Vinyl Review: "Lebe Dich Leer" by Bethlehem

Lebe Dich Leer

It's a tired story, but a true one.

An anonymous twitter user once stated that the best thing about metal is that no matter how well versed you are, no matter how long you've been in the scene, and no matter how many albums, records, CDs, or tapes you have...

You'll always feel like a newbie.

Well, here stands before you today, someone feeling like an ignorant chud who just bought his first Metallica tape last week.

Me.

Why? Because in my lap has fallen the latest release from this legendary band, but they're a complete unknown to me.

Had I known they existed and that I didn't know about them and knew that I was wholly ignorant, that would've been something.

Alas, not the case.

LP Review: "Anonymous Souls" by Manifestic

Anonymous Souls

During the election cycle of 2016,when Fake News from the Right Wing became the real news of the day, someone said to me, you listen to all this underground music, but you /only consume mainstream media.

Well, I could go into the reasons behind both the former and the latter example in that statement, but for now, let's just stick with music.

Mainstream Music is mean to be all things to all people. Humans have such wide differences in taste that Metallica had to dull their edges to go supernova.

Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd though, they're the exceptions.

One of my favorite underground labels is Punishment 18. They put it out on the table. Thrash metal is their bread and butter. Now, Germany's Maifestic, is a bit different. They're not your father's thrash. Unless you're dad is around my age, no, still true.

From the onset of the album, the men from the German Ruhr show two sides of what they're doing. Every song has a foot in the old school and another foot heading into a new idea and a new plane of existence for the longest running heavy metal sub-genre.

Definitely, get in on this one.

3/29/19 

LP Review: "Carrier of Weight" by Eremit

Carrier of Weight

It's a rather common occurrence for me to get ready to lower the boom of doom metal.

Atmospheric doom sludge metal...There are probably several other adverbs that could be tacked onto their description.

Whatever they should be called, they are awesome. This album  has three tracks, two discs, and a Delores. (Just kidding about Delores.)

Track three clocks in at over 33 minutes in length.

Eremit has the ability to play a riff longer than than they should, to get it droning on, but somehow making it never lose its power. This makes the following riffs even more powerful.

This is the kind of record that's perfect for a midweek decompression. The vibrato laden fuzz tones will take you to altered states of consciousness and that will save you some money on beer....or whatever.

RELEASE 2/25/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Animist" by Werian

Animist

Lately, it's been a lot of death and black metal. It's been far too long since we've made an acquaintance with a new doom metal band.

Well, Germany's Werian is definitely a doom metal band who's got hands I'd like to shake.

To get it all out of the way, Animist is an album based on one of the oldest religions in the world. It even pre-dates Christianity's roots, which are only about 4,000 years old anyway.

The record is comprised of three tracks. Three supersized tracks. Long form metal is the best kind of metal.

Over the course of forty four minutes, Werian weaves spells of doom and death with ambitiously progressive songs.

Arpeggios? Chunking chords? Whispered vocals? These things and more are all here. One of the things you won't find though, double bass blast beats.

Werian's latest opus isn't out to beat you over the head to prove to you how metal it is. They aren't screaming in the square, but they're waging a whisper campaign to convert you into Animism. It's so subtle, by the time you've been convinced, you'll think it was your idea all along.

RELEASE 2/22/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Moritat" by Der Rote Milan

Moritat

Years ago, when I was new to Adult Swim, Sealab 2021 didn't work for me. That was until the gateway episode, and then it made total sense.

For years, Black Metal didn't hit for me. It always seemed, less sophisticated than Death Metal, and far less interesting than Thrash Metal.

Then the gateway album happened, which I don't recall what it was to be honest with you.

It's not Moritat, but Germany's Der Rote Milan has crafted a record that could be a great many people's port of entry into Black Metal.

To be crystal clear, no one here is saying that this blistering album of blackness is anything other than a truly heavy piece of music, because it's not. It is a Melodic Black Metal (which was a new one on me) album. So it contains enough melody to resemble what civilians would think of as real music.

But then there's those vocals...they are pure black, with tinges of death. Don't miss out.

RELEASE 2/1/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

Hometown Tales with Hammer King

Hammer King

Over somewhere in on the other side of the world, there's this place apparently called Saint-Tropez

Thy have a slightly strange way of seeing the world and perhaps come from a land that time forgot in some respects.

In others, they're funny.

I'll let you be the judge of Hammer King below.

Check it out below.

1. St. Louis City is my hometown. I've lived here for most of my life in and around the city. Where are you from?

 Titan: Well, the legend says, I am from the Kingdom of Saint-Tropez. The best place to be, so of course I have always been here and ever I will be.

LP Review: "Mesa" by Abyssous

Mesa

In 2018, Lo-Fi recording is no longer a necessity for those bands on the lower end of the pay scale spectrum. It's now a choice of sounds.

