ABSU In The Eyes Of Ioldanach (Osmose) cdep 11.98
4-song ep from these crazy Texan black metallers, as a follow-up to their amazing "Third Storm Of Cythraul". Utterly raging, magickal-with-a-K thrash intensity infuses the likes of "Manannan" and "Never Blow Out The Eastern Candle", proving again that Absu are among the only Americans with the ability to both out-weird and out-metal their Northern European competitors. Can't wait for the next full-length.

ABSU Abzu (Candlelight) cd 14.98
Welcome once again to the esoteric, eccentric, and extreme world of Absu! If bands can be said to conjure unique "worlds", AQ faves Absu certainly do. Insane and arcane as we have said. The veteran Texan black metal trio returned from a long hiatus with their excellent self-titled comeback in 2009, to which this new, almost-self-titled album (we love that it's called Abzu!) is the follow-up. Again, original founding member and resident drum demon Lord Proscriptor McGovern and his current chaotic cohorts have crafted a lesson in magickal thrashing, full of awe inspiring hyperspeed battery, dog whistle shrieks, rasping kokills, and headspinning shred, that puts all other bands to shame when it comes to "staying in character" and maintaining their mythos & mystique. We mean, these guys aren't just tight musically but conceptually as well, as they say in the digipack's liner notes: "NOTE: ABSU arrogantly executes mythological occult metal... still." Indeed they do, and they have reason to be arrogant.
This new Absu opus opens with the ripping "Earth Ripper" and doesn't ever let up, apart from some stop/start and sudden dives into quieter acoustic/melodic breaks, like the lovely ending to "Circles Of The Oath", or several of the sections that make up the 14+ minute long suite "Song For EA" that closes the album with epick side-long prog grandeur. Prog? Heck yeah, note that not one but two members of the three-man Absu horde are credited with playing Mellotron, that most '70s proggy of all instruments (the most '80s prog would be the Chapman Stick, but we digress). However, no one will confuse Abzu for the new Opeth, this album rages, part Slayer, part King Diamond, part Immortal circa Blizzard Beasts, part graduate thesis in ancient Sumerian occult philosophy...
MPEG Stream: "Earth Ripper"
MPEG Stream: "Circles Of The Oath"
MPEG Stream: "Ontologically, It Became Time & Space"

ABSU Abzu (Candlelight) 2lp 29.00
NOW ON VINYL!! Folks been waitin' for this... 180 gram, colored vinyl, gatefold....
Welcome once again to the esoteric, eccentric, and extreme world of Absu! If bands can be said to conjure unique "worlds", AQ faves Absu certainly do. Insane and arcane as we have said. The veteran Texan black metal trio returned from a long hiatus with their excellent self-titled comeback in 2009, to which this new, almost-self-titled album (we love that it's called Abzu!) is the follow-up. Again, original founding member and resident drum demon Lord Proscriptor McGovern and his current chaotic cohorts have crafted a lesson in magickal thrashing, full of awe inspiring hyperspeed battery, dog whistle shrieks, rasping kokills, and headspinning shred, that puts all other bands to shame when it comes to "staying in character" and maintaining their mythos & mystique. We mean, these guys aren't just tight musically but conceptually as well, as they say in the digipack's liner notes: "NOTE: ABSU arrogantly executes mythological occult metal... still." Indeed they do, and they have reason to be arrogant.
This new Absu opus opens with the ripping "Earth Ripper" and doesn't ever let up, apart from some stop/start and sudden dives into quieter acoustic/melodic breaks, like the lovely ending to "Circles Of The Oath", or several of the sections that make up the 14+ minute long suite "Song For EA" that closes the album with epick side-long prog grandeur. Prog? Heck yeah, note that not one but two members of the three-man Absu horde are credited with playing Mellotron, that most '70s proggy of all instruments (the most '80s prog would be the Chapman Stick, but we digress). However, no one will confuse Abzu for the new Opeth, this album rages, part Slayer, part King Diamond, part Immortal circa Blizzard Beasts, part graduate thesis in ancient Sumerian occult philosophy...
MPEG Stream: "Earth Ripper"
MPEG Stream: "Circles Of The Oath"
MPEG Stream: "Ontologically, It Became Time & Space"

ABSU Mythological Occult Metal 1991-2001 (Osmose Productions) 2cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"The Gold Torques Of Ulaid", "Immortal Sorcery", "The Great Battle Moving From Ideal To Actual"? Are these chapters from a sanity-blasting tome of arcane magicks? Or lectures on mythic history or philosophy? Well, perhaps. But they're also song titles from this decade-spanning double cd collection of Absu tracks. Absu being one of our all time favorite black metal bands... if that's even an accurate description for them, 'cause there's a depth to what they do that seems like so much more than playing corpse-painted dress-up like so many black metal bands get away with. Absu, on the other hand, have definitely done their research. This Texan trio combines the evil old school speed/thrash attack of Slayer with Norwegian-style black metal mystery, adding a immense dose of magickal and mythical erudition and then taking things to a whole 'nother, never-breaking-character, Manowar-esque, Olde English speaking, are they serious or not?? level... They're a whole mindboggling package, a display of "total attention to detail" showmanship (or is it belief?) that utterly wows us, along with their raging musickal assault.
It should be noted that this new double cd is not a "best of". If it was, we'd say that even if you've never heard Absu before, you should check it out, 'cause they're one of the best "extreme" metal bands out there (and we mean "out there") and a "best of" would, therefore, be exceedingly good. Actually we'll say that anyway. But this is really a release for folks who are already fans of the band, 'cause it's a collection of rare tracks taken from various compilations and 7" eps. It also includes some live and otherwise previously unreleased material. So even if you have every Absu album, you don't have some of this. And you need it.
Disc one contains all the tracks from three hard-to-find (we don't have 'em!) 7" vinyl records -- Temples Of Offal, And Shineth Unto The Cold Cometh, and Hallstattian Swords -- plus their song from the the Gummo movie soundtrack, and more. It's all great stuff, from the solo soundtracky synth-scapes of the Hallstattian Swords tracks to the killer Mercyful Fateness of the alternate take of "Stone Of Destiny" from their most recent album, Tara.
Disc two is devoted to covers, live, and unreleased material. You get to hear Absuized versions of tracks by Mayhem (and krautrock's Conrad Schnitzler, since Absu's cover of "Deathcrush" includes the Schnitzler intro that Mayhem sampled on the original!), Possessed, Iron Maiden, and Destruction, most of which originally appeared on tribute comps to those respective artists. There's also four live cuts (worth it for the song intros alone!) and a couple unreleased rehearsal tracks. Again, all stuff any Absu fan can't live without. Just try, you'll die (someday, anyway). And you won't die as happy as you would if you'd had this.
MPEG Stream: "The Gold Torques Of Ulaid"
MPEG Stream: "The Winter Zephyr (...Within Kingdoms Of Mist) [live]"

