Now I've Done It : "An Ill Guest"

 This album with a fragile yet dark and creepy vibe that waltzes in the shadows, as the tinkle of a piano is a candle in the looming darkness it eventually explodes into. Yet the circus waltz continues like something from a horror movie, as the twisted larny spews the vocals forth. I like what they are doing on the opening track, but I could not listen to an entire album of the chaos they are presenting, and I hope to hear them melodically expand upon it. There are a few black metal bands that dance in similar realms of madness. For the second song, they take things in a more circus direction that is more Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum than Mr.Bungle. A great deal of this rests on the tortured vocals being a primary mode of expression, with the sung vocals serving as the chorus behind them. 

The guitar shifts to the twang of a funky groove going into "Offering" with a call and response between the two vocal stylings. There is more chaos and carnage in the almsot thrashing outburst the song races off into, than grandiose songwriting heard in the first two songs that I found more impressive. Not to say there are not melodic touches to this one, they jsut do not hold equal weight. "Ruffled"  is more of an interlude, before things get moving with "Panache," when they go off into a jazzy big band strut not unlike the Cherry Poppin Daddies, but the metal begins to boil to the surface. 

"Collywobbles" feels more like a black metal band playing a Danny Elfman-penned score for a Tim Burton movie. The pace accelerates to a rapid thrashing not unlike Sigh. They are just throwing everything at this song but hooks. The rapid cycling bipolar manner this is shot out is a lot to digest. "Splinter" finds its groove, which makes it feel like one of the album's more well-arranged songs. The harsher vocals take on a more rabid Gollum tone. The angular jerking to "Jim Jams " feels like another exercise in excess until they go into a groove that has a disco undercurrent that aligns the heavier sections."Kindling" might be the most Mr Bungle-like moment, but it is also the most infused with jumbled chaos. I will round this down to an 8.5, which is still pretty impressive. You have to be in the mood for chaotic symphonic metal. If you are, then it will be more than worth your time. This sonic carnival of carnage drops October 17th. 

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BURNDY : "s/t"

 

This trio from Chicago has chosen to make music with an unorthodox combination of instruments. They are armed with bass guitar, bassoon, and ukulele. The first song is a minimalist noise piece that finds the bassoon holding down the dreary melody. The second song has a more industrial cadence, as vocals are intoned with a chanted drone. The songs begin to run together, yet the vocals to "Burn' " make it stand out with the sing-song hook of the vocal line, which still adheres to their avant-garde approach, which they are unwilling to compromise when it comes to their artistic vision. In truth, it reminds me of a more obtuse version of Rasputina, but with less dramatic vocals and the lack of cellos. 

The programmed beats on this album could stand to come up in the mix, as it might give a heavier backbone to things. They are less committed to songwriting and more committed to toying around with abstract poetry translanated to their unique blend of instruments on "Breathe".  I am not asking them to become Primus, but something can be said for groove. It allows for a song to flow with ease rather than being forced into place here. The arrangements are rather crude; they hang on whatever the theme of the song is and just drone on it rather than employing dynamic transitions  

I appreciate where they are trying to go, I think the execution needs some work, and they would benefit from having an actual drummer, as the bass player is not holding things down on her own here. It is almost hard to call "Cinder" a song, but this is how they choose to release the album, so I will judge it accordingly. The overdriven effects on the drums for "Mask" are the kind of studio magic they needed earlier in the album. The bass line plods a little, but overall works well enough. "Static' tries to just ride the bass line, but it is not substantial enough for it to really go anywhere. It does build into a more Killing Joke-like chaos in the song. This carries over into the more punk feel of the last song. I appreciate what they are doing, the execution needs work so I will give it a 7.

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Xiu Xiu : " 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips"

My thoughts on Jamie Stewarts' experimental art vehicle range from respect to love to wishing he would stop fucking around and write songs as great as what was on "Dear God I Hate Myself". The opening track of this album finds them engaged in a hushed Lynchian ambiance. I do not ask more from them than what the second song delivers. I never ask for the weird to be compromised, I just want a song. "Maestro One Chord" brings this with electronic beats creating an anxious groove, and the vocals mutter in the background. There is more of a rock feel to "Common Loon" with a hefty bass line to give some drive to things. 

