Thursday, October 31, 2013

All Hallows' Eve



Absolutely mandatory. Easily the best Misfits record out there - of course it's mostly Glenn overdubbing nearly every instrument but who cares. Every song on this one is a keeper, from the opener "Static Age" the quasi-Elvish "American Nightmares." "TV Casualty" is probably my favorite Misfits song ever. Legendary horror punk from the founders of the genre - doesn't get any better than this for a Halloween soundtrack.


I Got An Office Job For The Sole Purpose Of Sexually Harassing Women



Occasionally I'll drive the wife's car to the sto' and not feel like putting on the iPod or scanning for some sports so I'll deal with whatever pop radio she's been tuned to. I'm usually prepared for an absolutely miserable barrage of the worst fucking music ever but occasionally a really agonizing shitstain of a song floats above the rest. Today that polished turd was "Same Love". It wasn't the painfully rudimentary white-boy lyrics vying for KRS-One-ish "edutainment". It was sitting through the the talentless "she keeps me warm" caterwauling chorus that truly made me want to vomit. Ugh. Time for some racist, mysogynistic, homophobic, genocidal, xenophobic, hilarious Anal Cunt to get that terribly annoying shit out of my head. Life is fucking hard and generally fucking shitty. Get over yourself and move on.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Umeå Hardcore



Man, what a fucking album. The prototype for a million mathcore/screamo/experimental hardcore bands to follow, Sweden's Refused rewrote the book on what a hardcore album should be. One after another epic song - I can't even name how many genres are touched upon within the tight 56 minutes of this bitch. Sadly this 1998 release was way over everyone's head at the time - Godsmack and Soulfly went on to have multi-platinum albums while Refused simply broke up. What a painful fucking shame. Enjoy.


Sunday, October 27, 2013

Apple Pie



Holy fuck, is it early-90's time again? Yep. I don't know how many of you forty-somethings out there were suckered into buying this 1991 debut eponymous release by Queens funk/metal/soul outfit White Trash solely from their catchy "Apple Pie" video. Join the crowd. Months before Nirvana changed the music world forever, White Trash claimed their fifteen minutes of fame with a pretty unique brass take on the metal world which would later be more legitimately (and popularly) usurped by ska. The "Badass Brass" horn section added some much-needed individuality to the band - the music sounds like a cross between the Black Crowes and Fishbone. The annoyingly high-pitched lead singer can get annoying at times but he was actually exactly in sync with what the 90's were offering in terms of vocalists so what can ya do. "Apple Pie" will always be the perennial hit associated with this band but check out "The Crawl" and "Po' White Trash" - guilty runner ups that'll raise a dry smile at your next highschool reunion. Enjoy.


Saturday, October 26, 2013

Neandercore



Straight outta Kansas City comes the four-man death metal leviathan that is Troglodyte. The album cover had me in a second - a nice homage to any hundred of lurid 1970's B-movie posters (of which I've seen about a million billion of 'em). Initially the song titles may come off as somewhat cheesy - humorous tributes to the legends of Bigfoot and his missing link ilk. But the music delivers so strong that it hardly fucking matters. Fusing a blend of old-school Florida death metal and the current brutal death genre, the band plays a pretty heavy, groovish style which has enough tempo changes within each 2-minute song to keep the most jaded metalhound interested. I haven't been listening to anything particularly heavy lately but this album really hit the spot. "Skunk Ape Rape" and "Fossil" are the standout tracks for me but the whole albums tears the scene a new primal fuckhole. The band is still at it - check out their bandcamp here. Enjoy.


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Do Or Die



Journeyed up to NYC this weekend to watch my beloved Pats lose to the Jets thanks to some fucking ridiculously obscure (and retarded) special teams penalty. The fact that New England stinks this year doesn't help but come the fuck on. Regardless, tromping around the city I caught a few "YGz" tags across the boroughs and felt like revisiting the one and only "specially priced EP" from Mount Vernon's hip-hop namesake. Their sole 1993 release is pretty typical of its time: heavily-sampled Tommy Boy beats under extensive bravado. Produced by Pete Rock so it sounds like a lot of the other shit floating around but still not without its charm.


