I resisted making a "best of" list last year, thinking that it was just too normal and expected. I just decided on a whim (which is how this blog was started) that it might be fun to look over my past year's picks. Here they are! I narrowed them down to 10 and consider them all pretty equal in quality.
What a nice surprise this was. No Zodiac are purveyors of Heavily Death Metal influnced Beatdown Hardcore. The grooves run slow and thick as tar, with enough blastbeats and thrashy moments to keep tensions high. The considerably seismic guitar tone (I'm guessing A-tuning?) will surely devastate any yuppies or hipsters within a 50 foot radius. The vocals are a bit run-of-the-mill and could use more neanderthal fury, but they get the job done. This is what I wish the Xibalba full-length sounded like. Smash all your Bane and Comeback Kid cd's. This is the real shit.
Black Metal done in true Norse tradition. To me, Morbid Prayer sounds half way between the epic, melodic style of early Gorgoroth and the primitive hammering of Darkthrone. The atmosphere and production are near-perfect for the style. The songwriting is a bit understated, but works very well. You all know that prefer the unusual and progressive, but there's always room for humble, traditional offerings.
A mix of olde tyme hardcore styles covered by a cloud of vicious distortion. A fusion of familiar American hardcore with the D-Beat/Raw Punk battery of the Swedish and Japanese. I hear some faint Nordic Black Metal influence, but maybe that's just coincidental. Sometimes it's up-tempo, sometimes it's rigid and minimal, but always harsh and grimey as the DC/Baltimore streets that birthed it.
Remember when I posted Risk's second album? That was almost a year ago now, which means it's been long enough to post their third (and best) album: Dirty Surfaces. Everything that you liked (or hated) about Hell's Animals can again be found, only more refined this time. Here we see Risk picking up the pace and showing that they're a real Thrash band and not middle of the road fence-sitters. The technicality and lyrics have also been improved making this record better than it's predecessors in every way.
It's been a while since I posted something really complex and technical (especially in the Black Metal realm), but here it is. Drottnar remind me very much of late-era Mayhem and Satyricon's most underrated Rebel Extravaganza. It's ultra-modern Black Metal with musicianship seldom heard in the genre. I feel obligated to inform you that Drottnar are a christian band. Turn you off? Too bad. This band kills it. And I'd rather listen to this than any of the shit Varg is farting out these days.
What we have here is my favorite Hardcore album of the season. This shit is tough-as-nails and packs enough surprises to keep the interest high. There's just enough tasteful spits of blast beats and Death Metalish riffs to break up the mosh. The production is nice too. True, the lyrics are at times misogynistic, but I think most of you won't notice or care. If you do care, feel free to skip it. I mean, tough Metalcore like this is usually sketchy in some way or another. It's good, but it ain't Posi-core.
Hello again! Sorry for the long pause, but I've been hella stressed with the process of moving. I'm getting more settled in now so I should be approaching the sad attempt at regularity that I'm known for.
So here's an album that I downloaded a couple weeks ago. Hell Theater remind me a lot of Portrait (whom I posted a while ago). There's a strong Mercyful Fate influence and an overall early 80's vibe. They don't bring that vintage feel as well as Portrait does, but this is still a valiant effort. They do, however, succeed in combining their Black, Speed, and Classic Metal influences into one cohesive whole. In reality, those sub-genres really were not that different from each other 30 years ago. The inherent cheesiness, aggression, and epic sensibility that Metal represents is well displayed here.
An unusual post for me, but also totally run of the mill as far as my tastes go. Lene Lovich is a true heroine in the Post-Punk, Proto-Goth, "crazy girl" scene of the late 70's. I always thought of her as the American equivalent to Nina Hagen. She may not have the classical chops of Nina, but she still has attitude and character for days. The songs are simple yet strange with Lene's voice always as the focal point. You really have to hear this to know what I'm talking about.
Greetings, poglodytes. I'm now transmitting from the "Rose City" Portland, Oregon (soon to be renamed "Bro's City"). That means that I'm now living in a place with an actual scene. I might even start doing concert reviews, who knows?
