|
|
|||
 |
|||
| FEATURES | IT'S A SEVEN INCH EXTRAVAGANZA VI | |||
IT'S A 7 INCH EXTRAVAGANZA IV |
|
|||
Life gets in the way of the music, so what can you do? I tell you what I can do, I can like, sleep only two hours, and then drive half asleep to work, do a half assed job at the office and fall asleep while I am feeding a three month old, that’s what I can do. And so I do it, not as often nor as much as desired, but as often and as much as life allows. Anyway, here are ten 7 inches, all of which deserve your money. If only because in 2011 (actually some of these were released in 2010) there are still valiant humans willing to invest in physical music. Read on and spread the word… |
||||
The nice folks of Zinarthan Productions must have been running low on cash. This seven inch of Australia’s one man satanic band Belzebuth was limited to only 150 copies and the printing quality of the cover is so low resolution the first thing you notice is the pixelation. The music is pretty excellent though. Atmospheric black metal that makes for a spooky evening. The first song “Voveriet Tikelt” is a lesson in lo fi meditating black metal. A slow cadence with thin saturated guitars and some type of keyboards. After the altitude adjustment has settled in you realize that this approach is not all the original, but that considering 80% of black metal bands push the ultra speed, when you get something as agonizing and dead on the tracks as Belzebuth, then you can’t help but dig. The audio quality is harsh, beyond harsh, but if you can get beyond past that, then you are welcome to worship. Official Site |
   |
|||
On a Field of White (Chainsaw Safety) signifies a return of sorts for the mighty Raw Radar War. Then again, this band’s recordings are so sparse these five tracks may be about the only thing we get from them for at least two more years. Wishful thinking then! As anything the great Jonah Jenkins is involved with, his band’s latest material continues flattening crusty pastures; saturated guitars, inhuman vocals and energy you can only imagine comes from the depths of hell or from the pit of a stomach. Raw Radar War differs from Jenkins’ past work in its conciseness, at least the first half of the seven inch transitions from an ambient intro and into three nugget-size fists to the face. The second half is upbeat sludge without a smirk on its façade, “Defend Finland” crushes like the middle point between demented sludge and demented crust and closer “On a Field of White” could be a black metal song, if only black metal had balls the size of a basketball. Cross your fingers so the world is graced with more of Raw Radar War before its impending end. Facebook |
 |
|||
I came to know Natur (pictured above) via their contribution to the Live Evil Volume One compilation, which was released to celebrate the first edition of the English festival of the same name. I was thoroughly impressed with their contribution “Goblin Shark” which replicated a classic heavy metal sound pretty much all based on the skills of guitarists Dino Destroyer and Weiburst. This two song seven inch is titled after their “Spider Baby” (The Year is One) song and the track alone is impressive enough to warrant your cash. There are neo classic melodies all over Natur’s songs, but the band keeps on pushing itself in both the aggression and in the speed department. In the riffage on the second song “Decion” for instance, the New York quartet sounds as if they were discovering speed metal. Ace material and the so-called suits have noticed, Natur has been signed to Earache Records. Facebook |
 |
|||
OK, this is old. Lord By Fire’s only recording is a two song EP that came out via Forcefield Recordings back in 2008. The presentation and the sound are fucking ace. As in, there was an actual budget to this. At this point in our lives we appreciate the lo fi sounds and the aesthetics that may come with it, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t look at something glossy and get a boner. Now, Lord by Fire aren’t prancing around with gold necklaces and two-pound diamond rings. Fuck, if anything it sounds like they hang out in the forest with wolves and live by their hands. There is a theme to this, not just the vibe they emanate. One of the songs is titled “Three Sisters of the Wolves” and the other is titled “Tribes of the Unnamed Beast”. Lord By Fire play sludge, rowdy and manly sludge. MySpace |
  |
|||
Virginia’s one man heavy doom project Satan’s Satyrs sounds totally drunk on his 2010 EP Lucifer Lives!. Just like good extreme metal sounded back in the early 80’s, Lucifer Lives! (Emptiness Productions) boasts raw to no production and performance so disheveled and sloppy, it should have come from a mine town in Germany or Birmingham of all places. Instead, it comes from Virginia, a state that by some accounts has its fair share of yucky grimness. Now, we know, everyone is trying to get this sound now; lo fi, garage, no budget, of the not-give-a-fuck nature. The approach is endearing but the songs are rarely there. Well, these three are totally here; heavy rock and roll, speedy and punky. The spirit of Motorhead goes for a stroll with Crono’s forehead. Doom by default. Satanic by right and by name, their creation shouldn’t have taken too long. About as long as it takes to down a six-pack, we figure. Loneman Claythanas handles all instruments after being deserted by The Ghoul, who surely, had some scaring to do. Love it, live it now. MySpace |
