The Mountain Goats

I'm going to try out something a little different on Fridays. That something is, well, anything other than reviews. This time, I'm going to talk about a band that troubles me.

I first heard about The Mountain Goats from Patrick of Beards, Etc. He gave such a glowing review of All Eternals Deck that I picked up the album. I couldn't make it through the first song. It was just way too indie rock for me, and I couldn't stand it.

But I've come to realize frontman John Darnielle is sort of a nexus between my musical interests and some of my comedic interests. I'll go into those some other time, but what's important here is the man has metal cred. He writes a regular column in Decibel. He declared Mercyful Fate "a top 5 band" for him, and I'll forgive him for not saying "a top 1 band" because of his tattoos. He said that when they do his autopsy, they'll find out how much he loved Mercyful Fate.

This guy has Mercyful Fate tattoos?

I had the opportunity to hear some live performances by him on a comedy podcast, and he played this absolutely incredible song, "Lovecraft in Brooklyn."



The live version was even better than the studio. He sounded more intense, more unhinged. It convinced me to pick up All Eternals Deck again and give it a proper chance. Long story short, I kind of like it, once I got past the vocal style. Just kind of. Some of it is just boring, but there are some songs that are great.



I don't know what I'm getting at here, if anything. It's just been on my mind a lot, and I picked up Heretic Pride as well. What do you think? Do you have any thoughts on the band, or other bands that you've struggled with like this? Have you ever listened to something several times out of morbid curiosity, and still couldn't make up your mind? Does this kind of indie rock make you want to stab yourself in the earhole?

Metal Briefs: Death/Doom 2012

The Best of Both Worlds

Death and doom are the chocolate and peanut butter of metal. There is no better combination. Have a few Reese's cups.

Hooded Menace: Effigies of Evil
4 out of 5 stars

How can I possibly review an album like Effigies of Evil, the third from Finland's Hooded Menace? It's such a straight-forward example of death/doom, with extended, deep death growls and slow, crushing riffs. I can't say, "This is how it's different." And it's done very well, with solid riffs, solid songwriting, great control of varying tempos, and great production. I can't say, "This is what they did wrong." And I am, sadly, not familiar enough with old zombie movies to write some kind of extended metaphor about how their music perfectly reflects their inspiration. So, all I can say is this: If you like death/doom, you'll like Effigies of Evil.



Buy Effigies of Evil

Horseback: Half Blood (2012)

The Other Half Is Kittens

Horseback is one of the most unusual-sounding bands to get regular mention in metal publications. Clearly they're not a metal band, but those raspy black metal vocals and the dark tone of the music make us the primary audience.

The band has more than one side: The mellow psychedelic rock side and the ambient/noise side. I like the former, but not the latter. Half Blood, their latest release, puts both of those sides on prominent display. True to its name, the record is bifurcated, with the cool rock up front and the ambient/drone/noise to the back. Which makes sense, because you draw people in with good music, and then they might stick around for the rest. But I have been expanding my horizons, so I held out hope that this could be the one to make the other half of Horseback click for me.

Nate Hall: A Great River (2012)

Sounds Just Like a Shotgun Tastes

Nate Hall of U.S. Christmas is the latest musician from Neurot to go for the stripped-down, folk singer-songwriter approach. I have loved every album of this kind (Steve Von Till moreso than Scott Kelly), and A Great River is no exception.

At heart, this is just that kind of album, although it's ornamented somewhat. The vocals (which have more than a little Bob Dylan in them) have plenty of reverb. In fact, just about every sound on this has been put through some reverb, giving it a somewhat eerie aspect. Combined with the repetition of the acoustic rhythm strumming, and the drawn-out distorted chords, it gives the record a psychedelic twist to dark Americana.

Corrosion of Conformity: Corrosion of Conformity (2012)

Baggage

I've been a huge fan of Corrosion of Conformity for over a decade now. That statement, of course, needs some clarification. In the days when CD burners and Napster were first becoming commonplace, I was in my freshman year of college. I obtained burned copies of Deliverance and Wiseblood, the band's seminal recordings in Southern-style sludge metal, and I LOVED them. I bought America's Volume Dealer on CD, and I actually liked it (though popular opinion is against the record). I got several tracks from Blind and Animosity off Napster, and didn't know what to think. I certainly didn't like them, so they were promptly deleted. Since then, I also enjoyed In the Arms of God a good deal.

