No matter what you think of Dave Mustaine’s music or personality, you can’t deny that he’s a survivor. Kicked out of Metallica before the band exploded to stardom, he struggled with substance problems and a constantly rotating cast of musicians in his own band Megadeth, and despite having a deliriously successful run in the late ’80s and early ’90s, he always had to play second fiddle to his original group.

Yet here we are, late 2011, and Mustaine is still alive and kicking. His band recently played a string of dates with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax as part of the Big 4 package, celebrating the groups cited as pioneering the thrash sound, and now Megadeth have a new record, their 13^th, awkwardly spelled “Th1rt3en.” Longtime friend, then nemesis, then friend again Dave Ellefson has returned on bass (it’s his first Megadeth studio record since 2001’s “The World Needs a Hero”), and his presence is very evident and completely welcome sonically. Guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover are back and have become the new constants, other than Mustaine, of course.

The record itself is a bit of a mish-mash. It’s new material, sort of. All 13 songs are freshly cut by the current formation of the band, but a few of the tracks have longer histories and even have appeared before in alternate versions. “New World Order” has been around since 1991, when the band toured on the Clash of the Titans bill and Marty Friedman and Nick Menza were in the group. They get writing credits.  “Black Swan,” that has nothing to do with the movie of the same title, also been around for years, and a version was offered to fan club members who pre-ordered “United Abominations.”  “Millennium of the Blind” also has been around since 1991, and a version was a bonus track on the remix/remaster of “Youthanasia.” So it’s a collection of some new songs, with older odds and ends added, and you have to wonder if the re-worked tracks weren’t good enough for release before, why are they now? Or maybe the songs just didn’t fit the model of the record from the time they were created.

The album starts off just fine with “Sudden Death,” a song that simmers in the air almost as if it’s going to turn into an Immortal song before it kicks into their tried-and-true thrash path. “Public Enemy No. 1,” a song about 1920s gangster Al Capone, sounds like those classic Megadeth singles from the past two decades, where it’s just heavy enough to satisfy long-time fans and just accessible enough to get radio play. “We the People” is a really dark song, with Mustaine dropping references to the Illuminati, one-world government and currency, and a sense of the Biblical end of days. In fact, Armageddon is all over this record. The closing title track clearly is about Mustaine and the band’s artistic endeavors as a band, their trials and tribulations, and whether their time might be coming soon. Or maybe, as noted, they’re just survivors who will refuse to go away. While their life as a band continuing is not out of the question, Mustaine does drop a hint of demise when he admits, “I just don’t think I can give anymore.”

Those are all the finer points of “Th1rt3en.” Now the not so good, which, unfortunately, outweighs the highlights. There aren’t any terrible songs on this album, and Megadeth have been good for a real clunker or two per record (or sometimes just a flat-out bad album … “Risk”), but there’s a long stretch of this collection that isn’t very inspiring. Aforementioned “New World Order” and “Black Swan” are fine for what they are, but they’re way better as B sides. “Guns, Drugs and Money” isn’t nearly as menacing as its title indicates, and there’s a weird Deep Purple-like keyboard line hanging behind the thing; “Fast Lane” is about fast cars and blah blah blah, and it should feature an appearance by Vin Diesel, but it does not. “Never Dead,” a song written for inclusion in the “NeverDead” videogame, sounds like it was banged out in 15 minutes specifically to fill out a soundtrack; “Wrecker” and “Whose Life (Is It Anyway?)” both are about evil women doing bad things, and you know, you just shouldn’t trust them. They’re both kind of dull, with “Whose Life” sounding comically teen angsty. “Deadly Nightshade,” built from an old riff, isn’t bad, as it has a nice crunch and a strong bassline from Ellefson, but it won’t make any greatest hits lists.

This isn’t a bad late-career record from Megadeth, and if you’re a gigantic fan and a completest, you probably won’t regret buying the album. I don’t think it’s going to be the cause of any commercial resurrection for the band, and it’s not up to par with recent albums by tourmates Anthrax and Slayer (though it kicks the hell out of the “Lulu” thing …). It’s not terrible, not great. I prefer 2009’s “Endgame” and even 2007’s “United Abominations” over “Th1rt3en,” but that’s if I was forced to choose one of those discs. My excitement for the band started to fade with “Countdown to Extinction,” and I don’t give much of their post-2000 work much playing time anyway. This thing isn’t going to change that for me, but at least they’re still doing competent work and trying to stay true to their roots.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.megadeth.com/home.php

To buy “Th1rt3en,” go here: http://store.roadrunnerrecords.com/MEGADETH-Th1rt3en

For more on the label, go here: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/

It may seem a little early to be making concert plans for next year, but it’s not every day that Negură Bunget graces us with their presence. Actually, if you hail from North America, you’ve never had a chance to see the band in your homeland because this upcoming jaunt will be the band’s first ever.

The woodsy Romanian black metal band, that recently underwent some pretty major lineup changes, (with only drummer Negru remaining) have managed to maintain their greatness despite a whole bunch of new faces now carrying the banner. Sol Faur and Hupogrammos have gone onto to form a new band Dordeduh, leaving Negru to move on with his restocked band. Negură Bunget released a new album “Vîrstele Pămîntului” last year (it’s wonderfully rustic and jagged), and before that, they offered up “Măiestrit,” a reworked version of their 2000 cult classic album “Măiastru Sfetnic” that went over pretty big with their audience. It’s about as must-have as the source material.

