CATALYST Swallow Your Teeth (The Perpetual Motion Machine) cd 9.98
This killer slab of blown out noise rock ferocity, NOW ON CD!!
These guys must destroy live. Check out the picture on the sleeve, wild frenzied sweaty kids mid-mosh, a bloodied microphone, and then of course there's the music, a fucking skull crushing unholy post punk noise rock racket that manages to take all the stuff we loved about Sub Pop and AmRep and nineties noise rock and amp it all up two thousands style. A little bit of screamo, a bit of post hardcore, but really, these guys could have come straight out of 1995, cuz they just don't make shit like this anymore. Only, they do. Catalyst does, and it sounds as good as it ever did.
Heavy as fuck, catchy as fuck, wild tribal drumming, buzz drenched super distorted riffage, howled vocals, soaring choruses, plenty of mathy breakdowns, a little bit off groove, hooks galore, warped woozy guitar harmonies all tangled and melodic reminding us big time of Drive Like Jehu, and heck, they even have a song called "Lars Ulrich's 1986 Funeral (It Should Have Been You)".
We raved about their previous record Marianas Trench, which we still have a few copies of, but this one is even better, heavier, catchier... We often lament the lack of actual BANDS, y'know, bands that write songs, there's so much dronemusic, and experimental ambience, and free folk improv, and blackend buzz, and we do love all that, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like an actual rock band, pounding away on actual instruments, sweating, bleeding, leaping off the stage, rolling around on the floor, and spitting out actual songs. Of course it helps when the band is this bad ass and the songs rule this hard, so if you've been hankering for some seriously heavy post punk noise rock in your life, and who amongst us HASN'T? Well, then these guys should definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "I Hate The Future"
MPEG Stream: "Lars Ulrich's 1986 Funeral (It Should Have Been You)"
MPEG Stream: "Assholier Than Thou"

CATALYST + LATEDUSTER Plain Old Andrea, With A Gun (Firetrunk) dvd 12.98
You may be familiar with the pastoral jazz-twang sounds of Minneapolis band Lateduster (whose roster features Andrew Broder and Martin Dosh of Fog) from their impressive Five Easy Pieces cdep or self-titled full length we have here at AQ, but did you know they also composed music for a dance performance choreographed by Ms Emily Johnson? 'Tis true. Their aural accompaniment to the Catalyst troupe's presentation of "Plain Old Andrea, With A Gun" shows a somewhat darker, more tense and gritty side to the group. Very fitting for the volatile, unsettling visual proceedings. The dvd includes two versions of the performance, a behind the scenes documentary and some highlights from "Lateduster - Live At The Walker".

CATALYST, THE Marianas Trench (The Perpetual Motion Machine) 12" 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Killer one sided slab of crushing, heavy post hardcore stoner grunge screamo heaviness from these Richmond Virginia noisemakers. Grinding, pummeling, super distorted and angular post punk, but with some serious groove, and vocals that go from howled to screeched to crooned (well almost), killer riffs, filthy and heavy, pounding drums, mathy and chaotic, think Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Mudhoney, Halo Of Flies, the Melvins, lots of Amrep, some Sub Pop, and here and there, Nirvana at their noisiest and heaviest.Ê
Definitely old school, and can't help but remind us of the good old grunge days, but it's hyped up, and filtered through a more modern take on post screamo hardcore, some seriously heavy, hooky ass kicking stuff.Ê
Limited to 700 copies, these are on clear vinyl with the flipside sporting an awesome tripped out, psychedelic blue ink silkscreen. All housed in an amazing full color sleeve. Way recommended.Ê

CATALYST, THE Marianas Trench + 9 (The Perpetual Motion Machine) cd 5.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
We had the one sided 12" version of this here disc a while back, but now it's been reissued with those 4 songs, as well as a whopping 9 more from an earlier lp and a split with fellow noisemakers Mass Movement Of The Moth. So all you record impaired folks can finally dig in to this monstrously noisy slab of post punk rrroooaaar.
This is some seriously crushing, heavy, post hardcore stoner grunge screamo heaviness coming at you straight from Richmond Virginia. Grinding, pummeling, super distorted and angular post punk, but with some serious groove, and vocals that go from howled to screeched to crooned (well almost), killer riffs, filthy and heavy, pounding drums, mathy and chaotic, think Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Mudhoney, Halo Of Flies, the Melvins, lots of AmRep, some Sub Pop, and here and there, Nirvana at their noisiest and heaviest.Ê
Definitely old school, and can't help but remind us of the good old grunge days, but it's hyped up, and filtered through a more modern take on post screamo hardcore, some seriously heavy, hooky ass kicking stuff.Ê
Way recommended.
MPEG Stream: "This Bike Is A Gravity Bong"
MPEG Stream: "Kyle Vs. Robocop"
MPEG Stream: "Proceed With Caution"

CATALYST, THE Swallow Your Teeth (The Perpetual Motion Machine) lp 11.98
These guys must destroy live. Check out the picture on the sleeve, wild frenzied sweaty kids mid-mosh, a bloodied microphone, and then of course there's the music, a fucking skull crushing unholy post punk noise rock racket that manages to take all the stuff we loved about Sub Pop and AmRep and nineties noise rock and amp it all up two thousands style. A little bit of screamo, a bit of post hardcore, but really, these guys could have come straight out of 1995, cuz they just don't make shit like this anymore. Only, they do. Catalyst does, and it sounds as good as it ever did.
Heavy as fuck, catchy as fuck, wild tribal drumming, buzz drenched super distorted riffage, howled vocals, soaring choruses, plenty of mathy breakdowns, a little bit off groove, hooks galore, warped woozy guitar harmonies all tangled and melodic reminding us big time of Drive Like Jehu, and heck, they even have a song called "Lars Ulrich's 1986 Funeral (It Should Have Been You)".
We raved about their previous record Marianas Trench, which we still have a few copies of, but this one is even better, heavier, catchier... We often lament the lack of actual BANDS, y'know, bands that write songs, there's so much dronemusic, and experimental ambience, and free folk improv, and blackend buzz, and we do love all that, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like an actual rock band, pounding away on actual instruments, sweating, bleeding, leaping off the stage, rolling around on the floor, and spitting out actual songs. Of course it helps when the band is this bad ass and the songs rule this hard, so if you've been hankering for some seriously heavy post punk noise rock in your life, and who amongst us HASN'T? Well, then these guys should definitely hit the spot.
MPEG Stream: "I Hate The Future"
MPEG Stream: "Lars Ulrich's 1986 Funeral (It Should Have Been You)"
MPEG Stream: "Assholier Than Thou"

CATANI, PATRIC 100 DPS (DHR Limited) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Can't say that any of the EC8OR records have anything for me. But when EC8OR's Gina and Patric are working independently of each other, the results kick ass. Patric's latest assualt features an arsenal of 'Amen' breaks shattered into high velocity shards of spastic snares and devestating bass. Digital Hardcore junkies will be most pleased!