So anyway, there's this new record that I got on my computer and it's pretty good. Konkeror play moderately melodic Death Metal and do so very well. Their style is vaguely reminiscent of The Chasm and Necrophobic, yet more brutal and modern. You might like it.
It seems that these days there's an endless stream of Black/Thrash bands coming out of every corner of the globe. Every one of them obeying the strict code of bullet belts, black & white album covers, and the most boring riffs outside of a Krabathor album. At first glance you would judge Slaughtered Priest as just another one of those faceless formula bands, and you would be so fortunately wrong. What Slaughtered Priest lack in originality and good taste, they more than compensate with amazing riffs and uncompromising consistency. Each song is a killer built on top of an unrelenting D-beat. These power-chord riffs are so fast and fluid, they would make Coroner, Rigor Mortis, and Destruction jealous. With an audible bass and livelier production, this could have been a modern classic. Even without those, it's still great. Confess to the dead!
For about two years now, I've been waiting for a band that combines my favorite sub-genre (Death Metal) with my favorite woodwind (Saxophone). That band has finally arrived. Acrania are actually a diverse Metal/Jazz hybrid with influnces reaching far back into Mexico's ethnic history as well as modern Metal that most of us grew up with. This isn't just a regular Death Metal band with some sax solos (although that would be pretty sweet). An Uncertain Collision is primarily driven by Jazz and latino rhythm styles that create a very loose feel, almost danceable. The multi-layered drumming is also incredible, so good that it slightly overshadows the rest of the band. But that's ok, as I'm sure we've all heard enough metronomic blast-beats to last us the rest of our lives. Not just some nerdy white guy talking about "exotic" far away cultures that he's only read about, Acrania are the real deal, showcasing their own musical heritage.
It's inevitable that with "intellectual property" hysteria all mp3 blogs will eventually be terminated. That has been the fate of our favorite Metal/Pet/Idiocy blog, The Living Doorway. I may make fun JGD a lot, but truth be told, Triple B wouldn't exist without The Living Doorway. Just like that Portlandia episode about Battlestar Galactica, I'm gonna go to his house and demand that he write a sequel. It could happen...
There are many genres that I love to hate, but then there's always a band that's so good I have to eat my own prejudiced words. This is what I wish all Instrumental Post-Metal bands sounded like. The dreary quality that seems to link all Post-Metal is still evident, but the annoying droney, repetitive quality is not to be found. Instead, these songs actually develop and show dynamics and melody. Not quite enough melody to make me forget the lack of vocals, but close. Pretty close to how Kylesa would sound if they decided to go instrumental. Those of you with beards will dig it.
I've lost count of how many so-called "great" Prog/Tech Death albums I've posted, but The Human Burden ranks up there with the best of them. Because Atheos aren't a big name band on a big name label, this album seems to have been shelved and overshadowed by the highly anticipated returns of Cryptopsy, Hour of Penance, and The Faceless. All those albums were good in their own right, but this one stands apart in overall songwriting quality. Kinda reminds me of Millenium/In Dark Purity era Monstrosity. Well worth your attention.
There's absolutely no way I couldn't check out a band named after my favorite song, and it turns out they're actually very good. I usually don't get into Power Metal as it's kind of a novelty genre, but Wuthering Heights transcend their stylistic norms and make (honestly) great music. The Shadow Cabinet is so triumphantly grand and melodic that it makes me suspect the entire band is classically trained. They even surpass Blind Guardian in sheer sophistication. But, unlike most Prog bands, the drama of the song always takes precedence over the technical "showboating" of the band. This is proof that Metal can be
high-art just as well as it can low-brow fun.
I'm just gonna get this out of the way; Rush are arguably the best rock band (prog or otherwise) ever. It's kind of a wonder why there aren't thousands of bands trying to duplicate their sound. Well, 2112 are here to fill this gaping void. Take 90's era Rush, inject a small dose of metal shredding, subdue the bass prominence, translate all lyrics to Castellano and you have El Maravilloso.
