Showing posts with label 1994. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1994. Show all posts

Thursday 7 December 2023

In The Nursery "Anatomy Of A Poet" (1994)

In seeking out Neoclassical Darkwave adjacent music, Spotify chalked up this Sheffield based duo who've been active since the 80s. Anatomy Of A Poet features Colin Wilson orating his own poetry in brief stints on various tracks. With its musical concept laid out plain and clear, I've found myself baffled at the disposition between his solemn glum voice and the stunning strings arrangements that meddle around then current percussive trends. Touches of Dance, Industrial and Trip Hop appraise danceable droning drum loops, as cinematic sequences of stellar orchestration muster an emotional elegance. This chemistry is one I've come close to discovering before.

As the album progresses, brief strides of classy composition break up its powerful percussive sway. Acute melodies, subtle chords, unusual instrumentation textures and flashes of electronics craft dreamy hazes that resolve into warming strides of persuasive sound. Then walks in the over pronounced tongue of Colin, his meaty, chocked words break the spell, despite it clearly being central to the records concept.

Arriving at The Seventh Seal, the pair stretch for ambiguous cultural sounds, a tingle of Spanish guitar, sung with a Country tang feels uncomfortable. The following tracks lean further into the poetic waxing and recurring themes has its entrancing energy wain swiftly. The funeral gloom of November Trees almost sparks a spell but the spoken words simply don't align. Its final track, unapologetically embraces the droning cheese of 90s electronic energy, throwing another curb ball to derail what started out as a wonderus musical experience.

Rating: 5/10

Thursday 28 September 2023

Paris "Guerilla Funk" (1994)

 

Discovering the likes of Paris years back, left me wondering why this talented rappers career never took off. Guerilla Funk highlights what I didn't hear back then. The similarities to Rakim and Public Enemy where of the time, as is this records parallels to the currently emerging G-Funk sound. Gurerilla Funk can be distilled to aesthetic and musical blueprint of Doggystyle, paired with the lyrical aggression of Ice Cube. Bordering plagiarism, Paris picks up all defining characteristics of the style. Cadence and flow runs in step with topicality and phrases, emulating the sound so well it emphasis its tropes and cliches. He is clearly all to keen to step into others sound.

I don't take issue with that but it highlights an issue. Whenever Paris tries to step off this trendy sound's topics, his politically charged rhymes stand in disparity. In retrospection, I see how he didn't exactly define himself among the crowd first time of asking. Two records later, this dramatic shift in tone leaves his own expressions weak, without a definitive style to embrace. Almost every track and flow emulates others.

Critiques aside, Paris is a competent performer, a pleasure to listen too and a talent. Perhaps one lacking his own flavor. Despite its lack of originality, if your into this era the production team put together cuts to compete with the classics. Outta My Life catches an ear for its instrumental, akin to Life's A Bitch on Illmatic but given that dropped months earlier, can't help but feel its a lift. Anyways, point made, a good spin if your into 90s Hip Hop and the G-Funk sound Dr. Dre and Snoop pioneered.

Rating: 5/10

Wednesday 30 November 2022

Toadies "Rubberneck" (1994)

 

Accruing influences from 90s Alt-Rock scenes I am less acquainted with, American rockers Toadies debuted with Rubberneck. A rapid thirty six minute introduction that reeked of accents I fumbled to land my finger on. With rough rabbles echoing Skate Punk and Post-Hardcore in energetic spurts, their mostly Grunge era music dodged the lingering scent of Nirvana, whilst seeming fundamentally similar. Between the hardness of estranged "anti" solos and brittle crashing guitar riffs, emotive melodic lulls and sung vulnerabilities birthed Toadies' songs to straddle terrain built by others.

Their approach paints consistent reminders, unable to escape a partial sense of deja-vu. These tracks cut to the core, flying right into the memorable meat of the music. Each song swiftly embarks on its key appeal, an appetizing listen. Vaden Lewis' youthful groans sways between a soothed playful charm and roughened anger when spearheading with strained shouts. Percussion seems to go subtly by with Punkish beats and linking rhythms powering the musics drive without getting in your face.

The guitars play with short, repetitive, simplistic riffs. Impactful power chords, burning at the edges given the ferocity they are performed with on its displays of anger and frustration. Any foray into melody and tunefulness feels intentionally stripped back and flipped over, often lingering on minimalism and noisy rebellious embellishments. Its all cohesive, coming together to be felt first before picking apart its constructs.