They get weirder on "Pale Flower" which sounds like an audiobook of a John Carpenter screenplay narrated by John Waters. It does have enough dynamic shifts to work.  The key to these explorations in music as art, lies in "Veneficium" as the hint of prog rock powers the song's groove, creating a balance this album needs to prove they are not just fucking around making odd dissonant sounds, but legit musicians capable of playing their instruments. Even someone like me who has been following this band for the past 15 years, needs to be reminded of this instead of being immersed in what is a brand just like an avant-garde director like David Lynch has branded his own sense of weirdness. This carries over into "Sleep Blvd". They wander back out into the land of abrasive sonic oddities that is "T.D.F.TW".  This song is more effective since the listener was just given the taste of songs more grounded in melody.  

They are still willing to take things to the other side of the more noisy minimalist side of the spectrum for a song like the trippy swathe of free jazz-like ambiance that is "Bobby Bland". The album closes with "Pina, Coconut and Cherry". This song takes you into a dream state of abstraction.  Electronic sounds blip and beep with no form or function aside from the drum beat from a 90s Casio keyboard. Stewart's vocals sound like he managed to capture a nervous breakdown in the studio. This still very much is in line with what this project does, so I can go with the flow on it since they have already given me the actual songs I need from them, you just gotta get this noisy shit out of your system sometimes to have your creative vision realized, this album finds the balance I will give it a 9. 

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Einstürzende Neubauten : "Rampen"

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These legends have been at it for 44 years. These guys are one of the first industrial bands, and I would say the genre owes more to them than Throbbing Gristle. The opening track is over ten minutes and the aggressive nature of what they do is dialed back, but it is not gone. Granted these guys are not young angsty punks anymore. If you are wondering why there is no more yelling on this album that is the reason. Though they have admittedly gone in another direction. The album's title refers to their fetish for live improvisation. This album captures that experimental endeavor, though the band's intent is to create pop music for aliens. These are intelligent men who know such beings are not from other planets but this music is for parallel universes, the interzones that lie in-between worlds. This makes perfect sense as they are crafting vibrational frequencies here.

They show many sides on this album. The first song has a jamming groove that they play with for ten minutes, but it works. The second song is the lead single, and it's weird, but more of a fully functioning song from these guys, almost like a Negro spiritual. It's one of the songs that I have to listen to several times to fully absorb. Then there is "Pestalozzi' which feels like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, never have I heard Germans sound so British. After that, they turn around and prove they are really Germans with "Es koente sein " which is a spaced-out neo-folk of sorts. This is where the album feels like they are more into sounds than songs, as this continues on "Before I Go" which is back in Syd Barrett's acid-laced zip-code.

"Isso Isso" has more groove to its somewhat more solemn mood. The album as a whole is more contemplative than confrontational. "Besser Isses" works off more of a groove that they jam out, not unlike the first song but more intentional. "Everything Will Be Fine" sounds more like what you might expect from these guys if you were expecting something more on their droning experimental side. "the Pit of Language" tries to be more of a song, but drones on one melody, for what they do this works. "Planet Umbra" finds them jamming for almost nine minutes. It flows and throbs like a mix of kraut rock and dub. "Tar and Feathers" is more ambient and does less for me. 

"Aus Den Zeiten" is a gradual build that hypnotizes you. The vocals are mostly spoken. It's dynamic even amid its drone. The song after it works off a more ambient and minimalist noise vibe. They keep with the minimalism but move in a more folk direction for "Trilobiten" where the percussion is barely a meager patter underneath it. The last song finds them painting the sonic scope with a bleak atmosphere even thicker, though it does not have the dynamics of other songs on this album. This album shows the range they cover, it captures where they have arrived as a band well. I will give it an 8.5, as it leans more on the droning minimalist side, more than the organic grooving I appreciated earlier in the album. It still serves them well as a testimony to their length career. 

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Mamaleek : "Diner Coffee"

 

A metal band with an album dedicated to small town diner coffee. Yes, please. After an odd intro, we get into something that owes as much to Tom Waits as it does metal. It carries with it once the song gains momentum the huge sludge lumber with the angular awkwardness of noise rock. Not far removed from what we have heard from this band before, perhaps the grooves might owe a little more to Sabbath this time around and are dressed up like a drunken clown with toy pianos and horns blaring at from its frayed edges. Not the first metal album to flirt with jazz this year. Nor is it the first time this band toyed with this brand of weird, in fact that is why I showed up. After reviewing somewhere around 200 metal albums so far this year I want t something that has little in common with those. What will be interesting here is to see how much of it owes its distinction to metal, by the time this album is said and done .

