2009 is complete, here is the second half of the years music round up, 1/07/09 – 31/12/09
In no particular order
INTEGRITY// Humanity Is The Devil (1996), Seasons In The Size Of Days (1997), Systems Overload (1994)
Last year I read an interview with the vocalist of Shipwreck, in which he talks about how the band Integrity had a huge influence on his band. Integrity are said to be one of the first bands to initiate the move to real heavy hardcore that was influenced by metal, which then became seen as metallic hardcore, which then spawned into the genre metalcore, which dominates todays heavy music scene at the moment. Integrity records are hard to come by in Melbourne, because Integrity’s prime days are long gone, their best years were the 1990s, which means its a given they are to hard to get due to the tyranny of time. Anyway the first record I got was their 1996 ep Humanity Is The Devil, which is said to be the record that really brought the influence of metal into it and feature so prominent. This ep is so good because its not your straight forward heavy record, its has straight forward hardcore song structures that then have these little intricate song parts that throw you off what is going to happen and the sound to the record has a raw feeling to it, which suits it so well. Once I got Humanity Is The Devil, I wasn’t really going to look for any other records besides Systems Overload, the record before it, but when I bought Humanity... I was talking to the guy at Missing Link Records, he said that the next record Seasons In The Sizes Of Days was heavier than it, he described it as hardcore meets black metal with real tough Slayer riffs, this got me really intrigued in the record, I was not quiet sure what to expected, but they said it was hard to come by as it was the last record for Victory Records, as the two main song writers left and apparently the singer Dwid is a strange character who is hard to get along with this resulted in leaving the record company and Victory no longer press this record. Well a month later Missing Link got it in for me and said they will most likely not be able to ever get it in again. Man what what a killer record, it is Humanity… but stepped up to the next level with real tough Slayer riffs. This record shreds, it is really angry, but so are all Integrity records. The record has a more crisp sound than Humanity… but the black metal influence I reckon is on the guitar sound, which have a raw feel to them, which makes the sound of the record really abrasive. The final Integrity record I got this year was Systems Overload, which a lot of people I have spoken to say it is definitely a more conventual hardcore record in the same vein as Cro-mags and Judge. This record is the precursor to Humanity Is The Devil, what I didn’t expect was it to be just as heavy as it, Systems Overload is heavy as, is a real tough metallic hardcore record, and shows the direction that Humanity… and Seasons went after it. All three records are killer check them out.
TRASH TALK// Plagues… Walking Disease (2008)
17 songs in under 15 minutes. This is straight up power violence inspired hardcore, with power violence speed and hardcore mosh parts this record slays. At first I was a bit hesitant on this record but now I have to say it has to be one of the best records I bought during 2009, it is angry as fuck and so violent, never get sick of listening to it. I am gutted I didn’t get to see them live when they came out.
RINGWORM// Justice Replaced By Revenge (2005)
Just like Integrity, Ringworm are responsible for the creation of metallic hardcore and like Integrity are from Cleveland and the same time frame. Ringworm disbanded after three records, but then returned in 2001, then in 2005 released the crushing metallic onslaught piece Justice Replaced By Revenge. I first heard the record when it came out but at the time I couldn’t get my head around it because back then I was looking for the biggest breakdowns ever written. Well now in 2009 I can truly appreciate the angry as fuck punishing metallic hardcore of Ringworm’s Justice Replaced By Revenge record, go get it from the word go until the end it never stops.
SLAYER// Christ Illusion (2006), World Painted Blood (2009)
Fuckin’ SLAYER. At then end of 2008 I realized that I had every Slayer record from Reign In Blood onwards, except Diabolus In Musica and Christ Illusion so last I made sure that 2009 would see me have these records. In the first half of ’09 I got Diabolus, but had trouble getting a hold of Christ Illusion because in Australia they only keep Reign In Blood, South Of Heaven and Seasons In The Abyss in stock in Australia, this is because these three are seen as the best Slayer records, any record after their Australian release becomes an American import when it goes out of stock, and this what happened with Christ Illusion, I am not sure why I didn’t pick it up back in 2006, but anyway because Slayer released World… this year and toured everything was restocked so I got it. I feel that ever since South Of Heaven Slayer has essential written albums that just evolve off the song structures from that record, they have only once written one balls out song that could have come off Reign In Blood and that’s Ditto Head from Divine Intervention, which is their weakest record in my opinion. With crushing tracks like Flesh Storm, Catalyst, Eyes Of The Insane, Cult, Jihad, Skeleton Christ, and Consfearacy Christ Illusion is the next step in the Slayer progression of song writing, demonstrating that their contempt for God and they fascination of psychopaths and mass murders is still there. World Painted Blood is a killer record, Slayer have definitely written a tight record. The songs are more complex than anything of recent records and every song the heaviest they have written again in recent records, and also a few fast tracks to, but track Americon has the cheesiest lyrics Slayer have written, so skip that song because they are unbearable. Psychopathy Red is the best track on the record it is so fast and crushing, I could have bought this album alone based on this track its so tight with one of the best Slayer riffs ever written, its up there with tracks like; South Of Heaven, Seasons In The Abyss, Postmortem, Angel Of Death, War Ensemble, and Raining Blood. Hate Worldwide and Public Display Of Dismemberment are two more fast angry tracks from the record, make sure you get this record if you have not get it yet because it is fuckin’SLAYER.