After many enjoyable spins, I'm left with a solid record where I'm unsure if it was influential, or influenced by. It did however encroach on the very best of early 90s Rock sounds I once was quite dismissive of. Its nice to find albums that help you creak open the door of your own ignorance and this certainly did that for me.

Rating: 7/10

Friday 28 October 2022

Gravediggaz "6 Feet Deep" (1994)

 

Unwittingly, I've uncovered Hip Hop's Horrorcore origins, a treasure trove of terror led by none other than RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. United with The Undertaker, Grym Reaper, Gatekeeper and producer Prince Paul, this Rap quintet delve deep into life's dark sides. Graphic themes of death, suicide, murder, poverty and black suffering permeate. Both serious and comical, the latter gets punctuated by gruesome exacerbation of comic book horror tropes through verbal creativity. Its former sincerity makes use of thematic extremities to highlight the serious issues of street life.

I'd been aware of 6 Feet Deep's existence for decades. Despite an encouraging reputation, my playlist choices always gravitated to something else. Finally cracking the cookie, I'm overwhelmed by its fortunes. Slipping snugly into an early 90s Jazzy ruggedness, to many samples, flows and drum beats echo many favorite sounds, posing the tricky question of how it fits the tapestry. Warmer Southern tones turn up on Mommy What's A Gravedigga, 1-800 Suicide and Blood Brothers, the latter cruises on a chilling nightly tone with its shimmering pianos and danger lurking baseline.

Diary Of A Madman plays like a blueprint for what I know of Rap duo Jedi Mind Tricks, both beat and flows are uncanny. Many other songs conjure similar familiarity. A handful of verses spat akin to Ol' Dirty Bastard, and the occasional beat like Graveyard Chamber reek of Wu-Tang outtakes, perhaps leftovers from the era of RZA's Demo Tape. Recorded over the prior three years, overlaps with the nine are no surprise, yet Gravediggaz stand boldly apart with their own devilish identity.

The distinction is wild, leaning into theatrical cheesy horror tropes, grim lyrics get cut keenly into its topicality. A depth of cultural references finds its linage in the unsavory side of American cultural history. Experimenting with unhinged wordings and maniacal cadences on occasion, the music ebbs and flows between tongue in cheek humor and deadly frankness with more conventional cuts. Prince Paul's contributions certainly serve that convention, with RZA and other producers offering up the looser screws. All in all, 6 Feet Deep is an essential experience if a fan of Hip Hop's darker leanings.

Rating: 8/10

Sunday 23 October 2022

Helmet "Betty" (1994)

 
To discover Helmet, is to learn of the bridge between Grunge and Nu Metal. Familiar with their classic Meantime, Betty drew me in after Spotify's auto-play kept spinning I Know. The rhythm laden kick snare groove it opens held uncanny resemblance to Deftones' Around The Fur. The following loitering Shoegaze guitar chords present a striking affirmation of influence on yet another Nu Metal era band. These drifting, hazy, fuzzed out riffs seem seminal to the Deftones sound, leading me to wonder what else the record offered. Between the expectant roll out of syncopated Drop D riffs, dense and hazy showgaze aesthetics conjure a little atmosphere to counteract its grungy metallic stiffness. Its a warm, bold tone, lacking any lean to the dark or light and driven by competent percussive kick snare grooves. Bustling with choppy riffs, they routinely veer into that hazy texture. The back and forth is pleasant and undemanding.

Its other distinction was surprisingly that of Primus. Just a couple of songs venture into the bizarre oddities that their breed of the short lived Funk Metal established a few years prior. Its quite obvious, cheeky baselines, discerning noises and comical vocals break the sound suddenly. It works but lacks originality and serves to spice up an otherwise narrow sound as there is little to be found in the way of expansive song writing or progressive ambitions. This is straight riffs and Hamilton's meager cleans and reaching shouts tend to simply accommodate rather than spear on any energy. He definitely chimes better with the Shoegazing sections but doesn't feel like a key component of this simple syncopated style that would go on to influence so many bands. Betty is a really solid record, a firm execution of simple and effective ideas.
 

Rating: 7/10

Wednesday 15 June 2022

Suspended Memories "Earth Island" (1994)

 

Reuniting to follow up on the entrancing dusky spells of Forgotten Gods, the trio tread lukewarm waters, unable to spark the temporal magic that sung before. Failing to find fresh distinctions, their worldly disjointed percussive lines and ancient cultural chants rub up against airy atmospheric synths in a mediocre affair. With soft keyboard driven ambiences, its smooth, cloudy synthetic chemistry resides in a lofty yet unassuming place. Danger and mystique or awe and wonder rarely engulf quite like before.

