Year End Blah 2010: Part 5 (Solicited & Unsolicited Lists)
January 20 2011 at 10:40:59 AM  Get Fingered. We asked for it. Few responded. But that’s life and it usually does suck. For every I-don’t-wanna-do-that, there’s Dennis Dread’s massive block o’copy, testament to an attention span worthy of The Sorrow & The Pity, and a shining light in the void proving, yeah, there are still some people out there who buy records and process ‘em without any help whatsoever from bloggers. Novel, that. Enjoy—or not. Dennis Dread Abscess Dawn of Inhumanity (Tyrant Syndicate/Peaceville) Conflict of interest? Sure. Bias? You bet! Since when is metal (or music reviews for that matter) anything but subjective opinionated bullshit anyway? Now that we've cleared that up, Dawn of Inhumanity is the final piece in the scatological puzzle that is the Abscess legacy and what a masterful symphony of apocalyptic deviancy we have here! I'm afraid this one was swiftly buried in the understandable avalanche of enthusiasm surrounding Autopsy's reunion, which is a shame 'cause this is a fantastic swansong and undoubtedly one of the lost jewels of 2010. This is the kind of recording that screams for headphones, black candles, a ouija board and a baseball bat. Murky horrorscapes are your only relief from the bludgeoning deathpunk assault of new classics like Divine Architect of Disaster, Goddess of Filth And Plague, Torn From Tomorrow and the weird dirge of Dead Haze. Never Sane Again comes charging off the leash like a stinking gangrenous dog (don't take my word for it, I'm paraphrasing Chris Reifert) before collapsing into a Coralles lead that will have Autopsy fans drooling like invalids until Joe "Kill" Allen's eerie bass line erupts into a headbanging stampede and the whole fucking calvary spirals down into a psychedelic toilet of doom. Speaking of "Kill", the title track is practically a Von homage with its cryptic haiku and reverb incantations. In case your trip wasn't going bad enough already, Fenriz and Nocturnal Culto have decided to swing by the party with some unsettling news: you're fucked. It's probably completely coincidental but I love the way Dark Side Of A Broken Knife opens up like the old Cro Mags song Face The Facts. Coincidental or not, it makes me want to jump up and punch you in the fucking face. These are some of Reifert's most inspired lyrics to date and he delivers them with the insane ferocity of Oscar the Grouch herniating to shit on your grave. To top it all off, this final Tyrant Syndicate/Peaceville shiv comes sheathed in a beautiful digi-book featuring lyrics, photos and Reifert's psychederelict drawings. The cover art ain't bad either. If I may be so bold, this is a real labor of love from the TRUE metal underground. Someone please release this on gatefold vinyl! Peaceville, are you listening? Christian Mistress Agony & Opium (20 Buck Spin) At first utterance the title agony and opium has a similar ring to tyranny and mutation, does it not? At first glance the more astute nerd may even perceive a familiar color scheme reference in the red and the black of its packaging. The cover actually looks like a cross between the first Saint Vitus record and a D.I.Y. Confederate flag. But make no mistake, this isn't "retro-rock", "old school" or whatever term jaded blogspot critics (ahem) are using to spay and neuter creativity these days. Christian Mistress offers up timeless American Heavy Metal with roots planted firmly in the fertile soil of yore and branches ascending towards a glorious home in the sun! To be perfectly honest, my vengeful inner-adolescent was already expecting to be disappointed by this debut LP the moment I banged out an adoring review of their demo last year. Would they betray me with an ironic cover of Turbo Lover? Would they do a buncha coke and compose a four record "concept album" about dream catchers? In the past year my favorite Olympian headbangers have had ample opportunity to make every terrible decision imaginable and in every instance they have steadfastly remained on the path of honor (well, they did make one minor misstep but it was a nano-error of ultimately little significance). These six songs are a heady testament to their honesty and fortitude. Desert Rose, with its insistent riffing and devastating chorus, is the highlight for me but the refined version of Poison Path reins the ferocious energy of the 2009 demo for a potent flipside opener and Omega Stone is a bold step into previously uncharted ballad territory that erupts in an emotive climax perfectly suited to Christine Davis' throaty