The tour, which will culminate in an appearance at the 10^th annual Maryland Deathfest, will include Eclipse Eternal, Wolven Ancestry and The Way of Purity. Sponsorship comes from Metal Maniacs (I write for them), Terrorizer, BWBK, Archaic North and Beyond the Dark Horizon. It’s an incredibly stellar lineup anyway, and it’s made even more special by this rare treat of seeing Negură Bunget in the flesh.

In a release sent by the band’s North American publicist, Negru offered these thoughts about the monumental tour: “We are happy and proud to finally announce our North American tour plans for 2012. It has been a long time since we’ve been planning this, and we’ll do our best to create out of this an overwhelming spiritual experience both for us and the audience attending the concerts.”

Below are the dates/venues confirmed so far:

4/21/2012 – Montreal, Quebec @ The Katacombs – http://www.coopkatacombes.com
4/22/2012 – Quebec City, Quebec @ L’Agitee – http://www.agitee.org
4/24/2012 – Montcon, New Brunswick @ The Manhattan – http://www.themanhattanbarandgrill.com
4/27/2012 – Toronto, Ontario @ Hard Luck Bar – http://www.hardluckbar.com
4/28/2012 – Detroit, Michigan @ The Token Lounge – http://www.thetokenlounge.com
4/29/2012 – Chicago, Illinois @ Reggie’s Rock Club – http://www.reggieslive.com
5/2/2012 – Calgary, Alberta @ The Distillery – http://www.distillerypub.com
5/4/2012 – Kamloops, British Columbia @ Pogue Mahones Pub – http://www.poguemahonekamloops.com
5/6/2012 – Seattle, Washington @ El Corazon – http://www.elcorazonseattle.com
5/19/2012 – San Antonio, Texas @ Bonds 007 Rock Bar – http://www.myspace.com/sa_bonds007
5/24/2012 – Charlotte, North Carolina @ Tremont Music Hall – http://www.tremontmusichall.com
5/25/2012 – Baltimore, Maryland @ Maryland Deathfest – www.supremebrutality.com

For more on the band, go here: http://www.negurabunget.com/

To buy the band’s albums/merch, go here: http://shop.prophecy.de/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=negura+bunget&x=0&y=0

For more on the label, go here: http://www.prophecy.cd/

You have to love a band that compels you to drink beer and grill large quantities of meat the moment you hear their music. I feel like a broken record saying that about Savannah, Ga., sludgers Black Tusk because I’m pretty sure I write that every time I discuss this filthy, fun trio, but whatever. It fits the band and it’s 100 percent true.

The band has had a fairly prolific past couple of years. They released their barn-burning, drop-dead awesome Relapse debut “Taste the Sin” in the spring of 2010, and that record always will claim a soft spot in my heart because the week leading up to my wedding, every time I had to jump in the car and go take care of something for the event, that album went with me. Awwww. This year, Relapse re-released the band’s kick-ass 2008 first full-length “Passage Through Purgatory,” originally released by Hyperrealist. Now here we are, with 2011 nearing its conclusion – hey wait, it’s Oct. 21, 2011. Isn’t the world supposed to end today? – and we have a brand new platter from the band that maintains the heavy, muddy goodness we’ve come to expect, but they also pour in some more Southern rock influence than ever before. Got your bottle opener ready?

“Set the Dial” doesn’t quite have the intensity of their first two records, but what they lack in savagery this time around, they make up for in laid-back, simmering thrashing. It’s a bit more easy-going of a record, but don’t mistake that as meaning the album isn’t heavy. It is, and it’s still pretty nasty, and the fellows sound tighter and looser than on any of their previous work. This album, recorded with legendary producer Jack Endino (Soundgarden, High on Fire), sounds like it was crafted with a plan in mind that wasn’t set to stone and could be changed on a dime if that’s where their whims took them. That gives these songs unpredictability and energy not found on their other albums, and while it doesn’t always lead to better songs, it does keep things fresh and exciting. There also is a notable distribution of vocal duties among all members – guitarist Andrew Fidler, bassist Jonathan Athon, drummer James May – and while they always took turns yowling/shrieking out the messages, there’s pretty much equality now. It’s pretty cool to hear them constantly trade verses.

“Brewing the Storm” kicks off the album, and it’s an unassuming, get-your-ass-ready instrumental that leads you into “Bring Me Darkness,” where the dudes yowl “666” and promise destruction and unfathomable horror. It’s funny, though, that any time the band drops the man-downstairs references, they always come off as tongue-in-cheek and never sinister. It makes you smirk more than anything, and I don’t mean in a mocking way. It’s fun, damn it. “Ender of All” has a stoner thrash vibe and really rocks your bones at times, but it goes on about a minute too long for my taste. I think it would work better shorter, but what do I know? “Mass Devotion” has that swampy, Southern rock edge, where the shrieked vocals are balanced by dark, mean speaking behind them; “Carved in Stone” bleeds doom and ill intent, especially when you hear the barked line, “Time is up/There’ll be nowhere to run!”; “Resister” begins with picked acoustics and sounds like it’ll ease you on gently, but it’s a ploy, and eventually their mucky thrashing mauls you; and “Growing Horns” has power metal-style lead lines, almost as if they’re channeling early Iron Maiden, and it’s one of those most backyard-bash-ready killers that’ll get the authorities called to your home after it incites rowdiness.

