Choice cuts.

Ok so my first choice in the records that time forgot is a realtively recent one (well if you count six years as recent) but it's still sounds as fresh to these ears as when it first graced my them.
It was the summer of 2002 a time when most of the hardcore fraternity were probably pondering a new career path in light of Jane Doe having cruelly imasculated most with one swift kick to the happy sacs, and many other bands had split (Botch) or were moving into unkown territory (Cave-In, ISIS)

So when the debut from Chicago area's Suicide Note "Your Not Looking So Good" was unleashed from the Ferret roster it should have had free reign; However, despite recieving some critical acclaim in magazines such as Terroizer, Rock Sound and even Kerrap it seemingly never had the impact it deserved. Perhaps people were too busy creaming themselves over the thought of Mike Patton fronting Dillinger. What i do know is that Suicide Note married the sort of technical metalcore of the like of Deadguy and Converge with some unusual use of melody akin to Drowningman and early Cave In. As well as utilizing some inventive choice of chords and tuning at time not unlike Neurosis being played at 45. The guitar is seriously low and heavy and pleasingly full, and is certainly more Core than Metal, the riffs theselves veer off in odd tangents adding in some droning melodies and some tasteful use of effects such as on the charming "come on fuck me"

The Drumming is also a joy to behold steering clear of the trend of generic mettalic bluster in favour of some more considered rhythms which veer between kick ass rock action, sludge and some unexpected marshal flourishes. While the lyrics are abtract and mostly introspective the delivery is fierce mixing a rabid feral snarl with a passionate breathless intensity, without resorting to atypical hardcore barking. There are also some carefully placed melodic passages which thankfully avoid the stadium pomp of more mainstream metalcore with the more earnest and endearing approach of Gravity school hardcore. Suicide Note are a band that doesnt balk at the prospect of pleasing anyone but themselves as they would further exemplify on this albums follow up, moving deeper into (noise) rock territory and furthering themselves from the scene from which they spawned.

This is one of those records that continues to garner a regular position on my playlists and while im sure it wont be to the taste of all i believe it is well worth the risk. Suicide Note are still together despite slipping off radar and seemingly living up to their namesake and are apparently recording a new album. The third cuts the deepest, here's hoping! .

www.myspace.com/suicidenote

Wolves in the boardroom

I am a big fan of blackmetal as a genre it has produced some of the best and most exciting records across the entire musical spectrum and last year was a good year releases from Deathspell Omega, Bone awl and Ashpool all brought the necro-horn; however, something has always troubled me with regards to its right as the so called "audible essence of pure evil" (a title held by Today is the Day's Temple of the Morning Star in my opinion) why is this?

On paper blackmetal should have it hands down. Certainly most blackmetal is pretty blasphemous to behold, and most records present lyrical gems on such flowery subjects as satan, murder, suicide etc... and many instances of this being taken to literal conclusions are well known muder, suicide, grave descration, arson (of churces no less) and the less said about nsbm the better. So as a whole blackmetal is pretty hellish indeed, but why does it just not sound all that evil anymore?

Is it the relliance on blasting, the hammer horror keyboards, or the penchant for tinny lo-fi recording, perhaps it's the judas priest on pcp fashion statements, or medieval brand of evil that many seem to push? Perhaps evil just get more evil over these past centuries. Certainly the butchering and pillaging of old seems a tad more earthy and honest than say the faceless corporate evils of the futures markets further raping impoverished nations.

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in this ideal! is Black Metal just too out of touch with the modern day world. Those venomous twerps on the apprentice sure scare me alot more than any longhair who have taken a dive in the flour, nails and pointy things isle in homebase. Take heed i now eagerly anticipate the first wave of billionaire Boardroom Metal. Cant wait to see all those Porcupines at the next shareholders meeting!!!

Blatant crap taste!

