photo & text by nacrowe
LIMP BIZKIT's sophomore release SIGNIFICANT OTHER (INTERSCOPE, 1999) was such an UNEXPECTED global CULTURAL PHENOMENON that it effectively put the band at the forefront of the now ESTABLISHED NU METAL movement of what was essentially HIP HOP-inspired HYBRID of ALTERNATIVE METAL. and you get the feeling that the band wasnt entirely ready for such attention.
if anything the IMMEDIATE follow-up release, the JUVENILE and nonsensically titled CHOCOLATE STARFISH AND THE HOT DOG FLAVORED WATER (INTERSCOPE, 2000), for all intents and purposes felt like something of a CASH-IN and a RUSH JOB. whereas SIGNIFICANT OTHER for the most part lyrically dealt with UNSOPHISTICATED THEMES related to romantic relationships and the fallout when such goes south, albeit from a decidedly MISOGYNISTIC and IMMATURE perspective, on CHOCOLATE STARFISH frontman FRED DURST seems to be pulling at straws on what to talk about. written, recorded and released a year after their breakthrough release, CHOCOLATE STARFISH resorts to UNORIGINAL LYRICAL CONCEITS like relying on LAME ALLUSIONS to other people's songs (i.e. THE EAGLES' "LIFE IN THE FAST LANE" on "LIVIN' IT UP," THE WHO's "MY GENERATION" on "MY GENERATION," the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE theme song on "TAKE A LOOK AROUND") as well as INSULAR MUSIC INDUSTRY complaints regarding MUSIC CRITICS and UNSUPPORTIVE rival MUSICIANS (i.e. TRENT REZNOR on "HOT DOG"). in short, it is OBVIOUS that DURST ran out of ideas. all that is missing is a song about the road to complete the LYRICAL DOWNWARD SPIRAL into total UN-RELATABLE NARCISSISM. the funny thing is though, the actual BAND never sounded better. in particular GUITARIST WES BORLAND on tracks like "BOILER," "FULL NELSON," "THE ONE," "MY WAY" and "LIVIN' IT UP" with much DEXTERITY and TOUCH that brings a VULNERABLE FINESSE and an INTENSE MUSCULARITY to both ETHEREAL INTERLUDES and BONE-CRUSHING detuned CAVEMAN RIFFS that propel the songs forward. much the same for DRUMMER JOHN OTTO and BASSIST SAM RIVERS, who have to be one of the most criminally OVERLOOKED and critically UNDERESTIMATED RHYTHM SECTIONS in ROCK N ROLL writ large. i lay that all that blame at the feet of DURST, whose aforementioned UNINSPIRED LYRICAL CONTENT on CHOCOLATE STARFISH is the main deficiency of this release and arguably much of the BAND's catalogue. for me, their are certain sections on most of these songs that i enjoy, but the lyrics are so KNUCKLE-DRAGGINGLY DUMB that it kind of ruins it for me. the two exceptions are "BOILER" and "THE ONE," which feel like the most CONSTRAINED and therein COHERENT songs on the album. "BOILER" is all harmonic and DISSONANT FEEDBACK until it explodes into a KILLER GROOVE with lots of FEEL. "THE ONE" is STRAIGHTFORWARD song-centered around a DYNAMIC DELAYED GUITAR EFFECT that is both ENTRANCING and highly MELODIC. both find DURST singing about RELATABLE EMOTIONS regarding DIFFERENT aspects of being in a relationship, the INSPIRED OPTIMISM about the opportunity opening up and the DISGRUNTLED CONFUSION and EMOTIONAL rollercoaster that comes with such being swept out from under your feet. not exactly WORLD-CHANGING IDEAS, but the LYRICS are DIRECT and largely serve the song. unfortunately CHOCOLATE STARFISH suffers from an EXORBITANT amount of filler that ever the STELLAR LIMP BIZKIT RHYTHM SECTION cant save from OUTRIGHT MOCKERY. i detested "MY WAY," "ROLLIN'," "MY GENERATION," "TAKE A LOOK AROUND" and the SCOTT WEILAND co-write "HOLD ON" when they came out, and thought they were beyond CRINGY, and nothing has changed in the two decades plus since. obviously this album would have much benefited from not being released and instead reevaluated and reconsidered in an EXTENDED WRITING PROCESS, but i get it, they struck while the iron was HOT. i just wonder if BORLAND's subsequent exit from the GROUP could have been salvaged if this record didnt SUCK half as much as it did. in my opinion CHOCOLATE STARFISH is MEDIOCRE. the OBVIOUS career highlight is SIGNIFICANT OTHER although the recent STILL SUCKS (SURETONE, 2021) is surprisingly worth checking out. but yeah, outside of two STANDOUT tracks, this album is a hard pass for me.
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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
LEGENDARY SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE was in a good place back in 2011 when this IN-HOUSE retrospective documentary GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE (NEXT ENTERTAINMENT, 2011) was released. at the time he was SOBER for nearly half a decade after years of ALCOHOL ABUSE that was pushing the limits of his FAMILY LIFE. and that hope that comes with RECOVERY is really what the film is about, placing it in the context of a LIFE'S NARRATIVE in which all his SUCCESS, PASSIONS, FEARS, ANTICS, OBSESSIONS, SELF-ABUSE was a COMPLICATED EXPRESSION of a SUFFERING individual with little regard for himself, and the toll such took on not one, but two sets of FAMILIES.
the story of OSBOURNE and by extension that of the FOUNDATIONAL METAL band BLACK SABBATH is practically COMMON musical history knowledge at this point. growing up dirt POOR in the ENGLISH WORKING-CLASS section of ASTON in the long-economically suffering MIDLANDS industrial outpost of BIRMINGHAM, the members of BLACK SABBATH found each other and their sound while attempting to escape the fate of their comrades whose DISMAL options included prison, the nearby factories or the army. however IMPROBABLE, somehow they wondered into FAME and NOTORIETY with an INNOVATIVE sound and unflinchingly RAW lyrical PERSPECTIVE that has yet to come out of FASHION in the more than half century since. DRUGS and ALCOHOL took over and effectively neutered the band, with them castigating and firing OSBOURNE eventually at the end, although they all admit they were just as worse for wear as he was. being reborn with a SOLO CAREER by finding his MANAGER, who later became his second wife, in SHARON ARDEN, and that of KINDRED musical spirit and MULTI-TALENTED MUSICIAN in RANDY RHOADS, lifted his CAREER and PUBLIC PERSONA to new limits. ROADS of course perished in a FREAK PLANE ACCIDENT and not too long later his MARRIAGE DISSOLVED with his first WIFE THELMA RILEY, the MOTHER of his first two CHILDREN. the IMMEDIATE LOSS of both his FAMILY and his FRIEND and SONGWRITING PARTNER was absolutely DEVASTATING and OSBOURNE could not handle such. ARDEN at some point later in the filming thinking about their own struggles in the 1980s with three SMALL CHILDREN in tow, mentions that for OSBOURNE the DRUGS, CASUAL SEX and LEGENDARY tales of UNHERALDED DEBAUCHERY was a shield to protect himself from REALITY. the REALITY being that he had a low-self esteem despite his success and that everything he cared about he lost eventually. in ARDEN and his SECOND FAMILY there is a theme that their mutual love and his eventual ability to love himself helped with their collective RECOVERY after years of TRAUMA and NEGLECT. in fact, it was OSBOURNE's son JACK becoming sober in his early 20s that set him on a track to pursue his RECOVERY. effectively the thought that his own YOUNG SON at such an earlier point in his development had the INTERNAL FORTITUDE and GUMPTION to take on REAL ACCOUNTABILITY and fight for SOBRIETY shamed OSBOURNE into following suit. and thank god he did. of course this was not a happy ending by any means. from 2012 to 2016 OSBOURNE admitted to having a fling with his hairdresser, a circumstance that nearly ended his marriage. in 2019 he was diagnosed with PARKINSON's DISEASE, only years after JACK was diagnosed with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS in 2012. OSBOURNE very recently even learned of his second induction into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, the first as a MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH and this time as a SOLO ARTIST. lots of ups and downs, but the OSBOURNE clan carries on. there were quite a few NOTABLE interview participants in GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE, including his surviving siblings and all five of his children from both marriages, every MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH in TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD as well as former MEMBERS of his solo band in RUDY SARZO (QUIET RIOT) and ROBERT TRUJILLO (METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES). similarly additional PROMINENT MUSICIANS interviewed include JOHN FRUSCIANTE (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), HENRY ROLLINS (BLACK FLAG), BRANDON BOYD (INCUBUS), TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE) and undoubtedly the most EXTRAORDINARY of them all, PAUL MCCARTNEY of THE BEATLES. if there is an epitaph for OSBOURNE, let this documentary be it as it contextualizes the ups and downs of his CAREER and battle with ADDICTION with that of his FAMILY LIFE. im sure he would want his PERSONAL NARRATIVE told in no other manner. photo & text by nacrowe
in the immediate wake of the CULTURAL TSUNAMI that was NIRVANA's NEVERMIND (DGC, 1991) release, a slew of UNDERGROUND bands from DINOSAUR JR (SIRE), MUDHONEY (REPRISE), THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS (CAPITOL), DANIEL JOHNSTON (REPRISE), HELMET (INTERSCOPE), BAD RELIGION (ATLANTIC), DRIVE LIKE JEHU (INTERSCOPE), JESUS LIZARD (CAPITOL), TAD (WARNER BROS), ROYAL TRUX (VIRGIN), BOREDOMS (REPRISE), WEEN (INTERSCOPE), THE AFGHAN WHIGS (ELEKTRA & COLUMBIA) and MELVINS (ATLANTIC) were absurdly signed to major labels in short order who no doubt had ELEVATED ambitions of FINANCIALLY cashing-in on this UNIQUE GENERATIONAL PHENOMENON. in retrospect it is a testament to the POP CULTURE influence of KURT COBAIN at the time that bands as EXPERIMENTAL and seemingly UNCONVENTIONAL as these would even get a foot in the door, much less a record deal with INTERNATIONAL distribution.
