Lines In Wax

TWELVE YEARS OF UNWANTED OPINION

Month: September 2020

Pink Floyd – Meddle (1971)
rock

Pink Floyd – Meddle (1971)

My mother is a big Pink Floyd fan. Naturally, once I got my first “car” when I was 20 (a pre-Defender-era Land Rover 90, of all vehicles!) I “borrowed” a bunch of their cassettes, and this beaten copy of Meddle was one of the ones that got the most plays. I’m no expert in the world of the Floyd, but the early 70s were of course the main portion of their astronomical rise to fame. Wether that had anything to directly do with Meddle I don’t know, but even today, after replacing a faulty drive belt on an old Sony Walkman, am I blown away by the sound on this record. Yesterday my son was born so maybe I’m feeling a bit emotional, but playing Meddle today took me back not only to 2010, where I drove no doubt reckless over and under things in my first car, but to the early 2000s when I listened to Pink Floyd and tried to understand why my mother liked them so much. This is such a beautiful record. People talk about how mid-90s Swans records scarily predate the post rock genre, or at least, help seed it. The track “Echoes” here, which takes up a whole side of the cassette…. well…. surely that is the seed? lol

Clams Casino – Instrumental Relics (2020)
electronic

Clams Casino – Instrumental Relics (2020)

I initially mistook this for a new studio release from Clams Casino. After shitting the bed and hitting play one morning at 5am as I watched the sun rise over the sea (it was fuckin’ great), I quickly realised that this was a compilation of older works, as well as the latest 7″ he dropped which sold out instantly. Maybe there is more to what is going on here, but I’m not a Clams expert. All I know is that this is a fucking stunning instrumental album, as you would expect from this producer. It’s made me wanna break out Rainforest and get all nostalgic. 10/10.

Mucopus – Undimensional (2007)
death metal

Mucopus – Undimensional (2007)

Mucopus play thick, chunky and unwieldy death metal. There is a slam tinge to proceedings, even dare I say a smidgen of deathcore stylings in the vocals in particular, which isn’t really my thing at all. That aside, Undimensional is a well put together record that is played and produced to a high standard. I’m just a bit unsure if the original material is inspiring enough to warrant further exploration of their work.

Mortician – Hacked Up For Barbecue (1996)
death metal

Mortician – Hacked Up For Barbecue (1996)

I see Hacked Up For BBQ and Chainsaw Dismemberment as two parts of the same death metal masterpiece. Hacked Up however, recorded a whopping three years earlier, is the original Mortician full-length, released after several years of establishing themselves as one of the most brutal bands on the planet. The open guitar and bass on “Bloodcraving” are absolutely nothing short of legendary, and no-doubt introduced Mortician’s nasty down tuned vibes to a whole new world of metal fans. This record is surely by now a part of metal history. Sure, yes, the grimy underbelly of metal history, but a part of the greater whole all the same.

Denzel Curry – Ta13oo (2018)
hip hop

Denzel Curry – Ta13oo (2018)

Denzel Curry has been recommended to me many times lately, so I decided to get into Ta13oo, which has the most interesting cover art of his records. I can’t deny that the man has talent, his flows are fantastic, and the production is solid overall, its just that the whole thing is a little ‘trappy’ for me. Perhaps I am out of touch with modern hip hop (a very real possibility), but I couldn’t fully get into this, despite the talent on display.

Filmmaker – The Love Market (2019)
electronic

Filmmaker – The Love Market (2019)

Talk about “Find Of The Month”! Filmmaker… makes… dark, brooding electronic music that encompasses the stomp of early 90s industrial and the nostalgia and synth styles of the 80s, and more recently, the vaporwave trend. Honestly, it hits hard, in the best way, and has the right mix of sheen and nastiness. I absolutely love that record sleeve, as well. So many questions! Definitely keep a ear to the ground for Filmmaker releases. The Love Market by Filmmaker

Miles Davis All Stars ‎– Walkin’ (1957)
jazz

Miles Davis All Stars ‎– Walkin’ (1957)

Walkin’ is fantastic. It is one of those records that embodies its title and lives up to its name. I feel like I’m walking down the sidewalk of a busy American city. Maybe I’ve got a dame on my arm, maybe I’ve got a small cigar in my hand. I don’t know where I’m going and I don’t suppose it really matters. The late 50s era of “true” jazz Davis stuff is not something I come to often (I got to Davis through the batshit fusion stuff) but when I do I am often left dumbfounded by the musical skill of him and his band. I am not left wanting, nor – as a casual fan of jazz – am I left overwhelmed by what is going on. Walkin’ is a perfect entry point in the maze of Miles Davis and his collaborators.

