Lines In Wax

TWELVE YEARS OF UNWANTED OPINION

Day: January 28, 2021

Jean-Michel Jarre – Rendez-Vous (1986)
electronic

Jean-Michel Jarre – Rendez-Vous (1986)

Stunning, gloriously dense synth works that unfold and meander through spaced-out worlds and atmospheres. It’s not a million miles away from something that Tangerine Dream would put out, but retains that unique Jean-Michel Charrme (lol, sorry). I picked up a copy of this on chrome/metal tape (ferric eat my dust!) and although the quality isn’t as clear as I would have expected (I have regular cassettes that sound better), playing this on the Walkman, warbles and all, was a magical experience.

The Residents – Not Available (1978)
avant-garde

The Residents – Not Available (1978)

What in the nine hells? I suppose I had to start somewhere with The Residents and this was a place as good as any to randomly jump in. I can’t quite put my finger on what is going on here. I feel either I’m missing the greater picture or that Not Available needs a few listens to truly unfurl itself. Its unsettling, a little weird, and a little catchy too. I look forward to hearing more.

Samael – Eternal (1999)
black metal electronic

Samael – Eternal (1999)

Eternal is rather dancable for such a cold and industrial take on black metal. I suppose the black metal element is dialled back quite a bit, but nevertheless, Eternal is a classi of the crossover genre that happened a lot in the 90s. Some great beats here, which drive these misty compositions. Plus, any album that has “Supra Karma” on it is a winner in my book.

Black Sabbath – Forbidden (1995)
doom metal metal

Black Sabbath – Forbidden (1995)

Christ! What the hell is this!? Doomy Sabbath? That’s what I’m talking about. In something of a U-turn from Cross Purposes (the heaviest Tony Martin album but still a shitter), Forbidden is a weighty record. It sounds like a mix between 90s Cathedral and Warning, but with a lacklustre vocal performance over the top of it all. As a whole, the album is a swing and a miss, but showed Sabbath on a correcting path, before this line up was abandoned for the final time, with the Ozzy reunions taking favour. For a long time, this was where the Sabbath legacy ended, which was even more bizarre.

Korn – Untouchables (2002)
metal

Korn – Untouchables (2002)

Untouchables was incredibly anticipated at the time, even more so on the strength of opening track and lead single “Here To Stay”. Even although in hindsight, the gap between this and the previous record was fairly short (3 years? Ish?), reports in media at the time had Untouchables down as some sort of Chinese Democracy style spiral of ridiculous cost and excess – a record stuck in studio purgatory. When it did drop, Untouchables was seemingly met with a collective “meh”, and while it did have some incredibly strong tracks, the album itself just leaves you wanting more, but not in a good way. Couple that with the – for the time – highly polished sound, and Untouchables can be seen as something of a transitional record for Korn, and sadly, one of the last fully listenable records the band has released.

GRIND.bot – object.Oriented (2014)
electronic grindcore

GRIND.bot – object.Oriented (2014)

Ooh, what an stomper. Putting most (if not all) pornogrind and digigrind bands to shame with an absolutely savage programmed attack of the senses. Everything is synthesized, from guitars to blasts, and honestly it sounds amazing. Gets a bit glitchy in parts, but this just adds to the chaos that unfurls. Its a shame that this appears to be a one-off release.

Vacuous – Demo 2020
death metal

Vacuous – Demo 2020

A promising start for this interesting band. The drums are a bit far away in the mix, but that is really my only complaint. The vocals, guitar and especially the bass all sound fantastic. Vacuous would progress heavily with their next release, the Katabasis EP, which is probably a much better place to start.