Agonal Breathing- Pure Agony 2017

                                                                                        December 15th, 2017
                                                                                             Mid West Brutality
                                                                                   Lord of the Sick Records

Agonal Breathing

Pure Agony


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What I thought:

• I fucked with the instrumental intro. I always respected a solid instrumental whether it be an album into/outro or a album bridge. They nailed it.

• vocals were one of my favorite parts of this album, gutturals are abysmal, dude. I also liked how long he held notes during outros, really added an extra kick.

• I am impressed with the time progressions and switch ups. It steadily went from aggressively groovy to slow and slammy evenly throughout the album which made the really enjoyable. The drummer really shines here. 

• The slow sludgy yet crunch guitar on this album is prime. It's simple and heavy but are not over selling it which I appreciated. I felt like the riffs were in a solid unity with the drums consistently, which reflects their level of song composition.

• I have to note that the level of production on this album was clean. At first I found the drums were the most clear on the tracks, but then the guitar and vocalist came through more on the second half of the album. In the end I still thought it was clean as fuck.

Overall:

This album is pretty easy listening and it would be amazing to kick off a long distance driving trip.

Aquagenetic- Urticaria Cannibal Medusozoa Holocaust 2017

                                                                                                                                 June 17,2017


Aquagenetic                                                                                                  

Urticaria Cannibal Medusozoa Holocaust


Notes I took:

• Off the bat there is a satisfying sample from what I assumes was a old monster flick, followed lightly by other befitting samples through out the material. 
• The first thing I noticed was the monstrous vocals that sat nicely amidst a blended clash of blast beating grind noise. Also shout out to guests from Stabbed in the Cunt and Meth Induced for making appearances on the EP.
• The production itself became a characteristic of the material with its fuzzy, almost submerged under water tone; It accentuated the grindcore aspect for me which set the whole thing off.
• The material was quite short and sweet, just like this review. No need drag out what is already supreme. 

Overall:
It was a solid listen and I look forward to a full length album, Also I will always have an appreciation for silly/grotesque track titles. Keep it up, you're doing good.

Begging For Incest- Finsternis 2016

                                                                                                  Released September 18th, 2016
                                                                                                             Riding Nemesis Records











Begging For Incest

Finsternis




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Notes I took:

• Dark and heavy. There is a lot going on in this album, like the complexity of a rich red wine. This album is a balanced blend of modern and early death metal respectively. This album was also an easy listen in terms of just simply being a listener; comfortable for all parties. Picture a tall glass of stoner black metal.

• Keeping the Balance.  The vocalist really takes the lead in this album. He has a well-seasoned composure on the mic and it shows in his capabilities. I can tell that slam (tempo) comes easy for this guy; in addition I also admire his rather throaty style.  It’s clear that he understand song structure and energy contrast which was perfectly complimented by the unity of his instrumental band mates.

This album slams and has breakdowns, alongside riffs that bring you back to 1980’s death metal; yet still making you feel like you are in the early 2000 somehow. The material is riddled with aggressive blast beats that were graciously parted by chill and slow break downs in all the best ways. The guitarist was the ring leader with his wise use of scales and power chords; it had a huge influence on the core energy of the material.

• Turn Up the Mic. I thought this album sounded really clean as far as being professionally mixed and mastered, however I felt like the vocals sat a little bit behind the rest of the band and could have stood to be turned up a little more. Other than that I was impressed with how crisp this sounded.

• Overall. I have always had a major boner for this band and it was a treat. It had been a hot minute since I had sat down with anything this stonery so it was a nice splash of bong water. 

