Atomic Bitch Wax : " Scorpio"

I really liked their last album it reminded me of a methed out version of the Foo Fighters, they pick up where they left when this album kicks off, though the groove to the second song works better than the more ballistic opener.  Despite being very up tempo, " Ninja" is basically these guys jamming, crammed with guitar solos. Things are much more rock n roll this time around. I like how the vocals are produced on the title track. They are not quite as hooky as the last album, but beginning to head in that direction. "Easy Action" is a more stomping take on 70s rock. The boogie of "Crash" is where things started to run together for me . It has a "Missippi Queen" feel going into it. It is another very jammy song.

This is not the only instrumental . There is another and while I am sure theywill sound great live with the bass solos and everything, these kinds of songs tend to get minimal air time from me when it comes to  casual iPod listening. They are great musicians , but instrumentals tend to be fast forward classics. "Super Sonic" has a pretty impressive "Free Bird " like climax in the middle. The vocals feel a little more obligatory. They still have the jammy thing going on. The vocals do provide more of a form and function frame work for it. "You Got It "  starts off a little more metallic if we are talking Judas Priest. The vocals are more attitude than pipes being flexed. This album is a little heavier than "Force Field".  "Betting Man" has a better groove and more purpose to the vocals so it is a winner in my book.

It ends with another instrumental. Everything I said about instrumentals earlier in the review still applies here. If you are a fan of their more jammy instrumental side then you are going to love this album. As for me I am rounding it down to a 8.5 for this reason. Last time they gave us some really solid catchy songs, while there are a few here, it sounds like they are having more fun playing these songs, than I am listening to them. With that said it is still a solid album my expectations are just high. This album comes out August 28th on Tee Pee Records/

The Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time 10 - 1

These are the top ten albums of what is the most influential sub-genre of&nbsp; metal . It opened the door for bands to play louder, harder and faster thus spawning Death metal, black metal, grind core etc.. yeah doom stayed on it's own path. The bands that came out of it are now considered the biggest bands in metal...I mean Metallica and Slayer, come one end of debate. Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. There are some artists that had much more of an impact so they might get another entry or two. There is thrash ranging from proto-death metal to hard core to power metal bands that evolved with the times. I grew up during the rise of thrash and listened to it through out highschool so some of this is determined by which albums did I listen to the most as they came out and which have endured the test of time. Lets face it none of your Toxic Holocausts or Revocations can touch these bands. They are pretty much tribute bands in comparison<

10- Death Angel -"Frolic Through the Park " 1988

I am sure there are people screaming for the Ultraviolence. Truth is the songs on this album are better. Yes it is impressive they were kids when they made, hell they were still kids when they made this album and broke down more barriers musically.







9- Testament - "Practice What You Preach"

This album edges out their others. The band obviously hit their peak here as evident from what happened aftter "Souls of Black"





8- Slayer -" South of Heaven" - 1988

Another tough call between this and their other album that beat this one out. They slowed down and got melodic here and it was perfectly where they needed to go sonically at the time.






7- Metallica -"Ride the lightning"-1984"

Punk rock kids are who is going to tell you "Kill'em All" is a better album. They just like that one because it sounds more like Motorhead. This is the album where they came into their own musically.






6-Pantera -"Cowboys From Hell -1990


This album is the reason grunge did not kill metal.


 


5-Megadeth - "So Far So Good So What" 1988 

 Yeah I am sure you wan "Peace Sells" or " Rust In Peace" here, this is the best balance of what those two albums had. The in your face attitude of "Peace Sells" but with more polished songs and better production, though less wanking than "Rust In Peace" and the production was not so slick that it lost it's edge.





4-Anthrax - 'Among the Living"1987 


Here is where it becomes a tough call as any of the top 4 albums could arguably be number one. The most under rated band of the big four.


3-Voivod- "Dimenson Hatross"1988 


 The dark horse in the top 4, this album was mind blowing when it came out I had heard nothing like it. It went on to influence Tool , Meshuggah, Fear Factory and any metal band into sci fi. A concept album where the concept was not so dense it felt like a musical.


 

2-Metallica- Master of Puppets- 1986 


 What a year 1986 was ! I bough this tape when it came out and This album still sounds great all these years later. It needs little defense as to why it belongs here.







1- Slayer- Reign in Blood- 1986 


 Why did this beat "Master of Puppets", well I got both albums when they came out. I listen to this one more. Some of the songs on "Puppets" can be long winded . I love "Disposable Heroes" but it is not written as in your face and compactly with not a minute waster as any song on this album. It is also darker and has a more sinister feel to it.


 

The Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time - 20 -11

Now we are down to the top 20 albums of what is the most influential sub-genre of  metal . It opened the door for bands to play louder, harder and faster thus spawning Death metal, black metal, grind core etc.. yeah doom stayed on it's own path. The bands that came out of it are now considered the biggest bands in metal...I mean Metallica and Slayer, come one end of debate. Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. There are some artists that had much more of an impact so they might get another entry or two. There is thrash ranging from proto-death metal to hard core to power metal bands that evolved with the times. I grew up during the rise of thrash and listened to it through out highschool so some of this is determined by which albums did I listen to the most as they came out and which have endured the test of time. Lets face it none of your Toxic Holocausts or Revocations can touch these bands. They are pretty much tribute bands in comparison


20 - Suicidal Tendencies-" How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, When I Can't Even Smile Today"  1988

 This album finds them crossing over into metal in the best way possible. "Join the Army" found them heading in this direction and they perfected it here.


 

 19- Iced Earth -  "the Dark saga" 1996 


The aggression of this album is what makes it thrash rather than power metal. The songs are what makes it awesome. The guitar tone on this album is unreal. Matt Barlow gives what might be one of the top 5 vocals performances on this list.

 

18-Annihilator - "Alice in Hell" -1989


 I wore this rucking tape out back in the day. Jeff Waters is still doing it but this was the perfect storm with DOA singer Randy Rampage.


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17- Testament-  " New Order " 1988 


 The Perfect blend of power and frantic energy. Chuck Billy's vocals did not sound like every one else and had a commanding personality to them.

 

16 - Angkor Wat- "Corpus Christi" 1990 

Yes it opens with "Blue Velvet" samples and industrial elements. This shit is mindblowing. It is still ahead of of it's time.





15 -  Anthrax -"Spreading the Disease" -1985


 This album introduced singer Joey Belladonna , who would prove to be crucial to their sound. It is a madhouse

.


