S/D: Hydrahead Records

i got the first xasthur disc, but not the 2nd one with the demos and stuff on it! can't really review it like that. not that i was probably gonna review it anyway. anyway, the cdr reissue is great.

There's one good Old Man Gloom record. Also aren't they doing a show soon?

A west coast of the usa tour

I need some CATCHY Hydrahead songs. What are their poppiest metal moments?

New Torche

Cave In's Jupiter album is plenty catchy in a Rush-esque way.

New Torche seconded. Probably something off the new Clouds album as well.

Thanks; I will check those out...
Did any of these bands ever have catchy singles?: Botch, Converge, Knut, Pelican, Cavity, Isis?

I think Isis were catchiest on Oceanic which is actually their first release for Ipecac. The Converge record to start with is called Jane Doe.

Definitely a big fan of the Cave In record that Phil mentioned.

I just hosted Aaron Turner here in Portland on Saturday; put on a House of Low Culture (his solo project) show with Mamiffer (also on Hydrahead) and Trees (Crucial Blast/20 Buck Spin). Good times.

Thanks Nate.

I just don't know where to start with this shit - I love the few songs I've heard (as mentioned in the original post), but after that it seems overwhelming. I basically need someone to say "go get these 15 songs from iTunes" and give me a list to get me started, and I'll go from there. I have the Cave In album, which I like. But I also like the heavier stuff that I mentioned at the top of the thread; that Harkonen song and the Keelhaul track. It doesn't ALL have to be Hydrahead, of course; that's just all I know of this kind of thing.

I've always liked metal, and I've always liked Dischord, and a lot of this seems to be a mixture of the two general kinds of sounds. (I realize this is a series of gross generalizations, but speaking very vaguely, this is what a lot of it seems like to me).

Can someone help spoonfeed me a list of tracks? A POX of some kind?

Most of Stephen Brodsky's post-Cave In stuff is on this label and sounds more like Nuggets/60s Floyd/Elephant 6 type shit than anything 'metal' or whatever

search the mare ep - it's the only thing they ever did and my fave thing that i've ever heard from hydrahead.

fave 2 tracks - 'they sent you' and 'tropics'

Hesperus by 5ive, possibly? The new Torche definitely, and the new Clouds, probably.

I really love that mare ep too.

my fave thing on hydrahead is probably the last discordance axis record (the inalienable dreamless). although, it sure isn't going to be much of a bang for your buck if you buy the tracks individually (it is grindcore, so most of the songs run under a minute or so). but if you have even a passing interest in grindcore, it's absolutely one of the best records in the genre and you should just get the whole damn thing!

but check the track "angel present" at least. the first two tracks are killer as well.

also, we are the romans by botch and until your heart stops by cave in are both really strong metalcore records from a time when metalcore wasn't quite so embarrassing. "we are the romans" and "juggernaut" are great tracks from each.

I'm also really into the last harvey milk album as well (life... the best game in town) love the song "decades". my fave harvey milk is still special wishes, though.

this craw album is also really cool and underrated too:
http://www.discogs.com/release/1171207

probably a good fit if you're looking for something with a bit of a dischord sound too.

Thanks a lot, you guys are great...
I bought the Mare e.p. (holy shit, it's... beautiful) and the Torche album (it's a blast). Also got the Harvey Milk ("life...") and digging that a lot on first listen (the track "Motown" is awesome). iTunes didn't have Craw, Clouds or Discordance Axis, and the only thing that came up for 5ive was this:
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/7/7f/200px-Five_5.jpg
Haven't checked out Botch yet.

Any opinions on Old Man Gloom, Pelican, Scissorfight, or Trees?
Thanks again...

OMG, Pelican(well early stuff) and Trees are awesome. Not really familiar with Scissorfight.

5ive
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifuxqy0ldde

(theres also a poll on 5ive in the archives i started)

this craw album is also really cool and underrated too:
http://www.discogs.com/release/1171207

The track 'Sex' off that is super awesome.

Old Man Gloom - not as big a fan as some but have done some good stuff. Pelican - I like the first EP the best, recieved wisdom is that they have drifted inexorably into the middle of the road now but I thought the last album had a bunch of good riffs. 'American Cloven Hoof Blues' by Scissorfight (on HH sublabel Tortuga) is one of my favourite heavy rock releases of the last decade. Their other stuff is good but not as good. Trees I've not heard.

Are you going to the Pelican/Torche show on Friday? </derail>

naw im skint. Pelican disown the 1st ep now.

It's in Bristol so I'm guessing he meant me, Kerr. I could probably blag it but don't want to be a dick to the promoters. Don't want to pay £12.50 or whatever it is basically to see Torche either, though. Pelican disown the 1st ep now - ah fuck 'em then... do you mean literally disown? I mean quality is in the eye of the beholder but it's hardly like a Pantera type deal is it

Ahh, I thought he meant the Glasgow date was friday.

Yeah as far as i know they refuse to play anything from it and I read somewhere they did say they had disowned it as they thought its was the worst stuff they had made, they genuinely do not like it!.
When it really is their best release!

