My grind get distorted, your life get deported
Buenas dias to you on this balmy morning. I am recovering from the second of three family-centered weekend trips my wife and I have planned in the span of four weeks. Last November, after 36 years with no siblings or spouses, I suddenly became an uncle to four awesome kids, which is a cool thing to have to get used to. It's also a good reason to take to the road, and I'm extremely glad to once again have a reliable vehicle for doing so. Sassy Frass' ride is still in decent shape, but no cruise control makes those long, flat stretches of Midwestern interstate a chore. After Springfield, IL and Louisville, KY (my little cousin's daughter turned 1!), we look forward to Cincinnati, OH before heading back to Springfield in August. So many Hardee's, so few hours on the road...
Here are some cool songs from the 21st through 40th new releases I heard this year, which for the time being can be heard in the player to the right. There is more metal this time, although my late winter/early spring listening was also heavy influenced by my friends' tastes. Luckily, my friends have good taste!
1. Asphyx, "Deathhammer" (Deathhammer, Century Media) - The trumpeted return of Dutch death/doom legends Asphyx did not phase me much, as I once owned their seminal album Last One on Earth and it never did a lot for me. Maybe that record's murky production hindered my listening, or maybe I was immature, or maybe this incarnation of Asphyx is just plain better. Though often slowing to sludgy tempos, there's not a dull moment on this neckbreaker. Grimy, thrashy, generally unhurried brutality... "This is true death metal, you bastards!"
2. Sleigh Bells, "Crush" (Reign of Terror, Mom + Pop) - Finally, some good, loud, fun, new pop music that isn't annoying. There's more of everything on the duo's second album: more wailing guitar, more so-cranked-they're-distorted beats, more spacy atmosphere, more chant-along hooks and, of course, more hype. The good thing about Sleigh Bells is that they turn gigantic sounds and simple ideas into dizzying pop songs, so the excess is a thundering statement of intent.
3. Jeff Loomis, "The Ultimatum (feat. Tony MacAlpine" (Plains of Oblivion, Century Media) - I would have been a lot more upset about Jeff Loomis leaving Nevermore if his final album with them hadn't taken so long to emerge and/or contained stronger songs. The guitarist of what was once my favorite American metal band now gives us another old-fashioned solo shredder album, this time bringing in vocalists for a few tracks. Somehow, the tech-thrash instrumentals seem to have more personality to me than the traditional metal songs.
4. Cannibal Corpse, "Torn Through" (Torture, Metal Blade) - Cannibal Corpse have always been just OK to me, being among the more engaging acts of the old school American death metal brigade but dragged down in my mind by the hundreds of idiot clones they inspired. This is actually my first CC album since 1998's forgettable Gallery of Suicide, and as such, it's kind of refreshing in its heads-down technicality and laser-eyed intensity. Maybe I've been too hard on the old gut munchers.
5. Melvins, "The War on Wisdom" (The Bulls & the Bees, Scion A/V) - Brought to you by everyone's favorite rock n' roll car company, this turns out to be the final release by the four-man Melvins lineup that included the rhythm section from Big Business. Two drummers and two singers obviously encouraged the naturally eclectic songwriters to explore more rhythmic and melodic ideas. Although they remained uneven in their prolific sprawl, this track is a strong example of the propulsive, strangely catchy material this Melvins era could offer.
6. Spectral, "Tank Attack" (Gateway to Death, CCP) - Strike what I said in my last post regarding Naglfar: I am in no way over melodic black/death metal. I just need good songs, or at least addictive guitar riffs, which this unheralded German quintet has to spare on their fifth album. Spectral also has a variety of tempos and influences on their side, incorporating thrash beats, power metal guitar glory, even a bit of Viking bravado into the mix to keep it interesting.
7. Big K.R.I.T., "Handwriting" (4Eva N a Day, self-released) - One of the moment's "it" rappers, Mississippi's K.R.I.T.'s style is an interesting mix of aw-shucks Southern hospitality, introspective social consciousness and big-scrotum party tracks. The wide range of lyrical themes don't always cohere on his third mixtape, but there's a lot of personality in his drawling delivery, and the almost entirely self-made production (the only credited guests are a guitarist and saxophonist) is consistently enveloping. I prefer the mellower tracks like this, although the man's more club-friendly material is growing on me.
