Classic Spins with Blind Samson of Coffin Torture

Coffin Torture

It's time we check in with one of those most gruesome death metal bands in the world.

Let's look at the bands we have to pick from today, and South Carolina's (wait) Coffin Torture (HELL YES!) is ready to rock us to our bones with all of their death metal glory right?

Some metal fans don't realize just how brutal the Buckeye State of South Carolina is. 

The Capital of SC, Stockholm, has put out such amazing Tampa Bay Death Metal bands like Carcass, Manowar, and the heaviest and most brutal of them all....Metallica.

So, while your checking out the unholy blast beats of Coffin Torture, let's talk music.

1. My favorite kind of album is the concept album. The Wall is my absolute favorite. Beyond the amazing songs, it has spectacular nostalgia for me. What's your favorite one and why? 

LP Review: "Take The Stairs To Hell" by Cable

Take The Stairs To Hell

Welcome back old friend.

That's what I would be saying if Cable had ever been inside of my orbit, but don't let my ignorance deflate any of the joy you might be having at the New Englanders returning after a ten year absence.

It took no time at all for Cable to sink their hooks into me. (Pun intended.)

Throughout this record, they balance between sludge and extreme metal, but they never lose the songs.

Never is there an attempt to be the heaviest, the fastest, or the most technical. Honestly, there weren't even any guitar solos that stuck out in my mind.

What makes that exceptionally odd is that extreme metal is my favorite genre, first and foremost, because of the guitar solos. The whole group locks into an emotion and then they shake the buildings.

Heavy is good, fast is great, and kick ass guitar solos are the best, but none of those accolades will mean a single thing if the tracks aren't awesome.

If Cable's version of the underworld is accurate, I won't be taking the stairs to hell, but falling down them in order to get my ticket punched even faster.

RELEASE 7/26/19 PREORDER 

Vinyl Review: "Punish The Stars" by Archons

Punish The Stars

Before we get going for true, let's talk a little bit. One of the things that folks online like to bug me about is my feeling on the current state of the music industry.

So, let's get that out of the way.

This is said by me, without hyperbole, exaggeration, and wholly truthfully: Right now, as fans we are living in the absolute best time to be a fan of music.

On the flip side (pun intended, it is a vinyl review after all.), artists are living in the worst time to make any damned money off of being an artist. Humanity has chosen to devalue art in all of its forms and has started stealing it en masse.

This is why my journey with the vinyl record began. There's no long history for me. During the heady days of my youth, cassettes were our currency. After some time doing the endeavor that has become Glacially Musical, the need to buy new music had ceased.

EP Review: "The Serpent and The Ladder" by False Gods

The Serpent and the Ladder

I was told once that you should never spring a trip to a Brazilian Steak House on anyone, but let them know days in advance so they can prepare.

Before arriving at the most metal of all eateries (The steak comes to you on a sword), one must appropriately appetize oneself.

So, that's kind of how I'm viewing the latest EP by New York Doom quintet, False Gods.

It also falls in line with their previous releases, all EPs.

This extended play is the pure cane sugar in the raw.

Like that brown colored sugar that's not brown sugar, this EP has to be consumed more than once. The listener should also focus all available internal RAM onto these two tracks. As those two tracks only chew up twelve minutes, I have faith that all of humanity can accomplish this not so herculean task.

The first time through, it doesn't feel special. It's seemingly basic, but the second go around, maybe the third, the ghosts come out of the walls. Give it the time it requires. You'll be glad you did.

RELEASE 4/19/19 BANDCAMP  FACEBOOK

Classic Spins with Chris from Owl Maker

It's interesting how certain features become more popular than others. Classic Spins has apparently hit the sweet spot for the bands in the world as the answers  have poured in.

So, like Beer Thirty, I'm going to have to just put out more than just one per week. 

Hopefully you're all into it as much as the bands!

Today we're looking at Owl Maker.  Let's just get right to it, but check out their BANDCAMP would you?

1. My favorite kind of album is the concept album. The Wall is my absolute favorite. Beyond the amazing songs, it has spectacular nostalgia for me. What's your favorite one and why?

Man, there are so many to pick from. “Them” is pretty great. “Joe’s Garage”, “My Arms, Your Hearse” and “The Downward Spiral” have all gotten some pretty heavy listens from me as well. 

EP Review: "You Will Know The Fear You Forced Upon Us" by Body Void

You Will Know The Fear You Forced Upon Us

So, yesterday I'm spinning I Live Inside A Burning House and really grooving to it.

As it turns out, Body Void is back and badder than ever!

Well, they're at least back anyway and their penchant for loaded titles has also returned in full force.

The funny thing is I didn't know they had a new album coming out when I spun Burning  House. So, let's call it kismet!

The band is calling this release an EP though it's nearly forty minutes in length. So, if you were hoping for some brevity from Body Void, you win...and lose.

It's two tracks. So, the release is shorter, but the songs are the same...about twenty minutes of sprawling, vibrating, swirling insanity. Their ability to balance on the precipice between songs and stream of consciousness is what makes these records so damned powerful.