14- Exodus- Bonded By Blood " -1985

 Of the band's on this list who were around in 85, these guys might be the heaviest. This album should be mentioned when it comes to thrash albums that influenced black metal.



 



13- Flotsam & Jetsam - " No Place For Disgrace" - 1988 



 If you have heard this album then you know why it deserves to be here. If you have not heard this album, then why the fuck are you even reading this? Listen to it now.



 


12-Gwar- Scumdogs of the Universe "1990

 The open track slays in a way that solidfies their place in the top 20. Known for their theactrics people often do not realize what an under rated band this is. They started off punk on their first album and bring the thrashing metal in a big way here.


 


11- Judas Priest - " Painkiller" 1990 

 Judas Priest came back to redeem themselves from a run of two duds "Ram It Down" and "Turbo" to show that they were still the metal gods. Preist arguably influenced thrash more than any other classic metal band. This album set them off into a heavier direction they maintained until "Nostradomus".

Corlyx : "Together Apart"

The duo's first album for Negative Grain finds them making a conscious shift from the more electro industrial stylings of their last album to making a goth album. By goth it leans more toward the post -punk side of the equation on the first song rather than darkwave or death rock. What I like about this is how they are not emulating any one band. They are not going lo-fi and soaking everything in reverb to capture the sound of 1983. Production wise everything that was working for them is still in place, the vocals might have gotten more love. Caitlin's vocal preformance has improved it is more nuanced on the softer sections. Yes, their is some Siouxsie influence, but they are not trying to sound like Siouxsie and the Banshees, which is refreshing. On "Find the Killer" they nailed that guitar tone the Cure made famous, but where I complain that most bands focus on a sound rather than songs, they hit the perfect balance of both.

"Porcelain Skin" delves into a surreal exploration of mental health. True to goth the bass line drives the song allowing the guitar to stick the more ghostly garnishment. This formula also works in the more hypnotic "When the Witch Comes Out" . A song that will likely make my Halloween mix for Cvlt Nation this year. "Jump In' works more of the upbeat tension of post rock. Though it is still dancey. Caitlin stays in the more sultry alto side of her range, though adding more steam to it. This album is not as overtly sexual as the previous one and a good bit darker. "Stitches From California" has more of a new wave bounce in it's step. "Black Wind" is another bass driven song, it keeps up the albums momentunm as  her vocals slither over the beat .

There is more of a pop hook to "Your Love is a Curse". It is subtle, not sugar added radio one like say Katy Perry would use. The album closes with the atmosphere of "Cold". This sonically invoke more of what they did on the previous album. Their last album ended up at number 6 on last year's top goth album's of 2019, so it raised the bar what I expect from this band. They have exceeded my expectations. It is an album I can leave on and just let play, so with this in mind I am giving it a 10. If you are looking for new goth music for this ominous year , this album is a must.

Dropdead : " s/t"

These guys are back. Somethings have changed a little.  The vocals are not just screaming and much more deliberate on the first song. At just under two minutes "Torches" has more time to develop it's self into an acutal song, where some of these ditties are aborted too early. "Road to Absolution" is more hard core than grind core, aside from the fact they keep it to an under a minute burst. At 33 seconds I can not really count "Only Victims" as a song it's more of an idea. They stick to the basics when it comes to hard core. They are fast and nasty. It is a good thing they keep "Warfare State" to just over a minute, because any more than what they do here or other songs would be redundant if they went longer. I would lose interest for sure in some of these blasts of speed. By the time they got to "the Black Mask' this was beginning to get old for me.

The vocals get stale first. The guitar follow quickly behind them. The drummer is earning his pay for sure."Book of Hate' shows what they are capable with a more metallic bass line leading into this like it is going to be a dirge. It is deliberate like " I Saw Your Mommy" . So it takes me back to better place for punk. "Flesh and Blood" is two minutes so yet another song that is allowed to be more than a spastic temper tantrum. This is the band's 3rd album since forming in 1991, so it is kind of a big deal. This might make you come to conclusions like they would care more about song writing since they had plenty of time. The Cro-mags who I have to assume are an inspiration, do something similar but allow themselves to expand into songs. "Stoking the Flame" is more of a temper tantrum.

Some of these bursts are better than others as I like "Nothing Remains" , but " Hatred Burning' did not do much for me.Lyrically there is more to "Nothing Remains"  There is more of a thrashing to "Abattoir of Pain".  "Hail to the Emperor" is a minute and a half. It races off into punk tropes that sound like all the others. The extra time did not benefit them. I can not really say this is not my thing ,as I do like Cro-mags style hardcore, I think their approach to song writing is not my thing. I will give this a 7.5 , pretty mediocre from supposed legends.

Taylor Swift : " Folk Lore"

When I first listened to this album at the midnight release, I was just clicking songs as they came up, there were a couple videos for the singles then every thing else was a lyric video. Listen to the album in the context of an album finds it mkaing more sense. Orginally hailed as her collaboration with Bon Iver and the National. They do have a prescence on this album, though it is still very much a Taylor Swift album. This is certainly Taylor now as a full fledged adult musician with the youthful exhuberance of her pop days behind her. In other words if you are here for another "Blank Space" prepare for disappointment. She has retain pop sensibility , but even the song writing feels like it is aimed at an older audience.  She has a serious more introspective look, in a way it is darker. The album opens with something that could have been on "Reputation" as moves with the modern pop groove and her lyrics fall into the perfect cracks of the beat. With some of her best lyrical work to date lines like "you know the greatest loves of all time are over now" find her taking a less rose colored look at the world.

"Exhile" is the duet with her and Bon Iver. The male vocals taking the first verse with Swift coming in after. It is a somewhat melancholic shade of great and stunning melodies from both parties. There are some interesting things done with her voice . Her main vocal finds her singing in in a more subdued lower mid range. Sure there are still love songs, but these feel framed in the context of given the state of the world how important is getting lost in my feelings. Instead the emotional is shown not told. She surprisingly put the socio -political commentary on the back burner with the one exception being the feminist notions on "Mad Woman".  I am going to be really surprised if she wasn't stoned when she wrote "Mirror Ball" which is a good thing. Mood wise in many ways this reminds me of Bjork's " Vespertine" album or Tori Amos' "Under the Pink". She has certainly established herself here as a force in music to be taken as seriously as Bjork or Amos.  "Seven" certainly lends credence to the Amos comparison. She takes a more upbeat approach to the melody on the second verse. Though this like many of the songs doesn't have the sugary pop chorus to is too obvious.
It is not a huge leap from the "Lover" album just not as happy. There is a slight carefree tinge to "August". I think her breathy vocal smootes this out.

