Asia Minor - Between Flesh and Divine (1981, France) Symphonic Prog

A melancholy contemplative prog album from the fertile French scene. Between flesh and divine plods on like a rainy day, occasionally bursting into a tense angry fuzz guitar section reminiscent of luminous bands from the Italian prog scene with equally as much venom and vigor. This album certainly does have a genuine air of sadness to it being a culmination of the passionate contemplative flute playing with sparse synth textures, melodious guitar playing and the dead pan vocal delivery (the vocalist sounds like he has just been broken up with).

This one is a definite keeper, recommended for fans of staring gloomily out a rain splattered window or any of the great French or Italian prog bands .

Track Listing:

1. Nightwind (6:23)
2. Northern Lights (7:45)
3. Boundless (3:00)
4. Dedicace (6:11)
5. Lost In A Dream Yell (7:42)
6. Dreadful Memories (3:00)

Total Time: 34:01

Download here: (Asia Minor - Between Flesh and Divine, 192kbps)

Not dead

In case anyone should care, I'm not going to let this blog die. I have entered an extremely busy phase of my life with full-time work and about 5 gigging bands and lots of drinking and merry-making. I'll get right back into this guy once things calm down a bit, probably get really into it over the summer (Australian that is).

Thanks for reading.

Cynic - Focus (1993, U.S.A) Technical death metal/fusion

I lied in the last post about Atheist completeing the holy trinity of jazz death metal, I forgot I hadn't posted this guy. Here we have another completely different approach to melding jazz and extreme metal, out of the three albums posted here this would definitely be the most jazzy. Probably the first thing you will notice when you start listening are the weird robot vocoder vocals, it took me a while to get used to but now I appreciate their place in the music.

Composition is the name of the game here, very deep and complex song structures with great melodic balance and use of dynamics. Veil of maya tipifies this with a syncopated guitar/bass/drums assault leading into a new agey breakdown and coming out the other side with sick riffage before sinking into a yazz chord laden guitar solo. Instrumental textures is pretty much a pure jazz fusion song and displays a fantastic array of musical textures from pretty flourishes to jazzical technophobic bass solos. The interplay of guitar wizard Paul Masvidal and drum wizard Sean Reinert is pretty special, an interesting factoid is that Paul and Sean actually played on Death's Human album, but you wouldn't know it from this.

One of the things that I like about this album is the thematic content of spirituality and philosophy, a bit hippie wank is a refreshing change from the "you are dead, you got sodomised, I fucking killed you" of most death metal (not that I dislike that kinda stuff - obviously). Although all that said they did end up going just a bit too far down the spirituality path after recording focus and recruited a female singer, turned totally new age and recorded a demo under the name 'Portal'. A few of the best portal songs are included on this remaster and I actually really like them, the portal demo as a whole is pretty unlistenable though.

This guy is one of the most original metal albums around, definitely worth investigation. I should note that I have a pretty bad fever at the moment so a lot of what I just typed is probably a bit loopy, that's not a disclaimer though - just a fun fact.

Track Listings

1. Veil of Maya (5:23)
2. Celestial Voyage (3:40)
3. The Eagle Nature (3:30)
4. Sentiment (4:23)
5. I'm But a Wave to... (5:30)
6. Uroboric Forms (3:32)
7. Textures (4:42)
8. How Could I (5:29)

Total Time: 36:15

Download here: (Cynic - Focus, variable bit rate ~220kbps)

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (1991, U.S.A.) Technical Death Metal

Completing the holy (unholy?) trinity of jazz influenced death metal is this gem of an album which is probably my favourite metal album to date. The band strikes a perfect balance between balls out technical prowess, thoughtful melody and death metal aggression. All the tracks here are winners and I've gone through phases where I could have said any individual track on the album is my favourite. That should give you some indication of the depth and quality of the writing of late bassist Roger Patterson. And certainly the writing and composition is everything here, it's clear the band took the time to painstakingly write proper tech songs as opposed to slapping some riffs together, plopping a solo near the end and calling it a day. Instrumentally these guys are wizards too, Steve Flynn's furious jazz fusion drumming is of particular highlight with Tony Choy's slap bass is not far behind and the solos of Rand Burkey and Frontman Kelly Shaefer are the icing on the tasty cake.

The technicality here reaches the perfect balance where it will satisfy you if you have a short attention span but you can still follow and enjoy the song fully which is quite a feat and most of the sections are quite addictive to boot. And in my opinion the level of technicality plotted against the level of addictiveness usually gives an appropriately mathematical description for the quality. This one is an essential Tech-Death album.

