Best Music of 2018

Fuck. I've been sick for a week so this is gonna suck even more than usual. I barely even reached out for lists. I didn't even write any reviews for months. I wouldn't blame you for not reading this blog anymore.

But I got into a new lab this year and now I'm studying bone fractures and burn recovery so that's good and at least gives me a good excuse for not doing more.

Also my band Great Unclean Ones w/ dudes from Brother Ares and Vile Desecration recorded our first demo that's still being mixed so that was good.

Anyway enough moping and dead promises (more writeups next year I swear), here's some lists, somehow presented even more lazily than years past.

Destructicide, Mortius, Vile Desecration, Steel Bearing Hand (TX) at Springwater 3/11

Destructicide, a new trio from here in Nashville, played a fist pumping energetic blend of death and thrash metal on Sunday night. The solid riffage made a firm foundation for the absolutely sick death growls and hefty but breakneck blastbeats. The sound was tight and impressive, but the guitars were drowned out a good deal of the time, and I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a bassist and/or another guitarist (hell add another 2 and go full Kvelertak) to help fill out the sound. I like what they've got I just want MORE.

I've been meaning to see Mortius for quite some time, and I think I can say they totally meet and blow away all the hype. Between Inferi, Abyss Walker, Abated Mass of Flesh, Chasm of Teeth, and some I know I'm forgetting, it's exciting to see Nashville having its own brood of death metal acts. Out of all these bands, Mortius seems to be the most committed to the traditional style, though they still manage to make me think of a prog-less Necrophagist. They keep things extra fresh by adding in touches of death/doom and even a pinch of funeral doom. Like Destructicide, if you were to give them the "but are the riffs sick?" litmus test, you'd get an "absolutely" response.

Vile Desecration played pure tireless black metal, complete with blastbeats and nonstop shredding. The sound is almost anachronistic, like a 90s black metal band trying to take cues from Bathory and Venom, while still sounding modern, not unlike Destroyer 666. Vile Desecration manages to sound fresh and ferocious while sounding recognizably black metal without sounding outdated.

Steel Bearing Hand from Dallas, TX brought the thunder. These guys play thrash metal, but it's a thrash metal that's girded in death metal and wields black metal like a battleaxe. Steel Bearing Hand are like an Incantation that makes you bust out your best DRI skank moves. If Annihilator decided they wanted to be more like Bolt Thrower, it might sound a bit like this band.

It was great to be back out and at a show again, apologies to everyone whose band I've missed so far this year, I'm still working on making it out more. 

tl;dr Best of 2017

tl;dr best of 2017

Chappy Hull - Gnarwhal

Top 11 albums by bands that start with “P” in 2017

Palberta - Bye Bye Berta

Power trip - Nightmare Logic

Pissed jeans - Why Love Now?

Pile - A Hairshirt of Purpose

Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent

Palm - Shadow Expert

Palehound - A Place I’ll Always Go

Pallas - Pallas 12”

Primitive man - Caustic

Priests - Nothing Feels Natural

PC Worship - Buried Wish

John Judkins - Laser Flames on the Great Big News, Rwake, Protomen

Mastodon: Emperor of Sand

Loss: Horizonless

Elder: Reflections of a Floating World

Pallbearer: Heartless

Spirit Adrift: Curse of Conception

Julien Baker: Turn Out the Lights

Thundercat: Drunk

Amenra: VI

Mutoid Man: War Moans

Zeal & Ardor: The Devil is Fine

Jay Som: Everybody Works

Run the Jewels: 3

Land of Talk: Life After Youth

Chelsea Wolfe: Hiss Spun

BADBADNOTGOOD: Late Night Tales

Double Ferrari: s/t

Cinemechanica: The Martial Arts

Auric: First and Last

Laser Flames on the Great Big News s/t review

EVEN MORE ANTICIPATED THAN DUKE NUKEM FOREVER OR THE HD REMAKE OF WHICHEVER ZELDA IS NEXT, NASHVILE IS BACK! Maybe. Lots has been happening since I was making regular updates. I've been involved in a band or two, moved, taken the GRE twice, and have been in a blissful committed relationship with 3 beautiful Dungeons and Dragons groups. So is this NashVile's return for good? Who knows? I was given a review copy of this album and finally felt up to the task of putting pen to paper after battling worsening depression for a good while. Hell, I've barely been to a fraction of the number of shows I've attended in years past. But maybe a change of scenery and interesting future prospects (grad school? what the shit?) have done me good. I'll try to cover some shows I saw this summer soon, and another AOTY list as well. ANYWAY enough ado, on with the show!

What do Carrie Underwood and Laser Flames on the Great Big News have in common? I’ll get to the answer somewhere in here, hold on to your butts. Let me pull back first and give this release some context. With this album, Laser Flames on the Great Big News have FINALLY put out their debut after 4 years of being stuck in production/distribution.

At the time this record was recorded, Nashville was in the midst of experimenting with adding a touch of twang to heaviness. Bands like Hellbender (whose bassist/trombonist/etc. Mikey Allred engineered, mixed, and recorded this album) were mixing in windy plains-feeling acoustic intervals between big fat doom riffs, while Across Tundras took Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt into Earth’s deeper territories. Even Clorange had Carrie Acree’s dulcet sung melodies mixed in with Black Sabbath tones. Hearing this record finally come out, I can’t help but think about these bands and the sounds of those couple years.

    All this to say Laser Flames have a very interesting relationship with time. They have a sound that feels couched in times of cowboys and the West, but also harkens to the future, or maybe a future that has come to pass. The intro track sets the scene of what feels like Blade Runner but as a spaghetti western. This mixture of styles is rife through the whole album, as Clutch-inspired riffs morph to and from acoustic crooning between potent guitar and vocal duet John Judkins (Protomen, Rwake) and Stevie Bailey. Their gorgeous vocal interplay goes a long way to separate this outfit from similar outfits. They go from doing their best Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner impression to screaming like black metal banshees, especially at the end of the floridly manic Beloved.

