Category The Vinyl Review

Via themusic-in.com

Sometimes one can daring to trust that even on a chaotic sounds of Grinding Gore Metal underground noises you can be an expert for finding the good and trusted supreme being in form of melodic and catchy riffs as well as like for this band – Exhumed; their three distinctive extreme vocalists shall reminding us about the late legends of The British soil – Carcass. 
   Consisting of Col Jones (drums), Mike Beams (guitars), Matt Harvey (guitars, high vocals) and Ross Sewage (bass, low vocals); bringing the Gore Metal album as one of these San Jose grinders brilliant works so far. 
   Open of Abscess, Postmortem Procedures, Casketkrusher and Deathmask completed the vision conquest to make an ultimate Deathgrind record just like the madness shown on its tasty front cover only for the sickest people. 

https://www.ulozto.sk/!uAJh2xgg/exhumed-gore-metal-1998-rar

NECROMANIAC VAGITARIAN (RELAPSE RECORDS 1998)

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Written By Braddon S. Williams

Mercyful Fate: Don’t Break The Path

Mercyful Fate was where King Diamond made his mark on the metal world, and in 1984, the Danish metal masters unleashed Don’t Break The Oath.

This was Mercyful Fate’s second full length recording, and served as a primer course in black metal lyrical inspiration, but retained a more traditional style of heavy metal music with flashes of progressive rock blended in the mix.

Of course, King Diamond provided his eerie falsetto and blended harmonies, along with keyboards and harpsichord to enhance the occult vibe.

The diabolical duo of Hank Shermann and Michael Denner weaved tons of riffage and ripping lead work, ultimately earning the album the honor of greatest extreme metal album of all time from Metal-Rules.com.

With songs like Nightmare, The Oath, Desecration Of Souls, Welcome Princes Of Hell, and Come To The Sabbath, Mercyful Fate set the bar pretty high for Black Metal bands to follow.

https://youtu.be/243Y6dJA0ww

Influences And Recollections of a Musical Mind

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Written By Braddon S. Williams

King Diamond: Give Me Your Soul…Please

King Diamond released the outstanding Give Me Your Soul…Please in 2007, a concept album that is the audio equivalent of a horror movie (an award worthy horror movie!). The story line involves a pair of children murdered by their father, and this grisly scenario provides the King with a diabolical easel of lyrical imagery choices, which he utilizes with a surgeon’s skill.

Visions of a “girl in a bloody dress” abound, and King Diamond’s trademark ethereal falsetto’s and guttural growls bring the sordid affair to luminescent life.

Songs this good don’t require videos; one only has to close their eyes and open their imagination.

Of course, King Diamond isn’t just about the vocals. Throughout Give Me Your Soul…Please, there is a veritable army of melodic, yet slashing lead guitar pyrotechnics from Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead, and atmospheric keyboards supply extra dramatic touches. Neverending Hill, Pictures In Red, Give Me Your Soul, Shapes Of Black, and The Girl In The Bloody Dress all stand out, but you really need to listen straight through to get the full cinematic experience.

All hail the King!

https://youtu.be/8tl-N9FJMpY

Influences And Recollections of a Musical Mind

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Written By Braddon S. Williams

The Cult: Electric

Rick Rubin was brought onboard to produce The Cult’s 3rd album, Electric (1987), and it made all the difference in the world.

I love when rock music hits like a battering ram, and Electric is a sonic knockout punch, complete with kick drums knocking you off your feet, snare drums that crack like gunshots, and guitars that crunch in that perfect way that lets every note ring out and still smacks you like your momma did when you were really bad. Ian Astbury’s distinctive vocals ride comfortably atop all this delicious musical power and compliment Billy Duffy’s riffs with lyrical fire of their own.

My favorite tunes on this killer disc include Lil’ Devil, Peace Dog, Love Removal Machine (first song I ever heard by The Cult…love at first listen!), a swampy, slowed down cover of Born To Be Wild, and my personal top pick, the supremely cool King Contrary Man.

I have had discussions (or debates) with other Cult fans as to whether Electric or the follow up Sonic Temple is better. Well, Bob Rock produced Sonic Temple, and although it has great songs and performances, too…I will take Rick Rubin for the win. Rubin produced Slayer and Rock produced Metallica, so it is no surprise to me which producer captured the best sound for my ears.