Track Listings

1. Mother Man (4:34)
2. Unquestionable Presence (4:07)
3. Your Life's Retribution (3:17)
4. Enthralled In Essence (3:38)
5. An Incarnation's Dream (4:53)
6. The Formative Years (3:30)
7. Brains (3:41)
8. And The Psychic Saw (4:45)

Total Time: 32:25

Download Here: (Atheist - Unquestionable Presence, V0)

Ashra - New Age of Earth (1977, Germany) Electronic Kraut/Ambient

Manuel Gottsching's first solo outing continuing the legacy of Ash Ra Tempel albeit in a much more spaced out and electronic domain more akin to Tangerine Dream. This album is awash with rich electronic tapestries, waves of undulating sound with gentle melodies bobbing up to the surface of the minimal but deep compositions. Sunrain sets the tone early with a fairly upbeat and genuinely content feel with masterfully composed incremental build-ups utilising a chord progression that strikes a great balance between tension and resolution. Ocean of tenderness slows things down and is a vast and uncharted sea and Deep Distance gives way to the darker, sadder nightdust capping the album off nicely. This is one of my favourite albums to go to sleep to, gently nurturing, safe, warm and beautiful I don't think I've ever made it to the end of the album without out peacefully drifiing off. Perfect chillout album.


Track Listings

1. Sunrain (7:26)
2. Ocean of Tenderness (12:36)
3. Deep Distance (5:46)
4. Nightdust (21:52)

Total Time: 47:40

Download Here: (Ashra - New Age of Earth, V0)

The Mars Volta - Tremulant EP (2002, U.S.A.) Pysch Rock

There goes my obscure music nerd cred! - A band that is on the charts these days? surely not? This is one of my favourite recordings, it caught me at a time when I was just starting to delve into prog and I loved it then and I still love it today.

The sound is remarkably different from modern day TMV. Here instead of 'angular' well produced hard rock we have a refreshingly gritty recording with a dark and genuine atmosphere. This is the distillation of a bunch of minds that had indulged liberally in all manner of psychedelic substances and had a pent up musical urge that needed to get out. 'Eunuch Provocateur' is easily the best song the band has ever recorded, the way it goes from subdued melancholy guitar to a trance inducing almost electronic drum beat is inspiring and the feverish chorus and complex melodies really set it apart as something quite special. Likewise the intensity of Opening track 'Cut That City' is both confronting and delightful and on the whole the three songs are undeniably cohesive in their construction perfectly tempering furious bursts of jagged riffing with mellow passages.

I only wish the band had have stuck with this style of music and recording for a while longer, oh well I should really be grateful they even recorded this guy in the first place. I guess that's the trade off with quitting drugs if you're a musician - on one hand you get your health back, on the other hand you'll never write music the same again.

Track Listings

1. Cut that City (5:44)
2. Concertina (4:54)
3. Eunuch Provocateur (8:48)

Total Time: 18:26

Download Here: (The Mars Volta - Tremulant EP, 192kbps)

Dark Angel - Darkness Descends (1986, U.S.A.) Thrash Metal

Coming from the golden year of thrash 1986 this is some brutal and surprisingly well produced thrash. When describing this album you only really need to say "Gene Hoglan" to grasp how punishing and ferocious Dark Angel's brand of thrash is. 'Hoggers' gives a drum clinic here, he hits harder, faster and plays more creative beats than just about any thrash drummer that was around at the time. Backed up by a great band Hoggers and co manage to deliver one of the most aggressive, adrenalin pumping thrash catharses there is.

Track Listing:

1.	Darkness Descends	05:53
2.	The Burning of Sodom	03:18
3.	Hunger of the Undead	04:19
4.	Merciless Death	04:08
5.	Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)	04:18
6.	Black Prophecies	08:34
7.	Perish in Flames	04:52
Total playing time		35:22

Download Here: (Dark Angel - Darkness Descends V0)

UPDATE: having some problems with this link, unfortunately it keeps on being removed from megaupload. I haven't received any requests to take it down so I'll look at uploading it again and using alternate hosting services when I have the time.

UPDATE: Got it working

Eskaton - 4 Visions (1979, France) Zeuhl

This is without a doubt my favourite Zeuhl album and probably universally the most accesible and enjoyable. It pretty much distills all of the small sub-genre's little quirks into solid tangible components of music thanks largely to some pretty pristine production for the late 70's. After a steady build it becomes clear about 2 minutes into the album why this one is a winner, the upbeat jaunt gives way to a thunderous bass riff, a commanding drum beat, heavy augmented organ chords and a synth lead that floats off into space - it's a formidable combo. This approach is repeated in the second song 'Attente' where the funky, dancable and jazzy drums and brutal throbbing bass forcably command the attention of the listener.

It's interesting to see that while a lot of the tracks start in a similar fashion they differ immeasurably as they progress. Once the music is up and going it travels through a dozen or more different parts without you even noticing - a great example of progressive songwriting done right.

The vocals are female, high pitched, operatic and French so it's a bit hit and miss in that department. I tend not to notice them these days and aside from not being a great fan of them stylistically there isn't anything particularly wrong with them - it's not like they sing out of tune and they're probably the only thing that is less than exceptional about this album.

Track Listings

1. Eskaton (10:24)
2. Attente (10:12)
3. Ecoute (13:00)
4. Pitié (8:44)
5. Le Cri (9:05)

Total Time: 51:25

Download Here: (Eskaton - 4 Visions, 320kbps)

Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down From The Sky ...Mankind Will Reap What It Has Sewn EP (2003, U.K.) Grindcore/Black Metal

Armageddon. Heaviness is hard to describe. There are many things that contribute to it such as technicality, how downtuned and distorted the guitars are, how compressed the drums are, the nature of the vocals, how fast the music is to slightly more intangible things such as lyrical content, atmosphere and overall intensity. One thing is for sure there will always be an element of the extreme metal community that pushes these boundaries for better or for worse regardless of the consequences, resulting in music that doesn't serve any purpose but to push the envelope.

