Workday Review : Grave Miasma, AC/DC & more

Grave Miasma - "Realm of Evoked Doom" : Blackened occult death metal from the UK who at their core they take a lot of what Profanatica or Demoncy were doing and heavily push it through a crushing death metal filter - especially after this EP when they started taking the route of early Immolation.  For fans of Cruciamentum and Dead Congregation.

AC/DC - "Highway to Hell" : Just like Black Sabbath, nothing after Bon Scott's death and departure from the band is worth listening to.  Period.  Every album they did with him is kick you in the fucking teeth rock n roll - and "Highway to Hell" might as well be a best-of album.  Ten songs with five singles and Bon Scott going out on the highest and most vicious note of his career.

Impalers - "Cellar Dweller" : Motör-Charged d-beat insanity from Texas.  Static Shock put it best when they said "they have Sweden in their back pocket, the U S of A dripping down the back of their legs, and use the designs that Anti-Cimex and Discard laid out to mop up the mess."  This is the definitive album of the year, and worth it alone for the title track.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Pink Military, Triumvir Foul & more

I've heard some rumblings that a few losers out there disagree with some of the reviews they've read on here.  Hopefully you're one of them.  Enjoy!

Pink Military - "Do Animals Believe in God?" : Great early 80's post punk/new wave from Liverpool after Big in Japan called it quits.  They didn't do much beyond a few Peel Sessions recordings and this LP unfortunately.  Sonically, it's not too unlike Siouxsie and the Banshees with a bit of their own twist.  They didn't do much after this either but change their name to Pink Industry and get accused of ripping off the Cocteau Twins a lot.  Worth a listen if you're into this kind of thing.

Triumvir Foul - "Spiritual Bloodshed" : Without question, my favorite death metal release of 2017.  Perfect mix of Ross Bay Cult insanity with early American death metal thrown through the most dense and suffocating production.  This is their return to form - pure darkened death metal.

Convict - "Barred Life" : I've said it before, and I'll say it again - second only to the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest has the best hardcore/punk in the United States.  Mean as hell hardcore in the vein of Poison Idea, Sheer Terror and the Inmates.  Wish this band put out more material.

Black Sabbath - "Born Again" :  Let me preface this by saying anything released after Ozzy left the band is not Black Sabbath.  That includes the mediocre Dio records a lot of you cool guys want to pretend are better than the Ozzy era.  For an album that is essentially combining two of the original heavy metal masters, this album has no business being as shitty as it is.  Aside from the breathtakingly fucked artwork they settled on, Ian's vocals sound like a budget version of Rob Halford's.  Musically there's almost no trace of the doomy atmospheres they created on prior records, and if there was the production would've surely killed that too.  I guess the one highlight on this album for me is "Zero the Hero" - this song is a certified ripper and if the whole album would've carried on in this vein I think the album would've grown on me.  Instead, it still sucks and sounds even worse than I remembered.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Mortiferum, Autopsy & more

Mortiferum - "Altar of Decay" : Crushing demo released last month that doesn't sound a day older than 1991, Mortiferum is death/doom rooted in the style of old.  For fans of Rippikoulu, Spectral Voice, and Abhorrence.

Autopsy - "Acts of the Unspeakable" : Never understood the hate this Autopsy album got.  "Acts of the Unspeakable" is a culmination of what the band was doing on "Severed Survival" and "Mental Funeral" put through the same spastic filter they had on the (albeit, shitty) "Fiend For Blood EP".  Fast, disgusting, and heavy with Reifert's vocals becoming way harsher than before - creating the most insane atmosphere the band ever captured.

Carnivore - "Retaliation" :  Controversial crossover staple from a pre Type O Negative Peter Steele & crew.  Think "Game Over" if Nuclear Assault ditched their second guitar player, drowned everything in fuzzed out chorus effect madness, and ditched the Mad Max bullshit from the first Carnivore record.  Essential.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Cosmic Void Ritual, Phrenelith & more

Cosmic Void Ritual - "Transcendence Through Galactic Death" : Cosmic Void Ritual return almost immediately with their follow up to the "Gateways..." demo.  Classic in sound and production and just as spaced out, raw and disgusting as ever.

Phrenelith - "Desolate Endscape" : Danish psycho's rooted firmly in the Incantation / Immolation style with a lot of influence from "Gateways to Annihilation" era Morbid Angel, especially in the heavier parts.

Encoffination - "Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh" : Aside from the obvious Disembowelment influence, Encoffination rips Winter and the doomier end of Autopsy real hard on this one.  All of that thrown through an over-the-top cavernous production should be right up my alley, but this flat out blows. The drums are almost inaudible, the vocals are trash, and the riffs are strictly b-side at best.  Listen to Disma instead.

