BLUE OYSTER CULT Tyranny And Mutation (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
The Red & The Black! BOC's 2nd album, from 1973, now remastered and all that. Includes 4 bonus tracks: three live tracks from bootlegs, and a studio outtake version of live fave "Buck's Boogie". "The Black Side" (LP side one) rocks hard with aggro classics like "Hot Rails To Hell" and "7 Screaming Diz-Busters", while LP side 2 ("The Red") gets a little artier with songs like the Patti Smith-penned "Baby Ice Dog" and psychedelic epic "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)". A misunderstood band that went over a lot of people's heads ironically due to their dumbed down image.
RealAudio clip: "7 Screaming Diz-Busters"
RealAudio clip: "Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl)"

BLUE OYSTER CULT s/t (Columbia / Legacy) cd 12.98
BOC (that's Blue Oyster Cult, not Boards of Canada!) has always been mistakenly regarded as some sort of heavy metal band -- and while they originated and/or embraced much of the imagery associated with HM (umlauts, leather pants, long hair, occult symbols) and certainly rocked hard and heavy, they were much more of a psychedelic pop rock n' roll band than a "metal" one. Certainly their lyrics (famously, some penned by intellectual rock crits Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer of Crawdaddy magazine, and Meltzer's then-girlfriend, poetess Patti Smith) are much more brainy and bizarre than what the average headbanger normally is forced to wrap their brain around. This album, now remastered, was BOC's 1972 debut -- but the band had been together under different names since their late '60s college days. Their roots as a weirdo psychedelic jamming band put them in a category closer to West Coast psych or Detroit's Stooges and MC5 than, say, Led Zeppelin, despite BOC's later arena-rock status.
Contains the hard rockin' hits "Transmaniacon MC", "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" along with several other somewhat more obscure but equally brilliant tunes full of the surreal, psychedelic lyrics and guitar work of which these guys were geniuses.
And this reissue also includes four bonus tracks, taken from the band's rejected 1969 demos under the name Soft White Underbelly. These are released here for the first time (well, outside of the recent mail-order only Rhino Handmade release of the Stalk-Forrest Group's entire unreleased album demos, which contains 3 of these cuts). A few of the SWU/SFG tracks were later reworked into BOC tunes, like the bizarre "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" found on this album. Recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Transmaniacon MC"
RealAudio clip: "I'm On The Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep"

NIGHT SUN Mournin' (Second Battle) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Yet another amazing discovery in the realms of unheralded heaviness from the '70s. Krautrockers Night Sun released this, their only album, back in 1972, and probably the only heavier sounds produced on earth that year were produced by Black Sabbath (and, hopefully, some other as-yet-unknowns). Seriously. If anything's "proto-metal", this sure is. Deep Purple (the keyboards and high-pitched vox) meets Sabbath style DOOM guitars. These guys must have been gobbling both amphetamines and downers 'cause the disc goes to both extremes of doom-paced creepy crawls *and* manic prog-spazz riff, uh, mania. '70s proto-metal to file alongside Buffalo, Toad, Leafhound, Captain Beyond, Blues Creation, and early Pentagram. Why Night Sun aren't huge cult heroes we don't know...
RealAudio clip: "Slush Pan Man"
RealAudio clip: "Got A Bone Of My Own"
RealAudio clip: "Plastic Shotgun"

BASHO, ROBBIE Bashovia (Takoma) cd 17.98
"In fact, as usual, when Robbie spoke to me, I didn't understand what in the world he was talking about" -- from John Fahey's liner notes to this new 72-minute compilation of Robbie Basho recordings from three of his albums (The Falconer's Arm I, The Falconer's Arm II, and Song of the Stallion) originally released on Fahey's Takoma label circa '67-'68. Basho (or Daniel J. Robinson, Jr., as he was known before he was realized, via a peyote trip, that he was a reincarnation of the 17th century Japanese poet Basho) was a Fahey protege of sorts, and, in seems -- just look at the cover -- a complete weirdo. Fahey's notes (written before he passed away last year, with this collection in mind) go on to call Basho a "goof" but they also celebrate his undeniable talent, vision, and originality. The booklet also includes Basho's original notes for each track.
Bashovia is composed of "Orientalist" raga-folk-guitar improv with some of the man's unique vocalizations on a few of the tracks -- but most are instrumental, darkly gorgeous and inspired examples of six-string and 12-string manipulation. Moreso than Fahey and other contemporaries, though, there's a super intense, almost scary, impassioned element to Basho's playing.
RealAudio clip: "The Falconer's Arm"
RealAudio clip: "The Haji"

500 FT. OF PIPE Dope Deal (Beard of Stars) cd 14.98
Detroit's 500 Ft. Of Pipe are another new band of hard-rockin' hopefuls in the crowded stoner rock arena, and they are better than most. What with their Motor City pedigree, they align more with Stooges-fans Monster Magnet than with Kyuss (Kyuss being the most common template for young stoner rock bands to follow, y'know). There's (of course) a big drug fixation going on here -- witness song titles like "420 to Go", "Dope Deal", and "D.E.A." Loud, bass-heavy, rock action, with psychedelic balls enough to cover Donovan's "Sunshine Superman"! Allan's fave stoner rock disc of the year.
RealAudio clip: "Detroit City (Never Done Me No Good)"
RealAudio clip: "Wear It Out"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (Goodlife) cd 13.98
We were totally blown away by this band when we got the ep precurser to this record and we've been super anxious for the full length and it's finally here. Avenged Sevenfold are kids from Southern California who play some of the most explosive metallic hardcore (heavy on the metal) we've heard, but with crazy emo parts, 3 part harmonies and Get Up Kids-style sad boy vocals. And on that earlier ep there was even a straight up ballad (it shows up again here, as does most of that ep), complete with acoustic guitar and totally emotional outro. The cdep even came with a totally cheesy cd-rom video of this track, with a sad girl wandering the mean city streets. You know the type. Well, not much has changed for the full length, with ultra-complex metal-core, weird pop-punk, and some of the most insane double kick drumming we have *ever* heard still totally in effect. Somewhere between Coalesce, Slayer, Bad Religion, Guns n' Roses, and the Get Up Kids! A weird combination but it's kind of irresistible. You can't make it through a song without them throwing some sort of curve at you, whether it's a super catchy pop breakdown, a shrieking emo crescendo, a howling banshee female guest vocalist or just some insanely complex drum part or monstrous riff. Allan and Andee are *so* into this band -- but Allan's the only one who seems to have that ballad lodged in his brain (Andee's caught him singing it to himself!). Or at least Allan's the only one willing to admit it... Another record that definitely qualifies as 'fucked.'
RealAudio clip: "To End The Rapture"
RealAudio clip: "The Art Of Subconscious Illusion"
RealAudio clip: "We Come Out At Night"

HAINO, KEIJI WITH BORIS Black: Implication Flooding (Inoxia) cd 15.98
BACK IN STOCK! 1998 collaboration between Boris and Tokyo's black-clad elfin lord of all that is anguished and psychedelic, Keiji Haino (of Fushitsusha fame). Haino plays the wave drum, electronic sruthibox, and ethnic oboe as well as contributing with his more usual psych guitar and emotive vocals. He's apparently responsible for the song titles too -- only he could come up with stuff like "Don't Be Cheated By The Oozing Silt From Both Of The Accuser And The Accused, Which Is Always There, Saying 'Everything Have To Be Done'"! Meanwhile the youngsters in Boris pound and drone away, sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly, reacting to the master's dark urges. Together, Boris and Haino sound like neither and both at the same time, the sign of a good collaboration. This disc never gets fully as heavy as Boris can be (or Fushitsusha, for that matter) but certainly IS heavy, and is also so terribly creepy, always teetering on the edge of some awful abyss. Black indeed.
MPEG Stream: "The Decision of a Dream Which Will Never Be Completely Red"
MPEG Stream: "From The Distance, With Their Own Gentle Eyes Always Fixed On Us, They Are Affectionately Gazing At The Black: Implication Flooding"

