Chelsea Wolfe : "the Dark"

 The 9th studio album by the wonderful Ms. Wolfe opens with the soulful "Cold" that finds less of the ghostly reverbed vocals and her singing out at full voice in a more accesible manner. The also worked with producer Jennifer Decilveo who has also worked with the Gossip., Miley Cyrus, Bat For Lashes, and Hozier. Her voice sounds great nd it fits comofrtably in her hweelhouse. She continues this more  raw vocal production on "Seethe" which is also more straight ahead rock. It is not as dark as her previous work. Not too far removed from say Florence and the Machine. The drums groove thanks to having Tori Amos' drummer Matt Chamberlin playing on this album fand Troy from Queens of the Stoneage / Failure also lends his guitar talents, but serving the song so much you would not notice it was him.  

"Humours" is more back to the shadows basic for her, which she knows she needs to return to based on her fanbase which includes people like me who expect this sort of thing. If anyone was wondering if she coulkd sing ofr was just hiding behind the stylistic apporach with effect this album clears that up. It ameks sense consdiering artists she influenced like Ethel Cain are playing bigger venues. There is a more rock feel to "Swallower" though it does include many of her sonic staples like tinges of haunting guitar notes that ring out.  

"Halo" ambles along with a hooky flow. So far the vibes of this album remind me most of  "Birth of Violence'.  It is weird tha Angel Olsen collaborator Ben Babbitt lent a hand on the title track as it's stripped down to her just playing guitar. It is not until two minutes in that other layers of sound begin to rise around it. So they just helped her flesh it out. "Turn the Key" finds Robin Fink of Nine Inch Nails dropping some guitar in. "I'm Not There" is a slice of Americana tinged songwriting that is not foreign territory for her.

"Death is Not the End' goes from themore delicate fragile vocal to aheavier sonic dirge of emotion drivintg thesong. The album closes with "Dancer in the Sky" which is another introspective ballad. She slowly builds it up from the minimalist piano line, andit is one of her most compelling vocal performances. I am not sure if her new  found soberiety is what is making her more comfortable in her own skin but that is what it sounds like to me ,and it is clearly working as it's another flawless album from her,. I will give this one a 10. Out on LornaVista.

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Nine Inch Noize : "s/t"

 

Nine Inch Noize is a collaborative album between producer Alex Ridha, aka Boys Noize, and Nine Inch Nails, which is now basically just Reznor and Atticus Ross.  If you are looking for big arena-rock riffs, that is not happening, as the songs reimagined here are strictly electronic. That's not to say the synths don't have heft, and Reznor's voice roots it in the sound you expect from him. The track listing replicates their Coachella set list. 

 Mariqueen Maandig, who sings for How to Destroy Angels, also lends her voice to this project, which is first heard on "She's Gone Away". The shake the booty of "Heresy" from "the Downward Spiral". This makes it have more in common with the songs from "Pretty Hate Machine", an album they leave untouched here. It would be kind of redundant, so that is understandable. They also rework."Parasite" by How to Destroy Angels, not a cover since Maandig is involved in this project. It gets a hyper-synth wave injection, giving it more amped up drive.

"Copy of a " from "Hesitation Marks' is a dance remix that works well for what it is. This also proves the point that a good song is going to be a good song no matter what context it is presented in. "Me, I'm Not" starts off with what you think is a live recording, but it's not, though the live sounds crop up throughout the album; it's about as live as the fourth side of "Kiss Alive 2." The pumping beats continue to flow through "Me I'm Not". They continue to lean heavily on "Year Zero", which works for me as I thought it was an underrated album, and the dystopian themes are more timely. 

The only actual live track might be "Closer." It deviates less from the original than most of the songs here. The only major change is less crunch when they dig into the chorus. In fact, it feels like guitars have been intentionally removed from this album. I had to give a second listen to this version of "The Warning " to connect with me. I think I prefer the original. The only real cover here is their take on Soft Cell's "Memorabilia." This was originally a B-side to the "Closer" single. It was not the best song to begin with, but what they do works well enough here. 

"Came Back Haunted" has more grit to the bass line in this version. It drones more on the verses as the sonic throbbing pulses. Here is a song that was born for this kind of treatment. This is actually the first time I have given the song "Alive as You Need Me to Be" a solid listen, as I pretty much disregarded the Tron Ares Soundtrack. Here, it has more of a live sound until the vocals come in. It's a pretty solid song. The fact that they did not re-work a Boys Noize song tells me everything I need to know, and I'm guessing he was just twiddling knods alongside everyone else, as they are only credited with production and mixing. But as a remix album, this works. I will give it a 9.5  

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Drinking the Blood of Christ : Goths For Jesus ( a curated playlist)

 

This was inspired by a post on the “Goths Against Cancel Culture” page that posed the question regarding Orthodox Christianity and being “goth,” which spurned my initial reaction, being the similarities between Jesus and vampires, themes of resurrection, blood-drinking, and the power to compel others to do your bidding. Then I began to consider where the core principles of each lie. Even here, the answers brought more questions, as if goth is a romanticized celebration of darkness and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light, would not worshipping a sun-god be a conflict of interests? However, Lucifer means light bringer, so perhaps he is another aspect of Jesus? This would go along with Gnostic teachings.

Then there is the matter of whether you are actually following the teachings of Christ, and where the principles align with goth culture and the thematic elements celebrated in the music. In the mythology of Jesus, he lays down his rulebook for his followers, saying they were to be a light in the world, before going on to say they should not be angry or lustful, and if you take away those two things, along with darkness, is it really goth? I think this might be best answered by turning to some of the most notable goth anthems to see where they weigh in on Christianity, so here’s the ‘goths for Jesus?” Playlist

Type O Negative - "Christian Woman"

"all through mass manual stimulation - salvation."

 

 Marilyn Manson- "GodEatGod"

"Dear God, can you climb off that tree?" 

Genitorturers - "120 Days " 

"You're Free from original sin." 

