Assück are giants in this genre. And this album is indisputably one of the classics of anything grindcore related. And yet before listening several times today I hadn't yet clicked with it as much as I had their contemporaries' classic albums nor many of the bands that came later like Pig Destroyer. In 1992 they released a classic debut album and they released it alongside Brutal Truth's even more amazing debut album, and those 2 massive Deathgrind albums being released at the same time tended to put their debut (Anticapital) in a shadow. Because Brutal Truth's 1992 album is just such a fucking towering achievement of incredible riff work, vocals, drumming and it manages to be as heavy as any death metal band and as brutally fast as any grind band and it's got great and well written guitar work etc etc and in comparison Assück just came across as a much less developed more rabid little brother. At least they did in 1992 when comparing introductory LP statements.
But now this album, their second "L"P (its 15 songs/15 minutes) and their final album before breaking up in 1998, is a different beast. This is just a fantastic album. The recordings are much less lofi than their debut. The blast beats have a live wire brutality that is invigorating, the riffs are AWESOME! Really, the band slows down and trudges like a doomy death metal band for brief moments and the ultra menacing and fuzzy as fuck tone just shines gorgeously when they do that, there are cool stacatto guitar riffs that pop up on this album that have a definite hardcore punk energy, and of course the rest of the time they go full bore brutal grindy deathy maniacs. And the vocals are killer as well and a big improvement over their debut (from what I remember, cuz much like this album, I listened to their debut once or twice and sort of bounced off of it and went and listened to Pig Destroyer instead). The vocal work is growly and has a lot of character... insofar as the vocals don't sound fake or unreal like some death metal vocals. They do indeed sound like a human's vocals just a human's vocals doing very unhealthy things to his voice. I can even hear and understand some of the words which is nice. The vocals aren't varied like on much of the other Deathgrind I've heard where traditionally the vocals vacillate between high pitched grind screeching and deep toned death metal growling. Instead it just stays in their lane and become almost another rhythmic instrument, riding along with the drums and guitars when they also come together for a full frontal assault.
Again, it should be acknowledged how impressive this 15 minute album is. Despite it being very short, it fits soooo much badass riff work and detail and tempo changes and cool aggressive music in. By the time I was done listening to this today each of the 5 times, I felt like 1. pushing play again and 2. like I had experienced a well rounded hardcore deathgrind album with a lot of soul and savagery and character and its awesome! Highly recommended for everyone despite most of you almost guaranteed to not enjoy it. It's one of the peaks of the genre(s) and this alongside Brutal Truth's Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses, should be the first thing you listen to AFTERWorld Downfall by Terrorizer (which is still the Deathgrind gold standard). - distinguishing deathgrind from grindcore of course. there are a few grindcore or powerviolence albums i'd put in this league as well... but this a sub-sub-genre to the sub genre called grindcore. Honestly, I have lost track and I am now just enjoying typing out those words at this point. lol
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@LedZep, its me again! (we need to get more people back here. It's me, you and Purplepash right now.) bUt lets see... oh hell yeah this is a great album from what I remember. Been meaning to return to it, its been years. Hope you dig
CHANGE! I am going to change it again and focus on some extreme stuff I have been meaning to hear.
Top ranked Grindcore, Deathgrind, and maybe some other stuff that I have already heard but just haven't given enough time and attention to. or have never heard.
1. Dogma by Asterisk*/2003 (extremely noisy grindcore, mixed with some avant garde stuff and lots of noise bits which is cool. Alos, a compilatiopn it seems including an LP and other stuff released as EPs I think?)
2. Sadness Will Prevail by Today Is The Day/2002 (2+ hour experimental and abrasive album with a life crushing mix of noise, sludge, crusty punk, grindcore, avant garde metal etc... I have a feeling this could be an all time favorite once I really confront it and listen closely and dissect.)
3. Human 2.0 by Nasum/2000 (I love me some Nasum. Never heard this LP though. They were one of the great grindcore bands of all time when it came to a sad end in 2003)
4. World Extermination by Insect Warfare/2007 (Very intense and cool grindcore/deathgrind stuff... something of a modern classic of the genre that I have yet to really give a close listen to or enough time to. I am interested in diving in again. Also, silly, but I like how the title of the album is similar to one of the best albums ever also within the same genre - World Downfall by Terrorizer.)
5. Mental Hygiene by Internal Rot/2014 (Excellent grindcore album that I listened to a couple times and never gave or really formulated my thoughts on.)