I really love how direct and honest metal album artwork is. Every sub-sub-sub-genre has it's own unique cover art style that informs you (fairly accurately) what you'll be enjoying. This is so obviously the case with Insult to Injury. Why are there only two wheels for that wheelchair? Why is that train the size of a cruise ship? Why is that hard cast unraveling like toilet paper? It's important not to over-analyze artwork or music like this. It is what it is, a Thrashing good time. Will it change your life? Not at all. Will it incite headbanging and lackluster vocal covers from your friends? Yes.
I know you're looking at this cover and thinking "shit, is this Slam?". Well, sort of. Relics of Humanity straddle that line between "Slam" and brutal/guttural death metal. Whatever you might think it this qualifies as, I just think it's good. Relics of Humanity sound very "New York" in style with the copious, palm-muted technicality of Suffocation mixed with the muddy, sasquatch bottom-heaviness of Mortician. The vocals remind me quite a bit of Will from Mortician, but better. These growls are so ball-shakingly deep, they even put the ridiculous G-tuned guitars to shame (and without any annoying "cricket" quality). The guitars then provide the appropriate aftershock with frequent dive-bomb drops. The drumming manages to just barely cut through the seismic activity with a tolerable amount of ring and sharpness. This might not count as legit Slam to aficionados like Brett and JGD, but I think they (and many of you) will still get hella stupid to it tonight. Recommended for Wormed and Circle of Dead Children fans.
From one end of the spectrum to the other, this is supremely technical and progressive Death done in a more modern vein. Pretty similar to Moonloop (that I just posted) and Quo Vadis but maybe a little bit more challenging than both. The production is too dry and the vocals need some edge, but with a band this little-known I should be glad the whole thing doesn't sound like a nintendo.
Jesus, I guess it's been nearly two weeks since my last post. It's mainly because it's my final week at school and I really have to hit the shit for a few days. But, there have been a few gold nuggets that I've found recently, and Putrevore's newest is one of them. This is really regressive and simplistic Death Metal, just what you would expect from Death Metal "hit-master" Rogga Johansson. Although Macabre Kingdom is a bit more dark and obscure than his more popular projects Revolting and Ribspreader (which is good). Admittedly, I usually don't like Rogga's projects, but this really hits my proverbial spot. The excellent atmosphere is a key ingredient to this otherwise "ho-hum" stew. The murky tones add just enough obscurity to the overtly simple riffs, resulting in an album that's tastefully dark, decrepit, and brutal. Not at all cheesy or slick like his other endeavors often are. Recommended for any fan of early 90's Death Metal and even casual Death fans.
Since that last review was so long, I'll keep this one super short. Dutch Crossover/Proto-Grind similar to the old masters S.O.D. and Cryptic Slaughter but with a more modern (louder) production. Either you like it or you don't. It's a 26 minute circle pit.
I often question the direction or "theme" for this blog. At first, I wanted Triple B to be very personal, a place where I could vent about my life. Not an easy feat. Very few people have the gift of being a good storyteller, so most end up just being whiny, arrogant pricks (which is what I must sound like right now). Or worse yet, they bombard you with sentimental pics of their children. Really man, no one wants to see pictures of your dorky son and we especially don't want to read what his prune-sized brain is thinking about on his very own shitty, non-music related blog. Or how about those uber-hipster tumblr pages? I can't believe people think that they're "talented" or "artistic" just because they collect and repost other people's photographs. Ok, I veered off topic for a bit. What I'm really wondering about is whether trip B should be more Metal or more Hardcore oriented? I suppose it doesn't really matter, because you guys seem to be pretty satisfied with both.
So, anyway, Heikousen have bridged my two favorite styles in a very pleasing way. They've really ramped up the technicality level past their Mathcore/"Post-Everything" contemporaries. Sure Perth Express, Comity, and Trap Them are competent players, but can they really compare to the musical Kung Fu of Prog Death practitioners? Not so much. Heikousen can slap, tap, and pinch-harmonize with any Relapse alum any day of the week. Does that alone make them good? No, but it does add a tigher, lighter flare to the songs as well as break technical barriers that would hinder your average 'Core musician.
Pretty fuckin' sweet mid-paced, technical, guitar-oriented Death Metal. Although influences can be traced throughout the Death Metal spectrum, their style is probably most similar to later-Coroner, Cynic, and later-Death. Yes, there are some clean vocals here, but they're very tolerable and don't overpower the rest of the album. I know the band name and cover might scream "skip it", fight the urge and give this a chance. If you're at all into Prog Death, this band is well worth your time.