Nine Inch Nails - "Head Like a Hole" 

 "Bow down before the one you serve..."

 

Samhain- "Mother of Mercy" 

"We All Want Our Time in Hell" 

Skinny Puppy- "Crucible" 

>

"Good and evil does not exist 

 

 

  Christian Death- "Spiritual Cramp" 

"Walking on water in  a sea of  incest." 

Ministry- "Psalm 69" 

He wants you to suck off the holy ghost and swallow the sins of man

Twin Temple -"God is Dead" 

"I'm such a lucky girl to have burned up the last church in the world" 

Electric Hellfire Club-"Kiss the Goat" 

"Pray to Satan, Pray to Satan, Pray to Satan" 

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Looking Back in Anger at the Crow Soundtrack

 

It's time to look back at a soundtrack from the 90s and see how it has held up over the years.  For an album largely of covers and b-sides, it has stood the test of time better than most albums from 1994, and in truth aged better than the movie. It opens with "Burn" by the Cure which Smith wrote for the film. Not only is it the album's best song, it is one of the Cure's best songs. It has the drive of "Fascination Street' but the drums bring a tribal tension to it. The slinky bass line finds Machines of Loving Grace abandoning some of the industrial stomps for a more groove-minded song that plays to their strengths as a band, making it one of their best songs as well. Thus two songs in a they have established the theme of sexy darkness, which was the mood this movie was aspiring to. 

Stone Temple Pilots were heading toward peak popularity with the album "Purple" which this song would later appear on. They debuted it on this soundtrack first,  I think this song is lyrically clever, and I like the more subtle blues elements they ebb back down into. Nine Inch Nails cover of  "Dead Souls" works really well. Reznor does his thing rather than going for an Ian Curtis impersonation and it works. The more subtle jazzy passages of "Darkness" bring out Rage Against the Machine's more melodic side, making them seem like less of a one-trick pony. The Violent Femme's "Hallowed Ground" album is an example of their darker side which they tapped back into for "Color Me Once", an overlooked gem on this album.

Despite Henry's vocal limitations, the Rollins Band does a pretty good job of covering Suicide's 'Ghost Rider". There is more swagger than expected here. Butch Vig remixed Helmet's "Milk Toast' for the soundtrack, it's one of the band's calling cards. Pantera covers Poison Idea's "The Badge". and makes it sound like they wrote it. For Love Not Lisa proves they were better than most bands who merged as bigger one-hit wonders from the 90s like saqy Candle Box and this song is a testament to that fact.   My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult is one of the most reliable bands on this soundtrack so you can count on them to deliver, their whole persona is why they were actually playing at a club in the movie. Musically Jesus and Mary Chain is just as consistent, "Snakedriver" being a clear example of this. 

Medicine brought Elizabeth Fraser in for their remake of "Time Baby". Speaking of the Cocteau Twins , they should been the artist to perform the last song "It Can't Rain All the Time". as the Jill Siberry track is the album's only weak moment. It drifts without focus and the Cocteau Twins could have done much better doing similar. So far this reason this album is getting a 9.5, putting it still in the upper tier of movie soundtracks along side the "Lost Boys" soundtrack, 

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Looking Back in Anger at Marilyn Manson's "Anti-christ Superstar"

 When "Anti-Christ Superstar" came out I wanted it to be more like "Portrait of an American Family " and less like Nine Inch Nails, so it's time I went back and gave it another listen to see how it's held up over the years. The opener "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" has a punk like energy to it that recalls "Portrait of an American Family" more than the songs that follow that find things moving in an industrial direction thanks to Dave Oglive and Trent Reznor who producer this album. "Beautiful People" is Manson's calling card  and the most popular song that is not a cover. It is pretty catchy. "Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World" has a more industrial sense of movement as more of the rock sensibilities are shed until you get to the hook of the chorus. 

"Tourniquet" is more rock n roll than I remember. The drum sound is excellent , as with head phones it sounds like they are playing in your living , as they carry a more organic feel than other tones on the album. Vocally is finds Manson actually singing . Musically things were more collaborative as "Little Horn" was written by Twiggy and Trent. It's a more driving and almost punk in it's aggression. "Cyrptochid" is more interesting . Lyrically it's one of the best songs on the albums, though the precursor to nu-metal to come with it's brand of child like angst. The weird melodic section in the middle is one of my favorite moments on the album. "Deformography" is another Twiggy and Reznor, that has more of a creepiness to it, while still grooving. 

"Wormboy" has more rock-n-roll to it. Certainly one of the more David Bowie influenced songs. "Mister Superstar" is more rock than industrial though those elements lurk in the production, that finds this album has held up really well over the years and does not sound dated.  Though it is funny how your ears changed with the years and when this came out I felt it was purposefully abrasive compared to "Portrait of an American Family", there is a more brooding pound to "Angel With the Scabbed Wings", but by today's standards it feels more like rock n roll.  The more industrials sounds take things in a darker direction for "Kinderfeld". 

The title track has a decent groove, but I would not it is the album's strongest song. The gratuitous layers of vocals creates cluttered chaos rather than hooky vocals that make the bulk of the album more compelling.  "1996" is another song with a more punk drive to it, but I do not find it as compelling as what has already occurred earlier in this album. "Minute of Decay" is effective at creating the creepy mood it aspires to. Then there are moments like "the Reflecting God" which might carry an impressive stomp but pretty much feels like color by numbers Marilyn Manson, even more the time it came out.

"Man That You Fear" is lyrically more compelling than sonically, though it does gain some spidery legs to crawl on as the song builds, though it also dips into chaos. Overall this album is better than I remembered and held up pretty well, though not perfectly I will give this a 9.5. 