6. Death by Manipulation by Napalm Death/1991 (This 1991 compilation includes some EPs that ND released after their first 2 Grindcore albums and before their next LP which was quite different. This is some classic classic, bedrock death metal and grindcore and deathgrind. Kind of wanted to listen to the EP Mentally Murdered but saw that it and others are included on this 44 minute compilation.
7. Tanz, Grosny, Tanz... by Yacøpsæ/2007 (German Powerviolence and Grindcore with a a cool album cover and probably something I'll need to add to database but we shall see... it looks fucking awesome.
8. Solitude by Lord Snow/2013 (Listened to this once... it was intense as shit and I liked it well enough. Planning on returning to this hardcore as hell emoviolence album that also manages to be cold and icey... my mind maybe makes that connection due to the album title AND the band title. Oh and is that a reference to Game of Thrones' Jon Snow? I shall research.)
9. Sweatin' to the Oldies by SPAZZ/1997 (this is a compilation of some crazy grindy powerviolence insanity from SPAZZ. It's 64 songs in 55 minutes! Jiminy cricket!)
10. Lobotomise by Incinerated/2017 (Kind of a new record! verrrryyyy tricky! Anyway this looks intense. A mix a death metal and grindcore and deathgrind and stuff with brutal cover art. Could be cool) _________________ -Ryan
One of the albums I was hoping to get. Another really good Siouxsie album. Not as gloomy as a lot of gothic rock, due to it's mystical vibe, and retaining a hint of the playfulness of their previous album, Kaleidoscope, making for a very enjoyable otherworldly atmosphere. Siouxsie's dynamic vocals are a highlight as always, and the post-punk guitar is great. Some cool drumming and basslines as well. A great start to the album with the classic Spellbound, and Arabian Knights soon after, setting up the mood of the album, and the rest just flows and comes together nicely for an album that works well as a whole experience. Of the album tracks I hadn't heard before the experimentalism while still keeping the tone of the album of Head Cut stood out for me. An easy 8/10 for now, and 17/37 for the year.
Top 35 Music Albums of 1981 by Mercury (last pick)
9. Signals, Calls, And Marches by Mission Of Burma
11. Minor Threat (EP) by Minor Threat
13. As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls by Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays
19. Never Too Much by Luther Vandross
20. October by U2
21. Songs Of Pain by Daniel Johnston
22. Psychedelic Jungle by The Cramps
23. Adolescents by Adolescents
25. Solid Gold by Gang Of Four
26. The Punch Line by Minutemen
Basket Of Light by Pentangle
Easily likable English folk. Playful, visceral. The whole album was pretty good, but Hunting Song and House Carpenter were particularly good. I didn't like this as much as Lief & Liege for example, but it's still a very nice listen. Can't wait for the spring or summer to listen to this in the right mindset and surrounding. 8/10
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Edit: my bad, go with October
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Mixed + 2022
George Clinton - Computer Games
A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms...
Virgo - Virgo (the Chicago house one)
Buffalo - Volcanic Rock
The Bats - Daddy's Highway
Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Cities Aviv - Man Plays the Horn
Ode and Elegy - Ode and Elegy
Bladee & Ecco2K - Crest _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Strangely, I've had the remix album for years, which adds guests and swaps out the low end with harder hip-hop drums, but I haven't heard the source album until now. The production on What's The 411? surprisingly sounds just as good in the original new jack swing, and the songs have more room to breathe and develop here. Very good vocals throughout from Mary J. Blige combine with solid songwriting to make this a record well worth hearing if you like r&b. 3.5/5.
24. Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn
38. It's A Mighty World - Odetta
42. Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Johnny Mercer Song Book - Ella Fitzgerald
47. Son Con Guaguanco - Celia Cruz
49. Pirates - Rickie Lee Jones
51. Sassy Swings Again - Sarah Vaughan
52. Nick Of Time - Bonnie Raitt
53. Heart Like A Wheel - Linda Ronstadt
58. Nightbirds - Labelle
59. Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
Well here I go again with a taste contrary to the majority, as this may be the most I've enjoyed a U2 album on first listen so far. A few of the songs I already knew, and Gloria may be my favourite early U2 single starting the album off on a high here, but the whole album had a comforting familiarity to it as if I had heard it before, when I know I haven't. It's probably due to the sound they have here how I first knew U2 to sound like. I see on RYM it is the lowest rated U2 album up until Pop, but to me it feels like an album with a sense of confidence that comes from just enjoying what they are doing - having fun making music, and believing in the results...and I like that. 8/10, and 20/38 for 1981.