Either way, you can’t go wrong with The Cult. Listen up and crank ’em LOUD!

https://youtu.be/C_EQ9Gr9bfU

Influences And Recollections of a Musical Mind

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Written By: Braddon S. Williams aka The Concert Critic

On this date in history, 11/18/2018, I was present for an evening of blissful musical carnage as Whitechapel brought their “This Is Exile 10th Anniversary Tour” to Piere’s in Ft. Wayne, IN.

In addition to Whitechapel, we were pummeled sonically by Chelsea Grin, Oceano, and Slaughter To Prevail.

My traveling companions both have photographer passes to Piere’s, so I got to go in early with them, which I am super grateful. This allowed me to witness Slaughter To Prevail do their soundcheck and get everything dialed in.

I had no previous knowledge of this band, but became an instant fan watching them patiently get the details locked in and then delivering a murderous onslaught as a unit.

Their singer bears a passing resemblance to Phil Anselmo, and he shares that titans powerful confidence and ownership of the stage.

The Russian deathcore band Slaughter To Prevail started the show and set the tone early, dishing out a quick set of tightly coiled ferocity and had the crowd running circle pits and a vicious wall of death near the end of their time on stage. Oceano followed with their own brand of crushing power and continued the deathcore from their Illinois perspective.

Chelsea Grin were up next, a band from Utah, but sharing that deathcore heaviness and intensity that united all these bands. Up until Whitechapel hit the stage, each of the openers had only one guitarist, so when the headliners hit the stage with their triple guitar attack, there was a notable rise in both volume and intensity.

Whitechapel had the best light show of the night, a constantly shifting and flashing beast of a display that complemented Whitechapel’s relentless brutality.

They began with a few newer songs and then plunged into This Is Exile with a vengeance, delivering all the crushing power that put them at the forefront of their field.

I am personally just amazed at the amount of sound that emanated from the vocalists of all 4 bands…the guttural growls in particular were simply astonishing.

The only thing deeper than these throat shredding roars were the perfectly placed subsonic bass drops that were sprinkled throughout the performances of all the bands, a nice touch that pushed the right chaotic buttons at all the strategic spots in the savage breakdowns.

Whitechapel did it up right, bringing along 3 hungry bands who did their best to challenge the headliners to prove why they deserved that title.

https://youtu.be/BpgAxcvbkUQ

On This Date in History

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Written By Braddon S. Williams

Public Image Ltd

Public Image Ltd, John Lydon’s band after The Sex Pistols, released Album (or Cassette or Compact Disc, depending on your chosen format) in 1986.

Public Image Ltd couldn’t be more different from the singer’s previous work (where he was known as Johnny Rotten).

Album features an eclectic all star band with contributions from Steve Vai on guitar, Ginger Baker and Tony Williams on drums, Shankar on electric violin, Bill Laswell on bass, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, Jonas Hellborg on bass, Riyuichi Sakamoto on keyboards, and Bernard Fowler on backing vocals.

This assemblage of talent surrounded Lydon’s fierce, angry, defiant voice on a creatively hard rocking batch of 7 songs. Although the project has an intentionally generic name, the music and songs are miles away from generic.

The final song, Ease, features a volcanic guitar solo by Vai that ranks among his greatest recorded work.

Baker’s drums sound like cannons, and Lydon’s sneering cynicism informs every lyric he wraps his wit around.

Album is a great cassette or compact disc, or even a stream if that’s the way you want it.

However you get it…just get it!

https://youtu.be/ylOCIP54PIQ

Influences And Recollections of a Musical Mind

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Written By Braddon S. Williams

SLY and the Family STONE: FRESH

Funk music has rarely been better than the perfection of the lead-off single from Sly And The Family Stone’s 1973 album, Fresh.

The song in question is If You Want Me To Stay, featuring one of the best bass lines in recorded history.

Sly Stone knew how to orchestrate a groove as well as anyone this side of James Brown, and Fresh is chock full of infectious, soulful, deep pocket grooves, like In Time, Frisky, If It Were Left Up To Me, Qué Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be), Let Me Have It All, Skin I’m In, and Babies Makin’ Babies.

Miles Davis and George Clinton both loved this album, so if you don’t trust my judgment, maybe Miles & George will convince you to show Sly some love!

https://youtu.be/gZFabOuF4Ps

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