photo & text by nacrowe
by the time of PANTERA's eight studio album THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL (ELEKTRA, 1996), the band was probably in desperate need of an extended hiatus. singer PHIL ANSELMO had been dealing for years with back problems that led him down a SELF-MEDICATED SPIRAL of PAINKILLERS and ALCOHOL that would eventually culminate in a HEROIN OVERDOSE on tour not long after the release of this album. in retrospect this album is the first PANTERA effort conceived of by a splintered collective, with ANSELMO recording his VOCALS alone with producer TERRY DATE at TRENT REZNOR's NEW ORLEANS studio and the band at the ABBOTT BROTHER's home studio in TEXAS. not surprisingly given the INTERNAL CHAOS, this would be the final DATE-produced PANTERA record, having worked on every release since their COWBOYS FROM HELL (ATCO, 1990) major label debut.
all that being said, THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL was the record i first became aware of the band through, given that it came out at the end of my sixth grade school year in NIGERIA. i know for certain that by seventh grade i had a taped copy of the record. being surrounded by oil brats from the AMERICAN SOUTH, most of whom were at least LATENTLY RACIST towards our WEST AFRICAN hosts, i've always had a hard time stomaching SOUTHERN PRIDE which this album has a lot of. the concept for the record was that in the midst of ALTERNATIVE ROCK largely replacing TRADITIONAL METAL, with longstanding legacy bands like METALLICA, ANTHRAX and SLAYER all making concessions to the new format, PANTERA was standing STRONG (the unsubtle insinuation being much like their confederate forefathers of yore) and flying the freak flag of UNDILUTED, UNADULTERATED METAL for the hardcore fans. THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL is an UNCOMPROMISING album about STUBBORNNESS, INTRANSIGENCE and PERSEVERANCE in the face of environmental headwinds like popular opinion and cultural trends. despite the process that birth it, the record is sonically and lyrically one of the most FOCUSED and DIRECT efforts in their catalogue. themes include SOCIAL DEFIANCE and the VULNERABILITY and SHAME involved with ADDICTION. AGGRESSIVE tracks like "SUICIDE NOTE, PT. 2," "WAR NERVE," "THE UNDERGROUND IN AMERICA" "THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL" and "DRAG THE WATERS" are made more impactful by their STRIPPED, BACK-TO-BASICS PRODUCTION, especially in contrast to the more THICK and LUSH, MULTI-LAYERED guitar overdubs found on their CELEBRATED previous effort, FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (ELEKTRA, 1994). more MELLOW affairs like "SUICIDE NOTE, PT. 1" and "FLOODS" is where this album really separates itself from the pack, especially the latter and its ICONIC GUITAR SOLOS and much REVERED OUTRO. even in the midst of a BRUTAL RECORDING, the exceptionally AFFECTING "FLOODS" outro is arguably the most beautifully MELODIC COMPOSITION DIMEBAG DARRELL ever wrote. looking back at THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL, there are some REGRESSIVE POLITICAL and SOCIAL ASPECTS of the lyrics i still find deep issue with, but musically this record is an absolute BEAST. its the album in my opinion that most effectively showcases the COMPLICATED PANTERA legacy bar none. that being said it is worthy of investigation and most definitely worth checking out.
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parodies by nacrowe
i wasnt on the bandwagon with the MERCURIAL SHEFFIELD band BRING ME THE HORIZON from the very beginning, but close enough. i first learned about them after their single "CHELSEA SMILE" off of their second album SUICIDE SEASON (VISIBLE NOISE, 2008) came out back in the late 2000s. and really what separated the band from the other BRUTAL and ULTRA-HEAVY METALCORE / DEATHCORE bands emerging to prominence at the time like ALL SHALL PERISH, SUICIDE SILENCE, DESPISED ICON, WHITECHAPEL, CARNIFEX and JOB FOR A COWBOY was ironically their sense of MELODY. i remember listening to that album and thinking that in spite of its beyond AGGRESSIVE sonic annihilation and DEVASTATING lyrical content were actual MEMORABLE, WELL-COMPOSED songs. like the band could actual construct riffs together and their vocalist, OLI SYKES, on occasion, could SING. my initial reaction was that this singer had a wider TECHNICAL and EMOTIONAL range then GIFTED scene peers in MITCH LUCKER (rest in peace), PHIL BOZEMAN or HERNAN HERMIDA.
their follow-up THERE IS A HELL BELIEVE ME I'VE SEEN IT. THERE IS A HEAVEN LET'S KEEP IT A SECRET. (VISIBLE NOISE, 2010) was a more WELL-PRODUCED and REFINED version of SUICIDE SILENCE but the fourth album SEMPITERNAL (EPITAPH, 2013) was the creative and commercial breakthrough. shedding both a NASTY addiction to KETAMINE and a beloved guitarist in JONA WEINHOFEN (BLEEDING THROUGH, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN), SEMPITERNAL marks the addition of the TALENTED keyboardist and electronic producer JORDAN FISH to the band as an INTEGRAL SONGWRITING PARTNER and as the fork in their career when things got WEIRD. but in a good way. somehow the band maintained their edge while incorporating a wide VARIETY of elements that derived from everything from TRIP HOP, AMBIENT, POST METAL, ELECTRO and even INDIE POP to create an ever shifting and evolving stew of UNEXPECTED sonic juxtapositions that maintains a core of exceptionally STRONG SONGWRITING. and that focus on MELODY and the COMPOSITION of the song itself, rather than the sonic trappings of its relative heaviness or otherwise aural dressing up, is what continues to separate BRING ME THE HORIZON from the pack. it really feels like after the second lease on life post-ADDICTION, SYKES as the de facto leader of the band has really continued to put out VARIED releases that have a sense of DANGER and RISK to them. as if he is attempting to alienate his own audience in the process. contrarily, he has been an innovator in an otherwise stagnant METALCORE scene navel-gazing at and celebrating its own collective sonic BRUTALITY, with no real ARTISTIC RISK involved. you get the feeling that BRING ME THE HORIZON several eclectic albums post-SEMPITERNAL are on their own kick at this point. they have long transcended the scene, which continues to look to them for ideas and concepts (and even band names) from throughout their career. i just love the fact that in the great tradition of other cultural innovators in MODERN ROCK AND ROLL like MIKE PATTON, WAYNE COYNE, DEVIN TOWNSEND, PERRY FARRELL or GIBBY HAYNES, OLI SYKES is likewise unafraid to risk everything in search of a new sound, a new idea, a new expression. which is why i am still very much on the ride. embedded below is a RECENT DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a BRING ME THE HORIZON playlist from throughout their ECLECTIC catalogue. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
the HAMBURG-based INDUSTRIAL METAL band KMFDM was on a bit of a role in the mid-90s with a string of ICONIC releases in ANGST (WAX TRAX!, 1993), NIHIL (WAX TRAX!, 1995) and SYMBOLS (WAX TRAX!, 1997) that included arguably their most CELEBRATED tracks to date. those albums specifically serve as the centerpiece of their touring operation that has continued seemingly unabated now for close to four decades now. nudged right between NIHIL and SYMBOLS was XTORT (WAX TRAX!, 1996), which was relatively TOP-HEAVY with its "SON OF A GUN," "POWER" and "WRATH" tracks inter-midst more relatively PEDESTRIAN material.
