Fear

Mid week and it's time for some more punk/hardcore. This time it's FEAR. The seminal LA hardcore act that once got to play SNL. But you knew John Belushi kicked ass and got em that gig already. The band is credited with helping shape the American Hardcore scene in the late 70's/early 80's. The band appeared in The Decline Of Western Civilization. 'The Record' is a classic that clocks in at just under 28 minutes. Perfect for slammin' a sixer of PBR and destroying a room. Side note, current Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea filled in for the band for a short period of time in the early 80's.

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Angel Dust

Something more upbeat for today. How bout some Faith No More. Majority of folks will know the band for their rap/rock/funk crossover track 'Epic'. That along with a handful of other songs from bands may have started the drek Nu-Metal. Nevertheless time heals and we forgive. 'Angel Dust' was the high point for the band, fresh off mainstream success with 'Epic' and the album 'The Real Thing', 'Angel Dust' was a solid mainstream rock album. The album is full of great cuts. Of course after a few more records the band called it a day. Mike Patton went on to do all kinds of crazy stuff with Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Peeping Tom and a bunch more stuff. The band reformed and has played a handful of world dates, but nothing stateside. Fun fact, before Chuck Mosley was in the band, Courtney Love actually handled vocal duties.

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Before The Poison

New week new letter. It's F time. And I will say there's gonna be a lot of different postings this week. Wide mix of genres and what not. So I start of today with some Marianne Faithfull. Some of you may recognize the name from a few places. She of course rose to fame and sweet voiced angel who fell in with The Rolling Stones in the 60's. There's wonderful stories about her and Mick Jagger that leave you wondering why have the drugs weakened over the years. More recently she provided the backing vocals on Metallica's 'The Memory Remains' off their 'ReLoad' album. Her debut record and latter records sound nothing alike, vocal wise. Just listen to her version of 'As Tears Go By' Decided to go with something a little more darker from her catalog. Released in 2005, 'Before The Poison' is a darker record which features help from PJ Harvey, Nick Cave and Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz). Kind of a depressing yet really good album.

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Bonded By Blood

Closing out the week of E's with some Bay Area Thrash. Exodus is widely considered to be one of the early thrash metal acts. Some even crying foul over their non inclusion of the Big 4. Formed in the early 80's, the early lineup featured Kirk Hammett, who of course went on to be in Metallica. Fronted by a mad man in Paul Baloff, 'Bonded By Blood' remains once of the best thrash debuts ever. The only studio album to actually feature Paul, who was replaced by Zetro, who then was replaced by Paul, then replaced again by Zetro after his untimely death a few years back. Lineup changes aside Exodus is still alive and thrashing with new vocalist Rob Dukes, who's debut on 'Shovel Headed Kill Machine' was nothing short of jaw dropping. Going with the classic pit starter though seemed a better fit.

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The Continuum Hypothesis

Changing genres again we shift into some Melodic Death Metal from the unlikely place on Memphis TN. Epoch Of Unlight plays smart melodic death metal if you will. 'The Continuum Hypothesis' is the bands last release, coming out back in 05. Not much has been heard since the albums release. Good listen for fans of the genre though.

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In The Nightside

For today's sampling of goodness. I've decided to pull out some Norwegian Black Metal. Some old stuff, none of this new drek. Some trve kvlt if you will. Emperor were one of the most recognized bands associated with the Norwegian Black Metal scene. You know the one, the one that burned churches and killed guys in other bands, yeah that one. 'In The Nightside Eclipse' remains one of the better black metal records to come out of that period. And along with 'Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk' remains one of their finest records. Only releasing four studio albums in an almost 20 year career. You know prison time kinda interferes with record making. 'In The Nightside Eclipse' was their first full length album and features the classic lineup of Faust, Tchort, Samoth and Ihsahn. Uploaded the deluxe edition which features a cover of Bathory's 'A Fine Day To Die' and a cover of the Mercyful Fate classic 'Gypsy'. So put on some corpse paint and enjoy.