Cheerleader Concubine- Tentacle Induced Intestinal Displacement 2016

                                                                                             Released September 16th, 2016



Cheerleader Concubine

Tentacle Induced Intestinal Displacement



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Notes I Took:

• Read a Room. The general vibe of this album is a snug combination of slam and grind. Both the drums and guitar get rather “noisy” from time to time, figuratively and literally. It stuck out to me that the guitars occasionally took on a “twang” pitch in between all the slamming and the drums would sometimes fall into a state of clutter that both attributed to that “noise” undertone I kept picking up on/  These guys weren’t afraid to experiment with timing and tone in this material which I personally think gives it more room elbow to progress in the future.

• Notice Me Hentai. The samples are as expected as they are beloved. This album didn’t let me down with the feature of sexually abusive and humorous. They are worth a mention but not a whole section; good but not the star of the show. 

You Guest It. The real jewels on this crown were undoubtedly the vast array of guest vocalists they had featured in this album; not forgetting about the guest rapper. The outreach of creative input on this album is outstanding.  You can tell a lot of different minds contributed to this project and it shines in the excellence of the material. A real shout out for:

-Guest Intro by Yurunyan

-Guest Rap by Kill Bill

-Guest Vocals by 

                            Meik of Goreputation, 

                            Spetsnaz of Go-Zen, 

                            Jason of Bong Rips For Jesus, 

                            Christian of Beastiality Boys, 

                            Lennon of Decimated Humans/Pestilent, 

                            John of Unicorn Hole, 

                            and 

                            Evan of Jesus Wept

                                                   You all get a gold star from me.

As I've mentioned before I am a huge supporter of musical collaborations in high hopes that the boundaries of genres, along with the human experience, can be explored and exposed.  

Overall. This was a really good fucking listen and a great release for 2016. I like this silliness of this band's demeanor and I like where they are going musically. Personally this album was such a fun listen because each song is so different from the last that it kept my attention the entire time. 

Diarrhea Anointment- Smegma 2016 [Exclusive Pre-Release Review]

                                                                                            Released October 24, 2016


Diarrhea Anointment

Smegma



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Things I thought:

• Out of Charter. On the grounds that I have encountered this band a couple of times now, I feel comfortable remarking upon my initial observation that this EP is different. And that is saying a lot considering this band is no stranger to strange.

• Are You Serious? It feels a lot more oriented and focused, not only in general vibe but also instrumentally. Matter of fact this material is rather melodic. The band takes on new waters in a more serious demeanor. What differentiates this EP from the rest is an element of consistency; a trait not commonly known to the likes of Noise where the band has deep roots.  

• Getting Involved. It was quickly apparent from the lovely intro to the charming outro that there is much more inclusion of drums and guitars to the general compilation. But would good would that be if it weren’t enjoyable? Because enjoy it I did. The drums and guitar were like a featured asset in the material being more a part of the main structure as opposed to being a portion of the background. 

• Your Metal’s in the Mail. The elephant in this room is honest guttural vocals and real blast beats. I am impressed most with the usage of the mild brutality. I thought it was excellent the way intervals of consecutive metal jamming was applied to manipulate the direction of listening flow; very much so a common trait of Noise. Aside from that, I did want to remark upon that the drums and guitar being so clean and polished further allowed me to take the instruments seriously, thus probably being a catalyst for the serious vibe I kept picking up on.

• Can You Speak Up? In addition to the mentioned brutality, this material is a bit more vocal. I like the promotion of the death metal vocal style in the material because it seemed to play a rather large role when looking at the balancing contrast of the EP. When this darker form of vocalism is pitted with a similar style of yelling or shouting, it becomes quite clear to any range of listener what the difference between abysmal grunting and “DEAR GOD HOW DID I GET HERE” yelling is.

• Speaking of Yelling. As I stated before I found this material embodies a serious tone, but not too serious. There are aspects of the EP with their thumb on the scale. The mood is lightened up by the band’s hard throbbing funny bone. The regulation of comedy through chanting and humming is equalizing in the general energy of the material. Simultaneously, the frazzled end of the yelling spectrum was restorative to the core of the noise aspect. In addition, it’s almost needless to say that you can look forward to a healthy dose of lewd. You will hear the word “cock” several times, I guarantee it.