There are still some surprises for me as I missed "This is Me Trying" on my inital Youtube listen. It finds her voice gliding nicely over the sonic simmer. "Illicit Affairs" might be back to her love gone wrong lamentations , but the melodies click for me more now than they did on the first listen. "Invisible String" is another new one for me. The strum of guitar leaves open space to create a groove closer what we have grown to know her as. I think "Mad woman " is the first time I have heard her say fuck. The song grew on me despite it's overt girl power. "epiphany" did not resonate with me the first time I heard it and I had to listen to it a couple times once I downloaded the album to connect. I think she makes some interesting choices melody wise. "Betty" is the only song that harkens back to her country past. "Peace" musically reminds me of Bon Iver, it grows on me, this and the song after as more minimal and work off less hooky vocal lines so take time to grow on me. I will give this album a 10, I think it is pretty clear the reasons why, if you are not into Taylor Swift, this is the album to check out.

The Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time 30 -21

Digging deeper into the countdown of what is the most influential sub-genre of  metal . It opened the door for bands to play louder, harder and faster thus spawning Death metal, black metal, grind core etc.. yeah doom stayed on it's own path. The bands that came out of it are now considered the biggest bands in metal...I mean Metallica and Slayer, come one end of debate. Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. There are some artists that had much more of an impact so they might get another entry or two. There is thrash ranging from proto-death metal to hard core to power metal bands that evolved with the times. I grew up during the rise of thrash and listened to it through out highschool so some of this is determined by which albums did I listen to the most as they came out and which have endured the test of time. Lets face it none of your Toxic Holocausts or Revocations can touch these bands. They are pretty much tribute bands in comparison

30- Vio-Lence -"Eternal Nightmare"

1988 Two of this band's members went on to form Machine Head. The punkvocal approach set these guys apart along with the very sharp hooky riffing.


 


29- Coroner- " Punishment for Decadence" 1988

 1988 was a good year for thrash the genre had it's legs under it enough to begin experiementing. This Swiss band was highly technical but still cared about writing songs.



28- Nuclear Assault - "Survive" 1988


Three in a row from 1988. Dan and John were both former members of Anthrax. Lilker's bass playing propels this album along with the commanding howl of Connelly.


   



27-Voivod -"Killing Technology" 1987 


 Still rooted in thei more punk sound, they just began to cross over into a more spacey prog form of thrash. Way ahead of their time.



 



26- Fear of God - "Within the Veil" 1991


 In 1991 women in metal were rare. Women fronting band's this heavy unheard of. The late Dawn Crosby was capable of harsh snarls and clean vocals , this album is wonderfully dark.


 


25- Metal Church - "Blessing In Disguise"- 1989



1989 Their previous efforts with David Wayne are great ,but lean more toward power metal. Here the attack is more fine tune and Howe's voice is less flashy, and he focused his grit to serve the songs.


 



24- Sanctuary- "Refuge Denied" 1987

 Produced by Dave Mustaine the guitar has that Megadeth bite but with soaring vocals that still carry menace ratherthan just being operatic for the sake of being operatic.



 



23- Overkill- "Under the Influence"



1988 I am sure many of you want to see "Taking Over" here instead , but guess what this is my list, go make your own, the songs here are better.



 



22- Power Mad- "Absolute Power" 1989 



 One of the best metal bands you have not heard. They did make it into Lynch's " Wild at Heart" movie which is their claum to fame, but they were froward thinking when it came to song writing.



 


21-Sacred Reich - "the American Way"


 These guys were ahead of the curve when it came to how metal was about to change. There is enough groove here to transcend thrash .



 

The Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time 40- 31

Continuing out countdown of what is the most influential sub-genre of  metal . It opened the door for bands to play louder, harder and faster thus spawning Death metal, black metal, grind core etc.. yeah doom stayed on it's own path. The bands that came out of it are now considered the biggest bands in metal...I mean Metallica and Slayer, come one end of debate. Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. There are some artists that had much more of an impact so they might get another entry or two. There is thrash ranging from proto-death metal to hard core to power metal bands that evolved with the times. I grew up during the rise of thrash and listened to it through out highschool so some of this is determined by which albums did I listen to the most as they came out and which have endured the test of time. Lets face it none of your Toxic Holocausts or Revocations can touch these bands. They are pretty much tribute bands in comparison.



40- Riot-" the Privledge of Power" 1990

There is still plenty of their more classic metal sound on this album, but the cover of Al Dimeola's "Racing with the Devil on a Spanish Highway" cements their place on this list. It might be the most power metal album on this list, but when they lay on the speed it proves why they are here.



39- Fates Warning- "No Exit" - 1988


 These guys shed some of the classic prog metal leaning for this more in your face release.


 

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The lyrics to this album go beyond the normal metal malarky. Technical yet groove riffs from a under rated band.





37-Forbidden- "Twisted into Form" -1990

Blended classic metal influences with catchy foreward thinking thrash.


 

36-Prong -"Beg to Differ"1990 

 These groove monsters were my first indication that metal was changing .






35-S.O.D-"Speak English or Die" 1985

When I listen to this album now I often think , what would happen if this album came out today. It gives a middle finger to everything, which is just what kids today need to hear so they are not such pussies.




34- Angkor Wat - "When Obscurity Becomes the Norm" 1989

1989 When this album came out the world was not ready for this band.

 

33-Dark Angel -"Leave Scars" 1989 

 "Darkness Descends" might be the album the so called metal purists might want here, but they do not know shit because the songs on this one are better.




32- Machine Head- "Burn My Eyes" 1994 

1994 Yeah tis band would eventually turn into shitty nu-metal, but how can you not sing along to the cry of " Let Freedom ring with a shotgun blast"



31- Diamond Head - "Behold the Beginning" 1980


Metallica really ripped these guys off . I mean you do not need "Kill'em All" on here since this album is where it came from . This might be the first thrash album, even though by today's standards it is rock n roll.


