B12 - Time Tourist (1995, UK) Ambient Techno

This is a gem of an album that I got from the fantastic Acrocosm Blog. Slick and dreamy techno with a real spacey vibe. Some of the songs are significantly more intense and frenetic but the vibe is still maintained. Highly recommended chill out music.

Track List:

VOID/Comm	5:49
Infinite Lites (Primitives Mix)	5:21
Cymetry	5:58
Gimp	7:21
DB5	1:42

Phettt	5:52
Epilion	7:08
Scriptures	6:58
The Silicon Garden (Flymocut)	3:29
Radiophonic Workshop	6:20

Download Here: (B12 - Time Tourist, 192kbps)

Banda Black Rio - Maria Fumaca (1977, Brazil) Latin Funk

Man those are some happy/blazed motherfuckers on that album cover right there. And why not I say, I love the vibe you get out of this, it's got that busy party-time atmosphere characteristic of Latin music but it also gets into some serious emotionally deep grooves and booty shaking rhythms. I heard 2 tracks from this late one night on the radio driving home after a rough night and ever since it has owned my soul. This will make you happy - get it.

Tracklist:

1		Maria Fumaca	2:22
2		Na Baixa Do Sapateiro	3:02
3		Mr. Funky Samba	3:36
4		Caminho Da Roca	2:57
5		Metalurgica	2:30
6		Baiao	3:26
7		Casa Forte	2:22
8		Leblon Via Vaz Lobo	3:02
9		Urubu Malandro	2:28
10		Junia	3:39

Download Here: (Banda Black Rio - Maria Fumaca, 192kbps)

Voivod - Nothingface (1989, Canada) Progressive Thrash Metal

This is my favourite release from these Canadian technophobes. Nothingface is much more prog than thrash and is something of a transition album between these two approaches. This different approach allows the nuances and thematic statements of the band to become much more apparent to the listener probably largely due to better production.

There is something a bit intangible that I really like about the instrumentation on this album. The very distinct grinding and machine like - yet strangely melodic - guitar of the late 'Piggy' D'amour really comes to the fore here thanks to the vastly improved production values. The interplay between the guitar and the technical yet deadly efficient and light on fills approach of the drums just works so damn well and is offset nicely by some thick riffy bass. Vocals are a bit take it or leave it though and the lyrics are a bit too sci-fi cheese sometimes but it still makes a lot of sense given context

This is really an essential album from the Voivod catalogue and the cover of Pink Floyd's 'astronomy domine' is pretty special really and ranks up there with Coroner's Purple Haze cover on the I didn't expect that from a thrash band scale. Dig it.

Tracklist:

The Unknown Knows	5:53
Nothingface	4:14
Astronomy Domine	5:26
Missing Sequences	5:42
X-Ray Mirror	4:27
Inner Combustion	3:46
Pre-Ignition	5:10
Into My Hypercube	5:02
Sub-Effect	4:29

Download Here: (Voivod - Nothingface, 192kbps)

Darkspace - Dark Space I (2003, Switzerland) Ambient Black Metal

I'll start off by saying that 'Ambient' is a relative term but I'm sure you can tell already from that album cover that this is going to be as grim and sparse as fuck. Conceptually this album has been executed near flawlessly, the premise of this band is essentially 'black metal in space' and that's pretty much where it takes you. The traditional black metal formula has been augmented by dreamy synth pads, electronic drums and sci-fi samples which adds a unique vibe to their sound especially with the synths. What really invokes the stark images of deep space in this recording though are the monolothic tides of punishing guitar, it's one dissonant chord change after another with little respite to be had - there is no one to help you in outer space.

This one is an acquired taste and you really need to be in the mood for a bit of gloom - the experience is rewarding if you're up to it.

NOTE: for some reason megaupload refused to upload this album no matter how many times I tried so I had to settle for rapdidshare instead.

