BOLT THROWER.

Simply put, this is a masterpiece album that mixes the best of fast & heavy.

A total juggernaut of brutality, 23 years later it's still hard to beat.
Downtuned beyond downtuned, but with a sense of purpose, the riffs on this thing are top-notch.

Doom-laden & heavy, this record sounds like you're stuck in a giant, cavernous sewer pipe w/ the almighty Bolt Thrower pummeling you w/ their chaotic rock mastery from the other end; the double bass (just a bit behind) teamed with the thunder-thump bass lines of one Jo Bench the whole time creating an uneasiness that feels just right...

Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos (Slaves to Darkness)

Link in comments.

FOUL STENCH.

Take a big blast from the well-used & uncleaned bong of this "stuck in the Nineties" death metal scum squad from the "gem-covered streets" of Dayton, Ohio!

Foul Stench are stuck in the Nineties BECAUSE THEY WERE AROUND IN THE NINETIES, SON!

You won't find much technical merit here for the most part - just big FAT riffage, deep groove, caustic thrashing, and a big smattering of "cough-to-get-off" guttural bellowing over the top.

Sprinkle some of this shit on your bowl- a band that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet GETS THE FUCK DOWN in all seriousiness, Foul Stench is worth checking out.

Foul Stench - Eternal Rot

Link in comments.

Back from Michigan - it was hot as fuck - (just like your mom)...

RUDIMENTARY PENI.

Not much needs to be said about the legacy of this band that still ain't finished...

Rudimentary Peni is one of those timeless punk bands that everyone seems to be a fan of, or refers to as an influence, yet no one even comes close to the way they sound.

That is a good thing.

What I offer to you today is also a good thing - the demos for the DEATH CHURCH album - such a classic - well fuck - ALL of their recorded output is classic, honestly, but um… can I use any more hyphens and parentheses and create more run-on sentences?

YES I CAN…

Not much bottom end in the mix, but all the fury & anguish is in this THIRTY YEAR-OLD RECORDING. I'll bet most of you were still a few years away from being mistakes in your dad's ball-sac when this came out...

Rudimentary Peni - Death Church (Demos)

Link in comments.

Enjoy this recording - heading off to Detroit for a week.

I'm hoping to get one more post up this week, so check back soon (all three of you who actually read this shit & comment, etc).

AGENTS OF OBLIVION.

I've been trying to figure out how describe the A.o.O. sound to you for days now, and I'm STILL having a hard time trying to nail it down. To me, this means that it is an epic band / epic recording transcending the rules of any set genre.

There it is.

One minute you get a lilting melody & the ethereal voice of Dax Fuckin' Riggs singing you a lullaby, the next he's howling like a banshee -like only Dax can do it.

This album runs the gamut of emotions, and in a way that - while this is a "heavy" record - they get their "heavy" from somewhere else besides the usual "beat-you-about-the-head-and-ears" with amplification & distortion, etc. Dynamics, songwriting & comeptent players that lay back in the pocket until it is time to strike, and then when they do, they do it tastefully, and with power to spare.

An excellent fucking record from a band that I sure as fuck wished could have lasted longer.

Don't be "scairt", son…

Agents of Oblivion - Agents of Oblivion

Link in comments.

HOLY TERROR.

Some serious mind-blowing twin-guitar thrash action going on here!

Really hard to pin-point / peg their sound; the vocals on this thing are fucking over the top.
If there is any band I could compare them to, early Savatage mixed w/ some early Metal Church might be a close call.
Add some early Kirk Hammett solos and a young Slayer in there too, whydontcha?

You're either aware of this band or not, and you love them or hate them - it's your call - but if you ask me, this is one of the most underrated thrash bands that most people think they have heard of, yet actually never have heard them at all.
Their attack is relentless - the pace never slows - and while they put out two killer albums, no one gives / gave a fuck. Don't be "that guy"...

Holy Terror - Mind Wars

Link in comments.