ABSU s/t (Candlelight) cd 13.98
Getting a new album from Absu is like being handed a bunch of scrolls from ancient Sumer bearing esoteric magickal wisdom - at a raging kegger hosted by some Slayer-blasting heshers! And since this is the thrashing Texas "mythological occult metal" band's first album in about eight years, AND they're one of the acts we arranged to play the Aquarius/WMFU showcase gig at the South By Southwest music fest in Austin this year (their first show in seven years!!!), you KNOW we're really excited about this self-titled album's nearly concurrent manifestation. Of course, we were equally (and foolishly, it turns out) worried that this long-overdue new Absu would somehow be a disappointment, seeing as how Shaftiel and Equitant have left the band, leaving remaining founding member drummer/vocalist Sir Proscriptor McGovern (also of Melechesh, Equimanthorn, and his solo project Proscriptor) to assemble a completely new lineup, finding fresh blood to dust off the band's old spellbooks for this new conjuration. Of course it's a bit different than before - a tad slower maybe (though still freakin' frenzied!), adorned with more atmospheric keyboards (synths and prog fave Mellotron!). But compared to anything else, it's still ABSU. Insane and arcane. The two new members are up to their awesome responsibilities, ripping fiercely through these complex but headbanging songs, leaving shredding solos in their wake. And of course, Proscriptor is still one of extreme metal's most incredible, exacting, accomplished drummers. Not to mention black metal/magickal conceptualists. So there's still weird occultic song titles to make Bal-Sagoth weep. Gotta love "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"!!! The eccentrick, eldritch spirit (part Celtic, part Mesopotamian) of Absu lives. Paying tribute, a bunch of guests make cameo contributions, including members of Melechesh and Mayhem, as well as former Absu bassist Equitant (giving this his stamp of approval). So call it a comeback.
2001's Tara may still be our favorite Absu album, but this sure is a worthy follow up. Hail Absu! We can't wait to see 'em. It's gonna kill!!
(FYI we should have copies of this on vinyl too next week!)
MPEG Stream: "The Absu Of Eridu & Erech"
MPEG Stream: "Magic(k) Square Cipher"
MPEG Stream: "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"

ABSU s/t (Candlelight) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON (DOUBLE, 180 GRAM) VINYL!! With, we think, cooler cover art than the cd version. Here's our review...
Getting a new album from Absu is like being handed a bunch of scrolls from ancient Sumer bearing esoteric magickal wisdom - at a raging kegger hosted by some Slayer-blasting heshers! And since this is the thrashing Texas "mythological occult metal" band's first album in about eight years, AND they're one of the acts we arranged to play the Aquarius/WMFU showcase gig at the South By Southwest music fest in Austin this year (their first show in seven years!!!), you KNOW we're really excited about this self-titled album's nearly concurrent manifestation. Of course, we were equally (and foolishly, it turns out) worried that this long-overdue new Absu would somehow be a disappointment, seeing as how Shaftiel and Equitant have left the band, leaving remaining founding member drummer/vocalist Sir Proscriptor McGovern (also of Melechesh, Equimanthorn, and his solo project Proscriptor) to assemble a completely new lineup, finding fresh blood to dust off the band's old spellbooks for this new conjuration. Of course it's a bit different than before - a tad slower maybe (though still freakin' frenzied!), adorned with more atmospheric keyboards (synths and prog fave Mellotron!). But compared to anything else, it's still ABSU. Insane and arcane. The two new members are up to their awesome responsibilities, ripping fiercely through these complex but headbanging songs, leaving shredding solos in their wake. And of course, Proscriptor is still one of extreme metal's most incredible, exacting, accomplished drummers. Not to mention black metal/magickal conceptualists. So there's still weird occultic song titles to make Bal-Sagoth weep. Gotta love "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"!!! The eccentrick, eldritch spirit (part Celtic, part Mesopotamian) of Absu lives. Paying tribute, a bunch of guests make cameo contributions, including members of Melechesh and Mayhem, as well as former Absu bassist Equitant (giving this his stamp of approval). So call it a comeback.
2001's Tara may still be our favorite Absu album, but this sure is a worthy follow up. Hail Absu! We can't wait to see 'em. It's gonna kill!!
(FYI 'cause it's Friday the 13th the day we're listing this, they didn't actually show up. But UPS tells us they'll be here Monday the 15th!)
MPEG Stream: "The Absu Of Eridu & Erech"
MPEG Stream: "Magic(k) Square Cipher"
MPEG Stream: "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"

ABSU s/t (Candlelight) cd+dvd 13.98
NOW AVAILABLE IN LTD. DELUXE EDITION! In slipcase with alternate artwork (from the vinyl version), packaged with a bonus dvd disc documenting a recent live concert in Texas, probably very similar to the awesome one they played at our 2009 SXSW showcase (haven't watched it yet)! Here's what we said about this killer black metal comeback album when we first listed it last year, prior to that SXSW gig:
Getting a new album from Absu is like being handed a bunch of scrolls from ancient Sumer bearing esoteric magickal wisdom - at a raging kegger hosted by some Slayer-blasting heshers! And since this is the thrashing Texas "mythological occult metal" band's first album in about eight years, AND they're one of the acts we arranged to play the Aquarius/WMFU showcase gig at the South By Southwest music fest in Austin this year (their first show in seven years!!!), you KNOW we're really excited about this self-titled album's nearly concurrent manifestation. Of course, we were equally (and foolishly, it turns out) worried that this long-overdue new Absu would somehow be a disappointment, seeing as how Shaftiel and Equitant have left the band, leaving remaining founding member drummer/vocalist Sir Proscriptor McGovern (also of Melechesh, Equimanthorn, and his solo project Proscriptor) to assemble a completely new lineup, finding fresh blood to dust off the band's old spellbooks for this new conjuration. Of course it's a bit different than before - a tad slower maybe (though still freakin' frenzied!), adorned with more atmospheric keyboards (synths and prog fave Mellotron!). But compared to anything else, it's still ABSU. Insane and arcane. The two new members are up to their awesome responsibilities, ripping fiercely through these complex but headbanging songs, leaving shredding solos in their wake. And of course, Proscriptor is still one of extreme metal's most incredible, exacting, accomplished drummers. Not to mention black metal/magickal conceptualists. So there's still weird occultic song titles to make Bal-Sagoth weep. Gotta love "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"!!! The eccentrick, eldritch spirit (part Celtic, part Mesopotamian) of Absu lives. Paying tribute, a bunch of guests make cameo contributions, including members of Melechesh and Mayhem, as well as former Absu bassist Equitant (giving this his stamp of approval). So call it a comeback.
2001's Tara may still be our favorite Absu album, but this sure is a worthy follow up. Hail Absu!
MPEG Stream: "The Absu Of Eridu & Erech"
MPEG Stream: "Magic(k) Square Cipher"
MPEG Stream: "In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee"