2016 Oh Christ

Lots of bad things happened in 2016. But you don't need this blog to tell you that, you probably already know it. So let's skip to all the good things that happened this year, namely all the absolutely fantastic music that came this year, brought to you by some of Nashville's finest artists. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Chris Click- Greywoods

In no order

Iggy Pop- Post Pop Depression

Inter Arma- Paradise Gallows

John Carpenter- Lost Themes II

Helms Alee- Stillicide

Trap Them- Crown Feral

True Widow- AVVOLGERE

A Tribe Called Quest- We Got it From Here

White Lung- Paradise

Throane-Derrière-nous, la lumiere

Descendents- Hypercaffium Spazzinate

Metz- Eraser EP

Psalm Zero- Stranger to Violence

Ultha- Pain Cleanses Every Doubt

Derek Martin - Greywoods

Autolux - PUSSY'S DEAD

B Boys - No Worry No Mind

Blood Incantation - Starspawn

Bolzer - Hero

Dead Congregation - Sombre Doom EP

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones

Gatecreeper - Sonoran Deprevation

GOST - Non Paradisi

Helms Alee - Stillicide

Inter Arma - Paradise Gallows

Holy Sons - In The Garden

Jim James - Eternally Even

Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered

King Dude - Sex

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity

Legowelt - Laundromat Of Your Mind

The Lion's Daughter - Existence Is Horror

Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley

Porches - Pool

Trap Them - Crown Feral

True Widow - AVVOLGERE

Wormrot – Voices 

Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression

OVERLOOKED Local Bands that killed it last year:

Watcher

Forest of Tygers

Sheep Shifter

Holy Mountaintop Removers

Seawitch

Rifft

Black Tar Prophet

Act of Impalement

Cannomen

Ascent of Everest

Commoner

Battlepath

The Jag

Thetan

Erin Rae & The Meanwhiles

Greg Swinehart – Black Tar Prophet

Dark Funeral-where shadows forever reign

Archgoat-the apocalyptic triumphator

Cult of Luna with Julie Christmas-Mariner

Asphalt Graves-The New Primitive

Destroyer 666-Wildfire

I think Archgoat was 2015. Can't remember 

Top local release Holy Mountaintop removers

Michael Mikey Owin - Ascent of Everest, Lawndry, Boo Dudes, Aborticide

Best albums: Batushka, Goat, Bowie.

Best in show: Mikey

John Judkins -The Protomen, Seafood Hotline, Laser Flames, Rwake

Spirit Adrift - Chained to Oblivion

Kvelertak - Nattesferd

Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop - Love Letter For Fire

Neurosis - Fires Within Fires

Cass McCombs - Mangy Love

Opeth - Sorceress

Holy Mountain Top Removers - The Ones     Disappearing You

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

Virus - Memento Collider

40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Netherlands - Audubon

Family - Future History

Danimal Cannon - Lunaria

Sumac - What One Becomes

Metallica - Hardwired...

William Tyler - Modern Country

Margaret Glaspy - Emotions and Math

Deftones - Gore

Charles Bradley – Changes

Stan Richardson II - Skoolgirl

Omni - "Deluxe"

Butthole - "Butthole"

https://buttholeband.bandcamp.com/album/butthole

Free Pizza - "Berlin, DE"

People Zoo - "People Zoo"

Spencer Moore - Phobos, Chasm of Teeth, Animality

Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason

Sumac - What One Becomes

Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis

Obscura - Akroasis

Car Bomb - Meta

Aborted - Retrogore

Zhrine - Unortheta

Khemmis - Hunted

Fallujah - Dreamless

Revocation - Great Is Our Sin

Barishi - Blood From the Lion's Mouth

Wayfarer - Old Souls

Virvum - Illuminance

Vermin Womb - Decline

Mithras - On Strange Loops

Mikey Allred – Holy Mountaintop Removers, head honcho at Dark Art Audio

Let’s just go with “Bowie tho”

Jim and Rachel Valosik – Forest of Tygers

Top 5 records:

Ustalost - Spoor of Vipers

Anicon - Exegeses

Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason

The Body - No One Deserves Happiness

Pyrolatrous - EP

Top 5 Nashville Live Performances:

Die Choking

Pyrrhon

Meshuggah

Shellac

Hivelords

Top 5 2016 Movies:

Southbound

Baskin

The Witch

Train to Busan

Neon Demon

Blake Dellinger - Flummox

The Claypool/Lennon Delirium - Monolith of Phobos

Opeth - Sorceress

Beardfish - 4626 Comfortzone

Howling Giant - Black Hole Space Wizard

Black Sabbath - The End

Elias MacDonald - Ex-Altar of Complaints, Chasm of Teeth, Phobos, Cull

Car Bomb - Meta

Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason

Dysrhytmia - The Veil of Control

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

Jace of Two-9 - Jace tape

Lil Uzi Vert - Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World

Lil Uzi Vert/Gucci Mane - 1017 vs. The World

TTNG - Disappointment Island

Plebeian Grandstand - False Highs, True Lows

Guerrilla Toss - Eraser Stargazer

Full of Hell/The Body - One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache

Tigran Hamasyan and other dudes - Atmosphères

Piss Vortex - Future Cancer

Knife Hits - Eris

Watcher - به پایان رسید

Palm - Audiotree live session

Yautja - Audiotree live session

Scotty Rockwell - Viva La Rockwell

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones

Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis

Blake Edward Conley- lucy stoner, the minor second, droneroom

no order coz music is not a competition (though clipping, tacocat, and blonde redhead were the two albums i listened to the most, so do with that what you will)

tacocat- lost time

mount moriah- how to dance

autolux- pussy's dead

matmos- ultimate care II

horseback- dead ringers

licht-akiyama trios- tomorrow outside tomorrow

jim o'rourke/fennesz- it's hard for me to say i'm sorry

william tyler- modern country

jenks miller and rose cross NC- blues from WHAT

heron oblivion- s/t

the gotobeds- blood//sugar//secs/traffic

clipping- splendor and misery

true widow- avvolgere

the body- no one deserves happiness

papa m- highway songs

white lung- paradise

savak- best of luck in future endeavors

e- e

honourable mention

steve gunn- eyes on the line

tribe called quest- we got it from here...thank you 4 your service

blood orange- freetown sound

minor victories- s/t

body/head- no waves

angel olsen- my woman

reissues-

tad- god's balls/salt lick/8-way santa

blonde redhead- masculin feminin

mike watt- ring spiel '95

personal bias favs-

ladyshark- monsters

cøurtney- when this flesh is not enough

new cowboy builders- pentre alexandra deaths head orpheans

coordinated suicides- false pleasure

Josh Cochran – Billy Castro

My Top 5 Albums of 2016

1. Ustalost - The Spoor of Vipers

2. Cough - Still They Pray

3. Deftones - Gore

4. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

5. The Body - No One Deserves Happiness

Other Releases I Enjoyed (In No Particular Order)

Krallice - Hyperion

Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us

Day Wave - Headcase/Hard To Read

Anicon - Exegeses

Death Grips - Bottomless Pit

Pallbearer - Fear and Fury

Ghost - Popestar

Khemmis - Hunted
Conan - Revengeance

Elias MacDonald - Ex-Altar of Complaints, Chasm of Teeth, Phobos, Cull

Car Bomb - Meta

Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason

Dysrhytmia - The Veil of Control

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

Jace of Two-9 - Jace tape

Lil Uzi Vert - Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World

Lil Uzi Vert/Gucci Mane - 1017 vs. The World

TTNG - Disappointment Island

Plebeian Grandstand - False Highs, True Lows

Guerrilla Toss - Eraser Stargazer

Full of Hell/The Body - One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache

Tigran Hamasyan and other dudes - Atmosphères

Piss Vortex - Future Cancer

Knife Hits - Eris

Watcher - به پایان رسید

Palm - Audiotree live session

Yautja - Audiotree live session

Scotty Rockwell - Viva La Rockwell

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones
Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis

-->

ME: #3

This record just did everything right for me. Black metal, doom, bits of drone, perfect. It came out in March and I think I've nearly worn the record out already. Side A ends in a locked groove of a drone so perfect it took me 5 minutes the first time I listened to realized it was at the end. #2

I fell in love with this Finnish psychedelic black metal band since I heard their first record. This is one of the few albums that I wish I could have wiped from my memory so I could hear it for the first time again. Odd, strange, hypnotic, with what one would traditionally consider to be black metal only showing up to highlight the most intense moments, but the overall effect is like no other albums from this or any other year.  #1

By adding dance-y beats and emphasized the female vocals/choir on some the tracks, The Body have made the most intense, oppressive pop music ever to be released. The Body are doing heavy music unlike anyone else, which has earned them my top spot this year.