All in all, I really dig “Set the Dial” and surely will give this plenty of playing time in the future, but I’d rank it a step below “Taste the Sin.” It’s more of a grower, where you have to take some time to feel out the rough edges and get used to the humid environment. It also should be noted John Dyer Baizley (of Baroness fame) handled the artwork again, and as expected, it’s a pretty cool looking piece. It actually reminds me a bit of a Japanese album cover, the way the whole thing is set up. So I’m off to the grocery store for some brews, because now I’m thirsty from having written this. I blame you, Black Tusk.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/BlackTusk

To buy “Set the Dial,” go here: http://www.relapse.com/search_result.php?search_by=all&q=black+tusk&x=0&y=0

For more on the label, go here: http://www.relapse.com/

Not sure how the winds feels where you happen to be right now, but it’s getting awfully chilly here. Leaves are dying and slowly journeying to the ground, heavier clothing is necessary and the spookiest of times are upon us. That, quite obviously, makes it a fantastic time for more doom metal since it fits the season so perfectly.

So on this dark, cold afternoon, we shall discuss the debut full-length from Virginia stoner/doom lurkers Windhand. Before this debut record, all they had on their resume since forming in 2008 was a two-track demo that includes versions of two of the cuts found on this self-titled opus, but for a band with such a small canon of material, they show enormous potential. And yeah, as Halloween closes in, their music will make a splendid soundtrack to an evening of passing out candy to miserable children and then retiring to the living room to have some treats (probably of the liquid variety) of your own.

There are a ton of comparison points that can be made to Windhand’s music: Electric Wizard, Blood Ceremony, the Devil’s Blood, Black Sabbath. The music is packed with riffy goodness and pulverizing, slow-driven madness, and Dorthia Cottrell’s vocals standing as a major selling point for the band. She’s deep, gritty and soulful, and her voice is impossible not to ignore. You’ll find yourself heeding to her call at every moment. One complaint I have production-wise, though, is that Cottrell’s voice is kind of buried in the mix. I think this record would sound even better if her singing got to rise above the murk and take the leading role it deserves, but perhaps this is all by design. I’ll have to hear this on vinyl because maybe Cottrell’s voice will pop out a little more in the format.

The opening cut on the album is called “Black Candles,” and really, that’s a fixture that would be awfully fitting while hearing this monstrous, blood-caked album. The song begins and ends with a thunderstorm (in fact, the first three cuts on the album are awash in heavy rain when they start), and there’s doomy riff upon doomy riff, as well as some scintillating, bluesy guitar soloing. “Libusen” has mainly the same structure, as the band drubs you with a calculating, suffocating pace, as Cottrell warns, “You better run.” “Heap Wolves” finds Cottrell digging into a grittier, yet still soaring register, while guitarists Garrett Morris and Asechiah Bogdan set fire to everything. The two closing epics change the pace a little bit, as “Summon the Moon” manages to grind the tempo to an even slower, more violent pace, and closer “Winter Sun” lets the band simmer in drone and noise haze, chewier riffing, and even some harsh growls come the song’s conclusion. It’s an awesome ending to this album and makes me wonder if their next record will have more of these elements packed into it. I kind of hope so.

Windhand, if they maintain this intensity, could be part of the next wave of awesome doom-infested bands alongside Cough, The Wounded Kings, Aldebaran and Anhedonist, just to throw out some examples. They have an awesome grasp on how to make doom both glorious and sooty, their guitar work is a thrill to hear, and Cottrell is an up-and-coming singer who I think will be a household name for metal fans within a few years. This first album is strong document that, even with some flaws, appears to indicate this band has enormous upside and will be a horrific force well into the future.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Windhand/115952841804204?ref=ts

To buy the album, go here (pre-order is not up yet, but Forcefield said it will be soon): http://www.forcefieldrecords.org/store/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.forcefieldrecords.org/site/

I’m sure you’ve heard about this Metallica/Lou Reed collaboration “Lulu.” It’s not getting a very good reaction. Of course, Rolling Stone hasn’t chimed in yet to give their obligatory 5 stars to the thing, but any week now, right?

I’ve long, long, long since lost interest in Metallica, but because they’re one of those bands I grew up loving middle school through high school, I always give each of their albums a shot. Hey, you never know, right? Lou Reed historically just rubbed me wrong. He seems awfully pretentious, and his music post-Velvet Underground never turned me on. A friend of mine met him at one of his art exhibits and said he could not have been less friendly. There also was that Spin magazine interview last year. And I don’t want to use the “I just don’t get it” excuse when it comes to his music, because I listen to some pretty weird stuff, so I’ve always been surprised Reed never appealed to me.

The two full songs I’ve heard from “Lulu” make me wonder what either party – Reed or Metallica – were thinking when going full-bore into this project. And again, I’ve only heard two tracks the whole way through, so that’s not enough for me to judge an entire piece of work. But I think I know how I’m going to feel. I’ll certainly listen to the entire thing once I have a copy, because it’s only fair, but my hopes are way low.

