Lines In Wax

TWELVE YEARS OF UNWANTED OPINION

Month: December 2021

Goat – Commune (2014)
folk, neofolk & acoustic rock

Goat – Commune (2014)

Commune is the second album by hippy-dippy (sorry) experimental project Goat, who burst into the world with the phenomenal World Music record. Commune, in comparison, is a little bit more muted. Things develop at more of a crawl than they did on the rather spectacular debut. It took me a while to realise that Commune isn’t necessary boring or without the spark that Goat made upon their unleashing to the world, its just that the record moves at a different pace and with a different vibe. The percussion on this thing is an absolute pleasure to listen to (best with headphones to appreciate the panning, production etc.). Stand out tracks for me include “Goatchild”, “Goatslaves” and the closing epic “Gathering Of Ancient Tribes”.

V/A – Eatshitbuydie Distro – Too Short To Handle #3 (2012)
grindcore

V/A – Eatshitbuydie Distro – Too Short To Handle #3 (2012)

I love these nonsense multi-band splits. There’s just something intrinsically pointless yet gratifying about them. Nobody has room to breathe usually, and everyone is fighting for air in the little space they have. The bands are allowed a few tracks each on TSTH no. 3, but it’s still more of the usual carnage and I’ve already forgotten who I’ve listened to by the time it’s over. But that just means I’ll have to play it again. Please excuse the shitty photo for this post, I really should have dug the record out and took a picture of it. Either way, writing this has inspired me to purchase the first volume of this series, which is on a 7″. Tidy!

Jandek – Chair Beside A Window (1982)
folk, neofolk & acoustic

Jandek – Chair Beside A Window (1982)

I can’t remember where I picked up Jandek as a recommendation. RYM, perhaps? Anyway, these are some intense and bizarre, even unsettling fragments of acoustic guitar and insane rambles. These are some female vocal additions too, but for most of the tracks, the recording quality is quite lo-fi and the sound is abstract enough to invoke all sorts of moods and thought patterns. One day, I will unearth more from this artist. I am intrigued.

Boy Harsher – Lesser Man (2014)
electronic pop

Boy Harsher – Lesser Man (2014)

I love Boy Harsher. Both their album (Yr Body Is Nothing) and this original demo/EP/whatever are absolutely fantastic slices of dark electronica. Here on Lesser Man, themes and imagery of the dark industrial or noise worlds is used with warbling analogue synthesizer sounds and cold, sparse and tense vocals, to create a danceable yet thought-provoking series of compositions. One of the best!

Mari Lwyd – Y Ddraig Goch (2021)
dungeon synth

Mari Lwyd – Y Ddraig Goch (2021)

This kinda shits all over my own Welsh dungeon synth project. Haha! Mari Lwyd lays down some serious tunes, obviously composed with genuine musical skill and chops. There’s a lot of dungeon synth that isn’t as musical per se but atmospheric, Y Ddraig Goch (I wanna guess ‘the red dragon?) is absolutely on the musical end, with a record full of dense instrumentation and excellent songs. Highly recommended. Tape is, unfortunately, long sold out.

Blasfeme – Iniquity In Salvation (2020)
black metal

Blasfeme – Iniquity In Salvation (2020)

I’m familiar with Striga’s drumming from Necrosis (and also for filling in for Black Skies Burn) but I’ll be honest I hadn’t even heard of this band until a week ago (Dec 2021 edit: this was written 6 months ago lol). Granted, the UK black metal underground is not my strong point and I am learning about it daily. I got this cassette off the back of how raw and intense everything sounds, this is my kinda shit. The bass is absolutely popping out of the mix, and this is of course amplified on the warm analogue depth of the tape version. The album is solid as fuck, and I look forward to hearing what these guys bring next.

Rudimentary Peni – Death Church (1983)
punk & hardcore

Rudimentary Peni – Death Church (1983)

All sorts of dark and evil vibes permeate these scuzzy, noisy compositions. I’ve been meaning to check out Rudimentary Peni for years, and Death Church seemed as good as any a place to start. Its not as “punky” (sorry for using such a stupid word) as I would have thought, but its still great. People truly revere this thing, which is really cool. I love the bass sound.

아버지 – Reflection (2016)
vaporwave

아버지 – Reflection (2016)

This gets thrown around a lot online for being idk, spooky or moving or dense or atmospheric or just fucking great. Reflection is all of those things, but its also a very, very slow burn. Its another one of those things that falls loosely under the vaporwave banner when in reality, its a million miles away, aurally at least. Dense atmospheric textures all round.

Mr. Bungle – Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny (1986)
metal

Mr. Bungle – Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny (1986)

Where it all began for the Bungle. Its been interesting to go back to this again in light of last year’s complete re-recording (and more). The first three Bungle demos have never really done anything for me, but I’m looking forward to exploring them again with a new perspective. I can’t say my opinion on them has changed, but its more to do with the fact that the sound quality is so bad that I can’t really appreciate all that’s going on to the fullest.

