SVNTH : "Spring in Blue"

Going into this album I though this Italian band was just going to be riding the Deafheaven band wagon as the post part what given the emphasis. Normally I am a hard sell on instrumentals , but the first song here is one and I liked it . When vocals do come in on the second song , it feels like a mix of sludge and black metal. It is not until mid wya into the song that the fera exposion of a more blackened sound erupts. They are very dynamic and have shifted the mood three times in this song. The doomy sounds returning. Variations of doom open "Parallel Layers" before ebbing down into the most surreal sounds of what most might cal post rock, though there is very little in common with Deafheaven until the speed up coming out of this space. The vocals are more organic it their rasp and these guys have a dirtier sound. I normally do not like long songs, but these guys use their 11 minutes wisely.

Just like the other songs there is a lot going on with " Wings of  the Ark" . Jazz inflected guitar and some really beautifully nuanced playing  that is captured very organically considering the raw edge to this mix. At over fourteen minutes " Chaos Spiral in Reverse" is the albunm's longest song. It starts off very noisy. In fact the first minute cut have been edited out. They get more feral in the black metal attack on this one. I think the fact many of the tones they use are not conventional black metal sounds making them not fit neatly into the expectations of mainstream metal. They ony stay in this black metal mode maybe a few minutes in before exploring clean tones. The guitars are well layered. The guitar solo on this song is really great as it balances melody and shred. Bt the end of the song they have descended more into what you expect from black metal sonically.

The last song is 13 minute. It has more tremolo tension. While I feel they make a more honest stab in the direction of black metal due to the raw nature of what they do, I doubt they are going to be winning over your average fan of black metal. I like the tension in the riffs of the last song, but by the time you get to the end they have shown you all their cards and no surprises to be had. The only unexpected moment is the 80s guitar sound when they go into a Police like riff. The vocals also drop down into a more death metal like growl.  I will give this album a 9, rounding it down due to the fact I can see where the length of some of the songs might keep me from listening to it as much as if they were half the length.

Havukruunu : " Uinuos Syömein Sota"

After enough viking metal I finally decided if it is not Scandinavian it's cultural appropriation. Thanks to the Vikings tv, all kinda of corn bread eating Americans are going around with Thor's hammer around their neck. These guys have a legit enough sound. Being from Finland this is not what I think of when I think of black metal, it has nothing to do with Horna. The do have sung vocal choruses and shredding solos. Their over all sound makes me think of Moonsorrow. The songs are a reasonable length. The do have a uniform sound to their triumphant gallop. I would put them closer to pagan or folk metal as they are too happy to really be black metal. The band's name means coniferous crown, so not very dark there at all. The guitar solos are pretty impressive though. I think if they do not swtich it up a little by the next song I will begin to get bored.

It is a mixed bag as they blast into the third song faster and more furious, but speed alone doesn't be much for me. Then midway into the song they break down into a folk part before the dazzling solo section sweeps in. Even when they come in blastng hard I am not convinced they are black metal. They come close to nailing the sound, but I do not feel the darkness. They do kick into a cool riff before the triumphant solo section. But the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song male. Sometimes the frolicing in the snow gets to the point that it sounds like X-mas music. Well at least for me, if you are into folk metal then this will seem pretty heavy to you. I think if the bass came up in the mix and the drum got more love in post production this could have sounded heavier than it does now.  This trend of x-mas metal continues as the album progresses.

This is a guitar players album for sure. The drumming is not bad. There are moments when they hit harder, but they are not consistent. This is not a negative trait as they at least care about their song more than giving a relentless pounding. There are some interesting choices with atmosphere that are more space age than what you would expect from these guys who sound more like LARPers. I will give this album an 8 , while it's mood might not be for me, these guys accomplished what they set out to and fans of this kind of thing are going to dig it.

Cultus Profano : "Accursed Possession"

One of the guys from Sadistic Intent is in this band. They are pretty legit as far as black metal in America goes. The opening track shows a desire to still write songs rather than get lost in a haze of blast beats. The vocals are a mid range rasp , with a frew lower growls thrown in . They follow patterns rather than just screaming for the sake of singing. It is concievable that there are actual lyrics being snarled. By the second song it has not devolved into a total blast fest but they are milking the tremolo drone, beginning to invest more in the sound than the song. They get faster but not thrashing on "Upon the Tomb of Sacralige" . It keeps a cold and nasty  vibe despite coming from sunny California. California does have a dark side, after all it birthed Charles Manson.

There are a lot of prepositional phrases in this album . " Towards the Temple of Darkened Fates" is driven by some inmpressive drumming. The rapid fire double bass employed is a wise choice. The song modulates out of the inital riff that hit you and begins to explore on the album's more dynamically adventurous arrangements. The blast off begins "Within a Coven of Shadows". The vocals do not have as much of a purpose in the more frantic manic mood. I also begin to wonder what song I am listening to as when they get into this mode everything takes on more of a uniformity The vocals begin to have more of a croak as well as more torment in how they are emoted.  Things slow down into more of a deliberate throb for "Tenebris Venit". The atmosphere to this song more melodic and haunting.

They are more overtly wrathful on the last song. It is more up tempo and pretty straight forward more in the 1349 brand of black metal. I will give this album an 8. It is really well produced while beoing trve to the cvlt sound. If you do not want anything new added to your standard death metal, and wish it was from America not Norway then this might be the album for you. Out on Debemur Morti Productions.

Tricky : "Fall to Pieces"

Off all the 90s sub genre trip hop has not made a comeback ike say shoe gazre. Next to Massive Attack , Tricky was the most important figure in that genre. "Pre Milenium Tension" is always going to be the album I weigh his work against, which is not that high of a bar as he has proven himself capabe of bringing sounds that go far beyond what he did there on many albums since., singer Marta invokes a simiar feeling that singer  his original singer Martine Topley-Bird had. I was much clearer on how I felt about the opener "Thinking Of" and " which "Close Now" was sandwhiched between. It grew on me by the second listen. The more upbeat "I'm In the Doorway" does show case singer Marta's voice in the clearest sense, but Tricky is not about writing conventional pop songs and the mix on the song sound a little optimistic. This album was supposed to be inspired by the death of his daughter so I am hoping for something really dark. It is no where as near as dark as " Post Millenium Tension".  That darkness does not come until " Hate this Pain" . His voice utters the lyrics with more of that pain I want to hear from him. He might be british but this song sounds like it was born in New Orleans.