2015 and its beautiful music, as told by its beautiful musicians

Another year come and gone! This one was busy for me in and out of the music world, I wrote a couple reviews for Cvlt Nation in the spring, I continued playing bass with my heavy shoegaze/post-rock trio Cosmic Yawn, I screamed about the gods of Chaos in Great Unclean Ones (coming soon), and I wrote FREE BITCH on my stomach as I screamed a Lady Gaga cover into a mic’d warhorn with Cøurtney. Outside of music, I played some sweet video games and then got hired on as a Research Assistant in a lab. But enough ado, here are the lists of top albums from some of Nashville’s finest:

OK FINE WE CAN HAVE AN END OF 2014 LIST GOD

YES HERE WE ARE AGAIN YOU THOUGHT WE WERE DEAD AND MAYBE WE WERE BUT NOW WE ARE BACK AGAIN but yeah this one is late too no surprises there really. 

By all accounts, 2014 was balls-out insane, starting with #SochiProblems and ending with #ICantBreathe. Personally, The first half of the year consisted of somehow managing to snag a Biology degree (cue Final Fantasy victory music) and the rest of the year was spent working nights. 2014 was an amazing year in heavy noisy music, and without further ado, here are the year's best from the local scene's finest musicians that responded to emails and/or posted a list on facebook that I am summarily pirating here:

Sun Wheel, Motherplant, Black Tar Prophet, Holy Mountain Top Removers at Springwater (+Shroud Eater)

After a quite pregnant pause, it is time to give birth to some much-delayed show reviews! I think, for my own sake, I'm going to group the past shows I've seen by month (which means that May is going to end up the disproportionately large triplet due to that week of shows I attended.). Fuck it, I'll just do it one show at a time. It's easier to read and write this way. Enough with the weird birth jokes though, let's get these writeups going!

I considered not writing anything up the last show I saw in February due to the headlining band not really needing any press from me. The trio that is Shroud Eater has begun to blow up enough to be covered by legitimate metal news sites. I changed my mind when I heard their new release however. Everybody needs to hear it. If Matt Pike was secretly two women and a Scott Ian lookalike in disguise, that would be awesome. Also it would sound kind of like this.


ooh and I just learned about this "jump break" thing, I guess you have to click on the link headline if you want to read about the other shows in March the bands listed in the header. Unless you've already clicked. I'm not sure how it works yet.

May 4-10 full res picture and video uploads

Just a forewarning, the sound quality on the videos is terrible.


EDIT: Added a jump break so those running MS-DOS don't crash and burn when loading the main page. Click something nearby to see the videos.

Tower Defense, Brother Ares, Debonair, Laser Flames on the Great Big News at the Owl Farm 2/8

Here we are again, it's blog time. This installment occurred at the always wonderful despite sketchily located Owl Farm. Seriously, once you get past the gunshots (just like with lightning, count the seconds between when you see muzzle flash and when you hear the bang to see how far away it is!) and the stray dogs (the pair I saw both appeared gravid), it's a great venue usually filled with good people.

I  hope this b&w filter hides my crap photography skills

This night was no different. First up was local trio Tower Defense. First and foremost: I have no idea if they're named after the flash game genre or not. Regardless, husband-and-wife pair Mike and Sarah Shepherd both handle bass duties while drummer Jereme Frey pounds away. According to their facebook page, Tower Defense was started by Mike and Jereme, who have been in a number of other bands including Gentlemen Divers, Bad Feeler, and the venerable Apollo Up!, and Mike's wife Sarah (herself having played in Take The Power Back, an all-female Rage Against the Machine cover band, and Short Ropes) joined to help play covers at a benefit show. "Suddenly," the 'About' section reads, "the music starting being good." I can't help but agree. These three old friends play a style of post-punk that has pop punk sensibilities without being overly saturated with sweetness, and doesn't go as dark as Joy Division. These three each sing at one point or another. The Shepherds ring out some infectious grooves, with Sarah usually on the bottom part and Mike playing the higher strings. Jereme's strong and energetic drums give a dose of power to this band that really adds some punch to the sound. The vocals are sung in a straightforward and melodic manner, with tasty harmonies throughout. The vocals could be considered synecdochic for the entire sound in that they seem to be going for a rather straightforward style without a lot of adornments, and really, they don't need them. These three have a hooky, expressive style without a lot of fuss.
Since they don't seem to have any streams up and running, have a video of a past performance instead:

so far so good

Next up was noise-doom duo Brother Ares. What can I say about these two that has not already been said (by me)? They play a mixture of doom and sludge with screechy dysmelodic, atonal interludes, intros, and outros. Nick Gore pounds the drums and yells full-bodiedly while Blake Conley strums and shreds guitar and yells in a higher and less rough manner. Their riffs are mammoth in weight and pace - you'll find you can take more than one breath during some sustains. Blake's amp, responsible for his gorgeous tone, doesn't have a top because it was found in the trash. Their love for The Body is noticeable in their sound and also because they started out not using microphones. Their preoccupation with warring birds and remaining a two-some is reminiscent of Eagle Twin, whose influence can also be felt in their sound. A few tracks can even get a bit Isis-y (a la "Weight" from Oceanic). This show was great example of Blake and Gore at their best. They even looked like they were having fun. At one point, [a guy from] the audience came up and started screaming into the microphone. I heard from Gore later that he'd talked to [the guy] about doing it before (turns out he did vocals for some other local bands); at the time it kinda looked like he just decided to grab it out of the blue. Regardless of intent it was pretty jarring. Otherwise it was a pretty exemplary set with lots of good strong positive energy flowing. They rounded it out by bringing back one of their favorite covers, Black Flag's "My War." Look for an upcoming split cassette from them as a part of a series by Across Tundras' Tanner Olson, as well as their full-length LP The Aviary as soon as it gets finished mixing and mastering. Til then, stream this:

Third up were the local gentlemen of Debonair. Blake from Brother Ares had talked these guys up to me for a while now, so I was excited to see them. Maybe everyone was; it might have just been my imagination, but the air seemed full of anticipation while these men who appeared stylish, good-natured, and perhaps actually debonair set up. At least two of the members sported well-groomed mustaches after all. Sadly neither of the two bass players had a fuzzy caterpillar-esque upper lip, but I won't hold that against them, as their playing more than compensated. Like, way more. These guys rocked the house and sent all kinds of great vibes through the audience. I have in my notes that these guys have elements of post-hardcore and math rock in their sound with a touch of post-rock, but really these guys have a sound that's all their own.

