The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers -200 to 191

Inspired to right the wrongs of Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 200 Singers list, which included pop artists with no singing skills beyond Autotune along with a lack of metal / rock singers.  I took on the ambitious task of making my own. As a singer myself, I key in on vocals first and foremost when listening to songs. In making this list I not only judged them according to their technical vocal ability when it comes to things like range and power, but also other dynamics brought to the table regarding phrasing and the character of their voice. Other important factors include their ability to emote from different places and how well their voice holds up on stage. If you are just making magic in the studio alone, then you might not fare so well on this list. Things like lyrical content and the instruments they play do not factor in as these ranking are based on vocal merit alone. How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. The same can be said of song writers which is why most Bob Dylan songs sound better covered by someone else. Needless to say, ole Robert Zimmerman is not making the cut. 

Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am also not keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these have to be doing their own thing, though a couple are basically tribute acts to other artists but still make enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors sometimes trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey or that they have listened to their vocal coach too much rather than developing their own style, then that is something that is also not going to fly.

 With that said do not expect to see a great deal of technically proficient power and progressive metal singers on here, so it cannot be said I am giving metal more of a priority, though there are some singers who might be otherwise ignored by mainstream media.  By the time we get to the top 10 I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.

 200-Neil Young

He is a better guitarist than singer, though his high reedy tenor is very emotive with the song below serving as an example of why he belongs on this list. 

199-Gordan Gano

The lead singer of the Violent Femmes took what punk singers did before him and added a country twang along with a Gospel like passion with which is delivers his hymns praising the glory of murder and masturbation. 

 

 198-Gared O' Donnell 

The main man of Planes Mistaken for Stars died by the same anguish that he emoted each raspy note from,  

 

197- Marilyn Manson

The shock rocker's image overshadows his pipes, but he can sing when he feels like it. 

196 John Vanderslice

This underground icon of 2000's indie rock carries right blend of apathy and tormented self-reflection in his often-plaintive tenor. 

 

195-Rozz Williams

The iconic front man of Christian Death is the king of mournfully creepy phrasing which pretty much birthed the death rock genre. A prime example of while he is one of my favorite singers, as the best at what he does, I acknowledge his limitations.

 

 

 194- Tom Waits 

 There are singers who draw influence from Waits, but none who Waits sounds like. Even with his rasp he can sing when he sets his mind to it.

   

193- Iggy Pop

He might be a king of early punk rock, but his true vocal ability was not heard until a decade later. 

 

192-King Dude

Spoiler Alert... Johnny Cash , is not going to be on this list, he talks more than he sings, and if I am in the mood for that sort of thing, I want it coming from less Christian influence, so this guy fills that void for me. 

 

 191-Bruce Springsteen 

Of the first ten entries on this list, I listen to Bruce the least, most of the time his voice sounds like a New Jersey cab driver who smokes a pack a day, then he his capable of delivering a croon on a song like the one below that earns his place here.

the Top 10 Folk & Country Albums of 2020

Feeling depressed? Need a soundtrack to sitting outside by yourself ? This year's current crop of folk albums provided that. As with years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. As far as 2020 goes for folk and country  there were artists perhaps new to this blog, but not much in the way of new artists debuting anything note worthy enough to make the list. The  fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No I do not care what you think about it .I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 folk and country albums of 2020

10-Myrkur- "Folksange" 

 This is almost more of an honorable mention. Gone were all trapping of her black metal past. I mean she was half way there on her previous album, this one just finds her all in with a  more Northern European style of folk. She is better at it than most.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/03/myrkur-folksange.html 

 

9- Ataraxia- "Quasar" 

 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. This album I could leave on and let play.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/08/ataraxia-quasar.html

 

8-King Dude- "Full Virgo Moon" 

He goes in a more introspective , almost Death In June like realm of atmospheric folk that is more introspective than this flirtations with a darker post punk sound. It shows another side of his voice that I like. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/03/king-dude-full-virgo-moon.html

7-Brendan Perry - "Songs of Disenchantment" 

This is not Dead Can Dance, but I will always take a solo album from him. He went wit ha selection of underground Greek folk songs . This turned out to be much more gangsta than anticipated. All the songs are about smoking drugs , women and running from the cops. At 61 he is still going hard. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/12/brendan-perry-songs-of-disenchantment.html