Warzone - "Lowest East Side Crew EP" : Warzone is the most important, and iconic band in hardcore - period.  They were one of the first American bands bringing Oi and Oi influences to the states and took the word "hardcore" and turned into something more than a genre of music - they were New York City personified.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Black Sabbath, Funebrarum & more

Haven't posted in a while; mostly due to not giving a shit, but I guess maybe I've been a little busy lately too.  I'll be back at it again next week.

Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" : For most, this is the definitive Sabbath record.  A lot of primitive aesthetics on this record were explored that Sabbath would later become absolutely synonymous with.  In the midst of their crushingly, doomed out haze, Sabbath had a knack for throwing a song like "Planet Caravan" in the mix; a bluesy and drugged out trip that you can't help but find yourself lost in. 

Funebrarum - "The Sleep of Morbid Dreams" : I already reviewed this band, I'm not doing it again.  Just as essential as the debut.

Gravediggaz - "6 Feet Deep" : Underrated east coast record from RZA and Prince Paul.  Gravediggaz was Price Paul's fuck you to Russel Simmons/Def Jam in the early 90's.  Production is exactly on point with that New York style grime and some live instrumentation thrown in, not unlike what RZA was doing on "36 Chambers" a little bit earlier.  Oh, and the album was originally supposed to be called "Niggamortis", which honestly, is way better.

- WOODS

Workday review : Crematory, Funebrarum & more

Crematory - "Wrath From the Unknown" : Other side of the tracks Swedish death metal from 1991.  Completely uncharacteristic of what was coming out of Sweden or Sunlight Studios at the time, Crematory had more in common with the Finnish bands of the era focusing on lower vocals, more blasting and darker atmospheres.

Funebrarum - "Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods" : Darkened OSDM worship from New Jersey.  Without relying solely on being primitive, Funebrarum pulls influence from the early 90's Scandinavian scene and delivers it through an American filter.  A modern essential.

Abhorrence - "Abhorrence EP" : Staple Finnish death metal.  1990.  You wasn't there.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Proclamation, Contaminated & more

Spent the long holiday weekend drunk with my best friends in the mountains riding dirt bikes, shooting guns, flipping my kayak, swimming and eating like a psychopath.  Hope yours was just as good but I'm sure it wasn't.

Proclamation - "Advent of the Black Omen" : That Ross Bay Cult shit, you already know what it is.  Or maybe you don't...listen to Blasphemy first.

Contaminated - "Final Man" : Abhorrence worship from somewhere not even close to Finland, but with better production so there's less to complain about.  Absolutely crushing.

Blood Urn - "Of Gory Sorcery and Death" : If Archgoat and Demoncy were more into death metal and less into face paint, they would've formed Blood Urn.

Wormridden - "Infesting the Grave/Festering Glorification" : Mental Funeral-era worship from the guys in Undergang and Anatomia.  The production on this alone makes me feel like I dove headfirst into a swamp.  Had this come out 20/25 years ago, this would be essential listening.

Cosmic Void Ritual - "Gateways Through Septic Flesh" : Demo of the year.  Extremely raw USDM with a Demilich/Blood Incantation vibe.  My only gripe with this band is their weak ass logo, otherwise this is practically perfect.  Cannot wait for the LP.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Dismember & Spectral Voice.

First and foremost - rest in peace Prodigy aka Bandana P aka Banana Clip P.  The Infamous was one of the first tapes I ever bought and forever set an untouchable bar in hip hop for me.

Secondly - I had a Yoo-hoo for the first time in my life last night.  This piece of shit tastes like someone took the most budget ass chocolate milk, and added way too much artificial sweetener.  Basically spent 3 bucks on a headache.

Dismember - "Like an Everflowing Stream" :  If there ever was a genre-defining album for Swedish death metal, it's this one.  Straightforward and ripping like "Left Hand Path" with just the right amount of melody that was otherwise dominating the Gothenburg scene at the time.

Spectral Voice - "Necrotic Doom" : May or may not have been created by  Swamp Thing on a heavy binge of Autopsy, Winter, and Bolt Thrower.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Black Sabbath, Necrovore & more

Black Sabbath - "Sabotage" : This is the last REAL Black Sabbath record, and without question one of the worst album covers of all time.  Bill Ward in his wife's tights is kind of rad though.  Anyway, I never gave this album much attention growing up until I saw "Tim and Henry's Pack of Lies", and then Zero's "Thrill of it All".  Henry Sanchez skating to Symptom of the Universe - it was a no brainer I was going to revisit this.  The album starts out strong and has plenty of highlights but dies out towards the end.  Not my favorite, but extremely underrated.

Necrovore - "Divus de Mortuus" : This is as raw as it fucking gets.  Necrovore makes Possessed and Sarcofago look pedestrian with their '87 demo.  First generation USDM that was as much speed and thrash as it was death metal. 

Necrophobic - "The Nocturnal Silence" : The band Dissection wished they were.  This is classic Stockholm death done the Sunlight Studios way, with added cues from the new wave of black metal bands of the time.  Black/Death perfection.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Skelethal, Celtic Frost & more

I can't think of a worse way to enjoy an icy cold, refreshing Coca-Cola beverage than in a plastic fucking bottle.  Instantly warm, instantly flat, instantly trash.