 

Lares : "Towards Nothingness"

This German sludge band weaves surreal atmosphere around there sound that owes more to say Isis than Neurosis. The riffs pummell you from behind their smoke screen. The fuzzed out down is one of the clear indicators of what keeps them on the more post apocalyptic side of things rather than the melancholy that would color this if they were doom. There are a few ambient interludes, one comes right after the opening track. The secon actual song is more uptempo. Things continue to swirl around the drums while the bass and guitar sound like they are driving things. The songs work off of a thundering throb, but aside from the throaty roar of the vocals feeling like a obligatory layer on the first two songs they do care about taking you on a sonic journey. Yes it is heavy, but they do not fully forsake all melodic ambitions in order to crush you.

The third song finds things getting much more melodic. Not at say a Pink Floyd level, but it backs off into more of a Kylesa like thing. The vocals are not as varied as what Kylesa brought to the table once they commited to get trippy. Their song writing here has gone up a notch, making this the most memorable moment so far. The song build into a heavier climax, which is not surprising. :Ggray Haze" finds them using  sung vocals. They are not the focal point and sit pretty far back in the . It is not Jeff Buckley shit but chanted moans meaning they are making an effort.

There is a Ministy like pound to "Catacomb Eyes" . By Minsitry I do not mean they are pulling out the samplers , but have the stomp much like songs on "Filth Pig" possessed.  The vocals take on a nastier rasp here , but it is not that dramatic of a shift I like what they are doing . They are like a cool death metal band in the sense that it is fun to give a listen to but eventually the lack of dynamic vocals wears thin for me. But that is how I feel by the time I get to the last song. This means the music was enough to distract me from this fact. For what they are doing they are excelling at it so I will round this one up to 9, if you like sludge it is a must.

The Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time 50- 41

Of all the sub-genres of metal thrash was the most influential. It opened the door for bands to play louder, harder and faster thus spawning Death metal, black metal, grind core etc.. yeah doom stayed on it's own path. The bands that came out of it are now considered the biggest bands in metal...I mean Metallica and Slayer, come one end of debate. Normally I try to limit it to one album per artist. There are some artists that had much more of an impact so they might get another entry or two. There is thrash ranging from proto-death metal to hard core to power metal bands that evolved with the times. I grew up during the rise of thrash and listened to it through out highschool so some of this is determined by which albums did I listen to the most as they came out and which have endured the test of time. Lets face it none of your Toxic Holocausts or Revocations can touch these bands. They are pretty much tribute bands in comparison.


50- Atrophy- "Violent By Nature" 1990

The 2nd album from this Arizonia band found them dialing their song writing in to combine aggression and hooks.






49- Helstar- "A Distant Thunder"


Before power metal was really thought of as power metal, there were melodic speed metal bands giving a harder take on what Queensryche once did. This Texas band did it better than most of their
peers.

 






48Tankard - "The Morning After" 1988 


 This is not the only German band on the list. However where most German thrashers has a very militant dark nature to their chug, these guys wrote songs about getting wasted and had more of a punk party attitude.


 


 47-Meliah Rage - "Solitary Solitude" 1990

   This Boston band, might have been heavier on their 1988 album "Kill to Survive" ,this album has the edge due to the songwriting being better.,





 46- DRI- "4 of a Kind" 1988


 Yeah, the first two albums are great. The joke is what do you call a punk band that learns how to play their instruments...metal ! They were never shabby , but this album found them maturing into more of a metal band with the hard core punk side dialed back. There were never shabby just perfected the formula here.


 



45-Forced Entry -"As Above , So Below" 1991 


 Being a thrash band in Seattle in 91 was going against the grain. They evolved into something different than the rest here with songs like "Bone Crackin' Fever".


 

44 Laaz Rockit- "Annihilation Principle"- 1989 


The 4th album from this Oakland band found them evoling from a more classic power metal sound into a tighter thrashy sound. The vocals are given a great deal of focus and not an after thought.


 


43-Kreator- 'Extreme Aggression" 1989 


 This German band's "Pleasure to Kill" album is highly regarded, but here is where their song writing falls into place, but not forsaking any of the snarl. They were alsos a hug influence on death metal bands to come.



42-Onslaught -" In Search of Sanity"


1989 Steve Grimmett from Grim Reaper sings on this album and it still stays more thrash than power metal, while Steve has never sounded better.


 



41-Wrathchild America - "Climbin' the Walls" 1989

 This West Virgina band might get mistaken for being Metallica wanna bes until you really listen to them and hear how much rock n roll they inject into their take on thrash. They are not afraid to cover Pink Floyd and Drummer Shannon Larkin went onto play in Godsmack.


 

Necrot : 'Mortal"

They said they are certain that this time they have made an album that is going to be regarded as a classic in the genre. They might be a little full of themselves . Very Entombed influenced. The first two songs are pretty monochrome. They have an accent here and there , I think they are putting to much emphasis on steam rolling you with speed. It becomes an example of chasing a sound that compromises writing songs. If your songs do not stand out among one another than how are they going to stand out among the songs of other bands in a genre. The whole album eventually went by in a blur with no noteworthy changes to make me look up from the computer and tune back in. Yes they are skilled musicans who are good at what they do. What they do is not that orginal this time around. The vocals stay in the same guttural rasp. They do not blast at you the whole time, but the labyrinth of riffs they hit you with becomes on dense mass without nuance.

I had to go back an listen to "Asleep Forever" a 3rd time before it took on a clearer indentity. The riffs are more fleet of finger than your typical Entombed impersonation. Though they have channeled a very deep dense sound that keeps them on the Left hand path. The vocals have begun to bore the ever loving shit out of me at this point. Is their drummer totally killer ? Yes, but he is a death metal drummer that is the job requirment. It is not until the last song that they lock into a groove that makes me take notice. You can hear where even these guys draw from some thrash roots on "Sinister Will". It is good enough for what it is , but it is very clear these guys do only one thing, with one dimension to it.

Tey have no intention of relenting on this sonic steam rollering. Now it has become a buzzing blur of distortion that is not broken up at all until the last song which I mentioned earlier is the first time over the course of this album that they give me a groove that will keep my attention. I listen to a ton of death metal.. I just did an entire month dedicated to it so a little Slayer worship tossed in every now and then is not going to really break things up enough for me. I will round this down to a 7.5 , which means it is well done for what it is , but what it is might not be different enough for it to appeal to me. You might have much more meat and potato stastes and might not ask as much from death metal in that case you are not going to know any different. Out on Tankcrimes August 28th.