Ultimately. This EP is outstanding even in its own realm. What I mean by outstanding is that it is doing other things and driving in its own lane. It is certainly interesting no matter how you peer at it, especially in regards to a progressive noise band. Personally, I felt like this EP was uniquely avant garde.  

Bong Rips For Jesus- The Last Session Of The Dopified Apostles 2016

                                                                                                  Released September 16, 2016



Bong Rips For Jesus

The Last Sessions of Dopified Apostles


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Notes I took:

• Production was on point. Aside from being well written, this album was well recorded and carefully produced. It shined the most through the clarity of the percussion; I could hear every little beat and tempo switch up. I also like that the bass was mixed more into the foreground of the material giving it a more natural attendance.

• Put that sample in your pipe and smoke it. I loved all the marijuana references and movie samples. The variety of samples was a delight. I felt like the samples were a form of comic relief amongst the slam party; personally which I found to give the material a deathcore feel.

 On a lighter note. I really dig the track titles. I thought it was a solid combination of silly and graphic simultaneously, which was perfect reflection of what the general energy of the album was doing anyway. The titles synced up well with the general concept without over reaching or being too oblong.

• Tokes for Vocs. This vocalist is outstanding to me. He straight up reminded me of a young Bozeman at times, it was that impressive. I was excited throughout the whole album over the vocals. Dude has this murderous guttural matched in perfect contrast with this squelchy throaty high. In terms of energy he ranged comfortably around the slam and deathcore areas; I gave him meaningless point for throwing in the mix a pig squeal or two, and an old school deathcore “BLEEEEGHK”.

• Splifftars. There was nothing disappointing whatsoever about the guitars in this material. They slammed and grooved all over the place. As uncomplicated as slam riffs tend to be, this album was zested nicely with deathcore like nutmeg atop a brandy alexander. There were strategically placed breakdowns that really pushed the boundaries of the general energy of the album.

• BASSically. The material did embody a certain stoner vibe through more than just the obvious playful pot advocacy. The bass brought a heavy beat down feel to the sound that complimented the slams. I felt like it brought a little texture to the party.

Ultimately. This album is a gift to both death metal and the cannabis culture alike. However you feel about pot, this is material is uplifting and lovely. It would be more than appropriate to blaze a blunt or do six dabs to the face to this album. Or just jam it, your call. Hail Satan.

Diarrhea Anointment- Unrelenting Minority Assault 2016

                                                                                                           Released September 5, 2016


Diarrhea Anointment

Unrelenting Minority Assault

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Notes I took:

• Edgy. Without deviating from its primal Noise roots, the album has an obvious edgy factor. The beloved experimental “glitch” like timing alongside impeccable mixing and mastering have been utilized to bring us an almost angry flavored album.

The material gains a notable brutality component not only in energy but instrumentally. There were several times a respectable blast beat was dropped; the whole works. There was even a special guest appearance from Bucket of Cummings. Another thing that really solidified a singular theme for me on the album was constant frustrated yelling. And I don’t mean like melodic yelling, but like as if someone was entirely fed up with their life and desperately needed relief.

• Themed commotion. This band really has a way of making abstract art that is outstanding in its field, and this album makes its own waves by being a little bit dark. Although the material sticks to its elemental Noise core, I couldn’t help but pick up on a constant agitated demeanor. I mean, with an album name like “Unrelenting Minority Assault” featuring track titles like “Christopher Reeves's Pet Squawking Nigger Beast”, I leave it to the individual listener to exhibit some artistic license. After all, this may be too Avant Garde for you; this album has this strange 1990’s grunge noir thing going on to me.

Overall. This was a fun listen. I personally dig this type of work because it is truly unpredictable by every sense of the word; this material left me with a peculiar feeling. Like, if I were to imagine this album as a living person I picture them pissed off and wearing a flannel, wishing they had a cigarette.