Swindon This Is Swindon (compilation) [1980]

WARNING: This release is not remotely extreme in any way, shape or form. If that bothers you, go give Black Pentacle a visit. This certainly deviates from the norm here at Court In The Act, but it's a good deviation in my eyes (which are currently fucked over by hayfever). This is an obscure compilation of bands from Swindon in the early eighties - indeed, these seem to be the only tracks which exist for each of these groups according to last.fm (although Bantu share their name with a reggae artist). So, what about the music? Well, I'm not very good in this area, but I believe this is a rather catchy take on new wave with just a little smattering of punk added for the sake of it - all four bands play similar styles too. I found this on the wonderful no longer forgotten music blog.

320 kbps

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Re-upload: Ulver - Bergtatt: Et Eeventyr 5 Capitler [1994]

Ulver were always overlooked in terms of Norwegian black metal's second wave, but this album, which implemented folk element to a much greater extent than 'Nattens Madrigal...' illustrates why that shouldn't be the case.

Re-upload notes: No particular reason for re-upping this one other than the fact that it's the oldest one that I haven't received a DMCA notification for.

270kbps VBR

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Re-upload: Strapping Young Lad - City [1997]

The insane genius Devin Townsend has created in his lifetime some of the world's craziest, and best music, but this is his best - that's certainly saying a lot. A piece of industrial metal that is avant-garde despite largely holding popular structure, it should not be missed in any metal fan's collection.

Re-upload notes: This contains a few demo versions of tracks as bonuses. I've got to admit I'm not much of a fan of Townsend's post-SYL work but most of the SYL stuff is great.

160 kbps

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Sanctuary - Into The Mirror Black [1990]

Okay, I admit it, I am a power metal fan/faggot (depending on your point of view). I can't help it when some of it is as awesome as this, Sanctuary's second and last album from 1990. You see, power metal is at its best not when writing 7-hour long conceptual odysseys, but rather when they write some ballsy songs (see: Running Wild, early Blind Guardian). And here, Sanctuary write songs with surprisingly socially aware lyrics for metal music - admittedly, the 'Long Since Dark'/'Epitaph' duo isn't quite up to the par of the rest of the album, but the quality of the likes of 'Future Tense', 'The Mirror Black' and 'One More Murder' is beyond question. It's quite thrashy in places too, so could provide an entry album to power metal for those into the more extreme ends of metal. Unfortunately often overlooked when considering the genre, this album is a classic.

192 kbps

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Nurse With Wound - Rock 'n Roll Station [1994]

'Do you remember? It was 1959. The observatory. What a strange story. Rock and roll session is a session where we can do what we want to do. [...] Everything is possible.' These lyrics from the opening title track of Nurse With Wound's 1994 magnum opus Rock 'n Roll Station. Although their (well, really 'his' - it's a project of Steven Stapleton) music is fairly indefinable, to newcomers it's normally a mixture of industrial and avant-garde, but on this, Stapleton took a break from the norm to make a more rhythmic record, which was controversial among existing fans to say the least. Regardless, it's far from mainstream and is a stunning album which should be listened to again and again and again.

N.B. This is a 1996 re-release which features a remix of the closing track.

192 kbps


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Merzbow/Shora - Switching Rethorics split [2002]

So this is one of the more interesting splits you're likely to hear in the near future. If you have any knowledge of noise whatsoever you're almost certain to know of the crazy Masami Akita, otherwise known as Merzbow. On the other side of this split is the Swiss band Shora, who despite having turned to wishy-washy post-rock on their most recent album Malval actually play a decent brand of angular, chaotic hardcore in the vein of mid-era Converge here (and I believe this is the only release in which they actually use vocals). The two styles juxtapose surprisingly well (the Merzbow side is in his post-millenium style - I'd name a release but there's so fucking many). Seriously, both acts are very impressive here. Go for it.

192 kbps

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Re-upload: Cro-Mags - The Age Of Quarrel [1986]

N.B. The archive and files have the WRONG year on them.

Cro-Mags' debut is one of the quintessential albums of the New York hardcore (punk, not techno) scene. Although I'm not normally one for talk of 'Street Justice' and the like, preferring my comfortable bedroom, this is catchy and essential.

Re-upload notes: Don't think the N.B. is still true after the re-upload but I can't be bothered checking. Also, don't bother checking out any of the other material, very little of it's any good (OOH CONTROVERSIAL).

192 kbps

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