On the 25th day of the 12th month of 2012, the Six-Tongued Hellgoat was summoned to rise from the ashes and bring darkness to this place called POPdose. Join him in his quest.
Ritual Thrust into the Profane Maw of Churning Filth
Album: (the) Melvins, Everybody Loves Sausages
Label: Ipecac
Release: April 30, 2013
Genre: Rock/Metal/Pop
Rating: 5.5/10
The Hellgoat’s human handler (apparently it is illegal for a goat to live on his own here) simply loves the Melvins and while he realizes that they haven’t really been metal in ages, tough titties, they’re here anyway.
Everybody Loves Sausages, is the oddly named covers record from these weirdos and is certainly a unique bird. It’s billed as “unconventional” because of the choice of covers, like “Heathen Earth” by Throbbing Gristle, “Timothy Leary Lives” by Pop-O-Pies and especially “Female Trouble” originally by the wonder known as Divine.
Most of the songs were recorded with the guys from Big Business but a few with Trevor Dunn as the Melvins Lite lineup. And many of them feature friends of the band on vocals. This certainly isn’t the first time the Melvins have had other people sing on their records but at least with say, the Jello Biafra albums, he sang on all the tracks so there was a consistent vibe. There is very little, if any, consistency on this record.
The album begins with a raucous version of Venom’s “Warhead” (see, they are metal!) featuring Scott Kelly from Neurosis on vocals. There’s also a damn fine version of “Black Betty” and an 11-minute trippy version of David Bowie’s “Station To Station” thanks to the help of JG Thirlwell on the track.
On the opposite end is the pure punk of “Timothy Leary Lives” and the straight pop of Queen’s “Best Friend” which seem a little out of place here. But the track that sticks in the Hellgoat’s brain is of course the aforementioned “Female Trouble.” Dunn’s funky upright bass is punctuated by Buzz’s growling how he has “lots of problems / Female troubles.” Although tongue-in-cheek in nature, it’s more of what I’d expect to hear from a Melvins cover record.
Buzz, Dale and company get points for not covering the usual bullshit but far too many guests and too many different styles lead to an extremely uneven listen even by Melvins standards. The Hellgoat’s leaving this out of rotation.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/3ZqYf2N9fVg" width="600" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Somnolent Regurgitation of the Scrolls of Proselytism
(The Hellgoat wishes to convert you to the ways of the metal. But he prefers to let the press release and bio do most of the talking on these nefarious black circles.)
Album: Zolle, Zolle
Label: Supernatural Cat
Release: May 13, 2003
Genre: Instrumental Sludge
Press: Blazing out of the backwoods of Bruzzelle, Italy, born in homage to plow and harvest — harvesting riffs, plowing grappa — the Zolle duo will release their belligerently unhinged full-length debut of rural rampage in plenty of time for tomato season.
With only two members, somehow the magical Zolle still features members of Zu, Morkobot, OvO, One Dimensional Man and more. The bandits’ self-titled album stumbles triumphantly through inebriated off-kilter riff marches, schizokiller percussive thunder, disharmony and distressed builds abound, the pummeling concoction void of a goddamn human voice for its duration.
The Hellgoat’s Take (9/10): Goddamn, this rocks. Yeah, this is off-kilter for sure but in a damn good way. The buzzsaw riffs are incredibly interesting and total headbangers. And other than the epic last track, everything is under three minutes long, so Zolle rips shit up and moves on. Killer.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/99VizXAWXL4" width="600" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Album: Aosoth, IV: Arrow in Heart
Label: Agonia
Release: April 16, 2013
Genre: Black Metal
Press: French sowers of intelligent, distinctive and airless Black Metal, Aosoth, have returned with their 4th full-length album. The new opus is a natural improvement over bands previews release, III (out in 2011), which already was “a major step forward for Aosoth in creating their own distinct sound” (Sputnik Music). Commented by the band itself, IV: Arrow In Heart holds yet a bigger spiritual value: “We’ve spent such a huge amount of time on defining a darker identity, yet open to a wider range of influences. Those tracks still haunt us, as delivering them was a painful and excruciating experience, and left some of us even physically wounded… Which gives that album even more of a spiritual value, as it involved a form of sacrifice. This fourth full-length release is without a doubt a great step forward for us in term of music writing, and sound.”
The Hellgoat’s Take (9/10): France is known for some weird shit metal bands so Aosoth is downright normal compared to a lot of their fellow countrymen. IV: Arrow In Heart is a fairly brilliant album that pummels and suffocates you with black metal filth. The riffs are jolting and unique and the sheer amount of power in 8, 10, 14 minute opuses is killer. If the Hellgoat gets asked where to start if you want to learn about French metal scene, Aosoth is going to be the answer.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WFTvx9ZPpJc" width="600" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Comments