Track Listing (check out those amazing song titles):

1		Dark 1.1	7:51
2		Dark 1.2	11:53
3		Dark 1.3	11:37
4		Dark 1.4	10:03
5		Dark 1.5	13:32
6		Dark 1.6	10:20
7		Dark 1.7	10:55

Download Here: (Darkspace - Dark Space I, V0)

The Orb - Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld [Deluxe Edition] (1991, U.K.) Ambient House

This is the guy that got me properly into electronic music. I was instantly won over by the lovely enchanting sounds of the opening classic 'Little Fluffy Clouds' - spacey, dreamy beautiful, shiny and really in a word pleasant. The rest of the tracks are an electric jam through space with warm pads, interesting and intelligent samples and intelligent production. It's amazing chill out music that just seems very deep and purposeful to me and indeed is rated as one of the all time electronic classics and supposedly helped spawn the ambient house genre.

I was always waiting for something like this to shatter my stereotypes and misconceptions about electronic music and I'm very glad it came along and blooded me into this vast genre, I think you'll be glad too. Lie down, grab your depressant of choice, drift off somewhere distant and enjoy it.

Track List:

1-1 Little Fluffy Clouds 4:26
1-2 Earth (Gaia) 9:48
1-3 Supernova At The End Of The Universe 11:56
1-4 Back Side Of The Moon 14:15
1-5 Spanish Castles In Space 15:06
2-1 Perpetual Dawn 9:30
2-2 Into The Fourth Dimension 9:16
2-3 Outlands 8:23
2-4 Star 6 & 7 8 9 8:10
2-5 A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Live Mix Mk10) 18:43
3-1 A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Peel Session) 20:14
3-2 Perpetual Dawn (Ultrabass II) 7:12
3-3 Little Fluffy Clouds (Cumulo Nimbus Mix) 6:39
Remix - Pal Joey
3-4 Back Side Of The Moon (Under Water Deep Space Mix) 8:42
Remix - Steve Hillage
3-5 Outlands (Fountains Of Elisha Mix) 8:39
3-6 A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Aubrey Mix Mk 11) 7:13
Remix - Dr Alex Paterson* , Jimmy Cauty
3-7 Spanish Castles In Space (Extended Youth Mix) 13:39

The Orb [1991] The Orb [312.47MiB]

It's my Bloggy and I'll cry if I want to...

I had this conversation with this guy and he was all like "why you so into genres on your blog man?" And I was like "It makes stuff easier to find and people get decent idea of what they'll actually be downloading." So there you have it, mistakes and misnomers are inevitable though especially with the electronic type stuff that there will be more of (there wont be less of everything else though, just more friends to party with).

Oh yeah and I'll probably do some updates right now given I've finished all my mondo assignments.

Busy =/

I have heaps of insane new things to share, unfortunately uni is busting my balls or to be more precise I'm just extraordinarily lazy.

Will update soon.

The Amenta - Occasus [Deluxe Edition] (2004, Australia) Industrial Death Metal

Now I don't like many Australian bands I'll be honest and I almost universally loathe Australian metal (bit of a copout coming from an Australian musician I know). However The Amenta are one of those few exceptional Australian metal bands that instead of worshipping and rehashing the works of others, are making international quality music with their own unique vision. Occasus is a brutal and punishing album with a distinct emphasis on atmosphere (at which these guys excel). And much like Nile the attention and effort that The Amenta put into their thematic, visual and atmospheric elements of their package makes them truly stick out from the crowd in the extreme metal field. This is a handsome achievement in itself and they are well aware of the do's and don'ts in that regard - enigmatic one word song titles are great! Why announce how angry, scary and manly you are if your music can effectively do it for you?

As I mentioned before this album is brutal, the opening track 'Erebus' is the perfect example of that - assaulting the listener with light speed double kick, blasting, black metal guitar and discordant synths from the word go. I'm a real big fan of the atmospheric synth interludes that occur in a lot of their songs and that occupy entire songs themselves. One thing I think can be essential to making it through and ultimately enjoying an entire album of this nature is having some dynamic variance and changing it up a bit with some contrasting sounds. Mictlan is my favourite song on the album because it is so well written and I really enjoy the stark starcraftian vibe elicited by one of said interludes. Geilt is another top track which sounds like a mix of Emperor and something off Pestilences Spheres album with an extra dose of heaviness.