enunciation. In a perfect world, kids would burn down the stairway to heaven and make out to this song at the end of every prom. But this ain't a perfect world. Now about that demo... Bone Sickness Demo (Self Released) These cretins take their name from an inexcusably boring and incompetent straight-to-video horror flick that even frontal nudity and copious amounts of Jamesons couldn't salvage. But I suppose Autopsy and Master were already taken and Don't Go In The Woods is too wordy, so who can blame 'em? This is rabid metal from the grave steeped in the noxious sewer crust of Nausea and the glacial judgment of Winter. Six songs and not a dud among them! Organ-Wrenching Sick is the standout with its sludgy pummeling and infectious thrash riffing but The Collector and Scraping The Bones make me wanna get wasted on formaldehyde and play operation with a chainsaw. I was fortunate enough to catch these talented young derelicts performing in the outdoor parking lot of a pizza joint earlier this year and was grinning like an undertaker by the time they lurched off stage. It was broad daylight but they painted the sky black with plague while the usual gang of downtown Olympia riff raff assaulted each other in the pit and confused the hippies and homeless who couldn't boogie along fast enough. Keep truckin'. At the time Bone Sickness featured former Funerot (R.I.P.) shredder Ben Moore-Maley on guitar and he rips it up on this demo but has since relocated for school and been replaced. Don't worry, the new guy rules. For some reason I seem to recall the live set having something of a spastic Accused or Animosity-era C.O.C. vibe (maybe it was just the drummer's tattoos) but by the time this demo emerged a few months later the punk influence was mostly buried in a shroud of viscera. If these dudes can keep their shit together they'll be something to watch and I'm really looking forward to their full-length in 2011. Limited to 250 copies and featuring stylish cover art by Jorge Flores of Lit Fuse Tattoo. Choke on it! Budos Band Budos Band III (Daptone Records) Disco, Bloody Disco! Every time I play this record I feel like an unshaven vice cop cruising the neon jungle in an undercover Cutlass with questionable intentions and three cigarettes dangling from my clenched teeth. AIDS does not exist, porn stars don't shave their muffs and Brooklyn isn't cool. Every Budos Band recording is a shimmering jewel but Budos Band III slithers and undulates with infectious perfection. They even manage to inject a Beatles cover with the nasty soul of a blaxploitation soundtrack circa 1972, sans filler and unnecessary vocals to maximize the guerrilla percussion attack (they call it "Afro-Soul"). Hypnotic bass lines lock you down in the shadow of the horns while flutes flutter and ominous organ flourishes promise that trouble is brewing in the apartment upstairs. When I was a kid, my step dad used to roll toothpick joints of seedy weed on the cover of his favorite Chuck Mangione record. Chuck Mangione wrote what I can only assume was the first international flugelhorn hit and Feels So Good was in regular rotation when it became the official score for New York State tourism commercials. Ace Frehley later provided the soundtrack for similar New York television jingles when he scored an unexpected winner off his first solo record. Maybe that's why playing air horns to Budos Band feels perfectly natural. As natural as a volcano, scorpion, cobra or some other earthbound entity that can fuck you up while looking good. Huey Lewis and the Bad News Bears over here are tougher than nails and heavier than whatever bullshit you read about on facebook this week. I'm back in the New York Groove, pal. Cauchemar La Vierge Noire (Nuclear War Now!) Like a virgin. Touched for the very first time. Cauchemar arrives from Montreal, Canada as a lightning shaft of illumination rending the musty ossuary of modern mediocrity! This power trio offers up anthemic French invocations shrouded in the purple metal majesty of doom, made all the more mysterious by the fact that I don't understand a word of it. Well, that's not entirely true. I nailed the first word of Le Volle D'Isis without Google Translate but that's only because I already had to look up the word "sepultura" two decades ago. Cauchemar's sepulchral rocka rolla crawls forth from the same crypt as Italian horror hordes Death SS and Black Hole with creepy dynamics giving way to galloping rhythm and haunting melody. Annick Giroux's vocals emanate a refreshing humility and an understated sensual power that tempers the muscular