Here are the seven albums we picked for the week of March 24th — March 30th.

Sunday, March 24th

Godflesh – Post Self (2017)

The absurd heaviness was obviously a huge part of the band’s early metal allure, but equally spellbinding was the way the duo managed to explore uncharted atmosphere that was ludicrously dark, crumbling, withdrawn and mechanized. The coldest black metal bands in the wintriest of winter forests still got nothin’ on the Siberian touch of a track like “Streetcleaner,” and the sense of hopelessness and isolation leveled by “Godhead” still crushes most of what gets produced by funereal acts today. To the point, atmosphere was something Godflesh mastered early on, and it’s something they’ve apparently decided to reconnect with in 2017 with the release of full-length number eight, Post Self.

Not to diminish the boldness of what the band produced from the mid-90s up to now, but missing from a sizable portion of it, particularly with regard to the last two records, is the band’s unique connection to that decaying mood and overpowering darkness. Post Self reasserts that face of the band, and even though it marks a point where Broadrick and Green emphasize the whole of the record’s un-metalness in favor of roots embedded in post-rock, it ends up feeling exceptionally metal because of its cathartic reconnection with grim atmosphere. You might not guess that based on the way the record starts, though. Alongside the opening title track, “Parasite” and “No Body” launch the record with three patent bruisers that strike with the sort of potent beats and pulverizing bass runs that could lead one to believe they’re about to experience a revitalized Songs of Love and Hate, but that extra bit of atmosphere already pokes through in Broadrick’s fretwork, and his vocals are more harsh than they’ve been in years. [Captain]

Monday, March 25th

Mare Cognitum – Phobos Monolith (2014)

Mare Cognitum is the sole project of Santa Ana’s Jacob Buczarski, and while one-man bands are not exactly an oddity within the blackened realms, rarely are things so meticulously composed, arranged, and performed as on Phobos Monolith, the project’s third full length. Buczarski offers a brand of progressive black metal that is as atmospheric and emotionally soaring as it is clinically precise and even brutal (and not entirely out of place on I, Voidhanger Records). There is an staggering level of detail on display here, from the razor-sharp tremolo leads (they are many and they are spectacular) and intricate drum ideas (a syncopated hi-hat serves as the constant in opener “Weaving The Thread Of Transcendence”) to the busy bass work and varied, often scorching vocal delivery.

But it isn’t necessarily the instrumental prowess on hand that makes Phobos Monolith so impressive, nor the vision it took to put this all together, but rather the visions that it can and should induce through its moving compositions. Initially, much of the album feels like an incredibly good, yet familiar version of technical-but-atmospheric black metal, but bit by bit, the album’s big moments and emotional arc give the music a highly dramatic, even cinematic quality. [Zach Duvall]

Tuesday, March 26th

Beaten to Death – Xes and Strokes (2012)

Xes and Strokes is a weird and infectiously melodic grindcore album. But, probably not in the way that you’re used to thinking of weird and infectiously melodic grindcore albums. These guys aren’t Birdflesh. Beaten to Death doesn’t introduce unconventional instrumentation or melodic vocals to the mix, either. The songs mostly run in the 1:30 to 2:30 range, and the tempos swing between marches and blasts. The weirdest thing about Xes and Strokes, then, is that Beaten to Death seems to believe that this is how grindcore ought to sound.

What does it sound like? Think Lykaethea Aflame interpreting “Where the Slime Live” on Les Paul guitars, with the stipulation that there needs to be at least 20 seconds in every track where Dan Hoerner (Sunny Day Real Estate) could make a guest spot on vocals if he wanted to. And, again, the weirdest thing about Beaten to Death’s take on that eye-rollingly convoluted brew of styles is that they execute it with a conviction which suggests that these sounds do belong together. [Ramar Pittance]

Wednesday, March 27th

Pestilence – Obsideo

21st-century Pestilence is less about speed outright and more about overall tonality, with only smatterings of jazz interspersed between brutal breakneck thrash and sickening serpentine grooves. It’s difficult to guess if Choy and Thesseling distinguished amidst the din because of their experience working with Pestilence in the past, or if their skills simply resulted in greater presence on the final mix, but one of the most surprising things of Obsideo is how much the new dude is buried. On the previous two albums, the aforementioned gentlemen certainly make their presence known — although you probably hear more JPT in just “Sinister”, “Divinity”, and “Deception” than you notice Tony Choy across all of Resurrection Macabre. Maier’s fingers are likewise adept and adaptive, whether strongly punctuating tracks like “Transition” and “Superconscious” or directly accompanying the riff as on “Soulrot”; he may be the reboot in the bass seat they’ve been looking for. It’s unclear how Dave Haley will factor in the future, being a couple of continents away and still in Psycroptic, but on Obsideo he lays a solid foundation for these daunting constructs. Check out the dozen or so paths crafted on “Aura Negative”… [Matt Longo]

Thursday, March 28th

Exodus – Blood In Blood Out (2014)

Fear not, Exodus faithful, because the stars have aligned again, and Zetro’s back. And as you’d expect, the result is by far Exodus’ best record in a decade.

After a surprisingly effective electronica intro (contributed by Dan the Automator), “Black 13” wastes no time in establishing the game plan. Exodus c. 2014 is playing like a band with something to prove, and the whole of Blood In, Blood Out benefits from a blistering energy. Mainstay guitarist Gary Holt can write some ripping riffs—he’s proved that over the past three decades—and herein, he and relative newcomer Lee Altus (also of the underrated Heathen) churn through some killer thrashing, all propelled by Tom Hunting’s absolutely stellar drum performance. Thrash is all about the driving force, and the team of Hunting / Holt / Altus brings it in spades.

