Coming from you, this is huge! I sort of assume at this point you've heard every metal and punk album released in this era. You so consistently write about albums I have never heard on your diary. As always, thanks for kind words! Not sure if you got my PM about that Holy Moses demo a couple weeks ago? Let me know what you think when you give it a listen.
Thanks for the reminder! 😁
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Husker Du coming up soon. They may be the number one band, and Zen Arcade the number one classic album, that I have weirdly never liked or given much credit to. In theory, they are right up my alley - practically designed in a lab a band I should love. But up until now they have yet to connect.
However all I have ever listened to, embarrassingly, is their most famous 1984 album. Coming up next is their debut STUDIO album (their debut was a live album) Everything Falls Apart. I have been listening to it a bit the last few days and, spoiler alert, I quite liked it! Maybe all this time I needed context on their sound or maybe I just needed to delve into their other music.
Anyway, I'll say a few more words about it and some other projects soon-ish.
Side question, do you all prefer when I laser-focus on 1 to 3 albums in a post or do you not mind/like when I write 5,000 words on 6-12 albums in one go? Or do you not really have an opinion either way?
I will say there are pros and cons to both methods. I enjoy the relative relaxation of being able to only think of 1 or 3 albums over an extended period. But I also love, i don't know, the feeling of huge post unveilings. Whatevs.
-----
Oha and @Repo - cool beans. I think you will like it. 😜🤬😈 _________________ -Ryan
Husker Du coming up soon. They may be the number one band, and Zen Arcade the number one classic album, that I have weirdly never liked or given much credit to. In theory, they are right up my alley - practically designed in a lab a band I should love. But up until now they have yet to connect.
However all I have ever listened to, embarrassingly, is their most famous 1984 album. Coming up next is their debut STUDIO album (their debut was a live album) Everything Falls Apart. I have been listening to it a bit the last few days and, spoiler alert, I quite liked it! Maybe all this time I needed context on their sound or maybe I just needed to delve into their other music.
Anyway, I'll say a few more words about it and some other projects soon-ish.
Side question, do you all prefer when I laser-focus on 1 to 3 albums in a post or do you not mind/like when I write 5,000 words on 6-12 albums in one go? Or do you not really have an opinion either way?
I will say there are pros and cons to both methods. I enjoy the relative relaxation of being able to only think of 1 or 3 albums over an extended period. But I also love, i don't know, the feeling of huge post unveilings. Whatevs.
-----
Oha and @Repo - cool beans. I think you will like it. 😜🤬 :twisted:
As you might know, Hüsker Dü is my favorite band so I'm certainly looking forward to your views on them and on my favorite albums from them I'm constantly flipping between Zen Arcade and Flip Your Wig. As on the format of your writings, I think you just have to do it how you feel best. I don't really care because it's always well written and to the point.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Husker Du coming up soon. They may be the number one band, and Zen Arcade the number one classic album, that I have weirdly never liked or given much credit to. In theory, they are right up my alley - practically designed in a lab a band I should love. But up until now they have yet to connect.
However all I have ever listened to, embarrassingly, is their most famous 1984 album. Coming up next is their debut STUDIO album (their debut was a live album) Everything Falls Apart. I have been listening to it a bit the last few days and, spoiler alert, I quite liked it! Maybe all this time I needed context on their sound or maybe I just needed to delve into their other music.
Anyway, I'll say a few more words about it and some other projects soon-ish.
Side question, do you all prefer when I laser-focus on 1 to 3 albums in a post or do you not mind/like when I write 5,000 words on 6-12 albums in one go? Or do you not really have an opinion either way?
I will say there are pros and cons to both methods. I enjoy the relative relaxation of being able to only think of 1 or 3 albums over an extended period. But I also love, i don't know, the feeling of huge post unveilings. Whatevs.
-----
Oha and @Repo - cool beans. I think you will like it. 😜🤬 :twisted:
As you might know, Hüsker Dü is my favorite band so I'm certainly looking forward to your views on them and on my favorite albums from them I'm constantly flipping between Zen Arcade and Flip Your Wig. As on the format of your writings, I think you just have to do it how you feel best. I don't really care because it's always well written and to the point.
