Beastie Boys | DO THE KNOWLEDGE

So far this year the muisc I have been buying has looked like this:

1/01/09-30/06/09

In no particular order.

Rise And Fall// Into Oblivion

This album is so heavy and abrasive. The stand out tracks for me are Forked Tongues, Failure Is As Failure Does and Live In Sin . The artwork to the CD are J. Bannon illustrations which are so nice, also its refreshing to see nice artwork for a hardcore album to take the time to think about the design and not just have so crowd photo of mosh. I can not really think on anything that else to say about it but check it out.

Cancer Bats// Hail Destroyer

Lying somewhere between metalcore and death `n’ roll, Cancer Bats brings a metallic groove to raw, razor-tongued punk rock, I like this description the album is so good its punk rock real heavy. Like Into Oblivion the artwork to this CD is so good. From the opening track, Hail Destroyer right up to the second last track PMA ’till I’m DOA, the album slays, so rocking and heavy. I bought this album because they were announced as the supports to Bring Me The Horizon, so I was curious what they would be like, man what a killer buy, once I heard this CD I was so eager to see them live every track played live was just as good as the CD cut of the track, if not better, especially Deaths March, Bastards Waltz, Sorceress and Lucifer’s Rocking Chair.

Anthrax// Among The Living

Anthrax were a bunch of comic-book-reading, jam-wearing heavy metal fans from NYC, and the music reflects the lifestyle. Not a single weak song off this record, the whole album rules a thrash masterpiece. I bought this record because I saw the documentary Get Thrashed which named this album to be the strongest Anthrax record, it also was the first album to have blast beats on it. Indians, One World, A Skeleton In The Closet, Imitation Of Life, EFILNIKUFESIN (N.F.L) and I Am The Law are some of some of my favorites off this record, Caught In A Mosh is such a fresh track title to. I would have to say this is one of my favorite records I have bought this year.

Cruel Hand// Prying Eyes

This album is so good I saw them last night and they played the tightest set of songs from Prying Eyes, heavy and fast hardcore. They had a zine there that described Cruel Hand as a Hardcore, Thrash cross over band, not some pussy metalcore band, so true. The album is tough, floor punch hardcore music at its finest.

Rage Against The Machine// Evil Empire & Battle Of Los Angeles

I bought these two albums just because they were cheap, Battle is a killer record and I would say their best along with their debut self titled record Testify and Sleep Now In The Fire being my favorite tracks from the record. Evil just doesn’t quite sit right with me, the songs: People Of The Sun, Bulls On Parade, Vietnow and Tire Me are killer songs but the rest are strange attempts to be really heavy but are missing something that makes a killer RATM track plus the song structures get repetitive, maybe one day Ill appreciate them more.

IRE// 2009 Demo

This band contains members from Mindsnare, Blood Duster, and Samsara, the ultimate combination for a metallic hardcore band. Its fast and heavy but they control the speed with really heavy bits and the vokills are so good Beltsey is a killer singer, I can not wait for a record from this band no doubt it will be heavy as and will be a favorite for me. All three tracks a killer songs, check em out.

Bitter End// Climate Of Fear

Heavy hardcore, influenced by the metallic New York Hardcore bands of the late 80s and early 90s. Like Cruel Hand floor punching and stomping crushing record, all the tracks work real nice together.

Beastie Boys// Licensed To Ill

This album was a bit of a let down for me. I can not stand some of the music and lyrics to the album but Fight For Your Right, No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Brass Monkey, and Slow and Low are always going to be killer Beastie tracks, Girls is good but still dumb. The Album cover is fresh too. The only reason why I bought this record was because it was cheap and also Kerry King plays the lead to No Sleep…

The Acacia Strain // The Dead Walk

Mosh.

Carpathian/Never Alone //SPLIT REC 2003

I have had this CD since 2005 but never really gave it a listen, till recently, just to see what t sound like again well but in 2005 it didn’t float my boat but in 2009 once song from the split is killer and thats why it is being included in this. Carpathian contribute three tracks to the split, opening and closing with Donnie Darko quotes, for ages right up until the release of Nothing To Lose they would always played Overdose some where in the setlist, which was the only song I gave a listen to until this year, the opening track Clenched Fist of Feeling slays everything off this split and most likely the heaviest Carpathian song written next to Snareroll, the greatest Carpathian so put to CD. Clenched Fist… has the biggest breakdown I have heard in a long time and close to Bury Your Dead breakdown from the era of You Had Me at Hello or Cover Your Tracks, it so good. I believe its hard to get this split now and you would never be able to really guess that it is Carpathian as they have never released anything else like it since.

Trapped Under Ice// Stay Cold

Stay Cold is heavy hardcore nothing else to it and there doesn’t have to because it is so good, in the same vein as Bitter End and Cruel Hand.

Until The End // Blood In The Ink

Nothing Between Us is why I bought this record and it should be the reason why you buy this record. Nothing Between… has to be one of my favorite songs I knew it long before I had even heard of the band its just so crushing, the whole album is full of crushing straight edge anthems its all about the mosh.

Internal Affairs//Deadly Visions EP

$4.99 this EP was at JB HI FI , best $4.99 I have spent in along time, straight up Hardcore, fast and attacking the state of Hardcore at the time of its release. The whole EP rules No Good Game In HC, Reality Check, #2, and Deadly Visions are the most killer tracks from this record.