As a whole, they’re the best songs Exodus has composed since Tempo Of The Damned, the product of their parts, of a band seemingly with something to prove. The first four tunes—“Black 13,” the title track, “Collateral Damage,” and “Salt The Wound”—are as solid an introductory pummeling as any thrash album has had this year. From those four, Blood In doesn’t let up, but it does settle in. “Body Harvest” is a respectable thrasher, but “BTK” gets a bit silly (and oddly outdated, since Dennis Rader was convicted not long after Tempo Of The Damned was released). The groovy “My Last Nerve” is a later standout, but most of Blood In’s second half blends into a blur, dragged down somewhat by more forgettable fare like “Wrapped In The Arms Of Rage” and “Honor Killings.” Whereas the Atrocity Exhibitions felt bloated and overlong, although not markedly shorter in actual time, the songs on Blood In feel more concise, which is really just them being better constructed and more passionately performed. [Andrew Edmunds]

Friday, March 29th

Lychgate – An Antidote For The Glass Pill (2015)

In many ways, Lychgate has fully realized the “musical Baphomet” status to which their debut album pointed. An Antidote for the Glass Pill is both god and the devil; melodious and deeply discordant; lacking in aggression but strangely brutal; dramatic and theatrical and yet deadly serious; occasionally rockin’ but completely in opposition to such a mindset. Throughout all 50 minutes, these various dualities are at work, with each spin peeling away more of the countless layers.

“I Am Contempt” expands and contracts through both tonal techniques and masterful drumming (T. J. F. Vallely is a beast throughout), while moments of “still dissonance” are among the album’s most unsettling. “Letter XIX” is downright demented, becoming more so throughout before bludgeoning the listener with a unified hammering from all instruments, even after the jazzy, light-touch blasting eases you into a false sense of security. “Davamesque B2” re-emphasizes the band’s oft-doomy approach; “An Acousmatic Guardian” ups the bombast; “The Pinnacle Known to Sisyphus” ends the album in majestic splendor, echoing chants introduced in earlier tracks while offering touches of neoclassicism. This is a band that understands how to be outlandish by their very nature, and how to wield self-indulgence as a musical instrument. [Zach Duvall]

Saturday, March 30th

Jesu – Conqueror (2007)

If last year’s sublime Silver was indeed considered an experiment, it would appear that Justin Broadrick has not yet left the laboratory. Conqueror picks up much where its EP predecessor left off, and finds our protagonist continuing to meditate on the lush pop structures that left so many fans and critics fawning last year. There’s nothing on Conqueror as irrepressibly poppy as the deliciously sugary “Star,” but the lion’s share of this album leans on these new tendencies harder than the despondent, droning dirges of the self titled record. Not that those have vanished by any means, as tracks like “Weightless & Horizontal” prove, but the two aspects are more intertwined than on past Jesu efforts. At the very least you’ll be tapping your foot while getting your mope on.

Of course, the common element that ties both of these elements together is Broadrick’s tremendous penchant for meticulously sculpted soundscapes. An avalanche of shimmering layers of heavily effected instrumentation and vocals create the billowy, ethereal, yet downright weighty atmosphere at the core of the band’s sound. Although much will be said about Broadrick’s melodic proclivities, Jesu’s power continues to stem from the hypnotic dreamy waves that carry the listener along like a raft. Without the use of traditional heavy-handed industrial/electronic percussion (the drums this time around are natural and quite understated) or epic arrangements, these relatively simple but effectively constructed and immaculately recorded songs are able to engage the listener well enough to create illusions that these songs cover more ground than they actually do, and that they do so in less than their listed track times. [Clay Moore]

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See you next week.

The post Last Rites’ Facebook Albums Of The Week: March 24th – March 30th appeared first on Last Rites.

Here are the seven albums we picked for the week of May 13th — 19th.

Sunday, May 13th

Celtic Frost – Into the Pandemonium (1987)

You can go on and on about how Into the Pandemonium essentially created avant-garde metal, gothic metal, symphonic metal, etc, and quite frankly, you SHOULD do that, because it’s amazing how much Tom Warrior, Martin Ain, and Reed St. Mark were able to stuff into this bonkers album. But once you see past the album’s immense legacy (or quiet the voices of its detractors) what you’ll find is the band’s most diverse and creative set of songs. The more straightforward tracks like “Inner Sanctum” are given a unique feel in the context of the album. That song in particular is sandwiched by the melodrama of both “Mesmerized” (with its heavy goth) and “Tristesses de la lune” (with its string ensemble and French lyrics). Elsewhere, they get all pop metal with “I Won’t Dance,” drop some out-of-left-field electronica on “One in Their Pride,” and get eerily apocalyptic with “Rex Irae (Requiem).” From the bizarre and bizarrely fun “Mexican Radio” cover that starts it all to the final notes of “Oriental Masquerade,” this is one random, schizo, and totally brilliant album. Pandemonium, for sure. [Zach Duvall]

Monday, May 14th

Diskord – Doomscapes (2007)