"Chills Me to the Bone" runs off a reliable groove that drives the song in the right direction. Their is more of a house bounce to "Fall Please". without the kind of groove he is known for the song doesn't feel as focused. When he goes into the kind of melodic and organic drone of " Take Me Shopping" it works more to his advantage. The song itself reminds me a little of  Lucious Jackson. They go into more of a down tempo pulse with "Like a Stone". The meody is more understated with this one. The vocals here feel more like what we have heard Matrine Topley Bird do in the past so this new girl from Poland is filing her shoes nicely. "Throws Me Around" goes for a similar vibe but it is lost in it's own atmosphere.

There is a gloomier vinbe to "Vietnam" which closes the album. It however never finds it's groove and just drones on with the drudgery. The albums gets murky and runs out of gas in the final moments , but does succeed as a whole and stands up[ reasonaby well against the bulk of his work. The production is a litte brighter than I might have preferred these sound to be presented, but the songs themselves are solid , not sure how much play time this will get , but I wil give it a 9, as I think that is where is would fall with fans who still carry his torch.



10

the Top 40 Female Artists of All Time : 40 to 31

In 2020 we are making a bigger deal out of how wet the nether regions are rather than the quaity of music being made. Granted the people doing this must have never heard of Lil Kim. This also gives me the chance to take  break from the lists of androgynous guys and  makes this one.The top 40 hottest female artists, might come one day  I am bored at some point but right now we are just focusing on the music. After all if you are writing good songs that stick in my head I do not care what you look like. You are not going to see artists here that I feel are covered by those who do what they do better or are such originators in their genre why listen to imitators. Not only does this list give commonly under rated artists their proper place, but I dig into as expected from me both harder and darker artists not mentioned in the same breath as pop artists. Speaking of that is covered by a handful of ladies as more would be redundant. There is one big one here in particular that takes care of everything . Only one rapper, and they are unique , and this is about their impact on music as a whole so iconoclasts not strippers with prodiucers or entertainers alone. Since this the Abysmal Hymns list there will of course be a darker slant and singer's with any gospel leanings that are blasphemous are obviously disqualified. So here we go...



40-Dawn Crosby -Fear of God


She fronted a metal harder than those that came before her like Warlock or the Great Kat actually using harsh vocals before Arch Enemy was a thing. The pain she emoted was very real as Dawn took her own life.


 

39-Bleached

 Poppy punk with out being pop punk. Their sound has evolved as they matured as song writers. Hopefully their next abum finds them getting at least the indie folowing they deserve.

 

38. St. Vincent 

 She can mimic the wack guitar sounds from Bowie's Scary Monsters album and bend them into her own unconvetional take on rock from mars.


 


37-Julie Christmas


From bands she has fronted to her collaborations with the ikes of Cult of Luna Christmas, continues to do her oewn thing and take hard rock in unconventional new directions.




36- Kayrn Crisis


Another distinct voice in metal. She edged out Dawn Crosby as she has gone to to more prolific body of work and expanded her range.  From Crisis to the Gospel of Witches she marries the unsettling to the beautiful.



35- Ash Costello


A wonderful blend of a pop sense of melody and rock power. Not ony with her band but her gothy side project Haxans which might have sounded like a Katy Perry Halloween album but was catchy as hell.

 


34- Diamanda Galas

If I was going to sum up Galas in one sentence it would be ...the gospel of the goth Yoko Ono. There is no need for any other female bringer of weirdmess who cam after her.




33- Lydia Ainsworth


Here is an artist who will hopefully get here due one day. Her album "Darling of the Afterglow" was a masterpiece and she does more with indie pop sound than almost any one , along with a rich voice.

 


32-Yolandi Visser -Die Antwoord

Yolandi is the only rapper on here, though I was tempted to also include Snow tha Product, Yolandi beat her out because she has a more original style to her flow. With hip hop it's easy to conform to an expected sound and she gives that the middle finger.

 

31- Farida Lemochi -the Devils Blood

The whole vest metal scene sprang up for a minute a decade ago with female singers. Farida was head and shoulders above most in that scene with a voice that held power and sould.

 

Team Picture : " the Menace of Mechanical Music"

The album opens with very late 80s feel to the ghostly female vocals and reverbed out jangle of the guitar. I like how things get darker on the second song and the guitar creates more of a creeping groove underneath things. The third song introduces a more androgynous as falsetto mae vocas take over creating a more Bronski Beat like sound. By the end of the song they have gone into more ofa rock distortion and more obvious male vocals. They bring a wider range of sounds to color these songs with. The atmosphere grows dense against the nuanced guitar drone of " This is The" . They are great at adding layers and turn a focus on sound into songs, which is a tricky balance most bands fail at .

"Handsome Machine" is not a gripping as the previous song. It's not bad they just have already raised the bar pretty high for themselves.At this point in the album the murky drug riddle sounds become a haze in the back of mind and I have to go back and relisten. "Compartments" reminds me a litte more of Modest Mouse, than the 4AD era post punk previously featured.  The two minute instrumental "Diffuser" is more of an interlude and hard to tell where it ends and " Rock Hudson Trajedy" begins even with the ambient portion seperating them. The  male croon to this song gives it the glue to hold it together, not unlike ,Merchandise. The vocals have more of a unique character to them on "Keep Left".  The vocals are a little more Talking Heads like.

"Slowest Hype" is a shoe gazey ballad of a song. It moves with narcotic lethargy. This is another moment that sounds very Merchandise to me. The album ends with some quirky jerky post punk. I will give this album a 9.5 , these Brtis excelled at not only capturing the sounds , but cared enough to turn them into songs while they were at .

Ulver : " Flowers of Evil"

 I have not heard any of the singles leading up to this. With these guys it could go anywhere. This is almost like synth wave with Rygg's  vocal over it. It almost sounds like Japan or Roxy Music when the beat kicks in . That is ok with me ! " Russian Doll" finds more of the smooth 80s synths flowing under the vocal melodies. This song is however not as strong meody wise as the opening track. It knicks nicely when the beat drops. Are these words we thought we woud have been using in regards to this band 20 years ago ? Ok most of you did not know who this was 20 years ago and were stil listening to Korn in that case this is not going to be too much of a reach for you.