Yeah I remember you love that band! And I am excited to listen to more of their music. I will eventually get to Flip Your Wig. I will be listening soon to their EP Metal Circus and I am very excited about it.
And thanks, I'm glad you like my writing. I will split the baby I think, and post like groups of 5 going forward. 5 or less. _________________ -Ryan
1983… almost 60 years ago. Before the assassination of FDR that fateful evening in Houston. Before even The Beetles broke through into South American pop culture. A time so long ago, it breaks one’s brain trying to conceptualize it, really. There’s a reason no documentaries go back that far in time – there are no records! Were people even aware of math and calendars and literature at this point in time? Unlikely but, again, we don’t know.
But, all that said, we now embark upon the near-impossible project of listening to albums and EPs from 1983. To be clear the following albums weren’t actually recorded in 1983. These are simply ideas of what the music and culture and language MAY have sounded like and been like back then.
And so, here we go, into hitherto unexplored (by anyone ever) realms of postulated music of the far, FAR distant past. May your journey be a bumpy and exhilarating one. May you find some new, favorite fake music bands and records along the way as well.
As mentioned earlier, I have very little familiarity with this iconic and pioneering band. Looking back, maybe I should have included them in that 1980s battle of the bands! Considering Land Speed Record (82), through Warehouse (87) comprises a nice 8 album run that would have fit nicely alongside R.E.M. and Sonic Youth etc. My non-inclusion of them was more due to oversite than anything else, but thinking back a year ago when I did that project it should also be noted I had next to ZERO interest in exploring this group. The only album I had ever heard by them up until just a week ago was Zen Arcade. And Zen Arcade is an album that amongst all the classic punk or indie albums I have been the most meh about. Hell, I may have even put it down as clunky, overlong, melodramatic shite a time or 2 back in the early days of being on this site.
But when I looked ahead to ’83 a month ago and saw 2 early Husker Du albums, a curiosity was unexpectedly lit inside of me. I thought maybe I just need to go back to the start Kokkinos style and listen to their earlier, Pre-Zen Arcade – music and maybe I will find some joy in that.
And, I can confidently say, after 4 listens to this excellent 19-minute album I am a mild fan! I know! Crazy! What an unexpected change of attitude!
I love how many musical ideas are in this short record. The residual fast-as-lightning hardcore as presented here sounds fantastic! I am a sucker for the genre and these Minnesota lads could do as well as almost anyone and considerably faster than most. But it’s when they first start flexing their songwriting muscles on some of these tunes when the album shines. The title track and “Wheels” have really memorable hooks. The opening track has a cool marching drum attack and a cold, killer riff. The cover of “Sunshine Superman” is a bright and beautiful somewhat psychedelic punk sort of thing. “Signals From Above” features some really great guitar noodling and tones. Etc etc… there are many cool moments here.
Speaking of guitar, man… the guitar tones and textures on here are gorgeous and creative in many surprising ways. Most notably I love the guitar sounds on the title track, “Signals From Above”, and even on the crunchier punk tunes there is a nice crunch. But really I am putting off mentioning the best part of the album which is “Gravity”. Fuckin’ A… The whole song is solid and somewhat spacey and jangly or something. But when the guitar comes in on the second half, and then starts playing those interlocking licks on top of each other its all just so beautiful, stunning and peaceful and inspired. In those final 2 minutes of this very good album, the band hits a new peak and it just makes me smile everytime I hear it.
Overall, from what I have read about this album and band, this album was but the beginning of their development into the brilliant Post-Hardcore geniuses they are heralded as today. And if THIS is considered simply a good to very good stepping stone album to what was to come later in 1983 with the classic EP Metal Circus, well… I can’t wait to check out the rest of their discography. Yes, even Zen Arcade seems more appealing for a re-evaluation now.
I am only doing this album second because I didn’t want to so clearly be an idiot by “ushering in” 1983 and then proceeding to listen to yet another 1982 album. Also, it was only after listening to Everything Falls Apart, liking it and remembering that their actual debut LP was this live album, that I decided I should back track yet again to hear Husker Du at their rawest and fastest and most Hardcore.
