Eyehategod w/ guests @ Sonar in Baltimore, Feb. 17, 2011

Thursday February 17th saw the likes of the illustrious Eyehategod come to the Sonar in Baltimore. And what an epic show it was! Supported by fellow doomsters Cough and a slew of local grind acts, the sludge-masters themselves tore up Baltimore that night.

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First up were Cough, a super-slow stoner-doom outfit from Virginia. Though a bit out of place, Cough really set the mood with a grimy, lurching performance. The members all looked super-baked (as evidenced by the heavy odor of quality marijuana lingering by the stage) and the bassist's furious scream had my buddy Adam shaking in his Valentine's long-johns (or maybe it was the creepy guy in the Testament shirt who followed us around). Bottom line, Cough were fucking heavy, and their finale, a performance of "Ritual Abuse" off of the 2010 album of the same name, was absolutely devastating.

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Next came Surroundings, a local hardcore / powerviolence act that opened a can of whoop-ass on an otherwise unsuspecting audience. (After a set of Cough, who wouldn't be out of it?) Their punk-ass fury really got the momentum going for the aural violence that was about to be unleashed further in the show. Not to mention their vocalist seemed to change his shirt every time we saw him that night.

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Strong Intention are another local act, but these guys -- now featuring the bassist from Cattle Decapitation -- are of the face-ripping brutal grindcore ilk. The fat guy especially rocks hard on his axe and with his throat; we even got him to take of his shirt and wave around his floppy man-titties.

After the band goaded the audience repeatedly, I and the crew who I was rocking out with manned up leapt up on stage and made our own personal moshpit with the badass musicians gracing our ears in malevolence at the end of their set. We all got free shirts because of it too!

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Then came Magrudergrind. Holy shit, what a spectacular performance. All the members were as psyched to play as we were too see them. The energy of their rampage was like being jolted by 100,000 volts over and over. Can you say best moshpit ever? I got kicked in the fucking head by a guy crowd-surfing! So good. I just wish they would've played "Bridge Burner"!



Behold the madness!


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I've never been too big on Misery Index, but they're good. Their performance had the audience going wild -- there was even some ass hardcore dancing! Damnably visceral death metal it was.



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And then, finally, the legends themselves! Eyehategod!

Is it me, or did they all look like they had just gotten out of rehab? Mike Williams looked as burned out as ever and I swear every member was mad high. (And we all thought Cough reeked of pot. Ha!)

Eyehategod did their thing, playing their old-school tunes without missing a beat. Opening with a flawless rendition of "Blank", these Southern drug fiends thrashed pretty hard for a sludge band. After begging for "Sister Fucker" for 15 minutes, we finally got our wish and I just went nuts (that song is my jam, yo). They were fantastically vile and brutal in that drunken, angsty way only a mad Cajun could manage. Again, the energy was amazing and it was really something memorable to have seen these guys tear up my home town.



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The next few days were wrought with immense soreness, but nothing a little purp could't fix.

And the concert only cost me 20 bucks, for 6 bands!

Deltron 3030

Artist: Deltron 3030
Album: Deltron 3030
Year: 2000
Label: 75 Ark

Genre(s)/style(s): experimental / abstract hip-hop

Line-up:
Deltron Zero (Del the Funkee Homosapien) - MC
Skiznod the Boy Wonder (Kid Koala) - DJ
The Cantankerous Captain Apto (Dan the Automator) - producer

Tracklisting:

1	State of the Nation (feat. Damon Albarn)		0:28
2	3030		7:31
3	The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza (feat. Prince Paul)		0:22
4	Things You Can Do		5:01
5	Positive Contact		4:44
6	St. Catherine St. (feat. Mr. Lif, Peanut Butter Wolf, Beans)		0:44
7	Virus		4:27
8	Upgrade (A Brymar College Course)		4:11
9	New Coke (feat. Money Mark)		0:43
10	Mastermind		3:35
11	National Movie Review (feat. Brad Roberts)		0:55
12	Madness		4:39
13	Meet Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch (feat. MC Paul Barman)		0:37
14	Time Keeps On Slipping (feat. Damon Albarn)		5:01
15	The News (A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Microsoft Inc.) (feat. Hafdis Huld)		0:51
16	Turbulence (Remix)		3:32
17	The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza Part II (feat. Prince Paul)		0:38
18	Battlesong		4:09
19	Love Story		3:27
20	Memory Loss (feat. Sean Lennon)		4:40
21	The Assman 640 Speaks		0:31

