Dad Metal - A Maryland Death Fest playlist for my father

This May I am heading to Baltimore to attend one of the greatest North American extreme music festivals; Maryland Deathfest. Simply put, I'm pretty fucking stoked. The line up is incredible, I'm probably going to go broke buying records and merch, and the closest I've come to Baltimore is watching the first 2 seasons of The Wire in a single sitting. To be sure, these are all valid reasons to be excited, but the greatest part about this trip will be my traveling partner and Festival-buddy; my father. 

Playing and listening to music was and continues to be important to both of my parents, and from a young age good music was drilled into my brain in hopes that I'd grow up with half-decent taste (Apologies. You both tried your best.). My early birthday party soundtracks skipped between Rafi and Hendrix, Sesame Street and Three Dog Night, Sharon, Lois, and Brahm and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. I heard the Dead Kennedy's "Too Drunk to Fuck" for the first time in my dad's workshop when I was thirteen. Regardless of what shitty music I was listening to, or the even shittier music I'm listening to now, my father always took a "hey, not my bag, but if you are into it, that's cool" approach. That said, he's much more likely to throw on a John Prine LP then rage out to Extreme Noise Terror. Therefor, in order to prepare him for the giant wall of sound that awaits him this May, I thought I'd make him an MDF playlist! Bonding!

  1. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mt. Abraxas - This relatively new English band's blend of late 60's fuzzed out psychedelic rock and Sabbath-era early metal makes for a groovy, head-bobbing music with just the right amount of heaviness. This, the first cut off of 2013's Mind Control, is a slow-burner and I think a great way to kick things off.

2.  Windhand - Orchard - I'm a sucker for good female vocalists in heavy music, and Dorthia Corrtell's rich, haunting voice fits perfectly with Windhand's slow doom metal vibe. Dad, while the first  two songs in this playlist may seem to indicate otherwise, I am not "on the pot". I'll be sure to ramp things up past 65 BPM in track 3.

3. Antisect - The World's Biggest Runt - Excellent early English anarcho-punk. Antisect's 1983 LP In  Darkness, There is No Choice , along with Amebix's Arise are widely considered to be the recordings that kicked off the whole crust punk movement, and for that the world is a much better, stinkier place. 

4. Capitalist Casualties - On The Take - This band has been churning out furious, politically-charged hardcore punk / powerviolence since the late 80's.  Similar to Antisect, this is a group whose influence can be heard on a vast number of contemporary recordings.

5.  Black Breath - Sentenced to Life - Along with Vancouver band Baptists, Black Breath was one of the first bands to turn me on to Southern Lord records, in my opinion the reigning taste makers of contemporary heavy music. Black Breath's blend of darkened thrash and hardcore is reminiscent of Entombed, especially in guitar tone. The title track from from 2012's Sentenced To Life will make your neck sore.

6. The Secret - Angus Dei - Do you like Trap Them? Do you like All Pigs Must Die? Do you like a Spicy Meat-a-ball? Do you like Mario and Luigi? How about the Godfather movies? Do you like tired stereotypes about Italians in place of actual comedy? (Good!). Another great band from the Southern Lord roster, Italy's The Secret play that familiar blend of dark hardcore / d-beat / death metal / grind that everyone seems to be jamming to these days. Personally, the more bands like this, the better!

7. Tankard - Die with A Beer In Your Hand - An 80's German speed metal band whose every song is about alcohol. What the fuck else do you need to know?

8. Noothgrush - The Jundland Wastes - While Noothgrush have existed since the early 90's, I am a relatively new fan and only have listened to a small portion of their total output. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I've heard so far, especially their recent split EP with Japanese sludge monsters Coffins. This is dark, misanthropic sludge / doom that perfectly balances the brutal, industrial levels of evil with meaty riffage.

9. Candlemass - Tot - Candlemass purists will probably be pissed I'm not picking a track off of 1987's Nightfall, but Goddamnit to I ever dig Candlemass' 1999 love letter to Black Sabbath From the 13th Sun. Björn Flodkvist's vocals on this track during the verses are ethereal,  then the guitar comes in and HOT DAMN! A crushing, Iommi-esque riff with a freaking church bell on the accents!

10. Gorguts - An Ocean of Wisdom / Battle of Chamdo-  Avant garde technical death metal from La Belle Province! This track from 2013's Colored Sands demonstrates that  beyond the insane musical ability possessed by its members, Gorguts know how to write actual songs. That might seem like an odd compliment, but too often Tech Death bands seem content to travel far up their own asses and simply mash together a bunch of "Hey,look what I can do!" sections, creating records that can be praised for the skill they demonstrate, but are ultimately real snoozers to listen to. Colored Sands keeps you engaged from start to finish. The second tune I've included, Battle of Chamdo, is a classical piece frontman Luc Lemay wrote for piano and was then performed by a string quartet for the record. beautiful stuff.