Nameless King ‎– Traversing The Ageless Fog (2019)
dungeon synth

Nameless King ‎– Traversing The Ageless Fog (2019)

Fantastic, moody, old school style dungeon synthesizer music. My one complaint is that there is some sort of effect added that makes the recording sound like its come off an old cassette tape, which clashes badly with some of the busier compositions. This results in a few messy, confusing moments. For the most part however, Nameless King channels some great vibes and ideas, and I would recommend this record to other fans of the dungeon synth genre. Traversing the Ageless Fog by Nameless King

Sulfuric Cautery – Chainsaws Clogged With The Underdeveloped Brain Matter Of Xenophobics (2019)
grindcore

Sulfuric Cautery – Chainsaws Clogged With The Underdeveloped Brain Matter Of Xenophobics (2019)

What an absolutely bloodsoaked whopper of a record! I was recommended Sulfuric Cautery by a friend and quickly set out to check them after the description I was given. Featuring members of Couple Skate and Pizza Hi-Five, I was eager to check these guys out. Imagine blasting chaotic goodness from say, the more legendary LDOH records, with the new world (lol) viciousness of projects like Hyperemesis, all distilled into one dustbin lid tinged assault of the senses. Razor sharp blurs of guitar work, flurries of spastic drumming and gangrenous vocal attacks lead us through an intestinal labyrinthine journey of gooey goregrind goodness. One for the ages.

Dylan Carlson – Conquistador (2018)
folk, neofolk & acoustic rock

Dylan Carlson – Conquistador (2018)

This is just glorious. I have, admittedly been snoozing on Earth recently, so I was energised to go back and find that this solo record brought so many of those classic 90s Earth vibes with it. Conquistador is a smokey record, carried with that wild west swagger, but delivered like a low voltage dose of electricity coursing through your body. These riffs are simply alive and it is nothing less than an absolute pleasure to sit and listen to them unfold. Magical.

Bill Laswell – Axiom Ambient: Lost In Translation (1994)
avant-garde electronic

Bill Laswell – Axiom Ambient: Lost In Translation (1994)

This is probably the busiest and most involved ambient record that I’ve ever heard! Haha! I suppose its due to the sheer number of ambient producers who create a stunning custom patch and then just put a book on the lower end of the keyboard for 55 minutes and call the resulting dirge a new record. I’m being obtuse of course, but hopefully you get what I mean. Laswell has pulled together a small world here from his collaborators, some of which are named, others which I’m sure are confined to the obscurity of their source recordings. These are not just ambient sheets of sounds. These are microcosms of life and activity; sweeping movements of atmosphere conjured from world music and that hypnotic mood you get from trance music, but just before the beat kicks in. It’s a long one, but its well worth the journey.

Current 93 – Dogs Blood Rising (1984)
avant-garde noise & power electronics

Current 93 – Dogs Blood Rising (1984)

Dogs Blood Rising was my first experience with the work of Current 93. The record threw me at first, as there are no songs per se, just large, meandering passages of sound collages. “Falling Back In Fields Of Rape” heavily scratched my de ja vu (turns out the Death In June song with the similar title / lyrical layout to this is a “cover” of this ginormous undertaking of a track). All in all, Dogs Blood Rising is disturbing, unsettling and weird. It comes across more like an art project than it does like music or even noise. I like what I hear though, and I will be exploring the project more in the future.

Miles Davis – In A Silent Way (1969)
jazz

Miles Davis – In A Silent Way (1969)

It’s rare that an album’s title helps define the sound in such a way that is present here. These two tracks creep and slowly unfurl into movements of incredible musical restraint. The two pieces were cut from much longer sessions, and present a unified, mellow front to a band that was heavily in sync. I can only say so much in words about this one. Something to listen to at night, perhaps when the rain is falling outside.

