“War Moans” is fast, heavy and vocally arresting, it is an album that is certain to leave you breathless.
“War Moans” CD//DD//LP track listing:
01. Melt Your Mind 02. Bone Chain 03. Micro Aggression 04. Kiss of Death 05. Date with the Devil 06. Headrush 07. Irons in the Fire 08. War Moans 09. Wreck and Survive 10. Afterlife 11. Open Flame 12. Bandages
The Review:
Mutoid Man write the heaviest pop songs. Across third album ‘War Moans’, a triumph of melodious calculated chaos, Steven Brodsky’s frantic, buzzing guitar work intertwines brilliantly with the assaulting drumming provided by Ben Koller, who may only play with a small kit, but utilises all his toys with a prestige pizzazz.
‘Melt Your Mind’ is a pop punk song turned gangrene and nasty, slime oozing from their growling riffs while Brodsky’s smooth, infectious vocal lines float atop the mix like leaves on a river. ‘Micro Aggression’ meanwhile is as virile as they come, a fast, blitzing song, iced with a simplistic but divine chorus that injects itself right into your psyche, their ability to balance the skull crushingly heavy – listening to this with headphones is like having a self-induced aneurism – with those all important sing along moments is one they have mastered on this record.
It is, as to be expected, a record brimming with energy. There is no fucking about here, each song rages on like its own little war, giving no quarter for the short but sweet time they play out for – most songs don’t exceed three minutes in length. Then, the baton is passed for another pop metal pummelling. Each song derives its own special feature, ‘Date With The Devil’, a song about getting the Devil’s daughter pregnant, has a fun, comedic value to it, ‘Kiss Of Death’ is slow, evil and grinding, but understandably the perfect single from the album while ‘Irons In The Fire’ has a hint of a crack addled Iron Maiden to it, classic, anthemic yet wonderfully peculiar too.
With 12 songs to bite into, the record provides plenty of substance and value for money. ‘Headrush’and ‘Afterlife’ have a thrash metal vigour in their DNA, Brodsky’s lyrical attack on fire here. An album this fast, heavy and vocally arresting leaves you a little breathless and so closer ‘Bandages’, which leans heavily upon “Jupiter” era Cave In, iced with some fiery lead guitar work, is the perfect farewell. It eases its foot off the gas and allows you to step back and really soak in what the hell has just happened.
This album is insanely choreographed, the songs whizzing off their tits and infected with irresistibly sassy pop melodies atop brutish and gritty riffs, make no mistake ‘War Moans’ is absolutely brilliant fun.
A monsoon of riffs, from slow, knuckle-dragging doom moments to the calculated chaos of Mastodon, spinning on a huge axis with their long, winding loops, this album it hits you like a drug, freewheeling into your body.
“Tempest” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). First Light
2). Smoke from Distant Fires
3. Celebration of Decay
4). Echo of Souls
5). Apparition
6). Hiraeth
7). Water Divides the Tide
8). Metanoia
The Review:
Telepathy’s sound has always been monstrous. With each release their raw, voracious and vicious sound has gained more and more clarity, their ideas more expansive and forward thinking. Now, with Jaime Gomez Arellano at the helm, they are a different beast entirely. The producer, who can boast Ghost, Opethand Paradise Lost as notches on his bedpost, is exactly what the band need at this point in time, and it will surely propel them to greater, more luxurious stratospheres.
‘Smoke From Distant Fires’ instantly bombards you with craggy, precipitous guitar work, cascading through the crystal clear mix with a menacing intent. But if those opening explosions come across like ‘Times of Grace’ era Neurosis, then they flaunt their lighter, airier and more celestial side in later passages. This band has always prided itself on their intelligently thought out and diligently executed musical contrasts. So often do their dark, miserable skylines develop overhead only for blinding rays of light to pierce through like faint hope and brighten the landscapes. Throughout the track the contrasts are in constant conflict, a tug of war for aural dominance throwing the song this way then that, and it makes the result nothing short of evocative and spellbinding.
‘Celebration of Decay’ marries dislocated, barbaric rhythms – something akin to post-metal having a seizure, but with perfect timing – huge, mountainous chords that lumber like giants and hypnotic diminuendos that drag you by the feet and pull you deeper into reverie. It is in these quiet, reflective moments that voice recordings of astronauts looking back down on Mother Earth can be heard. It’s apt for a band which has never quite sounded like they were of this planet. The song’s title too, in today’s climate, has an added poignancy to it.
