No more tomorrow, this is your last day …
A man’s vacation time can take on many forms; Disney(land or world) with the family, a jaunt down to the Redneck Riviera (Panama City FL), camping in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, et al … For Marty Rytkonen, however, ‘off-time’ consists of feverishly churning out reviews the pace of which I’ve never seen before. The original
Worm Geezer penned 9 (!) reviews this week: Craven Idol (Dark Descent’s latest), Fyrnask (nightmarish, layered BM), Hell (quality Doom), Heretic Cult Redeemer (my fave this week), Humiliation (Malaysian Bolt Thrower worship), the Nazarene Whore/Nocturnal Evil split 7″, a reissue of Septicflesh’s second album, Void Meditation Cult (may be HHR’s best in a while), and Wound (Swedish DM by way of Deutschland). Mr Moran throws his hat in the ring this week with the South of the Border Death Metallers of Castleumbra, and yours truly, uh, slacked off
completely amidst visitors and jobby-job-ness. Thus, you all have much to peruse – regardless, you’ll want to dig through it all. Marty’s bringing the humor and insight in equal measure on this, the last gasp of July. Comment/Playlist/you know the drill.
Marty Rytkonen Playlist
Void Meditation Cult – Sulphurous Prayers of Blight and Darkness LP
Trouble – Run to the Light
Trouble – S/T
Rotting Christ – Triarchy of the Lost Lovers
StarGazer – The Scream that Tore the Sky
Fyrnask – Eldir Nott
Reverend Bizarre – Harbinger of Metal
Believer – Sanity Obscure
Dead Can Dance – Anastasis
Immolation – Kingdom of Conspiracy
Jake Moran Playlist
Joanna Newsom – Ys
Ulaan Passerine – Ulaan Passerine
Hädanfärd – Vederstyggelsens Uppväckelse part.II
Arktau Eos – Mirrorion
Pharmakon – Abandon
Kólga – Kólga
United Bible Studies – The Shore that Fears the Sea
Nhor – Patient Hunter, Patient Night
Raising Holy Sparks – Beyond the Unnamed Bay
The Caretaker – Extra Patience (After Sebald)
Jim Clifton Playlist
Venom – At War With Satan
Lustre – Night Spirit
Katechon – Man, God, Giant
Branikald – Stormheit
Death – Leprosy
Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Taake – s/t
Midnight Odyssey – Funerals from the Astral Sphere
Carcass – Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious
Gorgoroth – Destroyer
Worm Gear 
Nine reviews in one week?! Hell, don’t you have a life? Well done sir! Looking forward to reading ‘m all. That Castleumbra has been a personal favorite, bought the self-released version a while back (I hope this release doesn’t feature extra tracks so I have to buy it again…). Dark Descent releasing something new is IMO always reason for celebration/further inspection and that Septicflesh reissue might provide me some well-needed education in all things Ancient, Greek and Black… Nodge nodge wink wink.
My playlist:
Church of Misery – Early Works Compilation
Church of Misery – Houses of the Unholy
When the original disappoints thank satan there’s always the copycat… Hideki Fukasawa is no young Ozzy of course but fucking hell this band hits the (doom)spot! Just ordered their latest, can’t wait!
Trouble – Trouble
Classic. I see Marty agrees. Just found a cheap copy of Run to the Light and ordered it, never heard any Trouble before the S/T.
Thou Art Lord – The Regal Pulse of Lucifer
I can imagine this one’s a bit too polished for the Die Hards but still… Amazing, incredible songwriting. Black metal seldom comes this accessible and instantly catchy without being totally lame.
Beyond – Fatal Power of Death
This is really something… This reminded me of the pitch black, filthy and chaotic vibes of Altars of Madness and Onwards to Golgotha somehow. High praise. The real deal. Listen to this!
Peter Brötzmann – Low Life, Last Exit/Köln, Medicina and Full Blast
Intense! How To Blow Most Metal Bands Away With Just A Saxophone, Lesson One.
Edit: just found out my copy of Cthulhu Wgah’nagl Fhtagn wasn’t self-released but on Obliteration records. Just so I’m not spreading lies. Whatever…
My playlist for today:
Maveth – Of Serpent and Shadow MLP (this slab is just amazing. Flipping this one over endlessly! Great band)
Lizzy Borden – Love you to Pieces LP (classic american metal!)
Bolzer – Aura MLP
New Immolation is growing on me
Darkthrone – Sardonic Wrath LP
Yep.
Nice reviews this week. A great mix of music on display. Ikbenfreek, make sure you check out Trouble’s Psalm 9, their best pre-S/T album and one of their best overall. Classic.