advance of Francois Patry's iron riffs and Patrick Pageau's confident plodding. Midnight Shady refuses to dumb us down with growls, grunts, shrieks or false operatic femininity. In fact, she sorts the men out from the boys with dignified restraint and all while laying it down on the four string altar. Hard to pick a favorite as this entire 12" is flawless, if only too short. Austere aesthetics reflects the band's modest no-frills approach. As a matter of logistical criticism, clear vinyl makes it virtually impossible to tell what side is what or where the fucking grooves are in a candlelit room. Purple vinyl would've been perfect. Still, I feel shiny and new. Like a virgin. Hour of 13 The Rites of Samhain (Yersinia Pestis) I have no idea why it took me so long to discover Phil Swanson's classy metal pipes but I'm admittedly a recent convert to his mournful satanic hymns and, to make up for lost time, I officially declare 2010 the "Year of 13". I was nearly buried this year in a small avalanche of tunes bearing his distinctive mark in the form of no less than three (count 'em!) Hour of 13 releases as well as the killer Vestal Claret and Nightbitch EP's (both on cult cassette-only label NoVisible Scars). I'm not sure why this dude has so many bands 'cause to my untrained ear most of this stuff sounds remarkably similar and his lyrics never stray too far from the themes of occult mind control and sexy human sacrifice that would've had the P.M.R.C. launching an inquisition back in the 80's. The Ritualist is a damn fine record and I've banged my head in slow motion to its mysterious laments many times in recent months but this two-track 7" is something special to behold. The first release on artist Josh McAlear's new label and bearing his spectacular cover art and design, this beautiful little record is essentially an homage to the pagan roots of Halloween and Glenn Danzig's most spiritually focused period. When I saw Danzig on the first solo tour in 1988 he was still performing his Samhain masterpiece To Walk The Night- which, incidentally, is a line culled directly from Anne Rice's novel Interview With a Vampire- and it was a brooding respite in the midst of an otherwise frenzied rock 'n' roll communion. Swanson intuitively understands the tortured subtleties of Danzig's vocals and while his voice is not necessarily suited for this dark ballad, the band offers up a deadly serious homage that works well enough. The A-side title track however is a stone cold killer, writhing with characteristic menace and dour devotion. In all honesty the crushing Nightbitch Sex & Magic EP, which was recently pressed to vinyl following the limited edition cassette version, is musically superior but I keep stumbling on the name (almost as dumb and misleading as Anal Vomit) and rushed graphics so the more aesthetically pleasing relic wins. Stylish silver ink printed on black sleeves and limited to 300 numbered copies. All documented. All true. Spectres Last Days (Whisper In Darkness) Back to Canada. If I bummed you out earlier with my endorsement of an Afro-Soul record, prepare for more crippling disappointment. After unveiling the very promising Cold War EP in 2007 and Visions of a New World in 2008, the somber Canucks known as Spectres have returned in 2010 with an outstanding debut LP that has all the dark wavers wearing their sunglasses at night and frowning in approval. Despite a new lineup, Last Days continues in the deadpan vein of the band's previous work, drawing heavily on the martial cadence of Crisis and the smoldering introspective anguish of The Mob and Joy Division. They call this "flat affect" in the mental health profession. Vocalist Brian Gustavason thrives on monotone emotional dissonance but new songs like Our Time and Nazca show him broadening his range and stepping out of his comfort zone just enough to keep the funeral procession moving along at a brisk jaunty pace. This is one of those albums that takes homage to the threshold of plagiarism but somehow remains relevant and vital. In fact, these dudes have helped spearhead a recent emergence of melodic North West post-punk bands like Bellicose Minds, Vivid Sekt and Arctic Flowers, with whom they share a split 7". I sorta hope they'll continue to carve out an identity of their own and perhaps push their sound into more aggressive or experimental directions. The purity of this style is fairly limiting and the ice age atmosphere might grow stagnant over time, but this record has a moody urgency that really works. Snort your girlfriend's Prozac and join the death party, punk! Von Goat