18 March 2023

TheBigBlack

Guns n' Roses - Use Your Illusions [Super Deluxe Edition] (2022)
[Hard Rock]

1987's 'Appetite For Destruction' set the rock world on fire, and reminded as us that rock 'n' roll could still be dangerous, long after The Rolling Stones had been measured up for wheel chairs. It was a fierce, in your face musical assault - but if one (very small) complaint can be made, it would be the lack of variation. It must be one of the most famous rock albums in history - and yet doesn't contain the diversity of any ballads or acoustic moments. We now know that was by design, and a few months later they showed us another side with the 'GNR Lies' E.P., but it still in no way prepared us for the epic size of the 'Use Your Illusion' albums 3 years later. These albums didn't reinvent rock, but they certainly reinvented Guns n' Roses, allowing them the room to produce 2 albums worth (4 album in the old school vinyl days) of every variety of rock ever performed - and with a massive budget to allow them to stretch their wings in new and different ways. The hard hitting songs were still here, some of them written pre Appetite even, but alongside them were sprawly ballads bigger than anyone had ever attempted before. The 30th anniversary remaster is crisp and clear, but to honest - did the original need any tweaking? A new mix has been made of November Rain (introducing a real orchestra rather than synth), but that didn't mean anything to me - as it is the only song I never really cared for. There are two entire live concerts included, and they are a great listen. Axl is firing on all cylinders, and Duff and Slash play pretty loose (as they were probably quite drunk.). The shows still aren't the band in the absolute late 80s prime before the bloat of fame and insane mind of Axl had started to corrode them from within, but they still show the greatness of the band just before they came unstack and headed into autopilot. Is it a shame this was the last original material the classic line-up ever released, or was there no better way to drop the mic and walk away?

mindkiller8

Edge Of Sanity - Crimson (1996)
[Death Metal]

When is a song too long in length? Do you start to wain at Metallica's early year songs hitting 8 or 9 minutes? Likewise when Opeth who would hit the 14 minutes mark with some of their early masterpieces? How about one that clocks in around the 40 minute mark? One song! This effort by EOS continues to blow me away to this day with the journey it takes the listener on. The underlying story for the song where barren earth can no longer re-produce, is well told through the various stages of the song. Starting in an aggressive tone and dark vocals, the listener is sent through a journey of soft interludes, rising again to thumping death riffs, fast picking and soft melodies. The vocals following the way and in places we soft quiet vocals and even chanting, all before the music and singing returns to the starting tempo, loudness and brutality (rebellion against the Queen). I've never heard anything like this. Each time I listen it feels like I am listening to it for the first time. Each listen reveals something new.

11 March 2023

TheBigBlack

Opeth - Deliverance & Damnation [Reissue] (2015)
[Death Metal (Progressive)]

If I asked you what is the most important piece of music in heavy music history, you are probably going to say the opening bars of Sepultura's 'Roots', or the solo in Black Sabbath's 'Heaven & Hell', or maybe even the moment the wall of guitars crash in at the start of Metallica's 'Battery' or when Tom Araya lets out his blood curdling scream on Slayer's 'Reign In Blood'. They are all good tries, but you are wrong on every count. The correct answer is (of course) the last four minutes of Opeth's 'Deliverance'. Every wonderful moment of those four minutes sums up everything early Opeth and these two albums were about. Both amazingly beautiful and damagingly heavy at the same time, and perfectly executed in syncopated progressive glory. It is debatable whether these albums needed to be remixed for this package (especially the lighter touches of Damnation), but Deliverance is certainly presented here with more punch and clarity, and packaging them as a singular album as originally intended is great. This is Opeth in their prime - able to switch from brutality to whimsey within moments, and Akerfeldt's voice is just sublime, whether singing or growling. The musicianship and song writing are exceptional as always, and it could be argued that they were never this heavy (or wonderful) ever again.

mindkiller8

Opeth - Damnation (2003)
[Death Metal (Progressive)]

