Something that you should do right now

Go to soundweave, perhaps the best music blog on the interbutts, and read the top 50 of 2008 list. I'm not much of a list-maker myself, but I always enjoy reading others, and his is perhaps the best.

I realize that most of the traffic on this site comes from there, but those few of you who haven't followed that route to get here should go check it out now.

Fredrik Thordendal -- Sol Niger Within

Solo album from Meshuggah's guitarist that is, in my opinion, better than anything Meshuggah has done. I don't always enjoy music when you can practically hear the musicians counting due to the weird time changes and whatnot, but this one succeeds despite the mathiness. I really dig the vocals, too. Maybe Meshuggah should let him sing instead of the other guy, who sounds like a meathead.

192 kbps

Voivod -- Nothingface

There was a period of about 6 months, perhaps more, during which I listened to this album every day. That was quite a while ago, but I just listened again, and the magic has not faded. I'm still amazed that a cover song, Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine, fits in so well with such an elaborate concept album. There something naive and sweet here, and I'm not sure that I could enjoy an album as much today as did this one back then. Sigh.

320 kbps (re-fixed)

Last of the Juanitas -- In the Dirt

Really digging these guys lately. This is their latest, and while it's short, it packs a punch. I could make some sort of snide reference here, but I'd pay for it later. That's the best I could do on the cover image, sorry.

.m4a, so who knows (fixed corrupt .rar file)

Duobetic Homunkulus -- Části a Mechanismy Strojů

As promised, here's what 2 of the members of !T.O.O.H.! are up to, post-!T.O.O.H.! The .mp3's are a mixture of 128 kbps and 192 kbps, which is weird and a little annoying, but they came straight from the band's website, and I wasn't able to find better copies.

get it

Obituary -- Slowly We Rot

I fucking love this record. Obituary got more accolades for Cause of Death, but in my opinion that is far weaker than this. They were much more raw on this one, more punk, whereas on Cause they had Scott Burns in the studio making them sound like Morbid Angel and all the other Florida DM bands of that era. Not that that's a bad thing, exactly, but on this one they have their own thing going on. I can't fucking believe that this album is 20 years old now either. Egad.

320 kbps

Hail of Bullets -- Of Frost and War

Speaking of Martin van Drunen, here's his new band, although they definitely have an old school sound, too.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Pestilence -- Consuming Impulse

Old-school DM from Holland. These guys have apparently reformed and are planning a mini-tour later this year, minus Martin van Drunen (the lead singer on this album). I saw these guys open for Death at the Reseda Country Club in 1990 -- my first death metal show. At the time this stuff sounded like the harshest, most misanthropic music imaginable. Now it sounds kinda quaint. And how can you not love the album cover? Of all the cheesy artwork produced during this era, it has to be one of my favorites. I guess the ants are the ones with the impvlse to consvme? So scary.

192 kbps

Eibon -- Eibon

French (or is it Freedom?) doom/sludge/post-metal. Sounds a bit like Indian to me. 2 tracks of delicious heaviosity.

VBR @ 240+ kbps

Steel Pole Bath Tub -- Butterfly Love

More golden-era-of-college-radio nostalgia for me. This one came out in 1989, and I think I played the song Heaven on Dirt on my radio show every week for a year. Or a month, or something. I was shocked to learn that these guys released an album as recently as 2002. They're from Bozeman, MT of all places.

192 kbps

Buried at Sea -- Migration

Along with Dopethrone, this is one of the 2 heaviest albums ever recorded. I go back and forth about which I prefer. This one is less tuneful, but I'm not sure if that's a pro or a con. You obviously should have them both. If there's any other album missing from this discussion, let me know.

VBR @ 220+ kbps

!T.O.O.H.! -- Řád a Trest (Order and Punishment)

Criminally underappreciated techgrind band from the Czech Republic. These guys manage to combine bizarre time changes and disparate musical influences in a way that isn't annoying. The name stands for The Obliteration Of Humanity, which matches the cheesiness of the cover art rather well. Although they've broken up, two of the members are still chugging along as Duobetic Homunkulus, whose debut EP is even more chaotic and weird. (It's also available free on their website -- maybe I'll save you all the trouble of finding it by posting it here in the days to come.)

