Choice Cuts: W.A.S.P. - (S/T)

The Band :

·         Blackie Lawless | lead vocals, bass guitar

·         Chris Holmes | lead & rhythm guitars

·         Randy Piper | lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals

·         Tony Richards | drums, backing vocals

In the early 80's Sleaze Metal/Hair Metal was just starting to really come into its own, if you know anything about that era, you know they called a lot of these acts, Strip bands, as they played all up and down the Sunset Strip. Names like Motley Crue, Great White and London come to mind. A band called W.A.S.P. Fell into that category, however the band didn't necessarily fit as their demeanour, songs and attitude weren't anywhere near as nice as the aforementioned bands. In early 1984, W.A.S.P. Unleashed their Self-Titled debut on Capitol Records. Given that this album is now 30 years old you're probably wondering why in the hell I'm babbling about it. Well lemme tell ya, not only was this album the start of a torrid love affair that I continue to have with the band to this day, but it was also one of the best debuts in the history of Metal in my opinion.

The album was momentarily shelved due to the highly controversial track, “Animal (I Fuck Like A Beast)”. Never a band to sit idly by, the boys opted to hold off the release of the full length and instead released the song as a 12” single with an independent label in the UK. Much to the dismay of the record execs at Capitol, the single exploded and the band were almost instantly awarded a Gold Record for its sales. Forwarding on a bit the Self-titled album was released, debuting at 74 on the billboard charts. Not bad for a band the PMRC had already jumped due to lyrical content and the heinous acts of lead vocalist/bassist Blackie Lawless – the dude threw raw meat at the crowd, had a saw blade crotch piece and some of the most bad ass musicians around in his band.

The first single off the album “I Wanna Be Somebody” is a skull dragging, fist pumping anthem about fighting the man, standing up for yourself and doing it with a take no prisoners attitude. What's more metal than that, let's see, lead breaks that'll make any guitar enthusiast stand up and shout. And the riff, man the riff is ferocious, not only does it pack a punch, but it creates a perfect pocket for the rhythm section to destroy everything in it's wake. Up next is every schoolboy's dream and every mother's nightmare - “Love Machine”. This tune alone, has taught me more about playing double bass drum patterns than any book/video I've ever touched; you couple that with the fact that throughout the verses it's just bass riffing and drums and you get exactly what I'm talking about. Lyrically speaking Lawless, touches on what he can do, what he expects and what he needs... Something every young impressionable male needs to hear. HAHAHA!

The third single off the album is entitled “School Daze” and back in the day I was all about it, because well like every other red blooded male, I hated school. Now that I'm older, I still dig the track but it doesn't resonate as much – I'm a LONG way from school daze for real. The last two tracks I'll talk about are in my opinion the highlights and neither received much of a push from the label as singles - “Hellion” and “Sleeping In The Fire”. “Hellion” is still my Heavy Metal anthem, there will never be another. Lyrically, it deals in everything you need to know about being a Metalhead. “The Gods you worship are steel, at the Altar of Rock N' Roll you kneel”. This tune could've easily been HUGE on MTV, had a video been made. “Sleeping In The Fire” is a ballad of sorts, but as opposed to babbling over a woman, Lawless is fixated on the occult, Lucifer and all things dark and mysterious.

To this day you still won't find better twin lead guitar work, for what appears to be over a minute, guitarists Piper and Holmes trade off blistering leads and continue to rip them until the song fades out. Hands down one of my favourites off the album and even better live, if you've had the privilege.

W.A.S.P. Self-titled album is a classick piece that should be in every fan's collection if you fancy yourself a Metal head. Personally, I have at least 10 different versions of it on album, cassette and cd. And yes, I'm sitting in a room right now with at least 20 W.A.S.P. Posters on the wall. Nothing is wrong in admitting you're a fanatic. If you haven't heard of this band, go check them out now. They're not what you think and I think that's what has hurt them all these years. They weren't soft enough to be a strip band like the Crue, nor were they heavy enough to dish it out with bands like Slayer & Anthrax, they were somewhere in between and that's a mighty fine mix from where I'm standing. “The Torture Never Stops”!

Words & Recommendation by : Andy Burke

Album Details :

W.A.S.P. is the debut album by band W.A.S.P., released August 17, 1984.  The album has been known under three different names; the spine of the original vinyl release had Winged Assassins printed on it, while early cassette releases of the album had the name of the album's first track, "I Wanna Be Somebody", printed in bold letters on the cover. The album is officially entitled simply W.A.S.P.