The second actual song carries  a smoky groove that is possessed by an unhinged darkness. If Clutch got drunk and did different drugs then the results might be similar though this music seem to be made by people with underlying issue that their art serves as a reflection for. The jazz like undertones, undermine the punk DNA needed to think of this as sludge. It is downtrodden, yet not with the kind of longing needed to think of this as doom. It is however progressive. This shows you can have progressive metal that owes not in the slightest to Dream Theater. Now Captain Beefheart might be another story here.  "Grief and a Headhunter's Rage" has a dark pulse that sounds like it could be from a David Lynch film. When it comes together into a more rock oriented song it sounds like Tom Waits jamming with  Tomahawk.

The dark bizarre droning jazz of "Wharf Rats in the Moonlight" goes awry, granted they pull everything back together, but the noise the song devolves into is one of the albums hard to listen to moments as it holds little musical value, though I do like where they end up taking the song. They close the album with the title track. There is some great guitar playing on it , where they show how cleanly they can play actual jazz when they are not fucking around and getting crazy. The vocals build into more of a howl. I will give this album a 9.5, they do prog their own way whether they mean to or not.  

Pågå : "the Evil Year"

In Solitude was one of my favorite bands. Many of the members have gone onto to work in other projects, but I was still wondering what Pelle the singer was doing. This answers that question. Flying under the banner of post -punk I think that is a misnomer , the closest we get is Current 93 and Psychic TV,  but even those bands I would not describe as post-punk.It is by and large dark and I like that !  Pelle sounds really different. He has backed off alot and singing in a more  Adrian Belew like voice.  There is a weird flow of congas under neath the song, which is not the kind of precussive element you would expect. There is a jammy abstract feel to things. It does havea groove that lures you in.  We are into some zany art funk with King Crimson like guitar on the second song. It is more of a solid rock song than the more ambiant opening track.

The third song is more of an atmospheric interlude, then they return with a more Nick Cave feel to "Wholly Gone" .But it never really goes anywhere. They get progressively darker on "Wet Star" but there is not a solid melody or groove to the song, so it works more like the soundtrack to a dream.  Midway into the song it begins to remind me of the Doors a little which is a good thing. This is also the first song to feature more metal like guitar chords. The song after this one is another instrumental interlude, but I like this one better as it is darker . Hearing Pelle sing over an acoustic guitar is different. He is also singing much differently though closer to what he used to than some of the previous songs. You can hear a little more of his range and how he has matured as a singer. A folk song is not what I expected but it is well done.

There is yet another instrumental interlude that might not be heavy in the metal sense but things to get more brooding using sampled choral vocals . The last song is kind of um...Beatles like. I am glad to hear his expansive voice but it is happier than I signed on for . This album is a sucess as it does what they set out to do. There s nothing in the way actual metal on tis album, which should come as no surprised for if In Solitude has released another album I doubt it would have been metal. This is nothing like I expected but I will give this album a 9. Not as good as In Solitude, but better in it's own ways at what it does.

NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM : "Eons"

I was just reviewing a mexican death metal band that was trying to sound Swedish thinking how everything sails under the same sun when it comes to metal these days . Then this space ship landed on my computer. I am not sure I would call the first song metal though it is intense. It is industrial and tribal all at the same time. Not unlike the band from the 90s called Crash Worship. John Zorn would also be into this. Not what you expect out of Belgium. Though I would not say Belgium is on my radar for any one particular flavor. This is a lot to digest as it amounts to a triple album. I first notice vocalizations on the second song mid the clanging and sax. They consider themselves to be drone metal that is mixed with free jazz. I hear more of the jazz. It comes to the forefront on this song. I am listening for anything that might mark this as metal half way into the song the intensity builds, but there is now aggressive vocalizing or distrotion. This changes in the third song "Lasmasthu". There is distortion placed on a stringed instrument and allowed to ring out. It is more abstract than the previous songs, which were far from being pop hits.

Four songs in they begin to cross over . Monmentum and intensity being the two elements that begin to take on a more overt metal feel. The ambiance swells. Free jazz is still a more fitting label . Something is heavy about chaos. Growling comes in amid the noise. It is kind of random like the instruments are being thrown down the steps at Regan's house in the Exoricist. These more abstract pieces are at least shorter and not ten plus minutes. "Enuma Elis" reverts more to the tribal throb with chanting over it  as it wrestles with the jazz tendencies.  "Zar" is the first part of the 'to the Moon"  part of the album which I am guessing is the second album of this set. It is more guitar oriented , but no less bizarre. The second song of this section finds vocals becoming more apparent . Some more menacing than others. The they hit the most metal moment yet. Though not how most might experience metal. After this comes more of an interlude with some Jimi Hendrix like guitar standing alone. "the Great Wars" comes out of this and finds the Hendrix liek guitar continuing into this , though there is a marching jazz song that builds behind this