If you’ve ever wondered what Autopsy’s Mental Funeral might sound like after eating a pile of orange mushrooms you found under a rotting log and then ripping full speed down an escalator on a stolen Rascal, Diskord’s Doomscapes is just the ticket for you, buddy. Or for any person you’d like to see that happen to, I guess. Whoooaa, did you guys just see that? Did a ladybug the size of a Volkswagen just land and eat that woman’s kid over there? And is the woman now totally giving the ladybug a high-five? I didn’t know ladybugs ate meat, to be honest. Isn’t it wasps that eat meat? Or just W.A.S.P.? Why is your face sliding off? Did I say something wrong? Diskord is from Bunglefibblefritz, Norway. It’s a shit-hole town, but they’ve got the best damned under-water tonsil hockey team in the eastern hemisphere. I like it when Doomscapes gives you the spongey space cake riffs, and holy fudge can Hans Jørgen Ersvik ever hit them skins. He’s singing, too? I’ll take whatever he’s having, please and thank you. “…and in the middle of fucking nowhere he cursed: is this all there is? These shambles of bone and flesh??” [Captain]

Tuesday, May 15th

Exodus – Tempo Of The Damned (2004)

After puttering to a stop with the mixed-bag Force Of Habit, Exodus had re-united with Bonded By Blood-era vocalist Paul Baloff for a live album in 1997, but then separated a year later. Reforming yet again in 2001, that line-up was tragically and permanently severed by Baloff’s death in 2002. To move on, Exodus did what Exodus had done once before: replace Baloff with Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza, whose manic chattering growl had graced classics like Pleasures Of The Flesh and Fabulous Disaster. And in the process, Exodus also did what Exodus had done more than once before and released an absolute beast of a thrash metal album, in 2004’s Tempo Of The Damned. Gary Holt has a way with a riff—he’s proven that time and again—and the tandem of Holt and Rick Hunolt rip through a serious series of scorchers on Tempo. From the cyclical riff that opens “Scar-Spangled Banner” onward, Tempo is a rager, one of the finest examples of post-millennium thrash, bolstered by yet another killer performance from the underrated Tom Hunting and a spiteful, spitting, snarling turn from Zetro. Reworking songs from Holt and Hunolt’s interim band War Dance (“Sealed With A Fist” and “Throwing Down”), and re-recording a demo era track in “Impaler,” Tempo Of The Damned manages to feel both old and new, bridging the gap to Ye Olden Days Of Thrash and yet easily holding its own with the modern era. Reunited and re-invigorated, this second go from the classic Exodus line-up would once again prove temporary, as Zetro departed for the next decade, coming back to the fold for 2014’s strong Blood In, Blood Out, and let’s hope he stays put this time. [Andrew Edmunds]

Wednesday, May 16th

35th Anniversary!

Iron Maiden – Piece Of Mind (1983)

It ain’t easy falling between The Number Of The Beast and Powerslave, but Piece Of Mind did it, and it did it with brainy aplomb, despite the fact that it always seems to land closer to the bottom than the top when metal fans in the modern age rank the “Magnificent Seven” that made up Iron Maiden’s incredible opening run. If you’re of sound mind, though, the line separating those early releases is thinner than Macaulay Culkin wandering around a Twinkie convention, and the fact that Piece Of Mind opens with five legit classics is argument enough for its permanent top-shelf status. People quite enjoy complaining about side B, however, thanks to the fairly quiet one-two-punch of “Still Life” and the admittedly corny “Quest for Fire.” But you can go straight to HELL if you’re one of those chumps that can’t find reason to enjoy the snappy vision of Miyamoto Musashi cruising around in a convertible with the top down during summer break that is “Sun and Steel.” Plus, “To Tame A Land” is an underrated closer.

Happy 35th, Piece Of Mind—you may not be the majority of diehard Maiden fans’ crowned favorite, but you’re an essential piece to the puzzle from the world’s greatest active heavy metal band. “No synthesizers or ulterior motives!” [Captain]

Thursday, May 17th

Alcest – Écailles de lune (2010)

Alcest’s already classic sophomore full length Écailles de lune is one of the biggest reasons why Neige’s main musical project remains the global leader for post rock- and shoegaze-inflected black(ened) metal. The album’s virtues are many: it uses the sounds of early Ulver as a jumping-off point, with all of the folksy passages and “naturalistic” vibes; it exhibits a clear understanding of how My Bloody Valentine employed texture to elevate the flow of the songs; it can challenge more traditional black metal bands in the category of Chilling Chord Progressions; and it has Neige’s entrancing vocal melodies and the unabashed beauty of it all. But most important is that this is the strongest set of songs Neige has yet penned in his career, a near perfect set that lasts a mere 42 heartwrenching minutes. Don’t let your tears ruin your corpse paint. [Zach Duvall]

Friday, May 18th

Pharaoh – Be Gone (2008)

Fans of Pharaoh have learned to live in harmony with a specific sort of unease relating to a lingering fear that we’ll wake up one morning and discover that the band has decided to call it a day. The years between releases continues to grow, but that number—or more specifically, the disadvantage it represents—will never lessen the indebtedness we feel for the quality of work that’s already been laid down. The opening After the Fire did the requisite job of setting the table, 2006’s The Longest Night represented a particularly loud “WE HAVE ARRIVED,” and 2008’s bullet-proof Be Gone delivered the perfect bridge to 2012’s more progressive-minded gem, Bury the Light. It’s that middle record we’re celebrating today, though—Be Gone—because it is packed to overflowing with more hooks than a Cenobite’s dom dungeon, and the full journey never fails to galvanize to the point of explosion. The good news: Pharaoh has always delivered top-shelf heavy metal. The even greater news: album number five, The Powers That Be, is slated to be released at some point in 2018 through the good people of Cruz del Sur. [Captain]

Saturday, May 19th

Scorpions – In Trance (1975)

After two albums of psychedelic proggy rock, Germany’s Scorpions streamlined their approach for In Trance—it’s their first step towards the polished hard rock that would make them superstars in the next decade, and it’s their first collaboration with producer Dieter Dierks, and also it’s the first appearance of their now-signature sci-fi-ish logo. Most importantly, it’s a collection of great 70s hard rock, still notably driven by Uli Roth’s psyche-rock guitar leads, but now balanced with more straightforward songs like the rollicking “Dark Lady,” the appropriately mechanical “Robot Man,” and the titular ballad, which may well still be Scorpions’ finest composition. (Although the later “Sails Of Charon” can also make a claim to that throne…) In Trance is both a new beginning for Germany’s biggest rock export and one of their peaks, leading them into a creatively fertile latter half of the 70s, and pointing directly toward their later worldwide commercial success, albeit still from afar. [Andrew Edmunds]

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See you next week.