Hinted strongly in naming and presentation, the album cover, Earth Island yearns for a cosmic perspective, yet even the brief chatters of astronaut communications nestled in doesn't sharpen this vision. Melting World offered immersion, a grade above the rest, but it also marked a shift. The initial human link between stars and stones shatters as a darkly brooding unease encroaches before the final two songs break pace again.

These ambient works often feel subjected to mood and fatigue more so than other genres. So i'd take my words lightly. One can hear the trio trying to move the Aztec inspired soundscape out of its shadowy realm, turning to an uplift, brighter in spirit, yet earthly and deep. The two ideal either don't gel, or lacks execution. Subsequently, the gravity that came before is illusive despite the mild meditative calm it conjures.

Rating: 5/10

Tuesday 31 May 2022

Tiamat "Wildhoney" (1994)

 

Upon reading comments and critiques on Almost A Dance lay proclamations of a broader movement in Metal at the time, one that promised more of that niche, early The Gathering sound. If Wildhoney is anything to go on, it seems these musicians were expanding on the slow brooding gloom of Doom Metal with a contrasting lushness through symphonic melancholy. With a tinge of Gothic mystique, it seems between the crevasse of Metal's many sub genres, lies another calling my name. Hailing from Sweden at a time when the Melodic Death Metal scene was blossoming, Tiamat developed their initially Doom and Death Metal sound in this renewed Gothic, Symphonic direction. Wildhoney being their commercial peak and my entry point.

Delivering on exactly what I was looking for, the opening tracks lunge forth with broody grooves in slow tempos haunted by darkly effeminate vocals. Drawn out power chords lay foundations for the keys to chime and adorn the mysterious chemistry that once spellbound me on Always... . Soundscape alike tangents gets the imagination turning with shadowy horrors early on. A curiosity in Johan Edlund's challenging vocals hint at something more. His sway between wretched doom gutturals and earthly heathen "cleans" show an artsy side to the music. It gets its moment later on after a string of big atmospheric songs, sailing deep emotions, a swelling mix of loss and beauty.

After the rocking sway and colorful gleam of Visionaire, the music descends from peak to valley as interlude Kaleidoscope puts the break on all momentum and sets a new tone for its final songs. What wordings come by feel more poetic, performative, so to say. Do You Dream Of Me? leans into European cultural sounds. Planets dwells on mystery, pivoting from loneliness to wonder in its progression. Then we have A Pocket Size Sun. Performed as a tender poem on the loss of innocence, its whole framing feels so profoundly different from all that came before. The exchanges with an effeminate being highlights charm well but again, feels like a complete departure.

With every spin this record has always felt like it had more to offer. A third of the record is its final four songs and although they are instrumentally wondrous, the obvious shift leaves one feeling like not enough was explored early on. Perhaps that is just a burden of slow, doomy music. Tiamat navigate something beautiful here, finding the sweet spot between its dark gloomy distortion guitars and all the lush keys gathering around. On the journey, there is much to marvel at. Its ending though, somewhat derailed. If this style of Metal is your cup of tea, as I have discovered its mine, then Wildhoney is a gem to be adored! This one can only grow on me, I'm sure!

Rating: 8/10

Friday 11 March 2022

Old Man's Child "In The Shades Of Life" (1994)

 

Having concluded my recent Dimmu Borgir binge, the itch prevailed and thus it felt like the perfect time to dive back into the one man band of Galder, known as Old Man's Child! His solo project lurked in the shadows of Borgir over the years, following a similar temperament and trajectory for their take on Symphonic Black Metal. He would of course end up joining the group for Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and has since remained with them to this day. Its often been seen as his ambition, given how similar the two bands are. For fans of Dimmu it is a wonderful treat to have a collection of records so similar to their sound. I wouldn't say Old Man's Child is superior but its not inferior either. Galder truly does holds his own as a musician with a vision.

In The Shades Of Life is an old, crumbly, low fidelity five track EP, OMC's debut and my love of it is mostly born of youthful binging. Trying to be objective, its guitar tone is rather dingy, bleak and pale, similar to that of For All Tid. Galder's vocals are rather wild and unabashed. His serpentine rasping and ghostly guttural howls resonate off the reverbs they are delivered through. Whats peculiar is apparent on its opening. Contrast to its grittier metallic side, the Spanish acoustic guitars are gorgeous! Though standing apart in the mix, they bring a silky nightly tone to the music which the aggressive guitars plunge into darkness with an arsenal of grindy riffs.