CATANI, PATRIC 100 DPS (DHR Limited) lp 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Can't say that any of the EC8OR records have anything for me. But when EC8OR's Gina and Patric are working independently of each other, the results kick ass. Patric's latest assualt features an arsenal of 'Amen' breaks shattered into high velocity shards of spastic snares and devestating bass. Digital Hardcore junkies will be most pleased!

CATANI, PATRIC Attitude PC8 (DHR) cd 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
EC8OR leader Patrick Catani's newest solo album, "Hitler 2000", although now re-named (for cd release) "Attitude PC8" and with much of the 'wacky' Hitler artwork removed, is a huge pounding slab of distorted breakbeats and straight-up noise. Brutal and catchy and funny. Kind of like a tagteam match between Lesser, Alec Empire, Kid 606, and Merzbow. It's hard to believe that this stuff can keep getting harder and more distorted and more fucked up, but it does. We're still waiting (hoping?) for a domestic release on this one, for now here's the import.

CATANI, PATRIC Snuff Out (DHR) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another Digital Hardcore militant, better known for his work with EC8OR.

CATANI, PATRIC Snuff Out (DHR) cdep 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another Digital Hardcore militant, better known for his work with EC8OR.

CATAPILLA Changes (Akarma) cd 15.98

CATAPILLA s/t (Akarma) cd 15.98

CATFIVE American Military Operations (self-released) 7" 5.98
In 2001 East Bay's Catfive released a good record filled with unlikely samples -- Fela-style afrofunk, Brazilian batucada, lounge, moments of dub, scratching that sounds like a twisted harmonica -- that worked so well atop a mix of beats and groove. The new 7" is somewhat timely -- a pro-peace, anti-war message -- but as such is maybe a little too predictable, featuring samples of Bush I and II, other politicians, journalists, Elvis, etc. Negativland is funnier, but Catfive's hearts are certainly in the right place. The B-side is a cool gimmick, though. It plays backward -- i.e. the needle starts in the middle and works its way outwards. It's a bunch of cartoon / old movie / tv samples with a similar political bent as side A, but without added music. On transparent red vinyl.

CATFIVE Kataphonics (Hip Hop Slam) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Remember that amazing Milk Cult record from last year? I'm liking this Cat Five record for the same reasons: it's a winning combination (a bit lighter than Milk Cult) of unlikely samples mixed together in a very accessible, headnodding fashion. Every sound or sample works both as a percussive and a melodic element, whether it's Fela-style afrofunk, Brazilian batucada, lounge music, moments of dub, scratching that sounds like a twisted harmonica, or silly film clips, it all works well, like a hip hop gig filmed in 1920s madcap silent film style. Or DJ Shadow's ditzy younger cousin or something. Cat Five are from East Bay, headed by the guy otherwise known as Balanceman (who released an album on Deluxe). A nice surprise!
RealAudio clip: "Linkage"
RealAudio clip: "Shadrach"
RealAudio clip: "Travelite"
RealAudio clip: "Run 2 the Jungle"

CATHARS Amorpheus (Miau Miau International) cd 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The project of Kurt Ralske from old timey 4AD faves Ultravivid Scene. Pretty, clicky swoonscapes for fans of Main.

CATHEDRAL Caravan Beyond Redemption (Earache) cd 12.98

CATHEDRAL Endtyme (Earache) cd 15.98
Wow! Back to the DOOM for these jolly British gents, no more of the tongue-in-cheek discofied retro '70s rock pastiche that, well, sucked, and rendered the majority of their output over the last decade (excepting their mighty debut) pretty much worthless. It's as if Cathedral suddenly woke up one morning and remembered that in the beginning they used to be the HEAVIEST, heavier even than today's crop of doomsters like Electric Wizard, and they'd better do something about reclaiming their throne. So they enlisted SF's own master of heaviness Billy Anderson (Sleep, Melvins, Neurosis, etc.) to produce, and have crafted a return to true, serious Sabbathy DOOM. A return to their roots, more or less. Well, this doesn't sound like their debut doom masterpiece Forest of Equilibrium, at all (not slow enough, and no flutes!) but it's true that this is Cathedral's best effort since that 1990 LP. One of their post-"Forest" problems had been frontman Lee Dorrian's unfortunate inclination to sing, despite his obvious inability. On Endtyme though, he at least doesn't try, going back to almost the growl he used in his early, Napalm Death days. Likewise the more overtly cartoonish aspects of Cathedral's past are dispensed with: their mission here is to daze you with their psychedelic moods and then rush you with their riffs, and they succeed...call it a comeback!
RealAudio clip: "Whores To Oblivion"
RealAudio clip: "Astral Queen"

CATHEDRAL Forest Of Equilibrium (Earache) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY. BUT SEE ELSEWHERE ON OUR SITE FOR THE NEW VERSION WITH BONUS DVD!
As we said in our review of one of their more recent albums, British band Cathedral's debut was one of the heaviest slabs of doom metal heard in 1990, melding slowed-down Sabbath riffage, depressed prog-folk flutes, and ex-Napalm Death throat Lee Dorrian's gravelly vocals. A top 20 all-time doom album for sure, and one of Allan's faves particularly. This band has never made a better record, indeed, they went on to make many worse ones, before getting their doom on again for 2001's Endtyme.