Some of the synth work can be a little on the cheesy side (bearing in mind I'm oversensitive to cheese) and the vocals aren't the greatest I'll admit. However the sheer ferocity, use of dynamics and atmosphere and intelligent songwriting make this the best Australian metal album I've ever heard and one of the best metal albums post 2000.

Tracklisting:

1		Erebus (4:09)
2		Mictlan (4:51)
3		Zero (4:16)
4		Senium (2:03)
5		Nihil (5:18)
6		Geilt (4:15)
7		Sekem (4:45)
8		Occasus (3:10)
9		Ennea (4:09)
10		Sangre (4:58)

Bonus Tracks:

11. Inritus
12. Mictlan
13. Ennea
14. Nekuia

Download Here: - Occasus [Deluxe Edition] (2007).rar [106.23MiB]

Coroner - Grin (1993, Switzerland) Progressive/Industrial Metal

The unfortunate outcome of the boundary pushing and forward thinking metal artists like Coroner, Pestilence and Cynic (until recently) is that they release an album that completely shatters all expectation and is without comparison then they break up. Grin was Coroner's swansong and with that their journey from hyperactive tech-thrashers to crushing atmospheric industrialists was complete.

Grin is a complete extension and extrapolation of the grim and depressing atmosphere contained on Mental Vortex. Songs like the untouchable 'Paralysed Mesmerized' get their point across with extended atmospheric dirges juxtaposed with jarring industrial soundscapes with prog timing and chord changes. When you think about it the amount of different approaches on this album is quite remarkable. There are the long extended songs like the aformentioned as well as 'Serpent Moves'. Then there are songs like 'Grin (Nails Hurt)' and 'Internal Conflicts' with their repetitive rhythmic oppression. Then there are schizophrenic numbers like the stellar 'Status: Still Thinking' which don't know whether they're major or minor, groovy or stuttering, atmospheric or tech.

I wouldn't hesitate to call this a masterpiece, it's quite clearly the full realisation of the Coroner sound and I would be surprised if the trio left any musical ambitions unfulfilled with this release.

Tracklisting:

1		Dream Path (1:10)
		Didgeridoo - Tim Chatfield
2		The Lethargic Age (4:16)
		Drums [Intro], Composed By, Programmed By - Roger Dupont
3		Internal Conflicts (6:19)
4		Caveat (To The Coming) (6:38)
		Written-By - Royce* , Baron*
5		Serpent Moves (7:37)
6		Status: Still Thinking (6:14)
		Didgeridoo - Tim Chatfield Written-By - Royce* , Baron*
7		Theme For Silence (0:58)
8		Paralized, Mesmerized (7:54)
9		Grin (Nails Hurt) (7:18)
		Vocals [Additional] - Paul Degalyer
10		Host (8:22)
		Voice [Female] - Bettina Klöti Voice [Spoken] - M. Marky*

Download Here: (Coroner - Grin, 256kbps)

Coroner - Mental Vortex (1991, Swizterland) Progressive Thrash Metal/Industrial Metal

This is where the revolution came, gone are the fiddly tech approach of the past, this version of Coroner is regimented, syncopated and pummelling (and still fast). It's also a much darker more mature sound with more tasteful solos and lead guitar work. Every track on this album is very very solid, although opener 'Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis)' is easily one of the best, it would be competing only with masked jackal as my favourite Coroner track.

One of the best things Coroner do is covers, their cover of Purple Haze is truly unique and awesome but they totally outdid themselves with their cover of The Beatles' song 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' to close the album. It's pretty much the perfect cover when you think about it, it shows the song in a whole new light whilst remaning faithful to the original and manages to recreate and sustain much of the dark mood generated on the album in such a way that it's almost as if Coroner themselves wrote the song. On top of that emotion of the original is still there and further adds to the complexity of the song. It's one of those ones you really need to listen to quite a few times in order to fully digest just what the hell is going on and what the hell you think of it (although to be fair many closed minded beatles purists would not approve). And frankly for a band like Coroner to do a beatles cover and to take it seriously takes a whole lot of balls.

