I had a completely different idea for today’s content than what I’m going to end up offering today, but I have good reason or that.

About 2 p.m, yesterday, I fell off my porch and broke my ankle. Awesome. The several-hour trip to the ER for an X-ray and cast got in the way of preparing today’s content, and by the time I got home, all I felt like doing was lying on the couch, Vicodin and Motrin coursing through my veins. Listening to the new Helms Alee helped as well, and we’ll look at that record next week.

So I’m not totally mentally capable enough to whip together a comprehensive album review or anything else, so instead, I’ll just give you some news bits that I came across recently that hopefully will be of some interest to you, if you haven’t already seen these elsewhere. This weekend, I plan to dig into the new Barghest album (it’s coming out on vinyl by way of always trusty Gilead Media), as well as the upcoming Today Is the Day and Toxic Holocaust,  both of which finally were released to the media in the past 24 hours. Tremendous! That’ll make being couch-ridden that much more tolerable.

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Finish death/doom merchants Hooded Menace are the latest signing to Relapse, who are bolstering the hell out of their roster with some really interesting signings. In fact, another new one makes up our next little news bit. The band’s last full-length (and second overall) was last year’s “Never Cross the Dead,” an excellent piece of skullduggery that came out on Profound Lore (a label that seems perfect for them) and really appeared to elevate their profile among metal audiences. Now with Relapse behind them, they should get even bigger. They followed “Never Cross” with some split efforts alongside the likes of Ilsa, Asphyx and Japanese maulers Coffins (yet another band we’ll be looking at soon), and they even completely revamped their roster, with Lasse Pyykko the only man left standing from the lineup. The band has promised to keep up with mini and split releases on smaller labels to complement their work with Relapse, and we wait with baited breath for their next graveyard opus.

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

To buy “Never Cross the Dead,” go here: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com//index.php?option=com_ezcatalog&task=detail&id=586&Itemid=99999999

To buy a Hooded Menace T-shirt, go here: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com//index.php?option=com_ezcatalog&task=viewcategory&id=5&Itemid=99999999&limit=10&limitstart=10

For Relapse’s site, go here:  http://relapse.com/

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While we’re on Relapse, they also scooped up Olympia, Wash., doom throwback quintet Christian Mistress, who recently released their kick-ass “Agony & Opium” EP last year on 20 Buck Spin. Their hard rock-led, smoky metal sounds like it was transported straight from the 1970s, almost like an evil spawn of Heart before they went all pop in the ’80s. Yet there’s something about them that sounds very fresh and current, almost like they’re on the cusp of something they’ll lead into the future alongside likewise acts such as Jex Thoth and Witch Mountain, who we discussed earlier this week. Christine Davis’ vocals are amazing and powerful, ensuring she is in total control of what’s going on when she’s standing in front of you. The band has made a reputation on their strong live shows, and they even got the stamp of approval from Darkthrone’s Fenriz, metal’s go-to source for what bands deserve your hard-earned cash. Christian Mistress are getting ready to record their new album with Tim Green, who has worked with The Melvins, Monotonix, and The Fucking Champs, and when we know more about a release date, we’ll have that here. Until then, if you haven’t heard “Agony & Opium” just yet, by all means, go out of your way to find it.

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

To buy “Agony & Opium,” go here: http://www.20buckspin.com/site/releases/spin038-christian-mistress-agony-opium-lp-cd/

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Transcendental black metal band Liturgy seem to be pissing off as many people as they’re exciting with their music. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, frontman and guitarist, has ruffled more than a few feathers with his piece “Transcendental Black Metal: A Vision of Apocalyptic Humanism,” and recently Woe’s Chris Grigg took time to respond to that and some of Hunt-Hendrix’s other comments on the genre in general, which you can find below.

For Grigg’s reaction to Hunt-Hendrix, go here: http://community2.metalreview.com/blogs/editorials/archive/2011/06/08/an-open-letter-to-liturgy-s-hunter-hunt-hendrix.aspx

For Hunt-Hendrix’s response to Grigg, go here: http://stereogum.com/734432/visions-of-american-black-metal-liturgys-hunter-hunt-hendrix-responds/franchises/haunting-the-chapel/

I also saw a review recently that decided Liturgy can’t possibly be termed black metal because they lack the proper image. Um… What? Can’t possibly disagree any more with that assertion. No matter how you feel about the band, you can’t deny they have sparked controversy and discussion. Isn’t that a good thing? For all the bands that come down the pike, how many draw such reaction and emotion? Very few. So I’d argue these guys are doing things just right, and the debate is very healthy. The band is going on tour for their new record “Aesthetica,” which we reviewed recently, and their tour dates appear at the end of this piece.

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

To buy “Aesthetica,” go here: http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/?id=105276

To grab their new T-shirt, go here: http://www.thrilljockey.com./catalog/merch.html?id=105401

To see the band live, go to one of these places below:

July 5   Washington, DC — DC9 w/Dope Body

July 6   Pittsburgh, PA –Brillobox w/Dope Body

July 7   Cleveland, OH — Grog Shop w/Dopy Body

July 8   Bloomington, IN — Russian Recording

July 9   Chicago, IL — West Fest

July 9   Chicago, IL — Empty Bottle w/Dope Body

July 10  St. Louis, MO — Firebird w/Dope Body

July 11  Kansas City, MO — Record Bar w/Dope Body

July 12  Denver, CO — Hi Dive

July 13  Salt Lake City, UT — Kilby Court

July 15  Anacortes, WA — What The Heck Fest

July 16  Seattle, WA — El Corazon

July 17  Olympia, WA — Northern

July 18  Portland, OR — Branx

July 20  San Francisco, CA — Bottom of the Hill

July 22  Santa Barbara, CA –Muddy Waters

July 23  Los Angeles, CA — The Echo

July 24  Costa Mesa, CA — Detroit Bar

July 25  San Diego, CA — Casbah

July 26  Scottsdale, AZ — The Rogue Bar

July 28  Austin, TX — Red 7

July 29  Baton Rouge, LA — Spanish Moon

July 30  Birmingham, AL — Bottletree

July 31  Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade

Aug. 1   Wilmington, NC — The Soapbox

Aug. 2   Baltimore, MD — Floristree

Aug. 3   Philadelphia, PA — Kung Fu Necktie

The flood of reaction to the new Morbid Angel album has fascinated and amused me. I don’t remember such a groundswell of feedback for a record since Metallica’s much-maligned “St. Anger,” and people still pick apart that album to this day.