You'd probably be more familiar with Del's work with the Gorillaz -- "Clint Eastwood", dawg -- but Del also has another lesser known career working under the name Del the Funkee Homosapien, either alone or in Deltron 3030. With acclaimed producer Dan the Automator and DJ Kid Koala, the trio tell a space-themed story that I'm too stoned to remember, or even to have paid attention to! But it seems Del is reciting the chapters from some Star Wars-esque book about wandering through space, being hunted by evil men of evil empires (read: white people) and detailing all the crazy adventures in between (like that Twi'lek hooker on Mars).

The meat of this feat is the beats. (Word.) Classic hip-hop beats with cheezy synths and sci-fi samples provide the essential back-drop for Deltron's black-power, anti-establishment nerd-rage. His rhymes are mad tight, bro, but the science fiction theme and constant musing about alien lifeforms grows a bit tiresome after a while. He has some really clever moments, though (this coming from a poet's standpoint):

My style's protected by heat shields and ceramics
Don't panic, I landed on planet Mercury
Gave it atmosphere, set up my headquarters I
'll never get captured here
Rap your tear clap your ear with Soulsonic Mantronik phonics
Turn your brain to an omelette
I'll hold a comet in bondage, with my dominance
Take a space shuttle to escape trouble

(from "Positive Contact")

Thankfully, Del doesn't mince his words too much, e.g., he keeps the naughty stuff to a minimum and instead flaunts his poetic ability in a rather sophisticated and professional manner (like a pro, bro). While his voice comes off as rather monotone, Del has a lot of subtle emotional flare, like stressing certain syllables, selecting certain words / word-sounds to use, or using the connotations of his vocabulary to convey mood, rather than the tone of his voice. It's precise and unique, though it might be difficult to catch onto.

The atmosphere is like floating in space, especially in tracks like "3030" and "Upgrade". The album is wonderfully layered, too! It feels like a deep-space 2001: A Space Odyssey shuttle in mid space drift and on which there's an exclusive concert from the captain and his crew. Lots of weird, swirling twangs, haunting voices swaying in solar winds (samples mostly) and deep basslines worm their way around the aluminum-shielded beats, bathed in cosmic textures and even some symphonic space dust on occasion. It's a really chill, lizard-basking-in-the-sun (literally, on the sun -- he's an extraterrestrial future lizard) kind of aesthetic. At the same time, though, there's a somewhat gloomy overtone to everything, but it's subtle.

The rhythms are so smooth and seamless, and have a rather gentle quality to them; this album flows like water. Although, the ample filler tracks are somewhat disruptive to the liquid flow, they are moreso just fairly neutral as they don't stick around for more than 30 seconds or so but don't really make any real impact -- although "New Coke" is really funny and "Meet Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch" features Paul Barman unleashing one beastly slew of words. Regardless, the whole thing is danceable and groovy/funky and the nerd charm is a fantastic compliment to what is otherwise, to me, party music.

So, if you like your hip-hop chill, original, and very well put together, then Deltron 3030 is up your alley. The lyrics are really well done and often cleverly-written and the whole istrumental section is spectacular and create a really powerful mood to support the sci-fi rhymes. It might also be a good place to start if you're new to hip-hop as this is really accessible, save for a couple long-ish jams and the fact that the albums itself is a little too long. I may not be very well-versed on hip-hop, but it's not often an album makes this much of an impact on me, so kudos to Del and co.

Verdict: 85% - Whoop, dey it is!

Also, look for Deltron 3030 II coming out this year!


