Lines In Wax

TWELVE YEARS OF UNWANTED OPINION

Day: March 18, 2022

Burial – Untrue (2007)
electronic

Burial – Untrue (2007)

I’m not the biggest club guy, Londoner or even electronic music enthusiast (although that does grow over time, judging by the burgeoning ‘electronic’ tag here on this site), but Untrue has to be one of the greatest albums ever made, all the same. I’ve read many stories about its inception, but the general one I like the most is that Burial is trying to pay tribute to the sounds and atmospheres he grew up in. That makes a lot of sense when you realise a lot of this album sounds like you are standing outside a nightclub in the rain, waiting for the night bus or stumbling hazily to a Maccy’s, or flashing back to various fragments of the night’s debauchery. However, this is one problem with this analysis, as fitting as it is for Burial’s fragmented and echoic compositions. It simply does not do Untrue justice. Untrue is so much more. It was Burial’s EP Truant / Rough Sleeper that really got under my skin, but Untrue is much the same in that it is a personal experience for everyone who listens to it. So much emotion, weight and feeling is conjured in this set of tracks that its not even funny. Anyone, musician or listener, from any genre, should give Burial a shot at least once. What we have here in this artist is pure, unfiltered magic. Untrue is a fantastic document of that, and it should be cherished forever.

7 Minutes Of Nausea – Disobediant Loser (1992)
grindcore

7 Minutes Of Nausea – Disobediant Loser (1992)

You gotta love 7MON. In fact, one time, their addition to the OEF 2015 line up swayed me to buy a ticket and make a solo trip from the UK to the Czech Republic. Whilst I was watching this band play their ridiculous noisecore on stage, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d travelled 100s of miles to watch a band dick about for an hour haha Noisecore, I know, isn’t everyone’s bag. Personally, I love it, it takes me back to why I fell in love with all things grind, but I don’t listen to it all that much. Unearthing this EP, with its 87,000 tracks (a bit of an overestimate perhaps) (ed: it’s 452 songs) was really a shot in the arm for my love of this stuff (on the same day as my COVID booster no less). Its only 11 minutes long, but 7MON can make that feel like a lifetime.

Killing Joke – Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions (1990)
metal punk & hardcore

Killing Joke – Extremities, Dirt And Various Repressed Emotions (1990)

Across the decade of the 80s, a period of the latter years saw a thawing of the Killing Joke tribal post punk sound into a more accessible, new romantic or synth pop direction. The pinnacle of this was Outside The Gate, which seemed to alienate a lot of fans. The icing on that cake was the spoken word album that followed it, and Killing Joke almost seemed like a band that no longer knew its own identity. Thankfully then, the following year, all of the above just seemed to be dropped, with the band U-turning back to their roots, but with a heavier undercurrent carrying them along. Of course, listening in 2021, you can see how this record informed the direction the band would take from here, but at the time, this must have been a startling change of pace for a band that had been mellowing out for years. “Money Is Not Our God” is super angry, and sets the pace for the album to come. This record is a must-listen from the Killing Joke catalog, in my eyes.

Këkht Aräkh – Pale Swordsman (2021)
black metal

Këkht Aräkh – Pale Swordsman (2021)

Wow, I can immediately see what the hype is for this record. It topped a lot of lists last year, and the artwork is quite striking. Aurally, Pale Swordsman is an exercise is raw black metal, but mixing elements of DSBM (I’m in particular drawn to the slow piano overlays that remind me of Lifelover) with more traditional, unholy trinity era Darkthrone (in regards to both the riffs and the production). It also manages to sound like a dusty 90s tape recording, but without sounding like a pile of garbled shit. There are gentler moments too, even though the harsh parts almost always have their own undercurrent of melody. A haunting, striking piece and I look forward to seeing what else this project has to offer, past and present.

Defod – The Lengthening Shadow (2021)
black metal

Defod – The Lengthening Shadow (2021)

The Lengthening Shadow is the debut full length record from North Wales black metal project Defod, which follows the EP/demo cassette the project released through the FHED record label. What was good then has now been honed to become great; it is here where the shadow does indeed lengthen – the title is very apt! The songs are lengthy, intricately woven and very well produced (especially for black metal!). I’m reminded of certain aspects of earlier Cradle Of Filth sounds, as well as the more refined Gorgoroth output (think G-man on vocals), but Defod stands alone without mimicking either of those two bands. I am using them here for descriptive reasons, of course. This is well worth a listen, and a welcome addition to the growing UK black metal scene.