‘Apparition’ flirts with black metal, with warmongering blast beats and the rapidly picked guitars reverberating like they were recorded in a vast, echoic cathedral. The sound is so huge it towers over you, belittles you. ‘Water Divides The Tide’ meanwhile, is more forthright. A monsoon of riffs, from slow, knuckle-dragging doom moments to the calculated chaos of Mastodon, spinning on a huge axis with their long, winding loops, it hits you like a drug, freewheeling into your body.
It is an album, for all intents and purposes, better experienced than anything. Be that in the flesh or sat in the dark with their immersive compositions blaring through your headphones, painting vibrant images in your imagination as they do, for the best effect I advise you stop reading this review. Just listen.
A less conservative approach to progressive tinted death metal, they pepper their songs with plenty of other musical flavourings. From the avant garde shredding on ‘Jove’, to the turbo charged, time signature metamorphosis assault of ‘Sum’, each track flaunts its own distinctive character. So if the likes of Animals As Leaders, Death, Obscura and Cynic appeal to you, then prepare for your taste buds to be tantalised.
“Śūnyatā” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Gaia
2). Benzaiten
3). Jove
4). Sum
5). Elpis
6). Paradise
7). Samsara
The Review:
“Instrumental music,”this record’s accompanying press release concludes, “traditionally has a harder time in metal as in other genres. All too often, virtuoso musicians have used their talent mainly to stroke already massive egos. Yet bands likeAnimals As Leadershave demonstrated that ambitious skills and passionate song-writing can be fused into something greater, which appeals far beyond the grudging respect of colleagues.”
Indeed, whileVipassidrag their instrumental music down more deathly, but ultimately bewildering complex hallows reminiscent ofAnimals As Leaders – who have also featured in this column – that band has been helping people consider the genre of late. The band’s surging popularity is contradictory to what makes the charts, of both mainstream and metallic varieties, and as a result is opening the door of opportunity to bands likeVipassi.
The band was born from jam sessions in 2009 between guitarist Ben Boyle and members of Australia’sNe Obliviscaris– drummer Dan Presland, bassist Brendan Brown and guitarist Benjamin Baret. Soon, as the press release goes on to say, they “settled on an instrumental style that captured the openness aimed for to allow any listener to interpret and connect with the material subjectively. Their project represents a desire to explore beauty and darkness in all its shades, through melodic and complex compositions”.
Just like how the bass driven sounds ofObscuraare treading on the turfDeathonce carved out as their own, continuing their legacy in a heavy but imaginative manner, Vipassitoo are carrying the torch. A less conservative approach to progressive tinted death metal – and Chuck Schuldiner was anything but conservative – they pepper their songs with plenty of other musical flavourings. From the avant garde shredding on ‘Jove’, to the turbo charged, time signature metamorphosis assault of ‘Sum’, each track flaunts its own distinctive character.
LikeObscuratoo, the bass is powerfully prevalent. Brendan Brown’s playing refuses to just steady the ship, it can fly off the handle at any conceivable moment, meandering like a lost child in a supermarket, but played with an impressive conviction, grace and musicality belying of its disregard of convention. He is there secret weapon.
Where a singer may add interest and that all-important record selling earworm, here they don’t so much as compensate for their lack of vocals by shifting time signatures every which way as they do utilise the void therein. Their venomous songs have many twists in their tails; they can pirouette on a knife edge, flip upside or segue from primitive passages to ones of airy, chilling calm. The change comes as sudden, but never feels anything but smooth.
Listen with headphones and these compositions become wholly, terrifyingly immersive. ‘Elpis’is one such example. Above all an interloping song, something like this belongs more on a film score than it does a death metal album, but its skin crawling aesthetics stand strong; it gives the album a hellish death.
It leads you blindly into the closing track ‘Samsara’ which best merges their thundering metal, with guitars and bass tightly syncopated and resembling the sound of alien warfare, with hypnotic and creepy atmospherics. They weave in and out of the battle, sewing a vast and extravagant canvas.
Something about the music ofAnimals As Leaderspierces through the threshold from underground music to something more entertaining, rewarding and accessible – even if its complexity is anything but.Vipassihowever, don’t come across as a band who can attain such contradictory achievements. But what they do is extremely appealing, so if the likes of Animals As Leaders, Death, Obscuraand Cynicappeal to you, then prepare for your taste buds to be tantalised.
