The Dirty Dozen

Welcome to my new column. Each month, I will clue you into the best 12 albums of the month as well as the worst album (unlucky 13).

1. Woah!! You need to check out this demo by Ricanstruction. It is made up of politically volatile lyrics overlaying music built around ethnic rhythms, hardcore intensity, and metal virtuosity. The complete package demands attention. The primary concern of the band seems to be increasing awareness of racial oppression and injustices present in our society. They call for those oppressed to rise above mediocrity and take a stand for what is rightfully theirs. They are pro-action and pro involvement and pro-revolution. They suggest that anyone can rise above the constraints of ignorance and bigotry. Even though their lyrics are dark and expose the ugliness of an unjust state, I still hear a sense of hope. Now that is something I really respect.

2. Like some malevolent weed, death metal has spread its spores far and wide. Its influence can be seen everywhere in heavy metal music but more importantly death metal itself continues to grow and change adding to its own diverse nature by always pushing the envelope and trying new things. For example just check out the Khaooohs & Kon-fus-ion CD by Pan.Thy.Monium. In addition to standard death metal tones and atmospheric expressions, the band incorporates lots of jazz, classical and techno electronic flavors. The album is thematic, but the theme seems to be carried out by music more so than the lyrics or a story in the traditional sense. And oddly enough for death metal, the good in the “story” win and the evil fails. One of the best efforts ever in the Relapse Underground series.
3. Converge create emotional and spiritually aware music on their Caring and Killing album through which they attempt to share a part of themselves. Sounds like emo-core, eh? Well most of the time it isn’t. Most of the time they are a devastatingly heavy hardcore band who try and ravage your mind. In fact, if it wasn’t for the personal notes from the band in the linear notes I would have overlooked the emotional side of their music altogether and been blinded by the sheer intensity of their delivery. I almost sold this band short but thanks to repeated listenings I think I know where they are coming from.
4. For the last twenty years Germany has been a bastion of metal, constantly producing great bands. In the era where metal has drastically declined, for example, the new Sundown album by Cemetary. This disc is proof positive that having metal driven into the underground and removed from the top of the pop charts is the best thing to happen to the genre since it discovered hardcore music. These four blokes create a hefty sound that relies as much on the melody as it does on crushing heaviness.
5. The best album I have ever heard from Black Mark is the Crimson Album by Edge of Sanity. Or should I say “Crimson” song? You see, this album only has one tune, but what a tune!!!! It is a forty minute epic that is so varied and complex that it easily manages to command my full attention for its entire length. There is no filler at all here. During the forty minutes the song mutates and evolves, converging into a huge range of styles, moods and emotions. The basic sound of the album is built on tremendously heavy speed metal that brings to mind the long defunct, classic British Speed act, Sabbat (not to be confused with the newer Japanese band of the same name). From that basis the band incorporates other styles in the song from even heavier, death-like moments to quiet and subdued, even gentle moments. The lyrics, which take up almost five pages of the CD booklet, tell the futuristic story of humanity’s last generation, which is sterile, and their reaction to a young girl fathered by supernatural forces. Is she the hope for the continuation of the race, or is there something else to her presence, perhaps something sinister? Buy the album and find out. I won’t mince words (do I ever) about this album’s quality, it is by far the best metal album I have heard this year. I absolutely insist that you buy it!
6. I gotta tell you that I love split records. They are the musical version of the dominoes theory. For example, I got the Abnormal Behavior/Essoasso split because I was an A.B fan. Once hearing it, I fell in love with Essoasso and gave them a good review. So then Essoasso sent me their latest split with Loud Pipes, and guess what? I’m blown away by that band. Yep. You just gotta love splits. The E.A side of this split is great. Once again I’m totally floored by the vocals which are as deranged as they come. How do people scream like that? It sounds like they dug up their vocal chords with a garden weasel. The music is fervent and raw with a slight metal edge that endows it with plenty of power. L.P are completely insane. Their hardcore is fast, gritty, and over the top. They have that incessant furry that was the mark of the early-eighties D.C hardcore bands. Combine that with their growling and screaming vocals and y’know you’ve got a winner here.
7. This Party Is A Frat House 7” by The Shotdowns is short, rapidfire funk with a snotty attitude. The six songs on this are reminiscent of early eighties hardcore: angry, obstinate, rowdy, fast, lewd, and sticking one finger in the air at all times. Remember the belligerent hate-core of Negative FX? The spirit lives on here. They’re even from New England.
8. Strange have a new EP, Love And Other Atrocities and a new LP Laramie available. Both are worth your attention. The band plays a weird mix of hard rock and pop punk. Which actually works better than you think. They are fun, lively, and very unique. They also live up to their name. Like I find it strange that they are from Laramie, Wyoming yet the vocalist seems to have a German accent. It is also strange that the band seem to have a fetish for playing in occupied public shower stalls, not to mention how strange it is that they are on Mausoleum records, a predominantly metal label. I salute Mausoleum on their decision to expand! I should probably mention that the LP has most of the songs from the EP, including the Bob Geldof tune “I Don’t Like Mondays” which is worth the price of the CD alone. Also check out the cover art on the lp. It is one of those pictures that changes depending on what angle you look at it. Y’know like the things you get in Cracker Jacks.