I know what you're thinking: "What, a novelty band!? Has Kawana jumped on the Folky/Pirate Metal bandwagon?" The short answer is no. I'm as surprised as you are that I'm posting an album with an "evil bumblebee" on the cover, but I'm genuinely impressed with cohesiveness and musicianship displayed here. There's just so many notes being played and so many influences coming through at once, but all executed with supreme precision. Are they using computers to correct their timing? It's possible, but I'm just paying attention to how fucking entertaining and refreshing this sounds to really care. Ok, so it's probably not gonna make fans out you "bearded types" that are digging the new Krallice album. If you wanna hear something that's a bit more atypical than your usual Nekkro or Guttural drivel, then fly away with me to the Nordic fantasy realm.
Ah, I've been sitting on this record for a couple months now, but for some reason it kept slipping my mind. Desecresy are among the finest modern purveyors of the old Finnish sound. Without sounding like any one particular classic band, they've surely exhumed the corpses of their brutish ancestors (who are probably only 40 by now) and have expelled this cavernous collection as their newest offering. All the traditional ingredients can be found here: visceral groans, relentlessly buzzing guitars, and overall nauseating atmosphere.
Simple Grindcore goodness without any annoying "ringy" snare drums or belches. Blackened riffs here and there add a nice touch. If you liked that Male Misandria I posted a while ago, or that Cloud Rat from last year, you'll like this.
It's rare when you have a modern band that straddles that line between Hardcore and (medium-strength) Punk, but No do just that. There's a very strong Dead Kennedys influence going on too. Sorry for the huge file size, I guess it's uncompressed or something.
Not your typical Prog Thrash album (if such a thing exists). These Germans got much more into melody and dynamics than their peers. Quite good and unique.
Another band in the seemingly endless ocean of Modern Hardcore mash-up. I always expect myself to get bored with this style, but I never do. I think it's because I love pretty much every sub-genre that these bands pull from. Powerviolence, Metalcore, D-Beat, Death Metal, Sludge... All of which are great on their own, and just as good when puréed into an ultra-tough, roided, muscle pudding. Dog Days (from jolly, old England) take a Metalcore soup base, add Post-Hardcore chunks, Euro Death Metal cream, jullienne'd Thrash, and drizzled with real guitar lead lustre. Serve chilled and enjoy!
Slang has always been a bit of an anomaly. They're the only ones (that I know of) that mixed 80's Japanese Hardcore with 90's New York Metallic style. They never could quite pull off the mosh riffs, so I'm glad they've left all the "pit riffment" behind and have given us a no-frills D-Beat assault. They're new, focused style has them sounding better than ever. There is some Metal influence creeping in here and there, but in a much more Crusty fashion a la Filth of Mankind/Misery. The production is decently clear, but brittle. But hey, you can never expect too good of production with this kind of shit.
Some new Boston kids (Mind Eraser, No Tolerance) following in the footsteps of their ancestors (SSD, Negative Approach, Gang Green), and doing so quite well. Olde Tyme Hardcore without any annoying new flavor. If you're a macho jerk with a death wish, then this is for you.
Throw about every heavy music genre from the past twenty years into a blender, and you might end up with this. From the metallic, to the sludgey, to the post-whatever, you'll find it displayed here. In simpler terms, I would say it's somewhere between Neurosis, Kylesa and Trap Them. All of this is pulled off extremely well. The stylistic changes within don't sound abrupt or ill-fitting at all. Highly recommended bludgeoning. Also, sorry about the lack of posts lately, I just haven't found much stuff that's appealed to me.
Portrait occupy a strange space (especially for a new band) between NWOBHM, early Power Metal, and early Black Metal. I know that sounds confusing, but all these Swedes want to do is sound like their idols in Mercyful Fate. They do a pretty excellent job of satisfying the 'Fate craving without sounding like an overt rip-off. They've taken the old template, modernized it, and bumped it up a notch in intensity. The 'Fate comparison really gets made with the vocals, which have a King Diamond-esque melodic style, but are much more like a typical metal "scream" than a proper falsetto. The tight, nimble guitar work is the other highlight here; showcasing different influences from Maiden-style gallops, to Black Metal tremolo picking. My only complaint is that the drumming is far too linear and metronomic. But otherwise this is a great, accessible record that'll appeal to many a metalhead.