Now there’s a way to get an idea of what you’re going to endure when hearing this whole thing. . I’ve even imbedded the player for you in case you want to hear these nuggets for yourself. It sounds really bad. This-is-a-joke bad. Reed’s typical poet-style reading of his lyrics are here, but they just sound like they were pulled from another record and placed over some of Metallica’s least-inspired work. But since most people are trashing this, I’ll try to pull out a few sort-of positives from these 30-second clips.  I’m OK with the music to “Mistress Dread” because it’s kind of heavy and fast, but the vocals ruin it. Musically, “Cheat on Me” is a little ambient and droning for Metallica, but I haven’t heard the vocals over it, and “Dragon” has some of the same daring musical ideas, but Reed sounds ridiculous. “Iced Honey” appears as if it would sound better without Metallica behind it, which is sad; “Junior Dad” is interesting until the metal kicks in; and closer “Little Dog” sounds like it’s going to let Metallica get all country and blues on us. “The View,” the song most distributed to fans so far, is really eh.  Sludgy but dull Metallica riffing, and it gets pretty bad once James Hetfield kicks in with his singing.

These clips could be terribly misleading as to where the rest of these songs go, so even when I could find some positives, the rest of the package could undo that. I have a feeling a lot of the meathead contingent of Metallica’s audience will think this is the artsiest thing they ever heard, but I have a bad hunch it’ll be the ugliest, rustiest, most damaging nail in Metallica’s coffin. We’ll have to wait a couple more weeks to see if that’s the case.

For more on the project, go here: http://www.loureedmetallica.com/

PS: I just realized you can listen to “Lulu” in its entirety at the site above. Did this just appear on their site recently? Anyway, if you want to hear the whole thing, go there. I’ll do that this week.

 

Reading press releases is both very informative and kind of pointless. Yes, said pieces are chock-full of information about the band and album you’re about to tackle, but so often, these write-ups are overly inflated with added details about how the record is “the best thing the band has ever done” or that it’s a “career-defining moment” or that the band is “stronger than ever before.”

What do you expect a press release to say? “This album isn’t as good as the band’s last one, but sometimes you hit a bump in the road. Just give them a break.” That doesn’t make for good copy to move albums or drum up interest, and I get why overly inflating a record’s quality is done. People get paid to excite people and get them to drop money on music, which is something consumers are doing less and less these days. But that’s not to suggest all press releases are misleading and all PR folks are shysters.  I deal with a ton of great people every day that have a hand in helping me bring to you what I do here at Meat Mead Metal, and I appreciate them a ton. But I still read every press release with some skepticism, even if those good PR folks aren’t to blame for my cynicism.

I read the details about Chicago instrumental (um, mostly … more on that later) group Russian Circles’ new record “Empros,” a piece of work that’s described as the band’s heaviest to date. Immediately the red flags went up (and the release is from a good source … so it was just a reaction to words) and I wondered if that description really was accurate. I’ve been into the band’s music ever since their 2006 debut full-length “Enter,” and I’ve generally always enjoyed their work (especially 2008’s “Station”). While I wouldn’t shy away from calling some of their music heavy, I always found them a band stuck somewhere between post-metal and indie rock, as generic a term as both may be. Russian Circles weren’t typically a band that would bloody your knuckles and instead made music that made your mind soar.

But from my initial exposure to “Empros,” I realized those words “heaviest album to date” not only were pretty spot on but that maybe it didn’t go far enough. This is a convulsive, quaking, thrashing album that most likely will leave you devastated. The trio of guitarist Mike Sullivan, bassist Brian Cook and drummer Dave Tumcrantz immediately go for the jugular with this record, and if they did have a vocalist, chances are that persons approach would be hellish screams and guttural shouts because those would be the only ways to match the musical intensity. People into Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor probably still will find plenty to like on this record, but devotees to ISIS, Neurosis and Pelican likely will enjoy this tumultuous ride as well. It’s just that explosive.

The records rips open with “309,” a track full of noise squall, massive ambiance and lead guitar lines that soar across the landscape, and it paves the way for “Mladek,” a song the band named after their beloved European tour driver, that sometimes reaches for some of The Edge’s dramatic guitar histrionics (from the era before his band got embarrassing) and eventually melts into metallic chugging and stabbing. “Schipol” (shoegazey and calm before fading into noise), “Atackla” (delicate and shimmery at start, bloodthirsty and mangling toward the end) and “Batu” (spacey, staticy and doomy, sort of like labelmates Boris) all are bridged together to give off the sense of what the listener would experience if they saw the band live, and it’s a nice, seamless approach. Closer “Praise Be Man” is the total curveball, as the song rises out of gentle acoustics into psychedelic rock noise, and it’s the first Russian Circles track with vocals. The song definitely stands apart from the rest of the album, and it sounds like a nod to producer Brandon Curtis and his former band The Secret Machines. It’s not a misstep at all, as one may fear from an all-instrumental band, and it’s a really imaginative different track that could hint at some of their future journeys.

So yeah, it’s the heaviest thing Russian Circles have done yet, and it’s a really strong album. It might even unseat “Station” as my favorite record in this band’s canon, but it’ll take a little bit of time before I know that for sure. There’s very little time to relax on “Empros,” and if you planned to use this album as a means of relaxation, think again. Instead, you might find yourself climbing the walls, annoying the neighbors, and finding out just how much volume your home stereo system can handle.