Like any list, it's clear I'm missing stuff. There are many excellent bands playing at this year's festival that are not listed here. Is there a band I simply cannot miss at MDF? Let me know in the comments! and if you are going to MDF this year, Dad and I will see you in the fucking pit! Bonding Mosh!

Shut Up and Take My Money: Cult Leader

I have a confession to make; I own a shocking amount of band merch. My wardrobe is overflowing with logo-and-appropriately toughguy hardcore silliness / gory death metal slaughterhouse diorama-emblazoned t-shirts, long sleeves, and hooded sweatershirts. My wife has resigned herself to simply shaking her head in quiet disgust when I return from a concert toting a bookbag full of things that scream "I'm an adult that makes sound decisions about how to spend our disposable income". I know I have a problem and I don't care; If I like your band, I will buy ALL of your shit. What's that? You're selling a record I already purchased on iTunes four months ago on two different colors of vinyl? In the bag, good sir. You only have XXXXXL-size T-shirts that you poorly silk-screened yourself? Fuck it, it'll shrink in the wash. You've got a signature Pez-dispenser with matching lunch box?

If there is a band whose merch table I will pillage the most in 2014 if given the opportunity, it would be Cult Leader (Yes, I did just write an entire self-absorbed paragraph just to segue into a discussion about Cult Leader. "Blog" is just an easier way to say "Narcissism"). 

Cult Leader is a relatively new band formed by three quarters of the super excellent and now-defunct Utah-based Sludge/Hardcore/Grind/Whatever act Gaza. While Gaza released three full lengths and a EP during there existence, it was 2012's "No Absolutes in Human Suffering" that really made me a huge fan; oppressively heavy, tight musicianship, smart lyrics, and it imposes an atmosphere of pure dread and fury throughout (really, fun for the whole family!). Jon Parkin's vocals don't just sound angry, they sound positively unhinged.

In March of 2013, Gaza announced they were disbanding. While the band did not provide reasons for the split, it was reported that it was in part due to allegations of sexual assault made against Parkin by a woman in Idaho. While Parkin was never charged, it seems the rest of the band decided it best to move on. I was pretty bummed, as I had missed their last trip through Montreal, however in the same month three ex-members announced the formation of Cult Leader and just last month released a track from their forthcoming debut album "Nothing For Us Here". (Link goes to video - I'm unable to embed it here for some reason.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEZpEccekcE

"Skin Crawler" gives us a good idea of what we can expect from the new record; basically Gaza 2.0 minus John Parkin, which I certainly support wholeheartedly. So far this is the album I am most looking forward to in 2014. In short, Cult Leader, play a show in Montreal this year so I can buy all of your shit. I suggest your own line of Kool-Aid and shiny robes. I would totally buy that. 

Happy  2014, err'body! 2013 was a pretty excellent year for music, especially for fans of all things fast and heavy. I don't want to call this a "best of" list, as it's rather genre specific, but these were my 13 favorite records of the year.

13. Seven Sisters of Sleep - Opium Morals: The mark of a good doom/sludge/drone album is its ability to create a consistent atmosphere throughout the entire recording. What makes Opium Morals special is the the band's ability to inject frenetic, blast beat sections without ruining the overall flow.

12. The BCASA - Fuck You Shredder - It's a punk rock concept album about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I shouldn't have to say more than that, however for those unfamiliar with the band you are in for a hell of a ride. Catchy, well written jams that have infinite replay value.

11. Toxic Holocaust - Chemistry of Consciousness - It's rather difficult to criticize Joel Grind for a lack of innovation when he successfully distills everything we love about dark d-beat / thrash on every subsequent Toxic Holocaust record. "Chemistry" is nothing new, but that's the point.

10. Weekend Nachos - Still - I have a soft spot for bands that commit to pissing off as many people as possible. Fans of the powerviolence sub-genre either love these guys, or believe they singlehandedly ruined the genre. I belong to the former camp and "Still" is another excellent offering of pissed off negative hardcore / powerviolence. Favorite Track: S.C.A.B - a song ridiculing punks for espousing political beliefs they don't understand just because it's trendy. 

9. Noisem - Agony Defined - In their debut full length, this group of young whippersnappers (I think their average age is 19) hailing from Baltimore have released quite possibly the best thrash metal album of the year. Great songwriting that displays each member's insane chops without getting masturbatory and never takes its foot off the gas pedal. Very reminiscent of "Reign in Blood"-era Slayer. Your neck will get sore from headbanging.

