Well one good thing can come of all this before I'm a complete shut-in otaku type who eventually commits suicide; I found these pretty cool comps on metalsucks.net of NYC metal bands. Actually they just released VOL 2 today. I'm all for guilt-free and free-free downloading, not to mention promoting young guns. I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet, but I know about half of the bands from seeing them live or playing shows with them and a few are friends of mine & the NGNV crew. Crank it to 11 and then go see them live!
Anti Cimex - Other Measures from Jack Crank on Vimeo.
Sean:You probably get this shit all the time, and I really don't give a shit if you don't end up posting it or whatever, but I thought it'd be good to let you know. I'm in a hardcore punk band from Boise, ID called Downsided. We started about six months ago, we've played a number of shows, and now we have a demo up for download. If you wanna get around to checking it out, that'd be rad.
John Cardiel Cash Money Vagrant from dlxsf on Vimeo.
This is a great lineup, but I think I've seen most of the headlining bands already.
Everyone does these top 10 year-end deals, and so here's mine. The difference here is I could care less about new [read: current] music let alone new bands. If I hear about something new that sounds interesting, fine, but I'm certainly not pulling my hair out over this list. I don't really care what anyone thinks, this is just what I've actually been listening to that came out in the last year. And don't come to me complaining about how it's mostly just black metal or there's some Nazi on the list cause I just don't care.
A couple albums are late-comers to my ears, but I'm definitely not polishing apples here. I also want to make a special mention for Forbidden's comeback album. Not as good as Sacrifice's comeback in '09, but a thrasher nonetheless. Jack will probably hate me for excluding Electric Wizard, and while I like it a lot more than any of their other albums (I actually own 2 CD's of theirs), I can't honestly say it's my jam or that I've been playing it much. On that note, I'd like to see what everyone in the NGNV crew would say and where our tastes overlap. So guys if you're reading this and don't like it, make your own goddamn list!
In no particular order:
Triptykon- Eparistera Daimones
Shoulda-coulda-woulda's
Here's a consolation prize list of bands who made albums this year that may actually prove to be better over time but didn't make the list cause either I didn't listen to them much, it didn't make the cut, or I didn't actually listen to it but will probably get around to it sooner or later.
Electric Wizard
Melvins
Nails
High On Fire
Overkill
Immolation
Atheist
Charred Walls Of The Damned
Blind Guardian
Decrepit Birth
It's been a minute since this album dropped, but believe you me that I was trollin the nets for a leak. I can't tell you how stoked on this band I am. But like any good band, a few listens wouldn't do and I needed time to mull it over.
First off, how is it that everyone and their mother has heard of similar sounding bands like Inepsy (I mean Canada, really?), but every time I mention The Batallion I'm met with blank stares? Here's a Norwegian band that despite their credentials, seem to slide in under the radar and get almost no attention. You got guys from Old Funeral (!), Taake, and Borknagar among others. Now if you haven't heard all those bands, you need to go back to school and do your homework! This is a real super group if there ever was one. Born and bred black metalers, they've totally abandoned the scene (which gets stale by the minute) and traded in their chips for a more pure heavy metal Motorhead-worshipping sound. There are few bands who are able to recapture this sound without sounding like a cheesy caricature or totally disposable and redundant.
The thing you gotta love about super groups is their propensity to not give a fuck-all about what anyone thinks. They've been through the mill and have seen some shit. The fact that these veterans are still standing is a thing in of itself and a good super group knows not to devolve into a wank-fest circle jerk. Enter Head Up High's first track "Watch My Step"- the official middle finger in your face. It sets the tone for the whole album with a "Bang your head or get the fuck outta the way!" They know it's a sophomore album and people usually sweat that kinda thing, but they seem to not give a fuck about what anyone thinks. I like that in a band. I can't say this album's as good as their instant classic of a debut Stronghold Of Men, but it's definitely up there and there's something new I hear on each listen so far. Check them both out and decide for yourself.
Click Image for DL.