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Black & Blue



Another tepid cash-in on GG's demise, Volume 4 of the quasi-infamous Insult & Injury series is nothing more than a sparse set chock-full of aggressive baiting by Allin towards a hostile, bored crowd not in the mood for his incessant ranting. Playing at the long-defunct Rocket club in Providence, RI and evidently booking the gig without a band; GG hijacked the musicians from show-opener diaper rocker/labelmate Algae Afterbirth to create the one-off "Providence Afterbirth Superscum". Comprised of Drool Flemming (guitar), Wypo (drums) and The Phantom (bass), it's unlikely the band did much before the gig than get fucked up so if you're here for tight live renditions of GG's classic scumcore you'll be sadly disappointed; the PAS plod and struggle through the meager set with little aplomb. But in retrospect it hardly matters. The cassette recorder that captured this banal point of history must have been right next to GG's PA since you cannot hear anything else but him. Yelling. A lot. The band seems to be playing in another room and occasionally you'll hear someone in the crowd get loud but other that the oppressive hum of amplifier feedback there's barely any background noise. The scant tracklist is pretty lame, for a 45+ minute gig (pretty long by Allin standards) it's too bad no real classics were dusted off. Instead we get the dullards "Blood For You", "Teacher's Pet", "I Wanna Rape You", "Sluts In The City" and "Drink Fight & Fuck" - and with the endless ranting, technical fuck-ups and overall shittines of the gig it's no wonder why paying customers were challenging GG to brawl halfway in. Allin eventually coaxes a bunch of whores (the Scummettes, 'natch) up on stage for backup vocals on "Sluts In The City" but by that point this CD is really tough to keep listening to. Some guy actually comes along to piss in GG's mouth while he finishes singing "Drink Fight & Fuck" and his gurgle/gag on the yellow stuff is the perfect icing on this putrid cake.


Saturday, October 19, 2013

C.O.W.



Oh boy, here we go again. How can you turn down an album by a band called Raped By Pigs? Awesome moniker. These Peruvian brutal death metallers go through the motions on their debut EP and it's not all bad, when you get past the utterly nonsensical steamroller vocals (I mean really, are they just saying "reee reee" at this point?) there's definitely some sweet grooves behind all the posturing. "Fetalic Embryongenic Aberration" is amazing, especially the long breakdown at the end. The boys are still at it - a full-length due next week. Go figure.


Friday, October 18, 2013

Phat As Phuck



I don't know how I ended up with this album, I think I assumed Pudgee was the twin brother of Big L or Treach or whoever else was on Giant at the time. Huge early-90's beats and absolutely obscene lyrics make this one an undiscovered gem of the pre-Clinton-sample era (George Clinton for all you who just landed from Mars). This is a fucking amazing album, almost every song is a fucking attack - the appearances by MC Lyte, Kool G and other veterans only solidify this bitch as the one rapper that got away...


Thursday, October 17, 2013

We're Evil



Well shit, with the posting of über-comp Welcome To Venice last week is it any surprise that this elusive slab of wax would find its way onto the 'Genocide? One of my favorite thrash records of the mid-80's which unbelievably has yet to find its way onto an official CD release, Widespread Bloodshed is easily Mike Muir's finest post circa-1983 Suicidal Tendencies release. The original band spawned from Venice, CA in the early 80's and managed to appear on the I've Got Brain Damage skate comp cassette before crossing paths with Muir on the aforementioned Welcome To Venice LP. Original lead singer Kevin Guercio quickly departed under the new stewardship of Muir and Bloodshed was recorded in 1987. 

