I’m still smashing and my body is doing bad…
War torn but standing strong, we’re still plundering your spare time with our weekly updates and pointed opinions. Thank you for stepping into our world. The discussions are heating up and getting even more interesting. So if you’d like to take part in our community, feel free to post your playlists here and do say hello!
Jim said it was time to establish more of an unsigned presence in Worm Gear’s digital halls, and it’s hard to argue with a man so inspired, eager, and unknowing of what hell he calls to unleash. So… if you are a band that is searching for a constructive carving and you would like to put your musical labor of love on our dartboard, we are throwing out a casting call for your CDRs, tapes, 7”’s… you name it. Feel free to send your press package to the address found in the “Contact” section on this site. If you wish to send things digitally… let’s be honest, hard copies will likely be covered first, but we understand this costs $$ and times are tough. So contact us at the following addresses:
wormgear.demo@gmail.com
That’s it for this round. More interviews are in the works. Finsterforst will be poised to share with the class very soon, and there are several more getting ironed out. Until then, enjoy this weeks stack of reviews…
Marty Rytkonen
GBH – Midnight Madness and Beyond
Weapons to Hunt – Blessed in Sin
Dodheimsgard – Kronet Til Konge
Nightingale – The Breathing Shadow
Front Line Assembly – Caustic Grip
Immolation – Dawn of Possession
Sadus – Chemical Exposure
Nechochwen – OtO
Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor
Opthalamia – Via Dolorosa
Viewing:
Death – Live in LA DVD
Candlemass – The Curse of Candlemass
Autopsy – Born Undead (This collection is amazing)
Jim Clifton
Antaeus – Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan
Destroyer 666 – Cold Steel…for an Iron Age
Ceremonium – Dreams We Have Written
Clandestine Blaze – Church of Atrocity
Vital Remains – Into Cold Darkness
Demoncy – Joined Into Darkness
Death Strike – Fuckin’ Death
Assück – Misery Index
Inverloch – Dusk … Subside
Carpathian Forest – We Are Going to Hell For This
Worm Gear 
GBH man I haven’t listened to them in years. That takes me back. Mostly been listening to 2012 releases and checking out ones I missed.
Sylosis – Monolith
Thy Catafalque – Rengeteg
Killing Joke: Official – MMXII
Liberteer – Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees
Early Graves – Red Horse
IN MOURNING – The Weight of Oceans
God Seed – I Begin
Napalm Death – Utilitarian
Cannibal Corpse – Torture
Green Day – Tre!
Propagandhi – Failed States
Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
Bastard Sapling – Dragged From Our Restless Trance
Horrendous – The Chills
Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity
With the continual rain and fog in the great city of San Francisco I live in as of late, I am inclined emotionally to take Black Metal to my bedside, when I awake and throughout the day (with a few exceptions of course):
Dordeduh- DAR DE DUH (this album is amazing, DUH!)
Urfaust -Der freiwillige Bettler
Manilla Road – Spiral Castle on vinyl (sounds so much better than youtube, thank you lord)
Dark Sonority – Kaosrekviem
The Water Witch – Heavens in Traction
Indesinence – Neptunian and Noctambulism (working backwards baby!)
Lento – Anxiety Despair Languish
Nocturnal Poisoning – Other Worlds of the Mind
Patrick – How is the Nocturnal Poisoning? What does it sound like? I know it is supposed to be a complete 180 from Xasthur
Neurosis – Honor Found In Decay
Premonition 13 – 13
Accept – Restless and Wild
Van Der Graaf Generator – H To He Who Am I The Only One
Blind Guardian – Nightfall In Middle Earth
Judas Iscariot – Heaven In Flames
Trouble – S/T
I am curious what format everyone here buys most of there music in. I was thinking about this today when I purchased a download of the new Weapons To Hunt (excellent!) album after reading the review here. This is my least favorite way to purchase music, but I felt the need to hear something new today and I no longer have an indie record store in my town. MP3s usually sound like shit compared to a factory pressed cd or vinyl IMO. Plus you don’t get the experience of the artwork, lyrics, liner notes, etc. Most of my collection is made up of cds but anymore I prefer buying and listening to music on vinyl when possible. The artwork looks so much better on a full size lp too. There are some pluses and minuses with all formats with downloads being cheaper, more convenient but an over all crappy experience and albums being more expensive but better sounding and cooler looking artwork. CDs somewhere in between. Thoughts?? Preferences??
I too am interested about Nocturnal Poisoning!
