The Crow - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1994)

In honor of Devil's Night, a fictional Holiday popularized by one of my favorite movies of all time, The Crow, I wanted to make a post showing my appreciation for a HUGE reason why this movie was and still is incredible, the impecable soundtrack.

DISCLAIMER: This is a blog where I clearly stated to my fellow proprietor that I'll probably ramble on extensively. This is one of those instances. So, if you don't like to read, the link is at the bottom. Enjoy~~



Mind you, I started reading comic books regularly and got into rock music at a very young age, with the influence and helpful exposure by my gracious and generous older brother and his tape collection. I saw the Crow when it came out in 1994 and had to find the graphic novelization of the original James O'Barr comic series shortly after. One thing I was intrigued by was how great the songs on the soundtrack were and how O'Barr incorporated themes from the Cure and Joy Division into the characterization and idea of Eric Draven himself and even subliminally threw in lyrics to songs in the dialogue of the book. The songs featured in the film added a perfectly fitting backdrop and never ceased to flow seamlessly with the action and drama of every scene.

　
"Burn" - The Cure – 6:39 - Apparently, this was a re-recorded working of a song the band had already previously written and recorded...Which album it was on, I do not recall and I am a huge Cure fan, top 10 favorite bands of all time status even, but, whatever. I'm glad this is the only version of the song I've ever personally heard, because anything short of it wouldn't have been as perfect as this version. I feel like it sets the entire mood of the movie. Robert Smith's voice and someone ominously preparing to start a spiritually cleansing and death-obsessed journey of the soul, go hand in hand like spaghetti and meatballs. My favorite part about this song is how in previous Cure songs, as present as Smith's wide vocal range and projection may have been, there was never a HUGE and as dramatic song as this one, instrumentally. The pairing of the vocal arrangements and the BIG instrumentals, particularly, the catchy lead guitars, makes this song timeless.

"Golgotha Tenement Blues" - Machines of Loving Grace – 4:01 - This is such a great song. MOLG were a semi-well known hard rock band from the early/mid 90s, but never truly broke the mold. I heard this song and immediately knew I'd always remember its importance to the corresponding scene in the film. It's such a dark, grizzly, foreboding and welcoming entrance piece for Draven to dive into Funboy's heroin-den/bedroom, you'd think someone purposely turned the song on on a stereo somewhere in the movie and said "HEY, this song would be perfect to be played right now while this psychotic ghost-person murders you, man!". Enough said.

"Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots – 4:56 - STP is one of the best hard rock bands of all time. Period. Not my personal opinion, not a generalization or exaggeration...They just did it right. Their career was already huge at this point, but, I'm sure this song vitalized their stature in the 90s alt/grunge/rock history books. Scott Weiland has one of the most distinct and recognizable voices in the genre and it sounds nothing short of booming in this song. I feel like the filmmakers even used the lyrics to the song as a subliminal metaphor, having it be played immediately before a car-chase scene. It was also important enough of a song to be featured as the song that was played in the original theatrical trailer. One of the most interesting parts about the usage of this song for the soundtrack was that it was, to my knowledge, the only song not exclusively used for it (it's also a track off of STP's 1994 masterpiece, "Purple"...even though this film and soundtrack were released first), because, the song that the band was originally going to contribute, before the completion of the film and Brandon Lee's untimely (and accidental???) death, was a song from their "Mighty Joe Young" demo sessions, called "Only Dying", which was, I guess, deemed inappropriate and possibly disrespectful to the fallen actor. Anyways...one of the best STP songs.

"Dead Souls" - Nine Inch Nails (originally by Joy Division) – 4:54 - Not to knock the original version by Joy Division, but, this is one of those instances where I prefer the cover over the original. I'm a biased and avid Trent Reznor fanboy. I love everything this man does, no matter what. This song is no exception. He basically took a defibrilator and sparked ten times more life into this already exceptional song. Again, a very ominous and fitting placement of the track and its corresponding lyrics was chosen. This time, for the scene where Draven/Lee is scouring the filth-ridden streets of a fictionally exaggerated Detroit for his and his wife's murderers. Reznor/NIN's signature buzz-saw guitar (more present in his earlier albums), along with his deeply-rooted bellowing rendition of Ian Curtis' already haunting vocal arrangments, gave this song new light, respectively and tremendously.