 

HEALTH : "Disco4: Part II "

HEALTH is back with another collaborative album, the first part of this somehow flew under the radar here or I figured it to be a remix album so did not give it much thought. The choice of collaborators normally draws from the right of center names in heavy adjacent hipster electro you might expect. These kids are cool so they are not going to have guys like Slipknot or Motionless in White on their shit. Though Lamb of God made the cut, however Randy did hang out with Pigface so he has some industrial cred there. First up is Poppy. I like her, and perhaps if these guys take her serious then it will inspire others to as well. It blends some cool atmosphere as her singing voice matures and she stays in a more subdued croon for this one. This proves to be a very effective partnership. 

Reznor has taken the band out before as an opening act, so a Nine Inch Nails meet up makes sense. It feels more like a NIN song than a HEALTH song. He is without a doubt the name that holds the most weight here. I am sure they were like sure we will just be the back up band here do your thing man. They dip into the SoundCloud world with serial collaborators Ada Rook of Black Dresses and rapper PlayThatBoiZay . Seems pretty obvious why these kids are on SoundCloud and not on the level of even a Poppy as the track is not as inspired as the first two songs. Though a big name is not everything as the more effective song with Maenad Veyl proves. It flows much better. I like Lamb of God's "Sacrament" album they seem like lowest common denominator Pantera wanna bees most of the time , but  the fusion of the two bands works more often than not for "COLD BLOOD" ,  The HEALTH side of the equation certainly makes things more interesting.   

There are instances on this album where the band is able to lift up the other artist to their level as can be heard on "AD 1000" as I normally do not like the Body. Home boy's scream sounds like a strangled bird half the time and for all their artistic embellishments it still feels like noise. Here they just provide a rougher shade of gray that is mixed in such a way to not spotlight the abrasive elements that normally rub me the wrong way. They are joined by Ho99o9 and Canadian rapper Backxwash on "Gnostic Flesh /  Mortal Hell". Both of these guests I have found their respective careers to be less than impressive, so it is once again more of a a feat that HEALTH continues to make artists like these that are stripped of their individual  hype palatable with the end result being something that sounds like an angry Massive Attack.  "The Joy of Sect" teams them up with Street Sects and is not surprisingly the best song of the album. I normally just prefer when they have Jake singing , since the androgynous coo of his voice is more interesting than what the average rock approach to singing brings to the table, but on this song the voices work in  equal measure. 

They delve back down into the world of Soundcloud bed room hipsters by bringing Ekkstacy on board, which while interesting that they have their ears to this scene, these sort of artists tend to not have a great deal to bring to the able. Ekkstacy just kinda of mumbles like the disgruntled teenager he is. HEALTH however pulls their weight and more despite the boorish mumbles. Surprised they are going as far in the pop direction to work with the Neighborhood, but it works here. I have always liked the Neighborhood, though they occupy the same strange place in my head that Chrvhces and Taylor Swift does, almost a guilty pleasure , but talent enough to not be. It should cbe no surprise that the track with Perturbator has one of the album's best grooves, with perhaps NIN coming in 2nd place in that regard. Ironically the last song the band proves that perhaps they are best left to their own devices as "These Dasy" works just fine on it's own two feet. I will give this one a 9.5 as some of the Soundcloud moments could have been dialed back and left the focus on the song to the professionals. 

Danny Elfman - "Big Mess"

 Well, Elfman has an ear to what is going on in music for sure. It is heavier than what you might expect from him, the panned vocals bouncing around on the opening track are interesting. It is progressive without really trying to be. Like I tell my daughter when she hears Oingo Boingo this is Kack Skellington singing! The drums and guitars are way harder edged than what you would find in Oingo Boingo, which explains why this is not being done under that name. He has both Josh Freese and Robin Finck playing on this album. Guitar is also provided by Warren from the Vandals, so both the Vandals and Nine Inch Nails figures in the mix. By the third song things get more cinematic, though one foot is still planted in a darker industrial stomp that wads felt on "True".  He was going to perform some of these songs at Coachella, then co-vid happened so he recorded this album instead. 

The magnitude of dynamics employed here is not surprising considering his knack for musicals. Sometimes the results are weird like on "Dance With the Lemurs".  'Serious Ground" is a boozier smoked filled groove. It is hammered around by heavier undercurrents. I like hearing his lower register in places here. His voice has really held up well, so no excuses when your favorite aging rockers do not bring it. "Choose Your Side" is like a industrial strength Jack Skellington ballad as he muses about the turn of events in the world today, which is the overall lyrical theme. He really excels at arranging strings and should be considered every bit as great of a composer John Williams or Hans Zimmer.

"We Belong" is a crooned ballad sung in his lower register, that works for what it is though is the least dynamic of the songs so far and seems more like an interlude in comparison. An electronic pulse flows under "Happy". The vocals are arranged in an interesting manner, more driving drums begin to creep in as the song progresses. It eventually al clangs together in a more punk manner. His vocal performance on this album is even more colorful and diverse than what Mike Patton did on the new Tomahawk album. "Just a Human" carries over the punk drive from the previous song.  "Devil Take Away" has more of a rock groove to its stomp. The syncopation here gives room for Elfman to use more soulful flex of his vocal cords. 

One of the more impressive qualities of this album is how Elfman can blend contrasting styles and instrumentation into tightly coiled songs that work. He often does with with a dramatic flair to the quirkiness as can be heard on "Love In the Time of Covid". There is a cool tension to the verses of "Native Intelligence" which has more of an angular punk vibe when it explodes outward. There are varied shades of quirk and theatrical shifts in dynamics woven together with a masterful smoothness as Elfman tiwsts the narrative by his elastic singing style. "Kick Me" feels like it came from the soundtrack of a spy movie before going sideways with a Mr. Bungle like chaos. This carries over into "Get Over it" to some extent. The first minute and a half of this song already covers a great deal of ground. The last song 'Insects" is an Oingo Boingo song he has reimagined. This is ambitious but flows very naturally for him and he has the right band to help him pull this album off so I will give it a 10 and see how it grows on me, but he is more progressive than most progressive artists who set out to do so.   

