Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats : " Wasteland"

When it comes to the retro style of stoner rock these guys feel like the Rob Zombie version of that as things have had a pulp horror feel to them. Their hippy side tends to win out, but this album finds the normally hard rock band leaning into a more Sabbath style of metal. The first two songs have a catchier swagger and chug to them, the second one a little more of an attack. Then things change as They get darker when they slow down for the creepier "No Return". They have more of a harmonized guitar attack that takes you back to the NWOBHM , with the upbeat "Blood Runner" calling Iron Maiden. I guess if you are a band that comes anywhere near metal and are from Britain Maiden is hard to ignore. So far this is their most aggressive album to date.

They revert back to the more go-go 60s garage rock I remember these guys by. It's a well enough written song and very energetic it just doesn't have anything that stands out to me so I am glad it's not an entire album of this. I was not expecting the title track to be a strummed psychedelic song, but for what it is , they do the job pretty well falling somewhere between Pink Floyd and T-rex. "Bedouin" is in some ways more upbeat, up it has a bigger more sweeping sound and is an incredibly well written song and probably the best not only of the album, but that I can recall hearing from these guys.

The last song "Exodus" reminds me of a slowed down narcotic version of Black Sabbath's" Hole in the Sky". The previous song is so good it impacts this one and dulls the effect it might have had if placed earlier in the album. I'll give this one a 9. It might be the strongest effort yet from the band. If you are a fan you might even round it up, but I will have to see if I am going to really give it the chance to fully grow on me.

Outre : "Hollow Earth"

Takes most of the things I like about death metal into mind. Most importantly this are dark. This is very well produced . They layers of atmosphere the angular riffs ring out over has a great deal of clarity. They are Polish but not trying to be Behemoth, though they are a slight influence on the big riffs. Ulcerate would also be a reference point thought they never get as caught up in the math of it all. The riffs of "Combustion" have more crunch to them. They are even more massive than the opener. The vocals which are a guttural rasp that is still discernible, keep a similar cadence in their narrative.  They song winds its way into more of a chugged throb. This pulse has hypnotic feel to it which is where black metal and atmosphere death metal meet.

These guys are smart song writers able to take you on a journey without having to drag things out past the nine minute mark. There is a chilling dissonance to "Let the Earth be silent". The blast beats bookend the slower grinding riffs. They offer more in the way of vocal colors on this song as well. Thing seem to get darker with each song like you are being taken lower into the underworld. On "Distant Daylight" it also feels like they are beginning to also take on a more uniform sound. The guitar ring out in too similar of a fashion. They bust into "Aberrations" with more of a blast. This smooths out into more of sweeping gallop. Not for long as they are quick to return to the blast beats.

The album closes with the title track. It has a little more groove until the blast beats come in and return things back to their natural order, though with some ebb and flow. They are not pure blast beats and use them in waves, but even then they have begun to get a little old by this point in the album. They do make their way back to a catchier blend of riffs  Sung vocals that are a low choral like chant come in , but it's almost and after thought..I'll give this album an 8.5 as I have missed this kind of death metal.
This album comes out October 26th.

Anaal Nathrakh : "A New Kind of Horror"

There are no real surprises going into this as these guys continue to go for the throat when they do use sung vocals instead of screaming it has a more Emperor feel. They blast in a very winding fashion with plenty of double bass to go around. So it sometimes falls between black metal and grind core. Dark and oppressive, they continue to drill into you but this time with more of an industrial feel, which I prefer over the first song. There are some shrill falsetto vocals , that sound like King Diamond hyped up on meth. This album feels more like an industrial album from a production stand point. There are many metal elements like the yodeling that are in your face.

Regular readers who know my tastes by now will be able to see where I would prefer the more crushing industrial side of "Forward", even though it means compromising the black metal side. This is closer to Behemoth territory in it's big militant groove. More of King Diamond like falsetto crops up on the more Emperor like "New Bethlehem". There are more blast beats with syncopated grooves book ending them.Melodic guitar melodies fight against the blast of black metal nastiness of "the Apocalypse is About You". This song sounds conflicted about what it wants to do, though that is sort of this band's thing.  "Vi Coactus" finds them settling into a sound I more commonly expect from these guys, the chaos becoming more refined . "Mother of Satan" is almost humorous when they bust into the section where they just snarl "satan, satan, satan...' over and over. This is not to say that I dont like it.

I listened to "the Horrid Strife" as few times and it sounded like the other songs so much that it never left more of an impression after multiple listens. The last song "Are We Fit For Glory Yet" has a background that sounds like "Carmina Burana". It falls closer into the Dimmu Borgir like symphonic  metal realm, but is well done and rough around the edges . I'll round this album down to an 8. It's well done, but the songs don't always hook you in. If you are a fan you will no be disappointed.

Gouge Away : "Burnt Sugar"

These guys are a angular screamo band more than they are hard core. I like what they do even if some of the songs run together to due such a similar sound. The lead singer is a very pissed off young lady, who screams rather than sings. They are very aggressive, but have more of a jangle to their guitar sound. The bass player really goes after it on "Hey Mercy" . "Subtle Thrill" comes pretty close to hard core though its more punk. I think this is a little too straight forward for what they are best at until the middle of the song. She proves she can actually sing on "Ghost". She is no Taylor Swift, but holds enough melody to satisfy me. The song also strikes a good moody balance of emotions as well.


The bass driven "Dissociation" sounds like a spastic take on grunge. Not what is up with all the 90s influence creeping into everything this week. They throw themselves back into a more frantic screaming punk on "Can't Relate". The title track has more of a Sonic Youth feel to it. With dissonant melodies amid the clanging guitar. The chorus really stand out on this song when they veer off into it's more melodic expansion. It might be the best song on the album. Wilt"  finds the bass stepping again into the spot light as they continue to rage . This is denser and even closer to hard core than some of the album's earlier punk explosions.

They close the album with the more somber "Raw Blood". It kinda drones until the other guys in the band join in with a chant. I'll give this album an 8.5 , it's pretty solid. If you are more of a punk fan you can even round it up as the more straight ahead punk moments were the ones that did not connect as well with me. While there is a female vocalist, I don't think that is what defines them. Her gender is some what neutralized, until she goes into more of a singing voice. I would have loved her when I was a teenager.

Windhand : "Eternal Return"

While they are still fixated on Sabbath like overdrive, the vocals have more hooks to them and float over the thick riffs in a way that make the perfect stoner grooves. There is more atmosphere on "Grey Garden" before a guitar solo rips them back into the main riff. This is a good example of how I don't need the wheel reinvented I just need bands to give it their own spin. When we get to the strum of "Pilgrims Rest" there is a hard right turn away from not only doom , but stoner rock as a whole. It's like smoky country with a blues underbelly. They come back harder on "First to Die" . This sounds more impressive when the bass hits you with it's rumble at the beginning, but this impact wanes by the end of the song. Her vocals do pick up some of the slack by the end. 