Mental Vortex is a pretty intense listen, but it's also a very personal and rewarding one and amongst all the metal albums I listen to it and the final Coroner album stand out in that regard. This is an absolute must in the Coroner catalogue.

Tracklisting:

1		Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis) (6:22)
2		Son Of Lilith (6:53)
3		Semtex Revolution (5:30)
4		Sirens (5:35)
5		Metamorphosis (5:32)
6		Pale Sister (4:55)
7		About Life (5:18)
8		I Want You (She's So Heavy) (7:14)
		Written-By - Lennon-McCartney

Download Here: (Coroner - Mental Vortex, 256kbps)

Coroner - No More Colour (1989, Switzerland) Technical Thrash Metal

This is the transition album and if you listen through their catalogue this is where things start to get a bit stranger. This is still very much a tech thrash album but the riffs are a bit different here, you can see a lot more of that industrial dissonance and syncopation creeping in there. There is a bit more use of dynamics too as well as a bit less all out thrash. It's hard to really pin down exactly but if you listen to the albums either side it's very clear what I'm talking about in terms of the transition (when in doubt listen for yourself!).

Given the transition this album faces a few teething problems, the riffs aren't quite as addictive as previous albums and the songs aren't quite as memorable or interesting. However it's still a fantastic album in it's own right but probably a tier 2 by Coroner standards, that said read my scars and tunnel of pain are A grade Coroner material.

Tracklisting:

1		Die By My Hand (3:46)
2		No Need To Be Human (4:30)
3		Read My Scars (4:31)
4		D.O.A. (4:19)
5		Mistress Of Deception (4:57)
6		Tunnel Of Pain (4:29)
7		Why It Hurts (3:47)
8		Last Entertainment (3:59)

Download Here: (Coroner - No More Colour, 256kbps)

Coroner - Masked Jackal, Live in East Berlin

After R.I.P. Coroner refined their tech thrash formula and released the masterpiece punishment for decadence, in my view I don't think anyone has recorded better tech thrash than that. Many consider this their best (those more metal inclined) and many more argue that they blossomed much later, there is no debating it's one of their best though.

I've already uploaded punishment for decadence so instead of reposting (go here or just scroll down) I'll give you this super sweet video of Masked Jackal live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m55dcBIk_1k

Those men really know how to thrash, flawless! It's as if they're racing each other sometimes.

P.S. I would upload a proper embedded video on here but I don't have a copy of the video on my hard-drive and downloading stuff off youtube is laborious.

Coroner - R.I.P. (1987, Switzerland) Technical Thrash Metal

I've decided to upload the entire Coroner studio discography because they're such a sick band, one of my all time favourites, they didn't release a bad album.

The story goes something like this. 3 dudes were roadies for Celtic Frost, one day those 3 dudes decided "Fuck it we can shred" and started a technical thrash metal band, the result is one of the more interesting musical trajectories for a metal band. Whilst it's very easy to identify a Coroner song their style and musical approach changed dramatically over the years from tech shredding thrash to industrial progressive metal. There is so much to like about this band for me, Ron Broder's haggard vocals, thick swiss accent included, Tommy Veterilli's amazing riffage and bitchin' soloing, Marky Edelman's intelligent clockwork drumming, it's perfect!

To start with here is the debut R.I.P. A very raw and unrefined Coroner yet even then they still stood tall over the vast majority of thrash bands with their addictive tech riffs, unique melodic style and sheer musicianship - Many regard them as the Rush of thrash metal - not unjustifiably - given they are a power trio with prog inclinations and ridiculous skills. Opener 'Reborn through hate' is a Coroner classic, airtight tech thrash riffs as far as the eye can see. The album highlight though is the instrumental track 'Nosferatu' featuring super-super cheesy tongue in cheek (you'd hope, it's funny regardless) 'orchestra hits'. Coroner's instrumentals are probably what Yngwie Malmsteem would sound like if he was cool and played good music and wasn't a fat swedish toad in leather pants. The title track is another smash hit single on this album, some of their best material really and they had a lot more to come.

This isn't their best but it's far and away one of the best tech thrash albums every released, which says more about other bands than Coroner really.

