LP Review: "Even Gods Must Die" by Djinn and Miskatonic

Even Gods Must Die

How do you like your metal served?

I was talking to a gent on the Twitter recently who hates doom metal, unless it's melancholic funeral etc doom metal.

Personally, I don't have the qualifications there, I mean, most types of doom metal are a-ok with me.

This is where we can totally get into those heavy metal family trees and take it all the way back to Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, but let's talk about Star Wars instead.

Have you seen The Last  Jedi?

One of the complaints is that this wasn't the story the fans wanted to see. So, that's why it's bad, because the fans wanted Rian Johnson to tell a different story rather than the one he did.

Video: "The Alchemist" by Reapter

As soon as this song starts, shades of Steve MF Harris are going to be standing in front of you. Then the guitar runs are going to be moving far faster and traversing a greater distance than could be expected.

It's impossible to stay away from this track. Back to the Maiden references though, yes, there's a clear influence here, but there's never an attempt to ape them.

Ask yourself, what if Paul Di'Anno could sing better and Maiden came out of the block with Smith/Murray?

It's a modern take on the classic metal style. Ask them what other bands they listen to on Facebook.

Video: "Stranger" by ACES

It was prophesied that my daughter will rebel against my love of extreme metal by going full folk on me. Well, I looked at that prophet square in the eye and told him of our love for Phil Ochs, Simon & Garfunkel, and Woody Guthrie.

Though, metal is by far the superior musical form in the world, one cannot have a diet of only worshiping Satan, hailing the dark lord, and running around in the sitting room pounding shitty American beers.

Like the mighty Double India Pale Ales...they're obviously the best, but if you only drank those, the rest of the world would stop making sense to you.

So, let's take some electro trance pop with a side of wine, actually, make mine barleywine, because patterns you know?

ACES has a nice track here that's going to creep you out just a little bit, in the right way.

Say hi on Facebook!

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.

Video: "All Is One" by Inner Axis

How about we all agree to put down our coffee and tea and listen to some traditionalized thrash metal from the far away land of Germany! (This was intended to be a joke regarding how they're not really far away from me, but then they were...so oh well...I burned myself on that one really.

Hopefully, you're having a good chuckle at this point and you're now ready to consume some new music. Thanks to the magical powers of the YouTube, we're all able to join Inner Axis in what appears to be their rehearsal space which is adorned by the stolen flags and armor of the medieval armies they've gone back in time to snuff out.

We can only assume hat Inner Axis is the one thing that's keeping Skynet from taking over the entire world, but they've already kept The United Federation of Planets from happening as we didn't have the Eugenics Wars of the 1990's.

Well, hmm, the least we can do is thank them on Facebook and request more rippin' solos.

Stream: "XENOPHØBIA" by NØMADS

Again, they're back. It's my personal favorite off the wall...uhh... (unnamed genre) duo: NØMADS.

In their attempts to keep the music flowing, we're able to bring you their latest single, XENOPHØBIA.

There should be not one American person requiring a definition of this phobia right now. We're showing the world that we know all too well what xenophobia is.

To paraphrase Woody Guthrie, music kills fascists. So enjoy this one.

LP Review: "Sewer Fiends" by Rotheads

Sewer Fiends

In this world there is nothing like personal tradition.

My family and I are making our own traditions and they bring us great memories as we look back on them.

Think about what your grandmother used to do during holidays. Even when I think about her prayer before dinners, I still smile and think that it was just a part of what we did.

The feeling for that which is familiar is a most powerful emotion. It's capable of elevating our mood or it can bring us crashing down.

Music is no different. Many fans reach a point where they're done with new music, because as the epochs change, the styles change and it's no longer familiar. It's this new beast that sounds like muddled noise....crabcore (it's a thing) I'm looking at you....

Double Vinyl Review: "The Last Bastion of Cowardice" by Northless

The Last Bastion of Cowardice

"Geez, Nik, it would be nice if you talked about yourself," said no one ever to me.

However, like Ice-T said, freedom of speech. I want the right talk and for personal reasons, I watch what I say.

So, this album arrived to me last week in the mail. It came the night before an outpatient procedure was scheduled.

That day was to be a recovery day of painkillers, beer, and records. During the purple haze I was attempting to create there was going to be some writing.

Well, the Oxycodone knocked me on my ass like I was washing my hair in a waterfall, (Inspired by Mitch Hedberg, RIP). After listening to Northless's The Last Bastion of Cowardice there was still two thirds of the STLIPA to drink and my computer screen was blank.