ABSU Tara (Osmose) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Exhibit V" in the Absu discography of blackened occultic Texan thrash supremacy! This disc was a long time coming and well worth the wait. The trio of Sir Proscriptor McGovern (drums, vocals), Shaftiel (guitars), and Equitant Ifernain (bass) again assault your body and mind with their intense musickal and lyrickal magick. Imagine old Slayer on 78, with IQs of 200, and obsessed with the most arcane and obscure elements of world mythology. Thankfully the thick, beautifully illustrated cd booklet includes, in addition to the lyrics, a lexicon of Absu-referenced terms, touching on everything from Irish history to the Tarot to hexagrams of the Yi King. How many other cds do you have that inform you of Greek historian Diodorus Siculous' thoughts on various cultures' philosophies of immortality? Eh? As black metal goes, these guys are the absurd and intelligent gods of the genre, which they transcend anyway into avantgarde realms unknown to most mortals -- heck, with their magickal role-play they transcend music itself. The band Absu, as a concept, is its own art. Strain your neck and bend your brain!
RealAudio clip: "Four Crossed Wands (Spell 181)"

ABSU The Third Storm Of Cythraul (Osmose) cd 14.98

ABU-JAMAL, MUMIA 175 Progress Drive (Alternative Tentacles) cd 13.98
Hopefully all AQ-list readers are aware of the plight of Pennsylvania journalist and death row inmate Mumia Abu Jamal (sentenced to death for a cop killing that he may, or may not, have committed -- regardless, his trial was hardly fair, making him indeed a true American political prisoner). Alternative Tentacles have done their part to keep Mumia's words and cause in the public eye, this release being the latest to feature his prison radio essays. But it also features Mumia pieces from his pre-conviction radio days (including his interviews with Bob Marley, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Hugh Masekela, and others). It also features musical and spoken word contributions from hip hop luminaries like Chuck D, Dead Prez, Michael Franti, and others. In case you were wondering, "175 Progress Drive" is the address of Mumia's prison cell, from where he continues to fight the power and speak for the black (and non-black) underclass.

ABYSMAL DARKENING No Light Behind (Total Rust) cd 12.98

ABYSSAL Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius (Profound Lore) cd 13.98
Holy shit, how had we not heard these guys before? Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius is the second album from these blackened UK death metal doomlords, and is an insanely chaotic onslaught of gargantuan proportions. Seriously, Abyssal are like a sonic sky full of bloody anvils raining down on you. Dense, relentless, punishing, pummeling, it's hard to tell exactly what's going on, and whether it really is doom metal or death metal or even black metal. The vibe and sonic palette says death metal, all downtuned churn, and raspy demonic vokills, but the vibe is all doooooom, murky and woozy and washed out, the riffs are slippery and melty, and seems to be constantly oozing and dripping, the sounds bleeding into each other, little bits of melody and classical metalisms popping up throughout, but more often drowning in black swirls of buzz and rumble, hence the black metal element, cuz this really is seriously blackened, bleak and demonic, hateful and harrowing, the tracks epic and constantly shifting, dizzying in their complexity, but that complexity is not always obvious, as often the sounds are blurred and smeared into a furious swirling cloud of grim black sonic energy. Shades of Deathspell abound, Wold and Portal too, but Abyssal definitely take those influences and weave them into their own twisted blackdeathdoom, the sound almost psychedelic in places, with weird chords and strange sonic shifts that seem to approximate the record slowing down and speeding up, woozy and warped and totally druggy and dark, but crazy melodic as well, with some passages slipping into almost shoegaze territory, but all of that stuff reveals itself gradually, and is mostly to be glimpsed through Abyssal's wall of sound blackblur onslaught.
This is our favorite sort of metal, so dense and so heavy and so brutal, that it seems to totally transcend the bounds of those sorts of descriptor's, and instead becomes almost dreamlike, mesmerizing and hypnotic, utterly headbangable, but also, soothing and trance-like, lulling the listener into some strange state between submission and transcendence.
MPEG Stream: "The Tongue Of The Demagogue"
MPEG Stream: "Under The Wretched Sun Of Hattin"
MPEG Stream: "The Headless Serpent"

ABYSSIC HATE A Decade Of Hate (No Colours) cd 15.98

ABYSSINIANS Satta Dub (Taboo) cd 15.98

ABYSSINIANS, THE Satta Massagana (Heartbeat) cd 14.98

MPEG Stream: "Declaration Of Rights"
MPEG Stream: "Y Mas Gan"
MPEG Stream: "Abendigo (Extended Mix)"

AC (ANIMAL COLLECTIVE) W/ VASHTI BUNYAN Prospect Hummer (Fat Cat) cd ep 11.98
Why those Animal Collective folks have chosen to go by just their initials A and C is beyond us. Don't they realize they're running the risk of being confused with our own Alison C. or Andee C., A.C. Newman or worse yet Anal Cunt!? Ah, but none of those peeps would be collaborating with Ms Bunyan... or would they? Hmmm. Anyhoo, ponderings aside, these four songs are hushed psych-folk jewels with clusters of group-sing gatherings, acoustic guitar, and harp. Sooo lovely. Fans of any/all involved will not be disappointed. The only thing unfortunate here is that sadly in this day and age the first thing that popped to our mind when we saw this ep's title was those horrendous enormo-vehicles. Not exactly the mental picture you want in your head when you're listening to Animal Collective and/or Vashti Bunyan... noooo!
MPEG Stream: "It's You"
MPEG Stream: "Prospect Hummer"

AC/3P Watch Me Explode (Spasticated) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From the folks who brought us the hilarious/funky/brilliantly twisted Ministry Of Shit compilation reviewed some lists ago, comes this blast of weird and silly electronic dementia. Did you love the recent Powerslaves record of the week, that selection of Iron Maiden tracks done electro style? Well, then this *might* just hit the same sweet spot. AC/DC covers, done lo-fi midi style, with a vocalist that sounds like a strange hybrid of Anton Maiden and Udo Dirkschneider from Accept, sometimes giving a homoerotic twist to the lyrics. Dumb? Absolutely. Funny? Maybe. Do you need this? Uh, definitely!
MPEG Stream: "Hells Bells"
MPEG Stream: "Whole Lotta Woman"

