//__2013 Albums

Another year, another post. Personally, this was a light year as far as listening to new things. Work and life responsibilities quadrupled and the payoff was about the same as before which I'm not happy about, but such is life. I'm foregoing ranks because it's pointless and if I ranked by plays it would be my own bands material. Anyway, here's what stuck:

//__JUCIFER - за волгой для нас земли нет
http://jucifer-official.bandcamp.com/album/-

I love this & them. They are a porn flick. A wall of amps cranked to 11 and in the center are two people relentlessly humping everyones eardrums. Sounds that are borderline inhuman and made by a 90 lb chick to boot.

//__IRON LUNG - White Glove Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hVMPLUICqE

Actively speaking, these guys are one of the most pissed off groups I have heard. The energy and overall angst is unparalleled. Just fucking white hot rage all over the place. It still floors me how much low end their records pack for a group with no bass too.

//__SHROUD EATER - Dead Ends
http://shroudeater.bandcamp.com/releases

Local love. They stated a while ago when making this EP that they had a mantra written in their rehearsal room saying "MORE MOOD MORE GROOVE" and that is exactly what they have made here. An exceptional follow up from their debut and a serious shift in well...everything. Sound, structure, atmosphere, design, flow, etc.

//__SODOM - Epitome Of Torture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sx_sSWqypU

It's Sodom. They've made basically the same thing since '82  but I'm not complaining at all. It's a quick listen but they pack A LOT in that time. Impressive after nearly 30 years. All hail German Thrash.

//__ROTTEN SOUND - Species At War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkTB2W3_RW4

There's a story that I read about RS. They were touring Europe years ago and at around 3am one night they were stuck on the road by a farm in Sweden...or maybe France?, I really don't care. So, very drunk and very bored. They break into a cow pasture and attempt to tip cows and scare them off by growling at them. 4 drunk Finnish dudes, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, growling and screaming at cows. It makes me smile each and every time I read it and it perfectly describes them. Where am I going with this? EP is great.

//__CLUTCH - Earth Rocker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrfZdv4PEXI

I unabashedly love Clutch and their output, particularly when they are either high or want to rock. This hit the spot after a weird 8 year slot of blues/gospel inspired albums. Good work guys.

//__CASTEVET - Obsian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYywN2tDXhE

From the ashes of NY's Copremesis and Biolich came Castevet. You'd think this would get lost in the sudden rise of NYBM bands and musicians over the last few years, but these guys hold their own. Also for being a relatively young band I was intrigued to see what the buzz was about. It's almost maddening to classify them. Think Krallice but with a more death metal style, very Gorguts inspired I'm hearing. Bottom line, Obsian is very impressive.

//__ULCERATE - Vermis
http://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/releases

There was a time where Tech-death morphed into this bloated, stale, homogenized style that was fashionable for guitarists who sat at home all day smoking weed, watching MTV and uploading youtube videos of arpeggio scales. Thankfully that is not the case with Ulcerate. These Kiwis get better and better with every album. Vermis is an audible beast and i'm actually favoring all the atmospheric parts a little more than the chaotic blasting and riffing.

//__NAILS - Abandon All Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt1gYAMICpc

My last review stated that Nails should get their own burger at KUMA'S, to which I had no idea that they already did...some foodie I am. This isn't about food though, this is about Nails. To where Unsilent Death was a machine of riffs and a huge weight of slams and blasts, this is a derailed freight train hurling towards you at 200mph with shrapnel being torn as it lands. Add to it a shrieking Todd Jones and one very familiar Morbid Angel riff running through it on the title track, and this is my workout album.

//__UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS - Mind Control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfwdCOeKFao

Retro is cool, it's marketable. It will always be. Even in music it's fashionable to say "old is new". Stoner rock for this era, to go the route of the 70s in terms of fashion, sound, and overall vibe, works but only if you get it right. The two instantly I can think of that "get it" are Sweden's Graveyard & UK's Uncle Acid. The haziness and low-res..iness of UA is catchy and the grooves they get into are unmatched. Vocals I do not have a problem with either.

//__WORMED - Exodromos
http://willowtip.bandcamp.com/album/exodromos

OK, so the tech death rant I said earlier applies to this.  But, the ugliness and overall crunch they make is amazing. Like, in that "so ridiculous it's actually good" way. It's superbly hyperfast, like being sucked through a wormhole. The whole album; samples, spoken words, and broken english is meticulously crafted and well refined. Tight as a drum and effortlessly goes from chug to blast to stop to gurgle to chug again at 50000 RPMs. Still, nothing will beat that abyss-sized breakdown in the middle "Ylem", but then again nothing will so they'll always have that.

