Steve Austin from Today is the Day is releasing a country album. Not what I would have expected, and even as I am listening while typing this have fully processed this weirdness, which in some ways reminds me of Ween's country album. His nasal tenor has enough tawng to come across as legitimate. There is a different boozy feel than what most country albums come to the table with, and lyrically, some of these songs are hard to take seriously if they were ever intended to be serious. 'Oh Lord, I'm Coming Home' is another one where certain elements are nailed solid, and others seem like they are winking at the camera.
'Am I Just Crazy' is a little darker around the edges, and vocally, he seems to be taking themselves more seriously. He knows his limitations as a singer, but is making this work. "Long Way to Hell" is not as dark as the previous song, and using themes like running from the law that are more country stereotypes, he has already touched on a few in previous songs making it hard to tell if he is even taking this seriously. I think there are some elements from the more recernt Today is the Day albums that could have blended to make this feel less like a country parody.
"Lovin' to Do" has a more bluegrass feel. He sings about being drunk on this one, which leans into the earlier point I made about this being a country parody. The music tends to check off all the boxes from what you expect from country, not unlike the lyrical concepts, but it's so straightforward that it feels like he is just trying on a cowboy hat rather than owning it. 'Crazy Dreams' feels a little more sincere. I know it takes a great deal of time and money to make an album, so I doubt this is all the punchline to the joke we haven't heard yet, but it's a shade of weird he has yet to paint in until now.
'I Won't Make it Last' sounds more likea a country-influenced indie-rock band than legit country, but it's certainly a more believable perspective. Going into the title track, it also feels like it might be more earnest than some moments on this album. I'm not sure I would call this outlaw country, as it feels like it's a series of misdemeanors; there is none of the danger that Waylon Jennings carries in his songs. I will give this an 8.5, as it sounds good, and the insturmentation is pulled off in a manner that adds some legitimacy to this.
It's time for September's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights may help casual readers catch up on what they missed and explore these artists. I am not writing brief summaries of them; I am simply linking to the reviews. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my inbox that are not coming out til 2026, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month, there is only a marginal variety for some reason. I was just listening to heavy shit, with a little industrial, death rock, and noise rock wedged in with death metal albums, which seemed the dominant force this month. So if you are feeling pissed or anxious, maybe you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of September.
I made the mistake of going into this album thinking I knew what to expect. The mix is what caught me off guard as it has all the elements you expect Steven Austin to use, but he bizarrely arranges these sounds that make me think of the Butthole Surfers, even amid the clanging of the almost industrial manner. The eerie calm of the vocals makes it creepier. "I Got Nothin" is driven by a synth, with whispered vocals coasting over the static pulse. The chorus finds things to get into a more aggressive feeling.
The oddly angular "Intentional Psychological Warfare" finds his harsher vocals collide with a narrative that reflects on how a car wreck changed his life. The guitar splits the difference and goes with an 80s punk feel. It all comes together to make sense of this chaos. Title track jangles like something King Missloe might have done in the 90s, but is attacked by layers of Austin's more scathing vocal assaults. I have grown warmer to horns, if they are used in dark music, and Mac Gollehon, who once played for David Bowie, makes a stronger argument for them, as things unwind with fiendish dissonance on "Secret Police".
His more spoken vocal approach led the way into "Psychic Wound" before the more psychotically snarled vocals come in for the chorus. This song works for what it is, but so far is the first song that might need to grow on me a bit, pretty strong start considering we are now six songs into the album. More frantic drumming drives the sonic exploration that is "The Choice is Yours." It is one of the album's more metallic moments when it comes together.