Infera Bruo – Desolate Unknown
Binah – Hallucinating In Resurrecture LP
Black Sabbath – 13 (Finally picked this up. Some good, some okay, will get more listens)
Queensryche – The Warning
Queensryche – Operation: Mindcrime
Kreator – Endless Pain
Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back To Life (blew the dust off this one)
Benediction – Transcend The Rubicon
Demons and Wizards – S/T
My purchasing of new music has not been very prolific as of recent times, so I spend a lot of time going back to old stuff in my collection. I have also been listening to the new Carcass single “Captive Bolt Pistol” on youtube quite a bit. I really like it and I’m hopeful for the new album, but I also really like the Necroticism and Heartwork era stuff which the new song sounds like.
Shawn> Psalm 9, noted. Thanks! That Kreator and Cannibal Corpse both slay! And you’re not the only one eagerly awaiting Surgical Steel… High expectations!
Marty> “Flipping this over endlessly” sounds good. I should buy more vinyl like I used to…
Interesting reviews, and I like the vid links added at the end so folks can instantly hear what you’re writing about.
Lots of folks have indeed been saying it’s a ‘slow year’ for metal. Just checked and I’ve only bought three new releases all year:
-Victor Griffin’s In-Graved
-High Priest of Saturn
-Summoning
I’m not aware of any that I failed to pick up that I wanted except Divinity Compromised, which I’ll nab later this month. The only one I’m waiting on later this year is Atlantean Kodex (possibly Gorguts, not sure).
Maybe it’s just been a slow year for big-name band releases? New bands can take awhile to catch on with many folks. Or maybe perceptions have been skewed by most people’s disappointment with the new ‘Sabbath?
In my case, I’ve just been super-busy, and most of what I have bought has been old stuff.
Playlist
-My Dying Bride- A Map of All Our Failures.
Revisited this and it still doesn’t sit right with me. Disappointing release from a usually-consistent band.
-Isole- their catalog.
Speaking of bands that are competent copycats but that fail to capture that essential spark of greatness and instead get kinda boring…
-Summoning- Old Mornings Dawn.
Liking it os far, just not much time to dedicate to it lately.
-random obscure singles (as always) by acts like Smokehouse, Jumbalayah, Tyranny, Jody St, Liquid Earth, etc.
Slow year?
Woe, Way to End, Vredehammer, Vorum, Vhöl, Thou Art Lord, Summoning, Sulphur Aeon, Suffocation, Skagos, Revelation, Portal, Oniricous, MasseMord, Manilla Road, Machetazo, Lantern, Kylesa, Krypts, Kingdom, Into Darkness, Imprecation, Immolation, Graveyard, Denouncement Pyre, Deafheaven, Darkthrone, Conan, Coffins, Burzum, Botanist, Beyond, Autopsy, Ash Borer, Arckanum, Antediluvian, Among Gods, Amon Amarth, Altar of Plagues
…have all released worthy to excellent new music this year. And we still have the new Gorguts, Ulcerate, Watain and Carcass to look forward to (well, I do, although some will not of course). Plus there’s still a lot of 2013 releases on my to-check-out-list based on the Wormgear reviews.
So, I don’t get it. Slow year? What makes you feel that way?
Not everyone has their legs as openly spread as your Freek. hehe.
But yeah, there has been some great stuff out this year. Dry spell now? Guess it just depends on personal preferences. Even the Ironbonehead stuff coming out now is bland and unoriginal. But they kinda just got lucky with a few bands, as most labels do.
@nightsblood
If you check out anything, make it Bolzer. We can’t recommend them highly enough.
Echo the Bolzer love. Awesome band.
Abigail – Intercourse & Lust
Asphyx – Embrace The Death
Beyond – Enter Transcendence EP
Cannibal Corpse – Torture
new Carcass
Gorguts – Colored Sands
Cult Of Fire – Triumvirat
Incantation – Blasphemy
Kerasphorus – Cloven Hooves at the Holocaust Dawn
Gammacide – Victims of Science
Körgull the Exterminator – Metal Fist Destroyer
Necronomicon – Rise Of The Elder Ones
Nazarene Whore – Heaven Bleeds Black
new Naer Mataron
Pseudogod – Deathwomb Catechesis
Rigor Mortis – Rigor Mortis
Well I’ll be damned Patrick, you actually made me laugh…
UA> What do you think of that new Carcass? You lucky bastards with your promos…
‘We are pestilent/Contaminate the world!’
I love the Rigor Mortis s/t. Nothing deep, just catchy, killer thrash/death. Also love the Pseudogod, one of 2012’s best. Great list \m/
I don’t like the new Carcass at all, to be honest…but I’m old and jaded, don’t pay attention to me… :p
Really digging the Trouble discussion! Freek, you also can’t go wrong with ‘The Skull’ – the record between the two. ‘Psalm 9’ is the better album (more crushing) and ‘Run To The Light”s guitarwork destroys to this day, but the very palpable melancholy of ‘The Skull’ keeps me returning to it again & again as well \m/
ew…new carcass? you all that hard up to get DM jollies? Shit-so-ramma. Its like we are talking to teenagers just getting into DM. I actually envy your ability to like so much. Seriously.