Nine Inch Nails : "Ghosts VI : Locusts"

This is the darker of the two free albums Trent Reznor released today as a reprieve for those on virus lockdown. I am going to review both , but of course I am going to be fastest to listen to the album Reznor says is the less than hopeful one. The first song is more of a droning atmospheric piece with a repetitive piano part that haunts you .Atticus Ross' partnership continues. Thus there is a more cinematic quality to the music. "Around Every Corner" has more in common with Miles Davis than industrial music. There is some atmospheric dissonance around the edges of this one to give it a more unsettling feel. Is this as dark as say 'the Downward Spiral"?  No and perhaps this is a result of Reznor's sobriety. I get why this was free since " the Worriment Waltz" would sound like something I would improvise just fucking around on the piano if it was not for the trumpet.

There is a beat on "Run Like Hell". No it is not a Pink Floyd cover. Yes, it is still closer to jazz , just a more tribal version of it. There is a more challenging tone to the chiming of " When it Happens" . It's like Avant Garde classical music that some one like John Adams might compose. There are some noisy interludes on this album that I am not counting in this review. I do not care what kind of music you are making as long as you are writing actual songs. This goes for Trent Reznor too. There are some ditties that are not noise , but not quite songs. Just sonic ideas that never go anywhere, I am not counting those either. "Trust Fades" could be the instrumental version of a more ballad like Nine Inch Nails song. "Your New Normal" is more of a song, though it is very ambient. Though that could be said about most of the songs on this album. Sometimes this is done more minimally than others.  'Turn Off Please" has sounds that would work in an actual Nine Inch Nails song. More tribal like drumming returns to this one to create some storm brooding tension.

I was talking to a friend about this album and told them it would be good music to paint to on a rainy day. That however is not why I listen to Nine Inch Nails. Even the more jazz leanings are not a wild departure from sounds they have used in the past. This however is more experimentation with ideas rather than committing  them to songs. For that reason I will round this one down to an 8.

5.9/7

80s vs 90s

Inspired by a Facebook debate. I decided to weigh them in pound for pound to see who really had the better music of the two . The first dozen are pitting artists against their own work. Then the next dozen are artist vs artist.


 1988 Jane's Addiction - "Nothing's Shocking"  Vs 1990 "Ritual  de lo Habitual"

So we are not looking for what was a better hit, as most radio songs are shit since they are packaged for masses which is the lowest common denominator. We are looking for which album is better. Hand's down "Nothings Shocking" wins this one. Sure there is "Three Days" for it to contend with, but "Ted, Just Admit it" and "Mountain Song" slam this one home. 

80s -1
90s- 0

1989 Nirvana- "Bleach" vs 1991 "Nevermind"

Sure "Nevermind" took grunge to the masses, meaning the songs were user friendly enough for widespread radio consumption. "Bleach" has more emotion behind it and songs like "Love Buzz" , "Floyd the Barber" and "About a Girl" beat out "Smells Like Teen Spirit". They are more brooding and have more balls.

80s- 2

90s-0

1989 Soundgarden -"Louder Than Love"  vs 1991 "Badmotorfinger"

We have already covered the fact we do not care about hits, so that takes  "Rusty Cage" out of the equation, but even then there are 5 good songs on it. "Louder Than Love" is darker and has a more sensual throb to it . "Jesus Christ Pose" you say?  "Gun" is a better song.

80s- 3

90s-0


1989 Faith No More- "the Real Thing" vs 1992 "Angel Dust"

This was tough as there are some great songs on "the Real Thing". "Angel Dust" found the band giving mainstream a middle finger and went harder and darker , so " Angel Dust" wins out.

80s- 3

90s- 1

1989 Nine Inch Nails - "Pretty Hate Machine"  vs  1994 "the Downward Spiral"

"Pretty Hate Machine" is a great album though in more of a Depeche Mode direction. "Downward Spiral" has a more emotional heaviness to it , along with vastly better production quality and guitar sound so it wins

80s3

90s- 2

1986 Metallica - "Master of Puppets" vs  1991 "the Black Album"

Are you fucking kidding me ? This is not even close. There is no need to even explain this. If you don't get it , then you don't know shit about metal.

80s-4

90s- 2

1987 Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction vs 1991 "Use Your Illusion pt 1 & 2"

Another one that needs little explanation. Add all the good songs on their 1991 double album and they won't be able to touch "Appetite"

80s-5

90s-2

1987 R.E.M "Document"  vs 1992 "Automatic For The People"

This is a tough one as the 1992 album is full of raw emotion and is one of  Stipe's best performances. "Document" wins this one as it finds the band working at the peak of their power being an actual rock band rather than dripping with ballads .

80s- 6

90s-2

1987 U2 "the Joshua Tree"  vs 1991 "Achtung Baby"

The 87 has a ton of hits on the front end , but the b-side tanks . Their 1991 album thus proves superior.

80s -6 

90s-3

 1985 the Smiths "Meat is Murder"  vs 1991 Morrissey "Kill Uncle"

I love Moz's solo work, but the Smiths made some of the best albums ever

80s-7

90s-3

1986 Slayer "Reign in Blood" vs 1990 "Seasons in the Abyss"

Closer to call than "Master of Puppets " and " the Black Album". "Reign In Blood" is more of what Slayer is .

80s-8

90s-3

1980 Black Sabbath "Heaven & Hell"  vs  1991 Ozzy Osbourne - "No More Tears"

While most 70s  Ozzy Sabbath albums would win this one, Dio Sabbath dominates 90s solo Ozzy, even 80s Ozzy consistently beats out "No More Tears". 

80s-9

90s-3

ok now artist vs artist - we are looking at the artists of note for their respected decades and pitting them against artists from a similar genre.

Iron Maiden  vs Tool 

The battle of prog metal. Tool was once one of my favorite bands since their inception in 1990, but Iron Maiden who if we are just counting the Bruce years have stood the test of time since 1982. I sometimes get the urge to revisit Tool , they waned 4 albums in where Maiden was kicking ass well past that .