Sigh – Scorn Defeat (1993)
avant-garde black metal

Sigh – Scorn Defeat (1993)

I am very much late to the party here. I saw Sigh in I think 2010 at a French music festival. Before that, my only real experience with the group was seeing their albums advertised inside my copy of Principle Of Evil Made Flesh (I think they may have been on the same label as Cradle Of Filth at one point). Anyways, I wasn’t blown away by the live show (particularly how they piped a whole orchestra’s worth of instruments through the PA), so I never really got around to listening to Sigh properly, despite my friend (and once LIW contributor) Gumpy insisting otherwise. Scorn Defeat is intense. There is a lot to unpack here, thankfully however this is a task that is almost fun thanks to the old school yet clear production; yes, headphones on, eyes closed, trying to make sense of everything that is being presented to me aurally. Truly, this is blackened thrash at its core, dare I use the term. I’m talking a backbone of Venom and Bathory and even a little bit of Possessed, but then comes the weird and kooky twists, and not to mention, the stunning, catch-you-off-guard keyboard parts and bizarre vocals.

Municipal Waste – Slime And Punishment (2017)
thrash metal

Municipal Waste – Slime And Punishment (2017)

Wow, I slept on this fucker. I thought this was a new record! D’oh! Opening track “Breath Grease” is one of my favourite MW thrashers – it bolts straight out the gate and lets you know what you are in for. If you’ve heard these guys before then you surely know whats coming here. That’s not to say this is rehashed or boring, I’m just prepping you in regards to: expect some of the best party-tinged thrash metal you can ever hope to hear. Seriously, this band are so fucking good and I need to get into their back catalog. I love this and I loved The Art Of Partying (and the one that came after, that was a little more serious in vibe if I recall). If you’re still hankering for a Pepsi after all these years, then this could be the band for you.

The Blood Divine – Awaken (1996)
doom metal

The Blood Divine – Awaken (1996)

These guys are like the Audioslave of the mid 90s doom scene. When the Principle Of Evil Made Flesh lineup of Cradle Of Filth left en-mass, they teamed up with the ex-Anathema vocalist Darren White to produce what (I thought) was initially a very similar, sombre doom metal outfit. Joined by a new bass and drum section, the six piece wasted no time in dropping two albums a year apart. The first, Awaken, is an extremely well crafted piece of metallic work, although I must say it sounds a bit dated now, if only in the production style. Not to shit on anyone else who performed on this record, but my favourite parts are the keyboard lines by Ben Ryan, whose work in proto and early Cradle I always heavily appreciated, and despite enjoying the direction Anathema took without him, I feel that the band lost a tour-de-force in Darren White. The man is an incredibly strong frontman, with a distinct and powerful voice which lends itself enormously to this mournful compositions.

Kollaps – Sibling Lovers (2017)
noise & power electronics

Kollaps – Sibling Lovers (2017)

Strong, dense industrial combining the more harrowing elements of the genre with something altogether more classic (that being the pummelling heave-ho motion and delivery of early Swans). It uses such as a backbone to create seemingly lawless noise, which is often allowed to run rampant and unstructured with abandon, but here it is pinned down like a worm on a dissection plate and we are able to peer into it. You’ll surely remember what Nietzsche said about the abyss…

Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding (1994)
death metal

Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding (1994)

The Bleeding is the final Cannibal Corpse record with the uhh… legendary (I guess that word is still applicable despite everything lol) Chris Barnes. When I was a young’un, making my way through the brutal mires of Cannibal’s discography, I would often give up around The Bleeding, never making into the Corpsegrinder territory. I don’t really know why this was the case, because The Bleeding is just as good, if not better, than the albums that come before it. Sure, Tomb Of The Mutilated gives this a good run for its money, but otherwise, this is peak Cannibal Corpse, and therefore, peak death metal. The production, which sounds to me like an analogue affair (I could be wrong), is absolutely perfect for this kind of brutal sound. The drumming, the riffs, the intense popping bass, which clanks and shreds away, bubbling beneath the surface. Barnes’ inhuman lows are the icing on a rather brutal and disgusting cake. Truly, this up there with some of the greatest extreme metal records ever made.

Uiutna / Druss – Split Tape (2013)
electronic

Uiutna / Druss – Split Tape (2013)

I saw Uiutna supporting Jarboe on one of her solo tours, I think back in 2013. I picked up this cassette because the dude’s set was really cool. Splitting here with Druss, both artists present something in the form of long-winding, experimental electronic fuckery. Not quite as out-there as say, Tangerine Dream, but allowing the same sort of droning electronica to morph and shape in its own unique, dark way. I think the Druss side is a live recording. I think these cassettes are pretty limited, so it’s cool that I’ve held onto this after all these years.

Gut / Gore Beyond Necropsy – Split 7″ (1994)
grindcore

Gut / Gore Beyond Necropsy – Split 7″ (1994)

Gore Beyond Necropsy have this wacky edge to their tunes. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it doesn’t make it silly like, idk Sloth and stuff like that. If anything it just adds to the angular weirdness that is GBN’s early grind output. On the other side, “legendary” pornogrind outfit Gut pummel us with some dirging filth. I have a soft spot for Gut even though pornogrind is somewhat ridiculous. The sleaziness adds to proceedings here, rather than detracting from it, or being the main focus, as it is in tons of the derivative shite we get spewing from these genres in modern day.