Still, there's a few influences I think I hear; at some points they remind me of a deranged Slint. I even heard some Filter in there, before they got all unbelievable and wanted you to take their picture and shit (not like they'll remember anyway.). No, Debonair play their own brand of space math rock with two bassists, a guitarist whose vocals remind me a touch of Knoxville's Billy Castro, and an absolutely manic drummer. These guys get to a level of interesting that my notes say is approaching Mike Patton levels. With lyrical content pertaining to safe words and space camp, this disquiescent quartet may seem disingenuous, but their musicality is anything but a joke. Between tremolo-picked segments and at least one incredibly satisfying sludgy bit, I was not disappointed. Until I wrote this review that is: these guys have way too little material on record. Best I can find is some live-recorded audio tracks set to single-picture videos. Until they do me, gentlemen everywhere, and really everyone in the world a favor by recording, sate your Debonairish hunger with this:


Finally, last up was Laser Flames on the Great Big News. Here's a rundown of what I imagine to be the average thought process of a person hearing this band for the first time: "Laser Flames on the... dang these guys have a long name. I heard that one guy is in Rwake though, so I bet they're good. That Stevie chick is pretty cute. This first riff is pretty nice, and now they're... singing country style. Huh. Wasn't expecting that. Not bad though, fits the riff I spose. Nice vocal harmonies. Huh. Country metal? I guess I can dig iHOLY SHIT did that girl just scream? Shit, I just spat a mouthful of PBR all over this guy's patch vest in front of me. Better edge away. But jesus, that was one helluva scream that came out of that woman. And now with shredding and blastbeats to match. What an about-face. And now... damn, those are some tasty doom riffs. I'm gonna need another beer for this."

LFotGBN play a variety of styles from country metal to stoner metal to black metal to jesus how much else do you need to read to know that these guys kick ass? They have no respect for what's kosher in a genre and play what they want. Both guitarists John Judkins (who also plays bass in lovely sludge outfit Rwake, formerly of Today is the Day and Christine) and Stevie Bailey sing and scream in turn or together, all while strumming and shredding and god knows what else to those poor guitars. The rhythm section was just as dynamic, with drummer James Turk (bassist for local black metal outfit Enfold Darkness) and bassist Brian Myers are just as dynamic as Judkins and Bailey, shifting styles and tempos with apparent ease. They make each style and mix of styles their own, tweaking formulas when necessary. Even if you're too ADD to take your adderol properly, these guys keep things fresh and full of enough curveballs to not just hold my attention, but keep me on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what they're going to play next. If you like ever wondered "hey I wonder what black metal and country sounds like" then I think you'll enjoy Laser Flames on the Great Big News. Stream their ep right here, and look for a new record in the near future!


And that's a wrap. Thank you dear readers for bearing with me and being patient as I churn out yet another late blog. With classes coming to a close at the end of this month, hopefully I will soon have more time to spend reviewing come May. Going to try do some new and long overdue album reviews soon in addition to shows. Until then, enjoy this biology fact I learned recently!

"Eagles and boobies exhibit "obligate siblicide," in which the larger chick invariably kills its smaller sibling. For example, of more than 200 records of two-egg clutches followed in the Black Eagle of southern Africa, only one record exists of both chicks surviving to fledging. Obligate siblicide also occurs among pelicans, owls, and cranes. In obligate siblicide, which occurs even when food supplies are abundant, the second egg serves as insurance against loss of the first egg from infertility, predation, or damage, rather than as a means of rearing two chicks."

FUCK YEAH EAGLES FUCK YEAH AMERICA

Act of Impalement; Anodes; Regret, The Informer; Altar of Complaints at the Hymen House 2/2

Update! Jesse Mowery has been kind enough to post the videos for these performances on Youtube. Check out the performances beneath each review!

Ah the Hymen House. Every time I come, it's like hanging out with friends, and then all of a sudden awesome bands are playing. Everybody is laid back, and there's never any unnecessary bullshit or drama. Posters of shows past coat the walls, and there's even a shrine to a stranger in the music room. Out of all the venues I've been to in Nashville so far, this one feels the coziest. Perfect for the show tonight, which consisted of three (mostly) post-hardcore bands and one "war doom" group.

That war doom group was Act of Impalement. Back when I first started this blog back in January of last year, I was inspired by Brother Ares' sonic power and obscurity to start writing. While I was at this show, I was approached by a trio of  amigos who asked my friend and I, "do you guys like Electric Wizard?" and smoked us out. As it turns out, two of those dudes would go on to form a band of their own called Act of Impalement, and I am happy to report that these guys rule (and not just for guitarist Ethan's apt Varg impression). They were the only band I missed at the exhausting Bobbarroo show last year, so I was excited to finally see them perform. Talking to Zack and Ethan before the show, they labeled their sound as "War Doom", a mixture of war metal (which itself is, according to Kim Kelly, "a blasphemous, violent black/death metal hybrid so extremely fast, raw, and chaotic that it often borders upon grind") with doom metal, whose definition I'm hoping you already know. These two blend the two styles fairly seamlessly, winding up with varying tempo and drumming, rough and raw guitar tone, and a low growl (though I would associate it more with black metal than death). With only two members, these guys don't have a whole lot of extra bells and whistles. What they do have are some absolutely killer doom and black metal riffs. Despite their professed inebriation (or maybe due in part to it), as soon as they started playing, they got right in sync and in the zone. Moving from lumbering doom passages to sprinting black metal with surprising efficacy, these two weave together extreme metal in earnest. With song titles like "My Warhorse Awaits" and "Now Your God Has Fallen", it's not hard to figure out what their agenda is. Churches beware. Look for their debut album coming soon, as well as a side project with Erik of Black Tar Prophet called either Wolf Pope, Vomit Wolf, or War Bong also coming soon. Check out their awesome meh-fi demos here:



After AoI was when the post-hardcore began. When I was growing up and beginning to explore metal, my only exposure to post-hardcore was horribly whiny groups that were even lamer than the "modern hardcore" bands of the time. I thought that post-hardcore, and to an extent, hardcore as a whole was about skinny jeans and feathered hair. Thus, my exposure to good post-hardcore has been severely delayed, so my knowledge on the subject hasn't quite caught up to my knowledge of metal (of which I still have volumes to go), but shows like this one are a powerful example to what amazing post-hardcore sounds like. I'd even go as far as to say that this was the best post-hardcore show I've ever been to, and St. Louis artists Anodes are a big part of that. I didn't hear much about them beforehand, but I was impressed by their performance. They blend heaviness with a sense of soul-baring personal truth by shout-speaking emotionally during the soft parts, and then not holding anything back during the loud and heavy segments. Bassist Katie Brown would often hold the melody while guitarists Sean Survant and AJ Hofstetter would scream and play delicious flowing harmonies over top. Very epic stuff reminiscent of Rosetta and one of my current favorite groups, Light Bearer. Stream their recently released album here, and make sure to pick it up on vinyl if you've got the rupees. (Apologies for lack of picture, none came out well)

greatest picture I have ever taken

Third up was Regret, The Informer from my old stomping grounds, Kansas City. I have in my show notes that these guys are "Post-hardcore with great bassist foundation under wonky and evil shoegaze." Damn, there must have been some good shit at this show, because in listening to their 7" "Less Than Three" that I got, I don't hear much shoegaze at all. Regardless, these guys were really energetic and interesting, with sometimes melodic sometimes noisy guitar shredding, and a thrumming bass that held everything together. The vocals were shouted in almost a D.R.I or Kowloon Walled City style, and even screamed at some points. At some points, I'd say they were heavy enough to border on post-metal (ambient sludge for the purists). Really fantastic and varied stuff, I was not disappointed. It's also worth nothing that these guys have some of the most clever and humorous lyrics I've read, lyrics like "you can hold my hand but you can never hold my heart/ stay the fuck away from me/ baby, i'm a work of art/ you can never hold my heart" (from "Good Morning Drug" off the aforementioned 7"). Check it out for yourself right here, right now.

guys wrong way

we're over here guys

Last up was some new voodoo from right here in Nashville, Altar of Complaints. I'd been looking forward to seeing this new band since Jesse Mowery's other band Dawn broke up. I'm happy to report that these guys absolutely kick ass. Vocals are shouted and screamed over noodlesome, flowery, and even spacy guitars. These guys are all over the place, but in the best way possible. Elias MacDonald from local death metal band Axis (and others) provided the low-end foundation with some gorgeous 6-string caressing, and said "fuck mics" and screamed without one. The drums were really powerful, especially considering how "pretty" the guitars could be at time. These guys managed to bring together some pretty unlike parts into a surprisingly cohesive package, especially considering how unseriously these guys apparently take themselves. From their facebook page description, "...we don't consider this to be a band but more of an on going experiment in having fun and not taking ourselves too serious. Cause let's face it, our music isn't saving the world from shit. And we are fine with that. You want enlightenment?, go see Deepak Chopra and LSD." Sounds pretty apt. To experience their delightful musical dickery, stream their newly album album aquí:


Jesse was too busy playing to record himself, so there's no live video of this performance that I could find. So instead, have this video of AoC chortling about tambourines recording at Black Matter Mastering:


Another one in the books. Next on the docket, a show with a few multiple-bass bands, and one without! In the meantime, if you need me, I'm going to be working up to doing DNA work on these guys this summer:

In Fidelity, Pissbath, Choking on Ash, Good Luck Varsity, Pray For Teeth, Cerce, Out of Time at the Owl Farm on 1/14

If you think that's a lot of bands, then you're absolutely right. 7 bands on a Monday night. No way I was going to miss it though, I'd been looking forward to seeing Cerce since one of my best friends/worst roommates showed them to me a year before. I wanted to see them so bad that I offered to pay the booking fee to bring them to Cafe Coco, but Chase Wilson of the Owl Farm crew beat me to the punch. Thank goodness, since I have absolutely zero experience in putting together or promoting shows, and would probably just ruin everything. So thanks Chase and everybody else at the Owl Farm, even if it was a lot of bands for one night it was still a hell of a show.

Anyway, let's get to the bands. First up was In Fidelity. These guys are local metallic hardcore heavy hitters who played either with no breaks and great transitions or one long song. Personally I hope it's the latter, but only because I adore extra long songs a la Dopesmoker and Absolutego. These guys had put on a really high energy show, with a lot of movement from every member. Vocalist Cooper Pemelton seemed especially restless, exploring the stage space in a manic pace back and forth, never really finding a spot to settle down in. This was possibly due to nausea, as he vomited more than once after the performance. Other members of the band assured me that this was an occurrence that happened somewhat regularly, and that I shouldn't be alarmed. His actual vocals were passionate and earnest, as though he was verbalizing his own personal tales of hardships and outrages, and how fed up he was about them. The rest of the band sonically supports this attitude very well, pondering the grievances during more subdued portions and lashing out during more aggressive passages. To me they have a varied hardcore sound, with bits of metallic hardcore somewhat similar to earlier  Converge, D-beat, and even a touch of sludge here and there. They even have some tasty post-metal moments, with soft parts building and crescendoing into heavier phrases. Overall, really infectious stuff that'll get your blood pumping. Check out their split with Chained on local label Spaghetti Spaghetti Records here, and look for their EP These Things I Can't Forget on the same label soon.

Next us was Murfreesboro shredders Pissbath. These guys are fucking rough! Screaming and  distortion galore. This shit is not for pussies. These Avalon House kids play their punk/hardcore music as distorted as they can (almost to the point of harsh noise at some points), and screamer Melissa Hurley holds nothing back. Some might be turned off by it, but my absolute favorite part of these guys is when they play so furiously that they start to come apart ever so slightly, as if their desire to be fucking raw and agressive takes precedence over the need to be bolt-tight. Their sound is tearing at the seams, and that's the way they like it. Talking to the band afterwards, they said that they were supposed to play the show with a bass player, but he ended up going to Florida, and despite saying that he'd make it back in time he was absent for the show. Bassist or no, these guys rocked. Check out their demo on guitarist and Avalon House aficionado's label/distro Primitive Prison:

Third up was what's quickly becoming one of my favorite local groups Choking on Ash. Featuring members of local crushers Yautja, Sacaea, Sky Burial, and a plethora of other Little Hamilton/Owl Farm-related bands, this group punishes in way that makes you beg for more. Ever since I heard their demo (below), I've been impressed with their work. It would be easy to just label this group stoner metal/sludge with screamed vocals, but to do so would miss some of the nuances that make this group great. Kayhan's guitars are sludgy enough, but the breakneck fast parts show that he's not resting on his laurels one bit. And what great tone! Like wearing a sharkskin condom with the rough side on the inside. I'm not sure it's represented enough in their demo recording, but the bass was really driving and even intricate at some parts at this show. I was impressed, I hope it comes through clearly whenever they put out an official release. Story's vocals - just, goddamn. Could they be considered black metal? I'd say they're pretty close. They definitely add another layer and texture which just fleshes out the band that much more. Drummer Ivan is a scene veteran and a beast at drums. Whether it's a beat every other second or frantic blasts, seems like he runs the gamut in this band. Check out their demo right here:

Fourth up was the first touring group, Good Luck Varsity, all the way from Detroit. If you're scratching your head and thinking "well that doesn't sound like a very hardcore name" then you're absolutely right. These guys are a pop-punk/post-hardcore group from Detroit. Seeing as they were the middlemost band of the night, I can't help but wonder if they were meant to be an intermission of sorts, seeing as most people went outside to imbibe their drink or drug of choice when they started playing. Sonically they're outside of my area of expertise, but once I got past the fact that they weren't heavy I didn't mind them. They were certainly competent, and had some pretty good vocal harmonies. Guitars were rather noodly and the bass was groovy. I relished the occasional scream. Someone lamented the fact that one guitarist was also using a laptop and the bass play was using a wireless pickup system, but I don't give enough of a fuck to be bothered by shit like that. I'm more bothered by the fact that these guys were playing this show at all. I wouldn't say that I wish I hadn't seen them, I just wish it wasn't at an overbooked show. Regardless, they still deserve a listen. Check them out:

Band number five was Pray for Teeth from Pittsburgh, PA. Their facebook page genre is listed as "No genres no masters", so I'm going to attempt to describe without using genre labels for as long as I can. It can be like charades! I give you clues, and you can call out the genre while you read. THREE WORDS. RHYMES WITH: Claymore Sheath. SOUNDS LIKE: Lumberjacks lamenting fallen forests. Echoes of unrest clamoring off of canyon walls. Feedback; ambient yet crunchy guitars and throaty yells. Pulsing bass and pounding drums. But enough with the poetry and shit. Sorry guys, I held off for this long, but I gotta throw around some genres. Still, these guys really don't fall into one specific group, so none of these monikers goes all the way in describing them, but here goes: I heard elements of post-metal (ambient sludge, if you're a purist) a la Isis and Rosetta, doom metal and sludge, hardcore, and even black metal, both atmospheric and regular flavors. I was especially impressed with Neal Dudash's vocals, whose hardcore shouts were almost powerful enough to be considered black metal screams. Watch this video about hot sauce of them recording material for their 7", streamable below the video and look for the vinyl copy coming out on It's A Trap! and Moshtache Records, as well as Root of All Evil Collective.



Band six was the moment we'd all been waiting for, the heavyweight championship fight we'd all come to see. In this corner, all the way from Boston/Philadelphia, weighing in at a gaunt 650 pounds collectively (that's an average of 130 lbs per band member for those of you who preprogrammed the answers into your TI-83 before tests), coming off of a 12-show winning streak, CERCE!! As I mentioned in the beginning, a friend of mine showed me these guys' bandcamp page, and I was intrigued. So much pink, but yet these guys had a wicked sound. Not much in the way of releases though... until they put up their self-titled 7". Lordy, this thing was a monster, and I wasn't the only one who thought so. On even the most contrary music forums, I saw a pretty strong positive response to this release, some even citing it as one of the best releases of last year. You can imagine my excitement at getting to see them play. And I was not disappointed. Raucous and explosive, they fuse an abrasive mass of sludge, hardcore, and powerviolence into an earthquake of musical transgression. The place was electric when they played, everyone in the crowd receiving the energy which the band put out with every pugilistic riff.  Once they began playing it was like going over the top of the first mountain of the biggest roller coaster at the park: all you could do was hold on to this ride hurtling around tight corners at breakneck speeds, and you knew that any signs of softening or slowing would only lead to bigger hills and more violent lurches. These guys shifted and accelerated like a hawk battling a falcon in midair, and deceptively pink-haired Becca Cadalzo had screams match. Her vocals, which are something of a focal point for this band, something that makes them stand out, were just as enthralling live as on record, screeching and crying out while guitars writhed and pounced beneath. As a total package, these guys succeed in earnestly expressing some pretty powerful emotion without sounding histrionic or patronizing. I can't tell you how excited I am that I got a hold of one of the last original pressings of their 7".

All together now: LET ME PUT THIS BODY TO REST

Before I link to their music and tell you to buy it, there's one issue that plagued this show that I think bears mentioning. Throughout the show, there was one girl who seemed way more animated than anyone else in the crowd. Hardcore dancing around, singing along with lyrics she may or may not have known, throwing her arms about. I'm not here to hate on any of that, hardcore shows are a great time to do whatever the fuck you want to music, including moshing and whatever else you feel. What's not okay is when you get so fucked up and out of control that you fucking PUNCH BECCA FROM CERCE IN THE FACE DURING THEIR SET. I apologized to Becca after the show for it, after she said she felt like an asshole for pointing the girl out for punching her in the face. Hardcore shows are rough, violent expressions are okay, but not if you're interfering with the band that you and everyone else paid to see.

In any case, Cerce put on a killer show despite encroachment, and you should buy their stuff.
Their 7" first pressing is pretty scarce, but a few of the 2nd pressing with Solidarity Recordings might be left. Look for their split with Stresscase coming soon on Mayfly Records soon! Till then, stream:


Last band of the night! I'm getting tired just typing this up. Band #7 was, ironically, Out of Time. Fighting out of St Louis, MO, these bruisers played meaty hardcore with a sludgy punch that hits you right in the gut. Vocals are shouted in the vein of oldschool hardcore punk, and fit the style perfectly. The drums were especially punchy live, and complemented the overall sound very well. A lot of people probably left after Cerce, but I'm glad I decided to stick around. These guys exemplify what solid, no-bullshit-all-pit hardcore should sound like. But don't take my word for it, find out for yourself:


Whew! Another review under my belt. If you see any mistakes or things I left out, please contact me or leave a comment. In the meantime, I'm going back to studying biology like this:

TG Olson, Poor Faulkner, and Brother Ares at Betty's Bar and Grill

Hello again boys and girls, it's time for another show writeup! Got a good tale for you with this one. Let me start with Betty's. I'd heard from Brother Ares' guitarist Blake that this place had a history of being a place where all sorts of weird groups would perform, even a few noise artists. I had this confirmed by a cool guy in my English class that I talked to about Merzbow; he said that Betty's attracted all kinds of different acts. I was rather disappointed then, when I walked in only to find it was just a crappy little beer bar with just a spot on the floor next to a pool table for bands to play in. It reminded me of a slightly larger Dino's, another shabby beer bar in Nashville where I saw Windhand play. To add insult to injury, the place was out of Yuengling Black & Tan! Most disappointing were the people, but more on that later.

First up was Across Tundras' frontman and mastermind T.G. Olson. Mr. Olson had an interesting setup going on, with an electric guitar lying horizontally on a guitar case with a metal slide laying on the frets while he played an amplified acoustic guitar. He played in an interesting, earnest, and involving style, with a lot of droning on the lower strings on the acoustic while he played what I am going to describe as flow and mellow yet ponderous campfire songs, songs you'd hear out on the prairie after being out on the trail for months. Really engaging stuff. I loved the supplementary noise created by the horizontal guitar.