All of the excitement and build up for Morbid Angel’s comeback, that includes David Vincent’s return to fronting the band for the first time since 1995’s “Domination,” has been building for years ever since rumors started to circulate that a new album would be in the works. It then took on a mini-“Chinese Democracy” life of its own when every year would begin with hope that this would be the time for a new Morbid Angel effort, and then 12 months would pass with nothing from the band. Some wondered if we’d ever get that album in our hands. Now many people are regretting the thing saw the light of day.

“Illud Divinum Insanus,” in case you have not heard, hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire. The reaction has been lukewarm to outright vicious, and despite a few metal musicians coming out in support of the new disc, there has been a tidal wave of backlash, especially on the Internet. You know those Internet types. This actually built my anticipation and interest in hearing this album, not only because I’m a longtime Morbid Angel fan, but because I assumed the negative hype was overblow. I did have a promo – like many in the media – a while back, but it was a beeped version designed to prevent the songs leaking online. I get that approach from their label Season of Mist, and I have no problem with their decision, but I can’t listen to beeped promos. They’re really, really distracting, and all those chirps and buzzes inserted into the thing take away from the music. So I waited for my clean version the day the record was released and went from there. That was a few weeks ago, and while I really wanted to say something on record about it sooner, I couldn’t. I tried not to have a kneejerk reaction to this, because no doubt, this album is different, and I didn’t want to just sound like another angry voice in the crowd. So I listened, digested, revisited, reflected … and ultimately rejected.

Guitar god Trey Azagthoth has made it no secret he has an affinity for techno and industrial sounds, and hey, nothing wrong with that. I’ve done my share of Combichrist, Ministry, and KMFDM pieces in the past, and while it isn’t my preferred style of music, I get the appeal and have enjoyed some of the albums. And I’m not going to suggest these sounds have no place in Morbid Angel’s music because it isn’t my band and it isn’t my choice. I kind of admire their decision to go in a different direction and add some elements most probably didn’t expect from their music. Many bands are not willing to take such risks, and had Morbid Angel – Vincent and Azagthoth are joined by guitarist Destructhor, and drummer Tim Yeung, who capably filled in for injured Pete Sandoval — just gone into the studio and simply made a full death metal assault their hearts were not into, funny enough the reaction probably would have been the opposite. But would the band be happy with it? We always kind of forget, as listeners, that we don’t get final say. I don’t think we deserve it either, though I’m sure some will disagree with me on that. From everything I’ve read from the band, this is the direction they wanted and they made the record they felt they needed to create. I respect that. I just don’t like the results. At all.

It’s not like the whole record is an entirely new approach. In fact, the bulk of “Illud” is straight-up death metal. We’ll get to that in a minute. Following a cheesy opening “Omni Potens” that really isn’t unlike “Intro” on their classic “Blessed Are the Sick,” we’re immediately met with “Too Extreme!” a song title that sounds like it was dreamt up by an old man trying to sound hungry and mean. And while these guys are vets, they’re by no means old. So what the hell, man? The song sounds like something that would be vomited by one of those here-today-gone-later-today, second-stage Ozzfest bands from 1997, and all the rapid-fire beats take away from Yeung’s drumming. It’s B-level Ministry and White Zombie. At one point, Vincent howls, “We’ve come to spread our insane,” and every time I hear that, I guffaw. “Destructos vs. The Earth/Attack,” a song that aforementioned Combichrist have remixed for the B side of the “Nevermore” single, is just ridiculous. We’re met with more techno babble, weird mechanical vocals, and these stupid alien-like effects on the chorus. Closer “Profundis-Mea Culpa” is pretty bad too, with repetitive chants and an overall sense of malaise, but that doesn’t hold a candle to “Radikult,” a flat-out awful song that sounds like Marilyn Manson at his very worst, with an embarrassingly bad line that goes, and sing along with me if you’d like, “Kill a cop cop, kill a cop, kill a kill a kill a cop.” What the shit? This type of thing is better off left to bands who are cranking out shitty rebellious metal in their basements in high school. It’s juvenile garbage. A top-of-the-line, legendary band coming up with something like this is unthinkable. This is worse than any song on “St. Anger” by a wide margin. Morbid Angel will have to try really, really hard to top this horribleness.

By the way, if you want to see a fan-made video for the Combichrist remix of “Destructos,” I mean, if you really, really feel like you need to torture yourself, here it is:

 

As for the other songs, the ones that are more in line with the band’s classic material, they’re just OK. None of it is particularly moving, none of it really makes an impression, and beyond “Nevermore” and “Existo Vulgore,” I don’t really need to hear any of this again. Some of the cuts, such as “I Am Morbid” and “10 More Dead” wouldn’t even have been good B-side tracks. They’re lifeless and ordinary. Maybe they should have shelved the idea of any straight-up death metal songs at all, because these ones that are here are not representative of this band’s best work.

This is a failed experiment, quite simply. It’s also too bad that, after all the anticipation, excitement and long waiting, this is what we’re given. Again, I don’t blame the band for wanting to try something different. It’s certainly their right, and if they felt that creating a classic-style Morbid Angel record was not something that interested them, they did the right thing not doing that. But this is not a fitting alternative. It’s just a bad piece of work, one that would make me a little red-faced if I were to listen to this in my car or in public. It’s meat-head music, almost perfect for those Hot Topic kids who don’t know any better yet. Morbid Angel are better than that. They were the cream of the death metal crop. Now they’re veterans who want to take a new path but don’t seem to know how to travel that road without humiliating themselves.

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

To buy “Illud Divinum Insanus,” go here: http://e-shop.season-of-mist.com/en/bands/morbid-angel/1362

There’s an association with psychedelic metal and doom and mind-altering substances, and I’m not going to suggest that link isn’t accurate. It surely is. But is that combination necessary to get the most out of this kind of music? I don’t think it is, and I offer myself as evidence.

