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CD Comp / VA / Split
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VA - Sound of the Catacombs
Compilation album featuring 17 of the best stoner, doom and psychedelic rock bands playing around the world today featuring Abdullah, Aluna, Black Cesar, Dirtyred, El Topo, Godsize, Gonga, Grifter, I Am Colossus, Mos Generator, Obiat, Outburst, Queen Elephantine, Sonic Lord, Spacecharge, Suns of Thunder and The Harold Wartooth |
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Burmese & Cadaver Eyes - Split CD
BURMESE / CADAVER EYES - split CD (Heart And Crossbone) - Hardboiled noise, extreme beyond extreme, bathing in fuzz and barbed wire and violent feedback and grunting and screaming and somewhere in there there just might be some conventional musical instruments (maybe?). A split album, ''demented twins in musical crime'', just where one band ends and the next begins is beyond my ears - does it matter anyway? Apparently there are three vocalists in Burmese, who knows? Could just be a herd of wild boars loose in a studio stomping on equipment and making some kind of artistic sense as the half eaten engineer screams for his life - glorious stuff, love it! Grindcore, slices of doom, electronics and ''agonizing mechanism''. Extreme noise terror for disciples of Lustmord and endless short circuit buzz and elecrto shock treatment that ascends to a higher level of cognitive surge. Manic artistry and the sound of your crumbling life being tortured by leach women and love it, love it, love it! Yes! |
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Slomatics / Agent Of Morai - Split CD
SOLD OUT - SOLD OUT
The EP leads in with three tracks from sludged up Irish doomers Slomatics. Having bought last years 'Kalceanna' EP and being pretty much completely blown away by it I was expecting good things here and there's no denying that the three piece have delivered the goods again in spades here. Heavy as you could possibly want with their Matamp driven low end pummeling, the clever use of dynamics within the song writing and refreshing use of an actual singing voice rather than a scream/roar continue where the previous release left off in setting Slomatics apart from the majority of their peers. What you basically have here is a 'slow doom' band a la Stumm and their ilk with their 'three chords a minute' mandate but played twice as fast. that may sound like a total contradiction but I don't really care. The songs are well thought out, never lose your interest and really do make you have to think to come up with a direct comparison as the scope involved stretches well beyond your bog standard quiet bit/loud bit dynamic. Stand out track for me is probably the brilliantly titled EP opener 'Doometronome' although this is probably as it's the most similar in feel to their older material and I have a sneaking suspicion that the slower, more atmospheric parting shot of 'Under Canopy' may be starting to inch ahead in the ratings.
The final two tracks for your perusal are from Leeds based sludged up groovers Agent Of The Morai. I'm less familiar with these boys having only heard one song previously but again, what I'd heard had left a lasting good impression and they've certainly not let me down anymore than Slomatics have. Both tracks are rollicking sludgeathons from start to finish sounding like a blend of Iron Monkey's stonerish grooving 'Our Problem' best and Charger's slowest, nastiest dirges. It might well be cheap to throw those two names at this band but along with fellow Calculon sludgers A Horse Called War, AOTM aren't just counting off the reference points here but really taking everything to heart and laying it back out as their own with the bouncing Sabbathesque grooves taking the lead much more so than almost any other sludge band I can think of for ages, especially on closing track 'Stained Glass'. The results being a hell of a lot more enjoyable and (arguably more importantly) memorable for it
Slomatics
1 - doometronome
2 - hello megaphone
3 - under canopy
Agent of the Morai
4 - memento mori
5 - stained glass |
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Magrudergrind / Shitstorm - Split CD
This twenty four track, twenty two minute blasterpiece showcases two of the most ferocious newcomers to the grind/powerviolence scenes in many years. Magrudergrind bring the scathing, thrash/crossover influenced grinding mayhem while Shitstorm terrorize with gruffer, speed/death metal-tinged destruction� together creating one of the most abrasive split albums ever conceived. With no direct mimicry, these two young trios manage to walk in the same shoes worn by grind greats like Discordance Axis and Pig Destroyer, both delivering absolutely pummeling performances with only the use of guitar, drum and voice. That's right, no bass players are needed for songs this short, fast and absolutely relentless... and no heavyness is compromised with each band's best recordings to date and a fantastic mastering job by West West Side. Top it all off with unbelievably sick artwork from Baroness' John Baizley, and you've got a split undeniably destined for full-blown "classic" status. |
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VA - Dreams... Of What Life Could Have Been
this is heavy sludge at its bleakest, dark doom without compromise. Yet every single one of these bands has something strong to recommend them, and they sound as different from each other as any bands artificially lumped together are likely to, shredding vocals notwithstanding. But don't expect muscle cars and beer, 'cause they don't play that.
