Fire of Love

Fire of Love, the essential debut of one of my favorite bands, The Gun Club, was released in 1981 and was instantly a favorite of bespectacled rock critics and jaded punkers alike. I bought this album when I was an adolescent thinking it was punk. The Gun Club's name had been bandied about in those circles, and I expected something more akin to the Black Flag and The Circle Jerks I was enjoying at the time. Admittedly, it would be a few years and a few spins before I "got it." I have stated emphatically, drunkenly, with fists pounding on the bar that Jefferey Lee Pierce should be hailed as one of America's greatest songwriters.By now we all know how Pierce struggled in life, we know about the demons that rode his heels right to an early grave in 1996, and I am tired and don't want to write about it, but the darkness he carried permeates The Gun Club's work from stem to stern, and always makes me wonder if Pierce was brilliant because he suffered or if he suffered because he was brilliant. It hardly matters now, what does matter is the beautiful and poignant music and lyrics he left behind, and it still moves me. If you are unversed in this important, and oft-overlooked American icon, start here and work chronologically through The Gun Club's stellar discography. R.I.P. Jefferey.

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Blood Alliance

This 2007 spilt pairs two Quebecois bands: Csejthe and Ziel Bevrijd. Csejthe starts it off with some hokum LOTR intro and then the raw scrape of French Canadian Black Metal endures for five more tracks. Csejthe is decent enough but their contribution here suffers from a lack of consistency in production. Ziel Bevrijd's Black Metal is a bit more Norse sounding, dynamic, and melodic. Ziel Bevrijd are more interesting, but both bands compliment each other well and share a similar aesthetic. Their alliance of blood resulted in an engaging piece of winter-forged Quebecois dark art.

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Fly

Fly

4 Tribes

Excellent four-way split of obscure Japanese bands from 1988. まつじ (Matsuji,) 666, Poison Arts, and F.O.A.D. play fast, fuzzy, metal-tinged Japanese Hardcore. All the bands deliver the goods and will sate any fan of the Japanese thrashing punk, but まつじ kind of standout with their occasional vocal forays into Bad Brainsisms. I can't think of a better way to kill fifty minutes than with four devil-driven far-east death tribes.

攻撃

Power From Hell

When I wrote about Black Uniforms I mentioned Onslaught, then realized I haven't featured the British thrash masters on the Hearse before. Onslaught started in 1983 in the bullshit town of Bristol as a punk band, but by 1985 the young men of Onslaught were possessed by Satan and opted to play more metal on their debut. You can still here plenty of Discharge influence, and I think this is precisely why Power From Hell is Onslaught's best release, and one of the coolest thrash albums of the 1980s. With each album, they became less punk, more polished, and eventually enlisted Steve "Grim Reaper" Grimmett to front the band for 1989's underwhelming In Search of Sanity. Onslaught reformed in 2006 and has since released two more studio albums, but I have no idea if they are worthwhile or not. I don't need to know, I have Power From Hell on three formats.

Power!

Bagatur

Bagatur, from Bulgaria, play some strange Black Metal comprised mostly of keyboards, drums, and whispered vocals. Occasionally there are guitars, horses and battles, and female vocals amidst the bizarre proceedings. Bagatur may have some dodgy politics and nefarious connections, but there is nothing in the packaging or program to really confirm this. Decide for yourself if you are comfortable with this, but be reminded, that doesn't mean you get to decide what is posted.

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Weeping

Here's the first release, Weeping, from Mournful Congregation, Australia's long standing purveyors of crushingly slow and despondent doooooom. These dour down underlings have stayed true to their formula for almost twenty years. This demo isn't terribly unlike the fantastic album, Book of Kings they released just last November. I can respect this determination and dedication to doing what they do; play cripplingly depressing funeral doom with beautiful melodic overtones. I have loved every bit of music these gallant men have issued forth. This is sitting home alone, drunk on your floor ruminating on all your failures and shortcomings kind of doom. Listen at your own risk.