CATHEDRAL Forest Of Equilibrium (Earache) cd + dvd 16.98
Ok, raise your hands, everybody into Electric Wizard and Moss and Sleep and Reverend Bizarre and Om and, uh, Solar Anus, do you all have a copy of Cathedral's 1990 debut album Forest Of Equilibrium in your doom collection?? If not, total doom-foul. You must rectify that immediately, we decree. And now's the time, 'cause Earache has just reissued this all-time doom classic with not only an entire out of print ep tacked on as bonus tracks, but also with an extra dvd disc featuring a 40 minute documentary shot in 2009, about the band's early daze... which means folks who DO already have the original might want to consider the upgrade.
Now, as we've said before, British band Cathedral's debut was one of the saddest, heaviest slabs of doom ever heard, magically melding slowed-down Sabbath riffage, depressed prog-folk flutes, and ex-Napalm Death throat Lee Dorrian's gravelly vocals. It belongs in any doom metal top 20, maybe top 10, we would argue. And the band never made a better record, though the four song Soul Sacrifice ep that immediately followed this was also pretty fine (and that's what's included here as bonus tracks!).
From the morose, molasses-slow strains of album's opening, the acoustic guitar and flute intro entitled "Picture Of Beauty And Innocence" that leads into the majestically crushing "Commiserating The Celebration", the unique quality of Forest Of Equilibrium's take on classic, epic doom metal is evident. Early Cathedral's gruff gothic exhalations and chugging downtuned doomic riffs is something quite special to behold, preferably sitting on a pillow or lying prone on the floor, perhaps wreathed in pot smoke, directly in front of a very loud set of speakers. There's something warm-blanket soothing about it, the utter sobbing misery expressed somehow comforting.
These guys never made a secret of their heavy progressive, proto metal, psychedelic '70s influences (proudly listing obscure bands known only to bearded record collectors and aging hippies in their cd booklets' thanks lists at great length) but unlike Witchcraft, for instance, Cathedral didn't attempt to emulate those bands exactly, rather they incorporated certain elements of '70s prog (like the occasional flute!) into their much heavier-than-thou Sabbath/Candlemass derived sludge metal, going to an epic extreme (at the time) hitherto unmatched of sheer glacial-paced melancholia. Remember, frontman Lee Dorrian's former band Napalm Death was one of the FASTEST bands ever, so his next band Cathedral had to be the SLOWEST, the equivalent of grindcore at 16rpm. With of course ultra-long songs (the first track clocking in at over 11 minutes). The Soul Sacrifice ep did see the band speeding up a bit, and Lee letting loose with a few Ozzy-derived "All right!" exclamations, which led eventually to the slightly too much tongue in cheek let's boogie '70s kitsch stoner rock that characterized the middle period of their long career. But never fear, that came later, Forest Of Equilibrium is deadly serious, utterly doomed and despairing. And oh so beautiful.
For those who have the original, some further notes on the extra stuff included here:
Soul Sacrifice ep includes an extended version of the title track, also on Forest, plus three others: "Autumn Twilight", "Frozen Rapture", and "Golden Blood (Flooding)", all of which could have fit in perfectly well on the album itself style-wise, though the production is a bit different sounding.
Then, the bonus dvd documentary about the formation of the band and the making of Forest Of Equilibrium is going to be quite interesting to fans. It even includes an interview with the artist responsible for all of Cathedral's fantastical cover art, and concludes with the music video for the track "Ebony Tears".
MPEG Stream: "Ebony Tears"
MPEG Stream: "Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain"
MPEG Stream: "Golden Blood (Flooding)"

CATHEDRAL The Garden Of Unearthly Delights (Nuclear Blast) cd 15.98
These leading British doom eccentrics doom it up in their usual unique style on this, their eighth long-player. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights sees Cathedral happily (yup, happy doom!) doing just what they want, secure in the knowledge that they've reached a stage in their career where they have fans who love 'em for just being themselves. In other words, their '70s prog obessions are waaaay to the fore here, resulting in the disc's grand finale, a tricky five-hour opus (well, not quite that long, it's more like half an hour) called "The Garden". And we must say they do a better job of it this time than they did some years ago on the equally epic ep-track "Voyage Of The Homeless Sapien". Back then they bit off a bit more than they could chew, now they're up to the task. It helps having a guest female singer with a sweet voice to duet with Lee Dorrian's characteristic gravelly gargle. There's about a million parts to it, bits echoing Led Zeppelin at one moment, Magma at another, etc. etc.
But besides that utter progfest, there's plenty of other crushing tracks here to provide Cathedral fans with more in the way of straightforward Sabbathy rifforama (and other surprises), just like you'd expect from these guys. We also have to mention the hidden bonus track on which Lee runs down a list of all their favorite obscure '70s prog/kraut/psych bands, while the band does some heavy vamping behind him! Blast Furnace, Cosmic Dealer, Irish Coffee, Supersister, Icecross, Paternoster, Nosferatu, Hairy Chapter, and a bunch more all get name-checked. Gotta love that.
Sorry, we don't have the import digipack anymore with the scratch-and-sniff apple smelling cd, just the regular jewel case edition.
MPEG Stream: "Tree Of Life And Death"
MPEG Stream: "North Berwick Witch Trials"

CATHEDRAL The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast) 2cd 15.98
The UK's Cathedral, a band who first appeared back at the dawn of the nineties, should be well known to a lot of AQ customer types for their undisputed significance to the doom metal scene. Back when they first started dooming it up, doom metal wasn't exactly the happening subgenre it is today, and they were one of the proud few carrying on so blatantly the Black Sabbath tradition. While contemporaries Eyehategod (and before them, Saint Vitus) adapted a slowed-down version of the Sabbath sound and went in a more punk, feedback filled direction with it, Cathedral took Sabbath, slowed it down even more, but also progged it up (flute!) to make at least one majestic, melancholic masterpiece of slo-mo sludge, Forest Of Equilibrium, their debut full length. After that, their long career to date has seen 'em pass through a more commercial, stoner rockin' phase (with unfortunate extra lashings of '70s disco kitsch), several albums worth of that, after which they got a bit more serious and heavied it up for a couple comeback discs (Endtyme in particular) that sounded something like their earlier stuff, before again allowing their innate British silliness (and love of indulgent '70s progressive rock) to take over for the wonderfully WTF? album The Garden Of Unearthly Delights in 2005. At that point, it became clear that Cathedral had been around long enough to get to do indeed whatever the fuck they liked, and what they liked, and still like, is that aforementioned '70s prog! So now, five years later we have their newest opus, and in grand prog tradition it's a double album, that's right, two discs all a-sprawl with progged-out quasi doom eccentricity unlike ANYTHING else (not even Solar Anus). Aptly titled, The Guessing Game.
Disc one (dis) eases us into things with an intro instrumental entitled "Immaculate Misconception", all Hammer Horror Hammond organ, malevolent and pounding, heralding (along with the sounds of a crying baby) this latest Cathedral conundrum, the remaining tracks confusionally consisting of, among other things, herky jerky bits, sudden metal riff-storms, folky motifs, cowbell rockin', and characteristically curious vocals from the gruff gargley throat of mainman Lee Dorrian - probably the weak link here for some, his singing never really being Cathedral's strong suit anyway. No offense meant, he's the heart and soul of Cathedral as well as the excellent Rise Above label, but we'd imagine he doesn't ever win any karaoke contests. However, what you ALSO always get with Cathedral are heavy as heck guitars, and yes their axes are still wielded weightily and have THAT tone (recently borrowed by hotly tipped Finnish doomdeath act Hooded Menace, fellow fans of the '70s Spanish "Blind Dead" movies). And, in addition, they unfurl wild psych solos in quite satisfying fashion. So, amidst everything else, purist doom fans should enjoy the heaviosity of such cuts as "Painting In The Dark" and "Death Of An Anarchist", though they'll also have to deal with the headspinning circusy prog with which this album is rife, especially on tracks like "Funeral Of Dreams". Not to mention the almost post-punk-funk of "Cats, Incense, Candles & Wine"!! That'd be the first disc's most weird-ass one, wrapping up with acoustic guitar and whistling, believe it or not. Works for us, though. Forgetting that it's Cathedral you're listening to (not hard) might help, though that realization also adds to the insanity.
While we needn't go through it in detail, disc two is equally out there of course, another idiosyncratic melange, full of Sabbathisms and silliness, with surprises (?) ranging from King Crimson-y dramatics to to grinding doompunk to Goblin inspired hairy wah-funk. They get their groove on, all right, sometimes to taste-defying effect... Also we gotta mention the final track, "Journey Into Jade", with lyrics that recount Cathedral's own history/discography, discussing each album of theirs in turn! Even Darkthrone has never done that, yet. Though less open-minded listeners might not hear the forest (of equilibrium) for the trees, devoted Cathedral fans (those who like ALL their stuff, even the most outre) shouldn't be disappointed, and non-doom, non-metal prog peeps might want to give this a spin as well.
MPEG Stream: "Painting In The Dark"
MPEG Stream: "Cats, Incense, Candles & Wine"
MPEG Stream: "La Noche Del Buque Maldito (Aka Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead)"
MPEG Stream: "The Running Man"