such is the case with MELVINS and their major label debut HOUDINI (ATLANTIC, 1993), which is now considered a SLUDGE METAL classic. COBAIN, a former MELVINS ROADIE and SUPER-FAN, himself was listed as a co-PRODUCER on six tracks but GUITARIST and SINGER-SONGWRITER BUZZ OSBORNE has attested in recent years that such was a formality as the CELEBRATED NIRVANA frontman was sadly high on narcotics for most of the sessions leaving RECORDING ENGINEER GGGARTH to effectively take over the proceedings. that being said, HOUDINI's association with COBAIN garnered it some cache back in the day when everyone was waiting on the follow-up to NEVERMIND. it is the DIZZYING height of irony that COBAIN, who learned and lived the stridently INDEPENDENT DIY ETHOS of the PUNK ROCK lifestyle via his involvement with ABERDEEN hometown heroes in the MELVINS, was the EFFECTIVE reason they were afforded the opportunity to branch out into the MAINSTREAM via ATLANTIC RECORDS. regardless, the UNRELENTING SONIC BRUTALITY of absolutely PUMMELING tracks like "NIGHT GOAT," "HOOCH" and "HONEY BUCKET" is just SIGNATURE MELVINS. along with OZMA (BONER, 1989) and STONER WITCH (ATLANTIC, 1994), its effectively the sound that spawned HIGH ON FIRE, MASTODON, BORIS, TORCHE, SUNN O))), KYLESA and COUNTLESS SLUDGE, STONER and DOOM METAL bands galore. such a legacy is CURIOUS given their close association with SEATTLE and the ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement of that era, especially local LIKE-MINDED fellow "DEEP SIX" bands in SOUNDGARDEN, GREEN RIVER, THE U-MEN, SKIN YARD and MALFUNKSHUN. in essence MELVINS are an SINGULAR group in the HISTORY and LINEAGE of that scene. so effectively the MELVINS have an artfully AGGRESSIVE SONIC AESTHETIC that has long straddled MULTIPLE GENRES and influenced many SUBSEQUENT ACTS. but i think the one thing that hasnt been replicated is their LYRICAL EMBRACE of the ABSURD, mocking the countervailing "HONESTY" and "AUTHENTICITY" posturing that ALTERNATIVE ROCK FIGUREHEADS so readily and unironically embraced as a means of countering their PUNK ROCK guilt for jumping into bed with a major. for OSBORNE and drummer DALE CROVER they had nothing to be ashamed of and thus took it all in stride, lyrically creating almost WEEN-esque DADA FREE-ASSOCIATION experiments with no real COHERENT message. the music was the point. the MELVINS only lasted two more albums on ATLANTIC before being dropped and permanently going back to INDEPENDENT labels, but they milked the situation for all it was worth and were one of the few BANDS BUSINESS SAVVY-enough to not be defined artistically or commercially by their fleeting dalliance with the majors. they went into the relationship expecting it to end and planned accordingly. and they have remained successfully SELF-SUSTAINING to date. for me HOUDINI is an ESSENTIAL release from the 1990s ALTERNATIVE ROCK era despite its RELATIVE OBSCURITY with no big hits or singles to speak of. but like THE STOOGES or THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, its importance lays in the next generation of MUSICIANS that were exposed to it and initiated their own bands accordingly. most definitely worth checking out, especially as a decent introduction to this ICONIC GROUP. BOOK REVIEW | "RUST IN PEACE: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE MEGADETH MASTERPIECE" BY DAVE MUSTAINE4/1/2024 photo & text by nacrowe
released as part of the promotional effort surrounding the thirtieth anniversary of their SEMINAL RUST IN PEACE (CAPITOL, 1990) album, the similarly titled RUST IN PEACE: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE MEGADETH MASTERPIECE (HACHETTE, 2020) is largely MEGADETH FRONTMAN and main SONGWRITER DAVE MUSTAINE's accounting of the writing, recording, line-up shifts and touring efforts surrounding that particular record. the main thing to understand about MEGADETH is that it is largely a MUSTAINE-led outfit created in the aftermath of his abrupt dismissal from METALLICA for PERSONALITY and ALCOHOL-related reasons, and thus all other BAND MEMBERS (including longstanding BASSIST DAVE ELLEFSON) are essentially considered HIRED GUNS / JUNIOR MEMBERS. the INTRIGUING aspect of this book as well as his previous MUSTAINE (IT BOOKS, 2010) memoir is hearing the GENERATIONALLY TALENTED MUSICIAN speak from both sides of his mouth, wanting full control and all the publishing but then wondering why people desert him and dont want to participate in a collective team effort. even in this book which includes interviews with the likes of RUST IN PEACE PRODUCER MIKE CLINK, ENGINEER MICAJAH RYAN, ELLEFSON, MIXER MAX NORMAN and GUITARIST MARTY FRIEDMAN, as well as PAST BAND MEMBERS, MANAGERS and PROMOTERS from that era and before, MUSTAINE can't help himself by repeatedly dismissing the seemingly FAIR and UNMALICIOUS critiques of his past COLLABORATORS. this book is just further evidence of MUSTAINE's THIN-SKINNED, IMPETUOUS EGOCENTRISM that is as LEGENDARY as his MONSTER TALENT on guitar.
