feeling of suffocated romanticism through their blend of death/doom. Dismantling Devotion is an excellent album, and one that could appeal to fans of diSEMBOWELMENT as much as those of My Dying Bride and their ilk.

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Kyuss - Blues For The Red Sun [1992]

Josh Homme, for those who don't know, is most commonly known as the singer/guitarist/head honcho for Queens Of The Stone Age. Before that he was part of the heavy, stomping machine that is Kyuss and this album, Blues For The Red Sun, is by far my favourite of theirs.

This album is regarded as a seminal stoner rock album (along with Sleep's Holy Mountain (Persona 101: I disagree that Holy Mountain is a rock album, but whatever)) and it's easy to see why with the instrumentation/production. The guitar is a wall of chunky heavy sound, the bass rumbling underneath and a slight hollow sound to the drums creating a lazy attack on each beat.

Now a thick, heavy sound is all very well and good, but what of the songs? Well, tracks such as 'Green Machine', 'Apothecaries' Weight' and 'Writhe' should answer that question for you as most tracks on this album are very heavy and, perhaps more importantly, catchy .

Overall this is an album that is always heavy (but not metal) and mostly catchy/interesting. A criticism of this album is that it's a bit too long and by the end I find myself tired of the album (as the sound on this is album is pretty much constant).

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Frightener/Pulling Teeth - Split [2007]

My love for the band Pulling Teeth has already been well-documented here (even if their new one is pretty bad), but Frightener are just as good on this split. This is a god-level release of modern hardcore, and any fan of Throats, Trash Talk and the like would do well to get their hands on it. Both bands are still criminally underappreciated, so... appreciate them, I suppose.

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Hell - Save Us From Those Who Would Save Us (single) [1983]

This 7" from Hell's former incarnation features on vocals the now-unfortunately-deceased Greg Halliday. This made it on to their debut Human Remains from this year, and frankly it's an astounding song. The B-side isn't too shabby either. Worth it for fans of the band - certainly to hear a bit of Hell history.

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Link taken down. Comment to see a reupload!

Draconian - A Rose For The Apocalypse [2011]

Frankly, this album bores me to death. Once again, it comes as a request, but to anyone who doesn't know exactly what to expect, I advise you not to download this one. Gothic-doom by numbers is fine if you're not fond of anything remotely pleasurable in your listening experience, but for the sane among us...

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Draconian - Where Lovers Mourn [2003]

Gothic doom. Oftentimes it's said to be a form of music that one either loves or hates - I'm going to challenge that idiom as I am decidedly indifferent to it. This is one of the better albums in the style I've heard, but to be honest, I could quite happily go without it. Comes on a request.

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Hooded Menace - Never Cross The Dead [2010]

So death/doom is a style that has been done to death (no pun intended). So Hooded Menace bring nothing new to the proverbial table. So what? This is wholly derivative - the best comparison off the top of my head would be Sorrow - but it has such great riffs, and none of that gothic shtick which was the bane of every doom fan for a good ten years. This is a well-made, honest album, and power to Hooded Menace for making it.

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Cradle Of Filth - From The Cradle To Enslave EP [1999]

4 worthwhile tracks, two shitty remix/dancefloor style tracks. Sounds like a Cradle Of Filth EP? It's a Cradle Of Filth EP. Yeeaaaaaah. Although the title track of this EP is Cradle's best known song (probably), I prefer the greater levels of aggression in their cover of the Misfits' 'Death Comes Ripping' and the song 'Of Dark Blood And Fucking' (which also features Dani's best lyrics ever, in my omniscient opinion). Funeral In Carpathia is naturally also fucking awesome.

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Cradle Of Filth - Cruelty And The Beast [1998]

Eh. This album can be enjoyable when one is in the mood for overblown pomp and circumstance, but really it really overdoes the grandiosity elements. Quasi-title track 'Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids' is something of a redeeming factor in its brilliance, but in many areas the album falls flat. It's also overlong at an hour.

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Cradle Of Filth - Dusk... And Her Embrace [1996]

Cradle Of Filth once had credibility. True story brah. Whilst you won't see me buying their new EP, I do love their older works, this being one of them (obvious by the release date). Although nowhere near as raw as The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, this really perfects the balance of black metal and symphonic elements for their sound, which I feel was a little overdone on Cruelty And The Beast, their last good album.