 

6-Sturgill Simpson- "Cutting Grass"

 Simpson worked some of his songs into bluegrass versions , that makes them feel almost like new songs all together. This shows he is the real deal country , so if "Sound & Fury" was your jam then , this might not be for you as the pickin and grinnin is legit here.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/12/sturgill-simpson-cutting-grass.html 

 


5-Mark Lanegan- "Songs of Sorrow"

Another solo effort from the former Screaming Trees front man. Not rock enough to be grunge, but more rock than most other folk albums put out this year as he still has a rock n roll soul. An unmistakable voice , fans of any of his other endeavors should make sure not to miss out on this one.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/04/mark-lanegan-straight-songs-of-sorrow.html

 

4- AA Williams- " Forever Blue"

More melancholy than other singers she fell behind. More atmospheric than her peers , she is not content with just putting out a folk album and follows in the foots steps of artists like Chelsea Wolfe by even weaving in elements of metal. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/aa-williams-forever-blue.html

3-Chris Stapleton- 'Starting Over" 

Not the best album of his career . He begins to settle into a more tried and true formula and shows' off his pipes less. With that said even when he dials it in Chris is able to put out an album that most still can not come close to and continues to dominate country music. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/chris-stapleton-starting-over.html

2-Phobe Bridgers- "Punisher"   

She goes beyond the sonic spectrum of conventional folk, but has dressed it up in gorgeous melancholy. Her voice is fragile , but drips with honest beauty. It was a real close call between this and the number one album.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/phoebe-bridgers-punisher.html

1-Waxahatchee- "Saint Cloud" 

This album is in the running for album of the year. She has a unique that she throws around with a great deal of feeling. Her song writing is far beyond the bounds of being just amazing in terms of how she weaves melodies together. Infectious but something to say. Story telling that is left open for you to relate to . She can do not wrong here.  

-

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/waxahatchee-saint-cloud.html

Gothtober -Live Review : Twin Temple, King Dude & Amigo the Devil @ the Masquerade

This was one of the first shows in some time where I was excited   to catch all of the bands on the bill . Twin Temple was stage when we walked in to a larger than expected crowd.It was fitting this show was set on the Hell stage of the Masquerade.  Their theatrical performance did not diminish the emphasis on the music. In fact their backing band was formidable, going off into jams when the sequined duo would go into the more ritualistic side of their stage show. The crowd was really into them, especially the climax of the show where the singer went into the crowd to anoint them with blood.

King Dude took the stage  and announced that he had come to ruin our evening by singing the saddest songs he could think of.  He was accompanied by a percussionist playing a pad of triggered drum samples. He was very engaging with the audience. When he could not hear himself in the monitors he said “It’s because I am deaf from playing all this acoustic music” . He played a little from each album some of the highlights were a darker version of “ Spiders In Her Hair , “Witch’s Hammer “ and “Jesus in the Courtyard”. When he let the audience pick the song it was  “Lucifer’s The Light of the World “ that won by virtue of girl who requested it being hot. He had to shame someone for yelling “Free Bird”. At several points in the set he brought up the fact he was tired from driving a long way, but then suggested they go out to the Clairmont after the show, which in fact after hanging out after the show proved to be a plan that was set in motion. His voice sounded great and I appreciate the fact that he does not try to replicate the album versions  of songs.

Danny came on and began talking about depression and how it was something he learned to live with and not see as a flaw. He also pointed out that the set list was written on the back of the dozen shot glasses on the drum riser and he would drink one before playing the song. He opened with “Cocaine and Abel” . Half of his set consisted of songs from “Everything is Fine”  <>Earlier in the set he played a cover of Tom Jones “Delilah”  and then worked in snippets of Carrie Underwood’s “ Before He Cheats” along with pop songs “Old Town Road” and “Pony”. He talked about when he was in high-school is listened to everything from harsh noise to pop, adding he was really into Meatloaf. Apparently this made him less than popular. But in defense of pop music for what it is , which is fun, he compared it to a water slide saying” A water slide is not art , it is just fun”. He said there should not be guilty pleasures you just listen to what you like.  Given my professed love for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift I can appreciate those sentiments.  

