Digital Meltd0wn

Zer0_ii thought that this month we ought to highlight some unsigned artists, give them a bit o’ the old web & ear time.

Unsigned artists...shit, from my years of doing EAT POOP! ‘zine I have so many demos, self-produced cds, or independent label materials I could do a whole blog on just it alone. But not many folks are looking for one-offs or obscure tuneage from long gone bands. I get sent all kinds of new musick over at NSS with review or post-up requests, but I’m sure hundreds of other blogs get the same stuff, so I only post it sporadically at best.

However, as a way for me to start off, I’m going to offer up some neo funk from a friend of mine. I was personally involved in this disc’s genesis & I believe its story is interesting, if tragic.

I used to work my wage-slave day job with Rick ‘G Funk’ Smith, guitarist extraordinaire. He was working with some other musickians who had all been in the business for many years, playing alongside the likes of Sly Stone, Larry Graham, & other great funkateers. He had an idea for an album & needed some help to make it happen. So I signed on as manager of the project & turned over my living room to weekly practices.

The disc We Come in Peace I am presenting now is the results. Shortly after the birth of this baby, Rick’s oldest son Alec ‘Young Ace’ Smith (who does the vocal intro & outro) was killed at a local Yuba City party. Thus sounded the funereal knell for this project that sadly I gladly share with you all now.

JoyRide is: Rick ‘G Funk’ Smith - guitar & vocals; Ken Miller - bass; Dwight Hogan - bass; Doug Smith - keyboards; Jarrett Aitkens - drums; & Kym Botts - vocals.

Year of Release: 2008
Label: Self released/JoyRide Music
Genre: Neo Funk, Urban Funk

Tracklist:
Here We Come
True Passion
I’m Alright Now
We Come in Peace
Knowledge
Just a Melody
Thighland
Honesty
Coffe with Mary
The Light
You Still Have Me

Download: JoyRide - We Come in Peace
Download Size: 117Mb

Music can be as much an outlet for self-expression as it can be a tool to communicate with others. There is a pervasive theme with black metal bands, no matter the country, that accomplishes neither of the aforementioned goals. Most are too obsessed with the public persona of Satanism and the need to seem as evil as possible. It is rare to find bands that use the genre as a means of true personal expression. Luckily, I stumbled upon a band from the United Arab Emirates that does just that. Thamud, ironically a one-man band named after an ancient race of people in Arabia, is a project created purely as a means of self-expression. It was the manifestation of a man's desire to reach out to anyone that would listen.

The official genre label for Thamud is ambient black metal and the music stays along that path with the exception of the last track on the demo, Lost Within Mists Of Time. The last track borders on a classical composition, but stays in-tune with the general feel of the entire demo. It's hard to put into words, but what I sense from this project is eerie melancholy. “Lost Within Mists OF Time” is the star of this demo, it bleeds emotion in the rawest sense and transports me to a snow laden Lincoln Park (Jersey City, NJ – look it up, it's a dismal place on it's best day) sitting on a bench overlooking the polluted man-made lake. I used to go there to escape the chaos of family life and just reflected on things. That time of my life is what this track brings back to me. It is very rare when a song that I have no history with brings nostalgia of that kind.

The secondary focus of this project is the fourth track, Al Hajaj Ibn Yousif Al Thaqafey. What makes this so addictive, because that's what it is, is the absolutely amazing sound sample used to break up the song. It's a speech from an ancient religious figure, Al Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf, that was featured in an Arabic TV show. The man's exudes strength and confidence which combine to give way to a certain charisma that translates well in his voice. The speech is the backbone of this song and it's a little unfortunate for non-Arabic speakers that the language barrier exists. Though what he is saying really isn't of much importance as much as the authority that he gives off, the words do add an extra punch to the song. A rough translation of the last bit of the speech before the music cuts in:

I have two swords, the sword of mercy and the sword of torture and judgment. For the sword of mercy, it has fallen from me along the path so I left it. And the sword of torture and judgment, for this is it.. -sound of a sword being unsheathed can be heard-

Musically, the song has a groove to it that is refreshing despite the general absence of bass guitar in the entire demo.

The demo is sparse vocally with growls making an appearance in tracks 2 and 3 only. They add a more aggressive element beyond the music itself which gives a hard edge to the aforementioned theme of melancholy of each song.

This review was a little personal so it took some time to write, but I hope I was able to translate it into words well enough for you, the readers.

Year of Release: 2010
Genre: Ambient Black Metal.
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1. Remnants Of Time
2. From The Womb of Peace
3. Yadheeq Al Sadir
4. Al Hajaj Ibn Yousif Al Thaquafey
5. Lost Within Mists of Time

Download:Thamud Remnants of Time
Download Size: 31.23 mb

I’ve been meaning to post something from the UK band Mekons for a while now. They took the band's name from the Mekon, an evil, super-intelligent Venusian featured in the British 1950s-1960s comic Dan Dare. One cannot pick a Mekons album as representative of their sound because each record sounds different. Their 1985 classic Fear and Whiskey is proclaimed as their best album by many critics and fans. I don’t know if it is their best, but it is my favorite from the six I have heard. While that album has been reissued and is available for purchase, what is not in print is this 1989 CD that compiles the tracks from the LP plus bonus tracks from a string of EPs that followed. I’ve found a few snippets from other sources that I will quote to help you decide whether to grab it, and grab it you should.