Old and jaded? Somehow Statler and Waldorf just entered my mind hahaha…
Ew, DM Jollies and shit-so-ramma? What the hell? Talking to teenagers indeed… You again made me laugh sir! Don’t make a habit of it.
Ok I get it, I have to get me ALL pre-S/T Trouble albums. My wallet hates you all. BTW, any love for Manic Frustration and Plastic Green Head? Not as good as S/T but especially Manic Frustration (fucking RIFFS!) rocks my world as well. More Zep than doom, but still. And Plastic Green Head, with the photograph of our former queen amidst the beautiful green goodies…
Trouble is a band i need to check out. so this is all good info from all of you. thanks!
glad i am making you laugh Freek. Never a good idea to take my anger and foaming opinions to seriously.
First 4 Trouble albums are lord (and for the lord it seems)! After that, they lost the spirit I think, though I really should revisit them as my mind has opened a great deal in my old age. I own a promo of PGH, but have never heard Manic Frustration other than the “hit single” played on MTV back in the day. There is no denying Bruce Frankin’s AMAZING guitar tone and ear for mighty riffs. ANyone hear the one off project he did with Doug Pinnek (sic?) from King’s X? It was called Supershine and it was on Metal Blade. I initially hated it due to Doug’s voice, but the riffs and tone eventually won me over. He’s just an amazing guitarist with vision by way of the 70’s.
Manic Frustration is a killer album as well. It is pretty much on par with the S/T album in my book. I actually like Plastic Green Head too, but I think it is a slight step down from the 2 Def American records. Still a solid album nonetheless. My favorite Trouble albums are Psalm 9, S/T, Manic Frustration. They sound the most focused on these albums to me. I like The Skull and Run To The Light as well, but the songs on these album just don’t stick with me quite as much as the other 3. I don’t think you can go wrong by owning the first 6 Trouble records though. They just released a new album with Kyle Thomas on vocals a couple weeks ago. I have heard a couple tracks from it and it sounded decent, but I want to hear a little more of it before I shell out money for it.
Spinning Plastic Green Head now. Haven’t listened to this promo since it came out all those years ago. Not as good as the 1st 4, but still really enjoyable. The first half in particular.
It’s =really hard to envision this band without Wagner singing. Almost seems criminal.
I hear you on Trouble with no Wagner. He is a very integral part of the Trouble sound. It is part of the reason I haven’t rushed out to buy the new record. The tracks I heard weren’t as bad as I thought they could be, but I would need more evidence before I invest my $$$. Marty, you should check out Manic Frustration…I think you would like it if you like the S/T album. I remember reading about Supershine, but I never checked into it. That could be something I need to check out.
Wow, i am checking these 1st 4 albums out. I missed the memo on this band. Geez…Coooollllllll!
Anything with Franklin AND Doug Pinnick sounds interesting to me. King’s X deserves more credit imo. Esoecially their later, more heavy stuff Gotta check Supershine out.
Yes, Manic Frustration is really good, really heavy heavy metal. That single Memory’s Garden on MTV was my first introduction to the band (and after that their show at Dynamo Open Air!) and although it’s a typical oh-we-need-a-single-let’s-use-the-powerballad-thing it’s a beautiful song, with that contrast between psychedelic beatles-like verse and fucking HEAVY chorus where Wagner truly roars his pipes.
I can’t imagine Trouble without Wagner. Haven’t heard any releases without him and I’m a bit reluctant to (Trouble with Kory Clarke?? NO!). But the final releases with Wagner were inferior as well I think (Simple Mind Condition, Unplugged, I mean come on; Trouble UNPLUGGED??).
*sigh* guess I’ll charge the ole’ creditcard some more and find me The Skull and Psalm 9 asap… Did I mention that my wallet hates you all? 😉
And oh yeah, Trouble is indeed a christian band (just not explicitly so)… But hey, when the music is this good I can forgive them their aberration…
Related to this magnificent band (at least I think so); how do we feel about Candlemass? Truly unique band whose first four albums I can’t live without. Hail Messiah Marcolin!
Here’s a taste of Supershine. Like I said, the vocals had to grow on me, but the music…. well… sounds like Trouble!
And regarding Candlemass…. yes please!! Completely rule. Essential trad doom. Even though he fizzled out quickly, I even liked Lowe’s performance on King of the Grey Island. I hear that it was because the vocal lines were already written and he’s incapable of doing anything unique. But Messiah… a voice fallen from heaven!