Tracklisting:

1		Intro (1:23)
2		Reborn Through Hate (4:52)
3		When Angels Die (4:41)
4		Intro (Nosferatu) (1:11)
5		Nosferatu (3:34)
6		Suicide Command (4:19)
7		Spiral Dream (4:05)
		Written-By, Composed By - Tom G. Warrior
8		R.I.P. (5:36)
9		Coma (4:14)
10		Fried Alive (4:40)
11		Intro (Totentanz) (0:51)
12		Totentanz (4:12)
		Written-By, Arranged By - A.M. Siegrist
13		Outro (1:15)

Download Here: RIP.rar [61.25MiB]

Pond - Psychedelic Mango (2008, Australia) Space Funk

I was reluctant to post this for a while, ever wary of shameless self-promotion. Then I realised it's a fucking blog, post the damn thing - so here we are.

Pond are a collective of hairy, sexy men and women that are all riding the bigger groove. They started out when the 3 core members, Paisley Adams, Shoshef Orion McJam and Wesley Goldtouch (aka Wiry B. Buddha) took mushrooms and wrote a whole bunch of songs for a gig they had to play. From there the pond ecosystem bloomed with lucious flora and exotic faunae and this recording was made.

I have something of a cameo role on this album (the voice of god) and most of it was written and recorded before I even joined the band. So with that in mind I can say without blowing my own horn that this album is tits, my two favourites are the super funky 'mick manmoose' and the token prog epic album closer 'Bees'. Although every song on here is sweet, in fact I'm considering right now changing my two favourites to the psych/folk/chutney funcastle 'pyschedelic mango vision' and the towering psychedelic inferno of triumph 'don't look at the sun'. Hopefully you dig as much as I do anyway.

And if you do dig you can buy a copy here from local Perth label Badminton Bandit for only 10 bucks Australian! But first you should listen:

Download here: Pond - Psychedelic Mango v0.rar [62.69MiB]

Technical Jibber-Jabber

Megaupload is being a weiner and I can no longer upload files there due to technical problems, will work to get them resolved, I have heaps of stuff to upload.

Silver Apples - Silver Apples (1968, U.S.A.) Psychedelic/Electronic

This is one of those strange albums that even some 40 years after its release still sounds futuristic and original. This was very much a pioneering electronic music release and it's easy to see why it was ahead of its time - samples, repetitive drum beats, heavy synth bass (not a synth but a DIY collection of oscillators as it were) are all stylistic traits shared by many forms of modern electronic music. Yet as much as this is a forward thinking album it is still identifiable as belonging to the late 1960s. The syncopated repetitive drums still share many stylistic traits with the jazzier brand of drumming prevelant at the time and the harmonised vocals are also fairly typical of psych and folk bands of the time but above all the sound of the recording is the biggest indicator. This is a fairly essential recording for history's sake even if I weren't to mention the killer tracks 'osciallations' and 'program'.

1. Oscillations 2:48
2. Seagreen Serenades 2:55
3. Lovefingers 4:11
4. Program 4:07
5. Velvet Cave 3:30
6. Whirly-Bird 2:41
7. Dust 3:40
8. Dancing Gods 5:57
9. Misty Mountain 3:26

Download here: (Silver Apples - Silver Apples, 320kbps)

Zorch - Ouroboros (1975, U.K.) Psychedelic/Electronic

This album is one with a great many reference points. In some ways it is stylistically similar to electronic kraut bands such as Ashra, Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk (on Electro Flow in particular). On top of that there is a real British prog rock sophistication to the music as well, the first two songs are what I would imagine Gong or Hawkwind would sound like with just synthesizers and no live instruments or vocals. It should be noted too that there are some deep cosmic ambiences here which sound uncanilly like some modern ambient electronic music so these guys were well and truly stepping out of the shadows of the German giants. Then we have the minimal synth sounds that are quite similar to groups such as Irsol although perhaps a little less busy. Anyway whatever you want to call it or whoever you want to compare it to, it's still fantastic, relaxing electronic music that is well worth a listen.