"Homosensibilis' is very John Zorn as it's jazz but very dark. David Lynch also comes to mind. I like the melody to this one . "Oi sonuf" is more precussive based, not as focused on melody. It is also a twelve minute song so the drone is here. The third section "to the Sun" sounds like it is going to be even more abstract and ambient. 18 minutes of sax and drone is a lot to ask of a listener ."Heka Hou Sia" finds the mood becoming more ominous. I was expecting album number three to have more kick than sizzle. I am fine when it is jazz or weird tribal stuff, what I am not into is just droning on noise. It takes about four minutes to get anywhere on "Heliozoapolis" then another five minutes to gain momentum. The last song never gets anywhere. There is a lot of potential here and when you commit to listening to album three albums it feels like there needs to be more of the pay it wanted to promise. So I will round this down to an 8. Most of the credit this is gettting is do to how you have not heard a lot like it.

Poppy : " I Disagree"

I am not sure people are ok with Ghost and Baby Metal , but have a problem with Poppy, the first song owes more to the Beach Boys than Meshuggah. The metal it does pull from seems to be the more tech djent like. Though the producer who is the real star real nailed the Queen guitar sound. Acts like Issues and In this Moment come to mind when it comes to the title track. This album also makrs her final working with Titanic Sinclair a inter net music personality. The two had a falling out. " Blood Money" has elements of dub step and hip hop mixed into the industrial strength nu metal . It is more abrasive than pop.  My 9 year old daughter says "It's like angel sometimes and sometimes it's the devil" . 

She has more in common with St. Vincent than the kind of  pop that is on the radio. Sometimes she gets preoccupied with a sound more than the song. Other times she shine some song writing chops  like on  "Fill the Crown"  which also has a lower male vocal that sounds like Marilyn Manson.There are no other credits for it so it must be Sinclair.   The breezy ballad "Nothing I Need" finds her pretty much on cruise control.  Her more electronic elements are fine with me. I would not say they are dancey, and there are more interesting sounds than some of the rock ones she uses where the layering of guitar is weird. Vocally she seems to be more versatile than Billie Ellish, though her songs are not centered around the kind of hooks that gives Ellish her appeal.  She does employ a jarring almost Mr. Bungle like shift from styles .

Of the prettier more straight forward sounds she conjures I think I like what goes down on " Sick of the Sun" best. It has some shoe gaze qualities.The album closes with another more straight forward ballad that starts off not as solid as the previous song. It does eventual build up and works in a more rock dynamic.  I will give this album an 8.5, uneven from a song writing perspective , but I appreciate what she is doing here.

Liturgy : " H.A,Q.Q"

Hunter is back with something closer to the kind of experimental black metal that you want from this project, even if it comes in practice burst that might owe as much to grind core ... think the Locust here. Greg Fox left some big shoes to fill but Leo Didkovsky, measure's up, Leo also plays with Kayo  Dot. If it was not for his greater use of double bass I might not have even checked to see if this was Greg or not.   This is a much heavier album than 'the Ark Work" . I would never say this band's stuff is dark, but this is aggressive. This is not to say that there are not so odd things like flute sounds that off set this, as there are . I do not think anyone would go into a Liturgy album looking for straight up metal .

The "Exaco" piano interludes are impressive piano playing, but not likely to make it over to my iPod. Weirdness such as harps crop up on the song "Virginity" . The kind of chanted sung vocals he referred to in the past as being influenced by trap rap are really low in the mix and off set by the more dominant screaming.  Their as also weird choral vocals. In short it's a lot to take in. The same could be said about the opener though it feel more familiar.  The first song that connects with me as a song normally would and not just throwing tons of weirdness and pyro at me, is "Pasaqalia". The stringed elements and the metallic syncopation all lock in at all the right places. There are more symphonic elements on this album, which goes to show if you compared this to Dimmu Borgir who could also be symphonic black metal how different those sounds would be. I am not sure I would even call this one a black metal album, avant garde and progressive yes.

"God of Love" finds the harp sounds returning. The screamed vocals are feral and haphazard. Blast beats patter on the chaos. There is a cool melodic section midway into the song. it might be the most melodic moment I have heard from the band , including their bout with trap singing . They also follow this up with plenty of pounding. The title track opens with very odd synths sounds. It gets back to a similar place as the more feral moments of the previous song though there is a tighter almost math rock precision. This album certainly has some strong moments, it is also more spastic than past releases. I will round it up to a 9.