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Splatter Punk

Splatter Punx on Acid collects the entire discography of Swedish prettyboy metallic hardcore band Black Uniforms. I remember being kind of down on these dudes back in the day because of their corny image, but that aside, these guys hit upon something great at times. Their flirtations with metal seemed a bit more informed than Discharge's or Broken Bones', The Uniforms were at their best when they ventured into the more speed metal realm of their material, sometimes they remind me of a more haphazard Onslaught. Great hair.

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Selda

Selda Bagcan is one of the bigger names in Anatolian psych, but outside her native Turkey, the genius of this woman is barely known. Selda is regarded for her scathing indictments of the Turkish government and work with various political causes. Selda isn't just singing about it. In the 1980s Selda was jailed three times and her passport seized. Her best known album (mainly due to the great 2006 reissue by Finder's Keepers) was her 1976 joint simply titled Selda. The album is crammed full of absolutely infectious melodies, masterful arrangements, twists at every turn, and Selda's powerful wailing voice and guitar. I promise that by the opening riff of "Ince Ince" you will be under the spell of Selda, if not then you are fucking dead inside.

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Elected Evil

Easily one of the greatest monuments to French Black Metal supremacy is Bekhira's stunning debut L'Elu du Mal. Every track bristles with shimmering melodic tremolo picking, blasting washes of drums, and distant anguished vocals. The Paris-based band is an elusive entity, only releasing one demo, a split with Desolation Triumphalis, and this colossal album over the seventeen years since their formation. Member Arkdae has kept consistently busy with his Neo-folk band Dark Sanctuary, while Raktivira has worked with other French kults Osculum Infame and Arkhon Infaustus. The members of Bekhira consider the band to be active, but not a word about new material has surfaced. Hopefully there is more Bekhira to come, in the mean time get with this bit of evil.

Mal

Rollin'

Like Ike Quebec, Leo Parker was considered washed up by the time he signed to Blue Note in 1961, also like Quebec, Parker's comeback yielded a couple of fantastic standard hard bop records, and even more tragic, like Quebec, Leo Parker died soon after. Of the two albums made for Blue Note, I definitely prefer Rollin' With Leo, it is a bawdy, brassy album full of swagger and swing. Pimp Jazz.

Roll With It

Powers Court

Powers Court is a long running traditional Heavy Metal band from Illinois. The centerpiece of the band's sound is the amazing vocals of Danie Powers. Powers toggles effortlessly between a King Diamond shriek into lower registers (I swear at times she sounds like Mr. Scarface from the Geto Boys as well as a dozen others) Sure, this debut suffers from some sort of oddly flat production, but couple that with the vocal acrobatics of Ms. Powers, and you have another compelling piece of bizarro metal born of the love of steel. Their is a purity-of-intent to Powers Court that makes them a thousand times more interesting than all your Hammerfalls and Rhapsodys combined. Seriously, don't blow this opportunity to spend a little time with one of the strangest and most sincere bits of true American Heavy Metal. Powers Court rules.

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Electric Day

Latter day Kraut Rock/Electrofucked band YOU bleeped and blooped their way onto the scene in 1978 and issued this analog synth delight in 1979. Electric Day features a masterful drum performance by Harald Grosskopf (Ash Ra Tempel) and a wealth of repetitive compositions that twist and morph and build. Sometimes dancey, sometimes menacing, and sometimes just relaxing, Electric Day is an excellent album for driving, sitting with your electric bong, or just moving through a post apocalyptic landscape wondering how the fuck the human race will survive.

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Pray For Metal

Never mind the crazy cover art depicting a topless barbarian princess holding a weird axe in one hand, and precariously balancing a skull in the other while she dances seductively in front of a giant Menorah. There is so much more to this album than all that, well maybe not. You do, however, get four pretty rocking Heavy Metal anthems delivered somewhat sloppily by some spirited lads from Linkoping, a bullshit town known for volleyball and making Saabs.