“Farewell, fair cruelty.” William Shakespeare “It's just kind of known in the music industry that a farewell tour means 'for now.’” Nikki Sixx
The Dillinger Escape Plan are a violent, Molotov Cocktail of aggressively designed soundscapes. From the rhinoceros charge of hardcore to their chaotic and angular mathcore inhibitions, as strobe lights flash and flicker like a warzone in a thunderstorm in Manchestertonight, it is clear that they are leaving behind a lasting legacy. As of July 2017, The Dillinger Escape Plan’sindefinite hiatus is initialised, and one in which uncertainty hovers over it like a vulture circling its prey. With Greg Puciato moving into poppy, electronic territories with former Nine Inch Nailsman Joshua Eustis – albeit ones shrouded in a dark ambience – and with Ben Weinman focusing upon his own label, Party Smasher Inc., nobody knows whether this staggeringly unique band will grace us with their presence again. Yet, tonight feels like anything but a funeral.
Bodies packed in tight, a sticky sense of anticipation clogging up the air; an intensity ready to burst. Tonight has the feel of a proper gig, tonight is going to be sweaty. Then, as the band burst, exploding like a hand grenade, into ‘Limerent Death’s’ opening grooves, which resemble the sound of metal scraping on concrete, it begins. Only the day before had Swedish tech metal giants Meshuggah laid waste to the city across town at The Ritz.That was catastrophically heavy, leaving you breathless, motionless, their perfectly timed lights show as mesmerising as the abundance of face distorting riffs. But here, while still being heavier than an elephant’s turd, their music has a different effect. As their lightshow does its upmost to blind you, you watch the band’s silhouettes throw themselves across the stage as if battling an itch that will not be scratched, the urge to do likewise surges inside you. This is heavy, but this is fun.
And their songs have so much character to boot. ‘Black Bubblegum’ is anthemic, it sounds fictionally massive and the whole room gets caught in its web. ‘When I Lost My Bet’ is inhumanly tight, with its off-beat, blitzing attack opening up the mosh pit as if it were the mouth of hell. ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ is heart and gut wrenching in equal measure; haunted and beautiful, like a wolf dressed in Granma’s clothes, it is a pop single with deadly and sinister intentions.
Alongside earlier material, like the sheer musical obliteration of ‘Farewell, Mona Lisa’ – and one where Weinman really flaunts his technical guitar wizardry – ‘Sympton of Terminal Illness’, taken from their aptly titled final record ‘Dissociation’, represents their growth is beholden in all its glory. The latter builds on eerie broken guitar chords, infused with occasional thrust of metallic impotence and capped with a searing chorus. The heaviness and the insanity is still there, but the song writing is sharper, smarter and more dynamic. For all the decibel plundering however, there is so much personality which colours and brightens their songs. ‘Milk Lizard’ however, will always be the true party smasher.
Having seen Puciato in The Black Queen, a band where he can really explore the depth and quality of his singing abilities, to see him here in a more rabid setting is a delight. It is credence too, to a special talent.
‘Mouth Of Ghosts’ is one of the most incredibly surreal and hypnotising songs to witness in the flesh. That galloping beat, which waltzes with a gorgeous, emotionally distraught piano line brings a kaleidoscope of images to your head. From vast open plains to the red deserts of Cydonia, it is the kind of song which stirs the soul and heightens inner contemplation. It introduces an encore cut unfortunately short. Halfway through ‘Sunshine Werewolf’ they cut the music and raise the lights. Someone in the crowd is having a seizure. Puciato encourages the crowd to give the individual room and calls for medical attention. The atmosphere in the room changes, a real concern blankets us all. It dampens the spirit and indeed the power of the band’s farewell to a city that has supported them for a long time. But it also accentuates the band’s humility. They sound like animals, play like animals, but have hearts that betray that visage: A heart that will be sorely missed when it stops beating this July.
On Soen’s third full length record their own explorative hunger is satisfied in the most delicious of ways, resulting in their most dynamically versatile but free flowing release to date.An explorative and colourful record, there is a lot to take in with this record, many dimensions in which to get lost in. Repeat listens bear gorgeous fruits.
