Album Review: "Purified Through Devastation" by Against The Plagues

Purified Through Devastation

Do you ever think of lost art forms?

Besides artisanal toast, how often do we think about artisans?

I was reading an article on trains and the original steam engines were ornate and beautiful instead of the spartan designs that came later.

In this day and age, if a new industry suddenly emerged, I can pretty much guarantee that it would not be counting any artisans among the new folks in said crazy industry.

So don't expect our transporter tubes to look cool I guess.

Today's artist (artisan?) is Against The Plagues. They are an internationally peopled band based out of the midwesteren city of Chicago. That's only 280 miles north of St. Louis...in case they need a map for their next tour.

Album Review: "Luna" by There Is No Mountain

Luna

I still don't see it.

I can't help it and I refuse to try, because the name of this band reminds me of a (classic?) Monty  Python sketch wherein Eric Idle cannot see the mountain the rest of the group sees.

I suppose Philip J. Fry did something similar in Futurama when they were headed to the Great Stone Face of Mars.

So, this band's name really does bring me some good memories, but let's get some housekeeping out of the way instead of my waxing nostalgic about canceled TV shows.

Portland, Oregon's own There Is No Mountain is a duo, who get this, is married! So all those times you hear about a band being like a marriage, do you think they thought their marriage was like a band...so then they said what the hell?

Album Review: "Anxiety Never Descending" by Kult Mogil

Anxiety Never Descending

When I was very young, I was watching an episode of Solid Gold or Star Search, and the host was talking about a talented young artist up next.

I was confused.

To me, artists drew pictures, painted, sculpted, etc and then I saw it was a singer. So, I rightly, assumed they painted on the side.

I didn't know then that music is an art form. It's kind of funny, music is the only art where saying it's artistic is a compliment.

Kind of like how in American Football it's the only place were calling an athlete athletic is a compliment!

I suppose it has something to do with how many more people make a living off of music, or at least used to. Music, like all art forms, is a method of expression and Poland's Kult Mogil has a lot to express.

Album Review: "Triumvir Foul LP" by Triumvir Foul

Triumvir Foul LP

Metal is one of those things that never ceases bubbling up from the slime and the muck.

It's been over 45 years since Master Tony Iommi first played the Devil's Tritone on Black Sabbath.

It continues to grow, and in some cases just fester. Metal is the blues of the blues of the blues, if it were all based on anger.

It's the scab that won't go away which is part of what makes it pretty damned cool, but Rob Zombie was quite wrong about metal being an unchanging dinosaur. It's never stopped changing.

Today we have in our claws, the debut album from Triumvir Foul that's appropriately titled the Triumvir Foul LP. It has a split release date. The CD and digital release happens on 12/11 and the vinyl release is on 2/16.

Interview: Adrenechrome

Last week, I published my review on a newer band from The Fabled Canadas, Adrenechrome.

From the moment the CD started, it was clear that this band was different, unique, and on fire.

There is so much I would love to know about this band, but for the record they are from Orillia, Ontario and Tales From Adrenechrome (order here) was released this past week on November 27th.

It's their third release.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to get one of the folks in the band to take some time out of their busy schedule to answer the goofy questions I was able to pen.

Album Review: "Vol. 1 & 2" by Seer

Vol. 1 & 2

Today we have another opportunity to discuss a debut release.

Seer has only been in existence for just about a year and here we are consuming the first, in hopefully a long line of albums.

I'm not going to make a big deal about subgenres today. They are what they are and that's what they are.

Once again though, we have that, that bit of a residue, a glimmer, a stain.

Seer is stained by their homeland. They live in the Pacific Northwest of Canada.

Vancouver, British Columbia. That's the sort of thing that influences a band more than anything else can. The homeland...

Album Review: "Ei valo minua seuraa" by Vorna

Ei valo minua seuraa

Translated from Finnish: No Light Follows Me.

Did you watch that show Metal Evolution or whatever it was called on VH1 where the guy from Canada did crazy research and interviews with all the metal guys?

He also went way deep into the various subgenres of metal.

Well, he left one out!

Orchestral Pagan Metal.

I know, I was shocked that he left this very large and well known subgenre out as well. If you think about it for a few minutes, I bet you could name about 15 to 20 different Orchestral Pagan Metal bands...no?

Well, let's dive right in with the first time I've heard any music referred to in this manner, Vorna.

Album Review: "Moving Monoliths" by WILT

Moving Monoliths

What is in a genre?

When the term black metal is uttered in your presence, what comes to mind?

For me...it's people painted up like Kiss, but less cool, extremely vicious vocals like death metal, but less cool, and pounding rhythms that are bolstered by keyboards.

If you're a black metal devotee, you'll probably realize that I'm not a fan of the genre personally.

But perhaps I think of genres as steadfast rules rather a mere set of unwritten guidelines. It's also interesting to see sub-sub-genres of metal...like today...let's talk about atmospheric black doom metal.