The fans were told there would be 2 successive releases in a short space of time. One in the vein we all expected from their most recent release of Blackwater Park (in my mind their Mt Everest - their peak), with a second album less than 6 months later which would show a different side. Understanding the band and where they are now 20 years later, this was the start of the 'transition'. And oh what a way to commence that shift in their career. I can't understand why exactly, but for some reason, I was ready for what the change might present. As you will know Damnation detaches itself from the guitar laden darkness and death vocals we had known for almost 10 years prior, into an amazingly beautiful and peaceful soundscape that is the last thing you would expect from the band at was really after Blackwater, their high-point in popularity. Incredibly gutsy move. But Akerfeldt has never bowed to the fans and just does what he wants to do. I've become less of a fan over the years, but this record I still see as a significant highpoint in their career. Bold, mature, gentle, inventive.

4 March 2023

TheBigBlack

Blackbraid - Blackbraid I (2022)
[Black Metal]

There isn't a broad range of things you can do within the context of traditional black metal, yet some musicians are still able to do something quite amazing with a style that has seemingly close guardrails. Blackbraid (actually just one man named Sgah'gahsowah) is a native American influenced black metal project that has taken the template to places fresh and new. Not only does if feature lush acoustic passages played with traditional native American instruments spread throughout the otherwise raw metal chaos, but the lyrical themes follow historical events relative to the history of the native American people. Many modern black metal albums whisk by, not really enveloping the listener from start to finish, but instead grabbing attention with circular riffs amongst the over-produced wall of sound. This album on the other hand is one of the rare breed that captivates from start to finish.

mindkiller8

Powderfinger - Double Allergic (1996)
[Alternative Rock]

A band that exploded on the Aussie alt/rock scene mid 90's after the Grunge period had started to settle, Double Allergic is their Sophomore release after Parables. It had considerable radio play on Triple J and produced classics such as D.A.F, Pick You Up, Living Type. When new Oz rock was at its peak at this time (The Living End being the most notable), these guys stood above the pack with their clever song-writing, not to mention a hell of a front man with a voice you fall in love with. They went onto make some memorable releases, but this release is a genuine watermark in their career. They nailed it and come the spoils for another 5 releases over the next 13 years. The fact that in 2023 there are still calls for them to reunite speaks volumes about their legacy.

25 February 2023

TheBigBlack

Mortal Sin - Mayhemic Destruction (1986)
[Thrash Metal]

As great of a time as it was in 1986 to be a fan of thrash metal, it always felt slightly untouchable. The titans of the genre like Metallica and Slayer were well established and were playing music that seemed otherworldly - because they were just so far from me geographically. Mortal Sin brought that feeling of isolation to a sudden halt when 'Mayhemic Destruction' started filtering through the underground. Sure, the production was pretty flat (apparently the album was recorded as a demo, but got released to save money) - but this was thrash that was as dark as Slayer and as well-crafted as Metallica, and it was right out of the land down under. Songs like Liar and Lebanon thundered along, the dull lifelessness of the drums actually propelling the songs further into darkness, and Blood Death Hatred and Into The Fire were as good as any U.S. or German act were putting out. And do I smell a whiff of early Death Metal in the title track?

mindkiller8

Anthrax - Attack Of The Killer B's (1991)
[Thrash Metal]

One thing I really miss from the early times was E.P.'s/compilations from the early years of Anthrax. We had the Armed And Dangerous E.P. which I could write another review on. Then we had early 90's where the full length Persistence Of Time was released a year earlier. B's was released without any fanfare, but along with some offsprings from Persistence, it contained some darn brilliant covers from the likes of S.O.D., Public Enemy (with no other than Chuck D himself 'bringing the noise'), Kiss, Discharge and Trust. And a new track to not appear anywhere from the boys themselves in 'Starting Up A Posse' (can we call Scott a bona fied lead singer?). Anyway, in summary this release is a heck of a lot of fun, particularly the return to I'm The Man, with new lyrics 5 guys in shorts, who gives a shit YEEEEAAARR!!!!