Молчат Дома – Этажи (2018)
electronic pop

Молчат Дома – Этажи (2018)

Stunning, dreamy, nostalgic – these are a few words that spring to mind with this album playing. In fact this is so good I threw down on a copy of the cassette release off the strength of the first track alone. I can’t wait for it to arrive so I can listen to it again on an analogue format (dec 2021 update: it sounds amazing). Mixing the treacle-like haunted nostalgia vibes of vaporwave with morose 80s electronic pop, this record is steeped in soviet / fall of the iron curtain vibes. I’m unsure if that’s the intention, but the sound immediately throws me back to that era. Brilliant album.

Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavoured Water (2000)
metal

Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavoured Water (2000)

I haven’t heard this album in about 18-20 years. The sheer scope of those years alone crushes me with the reminder of the ceaseless march of time, but it’s also a reminder to me that my Limp Bizkit “fandom” belonged in a time and a place, and has, thankfully, stayed there. I have nothing against Limp Bizkit, or specifically Wes Borland, Sam Rivers and John Otto in particular, who are enormously talented musicians, but I can safely confirm that the Chocolate Starfish has not aged well at all. Despite some big choruses and riffs, this is a loooooong, boring album with long, boring songs. The shout out to Ben Stiller is absolutely fucking cringe, by the way. I remember being bored of this when I was a nipper too, and I always preferred the Significant Other record to this one. Hey, the rap version of “Rollin’” with DMX, Red and Meth is pretty class though.

Iron Maiden – Piece Of Mind (1983)
metal

Iron Maiden – Piece Of Mind (1983)

Piece Of Mind is a classic-era Maiden album that I never really knew about until I started going through the lot. Like, I’d heard of the big guns, Number Of The Beast, Killers, Powerslave and what not, but not Piece Of Mind. Unsure if it has anything to do with the horrendous album cover and title? Unsure. LOL. All in all though this is another solid Maiden effort from their absolute prime. The band clank away through a gorgeously warm, analogue production, and Bruce’s vocals are on top form.

Butyric Fermentation Abuse – Rancorous Cadaver Suppuration (2012)
grindcore

Butyric Fermentation Abuse – Rancorous Cadaver Suppuration (2012)

BFA (sorry, I’m not writing that out for just a paragraph review! LOL) is another one of Bobby Maggard’s disgusting gorenoise projects which he kindly sent me a CDr of back in… I wanna say 2013. Its more of the sick, nasty shit you will come to know and expect from this prolific maniac. Be prepared for intense noise and vocals that sound like the performer has been impaled in the gut and is burping up blood. Filth!

Anal Blast – Puss Blood Pentagram (1994)
death metal

Anal Blast – Puss Blood Pentagram (1994)

Well isn’t this just disgusting? An early incarnation of Don Decker’s Anal Blast (which may or may not feature members of Slipknot depending on which way the wind blows or which forum you read), Puss Blood Pentagram is a beginning of a running theme for the band. Its also super fucking sick death metal, like, some of the best of the mid 90s as far as all that brutal shit goes. I urge you to look past the sick gimmick here, because this band are fucking great.

Cathedral – The Ethereal Mirror (1993)
doom metal

Cathedral – The Ethereal Mirror (1993)

So come on! The Ethereal Mirror is a markedly different album from Cathedral’s debut, but this sophomore full length did kinda set the pace (or more like, the tone) for how the band would progress through the majority of the 90s. Eschewing deathly slow pace, and instead ramping up the groove, we have some all-time classics here, like “Ride” or “Enter World Of Worms”. Doom on, folks.

Agathocles / Mutilations And Death – Split 12″ (2012)
grindcore

Agathocles / Mutilations And Death – Split 12″ (2012)

Mutilation And Death are really cool. Messy, but cool. The Agathocles stuff is reaaallly old, which usually means… yep, it’s really cool! This split has been shelved since the 80s, because it was apparently too noisy / sloppy for the label at the time (I’d love to see who agreed to release this without prior knowledge to how either of how these fuckers would sound? Like, what? Haha). However, step in the now sadly defunct NHDIYSTREC who eventually brought us this 12″ split in 2012. Mad props for releasing it all the same. I got this through a trade back when it was released, but I’m happy to swap it or pass it on to anyone who wants it.

Mephistofeles – Whore (2017)
doom metal rock

Mephistofeles – Whore (2017)

Whore is an earlier album by the super-hyped Mephistofeles. Whilst I think Whore is better than Satan Sex Ceremonies I’m still not particularly wild about this project. I love the aesthetic, and the guitar tone, and that’s about it for me. Anyways, I’ve done two albums, I’ve tired to get into them. I guess we’ll just leave it at that for now! LOL.

Hyperemesis / Pyemesis – Split Tape (2013)
grindcore

Hyperemesis / Pyemesis – Split Tape (2013)

Mesis Mesis Mesis. Hi, I’m Mr. Mesis! I can’t remember where I got this cassette from but I had a bunch of them kicking about for my label/distro way back in what has to be 2013? Hyperemesis stuff is great noisy gore as always, Pyemesis stuff really awesome too, with strange, I guess, kung-fu sounding samples or something, which have stuck with me all these years. Tidy gore! Excuse the shoddy photo on this one, I can’t be arsed to open my tapes drawer and take tidy scans. I left that part of me in 2012!

