Video: "Break Apart" by Tenderfoot

Can you allow me to take a minute to remove my Mayhem t-shirt? It hasn't been an emotional week for me, but an emotional 15 months.

In the end it's getting harder and harder not to go numb during all of the scandals going on in our nation's capital and wondering when this will finally end?

When things get too crazy, it's time to listen to something sad that will cause me to feel emotional pain. As Johnny Cash famously said... "I hurt my self today, to see if I still feel." (Seriously I know.)

Enter Tenderfoot...if you're needing something other than anger...tell them thank you on Facebook.

LP Review: "Far Beyond Existence" by Torture Squad

Far Beyond Existence

What would happen if Sauron and Set (of Conan The Barbarian) somehow procreated?

Sorry, I was just looking at this album cover and got a little bit distracted....

As you should be able to tell from the Conan The Barbarian reference, your friend and humble narrator isn't on the front nine of existence anymore...unless life expectancy heads up to 98 soon.

So, as a Gen X'er, my musical history is in a unique location. I'm too young to remember the heyday of the golden age of rock, but I'm old enough to to have seen a lot of great bands.

I stand between two ages and it's impossible to ignore the old, old farts and Millennials talking about how music sucks now. Well, what if there was a band that started during the beginning of the death metal revolution that's still heavy?

Stream: "Rama, Mammon, Abraxas, & Ahriman" by The Bad Larrys

How are you doing today? Are you feeling alright?

Well if you feel alright, or even if you don't, it's time to take a listen to some music that's gonna tap your toes while you're throwing 'bows.

So, The Bad Larrys are going to tell you that they're a proto...wait...hang on a min... proto-punk & psycho-surf band from Philadelphia.

I don't know what that means, but until such point as I visit King of Steaks, I'll tell you that Geno's is the best.

Ask them about their favorite Cheese Steaks on Facebook.

Necrosexual Stands In For Iron Maiden....

Necrosexual

Well, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. At least that's what they've all told me.

Now, at this point it's unclear if Metallica just didn't feel that our awesome power and readership didn't merit a response, though we lovingly sent out a set of interview questions that related to their tour, their lives, and their everything, or if we were just being taken.

Admittedly, we had to deal with some (possibly) dodgy folks while we were attempting to secure the interview of a lifetime.

So, after some soul searching, we realized that Russian Hackers got Donald Trump elected over a much more qualified opponent! So, we asked Russian Trollbot creators to put us in touch with Metallica.

Frankly, they laughed at us. They said rigging an election was much easier, but was there another band they wanted us to get into contact with instead?

Well, not only has Iron Maiden been one of my personal favorite artists for over 35 years, but I did just pick up several Triple LP Live albums...so we asked them to get with Bruce, Steve, Dave, Adrian, Janick, and Nicko...

But apparently....we got Necrosexual instead....

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!

Stream: "Deadlock" by MaidaVale

Look, it's time for you to finally hear what someone who travels through time via Project Quantum Leap sounds like.

Though, one does have to wonder, considering the fuzziness and psychedelic sounds of MaidaVale if they're using the sling shot around the sun method of time travel..you know what I mean there right?

In the end, they could just be using the simple Tardis, but I doubt it.

Check out their swinging mad science sounds now!

Video: "Tyrants" by Karkaos

Yes, I love blow your hair to the other end of this auditorium metal.

Montreal Metal Factory, Karkaos, has that kind of metal right here. There's something more here though, not only is it a totally awesome tech death song, but they even took the time to make a concept video for the thing.

No lyric video here, but a full on video like we used to have.

You asked them comment allez vous on Facebook and pick up their full album on Bandcamp.

LP Review: "There Was Death" by My Silent Wake

There Was Death

There are few things in this world that are uniquely American.

The big one though, is Thanksgiving. That holiday is wholly American and didn't exist anywhere else before the Pilgrims celebrated it way back when.

Over the centuries, it has escaped our greedy claws and landed elsewhere...Canada...I'm looking at you.

The traditions are also wholly American...gluttony, over abundance, etc, but even with all of that, it's still my personal favorite holiday.

If you're wondering why, it's because it's the only holiday that I'm permitted to host and I absolutely love cooking a giant spread. Years ago I'd hold Friendsgivings as well, because, my circle worked retail and retail workers don't always get to spend time with their families as they'd like.

Video: "Western Trench Line" by Visions of the Night

Well, we've been calm and now it's time to take a walk into no man's land and see if we can return. Visions of the Night has dropped this thick as Fort Knox track that could easily take out the Kaiser's troops before they got to Versailles.

Let's get to the point...this song, this video, it's gruesome and in a time with some overt saber rattling being done, it's good to see the human cost of armed conflict.

In the mean time check out their new record, Supreme Act of War, out now HERE.