New York Hardcore by way of Richmond Virginia. This reminds me a lot of fellow Richmond dudes Down to Nothing, but maybe slightly more metallic. There's also a slight Rap influence to the vocals, very much akin to their influences Breakdown and Crown of Thornz. But don't worry, they never end up sounding like Biohazard or anything, and the lyrics are anything but thuggish. This is just super straight-forward Metalcore with killer riffs, near-perfect production, and some tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in too.
In the endless ocean of mediocre Death Metal, I (so fortunately) stumbled across this monster. Rhythmically, Deathernity is the most interesting album I've heard all year, along with Diskord's Dystopics. These dislocated, stuttering grooves seem to be inspired by the expected world of Prog Death, the not-so-Death Metal realm of Mathcore, and all the way to the unheard-of plane of industrial and jungle. It's true, I do detect an influence of electronic music. Normally, that sort of thing would be grounds for me to banish a band to the recycle bin forever, but not here. The "distant" production marries the effects with the instruments superbly. The use of super-isolated drum sounds and solid-state guitar amps create a uniquely "cold" atmosphere that's not at all sterile. No Mercy have succeeded in combining extremely contrasting elements into one diverse, yet cohesive whole.
Have you guys ever put salad dressing on a sandwich? If you haven't, you're really missing out. I just took my bland supermarket sub to the next level by serving it with a side of Caesar dipping sauce. What's next, bleu cheese? The possibilities are endless!
I really didn't expect to like this record. Their debut "Beheaded Ouroboros" bored me so much that I didn't even bother to download it for free. Knowing that bands (no matter how supremely kult) do usually mature and diversify their sound is what led me to try it out. This is exactly the case with The Grand Tormentor. The production has been cleaned up, the speed is more varied, and the riffs are more memorable and palatable. Witchrist haven't evolved into Death Metal royalty just yet, but have gone beyond their stylistic indulgence and become a formidable name in the international scene. Together with Ulcerate, Witchrist are putting 'Aotearoa on the Death Metal map.
You guessed it, this marks my 200th post! It's been well over a year, but I've finally made it. Thanks for everyone for sticking with me through the slow times. To celebrate, I'm posting the new LP from one of Washington State's finest purveyors of Hardcore: Marrow. Much like my aging "bod", The Sea Of... has everything you could possibly want: metallic riffs, blast-beats, dissonance, and a scathing production. Sure, bands of this style are a dime a dozen these days, but how many of them are actually worth listening to? This one is...
It's rare that I post something that's not unabashedly heavy, but this works for me. White Lung hit that sweet spot between Punk agression and Post-Punk moroseness. The monotone vocals, the jangly guitars, the reverb-soaked recording, all the elements are present. They also fit in pretty well beside other Post-Punk revivalists Signal Lost and Alaric. Do they bring anything new to the table? Not really, but so few recent bands play this style as well as White Lung that it's still refreshing nonetheless.
It's time for us to take a trip into the thick, cheesy depths of Münster
(which is in Germany, in case you thought it was in Wisconsin or
something). What we have here is the finest example of Sludgecore that
I've heard in months. It's brutal, viscous, and plodding without ever becoming droney (a tag you'll never see on this blog). I the Unlord
manage to be lethargic and violent simultaneously, which is a very fine
line to walk. The production works very nicely too, with the proper
amount of sharpness and low-end without distorting your brain and speakers to oblivion. If you're (like me) waiting for the new Xibalba full length, Praise the Most Dead should satiate your hunger for seismic musical catharsis.