Soulpreacher starts things off with the surprisingly melodic, spacey 'Remember the end' that slowly builds into a crushing sludge/doom monster, with a mixture of clean and shredding vocals singing of depression and mental illness. Fistula's guitar tone and song arrangements seem more stoner than sludge at times, though the treated, screaming vocals will chill your right down. Grief's brutal sludge/ doom is full of energy, and is it just me or do they have a scary good drummer? Thee Plague of Gentlemen is the only band on here with members I know personally, and its hard to believe that such nice (not to mention wickedly funny) guys could produce this neck-breaking, tempo-changing doom, but I've seen them do it live and its all for real. Whew! New York music veterans Negative Reaction come through with their bludgeoning, super-downtuned space doom; UK newcomers Ramesses bring it with their noisy, infectious, sludgy riffs (coming along nicely, gentlemen!) and Moss strips the hopeless sludge back to its sledgehammer, distorted basics, just to make sure we're left with the proper feeling of despair.
Tracklist:
SOULPREACHER: Remember the end > Whore
FISTULA:Crocodile Princess > Drug Smuggler
GRIEF: Ostrich > Bored
THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN:
Your love is king (of the dead) Part 2 & 3
NEGATIVE REACTION: Nod
RAMESSES: Black Domina
MOSS: Beyond Despair |
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Among The Missing / Blood Island Raiders - Blessed Are The Dead
I'm a big fan of UK band Among The Missing for the good reason that they a) rock, b) seem to be genuinely nice chaps heavy into making music for the genuinely deranged but completely on their own terms. Their mix of Doom/Scumpunk/Hardcore transcends the usual Mistress blueprint into a sonic world all their own. A world where the earth is made of a putrid muck of questionable origins (bring Purell...lot's of it), the sky is silly with roiling storms of frequency and the trees grow in the form of human cadavers. And every song has at least one part you can mosh to. Their five tune contribution to this split is quality without question, featuring four live tracks (where you can actually feel Vocalist Tim becoming unhinged) and one monster studio track, the nearly 17 minute long 'Horses For Corpses' which is a study in how to temper a menacing, dread-inducing riff with ten tons of stoned funeral groove.
Blood Island Raiders, although hearing their name over the years, was a new one to my ears. They're no-nonsense UK underground Heavy Metal with their 4 tracks on the split giving me a doom-tinged NWOBHM feel, although their newer stuff seems to be a bit faster. The studio track included here, ode-to-the-day-of-judgement, 'Night Of The Frost', is 'kin great, a real slow-burner. So aurally compelling, I played it 4 times in the car on the way back from the airport and one more in the driveway when I was dead friggin' tired. Vocalist Warren has a killer voice, truth be told I like him better on the studio track then on the live tracks, where he seems to lose a bit of his originality for a Danzig-ian type of approach. Still, 'Armageddon' and pulse-pounder 'For The Sake Of Clarity' sound great... 'Gods Breath Is Steel' a little less impressive, but still good stuff. |
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Filthpact / Atomgevitter - Filthgevitter - Split
Ace stuff if you´re into that OLD SCHOOL of Hardcore Punk! Both bands hailing from Scotland and already released various split 7"s and now team up for this amazing split LP. Filthpact play heavy and raging old school DOOM like Crustpunk that comes unusual heavy and brutal... fast and filthy 9 tracks of sheer "d beat" overdriven 80`ties UK Hardcore Thrash... ancient but great!! - Atomgevitter are equally heavy and massive but far more old school Thrashpunk just to remember "Heresy" or maybe more updated bands like DS 13 - short, fast and loud attacks and a Blast ! Every song, every minute... or better every second, eh? 9 tracks here filled with short and to the point thoughtful lyrics between being serious and some well placed irony. get this! |
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Negative Reaction / When The Deadbolt Breaks - Split
A violent hybrid of doom metal, trance inducing dynamics and concussive volume When The Deadblot Breaks unleash a vicious barrage of volatile guitar and pounding percussion that leave an ugly contusion on the face of extreme music. Depression and anger have never sounded so heavy. Rounded out by a triple vocal attack, this is the audio equivalent of a suicide bombing of your ears. Recorded at the now infamous Room SevenZeroEight Studios with vocalist/guitarist Aaron once again handling production duties on this irreverent collection of soon to be classics.
Standing alongside When The Deadbolt Breaks are the Gods Of Sludge, NEGATIVE REACTION. Coming up on over a decade of speaker abuse, these doom legends provide a sound that is uncompromising, raw and primal. They have taken their penchant for up tempo grooves alongside doom laden dirgy cavities to new extremes. With four songs from both of these devastating bands...Plus the sickest Sabbath cover ever, featuring members from both bands giving "Hand Of Doom" an audio rapeing that would make Iommi blush. This is not a passing of the torch, but more a lighting of a second torch for the heaviest sludgfied doom metal ever. BURN ON! |
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VA - Waterloo
I can only find Spanish reviews of this and when I translate them they make no sense. however this is a 11 track split CD with some ace bands on it.