I actually wrote a review of the record for my gay-as-fuck high school newspaper all those years ago. While it reads like it was written by a fucking retard it still holds its weight today:

   "During the year recording Suicidal Tendencies' sophomore effort Join The Army, vocalist Mike Muir spent time writing songs, singing and producing records for various Venice, California hardcore/speed metal bands.  Among these bands was No Mercy. No Mercy released their debut album, Widespread Bloodshed/Love Runs Red at some point during the mid-80's and it emerges as one of the best metal/hardcore albums ever to be pressed onto vinyl. 
   "Evil (So Fuckin' Evil)" starts off this album of pure chaotic intensity. A telephone ring breaks the cold silence. "Hello?" asks a startled young woman. The phone clicks dead. Another ring. "Hello? Hello?" the woman nervously inquires, feeling the skin on the back of her neck begin to crawl. A sharp blast of feedback is the only reply. Silence. The phone rings once again. "Who are you?" the terrified woman cries. "WE'RE FUCKIN' EVIL yeahhhhhh!" Widespread Bloodshed/Love Runs Red  has begun.
   The songs on this album deal with subjects of a dark, mysterious, evil nature. Nightmares, murder, Judgement Day and cemeteries are only some of the troubling song topics lyrically explored by Muir. The opening to "I'm Your Nightmare" recalls the eerie thumping bass track from
Dawn Of The Dead (originally recorded by the Italian gothic metal band Goblin). The 7-minute epic "Waking The Dead" is one of the best metal songs ever be recorded. Guitarist Mike Clark fulfills the double duties of rhythm and lead guitar to perfection. Drummer Sal Troy (whose opening solo to "Waking The Dead" kicks ass) and bassist Ric Clayton also emerge as talented musicians.
   No Mercy is a group whose future I look forward to. Their unique rolling, pounding beat is betrayed slightly by the amateurish production values, though it emerges relatively unscathed. All in all,
Widespread Bloodshed/Love Runs Red is one of the best fuckin' albums ever recorded. What else is there to say but to buy this album before you die."

Man, I was a cool teenager. Not much has changed in 25 years. Enjoy.


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

I Pity The Fool



I don't know how this one escaped me for over a decade; huge 2001 release by Bronx DJ extraordinaire Mr. Len who cut his turntable teeth DJ-ing for NYC indie unit Company Flow (whom if you never heard check 'em out - they are fucking awesome). A compilation of sorts featuring a multitude of different vocalists ranging from underground acts like the Juggaknots and MassInfluence to established rappers like Q-Unique and Chubb Rock. Len's beats vary across the hip-hop spectrum but all stay solid - the hook for me on this one is the prodigious "The Hurt" featuring female rap protegé Jean Grae. Kinda sounding like Bjork's "Army Of Me"- a dark piano groove beneath Grae's sweetly expletive-laden vocals makes this one a keeper.


Monday, October 14, 2013

Crayola



Man, still reeling from the 18 heart attacks on Sunday after the Patriots and Red Sox last minute wins (as well as the debilitating two-day hangover which came with it) - allow me to try to get my ass in gear and introduce Mr. Bungle worship act Kids Eat Crayons. Honestly, it wouldn't be hard to convince most folk that this group actually was Patton and his boys performing under a different name. The band plays a ridiculously technical cacophony of experimental jazz, metal, thrash, funk (you name it) to the point that I am amazed the guys can actually repeat perform their songs. "Best Friend Clio" is my favorite track - somewhat reminiscent of Faith No More's heavier riff style - really cool stuff. Enjoy.


What's Up?



Ah, good ol' Fatlip. Sportin' the diaper, trenchcoat, wine and Walkman. Debut single from the ex-Pharcyde wordsmith. The title track is the hook - a hilariously self-depriciating rant about himself that is as smooth as it is funny. The other two tunes are hit and miss - an epic ode to the female ass entitled "Goldmine" is pretty good while the instrumental "Edy's Groove" is just sort of dull. Oh well, two outta three ain't bad. Enjoy.