Tch. Pretty sure we've had threads about bands who pull this sort of nonsense

Aye, sorry, meant DJM. I suppose the cash in is less of a deal for me since I'm not having to factor in Cardiff travel as well, plus I'm also looking at it to possibly free up feeling the need to HAVE to see Torche at ATP in case of clashes.

Pelican have maybe got worse with each release, really. Three's stuff to like on all the records, I guess, but it's diminishing returns.

Totally aside from this, because it doesn't fit into the 'catchy' stuff we've been discussing, but I still think the Pyramids album is still the best thing HH have put out this year.

Also, bigger Pelican nonsense is surely going through a repress/repackage/limited remaster process for all their previous albums when it's not like they've sold out or particularly need it.

Yes, this Pyramids stuff is beautiful. Are these people ex-Mare? Similar haunting vocals...

mare did one additional track for a melvins tribute/cover thingy that is not on that ep - it's called 'nightgoat'. also very much worth searching out. not sure about the pyramids thing but the drummer from mare (caleb collins) has joined a band called Circle Takes the Square (according to the bio on last.fm)

i caught torche's last song when they opened up for boris, it was pretty epic. was bummed that i missed their set, especially when boris ended up being super cheesy

Torshe were SERIOUSLY good tonight, Pelican very meh in comparison.

Maybe the highlight of the evening though was watching all of The Heads and Gonga playing air guitar to Sweet Home Alabama.

Aldo where do you live? I thought you were in edinburgh

Bristol. Haven't been in Edinburgh for over 10 years.

Oh right.

"Any opinions on Old Man Gloom, Pelican, Scissorfight, or Trees?

Oh Trees are not actually on Hydra Head (though they sound like they could be). Imagine Khanate without the hooks. Yes, brutal...

Trees are on Crucial Blast (cd) and 20 Buck Spin (lp).

I got the lp, awesome stuff. Hydrahead are maybe selling it via distro.

"Motown" from the Harvey Milk almost sounds like Weezer

"Motown" from the Harvey Milk almost sounds like Weezer

Which is alright by me! I've been soaking all this stuff up bigtime this week. Loving Torche (this seems to be the group in this lot with legitimate crossover potential - that "Grenades" song is a total hit), Craw (which is unique in that there's a definite twisted sense of humor in there), and this Pyramids shit is crazy - beautiful ambient stuff with cheap synthesized blast beats. Just totally unique.

The Mare e.p. is definitely the highlight, though. It's perfect.

Also got the Botch and Dillinger Escape Plan and Jesu but haven't played them yet.

Thanks a lot for all the recommendations!!!

Torshe were SERIOUSLY good tonight, Pelican very meh in comparison.

Maybe the highlight of the evening though was watching all of The Heads and Gonga playing air guitar to Sweet Home Alabama.

― aldo, Friday, September 19, 2008 11:34 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Hee hee. That sounds cuet. Could have got off my arse and gone to Bristol tonight but didn't have any desire to leave the house really (he typed for the second time in ten minutes) but will wait to bug out to Torche at ATP

iTunes didn't have Craw

I'm pretty sure Craw's own website has all of their records for free download (even the Hydrahead one, 'Bodies for Strontium 90').

Also, where's the love for Cattle Press? 'Hordes to Abolish the Divine' is an awesome album. Fits right in with 'We Are the Romans' and 'Until Your Heart Stops' in a '1999 was an awesome year for metal, why didn't I realise it at the time?' sorta way.

And yes, in my experience Torche blows everyone they play with off the stage.

Botch, DEP, Isis and Pelican - I had a phase of listening to too much of this stuff to the point where it began to bore me.

Pelican have indeed plummeted.

Seems like I need to hear Torche?

I'm hearing Torche on Youtube now, and liking it.

Pyramids seconded, really fun and weird music.

Dude in Torche seriously looks like Jack Black though.

Also, where's the love for Cattle Press?

cattle press peaked with their first song ("celebration of wounds"). totally sludgy braindead hammering. i didn't like their hydrahead release at all.

You should give it another listen. There's nothing braindead about it at all: it's jammed with kickass grooves among the slowed-down-grindcore sludge.

uh, braindead was a compliment. seriously, i love that song, it's plodding in the best possible way. the album suffered from NOT being braindead, it just didn't do it for me. i'd give it another listen but i realized i sold it.

Apologies for misreading your comment, my fault entirely. But on the main point, it really is worth another shot.

Well kids - went out and actually bought Torche's 'Neanderthal'- £12-oo from HMV.

Was it worth it?

Seriously, absolutely YES.

This is something different.

Drop D, stepped down low - but with real melody, and not just a pummelling onslaught. I'll be lazy but there's a bit of MBV in there too, for want of a better description

Excited to play this again, but the missus will hate, so save it for laters

torche sounds like 90s alt rock to me, muddy and directionless and halfheartedly thunderous.

Sorry hipsters -'Meanderthal' is what I bought

and 20s alt rock is...?

get the 1st album, its even better, the original mix version is better than the remixed one IMO so try get that.

i've kind of prematurely ejaculated. Again.

Just been listening to it whilst cutting my hedge ( How HC RNR is that?)and it doesn't sound quite the same album.

Better get my slippers on now my hedge is done - crank up the (nonHash) pipe and listen to it again. Tis Satdee night after all