CATHEDRAL VIIth Coming (Spitfire) cd 16.98
Cathedral. No, don't think light and airy, magnificent house of God. Think massive, weighty, and ancient -- lair of gargoyles, temple to superstition. Despite debuting with one of the heaviest slabs of doom metal heard in 1990 (Forest Of Equilibrium, which melded slowed-down Sabbath riffage, depressed prog-folk flutes, and gravelly vocals), the blokes in Cathedral soon took a tongue-in-cheek "stoner rock disco" detour for most of their career, only to regain their relevance with last year's seriously doomy comeback Endtyme. Now, VIIth Coming fortunately demonstrates that Endtyme was only a new beginning for the band. Straight out of the gate, opener "Phoenix Rising" gives notice that these guys mean business, that business is good, and that their business is, as you may have guessed, killing. The next cut, "Resisting The Ghost", is even faster (for them) and more furious. They still do slow, though, as the following track "Skullflower" demonstrates. It's monolithic '70s riffing and ultra-heavy doom groove all the way, pretty much the formula for the whole album. Sure, the keyboards and spoken-singing of "Aphrodite's Winter" come as a departure, but Cathedral for the most part walk the straight and narrow (left-hand) path here, avoiding the overt silliness and intentional kitsch of past Cathedral travesties. Compared to Endtyme, this does swing Sabbath-like a bit more, but without reverting to taking the piss like they did for so many years. No, they're now taking seriously their own talent for achieving atmospheres of heaviness and despair (even whilst rockin' the cowbell). Thank you Cathedral, for making it possible for an old fan to like you once again!
RealAudio clip: "Resisting The Ghost"
RealAudio clip: "Black Robed Avenger"

CATHETERS Howling... It Grows and Grows!!! (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Record number three from these Northwestern grunge/punk rockers. We loved their last record and this one is just as good. Snarling, strutting, glammy, sloppy, druggy, sweaty, swaggering, foot stomping, head banging, fist pumping RAWK. An unholy union of the Stooges, Mudhoney, classic rock, punk rock and all stops in between. This is the kind of band that rocks so hard, that when they disappear with your girlfriend in the club's bathroom you almost don't even care. You do of course end up kicking their scrawny little rock and roll asses that night in the parking lot anyway, but you still listen to their whole record on the drive home 'cause it just KICKS SO MUCH ASS!
MPEG Stream: "No Natural Law"
MPEG Stream: "Reaction"

CATHETERS Static Delusions and Stone-Still Days (Sub Pop) cd 13.98
Falling somewhere between AQ faves the Burning Brides and other AQ faves the Electric Eels or Rocket From The Tombs, the Catheters are about as close as anyone's come to being a modern day Stooges. Big praise, but this record smokes. It's heavy and noisy and sloppy and catchy as fuck. Garage-y punk rock with sexy screechy boy vocals equal parts Mudhoney, Stooges, 70's rawk, and burned out, hyper-distorted garage with songs that kill, razor sharp guitars, and a fucking damaged superstar vocalist. Nice packaging too. Super fucked up, with all the registration off, the booklet folded wrong and mangled, crooked tray card, misprinted disc (all on purpose, of course). So fucked up in fact that they were forced to put a sticker on it so people wouldn't return it.
RealAudio clip: "Been There Before"
RealAudio clip: "I Fall Easy"
RealAudio clip: "3000 Ways"

CATHODE TERROR SECRETION, THE Spectre of History's Design (RRR Records) lp 21.00
Holy shit is this awesome. Some sort of super dense, ultra distorted, noise drenched electronic grind, not at all what we expected from RRR, well, maybe the noise part, but this is just so awesomely heavy and intense and face meltingly brutal.
Long swaths of grinding glitchy electronic drones give way to buzzing frenzied gabber-like hyperspeed grind, which in turn gives way to lurching noisecapes of sculpted distorted crunch and maniacal almost black metal shrieks, all wreathed in sheets of feedback, buried beneath layers of grit and grime, everything laced with malfunctioning electronics, fractured effects, and shrieking sine wave like tones. There do seem to be songs, but the various tracks and parts just ooze and sprawl into each other, a heaving massive expanse of constantly shifting heaviness, gnarled and twisted, and fractured and freaked out. Spaced out ambience wraps itself around long slow creepy drones, laced with more sine waves and haunting chantlike voices, full on digital hardcore blow outs pepper stretches of completely fried blasts of melting metallic damage, everything laced with weird samples, children's voices, folky percussion, mysterious vocals, all quickly swallowed up by glitched out slabs of corrosive heavily effected buzz, and shot through with garbled underwater alien vox and buried machinelike blast beat pound. Fucking awesome. Probably the heaviest, most freaked out slab of electronic hypergrind-blacknoize we've ever heard.

CATHOLICON Lost Chronicles Of The War In Heaven (The Black Hand) cd 10.98
Buzzing and drony primitive keyboard-flecked black metal from right here in the U.S. Released on The Black Hand (Rage of Achilles imprint). Really raw and hypnotic. Lots of midtempo, chugging riffs and haunting Burzum-y keyboards that occasionally evolve into stumbling not-exactly-blast beats. Weird and inept and pretty fucking cool.