just take in the fact that MUSTAINE decided to allocate himself a co-production credit, along with CLINK, for an album that he was literally not physically there for half of its recording due to his RELAPSE on opiates and subsequent time spent away in rehab. throughout the book MUSTAINE seems to be settling scores about the quality of PAST BAND MEMBERS' contributions, praising them when their STELLAR TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP was done in furthering his own CREATIVE VISION but likewise wholesale dismissing such when they had INDEPENDENT IDEAS of their own. you really wonder if MUSTAINE understands that people might actually be reading this book and learning about what a COMPLETE ASS he is. somehow despite being a complete out of CONTROL FREAK during this period, the stars aligned and he was able to amass MENZA and FRIEDMAN as the final two pieces of what many consider the DEFINITIVE MEGADETH lineup that temporarily shifted the band's status from also-rans to the big leagues along-side THRASH METAL fan favorites SLAYER and METALLICA. but even in retrospect, MUSTAINE cant allow his OVER-SENSITIVE EGO, DEFENSIVE SELF-ENTITLEMENT and overt NARCISSISM to not win the day. he is just unable to give credit to others for fear of being consider less than his former METALLICA bandmates in LARS ULRICH and JAMES HETFIELD. dude, you lost. just get over it. its hard to stomach how TOXIC his PERSONALITY is. it is undoubtedly what holds him and his band back. so few bands make a dent and his has had longevity, but in spite of such he seems driven out of HATRED, JEALOUSY and a decidedly IMMATURE NEED TO BELONG. which is kind of SAD and PATHETIC. RUST IN PEACE: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE MEGADETH MASTERPIECE is just further evidence that the dude cant help himself even when looking back and waxing poetic about his TOWERING CAREER ACHIEVEMENT. the one that isnt being a brief footnote to METALLICA's upward trajectory as a musical monolith and MODERN CULTURAL INSTITUTION somewhat on par with the likes of THE BEATLES and LED ZEPPELIN of generations past. this book was taxing to read and is far from ESSENTIAL. definitely only proceed if you are a HARDCORE MEGADETH or THRASH METAL fan and can tolerate MUSTAINE's CHILDISH need for APPROVAL and ATTENTION. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
gonna level with you right at the jump. not HORROR fan at all. seen most of the most CONSEQUENTIAL FILMS of the genre, from the CLASSIC UNIVERSAL MONSTER MOVIES, through the gimmickry of WILLIAM CASTLE and SUSPENSFUL ALFRED HITCHCOCK OEUVRE right down to the 1970s EXPLOITATION FILMS and the JASONS, PINHEADS, FREDDIES, CHUCKIES, LEATHERFACES, CANDYMANS and so on down the line. its FUNNY because i have literally gotten into every genre but HORROR. just found it all real TACKY and cinematically LAZY with the JUMP SCARES and all. dont even get me started on the MODERN TORTURE PORN that the genre has descended into today.
but there is no doubt that HORROR FILMS and METAL go together like peanut butter and jelly. look no further than the IMMORTAL originators in the MIGHTY BLACK SABBATH taking their very name and concept from the ITALIAN MARIO BRAVA-directed, BORIS KARLOFF-fronted VEHICLE BLACK SABBATH (GALATEA, 1963). guitarist TONY IOMMI, arguably the sonic architect of METAL, and bassist GEEZER BUTLER, who wrote most of the lyrics for BLACK SABBATH, saw this new direction as making SCARY music to frighten people with. down the lines with bands like IRON MAIDEN and MEGADETH you have mascots that take their unquestionably take their inspiration from the genre, those being EDDIE and VIC RATTLEHEAD respectively. so it makes sense that the ICONIC GIBSON BRANDS INC, having celebrated the players themselves (GIBSON TV: ICONS), their instrument collections (GIBSON TV: THE COLLECTION) and the performance venues, record and instrument stores that support them and the industry (GIBSON TV: THE SCENE), that they would expand into adjacent CULTURAL PHENOMENA like CINEMA. so far in this four-part series entitled METAL & MONSTERS, hosted by bassist PIGGY D (WEDNESDAY 13, ROB ZOMBIE) NOTABLE participants include KIRK HAMMETT (METALLICA), JOHN 5 (MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE, MOTLEY CRUE), CHARLIE BENANTE (ANTHRAX), REX BROWN (PANTERA), BILL STEER (CARCASS, NAPALM DEATH) and DUG PINNICK (KING'S X). if you love METAL and HORROR, then yeah, this is for you. if not, its probably worth disregarding. i do appreciate the effort though of GIBSON going for it with this type of CROSS-BRANDING content. it seems like the NATURAL type of reach-out MEDIA they should be involved in, regardless of whether it works or not. to me the set design on stage with the COFFIN coffee table and the OBLIGATORY SKULLS, CANDELABRAS and JACK-O-LANTERNS was all a bit OBVIOUS and ON-THE-NOSE for my taste. just came off trying a bit too hard but im not mad at this. again, just not my thing. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
not that ISIS.
the EXPERIMENTAL BOSTON POST METAL pioneers ISIS were one of the most INNOVATIVE and REVERED bands of the early 2000s right up until their dissolution in 2010. they had this singular sonic aesthetic that seemed to split the difference between SLUDGE METAL and WEST AFRICAN POLYRHYTHMS and treated VOCALS as another INSTRUMENT rather than a primary focus that contextualizes the SONG. same thing compositionally since the band did not adhere to TRADITIONAL verse-chorus-verse STRUCTURES, instead almost providing an EXPERIENTIAL and CINEMATIC aural narrative with a seeming beginning, middle and end. first time i heard ISIS was in a live setting with my brother when they were the opening band for TOOL on a leg of their tour supporting LATERALUS (VOLCANO, 2001) and were just absolutely floored and entranced by their RAW, EMOTIONAL INTENSITY. i dont think the band gets the due they deserve outside their enduring RABID POST METAL cult following. definitely one of the great UNSUNG bands of the last quarter century and absolutely well worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
arguably the most universally CELEBRATED METAL album of the 1990s, PANTERA's uncompromisingly BRUTAL second album VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (ATCO, 1992) defiantly waved the flag for the genre during the height of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK revolution that saw other legacy acts effectively bow down and acquiesce to its will (looking at you METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER). its accomplished predecessor COWBOYS FROM HELL (ATCO, 1990) set the stage for this release with its GUITAR HEROICS via DIMEBAG DARRELL and their ZZ-TOP inspired attention to all things GROOVE, but VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER took it all to another level of INTENSITY and SONG-CRAFT.
UNDENIABLE tracks like "FUCKING HOSTILE," "MOUTH FOR WAR," and "A NEW LEVEL" where live show highlights for the rest of their career and showcase a FOCUS, COHESION and INTERNAL CHEMISTRY that the band built upon with later releases but never equalled again. although decidedly more MELLOW and SLOW-PACED, the ballads "THIS LOVE" and "HOLLOW" likewise showcased a SINGULAR attention to craft with MEMORABLE VOCALS and GUITAR MELODIES that intertwined to HYPNOTIC effect. arguably the STANDOUT track from an absolutely LOADED record is the single "WALK" with its INDELIBLE opening hammer-on, hammer-off GUITAR RIFF and that absolutely CRUSHING CHORUS that comes crashing in with SLEDGEHAMMER FORCE and ABRUPTNESS. that song in particular is a case study in efficiency and how less really can mean more to a track's EFFECTIVENESS. many consider "WALK" PANTERA's finest moment. not sure id go that far [my personal FAVORITE is "FLOODS" off of THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL (ELEKTRA, 1996)], but point taken. the LEGACY of VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER is both its MEMORABLE songs and the context of which it was released. most of the LEGACY THRASH METAL bands turned in SUBPAR records in the 1990s attempting to follow suit with the ALTERNATIVE ROCK predilections for minimizing (if not skipping altogether) GUITAR SOLOS and [from a metalhead's perspective] hiding behind excessive DISTORTION instead of showcasing both TECHNIQUE and MUSICIANSHIP. METALLICA's LOAD (ELEKTRA, 1996), MEGADETH's YOUTHANASIA (CAPITOL, 1994) and later SLAYER's DIVINE INTERVENTION (AMERICAN, 1994) were more STREAMLINED affairs that seemed to capitulate to the MUSICAL AESTHETICS of the era whereas VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER and its successor FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (ELEKTRA, 1994) just came off like a giant MIDDLE FINGER to it all. remember, the PANTERA dude's were close longtime friends with the likes of ALICE IN CHAINS and the FOO FIGHTERS, even shared the stage with them on numerous occasions so there wasnt any personal ANIMOSITY at all. but in terms of the FRACTURED FRATERNITY that is the greater METAL COMMUNITY, PANTERA is nearly universally REVERED since they stood firm against the cultural tide when others patently SAID UNCLE to the music industry. and that BRAZEN STEADFASTNESS is as much a part of the popular lore surrounding VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER as the songs themselves and has singularly stood as a TOUCHSTONE for all METAL bands moving forward, from LAMB OF GOD, DEFTONES and HATEBREED to SYSTEM OF A DOWN, MUDVAYNE, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and beyond. VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER is a LEGENDARY record that continues to live up to and exceed its own hype and is absolutely ESSENTIAL for anyone interested in METAL. end stop.
parodies by nacrowe
it was my understanding back in middle school that the only type of METAL was THRASH METAL.