its difficult pinpointing what makes for a strong KMFDM record since much like MOTORHEAD, AC/DC, THE RAMONES and SLAYER, they all tend to bleed into each other. such is the risk one takes when mixing unadulterated UPTEMPO JUNGLE DANCE BEATS with AGGRESSIVE OVERDRIVEN GUITARS and deep PUMMELING BASS DRUMS. its odd calling KMFDM a singles band, but it is true to an extent that their STANDOUT tracks are generally those they release individually, given that they usually depart in terms of MELODY and TEMPO from the UNRELENTING SAMPLE-HEAVY INDUSTRIAL assault that makes up the rest of their work. in later years a heavy dose of PARODY and HUMOR was added to the mix, both lyrically and sonicly, but XTORT is firmly in this previous era of GENRE-DEFINING releases that went on to influence countless INDUSTRIAL-adjacent acts from ATARI TEENAGE RIOT, MARILYN MANSON and THE PRODIGY to RAMMSTEIN and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. if you are interested in the development of INDUSTRIAL MUSIC then XTORT is well worth checking out, as are similar releases by peers like SKINNY PUPPY, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT, FRONT 242 and MINISTRY as well as more FORMATIVE bands like THROBBING GRISTLE and EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN. my personal favorite KMFDM releases to date are NIHIL and SYMBOLS, so my advice would be to start there and then branch out accordingly. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
originally conceived in the late 1950s as part of a new series of four decidedly MODERNIST guitar models by GIBSON pushed by their LEGENDARY president TED MCCARTY (including the EXPLORER, FUTURA and MODERNE) to compete with the FUTURISTIC FENDER STRATOCASTER, the FLYING V was shelved shortly after production began due to low sales. it wasnt until the PROMINENT 1950s BLUES guitarist ALBERT KING and later 1960s ROCK AND ROLL guitar players like DAVE DAVIES (THE KINKS), ANDY POWELL (WISHBONE ASH) and JIMI HENDRIX began using them that their popularity began in earnest. later in the 1970s and 1980s the model found a home and became identifiable with the NWOBHM and THRASH METAL scenes in bands like JUDAS PRIEST, MERCYFUL FATE, DIAMOND HEAD, SCORPIONS, ACCEPT and KING DIAMOND as well as SLAYER, METALLICA and MEGADETH.
the IN-ARTFULLY named, conceived and executed recent FLYING V (TEN NINETY ONE, 2020) documentary is focused on the SYNERGISTIC relationship between those music scenes and that particular GUITAR MODEL. there is something to be said about the GIBSON models LACK OF CURVES and SPACE-AGE AESTHETICS which stood out on stage and literally pointed the way forward. their popularity resulted in a myriad of later brands, most notably JACKSON, ESP, B.C RICH, DEAN, SHECTER, KRAMER, IBANEZ and so on taking their stab at creating POINTIER, more ANGULAR REVISIONS with DIFFERENT ACTIVE PICKUP CONFIGURATIONS that went well beyond the original SETH LOVER humbucking pickups associated with the original. the film is largely an INCOHERENT series of interview clips with the likes of K.K. DOWNING (JUDAS PRIEST), MICHAEL SHENKER (UFO / SCORPIONS), MICHAEL DENNER & HANK SHERMANN (MERCYFUL FATE), BRIAN TATLER (DIAMOND HEAD), WOLF HOFFMAN (ACCEPT), ANDY LAROCQUE (KING DIAMOND), MICHAEL AMOTT (ARCH ENEMY), DAVE MUSTAINE (MEGADETH), JAMES HETFIELD (METALLICA) and KERRY KING (SLAYER) among others about various aspects of the guitars appeal. most of these interviews are pretty TEDIOUS and REPETITIVE and act almost as advertisements for the band members and their particular MODELS, which does the FLYING V ultimately a disservice in my opinion. the film would have been served better by conducting interviews with the manufacturers themselves and those that are continuing to INNOVATE on the original design. there is also LAZY EDITING and the LACK OF LICENSED MUSIC by said artists, which shows both a LACK OF BUDGET and buy-in from the artists themselves. in fact, the same GENERIC background music is repetitively utilized over and over again throughout to the point that it grates as the film rambles on. in totality, this film was difficult to watch even with a passion for the subject that i have as a fan of guitars and their development in general. this film feels RUSHED and ILL-CONCEIVED and would have been executed in a more talented director's hands with a bigger budget. NOTHING WAS LEARNED here that a thirty second perusal through the first two paragraphs of a WIKIPEDIA entry couldnt have taught me, which funny enough feels like the extent of the preproduction utilized for this documentary. id given this film a hard pass unless one is exceedingly interested in the subject of FLYING Vs to the extent that they could stomach one EVISCERATING the topic. dont say you werent forewarned. photo & text by nacrowe
i tend to think of the NINE INCH NAILS' BROKEN (INTERSCOPE, 1992) EP as a bit of palette cleanser from the INTIMATE, SELF-FLAGELLATING SYNTH POP-indebted PRETTY HATE MACHINE (TVT, 1989) to the eventual EPIC SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, PHANTASMAGORIC INDUSTRIAL nightmare that was THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL (INTERSCOPE, 1994); two absolutely colossal LANDMARK releases in the history of ROCK AND ROLL, sub-genres be damned.
whereas THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL was a DELICATE web of INSECURITY and RESENTMENT primarily drawn from the vernacular of 1980s synth music subverted not to be CELEBRATORY, but deeply FLAWED and TORN in sentiment. there are some SAMPLED and INDUSTRIAL elements throughout, but such are more decorative in nature than what was to come on future releases. with debauched and crushingly aggressive tracks like "HAPPINESS IN SLAVERY," "GAVE UP," "LAST," "HELP ME I AM IN HELL," "PINION" and especially "WISH" BROKEN provides a more metallic edge that seeks to up the ante on sonic SELF-EVISCERATION and aurally emoting the remnants of a BROKEN PSYHE. BROKEN in essence reads like a PRIMAL SCREAM lashing out not only at the MUSIC INDUSTRY (especially exploitive former label TVT), but the world at large. it is the most AGGRESSIVE moment in otherwise famously unrelentingly BLEAK discography. by the time THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL came out, its more SAMPLE HEAVY and INDUSTRIAL-based experiments with DISSONANCE and JAGGED SONIC JUXTAPOSITIONS didnt come off as such a departure, but rather as a refinement of an earlier more blunt ARTISTIC expression encountered on BROKEN. this EP was something that completely blew me away as a teenager when i first got into NINE INCH NAILS in the late 1990s and seemingly expressed my FRUSTRATION, fears and insecurity like nothing i heard before. it was MAINLINED AGGRESSION and SELF-HATRED and easily one of the highlights of a CELEBRATED catalogue that continues to evolve, develop and mature to this day at TRENT REZNOR makes his way through life. BROKEN is one of my all-time FAVORITE records and well worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
when i first came across the nine-peace IOWAN monolith that is SLIPKNOT at OZZFEST 99, their unrelentingly AGGRESSIVE aural ASSAULT and demented mask-and-coveralls PRESENTATION seemed to be NEXT LEVEL everything in terms of METAL. their RICK ROBINSON-produced debut SLIPKNOT (ROADRUNNER, 1999) seemed to likewise be an exercise in controlled VIOLENCE and ever-so reigned in sonic CHAOS. that whole period of the band was lightning in a bottle and very much established the bar for TONE, SHOWMANSHIP and outright ANTAGONISM in METAL for at least the next decade.