"Positive Contact":


Try it. (megaupload, ~80 MB)
Try it. (instrumental version)*
Buy it. (CD, Amazon)


*Instrumental version tracklisting:

1	3030		6:56
2	Memory Loss		4:39
3	Love Story		3:26
4	Madness		4:39
5	Mastermind		3:37
6	Time Keeps on Slipping		5:06
7	Positive Contact		4:54
8	Things You Can Do		5:01
9	Upgrade		3:56
10	Virus		4:13
11	Battle Song		4:08
12	Turbulence (Remix by Mark Bell)		4:18

Behold! The Living Corpse

Artist: Behold! the Living Corpse
Album: Behold! the Living Corpse
Year: 2006
Label: Land O Smiles

Genre(s) / Style(s): sludge metal, experimental, harsh noise

Line-up (last known):

Kevin Walsh - Guitar
Velcro Lewis - Guitar
Eorl Scholl - Drums
Andy Ortmann- Vocals, Electronics
Jason Soliday - Bass, Electronics
Phil Hunger - Keyboard, Theremin

Tracklisting:

1.	Curse of Skull Island	01:26
2.	Feast of the Zombie	05:18
3.	Conqueror Worm	05:35
4.	Return to Skull Island	03:59
5.	The Deadly Swarm	03:34
6.	Go Spread Your Wings (Godflesh cover)	13:08
7.	The Cask of Agaroth - Drums [Donated & Doctored]	10:54

Total playing time: 43:54

To this day, no one really knows about Behold! the Living Corpse, so I feel it is my duty as an underground music snob to get you, the readers, cultured on one of sludge metal's most obscure and precious gems. What's surprising is the band has been around for nearly 15 years! What's more surprising is the band's only official, self-titled release is actually a compilation of what little material they had recorded from various sessions. And the band's only claim to fame (yeah right) is that producer / Minsk bassist Sanford Parker at some point played bass for them. What Behold! the Living Corpse have to offer is a rather avant-garde and super-heavy mix of Godflesh-ian sludge metal and weirder noise-type stuff complete with harsh electronics, keyboards, death growls, and the illustrious theremin. Oh, and there's a Godflesh cover, which kinda gave away their influence (just a little bit).

The "Skull Island" tracks are probably the weirdest things here, with some cheesy tropical isle samples including seagulls and what sounds like a tribal dance summoning Cthulu, an image quickly dashed to bits by noise so grating and loud that I feel so compelled to beat my dick every time it ravages my ears. The other tracks sound more akin to standard sludge fare, but aren't in the slightest. Instead, they take on an approach similar to Rwake's later material, forgoing Rwake's excessive sample use with electronics and keyboard lines that worm their way in and out the songs. In fact, the whole intro to "Conqueror Worm" (sometimes listed as "Death March") is a gentle, melodic keyboard / theremin interplay that builds into electronic-laden sludge / doom with great riffs and pugnacious attitude.

What is really intriguing though is the irony of the "album". It's actually quite sophisticated. The songs are all very well structured: easy to follow, but not mundanely arranged in anyway and there's a decent bit of experimentation but it's never excessive or out of place. Furthermore, there use of electronics is often ingenious, whether through accenting the riffs -- which are all solid -- or by being the focal point of the song, like the intro to "Death March". All these claims of sophistication aside, the album is still a dirty, angry sludge metal album with interludes of harsh noise. This vulgarity is reinforced by the processed, demonic vocals that act as a voice of some kind of psychotic tyrant. Not only that, but the use of the distorted vocals and weird electronic instrumentation convey a bewildering and alien atmosphere that's just oh-so charming and captivating. The ironic avant-garde flare really is the true genius to this album, and the fact that the experimentation fits perfectly with the usual doom just makes me cream my hipster pants.

Now, onto the Godflesh cover. "Go Spread Your Wings" was by far one of Broadrick's top tracks in any of his bands ever. Little can compare to the extraterrestrial doom lurch that closed Selfless. It was a culmination of Broadrick's dark, mechanical songwriting and eagerness to experiment, which, in this case, came mainly in the form of crooked ambient samplings of pianos and other strings. To me, it would seem like a really tough song to cover. However, it feels like something logical for this band to do. It is apparent that the guys in Behold! the Living Corpse know what they're doing as far as doom goes because the doom is good and the experimentation better, the exact reason this cover feels so at-home on this release. They knew what to narrow down and what to substitute as well as just capture the original oppressive atmosphere and kick it up a few disturbing notches with dirty-ass guitars and grating electronics in place of the warped ambiance. The builds that lead into the faster, more moving sections of the song are absolutely crushing here, and the "more moving sections" themselves amp up the compression ten fold. It is not so much a worthy cover as it is like a logical (in relation to this band's style) reinvention of the original; definitely the highlight of this album.