9. If you dig blues soaked, soul drenched, rock ‘n boogie then not only do you have great taste, but you have a new friend in The Freewheelers’ new album Waitin For George. Far from perfect, this band still knows how to lay down the boogie woogie like few I’ve heard lately. Complete with organ, horns, congas and piano, these guys’ spiritual home must be Jacksonville.
10. The Peechees are a band after my own heart. The title track of their new album Do The Math is about trying to get someone to help you with your math homework. The last math class I took was about a decade ago when I was a college freshman and I still have nightmares about it. I can’t even balance my checkbook and considering the diminutive numbers associated with my bank balance, that is pretty sad indeed! Excuse me, I digress. Did you want to know about the music? Well imagine fusing the voice of Darby Crash onto a fast paced, melodic punk record… Now imagine quirky arrangements that are fun enough to jumpstart even the dullest of parties… Now imagine buying this CD and playing it real loud at 3:00am until someone calls the cops! The Peechees are pure fun, packaged and ready for your consumption.
11. It is unfortunate, but to clarify reviews and give the reader some clues of what to expect, writers (myself included) tend to pigeonhole bands. If we can’t think of an existing genre to tag a band with, we just invent one. That is why it is nice to get a 7” like the RELUCTANT/Pressure split. I don’t have to think of a way to describe it. Both of these bands are hardcore. Pure and simple. They are both fast, angry, passionate and honest. Pressure is heavier with a vocalist who has that classic hardcore shout. RELUCTANT are frantic and violent. They spew venom and bile. For my money you can never get enough music like this.
12. Anybody who knows me knows that two of my favorite bands in existence are Spazz and Brutal Truth. So imagine how I feel about the new split 7” that joins these two masters of noise and fury. Safe to say I think this is one of the greatest slabs of vinyl EVER made. This is absolute perfection! Spazz is in top form with tunes that feature everything from billion-note-per-minute blur to banjo solos. And, of course, there is plenty of their vicious humor. The Brutal Truth side is raw, ear shredding grind. It is a total joy to see a top flight band like this who usually has refined production (courtesy of their label Earache) take off the gloves and duke it out with an eight track tape deck for a totally raw sound that leaves all of the rough edges intact.
13. (Unlucky) If you cannot get enough generic, alternative rock, that vainly attempts to cling to the punk roots that it is so obviously raping, then rush out and grab the Rocket Science EP by 3 Day Wheely. This is so bad that it is destined to sell a million copies. College radio will eat this up, I’m afraid I gagged on it. It did make a good frisbee tho’.

Read more from the SLUG Archives:
Zappa Behind the Sneer: June 1995
Local Band: Bloodfish