by the time they re-upped with ROBINSON again for their follow-up IOWA (ROADRUNNER, 1999), the band had EVOLVED significantly as SONGWRITERS yet were able to somehow able to balance and maintain the AGGRESSION of their debut. this progression can be heard throughout IOWA on tracks like "THE HERETIC ANTHEM," "LEFT BEHIND," "PEOPLE = SHIT," "NEW ABORTION," "MY PLAGUE" and "DISASTERPIECE." my recollection of the record was that i thought there was no way possible to follow-up such an INTENSE debut record, that it was pointless trying to outdo it on its own terms. when i heard IOWA i realized that the band actually had songs with discernible MEMORABLE HOOKS throughout. at this point STONE SOUR was not a viable entity and singer COREY TAYLOR hadnt yet publicly exercise his CLEAN SINGING talents, much less bring them into the fold with SLIPKNOT. for me, and i could be alone here, IOWA is the last EXTREME SLIPKNOT album before TAYLOR STREAMLINED (and id argue DILUTED) it with more MAINSTREAM post-GRUNGE elements. the other thing that comes to mind when i listen to IOWA is the fact that it was released shortly before 9/11 and how that album was a soundtrack to that period, especially feelings of LOSS, ISOLATION, DESPAIR and CONFUSION. SLIPKNOT, much like SLAYER, was always superb at translating ANGER and BELLIGERENCE into WELL-COMPOSED songs. it is definitely music that is definitely operating at the extremes of EMOTION, TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP and IMAGINATION and is not for the faint of heart. my sense is that such nuance gets lost on a listening public that latches on to the SHOWMANSHIP of their PRESENTATION. taken as a whole, the band and its IMAGE showcase an in-group gang mentality that seemed like an apt metaphor for the country after 9/11 and all the MINDLESS JINGOISM and EMPTY FLAG-WAVING of the period. in many ways, we havent moved forward from such as a country, even if the band and its sound very much has. IOWA is a MODERN METAL classic and is most definitely worth revisiting. photo & text by nacrowe
as with anything METALLICA-related, you have to go into it with MEASURED expectations and a REALISTIC perspective. the knee-jerk (and patently unfair) response is to compare every new release with what that TRANSCENDENT string of releases they created back in the 1980s as 20-somethings. the band is pushing sixty now so it is just not reasonable to expect them to be recreating something with the RELENTLESS FIRE and ENERGY of RIDE THE LIGHTNING (MEGAFORCE, 1984) or MASTER OF PUPPETS (ELEKTRA, 1986) at this point. personally, i am just grateful that they are still around as a FUNCTIONING, creatively VIABLE entity unlike so many of their former prominent peers in SLAYER, PANTERA, DEATH, WHITE ZOMBIE, SOUNDGARDEN, BLACK SABBATH and so on. im not being facetious, i honestly love the fact that there are still METALLICA albums to look forward to every few years.
but how good is the new album 72 SEASONS (BLACKENED, 2023) ? all things considered its PRETTY GOOD. with METALLICA there seems to be three big eras in their career. first there were the CLIFF BURTON years plus ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (ELEKTRA, 1988) that all happened in the 1980s. then you have the 1990s albums plus ST. ANGER (ELEKTRA, 2003) that saw them both STREAMLINE and EXPERIMENT with the formula with varying results. id argue that everything from DEATH MAGNETIC (WARNER BROS, 2008) on is a revisit to the spirit of the early 1980s material and era but with a sense of production and song construction prowess that they gained in the second phase of their career. like DEATH MAGNETIC and HARDWIRED TO SELF DESTRUCT (BLACKENED, 2016), 72 SEASONS basic lives in MID-TEMPO territory with songs that dont take off or soar technically like their early material. part of that is due to drummer LARS ULRICH and his RENOWNED hesitancy (or inability) to utilize double kicks to real push these songs forward. such is not new and is a feature of the later METALLICA sound. another feature are the KIRK HAMMETT IMPROVISATIONAL guitar solos which often seem rather OFF-THE-CUFF and sadly not as orchestrated or thought through as his REVERED earlier work with the band. i feel strongly that JAMES HETFIELD and his rhythm guitar playing, as well as bassist ROBERT TRUJILLO's SLIPPERY and SLINKY counterpoint note choices, is where the band excels sonically. there is definitely something special that has been established between those two players over the past decade or so that finds them either LOCKED IN or revolving around one another almost arguably in a JAZZ kinda way. STANDOUT tracks include "SCREAMING SUICIDE," "IF DARKNESS HAD A SON," "72 SEASONS," "SHADOWS FOLLOW" and the MOTORHEAD-inflected "LUX ÆTERNA." overall i think this is the sound of a band playing to their strengths and incorporating elements that they enjoy from throughout their career. would i recommend this record? maybe. id still say youre better off getting familiar with RIDE THE LIGHTNING, MASTER OF PUPPETS and ....AND JUSTICE FOR ALL before exploring the rest of their catalogue. better to start with what made them SPECIAL first before becoming acquainted with their subsequent IDIOSYNCRATIC choices that led them to their current position as elder statesmen. photo & text by nacrowe
HOLY WOOD (IN THE SHADOW OF THE VALLEY OF DEATH) (INTERSCOPE, 2000) was a bit of retread record. having expanded his INDUSTRIAL-tinged GOTH METAL roots at the zenith of his FAME and CULTURAL CACHE with a left turn to that of CLASSIC 70s GLAM ROCK a la DAVID BOWIE in MECHANICAL ANIMALS (INTERSCOPE, 1998), this follow-up saw MARILYN MANSON return back to the formula that seemingly worked on ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR (INTERSCOPE, 1996) almost four years earlier. only thing was that the cultural moment HOLY WOOD was released within had transformed the AMERICAN public's view of MANSON. this is since it was released a year after the COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL MASSACRE in COLORADO that saw twelve students and one teacher murdered at the hands of two heavily armed classmates. it was (falsely) reported in the press at the time that said murderers were fans of MANSON, an INNACURACY that forever transformed his career.
