Where Have I Been?

Well, folks...I know I haven't posting on here as much as I have been in the past. It's due a combination of things...a little blogging burnout, but mostly my household and family responsibilities have overtaken my time. You have to put your priorities first, and the quality of home life comes before blogging to me. We have a busy household and we have two grandsons, one whom is old enough to play and frolic around. He lives with us during the week, so I spend much of my time after work playing with him. Plus I spend all day at work staring at a computer, and sometimes the the last thing I want to do is to come home and sit in front of one. I'm sure the blogging blahs will pass, but for now, I will not be updating this blog as much as I used to. Hopefully in the future this will change, but for now, this is how it has to be. Bear with me. I haven't abandoned my blog... it's just in slow motion for a while.

New Fu Manchu Album To Be Released October 20th

Some great news. Fu Manchu's new album "Signs of Infinite Power" is set to be released October 20th. These guys are the kings of stoner metal...nothing better since Kyuss, in my opinion. They also have a very Black Flag-esque punk edge and a love for the euphoria of The Stooges embedded deep into their sound. The release of this album marks the bands 20th anniversary. I have heard very little music from this album, but it has gotten great advance reviews. Can't wait to pick it up. To read more, click here.

Here's a thirty second preview track. That's all that's available for now. A full review will come after I hear the whole thing. What I hear sounds great.

VENOM

Here's some early 1980's devil music...unrelenting Satanic biker death metal at it's finest. I give to you Venom's "Buried Alive" and "Angel Dust. This band really had this genre down. Their early albums "Black Metal" and "Welcome to Hell" are true metal masterpieces...give them a listen.

THE MISFITS: AMERICAN NIGHTMARE

Ok. For those of you who prefer the Glenn Danzig Misfits here's one for you. It's one of the most subtle, creepy, and catchy Misfits songs ever...."American Nightmare".

The Misfits: Hunting Humans

Just starting to really get in the Halloween spirit here. Hopefully the weather will cool down in a few weeks...it's still muggy and miserable here in Mississippi. Anyway, what better way can I think of to get into the Halloween spirit than to give you a Misfits song about killiing zombies? The song I have for you here is "Hunting Humans" from their album "Famous Monsters". A bloody good time. Enjoy.

GODFLESH: CHRISTBAIT RISING

Ok. I'm on a roll of gloomy music here today so I might as well finish off the evening with the bleakest of them all...Godflesh. "Christbait Rising" comes from their second album "Streetcleaner", released in 1990. This is the first Godflesh album I had ever heard. I bought it when it first came out back in high school, and it blew me away. Never before have two men and a drum machine sounded so heavy. Very primitive and full of dread and paranoia...my hat goes off to Justin Broadrick and G. C. Green for creating the heaviest, most primitive and foreboding industrial doom metal ever made. Just listen to "Christbait Rising", and pick up the disc "Streetcleaner" if you like what you hear. I love Godlfesh, so don't be surprised if you see more Godflesh posts in the future.

THE CURE: DISINTEGRATION

The Cure's 1989 album "Disintegration". What can I say about this album that hasn't already been said? The Cure continues the rich. depressive, and poetic song structures that they started on their previous album"Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me". "Disintegration continues down this road, blending deceptively simple melodies with a lush aural back ground. "Disintegration" takes you to places where "Kiss Me.." does not. What you have in "Disintegration" is a blinding, lush, wall of sound that literally floors you. This may be a pop album at first glance, but on closer listen, it is far from it. Most of the songs clock in around seven to eight minutes. There are long intervals of music with no lyrics. What Robert Smith and crew have done here is crafted the perfect Cure album in the guise of a pop release. There is pure, beautiful minimalism at it's finest on display here. The music is very repetitive, trance-like and hypnotic. It draws you completely into the rich, depressive, sound scape of The Cure at their finest...with the the fullest production you can imagine. This album sounds better the louder you play it. It can drown out everything...this a very relaxing album for me. It is also very depressive. It will suck you into it's swirling vortex and never let you out. As the album progresses, each song grows consecutively darker and darker, dragging you deeper and deeper into the abyss...

Don't get me wrong. There are some incredible pop gems on here, such as "Love Song" and 'Fascination Street". If you listen to this album as a whole, however, it will completely submerse you in your own world. It s flawless, and that is all I can say. I don't know what happened to Robert Smith after this...maybe he used up all of his energy on this release. To me his later stuff does not pack the same punch. If you haven't heard "Disintegration" before in it's entirety pick it up now. It will not disappoint. Click here to listen to "Fascination Street".

TROUBLE

Ok. I know I've written a lot about these guys on this blog but bear with me. Trouble's self-titled 1989 release is the first album I ever heard of theirs. I was in tenth grade, and it really made an impression on me. I was just starting to get into Black Sabbath at the time. I liked Sabbath's sound, and this album really floored me. It opened my eyes and ears to the world of late 1960's and early 1970's heavy rock and metal. There are so many influences that Trouble wears on their sleeves and make completely their own on this album. There is the doom of Sabbath, the adrenaline fueled, much more upbeat and heavy doom of Pentagram, the heavy harmonies and song structures of The Beatles at their gloomiest, and a hint of the pure hippiefied gloom of Donovan. I would not have the interest in doom & psych metal that I have today if it weren't for these guys. I can almost bet money that Monster Magnet and Kyuss paid close attention to this album when they were crafting their own, more modern brand of psychedelic metal in the early to mid 1990's.

