Nails: Obscene Humanity (2012)

Short, Fast, and Furious

Review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

It was with a lot of trepidation that I agreed to take a listen to this release. I was not familiar with Nails before so I had to look them up. What I found concerned me even more. Nails is a hardcore band. I do not care much for hardcore music. Nails is often associated with Converge. I really do not care for Converge. And Nails is on Southern Lord Records. With the exception of Lair of the Minotaur, I have never really cared for that label. But I did agree to give this a shot, and the fact that the release is three songs from an upcoming seven inch, I figured it would not be too painful. I can probably handle ten to fifteen minutes of hardcore.

Yes I can. This is a very impressive release, which is likely made better by the fact that it is so short. I am not sure I could listen to a full album of this, but I can definitely listen to these three songs.

Book Burner v. Agnus Dei

Grindcore Showdown

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To just about everybody, Pig Destroyer’s Book Burner is one of the most anticipated records of the year, and easily the most anticipated grindcore record of the year. To me, it’s number two for grind-ticipation, and The Secret’s Agnus Dei is number three.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I simply don’t have my ear tuned into the subtleties of grindcore. I assume they exist, the only evidence being that I like some grind more than other grind, and can’t always explain why. So it may be more helpful to me, and to you, if I discuss these two records comparatively.

Although grindcore usually seems extremely one-dimensional to me (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing), both of these records have much more variety than I expected. Neither of them ever goes at what could fairly be called a slow tempo, but there are many tempo changes. The rhythms can either punish or groove. The latter is surprising, because I tend to think of groove happening at mid-tempo, though either one of these bands can groove your spine into knots at breakneck speed. Both records are unrelentingly aggressive and abrasive, as you might expect.

Eagle Twin: The Feather Tipped the Serpent's Scale (2012)

Drone-Pop?

Drone metal inspires one of two emotions, depending on who you are: An almost spiritual reverence, or complete bewilderment. The enthusiasm of its proponents has inspired me to try it time and time again. Although I've caught fleeting glimpses of what others see in it, I'm usually left scratching my head.

But if any band can make drone accessible, I'm convinced it's Eagle Twin. Their sophomore record The Feather Tipped the Serpent's Scale splits the difference between Sunn O))) and Goatsnake, something I didn't even think possible. Drone, but with actual songs.

Punk Briefs: 2012

Do You Feel Lucky?

While it's obvious that punk has influenced metal a great deal, it's still surprising to me how much overlap there can be in the spheres of fandom, press, and PR. Southern Lord is playing a big part in that right now, as Tuesday's review of Xibalba is only the latest of their hardcore releases covered here.

I never listened to punk as a teen, and up until recently my entire punk repertoire consisted of the Misfits and Samhain. But as PR companies and labels have been making them available to me, I've given punk a chance. It's still pretty rare that I'll find something that I really like, but it's out there.

Beastmilk: Use Your Deluge 7" (2012)
4 out of 5 stars

After Pinkish Black and Alaric piqued my interest in deathrock, I happened across a promo for Finland’s Beastmilk. A cow is, by definition, a beast, so I guess they just really like regular milk. The promo materials make reference to Christian Death, whom Josh Haun identified as the source of deathrock. I still haven't listened to them yet. What I hear is a more gothic version of 80's Killing Joke. Then again, the more I listen to 80's Killing Joke, the more I hear their influence everywhere. Slow, heavy bass lines undergird quasi-metallic guitars in post-punk beats, with gothic clean singing in 80's New Wave style hooks over the top. In fact, the 80's figure pretty largely in Beastmilk's universe, as their songs make a lot of reference to atom bombs and Russia. I mean, who sings about Russia anymore, more than two decades after the end of the Cold War? Anyway, I really like it.

Xibalba: Hasta la Muerte (2012)

Hardcore

Most of the time, I ignore hardcore. But when I heard about Xibalba, I vaguely remembered reading something about them on Erebuszine, so I gave it a shot. Looking back at that site, apparently he was talking about the Mexican black metal band, not the California hardcore band.

But I'll consider that mix-up a happy accident, because Hasta la Muerte is awesome. Though apparently not metal enough to be listed on Metal Archives, this band is not far from Crowbar on the sludge metal vs. hardcore spectrum. Just on the other side of the Mayan underworld, it would seem.

Damned v. Paranoia

Those Crusty Swedes

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Reading through any extreme music magazine, you're bound to run across at least one mention of Swedish crust or Swedish D-beat, usually accompanied by mentions of the Dis- bands who were the giants of the field. I personally have never looked into the style before. But with Southern Lord's increased focus on the most metal parts of punk music, this is a perfect time to explore.

To that end, I've given many a spin of two new Swedish crust/D-beat records, Wolfbrigade's Damned and Martyrdöd's Paranoia. In short, they're both FMA-approved.