CATHOLICON Of Ages Past (UW) cd+dvd 11.98
Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Catholicon spent roughly 15 years cranking out their own blend of blackened brutality before calling it quits last year. The band definitely existed within the realm of black metal, but that's only part of the equation. Not surprisingly, given their origins, you get a nice healthy dose of misanthropic hardcore sludge, Southern style, as well as some early Earache styled death and grind. And there's more, like plenty of spaced out synths and a dark electronic influence at times, none of which gets in the way of Catholicon's blasphemous metallic fury. So basically, there is nothing NOT to like here.
Of Ages Past serves as a nice summary for this prolific band, and the bonus audio dvd collects all the band's demos as well as some live recordings, unreleased tracks, and rehearsal tapes. The musicianship is spot on, everyone slays, but thankfully no one ever tries to grandstand. Instead, the band sounds like a dangerous metal machine intent on total destruction. At times, they're super burly and doomy sounding with vocals ranging from death metal barks to black metal shrieking. Everything is downtuned and sludgy sounding but often performed in the manner of early Carcass or Bolt Thrower, or maybe even Discharge if they gave it all up to Satan, but with a definite American vibe. The winding riffs are lumbering and hypnotic, and there are even some surprises, like in "Land Beyond The Stars", where an almost Middle Eastern sounding synth melody gives you an idea of what Omar Souleyman might sound like if he had been influenced by Burzum. Haha, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but you get the point: the band wasn't afraid to go at it by their own rules. Obviously, this is a good thing. Throughout it all, Catholicon just fucking rocks and will keep you headbanging into the next morning for sure. Highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Blood Ink For The Book Of Life"
MPEG Stream: "Land Beyond The Stars"
MPEG Stream: "Revel In The Ashes"

CATIVO 3 Seconds is Now (Force Inc. / Position Chrome) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Easily the most pop oriented & dancefloor friendly release for the catastrophic drum & bass label Position Chrome, Cativo lightens the mood set by Panacea & Problem Child for a melodic drum & bass album jack-knifed with tense two-step swing beats.

CATLANDGREY s/t (Milk And Moon) cd 12.98
Imagine the sweeping epic grandeur of Godspeed You Black Emperor, the glistening frosted filigree of Sigur Ros and the dark folk gravity of Steve Von Till of Neurosis' solo work all combined within one album. Sound good to you? It sure does to us! Such is the case with Catlandgrey's self-titled album. Utter sprawling gorgeousness. Simple spare drumming spread out over swoonsome dreaminess and moody melancholia, horns moan, bells chime, guitars shimmer and drift, vocals whisper and croon, everything wrapped in a glistening mist of reverb, flecked with tiny glimmers of electronica glitchery. So nice.
Packaged in a hand numbered black digipak with a tiny flying cat photo affixed to the front and a googly eye!
MPEG Stream: "The Night Before Thanksgiving (Tale Of Jesus Jose)"
MPEG Stream: "An Attempt To Reach The Hand Of God (Lacking Rhythm)"

CATLETT , FRANCISCO MORA Outerzone (Premier Cru) cd 6.98
Solo album from former member of Sun Ra's Arkestra. Featuring remix by Carl Craig.

CATLIN, TIM Radio Ghosts (23five) cd 14.98
Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca had to start somewhere, somehow, before they had the clout to recruit for their guitar battalions in a quest to generate his minimalist / maximalist mantras of transcendent noise. Fellow avant-guitarist Tim Catlin has yet to branch out into territories of large ensemble guitar compositions, yet it's certainly exciting to witness the birth of an artist who will undoubtedly join the ranks of Chatham and Branca as one of the premier avant-guitar composers. A few years back, we bellowed loudly about the debut recording from Mr. Catlin, an unassumingly great album of mechanically attacked guitar vibrations entitled Slow Twitch; and now, we are just as thrilled by Catlin's second disc, the equally exquisite Radio Ghosts.
At the moment, Catlin prefers the prepared guitar, laid flat on the table Keith Rowe style, and then agitates the entire body of his instrument with any number of mechanical and magnetic means. Fan blades, E-bows, and battery-powered motors are each set up in a variety of strategies to create a complex set of droning vibrations whose multiple overtones send shockwaves of contaminated frequencies across the wood, strings, and metal of the guitar. These sounds are immaculately recorded and given only the bare minimum of mastering to heighten the exhilarating drones. Here on Radio Ghosts, Catlin fabricates the same harmonic dissonance through sustained drones that one might hear in LaMonte Young's dream theatrics or Tony Conrad's blistering violin screech or Organum's cacophonic metallic chorus or Rhys Chatham's billowing mass from 400 guitarists. Yeah, this is pretty much the pinnacle of '60s holy minimalism catapulted 40 years into the future; the only difference is that you've probably never heard of Tim Catlin. Do not miss out on this fucking brilliant album!
MPEG Stream: "Hysterisis"
MPEG Stream: "Black Magnet"
MPEG Stream: "Mirage"

CATLIN, TIM Slow Twitch (Dr. Jim's Records) cd 17.98
We've been digging the music of Tim Catlin a whole bunch lately, and managed to get this old favorite back in stock. We reviewed it originally a couple years back but for those of you who missed it or only just discovered the music of Tim Catlin, here's what we had to say about it the first time around:
Tim Catlin has made maybe the greatest experimental guitar albums you're least likely to hear. One of which is Slow Twitch, released on the under-represented Australian label Dr. Jim's. If you've bought a Christian Fennesz, Oren Ambarchi, Birchville Cat Motel, or Sunroof album you owe it to yourself to pick up Tim Catlin's Slow Twitch. It's really that good. Slow Twitch is not another Max/MSP demonstration of deconstructed guitar samples, nor is it a improvised wall of sound from blistered amplifiers struggling to keep up with high voltage attacks; rather Catlin constructs very low-tech systems of fans, e-bows, and other mechanical devices that keep the guitar strings moving. These experiments are then immaculately recorded with little to no post-production, probably just a couple of edits, snips, and crossfades. In the end, Catlin's automatically propelled guitars resemble the resonant frequencies that Jean-Francois Laporte coaxed out of a bunch of air compressors (or perhaps a Zamboni) on his stellar Mantra disc. Rasping striations of metal vibrating against metal form complex drone harmonics that double and triple throughout the spectrum, with placid low end rumblings sympathetically resonating with angelic shimmerings. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.
MPEG Stream: "Metal Fatigue"
MPEG Stream: "Slow Twitch"