Mike Patton : " Corpse Flower"

I love Mike Patton when he is locked into an actual song, the large majority of the time. Faith No More , Peeping Tom, Mr. Bungle and Tomahawk are all good by me. Is his voice really being used to the fullest potential or he he just want to make a cinematic  Nick Cave like album? I know Burt Bacharach is an influence and that can be heard here. Aside from some harmony overdubs the  vocals are either spoken  in a low raspy croon. Perhaps sung even less than what Tom Waits does so by the 3rd song the humor is beginning to lose me. He is collaborating here with composure Jean Claude Vannier, who primarily makes film scores. "Cold Sun Warm Beer" is more Mr. Bungle. Higher vocals are in the background. The music is darker and more angular

"Browning" has more of am electric pulse to it.  It moves much more smoothly even taking into consideration the weirdness at the periphery. "Hungry Ghost" sounds like it could be from a 60s Euro trash opera. He does use a great deal of restraint and does not belt these out. The irony is it almost sounds like someone who is just doing what he can to make it through the songs  in a very intentional style , when we know he can knock it out of the park whenever he feels like.  For the title track he goes back into the more spoken thing. The music behind him is interesting. He goes into a more dynamic croon on "Insolubles". It at least sounds like he is trying to sing. There is a theatrical jazz feel to this one. "Top of the World " is more of what you expect from him. He sings more , and declares that he is going to piss and shit down onto the earth.

There are touches of 70s country and American mixed with polka on "Yard Bull" .   "A School Girls Day". Patton narrates this little girls day. The music is more interesting than what he doing. The last song sounds like it belongs in Twin Peaks. At least he croons a little on it.  If you are a fan of Mike Patton then you are going to be up for anything. I am not sure I will be in the mood to listen to this a great deal after summer is over. I will give it a 9 as it is good for what it is, the question is how much of a use to I have for what it is? 

Wreck & Reference : "Absolute Still Life"

Saying I have been a big fan or these guys might be an exaggeration of admiration. I began following them when they released "No Youth" back in 2012. Since I have typically made it a point to check out and review their releases since. Am I enough of a fan that I would leave the comfort of my house to see them if they came into town ? It would really depend on who they are playing w ith and unless money was flowing like wine at country club, not likely I would spring the 20 bucks on a shirt. If you have read this blog on a some what regular basis you might predict which bands that would happen for. The new album does interest me as it seems to be a darker turn. Imagine if Andy Dick was  making a goth album it might sound like the opening track. I know I brought up the King Missile comparison on the last time I reviewed these guys, but it is back. There is more going on and it's more experimental and dynamic.Things begin to take an even darker tune with the somber musing of " Eris Came to Me at Night' . I had to give this one a second listen,as it is very subdued and works of a murmured narrative.

 I really like the cold robotic groove to the surprisingly melodic 'stubborn lake"   The go back to the more King Missle sound on "What Goes In and Comes out". It works but not the best song on the album as I prefer the previous song. Heavy is not a currency they are really dealing in on a regular basis , but comes closer with the anguished vocals of  'what IS A Gift. "."in uniform" is almost more atmospheric than a song, since these guys stock and trade is all manner of weirdness I will let it count as a song.  "Dumb Forest" is an interesting commentary on sexuality. It's back in the King Missile mode , but the lyrics make up for a great deal.  I am big on lyrics and a song that might not win me over in and of itself, can tip the balance with good lyrics. "Amends" is another timid song that sound like Bright Eyes on harsher drugs and what ever Conner does. He comes closer to singing singing here. The beat is minimal and jagged. These lyrics are more self depreciating and not as appealing to me. 

The album ends with a denser heavier sound, but heavy in the same way Xiu Xie, can be. Only marginally darker than previous songs. It goes progress into atmosphere. I will give this album an 8 there are a couple songs I really like, but it is not likely I would listen to it on a regular basis if it was in my iPod, if you are a fan of the more avant garde, post industrial scene,tho would be a since addition for shuffle mode in following up an album like new Pinkish Black.Being relased on the Flenser.

Looking Back in Anger at David Bowie's "Lodger"

Considering that Bowie is the single most important artist that ever touched my life, how can I not review one of his albums. Its obvious why I had to review this one for this series. This is the last of the Berlin trilogy and I am not going to get into Brian Eno's weird Oblique Strategies card game that they use to break creative blocks while making this album.While all the hipsters at the coffee shop only listen to the avant garde trilogy created during Bowie's coke binge, truth be told him and Brian Eno are the original hipsters. Of the albums from this era this is the one I have spent the least time with. So it's like rediscovering it.