The music is a mess of influences united on the bones of punk music. The Mekons always subscribed to the "anything goes" rules of Britain's "Class of '77," and Fear and Whiskey is their most famous example: this was the record where they started to assimilate country music. It was a radical move in mid-80s Britain, not least because of the right-wing politics that were associated with the style. Musicologists have labelled this the father of alt-country, that bastard offspring of indie rock and country/western-- though for as much as you hear it on "Darkness and Doubt" (complete with a John Wayne reference), or the cover of Hank Williams' hit "Lost Highway," country is just one of the styles jammed in here, along with English folk, Leeds punk, and whatever else was at hand. Anyone who expects scenic Americana will stop short at the second song, "Trouble Down South," a weird mini-drama that would bring a lesser album to its knees: Ken Lite narrates some kind of a military advance over a reggae-inflected drum machine and a wheezing accordion, while soprano Jaqui Callis struggles to hit her highest notes. As far as it fits here at all, it's to force the listener to accept that the Mekons are ready and willing to do whatever they want.
-from a Pitchfork review by Chris Dahlen

"Being American was the coolest thing to be in the 20th century," said the Wales native. "It's problematic and contradictory, but at the height of the Reagan/Thatcher alliance, with market capitalism running rampage, and American imperialism having its second or third wave, there was a bunch of anarchist lefties in Leeds who were fascinated with Hank Williams and Bob Wills. "I can’t really explain it, but it really resonated with us," Langford continued. "I found country music to be a very powerful form of folk music. It was about drinking, cheating and stories that seemed to be about people’s actual lives. We thought punk rock would be like that. We thought punk could address reality in a political way. But when I heard Merle Haggard and Ernest Tubb, and hearing the simplicity of those songs? That was punk rock, and they were doing it a long time ago."
-from an interview with Jon Langford in LA Times blog

Tom Greenhalgh, one of the primary creative forces in the Mekons, commented that as he listened to a great deal of country & western music in the early 1980's, "pretty soon the difference between the three chords of country and the three chords of punk became blurred." The album closes with a cover of Leon Payne's "Lost Highway".

The album's lyrics describe a dark scenario of a community struggling to retain its capacity for joy and humanity through a devastating war. Rock critic Robert Christgau described it as "sort of concept album about life during wartime".
-from Wikipedia

You can find the liner notes here that tells who played what on each track.

Year of Release: 1989
Label: Rough Trade
Catalog #: RTDCD 105
Genre: Cow-punk, Punk Rock, alt-country
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
Chivalry 04:03
Trouble Down South 04:15
Hard To Be Human Again 03:59
Darknes And Doubt 05:14
Psycho Cupid 02:52
(Dancebird On The Edge Of Time)
Flitcraft 03:23
Country 02:54
Abernant 1984/85 02:21
Last Dance 03:12
Lost Highway 03:02
plus:
(A Dancing Master Such As)
Mr. Confess 06:02
Beaten And Broken 02:55
Chop That Child In Half 03:23
Hey! Susan 02:37
Garage D'Or 01:48
Slightly South Of The Border 03:42
Coal Hole 02:37
$1.000 Wedding 04:04
Rescue Mission 03:00

Download:The Mekons - Original Sin
Download Size: 150 MB

The more I discover new bands via the internet, the more I become aware of the fact that most music affectionados have a very Eurocentric view. This holds especially true in the metal world so it has become a mission of mine to spread word of bands that are off the radar. Today, I am exploring another project that is very dear to me named Qafas (meaning “cage” in Arabic). The one responsible is Learza, a musician from Bahrain, who has had his hand steeped in several one-man oriental black metal projects since 2004. He has taken a different approach with this one; the project is an experimentation with funeral doom as his medium. This holds especially true for Qafas' 2010 EP, “Al-Ahlaam,” which literally translates to “The Dreams.”

The motif of this release is reflected not only musically, but also by track order in conjunction with their names. Sorrow and dreariness coats this project which keeps it true to the spirit of doom metal; it is also a purely instrumental release with classical compositional elements that land it easily within the realm of despondent funeral doom. While it may be true that it lacks the undefinable “hard edge” that one expects from something that is associated with metal, the definition of “metal” has expanded to such a degree over the years that a project like this is able to fit comfortably within its ranks.

Since there is no lyrical theme to describe, I will go into some detail regarding the progression of this EP because much thought was put into it. First comes a nostalgic vision from the past in the first song with the sound of an old movie projector in the opening; it's a short and deeply wistful classical composition that faintly reminds me of Philip Glass' style. What follows it is something titled “The Reoccurring Trauma/Al-Sadma Al-Mutakerera” that treads more on the eerie funeral doom side via the presence of guitar (with Thamud's Mudamer playing backing lead guitar) and double bass/blast beats in the background. The twist with this song is that it starts out eerie but gradually progresses to a more light-hearted tone that lasts through-out it's closing.