BORIS Amplifier Worship (gummi worm edition) (Southern Lord) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Good news, Boris fans. Thanks to Southern Lord, we now finally have stock again AGAIN of this masterpiece of heaviosity and former AQ-record-of-the-week by the amazing Japanese band Boris, who have become big AQ-faves over the past few years. The more-than-aptly-titled "Amplifier Worship" was their 2nd full-length release (after their mighty one-song drone-slab "Absolutego" but before the mind-blowing, semi-acoustic "Flood" and the stoner-rockin' genius of "Heavy Rocks"); it originally came out in 1998 and has been, on and off, pretty much unavailable in the US. Man's Ruin was going to release it domestically a while back, actually, but that fell through because of that label's sudden, unfortunate demise. Now our friends at Southern Lord, who made "Absolutego" available over here, have gotten around to releasing "Amplifier Worship" in the States. A happy day indeed. It's cheaper than the import, we should be able to keep it in stock for more than just a week, and, of course, it still rules!!
A good shorthand description of "Amplifier Worship" would be to say that it sounds like a cross between the low-end riffage of Boris' obvious heroes the Melvins, and the more recent, rhythmic trance experiments of their countrymen the Boredoms. Psychedelic punk metal, utterly crushing. Pretty much essential to anyone who is into "heavy"! If you like the dirgey sludge of Corrupted and Earth, as well as the more rocked-out sludge of Sleep and Melvins (circa "Ozma" and "Bullhead"), you'll love Boris! Recommended!!
And don't feel too bad if you already bought the more expensive Japanese import version. First off, you're that much cooler. Secondly, there's no bonus tracks or anything on this edition to make it any better. Thirdly, the redesigned, green-tinted package, while striking, happens to incorporate a GUMMI WORM in the spine of the jewel case. I'm sorry, that's just not a good idea... But if you don't already have the import, this is a must-have and a bargain even with the gummi worm, which should still be edible when you get your copy and so thus is easily dealt with.
RealAudio clip: "Huge"
RealAudio clip: "Hama "
RealAudio clip: "Vomitself"

CONVERGE Jane Doe (Equal Vision) cd 13.98
It's raining blood in Boston with the release of this new, state-of-the-art Converge album. These New England metalcore masters (the closest rivals to the now-defunct Coalesce) have produced their most vicious, best-sounding disc yet; pummelling, complex, and super heavy. There's dizzying changes and lots of textures, from razor-sharp guitar riffing to theremin squiggles to throat-shredding screams. Going beyond your usual technical metal/hardcore brutality, Converge utilize Shellac/Slint style post-rock style dynamics and non-screaming vocals as well, as on the moody yet frantic "Hell To Pay". And they slow down their manic pace for such tracks as the dirgey, droney "Phoenix In Flight". If you're already a Converge fan, of course you need this, and if you're a fan of the likes of the aforementioned Coalesce, or Today Is The Day, or even AQ-faves Old Man Gloom (with whom Converge share a member), you should love "Jane Doe" too. Packaged in a slipcased jewelbox with a super-thick artsy booklet of hard-to-decipher lyrics. With so much great new metalcore coming out (see elsewhere this list) it was hard to come up with non-redundant superlatives to describe this new Converge effort, but certainly it deserves 'em, 'cause it kills.
RealAudio clip: "Concubine"
RealAudio clip: "Hell To Pay"
RealAudio clip: "Fault And Fracture"
RealAudio clip: "Phoenix In Flight"

FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES Too Bad You're Beautiful (Ferret Music) cd 13.98
There's been lots of talk about heartbreak around these parts, and the best break up records, and that sort of thing. Windy thinks the new Built To Spill record is the perfect breakup record, all bittersweet and caustic, but light and hopeful at the same time. That may be. But somehow, From Autumn to Ashes, which we first thought to be just a fucking great metalcore band, have come up with an equally effective breakup record, but from a different angle...the angle being that of a fifteen year old emokid/metalhead. And god damn if that isn't somehow just as appealing to a thirty one year old! These New York kids have chops. Like crazy. Bizarre stop/start rhythms and HUGE crushing riffs with intense grinding halftime breakdowns. All of this and totally melodic dual guitar leads too (a la Iron Maiden). And this crushing metallic attack is tempered by keening whiny boy vocals (think: Get Up Kids). Track two is straight up Iron Maiden, with an insanely catchy guitar hook, that breaks down into a brutal half time mosh, and then becomes a wailing emo loveletter, before it explodes again. But everything changes at track three. A mostly acoustic, 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' style eighties metal ballad, complete with hooks galore and a triumphant fist pumping final 30 seconds. But then a minute later, some of the sickest most furious metal comes spewing from the same fresh faced young punks that were trying to mend their broken hearts only minutes earlier. Track six starts with a sample of a girl talking about her heart being broken into a thousand pieces before the band rushes in, drowning out her cracking voice. And the final track finishes it off with a 10 minute epic, complete with furious metallic bursts of unbridled aggression butted up against gently strummed acoustic guitars, soaring strings, some weird almost Godspeed You Black Emperor parts and an instrumental breakdown with intensely delivered female vocals, all anguish and heartbreak (like a metal Rainer Maria) sounding a bit like Kate Bush or the girl from the Cranberries. The record winds down as she sings lines like 'The only reason you're here is to remind me of what I can't have' and 'Standing so close knowing that it kills me to breathe you in...' and 'It hurts so much, like choking down the embers of a great flame...choking....choking' and finishes with a 'Day In The Life' chord that trails off into nothing. Pretty intense and really original. Definitely for all the metalheads that read our list (especially the sensitive ones) and for those of you who love stuff like the Get Up Kids and Saves The Day and Reggie and The Full Effect and think you might be able to handle something a little harder. Completely Amazing.
RealAudio clip: "Mercury Rising"
RealAudio clip: "The Royal Crown vs Blue Duchess"
RealAudio clip: "Short Stories With Tragic Endings"