This is really, REALLY fast. It’s very chaotic. There are only a few really tuneful and melodic bits in this maelstrom of a record (and they are really solid). There are shit tons of cool rock n roll licks and solos played at maximum speed. These aren’t so much individual songs, as 2 WAVES of pure hardcore punk insanity. And… I really like it. I really shouldn’t have overlooked this live set when I was covering hardcore in 1982. Recorded in late 1981, this may have been the fastest American punk band on the planet at time of recording. And they actually can play!
I had read about this album and I knew that most fans of the band consider it to be the awkward first album before the band had really started to find their unique sound. I have heard people say it’s noisy, sloppy shit and/or “just an avg hardcore album”. But listening to it now and I am perplexed by these comments now. Maybe it’s because I have been listening to stuff from Discharge and The Shitlickers and Terveet Kadet and other much more heavy and just as fast and much more noisy bands over the last few months and years, but when I hear this album I think it sounds fucking nice. It straddles that line between being too noisy and incoherent and too clean and produced. It’s just a solid kick in the ass, and a fun, insane, manic energy totally saturates this beast.
As a live album it does wonders and makes me wonder how cool it would have been to be at that show. The drumming of Grant Hart has moments of brilliance and the riffs of both Bob Mould (guitar) and Greg Norton (Bass) are consistently and subtly catchy or badass or both… all while being played as fast as possible. Cool stuff.
I think I prefer their Studio debut to this. But they are both excellent in their own ways. This is just a great trio and they were great back when they were out setting land speed records as well as when they were expanding the limits of hardcore punk a couple years later.
You may have noticed I have yet to say anything about the vocals on either of these Husker Du albums. That is because I generally either don’t like them very much or I think they are fine. The vocals have always been my main issue regarding Zen Arcade. By the time they made Zen Arcade they were pouring the emotion on thick. Here and on Everything Falls Apart they aren’t getting overly emotional with the delivery, but they also aren’t doing anything that I particularly love. That said the kind of nasty, snotty vocals on the closing song here are preeeeety great.
I like this band. The Subhumans are perhaps my favorite band (that I’ve heard) from that sort of this strain of the UK hardcore/anarcho punk scene. I don’t include bands like Rudimentary Peni and Discharge and Crass in the same grouping. I always associate Subhumans more with the GBH, and Exploited sounding bands…more brash and snotty, basically a more early 80s-sounding Sex Pistols style. Idk. I am getting off track.
Oh yeah I was talking about this album. I like it. I like their early EPs more and at times those records blew me away. But this is still a fun, invigorating, at times quite cool album. The bass work is really warm and melodic and the riffs are solid and are elevated by a nice, wide, guitar tone that just sounds good. The vocals are still cool here, if a bit over the top at points.
Overall, I liked this. It didn’t really leave a huge impression on me. But I’m glad I heard it. I hear that their next studio album is when they really go in new and exciting directions. So I am looking forward to checking that out at some point soon.
Listened to this once this week. Didn’t leave a great impression. But I recall really getting a kick out of it in the distant past, and I know it’s a landmark release in several sub genres… So, I will listen a couple more times and see if it hits harder in further listens (right now all I have to say is it’s not super fast – like really REALLY fast even by punk standards – and it’s not particularly song-rich nor charming. Okay so I am going to go listen some more and I’ll be back with further thoughts in the next paragraph lol.
…Okay, I’m back.
After more listens I can say that this gets a mixed response from me. The initial explosion of sheer speed and aggression leaves me, for some reason, cold. It’s impressive how quickly this band could get into and out of a song and it’s impressive the speed and relative precision of their playing. But the vocalist didn’t blow me away or anything and I think there is something lacking in the way this is produced. The “songs” don’t impinge, or hit or sound BIG. They sound instead like a blurry barrage. Perhaps that is what they are going for. But the fast and intense punk stuff of this era that I really love tends to have more forcefulness and fullness in some way than these tracks do.
As the record moves along, however, I tend to fall more into the groove of the album. There are some snappy guitar solos and some really interesting, speedy changes in sound and groove. The band was known as the fastest in the world, or at least that is what I have heard of their style, and while that is cool and all, when they take some focus off of just being a zipping, breathless, speed demon band and start playing with some other sounds, they are quite engaging here. They should do it more often I think.