“Between the Fangs of Nightmares/Beyn Anyaab Al-Kawabes” is the culmination of the previous tracks and climax of this project. The combination of dejection and foreboding from the first two songs elope giving birth to this beautiful monstrosity. There is a clear influence of ambient black metal that creeps through the ominous tone of this baby with two guest musicians aiding the effect, Mudamer playing rhythm guitar this time and Demon ov Darkness from BlackSpell playing the first keyboard arrangement. The songs that follow, “Ijtima' Al-Shu'ra'/Gathering of Poets” and “Al-Ahlaam/The Dreams,” draw from the EP's initial classical melancholy marking our journey through Learza's dream world as complete.

Year of Release: 2010
Genre: Funeral Doom Metal.
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1. Mashhad Min Al-Maathi
2. Al Sadma Al Mutakerera
3. Beyn Anyaab Alkawabes
4. Ijtima' Al Shu'ra'
5. Al-Ahlaam

Download:Qafas - Al-Ahlaam
Download Size: 33.11 mb

There's been an artist whose music I've been meaning to share but many factors have obstructed me. One being that the genre this project can be classified as is is not one that I have had adequate time to become intimate with.

Country music, a very broad label that constitutes many sub-genres, as it has been for the past few decades has deterred me to a great degree, but a few artists still strive to keep the old soul alive. Though there are many interpretations of what that soul is exactly, it seems rather obvious to me that a good deal of its roots lay in tales of misfortune and local folklore; hence we encounter the old dynamic that is suffering artists producing introspective and memorable works of art. This phenomena was embodied recently for me in John Stepp's solo work. Since it was an instrumental endeavor, a moment should be taken to explore his musical influences and background.

Raised primarily in West Virginia with very humble beginnings, John grew up listening to classic delta blues musicians like Charlie Patton and smooth country like Patsy Cline before moving up to harsher southern rock later in life. He had the benefit of his father's experience as a guitarist and dedicated all his waking hours to playing guitar during his younger years. John's initiation into the metal world started when he left home at an early age and joined Abdullah and Erase The Grey some time down the line.

Those experiences play out noticeably in his now abandoned solo work. The tracks have no particular order other than date of release so all we truly have to go on is the music for an interpretation of his intent. He describes his work as “songs for the forlorn patrons of the Freeway Motel” simply because he wrote most of them while staying in one.

Every song, aside from “Drowning,” is a somber journey with an uplifting accent. “Drowning” is the exception since it's an energetic stoner/southern rock song with Josh Adkins, former Abdullah member as well, playing drums and John doing everything else. There is also another small exception to this that comes in the form of the song titled “Says the Wind” which is something reminiscent of a classic western movie. The rest of the songs in this collection are acoustic guitar pieces that can be classified as country or folk music. Some other significant mentions would be the toy harmonica used in “Out of Reach” and “Ballad of the Wolf” being a, well, ballad. Personally, I recommend “Walked” and “Drowned” since they are my favorites.

Enjoy.

Year of Release: 2009
Genre: Country/folk.
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1. Atlanta
2. Drowning
3. Out of Reach
4. Says the Wind
5. Sleepwalker
6. Sweet and Lowdown
7. Walked
8. While Away

Download:John Stepp - Compilation
Download Size: 33.5 mb

During my ever arresting journey through cyberspace, a gold nugget fell at my feet via the undead nation known as Myspace. An unknown musician from Greece, who is nameless so far, just released a demo for his personal project called Out of The Circle. The name of the demo is pretty straight forward, "Unfinished Samples From A Lo-Fi Hell," but it belies the complexity of emotion that I've found laying within. A Lo-Fi Hell describes his work as melodic crust, but it's not your typical punk music since it has electronic elements like synths and minor noticeable vocal alterations (as seen in the back-up vocals for “Red Fractions” mainly).

There are two songs that are the crowning jewels of this demo: The first track, “zugzwang,” starts with an interesting sample from the Greek movie The King, also known as O Vasilias, which paves the way for a symphonic ballad permeated with a guitar solo. Using this song as a preset for the rest of the demo, it seems like the electronic additions are the melodic part of this equation. The traditional instruments stay within the realm of crust in a very pleasing way; bass is palpable, dirty guitar riffs, drums vary from blast beats to slower tempos and vocals are very guttural. Most of the songs are very catchy and the vocals play a large role in this.

The fourth track, “Unfinished Samples From A Lo-Fi Hell,” is hauntingly melancholic with an aggressive edge provided via the harsh vocals and bass. This song is a journey. It's the progression of emotion that I have while walking through a desolate part of the ghetto alone at night. Cracked littered concrete sidewalk, large empty lots filled with unwanted garbage, tag wars spray-painted on the side of abandoned buildings and warehouses, broken glass doors of apartment complexes, pot-hole filled street revealing brick underneath, and a dried anonymous blood smear on a pole that once held a metal stop sign laying nearby next the curb for drivers to somehow obey.