Behold! the Living Corpse ain't exactly perfect though. While most of it is stunning, there are some parts that are just dragged on for too long, namely the final moments of "Feast of the Zombie" and "Cask of Agaroth". Some of the change-ups in "Deadly Swarm" come off as a bit awkward and out of place as well. But these shortcomings thankfully don't detract too much from this extraterrestrial acid journey.

These guys need to release more material, because if this is any of indication of what these dudes are capable of, I want fucking more. Here's to praying for another disorienting sludge-monster from another world....

Verdict: 80% - very good and original, but not without some shortcomings.


Try it. (rapidshare)
Buy it @ Land O Smiles on 12" vinyl

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Bongripper - Hippie Killer

Artist: Bongripper

Album: Hippie Killer

Year: 2007

Genre(s) / Style(s): DOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Line-up:

Dennis Pleckham - Guitar

Nick Dellacroce - Guitar

Ronald Petzke - Bass

Daniel O'Connor - Drums

Tracklisting:

1. Tranny Ride - 2:09

2. Reefer Sutherland 16:12

3. Osaria - 3:30

4. Terrible Bear Attack - 2:52

5. Je m'appelle - 1:39

6. The People Mover - 10:21

7. Droid Developer - 4:22

8. Charlie, Burt Reynolds Has Got Shit On You - 17:46

9. Thanks for Sticking Around - 8:01

10. Her Highness - 13:02

Total playing time: 1:19:54

It's bad that Bongripper need an introduction, because they're so fucking awesome, writing one seems so useless. Their sound is so massive and loud, it's a wonder they haven't been heard across the globe. Instead, they remain a shadow in the dark alley where you buy your drugs that is the American doom scene, or a gem so rare that you can't help but hoard it all for yourself.

Hippie Killer, the band's sophomore output, is by far the best thing they've released and easily one of the best doom records ever. Track titles like "Reefer Sutherland" (best song title EVER) and "Terrible Bear Attack" completely understate the lethargic ferocity and overall seriousness that shrouds this doom epic. The tracks are all long and destructive (save for "Terrible Bear Attack", the obligatory thrash track), the excruciating sludge broken up by much-needed breathing room in the form of super-spacey drone tracks that are long enough to give you a break and not overstay their welcome. There really isn't a dull moment to be found, even on "Her Highness", which consists of one simple riff played for 13 minutes; and the band's expert ability to write riffs and have those riffs logically transition into more amazing riffs is absolutely unrivaled, a trait which became undeniably apparent on this release. The whole shebang is gift-wrapped in a gorgeous production job that still manages to be super-crushing during the ample heavy moments.

The offerings here are also pretty eclectic for a doom release (read: more than one style of doom is employed -- and employed well). After a brief (and really creepy) drone intro, "Reefer Sutherland" kicks off the album; as in, it's a total kick to the teeth. The crisp and clear but brutally heavy guitar tone comes crashing down suddenly; riff-bombs collapsing your roof. The band's expertly-executed doom riffs gradually lead into one of the most profound and harrowing post-metal climaxes, one so grand it almost makes Neurosis seem tame, with a truly beautiful bassline that sounds like it should've made it onto Oceanic, and a frenzied battle between the wild drumming and tumultuous guitar textures.

"Terrible Bear Attack" is the only fast track present, and one of the only tracks the band has ever recorded with vocals. Though mostly a raving thrash attack, it has one hell of a sludgy breakdown and a crazy segue into the bizarre "Je m'appelle", which is followed up directly by "The People Mover", the album's second behemoth. Here, things get a little less traditional (don't let the opening riff fool you) when a swirling monsoon of lysergide guitar noodling and fantastic bass work takes center stage between the devastating stoner-doom choruses.

After that, things slow down a lot. "Charlie..." is a relatively gentle, relaxed post-metal epic that develops some delicate opening notes into a textured tremolo torpedo travelling fast into the hull of a fragile ship. Bongripper then bust out the Sunn O))) for "Thanks for Sticking Around", subduing the listener into a drowsy trance before "Her Highness" comes in for one final bludgeoning. The song is one simple riff played ad-nausea with little variation, floating on the melting conveyor-belt-world of a bad acid trip. For 13 minutes. Then suddenly, the album is over and the listener exhausted, presumably.

