Four album update

Greetings and hails, this is a four part post.  Great stuff on here.  Let's not dilly dally.

Drudkh...posted here before.  This is their new one and I think it's their best effort.  I love the bass on the album and I love the guitars.  It has a post metal/atmospheric feel to it that the other albums just don't possess in my opinion.  Give it a spin and listen to it before it even drops.  Seriously, one of my favorite albums this year, if not my favorite.  Right up there with the new Nachtmystium.

Drudkh - Handful of Stars (2010)

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Alright, I know there's some pissed off music out there, but this...this is where we draw the line of downright sadistically evil music.  I don't think it gets more evil than this.  Production aside, this album has some crucial riffs and pissed off vocals.  Portal are amazingly evil looking live, not to mention creepy.  I never felt anything as bleak, hopeless and evil as them when I saw them back at MDF2010.

Portal - Outre (2007)

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Here's some industrial black metal for you.  This band does it absolutely perfect. As untimely as their breakup was, this band, V:28 was able to produce this amazing album.  The intro to the first song is just amazingly done, and I love this dude's vocals.  RIP V:28.  You're missed.

V:28 - SoulSaviour (2005)

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Finally, a request.  Kudos to a messageboard buddy for this one.  I completely forgot about how destructive this Pigsty album is.  If you liked the one I posted earlier, this one will have you smashing baby skulls in no time.  Here's more from these cooky Czech bastards.

Pigsty - Living Dead Stars EP (2007)

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Non Metal updates

Alright, so I know I'm supposed to be posting heavy and amazing metal albums, but let's a take a break and go a bit more easy on your ears.  This is about GOOD music.  I know good is an interpretation and opinion and everyone's different, and the elitist in me wants to say, my tastes > your tastes, but hey, too each his own.  I take requests and I've not really been in a metal mood lately...more like an Immolation and Hall&Oates mood.  Whatever...anyways here are three amazing albums that I don't hear talked about enough or I think went under the radars.

First we'll introduce Portugal. The Man on to the blog.  This is my favorite release by these Alaskan indie/folk band.  Before you write them off, they are heavily influenced by the Beatles.  It's good stuff, and I'm not a huge Beatles fan.  Very crafty and catchy song writing.  Great use of organs and other instruments not normally found in rock.  They get called Garage Rock Revival, or whatever.  It's great stuff, whatever you want to classify it as.  I just call it awesome.  Some of you may find this extremely familiar.  That's because the band formed from the remains of Anatomy of a Ghost.  Go ahead and download it.  I listened to this too many times.  It's a phenomenal album.

Portugal. The Man - Church Mouth (2007)

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Next up we have some amazing British progressive rock.  If you're a fan of Opeth, you'll probably recognize the vocalist/guitarist, Steve Wilson.  This dude writes heavy songs in Porcupine Tree, and one of the heaviest and most depressing song I've ever heard is on this album (Heart Attack by the Lay By).  I cannot express how great this album is.  Definitely in my top 20 of greatest albums ever.  I know it's fairly recent, but still, it's stuck with me.  I throw this on from time to time.  I love his guitar playing and that song Trains is definitely a sing-along song.  Check it, check it.

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (2002)

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Finally we have a band I don't think has received enough attention.  I'm a big fan of psychedelic rock, and these guys are just trippy as fuck.  I've tried talking about them so much to my friends, but when I open my mouth about music, people just tend to tune it out.  Sorry, music is important to me, and this album is just great.  I loved it upon listening to the first song.  Just check it out.  It's a great 2009 release from these Californians.  And yes, Silent Hill fans, that does sort of look like a pyramid head on the album cover.

Sleepy Sun - Embrace (2009)

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I hate to beg, but please leave me some feedback and let me know what you've downloaded.  I'd like to hear your opinions and suggestions.  Feel free to leave hate too, whatever.  Enjoy.

Cold, bleak, frostbitten, and black metal hearts unite.

GET YOUR CORPSE PAINT READY!!  Let's switch it up and post some black metal.  First things first, let me just say that not all black metal has shitty lo-fi production and is unintelligible songs written about Satan.  I don't care much for that type of black metal.  I like folk influenced, pagan, atmospheric black metal, preferably...but who says you don't need Satan in metal?  This being said let's throw these bad boys up here.

First, topping the black metal list is a band from France.  They only released one full length in their brief existence.  This isn't that, I prefer this EP over anything they've put out.  It's really a great mix of black metal and shoegaze.  It's very very guitar driven, very bleak, and in French.  Regardless, I'd honestly have to say the last track on the CD reminds me of an early U2 song.  It's not screeched or growled, it's actually sung by one of other band members, the girl.  It's quite a great song.  Also, the main vocalist went on to continue Lantlos, and their new CD is fucking bad ass.  I may post that at a later date.