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Digitalism - Idealism [2007]

Digitalism were at Leeds fest you know; did anybody go see them? It is unlikey.

Now to say this sounds a bit like Daft Punk would earn you the title of Captain Obvious as the start of "Moonlight" sounds almost identical to the start of "Emotion" (from Human After All by Daft Punk). I tell a lie, this is only true for half the tracks as the other half are kinda 'electro-indie' but thankfully not in a way which is shite, it keeps the album fresh and prevents it growing stale (like Daft Punk albums can do sometimes).

Whilst neither a floor filler or an electronic experience it's place in the middle of somtimes fun sounding other times eletronic pieces gives for at lest an interesting experience. Recomended for Daft Punk fans (as you may have guessed), maybe not for the metalhead population of this blog. I wish I could tell you more but I picked this up on a whim from a friends external hardrive.

Great tracks: Magents, Digitalism in Cario, Pogo and Jupiter Room

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Mumia Abu-Jamal With Music By Man Is The Bastard - Spoken Word [1997]

Mumia Abu-Jamal is a prisoner of racist attitudes and interracial politics. Convicted of the murder of a white policeman and sentenced to death, his previous political activism probably more than made up for the apparent lack of evidence against him. This is a collection of broadcasts made by him whilst on death row, and some of his opponents (which further suggest his innocence, as none of them give arguments even close to coherent).

N.B. Man Is The Bastard's contribution to this is minimal; if spoken word on these themes doesn't interest you, don't expect a powerviolence album.

Bitrate is irrelevant, but it's 128 kbps.

Link taken down at request.

Isengard - Høstmørke [1995]

Perhaps Fenriz' almost nihilistic hatred for the folk metal scene of nowadays is fuelled by how ridiculous he looks on the cover for this, his attempt at the style, which is a forgotten classic? This combines elements of black metal practised in his Darkthrone endeavours with carefully controlled folk/pagan sensibilities - in other words, it adds hooks and atmosphere, but stops short of being cheesy. Just like everything else the man releases, this is well worthwhile.

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Janaza - Burning Qu'ran Ceremony demo [2010]

The black metal on offer here is fairly standard fare, albeit well-written and quite varied; the real interest here is the provenance of the music. Janaza is a one-person act - nothing particularly original in the black metal scene, infested with shit bedroom acts as it is. The interest here arises from the fact that the person behind Janaza is a woman, living in the anti-female-individuality state in Baghdad. Furthermore, her lyrical themes have severe anti-Islam themes (as evidenced by the demo's title) - something which could quite easily have one stoned to death (or some similar form of punishment) in Iraq, regardless of whatever occupation exists there. The Norwegian scene based around Euronymous' shop Helvete was dangerous, and added a lot of the original excitement to black metal - but the danger of that pales in comparison to this statement of intent. Regardless of your opinions of the music (I for one think that a Nargaroth cover is a questionable choice), this attempt has to be applauded.

N.B. No author of this blog associates themselves with any anti-Islam or anti-religious sentiment.

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Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I [1987]

Some people, like my fellow contributor randerson1893, consider all power metal to be 'shit' and 'gay'. But what does he know, he thinks prog is cool. This is one of THE power metal albums that one must hear; although it does have the required pomp and circumstance for the genre, it is not overly cheesy, and comes over as a fantastic album, especially the epic 'Halloween'.

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Weekly album analysis, week 4

This has been another week in which I haven't really been listening to new music, and mainly revisiting old favourites. Nonetheless, there are a couple of releases which have been new to my ears:

Anathema - Alternative 4 [1998]

I'd already heard individual tracks off this, Anathema's seminal release, which crossed the boundary between their doom metal of yore and the alt. rock of today, but had never heard the thing as a whole. I really enjoy it - it's not, for me, on the same level as The Silent Enigma (but that's probably just due to my genre preferences), but is certainly better than the shit many of their imitators spawn on a seemingly weekly basis. [8/10]

Masonna - Astro Harshtronism [1996]

Masonna is, aside from Merzbow, probably the best known Japanese noise artist, and thus noise artist full stop. This EP isn't the best introduction to his music (and as a part-time noise fan, I don't feel myself qualified to say what is), but is great when you want a brief blast of noise, but don't want to blow your head off with a full album. This comes from the more chaotic end of noise. [7/10]

V/A - Discharged: A Tribute To Discharge [1992]