Anal Kitties : "Asylum Probe"

Hungry for new industrial music I went hunting on Bandcamp. Sometimes the problem this poses is it can be more lo-fi than I like as it provides an influx of 'projects" being pumped out in bed rooms and you have to sort through a great deal of trash to find them gems. Two songs in and I am not sure which side of the fence this album fall.It is more lo-fi than I normally go for, but this guy has done a pretty good job making the most of what he has to work with. It is a very early Skinny Puppy sound , so far without guitars. The vocals are less haunting than Ogre. More chanted. Alien Sex Feind might also be a fair point of reference as to where this is heading. I often complain about bands focusing more on sounds than songs these days. This might also be a fair assesment of what is going on here until we get to "Shackles". Thanks to the bass line propelling it, there is more direction amid the noise and chaos.

The place where industrial spawned from punk is tapped into on "Labyrinth". This might be the best song so far. He continues to expand upon the more melodic musical memories of 90s industrial on "Girlfriend's Grave" that expands into more of a Wax Trax sound. Yes this album is dark. The songs can become hit or miss right around "You're Inside" . I do like the ominous lurking quality of "Nightmare" . Not something I would listen to in shuffle mode, but good mood music. Noise is delived even more heavilly into on "Smashed Castle" this causes the vocals to come across as just another texture. This project could possibly make a pretty decent death rock album based on "Stapled Shut" the bass tone is certainly nailed down .

"Skull" closes the album with an emphasis on atmosphere. To me this is more important than just hammering at me with a bunch of drum machines like some bands used to do. This was a solid album, that takes me back. It was easy to leave on and press play. Some of it was a little noisy so I will give it an 8.5, if you miss old Skinny Puppy , check this one out.

Onslaught : "Generation Antichrist"

Going into this I should tell you my favorite album from these guys is "In Search Of Sanity". This is because Steve Grimmett from Grim Reaper sings on it. Yes, it was still a thrash album. Yes, his voice did lean it more in the direction of power metal. In the 80s there was a side of thrash that had power metal in it's veins, even Flotsam & Jetsam has a more liberal touch of it on their first album. This is the band's first album with this singer. He is no Steve Grimmett. Nor is he even trying to be. They are going in a more Exodus like direction. It's heavier and this guy has a growl to his voice. Most of hte vocals are in the aggressive thrash shout rather than sung. They are still a good thrash band. They still know how to write songs.

It takes about 6 songs in before it all begins to sound the same to me. The vocal approach does play into this as this guy is pretty much a onbe trick pony at this point until he proves different . The last song that really stands out is the darker meaner vibe to the title track, which like many of these songs is at a fast chug so has the momentum to not become a boring listen. It might be my favorite track so far . These guys know how to write a riff with teeth and make the most of it. The songs begin to run together during "All Seeing Eye" . Much like death metal , thrash can just color with a monchrome aggression, though the vocals lend themselves more towards hooks. There is more of a moshing stomp to "Empires Fall". Lyrical this song might be the most fitting for the current state of the world. I do like the chant of "disorder, choas dominates". That is the kind of energy we need out in the universe .

They are not Satanic, but attack religion from more of a socio-political angle. I do not like politcs in music , but I think these guys go a good job of sticking out their middle finger to the systme rather than taking sides, since lets face it both sides are getting their paychecks signed by the same board of directors. Sometimes they go about it in a way that Slayer already does better like on "Religousuicide". Thre fact they pour on the speed only brings more attention to this fact. They lean more toward the death metal side of thrash on the last song. As far as thrash goes in 2020 these guys do a solid job despite the fact the guitarist is the only orginal member. I will give it an 8.5. This comes out August 7th on AFM Records.

Protomartyr ;" Ultimate Success Today"

This band from Detroit who is no stranger to this blog has established themselves as more than just another post punk revivalist band. I can respect them steering away from the Ian Curtis vocal tone for the more Nick Cave like sound. The second song has more of a throbbing groove that takes you further into than the opening song that just hung on the tension without a great deal of pay off. The vocals take on more of a croon as the song progresses. By the time I am midway into  "I am You Now"  it has made  think what it might sound like if Iggy Pop covered "Paranoid".  They back off on "the Aphorist" which steers them more in a Elvis Costello direction. I think the fact they are focused on songs more than sounds here is a postive sign. This is also why they have set themselves apart from the post punk revival bands.

"June 21" continues to step further from post punk. With female vocals joining them and a more quirky take that has more in common with Television. There is a more explosive almost punk energy to "Michigan Hammers".  It is a pretty straight forward rock song that does not do as much for me as the bass driven weirdness that goes down on "Tranquillizer". Here the guitars stir up a burly mass of sound that has more in common with noise rock, in other words it would not have sounded out of place on Amp Rep in the 90s. The sax is a nice texture that while it is reoccuring over the course of the album, sets the best contrast here.

"Modern Business Hymns" benefits from the drumming propelling while the rest of the band saunters into indie rock similar to the Strokes. It is a well written song despite this sonic similarity .Iat descends into more of a drunken romp like Iceage used to kick up. "Bridge and Crown" works off a stacatto riff and languid croon. Not the album's best song , but it is still pretty decent. There is a more relaxed strum to "Worm In Heaven". The album's best vocal performance has a slight Neil Diamond feel to it. I will round this album down to an 8.5. Are they contining to perfect what they do ? Yes in a more streamlined sense. It is not as dark as some of their earlier work, which might be why this doesn't always connect as strongly with me. I think in the streamlining process it took off some of the edge. However if you prefer the band's more recent work then this will work for you.

IDOLATRIA : "Tetrabestiarchy"

Been a minute since I have given much new black metal a try . I love black metal but all too often when sorting through the promos in my in-box it is one rusty blast fest after another when I want something with thought and feeling put into it .This Italian band accomplishes both and seems to be aware of the fact they are writing songs and not just making heavy noise. There is more Dissection influence to this than your typical Italian black metal which is often more ritualistic and colored with old horror kind of Satanism. I am getting dark and angry sounds, but what these guys believe I have no clue. The lyrics are a dry snarling rasp that sits back into the music so I have no idea what the lyrics are.

After the swirling chaos leading into "Noctule..." the eventually work through the speed to weave together punchy accents and even a more melodic guitar section create another acutal song. The vocals go down into more of a death growl in  places and other times double up for chanted gang vocals. They use a great deal of dissonance in what they do. Often causing them to work off more of a throbbing pulse than your typical metal chug or gallop. "Goat..." find them staying the course with a more deliberate and melodic direction. The drummer continues to impress with his bombastic style that doesn't rely on blast beats. Often this creates a kind of Watain like sound. Though these guys are more dissonant than Watain. While they are not at Watain's level of song writing they are heading in that direction which is commendable. They are not totally devoid of blast beats . Nor do I think them or any other black metal band should shun them, I think dynamics are key and they should not define any band.