 |
|||
About a year ago I was at a party with a bunch of old people I didn’t really know. I struck a conversation with a nice Chilean gentleman who informed me that his son played in a crust band called Crow’s Foot. Fast forward a few months and I am now spinning the split that his son’s band released in March of 2010 with another crusty Florida combo called Deserter. The 7 inch is limited to 500 copies and comes safely wrapped on tough recycled paper. Deserter may be crusty by de facto, and perhaps in lieu of the raw and dirty quality recording. Judging by the differences in quality between their two songs, we could safely assume that these were tracked in different locations with “Gilded Age” enjoying a somewhat bulkier sound. The vocals are also better arranged in this one, whereas in the first one, “Pharaoh Complex” all we hear is a one note screamer. Crow’s Foot on the other hand sound fucking frenetic. “Lies” is all cymbals for a while and the deranged screams of their out of control female vocalist are appropriately matched by those of the bass player. Can’t really tell if all we are hearing is strings in “Lies”, I could swear there are some keyboards enhancing the track’s pinnacle moments. Crow’s Foot are extremely basic, yet, they lace their crust with softer passages which grants them the tag of post-something. |
 |
|||
Greeks are better known for their black metal, but if there were more stoner bands like 1000mods then maybe things would be different. Not to say, that stoner isn’t a dead subgenre, but this quartet from Hiliomodi haven’t been informed. They were probably high and really so way up high there they couldn’t even read the news. Liquid Sleep is a two-song EP and it is totally derivative. Well-written alright, with massive grooves and super fat tones. With the right amount of psychedelics it does wonders. Especially on the title track, which soars to highs not even the members of 1000mods are aware they are reaching. It is all quite exquisite, if not totally reminiscing of music that was written about ten years ago. But if you ain’t bothered by history, then neither are we. MySpace |
 |
|||
Wisconsin stoner trio Romero sound like Torche before they went out all Disneyland. Not like Torche had much of a distinctive sound, to yours truly it was just the vocals that were so harmonious it either caused an erection or total rejection. In the case of Romero, vocalist Jeffrey Mundt tends to over harmonize. On “Solitaire” (Triceratrax) he flexes his pipe in an all too familiar manner; either raising his voice while the music dies down or sustaining a note to enhance the note-bashing of his band. Second half's “El Sentido Morboso” is a bit more personal, if by that we mean, it just sounds like Romero is taking in other influences; stoner rock as Homme created it. At least the guitars man, which make up about 80% of what stoner rock is anyway. Romero are quite adept at penning catchy tunes, now they just need to craft one that doesn’t recall another band. Facebook |
 |
|||
“The Occult Temptation” is almost too groovy of a cut. Not that that is a bad thing but when you are talking Polish metal, the nation of Behemoth and Vader can also offer much more acerbic material. Another example of what’s at odds here, the second cut “Mental Desecration” is built like a classic heavy metal tune, classic 80’s riffage and all, it is just that the vocals of Uncle Morbid are pure necro, putrefaction to the max and the shameless declaration that Morbid Execution are pure fucking Black metal. Cadaverous Cult (Bestial Invasion) is their second EP and even at four short bursts of blasphemy, the duo runs out of juicy ideas, especially in the riffage department. That’s not much of an issue though, lovers of the ilk will rejoice, as basic as some of the music is, its effect is fucking undeniable. MySpace |
 |
|||
Those who keep up and have also been in the know as of Protestant, may have noticed that in the last couple of years metalheads have co-opted this ilk of harsh hardcore punk. Not that there is anything wrong with it, after all the genre had intermingled to exhaustion and it was up to a crusty sound to inject itself into its veins. For proof of that, just check out the current roster of Southern Lord records. The once mighty house of doom has become the house of punk; read D-beat worship. Protestant don’t need no Southern Lord Records help though. They have been doing just OK with Halo of Flies Records. The seven inch in question is titled Antagonist and is a bit old, considering that Protestant are so active they have put out new material in ’08, ’09, ’10 and ’11. This one though is a scorcher. Pretty much like every other recording they have put out. Facebook |
 |
|||
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
|
editor@deafsparrow.com | |||
web design by www.creativebundle.com