Metal Riot

They say that during troubled times it is often good to find escape or comfort in routine. Some people do well at staying on task. Others find too much friction between their emotional state and the mundane. Sometimes there is relief found unexpectedly though when you can get things done and restore small oasis-like moments of order to a chaotic World.

Others believe in the law of attraction and positive manifestation. I think it is a combination of an energy filled Universe, will, karma, inertia and many other often scarcely tangible movements that create the crescendos and decrescendos that compromise our lives. But sometimes we are hit with a lot at once.

This year was often like that for me and I am going to be less active on the blog front than usual for the next few weeks, determined to sort of coast out the rest of the year being very energy mindful and reflecting on love, life, death…all the big stuff.

As we think on the multifaceted Paris tragedy, I have read many people expressing sorrow at the sacred concert space being violated, that communal place of coming together. I totally agree.

The beauty of extreme music or rock n roll or hardcore or even the bat cave gloom of the industrial scene is that you can sometimes morse code , smoke signal or Instagram your messages out to like minded souls, the “Children of the Night” (to quote Dracula and lead in with a Tribulation tie in to transition to my year end list).

The following are some of the records that I found to be the very best this year. It might not be the same for you. I know Iron Maiden had a great double album and my favorite hard rock band Clutch is not on here, but because I am biased and always write about them. Instead I wanted to focus for my best of list on records I think were made by lesser appreciated bands than Lamb Of God , Megadeth, Motorhead or other giants.

Heck, Between the Buried And Me got a 5 star rating from me this year but their record isn’t on this list.

These records struck me the most, however.

That said, Coal Chamber, Failure, Faith No More reunited this year. None of them are on this list but all put out great records. Across the spectrum of tastes. Rock and metal are still pulsing. We can all make a huge and living racket that says we are here and share in that rush of blood , adrenaline, spirit that can never be silenced.

Read the list BELOW.

“This time we tried to hold it back and give it a more bleak and depressing thing. Climax was sort of sexy and passionate.
This one we wanted more bleak.”

Let’s just start with the list of band members: Mat “Kvohst” McNerney –
Vocals, Valtteri Arino – Bass, Linnéa Olsson – Guitar, Uno Bruniusson – Drums,
Juho Vanhanen – Guitar (live/studio)

Yes, Grave Pleasures are a cult rock supergroup of sorts for people who follow
post-punk, death rock and underground metal. Formed in the wake of the passing
of not just critical darlings Beastmilk but also The Oath and In Solitude, the
void yawned and out of the chaotic aftermath was birthed the titanic output of
creativity and the right mix of personalities locking together that gives us
this new amazing band, Grave Pleasures.

Dreamcrash is that guilty pill you want to slip yourself, a dark and sensual trip via Sony/Metal Blade through the shadowy Lost Highways of Hell, but much more fun that nightmarish in the end. The band slink, rock, groove and emote down corridor after corridor of pitch perfect post punk guitar dissonance and the unbeatable tribal pounding of Uno Bruniusson’s often tom heavy beats.

The dual guitars and crooning vocals evoke a dalliance with the dark but a
sense of self worth that makes you long for immortality than a thirst
addiction, but the record is addictive as a vampire’s kiss nonetheless.

For a talk with astounding Swedish musician Linnéa Olsson of Grave Pleasures,
proceed BELOW.

Music creates different reactions in different people. Different strokes to rule the world, so to speak. Heavy music is just as divided over sub genres as indie rock or electronic or rap. Some people only like death metal or prog or love or hate metalcore. Don’t even get me started on how many styles of punk people like to bicker over.

Writing is a bit more matter of fact. Stripped of the noise of guitar or screams, words alone can invite in or dissuade anyone. Whether you are a fan of singer Mike Hranica’s very popular band The Devil Wears Prada or not, I’d strongly suggest anyone read his new book Three Dots & The Guilt Machine. Order it HERE.

Mostly poetry or reflections on travel, faces met along the way or the numbing or raw feeling filled clamor of the modern world, the book is really, really good. It is probably my favorite thing Mike has actually had his name attached to, though I am a big fan of his band’s fifth record 8:18.

It was nice to have a very mellow phone chat with Mike about the five year process of making this book, wrestling with incomplete work as well as what to keep personal, the power of memory and some additional discussion of his band’s recent conceptual Space EP. Check it out BELOW.

I’ve been really blessed this year, one of the most painful and shitty of my life from deaths to death threats, to do some of the most inspiring interviews of my career over the last few months, from Tearist to a recent chat with Killing Joke to this piece with Norway’s Shining. Jørgen Munkeby has taken the Blackjazz concept to new heights, literally. The fucking band of maniacs have made one of their best records yet with the brazenly fierce International Blackjazz Society but also recently shot a concert on Trolltunga, defying death and rocking out with a performance both historic and literally far above the limits most band are willing to go to.

It was very inspiring and enjoyable to speak with Munkeby on his new record, the evolution of jazz and metal’s uneasy alliance, Trolltunga, keeping warm huddling around burning churches, playing with Ihsahn and Melissa Auf der Mar and why you can’t give up if you have a shitty soundguy.

Read BELOW to ascend to Trolltunga with Shining !

L.A.’s Darkwalker are a sun burnt, Gibson slingin’ stoner rock/grungy/doom band who have a chipped away for about ten years finding the right line up and chiseling away at the glorified axe worship on their wailing Basement Records debut The Wastelands. Serving as a crash course in Sabbath fandom with lyrics culled from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series for inspiration, this band is worth travelling with.