Bitter Resolve: Bows and Arrows Against the Lightning (2011)

Fuzz and Riffs Against the Thunder

Weedeater shows must be giving people a lasting contact high, because North Carolina is turning out to be a hotbed for great doom. To the ranks of Enoch and Hour of 13, you can now add power trio Bitter Resolve.

The most prominent feature of debut Bows and Arrows Against the Lightning is the thick, fuzzed-out stoner sound. The natural drums, thumping bass, fuzzed-out guitar, and distorted high-pitched vocals are wrapped in a dense layer of electric gauze. That analog production is almost too indistinct to let the great music behind it shine through, which is a shame, because the music is very good.

Metal Briefs: Bandcamp, Part 4

The Slam Death Edition

Slam death is a much-maligned subgenre. Oddly enough, the problem people have with it seems to be that it's simple and refuses to change, even though those characteristics are often praised in other circles. Or maybe it's the dumbed-down, over-the-top violent lyrics, but again, that's often seen as a positive in other areas. But what's great about it is that it's just good, clean fun. You don't have to think too hard about it to enjoy it. I owe it to Metallattorney for finding these three bands. All of them use programmed drums, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker.

Extinctionist: All Flesh Must Be Eaten (2009)

Extinctionist is a German slam band who crush all the right bones. Their songs are brutal and technical while still managing to sound disgusting, helped along by the occasional pig-squeal vocal or devastating slam. Samples and guitar solos serve to break things up. It's far from high-brow, and that's just how slam should be, and the programmed drums don't sound too bad. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Aittala: Haunt Your Flesh (2011)

Review

Eric Aittala contacted me with a review copy of his one-man-band's sophomore album, Haunt Your Flesh. He does everything in this band, although it seems the drummer is uncredited (to my knowledge).

As Metallattorney observed, this album is unique. If you're tired of hearing the same thing over and over, it's a welcome respite. Even with its unique identity, the influences are clear: Aittala has probably given intense study to the playing techniques of Jon Schaffer, Jeff Loomis, and Jerry Cantrell. He even uses the word "sanctuary" in "New Day", possibly as an intentional reference to Loomis.

Hour of 13: The Ritualist (2010)

Review

Hour of 13 is an old-school/retro heavy/doom metal band from North Carolina, and The Ritualist is their second full-length. If you haven't already, you may want to first read my review of Orchid's Capricorn, as my impressions of the two albums are linked.

Like Orchid, Hour of 13 sound a lot like Black Sabbath. Specifically, they sound kind of like a cross between Dio and Ozzy era Sabbath, as if they're from an alternate universe where the original lineup stuck together but still made a fantastic comeback. Like Orchid, all the tones and vocals are similar to Sabbath. But here's the difference: Hour of 13 don't sound like they're trying to be Sabbath, they just happen to sound like Sabbath--but distinct. Everything, including the vocals, has its own unique quality that's subtly different from Sabbath, and never comes off as blatant ripoff or unabashed mimicry, but instead like they could have arisen from the same Birmingham scene as the original metal band.

Enoch: The Hierophant (2011)

Heavy Week, Part 3

Review

North Carolina's Enoch is a stoner sludge/doom band with an absolutely perfect name. Enoch was only briefly mentioned in the Old Testament, but he is the only person said to have "walked with God", and was one of only a few people to be taken bodily into heaven while still alive (I think Elijah and Jesus were the only others). So you can see why it's a good analogy for a stoner doom band. Do I need to spell it out for you?

The Hierophant is the band's first full-length album. Like Japanese dualists Boris, they have two sides to them. One has a laid-back, mellow, and jazzy feel. The drumming and guitar leads tend toward jazz, while the bass and rhythm guitar parts tend toward Sleep-style heaviness. Vocals are sparsely used, and where they are, the lyrics are simple and repetitive. Opener "Infinity" is the best example of the band's stoner doom side.