Septic Illuminations (Nuclear War Now!) I'm not entirely sure what happened at Armageddon Fest but reliable accounts agree that the Von lineup was confusing and their underwhelming performance a stain upon the band's otherwise untouchable legacy. Of course that's the risk inherent in all reunions, reformations, remakes, re-imaginings and re-recordings. Such endeavors almost always cater to the lowest common denominator and tend to leave the distinctly bad taste of nostalgia in one's mouth (this year's triumphant Autopsy reunion being one notable exception to the rule). I was so ashamed when I heard Let There Be Blood that I immediately sold my original pressing of Bonded By Blood and don't need to hear Exodus again for a long time. Historical revisionism is tricky business. So after the disaster in London I was cautious to approach S. Von Goat's new project, a further exploration along the strange Von continuum, for fear that it would somehow diminish my adoration or sully my memory. Eventually I got over myself after blasting Sixx for most of the year and decided I had to give this a try. Occasionally bold curiosity is rewarded with perverse arcane knowledge, pilgrims. What the fuck is this that stands before me? Cryptic poetry swirls through waves of thick distortion like a bloated pig corpse drifting through the pestilent sewage of some dark ancient river. Subliminal commands, wet skulls, oxidized chains and bacterial spiders ooze from the speakers like terrible and incurable blood-borne pathogens. Impenetrable lyrics elude to the hallucinatory madness of addiction, but the symbolism is left ambiguous enough to allow the listener to draw their own conclusions into the soiled syringe. For some reason the combined disorienting atmosphere of Wrest's drums with the sickly vocals and inverted melodies recalls early Godflesh and Scatology-era Coil, but I wouldn't want to mislead readers who might therefore expect some sort of industrial experimentalism. This is metal even as it skirts the edges of the unknown and unknowable. Worth repeated listens at high volume. Stare long into the septic abyss! Watain Lawless Darkness (Seasons in Mist) One of the phenomenons that I struggle with when thinking about the most compelling music of the year is the sheer volume of releases that flood the world these days. I occasionally long for the days when music was a lusty wench worthy of a relationship and I found myself wed to certain records for months and months, imbibing every nuance on a cellular level. When Master of Puppets came out in 1986 it was an event and I spent the rest of the year banging my head in thoughtful introspection, studying the lyrics and contemplating the air brushed cover. Sounds naive now but at the time this was the ambitious crest of a rising force and the tremendous anticipation was part of the thrill. Say what you will about Metallica's colossal wimpery but to this day when I hear a single note from their third LP something deep inside me immediately stirs to attention. That's because I put time in with that record, time I felt it deserved. A decade or so later I did the same with Storm of The Light's Bane. Nowadays it's difficult to get to know music and develop that deeper and ultimately more meaningful connection. A timely example is the new Ghost LP which, after months of excitement, was prematurely ejaculated into existence and unceremoniously sent to me in the body of an e-mail message. I realize I'm an irrelevant dinosaur, but I felt cheated. Lawless Darkness is one of those uncommon records one must devote significant time and energy to properly reckon and romance- perhaps more time and energy than most can afford in their eagerness to make snappy commentary. Despite the band's meticulous attention to detail, this is not tidy or palatable music suitable for the cyber equivalent of fast forwarding. Certainly songs like Wolves' Curse and Reaping Death deliver a swaggering immediacy but Total Funeral and The Waters of Ain demand stamina and focus. Sure, the recording suffers from sterile overproduction but even as I bang out these words I feel as though I've only just begun to plumb the depths of this collection and suspect it will continue to open itself up to me and enflame my imagination for many years to come. As potent art should. Speaking of which, the staggering presentation of this record is largely the work of previously unknown Polish master Zbigniew M. Bielak, whom Erik Danielsson told me quite literally appeared out of thin air with his classical style perfectly suited to the band's monolithic