Formatting With Archons

We were lucky to be able to review the Archons recently. Their LP, Lords of Light and Thunder was just killer.

Here they are to give us the lowdown on their favorite records and how the listen. 

Check it out!

1. The first album I ever owned was? 

Chad - LYNYRD SKYNYRD “ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD” 

Scott - Billy Idol, Rebel Yell. I took the bus into bustling downtown Iowa City, Iowa and purchased the record with my own hard earned money. 

Jeff - The first record I owned was a 7" given to me by my brother. Grand Funk Railroad's "Do the Loco-Motion" b/w "Destitute and Losin'"

This no doubt set a tone for the rest of my formative years. The first album I owned was also given to me by brother- 'Destroyer' by KISS. Big time. 

Video: "Born In The Future" by New Horizons

It's time to take a slow trip down to the seashore. Interestingly enough, the family and I are currently in the early stages getting ready to start manically planning our next vacation.

So, it's time to mellow out and chillax a little bit with a rock band showing their emotional feelings in a bar.

Just take the five minutes and feel it with me. New Horizon's new record, Inner Dislocation, will be released on 2/23 via Revalve Records.

If you know me, and I know you, this little taste should be enough to whet your appetite.

LP Review: "Madness Is Too Pure" by MaidaVale

Madness Is Too Pure

Years ago, when St. Louis was soaked in both kinds of beer, Budweiser and Bud Light, some friends and I were into craft beer.

In the Fall, there was The Microfest that benefited Lift For Life Gym and we always attended. My first year, they had a Fosters booth.

Now, this was back in my 20's and we could drink back then. By the time we hit up that table, we were all gassed and passed and sassed. I took a sip, and spat it out.

Then I realized...did I really hate this beer that much, or was I just being funny? Another sip of this foul liquid was imbibed.

Shockingly, it was just that bad and again, it was spat out onto the cold cold concrete as the wailing cover band played Stevie Ray Vaughan's Pride and Joy....

Video:"Cranial Matter" by Primitive Race

It hardly seems that long ago when my introduction to Chuck Mosely hit. Faith No More's Epic was making the rounds. Well, the Pawn Shop didn't have The Real Thing, but they did have Introduce Yourself.... the rest is history....

When Mosely died, it was a blow. He was a true artist and wholly unpredictable. Let's make sure we take the chance to enjoy him one last time.

Hist latest project, Primitive Race, has released the single Cranial Matter. Check it out below!

Wrong Band Interview: Justin Pierrot of Stormland Insults My Hockey Team

Well, sadly, The Chinese Adult Toy Manufacturer/Totally Legit PR firm did it to us again, but don't worry, I canceled my payment to them and I didn't even get the inquiry on steel products they promised me.

But, here's the thing, I have other PR sources to get that Metallica interview on the books, so I contacted the Indian SEO firm that also doubles as the #1 PR Firm in the subcontinent. Thanks to their reasonable rates, I was able to secure...what I thought....was an interview with Metallica.

So once again, we sent it over and here we are...it went to the wrong band.

This time though, Justin Pierrot of Stormland did his level best to stand in for the greatest heavy metal band of all time.

It's kind of like how Jim Campbell was supposed to replace Brett Hull on the St. Louis Blues...that's right, the Canucks didn't have Brett Hull even though he lived in Vancouver and played Junior B for Penticton Knights...so snack on that for lunch, Justin!

Video: "Recurring Dream With Halo's Glow" by Finn's Motel

This video has been out a bit longer than it should have been to be honest. In one of the greatest feats of oops, Recurring Dream with Halo's Glow was put on the wrong album.

As it came out 6 months before the release of the first of two Finn's Motel records in 2017, it was meant to be on..well the first of the two, but here it is in all its glory on Quinta del Sordo.

This track is a sensitive little tune that features some lovely background vocals by Toby Weiss. Check out the rest of the disc on Bandcamp and ask the burning questions on Facebook.

LP Review: "Black Soil" by Apathy Noir

Black Soil

In St. Louis we have been dealing with a painful cold snap.

For the vast majority of us here, this type of cold is unfathomable, unthinkable, and unlivable.

For me, I just add a hoodie to my great coat ensemble and get going. My car warms up fast enough. There's an electric blanket on my seat.

Waking up in the mornings and seeing minus temperatures (in Fahrenheit no Celsius) can take us aback.

That kind of cold permeates the day. We've had precious little snow during this time, but the just cold is a bit worse here. The world is grey. The skies are grey. Our faces are sallow. The whole of our existences revolves around the cold. This is made doubly bad when your furnace goes kaputsky....

Annihilation's Fabio Is Worldly and Wise

Annihilation was nice enough to drop in on us with an absolute bomb of an album, The Undivided Wholeness of All Things, it was the first time in a little while than somebody was able to rip me out of the Doom/Stoner/Sludge rut I've been ever so happy to live in.