its hard to put COLUMBINE into perspective with our current AWFUL state of affairs where school shootings happen on such a regular basis that it is easy to be OVERWHELMED and HOPELESS about the prospect of change. the likes of SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY, VIRGINIA TECH, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLASS, UC SANTA BARBARA, SANTA FE, and ROBB ELEMENTARY are just the most prominent of an enduring facet of AMERICAN LIFE: our inability to confront the corrosive widespread availability of high-capacity weapons of war in our society. in 1999, during the CLINTON administration, COLUMBINE was that initial siren warning us all of this impending danger. instead of change or legislation, a new IMPOTENT NATIONAL RITUAL was instituted in which HOLLOW PRAYERS were made and nothing happened. gone on ever since. back then instead of change we as a country did the easy thing going after cultural targets: i.e. violent movies, video games and, of course, MARILYN MANSON. for me its hard to read HOLY WOOD disentangled from that cultural moment, as MANSON himself was consumed by it. his global supporting effort was the "guns, god and government" tour for starters. he even made a MEMORABLE and THOUGHTFUL cameo in MICHAEL MOORE's BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE (UNITED ARTISTS, 2002) film, itself an examination of AMERICA's fascination with guns, before a DENVER gig. sonically the record is not that far removed from MECHANICAL ANIMALS in that the songs are pretty streamlined and traditionally structured, unlike previous efforts which were more EXPERIMENTAL INDUSTRIAL art pieces. lyrically MANSON is trading on his requisite themes of ALIENATION and PSYCHIC / SOCIAL ISOLATION on memorable tracks like "CRUCI-FICTION IN SPACE," "THE FIGHT SONG," "A PLACE IN THE DIRT," "THE NOBODIES," "BURNING FLAG" and "DISPOSABLE TEENS." my personal favorite track is the plodding "CRUCI-FICTION IN SPACE" which has a 40,000 foot elevated perspective on the human race and its follies similar to that of the famous ORSON WELLES / HARRY LIME ferris wheel scene in THE THIRD MAN (BRITISH LION, 1949) were the true value of mankind is discussed and entertained from a distance. the implication for MANSON seems to be that if these students dont matter in AMERICAN LIFE, than who does? who does indeed. HOLY WOOD is still as RELEVANT now as it was more than two decades ago. photo & text by nacrowe
i always thought of OZZY OSBOURNE's OZZMOSIS (EPIC, 1995) album, in spite of its being SUBPAR in his discography, a major TRANSITIONAL record in his career. his previous recordings all feel guitar-dominated with the VIRTUOSO contributions from the CELEBRATED likes of ZAKK WYLDE, JAKE E. LEE and most famously the late RANDY RHOADS. arguably such was also the case with BLACK SABBATH and TONY IOMMI. regardless of the revolving door of guitarists there was a sense of AESTHETIC CONTINUITY at play that seemingly ended with OZZMOSIS and has carried on to some extent PERPLEXING ever since. its as if OSBOURNE made a conscious decision to downplay that aspect of his sound and attempt to position himself as more of a singer-songwriter, with varying results.
one major variable on OZZMOSIS is the new producer MICHAEL BEINHORN, at this point no doubt RENOWNED for his production of SOUNDGARDEN's EXPANSIVE SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) album the previous year. he would go on to produce other NOTEWORTHY albums such as SOCIAL DISTORTION's WHITE HEAT, WHITE LIGHT, WHITE TRASH (EPIC, 1996), MARILYN MANSON's MECHANICAL ANIMALS (INTERSCOPE, 1998), HOLE's CELEBRITY SKIN (DGC, 1998) and KORN's UNTOUCHABLES (EPIC, 2002) in the coming years. but in comparison to all of those records, OZZMOSIS sounds STILTED and HALF-COOKED, as if he was making a record with a proverbial arm tied behind his back. WYLDE's contributions, for instance are SCALED WAY BACK and often in their place are what appear to be synthesized guitars, which is absolutely INEXPLICABLE. on the previous record, NO MORE TEARS (), WYLDE was absolutely let loose and it showcased his full range as a guitarist from INTROSPECTIVE ACOUSTIC LAYERINGS and FEEDBACK-LADEN DOLPHIN SQUEELS to FULL-BORE, DISTORTED, PINCH-HARMONIC DESTRUCTION. on OZZMOSIS there is so much SYNTHESIZED midi-controlled ORCHESTRATED elements and FAKE guitars that it just comes off sounding BLAND. such can be heard on tracks like "PERRY MASON," "SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE" and "I JUST WANT YOU." thankfully there are a few PROPULSIVE tracks that buck this approach including the likes of "WHOLE WORLD'S FALLIN' DOWN," "TOMORROW" and "THUNDER UNDERGROUND" which somewhat salvage a COMPROMISED, MEDIOCRE album. in short, large swaths of this album dont sound like an OSBOURNE record. its IRONIC that such a release, which i am assuming was an ARTISTIC CONCESSION to the growing influence of the ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement of the period, was what led to a period that cemented his legacy as a cultural icon years after his BLACK SABBATH and GLAM METAL years. it was during this period that OSBOURNE was famously rejected from inclusion on the traveling national LOLLAPALOOZA festival, thus initiating his own massively INFLUENTIAL rival OZZFEST tour that effectively resurrected the EXTREME METAL scene as a cultural movement in the UNITED STATES over the coming decade. OZZMOSIS is a largely FORGETABLE record with a handful of decent tracks. a better introduction to his STELLAR career would be any of the first six BLACK SABBATH records or BLIZZARD OF OZ (JET, 1980), DIARY OF A MADMAN (JET, 1981) or NO MORE TEARS from his solo career. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
along with SWEETWATER and maybe REVERB, the retailer CHICAGO MUSIC EXCHANGE has grown in recent times to be one of the LARGEST online sellers of INSTRUMENTS and MUSIC-RELATED PRODUCTS (RECORDING, LIVE SOUND, etc.) on the internet. famously they have a WELL-STOCKED showroom location in CHICAGO that is a MUST-VISIT for touring MUSICIANS of all levels. much like other vendors and MUSIC INDUSTRY adjacent businesses, during the pandemic they kept their profile up with a series of in-house produced LIVE PERFORMANCE videos of mostly local UP-AND-COMING ACTS. you have a sprinkling of national touring entities like TORCHE and BARONESS thrown in, but for the most part they have kept CME SESSIONS as a venue to promote EMERGING TALENT of varying ROCK AND ROLL genres.
its still very much ONGOING and definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
WARREN DEMARTINI. it is definitely all about WARREN DEMARTINI.