Örnatorpet – Fjällets Gyllene Slott (2019)
dungeon synth

Örnatorpet – Fjällets Gyllene Slott (2019)

One of my favourite dungeon synth releases of the last few years. Granted, I’m not as deep into the genre as some, but unearthing gems like this is what makes this particular world of music so rewarding. What I love about this kind of thing is the unique worlds and visions that just listening alone is enough to conjure. Truly, it’s an art form and very evocative. Expect heavy winter based themes and vibes of swirling snow, of perilous travels, and of cosy villages locked deep in the white wilderness. Beautiful. Fjällets Gyllene Slott by Örnatorpet

The Mist – Gottverlassen (1995)
metal

The Mist – Gottverlassen (1995)

I stumbled across this forgotten gem one day and on a random Saturday shift, I made my way through the whole thing. First off, let’s put all our cards on the table here. Hopefully, I’m not offending anyone when I say that The Mist (or at least the Gottverlassen album) are a pure Sepultura clone. I mean, just take a look at that record sleeve for a start! If you can look past that however, there are some good riffs here. The guitars and bass are the highlights of the band; the latter clanks and plops along brilliantly to the chunky metal attack. The vocals are a bit weak and the drums are a bit uninspired but nothing is actually terrible. Without being too critical, I would check out another album from these guys if I came across one.

Repulsion – Demo 1991 (1991)
grindcore

Repulsion – Demo 1991 (1991)

Demo 1991 looks like just about any other early 90s / late 80s underground demo, so its easy at first glance to dismiss this as an early record, but no – this came after Horrified. The noticable difference is that the songs are a bit pacier; a 12 minute record consists of 4 tracks, with the blast dialled back a little in favour of grime-chocked thrash metal.

Cernunnos Woods – Forest Anthology (2016)
dungeon synth

Cernunnos Woods – Forest Anthology (2016)

A spooky, unhinged entry into the Cernunnos discography. The synth work is spot on as always; a bizarre, kooky whirl of tones that remind me more of German expressionist cinema (of all things) rather than deep dark woods and dungeons. My gripe with this release lies with the vocal performances, which are too loud and if anything, detract from the synth work below them.

< WIP > Electric Wizard – Dopethrone (2000)
doom metal

Electric Wizard – Dopethrone (2000)

Dec 2017: To somewhat paraphrase the legendary Devin Townsend, the sound on this album is as heavy as a really heavy thing. Like, really really heavy; a collapsing neutron star, or some such. Dopethrone is a monument in modern day doom metal; easily one of the albums that re-invigorated the scene and brought new life to the (at the time) fairly stagnant genre, all the while re-setting the benchmark for what heavy music can be. It is fascinating how something so muddy and lo-fi (for lack of a better term) can be so gargantuan. It is hard to do listening to this album any justice. I suggest the vinyl copy, played on the most expensive sound system you can get access to, to guarantee the best experience. “Funeralopolis”, “I Hate You” and the title track are absolutely fucking huge doses of crushing doom magic, and I struggle to think of better ways to experience an hour or so of complete sonic annihilation. If you’ve somehow never heard Electric Wizard before this is without a doubt the best place to start. A stone cold classic and benchmark of the doom genre. June 2020: Where does one start with a record as heavy and as ugly and as gargantuan as Electric Wizard’s Dopethrone? For all the heaviness in the doom genre, Dopethrone is effortlessly one of the nastiest sounding albums ever recorded in any style of rock or metal; the drums are often rendered paper thin by colossal walls of distorted guitars, which really have to be heard to be believed. I cannot do them justice with words. Easily one of the heaviest albums of all time.

Miles Davis – Sketches Of Spain (1960)
jazz

Miles Davis – Sketches Of Spain (1960)

Sketches Of Spain seems to rank high on many Davis’ appreciator’s lists. I can not fathom the musical skill involved in pulling together such an album, but this ode to Spain is somewhat lost on me. It has more in common with big brass band movements than anything particularly jazzy, and whilst it is far from awful, it’s not something that I’m all that interested in, despite how beautiful it may be.

Fleisch – Mine (2017)
metal

Fleisch – Mine (2017)

Holy shit this is bad. The “goth” end of the industrial spectrum has never ranked highly for me, but Mine is a perfect example of all the awful tropes that the genre perpetuates. The guitar playing is lazy and dated, as is the harsher vocal styles. The clean vocals are pretty good but are mixed awkwardly. Percussion wise, we’re clearly in drum machine territory here (if not, then that’s some stale-ass drumming, guys). A prominent machine can be a good thing, but not when the drum sounds are like someone slapping wet cardboard.  To top it off the mix is just absolutely bizarre. It genuinely sounds like a bunch of uni students have taken their Rammstein worship a little too far. It’s a no from me.