Anyway I could go on about heaviness forever, the point is this album is ridiculously heavy yet is still incredibly musically relevant and enjoyable to listen to, it's one of the heaviest things I've heard and certainly the heaviest thing I enjoy. The music is composed of a drum machine, heavily distorted bass, screamed distorted vocals and a gut ripping guitar that pretty much makes the album. The two masterminds behind the project VITRIOL and Irrumator have put deep thought into song writing and riffs here, the impact of this is that the music will depart from the all out blast-beat attack into a long breakdown with deep incantations (as seen in the outstanding opener 'Cataclysmic Nihilism') which gives rise to a sparse old-testament style plague ridden atmosphere and it is for reasons like this that I think this album is particularly heavy - more than the sum of its parts.

All that said this EP can be nauseating, on first listen I knew I loved it but I couldn't stomach more than 2 and a half tracks for quite some weeks. These days it can be a somewhat contemplative experience due to the overwhelming sense of despair conveyed by the uncompromising melodies and tortured screams set to the unrelenting blast-beat of a drum machine (tempered of course by some killer breakdowns).

This is a dangerous album, if you have the gall to withstand the onslaught you will probably end up loving this EP, if you don't it may grow ever so slowly on you or you may detest it completely. Approach with caution.

Track Listing:

1.	Cataclysmic Nihilism	04:48
2.	How the Angels Fly In (We Can Never Be Forgiven)	02:49
3.	Never Fucking Again	04:12
4.	Genesis of the Antichrist	04:29
5.	Atavism	06:06
6.	When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap as It Has Sown	04:24
Total playing time		26:48

Download here: (Anaal Nathrakh - When Fire Rains Down From The Sky ...Mankind Will Reap What It Has Sewn EP, 320kbps)

Dün - Eros (1981, France) Zeuhl

Another great release from the French Zeuhl scene. Dün (taking their name from Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel 'Dune') give off a strong Zappa-esque rock orchestra vibe, due the rich instrumentation and the precision and class with which all these instruments are played, for some reason. This well considered instrumentation is coupled with the Zeuhl norms of pounding bass rhythms, virtousic jazz drumming and forboding melody creating a rich and diverse instrumental tapestry with vibes, flute and piano seeming to fit nicely against brutal throbbing bass.

Individual tracks are hard to single out as highlights given the fairly orchestral nature of the song writing, they all subscribe to a musical theme and are best viewed as a whole. The bonus tracks in the re-release version are great additions though and shed a whole new light on the compositions as they are significantly different from their album counterparts but of the same quality. This is one of the great Zeuhl albums, strongly recommended.

Track Listings

1. L'Epice (9:25)
2. Arrakis (9:36)
3. Bitonio (7:09)
4. Eros (10:17)
5. Bitonio (alternate) (10:20)
6. Arrakis (alternate) (5:07)
7. Eros (alternate) (7:11)
8. Acoustic Fremen (unreleased) (6:17)

Total Time: 65:22

Download here: (Dün - Eros, 192kbps)

Voivod - Killing Technology (1987, Canada) Technical Trash Metal

An amazing and unique thrash release. Probably the heaviest and most abrasive Voivod album, does a perfect job of conveying a post-apocalyptic robot infested landscape. I'm a big supporter of albums with a cohesive atmosphere that consistently elicits a similar kind of imagery from a listener.

I found this one to be quite a grower (as is the case with all Voivod for me) and once you get on the same wavelength as the technical and catchy riffs then you fully appreciate the greatness of this album. My favourites are the two opening tracks, the title track and 'Overreaction'. It's hard to describe the odd sense of melody present as it melds atonal, augmented and blues ideas and due to this odd amalgam it's definitely a love or hate kind of taste and for many it's certainly love. Highly recommended to fans of Tech-thrash (even though most tech thrash fans would already know about this classic).

Tracklisting:

1		Killing Technology (7:33)
2		Overreaction (4:45)
3		Tornado (6:02)
4		Too Scared To Scream (4:14)
5		Forgotten In Space (6:10)
6		Ravenous Medicine (4:23)
7		Order Of The Blackguards (4:28)
8		This Is Not An Exercise (6:10)
9		Cockroaches (3:40)

Download Here: (Voivod - Killing Technology, 192kbps)

Kaipa - Inget Nytt Under Solen (1975, Sweden) Symphonic Prog

Symphonic prog in the style of Yes, Genesis with a genuine scandanavian twist to it. Formed by Flower kKings frontman (or the Flower King himself) Roine Stolt before the aforementioned group formed. The music is very synth heavy and whilst some may find it slightly cheesy at times the brilliant song writing and musicianship outshine such shortcomings. 'Skenet Bedrar' is easily the best song, a beautifully crafterd 21 minute epic with some great upbeat jazzy passages in the middle. The title track (which translates to 'Blow hard all tradewinds' and is sung in English in the bonus live tracks) is my personal favourite evoking a very rare and genuine melancholy. Highly recomended to 70's/scandi prog fans.