The post Last Rites’ Facebook Albums Of The Week: May 13th – 19th appeared first on Last Rites.

So here I sat halfway through November having missed more albums than I cared to remember, thanks to a several-months obsession with outlaw and classic country music. Between stuff I had wanted to hear and stuff others thought I should hear (and were deeming best-of worthy), the list was even longer than last year. The figurative bodies were flying and falling like so many leaves in the autumn winds, so much so that at one of our unofficial staff meetings I blurted out “I’ve got 17 down and 4 to go.” I was cramming so much metal in my ears I had forgotten how to do basic math! So the joke became that my top 20 went to 21.

Not the most interesting story, but unless you want to hear about how many times I listened to “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down” or how my Spring and Summer days were often soundtracked by The Highwaymen, it’s all you’re going to get.

•••••

HONORABLE MENTIONS

21. Repaid in Blood – Born in a Lazarus Pit / Desecrater – Wretched

The bonus slot is shared by these two bands I’ve been following and supporting for nearly a decade over here in the Bay Area.  After a number of demos, singles, and EPs, they each finally released their debut full-lengths.  The former is a fine take on the heavy end of the metalcore spectrum; the latter is simple, ugly thrash cranked up to 12.

20. Young and In the Way – When Life Comes to Death

I don’t know what kind of name that is for a caustic black metal band, but I do know that they would cut me if they ever heard me ask that.

19. Saor – Aura

Soaring pagan black metal driven by the mighty fife.

18. Freedom Call – Beyond

The “Acme” (as in generic) of power metal bands achieved their personal acme (as in high point) with an album that is just flat out fun.

17. Cripple Bastards – Nero In Metastasi

One moment I’m pressing ‘play’, and the next, Cripple Bastards is on this list.  I don’t know what happened in between.

16. Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal DomainTime -tested and road-rotted, they remain as reliable and relevant as ever with their strongest effort since Kill.

15. Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden

I finally saw the greatness of this band, it’s just not something I would listen to regularly.

14. Sabaton – Heroes

Huge sound, huge album, and a huge mistake by me to not have really checked them out until now.

13. These Are They – At the Feast of Seven Funerals

Old school death metal with a modern flair and November’s Doom vocalist Paul Kuhr delivering the low, coherent growls.

12.  Prong – Ruining Lives

To quote myself, “Ruining Lives just might be the most purely metal sounding thing Prong has ever done,” and the most complete album since Cleansing.

11. Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire

THE comeback album of the year (sorry, At The Gates) picks up pretty much where Hymns left off, only better.

…and now, on to the big dogs.

10. HORRENDOUS – ECDYSIS

Any number of years ago, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered to listen to a band with such a dull moniker, simply assuming it was an apt descriptor. That would have been a huge mistake here. It’s a death metal album that doesn’t really care if it’s death metal or not. There is enough variation in here to satisfy almost any fan of a subgenre of extreme music while making them forget how much they dislike the others.

•••••

9. DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – Z2

I was disappointed when Devin Townsend announced this would be a double album (one traditional Devin Townsend Project; the other the Ziltoid sequel.) It seemed a bit excessive, and I feared it would detract from the Ziltoid spectacle. You’d think I’d know by now not to doubt Devin Townsend. The two discs are perfectly complementary in a supplementary kind of way; they could have easily been released individually. But, if the first disc (Sky Blue) isn’t heavy enough for you, the second disc (Dark Matters) makes up for it in spades. Alternately, if the second disc is too goofy for you, the first one is about as straightfaced as Devin gets.

•••••

8. THANTIFAXATH – SACRED WHITE NOISE

Another surprise entry to the list. Thantifaxath won me over by keeping things simple yet complex, raw yet refined. You can hear all of the lo-fi tendencies, but they sound rich and full.  Harsh and frosty, the blissfully, blisteringly grim riffs penetrate straight to the most reptilian parts of my brain and sooth even the darkest rivulets of thought. Holy crap, did I just write that? Hell, I don’t even pretend to know a lot about black metal, so I’m probably way, way off anyway.

•••••

7. exodus – BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT

I don’t recall if the split with Rob Dukes was amicable or not, but was I ever glad to hear about it. Exodus was starting to get bloated and stagnant, though that may not have been entirely his doing. The return of Zetro has breathed new life into the old dogs once again, and the result is their rippingest album since – yes, you guessed it – Tempo of the Damned.

•••••

6. cretin – stranger

Some people would say that this was released too late in the year to get serious consideration.  I say, “Have you HEARD the damn thing?!” I played Freakery quite a bit but never got all that into it.  Stranger, on the other hand, grabbed by by the throat and balls at the same time and squeezed as hard as it could. Mercy was eventually given, but only because the playing time was up, and by then I was a dead-eyed, quivering mess.