8. High on Fire, "Madness of an Architect" (De Vermis Mysteriis, E1) - Caking on the psychedelic mud that was mostly missing from their last album (which was still pretty damn good anyway), the veteran crew's sixth sees them getting back to making doomy magick. Matt Pike's transcendent guitar solos and troglodyte roar are in great form, ostensibly in service of a concept album about Jesus' time-traveling, body-hopping twin brother. Although the pulse occasionally quickens, HoF offer no white-knuckle thrash blasters this time, just good old barbarian headbanging and rumbling, eldritch meanness.
9. Running Wild, "Riding on the Tide" (Shadowmaker, SPV) - Perhaps encouraged by the success of Alestorm, Rock 'n' Rolf Kasparek revives the briefly dormant moniker of the original pirate metal band for yet another drum machine-assisted excuse to travel the European festival circuit. Longtime fans will find a few minor sing-along gems among the gently rockin' dad-metal turds, but newcomers are advised go back to Black Hand Inn or Death or Glory if they desire a proper Jolly Rogering.
10. Ministry, "Double Tap" (Relapse, 13th Planet) - So, a mere three years after announcing Ministry was done for good, Al Jourgensen gathers up some pals and releases another album anyway. It occasionally retains the industrial metal momentum Ministry had built up leading to 2008's decent The Last Sucker, but Al's got some astoundingly cheesy lyrics this time, his political sloganeering having devolved from the mirthful mockery of "N.W.O" to desperately chasing the Occupy bandwagon. This tardy tribute to the death of Osama Bin Laden is the best of the lot, co-written by guitarist Sin Quirin, who I am convinced remembers what people want from Ministry more than Al does these days.
11. Bassnectar, "Ugly (feat. Amp Live)" (Vava Voom, Amorphous) - My wife's favorite superstar dubstep DJ is probably mine, too. I'm too old and too much of a rock music fan to have a horse in that race, but I appreciate that Lorin Ashton isn't all pummeling booms and nonsense catchphrases. Despite doing those things well in the name of getting dancefloors all hyped up and wobbly, his latest album proves he's equally adept at dreamy cooldowns, and he's even getting better at integrating his own rock roots.
12. Master's Hammer, "Námornická" (Vracejte Konve na Místo, self-released) - Holy bananas! This album is an amazing surprise, one which would surely contain 2012's best bizarro semi-black metal if Sigh had not dropped such a masterpiece. To think, if not for my good buddy and best man, I might never have heard the beautiful weirdness these daffy old Czech oddballs have concocted. As befitting an album with a title that translates to "Put Watering Cans Back in Place," boundless imagination is everywhere, from the morphing vocals to unexpected and tasteful electronic and folk elements. Now I'm regretting selling my old CD of The Jilemnice Occultist, as this addictive dark wonderland makes me want to find out if I underestimated Master's Hammer's musicality for all those years it collected dust on my shelf.
13. Beneath the Massacre, "It" (Incongruous, Prosthetic) - Performing superhuman death/grind with maximum chops and zero emotion, these Montreal madmen serve a purpose for those craving an efficient, hard-edged bludgeoning. That said, none of their third album sticks with me after multiple listens, and it's only when they allow some melody or breathing room to enter the jackhammering that my not-grindcore-oriented attention snaps back. Beneath the Massacre continues to capably purvey energetic background music, but they're no Misery Index or anything. And I know pristine clarity is the recording goal of all tech-metal bands, but I feel some of these dudes would benefit from a grittier production.
14. ScHoolboy Q, "Oxy Music" (Habits & Contradictions, Top Dawg) - Highly buzzed Los Angeles MC ScHoolboy Q tries to balance macho confidence, copious drugs (both slinging and using), amoral sex and gang violence with glimpses of honest self-doubt and guileless soul-searching. He rarely finds a genuine equilibrium, something clearly admitted in the album's title. The "repentant thug" persona has always been a hard pill for me to swallow, too gleeful in its hedonism to justify the gravity of sanctimonious hand-wringing. Q is no different in this regard, yet somehow, his lowbrow boasts and bonkers personality have made me finally realize that the archetype's allure is this balancing act itself.
15. Unisonic, "Never Too Late" (Unisonic, earMUSIC) - As a guy with an old school Helloween tattoo, I should be crappin' apples over the album-length reteaming of the first two defectors from the storied German pumpkin patch. This is more a vehicle for vocalist Michael Kiske than for guitarist Kai Hansen, simply grafting a bit of the metallic heft Hansen embodies with Gamma Ray to the power-of-positive-thinking pop metal Helloween played during Kiske's final years with the band. While a beefier Pink Bubbles Go Ape sounds like a great proposition to me, the result is nothing astounding. The hard rocking harmonic hooks only occasionally grab hold like they should, which isn't a complete surprise considering Gamma Ray's lackluster recent material. Kiske still sounds great, though.