There is actually a litte guitar on " Machines Guns and Peacock Feathers".  This song puts it's beat to good use. "Hour of the Wolf" backs off into thicker atmosphere . This does incude guitars sitting back in the mix.  We head out on the dance floor for " Apocalypse 1993". It is not as hooky of a song despite some nice harmonized vocals. Rygg reminds me a little a of George Micheal on this one. "Little Boy" was the first single from this album. It would not be totally out of place on today's alternative pop radio. Lyrically it's more dense . The use of guitar on this also works well. "Nostalgia" continues down a souful poppy path . It doesn't grip me as solidlyu as some of the album's other songs, but has a great guitar tone.

The abum ends with the more ballad like love song " a Thousand Cuts". There are familar 80s pop sound on this one. It coud have come from the Miami Vice sound track. But there is a odd melancholy that haunts it. Lyrics like " victims of a satanic church" certainly winks at where they came from. I will round this one up to a 10 as it will continue to grow on me. I am fine with them growing out of metal if they continue to temper their experimentation with great song writing as they have done here.

Blaqk Audio - " Beneath the Black Palms"

I went back to relisten to "Sing the Sorrow" a few weeks ago. It had not held up as wel as I had hoped, mainly because Danny's high shouting vocal did not have the power I remembered. Over time AFI evolved into something that makes them more similar to his side project than not. Fairly up beat synth wave. This feels like old Depeche Mode. Havok's vocals are a little more resonate here than his younger days in AFI that I revisted. The song writing is even more polished than the ast time I heard him. I feels like he is more into this genre than AFI's last attempts at punk. He uses more vocal coors on this album which I appreciate and keeps a dynamic flow to the album where other bands are not as gifted in this area.

His voice drops down to the more typical dark wave baritone on "A Distant Light" . They go in an even bigger VNV Nation direction musically on "Hiss" . This album touches on all the brands of synth pop that came out in the 80s with new wave on "Burnt Babies Fear the Fire". There is a Gary Numan touch to this song. They stay in the same zip code of upbeat 80s pop on "Fish Bite" . His vocals are perhaps marginaly more melancholy. The hook in the chorus is pretty strong. The reverse is true to " Bird Sister" where it feels stronger going to the verses and the chorus is more dialed in. Not a bad song though, just not as good as the previous one. The same can almost be said of " I'm Coming Over" .

The "People are People" bounce to "Tired Eyes" doesn't grab me as much either. The vocals are not the most inspired of the album. They back off a little on the last song. Over al it's an enjoyable listen even though I am well versed in the influences I am still able to listen to this for what it is. I will give it a 9 and see if it grows on me.

Cavern : "Powdered"

The band's 4th  album and their first as a trio. My first time hearing them, but it seems this is a progression from past releases which either were in a more Baroness direction or Russian Circles. This puts them in the same zip code as Gold. The vocals of  Rose Heater can be soulfu rather than despondently drone the melody. She serves the song and never  goes into diva land by overdoing it. These guys are more metal than Hum, but not by alot. Their is a mathy guitar part to "Grey" , though it is not without power and dynamics . They good at giving her plenty of room to sing out as needed. It woud be easy with some of the angular guitar parts to comes across as awkward with the melodies. This is not the case.

The title track almost works of a post punk tension, though if these kids are anything they are post punk. "Red Moon" is both moody and has movements. The drummer is pretty good, but overshadowed in the mix by the guitars. The vocal are more forward in the mix than they normaly are with this sort of thing, but in this case I feel it is justified as it serperates them from other bands, The lyrics are the standard alternative rock metaphors. Midway into "Red Moon" things begin to get more progressive. Perhaps not as proggy as early Marriages so think more along the lines of Russian Circles here, which will be familar to long time fans.,

"Dove" finds not a formua in place , but a sound they have cemented by this point in the album. Synths color the background so it is not like some new sounds are not still being produced. The only thing I would do differently in the mix here is bring the bass up. At some points in time I can not hear it all and as a bass player I isten for that.  The melody on the last song is more somber to match the tense of the song. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, I know that I can leave it on and let it play which is a good sign.

Aleynmord : " the Blinding Light"

We are not going to get far into this before I say the vocals are a point of contention. At first I thought the issue would be the programmed drums butthey are buried in the mix. The vocals are a shriek that sounds like a mongoloid being castrated. They are grating. This project does experiment and bring more sounds to the table than your average bed room black metal project. At times this is like the Wal Mart version of Agalloch. The acoustic sections are louder than the metallic moments. When they are meta they are going for black metal. There are melodic moments and pretty good guitar playing that got me to sick with this album.

On the second song there is some actual singing. It's not great singing , but it gets the job done and anything to make the other shrieking stop works for me. The third song " the Binding Light" is amost more like Pink  Floyd. Early Pink Floyd...not the Wall era . It also could be described as post -rock. Whatever you want to call it , there is some great guitar tones and playing on this song. It is hard to say they are going for a sound rather than a song, when their shit does have more ebb and fow than you average back metal band.

The last song finds the song part of the equation really coming together . The big take away from this song is both good news and bad news. The screamed vocals are decently done here. This is a relief as it means a break from the annoying ones. The bad news means that the annoying screams were not just the best they could do but an artistic choice . A poor one but a choice all the same. This makes the last song the best one, but also forces me to around this abum down to a 7.5. Still better than most , just not something I am going to listen to more than a couple of times.

Jesus Wept : "Apartheid Redux"

Hmmm if you are going to try to sound like 90s Carcass I guess that is ok, as I wish their last abum sounded more like that. So you get some punchy hooky death metal.I am not sure how ong it will keep my attnetion as I aleady own all the Carcass albums. This is the ban'd 2017 ep that has been re mixed and mastered so getting it's first proper release on Redefining Darkness Records. A label I find to be fairy reliable. The 41 seconds of the grindcore version of Carcass, is a waste. They do not pus their lyrics from medical books and instead spew some heavy metal pseudo Satanic nonsense. When they slow down they avoid the Carcass comparison and you begin to hear who they are.  Also this guys lower growls do not sound like the lower growls of Carcass. They are not that original when it comes to a lower growl but it is what it is.

This is the guitar's game for sure. It plays to their benefit on a song like "Jesus In Chain" where the guitars are really strong and add meodic value. Not the album's most overt Carcass moment, which plays into their favor as well. "Comfortably Dumb" is back on the Carcass shit, but it's ok as the hooky riffs have some thought into them as well as the arrangement.  "Fucked On the Cross" is not as well crafted as the previous songs and fees kinda dialed in . The vocas do fall neatly atop the guitars so the songs is not a waste. It also has one of the album's best guitar solos , and a creepy atmospheric middle section.