For more on the band, go here: http://russiancirclesband.com/

To buy “Empros,” go here: http://russiancircles.tumblr.com/merch

For more on the label, go here: http://sargenthouse.com/

It’s been a particularly terrible week that, weirdly, began for me on Saturday. I’m not going to go into detail because you’re not here to hear me complain about my life, and honestly, who gives a shit? There are enough people on the Internet complaining about their lives, so why add to that confusing chorus?

But it’s important that I at least point out the particularly crappy, anxiety-filled last few days because it leads me to what I’m going to discuss today. The new effort by San Francisco’s progressive metal band Giant Squid called “Cenotes” hit me at the right time. I needed to hear it right about now. I’ve had the promo for a few weeks now, so it’s not like I just got into the thing, but it really was essential listening as I sifted through the garbage that is life this week. Odd how those things work. It’s not that when hearing the record that, thematically, it struck me like it was speaking exactly to what I was experiencing. Well, it did a bit, but it was more that the music on this gorgeous, emotional 35-minute release (sort of like a pumped-up EP) sort of led me to the water, urged me to lie down and let me float with the current. It was a release and a distraction.

Giant Squid, the brainchild of Aaron Gregory, always tackles aquatic life but in a way that it relates back to our existence as humans. The band’s last record “The Ichthyologist” is a concept album they originally released on their own (Fact: I bought mine through the band, and my copy is labeled with number 0001) before having the amazing epic picked up by Translation Loss for a wider audience. The protagonist finds himself separated from humanity and lost at sea, forced to deal with new, unfamiliar surroundings and coming to grips with this new world in which he must survive. Obviously that can be translated into so many aspects and paths in our everyday lives, whether that’s in an urban, suburban, country or aquatic setting. “Cenotes” takes those adventures of the Ichthyologist character even further, and like their last album, Giant Squid let you live along with this person.

Cellist Jackie Perez Gratz (who is a brand-new mom!) is the other star of this band and this album. Her strings bob and weave through these five tracks, sometimes taking on gentle, calm tones, other times blowing up like a storm that’s threatening any ship in its wake. Her cello play surges and excites and adds that extra element of drama that really elevates these songs. Of course, we’ve grown used to that from her work with other bands such as Grayceon, Amber Asylum, and Neurosis. When she adds her vocals, be it by herself or harmonizing alongside Gregory, the songs get an enhanced heart and soul.

Like the songs on “The Ichthyologist,” each track title is accompanied by genus/specie names that, unless you’re intimately familiar with aquatic life, likely will require some research. I totally had to do that, I freely admit, but I learned a lot of things I didn’t know and kind of got an idea of how they relate to their respective songs. At least I hope I did. But deeper meanings aside, the music on here is riveting, sometimes pulverizingly sludgy, often beautiful, and always water-colored. Opener “Tongue Stones” has a bit of a Middle Eastern feel melodically, with Gregory eventually unleashing his guttural growls, and it hits a high point with the lines, “The world as we know it will flow past their teeth/When new shores lap up at our highest peaks.” That’s a pretty deep sentiment, whether you weigh it against the story or your own journey. “Mating Scars” is mystical at points, with a darker pall over it, and at times the intricacies whirlpool around you; “Snakehead” begins feeling more like a folk song before it evolves into Rush-like progressive interplay and eventually some punk thunder; “Figura Serpentinata” is the shortest cut here, but it makes its mark in its tiny window, with Perez Gratz providing soulful, reflective vocals; and the closing title cut is destructive and delicate, with both voices contributing to the tale. It feels like both a natural ending to the record but new beginning of sorts for the character. And I have to say I gave pause at the line, “Each set of waves smarter than the last/Climbing tides never recede.” There are so many different ways to dissect that line of thought, and you can look at it both positively (life continues to regenerate and offer greater possibilities) and negatively (there’s no way to overcome what’s next, which could be greater and stronger than you). I go back and forth depending on my mood.

I just realized the themes may have had a greater effect on me than I originally thought. That’s why I like to write so extensively on records because no matter how much you prepare, sometimes at the end of the album and/or review, things dawn on you that didn’t see until that moment. I was swept away by the music, which Giant Squid always manage to do to me, and “Cenotes” provided a nice escape at a time that hasn’t been so soothing. No matter what, life continues, and those waves will crash onto your shore over and over whether you want them to or you don’t. Absorbing this record gave me time to reflect upon that, and no matter how things turn out, life will require adjustment and adaptation. It’s nice to know a band such as Giant Squid always can be depended on to move me musically and spiritually.

By the way, a vinyl edition and comic book will be released next year. We’ll let you know more when it’s available.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/giantsquidband

To buy “Cenotes,” go here: http://translationloss.com/store.htm

Or here: http://giantsquidlives.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://translationloss.com/store.htm

The end of the week comes with some loose ends that need a tying. Basically, there are a few things to get out there that I’ve been trying to squeeze into the schedule, and now seems as good a time as any to make sure these things don’t go unwritten.

