MAY, 2009: Rock music has been an earthquake, a spasm of riots and mental turbulence across the world. It has been equal of all other musical forms in artistry and technique, ranging from ultra-brutality to the beautiful and angelic, from condensed punk statements to progressive operettas. To brighten and energize the pessimism of jaded listeners, we have collected artists who are young, fresh, obscure and antithetical to mediocrity. These are dangerous bands for various reasons, each one of them in their own way, but mostly because they challenge the status quo ideas on production and composition, the safe and easy way that the industry and the non-discriminating consumer would seek to homogenize them. This is not music to please everyone, not compromises, but phenomena in themselves. You're looking at stuff that never seems to make the front page. Terrorizer likes to meddle in cult black metal nowadays but RIDE FOR REVENGE would probably sound like Japanese noise to them. For the sewer punk of BILLY BAO you would have to scavenge local trash bins for dirty UG zines. Where would the delirious and spastic thrash of PULLING TEETH fit in the trendy pages of BWBK? The theosophy of CHARNEL WINDS on Blabbermouth? Commercial rock media is not on your side! As always, defying the flavor of the minute dooms bands to obscurity unless those who truly love their music loud and challenging gets out there and writes about them. These are terrorists of modern rock music - the cutting edge in the most murderous sense of the word.
1. DRUNKDRIVER: New York has
long been famed for its rich music scene with multiple bands vying for
attention. Rising to the challenge of being heard over the din are the
noisy trio DRUNKDRIVER who like fellow New Yorkers, PUSSY GALORE have
opted for no bass guitar. The tormented raw vocal stylings of Michael
Berdan skate over wailing guitar and drums that both sound like a team
of construction workers on a jobsite. Since their initial formation, DRUNKDRIVER
have released a 2008 150-run cassette entitled "My Chinese Sister" on
Drone Errant and the "Born Pregnant" LP on the Parts Unknown label. Kristy
Greene describes their coming together; "We're a friend-band. Honestly,
I think we all really wanted to be in a band, and we sort of come from
the same place aesthetically. We started about 2 years ago." The band's
music has been described as no wavecore, noise-rock, art-school rubbish
and industrial hardcore but never really pigeon-holed entirely
into one genre or sub-genre. Greene comments, "One 'genre' never really
does the trick when describing us...I usually list a trail of words, and
none of them too confidently. Loud, brutal, rock, punk, blues?"
However the band's noise is categorized, the tunes are definitely an antidote to the hordes of "guyliner" bands. Their sonic attack brings past abrasive noise mongers such as THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and BIG BLACK to mind, but their spewed wall-of-noise bile with the abrasive squealing feedback of "January 2nd" and "Sick Kid" still sound distinctive. DRUNKDRIVER's recordings have made an impression on punk and noise fans, and the band looks excitedly toward their future. Greene states, "We want to keep making better and better records and travel to far-away lands."
2. BILLY BAO: Since his relocation from Lagos, Nigeria to Bilbao in the Basque County of Spain in 2004, Billy Bao has wasted no time attacking the complacency and hypocrisy of the human race. His vehicle? Some of the most jarring, discordant noise punk captured onto vinyl in recent memory. Gathering a collection of Basque County's most barbarous musical savages like drummer Alberto Lopez (LA SECTA, ATOM RHUMBA), and guitarists Mattin (SAKADA, LA GRIETA) and Xabier Erkizia (GUTARIKO BAT), Billy is determined to violate the eardrums and challenge the perceptions of fans and detractors worldwide. “I don't give a fuck about modern punk or metal music,” he explains. “I am not interested in craft or playing well. The guys - Mattin, Xabi and Alberto - are in charged of that. I am interested in ideas. It's easier to have an idea than to play an instrument.”
Recorded in just two days, his latest album on Parts Unknown, “Dialectics of Shit” is an uber-abrasive collection of boredom-shattering feedback squeals, hypnotic record-skipping loops, and lumbering noise punk that at times puts even FLIPPER and KILSLUG to shame. “When I am talking about sabotage I do not only mean to do it on the streets, but also with the formats and frameworks that we work with; to sabotage our own expectations.” Bao says. “So if we are doing a vinyl we should explore and experiment with all the possibilities that it offers, to use it against the grain, for my punk has always been about attitude, I am disappointed with the world and I am going to express it in my own way.”