Overall, this one may grow on me (again…as I do remember having a more positive impression of this in the past) with more time and listens. And no doubt this release was a solid showcase of the more frantic side of “thrashcore” in its early days. Not heavy enough or impactful enough for my tastes. BUT the second half does have some bangers that are indeed right up my alley, such as “Commuter Man” and especially “I Don’t Need Society.” If the first say 1/3rd was a 5/10, then the second half or the last 2/3rds is a solid 7 to 7.5/10. And my feelings of the sound may have been different had I not just gorged myself with lots of similarly fast hardcore. Perhaps this would have been a more fresh experience for me had I not heard it alongside a couple dozen other records of similar DNA. I don’t know.
How Could Hardcore Be Any Worse by Asocial/Recorded 1982, Released 1984
Look, there are only so many ways to say that a record is fast, heavy and brutal. Those descriptions apply here. Also, of note is that this was recorded in 1982 (if the internet can be believed) and is notable for being one of the first and possibly THE first hardcore punk or metal album with Blastbeats. These blastbeats are of the hardcore variety – brutal, chaotic, insane, and precise at all. Sort of just a “musical” weapon of brute machine gun power. These beats are far removed from the precision of Terrorizer/Morbid Angel/Sandoval-projects 5-6 years later. But it’s essentially just as fast as Scum-era Napalm Death and these drums and these noisy as shit recordings are just a half step away from being literal GRINDCORE. Pretty wild. This recording along with some early Siege, some insane noisy Japanese Hardcore from Gai and some of the more disgusting Discharge and other D Beat/Crust Punk records clearly seem to have had the bulk of the influence on Napalm Death and the creation of the Greatest of All genres, Grindcore.
Now, the name is poking fun at Bad Religion’s debut album How Could Hell Be Any Worse released a few months earlier in 1982 (unless it’s a very happy accident), and the playful title and the sheer absurdity of the music and how imprecise, heavy and chaotic it is with little variation, makes me think this project is AT LEAST PARTIALLY making fun of the genre and taking it to absurd levels of extreme. Not sure that was the goal here, but if so…it’s funny and effectively takes the piss out of the genre.
The wildly unique and novel rhythmic assault of this album and the fun title, aside, this is pretty good and intense hardcore. If you wanna hear some crazy shit – nearly grindcore levels of noisy, abrasive, gross, sloppy, fast as hell, and nasty - I highly recommend it. This is not a classic or, to my ears, truly great. But it is pretty fucking fun if you ask me.
6.7/10
--- --- ---- --- ---
Okay, and here we will end this post. Not the most stacked and loved bunch of albums in this first group, but still some goodies and Husker Du suddenly becoming a band I quite like and look forward to delving more into is a very exciting development indeed.
See you next time with some Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Warlord, and others. _________________ -Ryan
As I thought, I really like your take on the first two albums of Hüsker Dü. As most HD fans I suppose I like these albums most because they already show a bit of the genius they would later become rather than adoring these albums themselves because they are a bit sloppy and unfocused. But in sheer hardcore speed they indeed really amongst the best of their peers and you can only be awed by it so I totally get your personal views on them.
As for the vocals, I can understand your criticism on their emo side but that's just what I love in both singers, especially Bob Mould. I suppose then you certainly won't like Bob Mould's first solo albums which are full of very raw emotions but which are also amongst my favorite albums ever.
In any case I hope you will at least like the more hardcore parts of their latter albums: most of New Day Rising, at least half of Zen Arcade (especially the six tracks from Beyond The Treshold to Masochism World are absolute killers as well as Indecision Time and Turn On The News) and indeed only a few tracks on Flip Your Wig (Divide an Conquer and Private Plane). What I always liked about their hardcore stuff was that there still is a melodic side to their songs and before everything else they were mainly very good songwriters.
So I'm very curious on your thoughts on those other albums.
1983… almost 60 years ago. ...A time so long ago, it breaks one’s brain trying to conceptualize it, really. There’s a reason no documentaries go back that far in time – there are no records! Were people even aware of math and calendars and literature at this point in time? Unlikely but, again, we don’t know.