Track Listing:

1. Mother Earth
2. Electro Flow
3. Elohim 1
4. Elohim 2
5. Elohim 3
6. Elohim 4

Download here: (Zorch - Ouroboros, 192kbps)

Anamanaguchi - Dawn Metropolis (2009, U.S.A) Chiptune

Anamanaguchi are quite a phenomenal band and nothing I've heard really comes close to their sound. NES music is one of my favourite things, to me the image I have in my head is a bunch of crazy Japanese musical geniuses sporting composition majors, very limited resources, a very narrow frame to work within and a head full of caffeine. The result was some of the most inventive and inspiring music ever composed. Cut to about 20 years later and Anamanaguchi are using the NES hardware not to emulate or bastardise the NES music they love, rather to add something unique to the same body of work. The music is overblown, fast exceptionally well composed NES music supported and enhanced by live guitars and drums. The result is pretty much a perfect combination. The inbuilt NES syntheszers play parts that would be far too cheesy and complicated for guitars while the shoegazing guitars fill in the gaps and lay the bed for the music to flow on. Finally the drums add the final element of realism transcending this music to something completely unique and inspired. Not quite sure who I'd recommend this too, some people that I thought would like it didn't and some I thought wouldn't ended up loving it dearly, at any rate I strongly recommend this release to the adventurous listener.

Footnote: These guys are the real deal and have created a website with psychedelic NES-like video clips for each song, this is definitely worthwhile: http://www.dawnmetropolis.com/

Also given this release is very new and these guys are a legitimate independent band I would feel like a bit of a dick if I didn't add a link to their website where you can buy the album:
http://anamanaguchi.com/

Given they already have the songs on the internet I'm sure they don't mind me uploading the album for your enjoyment though.

Tracklisting:

1		Blackout City
2		Jetpack Blues, Sunset Hues
3		Dawn Metropolis
4		Danger Mountain
5		Overarrow
6		Temoest, Teamwork, Triumph (At Sea)
7		Mermaid

Download here: Anamanaguchi - 2009 - Dawn Metropolis (V0).rar [47.57MiB]

Colour Haze - Colour Haze (2005, Germany) Stoner Rock

One of the finest purveyors of stoner rock I've heard. These German lads display obvious kyuss worship (a good thing) with the added intricacy of prog rock that one would expect from an adeventurous teutonic rock band - even indulging in a glorious 22 minute epic! There is a striking similarity between the overall tone of this record and that of kyuss' blues for the red sun record. I think it's largely due to the major scale jamming and hopeful yet huge feel. And yet despite this acoustic guitars and fragile clean guitar lines are also quite at home here too and there is no apparent or obvious distinction between one or the other. There is really quite a fantastic use of dynamics. It's clear these guys have taken a bunch of great influences from 70's psychedelic music and and 90's stoner rock and made something completely original yet strangely familiar. Strongly recommended to any fan of psych or stoner grooves.

Track Listing:

1 Mountain 6:37
2 Tao Nr. 43 5:26
3 Did Êl It 2:18
4 Love 9:20
5 Solitude 3:45
6 Peace, Brothers & Sisters! 22:11
7 Flowers 7:18

Download here: Colour Haze - 2004 - self titled - (Elektrohasch EH003).rar [98.23MiB]

Heldon - Interface (1978, France) Psychedelic/Electronic

This is France's answer to krautrock, melding the rhythmic aesthetic of French Zeuhl with the electronic experimentation and guitar jams of German Kraut. There are two flavours on this album. The first features juicy fat sequenced bass synthesizer parts repeated over and over with steady drums and furious guitar wailing, the execution of this is perfect and amounts to far more than the sum of its parts. The second part is more focussed on dual synthesizer battles with jamming in the background. The way these two approaches compliment each other really makes this album something special.