Raekwon// Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…/

Ghostface Killah //Iron Man/

GZA//Liquid Swords

It is also considered among the greatest of the Wu-Tang clansmens’ solo-releases, ranked next to Liquid Swords by the GZA and Iron Man by Ghostface Killah. I have gone and bought this album (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...) and the other two albums after buying Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Return To The 36 Chambers… because that album ruled I looked into the other solo releases, it was these three that were said to be the best. I would say out of the three Liquid Swords is the strongest because it is the most consistent and is not full of pointless little interludes that get repetitive. But in saying that each album have killer tracks on them like for Ghostface Wildflower rules, same with: Daytona 500, 260 and Iron Man. Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… follows the same formula as Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers of Death, which is fresh but it is this album that has little annoying parts and pointless interludes that get on my nerves if they were not there man this CD would be killer, but it still has killer tracks: Ice Cream, Knowledge God, Gullotine (swords), Criminology, Verbal Intercourse and Can It Be All So Simple. GZA Liquid Swords like Only Built 4… follows the same structure as Wu-Tang album but does not have any annoying parts its a killer record all but one song rules, which is Shadowboxin’, which is ruined by Method Man’s whack style of sing a part to the song besides that this album is real good, with songs Dual Of The Iron Mic, Living In The World Today, Cold World, Gotcha Back, Swordsman and B.I.B.L.E.

Wu-Tang// THE W

I heard this album back in 2000 when it first came out, it was my first contact with Wu-Tang music. Back then it did have an impact on me but I was still really staunch into metal so I didn’t really follow it up until now. Its a really strong album with maybe two or three weak songs. Chamber Music, Careful (click, Click), Hollow Bones, Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off), Let My Niggas Live, Do You Really (Thang, Thang), and Gravel Pit all rule. I would say that Careful (click, Click) and Do You Really (Thang, Thang) are the strongest tracks off this album. I think this album and Enter The 36 Chambers are two Wu albums you must own.

SLAYER// Diabolus in Musica

I looked at my Slayer section in the CD Rack and realized that I have all the prolific Slayer CDs bar this one and Christ Illusion so I decided that I will get them just for the sake of having majority of the Slayer CD Catalogue. Diabolus in Musica is seen as Slayers attempt to cash in on the Nu-Metal craze that was happening at this time of release, 1998. Because of this its said to be one of their weaker albums, well I disagree Divine Intervention sucks the only reason why that sits in my CD collection is because it has Ditto Head on it, man that song fucking rules besides that song the rest are weak as. Diabolus in Musica has some of crushing songs on it Bitter Piece so heavy ,Stain of Mind killer, In the Name Of God, Overt Enemy, and Perversions of Pain are very strong Slayer songs and stand up against their early stuff. I reckon Biter Piece is the best song check that one out for sure. The only thing that really bums me out of this album is it has a killer image for the front cover of a priest looking evil as, what is missing is the Slayer logo they have used some font that they think looks evil and scary, this is where I reckon they tried to cash in on Nu-Metal craze by erasing their logo.

BLACKLISTED// Heavier Than Heaven Lonelier Than God

Again I got this record for a bargain at $6.65, and again this record is so fresh. Stations starts off slow blows out to a made fast part to then transform into a killer groove section. From here it goes a neck brake speed, to then come to a crushing slow passe at Circuit Breaker then to pick up again until the closing track Wish. Stations is my favorite track but just because of the killer groove section in the middle of the song.

Metallica// KILL “EM ALL

So raw, I couldn’t listen to this album for years until this year. Because I saw a Cruel Hand video where they cover some songs off this album. Man, Hit The Lights, The Four Horseman, Motor Breath, (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth, Whiplash, No Remorse, Seek & Destroy and Metal Militia are so good raw as but so heavy. I am starting to like this with maturity you discover such good music.

Carpathian/Shipwreck A.D.// Live 7″

This 7″ contains two songs by each band live down at Somerville Mechanics Hall. Carpathian Cursed and Insomnia, Shipwreck have Mirage and Samur. I have to say the Carpathian side is stronger because they have two good songs recored, the Shipwreck songs are not their strongest. I love this record just because its so raw and I reckon that Carpathian’s album Isolation is sounds so good live so its nice to have recording of some of the songs from it, I have their Triple J performance taped of the radio, where they played majority of Isolation and nothing else, man , the sound is perfect, it sounds better than the record Isolation, its so droning and heavy, I have to look in to getting it converted to CD or MP3s.

50 Lions// 7”

Side A contains two new songs and side B contains two re-recorded tracks: Wake and Life In The Dogbox. Living Hell and Caged the two new songs are some of the best 5o Lions tracks I have heard heavy as, I like the direction 50 Lions are going.

Hatebreed//For The Lions

Hatebreed I guess was my introduction to hardcore music so I have a soft spot for them which resulted in my buying For The Lions, an all covers album. The cool thing about this covers album is that its a heavy band covering other heavy and extreme bands, un-like a lot of heavy bands cover bands that are not heavy say this influenced them, well Hatebreed do it in style covering classics: Slayer’s Ghost of War, Suicidal Tendencies‘-Suicidal Maniac, Mad Ball– Set It Off, Obituary- I’m In Pain, Sepultura’s– Refuse/ Resist and Merauder –Life Is Pain. Merauder track is my favorite and has resulted in my looking for their CDs at the moment, heavy as hardcore, really like.