I’ve long enjoyed psychedelic-laced music –clichéd as it may be, I love Pink Floyd and want to flick a hipster in the face every time Pitchfork writes some snooty piece about how that band’s more successful material somehow isn’t up to snuff because, mew mew mew, people like it – Led Zeppelin’s trippier material, and even Black Sabbath’s mind-melting stuff, and I’ve never been in any altered state when listening to these bands (I don’t consider drunkenness an altered stare … I don’t think I need to spell this out). But they still take me on a bizarre journey and I’m always able to let my thoughts wander even if the most dangerous substance in my blood in the time may be a few beers. But to each his or her own, and I certainly can see why something a little extra can enhance the experience.

Of course, as time’s gone on, psychedelic elements and classic doom have worked their way into the thinking of more modern bands, from black metal battle masters Nachtmystium, whose last few records have been out there in spots, and they’ve turned into one of that genre’s most interesting, unpredictable bands as a result; High on Fire, who grew out of Sleep, who are one of the leaders of this sound; Gigan, a death metal group currently recording for Willowtip whose new disc, as mentioned yesterday, we’ll examine soon; revived veterans Pentagram, who are enjoying their most fruitful period and are now with Metal Blade; and The Gates of Slumber, a band that really would have been at home in the early 1980s and have made some fantastic albums in their time together. These are just a few examples off the top of my head, of course, and I’m sure you have your own favorites, but it’s clear that these sounds that grew to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s are alive and smoking today.

Three bands with new music on the shelves (or ready for download, for those who aren’t aware physical albums still are available for purchase) also are helping contribute to this scene, and the three acts could not be more different from each other sonically. They’re quite easy to tell apart, if you stream their songs (or song, in one band’s case) into each other, and they all approach psychedelic rock and metal and doom in totally different ways. One could even argue these bands – Witch Mountain, Ancestors, The Atomic Bitchwax — are not purely heavy metal, and I could see that argument, but certainly there should be some crossover appeal.

Finally, we long-suffering have been rewarded with the much-awaited new album “South of Salem” from Witch Mountain, a band that’s been around for quite some time but has very little as far as back catalog to show for their effort. In fact, they haven’t put out a record since 2001’s “Come the Mountain,” and in the decade since that effort saw the light of day, much has changed, most notably within the band. The biggest alteration is the addition of siren Uta Plotkin as their new singer, and she makes all the difference in the world. Her vocals are soulful, alluring and sexy, and her approach reminds me a lot of Jex Thoth (her own band, Sabbath Assembly) and Christine Davis of Christian Mistress. Not to take away from the band’s swaggering, gritty, doom rock and metal, which is excellent, but Plotkin is the show, hands down. It’s impossible not to hang onto her every word, and her performance is charged with emotion, intensity and a smokiness that keeps you coming back for another helping.

The music itself is sludgy, drubbing and melodic, as guitarist Rob Wrong (he formerly handled lead vocals), drummer Nate Carson, and bassist David Hoopaugh have that knack for thrashing sequences that force you to nod your head slowly along with what they’re doing, even if you happen to be doing it without realizing your actions. The first two cuts “Wing of the Lord” and “Plastic Cage” are like one piece, as the first bleeds into the second, and though the stretch is about 15 minutes long, it never seems that way. If you’re like me, you’ll be mesmerized and will just follow along, no questions asked. “South Sugar” has more of a rock groove to it, with some scintillating soloing slicing a path in the middle; while epic, 12:29-long “Hare’s Stare” is a slow melter, where Plotkin sounds more sinister and daring, and the thunder displayed by the other three often sounds menacing and near classic Sabbath terrain. It’s a fantastic comeback album by a band that never truly got to make its mark. My guess is “South of Salem” will change all that, and don’t be surprised if Plotkin becomes a star as a result.

For more on Witch Mountain, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Witch-Mountain/103657189692474

To buy “South of Salem” (available on vinyl or digitally), go here:  http://witchmountain.bandcamp.com/releases

Referring back to Pink Floyd, and most notably their post-Syd Barrett era, it didn’t take me too long to get the hang of the new Ancestors EP “Invisible White.” I’ve been following this band ever since their first album “Neptune With Fire” and have kept them in fairly regular listening rotation since then. Their last effort, 2009’s “Of Sound Mind,” marked their debut with Tee Pee and showed a band clearly in a state of evolution. While they maintained some of the gruff and muscle of their debut, they seemed to be heading into a spacier, warmer direction, which is proved true on this new mini-release.

“Invisible White” is a pretty gentle listen, to be honest with you. Ancestors always had their breezier, dreamier times, but they always balanced that out with some harsher vocals and melodies, a few punches to the gut when you least expected it. The title track, a 7:22 opus, is a solemn, emotional dose of space rock balladry that never loses its focus and always brings you back to its centerpiece chorus. No hyperbole intended, it’s one of my favorite songs of the year in any genre. I imagine it might be too non-metal for some, in fact this whole EP may be, but that’s too bad if that’s the case. You’re missing out a lovely, moving effort here. “Dust” has some folk and prog elements to it, and it crescendos late in the song, with piano drops and synth clouds setting in; and the closer “Epilogue” isn’t much different from the other two philosophically, but at 14 minutes, it lets the band branch out, noodle with an aim in mind, and reach into the cosmos for inspiration. I really dig this EP, and for me, it’s only heightening my anticipation for the band’s next full-length. I’m curious to know what you folks think about this record.

For more on Ancestors, go here: http://ancestorsmusic.com/

To buy “Invisible White,” go here: http://teepee.hasawebstore.com/preorderancestorsinvisiblewhiteep

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

For some reason, I never really got on board with The Atomic Bitchwax. And I’m not even sure why that is. They always had a cool sound, and the dudes in the band certainly have paid their fair share of dues, not just here but with bands such as Godspeed, Raging Slab, Monster Magnet and Core, and hell, their name alone should have been enough to get me amped up for them. Pretty bad reason to like a band, huh? Anyway, for whatever reason, they just never stuck with me, and I attribute this solely to me and not anything they did wrong. I’m sure the Bitchwax dudes will be breathing a sigh of relief after learning that. But with their new record out, this was a time to go back and maybe make amends.