Only a fool would complain about key hardcore/crossover/crust bands such as Extreme Noise Terror, Concrete Sox and Nausea covering the band which invented the d-beat style. Although there is very little deviation from the original, consider this as a 'bonus album' to Discharge's main catalogue. In other words, bloody awesome. [8/10]

Fuck Off And Die! - No Peace. No Love. No Whores. No God. [2005]

I'd say that the presence of a Blasphemy cover on this, the Lithuanian band's debut album, was telling, but it isn't really. Although one can draw parallels between this and the Canadian bestial black metal masters, they don't exist to that great a degree - this is far more influenced by thrash metal, and is altogether more 'fun'. Well, as fun as songs with names like 'I Hate Homosexual Metalheads' can be.

N.B. The final track on this is incorrectly tagged - it should be 'Better Alone Than With You'.

~195 kbps VBR

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Converge - Axe To Fall [2009]

This isn't Converge's best, far from it, but it's still pretty good. Whilst maintaining the usual chaos, they've added a bit of Dillinger Escape Plan-esque mathy bits here, which is a little unpalatable for me. It's recommended to fans of that style and fans of Converge, but those looking for an introduction would do much better to start with Jane Doe or No Heroes.

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Exumer - A Mortal In Black demo [1985]

So Exumer's full-length debut, Possessed By Fire, has already been posted by Xylem, so I thought I'd post this demo, due to the excellent quality of the full-length and the demand shown for more demos. I've got to admit, I've only actually heard this once, which is less than I usually like to have heard something before I post it, but from what I can remember, this is quite like the aforementioned debut, and is another solid piece of Teutonic thrash.

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Atomski Rat - Atomski Rat EP [2010]

This is a band that I stumbled across over at the Damaging Noise blog, and it's some of the most ferocious music that I've come across in a long time. This Serbian crust band's debut EP was one of my favourite releases of last year. Features covers of Shitlickers, Sodom, Herpes Distress and Mob 47.

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REPOST INFO: They have a new release coming out later this year.

Drudkh - Forgotten Legends [2003]

Drudkh are barely the BFFs of many black metal fans. Sure, they may take heavy influence from Burzum, but they also started all this pine-scented bullshit, albeit indirectly. Still, don't shoot the messenger; taken outside of any contextual flaws, this is a damn fine atmospheric black metal album. Get it.

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Weekly album analysis, week three

This week's edition will be quite short in comparison, as I forgot to take records of what I've been listening to.

N.B. This should've come out on Sunday but for a fuck-up with Blogger's scheduling system.

A.S.R.A./Defeatist/Triac - A.S.R.A./Defeatist/Triac split [2010]

GRIIIIIINNNNDCOOOOORRRRRREEEEEE! Who needs subtlety in 14 songs spread over 21 minutes? None of these bands miss the requirement for getting to the point within these time constraints - probably why they're all forerunners of the modern grindcore scene. [8/10]

Clandestine Blaze/Deathspell Omega - Clandestine Blaze/Deathspell Omega split [2001]

Clandestine Blaze, then a leading act in the black metal scene, combined with the then-up-and-coming Deathspell Omega to make this split, and I must say, Clandestine Blaze quite clearly show their experience here - their side is well-composed and interesting to listen to, whereas DsO's riffs on this border on naive, and the production used is taken a little bit too far in the 'raw' scale. [7/10, 5/10 respectively]

Destroyer 666 - To The Devil His Due [2011]

This is, as it comes across, just another D666 release. Fuck it, I'll put that properly. HOLD THE FRONT PAGE, THIS IS A D666 RELEASE! Although it's technically a combination of several EPs, this works as a singular release in its own right to the same extent. Listen, and remember why you think Australia's one of the greatest countries for extreme metal. [8/10]

Disgorge - Cranial Impalement [1999]


Disgorge from the USA are often credited with starting the whole 'brutal death by numbers' thing which is unfortunately prevalent in BDM now - that may be so, and one can certainly hear the similarities, but this has genuine energy to it; slower breakdowns are utilised well to create variety in the music (well, as much as you're ever likely to find in this sort of album). It hasn't changed my life, but I like it. [7/10]

Evile - Five Serpent's Teeth [2011]