"Pain and Frustration" finds an out-of-key piano clashing against drums and electronic oddities that are haunting the background. It's a much more convincing picture of mental illness than what other bands like to toy with, as his demons come sneering out of the mirror at him on this one. It builds into a heavier dynamic that is executed with unconventional instrumentation. The album closes with "The Cleansing," a song that finds the drone of a simple yet hypnotic guitar pattern as the perfect accompaniment to his suicidal musings. I will give this album a 9.5, as it's going to take time to grow on me since I went in expecting over heaviness and came away with introspective heaviness. But I like depressing music so this album will win me over.It drops on October 3rd
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The idea to make this list came as I was trying to make an apocalypse playlist. These are heavy times and they make me want to listen to the most crushing music I have. Metal is like drugs. What seemed heavy at first no longer does after a time so you have to up your dose of heaviness in order to get the same result. I extended the invitation on social media for people to nominate albums with the caveat that the bar for heaviness these albums needed to surpass was Morbid Angel's "Blessed Are the Sick " album. It's the band's heaviest and while Morbid Angel is one of my favorite death metal bands they are not the most crushing . They are good at what they do. Some of the albums that got nominated did make the cut. There was however a great deal of mention of bands like Mercyful Fate and Black Sabbath, both of whom are among my favorite bands not just metal , but off all time. However this is not a list of my favorite bands. Nor is it s list of the most influential albums . It is a list of the heaviest albums. Ones that are crushing in a way that makes listeners of lesser metal uncomfortable. When you put Black Sabbath up against the albums on this list, while they influenced most if not all of the musicians playing on them Sabbath comes across as just harder edge rock. This is not taking away from Ozzy and the boys that is just how it is.
When asked how is heavy being defined the best answer I have given is " the density of sound, sonically intense with an malevolent emotional intention behind it" . So just loud and distorted are less than the bare minimum. I need musicians using their instruments to create darkness and torment. Things like playing fast might factor in here and there , but speed alone doesn't make anything heavy. There are tons of fast punk bands that are not heavy. Just tuning low is not heavy, Korn certainly is not on here. There are many different factors that play into each album to earn it's place here and different genres as well with Death Metal, Black Metal , Grind Core and Sludge having the best showing those a few thrash bands and doom bands made the cut . Any ways here are the top 50 heaviest albums of all time.
50 Morbid Angel- " Blessed are the Sick"
The bands heaviest album, it sounds like they are using their instruments to worship ancient demon gods. The music lives up to the blasphemous declarations of the lyrics.
49- Starkweather - "Into the Wire" Metal mixed with hardcore once worked. These guys are proof. They sound totally unhinged with t the darkness spewed out on this album .
48- Watain- "Sworn to the Dark" Black metal can fall into the trap of relying on blast beats , which becomes an atmospheric drone rather than carrying any kind of heft. These guys believe in what they are snarling about which gives an added intention to the spirit of their music. It is most pummeling on this album.
47-Wayfarer - " World's Blood" Blending black metal with sludge this band proves you do not have to forsake all semblance of melody in order to be heavy. In fact it is the creepy quality of the guitar melodies that make this heavier.
46-Godflesh- "Streetcleaner" This 1989 album has stood the test of time and is just as crushing today as when it come out .
45- Fister- " No Spirit Within" These nasty sludge bringers bring a balanced blend of density and darkness with a doomy hopelessness pervading the songs.
44-Entombed- Left hand Path In 1990 this album created the template for death metal coming out of Sweden from that point on. With a more jagged guitar one and riffs that hit like hammers.
43-Coffins - "the Fleshland" Tokyo's death doom warlords destroys your ear drums like a zombie Godzilla on this album.
42-Brutal Truth- "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" Helmed by Dan Lilker from Nuclear Assault when this album came out in 1992 it was on of the heaviest things going at the time .
41- Today is the Day- " In the Eyes of God" Vocals can often become an after thought in more extreme forms of metal, this album uses them to create a more deranged narrative that furthers the deranged atmosphere.
This one took time to digest then it clicked with me. It's both heavier and more melodic than previous releases though as expected these things meet at a weirds juncture. By heavier it's more an emotional heaviness than metallic heavy. I jumped onboard with these guys in 1997 for "Temple of the Morning Star" , which is a weird beautiful album then after "In the Eyes of God" , I would listen to them when friends played them, but did not give another album a solid spin until "Animal Mother" . "Temple of the Morning Star is the bar with which I will measure this album since it's my favorite. The fact this album is as dark as it is , makes me want to dig back in a give the other ones that I missed more attention. The opener has more of a Melvins influence than I remember from Austin. "Attacked By An Angel" sets a different mood. It's like indie rock gone wrong. It's creepy with a backwoods despondence. I can imagine a serial killer listening to this album in his murder shack out in the middle of nowhere USA. Sonically the heavier moments fall some where between doom and sludge, though not all of the sounds stick to the heavy metal play book.