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This Just In

The Wizard of the second most awesome blog on the interweb, is easily one of my favorite people on earth. We have shared a room, risked life and limb on tour together, and laughed heartily at one another's farts. Today he writes me:

Hi dude. Hope you are well.I got this record in Brasil, shit rules. Bought it from a street vendor who pulled out a bunch of metal when we walked up...well, at least he said it was metal but it was a pile of hopelessly partied on pop punk. I gave up, and then a local dude said I should check this out, said they were the first speed metal band from Brasil, and that they came from Belém, where we were. The vendor put it on, and I was hooked from the drum intro.Not sure what the deal is, but the record appears to have been released (or sponsored) by Pepsi, and please check out how fried (or disabled) Pedro is at the bottom of the band photo - that guy is responsible for these Deep Purple meets Motorhead licks. Tough to scour for info on a band called Stress, but there's a quote on Metal Archives from the singer about how he thinks that they should be considered the true speed metal pioneers since this LP came out a year before Kill 'em All. Pretty ballsy.

The Wizard went on to say that this may be up the alley of The Hearse riders and urged me to share this rare gem of Pepsi-sponsored Brazilian Dirt Metal weirdness. I have already listened to it three times, it is fucking awesome bit of fuzzy guitars, captivating hooks, and just plain out great rocking Heavy Metal. Already know this will be in heavy rotation in the next few weeks. What an amazing find. Thank you Wizard, once again you prove most badass.

STRESS!

Bye Sam

I sat down to write this post and the first thing I wrote was "Sam Rivers is a bad ass," but then I went to check the ol' interweb to see how old he was and discovered that he passed away the day after christmas. No one told me. Fuck. Sam Rivers was a badass. He played with Miles Davis until Miles deemed him too weird and replaced him with weird Wayne Shorter, he cut four amazing records for Blue Note, he started a venue to host avant jazz with his wife Bea, made records up until he was 83 years old, and motherfucker did most of these things without a shirt on. Sad to see him go, but he had a long and colorful life, left behind some amazing work, and that can't be taken away. It's hard for me to choose a favorite Rivers album, but if I had to Dimensions & Extensions might do. Bye Sam.

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Grey Misery

After some really icky and mandatory demos, Finland's Disgrace sort of cleaned up their act and eked out a great, but somewhat polished (compared to the demos) album, called Grey Misery. Don't get me wrong, this album still vomits forth plenty of purulent riffs and nauseating vocalizings with a reckless Finnish fury, and stands as one of my favorite Scandi-scum pummel buddies. Anyways, this rules. Just get it.

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Witch Trials

The Fall were probably the nastiest, most cruel, and spiteful bunch of Englishmen ever to exist, and on their first album Live From The Witch Trials all the snark and venom is present and accounted for. The album opens with the menacing and slunky "Frightened" and the lyric "Someone's always on my tracks." The tension is laid out, the sort of embittered angst that make Mark E Smith and The Fall unique, their seeming disdain for their listener. However underneath the hostilities lay some amazingly concise and economically crafted rock songs. The genius that was The Fall starts here.

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Gone

Greg Ginn was bored with Flag and formed Gone. Gone released two albums in 1986. People didn't really take to these, but I did, and I still do. Reminds me of skateboards, Southern California, and rat weed, and no annoying vocalist or trite lyrics to spoil the sun-baked, dirt high, lowride of the whole affair. Get fucking Gone.

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Siamese Twins

This one was nicked from the brilliant I Could Die Tomorrow blog, my favorite source for keeping up on what the kids are listening to. Every so often they drop something so perfect I just have to pass on the wisdom. Most recently I stumbled across this gorgeous demo from a Boston-based dream pop/post punk/whatever band called Siamese Twins. Over the six beautiful and dour tunes on their debut tape, the Siamese Twins offer enough wispy atmosphere, delicious guitar hooks, and charmfully (I made that word up) sweet singing to immediately win you over. Simply stunning, I hope there is more to come.