Evile's first album, back in 2007, gave me quite a surprise with its sheer quality - I still hold the view today that it's one of the better albums of the new wave of thrash. Then came a mediocre follow-up, and now this. There isn't anything wrong with Five Serpent's Teeth per se, it's just... it's nothing more than a well-done 'AJFA'-era Metallica knock-off. Considering that said album is pretty worthless, the fact that this is a hundred miles better than the album it imitates says nothing in particular about its own quality. [6/10]

Fukpig - The Depth Of Humanity [2001]


When I saw this demo on one of my RSS feeds, I simultaneously shit and came (figuratively speaking, at least). Being a huge fan of Fukpig, this excited me to no end - and considering that this is only a demo, it's well constructed. Little presence of black metal influence here yet, but it's a strong effort, and many of these songs would find their way onto debut Spewings From A Selfish Nation. [7/10]

Glorior Belli - The Great Southern Darkness [2011]

Glorior Belli are often insulted for their movement into the influence of southern rock - not only do I feel this is unfair, but I also can't hear that much southern rock in this. Sure, some of the riffs may take a Down-esque approach, and there is the occasional banjo solo (if I remember rightly), but what this is in essence is a fair-to-middling black metal album with a few quirks. [6/10]

Goat Vulva - Crucifixions... [1989]


A demo from a pre-Beherit band? There was no way that this wasn't going to be 'kvlt as fvkk', and sure enough, it's plagued with almost impenetrable production that makes it very difficult to discern any melody whatsoever, and causes the different instruments to blend into one mashed-up mess. Normally, I am quite a patient person with production values, but this takes the piss. [2/10]

Krabathor - Cool Mortification [1993]


There are too many gems within old-school death metal for one person with other musical interests to possibly know them all, but this is one of them. Concentrated more on the slow pressure of building great riffs and centring songs around them than the more chaotic forms that were just beginning to get a stranglehold on death metal, this is highly recommended to anyone interested in OSDM. [9/10]

Mithras - Behind The Shadows Lie Madness [2007]


There are many attributes to brutal death metal, some of which sometimes subvert the need for good composition. But not here. This is certainly melodic for a BDM album, but it's also sufficiently varied to keep up one's interest for extended periods of time. Slightly behind Lykathea Aflame in the 'quirky' stakes, but a good effort nonetheless. [7/10]

Morzhol/Vortex Of End - Morzhol/Vortex Of End split [2011]

I quite enjoy this. Sure, it's nothing original (I'm going to get sick of saying that before long), but it flicks all the right switches for an underground black metal release. Both bands do their bit well, but if I were to pick a preferred side, it would be Morzhol's, just. Don't sell a kidney to get a first-press limited EP with the bands' semen, but this is worth a listen. [7/10]

My Dying Bride - Bring Me Victory [2009]


This EP is one of the best things that My Dying Bride have produced in recent history. Although I couldn't give two shits about the closing track, a live rendition of 'Vast Choirs', the other tracks, which are a typical MDB track, but condensed to four minutes to keep the good bits without getting boring, a heartfelt rendition of 'Scarborough Fair' (Scarborough hasn't had a proper fair in a long time), and a cover of 'Failure' by Swans, no less, make this a well-made, varied release. [8/10]

White Wizzard - Flying Tigers [2011]

I love good ol' heavy metal, don't get me wrong, but White Wizzard have repeatedly shown that they haven't a fucking clue how to make it properly. This is verily desecration - those who have been keeping up with this have probably figured that I don't hold much love for glam, and this takes a shit-dollop of influence from there, and mixes it in to this vile brew. [2/10] 

Falloch - Where Distant Spirits Remain [2011]

Falloch is a young band hailing from Scottland. The two former members, Andy Marshall and Scott McLean, manage to create a breathtaking atmosphere with this amazing first album. Sailing between the power of bands like Primordial and the privacy of shoegaze/post-rock music, they've found their own way through the actual overflowed black metal scene. Clean vocals and traditionnal instruments will guide you through the magic of Scottland, assisted by some occasionnal blastbeats. Fresh, intense, a very good album! For fans of Alcest, Agalloch, Primordial, Falkenbach, Negura Bunget, Gallowbraid, etc.

192 kbs

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Demoncy - Joined In Darkness [1995]

Hello faithful readers, back again to share some more blasphemous farts and bowel movements.