1 Les Soucoupes Volantes Vertes (2:26)
Jet Girl (9:49)
2.1 Part I: In New-York Or Paris, Equivalent
2.2 Part II: In South Bronx
3 Le Retour Des Soucoupes Volantes (2:21)
4 Bal-A-Fou (7:22)
5 Le Fils Des Soucoupes Volantes (Vertes) (1:47)
6 Interface—Live [Part 1] (6:19)
7 Interface—Live [Part 2] (2:04)
8 Interface (19:02)

Download Here: Heldon - VI Interface 1978 - V0.rar [106.33MiB]

Kreator - Terrible Certainty (1988, Germany) Thrash Metal

The Teutonic thrash scene in Germany produced a distinctly brutal and crusty variation of the genre as opposed to their American cousins' more melodic approach. Kreator were the spearhead of this German movement and after releasing the pummelling 'pleasure to kill' in '86 to great acclaim and heavily influencing the start of the death metal movement they released this gem of an album. Terrible Certainty was an odd follow up album to their breakthrough hit with the production moving more along the black metal spectrum of music production resulting in a much harsher and grittier atmosphere. This is probably the main reason that this album is so under-appreciated, but while the production may have to some opinions regressed the riffage is spectacular and quite incomparable.

The sonic environment and emotional response elicited from Terrible Certainty are rather unique as at times the sense of melody is rather weird. Vitriolic, messy, unhinged and ruthless it's a like a serial killer after a few too many steins of lager. On songs like 'Toxic Trace' they tap into something new, the melody in the breakdown is by no means defined but it is particularly strong - if these tonal relationships even qualify as a melody in the traditional sense. To quote from an anonymous spectator after my crusty punk band debuted a new song at a house party recently "This is some next level shit man!". I love pretty much everything about this album, the ferocity, the haggard loose feel, the unbridled speed, the memorability and catchiness of every riff, it's all I could ask for in thrash album!

Tracklisting:

1		Blind Faith (4:04)
2		Storming With Menace (4:23)
3		Terrible Certainty (4:26)
4		As The World Burns (3:48)
5		Toxic Trace (5:30)
6		No Escape (4:58)
7		One Of Us (3:59)
8		Behind The Mirror (4:31)

Download here: (Kreator - Terrible Certainty, V0)

Mutant Sounds Blog

The music from the last two posts I discovered thanks to the magnificent mutant sounds blog - easily the best music blog on the internet. These guys are hardcore prog/DIY punk/New-wave/No-wave/avant/experimental/minimal synth nuts and they have posted thousands of super rare and under-appreciated recordings for download. I found reading it was also a good entertaining way to waste time whenever I was in a boring situation near a computer.

http://mutant-sounds.blogspot.com/

Transparent Illusion - Still Human (1981, U.K.) Minimal Synth

I think of this album as being what Syd Barrett would have recorded had he been born 2 decades later. Transparent Illusion is a one man project by a guy named Roy Young, one man, one synth, one drum machine and a whole lot of amazing music. The melodies here are everything, perfect little ditties, there are no weak songs here just 12 solid songs full of uplifting yet depressing synth music. The music itself is a super simple distant sounding drum beat, a fat Korg MS-20 sound playing harmonies and melodies and distant out of tune drunken englishman vocals. With albums like these though it is the characteristic simplicity that makes it have such a great impact, there is no missing the point, no overlooking anything and you can develop a full appreciation of the sound very quickly and easily. As a result virtually overnight it became one of my favourites, this one is easy to recommend because it is so easy to get into and so good at the same time.

Tracklisting:

1 Sections
2 Incubus
3 Nuclear Release
4 Killing Time
5 The Age Of Ridicule
6 Malice Way
7 Demented
8 The Human Cage (Still Human)
9 We
10 I Dream I'm You
11 Is There Hope
12 Vortex

Download Here: (Transparent Illusion - Still Human, 128kbps - sorry!)

Irsol - First Contact (1983, U.K.) Minimal Synth

True synthesizer music. Relaxed, spatial, lo-fi, waves of psychedelic synth with drum machine backing beats. For what it is this extremely catchy music, the songs are basic in structure with usually a few layers of synth under a drum machine underneath but these guys make their equipment go a long way. The Korg MS-20 is a mainstay of experimental synth recordings and gets a solid workout here with fat bass, the 'whoosh' and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. The beats here are some of my favourites from a drum machine, '11:45' in particular, interestingly a lot of the beats are made using a TR-808 drum machine, and on 'Main Sequence' it almost sounds like a spaced out backing track for 90's rap!