Acephalix: Deathless Master (2012)

Left Hand Highway

By now, that left hand path is looking more like an eight-lane highway. There are probably more Swe-death bands outside Sweden than inside. That's not without good reason. The buzzsaw guitar tone is irresistible.

When we last heard from Acephalix, the San Francisco foursome dropped Interminable Night, a compilation that showcased their gradual transition from crust to Swe-death. Their sophomore full-length, Deathless Master, continues that trend. Any evidence of a crust influence is virtually gone.

Wolves in the Throne Room: Celestial Lineage (2011)

Review

Whenever the subject of US black metal comes up, the conversation almost always includes mention of Washington's Wolves in the Throne Room. Despite their notoriety, and the fact it's supposed to be the final album of a trilogy, Celestial Lineage is my first exposure to the band. So, I come to this without expectations.

The album is immediately recognizable as Pacific Northwestern living-in-the-forest black metal. It's as much about atmosphere as it is black metal aggression. The sylvan music is at once beautifully serene and alarmingly feral--just like nature.

Earth: Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I (2011)

Review

I keep wanting to like drone. I test the waters now and then, and very rarely come away with anything I truly enjoy. But I keep coming back to it, because it seems like something I should like, but I'm just missing something.

Drone developed simultaneously in Japan and in Washington state. Earth is sometimes credited as the original drone band in the US. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I is only their sixth full-length, although they've had quite a few minor releases. And I think I'm finally starting to "get" drone, at least a little bit, thanks to its progenitors.

I could go into detail about the ultra-clear but natural sounding production, and how you can feel the air getting pushed out of the bass drum. I could gush over the textures of the subtly-used cello throughout the album, or comment on the cool whammy bar touch on the opening track. I could complain about the lack of vocals. But that misses the point. This is all about the vibe.

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.

The Secret: Solve Et Coagula (2010)

Review

The Secret is an Italian band whose third album, Solve Et Coagula, got a lot of attention on various year-end lists for 2010.

OK, so their name is stupid. It sounds like they're a women's deodorant, and they made it almost impossible to search for themselves on the Internet. Despite the stupid name, they have a great approach to metal that's anything but sissy. They're part of the growing number of bands who combine punk and black metal. In this case, they've combined it with grindcore to form what I'll call blackgrind.

The band sounds like Converge meets Darkthrone. Opener "Cross Builder" is really just a prelude to the album, evoking a strong image of hell's orchestra tuning their instruments before the big concert. After that, the rest of the album is basically an all-out assault, with the drums hitting blast beats most of the time, the guitars playing blackened dissonant riffs, and the vocals sounding like a much more evil version of Sean Farber. The bass is there and audible at times, but most of the time it's hidden by the cacaphony. They do manage to slow down a bit and groove (see "Weatherman"), or get really ominous (see "Bell of Urgency"), but they never let up for more than a moment.

The only downside to this is that, being very grind influenced, many of the songs don't feel like complete songs. Though split into 12 tracks (many less than 2 minutes long), it doesn't feel like that many distinct compositions. Tracks 2, 3, and 4 feel like one song, as do tracks 5 through 9. If they rearranged these eight songs into two or three compositions, things would have felt more complete. They did save the best for last, though, as closer "1968" is fully fleshed-out and features some weirdly compelling riffing.

The Verdict: Solve Et Coagula is a different spin on the flavor of the week (the punk/black metal combo), so they're worth checking out. And the album is certainly made up of a lot of great parts, if lacking a bit of completeness. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Sunn O))): Black One (2005)

Review

Let's round out Days of Doom with the least appreciated of all metal genres.

Sunn O))) is widely regarded as the quintessential drone doom band. Drone doom is not something that's really connected with me, but there is something to be said about the atmosphere created by these guys.

In short, Black One is the perfect Halloween music.

This album is scary as hell. It's slow-rolling, atmospheric music that's very repetitive, so it's not much to listen to if you're focused in on it. Through most of the album it's very bassy, distorted stuff, and where melodies are to be found they're quickly buried in the morass. The vocals, provided by guests from black metal bands Xasthur and Leviathan, are completely unintelligible but frightening. It's said they locked Malefic (a claustrophobic) in a casket to record album closer "Báthory Erzsébet".

It takes a while to get going, and when it does, it doesn't really get going that much. The first few tracks have very little bass, just repetitive notes and atmospheric sounds with scary vocals. The heaviness begins on the fourth track, "Orthodox Caveman". The only track on here that could stand as an actual song is "Candlegoat", with its shorter length (8 minutes), actual melody (at least to start), and some brief vocals.

But despite its shortcomings, this kind of atmosphere is something to marvel at.



The Verdict: Have you ever heard the Well to Hell recording, which claimed to be a recording of hell itself and the screams inside? This is like that, but better, and stretched for over an hour. I think I'll be playing it on Halloween, just outside the door. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.