01-Another Kind Of Death - Alcohol & Glitter
02-Another Kind Of Death - The Murderer In Our Romance
03-Another Kind Of Death - Salted Tears
04-Adrift - El Ladrido
05-Adrift - Ramses
06-Adrift - Paseo Por El Nilo
07-Moksha - Temptations
08-Moksha - The Nemesis Summer
09-Moksha - Keep On Walking
10-Moho - Gargantor
11-Moho - El Segador |
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VA - Not Without A Fight - compilation 2 x CD
This limited-edition re-issue of the 1999 double CD compilation NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT is Crucial Blast's homage to the scuzz-caked grindcore/noise/sludge/speedpunk underground of the mid/late 1990's embodied in cheap cassette compilations and xerox-sleeved split 7" EPs. One of Crucial Blast's first ever releases, we grabbed exclusive outbursts from an array of subterranean sonic abusers, including BASTARD NOISE, AGATHOCLES, DAHMER, CRIPPLE BASTARDS, MACRONYMPHA, UNHOLY GRAVE, and loads of other purveyors of damaged, anti-social grind and noisecore, free noise and power electronics, spoken word, brutal fastcore, blazing D-beat driven crustcore, and lysergic psych-sludge. This second edition is limited to 1,000 copies, never to be repressed. NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT is packaged in a DVD style plastic double-disc case that holds both CDs and a mega-thick, 64 page fanzine-style newsprint booklet loaded with band info, art, stories and rants. ARTIST LISTING: Mark Bruback, Cruel Face, Strong Intention, Bastard Noise, RPOD, SoIHadToShootHim, Katastrofialue, Unfound, Dark Skies Fallen, Retribution, Global Holocaust, Flammable Child, Depressor, John Bender, Aural Torture Mechanism, The Last Day No Human Voice, Agathocles, Daybreak, Puncture Wound, None Of Your Fucking Business, Dahmer, Samus, Mizuko, Cripple Bastards, Miseries AD, A Death Between Seasons, Macronymhpha, Unholy Grave, Falsies, Final Exit, JDog, Bloodstains & Bulletholes. |
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Naomi Hates Humans Vs Tim Holehouse - The Covers EP
Naomi Hates Humans is an antifolk singer songwriter from London. Tim Holehouse is a folk/americana singer songwriter also from London. They have played a fair few gigs together and have both been known to drop the odd cover in to their sets. Sometimes a VERY odd cover. For Better Weird Than Dead's debut release these two have recorded five covers each in a battle to the death, or something. They have each recorded a Pop Song, a Johnny Cash song, a song which inspired them, an old favourite and a song written by each other. Who wins? You decide. NOTE: It's not really a fight silly. This release is limited to 200 copies. And is ace.
1. Don't Let Go (En Vogue) - Naomi
2. Sunday Morning Coming Down (Johnny Cash) - Naomi
3. Free Money (Patti Smith) - Naomi
4. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) - Naomi
5. Country Song (Tim Holehouse) - Naomi
6. Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) - Tim
7. Boy Named Sue (Johnny Cash) - Tim
8. Gigalo Aunt (Syd Barrett) - Tim
9. Kennedy (The Wedding Present) - Tim
10. Pipe Dreams And Lullabys (Naomi Hates Humans) - Tim |
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The Legion Of Doom / MotherTrucker - 5 Track Split CD
SOLD OUT
Who needs singers? Prancing about stages the world over, tossing their proverbial orb about like they're God's gift to microphones... "Bollocks to that!" is the almighty war cry this towering split CD issues to us all. Take heed, readers.
Nottingham's very own Legion Of Doom (possibly the most straightforwardly metal band name ever conceived) open proceedings with the delightfully titled 'Brown For John'. This insistent fury of riffage drills its merry way into your skull right from the off, bringing to mind the monstrous likes of Mastodon and Keelhaul. Not once do you expect to hear a croon or a roar throughout 'Manifesto The First' or ahem, 'Tennis Bastard'. And with shredding like this on offer, why would you want to?
Mothertrucker might sound like a revved-up Fu Manchu songtitle, but this Birmingham quartet promise nothing of the sort - this is thick, lumpen, doom-laden steel of the heaviest order. The first of their offerings, 'Creeping Leffe', does just that - a quirky, QOTSA-esque riff slowly builds over a solid beat before dropping several tons of metal on to your poor, unsuspecting head. 'Smooth Vulture' looms for even longer, psychedelic waves of effects-drenched guitars swoop and dive over an ominous tom pattern, leading up to another unusual riff onslaught. Heavy.
This CD is a mighty fine example of how the underground can surprise you - the instru-metal revolution might leave several hundred vocalists kicking their heels, but when it sounds this good, fuck 'em! |
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