If you thought that I would have learned my lesson from the bait and switch of Hair of the Dog, you might be wrong.
Expect No Mercy features an even more badass cover than its predecessor: a shining knight and a scimitar-wielding demon are engaged in an epic battle of good and evil. What are they fighting for? What are the stakes?
Apparently, the real battle is between heavy metal and blues rock: and blues rock is winning.
Never judge a book by its cover.
Because if you were to look at the epic, Tolkien-esque painting of wolves and bat wings that adorn this record sleeve and imagine that you were in for some epic, fantasy-inspired heavy metal, you’d be disappointed.
…just like I was, when I first got this record because of the cover, and expected some epic, fantasy-inspired heavy metal.
I discovered all too recently that the Moody Blues weren’t the sort of schlocky, soulless dad rock that I had expected them to be.
Instead, they were charming pioneers that guided much of psychedelic pop’s shift to progressive rock—much closer to The Zombies and Pink Floyd than the Allman Brothers.
After being captured by the incredible Days of Future Passed and the otherworldly On the Threshold of a Dream, I had been searching for the album between them. Having now acquired it, it’s everything I had hoped for.
Speaking of lurching, post rock informed sludge metal…
Ohio’s Mouth of the Architect has long held my ear as one of the must crushing yet beautiful post metal bands around. Quietly is one of the most gorgeous and visceral records I’ve ever heard. So when a friend gave me this split, also featuring the instrumental, fellow Daytonians Kenoma, my hopes were high.
And that hope did not disappoint.
For the last six years, post metal heroes ISIS have been one of my favorite bands. From the first time I heard the crushing, glacial riffs of Panopticon, I was smitten. As I became more familiar with their other works, I regarded that album as a watershed moment: a turning point that would set the direction for the rest of their career, as well as direction for an entire direction of metallurigists.
A few weeks ago, I found that album’s predecessor, Oceanic, for the lowest price I’d ever seen it, so I ordered it without being totally familiar with it. And now, I must recant the narrative I’ve drawn around their discography. While Panopticon may have perfected the post-rock tinged sludge metal that they are celebrated for, Oceanic pioneered it. Continue reading
At some point in the mid to late 2000s, Gorillaz founder Damon Albarn decided that leading the world’s best cartoon band wasn’t enough, and started to aim a bit higher.
After three massive statements filled with star-studded collaborations, Gorillaz became icons in the music world. Each release was a zeitgeist, heralded by a massive web presence.
But then in 2018 they quietly released The Now Now, an album as subdued as its marketing. That doesn’t stop it from being just as rewarding.
If you’ve followed this blog at all, you’re already well aware that I have a very soft spot for a particular kind of heavy, glacial, melodic sludge metal (see: Isis, Cult of Luna, Mouth of the Architect, Spotlights, etc).
My friend Alex knows this, and so when he heard Bloodletting, the latest full length from California post metal outfit Mountaineer, his first reaction was to send me the link.
A few songs in, my first reaction was to buy the record. Said record has a label on it that says, “For Fans Of: Cult of Luna, Alcest, Torche, and Baroness.” That’s a pretty bold FFO if you can’t back it up. Luckily, Bloodletting proves it in spades.
For years, I’ve had a fascination with trip hop. I became a huge fan of Portishead when Third was released, and later got into acts like Emiliana Torrini, Telepopmusik, and Air when my wife and I started dating. I’ve been a fan of Gorillaz since the beginning of their career.
But somehow, I’ve ignored the rulers of genre, Massive Attack, and their most celebrated album Mezzanine. Of course, I’ve known how great this album is, but much in the same way that I know that I’m breathing: it’s happening all the time, but I don’t usually give it very much attention.
Recently, I decided to change that. And boy, am I glad I did.
After mentioning that only one person has ever taken me up on my offer to donate records that they want me to review, my friend Bill handed me a stack for the Cause.
Included was this disk from Swedish guitar virtuoso Ywngwie Malmsteen, who has long occupied space in my mind as the type of highly technical soloist who was more concerned with showing off his own chops than creating enjoyable compositions (see also: Joe Satriani).
Luckily, though there may be no shortage of sweeps and taps and blistering solos, Malmsteen is too much of a Classical music fanboy to let composition sit at the wayside.
Read more at ayearofvinyl.com #yngwiemalmsteen #heavymetal #metal #vinyl