Album Review: "Death Poems" by The Fifth Alliance

Death Poems

When people ask me what kind of music I listen to....

Well, I think of myself as a metalhead, because once you go metal, no one else will accept you. So, hopefully my little piddle patch here will show some others that just because we listen to extreme metal doesn't mean we can't rock out to some dance pop too.

But anyway, I didn't want to talk about that. How do you define metal?

Black Sabbath has zero in common with Metallica. Metallica has zero in common with Napalm Death. Napalm Death has zero in common with Ahab. Ahab has zero in common with Babymetal.

Metal has wound itself around so many things that it's created a forest of sub-genres, many of the devotees even see these as separate genres unto themselves.

So, today I'm telling you about an upcoming metal album that I find has zero in common with any of the aforementioned bands.

Album Review: "Tales From Adrenechrome" by Adrenechrome

Tales From Adrenechrome

Canada is one of my absolute top countries in North America.

If I was able to choose in which country I wanted to live and Japan, The United Kingdom, and Spain were crossed off the list, I would say I want to live in TO. (That's Toronto, Onatario for those of you who aren't up to the latest Canadian slang that Degrassi Junior High The Next Generation, shout out to Jimmy "Drake" Brooks, taught me.

Canada has healthcare, trains, hockey by the hockey bag load. I mean you can't go anywhere in Canada without seeing all sorts of those things.

To top it off, they even have my favorite brand of outdoor football, The Canadian Football League. I mean really, they just have it all up t here.

They've also got more metal than you can shake the whole Sherbrooke hockey stick factory at. So let's snow the goalie and get on with it.

Album Review: "So Damn True" by Miss Mec

So Damn True

Could you imagine twenty years ago, back when I was in high school no wait just graduated, how much different music, and the music industry would be?

Back then it was all blow parties for the labels and the A&R men.
The idea of supporting independent music meant you caught your cousins' friend's band at Metal's Edge on South Broadway opening up for Agnostic Front.

Back then, no one wanted to be an independent artist. The idea was to record something, get it put out on cassette or CD and get picked up by an indie label and then a major. The final goal was to be invited to the blow parties with the A&R men as you were handed a gold record.

Well, we've come a long way, baby.

Album Review: "And When the Sky Was Opened" by Serocs

And When the Sky Was Opened

Years ago, I was sitting in American Literature 1 with one of my best friends from high school, Lisa.

We were discussing how Morbid Angel was the heaviest god damned band in the world. Then we moved onto how just a few short years ago, Iron Maiden was as heavy as it got.

How in the world could it get heavier than, what we now today as, Tampa Bay Death Metal?

That's one of the things that routinely goes through my head when I'm listening to modern metal, because it is much heavier and much the same as their forebears, but also much different.

Serocs, the multinational death metal collective that recently picked up a Canadian as a full fledged member, is on the cusp of releasing their sophomore album that's lyrically and thematically cohesive.

Album Review: "Antinomia" by Psychotomy

Antinomia

One of my absolute favorite anime is Rurouni Kenshin.

It's the tale of an ex-Samurai in Meiji Era Japan after the Samurai class was outlawed. It doesn't follow the story line that I would personally conceive.

Akira Kurosawa could never have written this tale.

Kurosawa-sama was a teller of traditional tales in the mold of the Samurai, even when telling western inspired tales, like Throne of Blood, but I do go on don't I?

Today I'm looking at a new band from Italy, Psychotomy.

I'll be honest. It me about two or three passes on that name to figure out how to pronounce it. Formed in the heady days of 2010, Antinomia is their debut album. It was preceded by only an EP in 2012.

Album Review: "Zealots" by The Deadline Shakes

Zealots

Sometimes music comes to me and I just find myself thinking, you know I really need to check this out.

Today it's The Deadline Shakes.

They're from my family's ancestral home of Scotland. Glasgow to be precise.

As I'm oft happy to do, I'm introducing them partly because they are a brand new band on the cusp of releasing their first album. Zealots.

I have them on my list of bands to check out. I wrote their name down about a week and a half ago, and I honestly cannot remember why I chose them, just did. As I couldn't remember why I chose this particular album for review, I was not prepared for what came next....

Interview: Sam Gleaves "I'm a Fabu-lachian!"

Sam Gleaves

Music is a must have for me.

I think everybody knows that, but sometimes I like to wax poetic about this amazing medium we have in the world.

Music is truly a universal language.

I can listen to Baby Metal in Japanese, Malady in Finnish, and Deicide without having to worry about what they're saying.

I can feel the emotions they're conveying.

All that being said though...

Sometimes it's really nice to hear someone speak about something through music...in a language I understand well.

Sam Gleaves has done just that on his debut album, Ain't We Brothers. On the title track, he told the story of a gay coal miner who was ostracized by his co-workers. Powerful stuff. How am I supposed to ask questions of someone dealing with such large issues! Well I tried....