Jean-Luc Ponty – Aurora (1976)
electronic jazz

Jean-Luc Ponty – Aurora (1976)

I meandered into the works of Jean-Luc Ponty during my recent trips into the world of jazz. Jean-Luc’s Aurora however appears to be something completely different. This violin-led electric orchestra of madness is something that sounds so 80s that it hurts. Considering that it was recorded in the mid-70s, I can only attest that it was – actually – years ahead of its time. I don’t know enough about this kind of music right now other to than to offer a fleeting opinion. In parts in boggles the mind, and in others it just sounds like something off an infomercial. One to return to, no doubt.

Dream Theater – Images And Words (1992)
metal

Dream Theater – Images And Words (1992)

Images And Words is, I believe, the second Dream Theater album and the first where the really cringey album sleeves began. Touching more into a power metal vibe than I am admittedly usually comfortable with, Images And Words is an upbeat yet often cheesy romp through some serious musical dexterity. Its nice to see the origin of “Metropolis Part I”, and closing track “Learning To Live” does unfold to be rather epic, but on the whole I don’t think this is for me.

The Caretaker – Everywhere At The End Of Time – Stage 2 (2017)
avant-garde electronic

The Caretaker – Everywhere At The End Of Time – Stage 2 (2017)

I feel like I’ve been here before, and I suppose that’s exactly the point. Stage 2 of the gargantuan Everywhere At The End Of Time series on dementia sees mostly a rehashing of the themes and tunes of Stage 1. But, if you’re listening carefully, now and then Stage 2’s compositions will throw you out of the loop. Every now and then, through the record crackle and swinging 30s numbers, The Caretaker works in a compositional anomaly; little blips that you wouldn’t necessarily notice if not listening actively. And that, I suppose, is how it really begins.

Napalm Death – Hatred Surge (1985)
grindcore punk & hardcore

Napalm Death – Hatred Surge (1985)

Now this is an interesting window into the pre-grind, proto-formation of Napalm Death. In all my years of Napalm Death fandom I’d never gone back and checked out the early demos, so this was a learning experience for me. There is a lot of misinformation floating about online about this record. Miles Ratledge (the OG drummer here) has cleared it up in some YouTube comments. The TLDR is that a lot of uploads claiming to be this demo are actually completely different recordings by other bands LOL All in all I enjoyed this, and its cool to hear very early versions of some tracks which would just become blurs of noise on the Scum album.

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control (2013)
doom metal rock

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control (2013)

Uncle Acid sit in that mire between lazy indie rock and that stonery, Sabbath-worshipping area of proto-metal, which explains The Deadbeat’s recent support slot with the aforementioned Sabbath nicely. As much as I enjoy Mind Control I find nothing original or special here, which to be honest, probably sounds really harsh, but its nice sometimes to just enjoy a record without losing my head over the intricacies of such; this is rock and roll, and its fun to listen to.

Gorgoroth – Under The Sign Of Hell (1997)
black metal

Gorgoroth – Under The Sign Of Hell (1997)

Another stunning offering from the truest and grimmest of northern musical miscreants, Gorgoroth. Granted, the drums have a case of the 1349’s (being that the drums sound like wet fucking cardboard – I had to check that it wasn’t Frost playing here!) but otherwise this record is incredible. There’s really not all that much for me to say; this is blasting, evil black metal at its very best.

Last Days Of Humanity / Necrocannibalistic Vomitorium – Split LP (2012)
grindcore

Last Days Of Humanity / Necrocannibalistic Vomitorium – Split LP (2012)

I have chastised LDOH several times recently for phoning it in when it comes to splits; Agathocles’ing it to the bank with crappy live records and old shit that should have stayed old. Despite this, one must admit that this live session from Eindhoven is a very enjoyable romp through classic LDOH material, and with a decent sound to boot. When the shifter comes in, sometimes it eclipses all in a muddy gloop, but hey, this is goregrind, folks. NxVx are probably one of the most hit and miss bands on the planet. Their unique brand of sexually charged bass-grind (lol) is absolutely on fire here. Its dirty, its disgusting, its abysmal – I’ve never felt so alive! Pop a ballgag on and turn this up to 11.