It's hard to describe the emotions in the rest of the songs since they don't come out as clearly. That's my only real critique of this demo and it's a very small one since that doesn't make the songs in question any less catchy or likeable. Yet, the lyrics do add a prevailing theme and an emotional weight to the more muddled songs. It's a story of loss and someone trying to unsuccessfully come to terms with it. The past rears it's ugly head, tormenting this person's mind until it's all that they yearn for. The story is told in three songs via lyrics provided with the demo: track two “Departing (from Utopia),” track three “Degenerate Song,” and track five “Red Fractions.”

our days of freedom
are devoured by the past
a dream was once born
and now it turns black
slaves of the universe
tormented by our lives

-From "Red Fractions"

Overall, I can't get over how addictive the vocals make this demo. This point can't be stressed enough since it's not often that I enjoy vocal work so thoroughly. Hope the songs on this demo haunt your mind as much as they have hounded mine.

Year of Release: 2011
Genre: Melodic Crust.
Format: OGG
Bitrate: Unknown

Track List:
1. Zugzwang
2. Departing (from Utopia)
3. Degenerate Song
4. Unfinished Samples from A Lo-Fi Hell
5. Red Fractions
6. Anthropi Fita
7. Glikia Kravgi

Download:Out of The Circle - Unfinished Samples
Download Size: 32.84 mb

Nuclear Beauty Parlor..."Want to look good for the arms race? At the Nuclear Beauty Parlor you can curl up & dye. Have an MX perm with B1 curls. You can be the envy of all the girls." This is some avant-garde weirdness from the early 80s that needs to be heard. It seems most appropriately at home at Digital Meltd0wn.

In the early 80s in San Francisco there were a group of art fags acting in performance art troupes like Monster Girls or Nuclear Beauty Parlor. This single is the second release from NBP. Both sides were written basically by Vicki Krohn. Re Styles of The Tubes fame sings the A-side while Vicki & some friends do the B-side. There are some other now famous musicians on this gem: Larry Batiste; Clayton (aka Claytoven) Richardson; & Will Kennedy. The cover illustration & design was done by Sub-Genii Paul Mavrides.

Year of Release: 1983
Label: NBP Records TFS 0002
Genre: Abstract, Industrial, Avantgarde, Minimal

Tracklist:
Side A...Re Styles & the Final Rinse - The Nuclear Beauty Parlor
Side B...V.K. & SCI-FI - Awake

Download: The Nuclear Beauty Parlor/ Awake split 7"
Download Size: 19.5MB

Welcome. El Bandit Moor is a black/doom band from Spain who only produced two demos a year apart. Not much else is known about it except that it's a one-man band and the influence for it's name is Karl von Moor from F. Shiller's "The Robbers" ("Die rauber").

I'm looking at his 2008 nameless demo. The three songs on it average from 6 to 7 minutes long each. The black metal influence is obvious with the guitar work, vocals, and drums. Personally, I don't see the doom in this. It's very good ambient black metal though. Vocals come in and tear at you at the right intervals and the guitar work is versatile ranging from rhythmic work to distorted noise. Bass' presence isn't overwhelming if felt at all. As with bands like this, their main purpose is to evoke darker emotions within us. What I get from this demo is so much pain and sorrow with a bit of muffled anger. Perhaps that's why the man behind this project added “doom” into the genre field in the first place. If so, then he deserves quite a bit of credit for more than successfully making that intent carry through the music. I would have to say that the song that accomplishes this the most for me is “L'enemic Interior.” It's grotesquely beautiful but very very painful to listen to which makes it all the more alluring in my eyes. Vocals at 2:55 to 3:06 make my heart ache. Whatever pain this person tapped into must have been pretty fresh and/or deep. My advice is to not listen to that song if you're going through some hard times unless you're the type that becomes detached. At which point, this demo takes the place of a sympathetic ear.

Part of me really really wishes that the lyrics were known to the online world. They would add another layer to emotions that music is trying to express. Regardless, enjoy this release from a fairly unknown project that almost slipped past my gaze.

Year of Release: 2008
Genre: Doom/Black Metal.
Format: WAV
Bitrate: Unknown

Track List:
1. Creenca
2. L'enemic Interior
3. El Bandit Moor

Download:El Bandit Moor - 2008 Demo
Download Size: 159.36 mb

My mind has been in a comfortable haze all morning transversing the possible future ahead of me. It all seems rather optimistic and uplifting especially with the right music to put me in that special place. Wiht does that with an unidentifiable gentle touch tossed in amidst lumbering despondent metal. The UK band has no real genre, but most would classify their 2009 self-titled release as sludgy stoner doom. Personally, I would add space rock to that to make it a more accurate description.

