I Raminghi

I Raminghi were a little known Italian band who released this LP in 1971. Sometimes called Il lungo cammino dei Raminghi (though nothing on the cover suggests this), it is a fine album of dated occult dark proto-prog that will appeal to you nerds who love Jacula, I Teoremi, and all things vaguely witchy and Italian (I'm looking at you, Don.)

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Shadow Plays

It wasn't long ago that the words "American" and "Black Metal" in the same sentence would produce laughter and scorn from many staunch supporters of deep Satanic art. Nowadays it would seem that some of the most interesting and violent Black Metal comes from the states. It's difficult to peruse the pages of the metal mags and miss all the accolades thrust upon bands like Xasthur, and Leviathan. Los Angeles' Ashdautas may not get the attention of the aforementioned hordes, but their 2005 album Shadow Plays Of Grief And Pain is so harsh and so mephitic that it demands to be heard. Most noticeable are the tortured vocals of Naeth. The guy seems torn apart from within, and combined with the fumbling, discordant chaos of the band, Shadow Plays is a noxious cocktail of pure, unabashed agony. Ashdautas received a bit of attention some time back for their hardline stance against "MySpace bands" and their threats of violence to other bands and individuals in "the scene." This all makes for interesting threads on the interweb forums, but also serves as a distraction from Ashdautas's real appeal, their brutally stark and manic cacophony. Ashdautas belong to a devout sub-sect of Black Metal bands calling themselves The Black Twilight Circle. Other bands in this rigid group include Volahn, Aresmenda, and Kallathon. Ashdautas is no joke. If your interest in Black Metal is only an ironic gawking concern to be tittered at between rides on your fixed gear and lines of coke at Pop's then turn back right now. This is the genuine article, you are not.

Die!

Awesome Tapes From Africa

I strongly urge all of you readers to check out the links I have provided to some of the greatest blogs out there. One in particular, Awesome Tapes From Africa is just so amazingly cool I suggest you stop dicking around here and head over there. To whet your appetite I present the tape Obaa Sima by the mysterious High Life entity from Ghana known as Ata Kak. This is so weird and fun, like a gay dance club on Mars, it should be enough to set you on your course of discovering some awesome tapes from Africa.

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Horsecore

Dead Horse weren't exactly thrash, or death metal, or punk. Much like Acid Bath (a band I always considered kind of a bizarro world Dead Horse) these duders were one of those bands so unique and so inclusive of many styles, they could really only be described as horsecore. Which, incidentally, is the name of Dead Horse's first record Horsecore: An Unrelated Story That's Time Consuming. Dead Horse hailed from Houston, Texas, gained a loyal following in their home state, released some great records, and called it a day in 1996. They were so on their own trip, so special, so '90s.

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Destrozo!

Peru has never really been the country known for amazing punk records, but when I heard Narcosis' 1985 cassette Primera Dosis (First Dose), I was instantly strung out on their lo-fi presentation (no bass), infectious songs and the absolutely endearing voice of singer "Wicho" García. Oh, and perhaps the best and only Spanish language cover of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" Punk!

Aqui

Cosmic Hearse Turns 1

Hard to believe that Cosmic Hearse has been up for year now. So far the response has been overwhelmingly positive and not a single complaint from any bands or labels regarding the content. Big thanks to all the readers, especially the ones who take the time to leave comments. Huge thanks to all the readers who sent stuff in to share, and help me cross things off my wishlist. I tried to come up with some special post to celebrate the Hearse's one year anniversary but settled on just posting an updated version of A Yell From The Past by Draugurz. This is the CD version issued by Dark Hidden Productions. The original cassette version happened to be the subject of Cosmic Hearse's very first post. If you missed it the first time around (though the link is still active) I highly recommend this. It's one of my all time favorite bits of weird lo-fi Black Metal genius.

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This is also as good a place as any to mention that I am painfully aware of the problems with a number of the Zshare links. Not all my old posts are Zshare so check first. If you want something, and find the link is dead, just leave a comment at the post and I'll correct it as soon as I can. I am not really into the idea of going back and repairing all the links at once. Thanks.

Texas

Originally released by Hybrid Records in 1985, Jon Wayne's one and only recorded output, Texas Funeral, is one of those albums that many hold very dear. Nobody is indifferent to it, they either don't know it or they gush at the mere mention of it. Folks who haven't heard it in years can still quote from its lyrics and recall their favorite bits. Though this album is charmingly lo-fi and lyrically hilarious, much of its appeal stems from how little is known about it. Rumor has it that Jon Wayne was none other than Butthole Surfers mainman Gibby Haynes. I can neither confirm or deny this, but it certainly bears all the surrealist Texan wit of the Surfers. For many of you, hearing this again will flood you with memories. To the rest of you I say, get ready to fall under the spell of Jon Wayne and Texas.