Track Listing:

1. Skenet bedrar (21:41)
a) Uppvaknandet (2:43)
b) Bitterheten (3:10)
c) Hoppfullheten (4:44)
d) Överheten (8:12)
e) Vilseledd (2:52)
2. Ömson sken (3:17)
3. Korståg (5:19)
4. Stengrodornas parad (0:53)
5. Dagens port (2:53)
6. Inget nytt under solen (6:10)
Bonus tracks on cd release:
7. Awakening / Bitterness (6:08)
8. How might I say out clearly (4:02)
9. The gate of day (2:25)
10. Blow hard all tradewinds (6:17)
11. Skenet bedrar (Live) (14:08)
12. Från det ena till det andra (2:47)

Total Time: 76:00

Download Here: (Kaipa Inget Nytt Under Solen, 256kpbs)

Nuclear Assualt - Handle With Care (1989, U.S.A.) Thrash Metal

Ferocious thrash metal gem. Nuclear Assault are characterised by their rather high pitched (for thrash) lead singer John Conelly (also featuring thrash legend Danny Lilker on bass) and their absolutely killer breakdowns. The This is probably one of my most listened to thrash albums and every song solid as a rock - 'New song', 'Emergency' and 'Search and Seizure' are standouts as well as the quite different closing song 'Trail of Tears'. A very cathartic listen, great for driving too.

Track Listing:

1		New Song (2:58)
2		Critical Mass (3:19)
3		Inherited Hell (3:30)
4		Surgery (2:44)
5		Emergency (3:20)
6		Funky Noise (0:50)
7		F# (Wake Up) (2:58)
8		When Freedom Dies (2:34)
9		Search & Seizure (4:11)
10		Torture Tactics (2:22)
11		Mothers' Day (0:32)
12		Trail Of Tears (5:44)

Total playing time: 35:05

Download here: Nuclear Assault - Handle with care (1989).rar [52.83MiB]

Mekong Delta - Visions Fugitives (1994, Germany) Progressive Thrash/Classical

Thrash/Classical? Thats right, this album is probably the most unique thrash album I've ever heard. The first 2 songs are great slow paced proggy thrash songs but things really start to get interesting with songs 3-8. Mekong Delta have managed to almost seamlessly meld thrash instrumentation with classical song structure and and instrumentation resulting in a completely unique experience. This is the polar opposite of some Yngwie character shredding his fingertips off in a baroque chord patttern, it's more like Wagner with double kick and riffing guitars. The last 2 songs are upbeat thrash songs with great dreamy melodies that perfectly cap off this weird album, a very interesting listen.

Track Listings

1. Them (5:05)
2. Imagination (4:47)
Suite for Group and Orchestra: (tracks 3-8)
3. Introduction (The Danger in Dreams) (2:11)
4. Preludium (Lord Kevin's Lament) (5:01)
5. Allegro (Mhorams Victory) (4:23)
6. Dance (The Corrupt) (2:33)
7. Fugue (Knowledge) (4:23)
8. Postludium (Lena's Daughter) (2:35)
9. The Healer (7:34)
10. Days of Sorrow (5:03)

Total Time: 43:48

Download here: (Mekong Delta - Visions Fugitives, 192kbps)

Gentle Giant - Octopus (1972, U.K.) Progressive Rock

Gentle Giant are a somewhat polarising band in that they are fairly hard for a lot of people to get into and are a bit of an acquired taste (certainly the case for me) and as such they are fairly under-rated or neglected. However like any fine wine, acquiring the taste is well worth the effort as we a rewarded richly with some very technical, very catchy and intriguing progressive rock. It's hard to describe these guys accurately in word form, best to have a gamble and listen to them, if anything to appreciate the unfathomably complicated and utterly incomparable vocal harmonies in songs like 'knots'.

Track Listings

1. The Advent Of Panurge (4:45)
2. Raconteur Troubadour (4:03)
3. A Cry For Everyone (4:06)
4. Knots (4:11)
5. The Boys In The Band (4:34)
6. Dog's Life (3:13)
7. Think Of Me With Kindness (3:31)
8. River (5:52)

Total Time: 34:15

Download here: (Gentle Giant - Octopus, 192kbps)

Nektar - A Tab In the Ocean (1972, U.K.) Space Rock

How's that for a crazy cover? Another space rock classic in the same vein as Hawkwind. Hard-rock influenced but with incredibly strong songwriting with the epic title track being the perfect example of this - every chord change and cadence is well considered and musically robust. A must for space rock and psychedelia fans.