vision. Artists of this calibre only surface every decade or so and abominations of this far reaching grandeur only manifest under the most spectacular of circumstances. Face the thing that should not be... Creepy Archives Vol. 1-8 (Dark Horse Books) A lot of my pals got married or bought houses or renovated their homes in 2010. My smartest investment this year, on the other hand, was trading a dude at the Dark Horse Comics warehouse an original drawing for a complete collection of hard bound Creepy Archives. It was a win/win trade and someone should've photographed our faces as we exchanged the goods like giddy schoolgirls trading scratch & sniff sticker books. Unfortunately, this insanely beautiful collection has quickly destroyed any semblance of a life I once had. Now I sit awake at 3am like a meth addict, rationalizing how I can read just...one...more story and still get 3 hours of sleep before work. For those of you cretins that just crawled out from under a goddamn rock, Creepy was a hugely influential horror comic anthology that had a solid run from 1964-1983. Warren Publishing used the magazine format to evade the Comics Code Authority restrictions on violence and targeted a more mature readership (cough) than most other monster comics of the era. The writing was notably more sophisticated and the art was simply brilliant- Frank Frazetta himself provided most of the cover art for the first 20 issues of the series. Of course Creepy also featured a charismatic horror "host” that directly connected with readers in the tradition of earlier EC comics and was eventually immortalized by Impetigo on Ultimo Mondo Cannibale. Sure, there's some quaint filler to be found in the initial 145 issue run but for the most part this stuff is top notch. Marvel at the seemingly effortless work of masters such as Angelo Torres, Reed Crandall, John Severin, Gray Morrow, Alex Toth and the always uncanny Steve Ditko at the top of their drawing game. The Dark Horse Archives reprint each issue in its entirety, including the awesome ads (can I still order a mail order baby squirrel monkey with "live delivery guaranteed"???), reader letters and fan club art. Don't miss a young Berni Wrightson's fan club drawing in issue #9! And for yet another stunning example of the historic cross-pollination of horror, art and heavy metal, check out issue #27 for a young Ken Kelly's demonic fan club drawing. Yes, the very same Ken Kelly who would go on to provide album cover art for Kiss, Rainbow and Manowar. Hail to Creepy! Now I wonder if my landlord will let me trade a drawing for the rent this month... Happy New Year. Best to you all in 2011! ~Dennis Dread [Dennis is a consummate artist and drunk and occasional Left Hand Path contributor. He is not known for his brevity.] Wrnlrd
Bolt Thrower, Realm Of Chaos Any Bolt Thrower album does the job, but this year I find Realm Of Chaos has been my Bolt Thrower of choice. It is a sound less pressed in stone by heavy tank tread, more written in flame by elite shock troops. For me 2010 has been such a year. When things settle down again, I will likely resume regular marathons of Those Once Loyal. Pestilence, Spheres Guitars mimic the bizarre geometric horror of Donald Cammell's Demon Seed (1977). Weird effects, keyboards, space noises, and the sublime vocals of bloody death. This record is an interdimensional hub where travelers may transfer information freely among various places and times. I don't know what year it is anymore, and I don't care. Judas Priest, A Touch Of Evil Assuming there are no overdubs on this live record, I think Halford burned out what's left of his voice recording this, because he seemed tired as shit when they played here last year. He hit zero high notes that night, as I remember. I might have been distracted by Glenn and/or KK at some point and missed the screaming though. Halford is "the shit" but he's not the only "the shit", you know, in the band. Always a great show, even when Rob takes a long break backstage between each song. I am just glad to be there, witnessing these fucking professionals practicing their craft. I was moved throughout. People can talk about "cheese" and "pandering" or whatever, but I felt it that night: I felt like a part of something bigger than myself, and I felt like everyone else can go to fucking hell. These two extremes were held in balance for the duration of the show and beyond. That is the magic of Priest. This live recording will do in the off season. Thanks to Voegtlin for telling me the news that they are breaking up again. You sadistic