They're avant garde something something metal. Body Void is by no means for the faint of heart or those desiring measurable vocal melodies. Amidst the swirls and screams, there is a band pushing towards the future.

The stomping is infectious.

RELEASE 3/15/19 PURCHASE

LP Review: "Civilizations" by Hollow Leg

Civilizations

It's been nearly thirty years since Pantera debuted (to the wider world outside of East Texas anyway.)

Before they came out metal was lacking in... well for no other words, danceability.

It was stiff and oftentimes painful. Since those dark days, you now see people at metal shows doing full on conga lines.

It seems strange, but here we are.

Now, generations later, we have Hollow Leg. They might not know it, but they're Pantera's great, great, grand, niece's second cousin twice removed after she fell in with the wrong crowd.

It's been a minute since Hollow Leg dropped the Murder EP. In that time, they've been working. This album features a new kind of metal. The walls are coming down. This thing is clearly fuzzed out. Just listening to it makes the wrackspurts come all up in my brain.

But it's also got a swing to it that even most groove metal acts can't quite touch. If you like metal, this one should probably be on your radar.

RELEASE 1/25/19 PREORDER FACEBOOK

Beer Thirty with Hollow Leg

Hollow Leg

Let's check out the Hollow Leg fellows on more time.

By now, you've read my review of Civilizations and clearly it's time to think about what kind of beer the men there enjoy right?

Well, here you go. As you've still got 11 days till their masterpiece of sludge drops on your face, let's find out what kind of beers they're drinking.

What kind are you drinking?

1. My personal favorite beer style is the might Double India Pale Ale. The best DIPA in the world is STLIPA by Urban Chestnut. Tell me about your favorite style.

Interview with Crawling For Carrion

Crawling For Carrion

On November 9th, Crawling For Carrion released their debut 7" EP, Rake and Roads with features a track by Portishead and a track by Townes Van Sandt.

This particular interplay of styles was something very strange to this writer and still it tasks me so.

he mastermind behind Crawling for Carrion, and other bands as well, was good enough to give us some of his time.

Check it out!

Glacially Musical: Thank you for taking some time for me today. 

Crawling For Carrion: My pleasure, thanks for having me.

GM: Rake and Roads is a 7" featuring covers by Townes Van Zandt and Portishead. Why did you choose each tune? 

LP Review: "Metempsychosis" by Nest

Metempsychosis

It's not uncommon for Glacially Musical to review artists who have put out their very first record, sometimes even on vinyl.

One thing we have never done, to my extensive, though swiss cheesed memory, is to review a label's first release.

So before we get to talking about Nest, let's talk about Sludgelord Records. Presumably, my readers are familiar with that other website who also loves Doom Metal, The Sludgelord.

I look up to them, because I feel like I'm them, but nowhere near as good, but working at it!

Anyway, they had the idea that it was time to start a record label. What kind of metal do you think they're putting out?  Yeah, it's totally sludge/doom metal...or whatever other label you'd prefer to put on it.

Split LP Review: "Totems" by Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard and Slomatics

Totems

The world right now doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Perhaps you've been seeing what's happening in the United States?

Our President is a gameshow host. Literally.

It's time to take back some normalcy in our world. How can we do that?

My only option is to continue to tell you about sweet music that will rattle your bones and send shivers up and down your spine.

If we as human beings continue to seek out the normal and (just for a time) eschew the absurd, perhaps we can see what's ever so wrong in our world and begin to set things right.

Now, let's be clear, we're not going to set things right like Anakin Skywalker (a.k.a. at that time Darth Vader) did after telling his wife that everything's going to be fine. A thought occurs as I'm writing this, my intro to this album is slightly absurd.

LP Review: "Nagual Sun" by I Klatus

Nagual Sun

Today before listening to this album, it was time to order Chinese Food for lunch.

My office is situated in a place where there aren't many choices for lunch. Aside from a couple places here and there, it's very limited.

So, as they deliver, the Chinese place is my most oft picked lunch. Well, their menu is rather limited as well.

So, it gets harder and harder to pick out something to eat, even from there. In fact, this place  has been forsworn so many times, it's not even funny.

Every time though, this blogger keeps crawling back for that MSG encrusted semi-awful goodness. The problem is that no matter what I try to order, it's all old hat.

LP Review: Lords of Light and Thunder" by Archons

Lords of Light and Thunder

For the entirety of existence, I have been a nerd. It's only been in semi-recent  years that this could be admitted publicly.

Dungeons & Dragons, Video Games (often in Japanese), reading (the list of Star Trek books read by me is staggeringly impressive), and any other nerdy thing you can name.

I've done it.

With nerds, yes we can smell our own, but some of us, are spectacular at hiding their nerdiness. Robert Plant is one of those guys.

One of the forefathers of metal was an epic level fan of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. How many different nerdy things did Black Sabbath deal with? (Yes, Mythology in general is another wonderfully nerdy pursuit.) Who can forget, Ronnie James 'MF' Dio...

 The symbol of Dungeons & Dragons metal?