end stop. it was the summer of 1996 and my family was stateside in NEW JERSEY visiting after my first year living in NIGERIA. that was the time that METALLICA's LOAD (ELEKTRA, 1996) came out and i can still remember the display at a local record store that had their entire DISCOGRAPHY on discount as a promotion. i liked LOAD so i remember on a whim going back to the store and picking up RIDE THE LIGHTNING (MEGAFORCE, 1984), MASTER OF PUPPETS (ELEKTRA, 1986), ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (ELEKTRA, 1988) and METALLICA (ELEKTRA, 1991) in one fell swoop. id later come across KILL 'EM ALL (MEGAFORCE, 1983) from a friend back in AFRICA. not only did those previous ALBUMS, especially the earlier ones, completely blow me away beyond that of LOAD, it made me interested in investigating other THRASH METAL bands within the year including SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, SEPULTURA and EXODUS. this was back in the mid 90s before streaming, YOUTUBE or downloading when to get new music you effectively had to either buy PHYSICAL PRODUCT or borrow such from your IMMEDIATE NETWORK OF FRIENDS and buy CASSETTES to create MIXTAPES. for me, THRASH METAL was ground zero when it came to EXTREME MUSIC. from their i went chronologically backwards to NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL bands like MOTORHEAD, DIAMOND HEAD, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST and even further to BLACK SABBATH. years later in high school and college id become familiar with DEATH METAL, BLACK METAL and GRINDCORE among other sub-genres, but THRASH was essentially the foundation. to my ears the recipe of THRASH was two parts the TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP and FEROCITY of NWOBHM (especially MOTORHEAD and JUDAS PRIEST) with one part the SNARLING ATTITUDE and immediacy of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK (a la THE MISFITS and DISCHARGE). within CLIFF BURTON-era METALLICA there was also this added NEOCLASSICAL ELEMENT that also provided those early string of ALBUMS, especially RIDE THE LIGHTNING and MASTER OF PUPPETS with a COMPOSITIONAL and EMOTIONAL SOPHISTICATION that has not been matched since across all sub-genres, even by the band themselves. and for me personally as much as i love the increased AURAL ASSAULT and OUTRIGHT BRUTALITY of MODERN EXTREME METAL bands like PIG DESTROYER, FULL OF HELL, DEATH, ENTOMBED, NAILS, TERRORIZER and NAPALM DEATH, it still all comes down to those two key METALLICA RECORDS, as well as SLAYER's REIGN IN BLOOD (DEF JAM, 1986) and SOUTH OF HEAVEN (DEF JAM, 1988), SEPULTURA's CHAOS A.D. (ROADRUNNER, 1993) and MEGADETH's RUST IN PEACE (CAPITOL, 1990) as the foundations of my appreciation for the THRASH METAL genre at large. ​embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating THRASH METAL. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
i remember when the RELOAD (ELEKTRA, 1997) album by METALLICA was released. i was in 8th grade at the time, living abroad in NIGERIA when a fellow classmate brought a copy to school that a relative had mailed in from EUROPE. at first i thought it was FAKE, or at best a PARODY, with the similar (i would later learn ANDRES SERRANO) ARTWORK, TYPOGRAPHY and all. being overseas, especially during a pre-internet era, meant that you were understandably always a bit out-of-the-loop and delayed with information regarding cultural matters back home like movies, books, records and such. quite honestly i thought RELOAD upon first sight was a JOKE or that i was being duped into believing this release could be real since the previous year's LOAD (ELEKTRA, 1996) release was famously very CONTROVERSIAL and DIVISIVE amongst their long-term fanbase for its DRASTIC STYLISTIC SHIFT away from THRASH METAL and embrace of ALTERNATIVE ROCK and more BLUES-based RIFFAGE, SOFT/LOUD DYNAMICS and TRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES. i could not believe they would double-down and release a companion album of the same ilk.
but they did. there was a half decade gap between the release and commercial success of the self-titled METALLICA (ELEKTRA, 1991) album [i.e. THE BLACK ALBUM] and that of LOAD. most of those intervening years were spent touring but crucially that period was also spent restructuring their contract with ELEKTRA RECORDS. the new agreement gave them more points on album sales as well as the future return of their entire catalogue in 2013. all this and other FAVORABLE business considerations for extending the life of their contract. LEVERAGE-wise the band was at their absolute PEAK during this period and created a wealth of material that severely challenged their previous SOUND, with lead guitarist KIRK HAMMETT and bassist JASON NEWSTED being more involved in the SONGWRITING PROCESS and outside SOUTHERN ROCK and even COUNTRY ELEMENTS coming into the MIX. the sound of LOAD / RELOAD in retrospect is the sound of a band not being told "no" by their REPRESENTATIVES, HANDLERS, MANAGEMENT, PRODUCERS, etc. they just had too much POWER and CONTROL and these releases are what they wanted to make given no limitations in terms of budget or STUDIO TIME, which is beyond INTRIGUING to consider. arguably the STRONGEST songs from both records could have created a COMPELLING single album, but instead manifested in the creation of two MEDIOCRE and unasked for ALTERNATIVE ROCK-esque METALLICA records. highlights of RELOAD include the THUMPING "DEVIL'S DANCE" and the decidedly MOODY "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE" and "FIXXXER," but unfortunately most of the songs are pretty CRINGE-INDUCING like the REDUCTIVE and by-the-numbers "FUEL," "CARPE DIEM BABY," "THE MEMORY REMAINS," "BAD SEED" and "BETTER THAN YOU" tracks. and dont even get me started on "THE UNFORGIVEN II" which is still even in retrospect beyond LAME. personally i preferred LOAD, but RELOAD is arguably an UNEVEN but not entirely DISCARDABLE release. it suffers like LOAD from being compared to the absolute EXCELLENCE of the CELEBRATED band's THRASH METAL releases from throughout the 1980s which are ICONIC and among some of the most ORIGINAL, WELL-CONCEIVED and EXECUTED releases from the METAL genre writ-large. in that unbearable shadow these two releases are SUBPAR and artistic catastrophes. relative to their ALTERNATIVE ROCK peers in the 1990s, both albums pair FAVORABLE as interesting curiosities. so its basically all RELATIVE. definitely check out RELOAD, but only after first taking in the band's LEGENDARY first four releases. that is the context and particular lens i see this release through.
parodies by nacrowe
i am continually fascinated by the EXPERIMENTAL and highly IDIOSYNCRATIC MUSICIANSHIP of SONGWRITER / GUITARIST WES BORLAND (LIMP BIZKIT, BLACK LIGHT BURNS, BIG DUMB FACE). yes his SIGNATURE double-handed tapping TECHNIQUE is VINTAGE LES CLAYPOOL (PRIMUS) to an extent, but his SYNTHESIS and mastery of various APPROACHES and STYLES into an UNPREDICTABLE sound is pretty INCREDIBLE and the reason i pay attention to each new LIMP BIZKIT release despite my less than enthusiastic toleration of vocalist FRED DURST.
what is UNIQUE about his APPROACH to composing MEMORABLE GUITAR RIFFS is that it is a similar CREATIVE PROCESS to that of how he conceives his PAINTINGS. as a VISUAL ARTIST he will juxtapose FORMS and COLORS until something emerges that is pleasing to him. at that point he may go further or even strip the COMPOSITION back to an earlier SIMPLER FORM, all in the subconscious act of creation with NO DISCERNIBLE OBJECTIVE in sight. such is also his modus operandi as a COMPOSER, whereby through the addition and subtraction of elements he comes across a piece of music that was not premeditated or articulated with a PURPOSE in mind. its just SPONTANEOUS creation through being an OPEN CHANNEL for one's NON-COGNITIVE CREATIVITY to flow through. this process is highly ECCENTRIC and is rooted in INSTINCT and FEEL, which is why BORLAND is responsible for some of the most DISTINCTIVE and absolutely SAVAGE riffs of the past few decades. its a CREATIVE PROCESS that reminds me of how JAZZ musicians often describe being in a state of FLOW where they are reacting to the music as it envelopes and presents itself, their hours upon hours of PRACTICE and DISCIPLINED TECHNIQUE becomes almost an UNCONSCIOUS reflex, an extension of their subconscious. when i listen to some of the more PERSONAL end of BORLAND's material, especially that of his EXPLORATORY ALTERNATIVE METAL band BLACK LIGHT BURNS, i both admire the singularly inventive nature of the guitar-playing involved, but also the decidedly UNSTRUCTURED, somewhat FREE-ASSOCIATIVE PROCESS that birthed it and sparked his CREATIVITY. i am not on that level in any aspect or pursuit in my life, but it is still very much an avenue to consider. ​embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the music of ARTISTIC SOUNDSCAPES of WES BORLAND. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
it feels sometimes when navigating through MUSIC WEBSITES or the comments sections of YOUTUBE videos, MUSIC BLOGS or posts on SOCIAL MEDIA that the online world is just TOXIC. there seems to be a fixation with being AGGRESSIVE and CONFRONTATIONAL with one's opinion rather than THOUGHTFUL, CONSIDERED or COMPASSIONATE. with WEBSITES there sometimes seems to be an embedded incentive to come off ELITIST and EXCLUSIONARY because of their access and role as a gatekeeper to the opinions and thoughts of ARTISTS and MUSICIANS.