Actually, if there was a record to indoctrinate me (or anyone) into the Atomic Bitchwax world this one isn’t the one. “The Local Fuzz” is unlike anything this band has done before because, instead of putting together a record of 10-12 tracks like they’d ordinarily do, this time they put together one song, held together by “no less than 50 back-to-back riffs” on a piece that lasts 42:18. It is, in a word, ridiculous. But in a good way. It may not be that ideal piece to draw new fans or remind those who fell off the wagon why they really need to be here, but damn if it isn’t a wild ride. It’s almost breath-taking the way it blasts from riff to riff, often making me think of Foghat, old Rush, Fireball Ministry and Kyuss among others. Oh, and there are no vocals. It just a fire-breathing, blast of an effort that will work great if you plan to party in the driveway, keg at your side, with you hoping to put something into the stereo you won’t have to touch for a while. Not your standard TAB, but it’s awesome summer weekend music.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.theatomicbitchwax.com/The_Atomic_Bitchwax/TAB.html

To buy “The Local Fuzz,” go here: http://teepee.hasawebstore.com/theatomicbitchwax/artist/39143

OK, so you don’t need mind-altering substances to enjoy these albums, and I stand by that assertion. But you may need some to get you through the record we’ll discuss tomorrow.

The weekend was a blur. Just one of those stretches of days where they go so fast, and all of a sudden, it’s Monday again. I do recall finally getting my hands on a copy of Boris’ “Amplifier Worship” and listening to it in my car on the side of the road while waiting for my wife to return. I mean, you have to listen to that album on a high volume. It’s only right. Sadly, the families and other jerks walking past my car as I waited for my wife to return from the doctor’s office didn’t appreciate it.

And today also was a blur, what with responsibilities and deadlines for magazine work, going to therapy, and completing things around the house. I did receive my Tombs CD/T shirt dealie and the latest Death reissue (“Human,” of course) in my mailbox, which was nice. Funny, but I got my “your order is shipped” e-mail about two hours before the product showed up. That’s fast!

Tomorrow we’ll be back with a nice oversized look at some psyche-flavored, doom-friendly stuff, and it’ll be all over the map. Be sure to come back for that one, because all three records we’ll examine are pretty different from each other, and each band has its own story. One has been around for a while and has an interesting new album, another also has been around for a while but has a curiously small package and a fantastic new singer, and the third is the newest of the bunch, whose new effort differs greatly from the rest of their work. We’ll keep you waiting.

Until then, we’ll revisit some fun from this past weekend. As you know, the first two M’s in the site stand for meat and mead, and we don’t talk about them nearly enough. We’ll start with some refreshing beverages, namely Sam Adams’ Wee Heavy (my beer of the summer of 2011, and it isn’t even summer yet) and Dogfish Head’s Burton Baton, which is on their occasional rarities list of beers (only made three times a year), so it was cool to get my hands on a bottle. Clearly you can see both bottles in this graph, along with a lovely cantaloupe that muscled its way into the photo.

We’ll start with the Burton Baton, a brew that debuted in 2004 and claims to have flavor hints of vanilla, oak, brandied fruit cake, raisins and citrus. I can agree with all of that, but it also has an overwhelming hops presence, so it’ll depend whether that appeals to you when deciding if this beers for you (maybe it’ll make a fine drink to have over Christmas). I didn’t mind it, but I didn’t love it. The hops taste was a little bit too much for me, as I’m not one that tends to like those kinds of beers, and I actually poured out the last sip or two because it got too overbearing. But I know there are tons of hops heads out there who would consider my act of wasting the last few drops sacrilegious, and I understand that. Oh, and keep in mind the ABV is 10 percent, so if you’re a lightweight, beware.

For more on Burton Baton, go here: http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/burton-baton.htm

Sam Adams’ Wee Heavy is part of the brewery’s Imperial series, one I always look forward to because the beers tend to be stronger and tastier. I’d never had this particular beer until Memorial Day weekend when I bought a case on a whim (this is its first year in production), and now I love it. The taste and the effect of the alcohol remind me a lot of Dragon’s Milk, another of my favorites, and it’s a very dark, tasty beverage. Sam Adams basically tried to brew something that was somewhere between Scottish ales and whiskeys, and this is what they came up with. I recommend it highly, though like the Burton Baton, its ABV also is 10 percent, so proceed with caution. It usually takes me about half a bottle to already begin to feel the buzz, so as long as you moderate, it’s a cool way to get the nice loopy effect without having to drink so much beer.

For more on Wee Heavy, go here: http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=991f0583-3b14-43fc-babe-551a5d34ec1a

As for the meal itself, it was BBQ pork roast in the crock pot, one of my favorite meals and one of the easiest to assemble. It’s this easy: Get a boneless pork roast, a can of jellied cranberry (don’t get the chunky kind), a bottle of chili sauce, and a bottle of liquid smoke. That’s it. Mix the cranberry and chili sauce in a bowl until it mixes together pretty thoroughly as a sauce. Add a few dashes of liquid smoke, some salt and pepper if you desire, some garlic power if you must, and then pour over the pork roast, which should already be waiting in your crock pot for this delicious bath. Cook on high for 4.5 hours or 6 hours on low heat. You’ll know it’s done when the meat is tender enough to shred. You can eat this as a sandwich, over rice or potatoes, by itself, in between pancakes, whatever you wish. We had it as is, with a baked potato and corn on the side. The pork is so easy to quick to put together, I didn’t even need to put a record on while preparing the meal.

Later in the night, once the beer set in and my belly was full, I went on to Willowtip’s site and ordered the new Gigan CD and the last Blut Aus Nord, which for some reason I couldn’t quite track down for a reasonable price locally. Try this meal and drink option out for yourself and see if you’re not ordering shit off the Internet yourself by the end of the night.

Brooklyn’s Tombs are massive. Just earthquaking. They’re one of the best metal bands out there right now, and calling them just metal seems to be cutting them short.

Their new record is called “Path of Totality,” and it’s out on Relapse. Below, I’ll paste in some links where you can go to buy this new mammoth. What’s even cooler about just getting the new disc is that Relapse also is including a copy of their last full-length “Winter Hours” (at least I think that offer still stands, but maybe it was only for preorders), as well as a new T, if you prefer. There’s also an offer from Shirts and Destroy that includes a T-shirt that is, um, weird looking? But everyone’s tastes vary, so maybe you’ll dig it. I’ve ordered from S&D before, and their service is excellent (as is Relapse’s, obviously).