This release only has three songs but two of them rank up on the 16 minute mark with the other being 9 minutes long. Each one is a ride that you most likely won’t forget for a good while to come. Just to be clear, this is an instrumental release so the music speaks for itself. Track pattern, if you can call it that, for the longer songs is a slow bluesy start before the heavy drone of the bass slaps you in the face. It comes in unexpectedly and it dies off as quickly as it came melting into trippy space rock; the effects used to get that effect aren’t overdone and ties in nicely with the rest of the music. The pattern repeats itself in the song and the result is anything but boring. It’s really hypnotic and immersive; simply can’t stress that enough.

“And The Thunder Rolls” has the fastest pace in this trio and the drums are showcased nicely. Solid beats with a wonderful bluesy guitar-tone in this song make it one of the more addictive tracks. Good news is that this release isn’t the only release they plan on cranking out. They have a full-length planned soon titled “The Harrowing of The North” so keep an eye out for it.

Year of Release: 2009
Genre: Stoner/Sludge/Doom Metal. Psychedelic/Space Rock.
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kpbs

Track List:
1. Into Ruin
2. And The Thunder Rolls
3. Vasta

Download:Wiht - Wiht
Download Size: 96.9 mb

Portland, Oregon's now disbanded Sleater-Kinney probably don't need an introduction here, but for those who don't know them I'll give a brief one. Sleater-Kinney was originally formed in 1994 by vocalist and rhythm guitar player Corin Tucker and lead guitar player Carrie Brownstein in Olympia, Washington. The band was a vehicle for their anger, frustration and feminist politics. As time passed, their punk sound became more refined on each album with Brownstein, Tucker and drummer Janet Weiss turning out to be marvelous and passionate musicians. The band eventually split in 2006 for reasons that I won't speculate on here. I have no doubt that they will reunite someday for another album and another tour and maybe then I can finally see them play live.

This is a bootleg soundboard recording of decent quality. It may not be 100% perfect, but that is what I love about it. And the performances are raw and boisterous and punk as hell, as they should be. When I put on a S-K album, most of the time I put on the their final 2005 album The Woods, although I do love most of their previous albums. It is such a pleasure to hear these songs from The Woods played live, unpolished and lacking the over-production of the CD. Hearing them do a noisy encore cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son put smile on my face, too. It really doesn't matter if you have never heard this band before, a bootleg live recording is just a good a place to start as the studio albums. Enjoy.

Year of Recording: 2005
Label: None / Bootleg
Genre: Punk
Media: Digital
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps
FLAC available by request.

Track List:
01 intro
02 THE FOX
03 OXYGEN
04 WILDERNESS
05 JUMPERS
06 SYMPATHY
07 EVERYTHING
08 MODERN GIRL
09 ROLLERCOASTER
10 GET UP
11 WHAT'S MINE IS YOURS
12 STEEP AIR
13 LET'S CALL IT LOVE
14 ENTERTAIN

ENCORE
15 START TOGETHER
16 IRON CLAD
17 LITTLE MOUTH
18 FORTUNATE SON

Download:Sleater-Kinney - Live @ The Crystal Ballroom 12-30-2005
Download Size: 196 MB

I love old soundtracks by Goblin, John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream, &Fabio Frizzi. When I hear this rare CD, I know I am not alone. Pittsburgh’s Zombi has carried the torch of awesome, dark, cinematic music since 2001. A duo comprised of Steve Moore and Anthony Paterra utilize live drums, electric bass and a collection of analog synthesizers to rock you to Earth and fly you to the cosmos. They have an impressive aptitude for lush, warm soundscapes. If you are a fan of any of the artists mentioned above, you may become a new fan of Zombi. They have a new album out as of last month, but go ahead and start here at the beginning. You won’t be sorry.

There is a short review of this disc here.

Year of Release: 2005
Label: VCO Records
Catalog #: VCO-001
Genre: Electronic, Progressive
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
— Zombi (2002) —

1. Sequence 1 (3:29)
2. Sequence 2 (2:24)
3. Sequence 3 (3:21)
4. Sequence 4 (2:09)
5. Sequence 5 (6:27)
6. Sequence 6 (2:42)
7. Sequence 7 (1:41)
8. Sequence 8 (2:49)

— Twilight Sentinel (2003) —

9. Sequence 8 (alternate version) (3:06)
10. Gemini, Part 2 (7:01)
11. Twilight Sentinel (6:49)
12. DMC-12 (plus hidden bonus track) (13:46)

Download:Zombi - The Zombi Anthology
Download Size: 125 MB

I received an email today informing me that Ween is coming to St. Petersburg, FL in October, two hours from where I live, so I knew it was a sign that I had to post this. It will be the second time I see them live and I am so psyched about it.

This disc was a limited run and of course goes for prices that are more absurd than the music contained here. The recording was made during the now legendary tour with The Shit Creek Boys. This may not be the best place to start for those that are new to the irreverent genius that is Ween, but I can't listen to this album and stay in a bad mood. My absolute favorite track is the album closer "Fluffy". Ween reveal their sentimental side here and turn this silly song into a sprawling dirge of an anthem. It really must be heard, my friends.