Since the dawn of civilization, mankind’s instinct has been to go on long explorative journeys. Often such journeys are treacherous, fraught with deviations, twists and turns that take people in directions they could never have imagined. Be these physical odysseys into new unchartered territories, from the highest mountains or the pitch black unknown of the deepest oceans, or be they journeys into science, the search for cures for our most deadly afflictions and beyond, human nature has always looked forward, always advanced. There is always a thirst for more; more knowledge, greater discoveries. On Soen’sthird full length record their own explorative hunger is satisfied in the most delicious of ways, resulting in their most dynamically versatile but free flowing release to date.
2012’s ‘Cognitive’ saw them taking their first breaths, still young and finding their footing, while ‘Tellurian’, which came two years later, represented a band with a firm understanding of their own identity. They learnt to translate their ideas beautifully yet forcefully. What ‘Lykaia’does then is express a wider ranging sound with higher, grander peaks and darker; more gutturally and emotionally charged troughs. Each song is its own story of building crescendos detailed with deft subtleties and imagery, which together coalesce to compliment the bigger picture. From the higher, anthemic altitudes of ‘Sectarian’to the murky, riff-infested depths of ‘Opal’, it is a solid, inspired release.
‘Sectarian’sets the scene with an off-kilter riff that continues smoothly from the sonic feel of ‘Tellurian’. The song progresses delicately, its flow, much like the rest of the album, pertains no sharp and sudden changes. Instead every turn they take – and there are many, each poignantly placed and clinically delivered – makes perfect sense, no matter what dwells behind the bend. ‘Orison’, the standout track, sees a jittering groove tangle with Joel Ekelöf’s purring, wounded vocals, with unconventional but thrilling riffs that flirt with jazz spinning in and out of focus. Its second half is completely detached from the first. But throughout they blend fiery musical passages with lofty, vocally driven explosions.
‘Jinn’meanwhile sounds vulnerable. Dreamy eastern tonalities sway in and out of the foreground accenting that tenderness, which in turn contradict the doom mongering giants that lurk in the song’s more action-packed passages.
An explorative and colourful record, there is a lot to take in with this record, many dimensions in which to get lost in. Repeat listens bear gorgeous fruits.
“Lykaia” will be available everywhere from 03/02/2017
The idea of Decades Apart is pretty simple. I’ll choose 5 different albums from 5 different decades and I’ll share a little information about them and hopefully you’ll check them out if you haven’t already. Today is 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001and 2011. Whilst some these albums may not all be considered classics, they’re certainly amazing records. So be sure to check it out.
Hawkwind - 'In Search of Space' (1971)
Growing up in the '80s I heard the name Hawkwindoften enough but never took the time to listen to them. As far as I knew they weren't a metal band, more some kind of hippie jam band with keyboards, which was a major turn-off when I was obsessing over Celtic Frost, Prong and Voivod. They seemed so twee, almost laughable in the face of the epic speed and heaviness of 'To Mega Therion' or 'Dimension Hatross. Of course, once Soundgarden and Mudhoneycame along it suddenly seemed alright to look backwards for inspiration, and when Monster Magnet released “Spine of God” and started mentioning Hawkwind in every interview I thought it might be time for a reassessment. I bought a double cassette compilation and dived in.
Trying to consume so much Hawkwind at once is sheer madness and the compilation leapt around in terms of chronology so I thought I'd work out where to start and go from there. A tuned-in workmate was so excited to be asked for Hawkwindrecommendations that he gave me a vinyl copy of 'In Search of Space' along with some valuable advice for ideal listening conditions. To this day I still get the same feeling of foreboding when the opening strains of 'You Shouldn't Do That' seep out of the speakers. To have the confidence to open with a 15 minute epic speaks volumes of just how mind expanding Hawkwind truly are/were, and to this day no-one has really done anything that comes close. Ultra creepy, doom laden, tribal, kosmich and totally confusing at the same time. What's more, there's nothing of the peace and love of American west coast psych here at all. Hawkwindwere raw, tough and incessant. I had to check the record label to see how long that song was, it felt like it was as likely to be three minutes as thirty. Totally transcendental. They didn't let up either with 'Master of the Universe ' rivalling Sabbathfor pure power, and 'Adjust Me' setting an early template for noise rock twenty years before anyone was even thinking about it.
