Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation

Leaders in the 'new wave of thrash' currently thundering around the ears of metalheads, Virginia, USA's Municipal Waste possess something that detractors of such a musical rejuvenation as a pointless retreading of classic works cannot complain about; genuinely good songs. The Waste thrash like its only gonna be cool for thrash to be retro for the length of their albums and thus must get all their quality out there before its done. Their latest release, 'The Art of Partying' is probably a better album than this, but there's something fresh and exciting about Hazardous Mutation that appealed to me so much the first time I heard it. Unleash the Bastards is not only a great song title, but a great track, one of many that grab you by the hair, throw you around for a few mins then release you to catch your breath before it does it again. Municipal Waste thrash like titans, the title track and the brilliantly titled 'Thrashin' of the Christ' provide an awesome pairing in the middle of the album and its fantastic to see a genuine sense of humour still apparent in modern metal and not just raging about the ills of the world. 'Mind Eraser' must be given a special mention for its lyrics about the joys of binge drinking, and the thrash-blast of 'Black Ice' is commendable for the quality of a 45 second riff explosion about crashing on, surprisingly, black ice. Long let the Waste continue with this awesome thrash, and I hope that once the fad is over and the retro-thrashers disappear back to 1985 that Hazardous Mutation will still stand high as a pinnacle of 00s metal, regardless of genre.

Morbid Angel Live 24/06/08

This was a performance I'd been looking forward to ever since I became a Morbid Angel fan. It is not often that you can come across what can be considered as a bona fide legend in the music world. The longevity, quality and influence of this band can never be underestimated, and Domination stands as one of my most treasured musical belongings. Arriving rather early by accident to the Garage, I got a chance to properly peruse a merch stand rather than running up at the end going, 'I want XL in that one, ok you have none left, that one!'. A side note and not overly important to the gig but it was great to see a selection of 7 different designs of shirt, rather than the paltry two or three I am used to at concerts these days. Anyhoo, supporting act and local band Achren were a decent support, although yet another whose enthusiasm for the slot wasn't matched by the crowd response. A shame really because they were solid and entertaining.

And so to Morbid Angel. What a performance. David Vincent is every bit a frontman, his witty banter between songs keeping the crowd entertained, such as imploring a young lady not to dive off the balcony because she was too pretty to die. He almost looks like an evil(er) verion of Gene Simmons, surely the only man who can still get away with a skin tight plasticy-leather black shirt with a big silver pentagram on the front, and the usual cliched remarks about how metal fans strength comes from within and it doesn't matter what people think of you take on a new passion when spoken by an elder statesman of the genre. His performance was awesome, belching forth the classics: Maze of Torment, Chapel of Ghouls and Pain Defined were all dropped early in the set, and was followed almost by a greatest hits set, although disappointingly devoid of anything from Blessed are the Sick, which I felt was unfortunate. But it was a small disappointment, minature at best when the band created an effort like this. Tracks like God of Emptiness and Where the Slime Live take on a new level of malevolence in a live setting, Trey Azagthoth's labyrinthine style of riffing creates such a frenzy that he doesn't even need to head bang to create a pit frenzy. An excellent example of how quality musicianship is more important to a live performance than enthusiastic headbanging! Destructhor of Zyklon was an excellent second guitarist and Pete Sandoval's drumming was simply phenomenal. How he doesn't suffer from some form of muscle strain after every song astounds me. A rarely heard outing of 'Bill Ur-sag' from Formulas Fatal to the Flesh and a new track, Nevermore from the upcoming album were also both warmly welcomed. The new track was particularly excellent, a lurching behemoth with a catchy refrain and remiscient of their slower, later work rather than the hurtling intensity of Altars of Madness.

The gig did end rather early for my liking, only an hour and a quarter or so after they first strode onto the stage, but Morbid Angel slayed tonight. If they can create yet another essential album and come back for a longer set, there's going to be more than enough life in the old beast yet. Awesome

The Agony of Reviewing

Well, maybe a strong word for it, but anyone who does this will understand my issue I am having at the moment. In order to create, not a portfolio as such but I suppose it could be described as such, but a balanced way of reviewing music, and especially of such extreme stylings, it is important to me that I don't come across as overly positive all the time. I like to think i could create a review of an album that if people bought they could either agree or at least see where the thoughts came from. But I found, as I looked at my past writings, that almost all have been of an album I have greatly enjoyed and only one was anything that really approached a negative response. My problem is this; that if I don't enjoy an album, a band or a genre of music, than I don't listen to it. I'd much rather sit through a metal album that captured my attention, challenged me and more often than not, kicked some ASS! If an album doesn't grab me within the first, say, 3 or 4 tracks then I start to wonder whether it is worth listening to the rest.