Track Listings

1. A Tab In The Ocean (15:31)
2. Desolation Valley (5:45)
3. Waves (2:53)
4. Cryin' In The Dark (5:27)
5. King Of Twilight (4:07)

Total Time: 33:43

Download here: (Nektar - A Tab In the Ocean, ~210kbps variable bit-rate)

Watchtower - Energetic Disassembly (1985, U.S.A.) Technical Thrash Metal

The saying 'ahead of its time' gets thrown around like juggling balls at a circus these days and being one to stray from such cliches it is only with careful consideration that I would lump something into such a category. Energetic Disassembly was FAR ahead of it's time, Watchtower took thrash to it's extreme before some of the biggest names in the genre had even lifted a guitar Thrash metal didn't exist to most people before a slew of big releases in 1986 launched it onto the musical radar.

The music here is obscenely technical but in such a way as to express aggression and paranoia as opposed to being a crutch or a gimmick, it's an integral part of the music as opposed to an obstacle preventing the music from happening that we see so often happen these days. What exactly is it that justifies the technicality? - well the songs are catchy and fun as hell. The guitar and vocal harmonised interplay in Asylum has to be heard to be comprehended. The title track has one of the most killer breakdowns in a thrash song. And Meltdown is a tech-thrash anthem that has major hooks, especially the chorus with hilariously awesome lyrics - that you can actually hear! Good luck singing along with them though, you'd need give your gems a mighty squeeze before you sing that high.

Every part of this musical tapestry is utterly chaotic (not to mention virtuosic) from the shredding solos and lightning scale runs of Billy White to the equally light fingered bass work of Doug Keyser to the falsetto banshee wail of Jason McMaster to the jazz syncopated electronic drum lunacy of Rick Colaluca. I must admit it took me a long time to get used to and to like the wailing 80's vocal style but I actually quite like it these days, it certainly fits in with the music.

On another note some people consider this the first ever progressive metal release, so there you go, Tech-thrashers should enjoy.


Track Listing:

1.	Violent Change	03:22
2.	Asylum	03:48
3.	Tyrants In Distress	05:59
4.	Social Fears	04:41
5.	Energetic Disassembly	04:39
6.	Argonne Forest	04:38
7.	Cimmerian Shadows	06:35
8.	Meltdown	03:59

Total playing time37:41


Download here: (Watchtower - Energetic Disassembly, V0)

Coroner - Punishment for Decadence (1988, Switzerland) Technical Thrash Metal

The Swiss are well known for their precision and the tech-thrash power trio that is Coroner keep this reputation strong with this tech-thrash triumph. While it's one thing to play technical music it's an entirely different art form to make catchy and relevant technical music that uses the technicality as a tool rather than a crutch. It is Coroner's ability to make catchy yet technical riffs that makes them one of my favourite metal acts, likewise it is how they display this skill on this particular album that makes it one of my favourite metal albums.

Thrash power trio's are fairly rare but with the amazing skill of these guys you couldn't really justify adding a second guitarist. Tommy Vetterli the guitarist possesses great skill which doesn't particularly impress me compared to his skill at writing some amazing riffs. Ron Royce has a unique euro-trash growl and is more than able to carry on the riffage while Vetterli is soloing. And Marky Edelmann is the glue that holds it all together with his technical, modest and super-tight drumming.

The album starts off very strongly (after a brief intro) with 'Aborbed' and it really gives you a great taste of what the album is about, it's interesting in that to me it seems like it possesses some of that rare and triumphant 'hard-rockin' spirit - the kind that is raw and devoid of cliche cheese, and it is contrasted perfectly alongside technical, atonal and bitchin' generally riffs. To perfectly grasp this intangible concept I speak of the cover of 'purple haze' sums it up perfectly. The third song 'Masked Jackal' is a thrash metal classic, amazingly catchy with near perfect riffing and construction and some great solos thanks to guitar wizard Tommy Vetterli. I'm a big fan of well considered solos in thrash as opposed to the all too common million notes a second atonal spam.

The instrumental Arc-lite is a lesson in what neo-classical metal should be (or could be), don't let that phrase deter you (it certainly would deter me). The song is a well considered yet highly aggressive thrash metal take on classical music that actually has emotional gravity to it, really it just needs to be listened to as it's hard convey with words and it exemplifies the song content on the album - well written with a perfect balance between melody and aggression.

This is one of the all time great thrash albums and deserves to mentioned in the same breath as classics like Kreator's Terrible Certainty, Dark Angel's Darkness Descends and Nuclear Assault's Handle with Care.

Track List:

1.	Intro	00:13
2.	Absorbed	03:42
3.	Masked Jackal	04:48
4.	Arc-Lite	03:20
5.	Skeleton On Your Shoulder	05:34
6.	Sudden Fall	04:50
7.	Shadow Of A Lost Dream	04:32
8.	The New Breed	04:53
9.	Voyage To Eternity	03:42
10.	Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix cover)	03:21
Total playing time		38:55

Download Here: (Coroner - Punishment for Decadence 192kbps)

Hawkind - Warrior On the Edge of Time (1975, U.K.) Space Rock

Another classic space rock album from one of the best known names in the genre. This is pretty much the quintessential space rock album, from the upbeat melodies of 'Assault & Battery' to the chilled out, driving, instrumental grooves of 'Opa-Loka' to the tense middle eastern soundscapes of 'Magnu' this album is solid spacey gold. The spoken word sections are forgettable and ignorable and Lemmy of motorhead fame's closing song on the album doesn't really fit (but is interesting none the less from a thrash enthusiast's point of view) but the catchiness and the greatness of each (proper) individual song is formidable and forces this one up into the ranks of classics.