Demoncy are an American Black Metal band originating from the Georgia and North Carolina, who make some of the most brutally inhuman Bestial Noise Fuck you can imagine. Although they sound a lot like Beherit, the two bands actually formed and started recording very similar sounding stuff almost exactly at the same time(Beherit released their first demo in 1990 and Demoncy in 1991), so it's impossible to say how much influence the two bands had on each other, considering the lack of easily shared information in the late 80's, early 90's. And truth be told, I actually prefer this album to Drawing Down the Moon: it is far more coherent, heavy and possesses a greater variety of musical ideas, even if it lacks Drawing Down the Moon's name recognition. This is one insanely heavy record, and like Beherit, Demoncy have a strong Doom Metal vibe without actually having any discernible Doom Metal in the music. Although this is a remaster, this album remains as dirty and filthy as it did when originally released: the re-master mostly just improves the vocal sound and makes them easier to hear than the original version. Fans of insane Bestial Black Metal need to give this album a listen.

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And in an entirely shameless method of self-promotion, please remember to check out my review blog Curse of the Great White Elephant, for all kinds of new reviews and news on the biggest releases and underground demos.

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Cable Hogue Soundtrack [1992]

Here's some pure awesomeness for ya, straight from Japan (again, I gotta start uploads stuff from other countries), they are the fathers of all noise rock. They were formed in 1967 playing minimalist psychedelic rock with some folk influences and most important they used all kinds of distortions, flangers, phasers and feedback through their careers, and that's what they show here, I'm not sure when it was recorded but this is a soundtrack to a documentary about the band, it's kind of a re-do of old material with some new one as well.

Highly influential, obscure and underrated.

Mediafire

Converge - No Heroes [2006]

This was the first Converge album I heard, even before their classic Jane Doe, and it's my favourite of theirs, even ahead of their classic Jane Doe. To me, their chaotic brand of hardcore punk hit its peak here, and with a slight deviation into mathy territory with Axe To Fall, I don't see a return to this style coming soon.

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REVIEW: Fukpig - Belief Is The Death Of Intelligence [2010]

Sharing past and present members with Anaal Nathrakh and Mistress, one can predict the level of ferocity to be provided by this, Fukpig’s sophomore album, before going anywhere near the ‘play’ button. Although the disdain for religion shown first by the album title is getting a little old, the musical ideas, which I assure you are nothing original, are not.

My point here is that although much of this is in a similar vein to guitarist/drummer Mick Kenney’s ‘day job’ Anaal Nathrakh, there resides an altogether crustier, and even a more vicious feeling to this. Blastbeats galore permeate the album, and riff-wise, there is a clear crustcore influence, although two of the most recognizable riffs on the album, the opening ones to the title track and ‘This Is The News?’ respectively are evidently borrowed from two of the most famous tracks within extreme metal – Mayhem’s ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ and Slayer’s ‘Angel Of Death’.

Not that anyone minds. Even if you’ve worn your LPs of those to death, bought a replacement CD and somehow worn that out too, those two fit in so snugly here that it wouldn’t seem at all out of place to someone who inexplicably had found Fukpig without being aware of those two. Also ‘borrowed’ is the Sunlight Studios-esque guitar tone offered – and this sounds right at home too. We’re all aware how heavily the Stockholm bands borrowed from the Swedish hardcore punk scene of the time, and this is a chance to hear their tone given back to an altogether punkier context.

What I’m not saying, however, is that this album is a rehash of ripoffs. No, there are plenty of original factors – although mathematics dictates that all three-chord riffs must have been used by now, the bassier tone used here makes them all seem highly original, as they cut through the mix like a hot knife through butter. Relentless aggression here is done well – the usual tedium factor that starts to kick in after 25 minutes or so is not present here at all.

Drum-wise, the patterns alternate between blasts and d-beats – this is a grindcore album after all. The production lends the drumming a nice organic sound, which should please the crusties around to no end. As a point of comparison for the drumming in particular, but also for the vast majority of the album, imagine a combination of Disfear and Anaal Nathrakh.

One of the main things which makes this album appeal to me than many other black metal/grindcore hybrids is the way in which each individual song has hooks within it to make it stand out from the rest, despite them all being stylistically similar. I’ll point you in the direction of the gang chants which start ‘This Is England’ (which are followed by one of the most frenzied vocal performances I’ve ever heard) and to the desolate feeling, borrowed equally from crust punk and black metal, which is particularly apparent in ‘Dawn Of The Dumb’.