Saturday, October 12, 2013

The Cost Of Being Two



Nice blackened sludge doom debut from Murfreesboro, TN. The tracks deviate between 10+ minute dirges of sludge to short seances of weird ambient drone. The longer tunes suffer a bit by sounding a little too much the same (most of the "song" tracks have an identical intro-heavy-bridge-heavy-outro formula) - while nothing too original it is definitely pained and miserable enough to devote a solid listen. And I actually really dig the dissonant instrumental stuff in between songs. The band changed its name to avoid any legal complications and is evidently still at it so give 'em a listen. Enjoy.


Friday, October 11, 2013

Grind Jazz Improv



Yet another Seth Putnam side-project instigated by Siege drummer Rob Williams. Building on the random jazz-jam hardcore style heard on Siege's 7-minute epic "Grim Reaper" on their 1984 debut, Rob assembled Putnam, alto sax legend Jim Hobbs and ex-Nothings guitarist Chris Joyce into the Death's Head Quartet. Their eponymous album is a two-hour free-form jazz/noise/blur improvisational wall of sound - impossible to repeat such a session. The thundering background of bass and guitar give the initial impression of typical noisecore but the drumming and sax really pull this album out of the swamp. Putnam growls and gurgles some AC-esque vocals here and there which almost make you think you're listening to what Full Blown A.I.D.S. could have turned into. Occasionally Williams seems to be just fucking around (I mean it is free-form I guess) but then he breaks into something wicked cohesive and you realize he's not just phoning it in. The songs titles and breaks are simply arbitrary - listen to this bitch from start to finish - great mowing-the-lawn background noise. Enjoy.

7

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Black Gold



Oh man, is this the fucking most awesome thing ever? Possibly the greatest juxtapositional mixtape in musical history, the combination of Jimi Hendrix and the Wu-Tang Clan is, quite simply, amazing. Named after the mysterious "final" album demo recorded by Hendrix (which only he and Mitch Mitchell ever heard), Black Gold is a mashup in the same vein as Danger Mouse's Grey Album but significantly more epic. The Hendrix samples span all his official albums as well as interviews, radio spots, studio and live stuff - afficionados will be happy to hear really obscure bootleg clips here and there. The Wu were completely behind the project and actually recorded new vocals as well as contributing their extensive catalog. An insanely extensive song-by-song sample breakdown appears here - well worth a read for the serious listener. All in all, this is an amazing album for fans of either artist and a fucking goldmine for fans of both. A labor of love by producer Tom Caruana. Thanks man.


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Look Up.....



1985 was a transitional year for SoCal thrashcore. Suicidal Tendencies had really taken over the scene after their eponymous 1983 debut and had started their own label (Suicidal Records, 'natch) to which they attracted a bunch of local acts, many associated with ST lead singer Mike Muir. The label's first release was the appropriately named Welcome To Venice compilation LP featuring local acts Suicidal, No Mercy, Excel, Beowülf and Los Cycos. In the same way N.W.A. would champion Compton a few years later - Venice, CA was the ST stomping ground and would stay the headquarters for the LA thrash movement until it was eaten alive by grunge in the early 90's. The comp is notable simply that it contains probably the weakest early material by all of the bands on it (save for Suicidal who I think shot their wad with the first album and never recovered) - as well as the fact that nearly every band sounds exactly the same. Now this could be because Muir was the singer for two of them or the fact that they were trading band members like fucking dominoes or it could just be coincidence. Suicidal's solo entry "Look Up..... (The Boys Are Back)" showcases the near-final transition of a once amazing hardcore band into the pretty tame thrash outfit they would become on '87's flaccid Join The Army. Beowülf do their Motörhead thing satisfactorily, No Mercy belt out a couple tracks with original singer Kevin Guercio (Muir would take the vocal reigns for the band's 1987 full-length debut) - their song "War Machine" would eventually be retooled into "Crazy But Proud" on the Widespread LP. Los Cycos were basically the original ST lineup with a new rhythm guitarist and No Mercy's drummer. Their song "It's Not Easy" probably sounds familiar because ST re-recorded it for their Feel Like Shit... joke of a record years later. It is such a sad song when regarding the talent behind it - really shows what Amery Smith brought to ST's old sound... But I digress, wrapping up the album are a solid three tracks by 'Genocide fave Excel. Not their best stuff by far but still great - I dig the instrumental "Enforcer" the most. In short, Welcome To Venice is a perfect snapshot of a long gone era; 30 minutes of an amazingly specific crossover thrash sound that went as fast as it came.