He croons that he doesn't want to live with somebody else's depression. He hits a really beautiful note a minute and a half into this one. It has a smooth sway and swagger to create a stranger dynamic considering the weirdness to come. It's his classic post Ziggy band with Carlos Alomar on guitar, Dennis Davis on drums and Dennis Davis on bass. They were supplemented by Brian Eno and Adrian Belew. "African Nght Flight " is well done for the kind of experimentation they were going for here, as he beat Peter Gabriel to the punch when it came to dabbling in world music. I think  "Move On" is a better song, and truth be told Bowie is my favorite singer so I want to hear songs that are going to make the most off his voice. He has the lower more distinct baritone croon on this one.

"Yassassin" is one of Bowie's best and most unique songs with its Middle Eastern feel. It show Bowie can be as weird and wacky as he wants and still make a great song. "Red Sails" is upbeat art rock with a groove. It's an interesting song though not as good as "Yassassin" , but probably better than anything your favorite band has ever done. "DJ" has more funk and Bowie is singing his ass off on so what else do we need? A the song progresses you can hear the weirdness dripping off the edges. Another clss and the song I named this column after "Look Back In Anger". This song has a great deal of drive and is one of drummer Dennis Davis' most impressive performances.  "Boys Keep Swinging" always seems like a gay anthem to me, its a great song. "Repetition" is not Bowie's most inspired moment but you can hear where the seed for Tin Machine were planted here. It ends with "Red Money" which sounds like it could almost be left over from "Scary Monsters".  So marginally darker in it's tension. So even if it's not my absolute favorite Bowie album it's still a good one which makes it better than what mere mortals can do and is a 10.

Gothtober - Street Sects : "the Kicking Mule"

The Texas duo returns with a more aggressive effort, even when the vocals are not harshly screamed the sneering death rock like tenor spits out dirty pictures of humanity in his lyrics. They get a little more manically frantic on "Birch Meadows, 1991". The vocals remain more composed almost to the point he is singing a different song than what they recorded beneath him. This awkward juxtaposition somehow still works to some extent. Though those more chaotic moments are not the strongest when it comes to song writing. They manage to pull chaos and songwriting on "Chasing the Vig". The guitar is hard to make out from the equally jagged synths. The beats are often more angular than not, not attempting to find the kind of grooves industrial music latches onto.

"Suicide By Cop" wins by the sheer charm of it's clever and emotive lyrics. The music works with the vocals to almost create something more accessible. I like the use of samples on this album, it makes listening to it as a whole flow really well, even though that is not the way most people digest music these days. There is more of a post-punk feel to "Everyone's At Home Eventually". Lyrically it seems to be reflecting on his teenage years. The beat is stronger and has more slink to "Dial Down the Neon" it reminds me of something the Faint might have done. Granted it's more aggressive than the bulk of the Faint's work, perhaps not a few of the songs from "Danse Macabre". This song has a wider range of dynamics than some of the albums typically more spastic moments. The album's strongest song might also be the one that comes closest to industrial as "In For a World of Hurt" balances the pound with passionate melodies.

The guitar takes a more prominent role in the some what darker "Before It Was Worn". The vocals more commanding in some of the exclamations. Things take on more of an industrial clang with the glitchy jerk of "Still Between Lovers".  The lyrically  this sounds like a serial killer's ode to dating. The album closes with "the Drifter". This has an almost more conventional beat. Vocally the refrain of "You can bury me alive" hooks you in and with all it's bizarre sonic clamor it some how works . I will round this one up to a 10 as it's a compelling listen that continues to draw me in. 

Mammalek : "Out of Time"

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

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

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

HIDE : "Castration Anxiety"

Diamanda Galas probably never crossed paths with Crash Worship. If she had the results might be similar to the first song on this Chicago duo's debut album. Percussion driven, the synths provide a droning layer for her to chant over. The percolating beat to "Bound-Severed" creates a more manic feel to the song's trippy throb. The vocals wind around this, though in terms of what she does with her voice doesn't differ greatly. There is more of an angular chaos to "Close Your Eyes". The synths take on a more kraut rock feel on "Wear My Skin". The pulse of the beat keeps it from sounding to 70s sci-fi sound track.

There are more layers of fuzzy swirl to the synths on "Come Undone". This does make for an interesting sonic texture."Wildfire" is a darker turn, but like most of the songs thus far takes on beat and pounds it for all it's worth leaving little in the range of dynamics.They drive some of these into the ground more than others. Singer Heather Gabel sounds like a gothed out Courtney Love when she injects more anger into the vocals of "Fucked". This emotion is contrasted by a more robotic backdrop behind her. It is the first song that sounds like industrial to me. Though there are many moments that might have common ground with Swans "Filth" album if you took out the guitar.

