It's looking more and more like Throwback Thursday might become a regular feature around here, given how often I use the penultimate day of the work week as an excuse to post about some blast from the past or other. Not that I'm against that, nostalgia junkie that I am.
This week is going to be no different, as I throw it back once again to one of our favourite bygone bands of yesteryear with a track from their final album. The band in question is Nothingface, in my opinion one of the more underrated bands to never make it big in the late 90's and early 2000's, and the album is Nothingface's 2003 swansong Skeletons.
Skeletons didn't make a whole lot of waves when it came out, and it only produced a long single "Ether", your Throwback Thursday song. Maybe "Ether" and Skeletons were a little too catchy and "radio-friendly" for Nothingface's existing fanbase, or maybe Nothingface never had the support to make it big anyways. Or maybe the band simply imploded before they really had a chance. I don't know, but I do know that Nothingface ran its course too soon for me and some of my friends, so raise a glass and then bang your head to what was and what could have been with Nothingface.
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Refused - Francafrique
Ready for some more new Refused? You say that you are, but we'll just see about that, as their newest noise comes with a bit of a twist.
The 'twist' in "Francafrique", the latest single from the forthcoming Freedom, is a weird kind of funky, poppy mentality that reminds me in places (the verses, specifically) of Nine Inch Nails more recent stuff. And lest you think you're ready even for that, there's some full on horns sprinkled throughout this one.
But inside this somewhat unexpected shell is a core that feels suitably Refused. The lyrical content and the attitude are as grimy and acerbic as you might expect, and the tonal shift musically isn't that outrageous given the band's experimentation in the past. So get on board (like me) or get butt hurt (like some of the internet seems to be on this one) but either way, get "Francafrique".
The 'twist' in "Francafrique", the latest single from the forthcoming Freedom, is a weird kind of funky, poppy mentality that reminds me in places (the verses, specifically) of Nine Inch Nails more recent stuff. And lest you think you're ready even for that, there's some full on horns sprinkled throughout this one.
But inside this somewhat unexpected shell is a core that feels suitably Refused. The lyrical content and the attitude are as grimy and acerbic as you might expect, and the tonal shift musically isn't that outrageous given the band's experimentation in the past. So get on board (like me) or get butt hurt (like some of the internet seems to be on this one) but either way, get "Francafrique".
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Vulvodynia - New World Order
Ladies and gentlemen, proving once again that metal is an international club, I give you Tech Tuesday from Africa.
Tech Tuesday from South Africa, to be precise, and brutal tech death outfit Vulvodynia, a band with a sound as gnarly as its name. Their latest single "New World Order", from work-in-progress concept album Finis Omnium Ignorantiam, is big and blasty and slamming, with all the ferocity and technicality to warrant the Tech Tuesday spot without it ever overshadowing the brutality. Tasty stuff, if it's your kind of thing, so crank it up post haste.
Tech Tuesday from South Africa, to be precise, and brutal tech death outfit Vulvodynia, a band with a sound as gnarly as its name. Their latest single "New World Order", from work-in-progress concept album Finis Omnium Ignorantiam, is big and blasty and slamming, with all the ferocity and technicality to warrant the Tech Tuesday spot without it ever overshadowing the brutality. Tasty stuff, if it's your kind of thing, so crank it up post haste.
Monday: Between the Buried and Me - The Coma Machine
I know it hasn't been that long since the last time I posted about a song from Between the Buried and Me's forthcoming Coma Ecliptic, but this is another one of those times when I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't draw your attention to the following.
Of course, if you're into Between the Buried and Me, you've likely already heard the latest single "The Coma Machine" and seen the accompanying video. But if you've yet to check it out, allow me to recommend that you do, because it seems like the most "rock opera-y" glimpse we've gotten to date into the rock opera that supposedly is Coma Ecliptic.
There's shades of Queen for sure, and maybe some Dream Theater, and plenty more besides. Coma Ecliptic sounds like it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's also shaping up to be something pretty epic. Bring on July.
Of course, if you're into Between the Buried and Me, you've likely already heard the latest single "The Coma Machine" and seen the accompanying video. But if you've yet to check it out, allow me to recommend that you do, because it seems like the most "rock opera-y" glimpse we've gotten to date into the rock opera that supposedly is Coma Ecliptic.