"Red Cloud" has the grooving rumble more common place in stoner  metal. What makes this stoner metal rather than doom you ask ? The tempo factors in , but it never has a dark mourning or evil feel. One question that you can ask at home is does this music make me want to slit my wrists at a graveyard or load up the bong? The bulk of the album is made up of pretty concise songs. There are only two songs that wind out into the double digits one of these being "Eyeshine" . The tempo drops and darkness spreads making the this first song that crosses over into doom. So it's something they dabble in rather than define themselves by. Truth be told they are better at a higher bpm. This song drags  

There is a darker plod to "Diablerie" though it's a little faster than the previous song, it still sits closer to stoner metal than doom. The vocals have more of a refined melody.  This is also the single (see below) so it makes sense it would have a more alternative grunge feel like Dinosaur Jr . This grunge tone carries over into a more Nirvana like strum, which while it is wildly different than what I except from these guys makes it still a really good song with a melancholy mood. It reminds me of "Something In The Way". I'll give this album a 9 it might be their most balanced album yet and shows a ton of maturity when it comes to songwriting.

Author & Punisher : "Beastland"

There is a more metallic nastiness to the rasp of shore’s voice on the verses of the opener. He does alternate into a more Skinny Puppy like sing song cadence. His machines create a dense throb that is rough around it’s over blown edges. Intense and abrasive are two words that best fit the first song. “Nihil Strength” was the first song I heard going into the album and it is also more metallic in it’s intent though, Shore is sticking to his self made devices of torture to temper his sonic sadism. The beat to this one relaxes a little more than the first song with other layers of melody winding around it. The beat is more of the booming pulse with only other noises replicating what drums would do on say the hi-hat.

 He sings with actual melody on “Ode to Bedlam” . This one dials the intensity back, but there was not any where to go from there. Even with more melodic touches they throb until the songs collides into a wall of noise that is plunged underwater. “The Speaker is Systematically blown” is not as abrasive as it’s title might hint. Instead it has more of a Neurosis like snarl, before the sung vocal hook comes in. The song has slightly more dynamic shift than the songs preceding. The beat to “Nazerene” has a bigger darker thump to it that recalls more of this project’s earlier work, though more attention is giving to the vocals . “Apparition” merges the newer blown out distorted drone of what Shore is doing now with the more electronic pound that marked his earlier stuff.

 There is a balance of melody and pounding on “Night Terror”. This balance also lends itself to a better range of dynamics. The varied layers of sound that are woven in work really well and make this one of the album’s strongest songs. There is more of an organic sound going into the title track that closes out the album. The beat created here is pretty massive, with a cyber Bonham thump. The vocals float into the song in a manner that reminds me a little of Burton C Bell’s cleanly sung chants. Overall this album is really strong. It is certainly one of this projects heavier releases. I’ll give it a 9.5 as it sits well against his other five albums.


 

the Weekly Play list VOL- 8 Sonic Temples

Many of the past playlists have focused on either a particular artist or theme. This time I am going more for the sound of the soul. I wanted a departure from the more conventional forms of popular music consumed by the masses. Music is a universal language . This phrase has been said many times with not defined meaning to it. So what I have done is complied some of my favorite genre defying artists though most would be considered folk music of their cultures of as Brendan Perry said when I saw Dead Can Dance live “We’re going to play you a cover song, it’s about 500 years old” . So this is music that defies trends . None of this would make commercial radio, as it’s not about hooks it is about sounds that connect with the spirit.


 It is believed by some that “om” is the vibration caused by “the big bang” . Setting into motion matter from spirit. I am not going to debate metaphysics on this blog , I will save that sort of thing for Cvlt Nation. If you have followed my work on Cvlt Nation then you know I am out of the broom closet when it comes to my interest in the occult. So these are songs I find fitting for ritual. They range culturally from Egypt to Norway , yet hold the same exotic current. It hits you somewhere between a drone and slither. So if music is a language this is not for the consuming masses , but getting in touch with a transcendent place beyond the mundane. Enjoy, happy journeys.


Wardruna - "Hagal"

 


 Dead Can Dance- "Yulunga"


 


Peter Gabriel- "Of These Hope"


 



Hang Massive - "Once Again"

 

 Zywiolak - "Hela"


 

 Heilung - "Alfadhirhait"


 

 Anna Von Hausswolf- "the Mysterious Vanishing of Electra"


 

 Folknery - "Karchata"

 


 Natasha Atlas & Trans Global Underground - "Ali Mullah Lament"



  Odo Ensemble - " Nami Nami"

Ice Nine Kills : "the Sliver Scream"

I am going into this album with next to no experience with this band, and had a funny feeling about it knowing they are metal core, which is a sub-genre that really doesn't get much coverage here for good reason. It generally sucks because it sounds like mall metal. The chorus to the first song reminds me of Avenged Sevenfold. Obviously it is the darker and more melodic touches that are what I am listening for. The main reason I checked this album out to begin with is because it has a horror movie theme. "Thank God It's Friday " which is an homage to the "Friday the 13th " movies , is decent until we get to the cheese of the overblown chorus that tries to hard to be epic. I think "Stabbing in the Dark" is referring to "Halloween". It starts off almost like a power ballad before accelerating. "Savages" is kind of boring and vague in the movie it's paying tribute to. "the Jig is Up" is seems like it's about the Saw series. It's not remarkably original , but finds these guys doing what they do well enough. The chorus is less over top so that is worth something to me.

"Grave Mistake" is about as bland as it gets. "Rocking the Boat" might be about Jaws. It's pretty much color by numbers. While it is not wearing as badly on me as I feared it might, they are not coming up with anything to change your thoughts on metal core. "Enjoy Your Slay" is about the Shining, which get some points in my book since it's one of my favorite movies. They continue to play off more emo like vocal styling set against hyper thrashing with growls tossed in at random to induce break downs, but isn't this how most metal core could be described, so they don't really set themselves apart aside from the lyrical focus. "Freak Flag" is more vague in the lyrical focus , which is the most interesting part of this album. It is also one of the album's most accessible songs. "the World in my Hands" is another lyrically vague song, that is one of the more radio takes on Myspace Metal.