Like Sabbath, really nothing sounded the same at the time, or since, and I can't begin to imagine how alien this record must have sounded in '71. Hawkwind's legacy has been tainted by inconsistent line-ups and releases, along with a slew of tenth rate copyists posturing as psych-rock, but there's no doubt in my mind that if the band had finished after 'Hall of the Mountain Grill' they'd be revered in the same light as Sabbath, Zeppelin and all the other Titans of the era. This record still stands up like few others. This is your Captain speaking. Your Captain is dead
Van Halen– “Fair Warning” (1981)
In 1981 an album that in my opinion is the epitome of the Van Halensound was released, “Fair Warning”. Sheer gravitas. For my money, each track holds its weight in groove, riffs, musicianship and straight up ass kicking swagger from David Lee Roth.
What in my humble opinion always gets lost in a lot of their albums and I feel especially on this body of work is how amazing the percussion is. “Dirty Movies” is a lesson in full on boogie till the fucking cows come home, sleep in the barn and prance back out to the pasture to graze.
“So This is Love”, forget about it. How many T Tops had this song blitzing from their 8 track stereos, meanwhile, engines growled like a Rottweiler in heat. The key is the smoothness of the Ted Templeman production, the sonic sexiness of the virtuoso himself, Eddie Van Halen. The tonality and growl of his axe is more potent than any espresso ever brewed.
I remember my buddyJim Delosh playing this for me and Vaugh Fachette's dad blaring “Sinner's Swing”, before going fishing. So if you are feeling sentimental, and have a 3 quarter t shirt In your drawer please put it on, get one foot out the door and become “Unchained”.
Soundgarden -“Badmotorfinger”(1991)
Having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, Soundgardenhelped unshackle the band of their grunge tag with ‘Badmotorfinger’. While draped in that archetypal grittiness which helped characterise the movement and genre bursting from their hometown of Seattle at the time, this album was representative of a band outgrowing their early sound, building on their blues laden, doomy template with an intrinsic experimentalism which they learnt to perfect on ‘Superunknown’.
Indeed, while it was that succeeding album that helped skyrocket the band, breaking them to the masses with massive singles in ‘Spoonman’, ‘Fell on Black Days’ and ‘Black Hole Sun’, its older brother has grown into something of an underrated, cult classic. The melancholy chaos of ‘Rusty Cage’ - lovingly covered by Johnny Cash some years later - and the 7/4 thump of ‘Outshined’(a pre-cursor to ‘Spoonman’, which is also in 7/4) make a moody and impenetrably iconic introduction to a record which, while its style and feel may receive seismic shifts throughout, never lets up. Its diversity is its greatest gift, riffs leaping out at you from the dark when you least expect it, psychedelia then whisking you away from the punches.
They showed with this album a sharp and intelligent level of song writing, from the genius lyrics of Chris Cornell (“I’m looking California/but feeling Minnesota” and “share a cigarette with negativity”) to Kim Thayil’s nasty, unconventional approach to guitar playing, it may not be an album hugely revered, but that is in no way a representation of its quality. There is a progressive mindset driving the record, their playfulness with less common time signatures and often obscure, unnerving note choices defining it as something of an ugly beast. But why should rock music be pretty?
‘Slaves And Bulldozers’, ‘New Damage’ and ‘Holy Water’ are packed to the rafters with titanic doom riffs which snarl and growl like an animalistic Tony Iommi. The short and savage punk of Ben Shepard’s ‘Face Pollution’ and the bastardised, brass-tinged classic rock of Matt Cameron’s ‘Drawing Flies’, keep you guessing, keep you on your toes.
Never short of surprises, it is an amalgamation of so much, all condensed and blended into one unholy racket. Like any true classic, it is a record that no other band could write.
Converge – “Jane Doe” (2001)
Released in 2001, Converge's breakthrough 4th album, 'Jane Doe' remains a landmark in extreme music and sounds as fresh and relevant today as it did 15 years ago. Played with such ferocious precision, thanks in part to the impetus of new members Ben Koller and Nate Newton, 'Jane Doe' is a bitter, angry, scathing statement of intent from the band.
From the opening arpeggio that dips into the inhuman blasts of 'Concubine', the album barely lets you catch a breath as Jacob Bannon screams at you, telling you the story of a ruined relationship. It's so powerful and full of emotion that you can almost hear the blood pouring from the man's broken heart seep into his vocal chords.