There's shades of Queen for sure, and maybe some Dream Theater, and plenty more besides. Coma Ecliptic sounds like it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's also shaping up to be something pretty epic. Bring on July.
Monday, 25 May 2015
Sunday: Animals as Leaders - Inamorata
Your belated Sunday song is one that's been sitting on my list of tracks to post about for a while now, a groovy and shreddy tour de force that's always been one of my favourites off of the 2009 debut from one of the titans of modern instrumental metal and jazz-fusion.
Animals as Leaders has a bunch of great songs on it that definitely deserve periodic revisiting, but like I said, "Inamorata" has always been one of my favourites. It's got a couple of relentless, pummeling grooves, and a couple of matching solos and lead sections that consistently rip without ever descending into the realm of wankery.
Newer Animals as Leaders is great, but for my money you don't need to look any further than the first album for some killer jams. Fortune cookie lesson for today: don't get hung up on the past, but don't forget about it either.
Animals as Leaders has a bunch of great songs on it that definitely deserve periodic revisiting, but like I said, "Inamorata" has always been one of my favourites. It's got a couple of relentless, pummeling grooves, and a couple of matching solos and lead sections that consistently rip without ever descending into the realm of wankery.
Newer Animals as Leaders is great, but for my money you don't need to look any further than the first album for some killer jams. Fortune cookie lesson for today: don't get hung up on the past, but don't forget about it either.
Saturday: Caligula's Horse - Into the White
It seems like I just get things back on track and then they fall right back off the rails again. Oh well. Onward and upward, right? Saturday song it is then!
I've posted about Australian prog band Caligula's Horse at least a couple of times before, and now the time has come for me to do it again. The bad news is that I'm not doing so because of a new album or anything like that. The good news, though, is that I am prompted to do so by the recent emergence of a rippin' live video from their recent performance in Brisbane supporting none other than Opeth. Not too shabby, right?
"Into the White" originally comes from the 2013 Caligula's Horse album The Tide, The Thief, & River's End, and even though the version I'm linking to today is the recent live rendition, rest assured that you could alternately check out the album version of this one and be guaranteed to find the same melodic and melancholy progressive post-whatever in either case. This is eights minutes well spent, whether you're already a fan or not.
I've posted about Australian prog band Caligula's Horse at least a couple of times before, and now the time has come for me to do it again. The bad news is that I'm not doing so because of a new album or anything like that. The good news, though, is that I am prompted to do so by the recent emergence of a rippin' live video from their recent performance in Brisbane supporting none other than Opeth. Not too shabby, right?
"Into the White" originally comes from the 2013 Caligula's Horse album The Tide, The Thief, & River's End, and even though the version I'm linking to today is the recent live rendition, rest assured that you could alternately check out the album version of this one and be guaranteed to find the same melodic and melancholy progressive post-whatever in either case. This is eights minutes well spent, whether you're already a fan or not.
Saturday, 23 May 2015
Friday: Slice the Cake - The Exile Part II: The City of Destruction
I feel like I would be remiss if I don't jump on the cult of the new bandwagon a little bit for your belated Friday song, simply because the latest from online three-man deathprog band Slice the Cake is beastly and deserves your attention if it hasn't already had it.
Slice the Cake's upcoming record Odyssey to the West isn't quite out yet, but they've been dropping hints for a bit now, including some tastes of new music, and now we've got another monolithic single to sink our teeth into.
"The Exile Part II: The City of Destruction" is more or less what you might expect from Slice the Cake, in the best possible way: fast and furious death metal, with proggy veins and atmospheric melodies on the side. This latest single, combined with all the other tastes we've had so far, points to Odyssey to the West being an absolute monster of an album, maybe finally garnering Slice the Cake the kind of widespread acclaim they increasingly deserve.
Slice the Cake's upcoming record Odyssey to the West isn't quite out yet, but they've been dropping hints for a bit now, including some tastes of new music, and now we've got another monolithic single to sink our teeth into.
"The Exile Part II: The City of Destruction" is more or less what you might expect from Slice the Cake, in the best possible way: fast and furious death metal, with proggy veins and atmospheric melodies on the side. This latest single, combined with all the other tastes we've had so far, points to Odyssey to the West being an absolute monster of an album, maybe finally garnering Slice the Cake the kind of widespread acclaim they increasingly deserve.
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