Skelethal - "Of the Depths" : This band has no business being as sleep inducing as they are.  It's Scandinavian death metal worship with the usual early American influences, and no flavor of their own.  Probably won't revisit this again until I need a nap later.

Celtic Frost - "To Mega Therion" : I will 100% judge your opinion on metal based on how far you go into Celtic Frost's discography.  Never in my life have I wanted to wear gauntlets, leather pants and sleeveless band shirts (my own band, of course) more than when I listen to Celtic Frost.  This is their pinnacle.  They sped up the blueprint laid out previously on "Morbid Tales", added a little dark/goth aesthetic, and retained the most recognizable guitar tone in heavy metal.  Essential listening.

Disincarnate - "Soul Erosion (Demo 1992)" : James Murphy & Morrisond Recordings.  If you know, you know.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Infester, Eternal Champion & more

Infester - "To the Depths...of Degradation" : As far as USDM is concerned, I can only think of two other records that have ever surpassed this one.  I'm not going to attempt to describe the atmosphere of this record; this is the embodiment of unmatched, pure evil death metal.

Eternal Champion - "The Armor of Ire" : Epic power metal worship from the usual Texas suspects.  Catchy as hell, and reverbed the fuck out Manilla Road worship with some nods to Black Sabbath, Priest and very early Metallica.

Mystifier - "Goetia" : Often imitated - never duplicated.  Mystifier took the foundation laid by bands like Sarcofago, slowed it down, and took some cues from Celtic Frost and Venom and made something truly ripping and original.  I'm not the biggest black metal fan generally, but this is absolutely essential.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Morpheus Descends, Slowdive & more

Morpheus Descends - "Chronicles of the Shadowed Ones" : One of the upsides (or downsides, depending on how you look at it) of the internet today is its ability to take albums that flew under the radar, and push them into mandatory listening status.  This EP epitomizes that.  The perfect blend of Immolation/Incantation styled death metal with just the right amount of slam and old-school heaviness.  Had this not been an EP, or self released and distributed, this would be a staple NYDM album.

Slowdive - "Slowdive" : I'll just say it : this album lacks even half of the impact that "Souvlaki" had on me, and probably shoegaze as a whole.  That's not to say it's a bad album.  In typical Slowdive fashion, they have this ability to create lush atmospheres and layers without landing in the "wall of sound" territory that most shoegaze bands do.  It's worth listening to for the song "Slomo" alone, and after 22 years is a strong follow-up to "Souvlaki"...but essential?  Eh.

Imprecation - "Ceremony of the Nine Angels" : This is Texas's version of Blasphemy if Caller of Storms listened to nothing but death metal.  This is absolutely essential black/death, with some heavy doom nods.  Hard to believe this was only a demo as the production alone rivals most full lengths that were coming out in '92.

Cenotaph - "Gloomy Reflection of Our Hidden Sorrows" : This is pure U.S. and Scandinavian death metal worship.  I don't think this band listened to anything but Sentenced and Autopsy, honestly.  There's a gloomy atmosphere to the album without solely relying on doomy riffing, something most bands failed at.  Aside from the corny territory this band stepped into almost immediately after this album, my only complaint is Cenotaph never knew when to end a song.  8 minutes is about 4 minutes too long, boss.

- WOODS

Workday Review : Winter, Candlemass & more

Revisiting this outlet for today; maybe tomorrow too.  Maybe not.  Who gives a shit.

Winter - "Into Darkness" : Like Celtic Frost and Hellhammer on heroin recording in a basement.  One of the ugliest and bleakest albums I've ever heard.  Uglier than Autopsy.  So ugly in fact that sometimes it's almost inaudible - other times you can't even tell a single instrument apart.  There's nothing melodramatic here, there's no pianos or violins or epic introductions - it's the embodiment of negativity.  Pure death/doom.

Candlemass - "Nightfall" : The quintessential doom record, and the start to their best era with Messiah on vocals.  Perfect mix of dark and somber doom in a crushingly heavy and catchy structure.  It's everything you could've wanted from "Epicus" - on steroids.  Just go watch the music video for "Bewitched", you wimps.

  
Accept - "Breaker" : This is a top 3 Accept record for me.  Lots of nods Bon Scott-era AC/DC and Judas Priest without sounding derivative, great guitar work and a level of cheese that is off the charts in the best way possible.  It's no "Balls to the Wall", and there's a few duds on here, but overall it rocks. 

 

Brutal Truth - "Sounds of the Animal Kingdom" : Haven't listened to this album in easily 10 years, and probably won't for at least another 10.  22 tracks chock full of bullshit and minimal highlights. Danny Lilker though. 





- WOODS

EVEN MORE SHIT I LIKE LATELY

- WOODS

MORE SHIT I LIKE LATELY

 

- WOODS