dude was one of the hands-down GNARLIEST GUITAR PLAYERS of the 1980s METAL scene; GLAM METAL, THRASH or otherwise. his TASTEFUL LEGATO runs are all over RATT's debut OUT OF THE CELLAR (ATLANTIC, 1984) album, adding TEXTURE and a sense of ENERGY and excitement to some of the CATCHIER GLAM METAL from that era, right up there with heavyweights MOTLEY CRUE and VAN HALEN. of course, like most bands from that SUNSET STRIP era, the MACHO POSTURING and RIDICULOUS fashion was OUTLANDISH and LAUGHABLE at best (just look at KISS and OZZY OSBOURNE from this period) and CRINGE-INDUCING at worst. i know to some extent this was a scene built on the idol worship of ICONIC acts like T. REX and THE NEW YORK DOLLS, but like all religious converts they all took it too far. vocalist STEPHEN PEARCY was as guilty of this as anyone, but i'll admit i appreciate his relative RESTRAINT on lead single "ROUND AND ROUND," which was one of the better tracks of that scene. all that being said, whenever i tire of listening to THRASH, HARDCORE or EXTREME METAL sub-genres like DEATH and BLACK METAL from the period, i definitely put on OUT OF THE CELLAR for the genius of DEMARTINI. easily on of the most UNDERRATED and CRIMINALLY OVERLOOKED GUITARISTS in ROCK AND ROLL history. at some points its not even about the songs, just his guitar phrasing, technique and feel for his INSTRUMENT. i definitely here reverberations of his influence in the likes of the CONSIDERED pyrotechnics of ZAKK WYLDE (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY), SYNYSTER GATES (AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and even JOSH MIDDLETOWN (SYLOSIS, ARCHITECTS). if the guy was born in a different era he'd probably be a LEGENDARY BLUES or JAZZ player, not the OVERQUALIFIED lead guitarist for a CHEESY, also-ran 80s HAIR METAL band. but those are the breaks. do i recommend RATT? no. not at all. but i do recommend checking out the work of WARREN DEMARTINI. dude is an ABSOLUTE wizard. photo manipulation by nacrowe
most bands, whatever their AESTHETIC or scene affiliations, are involved on some level of paying homage to their own PUBLIC PERSONA. deep in there somewhere is a nugget of personality or marketing that separates them from their peers. for me the MELVINS HASTILY-EDITED tour documentary MELVINS: ACROSS THE USA IN 51 DAYS (IPECAC, 2015) is all about DISMANTLING whatever ROMANTIC notions you had left of the touring ROCK AND ROLL lifestyle.
shot on what has to be camera phones by various members and edited in the most RUDIMENTARY of styles with varying sound quality, this on the face of it is FILM VERITE gone HORRIBLE. it follows the band on their 2012 as they attempted to break a world record of playing 51 shows in all 50 states (and WASHINGTON DC) in 51 days. that sounds AWESOME in theory but what you find in practice is a BRUTAL, fiendishly FAST-PACED touring schedule that delivers them to CIVIC AUDITORIUMS, VFW HALLS, COMMUNITY CENTERS and TINY THEATERS the throughout the country. you get to see the firsthand the SKETCHY TRUCK STOPS and UNINVITING ROADSIDE RESTAURANTS along small FORGOTTEN faraway bastions of the continental UNITED STATES. which make you feel ISOLATED just watching it and questioning yourself over and over again: why do this to yourself? honestly, why? and that is why this documentary is VITAL. this is not BOB DYLAN in '66 or THE ROLLING STONES in '72 or even LED ZEPPELIN in '77, this is rural AMERICA up close and UNADORNED. reminds me of my two trips to IOWA (don't ask) and how the minute i landed their i immediately felt a surge of REGRET and FEAR of being deserted unlike anything else i've experienced before or since. and that includes traveling in remote villages in AFRICA, SOUTHEAST ASIA and THE BALKANS. there is nothing remotely SEXY or INVITING about this film, its all FRUSTRATION and huamn SUFFERING and that is why it is absolutely required viewing in my opinion. probably one of the more HONEST accounts of touring life i have seen in years if ever. photo & text by nacrowe
my introduction to the IDIOSYNCRATIC ALTERNATIVE FUNK that is PRIMUS was their main stage appearance on OZZFEST 99. i was fifteen and that music festival was my initiation into concert going as well. so much of that day was OVERWHELMING with its INSANE lineup that included BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, ROB ZOMBIE, DEFTONES, BLACK SABBATH, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and FEAR FACTORY as well as a FRENETIC, emerging group from the MIDWEST called SLIPKNOT, but i distinctly remember PRIMUS standing out both sonically and in terms of their presentation. they were GOOFY. but WACKY in the sense that they were such ridiculously TALENTED musicians that they could get away with it. case in point was their special guest who was a VIRTUOSO guitarist that wore a KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN bucket on his head with an accompanying JASON mask going by the name BUCKETHEAD. even SLAYER fans were into their set despite it being nothing remotely EXTREME or AGGRESSIVE in terms of EXTREME METAL.
turns out that go around was for their ANTIPOP (INTERSCOPE, 1999) record that found the group playing with a more HARDER-EDGED sound courtesy of all the special producers brought in on this project, including TOM MORELLO (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), FRED DURST (LIMP BIZKIT), MATT STONE (SOUTH PARK), TOM WAITS and STEWART COPELAND (THE POLICE). not to mention guest appearances by JAMES HETFIELD (METALLICA) and JIM MARTIN (FAITH NO MORE) as well. regarded in retrospect by the band as their least favorite record with a TORTURED creation story to boot, it nearly broke them as they went on hiatus shortly after its release for three years. STANDOUT tracks include "GREET THE SACRED COW," "LAQUERHEAD," "ELECTRIC UNCLE SAM" and "THE ANTIPOP," all employing TRADITIONAL hooks with stop-on-a-dime precision SYNCHRONOUS rhythm playing and ECCENTRIC lyrical conceits to match in the best tradition of KING CRIMSON, THE RESIDENTS, WEEN, SYD BARRETT, DR. DEMENTO and FRANK ZAPPA. its interesting that ANTIPOP was my introduction to the PECULIAR world of PRIMUS, because it is arguably the least representative of the catalogue. this was a record they made for their label seemingly out of pressure to remain commercially relevant, whatever that meant back in the late 1990s when the writing was on the wall with NAPSTER and file-sharing driving profits away from compact disc sales. it was an INTERESTING time to say the least. still love this record, but for the uninitiated there are better records to dive into first, like FIZZLE FRY (CAROLINE, 1990), SAILING THE SEAS OF CHEESE (INTERSCOPE, 1991), PORK SODA (INTERSCOPE, 1993) and TALES FROM THE PUNCH BOWL (INTERSCOPE, 1995). just get ready for their PROGRESSIVE ROCK via FUNK sound as interpreted by CAPTAIN BEEFHEART. its a fun mix and required listening in my opinion. photo & text by nacrowe
the unlikely global phenomenon that is KORN is something i still find truly fascinating. tagged with spearheading what came to be known as NU METAL (an AGGRESSIVE METAL / HIP HOP hybrid) in the 1990s, the band and its sound was most prominently rooted in the ALTERNATIVE ROCK / FUNK METAL of a previous generation of ECLECTIC bands, namely FISHBONE and FAITH NO MORE / MR BUNGLE. throw in some NEW ROMANTIC posturing a la DURAN DURAN and more than sprinkling of GANGSTER RAP like ICE CUBE and DR. DRE and you have the basic TOXIC mixture that KORN drew from in the early 1990s.