As the demo album steadily blooms and more synths come into the mix, its clear Galder has a knack for composition. Creating scenic passes leading into his breed of Black Metal, he embellishing momentum with timely accents and melodies played on the keys. The guitar riffs often feel built for purpose, capable of driving on their own, yet in come the synths to elevate so often. Seeds Of The Ancient Gods is a great example of his talent. Despite the bleak guitar tone, the intro riff gets straight to work and the accompanying Spanish guitar ascends it to the next level.

I'm reminded of how genuinely fantastic this is. Even its blemished appearance feels like a mask. Galder experiments with some heathen clean vocals in a couple of spots, they seem off beat yet always manage to resonate in the quirky darkness he embodies. The outro track now strikes me as more remarkable than remembered, its lack of distortion guitars and creepy horror ending is another one of those Dungeon Synth moments occurring long before the genre name was coined. Fun fact, this demo was re-released with Dimmu's Devil's Path on a split album somewhere around the time Galder joined the band. I believe it is remastered and the original demo lost.

Rating: 7/10

Wednesday 23 February 2022

Dimmu Borgir "Inn I Evighetens Morke" (1994)

 

I couldn't count the years since I've gone back to the roots of my eternally adored Dimmu Borgir. Before they became a powerhouse of modern Metal drenched in devilish symphony, the Norwegians had a murky start. You could never have predicted their trajectory from this humble origin but their sophomore effort Stormblast would shine bright before the modernization of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant occurred. Inn I Evighetens Morke is a short, three track EP that kicked things off. I can't do much to defend it other than express my deep attachment to its gloomy nature, which sparked my curious adolescent mind as I discovered the world of Black Metal.

The first song is the unique experience. For a band joining a scene of new found extremities, its opening number broods on a slow tempo. A morbid piano sequence kicks things off. Distortion guitars become a distant haze under the the warm bleeding baseline. Esoteric synths arises, glum acoustic chords cry as they are plucked. The song swiftly lulls into a depressive tone of death and suffering. All achieved without blast beats, screams and other tropes, its an interesting conjuring that rides a little charm of the amateurish production as the instruments muddy together.

Its second half ups the metallic intensity. Shagrath's barely competent drumming barrages one with plenty of tom rolls in shuffling beats. Any attempt at a blast beat get drowned out as the production fails but also masks the shoddy performance. Silenoz howls harsh, higher pitched screams upfront while churning through lively power chord riffs. The eerie synths struggle to punctuate and the whole song lacks the majesty to leave anything remarkable in mind other than its mystic, quirky nature.

The final Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde shows class, a curious arrangement of synths and power chords with direction and structure that bring it to a "break down" conclusion. Shagraths drumming is miles better, a tighter performance with more interesting grooves. Again without blast beats the band linger in the Black Metal realm through its symphonic spin off and the harshness of Silenoz's vocals. Otherwise it comes offs as dark and dingy oddity. Of course this song stood the test of time, being re-recorded a couple of times for future records. It is blemished in this incarnation which was a very amateurish start but a fun one for a die hard fan.

Rating: 5/10

Monday 14 February 2022

Pop Will Eat Itself "Dos Dedos Mis Amigos" (1994)


This has been a wonderful "of the era" journey, now arriving at its final destination. Although it makes sense, I didn't expect them to land on an Industrial Rock tangent. Reshaping the 90s genre blending style, Pop Will Eat Itself build their eclectic on the backbone of rumbling baselines, cold distortion guitars and a mechanical percussive might. With a colorful infusion of electronic tones it otherwise sticks close to an Industrial blueprint. All except Familus Horribilus, a soap box statement shouted through megaphone raps with the Beastie Boys scent. They take aim at the royal family with political commentaries on the families affairs of the time, naming names and airing grievances at heritage and tax burdens. The instrumental is a fun surge of jive and warmth among a cold, metallic tinged record of subtle rhythmic forces.

Across its eleven tracks the music comes in various shades of intensity and experimentation with some detour into more sample oriented percussive tracks with break loops and the like. Everything's Cool has an obvious riff inspiration from Ministry's classic Thieves. Most remarkable is the opening Ich Bin Ein Auslander. Predating Rammstein by a year, its deployment of the German language and a stomping Kashmir alike riff seems like some bizarre foreshadowing of the Neue Deutsche Härte sound. Surely its just an odd coincidence right?