Let me start by saying that the message of this album is overtly Christian. But there is a strange paradox here. The message on the surface seems positive, but if you dig a bit deeper it is far from it. The lyrics convey a strong sense of fear, paranoia, depression and hoplessness. There is little faith in humanity. They make you feel as if you are backed into a corner and the only way out is to hope for a better place in the afterlife. They leave you with the impression that hope for life in the hereafter is not the best alternative either. But what else is there? An impending sense of doubt, depression, and cynicism overrides any positive message found in the lyrics. Eric Wagner's vocals are tortured and full of pain, yet melodic and instantly accessible. The musicianship is incredible here.The crushing guitar work never lets up, even when it is at it's most mellow. A deep seated sense of dread, paranoia,and fear hangs over every note of music played on this disc. When Eric Wagner sings that he has 'heaven on his mind', the music tells you the exact opposite. This disc is a walking paradox, and that is what makes it so great. The blind optimism of the Christian faith meets a cold brush with reality here. When you get through listening to this album, you will not want to convert. Far from it...it leaves you with the chills and the need to listen to something more cheerful or to go isolate yourself in a dark room for a while, contempalting suicide.

This is Trouble's greatest release, bar none. There is not a weak song on here. A few of my all time favorites are "The Wolf", the Donovan-like "The Misery Shows Act 3", and the drug addled full on psych/biker/metal of "Black Shapes of Doom". I cannot recommend this disc enough. It is only in print digitally...check out Amazon to download it for $9.99 US. To buy this one on disc will cost you a pretty penny indeed. Here's "The Wolf" and "Black Shapes of Doom". Enjoy.

A Little Doom to Start Your Saturday With...

Here's a little doom to start your Saturday with...Pentagram's "Death Row", the adrenaline fueled crushing opening track from their 1985 album "Relentless". Enjoy.

ELECTRIC WIZARD: WE LIVE

Electric Wizard's "We Live" (2004) is an underrated and often overlooked doom metal album. In 2000 Electric Wizard released "Dopethrone". It's power, intensity, and brilliance can most likely never be reached again. They out-doomed Black Sabbath. It was the heaviest doom metal album on the planet. Then came their very weak and disappointing 2002 follow-up "Let Us Prey". I think this album turned many fans off, leaving their great 2004 album "We Live" unnoticed.

"We Live" is a monumental effort in the world of stoner metal. It is very heavy, sludgy, droning, feedback laden, melodic, atmospheric doom...heavily psychedelic, very slow, but very listenable. Whereas their classic 'Dopethrone" relied on fuzz, distortion, shouted vocals, and a very low end speaker rattling element in it's sound, "We Live" is much more subtle, artful, and melodic. This is the kind of doom I like to listen to...like a cross between Saint Vitus and Godflesh in their prime. This album only has six songs and all are great. My two favorites are the maddening drone of "Eko Eko Azarak", and the black hole like depression of "Another Perfect Day" and "The Sun Has Turned to Black". Highly recommended. Exquisite doom.





Electric Wizard continue to produce great material. Their 2007 release "Witchcult Today" combines the more melodic aspects of "We Live" with the ugly fuzz of "Dopethrone" with brain damaging results. Also, the band is due to begin work on a new album as we speak.

A Few Good Finds From 1989...

Sorry I've been out so long. It's been a hectic week. Anyway a made a few good finds today. The first one is Trouble's self titled album from 1989. Is has been out of print for many, many years, and has suddenly showed up on Amazon.com for 9.99 to download! I was shocked...going prices for this on CD have been pushing $150 as of late. This is my favorite Trouble album, one that I remember fondly. It got me through the angst of my high school years, and it's music really led to my interest in stoner/doom/hippie metal over the years. Trouble are the kings of doom, and a review of this album will be coming shortly. I'm glad to finally get this one on CD...my tape has been out of commission far at least fifteen years.

My next find is a purchase I've been putting off for a long time. It's The Cure's "Disintegration", also from 1989. My favorite Cure album without a doubt. Once again, this is one I had on tape in my teen years and listened to religiously. For some reason, I never re-purchased it on CD until today. This is one I have not heard in it's entirety in about fifteen years as well. You can expect a review for this one as well.

Last, but not least, I haven't forgotten about the review of "Shivers". It's coming this weekend, so stay tuned.

THE NOVAS: "THE CRUSHER"

One of my favorite, raunchy, 1960's garage punk wrestling songs of all time, if there is such a genre. The Cramps are famous for covering this song, but nothing can beat the intensity of the original, written and performed by The Novas from Dallas, Texas. Enjoy.