TWINK Think Pink (Akarma) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From 1970, a brilliant album, somewhere between the heavy rock of Twink's band The Pink Fairies and the acid-fried krautrock hippy orgasms of Brainticket's "Cottonwood Hill". Here's a lengthy review of "Think Pink" that we found on Julian Cope's Head Heritage website (http://www.headheritage.co.uk), written by "The Seth Man":
No mere "Hipgnosis sleeve plus mellotrons equals greatness" gambit here--Not a whit.
"Think Pink" is one trippy, hobbity mindfuck of the highest water. It's a complex and varied album where no two songs are the same, but seem to be examples of sub-genres entire ALBUMS could be fashioned from. Come to think of it, it's probably the last high-water mark of old-school psychedelia the moment before it gave up the ghost. And Twink had steadily worked his way through a succession of bands that by the time he was in The Pretty Things, Twink had made many musical acquaintances via The Pretties' management, the Bryan Morrison Agency, who also handled The Deviants and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Soon enough they had performed enough gigs together to force Morrison to circulate a letter to these three bands requesting that they refrain from ever showing up at each other's gigs ever again. Because if there was havoc to be caused, it WAS caused, and if there was none to be found, it would be located immediately. When Twink left The Pretties, he assembled a virtual roll call of London underground musicians: Viv Prince, Wally Waller, John Povey, Victor Unitt, The Deviants, Quiver bassist Honk, John "Junior" Wood (ex-Tomorrow) and Steve "Peregrine Took". This album owes a grand debt to Paul "Black George" Rudolph--his
uncredited arrangements and outstandingly effortless yet complex Stratocaster noise guitar crunch-outs (which populate "Think Pink" in sheer and blissful abundance) are a huge and soaringly hard sound previously unhinted at on the third Deviants album. And the sessions yielded all things loose, crazy and hardened post-psychedelic; there is even a surprisingly manic funk out rare for even white dopers at the time, as well as acoustic numbers that don't sound the least bit obligatory, raga-based chants and group singalongs. Along with Rudolph, the other main inspiration for "Think Pink" was undoubtedly Twink's pretty, blonde and Kohl-eyed girlfriend Silver, who appears on the back cover and on the LP with an unforgettable vocal interlude.
The album opens with "The Coming Of The Other One", a vocal incantation as screeching backwards sitars, further vocal mantrics and randomly hit percussion float through the air and clang in a dark, incense-filled basement from "Performance" with Steve Peregrine Took emitting fear-inducing animal noises in a dark corner. It fades as sitars race back in time, and the air clears and gets brighter with the remake of Twink's minnow-psych pop Aquarian Age A-side, "Ten Thousand Words In A Cardboard Box." A celebration of "a thousand
colourful shadows dancing around my head/Rejoicing to the waking of the deadŠ" over
heavily recorded drums as Rudolph covers the drums and telephonically-phased vocals with underpinning streams of pink cirrus clouds at daybreak noise/guitar. But Rudolph winds up shanghai-ing the piece into a soaringly free-noise hurricane as he peels riff after riff out of his bottomless Strat. "Standing Tiptoe On The Highest Hill" is a chilly, overcast autumn morning with swelling mellotron, muted guitar and somber drums, bursting your heart when the grim (yet sung angelically-echoed) lines come in and it dawns on you: this is the acoustic grandfather of Joy Division's "Decades". Backward noise/guitar streaks by Rudolph transform the whole piece into a coiled and curling jam out that cuts out, letting the song descend quietly back into the sand and it's seaweed-strewn grave. "Fluid" ends the album
side, an instrumental stripped bare of everything but genitals. Slow bass, guitar and drums crack out an undulating and repeating rhythm as Twink and Silver coo to each other, barely touching and letting their vocal vibrations do the work of a thousand fingers. It's Joy Division again, only a decade earlier and this time it's "I Remember Nothing". This is just side one, but side two is just as fantastically charged up and out there, reaching its apex with the Took-damaged "The Sparrow Is A Sign".

JAG PANZER Mechanized Warfare (Century Media) cd 14.98
Wow! This kicked our asses. Traditional '80s metal done real well -- probably 'cause these guys released their first album way back then ("Ample Destruction" circa 1984). After a looong hiatus, they began a comeback attack several years ago, somewhat shakily at first but with steady improvement, so much so that their previous effort "Thane To the Throne" was one of the best power metal discs of 1999! But rather than cashing in on the recent, European-led, cheese-laden "Power Metal" bandwagon resurgence (Hammerfall, Rhapsody, Gamma Ray, Stratovarious, etc.) these Coloradians are following their own path. Heavier, yet poppier than the competition. Yes, pop -- the songs on "Mechanized Warfare" are great pop songs. But pop in the '70s Judas Priest sense, not pop the way the Euro-wannabe-Helloween-lotsa-keyboards-formula bands do it. They've got an AMAZING metal vocalist in the leather-clad person of Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin, who demonstrates here that he's the equal of greats like Dio and Dickinson. Harry and Jag Panzer have the balls to really grab for the classic songwriting prize, not caring what today's trends are. In fact, my guess is that when writing this stuff, they aren't concerned with being a METAL band at all, they're just trying to write great, timeless songs. But 'cause the ARE a metal band, these turn out to be amazing *metal* songs. "Mechanized Warfare" has few peers. Utterly killer.
RealAudio clip: "Take To The Sky"
RealAudio clip: "The Scarlet Letter"

MIGHTY HANNIBAL, THE Hannibalism! (Norton) cd 14.98
Collected on cd for the first time, Norton unleases 75 minutes of classic R&B/soul/funk singles sides from turban-wearing singer, including such great cuts as "Big Chief Hug-Um An' Kiss-Um", "Jerkin' The Dog", "Fishin' Pole", "The Truth Shall Make You Free" and 24 others -- spanning Hannibal's output from 1958 to 1973. The rockin' earlier tracks would be great stuff for your next toga party (!) while the more soulful mid-sixties and funkifed later material gets into heavier subject matter, dealing with drugs and ghetto life. Indeed, the *extensive* liner notes (by Hannibal himself, speaking Iceberg Slim style) delve into the harsh details of his heroin addiction and recovery, as well as providing colorful anecdotes from his career in show biz about money, women, stealing an elephant from the circus, and contemporaries like Johnny Otis, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, and James Brown. One thing he doesn't discuss is what he's been up to since '73, although he does promise to get back into the studio soon, and he says "it'll be hotter than little sister's pussy with the clap. A chef knows the formula for making good food. I know the formula for making hit records. I'm giving you the Arnold Schwarzenegger here -- a total recall. That's how I am. I don't cut nobody no bullshit."
RealAudio clip: "Motha Goose Breaks Loose"
RealAudio clip: "Hymn No. 5"
RealAudio clip: "The Truth Shall Make You Free"

V/A Darker than Blue: Soul from Jamdown 1973-1980 (Blood & Fire) cd 19.98
Soulful, funky reggae trax from Jam-aica circa the mid to late seventies. Most of the cuts here are covers of R&B or funk hits, stuff originally by Curtis Mayfield, Kool & The Gang, War, Bobby Bland, Isley Brothers, and others -- even Randy Newman (by way of Nina Simone). There's even a Sugarhill Gang inspired rap track! Needless to say, in the hands of Alton Ellis, John Holt, Ken Boothe, Lloyd Charmers, and the others on this comp, these are killer, reggae-fied versions, mostly down-tempo and emotion-filled. The Blood and Fire label did a handsome job compiling this, and with the packaging too: the thick booklet not only includes commentary on every artist/track but is also full of beautiful, evocative black and white photos, courtesy the Magnum photographers collective. This has simply been flying out the door (even before we put a tag on the display copy). Recommended! (If you dig that Studio One Soul comp, doubly recommended!)
RealAudio clip: CARL BRADNEY "Slipping Into Darkness"
RealAudio clip: KEN BOOTHE "Is It Because I'm Black"
RealAudio clip: IN-CROWD "Mango Walk"
RealAudio clip: DELROY WILSON "Get Ready (12" mix)"

CAPTAIN BEYOND s/t (Capricorn) cd 12.98
This isn't really a new cd, just an old favorite that we thought we'd list for the first time 'cause the name sometimes comes up in our reviews of present day heavy psych/stoner rock bands: LA's legendary Captain Beyond. This cd reissues their classic 1972 debut LP. Psychedelic hard rock from ex-members of both Deep Purple (their original vocalist) and Iron Butterfly. One of Allan's all-time faves, and one of the essential documents of '70s heavy hippy rock, with plenty of swaggering vocals, trippy lyrics, quirky time changes, and of course some memorable, weighty acid guitar riffs. Just don't expect Black Sabbath, as these California boys were still all about '60s stuff like flowers and beads and bellbottoms, not Satan and metal and doom.
RealAudio clip: "Mesmerization Eclipse"

BLUE CHEER Outsideinside (PolyGram) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Also from '68, these San Francisco anti-hippies' second album, another classic of super-heavy (for its time) psychedelic proto-metal.

BLUE CHEER Vincebus Eruptum (PolyGram) cd 12.98
Their 1968 debut, the birth of metal? With "Summertime Blues". Dumb yet so brilliant. Essential heavy history.