Either way Dos Dedos Mis Amigos is a decent record if your into the Industrial Rock sound. Nothing exception though, a couple of better songs with a few mediocre cuts too. Its undoubtedly the most consistent in tone, funneled through a production that struggles in patches with its layering of sounds. Which is notably less dense this time around, relying more on the drive of its mechanical rhythms and sharp distortion guitars. I'm aware the band reunited for another record but I'll put a pin in that for now.

Rating: 6/10

Tuesday 18 January 2022

Cranes "Loved" (1994)

 

With a warm uplift in mood felt on Forever, Cranes return two years on continuing that trajectory. It arrives along with a musical shift in tone that firmly positions them within the 90s Dream Pop sound. Taking on a Shoegazing guitar aesthetic and shedding the shades of Industrial and darkness that followed them before, one can hear their established song writing style taking on new ideas but mostly leaning on thick acoustic chord strumming and hazy lead guitars that paint dreamy waves of bendy reverberating noise over top. Its charming in these particular strides.

Opening with Shining Road once can hear a percussive distinction that crops up a few times over. Its one of these musical ideas where the direction just feels different. With an injection of lively drums, fit for the times, Cranes offer something that doesn't exactly build on the sound they have forged. Where they get it right is with the dreary guitar haze that washes over a handful of tracks. The song Beautiful Friend is an underwhelming cross of the two. The following Bewildered however gets it spot on.

Lilies and Loved are two tracks leaning into their darker past with crowded noise and gristly stiff guitar licks to stir a little menace and unease among an otherwise warm record. Cranes's music does however still linger in that strange place I can only describe as limbo, with Shaw continuing her roll as the voice of innocence adjacent to danger. Its the Shoegazing guitar that embellished this record with a rewarding new direction. I hope to hear more of that lushness on the next outing.

Rating: 6/10

Sunday 18 April 2021

Covenant "From The Storm Of Shadows" (1994)

 

With SETI, Animatronic & Nexus Polaris behind us, we venture now into the less impressive origin of a remarkable band. In the past I barely bothered with demo tapes, my recent foray with My Angel gave me a nudge to give this one a try. I'm glad I did, although far from impressed with a now cliched sound I know inside out, it was a pleasure to digest these three darkly, menacing tracks of scene cast Black Metal.

 Sadly the symphonic element starts off mostly absent, possibly too enveloped by the smothering bass to stand apart with distinction. Its not until two thirds through the opening track that we hear some lone horns roaring in triumph from behind the grisly guitars. Its presence grows and by the third title track we get some medieval, partly jovial synth lines chiming in to the shadowy aggression with bold melody.

As far as the crass audio quality goes, this is a studio demo, harsh in the upper mid range but doing a great job of making its instruments heard. The key elements of the music get through, those brooding, mid tempo riffs with darkly accents, atypical of the times. It plunders away through blast beats and howling, unattractive scowls that rasp over top from Nagash who handles everything but the guitars here.

Its rather hard for these three songs to make much of a lasting impression given my already extensive exploration of Symphonic Black Metal. I'm fairly sure these songs would of carved some adoration if I'd turned to them in my youth. As it goes I skipped over them but its clear that Nagash of early Dimmu Borgir notoriety was a competent musician adding his own take on the emerging sound with vision and spirit!

Rating: 4/10

Friday 2 October 2020

Bathory "Requiem" (1994)

 

Having provided immense inspiration for a then blossoming Black Metal scene and moving on to pioneer his own Viking Metal sound, on this seventh outing Bathory pivot to a sound that would of been influential on his own... Thrash Metal! I had to stick with this one for a while because the initial shock of its bare and bestial tone was work for my ears to adjust. A hammered clanking bassline punches through with slabs of low end sound alongside the rattle of a biting drum kit dominated by its vicious snare tone. The distortion guitar may be the one instrument to prevail as Quorthon's throaty snarling shouts wade in a shrill harshness that's rarely persuasive.

Despite its aesthetic obnoxiousness, one does adjust and with that comes an undeniable arsenal of blackened thrash riffs, delivering marching pace and snappy aggression in the spirit of a scene past its prime. With his excellent lead guitar, the songs tend to propel through stomping riffs and battering drum patterns in simple song structures to then be illuminated in blazes of sparkling high end fretwork. Its all paced at a similar intensity, the occasional touch of groove emerges but this is strictly thrash with a darker aesthetic, its solo's delivering a hint of classic Heavy Metal.