DOWN TO NOTHING// The Most (2007)
The Most is one tight record and so heavy, every track is killer, the thick guitars and barreled drums give an accurate replication of their infamous live show. This record like Trash Talk has to be one of the best records I bought for the year.
MERAUDER // Master Killers (Master Killer 1996, Five Deadly Venoms 1999, Bluetality, 2003)
“The first time I heard Merauder I was blown away because my love fro Cro-Mags and Slayer was connected in one amazing band, this band is the perfection in crossover between hardcore and metal” Onno Cro-Mag. This is to me the perfect description of what you get from this band. Master Killers contains Merauder’s first three records Master Killer 1996, Five Deadly Venoms 1999 and Bluetality 2003, for the price of one record you get three. I only wanted it for Master Killer, that record that started it all(I have not really listened to the other two records, so I don’t have anything to say about them, except from what I have heard off Bluetality it is not that good). The whole album is thick Slayer inspired riffs that accompany the tough New York Hardcore they play. My interest in this record, Master Killer came from again reading an interview with the singer from Shipwreck saying that Merauder was another real influence on the band and from the cover of Life Is Pain by Hatebreed on their all covers record For The Lions from this year (2009). Master Killer is exactly what Onno Cro-Mag stated the perfection in crossover of hardcore and metal, it is so heavy, Life Is Pain and Master Killer are two classics songs that are perfect examples of metallic hardcore at its best.
REIGN SUPREME// Testing The Limits Of Infinite (2009)
Reign Supreme’s latest record, Testing the Limits of Infinite is a pristine example of some of the tightest, most enthusiastic metallic hardcore available today. The riffs are massive. The tracks are anthemic. The gang vocals are abundant. It’s everything a solid hardcore album should be. This record was a hassle to get because Jb Hifi would only get it in if your ordered it in which would take 6-8 weeks to get from release date, so I thought Missing Link would have it, cut along story short (and about 20 phone calls our of it) it took Missing Link a month after the release date to get it in, but the Resists Records in Sydney had it on the day it came out in the US, this happened to me a few times this year with Missing Link, which was annoying. When I finally got it, fuck, it has to be another best for the year of 2009.
HOPE CONSPIRACY// Death Knows Your Name (2006), True Nihilist 7″ (2009)
This year I have had a huge change in musical taste and ability in listening to different styles of music but in saying that most of the music has been hardcore, and it is all this hardcore that there is so much out there that I can not have listened to 1-3 years ago, bands like Have Heart, Verse and Trash Talk I would not have liked two years ago, now I reckon they are killer and this is the same with Hope Con’s Death Knows Your Name record. A record that is so angry at all the things that are fucked in this world is the only way that I can only explain it. True Nihilist 7″ follows in the footsteps of Death Knows... but the music is even more angry and heavy as, in three devastating tracks it slays Death Knows… it is so good and would again have to be another best release of 2009. The cool thing about True Nihilist is that I bought it while up in Sydney on vinyl essential based on the artwork of the record cover which is the best cover of 2009, but I was only going to be able to listen to it on the record player downstair, but what I didn’t know was that Deathwish (the record lable) give you a code that allows you to download the tracks from their website, so I will now never listen to that record because its now on my computer. Maybe one day it will be worth money. Get this 7″ it is crushing you have no idea how good it is until you check it out.
GORJIA//From Mars To Sirius (2007)
Man the song BACKBONE, whole fuck is the heaviest song I heard all year, so I went and bought the record its from From Mars…, has to be the worst record I bought all year it sucks, not a single song off the record that is like BACKBONE, I hate the band, but they still did write this killer track, so go download it because the album is not worth your money or time.
TRAPPED UNDER ICE// Secrets Of The World (2009)
This album rules chunky heavy hardcore at its best, they haven’t reinvented the wheel of heavy hardcore, they have just perfected it. I saw them towards the end of the year, killer show.