The deranged backwoods vibe continues on the syncopated . The bass tone on this one is pretty mean. Things begin to get back into his normal wheelhouse of spastic with "You're All Gonna Die". There are a few interludes on this album that I am not factoring in for the purposes of this review. There is a nasty attitude to to the ebb and flow of "Cocobolo". The psychedelic ballad "Callie" is pleasing to the ears , but not the album's most challenging song by far. "Oj Kush" is not the first song to use a very syncopated Helmet type stomp, this time around there is just a glaze of weirdness over it. He continues to sing in his less aggressive , almost timid Dinosaur Jr like voice on "Mercy". I am fine with this . Singing always makes a song more interesting than just screaming. I said just because sometimes a more aggressive vocal is needed and that unlike his past albums is not needed here. More of a lethargy coats "Born In Blood". It's like floating down a lazy river , but on bad acid that is depressing you.
The album continues to grow increasingly creepy . "Mexico" throbs with more of a stoner rock thing, if that is what we are calling say Kyuss. There is also kind of a Neil Young thing going on with the vocals here. It's been touched on throughout the album , but that feel is more pronounced here,. There is also kind of a grunge feel to what is pulsing here as well. Think Mudhoney not Pearl Jam there. The guitars kinda shimmer in the background. The last song starts off with acoustic guitar and surreal sounds washing over it. I thought well this is his last chance to rock me like Amadeus . Instead he is getting high here. Which is fine, not what I expected. I have read review where they talk about neck straining screams, where are those, what album are those people listening to ? This is like some Ween shit hear, maybe if they were huffing fumes.He has mellowed with age. You get a great many people writing about what a rough go he has had of late, I think if that is the case it made him depressed not angry. More of a lethargy coats "Born In Blood". It's like floating down a lazy river , but on bad acid that is depressing you. I will give this album a 9, I will grow on me, but if you came here expecting metal check else where.
There is a good bit of drama surrounding this album, which has nothing to do with the music , but has bloggers speculating as to if this album will even see release. The drama involves accusations made against the singer by his ex-girl friend who also played bass in the band.Truth be told only the people involved know the truth, so I don't give a fuck about anything but the music. The music in question is a dark style of very metallic hard-core that crossover past the point of being able to see what which genre is which. Jeff Lohrber , who has played in Today is the Day and Trap Them is the ring leader creating something that falls closer to Myspace metal in some ways than say Converge, but I like the prophetic title track "Fail to Feel Safe". There is an chaotic element to their sound that is still confined to the context of the song.
There is a more punk feel to the beginning of "By Demons Denied"where the singer exclaims that there is a hell for him that he is living in. The album carries hefty momentum as it over powers you, yet the band doesn't forsake melody. The clean vocals are set back in the mix , in some ways this reminds me of a less down tuned Drop Dead Gorgeous ."Euphoric Revenge" is full of hate as he wishes someone the worse and has a front row seat to watch them suffer. "Isolation Sickness" is the first song that comes up on the more lukewarm filler side. The coarser vocals dominate until the layered chorus, and there is some sonic guitar playing that helps the song out."Sinister Drifter" doesn't bring anything new to the table that we haven't heard from a thousand bands before. The more melodic side returns on "Sailing the Sea of Fire". "Haunted" has a cool chorus , but the first verse is a mush of chugging. The chug coming out of the chorus works better in that context.
The more punk side of hardcore is shown on "Drownage". It has some thrashing riffs thrown in. The metal elements feel better to me on "Demolition Praise".
In some way the purging of demons done on this albums makes me think of these guys as a hardcore version of Nachtmystium. Another band whose front man brings upon a fair amount of controversy and negative press. However when you are playing metal shouldn't that be the case ? "Malady" opens in a haunting melodic manner. The song kicks into and soars with a vengeance. He announces on this song that he is singing for their loss and sorrows. The clean vocals are well placed and don't just stick to the good cop bad cop dynamic. "La Furia" keeps a similar sonic unease, but throws it at you at a more upbeat pace, with gang vocals tossed in as accents. The song slows down and builds intensity. They slow down and pound into "Sabotage Within" and churn it into a more sludge ridden form of hardcore.
Overall this angry album is more emotionally rawer than most of the other more mainstream slanted metal Century Media will be releasing will hear this year. I think it is still rough enough around the edges so that fans who have stuck with the band up to this point will dig it, I like it better than some of their more underground peers like Xibalba as there are more layers and melody kicked into the density. I'll give it a 9, I am not sure how many repeated listens I will get out of it , but I can not help but acknowledge it is a well crafted addition to the genre is represents.
