Mordy's Metal Listening Club - New Albums Every Monday

I was gonna do Llenandose de Gusanos but I didn't think people could take that. 2 cds with one massive ambient cd.

Boris and Corrupted aren't my bag. I've heard some other Church of Misery but not that one so I'll try to give it a go.

Boris before Pink/Smile is very different, but I expect you already know that (esp if you dont like Corrupted).

Yeah, I tried stuff from their various incarnations and nothing ever clicked. Corrupted I respect -- they do their "thing" very well --- but I don't enjoy it or like it much.

Not even Akuma No Uta or Heavy Rocks?

I was gonna do Llenandose de Gusanos but I didn't think people could take that. 2 cds with one massive ambient cd.

yeah, I totally get why you didn't pick llenandose but that one is my favorite. a real game-changer in my personal listening history.

still remember my first listen to it - was mega-stressed because I had fallen into my usual procrastination habits and some paper or programming assignment or whatever was due the next day. decided I needed a break to eat and put on the first disc. massive catharsis ensued.

play llenandose loud, and for better or worse, you will be affected. (in my experience, anyway.)

Not even Akuma No Uta or Heavy Rocks?

I should like those two records -- I like lots of stoner stuff -- but nope. I just don't like them. At best they don't register.

continuing some catch up here - i really like the warning record that pfunk posted.

Here is my selection.
Theme: and all that could have been.
Bands that should and could have ruled the world, but never went anywhere.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61tDA0JS4GL._SS400_.jpg

Aragorn – Noonday, the Anthology

Let’s begin with some classic NWOBHM. The NWOBHM started as a 7-inch single genre and the list of bands that only released one or two singles and then disappeared is endless. Most of these bands put down plenty of material however, that just never saw a proper release back in their day. Luckily we find ourselves in a period where this obscure material is tracked down by NWOBHM aficionados and released on anthology CD’s.

Two of my favorites are Tyrant (from Gloucester, UK; be sure to check out their anthology on Steel Legacy Records) and Aragorn. I chose to go with Aragorn for this list because of their heaviness. Listening back to NWOBHM bands like Diamond Head, Vardis, Holocaust or Blitzkrieg, I find the songs to be catchy, but the music far from being heavy anymore. But I still experience Aragorn as extremely dark, menacing and very raw. I even think to hear some Stooges influences in their music.

The band released only one single, in 1981. Listening to the anthology, I can only lament that it stayed at that.

Not a Spotify!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418P4AHVROL._SS400_.jpg

Infernal Majesty – None Shall Defy

Flash forward to thrash metal. Infernal Majesty hail from Canada and released their debut in 1987. I don’t remember if it was expressed during an interview or in the liner notes of the album, but the band stated that they were aiming to push Slayer from the Throne of the Most Extreme. On Slayer: I’ve always considered Hell Awaits to be their best album. The songs have unusual structures and the whole platter breathes an atmosphere of gloom and decay. Slayer chose to never follow-up on this style (well, they did a little on South of Heaven - my second favorite Slayer album). Luckily, in my ears, Infernal Majesty created Hell Awaits’ sister album. The songs on None Shall Defy are quite complex, without losing the ability to flat out rock and rampage. Sludgy doom metal intro’s and outro’s seal the deal. Evil to the bone.

If Infernal Majesty ever posed a serious threat to Slayer, is something I can’t tell from None Shall Defy alone. Their second album should have been their answer to Reign in Blood, I guess. But it never arrived. Or, it arrived in 1998, after the band regrouped because of the success of the None Shall Defy CD release. By then the momentum was lost, and my interest had vanished.

None Shall Defy remains a bona fide thrash metal classic though.

Not a Spotify!

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/04/f3/1c54c060ada0be7e3f491210.L.jpg

Wargasm – Why Play Around?

Looking back, I consider the early years of extreme metal to be dominated by uncontrolled aggression. The extremeness is accomplished by hitting the instruments as hard and fast as possible and by yelling and screaming in the microphone. It is all about being loud. There doesn’t seem to be any control of the emotion (which I love, mind you). Wargasm was a surprise in that the band seemed to go for the understatement. Deliberate passive aggression which created a tension that I felt was unique for its time. These are intellectuals that retaliate with precaution instead of childlike spastics. Unheard of by these young ears.

