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)