The gents in Bongripper out-did (an understatement, really) themselves on this album and bestowed upon us a doom metal classic to rival the reigns of everyone from Electric Wizard and Ufomammut to Neurosis and Minsk. They still don't get the recognition they deserve -- even within the doom scene. But hopefully one day this will go beyond being just a pristine underground jewel and see the same (in)fame that Dopethrone and Dopesmoker amassed, for Hippie Killer is indeed a classic among metal.

Verdict: 95% - A most sexcellent classic!

This upload is not my own. It's by fellow doomster, Robixxx over at stonerobixxx.blogspot.com, which is an amazing blog for doom metal and stoner stuff. Password is robixxx

Try it. (megaupload / 320 kps)

Bongripper's site: http://bongripper.bandcamp.com/

Torche - Songs for Singles

Album: Songs for Singles

Artist: Torche

Year: 2010

Label: HydraHead

Genre(s)/Style(s): stoner rock / stoner metal / "thunder pop"

Line-up:

Steve Brooks - Guitar, Vocals

Jon Nunez - Bass

Rick Smith - Drums

Tracklisting:

1. U.F.O - 1:53

2. Lay Low - 0:52

3. Hideaway - 2:03

4. Arrowhead - 2:18

5. Shine On My Old Ways - 1:50

6. Cast Into Unknown - 2:12

7. Face The Wall - 4:32

8. Out Again - 6:11

Total playing time: 21:51

Do you like your metal happy-go-lucky and dipped in sugar? If you answered yes to any one of these questions, then you either listen to too much power metal or you need (or already have) Torche in your life. On 2010's Songs for Singles, Torche shed their super sludge pop skin in favor of a nearly identical sound! It's a lot like new Boris material, but not really!

The music here is fucking happy. The guitar tone is rich, shiny, and kinda crunchy, but still pretty heavy and not gritty or murky like usual stoner/sludge guitar. The drums keep these bouncy pop beats throughout, and it just makes you want to get up and do a jig with a big goofy fucking smile on your face. Sprinkled on top of this ice cream cone of heavy joy is Steve Brooks's harrowing voice! I don't know what he's singing about, but god damn is it happy! I think there's a bass in there, too!

And the riffs... the riffs are awesomely solid. On "UFO", for example, they start off playing what sounds like some garbage Blink 182 would fart out, but the riffs flow forth like water, constantly and logically progressing through the measly 2-minute song, and with the spastic drumming and joyous vocals, it crescendos into a cloud of absolute joy right in the middle. Or like "Lay Low" which sounds like the gents played a death metal riff, but coated it in fucking caramel! The album continues in much the same pattern until "Face the Wall" and "Out Again". The former is just a brillaint, heart-felt dose of melancholia, its roaring textural guitar is almost tearful and the whole atmosphere is strangely powerful. "Out Again", the longest track on the album, springs right back to the happy like a hopeful resolution after the somewhat sad "Face the Wall". One riff is played for god damn 6 minutes, but it just doesn't get dull and ends up capping off the album quite nicely.

Previously, I compared Torche to Boris. This is an invalid comparison. It is also a valid one. In recent years, as you should already know, Boris (presumably) decided drone was too much, so they decided to play super awesome rock music instead... sometimes (they still like to drone a lot). Meanwhile, Torche came about with what they termed "thunder pop" -- a surprisingly apt description of their music. The difference? Boris do it better. But not only that, Torche just have a springy, bouncy demeanor. Whereas Boris can be a mood-lifter, Torche is a mood-lifter. Songs for Singles, like the rest of their discography, is 21 minutes of pure happy with an amazing flow from song to song, from start to finish. For some reason, it's much better than their older material -- perhaps it's due to less emphasis on the vocals which really made me cringe when I first checked out this band. Whatever it is, this EP is pretty damn good.

Verdict: 80% - YAY!!!!!

Try it. (mediafire / 30 MB)

Buy it at HydraHead

Ash Borer - 2009 Demo

Artist: Ash Borer
Album: (untitled) demo
Year: 2009
Label: Suburban Mayhem Recordings

Genre(s)/Style(s): "atmospheric" black metal

Line-up:
K - Guitar, Vocals
A - Guitar
M - Drums
N - Synthesizer

Tracklisting:
1. Drukne - 14:05
2. Untitled I - 10:43

Black metal is all about the Burzum-worship now., directly or indirectly. Weakling did it (better), but they didn't restrict themselves so much and brought in some other, more unusual influences, most notably Swans influences (who made the song from which Weakling get their name) and the ambiguous post-rock genre. They took the grim-blizzard Burzum aesthetic and turned it into lengthy, climactic epics. Soon after, Wolves in the Throne room followed in their footsteps, but with a more primal, yet sophisticated atmosphere. WITTR essentially set up the new formula for black metal bands to follow (like Krallice), and now WITTR clones are emerging roaches from the floorboards. Ash Borer, who hail from some bumfuck place in California, are one of these.