They close the abum with a pretty decent cover of WASP's "Fuck Like a Beast". Overall this is a pretty solid death metal abum. If you miss Carcass or are too young to remember their glory days then you might be more impressed. It's not making my end of the year list, but will give it an 8.5 ,as I enjoyed the listens I got and they are good at what they do.

Infant Island : " Beneath"

 The first song is a droning ditty where the screamed vocals do not come into until the last minute of the song making it amost just feel like an intro rather than a song. The sounds are pleasing , but this is the last time they are going to get away with sounds instead of writing a song. That may or may not be a challenge as these guys are a blend of black meta and screamo. The urge to bast and just scream will be strong. They are aso prone to noisy bouts of ambiance as felt in "Content", but the over all mood of the song which would fall under post black metal works for me. "The Garden" does something I like with moody music that has screaming over it to contrast it . The defy most conventions on this song. It is chaotic but in the best way. Very nightmarish.


"One Eyed" gets lost in the feral explosion. They have already shown me they can rein this in and do something special so this is less than impressive. The more melodic guitar going into "Death Portrait" renews my hope. The screaming is more overpowering in the mix. Not as good as 'the Garden" but it works for what they do. I am not sure I think what they do well 90 pecent of the time at this point. The have sense of dynamics and are sonicaly heavy two things that work in their favor. This gy does havea convincing way of torturing his throat. I think if they gave us more of what they are doing on "Stare Spells" this album would be great. I am not saying make everything sound like this , but use the elements that work best with the musical colors at their disposable. That is what that song does.

The album ends with something, that is really just an ambient outro. This album has several of such pieces that I did not feel like bringing up as when it comes to songs are not something I am just going to listen to on my iPod. Maybe if I still did drugs I might appreciate more.  I think overal these guys are onto something, the screamo wins out over the black metal giving it a more punkish feel. I like the bulk of what they do after it sinks in so I will give this album a 9 as they are dark and experimental without trying to sound like anyone.

Plague Years : "" Circle Of Darkness"

Going into this hearing comparisons to band's like Sepultura and Slayer's early days gives me pause. I think unintentionally combining those influences with death metal and hardcore makes them sound like a less melodic Dark Angel. Mainly because the roaring voice of their singer is more about bellowing that singing actual notes. I't equal parts death metal, thrash and hard core on the first few songs with the Slayer influence felt more in the guitar of  "Paradox of Death".This thrash influence  extends into the all over groove of the song.  When they turn on the sake of speed for the sake of speed like they do on the title track it is not as effective . However when they give into the groove like on "Evil One" , the results are much more head bang inducing.

The fight again the need for speed is a common struggle when it comes to bands like this. It plays against them again on "Incantation". All the riffs just kinda become a mush of chugs running into one another. 'Nrfd' leans into the groove and ends up sounding a little like Pantera's "Mouth For War" / It is also one of the album's best chorus'. They fal on more of a hard core vibe the grunted pounding of "Word In Blood" . This song has one of the more noted moments where he comes closer to singing.

The album's most melodic moments come going into the last song. This is then countered by the band losing the ever present struggle with speed that comes up. With thrash you could argue that it is needed for the genre and I could point out plenty of songs by the greats and even albums where they put the song before just blasting it out. Half way into this song they slow it down , but more like hard core breakdown. I will give this album a 8.5, the mushy speed riff parts are the only qualm and the do lock into some good tunes in the midst of the head banging.



79

LA Witch : "Play With Fire"

This trio of gals falls some where between the Donnas and Hole. Their is grungy jangle to their sound and by the second song the vocals have taken on a more despondent moan. Granted Hole also had a despondent moan so it leans from the punk to grunge more . The first two songs are pretty pleasing then when things are giving more space on "Dark Horse" they do not feel held together as well. The chords rings out in a more rambing western rock feel on " I Wanna Lose" though the chorus is underwhelming. There is more of a an old punk Runawways feel to "Gen-Z" . The guitars do the heavy lifting for the vocals on this one. The more punk flavor benefits ' Sexorexia". WHile her voice works , her pipes are fairly limited and work more off attitude which makes this song work.

Evne without the most stellar voice melodic moments do benefit them as proven on the moodier "Maybe the Weather". Once again this finds the guitar compensating for the vocals , but in a more balanced fashion this time around. There is more of a post punk tension to "True Believer" . This gives a little darker feel to the song.  I am not sure what happens on the last song, but it gets too nosiy and has nothing to really hold it together. I appreciate when it ebbs down to the bass groove and the lower vocal chant, but the guitar which has been the glue of this album falls in to chaos taking the song with it.

I will give this album an 8.5 , except for the last song everything is solid and might just take time to grow on me. The album starts strong and I think they have a ton of potential. It is not their first album, and there are some things they truly have dialed in here.  I think if they moved from the more garage songs to writing "pop" songs they could do it in a way that still maintained their dark punk sense. Until then this is what we get.

Napalm Death : "Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism"

The album opens with the kind of scathing assualt these guys are expected to give. "Backlash Just 
ecause" works of the same formula, the first riff that catches me ear is on "That Curse of Being in Thrall".There is a great bass tone on this album. The guitar are dialed into modern metal perfection , younger bands could stand to take notes. They uses more melodic naunces than they used to .The vocals stay a similar snarl for the first three songs. The riff punch you in the face and are sure to make your ears ring. In recent years I have found them a better studio band than a live band. The timely titled "Contagion" is more rock in it's metal attack and a fairly concisely written song , more fine tuned than their earlier work.

It always seemed funny to me that even being named Napalm Death the band is not death metal. In more recent albums as they have changed with the times sounds more similar to death have cropped up. Lyrically I know this is supposed to be a big social justice album, though anyone will claim anything to sell records. This doesn't matter because on most songs you can not understand what he is saying any way/ "Invigorating Clutch" finds them using more groove. The lyrics almost cut through with a more refined snarl he spits them from .  The monochrome ranting grows a little stale on " Zreo Gravitas Chamber". There is a pretty cool riff to " Fluxing of the Muscle" the vocals begin to wear on me thus making it harder for the guitar to carry it all. .Not to mention the fact that the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song makel.