 With only nine songs of the shorter variety, its thirty three minutes have led to many a spin but despite its obvious merits I cannot get past its rattle and clank. The guitars have a superb engulfing tone but everything around it is a little frazzled causing to much friction. Released a decade earlier Requiem might of been some relic of Thrash Metal but the reality is once the book is written its hard to rewrite those pages. I've given this one a real try, its got quality in writing but lacks a solid execution.

Rating: 5/10

Sunday 27 September 2020

House Of Pain "Same As It Ever Was" (1994)


Following up on the debut Fine Malt Lyrics, my memory of Same As It Ever Was has held true. Its a tighter, leaner, hard hitting record with a boisterous gangster edge. Both the beats and rhymes are upgraded to a meaner form of the Irish funk as House Of Pain channel their fun and quirky charisma into a darker temperament. Front man Everlast trades in his card swapping punch lines for substance driven verses. His rhymes are keen and again well pronouncement, even with a touch more grit in his voice as he emphasizes on gun play and violence. It feels less fun and playful, a fraction threatening but mostly a more entertaining flow of rhymes to jive with.

Behind him DJ Leathal and DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill both shape the beats with big bold baselines played up front and center. Punchy, crisp and smooth with the feeling of a classical double bass instrument, they define a lot of the records tone. Paired with keen yet bare percussive loops, a gloomy shade is painted for a serious hardcore platform that Everlast and his gangster leaning rhymes dominates. Hitting of with a string of the better pairings, pacing suffers through the middle, or potentially the strict styling gets a little tiresome. It picks up at the end with Who's The Man, an interesting take on a sample used timelessly by Dr. Dre on The Chronic. All in all its a strong record but heavily reliant on how much you dig this breed of Hip Hop.

Rating: 6/10

Wednesday 24 June 2020

Global Communication "76 14" (1994)


Plucking a recommended "ambient gem" from an old playlist, I found myself in a moment of awe as I thumbed over the release date. All the many similarities and artists I could reference flew out the window as this vastly predates the likes of Carbon Based Lifeforms. Now its praise seems all the more apparent given what little that is similar Ive heard before the year of 94. Global Communication are an English ambient duo who have built a timely, beautiful experience here, embarking on seventy six minutes and fourteen seconds of entrancing ambiguity and Downtempo meditations. Its songs are all equally named in length, a combination of two numbers to say little more of the music, other than how long each chapter will last.

This lack of additional substance lets the music take on its own form with no suggestion of what the artists intention might be. For me, an experience both cosmic and spiritual, meditative and temporal, even a little funky and jazzed out in its lively spaces. The music can be whatever you like! Its overall quality is a sonic experience, soft and suggestive with lapses into beat and groove as its lengthy building passages of suspense find release in steady percussive sways. They muster a warm gusto of pace an indulgence into deeply relaxed and chilled soundscapes.

 The record starts with its mighty astral synths playing folly to whats ahead. It opens a portal for a lengthy expedition guided by whirling synths and stitched to reality with its remarkable, tembre tick-tock of a clock, marking time passing by, It seems all to meaningful somehow. The songs then sway between experimental soundscapes and rhythmic rooted tracks that lay down easy tempos and build a world around it with various electronic synth sounds and murmurous bass lines.

 7 39 builds up an appetite with light Industrial vibes and a denser web of interchanging sounds. Its potent melodies overall vibe fondly remind me of Devin Townsend's Project EKO. Its a stark transition into 54, mysterious foreign voices exchange some shared language of communication as spacious beeps and whirls give of an astronomic vibe. It plays into the experience as the foundations of rhythm and melody seemed to be pulled back into ambiguity on a frequent basis.

As the closing tracks returns to the heavenly astral synths heard in the opening, they act like a wrapper for two particular strains of music held together in the middle. Ambiguous experiments in temporal texture and Downtempo chill out tracks converting the electronic music scene of the 90s into ambient form. All of it is fantastic and the way in which it flows just makes for an effortless listen. I can see why its held in such high regard. Hearing what it must of influenced beyond its release has certainly taken the edge off a little but it makes it no less fantastic.