And there are times when nothing else would improve upon a song than a gritty, almost rusty, sound.

Abyssous's sophomore LP, is a smoldering campfire of black metal. It's the single blade of fire in a pitch black evening.

It's the heavy metal acid trip that leaves you warm and loved. Unfortunately, an album that's wholly like that grows dull and cold.

Abyssous understands the concept that is album dynamics. Most of the record is ethereal black metal, but then there are forays out of the atmosphere and back to terra firma. It also appears that from time to time, the guitar player was even lucky enough to win some of the arguments... Listen well, oh, not even that well really, and you'll see why.

Mesa is another album in the long line of black metal records that warmed me up to the genre. Sit down and roast a marshmellow.

RELEASE 11/1/18 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

Video: "Johnny The Beaver (Acoustic Version)" by Formosa

Years ago, when I worked for a large vitamin store chain, one of the other assistant managers and I got into a deep debate about music that's funny.

Well, long story short, she was wrong and humorous music is awesome. Speaking of artists that put a smile on my face every time I hear them, it's Germany's Formosa! They're foremost silly rock band out of umm...the part of Germany from which they hail.

Most likely, they're like Bavarian Erzherzogs who're doing this for fun. If that's the case, they're sure making it fun for me too.

You can pick up their record, Sorry For Being Sexy, via BANDCAMP.

Vinyl Review: "Sorry For Being Sexy" by Formosa

Sorry for being sexy

It's time to bring you into my process a little bit to help differentiate my regular reviews from the vinyl ones.

The vast majority of the albums I review are via digital promos, i.e. downloads, streams, whathaveyou and obviously, that's totally cool as you may have noticed how many have been posted over the nearly Six Years of Glacially Musical.

When the digital reviews are done, I'm sad to say, the records are typically streamed through my shitty desktop PC speakers.

As Glacially Musical isn't paying my bills, concessions have to be made and it's important to balance my life. This site is an avocation and a labor of love.

When we started the vinyl reviews back in 2016, it never occurred to me how different it might be listening to these bands' albums on my personal stereo system. If you've been reading the vinyl interviews, you know about my home setup.

EP Review: "Innen Aussen" by Tarasque

Innen Aussen

The first bit of housekeeping that needs to be discussed is whether or not this is an LP or an EP. The disc clocks in around 27 minutes which puts it slightly under one Reign In Blood.

Slayer's masterpiece clocks in at just under 29 minutes. So, that's the minimum. These delineations are here for the readers! Some of us, like me, know what it's like to buy an EP when you were expecting an LP....

Second bit of housekeeping. Tarasque are listed under the post-metal heading. Does anyone out there refer to anything as Post-Anything?

They're also listed as sludge metal. Each time a post-metal record is reviewed here, we ask for help defining this term. As no one's stepped up, my personal definition of Post-Metal will be this now and forever: It's metal that doesn't simply tick the boxes off and adds in non-metal elements. 

So it is metal and it's not metal at the same time with a tendency for the avant garde.

Vinyl Review: "Locust Lunatic Asylum" by Sober Truth

There was an interview with Kim Thayil about 20 years ago when Soundgarden was riding the wave of their critically acclaimed albums in the late 90's.

He talked about how much he hated heavy metal because he thought it was silly. Those acts weren't writing songs about real life, but Dungeons & Dragons.

Well, no disrespect to the fine work of Gary Gygax, TSR, and Ronnie James Dio, that was such a ridiculous statement that had me screaming in my head about how wrong he was.

The stereotype that metal is dumb and, again no disrespect to Gygax and Co, cannot cope with the real world or see anything more than childish fantasies is something that has long since grated on most of us in the metal community.

Album Review: "Gotterdammerung" by VARG

Although I am grateful to the British Empire, Elvis Presley and Black Sabbath for ensuring the majority of heavy metal is performed in the one language I fully understand, I wouldn’t mind if more bands performed in their native tongue.  The rhythm, cadence and melody of the vocals has always been more important to me than their lyrical content.  This isn’t to say strong lyrics are not of great value, but if a German band can get the vibe right, I am happy to dust off the little German I did learn in school and let Google translator handle the rest.  Certainly, if a band is performing German Pagan Metal, it is reasonable to assume, expect, and hope for the lyrics to be in German.  In this matter Varg delivers.

Varg has quite a devoted following in their home country with their brutal assault of melodic death metal.   The label of death metal alone does no fully describe their sound, as there are several passages throughout the EP which delve fully into the black metal sound.  Their strong visual element is a perfect blend of the death and black metal aesthetics.

Video: "Awakening" by Cry My Name

Sometimes you have go a little out of the zone and see what else there is in the world to see.

German Metalcore act, Cry My Name, are releasing their new album on 4/21 and you can check out their latest video below.

Get their latest updates on Facebook.

Split LP Review: "Split" by Grim Van Doom and Cult of Occult

Split

My daughter, who's been a bit spoiled over the years being not just an only child; but also the only grandchild on both sides of the family, has a hard time making choices.