bastard. Triptykon, Eparistera Daimones / Shatter There has always been a frailty to TGW's output. This new shit is heavier, stronger, more tightly executed. This mighty fortress shall not be moved. But the frailty remains, somehow, in the words spoken, the soul revealed. There is Gospel if you want it. The riffs are on the predictable side at times, and usually when you combine predictability with slow tempo, it can be excruciatingly boring. In this case, I think the production mitigates that. Knowing what is coming doesn't prepare you so much when what is coming is that hard and heavy. Fused with lyrics of a personal, confessional quality, devastation is the result. Starkweather, This Sheltering Night I don't really know what this is yet. It's puzzling. Its an enigma. I don't want to have an opinion about it. I want to keep the riddle alive as long as I can. I am proceeding methodically, writing things down when I can remember that I have hands with which to do this. So far my notes say: Starkweather. This Sheltering Night. That's about as far as I've gotten on their previous album Croatoan too, carving the title into the table and looking out the window. For the first few listens I skipped impatiently past the ambient interludes. Now I see they are essential for the periodic recuperation of my puny human mind. Then the Starkweather kicks in, makes me want to jump out of my skin and do something supernatural. Rennie Resmini is a fantastic, lycanthropic vocalist. The band as a whole shifts shape to match their own mysterious cravings. Recordings brought back from another level of existence that we can only inhabit in brief episodes, lest we become deranged. And you call it "metalcore". Integrity, The Blackest Curse When the end time comes I will be reaching for records before bibles. The Blackest Curse might not be the record I end up grabbing (cuz of all the Judgment and confusion and shit) but if its all I can salvage from this rotten dirtball before it goes up in fucking flames, I'll take it gladly. 20 years ago this band dramatized the Book Of Revelation on my street, a set dressed with broken homes for hell and demons prowling in contemporary sportswear. The music made religion relevant to me in a way the church never did, and probably never will. This new record expands on the vision that made this band so great, and has musicianship to back it up. Its not the same band from '92, but that won't bother you unless you are still the same can of whipped cream huffing asshole you were 20 years ago. Okkultokrati, No Light For Mass I read Aversionline so I get to hear about good bands like this before they break up. The first half is more or less in the vein of old Celtic Frost, the 2nd half evolves to include more of a hardcore influence. The drums beat down like a rat trap on repeat. Whenever a band's vocals are even somewhat reminiscent of Van Drunen's howling with Pestilence I am on board. The heavy and memorable riffing doesn't hurt either. Danzig, Deth Red Sabaoth Danzig does his best work when his songs connect to that vein of American Music that carries the blood of John R. Cash and Howlin Wolf. I think the classic albums 1-4 are remembered so fondly because he was creating a place for himself in a line of singers from the blues to Orbison, Cash, Elvis, taking that tradition into an apocryphal territory that was just flat out exciting. It was a revelation. Then he seemed to lose focus, maybe delving too deeply into the imagery of hellsluts and demonic weightlifters, cranking out more stripper songs and what felt at times like rote demonspeak. On this new album he seems to be working in that old American tradition again. He belongs in the hall of fame with those great old ones, not just in the titty bar for your gyrating pleasure. I hope he is still doing this when he is 80, and the croon has become a croak. Like Cash, his is a distinct voice that will always have its own strange power, no matter what damage the years manage to do. Salivating Lamb, The Words That Form His Name The latest work by James McCrea, a good friend of mine who is also responsible for one of the greatest noise albums you never heard (Shattered, by Narcotic Dreams, 2005). Salivating Lamb amounts to his own existential / religious crisis translated to audio. As such, it feels more like a full blown theatrical production than it does a collection of songs. It conjures its own scenery and dramatic turns, executed on the scaffold of noise and doom. Micro and Macro. Intro and Extro. Cymbals clicking alien tongue like a relay switch connected to nothing, stink of