This is pure WITTR-worship here, and not a whole lot of originality is to be had. In fact, the riffs sound nearly identical to Wolves' riffs. Everything from the black metal onslaughts to the bleak mellow bits screams (or perhaps howls) WITTR. Fortunately for Ash Borer, this isn't so bad, because, like with Carcass-worship, the WITTR formula is a pretty effective one, and Ash Borer employ it fully.

Perhaps the only bit of not-so-typical presence is the post-rock. It fits in well with the break toward the end of the "Durkne" and is all well and good, however typical. Its true post-rock majesty, though, is in the first few minutes of the second track which has a build worthy of a Mono album before descending back into tremolo rape / more familiar territory. Another thing is the drumming, which is more groove-oriented and not just a minigun at full speed. Hellhammer -- indisputably black metal's biggest whore -- himself could learn a thing or two from M., methinks.

If you were expecting this to sound like a Burzum blizzard, think again; the production values here really ain't so bad. The guitars shimmer beautifully and the vocals rise painfully from the ocean of fuzz. But the drums are terribly mixed! The snare and kick are so low that I didn't know they were blasting during the first real blast-o-rama of "Drukne". All I could hear was a hi-hat taking a splashing liquid shit over everything. In the second track, too, the cymbals nearly kill the atmosphere they are so repugnantly loud. Aside from that though, everything sounds pretty good for a fucking demo (thank you digital age)!

In all, this is a good effort. The Wolves in the Throne Room worship works, but the lack of originality is painful. But if Ash Borer work on those post-rock elements and maybe actually use their keyboardist, they could improve vastly. Perhaps this is one of those bands we should keep our eyes on.

Verdict: 60% - Barely solid; effective, though very cliche formula; has some really good moments, shows potential

Try it.

MySpace.

Double Dagger - More

Artist: Double Dagger
Album: More
Year: 2009
Label: Thrill Jockey


Genre(s)/Style(s): noise rock, math rock, post-punk


Line-up:
Nolen Strals - Vocals
Bruce Willen - Bass, Vocals
Denny Bowen - Drums

Tracklisting:
1 No Allies - 2:44
2 Vivre sans temps mort - 5:24
3 We Are the Ones - 3:41
4 Camouflage - 3:34
5 The Lie / The Truth - 2:56
6 Surrealist Composition With Your Face - 3:32
7 Helicopter Lullaby - 4:17
8 Neon Gray - 3:24
9 Half-Life - 5:53
10 Two-Way Mirror - 4:21

My hometown of Baltimore finally has something to be proud of other than topping the national charts with rates of gonorrhea and teen pregnancy. Working off of a simple template of vocals, bass, and drums, Double Dagger have literally stormed onto the hipster scene with some kick ass rock revival. While the radio is getting flooded with vapid, modernized Nirvana clones, Double Dagger are dishing out the grunge with some fucking style and originality.

More, presumably short for Baltimore, is simply badass. Everything just makes you want to get up and mosh. There's so much energy and joy on this record, it's almost absurd that I should enjoy it so much. Vocalist Nolen Strals, while not the most talented singer, is ridiculously charismatic and fronts the band really well. Whether he screams rebelious anthems or prattles away about cherished memories and his take on everyday like (all with a youthful, visceral punk-rock mindset), you can't help but love his unbridled passion. The bass, which often sounds like a guitar, will knock you on your ass and then promptly pick you back up. It devastates when it feels like it -- "No Allies", "Surrealist Composition..." -- then chills the fuck out and takes it easy for a bit -- "Vivre Sans...", "Neon Grey" -- and even gets a wee-bit psychedelic (see: the beautifully fuzzy guitar tone on "We Are the Ones"). Denny Bowen is refreshingly good behind the kit as too many rock musicians just fall into simple 4/4 bullshit. Instead, he pummels when he needs to but keeps at a nice steady pace most of the time, laden with apt fills and well-timed dynamics that make him an integral part of the band and not just a metronome.

Together, these simpletons (I mean that respectfully!) make fantastically accessible and radio friendly rock jams without eschewing creativity. The slow jams are nice and mellow and break up the otherwise punishing punk rock on display, and every song is different and there's not a stinker to be found. All the while the band still manages to let the album get noisy and writhe with feedback when it wants to without getting overly abrasive or monotonous. The whole shebang is wrapped in a really ace production job. Everything has a slight hint 70's lo-fi fuzz to top it all off; it sounds awesomely vintage but still clear as day.The absurd thing is that Double Dagger play simple rock tunes. That's all. But they do it so fucking well, it's rather profound.

Basically, if you hate Double Dagger, then you must also hate such joyous things as freedom and kittens. Fascist.

Verdict: 90% - Baltimore did something fucking awesome for once!

Try it. (rapidshare / 320 kps / ~90 MB)
Buy it @ Thrill Jockey: CD

Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade

Artist: Wolves in the Throne Room

Album: Black Cascade

Year: 2009

Label: Southern Lord

Genre(s)/Style(s): super-misty agrarian black metal

Line-up:

Nathan Weaver - Vocals, Guitar

Will Lindsay - Guitar, Backing Vocals

Ross Sewage - Bass

Aaron Weaver - Drums

Tracklisting:

1. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog - 10:33

2. Ahrimanic Trance - 14:05

3. Ex Cathedra - 10:58

4. Crystal Ammunition - 14:20

Everyone's favorite frostbitten farmers are back with a vengeance in 2009, with the Malevolent Grain EP and the eagerly-anticipated Black Cascade full-length.

Black Cascade is not another Two Hunters. Whereas Two Hunters had a lot of really cool mellow / tribal bits, this has none. Nor is it another Diadem of 12 Stars; there's no epic atmosphere to sweep you off your feet. Instead, Black Cascade is simply a Wolves in the Throne Room album. Nothing stands out. It's just the fuzzy guitars and the constant, unrelenting drumming. More of the same primal curb stomping.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good album. It's just the typical WitTR sound without any flair. The songs blend together and don't take a whole lot of interesting turns. It ends up getting too much on the monotonous side, and when it's over, you're left wondering what exactly happened to the past 50 minutes. Although, the droney bits that pop up here and there are really nice and soothing and add a proper dynamic edge and there's a really nice acoustic section in the middle of "Crystal Ammunition". The vocals are still retching and full of despair. But something's missing that really made the last two albums masterpieces. Perhaps the lack of those sweeping female vocals? Or the super-atmospheric sections that sounded like field recordings of an African village at night? Maybe it is simply the monotony of it all. Nonetheless, Black Cascade is certainly missing something.

Verdict: 70% - Solid, but nothing special.

Try it. (rapidshare / 109 MB)

Buy it @ Southern Lord: CD

Gnaw - This Face

Artist: Gnaw

Album: This Face

Year: 2009

Label: Conspiracy

Genre(s)/Style(s): noise, industrial, drone, industrial metal

Line-up:

Alan Dubin - vocals, synth

Carter Thornton - guitar, bass, piano, field recordings, homemade instruments

Jun Mizumachi - electronics, synth

Jamies Sykes - drums

Brian Beatrice - guitar, bass, electronics

Eric Nauser - drums, percussion

Track Listing:

1. Haven Vault - 4:25

2. Vacant - 5:03

3. Talking Mirrors - 3:46

4. Feelers - 7:34

5. Backyard Frontier - 7:21

6. Watcher - 4:51

7. Ghosted - 5:13

8. Shard - 8:47

9. Backyard Frontier (Reprise) - 2:16

Total playing time: 49:16

With Khanate's bitter end, a power vacuum arose and Khanate's true status was realized. Khanate changed extreme music. They took Earth, and Merzbow, and Pig Destroyer, and probably some good drugs, and made a most caustic tincture, one of fetid water and acid psychosis served in a moldy chalice. But then *poof*...nothing. Who would take the throne of musical extremity upon which Khanate had so firmly embedded its ass-cheeks? Whose crusty ass would remold the indentations left by the tremendous Khanate buttocks?