Video: "Zombies" by Galactic Cowboys

Who out there loves metal? And we're talking about the real metal that'll blow your hair back like being in a Corvette with the top down?

What about Zombies? Years before I had children, the plan was to teach them that zombies gotta be popped in the head to take them out. Side bar: Playing House of the Dead 2 gave my daughter nightmares, so we had to knock it off. We will have to get to that lesson later. Hopefully before the Zombie Apocalypse finally happens right?

In the mean time, check out the latest single from Galactic Cowboys. This is the second single from their new record, Long Way Back From The Moon. It's their first release since 1993!

Well, they made a new fan in me today. Though I wasn't around during their first trip, it's glad their back and ready to go. Pick up the vinyl HERE and check them out on Facebook.

XLP Review: "V-Oceans" by Slow

V-Oceans

Groundswells of emotion are hard to take.

Like the Butthole Surfers said, it's pouring like an avalanche and it's comin' down the mountain.

When bleakness hits for me, it often feels like snow is falling all around me. Snow is the perfect metaphor for blackness, because to survive, you literally have to claw your way out.

Self-medication will always come into play here. That's not to say it's all booze and pills to fix problems, but we all have to find the spark that returns us to ourselves.

Music has always been a very cathartic experience for me because it's able to enhance, change, or simply alter my moods. Mood swings, though hopefully not outwardly apparent, have long been something that affects me.

Wrong Band Again...with Domestikwom

Jonathan Petkau of Domestikwom

Well, here we are. It's the second attempt to get this Metallica interview off the ground.

Last time, we were informed that our order of real human hair didn't go through, so the interview was sent down the ladder to band of a smaller stature than that of Metallica. Dealing with these PR Bootleggers is hard.

Unfortunately, they needed me to purchase their steel converters, which I don't even need because I'm writing about metal, oh.....I get it now.

They said the more metal I bought, the closer I would get to Metallica. So, they sent me back these answers, but even though it's not Metallica, Domestikwom answered it as best as they could...

As Metallica....

We're not quite there, but they assured me, I'm on the list.

Video: "Vicious Breed" by Lady Beast

You know what's awesome?

Flying V Guitars...regardless of the brand. These are just the most awesome guitars on the planet. Typically they're used to play some of the best genres of music on the planet, metal and blues.

Then add in some fast drums, angry melodic singing, and crank those amps to ten. Once this happens, it's the magic hour and that can last for days.

Lady Beast has all of these things. Something of a throwback to a modern day Judas Priest. You can hear the rest of the album on BANDCAMP and order the vinyl HERE.

Split LP Review: "Split LP/CD" by Bunkur and Mordor

Split LP/CD

Once more we go into our oft tread fields of Splits.

They've become one of my absolute favorite things to cover if we're being completely honest with each other.

Today though, there was a terrifying thought in my head as I was listening to this album.

Glacially Musical is, frankly, a cheerleader website. It's no secret that we only do positive reviews. My philosophy is that quality music is  not only being made, but being made in abundance.

This labor of love was started when it came to my attention that music was still worth a damn and The Big Four weren't the only ones still making music we all need to hear. It's actually a method of keeping my readership lower than it could be. No one wants to read about positive stuff all the time. So thank you for being here.

At the halfway point of the first side, it occurred to me, oh lord, what if side two totally sucks? Then what do I do?

LP Review: "Grotesque Offerings" by Druid Lord

Grotesque Offerings

My favorite thing about metal is how absolutely different one band can be from the next.

The various metal subgenres definitely get their fair, and unfair, share of sand kicked in their faces.

But picture Grunge...Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden weren't really all that different from each other.

(Come at me, Grungebunnies.)

When metal is considered (Fight me, Kim Thayil!), the lines that delineate what is and is not metal are far more blurred. Is Deep Purple metal?

Zeppelin? Sabbath? What about Kiss?

Then when you get into what individual metal fans like. There are folks I know that are as metal as the day is long on the Summer Solstice, but wouldn't ever consider listening to Carcass, Mayhem, or Fisthammer.

Fat Formats with Zero Fire

Our recurring interview about music, formats, and albums is yielding some interesting nuggets.

Today's guinea pig is Graham from Hamilton, Ontario's Zero Fire.

As with most of the bands we cover on these pages, they're a bit younger than me.

Graham's reverence for Silverchair is something that took me a little by surprise. I can remember their ups and downs in the 90's like it was yesterday.

Everybody's got something interesting down below.

Check out the rest and be sure to give them a virtual high five via Bandcamp.