burning air as a hole is opened, the deep hum and crackle of two bodies hurled together. This was released on 100 cassettes by 213 Records of France. Good luck. Sabbath Assembly, Restored To One One of my favorite songs is THOU ART LORD by Acheron. I like to play it on the acoustic like a gospel blues, and really get into praising His name. All gospel music feels like it could go either way, up or down, like you could steer it with your own perverting innards. See Richard Burton's preacher in Night Of The Iguana (1964). With the hysteria of the holy ghost running through you, you make a spiritual doorway of irrationality. You are coasting on guts. Is it just the long suppressed desires of your fevered brain, or is it a holy intervention? What's the difference. At this moment, you are plugged in to the void. Your love of God is your fear of the Devil. One feeds the other. Now you want to go back and listen once more to those Mahalia Jackson records, and look for a hint of her secret Satanism. [Wrnlrd, a maker and listener of unclassifiable music, has read The Five Fingers fewer times than Stewart Voegtlin.] Stephen O’Malley
SOMA 2010 top 10 of the moment: KTL playing at Musèe du Louvre, for a film soundtrack of Murnau's "Sunrise" film. 2 x concert/performances with Alan Moore in Gateshead (one of which was a quartet with Susan Stenger and FM Einheit). Finishing soundtrack for "This Is How You Will Disappear" play by Gisèle Vienne, premiering at Festival Avignon and then touring fucking Japan! Residency and collaborating at Alan Lamb's Wired Labs in New South Wales + John Foxx "Metamatic" Hooded Menace "Never Cross The Dead" LP Jean-Claude Eloy Reissues DIO "Donnington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" Seijaku "Mail From Fushitsusha" Xenakis LP finds at Dame Blanche/Paris Mark Hollis "s/t" Catherine Christer Hennix CD Herbie Hancock "Crossings" Werner Herzog "Conquest of the Useless" Sun City Girls "Funeral Mariachi" RIP Dio & Sleazy [Stephen O’Malley is Drone and resides in Jurassic France. He’s currently working on a piece commissioned by foreverdoomed.com that involves tape manipulation and decontextualizing of Hip Hop records, viz., Ol Dirty Bastard. There are no riffs planned for this piece.] Erik Wunder
My 2010 has been quite an eventful year, starting off with recording the Man's Gin album in January/February with our friend Colin Marston. The spring followed with myself and Man's Gin bassist Josh going on tour with Jarboe's band in Europe, co-headlining with Nachtmystium and climaxing with a powerful performance at the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. The following day we found out about that bastard volcano going off in Iceland, which left us stranded in Switzerland for the following week and a half. Luckily we met good friends who put us up for that time, feeding us and allowing us to crash and burn on their couches. We found out that the Swiss are generally friendly people but also that Switzerland is one of the most expensive cities in all of Europe, a place where a falafel sandwich costs $12 US. So we learned to live within our means. Upon arriving back in the US we completed the artwork/layout for the Man's Gin 'Smiling Dogs' album, which was released in August through Profound Lore Records. On top of all of this madness I have been writing new songs for both Man's Gin and Cobalt, as well as working out live situations for both bands and working further with Jarboe. So as one could see, I have had little time to check out new releases this year. I will say that the new Dax Riggs album 'Say Goodnight to the World' is a GREAT piece of music. I'm glad to see Dax going back to the more psychedelic blues stuff. I think it's his best album since 'If this is Hell than I'm Lucky'. The new High on Fire record is also great. Matt Pike and friends always do it the right way. And lastly, at least for 2010 releases, I would say the new Swans record 'My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky' is a great recording. I know Jarboe isn't in this lineup, but the songs are powerful and moving, and the orchestration is fantastic throughout. It is surely recommended by yours truly. Let's see, other than that I've been jamming: Judas Priest Stained Class Neurosis Times of Grace Tool Undertow Today is the Day Supernova and also, Soundgarden Down on the Upside- I'm revisiting this album and realizing how great it is. Great guitar playing and well written songs. [Erik Wunder is a member of Cobalt and Man’s Gin. He drinks a lot.] Kalle Runeson