80s 10

90s 3

The Cure  vs Smashing Pumpkins

Moody rock for pasty white kids. Smashing Pumpkins really only had 2 solid albums under their belt, neither of which can hold a candle to "Pornography" much less "Disintegration"

80s 11

90s 3


Kate Bush vs Tori Amos

 Kate might have had 2 albums out by the time the 80s rolled around, but the bulk of her work is from the 80s. Tori Amos owes her entire sound to Kate Bush...end of story.

80s 12

90s 3

Tears For Fears vs Radiohead 

After "Ok Computer" Radiohead gave the record label the middle finger and got darker and more experimental. However if we look at who has the better songs, Tears For Fears beats out the bulk of Thom Yorke's introspective whining.

80s 13

90s 3

Siouxsie and the Banshees vs Bjork 

This one is a close call so it boils down to the prolific body consistent work and Bjork only had 3 albums that would be overwhelmed by the 7 Siouxsie put out.

80s 14

90s-3

The Cult vs Pearl Jam 

Battling for the throne left vacant by Jim Morrison . It comes down to "Electric" and "Sonic Temple"  against "Ten " and "Vs" so Eddie Veddar and friends are going to walk away the winners here.

80s 14

90s-4

Motley Crue vs Stone Temple Pilots 

Drugged out arena rockers clash . This boils down to the fact the first 2 Crue albums crush anything STP  put out .

80s 15

90s 4

Prince vs Lenny Kravitz 

Lets not even get into who is the better singer and guitarist, that's a no brainer. Has Kravitz ever dreamed of touching "Purple Rain"...hell no.

80s 16

90s 4

Cocteau Twins vs Cranberries 

"Every Body is Doing it So Why Don't We" is a great album and got more airplay, but it's not "Blue Bell Knoll"

80s 17

90s 4

Def Leppard vs Foo-fighters 

Ok both are cheesy radio rock. Def Leppard's songs stick with me better.

80s 18

90s 4

Celtic Frost vs Korn 

Korn did inspire a generation of glue sniffers to tune down to b. Celtic Frost's music was ahead of it's time and continues to influence black metal . Less daddy issues and more thoughtful

80s 19

90s 4

the Misfits vs Green Day

Is this even up for debate ?

80s 20

90s 4


final score it's a massacre 20 to 4

Nine Inch Nails : " Bad Witch"

The final installment of Reznor's trilogy of eps dropped. This was an exploration for him as to where he fit in the world today. Going into this I had perhaps read too many interviews. The stage was set too well. The production on the first song is a little weird. It feels muffled by the distortion almost like it is trying to hard. There is guitar but it doesn't sound heavy. The muffled distant mix continues with the hip hop inflected break beat of "Ahead of Ourselves". While I like the vocals to this song better than the first song, I'm not really getting blown away here. The chant the song ends in is not that hooky, leaving this song just shy of standing up against even his most recent efforts.

The ambient abrasion employed on "Play the Goddamn Part" makes this like the audio equivalent of Twin Peaks, so it's not surprising Lynch featured Reznor on an episode. There is more ambiance than there is song leaving this as a more abstract interlude than something needing your attention.  With the sax and frenetic break beats I can hear how this is an almost blatant homage to Bowie, with Reznor trying to do his best croon. To his credit these songs are fairly compact. "I'm Not From This World" is another atmosphere noise-scape. I listened to it once and deleted it which is about what it's worth.

"Over and Out" closes the album. It's a slower groove that pauses to let the bass line simmer in the middle. We are three and a half minutes into it before the vocals come in. There is another Bowie like vocal that comes in to make this song more enjoyable at least for me in that regard, but I would not say it's Reznor's best work. Then there is two mins of ambient noise that closes this song. So despite the fact he wants you to think of this as an lp there is a ton of  dead air wasting time here. If I wanted to listen to Brain Eno , I know where to find him. I'll round this down to an 8.5 and see how long these songs last in my iPod, I think this is Reznor being a better producer than song writer, but even when he is just dialing it in , he is still better than most.

the Top 10 Pop /Electronic Albums of 2017

And so it begins the roll out of the end of the year lists. Here is the first of many. This year I defaulted to ranking by them in according to how much I actually listened to them as the scores in reviews are my initial impressions and as I often write in the reviews I have to see how they grow on me. So I used my Lastfm page to look at the actual numbers...Yes, I synched it with my iPod every morning to gather the data through out the year. There were a few occasions with rankings on this list when I am making an executive decision to let one album trump another , but typically speaking I am letting LastFm make these decisions for me to spare me the obsessive head aches. If these are albums I reviewed the click on the review link in order to check out the actual music.




10- Gucci Mane -"Mr. Davis

Yes, I did not review this album. But it's more mature than most of his previous releases and feels like he has perfected his songwriting process. Take that and combine it with the fact this might be the best produced hip-hop album of the year and it deserves it place here.

9- Tricky : "Ununiform"

 Despite the fact that Jay-Z helped produce this album taking away the dark edge, it still managed to grow on me. This is more radio friendly , but the songs are pretty strong. The last song embraces his classic sound perhaps the most as it features Martina Topley-Bird, but when you put it on shuffle mode the songs stand on their own perhaps better than they did upon my initial listen.

 Why it beat out Gucci...more dynamic range, fits a broader scope of emotions outside of ego stroking.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/gothtober-tricky-ununiform.html

8- Nine Inch Nails - "Add Violence"


This album is not on the goth/ industrial list because even though Reznor has more of an edge here, it's more atmospheric than it is dark or aggressive. It might not be "Broken" but it is solid and I am glad he has gotten his edge back . It will sit nicely against the rest of their catalog and is better than everything since "the Fragile" . So if you are a long time fan , you should be pleased that you are getting what we have wanted.

 Why it beat out Tricky? ... is this even a fair fight? more sonic depth is the short answer.

7-Fever Ray- "Plunge"

 Things got weird for this Swedish singer. I was not wowed by the first single from this album and though it was going to become another case of her riding a wave of hype from her previous work. This album took some warming up to, but after repeat listens I can hear how all the elements that worked before are in play just coming from a different angle.