I decided to reproduce an excerpt of the liner notes written by Dean Ween:

In November of 1995, we went to Nashville to record our 5th album “12 Golden Country Greats” with an all-star lineup of veteran Nashville session players. With the help of our producer and longtime friend Ben Vaughn, we put together a backing band of the best players from the golden age of country music to record 10 country flavored tunes we had written that year.

This posed a problem upon the release of the record in the summer of the next year. Most of that band had long since retired from touring and we ruled out the possibility of playing shows to support the release of the album. Instead, we planned on playing two shows in one night at Tramp’s on July 17, 1996 in New York City and tried to see if the musicians would make the trip for a long weekend.

The person who seemed the most interested in the project from the beginning was Bobby Ogdin, who played piano on most of the record, and he assured us that he could put together an incredible Nashville band for the shows, so he became our “musical director” so to speak. I sent him CDs of all of our records and he wrote charts for the band. We had only two days to rehearse tor the gig and I was completely terrified... I don’t think I slept a minute the night before.

As it turns out, the shows were a great success, the music was completely over the top and the crowd basically freaked out. Everyone in the band wanted to do more so we decided on a 3 week American tour starting in October that same year. It turned out to be the most rewarding experience of our musical career. I don’t think we played a bad show the whole tour—the 8 piece band sounded like a 747 landing on your house.

Year of Release: 2001
Year of Recording: 1996
Label: Chocodog Records
Catalog #: CDR-1001
Genre: Experimental Rock
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1. Pretty Girl 2:55
2. What Deaner Was Talkin' About 2:13
3. Japanese Cowboy 4:26
4. Pumpin' 4 the Man 2:17
5. Mister Richard Smoker 3:15
6. Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down) 3:34
7. Help Me Scrape the Mucus off My Brain 2:56
8. Waving My Dick in the Wind 3:06
9. Push th' Little Daisies 2:48
10. Buenas Tardes Amigo 10:37
11. Poop Ship Destroyer 5:58
12. I'm Holding You 6:55
13. Doctor Rock 5:15
14. The HIV Song 3:14
15. Piano Man 2:05
16. Fluffy 14:20

Download:Ween - Live In Toronto Canada (2001)
Download Size: 177 MB

That cover art is pretty ridiculous, but don't let that deter you on your mission to find yet another bad-ass album. Fugi, also known as Ellington Jordan, was a part of the Detroit Chess Records scene in the sixties. He was friends with Black Merda, and this CD is basically Black Merda with Fugi writing lyrics and singing. If you loved the Black Merda album posted by Zer0_II in October of last year as I did, what you will find here is something quite similar musically.

I heard this album and knew I had to post it because 1) it is jaw-droppingly groovy and 2) there is a copy for sale for $50 bucks on Amazon. Even the romantic love type ballads are awesome, so it makes for a consistently entertaining listening experience. The bass sounds sick, the wakajawaka guitar riffs are hypnotizing, and Fugi's voice is so full of soul it keeps me coming back for more. It is a real shame this is the only thing this particular line up recorded, at least as far as I know. It was never released until Tough City put it out on CD and LP in 1996.

Year of Recording: 1968
Year of Original Release: 1996
Year of Reissue: 2004
Label: Funky Delicacies
Catalog #: DEL CD 0004
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Funk, Soul
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1 Revelations 5:37
2 Mary, Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip 6:30
3 I'd Rather Be a Blind Man 3:27
4 Can't You Hear Me Call You, Woman 4:27
5 Save A Little 3:33
6 Jo-Jo 4:29
7 Red Moon 5:54
8 Sweet Sweet Lady 6:10
9 Revelations (previously unreleased take) 5:22

Download:Fugi - Mary, Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip (1968)
Download Size: 103 MB

In eager anticipation for Sonic Mass due out September 20, the first album of new material since 1987 by the Gods of Crust, presented here is Monolith by England's Amebix.

This is somewhat of a lost classic, more so in the US where it can be quite challenging to find compared to their earlier material that is available on Alternative Tentacles. Unlike for many fans, this album, their final before they split, was my first exposure to Amebix. I remember after hearing it for the first time I felt like I had stumbled upon some sacred gift. I was so overcome by this sensation of enlightenment that I rushed to share it with all of the people I knew. It quickly became clear to me by their reactions that I had once again found something that was only meant to be deeply appreciated by a chosen few. For me, Amebix has always been a punk band with metallic sensibilities, and not the other way around. This is one fine example of how "musically illiterate" people can come together and work their asses off to create something profound that will have an influence for generations to come.

Although many probably disagree, everything about the aesthetic of Amebix came together impeccably on Monolith. The way they play, and the way the album is mixed with the guitar somewhat quieter than the bass and drums seems intentional. The synths are clearly an integral part of their expression that accents the already doomy atmosphere set by the sometimes plodding and sometimes ready to fly off the rails assault of the ensemble. The lyrics, delivered by the Lemmy-esque snarl of The Baron, are among some of my favorite in all of extreme music with many lines that I will never forget.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this underappreciated classic, and if you love it then buy their new album when it comes out.