16. Paradise Lost, "The Glorious End" (Tragic Idol, Century Media) -The aged Brits soldier on with another slab of dour doom metal, having clearly seen the error in trying to be an electro-goth band. This is heavier than 2009's impressive Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us, ditching the keyboards for unfiltered goth-doom reminiscent of their '90s stride, a no-brainer if you dig deliberate tempos and downhearted melody. Is it me, or is Gregor Mackintosh's guitar refrain a sly homage to "Billie Jean"?
17. Goatwhore, "Death to the Architects of Heaven" (Blood for the Master, Metal Blade) - I don't know why, but I always thought of the long-running Goatwhore as a sort of generic American black/thrash/death metal act without much to offer in terms of skill or memorability. I think this is the first time I've actually heard them, though, unless they were on some old sampler or played at some fest I have since forgotten. It's nothing amazing, but certainly not bad, with more melodic guitar work than I expected and a healthy mix of styles that reminds me of the similarly decent Skeletonwitch.
18. Del the Funky Homosapien, "Wooden Nickel" (Root Stimulation, self-released) - For sale in packages ranging from mp3s to the opportunity to make an EP with the MC, Del brings his unique rhymes straight to the fans in this collaboration with clothing line Grassroots. The first half of the album contains ten brief but lyrically dense chunks of his inimitable wordplay, while the second half is straight beats with no vocals. The sparseness of the thing isn't the best showcase for the veteran rapper, but he puts in his all with a torrent of terse associations.
19. Coldworker, "Monochrome Existence" (The Doomsayer's Call, Listenable) - Here is some serviceable grooving, blasting death metal from the former drummer of Nasum, the Swedish grindcore legends who are currently in the midst of a reunion/farewell tour. The music is tight if not very memorable, with the vocals a weak point, a tepid growl getting monotonous over the course of the album and placed too prominently in the mix to ignore (shame on producer Dan Swanö, who should know better). Pär Olofsson's cover art would look awesome on a t-shirt.
20. Sigur Rós, "Varúð" (Valtari, XL) - I have no idea why, but I was listening to this soothing blanket of alien post-rock fluff one morning and my beautiful wife became really fucking angry at it. No explanation of how the Icelandic quartet had moved back toward their earlier glacial sound after the more songlike constructions of 2008's Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust would calm her baffling irritation. Defeated, yet still valuing the album's pleasant ambiance, I shut it off, chuckling at the ability of something so chill to make someone so agitated. Well, I suppose there are things I feel that way about myself (rest in piss, R.E.M.).
Here are some cool songs from the 21st through 40th new releases I heard this year, which for the time being can be heard in the player to the right. There is more metal this time, although my late winter/early spring listening was also heavy influenced by my friends' tastes. Luckily, my friends have good taste!
1. Asphyx, "Deathhammer" (Deathhammer, Century Media) - The trumpeted return of Dutch death/doom legends Asphyx did not phase me much, as I once owned their seminal album Last One on Earth and it never did a lot for me. Maybe that record's murky production hindered my listening, or maybe I was immature, or maybe this incarnation of Asphyx is just plain better. Though often slowing to sludgy tempos, there's not a dull moment on this neckbreaker. Grimy, thrashy, generally unhurried brutality... "This is true death metal, you bastards!"
2. Sleigh Bells, "Crush" (Reign of Terror, Mom + Pop) - Finally, some good, loud, fun, new pop music that isn't annoying. There's more of everything on the duo's second album: more wailing guitar, more so-cranked-they're-distorted beats, more spacy atmosphere, more chant-along hooks and, of course, more hype. The good thing about Sleigh Bells is that they turn gigantic sounds and simple ideas into dizzying pop songs, so the excess is a thundering statement of intent.
3. Jeff Loomis, "The Ultimatum (feat. Tony MacAlpine" (Plains of Oblivion, Century Media) - I would have been a lot more upset about Jeff Loomis leaving Nevermore if his final album with them hadn't taken so long to emerge and/or contained stronger songs. The guitarist of what was once my favorite American metal band now gives us another old-fashioned solo shredder album, this time bringing in vocalists for a few tracks. Somehow, the tech-thrash instrumentals seem to have more personality to me than the traditional metal songs.
4. Cannibal Corpse, "Torn Through" (Torture, Metal Blade) - Cannibal Corpse have always been just OK to me, being among the more engaging acts of the old school American death metal brigade but dragged down in my mind by the hundreds of idiot clones they inspired. This is actually my first CC album since 1998's forgettable Gallery of Suicide, and as such, it's kind of refreshing in its heads-down technicality and laser-eyed intensity. Maybe I've been too hard on the old gut munchers.