 Why did it beat out Nine Inch Nails? On paper N.i.N was better this album was not as dense and just made for easier listening.

   http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/fever-ray-plunge.html 

 

6-Zola Jesus- "Okovi"

 After her last album I really needed her to get back to darker places. That is what happens after a weird atmospheric introduction. She combines sweeping strings with tracks that sound like they came from one of Bjork's nightmares.it is a welcome addition to her legacy and finds her voice continuing to live up to it's potential. I think it's a good compromise in terms of darker electronic music and pop. I don't see this propelling her into Katy Perry or even Sia status in terms of radio play, but that is not what she is going for or she would be there. Why it beat out Fever Ray? ...Darker and more powerful, yet still catchy enough to demand repeat listens.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/08/zola-jesus-okovi.html 

 

5-Lydia Ainsworth- "Darling of the Afterglow"

 This came out of nowhere and it was the leather dress in one of her promo pictures that made me more curious.  The vocals are beautifully layered against slick piano driven pop beat that focuses on being steamier than it does trying to make you dance along. This Toronto native's back is  classical music and film scoring. I can hear the cinematic quality, but it's not rigid like classical music can be. Her harmonies are pretty amazing.This earned heavy rotation through out the year. 

 Why ist beat out Zola Jesus?... Better vocal production and the vocals took me more places.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/03/lydia-ainsworth-darling-of-afterglow.html

 

4-the Haxans- "Party Time" 


 Ash Costello from New Years Day is embracing her inner Mortica Addams . I fully support this is a good look for her, but as a sound it has interesting results that works in varying degrees. This album is fun in many of the same ways the more disco moments or My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult can be. It gets stuck in your head and thus this heavy rotation is what put it in the top 5.

 Why it beat out Lydia Ainsworth? ... More fun, after all it is party time

. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/gothtober-haxans-party-time.html

3-Taylor Swift- Reputation-


What I wanted Taylor to do was give me something bigger and better than "1989", instead she went into a more streamlined version of pop. I have grown to accept this. This album has grown on me in fact according to Last Fm I listened to it more than Halsey, but I feel Halsey's album is better. Now I would round this up to a 9ish.

 Why did it trump the Haxans? Better songwriting when Taylor is on point with songs like "Are You Ready For It?"

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/11/report-to-dance-floor-taylor-swift.html



2- Halsey-Hopeless Fountain Kingdom

Another album like Gucci that I did not review for the blog, but got a ton of play on the ole iPod. I did write up something for it on Treblezine, in their top 50 songs of the year  for the song "Eyes Closed" and I did reference the fact when I reviewed Taylor Swift. So that answers why this out ranked Taylor Swift, it has more going on and Taylor went to minimal. I think the grooves on this album are more on point and she has some interesting perspectives lyrically.

1- Young Thug - Beautiful Thugger Girls

I never actually reviewed this album for this blog. It's not only a lot of fun with great declarations like how he is Bill Gates step-son or that he is the black Christian Gray and has 50 shades of Bae, but it is musical. There is real guitar on this. Does he mumble? yes. He also sings.Not the greatest voice ever and it's aided by auto tune, but he makes an effort to write songs that stand out from his peers. He made fools of Future, Gucci and 2Chainz who re-heated the same old same old.

Why did it beat out Halsey? The songs were catchier. Isn't that the point of pop?

 

Nine Inch Nails :"Add Violence"

I found their appearance on Twin Peaks to be odd and not in the manner David Lynch is normally odd. The first song is more aggressive than what we have gotten from the past few albums and has more guitar on it ,which is what I am most please with. Some of the synth sounds are purposefully retro. This sounds like Nine Inch Nails and doesn't conform to the current trends in electronic music. In some ways it reminds me of "Bite the Hand that Feeds" .  His vocals drop down to a lower whisper under the bleeps of the music twinkling above his speculations. This is more ambient and experimental than what we have heard from him in some time. I do like the chorus to this song and it does sound more like the classic era of Nine Inch Nails.

Reznor continues to lay the atmosphere on thick with "This Isn't the Place". It almost could be confused as an extension of the previous guitar into the more fragile = vocals come in. There is a more dynamic explosion that comes  from "Not Anymore". Overall this album feels  more organic as the drums on this song sound like they are being banged out on a kit. The drums go back to sounding programmed on the atmosphere thick .At 14 minutes there is some drone to it , but at two and a half minutes in the beat smooth out to provide a more substantial groove. It's Nine Inch Nails so of course the production should be stunning. The song could end at the 7 minute mark as it devolves into noise which was the purpose but we could have gotten to the point with it sooner.

As far as EPs from Reznor go the songs on here might not be as strong as what was on "Broken" but it is solid and I am glad he has gotten his edge back . It's darker and well balanced blend of atmosphere and aggressive bursts. I'll give this one a 9.5 , it will sit nicely against the rest of their catalog and is better than everything since "the Fragile" . So if you are a long time fan , you should be pleased that you are getting what we have wanted.

The Top 100 albums of the 90s :20 to 11

Here we are in the top twenty , so let the butt hurt begin as you start to see what you thought to be the best album of your drunken high school days is not on the list, because there are better albums, sure these might not have out sold Pearl Jam, but they have stood the test of time much better.

  20- Sade - "Love Deluxe"

 Half of you might have been conceived to this album. There were many trip hop albums that could have made the list, but Sade does what they do better, yes that includes Tricky and Massive Attack, who put out some good songs, but we are talking entire albums front to back and even "Mezzanine" has a little filler on it.

 



  19- Cranberries- "Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can't We?" 

This album carried more longing and passion than every thing they released after. The Cocteau Twins influence was very strong, but the vocals were layered in a different manner that makes this album.

 

  18- Sunny Day Real Estate - "Diary" 

If you were to own only one so called "emo" album, this would be the one. The band was disrupted in their prime by this guy named Dave Grohl who stole them for his cock rock band. Jeremy always claimed they started off as a hardcore band who was trying to play slow songs and on this album you can hear that more than the others.