It ends with the sparse moan of "All Fours". The moan shifts into almost more of a grunt. This album might be the only song I heard guitar one. It's pretty single minded and comes across as more of an outro.  I'll give this album a 7 as it is dark with cool sounds and a sinister enough emotional intent behind it but these are not fully formed songs. They are performance pieces that  might be cool to see live, but as far as having them in the iPod for day to day listen it's not really something I would get a ton of mileage out of.

Under the Radar - SYK : " I​-​Optikon"

I needed to take a break from death metal and doom so I thought I would  check out this band that was in my in-box. This album flew totally under the radar as I heard nothing about this Italian band who released this album back in 2016 in Housecore Records. I guess since this is not normally their type of thing, they didn't know how to promote it. It is prog metal that owes much of their math injected riffs to Meshuggah. I guess that would make them djent, but since the vocals don't fall under the kind of Myspace metal I think of djent being, it would be hard to say they are just that. Aggressive female vocals that are more sung that screamed, or in the case of the title track that opens the album they are exclaimed in agonized anger. There is a lower frequency punch to "Sinomi" . It is even more angular than the opener. The chorus has a little more melody and hook to it.

While this formula works for the first two songs it feels a little busy on "Disintegrate". Like wise "Mud" never settles into enough of a groove for the vocals to safely land on. The one thing I like about this band is that they remind me of Karyn Crisis' old band ...Crisis.  By "Flesh Worms" the songs start running together for me. So I had to go back and give a second listen. They are great musicians, but the drummer could stand to find a groove here and there to make the angular parts have more impact. "Fong" is faster and more spastic. "Absense" might be the album's best song. "The White Sun" kinda becomes metal mush to my ears.

So despite my complaints about the jarring nature of some of the songs I think the over all listen is a lot of fun.So I think a 8 is pretty fair and takes into consideration that this is not normally my thing. I look forward to hearing more from this band, perhaps I'll catch them with Godflesh. If you are going to see Godflesh on one of their dates get there early to check them out. Since this album came out two years ago I would expect them to have a new one out soon.

David Bowie : " Black Star "

This is the Thin White Duke's 25th album and it's  being released on Bowie's 69th birthday. The lead single and title track opens the album, finding Bowie in a darker and more surreal place than his last album. There is a very experimental ambiance to things that will delight fans of his Brian Eno years. His collections of musicians  ranges from LCD Soundsystem to avant garde jazz , with the jazz contingent weighing more heavily. "Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" finds the pace picking up in a manner more akin to the  "Black Tie White Noise" era. Bowie's croon is much stronger on this one with an often effortless blend into his head register for a not here and there. Sax dominates the song, but this is not the first time that has been the case with him. A very Cure like guitar opens "Lazarus" which is also the title of a musical he co-wrote. This song glides on much cooler waters, in someways similar to Morphine. It's much more focused in its smoldering groove than the previous song.It is hard to tell if  age has brought an almost fragile quality to Bowie's voice or if he is singing from a more vulnerable place as at this point in the album he has really yet to belt it out, which he does do in a few places on "the Next Day". Or is it a mixture of both and Bowie just making the most of what he has to work with at 69 and making the most of it.


The guitar take on more of a rock tone, while the drums have more of a break beat to them on "Sue("Or in a Season of Crime" .  Bowie's voice carries more of the ghostly quality had on the title track. The song writhes in the cauldron of atmospheric jazz inflected rock, with a very subtle build to it. The staccato guitar line creates a drone as it remains locked in place as electronic weirdness unfolds around it. The song swells into something almost heavy in the same way the organized chaos of Swans can be heavy. In referencing Swans, Morphine and the Cure in this  review  it is actually more proof of the influence Bowie has had on those artists and how it is reflected back here. Don't think that "Girl Loves Me" is going to be a conventional love song as it defies genres. It's has the kind of groove that would not have been out of place on"Scary Monsters". He asks " where the fuck did Monday go" through the song in an odd sing song fashion and refuses to conform to big hooky choruses that might have colored some of his earlier work.

There is a lighter mood and a somewhat more conventional sense of songwriting to "Dollar Days" , which recalls some of the more ballad like moments on "Outside". Which also found Bowie using a similar vocal tone. The sax solo walks all over the song , but somehow it works . The first thought that hit my mind in the first few notes of "I Can't Give Everything Away" was that it reminded me more of the "Never Let Me Down" album. Bowie has always been two steps ahead so he is catching up with himself here. Like the song before it, there is not as much experimentation on this one. The electronic elements sound like they could have come from "Earthling" and have more of a Bowie stamp to them than if he was trying to emulate the edm of today. Right before the three and a half minute mark on this one there is some really beautiful guitar playing, before it rips of into an impressive jazz solo, it was good to hear this guitar player cut loose. I think this is a slightly better album than "the Next Day" which I gave a 10 so that means this has to get a 10 as well.