Here's a great, refreshing LP from a new group of Hardcore vets. Supposedly, members have been in Damnation A.D. and The Promise. It's definitely evident that these aren't pimple-faced 'tweens here, as Death Songs is indeed tightly played and maturely written. I hear the grit and muscle of No Warning and Damnation A.D. (of course), but I'm hearing more influence of hook-driven Posi bands like Betrayed and Have Heart. Theses songs are all catchy and memorable as hell. There's no complaints in the production department either. The only thing I'm left wanting is a more intense, heavier attack (something I can really dance to). Otherwise, this is a very enjoyable and accessible Hardcore record that surely deserves repeated listening.
It'd quite strange that I never listened to this band until today. Usually I go apeshit for super-proggy metal like this. Jazzier than the usual prog stuff I post, but still has enough impact and structure to satisfy me. Surprising that the former singer of the Nu Metal band Crisis (that I'm sure none of you are fans of) has recently joined this band. Sonically, I would say this sounds like a pretty even mix of Alamaailman Vasarat and Ihsahn. Go for it.
I honestly forgot this band still existed. I remember Sexcrement being sort of a splinter of the band Goratory (whose album Rice on Suede might be the most underrated Death Metal album of the previous decade). I'm actually glad their singer Adam Mason decided to keep doing Death Metal in the wake of his former bandmates forming some of the worst bands in recent memory: Despised Icon and Job for A Cowboy. Anyway, that's beside the point. What is the point is Sloppy seconds is a damn tasty platter of mosh-heavy Death. They've taken the riff-driven groove parts of Goratory and Skinless and really them dominate, instead of following tradition and using sheer speed as the foundation. Sloppy Seconds is very listenable and accessible (in a good way) without sounding weak.
You know how people are always saying "their first album was amazing, but everything after that sucks"? Well, I often find myself saying the opposite. It can take a band a decade's worth of albums before they've reached the level of maturity that my exquisite pallete demands. Such is definitely the case with Swedish D-Beaters Martyrdöd. Their vaguely Metallic Crustcore never quite drew me in. Their riffs were just a little too ordinary and they never brought enough of the Black Metal influence that (their cheerleader) Felix Havoc would go on and on about. Usually Crustcore bands keep toiling away with the same formula (Wolfbrigade, Wartorn) their entire career, which is fine if you love that style. Thankfully, Martyrdöd have bucked that tradition and have shown great progression since I last heard them in '05. The Black Metal presence has increased as well as the overall songwriting. Aside from a couple of straightforward bashers, these songs actually develop and have depth. The tones have better "texture" and there's some real melodies being played (not just two-chord overdubs). Yes, this is still Crustcore and inherently modest in techincality, but is a million times more interesting than the contemporaries relying only on distortion and militant politics.
Parasitic (I'm intentionally spelling it wrong) are somewhat of a supergroup with members paying dues in slightly better-known bands: Cannabis Corpse, Behind Enemy Lines, and Morne. Those bands were all fine for what they were, but always fell a little short of my standards. Thankfully, Parasitic very much delivers. Poison Minds is a concise blast of serious, stinky Thrashing. Parasitic remind me of the English "Stench-Core" originators Hellbastard and Deviated Instinct, mixed with modern purveyors of the genre Hellshock and Age. If you're not hip to all this Crust Punk jargon, imagine Discharge playing Slayer covers and you won't be far off. The riffs are outstanding, the song quality is consistent, and the musicianship is above average for this sort of thing. You can't lose!
It's been awhile since a Grindcore band has made an impression on me, but damnit if Male Misandria hasn't kicked my ass. They've been called a Black/Grind hybrid, but I think that's a bit of a stretch. The Black Metal influence is pretty vague. To me, this is just really good Grindcore slightly blackened with great tremolo-picked riffs. This album is a comp, so there will be some volume and production differences between songs. Still great.
Here's a super sweet EP that no one seems to have noticed yet. Kosmophobia follows the recent explosion of "Space" Death Metal, but take it a bit further with weird, astral synth sounds. The synths are used purely for atmospheric and thematic purpose, so they hold no musical value (which can be good or bad). Once you get past that, there's ample helpings of riff casserole served on a delightful bed of time signatures. Technically, this is a demo, but you'd never guess with such slick production. Kids these days, not only can they play better than the old guard, they can mix professional albums at home! Anyway, if you love the ultra-precise, astronautic Death Metal of Element, Origin, and Arkaik, this Bud's for you.