Altogether, I’d say that although it’s completely derivative, Belief Is The Death Of Intelligence is a fantastic album – marginally better than Fukpig’s first effort Spewings From A Selfish Nation, and certainly way above par within its genre. Although it’s long been sold out, this is an album worth seeking out at most costs. One of the best of last year.

Download here.

Flying Testicle - Space Densia [1993]

Here's a collaborations between Masami Akita (Merzbow), Yamazaki Maso (Masonna) and Zev Asher (a film director). The trio released this album plus a 7 inch and ended the project shortly after.

Mediafire

Hail Of Bullets - ...Of Frost And War [2008]

Hail Of Bullets. Essentially a Dutch DM supergroup - and there's nothing wrong with one of those, save perhaps their morbid fixation with various wars. This, however, is new OSDM as it should be written - it hails very strongly back to Asphyx (as it should), and combines hooks with grinding riffs and the slow news of your imminent demise.

~220 kbps VBR

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REPOST: Behexen - By The Blessing Of Satan [2004]

Behexen hail from Finland, generally the home of happy polka folk metal, rather than brilliant satanic black metal. Whilst they do not veer far from the standard BM template, Behexen have created here a masterclass in juxtaposing speed with mid-paced icyness (is that a word?).

128 kbps (doesn't need more)

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Celtic Frost - Emperor's Return EP [1985]

Something of an odd album cover that one. Anyway, this is Celtic Frost's least appreciated EP from the 80s (although I personally think it to be better than Tragic Serenades). I love the EP format, and Celtic Frost here have delivered greatness in it - cracking tunes throughout.

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A zine roundup

So basically, I couldn't be bothered to do an individual post for each zine, so here's 9 zines at once. In order, they are:

Death Scream #3
Deathcore #2
Epitaph #1
Holocaust #3
Holocaust #4
Metal Hammer #16
Metal Madness #1
Renascimento Do Metal #26
Voices From The Darkside #1

And here's a dlc with them all.

Hijokaidan - King of Noise [1985]

Here's some more noise for ya. One of my favorite acts in the genre and also one of the first - Hijokaidan. This contains some improvised jams with participation of Toshi Mikawa on voice, drums and electronics. Amazing!!

Mp3, 224 Kbps

Mediafire

Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids - Family Jams [1992]

What is this? Marilyn Manson before he was known and hadn't the need to try to change the world or create things for the "music market"? Hell yes! At this time Manson had a almost democratic relation with his band and was satirizing America in a more humorous way that's clearly superior to his "serious" side, at least for me.

Mp3, 128Kbps

Mediafire (there's a "n" missing in the file name, but I noticed it after uploading it and I'm not uploading everything again)

Support HeySharpshooter's review blog!

You probably noticed a little contributor called HeySharpshooter, having posted a few reviews here already, and also some downloads (most recently Biolich, but also ones by Hades Archer (which I highly recommend), Iconoclast Contra (ditto), Midori, Putrevore, Rottrevore, Undead Creep and Ascended). If not, then shame on you, and you probably haven't noticed that I'm not running this alone anymore either.

Anyhow, Sharpshooter's now got his own review blog, which is just getting off its feet, and so it needs some support from you, dear readers. Go over there, read, comment, and re-advertise yourself. His writing style, although grammatically flawed at times (bloody Americans), is truly interesting to read - I'd recommend it to anyone.

He's started with reviews for Mitochondrion's Parasignosis, De Magia Veterum's The Divine Antithesis, and The Beast Of The Apocalypse's Henosis.

And the blog itself.

Biolich- The Space Between Home and Today EP(2005)

Hey everyone, back to share one of my all time favorite EP's from a short lived but unbelievable band. Biolich were an American Metal band who are basically genre-less: at their most basic, Biolich played an insane mix of Demilich, Wormed and Between the Buried and Me that was loaded to bursting with technical riffs, complex time signatures and inhuman vocals that are as close to the legendary vocals of Antti Boman as you can get.

Some of the sections in these songs sound a lot like Demilich, with spacey and awkward sounding progressions that would have felt right at home on Nespithe. But this is far from a worship band: really beyond the vocals and occasional Demilich like riff, the bands really don't sound that much alike. And the band often head into complex Jazzy slams and even some clean singing sections. There is a techcore element to Biolich: a few breakdowns here and there. If you are a completely closed minded Metal fan who refuses to acknowledge the anything with any breakdowns(sucks to not listen to Suffocation I imagine), then you will probably hate this amazing EP. If you can look past 2 breakdowns scattered throughout 6 songs, then you MUST listen to this. One of the finest pieces of Extreme Metal I have ever heard.