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Old Glory

Moving back into the classic rock genre of the blog for today's helping. The Electric Flag were a super group, which in it's originality only lasted a year. The band formed in 67 and by the end of The Summer Of Love in 69 were disbanded. Known for being somewhat of a super group the band featured Mike Bloomfield on Guitars and Buddy Miles on Drums. The band fused rock, jazz, and R&B into a melting pot of musical goodness. Featuring an awesome horn section, the band was short lived with their highlight playing the Monterey Pop Festival in 69. Officially only releasing three studio albums. One only with the original lineup and one as a reunion album. I've decided to upload 'Old Glory, The Best Of The Electric Flag'. Great mix of the studio cuts entwined with some live cuts from the Monterey Pop Festival.

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Endless Highway

New week and I'm throwing up another tribute album. This time around it's a tribute to The Band. 'Endless Highway, A Tribute To The Band' came out in 07 and features a mix of Indie artists with some more well known rock acts. Featuring the likes of Bruce Hornsby, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers Band, and Death Cab For Cutie. Each act puts their unique spin on one of the many classic Band songs. For something a little more indie and diverse give this one a try.

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Encomium

Final posting of the week is a tribute record. Something I haven't posted here yet. ' Encomium: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin' is a tribute to the mighty Led Zep that was released back in 95. Normally I'm not a fan of tribute records, but this one isn't actually bad. A pretty diverse lineup ranging from bands such as, Stone Temple Pilots, Cracker, Duran Duran, Helmet, Sheryl Crow, Hootie & The Blowfish, etc. Worth a listen for the Zep fans or just for a 90's throwback day.

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Brain Salad Surgery

Time to take things in a proggy direction. Emerson, Lake and Palmer were amongst the best of the 70's Prog Rock bands. 'Brain Salad Surgery' remains their best know work. Featuring the nearly 30 minute epic 'Karn Evil  9'. Most people will recognize the 2nd 'impression' of the song. However the standout track for me here is 'Still...You Turn Me On'. Epic album with epic artwork from H.R. Geiger. Uploaded the UK Bonus version of the album, so there's some extra cuts to enjoy.

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Everything Remains

Folk Metal has been picking up some steam in the Metal scene for the past few years. Folk Metal is essentially Power Metal only with traditional instruments. Mainly coming out of the Norse mythology, the lyrical themes tell stories about the past. Eluveitie is a Swiss Folk Metal band that's gained some attention over the past few years. 'Everything Remains As It Never Was' is the bands 4th LP and stands out as a good starting point for the band. Interesting mix of bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, and tin whistles accompany the more familiar melodic death metal. Worth checking out for a nice change of pace.

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Chill Factor

Changing up gears for the second posting and putting up some smooth jazz. Little departure from some of the other jazz postings. Richard Elliot is a Scottish born Sax player. He played for a time in the funk band Tower of Power before pursuing a solo career. He's released 20 albums so far. I'm choosing 'Chill Factor' though for this posting. Solid piece of work, including two smooth covers of 'Adia' and 'Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing'. Good to just chill out to and relax.

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Dark Clouds

Another week and we stumble into the E's. Not a whole lot in my E collection, so I've dusted of some more weird and obscure stuff. First off is some Goth Metal from Liechtenstein. Bonus points if you can find that on the map. Elis was a short lived band that played Gothic Metal. I'm uploading their second LP 'Dark Clouds In A Perfect Sky'. A nice mix of sorrow and love. Lead singer Sabine Dünser passed in 2006 of a cerebral hemorrhage. The band released one more record after her death and split up earlier this year. Recommended for fans of female fronted metal.

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Black Wings

The back end of the posting belongs to Dragonlord. The 'American Black Metal' project that featured Eric Peterson of Testament fame. Use that term loosely though. While it's a departure from Testament, it's not kvlt black metal. I'm posting their last album 'Black Wings Of Destiny'. It's a pretty solid record, but the two covers at the end of the CD make it worthwhile. Great cover of 'Black Funeral' from Mercyful Fate and 'Emerald' from Thin Lizzy. Worth a check out if ya dig Testament.