Darkthrone – F.O.A.D. (2007)
black metal punk & hardcore

Darkthrone – F.O.A.D. (2007)

Later Darkthrone is like a fine wine to me. I wasn’t initially into stuff that went past The Cult Is Alive, but it has started to grow on me like moss on an old tombstone. There is something of a simple pleasure to F.O.A.D.’s analogue warmth. That of course, and that it’s an absolute riff machine, marrying black metal and crust punk with old school heavy metal stylings – a glorious combination, give or take a few dodgy King Diamond impressions.

Coldworker – The Contaminated Void (2006)
grindcore

Coldworker – The Contaminated Void (2006)

I caught Coldworker’s last ever show, I think at probably OEF 2013. At the time I thought to myself, “Shit, I never checked out the Contaminated Void!”. Several years later then, it’s time to commit Coldworker’s debut to the site. Let’s not mess around with long paragraphs here, as the band themselves are certainly not fucking about. Featuring the same drummer as Nasum, the opening track quickly sets the pace on a breakneck trip through a blend of death metal and grindcore. Comparisons to Nasum themselves is perhaps lazy, but if you enjoy their work, then Coldworker is a no brainer. The Contaminated Void by Coldworker

Misfits – American Psycho (1997)
punk & hardcore

Misfits – American Psycho (1997)

How it’s taken me this long to address any Graves-era Misfits I’m not entirely sure. Growing up however, before I become an obsessive music collecting freak, the 90s Misfits albums were easily my favourite output by the band. Afraid not of heavier music, I instead found them better to listen to due to the incredibly awful recording qualities on a lot of the Danzig stuff. I won’t enter the endless pit of comparing Danzig and Graves, but will just quickly say a few words about this release. The riffs by Doyle are on point. As ever, you should not expect complex compositions; the burly axeman seems to use his guitar as a weapon rather than as an instrument, but there is a decent melody present in a lot of these tunes. Michale Graves himself wrote a fair amount of these tracks, and credit is deserved there also, of course. Generally, I find American Psycho to have a faster pace than Famous Monsters, which falters a bit in the final third. Stick around also for the secret track, “Don’t Open Til Doomsday”, which is one of Graves’ best cuts with the Misfits. (Edit: In light of Graves’ recent Proud Boy buttfuckery I will never support him again on one of his – admittedly floundering – live tours, but American Psycho remains a solid album, that I cannot deny)

Death – Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
death metal

Death – Scream Bloody Gore (1987)

Being the 33rd anniversary of this now legendary album, I decided to give the whole thing a spin. It has been quite some time since I got acquainted with this genre-defining record, and I can’t say that it has aged all too badly, especially considering its age. There are no words really that I can say that will do this record any justice. I think for something that is so important to the history of metal music, is best to go out and experience it for yourself, and not let someone like me try (and probably fail) to convince you to try it! I gave the re-issued version a go, which included a bunch of the original Florida demos, which whilst are most likely only going to please Death purists only, I had to admit they had an interesting drum sound that I really liked, and would like to hear more of.

Necromantia – The Sound Of Lucifer Storming Heaven (2007)
black metal

Necromantia – The Sound Of Lucifer Storming Heaven (2007)

Necromantia are one of those bands that immediately divided my opinion when I first heard them. This record (with its appallingly bland cover art) is no exception. I can’t decide whether what unfolds here is pure genius or an absolute car crash put to tape. Black metal can be dense, or too abstract, and in both extremes it can be far too messy to be appreciated. The Sound Of Lucifer… is neither of these things, but instead is a cacophony of awkward sounds that really shouldn’t work together, but from within an unique dark magic is woven.

Miles Davis – Ascenseur Pour L’Échafaud (1958)
jazz

Miles Davis – Ascenseur Pour L’Échafaud (1958)

Ascenseur Pour L’echafaud is full of beautiful phrases of jazz that invoke that glorious noir cinema imagery. It sets the mood through a series of tones and passages; almost like a series of small vignettes, rather than the sprawling jams that one would expect from a performer like Miles Davis. Of course, this is earlier work, but its dark and beautiful all the same. I need to hunt down this movie and give it a bash.

Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (2010)
electronic jazz

Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (2010)

A relaxing and introspective journey through the bizarre world of Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma was my first introduction to this guy’s work. A lot of the sounds are jazz based; smooth, sophisticated, robust, but then fed through some bizarre electronic machinery, creating a distillation of both old and new. The swing of bop and the style of the saxophone meets mathematical beat composition and AFX-style synth trickery. A doozy.