I'm really not sure how to describe the vibe this album gives off it's slightly confusing in a good way because there is quite a bit of territory covered in terms of emotion and melody, from the upbeat to the regimented to the sparse. Loneliness and isolation seem to be a recurring theme through some of the songs musically (there are no vocals) particularly in my favourite track '3rd day'. The 18 minute title track would also make a good soundtrack to being abandonned in space (whereas '3rd day' is more invocative of a desert, and 'before breakfast' an ocean).

This is definitely an album I'd recommend to people who know nothing about minimal synth music - because I know nothing about it and it along with 2 or 3 other albums have really got me interested.

Track Listing:

Tracklisting:
1 Reesoning
2 11:45
3 Before Breakfast
4 Concentration
5 Pleasure Thro' Pain
6 After Tea
7 Main Sequence
8 Anthem
9 3rd Day
10 First Contact
a Emergence
b Gas Giants
c Lifescan
d First Contact

Download Here: (Irsol - First Contact, 128kbps - sorry!)

Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines (2002, U.S.A.) Technical Death Metal

One of the things that stops me from getting into a lot of death metal is that there is an awful lot of it that is relatively unremarkable and uninspired, one can only take the whole 'tune down a few steps, play fast with blast beats and double kick, growl lyrics about dismemberment etc' paradigm so far before it becomes a bit of a chore. This is one of the reasons I love Nile, they (or more specifically guitarist/vocalist/frontman Karl Sanders) are thematically inspired unreservedly by ancient Egypt and Egyptian mythology and they write amazing songs with dynamics and atmosphere. Not to mention the fact that they tune lower, play faster and have better riffs than pretty well any other extreme metal band around today.

In Their Darkened Shrines is a pinnacle of modern death metal, pretty well every song on there is great within it's own right if not memorable. From the remarkable opening frenzy of "The Blessed Dead" complete with choir wailing underneath the chorus the listener is bombarded with lightspeed tech riffage, blast beats and oft cascading growls from up to 3 band members. The furious pace of the first two songs is offset by the sludgy pummeling of "Sarcophagus" where we get a sample of the of the atmospherics and dynamics mentioned earlier. The epic near 12 minute "Unas Slayer of the Gods" is the real jewel in this crown though enticing the listener with a brief acoustic guitar introduction before giving the perfect display of Nile in all it's glory, gut wrenching speed with elaborate harmonised guitar, sludgy riffs, atmospheric sections with horns, and some juicy drum parts, pretty much the perfect Nile song. While touching on the drums I should mention Tony Laureno is the real star of this album, while there are (believe it or not) faster and more technical drummers out there (including his successor in Nile) the drum parts he comes up with are so original and unforgottable given the context they are in. The album finishes with the 4 part In Their Darkened Shrines suite offering up more of the same flavour that Unas offered and finishing the album off perfectly.

At first this album was a difficult listen for me given the speed and heaviness of everything going on here but after some time it seriously grew on me and is now my number one driving album. Essential for any death metal fan.

Track List:

1. The Blessed Dead (04:53)
2. Execration Text (02:47)
3. Sarcophagus (05:10)
4. Kheftiu Asar Butchiu (03:52)
5. Unas Slayer of the Gods (11:43)
6. Churning the Maelstrom (03:07)
7. I Whisper in the Ear of the Dead (05:10)
8. Wind of Horus (03:47)
9. In Their Darkened Shrines, Part I: Hall of Saurian Entombment (05:09)
10. In Their Darkened Shrines, Part II: Invocation to Seditious Heresy (03:51)
11. In Their Darkened Shrines, Part III: Destruction of the Temple of the Enemies of Ra (03:12)
12. In Their Darkened Shrines, Part IV: Ruins (06:02)

Total playing time: 58:43

Download Here: (Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines, 192kbps)

Name Change

I decided to change the name of the blog to something slightly less shite.

I've finished working full time and start uni next week so updating may well happen with surprising frequency, probably not to start with though.