"Merry Axemas" is one of the more well handled songs. It is a nod to "Silent Night Deadly Night".. "Love Bites" is a cool take on "American Werewolf in London"it's my favorite song on the album, but it also reminds me of my girl friend so I am sure that colors my perspective. "Is it the End" takes It and makes it sound like something from a musical, until the screaming and double bass races into things. I'm guessing the guys from Less Than Jake are the ones handling the horns here. I'll give this album a 7. It's not bad. It's well done. Some of the lyrics are handled better than others. The emo choruses and sections that get big and wanky are not my thing. It might be yours.

Outre-Tombe : "Nécrovortex"

When it busts into the chug on the first song I am thinking "Damn Get it guys ". It does has a little bit of an early Entombed feel, but it takes me back to the classic late 80s death metal sound, I loved in high school. There is plenty of groove and some Slayer influence for good measure.Then they go more for speed on the second song and it compromises some of the magic the opener tapped into . The vocals begin to have more of an Obituary feel to their grunts. "Aberration" as a whole is an even faster and more driven song than the one before it. In doing this they sacrifice some of their personality. I get it this is a death metal album so I should not be surprised that it's going to be fast. There are moments of groove buried on "Concile Cadaverique". When they vary the tempos it works the best and gives you more to head bang to.

Things feels angrier and more violent from there. I can hear more thrash influence creep in. The guitars drone into the tremolo picking a little more, not making in blackened , but a throbbing blur.I know death metal should be fast. Some times it comes across like I will complain about anything. These guys nail it on the gallop of the title track. There are catchy riffs that make you want to return to the song. The lyrics seem like they might be sung in French half the time. There is little in the way of atmosphere, these guys work off sheer velocity and meanness. This does cause some of the songs to begin to take on a more uniform sound by the time you get to the album's 3rd act.

They pick from some of the best influences Entombed, Obituary, Sepultura and make them their own. The drummer for this kind of thing has to be a machine, but he really doesn't kill you with the double bass and is pretty tasteful for death metal. I'll round this up to an 8, though when I am in the mood for this sort of thing I am much more likely to go back and dig out my old Obituary albums, For kids who don't know any better and looking for new death metal this is worth your time.

Marisa Nadler : " For My Crimes"

She continues down a path of hauntingly morose balladry. More ghostly than Lana Del Ray. More folk than country this time around, though hints of western sounds still color this album. In fact there is more country on "I Can't Listen to Gene Clark Anymore" that the more ambient opening track. Things seem simpler here. More minimal compositions, keep the focus on the vocals. Sometimes these vocals are layered on the chorus , notably on " Are You Really Going to Move to the South". There is a modest return to country in the relaxed strum of " Lover Release Me". She sings smoothly without a trace of twang, yet there is something in her delivery that feels like old country.  She lets her voice crack rather than go into a head voice in certain places, giving it a rawer feel.

She doesn't try to take a stab at rock on "Blue Vapor", but has a more commanding deliberation. This is the strongest song thus far. Things get marginally darker on "Interlocking". Overall I would say this album feels more nocturnal than dark. Dreamy and somber are her subdued melodies. "All Out of Catastrophes" finds her with more of a lower pitches huskiness to her voice, while managing to still capturing her trademark feel. Lyrically this might be the most interesting song thus far. "Dream Dream Big in the Sky" feels like 50s pop. There are some great song titles on this album, "You're Only Harmless When You Sleep" is one of them. This is a more delicate folk song. It builds faintly with some strings in the background.

"Flamethrower" is another lazy strum that rings out into a sad empty place. The melodies float around rather than pulling you into it. There is some interesting atmosphere in the background. The bulk of this album is certainly more stripped down than "Strangers". Strings join in on " Said Goodbye To That Car".  I think this album is going to have to grow on me. Production wise it feels more intimate. Songs like "Interlocking" I like more each time I hear them so I am going to go ahead an give this album a 9, as it's so ethereal and wispy the songs become intangible and don't hook me as quickly as some of her previous efforts. Comes out Sept 28th on Sacred Bones.

Vanishing Kids : " Heavy Dreamer"

These kids might not be the first band that has flirted with doom metal elements while embarking on another path. Bands like Messa and King Woman come to mind in this regard. This band features former members of Jex Thoth and draws influences from a wider web. The over driven guitar waking sluggishly from the hazy murk that is "Creation" recalls the retro vibe of  occult rock while bathing with lusher atmosphere. Despite the occasional rock god guitar solo that puts it's foot upon on the monitor to remind you where they came from, both the title track and "Without a Sun" both sound like they could have come from 4AD's catalog in the late 80s. The latter being darker while carrying a serpentine groove.

There is a burlier more metallic tone to the guitar that kicks up "Mockingbird". This is not the heaviest doom album you have ever heard. There is no reason to use the words crushing to describe anything going on here. But these are really well written songs that have a great mood to them. Much like artists Chelsea Wolfe or Emma Ruth Rundle, who appeal to fans of metal, I think these guys are on the harder rock end of that spectrum. I can hear traces of Siouxsie in the vocals as much as I can here Stevie Nicks or Grace Slick, so the cauldron of influences has been well stirred to create a brew of their own making. The doom undercurrent of what they do can be felt more on "Eyes of Secrets" ..

The first hint of anything Sabbath like does not surface until "Reaper". It's mainly in the hammer on of the guitar, with other more traditional doom nuances scattered. This is also the first time it winds into something that is more of a jam than a song with a clear cut direction. The vocals kind of soar and float more than form hooks. The tempo changes in one section, but is not really defined. It sounds good and as far a guitar solos go they are pretty great if you are into that kind of thing. It's like a weird cross between Sade and Jimmy Hendrix meeting over an acid trip on "Rainbows'.. There is a lighter dreamier tone to "Magnetic Magenta Blue" . The song begins to take form following a collage of trippy sounds. It's a little darker when the vocals come in. Three minutes in things get doomy again.

This album has heavy moments, and the guitar solos shoot for a more metal mark in how they aggressively go big. I would not call this a metal album it is a piece of dark psychedelic rock that occupies its own interesting space I'll round this one up to a 10 as the pieces of songs that did not click on first listen will grow on me as the over all mood of the album and the picture they paint here is pretty remarkable. .Svart Records is releasing this November 30

An Autumn For Crippled Children : " the light of September"

I had to go back an listen to the first song twice to make sure I heard what I heard. I had. It was a band who was once at the forefront of the depressive black metal scene, making bouncy happy music. They have been straying from black metal for some time. However they did it in a way that stayed true to their more down trodden sense of self. This is their 7th album, so change is bound to happen, lets just hope the first song is an isolated incident. They return to that somewhat on the second song , which is much closer than the title track to the band's identity up to this point. There is a little more of a shoe gazing thing to "Hiding in the Dark" , but it is briskly paced. There seems to be more reliance on electronics on this albums than in the past. I like that "lovelorn" has a more somber David Lynch like atmosphere going into it. Its not until two minutes into this drone that the guitar kicks in and goes in the direction we want it to. I would complain that this song is an instrumental if the vocals were not upon to their same bag of tricks on this album. Its a scream that sounds the same every time and has become this projects weak link though sometimes the only element making this metal.