what i love about the WIKIPEDIA: FACT OR FICTION web series by ONLINE MUSIC MAGAZINE LOUDWIRE is not the fact that it confronts MODERN METAL, ALTERNATIVE ROCK and PUNK ROCK royalty from the likes of SLAYER, PANTERA, INCUBUS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, LAMB OF GOD, BAD RELIGION, WHITE ZOMBIE, KISS, METALLICA, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, SLIPKNOT and CANNIBAL CORPSE with their (more-than-often INCORRECT) group-sourced online WIKIPEDIA biographies, it is the fact that host GRAHAM HARTMANN is so EVEN-KEELED about the whole endeavor. too often an INTERVIEW SHOW like this will have a host that is attempting to make the whole thing about them and how KNOWLEDGABLE or COOL they are projecting themselves in the effective afterglow of the TALENT (for which the audience is tuning in for), which is more than a little GRATING and PATRONIZING as a viewer. it is easy to identify with HARTMANN as he is treating the talent like REGULAR people and thus humanizes them in the process. its refreshing how little of that actually goes on in the MUSIC PRESS, which seems keen on building up or tearing down the public profiles of prominent MUSICIANS and their work. that or being part of a TRANSPARENT PROMOTIONAL APPARATUS to the DETRIMENT of the FANBASE. i enjoy watching and rewatching these past episodes because of HARTMANN and his ability to not act as an industry cog, instead being an AWARE MUSIC JOURNALIST / EVERYDAY FAN that most MUSIC ENTHUSIASTS can see in themselves. at least i can. WIKIPEDIA: FACT OR FICTION has expanded in recent years into the worlds of PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING and ACTORS, along with MUSICIANS, but at the center of it all is still HARTMANN and his ability to make this promotional vehicle seem less showbiz and a bit more DOWN-TO-EARTH and FUN. most definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
MECHANICAL ANIMALS (INTERSCOPE, 1998), the much ANTICIPATED MICHAEL BEINHORN [SOUNDGARDEN, HOLE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS] produced follow-up to the TRANSGRESSIVE cultural phenomena that was the INDUSTRIAL-tinged, MIDDLE AMERICA-baiting ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR (INTERSCOPE, 1996) was a DRAMATIC stylistic about-face that saw MARILYN MANSON channel his sense of ISOLATION and DETACHMENT from AMERICAN SOCIETY through the prism of 1970s GLAM ROCK and specifically ZIGGY STARDUST / ALADDIN SANE-era DAVID BOWIE. in the scope of his discography, this album very much stands out as an outlier, both in terms of SONICS and PRESENTATION, and represents MANSON at both his most CONTEMPLATIVE and most POTENT as an artist. it is also my FAVORITE record of his bar none.
this album came out my freshman year of high school. i was at a PRESTIGIOUS boarding school in NEW ENGLAND while the rest of my family stayed behind in NIGERIA. i dont want to say being that far from family was a TRAUMATIC event at such a young, barely in my teens, but it was a TRANSFORMATIVE experience that resonated down through the ensuing decades no doubt. in a sense i had to become my own support system as the place was rather BRUTAL with BARBARIC HAZING RITUALS involving underclassmen the staff turned a blind eye towards. to say i felt frustrated, targeted and alone is an understatement. i was the perfect receptor for such a message being transmitted by this JADED, SEXLESS, HUMANOID alien character that MANSON was now inhabiting. for him the prison he was attempting to escape with INTERSTELLAR ambitions was that of a pre-internet tabloid culture and UNREALISTIC press / audience expectations to out-SATAN ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR. for me that prison was quite LITERAL. it was the prison of going through puberty and your most physically AWKWARD phase while being a part of an UNHEALTHY community that i found particularly hazardous to my physical and emotional well-being. in my defense this posture and mindset was well warranted, as that same school year another freshman was assaulted at nearby dormitory and had an ANTI-GAY SLUR carved into his back by a post-graduate student who went on to serve an extended sentence for an assortment of ASSAULT and BATTERY CHARGES. i feel lucky to have survived such an experience with my self-will and self-worth intact, and MECHANICAL ANIMALS was very much the soundtrack to such. and that harsh sense of SELF-LOATHING and DETACHMENT is all over. especially tracks such as "THE SPEED OF PAIN," "COMA WHITE," "MECHANICAL ANIMALS," "DISASSOCIATIVE" and "GREAT BIG WHITE WORLD." for me those particular tracks serve as the EMOTIONAL heart of the record, exposing a PROFOUND sense of PSYCHIC WITHDRAWAL from life itself. that need to just turn off the blinds, shut the door and block out the world. the more UPTEMPO songs like "POSTHUMAN," "ROCK IS DEAD," "NEW MODEL NO. 15" and the single "THE DOPE SHOW" all seem designed to potentially gain airplay while delivering a DEVIOUS message both celebrating and disparaging CELEBRITY CULTURE and the state of ROCK N ROLL writ large. as much as i love the TWIGGY RAMIREZ-conceived SLINKY BASS LINES and ADROIT SONIC EXPERIMENTATIONS with vintage synthesizers, those more HARD-CHARGING tracks are weaker in my opinion. same with the embarrassingly INANE "I DON'T LIKE THE DRUGS BUT THE DRUGS LIKE ME" single which is the lone mistake on the album. for me, those more NUANCED, SOMBER moments are what make this record special, much like "CRYPTORCHID," "MAN THAT YOU FEAR" and "KINDERFELD" did on ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR. post-MECHANICAL ANIMALS, MANSON largely retreated to the more EXPECTED, SAFE GOTH confines of INDUSTRIAL METAL with a slew of records to date that largely retread on the ideas crystallized in ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR. which in my opinion was an artistic mistake, but i am sure it gave him more career longevity. that is more future OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE, SLAYER, ALICE COOPER co-headlining package tour opportunities that are subject to satiating and drawing out his audience en masse over time. such PRACTICAL, CALCULATING decisions make him subject to not being at the same artistic level as a DAVID BOWIE, BJORK, SUN RA, DAMON ALBARN or a GEORGE CLINTON, all of whom charged ahead with IDIOSYNCRATIC personas that assisted in unlocking a new sound and/or inhabit a new consciousness. the rest of MANSON's DISAPPOINTING career is just one of a series of expected artistic choices with ever PREDICTABLE diminishing returns. but MECHANICAL ANIMALS is a definite highlight of the 1990s ALTERNATIVE ROCK era that is well worth revisiting and checking out again and again.
photo & text by nacrowe
its funny. when i think of SCANDINAVIA broadly mental images of an EDUCATED, WELL-ADJUSTED population in a SOLID economy with a STRONG work ethic and a ROBUST public safety net of social services, not to mention STYLISH much SOUGHT-AFTER furniture, is what comes immediately to mind.
