Motörhead at Myspace

Motörhead isn’t a band that’s known for changing its sound much over the years. Despite the fact that Lemmy is the sole constant member, its sound has remained very consistent over the years. That said, there are differences from album to album; you just have to be playing close attention to hear them.

Orgasmatron (originally released in 1986) was Motörhead’s first album as a four-piece, and the first without drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (except for “On Parole,” which was recorded in 1975 but not released until 1979). The dual guitars are a nice addition; they’re played by Wurzel and Phil Campbell (who is still in the band today). The production by Bill Laswell has its ups and downs; I liked the obviously sampled backing vocals on the songs “Deaf Forever” and “The Claw”, but Lemmy’s bass playing is just buried in the mix so far that it’s almost completely inaudible.

My favorite song was the title track, which denounces the negative effects of organized religion. This topic was so controversial that no other metal band has dared take it on before or since. All in all, despite a few minor changes from formula, it’s a pretty typical Motörhead album. The songs are simplistic but fun, and Lemmy’s voice is just as scraggly as ever.If you like Motörhead’s other work, check this out; if you hate the band, skip it.

Porkfarm at myspace

Playing a style of Death Metal very similar to Dying Fetus, Brain Drill, Necrophagist, and Beneath the Massacre, Young English Death Metal act Porkfarm display an apt control over both the brutal and technical sides of the genre. They keep the technical wizardly and the “slam” side of their sound under control displaying in where the song progresses to a point where either of them is needed but not veering off into either direction willy-nilly and it is this disciplined approach that gives this six song EP an air of supreme professionally.

At Nineteen minutes this release makes you demand more. Along with the Tech-Death and Slam influences some of the songs such as “Suffer” and “Torn Apart” have some old school influences such as vintage Morbid Angel and Deicide, and with many new bands falling into the deathcore/wigger slam trap its great to see a new band making death metal how its supposed to be made. Definitely one to watch in the future

Jaldaboath at Myspace

When I heard that Jaldaboath (real name James Fogarty) was recording a solo EP, I was anxious to hear the results. He was a founding member of one of my favorite metal bands, The Meads of Asphodel. However, when I actually got around to hearing this EP, it turned out to be a terrible pile of hoary “medieval” cliches.

Things actually start off fairly well, with a brief intro track leading into “Bring Me the Head of Metatron.” Folk metal has never been one of my favorite subgenres, but this opening track isn’t bad at all. However, things take a turn for the worse for the next three tracks, which use cheesy synthesized “medieval” instruments and have terrible lyrics that not even a Monty Python sketch would touch.  The final track, “Da Vinci’s Code,” isn’t quite as bad as what preceded it, but it’s too late to save the EP. What I loved about the Meads was that they were always going off in different directions; not all of their experiments worked, but they were always interesting. None of that experimentation is in evidence here; it’s just cliche after cliche after cliche.

Now, I don’t hate silliness in metal. I love many bands I find to be incredibly silly; I find the anti-Christian sentiments of many bands to be hilarious, and the macho posturing of bands like Manowar sends me into conniptions. But Hark the Herald is just played too straight for me to get any laughs out of it.  If it’s meant seriously, it’s terrible. If it’s meant as a joke, it’s not funny. This is one of the most disappointing releases of 2008 in my opinion.

Capricorns at myspace

London supergroup Capricorns featuring members and ex members of Iron Monkey, Orange Goblin and Bridge and Tunnel play a form of instrumental stoner/post metal that takes significant influence from post rock yet is not another band that follows in the footsteps of Neurosis and Isis. There is a slight influence drawn from those two bands yes, but the music on display has a sinister foreboding edge to counter the usual spacey thoughtfulness of the genre, Pelican would be another obvious comparison but there is far too much aggression both naked and under the surface in Capricorns music for that to suffice. This is not to say there aren’t moments of calm yet eerie tension as exhibited on “A savage race by shipwrecks fed”.

For fans of stoner and post-metal who want something that isn’t the same old Oceanic/through silver in blood worship but don’t want something too out of the box, “river, bear your bones might be just what you are looking for.

The Meads of Asphodel at Myspace

The Meads of Asphodel are one of the most unique metal bands I’ve come across. They mix traditional black metal, punk, Middle Eastern music, and electronica in their brand of music, and they do it well. Damascus Steel is their most recent full-length, released in 2005 (two EPs have been released since). The band’s line-up is ever-changing, with vocalist Metatron being the only constant member, and they do not perform live.

Damascus Steel is as varied as any of their previous albums. It’s full of synthesizers, traditional black metal riffs and screamed vocals, and spoken word sections which are pulled off quite well. Most of the band’s lyrics concern war and religion, and they are considerably more thoughtful than most other bands who tackle these topics. Highlights include the opening instrumental Psalm 666, which is littered with samples; the hilarious cover of Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World,” with deliciously tasteless rewritten lyrics and Metatron doing a great impression of Armstrong’s gravelly voice, and “The Gods Who Mock Us,” which features a sweet organ solo as well as insanely brutal vocals.

Don’t stay away from this band just because it’s “black metal”- I dislike most bands in that genre, and the Meads are so much more than another black metal band. I highly recommend this release, as well as all their others (except for the 2007 EP “Life is Shit,” which is three fairly straight-up punk covers).