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and inevitably good things happen to bad people!
The same can be said about art, music and literature, great moments of creative endeavour are often overlooked in a cloud of indifference, or even worst cast aside in pursuit of the lowest common denominator and the almighty $.

I thought why not highlight some of these injustices! it doesnt take a genius to realise that record companies treat talented artists like pariahs, excitedly throwing money at the next preening poster boys whilst genuine talent withers beneath the shadow of all that wasted cash. Or that we the consumer are as equally responsible, allowing ourselves to be bent by flashy advertising and hype as talented artists and labels sink without trace under an ocean of mediocrity and outright rubbish!

Set phasers to kill on this one:

Why do Disturbed still have a contract in 2008, i mean seriously WHY?
Come on as if their previous albums werent heinous enough, they go and release this. HEY!!! Manowar called they want their album cover back!

Brings to mind the words of another fat balding guy,

"I like my beer cold, my TV loud, and my homosexuals FLAMING!"

Hey Davey agrees on that one!

Curse you sir!

Cursed are without a hint of doubt in my mind among the best heavy bands on the planet circa 2008, they are also one of the most criminally overlooked, and deserve to be huge

Their debut on Deathwishinc way back in 2003 (the imaginatively titled I) is simply a masterpiece and has remained in my regular rotation eversince. By stitching the crust of His Hero is Gone and the speed of Discharge, to the groove and gristle of early Entombed, Cursed created one of the freshest (not the word for such a fetid combination) sounding punk records of the past ten years! In fact its probably one of the punkest records in recent memory, punk in the very sense of the word!This record recklessly careens across genres with complete disregard for decency or politics, taking in elements of hxc, thrash, doom, noise and even some black metal (especially in some of the chords and progressions); however, it all sounds natural nothing sits at odds within these compositions imagine if all your records inexplicably melted into one giant black slick to create a new record so black and heavy that nothing could escape its terrible grooves. Lead off track Polygraph has one of the best opening couplets in recent memory, and tracks such as Bloody Mary, 1974 and God and Country are catchy as hell and eloquently written.



Not only is it a damn fine record but it is topped off with one of the best productions and pieces of design i have seen. The sound is a perfect example of a raw live sounding recording done just right, the guitars are so deep and heavy but without sacrificing that top end crackle and crunch, but its drum sound that gets me everytime which simply sound pulverising. The design handled by Jacob Bannon is also a nice touch in that its simplicity and elegance (and thankfully devoid of skulls) and complements the feel of the record nicely, without being literal.

Why bring this up? Because they are about to unleash their third slab of mutant tar-thick misery upon us in the shape of III : Architects of troubled sleep, and whilst i have yet to hear it (it was leaked weeks ago and the temptation to download it has been excruciating to bear) you better believe i pre-ordered this badboy the second it became available. If you have yet to experience these perennially pissed off Canadians do yourself a favour and buy their new album and while your at it pick up this and their second album.


http://www.yourfuckingfuneral.blogspot.com/

Trees are awesome... unless

I grew up in a small village a couple of miles from the centre of Oxford. My parents house was situated directly opposite a beautiful stretch of woodland (wytham wood)

The woods were something i was in awe of as a child, a mysterious and ancient relic of the medieval english countryside. I have always seen a tree as a thing of beauty towering, twisting gnarled witnessess to times beyond human longevity i always wonder what history has passed around them. But as much as i feel a connection to nature i have never once felt compelled to don spikes and BADGER UP to get down with my elder heritage and draw runes with twigs and fox turds. But i digress, i like the woods and trees are beautiful!

That is until a freak wind late last year decided to rip one of our 80 footer's in our newly aqquired garden (two f'ing weeks of moving in) a new tree hole and drop it across three of our neighbours gardens.
Dont get me wrong it could have been far worse, but as far as i am now concerned the rest of the trees in our garden now fill me with a sickening dread everytime as the wind so much as makes the leaves rustle!

Tress and the wind can both go suck it as far as im concerned!