50 LIONS// Where Life Expires (2009)
50 Lions 3rd full length, which sees them write their heaviest record yet, but I wouldn’t say its their best, I reckon they nailed the perfect record on Time Is The Enemy (2007). I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but something is just out of place on the record, but in saying that at times on the record tracks just shred like Fear, For The Worst, Means To An End, No Escape, and Still Lost .
MOTHER OF MERCY// III (2009)
When 50 Lions did the tour for their record Where Life Expires they brought Trapped Under Ice (from Baltimore, USA) with them, one of the guys they brought with them brought out a heap of CDs for sale but sold them for what he would sell them in the US at $10 each, so I picked up 4 CDs, this was one of them. I took me a while to get around to listening to it because I was still thrashing out Trapped Under Ice long after seeing them live. When I final got around to listening to it became again one of the best records for the year easy, the music is so harsh and stripped back to the bare essentials of metallic hardcore, when playing this loud it makes you just want to destroy some ones world, it is a devastating album, and after only roughly about 10 listens could be my album of the year, big call but I reckon it is.
LEWD ACTS// Black Eye Blues (2009)
CD N0.2 from the 50 Lions/Trapped Under Ice show. I was curious about this CD for a couple weeks before the show as I had heard an interview with the dudes of the Deathwish podcast came off as good dudes so for $10 I was like why not. Lewd Acts are Deathwish band and it has come to a point where you can sort of guess what the sound of the record will be, angry and ball of energy in the music, which this record is. At first I wasn’t grabbed by it, until after a few rotations it slowly began to grow on me, now its just one angry record, that I really enjoy.
FOUNDATION// Hang Your Head (2009)
CD N0.3 from the 50 Lions/Trapped Under Ice show. I was suckered into this record, I cant remember the comparison but it must have been good, it would be the weakest record out of the four I bought, but in saying that is still a good record. There are two things you have to get by with this record: 1. the shocking album artwork, which really dumbs it down 2. half way through recording the record changes sound, because they record the record in sections at different places, which is not obvious until track 8, so it only effects three songs. Once you get past this the record is not to bad, but again it was a record that had to grow on me, which it has, a solid hardcore release .
TRAP THEM// Seizers In Barren Praise (2009)
CD N0.4 from the 50 Lions/Trapped Under Ice show. This wreckord is a cacophony of destruction.
IRON AGE// The Sleeping Eye (2009)
I have no idea what to say about this record but that if Metallica where a hardcore band back in the 1980s they would have attempted to write these classic 7 songs, this is definitely one of the best records of the year and the most unique records I have ever bought since listening to hardcore, it rules. The sound is so heavy, raw and abrasive, just like Metallic’s Kill Em All. This record is fucking insane and it is huge in sound and after calling Mother Of Mercy’s record III, I forgot about this one so there could by a tie. I will have to play them a few time side a by side and work it out for sure.
IRON MIND// The Sun Has Set (2009)
This band is from Melbourne, their first ep man another huge sounding bit of metallic tinged hardcore, this album is just wrecking ball of an album, like Trapped Under Ice, Cruel Hand and Bitter End Iron Mind have not reinvent the sound of heavy hardcore they have just perfected it. Besides the solid effort of the music the artwork that is in the inside record cover is an illustration of horrors that is so incredible its nice to see a band that puts thought into a good piece of artwork that accompanies the music so well.
S.O.D. (STROMTROOPERS OF DEATH)// Speak English Or Die (1985)
March Of The S.O.D. is why I bought this record and also for Speak English Or Die, S.O.D. is the brain child of Scott Ian of Anthrax, who are one of the four original thrash titans of the 1980s, while Anthrax write killer songs that essential embraced hardcore, punk and rap that turn into devastating 5-7 minute monstrosities of songs, S.O.D write straight up crossover thrash, which the combination of puck and metal, that usually on last for a no more than a minute. S.O.D is just stripped back heaviness, while most of the lyrics are piss takes that make up the songs like: Kill Yourself, Milano Mosh,Chromatic Death, Pre-Menstrual Princess Blues, Pussy Whipped, Fuck The Middle East and Douche Crew, the music is so good, good buy for they year.
PULP FICTION SOUNDTRACK// (1994)
The soundtrack to one of the best films ever made, if you haven’t seen it your an idiot and have not taste or culture. With killer tracks from the film: Misirlou performed by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, Jungle Boogie performed by Kool & The Gang, Bustin’ Surfboards by The Tornadoes, Son Of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield, Bullwinkle Pt.II by The Centurians , the famous You Can Never Tell by Chuck Berry and my favorite Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon performed by Urge Overkill. Album is killer and a good break from metallic tinged hardcore.