While they are not on Watain's level that does not mean they are not capable of cranking out some very powerful riffs as they prove they are not far from that Watain level on the last song "Vulture : the god of the last rites" which might be the album's most note worthy song. This band has set themselve apart from the masses with their devotion to making actual music and not just shoving a blast of hell into your ears. I will give this album a 9. It comes out on Signal Rex on September 4th.

Phoebe Bridgers : Punisher"

Here is another moody female folk crooner, though one that is at the top of their peers in terms of both buzz and quality. She does not just wallow in introspection making some pretty moving indie rock on the second song to contrast the more internalized opener. The title track however and haunts with less in terms of melodies to hook you in. Not to say there is not depth and feeling to the more ghostly approach it just require a certain mood to ingest.  The narraitve of " Halloween" is a little more direct, thus balancing out the ambiance. She balances out creating wonderful songs with making empassioned songs on "Chinese Satillite".

"Moon Song" finds the ambiance swelling with her melody floating against it in the kind of balancing that she pulls off better than most. Due to the languid tone of this song and many of the others before it I think I would have to be in a certain mood to get a great deal of rotation out of this though I can see this growing on me. In the comments about this album on Bandcamp one fan said it was the perfect album for her to hit bottom to. I can hear where that might be true. There is a very fragile vulnerability to the lyrics. "Savior Complex" follows the rules of conventional song writing . It is good for what it is but I do npot feel like it plays to her strengths.

The sense of movement to "ICU" breaks up the mood the album was setting. I can also hear a subtle country influence coloring it. This country vibe is pushed even further on "Graceland Too" . As a song however 'ICU' is stronger, for as we have seen before when she plays by the rules of conventional songwriting she gives away a little of her power. " She balances the two sides of what she does , the more experimental one with the ability to write more accessible songs when she wants as she closes the album with " I Know the End" . It digs into the wide range of dynamics she is capable of while staying to the sedate breathy tone she normally sings with.  I will round this up to a 9.5 as it's a beautiful album heavy on melancholy and expresses a desperate longing of the inward kind. Out on Dead Oceans.

Spice : " s/t"

Some members of Ceremony, set off to form a side project that heavily embraces the indie rock / post hard core sound of the 90s. Sonically owing a great deal to Bob Mould. The singer of Ceremony lends his voice to this and his singing is much better than it was on the last Ceremony album. It is more emotive. He comes much closer to singing. There is the detached slacker attitude to his approach , but that is a defining element of this sound. When it comes to the sound , they nailed it , but also care about the songs. The first hint of punk shows up on the 3rd song "Murder". It also shows just how close this era flirted with post punk. It works off more sonic tension than being in your face. Sonic Youth is a better reference point than Fugazi in this regard.

Both the guitar tones and the playing is what really propels this album. I know there is a violinist on this album, but I have yet to hear her. They come even closer to punk on "Reward Trip". There is some drive to the song , but I am not sure I would call it angry. More aggressive than the previous songs for sure. The singing continues to improve on "Dogs". This song takes a more melancholy slant. This album is not limited in the range of emotion it expresses which I admire.  ' Vo the Night" is just an instrumental interlude. They come back hammering at you with the sonically intense " Black Car". This is better than anything Ceremony has done in recent memory. Granted I grew up with this sort of thing, as in grew up listened to it going into senior year of high school.

The first time I hear the violin is on " the Building Was Gone" . It is a good almost post punk balance of sounds . Atmosphere even set agains the force the song moves with . Melodic enough it reminds me a little of early R.E.M. The album closes strong with  the timely " I Don't Want to Die In New York".  It captures the early 80s punk feel well. I will give this album a 9.5 for now and see how it grows on me. It feels like this is one of the rare moments where the side project out shines their day job band. Out the 17th of July on Dais Records/

Incantation : "Sect of Vile Divinites "

If you are reading this review then I hope we are able to skip the history lesson on the mark this band made on the genre. They hit you will a full speed blast of death metal. 30 yers of doing what they do , it is clear they know how to do it. Does that mean the song writing is still going to be as inspired ? Out August 21st on Relapse Records. "Profane Nexus" felt a little dialed in to me, so I am going to weight this one against "Dirges of Elysium". That way I am only asking them to measure up to what they did six years ago instead of 30. It feels like there is more nuance and though put into the second song than the opener. It also leans more towards their death doom side. One thing about this is album is the guitar playing really shines. Production wise it is almost to polished and could use a little more bite in the tone.

Line up wise John McEntee remains the only original member, though the drummer has been around since "Mortal Throne of Nazerene". The album features the debut of Dismemberment guitarist Luke Shively. There are more dark melodic textures on this album than there were the previous one. This creates a dynamic balance on "Gaurdians of the Primeval". There are most twists and turns to this song. Deliberate riffing rather than just throwing out something heavy. These guys came from a time where just being heavy for the sake of being heavy did not cut it. This does not mean they have shelved all the aggression of death metal. There is more than enough in the attack of "Black Fathom's Fire" . The vocals are not obligatory, but they are not doing the lyrics any favors with the guttural grunts and gurgles. They compensate for this with more compelling song writing as the weave the darkness around you in " Ignis Fatuus".

It back to the bludgeoning on "Chant of Formless Dead" . I imagine a chant of the dead is closer than this. The need for speed blasts past what has made some of this album's more memorable moments. They create that same kind of atmospheric buzz of sonic wite noise some where around the 8th song and I begin to zone out and have to go back and check into the album. I am not sure I should listen to death metal until my second cup of coffee given the medication I take to go to bed. Though I can not imagine it is much different that someone doing a wake and bake with Indica. They simmer in a doomier direction with the lingering "Scribes of the Stygian". This lingering thwarts some of the moment, while I appricate the variance helping shift the over all dynamic range of the album it feels like they are tapping into more of a sound than a song. "Unborn Ambrosia" is a hilarious name for a song , the music is to be taken more seriously. At six minutes this is the album's longest song so there are not sprawling wanders off into the caverns. The have more than enough time to take you on a journey within these six minutes.