Yeah, if the music is good and I don’t hear them talking about Jesus in the lyrics, I am good to go bro! hehe. If ya get right down to it, talking about the holy ghost is spooky and kvlt! hahaha
Franklin and Pinnick teaming up seems pretty obvious come to think of it; both big fans of Sabbath heaviness and Beatles harmonies. This song sounds a bit meh to me though (and the song after this one as well). Franklin has played much better riffs and Pinnick has sung much better vocal lines elsewhere in my opinion. Check this King’s X live footage (not very metal, mind you):
(Man, everything about this dude is looong… Those arms and fingers!)
@Patrick Glad you’re digging them, Man; ’92-back Trouble have been my favorite early doom band for years \m/
@Freek Even though the psychedelic elements and ‘trebly’ production were an adjustment for me, I still love ‘Manic Frustration’; there really has been nothing like it before or since. Whenever I get together with my friends down South, it always gets spun – it has a swagger to it that makes for good drinking times \m/ I have ‘Plastic Green Head’, but didn’t get into it; Ill need to dust that one off. Stoked to check out the Supershine! King’s X were pretty cool …
@Marty I wouldn’t agree that Trouble are a ‘Christian’ band anymore than I’d say Ozzy was a Christian for his early Sabbath lyrics. Yes, a lot of the lyrics were biblical and yes, certain members had beliefs, but Wagner specifically struck me as a tragic figure in spiritual crisis, lyrically struggling with a faith that held power for him but would not bring him any peace. His addiction issues, and lines like ‘you fucking bastards, you’re gonna pay!’ and the fact they bristled at the white metal tag are, to me, evidence of this. What matters, of course, is that we share the love of that godly guitar tone & Wagner’s tortured voice!
A voice fallen from heaven… Hehehe that’s very well put in more than one way.
BTW I’m really digging the interaction over here now. I really like a place to bullshit about heavy music with likeminded black souls (my social circle is lacking in that respect). Anyone know of a decent metal forum or something like that?
Oh, and I’ve found Psalm 9 and The Skull reissues on Escapi Music that feature bonus DVDs with live/interview footage. Does anyone know these? If so, are they worth the extra buck/pound/euro?
Cliftonium> I guess you’re right about Wagner. And about Manic Frustration! Swagger indeed. I always thought Manic Frustration was more Zeppelin where S/T was more Sabbath, and more angry where S/T was gloomy. And then I guess Green Head is their Beatles adoration album which can make it a bit hard to swallow for the fans of the early stuff.
@all If you don’t like Candlemass, you don’t like epic dooooooom! I’ve never stopped listening to ‘Ancient Dreams’. Messiah Marcolin has *the* quintessential voice for that style. Only he could pull off ‘Mirror, mirror, upon the wall …’
Kyle Thomas w/ Trouble – I’ve heard a couple tracks off of the new album; the riffs are stellar, and Kyle’s voice is okay I guess (not a Wagner replacement at all!), but his lyrics initially came off as cheesy to me. As long you’re not preachy, I can handle religious iconography in clean-singing, but poorly written is something else … I may give it another chance at some point, but for now I’ll pass …
just bought the first 4 Trouble Albums. All this time I thought they were a glam band. Damn.
Freek… I have the Psalm 9 reissue on CD (and original “white” vinyl) and the bonus disc is worth it for the live studio setting footage. And glad you’re enjoying the Worm Gear experience. We seem to have a small but chatty bunch willing to discuss things civilly which is a good thing. I hope more wallflowers break the silence and take the time to say hello and throw their knowledge into the ring.
I often visit the NWN forum, but only post when i need to spam something. there are others, but i simply wander through them. Worm Gear used to have a message board, but it was infrequently used and eventually overrun by spam bots. I will say, it was a cool place to chat as everyone was respectful of each other. Maybe that’s why it failed? People tend to gravitate towards a train wreck and trolls like the days of the FMP forum? I hate that shit endlessly…
So a message board… are we satisfied with this format, or should we eventually try that again? Thoughts on the matter are welcomed. Persoanlly, this seems like a lot less screwing around.
Patrick, did you order ‘m online? If so, where?
Marty, yeah the bonus disc versions were a bit costly in shipping, the guy wouldn’t send them without jewelcases (I don’t get that, why bother with a load of extra plastic that just ups the shipping cost?).
The NWN forum, of course. Forgot about that one, will visit it sometime. Didn’t know spam bots and trolls are such a problem nowadays. I used to frequent a jazz forum a long time ago where there never seemed to be these problems, guess times have changed… So yeah, maybe this cosy little comment section is really the best thing out there. Good to see my manners are still considered civil hehehe…
Damn, just been playing Ancient Dreams and Nightfall and those made me think of more classic sets of heavy heavy metal lungs like Warrell Dane (Sanctuary) and David Wayne/Mike Howe (Metal Church) Eric Adams (hell yesss, Dark Avenger is up next! Talk about EPIC!) and of course the almighty Ronnie James Dio… My lady is visiting a friend, I’ve got the place to myself, it’s classic metal time!
