Staff Infections – July 2021

Howdy, kids. It’s time for Staff Infections. If you’re new here, the idea is we listen to music and tell you about it, which in turn, we hope, inspires you to check out something you maybe haven’t heard before or haven’t listened to in a while. Presumably, having done so to a happy result, you will then think to yourself, “Those assholes at Last Rites ain’t quite as dumb as I thought.” It’s all a big ego-stroke, really. Am I describing this article or the site as a whole? Maybe both. Anyway, we’re all really fragile and sensitive here, so we’d appreciate it if you’d at least pretend to be awe-struck by our exceptional taste in music.

We normally can’t agree on anything around here, so when we do, you should take note, because it’s probably pretty good. Consensus is good. Except when these motherfuckers voted a Devin Townsend album of some kind or another into the top ten albums of the year for like five years straight. That kind of consensus can go screw. I’m not still mad about it though. I’m not one to hold a grudge. Did you know these sons-of-bitches that I call friends made me listen to a god-damned Yes album for what turned out to be no good reason? I had been successfully avoiding Yes for over forty years. I’m getting off track, but can you believe these fuckers tried to tell me that Paradise Lost was one of the greatest doom bands of all time? Paradise Lost, the group that made tepid quasi-goth-rock horseshit for the better part of twenty years. Luckily, I’m even-tempered, and I take infuriating bullshit like that in stride. Now where the Hell was I? Album of the Month: when a bunch of us listen to the same album, we call it album of the month. Let’s see what these clowns came up with this month.

It was actually a fairly competitive race this time around, with four different albums appearing on multiple playlists. Second runner-up is a tie between Evership’s The Uncrowned King, Act 1 and Thy Catafalque’s Vadak, both progressive albums in their own way, but one is a little more metal than the other. So, Danhammer has a review of Vadak for you right here, but you’re on your own for The Uncrowned King. First runner-up is the venerable Darkthrone’s latest album Eternal Hails…. Our pal Ryan offers an extensive and insightful examination of this doomy beast of a record right here. Finally, the blue ribbon this month goes to the triumphant self-titled album from the re-united-even-though-they-never-broke-up Helloween. In addition to being one of the few people around here who knows what constitutes a good Megadeth album, Captain probably knows more about power metal than you or I know about anything, so if you’re going to read one review of the new Helloween record, make it his.

Now for the group discussion: In honor of Helloween, let’s talk power metal. What is your favorite power metal album? Mine is Crescent Shield’s The Stars of Never Seen. Share yours in the comments, along with your own recent playlist. Also, be sure to check out the Spotify playlist below, which features selected songs from this month’s staff playlists.

Until next month, stay cool and dry, and try not to eat too many hot dogs. (There’s no such thing as too many hot dogs.)

• Zach Duvall
  Helloween – Helloween
  Low – Things We Lost In The Fire
  Halluxvalgus – Reflections of Distant Dreams
  Darkthrone – Ravishing Grimness
  Kanonenfieber – Menschenmühle
  Thy Catafalque – Vadak
• Andrew Edmunds
  Helloween – Helloween
  Ratt – Invasion Of Your Privacy
  Daggra – Setsuna
  The Skull – The Endless Road Turns Dark
  Tesla – Psychotic Supper
  Queensrÿche – Empire (Super Deluxe)
  Slayer – Show No Mercy
• Dave Pirtle
  Strapping Young Lad – Alien
  Fear Factory – Aggression Continuum
  Green Jelly – Garbage Band Kids
  Dying Whale – Last Moments of Misery
  Flotsam & Jetsam – Blood in the Water
  Tom Waits – Throw Words Like Rice (official Spotify playlist)
• Ryan Tysinger
  Halluxvalgus – Reflections Of Distant Dreams
  Helloween – Helloween
  Darkthrone – Eternal Hails…..
  Skulmagot – Kill And Die
  Hirax – The New Age Of Terror
  Iron Maiden – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Fluisteraars – Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking
  Skepticism – Companion
  Darkthrone – Eternal Hails…..
  Helloween – Helloween
  Diskord – Degenerations
  Eric Dolphy – Out There
• Captain
  Crimson Glory – Crimson Glory
  Cult of Luna – Alllllllll that shit
  Carcass – Allllllll that shit
  Skepticism – Companion
  Rival Schools – United by Fate
  Loscil – Clara
• Lone Watie
  Thy Catafalque – Vadak
  Terra Odium – Ne Plus Ultra
  Motorpsycho – Kingdom of Oblivion
  Beautiful Bedlam – Beautiful Bedlam
  Bjørn Riis – A Storm is Coming
  Evership – The Uncrowned King, Act 1
• Spencer Hotz
  Helloween – Helloween
  Fetid Zombie – Transmutation
  Craven Idol – Forked Tongues
  Evership – The Uncrowned King, Act 1
  Know//Suffer – The Great Dying
  Burial Pit – Subhuman Scum
• Chris Chellis
  Helloween – Helloween
  Witch Vomit – Abhorrent Rapture
  Dialith – Atrophy
  Blazon Rite – Endless Halls of Golden Totem
  Darkthrone – Eternal Hails ……
  Vandor – On a Moonlit Night
• Jeremy Morse
  Darkthrone – Eternal Hails….
  Death – The Sound of Perseverance
  Deicide – Deicide
  Saint Vitus – Born Too Late
  W.A.S.P. – W.A.S.P.
  Slayer – Reign in Blood

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

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