Episode 5 – Down With The Nails (right click to download)

The image is clear: this episode will quite simply feel like a mighty hammer driving a big sharp, rusty nail into your forehead. It will wage war into your living space, each track a shrapnel grenade ready to render your headphones into smithereens and giving a new meaning to the drum in eardrum – such is the beating it is ready to inflict, rattling like a Browning machine gun sweeping the horizon. And if at any time you feel the intensity is relaxing a bit, be careful: the episode will most likely be back thirsting for more.

Take cover and PLAY IT LOUD! We hope you can live through it until our return on May 13th.

Click for show notes and a complete tracklist.

Episode 5 – Down With The Nails

“Black End / Slaughter of Gods” are such an obvious intro diptych that we almost feel guilty about using it, but the fact is this is so perfect it couldn’t be avoided. Coffins RULE. Everybody talks about how Uchino’s vocals are one of a kind blurting of unintelligible words and how heavy the guitar and bass sounds. All true. But that shouldn’t take you away from the great drumming. It sounds like George Foreman punches. The guy was slow in the ring, especially when he came back at age 38, but he compensated it by landing the most crushing and heaviest of punches. That’s how he handled Evander Holyfield, eventually regaining the heavy-weight title later on, at age 45. Coffins drumming here is just like that: it’s not fast and it doesn’t need to be, because it’s so tight, and each beat lands like a powerful hook in the chin.

But if you’re into fast we got you covered. You’re listening to a crust/grindcore classic, so it’s gotta be fast. And how can you blame Extreme Noise Terror? They had too much to drink, but got nothing to lose (check the lyrics to “Use Your Mind” and you’ll get it). We expect you to have heard these guys already, but if you haven’t and are into bands like Napalm Death and Amebix (YOU FUCKING SHOULD BE!) there’s a lot of headbanging to be found here.

Prophecy of Doom is definitely not as regarded or loved as ENT. For starters there’s the fact that for a death metal band they don’t really cover the blood & gutz part and we’ll be the first to say that you should just keep politics out of death metal. Prophecy of Doom kept politics to a minimum though, instead focusing on philosophy and the human mind. It’s refreshing, it sounds putrid and we adore it. A piece of trivia: their first album, “Acknowledge the Confusion Master”, was released on the long dead Peaceville’s sub label Deaf Records, which also put out Isengard’s first LP, “Vinterskugge”.

Now, these guys may annoy some purists, but that’s because they’re expanding what Metal could sound like. Part Godflesh, part Swans, and with Burzum looming on top (just listen to Chip King’s vocals and tell us it doesn’t sound like Varg shrieking), The Body produces some of the most disturbing music we ever listened to, thanks to impossibly dense walls of noise and extreme use of resources to create the most terrifying and barren of landscapes. It FEELS dangerous. They’re not afraid to explore, so they will inevitable take a lot of heat for it.

The Body were so heavy we had to relieve the tension with some 101 black/thrash fun. Greece’s Satan’s Wrath know everything about 80s classics and their music shows for it. “Between Belial and Satan”, for instance, sounds unmistakably like Metallica’s “Whiplash” no less. It’s tempting to blame them for being lazy revivalists, but they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously and they seem to do everything the right way, so don’t think too much and enjoy the party!

Godflesh, on the other hand, is all but adequate to relieve any kind of tension (unless you like to dance to it… to each his/her own). “Streetcleaner” disturbs us to this day if nothing because it’s so unique sounding. We are not into programmed drums, but the concept of continuously looping apocalyptic guitar and bass lines works like a charm in the context of Godflesh. Total respect.

No, there’s nothing wrong with your player. Glenn Danzig didn’t hack your computer (we’re sure he would like it though). We actually made the conscious decision to play “Sistinas”. We figured you needed something to take the edge off after a series of hammer strikes from hell. We hope you’re not upset. There’s no honor in disliking Danzig.

Man, it’s a shame Gallhammer are on hold. We love these girls and would gladly kill to see them live. All of you who peg them as gimmicky just because they are an all-girl band are simply a bunch of insecure misogynists. These girls have all the right references – Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Amebix, Joy Division, Judas Priest, Napalm Death or Burzum – and use them to make really good music which sounds like their own.

We had to end up this episode with a bang, so we thought we can always rely upon Old’s dirty, rusty black/thrash for that. “Empire in Flames” belongs to the only full album they recorded in their career. A shame, but hey, it’s better to burn out than to fade away. Unless you’re in Hell and you really can’t have a torture of choice.

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Tracklist

1. Black End / Slaughter of Gods | Coffins (JAP) | Mortuary in Darkness, 2005 http://www.coffins.jp/
2. Use Your Mind | Extreme Noise Terror (UK) | A Holocaust in Your Head, 1989 http://www.extremenoiseterror.co.uk/
3. Earth Reality Victim | Prophecy of Doom (UK) | Acknowledge the Confusion Master, 1990 http://www.myspace.com/prophecyofdoomegodeathgrind
4. Bearer of Bad Tidings | The Body (USA) | Christ, Redeemers, 2013 http://thrilljockey.com/thrill/The-Body
5. Between Belial and Satan | Satan’s Wrath (GRE) | Galloping Blasphemy, 2012 http://www.metalblade.com/satanswrath/
6. Christbait Rising | Godflesh (UK) | Streetcleaner, 1989 http://www.godflesh.com/
7. Sistinas | Danzig (USA) | Danzig III: How the Gods Kill, 1992 http://www.danzig-verotik.com/
8. Blind My Eyes| Gallhammer (JAP) | Ill Innocence, 2005 http://www.peaceville.com/bands/2080
9. Empire in Flames| Old (GER) | Down With The Nails 2006 http://amzn.to/1hPtNoH