AT THE GATES// Slaughter Of The Soul (1995)
This year has definitely been the year where I have bought almost every record I have always wanted to own and this record has always been high on my list of records to buy, it is a crushing record and the record responsible for so many US (others from many countries around the world) metalcore bands biting the European metal sound it has it all the killer riffs and huge breakdowns. The funny thing is their influences included Slayer and Integrity,which is not obvious at all, so they knew how to include your influences with out making them obvious because their is so much heavier than Integrity’s just not as abrasive. Crushing record suss it out if you were ever a sucker for the metalcore, which I still am, (you cant deny how good Bring Me The Horizon’s Suicide Seasons is, which was produced by Fredrik Nordstrom who produced Slaughter Of The Soul and so much more)
SUM 41// Does This Look Infected? (2002)
Metallic tinged pop punk. This record came out in 2002, if someone told me in 2002 that in 2009 I would by buying it I would laugh in their face and tell them that would never happen the only record I can remember buying in 2002 is Blood Dusters ultimate EP Drink Fight Fuck, 2002 would have been all metal albums, kind of gutted I can’t remember what other albums I bought, but Blood Duster because it is still a killer EP to this day. Any way the point I am making was that pop punk was huge then and I hated it, it was lame and was not heavy my whole life has revolved around crushing music until this year when I bought my first pop punk record this little gem. I bought this record on the single track Still Waiting, what a killer track. I remember seeing a Sum 41 video clip back around this time when they did a song for the soundtrack to Spiderman, the video/track feature Kerry King ( If you don’t know who Kerry King is your fucking dumb and should be ashamed of yourself) so this must have meant they were influenced by metal. The album before this one All Killer No Filler was a straight up pop punk record, this one has metallic tinged pop tracks all the way through it: Still Waiting, A.N.I.C., Mr Amsterdam (Heaviest song off the record easy), Thanks For Nothing, Hyper-Insomnia-Para-Condrioid, and Billy Spleen. This album is so much fun it, its a record this just makes you want to smile all day.
BAD BLOOD// Inner Peace Outer Grief (2007)
Heavy hardcore from Sydney.
WORD UP!//Chillmatic (2009)
Word Up! are from Byron Bay, they could be the biggest carbon copy of 50 Lions, but they do it so well, which makes it a killer record.
AC/DC// Back In Black (1980)
How can I be an AC/DC fan since the age of 6 and not own this record, so this year I made sure I picked up, no suprises on here just the classic: Hells Bells, Shoot To Thrill, Back In Black, You Shook Me All Night Long and Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution. Killer record.
THE DEAD WALK// We Prowl The Streets (2006)
In JB HIFI next to each section of music they have a clearance section for each one, I got this record for $5, best $5 spent along with the $4.00 for Internal Affairs record and $6.60 for Blacklisted Heavier Than Heaven Lonelier Than God of the year. Man this record is so good hailing from New Castle, they play heavy hardcore and do a mean cover of Beastie Boys Fight For Your Right. There is not a single band track off the record and again would be part of the pack of best records I have bought this year, such a shame they split up a couple of years ago I am really keen to hear these tracks belted out live.
METALLICA// Mater Of Puppets (1986)
I have had this album for years but it was a burnt copy and it is one of my favorite metal records of all time like a billion other people out there, it was $13 at JB so I picked up, it is still sitting in its shrink wrap, I wonder if CDs will ever come of value, because I doubt I will take it out.
NIRVANA// Nevermind (1991)
Killer record should have owned it for a longer than six months.
MARILYN MANSON// Portrait Of An American Family (1994) Antichrist Superstar (1996)
I have been a fan of Manson for years and have been meaning to by Antichrist Superstar for years as at some point I had a burnt copy but lost and felt I knew the record to pay full price for it so I never really bother getting until now because I found it for $12 and saw Portrait for $10, so I grabbed that to because I remember liking what I had heard from it. Well not hearing for a long time its no where near as good as I remember it, but songs Cake And Sodomy, Lunch Box and Get Your Gunn are all still killer songs. Antichrist Superstar fuck, this record rules I forgot how good it was. It is the record that put Manson in the general public radar and began his assault on them causing alot of outcry in the US from
Pro-Christian groups . The record is full of classics: Irresponsible Hate Anthem, Beautiful People, Antichrist Superstar and The Reflecting God, but then all these killer tracks: Little Horn, Mister Superstar, Angel With The Scabbed Wings, Kinderfeld, and 1996. This record is Manson’s Reign In Blood or his Master Of Puppets if he just played this record in its entirety I would, the record is so cool and the artwork goes with music I look at it and think I wish I was the dude responsible for designing this package it rules, suss it out.
