Friday, February 1, 2008

album reviews

Hassan I Sabbah- Discography
maybe it's just me being incredibly biased towards having the pleasure of speaking to this band's former members over the internet, but i personally think that this is the single most cathartic band in hardcore. albeit being underrated to the 9th degree, i believe these guys deserve more recognition than they get. the lyrics are very symbolic and the vocals carry an air of anger and frustration unequaled by anybody in within this type of hardcore. the drummer himself is very very good, ending up in bands like the Red Chord. the guitar and bass work are not over the top, but provide an integral characteristic to the band. the ability to convey desperate messages without appearing too cheesy or without sounding like a whole bucket load of false angst is something incredibly hard to pull off right. if you find these guys anywhere on the internet, send them a message and thank them for making all these songs. it might take a while for them to respond, but they always do, and it always makes them feel better.

Religious Nightmare- the Junkyard of Infinity
quoted for truth, i never noticed these guys were Filipino until i read about them on Incidental Afterthought. i could safely say they are now one of my favorite grindcore bands both here in the country and abroad. i have no idea how it came to the point where merely saying the word grindcore drew responses that referenced pig-squeal vocals and crappy chug-chug death metal, but if there is one thing i know, it's that this band isn't one of them. imagine a screamy beast on the level of grindcore legends like Brutal Truth with a Discordance Axis-esque aesthetic (see their cover art and their song titles) i usually don't want to name-drop, but i'm only stressing the point that these guys should be way up there in terms of quality grindcore. the drumming is perfect. the guitar and bass work is perfect. the vocals are perfect tortured screaming at its' finest.

Phoenix Bodies- Raise The Bullshit Flag
nudity, thrash, hardcore punk, grindcore and two crazy dudes moving around like deranged psychopaths. that's basically Phoenix Bodies in a nutshell. they are working on releasing a few new splits, but till then, let's pay our respects to this awesome album. athletic thrash drumming, punky and chaotic guitarwork, no bass, and two vocalists who do an amazing job of contrasting each other. their lyrics deal with practical issues like consumerism and the progression of society with a tongue-in-cheek demeanor. this is a perfect album if you're looking for a good time. everything on it is just right. Derek is a cool guy too, very talkative guy.

C.C.C.C.- Love And Noises
noise is a genre often reserved for people who wear robes while prancing around in the woods or pretentious art kids saying music is overrated. there are only two people in this band. an ex-porn star and some dude. whatever they do to make their band sound like this is fucked up, but it works. this kind of noise strikes me as very cerebral and maintains a very cathartic feel up till the end. i'm not sure if half the things i hear in it are actually there or are effects of the noise setting up such a tense mood. GET THIS ALBUM