5. Melvins, "The War on Wisdom" (The Bulls & the Bees, Scion A/V) - Brought to you by everyone's favorite rock n' roll car company, this turns out to be the final release by the four-man Melvins lineup that included the rhythm section from Big Business. Two drummers and two singers obviously encouraged the naturally eclectic songwriters to explore more rhythmic and melodic ideas. Although they remained uneven in their prolific sprawl, this track is a strong example of the propulsive, strangely catchy material this Melvins era could offer.
6. Spectral, "Tank Attack" (Gateway to Death, CCP) - Strike what I said in my last post regarding Naglfar: I am in no way over melodic black/death metal. I just need good songs, or at least addictive guitar riffs, which this unheralded German quintet has to spare on their fifth album. Spectral also has a variety of tempos and influences on their side, incorporating thrash beats, power metal guitar glory, even a bit of Viking bravado into the mix to keep it interesting.
7. Big K.R.I.T., "Handwriting" (4Eva N a Day, self-released) - One of the moment's "it" rappers, Mississippi's K.R.I.T.'s style is an interesting mix of aw-shucks Southern hospitality, introspective social consciousness and big-scrotum party tracks. The wide range of lyrical themes don't always cohere on his third mixtape, but there's a lot of personality in his drawling delivery, and the almost entirely self-made production (the only credited guests are a guitarist and saxophonist) is consistently enveloping. I prefer the mellower tracks like this, although the man's more club-friendly material is growing on me.
8. High on Fire, "Madness of an Architect" (De Vermis Mysteriis, E1) - Caking on the psychedelic mud that was mostly missing from their last album (which was still pretty damn good anyway), the veteran crew's sixth sees them getting back to making doomy magick. Matt Pike's transcendent guitar solos and troglodyte roar are in great form, ostensibly in service of a concept album about Jesus' time-traveling, body-hopping twin brother. Although the pulse occasionally quickens, HoF offer no white-knuckle thrash blasters this time, just good old barbarian headbanging and rumbling, eldritch meanness.
9. Running Wild, "Riding on the Tide" (Shadowmaker, SPV) - Perhaps encouraged by the success of Alestorm, Rock 'n' Rolf Kasparek revives the briefly dormant moniker of the original pirate metal band for yet another drum machine-assisted excuse to travel the European festival circuit. Longtime fans will find a few minor sing-along gems among the gently rockin' dad-metal turds, but newcomers are advised go back to Black Hand Inn or Death or Glory if they desire a proper Jolly Rogering.
10. Ministry, "Double Tap" (Relapse, 13th Planet) - So, a mere three years after announcing Ministry was done for good, Al Jourgensen gathers up some pals and releases another album anyway. It occasionally retains the industrial metal momentum Ministry had built up leading to 2008's decent The Last Sucker, but Al's got some astoundingly cheesy lyrics this time, his political sloganeering having devolved from the mirthful mockery of "N.W.O" to desperately chasing the Occupy bandwagon. This tardy tribute to the death of Osama Bin Laden is the best of the lot, co-written by guitarist Sin Quirin, who I am convinced remembers what people want from Ministry more than Al does these days.
11. Bassnectar, "Ugly (feat. Amp Live)" (Vava Voom, Amorphous) - My wife's favorite superstar dubstep DJ is probably mine, too. I'm too old and too much of a rock music fan to have a horse in that race, but I appreciate that Lorin Ashton isn't all pummeling booms and nonsense catchphrases. Despite doing those things well in the name of getting dancefloors all hyped up and wobbly, his latest album proves he's equally adept at dreamy cooldowns, and he's even getting better at integrating his own rock roots.
12. Master's Hammer, "Námornická" (Vracejte Konve na Místo, self-released) - Holy bananas! This album is an amazing surprise, one which would surely contain 2012's best bizarro semi-black metal if Sigh had not dropped such a masterpiece. To think, if not for my good buddy and best man, I might never have heard the beautiful weirdness these daffy old Czech oddballs have concocted. As befitting an album with a title that translates to "Put Watering Cans Back in Place," boundless imagination is everywhere, from the morphing vocals to unexpected and tasteful electronic and folk elements. Now I'm regretting selling my old CD of The Jilemnice Occultist, as this addictive dark wonderland makes me want to find out if I underestimated Master's Hammer's musicality for all those years it collected dust on my shelf.