Year of Original Release: 1987
Year of Reissue: 1997
Label: Heavy Metal Records
Catalog #: HMR XD99
Genre: Crust Punk, Thrash Metal
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1 Monolith 3:27
2 Nobodys Driving 5:03
3 The Power Remains 4:33
4 Time Bomb 4:27
5 Last Will and Testament 5:00
6 I.C.B.M. 6:05
7 Chain Reaction 5:27
8 Fallen From Grace 4:14
9 Coming Home 5:43

Download:Amebix - Monolith (1987)
Download Size: 99 MB

Neglected Skies is an Australian noise project started by a young man with quite some talent for it. Currently, only three tracks have been made for the project and two of them have been compiled in a demo called "Diluted in Despair and Silence." The tracks in this demo have a sort of sinister foreboding to them that puts one on edge while lulling them to sleep with droning atmospheric repetition. This is how the artist describes the project:

The music is purely intended for the user to sleep to and intends nothing more.

Key influences include The Descent of the Sun, A Cloud In Circle, Darkspace and Burzum.

Year of Release: 2009
Genre: Dark Ambient/Drone Noise.
Format: MP3
Bitrate: Varies

Track List:
1. Diluted In Despair and Silence
2. Gazing Into Blackened Dimensions

Download:Neglected Skies - Diluted in Despair and Silence
Download Size: 24.29 mb

Death Side are old school Japanese hardcore of the so-called "Burning Spirits" variety, which is a live show series that has been running for over twenty years at a Tokyo club. Speed and over-the-top riffmania saturate this amazing and relentless record. This stuff continues to influence so many bands. No wonder. After I first heard Death Side, I was addicted to them for months and I always come back for another fix eventually.

Trying to find Death Side albums outside of Japanese record stores is a waste of time. The band is highly regarded in the world of hardcore punk, yet their material is so hard to find. I think it has something to do with the sentiment in the Japanese scene that what is past is past and musicians want to be recognized for what they are working on currently. I can understand that, but this stuff should be heard. However, what I cannot do is be responsible for any physical injuries you might attain listening to Wasted Dream. Enjoy, folks!

Year of Original Release: 1989
Year of Reissue: 2002
Label: Nucleus/R
Catalog #: DS-03
Genre: Hardcore Punk, Thrash
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1 Death Side
2 Mirror
3 Cut The Throat
4 Warning
5 Give And Take
6 Circulate Pain
7 Nothing For Others Pride
8 Laugh Til You Die
9 Wall
10 I Live Just My Life
11 Wasted Dream
12 Evil Dreaming
13 Devil In The Hell
14 Never Say Die
15 Political Power
16 Life In Box
17 The Lowest
18 It's Not Only Joke

Download:Death Side - Wasted Dream
Download Size: 96 MB

Though these are two different bands, they have one thing in common and that's a rumbling groove that permeates a good deal of their songs. That aside, Clinging To The Trees of A Forest Fire is more sludge inclined while Nesseria is more on the hardcore/crust/grindcore side. In short the former is slower and dirtier while the latter is faster and more violent. This is how each band is described on the bandcamp page for the split:

CLINGING TO THE TREES OF A FOREST FIRE are without a doubt one of the most apocalyptic bands these days : between blackened grindcore and filthy sludge, these four tracks are the perfect blend of all the most extreme stuff you could find. For fans of Today Is The Day, Robinson, Admiral Angry, Khanate...

On the other side, NESSERIA is delivering here their best material to date, still as intense and pissed than on their previous full-length, but in a dirtier and more complex way. For fans of The Secret, Buried Inside, Cursed or Trap Them!

Year of Release: 2011
Genre: Blackened Grindcore/Sludge/Post-Metal/Black Metal
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kpbs

Track List:
1. Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - Opaque
2. Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - Wrinkled Claws
3. Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - Lower Than Life, High As The Sky
4. Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - S.I.T.W.
5. Nesseria - Freistadt
6. Nesseria - Mercure
7. Nesseria - Fils De La Fin De Siecle
8. Nesseria - 1789

Download:Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire/Nesseria Split
Download Size: 59.14 mb

GBH is:
a) great big hairdos
b) greasy butt holes
c) grievous bodily harm
d) a punk band formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England
e) all of the above

I've heard GBH fans talk down about this LP saying things like "they went too metal", "the production sucks", or "they overdid the double bass pedal". I respond with "if you're gonna complain about something, how about that lame cover art - that is just sad next to the cover art for their previous five studio LPs". For these ears, the album has always rocked and always will. It's sonic bliss through and through and I say forget the haters. It's not my favorite of their LPs, but it comes damn close.

