Vinyl Review: "Impossible Orbits" by Dephosphorus

Impossible Orbits

When it comes to styles of music, there's one genre that never really grabs me, save for extraordinary circumstances and that's Punk.

It might be the simplicity and brevity of the songs. Perhaps the lack of musicality is what rubs me the wrong way.

Essentially, what it takes for me to be a fan of any punk rock bands is that those bands have to be more than the genre defining sounds.

They have to be genre expanding bands for me to see past the punk rock trappings.

Now, when it comes to metal, there's a country cousin to punk rock and it's Grindcore.

I'm probably going to lose all of my metal, rock, and street cred cards if I keep this course going much longer.

Anyone into heavy music knows just how critical those musical styles were to the evolution of metal. Without punk, we never get Metallica and without grindcore, we never get Death Metal and what would have become of Carcass?

LP Review: "Bourbon Times" by Building Chaos

Bourbon Times

It's been a long time, but there was once a time when I never missed an episode of VH1's Behind The Music, and all of those shows like it.

There was a segment where Bruce Dickinson discussed how he felt after hearing Iron Maiden for the first time... "I should be in that band he said."

Welp...that always seemed like a really arrogant thing to go on the record saying, but who's going to argue that Killers is in the same league as Number of the Beast.

It would seem that Building Chaos had a similar moment, but only after seeing a few things. Who remembers Pride & Glory? It would appear that Building Chaos does...and everybody knows Black Label Society.

But what if you could mind meld those two Zakk Wylde projects together and include the, TASTEFUL, guitar work from his days as Ozzy's guitarist?

That to me is precisely what Building Chaos is. They take all of the amazing aspects of Wylde as a player, remove the things I don't like, and then write and record some kick ass country/hip-hop/metal tracks.

For no reason, let's point out that this CD is being released by Shave My Ass Productions.

ORDER FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Fragments of a Ruined Mind" by TERRA INCΩGNITA

Fragments of a Ruined Mind

Last night, after leaving the big beer store, I sent off a picture of what I'd purchased.

It was a 12 pack of Schlafly Pale Ale which happens to be one of my best friend's favorite beers.

A little picture was snapped and sent off with the text, when you just want to see your best friend....

Now, it's not like it's been weeks, but that's a funny text...right? There are times when you just haven't somebody for a time and then when you do....it's time to relish everything there was in the past and there will be in the future.

With that being said, let's give a big, warm hug to TERRA INCΩGNITA. It's been only about a minute since they wowed us with Sign With Blood and it's awesome to see them again!

LP Review: "Cavern of Foul Unbeings" by Ectoplasma

Cavern of Foul Unbeings

Look, I don't want to be that guy, but it's not the right season for this music.

So, for the past three months or so, I've been screaming at the world, it's not Christmas time yet!

My daughter, my wife, my boss, my every single god damned store...

But now, here I am again and what is there than can be said in my defense? There's nothing to say for me and my actions are indefensible...much like a vote for Donald J Trump.

Memento Mori has sliced open a vein and putrid death metal is pouring out. You may have noticed the post on Rotheads. This record label has been looking for the bands that wish 5150's never happened.

EP Review: "Sign with Blood" by TERRA INCΩGNITA

Sign with Blood

There's nothing better in this world than that feeling of nostalgia.

Of course that's hyperbole, but as this is the internet, and ACTUALLY!!! is totally thing, just go with me and let's move on.

There's a belief that our personalities are cemented around the age of fourteen or fifteen, who knows if that's actually true, but when I was around that age, Iron Maiden was in free fall.

No Prayer For The Dying led into Fear of the Dark which led to Bruce Dickinson following Adrian Smith exiting the band.

The Mercyful Fate reunion came and went....(Let's face fact it degenerated into King's solo band minus Andy LaRoque plus Hank Shermann. My melodic metal heroes were all falling by the wayside. (Of course King Diamond was still going, but that era of his work...it's not looked back on fondly by me...)