I found them on a blogspot in mp3 format. I want to warm up to them before I decide what formats I want to buy. If I really really like them, I”ll hunt them down on vinyl used or something. Discogs is a great place to start.
Wow lot of conversation since I last checked in.
1) I dig that Supershine track, especially Franklin’s crunching riffs. I will need to check this one out.
2) I have always had respect for King’s X as a band. I actually own a few of their albums that I have picked up used over the years. I am not a huge fan and don’t listen to the albums very much, but I have always respected that they always did their own thing and never followed trends or scenes of any kind. That and they are competent musicians.
3) I never found Trouble to be overtly Christian or at least the type of band that was trying to convert me to Christianity. I agree with Cliftonium on this. I always felt like the lyrics were more about the juxtaposition of good and evil in the vein of bands like Sabbath and Dio. I appreciate this more from a lyrical standpoint as I get older and sometimes a nice change of pace from the ubiquitous “kill Christ” lyrics in metal.
4) I am embarrassed to admit I don’t own a single Candlemass record or have even heard one of their entire albums. I am well aware of their legacy, but just never got around to checking them out. What is the best album to start with?
5) There are pluses and minuses with this format and message boards. I agree there is less bullshit with this type of forum. The conversations seem to be more focused on certain topics with this type format. Conversations generally seem revolve around the reviews and playlists. The only real big advantage to message boards is that you can initiate a whole new conversation on one specific topic of your choosing, which can be nice at times. I do like things here as they are now though.
Shawn: without question ‘Epicus Doomicus Metallicus’ is their 1st and most magnificent one. Nightall is great, but Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is just made the timeless mark of the ages. A most for any metalhead I think.
Shawn/Patrick> I’d say Epicus is great but as it lacks the almighty Messiah Marcolin it is not THE greatest in my opinion. I’d recommend Nightfall, Ancient Dreams and Tales of Creation (in that order).
Re: King’s X; yes, I agree with you on the way they never seemed to be overtly influenced by scenes and trends. In that respect they remind me of Rush a bit. Any love for Rush in this gathering of blackened souls? Moving Pictures!!! Yes, I’m a bit of a prog nerd… Gentle Giant! King Crimson!
Although indeed the “kill christ” lyrics do get boring at times, my loathing for any organized religion (so jews and muslims can fuck off too) and people using a god as a crutch goes deeper the older I get. Ozzy rambling about “people like you that crucified christ” and “god is the only way to love” gets harder and harder to bear although the song still kicks ass. Trouble’s Psalm 9 refers to “the lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble”. Yuck. No lords, no masters!
Oh well, I did pull the trigger on cd reissues of both Psalm 9 and The Skull this morning… In the end I’m too much a sucker for good metal. All hail the mighty riff hahaha…
Mr. Freek,
There is much Rush love with this listener here. When I am asked for my favorite bands, Rush and Iron Maiden are always first. I love all of their releases and in my opinion have only released one sub-par record (Test for Echo). I also love a fair collection of 70’s prog rock, but haven’t delved too much further than the “bigger” names. King Crimson is awesome, every 70’s release is great, as is Genesis. The Musical Box = one of the greatest songs ever written. Also enjoy, Gentle Giant (Free Hand & Octopus my faves), Some Yes (Jon Anderson can annoy me a bit), Traffic (John Barleycorn) and Van Der Graaf Generator. Recently picked up Ill Balletto Di Bronzo’s Ys album. Kinda reminds me of a Italian ELP, but still kinda cool.
Although I would never claim to say what is truly in one’s heart, I would reckon that Trouble’s “Christian” oriented lyrics were more sincere than the “satanic” lyrics of most metal bands. And like you as I get older, I get tired of bands falling into the same lyrical subject matter as before. I know it’s a young man’s game, but I don’t even read lyrics now a days, not because of the subject matter, but most is very trite and been done to death. At this point I’d love to hear some different opinions. And that is just my opinion…
NP – Judas Priest Sin after Sin.
SIn after Sin is one of my fave Priest albums. LOVE Halford’s bluesy performance on that one.