•••••

5. Bloodbath – grand morbid funeral

If you’re Madison Bumgarner, you dominate in the World Series; if you’re Bloodbath, you play old school death metal with an all-star cast. That’s just the way it goes. For their first album in six years, Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) picks up the vocalist mantle from Mikael Akerfeldt (Storm Corrosion), and despite not having recorded a death growl in over 20 years, handles the job with ease. Take note, you danged kids with your fancy blast beats and eleventeen-string guitars – death metal doesn’t get much better than this.

•••••

4. iron reagan – the tyranny of will

Looking back now, I can’t believe I was a Ronald Reagan supporter in the 80s. To be fair, though, I was still in grade school and didn’t know any better. But I digress. The moniker is still an eye-roller, but apropos with their thrash/punk crossover style straight from the “me” decade. Yet, somehow, they make it sound fresh and almost unique to the “meme” decade.

•••••

3. falconer – black moon rising

I’ve been flying the banner of Falconer since the beginning (or prior, if you count Mithotyn); I celebrate their entire catalog that isn’t titled Grime Vs. Grandeur. With Black Moon Rising, it looks like the masses are finally starting to catch up. Exquisitely crafted with their medieval fair flair scaled back to still be noticeable but not distract from the driving, soaring musicianship.

•••••

 2. trioscapes – digital dream sequence

Not sure what more I can say that I didn’t already say here. But in a word, mindblowing.

•••••

 1. overkill – white devil armory

Of all the “big” releases in 2014, this was the only one that lived up to the hype. Continuing along the trajectory that began with Ironbound and continued with The Electric Age, Overkill continue to hone their craft even as their members roar into their mid-fifties. Gives an old guy like me hope that I can still achieve great things – but maybe not this great.

 

•••••

 favorite ep

Connoisseur – Stoner Justice

I don’t particularly care for grind or weed; this one got me excited for both.

biggest disappointment

Onkel Tom – H.E.L.D.

Tom Angelripper resurrected this project and I couldn’t have been more excited… then I couldn’t have been more disappointed. His loose, thrashing take on traditional German folk and drinking songs have always been a hoot, but none of that fun is to be found here. A darker, more serious (and less thrashy) album for darker more serious times, I suppose. But then what’s the point?

best album heard completely by mistakeWaylander – Children of the Iron Age

I got very excited when I saw this was released. I tracked it down immediately.  I listened to it with great enjoyment, and just a bit of puzzlement. Then it hit me:  it was Wayfarer that I was a fan of. But this was a great slab of epic, pagan doom in its own right.

Album that almost made the list strictly based on one track

Apostle of Solitude – Of Woe and Wounds

Just listen…

Non-metal favorites

Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

Casualties of Cool – Casualties of Cool

Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang – Four Foot Shack

Johnny Cash – Out Among the Stars

Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright in the End 

•••••

So there you go. I have literally pushed this to the last minute, so this part needs to be brief. Thank you to the Last Rites staff for keeping me around, picking me up when I’m down, and kicking me down when I’m up. No more blitzes. Next year will be different. I promise.

The post Dave Pirtle’s Best of 2014 – This Blitz Goes to 21 appeared first on Last Rites.

We would love to hear your thoughts, discuss your gripes, and offer a comforting shoulder for any quiet or not-so-quiet weeping you have to offer. But mostly, we’d love to see what made your lists as well. Individual Last Rites staff lists will begin this coming Friday, December 12th.

Additionally, the entire crew would like to thank each and every one of you for making all of this writing madness still worthwhile – there’s obviously no shortage of competition out there, and we are nothing without our faithful readers.

We sincerely hope 2014 was good to you, and we look forward to banging forward into 2015.

– The Last Rites Crew

LIST HO!!

The post Last Rites’ Best Of 2014 – Combined Staff List appeared first on Last Rites.

The last time Steve “Zetro” Souza fronted Exodus was for 2004’s Tempo Of The Damned. A literal return for Zetro and a figurative one for the band, that album was the strongest Exodus album since 1989’s Fabulous Disaster, which in turn was their second-best record behind their classic debut, Bonded By Blood. In the years since Tempo and Zetro’s subsequent second departure, Exodus released three records plus an unnecessary re-recording of Bonded, all with Rob Dukes behind the microphone. Simultaneously, Zetro worked with Dublin Death Patrol and fronted Hatriot. None of the records by either party was a complete dud, but none approached the fire of Tempo, Disaster, or 1987’s Pleasures Of The Flesh. Everyone was biding time.

Fear not, Exodus faithful, because the stars have aligned again, and Zetro’s back. And as you’d expect, the result is by far Exodus’ best record in a decade.

After a surprisingly effective electronica intro (contributed by Dan the Automator), “Black 13” wastes no time in establishing the game plan. Exodus c. 2014 is playing like a band with something to prove, and the whole of Blood In, Blood Out benefits from a blistering energy. Mainstay guitarist Gary Holt can write some ripping riffs – he’s proved that over the past three decades – and herein, he and relative newcomer Lee Altus (also of the underrated Heathen) churn through some killer thrashing, all propelled by Tom Hunting’s absolutely stellar drum performance. Thrash is all about the driving force, and the team of Hunting / Holt / Altus brings it in spades.

But, wait, you may say: Exodus has always had solid riffing, no matter the singer, so there’s a bit more to it, and there’s where Zetro comes in. His high-pitched snarl is in fine form, scratchier than in his youth, but to no real detriment. Since Baloff’s death (and really since Baloff’s first split), Zetro’s the voice of Exodus, and his scream is a natural fit for what Blood In brings. This is the reunion that fans have wanted since Tempo’s glories didn’t last, and for good reason – this is Exodus.