Voïvod – The Wake (2018)
thrash metal

Voïvod – The Wake (2018)

Voïvod have a special place in my heart. They’ve slowly grown from the Lost In Space of thrash to idk, the 2001: A Space Odyssey of thrash. Ha! Is it derivative at this point to pull together a bunch of purposefully dissonant riffs and awkward tempo changes and call it sci-fi thrash? The answer is, of course, fuck no. Especially if you’re Voïvod. For me, I feel the band have been on something of a second wind since Target Earth dropped in the early 2010s and The Wake is proof of this continuing perfection of the space-thrash sound. Sure, there may now be faster or more technical bands playing in this style, but nobody does it quite like Voivod, and their awkward, nerdy metal a la The Wake will always be special to me.

Agathocles / Department Of Correction – Split 12″ (2014)
doom metal grindcore

Agathocles / Department Of Correction – Split 12″ (2014)

D.O.C. can fuckin blast! Production is thick and chunky and the drums are probably triggered (legit kudos if they aren’t because they sound clear as day). Aural carnage is of course the order of the day, with several tracks of frenetic, chaotic grindcore to liven up your day. On the contrary, Agathocles offer something slow and disgusting, which is an interesting angle for these kings of mincecore. Despite the drop in production quality compared to D.O.C., I’m down with this bizarre brand of Agathosludge and would love to hear more from the guys in this vein. Tidy split!

Death Grips – The Money Store (2012)
electronic hip hop

Death Grips – The Money Store (2012)

Okay, so – before I begin, how tf is this 10 years old? Damn! The time, she flies! The Money Store is the record that brought Death Grips into the mainstream, introducing the band to a new generation of music rabid fans, who no doubt lapped up the aural carnage and abrasive experimental hip hop like rabid dogs. I find a lot of the later Death Grips records get a little too obtuse, but here the mix between bizarre, intense electronics and beats and legit catchiness is perfect. The number of bangers on here is a testament to that fact. Look no further than “The Fever (Aye Aye)”, “Lost Boys”, “Hustle Bones”, “I’ve Seen Footage” or “Hacker” to see my point. Truly, I could most likely present to you the entire tracklist as evidence as why this album is so good, but The Money Store presented such a fresh sound back in 2012 and continues to be an album that stands up even ten years later. Many of the tracks I mentioned above are still a part of the band’s live set and that speaks volumes. If you’ve never heard Death Grips then this is probably the best place to start.

Drugs Of Faith – Drugs Of Faith (2006)
grindcore

Drugs Of Faith – Drugs Of Faith (2006)

One of my favourite elements of Agoraphobic Nosebleed is Richard Johnson’s vocal contributions. Why then, has it taken me so long to check out Drugs Of Faith? The only answer – and this is a recurring solution – is that I am an idiot. Anyways, I picked up the 12″ of the band’s debut and off we go, spinning that grind on the platter! It’s grindcore alright (would you expect anything else?) but there is plenty of breathing room for riffs and interesting instrumentation passages. Discogs has this down as “grind n roll” but a.) I fucking hate that stupid idea and b.) this sounds absolutely nothing like, idk, Blood Duster. This is more in the line of something altogether more hardcore punk, with interesting artistic flair to the riffs, like Cloud Rat or Full Of Hell. There’s a dissonance, but also an analogue warmth (unsure whether it has analogue production though), and it sounds like I’m listening to an old powerviolence record more than it does anything else. Which of course, is something I can definitely get behind.

θoʊθ – Ruins of Gubla (2021)
death metal doom metal

θoʊθ – Ruins of Gubla (2021)

You’d think the market was already saturated when it comes to ancient Egyptian themed death metal? However this interestingly named project show us that there is room for more than one leviathan obsessed with said subject matter. Ruins Of Gubla is a dusty, down-tuned tape demo style approach to gloriously muddy death doom. The riffs are absolutely huge and are of course the centrepiece of this 4 track work. Imagine if Disembowelment and Nile had a baby. Oh, and the name translate to Thoth. Tidy.

Offermose – Stilhedens Tårn (2020)
dungeon synth electronic

Offermose – Stilhedens Tårn (2020)

Another excellent band/project I have had the pleasure of recently unearthing, Offermose offer the most (lol) stunning mixture of Tangerine Dream style Berlin School synth meandering, punctuated with vibes and call backs to the dungeon synth movement of the 90s, with shimmering, moving passages and spooky, almost black metal style vocals. Stilhedens Tårn presents a cold and morose atmosphere, but one that is peaceful and beautiful in its own way. One in which you can get lost and reflect, rather than one which fills you with sadness and despair. A brilliant record and I will endeavour to listen to more from this artist if the opportunity presents itself.