EP Review: "Cerebra" by Project Renegade

Cerebra

The world is very skewed again.

When this happens it's best to attempt to find something to distract oneself from the turmoil surrounding us.

There's a constant onslaught of absolute insanity happening in the United States.

It's important that we not bury our heads, but find time in order to stick our heads in the sand, at least for a short while.

As the charismatic, iconic, and beautiful man, Randal Graves put it, down time is very important to me.

Without that downtime, we know what Graves was going to do with the deep fryer. It's best that he and Dante Hickes re-opened the Quick Stop if you think about it.

Split LP Review: "Unto Heretic Flames" by AK-11 and Aasgard

Unto Heretic Flames

Remember all that beef stew I couldn't shut up about last year?

Crockpot Stew, when miso or gravy are added to the broth, is one of the best meals on the planet.

One of the things that makes it so great is that, unless you're eating out of a can or plastic container, beef stew can't just be had at will.

It has to be planned out. The hours upon hours of cooking it make it difficult, and slightly rare.

Music that takes time to gel is always interesting. Unto Heretic Flames was not something that could be listened to once and then be reviewed. This music required rumination.

Aside from the standard black metal things, what were they trying to say? What are they trying to accomplish here? Why did these two bands team up to release a split LP?

Album Review: "Enslaved" by Murder Made God

Enslaved

What if the Headless Horseman's horse didn't have a head?

That would be chaos!

My favorite comedian, Mitch Hedberg spoke those lines, though not quite as PG as that, on his posthumous album Do You Believe In Gosh?

There's a man that left us too soon. There were still a great many things that Hedberg had yet to teach us.

And you know, what if Spiderman shot hammocks instead of spider webs? Let's move on a bit toward some brutal death metal though.

In Metal Evolution David Vincent of Morbid Angel described death metal as being a lot of notes, a lot of abrasion, and more. Host, Sam Dunn, talked about how extreme metal, to most people sounds just like noise. Both he and Vincent had a very clear idea why Death Metal wasn't as popular as say, Power Metal, but what about metal that's heavier than death metal?

Album Review: "Once Entombed" by Abyssus

Once Entombed

When I consider my circle of friends, I have to admit there are many close friends of mine that I have not seen in some time.

You know, life is busy. I have a wife and daughter, a blog, a pile of video games to play, but I do my best to keep in contact with all of them.

Modern technology sure helps with that doesn't it?

Yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine. It's been a long time since we've spoken. She's gone through some changes and I told her that I'd buy her a drink when she has the time.

What do you say when you talk to a friend and it's been awhile? Well, what are you up to? It's such a simple question that works ever so well for the small talk and irony impaired, like myself.

Well, Abyssus, What have you been up to?

Album Review: "Disciples of the Storm" by Riffocity

Disciples of the Storm

Music is my favorite art form for many reasons.

Perhaps because seeing a live show incorporates most forms of art: acting, performance, dance, drawing, cinematography, etc.

Maybe it's because most of the musicians I've met in my life have been really down to earth people.

Perhaps it's because it's one of the few art forms I actually participate in, however poorly.

There are so many musical movements and currents in the flotsam and jetsam of the world.

We are all familiar with the groups and cliques of music out there. One place that gives me no real strong images is that of Greece, though I have reviewed some spectacular Greek bands: Biotoxic Warfare, Sorrows Path, etc.

Album Review: "Kemerov" by Kemerov

Kemerov    

You know what?

I missed my calling.

No, I don't mean I should have come of age in the Seventies and worked on Rolling Stone when it was cool (shots fired!), but I should have been born in the pre-dark ages.

Being a smart guy that understands things sometimes go together when everyone says they don't, like red miso and pot roast for example, I would have been the best damned alchemist in Europe.

I tell you now, I would have turned lead into gold, unlike the long, long line of failures that didn't see how far they had to go in order to get it done.

It seems like all those alchemists now are all into heavy metal and about every genre of music out there. Heavy metal is always the start though. Kemerov, from Serres, Greece, is no different.