Various twists and turns permeate the albums intensity; 'Distance And Meaning', 'Hell To Pay', 'Homewrecker', 'The Broken Vow' and 'Heaven In Her Arms' provide some of the most memorable moments, while 'Phoenix In Flight' is near perfect in its composition and placement on the album, allowing you to digest what's just been thrown your way before 'Phoenix In Flames' and 'Thaw' that follow, absolutely annihilate your eardrums. As if that wasn't enough, the album's title track is an 11 minute emotional rollercoaster, making you worry for the welfare of the song's protagonist.
Elder – "Dead Roots Stirring"(2011)
As opposed to the debut that was more of a brawny smack to the gut (or the wall, whichever you prefer), Elder’s excellentsophomore was one for the thinking-man’ stoner books. As psychedelia-ladden as it was riff-driven in its approach, this Boston trio set themselves up to be true trailblazers in the genre. Showing respect for the long-form, each track in duration 8 minutes at the very least with two nearing the twelve-minute mark, they brought a world fully their own and spent time exploring it with quieter moments but not lacking any punch either. The sheer rawness acting contrast to the intricate layering, all the while showcasing their penchant for experimenting with songwriting formulas.
The album is equal parts a plunge into murky depths – like the epically ravaging conclusion that closes the opener – as it is opting for the less travelled overgrown route, with floating guitars going off on shimmering tangents like aptly-titled third track ’III’. With rusty riffs bringing its plodding hooks, bluesy and bog-ridden coincide with the album art, sill, alongside the opening notes of ’Gemini’, or the thick earthy toned pulse that opens the title-track, it’s De Salvo’s vocals breaking at just the right moment. Concurrently melodic and raspy in their intonation, they come through as if a guide lighting the way, though showing restraint enough to let the instruments tell the majority of the story.
"Dead Roots Stirring" gave strong hints of what was to come on yesteryear’s acclaimed Lore, again proving that there isn’t a band that does it quite like Elder.
The idea of Decades Apart is pretty simple. I’ll choose 5 different albums from 5 different decades and I’ll share a little information about them and hopefully you’ll check them out if you haven’t already. Today is 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000and 2010. Whilst some these albums may not all be considered classics, they’re certainly amazing records. So be sure to check it out.
Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath” (1970)
An argument may still remain whether Black Sabbath truly invented heavy metal , however what is true to say, is that Black Sabbath impact and influence on heavy metal music remains unequalled. Famously recorded in one day, Sabbath’s debut was released on Friday February 13, 1970. The foreboding title track and “N.I.B”are perhaps the bands most potent examples of Sabbath’sfundamental power. Indeed if you ask the question, what is doom? Well you only have to refer to the title track and there you have your answer. If satan had an anthem, “Black Sabbath” would be that song. Elsewhere on the album are traces of blues and psychedelia. Early reviews of the album according to Tony Iommi’s were “awful”. But in America, “Black Sabbath”sold a million. In the UK, it made the Top 10. And over time it would be acknowledged as a landmark album in the evolution of heavy metal.
The year proceeding would see the band develop further still morphing from the dark masters of seemingly occult music to a respected hard rock band, who would help create the emerging genre of heavy metal. Seemingly doing the impossible by today’s standard, the four brummies recorded not one but two classic albums in the 1970, with “Paranoid” following a mere 4 months later, an album that would cause further a tectonic shift in the rock world. By the time “Paranoid” emerged, clearly Sabbath has developed greater compositional range to their music and their performances on their second album were further step up.
To give some context to what Sabbathwould go onto achieve, in 1968, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne were in a band called Rare Breedwhen a certain unknown guitarist Tony Iommi invited them to form a blues rock group with drummer Bill Ward. This new band would settle on the name Earth, following the recording of some initial demos and some subsequent positive feedback, the momentum of the band was stunted slightly following Iommi’s brief dalliance with Jethro Tull. Iommi would soon return and the group reunited in 1969, deciding upon the new name of Black Sabbath. In the Autumn 1969, the group was signed to Philips Recordsand entered the studio with producer Rodger Bain.
“Black Sabbath”was recorded live on the floor in the studio with very few overdubs added ad if you don’t already know the story, due to the loss of a few fingertips, Iommi down tuned his guitar for easier playing, with this new tone giving that synonymous “doomy” effect.