18 February 2023

TheBigBlack

Sodom - In The Sign Of Evil (1985)
[Thrash Metal]

The influence on the second wave of black metal (mostly out of Norway) is often documented to include three bands in particular - early Venom, early Bathory, and the period of time when Hellhammer morphed themselves into Celtic Frost. One band that is often only mentioned as a side note is Sodom. Early recordings such as their demos and the 'In The Sign Of Evil' mini-album were hugely important to the development of the style, but possibly due to the band's later correlation with the big 4 of German thrash their unholy black metal beginnings are generally overlooked. Aggressive and dripping with evil, both in the lyrics and production, this a lo-fi masterpiece of early extreme metal, and the band never really returned to this style in later years once the thrash craze really took hold. The young musicians aren't the most advanced, with Witchhunter sounding like he could completely lose the drum beat at any moment, but Angelripper's voice already has that unique quality that would always set Sodom apart.

mindkiller8

Korn - Untouchables (2002)
[Nu Metal]

Arguably the band that was responsible for the term 'Nu-Metal' in the mid to late 90's. Heavily down-tuned and singing about personal sufferings and some songs being outright childish, they divided the metal community with their early releases. When I bought 'Untouchables' on day one, I thought I was listening to a different band. The lead song Here To Stay' seems to be a very deliberate response to the metal community that, despite the haters, they aren't going anywhere. Four albums in they were ready to grow up and be more experimental, and perhaps more precise in their song structures. The soundscape is very much made all that better by Davis's equally soulful/hateful singing. You can't help but be captured by his emotion. I love their first four releases but I'd argue that this is their best effort, considering the steps they took. They turned around with another album just over 12 months later before things went pear shaped and the original line-up split. I do think future releases since 'Untouchables' in some way tie back to the song writing on this record.

11 February 2023

TheBigBlack

Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (1990)
[Groove Metal]

A change in decade often causes the collective 'us' to think about the future, and to start forgetting the past. Metal certainly did this in 1990, with many of the thrash titans of the 80s starting to look like dinosaurs to the new generation, and let's not even think about the stinking carcass glam rock had left for us to move to the cemetery. 'Cowboys From Hell' (both the album and the song), hit the metal world hard (kinda like a Primal Concrete Sledge). It was loud, in your face, and technical - but still really listenable - and sounded like nothing else before it. Smiling in photos, these four boys from Texas looked like fun fellas, unless you crossed them - then they would likely kill you. another angle metal had not seen before. We would of course find out later that it took Pantera four albums (now long forgotten) prior to this one to find and hone this unique sound and image, but that is largely irrelevant anyway. This album (and band) quickly became the poster child of the next generation of metal, and Cowboys From Hell still stands up today as a standout of the period, and a benchmark in guitar playing.

mindkiller8

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995)
[Alternative Rock]

How the hell 4 misfits from Illinois who had just broken through into mainstream grunge with Siamese Dream in 93, would two years later have the balls to put together a 28 song double album masterpiece is mind-blowing. And they did it with rave reviews. Billy (William) Corgan confirmed for many of us that he is a master (somewhat query) songwriter. I'll counter that comment for now with a very brief highlight on 'We Only Come Out At night' which is a quite horrible example of when Billy waning himself through a song, would send rats down a sewer hole. I'm being harsh in picking out one song out of the 28 that grates. The experience before and after should still keep a smile on your face. We have classics of 'Tonight, Tonight' Which includes all the orchestra loadings possible, down to 2 tracks later we have a dark, heavy song like 'Zero'. I could go on. I return to my first couple of sentences - we have seen a maturity of a band we were hoping to take that next step. I just wasn't expecting a masterpiece such as this at the time.