and then there is BLACK METAL. with the stateside 1980s THRASH METAL movement (METALLICA, SLAYER, TESTAMENT, MEGADETH, EXODUS, ANTHRAX) and its SOPHISTICATED MUSICAL TECHNICALITY, SYNCHRONIZED galloping RHYTHMS and AGGRESSIVE VISUAL AESTHETICS that seemingly split the difference between TRADITIONAL METAL and PUNK ROCK; there was almost a call-to-arms moment that really pushed the BRITISH and AMERICAN METAL community to further push the genre to new depths of EXTREMITY. thus the advent of ever-more POLARIZING and TECHNICALLY PROFICIENT genres like GRINDCORE and DEATH METAL in the BRITAIN and the UNITED STATES. this strain of EXTREME METAL found its way to the EUROPEAN continent most predominantly in places like GERMANY (MORGOTH), SWITZERLAND (CELTIC FROST) and HOLLAND (PESTILENCE) before finding its way into DENMARK, FINLAND, SWEDEN and NORWAY. with DEATH METAL and GRINDCORE being highly technical genres there developed a need for quality studios and engineers that mostly found their niche in the big cities. BLACK METAL was essentially the result of poorer kids who lived in the wooded suburbs recording LESS TECHNICAL METAL with more RUDIMENTARY EQUIPMENT on lesser quality INSTRUMENTS. lyrically this new strain of METAL was focused on nature and the spirits of the forest and had a DISTINCT look with the use of corpse paint. this PAIRED-BACK SONIC AESTHETIC with AGGRESSIVE VISUALS and PISS POOR AUDIO QUALITY ironically sounded way more evil and thus METAL compared to the efforts of their urban counterparts. if DEATH METAL is the red-headed stepchild nobody wanted, then BLACK METAL is the proverbial red-headed stepchild of that red-headed stepchild. which is why i think so many METAL enthusiasts adore the SCANDINAVIAN BLACK METAL genre. it is absolutely too WEIRD to ignore. personally i took an affinity for BLACK METAL for largely the same reason i adore IDIOSYNCRATIC and highly INVENTIVE music by the likes of DEVO, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY, SUN RA, GEORGE CLINTON, DEATH GRIPS, TRICKY, DAVID BOWIE, MASSIVE ATTACK, FELA KUTI, ORNETTE COLEMAN, DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, HOWLIN' WOLF, OLD DIRTY BASTARD, KRAFTWERK, PERRY FARRELL, BJORK, HARRY NILSSON, CSS, WES BORLAND, LOU REED and DEAD KENNEDYS among others, namely i find it NOVEL and deeply INTRIGUING. especially within a genre as CONSERVATIVE and uninterested in creative innovation as METAL (not to mention the TOXIC HYPER-MASCULINE and clearly PATERNALIST overtones that often define it), the fact that BLACK METAL is a authentically ODD sub-genre on substance only makes it that much more COMPELLING in comparison. bands worth checking out include those from SCANDINAVIAN countries like NORWAY (MAYHEM, ENSLAVED, DARKTHRONE, GORGOROTH, IMMORTAL, BURZUM, EMPEROR), SWEDEN (WATAIN, BATHORY, MARDUK, DARK FUNERAL, NIFELHEIM) and DENMARK (MERCYFUL FATE), as well as several non-SCANDINAVIAN EUROPEAN countries like ENGLAND (VENOM, CRADLE OF FILTH), HUNGARY (TORMENTOR), BELGIUM (ENTHRONED), GREECE (ROTTING CHRIST) and SWITZERLAND (CELTIC FROST) among others. embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating mostly SCANDINAVIAN BLACK METAL. enjoy!
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the REVERED PRODUCER / ENGINEER / MIXER and MODERN PURVEYOR of all things LOUD and AGGRESSIVE, JOE BARRESI!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!
parody by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the ECLECTIC and EXPERIMENTAL roster of the LOS ANGELES-based independent label SARGENT HOUSE RECORDS!
​ ​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! photo & text by nacrowe
by the time you get to PANTERA's final album REINVENTING THE STEEL (EAST WEST, 2000), a transition within the band's SOUND and RELATIONSHIP to one another that had been underway since THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL (EAST WEST, 1996) had basically come to fruition and fully calcified. namely this album was a band at the END OF THEIR ROPE CREATIVELY and INTERPERSONALLY.
in terms of their sound, the first two records COWBOYS FROM HELL (ATCO, 1990) and VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (ATCO, 1992) were the sound of an incredibly tight BROTHERHOOD coalescing together while writing, living and struggling together to create and promote arguably some of the most COHESIVE and EXCITING METAL ever produced. those two records represent an ascent and upward trajectory both commercially and in terms of shared VISION and FOCUS as a CREATIVE UNIT. once they hit FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (EAST WEST, 1994) some INTERNAL SHIFTS had occurred. for one, having been recorded in NASHVILLE it is the only PANTERA record to not be recorded in their home studio as everything before was in PANTEGO SOUND STUDIOS (formerly owned and operated by the ABOTT BROTHERS' father for decades) in ARLINGTON and everything after was done at DIMEBAG's home studio at his DALWORTHINGTON GARDENS residence. as such the record is ODD since it is both EXPANSIVE sonically and lyrically CLAUSTROPHOBIC with themes of DRUG ABUSE and MENTAL DEGRADATION. shortly thereafter its release vocalist PHIL ANSELMO had a HEROIN OVERDOSE on tour which shook the band to its core since for the first time the band's seemingly UNSHAKEABLE UNITY had been COMPROMISED. it was during this period also that ANSELMO pursued a major side project in the SLUDGE METAL supergroup DOWN, which the ABOTT BROTHERS tolerated but quietly chafed at given their allegiance and UNSPARING FOCUS to all things PANTERA. unfortunately, this schism was manifested in THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL being conceived and recorded in two separate studios, the band in TEXAS and ANSELMO in LOUISIANA at TRENT REZNOR's NOTHING STUDIOS in NEW ORLEANS. this DETERIORATION continued on REINVENTING THE STEEL which to some listeners is the sound of a band in bad need of a well-deserved hiatus to recharge and regroup. which of course never happened as their world tour was cut short abroad by 9/11 and the band proved to never play live again thereafter as ANSELMO pursued an ever-growing list of side projects (DOWN and SUPERJOINT RITUAL among numerous others) without checking in with DIMEBAG or VINNE PAUL, leaving them in perpetual limbo for a few years. for me the experience of listening to REINVENTING THE STEEL is a bit BITTERSWEET as there are some STANDOUT tracks like "YESTERDAY DON'T MEAN SHIT," "HELLBOUND" and "REVOLUTION IS MY NAME", but overall its LACK OF COHESION and VISION makes it emerge as the LEAST IMPRESSIVE PANTERA album by far. even sonically, at this point everything had DISINTEGRATED into PURE ATTACK and AGGRESSION, whereas before there was a PALPABLE sense of GROOVE involved, like a more TECHNICALLY ADVANCED and HARDER-HITTING ZZ TOP. maybe, like with METALLICA or SLAYER, the standard and expectation level with PANTERA is just so ELEVATED that they were bound to misfire eventually, but the whole effort feels like a WASTED OPPORTUNITY for such an INNOVATIVE and POWERFUL band that basically kept the METAL flag going in the 1990s in the wake of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion. you also can't help but wonder what would have happened if the band just took an extended break, got some side project records out of their system and STAYED IN COMMUNICATION so that when they eventually regrouped theyd be ready to actually fire on all cylinders again having reconvened as a more MATURE and FORGIVING UNIT, both CREATIVELY and INTERPERSONALLY. that of course never happened and the band is permanently a "WHAT IF" scenario only further solidified by the TRAGIC DEATH of DIMEBAG and the subsequent health problems of VINNIE PAUL that led to his PASSING from natural causes a decade later. the modern iteration of the band, nobly carried on with close friends of the ABOTT BROTHERS and METAL all-star recruits in ZAKK WYLDE (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) and CHARLIE BENANTE (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.), still pales in comparison to the ENERGY, CAMARADERIE and SPIRIT of the original which sadly flamed out at the turn of the millennium with their final released effort. i should also mention that this was the period i saw the band play OZZFEST on one proved to be one of their last national tours of the UNITED STATES. although the band was AMAZING, you could definitely see the divide in retrospect as ANSELMO mumbled his way through his seeming CHARLES MANSON phase while DIMEBAG was in full, VIBRANT flight DAZZLING the audiences with his GUITAR HEROICS. it definitely appeared like an odd couple but a DEGRADED PANTERA was likely better than most bands at the top of their game so INCREDIBLE was this band. i wouldnt recommend REINVENTING THE STEEL as it is my LEAST FAVORITE PANTERA record. for me any of the first three albums is a great starting point for this LEGENDARY and highly INFLUENTIAL METAL band, undoubtedly of the first order right alongside BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER and JUDAS PRIEST. photo & text by nacrowe
POLITICS in METAL is kind of a TABOO subject. it is one thing to have PEDESTRIAN observations about the BRUTAL nature of WAR (i.e. "WAR PIGS" by BLACK SABBATH, "TERRITORY" BY SEPULTURA), CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ("RIDE THE LIGHTNING" by METALLICA, "UNDER THE GUILLOTINE" by KREATOR) or CORRUPT POLITICIANS (literally every other MEGADETH song), but it is entirely something else to promote a full-blown perspective. METAL fans tend to skew CONSERVATIVE and seem en masse to prefer first or third-person narratives related to HORROR (SLAYER, PIG DESTROYER), HISTORICAL (MOTORHEAD, IRON MAIDEN) or even FANTASY (DIO, KING DIAMOND) themes probably because there is a disconnect from reality in the lyrical content. it seems when METAL bands decide to get clever and go for DOUBLE ENTENDRES (JUDAS PRIEST) or write in PARABLES (TOOL), such efforts leave the majority of the audience behind. im not attempting to disparage METAL fans by insinuating that they are on the whole pretty UNSOPHISTICATED, but then again i guess maybe i am in fact saying just that. they want what they want and INNOVATIVE lyrical conceits is not part of it.