192 kbps

Electric Wizard -- Dopethrone

Happy new year, fruits. Here's an essential album that most of you probably already have. This is the remastered version with a bonus track released a few years back. If I'm ever in the market for a high-end stereo system, I'm bringing this with me.

320 kbps

Old Time Relijun -- Witchcraft Rebellion

My favorite album by these guys. From 2001. This is one of a few bands whose lyrics must be ignored/unheard at all costs, along with Gojira, McLusky and others I can't think of at the moment. That's tough, though, because the main draw here is the deranged vocal stylings of wildman Arrington de Dionyso. I swear the fucker is possessed. Anyway, enjoy.

192 kbps

Reverb Motherfuckers -- Route 666

So-called scum rock from NYC 1988. Featuring this guy on vocals.

320 kbps

Outlaw Order -- Dragging Down the Enforcer

Basically, this is Eyehategod. All the members are the same, minus one, and the music sounds pretty much the same, too. Although, apparently Eyehategod is still together. Go figure. Maybe they just finally realized what a stupid name Eyehategod is. Like, if that's what you want as your name, then just be I Hate God. For years I resisted listening to them because of the terrible name, but when I finally gave in I was hooked. They're great, and this is great, too.

VBR @ 220+ kbps

Last of the Juanitas -- Hawaii

I figured I'd post something from a Portland band since I'm in Portland for the holidays. It's a fucking winter wonderland here, too. Absolutely gorgeous.

192 kbps

Cave -- Butthash

New 7'' from the Columbia, MO noise/kraut/psych scene.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Corrupted -- El Mundo Frío

A doom metal masterpiece. They could stop making doom metal right now and it really wouldn't matter, because the perfect doom metal recording is right here. This is one 70+ minute song, by the way, and while it's probably on 100 other blogs out there, I had to have it on mine, too.

320 kbps

Burmese -- A Mere Shadow and Reminiscence of Humanity

I wonder how Thoreau would feel about having his words attached to this album (yes, I had to google it). Don't let the tame cover fool you - these guys are angry. I have to imagine that making music like this is therapeutic, though. Roar.

192 kbps

Phobia -- 22 Random Acts of Violence

I can't believe these guys are still playing, and playing well. This is straight-ahead grind -- nothing you haven't heard before -- but it's well-executed. Thanks to Matt D for this one.

192 kbps

Bastards -- Monticello

Midwestern hatecore from 1989. This is about as close as any band has ever come to sounding like Killdozer, which is no small feat. If I recall correctly, the label in the middle of the record had a photo of a woman that turned into a man when you fit it over the little knob in the record player. Or at least a woman with a penis, like the one on the back of the record. Maybe these guys were trying to tell us something?

256 kbps

nomeansno -- 0+2=1

One of their finest. If you don't already know who these guys are, then you aren't currently reading this.

256 kbps

O.L.D. -- Old Lady Drivers

Debut album on Earache records from 1988 featuring the first recorded appearance of James Plotkin. If you had told me that this guy would have a long and distinguished career when I first heard this, I would have said nay. But here we are 20 years later, and he's still going strong, although mostly as a producer. Also featuring Alan Dubin on vocals -- you may know these two from their work in Khanate. This is more of a historical curiosity (not an historical curiosity, because that's stupid) than anything else. In other words, it's not that good, but you may be curious to hear it anyway.

192 kbps

Azarath -- Diabolic Impious Evil

Brutal death metal from Poland that sounds a lot like Behemoth, and not only because they share a drummer. Or maybe that is why...I don't know.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Todd -- Comes to Your House

I know next to nothing about these guys, except that they're from London and they sound a little like Unsane at times. Yes, I'm posting more retro-AmRep noisiness. I guess I don't really need to tell you that it's good, since, after all, I'm posting it, which I wouldn't do if it weren't. You see, I only like things that are good. And I definitely don't like things that suck.

VBR @ 192+ kbps

Indian -- The Unquiet Sky

Downtuned sludgy doomy goodness. This was their debut, but none of the subsequent releases have the same impact. From Chicago.

VBR @ 224+ kbps

Impaled Northern Moonforest -- Impaled Northern Moonforest

Featuring Seth Putnam of Anal Cunt. Sure, it's a joke, but it's a funny one. Acoustic black metal which was supposedly created because there was somebody sleeping in the next room. Then again, Seth doesn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who would care if somebody was trying to sleep, so who knows. This, believe it or not, has spawned a raft of imitators. Let your response to the song titles below be your guide.