Beginning to pick up on a little more of a formula. Despite the fact "Fragility' is more piano driven at two minutes in the guitars come in a sweep every thing away. I will say it does capture their mood better than the first song that was way off base. The guitar tone is interesting to "the Silence Inside" which builds into something that sounds like it might be from their more classic work, as the dynamic intensities clash well against one another. "A new day has come" remembers what made the old days work, though not recycling ideas."Still Dreaming" just kinda breezes by without leaving me much i can latch on to. It sounds good I just don't feel like it tells much of a story..

"The Golden Years" races along the same smooth pace the previous song hit cruise control with. It is just not as emotive or dynamically driven as what I normally get from these guys. What works on this album is how they are balancing out new sounds while not trying to isolate their audience. I'll give this album an 8 as it does return to the sound I would from them without ripping themselves off like AC\DC. Sure in the process of experimentation not every shot they take hits the mark , but over all it's nothing for them to be ashamed of as they pretty much redeem themselves by the end of the album.

Korpiklaani : "Kukija"

I must be a glutton for punishment. I go into this album knowing it's going to be too happy for me, but give it a shot anyway. Surprise, when we say folk metal here it is more like polka than metal. It's not til the third song that they find some darker minor key notes and slow down some.The mix is a little as the guitars could stand to have more heft. When they build into a more epic chorus it's not totally cheesed out, so I can still deal with it and this might be one of the first songs I have liked from these guys. A more longing tone opens "Harmaja" , but if there is one thing I have learned from these guys, it's don't get too comfortable as they could kick into that stupid polka thing at any moment. This one has a more subdued ballad like feel which seems a little soon 4 songs in. But at least they are showing more restraint.

They continue to show more of a grasp of what folk means than an all out frolic. The metallic qualities are pretty basic palm muted chugging and the recycle most of their folk melodies, but it is working better on this album than some of the drunken jigs I have heard them embark on in the past. The bass has a little more of a presence than what I recall in the past from them. About six songs in things all begin to sound the same. The vocal delivery is somewhat to blame as the melodies all follow the same bouncy staccato cadence, until the chorus where they are more sung. Sometimes there is a little more of a gallop where and there. They slowly begin to add more punch in to the metal sections . "Kallon malja" finds them grinding down into heavier amid the sway of pirate shanties which works really well for them.

They continue down are heavier path than I have heard from them with darker tinges.But for every song there is something that sounds like polka from the middle ages . "Riemu" is back to being almost too happy, though the bounce back to keep a better balance on "Kuin korpi nukkuva"though even then some of the folk elements are to bouncy and ska like .The guitar on "Juomamaa" sounds like something from a pop punk album and like the emphasis on on all the violins and hurdy gurdys. There is a more somber tone going into" Tuttu on tie". By the time the vocals come in I am having to reconcile myself to the fact that even though they came closer this time out these guys might not be my thing. I'll round this one down to a 7.5 .

The Weekly Playlist Vol 7 Where is My Mind ?

In terms of readership / views these have gotten too popular for me to stop now as Vol 6 -the Cure Edition, beat out most albums reviews this week. Granted the Cure is in the wheelhouse of most of my readers here.We are breaking from the focus on an artist or genre theme this week. There is still a theme, this is not my most personal blog, it the blog where I am the last word so I get to do what I want. It is however Cvlt Nation that I touch on subjects like kink, mental illness and drugs that goes deeper than what I think about the new Interpol album. While I can have some emotional connections to the music at the end of the day life will still go on if Nick Cave puts out a shitty album, not to say he would. In the event he did, I have learned even most of my favorite artists will at some point let me down. Just because I don’t see eye to eye with Converge about the direction they are headed in, it is not enough to make me want to go have a drink. Where is My Mind is the name of the column I write for Cvlt Nation on mental health...yes it’s also the name of a Pixies song. It’s been a mental health week for me and to be honest I think I never truly got balanced back out post Dragon Con, so it’s made me more anxious and reactive than normal and when I came off a panicked high swing there was the wouldn’t I be doing everyone a favor style suicidal idealization. Now my meds are regulated and I’m screwing my head back on so you guys are stuck with me for a while. So this is the sound track to my crazy. Rather than posting a bunch of songs about being crazy I forced myself to pick only from albums that have come out this year. Some are as new as Pale Waves and Slothrust, others like Iceage and Voices have been out for awhile. So you might find some new music along the way, though I didn’t feel like putting the links to the full album reviews on here, I am sure you are adults that can internet very well, so Here you go..

Bosse de Nage : "Further Still"

The opener starts off with a frantic blasting chaos that sounds like the drums were being tossed down a flight of stairs. Then it smooths out into a more deliberate pounding. The vocals are screamed but in more of a punk manner. There is nothing black gazey about this album it's more like hard core with a touch of black metal. Keeping with punk song writing the songs are short and to the point rather than sprawling ten minute drones. The vocals remind me of some of Converges more coherent moments. The first actual lyric that catches my ear is something about debasement. But if you have read my work with Cvlt Nation this should not be a surprise. "Crux" does little to change my mind about the conclusions the first two songs brought me to though I like the more dynamic trade off of tension. It hits me like more of a hard core trick than black metal. So from this point on in the review I am going to avoid referring to black metal altogether.

"Listless" opens up more sweeping sonics before things get nasty again. This going to be the hard core record that all the hard core kids are going to sleep on.The bass tone on this album is generally on point and I like the fact that it strays from the typical metal tone, which I guess it should since this is a hard core album. "My Shroud" really high lights this fact with it's atmosphere. When their drummer isn't throwing his kit down the stairs he really kills it. Though they begin to get mired into the speed of things. They don't let up on "Sword Swallower". There a few pounding accents and I'm waiting for a breakdown.Sure it's mean, but I know these guys can do more as song writers. "Vestiges" picks up pretty much where the previous song leaves off.  Two minutes thankfully there is some trade off and the bass holds things down.

They go from fast to faster as they close the album with the uber intense "A Faraway Place". It works just off the merit it's so in your face, which is a lot for an album that is so aggressive and driven. This album doesn't take as many chances as "All Fours", but it's about par for the course in that regard when it comes to hard core. I'll give it a 7.5 as it's a little one dimensional, but if I went into the album expecting hard core then I might have rounded it up to an 8.