Aevangelist : "Enthrall to the Void of Bliss"

Not as dense and jazz like as the insanity they sprang upon us last year these guys still take you deeper into the land of profane nightmares than most. At the seven minute murk a riff rises from the murky depths to prove they are making metal and not just hell-spawned noise-scapes. The vocals stay at bubbling gurgle, like lava being poured down a drain pipe. Dissonance is nothing new for this project, it's being delved into from a more death metal perspective on this album. Baritone vocals bellow out of the distance as unnerving chimes continue to tinkle maddeningly from behind your ears. While there is more melodic and musical element to this album the chimes get repetitious by the time you get to "Gatekeeper's Scroll" , though the riffs have a catchier Deathspell Omega thing to the way they churn.

If you want an idea how dark this album is  they have to  lighten things up a bit to get gothy on "Alchemy" which I am of course going to immediately think is the best song on the album though it comes across almost more like an interlude in comparison to the other songs.Things once again change for the almost more depressive "Levitating Stones" which has the sample of someone weeping over the first verse and some real ugliness being summoned by the down tuned guitars.Higher out of key vocals whine in the periphery. They do give the the songs room to breath even with the oppressive heaviness of this album. It sounds like they are gutting a pig at the beginning of "Emanation". The bass leads of the verse before the hit you with a crazed blast in what is the albums most black metal moment thus far.


 They close the album with the thirteen plus minutes of "Meditation of Transcendental Evil". It starts with an orgy of wailing and gnashing of teeth before going into some dense yet esoterically tortured death metal. The speed up in a rather disjointed manner with the two guitars parts not really cooperating. The riffs drone on, but don't really have the same teeth some of the other guitars parts have had on this one. Overall this album is an improvement, the last song is the only one that feels like filler to me and even then it has a few moments which if combined could have made for an impressive five minute song. I think this is where experimentation and metal meet at a dark crossroads which works well. I'll give this one an 8.5. Twenty Buck Spin releases this insanity on the world October 9th.

John Zorn - The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons

Zorn continues on a prolific progressive streak with his second album this year. Right from the opener it's very King Crimson which is fine since Fripp is back in the shadows somewhere. This album features not only Trevor Dunn but a few of the other Secret Chiefs as well as Marc Ribot, John Medeski and Matt from Cleric who appeared on the other album Zorn released. Things get more angular and "Red" like on"psychomagia" with Medeski's keys coating over the sinewy twists and turns of this wacky ride that rock harder than most of Zorn's other output. Ribot's solos tend to be phrased with more of a rock feeling to them. "Imaginary Stations" picks up where the previous song left off, it goes into the sound of chaotically throwing their instruments down a flight off stairs versus a more straight up Crimson like prog. There is more of a seventies prog feel to the organ dominated "The Power of Runic Symbols". The shifting groove works well and the drums are well played around it if they don't give you motion sickness trying to keep up.


 "Dark Sacrifice" begins with a guitar solo and the other instruments simmering under it with spaced out dissonance. It remains largely abstract and only congeals at the end. I think there is a better combination of weirdness and musicality on "Sorcerer" that follows. In the rubbery groove of "Eccleiastes" there are some good punchy moments amid some of the dis harmonic wanking. "Gordian Knot" starts of with drums and converges into one of the more dizzying grooves. It even captures an darkly aggressive melody in the riff that is almost metal. "Phantasms" starts in a more abstract atmospheric place and then plays around in a disjointed free -form exploration, that the keyboards somewhat rescue in a similar manner to some of the Doors more acid crazed moments before the guitar's tender melody adds another layer of actual music to the noise. They end the album with a very straight forward jazz inflected song, that is melodic , but an odd choice considering what occurred earlier in the album.


 This is one of those albums where sure it is easy to appreciate the musicianship that went into pulling all of this off , but at the end of the day where King Crimson who along with Frank Zappa are the real deal when it comes to this, both have the edge on Zorn when it comes to songwriting, though on "Naked City" he proved he can write a song amid the chaos. Granted vocals allow Crimson to back off realize they are actually playing for other people and not being over indulgent. With out that audience then its a arpeggio falling in the forest. I'll give this one a 6 off the basis of the skill and some of the grooves that they do lock into. If you just like instrumental prog then you can masturbate along side this one as you round it up all the way to maybe even an 8.