A1	Grim and Frostbitten Moongoats of the North
A2	Forlorned Invocations of Blasphemous Congregations of Lusting Goat Sodomizing Sathanis
A3	Gazing at the Blasphemous Moon While Perched atop a Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Forsaken Crest of the Northern Mountain
A4	Bloodlustfully Praising Satan's Unholy Almightiness in the Woods at Midnight
A5	Nocturnal Cauldrons Aflame Amidst the Northern Hellwitch's Perpetual Blasphemy
A6	Transfixing the Forbidden Blasphemous Incantation of the Conjuring Wintergoat
B1	Masturbating on the Unholy Inverted Tracks of the Grim & Frostbitten Necrobobsledders
B2	Awaiting the Blasphemous Abomination of the Necroyeti While Sailing on the Northernmost Fjord of Xzfgiiizmtsath
B3	Lustfully Worshipping the Inverted Moongoat While Skiing Down the Inverted Necromountain of Necrodeathmortum
B4	Awaiting the Frozen Blasphemy of the Necroyeti's Lusting Necrobation Upon the Altar of Voxrfszzzisnzf
B5	Summoning the Unholy Frozen Winterdemons to the Grimmest and Most Frostbitten Inverted Forest of Abazagorath
B6	Entranced by the Northern Impaled Necrowizard's Blasphemous Incantation Amidst the Agonizing Abomination of the Lusting Necrocorpse
B7	Grim and Frostbitten Gay Bar

192 kbps

Kylesa -- Time Will Fuse its Worth

I have no idea what the title of this album means. Think about it for a while and let me know if you come up with something. Is it just some nonsense thrown together and meant to sound deep? That's my take. Have you ever read a placard next to a painting in a gallery and felt embarrassment for the writer? Miró is betokening the epistemologial ontology of extemporaneous, preternatural synthesis. The viewer is invited -- nay, challenged -- to dichotomize the essential proclamation of vigor and foudroyance in this opus, and time will fuse its worth to him splendiferously.

To fuse is to bring two things together, but worth is only one thing. I suppose there could be something interesting to say about the worth of time...but one thing I know for sure is that the time you spent reading this just now was wasted, and thus worth nothing.

Fuse that in your time and worth it.

Oh, this album, despite the stupid title, is pretty good, so download it now.

192 kbps

The Golding Institute -- Final Relaxation

Gregg Turkington, the warped genius behind Neil Hamburger, not to mention Caroliner, Faxed Head, Zip Code Rapists and others, makes his first foray into self-help/meditation tapes. Only for those who are prepared for the ultimate experience in extreme relaxation.

Thanks go to Dimitri for this one.

It's spoken word, so who cares about the bitrate

King Snake Roost -- Ground into the Dirt

Australia had a decent little noise rock scene in the late 80s and early 90s. With the help of Amphetamine Reptile records, bands such as feedtime, Lubricated Goat and these guys found an audience among college radio dorks. (I know, because I was one.) Not all the stuff from that era still sounds good to me, but this one does.

192 kbps

Sayyadina -- Mourning the Unknown

I guess this genre of music is called crust punk. It sounds more or less like grindcore to me, but maybe a little punkier or something. Do I sound old?

320 kbps

Deep Turtle -- Tutina

More Deep Turtle = more essential music that you should download now. From 2002, their second phase, which means somewhat more mature songwriting and somewhat less anarchy. Emphasis on the somewhat.

192 kbps

Earth -- Earth 2

The album without which Sunn 0)))) and Boris and Nadja and all the others would not exist. Ambient metal. Although it's very easy to tune this out and do other stuff while it's playing, the second it ends I feel empty inside and want to put it back on. Maybe that's the effect that noted heroin-enthusiast Dylan Carlson was going for.

320 kbps

Laddio Bolocko -- The Life & Times of Laddio Bolocko

Noisy, krauty, jazzrock at its best.

VBR @ 224 kbps on average

Kemialliset Ystävät -- Kemialliset Ystävät

Freakout forest fuckery from Finland.

