Dementia - "Recuperate From Reality"

After nothing but regional punk and metal bands, I decided it was again time to post some unheard (and potentially cheesy) metal, so here is the only release from Dementia, who, according to the metal archives, are either from Wisconsin or Chicago, so you can take your pick on that one. One look at that cover should tell you what you're in for. Musically this is nothing life changing, it's early 90's thrash metal, mostly mid-tempo, but there are some moments of speed to be found on here, like the last track, "Say Your Prayers". In truth, there are some pretty excellent riffs and some long songs on this album, which, again, according to the metal archives, had very bad distribution in america and "remains a rare treat".(I found this cd at a used bookstore for a dollar, and recently saw a still sealed copy of it in a record store in Richlands, Virginia!) The only gripe I have is with the vocals. Sometimes they are annoying as hell, and other times they fit the mood of the song well. If you are expecting total balls to the wall thrash then you might be disappointed with this album, but if you are a metal fan and want to hear something you might never have heard before then give it a try.

Dementia - "Recuperate From Reality"

Below - "St. Anthony's Fire"

Here is some ultra-crushing doom, once again from the hills of Kentucky, and this one is some heavy shit indeed, my friends. I saw them and Tombstalker at the Hideaway a couple of weeks back and they absolutely destroyed everything. These three guys, excellent chaps all around, lay waste to these four tracks, including a Saint Vitus cover, and any fan of bands like Noothgrush, Sleep, etc, would be wise to check this out. Did I mention that this is almost an hour long? Get real stoned for this one. I know I did.

Below - "St. Anthony's Fire"

Holy Terror - "Mind Wars"

Back in the very early days of this blog, before I really knew what I was doing, I posted this album.....in wma format, and on rapidshare. Well, sorry about that. Here it is again, Holy Terror's criminally underrated "Mind Wars", which to me is nothing short of a masterpiece. Holy Terror was formed by Kurt Kilfelt, formerly one of the guitarists for american speed metallers Agent Steel, playing on their first album "Skeptics Apocalypse" before starting Holy Terror. They also recorded a demo and an LP before releasing this, their final album, and a metal album unlike many others. It has everything that a metal album should have...it is full of amazing riffage, top notch rhythm work, a vocalist who sounds like at any second he could lose his shit, and lyrics that are thought provoking and intelligent and very much against religion, but in a very theologically probing kind of way, not your typical anti religious metal lyrics. Whatever, I fucking love this album. It is a crime that a band like Metallica got huge (especially that piece of shit black album), and this band got relegated to near-obscurity when they could outriff and outplay Metallica any fucking day of the week. I found this copy in a small, fledgling record store in Richlands, Virginia, for ten bucks, still shrink wrapped, but one of those "cut-out" cd's you so often see. The guy in the store was amazed that I had even heard of Holy Terror, and said that the cd had been sitting in the store since it open fourteen years ago. This album is still available, but on a disc that has their first album also and omits a track. This is at 256k, in mp3 format (like I said, early days post, didn't know what I was doing), and scans of the lyric sheet are also included. I highly recommend this.

Mind Wars

Assück

Assück is everything that is great about death metal in short, grinding hardcore songs. There's really not much to say about these two albums I'm offering you here, other than they are ultra brutal grinding metal with such an intense hardcore vibe that I don't see how anyone into metal and punk couln't be into this. In this file you will find TWO albums by this gone but not forgotten band, "Anti-Capital"(with "Blindspot" EP), and their final offering, "Misery Index", a total of 42 songs in under 40 minutes. Total fucking fury. Legend has it that they wouldn't play at the venue for Columbus Fest one year because the stage was too high, so they played on someones front porch down the street from the venue. I cannot imagine how brutal this show was, if it actually happened. Get these albums and play them loud.

"We starve our children before the banquet of knowledge while politicians indulge in the feasts of war."

Rorschach - "Remain Sedate"

Here is New Jersey's Rorschach, and their first full length, "Remain Sedate". They played hardcore with a slight metallic edge to the songs, and harsh, lacerated throat vocals. They released a split with Neanderthal and another full length that is way more metal then this one. I think this album is just intensely played hardcore fury, check it out for yourself.

Rorschach - "Remain Sedate"

Unsane - "S/T"

Before MTV put their video for "Scrape" into heavy rotation, NY's kings of noise Unsane were just a dark, heavy, noise rock band with bloody album covers. While I'm not a fan of their current output, I hold this album and the "Singles 89-92" compilation in very high regards. This album is a wall of noisy, distorted as hell, yet jangly guitar work, pounding, almost tribal drums, and distorted bass, with shouted vocals over top of it. A great album.

Vandal X

Preacher - "Trapped In Hell"

Here's some obscure mid-80's thrash that rips, too bad it was the only thing that California's PREACHER ever released, as it shows promise of things to come that sadly never did. It is five tracks of fast, evil thrash metal that is all about sacrificing whores, pain, and various and sundry evil metal subject matter. The above image is not the actual cover of this e.p., just something I threw together for the hell of it.