The other side of Enoch sounds like Boris, actually. The excellent, rocking, upbeat sludge of Pink, to be precise. "The Fickle Whims of the Almighty" is the best example of this side to Enoch.

The album starts out very strong on those two songs and a couple more. "Space Wizard" is mellow and heavy, and instrumental "Plague Bearer" has a bit punchier doom sound (after a couple minutes of ambient wind-like noise). The nearly 17 minute title track starts out with an ominous doom song, then fades out, and goes into a 10 minute plus psychedelic jam session. This kind of derails the album, going on aimlessly for so long, and follow-up "Moth", while an actual song, doesn't have any leads to speak of. "Robbie's Song" picks things up again with more Pink, and "A Riff Too Far" keeps that going before another, somewhat better jam session closes things out.

The Verdict: The Hierophant starts out very strong, with a compelling two-sided sound that meshes well and keeps things interesting. It wanders near the middle of the album, but finishes strong again. All in all, I found it to be a great listen, so I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Weedeater: Jason . . . the Dragon (2011)

Heavy Week, Part 2

Review

In case you don't already know, or can't tell by the name, North Carolina's Weedeater is a stoner doom band. Jason . . . the Dragon is their fourth full-length, with a not terribly clever (or subtle) name that lends itself to some pretty cool album art. It's my first experience with this band, but they come highly recommended (no pun intended).

Like other stoner doom bands, Weedeater employ an ultra-fuzzy, heavy sound to create slow grooves. It's not as heavy as Electric Wizard, and despite the spoken-word intro (a vague, ominous prophecy), and rasped vocals that sound closer to black metal than most stoner metal, it doesn't have the dark vibe of that group. Instead, it's very southern, evoking a kind of "bad acid trip blues" feel. The southern feel is enhanced by two banjo tracks and a hidden piano track.

The album differs from most stoner doom in that it's barely over a half hour, and the track lengths tend toward 3 minutes instead of 10+. If you combine that with the fact the first five tracks are presented as one continuous song (connected by amp noise), and two songs have previously appeared elsewhere ("Turkey Warlock" and "Long Gone"), it feels more like an EP than a full-length. But it has enough highlights to warrant more than a few listens, with the title track, "Long Gone", and the more upbeat "Mancoon" all standing out.

On the downside, solos are few and far between, and the album is so short (for this style of music) it leaves you wanting more. But I suppose that's much better than draggin' on too long, isn't it? (Pun intended.)

The Verdict: Jason is an enjoyable listen, from a band with a distinct style. You can't go wrong with that, even if it is shorter than I'd like. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Horseback: The Invisible Mountain (2009)

Horseback's The Invisible Mountain has made some end-of-the-year lists as a release to watch for (which is puzzling since it actually came out in 2009, but was re-released in 2010), and it sounded interesting to me. So, I checked it out.

It's probably a stretch to call this psychedelic black metal. It's psychedelic enough, but very light on the metal. The vocals do sound like a God-damned nightmare whispering unintelligible atrocities in your ear (seriously, they are scary) but harsh vocals alone don't make it metal.

The music on the first three (of four) tracks follows generally the same pattern: a distorted guitar riff, bass riff, and understated drums are buried in the background, while a clean psychedelic-sounding riff is in the foreground. Each of these songs, about seven minutes each, is built on this one riff combination repeated over and over. At times there may be electric organ buried deep in the mix, and there are a couple simple psyched-out solos.

Sounds like boring crap, suitable only for stoners, right? For some reason I can't explain, it works anyway. It is interesting. That is, up until the last track. Clocking in at over 16 minutes in length, it does away with distortion almost entirely, and goes very minimal, with some weird sounds coming in later on. It's a complete throwaway track, but I suppose it's designed for people coming down off of whatever.



The Verdict: This drug-fest is actually interesting, for about 21 minutes, and would have been an excellent EP. But it's a full-length, and as a full-length it earns 3 out of 5 stars.