My review of “Path of Totality” just went live at Lamboat, and you can find it right here: http://www.lambgoat.com/albums/view.aspx?id=2930&band=Tombs&review=Path%20of%20Totality

For more on Tombs, go here: http://www.facebook.com/TombsBklyn

To buy “Path of Totality” from Relapse, go here: http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=43946

To buy it at Shirts and Destroy, go here: http://www.shirtsanddestroy.com/tombs

Growing up in the 1980s was a little bit scary. I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as other eras (the ’60s come to mind … my parents certainly have told me their share of frightening Cuban Missile Crisis stories), but looking back, it’s not so surprising many of us have ended up in therapy.

It was the height of the Cold War, and it seemed we were inundated daily with stories of the nuclear arms race, rumors of assaults by the Communists on our vital infrastructure (and I grew up in the land of the steel mills, so you can imagine the heightened alert), and bombing drills at school, you know, just in case. I still don’t get how hiding under a desk was going to help. So yeah, it wasn’t easy for a kid who was still in single digits age-wise to filter all of this stuff. Every thunder clap, explosion in the distance, strange-looking aircraft, or ominous cloud put that idea in our heads that maybe this was the end. Every day, we were on edge, just waiting for that moment when we’d be vaporized. Look, this probably sounds blown way out of proportion, but it isn’t easy making sense of these horrific things when you’re not even 10 years old yet. Even after many of these fears died down, these matters stuck with me. It’s hard to shake an era when you think your own fragile existence is threatened daily by the bomb.

This is probably why I instantly fell in love with Voivod. That isn’t the only reason. My eventual left-of-center musical interests probably were showing their initial buds the first time I saw Voivod on “Headbangers Ball” and heard their “Nothingface” album, a collection that helped shape my teenage years. But their likewise paranoia over nuclear war was something with which I identified immediately, and their sci-fi trappings and concept of the Voivod creature helped me escape into a world where the adventure was both fantastical and oddly realistic, and the soundtrack was inescapable. For some reason when I was in college, I fell away from metal for a few years (which is why it took me a long time to catch up on some of the great non-mainstream metal of the early and mid ’90s), but when I rediscovered it again right before the turn of the century, Voivod was one of the bands I instantly knew I had to revisit. And they’ve stayed with me ever since. In fact, two of the highlights of my journalistic career are 2003 interviews with Snake and Jason Newsted (Jasonic to Voivod fans), who played on and released the band’s self-titled comeback album. Newsted seemed hesitant at first, probably because he expected a barrage of Metallica questions, but that changed quickly when I inundated him with eager and, I’d like to think knowledgable, Voivod questions. We talked Voivod for nearly an hour. Snake was a goofy, incredibly friendly dude with much wisdom and jokes to impart.

But sadness struck in 2005 when guitar wizard Denis “Piggy” D’Amour succumbed to cancer, and the band was left in flux. This was a gigantic blow. Piggy never got nearly the accolades he deserved (his work on their self-titled record smokes), and now the band’s very existence was in question. They released two more records (2006’s “Katorz” and 2009’s “Infini,” both really strong, and each containing Piggy on guitar), and despite their murky outlook, hit the road anyway with bassist Jean-Yves “Blacky” Theriault returning to the fold and new guitarist Dan “Chewy” Mongrain joining Belanger and drummer Michel “Away” Langevin. The result of said sojourn is captured on their new live album “Warriors of Ice” (out on Sonic Unyon Metal), and any skepticism over the revamped lineup and their future instantly are dashed away when hearing this excellent 15-track album (captured at Club Soda in Montreal on Dec. 12, 2009). Really, any Voivod fan can find something of value on here because they span their early catalog generously, touching almost entirely on their classic material and popping in a touch of new stuff.

The band sounds excellent. I never imagined how these guys would persevere without Piggy, and we still don’t have a new studio album without him to really tell us, but Chewy represents himself just fine here. He plays Piggy’s parts nearly flawlessly, while also adding a bit of his own style to these songs, and the rest of the band is as firing on all cylinders as well. Snake is something of an enigma. No one is ever going to cite him as one of metal’s best pure singers, but he has a charm and a weirdness that always matched this band’s music perfectly. He’s nasal, sometimes a little off-putting, and many times bizarre, but his bark and moan always captures your attention, and it’s impossible not to smile along with him even as he’s telling some black, horrible tales. His interaction with the crowd here, both in English and French, portrays a guy who feels like he’s just a guy in the room, no better than anyone else and who never feels the need to put himself above the audience. Seeing him interact naturally and jovially with fans at an Ozzfest stop a few years ago proved this is a guy who values his audience and is fulfilled just being able to front the band he loves. This attitude is apparent and refreshing on this disc.

There’s no need to rehash the whole disc here for you. Just know that you’re in for the full gamut of the classic Voivod experience, from their well-known, well-aged songs such as set opener “Voivod” and “Nuclear War” from their 1984 debut “War and Pain” (in fact, the album title “Warriors of Ice” is grabbed from a song from that record); “Tornado” from “Killing Technology”; “The Unknown Knows,” classic Pink Floyd cover “Astronomy Domine” and the title track from “Nothingface”; and “Global Warning” from their last studio effort “Infini.” Obviously, the album is heavily weighted in their earlier era, which will thrill longtime fans, but those who just got into the band with their more recent work certainly will enjoy the ride.

It’s great to hear Voivod so full of life and, most importantly, so vital. This is one of the most important bands in metal history, one of the most influential, and while the Cold War era may have passed, one of the most sobering. While we may not be waiting for the Russians to bomb our mills and power plants anymore, we live in the time of global terrorism, and their paranoia and fear still applies. “Warriors of Ice” is a vital, must-have collection for any Voivod fan, young or old, and it serves as a nice history lesson for all the kids who are dining off the recent thrash revival. This, kids, is how it’s done.

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

And here: http://voivod.net/

To buy “Warriors of Ice,” go here: http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Ice-Voivod/dp/B0051LVYQW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1306764869&sr=8-1

Look, I love Iron Maiden. Totally, completely, almost unconditionally. Almost because I can’t justify the Blaze Bayley era for even a second. Horrible, horrible choice for a lead singer, guys.