Track Listings

1. & 2. Assault & battery part I / The golden void part II (10:20)
3. The wizard blew his horn (2:00)
4. Opa-loka (5:40)
5. The demented man (4:20)
6. Magnu (8:40)
7. Standing at the edge (3:45)
8. Spiral galaxy 28948 (3:55)
9. Warriors (2:05)
10. Dying seas (3:05)
11. Kings of speed (3:25)

Total Time: 47:15
Bonus track on all cds
12. Motorhead

Download here (Hawkwind - Warrior on the edge of time, ~230kbps variable bit-rate)

Eloy - Ocean (1977, Germany) Space Rock

An all time classic Space rock album, very much on the prog side (as opposed to the psychedelic side) of the space rock spectrum. Very well produced with a very rich oceanic (as the name would suggest) washy sound. There is some great guitar and synth interplay here, when one is creating soundscapes the other is playing lead type melodies and visa versa. I'm also a big fan of the cheesy epic lyrics sung with a thick German accent, I think they add a lot to the character of the album and the theme of oceanic gods and Atlantis is rich and compelling to begin with. This album is essential for any space rock enthusiast.

Track Listings

1. Poseidon's Creation (11:38)
2. Incarnation Of The Logos (8:25)
3. Decay Of The Logos (8:15)
4. Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime (15:35)

Total Time: 43:53

Download Here: (Eloy - Ocean, 224kbps)

Subterranean Masquerade - Suspended Animation Dreams (2005, U.S.A) Progressive Metal

This album is similar to conventional progressive metal in name only as it defies pretty much every convention in what many would consider a stale and cliche genre. The mastermind of the band is Tomer Pink and he displays an amazing array of songwriting prowess given that the album touches on probably more than a dozen genres although most often with good results. The songs 'no place like home' and 'wolf among sheep' are very memorable classics with a very defined and complex sense of melody and direction.

Track Listings

1. Suspended Animation Dreams (2:26)
2. Wolf Among Sheep (6:26)
3. No Place Like Home (7:59)
4. Kind of a Blur (3:12) The Rock
5. The Rock'N'Roll Preacher (9:06)
6. Six Strings to Cover Fear (6:48)
7. Awake (14:23)
8. X (4:28)

Total Time: 54:50

Download here: (Subterranean Masquerade - Suspended Animation Dreams V0)

Brainticket - Cottonwoodhill (1971, Switzerland) Psych, Krautrock

One of the few Swiss bands to garner the krautrock label (and truly deserving) Brainticket's debut album is a great psychedelic record. It sees repetitive organ riffing placed in amongst random samples and an infamous spoken word section by a woman sounding like she's either possessed or about to climax. Solid kraut release.

Track Listings

1. Black Sand (4:05)
2. Places Of Light (4:06)
3. Brainticket Part I (8:21)
4. Brainticket Part I [Conclusion] (4:36)
5. Brainticket Part II (13:14)

Total Time: 34:22

Download here: (Brainticket - Cottonwoodhill, 256kbps)

Repulsion - Horrified (1989, U.S.A.) Grindcore

One of the earliest grindcore albums, recorded in 1986. This album is extremely crusty and primitive (in the best possible way) with great riffing , furious blasting and one ferocious, noisy solo every song. It's a formula that takes surprisingly long to get old as well with enough compelling material to keep any keen grind fiend happy. The second CD contains some of the most poorly recorded inaudible demos every commited to tape but it's a fun one off listen just for that reason. This one is essential for fans of early extreme metal.

Tracklisting:

		Disc One: Horrified
1-1		The Stench Of Burning Death (1:33)
1-2		Eaten Alive (1:37)
1-3		Acid Bath (1:30)
1-4		Slaughter Of The Innocent (1:32)
1-5		Decomposed (1:21)
1-6		Radiation Sickness (2:03)
1-7		Splattered Cadavers (1:24)
1-8		Festering Boils (1:51)
1-9		Pestilent Decay (1:03)
1-10		Crematorium (1:29)
1-11		Driven To Insanity (1:39)
1-12		Six Feet Under (1:10)
1-13		Bodily Dismemberment (1:45)
1-14		Repulsion (1:44)
1-15		The Lurking Fear (1:08)
1-16		Black Breath (2:16)
1-17		Maggots In Your Coffin (1:45)
1-18		Horrified (2:04)
		Disc Two: Rarities
		Genocide 11/84 Rehearsal Demo
2-1		Armies Of The Dead (2:23)
2-2		Satan's Whores (2:35)
2-3		Crack Of Doom (2:30)
		Genocide Violent Death Demo Autumn '85
2-4		Armies Of The Dead (1:42)
2-5		Six Feet Under (1:33)
2-6		Violent Death (1:05)
2-7		The Lurking Fear (1:34)
2-8		Crack Of Doom (1:59)
2-9		Horrified (2:32)
		Genocide WFBE Demo 1/26/86
2-10		The Stench Of Burning Death (1:29)
2-11		Decomposed (1:34)
2-12		Slaughter Of The Innocent (1:50)
2-13		Eaten Alive (1:50)
2-14		Six Feet Under (1:18)
2-15		Crypt Of Terror (1:49)
2-16		The Lurking Fear (1:19)
2-17		Festering Boils (1:56)
2-18		Pestilent Decay (1:13)
2-19		Black Nightmare (2:03)
2-20		Bodily Dismemberment (1:54)
2-21		Horrified (2:13)
		Genocide Live 5/14/86
2-22		Radiation Sickness (2:05)
2-23		Black Breath (2:17)
		Repulsion Excruciation EP/Demo
2-24		Excruciation (3:31)
2-25		Helga (Lost Her Head) (3:25)
2-26		Rebirth (3:05)
2-27		House Of Freaks (2:42)
		Repulsion 1991 Final Demos
2-28		Depraved (2:59)
2-29		Face Of Decay (3:14)
2-30		Something Dead (3:30)