I'm glad you brought this up, because 1983 was the year I finally got my Bachelor's Degree after years of trying to become a bachelor and thinking this alone entitled me to some sort of "degree." Who knew there would also be so much coursework involved? As for the main point though, I personally was opposed to the record-keeping ban, at least in the United States. I distinctly remember that the Republican Party was somehow behind it, but I can't prove that (obviously, since that would require records), and being a mere recent college graduate I simply didn't have the kind of sweeping dictatorial authority over national policy that I have now.
I can at least confirm that there was no awareness of math, calendars, literature, or any other form of culture whatsoever at this point in time. Five years earlier, The Residents had felt compelled to point out that ignorance of one's culture was not considered "cool," but things only got worse from there, to the point where in 1983, Kajagoogoo nearly had a #1 album with White Feathers — despite the fact that not a single human being actually bought a copy. Their popularity was entirely due to album purchases by chipmunks, raccoons, and squirrels, some of whom continue to listen to them exclusively to this day.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
^^^ Not actual Klansmen ^^^
(Though they did come from Louisiana)
Finally, as for Husker Du... well, my sister really liked them, so I preferred Sugar. What can I say... I guess I still had a lot of growing up to do.
1983… almost 60 years ago. ...A time so long ago, it breaks one’s brain trying to conceptualize it, really. There’s a reason no documentaries go back that far in time – there are no records! Were people even aware of math and calendars and literature at this point in time? Unlikely but, again, we don’t know.
I'm glad you brought this up, because 1983 was the year I finally got my Bachelor's Degree after years of trying to become a bachelor and thinking this alone entitled me to some sort of "degree." Who knew there would also be so much coursework involved? As for the main point though, I personally was opposed to the record-keeping ban, at least in the United States. I distinctly remember that the Republican Party was somehow behind it, but I can't prove that (obviously, since that would require records), and being a mere recent college graduate I simply didn't have the kind of sweeping dictatorial authority over national policy that I have now.
I can at least confirm that there was no awareness of math, calendars, literature, or any other form of culture whatsoever at this point in time. Five years earlier, The Residents had felt compelled to point out that ignorance of one's culture was not considered "cool," but things only got worse from there, to the point where in 1983, Kajagoogoo nearly had a #1 album with White Feathers — despite the fact that not a single human being actually bought a copy. Their popularity was entirely due to album purchases by chipmunks, raccoons, and squirrels, some of whom continue to listen to them exclusively to this day.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
^^^ Not actual Klansmen ^^^
(Though they did come from Louisiana)
Finally, as for Husker Du... well, my sister really liked them, so I preferred Sugar. What can I say... I guess I still had a lot of growing up to do.
👏👏👏
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
As I thought, I really like your take on the first two albums of Hüsker Dü. As most HD fans I suppose I like these albums most because they already show a bit of the genius they would later become rather than adoring these albums themselves because they are a bit sloppy and unfocused. But in sheer hardcore speed they indeed really amongst the best of their peers and you can only be awed by it so I totally get your personal views on them.
As for the vocals, I can understand your criticism on their emo side but that's just what I love in both singers, especially Bob Mould. I suppose then you certainly won't like Bob Mould's first solo albums which are full of very raw emotions but which are also amongst my favorite albums ever.
In any case I hope you will at least like the more hardcore parts of their latter albums: most of New Day Rising, at least half of Zen Arcade (especially the six tracks from Beyond The Treshold to Masochism World are absolute killers as well as Indecision Time and Turn On The News) and indeed only a few tracks on Flip Your Wig (Divide an Conquer and Private Plane). What I always liked about their hardcore stuff was that there still is a melodic side to their songs and before everything else they were mainly very good songwriters.
So I'm very curious on your thoughts on those other albums.
Yeah the vocals I get are more on the emo side of things. Not usually a problem for me to be honest. The Husker Du vocals and the way they use em seem uniquely to be a bit of an issue for me. In the past at least. They may grow on me. Or perhaps I will just grow to love everything else surrounding the vocals so much that I don't care about the vocals as much.
And yeah, I'll for sure be touching on all future Husker Du albums as they come up chronologically.