Year of Release: 1990
Label: Globus International, Rough Justice
Catalog #: 21 0054-1 311
Genre: Punk
Media: Vinyl
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
A1 New Decade 3:04
A2 Trust Me I'm A Doctor 3:12
A3 B.M.T. 3:37
A4 Mass Production 3:03
A5 The Old School Of Self-Destruction 3:12
A6 You Don't Do Enough 3:03
B1 From Here To Reality 3:56
B2 Dirty Too Long 2:37
B3 Destroy 2:01
B4 Just In Time For The Epilogue 3:41
B5 Don't Leave Your Honey Down The Pits 3:46
B6 Moonshine Song 3:32

Download:GBH - From Here To Reality
Download Size: 89 MB

Continuing on my trip down memory lane, today I present one of my favorite split LPs of all time. I first heard Oakland, California's Grimple when I visited my cousin in Arizona back in the mid-90s and I returned home with a cassette dub of a cassette dub of a cassette dub of Grimple's first LP entitled "Up Your Ass". The sound quality was heinous, but it was fuckin' punk rock. When I stumbled upon this split LP in a Cincinnati record shop I nearly pissed. Upon listening I was a little put off by how they had seemingly abandoned the melodic punk hardcore sound of their LP for a much more evil hardcore sound. But it was so hair-raising and goosebump-forming that I instantly fell in love. I mean there is a friggin' Celtic Frost cover here that is even better than the original. "Blasphemer" you say, listen for yourself.

Now taken that at the time I was extremely excited to hear more Grimple, I went right to their side for first listening, even though they are actually side B. The evil pissed-off sound of the Grimple side couldn't prepare me for the intensely disturbing dark hardcore of the Logical Nonsense side. All of my friends hated it because of the aesthetic choice of using distortion on the vocals, but I was hooked. It is a pretty sick 16 minutes of hellish pleasure for me. To this day the song "A Reigning" still gives me the shivers, and icing on the bloody cake is the spoken word by Wendy-O Matik at the end. Simply superb. If you want some brutal, apocalyptic hardcore, I also highly recommend their final LP "Expand The Hive".

Year of Release: 1994
Label: East Bay Menace
Catalog #: EBM 002
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Media: Vinyl
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
A1 Logical Nonsense – Legion
A2 Logical Nonsense – Razed
A3 Logical Nonsense – A Reigning
A4 Logical Nonsense – Before The Act
A5 Logical Nonsense – The Crushing
A6 Wendy-O Matik – Death Awaits Us

B1 Grimple – Layed Back
B2 Grimple – Infierno
B3 Grimple – P.C.
B4 Grimple – Darker Shade Of Grey
B5 Grimple – System Fukers
B6 Grimple – Crucified
B7 Grimple – Forever Fuked
B8 Grimple – Dethroned Emperor (originally by Celtic Frost)
B9 Grimple – No Return

Download:Grimple / Logical Nonsense - A Darker Shade of Grey (split LP)
Download Size: 82 MB

Counterblast hail from Sweden with their brand of overwhelming, apocalyptic crust/sludge metal. They are often compared to the likes of Dystopia, mid-era Neurosis, and Amebix. This is probably because of the thick, surreal atmosphere they create by the addition of samples, synths, cello, and even some arresting female wailing on the intro.

Balance of Pain is their first album. There are two more, Impassivity from 2002 and a new one, Nothingness, out this year. I decided to revisit this long out of print CD along with their second one before I embark on the adventure that their new album must no doubt be. I love this album as much today as when I first heard it over a decade ago. From the very start, the samples set the mood for the entire record with a sick sort of industrial ambiance I liken to the moment just before your shift at a factory begins. Above the din or rather within it rings out a solemn siren's moan. And then it begins with the machinery turning in a sickly fashion. This definitely conveys a contempt for modern humans, and the mess they have created for themselves. From this enthralling intro the crushing, sludginess begins and the album doesn't let go of you for the entire 46 minutes. It is just plain mesmerizing.

Year of Release: 1996
Label: Elderberry Records
Catalog #: E.B. 010
Genre: Crust, Sludge Metal
Media: CD
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Track List:
1 Prelude Pain
2 Independence
3 Disembodiment
4 Balance Of Pain
5 Depression
6 In League With Baldrick
7 The European Empire Of Capitalism
8 Beneath The Surface

Download:Counterblast - Balance of Pain (1996)
Download Size: 108 MB

JoyRide - We Come in Peace (2008 - 320Kbps)

Thamud - Remnants of Time (2010 - 320Kbps)

The Mekons - Original Sin (1989)

Qafas - Al Ahlaam (2010 - 320Kbps)

John Stepp - Compilation (2009 - 320kbps)

Out of The Circle - Unfinished Samples (2011)

The Nuclear Beauty Parlor/Awake split 7" (1983-320Kpbs)

El Bandit Moor - Demo (2008)

Wiht - Wiht (2009 - 320 kps)

Sleater-Kinney - Live @ The Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR - 12-30-2005 (320 kbps)

Zombi - The Zombi Anthology (2005)

Ween featuring The Shit Creek Boys - Live in Toronto Canada (2001)

Fugi - Mary, Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip (1968)

Amebix - Monolith (1987)

Neglected Skies - Diluted In Despair and Silence (2011)

Death Side - Wasted Dream (1989)

Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire/Nesseria Split (2011 - 320kbps)

GBH - From Here To Reality (1990)

Grimple / Logical Nonsense - A Darker Shade of Grey (split LP, 1994)

Counterblast - Balance of Pain (1996)