Regarding christian lyrics… I’m glad to see this discussion being touched upon because I will soon be reviewing a christian band that I like, have improved greatly over the years and are friends of mine, Feast Eternal. I thought it would be interesting to give them a voice and share their perspective as 100% of the bands we cover offer the flipside of the same coin. We’ll give them the Worm Gear treatment…. should be fun
Reviewing? I meant “interviewing”
Ha, I’m not the only prog nerd here, good…
Regarding satanic lyrics; I think most satanic bands nowadays are about image, making a stance, and are, indeed, young and not concerned with more than the young man’s game. So I do respect a lyricist like for instance Watain’s Erik (who’s not popular here, I know) for being insightful and elaborate when asked about his lyrics in interviews. I may not always agree with his opinions and beliefs but at least he seems to be sincere and in his words satanism means more than “fuck your god, christians should be slaughtered (why always christians? why never muslims and jews?), I’m grimmer that thou”. Really, all those black metal bands we listen to… If you have to believe their lyrics they’re all about destroying mankind, fistfucking this planet in the arse and ultimately killing themselves… Such bullshit. Makes for some great music, but to take ’em seriously???
Having said that; I have a hard time taking christian lyrics seriously AT ALL, even if they’re intelligently written and not preachy.
So bottom line I guess; keep god and the devil out of it, just write about horror, gore, war and violence, dungeons and dragons and of course about metal to the metals, banging your head and blowing your speakers!
Sin After Sin is brilliant! The perfect mix of their embryonic style (of their first two albums) and what was to come later. I won’t say it’s the best Priest release but it does have a unique flavor.
Sincerity is the key word. Most bands subject matter is linked to the topics that sell the most for their particular genre, be it Country, Rap, Pop, Black Metal, Brutal Death etc…
Although Defenders of the Faith is my favorite JP release (because it is the epitome of METAL) the era of Sad Wings… to Hell Bent… is just awesome. Each release built from the last one, but each is unique. Very creative time for them. I will say however I cannot stand Epitaph off of Sad Wings. Sounds like Queen, which I do not like.
Couple songs on youtube of Feast Eternal sounded cool. I’ll check out some more.
Funny story to share, and it doesn’t bode well for me:
So about two months ago I bought a release on bandcamp by a band I
never heard, but sounded just very cool and original. Not metal, but
more like dark indie alternative rock or something like that.
and the genre title was ‘worship music’. I thought, “wow, these guys
are so confident their shit don’t stink that they assume that all will
worship their tunes, and hey I really like this first song, so I
bought the fucking thing.
So I loaded it in my fucking iPod and took off in my car, on the way
home from work, and within fucking one minute of the first song, the
cunt starts yammering about how much he loved Jesus and how he would
like to hug the bearded fuck. Jesus, it was like gay Jesus banger
porn. Needless to say it was erased as soon as I came home, not
because it was gay, but because of the hot and steamy religious shit.
Had he said he was going to fuck Jesus in the ass, well I can deal
with that, but hug, Jesus!
So the moral of the story is, A. I am a moron, and B. always further
look into worship bands before purchasing .
Thanks for the info on Candlemass. I definitely intend to check their early stuff out soon.
I am pretty big Rush fan well. I own most of their classic stuff and some scattered releases from then on. I have really gotten into Grace Under Pressure lately and I am more intrigued to check out their mid-80’s material, much of which I do not own. I also really like 70’s prog rock and this relatively new for me. A couple years back I read Jeff Wagner’s book on the history of prog rock/metal “Mean Deviation” (highly recommended) and it opened up a door to a whole new musical world for me, 70’s prog rock. Since reading it I have started getting into bands like Nektar, Camel, Van Der Graaf Generator, Peter Gabriel era Genesis, ELP, Todd Rundgren/Utopia, etc. I picked it up more the metal aspect, but ended being more intrigued by the 70’s rock stuff.
Another band mentioned in “Mean Deviation” that also ties into the discussion of Christian leanings is Believer. After reading this I have been interested in checking these guys out but I have yet to. Anyone listen to these guys?
Judas Priest is a band that for whatever reason took me forever to fully get into. I tried listening to them off and on ever since my teenage years and could never get overly excited about them. Part of the reason is because I was and am such a huge Maiden fan and I unfairly always compared them to Maiden. Priest always paled to me in comparison. However, about 4 years ago they just started to click with me and I listen to them al the time now. Cirkus-Lizard, I am a huge Defenders fan too. The Sentinel is so metal.
Look forward to the interview on Feast Eternal.
Shawn…. our thoughts are mirrored in regards to Judas Priest. Growing up I felt the exact same way as you did, always preferred Maiden. 5 years ago Priest clicked with me and I have slowly been picking up their classics.
Believer… I haven’t heard their reunion disc Gabriel and I think there was one more after that, but their debut Extraction from Mortality is really enjoyable thrash/speed metal album worthy of inspection. Probably my favorite of the bunch, but it is different from the rest slightly. As they progressed, they got more technical as that seems to be the way the genre went before phasing fully into death metal. Sanity Obscure and Dimensions are both enjoyable as well. If you enjoy that era, Believer won’t disappoint. CHeck them out here…. I’ll post a track from each of the good albums….