//__ORBWEAVER - Strange Transmissions From The Neuralnomicon
http://orbweaver-official.bandcamp.com/

More local love. Orbweaver, a band that is Miami's answer to that age-old question "What would happen if Frank Zappa made a death metal record?" It's immense, it's trippy, it's spacy, it's just...Strange. Shit literally comes out of nowhere at times, catches you off guard, makes you want to rewind the track and go "What the FUCK was that?" and it sticks in your head days after hearing it. It repels and confuses while being catchy...like I said, strange.

//__MOSS - Horrible Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw22KaF7yiE

Possibly the most drugged out thing made this year. Even with actual singing it's still unimaginably disgusting. I honestly am more of a fan of the early work of theirs, where a couple guys on acid were yelling their lungs out over bass feedback for 20 minutes. But since they are an actual band now the attempt to make riffs and songs is a surprising twist and very welcome. There's very respectable nods to the doom of yesteryear while retaining their fuzzed out drone mess they've always made. Get high and blast the fuck out of this.

//__GORGUTS - Colored Sands
http://gorguts.bandcamp.com/album/colored-sands

I said I won't rank, but this definitely was my most anticipated album not just this year but over the last couple years. As noted in a previous post this is spectacular. Just a march to battle right from the start. Relentless and unapologetic. Vicious and malevolent. Title track makes me a little misty-eyed, Battle of Chamdo gives me chills, and Absconders is like Gorguts channeling Times Of Grace-era Neurosis. I'm a happier person for buying this.

//__EARTHLESS - From The Ages
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qFF97HPBk4

A long while ago, I thought it was alienating to make a song over 15 minutes. It makes you stand out, but also no one really wants to hear that much in one track. Blame my attention span I guess. But, if you have hooks and groove within the song, the length becomes an afterthought. Earthless are THE definition of jam. To take a riff, build over it, and play it repetitively to the point where the groove of it sucks you in and time & space lose all meaning. They do this like it's a science, and I listen in for every second.

//__EXHUMED - Necrocracy
http://exhumed.bandcamp.com/releases

Wasn't a fan of their "return" album. It felt a little rushed to me. This though is pretty damn catchy. Like this SHOULD have been the album they made I feel. As carcass clones go, these guys reign and with this album it seems the more groovy they go the more i'm into it. Groove works though, no complaints.

//__DEEDS OF FLESH - Portals To Canaan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWd0M-Uo1O8

I fucking love these guys. It's meathead, gym workout, bro-do-you-even-lift? music, but it's so well done. "Mark Of The Legion" still gets blasted around these parts. They've incorporated the sci-fi theme thing into the music pretty well and I love some of the obvious John Carpenter references throughout (2:57 in the link). Makes me proud i'm a sci-fi nerd at times.

//__BAD RELIGION - True North
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2u6DeXvLDM

Again, they get the "But bro, IT'S THEM!" pass. They promised what was said and I have no complaints.

//__AOSOTH - IV: Arrow In Heart
http://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/iv-arrow-in-heart

Aosoth are fucking vicious. A lot of french black metal is, but these guys stand out to me. They have a darkness to them that I can't really describe but it's definitely there. Listen to "Temple Of Knowledge" to hear what I mean. That repetiviness and drum thump towards the end is nuts, going right into the semi-breakdown. I know it's wrong to put "breakdown" in the same review as "Black Metal", so deal with it.

//__BÖLZER - Aura
http://www.cvltnation.com/aura-bolzer-review/

Yeah it's an EP. And yeah I wasn't familiar with them until MDF said they are playing next fest. Whatever, it's an awesome EP. That riff that starts "Entranced By The Wolfshook" catches you instantly, and for just being 2 guys the sheer weight of their sound is nuts. Dude channels some intense barbaric yells & serious Steev Hurdle howls in this too. Highly recommended.

//__DEAD IN THE DIRT - The Blind Hole
http://deadinthedirtsl.bandcamp.com/releases

Grind was kind of sparse this year I thought, or i'm just getting lazy. These dudes however are just fucking UGLY. It's like they get so mad at themselves at the end of each song that they all end in feedback and screaming and it's just too good to not hear. The album holds up remarkably well for how many times it sounds like it's falling into pieces. It's fun as hell. A drunken bar fight put to music almost.