Flux Information Sciences – Last Mixes (2013)
avant-garde electronic rock

Flux Information Sciences – Last Mixes (2013)

Flux Information Sciences were admittedly a band I only ever heard of because they had an album out on Michael Gira’s Young God Records. The Last Mixes is a compilation of well, some of the last stuff the band ever did. Apparently. It’s not listed anywhere as an official release, and one of the band members has commented on the YouTube upload of this saying he doesn’t know where the hell the uploader got these tracks from, which just adds another layer to the strange nature of this one. Flux were a great band though, its a shame they are no more.

Qyburn – Wax Mask (2021)
electronic

Qyburn – Wax Mask (2021)

Of all the Ice And Fire characters to base your project name off, Qyburn is probably one of the sketchiest. Anyway, Wax Mask isn’t particularly amazing I’m afraid to say. I found it quite disappointing. I’ll leave it at that because I don’t want to take swings at this thing. I wish the Qyburn project all the best.

Lee “Scratch” Perry / The Black Ark Players – Black Ark In Dub (1981)
reggae, dub & soul

Lee “Scratch” Perry / The Black Ark Players – Black Ark In Dub (1981)

Black Ark is (was) the name of the studio that Lee Perry constructed himself at his home in Jamaica. It’s – apparently – primitive gear and set up (compared to other big-business owned studios in Jamaica at the time) could easily have been the laughing stock of the record cutting elite, but instead what Lee Perry did with so little is now part of musical history. The dubs on this record seem to include cuts from the Black Ark house band, regardless of who they played for or where the cuts ended up originally, Lee (and some cohorts) have dismantled and reassembled the tracks using the mixing desk as an instrument (or a weapon of peace!), as is the way with dub music, creating something entirely new and unique in the process. I absolutely love this stuff but, I suppose like jazz, I find the whole dub / reggae / dance hall stuff to be difficult to penetrate. I’ll get there! Until then, I’ll just pretend that I know what I’m talking about! Haha!

Godflesh ‎– Love And Hate In Dub (1997)
electronic

Godflesh ‎– Love And Hate In Dub (1997)

I played the fuck out of this thing when I was a teenager. I loved the big beats and the livelier remixes of some of the, dare I say, duller tracks on Love And Hate. Not to shit on that album, but there’s a few snoozers on there. I also had the CD (doubled with In All Languages DVD) and the vinyl version, each of which I think had a different track listing. “Time, Death And Wastefulness In Dub” is one of my favourite songs of all time.

Monrella / JK Flesh – Split EP (2021)
electronic

Monrella / JK Flesh – Split EP (2021)

Oi oi! A split between Justin Broadrick and Mick Harris? I don’t mind if I do. JK Flesh is fuckin’ top drawer as always, but Monrella is new to me, despite my flurry through the deck of cards that Mick Harris has as projects last year. Head-thumping, cerebral techno is the order of the day (all round actually). So get ready to stomp, but get ready for the tunes to be really dark too. Banging.

Morbid Angel – Altars Of Madness (1989)
death metal

Morbid Angel – Altars Of Madness (1989)

Ah yes the uhhh, classic entry from Morbid Angel. Honestly, I’m surprised I hadn’t covered this one yet, as I had the picture disc version for a very long time (pretty sure I sold it however). Anyway, where do I begin with this one? If you’re reading my site then I’m probably already preaching to the converted, but if not, then this is one of the essential death metal albums; one that defined a genre to some degree, and is also incredibly influential, even to this day. Classic, gothic-tinged blasting death with Morbid Angel’s trademark chunky riffs and that incredible drumming performance that you would come to know and love from Pete Sandoval.

Fief – II (2016)
dungeon synth

Fief – II (2016)

I think it would be wrong to say that Fief is head and shoulders above other modern dungeon synth projects, but the name does bring with it its own kinda unique sound, which gives weight to the name. There is a… musicality (for severe lack of a better word) to II that is absent from a lot of sparser, more ambient DS projects. Its lovely. Perfect RPG music.

Pyophagia / Tolerance – Split Tape (2017)
grindcore

Pyophagia / Tolerance – Split Tape (2017)

Pyophagia is a project of MethXCamp drummer Antonis (who always played with me in Dzhumagaliev, which is probably my favourite out of all the bands I’ve played in). Pyo is straight up no-nonsense goregrind, and I can’t ever get enough of that stomp and those vocals. Tolerance’s recording here is from the project’s earlier days, and has a much heavier reliance on the drum machine (think 110% constant flurry of programmed blasts), but its still great. I dubbed a whole bunch of these splits for Pyophagia back when they were released, but I can’t ever remember listening to it, which is odd. Anyways, finally got around to it!

Chihuahua – Violent Architecture (2021)
avant-garde noise & power electronics rock

Chihuahua – Violent Architecture (2021)

Chiwawawawa are from Manchester and play an interesting blend of noisy rock and a slightly more melodic vein of indie music. Without wanting to be derivative or to put these guys in a box, Violent Architecture has an awful lot of Black Midi vibes, and the final track has parts that sound as if they are lifted directly out of Swans’ “Bring The Sun”, but this is so blatant it simply must be some sort of tribute. All in all, this is a great record, but even for all the hay-wire craziness, its not very original.

