For Week Ending:
28 January 2023

Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing (1982)

[Hardcore Punk]

Books like the excellent 'Choosing Death - The Improbable History Of Death Metal & Grindcore' by Albert Mudrian remind us 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.

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.