"Darkness (Of Greed)" - Rage Against the Machine – 3:41 - This song was a slightly different spin on an already awesome RATM song. Rage, in their earlier, primal years, were a formidable foe to be reckoned with. There's just no band who has ever come remotely close to being as influential, original and groundbreaking as they are. Admidst my admiration of the band in general, leaving that aside, this song is great and makes perfect sense to be included in the soundtrack to this film.

"Color Me Once" - Violent Femmes – 4:09 - This song caught me offguard and seems like a bit of a wildcard. I'm not saying it doesn't fit the movie. There are plenty of different scenes that call for different kinds of music, so, I get it. I've never really been much of a fan of this band. Just not my cup of tea, I guess. But I guess this song, in particular, with its strangeness and eeriness, serves its purpose well.

"Ghostrider" - Rollins Band (originally by Suicide) – 5:45 - I'll be honest when I say that I don't remember exactly which scene of the movie this song was played during, BUT, I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't a perfect song to include. I'd also be lying if I said I'd ever heard the original version by the band Suicide. Pretty cool that Suicide wrote a song about one of my favorite comic characters, that said-character shares similar characteristics with Eric Draven and that this song was chosen for the film. Regardless, it's a Rollins Band song/rendition, which cancels out the importance of the original, to me at least. Henry Rollins' lunacy is and has always been one of the most memorable qualities of any lead singer from the entire punk rock and hard rock community, since the inception of his vocal style and stage persona in the 1970s. He updated this existing song with his trademark nuttiness and his band provides a great instrumentalization. The song crescendos into a complete mind-fuck, appriopately, fitting as perfectly on the movie's soundtrack as a figurative boot to the ass of anyone who disrespects any of Henry Rollins' works and writings.

"Milktoast" (also known as "Milquetoast") - Helmet – 3:59 - What a perfect choice for this movie's soundtrack. Helmet was one of the best things to happen to music in 1990s. They were one part alt rock, one part punk, one part nu-metal, one part general heavy metal, and did all this subtly and beautifully. That being said, their credentials, I'm sure, were a clear indicator to have this song in this movie. Heavy, catchy, raw and relentless, just as any early Betty or Meantime-era Helmet songs were.

"The Badge" - Pantera (originally by Poison Idea) – 3:54 - It would take me forever to express how much love and respect I have for this band. The impact Darrell Abbott's songwriting and guitar-playing has had on my life is unmeasurable, but, that's not what I'm going to talk about right now. I'll save that for a completely separate post. All I want to do right now is talk about this ass-walloping of a song that was contributed by Pantera, to the soundtrack album of the Crow. Poison Idea wasn't and still isn't a band I'm EXTREMELY familiar with to this day, but, I have a general idea of their sound. I've heard the original version of this song and do think they're a great band and play a huge part in the early punk and heavy metal crossing over period of the 80s. That's all fine and dandy, but, let's be serious, Pantera made this song sound like it was their own. You can't beat the precision of the brothers Abbott's sychronistic playing abilities, the booming that is the great Rex Brown and the hellishly and unforgiving metaphorical punishment that is Philip H. Anselmo. The Badge does what any equally or greater Pantera song will do, that Poison Idea, respectively lacked, kicks your ass from start to finish. I promise if you put this on, having never heard the original, you'd just think this is an awesome Pantera song, all the way until the trailing off soundclip from Taxi Driver at the end.

"Slip Slide Melting" - For Love Not Lisa – 5:47 - Not a whole lot I can truly say about this song besides that the band as a whole sounded very much like Pearl Jam, minus Eddie Vedder's signature croons, of course. Solid alt rock band, great selection for the soundtrack.

"After the Flesh" - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – 2:59 - Here's one band I wasn't very familiar with, outside of maybe one or two songs, including this one, that I was intrigued by as a direct result of this song. Following the trend of industrial hard rock along the likes of fellow pioneers Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM and Ministry, TTKK ('The Thrill Kill Kult abbreviation the band had later coined) actually makes a cameo in the movie, yet again, providing, this time, a literal backdrop during one of the film's biggest scenes, the huge shootout between Draven/Lee and Top Dollar/Wincott's troop of gang affiliates/personel. It pulls out lots of audial twists and turns as hails of gunfire fly across the screen. A very appropriate synthy, gritty and heavy rock song anyone would find suitable for the already fantastic emsemble soundtrack.