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

+K



Jesus, how the fuck is that not commercial suicide to call yourself fucking "Positive K" in 1992? The era of Onyx championing themselves as the bald headed niggaz, Ice Cube celebrating the LA riots, Paris rallying the Black Panthers and Redman extolling the everyday thug life - and you got a guy from the Bronx with the balls to call himself "positive"? Oh well, good for him I guess. You probably remember his quickly annoying "I Got A Man" quasi-duet (it's actually him doing the female vocals) from Yo MTV Raps! but to be honest the album is not nearly as pussified as you would expect. It kinda sounds like every rap album that was coming out of Island Records at the time (Tone Loc, Stereo MC's, Young MC, 3rd Bass, etc etc etc) but there are some somewhat fresh beats here and there. "Nightshift" is fucking tight (thanks to much help from Big Daddy Kane) and "The Shout Out" is a great tune. Enjoy a pretty good party album that isn't too offensive and much respect to Darryl Gibson for having the balls to give a constructive moniker a try.


Monday, October 7, 2013

Mean Ass Pop Punk



Writing the Facts About Rats post the other night got me to revisit this 2000 classic by New Hampshire pop punk mainstays The Queers. Beyond The Valley Of The Assfuckers is my favorite in the band's extensive 30+ year discography - a statement that surely will get a small pocket of New Englandahs drunk on Magic Hat gathering their torches and pitchforks in a rage. That was a weird time in music - bands like Green Day and Blink-182 (especially) who were directly influenced by the Queers were controlling the punk scene and the Queers were just trying to catch a wave on the tsunami they created. Fucking strange. Anyways, this album has been criticized for being "too dark" and not quite as funny as their other material. What the assfuck ever. This album is fucking dark and absolutely hilarious. If you find yourself chuckling at shit like "Animal Mother" in Full Metal Jacket or Fulci's Touch Of Death you will fucking love this. A mean-spirited journey by a band who was probably pissed off they never got the credit they deserved. Oh well, you know you guys are called the "Queers" y'know.


Sunday, October 6, 2013

Those crazy Nutmeggers



Here's a sold 16-minute live set from Connecticut black metallers Profanatica. Recorded at the defunct underground haven G. Willikers in Pennsauken, NJ, the band tears through five of their most blasphemous classics with typical Jesus-hating panache. I'm pretty sure this gig did not show up on their obscure Live CD from 2001 - I actually ripped it from some bootleg DVD I got of the band ages ago. Interestingly, the DVD also has a pretty thorough interview with Paul and his cronies that ends with Ledney pissing in a glass and gargling it while he torches a bible (and extinguishes it with said urine). Sorry to all but I unfortunately didn't have time to rip that as well. Next time... next time...


Saturday, October 5, 2013

Desolation



In the mood for some suicidal, desperate, bleak-ass drone? In the cancerous vein of Otesanek (who I'm sure were inspired by these guys) comes Khanate - the eminent purveyors of absolutely minimalist doomcore. Somewhat of a sludge supergroup comprised of members from Burning Witch (vocalist with whom you'll definitely hear his influence), OLD and Blind Idiot God; Khanate slowed the tempo even more and upped the feedback. Of course - as with all bands of this ilk - there's a point reached where the song just turns into background noise but Khanate keeps it somewhat fresh with a chord change here and there and some pretty psychotic vocal nuances. Keep skinning those cats guys. Try to enjoy.