MadhattanJack wrote:
Mercury wrote:
1983… almost 60 years ago. ...A time so long ago, it breaks one’s brain trying to conceptualize it, really. There’s a reason no documentaries go back that far in time – there are no records! Were people even aware of math and calendars and literature at this point in time? Unlikely but, again, we don’t know.
I'm glad you brought this up, because 1983 was the year I finally got my Bachelor's Degree after years of trying to become a bachelor and thinking this alone entitled me to some sort of "degree." Who knew there would also be so much coursework involved? As for the main point though, I personally was opposed to the record-keeping ban, at least in the United States. I distinctly remember that the Republican Party was somehow behind it, but I can't prove that (obviously, since that would require records), and being a mere recent college graduate I simply didn't have the kind of sweeping dictatorial authority over national policy that I have now.
I can at least confirm that there was no awareness of math, calendars, literature, or any other form of culture whatsoever at this point in time. Five years earlier, The Residents had felt compelled to point out that ignorance of one's culture was not considered "cool," but things only got worse from there, to the point where in 1983, Kajagoogoo nearly had a #1 album with White Feathers — despite the fact that not a single human being actually bought a copy. Their popularity was entirely due to album purchases by chipmunks, raccoons, and squirrels, some of whom continue to listen to them exclusively to this day.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
^^^ Not actual Klansmen ^^^
(Though they did come from Louisiana)
Finally, as for Husker Du... well, my sister really liked them, so I preferred Sugar. What can I say... I guess I still had a lot of growing up to do.
Thanks for the comment! I had no idea that raccoon and other animals purchasing habits were already such a huge deal in those ancient times! Very informative and a new way of looking at the whole thing! _________________ -Ryan
After being away from this band for a bit after gushing over their first 2 EPs a few awhile ago, it felt good hearing them again. Because, despite this being my least favorite Minor Threat record by far, this album does kick ass for sure.
What Minor Threat gains with the variety of their sound, the inventiveness of their playing, the space and brilliance of their songs – they lose in their special, magic, inspiring energy. It seems the band felt constrained within the genre they perfected with this EP. There are definite hints of the future sounds of post-hardcore all over this thing. But to be hbonest there is not a single moment that gets me as hyped as literally every song off their first 2 EPs and their first single. And even the last hurrah of the group, their single with “Salad Days” and “Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White” is slightly more special to me than this EP.
But I am picking nits. This just happens to be a band I adore. And so this is still a special record. I love the bass lines here, and there are some cool tracks here such as “Betray”, “Cashing In” and one of the rare old school hardcore tunes “Out of Step”.
I don’t have much to say here. The drummer, Jeff Nelson, is firing on all cylinders for this entire record And the guitar tone and the work done by the 2 guitarists is sick. Just a really beefy, powerful sound. The production is cleaner and the songs are more, well, “songs-y” and composed. Just a unique project from this short-lived band that showcases a totally different side to the group just before they disbanded.
This album was clearly a massive musical advance in many ways and points the way to what we’d get fully fleshed-out with Fugazi (most obviously) and many, many other post-hardcore acts in the decade following this LP (as far as I can tell, this was released as an LP not an EP).
This is Bad Brain’s second album. It’s still in that peak period of Bad Brains. If I was to listen to this in a vacuum, this is a classic and incredible. But I can’t get past the slight annoyance or bewilderment when I hear the same great songs yet again on another album. I know Black Dots hadn’t come out by 1983, but their debut had and this album features almost all of the best songs on their classic debut but played slightly faster at times, recorded more cleanly and with some details added (mostly) to good effect. I don’t get why released so many songs again. I could and indeed I shall research this and find out more, but for now my gut feeling is the quality of the punk here is deserving a 9/10.
The reggae tunes are cleaner and they are all new, which is something. Still feel like they drag down the energy and don’t work with the pacing. But the pacing is left hindered this time around.
Yeah, anyway, this is great Punk rock, the musicianship is masterful and intense. The vocals for some reason got on my nerves with this album whereas I loved the vocals on their debut. That sharp difference of opinion may be more to do with when I heard the respective albums.