Bao’s audio anarchy is certainly not subject to traditional distribution standards: The entire back-catalog has been handed over to bloggers for free downloading. His venomous views on agenda-party politics and capitalism are magnificently captured in tracks like “Drill City” and “Factory of Repression”, revealing a Michael Gira-like talent for capturing thoughts of true ugliness and transforming them into aggressive music. “I have been fucked and I will be fucked again,” Bao laments. “I cannot record this process, but I can express my desolation.”
3. RIDE FOR REVENGE: "I see most
of the 'black metal' bands being started by young boys who want to sound
like their favorite bands and look grim in cool band pictures," provokes
Harald Mentor, one of the two crime lords behind Finnish cult RIDE FOR
REVENGE. "That´s black metal only in style, not in spirit, therefore it´s
not black metal at all - just a circus of fools." Harald and Spirit Krusher's
noisy, dirty soundscape resembles the tormented wretch of a sludgecore
band, possessed by occult arts and inner demons. Psychedelic blur and
retro synth underscore pounding ritualistic beats and the gargling, grunting
voice insults and prophesies messages of obscure wisdom from the depths
of Finnish caves. Some bands aim to experiment with sonic possibilities
of other genres in the context of black metal and there are those that
go for the visceral essence - impossibly, these guys do both. "We do not
think about the actual style that much, we have ideas with ever changing
resources and circumstances to realize the recording process
and then
we let ourselves go, get possessed
with what we have and what comes out has been great", explains Harald
the method behind the madness. "We surely listen to different kinds of
music and noise, but the way any influence makes it´s way to RIDE FOR
REVENGE track is rarely conscious, making a catchy riff is as possible
as making total noise."
From the first glimpses into the mind of evil on the split EP with TORTURIUM a few years ago, it was apparent that this wasn't going to be another standard norsecore-ish modern Finnish black metal act, but instead an exploration of ambient darkness in the vein of the most morbid BEHERIT rituals. "Starting up a black Metal project took me a long time, I always wanted it to be something special before releasing anything", says Harald who is not in any way a newcomer to black metal but has preferred to stay behind the scenes and operate the small cult label Bestial Burst. "The direction wasn't radical enough until the recordings of the split with TORTURIUM and the path found was a fruit of time, meditation and hard labor."
And the listener can hear that for sure. On the full-length albums "The King of Snakes" and "Wisdom of the Few", guitar is mostly relegated to a creepy background static hiss while the bass pounds the relentless rhythm alongside the unique drum performance which is part caveman black metal hammering, part voodoo rite from some forgotten civilization. Most important of all, the psycho-progressive layering and exploration of mood during the variably structured tracks is an inspiring statement in black metal which is constantly under a pressure to escape the boredom of mediocrity and renew itself. Harald concludes: "We have lots of unreleased material that will find it´s released form sooner or later and some of it will shock even those who know us well. We´d not be doing this to gain popularity, in fact we have probably made more enemies than friends with our art and we are very comfortable releasing our material ourselves or through our closest conspirators. It would be a mistake for the world to consider us hip."
4. BLACK COCK: As the breeding ground
for rock acts ranging from THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS to THE BIG BOYS to
HONKY, the city of Austin, TX is certainly no stranger to creative artists.
While guitarist Chico Jones and drummer Ben Kent have spent the last dozen
years kicking out tight, liquid jams, it wasn’t until the brother/sister
combo Jordan and Whitney Lee joined their ranks in summer of 2008 that
this demented business of BLACK COCK was twisted into form. The band’s
2009 debut, “Robot Child With A God Complex” is a bombastic mix of burly
riffs, jaunty PRIMUS-style backbeats, dreamy coos and keyboard squiggles
reminiscent of classic 4AD label fare. “We are definitely trying to put
all of those things in there in a way that sounds fresh,” Jones comments.
“It's like a house full of art and furniture when your lover moves in:
You have to fit all of their stuff in there too. Maybe none of it works
together, but the new place has a distinct feel or a certain charm--even
if it is tacky! We gave ourselves some time to move those pieces around
and find out where they work best in our house.”