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Lightning To The Nations

Been slacking with this blog thing again, thanks Disney musicals. Read that however ya want. Double shot of some metal today. First up the one NWOBHM everyone knows, Diamond Head. Of course most well known for having Metallica cover few of their songs. 'Helpless' 'The Prince' 'Am I Evil', 'It's Electric' and in their very early days 'Sucking My Love'. Of course all the originals are on 'Lightning To The Nations'. Great album and this is the deluxe version that came out some years back. Believe Lars wrote the liner notes for it even. Great old school metal for the masses.

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Sing-Along Songs

And for the final post. It's time for some Riot Opera. Oh yeah, time to step off the deep end. Diablo Swing Orchestra is a Swedish metal band that takes swing, jazz and metal and fuses it into what they call Riot Opera. 'Sing-Along Songs For The Damned And Delirious' is their second release and it's a very interesting and amazing record. Take a dive into the deep end and enjoy this one.

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Projector

Up next is one of the bands that defined the Gothenburg sound. Dark Tranquillity has been churning out some damn fine metal since the early 90's. The band over time has incorporated some more keyboard/effects into the music but still maintain that Swedish sound. 'Projector' is probably my favorite album from them. The album starts off great and ends great. An underrated album, but a classic in it's own right.

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Danzig

Well mid week already. That just kinda pissed by. Thanks booze. Anyways triple posting to catch up with things. Starting off with a little Danzig. Pun included? Possibly. Danzig of course was the vocalist for the horror punk legends The Misfits. He also fronted Samhain. After those two bands dissolved he decided to go solo. 'Danzig' or as some refer to it 'Danzig I' was the first solo effort and the best. Things kinda went downhill from there. Enjoy the trip back.

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Arcane Rain Fell

Closing out the week on a somber note. Time for some Goth/Doom. Draconian are a female fronted goth/doom outfit. Use a great mix of male/female vocals overlaid with some somber tones. Uploading 'Arcane Rain Fell' which is probably their best album. Check out the track 'Daylight Misery'. Light some candles and weep.

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Hear Nothing

Some more Punk coming your way. This time from across the pond. Discharge was one of the more politically pissed of punk bands to come out of the UK. Lot of metal bands cite them as an influence. 2 of the Big 4 have covered material from them. Anthrax covered 'Protest And Survive', while Metallica covered 'Free Speech For The Dumb' and 'The More I See' for Garage Inc. 'Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing' is by far their best work. Non stop in your face for the whole album. Definitely an album most people should own.

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That Beat

Sort of staying in the rock genre today with some Bo Diddley. Bo passed away a few years back but his legendary guitar riffing and rhythm are still relevant. The 'Bo Diddley Sound' or 'Shave and Two Bits' sound defined Diddley's music and career. Not to mention is epic guitar. Chess Records put out a really good best of album and it's a perfect place to start to appreciate the music and legacy that is Bo Diddley. You might recognize 'Who Do You Love'. Of course the more poplar version used in those Sam Adams commercials was done by George Thorogood, but you see how far the influence goes. So here it is 'His Best'

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Layla

Switching the musical gears again we arrive at possibly one of the best rock albums ever. Derek And The Domino's was a band that featured Duane Allman and Eric Clapton. Their sole album 'Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs' was released back in 1970 and wasn't the critical darling it is today. The album features some amazing guitar work and even more amazing songs. Perhaps the most well known Clapton song is included here with 'Layla'. And while the debate rages on whether it's better electric or acoustic, it's the albums stand out track. Not to be outdone though is the Hendrix cover 'Little Wing' added on last minute as a tribute to Hendrix who had recently passed. Amazing album worth a listen front to back multiple times.

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The Decline

New week and still in the D's. Going to start this week off with some more Punk, but with a soundtrack. 'The Decline Of Western Civilization' was a movie that documented the punk scene out in LA. A wonderful film that every punk fan should see a least once. Bands featured on here are, Black Flag, The Germs, X, The Circle Jerks, Catholic Discipline, The Alice Bag Band, and FEAR. One of the few soundtracks worth buying. You know cause its got more than one decent song on it.

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