Godflesh – New Flesh In Dub (2021)
electronic metal

Godflesh – New Flesh In Dub (2021)

Ah yes, more horrible electronics from Godflesh. Just what the doctor ordered, and a welcome distraction from awaiting a new studio album. Pretty sure I’ve heard a bunch of these tracks before on the Japanese versions of “New Flesh” albums, but this release alone is consistent and filled with all sorts of nasty vibes. If JK Flesh doesn’t bring the crushing metal with GC Green, you can of course rely on him to bring the crushing electronic stuff instead. The cover sleeve is a bit naff, but this collection does not fuck about.

Metallica – …And Justice For All (1988)
thrash metal

Metallica – …And Justice For All (1988)

inb4 dat bass tho. It was a wild choice mixing this thing the way they did, but for better or worse Metallica achieve one of the most immediately recognisable production sounds in the history of metal music. The story goes they were raging from the death of Cliff, and with newbie Jason Newsted, they shat out this super dark, heavy, angry and bleak album. Saint Anger around my neck, right? This was the first Metallica album I ever heard so I have a soft spot for it. It’s definitely the heaviest album they ever did, and has some of the greatest songs of their career. “One” anyone? Fucking “Blackened”? “To Live Is To Die”? “Dyer’s Eve”? I could go on.

Anal Cunt / Flächenbrand (sp) – Split 7″ (2001)
grindcore punk & hardcore

Anal Cunt / Flächenbrand – Split 7″ (2001)

Some hateful shit right here, y’all. Flächenbrand are, and are nothing more than, a consequence of me collecting (trying at least) all the Anal Cunt stuff on vinyl. They are not very good. Which is an odd thing to say, when they are infinitely more musical than their split mates Anal Cunt. I have a soft spot for these twats, purely because of how sick their stuff sounds. Seth’s vocals are mental and Josh’s riffs are dirgy messes. RIP to the both of you, ya sketchy fucks.

Saywhy? / D.H.I.B.A.C. – Split 7″ (2007)
grindcore

Saywhy? / D.H.I.B.A.C. – Split 7″ (2007)

D.H.I.B.A.C. are the powerviolence tinged grinders I remember from their split with CxMxP. There’s more great stuff here from them. I first heard of Saywhy when they were announced for the first Blastonbury festival in Newcastle in what, 2007? I never ended up going, and I’ve sat on this 7″ for about 10 years so it was finally good to hear them! Haha! Good shit all round.

Pulp – Different Class (1995)
pop rock

Pulp – Different Class (1995)

Different Class is fucking great but I’m not sure if it has aged well. Jarvis Cocker’s sexually charged mumbles and whispers give him the air of some creepy-ass sex offender, especially when a few of these numbers have a sting in the tail (tale? Haha). He will get your Mrs. coked up, fuck her without johnny on, and then bail. But, he’ll write a song about it, so that makes it OK, apparently? Like I said, hasn’t aged well, despite this being a very well crafted record.

Fear Factory – Concrete (2002)
death metal

Fear Factory – Concrete (2002)

Before Fear Factory decided to rip off Godflesh for a living, they instead ripped off Napalm Death for a living. I mayyyy just a tad be acting a little dramatic for effect but seriously, this band owes a large part of their career to Justin Broadrick. Concrete is Fear Factory’s unreleased original debut, which was shitcanned in lieu of Soul Of A New Machine. Concrete finally saw the light of day in the early 2000s. Its pretty cool, to be fair. It’s odd to hear Fear Factory blastbeat through some grinding one-minuters.

Tunkio – World Of Maniacs (2020)
grindcore

Tunkio – World Of Maniacs (2020)

In the past I’ve never really seen the point in one-sided records, often finding them to be a waste of vinyl with all that blank space on side B. However, there is something endearing about Bringer Of Gore’s Meltaaargh!!! series (or is it a sub-label?), which is designed to give underground gore and grind bands a shot at being on wax that they may not have had just yet in their career. It basically puts the big tape demo onto the vinyl format, which is great to see a revival of in these modern times. Anyhow, I’ve grown to develop quite an appetite for Tunkio stuff before buying this record, and can confirm its more of the same punk-tinged, ping-ting snare gorey grindcore. Truly, it is an excellent recipe. As a side note, I absolutely love some of the lyrics, which are super wholesome rather than grim and disgusting, as you would usually expect from this kind of thing.

Iron Maiden – Powerslave (1984)
metal

Iron Maiden – Powerslave (1984)

My favourite Iron Maiden album thus far (as I have definitely not heard them all! – not even close!). There’s just something about Powerslave which is just a bit more epic and grandiose than other Maiden records; everything from the art to the song writing, I don’t know what it is, but it all seems stepped up just one more notch! I could listen to the rhythm section of this band forever.