The covers did not stop there, he also played “All Star” by Smash Mouth, the audience  sang in unison, as he played along before going into “Husband” . Before the encore he played around with the chorus to Slayer’s “Angel of Death” , just the chorus because he said the verses are sketchy as well as Dio’s “Holy Diver”. When it came to encores , Danny said he hates them so  walked to the other end of the stage and walked back to the mic . All of the acts gushed about the camaraderie on tour. Kind Dude even said from the stage he would like for it not end and move in with them. It was a refreshing juxtaposition to see artists playing dark and depressing music who did not take themselves so seriously.

My girlfriend put this show in her top three of all time. I’ve seen David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Motorhead , so that is a pretty high bar. I can say this might go in my top three most engaging and honest exchanges with the audience. As stripped down as a show could be.  If this tour comes through your town, do not miss it. I never recommend something as strongly as I will tell you to make sure you catch this show. I am guessing you at least have a passing interest in these acts or you would have clicked on this review so there you go.

the Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2018

It is that time again. While I have made the distinction before, for the sake of this list . These band are dark, but not goth and going more in the direction of punk or worker off a heavier tension.The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ? While the top ten lists for other genres were more balanced this list leans heavily on the side of new bloods. Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 post-punk albums of 2018.

10-Way Out- "Arc of Descent"

 This Rhode Island band makes me happy because they are not trying to impersonate Joy Division. I love Joy Division, but I own those albums. The vocals were what I keyed in on, as they are the only aspect of this band that might cross over into death rock. They can be frantically tense as well as shoot into something with a high energy punk feel to it.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/way-out-arc-of-descent.html

 9-Burning Gates - "New Moon"

 They  blend their punk side well with their dark side, The song structure is dynamic and I get the feeling the guitarist grew up listening to metal as some of the riffs have a slight Randy Rhodes feel.  The more metallic punches are interesting and at times it sounds like they might be going into a guitar solo but use restraint in order not to.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-burning-gates-new-moon.html

8-Wrekmeister Harmonies-"the Alone Rush"


This album is dark and introspective ,not far removed from Leonard Cohen or the more recent work of Nick Cave. JR Robinson possesses a rich resonate baritone. It anchors this song that would almost float away if not for his voice grounding it. I  am not sure I would call this goth, but it is heading in that direction. There is more of an organic almost Americana feel, that keeps it out of the bat cave.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/wrekmeister-harmonies-alone-rush.html





7-Trashlight - "Wilted" 


 They are dreamy, yet dark. Their guitar has that bat cave reverb without them sounding like thinly veiled Cure covers. Their strength is the inter play of the male and female vocals which keep them from sounding like any one band.The production is interesting while the album leans in the Bat Cave direction, the layers of guitar come across clearly. Even when it gets lost in the shadows of the back alleys they are haunting it's atmosphere is still compelling .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/trashlight-wilted.html

6-Shitty Person- "Judgement"


   Meeting somewhere between doom and slow core, they set themselves apart with touches like a sax comes in to make you imagine Morphine coming back from the dead. There is a western swagger at times leaving The narcotic drone of the pacing as the only thing heroin to what they do. The male and female vocals are layer, both sound equally detached. Often falling into a depressed country feel. The vocals remain in the low end of his slacker baritone and lack the twang of country, but the mood is there. These would be better drinking songs than anthems for a shooting gallery.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/shitty-person-judgement.html

5-King Dude - "Music to Make War to" 

 This album comes from a place more like the shadowy paths the likes of Nick Cave or Micheal Gira normally walk down, but how far from there was he to begin with? There is a smoother touch to the croon of the vocals. Piano also plays a more dominate role. "Velvet Rope" feels like a more organic version of Sisters of Mercy.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/king-dude-music-to-make-war-to.html

4-Unmaker - "Firmament"

 The opener takes many of the elements that made Beastmilk great and follows a parallel path. Some of this might be due to members of both bands having a background in metal. This gives them more punch than your average post-punk band.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-unmaker-firmament.html

3-Dead Register - "Captive"

 There is a more soaring feel to this album. The croon of their lead singer sounds more nuanced and refined. It heads in more of an Interpol direction than a bellow. The metallic elements are more of a booming undertone and not the focus. They bring many layers together and weave them in a way that works well. While you can tell they are influenced by doom, they are not a doom band, at least not how we define doom around here. After additional listens the guitar melody really struck me and it became clear how much more polished of an effort this is.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/dead-register-captive.html