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Naevaer

This very evocative release comes from Naervaer, Norway's greatest neo-folk outfit. The band was formed by In The Woods members, and you can definitely hear similarities between the two entities. This self-titled EP was released in 1997, the same year In The Woods released their colossal second album Omnio. This almost works as a companion piece to that recording. Naervaer's debut is absolutely gorgeous, maudlin, impassioned, and wholly perfect. This should not be passed over.

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Heavy Drunken Doom

Suppose Danzig was drunk and fronted an Italian Doom band.

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Alda

Alda are an excellent young Black Metal band from Washington state. They use a variety of devices, tempos, feels, within these five songs, but don't stray away from the conventions. The result is quite compelling and reminds me of what drew me to Black Metal in the first place. Alda are doing it right, focusing on songs and atmosphere without being overly concerned with being weird, arty, satanic, post-whatever, or any of the other sub sub sub genres that cloud the waters. I really appreciate this, hopefully there is more to come.

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Blue & Sentimental

Ike Quebec was already pretty obsolete by the time he signed to Blue Note in 1959. It was widely known that Albert Lion was such a huge Quebec fan that he signed the 41 year old sax player out of sheer love of his previous work, even know he was fully aware that there was almost no demand for new material from the seasoned vet. But damn it all if these Quebec Blue Note dates didn't yield some fucking great records, such as Blue & Sentimental. Albert was sentimental but not a fucking fool. And sentimental it is, this record brims with a nostalgic sadness, it IS blue, it IS sentimental. Sadly Quebec died of lung cancer in 1963 , in the midst of this amazing comeback. Quebec was a disciple of the Coleman Hawkins/Lester Young school of swoon, and he is at his best when blowing out a smoky ballad, which there are a few of here. Ike is joined on this date by a great band made up of Grant Green, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones.

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Apocryphon

I may be a bit biased on Apocryphon, Peter and Shelby are amazingly friendly, funny people but they probably don't want that to be known. Not to mention that Shelby does one of the best blogs on the Interweb. But I think Apocryphon's extremely aggressive demo debut stands on its own merit. Already the band show an adeptness and skill that could easily put them toe to toe with some of the giants of the genre. Apocryphon sort of meld the earlier works of Immolation with a very Dave Vincent circa Domination vocal approach. If this is the demo I shudder to think what the album will be like. Another fantastic new Death Metal band to watch for.

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Illusions

One of the most perplexing album covers in Bay Area thrash metal history, and one of the more interesting releases to come from that fertile scene. Sadus hailed from Antioch, a bullshit town about a half hour's drive north of the bullshit town I call home. Antioch was a gold rush town, settled in 1850, it is one of the oldest cities in California. As well as Sadus, the town can boast notable natives like The Mitchell Brothers, and a bunch of stupid football players that I could' t give a rat's ass about. Anyways, the four disenfranchised bangers of Sadus combatted the dusty ennui of Antioch life with lots and lots of weed, sci-fi novels, horror movies, and the proto-death metal thrash of Possessed, Kreator, Slayer, and Death. Darren, Rob, Steve, and Jon, formed Sadus and took their time honing their sound and chops with a few demos, but waiting almost four years after their inception to cut a proper album. Their patience and commitment paid off, Illusions is an astonishing achievement of breakneck tempos, precision playing, and unhinged mania. On their first album Sadus were already faster, tighter, and more inspired than any of their peers or influences. Why Illusions isn't hailed as a classic, a milestone, and a thrashterpiece of unparalleled aggression is completely unbeknownst to me. The cover art perhaps?