Dead Infection – World Full Of Remains (1991)
death metal grindcore

Dead Infection – World Full Of Remains (1991)

World Full Of Remains is Dead Infection’s debut album (demo?). I was after this for years but the tape is really hard to find, so I ended up with a LP repress that I bought in OEF 2013. The LP format makes the art a thousand times sicker, but it does nothing to alleviate the horrendous whoosing / phasing sound that exists across the recording. Not sure if this is a tape dubbing issue, or a problem with the original recording, but it seems to be present on pretty much every version of this that I can find. Honestly, it kinda ruins the listening experience and has me reaching for Start Human Slaughter instead.

Theatre Of Ice – A Cool Dark Place To Die (1985)
avant-garde electronic rock

Theatre Of Ice – A Cool Dark Place To Die (1985)

We played this on a night shift last year, after reading online about how its one of the evilist things ever recorded, or some such overblown statement. A Cool Dark Place To Die is, frankly, comical in its concept and delivery. Coming across like a mix of shit dungeon synth and even shitter “death-rock” like Christian Death and the like, Theatre Of Ice ham it up in every way possible, and then obscure everything with a really bad recording. Its an age old trick from black metal’s book; it doesn’t work for most of those bands, and it certainly doesn’t work here. There is some merit in the genuinely bizarre approach this project has, and I respect anybody who decides to put something together like this. However, the finished product is awful.

Defod – Cerrig Hynafol (2021)
black metal

Defod – Cerrig Hynafol (2021)

More Welsh black metal that I only heard because of FHED, but this time it’s not shit and is actually out on the FHED label itself. Defod’s strength is in its mesmerising riffs, which are cold, eery and hypnotic, and thankfully don’t sound like they were recorded inside a cupboard on a Nokia 3310 (I’m looking at you, Revenant Marquis). This album / mini album / EP was put out on cassette, which gives it a warm, lovely sound, and really rounds out these chilled compositions (chilled as in frostbitten, not as in yoga and weed).

Gar Hoover – Sketches Vol. 1 (2019)
electronic

Gar Hoover – Sketches Vol. 1 (2019)

Gar Hoover is a musician from the Detroit area who seems to specialise in fannying about with PO-33s, in amongst, I’m sure, other devices too. However, he has released two albums of tunes comprised entirely of creations from the pocket-sized PO-33. There’s a ton of vibes and grooves here, but the quality is consistent and the craftsmanship is second to none. My tape label Two Man Tape Co is doing a limited run of Vol. 1 on cassette, so check that out if you like the sound of this! (Dec 2021 edit: these are now sold out! Tidy!)

Redlight District Part II: The Red Edition – Stirner / Kaelteeinbruch – Split CDr (2012)
noise & power electronics

Redlight District Part II: The Red Edition – Stirner / Kaelteeinbruch – Split CDr (2012)

I reviewed parts 1 and 4 of this series back what must be, shit, 8 years ago now, and I figured I had lost parts 2 and 3 to time, but I recently managed to unearth them from a long-forgotten drawer somewhere. The crap you accumulate around you, eh? There’s far too many entries in this series to mention, but at least I can round off the ones that I physically own. Stirner is pretty straight forward as far as noise goes, at least on the track submitted here. It’s quite the brain massage though, so they get bonus points for the harsh noise meditation stupor they manage to invoke in me. As I was listening, I drove past a restaurant on the way to work that had apparently been ram-raided, and I took a moment to soak in the scene along with this noise and reflect on the carnage and the absurdity of life. Kaelteeinbruch’s offering however is naught but pure irritation, with flaccid distortion passages married with pointless pornography samples, all of which goes absolutely nowhere.

Akercocke – Choronzon (2003)
black metal death metal

Akercocke – Choronzon (2003)

Choronzon was the album that got me into Akercocke, and was a fairly random buy off the strength of the “Leviathan” single (which had about half of the actual song cut out of it!). The single edit did not prepare me for the intense, hyper-speed death metal that was on show. In fact, I don’t think anything could have prepared me. If you take a step back, what an attack on the senses this is! Deep and fathomless vocals, clanking bass, lightening speed riffs and the drumming…Jesus H Christ! Wrap all that death metal goodness in a Satanic package that seemed genuinely authentic rather than shlocky and baiting, and sprinkle in some experimental elements like unsettling ambient / instrumental tracks, unusual dissonant guitar chords, synthesizers, traditional and ethnic instruments… the searing Satanic evil of Akercocke’s work never sounded more convincing than it did on Choronzon (although Goat Of Mendes is a close second). Choronzon was also a huge step up in production quality from the previous records, which have their own grimy, disgusting charm. But thats another story that I’ve already written about, many years ago!

Merciless Precision / Nido De Vespe – Split 7″ (2013)
grindcore punk & hardcore

Merciless Precision / Nido De Vespe – Split 7″ (2013)

I thought I had lost this to time, but no, it is now found! Nide De Vespe are super punk/hardcore influenced, at least that is how it comes across the sound, which is bouncy and sprightly, rather than the more metallic end of grindcore. There is a lot of energy here, and the sound is fantastic. Honestly, I really miss Merciless Precision, who are no longer with us. Many fantastic projects spawned from their demise (most of which centered around frontman Harry and his insatiable appetite for forming bands), but these guys were the staple of opening for grind/extreme shows in the Bristol area and I always looked forward to the carnage. This little side of a 7″ is a great example of the chaos they ended up playing when they had moved away from the more death-rooted stuff. Carnage!