SIGH Imaginary Sonicscape (Century Media) cd 14.98
Japan's best black metal band (along with Sabbat) are back with their first US domestic release, having just been signed by big metal label Century Media. We've always been fans of their fucked-up genre-mangling horror movie soundtrack metal, and this might be their best album yet! While Sigh are considered a black metal band, that has more to do with their history (you'll read in the Lords of Chaos book that their first album was supposed to be released on Euronymous' Deathlike Silence label, before he got stabbed to death) and love of Venom, than their actual sound, which manages to combine '80s heavy metal licks with everything from lounge-jazz to 20th century classical. At first listen, "Imaginary Sonicscape" might seem less crazed than some of their previous efforts, but that's just 'cause they've become masters at writing good metal songs whose weirdly juxtaposed components actually gel rather than jar (and also because the first track is one of the most conventionally accessible). You'll get totally into this as a heavy metal record, nodding your head to the riffs and so forth, and then suddenly "wake up" and wonder what the hell is going on with the sizzling '70s psychedelic synths and handclaps and disco breaks and pop hooks and classical piano solos, etc. Yet it flows so well, you'll still be nodding your head just the same. Imagine Venom, Ennio Morricone, Sleep, The Boredoms, Loudness, Boston, Goblin, and Satyricon (and their respective record collections as well) all rolled into one fat PCP-dusted joint. Hallucinogenic, catchy, absurd, fucking incredible.
RealAudio clip: "Ecstatic Transformation"
RealAudio clip: "Nietzschean Conspiracy"
RealAudio clip: "A Sunset Song"

SQUEALER Made For Eternity (AFM) cd 14.98
German power metal that's just a little rougher, heavier, and ballsier than your general run of Helloween/Hammerfall clones. True, they've got catchy choruses and can write a great "pop" song, but they haven't forgotten that they're a heavy METAL band first and foremost. That said, just like on their previous album, they do a great Depeche Mode cover ("People Are People")! Like Iron Fire, a band that Allan and Andee thought would be too cheesy turned out to have a lot to offer. Plus, they're called SQUEALER! What a great name for a metal band, although it makes you think that their vocalist probably sings in a higher register than he actually does.

BLACK SABBATH Master Of Reality (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential. We probably don't have to tell you that Master Of Reality is one of Black Sabbath's best, heck one of the best elpees EVER, with Tony, Geezer, Ozzy and Bill whumping out such classics as "Sweet Leaf", "Children of the Grave", "Into The Void", "Lord Of This World" -- good grief every track on here is brilliant!

BLACK SABBATH Paranoid (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential.

BLACK SABBATH Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential.

BLACK SABBATH Technical Ecstasy (Castle) cd 14.98
Really good, but perhaps not absolutely essential.

BLACK SABBATH Vol. 4 (Castle) cd 14.98
Essential.

BLACK SABBATH s/t (Castle) cd 14.98
Only one of the most important debut albums in the history of rock and roll!!! Essential.

DEVO Duty Now For The Future / New Traditionalists (Virgin) cd 15.98

NECROPHAGIST Onset of Putrefaction (Noise Solution) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Who would have thought that this little cd, an insane one-man Carcass/Morbid Angel hybrid, released on a tiny European label, would cause such a stir here at Aqaurius even among non-metalheads? And after running out of the 5 or 6 copies we were able to get, who would have realised that it would take Andee months and months of emailing -the- Necrophagist dude himself, as well as a small French distributor, to track down more copies of this little gem? But it all paid off, so those of you who missed out last time, don't blow it again. Here's what we wrote about it the only time it was listed (in Andee and Allan's top records of 2000 list!):
Putrefaction. I love that word, especially how it's spelled. Anyway, despite the generic death metal band name, album title, and lyrical content, Necrophagist is by no means your run of the mill generic death metal band!! No sir. First off, it's one guy (German, I think) playing the guitar, grunting the vocals, and programming the drums. Bedroom home studio metal. The main thing, tho: playing the guitar. This might be the ultimate crazy squiggly guitar lead album ever, outdoing even Morbid Angel and Krisiun in the extreme guitar soloing sweepstakes. It's insane, really. As brutal as the music gets, there's guitar shredding wedged into every available moment of music. As mentioned, this is one guy, probably recording at home. Well, I don't know about that for sure, but there must have been a long ProTools session involved in this!! 'Cause there's no way anybody could do this live. So, as a death metal record, pretty great indeed. Ignore the death metal aspect (if only the dude who did this would have!) and you've got an avant-garde guitar shred fest for John Zorn fans. It would make Buckethead weep. And supposedly there IS a new record on the way, this time a FULL band, that's fully capable of pulling this stuff off live. Just hope they manage to make it over here. In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy the onset of putrefaction.
RealAudio clip: "Foul Body Autopsy"
RealAudio clip: "Mutilate The Stillborn"
RealAudio clip: "To Breathe In A Casket"

WELCH, GILLIAN Time (The Revelator) (Acony Records) cd 16.98
The third album of (alternative is it?) country-folk from singer/songwriter Gillian Welch, following up 1998's "Hell Among The Yearlings", which became a big favorite here at Aquarius (and elsewhere too of course!). Primarily focused on lonely acoustic guitar and Welch's lovely voice, "Time" is generally slow, quiet and melancholy, but perhaps with less of the dark Appalchian death ride vibe that "Hell" possessed -- Welch mixes things up with the very pretty Patsy Cline-ish track "Dear Someone", and there's a couple of other more up-beat numbers on here too, but the achingly beautiful, old-timey downer Welch-songs that we love so much aren't neglected. Heck, the album closes with the nearly fifteen-minute long (!) slow-mo lovesong "I Dream A Highway".
RealAudio clip: "Everything Is Free"
RealAudio clip: "Dear Someone"
RealAudio clip: "My First Lover"

RADIO BIRDMAN The Essential (1974-1978) (Sub Pop) cd 15.98
Thank you, Sub Pop! It's about time these classic Radio Birdman tracks got a decent Stateside reissue -- this their first in over 20 years! One can always quibble with "best ofs" but this really IS pretty much the essentials: at 22 tracks, 70 minutes, it's also pretty much all they could fit on the disc! (Although I still think their version of "TV Eye" could have been squeezed on here, oh well). So what's this we're talking about here brother? Hi-octane Motor City madness from Down Under! Yes, Radio Birdman were the mid-'70s Australian re-incarnation of the MC5 and The Stooges, lead by Detroit-transplant Deniz Tek (guitarist, songwriter, and later a fighter pilot and doctor!), and damn were they good. Being half a world away and several years removed from Detroit ground zero, Birdman's homage to their proto-punk Grande Ballroom heroes was no rip-off, their surf-guitar licks being but one point of departure (one song's even an ode to the tv show Hawaii 5-0). Other influences range from the Stones to the Velvets to Alice Cooper. Legends in Australia, they're more like an obscure rock footnote over here, but once you're into 'em, you'll be really into 'em! This reissue takes tracks from their sparse discography (almost everything from the Radios Appear LP and quite a lot of the Living Eyes LP, plus nearly all the tracks from the Burn My Eye ep and the More Fun live ep) and packages 'em up with lots of photos/fliers and enthused and detailed liner notes from David Fricke (did you know that Aussie grunge-teens Silverchair did a cover of "New Race" with Tek on guitar?!). Previously available only to those who bothered to track down the hard-to-get imports, now all the excitement, darkness, and rock action of Radio Birdman is easily available to all. Avail yourself!
RealAudio clip: "Alone In The Endzone"
RealAudio clip: "I-94"
RealAudio clip: "Murder City Nights"