the thing about their self-titled debut KORN (EPIC, 1994) is the context of how their sound landed in the ALTERNATIVE ROCK / METAL scene of the mid-1990s. this was a moment of transition as many of the THRASH METAL bands of the 1980s were still holding on to a sound (sans METALLICA) that some in retrospect deride as "type-writer metal" which is highly TECHNICAL and contains riffage that is COMPLEX and extremely uptempo. to be considered a METAL band equated to mastering that sound. KORN changed all that. their riffs were SIMPLE and the tempo was pulled way way back. the focus was on the GROOVE, not the tempo or technical wizardry, and the lyrical content. singer JONATHAN DAVIS on tracks like "BLIND," "FAGET," "SHOOTS AND LADDERS," "CLOWN" and especially "DADDY" seemed to be exorcising some deep childhood trauma of the sexual kind, a deeply DISTURBING cultural taboo that was never part of the vernacular of heavy music before, which was itself EMPOWERING in nature. DAVIS presented, much like KURT COBAIN before him, an emotive and introspective archetype of an ALTERNATIVE MASCULINITY. one that was unleashing a PRIMAL SCREAM against the ills of society and how badly it had treated him during his most VULNERABLE years as a child. i believe that such was a paradigm shift in METAL and ALTERNATIVE ROCK as many bands seemingly modeled themselves on such in their wake to present date. sonically the band had a UNIQUE two-headed guitar attack a la BRIAN "HEAD" WELCH and JAMES "MUNKY" SHAFFER, both tuned down multiple steps with intertwining parts that buttressed the SLOW, plodding HEAVY riffs but just as importantly enhanced the lighter counterpoint melodies (often in opening riffs). bassist REGINALD "FIELDY" ARVIZU was less a traditional musician in the MELODIC sense and acted more as an extension of the percussion section with his slapping bass lines that really forward-propelled the songs themselves beyond the FUNK drumming of original percussionist DAVID SILVERA. in totality the band presented an OFF-KILTER but sonically POWERFUL front that empowered DAVIS to brave out and expose himself lyrically. it should also be noted that this record is one of the DEFINITIVE early ROSS ROBINSON productions that pushed his career forward and no doubt helped him land later work with the likes of GLASSJAW, SLIPKNOT, LIMP BIZKIT, SEPULTURA / SOULFLY, AT THE DRIVE-IN, CANCER BATS and even THE CURE. i saw KORN once at OZZFEST 2003 and was not prepared for how HEAVY they came across live. they blew the other bands away that night and i was absolutely not expecting such beforehand. my only gripe with KORN was how DAVIS wrapped his own MISERY in the HOMOPHOBIC tropes of schoolyard bullying. that always seemed CALLOUS and a bit unnecessary in my opinion. even if your early years were TRAUMATIC and you were severely picked on by bullies and abused by adults, what is the purpose of utilizing the language of EMASCULATION that wrongly incorporates TERRIBLE slurs against the LGBTQ community. as if they are beneath you. there is so much unadulterated RAGE and suffering in DAVIS' persona and maybe it would be NAIVE for their to be some semblance of EMPATHY or COMPASSION mixed in somewhere, but that is my feeling. it goes further as such calcifies into MISOGYNY and on some level we are all degraded for our complicity in seeking refuge in DAVIS' misguided rage, as such would play out in the needless VIOLENT outbursts of their fans (a la WOODSTOCK 94) directed at women. in my estimation its always interesting how KORN and a lot of the NU METAL bands borrowed sonic aspects from bands like FAITH NO MORE but none of their sense of INCLUSIVITY. instead it all became a channel for something truly INSIDIOUS and on some level deeply solipsistically NARCISSISTIC. as if their suffering was UNIQUE and ISOLATED them from the human experience instead of the other way around. one could argue DAVIS suffering made him more human and like those around him, even those that felt the need to hurt him and others like him. life is a cycle of PAIN. photo & text by nacrowe
seemingly all metalheads have their own favorite BLACK SABBATH album that they will endlessly advocate on behalf of and for me such is undoubtedly their third release MASTER OF REALITY (WARNER BROS, 1971). more than their debut BLACK SABBATH (review linked HERE) or their universally CELEBRATED follow-up PARANOID (WARNER BROS, 1970), MASTER OF REALITY is the record that cemented their reputation for being UNGODLY HEAVY and provided the template for EXTREME DOOM, STONER and SLUDGE METAL sub-genres that followed in its wake. HERALDED songs like "CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE," "AFTER FOREVER," "SWEET LEAF," "LORD OF THIS WORLD" and my all-time favorite BLACK SABBATH song "INTO THE VOID" are all QUINTESSENTIAL TONY IOMMI with PRODDING riffs that still SNARL and hold their weight more than half a century later. yes i said a half century, those SIGNATURE riffs that are as RELEVANT today as they were 50+ years ago which is beyond RIDICULOUS and showcases why their legacy endures.
OZZY OSBOURNE is likewise firing on all cylinders through this album, celebrating both the potential for EXPANSIVE CONSCIOUSNESS provided by MARIJUANA as well as warning HUMANITY against the SURGING drumbeat of a NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE spurred by competition between rival nations. his voice never sounded more POWERFUL and his lyrics more COHESIVE and PENETRATING. its just a VALIANT, INCREDIBLE effort on all fronts and presciently addresses on cultural touchstones related to INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS and STATE-SANCTIONED VIOLENCE that have only festered and further DIVIDED DEMOCRATIC NATIONS in the decades since. in retrospect, his fears and INSECURITIES a few generations before were WELL-FOUNDED and there is a sense of DREAD and LACK OF HOPE at a potential solution being salvaged from this wreckage. MASTER OF REALITY is both an exercise in ESCAPISM from the HARSH REALITIES of the period (i.e. VIETNAM CONFLICT) as well as a DAMNING indictment at the forces that seek to divide us and allow for us to stare deep into the VOID of our own DESTRUCTION. as long as their are TYRANTS, foreign and domestic, that seek to subjugate and enslave us, the MASTER OF REALITY will be the soundtrack to both the rise of such DESTRUCTIVE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC and GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS and the popular revolution that seeks its eventual DOWNFALL. in other words, this record will only prove to be more RELEVANT as the new century continues and competition for dwindling resources in an altered INHOSPITABLE CLIMATE carries on unabated. MASTER OF REALITY is required listening. end stop. photo & text by nacrowe
it is arguable that OZZY OSBOURNE will be CELEBRATED inasmuch for his years of the traveling OZZFEST summer METAL concerts as for his involvement with BLACK SABBATH in establishing the genre outright. this is because by the 1990s and the ALTERNATIVE ROCK movement basically killed METAL in general, which quite honestly was necessary given the fact that it became a parody of itself in the 1980s. famously OSBOURNE advocated for a slot on one of the LOLLAPALOOZA tours in the mid-1990s and was turned down, such was his CULTURAL IRRELEVANCY and that of METAL from the zeitgeist in general. OZZFEST was his METAL version of the same concept and went on, along with the PUNK-themed WARPED TOUR, to be among the most SUCCESSFUL annual traveling summer music festivals in history.