Anyway, as much as I love this band and even have grudgingly gone along with them on this progressive, epic metal they’re onto now, and have long celebrated their catalog, even I realize they are the masters of the cash grab. I have an entire section of CDs on my shelf filled with Maiden discs, and maybe only half of those are essential. “Number of the Beast,” “Powerslave,” “Killers,” “Piece of Mind,” “Brave New World” all are records every metal fan should own. For anyone furrowing a brow over “Brave New World,” give it another listen. Great record, one of the best of their catalog, one I listen to pretty regularly to this day (plus Decibel magazine named it the No. 4 metal record of the 2000s). When it came out I thought I dug it simply because Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith had returned to the fold, but no, it’s pretty excellent.

OK, but for all of those albums, there a ton of others I own simply because it says Iron Maiden on the spine: “A Real Live One,” “A Real Dead One,” “Ed Hunter,” “Live at Donnington.” Some others still are not exactly crucial but I at least can see a reason for their existence. “The Essential Iron Maiden” is one in a series that includes a ton of various artists, and if you’re one who doesn’t have the band’s catalog but wants the key songs, this is on OK historical document (sequencing and some of the song choices aside). I have the one that features The Clash and get a lot of mileage out of it. “Somewhere Back in Time – The Best of 1980-1989” is probably useless to classic era fans who have all the albums they culled from to make this, but it came out at a time when Maiden’s profile had risen again and they were taking on U.S. venues playing their classic songs (including that ill-fated Ozzfest stint, where Sharon “The Asshole” Osbourne egged the band, even after they filled headlining slots for her ailing husband how many times). And if any career retro deserves two discs, it was this one! But no. One disc.

This all leads us to the new two-CD collection “From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990-2010,” yet another gathering of period pieces for Maiden, but one I’d argue the world doesn’t really need. Their albums in that period didn’t exactly burn up the sales charts in America (though they did better since their 2000 Dickinson/Smith comeback), though the band remained steady in Europe and other parts of the world, so those folks probably will get even less out of this. But they didn’t really have any hits, per se, and while they released singles and made some videos, they didn’t have the same level of landmark cuts that they did in the 1980s. Best-of is subjective, really. This album feels like a way for the band to grab some money from their loyal fans (admittedly, I bought the damn thing, only because I feel like I need to have every piece of Maiden plastic on the market) and doesn’t feel like a crucial document.

The track listing is a mess. It is all over the map, with disc one opening with “The Wicker Man,” probably their most successful song in the past decade or so, then leading into “Holy Smoke,” from 1990’s terrible “No Prayer for the Dying.” From there, the track list bounces from album to album, with no coherent reason why the disc is put together this way. Disc two opens with “Be Quick or Be Dead,” a song from 1992’s “Fear of the Dark,” a record a little bit better than “Dying.” From there, it’s the same all-over-the-map sequencing, going to “Tailgunner” from “Dying” to “No More Lies” from “Dance of Death,” a record that’s sounds like a retread of “Brave,” to “Coming Home,” from their latest record “The Final Frontier.” Listeners not particularly aware of the band’s last two decades will be hearing a mish-mash of cuts, with no real historical perspective whatsoever. Why not set these tracks chronologically to make the collection make more sense? That way you’d be able to hear the band grow and develop into their middle-age years (personally, certainly not band-wise) and get an idea of the form the band takes now.

Something that amuses me about this collection is the erasing of Bayley from Maiden’s history. The songs that included him on the studio versions are replaced by live takes featuring Dickinson. That’s probably for the better, because Bayley, as noted, was a horrible choice to replace Dicksinson. I’m also morbidly entertained that “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter,” originally a Dickinson solo track for one of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies, is here in its “No Prayer for the Dying” form. No matter who tries this song – whole band, just Bruce – it sucks. Just a terrible, horrible song. Really, really bad and quite awful. They should not be proud of this song.

I want to make clear that the actual music on this collection, for the most part, is good. While it took me a while to adjust to the last two Maiden records and their turn toward much longer, more epic songs, I can listen to those discs and enjoy them. Certainly they’re not up to par with Maiden’s classic material, but for a band that’s been around more than three decades now, they’re notable achievements. I just don’t think we needed two damn CDs (or three vinyl picture discs!) in order to mark it. One might have been tough because the songs are so much longer, but did we even need this project at all? Is it only here because it was deemed necessary to follow up “Somewhere Back in Time”? If you’re a completest like I am, certainly you’ll have to buy this for catalog reasons (I got it for $9.99, so I’m not really sweating it). If you’re not a diehard, download the good tracks from their first two ’90s works (legally, of course), buy “Brave New World,” and proceed a bit cautiously with everything else that followed. This collection maybe can help you navigate that process, but you can save some cash by finding a friend who owns the band’s collection and having that person make you a mix. It is the ’10s after all. As far as it being something every metal fan must have, it just simply isn’t that.

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

To buy “From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990-2010,” go here: http://www.ironmaiden.com/fromfeartoeternity/

I’m sure I’m revealing no secrets when I say there is a hell of a lot of sludge metal out there. There’s so much of it that when I try to think of bands off the top of my head (other than obvious veterans), I can’t.

While I’m sure that makes no sense to most of you, it does to me. The bands kind of cake together in my head, and I have a really difficult time pulling out names to cite as reference points because they all seem practically the same to me. Case in point, a friend of mine asked me recently to cite some good sludge bands so she could go find some new stuff to buy. My instant reaction in my brain was, “Uhhhh….” I need to work in this. It’s easy to rattle off older bands and the subgenre’s pioneers, but as far as newer acts, it’s a fruitless cause.

This leads us to today’s subject matter, North Carolina’s Sourvein, and their new full-length effort “Black Fangs,” out now on Candlelight, a label not exactly known for a roster full of this kind of stuff. So that makes Sourvein stand out on among Candlelight’s other acts because they don’t sound like anyone else on the label’s lineup at the moment. But that isn’t the only reason they’re a powerful signing for Candlelight. Sourvein’s also ridiculously good and awfully heavy, and they are one of the sludge bands that always stands out in my head.