Yes, it’s time for another record roundup, and as usual, we’re keeping this thing as diverse as we can so that, no matter what you prefer, you might find something of interest here. We have an upcoming release from a death metal supergroup that is sure to be one of the autumn’s most talked-about records, an offering from a Bay Area black metal band who keep things as DIY as possible, and one from a melodic death band whose new work sounds suspiciously like another group’s output. But not in a bad way. So let’s get to it.

Greg Mackintosh is used to making music that can be utterly moody and depressing in his role as guitar player for legendary Paradise Lost. But the material he drums up on Vallenfyre’s debut record “A Fragile King” makes much of his other band’s work seem practically jovial in comparison. Mackintosh, who handles guitar and vocals here, was moved to create this music following the death of his father after a bout with prostate cancer. In fact, he was on tour with Paradise Lost in support of their “Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us” album when his father took a turn for the worse. Mackintosh credits his dad with helping him discover and appreciate more extreme forms of metal. I mean, who else out there has a father who would willingly listen to and enjoy the Bolt Thrower Peel Sessions? So in his dad’s honor, he went back to his roots for “A Fragile King.”

The music is deadly and reeks of old school crust and death metal, something we don’t get in quality amounts anymore. But Mackintosh knows how it’s done because he grew up with and absorbed these sounds, and with him is a solid backing of other musicians who also understand such things, including guitarist Hamish Glencross (My Dying Bride), bassist Scoot (Doom, Extinction of Mankind),  drummer Adrian Erlandsson (At the Gates, Paradise Lost), and guitarist Mully. Yes, three guitar players, so you can imagine this is riff heavy and outright destructive. But if you listen closely to the vocals – the growls are quite decipherable – you can hear Mackintosh’s sadness and mourning. It’s heart-wrenching.

The crusher “All Will Suffer” opens this beast with a doomy, downtrodden feel that just revels in filth, and that takes us to thrashy and punchy “Desecration” and the D-beat infested “Ravenous,” that just rips you right open. “A Thousand Martyrs” deals both in classic doom and death metal, as Mackintosh confesses all the world’s martyrs “will never know the grief that I feel,” which certainly is without doubt, and he pays his father further homage on “Seeds” when he offers, “Farewell, my king, you must rest your head.” He also revisits both his dad’s suffering and the dread that weighs on his mind on closer “The Grim Irony,” where he recalls being “condemned to a living hell.” It’s a relentless and crazy-awesome record that’s had me overly excited ever since I heard it the first time. And I hope Mackintosh and his family have found their peace. No doubt his father would be proud of this special piece of work, a death metal album with a true heart and soul, as bruised as both may be.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.vallenfyre.co.uk/

To buy “A Fragile King,” go here: http://www.centurymedia.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.centurymedia.com/

I’ve had Embers’ new double-album “Shadows” at my disposal for a few months now, and I even did a lot of listening to this impressive piece of black metal when sitting on the shore on Rehoboth Beach while reading about kings and knights opening each other’s throats. Um, this isn’t really beach music, though. Not sure why it worked for me in that setting. Anyway, while this is black metal at heart, it also had some punk and thrash trappings, and while I hate to label this as symphonic considering where most people’s heads will go, there are those elements here. But the rush of keys and strings are not overwhelming and don’t claim this record as their own. They simply play their own roles and serve to enhance these songs.

Embers formed when bassist/vocalist Kelly Nelson and guitarist Steve DeCaprio’s old punk outfit Lesser of the Two dissolved in 2002. They planted the seeds along with drummer Jerry Buchanan, and eventually brought in guitarist Timm Kennedy to round out the lineup, and from there they set out on a journey of independent creation, tirelessly bringing their music to both local and international audiences, and keeping a keen eye toward arresting visual design that you can see on their album covers and T shirts. They’re one of those bands that, as much as they may want to remain on their own, I don’t see how they can’t be on some kind of major indie metal label. They have the chops, and they certainly have a very marketable sound that doesn’t betray any underground aesthetics.

Their new record is one you’ll need to set aside some time to digest fully. There are 10 cuts here, and other than the droning intro and outro pieces, demand a good chunk of your time. Putting together essentially eight epic cuts is a challenge for most bands, but Embers do it pretty well. It helps that there isn’t an extreme metal sound they won’t allow into the mix as long as it works for them, and that’s what keeps this album so fresh and exhilarating. “Eucharist” balances itself on surging black metal melodies, creaky growls (it’s a guy/girl vocal deal, and you’ll have fun deciding who’s more brutal) and some doom, and every moment is worth it; “Forsaken” is rich in synth orchestration, and moments remind me a lot of Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” (an album I love); “Shadows” and “Plague” are both gnarly and nasty, letting in almost no beauty; “Malediction” has an awesome, vintage Bay Area thrash feel and is my favorite on the collection; while “Awakening,” that features viola player Nine, who has since passed away, is an incredible track that continually robs and restores your breath. If you’re into Emperor, Slayer, more recent Celtic Frost and the early days of Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir before both turned into what they are today, you’ll love “Shadows.”

For more on the band, go here: http://embers-music.com/

To buy “Shadows,” go here: http://embers.bandcamp.com/album/shadows

Finnish melodic death juggernauts Insomnium have been around for quite some time now, and “One for Sorrow” is their first for metal powerhouse Century Media. But even with the impressive, well-worn back catalog that they have, never did I think they’d make a turn toward sounding like their nation’s version of Amon Amarth. I don’t really think it was on purpose or anything, as their last effort “Across the Dark” (out on Candlelight) didn’t really sound that way, so it would be a weird time for the band to start aping such as well-known outfit. My guess is this is just the way things happened. And really, this isn’t a bad record, and any fan of this band probably will be all about this.