Jääportit – Kauan Koskematon (1999)
dungeon synth

Jääportit – Kauan Koskematon (1999)

Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning compositions in the dungeon synth style. Expect to get lost in deep woods, misty moors and dripping wet caves (oo er). Also, it has the ever fantastic bonus of soothing my baby to sleep so seems to be the perfect addition. This record is 21 years old at the time of writing, but really, stuff like this, when done so well, is absolutely timeless. Kauan koskematon by Jääportit

Jääportit – Uumenissa (2004)
dungeon synth

Jääportit – Uumenissa (2004)

Uumenissa is an incredibly dense and atmospheric journey through richly woven worlds of ice and unknowing scale. The record is adorned with fairly abstract watercolour paintings which help you envisage the scapes being conjured by the music. I wouldn’t say it was strictly “dungeon synth” but shares a lot of similarities with the genre, if you are a fan of such things. Uumenissa by Jääportit

Electric Wizard – Supercoven (1998)
doom metal

Electric Wizard – Supercoven (1998)

Is there really anything as skunky and soaked in acid and visually drenched in the sleazy exploitation movie vibes as early Electric Wizard? Couple that with the weight of some of the world’s noisiest and heaviest music, and you have some absolute must haves for the fans of extreme music out there. Everyone knows Dopethrone, and rightly so, but Supercoven is a whole other beast. Instead focussing, in its original form at least, on two gargantuan tracks of sizeable length and structure, Supercoven truly is the heaviest Wizard material slowed to a crawl and striking with the force of a thousand sun-forged doomhammers, or something.

Motörhead ‎– Motörhead (1977)
metal rock

Motörhead ‎– Motörhead (1977)

I’m not entirely sure what struck me to finally listen to Motörhead. Over the years I’ve written them off as a band that sounds exactly the same for decades, peddling the same muddy rock and or metal as the years go by. Several times have I seen Motörhead live, mainly at festivals, where I have remained in much of the same school of thought. I’ll admit, starting at their self titled release from 1977 has done little to change my mind about them, but I can at least say that I heavily enjoyed the journey that these tracks took me on for forty minutes or so.

Death In June – The Guilty Have No Pride (1983)
punk & hardcore

Death In June – The Guilty Have No Pride (1983)

Listening all the way back to The Guilty Have No Pride, the first thing I notice is how different this album sounds from the rest of the band’s discography. The only hint of this being Death In June is Douglas P’s unmistakable British delivery, and of course, maybe the odd synthesizer sparkle here or there that calls forward to some of the stuff that would appear in Nada! But that’s it, and for the most part, The Guilty Have No Pride is a concise march of busy drums and post punk precision; barked vocals are bathed in washes of affected guitars, carried by a rigid backbone of thumping percussion and prominent bass guitar. As a side note, I thought a lot about whether I should ever include another DIJ review on Lines In Wax (especially considering that cover art), but I’ve had Burzum posts up for like 8 years so I would be hypocritical if I excluded this. I don’t condone racism / fascism in any form, but there’s waaay more offensive record sleeves already present on this site than this flirtatious Nazi imagery edgelord shit.

Master – Master (1990)
death metal

Master – Master (1990)

I recently discovered that there was a trigger-free mix of this record, so I went back and spun it again after all these years (I think 2011 I listened to this last – wow!). Unlike Mayhem’s Grand Declaration…, Master’s self titled breathes new life with the triggers removed. Whether you’re in camp Master, or camp Death or camp Possessed when it comes to the death metal race, there can be no denying the influence that Master’s boggy analogue sound has had on many many bands to follow. Throw in an interesting cover of Sabbath’s “Children Of The Grave” and your laughing.

Black Sabbath – Vol 4 (1972)
metal rock

Black Sabbath – Vol 4 (1972)

Vol. 4 is often regarded as one of the very best albums that Sabbath put out, but I’ve always found it kinda hit and miss. It seems to me like the album is arse-backwards; side A for the most part being rather weak, with the hideous “Changes” and the irrelevant “FX”. Side B completely outguns it however, with a veritable bevy of sonic titans in its arsenal. As a whole though I love how dirty and thick the guitar sound is on this record. Iommi, love him or hate him, has had some very distinct guitar tones, at least in the early days, and this album is no exception. The thick muddy riffs of “Wheels Of Confusion” or “Supernaut” no doubt influencing generations of doom metal and stoner bands that came afterward.