AC/DC Back In Black (remastered) (Epic) cd 17.98

AC/DC Family Jewels (Epic Music Video) 2dvd 21.00
Funny that a band can get so over-rated they become supremely under-rated. It could be that one of the best rock bands of all time has maintained their overall showmanship, but without the illustrious and crazed Bon Scott on lead vocals, their pure fire got lost in the huge rock-band-production of the '80s and '90s. Lightshows and media blitzes (not to mention excessive usage of their music for major league sporting events) seemed to dilute their early naked raw energy. Though, these days they certainly still do have raucous energy to spare, just ask anyone who's seen them in recent years. However, the young ravenous intensity of the band in the mid-to-late '70s is, in comparison, incredibly impressive to witness. Thankfully, several choice moments from that time in the band's career is presented on this Family Jewels (ahem) double dvd.
Disc one (20 songs from 1975-1980) features priceless footage of early performances and some incredibly scrappy but amazing music videos. Of the live shows, one that stands out is the footage from their notoriously impressive performance at University of Essex on a UK television series called Rock Goes To College.
In the music video for "Jailbreak" (which has become a staple on VH1 Classic), you see the band (with Angus shockingly in only something that looks to be a paper thin pajama set), freezing their asses off, "playing" the song with instruments up on some windy hill somewhere, "escaping from jail" and dodging some home-made explosives. The look of the film, quick cuts matched by the song's memorable sound quality make for one of the best music videos of all time. I get chills everytime I watch it.
In clip after clip, the surprisingly unpredictable and witty showman Scott keeps you thoroughly entertained. Keep an eye out for bagpipe-playin' Bon and schoolgirl Bon alongside schoolboy Angus! Speaking of which, the playfully rambunctious chemistry between the two is great, adding a totally distinct personality to their on-stage energy that's sadly missed in the later Johnson-era performances. To boot, it's pretty cool too to watch the evolution of Angus' student uniform.
Disc two (20 more tracks, 1980-1993) draws from the Brian Johnson years (AC/DC's singer after Bon's untimely death), and so one of the unexpected things that this double cd set inadvertenty offers is the opportunity for the Scott versus Johnson debate teams to re-ignite their rallying charges (just as the Iron Maiden Early Years double-dvd did for the Dickinson and DiAnno supporters). Which side are you on? So far, we're siding with Bon...all except for Allan who votes for Brian. You can take it up with him.

ACAMA Tibetan Temple Bells (Interra) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Great recording of giant Tibetan Buddhist bell-ringing. Yes, an hour or so of deep resonating "chimes", making for an incredible deep drone document! Fans of cosmic/ambient sounds need only turn this up and vibrate.

ACCELERA DECK Addict (Blackbean and Placenta / Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

ACCELERA DECK Sunstrings ep (Scarcelight) cd ep 8.98

ACCEPT Metal Heart (Epic / Portrait) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**

ACCEPT Restless & Wild (Epic / Portrait) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
We reviewed this specifically for our $5 special in-between list a few weeks ago, but wanted to re-list it because we accidentally left off the sound samples that time. Also 'cause it's awesome!
Everybody knows "Balls To The Wall", Accept's early '80s MTV hit that almost made the "You Shook Me All Night Long" leap from Headbangers Ball to mainstream FM radio, but their 1982 release Restless and Wild is the only truly essential Accept record, as much as we love the Balls To The Wall album from '83, and 1985's Metal Heart too.
And essential it is. Equal parts catchy eighties hard rock and proto-thrash-metal, featuring the unique balls-in-a-vice/tracheotomy vocals of sort-of-dwarf Udo Dirkschneider, Restless and Wild is easily one of our favorite metal records of the eighties, and it holds up surprisingly well, 20 years later.
'Cause of course it's got a lot of great songs. We'll just mention two, on either end of the album: first, opening track / statement of purpose "Fast As A Shark", an utter ripping classic, itself boasting an equally classic needle-dragging-across-an-old-schlager record intro. Then, there's the album-ending "Princess Of The Dawn", an unusually tranced out, hypnotically repetitive epic, that we hypothesize is the blueprint for the so-called 'NWOFHM' sound of bands like Steel Mammoth and Pharoah Overlord today!
MPEG Stream: "Fast As A Shark"
MPEG Stream: "Restless And Wild"
MPEG Stream: "Princess Of The Dawn"

ACCORDION CRIMES Songs To Drive Wives Away (Cash Cow Production) lp 14.98
On the last list, we reviewed a new record from Minneapolis noise rockers Buildings, and we could barely keep em in stock. Folks went a little crazy for their brand of churning AmRep style nineties informed math/post/noise rock heaviness. So we figured we'd review something else on the same label, another band that also seems like they could have been plucked right out of the midnineties. Accordion Crimes are from Denver, but sound like they could/should be from Chicago, the Jesus Lizard vibe is huge with these guys too, but so is Shellac. In fact, where buildings were murky and muddy and thick and blown out, Accordion Crimes' music has a bit more space, it's a bit less pigfuck, and more sort of rhythmic and post rocky. The guitars sharp and jagged, the vocals yelped and crooned, even spoken on some tracks, which definitely makes these guys a dead ringer for that glorious bygone era. And yeah, if you're like us, you sort of miss that sound, and those bands, and these guys channel that stuff brilliantly.
The sound throughout is dense, and hypnotic, the bass low slung and sinewy, the drums tight and controlled, the whole sound lurching and lumbering, totally tranced out, and mesmeric, there's the occasional pretty part, but it seems like those are just to build tension, until the band can uncoil and strike. There's even some cello too, adding some lush drama to the pretty parts. We have to admit, we're pretty biased when it comes to stuff like this, but holy shit are we loving it. Along with that Buildings record, and really pretty much everything we've heard on Cash Cow. So yeah, if you need your nineties fix, or just want something heavy and hooky, noisy and catchy, then this will definitely hit the spot.
Includes a download code too!
MPEG Stream: "Extractor"
MPEG Stream: "Tilt-A-Wheel"
MPEG Stream: "Stray"

ACCUSED, THE The Archive Tapes 1981-1986 (Unrest) 2lp 17.98

ACCUSED, THE The Curse of Martha Splatterhead (Southern Lord) cd 15.98
If you're like us, and have been fans of The Accused for years and years and years, then this new record on Southern Lord, their first ages, probably poses some serious problems for you. For instance, no one but the original guitarist is still in the band. All new members, including a brand new singer! Which means no Blaine, whose sick vox pretty much defined The Accused for lots of folks. So yeah, how is this possibly still The Accused? Well, to be honest, it still totally sounds like The Accused, and the new singer, is a dead ringer for Blaine, and they sound fucking great, furious, grinding, thrashing super catchy punk metal crunch, the guitars buzzy and abrasive, the drums wild and all over the place, the songs dense and complicated, and the vocals, sick and throat shredding and pretty fucking awesome. Maybe Accused superfans might not be fooled but plenty of other folks would probably not know the difference. And as far as we're concerned, we're just psyched to have another Accused record to blast, and we have indeed been blasting it pretty much nonstop. And the funny thing is, the one person here who was super skeptical about the new Accused, invariably asks what's playing every time this is on, which pretty much says it all. Seriously sick and punked out thrash metal filth from the splatter rock masters!
MPEG Stream: "The Splatterbeast"
MPEG Stream: "Stomped To Death"
MPEG Stream: "Bodies Are Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Festival Of Flesh"

ACEDI / GRIMLAIR / BLACK HATE / BLODARV / NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION Shadows Of Tragedy (Self Mutilation / Razed Soul) cd 14.98