However, the highlight of the night absolutely had to be when Tanner got into a random encounter with a wild drunk woman. She really wasn't as mild as she was rather drunk (a feat at a beer bar), not very attractive, and tipsily dancing to drone. The best part though was that with each dance moves, her jeans would slip down every so slightly. So at one point, this woman is getting down and comes right up in front of Tanner, and when she turns around he can't hold it together. To his credit he kept the song going, but his (and everyone else watching's) failure to stifle laughter was just enough to throw him off just for one hilarious moment. He finished his set out, and promptly said "man, I was look at four inches of buttcrack." Absolutely made the whole night worth it. Sadly I was not quick enough on the draw to capture photographic evidence, and I thought the startle and scare off the creature, so you'll have to take my word for it. But believe you me, it was probably one of the funniest thing I've seen at one of these shows. For more music and less buttcrack, have a stream:

Next up was Joey from Hellbender's solo project Poor Faulkner. Joey's guitarwork in Hellbender is pretty great. Grooving, driving, dynamic, technically skilled and even thoughtful. His solo style, while a little less groove-oriented, is still fantastic. He played both 6 and 12 string guitars with a dexterity and mastery that was a pleasure to watch. He strummed each guitar almost like a banjo at time, complete with a pick on nearly every finger. Sonically it was ebullient, flowing, and quite hypnotic, with just a hint of twang. I was fully drawn in, my trance only being broken by the inattentive bargoers who didn't seem to care in the slightest. Another black mark for Betty's. As soon as any of his music gets put online, you can bet that I'm going to post it here. EDIT: Here it is!

Blake, hamming it up

Last up was a duo that I have almost spent too much time talking about, Brother Ares. I'm proud to say that I have completed these guys' ritual and finally heard the last song from their upcoming album The Aviary that I hadn't heard yet, the mighty title track itself. Holy shit guys, from what I've seen, this album is going to kick ass. The band members described this track as a rather loose jam before the show, but they pulled it off spectacularly. They ripped through the rest of their (relatively short) setlist and had a damn good show all around. Really full of vigor and dare I say it, zazz. They knew the crowd didn't give a fuck, so they countered by giving no fucks of their own and played how they wanted to play. And it ruled. They ended up clearing the bar of the regulars, but who gives a shit, They didn't pay any cover. Fuck 'em. If they didn't like it, their loss, to each his own, etc. Look for their upcoming split with Knoxville weird doomers Billy Castro, their aforementioned full-length LP The Aviary, and possibly even a split with T.G. Olson/Across Tundras.

Hellbender was slated to play last, but some of the members weren't feeling up to it, so they said "fuck it." In most cases I would be frowning my hardest, but in these circumstances I can't blame them. If you had to not play a show, I'd say this was the one to cancel on. I'd just seen them play with Rwake at the Exit/In (complete with random synth-effect player who may or may not have been tripping his balls off), and it's not like I'm not going to see them again in the near future. Look for a new full-length album to come out in the near future(!!!), and stream some of their krautrockier stuff right here to tide you over until then.


Look for my review of In Fidelity, Pissbath, Choking on Ash, Good Luck Varsity, Pray for Teeth, Cerce, and Out of Time's show at the Owl Farm as soon as I get some time away from studying crap like this:

Best Crap from 2012

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! It's time for another episode of NASH•VILE! Tonight's episode is the tardiest episode yet!
Audience: "HOW LATE IS IT?!?!"
I was supposed to be released a whole YEAR ago! BAZINGA!
*Audience dies laughing, chuckling and chortling without stop. In fact, it is so funny that they cannot stop. Comedic asphyxia soon results. Audience literally dies laughing.*

Anyway, this article is [mostly] geared towards local artists' favorite albums of this past year, and was gathered entirely with the help of Blake from Brother Ares. So without further ado, here's the list, complete with links to full album streams when available:

Erik (Black Tar Prophet)
The Christpunchers - Music Make Me Murder
Wolfbrigade - Damned
Black Breath - Sentenced to Life
Neurosis - Honor Found in Decay
High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

Zack (Act of Impalement)
1. Pallbearer - Sorrow and Extinction
2. High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
3. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, m.A.A.d city
4. Pilgrim - Misery Wizard
5. Off - Off!

Bobby (NeuroticFox, Kit Fistu)-
1 Meshuggah - Koloss
2 Down - Purple ep
3 Baroness - Green & yellow
4 Om - Advaitic songs
5 Soliam - S/t ep
6 Axis - Echo
7 Act of Impalement - demo
8 Yautja/Enabler - split
9 Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
10 Contortionist - Intrinsic

Blake (Brother Ares)
Horseback - Halfblood: Jenks Miller delivers music that on paper makes no sense. Combining hex era earth w/ some nice droney borderline krautrock and then add straight up black metal vocals on top, but in execution creates an album that is both hypnotic and unnerving.

disappears - pre language: disappears gain Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth for this release (and then subsequently lose him after the touring cycle). his influence moves the band into a less claustrophobic, more almost danceable direction. all the key disappears elements are there-fuzzy, delayed and tremoloed guitars, echoed vox, and propulsive bass but a new spaciousness is added creating an album that breathes where previous albums smothered (both preferable directions).

trophy wife - sing what scares you: trophy wife (the Philadelphia trophy wife) are one of my favourite discoveries of the past couple of years. They combine riot girl passion w/ heavy sonic toneage...the results are similar to maybe hum meets Sleater Kinney. This album has a lot more vocal interplay between both members and the energy and strength they put behind their music is nothing short of inspiring.

Earth-Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II: Earth return with the other half of their angels of darkness sessions. This part of the session is a lot looser, more improvised and its a moving experience.  the instruments (guitar, cello, bass and drums) stretch out and embrace each other in a beautiful slow waltz.

Billy Castro - make love like war: I've already said a lot about billy castro in my prior interview w/ them, needless to say, this is a unique and powerful listen.

Om - Adviadic songs: om return this year w/ an album even more indebted to new member Emil Amos. Om take the sounds that were always sort of implied in their music and then choose to execute them, utilizing guest musicians on exotic instruments (special nod goes to Rob A. A. Lowe who also tours with them and provides invaluable and incredible assistance in reproducing the extra noise live) the band transcends from a drone metal band to a psychedelic world music band.

Locrian - the clearing/final epoch, bless them that curse you (collaboration w/ mamiffer), new dominions (collaboration w/ horseback): Locrian make blackened horror dronescapes that are both compelling and absolutely terrifying. and they are apparently incredible collaborators as their releases with Mamiffer and Horseback were equally epic and disorienting as the cd issue (released on vinyl last year ) of their latest album 'the clearing' which was combined w/ various outtakes on 'final epoch'.

Swans - The Seer: two discs, 2 hours of the most exhausting powerful band out there. it's better to experience this album than to try to describe it.