Now, it’s not like Sourvein are a bunch of newcomers. They’re not. They released their first material way back in 1996 on a split effort with Buzzov*en, a band from which they took part of the sludge torch, and they didn’t register their first full-length until 2000’s “Salvation,” which featured in the lineup guitarist Liz Buckingham, who went on to become an integral part of doom metal crushers Electric Wizard. She also was on their only other complete album (until now), 2002’s “Will to Mangle,” and from that point, the band put out a slew of EPs and split efforts over the next nine years. “Imperial Bastard,” Sourvein’s 2008 EP, was the first released by Candlelight, and now we get “Black Fangs,” the third record of the band’s long career, one that features a totally different lineup than their earlier work, with only guitarist/vocalist Troy “T-Roy” Medlin left standing as an original member. That’s a pretty rough history I just supplied there, but it gives you a bit of an idea of where this band has been.

So again, it’s not like Sourvein are fresh-faced rookies, but they haven’t really had the profound effect on metal that they probably should have. Their music’s always been solid and crushing, and their new effort “Black Fangs” is no different. But for every reference to Eyehategod or Crowbar or The Melvins or Buzzov*en, there don’t seem to be as many name drops for Sourvein as there should be. Perhaps this new 10-track effort will serve to change all of that and establish these guys once and for all. At the very least, it should put them alongside currently operating bands such as Weedeater, Hail! Hornet, and Black Tusk as go-to acts keeping the sludge spirit alive and acting as the new standard-bearers.

The albums kicks off with a muddy, feedback-rich start on “Fangs,” as they ease into an evil, Black Sabbath-style groove, that leads right into the stomping, slow-driving pounding of “Society’s Blood.” “Holy Transfusion” lets their metallic fire-breathing tendencies rush to the surface, as a maddening gallop erupts, and T-Roy howls maniacally at you; “Nomadic” leans on a bluesy groove, and the vocals somehow find a way to become more vicious; and “Gemini” grows out of a thick bass intro and evolves with strong lead riffing and psychological carnage. As good as these songs are, Sourvein really shine when they go a bit more epic – for them, anyway. Six-minute “Night Eyes” feels like a million doom-encrusted hammers dropping onto your chest at once, as it slowly, calculatingly unfurls its intent, while closer “Nocturnal/Negative Phaze” manages to inject some psychedelic tripping and spacey gaze into an otherwise mangling piece.

There’s just so much sinewy stuff here in which to sink your teeth, and their drubbing pace will keep you nodding your head at will with their thrashy melodies. This is just a damn good record that strengthens an already steady Sourvein catalog. Also, as noted, this record should help them capture a larger audience since this style of music has become so damn prevalent as of late, so next time you go see the Sourvein live, don’t be surprised if you find yourself packed a little more snugly than you were in the past. These guys certainly deserve it.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.myspace.com/sourvein13

To buy “Black Fangs,” go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1000&osCsid=926a5819f42fc7fffe328cdef575b297

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

If you want to check the band live, and you should, here are their upcoming tour dates:

July 6: Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA w/ Jucifer
July 7: Heirloom Arts – Danbury, CT w/ Jucifer
July 8: St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
July 9: Popeye’s – Peekskill, NY
July 10: Big Jar – Rochester, NY
July 11: Sidebar – Baltimore, MD
July 12: Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH w/ Nachtmystium
July 13: Mac’s – Lansing, MI w/ Nachtmystium
July 14: 31st St Pub – Pittsburgh, PA
July 15: Ravari Room – Columbus, OH
July 16: Volrath – Indianapolis, IN
July 17: Pyramid – Grand Rapids, MI
July 18: Frank’s Power Plant – Milwaukee, WI
July 19: The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL w/ Nachtmystium
July 20: Fubar – St. Louis, MO
July 21: TBA
July 22: The Hideaway – Johnson City, TN
July 23: Ground Zero – Spartanburg, SC

I always thought it would be cool to ride on a spaceship. Not the Space Shuttle, but one of those old-style, 1960s models of spaceships from black and white movies, most of which got eviscerated on “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

If ever I did get that chance, I’d want some fitting music to go along with me, and unless I was watching a supernova or asteroid collisions, brutal death metal or blasphemous black metal really wouldn’t be a good choice. I’d want something that would let my imagination soar along with the stars, where I could feel in the element of passing by alien stars and worlds and wondering what they may contain. Maybe something like the dreamy haze of Nadja or even the doom drone of Sunn 0))). Sure, there are metal elements involved with both of those bands, no doubt, but there’s so much more going on than just that. You can read and think listening to those bands, and while that may not excite someone who’s looking to get face-planted in a pit, for the rest of us there’s something to this music that touches the metal realm that can be an excellent backdrop to trying to enlighten ourselves.

Two other bands fit that bill that aren’t really metal bands but do have some associations musically and spiritually. One of them is even signed to a label that’s known for championing grindcore and death metal, and their inclusion is another example of open-mindedness as a whole. The other, who we’ll discuss first, is not on a metal label at all, but they’re housed somewhere equally as liberally thinking where the band is pretty much right at home.

Barn Owl is a member of the Thrill Jockey roster, and as we know from the past, that label also claims Liturgy in its ranks. There’s a band that’s ruffled some feathers lately, huh? Good. That’s what metal’s supposed to do. But Barn Owl are entirely different than Liturgy and pretty much every one else in the metal medium. On their new EP “Shadowland,” something of a bridge between last year’s strong “Ancestral Star” and this fall’s “Lost in the Glare,” the instrumental duo of Jon Porras (synth, piano, guitar) and Evan Caminiti (guitar, synth, vocals when required, though you won’t find any here) slips into that cosmic weightlessness and sonic adventure with the opening cut “Void and Devotion.” It has a dark and somber feel, almost like a space opera funeral, and it eventually bleeds out, making way for the title cut. That track has some simple guitar jangles and a slightly dizzy melody, leading toward finale “Infinite Reach,” where the squall rises and volume threatens to bubble over, only to subside and level off into key blips. Again, not metal by sound necessarily, but anyone into drone and doom surely can find some worth on this brief but effective EP.

