Staff Infections – May 2022

Greetings, friends. It’s time, once again, for Staff Infections, our monthly review of what us clowns at Last Rites have been listening to, often combined with a little of my own inane rambling.

Let’s get the inane rambling out of the way. It’s kind of a shitty time to be alive, don’t you think? Sure other people at other times in other places have had it worse, but we can only really judge by our own experience, and a global pandemic, war, rampaging inflation, rising authoritarianism and a potentially devastating blow to women’s bodily autonomy seem like reasonable excuses to be a little bummed out, and that’s just off the top of my head. I’d like to tell you things will get better, but I think worse is a safer bet in the short term. I don’t know exactly what the fuck I’m trying to say, but it’s ok if you’re not ok, and it’s ok to seek help if you need it. In the good old U.S. of A. that help probably won’t be cheap or readily available to everyone, but fuck it, money is imaginary and this life is the only one you’ve got, so try to live it as long and fully as you can, in spite of anyone or anything that tries to bring you down.

I’ll just get to the music before shit gets any weirder. This month is kind of an everybody wins situation as we have five-way tie for our album of the month. First we have, via Captain’s questionably legal inclusion of Defeated Sanity’s entire discography in his playlist, as well as an appearance on my own with The Sanguinary Impetus, the latest offering from the German brutal death outfit. Continuing in the brutal death vein, and again courtesy of Captain and myself, we have Devourment’s most recent album, 2019’s Obscene Majesty. Moving on to a more recent release, with an entirely different flavor, we have Seclused in Light by Arun Ghosh. This album is probably not sufficiently defined as Jazz, but that’s what I’ll go with for brevity’s sake. Next, we have Labyrinth of Veins by the Chris Reifert and Greg Wilkinson collaboration known as Static Abyss. Captain’s review of said album is available here. Finally, rounding things out is the extravagantly titled Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds from Japanese death/grind duo Pharmacist, enthusiastically reviewed by Mr. Edmunds right here.

For our group discussion this month, tell us in the comments what you like to listen to when you’re down in the dumps. Personally, I don’t find my listening habits change much with my mood, but I’m probably more apt to listen to aggressive, high-energy music when I’m down than darker doomier music. Candlemass is great when I’m feeling good, but when I need a pick me up, Slayer is just the right medicine. Slayer is always the right medicine, really.

Anyway, you kids be good, and say hi to your folks for me. Be sure to have a listen to the staff-curated Spotify Playlist below, and share your own playlist in the comments. See you all next month.

• Spencer Hotz
  Dischordia – Triptych
  Obscene- …From Dead Horizon to Dead Horizon
  Kaleidobolt – This One Simple Trick
  John Coltrane – Blue Train
  Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind
  Magrudergrind – Magrudergrind
• Zach Duvall
  Static Abyss – Labyrinth of Veins
  PJ Harvey – Is This Desire?
  Vader – The Ultimate Incantation
  Defeated Sanity – Disposal of the Dead // Dharmata
  Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
  The Red Garland Quintet – All Mornin’ Long
• Andrew Edmunds
  Pulmonary Fibrosis – Organ Maggots
  Pharmacist – Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds
  Fates Warning – Long Day Good Night
  Voivod – Angel Rat
  Deicide – Legion
  Facada – Nadir
• Dave Pirtle
  Fu Manchu – Gigantoid
  Lament Cityscape – A Darker Discharge
  AC/DC – The Razors Edge
  Willie Nelson – A Beautiful Time
  Celtic Hills – Huldufölk
  Miseration – Black Miracles and Dark Wonders
• Captain
  Defeated Sanity – Discography
  Devourment – Obscene Majesty
  Malignancy – Intrauterine Cannibalism
  Deeds of Flesh – Reduced to Ashes
  Serpentent – Mother of Light
  Arun Ghosh – Seclused in Light
• Lone Watie
  Pharmacist – Flourishing Extremities on Unspoiled Mental Grounds
  Mayfair – Behind…
  Deicide – Legion
  Twelfth Night – Smiling at Grief
  Arun Ghosh – Seclused in Light
  Idris Muhammad – Turn This Mutha Out
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Earthen Sea – Ghost Poems
  Defect Designer – Neanderthal
  A Sound of Thunder – The Krimson Kult
  Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful
  Voivod – Angel Rat
  Static Abyss – Labyrinth of Veins
• Jeremy Morse
  Morbid Angel – Heretic
  Van Halen – Fair Warning
  Stone – Stone
  Usurper – Diabolisis
  Devourment – Obscene Majesty
  Defeated Sanity – The Sanguinary Impetus

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

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