And work it does. The driving, sawed-off melodies and Whitney’s intoxicating vocals in freaky fare like “The Octagon” could be just what the doctor ordered for jaded rock fans of the Pro Tools generation. “We try to give it a pulse or a motion that feels more exciting to sing or chant to than it does to plot out on graph paper,” Jones explains. “ The rhythms on JESUS LIZARD’s ‘Goat’ and ‘Liar’ have this crazy momentum like freight trains or a herd of buffalo--they just sweep you up. There has got to be a song –or ten-- that I have written that has some of that borrowed POW POW POW POW all over it.” It’s hard to argue the point; the entire disc bristles with BC’s distinctive pow pow pows like the ultra-hooky “A Fast One”, and the groovy “Starfleet Destroyer”. “Most importantly, at the core of every song on that record is the guitar and the drums, “ Jones advises. “ I hate to use the words improvised or jams...because we don't noodle or meander or take solos. But 'A Fast One' , '45', 'Cheating', 'SkullCop', and 'The Octagon' all went directly to 2" tape as is with no editing or minimal editing.”
Real music created by humans in 2009? Will miracles never cease?
5. DRUNKULA: Out of the ashes
of various disintegrating bands kick-ass new monikers appear. Toronto's
DRUNKULA formed from the ashes of THE ILLUMINATI and THE SINISTERS in
2005. During the same year the band quickly released their debut LP "The
Caretaker", described by the band as "high energy soul punk". However,
"Ballad of a Scoundrel" and other tracks contain twisted proto-punk elements
of THE STOOGES and MC5 with the fuzzed-out stoner rock of NEBULA and FU
MANCHU. Guitarist Steve Scarlett explains the band's formation, "Bass
player, Nick Sewell and myself used to play in the band PLASMA BLAST together
and Nick was over at my pad and wanted to start a new project; at the
time we were still playing in our own bands. Nick was still in ILLUMINATI
and myself in THE SINISTERS but Nick had a killer band name "DRUNKULA"
so we had to start a band." The sheer energy of "Teenage Assassin"
suggests that this is one hell of a live outfit.
DRUNKULA were unable to secure a suitable record deal in their own continent so looked towards Europe and released 2008's "All New Moves" album on French label Bad Reputation. Scarlett states "Reviews have been great in Europe but we don't have a deal in North America yet. Our CD is an import in our own country but anyone who has picked it up digs it." The band hopes to secure a local record label before releasing any new tunes. Scarlett states "DRUNKULA has a bunch of new songs but there's no need to record em' yet till we get our music out in North America. But I will be recording soon with my new project VOODOO BUNNY." Let's keep our fingers crossed that a local label pulls the trigger and does more than raising drinks in DRUNKULA's direction.
Photo: www.johnpapa.ca
6. TO-MERA: Delving into the world
of progressive metal may sound like a crutch for a feature such as this,
but one listen of London's TO-MERA makes it clear that there isn't a band
like them anywhere in the world. Any of the band's 10-some-odd-minute
compilations may contain (but are not limited to) crushing metal riffs,
big band swing, blast beats, smooth jazz breakdowns and the kitchen sink…
all topped off by the haunting vocals of Julie Kiss. Their 2008 release,
"Delusions," can best be described as a musical adventure, with each twist
and turn falling perfectly in place. "Ninety-five percent of the music
is written by me (with the exception of the vocal melodies) and then fleshed
out in rehearsals by the band," explains guitarist Tom MacLean. "I take
an interest in pretty much every style of music. As long as there is a
valid emotional content to it, it's good to me. As for the band, we're
all united by our desire to try to do new things with metal. Other than
that, our combined interests incorporate pretty much everything on the
musical spectrum."
TO-MERA formed in 2005, and just one year later was signed by Candlelight Records, who released the band's debut album, "Transcendental." As MacLean explains, "The first album has a kind of dark, symphonic/gothic progressive metal vibe to it, with some cheeky jazz experimentation in it. It's very schizophrenic in nature and takes in pretty much all the subgenres of metal along the way."