"Snakedriver" - The Jesus and Mary Chain – 3:41 - The only other song I don't have a whole lot to say about is this one. It's cool, yeah, just seemed like a generic alt rock song they threw in to have playing in the background during a bar scene in the movie, if I remember correctly. So, even as unimportant as it was, the song serves a purpose.

"Time Baby III" - Medicine – 3:52 - This band and the song they contributed to the soundtrack are the biggest wildcard of them all, in my opinion. Medicine was another band the filmmakers chose to include in the movie, in a live concert setting, performing for what looked like a crowd of junkies and cretins, all lost in their own personal drug-binged euphorias. It's a pretty light and happy song, almost like a lullaby, appropriately sung by a female vocalist with a mantric like voice, to half-awake commentators, about to collapse on the dancefloor. Touche, James O'Barr and Alex Proyas.

"It Can't Rain All the Time" - Jane Siberry – 5:34 - As the movie comes to an end, this song coincides with the closing credits. The lyrics and title are a theme commonly used throughout the movie and story, and are sung beautifully by Ms. Siberry, who I'm not particularly familiar with, outside of this film's soundtrack. Oh well, because if this is the only recollection of her work I'll ever have, at least it's a peaceful and serene closing theme, following the main protagonist of one of my favorite movies of all time, finally finding piece and ascending to his final resting place.

　

To sum things up...I guess I could've handpicked a few of my personal favorites from the soundtrack...but then, I would be staying in my comfort zone of only talking about things I already know I like. I'm glad I spoke about every song on this groundbreaking story's soundtrack and I hope you can now enjoy all of them, as I have been for the last 19 years.

 

It can't rain all the time.

 

 

Peace Was Never An Option (2013)

Hey fuckers,

I've been away for a while. Started a new 10-hours-a-day job and I've found myself with precious little time on my hands lately.

Wa wa wa... Go cry about it somewhere else, right? Right.

Let's get to it, I've got a real treat for you today.

Let me keep this short and sweet. MMD play technical Death/Grind in the vein of Misery Index, with the balls-out aggressiveness of The Red Chord, and the experimental side of Cephalic Carnage. If any of those names mean anything to you, you already know what this is gonna sound like: Fucking awesome.

There's not much to to say, this record slays from beginning to end. Killer riffs, the right amount of melody, Napalm Death influenced vocals, and amazing song writing.  Unpredictable and uncompromising, this album manages to be brawny AND brainy at the same time.

What are you wating for? Grind your head off.

Absence Makes The Hate Grow Stronger

Something to Write Home About (1999)

 

I'm going to explore opposite ends of my spectral musical tastes now:

When you think of "emo", there's almost always a stereotypical corniness that materializes in your head. Dorky guys in thick glasses playing their own sappy, monotonous, redundant and unoriginal renditions of "Boys Don't Cry" over and over. Nerdy little teenagers sitting outside of Starbucks playing an acoustic guitar, singing like the mousy and nasal prepubescent ankle-biters they are. I, myself, having been one of the dorkiest dorks of them all, heard a couple emo/indie rock albums in my ankle-biting years, that completely broke the mold and stood out to me like a ray of sunshine in the dead of winter.

 

The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About....I'll be honest....I heard this record when I was 14. I was at the peak of my poseur-ness, completely confused, not sure if I was a "punk-rocker", a "metal-head", or a "hardcore-kid". I guess transitional and/or random music, when you're a teen, is what makes you realize..."Hey...I can like any type of music I want, I don't have to conform to a certain trend and maybe I'll start dressing like a normal human being now." What a weird realization, but, I feel like this album helped me realize that I'm ME and fuck anyone who says I'm not cool enough to fit into a certain crowd. Why? Because I was wearing plaid pants and putting glue in my hair every morning before I went to school, so, listening to a lame emo band was an extremely foreign thing and not punk rock enough for 14 year-old me.

 

I put this record on and holy shit, the opening guitars and vocal melodies had me hooked instantly. It was like someone took the early simplicity of the Cure, the raw musicality of a Seattle grunge band and the honesty and frailty of a Beatles ballad & subtly rolled it all up into one beautiful burrito of sound. I wasn't very familiar with contemporary mid-tempo, light music yet. The happiest or sappiest things I'd known at this point were, as stated, the Cure, the Beatles, and maybe...the happier Ramones and Green Day songs. There's an abundance of clean, twangy guitars and piano-styled keyboards, over-predominantly major-keyed, compromisingly forgiving (for a lack of less masculine words) song structures. These were songs any confused, distraught and angst-ridden youngster could relate to. I mean, shit, I dated a girl who made me a card, on Valentine's Day, decorated and done up with the lyrics to "I'll Catch You" written out.

 

To conclude, the best way to put it: all of the best qualities of indie rock, upbeat punk, synth-pop and general emo-tion, if you will, blender set to "pulse" instead of full-power. (I hope you guys aren't getting tired of my cheesy metaphors yet). I'll save it for another post, but Jimmy Eat World's masterpiece "Clarity", is regarded, among the general indie and emo connoisseur population, to be the #1 emo rock record of all time....I think The Get Up Kids' "Something to Write Home About" was and still is one peg up on the emo totem poll.

 

 

 

I've got pictures to prove I was there.

 

 

The Process Of...(1999)

What can I say about this record that hasn't already been said? I don't really care how many people have already sung its praises in the past. I'm doing it again.

This was the first record I heard by the band, as I didn't get into EVERY popular hardcore band from the same time period all at once AND this was the one record by them that was released by Century Media, a label I was more inclined to being familiar with in my middle school metal-head years. This album was insanely before its time. It displays my favorite style of guitar playing and musicianship in the entire hardcore/metalcore genre: sporatic and nervously dispersed 90s influenced riffage I'd compare to Vision of Disorder and Indecision. It garners the most pronounced and passionate vocal performance from Jon Gula, a recording more than worthy of the likes of Century Media's already lengthy respected clientele base, and is a memorably HEAVY and catchy piece of work throughout. Had this band toured extensively with the right support and actually put out the mysterious follow up that had been in the works for so long after The Process Of's time in the sun, I'm more than positive Turmoil would still be in the spotlight this very moment. Jaded as it may sound, there will never be another hardcore/metalcore crossover album remotely this good ever again.

All those gears have rusted over.

 

  

Last Stop: Crappy Town (2008)

James Dewees.....Since I was 14, this dude has been so mysterious to me. The Get Up Kids are my favorite indie/emo/whatever band, period. I heard Something to Write Home About in 9th grade and I thought it was the absolute best record of the genre, next to Clarity, by Jimmy Eat World, but when someone handed me a copy of "Promotional Copy" by a band called "Reggie and the Full Effect" and told me, "This band has members of The Get Up Kids and Coalesce", the band's name AND personnel seriously intrigued me. They easily became my favorite pop-punk-ish band thereon. James' ironic sense of humor, wittiness, sharp and to the point songwriting, usage and blending of pop-punk, alternative rock, hardcore and all-around chaos made it a no-brainer to become a lifelong fan of the band.

Last Stop: Crappy Town comes out in 2008...After waiting months for it, reading cryptic MySpace posts by James, being unsure of its release as he was in between touring with NFG and My Chemical Romance, on keyboards, myself and many fans alike were beginning to think it wasn't ever going to be released. When it finally did, I learned that it was a concept album with metaphoric song titles that coincided with his regular trips to rehab on or around the time of the album's recording sessions. I'd never, to this point, ever heard a Reggie album that was even semi-serious from start to finish. My opinion on the music is the same way I rationalize my favorite Poison the Well albums: Opposite of December will always be the catchiest, recognizable and undeniably timeless album by the band, but, my favorite album of theirs musically and maturity-wise, is Versions. So, with Reggie, their most timeless and recognizable record to me is Promotional Copy, but Last Stop is my favorite record by the band, thusly, for its matured songwriting, seamless genre-blending and bending and overall seriousness and urgency. James sounds like a tortured soul caught between Heaven and Hell, throughout, almost like a goofy Downward Spiral era Trent Reznor. His clean vocals are perfectly in key and his hooks are as infectious and catchy as ever, while also having fully developed his hardcore/metalcore style vocals to a T, this time, without the outside help of Coalesce's Sean Ingram (who had previously accompanied James with his trademark Coalesce screams on previous Reggie albums). The music varies from his signature synth-drenched pop punk style, to alternative rock arrangements, to subtly chilling piano-laden interludes, to blatant chaotic metalcore overtures. The melancholy backdrop of the recording and lyrical subject makes this the eeriest and realest Reggie album to date. If you're expecting Greatest Hits or Promotional Copy for a 4th time, you may be disappointed, but if you're expecting the most brutally honest and heartfelt record by James Dewees aka "Reggie", get this one.

 

Sorry the party had to start and stop with me.

 

Temple Of The Iommic

Guess what I did today?

Iommi and Butler are magick. The real stuff. This is what True Will sounds like. And its manifestation can be found in every single metal band that has ever existed after Sabbath. Seeing them was truly mind-blowing and mind-opening at the same time.

Ozzy was alright too.

 Here's my favorite Ozzy-era album. Personally, I enjoy the Dio days of the band much more than anything they ever did with the "Classic" line-up; but you'd be doing yourself a HUGE disservice if you didn't give any of these records a proper listen. 

Also, "Children Of The Grave" has the hardest riff ever, and that's a fact. 

  

Leave them to their future in the grave.

New Vinnie Paz Joint!

The God of the Serengeti is back. Hearing his more melodic solo stuff is always kinda crazy for me after being used to the brutal savagery that is Jedi Mind Tricks.  But Goddammit, no matter what he is still better than pretty much every other rapper out there.



"Maybe I'd rather be dead. Dead don't hurt."

Covenant (1993)

Twenty years ago, my favorite death metal album and one of my favorite recorded pieces of music in general, was released. I'm posting this in celebration of its 20th birthday. I was seven years old and would not hear it for four or five more years, well after a handful of other mediocre-in-comparison releases by the same band had come out. Morbid Angel, in my opinion, invented legitimate DEATH metal. You can argue that Cannibal Corpse did, or Death did, or Obituary did....These are all favorites of mine and bands that make me proud to be a Floridian in the heavy music community, but as far as unrelenting drums, down-tuned disgustingly depressing guitar riffs, spastic but still melodious, wailing guitar solos and, of course, deep, gutteral, fathomless growls, are all concerned, Morbid Angel set the standard for all others to strive for. The best representation of this is portrayed on their 1993 masterpiece:

Covenant.

Not only was this one of the very first death metal records I ever heard and owned, but it is my absolute favorite, for various reasons. The guitar tones are something that are widely recognized, often imitated, never duplicated (I have tried and failed). It's like swamp thing ripping open his forearm and strumming his veins. Pete Sandoval, in my opinion, is one of the most precise and talented drummers, not just in extreme music, but on the planet earth. Trey Azagthoth's guitar solos have become a staple in the death metal community, taking clear influence from the randomness and insanity of Kerry King's signature speed-solos and giving it his own personal spin/philangic assault. David Vincent's lyrics and vocals have just the right amount of stereotypical mysticism via the Satanic and Lovecraft-esque subject matter, being spoken through his iconic belches (for lack of a better word). After being taken through a labyrinth of punishment for 40 minutes or so, filled with memorable and broad rhythms and riffage (a quality often missing among most death metal bands), your brain is turned to complete mush and you submit to the closing mantra, sung in one of the most eery clean vocal melodies the devil himself may have taken credit for orchestrating:

Bow to me faithfully. Bow to me splendidly.

Be sure to try and catch them on the 20th Anniversary Tour of Covent this Fall too!

Anselmo Appreciation

There are few things in this world that I enjoy more than hearing Mr. Philip H. Anselmo ramble sluggishly through anecdotes, jokes, and opinionated views on just about everything.

I'm being completely serious here. Anselmo is a man that has gone from international fame and traveling the world to some of the darkest depths that a human soul can descend into. His lengthy battle with alcohol and hard drugs has been well documented (often by the man himself) and would make for a far better novel than any fiction on the subject matter.

Yeah, I love pretty much every record he's ever been involved in (even that Southern Isolation EP), but more so than that I have a deep appreciation for his insight and unique sense of humor.

You can expect quite a few of these on the blog.

Let me start this segment off with what is probably one of my favorite videos of him remembering Dimebag Darrell.



"I don't give a flying fuck about sweeps. Thats boring bullshit for guitar nerds. I prefer a motherfucker with soul, heart, and goddamn muscle."

Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (2011)

 

Let me just start off by saying one thing,

If you're turned off this band because you don't like the vocals you're posing. Straight up.

You're Hot Topic fodder and should go back to listening to whatever the fuck Dimmu Borgir is churning out these days. Sorry man, I don't make the rules. Maybe it's time to quit listening to those fur-wearing fuckwads and get with the program.

Where was I? Oh yea, the Omnious Doctrines...

Easily my favorite USBM band (by way of Colombia), Inquisition truly is a thing of unholy beauty. Every single record that they have ever crafted is majestic and evil. Pummeling riffs come together with beautiful melodies to create some of the most entrancing hymns for the Dark Lord that you'll ever hear in your pitiful life.