Rating: 8/10

Wednesday 19 February 2020

Bolt Thrower "...For Victory" (1994)


I didn't feel like getting deep into another Metal bands catalog. This may be the second and last Bolt Thrower record I write about here. To be frank, there is little of surprise here but its also everything I love, just some good old punishing brutality and mid tempo grooves to head bang too! I picked out ...For Victory as it felt like a sister album to Mercenary. The fidelity is a notch better overall, strange considering this was recorded four years earlier. Heading into the future of their discography, newer records sound a little sterile and thinned out. Looking back, earlier releases suffers the fate of many Extreme Metal records of the time, producers had yet to figure out how to make this music sound decent, something Carcass's Heartwork would change forever.

This album leaves me with just about all the same thoughts as last time. Its Death Metal with an edge for groove and mid-tempo sways of bounce that erupt from the punishing atmosphere. Its a constant barrage, a mighty onslaught of battering drums and dense distortion guitars that churn and grind away, leading onto these out bursts of guitar groove which peak the songs. Its temperament is mean and unending with the intensity barely slowing down, its ten tracks continuing on the same warpath from start to end. Karl Willets barks and houls as the guttural front man is again a take it or leave it situation for me. His presence just tends to drift into the mood of aggression portrayed. Overall its a cracking record if you want that mood. Bar one or two songs having a riff I'm particularly keen on, its a solid, well rounded album that just delivers.

Favorite Tracks: ...For Victory, Lest We Forget, Armageddon Bound
Rating: 7/10

Sunday 26 May 2019

Alice In Chains "Jar Of Flies" (1994)


It seems that between albums Alice In Chains liked to release acoustic EPs, the former being Sap. I had actually gone into this thinking it was a direction change full length, with a mind for curation. Much like the current trend of short, high curated projects, Jar Of Flies has seven songs, a couple with distortion at just thirty minutes. Its all killer no filler and the emotionally wrenching magic it possess leaves one feeling like this should be seen as no side offering but some of the bands best music.

Once again the band let their Americana and Blues Rock influences flourish, mustering humid flows of steady paced and gorgeous, glistening acoustic toned instrumentals for Staley to take stage. He does as he does, pulling on your heart strings with a lonely despair and sorrow, bleeding his quiet suffering from a camouflaged voice. His delivery roars with a vulnerable power that lures you in with its catchy flow yet all that awaits is pain and darkness. The "My privacy is raped" line on Nutshell is particularly haunting. Its a line stuck in my mind for weeks.

Its the beautiful dichotomy of stunning, serine music and searing raw pain weaving this dazzling darkness again. The musicianship is sublime, tones of lucid arrangements oozing with inspiration as ripe guitar leads flow and complimentary instrumentation like the timely use of strings seem to arrive on time effortlessly in these songs. Its not without weak points however, from one to the other their is diversity in flavor and its last two tracks drop off from the path set beforehand.

Swing On This feels like a leftover idea from Dirt hashed together with some swashbuckling acoustics. Before it the soft and delicate Don't Follow with its Country tang guitars and harmonica doesn't quite resonate in the beginning with Cantrell's voice. The first five however are emphatic, Rotten Apple making a mark as their longest track to date. The whole project feels so deserving of a full length, the group nail this style almost as well as their grooving distortion songs.

Favorite Tracks: Rotten Apple, Nutshell, Whale & Wasp
Rating: 7/10

Wednesday 21 November 2018

At The Gates "Terminal Spirit Disease" (1994)


This is the record I have been expecting to hear. Swedish band At The Gates, labeled as Melodic Death Metal, had yet to reach the iconic sound pioneered by Carcass with their Heartwork album of the previous year. Taking a bold step towards a slicker, cleaner sound the band also shape up their compositions into simpler forms. While they do retain some dissonance and unusual approaches to riffing, the music comes together through simple song structures and a focus on the melodies rising from the aggressive construct of battering drums, darkly distortion guitars and fierce screams.

The move forward is fantastic, however to call this an album is a bit of a stretch. Packaged along side three additional live songs, we only have six Metal songs and one fantastic acoustic guitar interlude with And The World Returned. Its the only track to include signature stringed instruments and the seven songs only make up twenty two minutes, however short and sweet is preferable when the bar is set this high.

The record is especially enjoyable from a retroactive perspective. All the tropes and expectant riffing styles of Melodic Death hit from different angles with a unique tone. The band are still transitioning and with that comes the tremolo shredding strings across two guitars exchanging dissonance and harmony in a bright setting. The typical tune chugging, string jumping riffs get interchanged in between and with colorful, energetic drumming all the components gel as abridged sections form with variety.