Slothrust :"the Pact"

Woah... these guys have come along a way. This is a much smoother and polished effort right off the bat with a stab at pop injected. Gone is the grunge rawness. It does get kicked up later in the first song, but the hooky alternative rock going on here is much different than my first taste of the band. I would not call it selling out. It's a refining that could open them up to a bigger audience, it's a natural progression I suppose as I could never find their last album. "Peach"reminds me of Hole slightly, and the entire tone of the album production wise in terms of guitar tone makes me think of Placebo, though more organic and less synthesized. "Planetarium" has more a punk kick to it that doesn't feel like them to me. The moodier more ballad like "Walk Away" is lyrically interesting. It also allows us to really hear her cut loose with her vocals , not in a diva like display but from an emotive place.

The album is highly diverse in terms of it's dynamic range going into an acoustic strum on "Birthday Cake". This builds into some thing would have been common place on alternative rock radio in the 90s. Think the Breeders. With the horns and the jangle of the guitar it's almost ska until things break down for the verse. At this point it feels a little too upbeat for me. Despite it's title "the Haunting" strums along in a pleasant way that Juliana Hatfeild would be proud of . There is a similar strum to "New Red Pants" , but I think there is more to this song. The bass player gets down and they threaten to rock out. I like the drumming on "Fever Doggs" it reminds me of the Police. They do remember their distortion pedals on this song. Heading into the two minute mark there is a metallic riff that is pretty cool.

"On My Mind" is another ballad that allows her room to really sing. She does her sing song talk through most of the songs. Which gives their sound a certain attitude , but I prefer the moments where she really sings. I had to listen to "Some Kind of Cowgirl" twice to really absorb it. I like vocal layering. There is more of a tenderness to her voice. It clears up any doubts in regard to her singing . It might be the albums most dynamically rich song. This is contrasted by them closing with the acoustic "Travel Bug", which reminds me of "Blackbird" . It is going to take some getting used to the change of sounds here. I will give this album a 9, as it's well done and hits the marks they set out to hit.

Cultes Des Ghoules : "Sinister"

The fourth album from the Polish black metal band finds , an almost more Urfaust sound . The vocals are more sung in a resonate bellow on the first song , than howled or screamed manically. They continue to get darker , though perhaps no heavier. It all drones off of one central riff. There is more of a metallic chug to "Woods of Power". It does descend into more of a old Mayhem like take on black metal. It's pretty rough around the edges with a crazed honesty, yet sounds more like traditional black metal than I am used to hearing from these guys. The guitars utter out melodies that get a little buried in the din. "Day of Joy" has more determined and deliberate pound to the accents of it's attack. In some ways it comes across as a more musically fulfilling song. I  think it follows more traditional metal rules while the crazed vocals are the coat of chaos to distract you from this fact.

The production is a double edged sword here. While I might benefit the songs to have taken more time in the process, the roughness does give it more black metal cred. So they can't win either way on it. I think some of these songs that clock in at over the ten minute mark could stand to have some fat trimmed in the compositions. "the Serenity of Nothing" starts off more angry and smooths out for the chant that is layered over it in what could be the first verse if you were going to attempt to hold these guys to song structure. The song does ebb back into something that reminds me of Alice Cooper's "Black Juju".

They pick up the pace to close the album with "Where the Rainbow Ends" which is the least black metal song title ever. But that is fine with me. It starts off pretty run of the mill black metal, so much so that I hope I don't have to go thru a full 12 minutes of it. Then it slows into more of a gallop. It is still very Mayhem, more so when the vocals try to sing more than snarl. The guitar unexpectedly drops out and things get interesting. They go off into something angular and proggy, proving they can really play before blasting back. Things ebb back down, so they are making an attempt to justify the 12 minute mark. I will give this album a 9, though I doubt it's something I will get many spins from. It's a mature effort on their part and finds a balance between making fans of true black metal happy as their grim souls can be, without getting stale and embracing experimentation.

This album is released Sept 23rd on Hells Headbangers.

Deicide : "Overtures of Blasphemy"

The band's 12th album, finds guitarist Mark English from Monstrosity on board. His solos have a less chaotic feel and bring a more classic metal feel to the table. Benton has stayed true to what the band does, so much so that I have felt like I didn't need anything past "Once Upon the Cross", but I am giving this a shot as I have heard some stuff in-between that was pretty decent. The first three albums hit you with a steam roller intensity where they are chugging at you like a machine. That might not be the case here, but they are very efficient.There is more melody in the riffs as they are not giving you 39 lashes with them. Any problem I could have here is a problem I would have with death metal as a whole, it can be one dimensional aggression. This causes many of the songs to sound the same when they get more entrenched in speed.

The bass seems to be lower in the mix and Benton is not double tracking his vocals with the higher more demonic one which I think helped define their sound. This caused songs like "Crawled From the Shadows" to sound more like everything that has come after them. When the songs take on more of a thrashing feel, they grab me a little more with the relentlessness of "Seal the Tomb Below". The punchy vocals give it more of a hooky feel. "All That is Evil" doesn't capture this as well, though the syncopated march driving it does keep it from sounding like everything else. There is a Slayer feel to "Excommunicated". End the end the song blurs into the others. There is more intricate guitar work going into "Anointed in Blood" than I can really recall hearing from the band before. While its chug will give fans of death metal , what they want, someone like me who goes into with the mind set all metal is equal and want to hear song writing, gets a little boring.

The punch of  "Crucified Soul Salvation"  recalls more of their earlier days than anything thus far. The vocals have more purpose and are not just grunts as an after thought , but a working part of the song.  "Defying the Sacred" highlights the new more melodic side of the band, that would appeal more to fans of post At The Gates death metal. Then they revert back to a more meat and potatoes style of death metal. There is a angrier attack to "Flesh , Power , Dominion", that I think is done more effectively with the more accented "Destined to Blasphemy" If there was ever a debate over who is the best death metal band Deicide or Morbid Angel? This album doesn't touch Morbid Angel's last one in terms of blending musicality with brutality. I'll give this an 8 as it gets the job done, but doesn't touch the first three albums.

Emma Ruth Rundle : "On Dark Horses"

I try not review albums on days I am really suicidal. Normally when I am in that state I have lost interest in all things...even music. This time I was more anchored by certain things, but when I tried to listen to this album it did not grab me like " Marked For Death". It's not as dark and it's more of a straight up rock album. There are some surreal parts even in the trippy section of the opener. At times it makes me think of Jimi Hendrix playing country music. In other words Dave Navarro. There is a lose jazzy jam quality. The vocals to "Control" are a little moodier. I am open to her expanding her sound as I certainly didn't want her just to re-hash "Marked For Death". The dreamy swirl is still a thing even when she gets louder. So I like the second song better than the first which at least means this album is heading in the right direction.