Texas

Glory

The Glory Bell's Band (later called simply Glory Bells) were another outrageously gifted Swedish Heavy Metal band you probably haven't heard of. Their debut album from 1985, Dressed In Black has had me in its power for the last few weeks. Imagine Sad Wings of Destiny-era Judas Priest meets Taken By Force-era Scorps with one of the most hyperactive falsetto voices, and you might begin to get an idea of what The Glory Bells are about. That nutter vocalist was none other than the enigmatic Glory North, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Glory was a vocal chameleon sometimes sounding a bit like Udo, sometimes Klaus Meine, but always sounding like himself, if that makes sense. Also check out the chops of drummer, Peter Udd, the guy was clearly raised on a steady diet of Mick Tucker. His skills behind the kit later landed him the gig as the first drummer of Yngwie's Rising Force. If you got a diamond cutting hard-on over the posts about Witch Cross, Gotham City, Faith, and Wizz, add Glory Bells to the list of top notch Scandi-Metal to make your bag tingle.

Här

Gay!

The Gay Cowboys In Bondage were one of the better known Florida punk bands. Some of you might remember their track "Domestic Battlefield" from the Flipside Vinyl Fanzine Volume 1 compilation. This tape, We're Not Gay But The Music Is, was circulated in the South Florida underground in 1983. The Gay Cowboys shared a few members with the legendary hardcore band F (Pete Moss R.I.P.). Like F, The Gay Cowboys In Bondage were typical of the Florida scene, injecting a fair amount of snarky, childish humor, and terribly nerdy in-jokes into their punk rock social commentary. Thanks to the amazing Lou Ming for bringing this back into my life 25 years later.

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Elf Power

Well the Elf is none other than Ronnie James Dio and his pre-Rainbow concern. In fact, Elf contained three other members who went on to join Rainbow: drummer Gary Driscoll, piano dude Mickey Lee Soule, and bassist Craig Gruber. Listening to this album, it's easy to understand why Richie Blackmore eagerly scooped these guys up. Dio's voice is instantly recognizable here. This came before his obsession with swords and wizards. Elf were about some sawdust floor honky tonkin' bar stomp blues rock with lyrics about gamblin', ramblin' and women of loose morals. Fucking awesome.

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münn

Woodsmoke is an interesting label out of Salem, Oregon that specializes in fantastic lo-fi tapes from a number of doom, drone, and black metal entities like Leech, Soleil Noir, Mania, Ancestortooth, Dusk Summon, Vault Dweller, Destruction Ritual, and münn. Here I present the münn cassette in its hypnotic entirety. I guess Woodsmoke is too cult for a website. Anyone desiring more information should write to them, perhaps they will reply.

Woodsmoke

322 23rd St. NE

Salem, Oregon

97301

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Death Certificate

Ice Cube's angriest outing since leaving NWA was by far 1991's Death Certificate. On this record no one is spared Cube's wrath and biting criticism. Be you black, white, a bitch, a ho, a Korean liquor store owner, a sellout, Uncle Sam, the police, you can't escape the sharp sting of Cube's always brilliant lyrics and keen observations. This is where it became abundantly clear to me that Cube was the true genius behind NWA. This record is essential. Kind of weird that this is the same guy who starred in "Are We There Yet?" But I choose not to think about that.

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From Dream To Dream...

It occurred to me last night that there might be someone out there who's never heard this album, and I awoke, drenched in sweat and shaking uncontrollably. So if you are one of those poor souls who permeates my subconscious with your ignorance, get this so we both can sleep easier at night. This is easily one the finest pieces of Swedish Death Metal ever forged.

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The New Los Angeles

There are a few albums out there that I think really capture the zeitgeist of Los Angeles. There's X's aptly titled Los Angeles with it's gritty tales of love and death in the city of angels, there's Black Flag's My War and it's claustrophobic, dry-heat, "slowly losing it" vibe. There's the Gun Club's Fire of Love, Saccharine Trust's Paganicons, The Germs (GI) and even Motley Crue's Shout At The Devil. All of them do a fine job of conveying the lonliness, desire, passion, violence, and stifling heat of L.A. Now let's add It's Casual's album The New Los Angeles to the list. It's Casual are from L.A., and they obviously have a love/hate relationship with their hometown. This record is both an homage to, and an indictment of their sprawling, smog-choked burg. Songs about LAPD, cholo life, cars, guns, and freeways, played with a Black Flag-like hostility. It's Casual obviously dig Black Flag, but really, who doesn't? Just two dudes, a fucking staggering wall of amplification, and Los Angeles, that fucking whore, as the muse. Seriously, this will floor you like a slab of concrete to Reginald Denny's dome.