which to me is what makes the debut REEK OF PUTREFACTION (EARACHE, 1988) album by CARCASS such a deviation from the status quo. it is just so baldly POLITICAL. several members of the LEGENDARY GRINDCORE band are famously VEGETARIANS and from the jump made their PROGRESSIVE opinions on ANIMAL RIGHTS issues front and center lyrically, sonically and artistically. sonically they take off where fellow EARACHE RECORDS label-mates NAPALM DEATH took off, with an unrelentingly DEVASTATING DEATH METAL pounding charge into COMPLETE DISSONANCE and AURAL OBLIVION. if one could even understand the lyrics then they would come to appreciate quickly that in the eyes of CARCASS, there is nothing more VILE and BRUTAL in history than INDUSTRIAL FARMING. and its hard to argue with them on that point. if you concede that animals are SENTIENT beings capable of SUFFERING than modern technological practices within the FACTORY FARMING INDUSTRY meant to maximize PROFITABILITY, PRODUCTION and ECONOMIES OF SCALE (including GENETIC ENGINEERING, MECHANIZED SLAUGHTER, CONFINEMENT IN CLAUSTROPHOBIC CAGES, CASTRATION, DEHORNING, HOT-IRON BRANDING, TAIL DOCKING and DEBEAKING SANS ANESTHESIA) are beyond CRUEL and represent an elevated ORWELLIAN level of INHUMANITY and GORE. in other words its a VALID and thoroughly EMPATHETIC position to uphold while also being incredibly METAL. just look at the original artwork, which was made up of cutouts from one of the band-member's sister's nursing textbook. its all OUT-OF-CONTEXT LIMBS and APPENDAGES from surgery photos pastiched together to showcase what equates on first-glance to be seemingly INDISCRIMINATE BODILY CARNAGE. makes you reconsider what you are, in fact, eating at the dinner table. METAL as a genre itself, despite its limitations, has always been about rebellion and going against the grain, even if the music broadly speaking over time has paradoxically become more RIGID and CONSERVATIVE over time. REEK OF PUTREFACTION and STANDOUT tracks like "VOMITED ANAL TRACK," "MAGGOT COLONY," "REGURGITATION OF GIBLETS," "FRENZIED DETRUNCATION," "PYOSISIFIED (ROTTEN TO THE GORE)" and "GENITAL GRINDER" represents a unique thematic departure from the lyrical and POLITICAL conformity of the genre in the late 1980s. even if a band is not explicitly POLITICAL, that choice is paradoxically a POLITICAL STATEMENT in and of itself. if DIO chooses to sing of WARLOCKS and WIZARDS instead of REAL-WORLD WAR ATROCITIES from the period, than said artistic choice is his to make and equates to a POLITICAL CHOICE. part of me wishes that MODERN METAL had more to say, rather than just aping past artistic choices repeated down the line. but then again, thats what makes REEK OF PUTREFACTION what it is and CARCASS the CELEBRATED BRITISH GRINDCORE / DEATH METAL band that it is. definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
recently i came across the SHOEGAZE band NOTHING out of PHILADELPHIA. they've been around for more than a decade and have a slew of releases out on the nearby RELAPSE RECORDS, which is generally known for their roster and back catalogue of EXTREME METAL acts. its an INTERESTING dichotomy given that SHOEGAZE is more of a sonically HAZY and AMORPHOUS genre that is less AGGRESSIVE than it is INTROSPECTIVE. NOTHING has a sound that seems to split the difference between THE CATHERINE WHEEL and the more EXPANSIVE moments of the DEFTONES. it really is an INTOXICATING sound that seems to blend a knack for ARTFUL AMBIGUITY and traditional song composition. plus their videos are pretty visually BRUTAL a la label-mates PIG DESTROYER or FULL OF HELL.
definitely a band worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
when i discovered SEPULTURA in sixth grade back in 1995, it was a few months after my FAMILY moved to NIGERIA from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. on a FAMILY trip to ITALY, between my brother and me we scored TOOL's UNDERTOW (review linked HERE), RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE'S self-titled debut (EPIC, 1992), FAITH NO MORE's ANGEL DUST (review linked HERE) and SEPULTURA's CHAOS AD (ROADRUNNER, 1993) and ROOTS (ROADRUNNER, 1996) albums. it was one of the better and most INFLUENTIAL record hauls of my life and very much served as the SOUNDTRACK to my experience living in LAGOS during my middle school years. i say this only to setup the fact that MAX CAVALERA's music helped CONTEXTUALIZE the rampant POLITICAL and ECONOMIC CORRUPTION and widespread HUMAN SUFFERING i witnessed of a burdened population with its neck firmly under the boot of a MERCILESS and BRUTAL MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. i was also similarly gutted the following year when CAVALERA left SEPULTURA, effectively ending their relevance as a creative entity moving forward.
my motivation for reading MY BLOODY ROOTS: FROM SEPULTURA TO SOULFLY AND BEYOND (JAWBONE PRESS, 2022) was to gain some INSIGHT and CONTEXT in his own words into the BELOVED BRAZILIAN METAL icon MAX CAVALERA and his ECLECTIC career that i've followed and enjoyed for most of my life. to me the dude is a SINGULAR figure, even among the CELEBRATED greats of the genre, in that he has continued to expand both the LEXICON of the genre by incorporating new TEXTURES and INSTRUMENTS, often from INDIGENOUS world traditions, and has seemingly brought the extended FAMILY of METAL together throughout his career. METAL can feel a bit INSULAR at times, with the never-ending patchwork of evermore OBSCURE sub-genres, but CAVALERA seemingly proves the COMMONALITY and SHARED NATURE of such ARTISTIC EXPRESSION with each DISTINCT iteration and recording by his ongoing SOULFLY project (which has touched on everything from DEATH METAL, THRASH METAL, BLACK METAL, CROSSOVER THRASH, GRINDCORE, DOOM METAL, SLUDGE METAL and even NU METAL). in MY BLOODY ROOTS, CAVALERA presents a BRAZILIAN childhood that was marked by the death of his ITALIAN father when he was 9, effectively impoverishing his FAMILY and transitioning his life in short order from one of means and SECURITY to one of SURVIVAL. by the time he was 13, CAVALERA decided that music was his means not only of EXPRESSION and employment, but also an IDENTITY and sense of COMMUNITY in the wake of his father's passing. it seems obvious that CAVALERA's knack for COMMUNITY BUILDING started in that moment and has continued unabated to the present. along with his drumming brother IGGOR, CAVALERA established SEPULTURA and gradually learned his instrument and the band made its way up the ladder in BRAZIL, each record expanding on the prior in terms of LYRICAL CONTENT, TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY and SONIC BRUTALITY. this culminated in ROOTS, which saw the band incorporate INDIGENOUS RHYTHMS and TEXTURES into their EVER-EXPANDING SOUND, even collaborating some field recordings with the native XAVANTE tribe in the interior MASSO GRATO state in BRAZIL. in the wake of the demise of SEPULTURA, CAVALERA through his SOULFLY has incorporated word RHYTHMS and TEXTURES from SERBIA, TURKEY, RUSSIA and EGYPT among other places to date. SEPULTURA effectively broke up due to INTERNAL business tensions over their manager GLORIA, who in time was married to CAVALERA. the band thought MAX was given PREFERENTIAL treatment and that they could do better as a unit with outside management. her firing led to CAVALERA's quitting SEPULTURA, the band he started with his brother, who stayed along for another decade. the band is still an ongoing entity today, but their influence and stature is nominal at best. they are essentially a HOLLOWED-OUT edifice of what was a ONCE-PROMISING BAND poised to be the next METALLICA. the story of CAVALERA's career is one of finding COMMUNITY in the face of DISAPPOINTMENT and TRAUMA at the STAGGERING LOSS of his FATHER, his BAND and his STEPSON. it is also the story of coming to terms with such and the DESTRUCTIVE coping mechanisms he employed surrounding the excessive use of alcohol and other chemicals. the fact that he address such head-on with no fanfare and went to rehab with the right attitude and came out successful is a testament to his sheer will and LOVE and CONNECTION to his FAMILY, both of the blood and musical variety. i truly feel that what separates CAVALERA is his INTENTION. you never feel that he is going through the motions, just writing and performing music for its own sake. there is a palpable EDGE and a real sense that this process is deeply PERSONAL and CATHARTIC for him, always. in turn the listener buys into the SENTIMENT as well and treats him as a REVERED sage on a truly CHAOTIC but INSIGHTFUL aural journey. i'm always interested in his work with any number of his myriad of side projects, from CAVALERA CONSPIRACY with his brother, to KILLER BE KILLED with peers from THE DILLNGER ESCAPE PLAN and MASTODON, and GO AHEAD AND DIE with his son ZYON. not to mention the downright INCENDIARY NAILBOMB. his memoir MY BLOODY ROOTS may be a bit STRAIGHTFORWARD and UNADORNED, but its HEARTFELT and and unassailably AUTHENTIC much like his music. most definitely recommended. photo & text by nacrowe
it is not hyperbole to state matter-of-factly that LINKIN PARK's debut album HYBRID THEORY (WARNER BROS, 2000) is one of the more culturally CONSEQUENTIAL releases of the new millennium. and that judgement is separate from the album having gone 27 times platinum worldwide since its unveiling more than two decades ago, making it the most SUCCESSFUL debut release of the 21st century. the album itself represents the COHERENT and SEAMLESS integration of HIP HOP PRODUCTION and SONIC AESTHETICS with the INTESITY and AGGRESSION and TRADITIONAL SONGWRITING STRUCTURES of ALTERNATIVE ROCK / METAL.