They play The Brutal Death metal, which honestly, isn't among my personal favorite metal sub-genres, because the arms race can get in the way of the song. Thankfully this wasn't the case with our Portuguese friends.

They were able to slam us in the face with sledgehammers and we could tap our feet to the ditties.

In our continuing series that has no name to speak of, Annihilation's Fabio tells us about his music listening habits....

1. The first album I ever owned was? 

Video: "Visionary's Last Breath" by Unshine

Does anyone else in the vast multiverse think that perhaps Finland is a touch overlooked when it comes to metal? Everybody knows about Swedish Death Metal and Norwegian Black Metal, but what about their friend, Finland?

Finland has fjords too. They've got the Viking heritage. They also produce some damned fine hockey players.

Well, let's have a time with good Finnish band, Unshine. They're Druid Folk Metal....and that's a new one on me.

Make sure to like them on Facebook and their new record, Astrala on Rockshots Records HERE.

Vinyl Review: "Long Way Back To The Moon" by Galactic Cowboys

Long Way Back To The Moon

Go to any corner of the internet and you'll see about how Nirvana ruined the world for metalheads.

Please note: This statement is even more erroneous than piracy killed the music industry.

Each of these two things were contributing factors to where the world headed, but simply contributing factors. Neither was the sole reason something happened.

The early 90's was a divergent time for metal. What most people back in those freewheeling pre-grunge days thought of as metal was Poison, Bon Jovi, etc.

Well, it wasn't long before the wider world learned the name Metallica. Then it was Pantera. Slayer, Megadeth, and even Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, and Morbid Angel got people talking.

Video: "The Luddite" by Corrosion of Conformity

Whenever I hear the words Corrosion of Conformity, it transports me back in time. Sixteen year old me when to my...our....his...uhh concert in 1992. It was Corrosion of Conformity, Testament, and Iron Maiden.

There are still couple brain cells remaining from that night, like the singer jumping into the crowd while singing...but as for Maiden and Testament...uhh...

C.O.C. is a band that is way more talented than they are popular. The great news is that they're still out there chugging along, and I do mean chugging.

Check out their latest single below, taken from No Cross No Crown on Nuclear Blast Records.

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: "När Isarna Sjunger" by Oblivious

När Isarna Sjunger

It's time to move past the paltry notions we have about language.

It's time to ignore that Bill Skarsgård said that most younger Swedes can speak English as well as Swedish.

Skarsgård also really made me want to visit Sweden more than I originally had wanted to. He made it seem like I wouldn't be killed in the fjords, but who knows what's accurate.

Before digging into När Isarna Sjunger, by Oblivious, consider that there are scores of thousands of millions of fans of American and English bands who don't speak English.

So, put yourself into the mode that music is the universal language and that the spoken word is a truly inelegant thing that barely can convey that snow is cold. Now that you're ready...let's dig in.

The Swedes have really gotten into classic 70's rock and blues in recent years.

Video: "Guilty" by In-Defilade

Are you sitting there and wondering about god?

What's up with all the death and evil? Will you live by the law?

Well, let's be honest, if you're wondering about those things, well, that's a very strange coincidence, because that's how this video starts out. Seriously, if you were thinking about that before you clicked on this, tell us all about it!

Even if you're thinking about Dippin' Dots, be certain to check out this blistering track below by the death metal stylings of former Nile vocalist, Jon Vesano.

Ask him if he's guilty on Facebook.

Glacially Musical Once Again Doesn't Interview Metallica....but Allfather!

Allfather

Ok, we took a break from attempting to interview Metallica, because frankly, it wasn't going very well.

The Chinese Bootleg PR firm that had assured  us, more than once, that our interview would be emailed to Metallica or read to them in person whilst they were on tour in Asia, dropped t he ball again.

They do quite the business, but real human hair wigs, knock off Les Paul guitars, and the like don't really interest me.

They've also been trying to get me to sell them sulfuric acid and steel lately. Well, after getting them a quote for some H₂SO_4...

They assured me that we'd get Metallica. So, let's get it on! YEAH-AH!

“James mate, I’m sorry, you are The Table, you are totally The Table, come back, you’ve got to answer these bloody questions from Glacially Musical, oh shit…..”

Video: "Plague Your Heart" by Harker

As a young boy, one of my questions was will the year 2000 seem so futuristic? My mother said it won't seem like it then, but it'll be much different than it is now...oh shit...that was 17 years ago...but anyway, what makes this modern era great the YouTube.

But the issue is that there's so much stuff on there. So let me sort it out and help you nerds find a band that loves the same nerdy crap we all love.

Here we've got Harker. These young chaps have a great love of all things anime it appears...Cowboy Bebop, Ponyo, and several other properties make appearances.

