An apology + Killer- The Grand Finale

 First, I would  like to apologize for my absence. While I explained my absence earlier, my summer got harder in the month of August and I just wasn't thinking about this blog. I wasn't even really listening to new music but instead finding comfort in old classics for a bit. But I have returned to give you my thoughts on various headbangers. Ain't you lucky?

So, speed metal? Well, I've always distinguished speed metal from thrash in one way. Thrash is punk rock and hardcore injected with a little more technicality. Speed metal is traditional heavy metal played at punk rock speeds with a more rock n roll attitude. That's how I've always separated, say Exciter from Slayer. Some people may disagree and that's fine, it's my own explanation. 

Killer, well now, they're Belgian speed metal royalty. I heard of them, like, 20 years ago and loved every record since.  This is all thanks to Hartmuth Schindler, who, for the uninitiated, ran Nazgul's Eyrie productions and the excellent Barbarian Wrath. I never met him in person but over the years, he and I spoke often on various online forums and he turned me on to some great shit. Killer is one of those bands. Here we have a release that snuck up on me. It's Killer's final record. While sad, I went into this record hoping it lived up to their legacy. Well, I hear you ask, did it? Let's find out. 

I knew I would love this record from the opening riff of "Loaded Gun". It careens through speed metal riffing, tasteful drum playing and spectacular solos that make you naturally air guitar until the final track, the very Motorhead sounding "What You See is What You Get" The singer even sounds like Lemmy on this song. Hell, even the lyrics on this one sound like Lemmy could have penned them. It appears they did dedicate this record to Lemmy and as a huge fan of the English Bastards, this song definitely brought a smile to my face! Other highlight songs include: "Welcome in the Real World", The 1-2 punch of "Roll the Dice" and "Hard Day Coming" and the mid-paced corker of "In the Eye of the Storm". 

I can't recommend this album enough. This is one of those records where it feels like the band sat down across from me and asked me what I'd like to hear in a record and they hit every note, beat and riff. The year is far from over with lots of great releases having been released and even more to come but this one will be hard to beat. This record is all Killer and no filler( Ha!) Go get this record now and enjoy the hell out of this record. As sad as it is that its their final record very few bands get to go out on such a high note. 

Keep watching this space. More reviews are incoming and bang the head that doesn't bang!

Live Report: Down, Helmet and Spirit in the Room

 Well, not a traditional review for my return but there are plenty of those coming soon.

I've been a huge fan of Down since Nola was released in 1995. It was a great combo of Southern grit, more traditional metal riffing and doom heaviness. Considering the bands the guys came from that all made sense. Being a huge fan, I never got to see them live and actually figured I wouldn't, well, until they announced this tour.

So down my girl and I be-bopped to Atlanta to check it out. Was it good? Was it bad? Well, here we go...


Spirit in the Room-  
These guys started the day and they're not a band little psychedelic rock combo. I was totally unfamiliar with them and I won't say the performance made me a fan but made me curious to check out more of their material. It was solidly performed but there were tech issues with the singer's mic during the show. There wasn't really any banter on stage and the performance felt kind of cold and I felt that was attributable to some of the singer's obvious tech issues.  Still pretty decent tunes and a fun enough atmosphere. These guys aren't a band I'd go out of my way for but if they open for another band I like I'd definitely give them a 2nd chance. 

Helmet- 
I'm not the biggest fan of Helmet. I do love and regularly listen to Meantime but I don't own anything else and I've never seen them live. To be totally honest, I had no idea what to expect when they took the stage. What we got was a band who really went for it. There was no really banter again, but, where that felt odd for the previous band that seemed right here. Helmet tore through a bunch of songs that I didn't really know but sounded pretty damn good. Lots of heavy, catchy riffs that border on industrial music in style. So much you can definitely hear the influence. When the band did address the audience they were affable, a little humble and happy the be there. Solid live showing filled with heart and passion. I would go out of my way to see Helmet again and will probably check out the other records I have neglected. 