ACEPHALIX Aporia (Prank) cd 11.98
Ever since their self titled 7", reviewed last year, we've been dying for a full length from these SF heavies, their sound an insanely punishing, ultra downtuned metallic crust punk, that's just about the most metal thing to come out on Prank, but Acephalix still manage to straddle that line between metal and punk, they're probably more a punk rock band than a metal band we think, but then that line is already so blurred with bands like Anti Cimex, the Cro-Mags, Motorhead, Nausea, Celtic Frost, Sacrilege, all of whom most definitely inform Acephalix's sound. And what a sound, the guitars crunchy and corrosive, the drums crushing, the bass thick and dense, and the vocals, holy shit, howling, hellish and guttural, doesn't seem like anybody, should be able to conjure up that sort of demonic bellow, anybody human at least which is exactly what makes it so intense.
Plus the band lace their chugging metallic crust with killer harmonized style classic metal leads, and even when they're not unleashing full on leads, the songs are laced with streaks of feedback, bursts of tangled melody, spidery and all interwoven into the roiling crusty blackness below. The tracks veer from frenzied black thrash to lumbering doom to full on D-beat crush, the sound just so fucking heavy and dense and yeah, sometimes weirdly melodic, some of these songs get lodged in your head for sure, which is not something you'd expect at all from this sort of grim metallic filth. These guys just might give Burmese a run for their money as our favorite heavy locals, which is saying a whole hell of a lot.
The packaging on both the vinyl and cd are pretty sweet, but the cd version includes one extra track, a gloriously grim, chugging crusty creep... just so you know...
MPEG Stream: "Immanent"
MPEG Stream: "Rectal Grave"
MPEG Stream: "Ascetix"
MPEG Stream: "Past/Present"
MPEG Stream: "Only The Dying"

ACEPHALIX Aporia (Prank) lp 10.98
Ever since their self titled 7", reviewed last year, we've been dying for a full length from these SF heavies, their sound an insanely punishing, ultra downtuned metallic crust punk, that's just about the most metal thing to come out on Prank, but Acephalix still manage to straddle that line between metal and punk, they're probably more a punk rock band than a metal band we think, but then that line is already so blurred with bands like Anti Cimex, the Cro-Mags, Motorhead, Nausea, Celtic Frost, Sacrilege, all of whom most definitely inform Acephalix's sound. And what a sound, the guitars crunchy and corrosive, the drums crushing, the bass thick and dense, and the vocals, holy shit, howling, hellish and guttural, doesn't seem like anybody, should be able to conjure up that sort of demonic bellow, anybody human at least which is exactly what makes it so intense.
Plus the band lace their chugging metallic crust with killer harmonized style classic metal leads, and even when they're not unleashing full on leads, the songs are laced with streaks of feedback, bursts of tangled melody, spidery and all interwoven into the roiling crusty blackness below. The tracks veer from frenzied black thrash to lumbering doom to full on D-beat crush, the sound just so fucking heavy and dense and yeah, sometimes weirdly melodic, some of these songs get lodged in your head for sure, which is not something you'd expect at all from this sort of grim metallic filth. These guys just might give Burmese a run for their money as our favorite heavy locals, which is saying a whole hell of a lot.
The packaging on both the vinyl and cd are pretty sweet, but the cd version includes one extra track, a gloriously grim, chugging crusty creep... just so you know...
MPEG Stream: "Immanent"
MPEG Stream: "Rectal Grave"
MPEG Stream: "Ascetix"
MPEG Stream: "Past/Present"
MPEG Stream: "Only The Dying"

ACEPHALIX Deathless Master (Southern Lord) cd 14.98
Finally, the third full length from these SF crust punk metalheads, another crushing blast of churning downtuned riffage, pounding death-march drumming, and sick demonic vokills. Initially way more punk rock, the band has steadily, with each record seemed to move closer and closer to being a proper metal band, Deathless Master seemingly the culmination of this shift, as we can't imagine these guys getting MORE metal than this. The vibe almost full on death metal here, the sound murky and malevolent, the vocals which were sick as fuck before, now even more of a monstrous DM gurgle, but the groups churning, furious metallic bombast, and punishing D-beat blasts, and seemingly unpayable debt to classic Swedish DM, is still tempered with classic old school melodies, and the occasional killer NWOBHM style guitar harmony, not to mention the occasional blast of galloping old school punkness or brief bursts of full on grind, but then there's a track like the closer, "The Hunger", where the band lock into churning droned out chugs, and take seemingly slow roiling riffage, and anchor them to blasting double kick drumming, making for that unbeatable slow-death-metal sound we can never seem to get enough of, not to mention the wild squalls of lead guitar shred peppered throughout. Fans of the last couple Acephalix records will dig big time, and if you've somehow yet to check these guys out, but dig crusty old school D-beat driven death metal, this will definitely be right up your alley.
MPEG Stream: "Bastard Self"
MPEG Stream: "Deathless Master"
MPEG Stream: "The Hunger"

ACEPHALIX Interminable Night (Southern Lord) cd 11.98
This local metallic crust outfit's first record was released on venerable punk label Prank, who found, upon receiving the masters for this, Acephalix's second full length, that the band's sound had gotten, well, WAY TOO METAL. Which while bad news for the punks, was most definitely good news for the rest of us. Especially considering their sound on Aporia, was already pretty dang metal, and while at the time, we did concede that they were probably more of a punk band, we also cited groups like Anti Cimex, the Cro-Mags, Motorhead, Nausea, Celtic Frost, Sacrilege, all of whom blur that line, and while Acephalix may have been more punk back then, even if just barely, they definitely sound more metal now. And have found a new home on Southern Lord, who seem to have a newfound obsession with crust punk and metal.
So yeah, while this is more metal, it's still plenty punk, the tempos especially, not dirgey and doomy (although there are moments), or blazing and blasting, instead songs seem to gravitate toward that galloping punk rock rhythm, but wedded to sounds more distinctly metal, thick, downtuned riffage, and some very Maiden sounding guitar parts, not to mention some seriously shredding leads, everything crusty and murky and HEAVY. One distinctive holdover from the first record is the vocals, a terrifying bellow that occasionally slips into an equally terrifying shriek, and that sounds even more menacing and bad ass when coupled to the group's more overtly metallic pummel.
LIMITED TO 2000 COPIES, each one hand numbered.
MPEG Stream: "Christ Hole"
MPEG Stream: "Immemorial Past"
MPEG Stream: "Daemonic Sign"

ACEPHALIX s/t (Prank) 7" 4.50
Debut release from this Bay Area horde, fucking killer, grinding, pummeling old school downtuned metallic crust, equal parts Celtic Frost, Anti Cimex, Cro-Mags and any other of the classic crushers.
Thick, super distorted ultra heavy guitars, pounding drums, and some of the sickest, gnarled bellowed vocals we've ever heard. The riffs destroy, there are even GUITAR SOLOS, which shred, the songs are mostly midtempo, weirdly groove here and there, even some awesome Iron Maiden style harmonized guitars, and always crazy catchy and heavy as fuck. We find ourselves listening to this over and over and over. Can't wait for the full length.
Super swank packaging, silver metallic foil printed on thick black and white sleeves, pressed on nice thick vinyl, and includes a printed insert.