Download here: (Repulsion - Horrified, 256kbps)

Pestilence - Spheres (1993, Holland) Death Metal, Jazz Fusion

Pestilence started in 1986 as a thrash band (as everyone did back in the day) and by the time they released their first album 'Malleus Maleficarum' their style had moved more into the death metal territory. Their 3rd album 1991's 'Testimony of the Ancients' saw their style shift even further to incorporate some jazzy (yet subtle) elements.

The band's final album 'Spheres' released in 1993 was a revolutionary album in fully incorporating the jazz elements hinted at in the previous album. While there were a few bands that had already incorporated jazz stylings within the death metal genre (Cynic and Atheist notably) pretty well every one of these bands had a different approach and an entirely different sound. The sound on this is predominantly guitar driven, the guitar sound is very dense and chunky and the vocals are fairly harsh and aggressive (as opposed to guttural). This is where a lot of the comparisons to standard death metal end, the elements that really set this album apart are the seemingly comparatively simple yet syncopated and polyrhythmic drums, the guitar synth and the well considered jazzy and emotive guitar solos. They make for a very conflicted yet amazing listening experience and songs like 'Personal Energy' completely blur the line between jazz fusion and death metal while the frantic synth chord chorus of 'Demise of Time' is almost beyond description emotively.

It's very tough to explain albums like this one as there is so much that is open to interpretation and due to the conflicted nature of the music the best way to find out what it's about is to listen to it! This is the first of several jazz influenced metal releases I intend to post here and it's a gem of an album although it's definitely some form of acquired taste.

Track Listings

1. Mind Reflections (3:21)
2. Multiple Beings (4:05)
3. The Level Of Perception (3:49)
4. Aurian Eyes (1:32)
5. Soul Search (3:19)
6. Personal Energy (4:09)
7. Voices From Within (1:12)
8. Spheres (3:29)
9. Changing Perspectives (3:24)
10. Phileas (1:17)
11. Demise Of Time (3:40)

Total Time: 33:17

Download here: (Pestilence - Spheres, ~210kbps VBR)

Updates

I'm aiming to update this page whenever I can, it should be noted that I'm a very lazy man but I occasionally get bursts of non-laziness where I upload 4+ albums at a time. I've had an exam and gigs galore in the past few days so my laziness has peaked. If you have any feedback, suggestions or comments I'll be glad to hear them.

Sand - Golem (1974, Germany) Krautrock

The story for this album is that the band wrote a whole bunch of folk songs and then decided to re-do them into long synth laden epics and what a fine result came out at the end. The CD re-release adds an amazing amount to the album with the entire second CD full to the brim with new material and in my opinion their best material. The sparse synth soundscapes of Vulture I/II are my particular favourite tracks.

Original Album Tracks:
Side 1
1. Helicopter (13:42)
2. Old Loggerhead (8:21)
Side 2
3. May Rain (4:29)
4. On The Corner (4:26)
5. Sarah 1 - Passacaille / Sarah 2 - Per Aspera Ad Astra (10:40)

LP Total Time: 40:58

CD Bonus Tracks:
6. Vulture I (5:38)
7. Doncha Feel (6:04)
8. Moonlightlove (5:26)
9. Burning House (2:08)
10. Vulture II (14:08)
11. May Rain I (2:50)
12. Desert Storm (10:49)
13. Sarah (12:16)
14. Power Station (19:40)
15. Old Loggerhead (12:44)
16. Helicopter (15:18)
17. May Rain II (2:50)

CD Total Time: 67:51

Download here (Sand - Golem, 256kbps)

Autopsy - Mental Funeral (1991, U.S.A.) Death Metal

A fine death metal release, very sludgy and raw invoking many flavours of stoner rock amongst the mid-tempo riffy sound. This is highly recommended to anyone that's a fan of early death metal.