320 kbps

Les Rallizes Dénudés -- '77 Live

Strange that a bunch of Japanese guys would choose Les Rallizes Dénudés as a name given that they are almost certainly incapable of pronouncing it. I've read that this is the greatest rock album of all time -- the very quintessence of rock music. While I don't necessarily believe that, it's fucking great. What all spacerock bands wish they were, but aren't. One of the previous band members hijacked a plane in 1970, directed it to North Korea, and is still living there to this day. I wonder how that worked out for him.

192 kbps

Deep Turtle links fixed

Thanks to Petya for fixing the links to There's a Vomitsprinkler in My Liverriver and Flutina. I'm not sure what happened with the originals, but they ended up being mono. He (she?) was nice enough to "re-master" them for me, so if you downloaded them before, you should re-download them now.

One million internets for you, Petya.

Pissed Jeans -- Hope for Men

These guys sounds like they were transported straight from early 90's-era Amphetamine Reptile records. The cover is dedicated to you, Jonny.

320 kbps

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker -- Home

Avant guitar noodling from the son of Peter Brötzmann -- see the Last Exit post a few days back. Sounds a bit like Helios Creed when he gets going, but with less drugginess and more violence. I could do without the singing, actually.

These are .m4a files, so I don't know what the bitrate is, but it should play just fine

Amon Düül II -- Yeti

I had never heard this until recently. Thanks to No Brain for turning me on. Krauty goodness from 1970, and superior in my opinion to Amon Düül (or Amon Düül I, if you will). Don't ask me the difference.

VBR near 192 kbps

Mincing Fury and Guttural Clamour of Queer Decay -- Eye for Eye

Insane Czech Republic brutal death metal or goregrind or whatever the hell you want to call it. As you may have noticed, 'insane,' 'wacky,' 'spastic,' etc. are all positives around here. A recorded barrel of recorded monkeys couldn't possibly be this much fun.

192 kbps

Last Exit -- Last Exit

Free jazz supergroup featuring Sonny Sharrock, Bill Laswell, Peter Brötzmann and Ronald Shannon Jackson. This one's for you, Dimitri (although you probably already have it...)

192 kbps

Arab on Radar -- Yahweh or the Highway

AOR were a part of the RISD noise-rock posse. I originally thought about posting this after hearing AIDS Wolf. These guys never got the credit they deserved, if you ask me, and it probably has something to do with the callow lyrics and whiny vocals. (I sure know how to sell 'em.) But, if you can get past all of that, the music is uniquely discordant and jagged and noisy. Some of the lyrics are actually worth a chuckle, too, such as

Your kids are not safe from us homosexuals
Your kids are controlled by the intellectuals
Your kids will dabble in that devilish stuff
Your kids will dream about their teacher's muff

So true.

224 kbps

Soilent Green -- Pussysoul

Really excellent album from the New Orleans southern-fried grind/metal/sludge/heroin scene. Sounds muscular, if that's possible. Nothing at all like their current stuff, which just doesn't do it for me. When I say 'nothing at all,' that's in the relative sense, of course.

192 kbps

AIDS Wolf -- Cities of Glass

Whoa, this is some noisy shit. Kind of like Arab on Radar with a female lead singer. Actually, a lot like that. Definitely not for everyone, but then what is?

VBR @ 256 kbps or so

Wormed -- Planisphærium

Brutal death metal from Spain. That's an actual subgenre of death metal, by the way, and not just my evaluation. Although in this case, it's both. That's the best image of the cover that I could find.

192 kbps

Deep Turtle -- John Peel Session

Bow at the altar of the mighty Turtle.

192 kbps

Khanate -- Things Viral

Slow, tortured, misanthropic doomsludge measured not in beats-per-minute but minutes-per-beat. Some of the most bleak and tormented vocals you're ever likely to hear, by the same guy who sang for Old Lady Drivers way back when. He manages to make the line "I did this for you" into the creepiest thing you've ever heard. What exactly did he do, I wonder? It couldn't have been a nice thing, that's for sure.

Also featuring James Plotkin and Stephen O'Malley, of whom you probably have heard. I can't explain why it feels so good to listen to something so depressed and depressing and grim (but not frostbitten). It just does.

192 kbps

Deep Turtle -- Turkele

Perhaps a slightly mellower version of the Turtle, but still pretty out there. Oddly, the lyrics are in Spanish, but then everything these guys do is odd. Their penultimate release, which came after a long layoff from 1996 to 2002. Anyway, get it.

192 kbps