"Amoral" is the song that made me want to check this album out, mainly because it sounds like Killing Joke. It is a great song too bad the vocals drag the rest of the album down. "Acting in Gouged Faith" just kinda blasts by. These guys know what they are doing . What they are doing is just sometimes more dynamic than other times. I do like the darker turn and sung vocals on  the last song. I will give this album an 8. It is worth a listen and enjoyed what I heard . Appreciated these guys more than actually listened to them if you are a fan and not looking for them to remake 'Scum' you should like this . Out on Century Media.

Ataraxia : 'Quasar"

The opening track of this band from Italy is nothing short of spell binding. It's a blend of folk with a fey like atmosphere not unlike the Cocteau Twins. Their lead singer's voice is almost operatic , but not like the cheesy symphonic metal bands that tries to sound like Sarah Brightman. She uses her voice as an instrument that creates as much of the ambiance as any of the instruments. Yes is it very dreamy. I am not sure I would call this dark wave as it goes in the elegant ethereal direction of goth. There are synths. But nothing here is melodramatic.  These guys have been around a while as they have already released 25 albums so they know what they are going for. This album does make me miss Dragon Con more as it is the kind of music I looked to load my iPod with every year for it.

The only draw back is sometims it becomes to atmospheric that is sounds like background music at a new age book shop. They have a great sound though it is so abstract and dreamy it is hard for it to coagulate into a song. "Sex is a Prayer' does have that hypnotic drone , but is soilid enough of a melody to find it self as a song. "Raidence" doubles down on the ambiance. It has a ritualistic beauty but nothin in the way of a conventional rock song. You have to listen to this much in the same way as a Dead Can Dance album. There is repeated samples throughout this album of voices talking about number sequences.There is a science fiction theme to this album which is weird considering how earth based and folky their sound is.

Even more earth bound and folky is " the Timeless" . This is another dreamy tune , but easier to follow than the more ritualistic moments of this album. The synths on "Beyondness" lend themselves a little more to the sci fi theme. There is more form and function to this song , but it is still and more soaring narrative. Three minutes in it break down into the tinkle of a piano and then takes off in a more Cocteau direction. The groove it kicks into floats off before the song is over. There is another track listed as the bonus track it is decent but goes off into a more symphonic feel so since these songs flow together well I am going to not count it when rating this album. Since I brought that up I will give this album a 9. It is easy to leave on and let play which goes a long way with me. This album drops October 16th.

Sprain : "As Lost Thought Through Collision"

This could be called many things. Art punk the tag being brandished now. Less punk and moe like the indie rock college radio played in the 90s , though this has more of an edge to it. It has many sides as it's also dissonant math rock with a melodic spirit. Not conventional in terms of hooks and song writing but enodwed with a charm of it own. I miss this kind of thing. In some way it reminds me of King Missle. More abrasive. Slow core is another sub genre that could apply., When I think of that however I think of Low, and this is more intense and lingering rather than wallowing in that kind of mood. They are slow and minimal on "My Way Out " , but the punch out sonically from this in a very dynamic fashion.

"Worship House" is not punk, but it has momentum. I like where this song goes as they are not working off formulas.The vocals eventually becomed screamed and the song goes into chaos. Then they go back to a more aggitated version of their normal state. I sometimes complain about noise. That does not mean I think it's not a useful tool as these guys prove they can paint well with it. The bass gives "Everything" a plainitive groove. They have a grungy recklessness to how they beat their instruments and explode into angry sections. Things actually get heavy in a more sludge manner by the end of the song. In this 15 minute song they manage to batter you in a much heavier manner than you ever saw coming. Some of the droning feed back after the nine minute mark could have been trimmed back


The last song 'Constant Hum" does have a grunge tinge to the way it snarls. The downtrodden mood has a Nirvana feel to it. These guys and girl really surprised me I like them much more than I thought I would. The album grew on me. It is one of those albums I cna leave on an let play even with all the abrasive elements in play. I will give this album a 9, it appears the Flenser did it again and continues to have a stable of bands that are uniquely cut from a different mold.

Pain of Salvation : "PANTHER"

This is not a huge change in sound for them despite electronic elements being more predominant on the opening track. They are not doing this in a way that conforms to a commercial sound . It defines progressive. They continue to not stand still and get comfortable with a sound. It is also less metal than the previous release. Daniel's voice sounds great. He knows how to serve the song . This can also be said about the instrumentation employed . There is no wanking. It's complex and simple at the time. There are aggressive elements with out being over metal. On the second song there is a heavier dynamic it swells into, this is counter balanced with a very organic melodic verse with a sight blues touch. This then contrasts the shift to a more futuristic sound on the verse of "Restless Boy" . The more intense chorus is somewhat Faith No More , but that seems to have always been an influence. It is more of a glitched out stacatto that once again is not overt metal , but heavier.

"Wait" is not a pop song but is is one of the more smoothly melodic and following song on the album. He still retains a rock edge to his voice. Very emotional but controlled Daniel shows he is one of the best singers in the game. "Keen to a Fault' falls more on the line of what your average prog listener wants from music, though with less shredding . They are without a doubt tremendous musicians. Not my favorite vocal melody on the album, feels like its following too closely. I might be nit picking but that is what I hear. The guitar playing makes up for it. "Fur' is just a banjo interlude, but then they turn back the clock with the title track that finds Daniel doing a Patton like white boy rock rap. Musically they way their are playing with electronics is interesting.

I like the lyrics to "Species" where he exclaims 'sometimes I hate my fucking species" . The abum ends with the 13 minute "Icon" . This is a "prog" band so not surprised. Not really a power ballad in the 80s sense of the world but a very dynamic ballad. Things do not get as intense as I like them until the final 3 minutes, which are pretty great. I will give this a 9.5 and see how it sits with me, Not their best album, but that is a high bar. It is better than the bulk of things calling themselves prog these days.,

(HED) PE " Class of 2020"

It's been 11 albums since I paid attention to what HED PE was doing . The first song feels like they have moved in a more straight forward metal direction. The singer is realy the only original member, but DJ Product does play on this album. Their original guitarist also contributes a solo.When they are sticking to stragiht up metal they are not in their sweet pop like they are when devling into poppier hip hop elements. This makes a song like "Watch it Burn" one of the album's tronger moments and " No Days Off" mediocre. The hit a better balance when blending this in a more Limp Bizkit manner , though I always stood by the fact these guys are better at what Limp Bizkit does, their first album just took more chances.

In promo material for the album the singer talks about all the classic hard core he listens to. That is infe and good, but what comes out when applied is something wack like Biohazard. I want more moments like "Last Call" from them. Even though when that song tries to get harder it loses it . Not as much as the attempts at punk on  "Ole Times Sake". They are going for a Drop Kick Murphys thing. It is not the worst song on the album,. but far from the best. "Greedy Girl" finds them back in their sweet with hip hop, reggae and rock. "Nothing Lasts 4ever" is like a pub song, about when Corona. Saying things like protect the weak and elderly is proof these guys are drinking the Kool Aid. They are hoping it's over , rather than hoping it's the end of the world, just the attitude that proves why they can not play metal, because metal should be fueled by darkness.

"We the People " sounds like a more metallic version of Kid Rock. It is better than most of their attmempts at a similar sound. "Overdue" is the album's most melodic moment and it's darkest as well. They use auto tune to create more of a modern pop feel. More often than not this album is a disappointment and lacks what they brough on their debut.  I will round it down to a 6.5 . It comes out August 21st.

Dame : "s/t"

Here is a band that tries to jump on the post punk / death rock revival. They dide a decent enough job with their first album to make me willing to invest the time to listen this album. At first things are worth my time as Their sound is more concise and marginally more polished on the first track than what I remember from their previous release.The problem is it's the third song before I notice it is no longer the first. Things do shift by "Vacancy". Post punk does tend to work off a similar Joy Division like approach to a single note droning guitar tension. That is happening here. They have cpatured the sound and are attmepting to work on the song side of said equation .I find myself having to listen to this album multiple times in order to differentiate the songs from one another.

They crank up the guitar in a few more places on "Skeleton". Really it's the bass line to "Bubble Baby" that makes it stand out from this song and the bounce to the sugary punk vocals. I think the energy and stright forward nature of this makes it more punk than post punk. I am not sure how spooky they want you to think they are. This was more apparent on the previous album, this album is not very dark at all. "Parlor Games' highlights what I do not like about the punk of the average punk rock. It is sloppy with the guitars just banged out. Most punk I like draw from rock , like the Stooges and gives you a song to latch onto rather than feeling like a rushed mess.

I think giving this album a 7 is more than generous. Do not come here looking for death rock anything, as it is more punk than any of that. Are there qualities shared with  Christian Death, yes in the fact that Rozz and the boys were also influenced by punk. But that is all.

White Hills: "A Pont in Time " / One Day at a Time"

I combined the reviews of these two EPs from the White Hills qurantine series since "A Point In Time" only has three songs so it seemed like a stretch to write a review for just 3 songs. I think that is where I draw the line. Regular reader can attest I never review singles for this reason. This ep opens with a spaceed out instrumental that takes you to the moon on acid. It is very psychdelic and not the first song in this series of unrealsed tracks that owes something to Jimi Hendrix.  The alternate mix of "Counting Sevens" feels like it was mixed so far in the background and muffle so much that it is not there. I am not sure what they were trying to achieve in doing this . It doesn't sound like from what I can hear that they are doing anything off the beaten path when they originally recorded this . At the five minute mark it begins to turn around, but feels like this jam was half wasted with the muffled quality of the first half . It is a big trippy guitar solo, I am sure effective live but just for every day listening when I no longer get stoned at home or anywhere for that matter is of decreased use.

The last song is a sprawling jammed song that is almost an instrumental until after the first 13 minutes vocals come in during the final two and pull it all together as a song. Once again while this works well live for casual listening it is a lot to commit to when you are driving to the store. So I will give this ep an 8.

They start the same way they ended a "Point in Time " on "One Day At a Time' with a long massive spaced out drug jam. The second time I listened to this song , I got up and did somethings around then house and when I came back to it the ony thing that really changed was they were locked into a Hendrix like guitar solo. It ebbs and flows from this theme breaking down into more of a simmer. There is no question however that they are talented. They roar back with the kind of heavy rock I want to hear more from them on "The last song is heavier on atmosphere than rocking. They create some grreat songs, but it feels like it would be a section of a song rather than a song . I will give this one an 8.5 ,as I prefer it to the more ponderous " A Point in Time" ep. Both are some what similar and if you like the band's space wandering then you will appreciate both releases.

Parlor Walls: "Heavy Tongue"

Here is a bizarre band that is for all preactical purposes industrial . Ok lets think of it as an industrial version of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I found this band going down a Bandcamp rabbit hole. It was reccomended by White Hills. There are similar elements . The use of electronics and atmosphere in an unconventional manner being at the top of the list. The atmosphere does not work as well on the aimless "Game". This duo works better with a beat behind them. "Lunchbox " supplies one while getting dark to create a winning combination for me. The vocals of Alyse Lamb are hauntingly sing song.  "Violets" has more of an 80s feel. It reminds me a little of that rap song " I Need Love". It is catchier than the previous songs.

"Pinafore > Ignite" give creadence to the claims I made about the industrial element as it is more aggressive and abrsaive in it's drive. I never claimed they were taking the traditional approach to industrial. "Spinning Gold" continues down the industrial path though with more atmosphere than the previous song. The vocals have a droning quality to them and fall some where between St. Vincent and Siouxsie. The production of this album, is very stylistic. Raw where it needs to be yet as the instruments are well layeredl The vocals come across great, with effects on them , but not over done.

The abum ends on a weird note, but that is pretty fitting considering how left of center this entire album is. The beat drones, though there are a great deal of some what noisy layers in this song to contend with and the chant of " Keep me hanging on" grows on you. I will give this album and 8.5, some times it is non conformist where trying to adhere to more of a pop song fromat might have been doing themselves a favor. This is balanaced out by the unique nature of what they do , but doesn't ensure that this is going to be an album I find myself returning to which is the basis of my judgement when it comes to ranking albums in my reviews. In case you were wondering how I come up with it. If you are looking for something different, this is it.

White Hills : "This Time"

This is the 4th in sa series of eps the band has released since Bandcamp was waving artists fees due to covid. These are unreleased song the band has in their vaults, but since it is the first time we are hearing it I am going to count it as new. The first song is the live track "Dead" .  It is pretty bulldozingly heavy. While these guys are not a metal band I think they could appeal to metal head when they turn up the volume with songs like this. They are a great live band , but live recording some times just hit you with a dense booming and not a great deal of clarity , which kind of happens here to some extent. They go into a Jimi Hendrix influenced blend of pyschedelic rock heavy on jamming out the guitar solos. It is not devoid of modern touch as samples are uses as a narrative.

"Turn & Turn" has more of the simmering space rock coming to the surface which seems to be the direction the band is leaning more toward. Lyrically this is the most politcal song I have heard from them, though he is not pointing finger to either side of the party lines, which I appreciate. The vocals are more spoken and it is not the best song I have heard from them, though it is not that bad and better than the radio rock of today even though it wanders off into a noisy jam . Then they shift gears once again. "S.A.S'  is an "Over the Hills and Far Away" like instrumental. The guitars sound great here, though it feels more like an interlude to me than a song that stands on it's own two feet.

I will round this down to an 8.5 ,as it might be a solid EP, I do not think it is on the level of "Electronic Time". I think if you are a fan of the band this is a solid effort that you will want in your collection . I think personally "Electronic Time" has songs that are more likely to have staying power on my iPod. I am going to continue working my way back through these eps , so keep your eyes peeled for those reviews in the coming days.

Rosetta Stone : "Cryptology"

Porl King is back. If you do not know who the hell he is then you sure as fuck are not goth. If you are going with Sisters of Mercy impersonators while not go with the ones from the 90s rather than kids trying to do it today. At least these guys were around for the real thing. They do not have the layers of female back up singers. His voice is also not as deep and resonate as Eldritch's .  The drum machine is kind of on the problematic side. Like the Sisters they gave their drum machine a name as well, theirs is called Madame Razor. I will take goth trivia for 500 please.The guitars sound better on the second song. The bass line doesn't differ greatly from the formula already employed. I am not sure why I was not more picky as a teenager  when it comes to these details.

It is not until "In Black " that I begin to take notice again. This song might not be as dark, but moves better and hooks you in more than the previous song that began to bore me. The bass line to "Soon" feels more tense like a Joy Division song. The guitar however ring out like the Cult , so they are at least pulling from multiple places. This also means Sisters of Mercy is not the only well they are drinking from. "Remember" plays of tropes that felt tired before the 90s were over. These guys were popular and could be found on frequent Cleopatra compilations, but I never claimed they were the best band from this period. His voice has not changed a great deal. It has always been more about where he puts it than how he flexes it. This is shown to be true on "I Put it to You" .

There is more Cure like guitar to "It Doesn't Bode Well" . King is no Robert Smith when it comes to weaving the guitar into a song. But the bass line does vary from the most common themes of the album. We are back to a more Sisters place with "Smoke & Mirrors". "Always Always' benefits from the effect on the vocals and the fact they are taking more chances with the sounds they use, which reminds me of their more classic sound. I will give this album a 7.5 , if you like this band you know what you are getting and they have not let you down. However they almost play it too safe.

Pyrrhon : "Abscess Time"

The opening track makes me think of a death metal version of the Jesus Lizard. Known for being a progressive metal band with a leaning toward the mathmatics, I can appreciate them progressing more into choas than wanking. "Down at Liberty Ashes " is more conventional death metal , but still very noisy. The third song finds them moving down the evoluntionary scale in grind core. The song is only a minute but feels like it could have been invested elsewhere. "the Lean Years" descends into jazzy chaos that sounds a little better than some of the murkier moments of noise where it get hard to tell if we are listening to music or a melt down. The rocrding being very raw plays into the more boise rock sound. The vocals find a nice nasty snarl to go into that is higher than the death metal growls. Today is the Day's heavier moments is a fair comparison here as well.

I can appreciatre the furious pounding " Another Day in Paradise " brings you can hear some hard core influence in the attack. One thing about this more noise rock direction they are going is that it is way more melodic. I like the reverb soaked atmosphere that cloaks the ranting on "the Cost of Living". They learned the best way to make death metal heavier is by not playing it. Not all touches of chaos go as well, though even with songs like the dumpster fire that is the absurd "Overwinding" they get points for trying. I think where the masters of this kind of thing Mr. Bungle and Frank Zappa get this kind of train wreck right is they work it into a song rather than a stand alone piece. "Human Capital" aims the chaos in a more death metal direction and it only works marginally better. There are few places where they lock into something cool, but the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. "Corned Animal" takes the same sentiment in a more feral direction. There are other moments on this album where they go in more of an atmospheric free jazz direction , but with distorted chords bubbling below it . This is more like an interlude than a song.

"State of Nature " finds them blending they element that work for them and playing off them. They do is in a more discordiant direction with "Rat King Lifecycle" which still equates for this album to have a strong ending.I will round this up to a 8.5 as it's encouraging to hear these guys doing something different and not afraid to try new things.

En Minor : "When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out"

I have always loved Phil as a singer. He can really sing when he puts his mind to it. This non metal project is not a hug surpise, but a welcom one to hear him drawing influence from Swans and Nick Cave. The first song has a more minimal neo folk like instrumentation, though more New Orleans dive southern gothic and not druids in the woods styled neo folk. Musically more is going on with "Blue". Thanks to the precussion and bass line. Organs add a more romantic layer in the background. Phil's goes into a lower rasp here. There is more of a back woods swampy Americana feel to "On the Fllor". It drifts more than pulls you into it. This ghostly drone moves in a woozy glide.

"the Dead Can't Dance" is more song focused, with enough motion to draw you back in. They shift back into more of a melancholy despondence to drone upon with "Love Needs Love".  "Warm Sharp Bath Sleep" , picks up from the lethargy that drapes most of the album into more of a folk strum. This is more engaging and is the dynamic shift the album needs . "Melancholia" is another dreary drone full of brooding. I like the mood , but these moments feel like they are more sound than song. If this was some indie singer sonwriter I might not look at it with such a critical eye, but this guys helped write "Cemetary Gates"  he knows about songwriting. It doesn't suck they are pleasing sounds. Things however begin to pick up a little after this song with " This is Not Your Day" . The guitars have a more folkish strum. Electric guitar melodies are layered over it , though none of this is metal. There is enough of an edge to make it obvious these guys did not come from Mumford & Sons. "Black Mass" continues down this path but with more swagger and melody.

They give the darker droning formula more twang on "Hats Off". I can hear where Tom Waits comparisons might come into play here. I like the feel of "Disposable For You" . It moves well thanks to Jimmy Bower's drumming. There is an unexpected shift in the song midway into it . I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me. The droning song are not something I will get a great deal of mileage out of but appreciate it. Coming out this September 4th on Housecore records.

The Top 40 Hair Metal Albums of All Time - 10-1

This might not be  genre most of you associate with me. It is one  I grew up with.Many of these albums I still hold dear today . When the 80s were ranging I was not listening to the Cure, I did not get my interest peaked in them til 1990. I listened to music heavier and darker than this in the 80s for sure, but this was the sound of chasing girls at the mall and smoking pot in my cousins car.  I choose 40 since many of these acts represent a time when this kind of music cracked the top 40 . It was a time when MTV began to dominate so image became every thing. Many of these band would put out album that were not metal at all, nor would I consider them metal bands. Granted most are on the low end of the heavy scale, with a few evolvoing into something heavier. I will make a Top 40 Glam Rock albums of all time to clearly contrast the difference, glam rock being more in the vein of Bowie and T-REX. Yes, some of these artists also crossed over into glam , but hair metal has a more cock rocking flair to it and is less androgynous.

These albums are  more about doing cocaine and getting pussy, devoid of any political correctness, none of this would fly in 2020. It would get a hastag for sure. Any this list should speak for itself, in some cases it might not be the most popular album or the album that broke the band through , but the album I feel has the best songs when it comes to hair metal. Remember that as some of these bands have better heavy metal albums, but we are talking about the best to tease your hair up and get a blow job to. So here are the top 10 hair metal albums of all time.


10-Ozzy Osbourne - "No Rest For the Wicked" 1988 

 He was headed in the hair metal direction on "Bark at the Moon" , but fully commits on this album . "Tattooed Dancer" being the most cock rocked out moment. But it's Ozzy and Zakk played with so much fire on this album that it overshadows this.


 


9-Cinderella -" Night Songs" 1986


 This album came out at the same time as "Look What the Cat Dragged in" and proved to be the better of the two albums. They did everything Poison did with more balls and darker.

 







8-Ratt -"Dancing Undercover" 1986

 Yeah, "Out of the Cellar" put them on the map. This album has higher energy and builds off what they are best at. It was actually a tougher call between this and "Invasion of Your Privacy".


 







7-LA Guns- "Cocked and Loaded" 1989


 More punch than sex action. These guys always felt more believable than many of the other bands trying to be tough bikers while looking like women. "Rip & Tear" is a fucking mean song too.


 







6-Lizzy Borden- "Visual Lies" 1987



 One of the most under rated bands from this era. He has a great voice and adds a darkside to his getting pussy songs.


 






5 -Skid Row- "Slave to the Grind" - 1991



 They avoid the sophomore slump by getting heavier. There is more to these song than just the big hooky choruses that ruled the first album and put more emphasis on metal than hair.



 






 4- Kiss - "Animalize" - 1984


 Hair metal for Kiss was ... well they are pretty much the godfathers of it as most bands on this list would not exsist without them. This album pretty much speaks for it self the best of their Desmond Child era albums.


 





3-Queensyrche- "Operation Mindcrime" 1988


 Ok, it's somewhat proggy hair metal. Most bands of their kind were not as ambitious and this albums is a piure masterpiece and could have been number one if not fur the next three albums.


 




2-Guns N Roses- Appetite For Destruction"1987


This album is number tow because I do not like "Paradise City' and the number one album I like
every song. But this is still a classic.

.




1-Motley Crue- "Shout at the Devil" 1983

Flawless front to back. They were still standing their ground as a heavy metal band and had an aire of danger to them.




 

the Top 40 Hair Metal Albums of All Time - 20 to 11

This might not be  genre most of you associate with me. It is one t I grew up with.Many of these s I still hold dear today . When the 80s were ranging I was not listening to the Cure, I did not get my interest peaked in them til 1990. I listened to music heavier and darker than this in the 80s for sure, but this was the sound of chasing girls at the mall and smoking pot in my cousins car.  I choose 40 since many of these acts represent a time when this kind of music cracked the top 40 . It was a time when MTV began to dominate so image became every thing. Many of these band would put out album that were not metal at all, nor would I consider them metal bands. Granted most are on the low end of the heavy scale, with a few evolvoing into something heavier. I will make a Top 40 Glam Rock albums of all time to clearly contrast the difference, glam rock being more in the vein of Bowie and T-REX. Yes, some of these artists also crossed over into glam , but hair metal has a more cock rocking flair to it and is less androgynous.

These albums are  more about doing cocaine and getting pussy, devoid of any political correctness, none of this would fly in 2020. It would get a hastag for sure. Any this list should speak for itself, in some cases it might not be the most popular album or the album that broke the band through , but the album I feel has the best songs when it comes to hair metal. Remember that as some of these bands have better heavy metal albums, but we are talking about the best to tease your hair up and get a blow job to. So here are the top 40 hair metal albums of all time.

20-Dokken- "Under Lock and Key" 1985

This album crossed the band over into hair metal. Before this they had a harder edge. This one was more polished thanks to the slick production. They are sadly under rated band. Top notch songwriting is their strength along with George Lynch's guitar.




19-Buckcherry- "15" 2005

This one might not love the cocaine as much , but overall the songwriting is better.





18-Dangerous Toys- "s/t" 1989 



 Marketed like a poor man's Guns n Roses, these guys were harder than most with an AC/DC like energy and more snarl to the vocals.


 


17- Spinal Tap- "This is Spinal Tap"


How much black can it get? the answer is none. When other bands are stuck at 10 with no where else to go these guys went to 11.




16-Twisted Sister- "Love is For Suckers"1987 

 Generally this band is glam metal, but not hair metal as they owe more to Alice Cooper. This album still had an edge but swinging for the hair sprayed arenas. Even then Dee Snider has a great deal of balls to his voice always giving them more of an edge.


 



15-Faster Pussycat-"Whipped" 1992


 I know this as none of their "Hits" , but it's a better album than their first two. They had more solid songs that allowed them to transition from just being hair sprayed whores of the sun set strip.



 



14-Def  Leppard -- "Pyromania" 1983


 It was a tough call between this album and "Hysteria" I think this album is more defining of haire metal, where there is less metal to "Hysteria" and more pop.


 


13-AFI - "Black Sails in the Sunset" 


 Plenty of punk bands crossed over into hair metal, Discharge and TSOL among them. This album just feels more like something LA Guns might have done and while it retains a great deal of the punk in it's dna, there are plenty of 8os moments.


 



12 Alice In Chains "Facelift" 1990 


 If you can not admit this album is hair metal you have never really listend past "Man in the Box".



 


11- Lita Ford- " Lita" 1988



 The songwriting on this album gives her this spot. It is almost to slickly produced and would sound better without some of these cheese ball keyboards, but they can't hold these songs back.