Anyway, the following grade is more reflective of the annoyance at getting Banned In DC and Big Takeover etc etc YET AGAIN. If you have this album and their debut right there before you and you’ve never heard a Bad Brains album, honestly, you can’t go wrong either way but I think the rawness and brilliance of the debut is where it’s at.
I added this to my listen list almost on a last minute whim. It is labeled heavy metal, US Power Metal and those descriptors usually don’t catch my attention too much. But for some reason as I scrolled through lists of 1983 metal and punk, this one caught my eye. Never would I have thought that I’d legit love this! Or that I’d enjoy my times listening through this more than even the Minor Threat and Bad Brtains albums on the same ticket! But I did. Gosh darn, I did.
This is listed as an EP, but it’s 34 minutes long and is as rich as an LP should be and flows excellently throughout. To this day I have no clear idea what separates an EP from LP. But whatever. The point is this is a beast of an EP!
I’m not very familiar with power metal. I have enjoyed 1 or 2 records labeled generally as such. But from what I know of it I get an idea of epic, fantastical themes, fast and varied riffs that are melodic and sharp, with lots of almost cinematic moments and swells. This album does all those things excellently. Right from the only mildly corny folk intro to track one through to the incredible culmination, I was just happy to hear this. The melodies and solos and tasty drum parts and the vocals and every little part here was just so fitting and engaging. The band is sick! They at times have a Maiden-esque thunder and intricacy which was refreshing. They aren’t always flexing their chops with insanely fast riffs and solos, but usually playing somewhat more subtle music that doesn’t beat me over the head with its speed or technicality. The second track “Winter Tears” was truly gorgeous. Especially love the somber mood and the harmonies on that track. But the gifts don’t stop there. This whole album is full of beautiful details.
Overall, this kind of lowkey got me in the mood for some more Power Metal! That is a big deal! There are some cool looking classics coming up around the bend which until a few days ago I wasn’t super excited about. Now I am.
This is an excellent early Japanese hardcore album. For the most part this is intense, angry as fuck punk rock with some sick vocals that get the mood across. The final track is the title track and it’s a slow, almost sludgy 9 minute monster that almost always sounds like it will become meandering but never does. Instead it grows and creates a really rich, almost Neurosis-level of post-apocalyptic dread which is great! It’s not a perfect 10/10 song, but man it’s a pretty daring way to close out your generally quite fast and savage, cutting hardcore punk record that’s for sure!
I really enjoyed this. I will say I was expecting something more noisy, more unhinged and nuts and wild. I suppose mostly when I think of Japanese Hardcore its Gai, G.I.S.M. and S.O.B. The sound of The Stalin is not that. Indeed, in a lot of ways, the riffs and the attitude here is more akin to Sex Pistols. Usually the tempo is on the fast side but not remotely approaching the absurd speeds of much of the hardcore being released at the time. This style, a bit more purely pissed off punk rock style with that immersive slow dirge at the end, was refreshing after spending lots of time with the likes of D.R.I. recently.
Anyway, really good and would recommend to all you punk rock fans out there.
This was a bit of a surprise for me. I loved the first 3 tracks here and even the mellow ballad that closes off this EP for track 4 is solid. But man those first 3 tracks all kick ass, and feature some of the most badass riff work and bass work and heavy metal drumming I’ve heard recently! Even the vocals – in all their theatrical heavy metal glory – were enjoyable.
I knew of Queensryche mostly as the band that made that classic concept album that I have been meaning to listen to for awhile but haven’t gotten around to. This EP proved to be a great introduction to them. The production, the playing, the songwriting, all are top notch. The bass groove of Nightrider legitimately blows me away each time I hear it and that first Scream! Holy shit, that song is a BEAST! The opener is not far behind in quality with its absolutely brilliant riffs. The whole 18-19 minute experience is all just a fun time and the music is rich. I really like this one.
8.1/10
--- --- ---- --- ---
Okay that is all for this post! Next batch will be cool (I think… I hope). And will feature chronologically the next 5 punk or metal albums of my choosing. Including BEA/RYM favorites SWANS! As well as mercury favorites Rudimentary Peni! And others! Stay tuned I guess. If ya wanna. _________________ -Ryan
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Repo
Mercury
dihansse
MadhattanJack
