Staff Infections – May 2023

Happy Sunday, friends. It’s time for Staff infections. You know the drill: We listen to shit, you listen to shit, we talk some shit, and hopefully we all have a grand old time.

Speaking of shit, I’ve been feeling like it lately. The great thing about late middle age is parts of you need barely any reason to hurt. Slept “wrong?” Prepare for pain. Rain in the forecast? That arthritis is going to act up. Did you exercise? You dumb bastard, that shit is for young people. Did you sit still for too long? Bad idea. Did you move? Worse idea. Theoretically, I’m in decent shape for my age, and despite an ever-increasing list of injuries, I can still do most of the things I want to… except feel good. Feeling good is over, apparently. Cherish your youth if you have any left. Live it up, and have as much fun as you can, but try not to fuck yourself up, unless your being very well paid to do so. All the shit that doesn’t hurt now is going to come back and bite you in the ass later. Up to this point this rant hasn’t had shit to do with metal, but let me leave you with one last piece of advice: WEAR HEARING PROTECTION. I know concerts don’t sound as good with earplugs, but, speaking from experience, tinnitus is no fucking fun. Furthermore, ear plugs are a lot better at delivering a full spectrum of sound than they used to be, and a decent set is pretty affordable. I’ve been using Eargasm plugs for a while, and I’m pretty happy with them. Thank you for listening to my old man rant. Live long, prosper, and protect your fucking ears.

Now, let’s talk about the album of the month. We have an “everybody gets a trophy” situation this month. It’s a god-damned five-way tie for first place, and there’s no runner-up. Not Surprisingly, Overkill takes a share of the prize this month. The thrash legend’s latest, Scorched, has been well received around here and most other places. Andy Almonds has an honestly biased review for you here. Next, we have an over-the-top, brutal death metal concept album in Homo Deus from Germany’s Still Birth. If that sounds like it’s up your alley, Spencer has the dirt on it here. On an entirely different note is Voyage, the freshly-released second album from retro-traditional metal act Tanith. El Capitan can fill you in on Voyage here. Penultimately, we have some prog-rock in the form of A Spark in the Aether from The Tangent. Finally, in a much more metal vein, and moving up from a second-place finish last month, comes Triumpher’s debut, the epic Storming the Walls, epically reviewed by the Danhammer here.

As usual, please share your playlist in the comments, and have a listen to the staff-curated Spotify playlist below. For our group discussion, please share with us the loudest concert you have attended. It’s a difficult question, as most of us don’t walk around with a decibel meter, but I can tell you that I’ve never been hit with a wall of sound quite like I was when I saw Godflesh open for Danzig in 1994. Glenn Danzig may be an asshole, but back then he didn’t have any problem with his opening acts playing really fucking loud. Type-O Negative followed Godflesh, and they weren’t exactly quiet either.

That’ll do it for this edition. When you’re done posting your playlist, go outside and play. See you all next month.

• Zach Duvall
  TDK – Nemesta
  Devin Townsend – Lightwork
  Meshuggah – Chaosphere
  Low – Ones and Sixes
  Triumpher – Storming the Walls
  Bruxa Maria – Build Yourself a Shrine and Pray
• Spencer Hotz
  Stillbirth – Homo Deus
  The Black Dahlia Murder – Full Discography
  Vėlių Namai – Alkai
  Primitive Rage – Enemies Left To Crush
  Hammers of Misfortune – The Locust Years
  BAAZLVAAT – Incredible World
• Sir William of Ur-Sag
  Wytch Hazel – Wytch Hazel IV: Sacrament
  Alvvays – Blue Rev
  Immolation – Acts of G-d
  Helen Humes – Songs I Like to Sing!
  Nothing – The Great Dismal
  Physique – Again
• Ryan Tysinger
  Ascended Dead – Evenfall of the Apocalypse
  Morbid Angel – Formulas Fatal to the Flesh
  Gorguts – From Wisdom to Hate
  Baazlvaat – Incredible World
  Nile – Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
  Vulvanic – ブラックエンジェルの色合い / 秘密の夜の殺人者
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Industrial Puke – Born Into the Twisting Rope
  Tanith – Voyage
  Dozer – Drifting in the Endless Void
  Sick Sinus Syndrome – Swarming of Sickness
  London Brew – London Brew
  Kaito – Until the End of Time
• Andrew Edmunds
  Overkill – Scorched
  Genesis – Trespass
  Stillbirth – Homo Deus
  Steppenwolf – Monster
  Combat Wounded Veteran – This Is Not An Erect, All-Red Neon Body
  The Tangent – A Spark In The Aether
• Dave Pirtle
  Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity
  Liquorworks – Parasitus Apparatus
  Storm Seeker – Nautic Force
  Overkill – Scorched
  Outlaw – Reaching Beyond Assiah
  Red Rum – Book of Legends
• Captain
  Warlord – Deliver Us
  Virgin Steele – The Marriage of Heaven & Hell I & II
  Sacred Outcry – Towers of Gold
  Domine – Champion Eternal
  Edena Gardens – Agar
  Poison Ruïn – Härvest
• Lone Watie
  Anthem – Crimson & Jet Black
  Triumpher – Storming the Walls
  Deposed King – One Man’s Grief
  Majestica – Above the Sky
  Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Raise Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
  The Tangent – Discography
• Jeremy Morse
  Slough Feg – New Organon
  Immortal – Damned in Black
  Enforced – War Remains
  High Command – Beyond the Wall of Desolation
  Tanith – Voyage
  Nile – At the Gates of Sethu

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

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