Staff Infections – October 2021

Welcome, dear readers, to the October 2021 edition of Staff Infections. In this feature we share what we’ve been listening to over the past month in hopes that you, our esteemed readers, will possibly be inspired to listen to some of those same albums, hopefully enjoy them, and then we all become best friends with great taste in music.

Speaking of great taste in music: I fucking hate the new Iron Maiden album. That’s probably sacrilege around here, but god damn, I haven’t been able to get all the way through that son of a bitch more than twice. Admittedly, the whole “prog-Maiden” bit has been wearing awful thin for me, but for the most part I’ve found things to enjoy about the Maiden albums of the past twenty years. Not so for Senjutsu. I’ve got nothing against long songs — Hell, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is my favorite Maiden tune, and I also quite enjoy “Empire of the Clouds.” But if you want me to hang around 8 minutes or more, there needs to be a payoff. Tunes that long should generally build to some kind of climax. Give me a little excitement for my listening investment. Sadly, excitement is in short supply on Senjutsu. It has a few compelling moments, I suppose, but that isn’t much to cling to over the course of 80 god-damned minutes. The Iron Maiden music I love lifts me up, and makes me feel more alive. Senjutsu just drags me down. The real world does more than enough to drag me down lately, so I don’t need that shit from Iron Maiden. Get the lead out, dudes, ain’t none of us got much time left.

Anyway, our album of the month is Iron Maiden’s Senjutsu. If you’d like a more even-handed take on Maiden’s latest, you should look to Captain’s review, if you haven’t already. You would be safe trusting to Cap’s wisdom in many things, but in Iron Maiden most especially.

Second place this month is split three ways between ADX’s Exécution, Carcass’s Torn Arteries and Iskandr’s Vergezicht. Exécution is a French speed metal album from 1985, so you’ll forgive us for not having a proper review available, but Ryan Tysinger does cover the album in his excellent French Heavy Metal Primer from a few years back. We’ve come up completely empty on Vergezicht, despite it being a far more recent release, but we’ve got you covered with regard to Torn Arteries. Andrew Edmunds has all the gory details right here.

For our discussion this month, let’s talk heartbreakers: In the comments, share an album you hate by a band that you generally love. Also, as usual, be sure to share your own playlist and have a listen to the staff-curated Spotify playlist below.

Until next month, take care of yourselves, and, in spite of my recent disappointment, Up the Irons!

• Zach Duvall
  Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
  Low – HEY WHAT
  Enslaved – Caravans to the Outer Worlds
  Dødheimsgard – Monumental Possession
  Armand Hammer & The Alchemist – Haram
  LTJ Bukem – Journey Inwards
• Andrew Edmunds
  Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
  Carcass – Symphonies Of Sickness
  ADX – Exécution
  Abhorrence – Completely Vulgar
  Wadge – Assembled Armaments & Exotic Lore
  Van Halen – Fair Warning
• Captain
  The D.O.C. – No One Can Do it Better
  Special Ed – Youngest in Charge
  EPMD – Strictly Business
  Worm – Foreverglade
  Keep of Kalessin – Agnen: A Journey through the Dark
  Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto – The Revenant Soundtrack
• Ryan Tysinger
  Baazlvaat – The Higher Power
  Salvación – God Gold and Glory
  Iskandr – Vergezicht
  Demonomantic – Grail of Deformed Evilness
  ADX – Exécution
  Insight – Demo I
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Worm – Foreverglade
  Cradle of Filth – Existence is Futile
  Type O Negative – World Coming Down
  Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
  Unanimated – In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead
  Thrice – Horizons/East
• Dave Pirtle
  Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
  Carcass – Torn Arteries
  Blazon Stone – Damnation
  Andrew W.K. – God Is Partying
  Aborted – ManiaCult
  Judas Priest – Rocka Rolla
• Spencer Hotz
  Replicant – Malignant Reality
  Lionoka – Tides of Triumph
  Lavaborne – Black Winged Gods
  Atræ Bilis – Apexapien
  Iskandr – Vergezicht
  Full of Hell – Garden of Burning Apparitions
• Jeremy Morse
  Carcass – Torn Arteries
  Incantation – Dirges of Elysium
  Ratt – Out of the Cellar
  Motörhead – No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith
  Terrorizer – World Downfall
  Slayer – Reign in Blood

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

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