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Savage Killer

Here's another rare as hen's teeth NWOBHM EP for you. The band Burner hailed from the bullshit town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, a town known mainly for leather (cool) and hula hoops (not cool.) Fortunately this little one off record negates the hula hoop thing a bit. The a-side is typically fun NWOBHM rocker about a killer who is savage in his killing. And thankfully Burner doesn't puss out with a ballad on the b-side. Rather the band issues forth another clunky charmer (very similar to the a-side) called "Lay Down Your Arms." Yeah nothing mind-bending here, it's not really hard to understand why Burner couldn't contend with the Maidens and Leppards of the day really, but this still is not without its merits. Cool.

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Eosforos

Here's a hunk o' Hellenic Heathenism in the form of Thous Art Lord's 1994 classic Eosforos. Over Thou Art Lords illustrious eighteen year career of evil they have shared members with such luminaries as Rotting Christ, Necromantia, and Septic Flesh, so you should know what to expect. Despite the band's lengthy run, they only released a handful of albums (of varying quality.) Eosforos is a masterpiece of relentless, yet somewhat elegant Black Metal. If you love the Greek occult metal of old than you probably already know this one, but anyone who is uninitiated in this arcane world would do wise to start here.

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Babs

Babs Gonzales was born Lee Brown in 1919. He was Errol Flynn's chauffer, which was probably a fairly assy gig if you think about it. Anyways, eventually his propensity for the Jazz Vocalese style landed him some gigs singing with luminaries like Charlie Barnet and Lionel Hampton. In 1947 Babs formed his own band and recorded a slew of singles for Blue Note between '47 and '49. These sessions yielded a minor hit for Gonzales in "Oop-Pop-a-Da," a song made even more famous when it was added to the regular repetoire of some guy named Dizzie Gillespie. These sessions featured some top notch players (check the names on the cover) including Sonny Rollins doing some of his first studio work. These Chronological Classics editions are great primers, or catch-all type affairs, and this collection of Babs Gonzales' work is no different. Pop a Doo this shit and get wild with it.

Pop-A-Dow!!!

False Confession

One of my favorite of the batch of Nardcore releases put out by the shady Mystic Records in the 1980s. False Confession bore many of the trappings of the other bands in the scene but these Oxnerds had a more goth image and on occasion a bit of the ol' Death Rock crept into their hardcore. Shame these guys recorded output doesn't amount to much more than this excellent 7" and a few appearances on Mystic's numerous comps.

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Nuclear Winter Gloom

One of Cosmic Hearse's favorite revisionist punk/crust/grind/whatever bands Nuclear Frost managed to get out a proper album in 2011 and it cooks. Nuclear Winter Gloom outshines the awesome demo D-Beat War '83. Young Brazilian kids totally gorked out on G.I.S.M., Scandinavian Hardcore, '80s thrash, proto-Black Metal, neanderthal Grind, and all the other good things in life.

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Bruxers

Okay, so after losing eight years worth of files, and seriously considering ending the blog, I have decided to forge on. Things may be a bit rickety here for a while, but I want to stress that doing this doesn't get me laid, doesn't get me paid, and often is a headache. Anyways, here's Bruxers' demo. Bruxers are a fairly new band from Oakland. On their first demo they display a fondness and a skill for playing Crusty Death Metally Grindcore. You download it, you listen to it, you leave a nice comment, and when they have something out, you buy it.

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Broken

Having major issues (again) with my machine. Hope to get things running again next week. Until then the blog won't be updated, maybe use this time to go back and get the things you may have missed before the links expire or Nuclear Blast or Dischord records has them removed.

R.I.P. David Gold

Very saddened to hear about the sudden passing of Woods of Ypres' David Gold. David was always a very kind and thoughtful individual, and an immense talent. Peace be with his friends and family.

Discipline

Some manly fucking late '70s Cleveland style Punk Rawk courtesy of No Talk, a band from who are not from the '70s or Cleveland. These guys are circa fucking now and calling the humid stink pit of Houston Texas home. This LP is some bare-knuckle shit that woke me from my apathy towards the ol' punk.