13. Beneath the Massacre, "It" (Incongruous, Prosthetic) - Performing superhuman death/grind with maximum chops and zero emotion, these Montreal madmen serve a purpose for those craving an efficient, hard-edged bludgeoning. That said, none of their third album sticks with me after multiple listens, and it's only when they allow some melody or breathing room to enter the jackhammering that my not-grindcore-oriented attention snaps back. Beneath the Massacre continues to capably purvey energetic background music, but they're no Misery Index or anything. And I know pristine clarity is the recording goal of all tech-metal bands, but I feel some of these dudes would benefit from a grittier production.
14. ScHoolboy Q, "Oxy Music" (Habits & Contradictions, Top Dawg) - Highly buzzed Los Angeles MC ScHoolboy Q tries to balance macho confidence, copious drugs (both slinging and using), amoral sex and gang violence with glimpses of honest self-doubt and guileless soul-searching. He rarely finds a genuine equilibrium, something clearly admitted in the album's title. The "repentant thug" persona has always been a hard pill for me to swallow, too gleeful in its hedonism to justify the gravity of sanctimonious hand-wringing. Q is no different in this regard, yet somehow, his lowbrow boasts and bonkers personality have made me finally realize that the archetype's allure is this balancing act itself.
15. Unisonic, "Never Too Late" (Unisonic, earMUSIC) - As a guy with an old school Helloween tattoo, I should be crappin' apples over the album-length reteaming of the first two defectors from the storied German pumpkin patch. This is more a vehicle for vocalist Michael Kiske than for guitarist Kai Hansen, simply grafting a bit of the metallic heft Hansen embodies with Gamma Ray to the power-of-positive-thinking pop metal Helloween played during Kiske's final years with the band. While a beefier Pink Bubbles Go Ape sounds like a great proposition to me, the result is nothing astounding. The hard rocking harmonic hooks only occasionally grab hold like they should, which isn't a complete surprise considering Gamma Ray's lackluster recent material. Kiske still sounds great, though.
16. Paradise Lost, "The Glorious End" (Tragic Idol, Century Media) -The aged Brits soldier on with another slab of dour doom metal, having clearly seen the error in trying to be an electro-goth band. This is heavier than 2009's impressive Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us, ditching the keyboards for unfiltered goth-doom reminiscent of their '90s stride, a no-brainer if you dig deliberate tempos and downhearted melody. Is it me, or is Gregor Mackintosh's guitar refrain a sly homage to "Billie Jean"?
17. Goatwhore, "Death to the Architects of Heaven" (Blood for the Master, Metal Blade) - I don't know why, but I always thought of the long-running Goatwhore as a sort of generic American black/thrash/death metal act without much to offer in terms of skill or memorability. I think this is the first time I've actually heard them, though, unless they were on some old sampler or played at some fest I have since forgotten. It's nothing amazing, but certainly not bad, with more melodic guitar work than I expected and a healthy mix of styles that reminds me of the similarly decent Skeletonwitch.
18. Del the Funky Homosapien, "Wooden Nickel" (Root Stimulation, self-released) - For sale in packages ranging from mp3s to the opportunity to make an EP with the MC, Del brings his unique rhymes straight to the fans in this collaboration with clothing line Grassroots. The first half of the album contains ten brief but lyrically dense chunks of his inimitable wordplay, while the second half is straight beats with no vocals. The sparseness of the thing isn't the best showcase for the veteran rapper, but he puts in his all with a torrent of terse associations.
19. Coldworker, "Monochrome Existence" (The Doomsayer's Call, Listenable) - Here is some serviceable grooving, blasting death metal from the former drummer of Nasum, the Swedish grindcore legends who are currently in the midst of a reunion/farewell tour. The music is tight if not very memorable, with the vocals a weak point, a tepid growl getting monotonous over the course of the album and placed too prominently in the mix to ignore (shame on producer Dan Swanö, who should know better). Pär Olofsson's cover art would look awesome on a t-shirt.
20. Sigur Rós, "Varúð" (Valtari, XL) - I have no idea why, but I was listening to this soothing blanket of alien post-rock fluff one morning and my beautiful wife became really fucking angry at it. No explanation of how the Icelandic quartet had moved back toward their earlier glacial sound after the more songlike constructions of 2008's Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust would calm her baffling irritation. Defeated, yet still valuing the album's pleasant ambiance, I shut it off, chuckling at the ability of something so chill to make someone so agitated. Well, I suppose there are things I feel that way about myself (rest in piss, R.E.M.).
posted by SoulReaper at 10:53 AM
0 comments