Pain Penitentiary – Organ Pit (2007)
death metal

Pain Penitentiary – Organ Pit (2007)

I’ve had this CDr knocking about for, I’d say, 14 years or so. I used to be in heavy contact with Rob from Malignant Germ Infestation back in the MySpace days, and this must have come from him some shape or form. I shared the stage with these guys (Pain Penitentiary) and also MGI (in a solo incarnation) whilst touring with the Judas Cradle back in… I wanna say, 2016. Anyways, looking back aside, nothing prepared me for how awesome this thing would be. I have been sitting on a diamond (oo-er) this whole time, and I didn’t even fucking know it. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but Organ Pit is a well produced, chunky slab of British death metal. This is as good a debut that I’ve heard from any band in any era. Truly, it has been my loss for over-looking this thing for so long. Excuse the crappy cover photo on this one. I’m too lazy to dig out a photo of the CD and this is the only tidy one I can find online.

Resinate – Brown Paper Bag (1996)
rock

Resinate – Brown Paper Bag (1996)

I picked up this 7″ for pennies during a Earache Records websale. This is a strange one. It seems to have been another victim of the label’s “fling shit at the wall and see what sticks” phase during the 90s, where they took all their money made from breaking death metal and grindcore, and tried to invest in many new music movements of the time. None of these really were a success, even when the label jumped on the rave bandwagon. Resinate, the band, are unfortunately very forgettable. Side A isn’t too bad, with a lovely beat to it, but I’ve already forgotten what this sounds like. Says it all, really.

Madball – Set It Off (1994)
punk & hardcore

Madball – Set It Off (1994)

Hardcore is not my strong point (actually, doesn’t Strong Point sound like a cult 90s hardcore band from New Jersey?), but I do like to wander in every now and then to check on what I’m missing. Today’s selection was one of the first records by the now-legendary Madball. Set It Off is a doozy, and ticks all the right boxes, especially with its organic production. Get angry! Get shouty!

Napalm Death – Bootlegged In Japan (1998)
death metal

Napalm Death – Bootlegged In Japan (1998)

Napalm Death have a fair amount of live releases. Bootlegged In Japan, either is legendary, or is just hawked to death by Earache, because its been one that consistently pops up. However, its a bit of a plod through mid-career stuff, which isn’t super exciting to me in its studio form either, so this is a completionist listen and nothing more, for me at least.

Lucid – 3 Sex Gods In A Row (2020)
electronic

Lucid – 3 Sex Gods In A Row (2020)

Thumpin’ underground techno to get you out of the clubs in the toon and into some rusty, damp shithole of a warehouse on a shady industrial estate 5 miles away, where many sweaty, half naked bodies writhe away in some sort of unison; each like a head of the hydra, unique but connected by one source and one purpose. The center of this hive mind is of course, body-movement commanding electronic barrages by the likes of Lucid XXX. This is a project by one-time Genetic Noose noisemaker Tom Jenkins, and its super nice to see that, whilst the “scene” or dare I say “genre” may have changed, his output remains as intense and as challenging as ever. Banging.

Meatal Ulcer – Intermittent Claudication (2012/2020)
grindcore

Meatal Ulcer – Intermittent Claudication (2012/2020)

Ooh, she’s a noisy one! The intense levels of distortion and gut-rattling bass initially give me the impression of some mad grindcore version of Mortician, which is a great first impression, to be fair. 4 intense tracks follow in quick succession. A perfect taster EP for Meatal Ulcer sound. Original released I think as a first cassette demo / EP, this was then picked up for Bringer Of Gore’s Meltaaargh!!! 7″ series, which is what I have. It fuckin’ rules.

Viper – You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack (2008)
hip hop

Viper – You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack (2008)

YOOOOOOOO!!!!! This shit right here be the 2000th Lines In Wax post. I don’t really know what to say other than “thank you” to anyone who is still reading this shit for some reason. Cheers! Here’s a lil something for you bustas. We were recently talking to Viper about doing a UK/EU release of this thing and talks are ongoing, but yeah – anyways, it reminded me I hadn’t done an entry for it here on LIW. But… what can I say? The Soundcloud / mumble rap world is one thing, You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack is another. Is Viper fucking with us? I still don’t know. And its great. Vocally, this shit is a travesty. Of course, this is what makes it so much fun. However, the beats on this thing are unironically amazing, especially in the first half. The bass on the title track is heavily reminiscent to me of Masato Nakamura’s soundtrack for “Winged Fortress Zone” on the Sonic 2 game, if I could be so bold to make such a comparison. Yeeeeeeeeaaaahhhh. Uh huuuh.

Head Noise – Consequential Quasars (2021)
electronic punk & hardcore

Head Noise – Consequential Quasars (2021)

A twisted, zany approach to electronic / synthpop! And the best part, is that these guys are just from down’t road, as it were. On the Two Man Tape Co. label we’ve recently done a compilation of these guys’ best material (as picked by them!), which sold incredibly well. Consequential Quasars was the album I listened to when scouting out bands to approach with the label, and it was the record that sold me on their unique sound. At the time of writing, I’m a week away from actually witnessing these guys play live (imagine that, in a COVID-19 world, eh?), so its exciting times all round. (edit: this was in August 2021, so shows you how long it takes for me to process all these posts and make them live!)