When she's asked do you want to get this or that, her most common response is BOTH!

It's something that's grown a tad tiresome over the years if we're being completely honest about this situation.

It's clear that my little one wants to have her cake and eat it too. Is this really such a bad thing? Well, only when you're trying to teach her about life I suppose.

Lots of us, especially those of us in the Western World, abhor choice and prefer to just get it all. Normally this isn't really an acceptable option and we have to make that decision that we'd frankly prefer not to.

LP Review: "Trance of Death" by Venenum

Trance of Death

Recently it became increasingly obvious to me that I was not nearly well versed in Pink Floyd. Certainly, we all know the big ones, but how many "fans" know their earlier, more off the wall works?

Well, that's a big part of this, off the record, journey with Pink Floyd. They have a long and winding catalog that needs to be fully explored.

Those crazy chaps from England have something on the entire rest of the world. They never stopped and never stood still. Every single one of their albums sounds wholly different than what came before it.

In order to be able to do that, the band must have a wider array of paints from which to choose. Look at Metallica? It wasn't until Cliff Burton was in the band that they were able to jump forward, but even then, the loss of Mustaine and the gain of Burton kind of canceled each other out. It wasn't until their fourth album that they really began growing wings.

DLP Review: "Extinct" by Frowning

Extinct

When I was coming of age, Black Metal was a very different thing.

Why, back in those heady days, we didn't even have to add the qualifier Norwegian to the title. It was just assumed that all black metal was from the fjords.

Naturally, we're talking about the latter half of the 90's. Until that point, even listening to the extreme metal shows in my hometown both Monday Night Metal on KSHE 95 and The Mosh on WLCA, I never heard a single solitary scrap of Black Metal.

The latter of the two shows was pretty on point with extreme metal in those days, so I'm going to presume that no one else here really knew about it either. Please tell me in the comments how wrong I am should you so wish.

This isolationism created a monolithic block and the beginnings of check your box metal were growing there, as well as in Tampa, FL.

LP Review: "Turm am Hang" by Horn

Trum am Hang

"It's easier if I do it myself."

This is something that my mother said to me every time she critiqued my doing of the dishes. They were never clean enough and never done fast enough.

What in the world did she have me do it if it that was harder?

Until about seven days ago, it was clear to me that this was the greatest lie my mother had ever spoken to me. What I didn't know then, was well, parenting.

Teaching my daughter how to clean her room....it's a nightmare and absolute nightmare and it frankly is just easier if I do it myself...it gets done quicker, with less whining, and then I can go listen to records, but that's not right for my daughter is it?

LP Review: Self Titled by Uprising

Uprising

Are you aware that I keep myself fairly anonymous?

For instance, seeing my face is pretty rare and it kind of kills me that I cannot share with you photos of my daughter. She's my absolute pride and that's only for certain people.

So, yes, there is an amount of anonymity from me. If you really look hard, you can find my face and hear my voice though. Especially in my vinyl reviews.

I can't even tell you why I'm keeping my profile low, just that it sucks that it's become my de rigueur. It is truly for the best, but it makes it hard to connect with my readers on social media.

So, sorry that I'm not more personable. It would be awesome if I could tell you that I live in Dutchtown, St. Louis City. (But I that's not where I live currently, but I did in the past!) Even though, my head's kept down, I'm still a bit of a social media gadfly.

Double LP Review: "Ruinen" by Waldgefluster

Ruinen

It's been nearly ten years since that day.

In a single moment, the words became actions and the actions became consequences and the consequences became the greatest challenge of my adult life.

I had spent the last 13 years of my life building to that moment. Of course, it could have easily been avoided had signs been heeded, but that's another story all together.

As I watched the door close, my mind was awash in torment, despair, anger, and confusion. Would I have the strength to raise my fist to the sky in defiance or would I shrivel into a former shell of myself?

Find that moment in your life as you read this introduction. Can you recall that time when you stood upon the precipice of assured destruction and the greatest happiness of your life? That's what Ruinen is all about.

Album Review: "Mass Confusion" by Dust Bolt

In many ways thrash is the subgenre of music which permanently put heavy metal on the map in the United States.  Sunset Strip glam metal was hugely popular and slightly preceded thrash.  However, many argue glam metal is not true metal and it has clearly fallen out of favor.  (I believe glam metal is true metal, it has never fallen out of my favor, and I continue to worship at its altar regularly, but realize it has its detractors).   

The Florida death metal scene was also an American contribution, and has a tremendously devoted fan base, but has failed to produce any genre transcending iconic bands.  

Thrash on the other hand, having hit its peak during the height of  American metal interest in the late 80, produced some of metal music’s few undeniably metal household names, such as Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax.  In addition, thrash has remained a viable genre, with new thrash albums blasting their way into our ears regularly.