Track listing :

1). ‘I Wanna Be Somebody’ 03:43

2). ‘L.O.V.E. Machine’ 03:51
3). ‘The Flame’ 03:41

4). ‘B.A.D.’ 03:56

5). ‘School Daze’ 03:35

6). ‘Hellion’ 03:39

7). ‘Sleeping (In The Fire)’ 03:55

8). ‘On Your Knees’ 03:48

9). ‘Tormentor’ 04:10

10).’The Torture Never Stops’ 03:56

Notes :

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 by Blackie Lawless
Track 3 by Lawless, Holmes, & Marquez
Track 9 by Lawless & Holmes

"Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" was intended to be on the original version of the album, but was removed due to record company pressure following the controversy the song had created at the time.

The album was originally supposed to be called Winged Assassins.

The LP has engraved onto it near the label "We Are Sexual Perverts".

Songs added to the 1997 CD reissue:
1. Animal (Fuck Like a Beast) (03:07)
12. Show No Mercy (03:48)
13. Paint It Black (Rolling Stones cover) (03:27)

(1997 reissue tracks by Blackie Lawless except track 13 (Rolling Stones cover))

Reissued by Snapper Classics on February 25th 2003 remastered in a digipak with the same bonus tracks as the 1997 reissue. 

The Body/Thou - Released from Love Split 12" (Review)

Album Type : 12" Split

Date Released : 1/4/2014

Label : Vinyl Rites

Released from Love, track listing :

SIDE A

1. The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills
2. Manifest Alchemy

SIDE B

3. In Meetings Hearts Beat Closer
4. Coward (Vic Chesnutt)

Bio :

With three original tracks as well as a harrowing cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “Coward,” recorded last year with James Whitten and mastered by Machines with Magnets, the entire lineup of Baton Rouge’s noise-soaked doom/sludge quintet, THOU, and now-Portland, Oregon-based apocalyptic/experimental doom cult, THE BODY, orchestrate their wretched, noise-drenched tones and horrifying lyrical deliveries into twenty minutes of material through this four-movement mini-LP. On this collaboration, everything comes to its peak. Everyone's voice is heard, through instrument or otherwise, clearly defining their role in the project. All the things that make both groups special are apparent and fleshed out.

Released From Love is a vinyl-only release, pressed on 180-gram black vinyl with heavyweight covers and letter-pressed inserts by Beck Levy. There will be no CD pressing nor any form of digital distribution of the material

Indeed there are all types of music in the world, some lighthearted, some heavy and some that will flat out make you want to jump out the window. I'm not quite where to put the latest that has came across my desk. This feast or famine juggernaut is The Body/Thou's collaborative effort entitled “Released From Love”.

Review :

After several listens, I can honestly say that you need to go outside and practice falling down for an hour or so, before you drop the needle on this vinyl only release – it will straight up mind fuck you. I've not had any previous experience with either band, so I can't speak on their previous work but what I can tell you, is this – they're both extreme and they ain't holding back nothing. Those of you familiar with Kvlt Black Metal, Sludge, Doom and Avant Garde music will be right at home in the grips of “Released From Love”. It's nihilistic, dank, hateful and miraculously organic if you can imagine that. Sure it's not for everyone but there is a common thread of thought and true emotion to be heard on this piece.

Crushing down tuned riffs, rattling bass lines and booming drum beats lay waste to the world, while growling/snarling vocals cradle like a newborn. If I'm not mistaken there are two vocalist used on this effort – one growls and one screams like a fucking lunatic, I don't know whether to run, stand and fight or just enjoy. It's total chaos, but that's what makes it cool I suppose – you just don't know what to do. There are four songs on this 12” but I really don't pay attention to the songs; I just let it play and obliterate my senses until I'm reduced to piss and waste. EXCELLENT!

As previously mentioned this is a 12” vinyl only release, it will not be offered on any other format. I'm sure it's quite limited as well, because it's not every day two bands unite in a collaborative effort, much less with the same goal – to rape your mind, eat your soul and defecate on the remains. Don't walk or jog to get this, if you like your Sludge/Kvlt heavy handed and nasty - RUN, run now and buy it up! Heed my warning though, do practice falling down a little bit before you drop the needle, you'll feel better in the long run.