Excruciating Pain

Obliveon - "Whimsical Uproar"

Here is an early demo by Canada's Obliveon, who seem to have went straight into obscurity before finally meeting their own oblivion. An obvious comparison upon first listen is to early Voivod, but there's something else lurking in these four songs. I always thought it sounded like Voivod and "Persecution Mania" era Sodom, but i'll leave that for you all to decide. I think this demo destroys. The musicianship is incredible, the riffs rule, it's fast and uncompromising, and one of the lyrics is "science should be used to help us screw"...how can you resist? And also, check out the neck snapping fastness at 1:10 in the first song. THAT is goddamn brutal. Unfortunately, this band didn't release too much else, their first LP is called "From This Day Forward" and it really sounds like they were trying to be more tech than thrash. It has some good songs, but this demo is really the best thing they did.

Obliveon - "Whimsical Uproar"

Unseen Terror - "Human Error"

When I was first discovering punk rock and metal, there wasn't too many places around where I live that had that sort of music. We had a Record Bar at the mall, we had Dad's CD's (now sadly gone), and about a half hour away we had Back Door Records. It was at this store that you could find some obscure metal gems. The first things I remember ever getting from there was a tape copy of Slayer's "Reign In Blood", a cd version of Terrorizer's "World Downfall" (and how much those fucking albums destroy is surely documented elsewhere all over the 'net), and this, a tape by an unknown british band by the name of Unseen Terror. Back then I knew that Shane Embury was bassist in the mighty Napalm Death, so when I saw this tape and saw him listed as drummer I had to check it out. I bought it, took it home, and played it so much, well, it broke. Thank Cthulhu for the information age, where everything is digital, so I can listen to this album again and again. It is 20 songs of politically charged grind, when grind wasn't fucking stupid gurgle vocals and the like. Besides featuring Shane Embury of N.D., it also features Mitch Dickenson of Heresy on guitar and vocals, so if members of Napalm Death and Heresy doing fast, punkish grind is your thing then you have hit the jackpot! Did I mention they also have songs about Garfield?

Burned Beyond Recognition

Curse Of The Magi - 2005 Demo

Here is a demo from unheard local band Curse Of The Magi, which existed briefly during 04-05 and features members who were in bands like Ikkabod and Cheapskate, which is about what this sounds like. If you haven't heard either of those bands, I have posted them elsewhere on this blog. A very odd amalgamation of pop punk and Maiden-esque metal, which definitely sounded different from anything else going on around here at the time. Half of this band joined up with me and formed Deeds Of Midwinter, which also was short-lived but played a bit and do have some recordings which I might post up here someday.

Thunder Brings The Storm

Leatherface - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III O.S.T.

Here is the soundtrack to the universally maligned 2nd sequel to Tobe Hoopers 1974 classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre, "Leatherface - Texas Chainsaw Massacre III". This movie tanked at the box office when it came out, mostly due to the lackeys at New Line Cinema heavily editing this movie because it was "too violent". In the words of Chas Balun, it's supposed to be a fuckin' massacre, not a picnic! Anyways, this movie deserves to be seen, as it is WAY better than these jackshit remakes they've been doing. The script for this was by splatterpunk author David Schow, writer of "The Kill Riff" and the great short story "Jerry's Kids Meet Wormboy" from the excellent zombie anthology "Book Of The Dead", also the screenwriter for "The Crow" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning"(which I confess to not having seen, even though I am a fan of Schow, not a fan of remakes). It was directed by Jeff Burr, who also did the under-seen and under-appreciated Vincent Price movie "The Offspring". And did I mention it stars Ken Foree (Dawn Of The Dead, From Beyond, Devil's Rejects) and a young Viggo Mortenson (Lord Of The Rings, A History Of Violence)?

Anyways, back to Leatherface and this soundtrack. I searched high and low for this and could never find it until now. It is predominantly a metal soundtrack, featuring tracks from Laaz Rockit, Sacred Reich, Wasted Youth (L.A.'s Wasted Youth?), Death Angel, and more.

Here's your invitation to come join Leatherface!

Face Down In Shit - "S/T LP"

Here is Face Down In Shit's self titled 2001 LP. I heard this when it was released and it blew me away with its mixture of fierce hardcore and abrasive stoner metal. In 2003 my old band Hadaka Matsuri played a show with them in Detroit, at a place called The Trumbleplex, where they let us use their drums and amps to play a short set. needless to say, we probably sounded brutal as shit through their amps. This lp is 8 tracks that will bludgeon you. Fire one up for this one, folks.

Face Down In Shit - "S/T LP"

Dissociative Rhythm Madness - Demo 2009

Here is the demo from northeast tennessee's own Dissociative Rhythm Madness, or D.R.M. for short. it contains 6 heavy crust numbers. this band is sadly broken up now. they played around town and around northeast tn for a while, but only lasted maybe less than a year. i'm pretty sure this is their only recorded output. features members of the scams, mind sludge, mental shock, and axehandle mountain.

Let The Roots Rise Up!!

Amebix - Monolith

Nothing needs to be said about these masters. One of the best albums, ever, period. Get it.

No Gods, No Masters

MONOLITH - old school Kingsport Metal

In the late 80's/early 90's there was a death metal band from Kingsport called Monolith. They may even still be around in some variation, but i know that in the early to mid 90's they released a demo tape and got big in japan (?).the demo tape is something which i am trying to procure somehow for your listening displeasure. (and if anyone seeing this has this tape contact me!)
heres some live footage of them in 1992.