ACEYALONE Accepted Eclectic (Ground Control) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Formerly an MC with cult LA underground hiphop group Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone continues the positive flow with his third album. Kinda reminds us, delivery-wise, of Young MC (blasphemy!) but then again our favorite hiphop is of the more commercial, aboveground gangsta Cash Money/No Limit/KMEL variety, not the Cali underground positive stuff a la Del and all the rest (Zion I excepted).
RealAudio clip: "Accepted Eclectic"
RealAudio clip: "B-Boy Real McCoy"

ACEYALONE (ACCOMPANIED BY RJD2) Magnificent City (Decon) cd 14.98

ACID BATH Demos: 1993-1996 (Rotten) cd 14.98

ACID BATH Double Live Bootleg! (Rotten) dvd 25.00
The dedication and worship and legend that this band inspires, even years after the end of their brief career is amazing. Not undeserved mind you, just surprising. Cult legends in the bayou's sludge scene along with Eyehategod, Crowbar, Down, etc... Acid Bath called it quits after the death of their bass player, and members went on to join Crowbar and Goatwhore after recording their post-Acid Bath masterpiece (and one of our favorite records) as the Agents Of Oblivion. But Acid Bath -were- amazing, melding furious grinding almost-death metal, buzzing hardcore, and super melodic hard rock ala Alice In Chains or Soundgarden. And writing amazing songs, evoking mystery and death and salvation and nihilism. It's sort of a crime they weren't HUGE. But maybe they are right where they should be, underground. Here's how we described our favorite Acid Bath record on a past list: "Imagine the sheer brutality of Eyehategod, the bluesy grind of fellow bayou residents Soilent Green, the stoned sabbathy swing of Trouble, and the melodic flair of late era Corrosion of Conformity or Alice In Chains, all forced onto one cd. Sound confusing? It is. But somehow, it gels perfectly, striking a pefect balance between catchy and heavy." While this is probably not the place to start for Acid Bath virgins (that would be their second full length cd 'Paegan Terrorism Tactics') this is a godsend for Acid Bath fans (like us) and an amazing document. Features multiple live performances of all their best songs from Boston in 1996, New Orleans in 1994, Metairie, Louisiana in 1994, Milwaukee Metalfest in 1994, Hollywood in 1996, Breux Bridge, Louisiana in 1996, Lafayette, Louisiana in 1996 and St. Petersburg, Florida in 1996. Also includes a video clip from 1994, rehearsals for their first demo in 1993 and a practice in their barn/practice space in 1992. Most of the video looks/sounds pretty good. All of it's interesting, and if you already love Acid Bath as much as we do, you already know you have to buy this!

ACID BATH Paegan Terrorism Tactics (Rotten) cd 14.98
Man, does this record rule! Not entirely sure how we all managed to miss this one when it came out a few years back. It was actually (re)discovered on the recommendation of a not-so-entirely-trustworthy source. Go figure! But now that we know, so must you...Imagine the sheer brutality of Eyehategod, the bluesy grind of fellow bayou residents Soilent Green, the stoned Sabbathy swing of Trouble, and the melodic flair of late era Corrosion of Conformity or Alice In Chains, all forced onto one cd. Sound confusing? It is. But somehow, it gels perfectly, striking a pefect balance between catchy and heavy. This has become an absolute favorite of Andee, Allan, Elisabeth, and a handful of customers who have seen the light. Interesting non-music related facts: amazing cover art by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, one band member dead, one in jail...HIGHLY recommended!

ACID EATER Black Fuzz On Wheels (Time Bomb) cd 22.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
When we think about it, we really should have made Acid Eater's debut, the awesomely titled Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D., a Record Of The Week, the most overdriven slab of in-the-red noise drenched hyperdistorted drug fueled punked out garage rock EVER. That is, until now.
So we can right that wrong, by bestowing the honor on record number two, the equally bad assedly (and aptly) titled Black Fuzz On Wheels, another amp destroying psychedelic garage punk blowout, fronted by none other than Yamazaki Maso, aka MASONNA, on vocals and sound effects, and ably backed up by a classic garage rock lineup, fuzz guitar, organ, bass keyboard, drums and chorus, okay, well, maybe not totally classic, but then this is not your classic garage rock. Imagine fuzzed out sixties garage rock, but with a fucked up freaked out Merzbow production, the guitars so distorted the riffs seem to be on the verge of totally falling to pieces, the drums, a blown out pound, the vocals, a sneering yowl, also doused in effects, all held in place by thick whirring Farfisa, everything rollicking and rocking, loose and wild, heavy and psychedelic, and all wrapped up in a bristly, incendiary sheen of white hot buzz and skree.
Thankfully these guys (and gal) have the fuzzed out garage pop songs to back up this sort of speaker shredding sonic onslaught, not to mention a little clutch of kick ass covers, songs by Crime, The Miracle Workers, and a band we'd never heard of before called The Tidal Wave, but whose composition here actually sounds like a sped up "TV Eye" by The Stooges! Weirdest of all, there's a cover of one of the tracks from those Schulmadchen Report soundtracks, y'know, music from saucy '60s German 'documentaries' about school girls making it with older men! Crazy, but it suits them, that cover is a cool surfy instrumental jam, with a bad ass main riff, and a cool breakdown with just drums and distorted hiss. The Miracle Workers cover is awesome too, maybe the noisiest of the bunch, and such a great song ("Love Has No Time"), the vocals especially effected, so snarly and snotty, as well as a tripped out psychedelic ambient effects drenched outro, all motorik pulses and swirling space age bleeps and bloops.
But if you didn't know, you'd probably just figure those covers were originals too, every song on here sounds like some classic sixties garage jam, dipped in a vat of liquid LSD, set afire and sent careening from your speakers. We can only imagine how mind blowing Acid Eater must be live.
Total psychnoise surfpunk distorto garage pop bliss. With super sexy naked lady motorcycle cover art to boot!!
MPEG Stream: "Yes, Motion"
MPEG Stream: "Oh Baby's No"
MPEG Stream: "Follow Me"
MPEG Stream: "Searching For Love"