JESTERS OF DESTINY Fun At The Funeral (Ektro) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Nobody here except for Andee (who was already a fan!) had ever heard of this band before Circle mainman Jussi Lehtisalo told us he was reissuing their 1986 debut LP on his label Ektro. He also said, "Jesters will blow up the whole world!!!" Those familiar with Ektro's previous releases (discs by the likes of Faust, Circle, Ektroverde, Pharoah Overlord) might expect these Jesters of Destiny to be avantgarde psychedelic space-rock or something like that. Well...this IS psychedelic, and it IS avantgarde. But it's no space rock/jazz/neo kraut stuff at all. Jesters of Destiny were perhaps the very first "alternative metal" band, hailing from the '80s LA scene! They were really a unique band that just never fit into any catgories or made any sense, combining Sunset Strip metal, pop-punk, death rock, alt-rock, new wave keyboards, noise/sample interludes, etc. etc... Like Andee, Jussi had been a fan of this obscure act for years. He considers "Fun At The Funeral" to be "one of the most important heavy rock albums" ever! Being the maniac that he is, he finally tracked down the band members and arranged to do this reissue! Perhaps realizing that the typical Ektro customer might be a bit puzzled, Jussi got Jesters co-founder and bass player Bruce Duff to provide some detailed liner notes about JoD.
Duff: "Diggin' back through my life circa 15 years ago has been an emotionally unnerving experience. The music, the jams, the changing line-ups, the convoluted recording contracts, the hallucinations, the revelations, the girls, the divorce, poverty, doom, despair, joy, the extremely loud amplifiersŠBut that's my business. I will tell you it all began when my friend Ray Violet invited my roommate (drummer and multi-instrumentalist Doktor Stixx) and me (the bass player) to be the rhythm section on a songwriting demo he was organizing along with his buddy Bill Irwin. Ray offered to 'pay' us by allowing us each one song of our choosing produced to our individual satisfaction. I picked a metallic, psychedelic, existentialist war yelp I'd bashed out called 'End of Time.' During the sessions, which culminated on Halloween, 1984 (talk about Doom!), Ray played me the unforgettable riff to a song about a mosh pit dance in which the participants beheaded each other with shovels -- 'Diggin' That Grave.' Together, we finished the tune, and when all of the songs were completed, it was clear that 'Grave' and 'Time' stood alone and apart from the rest. We decided to form a band."
Duff goes on to recount the whole sordid saga of the band and its successes and failures, ins and outs (of the band members -- who included past present and future members of such acts as 45 Grave, The Mentors, and Poison!). Highlights for them included signing to Metal Blade imprint Dimension, after "End of Time" appeared on "Metal Massacre V", and playing shows with the likes of Janes Addiction, Flaming Lips, and the Dickies. Lowlights include, well, uh, signing to Metal Blade imprint Dimension, plus all the stuff you'd expect to befall an '80s LA metal band that didn't "make it".
What's really funny (and not discussed) is how their saga ends with this reissue 15 years later on a strange Finnish art-rock label! From Metal Blade to Ektro!
This disc contains their entire "Fun at the Funeral" debut (seeing release on cd for the first time), plus eight bonus tracks consisting of punkier material recorded for their never-released third album (including "Diggin' That Grave '87", a more Talking Heads-ish take on their impossibly catchy signature tune), a home demo, and a live version of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral" (can't get away from graves and funerals with these guys!). Their studio cover of that song appeared on their second, all-covers album "In A Nostalgic Mood", the material from which both Duff and Jussi decided was unfit for reissue -- too bad, we want to hear it! Anyway, their live "EF", Duff says, "shows the kind of heavy metal Ornette Coleman spazz attack the band was capable of live." Dunno about that, but it's a fine way to end the disc nonetheless, summing up the fucked up "gleeful gloom" rock that Jesters of Destiny created.
To wind up, thanks Jussi for reissuing this masterpiece of heavy psychedelic pop metal weirdness! Now it's not just Andee here who's a fan. For my part (Allan speaking) I could listen to "Diggin' That Grave" on auto repeat a hundred times and not get tired of it, it's that great a song. To get that and the rest of the album too, plus all the bonus tracks -- well it's a happy day here at Aquarius!
RealAudio clip: "End of Time"
RealAudio clip: "Crimson Umbrella"
RealAudio clip: "Diggin' That Grave"

RUINS Stonehenge (Shimmy Disc) cd 15.98
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Allan's favorite album ever? Possibly. The domestic debut of Tokyo bass/drum duo Ruins, who when I (Allan) first heard 'em seemed like the unholy melding of the Boredoms and the Melvins. Essential heavy, energetic avant-rock genius.

JECK, PHILIP Vinyl Coda IV (Intermedia) cd 14.98
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As huge Philip Jeck fans, we were super excited to see the release of this follow-up to his wonderful "Vinyl Codas I-III" double cd. And it doesn't disappoint. Jeck, with his multiple turntables and scratchy old records, is the ultimate master of blissfully beautiful surface-noise looping. His largely improvised and adamantly analog compositions make the most gorgeous repetitive droning use of good old-fashioned record crackle and hiss (and scraps of melody from the original music on the records). Unlike many other turntablists (Christian Marclay etc), his art isn't at all athletic or acrobatic -- not overtly so, anyway, although this recording is from a live performance, which must have required Jeck to exercise virtuoso skill with his dozen gramophones! As always, the music is warm, evocative, gentle, barely there (this record is not for the impatient) and always careful. No abrupt cut-up jumps or juxtapositions, just slowly shifting sounds. He's a fucking genius. One track, 45 minutes, so very lovely.
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 1"
RealAudio clip: "excerpt 2"

BORIS Flood (MIDI Creative) cd 24.00
BACK IN STOCK! Allan's favorite Boris release... As you may know, Boris are perhaps Japan's number one Melvins worshippers! But that's not to say they're unoriginal, rather the opposite, since the Melvins themselves are so unpredictable and eccentric. But in terms of heaviness, Boris measure up. Though they thew us for a loop with this, their third full-length album. Yep, it's not cheap, but there's no US release planned anytime soon or ever as far as we know. And anyway, as we'll explain, it's well worth the money. Like their drone-behemoth debut Absolutego, Flood is just one long song (broken into tracks on the cd for convenience, we suppose). But unlike Absolutego (or any other Boris stuff we've heard), the heaviness is kept in reserve. Instead, this starts off with a very pretty, repeating guitar figure that gradually starts to layer and loop in upon itself. It's quite mellow and meditative. As the disc progresses, momentary echoes of doom emerge from the sonic background, like thunder in the distance, or waves crashing on shore. Meanwhile, the guitars, joined by drums, spin a quiet, gorgeous, dreamlike hypnosis sounding like something somewhere between Gastr del Sol and kosmische krautrock (Agitation Free, Gunter Schickert). Or Eddie Hazel's Funkadelic solo psych guitar masterpiece "Maggot Brain" stretched into infinity. Flood is a minimalist, psychedelic, post-rock masterpiece that can only be compared to the Melvins the way something like Bohren & Der Club of Gore can -- with an understanding that heaviness isn't always all about loudness and riffage. (And, well, even if it did get Melvins heavy at some point, we wouldn't tell you, 'cause you need to hear this unfold for yourself.) Brilliant. (And although this is great, fans of Boris' more usual heaviness needn't despair that they won't return to the rock -- we've heard some new Boris demos that make the Stooges sound mild!)
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 1"
MPEG Stream: "excerpt 2"

