Destruction - Cracked Brain, 1990

A tape from the shelf. Frontman Schmier wasn't present for this release but it still retains the energy and they acknowledge as part of their catalog, unlike The Least Successful Human Cannonball, which I understand they denounce completely.

Cracked Brain sacrifices a touch of extremity in favor of more technical riff work and wacky soloing and is quite an original release in it's own right. Some off the hook material throughout.

Mercyful fate - Melissa, 1983



Don't Break the Oath, 1984

That's not to say we didn't have any sick CDs. If these are in your collection then something's going right.

I've always preferred Melissa for it's hazy atmosphere and composition and the fact that I like every song better than any song on Don't Break the Oath but obviously they're both 6/5

Don't Break the Oath was one of the first albums I ever bought and I've played the wheels right off of it. "Gypsy" is still one of the catchiest songs evvur.

A Selection of Fatherly Favorites

I suppose I can compile these into single posts to tone down the redundancy. Spoiler: They will mostly be metal.



Vader - Revelations, 2002

I enjoyed death metal before Timeghoul, they were just among the first bands I found on my own that rocked my world. But for my dad, ever the simple man, Vader were pretty much thedeath metal band (and Six Feet Under truth be told, but we don't have to get into that). We had this and the Reign Forever World/Blood comp CD, and he chose Revelations for the pedestal. It's an underrated piece in their catalog, but greatly important for him and by extension me. He was always all about the drums. And so am I.



Raven - Rock Until You Drop, 1981

My dad will go on at length about the badassery of Raven, and so it's no surprise that I will too. I understand they were a staple of his own musical development from a young age. This album, and Raven as a whole, are prime time purveyors of sick, energetic and loose NWOBHM/speed metal and just an absolute blasting beast. Hell Patrol is the jam like you don't even know.



Overkill - Taking Over, 1987

Overkill just rules my family. You could have found this record hanging on the wall of every house/apartment we've ever occupied.

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Manowar - Into Glory Ride, 1987

The same can be said about Manowar and this album. My dad has a white t shirt that he painted "Manowar" on the front with "Death and Glory" beneath with a stencil, and even just that shirt is a defining element of my childhood. I like Manowar for days but there will always be haters and I don't care for the most part, but I always defend this specific album.



Testament - Practice what You Preach, 1989

There's a consistent theme with my dad and thrash, he'll always tell you that the classic groups all put out their greatest material in the period of 1987-1990.



Hateplow - Everybody Dies, 1998

Some generic bad taste death metal, but we had the promo. He dug it, I guess I do too but it's really not that stellar.

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Hangnail - Clouds in the Head, 2001

My dad had an affinity for the stoner rock label the Music Cartel, and among its output came this CD, that I have truly jammed to death. They have an album before this one that I like better, being more trippy et al, but this one received more play time, some straight ahead stoner metal with catchy riffs and hooks.

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Sally - Sally, 1999

Another group from the Cartel roster and another CD we had. This band is madly obscure it would seem or perhaps just hard to search for with that name but most likely both. Anway, it's considerably heavier on the doom than Hangnail, and a distinct voice that I enjoy.



Solarized - Driven, 2001

If any of these Cartel albums let loose the nostalgia with such ferocity, it's this one. It seems like it was always playing when I look back, and listening to it on my own after a long time just hit me with a brick of memories. Seriously every song is implanted so deep onto my soul, especially the track Mean Spirit, which seems less like a song than just an audio component of who I am.



Orange Goblin - Coup De Grace, 2002

He was a big Goblin fan but preferred their more driving and straight ahead rocking material, like this album which he would cite as one of his favorites. A lot of the same could be said as it was for Solarized.

I love Overkill but somehow only came to them a bit later than most thrash fans probably do. But Raven were one of the first metal bands I ever got into. I don't know if I prefer Rock Until You Drop over All for One but maybe I should even though All for One went hard rock in the most fun way.

What about Wiped Out

Haven't listened to it as much so I don't have as much investment. "Crash, Bang, Wallop" is the ultimate Raven jam though.

we love this too

The Residents - Commercial Album, 1980

Seems among the definitive Residents albums while simultaneously being among the most accessible, ergo the perfect starting point, I was told. I jammed it pretty hard.

I may have mentioned it several hundred times before, but NoMeansNo are the most important group to me musically or otherwise and this post fits the journal since just about all of their releases have shaped my life. My admiration extends beyond music, but maybe I'm just overreacting. Still, I can't just disregard the feelings.

This is my comprehensive study excluding Wrong that I already talked about.



Mama, 1982

Their first album is perhaps their most tightly knit and reserved and the quirkiest. A couple tracks feature guitar and piano but for the most part it's a stripped down drum and bass take on jazz influenced post punk, with efficient basslines and mad drum chops galore.



Sex Mad/You Kill Me, 1986

Didn't find a video that included the album and EP but I'm talking about them both here. Guitarist Andy Kerr had found a home with the band now and along with him came a raw and noisy dimension and increased aggression. Nostalgia cuts include Dead Bob, Metronome, Body Bag, and Hunt the She Beast.



The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed, 1987

Failed again to find a combo video. They Stepped up their game here with a highly forward thinking version of what they already had going. In turn this is the most atmospheric and cathartic of the Kerr era, presenting more challenging structure and length. Either way, Victory is a jam of all time.



0+2=1, 1991

Into the 90s with the successor of their most celebrated album and the last with Andy Kerr. It was a turning point stylistically no doubt, but their most eclectic and progressive album up to this point. Kerr's guitar really rules some of these tracks, namely Mary. People started saying they're stuff was going too long but people are retarded. They originally dismissed the experimentation, but this is actually one of their catchiest works, and most satisfying instrumentally. It's also quite unique even in their own discography with subtle dance elements all about.



Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?, 1993

Critics that knock the previous album go on to praise this exponentially more demanding and dirging and far reaching album like the posers they are. It's the most mature up to this point, and the noisy hardcore output had been toned down in favor of long form and progressive noodles of dense jazziness. Back to just the two brothers, we ended up with something even more expansive and full, utilizing multiple guitar tracks and sampling. As well as musically, it is a lyrical triumph. Incredibly dynamic in both aspects, intelligent in every way. The River goes harder than you could imagine.



The Worldhood of the World (As Such), 1995

Tom Holliston joined the group on guitar and has been a part of it ever since. This album's tight as it takes the general musical approach of the previous one but tightens it up for a more succinct work. Also it stretches somewhat further sonically, but the straight ahead delivery and catchiness make it so so fun. Many rocking numbers here as well as multi-faceted art punk jams with the same lyrical dynamic we've come to know and love, but in a more sing song presentation. My Politics is a possible candidate for favorite NMN song.



Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie, 1998

Interestingly one of the most nostalgic romps as we had this CD and it received regular play time. It's underrated, unfortunately, people saying the repetition/"monotony" is going to far and that these songs end up going nowhere, but I cherish it madly and would rank it as perhaps my second favorite NMN release. It's got it all, all we've grown so attached to, in heaps. The somber dynamic is increased a bit though. The title track rocks but it definitely goes a little bit overboard, all the while the last few minutes are brilliant. The World Wasn't Built in a Day is pure atmospheric and stripped down poetry with very few ideas to keep the attention of losers that don't like that stuff, but it's one of my absolute favorite and a lyrical opus.



One, 2000

This is the peak of their advancing style of hypnotic, dark, wordy and skeletal form of art punk, much to many folks' dismay, but **** em. Probably their most challenging album, but even beneath all the repeating themes this jams so tough and never loses my attention. The variation is subtle, rather focusing on a mesmerizing idea as deep and cryptic lyrics combined with indeterminate and shifting musicality. I can understand the negative opinions, but it's a work I love deeply nonetheless.

That's such an underrated album, and as much as I love Rock Until You Drop, I'd actually probably call that my favorite Raven album. "Into the Jaws of Death" is especially good.

Karp - Self Titled LP, 1997

Karp plays like Melvins in reverse, so if you're a fan you ought to check them out. Quirky noise rock dipped in a vat of sludge thereby increasing the density and weight of this album.

Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris, 2000

Unfortunately there is no font large enough to adequately describe any bit of this album. It is an unsurpassable milestone of music and mankind as a whole. The absolute perfect demonstration of beauty and brutality where the two exist not separately but as one. Forward thoughts that are massively extensive even in the realms of progressive extreme music. I'd say it leaves all its peers in the dust but it has no peers. The magnitude of this work can never be matched.

NoMeansNo - Would We Be Alive?, 1996

This was one of my dad's favorite CDs from the collection so it's only natural I can't reminisce about childhood without hearing "Help us, help us, help us, please"

Motherhead Bug - Zambodia, 1993

This album branches off from the Cop Shoot Cop family tree and goes more Firewater than Firewater would cuz they didn't exist yet. It's a cool piece of industrial gypsy cabaret rock that throws in prog here and there.

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Fastway - Fastway, 1983

That's an amalgamation of founding members Fast Eddie Clark fresh off his Motorhead tenure and UFO bassist Pete Way. They recruited fresh faced ginger Dave King who some 14 years later would cut his hair and form acclaimed celtic punk group Flogging Molly. Here he kinda subdues the accent with shrill youthful wailing. Not without their own bit of significance, Fastway contributed the soundtrack to 1986 heavy metal horror camp film Trick or Treat.

There's not much to say musically. It's very simple and very catchy hard rock, even sort of americanized NWOBHM, as I'd seen someone else describe it. But this album was a fairly heavy component in my life and a CD I played till it could be played no more. Revisiting it now for the first time in who knows how long, it's interesting to note that I still remember every riff and every lyric by heart.

I remember them so fondly but I listened to Ask Questions Later today and thought god does this sound ****ing contrived.

success

Kreator - Out of the Dark, Into the Light, 1988

This was a cool tape to have. A half live EP notable for a cover of Raven's Lambs to the Slaughter



Terrible Certainty, 1987

Skipping over PtK as I already talked about it. This CD was more or less gifted to me as my dad wasn't super into it. Though I dunno why, it's still completely solid and the chrysalis of a growing style. The title track is catchy as all **** and overall it's just cool.



Coma of Souls, 1990

This one however, is the one my dad would say is the best, probably, sticking to his admiration for the late 80s-early 90s masterclass of thrash. He almost didn't let me borrow it in fear of me ruining it. They'd peaked in complexity at this point, sacrificing just a touch of extremity in favor of thorough composition, and this would be their most evolved to date.



Cause for Conflict, 1995

In my opinion Kreator had the whackest 90s output of all the big name thrashers. That's not to say worst, with all the garbage being slung around by Metallica and Slayer and so on, just the most confusing, for lack of a better term. It's hard to say what Kreator were doing during the decade when you listen to their turbulent stream of releases post-CoS. They'd already ventured into the factories of industrial metal with the previous album Renewal, which is decent though most of the intensity and energy was gone. Here it may seem like they're trying to recapture that intensity but not exactly succeeding. It's odd, as most of this is quite aggressive and pounding. On the flipside, maybe it's not so much the sacrifice of energy as it is the perfection of industrial metal's cold ideals. It's a mechanical, almost lifeless effort that still wants to crush your bones. Looking at it that way, this album is a complete triumph. I just think it lacks memorability though it's still a good listen.



Outcast, 1997

Another example of Kreator's ambiguous 90s identity, this album trades the thrash shredding for catchy and hook laden somewhat industrial metal with gothic undertones (I guess). Oddly enough, this is arguably the most nostalgic Kreator album for me. Obviously their attempt at upbeat grooves had succeeded, seeing as a lot of this awakens so many memories. Tracks like Leave this World Behind, Black Sunrise, and Phobia get me rocking to this day. It gets hate but I have a soft spot for it.



Violent Revolution, 2001

We had more Kreator albums than any other artist I reckon, and this is quite an important CD for me. After whatever Endorama even was, they propelled themselves into the new millennium with their most savage effort since the 80s, and in my opinion one of their best, maybe actually number 2 after PtK. They'd found a new noodly guitarist and started to take some cues from melodic death metal. This album is a beast. My dad was probably right not to let me borrow CoS, since in the meantime I spun this one to complete disintegration. All of the Same Blood and Servant in Heaven, King in Hell are jams of all time.

I didn't know it was live but that "Lambs to the Slaughter" cover was one of those things to make me think that late 80s metal bands didn't quite have the grit destroy the world like Raven did.

Good song though.

that one and Impossible to Cure aren't live

I must have been lit when I posted that cause I have Terrible Certainty with that EP added on and know full well what's on it. Terrible Certainty is awesome too. Kreator have never been my favorite band but Terrible Certainty hits a nearly perfect sweet spot by still having the intensity of their early albums while having a more evolved sound. I can't quite cosign their first two albums as they generally pass my ears by and their later thrash albums get too tepid.

Pleasure to Kill will never not be my favorite thrash metal album of all time

I don't wanna fight about it though cuz I'd lose

Terrible Certainty has the hardest riffs though come on.

Bruh.

it's sav

And the most badass pedo anthem of all.

you ain't gotta tell me about Kreator bro they're basically my godfather(s)

Somebody needed to.

Hey Mondo, heave you heard of Kreator?

show me some songs I know?

Teach you how to listen to them.

appreesh

jk I don't care about your false Kreator opinions lol lmao rofl

this album slays so big

Nah modern Kreator is pretty dull.

Phutureprimitive - Kinetik, 2011

I was delighted to find common ground in the world of electronic music with my friends early on. They still leaned further toward the not as weird but were down with a lot of great whackness, especially psytrance, which is just fantastic. Phutureprimitive's first album is a psybient/trance masterpiece in its own right but something about this one has me on a whole new plain.

It's a chilled out take on various -step styles of music, whatever that really means. It's not pure dub inspired stuff like the originals but also not super close to the bombastic nonsense from modern EDM heavyweights. It's in between, I suppose. It has a very futuristic sound and atmosphere throughout and bass drops that evoke some sort of synthetic sense of divinity as opposed to shattered ears and half naked teenagers.

I've been more connected to this album thanks to the influence of certain psychedelic substances, and it had lead me beneath an overpass and past an emptied quarry to a new century. Complete darkness helped the visuals construct an immense world of cybernetic wonder that remained superimposed onto my vision upon reaching the other side. So you know, cliche experience. It was more a beacon than regular album during that stretch.

It's chill af.

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Elysian Fields - Dreams That Breathe your Name, 2003

With Jennifer Charles being the undisputed queen of musical sensuality you can imagine any music becomes 18 times sexier if she even just breathes a syllable on top of it. Lovage is sensual in a purposely ridiculous way but Elysian Fields make music straight from the haze of unrecalled dreams. That said, they play dream pop as the way I believe it really should be, not just a less fuzzy shoegaze precursor. They aren't shoegazy at all, really. Anyway the music is dreamy (get this), and through thick clouds of jazz club smoke come elements of art rock and slowcore.

Their music is impossibly pleasant all the same. Recommended for fans of soundwaves.