ACID EATER Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. (Time Bomb) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not to be confused with the Christine 23 Onna record of the same name (although both are fronted by Japanoise legend Masonna), this Acid Eater is a blown out blast of ultradistorto organ drenched spaced out primitive garage rock stomp. We got a little taste of Acid Eater on the Demonic Freak Scene compilation we reviewed last year, and have been hankering for more ever since.
Imagine the heaviest, most fuzzed out garage rock you've ever heard, now take that and run it through a handful of distortion pedals, a bank of Acid Mothers worthy FX, blast it through a wall of busted old Vox amps, wrap the whole thing in feedback and reverb, and suddenly you're in some alien alternate future where the world is populated exclusively by Japanese noiserock beatniks, who are constantly blasting fuzzed out walls of overblown sixties sounds from their low flying spacecraft...
Imagine if Merzbow remixed your favorite Fuzztones record, or the Stooges released records on PSF and were augmented by some insane drug addled organist with WAY too many amps. Serpentine blues rock riffs, all tangled up with thick warbling organs, the vocals a snarling distorted howl, buried in the mix, and all dubbed out, the drums a crumbling, percussive pound, somehow as in the red as the rest of the instruments, every cymbal crash swallowing up all the other sounds, but it's the riffs, and the organ, and Masonna's wild eyed vocalizing that keep this blacklight space garage party going. Not to mention the killer hooks... Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. perfectly captures how intense and freaked out it must be to experience this sound live, super distorted, feedback everywhere, the instruments in your face, the speakers threatening to blow, sweat, blood, spit, a swirling chaotic musical melee, heavy, distorted, fuzzy and funky, wild and woolly, spaced out and gloriously gloriously noisy.
MPEG Stream: "EYE"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing Can Bring Me Down "
MPEG Stream: "A.C.I.D."

ACID EATER Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. (Time Bomb) lp 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Not to be confused with the Christine 23 Onna record of the same name (although both are fronted by Japanoise legend Masonna), this Acid Eater is a blown out blast of ultradistorto organ drenched spaced out primitive garage rock stomp. We got a little taste of Acid Eater on the Demonic Freak Scene compilation we reviewed last year, and have been hankering for more ever since.
Imagine the heaviest, most fuzzed out garage rock you've ever heard, now take that and run it through a handful of distortion pedals, a bank of Acid Mothers worthy FX, blast it through a wall of busted old Vox amps, wrap the whole thing in feedback and reverb, and suddenly you're in some alien alternate future where the world is populated exclusively by Japanese noiserock beatniks, who are constantly blasting fuzzed out walls of overblown sixties sounds from their low flying spacecraft...
Imagine if Merzbow remixed your favorite Fuzztones record, or the Stooges released records on PSF and were augmented by some insane drug addled organist with WAY too many amps. Serpentine blues rock riffs, all tangled up with thick warbling organs, the vocals a snarling distorted howl, buried in the mix, and all dubbed out, the drums a crumbling, percussive pound, somehow as in the red as the rest of the instruments, every cymbal crash swallowing up all the other sounds, but it's the riffs, and the organ, and Masonna's wild eyed vocalizing that keep this blacklight space garage party going. Not to mention the killer hooks... Virulent Fuzz Punk A.C.I.D. perfectly captures how intense and freaked out it must be to experience this sound live, super distorted, feedback everywhere, the instruments in your face, the speakers threatening to blow, sweat, blood, spit, a swirling chaotic musical melee, heavy, distorted, fuzzy and funky, wild and woolly, spaced out and gloriously gloriously noisy.
MPEG Stream: "EYE"
MPEG Stream: "Nothing Can Bring Me Down "
MPEG Stream: "A.C.I.D."

ACID KING Free / Down With the Crown (Kreation) lp 15.98

ACID KING III (Small Stone) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
San Fran stoner metal heroes (and heroine) Acid King roll their big ol' ball of fuzz in our direction with this latest (presumably third, but we didn't count 'em) album of heavy Sabbath-influenced spacey sludge rock. Singer/guitarist Lori S. and company kick out the jams (albeit slowly) on such tracks as "2 Wheel Nation", "Heavy Load" and "Into The Ground". With her wailing moan drifting over the sort of plodding, low-end riff repetition you'd expect from pals of Boris, this is one for those of you into the likes of Om, Sons Of Otis, Dead Meadow, that sort of thing. Of course, you might nod off before the cool guitar part or catchy bit of the song heaves into view...but that's the risk you take with a lot of the stonier stoner stuff like this!
MPEG Stream: "Heavy Load"
MPEG Stream: "War Of The Mind"

ACID KING / THE MYSTICK KREWE OF CLEARLIGHT Free... / The Father, The Son and The Holy Smoke (Man's Ruin) cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Split release of stoner rock majesty. First up, the doomier side of the album courtesy of local SF heavies Acid King (the band lead by Dale Crover's ex-wife Lori, featuring as well 'Thee' Guy Pinhas of ex-Obsessed, ex-Goatsnake, ex-Beaver fame). Their four tracks of sludge love are followed by the somewhat 'funkier' stylings (well, there's an organ player in the band) of deep South instrumental combo The Mystick Krewe... Funky spelling anyway. This New Orleans band (boasting members of Eyehategod) aren't actually instrumental on this disc, though, as they are joined by stoner rock legend Wino (Spirit Caravan, ex-Saint Vitus, ex-Obsessed) on vocals, a smart move. Again, heavy stuff. Rock out! Recommended.
RealAudio clip: MYSTICK KREWE OF CLEARLIGHT "Veiled"
RealAudio clip: ACID KING "Free"

ACID MOTHER'S TEMPLE & THE COSMIC INFERNO Pink Lady Lemonade - You're From Outer Space (Riot Season) cd 16.98
What if we'd never reviewed an Acid Mothers Temple release before? Let's pretend... the first thing we'd say would be, what's with the matching Hawaiian shirts the band sports in the photo on this cd's back cover?? Then we'd go, like, check it out, they're this weird hippy rock group from Japan, maybe more like a cult than a band, with this hairy bearded crazy guitar player named Kawabata Makoto, the band's called Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno and they obviously love krautrock and Hawkwind and other druggy '70s psych stuff. They have this new album with the weird title of Pink Lady Lemonade - You're From Outer Space, and boy howdy is the music trippy, even trippier than the crazy colorful cover art collage. Recommended if that's your scene. We can't wait to hear more, let's hope they follow this one up with another album soon, if that's possible after expending all this cosmic pink lady energy!
But of course AMT have about 1,000,000 previous releases, you know 'em and you love 'em, so we probably should add just a little more info (or maybe actually DON'T need to add any more info?). FYI, as you might guess from its title, this disc features another revamped, reinterpretation of the AMT concert fave "Pink Lady Lemonade". We count different versions of that epic track on at least nine other AMT cds/dvds that we've previously listed!! So obviously it's something special in Acidmothersland. Making it extra special here, perhaps, is the presence of a brand new drummer/vocalist recruited from Japanese all-girl groop Afrirampo, the "cosmic shaman" known as Pikachu. Must be her offering up all the haunting vocals with the mildly Yoko-ish waver, that soar through the gentle kosmiche bliss of this album's lengthy space-outs, "songs" which eventually tend to swirl into something a little more intense and chaotic and guitary. "Pink Lady" is split into two parts, 24 and 11 minutes, bookending between them this disc's two other tracks, "Message From Outer Space" and "Take Me To The Universe". And oh yeah, what IS with the matching Hawaiian shirts?? Have AMT gone yacht rock? Well you could sip a margarita to this, if it was appropriately dosed.
MPEG Stream: "Message From Outer Space"
MPEG Stream: "Take Me To The Universe"