For the band's second album, "Delusions," the band's efforts to bring everything together paid off in spades. "It was created from an even broader musical palette, and is more colorful in that respect, but at the same time is much heavier and musically more complex," said MacLean. "Then again, the music is noticeably more coherent, and although the jazz influence is still present, it fits better with the overall feel. At this time, our musical influences were expanded to take in math-metal bands such as MESHUGGAH and TEXTURES, prog groups such as PAIN OF SALVATION and anomalous instrumental jazz-rock bands such as THE DIXIE DREGS and THE PAT METHENY GROUP."
If that wasn't enough, prog fans everywhere will be pleased to know that TO-MERA is currently in the process of writing their next album. "The new music is so far the perfect blend of all our previous stylistic adventures, bringing in a few new influences along the way," said MacLean. "Rhythmically, it's more groovy; harmonically, it's more sophisticated… and yet overall it's probably more melodic and accessible (catchy, even?). The one potentially significant difference (at least so far) is that it has more of a positive and uplifting feel to it. I'm not saying it's "happy-clappy", but it's definitely got a bit more power and punch. As for when the world can expect to hear it, we're trying to get everyone's schedules together first, but work is proceeding apace and I expect the material shall be ready for recording by the end of the summer."
7. PULLING TEETH: While most of the hardcore & post-hardcore bands besiege the dogsite with lackluster, stultifying fare, Baltimore's PULLING TEETH never fails to grab out attention. Since their first solid lineup formation in 2006, the band toured relentlessly, dropping hyperactive thrash records like 2006's "Vicious Skin" and 2007's "Martyr Immortal". Their latest release on the Deathwish label, "Paranoid Delusions, Paradise Illusions" finds the Charm City bunch lashing out once again, this time determined to break every rule in the book. "The sounds on this record have definitely been with us for a long time," explains frontman Mike Riley. "But we've been working on ways in which to incorporate them into songs without feeling forced or completely out of left field. We hope that these songs come off feeling like a natural progression rather than an attempt at doing something completely
different. That's not to say that there
are no short/fast songs in our future, but we hope to find new ways to
blend all of our influences into songs and albums that continue to force
us to push our boundaries." Pushing boundaries is an understatement. Crunching
metal riffs start, stop, and turn sideways. Tragic, clean guitar passages
clash with burbling basslines and Moog pedals. Jagged Kerry King-approved
leads dance over lurching MELVINS riffage, all culminating in the 6+ minute
title track. "It's certainly new territory for us," says Riley. "It keeps
things interesting. When we first started playing the song live,
we'd always get comments from people like, 'I kept expecting the song
to go in to a fast part but it never did.' I really like the
tension happening in that song." Fans of the first two records should
be intrigued - despite all the experimentation, the band hasn't lost it's
ACCUSED-esque flavor for stunning artwork, dark lyrics, and adrenalized
thrash attack. Plus, contributions from CHOWDER's Josh Hart and CONVERGE's
Jacob Bannon add to the intrigue, so hit the link below and get yer pearlies
yanked by Baltimore's finest.
8. CHARNEL WINDS: In this era when the genre's usual variations are on a scale to make Memphis blues and boogie woogie sound avant-garde, black metal is on the verge of sounding like a parody of itself. It's all the more refreshing to witness new acts such as CHARNEL WINDS, one of the most promising Finnish bands of the third millennium, upholding the darkest of the traditional style while crafting an artful and unique expression of it. CHARNEL WINDS are able to rock out without turning vapid and able to conduct a sermon without sounding like zealots. Founding member Shu-Ananda explains where he draws the line between a musician and a priest of evil: "There's nothing wrong in creating for the sake of musical enjoyment. I don't work that way but I don't assume my methods would suit everybody or even a few for that matter. I draw the line when something created for one's own enjoyment is called art or ideological / spiritual music."