THE MISFITS: "SATURDAY NIGHT"

Ok. I don't know how any of you feel about the late 1990's Misftis line up. There was no Glen Danzig on vocals, but there was still Jerry Only on bass, Doyle on guitar, and Dr. Chud on drums. The music was still very hard-hitting. There was one snag, which was Michael Graves' vocals. They took a little getting used to, but were still pretty solid. He doesn't have the range of Danzig, but the Misfits cranked out some seriously good material with Michael Graves on vocals. "Saturday Night" is a song that truly shows The Misfits at their peak. Michael Graves' vocals are in tight form here, giving even Danzig a run for his money. "Saturday Night" is a perfect, gore filled throwback to the 1950's drive-in, and one of the best Misfits songs ever recorded. It appears on their 1999 album "Famous Monsters". My copy of this album has inexplicably become missing in action. Wish I still had it.

Anyway, here's "Saturday Night". Enjoy.

MOTEL HELL

"Motel Hell" (1980). This is is a movie that holds great promise, but fails to live up to it's expectations until the end. It starts out pretty slow and disappointing, just like your typical low-brow early 1980's horror flick. The movie centers around a motel in the middle of nowhere called The Motel Hello. The "O" does not work very well and it flickers on and off, so the sign really looks like it says Motel Hell. This is not a very inviting place to stay the night. There is always no vacancy, and the dark country road is always filled with fog.

Anyway, Farmer Vincent (played by Rory Calhoun) runs the motel. He sets up traps along the road to trap cars and blow out their tires. He subdues the passengers with gas and buries them in his secret garden. You see, he only leaves their heads exposed to the light and the rest of their bodies are buried underground. He covers their heads with sack cloths during the day and cuts out their vocal chords so they don't make any noise. Why does he go through all of this trouble, you might ask? Well, he makes the best barbecue around and he has his secret ingredient...the meat stays tender while the bodies are buried underground and he feeds them only organic products...

Farmer Vincent and his pig-tail overall wearing sidekick Nancy Parsons (played by Ida Smith) are two of the nicest people around, well respected in their community, but they always seem more than a little creepy. Vincent kidnaps a young female biker caught in one of his traps and raises her as his own. Never mind that they are probably about forty years apart, they want to get married. In the meantime, the bodies keep rolling in and the meat keeps rolling out.

There is one gruesome and amusing scene where Vincent hypnotizes the above ground heads with swirling lights, calming them with with pseudo beat/hippie jargon, easing the pain before Vincents' tractor snaps their neck while pulling them out of the ground with a rope..harvest time is not pretty at the Motel Hell.

While all of this sounds outlandish, like the perfect hillbilly cannibal plot, this movie plods along until we get to the end. I had to take several breaks from this movie because it was moving too slow, but the last quarter of the move really picks up. One of the buried human vegetables manages to dig his way out from underground and free the others. Watch as these grunting, corpse like people with no vocal chords take revenge on their captors. And the cops are closing in on Victor...witness the most incredible battle ever! An intense and gruelling chainsaw duel between Vincent (wearing a hog's head!) and a police officer. I have never seen a chainsaw duel before and this really made the movie for me.

I highly recommend this one. Just be patient and it will pay off. The acting is not that bad, and "Motel Hell" has an eerie, greasy atmosphere that I can't get enough of. It can be very unsettling at times, and highly original and genuinely creepy when the mood is right. This a 1980 VHS artifact that you will not want to miss.

Female Trouble Theme...

Here's the theme song from John Water's brilliant 1975 campy trash masterpiece "Female Trouble". The song is sung by Divine. I love the sleazy 1970's vibe that this song exudes. This is my favorite John water's flick from the 1970's. A pure, raunchy good time...the movie is filled with dialogue you will want to memorize. And there's Gator, the sleaziest, most hip, hippie alive. When I grow up I want to be like Gator...

All kidding aside, check out the theme song and give this movie a view. There is too much going for this movie to go into right now. Perhaps a full length review should be in order at a later date.

Coming tonight..."Motel Hell"!

Calabrese Finishing Work on Third Album...

Modern horror punk legends Calabrese are fiendishly at work on the final stages of their third album. I can't wait...these guys churn the greatest and most macabre and addictive horror punk since The Misfits. There is a contest going on to name their new album. If you can think of a name, send it to mailto:CdContest@CalabreseRock.com. The winner will receive a liner note credit in the album, and a drumskin used in the recording of the CD! The contest runs until October 30th, and the winner will be announced on Halloween, October 31st. Can't wait until this disc comes out...in the meantime, I'm cranking some Calabrese!

This is "Vampires Don't Exist", from the band's second album. The video is from the movie "The Graves". I've gotta see this one when it comes out.

El Superbeasto Coming Soon...

Rob Zombie's newest film is coming September 12th to select theatres. Curiously enough, it is becoming available on DVD Septemper 22nd and on pay-per-view Sept 7th, before it's theatrical release. Forget Rob Zombie's "Halloween 2", this is the movie I want to see. It's an animated film, and seems to me to be pure Rob Zombie...the trashy, drugged-out horror/sleaze that his music seems to convey perfectly. The perfect visual counterpart to a Rob Zombie song...."The Haunted World of El Superbeasto". I've gotta see this one.

For the movie's web site, click here.

Here's the trailer: