Time to make our final return to the
Members' Top Ten Lists
for this week and conclude Janszoon's selection. We're now down to his top three, which start off with an album which I won’t be saying anything at all about at number
3
Reign in blood --- Slayer --- 1986
For obvious reasons…
Which takes us to number
2
and another weird, unknown to me band with a strange name
Idolum --- Ufomammut --- 2008
Well I find this good, but a little crushing and claustrophobic. Some of it is quite progressive rock in nature, lot of space rock of course, psychedelia and plenty of metal. Decent combination, but at times it gets so dark and muggy that it’s almost … boring? No that’s not the word, but it’s hard to keep your attention on it. Mine wandered and I found I was three tracks in already. I’ve stopped early, not necessarily because I don’t like it, but the closer is twenty-seven minutes long, and I do not have the time or energy to listen to a song of that length at the moment.
And so we arrive finally at the very top of the tree for Janszoon, his number
1
Oh for God’s sake man! ANOTHER Grindcore album? And a
Japanese one at that!
Nise kyuseishu domo --- Swarrrm --- 2003
Well, it’s his list so who am I to put it down? But seriously: over half of this is grindcore, and I’ve yet to find any of that that’s listenable, never mind that I like. Oh dear! What a tragedy! I can’t find it on Spotify. Nor Grooveshark. Nor You --- ah. Damn. I mean, great great!
Some kind/sadistic soul has put up the whole album on YT, so I can review it. Whew! What a relief! For a moment there I thought I’d miss out on this opus…(Does anyone have an icon for shooting yourself in the head? Neapolitan?)
Seriously though, given that it’s his top album in this list it would have been unfair and childish of me to not review it, and if I couldn’t find it on YT I would have asked him for a link. I may ---probably will --- hate it but he deserves the respect of having his top album at least listened to and reviewed. So here it is.
Some disarming mandolin, I think, opening it with what could be Spanish guitar, but I’m sure it will burst into unholy life any time --- yeah. There it goes, and down goes my knob. VOLUME knob, you filthy-minded…
The vocal is, as I expected, a manic scream that alternates with a savage growl and I can understand none of it, but I’ll leave it playing on the offchance something happens that will give me reason to talk about it.
It didn’t. I can honestly say that was, from my point of view, the worst thing I have suffered through since Crypt --- yeah I know. I’’ll stop referencing it Batty. Soon. Very soon. I’m definitely never ever getting into grindcore, I can confidently predict that. There is nothing in this subgenre that does not repulse me or just make me laugh at it. Still, to each his own.
And speaking of to each his own, we’ll be tackling the second members’ top ten lists next week. Thanks for sending them in, even if this one did give me a super evil migraine at times!