DOWN-
And now the band of the hour. I was pretty absurdly excited to see them not unlike when I saw Acid Bath and Helloween and, man, they did not disappoint. I have to compare this performance to Helloween mostly because it had a similar vibe to it. It was like 5 really good friends getting together to share their love of music. The whole band were all smiles and interacted really well. Anselmo did his normal affable front man thing. I don't care what you think of the man, he's an excellent front man, full of jokes and humor. He is the consummate showman always winking and nodding at the audience like we're all in on some inside joke together.  Pepper Keenan had some guitar troubles but admirably worked through them with a smile on his face, like he'd rather be nowhere else. They ran through a lot of NOLA and a song or 2 off "DOWN II". I knew all the songs by heart and banged my head so hard, my neck is STILL sore as I write this. If you can, check this tour out. Down are firing on all cylinders and are still at the top of their game. 

Overall, it was a great show and a good time. Down was great and I'm looking forward to the new album coming out "pretty soon", as Anselmo put it. Though don't really expect me to review it. This is dedicated to more underground bands than Down. Either way, I can't recommend Down live enough. 

Thank you again for your patience and reading my blog. I'll be back next week with another record review. Keep banging those heads!

Hello all

 I know its been a while since I've posted anything. I'm sorry for that. 

The long and short of it is my mother passed this July. I've spent the better part of this month dealing with that with my family as she was the last parent I've had to pass.

I'm ok. Just dealing with the closing of all of my parents assets and the grief of that loss has been hard. 

I do plan on posting a live review for a show I went to last weekend. And then being back to weekly music reviews. 

Thank you for reading and keep those heads banging. 

Blue Ridge Death Cult- Bones to Dust

What?! Two reviews in a single day?! What madness is this?!

So as I age, I find that I prefer EP's over full length albums. I'm not sure why. Maybe its the fact that as I age I have less time to really listen to and absorb music like I used to as a younger metalhead. I feel like EP's give me a good understanding of musical intent but don't linger to the point of frustration. Some bands only need a few songs. It could also be that I'm just getting old... either way. 

So back we are again in Gainsville, GA, Again there must be something in the water up there. Blue Ridge Death Cult is a Southern Metal/Hard rock band from up there. They present 6 songs of Southern fried metal on this first EP. I'm not sure about the pedigree of these guys (i.e. whether they are veterans of metal music or a wholly new band). However, they released this EP earlier this year and I slept on it but finally have given it a listen. So is it as worthy as their fellow Gainsvillians (Gainsvillites?) in Swamp lung? Let's find out. 

Blue Ridge Death Cult play a more traditional strain of southern metal. To my ears they remind of early Alabama Thunderpussy but absent the stoner haze and adding a biker vibe. If that sounds like a good time to you (it sure does to me) than I think you'll enjoy this record. Its much more accessible than the Swamp lung but kicks as hard in its Southern groove and swagger. Bluesy riffs collide over rocking rhythms and beats. Guitarist , bass and drums are in fine condition here. The singer hits a more normal mid range rock style while accenting songs in the right place with a deeper bellow that actually fits the music nicely. 

Starting with rager "Stay Haggard" to the wild "Devil to Pay" and "Hell in a handbasket" through the local anthem "Rabbittown Royalty" and  the bluegrass flecked interlude "Foxfire" to the the final stomp of "Back in the Bag(Blood Mountain)" The EP shreds and boogies with the best of them both never overdoing anything but also leaving you wanting more. Good Southern fried heavy metal right here.

Its not the more sludgy metal I prefer form the South but this is a solid piece of musical tastiness that any fan of bluesy Southern heaviness would enjoy. And "Devil to Pay" has one of my favorite lyrical moments in "Hell is coming with me if I get back up". If you like you're hard rock Southern fried and with a good dose hard scrabble swagger you could do a whole lot worse than this. 

HIghlights: "Devil to Pay" and "Rabbittown Royalty" but a solid record through and through. Like Swamp lung, I'm hoping to see these guys soon and will report back with more when I do. Check em out:

https://www.instagram.com/blue_ridge_death_cult/

I'll be doing the last of these Gainsville bands either Friday or next Monday. Either way thanks for reading and keep on rocking. 