Hope this helps!
I think that Sanity Obscure thread is the full album.
Thanks for posting. I am fairly impressed with what I heard. I couldn’t get the Sanity Obscure link above to work but I pulled it up on youtube and really like it. Very technical and unique sounding. These are definitely 3 albums I will need to add to my collection. Actually after listening to these guys I am surprised I haven’t gotten into them sooner.
The Sanity Obscure sounds cool. Wow. I am surprised.
Although I dig Rush (pretty much everything except some late 80’s/early 90’s stuff), King Crimson (especially Court of the Crimson King, Starless and Bible Black, Red and Larks Tongues in Aspic) and Gentle Giant (Interview from ’76 being their last good one imo) I never warmed up to Genesis, Yes and Van Der Graaf Generator. Can’t really say why, too slick and polished? I do have a soft spot for early Kansas, especially their S/T debut kicks so much ass (except Lonely Wind of course).
Defenders of the Faith is very metal and one of their finest but… the ultimate in very very metal sounding Priest albums to me is Painkiller. If the title track doesn’t drop your jaw to the floor… well shit… Wimps and posers leave the hall ok? And then there’s Hell Patrol, All Guns Blazing, Metal Meltdown, Between the Hammer and the Anvil… Not all the tracks are that strong (side B slacks a bit) so it’s no contender for best Priest album like Defenders but that A side is the most metal Priest ever got!
Some other very very metal songs imo:
Manowar – Battle Hymn, Dark Avenger
Dio – Killing the Dragon
Manilla Road – Necropolis
Mercyful Fate – A Corpse without Soul (that opening lead, the riff that follows it and then King; “Listeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!”, fuck that’s orgasmic!)
Metal Church – Metal Church
Sanctuary – Battle Angels
Agree?
No Patrick… Seriously? Are you a moron?? Who would’ve thought hehehe…
And concerning lyrics: Captain Beefheart is playing right now, singing about “Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on my Knee”. Hell yeah! That’s the stuff!
I remember reading about Believer in the early nineties. Death metal was getting really big in all its blasphemic glory and Believer was mentioned as one of the bands going against the grain (together with Mortification). I’ll give it a listen.
Mortification…. wow…. there’s a band that took a serious creative dump. Probably due to the departure of Jason Sherlock.
And glad I could turn some of you on to different bands…. Trouble, Believer…. I feel like my batting average is up there! haha
I think Mortification were pretty mediocre from the start… Plus you should see their website for textbook whiney, preachy, self-righteous christian bullshit.
Shiiiit, if there was ever the stereotypical christloving godworshipping metal dude it is Mortification’s Steve Row:
http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/4/2/1/14213_artist.jpg?512
That look on his face: yes brother, bang that head and be saved by the lord… Hilarious.
Believer; not bad, but also nothing really special if you ask me. Makes me wonder if they would have been noticed if they weren’t overtly christian which was pretty special in extreme metal at the time.
I’ve finally gotten old enough to encounter people unfamiliar with Candlemass. Damn.
Candlemass have always been the quintessential ‘clean’ doom band for me (Vitus being the epitome of ‘unclean’ doom). Very few missteps in their long catalog regardless of who was singing. ‘Nightfall’ is the prototype that defines the Marcolin-era albums; if you like it, you should enjoy ‘Ancient Dreams’ and ‘Tales of Creation’ too (plus the great live album they did around that time). Among the non-Marcolin material, ‘Epicus’ is of course great, the Lowe albums are consistently solid, and the more 70s-oriented experiments of ‘Dactylus Glomerata’ and ‘From the 13th Sun’ are also noteworthy, with ’13th’ being one of the best ‘Sabbath albums not made by Iommi and company.
If folks are shaky on their Candlemass chi, then I guess I must say that you also ought to check out Solitude Aeturnus.
Trouble- well, this band has always been more miss than hit with me. Just not as into the early records as many people are. Most folks discovered them later as ‘lost classics’; I heard them earlier and never thought they were that great. They have their moments for sure, but they lacked consistency and never really bowled me over. The (first) s/t is the only one I still own; I’ve bought ‘The Skull’ on 2 separate occasions and regretted it both times, and ‘Run to the Light’ was traded away soon after acquiring it.
As to their later stuff, the (second) self titled album is ok but kinda plain; I never got why people praised it as one of the best of the entire decade. Good album, yes, but tremendously overhyped (just my op). I think about half the songs are good and the other half are forgettable. For my admittedly weird tastes, I actually prefer the 2 ‘hippie’ albums from the 90s (Manic Frustration and PGH), though they also contain some misfires. The reunion album was atrocious.