This project gets points for being so influenced by the Swans. However it' worth a listen yet , not something I feel compelled to keep in my iPod as it's two songs that are both over twenty minutes. The First "Radiate an Receive" finds a Gira like Baritone chant, ranting over the slow minimal pulse of the songs subtle throb. Imagine a nightmarish version of Interpol. This incarnation of the project now enlists members of Indian, the Sea and Cake, Wolves in the Throne Room and Joan of Arc. So the sound is as crazy as their collective influences might be diverse, though it sounds like they all can agree on Swans.
They lumber at a powerfully plodding tempo, but are not what I would call doom, more like very deliberate Sludge infused post -rock, thought with a very indie rock take on the vocals supplied by Mark Solotroff, when they are not in a domineering baritone, that commands your attention his vocals are very quirky and not unlike a starker version of Interpol. So not as dark as Ian Curtis if you are keeping score at home. When the vocals take a harsher turn, it's pretty impressive and from a production stand point this album is head and shoulders above the project's previous work. Before the nine minute mark they begin to really start pounding you with some pretty solid metal. The chug is strong. Dynamically they can drop back into the post rock thing at will. When you get to the sixteen minute mark of the first song, you being to wonder why this is still being dragged as they have made the point already. They keep pounding the point home, sometimes soaring, but not really expanding on new ground with it.
"Then Window" doesn't catch it's groove until it's closing in on the five minute mark. It starts off exploding out of a womb of feed back. The song coasts along on this more straight forward post- rock section for a few minutes, gradually building with almost a psychedelic feeling, if we are talking about "Ummagumma" era Pink Floyd.He chants the album's title for sometime. You need a decent stomach for drone in order to enjoy this album. I like it used as a device , but when it becomes they only element driving the ship, then they better well be droning on some next level shit. They hang on the chant until mid way through the song. Then for the following seven minutes they let the song drift out into outer space. This evolves into full blown noise. Something that Swans dabbles in but is not the be all end all of what they are about in order to be obtuse. So for almost a good quarter of this album is droning noise. So how many drugs do you do is the next question this album asks of you. Once upon a time I would have enjoyed sailing across my living room to this , now I'm a little more grounded so don't have the use for it. I'll give this album a 6.5 , because I like when they are making real songs and from a production stand point they are heading in the right direction, next time I hope they focus more on the songwriting as they have too much talent to waste on noise.
I have been enjoying this album for sometime, so I needed to make sure I had this out at least by the day it was dropped so here we go. It combines the best elements that we have seen from Steve Austin so far.Perhaps even more diverse than some of this band's other work. Certainly more melodic. It is also very dark which wins me over. I jumped on their band wagon in 97 with "Temple of the Morning Star" ...of course it had pentagrams all over the place.
This go around the drummer from Trap Them / Enabler is on board.There is a slight punk/ hard core element to "Sick of Your Mouth", it is of course more twisted like if there was a hard core band in Gummo. They hit you with a blur of speed on "Imperfection". The vocal are kind of barking behind the beat. The math rock drips from the cracks of this and other songs. It converges back in on it self to find the groove. They tread similar ground on "Law of the Universe" , but in a much more spastic manner.
They creep the fuck out on the acoustic version of "Outlaw" . Austin has become more comfortable with his voice. He relies on effects an layering less. When the noise laden rumble of "God Crutch" comes about I'd would say it is more sludge than doom.The bark of "Divine Reward" gives the new drummer a moment to shine.As a song I Would not say it's the album's strongest moment , but at under a minute how can it be ?
"Masada" has come of the power as the Eyes of God days, the chug is powerful and vocals abrasive."Heathen" takes a cue from "Masada's" more syncopated section to hone it's punch. For this band to capture the metal creepiness I think that sets them apart they need to circle the drain around the sound they explore in "Mystic" .
"Last Strand' finds Austin going back into math rock. It would be somewhat Mastodon, if the member's of Mastodon had not been so influenced by there days in this band.There are some weird key boards dripping from the fissures of the riffs.Something really reminds me of the band Angkor Wat here as well. The metal version of "Outlaw" doesn't sound too different from the band I got into during the 90's. Sure the production is much denser. They touch onto a creepy psychedelic folk ballad on Blood Wood" Then close out the song with the wild and crazy "Zodiac". I'll give this one a 9. Some of the more punk moments like the song that is under a minute, just are not what I love the most about this band, forgivable but keeps it from a perfect 10. You might not have this problem and only time will see how it sits with me in the long run , but I can say while it treads somewhat similar ground this album slays the new Melvins album.
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