Amesoeurs - Ruines Humaines (2006)

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Next, we have Drudkh from the Ukraine.  They are able to create an atmosphere of emptiness, like there's no light at the end of the tunnel.  It's very good atmospheric and pagan/nature influenced black metal.  If you don't think you can sit through 7+ minute songs, then I don't think this band is for you.  If you can, listen to it.  It's just a phenomenal CD and they bring some good riffs and simplistic, yet fitting drumming.  The production fits this album PERFECTLY.  It's raw, but not in that lo-fi sense.  Great musicianship is found on this album.

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Now, we get into the band that actually carved out what would be my love for black metal, the first black metal CD I could not stop listening to.  This album is from another Ukrainian band, Kroda.  This album produces the most bleak atmosphere I'd ever heard at the time.  The layers of instruments just do it all for me.  I can't explain what really drew me to this album, but there's a reason why I listened to it more than 50 times on my computer alone, and why I've gone through about 4 burned copies of it (I can't afford to order it, and I've never found it at Deathfest or any album shop).  I've gotta say these two guys really bring the depressing and dreary atmosphere and write some crucial songs.  The drums may be from a drum machine, but they are composed beautifully (as noted in the first track).  The guitar solo at the end of track three turns an otherwise bleak and hopeless song into that ray of sunshine that breaks through the clouds, providing a glimmer of hope that things my turn out for the best.  I know that may sound very very cheesey, but that's the only way I can explain it.  Just listen to this five song album and let the music speak for itself.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

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If you download any of these, leave me some feedback, I'd love to know you think.  Happy corpse paint grinding.

Crowpath and their full lengths.

So last night I went on this Crowpath kick, just wanting to punch people in the face while blasting their music.  Crowpath are an amazing band from Sweden.  Go figure, if Sweden had a dick, I'd probably be all over it's nut hairs.  I love Swedish music, that country can do no wrong when it comes to music and alcohol.  Rich in Viking history...etc.  Anyways...Crowpath...great mix of death metal and grind, forming intelligible songs and heavy as fucking hell riffs.  Check out the song off their One With Filth album called Septic Monarch.  How about just listening to this little upload...it's all three of their full lengths.

Crowpath - Red on Chrome (2004)

Crowpath - Sons of Sulphur (2005)

Crowpath - One With Filth (2008)

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Everything comes in threes...

...and this post is no exception.  Uploading some more grind for you, my fellow reader.  This is grindcore out your back door.

First up we have a great band from Germany...Japanische Kampfhörspiele, here on out referred to as JaKa.  JaKa put this little ditty out in 2004.  This one has some killer tracks on it.  If you enjoy it, check out the video for the first track, it's pretty sick.  Also, track 9 is definitely more along the lines of a joke track.  It's heavy and makes fun of the metalcore/hardcore kids who dance and listen to music for nothing but breakdowns.  Anyways, hope you enjoy this one.

Japanische Kampfhörspiele - Hardcore Aus Der Ersten Welt (2004)

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Gride is up next with Horizont Událostí.  Now, I didn't really get into this band until just recently.  I regret to make that information public, but I'm not all about cool or metal points for liking a band first.  The reason for this regret is that I was semi-unfamiliar with their material upon seeing them live back at MDF this past year.  I gotta say, they put on an amazing performance, and I will eventually upload the video(s) of the set.  Anyways, this is their 2008 release from these Czech grinders.

Gride - Horizont Událostí (2008)

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Finally we have Pigsty.  Simple enough name with a simple enough album title.  These guys are absolutely phenomenal.  I got to see them twice in less than four days last year.  They put on a hell of a show and I have videos of them as well.  These Czech grinders were/are in like, 80 million other bands like Opitz, Contrastic, and Mincing Fury & Guttural Clamour Of Queer Decay.  If those names are unfamiliar to you, keep looking for updates on this blog, as they are bound to be posted.  Anyways, here's Spiders...enjoy the Rage Against the Machine cover at the end of this amazing EP.

Pigsty - Spiders (2003)

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As always, happy grinding.

FIRST POST

Let's start with posting some great Swedish grind from the likes of General Surgery, Birdflesh, and Sayyadina.

General Surgery released this badass EP in 1991.  Definitely worthy of being one of the best grind albums out there.  Some great guitar work and drumming.

GENERAL SURGERY - NECROLOGY (1991)

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Next we have Birdflesh.  Night of the Ultimate Mosh is perhaps my favorite grind album ever.  It's catchy, funny, and the band is extremely tight live.  Listen to this one and tell me you didn't headbang and chuckle.  It's not good, it's not bad, it's CATMOUTH!!!!!  They wear dresses and spandex while playing live.  Who doesn't love a Swedish grinder?

BIRDFLESH - NIGHT OF THE ULTIMATE MOSH (2002)

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Finally we have Sayyadina.  One of the guitarists of General Surgery plays guitar and does some vocals for this band.  Their lyrics are political, if I'm not mistaken.  Someone correct me if I am.  This album is loud and fast as fuck.  The drummer is sick.  Just download it, listen to it, and tell me you loved it.

SAYYADINA - FEAR GAVE US WINGS (2004)

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With these three posts, we've touched on gore, humor, and politics.  Enjoy and as always, happy grindings.