That western undertone I detected is brought to the spot light on the title track. This is closer to "Marked for Death" so of course I like that though it's her ripping off herself. There is some roughly mixed over driven grunge flavored guitar on this one. Id we are using the totality of Nirvana to define grunge then this album is more grunge than indie rock so far. The moody western thing continues , but with a more introspective mood for "Races". I am glad I went back a re-visited this album in a saner state of mind. The drums give a little more pound to the dreamy desert that is "Dead Set Eyes". The vocals coast over the guitar really well. .The guitar solos on this album are really well done , they are more of texture thing more than any shredding.

It's cool to hear the male vocals layered around her's on " Light Song" , it has a more ominous feel to it. There are more sonic colors on this album than "Marked For Death". It's really well produced and they obtained some incredible guitar tones. "Apathy on the Indiana Border" also recalls some of the more longing moods she captured on "Marked For Death". Though they are slightly co-dependent I do like the lyrics to this song. There is a sleepy quality to "You Don't Have to Cry". The guitar is wandering in one direction and her vocals are going in the other. When it gets to the chorus it has more of a country feel. I'll go ahead and round this album up to a 10 and see how it grows on me.

Pale Waves : " My Mind Makes Noises"

I've been collecting singles from the band leading up to this album. So I've been looking forward to it. While I've  described this band to friends as a mix of Taylor Swift with the Cure. The opener is pretty bubble gum, but well done for what it. You don't get to hear the meat of what they do until "There's a Honey". The hook in the chorus is subtle, but I've woken up at 4 AM with it in my head as I stumble to the bathroom. It's songs like this one that have provided a soundtrack to my summer and navigating the first feelings of new relationships. There is a unhinged vulnerability to her lyrics that resonates with me. The title track has lyrics I can really relate to in regards to where anxiety and neurosis mixes with the initial burst of chemicals that comes with fluttering stomachs. Heather's voice alone can induce some fluttering, as since this is an album review I'l just letting the pictures do the talking in regards to her other key selling points.


"Came in Close" is a more upbeat dance song. I feel pretty positive when I hear it, though it is moments likes these that puts them very close to Chrvches zip code. "Loveless Girl" is moodier though with pop slick production. Like many of these songs the strength lies in the honesty of the lyrical narrative, which makes what would other wise sound like smart pop, even sharper.  There are hints of the 80s, one of the biggest influences seems to be Cyndi Lauper. "Drive" shows how Heather can throw her voice around as needed. The guitar is often mixed against the synths pretty closely so until there is distortion on them like in this song it can be hard to make out where they begin and keyboards end. Production wise the album is immaculate it one of the best vocal mixes I have heard since Taylor Swift's album. "When Did I Lose It All" goes into a chorus that makes me think of if the Cocteau Twins were a pop band instead of ethereal elf songs. This might be the strongest song that was not a single.

"She" is an atmospheric ballad that has a teenage jealousy to it that I don't relate to as much. There is an actual guitar solo on this one. "One More Time" is a bouncy break up song. It's anthem like chorus doesn't work as well for me as the verses. "Television Romance" is one of the more 80s sounding singles, but it's also a great fucking song. The guitar riffs sound like Prince while her voice has a quirk that really works. "Red" is more guitar driven that the bulk of the album, and proves the band does have a more organic side. Lyrically it could be a Tay Tay b-side, it's also the first song where she admits to being a vixen. The guitar is what really brings this one home and sets them apart from radio pop. "Kiss" might be my favorite song from these guys, though the lyrics factor into this. "Black" is another love gone wrong song. It's her voice that really sells it though more guitar in the verses doesn't hurt anything. It gets stripped way down to an acoustic guitar on "Karl". It's raw vulnerability that really sells this song. This band proves Brit pop doesn't have to have anything to do with the Beatles. I'll round this one up to a 10.

Deadbird : "III-The Forest Within the Tree"

Music plays a large role in my mental health for better of for worse. Sometimes it can allow me to fig deeper into depression, but when I am crawling out of my skin anxious I need to be brought down a little, funeral doom is the best for this, but I am still waiting on the new Evoken so this band out of Arkansas is going to have to do.  The vocals have a grungey Alice In Chains feel. The guitars are very much legit doom when they kick in. Very layered with clean strums thrown into the chords. While the first shade of vocals we get on this album are cleanly sung they do have grit to them rather than trying to make the melodies soar over the music. The second song might build into a "Children of the Grave" chug , but these guys are not simply Sabbath worshipers despite being a doom band. The howling of screamed vocals comes in midway into the second song.

They ride the lumbering drone of "Heyday" in a more Sleep like manner with it's monolithic fuzz. It does ebb down into a more melodic section. They roar back with more of a bull dozing sludge feel on " Alexandria" . It is a much more straight forward song . The bass leads into the instrumental "11:34", a cool idea that could have been worked into an actual song. The more brooding beginnings of "Brought Low" remind me of something Dax Riggs might have done. It has a slow dark simmer. It was beginning to become my favorite song on the album , until the howling vocals made it feel like they took the easy out dynamically. The clean vocals do return for the chorus and things stay relatively dark.  I think aside from pulling from the box of stock metal dynamics it might still be the albums best song.

There are some pretty powerful moments in the chug attack of " Bone & Ash". It is to the point and in your face. It even accelerates into a more punk fueled brand of sludge. I'll give this album a 9 and see how it sit with Me. The darker moments are really great, some of the more straight up sludge parts, just sound like you would expect that sort of thing to sound, though less Neurosis. The harsher vocals add to things and give a wider depth that Pallbearer doesn't venture into in terms of the range of heaviness, though Pallbearer has these guys in terms of melodies and the comparison is really due in part to the Arkansas connection, what makes those people love doom I do not know.

Weekly Playlist Vol 6 -the Cure edition

Some one said one morning that I am like the Cure dark on the outside and a marsh-mellow in the inside. I told them then I would make this, so here it is. I was pondering in this thematic series doing David Bowie, because while the Cure is one of my all time favorite bands, David Bowie still edges them out of the top spot and even Robert Smith would admit he would never have done what he did without Bowie. But readers with fine tuned ears or who are just not stoned enough to pay attention the lyrics might notice many of the songs in the Play List series has a common theme...love. Or something in that realm of emotion. This made the choice easier since when David Bowie tackles that subject matter he does so typically in the larger than life theatrical manner he does everything in his world, the exception being the songs on the b-side of  the "Young Americans" album he has a more soulful take.