2 February 2023

TheBigBlack

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 17, Fragments (Time Out Mind Sessions 1996-1997) [Deluxe Edition] (2023)
[Classic Rock]

1997's 'Time Out Of Mind' is often labelled as the great Dylan comeback album. With a number of years passed since his last (mediocre) albums of originals many fans had low expectations, but were pleasantly surprised when he unveiled the late career masterpiece. This Bootleg Series instalment focuses solely on the album (for its 25th anniversary), and has a few great surprises. A complete new remix of the original album removes the swampy and atmospheric production of Daniel Lanois that has divided critics and fans alike for over two decades, and in its place we get a fresh clean sounding version of the album revealing many highlights I'd otherwise missed in the murky mix. There are also three discs of demos and outtakes (although one whole disc is made up of tracks from previous Bootleg Series entries). My only complaint is the quality of the disc of live tracks from the era - Sounds good in principle, but the recordings are reasonably poor unfortunately.

mindkiller8

Metallica - Metallica (1991)
[Thrash Metal]

Ahh, 1991. The year I finished attending high-school, and time to grow up. Here I come real world. It can be argued that with this album, Metallica did the same thing. They grew up and introduced themselves to the real world on a record that divided the fans. Slower tempo, polished production, do they even swear anymore? Did someone say Top 40? You get the picture. It can't be denied that still today, over 30 years on, it is still their best-selling album. We learnt that Pappa Het can sing (Unforgiven, Nothing Else). We learnt that the band finally accepted Newsted as a member and gave him co-writing efforts on Misery. We learnt they still have that 18 year old attitude in small parts with Struggle. We learnt eventually that it was a master stroke to make this shift from your head-banging, long-haired, 7 plus minute songs, to a band that can still give you balls out heaviness in 4-5 minute songs (Sad But True) with lots of versatility and smarts. At the time, question was 'What next?' would they 'Fade To Black'? Would they 'Self-Destruct'? Or would they 'Load' up and get angry?

28 January 2023

TheBigBlack

Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing (1982)
[Hardcore Punk]

I recently re-read the excellent 'Choosing Death - The Improbable History Of Death Metal & Grindcore' by Albert Mudrian and was reminded of what a hugely influential album this was to thrash and death metal. It is raw and abrasive, and demands your attention in ways only hardcore can - but it is (unintentionally) bordering on bursting from the hardcore label into early speed metal. It is dripping with the typical D.I.Y. low-fi sound, and the barked lyrics are simplistic. In many ways the fast-paced riffs are also - but they are so well crafted that they grab you and don't let go until the 28 minute ride is over. Oddly the band went from hardcore punk to a glam metal style for their next album, so apart from a handful of E.P.s this is all we have of the original band. I'll note that many many metal bands have covered songs from this album, including Anthrax, Napalm Death, Machine Head, Metallica, Arch Enemy, Brutal Truth, Soulfly, Prong, and Neurosis. That lists speaks for itself in terms of influence.

mindkiller8

Fear Factory - Aggression Continuum (2021)
[Metal (Industrial)]

My first decent listen to a FF record in 10 years. I'm a huge fan of their earlier work and haven't given them a fair listen for about 10 years. Considering this is the final record with Burt in charge of vocals, it deserves a good listen. I'll be honest in saying I have only given it a few listens. My first opinion is that it is very 'mechanical' with the music, which has been their footprint since the start, but song after song is not the norm. Timings, breakdowns etc. This is very much Dino though, so I shouldn't be surprised. Burt's clean voice is as it sounded 30 years ago, which I do like. I note they have added a keyboard into the mix, which is very evident in places. Not a fan of that. I'll keep listening, but not a classic in their catalogue. ILYOSBTYNS! Is all I can say, which won't come as a surprise.

21 January 2023

TheBigBlack

Obituary - Dying Of Everything (2023)
[Death Metal]

How could I possibly not name this as my album of the week the same week it is released? As always, Obituary grinds out their death metal with sludgy determination as JT growls and gurgles his way through some of their best songs in years. The production is top notch and the songs are infectious as hell. This is the sort of album you throw at a 15 year old at an Whitechapel concert who thinks 'old guy bands should retire'. This will destroy any album by any band half their age.

mindkiller8

Silverchair - Diorama (2002)
[Alternative Rock]

