Welcome, friends, to the first Staff Infections of 2018. This marks the first edition in a couple months because, for various reasons, I couldn’t get it together. Let’s just say I’m happy to see the ass-end of 2017 in the rearview mirror. Unfortunately, 2018 is looking to be every bit the shit-show 2017 was, maybe worse. In addition to the ever-present geo-political quagmire and seemingly unceasing natural disasters, this young year has already seen us lose two metal titans. This past week, both “Iron” Al Morris III of Iron Man and “Fast” Eddie Clarke of Motörhead and Fastway passed away. I’m not going to pretend to be a huge Iron Man fan, but Al Morris could bring the doom, and the man spent most of his career bringing it when doom couldn’t have been less popular, so much respect to the man for being metal to the core.
“Fast” Eddie hits closer to home for me personally, as I’ve been a Motörhead fan nearly as long as I’ve been a metal fan. We don’t need to discuss the band’s legacy, having lost both Lemmy and Philthy “Animal” Taylor only a couple years ago. I will simply say that although Motörhead was indisputably Lemmy’s band, old Lem didn’t write a whole lot of music, so a great deal of the classic sound came from the hands, head and heart of “Fast” Eddie Clarke. That’s a contribution few in metal can match.
With all three members of the classic Motörhead line-up now gone it’s comforting to think that the trio is jamming together once again in rock n’ roll heaven, but I don’t believe in that shit. They’re gone. They’ve played their last notes. We’ll never see or hear their like again. All we have left are the memories and the records, so play those records loud, and play them often. Even better, put your fucking phone down, get out of the house, and go get into some trouble—that’ll keep the true spirit of Motörhead alive and well better than just about anything else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoyF73Mc18M
Christ on a pony, this is getting depressing, so enough moping.
What the Hell have we been listening to? The answer to that question is Visigoth, first and foremost. Promos went out for the power/trad metal quintet’s sophomore release, Conqueror’s Oath, and the Last Rites staff is spinning the heck out of it. You can expect a review in the near future, but for now, if you’re looking for info on Visigoth, I can direct you Michael Wuensch’s review of their debut full-length, The Revenant King.
Also receiving some spins around here are the debut from trad-metal trio Sanhedrin, A Funeral for the World, and the latest in black metal wackiness from Lugubrum, Wakar Cartel.Be sure to share your playlist in the comments, and if you have a mind to, share your favorite Motörhead and/or Iron Man song as well. Happy new year. See you all next month.
- Matthew Cooper
Jellyfish – Spilt Milk
Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
Gorguts – Considered Dead
Apostle of Solitude – From Gold to Ash
Atomic Rooster – Sleeping For Years – The Studio Recordings 1970-1974
Sanhedrin – A Funeral For the World - Michael Wuensch
Mortiferum – Altar of Decay
Visigoth – Conqueror’s Oath
Wampyrinacht – We Will Be Watching…
324 – Rebelgrind
Emerson String Quartet – Bach: The Art of Fugue
Lugubrum – Wakar Cartel - Manny-O-War
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band – Landmarks
Sanhedrin – A Funeral for the World
Apollo Brown & Planet Asia – Anchovies
Visigoth – Conqueror’s Oath
Midland – On the Rocks
VOJD – The Outer Ocean - Konrad Kantor
Visigoth – Conqueror’s Oath
Caladan Brood – Echoes of Battle
Sanhedrin – A Funeral for the World
Bold – The Search: 1985-1989
Fela Kuti – Highlife-Jazz and Afro-Soul (1963-1969)
Big L – Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous - Andrew Edmunds
Phobia – Decades Of Blastphemy
Razor – Shotgun Justice
The Obsessed – The Obsessed (Reissue)
Clutch – Robot Hive / Exodus
Spoon – Hot Thoughts
Wake – Misery Rites - Zach Duvall
Sentenced – Amok
Evoken – A Caress of the Void
My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything
Prince – Lovesexy
Lugubrum – Wakar Cartel
At the Gates – The Red in the Sky is Ours - Dave Pirtle
Visigoth – Conquerors Oath
Henry Jackman – Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Frost Giant – The Harlot Star
Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt
Sepultura – Machine Messiah
Warrior Soul – Back on the Lash - Dan Obstkrieg
Hooded Menace – Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
Venetian Snares – She Began to Cry Tears of Blood Which Became Little Brick Houses When They Hit the Ground
Chaos Echoes – Mouvement
Abigor – Höllenzwang (Chronicles of Perdition)
Itzakh Perlman – Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin
Rhapsody – Power of the Dragonflame - Jeremy Morse
Pestilence – Malleus Maleficarum
Pestilence – Testimony of the Ancients
Oraculum – Sorcery of the Damned
Pentacle – Rides the Moonstorm
Manilla Road – Out of the Abyss
Condor – Unstoppable Power
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Enslaved – “Below the Lights”
Enslaved – “Monumension”
Metallica – “Master of Puppets”
Motörhead – “Motörhead”
Hooded Menace – “Darkness Drips Forth”
Thin Lizzy – “Rocker (1971–1974)”
Eberhard Schoener – “Meditation”
Nearly impossible to pick a favorite Motörhead song. “Another Perfect Day” is my favorite Motörhead album, that is one thing I know for sure. But they are one of my favorites of all time. At the very, very top. A Motörheadbanger since the spring of 1983.