Words by : Andy Burke

You can get it here

For more information :

https://www.facebook.com/pages/the-body/334047229514
http://www.noladiy.org/thou
http://www.vinylrites.net

Graves At Sea - This Place Is Poison EP (Review)

Album Type : EP

Date Released : 22/4/2014

Label : Eolian Empire

This Place I Poison, tracklisting :

01. This Place is Poison – 6:36
02. Orchid + Lord of This world – 13:13

Bio :

Following a lengthy dormancy, notorious doom derelicts, GRAVES AT SEA, rise again! Now based in Portland and buoyed by a killer new rhythm section, the band will drop the This Place Is Poison twelve-inch EP upon the living this Spring via the volume dealers at Eolian Empire.
 

Tracked by drummer Bryan Sours (ex-Subarachnoid Space) and Steve Lobdell at Audible Alchemy and mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering on their home turf, Side A’s “This Place Is Poison” finds the all-consuming, slow-motion sludge for which the band is so synonymous flooding in with a torrent of crusted-over guitars anchored away by swampy bass rumbles and earth-rupturing drums all bathed in the howls and shrieks of the damned. But in shaking off their cobwebs, GRAVES AT SEA have emerged reanimated with a heretofore unheard speed, at least when compared to their syrupy crawl of the past.
 

On Side B, Black Sabbath’s “Orchid” and “Lord Of This World” get bold re-imaginings: “Orchid” is eroded beyond its essence into a morose march towards death while “Lord of This World” gets a grim reconfiguration with grisly riffs, bilious hisses and a blackened atmosphere that takes the original to a dark, desolate realm of desperation and despair

The Band :

Nathan Misterek | Vocals
Nick Phit | Guitar
Bryan Sours | Drums
Jeff Mcgarrity |  Bass

Review :

Courtesy of Arizona, by way of Portland and all in the name of DOOM, the world has been given another gander at the band known as Graves At Sea. The latest release from the band is a 3 song 12” EP entitled “This Place Is Poison”. This 12” was recently released in a limited run of 1000 pieces by Eolian Empire. I can't comment on the bands earlier work as I've never heard any of it, but I can assure that if you're into Sludge, Doom, a splash of Black Metal and a hint of hopelessness then you'll definitely shit the bed over this EP.

Side A, “This Place Is Poison” is six minutes of fuzzed out swirling guitar riffs, backed with screeching vocals accompanied by growling vocals. Musically, it's quite typical of the Doom genre – tremendous breakdowns, slow grinding points of rhythm and enough filthiness to fuel a tank! Lyrically, I understand very little aside from the line “You can check out any time, but you can never leave”; sounds awful familiar, then again the title is “This Place Is Poison”.

Side B, “Orchid/Lord Of This World”. Of course we know this is a Sabbath cover and what better of a place to put it than a limited 12”. As far as “Orchid” goes, it has very little to do with the original piece; it's just meandering acoustic passages filled with samples from what sounds like old school Hammer Horror movies. If not for the samples, I'd probably write this part off, but those samples add some much needed eeriness and depth for the grittiness of “Lord Of This World”. Here is where the band promptly kick the Stoner/Doom vibe into overdrive, the fuzz is strong, the breakdowns are sexy and having two vocalist with extremely different voices work out nicely adding a new dimension to the tune.

Overall “This Place Is Poison” is nice work for an EP with one original track. Of course most of us have heard Sabbath covered by the best and unfortunately the worst. Graves At Sea does Sabbath justice and gives themselves some street cred for the masses of the underground. Being a lover and a student of rare vinyl releases, I highly recommend checking this out before it's gone.

Words by : Andy Burke

You can get it here

For more information :

http://goods.eolianempire.com/product/graves-at-sea-this-place-is-poison

https://www.facebook.com/GravesAtSea

Below - Across the Dark River (Album Review)

Album Type : Full Length

Date Released : April 15th, 2014

Label : Metal Blade

Across The Dark River, album track Listing :

1) Trapped Under Ground

2) Bid You Farewell

3) Ghost of Shepherd

4) Portal

5) In My Dreams

6) Mare of the Night

7) The Whitechapel Murderer

8) Across the Dark River

Bio :

In the fall of 2011, Below was formed in Sweden by three wicked minds. After a discussion about why doom bands of today either lacked melodies or tried to sound as retro as possible, they decided to start a doom band that would pay tribute to epic and dark sound of: Nightfall by Candlemass, Headless Cross by Black Sabbath and Conspiracy by King Diamond.