320 kbps

Mediafire

The Sleep Sessions - Lead Into Gold [2008]

(sorry, no cover for this one)

The Sleep Sessions is Dawid Kowalski and he creates harsh noise. The thing is that like many of the Europeans in the noise scene Dawid follows a concept which revolves around lucid dreaming, psychedelic experiments and philosophy. That associated with is "control" over his music originates a very controlled form of harsh noise,free from all the craziness that others do, which in my opinion is something more enjoyable for the casual listening.

Mp3, 224 Kbps

Mediafire
Mediafire II 

BONUS: Since Dawid got in touch, here are two more releases of his:

Damn Noisy Kids (split with Michelada)
Somnaphobia (split with Thirteen Fingers)

Also, this is now affirmed definitely as being legal to download as Court In The Act has permission to post this.

Weekly album analysis, week two

Continuing from last week's start. Once again, I'd like any feedback. I haven't actually heard very much at all new this week, and nearly all, if not all of it is new releases (or at least from this year), so you could treat this as sort of a 'buyer's/downloader's guide'.

Absu - Abzu [2011]

This, my friends, is a triumph. Having only listened to it for the first time yesterday, I have no hesitation in saying this - all the riffs are perfectly written, the blasts perfectly timed, the rasps perfectly placed, and even some French-like dissonance just ameliorating the album's overall feel. A contender for album of the year, and I'll listen to it again now in celebration.

[10/10]

Alcest - Le Secret [2011]

So this is the rerecording of Alcest's famous EP. As Alcest are far from my favourite band of the blackgaze thing (although I do enjoy them), I'm not best qualified to judge this; especially as I didn't hear it first time around. However, I'll say now: I do prefer the original tracks. Alcest's dreaminess over the years has extended to the point where it's pretty damaging to the overall effect of the music, much like constant blasting.

[5/10]

Anthrax - Worship Music [2011]

Oh dear. It would appear that Anthrax have released yet another poor-to-fair album. This is very 'modern' - its production is overly saccharine at times, in addition to what sound suspiciously like -core beatdowns (COMPLETELY out of place) - but the major thing lacking is speed. This is not a thrash album as we know thrash - I'll accept that thrash doesn't have to be blazing all the time, but this is midpaced. And midpaced is very difficult to pull off. Belladonna's usual annoying vocals don't help either.

[2/10]

Deiphago - XCIII [2011]

Before you listen to a new Deiphago release, you know what's coming, more-or-less. This three-track EP, however, is more like a one-track EP - after the pointless intro (it's an EP, for fuck's sake!), there is a track which is particularly boring - at least for me, it was just bland. However, closer 'Hail Mary Inanna' is a saving grace - it could fit quite comfortably on Satanik Eon, and dare I say it, is even catchy (but only in that cool, bestial black metal way). I wouldn't pay for this though.

[6/10]

Gripe - The Future Doesn't Need You [2011]

Highly promising start from this new powerviolence band - over eight tracks and ten minutes, it ripped me several new arseholes. I may have to upload this, as it's pleased me quite a lot. You heard it here first (unless you're an avid follower of several other blogs) - Gripe are going to be... well, not big - this is powerviolence - but well respected.

[9/10]

Machine Head - Unto The Locust [2011]

Machine Head were a favourite of mine, back when I was just starting to get really into metal and The Blackening had just been released. It's not so much anymore, but is still good for a bit of fun nostalgia. This, on the other hand, is weak. Opener 'I Am Hell' is promising (once their chugging at the start has made way to some solid thrashing), but the rest of the album gives way to thuggish, unwelcome grooves and sickly emopoppy choruses - the title(ish) track is a good example. They do know how to target a market.

[5/10]

Mastodon - The Hunter [2011]

Mastodon's clean vocals are frankly uninspiring. So why have they chosen to make them the focal point of the album? Technically, it's poor, but I've got to say, much like Kreator's Hordes Of Chaos, it sure is good at incorporating a catchy poppy hook into its runtime. Compositionally, Twisted Sister it fortuitously ain't, this is pop metal done right.