And yet I have come across a number of albums in my time that grow on me over time, or that get better when the later tracks start. Its a conundrum for someone who would really like to do this kinda thing for, well maybe not a living, but certainly as a hobby, because as you know, when you come across an album that truly gets to you, truly speaks to you and influences you to check out a band or a genre, its a great moment. Everyone can remember the albums that got them into certain styles, no matter what it is. Death metal was unattractive to me until I heard Lashed to the Slave Stick from Nile's Annihilation of the Wicked cd (2005). I subsequently heard the rest of the album and was awestruck by the power, ferocity and above all the inventiveness of the band in such a previously unopen genre to me. I then began with their work and moved onto more stuff, and now own a massive collection of death metal cds. Its all about albums that strike you, but if an album doesn't, is it fair to stop listening and declare it shit before you evaluate the whole piece?

I review albums I enjoy listening to because that's what music is about, what you enjoy, what invigorates you, speaks to you, for you, what can brighten your day or simply make you wanna bang your head and jump into a pit with a large group of sweaty folks and go nuts. It doesn't even matter what makes you do it, as long as it does. Maybe I'll be able to put something up soon that was a proper disappointment to me, and that I wouldn't necessarily recommend to people. But in the end its all subjectivity. You may think an album that I love sucks, and vice versa, and therefore opinions almost seem redundant in such a field. On the other hand, most people get into bands due to a recommendation from a friend or magazine, so maybe subjectivity has some life in it yet...

Ihsahn - angL

Ihsahn can comfortably be defined as a musical genius, a virtuoso and progenitor of 4 of the finest metal albums ever to appear on the radar of this writer's musical experience. Every Emperor release was a masterclass in technicality, atmosphere, arrangement and inspiration. In the Nightside Eclipse is a cornerstone of my listening evolution, the black metal album that got me into it, as its scope and delivery was just so impressive to me. But what since Emperor's self-inflicted demise? Samoth and Trym went on to form death metal juggernauts Zyklon who also appear to get better with each subsequent release, showing that there was an excellent creative collaboration in Emperor, but Ihsahn's first solo album, The Adversary was met with mixed reactions and disappointment by many as it appeared to be as if Ihsahn was free to reign, but he was almost unwilling to fully release his visions. And yet it was still an excellent album of potent material, which always begged that question: what if it went further? Well thankfully he has returned with his second proper solo work, and what a work it is. Not only has he fully released his incredible talents, but Ihsahn has that uncanny ability to go into all regions of extreme metal, from harsh black to progressive and yet it never feels disjointed. Opener 'Misanthrope' unleashes with a bombastic roar and Ihsahn's instantly recognisable vocal stylings remind you of prime Emperor album openers like Curse You All Men! Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt makes a passionate appearance on Unhealer and adds depth to a melancholic, powerful track that could go down as one of the great collaborations in extreme music. It contains beautiful pastoral clean guitar sections, great death vocal interplay between the two men and comes across as an essential mix in the album, not just a showy collaboration intent on bringing in Opeth fans etc. 'Thredony' possesses a vulnerability in its acousticness, and Ihsahn's progressive streak appears in full force in 'The Alchemist'. His hired hands on bass and drums, Lars Norberg and Asegir Mickelson from Spiral Architects, keep the performance tight and and natural, and play admirably. Its important not to forget that contribution but the star as always is Ihsahn. His performance is nothing short of magnificent, his impassioned vocal work on the verses of Emancipation and his technical, flowing guitarwork that punctuates every song on the album is a delight to behold. Finally we have the kind of work anyone who knows what he can create has expected, and it has been more than worth the wait. Long may the Emperor reign...

Children of Bodom Live 12/06/08

Children of Bodom are one of my favourite bands, but I have never got to see them live, since I got into them they only supported Slayer et al on the Unholy Alliance Tour. As much I probably should have been at that gig I couldn't really afford it. No matter, this was Bodom's first headline show in Scotland, and at the Carling Academy which is the best venue in Glasgow for bigger bands in my opinion. Sound always gets kinda lost at the SECC for me, except for Rammstein which was just so fire and explosion filled you wouldn't have noticed. Anyway, after a passable supporting act Anterior, my anticipation for Bodom was great. I've been a big fan of their earlier work for a number of years, and as much as they appear to have lost their melodic death streak to achieve a more streamlined, stadium metal sound, I still like their last two, no matter what anybody said. But if there's been consternation about their sound on record, live they are a finely honed killing machine. Opening with a rousing rendition of Sixpounder, C.O.B. led an eager, but if slightly too young for me, crowd into a frenzy of circle pits, shout along choruses and general all around metal mayhem. To be honest it was fantastic, they create a hell of a show, nailing every harmonic and excellent riffing section and Alexi Laiho is as charismatic a frontman as you'll find these days. They also possess an incredible array of excellent anthemic metal that would be ridiculed for its catchiness if it wasnt so well written and executed. Silent Night Bodom Night, Angel's Don't Kill, Follow the Reaper and Hate Me all hit the spot perfectly and my throat and neck were sore by the end. They also pulled out a magnificent cover, or half cover at least of Journey's Small Time Girl that had the crowd yelling along every word. Who says metalheads don't appreciate the cheesy rock?! Awesome performance, catch them if you can!