All components gel sweetly and the guitar leads occasionally burst into life with memorable solos. Its all really good stuff. Perhaps only singer Lindberg is fractionally tiring with his beastly howls and throaty cries becoming drab as they rarely change. I tend to zone him out when listening, its the music below his roars that is great and even riveting on its best songs with riffs the leap out. I can understand on lot more about their place in Scandinavian Metal's history from this record and am very much excited for Slaughter Of The Soul, their last record before splitting up.

Favorite Tracks: Terminal Spirit Disease, Forever Blind, The Fevered Circle
Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Johnny Cash "American Recordings" (1994)


Knowing the reverence and notoriety of Johnny Cash made approaching this post a little daunting. With a career spanning fifty years across six decades and over ninety albums produced, there is an abundance to be said about his music that critics and enthusiasts alike will be talking about for time to come. Ive only heard The Ring Of Fire and Walk The Line before going into this record. American Recordings intrigued me greatly for two reasons. Firstly It was produced by Rick Rubin who had made a name himself in Metal and Hip Hop, working with the likes of iconic names LL Cool J, Run DMC, Danzig and Slayer. Secondly at this point in time Cash was a broken man, his career in tethers and with Ruben he formed a close friendship that would rekindle his musical fire and restore parts of his life and happiness.

With just a voice and his guitar, Cash can burden you with the depths of his struggle. His deep, baritone voice has the texture of times scars, a weight he holds on his shoulders felt through the catharsis of his expressions. With a deep, soft and alluring voice his hurt soothes with its release as the heavy subjects of life's regrets and struggles are caught in a memorizing bubble that is Cash's heart felt sincerity. Its far from gloomy, as Johnny works through his inner demons, one can feel the redemption as he comes to terms with events transpiring through his poetic lyrics. Its an intense experience that can suck one into the grasp of its simplicity, the acoustic guitar often feeling entirely irrelevant in the shadow of Cash's iconic voice, with exception to a few songs like Thirteen, where the strumming of dingy chords feels like the tone setter.

Going into the record I was expecting some twang and yee-haw! Known as a Country artist, I have to say this is far more personal and Folk like however one track, Tennessee Stud, greatly amuses me for its praise of a regional horse. The real story in the song is overshadowed behind the enthusiastic crowd, cheering all mentions of the horse. This album captures a man coming to terms with many things and turning much of it around, which is parallel to the critical and commercial response, which makes a lot of sense If you think about it. Ruben's minimalist approach to production seems a perfect fit for Cash's needs, however knowledge of their strong friendship makes me think the revival of this man goes far beyond the production we can hear on this fine record.

Favorite Tracks: Delia's Gone, The Beast In Me, Thirteen, Like A Soldier
Rating: 7/10

Saturday 3 March 2018

Krtis Blow "The Best Of Kurtis Blow" (1994)


My adoration of Hip Hop, its fascinating origin story and evolution, has put a lot of names in my mind, some of which Ive yet to get around to. Hearing Kurtis Blow's break out single The Breaks recently from 1980 had me itching to check out the Rapper who's name Id heard a thousand times over. The song itself wasn't particularly defining of Kurits because its essentially a remake of Rappers Delight with an interchangeable instrumental and signature baseline aesthetic and playing. Either way I was impressed by Blow's easy going rhymes and steady old school flow and since his records are like gold dust to find, the best I could get my hands on was a best of compilation CD released six years after his run of eight back to back albums.

All these songs take place before N.W.A and Public Enemy, they are fun, care free and strangely innocent in retrospect. Kurtis picks many surface level topics, stitching light rhymes together that string references and simple expressions about basketball, America, parties and even some festive rapping. Even when Hard Times rolls around Kurtis spins a positive mentality response to struggles he barely scratches the surface of. Its all light and smiley, the rhyme schemes seeming almost comical given the feats rappers would go on to do. Its essentially the blueprint of that old school era.

The music is great, Blow's flow is powerful, pronounced and lively. The instrumentals are of their time, heavily Disco influenced, with a dash of Funk spice and a sprinkling of Synthpop production its all as crisp, punchy and pronounced as Kurtis himself. Some songs topic are a bit drab like the ultra patriotic America and obnoxious AJ Scratch with its awkward chorus singing. I made a fun discovery with If I Ruled The World, a song Nas would rebuild with its chorus and sampling from Tears For Fears on his Stillmatic album. That's one of the reasons I love exploring Hip Hop's history, there is much connectivity to learn and although this isn't something I'll listen to often, it was really great to enjoy another slice of the Hip Hop evolution.

Favorite Songs: The Breaks, Christmas Rappin
Rating: 6/10