Swamplung- Cracked Teeth and Gospel Ashes

 What is a "scene"? That question has come up in my wanderings through the internet. It seems a lot of people now regard "metal" or "punk" as a scene itself. When I was young "scene" referred to a local area that had developed a certain characteristic. The New Orleans Sludge Metal,  Florida Death Metal or Norwegian Black Metal are examples.  These were local areas that developed a certain atmosphere, philosophy and style for a genre of music.  In the age of the internet, that has seemed to be lacking. 

So why do I bring this up? Well, the next few reviews will be highlighting bands from a local scene that have struck a chord with me. For those that have read this blog for a while, you know I use this blog to highlight bands I like that are either new or flying under the radar. This scene has produced some great music this year so I decided to highlight 3 new EP's from the area. 

Something is in the water in Gainsville, Ga. Swamplung arrives out of the mountains of Georgia swinging full tilt at your face. Sounding like a hybrid of Weedeater and Buzzo-ven, they rage through five tracks of rage filled sludge core consisting of raw, ragged riffs, heavy bass tones, pounding drums and ragged and vocal chord tearing vocals. The Southern Sludge is returning and it is glorious. 

Starting off with the corker, "Dialated" stomps you into the ground before moving to the double headed steamroller of "Ruined" and "Ashtray Baptism".  After that the groove laden and heavy "RRR" and the wildly slow and maniacal "I'm Done" finish pounding your corpse into oblivion.This is high quality sludge core that retains a rage filled tone but keeps a southern groove. This is a really great record. 

"Ashtray Baptism" is an interesting anomaly here in that it doesn't have traditional lyrics. It uses samples for the movie "The Shining" as its "lyrics". The scene is the bar scene before Jack Torrance snaps where he gets drunk and confesses to the violence his drunkenness causes. Its an effective way to use movie samples in a disturbing fashion in this kind of music. 

So as I stated this review is the first of 3 surrounding bands from Gainsville, GA. This EP is a fantastic showing for Southern Sludge. Its has all the necessary components but it has a sound all of its own. Highlights:  "Dialated" and "Ashtray Baptism" but another all around great EP from the South, especially for a newer band. So definitely go check them out.  I'm personally hoping to see these dudes live soon since they are pretty close to me. If I do, you'll get the live review here.

https://swamplung.com/

Appalachian Prometheus- Appalachian Prometheus

 What is Southern Metal? Its a question I've been thinking about a lot lately. And after thinking long and hard, I would define it as a genre with heavy, bluesy doom-laden down tuned riffs dueling with sun-kissed melodies and leads, A rhythm section that locks into a driving yet easygoing rhythm and vocals drenched with humidity, cigarette smoke and bourbon. 

It came into prominence in the mid 90's and, as a southern boy myself, it struck a chord with me. Unfortunately, it just kinda died out about 10 years ago. You have a few of the older bands still playing it but largely younger bands have eschewed it for more traditional fare. There's nothing wrong with that but it does sadden me to see such a regional style go the way of the dodo. That is, until now. 

Appalachian Prometheus are a band from San Marcos, Texas. They released their debut EP this past Friday and I happened upon it and decided to give it a shot. Now, if you've been reading this blog for a while, you might recall I have opined on the fact that a lot of "Southern metal" bands traded in the humidity of the South for the breezes of California. Well, is that also true of Appalachian Prometheus? Let's find out.

No, It's not. This is exactly what I mean by "Southern Metal".  The riffs are heavy as a black hole and drive the songs into further reaches of humid and kudzu laden crunch and groove. The leads and melodies are serene as a breeze through a Georgia pine and take me back to summers of my youth swimming in the rivers and wondering the swamps of my beautiful South Carolina. The bass and drums pound through the songs and lock into a bluesy. laid-back rhythm that only people from the South can get a hold of. The vocals are scorched with cigarette burns and touched by the sunshine taste of Kentucky bourbon, sounding a little like Lemmy with a southern drawl. 