But, wait, you may say: None of that matters if the songs aren’t good. Oh, but yes, these are, and for the most part, quite so. As a whole, they’re the best songs Exodus has composed since Tempo Of The Damned, the product of their parts, of a band seemingly with something to prove. The first four tunes – “Black 13,” the title track, “Collateral Damage,” and “Salt The Wound” – are as solid an introductory pummeling as any thrash album has had this year, and that includes (but doesn’t overcome) Overkill’s massive White Devil Armory. “Salt” garnered some press for the guest guitar solo by former Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett (who plays in some other band), but in truth, while certainly fun, Hammett’s appearance is extraneous: The song succeeds without him. He’s icing on the cake, a story for the press geeks like me, and really nothing much more.

From those four, Blood In doesn’t let up, but it does settle in. “Body Harvest” is a respectable thrasher, but “BTK” gets a bit silly (and oddly outdated, since Dennis Rader was convicted not long after Tempo Of The Damned was released). The groovy “My Last Nerve” is a later standout, but most of Blood In’s second half blends into a blur, dragged down somewhat by more forgettable fare like “Wrapped In The Arms Of Rage” and “Honor Killings.” Whereas the Atrocity Exhibitions felt bloated and overlong, although not markedly shorter in actual time, the songs on Blood In feel more concise, which is really just them being better constructed and more passionately performed.

So after a decade’s worth of B-grade Exodus, we finally get back to where we were in 2004. Zetro’s back and now, as then, the band is in fine form. And not surprisingly, now, as then, Exodus has one of their best records to show for it. Blood In, Blood Out is a damn fine modern thrash record, the old masters reforming and returning to show they’ve still got plenty of fire left. Here’s hoping the reunion lasts a bit longer this time…

The post Exodus – Blood In Blood Out Review appeared first on Last Rites.

But before we proceed, a few notes:

1. As with its predecessors, this list is unranked. All the albums appearing on this list are essential; further valuation is, we feel, superfluous.

2. As usual,  we will be publishing the list in weekly, ten-album installments.

3. With the previous Essentials lists, in order that we might shine our spotlight on as many bands as possible, we instituted the “one-album-per-band” rule. While we felt this policy to be sound, it caused us no small amount of anguish to see some of our favorite records cut from the previous lists. So, this time around, as a salve for our mental wounds, albums that would have been excised from the 1980s list due to the aforementioned rule – some 32 albums in all – will receive recognition, token though it might be, via the “Also Essential” designation.

And now, Last Rites is proud to present the first installment of The Most Essential Albums of the 80s:

BLACK SABBATH – HEAVEN AND HELL

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Sabbath — for lots of reasons — but largely because 13 is the first new studio album with Ozzy since forever. But back in 1980, the very music landscape they helped shape started to mutate around them. Plus, a decade of excess saw a radical decline in quality near the end of the ‘70s, finally resulting in a monumental split, yet with both camps releasing four seminal albums over the few years to follow. Heaven and Hell was the first, and with Dio at the helm, helped herald a new age, and drew the first blueprints for heavy metal in the ‘80s. Who better, really?

[Matt Longo]

Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell
Released: 25 April, 1980
Warner Bros. Records
Killing cut: “Lonely is the World”

Also Essential:

Black Sabbath – Mob Rules
Released: 1 October, 1981
Warner Bros. Records

MERCYFUL FATE – MELISSA

Melissa is notable for three reasons. First, as Mercyful Fate’s debut full-length, for most listeners it was their introduction to the iconoclastic vocal talents of one Kim Bendix Petersen (otherwise crowned King Fucking Diamond). Second, it was an album-length demonstration of the frighteningly telepathic duo of guitarists Hank Shermann and Michael Denner, who deserve to be spoken of in the same breathless tone reserved for Tipton/Downing, Murray/Smith, and Hanneman/King. Third, holy shit those songs. Classic after classic after unforgettable classic pours out of the speakers, causing one to almost literally stagger back in awe at the alchemy that summoned this album into being. An untouchable landmark, and a sine qua non of some the most finely crafted metal to follow in the three decades since its release.

[Dan Obstkrieg]

Mercyful Fate – Melissa
Released: 30 October, 1983
Roadrunner/Music for Nations/Megaforce Records
Killing cut: “Evil”

Also Essential:

Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break the Oath
Released: 7 September, 1984
Roadrunner Records

MANOWAR – INTO GLORY RIDE

Say what you will about all the pelted posturing and current era cash-grabbing, Manowar‘s 80s releases were unquestionably paramount in terms of providing a consistent example of how to do grade-A US power metal just right, and Into Glory Ride, the band’s sophomore release, hit with the heaviest fist. The ripping biker metal impression that dominated their debut still flashed with the opening “Warlord,” but every tune that followed struck with an epic, sweeping clout that thoroughly epitomized power. Furthermore, Eric Adams turned in what undoubtedly stands as one the top vocal performances of the era. DEATH IS LIFE!

[Captain]

Manowar – Into Glory Ride
Released: 1 July, 1983
Megaforce Records
Killing cut: “Revelations (Death’s Angel)”

ANGEL WITCH – ANGEL WITCH

Because Angel Witch as a band failed to craft the same towering legacy as some of their more popular peers, this eponymous classic often fails to be given the same air of respect as, say, Killers. This is, of course, a grievous mistake. Kevin Heybourne and company shared many basic similarities with early Iron Maiden, but veered from the core NWOBHMisms in different ways. They expressed their range through hints of heavier, almost thrashy material (“Angel of Death”) and a serious knack for sorrowful balladry and melody (“Sorcerors” and “Free Man”). Add to that the fact that Heybourne was one of the most gifted lead guitarists of the era, and you get an album absolutely jam packed with unforgettable metal, not to mention one of the true NWOBHM essentials.

