Request Fill

This is the powerful sophomore effort from a band that has a dated sound although suprisingly, are quite new.

"If Magnificent Fiend, the second album by Howlin Rain, sounds like a different band made the record, it's not the brown windowpane working its sickly magic on you, it's in many ways an accurate perception. HR's self-titled debut was released in 2006. It was well-received for its taut, simple song structures that evoked everything from the Grateful Dead to harder, more riff-laden big rock & roll power plays. It was loud, proud, and topped off with just a touch of country and blues. The music here is much more complex. These songs are knottier, building on the more elemental riffs and melodies of the previous set and creating something denser, more immediate, and menacing in the process." -Thom Jurek

Howlin' Rain - Magnificent Fiend

What Dissection's next album might've been

Ahhh, Black metal! My blog is almost complete! Well I'm sure true black metal fans have mixed views about this band and what they represent. For instance, "the production is too good and it lacks personality." People seriously feel this way. I simply dabble in this type of music, I'm no diehard. Therefore, I readily accept bands that blend genres. Purists tend to bitch, but if it songs good, just let it be. Ok, they are from Sweden, not Norway, big deal. The truth is they are very dark. The riffs are amazing, the vocals are a step up from raspy and the blast beats are relentless. I don't put on corpse paint, but you can trust me. This one is a winner.

Watain - Sworn to Dark

Brutal with a hint of...classical?!

As I steer further and further away from a given genre on this blog I arrive at a brutal death metal band out of Italy that formed in 2007. Yea, you read correctly. These guys sprinkle samples of classical piano and string movements to contrast two opposite sides of the musical spectrum. It really is genius. At one moment your head is being blown off by maniacal drumming and torrential riffing, then suddenly you find yourself in a ballroom circa 1700s waltzing. I must admit, most brutal death is not an easy listen. However, Fleshgod Apocalypse does it right making the album very accesible (to lunatics like me anyways). I must give credit where it's due to the sludgeswamp for enlightening me with this gem.

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Oracles

The Swedes strike again

The modern name Sweden is derived through back-formation from Old English Sweoðeod, which meant "people of the Swedes". This word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas. The Swedish name Sverige literally means "Realm of the Swedes", excluding the Geats in Götaland. Sweden's prehistory begins in the Allerød warm period c. 12,000 BC with Late Palaeolithic reindeer-hunting camps of the Bromme culture at the edge of the ice in what is now the country's southernmost province. This period was characterized by small bands of hunter-gatherer-fishers using flint technology.


Truckfighters - Phi

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade

Although these guys are good I would never consider them one of my favorites. This is more like a guilty pleasure. Don't be discouraged though, this is definitely an enjoyable listen. Nice riffs and melodies, hell these guys can really pull together a lot of death metal qualities and yet abstaining from cookie monster vox. None of these are reasons why I posted this album however. There are a couple samples of Al Pacinos character from Scent of a Woman. This blew my mind as utterly inappropriate and without a doubt hilarious. So go on. Rock out and find those easter eggs.

Sentenced - Amok

Give your coffee beans a deathgrind

Hmmm... Pig Destroyer. This is a very uncharacteristic post for me. Generally, I steer very clear of any grindcore-esque bands (Carcass being an exception). But wow, this album is brutal, relentless, disturbing and without a doubt, awesome. I can almost guarantee most virgin ears out there will scurry off after a brief listen, I know I did. The patient ear will go beyond the dementedly agonistic screams and the fury of blast beats in order to find a mecca of fist-pumping and head-banging through truly raw, grinding riffs. The additional track Natash clocks in at a hair over 37 minutes and is completely unrelated to the styles I previously described. It contains doom metal and spooky ambience of the utmost quality for a band of their nature. Accepting Pig Destroyer may seem like a leap of faith, but it is well worth it.

Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer
Pig Destroyer - Natasha

It's Warm Under The Covers

Compilation of cover songs I think are good and/or humorous. No more clues!

Covers

Guitar solos that lead to Valhalla

Valkyrie, a stoner/doom metal band out of Virginia presents their self-titled debut album. This album bodes very well with alcohol consumption. Nothing else matters right? Seriously though. Air guitar is encouraged.

Valkyrie - Valkyrie

Can't find the acoustic version anywhere!

This band was requested by a man in the field. They rock. Real downtuned stoner metal sound. Female vocals which are definitely few and far between when it comes to good rock bands. So, light up and get distorted.

Acid King - Zoroaster

Their name says it all

Dead Throne Monarch is the second album from the band Rhino, out of Bilbao, Spain. This band has so much going on in one album its hard to explain. Their influences are such bands as; Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Bolt Thrower.(Some of my favorite bands). This leads to a massive riff heavy sound and occasional soulful lyrics that bare a strong resemblance to the late Layne Staley. The remainder of the lyrics are belted out with such fury they knock you off your feet. This band blends several facets of music such as thrash metal, molten doom, dark rock and brutal sludge metal. When all of this melds together you have one hell of a heavy album.

Rhino - Dead Throne Monarch Part 1
Rhino - Dead Throne Monarch Part 2

A helping of doom with a side of death. Pass the folk.

The Karelian Isthmus is the debut album by Amorphis and without a doubt, it stands out of from the rest. I believe the somewhat shoddy production value pulls in their favor giving it a raw and brutal feel. With an absence of clean vocals, ever-descending riffs and prodding of blast beats, you can't listen to this album without banging your head. This album is a great example of the seamless merge of death and doom metal.

Amorphis - The Karelian Isthmus

If groove metal had a name...

OK after this post everyone may realize that I'm not digging too deep. Some blogs are dedicated to obscurity and/or a certain genre. My blog however does not conform to either of these standards. One thing I can promise you is I won't post any bullshit that would be heard on FM radio. The first piece of musical material I ever possessed was a tape recording of White Zombie's Astro Creep 2000 way back in 1995. I was 9 years old!! That explains how I have become such a music freak. After years of enjoying that album, my tastes matured and I realized how much better La Sexorcisto is. Old horror movie samples just crack me up. Oh and here is a drinking game for you... every time Rob Zombie says "yeah" knock it back.

White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1

The Doppler indicates a serious doom-front moving in.

DOOMERS all over the world unite. Light your candles, throw on your cloaks, gather any small animals for sacrifice and in synchrosy, slowly bang your heads. You have to promise me not to commit suicide after listening as 1 (or 2?) of the band members have already done. My sources tell me that Funeral was elected to be the "most depressing band in the world" after releasing their first demo. The album From These Wounds doesn't quite garner this acclaim, but it's damn close. Slow driving riffs leading to symphonic depths with the occasional shredding solo. And the lead singer has a Norweigan accent of which I am trying to emulate. Overall, good cold weather/rainy day/bury your pet music.

Funeral - From These Wounds