Dagon's voice is probably one of the most polarizing in the world of extreme metal. Undeniably influenced by Immortal, he has since developed his very own style that almost resembles the crooning of a raven. Frankly, to me it's baffling how he is able to sing, absolutely shred, and remember the multitude of verses that is every single one of their songs all at the same time. But somehow he not only pulls it off, but kills it in a live setting as well; as anyone who has ever had the pleasure of attending one of their ceremonies can attest to.

Every single Inquisition record is worth checking out. I might be posting more later, (their newest absolute beast of an album deserves its very own post) but in the meantime I leave you with what just might be my favorite battle-axe in their ungodly arsenal. For the initiated, this is a real slab of anti-cosmic, left-handed path gnosis in all its Thursatruan glory.

Astral Path To Supreme Majesties

Old (2013)

Another one for New-Music-Monday...

Danny Brown.....THIS fuckin guy, holy shit. I actually have not heard his previous proper album, "XXX", but I sure as hell will be getting it now. I'd only actually ever heard Danny Brown's random verses on other rappers' albums, up to this point, most notable, on a handful of Mr. Muthafuckin eXXquire, Action Bronson and A$AP Rocky songs. I always loved his random tid-bits, particularly because of his distinguishable flow and cadence, in addition to the fact that he is downright hilarious and sounds like he could be a supervillain from the Batman television show in the 60s. 

I guess I was slightly reluctant to listen to a Danny Brown solo record at the fear of it being overkill or even monotonous to hear his particular "flavor" for an entire 45 minute-long duration. I was wrong! He even gets slightly laid back on certain tracks. Obviously still completely wild on others though. Daniel collaborates with awesome musicans and fellow rappers, including Purity Ring and A$AP and just delivers a solid album from start to finish. This dude is hilarious and awesome. If you're looking for some super thought-provoking hip-hop album, this isn't the one, get Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Pt. 1, if that's what you're looking for. If you're in search of a new, original sounding, fun rap maniac, though, check out this crazy guy.

 

Ramen noodles for dinner.

New Worlds of Fear (2013)

Following the Halloween theme of the month, and also my wanting to post a semi-new record, here's the newest effort from Boston's reigning AFI/Ignite worshippers, Energy. I was under the ignorant assumption that this band had been defunct since after 2007's Invasions of the Mind, as I'd not seen much talk of anymore touring after I saw them and played with them a handful of times during 2006/7. Being that I think they pull off the whole melodic & fast punk with soprano/alto vocals thing better than anyone I've heard since their predecessors, I was slightly annoyed at the prediction they'd never release anything again. 

Not only was I wrong, but they released this incredibly bright and upbeat EP (while still maintaining their 'horror' themed sensibility) alongside an EP of covers, which they included one of in the recording and tracklisting of the New Levels of Fear EP, an awesome and accurately respectable rendition of The Ramones iconic "Pet Sematary" from the movie of the same name, where Tank's vocal range is an entire octave higher than that of Joey Ramone's recognizable vocals, adding a nice spin to the already infectious tune. 

As for the original material on the EP, Energy have easily matured to some of my favorite punk songwriters. They don't resort to any copouts as far as their music goes. Awesome craftsmanship in the riffs, smooth transitions, polished playing, insanely catchy vocal rhythms and hooks...If you are a fan of Black Sails/Art of Drowning-era AFI, Ignite, and the Misfits, scoop this up and try to catch them live, if you ever get the chance.

                           

 If we could only see

Nick 13 - Self Titled (2011)

Granted, I'm a slightly new Tiger Army/Nick 13 fan (I know, late-pass city), I felt like expressing how incredibly talented of a singer/songwriter he is via his solo album, rather than posting about Tiger Army. I've been a huge fan of the whole California punk/hardcore/metal collective since my early teens. AFI, Bleeding Through, Eighteen Visions, Adamantium, Mean Season, Avenged Sevenfold (yes, I like them, legitimately), and more recently, Tiger Army & Nick 13. Tiger Army is awesome, especially in a sense that they blend traditional upbeat anthemic punk with a rockabilly twang. When I found out Nick 13 also had a solo album that was more country & Americana oriented, I had to check it out. Goddamn, this record is so good. His voice sounds even more like a mix between Chris Isaak, Elvis and Morrissey on this than it does on the TA stuff, where it slightly bends more in the direction of a more melodic Davey Havok. The style of music throughout and the lyrical content are like a contemporary/modern Johnny Cash, instrumentally, with similar undertones, while also slightly reminding me of the late, great Roy Orbison. Plain and simple, the fact that I truly and honestly enjoy a predominantly country-esque album is an understatement. 