2- Lowfaith - "On Loss"

 The new face of what has become goth now shows up in hipster bars, in black but without the make up. That could also describe this band from Denver. At times more dream than pop, draped in more shadow than darkness. Then the bust into a more punk paced indie rock. This does have a Cure like darkness to it, that is more obvious when they slow back down a little for "Again, Again, Again". This moping take on shoe gaze is not with out dynamics and these guys have more balls than you might expect. They don't rely on being artfully melodramatic, and get actually heavy. This album continues to surprise me with each song.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/gothtober-lowfaith-on-loss.html

1-Heads -"Collider" 

 In the wake of the short lived post-punk revival we are beginning to get bands who might have been inspired by bands like Joy Division, but go deeper and pull out thoughtfully bleak work of their own. This is one of those bands. I like the fact it reminds me of  Swans, as its post-"Greed" Swans where most bands are stuck on that era. They do have their own personality and are not as pounding or sonic as Swans. There  are some angular guitar moments, but it comes from more of a rock n roll place. The vocals go into a slightly higher shoe gaze coo.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/heads-collider.html

King Dude : "Music to Make War to"

To say this album is darker might be an exaggeration, but it does come from a place more like the shadowy paths the likes of Nick Cave or Micheal Gira normally walk down, but how far from there was he to begin with? There is a smoother touch to the croon of the vocals. Piano also plays a more dominate role. "Velvet Rope" feels like a more organic version of Sisters of Mercy. The song is driven by a more post-punk beat. "Good & Bad" is a un-intrusive duet with Josephine Olivia. There is more of a rock feel to "I Don't Write Love Songs Anymore". The rough edges of this one are coated with a more atmospheric noise feel. The Iggy Pop like punk of "Dead Before the Chorus" is driven by electric guitars.

"Twin Brother of Jesus" has the chain gang clank of chains for it's percussion. Moderately more soulful, the vocals move at a lower croak. Female vocals join him midway in to aid the ominous atmosphere. The song drones off the same riff, but creepy layers are added as it progresses. Production wise this is one of his most ambitious records yet. "In The Garden" is very different for him as it works off a 90s style electronic beat that reminds me of Depeche Mode.There is a more garage rock swagger to "The Castle" which is a jerking change from the groove of the previous song. "Let it Burn" has a reggae groove to not unlike something the Clash might , do but darker.

The drab introspective piano ballad "God Like Me" would male more sense from Nick Cave. Perhaps he is trying to be Nick Cave, but he lacks the same distinct personality that makes Cave a more convincing story teller and capable of heart felt intimacy in his singing. That said Cowgill might be technically a better singer,  however Cave would sell this song better. I'll round this one up to a 9 as it works more than it doesn't the last song is the only one I hear as a total misfire. It's being released on Van Records on the 24th of August.

King Dude : "Sex"

He is back this time with an album more focused on the subject it's titled with. This album so finds things continuing to change as there is often a great deal more drive due to the fact bass plays a much more prominent role in the songs. A new instrument to  Cowgill he bangs on it with the raw power of punk rock. There is a dark and decidedly more goth like feel to  "Who Taught You How to Love". The guitar tone on this song is awesome and the cadaverous croon summoned to tell this story is equally brilliant. The result is a raw Nick Cave like blues to his declaration that he wants to put himself between both of your legs on "I Wanna Die at 69". There is more of a neo-folk feel to "Our Love Will Carry On".

The biggest shift is into the harsher snarl of the vocals on "Sex Dungeon USA" which sounds like it could be from one of the Darkthrone albums during their black n roll punk period. The more post-punk like tension rolls in like a dark cloud over "Conflict & Climax" which turns out to be more of an instrumental interlude before the seedy carnival pulse of "the Leather One". If Tom Waits wrote a song while in a German leather bar the results might be similar. The return to garage punk takes place on "Swedish Boys Drum". This ode to Swedish boys is odd lyrically, and the song is at it's best when it takes on a more angular throb. The weirdness keeps gaining traction on "Prisoners". With ghostly female vocals floating in after a rapid almost rapped verse. It reminds me of  90's alternative so it works for me in the most bizarre manner possible.