Having been turned on to Black Sabbath by my own Father, listening to this self-titled 1970 is arguably the definitive debut heavy metal record. In terms of a general concept “heavy metal” and it’s development of the genre was moulded not only tone of the music, but because of the band underlying lyrical themes, with Sabbath’s devotion to darker themes that others perhaps had not dared undertake. The band’s environment, in terms of living in poverty and career choices being limited to factory worker or petty criminality, Black Sabbathwere far removed from hedonism hippie music that was popular when the band formed in 1968, considering themselves a blues band. Instead it is said that Tony Iommi observed the lines that formed at the local movie theatre whenever it showed horror films and remarked that if people were so willing to pay to be scared, perhaps they should try playing evil-sounding music. So with that in mind, they took their name from a Boris Karloff film. Indeed the title track to “Black Sabbath” capture the essence of horror, with Iommi playing a slow, ominous riff based on the “devil’s tritone,”. The sluggish pacing of the track is truly something to behold and perhaps personifies what is indeed heavy, with the slow and ominous motif becoming the primary influence of the doom metal genre. There is no filler on this record, “The Wizard” with their inspired use of harmonica, ably backed up by Geezer on bass and a masterful performance from drummer Bill Ward. “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” inspired by psychological horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.“N.I.B.” a Sabbath song for bass-lovers, man that Butler solo and with Osbourne at his mercurial best.
Sabbath’s cover of “Evil Woman” by Crowwas their first single from the album, a straightforward blues rocker and arguably the most accessible song on the record, Sabbath truly but their own stamp on it, particularly with Iommi’s riffs replacing the brass of the original.
The title of “SleepingVillage” speaks for itself, a sombre dirge with Osbourne crooning over the top of Iommi’s acoustic guitar from the outset. With dramatic shifts in tone throughout, from a 60s inspired jam to the rigid structure of an menacing, plodding riff. “Evil Woman”is up next into another cover, this time in the form of “Warning” originally by The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, clocking in at an immense 10m30s, and taking up most of the album’s second side. This track was the least accessible on the album with “Wicked World” completing the album with politically charged lyrics, A politician’s job they say is very high, For he has to choose who’s got to go and die, They can put a man on the moon quite easy, While people here on Earth are dying of old diseases catchy riffs, booming bass guitar and a master class of intricate drumbeats from Ward. Black Sabbath made music that personified their environment, dealing with the harsher realities of life in their lyrics, married with dark and sinister tone of the guitar and the flawless display by Geezer and Ward. Sabbath truly have no equal and the next time someone asks you what heavy metal is, reach for your copy of “Black Sabbath” and utter not a word, because this album speaks for itself.
Diamond Head – “Lightning To The Nations” (1980)
“Lightning to the Nations” also known as “The White Album” is the debut album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1979 and released on the 3rd October 1980 through their own label Happy Face Records. The album stands in history as possibility one of the most influential heavy metal records of all time. Speaking as a Metallicafan, the band first came to my attention, due to their cover of “Am I Evil?” which featured on the “Lighting to the Nations” album. One can not be certain whether Diamond Head’s would have remained in heavy metal shadows without their association with Metallica , however this union certainly helped gain the band more widespread attention, given Metallica covered no fewer than 5 of the 7 songs from the album. To put it bluntly if Metallicafans thought these tracks were cool, the same fans would check out Diamond Head. Conversely and perhaps unfortunately so, Diamond Head's were associated more as the inspiration to Metallica rather than composing one of the best heavy metal records of all time. "Lightning to the Nations" combines great guitar-driven elements with epic sounding vocals and a sound unique to them and whilst Diamond Headnever reached the heady heights that Metallicawould achieve 10 years later, they deserve enormous praise from creating a legendary record, one that would go on to inspire the biggest heavy metal band of all time.