In short, a fairly good band but not one I will ever gush about. But hey, I don’t think Manilla Road has made a good album since ‘Open the Gates’, so what the heck do I know? 🙂
Nightsblood – that is interesting you say that about Trouble. I spend a good time yesterday ,listening to the 1st 4 albums. I would say at first listen, Pslam 9 attracts me the most, but yes, there is inconsistency that kinda of makes it bumpy for me. The 1st song on Pslam 9 is killer, then the second song comes out of left field with a totally different rocky vibe and feel that turns me off. Then song 3 goes back to where song 1 left off. Stuff like that is hard to overcome.
And Freek, if anyone has the right to piggyback off my self- deprecation, i suppose it would be you here. Hehe.
First the amount of comments on here is awesome. Great conversation and opinions, but no disrespect. I love it.
So much good stuff to comment on myself so I’ll keep it brief…
Shawn – Power Windows is my favorite of the 80’s keyboard Rush. Every song is awesome. The production is a bit “brittle” but fits the mood IMO. They have never been more melodic than on that release.
Freek – Painkiller is also a great album. I tend to prefer DOTF only because I heard it first and Freewheel Burning and The Sentinel (really all of side A as you stated) are so fantastic. Night Crawler is my favorite from Painkiller. I do compare Painkiller a lot to Riot’s Thundersteel, which is probably unfair…
Marty – Really enjoy all of Believer’s material. The reunion stuff of course doesn’t match the 90’s stuff, but still enjoyed it. Saw them at a Milwaukee Metal Fest many years ago and probably still have a shirt buried somewhere. Although I don’t like to judge albums on production values, Sanity Obscure has one of the best guitar tones ever. I’d also wager Believer would be more popular if they weren’t believers. I bet more passed on their material that those that picked it up based on their religious inclination.
Finally Battle Angels is very metal. I would pick Battalions however from the first Metal Church album. Really can’t go wrong with either though.
Well I placed an order for the 3 Believer albums represented above and added some Candlemass to the order to rectify the void in my collection. Nightsblood, don’t feel too bad. Age isn’t my excuse for not checking out Candlemass sooner. I’ve been listening to metal for about 23 years now and simply never got around to checking them out. I don’t have any good excuses, haha.
Re: Believer – I agree with Cirkus-Lizard. I think these guys would have been bigger had they not been christian. I bet many metalheads over the years completely disregarded them simply because of their beliefs. Thinking back on it, it is probably part of the reason I never checked them out in my more ignorant years. I listened to Sanity Obscure in it’s entirety and was thoroughly impressed. Based on the songs posted above it sounds as if they became more teched out with each album. I will be interested in hearing the progession of their albums.
Re: Trouble – Evilingus, it is funny that you mention that you don’t care for Assassin (2nd song) from Psalm 9. That is actually one of my favorite Trouble songs and one of the first Trouble songs I heard on a compilation years ago. I always thought that song fit in pretty well with the album and felt it was an up-tempo song in the vein of Paranoid off the album Paranoid. That is the beauty of music though, it is totally open to interpretation and people can hear entirely different things with each album or band.
For the record, my favorite Judas Priest albums to this point are Stained Class, Defenders, and Painkiller. However, my opinions may change over the years to come as I have spent more time with some albums than others.
Cirkus-Lizard> Indeed, 60 comments and counting and not a troll in sight… Is that a Wormgear record?
I don’t know any Riot records (I guess I always thought a metal band with a seal for a mascot can’t be any good hehehe), just read a couple of reviews and Thundersteel seems to be considered something of a classic?! I see more comparisons to Painkiller, will check it out.
Come to think of it, I believe Defenders was my introduction to Priest. I had just started buying (mostly used) vinyl (the first vinyl I bought at the time: Saxon – Denim & Leather \m/) and Jawbreaker and Sentinel blew my head off. That uptempo drive with loads of swing in it (a friend of mine used to say Priest was the only heavy metal band you could dance to), the vocals that sounded so truly eeeevil to me and those sinister guitar leads… Hard to pick a favorite, everything from Sin After Sin up to Defenders (minus Entry Point) is great. I’d pick Stained Class as the definitive Priest album I guess. Fall to your knees and repent if you please!!! \m/
And hell yeah; Battallions! And how about Gods of Wrath? That album is full of great songs. Can’t go wrong with The Dark and Blessing in Disguise either. Pure class.
Nights – yeah, bizarre how we see things totally different on that. In any event, I like Trouble now. Good stuff.
And regarding the format of this site – I think simple is always better. Forums are just nasty places and scattered. I avoid those like the plague. I long linear line is fine by me. People can start conversations in the review comments section too. My advise – leave well enough alone.
Was just made aware of a new Eric Wagner band called “Black Finger”. Not as good as Trouble, but still really enjoyable.