"The energy a musical release holds within is directly proportional to the energy used in its making," he continues. "All great is built upon sorrow and in the case of art, it's the music that wants to be heard, not the composer. When we did our first demonstration "Stigma Prior Nefastum", there was an overwhelmingly strong feeling that what we were doing had to be done, whereas nowadays it's not the feeling that obliges us but the vows we have given to our very souls." The earliest demo recordings showed CHARNEL WINDS full of violent energy, using cutting fast riffs with distinctly Swedish-sounding melodies and a threatening, inhuman vocal attack. On the second demo "I.I.I." the band progressed into a clearly defined, calm visionary trance perfectly uniting the opposite principles of BURZUM-esque meditation and black thrash. Previews of the forthcoming full-length promise of an even wider musical sphere, a technically proficient occult metal genre inhabited by the likes of GOLDEN DAWN and ENOCHIAN CRESCENT, symphonically constructed with the aid of choral voices, sparkling lead guitars and apocalyptic ritual doom theatre. The concept is wrapped up by imagery inspired by theosophy, religions and metaphysical horror. "We had to crawl before we could walk", says Shu-Ananda about CHARNEL WINDS' development. "That is to say, besides the obvious element of our musical (or technical) improvement, our conception concerning black metal and the ideological and the spiritual standing points from where it flows into musical forms has evolved."
CHARNEL WINDS' superiority stems from an organic sense in arranging the material, a dreamy, journey-like intensity that proves it music that comes from the depths of the soul, not from an ulterior purpose to create black metal hype. Correspondingly Shu-Ananda points out: "Evil and death aren't the only concepts we are dealing with. We write about the nightside of nature, both human and cosmic, and it so happens that evil and death are quite essential parts of both. Especially evil in human nature or put simply, selfishness and death as in omnipresent change." Currently, beyond the possibilities of catching a live performance in Finland, grabbing one of the rare tapes through the underground or downloading the few online samples, chances to hear CHARNEL WINDS's art are alarmingly few. Shu-Ananda promises a turn for the better in this respect: "Our debut full-length "Der Teufelsbund" is currently in the works. As our second demo 'I.I.I.'delved on the subject of initiation by the means of solar formulae, 'Der Teufelsbund' perceives and interpreters the initiatory aspect through other heavenly bodies of our solar system and further explores the influence and presence of Satan in human and cosmic principles. We are currently rehearsing the material and will enter studio in the summer. In December 2008 we recorded the basis for a collaboration album called 'Two Serpents' with fellow cultists VERGE. After completing the writing of 'Der Teufelsbund', and since I made most of the lyrics for VERGE's novel work "Hatemagic", I sought a way to combine the issues we dealt with in both circles. This release too, you can expect from us in the near future."
9. MADKING LUDWIG: This Montreal outfit
should be familiar to anyone who's been paying attention around here,
since we've given both their 2005 self-titled debut and their 2008 album
"Seven Stairways" rave reviews. When we posted those reviews, though,
we struggled with putting the band in a specific genre and finding sound-alikes
to describe them. Not surprisingly, it's something we have in common with
guitarist/founder Stéphane Vigeant. "I'm an unorthodox songwriter," said
Vigeant. "I've always been like that. I never developed into a very talented
guitar player because I never spent any time emulating other bands while
learning how to play this instrument. Every time I would pick up my guitar,
the only thing I wanted to do was write songs. That's still the case today.
I don't want to come off as a jackass but, honestly, I'm racking my brain
and I can't find a proper comparison for us."
"Stylistically, the band probably closest to us in a sense is HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE if they had James Hetfield singing for them and flute instead of keyboards. But really, that's a stretch as we don't sound alike at all. As far as influences, JETHRO TULL obviously always comes up because of the flute. Steph B. (Stéphane Bellemare, lead vocals/flute) definitely is a big TULL fan. If I really had to cite a main influence, it would be the late Ricky Wilson of THE B-52's. He seemed to have a bizarre view of music that just appealed to me. The guitar work on their first two albums is just phenomenal. Not from a technical point of view, just the ideas." Although the band's debut recording came out four years ago, they've been plugging away since 1997. During that time, their highly original sound has kept them from finding a niche audience. While other bands would be discouraged by this, Vigeant sees things differently. "Success is relative," said Vigeant. "With MADKING LUDWIG, it's only about the music. Getting together to play is always about having fun. If it wasn't, I'd stop and do something else. The definition of success for me at this point would be to be able to put out albums that finance themselves. That would make me happy. But all that has nothing to do with the actual music, in my book. I'm playing music because I need to create. At the end of the day, I don't care so much if a song is original or not; what matters to me most is coming up with stuff that gives me goose bumps or makes me pump my fist when I finish playing the song."
