Get your antibiotics ready, friends, it’s time for Staff Infections. Staff Infections, if you didn’t know, is our monthly examination of the Last Rites staff’s listening habits. Typically I also spend a little time discussing the current state of the world, but the world has been depressing the shit out of me lately, so let’s get right to to the album of the month.
Truth to tell, there isn’t a whole lot to discuss with regard to the album of the month. Only two albums appeared on multiple playlists, with two showings a piece. First and most pertinent is Immutable, the latest album from the inimitable Meshuggah. Zach Duvall offers his even-handed take on the album right here. Sharing first place with Immutable is An Hour Before It’s Dark, the grimly titled 20th album from Prog-rock icons Marillion, a review for which can be read somewhere other than here.
Ok, kids, it’s group discussion time. While you are sharing your own playlist in the comments and having a listen to our staff-curated Spotify playlist, have a think on this: If you could remove one member of a metal band to be replaced by a member of another metal band, in order to improve the band or just make to make things interesting, who would you pick and why? There’s only one rule: Metallica is out of bounds. I know everyone wants to replace Lars or Kirk with more technically proficient players, but that’s too easy. Dig a little deeper. For instance, Defeated Sanity is one of my favorite brutal death metal bands, but, while the group has had several vocalists over the years, none of them have had what I would call a commanding presence. So, who better to give the band a more a more dynamic vocal performance and a Hell of a lot more engaging stage show than ex-Suffocation vocalist Frank “the tank” Mullen? Good luck and see you all next month.
- Andrew Edmunds
Obituary – Slowly We Rot
Obituary – Cause Of Death
Unholy Grave – Thunder Vibration
Captain Three Leg / Traffic Death – Split
Marillion – An Hour Before It’s Dark
Undergang – Misantropologi - Ryan Tysinger
Inanna – Void of Unending Depths
Abigor – Leytmotif Luzifer
Deathspell Omega – The Long Defeat
Sloppy Seconds – More Trouble Than They’re Worth
Suppression – The Sorrow of Soul Through Flesh
Downcross – Hexapoda Triumph - Zach Duvall
Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor
Meshuggah – Chaosphere
Meshuggah – Immutable
Radiohead – OK Computer
Radiohead – Amnesiac
Messa – Close - Captain
Katharos – Of Lineages Long Forgotten
Emperor – In the Nightside Eclipse
Extreme Noise Terror – Extreme Noise Terror
Static Abyss – Labyrinth of Veins
Acid King – Busse Woods
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Mandy Original Soundtrack - Lone Watie
Iron Griffin – Storm of Magic
Karcius – Grey White Silver Yellow and Gold
Marillion – An Hour Before It’s Dark
Monophonics – It’s Only Us
The Cure – Seventeen Seconds
The Marshall Tucker Band – Where We All Belong - Dave Pirtle
Meshuggah – Immutable
Warrior Soul – Out on Bail
Becoming – In the Name of God
Fierce Deity – Power Wisdom Courage
Trick or Treat – Creepy Symphony
Stabbing Westward – Chasing Ghosts - Jeremy Morse
Defeated Sanity – Psalms of the Moribund
Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth
Black Sabbath – Mob Rules
Sturgill Simpson – High Top Mountain
Free – Fire and Water
Riot – Fire Down Under - Spencer Hotz
Analepsy – Quiescence
Moonlight Sorcery – Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity
Freja – Tides
Days Of Desolation – Circles
Organectomy – Existential Disconnect
Mutoid Man – Bleeder - Danhammer Obstkrieg
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Monster Magnet – Spine of God
Kyuss – Blues for the Red Sun
Velvet Cacoon – Genevieve
Beherit – Drawing Down the Moon
Kraftwerk – Computer World
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Deathspell Omega – The Long Defeat
The Neptune Power Federation – Le Demon De La’Mour
Girlschool – Screaming Blue Murder
The Psychedelic Furs – Mirror Moves
Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogin
Bütcher – 666 Goats Carry My Chariot
Band member swap? I dunno. I kinda wished Uno Bruniusson would have gotten the drum spot vacated by Jakob Ljungberg. That’s pretty petty and small potatoes though.
Messa – Close
Deathhammer – Electric Warfare
Possessed -Seven Churches
Melted Bodies – Enjoy Yourself
Bones UK – Bones UK
Skeletonwitch – Beyond the Permafrost
Cheap answer… I’d put Alex Hofmann (replacing his replacement, Anthony Palermo) back in as Fallujah’s vocalist.
Neil Fallon taking over vocals in High On Fire would be interesting. Anders Bjorler stepping in for David Andersson in Soilwork. I would’ve loved to see what the dearly departed Riley Gale could’ve brought to Exodus. Introducing Tomb Mold’s newest lead guitarist – Jeff Loomis. Honestly, for me, it’d be awesome to slot Pyrrhon’s Doug Moore into an number of bands, just to see what happens – Blood Incantation, Wolfbrigade, Obituary.
Left field choice wacky experiment, stick with me here … take Kelly Clarkson’s undeniable vocal prowess and have her front Iron Maiden.
Deathspell Omega – The Long Defeat
Satan – Earth Infernal
Ultha – All That Has Never Been True
White Ward – Love Exchange Failure
Idol of Fear – Trespasser
Lunar Shadow with Ray Alder on vocals
pLAYING Currently: Merkabah – Moloch
Molasses – Through The Hollow
The Infernal Sea – Call Of The Augur
Svarttjern – Shame Is Just A Word
I’d replace the guy who sings in Monolord for the guy in Uncle Woe
Slugdge – Esoteric Malacology
Burial – Inner Gateways to the Slumbering Equilibrium at the
Center of Cosmos
Hath – All That Was Promised
Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
Mortiferum – Disgorged from Psychotic Depths (so much better than their new album)
Concilivm – A Monument in Darkness Review
Regarding the question: I would focus on the band Obscura, replacing not a person but the damn vocoder machine that has infested the past couple albums with unbearable robot vocals.
Meshuggah – Immutable
The Saints – (I’m) Stranded
Porcupine Tree – The Incident
Jon Batiste – WE ARE
Amenra – Dr Doorn
In terms of a heavy metal personnel change, Dream Theater but with Tim Aymar (Pharaoh) on vocals. Think he’d add a different texture and range without sacrificing any of the power LaBrie brings to the band.