[Zach Duvall]

Angel Witch – Angel Witch
Released: 12 March, 1980
Bronze Records
Killing cut: “Angel Witch”

EXODUS – BONDED BY BLOOD

Delays in recording and release may have slowed the momentum Exodus had built leading up to their debut, but these issues could not stop Bonded By Blood from being one of the most influential and vital thrash albums of all time. Consisting of nine tracks that have all gone on to classic status (with “Piranha” being as perfect a thrash track as exists in the world), the album was a flurry of some of the most violent, heavy riffs the Bay Area scene had produced to date, providing warning to the burgeoning Teutonic scene that brutality was not theirs to hog. While a few later albums maintained the level of excellence set on Bonded By Blood, the departure of vocalist Paul Baloff meant that Exodus would never again find this level of primal intensity. As far as thrash debuts go, Bonded By Blood is every bit as essential as Kill ‘em All and Show No Mercy. Get your lesson in violence.

[Zach Duvall]

Exodus – Bonded By Blood
Released: 25 April, 1985
Torrid Records
Killing cut: “Piranha”

HOLY TERROR – TERROR AND SUBMISSION

Criminally underrated doesn’t even begin to describe the full gist of LA’s Holy Terror. The band had a (sadly) brief, but savage impact on the 80s scene that left two richly complex, unparalleled thrash albums in their wake. Both Terror and Submission and its direct follow-up, Mind Wars, worked a masterful blend of raw, relentless intensity with piles of surprisingly melodic stretches that emphasized fiery, melodic lead guitar battling. And vocalist Keith Dean (sadly lost to cancer in late 2012) proved himself the perfect companion with his snarly rasp straight from the same school as David Wayne (Metal Church) and Michael Furlong (Wild Dogs). Really, one could make a solid case for either album to hit this list, but Terror and Submission wins simply because it happened to land first. 

[Captain]

Holy Terror – Terror and Submission
Released: 1987
Music For Nations Records
Killing cut: “Evil’s Rising”

DIO – HOLY DIVER

Well, I said “four seminal albums” in the Black Sabbath blurb, but Dio’s work with the Brummies also resulted in a stronger solo Metal career later in life; earlier work only got about as heavy as elven rainbows. Absolutely the most recognizable and arguably finest release from his eponymous band, Holy Diver is indelibly scrawled upon everyone’s ‘Top 5 D&D Metal Albums’ list (with no small debt paid to the title track video) and has one of the greatest album covers of all time — Murray never looked better. Beyond that, despite ‘dio’ translating to ‘god’ in Italian, Ronnie excelled at the rare feat of humanizing the fantastic. So much love.

[Matt Longo]

Dio – Holy Diver
Released: 25 May, 1983
Warner Bros. Records
Killing cut: “Rainbow in the Dark”

SAXON – STRONG ARM OF THE LAW

Although the band’s sophomore effort, Wheels of Steel, really marked them as a contender among the NWOBHM, the following Strong Arm of the Law solidified Saxon as one of the greats of the era. From the machismo of the title track to the swagger of “Taking Your Chances,” the band quickly proved themselves to be a riff factory overflowing with charisma. With 20 albums spanning a career over 35 years in length, Saxon has also been one of the most prolific and enduring of the NWOBHM gang. Strong Arm of the Law most clearly exemplifies why this was possible. Rollicking “Heavy Metal Thunder” at its most pure, indeed, and an essential for newcomers to turn-of-the-decade bombast.

[Zach Duvall]

Saxon – Strong Arm of the Law
Released: 1 September, 1980
Carrere Records
Killing cut: “Strong Arm of the Law”

WITCHFYNDE – GIVE ‘EM HELL

Witchfynde might’ve been Angel Witch‘s twin, separated at birth and raised by bar bands. Calling 1980’s Give ’em Hell metal by today’s standards is a stretch–it’s clear their overly ambitious ears were filled with as much prog and rock as NWOBHM–even with it’s, uh, venomous cover art. Calling Give ’em Hell hookless, however, would be plain dumb. Witchfynde’s secret weapon was the six-stringsmith Montalo, whose killer tone dressed up any rote riff lifted from the communal pub bucket with a snazzy tux. Just, you know, one fitted for a dangerous dude who cracks his scarred knuckles by making a fist. Melody and muscle. A bruiser you could take home to mutha.

[Ian Chainey]

Witchfynde – Give ’em Hell
Released: February 1980
Rondelet Records
Killing cut: “Ready to Roll”

SAVATAGE – HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING

If there are such things as perfect metal records, Hall Of The Mountain King certainly qualifies as one of them – mixing killer traditional metal riffage, progressive neo-classical bombast, guitar-hero shred, and Jon Oliva’s scratch-to-a-scream vocals into some seriously first-rate tunes, Mountain King remains Savatage’s highest point. From the opening drive of “24 Hours Ago” through the stellar “Strange Wings” to the Grieg-inspired title track, the Mountain King is rock solid, bridging the gap between the band’s earlier, more straightforward attack and the Broadway-leaning theatricality of later ‘Tage efforts. It’s pompous, rocking, melodic, epic, brilliant metallic glory. Madness truly reigns, forever.

[Andrew Edmunds]

Savatage – Hall of the Mountain King
Released: 28 September, 1987
Atlantic Records
Killing cut: “24 Hours Ago”

Ten down. Ninety to go. Come back next Monday for Volume Two.

There will be goats.

The post 80s Essentials – Volume One appeared first on Last Rites.

And of course, Steve “Zetro” Souza needs Gary Holt, and Gary Holt needs Steve Souza.