There is a another weird take on 60's Pop with "the Girls". With sampled clapping interjected to make it sound like he is on the Ed Sullivan show. Here the weirdness finds a perfect balance with song writing when he are enveloped into the song. The vocal tone he takes reminds me a little of Psychic TV. The album ends with the wilting piano ballad "Shine Your Light". He might be mocking the traditional love song or he might be earnest, the lines are pretty blurred, though it feels like it's tongue and cheek done with a very straight face. Whatever the case it is not the albums strongest song and comes the closest to being filler. Over all this album has some strong enough moments for me to round this up to a 9.5. I think when he is sticking his black boots into the gothier waters the songs are at their peak and lose some of their focus when delving to far into the weirdness with the exception being "the Girls". Fans will finds something to love quite easily. This album comes out October 28th.

Top 10 Rock Albums of 2015...so far

Before we get into get lets get the shameless self promotion out of the way  and go "like" us on Facebook...https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

It will make you feel good about your self. Now on to the rock

Rock is a broad word. There is only one album in here that straight up rocks it like AC/DC and even then there are some twists and turns. So here is where we are at so in 2015, when it comes to putting the foot up on the monitor.


10- Cairo Pythian - "Touched"

 This album came on strong when I first go it but turned out to be a little too weird for its own good. Glam rock from another dimension, the album is like a weird friend you can't invite to every party because they might wind up naked in the fish tank.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/01/cairo-pythian-touched.html

 9-the Refused- "Freedom"

 Haven't really listened to it much after the day I got it , but it is so well crafted that it needs to be on here. Nothing like "the Shape of Punk to Come' in case you were wondering.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-refused-freedom-review-dawkins.html

 8- King Dude- "Songs of Flesh and Blood In the Key of Light"

 Just got this today, but can tell I am going to get some pretty good mileage out of this album. It touches on many genres and could be argued that it should have been on the goth list since the Nick Cave leanings, but Nick Cave's last album wasn't on the goth list either so there.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/07/king-dude-songs-of-flesh-blood-in-key.html

7- No Joy- "More Faithful"

 Not as shoegaze this go around.There is more form and function. Need to give it a few more spins it has gotten lost in the shuffle.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/no-joy-more-faithful.html

 6-Strangeweather - s/t

 Almost metal, but not quiet. Like Agalloch if they were jamming with Rasputina and Fleetwood Mac and main lining dmt.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/strangeweather-st.html

 5- Brother / Ghost- "Buried"

Funny thing about this album when I first got it I thought one of the dudes who sings on it was a girl, so the band dropped me a message saying there are zero girls in the band. When I went back and listened to , I could hear it was dude with a whiny Death Cab for Cutie kind of voice. I still like this album despite these facts.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/brother-ghost-buried.html

4- Algiers- s/t

 These guys were originally from Atlanta, but they wised up and said to themselves " Hey, we want to make gospel post-punk, lets move to New York, because they will never get it in this city since they only understand music that is either part white trash or part punk rock and we are neither." Good move, next year hipsters in Atlanta will catch on since they are always a few years behind New York when it comes to music any way.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/algiers-st.html

 3-Nadine Shah- "Fast Food"

 Just enough balls to this album that it makes it on the list despite her Siouxsie influence.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/04/nadine-shah-fast-food.html

2- Marriages- Salome 

Tones the post-rock / math- rock down and let her focus more on singing and the results are pretty stunning.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/marriages-salome.html

1- Royal Thunder- Crooked Doors

 It was a pretty close race between these cats and Marriages, I have just gotten a tad more mileage out of this album than Marriages, in fact there was a good week or two where this was all I would listen to on my iPod when I left home.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/royal-thunder-crooked-doors.html

King Dude : " Songs of Flesh & Blood -In the Key of Light"

Being the Chelsea Wolfe that I am you would think I'd already be all over this considering he is one of the few artists she has collaborated with and midway into the first song I am not sure why I haven't been. It's more post- punk meets rockabilly than folk or the Johnny Cash singer-song writer thing I assumed it to be. There is more of a Rome like strum to "Deal With the Devil". The things I like about it that is remains dark. Sure Nick Cave is an obvious influence, but Cowgill doesn't get lost in the narrative and forget he is singing a song an not narrating a story.