MISTIGO VARGGOTH DARKESTRA Key To The Gates Of Apocalypses (The End) cd 12.98
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One of our all-time favorite weird black metal releases, up there with Burzum's "Filosofem" and Potentiam's "Balsyn" (with whom it shares some similarities).
Yes, that's plural Apocalpyses, how evil is that?! And only one key to those gates...anyway, this disc is perhaps Allan and Andee's favorite new black metal find. A one-man side project of Russian (!) Emperor-clones Nokturnal Mortum. While that band was merely ok, this project absolutely rules. One track only, an over-seventy minute long 'song' that begins with dark ambient rumblings, encounters growling wolves, delves into Burzum-like fuzz-trance, all that before erupting into truly epic black metal riffing...an hour later you'll be hiding under your bed trembling with fear (or perhaps slaking your thirst with blood and howling at the moon) but the song still isn't over! A very impressive piece of work. Triumphant evil!"
Since I wrote that, pagan folk metallers Nokturnal Mortum (who are actually Ukrainian, really, not Russian -- a distinction important to them, I'm sure!) have released some newer albums that we really liked, notably their latest, "NeChrist", which many of you bought and presumably enjoyed. Anyone that applies to MUST get this disc too if you don't already have it. Likewise for fans of other avantgarde black metal like Caacrinolas or the aforementioned Burzum and Potentiam... Let me (Allan) quote myself again, this time from the pages of, uh, Cool Beans magazine: "...this disc is amazing! Not just for the novelty of a seventy-minute 'song' that incorporates both ambient forest-rumble (I swear, you'll smell the breath of the wolf) and straight-up black metal riffarama, but for the sheer quality of the music alone! ... Perfect for staring out of a train window into a darkened, rainy and unknown landscape of a foreign land. Obviously, recommended!

ABSU Tara (Osmose) cd 16.98
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"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)"

MELECHESH Djinn (Osmose) cd 15.98
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Ok, so American death metallers Nile might have the market for Egyptian-themed metal all to themselves. And they're damn good at it. But what about the rest of the Middle East? Well, the guys in Melechesh play "Mesopotamian Metal"! And, they actually hail from the region -- several of the band are Arab-Israelis, now living in Europe. It's really an international effort, as on Djinn they are joined by new drummer Sir Proscriptor McGovern of Texan black trashers Absu! Hopefully you all know about him and them (see elsewhere this list for a review of the incredible new Absu disc). With Proscriptor, Melechesh take their Arabian Nights metal to new heights. Kinda like those '60s Turkish psych bands did on that fab "Hava Narghile" comp reviewed last list, the Melechesh legions fuse traditional Arabic music with their chosen brand of rock, in this case, black metal. The combination works really well, 'cause they do it with such heaviness and intensity. One of their slower numbers, "A Summoning Of Ifrit And Genii", might be one of the best metal songs we've heard all year. So, the music's great, and the occultic Middle Eastern concept's cool. They even have a song called "Rub The Lantern" (Hehehe, what's that an euphemism for? the Beavises among you are thinking...no, it's a song about rubbing the lantern, literally). Recommended. And it's amazing how much this ends up sounding like a metal version of Dick Dale...
RealAudio clip: "Whispers From The Tower"
RealAudio clip: "A Summoning Of Ifrit And Genii"
RealAudio clip: "Oasis Of Molten Gold"

OPTICAL*8 Gender (God Mountain) cd 19.98
We just did an order directly with Japanese avant-garde rock/jazz label God Mountain and picked up some old favorites, this being one of 'em. Optical*8 is (was?) the project of keyboardist/producer (and God Mountain head honcho) Hoppy Kamiyama, doing material ranging from downtown NPC avant-jazz to rock/funk fusion. But this disc from 1994 is a bit different than their others, and is our favorite by far. Here Hoppy is joined by the great Otomo Yoshihide on turntables and guitar, Friction's Reck on bass, and drummer Masafumi Minato. Together they create four thick slabs (tracks) of flangey distorted drone-rock with ethnic touches, unlike anything else. Praxis meets Skullflower?? It's a super heavy, psychedelic 'free-rock' exercise that makes it into Allan's personal top five of Otomo Yoshihide related-releases. ('High Fidelity' style, I, Allan, am compelled to list the other four: Ground Zero's first one, Ground Zero "Plays Standards", Ground Zero "Consume Red", I.S.O. "Gravity Clock", and, um, and the first Peril disc. Shoot, that's five. Arghh...) Anyway, this is a good one, seven years old but still great.
RealAudio clip: "Dispossable Heroes Do 'Lunch'"
RealAudio clip: "Dare To Be 'Uncool'"

KALACAKRA Crawling To Lhasa (Garden Of Delights) cd 21.00
The flood of compact disc reissues of obscure krautrock albums has been constant and overwhelming in recent years, but few discs are truly as cosmic and inspired as collector hype claims make them out to be. Usually an album's rarity is confused with "classic" status. But every once in a while, we get pleasantly blown away by an unexpected unknown. Kalacakra is one such album that deserves its mythical, mystical reputation (and $300 price tag on the collector's market). Reissued in 2001 (but not heard by us until more recently, due to the glut of such reissues alluded to above), Kalacakra's "Crawling To Lhasa" contains eight tracks of mantric acid-folk self-released in 1972 by the apparently drugged-out duo of Claus Rauschenbach ("guitars, kongas, percussions, vocals, harmonica, slentem") and Heinz Martin ("electr. guitars, flute, piano, vibraphon, schalmi, cello, violin, synthesizer"). Their strange, hippie sense of humor and obsession with the culture of Tibet (the name Kalacakra is the Tibetan term for "wheel of time") results in some fantastically nonsensical, eastern-influenced psychedelia (nonsensical? well, that "slentem" that Claus plays is in fact a non-existent, made-up instrument!). The album begins with the dark, hypnotic "Nearby Shiras", a song about a plague-ravaged town in olden Persia, which features some totally sinister and maniacal whispered German-language vocals, reminding us a bit even of Comus. As their crawl to Lhasa continues, Kalacakra venture into zones of lovely folk-strum and raga-rock as well, before the album wraps up with a deranged and damaged blues stumble called "Tante Olga". Oh, then there's two "bonus" tracks, recorded by Heinz in 1993, that are perhaps best ignored: electronic "world music" unfortunately lacking the mystery and insanity of his 1972 output, inoffensive but an unnecessary addition to this reissue for sure. Claus, we're told, still lives (on social security) in Kalacakra's home town of Duisburg, but does no recording. Good for him.
Some folks we know (who often make music under the name Thuja) got so inspired upon hearing this disc that they determined to start their own hippie psych side project, to be called "The Ways Of God To Man", drawing upon Kalacakra as well as the similar sounds of Yahowah 13 and Maru Sankaku Shikaku and Faust's "Tapes" as influences. We'll let you know if they manage to actually record anything!
Garden of Delights did their usual thorough job with this reissue, which boasts a thick booklet full of liner notes (in German and English), reproductions of label art from the original LP *and* from bootleg versions, plus photos of Claus and Heinz looking about as weird and long-haired and hippie-ish as it's possible to get!
Albums like this make us worry about overlooking other hidden gems amid the multitude of kraut/psych/prog reissues that we're blessed/cursed with every month, so we'll do our best to try and check 'em all out, eventually...whew...
RealAudio clip: "Nearby Shiras"
RealAudio clip: "Raga No. 11"
RealAudio clip: "Tante Olga"

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. La Novia (Swordfish) cd 17.98
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Now on cd with extra tracks! "La Novia" is a dark and droning take on the usual Acid Mothers Temple mix of hippie freak rock and experimental psych weirdness, with lots of faux-throat singing! Apparently this is based on traditional "Occitanian" folk music, which from the album graphics would appear to be a region of France. Hmm? In any event, it's a heavy, forty-minute trip-out mixing everything from distorted guitar and spacey synth to violin and bouzouki. Really great. And now, with this cd version, you don't have to get up and flip the record over halfway through. Plus, as we said, there's two lovely bonus tracks, totalling twenty haunting minutes more. Quite possibly this is our favorite AMT disc yet (and that's saying something, since there are now so many, and most are so good). Makoto Kawabata, Cotton Casino, Atsushi Tsuyama and Co. continue their quest for ultimate psychedelic world domination! (Indeed, look for them on a future cover of The Wire!)
RealAudio clip: "Bois-tu de la biere?"
RealAudio clip: "Bon Voyage au LSD"