It was well known at this point in Silverchair's history that Daniel Johns was no longer interested in punching out classic songs that we all loved on Frogstomp and Freak Show. Neon Ballroom in 1999 started to give a hint on this. I actually loved this record for its diversity. When we get to Diorama, the next step away from being a hard rock band has been completed. I will point out that Johns is a brilliant song writer and that will always remain. He clearly shows he is the leader of the band at this point and has moved away from the 3-piece band that we knew when they were all teenagers. So, why am I reviewing this record? I actually am a fan, despite it being different. If you invest the time and ignore in part what they have released previously, it is a very considered and mature release that very much is focused on John's struggles/challenges of being a 'star' and the reclusive being he is. I admire him for finding the strength to put this album out. It's certainly not for everyone that is an early fan. If you forget that however, you will find a record that for the most part is enjoyable.

14 January 2023

TheBigBlack

An Abstract Illusion - Woe (2022)
[Death Metal (Progressive)]

With 30+ years of history behind it Death Metal rarely offers anything new these days, but somehow An Abstract Illusion has given it a facelift. The album is full of brutal unrelenting machine-like drumming and guitar artistry alongside beautiful passages of orchestration, piano, and voice. The musicianship on offer is unmatched. For some this may be stretching the definition of Death Metal too far, but I think we need bands like this to push the style in new directions.

mindkiller8

Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying. And The Dead! (2022)
[Thrash Metal]

This edition looks at a new release from a band I have loved since a teenager. We have had our differences along the way with releases. Now is time to review their latest offering. I am still only a month and a dozen listens into this one. So it's not like I am reviewing Rust in any way, so here we are with my first impressions. Overall, the best release they have delivered for a long time, and I'm talking over 15 years ago. My main concern is Dave relies a lot on spoken word instead of his usual singing tone. For example in middle part of 'Life In Hell'. Mind you this is a killer guitar riff happening at the same time. A favourite track. 'Night Stalkers' with Ice-T's influence makes you stand up and listen, as always with Ice. Him returning the favour from Mustaine's involvement with last Bodycount release I expect. Oh and that bass line toward the end - I'm in love. Another great track. Some great guitar work follows in tracks such as 'Sacrifice' and 'Soldier On'. 'Psychopathy' is the only track I can see is a waste. Ticking in at just over a minute I don't see the point. It ain't no 'Dawn Patrol'. And a very close pass for 'Mission To Mars'. Dave, they are some lame lyrics right there. Likely the best track on the record is the last track 'We'll Be Back'. Damn this is fast and catchy. Love it. I can't say for sure but it is interesting that this release marks the longest they have had between records for a long time (6 years in fact). I would love the quality over quantity into the future Dave.

7 January 2023

TheBigBlack

Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying. And The Dead! (2022)
[Thrash Metal]

Continuing on their winning streak from Dystopia, this is an amazing album from Megadeth. If has plenty of old-school style thrashing (which is what we want, of course), and the production is perfect. Dave Mustaine's voice is in fine form (although the snarl of old seems to be all but a memory), and the solos from him and Kiko Loureiro are amazing. It isn't all smiles, as there are more than a couple of cringy-worthy lyrics (I'm looking at you in particular 'Mission To Mars'), but for the most part it is excellent.

mindkiller8

The Screaming Jets - All For One (1991)
[Rock]

The first edition of Gravelling's provides a brief review on one of the most important debut records from an Aussie rock band that has become an institution in Australian rock history. I can't recall how I heard of the band when this record came out in 1991. Triple Y in Whyalla must have played some songs. That's the only way I would have heard the music before I went to the local record store and it had it there for sale. First track 'C'Mon' blew me away. 'Better' is the single that is still played on rotation today and for that reason it has become a song I don't like so much. If you have a close listen to the record, there are some gems in addition to those two tracks. 'Starting out' is a catchy track. 'Blue Sashes' buried in the second half of the record is a real call to arms, and I absolutely love this track. But is has to be 'Shine On' that is the true measure of how a ballsy pub rock band can put together a 'ballad' if you want to call it that (a slow song). It is catchy and a great song to sing. A great Aussie band that went onto smack out some more records that back up their first full-length.