Because I was curious I looked at exactly what U2 albums I've heard. So while I'm here this is my ranking of the U2 albums I have heard from most enjoyed first.
October
Zooropa
Achtung Baby
Joshua Tree
Rattle & Hum
Boy
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Sadly that's it for 1981. I loved visiting the two lists I used, and there was still many more I would have liked to have heard. But there are many more years to explore, and jumping forward ten years takes me to one of my favourite years of music, 1991, when I was 21 and spending any spare time I had listening to music, and seeing more live music than I ever had before.
BEA Best Albums of 1991 (5 picks left)
15. Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses
16. Dangerous by Michael Jackson
19. Innuendo by Queen
21. Woodface by Crowded House
23. Use Your Illusion I by Guns N' Roses
24. Goat by The Jesus Lizard
26. White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity by Swans
27. Sailing The Seas Of Cheese by Primus
28. Human by Death
29. Weld by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Well here I go again with a taste contrary to the majority, as this may be the most I've enjoyed a U2 album on first listen so far. A few of the songs I already knew, and Gloria may be my favourite early U2 single starting the album off on a high here, but the whole album had a comforting familiarity to it as if I had heard it before, when I know I haven't. It's probably due to the sound they have here how I first knew U2 to sound like. I see on RYM it is the lowest rated U2 album up until Pop, but to me it feels like an album with a sense of confidence that comes from just enjoying what they are doing - having fun making music, and believing in the results...and I like that. 8/10, and 20/38 for 1981.
Because I was curious I looked at exactly what U2 albums I've heard. So while I'm here this is my ranking of the U2 albums I have heard from most enjoyed first.
October
Zooropa
Achtung Baby
Joshua Tree
Rattle & Hum
Boy
All That You Can't Leave Behind
I really like October too! I am more puzzled that you really like October, BUT don't like Boy. 🤔
Off the top of my head, my U2 rankings would be...
War
Under A Blood Red Sky (one of my favorite live albums)
Boy
October
Unforgettable Fire
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
Rattle & Hum
Purplepashranker, rater, & music list makerProfile Western Australia
....I really like October too! I am more puzzled that you really like October, BUT don't like Boy. 🤔
Off the top of my head, my U2 rankings would be...
War
Under A Blood Red Sky (one of my favorite live albums)
Boy
October
Unforgettable Fire
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
Rattle & Hum
Yeah I'm a bit puzzled about that too 🤣 ...I can see the similarities in sound and style. Maybe it's just as simplistic as liking the individual songs better. On October each song was distinct to me, whereas with Boy I don't remember as many standing out.
It's interesting to see your rankings too. Thanks for that. Obviously there's a few I haven't heard yet and they are the ones you rank highest, so maybe their best for me is still to come.
Purplepash, I'm also surprised you enjoyed October more than Boy. Always thought they were very similar in terms of sound, but Boy was a much better album. Also, Under the Blood Red Sky is incredible, you're right Repo!
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Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Daddy's Highway by The Bats
Dunedin sound. That's it, that's my review. Or could be. Seriously, if you enjoy your 80s jangly and sweet New Zealand indie, you'll like this. In fact, I thought it was much better than The Verlaines, the only other key band from that scene I've heard. There's enough quality and diversity, the sparse synth work is especially great. Glad I got round to it, low 8/10
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Goat obv
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Mixed + 2022
George Clinton - Computer Games
A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms...
Virgo - Virgo (the Chicago house one)
Buffalo - Volcanic Rock
Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence
The Pyramids - King of Kings
40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light
Cities Aviv - Man Plays the Horn
Ode and Elegy - Ode and Elegy
Bladee & Ecco2K - Crest _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
It's about time I listened to this noise rock classic, and I can see why it is. Not an easy listen, especially for someone are not into noise rock or that Steve Albini sound, but for someone who is, this is easy to like. 8/10, and 31/49 for 1991.
15. Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses
16. Dangerous by Michael Jackson
19. Innuendo by Queen
21. Woodface by Crowded House
23. Use Your Illusion I by Guns N' Roses
26. White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity by Swans
27. Sailing The Seas Of Cheese by Primus
28. Human by Death
29. Weld by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
31. The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld by The Orb
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Mercury
Purplepash
LedZep
baystateoftheart
Repo