When did the English learn about Japan??? So, anyway, pour some tea and check out this cool black and white video. Talk to them about anime on Facebook.

LP Review: "Cast of Static and Smoke" by Vile Creature

Cast of Static and Smoke

I've been listening to this album for the better part of a week now before fingers started banging on keys.

This not the standard modus operandi here at Glacially Musical. Typically, it's a one or two listen shot.

In the spin after spin, both sitting at my computer, streaming it while making breakfast, and just all the time poring over this bleak record, the same thought keeps coming up...

How could this album possibly be described in a compelling way?

That is not meant to be anything remotely derogatory, but extremely complimentary.

Cast of Static and Smoke is hard to whittle down into my usual review length. It doesn't even conjure up a story of something from earlier in life. So, let's begin at the beginning.

Video: "Alien" by Crohm

Today is a day where I'm ready for something new. In order to scratch that itch, we're looking at a veteran band...so something new from some folks who've run a few races in their time.

Italy's Crohm have been dealing out thrash metal for some time now. See their latest video down below. A little science fiction, a little dystopia, and a billy goat beard all come together to give you a moment in time.

Killer riffs, flashy solos, and again, that billy goat gruff. Tell them what you think on Facebook. Are we alone?

Lark Floats Formats

Just when you think you've heard of every single band on the planet, allow me to introduce to you one who's just a humble duo, Lark.

The two gents involved Ralph and Zach are brothers and they're French. However, one of them and we won't tell you which one, has defected to England.

Of course, one has to ask, with the Euro and all that, does one have to defect anymore? Anyway, here's what they have to say about music...

1. The first album I ever owned was?

R: Pantera, The Great Southern Trendkill.

I picked it up on a shelf in a disc store as a teenager just because of the explicit lyrics warning. I didn’t even know the band. Dimebag’s style always impressed me so much as a kid, the end solo with the rain sound on the song Floods still gives me goose bumps.

Z: Raph got me a compilation from a big supermarket for Christmas when I was probably 10 or 11. It was the first time I had some rock songs on CD.

Video: "Broken Heart Heroin Man" by GURT

Here we have a group of fellows all the way from the United Kingdom.

GURT, they've got a record out called, Skullossus, and they're ready to take their show on the road. I'm advised that they're doom metal, but this particular track sounds a bit like a Grindcore version of doom metal.

You can find the rest of the record for your perusal over at Bandcamp.

Vinyl Review: "Trust No One" by The Mons

Trust No One

There's nothing better than comfort food, and by food of course I mean beer.

Beer is an acquired taste if we're really honest with ourselves. Anyone who'll tell you that they fell in love with their first sip is probably a damned dirty liar.

Well, don't trust those people.

Most of us have a beer or two that really strikes us when the mood hits. Personally, I love a great Scottish Ale, preferably a Scottish IPA or the odd liquor barrel aged variety, Innis & Gunn, I'm looking at you....and I'm thirsty.

Then there are just times when another flavor, style, whathaveyou isn't really what you're looking for, but it's what's available. That's usually when I drink an American Lager. Nah, who am I kidding? I love a good pisswater lager or seven.

Split EP Review: "Split" by Into the Storm and Smooth Sailing

Split

At this very moment, the final strains of the first side of this EP are ringing and my ramen is getting cold enough to eat without slurping, as I never learned how to do that properly.

(Ramen is a personal choice and I love it! So come at me.)

Plans were made to take a break and begin writing furiously, they failed.

Then there's that holiday break that you don't want to know about. Let's just say, no matter how much you might want to be me (as if there was one person that could say it...), you'd be totally pitying me after this past two weeks.

In fact, my life has been so unreal lately that only a terrible writer for Full House could've dreamed this up.

So what do you do when shit hits the fan and there's nothing left to do but laugh at your own misfortune and wait for the knot on the back of your head to stop hurting? You invite some old friends over and just rock the fuck out.

Vinyl Review: "The LowSwing Sessions" by Reema

The LowSwing Sessions

The irony of this modern world isn't lost on me.

These vinyl reviews are my ode to the past and what could be the present again. These pages are read on computers, on phones, and on tablets like they use in Star Trek.

This Christmas one of my gifts was a bluetooth speaker that will be used to create a wireless connection to my phone. This will be used in the kitchen I think when I'm cooking dinner. Getting all the metals in crystal clear sound with some lovely low end should be just wonderful.

But, here I sit in the upstairs sitting room, with a CRT TV, video games from 20 plus years ago, listening to Reema's latest release on a turntable older than me, a stereo older than my daughter, and speakers, of an indeterminate age.

In one part of my home, there's technology. The Roku Box, the HD Television, the blu-ray player, and a modern day 5.1 home theater stereo.