Vermis (2013)

So...here's another one. Another band that sounds like a Armageddon, but, centralized and controlled. Like a pile of anvils falling off Mount Fuji onto a giant sack of kittens. Ulcerate is a new band to me. When I say that, I mean that I know they've been around for over a decade, but, this is the first thing I've heard from them and I am an idiot for not hearing them sooner.

 

Their sound is very refreshing. What I enjoy the most about this band is that it sounds like, to me, they take a great deal of influence from two things: the sludgier, slower, down-tuned Morbid Angel songs (God of Emptiness, Where the Slime Live, etc), and I could hear a decent amount of influence from veteran doomy-death metal band, Demelich. Not only this, but, Ulcerate's riffage is very erratic and unconventional. Lots of random time signatures, jazzy interludes and downright randomness, without ever losing the blackest-of-midnight undertone throughout the entire record. This is an undeniably heavy, genre-bending, mind-fuck of a release.

 Reckoning is upon the meek. 

Paracletus (2010)

Black metal is a very distinguished, elite and downright snooty subgenre of metal. Many elitist black metal fans have their opinions on what is and isn't considered true black metal. I, honestly, could not give a damn if something is considered "true" or if it's considered sell-out bullshit. I think most black metal warriors can unanimously agree that Deathspell Omega is a great band, plain and simple.

They've been kind of a chameleon as far as styles, starting their existence off as a great, traditional style black metal band, drawing a great deal of inspiration from Norwegian pioneers, like Bathory & Darkthrone. Later on, it's almost as if they all got struck by lightning during a band practice and these crazy random songs just came out of nowhere.

The songs I'm referring to are on my favorite of their records, Paracletus. Now, I have no idea if they had a lineup change anywhere in their career, because they keep their identities anonymous, but it's almost as if the band's chief songwriters got completely replaced. I loved their older stuff, but holy shit, this record....How do I describe it?.....It's basically like....being in a catatonic stage, awake, but asleep, trapped in your own mind, spiraling and twisting out of control into a vortex of destruction. I would compare this album to an audial illustration of organized chaos, choreographed Armageddon, etc. The music makes almost no sense, but makes complete sense, at the same time. This is a very unconventional black metal band, yes, but, still black metal nonetheless. This record...hurts.

This congregation was cast out of humanity.

Satanic Royalty (2011)

A friend of mine turned me on to this band recently, after describing them as a mixture of Venom and Motorhead...with proper production quality and well-tuned instruments....Not that that's a stab at the primitive vibe of earlier Venom records, "Black Metal" and "Welcome to Hell" are some of my favorite metal records, period, but, it's refreshing to hear a new band with such a respectively honed sound, with such a wonderfully recorded album.

Not only does this band pay audial respects to Venom and Motorhead, but Midnight have a very raw, 70s punk rock feel as well. I'd even say they remind me of The Stooges and The Exploited a bit. The stereotypical, but always fun, Satanic imagery and thematic elements most likely also play a decent sized part of the band's fast rise to popularity, as it is always a hot-button subject, an attention grabber and means of scrutinization, still, in 2014.

Besides the fact that the band's conceal their faces, there doesn't seem to be much of a gimmick in their live presentation, or any added nonsensical visual aids. Not that I don't enjoy the occasional pyrotechnic and/or ritualistic sacrifice, but a direct approach towards a genre that's been saturated with the same corpse-paint ridden, gauntlet and sword-weilding Lord of the Rings worshippers for the 25 some odd years, is a breath of fresh (winter) air.

So, if you are a fan of early Motorhead and punk influenced black metal of yester-year, with Kronos-esque vocals, you might want to jump off your hell-stallion and give Midnight's raw energy a once-over.

Call of storms, wind and rage.

Until the Ink Runs Out (2000)

My first of many early 00s metalcore appreciation posts. This record made my jaw drop. I'd heard some other OC bands from the late 90s right when I got into hardcore around 99/2000 and I was hooked on all of it. Partially, because of how easily of a transitioning period, being 100% into metal, then Misfits/Danzig/Samhain/Michale Graves and then the entire OC metalcore craze. Eighteen Visions blew me away. I got this record and the compilation of all their 7" and eps (The Best Of) at the same time, from a distro table at a bar/venue in Fort Lauderdale, along with a ton of other great CDs. 

One part death metal, one part spastic Botchy sounding riffs, one part rock n' roll, all dark and mysterious. This was when the band was still balls-to-the-wall heavy, they still utilized Brandan Schiepatti as a guitar player alongside one of my favorite riff-lords, Keith Barney, James Hart's voice was still ferocious and gutteral, the lyrics were dark, satirical and nihilistic, it was perfect. I was lucky enough to catch them on support still, for this record, in 2002, when they still had this lineup as well. Music like this flat out does not exist anymore.

Today a plane flew over London.

Anselmo Appreciation

Lightning struck down twice. Black mass, latin fire.

Bang your head.




 

"The more you play, the more you realize that hipsters are gonna hipster themselves off and... wear their Hot Topic gear to some asshole bar... We don't need costumes, we don't need ideology. All we need to do is jam and I love it. All you other fucking bands suck my giant dick"

For Victory (1994)

I haven't posted any Death Metal since we started this blog, which is strange considering how much of it I like listening to. So here's my hands-down favorite DM band ever.  

To be fair, Bolt Thrower don't sound like your average 90's Death Metal band. That is to say they weren't ripping off Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel (not that there's anything wrong with that if you ask me) but instead they crafted their own brand of DM and infused it with healthy doses of Punk and Doom. There are no blast beats and little, if any, Thrash influences here. Their whole discography sounds like they were paying more attention to Discharge and Candlemass than to Possessed or Death. That unique sound is only one of the things that set them apart from their contemporaries. Lyrically, BT strayed from the Gore/Satanic/Lovecraftian themes that dominated the scene and instead focused on examining the subtleties of war. The end result is one of the most captivating musical entities you could listen to.  

The mid-paced style on this record makes every riff and every song sound massive, while the melodies give it an epic feel that few bands (Sulphur Aeon comes to mind) since them have been able to pull off as flawlessly.

Bolt Thrower is crushing. They lumber forward like a WWII tank crushing everything in its path. Every single record that they ever put out it is worth checking out, but in the mean-time here's a good one to get you started. Released in 1994, "For Victory" STILL obliterates everything out there.

                      

                                          To future generations, a legacy of hate. 

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.