Midnight – Satanic Royalty (2011)
metal

Midnight – Satanic Royalty (2011)

Satanic Royalty is a beautiful record from the ever excellent Midnight, leaning more towards the blackened metal sound than the punk side of things. Satanic Royality is dark and fucked up (I mean, just check out that incredible artwork). I can’t fluff this post up any longer, just play it already, and bang your head!

Manowar – Battle Hymns (1982)
metal

Manowar – Battle Hymns (1982)

I don’t know what it is about Manowar, because I usually can’t stand this kind of thing, but there is something about Battle Hymns (and a few of the other earlier Manowar records I’ll no doubt cover at some point) that is really endearing to me. For one, the bass playing is fucking fantastic, as is the drumming, but these bare bones, cheesy as fuck tunes are just too enjoyable for me to pretend otherwise. I understand that this has been rerecorded in recent years, which seems kinda pointless to me.

Miles Davis – Bags Groove (1957)
jazz

Miles Davis – Bags Groove (1957)

Bags of groove is present (I’m sorry) in this older, more bop orientated record from Miles Davis et al (hey, look at me with the jazz terms over here). Bags Groove is not my favourite Davis record by a long shot, but is a beautiful foray into that world, with some excellent tunes and vibes. Thelonious Monk plays on this too, which is a pretty big deal.

Celtic Frost – Cold Lake (1988)
metal

Celtic Frost – Cold Lake (1988)

Ah, Cold Lake. I’ve been avoiding this one for a while, and for good reason. Cheeky chappy glam metal is not what I am particularly looking for when it comes to spinning Celtic Frost records, but I gotta admit, after a few tracks of adjusting to the sheer absurdity here (just compare this to Monotheist lol), I actually started to get into it. This won’t be winning any awards any time soon, but Cold Lake suffers a similar affliction that reminded me of Metallica’s Load record – if these albums were debuts from unknown bands they would most likely have fared much, much better.

Fluids – Fluids Of Death (2020)
death metal

Fluids – Fluids Of Death (2020)

I was recently turned on to the disgusting world of Fluids, who are masters of both pulverizing death metal and of posting horrendous gore footage on their Instagram account. Fluids Of Death (I’m loving the very fitting reference) is a compilation of tunes culled from several different releases and captured, here in my case at least, on a stunning transparent red cassette released by Grindfather Productions just down’t road. Imagine Undergang, Mortician, disgusting shit like that, and you’re on the right track. Fluids are a genuinely solid band in a genre mired with boring copycats. Highly recommended! Below is one of the singles that are compiled on the release. Enjoy!

Gary Numan – Telekon (1980)
electronic rock

Gary Numan – Telekon (1980)

Telekon is a diamond. I won’t claim to be versed in the history of Gary Numan’s career, but for me, Telekon is one of the early solo records that saw Numan continuing his dreamy, robotic synthesizer compositions on from his time with Tubeway Army. Following on from the excellent Pleasure Principle, Numan and his band channel Kraftwerk-inspiried sterility into more stunning rock-based pieces. 

7 H.Target – 0.00 Apocalyptic (2014)
death metal

7 H.Target – 0.00 Apocalyptic (2014)

A short sharp shock of slamming shlock from this excellent death metal project. The songs are tight and the sound is fantastic. I’m still trying to figure out the inspiration behind this band. Either way, it works for me. It’s hardly a reinvention of the wheel, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s brutal and heavy, and that’s all that matters here. 0.00 Apocalypse by 7 H.Target

Cluster – Cluster (1971)
electronic

Cluster – Cluster (1971)

What a journey this took me on. I can’t remember exactly where I picked up on Cluster’s music, but the idea of two men more-or-less battling with analogue synthesizers was right up my alley. This self titled record from 1971 is an incredibly forward thinking journey; a textual treat for those electronically-inclined. The tracks are long and sprawling, possibly even improvised, and I enjoyed every last second (admittedly with a good book and a cigar haha). I will be coming back for more Cluster records in the future.

Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
doom metal metal rock

Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

This is, traditionally, in the days before I decided to go through the entire discography, where my Sabbath listening would end. There would be many insults thrown at this album during drinking sessions “back in the day” (and a few defences bandied about too). The main sticking point would be about how high Ozzy is singing on some of the tracks here. Don’t get me wrong, he can get shrill at the best of times, but take a look at the title track for example, and you’ll see what I mean. All in all though, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is not a bad album, but the main issue I have is this it doesn’t really go anywhere the band haven’t already been. It also marks a point where the quality of releases from the band starts to decline, albeit subtly at this point.