Bookin' It with The Great Sabatini

The Great Sabatini

These kinds of columns for me a lot of fun, especially when I'm dealing with people from other countries.

Now, The Great Sabatini isn't from like Uruguay or Ghana, but from Canada. 

Even though, they hail from the Frenchest French part of French Canada, it's still Canada, but all the same, I have friends in the Great White North and there are still loads of things that are different between our two nations.

So, let's check in and see what books are like up there.

1. I try to read at least two books per month, and mostly fail, what's your goal and reality?

I'd love to read 2 or 3 books per month but it usually winds up being 1. I always have a pile of books on the go. But it's slow going, due to my daily routine. 

LP Review: "Deliquesce" by Maestus

Deliquesce

In the hopes of continuing to be a bit varied, lately Glacially Musical has been focusing on extreme metal bands and now it's heading back into the lighter side of metal.

Doom Metal is one of those many subgenres that's near and dear to my heart.

The best doom metal and this is an un-debatable point, is mellow, but it's flat out heavy.

Thick like molasses and just as hard to spread. Moving like a glacier...there we go, that's the right metaphor.

Enter Maestus.

This doom quintet hails from the wilds of Oregon. Their music has been described as an onslaught of granite. That's an exceptional description of what they're doing here. This album's got four tracks and fifty minutes of music.  Obviously, the songs are a bit on the long side.

It's melodic, angry, and full of latent frustration. The addition of keys and strings takes this band's music and puts them in very small company. Fans of Eye of Solitude might want to check in here.

Maestus is a difficult band to really describe. The best I can do is tell you they're a densely layered and excessively  heavy doom metal band that you should be listening to.

RELEASE 2/8/19 BANDCAMP AMAZON FACEBOOK

Classic Spins with Usurper's Rick Scythe

Usurper

If you get into your way back machine, head to Chicago in the early to mid nineties and you can meet this band that continued to write heavy metal Dungeons & Dragons long after it had been deemed cool.

That band was called Usurper and they've returned to the fore in order to bring us more heavy metal based folklore.

They were one of the first extreme metal bands to sing about those old heavy metal ideas.

Here's the good news, they're back and ready to drop their new record, Lords of the Permafrost, but that's not hitting your ear holes for about a month yet. Check back for a full review.

In the meantime, Rick Scythe is the first person to check in on my new column, Classic Spins.

Let's get it on.

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 Ernia

Ernia

On the other side of the side of the pond, resides a band called Ernia. This December past, they released their first full length album, simply entitled Ernia.

If you're into that death grind written by weirdos telling dumb jokes, you should probably take a look into that record.

All of the metal you're looking for is available at BANDCAMP and you really should learn to be friends with them over at FACEBOOK.

I really enjoy getting into the heads of the bands I cover here and this one is going to be a fun one I think. Ernia is the first band from Spain that's done one of our beer columns.

Let's see how they're drinking in Logroño.

LP Review: "Living Tomb" by Ossuarium

It's been rolling around in my internetting lately.

The it being the latest album from 20 Buck Spin: Living Tomb by Ossuarium.

That was enough to pique my interest in this up and coming death metal band.

Ossuarium appears to love to defy convention as much as they adhere to it.

Living Tomb begins with the requisite overture that so many death metal bands entitle, simply Intro.

Then instead of the blast beats from hell, I was greeted by a thunderous two four beat that held power and sway.

After denying the blast beats for a time, they came in, but not overpowering the music like in so many records laid down at Morrisound, but with a subtlety that made the tracks feel like they were running...away.

Living Tomb won't be the longest album you get this year, but it's likely to be on many end of year lists in about 11 months.

RELEASE 2/1/19 PREORDER FACEBOOK

Hometown Tales with Dead Register's Avril Che

Dead Register

Atlanta, GEE EH.

Let's talk about that amazing town, or should we discuss Dead Register first as their own Avril Che will be giving us the skinny on what it's like in Hotlanta.

Dead Register gave us an amazing debut album back in 2016 and a vinyl and cassette release in 2017. This year, they took some time out and released the follow up, Captive.

Oh wait...it's 2019 now, I mean all that stuff happened last year. Let's find out about what it's like to live in the shining city of Atlanta in the country of Spare Oom.

I mean Georgia. Anyway, let's see about the country outside of the airport.

St. Louis City is my hometown. I've lived here for most of my life in and around the city. Where are you from? 

Split LP Review: "SPLIT" by Coltsblood and Un

Split

As a blogger, my personal opinions factor largely into what I cover.

As it was before, it is now, there are several bands, labels, etc that always catch my eye.

So, when scrambling to write, it's not uncommon to head back to those particulars to see what is available.

Translation Loss Records  is releasing another album by Un. Now this catches my attention. So, I pull out the email, boot up the promo and see that it's not an album, but listed as an EP.

Oh, it's also a split, with Un on the back end. This other band is leading the charge... Coltsblood? Dunno them.

I've listened to this split several times at this point, the first time, it was all about getting to that Un track, but more and more, Coltsblood is really growing on me. Both bands delivered twenty minute PLUS song. Based on quantity of songs, we're looking at a AA Single, but this is a full length record.

Coltsblood...they're doomy, but a bit more vivacious and attacking than our good friends from Seattle. This is probably the best match split I've heard in my life. The bands go together so very well.

Just go ahead and check this one out....