1.	Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay	02:15
2.	In the Grip of Winter	04:08
3.	Fleshcrawl	00:36
4.	Torn From the Womb	03:19
5.	Slaughterday	04:04
6.	Dead	03:18
7.	Robbing the Grave	04:20
8.	Hole in the Head	06:03
9.	Destined to Fester	04:34
10.	Bonesaw	00:45
11.	Dark Crusade	03:55
12.	Mental Funeral	00:37
Total playing time		37:54

Download here : (Autopsy - Mental Funeral, ~250kbps variable bit-rate)

GonG - You (1974, United Kingdom) Space Rock/Canterbury Scene

Since discovering the wonderful weird world of fellow Australian Daevid Allen's GonG this album has been in high rotation amongst my circle of friends. Starting off with some short, cheeky and jazzy songs before subtly plunging into a funky space rock jam. This album has some of the most captivating jamming around with the wailing sax of particular delight. The 3 epic length songs are 3 of the best space rock compositions you're likely to hear with master builder being a masterpiece in it's own right. Anyone with a mild interest in any of the things I mentioned above needs to get this album.

Track Listings
1. Thoughts for naught (1:30)
2. A P.H.P.'s advice (1:37)
3. Magick mother invocation (2:11)
4. Master builder (6:09)
5. A sprinkling of clouds (8:42)
6. Perfect mystery (2:25)
7. The isle of everywhere (10:21)
8. You never blow yr trip forever (11:24)

Download here: (Gong - You, V0)

Eider Stellaire - Eider Stellaire I (1981, France) Zeuhl

This one is an amazing rare Zeuhl gem, for those of you who don't know what Zeuhl is this is the perfect album to educate you. Pummeling regimented bass lines, virtuosic jazz drumming, heavy distorted organ all in one tasty (meaty perhaps?) package. Get some of this in you.

Track Listings

1. Onde (1. LP Seite) (8:35)
2. Arctis 6eme éphéméride (7:04)
3. Légende (2. LP Seite) (5:37)
4. Tétra (6:32)
5. Nihil (7:26)

Total Time: 35:14

Download here: (Eider Stellaire - Eider Stellaire I, 256kbps)

Atlas - Bla Vardag (1979, Sweden) Symphonic Prog

This record is relentlessly upbeat to the point that it makes me sad in some way I can't quite comprehend. Composed of a bunch of Scandinavian guys with awesome haircuts and more talent than they know what to do with the music is entirely instrumental and the group have quite an academic approach to the music in that the extremely dense layered and complex melodies are executed perfectly. I don't exaggerate when I talk about my favourite albums, this would have to be a strong contender for the top 10.

Track Listings

1. Elisabiten (7:12)
2. På Gata (14:10)
3. Blå Vardag (6:56)
4. Gånglåt (2:52)
5. Den Vita Tranans Väg (7:18)
6. Björnstorp (6:17)
7. Hemifrån (7:50)
8. Sebastian (4:31)

Total Time: 57:06

Download here: (Atlas Bla Vardag, ~240kbps variable bit-rate)

Cadaver - ...In Pains (1992, Norway) Death/Thrash Metal

After their roughly recorded first album displaying great potential Cadaver released this gem. This is one of my favourite extreme metal releases, it's hard to describe as it stays well within the confines of convention yet it's clearly separate from the pack. The best comparison to draw would be between latter day Coroner except a lot heavier and more uncompromising, it almost has a black metal atmosphere about it, very cerebral - well worth a listen.

Track listing :

1.	Bypassed	03:35
2.	Mr. Tumour's Misery	04:27
3.	Into The Outside	05:06
4.	Blurred Visions	04:30
5.	Runaway Brain	04:30
6.	Inner Persecution	04:59
7.	In Distortion	02:57
8.	The Misanthrope	04:18
9.	Ins-Through-Mental	04:10
10.	During The End	06:21
Total playing time		44:53

Download here: (Cadaver - In Pains, 192kbps)

Dzyan - Electric silence (1975, Germany) Ethnic Kraut/Free Jazz

Dzyan started out in 1972 with a fairly rocky brand of krautrock on their first 2 albums with some ethnic influences creeping in and with some clear jazz undertones. Things changed for their third and final album, the trio went completely over the edge and the jazz and ethnic influences from the first 2 albums completely enveloped them resulting in the spiritual masterpiece in Electric Silence. From the cool calculated percussion to the upbeat jazz wailings to the quiet sitar contemplation this is pure distilled kraut genious.

You know the episode of the mighty boosh where the bongo brothers are searching for the new sound?, Electric silence is that new sound, well worth a look for any fans of kraut (or sitar).


Track listing:


1. Back To Where We Come From (8:57)
2. A Day In My Life (4:03)
3. The Road Not Taken (4:54)
4. Khali (4:55)
5. For Earthly Thinking (9:38)
6. Electric Silence (4:30)

Total Time: 36:57

download here: (Dzyan - Electric Silence, 320kbps)

Hello and welcome all!

As a massive music fan, I enjoy sharing the experience of music with others. As I have found people around the internet and on blogs who enjoy this social aspect of music and sharing I decided I would like to actively participate with my own music blog. Here I will be discussing and sharing with anyone that is interested some of my favourite pieces of music and bands ranging in style from krautrock to death metal to shoegaze.

I hope you enjoy what I have to offer!