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Intercourse & Lust

Here's the first album from the self proclaimed "Most evil band in Japan." Intercourse and Lust was released by the sketchy Modern Invasion label in 1997. Abigail's Black Metal is rooted in thrash and punk, the lyrics are brilliant Engrish soliloquies paying homage to things like nymphomaniacal witches, nefarious wizards, and the Yakuza, among other things. "Thrash til Die/To Glory of Attack/Attack with Spell/In my Attack," howls main man Yasuyuki on the track "Attack With Spell." Intercourse and Lust, I almost hate to say it, is a fun album, a record to spin with beer, lots and lots of beer and your bestest bros, and beer.

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Vacant

Generally most garage psych records bore me, too much of the same thing, useless cover songs, and most fall just shy of being truly heavy, or truly strange. However, The Jacks' Vacant World is just too enticing to be overlooked. Vacant World carries a darkness and a desperation that pushes it far beyond much of the typically saccharine psych-pop of the time. Some wild vocalizing and absolutely stunning guitar work keep the album interesting. The Jacks gets into gear with "Marriane," with it's strange crashy cymbals and almost free-jazz bass lines, wild styles indeed. "Stop the Clock" is a delicate glockenspielly track. The title track is another dour ballad that almost reminds me a bit of Leonard Cohen, if Mr. Cohen was Japanese that is. "In the Broken Mirror" has some of the greatest sounding fuzz guitar committed to tape, but "Gloomy Flower" is the standout track with Yoshio Hayakawa's pained crooning, the man sounds at his wit's end and although I have no idea what he is on about, I am assured that he fucking means it. "Love Generation" may be the most average track here, but still packs plenty of hooks. "Bari-Manji" is a bluesy lope with more Hayakawa wailing. "Where" is a laid back strut that sounds like it came from a Suzuki gangster picture. "Love" is a gorgeous ballad, and then the Vacant World comes to an end with "500 Miles from the Sky," a strange organ/vocal piece with spoken word. All in all, Vacant World is a trip, and a very satisfying one at that.

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Dekoder

Another cassette treasure nicked from Terminal Escape. I couldn't resist, this little demo is just so fucking delicious. Dekoder hail from Montreal and play the kind of dark and desperate post-punk that you so crave. Drums and bass pound out a stiff backbeat while the maudlin female voice and brooding guitars convey a wealth of unflappable, infectious melodies. My only problem with this demo is it leaves me wanting more. Dekoder, if you are reading this, please please please make an album or twenty. I love you.

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After Dark

You need some NWOBHM right about now, I can sense it. Your bird ain't right, your boss is a fucking cunt, and even the berks down at your local boozer got you a bit mithered. Fear not, you bloody minge bags, After Dark is here to make everything pukka once again, with their one and lonely little record, a real roister doister of a disc for your bloody saft earholes.

Crikey!

Midnight

Kenny Dorham's career trajectory was spotty due to the master trumpeter's ever-failing health, thankfully before his death in 1972 Dorham put out some great and versatile albums. As much as I love his entire body of work, my favorite Dorham moment is this 1956 club date committed to tape and titled 'Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia. First let's take a gander at the cover: Dorham in a hideous blazer grips an old mic, superimposed behind him is a landscape of urban rooftops at dawn. The whole package perfectly captures the smoky, seedy city vibe of the recording. Dorham's band, comprised of names like J.R. Monterose, Bobby Timmons, Kenny Burrell, Sam Jones, and Arthur Edgehill, slide and slunk through the Monk classic from which the albums title comes, as well as a number of standards and a few Dorham originals. The perfect late night, ice clinking in a stiff drink type of record.

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Walpurgis

The Shiver were Switzerland's answer to the Krautrock boom of the late 60s and early 70s. They played weirdo, organ-heavy, psych, hung out with Geiger (who provided them with cover art) and released one pretty stellar album before the members went on to pursue other interests. Walpurgis, released in 1969, is a great album that suffers from spotty sequencing and a useless cover version of "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," but the strength of the opener, "Repent Walpurgis" and "Hey Mr. Holy Man" redeem The Shiver. If you are one of the handful of people that went all fucky over that Paternoster album posted here sometime ago, I recommend checking into Walpurgis.