It was 1988 and metal was branching out. In 1985 hardcore and punk were allowed to mix with metal. Some years later the borders opened up for funk (ugh!) and for psychedelica. Regarding the latter, I always considered Voivod king. But Wargasm did also mix styles of music which I was unable to give a proper place. Which confused and fascinated at the same time. Twenty-two years later, it’s all considerably less unique. But I still believe Why Play Around? to be a special piece of metal music, which went highly unnoticed. That the CD has been impossible to find almost since the day of release didn’t help. That a proper and timely follow-up never materialized didn’t help either. A pity, really.

Not a Spotify!

Enjoy!

Really liked the Infernal Majesty this morning. The first track "overlord" sets the table and the feast continues except for a limp salad in "S.O.S." Besides the opening one-two punch, I quite liked the title track. The whole thing was like a trip down memory lane with different tour guide - I didn't hear these guys at the time but they would have been right up my alley. Good rhythm section, which is a definite plus. Thanks!

Sadly, Aragorn does not hit another home run. Great single, and now I totally understand why that's all they got back in the day. I was laughing more than rocking which can't be what they intended. Drummer can't keep a beat, guitarist has his tone set to SHRED and even attempts to rip off "Eruption"! They have no idea what they're aiming for and still miss any and every possible target. Immortal tune, "Black Ice," but the rest was pretty painful.

Yeah, I can see that. I somehow don't judge the more extreme NWOBHM bands on their musicianship, as I feel it was never about that. Prime example: Venom. Problem with the anthology is that it contains almost every demo ever made, of which some should never have left the shelf for sure. But to me there are many killer tunes to be found here. Personal favorite: You Changed My World. Track number five, I believe. Catchy as hell and definitely not aimless.

"You Changed My World" would definitely have been the best choice for a second single out of these tracks. And maybe if they had more time and money some of the others could have been shaped and tightened up, but I totally understand why they didn't get the chance. I wanted to like it because "Black Ice" is tremendously good but just didn't.

However, I'm glad I saved Wargasm till last. I figured with a name like that they'd have to be good (worked for Kick Axe, right? Okay, not always a fair barometer) and they smoked. Best of the three by no small margin, and one I'm for which going to try to find a physical copy. I think you hit the nail on the head by saying they capture a restrained aggression, and are all the better for it. My problem with speed and aggro set to ten is it is hard to do and still have a tune; these fellows (I'm assuming - I know naught) never let the song escape no matter how fast the gallop. Great fun and a great recommendation.

Thanks Sebastian!

You're welcome :-)

Truly great album.

None Shall Defy was one of my faves in my early teens, precisely because they sounded just like Slayer. I need to hear Aragorn, that was a bit before my time.

i've never heard any of these! probably dig them all knowing me. cuz i know me pretty well.

as far as 80's metal goes, you have to be pretty fucking horrible for me not to find some value in a record. same with rap. and even if your album is horrible...

Alan N is up. Who wants to volunteer for future weeks?
I think mordy is up on 30/8

oh whoops, forgot about this. I'll post my picks in a bit.

no crappy themes this time :P

fu, this is my week pfunk

and I do have a theme planned!

without further adieu, here is...

GORGUTS WEEK, PT 2

j/k!

I do have a slightly less alienating theme planned, though...

SICK DRUMMER WEEK

I have a hard time getting into a band if the drummer sucks. there's an exception to every rule but it often just makes EVERYONE sound sloppy, you know? so, here's a week dedicated to drummers who have gone above and beyond.

absu - tara (2001)
http://www.ravenmetal.com/images/trhuyrtyhrt.jpg

proscriptor is flat-out ridiculous on this album. just listen to "she cries the quiet lake" - the stuff he's doing on the snare is wild and strikes me as very different from the way most metal players would approach material like this. the genre signifiers are there but the way he re-arranges sounds very fresh to me.

discordance axis - the inalienable dreamless (2000)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tXgfEoD10ck/SC7S0KyPSnI/AAAAAAAAAVU/BPFhjCBWUFo/s400/discaxisTID.jpg

a classic and my favorite album dave witte (of municipal waste, melt-banana, human remains, burnt by the sun, atomsmasher, etc.) has played on. the interplay between guitar and drums on this one is a real treat and the way the guitar and drum morph with each measure at the end of "jigsaw" is probs my fave example.

axis of advance - obey (2004)
http://aftermathshop.com/oscommerce/images/axisofadvance-obeyLP.jpg

just discovered this release this year and I'm unfamiliar with the rest of the band's catalog, so it hasn't seeped quite as deep into my psyche yet. but what struck me was how it sometimes sounds like a more metal take on the discordance axis formula. good times.

don't have access to spotify, so I'm not sure if these are on there. but if any of you euros want to post some links, that would be cool.

also, speaking of "she cries the quiet lake" - can the double bass on that track possibly be human? or are drum triggers or whatever at work on this one? you'll know it when you hear it.