RELEASE ORDER COLTSBLOOD UN

Beer Thirty with Texas Metal Outlaws's Robert Williams

The Texas Metal Outlaws have put out their blistering power/groove metal extravaganza, aka their self titled debut, on vinyl via TMU Records.

If you like anything metal from the 80's, you should probably pick that up via BANDCAMP.

Because it makes absolute perfect sense, instead discussing all that's glorious about that new record, we're going to talk about beer.

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.

I like cheap domestic beer. My go to beer is Rolling Rock. I can get a twelve pack for about ten bucks at 7-11. If I'm in a fancy mood, I'll spend a little extra and get Dos Equis. 

Years ago there was a 24oz sold at corner stores called the Dos-A-Rita. It was about 7.5 ABV synthetic margarita and if you had three of them in a row you'd fall over and vomit. 

LP Review: "Óreida" by Juseph

Óreida

In times of crisis, it's worth retreating back into ourselves in order to calm and recoup our losses.

I cannot be the Lone Ranger when I say that it's easy to get my fill of extreme metal. Any reader can look at the passages and ebbs and flows on this very site to see that.

There was nearly a six month break where it was all doom, stoner, and sludge because a break was needed.

Lately, I've been retreating into Pink Floyd because of the outlandish soundscapes that build into otherworldly pictures.

What if, there was a metal band that could do something quite similar? Portugal's Juseph does just that.

Yes. Juseph was just compared to Pink Floyd. The former is nearly as progressive as the latter, but the latter isn't nearly as heavy as the former. Because I'm tired and my words are growing thin, the easiest path is the best...

Juseph is Pink Floyd if Waters and Gilmour:

1. Were Portuguese.
2. Decided that Black Metal was better than progressive synth rock.
3. Also figured neither of them should sing.

RELEASE 2/1/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

Hometown Tales from Solium Fatalis's Jim Gregory

Because I'm your buddy...it's time to mention that band from New Hampshire again...

Solium Fatalis.

To begin with...there's no way you're going to get a classic this is brutal in your face metal than that name. They're harkening back to a time when metal bands were smarter than the popstars' producers who made them all that money.

That's awesome. They're latest album, Genetically Engineered To Enslave, has been out for a little while now. If you've been hesitant, now's the time to pull the trigger.

You can even get your copy in a police evidence bag.

That's seriously metal. Let's get the low down on what city made them this metal.

LP Review: "...Of Death Eternal" by Ulvdalir

...Of Death Eternal

Today we're checking out one of the best kept secrets in Russia, besides what's in the kompromat...

Ulvdalir is now exporting their True Ingrian Black Metal Death into these United States via Iron Bonehead (digital, CD, and LP formats).

Upon a quick google search, this term does auto fill, but it doesn't lead me to any information that can be imparted unto my readers regarding the meaning of this phrase.

Let's just assume it means a circle of bands from Siberian Russia that play a not quite so avant garde version of post modern black metal.

...Of Death Eternal opens with a standard extreme metal convention, the intro. This particular track caught my attention due to the vocal stylings. First of all, these intro songs shouldn't have vocals and for a second, they sounded folksy. From that point the band started playing a melodic style of metal that kept me enraptured throughout its duration.

Let's clarify the melodic comment. This isn't like Melodic Death Metal where there's a little tingle tangle between the riffs at certain intervals. The riffs and the vocals ooze melody. Melody isn't a crammed in afterthought.

That's what makes this record so undeniably amazing.

RELEASE 1/25/19 BANDCAMP

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.

LP Review: "Crimson" by The Wandering Ascetic

Crimson

It's been awhile since I've checked out anything from Singapore, but our friends from Rudra are back.

Well, to be more precise, a couple of them are back. The Wandering Ascetic is a side project from half of the band.

The major difference between the two projects comes down to simple branding. Rudra is Vedic Black Metal, or as I read it Indian Pagan Metal.

The Wandering Ascetic is a neoteric take on semi-traditional black metal. Makes sense right?

This album is an absolute engineering gem. This record is the way metal should sound when it's hitting your speakers.

Because it sounds that great, it's even more immersing. The drums and bass are both clearly audible. The guitars aren't a massive blur of gain. Too many great albums have been recorded so poorly rendering them pointless.

Oh, the music? Yes, yes. Crimson is a straight ahead rock record that's been seriously metalized. The vocals are pure black metal. The guitars are riff  heavy rock. No listener will be wanting for blast beats here.

When all of the elements are added up, The Wandering Ascetic becomes something that's new to my ears. This is the reason everybody needs to at least give this album a try.

RELEASE 2/12/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

Bookin' It with KOSM's Erik Leonhard

KOSM

In light of recent metal happenings, you know which ones...the ones...in Florida...that if you read the song titles...you'd know they were going to happen...

It's high time we point out once again that most metal folks are just normal people who really love heavy fucking metal.

We're well adjusted and we bang our heads and sometimes run into the walls because we were dodging the cat.

So, let's check out Progressive Metal band, KOSM. Erik Leonhard was good enough to take time away from publicizing their latest record, Cosmonaut, to talk to us about the printed word.

Just in case you've all forgotten, the pen is super metal, because it's mightier than the sword. Take that, Amon Amarth!

1. I try to read at least two books per month, and mostly fail, what's your goal and reality?

I wouldn’t say I have a monthly goal, although I try to read as much as possible. Some months I end up flying through a couple books easy.