Megadeth – “Rust in Peace” (1990)
“Rust In Peace” is the fourth album by Megadeth, released on September 24th 1990. It feels poignant and only fitting to be discussing this album, given the tragic loss of drummer Nick Menza earlier this year, appropriate then that he be remembered for playing a pivotal role in the creation of perhaps the greatest thrash metal album of them all. It is safe to say, Megadethwas never the most stable band, disgruntlement of an ousted guitarist from Metallica, which perhaps Mustaine would never recover from, coupled with drug addiction, tragedy and a revolving line up, Megadeth were always on the cusp of creating something huge, but up until this point, the band never quite reached their peak. Following the release of their 1988 album, “So Far, So Good, So What” drummer Chuck Behler and guitarist Jeff Young would leave the band, to be replaced by Nick Menza and an emerging guitar virtuoso, Marty Friedman, who was known as one half of the speed metal band Cacophony, who also featured Jason Becker, indeed it was the release of Friedman’s debut solo album “Dragon’s Kiss” that piqued Mustaine’s attention, remarking in his biography and I paraphrase that Mustaine was so intimidated by Friedman, it created some anxiety, that he was hiring someone technically superior to him. Irrespective of this apparent tension, “Rust In Peace” is one of the most technically brilliant thrash albums, indeed it is the sheer technical complexity of the album that would truly define Megadeth and perhaps set a new benchmark for thrash metal standards.
“Hangar 18” and “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”, with their continuous tempo changes, elegant neo classical inspired solos, along with Mustaine at his magnificent songwriting peak, these two songs would set the tone for the album and inspire it to go down in history as Megadeth’s apex in terms of album output. Thematically “Rust In Peace” is centered around politics, nuclear warfare, religion, UFOs, and personal issues such as drug and alcohol addiction. “Rust In Peace” is a) an album written by Mustaine at his creative, b) it was performed by members with the technical capabilities of MenzaandFreidman members, it is little surprise then that “Rust In Peace” is one of the greatest heavy metal album of all time and the best Megadethalbum ever.
Queens of the Stone Age– “Rated R” (2000)
The year 2000 was a turning point for the stoner rock genre and this had a lot to do with Josh Homme’s band Queens of the Stone Age. Referred too as trance robot music for ladies, the conception of the band was to make the desert sound more widely known and to make something that women could dance to. If you take these two goals and prop them up against QOTSA’s 2000 sophomore album “Rated R,” then there’s no denying that even this early in the band’s career, Homme could already mark this as his second greatest musical accomplishment, the first of course being Kyuss.
Homme was able to turn heads and grab attention. At the time, “Rated R” was something new for the mainstream, while for the heavy underground, those involved felt like they were finally getting recognition. That’s not to say the underground wanted this recognition, but QOTSAwas arguably the catalyst for many bands like Red Fang, Mastodon, and Truckfighters to spread the stoner rock gospel and influence a generation of their own.
It’s interesting to note that the year 2000 also saw the release of Limp Bizkit’s “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” a record that went on to sell millions and was at the time regarded as a would-be classic. In the meantime, that album has faded from our memory, but “Rated R” continues to mature like a fine wine. So what was it that made QOTSA a band to notice?
The album is 11 songs long and ranges from stoned riffing to catchy grooving. “Rated R” leaned in the direction of experimental rock music without neglecting the need for a strong hook. Different instruments were used and the songs were structured in such a way that they could stand alone as a hit single while simultaneously being an integral part of the album as a whole. The album’s lyrical content was for mature audiences, but that didn’t stop radio stations from playing “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” regardless of the season. And to top it all off, Homme invited several friends from the desert – amongst which Dave Catching, Chris Goss, Mark Lanegan, and Pete Stahl – to contribute to this masterpiece. With all of these creative minds who came from the same scene, it’s no wonder “Rated R” turned out to be a template for the burgeoning stoner scene which has since then exploded.
Ghost – ‘Opus Eponymous’ (2010)
First impressions are pivotal and from the moment the eerie, mysterious swelling organ chimes of ‘Opus Eponymous’, Ghosthave had thousands captivated. Their anonymity, a driving factor in their success, is pure theatre, the cold, occultish feel of Black Sabbath and the horror loving, hip swinging charisma and humour of Alice Cooperpotent flavours on this hors d'oeuvre. Yet, where dark, 70s rock whetted the appetite of so many, they juxtaposed all that with the kind of melodies that made ABBA so irresistible. From the human sacrificing stadium rock of ‘Ritual’ to the poetically haunting ‘Elizabeth’and the beguiling, lofty sounds of ‘Satan Prayer’, while it may not stand as a classic album – especially when compared to the ever increasing quality of their later releases – ‘Opus Eponymous’ provides us with a thrilling first encounter. With the gift of retrospect we can hear their naivety in some ways, this is a band still developing, still laying down the building blocks for a sound that has, today, become truly irresistible.
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