I’m on the same page with you on formats. Certainly prefer vinyl above all, but I tend to save those purchases for items I know I won’t get tired of, and thus mostly buy cds since I can get twice the music for the price and try to hear/support as much good extreme music as I can (a responsibility I feel as a reviewer). Mp3 are appreciated and convenient, as I’m in front of my laptop w/ headphones all day mostly, but definitely the worst-sounding I feel. -Jim
I just got Nocturnal Poisoning in the mail last night. put in in my CD player today, was interrupted so much at work, that I can’t really tell you. Yes a total 180. Acoustic, with a good mix of folk, atmospheric, ambient, a little country folky type of thing going. no opinion yet. It appears Scott doesn’t want this in MP3 form, so i have to respect his wishes and not share this material digitally. Otherwise I would be happy to send you some tracks. If you can wait a week or so, I’ll write up a little review of it here in the comments section. Or maybe the Worm Guys will tackle it.
I don’t like CDs, especially for Metal. It sounds great, but DRY! I like organic crispy and a touch of dirt in all my music, even opera and classical. I have grown more patient lately so I won’t buy MP3 anymore and just wait for the vinyl for all the great reasons that Shawn mentioned. I am a collector of vinyl and t-shirts, and have a pretty good job, so I luckily can afford to buy all in vinyl, at least to this point. Just been fortunate enough to be able to do that, otherwise i would just buy Mp3 and not buy CDs.
I love the the vinyl / digital download combo. that way I don’t have to burn the vinyl digitally for my phone or in my car. that is the best i think. ideally ripping a vinyl to wave is the best, but takes up like 150 mbs per album. way too much space. i did that for Binah cause i love it so much though, and sounds great!!
I have a project called Trillion Red. I have released an EP and full length. Sales are all in bandcamp, and not in CDs. I think if I released the full length on vinyl, it would sell better than CDS. It is just a dying breed because it is a half measure of Mp3 and on the flip side, a half measure of vinyl.
Another great reason to love vinyl. it is almost as it alive because every time you play it, it erodes the threads. so in essence, it ages. it sn’t eternal, and riddled with flaws, just like us. Therefore it is a hell of a lot more human than any other format. holding a vinyl jacket and looking at it while hearing the soft crusty edges of the threads while playing the record makes me feel more alive and inspired!
I completely understand and appreciate vinyl enthusiasts but for me it is a space issue. I would love to collect vinyl but I am crazy about accumulating to much stuff and my book, movie, comic collection is out of control as is. For me with music, mp3 and digital all the way. I spend all of work on the computer and at home at night drawing or working on the computer so it is readily accessible. I haven’t moved to streaming like Spotify or other cloud services because I still want to have what I buy. I love Bandcamp and have spent a great fortune there.
oh yeah, i am not a purist snob by any means. I listen to mp3 and youtube all day at work. when i am home or usually on the weekend when i have time i throw the vinyl on.
and on shitty speakers at work. so when i go home and listen its like bliss on the ears. i can hear about 40% more in what is actually going on
Mp3’s are super convenient, but are killing music in a lot of ways. Fidelity is the biggest issues. I dload stuff strictly to preview, NEVER with the intention to settle for the digital files. It probably has a lot to do with my age and coming from the collector era. Having said that, my vinyl collection has seen a significant increase this year, but i’d say that cd purchases are 2 or 3 to 1. I still like cds. I know the younger generation is happily calling for the death of this medium, but i don’t get it. They are convenient and sound good. You can squeeze a lot of deaign elements into the art that wont get lost. There are interesting packaging options. It’s just a good and durable medium. Plus there are a lot of titles coming out in the metal world these days that just don’t deserve to be on vinyl.
Watch it now Marty, I ain’t that young! haha. 35 I think puts me in the middle aged metal class. i got into buying vinyl when i was 16. The guys from Order From Chaos got me into that at an early age. You are right, the packaging options for CDs can be really cool now.
Overkill still on the menu here (Ironbound!!!). Apart from that I’m really digging the two most recent Vile albums (The New Age Of Chaos & Metamorphosis). I’ve only discovered this band a couple of weeks ago, don’t understand why they don’t have a higher profile. Quality brutal death in the Suffocation/Cannibal Corpse vein, and Metamorphosis easily beats those two’s latest albums in my opinion!
And yesss, finally the new Incantation has arrived (pre-ordered it as soon as I read about the releasedate). Dark and suffocating, heavy as hell, John McEntee has done it again!
As far as I’m concerned mp3’s are usually just for checking things out; when I like an album I have to have the physical product. I’m as much a music collector as a music lover I guess, bit of a nerd really… CDs and vinyl both are fine with me. I used to be 100% vinyl but since I have an mp3 player I listen a lot while outside and I don’t have the gear or the knowledge to digitalize LPs. Plus… I’m getting older and lazy; I hate to get up to turn over the record hahaha… No seriously; it started bothering me when I’m totally immersed in an album, hanging on the couch and then suddenly the groove runs out and I snap back to reality and have to get up from the couch…
Completely agree on ‘Vanquish In Vengeance’! Those doomy passages on Incantation’s latest are just mindblowing. -Jim