Brainstorm

What an amazing thing this 7" from 1995 is. Brainstorm were a little known Death Metal band from The Ukraine. What sets Brainstorm apart from the gazillions of other bands at the time was an artful knowledge and appreciation for non-metal things like krautrock and psychedelia. These three songs were recorded live at a festival where I am certain people were completely confused by the band. My mere words could never do this justice, I'll shut up now. Just get this.

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Meat Puppets

I never really cared for most of their stuff, but the debut album by The Meat Puppets is a keeper. It seemed a fitting gap between the Minutemen and Black Flag. All the angular skronk of classic SST with the addition of a sun-baked LSD vibe. Classic.

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Necromantia vs. Varathron

Two of the most important and influential Greek cults do battle for Hellenic Black Metal supremacy. Who will prevail in this occult olympiad? I can't call a winner for this one, I love both bands too much.

Black Metal is Greek!

Oh, and for an in depth primer on the strange world of Greek underground Metal go check out Helm's guest post and compilation on Illogical Contraption

Life Is a Problem

This excellent compilation reminds us that Christians aren't always stodgy, bloated, white people that hate fun. Sometimes they are rocking black folk that love a great song as much as they love their Jesus. Even when they're decrying the evils of the Devil's rock music it rocks. Life Is a Problem collects some of the greatest, strangest primitive gospel music the world has ever heard.

Praise Jesus!!!

Life Is Beautiful

One of the most interesting things about this early Southern California punk comp is that extremely strange (even for him) Pettibon cover depicting some burnt out hippy couple getting ready for a Jonestown styled Kool-Aid and LSD-lased sugar cube and watermelon party. The addition of a particularly moronic Jim Morrison quote drives the point home that hippies were, as a whole, out of touch assholes that deserve the derision and scorn form punkers everywhere. The bands include some better known acts like The Germs, MIA, The Bags, and The Minutemen, and some that have been obscured by history such as B People, China White, Ill Will and Zurich 1916. Life is beautiful, and so is this record. Groovy.

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Keen of the Crow

Keen of the Crow was a very short-lived band that rose from the ashes of epic Southern California doom metal band, Morgion. KotC favored a more user-friendly Opeth approach, but this demo is great anyways. Eventually they recorded and album for Grau records, that in my opinion, wasn't as memorable as this demo. They broke up soon after, with the members forming and reforming various bands and projects soon after. Ludicra had the extreme pleasure of doing a short run of gigs with these guys around 2005, and we have remained friends since. Great dudes.

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Only Ildjarn Is Real

Where are my manners? Many times on this blog I have professed my love for the raw and minimal side of Black Metal, but yet I never posted anything by the originator of such harsh, ear-scraping necrohell, the influential Ildjarn. Well that changes now. Ildjarn is not a band, but rather the alter-ego of Vidar Vaaer, former Thou Shalt Suffer/Emperor member. Ildjarn's discography is massive and somewhat confusing, so let's just start with this, the first full length simply titled Ildjarn.

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Blessure Grave

Blessure Grave is one of my favorite currently active bands. These death-obsessed youth hail from San Diego and play an authentic blend of post-punk and death rock that brings to mind Joy Division, early Siouxsie & The Banshees and The Cure with a distinct lo-fi smudge. In the past year alone Blessure Grave has released a score of brilliant seven inches, a cassette, and a three-way split with Cold Cave and The Crocodiles. The band will be releasing their debut CD/LP very soon on the ever quality Release The Bats label and I am beside myself with anticipation. I recently had the pleasure (or should I say "blessure") of seeing them perform. I bought two great EPs and this was the better of the two. Nothing new really, but I, for one, am glad this sort of a thing is enjoying a comeback. Very cool band. More please.

Here

Abemal

Here's another lost demo from the extremely fertile Swedish Death Metal scene of the early '90s. Abemal hailed from the town of Atvidaberg, which seems to be a boring town best known for its football team and its calculator factory. But perhaps it is the crushing ennui of these tiny Swedish towns that inspired so much brilliant metal. Abemal's 1994 demo is exactly what you might expect, reliable, down-tuned guttural teenage Death Metal. A couple of these dudes went on to form the more melodic Black/Death band Algaion, who never really caught my interest.

Here

Azarashi

You'd be hard pressed to find a cooler looking band than Azarashi. I am also quite fond of their angular, spastic, ADD post-punk visual kei yakuza glam thrash. I think this band is somehow related to the seminal Japanese Punk band, The Stalin. I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time.

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