Swans – Real Love (1986)
noise & power electronics punk & hardcore

Swans – Real Love (1986)

A seldom listened early Swans effort for me, which is a shame because there are some cracking renditions here. Granted, Real Love will almost always be overshadowed by Public Castration, but Real Love has, dare I say, slightly more audible and “less punishing” versions of a few of the same songs. Of course, this is 80s Swans we are talking about, and the music is inherently uncomfortable, but these are less tortured than Public Castration. Not to mention, the production / capture is much clearer too.

Miles Davis – Round About Midnight (1957)
jazz

Miles Davis – Round About Midnight (1957)

Gorgeous sounding, dense hard bop jazz with ants-in-your-pants constant-shuffling percussion meeting ear-piercing solo sax leads. I feel like I’m sitting in a Michelin Star restaurant enjoying a starter of gravadlax with pickled cabbage and dill. I’m about to try and stab a stray caper with a very expensive fork when actually, it turns out I’m on mushrooms and a waiter has appeared to my side and is blasting Ornette Coleman out of a portable Bush record player at full volume. If that doesn’t give you a vivid picture of how this record sounds, then I should probably just give up writing now this very second.

Unholy Grave – Grind Anarchy (2013)
grindcore

Unholy Grave – Grind Anarchy (2013)

If you absolutely LOVE Unholy Grave then life must be an absolute cake walk for you, musically. These guys pump out records like its nobody’s business, and for the most part, they are all of the same consistent quality. The Grind Anarchy 7″ is no different, giving you another ten minutes or so injection of DIY grindcore goodness. This one comes in a gatefold with all the lyrics written, out as standard these days for these consistent grinders. (2021 edit: RIP bassist Yasu, who is sadly the second UG member to die from cancer, after drummer Hee-Chung in 2015. Both of these guys play on this EP, so please take a moment for their memory.)

Tolerance – Human Bondage (2017)
grindcore

Tolerance – Human Bondage (2017)

I have come across Tolerance before, when I dubbed a few of Pyophagia’s copies of the Pyo / Tolerance split for them. I know they have a few splits and stuff out now, so glad to finally come full circle and hear these guys on wax. Frenetic, chaotic, murky sound is the order of business, with pitch-shifted sickness for vocals. The riffs are super tight even though things get mushy now and then. Great goregrind band.

Mortician – Final Bloodbath Sessions (2002)
death metal

Mortician – Final Bloodbath Sessions (2002)

Ever wondered what Mortician would sound like with a real drummer? Like pure shit, it seems! LOL – I’m joking. It’s just you get so used to the duo’s enormous and all-encompassing studio sound, that for me, the initial rough rehearsal room feel of this recording threw me for a loop. Once you’ve adjusted, it’s an absolute treat and the guys really pan out the 44 minutes with a veritable bevy of Mortician classics. Mad props to Roger Beaujard for bringing the real drums and relentless blasts to life finally. This record the closest us UK folk are likely to ever come to seeing Mortician live any time soon, so its enjoyable for that reason too.

Cadaver Symposium – 1995 Demo (1995)
death metal

Cadaver Symposium – 1995 Demo (1995)

Before pressing play I am already intrigued by that artwork. How spooky is that shit? It isn’t a million miles away from what Uberkvlt (Justin Bartlett) does with his stuff, although I suspect that this may be before his time, as it were. Cadaver Symposium’s demo is a dry affair of grinding guitars (think early Carcass), heaving drums and a set of perplexing vocal performances, from your usual death growls through to your more unusual shouts that can only be described as a mix between something you’d hear on a gothic doom metal record or even some really weird power metal. As I said, the production is very dry, to the point where the drums sound almost as if they have been programmed, which doesn’t do the record any harm, don’t get me wrong. It’s just something to note. (Excuse the shitty art on this one – I don’t own a copy and there doesn’t appear to be any decent scans. This screenshot was taken from Ken’s Death Metal Crypt.)

Depravity – Remasquerade (1992)
death metal

Depravity – Remasquerade (1992)

Dirging death metal is the order of the day, with that “evil” vibe that you get with a lot of 90s stuff. Its not as slow and sludgy as say, Autopsy, nor is it as gothic as say, Gorment or even Altars… era Morbid Angel, but it travels a way down both of these kinds of paths nonetheless. The cover art is pretty cool too, but as a whole, I’m not that big of a fan of this demo, all in all.

Sir Lord Baltimore – The Complete Recordings (2020)
rock

Sir Lord Baltimore – The Complete Recordings (2020)

I had a recent dabble into what could be called proto-metal (basically anything that pre-dated Black Sabbath’s self titled record yet was also very heavy). Sir Lord Baltimore are often a name thrown about for contenders who pipped Sabbath to the post for starting the heavy metal genre. The only thing available on Spotify is the complete works so I figured I’d give the whole thing a bash. Honestly, Kingdom Come (1970) is great but but otherwise the tracks here are pretty terrible. OK, the 1971 self titled is half decent, but the comeback record of 2006 is pretty damn poor. I wouldn’t be returning, I’ll put it that way.

