Mordy's Metal Listening Club - New Albums Every Monday

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.

sante? Mordy? Adrien? Jeff? Scott? Phil? Smithy? Anyone?

So far we have
18 October - JJ
25 October - ?
1 November - Aldo

I'll do a week of 2010 stuff. Some of my favorites probably haven't been heard by many folks.

As far this weeks picks go, I keep forgetting the Ludicra was this year. I listened to it so much deep in the winter that I think of it as older. Great record, but I didn't fully appreciate it till I saw them live. Outstanding live band.

The Harvey Milk is good, but I liked the last better. There were moments of twisted levity amidst the bleakness that I miss on A Small Turn Of Human Kindness.

The Dawnbringer I'm undecided on. It's definitely a solid record, but I heard it and the Christian Mistress about the same time and I like the latter's approach to retro-NWOBHM better. Should probably listen to it again in a bit and try to separate the two, but I keep being drawn to the CM record if I'm in that kind of mood.

Ok!

18 October - JJ
25 October - EZ Snappin
1 November - Aldo
8 November?

I personally prefer the Dawnbringer to the Christian Mistress (I do like it though)

.

i haven't heard dawnbringer, but ludicra's in the running for best metal of the year, for sure. i like how much it rocks. the riffs and the way the guitars play together reminds me of "ride the lightning," though i didn't get that until i saw them live.

harvey milk, i can see why somebody wouldn't like it as much as "life... the best game in town." it's dense, not nearly as inviting. it also doesn't seem as crushingly, oppressively heavy as the first two albums, though it seems like a pretty conscious return to what they were doing then.

if anyone wants Ludicra vinyl you can get it from http://www.thronerecords.net/

http://www.thronerecords.net/new-imagenes/throne%2006%20PRE.jpg

Ludicra is on my short-list, too. The other two don't do anything for me.

18 October - JJ
25 October - EZ Snappin
1 November - Aldo
8 November - glenn

Hurrah, everyone feel free to comment on this weeks picks or to volunteer for a week of 2010 album choices.

uh i srsly have heard like exactly zero 2010 albums to pimp on this list, i have had a very very digging backwards year so next monday could be a problem

Get crackin'!

I'll switch with you if you want to get an extra week's worth of listening in.

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

*raises hand*...

I haven't heard much this year but Herman's insisting that I volunteer. Sorry in advance, you guys.

18 October - JJ
25 October - EZ Snappin
1 November - Aldo
8 November - glenn
15 November (2020) - ilxor

Now we're talking.

ok but srsly some one else needs to take next week. i got nothin

18 October - EZ Snappin
25 October - Glenn
1 November - Aldo
8 November - JJ
15 November (2020) - ilxor

Get listening!

ok ok.

A day late and dollar short but here's my picks for some overlooked gems of 2010:

Across Tundras - Old World Wanderer

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/4077/cover_18192342010.jpg

They're giving it away so no excuses

Black Bombaim - Saturdays And Space Travels

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/7734/blackbombain.jpg

They're giving it away so no excuses

Samsara Blues Experiment - Long Distance Trip

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/5307/cover_4818152522010.jpg

They aren't giving it away (I bought the import from All That Is Heavy) so it's up to you if you find a way to hear it.

Across Tundras are great.