I Own Some Records

Xasthur - “Subliminal Genocide” (Hydra Head Records 2006)

Hate all you want, but I think Xasthur is fucking awesome.  Sure he has like 4000 releases and all of them sound the same, but I can’t get enough of it all!

For those of you who don’t know Xasthur is a one man band who plays a style of black metal that all the internet douches of the world call Suicidal Depressive Black Metal.  I mean its a fair description, this album especially sounds like something I would be playing as I offed myself, (not that I ever would) but it’s just a lame sub genre name.  On this record (which I remember when it came out was a huge deal because it was the first time a hardcore label like Hydra Head put out black metal [that I could think of at least]) it was Xasthur’s first stepping up in terms of recording quality.  You can clearly hear the different aspects that create his signature sound; the waves of guitars that create a sea of nightmarish hiss, the very well programmed drum machine, the lead guitars that sound like funeral harpsichord (TO ME THEY DO! FUCK OFF!!), the droning keys, and of course Malefic’s signature vocals.  They really do sound like tortured screams of the damned, something that most black metal bands just advertise that have but don’t deliver.

I was really bummed I didn’t buy this when it came out.  I dragged my feet on buying the vinyl and all of a sudden it became impossible to find.  Thankfully a few months ago a friend of mine needed to sell some records to pay the bills (it’s pretty sad how often this happens, and what’s even sadder is how many of my records are obtained this way!) so I scored a copy; it was even the color I was hoping to get (nothing like clear splatter to make my day)! I was happy about it until I listened to the album lol.  

-Log.

Ice Age - “New Brigade” (Dais Records 2011)

There was a lot of hype for this record. And I totally fell for it. Like I always do; my collection would be much much smaller if I didn’t believe the hype.

Ice Age are a punk band from Denmark. Thats it. Review over.

No, just kidding.  They play punk in a droning, sad style, all the while giving nods to the early hardcore greats.  Given that the average age of the band looks to be about 15 (judging by the pictures in the linear notes) these guys are going through a serious case of the puberties right about now so their angst must be flowing.  Plus they live in Denmark, so I’d be bummed to.  The vocals are delivered in a monotonous bummed out way, while the drums spatter spastically, and the guitars are down strummed (like most guitars happen to be strummed). The whole record has a dark melancholy to it, almost like Joy Division, Though they play much faster then JD.  This actually kind of reminds me of Crisis. Yeah that sounds like I know what I’m talking about.  

I feel like this could be the soundtrack to the scene in A Clockwork Orange when Alex is walking home alone after his night of raping ladies and beating up old men, if A Clockwork Orange was filmed in the early 80’s.  

This is already sold out from every label that touches it, so you know its good; (makes sense to me!) so good luck tracking down a copy.  Though I believe Dais was doing a repress.  Get it or forever be shunned by your record collecting nerd pals.  

-Log.