Death Grips - no love deep web (nsfw album cover), the money store: death grips make some empowering scary music, minimalist synth beats along w/ one of the angriest mc's ive ever heard, death grips unleashed 2 releases this year-the more accessible 'the money store' and the middle finger to their label 'no love deep web' both essential listening for yr 2012.

Sun Araw/Congos/M. Geddes Gengras - Frkwys 9: psychedelic dub artist sun araw and his pal M. Geddes travel to jamaica to record w/ legendary reggae vocal group and unleash a heady washed out spiritual album full of spacey textures and moving vocals.

Black Bananas - rad times xpress IV: party album of the year. royal trux/rtx's jennifer herrema renames her band and turns out a bizarre album combining 'one nation under a groove' era funkadelic with trashy 80s textures and hair metal guitar solos for a groove filled trash compactor jam album.

Black Table - sentinel: black table from nyc create a powerhouse mix of black metal, post hardcore and even some powerfully technical moments. and nice guys to boot.

Assembly of Light Choir - s/t: the choir best known for creating some incredibly moving moments w/ one of my favourite bands, the body, release their debut.  layers of beautiful harmonies envelop you and guest appearance from members of daughters and the body show how easy their sound can work from straight up gospel into soundtrack of the apocalypse.

Metz - s/t: metz provide a heavy fuzzed out dose of powerful 90s rock. Echoed out jazzmaster through a rat pedal, thick up front bass, pouring drums and echoed out drums provide one exhilerating listen!

Deftones - Koi no Yokan: the deftones return combining the renewed vigor of diamond etes w/ some of the more experimental indie rock textures exhibited on saturday night wrist.

Evens - the odds: the evens also return after a 6 year hiatus to deliver more driving baritone and drum songs that are both catchy, political and passionate.

honourable mentions: pallbearer- Sorrow and Extinction; bosse de nagge- III, vattnet viskar - s/t, saint vitus - lillie f-65, mountain goats - transcendental youth

Ethan (Act of Impalement)
5. Profane Commando: Vandor EP
4. Nak'ay split with Chronic Demise
3. Skeletonwitch, Havok, Early Graves, Black Tusk @ the End
2. Hour of 13: 333
1. Napalm Death, Exhumed, Municipal Waste, Speedwolf @ Exit/In

Eric (Crawl (GA))
Alunah – “White Hoarhound”
September 3, 2012
[PsycheDOOMelic Records]
Now THIS, is how you do an album! Every little moment of White Hoarhound is excellent, from tone to structure, vocals to production. I was really impressed when I first heard it and had to listen to them again and again to just take it in.

Neurosis – “Honor Found in Decay”
October 30, 2012
[Neurot Recordings]
There are not enough words to describe this album, or band for that matter. There tends to be more of the Von Till side seeping in here, but that’s fine by me. Truly and honestly an amazing album.

Sons of Tonatiuh – “Parade of Sorrows”
June 11, 2012
This is some super-charged anger laden doom! From beginning to end this release is amazing, and it’s great to hear them branching out with some singing thrown in there at times. Doom with crusty punk aspects and great riffs!

Iron Witch – “Post Vegas Blues” 7”
May 27, 2012
[Thirty Days of Night Records]
Crusty bluesy and flat out ballsy! These UK lads know how to play some NOLA styled sludge. Loved this release cause it really shows how they are growing as a band and as musicians. Slow and sludge covered, with well executed breaks of blues based riffs. These thick and grainy guitars, solid drumming and gut wrenching vocals mix together for an amazing 7” slab.

Saint Vitus – “lillie f-65”
May 22, 2012
[Season of Mist]
I loved being able to hear something new from these longtime doomsters. Loved the production and thought the songs were well written from beginning to end.

Tree of Sores – “A Cry of Despair”
May 3. 2012
[Witch Hunter Records]
This album, for me, was a great journey into Blackened Atmosphere. Everything about this epic 27+ minute track just fell into place. The slow building veil of ambience is torn away into a blackened cold place most fear to tread. Very well structured and the diversity of moments to be heavy and when to kick it back really make this a great!

Greg (Black Tar Prophet)
"Well i can't give a top ten of anything. I can say Green Crack was the best pot i smoked this year. The worst was some shit from a cook at a kitchen. I'd say my favorite movie I watched this year was "Monkey Shines" which is not from 2012. Music, I have no clue. I listened to alot of Barn Owl, Bongripper, OM, Ufommamut, Omega Massiff, Dirge, Battle Of Mice, and Minsk. I don't know what albums but they kicked ass."

Tanner (Across Tundras)
Ty Segall Band "Slaughterhouse"
Graveyard live @ Exit/In
Hellbender live @ everywhere
Poor Faulkner @ everywhere
Chris Colson live @ Rozz Tox
Beach House "Bloom"
Soundgarden "King Animal"
Harry Taussig "Fate Is Only Twice"
Hexvessel "No Holier Temple"
Swans "The Seer"
Mark Lanegan Band "Blues Funeral"

As for me, it's been a hard decision, but here's a few good ones:
Light Bearer/Northless - Split

Wildernessking - The Writing of Gods in the Sand

Sleep - Dopesmoker [re-release]
High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
Om - Advaitic songs
Old Man Gloom - NO
Heccra - White Eagle
Eagle Twin - The Feather Tipped the Serpent's Scale
Panopticon - Kentucky
Menace Ruine - Alight in Ashes
Pig Destroyer - Book Burner
Cerce - 7"
Chrome Waves - s/t EP
Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine
A Forest of Stars - A Shadowplay for Yesterdays
Wreck and Reference - No Youth
Black Table - Sentinel

RUNNER UP: Horseback/ Pyramids - A Throne Without a King /Pyramids and Mamiffer - split: There's some confusion over whether or not the release date of the former is actually in 2012 or not, so I've just gone ahead and lumped these two together. Both Horseback's and Mamiffer's contributions are some of the best, if not the very best releases I've heard from either artist. Beyond each them however, Pyramids' individual tracks and also their collaboration with Horseback are some of the most innovative and enigmatic pieces of music I've heard to date. The use of interesting instruments (I've never heard rolling/spinning glass bottles sound so musical) deftly woven into more traditional metal instrumentation impresses me at every turn. I anticipate each new Pyramids release with bated breath.

WINRAR: Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind. At the time I saw Converge play live, they hadn't pressed AWLWLB onto vinyl yet, and at the time I'm writing this, it still hasn't been released yet. Amazon has March 5th set as the vinyl release date. And you know what? This record is worth the wait. I've been listening to the full youtube stream linked above so many times that it should have worn out long ago. With their latest release, Converge has managed to put out a record that is heavy, aggressive, technical, but at the same time extremely varied and emotive, even to the point of melancholy at some points. The title track is especially moving, which is incredible considering that it's still a badass hardcore track. From start to finish, this album keeps you on your toes, but involves you in a way that very, very few similar albums can. Until Converge comes out with something that puts it to shame, I'm going to consider this album a masterpiece, and definitely worthy of the title of best album of 2012.