Though Ministry was always seen, rightly or wrongly, as Al Jourgensen’s band, it’s not fair to say that he was the only talent in the group. Bassist Paul Barker used Lead Into Gold as a vehicle for his own creative output. It’s a shame he didn’t do more with it.
Metal
[Video] Калевала (Kalevala) – Лучшую Спою Вам Песню
Though I have an absolute loathing for metal, I really try to cut those who try to mix culture and folklore into their music. Football chants mar the the actual singing taking place in this song, tarnish what might have been quite a good ditty. On the plus side, though I find neo-paganism to be a repugnant fraud, it’s good to see that these kids are maintaining the tradition of metal existing solely to annoy parents until they have to pay their own bills.
If this sort of thing appeals to you (yes, I admit that the singer is pleasant to look at and the bagpipes in some of their songs is a very nice touch), then check out Kalevala’s website here. Better yet, go read the original, which inspired the name.
[Video] Causa Sui – Homage
10 minutes of psychedelic/Kraut bliss. I know little about Causa Sui, except that they are a modern band who record for El Paraiso Records currently. They really do wonders for modern psych music.
[Video] Tangled Thoughts of Leaving – Shaking Off Futility
Tangled Thoughts of Leaving are a new name for me. Think of a post-rock Swans with a spaghetti-western vibe to them.
[Video] Alcatraz – Piss Off (1971)
With many thanks to Alan Freeman, the proprietor of England’s coolest prog-rock shop, Ultima Thule, and the editor of the magazine which poisoned my musical taste for the rest of my life, Audion.
This freakish track by Alcatraz managed to scramble the brains of Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound. If that isn’t high praise, nothing is.
[Sample] Thou – Heathen
Amazing noisy sludge from Louisiana, Thou seem to be keeping to a trend of quasi-religious metal band names. They’re impressive at any rate.
[Podcast] ‘Haunted’ by Christina Liveri
Haunted by Christina Liveri on Mixcloud
One of my favorite podcasters out of Greece, Christina touches on tracks by U.N.K.L.E., Dead Can Dance, and many others. A worthy follow (would you expect any less?).
[Sample] Various Artists – Prima Giedi
Cold Dark Matter Records taps into the one thing I respect about this new Doom Metal scene – they exhibit raw power. Every track on this compilation is a bruiser. I think I’ll have a lot of fun exploring this label!
[Video] Transmetal – Infierno De Dante – Vive Latino 2007
I have to admit that I hate mose of what constitutes what is called ‘thrash metal’. It is boring, repetitive in a lame way, and the vocals tend to sound like the Cookie Monster suffering from a bad bout of diarrhea.
This, however, struck me as being a bit different.
My friend, Mark, who has been trading notes on music with me for over two decades, insisted that I hear this band. Knowing I had nothing to lose, I figured, “Sure, why not?” Transmetal is impressive. A lot of racket, but it seems focused, and very intense. Apparently, they also cover Motörhead, which wins big points from me.
A band to look out for.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 