Recently, MKL joined forces with John Brenner and Bland Hand Records (whose interview with us can be found here) and, as a result, "Seven Stairways" is now available for free download. But for a struggling indie band, why would they just give their album away? "I think there is a natural affinity between John and myself," said Vigeant. "We are the same age and our musical paths are eerily similar. And we both seem to have quite eclectic tastes. We're neighbors in a sense with our forums being hosted on Hellride Music, so our paths cross now and then. Having made the decision to not go back with our previous record company and release the album physically, it just seemed like a great way for us to get the album out there. With the current state of the music industry, I wanted to try a different method of passing our music along. Sure, we wouldn't be recouping any recording costs, but we viewed it as an investment in our future offerings. I came to realize, though, that by giving your product away, it's almost like you're devaluing it. Even if it's a quality production, with probably a bigger budget than most albums in the genre, I got the impression that it wasn't viewed by many as an actual album but as some demo project. Nevertheless, I am happy because we did get a somewhat viral effect and there have been several thousand downloads of the album through torrents and blogs, not counting what may have been downloaded directly through Bland Hand."
So what's next for MKL? "We've actively begun work on the third album," said Vigeant, "and although we have not set a target date yet, it would be nice to begin recording before the end of the year. We are toying with the idea of going EP by putting out three to five songs at a time or something of the sort and, as such, make more frequent releases. I'm not exactly sure what direction the next songs will take as it's never pre-planned, but if I were a betting man, I'd put some dough on them being a touch more metal and a touch more proggy. At the end of the day, who knows? It might be stoner jazz!"
10. ABYSSMAL SORROW: Despite the subgenre's 15-plus-year history, funeral doom metal doesn't have a very large following here in the States. With the arrival of Australia's ABYSSMAL SORROW, however, that may soon change. They're a mysterious outfit to say the least - they have yet to grant anyone an interview or even reveal their names… birth or otherwise. Even so, the band's home-grown entanglement of funeral doom and black metal is what makes them a danger to pretty much every other metal band out there. Having formed in 2006, they already have a self-titled EP and a full-length, "Lament," under their belts. While some metal albums are called the soundtrack to the Apocalypse, 2008's "Lament" is better described as the soundtrack to a deep freeze creeping up from the horizon, waiting to envelop the world in a humanity-ending ice age.
"Dark, slow and heavy" doesn't even begin to describe this one. From the word "play," layers upon layers of guitars and keyboard coil around the listener's mind as agonizing black metal shrieks pierce through the listener's soul. Musically, they're a band that employs the established (lack of) speed necessary for their subgenre, yet they still manage to cram plenty of riffs and key signature changes to keep things interesting. And as with any proper funeral doom band, the goal is to wipe away any joy or hope in mankind the listener has left, if lyrics such as "The pale, cold skin opening / Releasing more than blood / Abysmal silence and misery (taken from "Bound In Lifeless Affliction")" or song titles such as "Cavernous Sorrow and Worthlessness" are any indication. Put it all together and what we have is an experience every bit as depressive as funeral doom mainstays such as SHAPE OF DESPAIR, yet with the primal insanity of the work of Varg Vikernes.
And did we mention that this band has only been around for three years? Well, it can only go uphill from here. And considering how quickly these guys work, it won't be too long before we see what the future holds for them. An interview, perhaps? Hey, a music journalist can dream, right?!
And in closing: Yes, many
other blogs and zines provide deluges of lists and profiles of shitty
metal and indie bands to keep the PR guys happy. By now you should know
we have no such interest. Small doses of artists like these may just restore your faith in exciting, new music. Even if these extraordinary bands cease to exist
tomorrow, at least they can claim there was a time they created honest,
aggressive music on their own terms without kowtowing to stylistic pressures. Some of these monikers may even ripple through the pages of our stalker sites, garnering more attention for such quality artists. At any rate, go seek 'em out, ye Peacedogman faithful. Til next time!
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