Robert Smith on the other hand is someone whose perspective fit better. He is bi-polar as hell either in a low swing and writing about wanting to just disappear or he is bouncing round and it's all pastel rain bows swirling around like a lava lamp. This morning I could only listen to the Cure and was trying to get to the lava lamp swirling place , but was in a low swing so these are the songs where the lyrics said..."Oh yeah I feel that way" For better or for worse , music is a major part of my mental health. The Cure helps stabilize me when I am anxious, where metal can make my skin crawl. So here are some songs where Robert Smith meets his marsh-mellow side half way. He muses that sure if my be crazy and insecure, but he is going to embrace his feelings. He is either longing for someone there is a distance between or he is skipping around planning a picnic and smelling flowers he is so head over heels. I can relate. Here I'll shut up and give you music now, not the all time best Cure songs he has a ever written , but a great soundtrack for when I'm fluttery.

"Underneath the Stars"






"Before Three"



 


 "Six Different Ways"






"Strange Attraction"







" There is No If "








"Speak My Language" 







 "Close to Me"






-"Untitled"







"the Perfect Girl"



 

Alkymist : " s/t"

While they are being called doom, the first song on the band's self titled debut reminds me of a cross between Godflesh and Neurosis. I don't think all doom bands should owe the totality of their existence to Black Sabbath. I do think the difference between doom and sludge lies in the sense of mourning , where sludge has a dirtier more apocalyptic chug to it, that is being displayed here. I'm just working off my first impression of the opener so maybe their entire families get killed before the second song and the album takes a more despondent turn. I can also hear some Crowbar influence in the grunt of the vocals . Midway into the song the bass line does lurch into something darker that comes closer to doom, so they did not need great loss in their lives to get their in time for the guitar solo.

The second song combines a great deal of other elements all carrying an oppressive crunch and meeting somewhere between doom and sludge. There is more melody and atmosphere to "Myling" which retains the hints of Neurosis , but also couple with shades of 90s metal if we are talking Type O Negative, not the band's goth side, but the heavy crunching lumber.  The more Black Sabbath side of things begins to stir on "Paradise". The vocals are almost like My Dying Bride, but not gothy. They eventually go back into the throaty bark that has been their primary function thus far. The vocal colors on this do shift. One such change occurs midway into the song.

"Serpent" started off more Pink Floyd like. The vocals take on a more Amebix feel as the over all sound has that more dystopian crust feel.You can here how Killing Joke also influenced this brand of music. The guitar tone is much cleaner  here and the atmospheric elements are very organic. The roar of the vocals is much more Neurosis like as they sit against the heavier modulation. It's a pretty impressive display of pounding. I'll around this down slightly to am 8.5 , due to the fact this is obviously not the most original thing going. They still manage to make this their own despite that fact and that says a lot so if you are looking for a new sludge album this should be your jam.

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Clutch : "Book of Bad Decisions"

The bar is held pretty high after "Psychic Warfare" . The opener is not as strong as "X-Ray Visions", but it has a groove that is what the band does, there might be a little more atmosphere. I guess it feels like Fallon's delivery is not as urgent. "Spirit of  76" finds the band back where I want them to be. The title track has a similar slinking blues groove, though marginally less impressive than the previous song. "How to Shake Hands" finds Fallons narrative locking into to the song with his more noted personality. The funk to "In Walks Barbarella" is hard to deny. The hook is there and finds Fallon's vocals gather the needed grit to add to the song's hook. The more standard rock fare of the much less adventurous "Vision Quest" doesn't do as much for me. I guess when it comes to straight up rock n roll , it's pretty decent , but I think I have already heard these guys do straight up rock n roll better.

"Weird Times" is there brand of rock n roll once again, though the drums are more upfront in the mix and this album doesn't find the bass as up in your face which makes the overall sound not as heavy as the previous album. Their drummer is really sweating for his paycheck on this album, so if you are a drummer this will not let you down. When the bass does resurface on "Emily Dickinson" it doesn't have the same growl it's had in past. For this song they can get away with it as it's more melodic and bluesy. Fallon takes on more of a country croon, though in his resonate baritone. It wanders off into something more psychedelic by the end of the song. "Sonic Counselor" has almost more of a ZZ Top feel. There is a little more of Sabbath to the chug of " A Good Fire". The blues drenched hook bounces around the song and is what you expect from their formula.

So far the more explosive elements seem toned, so going into "Ghoul Wrangler" my hopes are high for them to rocking a little harder. It is however nothing new for these guys and I have heard them commit to this harder. I can hear traces of Judas Priest in the more palm muted riff. They rock pretty well into "H.B is in Control" . Lyrically this might be one of the album's best moments.A slide guitar opens the twangy "Hot Bottom Feeder".  It is pretty much what you would expect from these guys and rides a pretty solid groove, the bass still could use a boost and really the mix is the only gripe about this album, as it would give this song more balls. The tempo picks up for "Paper & Strife". It's another meat and potatoes rock n roll song, along the line of 70s radio rock like Mountain.

The album ends with "Lorelei" a darker more somber song, that is a nice directional shift. Fallon talks his way through the verse and goes into his more gritty for the chorus. It ebbs back down kind of like "Hell"s Bells" I'll round this down to a 9 and see how it sits with me, some of the more straight forward rock n roll moments doesn't do as much for me as the song driven by the kind of thicker grooves that I want from the guys. Sometimes it feels like Fallon's hooks are just being dialed in a little and they are working more of a formula, but overall their formula work, The Drumming and guitar playing are so great they can easily carry this album. 

Mammalek : "Out of Time"

This album is so weird , the boundaries of these songs is loose . I found myself on the third song after having no clear definition where the first two songs began or ended. It is a darker form of post-rock clouded with angular gloomy and vocals that moan and growl. They are never really the focal point for of a background narrative. The guitar is mainly clean and almost jazz like. "God is the Irrational Number" comes out of it;s dreamy guitar drift with a swirl of effected vocals hypnotizing you. The used of more aggressive vocals just feels like some one is being driven crazy rather than roaring at you like a monster. This approach might be more unnerving as it sounds more like someone walking into the studio and cracking. The guitar playing is not metal , but it is polished. In fact there is not much about this album so far that actually is metal. Things get tense at times but not heavy.

Their is a little more growl to the narrative on "Recompense is Real". Its more like a growled spoken word as it's not following the beat of the song. Then is left to rant alone when the music drops out. I like the more sweeping dynamic build that comes after this and how the tension darkens it. This brings what might be the album's first metallic moment. "Doomed Beast" almost sounds more like a heavier take on a Tom Waits song. The guitar continues to flow smoothly under the organized chaos being called a song here. There is more of a groove to " Out of Love" ,but the weirdness plays against it until flowing into a bizarre middle eastern atmosphere. These guys get credit for keeping me guessing and having a dynamic range of sounds. "Where Is My Friends House" starts of strong with an undeniable groove that they give over to atmosphere. The lyrics all seem to be very abstract as well. This is not metal at all, but what it is could be hard to lay a finger on as so many odd elements from jazz to post-rock are colliding.