EP: "Terminal" by Horse Head

Terminal

Today on the Nerdist Podcast, I was listening to the audio of Talking With Chris Hardwick featuring Dominic Monaghan.

At the end of the episode, they began talking about video games and how as we all age, it gets harder and harder to really play video games.

How many times have we popped in a game and thought to ourselves, ok, enough with the talky talky bits, let's please get to clobbering time!

Honestly, I never did get to clobbering time in Dragon Force on the Sega Saturn.

Their conversation moved towards horror games, like Silent Hill. Monaghan spoke of playing that game with Elijah Wood back in the Lord of the Rings Days. Minutes would go by and nothing would happen, but then BOOOOOOOOM and he was terrified.

LP Review: "Kali Yuga" by Maharaja

Kali Yuga

Certainly Mitch Hedberg has been mentioned on these pages before. If not, allow me to pontificate upon the greatest comedian of all time.

Hedberg was big enough to headline theaters and not clubs, but not big enough to star on a sitcom, but no one's really sure if he even wanted to.

He was smart enough to write down his odd views of the world. Like, his great joke: "I'm pretty good at tennis, but I'll never be as good as the wall."

Seriously that's utter genius.

More than just jokes that came out of left field, he strove to perform a different show each evening. He might hide in the curtains while telling jokes, or hang his jacket on the mic stand in order to confuse the spotlight man. He'd kneel down reading jokes out of a notebook.

LP Review: "Deceases" by Morbid Evils

Deceases

Under extreme duress, the human mind can slow down time.

When that happens to me, it's like Phillip J Fry on 100 cups of coffee. It's frankly one of my most endearing and useful psychological abnormalities.

Overly stressful situations do not tax me like they do others.

In my mind, I question where this particular ability came from. Was it from years of disassociation, a defense mechanism?

However, the most plausible explanation would be the teachings of Surak and The Time of Awakening on the planet Vulcan, as told by Star Trek.

We all know that Vulcans are logical beings rather than emotional, but it's not that they have no emotions, but they are able to master them. In times of crisis, my emotions are buried deep down so we can live to dissect them....

LP Review: "There Is Nothing Left For Me Here" by Ether

There Is Nothing Left For Me Here

Since my earliest childhood days anime has been a large part of my life. From Voltron to Speed Racer as a very small child to Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin, Trigun, Happy Lesson, et al.

Let's just stop there because it would take a month of Sundays to tell you all about my favorite titles and pontificate about them.

(Yes, those are the more common ones, but there are some more obscure as well and I didn't just get them all off of Adult Swim or Toonami thank you very much. We can have a nerd fight if need be.)

Watching anime is hard because it's culturally Japanese. That certainly sounds like a ridiculous statement, but how many Americans know what it means to hear the cicadas in Ghost In The Shell during a scene that takes place in February?

LP Review: "Deny Everything" by Contra

Deny Everything

Over the past year or so, my daughter and I have become avid comic book readers.

It's pretty safe to say that we have pretty different tastes in what we read. She's strongly into the My Little Pony Universe.

Part of what got me going back into the world of comics are the superhero movies going back to Tobey Maguire's Spiderman.

Recently, all superhero books have been removed from my pull list because of whole universe idea and capitalization on the movies and tie ins to this and that.

It was overwhelming and I was reading Guardians of the Galaxy because I wanted to read that and not Fantastic Four. The reason for all this is because comic books are always in the Second Act. So they're continually starting over, re-inventing the stories, etc. It's kind of what George Lucas has been doing to Star Wars since home releases became a thing.

EP Review: "Murder EP" by Hollow Leg

Murder EP

Any time we head to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, we always get an order of Vietnamese Golden Egg Rolls.

These are just glorious. They are very skinny egg rolls that are deep fried and served with a translucent red dipping sauce. Anyone who gets Vietnamese food and doesn't order this is like someone who gets Thai food without ordering Chicken Satay.

In simpler terms: You're doing it wrong. It's like going to McDonalds on MacRib day and getting a double cheeseburger.

The appetizer is a lovely little course in terms of what should end up being a very good meal.

For myself, appetizers serve a wonderful purpose, by giving me a small snack, not only is my appetite whetted, but my blood sugar is sated. It's kind of a strange position, whetted and sated at the same time.

LP Review: "Slumbersong" by Sail

Slumbersong

Have you noticed the speeches and stories about my cooking for myself and my family?

It's my one avocation that really helps out my family as my wife isn't much on the cooking side. That is is why it's particularly annoying that our daughter prefers her simple dishes to my complex ones.....but anyway.

The only dish that I have personally created is my Tater-Tachos and it's a pretty easy thing. Deep fry frozen tater tots in vegetable oil and then pour on nacho trimmings, cheese, jalapenos, etc.

Mostly, what I have done is taken recipes given to me by others or stolen from bigger chefs and added my particular spin to them. Like consider Philly Cheese Steaks. Put some provel cheese in lieu of the provolone. Baste the inside of the hoagie roll with garlic butter. Bake your cheese steaks to crispy up the joint and bam.

Just try that stuff. You'll be Iron Cook in no time.