MUSE Origin Of Symmetry (Mushroom UK) cd 24.00
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We're still not sure if/when there will be a domestic release of this new Muse opus, so in the meantime, here's the pricey import version. Muse? That's the British band that anyone who wishes Radiohead had made "OK Computer Parts II & III" instead of "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" should be *totally* into. Muse take Radiohead's "OK Computer" style dramatic art-rock and run with it. Soaring, breathy and melodramatic vocals, epic and bombastic instrumentation, everything Radiohead used to give us before they chose the difficult art route. In fact, Muse are slagged all the time for being Radiohead rip offs, but in the past we've sung the praises of the Radiohead-like sounds of the Justin Clayton record and the first Muse record, so why stop now? Our appetite was whetted for heart breaking stadium rock drenched in emotion and angst, and we've been forced to find it elsewhere, and Muse delivers. In fact, while they do have a lot in common with Radiohead, Muse do manage to stand out, with great songs, a killer vocalist, and a sound that is more psychedelic, more jammy, and way more rocking!
RealAudio clip: "New Born"
RealAudio clip: "Space Delerium"

MANOWAR Battle Hymns (Silver Edition) (Metal Blade) cd 16.98
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This is the very first attack (circa 1982) from these ultra-campy (but great!) he-man metallers, now remastered and reissued in time for their 20th anniversary. There's many classic tracks to be found here, including theme song "Manowar", "Fast Taker", "Dark Avenger" (with Orson Welles narration!), and a solo-bass-only cover of Rossini's "William Tell Overture". The 20-page booklet's got the lyrics, photos (of naked chicks, lots of amps, and the band with Orson Welles, that sort of thing) and extensive liner notes too, giving the whole early history of the band. In the beginning Manowar (featuring ex-Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss) was heavily influenced by KISS, you'll hear that here. Essential, over the top, hyperbolic metal (other, even more crucial Manowar recommendations: "Hail To England" and "Sign Of The Hammer", hopefully both getting "Silver Edition" treatment someday too)! Hyperbolic? Let us quote the note from Manowar found on the back of the cd booklet: "Beware: It is quite possible that this CD may cause your sound system to blow up. Let it die with honor. Fuck the World, Hail And Kill."
RealAudio clip: "Manowar"

V/A Alpha Motherfuckers (Hopeless) cd 13.98
Are you ready for some darkness? 'Cause here's a tribute to Norway's kings of darkness -- no we don't mean Emperor or Dimmu Borgir or any other black metallers, we mean those bastard spawn of the MC5 and the Village People, the one and only none-too-PC-punks Turbonegro! Tributes don't usually rate too high with us, but this is better than most, even if half of the 26 bands on here are Norwegian outfits uknown to us. The other half? More familiar names like Queens of the Stone Age, Supersuckers, Nashville Pussy, Therapy?, Dwarves (of course!), Ratos De Porao, Zeke (doing the always-controversial tune "Midnight NAMBLA"), and more. Making the unlikely Tom-of-Finland-meets-Tom-G.-Warrior connection, maybe the highlight for us here is the version of "I Got Erection" by Norway's best black metal band, Satyricon! (Why isn't there a band that sounds like this track all the time, a hybrid of grim guitar metal and hooky pop?) This is a fun comp, with Turbonegro's twisted high-octane Alice Cooper-inspired pop punkrock songwriting amply celebrated on such tracks as "Rock Against Ass", "Rendezvous With Anus", "Bad Mongo", "Hobbit Motherfuckers", "He's a Grungewhore" (a jazzy version of that by Motorpsycho offering some respite from the pogoing, fistshaking rock of much of the rest of this album). Another leftfield twist is Toby Dammit's percussion/sound effects laden non-rock version of "Prince of the Rodeo" that closes the disc. Despite being a covers comp, this may be one of the best rock records of the year so far...certainly it's the most tongue-in-cheek homoerotically rockin' one!
RealAudio clip: MARYSLIM "No Beast So Fierce"
RealAudio clip: SATYRICON "I Got Erection"
RealAudio clip: ADZ "Good Head"
RealAudio clip: GRIFFIN "Bad Mongo"

TOAD s/t (Second Battle) cd 21.00
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Why does anyone bother with the current crop of "stoner rock" when there's so much better stuff made back in the original stoner age (the '70s) now being reissued?? If you're into the Man's Ruin roster, and prone to buying albums by the latest Swedish Kyuss clone, yet don't have, say, Lucifer's Friend, Flower Travellin' Band, Leafhound, Captain Beyond, or Buffalo reissues in your collection, it's time to get with the program! Not that that's easy, since much of the good old shit is definitely obscure and unheralded. For instance, we hadn't ever heard of this Swiss band Toad until a kindly customer sold back a bootleg cd with an intriguing cover a couple years ago. Now, here's a legit reissue of the same album thanks to the freaks at Second Battle. This self-titled disc is the first and best of Toad's three LPs, serving up hard-rockin' stoner psych in the best blues-based tradition of early Blue Cheer and Led Zep. The first track "Cotton Wood Hill" will offer a clue about the lineage of this band, as Toad's rhythm section played on the classic LP of that same title by acid-fried Krautrockers Brainticket! Toad boasts an excellent vocalist put to good use on the more melodic parts of their sometimes quite long songs, but a large part of the LP is occupied by heavy (HEAVY) jamming instrumental excursions featuring the killer guitar of one Vic Vergeat. This is genuine heaviness, circa 1971. This reissue features four bonus tracks, including their spacey cover of Hendrix' "Purple Haze", a suitable choice indeed. Toad, dude.
RealAudio clip: "Cotton Wood Hill"
RealAudio clip: "Life Goes On"

V/A Yee-Haw! The Other Side of Country (QDK / Normal) cd 15.98
From the same label that released the three volumes (so far) of the wonderful "Love, Peace, & Poetry" international '60s psych compilation series, comes this new collection focusing on, uh, abnormal country music of the psychedelic era? Or as the label explains it: "There is another side of Country. All North American music from the the late '60s & '70's which just don't fit with a normal country & western release." Hmm, that's a kinda broad description -- and so you'll find a lot of stuff on this compilation that you wouldn't normally think of as "country music". But it *is* all "Americana" if you accept that as a musical genre, stuff that can be described as folky, countryish, sometimes gospel derived, all very unique and lonely and obscure music recorded by American artists between 1968 and 1980 (mostly circa '68 to '73). These are people who make Gram Parsons, Skip Spence, and Lee Hazlewood seem like household names. It's hard to pick out favorites, 'cause everything on here is pretty great, but I guess some of the highlights would include the two tracks taken from Peter Grudzien's weird 'homo-country' 1973 album "The Unicorn" (the bent & hilarious "White Trash Hillbilly Trick" and the lovely string-pickin' romp "The Lost World"), the psych-pop of "Country Girl" by hippie outfit Maitreya Kali, the freaky, almost-scary "Kill The Pig" by incredibly-named Mother Tuckers Yellow Duck, the Elvis/Tom Jones vocal stylings of the talented Arlie Neaville, and "Piledriver", a loungey ode to a mythic female trucker by Dennis the Fox. Also featured: Spur, Palmer Rocky, William C. Beeley, Alex Kubelin, The Bluebird, Weird Herald, Fresh Blueberry Pancake, Flying Circus, The Wilson McKinley, Kevin Vicalvi, Merrell Fankhauser, and Greenwood, Curley & Clyde. A great comp indeed, full of strange and beautiful stuff you wouldn't otherwise get to hear. The only real bummer about this is the lack of detailed liner notes, leaving many of the above names as intriguing mysteries. (All that's provided is an amusing Arlie Neaville ancedote from songwriter Jim Cuomo.) Recommended.
RealAudio clip: PETER GRUDZIEN "White Trash Hillbilly Trick"
RealAudio clip: KEVIN VICALVI "Lover Now Alone"

SUPERSILENT 1-3 (Rune Grammofon) 3cd 30.00
This Norwegian "death-jazz" trio make their debut on three cds, super-creative electronics/jazz improv, unlike much else. A big fave around here.