The past few years have consisted of a silent, unofficial war, a display of musical might. The battle to reclaim the throne is on, in full force. Plotkin moved on to his free-jazz-on-crack of Khlyst, while O'Malley jizzed out the illustrious Monoliths & Dimensions. Hell, even Justin Broadrick (Godflesh / Jesu) and Aaron Turner (of the late great Isis) took a swing at the lot with Greymachine. All have been vying for the status of being the next hot shit in extreme music. It seems though that Khanate vocalist Alan Dubin's new project -- dubbed simply Gnaw -- might be that next molten dookie nugget. In a good way.

Gnaw's line-up is borderline supergroup, most notably due to former Atavist drummer Jamie Sykes and Alan Dubin, whose (in)fame comes from his raunchy, psychotic vocalizations that beautifully plagued Khanate and Old Lady Drivers, and were, indeed, the aspect that stood out most about Khanate.What's more peculiar about Gnaw is its inclusion of a few unheard-of musicians: Carter Thorton, Jun Mizumachi, Eric Nauser, and Brian Beatrice -- musicians that even I haven't heard of (and neither have you, don't lie). Together, they conjure up some repugnant Whitehouse-esque noise with demolishing percussion and gnarled banshee vocals, and their abomination, This Face, executes fairly well.

The tracks are violent and remarkably accessible for noise music; and, dare I say, the album borders on being catchy at times ("Backyard Frontier", "Talking Mirrors"). One of the key things that separates this from the otherwise vapid noise scene is the percussion. Noise bands need more rhinoceros-like drum-bludgeoning; to be plowed by over by not only harsh metallic noise, but also the rattling cogs that move the machine into you. The album tends to avoid those dreaded Sunn O))) moments, save for "Shard", which drones away atop some rhinoceros drums and twisted voices floating here and there. It's a very appropriate, trance-like loop (grab the acid for this shit). Basically, This Face is engaging and dynamic, and a noise album! Incredible....

But really, the most important thing, and probably the only thing anyone paid attention to at first, is Dubin, who yells at you. And himself. Why? Because he's fucking nuts. His lyrics are minimal and cryptic (like Khanate), and, though really fucking weird and vague, are, well, deep...in an Alan Dubin sort of way. Look at the lyrics for "Vacant":

There's somebody out there

Right outside the door

You can hear the breath

You can hear them fucking

But no one's home in your head

And they all laugh

They're out there fucking

Just beyond the wall

You can hear them breathing

You can hear them fucking

They're out there

Just beyond the wall

You can hear them laughing

You can hear them laugh

But no one's home in your head

And they all laugh

They're out there fucking

Just beyond the wall

You can hear them breathing

You can hear them fucking

They're all out there just outside the door

You can hear them laughing

You can hear them laughing

Everybody's fucking

But you

See? There's even a twist at the end of this haunting tome. Now let's look at the lyrics for "Haven Vault"

They'll find my story

They'll find my shame

This was me...

My shame

Inside this little room

Stain the floor, with my shame

My shame

Inside this haven vault

The walls, my friend, my love

This was me...

My shame

Above this lovely cell

My drown goes round and round

Above

This was me...

My shame

Falling sick, my journey halts

My dream goes around and down

This was me...

My shame

Inside this little room

I'll leave my story on the floor

My shame

This was me...

Is it about suicide? Murder? Simply crying like a bitch? It makes you think. It sucks you into a world of confusion where you fabricate your own vicious, unforgiving reality -- the exact details are arbitrary, but misery is what's key. I wonder if this is how Dubin actually views reality.

This Face is a punishing and damn worthy endeavor, but isn't quite the proper ass to defile the Khanate cushion. While there are some fantastic fucking ideas that will help push noise / industrial music further, Gnaw's debut suffers from a general lack of flow from song to song. They're a series of scattered, underdeveloped (though fresh) ideas. These gripes and the album's sort-of shortness (I'm used to 60 - 70 minute songs of the this style for Christ's sakes) really do detract from the overall experience. Keep your eye on these guys though. Once they eat a bit more, gain a little weight, their ass should be fat enough to fit snugly into the mold where Khanate once sat (and defecated).

Final verdict: 80% - Solid, shows potential, but falls a bit short of the mark.

Try it. (mediafire / 192 kps)

Buy it @ Conspiracy Records: CD, black vinyl, or red vinyl