CATLIN, TIM & JON MUELLER Plates And Wires (Crouton) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The amplifier hum rattles the drum head of a snare which in turns vibrates the gong and sets off a resonant frequency on the piece of metal resting on the guitar strings, which in turns rattles the snare again and the cycle repeats itself. This almost sounds like a game of Mouse Trap or any given Rube Goldberg contraption of ludicrous proportions; yet, Australian avant-guitarist Tim Catlin and Milwaukee's own Jon Mueller used such a methodology for the construction of their seemingly simple but incredibly rich album Plates And Wires. Catlin has just come off of the success of his impeccable Radio Ghosts album of rasping acoustic drones on his prepared guitar and joins Mueller, whose treatments of gongs, bells, the drum kit, and percussive elements of all shapes and sizes mirrors what Catlin does to the guitar. When Catlin and Mueller begin to generate their quiet fluctuations of sustained harmonics and constantly abraded textures, their sounds enjoy an organic intimacy. Each droning sound emerges out of an ambient co-habitation and cross-contamination of psychoacoustic manipulation, resulting from very little (if any) digital tricks. Everything flutters elegantly in sympathetic arrangements of interwoven ebbs and flows in serpentine patterns for an album that parallels the acoustic richness of such tactile minimalists as Glenn Branca, Organum, Rhys Chatham, and Jason Khan.
Oh yeah, this CD comes housed in an oversized 10" sleeve with artwork by Thomas Kovacich and is limited to an edition of a mere 300 copies.
MPEG Stream: "Track 1"
MPEG Stream: "Track 3"
MPEG Stream: "Track 5"

CATLIN, TIM & MACHINEFABRIEK Glisten (Low Point) cd 14.98
Two of our favorite avant-guitarist types working together, but fair warning, we have seriously limited stock on this title.
The Australian Tim Catlin has long been keen on the unconventional useage of the guitar's six strings and pick-ups, using various motors, vibrators (yes, sex toys), fans, mallets, bows, and then some to generate uncanny drones and resonant frequencies that seem to elude those with a mighty DSP arsenal at their disposal. The last we heard from Catlin was a couple of years ago when he released his groundbreaking Radio Ghosts cd for 23five, right at the same time as his first collaborative project with Jon Muller appeared. Through those projects Catlin came in contact with Rutger Zuydervelt, whose Machinefabriek project has long held sway here at Aquarius records and is also no stranger to the collaborative process. The process found Catlin sending Zuydervelt various tracks for the Dutchman to rework, process, augment, and structure as he saw fit. Zuydervelt detours from his signature sequences of arc, crescendo, release, and collapse in favor of far more Spartan, amorphous sensibility that suspends Catlin's tones, drones, fuzzes, and hums upon a black empty spaces and intimate ambience. The one very Machinefabriek move is found on the shortened program of "Haul" with its grandiose distortion billowing out of the amplifiers like glowing hot lava. Tapped melodies and various loops work through the bulk of the tracks that subtly venture through low-end rumblings and brightly rendered shimmers of Catlin's vibrating strings. Glisten is an aptly poetic title for this beautifully understated record.
MPEG Stream: "Glisten 1"
MPEG Stream: "Haul"
MPEG Stream: "Skip"

CATS & KITTENS Our World's Sounds (Oreade Music) cd 12.98
Meow. We have trouble keeping that Time Stereo "The Cat" cd-r in stock, but now at least we can offer you this new cd, also of cat sounds. This is from the same label that brought us the ever-popular Frogs and Deep Into The Earth natural sounds recordings (and Woodfire, and Sea & Dolphins, etc.). Cats might seem a bit more warm and cuddly than frogs and fish, but when mic'd up close and amplified all that purring takes on a massive droning quality, and playful kitten cries become disturbingly angst-filled. There's some twittering songbirds also heard here in the background, which may explain the feline excitement. On the back cover it says something about the cats "contemplating doves that seem to outsmart them every time" -- good, as a recording of cats devouring doves might not be as pleasant. Not that this won't drive your housemates (and housecats, and dogs!) insane if played back at high volume. So don't let the cute n' colourful cover (what's that kitten doing playing with a sewing machine, anyway?) fool you. This is a serious piece of sonic documentation every bit as interesting as a Francisco Lopez field recording *and* as dramatic as a Dead Raven Choir cd-r.
MPEG Stream: "Biscuits! Purrrr...fect"
MPEG Stream: "Kittens Demand Some Attention From A Contented Purring Mother"

CATTLE DECAPITATION Human Jerky (Three One G) cd 14.98
San Diego's masters of Carcass worship finally see their awesome debut lp get the digital treatment. Fast and furious, super technical, but kind of sloppy at the same time, Cattle Decapitation take their love of Carcass and all things gore and treat us to eighteen tracks of grinding, blood drenched, shit splattered metal mayhem. With the whole thing clocking in right around 16 minutes!!! That's less than a minute a track! This is some seriously heavy, ultra-technical freaked out craziness! Fans of Pig Destroyer, the Locust, Hatewave, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, and of course Carcass will shit! Recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Cloned For Carrion"
RealAudio clip: "Parasitic Infestation"

CATTLE DECAPITATION Humanure (Metal Blade) cd 13.98
The majority of you won't make it past the name of the band, Cattle Decapitation. Or the album title. Nor will most of you make it past the insane Wes Benscoter cover art, a very blase looking cow shitting out bloody offal and human remains, illustrating the "Humanure" concept. But that's okay, 'cause then you're not the sort of folks Cattle Decapitiation want hanging around. They're looking for folks with a deep love of violence and gore and classic death metal. So if you fit the bill, then by all means pick this sick puppy up. Blasting classic death metal with insanely squiggly leads and inhuman grunting vocals. Definitely their tightest and best record yet. A little more complicated and weird than past efforts, but not so weird that it'll put off the Morbid Angel / Deicide crowd. Definitely recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Humanure"
MPEG Stream: "Reduced To Paste"

CATTLE DECAPITATION The Harvest Floor (Metal Blade) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "The Gardeners Of Eden"
MPEG Stream: "A Body Farm"
MPEG Stream: "We Are Horrible People"

CATTLE DECAPITATION To Serve Man (Metal Blade) cd 10.98
Hot on the heels of Cattle Decap's first full length getting its cd release earlier this year (on Three One G, the San Diego based label run by Justin Pearson of The Locust) comes this, their Metal Blade Records debut... and the heavy duty mayhem and cannibalistic carnage continues unabated. Features former Locust drummer David Astor and present Locust drummer (former guitarist) Gabe Serbian. As grinding death metal goes, this is just peachy: awesomely guttural phlegm-filled vocals, squealing rollercoaster guitars, pounding drums, completely energetic, adrenalized and convolutedly catchy songwriting (in the paradoxically monotonous 4/4 way that works for so much death metal). Gross, gore-filled ditties like "I Eat Your Skin", "Colonic Villus Biopsy Performed On The Gastro-intestinally Incapable", and "Hypogastric Combustion By C-4 Plastique" might merge into a boring blur for some, but fans of the form will find their inner 14-year old fully satiated.
RealAudio clip: "Testicular Manslaughter"
RealAudio clip: "I Eat Your Skin"
RealAudio clip: "Writhe In Putressence"

CATTLE DECAPITATION / ARMATRON / TICWAR 1 The Science of Crisis (Toyo ) cd 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Three-way split release, the second in this intentionally odd series on Toyo Records. SoCal grindsters Cattle Decaptitation start it off, followed by Nebraska spazzcore freaks Armatron. Finally, the disc is anchored with the approx. 20-minute long "Il Ritorno" from our very own Andee's new post- A Minor Forest band, here dubbed Ticwar 1 (making their first recorded appearance). After the fast/fun assaults of Cattle Decap. and Armatron, the Ticwar track seems (even more) glacially slow and immense. Their lengthy "Il Ritorno" composition touches upon lovely post-rock guitar strum, before lumbering into massive Sabbath / Monster Magnet inspired stoner rock riffing, the groove disrupted by Lesser-style digital glitch fuckery. Eventually it winds down into a gorgeous drone-coda. Experimental stoner rock? Post-metal? Can't wait to hear more (Andee? nudge, nudge). So, quite recommended.