No one can accuse this band of skimping on the melody, because they have so much here, they almost could have saved some of it for other bands who fail to achieve such pleasurable stickiness. The guitar work surges, the drums bash you in the chest, and the vocals are made for live sing-alongs, that is if you don’t mind screaming most of the words. And most people probably won’t mind. This is a full-bodied, well-produced piece of work that even sounds majestic on the fairly low-fi digital version of the album that’s at my disposal. If you give this thing a run on your home stereo system, you’ll probably be able to see colors gushing from your speakers.

Following intro cut “Inertia,” the band blasts into “Meandering Through Shadows,” a punishing song that also has some power metal in its DNA and probably would sound great emanating from the hull of a ship. The big chorus should inspire much fist pumping, be it in your living room or some music hall. “Song of the Blackest Bird” is fiery for the most part but also has moments of delicacy; “Only One Who Waits” is chunky and blistering (the double kick drums are massive) but ends in a rush of whirring keys; “Every Hour Wounds” also has a great hook for the chorus, one that makes me make that Amon Amarth comparison; and “Lay the Ghost to Rest,” while a tad too long, offers a change-up and a chance to breathe a little bit. Honestly, melodic death metal really isn’t my thing (well, AA aside), but Insomnium always offer up something tasty and worthwhile, with “One for Sorrow” is no exception. Now let me go get my plastic sword.

By the way, I have reviews of both Vallenfyre and Insomnium in the upcoming Issue 62 of Outburn, due by the end of the year. The write-ups are totally different than what you read above and address some things I don’t above, so please check them out.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.insomnium.net/

To buy “One for Sorrow,” go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/Search/insomnium

For more on the label, go here: http://www.centurymedia.com/

Improvement is something that probably should be expected from a band moving from first to second album. The band most likely has done a ton of touring, got a better idea of how the group works, and has a stronger grasp of its sound and what direction is right for them. So when the sophomore album drops, one should expect a sharper, more effective band.

Yet, that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes that first record is all a band really has in its arsenal, and it’s all downhill from there. That’s why it’s nice when a group such as Harpoon returns with a new record that not only indicates a group of musicians who have matured and improved but also completely blows away their first piece of work. They’ve done just that on “Deception Among Birds,” set for release on Seventh Rule, and this new platter should open up a whole lot of eyes and ears.

The band’s first effort “Double Gnarly/Triple Suicide” wasn’t a bad record by any means. The record title is pretty bad, but the music is convulsive and violent.  But it didn’t really stand out much from the rest of the grindy, power-mad crowd. There seemed to be ideas floating around in the mire, but they didn’t take time to, or perhaps they didn’t care to, flesh out their creations. So what we were left with was a 23-minute assault that, while fun enough, didn’t leave much of a lasting impression. That is not the case with “Deception Among Birds,” a noisier, nastier album that’s about twice as long as their debut and stays with you much longer once you’re done listening. It’s an impressive sophomore strike.

There are eight tracks on this flaming beast of a record, and the band branches out some of their ideas, going beyond simply playing fast and aggressive songs. Not that these are cupcakes, because they are not. But there’s a flush of newfound melody, some stabs into post-rock and black metal, and a greater sense of atmosphere that, in turn, gives the listener more room to move and explore. It just sounds great from front to back, and the guitar playing from Dean Costello is practically worth the price of admission alone. He also handles the drum programming that sounds a hell of a lot better than it did on their debut, when it was really obvious a human wasn’t behind the kit. Toney Vast-Binders remain savage and throat exploding, but his cleaner work gets time here and works to the music’s advantage. Bassist D.J. Barraca rollicks and rumbles freely, adding a nice deep texture beneath all of this storming.

The record opens with a hardcore-minded explosion called “To the Tall Trees” that also calls to mind doom and mud, and that leads to “Prequel to a Lifetime of Disappointment,” that has some of the aforementioned post-rock stylings but also remembers to kick your ass. Both “Dreadnought” and “Phlegm” have deep markings of black metal guitar openness, the former eventually embracing more melody and some of Vast-Binder’s most impressive vocal work, the latter taking on dizzying, hypnotic tones that eventually thrash you into a punk rock frenzy. “Troglodite’s Delight” has an old Mastodon feel to it, and considering the Atlanta band is busy exploring outer space stoner rock, perhaps Harpoon can take their old throne. The closing title cut has some of the most ambitious and exploratory work on the entire disc, but they also settle into a frosty metallic storm that reminds you not to get comfortable. “The Cut of His Jib” and “Shit Wizard” are as close to what the band pumped out on their debut, only they’re richer, more memorable cuts.