KARABOUDJAN Sbrodj (Relapse) cd ep 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
If you remember the Pan-Thy-Monium disc we raved about years ago, then you'll have some clue about what Karaboudjan sounds like, and how weird and amazing it is, as it's basically Pan-Thy-Monium mastermind (and celebrated Swedish metal producer/songwriter/drummer/etc.) Dan Swano revisiting the John Zorn-inspired bizarre experimental realms of P-T-M. That means a mindboggling collision of fuzzed-out superheavy bass lines, free jazz sax skronk, caveman vocal freakouts, fusion Moog keyboards, noise grind drum blasts -- it's all here. Three tracks, each one weirder than the last. We'd been waiting for this to come out for a LONG time, ever since a track appeared a couple years ago on a Relapse sampler, and the wait was worth it. Apparently the delay was caused in part by the label's concern over the Tintin-derived artwork (yes, Tintin, the Belgian comic book hero boy reporter with his little dog Snowy), the legal problem of which was solved by dropping that art concept entirely -- although the band name, song titles, and musician aliases still all reference Herge's cartoon adventure saga (i.e. sampler/fx by Agent Sponz, mix by Laszlo Careidas, drums by General Alcazar...) Very cool, for fans of both weird metal/music and Tintin alike!
RealAudio clip: "Plan 714 Till Sydney"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD Down Among The Deadmen (Doomed Planet) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Striking another blow for true metal, which as we all know belongs on vinyl, collectable vinyl at that, our favorite San Francisco heavy metallers (featuring members of Hammers of Misfortune, don't forget) unleash their previously cd-only "Deadmen" opus on a good ol' fashioned LP. And thus, there's more room for the fab Erol "D&D" Otus cover art, and the back cover now boasts an old-school photo collage (try to spot Slough Feg-fan Allan, he's on there, with a tie and long hair even). So if you've got a turntable tough enough to deal with some real heavy metal, then get this... Here's the review we wrote about the original cd version:
San Francisco's epic metal geniuses unleash their third opus. Sheer heavy metal mastery. Damn! If you like some real, melodic heavy metal once and while (instead of the "brutality" and "evil" of that ol' black metal/death metal stuff we love too) the way they used to do it back in the '70s and '80s, with all the crazy fantasy lyrics and shredding dual lead guitar solos you can handle, then you need to hear these guys. This is their best yet, really, with better production than their previous disc, "Twilight Of The Idols", but with equally wicked songs. This band is usually described as a mixture of Maiden, Lizzy, and Sabbath... That's true, they're all that, and not in just a wanna-be, "those are our influences" kinda way either -- 'cause after listening to "Down Among The Deadmen" you could imagine Slough Feg getting in the wayback machine and sharing the stage with any of 'em at Castle Donnington and holding their own just fine! This is one of the only bands I know of where the musicians started as punk/rockers but realized that instrumental virtuosity and compositional craft characteristic of their childhood/teenage metal heroes WERE valuable and could be put to non-ironic, non-lame use. And were talented enough to do it. So, inspired by the past they are, but they're also their own weird thing, a cult act if there ever was one. With songs about Roger Corman movies ("Death Machine" is based on motorcycles-in-the-future David Carridine flick "Death Sport"), fantasy Celtic mythology (the "Heavy Metal Monk/Fergus Mac Roich/Cauldron Of Blood" tryptych) and the classic science fiction roleplaying game Traveller ("Traders & Gunboats"), with Mike's decidely unordinary (but great) deepvoiced vocal majesty, and the plethora of amazing RIFFS, these guys rule!
For those who need an obscure indie/metal reference, it's kind of like The Champs meet Cirith Ungol or something; bizarre, epic, baroque, proud, a bit silly, masterful, very metal. So worthy of the delightful cover painting by cult D&D illustrator Erol Otus. The true heavy metal record of the year. Unbelievable!
RealAudio clip: "Death Machine"
RealAudio clip: "Walls Of Shame"
RealAudio clip: "Warriors Dawn"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD Warmness on the Soul (Goodlife) cd ep 9.98
Don't be fooled by the first track on this ep, a heartfelt piano ballad, complete with sentimental lyrics and an "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" style emotive guitar solo (the disc even contains an ultra cheesy video for this track as well -- is this song a joke? damn it's stuck in my head), 'cause everything changes with track two, "Darkness Surrounding". A roaring pop punk gallop, that breaks for some Beatle-esque three part harmonies, and then becomes a chugging, ultra-complex metal-core workout ala Coalesce or Converge. Fucking brutal, with some of the most insane drumming we have ever heard. The ep finishes off with a brief track that sounds like genuine eighties metal, but kind of supercharged and much heavier. A really weird, and great band. It seems that they're 16 year old kids from Orange County who can't decide if they want to play emo-punk, metallic hardcore, black metal (they all have silly names, like Synyster Gaytes and Shadows) or Guns 'N Roses-ish LA metal. And we're all for such indecision, 'cause joke or not they're really good at melding all those disparate styles, in a unique way. Can't wait for the full length!
RealAudio clip: "Warmness On The Soul"
RealAudio clip: "Darkness Surrounding"

I TEOREMI s/t (Akarma) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Bombastic '70s progressive rock proto-metal from Italy! I Teoremi were a quartet who really kicked out the jams hard, specializing in muscular, complex stuff that, amazingly enough, at its most extreme reminds us of the prog-punk of much more recent bands like Stinking Lizaveta, Breadwinner, and Ruins! Seriously. For 1972 (when this, their only album, was released), they're one of the heaviest and most spazz-tastic we've heard. Sure, you have to enjoy some grandiose vocals in the typical dramatic Italian prog style, but mostly this is about their instrumental ass-kicking. With its herky-jerky riffing and spiralling guitar patterns, "Il Dialogo d'un Pazzo" could be a song off of one of the first two albums by Greg Ginn's Gone for gosh shakes! This reissue on Arkarma, in one of their mini-lp style digipaks, includes two bonus tracks (which might not date from the same sessions). Everyone into early '70s hard prog and metal needs to hear this.
RealAudio clip: "Passi da Gigante"
RealAudio clip: "Il Dialogo d'un Pazzo"

SLOUGH FEG, THE LORD WEIRD / SOLSTICE split picture disc (Doomed Planet) 7" 5.98
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Here's one for metal vinyl collectors: a picture disc single featuring local heavy metal heroes The Lord Weird Slough Feg on one side, and epic British doom-lords Solstice on the other, each covering a tune by Manowar! (An admitted influence on the Brits, if not Slough Feg, although you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise). The Solstice side, featuring their super-heavy version of "Gloves of Metal", boasts high-school binder worthy pen-and-ink fantasy artwork from Twisted Tower Dire's Scott Waldrop. The Slough Feg side, on which they do one of Manowar's earlier, KISS-like tunes "Fasttaker", steals its art from the box for the Death Sport videotape. Play it at 45 (it's a 33) and singer Mike Scalzi's deeper-than-usual vocals actually end up in the range of the original's Eric Adams vox! And oh yeah, Death To False Metal!