This is just great music, flat out.

Someday, I'll wander no more.

Bloody Kisses (1993)

Fuck it, I'm in a good mood.

You get Bloody Kisses too.

No long-winded explanation for this gem, just throw it on (you know, on itunes) and let its awesomeness wash over you. The Drab Four were really putting out some of their best material around this time.

 I wish Peter Steele was still around.

   Jesus Christ looks like me. 

October Rust (1996)

That Misfits post really put me in the mood for some more Halloween jams, so I think I'm gonna ride that Transylvanian train for a little longer.

Type O Negative is the ultimate Gothic Doom band as far as I'm concerned (sorry My Dying Bride, I'll get to you later) and this is unquestionably one of their finer releases.

Sonically, this is a very atmospheric record. The heavily distorted down-tuned guitars and the trademark bass lines from their previous albums are still present; but what really gives it its chilling, spooky vibes are the keyboards. Josh Silver's keys are much more omnipresent than in any of their earlier releases and it works amazingly well on October Rust. 

Lyrically this record is as personal and intimate as only Peter Steele was capable of  doing it. I have no idea how, but the man was always able to write the most miserable gut wrenching songs about lost and estranged loves and still leave you feeling like you would never be as suave as him.

There are so many wonderful things about this record; the haunting ambiance, the Bela Lugosi-esque vocals, the sheer sexuality that songs like "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" exude... Hey, snicker all you want pal, but play this record next time you and your lady (let's pretend you have one for the sake of argument) are getting hot and heavy and you tell me how that goes.

It's okay, you can thank me later.

                   

                 There's a Type O Negative song for every relationship I ever had. 

Blood Has Been Shed - Spirals (2003)

My name is Sam and my first contribution to this lovely collaboratively wonderful online publication will be the most legitimately, undeniably perfect mosh-metal record ever to be recorded:

Blood Has Been Shed - Spirals. 

Before Howard Jones became the easily recognizable crooner (now recently estranged) of heavy-metal titans, Killswitch Engage (whose debut and pre-HJ-era album, "Alive or Just Breathing", will get an entirely separate post from me in the near future), he was the lead singer of Blood Has Been Shed, one of the founding fathers of the subgenre mosh-metal/metalcore or what have you. Before the days of hundreds of fake Poison the Wells, Acacia Strain clones and diet-On Broken Wingses, this masterpiece of metalcore ruled my first iPod (the one with the screen that looked like a 1980s gameboy). 

Think: anything good about early Acacia Strain mixed with Meshuggah - obZen. The production of the recording is one of my favorites. Guitar tone is literally perfect, as far as a Peavey 5150 tone gets, drums not triggered to death, bass booming but not drowning out the rest of the music, Jones' pre-Killswitch vocals, in my opinion, more raw and primal, like, someone disemboweling him while another assailant captures it through a soundboard.

If you enjoy heavy, moshable music, have never given this battering ram of a record a listen and can withstand an audial onslaught for a little over a half an hour, do yourself a favor and accept my downloadable gift below.

Atonement means nothing.

Earth Ad - Wolfs Blood

Check it out,

Its almost Halloween, and you know what that means right?

It means that if you're listening to anything BUT this record you're the worst possible type of poser in the history of posing and deserve to have all your cool-band Ebay T-shirts burned in front you while you cry.

Seriously though, this album is beyond amazing on way too many different levels.

For one, it's the last Misfits record to feature Danzig (before Jerry Only started buttfucking the band's corpse into irrelevant oblivion) as lead singer. The vocals are bludgeoning screams almost devoid of any real melody and the lyrics are way more violent and homicidal than on any previous records.

It also sees the rest of the band ditching their punkier roots and instead going for a full scale hardcore and speed-metal assault.

This album is dirty, raw, and disgusting. The perfect soundtrack for stuffing razorblades in candy apples. 

Humans are weak. I want your blood. 

Welcome Miscreants

This is our blog, it consists of Kooby and me posting shit we think is awesome.

Bear with us while we blindly blunder through the internets, eventually we hope to be posting fairly regularly.

In the meantime here is 5 Deadly Venoms:


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Spinkicks.