GALLOWS// Orchestra Of Wolves (2007)
I am not sure why I picked up this record, I think it was a combination of their latest release ( I don’t know what that is) and the fact some one was raving about them to me, it was $10 at JB so I grabbed. At first I was unsure of it but as usual (this is becoming quite a common thing for me, it never use to happen in the past) the record grew on me. I would describe it as a really abrasive raw punk record with hardcore elements to fill in the gaps. I really enjoy this album but sometimes the voice can irritate me real quick so if I am not in the mood I have to change the to some other band like Ringworm. Definitely one of the best discovery’s of the year, highly recommend it.
CONVERGE// Axe To Fall (2009)
Converge are a band that everyone raves about saying the most influential band on hardcore and extreme music from the band to Kurt Ballou who is the must have produced of so many killer records of the last 5 years, to Jacob Bannon running the record label Deathwish, which has some of the best hardcore bands on it. I have found all their releases to always be so chaotic that I couldn’t get my head around them, so why did I get Axe To Fail? I saw a promo video of Converge writing the album and they were practicing the opening song Dark Horse, which must have riff of the year in, the song didn’t seem so much of a cluster fuck of sonic distortion, thank god I was right. Axe To Fail to me is the best thing I have ever heard from Converge its like they have managed to harness the raw sonic power of all their previous efforts and written the most punishing records of 2009. I have finally come round to understand everyones obsession with Converge, but in saying that I still can’t dig the previous records, this will have to be my Converge record.
THE HOLLOW// Self titled EP (2009)
Rising from the bleak industrial streets of Australia’s Newcastle, The Hollow emerge with an insatiable appetite that encompasses raw emotion and darkness. Fueled by a hatred for mankind The Hollow represent a new age in Australian hardcore. For fans of Integrity/Turmoil/Rise and Fall. I love this description of The Hollow-especially the hatred of mankind bit (Stolen from the bio of Shipwreck) any band that hates mankind has to be killer. I had be so keen to see these dudes live and get their record just because of that description, I finally got to see them when Rise And Fall came at the end of the year, man they where killer, what was cool is the song they have on the EP is the same sound as they live sound really abrasive and you can now tell I love raw abrasive metallic hardcore.
BLKOUT// Total Depravity (2009)
I saw BLKOUT live while supporting Rise And Fall, they were killer so I picked up their record, straight up Australian hardcore solid release, suss it out if you like No Apologies, Internal Affairs, Cruel Hand you get the point.
RISE AND FALL// Our Circle Is Vicious (2009)
Man this record came out at the end of October 27th to be exact, guess what Missing Link still have not got it, Resist Records had it the day it came out in the US, I am now going to buy all my new releases through Resist Records and have them sent down. I had to wait until their show to get this record so when I saw them I knew nothing off the record, I think they played more off Into Oblivion. This record is definitely a different record than Into Oblivion it is more chaotic and has a real sense of dread and doom and also anguish that make up the record. I have only listened to it a hand full of times it is yet to really appeal to me I think the record is to mature for me, so Ill have to listen to it more and do a recap on it later.
WU-TANG// Wu-tang Forever (1997)
The follow up record to 36 Chambers, in that time RZA had produced the solo albums of Ol’Dirty, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Gza and Method Man, out of those records only Gza record kept the sound of 36 Chambers in it, the rest went for a more polished sound, which resulted in this second offering to be a lot more polished and almost not even remotely sound like 36 Chambers, which is a shame in my opinion. The album comprises of two disc, the first disc is killer the second one is no good but thats cool because the first one slays it so thats all I listen to and it has really grown on me. I now have all the Wu records up to The W, and they are all killer but 36 Chambers will always be the one.
NO WARNING// Ill Blood (2002)
Short Fuse was why I bought this record, I had the song on my computer for years but nothing else so I grabbed the record while at Resist Records in Sydney, killer record straight up pissed off hardcore.
BRACE WAR//Juggernaut (2007)
I thought Brace War were a really chugging tough hardcore band but to my surprise it was really fast hardcore not as fast or as chaotic as Trash Talk but in the same vein as them with the big mosh parts thrown between all the thrash parts, could buy.
MIND ERASER// Cave (2005)
Exactly like Trash Talk, it is so good, fast and violent. Go get it.
DO THE KNOWLEDGE 