Opeth – Ghost Reveries
Darkthrone – FOAD
Tomb Mold – Primordial Malignity
Bathory – S/T
Old Wainds – Scalding Coldness
Anorexia Nervosa – New Obscurantis Order
Favorite Motörhead track? Ugh… I’ll say ‘Stay Clean.’ I’ve listened to Overkill a bunch over the last 6 months, and that track always sticks out to me. Love ‘No Class’ too.
Mostly just listening to a few late-2017 releases:
Vargrav – Netherstorm
Grafvitnir – Keys…
Evilfeast – Elegies…
and Muspellzheimr is still in regular rotation.
As for Motorhead, I’m going to be totally cliche and go for the title track from Ace of Spades. To be a bit more controversial, I think the only essential release is No Sleep… None of the filler that was on the full-lengths, just non-stop awesome.
Very pleased to see Caladan Brood, Big L and BOLD!! together in Konrad’s list, that made my monday morning! Listening to newish black and heavy metal, and some quality indie to inspire a new band.
Ancient Empire – Otherworld
Grav – Tomb of Agony
The Get Up Kids – Something to write home about
Grima – Tales of Enchanted Woods
Tigers Jaw – s/t
Visigoth – Revenant King
Choosing a favourite Motörhead song… so many correct answers here. I’ll go for “The Chase Is Better Than The Catch”, preferably live from “Everything Louder…”.
Svartsyn – In Death | Excellent midtempo stuff, great drum sound. Great sound overall, actually.
Dissection – Storm of the Light’s Bane | It’s that time of the year again.
Werian – Lunar Cult Society | Doom-y and psychedelic, with some black metal (old Bathory, some post-bm) influences. “Acid Mountain”, what a song.
Dool – Here Now, Then There | Pretty hyped album over here, was curious to hear what it’s all about. Slowly starting to click.
Ulcerate – Shrines of Paralysis | I’m constantly finding new parts to like on this wonderpiece of dynamicity.
Silent Runners – The Directory | Post-Punk/Darkwave from Amsterdam. I absolutely adored their EP. This is their first full-length, and while it’s a bit too quiet in some places for my taste, it still has plenty of cool moments.
Off to check out that new Venetian Snares now, thx for the pointer!
Summoning – With Doom We Come
That’s it lol
Summoning – With Doom We Come
Watain – Trident Wolf Eclipse
Corrosion of Conformity – No Cross No Crown
Hellchild – Bareskin
Meshuggah – Obzen
Doom – Rush Hour of the Gods
Tetragrammacide – Primal Incinerators of Moral Matrix
Another two months until the new Pestilence, but in the meantime I’m getting familiar with the back catalogue, including Resurrection Macabre which I haven’t listened to in years along with Doctrine and Obsideo that I never picked up before.
Pestilence – Malleus Maleficarum
Pestilence – Consuming Impulse
Pestilence – Testimony of the Ancients
Pestilence – Resurrection Macabre
Pestilence – Doctrine
Pestilence – Obsideo
THAT MIDLAND IS ALRIGHT!
Pig Destroyer – Prowler in the Yard
Wormrot – Voices
Faal – Desolate Grief
Mors Principium Est – Dawn of the 5th Era
Vhol – Deeper than Sky
Root – The Temple in the Underworld
Headhunter – A Bizarre Gardening Accident
Mordred – Fool’s Game
Dominique Guiot – L’univers de la Mer
Drakar – Když se láme čas
Coma Cluster Void – Thoughts From a Stone
Spinning for the moment
# Ocean of Grief – Nightfall’s Lament
A real masterpiece within Death/Doom.
# Led to the Grave – Bane of Existance
Death/Trash with groove
# Aether Realm – Tarot
Last year best MeloDeath
# Tribulation – Down Below
Has been a lot trad metal before though – Pallbearer, Khemmis, Sanhedrin, Pagan Altar, The Night Flight Orchestra etc etc