//__KEN MODE - Entrench
http://kenmode.bandcamp.com/album/entrench

Noisy rock is good times, especially when it's as hyper as this. Venerable a couple years ago was great and this to is on the right path for them. I miss some of the sludgyness they did on Venerable, but hearing the Botch guy belt out his familiar bark on a track on this was awesomely surprising and made up for it...a little. It's shameful for as much as they tour how sparse I see them. Someday i'll change....

Joe Preston is the fucking man

2 random blogs

1. Dysrhythmia Tunings Solved 
If you're as obsessed as I am about guitar tunings, this is a gem. Kevin Hufnagel from Dysrhythmia (also in Gorguts and other bands) has a blog for his band regarding tours, merch, album news, etc. and it JUST SO HAPPENS he went ahead and broke down (mostly) all the tunings he used for the last few albums (should be the first post you see, if not there's a timeline to the left). Dudes a seasoned jazz player for over 20 years, so i'm not suprised how discordant all of it looks and sounds. What's not listed is all the other instruments he used to get that wall of noise he is so famous for doing. Still, what a find! Following this band for a good ten years and counting ever since I saw them with Nebula, Mastodon, & Clutch in 2003. I'm proud to say I got a song in standard down, and another in some drop tune on my own, but the rest I was stumped. And since he's a relatively quiet guy about his methods, the tunings of older albums (like my favorite Pretest) kind of slipped into the void never to return. So at least we have this. Thanks dude!

2. Dave Witte: Foodie 
In surfing around the Dysrhythmia blog, I came across Dave Witte's food blog. Drummer for 1,001 bands to date, but currently in Municipal Waste, and maybe 1 or 2 others. Anyway, the dude knows 4 things: BMX, Drums, Horror, and Food. This blog is dedicated to the Foodie portion. It's a bit of a novelty to read through, as he's reviewing some fine establishments (mostly in San Fran) and mapping out a hell of a night out if ever you are in the area. Still, it's a few years since an update so I guess dude's plate is full (no pun intended) with stuff. Anyway, patiently awaiting an update when he does.

Will update with other tidbits of the blogosphere soon. 

GORGUTS

It's out now...well, not legally. And yes, I reserved a copy beforehand. I don't even know where to begin with this because there is so much going on with it, yet I can bravely journey through the entire album. I will say that there is no mistaking it for anyone else. This is fucking Gorguts, and the 12 year gap between albums is not at all apparent in this. For a comeback album, it sounds seasoned, meticulous, wildly chaotic, but opposite that; ethereal, organic and fresh.

Lemay's voice (although kind of muffled in parts) sounds like a beast.  Hufnagel, Marston, and Longstreth are a dream team of a band to back him and they deliver in every way. I was fortunate enough to hear a 5-6 minute teaser of riffs and parts from them a couple years prior when they officially reformed and were showcasing themselves for shows and a potential label. What I remember was that the riff that started the teaser is the same that starts the song "Le Toit De Monde". And from there it's just a game of "I heard that one!" and "Oh this sounds new!". But, back to reviewing, the riffs themselves are what make this Gorguts. Dissonant, yet memorable. Leads that sound like howls of spirits. Breaks that sound like pure malevolence, plus harmonics and phases that are almost dreamlike. Picking favorite tracks from this is a bit of a pain since they can all stand on their own, but if you put a gun to my head the biggest standout is the 9 minute "Absconders" that is nothing short of flooring towards the end of the album. There's a part in where I swear they channel Times Of Grace-era Neurosis on it and pummel out riffs with jaw-dropping emotion and force.  The cover art subtly reflects the "Mandala" theme Lemay was going for when talking about the concept. And although it reminds me a bit of a particular icon in the Obscura artwork (the skull with maze to be exact), it does not diminish the theme at all.

Overall, a stellar return to form for the band. With the recent announcement of them playing a few scattered shows throughout the U.S. in the fall and an appearance at MDF 2014, I look forward to seeing them live (hopefully) and, if I do, I want to give Luc a huge bro hug. This guy is such a top notch gentleman for this: A thank you vid for just WAITING to hear the album.

SYSTEM_RESTORE.EXE

Needed to.