ACID MOTHER'S TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Dark Side Of The Black Moon: What Planet Are We On? (Important) cd 14.98
Just like the phases of the moon, and the cycle of the seasons, and the rising and setting of the sun, we can always count on the regular appearance of another rad release from Japanese psychedelic freaks Acid Mothers Temple. And for all we know, maybe they too are an integral part of the rhythm of nature, and we begin to wonder, if they DIDN'T have a new disc of cosmic jams out every month or so, would the universe come to an end? Well no worries, that's not gonna happen. Based on current trends, the flow of krautrock inspired music from bearded guitar guru Kawabata Makoto & Co. seems unlikely to abate, at least not in our lifetimes, and possibly not before the sun itself goes supernova.
So, as destined, here's the Dark Side Of The Black Moon, billed as a sequel of sorts to the remarkably SUNNO)))-y, super heavy fan fave Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness, released on Important last year. Although, we thought that the intervening Important release of Glorify Astrological Martyrdom qualified as that already. (Hmm, all three feature cover art by Seldon Hunt, maybe it's a trilogy of sorts?). In any event, this one is pretty extreme too, always intense though not doomdrone heavy, as it's less about riffs than it is about sheer wailing psych guitar abandon, swirls of electronic FX, manic dervish rhythms, possessed vocal chant, and other contributing factors towards total disorienting delirium, this album's apparent purpose.
The 13+ minute "Space Labyrinth or Eclipse On Friday" eases the listener into it... if you can call explosions of distortion and spooky wordless vocals "ease". Loads of gtr feedback n' skree are included as well. Next track "Astro Kama Sutra: Take Me To The Outer Limits" then if anything ups the ante, though this disc does have its mellowed-out moments of space-babble - as on the quietly meandering "Blessing Of The Load Galaxy", track 3. That's followed by the chaotic groove of "Space A Go Go"... and then we get to the title track, 17 minutes long, each of those minutes building in feverish intensity. Whew!
If you want more, well, get the deluxe gatefold double lp vinyl edition instead of the cd, 'cause it adds two bonus cuts, "Universe In Witch's Blue" and "Intergalactic Space Trackin'"!
MPEG Stream: "Astro Kama Sutra: Take Me To The Outer Limits"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Side of the Black Moon"

ACID MOTHER'S TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Dark Side Of The Black Moon: What Planet Are We On? (Important) 2lp 26.00
Just like the phases of the moon, and the cycle of the seasons, and the rising and setting of the sun, we can always count on the regular appearance of another rad release from Japanese psychedelic freaks Acid Mothers Temple. And for all we know, maybe they too are an integral part of the rhythm of nature, and we begin to wonder, if they DIDN'T have a new disc of cosmic jams out every month or so, would the universe come to an end? Well no worries, that's not gonna happen. Based on current trends, the flow of krautrock inspired music from bearded guitar guru Kawabata Makoto & Co. seems unlikely to abate, at least not in our lifetimes, and possibly not before the sun itself goes supernova.
So, as destined, here's the Dark Side Of The Black Moon, billed as a sequel of sorts to the remarkably SUNNO)))-y, super heavy fan fave Recurring Dream & Apocalypse Of Darkness, released on Important last year. Although, we thought that the intervening Important release of Glorify Astrological Martyrdom qualified as that already. (Hmm, all three feature cover art by Seldon Hunt, maybe it's a trilogy of sorts?). In any event, this one is pretty extreme too, always intense though not doomdrone heavy, as it's less about riffs than it is about sheer wailing psych guitar abandon, swirls of electronic FX, manic dervish rhythms, possessed vocal chant, and other contributing factors towards total disorienting delirium, this album's apparent purpose.
The 13+ minute "Space Labyrinth or Eclipse On Friday" eases the listener into it... if you can call explosions of distortion and spooky wordless vocals "ease". Loads of gtr feedback n' skree are included as well. Next track "Astro Kama Sutra: Take Me To The Outer Limits" then if anything ups the ante, though this disc does have its mellowed-out moments of space-babble - as on the quietly meandering "Blessing Of The Load Galaxy", track 3. That's followed by the chaotic groove of "Space A Go Go"... and then we get to the title track, 17 minutes long, each of those minutes building in feverish intensity. Whew!
If you want more, well, get the deluxe gatefold double lp vinyl edition instead of the cd, 'cause it adds two bonus cuts, "Universe In Witch's Blue" and "Intergalactic Space Trackin'"!
MPEG Stream: "Astro Kama Sutra: Take Me To The Outer Limits"
MPEG Stream: "Dark Side of the Black Moon"

ACID MOTHER'S TEMPLE / STEARICA Sterica Invade Acid Mothers Temple (Homeopathic) cd 17.98

ACID MOTHERS AFRIRAMPO We Are Acid Mothers Afrirampo (Acid Mothers Temple / Eclipse) cd 19.98
Acid Mothers Temple are, of course, the communal hippie cosmic krautrock lovin' ensemble from Japan led by bearded guitar guru Kawabata Makoto, whose multitude of releases (and live shows) are pretty much always enjoyable trips... we don't have to tell you that. Afrirampo are a newer band, also from Japan, a vocally out-there, wild & wooly female costume-rock duo who sound a heckuva lot like early Boredoms (someone told us that Afrirampo are actually *making fun* of the Boredoms, but we don't believe it). Chances are you probably already know about 'em too, judging by sales here at AQ.
And it seems that most AMT fans have to have *everything* they put out. Likewise with Afrirampo's fans. And fans of AMT are likely to be into Afrirampo, and vice versa (Afrirampo, after all, have guested on several past AMT albums). So they've done EVERYONE a favor and recorded this collaborative release together, so you can cross it off both yr lists when you pick it up!! What a deal. Now, with the many many reviews we have to write impending upon us here we can't say we've sat down and listened to this entire thing all the way through, yet. I mean, c'mon, we don't have time to fully enter into the necessary spirit of this, sitting naked crosslegged in our room, blasting this on 10 while rocking back and forth and mumbling along to the Yoko-inspired babble... But what we've heard here in the store has been what we'd expect, and want. The aforementioned vocal babble backed by droning, swirling psychedelic build ups a la Amon Duul on this three long tracks... Moods vary, from the mystic to the maniacal. These jams drift in and out of focus -- some of it's a bit like being at an AMT or Boredoms show in Japan, listening to the band with one ear while in the other you're hearing a small child nearby begging their parents to take them home. AMT + Afrirampo, a match made in Japanese psych splurge heaven. It's limited too, we're pretty sure...
MPEG Stream: "We're Acid Mothers Afrirampo!"
MPEG Stream: "The Man From The Magic Mountain"

ACID MOTHERS GONG Live At Uncon 06 (Voiceprint) dvd 21.00