Tara is amazing, best American metal record since "Into Darkness". Still wondering, what if Proscriptor had landed that gig in Slayer, even for 1 album only...

yeah, I still go through heavy listening phases with tara. I'll pull it out and it's all I want to listen to for a week. it's seriously great.

what did you think of the absu album from 2009, siegbran?

as for proscriptor in slayer... I think divine intervention is an OK record. proscriptor would have been fun on it, certainly more fun than bostaph. dude plays it pretty straight. but at the end of the day, slayer were writing pretty generic stuff at that point and proscriptor wouldn't have changed that imo.

the self titled absu was terrific

oh, looks like I have my timelines mixed up. from wikipedia:

This line-up was short lived as soon after recording Tara, Equitant left due to musical differences (however, he and Proscriptor still collaborate on other projects to this day). Shortly after that, Proscriptor severely injured his hand in an accident, which required surgery to repair his hand. After almost a year of healing and therapy, he was ready to play again but Shaftiel no longer had any interest in Absu and Kashshapxu had also left the band due to musical differences. Proscriptor then put Absu on hold and decided to work on other projects. During this period he auditioned for Slayer but Slayer eventually went with their original drummer Dave Lombardo.

so, it seems as if he was auditioning for the christ illusion iteration of the band. I've never listened to that one.

I have to listen to that self-titled some more. I think I've listened to it about 4-5 times total. all with long periods of time in-between. I just always reach for tara when I'm in an absu state of mind.

didn't realize you dig absu, herman. figured you wouldn't since you like to knock black metal. ;-)

you've heard tara, right?

Of course, it's great! I have the s/t on vinyl too. I've come round to BM in the last 5 years. Most of the reasons I avoided it had nothing to do with the music tbh, and I got used to the vox. I even can listen to Burzum mp3s (wont give varg any money)

nice. but I can feel people who won't touch black metal for political reasons.

fwiw, I'm pretty sure absu are just some texans obsessed with celtic mythology and things like that. and I do mean "obsessed" - there's a glossary in the booklet for this thing!

Alan, I'm sorry to say I couldn't get into any of these. The vocals across the board were just killing me, and I'm not in the right mindset to get past them. I might try these all at another time when I'm feeling more receptive because your descriptions make it seem that they aren't genre-by-numbers. I know I've heard some Absu I've liked a bit, so I'm chalking it up to me not the music.

hey, no biggie. the absu and discordance axis lps are longtime faves but I'll admit that they're not for most folks.

also, these albums are a blast to drive to. many, many plays when I commuted to work in a car.

anyone else doing a week?

Mordy was meant to do one. didn't smithy want a shot too?

Mordy are you doing it?

Do people still want to participate? If so, now appears to be the time to volunteer for future weeks.

Right, since its that time of year you hacks are picking your album lists lets revive the club?

Anyone up for volunteering?

My picks for monday, which I will post now are:

Dawnbringer - Nucleus
http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2010/09/Dawnbringer-Nucleus.jpg

Harvey Milk - A Small Turn Of Human Kindness
http://www.roadburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Harvey-Milk-A-Small-Turn-Of-Human-Kindness.jpg

And I just received my vinyl of this today (first purchase in months)

Ludicra - The Tenant
http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ludicraThe_Tenant.jpg

oops that middle one is Harvey Milk - A Small Turn Of Human Kindness

Can a metal mod fix it please?

turned my mod powers of darkness to your aid

Thanks kindly. btw no spotifys available and mods dont want illegal links so i guess if you dont have them you can find them easily enough. Well worth it IMO.

Would you like to take a week evil mod jj?

oh man i totally should but my 2010 listening has been pretty minimal tbh (stuff from 2010, not that ive not been listening to stuff or ok yeah whatever um).

oh go on. You in?

18 October - JJ
25 October - ?

that date suit you john?

if noone else volunteers ilxor and markers might. So hurry!

I'll have a go but 25th is Supersonic weekend so that's out for me.

Who wants the 25th then? Aldo has the week after.