Repent!

Bell Witch

So the top ten lists are rolling in, and some of you may have noticed an obscure CDR demo being mentioned, a demo by a little known Seattle doom band called Bell Witch. The gracious dudes from the band were kind enough to send me a copy. Admittedly I slept on it a bit, for this I am foolish. Bell Witch have ex-members of Samothrace, so right there I should have clamored to listen. This isn't terribly unlike Samothrace, perhaps a bit more menacing and less delicate in parts than the former band. Bell Witch also can boast some pretty compelling vocal work on this release. A truly special band that will go on to do great things. Someone give them money to make an album. This is gorgeous.

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Haus Music

As far as all these new fangled bands looking to Siouxsie and The Banshees, Bauhaus, and Joy Division, please consider The Vanishing. The San Francisco/Berlin band churned out creepy cantos of Deathrock's dusty past over a decade ago, and I think they were one of the best at it. In the Bathaus was the band's follow up to their strong debut titled Songs for Psychotic Children, and while I love that album, this EP feels deeper and darker. Absolutely mandatory.

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Another World

One of my favorite Death Metal demos of all time, Finland's Necropsy were such a stellar band that really never got out of the demo barn. Someone may have had the good sense to release all this rare bloody gold into one abhorrent anthology but I am not certain. I do know is that Necropsy were a skilled group of youngsters that packed a certain clinical crispness to their bludgeon. Another World contains four absolutely mandatory tracks.

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See You In December

I am taking a break from The Hearse in order to focus on the recording of a new Worm Ouroboros album (to be released Spring '12 on Profound Lore) and then a quick jaunt over to Tel Aviv for a one off engagement with Agalloch. Cosmic Hearse will resume its activities some time in December.

The New Beginning

Here's another lost Sunshine State Hardcore artifact, Blemish on Society's sole vinyl release, The New Beginning. These Tampa terrors were a bit late to the party issuing this bit of adolescent fury in 1988. Like recent Florida-based Hearse honorees FWA, these guys just wanted to play Hardcore, and they fucking did.

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Sin and Mass

Eugene, Oregon isn't exactly a place you would equate with epic Heavy Metal. You might think of drum circles, smelly Anarchists, and Ken Kesey, but probably not the mustached metalions known as Lazarus Sin. Shame really because Intracranial Mass, the band's one and only release is a veritable treasure trove of steely, melodic, metal that deserves more attention. Perhaps the location or the Christian lyrics kept these guys out of the spotlight, who knows?

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Takin' Off

Some of you may only know Herbie Hancock as the composer behind the immensely successful and influential proto-hip hop hit "Rockit." Long before the '80s, Hancock was already one of the most respected and beloved Jazz pianists and composers of the 1960s. Hancock's airy playing and elegant yet strange arrangements made him an instant favorite amongst Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff, and for this legendary date, they put him in the studio with the ubiquitous ryhthm section of Warren and Higgens, along with Freddie Hubbard, and the elusive Dexter Gordon. The results were stellar, but only hinted at the greatness to come. If this piques your interest in Hancock, I highly recommend spending some quality time with Empyrean Isles or Maiden Voyage.

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Subject

Brace yourself for some caustic grindcore from Hungary and a band who operated in the early '90s under the mundane moniker of Subject. Diaphanous Writhes of a Soul was the band's second demo and was later pressed into an EP. Subject had a steady six year run that yielded a few demos, two full-lengths, and a four-way split with fellow Hungarian heavies Set Off, Mindcrime, and Loser's Lair. Admittedly I haven't heard any other Subject material but this demo is just so fucking great I am not sure I need to.

GRIND!