Video: "The Challenger" by Cranely Gardens

Have you met Cranely Gardens? If not, you can check out this video.

The drummer has Storm Trooper heads on the kit, so that alone is worth clicking on this video. Let's take a look at the rest of it.

This is one of those super heavy tracks by a band that's very angry. This is something we can all pretty much get into here at Glacially Musical.

The band teamed up with Pure Grain Audio to release the track.

Check out the rest of the album on Bandcamp.

LP Review: "Viscères" by Bind Torture Kill

Viscères

In an attempt to move forward and explore different genres today we're looking at Post-Hardcore.

This is new to me, so an exploration of what all of this is feels essential.

Hardcore Punk is punk rock that's harder and more aggressive than regular punk rock.

OK, this all seems rather simple and understandable. Punk Rock though, is pretty aggressive, so in my head, it would appear that Hardcore Punk is the link between Punk Rock and Grindcore.

Now, let's move onto Post-Hardcore.

It's described as something more creative and artistic than Hardcore and Punk Rock that incorporates essences of Post-Punk and Noise-Rock.

Video: "Love On The Highway" by Formosa

There comes a time in everybody's life when a good tub thumpin' good time is what the doctor ordered.

German Rockers, Formosa, have given us the soundtrack to that. We've all had the fantasy of flipping off our boss, blowing cigarette smoke in his face, and pounding a pint of German Pilsner.

Also, be on the lookout for the Gameboy Color!

Interview: Qoheleth

So recently, we were very lucky. There was an offer from some PR firm that I'd never heard of, but they assured me that their human hair wigs would do my stead well with the ladies.

Honestly, it seemed a little bit far fetched, but my wife did say that my slightly smaller forehead combined with the very brown hair I was then sporting made for a striking (my paraphrased) possibly even statuesque, and Dionysian countenance...so...

It was easier to believe them that for the low price of just $25, I'd be able to interview the MIGHTY Metallica!!! METALLICA METALLICA!!!

A quick paypal to HumanWigsofChina@yahoo.tz.lmnqop.com later...and an email address was provided for the interview.

Now, there was a slight snag, and California's Qoheleth answered the interview instead, sure it was pointed towards the thrash legends, but it still works if you ask me.

NEXT time, Human Wigs of China promises to get the email to the right person as long as I send them a paltry $5 to make sure there are no snags.

In the mean time...

Video: "Poissa" by Vermilia

All the way from Finland, we have Vermilia.

They're a blackened pagan metal band peopled by a single woman. She's/they've just released their latest single.

It's brutally beautiful. It's black metal with a side of folk. In breakfast terms, If you're eating an omelette, the traditional elements are the side bacon you got for $2.

Be sure to get the single, available only on Bandcamp.

LP Review: "Suffer The Cold" by Circle of Salt

Suffer The Cold

As this is being written by me, it's the last day of November and it's 55 degrees F.

In my youth that was the weather in Mid-September. It's amazing how things have changed in that time.

Our definition of what is and isn't cold is changing by the day, because our weather and our climate is changing.

As my home is now, and basically always has been, St. Louis, MO in the middle of the United States, we've never had the winters of Minnesota, northern Illinois, or even Iowa, our neighbor to the north.

As each year passes, we wonder, will there be winter in St. Louis? Are we going to get snow? These days, it seems like we have ice storms more than snow. Well, at least in some ways our world is still grey at the proper time of the year....

Video: "Self Pollution" by Marty Friedman

It's time to begin giving thanks to Prosthetic Records for bringing six string master, Ageless Wonder, the creator of a thousand nightmares, and all around smart guy, Marty Friedman back to the United States.

Granted, he still lives in The Land of the Rising Sun, but at least he's sending letters back home to America. If you've not picked up his latest record, Wall of Sound yet, at least check out the single, Self Pollution, below.

The man is still simply a force of nature.

LP Review: "The Darkness At The Edge of Dawn" by The Howling Void

The Darkness At The Edge of Dawn

In my youth, there were many small bodies of water. None of them were particularly large, at least not the ones I stood in front of.

Certainly, then and today, there's the Mississippi River, but we stay away from its banks. From an early age, we're taught to fear and respect the Mighty Mississip.

Lakes, streams, and creeks though...there were a great many.

For some reason even in my elder years, I cannot seem to refrain from tossing stones into the water. Seeing the rings forming in the water really make me feel wonderful.

There's something about rings and circles that mesmerize me. It's plausible that this just came from my childhood days of skipping stones in the water.