Friday, October 4, 2013

Go Away



Hells yeah, another band I would have never heard of 'cept for the ultimate compilation of the early 90's - Ax/ction Records' Apocalyptic Convulsions. Boston's Facts About Rats easily claimed the trophy for catchiest tune on the record - a forlorn pop punk single "Still Want You." To be honest, the song seemed completely out of place on a compilation rife with blur, powerviolence and grindcore but it actually remains my guilty favorite to this day. Up until recently I could find absolutely no information on the band save for a few vague details - how pleased I was to finally discover their only other release - a 3-song 7" from 1992. And what a nice surprise, 3 songs in the "Still Want You" flavor - sweet punky odes to terrible relationships. The title "I Don't Wanna Get Involved With You" is the standout - a better-than-the-original cover of an old Queers song with some great Misfits-ish "wah-ah-oohhh" elements that really shine. The other tunes are solid B-sides - would love to have heard some more from these guys. Enjoy.


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Reminiscing



Got into a conversation with a college roommate of mine tonight and joked about my idiotic falling asleep in class story. Mind you, thank fuck this was eons before the fucking social media bullshit of today - if it wasn't I'd have probably killed my self ages ago out of sheer embarassment. Regardless - story starts on some random Sunday night, 1992. For some reason our acid dealer only came around late Sunday nights - no real big deal except for the fact that his acid tended to have a ton of fucking speed in it so  you simply had to resign yourself to the fact you weren't going to sleep for about 36 hours after you dropped. Like usual we did drop - a lot - and 20-year old shenanigans commenced. 99% of the time I would fuck off my Monday morning classes but for some reason that morning I was all condescendingly like "fuck it, it's time to learn." I wandered through the snow and the other million miserable students to get to the gigantic fucking stadium where I had a mid-level bio class. I sat directly in the middle of a 250+ auditorium and promptly pulled out my sketch pad. Figured I would just draw and doodle some trippy shit for a bit...

Wow! That fucking class went fast. Looked around and people are filing out. Got my tired ass up and wandered outside - into total fucking darkness. Seems I had passed out for nearly 14 fucking hours in the middle of one of the busiest class auditoriums in the school. Best guess, 6 two-hour classes came and went with my snoring ass sitting in the middle gulping air to live. If it was today there probably would have been hourly webcam updates on my snoozing and bets on whether I would make it through the night. All I remember is being really fucking hungry and having to answer a lot of "where the fuck were you all day" questions. Thank cunt my worst drug habits were before Facebook existed.

Oh yeah, and at that time I was also really fucking into Ministry. Enjoy.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Biting The Hand That Feeds



Dude, what the fuck is up with Finland? The sludgecore/doom coming out of that country is the most depressing, bitter shit I have ever heard. Fleshpress is probably the most established act but insofar as mere bleakness, Loinen and Usko come to mind - absolutely tortured soundscapes of screams and double bass-guitar blasts to send you to hell. Turku's Stumm is from the same gutter as the latter. Painful, unending riffs with the most miserable gurgling screams to keep it all together. Each of their four ten-minute or so songs could be an album in themselves - simple feedback-laden, misanthropic blasts of misery - awesome shit.

I

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Doh-Doh and Dingbat



If it wasn't for the internet I'm sure I would have never heard of the Queens, NY duo Hoodratz. Sporting a pair of ridiculous pseudonyms, they released on album in 1993 and promptly disappeared. Surprisingly, Sneeke Muthafuckaz, their provokingly titled (and retardedly spelt) debut is actually pretty good. The beats are tight and kinda remind me of the stuff Big L was doing at the time. Rhymes are nice as well, which is a lot since I was expecting absolute terribleness. "Bootlegga" is a fucking great track and "Mrs. Crabtree" always raises a dry smile. Enjoy.