CATTLE DECAPITATION / CANINUS split (War Torn) 7" 4.50
Okay, they may not have a non-human vocalist, but they do have a gross animal name, and gross animal artwork and they do support animal rights, so we can't really think of another band more suited to take on the pitbull grindcore of Caninus than San Diego's Cattle Decapitation. For those of you unfamiliar with Caninus, imagine a furious grinding metalcore band, with two pitbulls on vocals. 'Cause that's exactly what this is, for real. Seems daft maybe but it works, Budgie and Basil growl and bark and make some seriously pants-shittingly scary sounds, way scarier than any death metal vocalist grunting and burping out his vocals. Maybe it's also just knowing that these two vocalists could literally rip you to shreds! Caninus's canine fronted death metal grind is matched perfectly by the new and improved Cattle Decapitation, whose new drummer and steady intake of black metal (especially Leviathan) has turned their death metal into an ultra technical blackened grind metal, impossibly complex and so so brutal.
Packaged in the most amazing die cut sleeve we've seen in a long time. Cartoonish and creepy and sick! Cool colored vinyl too!

CATTLE PRESS Hordes To Abolish The Divine (Hydra Head) cd 12.98
Another quality release from Hydrahead, this time from Cattle Press whose brutal post-hardcore metal recalls the likes of Coalesce, Today Is The Day, and even the heavier elements of Refused. Cattle Press combine blazing grind with slower, heavier moments.

CATWALK (Please) Don't Break Me (Captured Tracks) 7" 6.98
The eighties, aka a decade of shameful sounds and fashions (at least to people our age) continues to be mined for musical inspiration, the latest coming from Catwalk, who make no bones about where their inspiration lies, Big Country, Style Council, The Smiths, and especially, to these ears at least, Icicle Works (remember "Whisper To A Scream"?), Big strummed reverby guitars, a bit sunshiney, a little bit melancholy, held down by some loping fuzz bass, and the vocals drifting in clouds of echo and reverb over the top, both songs here super catchy, hooks galore, but more than that, effortlessly evoking that other era, even more so on the B side, which is slower and more broody and ballady and is laced with big dramatic Breakfast Club choruses. Pretty dang good. Even for those of us who grew up during the real thing.
MPEG Stream: "(Please) Don't Break Me"

CAUCHEMAR La Vierge Noire (Nuclear War Now!) cd ep 8.98
Some seriously kick ass true metal from the great white North, a Canadian modern true doom / speed metal hybrid fronted by none other than Annick Giroux, who most definitely knows a thing or two about metal, not only did she edit the awesome Hellbent For Cooking heavy metal cookbook, but she's also responsible for the legendary Canadian metal zine Morbid Tales!
Cauchemar perfectly captures the mood and vibe of classic seventies and eighties metal, equal parts NWOBHM riffery, witchy occult speed metal a la Acid and the epic true doom of groups like Pagan Altar. There's even a little Motorhead in there. The riffs are killer, the guitars loud and thick, the drumming powerful, the bass thick and slithery, but it's Giroux's vocals that really make this, sung all in French, haunting and powerful, reminding us of groups like The Devil's Blood and Jex Thoth, in fact ANYone that digs those groups should check this out for sure. But the thing is, the music here is so much more classic metal sounding. The opener is pitch perfect eighties speed metal, laced with plenty of doominess, epic and majestic and heavy as hell, while the second track slows it down for some seriously doom-ed crush, with a swirling psychedelic bridge, Giroux's vocals bewitching and demonic, the whole record sort of slips back and forth between pounding riffery, and plodding dirge, the vocals and overall seventies foresty vibe makes the whole record sound way more psychedelic than most new metal, definitely tapping into the classic Sabbath sound, and making this the sort of band that should appeal equally to the true metal massive, but also dabblers looking for tripped out psychedelic heaviness...
MPEG Stream: "Le Voile D'Isis"
MPEG Stream: "Magie Rouge"

CAUCHEMAR La Vierge Noire (Nuclear War Now!) 12" 12.98
This kick ass slab of witchy speed/doom metal now on vinyl as well!!
Some seriously kick ass true metal from the great white North, a Canadian modern true doom / speed metal hybrid fronted by none other than Annick Giroux, who most definitely knows a thing or two about metal, not only did she edit the awesome Hellbent For Cooking heavy metal cookbook, but she's also responsible for the legendary Canadian metal zine Morbid Tales!
Cauchemar perfectly captures the mood and vibe of classic seventies and eighties metal, equal parts NWOBHM riffery, witchy occult speed metal a la Acid and the epic true doom of groups like Pagan Altar. There's even a little Motorhead in there. The riffs are killer, the guitars loud and thick, the drumming powerful, the bass thick and slithery, but it's Giroux's vocals that really make this, sung all in French, haunting and powerful, reminding us of groups like The Devil's Blood and Jex Thoth, in fact ANYone that digs those groups should check this out for sure. But the thing is, the music here is so much more classic metal sounding. The opener is pitch perfect eighties speed metal, laced with plenty of doominess, epic and majestic and heavy as hell, while the second track slows it down for some seriously doom-ed crush, with a swirling psychedelic bridge, Giroux's vocals bewitching and demonic, the whole record sort of slips back and forth between pounding riffery, and plodding dirge, the vocals and overall seventies foresty vibe makes the whole record sound way more psychedelic than most new metal, definitely tapping into the classic Sabbath sound, and making this the sort of band that should appeal equally to the true metal massive, but also dabblers looking for tripped out psychedelic heaviness...
MPEG Stream: "Le Voile D'Isis"
MPEG Stream: "Magie Rouge"