what is interesting is that LINKIN PARK was not the first out of the gate with this HYBRID sound, arguably KORN, INCUBUS, LIMP BIZKIT, DEFTONES, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and several other acts of the period associated (FAIRLY or UNFAIRLY) with the NU METAL tag predated them at times by several years. but whereas those bands to a certain extent experimented with CHOPPED BEATS, RAPPED VOCALS and SCRATCHED VINYL TEXTURING as a means of expanding their SOUND, such dalliances didnt necessarily constitute a SOUND centered around such. in LINKIN PARK and especially on HYBRID THEORY, said SCRATCHED TEXTURES, BEAT-MAKING and RAPPED VOCALS inverted such AURAL EXPECTATIONS. those ELEMENTS were the main focus of their SONGWRITING, with METAL tropes like DETUNED, DISSONANT guitars and THUNDEROUS drumming a more secondary compositional element. LINKIN PARK very clearly represented a clean break from the pack and 2.0 version of the NU METAL genre to the music-buying public, which was trending towards becoming GENRE-LESS. id go so far as to say that the current DIGITAL MUSICAL ENVIRONMENT, where TRIBALISM has wained significantly as the new generation (POST MALONE, LIL UZI VERT, MACHINE GUN KELLY) makes music that is DIVERSE, IMAGINATIVE and ICONOCLASTIC as they defy staid genre prescriptions of the past. along with BECK, WEEN, MIKE PATTON and countless other artists, this new musical reality is a world that LINKIN PARK introduced the greater world community to with such a COHESIVE statement as HYBRID THEORY. which is FUNNY, because people at the time thought LINKIN PARK were an INDUSTRY PLANT. literally every song on that album could have been marketed as a single. it was such a STRONG release that TASTEMAKERS and some IRRESPONSIBLE MUSIC CRITICS were immediately convinced that there was no possible way this band wrote their own material. the truth was the band (formerly XERO) had been struggling and turned down by literally every major label (some multiple times) repeatedly for years, some multiple times. they ended up on the ARTIST-FRIENDLY WARNER BROS label due to a previous relationship with their new A&R director at the time, otherwise theyd probably still be looking. the core of the SONGWRITING PARTNERSHIP was rapper MIKE SHINODA and vocalist CHESTER BENNINGTON, the former often providing FORM and CONTEXT to riffs and ideas provided by the rest of the group. producer DON GILMORE (GOOD CHARLOTTE, EVE6, DURAN DURAN, LIT) was an INDISPENSIBLE resource assisting SHINODA with SONG ARRANGEMENTS and navigating him through the process of manipulating the studio to your creative will. this instuction would reap substantial benefits on subsequent releases as SHINODA took on more PRODUCTION duties for the group. this is all to say that the band quite literally was a SELF-CONTAINED PRODUCTION entity in and of themselves, far more AUTONOMOUS then their ALTERNATIVE ROCK / METAL peer group and far more in keeping structurally and organizationally with HIP HOP PRODUCTION teams of the period (i.e. TIMBALAND, THE NEPTUNES and ORGANIZED NOIZE). i first heard LINKIN PARK during my junior year of high school. my family had moved to KUWAIT and i learned of HYBRID THEORY through an AMERICAN classmate there. i just remember being taken away by how strong the SONGWRITING and PRODUCTION was, which is not necessarily something you associated with an ALTERNATIVE ROCK / METAL album. if anything, bands like PANTERA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT and SYSTEM OF A DOWN traded not on their POLISH, but on how RAW and BRUTAL the music was while still maintaining a recognizable STRUCTURE. like a caged rat or something. HYBRID THEORY was more like a PRISTINE, highly STYLIZED art piece were everything was seamlessly INTEGRATED and thoroughly CONCEIVED and thought out compositionally for MAXIMUM AURAL IMPACT. it was a departure from what i expected yet fit in with SONIC EXPECTATIONS of MODERN POP and HIP HOP PRODUCTIONS of the period. i also remember the apparent VAGUENESS of the LYRICAL CONTENT, with BENNINGTON repeatedly opining and referencing how he wanted to remain himself and be less effected by another NAMELESS third entity. there was a lot of SECOND-PERSON PERSPECTIVE being thrown around which was a SONGWRITING quirk that was addressed on subsequent releases. there was also a STRIKING lack of CURSING, which seemed ODD at the time yet UNREMARKABLE in retrospect. in that regard they were much like 311 with such being a CONSCIOUS DECISION. the effect at the time was that BENNINGTON came off as slightly INAUTHENTIC. his vocals were so POWERFUL and strangely PROFESSIONAL that not CURSING while emoting ANGER seemed oddly RESTRAINED, especially when compared to his immediate peer group in MAX CAVALERA, JONATHAN DAVIS or even (sadly, yes) FRED DURST, he came off as a bit of a lightweight. a METAL singer for the POP audience. his untimely TRAGIC passing brought to bear in a very public way how deeply TROUBLED, TRAUMATIZED and emotionally affected he had been throughout his adult existence by lingering consequences of surviving SEXUAL ABUSE and severe BULLYING throughout his childhood. i'll speak for myself, but i hear his lyrics very differently now in light of such then i did as a seventeen year-old when HYBRID THEORY was released. i now am of the opinion that BENNINGTON was such a COURAGEOUS dude, bearing his heart in hopes of allowing others to suffer less. i just hate the fact that it took his death for people, including myself, to open up and pay attention to his message. HYBRID THEORY still holds up. again, literally ever song could have been a single, but to me the STANDOUT tracks include "IN THE END," "WITH YOU," "A PLACE FOR MY HEAD," "ONE STEP CLOSER," "POINTS OF AUTHORITY," and my FAVORITE song, "PAPERCUT." more than any other record from this era, i hear the reverberations of the massive CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT that was HYBRID THEORY down the line in HIP HOP and ALTERNATIVE ROCK / METAL music from the past two decades. like NIRVANA before them, what came in their wake were lots of TERRIBLE copycats (i.e. EVANESCENCE, BREAKING BENJAMIN, CRAZY TOWN) as well as some very INSPIRED and CONSEQUENTIAL adherents (i.e. A DAY TO REMEMBER and BRING ME THE HORIZON), but throughout such the ORIGINALITY and CONSISTENCY of HYBRID THEORY and the LINKIN PARK SOUND remains. definitely worth checking out. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
April 2024
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