The original three wicked minds pitched the idea to two other sinful souls, who immediately understood what Below was going to be about and with no hesitation, joined the band.

Below started writing songs and in November of 2012 and a 4-track EP was recorded at Deep Blue Studios in Sweden. By this time, Tobiee of Howlin Owl Productions heard of the band and asked to act as manager for the band. The EP was sent to various magazines, labels and people in the business and was praised by everybody who gave the songs a listen. Metal Hammer Germany awarded the EP a 9/10 rating.

With only one, unreleased EP, the band was able to book a 10 day tour through Denmark, Holland and Germany as opening act for Devil from Norway. The final show of that tour was the Hammer Of Doom festival in Germany.

Eventually, the EP landed in the hands of Metal Blade Records, who saw the band's potential and offered them a deal.

Below recorded their debut album early fall of 2013 at Andy LaRocque's (King Diamond) Sonic Train Studios. The full length will be released during 2014 through Metal Blade Records. Belowoffered up the following comment on recording:"To have the opportunity to work with Andy La Rocque and Olof in Sonic Train Studios is amazing. It will be a truly epic album that will leave its mark in the history of doom."

Producer and legendary King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque added; "This is one of the heaviest bands I have worked with in the studio for a very long time, and the sounds so far is amazing! And always great to work with great musicians!"

A 7" split with Sweden's Anguish is also planned for release in November 2013 through Dark Descent records

The Band :

Zeb | Vox
Hedman | Bass
Paud | Guitar
Berg | Guitar
Doc | Drums

Review :

Sweden has birthed yet another Epic Doom Metal band in a few young metal heads that call themselves Below. Apparently the band was formed out of love, admiration and respect of greats like Candlemass, King Diamond and Black Sabbath. The band quickly got together and released an EP and started shopping it around. As luck would have it, Metal Blade Records would be the first label to jump on signing the band. Not surprising, Metal Blade are the kings of signing up and coming talent.

Below's debut album is entitled ‘Across The Dark River’, and while it's loaded to the gills with Epic Doom, it's also jam packed with a Power Metal feel in terms of the vocals. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear this were a Power Metal band, alas it is not. Lyrically, musically and dramatically, ‘Across The Dark River’ is a throw back album of sorts to the days when Sabbath were still making decent albums with vocalist Tony Martin. Lyrically speaking, it's all about the darkness, the horror and what lurks in the murky depths. In that respect you can hear and feel sincerity for King Diamond coming through. The album could also resemble a musical of sorts similar to Phantom of the Opera, where every track is placed correctly to carry you through a different act in the play.

Huge sing along choruses can be heard on tracks like “Trapped Underground”, “Portal”, “Bid You Farewell” and “Mare Of The Night; and as an old school Metal Head, I can tell you, this is a much needed shot in the arm in the Doom Metal genre. Musically, ‘Across The Dark River’ is as solid as they come in the Metal genre, tumultuous guitar riffs, well placed melodies and some blistering lead guitar wizardry which is also a plus in this day and age.

Every track on the album doesn’t get too speedy in any regard nor does it feel rushed or forced, the band just seems happy to bring you along for the journey making the lyrical aspect of the album ever so believable. Personally, the track that stands out the most to me is “The White Chapel Murderer” and why wouldn't it be, the story of Jack The Ripper has been told a many times in and out of song (ex. see The Ripper by Judas Priest), but none are as exhilarating as this track, the vocals are incredible, sometimes reaching the falsetto's made popular by Halford/King Diamond. The lyrics are mind numbingly frightening and the music adds the final nail in the coffin – sombre melodic riffs/leads and a back beat that could choke the life out of you if played back through a proper sound system.

Below have seemingly done a great job on ‘Across The Dark River’, they've successfully displayed their influences without beating a dead horse, they've brought the listener in and made them a part of the story and last but not least they've sonically released a great product. Then again you can't go wrong with when you've got long time Kind Diamond guitarist/producer Andy La Rocque twisting the knobs. I strongly recommend this disc/vinyl if you're into Epic Doom Metal, Candlemass, King Diamond, Sabbath, Savatage or any kind of music with a strong Horror theme.

Words by : Andy Burke

You can get it here

For more information :

www.facebook.com/Belowmetal