 


  17-Tori Amos- "Little Earthquakes"

 Three years ago I ruined Tori Amos for my fiance when I played her Kate Bush and we have never been able to listen to her in the car since. While this is her "Lion Heart" it carries much more anger than Kate Bush ever taps into with the exception of the last song on "the Dreaming". Front to back their are no filler songs anywhere to be found and Tori can tinkle the keys better than Kate.

 

  16- Nirvana - "In Utero"

if you don't understand why this beat out "Nevermind" I'm not sure why you are reading my blog, but the short blurb version is that "Nevermind" is restrained and slick, where this album is a drugged out rock star in full train wreck mode. I need my rock stars dead on drugs.

 

  15- Jeff Buckley - "Grace"

For the rest of this list I will answer the nagging question of "But how did that beat out Nirvana?" . Have you ever heard Jeff Buckley sing? He could improvise singing from the phone book and it would beat Nirvana.He killed himself with much more style as well.

 


14-Alice in Chains - "Dirt"

An ode to drugs and misery. This rocks, "Rooster" is the only song I do not like on this album but "Would" balances that out. Reason it beat Nirvana? Jerry's guitar playing and Layne is a better junkie, Cobain also smoked crack while Layne just shot hard and he died from an overdose , not his wife murdering him. Yes trolls I know I just implied Cobain killed himself in the blurb above, and he did by staying with Love.


 


13-Acid Bath - "Paegan Terrorism Tactics" 

Yes they made it on here twice. Dax Riggs' first alright trumps Nirvana's discography. He might be alive or is he for he claims " dying felt so god damn good today" They are from New Orleans so my theory is he did before this album was made then brought back to life with voo-doo by children playing in the catacombs. Drugs... I scream ,you scream, every body screams for morphine.' He even admits to being a zombie.

 

  12-Fugazi - " Steady Diet of Nothing"

Dave Grohl would tell you they could not hold a candle to Fugazi, in fact he did while making a tv show about his terrible album. Ian Mckaye means no drugs. But this album has groove and punk anger coiled together and ready to burst at any moment, glued together with chops worthy of the Police.


  11- Nine Inch Nails - " the Downwards Spiral" I am not sure how this album's dominance over Nirvana could be in question. They even did it and got massive radio air play. This album did for industrial what Van Halen's 1984 did for cock rock. Reznor made it out alive, but this album has tons of self loathing. 11- Sade

The Top 15 Goth/Industrial Albums of 2013

The state of the goth scene is evident here in this year's Top 15 Goth/Industrial Albums of 2013 list. Last Fm helped me sort these according to which albums demanded the most repeat listens.


15- the New Flesh- Reality

This Bay area band emphasized the punk in post-punk but still keep things dark enough to earn their place here.



14- Psyclon Nine- Order of the Shadow

The 5th and final album by this band makes you sad to see them go.



13-the Haunted Horses- Watcher

This Seattle trio churned out a dark swathe of post- industrial noise rock.



12-  Author& Punisher -Women & Children

Man meets machine but this time with more ambiance and melody. The post-apocalyptic landscape is still just as bleak.



11-Psychic Teens -Come

Dark and angular like Jesus Lizard jamming with Joy Division, this album has a rock propulsion that keeps it moving.



10-Night Sins- To London or the Lake

This album find the Philly band moving from post-punk into a darker cold wave sound.


9- INVSN- S/T

Former front man of the Refused crafts some pretty convincing songs that are heavily shadowed by 80's bands like Crowded House and the Cure's more radio friendly moments.



8- Zola Jesus -Versions

Zola collaborates with Foetus to re-imagine her songs in a more organic manner.



7- Nine Inch Nails- Hesitation Marks

Trent steps away from the distorted guitars of industrial into a more EDM direction, that still holds up due to his songwriting chops.



6-Holograms-Forever

The Swedish post-punks show a lot of maturity in their songwriting on their sophomore lp. The choruses carry more refined hooks and attention to detail.



5-Ministry- From Beet to Eternity

Uncle Al still has a taste for mean metal riffs but the song are not weighed down by this as they have in some of the other post- Dark Side of the Spoon albums.



4-Savages- Silence Yourself

There are many other bands out there trying to imitate Siouxsie, but these gals take the influence and meld into into their own punchy sound.



3- Skinny Puppy - Weapon

More synth driven with with EDM friendly beats, this album is more dark wave than industrial but still demands repeat listens.



2-Beastmilk -Climax

They took the whole post-punk resurgence and made it more balanced from every end of the sonic spectrum. I hear as much Echo and the Bunny Men in this as I do the Misfits. Some of the years best song writing with hook that sink their steely talons into your skull.



1-Chelsea Wolfe- Pain is Beauty

Wolfe goes even darker on this painfully beautiful album. She knows how she wants her voice to haunt the songs, then wails like a desperate siren detoxing off dope. The songs have more twists and turns and take from being doom-folk into a more goth direction.

Nine Inch Nails: "Hesitation Marks"

Trent is back. This was bound to be a short lived hiatus after his How to Destroy Angels bombed so badly. The new album sees Reznor continuing to step away from the industrial label and towards EDM. This has some varied mixed results which come due to the rather diverse stabs in the dark to keep Nine Inch Nails relevant today. So the crunch of guitars is abandoned for an almost more Daft Punk approach, so if you want Downward Spiral then you are going to need to look else where, though there is a touch of the dirty junkie whore feeling that album had on "Come Back Haunted" though its put through a much sleeker edm filter, but carries a similar sneer.

The actual opening song " Copy of A" has a very lo-fi drum machine sound sputtering underneath some lush layers of vocals and synth.  These elements build in a dynamic enough manner to compensate for the low — fi elements and lack o  guitar.  This is a reoccurring phenomenon for the album as "Come Back Haunted" works off a similar premise, but when the guitars do show up on the album they take a very garage rock sound thats strikes me as being apologetic and would sound more at home on a Yeah Yeah Yeah's album.  So Trent is coming to terms with not being on the tip of the hipster tongue.