Each time I listen to “Deception Among Birds,” I can’t believe this is the same Harpoon that didn’t leave an indelible impression on me with their debut. In fact, I never really considered this band would become a major player and a huge force in my regular music rotation, but this record really floored me. It’s another album that keeps impinging on my review schedule because I want to keep listening to this instead of other things that eventually I need to review. But that’s a good thing. I am wholly impressed by how good this band got in such a short time, and I’m excited to hear where this Chicago trio goes next. I know that next time around, a new record from Harpoon will be on my most-anticipated list.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/harpoonchicago

To buy “Deception Among Birds,” go here: http://www.seventhrule.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.seventhrule.com/

Despite how influential they were to some bands and how highly many in the metal underground thought of them, Noothgrush seemed doomed to become a footnote in history. The band only was active from 1994 through their dissolution in 2001, and while they produced plenty of split and mini-efforts, they’re only credited with one true full-length.

Some recent developments look to be changing Noothgrush’s profile, and the sun certainly hasn’t set on the band’s career. The group reunited this year for a series of live performances, including playing the Power of the Riff fest, and Southern Lord has a special new CD/vinyl release to capitalize on the resurgence of Noothgrush called “Live for Nothing.” The colleection is made up of from two live radio performances – a 1996 set from KZSU and a 1999 show from KFJC – and for anyone new to the band’s sludgy fury, or who need another excellent piece to add to their collection, this is an incredible compilation.

The double-CD/vinyl set runs about an hour and 20 minutes, and the set gives you a great view into what made the band so special and why their music moved the people who followed them. Any listeners new to Noothgrush who have an affinity for better-known doom/sludge pioneers such as Burning Witch, Winter, Buzzov*en, Sleep and Eyehategod likely won’t know what hit them and probably will wonder where this band’s been all their lives. It’s understandable to feel that, and if you feel the need to start collecting this Noothgrush’s music, I’ll give you some links at the end of the story to help with your treasure hunt. It’s a monetary and artistic venture in which you’ll definitely want to invest.

The band’s lyrical content deals with misanthropy and self-loathing, as one might expect from this genre, but they even tossed in a little “Star Wars” fun just to keep things interesting. After all, the first set kicks off with the song “Sith,” and eventually they hit back with “Jundland Wastes”  “Dianoga,” and short, simple “Evazan,” where vocalist/bassist Gary Niederhoff howls, “He doesn’t like you/Sorry/I don’t like you either.” Anyone instantly familiar with that line surely won’t be able to stop from smirking. I know I couldn’t help it. It’s one of those kooky elements to an otherwise heavy-as-hell unit that realized there needs to be some levity in the pit of hell that is their music. All of those tracks, by the way, are found on the first disc/record, the ’96 set.

The first set is eight cuts of low-end, bruising and drubbing doom that’s downright suffocating at times. Neiderhoff’s grumble and growl sounds both depressed and aggravated, drummer Chiyo Nukaga keeps a calculated, punishing pace, and guitarist Russ Kent (otherwise known as Mr. Hate) keeps things sweltering and morbidly dark, occasionally leaning in with some banshee-like vocals of his own. By the way, Kent’s also currently plying his trade with Oakland dark punk band Alaric, with whom we visited yesterday.  Other than the Star Wars-related cuts from the KZSU performance, we also get “Erode the Person,” which Neiderhoff jokingly calls the band’s “other short song” (it’s the longest cut on either disc/record at 8:56); the NOLA-style groove of “Derrell’s Porn Song”; and a completely bad-ass cover of the Celtic Frost classic “Procreation of the Wicked” that this band makes sound even more ominous.

The KFJC portion practically is an entirely different run of cuts, with “Derrell’s Porno Song” as the only bit of overlap, and it’s the more apocalyptic of the two sets. “Oil Removed” kicks off the festivities with a healthy serving of muddy riffs and slow-drubbing pain, and that leads into the ultra-lumbering “Made Uncomfortable By Others’ Pain”; the sludgy, groove-laced “Starvation”; the swampy drowning of “Useless,” where Neiderhoff and Kent do a nice bit of vocal tradeoff, each trying to convince you he’s more off balance than the other guy; “Hatred for Species,” a song that basically describes itself; and closer “Friends of Mine,” that is born into feedback and noisy power, hangs in the air for a while, then beats you to death slowly. It’s a fitting end for such an expansive, brutal collection.

If you like what you hear on “Live for Nothing” and want to find more stuff from Noothgrush, it isn’t the easiest feat to accomplish. But you do have some options listed below in their “Erode the Person” vinyl, recently released by Blind Date Records that stands as what the band hoped to release originally under this title, along with original artwork. If you live in the U.S., you can get it through Parasitic Records. If you want something really early from the band, Fuck Yoga Records is releasing a self-titled CD/record that culls songs the band recorded shortly after their formation and only were available on cassette up to the point. There also is a special T-shirt you can grab with it that looks pretty impressive. Southern Lord also offers a T with the vinyl package that will not be sold separately.

“Live for Nothing” is a comprehensive history lesson and a trip back to doom/sludge’s formative years, and clearly this band should be far more well-known and embraced than it is. But it’s better that their glory comes late than never, and their reformation, along with this excellent release, should act as a launching point for one of the best, yet unheralded, doom bands of all time.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.myspace.com/noothgrush

To buy “Live for Nothing,” go here: http://www.southernlord.com/store.php

For more on the label, go here: http://www.southernlord.com/

To buy their re-released 1994 self-titled effort, go here: http://www.hellmilitia.com/

To buy “Erode the Person,” go here: http://www.blinddaterecords.de/index.php

If you live in the U.S., but “Erode” here: http://parasiticrecords.blogspot.com/