For more on Barn Owl, go here: http://www.electrictotem.com/

To buy “Shadowland,” go here: http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/index.html?id=105310

This takes us to Zombi, whose new album “Escape Velocity” has been on the shelves for a few weeks now and likely will be remembered as one of Relapse’s most unique records of the year. That kind of happens every time this band releases an album. Those who are familiar with the band’s sci-fi, B-movie-style soundtrack-like records should be right at home here, because it’s not terribly different from what they’ve done in the past. Yet, it does distinguish itself from their last full-length, 2009’s “Spirit Animal” and stands on its own from the rest of the catalog. I know the last two sentences sound contradictory. What I mean is this band has a unique sound from which they haven’t strayed too far, yet they always find a way to make a new statement with each album.

The Pittsburgh duo – Steve Moore (bass, synth) and Anthony Paterra (drums) – has toured with some very metal bands such as ISIS and Daughters and didn’t seem out of place at all. Their new record also would be ideal for that deep-space sojourn, probably because it sounds creatively like they’re alongside you. The plinking, vintage keys and laser gun simmering on the opening title track gets you there right away, as does “Shrunken Heads,” which has a really sticky, dancey personality that sounds like the start of a new subgenre I shall dub moon dance music; the whirring, machine-like epic “DE3,” that I’d imagine would make great ring entrance music for a Japanese wrestler; and “Time of Trouble,” which feels awfully eerie when it opens but eventually settles into a deliberate drum groove and a babbling melody that dribbles out with electronic blinking. It’s a really cool sounding album, one I prefer over their last effort by a wide margin (and I like “Animal Spirits”). I imagine I’ll revisit this one quite often.

For more on Zombi, go here: http://www.zombi.us/

To buy “Escape Velocity,” go here: http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=42897

Both Barn Owl and Zombi require that you exit your comfort zone if you’re strictly a metal-only person. There isn’t anything wrong with relying on a metallic collection only, but if you haven’t ventured beyond that realm before, these two bands might be good choices for some chance-taking. Plus, there’s a nice bit of crossover for metal fans into the aforementioned sci-fi, as well as horror and psychological dramas. If you’re one of those who like these types of films and shows, this music also may appeal to you because it might remind you of the soundtracks you’re used to hearing. It might even compel you to expand that rigid record collection or maybe even mull a trip into the cosmos.

Lineup changes, a bloated subgenre, and time have done nothing to diminish the vicious tech-death assault of Origin. They somehow keep figuring out a way to get more ridiculous, more effective and more dynamic, and their fifth record “Entity” is only going to contribute to all of this madness.

This is the band’s first record for Nuclear Blast and their first since longtime frontman James Lee, who had been with the band since 2001, fled the fold. Jason Keyser (formerly of Skinless) has since joined the band and will be the guy standing out front live, but on this record, guitarist Paul Ryan and bassist Mike Flores handle the vocal work, and quite capably at that. That’s all well and good, right, but as strong as the vocals are on “Entity,” that’s not the reason people are going to flock to this record. The mind-blowing musicianship and power tool-equivalent effectiveness is what has won Origin their accolades, and there is no shortage of brilliant carnage on this album.

Ryan remains a total musical force, with him registering a million and a half notes and stunning soloing and riffing that should frighten most people, especially those who claim the same instrument of choice. The man is not human. He just can’t be. As previously stated many times, I am not a guitar player so I don’t approach this with any level of actual knowledge, but just listening to what he does here and on other Origin records baffles and intimidates me. The other thing I like about his work is he doesn’t just show off, and really, would anyone argue if he did? He does have a knack for setting up thrashy, tasty bits that make you want to pound on something, such as during “Saliga,” a near-seven-minute cut that isn’t just noodling and wizardry. He remembers that the music also should be violent in a primal way, and he and the band achieve that here. Drummer John Longstreth also has a hand (well, two hands) in that as well, as his playing contributes to the punishment (complemented, of course, by Flores). Longstreth’s work, too, is to behold, from his double-kick rumbling to his near-blast smashing to his torrid pace-setting. In fact, I listened to this record a few times during my daily walks, and I notice I’m trying hopelessly to walk in pace with his work. As you can imagine, my walks are faster and more aggressive when I have “Entity” blasting over my headphones. My legs also are kind of sore, something that I’m sure would amuse Longstreth, who can’t be comfortable after a night behind the kit.

Something I should admit is that I’m not a giant fan of technical death metal, mostly because it often feels so antiseptic and soulless. Again, that may be because I don’t play and can’t appreciate the musicianship on the level of someone who does, but often I’m left cold. I feel like the expression comes more from one wanting to wow with prowess rather than heart. Not that I can’t note the music as being strong, but often these aren’t albums to which I return very often. Origin is one of the bands that breaks that mold for me. Their work always make me feel something, and usually they cause my adrenaline to surge. “Entity” is no exception, and one of the things I really like about it is its concise 36-minute running time. It’s perfect. Their songs are more compact, they throw a ton of things at you in a small window of time, they don’t waste time with long compositions for their own sake, and as a result, they make effective records. It this record was 50 minutes or 60 minutes, I’m not sure it would be as enjoyable or powerful. Luckily, that’s not something we have to worry about. Shit just blasts by, and it does demand repeated listens for you to keep things straight, but I surely haven’t minded doing that. That’s led me to find the juicy stuff, from “Fornever,” that sounds like a classical piece sped up to warp speed and made slightly demonic, to math metal blast “Committed,” with comically delivered high-pitched guitar and equally bizarre gurgly vocals, to punchier “Purgatory” that seems aimed at the thrash crowd, to mix-of-everything closer “Consequence of Solution,” that runs over seven minutes but really feels about half as long. That’s the sign of a strong epic song.

Origin’s powerful catalog and their intelligence help keep this Topeka, Kansas, band ahead of the tech-death heap. As stated, there have been tons of new bands trying this thing ever since Origin emerged with their 1998 mini-release “A Coming Into Existence” and their 2000 self-titled full-length debut, and there’s a reason this band never loses its grip: They’re just better than everyone else. “Entity” is another example of why Origin is admired and respected, and no matter what happens to this band, from lineup changes to label switches, they never lose their focus and fire. As long as that continues, and there’s no reason to think it won’t, Origin will remain the tech-death heavyweight champions of the world.

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

To buy “Entity,” go here”: http://store.nuclearblastusa.com/artist/origin/11490

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