TJ has impressive notes at the bottom of his register that sounds lie he is scraping them from the back of his vocal chords. The piano line to  "Death Won't Take Me" is what really separates it from the previous song, the drums also offer more swing so when it builds into Cowgill's croons it has more clearly defined its self despite similar vocal phrasing at the onset of the song.  Then things shifts into a more rockin boogie with "Rosemary". The cavernous production adds a another layer of darkness. The pulse of "The Heavy Curtain" reminds me of the Leonard Cohen song from the "Natural Born Killers" soundtrack. Though fuzzed out guitar comes in and rocks it more at the end. He returns to the more apocalyptic folk side on " Desolate Hour". There is a haunting  hollowness to the sparse instrumentation. Slowly layers are added.

His vocals moves up in the mix and is bared against the organ of " I Don't Wanna Dream Anymore", which drones on rather than climaxes. Then comes the rambling western feel to "Holy Water". He sings in a slightly higher key on this one. His upper register has a slacker punk sneer to it.  The piano arrangement has the dreamy dissonance Chelsea Wolfe has used before, which is the first place I really have heard any of her style having rubbed off on him. The album closes rather sedately with the folky "Sliver Crucifix" .

I prefer the fuller sounds and production on this album to some of his older work I heard a few years ago. I'll give this a 9.5, imagine if you are a long time fan then some of the more sparse and droning moments that didn't grab me off the bat will be more of you thing so this might be the perfect album to you and perhaps I might just need to let it grow on me.  It will be making the trip over to the iPod so that says something.



https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Weekly Shuffle

o,k you know the deal I click the ipod and review the first ten tracks that pop up, This one should be a little more upbeat than last weeks.

"What in the World " by David Bowie

Oh, Dave you get so wacky when you hole up in Berlin on a bunch of cocaine. His voice sounds great even singing over a bunch of video game bleeps. He's high and happy. The guitar on here is pretty crazy and sounds like a precursor to Scary Monsters.

" Is it Really So Strange" by the Smiths

Wow, two weird love songs in a row. Moz wants you to punch and kick him. He also got confused and killed a horse. Love does crazy shit. It's strange. Is it their best song? No but it's fun,

"God" by Prince

It always amuses me how he goes from singing about masturbating to god at the drop of his purple hat. He hits shrill fucking not at the beginning but this one he mainly wanders and gets self indulgent on the gospel number of sorts.

"Start of the Breakdown" By Tears for Fears

This must be my all 80's installment, Which I don't care asthe best pop music came out in this decade. This songs deviates from the radio hits you know from this band. They have some darker moments than this but this one is pretty good, the keyboards are oddly all over the place and the vocals hold it down the bass line is pretty awesome.

"the Evil that Men do" by Iron Maiden

Well here's some metal but we are still in the 80's even if its 88. I  think Seventh Son is awesome and if you think you are too cool for it you don't know shit about shit so I can careless but if you can't play air guitar to this you are taking life too damn seriously.

"Warm" by Swans

The beginning piano line almost sounds like the Fray to me of course when the song fades in it of course doesn't as this is the best band ever even when Jarboe is singing. I miss her in the mix live, but they are more about the sonic pounding these days. I like here how the drums hint at building but let things float by until the last two minutes.    

"Lorraine" by King Dude

I haven't given this album as solid of a listen as I should. I am certain this guy is stoned out of his mind while he recorded this . It borders on alt country . It kinda has the Ween thing going in the sense where this is not being done in any sense of seriousness. Don't see this lasting too much longer in my ipod .

"Lepers Among Us" by  Dimmu Borgir

The verse riff is worthy of the top fifty metal riff of all time. Now that I have typed it I have to follow through I know . They Keyboard break where the sample comes in is pretty awesome and I love the effects on Shagrath's voice after that section.

"Playing With Dolls" by Slayer

One of the few songs I like off of "World Painted Blood" . The serial killer songs are my favorite by these guys and this one isn't as dark of a power ballad as say "Dead Skin Mask" but it is moody enough, there is some pretty innovative guitar on here and they are not defaulting to playing punk rock. There are some uptempo sections but overall I think this song is pretty balanced.

"Circumstances" by Rush

One of my favorite Rush songs, the chorus has a lot of bit to it and Geddy gets in your face with it . The vocal syncopation is what has the punch as they aren't really playing  2112  heavy/ The bass is getting busy and Neil is pretty tasteful here.  The end floats towards the realms of elves but that's Rush for you.