"Fury's Manifesto" lives up to it's name more than the ambrosia. It is relentless aggression. From the "but can you write a song side " of the equation the last song is a little better, while still being as utterly mean spirited. I will give this one an 8. It might not live up to " Dirges of Elysium" but it is a pretty soild display of what makes them still a vital force in death metal today. Out August 21st on Relapse

Northern Crown : "In a Pallid Shadow"

I do not review a great deal of power metal here. It is not because I like it and before I leave a long explanation of what not I will sum it up very quickly...it's not dark enough . This band takes elements of doom to fix that problem. Then they sound like Dio jaming with Uriah Heap . The riff to the first song reminds me of "Warmachine " by Kiss . The vocals are more power metal and the keyboards pushes them further in a Evergray direction. Where this works where power metal fails more often than not is this is darker. There is more melody infused in the song writing of the darkly more majestic "the Last Snowfall" , not sure how unholy snow is falling, so the lyrics are where these guys could stand to tighten up a bit. The pace of this one is more deliberate, but the doom influence seems to keep them from galloping off at every turn.

They lose the momentum on the ballad " Vivid Monochrome". It has just enough distortion in it's build up to qualify as a power ballad. "8 Hours" still pretty close to the altar of classic metal, with the keys dialed up in the mix. This dude has a decent enough voice he flirts with the lower end of his range in an attempt to sound more menacing. Granted the bar is pretty high as to what sounds menacing here given the amount of more extreme metal I cover. This song is however despite it's cool riffs less hooky vocally. There are moments where it makes me think of Candlemass. By the end of the song he goes up into his upper range. Given the fact that King Diamond is my favorite metal singer I do love a good metal yodel.

The last song finds them taking more of a prog turn at first as it opens with a keyboard solo. The song has a lot of power. Is it heavy? That depends on how you define heavy. It is very dynamic. During it's nine and a half minutes they back a great deal into it. Six and half minutes in the break everythin down into a more ballad like tone before cranking it back up again. I will give this one an 8.5 . If you are really into power metal round it up to a 9/

Fearing : "Shadow"

Yeah I am know I am expected to keep up with everything dark, particularlly when it might fall close to the bounds of what could be construed as goth. While this band from California is not goth, they do play a cavernous version of post - punk that is darker than those more content with the punk side of the equation. They have a great guitar tone. The album sounds awesome as well. The production is some of the best I have heard for this sort of thing. They nail capturing the mood of the 80s this genre owes it's existence to without sacraficing sound quality. The vocals are the band's one week spot. On "Catacombs" the work pretty well. They tend to be blanketed in effects. This is good news considering how they are more spoken than sung in a dead pan baritone . Not a Ian Curtis rip off, but not singing as much as Eldritch.

They are not a shoe gaze band , but draw inspiration from it on "Pictured Perfect" . It has more of an atmospheric drone. The manage to balance out sonic shimmer with tension going into "Still Working Hard" . This is where it is evident the vocals are a one trick pony. Not totally tiresome at this point. They are working off more of a sound than a song here. The guitar playing is great and in many ways compensates for their short comings in other areas. "Sherbert" picks up the pace. It took a third listen to this album before this song began to catch on with me. The monotone narrative, not doing much for me at this point. By the time we get to "the Push" the songs have begun to sound the same. It is a good thing the beat to "Good Talks" shifted enough to smooth out that problem. The vocals are not doing anything different.

The vocals drop a little lower on " Trail of Grief" . This contrasts the music that is more upbeat. The more Cocteau Twins like strum of guitar surfaces on "Glow" . Even a marginally more melodic vocals would help at this point. Instead it the same cadence. The bass provides a more ominous under current for "Nothing New". This is perhaps the closest it gets to singing. I will round this down to an 8, as the vocals bore me, though the music is wonderful. They are better than average song writers and things work more often than not are they are better than post punk bands that place more emphasis on the punk side.

PGX : " Naive"

An all female punk band from New Zeland is an odd combination of elements. Or were I think one of them has since decided they were a dude . From the pictures I have seen , I am going to guess it was the bass player. One of the guitar players is pretty hot, I even included the promo pic as a point of reference, the one with glasses, yeah, normally I use album covers, but I might as well support my point since I am  sure some 'woke" kids will get pissy about bringing it up as what reflection does it have on their music? Pretty people experience different interactions with the world than ugly ones. This influences life experience which in turn is reflected in the music you make, Now that you have been schooled on that we can move on to how They have the same kind of feminist slant you might expect from this sort of thing, Not that much different when a similar brand of punk got big in the 90s. The first song is more spoken and does not come close to what they do later into this ep.

When I say punk it is a loose term. More crunch in their guitar tone than indie rock. The vocals however lean more in an indie rock direction until things speed up on "Choclate Factory" . The backing vocals are much more punk than the lead vocals as they cheer her along.Not the world's most ambitious musicians. Punk is pretty simplistic and this pushes the envelop for that at times. The more melodic playing brings another set of influences to the table. What works best is when she really sings. Sure it is not as punk, but it is just better musically . "The Shortest Year" is what caught my ear and made me stop to review this album. There is more of a fun loving Bleached type feel to this one. Her vocals shine brightest here. Lyrically it works better as well. I heard this song first , so I know what they are capable of . This might have given me higer expectations for the other songs on the album. I feel this is pretty justified since they have proven they can write a really good fucking song if they want to .

I am not sure what story they are telling on the last song. I think drugs and a tour bus are involved. She is talking her way through this one. It has a crazed narrative once the song builds, think "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies. I will give this one an 8.5, It's fun and thee gals have a great deal of potential once they refine what is going on here and take notes from the success they have with " the Shortest Year".

Light Screamer : " Reap"

You say noise rock or post punk and you are not expecting anything like what these Swedes are busting out. Even I am surprised . The first song is  is much more melodic than I thought it would be going into this. The second song, is more angular and awkward, resulting in melodies that are not as pleasing to me. The guitar tone is the main thing that is post punk here. It harkens back to the 80s. "Stop" is both dark and tense. I guess I can hear some Jesus Lizard influence. I also hear touches of grunge. I like how driving the bass is. They almsot get heavy in a metal sense. While they come up with some cool ideas , they are not the most consistent songwriters. Their track record is every other song is cool, with the odd songs being awkward. This streak is broken on "Dawn' which is dark, but the melodies do not stack up along side of the best songs on this album, where they do work.