Read an interview with Derek from the band BELOW.

I hate this mindset of human beings as human resources. It’s dehumanzing
terminology. Because people are SO important. We believe everybody is born
gifted. The life is the location of your God gift and the selfless execution
of your gift. The idea of personal sovereignty, that each and every one of us
can be King or Queen when we exercise our true will. Spiritually,
biologically, lovingly. – Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke.

I just saw the subversive as fuck Laetitia Sadier of legendary Stereolab
deliver a powerful yet so controlled set at a venue (the wonderful BSP Kingston) in my Upstate, NY city.
Always an activist in her music over the years, demanding and getting as much
attention from an audience or out of a subtle or quiet and poetic song as some
bands do through hollering, it was truly inspiring. One thing Sadier said in
her soft spoken but deep way at the show was how one of her songs “Find Me The
Pulse Of The Universe” was about how despite how small and perhaps immaterial
we may seem compared to the vast universe sometimes, we are all unique. She
brought real conviction to her show, whether discussing wealth disparity, how
it is good to nurture a long distance relationship in healthy ways if you
really love someone or pining for “glimpses of a world of pure thought that
few will ever know.”

Noise rock and post/punk or at times industrial metal legends Killing Joke
embody the idea of the unique personal and musical quest more than many other
bands combined, these same principles of fighting for actual creative and
human value that Sadier was espousing on stage in my town tonight. “New Cold
War” on brand spanking new rager Pylon is as relevant and emblematic of their
drive and style as anything in the group’s storied career (which dates back to
the year I was fucking born, 1978). Yep, Yankees won the world series. Killing
Joke was born and so was I, hahaha. 78′ was a good vintage!

The idea of knowing it is your absolute right to protect and fight for
your art and your right to experience the world through the lens of your own
journey and creations, to not settle for having the passion stomped out of you
by a dull or draconian society, is something I have spoken of at length lately
with some of the most amazing people I value most in my life, from avant garde
noise music/female comet Yasmine Kittles of Tearist via inspired
correspondence that has blown my mind and made me feel like the luckiest
person lately to a series of amazing artists like Brooks Blackhawk from the
very dark Atriarch or my dear, hard working friend (and former DIVEST bandmate) Sean Paul
Pillsworth of pop punkers The Red Owls dishing in a recent piece called Don’t
Break The Oath that we ran on this site about never giving up your vision.

Killing Joke have always stayed at the forefront of relevant political
discourse, cutting edge post-punk squall with hypnotic, throbbing bass and the
madman from the pulpit apocalyptic lyrics and truly unique voice of Jaz
Coleman. They have refined their sound to the essence of potency and it is
very apparent on the swirling, climbing ladder of growing intensity that
weaves through Pylon.

A composer, Permaculture advocate and avid student of philosophy who is
unafraid to chase his own demons where they take him, Coleman is a towering
figure of the underground.

Read more BELOW.

Ken Schalk, well regarded percussionist from Brooklyn’s Candiria once said something to the effect that “heavy” can be as much about feel and  vibe as another distorted guitar cowboy screaming over a mosh part. I often have thought back to that quote and paraphrased it over
the years.

Montreal’s  BIG|BRAVE will likewise seep into your bones and deliver a
listening experience rather than a cheap aggro fix. Whether floating amidst ethereal
drone akin to the wake up chill of a cold wind on a mountaintop or bashing
the listener with tribal beats akin to loops, the trio deliver in full on
Southern Lord release Au De La.

Brian from respected blog Meat Mead Metal even went so far as to say that ,“there’s not another band that possibly could replicate what Big | Brave achieve on this record”. It’s true that some avant garde or truly post-punk bands just have their own sound, be it Killing Joke or Tearist or Swans. Or some films you could sort of describe, such as Lars  von Trier’s Depression Trilogy or, I dunno… the space herpe in Ice Pirates. You could do half assed justice trying to explain, but some things just need to be experienced.

Jessica Moss of Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra lends guest violin to the record, but the beating heart of this band is in the guitar and drums interplay and liberated vocals. The band know the space between the heart beat or down hit on a drum is as important as the moment of explosion, and can say as much.

Robin Wattie, in house banshee, checks in to answer my questions on what else she had to say with this record BELOW.

I spend a lot of time being grumpy at the state of the world and listening to Slayer or Run The Jewels, smoking joints. I especially like the “I’ll tea bag a piranha tank” lyric from RJT2, as it inspires me to bravely go make coffee and face what the day brings. In a world of crime, racism, poverty and where even Bernie Sanders voted yes on the Cyber Security Act that lets whistleblowers get shut down, I know I can at least rely on a handful of artists to create powerful works that will stand the test of time until the world blows up. I want to be optimistic and do indeed preach love and tolerance each day, except when trolled too hard by emo fans.

Finland’s Wolfheart are a band who I can proudly point at and say they will undoubtedly be reliable as heck. Tuomas Saukkonen’s track record as well as the sheer scope of the band’s new record Shadow World are as inspiring as discovering some of the greats like Primordial or Soilwork, bands who have soldiered on year after year. I truly hope all metalheads can embrace Wolfheart’s cause and dare say few will not be moved by the intensity and range of dynamics from guttural screams to pummeling heavy melodeath or piano to stir the soul. It might not win the 2015 weird and spooky award like Locrian or be reinventing the wheel, but Wolfheart have a lot to be proud of.

In a world where time seems scarce and we don’t want ours wasted, metal can trust in this band.

Enter the shadow world BELOW.