so fast forward a few years when this OZZFEST 2001: THE SECOND MILLENNIUM (SONY, 2001) live compilation came out the SCENE had changed immeasurably. in that time OSBOURNE, or more precisely has wife/manager SHARON, had provided countless emerging and established METAL bands of varying sub-genres with a NATIONAL PLATFORM to springboard their careers from: groups like SYSTEM OF A DOWN, NEUROSIS, INCUBUS, SLIPKNOT, TYPE O NEGATIVE, LINKIN PARK, P.O.D., MUDVAYNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DISTURBED, TOOL, SOULFLY, PANTERA, NONPOINT, FEAR FACTORY, TAPROOT, COAL CHAMBER, PAPA ROACH, DEFTONES, STATIC-X, LIMP BIZKIT, GODSMACK and ROB ZOMBIE among many others. the result was that METAL became a part of the national conversation again and basically single-handedly REVITALIZED the SCENE. many still view this as OSBOURNE's crowning cultural achievement, which is saying something given how INFLUENTIAL both BLACK SABBATH and his solo career have been. by 2001 the festival was in full swing and well-established, and the line-up that year of BLACK SABBATH, MARILYN MANSON, SLIPKNOT, LINKIN PARK, PAPA ROACH, DISTURBED, MUDVAYNE, HATEBREED and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY showcased on the live compilation highlights such. i was at OZZFEST 2001 at the NYC-area stop in HOLMDEL, NEW JERSEY and my recollection was how different the acts were from one another. the polish and professional songwriting prowess of LINKIN PARK (who were blowing up at the time) and how they contrasted with the INTENSITY of the more METALCORE influenced bands like HATEBREED and the high-concept PERFORMATIVE theatrics of MARILYN MANSON. there really was something for everyone. OZZFEST that year presented the SCENE to a national audience as being in a particularly STRONG, DIVERSE position with acts of varying styles and levels of heaviness. its difficult to look back and think about the fact that METAL today is a bit more listless with a KALEIDOSCOPIC variety of BRUTAL sub-genres competing for attention. there is no more tentpole event for the COMMUNITY to rally behind and celebrate each year, as the tribes have spread out and work on a much more local and DIY level outside of national acts that largely derive their notoriety back from the time of OZZFEST. its hard not to think about how promising bands on an upward trajectory like BRING ME THE HORIZON or ARCHITECTS are going to make that jump to SLIPKNOT-level exposure in this day and age without such a PLATFORM. its interesting. maybe they should bring OZZFEST back. here is hoping. photo & text by nacrowe
i recently came across this rare promotional cassette release by the MULTI-FACETED NYC DANCE-INDUSTRIAL-PUNK-JUNGLE-METAL-ELECTRONIC band MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE that was meant as a bridge between their upcoming FRANKENSTEIN GIRLS WILL SEEM STRANGELY SEXY (ELEKTRA, 2000) album and their previously self-released INDEPENDENT TIGHT (UPPITY CRACKER, 199) release. as such, the BITCHES (ELEKTRA, 1999) sampler has three songs from each release, namely "BITCHES," "CLARISSA" and "SEVEN ELEVEN" from FRANKENSTEIN GIRLS and "TIGHT," "PUSSY ALL NIGHT" and the METHOD MAN cover "BRING THE PAIN" from TIGHT.
ive never come across any MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE release on cassette out in the wild so this was quite a find (i.e. good luck finding either TIGHT or FRANKENSTEIN GIRLS), so i will use this review as my opportunity to speak on what made the band so SPECIAL on those early pair of releases. my introduction was the band's debut TIGHT that i was exposed to shortly after moving to KUWAIT my junior year of high school via an AMERICAN classmate who had seen them open the previous summer for SOULFLY. a tape of his copy made its way around to everyone in my circle of friends and that winter my family took a trip to GREECE where i found the follow-up FRANKENSTEIN GIRLS at a record store in ATHENS. also on that trip my record haul included the first few DEVO albums just to give you an idea of where my head was at during that period. once relocating to NEW JERSEY in the early 2000s, my brother and i saw MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE somewhere around twenty times in and around the tri-state area over a three-to-four year period. they were like our GRATEFUL DEAD of sorts. basically MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE sounded like nobody else sonically or lyrically. their music would seemingly spontaneously shift dramatically in start stop spurts and trigger SAMPLES, BLAST BEATS, ARPEGGIATED KEYBOARD RUNS, FUNKY BASS LINES, etc. it was music for the ADD set and those with absolutely no attention span as the hooks would just keep coming nonstop. lyrically singer and main songwriter JIMMY URINE painted a world that enveloped everything from NERD CULTURE (i.e. COMICS, DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, VIDEO GAMES) to GANGSTER RAP to BLACK METAL and everything in between. his persona was one of arch MOCKERY at all forms of authority, concepts of COOLNESS or INDUSTRY GATEKEEPING. he represented very much an UNDEGROUND of DISAFFECTED and UNAPPRECIATED masses and chances are if you were unable to appreciate his HUMOR, then it was likely pointed at you in the first place. enter FRED DURST who wanted to sign them to FLIP RECORDS way back in the day and at a LOS ANGELES showcase performance in front of record executives the band did a rendition of "I HATE JIMMY PAGE" that instead became "I HATE FRED DURST." point taken. its not that the band didnt have its supporters. their sound was so uniquely UNPREDICTABLE and REVOLUTIONARY that, in my opinion at the time, made everyone else sound conventional by comparison. this during the height of NU METAL with its emphasis on HYBRID sonic TEXTURES and supposed EXPERIMENTATION. thus despite never enjoying a hit record to their name, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE were championed by a diverse set of peers over the years, some they collaborated with and others repeatedly toured with, including everyone from LINKIN PARK, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, LORDS OF ACID, TAKING BACK SUNDAY and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE to THE DRESDEN DOLLS, COMBICHRIST, KORN, THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE and EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTENEN among many others. because their sound was so MULTI-FACETED it in essence became GENRE-LESS (which still seems to the modern definition by today's standards more than two decades later), it seems such was their downfall commercially. they didnt fit neatly anywhere on the highly formatted radio playlists, irrespective of the push by a major label or highly successful peers. subsequent releases seemed to be either attempts at pairing back and streamlining the formula, ie. YOU WILL REBEL TO ANYTHING (METROPOLIS, 2005) and IF (THE END, 2008), or revisiting and full-tilt revitalizing it, i.e. HOW I LEARNED TO STOP GIVING A SHIT AND LOVE MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE (UPPITY CRACKER, 2013). its a shame that such an EXHAUSTIVELY CREATIVE band never got their commercial due by a lame public that didnt understand them. what makes matters worse is that URINE is still in the midst of lawsuit regarding the sexual assault of a minor back in the late 1990s. as a fan its impossible to know what to believe. obviously if such accusations are true then URINE deserves his reputation to be sullied and his sentence appropriate to the crime. but its been a waiting game for a few years now as such plays out in court and its hard to know whats north or south on the subject. but, yeah back in the day MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE was it. a truly INNOVATIVE band that have only come tom arguably sound more RELEVANT today than back in their heyday. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
there is a special pride you feel when you learn a GREAT band or artist is from NEW JERSEY (DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, PARLIAMENT, YO LA TENGO, SARAH VAUGHAN, THE MISFITS, PATTI SMITH, THE SHIRELLES), and such is definitely the case with NEXT-LEVEL BLACKENED DEATHCORE band LORNA SHORE.