The funk strut of "All Time Low" takes you back towards "Pretty Hate Machine" though it carries the same groove as Bowie's Fame until it smoothes out into an introspective bridge, Adrian Belew's guitar is give more room to shine. Despite the Tangerine Dream drift of ambiance this is more likely to find it's way to strip clubs than "Find My Way" which finds Trent back on his knees in more pleading mood, though not at the low self deprecation of say... "Hurt". It is nonetheless a ballad, though even here it's still clear he knows his way around a melody and not a hack in the songwriting department but it feels like something we have already heard out of him.

He is going for the hipster dollar in a big way on " Everything" that finds him using a very Franz  Ferdinand guitar line , which in some case translates as a wink towards Joy Division but the layer vocals on the chorus bring to bright a touch to things and is a little too up beat vocally for a Nine Inch Nails album. It's understood he want to give his sound a face lift to keep the lines of age from dating him out of the current market, but she should read a page from David Bowie's book on how to stay one step ahead of the times rather than sounding like you are struggling to play catch up. "Disappointed" succeeds at staying true to himself and sufficiently dark. The guitar stays away from going metal but is a dissonant enough fuzz to do the song justice.

The booty popping beat of "Satellite" makes me think Trent is going to start shouting that he ain't no holla back girl.The song does a slow burn before building into a more sonic tension , with the vocal layers used to create this effect though subtle guitars are added to the crescendo. "Various Methods of Escape" is delightfully haunted by the ghost of 90's industrial rock, but the guitars are not slathered in thick distortion, but this could be on the soundtrack of the Crow remake.

There are more shades of house music on this album than any of his others it takes a predominant role in the color scheme of  " Running". If Reznor doesn't get the radio back he is out for the clubs. The production here reminds me slightly of the turn he took during the Fragile sessions though much less rock... ok,  no rock at all. The vocals do most of the work here but are as alluring as some of the other performances on the album .
The edm is at least back to the familiar dark and brooding on "I would For You" though brightens like Depeche Mode when he rounds the chorus. Not heavy like say "Reptile" this songs does put him in much closer classic N.I.N.

The album like his other work is cohesive in the songs transition from one to another seamlessly despite some of the stylistic jumps . The final act of the album pretty much stays true to form for what you would expect, with less apologies attached to the attack of "In Two". The album ends on a softer note than this though with "While I'm Still Here" being a more reserved glitch-ed groove that is underwhelming. So the guitar sound leaves something to be desired on this one but overall I'll give the album an 8.5 , though expect it to grow on me up to a 9 inch nail.



10.2

What Maiden Should Play

While I am far beyond stoked for the show June 23rd and the fact is not going to have any thing from after "Seventh Son" for once I would like a band to deviate from it's greatest hits and play the deeper cuts that people who have already seen them before want to hear, lets face it we are the loyal fans who have been helping with their mortgages back in the days when people bought albums, don't you know if people still bought them Maiden would not be touring as much as they have since the market took a decline back in 2006. So here's my wish lists set lists for ten bands who I think could stand to drop the greatest hits tours .

Iron Maiden

1-Invaders
2-Wrathchild
3-Sea of Madness
4-Back in the Village
5-Total Eclipse
6-Still Life
7-Killers
8-Alexander the Great
9- the Prisoner
10-Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Judas Priest

1-Delivering the goods
2-Don't go
3-Riding on the Wind
4-Stained Class
5-Never Satisfied
6-Eat Me Alive
7-Dissident Aggressor
8-Beyond the realms of death
9-Island of Domination
10-Devil's Child

Slayer

1-Killing Fields
2-Aggressive Perfector
3-Die By the sword
4-Black Magic
5-Necrophiliac
6-Behind the Crooked cross
7-Altar of Sacrifice
8-Temptation
9-Spill the blood
10-Seasons in the Abyss

Alice Cooper

1-Go to Hell
2-Roses on white lace
3-Halo of flies
4-The ballad of Dwight Frye
5-Is it my Body
6-Scarlet and Sheba
7-Cold Ethyl
8-It's Hot tonight
9-Steven/ the Awakening
10-i love the dead

Kiss

1-I've had enough ( into the fire )
2-Parasite
3-Keep me comin
4-Hotter than Hell
5-Charisma
6-a Million to one
7-Thrills in the night
8-She
9-100000 years
10-the Oath

Black Sabbath

1-Hole in the sky
2-Tomorrows dream
3-Hand of Doom
4-Megalomania
5-Killing yourself to live
6-Snowblind
7-Sleeping Village
8-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
9-Into the Void
10-Never say die

Rush

1-2112
2-Circumstances
3-Red Sector a
4-The Necromancer
5-Ghost of a chance
6-Witch Hunt
7-Red Lenses
8-Cygnus X-1 Book one
9-Something for nothing
10-Sub-divisions

Deep Purple
1-Stormbringer
2-Maybe I'm a Leo
3-Child in time
4-Dealer
5-Into the fire
6-Place in line
7-No one came
8-You Keep on movin
9-Woman from Tokyo
10-Perfect Strangers

Nine Inch Nails
1-Mr. self destruct
2-1,000,000
3-Heresy
4-Dead souls
5-Happiness in slavery
6-Kinda I want to
7-the Becoming
8-My violent heart
9-Even deeper
10-Eraser

Alice in Chains
1-Rotten apple
2-Sea of sorrow
3-Last of my kind
4-Down in a hole
5-All secrets known
6-I can't remember
7-Junkhead
8- Angry chair
9-Get born again
1O-Would?

Sound Garden
1-Birth ritual
2-Hands all over
3-Gun
4-Beyond the wheel
5-Jesus Christ Pose
6-Mood for trouble
7-Searching with my good eye closed
8-No wrong no right
9-4th of july
10-Big dumb sex