Every song on here is fantastic, from the driving mania of "Appalachian Prometheus" to the threatening crawl of "Last Ride" through the bass  thunder heaviness 1-2 punch of "South American Aphrodite" and "Desert Pawn" finally ending in the pounding "Landing Song/In Black".  Each song smacks you in the face with loud and good Southern groves sweetened with that little bit of melody, just like a pitcher of sweet iced sun tea that's been sitting in the sun for just the right amount of time.

Again, easily a record that will be in my top 5 records this year and also vying for the number 1 spot. These guys claim influences from all the greats but cook up their own original spiced gumbo in the process. 

Highlights include: South American Aphrodite and Desert Pawn, but this is a fantastic release and perfect to blare out of your car stereo on a warm, humid Southern summer day. I'll be revisiting this record in years to come and I hope these guys have a long career and release many great records like this. 

Check them out at: 

https://appalachianprometheus.bandcamp.com/album/appalachian-prometheus

Torver- Witching Hour.

 Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows I'm a fan of black metal. I mean, I am sitting here writing this in my Black Funeral t shirt. I've been a fan of black metal since around 1993. I was 16 years old and just discovered bands like Absu, Master's Hammer, Havohej and, of course, the Norwegian bands. 

People now-a-days really don't have a reference for that time period. Black Metal wasn't really formalized into a genre until sometime in the late 90's.   That's when it became about just copying the Norse bands. Before that, it was a pretty wild territory. At the time, All 3 of the bands I mentioned would have been considered Black Metal.  No one really questioned that. 

Recently I got told by a younger person online that Mortuary Drape isn't actually Black Metal. Well, trust me that is a VERY new idea. Also to young people trying to tell those of us who were there at the dawn of the 2nd wave what is or isn't Black Metal, well, I'll just quote Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: "Don't site the deep magic to me, witch! I was there when it was written." (A Pagan siting a Christian author when talking about a largely Satanic music form? This is the kind of transgressive nonsense you guys come here for, right?).

So with that in mind, Let's talk about Torver. Torver are a UK band that until this record I had never heard of. Which surprises me considering there are several luminaries in the scene in this project. There are members of Ethereal Forest and Wreodan Healh in this project. I haven't reviewed Ethereal Forest but I like them a lot and you can find the Wreodan Healh review and read the glowing praise I've heaped on that one singular record. 

So, do Torver live up to the hype  of the members' other bands? Let's find out.

This is one of the best records I've heard in a long time. It IS Black Metal but its different. There's a reason I began talking about my youth with this genre. This record takes me back to a time when Black Metal was less formalized and more free to cavort in the shadows. Musically it has all earmarks of great UKBM. Within the notes and riffs lies an ancient and mouldering majesty that made bands like December Moon, Hecate Enthroned and, yes, even early Cradle of Filth so great.  There's something incredibly gothic about the interplay of the guitar with the keyboards and violin. The bass shines through occasionally adding a depth to the music that Black Metal doesn't always succeed in expressing. The vocalist has a spectacular rasp but also uses spoken clean vocals that adds to the atmosphere in a superb way.

The singular violin that is placed front and center on every single track reminds me of what it might be like if My Dying Bride were a Black Metal band instead of Death/Doom. It sets up such a wondrous majestic and melancholic atmosphere. It gives me the vision of what it might be to wonder through castle ruins on a rainy day; feeling the rain touch your face as you walk through old stone and rotting wood. Black Metal is, in my opinion, at its best when it is cinematic.  I only found this record on Friday and I have listened to it 4 or 5 times already. 

This will be in my top 5 records this year and is in the running for my number one spot. If you like majestic, melancholic and cinematic Black Metal, you could do a LOT worse than putting your money toward this record. Highlights: Nocturnal Serenade, Reformation of the Trinity, Where Angels Fear to Tread and Walk Alone.


https://wulfhereproductions.bandcamp.com/album/witching-hour