[7/10]

Morbus Chron - Sleepers In The Rift [2011]

So, this time last year we were sick of all the new wave thrash bands - and that effect is starting to happen with the OSDM revival. Not here though - this is surprisingly melodic (and thus reminiscent of Intestine Baalism), and is a solid effort. It won't change your life, but for a death metal fan, it's more than worth a listen or several.

[7/10]

Nicole 12 - Black Line [2011]

Terror Noise Audio said it was good. And it is. Italian power electronics, with paedophilic lyrical themes, is certainly an acquired taste - and a niche genre - but I like this. More than a hint of old-school industrial to it, I find little fault with the way this is done. Perhaps one for new contributor fpastilhas to check out; I think he'd like it.

[8/10]

Persecutor - Bestial Overkill [2011]

Wow. Many bands sound like this nowadays, but it's a fucking awesome sound. A favourite band of this blog is Vomitor. Well, spiritually and on record, this is essentially Vomitor's aspirational little brother. They don't quite have the razor-sharp edge yet, but Persecutor have served up a more than worthwhile offering of blackened thrash here.

[8/10]

Running Wild - The Final Jolly Roger [2011]

I can't get enough Running Wild. I rue that I missed the chance to see them in concert, but this release helps newfags like yours truly at least experience a little of that. This is, in sound and in songs, a perfect Running Wild gig; my one complaint is its length. Sure, it would be great to be there at a farewell gig, but any album which is spread over two CDs is pushing it - this falls into a melange after a while.

[8/10]

Taake - Noregs Vaapen [2011]

Controversy follows Hoest like ... I don't know what like, but rest assured that his very existence is somewhat controversial. Don't detract from his music though, and this seems to be his best effort yet - whilst past albums have suffered a little from bouts of monochromaticism, this blends melody and ice cold, almost recent Immortal-esque blackness to joyful levels.

[9/10]

Unkind - Harhakuvat [2011]

I was keen to get my hands on this after reading a very positive review in Zero Tolerance (something I trust now more than Terrorizer, my previous rag du choix), but I'm disappointed. This is pretty much crust by numbers - perhaps with the odd unusual structure or longer song, but there's little about this which makes it stand out.

[4/10]

Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder [2011]

Eh. Warbringer are a modern thrash band who have never clicked with me. I couldn't resist giving their new release a cheeky (heh) listen, and nothing's changed. It's fast, but not truly pacy. It's aggressive, but not violently so. Riffs are well-written, but less original than most modern thrash bands - a feat indeed. American thrash is seriously overrated, something for which this is apt testimony.

[5/10]

Weather Report - Black Market [1976]

Jazz fusion. With lots of rocky edge to it. This was popular in the 70s, and I quite like it. I'm unlikely to listen to it very often - it's simply not my genre - and I'm not knowledgeable about the style, so I can't say too much about it, but it's good. I'll give you that much information.

[6/10]

White Medal - Alone As Owt [2011]

'YAAAARKSHIRE black metal'. How could I resist? There's nothing particularly distinctive about this album, save for perhaps its short running time, but it keeps coming back to me (perhaps because of that title). Consider the sound of Winterfylleth mixed with a Mayhem demo. There, you've pretty much got White Medal down to a t.

[6/10]

Haus Arafna/Karl Runau - Take One, Get Two split [1995]

So, I was going to post the first album today, but since a friend asked me to send him this I'l post this one instead. This is a split 7 inch between Haus and Karl Runau, Karl is a industrial and experimental musician that played a lot of styles at the time and was highly influential in the realms of power electronics and EBM, today he is only known for the obscenely expensive costs of his releases, that like this one were limited (although this one isn't has rare or expensive).

Mp3, 320Kbps

Mediafire

Haus Arafna - Children of God [1998]

Like promised here is another Haus Arafna, this time their second album "Children of God" which offers a similar sound to the one in the previous post, I guess that if you liked "butterfly" you'l like "children of god", their works are pretty consistent in style and quality and usually the people that like one will like all of their works.

I'l try to post the first album tomorrow.

Mp3, 192 kbps

Mediafire

Despise You/Agoraphobic Nosebleed - And On And On... split [2011]

Two scene pioneers, of powerviolence and grindcore respectively, combine to create one of the catchiest punk releases this year. Whilst these two don't spring to mind as a combination like Converge and Dropdead did, their respective styles complement each other perfectly.

320 kbps

Link taken down at request.