Ho, ho, ho....December to remember what was great about 2010. A few releases that were popular in my house: Anal Cunt – Fuckin A Helvetets Port – Man with the Chains Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier Acid Witch – Stoned Autopsy – The Tomb Within Skyfrgeor – Kurbas Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax – The Big 4 DVD Annihilator – Annihilator Abigail Williams – In the Absence of Light Istapp – Blekinge Devourment – DVD 2.5 Portrait – The Murder of All Things Righteous 7” Unleashed – As Yggdrasil Trembles Wormed – Quasineutrality Also been enjoying new stuff from Pathology, Severe Torture, GWAR, Immolation, Exodus, Overkill, Cephalic Carnage, Atheist, Malevolent Creation, Gamma Ray, Ross the Boss & Halford. This years musicologist greatest discovery was Italian 70ies prog; Black Hole, Sensations Fix, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Museo Rosenbach, Biglietto Per L'Inferno & Il Rovescio Della Medaglia. Other highlights: See the death metal swat team Suffocation twice on the Blood Oath tour. Autopsy live in Norway. Ross the Boss and Nifelheim at Muskelrock, the best rockfest in the world. See you there next year! [Kalle Runeson is an artist. He’s never read The Five Fingers.] Chris Bruni
Top Ten Music Releases Enjoyed Most in 2010 (Non Profound Lore Related) 1. WEAPON – From The Devil’s Tomb 2. INQUISITION – Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm 3. GRAVE MIASMA – Realm Of Evoked Doom EP 4. INDESCINENCE – MMX Promo 5. DEATHSPELL OMEGA – Paracletus 6. DISPIRIT – Rehearsal at Oberon 7. CRUCIAMENTUM – Convocation Of Crawing Chaos demo 8. INNUMERABLE FORMS – Dark Worship EP 9. URFAUST – Der Freiwillige Bettler 10. THE ATLANTEAN KODEX – The Golden Bough [Chris Bruni is the balls behind Profound Lore. He has never tipped a moose.] Dave Adelson
The factory farm labels kept churnin’ out massive amounts of submental happy meal metal in 2010 while the glossy rags and blogs they keep afloat continued to bend over in self-congratulatory displays of adulation and herd-like approval. When will Stew Vee answer history’s call and give us The Heshers Forced Exposure we desperately need? As usual it’s been up to ze’true underground bands, labels and zines to keep the white stallions flowin’ in my veins this year (R.I.P. Acosta). The following 10 LPs provided the highest levels of future spinal deterioration in 2010: Blasphemophager – For Chaos, Obscurity And Desolation (Nuclear War Now) Force Of Darkness – Darkness Revelation (Genuflextion) Inquisition – Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm (Hells Headbangers/No Colours) Weapon – From The Devil’s Tomb (Ajna/Agonia) Stargazer – A Great Work Of Ages (Profound Lore/Parasitic) Hour Of 13 – The Ritualist (Eyes Like Snow) Burzum – Belus (Bleegulbarg or whatever) Vasaeleth – Crypt Born & Tethered To Ruin (Profound Lore/Blood Harvest) Diocletian – War Of All Against All (Invictus/Parasitic) Ares Kingdom – Incendiary (Nuclear War Now) Honorable Mention: Night Bitch, Cauchemar, Witchrist, October Tide, Noctum, Deathspell Omega, Darkthrone Most anticipated in 2011: Teitanblood, Repugnant, Tribulation, Necrovation, Necros Christos, Negative Plane, Dead Congregation, Iron Lung R.I.P. to one of my greatest influences, Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson. [Dave Adelson runs 20 Buck Spin under a cloak of eerie secrecy.] Nameless Void
Off the top of my head: a list of releases that I listened to on repeat for hours on end:Black Hole Beyond the Gravestone Death SS Horned God of the Witches King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King Tormentor Seventh Day of Doom Bad Brains S/T Saint Vitus Hallows Victims Necros Christos Triune Impurity Rites Bauhaus In the Flat Field Joy Division Unknown Pleasures Occultation Somber Dawn [Nameless Void fronts Negative Plane and plays organ in Occulation. He lives in New York.] Steven Brown
Aosoth/VI, Necroterror split 7”Grand Magus, S/T reissue Sabbath Assembly, Restored to One Christian Mistress, Agony and Opium Vasaeleth, Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin Cauchemar, Lae Vierge Noire Withered, Dualitas Living Decay, Filled with Rot Demo Deathspell Omega, Paracletus Watain, Lawless Darkness On the Powers of the Sphinx split LP Via Nocturna: An Evening with Thomas Karlsson, 11/2/10 Thrones/Christian Mistress, 10/18/2010 Infinitum Obscure/Nominon, 7/14/2010 Bane’s ALLISEE Winter Solstice ’10 Mixtape, Private Issue [Steven Brown is an occasional Left Hand Path contributor and frequent caffeine abuser.] RelatedComments (0)
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