CAULDRON Burning Fortune (Earache) cd 8.98
Dunno if Darkthrone's Fenriz is into Cauldron or not, but we're gonna quote him here anyway: CANADIAN METAL!! Yes, the Cauldron boys are back, with the eagerly awaited Burning Fortune. As fans of the band, or anyone taking a glance at the cover image (demonic woman emerging from sports car) might guess, it's another slice of awesomely, unapologetically '80s styled retro-metal from this Toronto based trio, now consisting of Jason Decay on bass and vocals, Ian Chains on guitar, and new drummer Chris Steve. We loved Cauldron's Earache debut a couple years back, Chained To The Nite, and this is a perfect sequel. Massively melodic, whilst being moderately menacing. Nostalgic, yet fresh and energetic. Once again, catchy stuff that absolutely does not shy away from metal's former glories in the pop arena.
That's what we like so much about Cauldron - they're just about the only one, among the many current "new school of old school" metal acts, who aren't too cool to take non-ironic inspiration from the best of the long-gone glammy "hair metal" brigades, while keeping it hard and heavy at the same time. Nobody else sounds like this anymore. Sure, it can be a bit cheesy but that's how they wanna be, and that doesn't preclude 'em from conveying some real emotion. And, like they did last time with their version of Black 'N Blue's "Chains Around Heaven", they add to their old school cred with another cool cover, this time of a song by obscure Detroit horror metallers Halloween.
Admittedly, if you were to spin this and then immediately follow it with, say, some vintage Kick Axe, Helix, or Sword (just to mention a few '80s bands also from Canada), Cauldron might not quite measure up, but they come close, the main issue being that Jason Decay can't exactly hang with the likes of those classics in the vocals dep't, though his are decent enough here. And headbangers should certainly be satisfied with the shreddin' guitars (check out Ian Chains' solo spot "Unchained Assault"), along with some substantial bursts of speed now and then ("Rapid City", ferinstance).
Also cool: for some reason, Earache has continued the tradition of putting out Cauldron albums at a bargain price, this one's only $8.98, about what a cassette or lp of this would have cost if it had actually been released back in the '80s, like it sounds!
MPEG Stream: "All Or Nothing"
MPEG Stream: "Miss You To Death"
MPEG Stream: "Breaking Through"

CAULDRON Chained To The Nite (Earache) 2cd 12.98
Wooooohoooooyeaaaaaaahhhhhhh! This Canadian, old school (yet "Young And Hungry") metal trio of Jason Decay (bass/vocals), Ian Chains (guitar) and Steel Rider (drums), unleash their debut full length! The sticker on the front of this actually says "for fans of Dokken, Queensryche and Diamond Head". Wow, that's a bold move, putting Dokken on there. Diamond Head is currently considered cool of course but Dokken and Queensryche might fall into the too much information category for many of today's black/death/doom/thrash metallers. Of course, one can assume they must be referring to early Dokken and really early Queensryche, which is all right as far as we're concerned. While Cauldron celebrates a certain sort of '80s cheese - the cheesecake album cover ferinstance - it's heavy metal, not poofy hair metal. (The band pictures confirm that these guys don't use hairspray, though it does look like they are familiar with the use of conditioner.) Nor is it an ironic pisstake, though we would hope that nobody would spell night "nite" in their album title without tongue slightly in cheek!
Cauldron's inspirations certainly come from the galloping NWOBHM stuff (Angel Witch!), their U.S. progeny Metallica circa Kill 'Em All, as well as the better/grittier side of Sunset Strip glam a la Ratt and W.A.S.P., and arena Ozzy circa The Ultimate Sin, so this disc has got a refreshing, unabashed pop sheen and sensibility, but there's no ballads, nothing like that. Their quick riffing songsÊabout such subjects as being "Bound To The Stake" (presumably after a "Witch Trial" though that's the not the order in which they appear on the album) or "Chained Up In Chains" (the best redundant title ever, and also the song they contributed to Earache's Heavy Metal Killers comp reviewed here a couple lists back) are more like fist in the air metal, that's both melodic and ballsy, a killer combo of speedy slayage and catchy choruses. Another good song title is "Fermenting Enchantress"! They've got self-aware wit and style enough to appeal to the indie-hipster-metal crowd (a la Early Man, Dead Child, The Sword) whilst maintaining true metal cred, which also derives from the band's previous, doomier incarnation as Goat Horn. And, indeed, they do have some hard rockin' hair metal cred too, since, in keeping with the chains theme, they wrap up this album with a cover of a song called "Chains Around Heaven" originally by LA glam also-rans Black 'N Blue circa 1984. (Andee is so STOKED.) Any unfounded doubts that Cauldron aren't the real deal dissipate with that irony-proof move. We just wonder why they didn't cover Dokken's "Unchain The Night" too... maybe 'cause they don't actually sound like Dokken anyway.
What's left to say? Buy this, and turn it up LOUD! Soon you'll have lyrics like "chained up in chains, in the moonlight" stuck in your banging head, and be lovin' it!
While they last, we have the deluxe slipcased edition of this, which comes with an extra bonus disc containing two songs, taken from Cauldron's out of print indie ep Into The Cauldron. One of which, "Restless", might be our favorite song of theirs, so lucky for you it's on here.
MPEG Stream: "Young And Hungry"
MPEG Stream: "Conjure The Mass"
MPEG Stream: "Chained Up In Chains"

CAURAL Stars On My Ceiling (Chocolate Industries) cd 14.98
Chicago musician makes an entire album of abstract beat driven trip hop. Nice, especially the first track's strong start, but missing something, perhaps either [1] an MC, or [2] anything to set it apart from the 8 thousand other folks who make music like this. Pleasant listening but not original enough for these ears.
RealAudio clip: "All These Todays Just Melt Into Tomorrows"

CAUSE CO-MOTION! It's Time! (Slumberland Records) cd 9.98
It's so cool that Slumberland Records has been resurrected and is now based right across the bay in Oakland. We love so many of the seminal indie rock records they released over the years from bands like Boyracer, Aislers Set, Beatnik Film Stars, The Softies, Swirlies, etc. Now with bands like Crystal Stilts on their roster they're showing they still have a golden touch for catchy lo-fi greatness filled with irresistible pop hooks.
Cause Co-Motion! (exclamation point required!) fit with the label's new direction so perfectly. Borrowing heavily from the scrappier side of Beat Happening or the more lo-fi DIY sound of early Pastels. Short songs that sound like they're coming right out of a dusty garage, filled to the brim with catchy hooks, and played with reckless abandon. Fans of recent outings by folks like Vivian Girls, the aforementioned Crystal Stilts and the great Shop Assistants reissue we've been digging so much will find lots to love about Cause Co-Motion!
MPEG Stream: "Only Fades Away"
MPEG Stream: "Say What You Feel"

CAUSEY WAY, THE With Loving and Open Arms (Alternative Tentacles) cd 10.98
The mutant offspring of Devo's ironic neo-traditionalism and Dead Kennedys' dogmatic punk. Like hymns played by members of the Church of the Subgenius or better yet by Branch Davidians. Members of Man or Astroman!