Twiztid – Mostasteless (1998)
hip hop

Twiztid – Mostasteless (1998)

Boom! This is sicker than I remember! Hell of a production, such incredible beats and sick sounds, and of course, those amazing bars that introduced Twiztid to the world (House Of Krazees, who tf are they?). Mostasteless is the start of a long career for this duo but its arguably one of the best records they have done.

w i n t e r q u i l t 愛が止ま – O’Discordia (2021)
avant-garde black metal

w i n t e r q u i l t 愛が止ま – O’Discordia (2021)

I was recommended this by @cassette_goblin and I can’t for the life of me put my finger on what the actual fuck is going on here. Is it black metal? Is it jazz? Shit, RYM has it listed as vaporwave, which is in an interesting intepretation. Honestly, do I like this?… Not really, no. But fuck if I’ve ever heard anything like this in my entire life, and for that, Winterquilt has my undying attention and respect. If you’re one of those people that is always looking for stuff that pushes the envelope, you need to get in on this.

Kuvotus / Tunkio – Split Tape (2021)
grindcore

Kuvotus / Tunkio – Split Tape (2021)

Tunkio are one of my favourite goregrind discoveries of the last few months. You can thank Chopping Headz Zine for that, even though the band have been around for a few years now. Blasting mental shit. Kuvotus are, without sounding too samey, cut from the same cloth of ping-tastic, hyper-blasting gore mania. Honestly, I’m in so deep at this point that this shit almost sounds relaxing. Fabulous. 2023 edit: Apparently I like this so much that I reviewed it twice: Both Tunkio and Kuvotus sound enormous. Tunkio are currently one of my favourite gargling, blasting gore outfits from modern times. Everything of theirs that I’ve heard thus far is just absolutely killer and this split is no exception. Expect fuzzy, gurgling goregrind with blasting drums with conscious / left-wing themes, which is just lovely. Kuvotus are new to me. They aren’t a bazillion miles away from Tunkio but with – dare I say – more of an old school death metal groove going on. Vocally, things are more in the death metal growl vein, rather than the watery toilet goo employed by Tunkio. I’m pleased to report however, that the snare drum sounds like total shit, so they fit right in here LOL Honestly, both bands are fantastic and the material here from both of them is very, very good.

Negative Approach – Total Recall (1992)
punk & hardcore

Negative Approach – Total Recall (1992)

Man I fucking love Negative Approach. Like, hardcore punk really isn’t my strong point, even after all these years, but Jesus fucking Christ, Negative Approach go hard. (As a side note, the fact that Negative Approach was Seth Putnam’s favourite band (who played at his wedding) almost makes me believe he wasn’t a hateful piece of shit and just 110% committed to being a massive fucking cunt of a troll) Total Recall is a short, sharp, all-in-one collection (if you ignore the shite live recordings at the end), and it is the perfect release to get your jowls around if you want a fix of some of the greatest hardcore punk in the entire world. I’ve seen these guys on a big open air stage (OEF 2013) and then in a small venue (Bristol’s Fleece) and both times they have fucking blown it out of the water. Legendary. As is this compilation record.

Cirith Ungol – King Of The Dead (1984)
metal

Cirith Ungol – King Of The Dead (1984)

This is one of those records that I have been meaning to check out for years, mainly due to the cool artwork and the age of it. How can something so old be so important to doom metal? Well then, because this shit slaps, is why! For myself, it comes on a bit more trad than doom, but you know… this is the era of trad. Anyways, fuck all this BS genre talk, this is a solid record. That’s all that matters.

Possessed – 1991 Demo (1991)
death metal

Possessed – 1991 Demo (1991)

Everyone knows Seven Churches, right? (Well, every death metal head, at least). But, Possessed’s continued output seems to fall off into obscurity, for the most part. I know they have had success with more recent albums, but big up to Ken’s Death Metal Crypt for sharing this 1991 demo, of which I knew absolutely nothing about. It’s only 7 minutes long and 2 tracks in length, and whilst its not oceans apart from the Seven Churches stuff, it does sound like a different band entirely, which is weird. I don’t mean to be mean, but its easy to see why Possessed fell off and went down the shitter yet bands like Death hit heights of relative superstardom. This demo isn’t bad by any stretch, I just can’t imagine myself hunting for a rare copy of it any time soon.

Turisas – The Varangian Way (2007)
metal

Turisas – The Varangian Way (2007)

Viking metal has to be the most boring and uninspiring form of metal for me, even with the seemingly endless array of traditional instruments you could employ to spice up the sound. I’m not even sure if Turisas are a thing, but they were everywhere at one point, and I caught them at two festivals in one year so got a hold of this record. I mean, it’s epic, but that’s about it. There’s a hollowness to proceedings, I just don’t believe in what I’m hearing. Or something. IDK. This is just gonna descend into me trashing this record so I’ll just stop here.