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Stella Polaris

Another fantastic release from the now defunct Autistiartili Records, this limited tape (150 copies) by the band Stella Polaris contains some warped, super lo-fi, punkish, Black Metal akin to their countrymen, Akitsa and Malveillance. Thematically, Stella Polaris seem to adhere to the same Third Reich fetishism as bands like Command and Sombre Chemin, so again I issue a warning to those who are sensitive to these kinds of political agendas.

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Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze

Around 1994 I was at a party here in San Francisco. The kind there were before the dot com boom. You know, one of those where a couple of hundred assholes were crammed into a Victorian. There would be a keg in the kitchen, chicks doing blow in the bathroom, some shitty band playing in the living room. Anyways, I was at this party and I was chatting with some guy about music and whatever kind of drunken small talk you have at parties and he reaches into his backpack and hands me this tape with the cryptic words "Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze" scrawled on the label. That tape sat in my bag for a week or so before I decided to check it out. When I did, I was floored. Well someone had the good sense to press this to CD (no label information is given). And now I am that guy at the party handing you that tape, only now the tape is a batch of shrunken digital files, and the party is the interweb.

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Twilight Of The Idols

Of all the things that make me proud to call San Francisco home, the food, the heroin, the weather... none cause such a swelling in my breast as The Lord Weird Slough Feg. For those of you who don't know, Slough Feg (for short) are a true Heavy Metal band influenced by Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Celtic Mythology and fantasy role playing games. The band has never released a dud, but it is their second album, Twilight Of The Idols, that I most often reach for when I need a Feg fix. This is by far their most daring work with some forrays into 70s style hard rock, and classic doom, some acoustic songs, bagpipes, and the Slough Feg trademark: the charismatic voice of Mike Scalzi. This one also contains what many consider their finest song, "The Wickerman." Slough Feg often gets compared to Manilla Road. Both bands have remained consistent and true to their metal, even when real Heavy Metal wasn't cool. Both bands have enigmatic, unique frontmen. However, Slough Feg always seemed more intrepid in their approach. Twilight Of The Idols is easily one of the best metal albums of the 1990s. You need it. Added bonus of bizarre cover art by D&D artist Erol Otus. Lawful awesome!

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Enlightened Interdependence Is The Key

Yeah, I know that every blog even remotely worth reading has done a post about Man Is The Bastard, but probably because they were so fucking great, so on their own trip, and so prolific. And some poor souls out there have never bothered to check them out. So with that in mind, I present the Man Is The Bastard D.I.Y.C.D.. It compiles some material from various out of print splits and EPs. It's a great catch-all release for the fans, and a great introduction for those who have yet to become fans. Of course I could spout on about there unflinching, uncompromising ideology regarding sexism, racism, classism, fascism, capitalism, veganism, animal liberationism, homophobism, multi-national corporationalism, and any other ism you can think of, but I think it's best to let the band yell in your ugly, stupid face for about seventy minutes. That should learn ya'.

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Today Is Only Yesterday's Tomorrow

Dude, sit down, shut up. You're about to go on a journey that would make the corpse of Gary Gygax harder than the finest girdle of Mithril. Uriah Heep's 1972 opus Demons And Wizards is about as close to a perfect album as any of us will ever get and I'm going to tell you why. First off, it starts with a wizard, a wizard who comes along and tells you tales and drinks your wine. Over the course of the album you travel through time, encounter a rainbow demon, and reunite with the wizard in paradise.

Uriah Heep always sort of existed in the shadow cast by their bros Deep Purple, but strange, considering what an achievement this album is. The song writing and the playing on Demons And Wizards are absolute genius, and the regal vocals of David Byron are at their peak, he even sounds a bit like Bowie at times. Really, this album could only have been made in 1972, bands just don't sink this much heart and soul into their art anymore. Fortunately we have Demons And Wizards. I still see the vinyl around as well, so there is no reason not to have this in your collection. Oh, and dig that crazy Roger Dean cover.

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New Blog Launched

My new blog. I decided to start Legacy Document to encompass things other than records I adore. I sort of envision it as an online magazine/journal/resource. It will contain some interviews, show reviews, film stuff, art, opinions, news, and whatever else I feel like putting there. Comments and contributions are always encouraged. Check it out.