Sometimes the odd pairings of styles are more effective than others as I question the funk of "My Master, My Father, My Author". It just breaks the dark and surreal mood this album has already established. Things begin to fall apart as the weirdness eclipses what made these songs work on "the First is Last" . "Almost Dead Dog" has a more melodic emo feel to it's dreamy sway. "Absolute Knowing" sounds like something from a Faith No More album even with the more gurgled death metal vocals. It does conform to a more traditional song format, instead of just wandering around. The last song is pretty much just an instrumental outro. I'll round this album down to an 8, as some of the noisy parts detached you from what was really going on, but over all this is a pretty dark and adventurous album.

Pig Destroyer : "Head Cage"

The album starts off more grind core than not, these guys go for the throat with the anger of hard core coupled with the more metallic leanings of death metal. The vocals are more in line with hard core. Feed back squeals out from the edges of the songs. There is more groove to "Army of Cops". It proves these guys can actually write a song when they put their heads to it. There is a little more of a thrashing feel to "Circle River" . The vocals take on a more punk howling. By the time it gets to the amped up tempo of "the Torture Fields" it is clear their drummer is really talented, but everything else is descending into a mire of chugging and beginning to all sounds the same. We do have that rule, cool riffs alone do not a good song make.

Their grind core tendencies are more fully indulged on "Terminal Itch". It's a little straight forward for me. The riff to "Concrete Beast" is not wildly different from many of the other metal tinged riffs on the album. The vocals are a higher choked scream. The songs begin to sound the same on "the Adventures of Jason and JR". The verse riff is really mean. The vocals keep falling along the same lines of screams with just a few minor differences tonally. Their need for speed begins to wear thinner on songs like "Mt. Skull". Some of it comes across a little busy. The bass player they have recently added makes himself known going into "The Last Song" which hits a chug much like something Converge would have fucked with. I like the extra layers of sound they add to things .

They close the album with "House of Snakes". At seven minutes long it's the longest song on the album. From the beginning it reminds me of "Orion" before dropping down to the thump of the bass against a sample. At a minute and a half in you can't imagine anyone thinking this isn't heavy as fuck. The guitars wind around in varied levels of harmonized chugging. These guys are good at what they do. That is why I am rounding this up to a 7.5, they are not re-inventing the wheel here.  So fans is this worth a six year wait ?

Wilcifer's Top 10 Folk Artists

Since the Weekly Playlist is weekly , I can only publish one a week, yeah, I know its my fucking blog so I could do anything I want, but then it would just be chaos. I am not opposed to chaos, but it would then turn into the bi-weekly playlist. The reason for the Weekly Playlist, was it was the audio equivalent to leaving notes in your crush’s locker in high school. The lyrics to some of these songs could still say..” Do you like me ? Check yes or no”, but not all of them , in fact some are on the angry side. So I made this a top ten list, cause you kids like them. I am not saying they are the greatest of all time, as it lacks the Bob Dylans and Phil Ochs. In fact I let Last FM sort them out and rank them by who I have listened to the most. The Top 10 folk artists, Wilcifer Has Listened to the Most According to Lastfm.com, so really an unwieldy title so , it is what it is. I did not list the song titles by the artists as that would imply they are the best songs by that artist. I just picked these songs because I like them. Some the lyrically content is particularly potent, which I think is a key component of folk, since it’s sripped down more honest story. The John Vanderslice song could have been a letter I wrote to my mom at the peak of my heroin addiction. The Chelsea Wolfe song pretty much sums up my marriage. So I could have titled this locker note…”Here Is What My Life Was Like Before I Met You”. But that title is also very long. It could be argued that these are not all soley folk artists, but by that reasoning neither was Bob Dylan as he took his music to other place. Here there are going to be elements of rock and blues mixed in , but I think that is part and parcel, granted there are many folk artist who came out in the 90s and were marketed as being singer -song writers since folk was not the easiest crossover market at the time. So we could nit-pick this list all day and I don’t have time for that, in fact dear reader while I hope you enjoy this , you are really just a voyeur to me leaving another audio note in the locker. 10- Rome

   



9-John Vanderslice

 

8-Cat Power


 



7-Damien Rice



 


 6-Ani Difranco

 


 5-Dax Riggs

   


4-Brendan Perry


 



3-Death In June



 


 2- the Decemberists



 


1- Chelsea Wolfe

 

the Weekly Playlist Vol 5 : Nu-Metal edition

Breaking away from the trend of artist specific playlists I had going there for a couple of weeks to switch gears into a sub-genre specific playlist. I was going to stick to the artist theme and then make this a top ten list, but this makes more sense since we have a bunch of top ten lists as it as and the end of the year will be here before we know it. While I was no longer teenager when the nu-metal subgenre exploded in the late 90s, I appreciated the first wave of albums that came from it. Once certain artists got too much radio play it began to become watered down. Even after the first wave a few bands included here slipped by to make decent music.

This afternoon I played DJ for the female of most significance in my life and cued up music of this era to invoke a time when life was simpler. The unbridled joy of catharsis this music could still bring was very touching, So here some deeper cuts from some of those same artists and others from that time period. This music carried an undeniable groove and proved easy to get caught up in as the angst it often boiled gave voice to pain otherwise left to feel unheard. I often reach back in time for music that spoke to me at certain place so listen to the voice of my younger days. I time when idealism was the language of dreams and the weight of the adult world was a burden not fully realized.

Music is a time machine. It reminds me when I was not as calloused by beatings life had given me and I could throw caution to the wind and free fall into feelings with abandon. Older and wiser I try to have a more balanced approach, but music helps keep the vibrations balanced until my mind can catch up to my heart. So maybe dear reader, you to might share such a place in time with these songs, perhaps you might discover a song that went under the radar at the time . Either way life is too short to not have a soundtrack to remind us when we lived and loved at 80 mph. Perhaps we now know, more sustainable speed at which to engage this journey, and every journey needs a soundtrack.  

Disturbed - "Believe"

 

 Static X- "Love Dump"


 

 Korn - "Swallow"


 


Orgy- "Fetisha"

 


 System of a Down - "Spiders"


 


 Slipknot- "Vermilion"

 

 Flaw- "What Do I have to Do"

 

 Mudvayne - "Nothing to Gein"



Deftones-"Mx'