They get back on track with "Higher" .  The vocals do not play as big of a role. It is here where I realize they remind me of a death rock Sonic Youth. They indulge this spooky side with a bit of punk on "Sky". The vocals are more punk than not , but still sung. Just limited in what they can do. They are androgynous. I am pretty sure it's a woman singing with a kind of Courtney Love thing going on. It could be a young man with a higher voice, but reaonably sure it's a woman. In 2020 you can never be too sure about these things.  The fact is shown yet again on "Fear" where the guitars compensate. The songs are very compactly written , never going very far over the five minute mark. For punk that would be a long song.

The bass gets creepy on "Ground". The vocals get a little meaner . Never really screaming or gowling. Empassioned shout from time to time. The guitar is the strong point of this album. It summons a Bauhaus like state of sonics here.  Lyrically it is pretty simple with the metaphor. But English is their second language. "Walk" is not a Pantera cover. Instead it reaffirms te darkness that colors the album. I will give this album an 8. Great guitar, the vocals I was not as into , but some strong moments over all.

Palaye Royale : " the Bastards"

I heard this band's first album  a few years ago and it reminded me more of Panic at the Disco's earlier work, than what is going down here two albums later. This time the opener has ample pop smarts, there is a more driven rock feel to the second song. They are hooky and explosive with out pandering too much to girls that would have been enamoured with Myspace if we were in 2004. There are punchy sections , but I would not call this metal. "Anxiety" works of a refined groove with dirty edges. I can hear where fans of both Marilyn Manson and Fall Out Boy might like this album. Angrier than Fall Out Boy, but not as dark as Manson. He is almost rapping in parts of " Tonight is the Night I Die" . It feels like the male counterpart to In This Moment. The song writing is really clever and catchy. That goes a long way.

The more theactrical sounds of their older work returns on " Lonely". It works well of these smoother grooves. They shift into funk for "Hang Onto Your Self".  If you want to be goth, but are not ready to give up on Bruno Mars, this is a good place to start. They stay in a similar zip code for "Fucking With My Head". This might be more commerical than the bulk of the bands I cover here, but there is no denying that this is well done from a production and song writing stand point. To area's where pop music normally shines. This is more rock than pop, but not by a great deal. The radio ready dance grooves continue with "Nervous Breakdown".  They break from the formula to throw in a melodic bridge. I had to listen to "Nightmares" twice before I really paid attention to it. The bass tone reminds me of Muse, but that is where the comparisons end.

The mood shifts for "Masochist" which is the first song that gets dark. Dynamically it packs more of a punch than the bulk of this album. They are less aggressive on "Doom" , but it is colored in similar shades of gray. "Black Sheep" has arena rock aspirations. The hook is hard to argue with . There is almost an 80s like smoothness to "Stay". The album ends with the piano ballad "Redeemer" which is dynamic and not as anti-climatic as it could have been. I will round this up to a 9.5 ,as it catchy, fun  and easy to listen to . What rock should be.

Cloud Nothings : "the Black Hole Understands"

There was once a time when I had to debate if this band was going to be on the punk rock list at the end of the year. That was when their brand of indie rock had the emphasis placed on the rock. This album finds them basking in the sun. The guitars havrea lazy strum. The song's have a pleasing flow to them. They are melodic. I am even picking up more of a Pixies influence than I had on previous releases. The vocals are less apathetic. There is emotion .  They continue to be upbeat, they just are not as driven. I like how the jangle of guitar sits against the more sedate vocal on "the Sound of Everyone". They dod not hook me in as solidly on the dreamy yet exhuberant "An Average World". One thing that can be said about this album is they have expanded the sonic scope of what they do and is not the sound of a band trying to recreate yesterday.

There is a more laid back mood to "A Weird Interaction" that sounds like it could have come from the eearly 90s. The chorus of the song has enough hook to make it work. There is more of a Joy Division vibe to "Tall Gray Structure" , but is is also an instrumental. An odd choice for this band. By the time I got to "A Silent Reaction" the album had begun to fade into the background, requirring multiple listens to bring me back into it. The drummer does continue to beat the hell out of his kit. It is the rest of the band that is not taking out any aggression on their instruments. It almost makes me think of Elliot Smith with a full band. More plugged and not as breathy vocally, but otherwise close to the sound.  When listening to this album on iTunes, it got shuffled around and all the songs began to sound the same. Some choruses just stand out more than others.

They closest they are coming to punk might be "Right On the Edge" . I rocks like Dinosaur Jr lite. There is a more relaxed almost 80's feel to "Memory of Regret". By 80s I am thinking early R.E.M. While it is brisk the title track that ends the album is far too optimistic to be punk, though it's a fairly decent songs. I will give this album a 9. Despite the kinder and gentler shift the songs are pretty solid and it makes for a fun listen.

Fistula : "the Process of Opting Out"

I was excited for a new one from these guys as I have loved the bulk of their previous work with nst "Longing For Infection"  being my favorite album, and the one that I will weigh this one against. With that album they bundled their bluntness in songs that have been worth listening to since 2016.  It is heavy as fuck and very dense , but works more the nastiness of sound than what I loved about " Longing For Infection" . They are embracing more of the grind core explosion of anger and torment. They do not relent on the punishment with "Cerebral Conflict". There is more of a punk attitude amid the scalind feedback and vomited up screams. They throw themselves into the same kind of wailing and gnashing teeth they threw themselves onto in the previous , though the latch onto the riff more and drive it home in a more thought out manner.

They come crushing down on you with "Evilspeak", before exploding into the more punk side of grindcore. Much like the previous song they bring the crunch together in a more digestible cohesion. "Morbid Incel" is a great song title. I think another element that is disappointing me here , is on "Longing For Infection" the lyrics mattered . They told more of a story. We got to hear of girls being raped in prison and necrophillia . Here it is just screaming for the sake of screaming. It feels more obligatory.  However on "Gods of Rock" which is the best song so far. I can make out that he is screaming that he is wasted. "Whore Cancer" appeared on a split. It continue to find them snarling at you with the same malicious venom though with more doomy tendencies.  "Suicide Priest" is another song that appeared on a previous split. There is more of a lyrically story here despite the uptempo thrashing.

They close the album with the ominous instrumental " Malignatorium". I have always appreciated their use of samples and think this album could have used more of them. This song has women aruging in the background. Or at least that is what it sounds like. More on their  doomy side. This song works off a lumber and plenty of sonic attack from the guitars. I will round this one down to an 8. Still pretty solid , though leaning more in the direction of heavy for heaviness sake and less of the kind of songwriting that marked "Longing for Infection".