8. Lumbar - The First and Last Days of Unwelcome - This is a recording that requires a bit of back story to really appreciate it; Lumbar is a special side-project comprised of three members: Tad Doyle, Mike Scheidt, and Aaron Edge. While recording the music that would eventually end up on this record, Aaron Edge was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and his deteriorating condition almost prevented him from completing the project. It is clear his experiences found their way into this recording and infused it with additional emotion heft. Musically, Lumbar produces somber, atmospheric doom clearly influenced by YOB and Bothers of the Sonic Cloth, but with Edge's heavier vocals make this comparable to Eagle Twin. 

7. Ghost B.C. - Infestissumam - It is difficult to separate the band's overall aesthetic from the music. For those unfamiliar, the members of Ghost BC perform and give interviews in full costume never revealing their true identities. Their  lead singer, Papa Emeritus, and his band of Nameless Ghouls bill themselves as a Satanic cult hellbent (see what I did there?) on bringing about the destruction of the Catholic Church and paving the way for the Anti-Christ. Their music is therefor obviously 70's pop rock...wait what? To be clear, Ghost is all about the pageantry; these were a bunch of Swedish kids who saw KISS and knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Therefor it's difficult to say whether "Infestissumam" would stand up on its own without all the inverted crosses and anti-pope stuff, but I still find it super groovy!

6. Baptists- Bushcraft - Big thanks to Shane Saunderson for putting these guys on my radar. Their first full length after signing with reigning kings of heavy Southern Lord Records and recorded at Kurt Ballou's (Converge) God City Studios, Baptists successfully marry unbridled D-beat / crust ferocity with deft musical prowess. Drummer Nick Yacyshyn, formally of mathcore band A Textbook Tragedy, is a total Goddamn beast on this record. 

5. NAILS - Abandon All Life - Using sub-genre monikers to describe NAILS' latest record wouldn't aptly explain what's going on in "Abandon All Life". Elements of Hardcore, punk rock, grindcore, powerviolence, death metal, and D-beat are present, but they seem to appear all at the same time, crammed into 10 tracks and the whole thing barely lasts 17 minutes.  If "Cave Your Goddamn Skull In-core" was a thing, this would be that thing.

4. Deafheaven - Sunbather - A bizarre merger of black metal and shoegaze, bizarre only in that Deafheaven are able to marry the two styles of music so perfectly. Sunbather is a visceral, haunting, beautiful piece of music. Of course, nothing pisses off black metal purists like innovation from a couple of un-kvlt shorthairs injecting a bunch of that girly "feelings" crap into their super serious Pagan blood rituals in mom's basement. Deafheaven seem to revel in taking a poke at Metal's grumpiest sub-genre; beyond the daylight name of the record, the album art is bright pink. U Mad Bro?

3. Dead In The Dirt - The Blind Hole - This young Atlanta-based grindcore outfit sure seems angry. I mean, if I were vegan and straight edge, I think I'd be angry all the time too. (no offence to my vegan and/or straight edge friends; please don't beat me up.). "The Blind Hole" is a misanthropic slab of grindcore filth, but the group's ability to deftly add doom and hardcore influences provides the music with a satisfying low-end heft. One of the elements that makes "The Blind Hole" so successful is the production value; the tracks are clear and levels are perfect without subtracting from the crushing, oppressive vibe. Quite the opposite, actually; eschewing the grindcore / Crust technique of making a record feel "authentic" by having it sound as if it was recorded with a Sony Walkman encased in a layer of dog poo, the added weight lent to the bass and drums allows "The Blind Hole" to deliver a much more effective gut punch.

2. Mutoid Man - Helium Head - Evil Shananigans said it best "MUTOID MAN IS FUCKING AWESOME. I’ve gushed enough about this band by giving them awards for both song and rookie of the year, but I’ll just say this – keep supporting these guys so that they want to make more music and don’t deprive the world of their audio insanity." Helium Head is a great combination of heaviness, groove, and rock-n-roll fun times. Ben Koller, one of my all-time favorite drummers, lays complete fucking waste to his kit on this record. I Think I could listen to the title track "Gnarcissist" on repeat for a month. 

1. Full of Hell - Rudiments of Mutilation - Recommending this album feels like recommending the movie "Schindler's List"; undeniably great, but not really a pleasurable experience (unless there is something fundamentally wrong with you). Full of Hell's new record is pure sonic torture meant for only the most discerning of masochists; a blend of hateful negative hardcore and experimental noise music that is more bleak and menacing than anything I've ever heard before, and a brilliant follow up to 2011's "Roots of Earth are Consuming My Home". The excellent music blog CVLT Nation summed it up nicely " this record fucks with your ears, drags them through the dirt and subjects them to all manner of agony, rage and paranoia. It is nothing short of enjoyable."   

I'm sure I missed a bunch of great stuff, so if you've got any recommendations I'd love to hear them. Let's hope 2014 is just as good for music as 2013 was!