this band is so mind-meltingly BRUTAL with technical tempo shifts that range from PULVERIZING to EVISCERATING and a singer in WILL RAMOS that needs to be heard to be understood. he is absolutely UNREAL. i dont even think hes human, he must be half bear, half megalodon or something. not to mention that the drummer AUSTIN ARCHEY is absolutely relentless with those precision blast beats. no room to catch your breath at all. definitely the most INTENSE band ive heard since PIG DESTROYER over a decade ago. LORNA SHORE is well worth checking out.
parodies by nacrowe
not sure whats been going on in the DEFTONES camp post-COVID with their unceremonious firing of bassist SERGIO VEGA (QUICKSAND) after years of service following the untimely passing of original bassist CHI CHENG, not to mention founding guitarist STEPHEN CARPENTER's outing himself publicly and repeatedly as a VACCINE DENIER and CONSPIRACY THEORIST to the point that he wont tour in EUROPE(?). its getting a little RIDICULOUS. having lived in the CULTURAL BACKWATER of SACRAMENTO briefly my senior year of high school, im all too aware that sometimes with some people you can take the person out of SACRAMENTO, but you can't take the SACRAMENTO out of the person.
its all very confusing for what has to be one of modern AGGRESSIVE music's most BELOVED and INFLUENTIAL groups who have long outlasted the shelf life of their peers in the 1990s, influencing 2000s METALCORE and POST-HARDCORE for starters. they are one of the few groups whose albums get ever more WEIRD and EXPERIMENTAL as they push forward with each new release (only other example i could thing of in modern ALTERNATIVE ROCK / INDIE ROCK was THE FLAMING LIPS). maybe that is the growing influence and maturing songwriting arc of frontman CHINO MORENO over the past 30 years, but it is something to behold. the band has long been a balance of seemingly opposing forces with a singer that channels HARDCORE, POST PUNK, NEW WAVE and ALTERNATIVE ROCK influences ranging from THE SMITHS, DURAN DURAN, FAITH NO MORE and the BAD BRAINS to a guitarist that straight up cosplays on his instrument like he is the sixth member of the IMPOSSIBLY HEAVY SWEDISH PROGRESSIVE METAL outfit MESHUGGAH. but it works. and has for decades. my hope as a fan is that with all the seemingly ERRATIC activity coming from their camp as of late, that there isnt something deeper, more FOREBODING going on. if anything they have been the model of CONSISTENCY and QUALITY CONTROL throughout ever step of their career and discography. not one bad or subpar album. DEFTONES have spoiled us as fans and for that i am GRATEFUL. i just want the gravy train to remain in motion unabated, but im concerned. it feels like something is up. embedded below is a DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that originally aired around the 20th anniversary of 9/11 during the pandemic. the playlist includes music from throughout DEFTONES' revered catalogue. enjoy! photo & text by nacrowe
its readily apparent that INDUSTRIAL METAL pioneers FEAR FACTORY were on a creative roll when they created OBSOLETE (ROADRUNNER, 1998) in the late 1990s. they always had next-level CRUSHING METAL staccato riffage a la DINO CAZARES as well as VOIVOD-inspired lyrical fever dreams of a FUTURE DYSTOPIAN STATE controlled by ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE through the creative mind of singer BURTON C. BELL, especially on the much CELEBRATED previous DEMANUFACTURE (ROADRUNNER, 1995) album. but OBSOLETE took these sci-fi themes and punishing sonic BRUTALITY, not to mention the songwriting, to an entirely new plateau on tracks like "EDGECRUSHER," "FREEDOM OR FIRE," "SMASHER / DEVOURER," "HI-TECH HATE" and most memorably throughout the EPIC centerpiece "RESURRECTION." this was music believably written by a FUTURE SINGULAR CONSCIOUSNESS somewhere between MAN and ROBOTS lamenting the loss of HUMANITY. there is a leve of thematic and musical COHESION on this record that arguably was never matched again in their discography, despite other SEMINAL efforts like their follow-up release DIGIMORTAL (ROADRUNNER, 2001).
i came to be aware of FEAR FACTORY when i saw their BLISTERING set at OZZFEST 99 in support of OBSOLETE from the previous year. what caught my attention was the RIDICULOUS precision of their live set. this was the era of NU-METAL and guitars that were positioned in the frequency range of basses and employed simple guitar riffs that were meant to establish a GROOVE. the result was a muddled sonic affair. in contrast, FEAR FACTORY was almost a throwback in terms of aural heroics to the right-hand PERCUSSIVE tightness and GALLOPING, rhythmic dexterity of RENOWNED THRASH guitarists like JAMES HETFIELD (METALLICA), SCOTT IAN (ANTHRAX) and JEFF HANNEMAN (SLAYER). CAZARES takes that level of precision and melds it with PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIAL elements that opens a new world of staccato rhythms and counterintuitively, deep GROOVE. to my ears it outdid similar achievements by the likes of MINISTRY or MACHINE HEAD. i was a fan on the spot. its funny that with the currently rolled out advancements in online ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE chatbots like CHATGPT and GOOGLE BARD, that this PHILIP K. DICK / ISAAC ASIMOV / WILLIAM GIBSON / ARTHUR C. CLARKE / H. G. WELLS future is seemingly at our doorstep and the themes of FEAR FACTORY and OBSOLETE in particular are as RELEVANT as ever. makes me wonder what an actual METAL album by a COMPUTER would sound like. i highly doubt itd be as unrelentingly BRUTAL or creatively COHESIVE as OBSOLETE. but who really knows? |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
March 2024
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