Having provided vocals on five Exodus albums, Zetro laid down pipes for more Holtian thrash than anyone else and, in Fabulous Disaster and Tempo of the Damned, worked on two of the band’s three best albums. Sure he snarled on some semi-snoozers, too, but when the Zetro-Exodus was hot, it was blazing. Since his latest split from the band, he worked with some guys who are only good with Devin Townsend on the Tenet album, took part in the Dublin Death Patrol project, and has now put together the family act Hatriot. (“Hatriot,” by the way, comes from the lyrics of the Exodus song “Scar Spangled Banner.” And yes, I too originally read it as “hat riot,” which sounds more like some nightmare out of the late 90s swing revival. Gotta consider how something looks on paper, too, there, Steve…) Consisting of Zetro, a Souza son each on bass and drums, and newcomers Kosta Varvatakis and Miguel Esparza on guitars, Hatriot’s debut Heroes of Origin is as thick as a Midwestern buffet, professionally recorded and performed, and easy as all hell to enjoy. In other words, it’s pure Exodusian thrash.

However, it’s not exactly ideal, or really all that necessary. Exodus with Souza worked so well because his zany paranoid and political lyrics gave a tongue-in-cheek fun side to Holt’s tightly constructed thrash. It was an ideal balance that, when split apart, exposes Exodus to getting far too serious and Zetro to sounding as silly as he really is. (Over-under 50 Zetro puns on this album. Place your bets.) Heroes of Origin is quite solid throughout, but it can’t help but feel like a bastard younger brother of Tempo of the Damned, with the best moments barely meeting the lowest tracks from the big Exodus comeback. “Weapons of Class Destruction” (word play!), for example, is a solid-as-fuck thrash track, complete with blazing solos and some gang vocal action, but it barely meets the level of a “Sealed with a Fist”-type tune, and doesn’t even come close to the best work Zetro did with Holt and company. Additionally, songs like “The Mechanics of Annihilation” and “Shadows of the Buried” start off sounding unique before settling into indistinguishable verse riffs and tempos, giving much of the album a paint-by-numbers feel, even if any one song is darn entertaining on its own.

So, yeah, Hatriot is basically an inferior clone, but it’s still far more than fucking listenable for anyone in the target audience. Zetro does his thrash-metal-Bon-Scott thing here better than he has in any other non-Exodus band, and the soloing from Varvatakis and Esparza is stellar, making Heroes of Origin easily his best release since leaving said band, and at least as strong as both Impact is Imminent and Force of Habit (which may not, I understand, be high praise to many of you). Overall Hatriot is the sound of a top thrash vocalist working without his ideal songwriting mate, and while we wait for this family project to eventually grow into something great, that incomplete partnership will loom large overhead.

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That stuttered sentiment is partly true: Dukes is and will likely forever remain the third-best Exodus vocalist, but considering his competition, that’s not too terribly bad, and damned if this critic and fan didn’t enjoy the first Atrocity Exhibition and Shovel Headed Kill Machine. They may not reach the heights of Fabulous Disaster, but they’re good for what they are: shiny slabs of (mostly) blistering post-millennium thrash. Yes, Dukes can come off as ham-fisted at times, and his delivery does tread into the generic in spots (particularly on Shovel), but he’s improved with each release, and his energy and his enthusiasm are enough to overcome any negative tendencies. Say what you will about the man, for the most part, both of these Exhibitions rock like hell.

Of course, that’s not entirely because of Dukes (or even largely because of him)—Exodus’ continued streak of quality thrash is mostly due to Gary Holt, the one constant member in the band’s perpetually rotating line-up. (For Exhibit B, Holt and Dukes are joined by second guitarist Lee Altus, also of Heathen, plus returning off-again-on-again drum monster Tom Hunting and bassist Jack Gibson.) This newest incarnation has had time to gel, this being their third release together, and their comfort with one another shows in their tight, expertly controlled performance. Hunting especially shines, propelling these tracks with a rock-solid groove that is neither sloppy nor suffocating, neither blasé nor busy.

Where Exhibit A was a marked improvement on Shovel, in both songwriting and production, Exhibit B is again an improvement upon its older brother, particularly in the song department. As with Exhibit A, the Andy Sneap production is typically pristine—some may say too much so, but I would not. His clean and stout mix is punchy and tight, shiny but not flat—it does smooth off the rough edges, but it balances its sheen with heft. The guitar tone is thick and meaty, and Gibson’s bass tone is stellar (witness the groovy midsection of “Downfall”). Lyrically, despite a slight deviation into the evils of Hollywood (in the solid, if corny, “Burn Hollywood Burn”), most of The Human Condition deals with man’s inhumanity to man, filtered through serial killings, warfare, school shootings, and the like—not exactly new thematic fodder for a thrash band, but it’s certainly presented well enough, nonetheless.

Where Exhibit B does go slightly awry is in its sheer excess—at over seventy minutes long, with eight of the record’s dozen tracks over six minutes each, The Human Condition is just too damn long. (Even with that, if you still want more, there are two different versions with bonus tracks, one of which—a cover of the Scorpions’ “Don’t Make No Promises”—I’d be interested in hearing, but regrettably didn’t come with my promo.) Songs like “March Of The Sycophants” could easily be trimmed by a few minutes and pummel just as much, perhaps actually pummel even more by not overstaying their welcome.

Having come back strong with the Zetro-fronted Tempo Of The Damned and then slipped a bit with Shovel, Exodus has found solid ground again with both Atrocity Exhibitions, this one better than the first. A fine thrash album from a band that’s still going strong, twenty-five years and counting.

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